PMID- 17750073 TI - EXTRACTION OF THE NITROGENOUS MATERIALS FROM DRIED GRASS. PMID- 17750074 TI - EGGS OF FRESH-WATER FISHES SUITABLE FOR LABORATORY STUDIES. PMID- 17750076 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17750075 TI - ACETO-CARMIN MOUNTING MEDIA. PMID- 17750077 TI - THE THEORY OF CHEMICAL ACTION IN ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE. PMID- 17750078 TI - THE PLATEAU HABITAT OF THE PRO-DAWN MAN. PMID- 17750079 TI - THE USE OF CHARTS IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17750080 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17750082 TI - TRANSPLANTATION OF THE EUROPEAN OYSTER. PMID- 17750081 TI - THE APPORTIONMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES. PMID- 17750083 TI - THE BOILING-POINT AND THE LATENT HEAT OF VAPORIZATION OF WATER. PMID- 17750085 TI - CORYNEUM CANKER OF CYPRESS. PMID- 17750084 TI - MORE RESEARCH. PMID- 17750086 TI - WORK ACCOMPLISHED BY THE FIELD MUSEUM PALEONTOLOGICAL EXPEDITIONS TO SOUTH AMERICA. PMID- 17750088 TI - MAKING A CORRECT MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF SOILS IN FIFTEEN MINUTES. PMID- 17750087 TI - CORRECTIONS TO THE BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY OF AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17750089 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD OF PICKING UP CORRELATIONS. PMID- 17750091 TI - STUDIES ON THE PHYSIOLOGY OF ASCARIS LUMBRICOIDES. PMID- 17750090 TI - A BIOELECTRIC POTENTIAL. PMID- 17750092 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17750094 TI - The first piece in the NF puzzle. PMID- 17750093 TI - The need to improve the image of chemistry. PMID- 17750095 TI - Shuttle leaks: good news for science. PMID- 17750096 TI - Immunity in return for due process. PMID- 17750097 TI - Hubble: it could have been worse. PMID- 17750098 TI - Eco-Quandary: What Killed the Skuas?: A flap over the disappearance of Antarctic birds suggests blame shouldn't be fixed too quickly after an eco-catastrophe. PMID- 17750100 TI - Rising Japanese productivity. PMID- 17750099 TI - Use of job test curbed. PMID- 17750101 TI - North Carolina goes "sooie". PMID- 17750102 TI - Leonardo's Secret: Cat Naps. PMID- 17750104 TI - Fauci gets softer on activists. PMID- 17750103 TI - Comings & goings. PMID- 17750105 TI - Hawking appeals for handicapped. PMID- 17750107 TI - East german academy in peril. PMID- 17750106 TI - Crimebuster vs. Cyberpunks. PMID- 17750108 TI - NASA's Search for ETs Hits a Snag on Earth: The space agency has a new device to listen for signals from the cosmos but it is hearing derision from Congress. PMID- 17750109 TI - Adaptive optics revisited. AB - From the earliest days and nights of telescopic astronomy, atmospheric turbulence has been a serious detriment to optical performance. The new technology of adaptive optics can overcome this problem by compensating for the wavefront distortion that results from turbulence. The result will be large gains in resolving power and limiting magnitude, closely approaching the theoretical limit. In other words, telescopic images will be very significantly sharpened. Rapid and accelerating progress is being made today by several groups. Adaptive optics, together with the closely related technology of active optics, seems certain to be utilized in large astronomical telescopes of the future. This may entail significant changes in telescope design. PMID- 17750110 TI - Growth and erosion of thin solid films. AB - Thin films that are grown by the process of sputtering are, by and large, quite unlike the smooth, featureless structures that one might expect. In general, these films have a complicated surface morphology and an extended network of grooves and voids in their interiors. Such features can have a profound effect on the physical properties of a thin film. The surface irregularities and the bulk defects are the result of a growth instability due to competitive shadowing, an effect that also plays a role in geological processes such as erosion. For amorphous thin films, the shadow instability can be described by a remarkably simple model, which can be shown to reproduce many important observed characteristics of thin film morphology. PMID- 17750111 TI - Theoretical and experimental rate constants for two isotopic modifications of the reaction h + h2. AB - Theoretical rate constants for two isotopic modifications of the simplest possible chemical reaction, namely, H + D(2) --> HD + D and D + H(2) --> HD + H, are presented. Experimental results, which have previously been obtained in the higher temperature regime by a shock tube technique, are combined with lower temperature results to give an experimental determination of the rate behavior over the large temperature range approximately 200 to 2000 K. It is now possible to assess the accuracy of ab initio potential energy surface calculations and to judge theoretical chemical kinetic methods. PMID- 17750113 TI - Langmuir-Blodgett Films. Gareth Roberts, Ed. Plenum, New York, 1990. xiv, 425 pp., illus. $85. PMID- 17750112 TI - Midwestern holocene paleoenvironments revealed by floodplain deposits in northeastern iowa. AB - Pollen analysis of pond deposits in the upper reaches of a stream from northeastern Iowa, an area beyond the last glacial margin, provides a nearly complete record of vegetational changes during the last 12.5 thousand years. Sixty-one radiocarbon dates provide good chronological control. Spruce forest was replaced by deciduous forest before 9.1 thousand years ago, followed by prairie from 5.4 to 3.5 thousand years ago, and oak savanna from 3.5 thousand years ago until presettlement times. The prairie invasion was nearly 3 thousand years later here than at other sites in Iowa and Minnesota, documenting a late Holocene, rather than an early-middle Holocene, period of maximum warmth and dryness for the southern part of the upper Midwest. PMID- 17750114 TI - The Sanitarians. A History of American Public Health. John Duffy. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1990. x, 331 pp. $32.50. PMID- 17750115 TI - Evolutionary Dynamics of a Natural Population. The Large Cactus Finch of the Galapagos. B. Rosemary Grant and Peter R. Grant. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1990. xx, 350 pp., illus. $65; paper, $24.95. PMID- 17750116 TI - Storm and Cloud Dynamics. William R. Cotton and Richard A. Anthes. Academic Press, San Diego, CA 1989. xii, 880 pp., illus. $149.95. International Geophysics Series, vol. 44. PMID- 17750117 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17750118 TI - RESEARCH AS A UNIVERSITY FUNCTION. PMID- 17750119 TI - RAPHAEL BLANCHARD (1858-1919). PMID- 17750120 TI - JOHN WALLACE BAIRD. PMID- 17750121 TI - BASIS OF THE GEOMETRICAL MEAN AS A B. COLI INDEX. PMID- 17750122 TI - THE PASSENGER PIGEON. PMID- 17750123 TI - CARDIUM CORBIS A MONCECIOUS BIVALVE. PMID- 17750124 TI - SOME PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS IN NATIONAL ARMY MEN UNDER MILITARY TRAINING. PMID- 17750125 TI - THE PARIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17750126 TI - Mutual Aid. PMID- 17750127 TI - Zone Melting: This technique offers unique advantages in purification and in control of composition in various substances. AB - So far, most work in the field of zone melting has been done on a small scale, use of heavier than 100-pound ingots of certain metals notwithstanding. However, there is no basic reason why tons rather than pounds cannot be treated. Continuous refiners have been designed and operated, and a suitable design theory exists (3). PMID- 17750128 TI - Softening of Metals: With new techniques, four distinct processes in the thermal softening of metal systems may be studied. AB - It should be apparent that while there are many complicating factors in softening processes which tend to render some results inconsistent with others, progress in understanding these processes is being made, and certain unifying concepts have evolved. Realization of the differences in the reaction of metal systems to softening is now well established. Arbitrary division of the softening process into distinct stages has perhaps caused some confusion in the past, but with the use of new techniques, mechanistic details of the entire softening process are now being unfolded. PMID- 17750129 TI - Intellectual Life in England: Leavis Views C. P. Snow; Boothby Views Leavis. PMID- 17750130 TI - Space Cooperation: U.S., Soviets Agree To Do Up There What They Have Not Done Down Here. PMID- 17750131 TI - Moon Illusion and Emmert's Law. AB - The perceived size of an afterimage varies with the part of the sky to which it is projected in a manner predictable from Emmert's Law and the appearance of the sky as a flattened dome. This effect is directly analogous to the moon illusion. PMID- 17750132 TI - Progreass on many energy fronts. PMID- 17750134 TI - The big shortfall in auto fuel economy. PMID- 17750133 TI - Catalysis by small metal clusters. AB - Experimental and theoretical studies of small clusters of metal atoms are aimed at revealing how properties change in the ultrafinely divided state. Thermodynamic, electronic, and structural features can be size-dependent and may be involved in determining the activity of small-particle catalysts. Correlations between these properties give indications of the features important in catalysis. PMID- 17750135 TI - Unearthing new einsteins. PMID- 17750136 TI - Radiation compensation. PMID- 17750137 TI - Pharmacist to head FDA. PMID- 17750139 TI - U.N. Technology meeting lacked clear direction. PMID- 17750138 TI - Sex change operations of dubious value. PMID- 17750140 TI - Plasmas Produce Very Intense X-ray Pulses. PMID- 17750142 TI - Gestural linguistics. PMID- 17750141 TI - Science: our common heritage. PMID- 17750143 TI - Rapprochements in population biology. PMID- 17750144 TI - Metal chelate compounds. PMID- 17750145 TI - Planetary explorations. PMID- 17750146 TI - West antarctic ice sheet: present-day thinning and holocene retreat of the margins. AB - Retreat of the margins of the West Antarctic ice sheet associated with rising sea level during the last 15,000 years is the main cause for the thinning of the ice sheet by approximately 300 meters. The West Antarctic ice sheet during the late Wisconsin was at least 30 percent wider than it is today, and Holocene retreat of its margins has added about 6 meters to the world sea level. PMID- 17750147 TI - Diffusion of Cesium Ions in H2O-Saturated Granitic Melt. AB - The intrinsic self-diffusion coefficient (D) for cesium-134 in a granitic melt containing 6.1 to 6.3 percent (by weight) of dissolved H(2)O is three to four orders of magnitude higher than the values reported for chemically similar but dry granitic glass. For the temperature interval 700 degrees to 800 degrees C and a confining pressure of 2 kilobars, cesium diffusivity is given by D = 7.19 x 10( 5) exp (- 19.52 x 10(3)/RT), where R is the gas constant and T is the absolute temperature; the activation energy of about 20 kilocalories per mole is less than half the value for H(2)O-free glass. The observed increase in ionic mobility that accompanies solution of H(2)O implies sharply reduced equilibration times for chemical processes that occur in H(2)2O-bearing silicate melts. PMID- 17750148 TI - Aluminum in seawater: control by inorganic processes. AB - The distribution of dissolved aluminum in open ocean waters is probably controlled by the solution of aluminum from atmospherically derived particles and bottom sediments balanced against scavenging by siliceous shells of dead organisms. Variations in the aluminum concentration within vertical hydrographic profiles are small as compared to those for other trace metals. Aluminum concentrations in the Atlantic and Pacific are inversely related to the silica contents of these oceans. PMID- 17750149 TI - Submarine seep of carbon dioxide in norton sound, alaska. AB - Earlier workers have described a submarine gas seep in Norton Sound having an unusual mixture of petroleum-like, low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons. Actually, only about 0.04 percent of the seeping gas is hydrocarbons and 98 percent is carbon dioxide. The isotopic compositions of carbon dioxide (delta(13)C(PDB) = 2.7 per mil) and methane (delta(13)C(PDB) = -36 per mil, where PDB is the Peedee belemnite standard) indicate that geothermal processes are active here. PMID- 17750150 TI - Atmospheric sulfur aerosol concentrations and characteristics from the South american continent. AB - Aerosol samples collected from eight geographically distinct locations in South America during the austral winter of 1976 and summer of 1977 with six-stage cascade impactors show a tropospheric sulfur background concentration of about 50 nanograms per cubic meter of air in the fine-particle mode (1 micrometer in aerodynamic diameter). Time-sequence filter samples, taken concurrently at most locations, show an average non-sea spray related sulfur concentration of about 85 nanograms per cubic meter. These concentrations are substantially lower than most published nonurban values for the Northern Hemisphere obtained by similar sampling and analysis techniques and may represent a natural tropospheric background level of aerosol sulfur. PMID- 17750151 TI - Keeping a cool head: honeybee thermoregulation. AB - At high ambient temperatures, honeybees regulate head teriperature by evaporative cooling of regurgitated honeycrop contents. Thoracic temperature is secondarily stabilized as heat flows from thorax to head by means of passive conduction and physiological facilitation resulting from accelerated blood flow. The mechanism permits flight at the extraordinarily high ambient temperature of 46 degrees C without overheating the head and thorax despite prodigious amounts of heat produced as a by-product of flight metabolism. In contrast, at low ambient temperatures, thoracic rather than head temperature is regulated; no liquid is regurgitated, and the head is heated passively by conduction both in flight and while stationary. PMID- 17750152 TI - Changes in Carbon Fixation, Tuberization, and Growth Induced by CO2 Applications to the Root Zone of Potato Plants. AB - The root systems of potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L. var. Russet Burbank) treated with CO(2) for 12 hours showed an increase in dry matter as early as 2 days after the treatment. When treated plants were allowed to grow for 3 to 6 weeks there was a substantial increase in tuberization. In addition, there was an increase in stolon length, number of tubers per stolon, and overall dry weight after the enrichment of the root zone with CO(2). Plants treated with CO(2) showed higher concentrations of malic and citric acids and of the cations Mg(2+) and Ca(2+). The effect of CO(2) was more dramatic when CO(2) was applied to the root zone than when it was applied to the shoots. PMID- 17750153 TI - Sociobiology of bank swallows: reproductive strategy of the male. AB - Male bank swallows pursue a mixed reproductive strategy. As previously documented, they form monogamous pair bonds with females with whom they will share parental duties of nest-building, incubation, and feeding of the young. In addition, however, they routinely seek promiscuous copulations with other females, both before and after pair-bonding. PMID- 17750154 TI - Floras and oxygen. PMID- 17750155 TI - An adaptation of the jet stream microelectrode beveler. PMID- 17750156 TI - Floras and oxygen. PMID- 17750157 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17750159 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17750158 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17750160 TI - MEDALS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17750161 TI - PRESENTATION OF THE DANIEL GIRAUD ELLIOT MEDAL FOR 1932 TO JAMES P. CHAPIN. PMID- 17750162 TI - PRESENTATION OF THE HENRY DRAPER MEDAL FOR 1934 TO JOHN STANLEY PLASKETT. PMID- 17750163 TI - PRESENTATION OF THE PUBLIC WELFARE MEDAL TO AUGUST VOLLMER. PMID- 17750165 TI - "SLEEP" AGGREGATION IN THE BEETLE ALTICA BIMARGINATA. PMID- 17750164 TI - INTERNATIONAL UNION OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17750166 TI - HEVEA RUBBER TREES IN FLORIDA. PMID- 17750167 TI - RESEARCH AT MELLON INSTITUTE DURING 1934-35. PMID- 17750168 TI - NOTES ON THE COMMON SHRIMP. PMID- 17750169 TI - PARADICHLOROBENZENE, AN EFFECTIVE HERBARIUM INSECTICIDE. PMID- 17750170 TI - MENINGITIS IN MAN CAUSED BY A FILTERABLE VIRUS. PMID- 17750172 TI - ON CYMAROSE. PMID- 17750171 TI - AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR SEED GERMINATION. PMID- 17750173 TI - THE EFFECT OF PRACTICE UPON INTERCORRELATIONS OF MOTOR SKILLS. PMID- 17750174 TI - EARTHQUAKE PREDICTIONS. PMID- 17750175 TI - THE TEMPERATURE OF THE CORONA. PMID- 17750176 TI - ETHER DRIFT EXPERIMENTS AND THE EINSTEIN THEORY. PMID- 17750177 TI - SCARLET FEVER. PMID- 17750178 TI - LIGHT-TREATED MILK AS A CURE FOR RICKETS. PMID- 17750179 TI - A NEW HOOKWORM CURE. PMID- 17750180 TI - SURVEY OF FRESH-WATER RESOURCES. PMID- 17750181 TI - FORESTRY IN PHILIPPINES. PMID- 17750182 TI - THE RELATIONSHIP OF HUMAN CONSTITUTION TO DISEASE. PMID- 17750183 TI - THE DIFFERENTIALS EFFECTIVE IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS IN THE COASTAL PLAIN. PMID- 17750184 TI - BURT GREEN WILDER. PMID- 17750185 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17750187 TI - THE KENNELLY-HEAVISIDE LAYER. PMID- 17750186 TI - MUSICAL ECHOES. PMID- 17750188 TI - LEGISLATION ON THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION. PMID- 17750190 TI - A HISTORIC FOSSIL. PMID- 17750189 TI - A PHILIPPINE RORQUAL. PMID- 17750191 TI - SEGREGATION OF CARBOHYDRATES IN MAIZE POLLEN. PMID- 17750192 TI - THE USE OF BAKELITE IN THE PRESERVATION OF FOSSIL MATERIAL. PMID- 17750193 TI - THE INOCULATION OF TOMATO AND TOBACCO PLANTS WITH POTATO MOSAIC VIRUS. PMID- 17750194 TI - NOTES ON THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE GOLGI APPARATUS IN GLAND CELLS. PMID- 17750196 TI - USING ELECTRONS FOR MICROANALYSIS. PMID- 17750195 TI - NEW HYBRIDS FROM INCOMPATIBLE CROSSES IN DATURA THROUGH CULTURE OF EXCISED EMBRYOS ON MALT MEDIA. PMID- 17750197 TI - WILLIAM EMERSON RITTER: NATURALIST AND PHILOSOPHER. PMID- 17750198 TI - THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17750199 TI - A GOVERNMENT TESTING LABORATORY IN SOUTH AFRICA. PMID- 17750200 TI - GRANTS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. PMID- 17750201 TI - THE CHARLES L. MAYER AWARDS. PMID- 17750202 TI - SAFETY OF MECHANICAL RESUSCITATION APPARATUS. PMID- 17750203 TI - THE LONGEVITY OF THE EMINENT. PMID- 17750204 TI - THE CORRECT GENERIC NAME FOR THE SAND FLY. PMID- 17750205 TI - THE OCCURRENCE OF A TETRAPLOID AND TWO TRIPLOID APPLE SEEDLINGS IN PROGENIES OF DIPLOID PARENTS. PMID- 17750206 TI - SUPPRESSION OF GROWTH OF THE BROWN-PEARCE TUMOR BY A SPECIFIC ANTIBODY. PMID- 17750207 TI - A CONFIRMATION OF THE PRESENCE OF PANCREOZYMIN IN THE DUODENAL MUCOSA. AB - Confirmatory evidence has been secured for the existence of pancreozymin, a hormone present in extracts of the duodenal mucosa the effect of which is to stimulate enzyme production by the pancreas. It is separated from secretin by precipitation with aniline, and stimulates equally the formation of the three chief pancreatic enzymes; it is inactivated by incubation with serum, probably on an enzyme basis. PMID- 17750208 TI - CHLORELLIN, AN ANTIBACTERIAL SUBSTANCE FROM CHLORELLA. PMID- 17750210 TI - PRESENT TENDENCIES IN THEORETICAL PHYSICS. PMID- 17750209 TI - NEW INDICATORS TO REPLACE LITMUS IN MILK. PMID- 17750211 TI - CYRILLE GRAND'EURY. PMID- 17750212 TI - GRAVITATIONAL REPULSION AND THE COMET. PMID- 17750213 TI - RHYTHMIC PRECIPITATION. PMID- 17750214 TI - MANGANESE IN ALBERTA. PMID- 17750215 TI - BARITE IN GEORGIA. PMID- 17750216 TI - FURTHER EVIDENCE RELATIVE TO THE VARIETAL RESISTANCE OF PEANUTS TO SCLEROTIUM ROLFSII. PMID- 17750217 TI - THE BOSTON MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. VII. PMID- 17750218 TI - Moscow genetics congress. PMID- 17750219 TI - Horatio alger on work. PMID- 17750220 TI - Renegotiating the society-academy contract. PMID- 17750221 TI - Geographical trends in numbers of species. AB - Geographic variation in the number of coexisting plant and animal species (species density) often follows repeated patterns; best known is the general increase in species richness from temperate to tropical latitudes. Here we undertake a quantitative analysis of geographic trends in species density for the terrestrial vertebrate faunas of the United States and Australia. Trends in numbers of species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are described and are correlated with geographic variation in abiotic environmental measures. Intercontinental comparisons reveal general patterns as well as intriguing and profound differences in vertebrate distributions. PMID- 17750222 TI - Fuel reprocessing still the focus of u.s. Nonproliferation policy. PMID- 17750224 TI - Senate Votes to Cancel NASA's Moon Rock Money. PMID- 17750223 TI - Work at seabrook resumed. PMID- 17750225 TI - Brain that rocked physics rests in cider box. PMID- 17750226 TI - Violently active galaxies: the search for the energy machine. AB - The energy source in these galaxies will be shown to be a black hole, I think, even though it may take 100 years before we have proven it.-MARTIN REES, at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, England I think it will take 1000 years and we may very well be on the wrong track. These [black hole] models are getting into the textbooks now, but there is never anything testable and people are working on smaller and smaller pieces of the problem.- GEOFFREY BURBIDGE, at the Univeristy of California, San Diego, and soon to assume the post of head of the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Arizona REES: I agree, but I would argue that the way we are going about it is the most productive approach, even though the modelers may be getting the illusory satisfaction of a Ptolomean theorist who adds another epicycle. BURBRIDGE: I'm glad to hear you say that, Martin. The trouble is that so many people take these things more seriously than you do. PMID- 17750227 TI - Protein evolution. PMID- 17750228 TI - A collation of physics. PMID- 17750229 TI - Ecology of the carabidae. PMID- 17750230 TI - Cyclic change in late triassic lacustrine communities. AB - A new type of lake and shore assemblage has been found in the Late Triassic age rocks of North Carolina and Virginia (Dan River group). It includes abundant aquatic reptiles, fishes, at least seven orders of insects, crustaceans, and a diverse flora. Cyclic changes in the fauna and flora correlate with sedimentary cycles, which together reflect the repetitive development and extinction of large meromictic lakes. PMID- 17750231 TI - A search for ultra-narrowband signals of extraterrestrial origin. AB - Nearly 200 nearby stars similar to the sun were observed at the 21-centimeter neutral hydrogen wavelength (in the heliocentric frame) with a bandwidth of 1 kilohertz and a resolution of 0.015 hertz, using the Arecibo 305-meter antenna. At this resolution the effects of terrestrial interference are so slight that the detection limit of 4 x 10(-27) watt per square meter was set by receiver noise alone. No evidence of artificial signals was found. PMID- 17750232 TI - Decomposition of calcium carbonate and organic carbon in the deep oceans. AB - Simple mass-balance calculations indicate that in seawater the calcium variation (DeltaCa) correlates with the variation in the titration alkalinity (DeltaTA) and the variation in the total carbon dioxide (DeltasigmaCO(2)) or nitrate (DeltaNO(3)) according to the equations DeltaCa = 0.46288 DeltaTA + 0.074236 DeltasigmaCO(2) and DeltaCa = 0.5 DeltaTA + 0.53125 DeltaNO(3). The estimated values for DeltaCa from these equations, which agree with the values obtained from direct measurements, have been used to estimate the ratio of the in situ inorganic to organic carbon fluxes in the oceans. The precise vertical distribution of this ratio is shown for the first time. PMID- 17750233 TI - Thermal sensitivity in lichens. AB - Lichens are believed to be extremely resistant to high-temperature stress when desiccated. Results from a reexamination of this concept indicate that some air dry lichen thalli can be extremely sensitive to even moderate levels of heat stress whereas others exhibit a considerable degree of heat resistance. These differential levels of thermal resistance correlate exactly with the ecology of these populations. PMID- 17750234 TI - Cellulose to sugars: new path gives quantitative yield. AB - Cellulosic residues that had been treated with a small amount of chemical solvent under room conditions were quantitatively saccharified on enzyme hydrolysis. This treatment can be used to obtain simple sugars for the production of alcohol and other chemicals. PMID- 17750235 TI - Plant chemistry and the evolution of host specificity: new evidence from heliconius and passiflora. AB - Larval growth rates of Heliconius butterflies do not closely parallel host plant choice, an indication that factors other than host plant chemistry are important in evolving host specificity. High growth rate in one species is correlated with reduction in number of palatable host species. This suggests a mechanism by which ecologically restricted species become progressively biochemically specialized. PMID- 17750237 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17750236 TI - Airplane accident fatalities increase just after newspaper stories about murder and suicide. AB - Fatal crashes of private, business, and corporate-executive airplanes have increased after publicized murder-suicides. The more publicity given to a murder suicide, the more crashes occurred. The increase in plane crashes occurred primarily in states where the murder-suicides were publicized. These findings suggest that murder-suicide stories trigger subsequent murder-suicides, some of which are disguised as airplane accidents. PMID- 17750238 TI - Global change. PMID- 17750239 TI - Hansen and the greenhouse effect. PMID- 17750240 TI - In reply: hansen and the greenhouse effect. PMID- 17750241 TI - Hansen and the greenhouse effect. PMID- 17750243 TI - Elephant management. PMID- 17750242 TI - Erratum. AB - In Mark Crawford's News & Comment article "Agricultural groups push research plan" (14 Apr., p. 140), the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Joint Countil on Food and Agriculture Sciences was incorrectly referred to as the "Joint Council on Food and Agriculture Safety." PMID- 17750244 TI - NASA's Objectives. PMID- 17750245 TI - Response: hansen and the greenhouse effect. PMID- 17750246 TI - Soul-Searching After China Crackdown: U.S. scientists are having to make difficult decisions about maintaining scientific cooperation with China in the face of evidence that repression there is continuing. PMID- 17750247 TI - Stories of repression from china. PMID- 17750248 TI - Funding fight over facilities. PMID- 17750249 TI - Deep Holes Yielding Geoscience Surprises: Sinking scientific boreholes in the continents is testing geology and geophysics with unexpected, sometimes disturbing, results. PMID- 17750250 TI - Drilling has its rewards. PMID- 17750252 TI - Worm bites dad. PMID- 17750251 TI - Hipparcos on the launch pad. PMID- 17750253 TI - Animal activists get stony brook files. PMID- 17750255 TI - Scientists as Brainy as MBAs. PMID- 17750254 TI - Free NIH. PMID- 17750256 TI - Layoffs ahead at brookhaven? PMID- 17750257 TI - Translocation as a species conservation tool: status and strategy. AB - Surveys of recent (1973 to 1986) intentional releases of native birds and mammals to the wild in Australia, Canada, Hawaii, New Zealand, and the United States were conducted to document current activities, identify factors associated with success, and suggest guidelines for enhancing future work. Nearly 700 translocations were conducted each year. Native game species constituted 90 percent of translocations and were more successful (86 percent) than were translocations of threatened, endangered, or sensitive species (46 percent). Knowledge of habitat quality, location of release area within the species range, number of animals released, program length, and reproductive traits allowed correct classification of 81 percent of observed translocations as successful or not. PMID- 17750258 TI - What has caused the secular increase in solar nitrogen-15? AB - Well-documented variations in the (15)N/(14)N ratio in lunar surface samples apparently result from a secular increase in that ratio in the solar wind during the past few billion years. The cause of this change seems to lie in the solar convective zone but is inexplicable within our present understanding of solar processes. This problem therefore ranks with the solar neutrino deficiency as a major challenge to our solar paradigm. PMID- 17750259 TI - Neptune's Story. AB - It is conjectured that Triton was captured from a heliocentric orbit as the result of a collision with what was then one of Neptune's regular satellites. The immediate post-capture orbit was highly eccentric with a semimajor axis a approximately 10(3)R(N) and a periapse distance rp that oscillated periodically above a minimum value of about 5R(N). Dissipation due to tides raised by Neptune in Triton caused Triton's orbit to evolve to its present state in less, similar10(9) years. For much of this time Triton was almost entirely molten. While its orbit was evolving, Triton cannibalized most of the regular satellites of Neptune and also perturbed Nereid, thus accounting for that satellite's highly eccentric and inclined orbit. The only regular satellites of Neptune that survived were those that formed well within 5R(N) and they move on inclined orbits as the result of chaotic perturbations forced by Triton. Neptune's arcs are confined around the corotation resonances of one of these inner satellites. The widths and lengths of the arcs imply that the satellite's radius is at least 30/(sin i)(2/3) kilometers for i less, similar 1, where i is the angle of inclination. PMID- 17750260 TI - Melting inhibition and superheating of ice by an antifreeze glycopeptide. AB - The melting of pure ice single crystals can be inhibited by the presence of an antifreeze glycopeptide isolated from an Antarctic fish. This inhibition effect exhibits crystallographic dependence and can result in superheating of the crystal by heat conduction across the ice-solution interface. The antifreeze molecules inhibit melting in a manner more or less symmetrical to their well known effect of inhibiting freezing. The melting effect is best expressed at concave ice interfaces, whereas the freezing effect is best expressed at convex ones. Both are restricted to orientations near (1010) with the particular antifreeze that was used. PMID- 17750261 TI - Disorder-to-Order Transition in Settling Suspensions of Colloidal Silica: X-ray Measurements. AB - Dispersions of colloidal particles exhibit thermodynamic properties similar to those of molecular systems, including a hard sphere disorder-to-order transition. In experiments with organophilic silica in cyclohexane, gravity settling was used to concentrate the particles. With small particles the slow sedimentation permits rearrangement into the iridescent ordered phase, but larger particles form amorphous sediments instead. Scanning electron microscopy of the crystalline sediment indicates hexagonally closepacked layers. X-ray attenuation measurements reveal a discontinuity coincident with the observed boundary between iridescent and opaque regions. Sediments accumulating faster than the maximum rate of crystallization produce a glass, in accord with the classical theory for crystal growth. PMID- 17750263 TI - Electronic networking. PMID- 17750262 TI - Interpretation of cloud-climate feedback as produced by 14 atmospheric general circulation models. AB - Understanding the cause of differences among general circulation model projections of carbon dioxide-induced climatic change is a necessary step toward improving the models. An intercomparison of 14 atmospheric general circulation models, for which sea surface temperature perturbations were used as a surrogate climate change, showed that there was a roughly threefold variation in global climate sensitivity. Most of this variation is attributable to differences in the models' depictions of cloud-climate feedback, a result that emphasizes the need for improvements in the treatment of clouds in these models if they are ultimately to be used as climatic predictors. PMID- 17750264 TI - Providing journals. PMID- 17750266 TI - Repairing equipment. PMID- 17750265 TI - Seen Any Good TV Lately? PMID- 17750267 TI - Sri lanka bound? PMID- 17750268 TI - Conservation and regime: models of nature. PMID- 17750269 TI - Lighting and its uses: disenchanted night. PMID- 17750270 TI - Some other books of interest: crop safeners for herbicides. PMID- 17750272 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17750271 TI - Some other books of interest: insect pheromones in plant protection. PMID- 17750273 TI - THE MINERAL SUPPLY OF CROPS. PMID- 17750274 TI - MICROSCOPIC CRYSTALS IN PHOTOGRAPHY. PMID- 17750276 TI - RICKETS AMONG FISH. PMID- 17750275 TI - LIVER AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR INSULIN. PMID- 17750277 TI - QUARANTINE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT-FLY. PMID- 17750278 TI - MUDBANKS AND TREES AS WEATHER RECORDS. PMID- 17750279 TI - THE APPLICATION OF SCIENCE TO THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. PMID- 17750281 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17750280 TI - A NOTE UPON THE PROBABLE MODE OF EVOLUTION. PMID- 17750282 TI - THE REPORT OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ON REAPPORTIONMENT. PMID- 17750283 TI - THE RATE OF WORK DONE BY A RICKSHA-COOLIE. PMID- 17750284 TI - ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY DURING SAND STORMS. PMID- 17750285 TI - CHEMICAL "TESTS". PMID- 17750287 TI - AN ECONOMICAL LABORATORY TABLE LIGHT. PMID- 17750286 TI - A SIMPLIFIED DIGITAL SPHYGMOGRAPH. PMID- 17750288 TI - PHOTOIONIZATION OF CAESIUM VAPOR. PMID- 17750289 TI - HEMOGLOBIN MAINTENANCE UPON SYNTHETIC DIETS. PMID- 17750291 TI - SOME RESULTS OF THE MAGNETIC SURVEY OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17750290 TI - THE USEFULNESS OF CHEMISTRY IN THE INDUSTRIES. PMID- 17750292 TI - ARE PENSIONS FOR COLLEGE TEACHERS A FORM OF SOCIALISM. PMID- 17750294 TI - AMETHYSTINE GLASS. PMID- 17750293 TI - SOME NOTES ON MALACOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17750295 TI - THE LENGTH OF THE SMALLEST KNOWN SIRENIAN FETUS; GYRE PREFERRED TO "CONVOLUTION". PMID- 17750296 TI - A NOTE ON THE ECOLOGICAL FORMATIONS OF PITTSBURG AND VICINITY. PMID- 17750297 TI - THE "PERMANENT PHASE". PMID- 17750298 TI - BULLETIN OF THE MOUNT WEATHER OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17750300 TI - THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF COLLEGES AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. PMID- 17750299 TI - FUNGUS NOTES. PMID- 17750301 TI - Parapsychology--a correction. PMID- 17750302 TI - Nuclear reactor operation. PMID- 17750303 TI - Nuclear reactor operation. PMID- 17750304 TI - Molecular analysis by mass spectrometry. AB - New ionization methods combined with powerful analyzers, detectors, and data systems have made mass spectrometry a versatile tool for molecular analysis. Samples consisting of nanogram quantities of hundreds of unique components are routinely analyzed. In favorable cases samples as small as 2.5 x 10(-14) gram and samples with masses of more than 3000 atomic mass units have been successfully examined. PMID- 17750305 TI - Synfuels in haste, repent at leisure. PMID- 17750306 TI - Exxon invents energy device, eyes huge firm. PMID- 17750307 TI - The proxmire decision a caution to congress. PMID- 17750308 TI - Test tube fertilization research seen acceptable. PMID- 17750309 TI - Barry commoner as first citizen? PMID- 17750310 TI - Kennedy leaves as FDA commissioner. PMID- 17750312 TI - Instructions for contributors. PMID- 17750311 TI - The dead sea is alive and, well... PMID- 17750313 TI - Annual meeting san francisco 3-8 january 1980. PMID- 17750314 TI - The case for organic farming. PMID- 17750315 TI - Marine life histories. PMID- 17750316 TI - A great river. PMID- 17750317 TI - Atmospheric refraction and lake monsters. AB - A survey of reported sightings of lake monster phenomena suggests that many of them may be attributable to atmospheric image distortion. The existence of the necessary conditions (surface temperature inversion and hence strong atmospheric refraction) can be inferred from most of the reports. Under such conditions familiar objects can easily take on unrecognizable form. Two photographs demonstrate the extent of the distortion that can occur. PMID- 17750318 TI - Reliability of minor planet satellite observations. AB - In an examination of the reliability of occultation observations of minor planet companions, redundant photoelectric observations have been made of possible occultation events. These observations indicate that spurious events may be easily misidentified as true occultations, and that caution must be exercised in interpreting such occurrences. Further analysis of observations of the 1973 Pallas occultation suggests that earlier results may be unreliable. PMID- 17750319 TI - Stable isotopes in a mollusk shell: detection of upwelling events. AB - The California mussel Mytilus californianus records with high fidelity annual temperature variations of nearshore waters in the oxygen isotope composition of its shell. The onset and termination of upwelling events (and metabolic activity) are recorded in the associated carbon isotope signal, and the magnitude and timing of upwelling can be estimated. The method has implications for studying the history of upwelling and the life history of living and fossil mollusks and for analyzing shell midden deposits. PMID- 17750320 TI - Superconducting properties of protactinium. AB - The superconducting transition temperature and upper critical magnetic field of protactinium were measured by alternating-current susceptibility techniques. Since the superconducting behavior of protactinium is affected by its 5f electron character, it is clear now that protactinium is a true actinide element. PMID- 17750322 TI - Olfaction: responses of a decapod crustacean are enhanced by flicking. AB - Periodic movements of the olfactory organs, known as "flicking," temporally enhance the response of the olfactory receptors of the spiny lobster to changes in stimulus concentration. This reflex provides the lobster with a physiological mechanism to compensate for the indiscrete temporal nature of chemical stimuli. PMID- 17750321 TI - A nodule-specific plant protein (nodulin-35) from soybean. AB - Nodulin-35, a 35,000-molecular-weight protein, is present in soybean root nodules developed by different strains of Rhizobium japonicum, irrespective of their effectiveness in fixing atmospheric nitrogen. This protein is not detected in uninfected plants and bacteroids or in free-living Rhizobium and appears to be synthesized by the plant during the formation of root nodules. PMID- 17750323 TI - Political subdivision and population density. PMID- 17750325 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17750324 TI - Political subdivision and population density. PMID- 17750326 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17750328 TI - Population controls. PMID- 17750327 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17750329 TI - Giant Panda Doesn't Travel. PMID- 17750331 TI - Drug quality: whose responsibility? PMID- 17750330 TI - Privacy invasion. PMID- 17750332 TI - Energy: the ultimate raw material. PMID- 17750334 TI - Concern for the next generation. PMID- 17750333 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17750335 TI - A theory of anomalous water. PMID- 17750338 TI - Mansfield amendment curb on basic research may spread. PMID- 17750337 TI - Fisheries research: rejuggling of priorities is assailed. PMID- 17750339 TI - Criminal justice studies: a quietly emerging field. PMID- 17750340 TI - M.I.T.: march 4 revisited amid political turmoil. PMID- 17750341 TI - Pleistocene climates in the atlantic and pacific oceans: a comparison based on deep-sea sediments. AB - Comparison of Pleistocene climatic records defined by variations in abundance of planktonic Foraminifera in three cores from the southeastern Pacific with similar records in cores from the Atlantic suggests that times of warm surface water in this region of the Pacific were at least partly synchronous with times of cool water in the Altantic. This conclusion opposes the Milankovitch theory of the causation of ice ages, but it harmonizes with a modified form of Simpson's hypothesis. PMID- 17750343 TI - Microarchitecture and deposition of gastropod nacre. AB - The microarchitecture of gastropod nacre reveals deposition of aragonite in the form of crystal stacks and differs markedly from the characteristic microstructure of pelecypod nacre. The structure permits direct observation of both organic and mineral phases of deposition on a growth surface topography that is ideal for the study of processes of mollusk shell calcification. The stack mode of deposition is functionally useful to the animal because it increases the number of crystals which can form and develop on the growth surface at one time. PMID- 17750342 TI - Monoplacophora in the South atlantic ocean. AB - Occurrence of Neopilina off the southeastern tip of South America may indicate rather widespread distribution of this abyssal group, under favorable conditions, throughout the seas of the world. PMID- 17750344 TI - Magnetometer Evidence of a Structure within the La Venta Pyramid. AB - The pyramid at La Venta, Tabasco, Mexico, was surveyed in May 1969 with a high sensitivity difference magnetometer. The general pattern of the magnetic map is one of low (10-gamma) radial anomalies, which reflect the ridge and gully topography of the pyramid, with a larger magnetic high area (+30 gammas) centered 25 meters south and 10 meters east of the center of the pyramid. The anomalous region near the top has been interpreted with the aid of computer-calculated anomalies from three-dimensional rectangular blocks. The major high is probably associated with a basalt structure that rises to within 1 to 2 meters of the surface. A possible form for this structure was found to be a 10-meter-square horizontal platform with walls along its northern and eastern margin. PMID- 17750345 TI - Mariner 6: origin of Mars ionized carbon dioxide ultraviolet spectrum. AB - The predicted intensities of the ionized carbon dioxide (CO(2)+) emission feature at 2890 angstroms and the Fox-Duffendack-Barker bands are 5.2 and 19.9 kilorayleighs, respectively, for a vertical column. Direct photoionization of carbon dioxide by solar radiation contributes 3.5 and 4.1 kilorayleighs, respectively, and fluorescent scattering by C0(2)+, 1.6 and 15.3 kilorayleighs, respectively. Photoelectron impacts are less important. PMID- 17750346 TI - Viscosity of lunar lavas. AB - The viscosity of a synthetic silicate liquid with the composition of a lunar rock has been determined experimentally and found to be lower than that of any previously studied volcanic rock on earth. Course Crystallinity can be a feature of rapidly cooled surface lavas. PMID- 17750347 TI - Supersaturation of gases in water: absence of cavitation on decompression from high pressures. AB - Very high supersaturations ranging from 140 atmospheres for oxygen to more than 270 atmospheres for helium, were produced without Cavitation of the water at atmospheric pressure. Thus, the lower limits for de novo bubble formation are increased substantially over those previously obtained. PMID- 17750348 TI - Line and grade in the extinct medius species group of sigmodon. AB - Remains of Sigmodon minor and Sigmodon medius, extinct cotton rats comprising the medius species group, have been recovered from both Kansas and Arizona. Sigmodon minor evolved from Sigmodon medius, and the available evidence suggests that Kansas populations of Sigmodon minor were derived from Kansas populations of Sigmodon medius, while Arizona populations of Sigmodon minor were derived from Arizona populations of Sigmodon medius. This multiple origin of a single mammalian species is similar to the origin proposed by Carleton Coon for the races (subspecies) of Homo sapiens. PMID- 17750349 TI - Wax esters in marine copepods. AB - Two pelagic copepods, Calanus helgolandicus and Gaussia princeps, contained wax esters with 28 to 44 carbon atoms as major lipid constituents. In laboratory cultures of the former species, changes in nutrition (amount or species of diatoms fed) affected both the amount of total lipid and the composition of the wax esters. Thus, the wax esters serve as a reserve energy store in this organism. PMID- 17750350 TI - Heterozygous Beta thalassemia: balanced globin synthesis in bone marrow cells. AB - In two patients with heterozygous beta thalassemia the rates of synthesis of the alpha and beta chains of hemoglobin were equal in nucleated red cell precursors, although beta chain synthesis was reduced in peripheral blood reticulocytes. This finding suggests a relative instability of beta chain messenger RNA in beta thalassemia. PMID- 17750351 TI - Denver earthquakes. PMID- 17750352 TI - Structure of water. PMID- 17750353 TI - Physical and chemical aspects of ionization and excitation processes. PMID- 17750354 TI - Gene regulation in Mammalian cells. PMID- 17750356 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17750355 TI - Calorimetry. PMID- 17750357 TI - FORECAST OF THE PORTSMOUTH MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17750358 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17750359 TI - AUTOMATIC INCREASES IN SALARIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17750360 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17750361 TI - CONCERNING THE "NEMATOCYSTS OF MICROSTOMA". PMID- 17750362 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17750364 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17750363 TI - PROGRESSIVE VARIATION IN DECAPTERUS, A GENUS OF CARANGOID FISHES. PMID- 17750366 TI - Managing technology. PMID- 17750365 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17750367 TI - Replication and the scientific method. PMID- 17750368 TI - Public school teaching: an alternative. PMID- 17750369 TI - GenBank Status Report. PMID- 17750370 TI - "Toxic torts". PMID- 17750371 TI - SDI Goals. PMID- 17750372 TI - Erratum. AB - In the editorial by Philip H. Abelson "The International Geosphere-Biosphere Program" (7 Nov., p. 657), the reference to T. F. Malone's article in Environment should have included the month (October 1986). PMID- 17750373 TI - Erratum. AB - In Table 1 (p. 351) of the report "Structure-activity studies of interleukin-2" by F. E. Cohen et al. (17 Oct., p. 349), reference 15 was incorrectly cited for the entries for the 1-29, 30-49, and 100-133 deletion mutants. For all three entries, the reference should have been (16). PMID- 17750374 TI - Nuclear Winter Debate Heats Up: A study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research suggests most of the world would experience a mild nuclear winter, not a deep freeze. PMID- 17750376 TI - U.S.--Japan Study Aim Is Education Reform: In search of improvements at home, each country looks for lessons in the experience of the other. PMID- 17750375 TI - Berkeley changes tack on reactor. PMID- 17750377 TI - NASA Announces a Plan to Reform Management Practices. PMID- 17750379 TI - The Conventional Look of Near-Term SDI. PMID- 17750378 TI - Debate Over SDI Enters New Phase: A clash over goals, strategies, and schedule is expected to dominate congressional discussions; funding restrictions are already refocusing the effort. PMID- 17750380 TI - House of lords wants u.k. Research assessed. PMID- 17750381 TI - New French minister. PMID- 17750382 TI - Fire! New Ways to Prevent It: The United States and Canada have by far the highest death rate in the world from fires, but new methods may reduce the fire toll by making people more aware of the problem. PMID- 17750383 TI - The Texas symposium on relativistic astrophysics. PMID- 17750384 TI - Development of a more market-oriented economy in china. AB - Before 1978 in China, the economic institutions for agriculture and industry operated essentially under a centrally planned system. The reasons for a change toward a more market-oriented economy and the key elements of economic reform are discussed. Today the major issues being deliberated by the leading economic officials include reform of the price system, the administrative structure of state-owned enterprises, the banking system and macroeconomic control mechanisms, and foreign trade and investment. PMID- 17750385 TI - Geologic evolution of northern tibet: results of an expedition to ulugh muztagh. AB - A reconnaissance expedition across the northern margin of the Tibetan plateau revealed evidence of a late Cenozoic northward progression of the locus of crustal shortening and, therefore, of a northward growth of the area encompassed by the plateau. Active reverse faults crop out at the foot of the Altyn Tagh, on the northern edge of the plateau, and at the bases of several ranges within the Altyn Tagh and Kunlun, where the elevations of the neighboring basins are less than 4000 meters. Farther south, where elevations are higher, there was no evidence of recent faulting, but late Cenozoic rock in the Ayak Kum Kol basin has been strongly folded. South of this basin, Ulugh Muztagh, apparently the highest mountain in the eastern Kunlun, is underlain by late Miocene, tourmaline-bearing and two-mica granite. These rocks suggest that thickening of continental crust had begun in this area by late Miocene time. Overlying quartz-sanidine welded tuffs of Pliocene age imply that uplift and erosion occurred between Miocene and Pliocene time, but with little subsequent erosion. In addition, we found an east west trending belt of mafic and ultramafic rock that probably marks a suture of a crustal fragment with southern Asia in Triassic or more recent time. PMID- 17750386 TI - Chaotic bursts in nonlinear dynamical systems. AB - Several elementary nonlinear dynamical systems in the complex plane may provide models for abrupt transitions to chaotic dynamics. In particular, the complex trigonometric and exponential functions explode into chaos as a parameter is varied. Numerical evidence is presented that supports the contention that these explosions occur whenever an elementary bifurcation occurs. This numerical evidence, in the form of computer graphics, is an example of the increasing importance of experimentation in mathematics research. PMID- 17750387 TI - Wind Speed and Mortality Rate of a Marine Fish, the Northern Anchovy (Engraulis mordax). AB - Large variability in recruitment of marine fishes creates challenging management problems. In northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), there is a significant linear relation between larval mortality rate and the frequency of calm, low wind speed periods during the spawning season, possibly because calm winds permit maintenance of concentrated patches of larval food. Neither cannibalism on larvae nor offshore transport contributed significantly to interannual variation in early larval mortality. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that wind-driven turbulent mixing affects variability in survival of young fish larvae. However, abundance of recruits does not necessarily reflect abundance of larvae surviving through this early stage. PMID- 17750388 TI - Academic freedom under pressure: no ivory tower. PMID- 17750389 TI - Physics of the early universe: inner space/outer space. PMID- 17750390 TI - Psychology and neuroscience: mind and brain. PMID- 17750391 TI - Yeasts: yeast cell biology. PMID- 17750392 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17750393 TI - AIDS MEETING: South African Leader Declines to Join the Chorus on HIV and AIDS. AB - When South African President Thabo Mbeki rose to address the opening ceremony for the XIII International AIDS Conference here last Sunday, the thousands of researchers packed into Kingsmead Stadium hoped he would say three simple words: HIV causes AIDS. He didn't. Mbeki's failure to acknowledge directly that HIV causes AIDS has angered the country's AIDS researchers; many visiting scientists also expressed their dismay. PMID- 17750394 TI - ECOLOGY: California Algae May Be Feared European Species. AB - A volleyball-court-sized patch of bright green algae in a San Diego lagoon has set off alarm bells among ecologists and officials. Scientists strongly suspect that the algae, Caulerpa taxifolia, is the same fast-growing, non-native clone that has swept over the northwestern Mediterranean sea floor in the past decade with devastating ecological consequences. A consortium of agencies and private groups has cordoned off the lagoon and is laying plans to poison the seaweed, marking the first major U.S. attempt to stop an incipient marine species invasion. PMID- 17750395 TI - PARTICLE PHYSICS: CERN Collider Glimpses Supersymmetry--Maybe. AB - Last week, particle physicists at the CERN laboratory in Switzerland announced that by smashing together matter and antimatter in four experiments, they detected an unexpected effect in the sprays of particles that ensued. The anomaly is subtle, and physicists caution that it might still be a statistical fluke. If confirmed, however, it could mark the long-sought discovery of a whole zoo of new particles--and the end of a long-standing model of particle physics. PMID- 17750396 TI - MOUNT GRAHAM: Report Finds Squirrels Survived 3 Telescopes. AB - In 1988 Congress allowed construction of three telescopes on Mount Graham, a desert "sky island" northeast of here, prompting the U.S. Forest Service to order a long-range study to monitor the population of an endangered subspecies of red squirrel that lives here. The results are now in. But the findings--that the work to date has had "no significant effect" on the rare rodents--have done little to resolve a debate that is expected to heat up again next year when the University of Arizona seeks permission to build four more telescopes. PMID- 17750397 TI - EUROPEAN SCIENCE: Pathogens Lab Chief Stripped of Duties. AB - Europe's most advanced high-security pathogen lab has claimed its first human casualty--and it hasn't even opened for business. On 28 June, the Marcel Merieux Foundation, which funded the construction of the $8 million facility in Lyons, banned lab director Susan Fisher-Hoch from the premises and launched legal proceedings to dismiss her. Fisher-Hoch's most egregious offense, it appears, was speaking with the press. PMID- 17750398 TI - OIL OUTLOOK:USGS Optimistic on World Oil Prospects. AB - According to the latest estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey, the world has 20% more oil awaiting discovery in yet-to-be-found fields than the USGS estimated 6 years ago. And a newly analyzed category--oil lurking in and around known fields--offers almost as much additional oil as in those undiscovered reservoirs. But even if the additional oil is really there, pessimists argue that it pushes back the global production peak--and the end of the era of cheap oil--by years, not decades. PMID- 17750399 TI - ASTRONOMY: The Virtual Observatory Moves Closer to Reality. AB - Data from decades of observations by dozens of instruments may soon be accessible over the Internet, changing the way that astronomy is done around the world. The National Virtual Observatory will be an electronic web that gives astronomers access to terabytes of celestial data with the click of a mouse. The virtual observatory promises to make possible new analyses of the heavens by weaving together information from facilities around the world--and in space. PMID- 17750400 TI - ASTRONOMY: Watch This Space! AB - Later this year, a site called SkyServer hopes to put the sky at your fingertips at www.skyserver.org. Initially aimed at a more general audience, SkyServer might become part of a National Virtual Observatory. PMID- 17750401 TI - Alternative views on alternative medicine. PMID- 17750402 TI - Looking behind the stars. PMID- 17750403 TI - LAND USE: U.S. Soil Erosion Rates--Myth and Reality. AB - No problem of resource or environmental management can be rationally addressed until its true space and time dimensions are known. The limitations of the universal soil loss equation and the wind erosion equation are such that we do not seem to have a truly informed idea of how much soil erosion is occurring in this country, let alone of the processes of sediment movement and deposition. The uncritical use of models is unacceptable as science and unacceptable as a basis for national policy. A comprehensive national system of monitoring soil erosion and consequent downstream sediment movement and/or blowing dust is critical. The costs would be significant; nevertheless, they would reflect efforts better focused on achieving better management of the United States' land and water resources. PMID- 17750404 TI - CLIMATE CHANGE: Lessons for a New Millennium. AB - The climate changes believed to have occurred before this century have remained enigmatic, hampering our understanding of today's climatic changes. Reseachers trying to assess the human influence on the warming of the past century have commonly used complex ocean atmosphere models, but these models have their drawbacks. In his Perspective, Mann discusses a research article by Crowley, who has used a simple model driven by the most important natural and human-induced climate forcings to simulate climatic change over the last millennium. Comparing the model results with observations, Crowley makes what may be the most compelling case to date for the assertion that anthropogenic greenhouse gas increases are behind the dramatic continued warming of the globe. PMID- 17750405 TI - A National Curriculum. PMID- 17750406 TI - Shape of the Nucleus: It varies widely, from spherical for doubly magic nuclei to ellipsoidal and sometimes pear shapes. AB - The gross features of nuclear morphology can be summarized as follows. Nuclei have shapes similar to a diffusesurfaced, liquid drop. The interior density is rather uniform, and also constant from nucleus to nucleus. The constancy of nuclear density implies an A((1/3)) law for the mean nuclear radius, the proportionality constant being 1.07 x 1O(-13) centimeter. The surface region is diffuse, the nuclear density falling from 90 to 10 percent of the central value in a distance of about 2.4 x 10(-13) centimeter, independently of nuclear mass number. Nuclear shapes can vary rather widely, with doubly magic nuclei preferring spherical symmetry. Some nuclei execute volume-preserving oscillations about spherical shape, while others possess permanent spheroidal deformations. The values of the deformation parameter, epsilon, for such spheroids possibly attains 0.85 for some light nuclei and 0.4 for some intermediate weight nuclei. There is some evidence, based on the occurrence of "inversion" spectra and asymmetrical fission, that pear-shaped nuclei may also exist. PMID- 17750408 TI - Carotene-Donor-Acceptor Complexes in Photosynthesis: The predicted lowering of the excited states of carotenoids may offer a new photosynthetic pathway. PMID- 17750407 TI - Basic Research--Description versus Definition: A definition of basic research in probability terms is useful, but statistics based thereon are not. PMID- 17750409 TI - News of Science: Congressional Atomic Energy Group Studies Waste Disposal Problem. PMID- 17750410 TI - Field Observations on Effects of Alaska Earthquake of 10 July 1958. AB - The Alaska earthquake of 10 July 1958 was caused by movement on the Fairweather fault amounting to at least 21(1/2) feet horizontally and 3(1/2) feet vertically. Effects of strong shaking were evident over a large area in southeastern Alaska. In Lituya Bay an enormous wave, possibly resulting from a rockslide, reached a maximum height of more than 1700 feet. PMID- 17750412 TI - Equipment. PMID- 17750413 TI - Detection of Sex-Reversed Human Beings. PMID- 17750415 TI - German Scientists and the Atom Bomb. PMID- 17750414 TI - Teaching and Research. PMID- 17750416 TI - First Person: Immodest or Insecure? PMID- 17750418 TI - PROGRESS IN THE CONQUEST OF VIRUS DISEASES. PMID- 17750417 TI - First Person: Immodest or Insecure? PMID- 17750419 TI - THE MARINE ALGAE OF CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17750420 TI - WILLIAM TRELEASE, 1857-1945. PMID- 17750421 TI - AWARDS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, LONDON. PMID- 17750423 TI - THE ADVISORY COUNCIL ON MEDICAL EDUCATION. PMID- 17750422 TI - FELLOWSHIPS OF THE E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY. PMID- 17750424 TI - OFFICERS OF THE WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES FOR 1945. PMID- 17750425 TI - THE RANCHO GRANDE STATION OF THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17750426 TI - "THE NEEDS OF MAN". PMID- 17750427 TI - SCIENTIFIC INTERCHANGE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND SOVIET RUSSIA. PMID- 17750428 TI - ON "RACIAL" DIFFERENCES. PMID- 17750429 TI - NODULAR POLYMYOSITIS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. AB - The regular findings of a nodular perineuritis in peripheral nerve trunks and of a nodular polymyositis in skeletal muscles indicates the systemic nature of this disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is not solely a disease of the joints but a systemic disease, characterized by a widespread distribution of a nodular lymphocytic inflammation in peripheral nerves and skeletal muscles. The new findings in the nerves and muscles offer an explanation of the generally encountered clinical manifestations of pain, tenderness, trophic changes and muscular atrophy. PMID- 17750430 TI - MAINTENANCE OF THE BLOOD LEVEL OF PENICILLIN AFTER INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION. AB - Blood concentrations of penicillin were maintained at measurable levels for as long as seven or eight hours following single intramuscular injections of penicillin in the dog and in patients by means of vehicles containing 6 per cent. to 20 per cent. ossein gelatin and a long-acting vasoconstrictor drug. Intramuscular administration of penicillin can thus be carried on with three instead of eight injections per day with less variation in the extremes of penicillin blood levels. PMID- 17750431 TI - ACID FORMATION FROM PENICILLIN DURING ENZYMATIC INACTIVATION. PMID- 17750432 TI - A RAPID METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF IRON IN ENRICHED BREAD. AB - A modification of the a-a' bipyridine method which requires no ashing is proposed for the determination of iron in enriched bread. PMID- 17750433 TI - ON SOME NEEDED CHANGES AND ADDITIONS TO PHYSICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17750435 TI - FRIEDRICH MOHR'S LIFE AND WORKS. PMID- 17750434 TI - THE SPANISH MACKEREL AND ITS ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION. PMID- 17750437 TI - CHEMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17750436 TI - THE ISLAND OF MONTREAL. PMID- 17750438 TI - PYROLOGY. PMID- 17750440 TI - Soil and oil. PMID- 17750439 TI - Prostaglandin research. PMID- 17750441 TI - The marine scientific research issue in the law of the sea negotiations. PMID- 17750442 TI - NSF Science Education: Basic Issues Still Unresolved. PMID- 17750443 TI - GAO Decision on NSF Claim Favors Curriculum Study Group. PMID- 17750444 TI - NAS and Justice Panels Pan Federal Crime Research Effort. PMID- 17750445 TI - Asbestos: trouble in the air from Maryland rock quarry. PMID- 17750446 TI - Speaking Up for an Imperiled CEQ. PMID- 17750447 TI - Solar energy research: making solar after the nuclear model? PMID- 17750449 TI - Calls for transformation. PMID- 17750448 TI - Human evolution: hominoids of the miocene. PMID- 17750450 TI - Molecular biology. PMID- 17750451 TI - Nonlinear effects in plasmas. PMID- 17750452 TI - Seawater-based crop production: a feasibility study. AB - Selections of barley, Hordeum vulgare, obtained from a composite cross by means of salinized solution culture, a salt-tolerant research line from Arizona, and three cultivars were grown in dune sand and irrigated with water from the Pacific Ocean. All lines grew and produced grain of good feed quality. There is evidence of considerable phenotypic plasticity and of marked genotypic diversity with respect to conditions of seawater culture. Rough estimates of yield approached half the national average for barley. PMID- 17750453 TI - Pleistocene volcanism and glacial initiation. AB - During the past 2 million years, major Northern Hemisphere eruptions occurred within 0.01 million years before 22 of 24 maximum-temperature dates which preceded the ten European glacial stages and 42 of 60 maximum-temperature dates which preceded the 22 cooling episodes. Massive eruptions were even more closely associated with the glacial stages and the cooling episodes. Within the errors of Pleistocene dating, major eruptions apparently occurred at the crucial moments to have triggered each of the ice ages. PMID- 17750454 TI - Asteroid families: observational evidence for common origins. AB - Colors of minor planets in the UBV system indicate compositions quite distinct from those of the field population in each of three Hirayama families. The Eos and Koronis families apparently originated from the collisional fragmentation of undifferentiated silicate bodies, and the Nysa group from a geochemically differentiated parent body. PMID- 17750455 TI - Enhancement of photochemical smog by n,n'-diethylhydroxylamine in polluted ambient air. AB - A recent proposal for controlling photochemical smog by the addition to ambient air of 0.03 to 0.05 part per million of diethylhydroxylamine (DEHA) is shown to be invalid. The addition of DEHA in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 part per million to ambient air irradiated with sunlight in a dual outdoor environmental chamber caused marked increases in the rates of formation and concentrations of ozone, peroxyacetyl nitrate, and light-scattering particles. PMID- 17750456 TI - High-frequency pn phases observed in the pacific at great distances. AB - Earlier observations of a seismic waveguide in the northwestern Pacific with a velocity of 8.3 kilometers per second to distances of approximately 30 degrees are complemented by suggestions of a possible waveguide with a velocity of 7.8 kilometers per second to distances well in excess of 30 degrees . PMID- 17750458 TI - The Mind Prepared. PMID- 17750457 TI - Species turnover rates on islands: dependence on census interval. AB - Measurements of species turnover in island bird communities demonstrate two trends with increasing census interval t: (i) Apparent turnover rates T decrease greatly with t, and (ii) the coefficient of variation of T decreases asymptotically to a constant value. These effects are predicted by a statistical model whose parameters are the immigration and extinction probabilities of each species. Available bird censuses at intervals of decades underestimate turnover rates by about an order of magnitude. PMID- 17750459 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17750460 TI - Program of the Gordon Research Conferences, AAAS, 13 June--2 September, 1955. PMID- 17750462 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17750463 TI - Dicentrics in Wheat. PMID- 17750464 TI - Non-Mendelian Segregation in a Single Tetrad of Saccharomyces Ascribed to Gene Conversion. PMID- 17750465 TI - The Measurement of Rotational Speed with a Sonometer. PMID- 17750466 TI - Uncritical Citation of Criticized Data. PMID- 17750467 TI - Natural Dams of Havasu Canyon, Supai, Arizona. PMID- 17750468 TI - Security. PMID- 17750469 TI - Thorium Determinations in Manganese Nodules. PMID- 17750470 TI - Status Emeritus. PMID- 17750471 TI - H. G. Wells Predicts. PMID- 17750473 TI - Lovins' data source. PMID- 17750472 TI - Occupational health research: weill replies. PMID- 17750474 TI - Chemical industry and regulation. PMID- 17750475 TI - Chemical industry and regulation. PMID- 17750476 TI - The spokane flood controversy and the martian outflow channels. AB - In a series of papers published between 1923 and 1932, J Harlen Bretz described an enormous plexus of proglacial stream channels eroded into the loess and basalt of the Columbia Plateau, eastern Washington. He argued that this region which he called the Channeled Scabland, was the product of a cataclysmic flood, which he called the Spokane flood. Considering the nature and vehemence of the opposition to his hypothesis, which was considered outrageous, its eventual scientific verification constitutes one of the most fascinating episodes in the history of modern science. The discovery of probable catastrophic flood channels on Mars has given new relevance to Bretz's insights. PMID- 17750477 TI - Mexico: the premier oil discovery in the Western hemisphere. PMID- 17750478 TI - Reactor sale to libya challenged. PMID- 17750479 TI - Bishops rescind job cut but two leave values panel. PMID- 17750480 TI - UC Debate on Weapons Labs May Be Nearing Conclusions. PMID- 17750481 TI - Association row keeps a touch of class. PMID- 17750482 TI - Conference on nuclear war not peaceful. PMID- 17750483 TI - Erratum. AB - In T.R.E. Southwood's review of An Introduction to Population Ecology by G. Evelyn Hutchinson (20 Oct. 1978, p. 301), the sentence beginning on the 19th line of the third-from-last paragraph should have read "Persons mentioned in the footnotes are included in the general index" rather than ". . . in the general text." PMID- 17750484 TI - Growing pains for a new field. PMID- 17750485 TI - Accounting for sexual reproduction. PMID- 17750486 TI - Nuclear transplantation. PMID- 17750487 TI - Marshland ecology. PMID- 17750488 TI - Osmotic regulation in animals. PMID- 17750489 TI - Annual meeting houston 3-8 january 1979. PMID- 17750490 TI - Social plasticity in the acorn woodpecker. AB - Acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) in southeastern Arizona exhibited two different types of social organization: one of highly cooperative and resident groups and another of birds that migrated and formed only temporary male-female pairs during reproduction. The occurrence of both patterns in the same population indicates a high degree of social flexibility in this species. PMID- 17750491 TI - Stratigraphic interpretation of the omo shungura and lake turkana fossil suid record. PMID- 17750492 TI - Stratigraphic interpretation of the omo shungura and lake turkana fossil suid record. PMID- 17750493 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17750494 TI - CELESTIAL PHYSCS. PMID- 17750495 TI - The Man of the Future. PMID- 17750496 TI - APPLE AND PEAR SCAB. PMID- 17750498 TI - The Philosophy of the Beautiful. I. Its History. By WILLIAM KNIGHT. New York, Scribner. 16 {degrees}. $1. PMID- 17750497 TI - Rain-Making. PMID- 17750499 TI - Electricity and Magnetism. Translated from the French of AMEDEE GUILLEMIN. Revised and edited by Silvanus P. Thompson. London and New York, Macmillan. 8{degrees}. $8. PMID- 17750501 TI - THE INSTRUCTION OF LARGE UNIVERSITY CLASSES. PMID- 17750500 TI - EHRLICH'S CHEMOTHERAPY--A NEW SCIENCE. PMID- 17750502 TI - THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17750504 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17750503 TI - THE MINNEAPOLIS MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17750505 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17750506 TI - MONO- AND DI-BASIC PHOSPHATES. PMID- 17750507 TI - THE EFFECTS OF PARASITIC CASTRATION IN INSECTS. PMID- 17750509 TI - THE SARGASSO SEA. PMID- 17750508 TI - THE LOAN OF LANTERN SLIDES TO ILLUSTRATE LECTURES ON HOOKWORM DISEASE. PMID- 17750510 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17750512 TI - On the Theory of Scales of Measurement. PMID- 17750511 TI - IS THERE DETERMINATE VARIATION? PMID- 17750513 TI - Apparent Visible Violet Radiation in the Recent Large Sunspot Group. PMID- 17750514 TI - The Activity of Synthetic Folic Acid in Purified Rations for the Chick. AB - The addition of 25gamma of synthetic folic acid per 100 grams of our basal ration prevents the reduced growth, poor feathering condition, and low hemoglobin and hematocrit values consistently obtained when the basal ration is fed to chicks. More than 25gamma are needed when the diet contains sulfasuxidine. Evidence for the possible indirect action of folic acid is summarized. Vitamin C or whole liver powder gives a slight response in the presence of adequate amounts of synthetic folic acid. PMID- 17750516 TI - Hyaluronidase Inhibition by Sodium Salicylate in Rheumatic Fever. PMID- 17750515 TI - Fluctuations in Abundance of Marine Animals. PMID- 17750517 TI - H.R. 6448. PMID- 17750518 TI - Scientists Divided. PMID- 17750519 TI - Rains of Fishes--Myth or Fact? PMID- 17750520 TI - A New Pennsylvania Meteorite. PMID- 17750522 TI - Another Superior Pith for Free-hand Sections. PMID- 17750521 TI - Geopathology or Ethnopathology? PMID- 17750523 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17750524 TI - Alvin and deep ocean research. PMID- 17750525 TI - Strangers in the woodpile. PMID- 17750526 TI - The Future of IBM Research. PMID- 17750528 TI - Response. PMID- 17750527 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - The photographs accompanying the Research News article "New Altzheimer's therapy suggested" by Jim Schnabel (18 June, p. 1719) were printed incorrectly so that their order was reversed. Joe Rogers appeared at the top, and Patrick McGeer below. PMID- 17750529 TI - A path not taken. PMID- 17750530 TI - Response. PMID- 17750531 TI - An environmental laboratory. PMID- 17750532 TI - Press takes parting shot at station. PMID- 17750533 TI - Arctic research: the cold war chills out. PMID- 17750534 TI - From shuttle tiles to bone implants. PMID- 17750535 TI - Labor to kill ;shortage' list. PMID- 17750537 TI - Roll over, keck telescope? PMID- 17750536 TI - House Votes Big To Kill SSC. PMID- 17750538 TI - NIH Survey: Scripps-Sandoz Deal Unusual. PMID- 17750540 TI - The life history of galaxy clusters. PMID- 17750539 TI - Five failed controversial olympics sex test. PMID- 17750541 TI - Peering at the edge of the universe. PMID- 17750543 TI - Foreign invaders. PMID- 17750542 TI - Fermat's Last Theorem Finally Yields. PMID- 17750544 TI - Achieving acceptable air quality: some reflections on controlling vehicle emissions. AB - Motor vehicle emissions have been and are being controlled in an effort to abate urban air pollution. This article addresses the question: Will the vehicle exhaust emission control and fuel requirements in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments and the California Air Resources Board regulations on vehicles and fuels have a significant impact? The effective control of in-use vehicle emissions is the key to a solution to the motor vehicle part of the urban air pollution problem for the next decade or so. It is not necessary, except perhaps in Southern California, to implement extremely low new car emission standards before the end of the 20th century. Some of the proposed gasoline volatility and composition changes in reformulated gasoline will produce significant reductions in vehicle emissions (for example, reduced vapor pressure, sulfur, and light olefin and improved high end volatility), whereas others (such as substantial oxygenate addition and aromatics reduction) will not. PMID- 17750545 TI - Geophysical investigations of the tectonic boundary between East and west antarctica. AB - The Transantarctic Mountains (TAM), which separate the West Antarctic rift system from the stable shield of East Antarctica, are the largest mountains developed adjacent to a rift. The cause of uplift of mountains bordering rifts is poorly understood. One notion based on observations of troughs next to many uplifted blocks is that isostatic rebound produces a coeval uplift and subsidence. The results of an over-snow seismic experiment in Antarctica do not show evidence for a trough next to the TAM but indicate the extension of rifted mantle lithosphere under the TAM. Furthermore, stretching preceded the initiation of uplift, which suggests thermal buoyancy as the cause for uplift. PMID- 17750546 TI - Diamonds, Eclogites, and the Oxidation State of the Earth's Mantle. AB - The reaction dolomite + 2 coesite --><-- diopside + 2 diamond + 2O(2) defines the coexistence of diamond and carbonate in mantle eclogites. The oxygen fugacity of this reaction is approximately 1 log unit higher at a given temperature and pressure than the oxygen fugacities of the analogous reactions that govern the stability of diamond in peridotite. This difference allows diamond-bearing eclogite to coexist with peridotite containing carbonate or carbonate + diamond. This potential coexistence of diamond-bearing eclogite and carbonate-bearing peridotite can explain the presence of carbon-free peridotite interlayered with garnet pyroxenites that contain graphitized diamond in the Moroccan Beni Bousera massif at the Earth's surface and the preferential preservation of diamond bearing eclogitic relative to peridotitic xenoliths in the Roberts Victor kimberlite. PMID- 17750547 TI - Paleozoic Atmospheric CO2: Importance of Solar Radiation and Plant Evolution. AB - Changes in solar radiation, as it affects the rate of weathering of silicates on the continents, and other changes involving weathering and the degassing of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) have been included in a long-term carbon-cycle model. These additions to the model show that the major controls on CO(2) concentrations during the Paleozoic era were solar and biological, and not tectonic, in origin. The model predictions agree with independent estimates of a large mid-Paleozoic (400 to 320 million years ago) drop in CO(2) concentrations, which led to large scale glaciation. This agreement indicates that variations in the atmospheric greenhouse effect were important in global climate change during the distant geologic past. PMID- 17750548 TI - Detection of interstellar pick-up hydrogen in the solar system. AB - Interstellar hydrogen ionized primarily by the solar wind has been detected by the SWICS instrument on the Ulysses spacecraft at a distance of 4.8 astronomical units from the sun. This "pick-up" hydrogen is identified by its distinct velocity distribution function, which drops abruptly at twice the local solar wind speed. From the measured fluxes of pick-up protons and singly charged helium, the number densities of neutral hydrogen and helium in the distant regions of the solar system are estimated to be 0.077 +/- 0.015 and 0.013 +/- 0.003 per cubic centimeter, respectively. PMID- 17750549 TI - Directionally aligned helical peptides on surfaces. AB - Directionally oriented peptide layers 1000 angstroms thick were constructed by polymerization on gold and indium-tin-oxide glass. A key feature is the use of an appropriately functionalized surface on which the initiation sites for polymerization are spaced at distances consistent with the helical diameter of the peptide. Completely helical polyalanine and polyphenylalanine layers have been constructed. The helicity of the polyalanine layer was completely retained after heating at 180 degrees C for 7 days. PMID- 17750550 TI - Quantification of the influence of surface structure on C--h bond activation by iridium and platinum. AB - The trapping-mediated dissociative chemisorption of ethane on the closest packed Ir(111) surface has been investigated, and the activation energy and preexponential factor of the surface reaction rate coefficient have been measured. These results are compared to those of ethane activation on Pt(111) and on the missing row reconstructed Ir(110)-(1x2) and Pt(110)-(1x2) surfaces, allowing a quantitative determination of the effect surface structure has on the catalytic activation of C-H bonds. In the order Pt(111), Pt(110)-(1x2), Ir(111), and Ir(110)-(1x2), the activation energies for the dissociative chemisorption of ethane are 16.6, 10.5, 10.3, and 5.5 kilocalories per mole, demonstrating that the electronic and geometric effects are of approximately equal importance for ethane activation on these catalysts. PMID- 17750552 TI - A giant in geochemistry. PMID- 17750551 TI - Ecological roulette: the global transport of nonindigenous marine organisms. AB - Ocean-going ships carry, as ballast, seawater that is taken on in port and released at subsequent ports of call. Plankton samples from Japanese ballast water released in Oregon contained 367 taxa. Most taxa with a planktonic phase in their life cycle were found in ballast water, as were all major marine habitat and trophic groups. Transport of entire coastal planktonic assemblages across oceanic barriers to similar habitats renders bays, estuaries, and inland waters among the most threatened ecosystems in the world. Presence of taxonomically difficult or inconspicuous taxa in these samples suggests that ballast water invasions are already pervasive. PMID- 17750553 TI - From plant to planet. PMID- 17750554 TI - Vignette: opportunities seized. PMID- 17750555 TI - NMR for beginners. PMID- 17750557 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17750556 TI - The binary zoo. PMID- 17750558 TI - Genetic Control of Lymphomatosis in the Fowl. PMID- 17750559 TI - Toward a National Science Policy? PMID- 17750560 TI - Elementary Effect of Arginase in the Weight Physiology of the Mouse. PMID- 17750561 TI - Antibiotic Compound Isolated From the Lichen Ramalina reticulata. PMID- 17750562 TI - Relative Growth Rates of Bean and Oat Plants Containing Known Amounts of a Labeled Plant-Growth Regulator (2-Iodo131-3-Nitrobenzoic Acid). PMID- 17750563 TI - The Migration of Newly-hatched Loggerhead Turtles Toward the Sea. PMID- 17750564 TI - A Nutritional Disease of Oats Apparently Due to the Lack of Copper. PMID- 17750565 TI - Routine Analysis of the Alpha Activity of Protactinium Samples. PMID- 17750566 TI - A Simple Quantitative Method for Intravenous Injection of Small Volumes of Fluid. PMID- 17750567 TI - A Crystalline Pituitary Protein With High Growth Activity. PMID- 17750568 TI - Exchange of Carbon Dioxide Between Barium Carbonate and the Atmosphere. PMID- 17750570 TI - THE PRIVILEGES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHEMICAL ANALYST. PMID- 17750569 TI - The Use of Isotopes to Determine the Rate of a Biochemical Reaction. PMID- 17750571 TI - THE CROCKER LAND EXPEDITION UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17750572 TI - GEORGE JARVIS BRUSH. PMID- 17750574 TI - THE PACIFIC ASSOCIATION OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17750573 TI - THE RAINEY AFRICAN EXPEDITION. PMID- 17750575 TI - THE CORN SNAKE IN NEW JERSEY. PMID- 17750576 TI - FUNDULUS AND FRESH WATER. PMID- 17750577 TI - SENILITY IN MERISTEMATIC TISSUE. PMID- 17750578 TI - THE PRESENT KNOWN DISTRIBUTION OF THE CHESTNUT BARK DISEASE. PMID- 17750579 TI - DIVISION OF INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTS AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERS. PMID- 17750581 TI - Why Biophysics? PMID- 17750582 TI - Stokes' Edge Waves in Lake Michigan. PMID- 17750580 TI - Society in the Scientific Revolution. PMID- 17750583 TI - C. Neuberg, Biochemist. PMID- 17750584 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17750585 TI - Anomalous Carbon-14 Content of Carbon Dioxide from Sewer Gas. PMID- 17750586 TI - Uronic Acid of Chondroitin Sulfate B. PMID- 17750588 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17750587 TI - Modified End-Window Counting Tube for Paper Chromatograms. PMID- 17750591 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17750590 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17750592 TI - Erratum. AB - The briefing "GAO points up military use of shuttle" (News and Comment, 14 May, p. 717) states that Defense Department missions will occupy 49 percent of the space shuttle's flights over the next 3 years. The percentage is correctly applied to total missions during the next 13 years. PMID- 17750593 TI - George, not charles. PMID- 17750594 TI - Duplicate publication. PMID- 17750595 TI - MX Basing Modes. PMID- 17750596 TI - Uranium enrichment. PMID- 17750597 TI - Journal space. PMID- 17750598 TI - Dilemmas of scale. PMID- 17750599 TI - Radio astronomy with very large arrray. AB - The construction of the Very Large Array of radio telescopes has been completed, and this new research instrument is now being used to make radio images of astronomical objects with a resolution comparable to or better than that of ground-based optical telescopes. The role of the Very Large Array in current and future research is discussed both in principle and in terms of a sample of observing projects. PMID- 17750601 TI - Southern biotech goes bankrupt. PMID- 17750600 TI - Monsanto gives washington u. $ 23.5 million. PMID- 17750602 TI - China, United States set science policy dialogue. PMID- 17750604 TI - Slaughter to Quit NSF for University of Maryland. PMID- 17750603 TI - $15-million gift launches new global think tank. PMID- 17750605 TI - Hazardous products may be exported. PMID- 17750606 TI - Volcanic hazard alert issued for california. PMID- 17750607 TI - Interface between molecular biology and plant breeding. PMID- 17750608 TI - Agricultural applications of genetic engineering. PMID- 17750610 TI - The ecology of human subsistence. PMID- 17750609 TI - Regulation of genes coding for soybean proteins. PMID- 17750611 TI - Organisms and flow. PMID- 17750612 TI - Muscle structure. PMID- 17750613 TI - Biomineralization. PMID- 17750614 TI - History of chemistry. PMID- 17750615 TI - Deep-sea bacteria: isolation in the absence of decompression. AB - Sampling and pure culture isolation of deep-sea bacteria without loss of in situ pressure is required in order to determine the viability of decompressionsensitive strains. This was achieved by using a pressure-retaining sterilizable seawater sampling system in connection with a prepressurized hyperbaric isolation chamber. Rates of growth and substrate uptake of the majority of isolates showed highly barotolerant characteristics, while the remainder (4 out of 15) exhibited barophilic characteristics. PMID- 17750616 TI - How does the toad flip its tongue? Test of two hypotheses. AB - Two conflicting hypotheses purport to explain the mechanism generating the lingual flip in frogs. The first suggests that the intrinsic tongue muscles are stiffened, rotate over the symphysis and catapult the soft tissues; the second suggests that the hyoid suddenly moves forward and transfers its momentum to propel the tongue. High-speed cinematography and synchronized electromyography show that the tongue is rotated over the symphysis by a complex of rods formed from stiffened intrinsic tongue muscles. As the flip occurs even when the hyoid is immobilized, the hyoid momentum hypothesis does not apply. The tongue is then propelled by sets of fibers locked into connective tissues. With activation, these become rigid rods that form a muscular ballista. PMID- 17750617 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17750618 TI - OUR WORLD IN THE MAKING. PMID- 17750620 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17750619 TI - ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17750621 TI - THE METRIC MOVEMENT. PMID- 17750622 TI - INSTITUTIONAL SOURCES OF INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH MEN. PMID- 17750623 TI - THE ENDOWMENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL. PMID- 17750624 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17750626 TI - THE CULTIVATION OF OPALINA. PMID- 17750625 TI - THE A. CRESSY MORRISON PRIZE. PMID- 17750628 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD OF OBTAINING SINGLESPORE CULTURES. PMID- 17750627 TI - DIET AND BODY FAT. AB - Rats first fed soybean oil and peanut oil diets, then subjected to the process of fat depletion through selective starvation, involving 23 to 27 per cent. loss in body weight, before being fed a "hardening" diet, yielded "harder" fats-fats of lower iodine number values-than the fats of rats which were not starved before being fed the carbohydrate-rich diet. In other words, through the process of starvation, the "soft" oily fat produced on diets containing soybean' or peanut oils is very largely removed, thereby permitting the deposit of a "hard" fat. To obtain a fat of equal "hardness" from rats which were not subjected to the starvation treatment would have required a much longer period of feeding of the diet rich in starch than was found necessary with rats after first being starved. The growth of recovery made by the rats of the starved lots was made on a low food intake. With the starved rats flrst fed peanut oil, the food intake of the carbohydrate-rich diet was less than with the non-starved group. The possible application of these findings to practical animal husbandry is obvious. PMID- 17750629 TI - THE CHEMICAL WORK OF THE U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17750630 TI - THE POPULATION OF FRANCE. PMID- 17750631 TI - NATIONTAL INSPECTION TO PREVENT IMPORTATION OF DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS. PMID- 17750633 TI - THE DUTY OF PUBLISHING. PMID- 17750632 TI - THE FIVE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LEIPZIG. PMID- 17750634 TI - REFLEX ACTION AFTER DEATH. PMID- 17750635 TI - ANOTHER EXPLANATION OF THE HARDINESS OF GRIMM ALFALFA. PMID- 17750636 TI - A CASE OF DIPLACUSIS DEPENDING UPON THE TYMPANIC MECHANISM. PMID- 17750637 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY DETROIT MEETING. PMID- 17750638 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17750639 TI - Paradise gained. PMID- 17750640 TI - Proposal to HEPAP. PMID- 17750642 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17750641 TI - Proposal to HEPAP. PMID- 17750644 TI - Russian network generates sparks. PMID- 17750643 TI - NOAA's "Arks" Sail Into a Storm. PMID- 17750645 TI - Station's Survival Could Cramp Science. PMID- 17750646 TI - World bank bailout seeks changes in global network. PMID- 17750647 TI - Changing of the astro-guard. PMID- 17750648 TI - High-Energy Physics vs. Classical Mechanics. PMID- 17750650 TI - Black and white view of veins. PMID- 17750649 TI - Commercializing science. PMID- 17750651 TI - Hot on the trail of a cold mystery. PMID- 17750652 TI - Developing nations adapt biotech for own needs. PMID- 17750653 TI - Making and trapping the ultimate ion. PMID- 17750655 TI - How high was ice age ice? A rebounding Earth may tell. PMID- 17750654 TI - Warm-blooded dno debate blows hot and cold. PMID- 17750656 TI - The elemental composition of interstellar dust. PMID- 17750657 TI - Ice age paleotopography. AB - A gravitationally self-consistent theory of postglacial relative sea level change is used to infer the variation of surface ice and water cover since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The results show that LGM ice volume was approximately 35 percent lower than suggested by the CLIMAP reconstruction and the maximum heights of the main Laurentian and Fennoscandian ice complexes are inferred to have been commensurately lower with respect to sea level. Use of these Ice Age boundary conditions in atmospheric general circulation models will yield climates that differ significantly from those previously inferred on the basis of the CLIMAP data set. PMID- 17750658 TI - Protonated Ozone: Experimental Detection of O3H+ and Evaluation of the Proton Affinity of Ozone. AB - The elusive protonated ozone ion (O(3)H(+)) has been long postulated as a reactive intermediate but never experimentally observed. This ion has been detected here in mass spectrometric experiments with the use of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance. In these experiments, ozone (O(3)) was protonated by strong acids-for example, H(3)(+), KrH(+), XeH(+), and CH(5)(+). The hitherto experimentally unknown proton affinity of O(3) was evaluated by a "bracketing" technique and determined to be 148 -/+ 3 kilocalories mole(-1) at 298 kelvin, in excellent agreement with a value determined in a recent theoretical study of the O(3)/O(3)H(+) system, which was 148 kilocalories mole(-1) at zero temperature ( approximately 149.5 kilocalories mole(-1) at 298 kelvin). PMID- 17750659 TI - The abundance of heavy elements in interstellar gas. AB - The Goddard high-resolution spectrograph aboard the Hubble Space Telescope has been used to produce interstellar abundance measures of gallium, germanium, arsenic, krypton, tin, thallium, and lead, the heaviest elements detected in interstellar gas. These heavy elements arise from stellar nuclear processes (slow and rapid-process neutron capture) that are different from those that produce zinc and the lighter elements previously observed. These data allow investigators to study how the heavy elements chemically interact with interstellar dust and to compare interstellar heavy element abundances in the current galactic epoch to those present at the time of the formation of the solar system. For example, the data indicate that the abundance of atoms in interstellar dust cannot be explained by simple condensation models alone and must be heavily influenced by chemistry in the interstellar medium. Also, the data for some elements suggest that their true galactic cosmic abundances may be different from the "fossil" abundances incorporated into the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. PMID- 17750660 TI - On the frequency-locked orbits of two particles in a paul trap. AB - Calculations are presented that show frequency-locking to be a prominent phenomenon in the dynamics of two ions in a Paul trap, provided that damping is linear and small. The frequency-locked attractors that exist when dissipation is present correspond to stable, periodic orbits of the underlying Hamiltonian system, which appear to be infinite in number. The accuracy of the calculations is illustrated by comparing an orbit observed in a Paul trap for microspheres with the solution of the equations of motion. PMID- 17750661 TI - Surface pinning as a determinant of the bulk flux-line lattice structure in copper oxide superconductors. AB - Direct knowledge of crystal defects and their perturbation of magnetic flux lines is essential to understanding pinning and to devising approaches that enhance critical currents in superconductors with high critical temperatures (T(c)). Atomic force microscopy was used to simultaneously characterize crystal defects and the magnetic flux-line lattice in single crystals of Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8). Images show that surface defects, which are present on all real samples, pin the flux-line lattice. Above a critical height, the pinning interaction is sufficiently strong to form grain boundaries in the bulk flux-line lattice. These results elucidate the structure of the defects that pin flux lines and demonstrate that surface pinning, through the formation of grain boundaries, can determine the bulk flux-line lattice structure in high-T(c) materials. The implications of these results to the bulk flux-line lattice structure observed in previous experiments and to enhancing critical currents are discussed. PMID- 17750662 TI - A cascade of structure in a drop falling from a faucet. AB - A drop falling from a faucet is a common example of a mass fissioning into two or more pieces. The shape of the liquid in this situation has been investigated by both experiment and computer simulation. As the viscosity of the liquid is varied, the shape of the drop changes dramatically. Near the point of breakup, viscous drops develop long necks that then spawn a series of smaller necks with ever thinner diameters. Simulations indicate that this repeated formation of necks can proceed ad infinitum whenever a small but finite amount of noise is present in the experiment. In this situation, the dynamical singularity occurring when a drop fissions is characterized by a rough interface. PMID- 17750663 TI - Thermophysiology of Tyrannosaurus rex: Evidence from Oxygen Isotopes. AB - The oxygen isotopic composition of vertebrate bone phosphate (delta(p)) is related to ingested water and to the body temperature at which the bone forms. The delta(p) is in equilibrium with the individual's body water, which is at a physiological steady state throughout the body. Therefore, intrabone temperature variation and the mean interbone temperature differences of well-preserved fossil vertebrates can be determined from the deltap variation. Values of delta(p) from a well-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex suggest that this species maintained homeothermy with less than 4 degrees C of variability in body temperature. Maintenance of homeothermy implies a relatively high metabolic rate that is similar to that of endotherms. PMID- 17750664 TI - The role of the tropical super greenhouse effect in heating the ocean surface. AB - Measurements made by a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroradiometer operating in the middle infrared (5 to 20 micrometers, with a spectral resolution of one inverse centimeter) imply that there is an anomalously large greenhouse effect over equatorial oceans that is caused by water vapor. As sea-surface temperature increased from 297 to 303 degrees kelvin, the net infrared cooling at the surface decreased by 30 to 50 watts per square meter. Thus, according to the FTIR data, the super greenhouse effect that had been inferred from satellite measurements contributes directly to radiative heating of the sea surface. The data demonstrate that most of this heating occurs in the middle infrared by means of the continuum emission window of water vapor and that tropical deep convection contributes substantially to this super greenhouse effect. PMID- 17750665 TI - Worldwide initiation of holocene marine deltas by deceleration of sea-level rise. AB - Radiocarbon-dated deltaic sequences of Holocene age from different parts of the world began to accumulate within a restricted time range, from about 8500 to 6500 years ago. Evaluation of major delta processes indicates that deceleration in sea level rise was the key factor in Holocene delta formation. Within many deltas, there is as much as a 2000-year age range between basal deposits in seaward and landward cores. This age difference records the progressive landward migration of near mean sea-level depositional environments during the lower to mid-Holocene. Establishment of a chronostratigraphic framework for Holocene delta development provides a fundamental global baseline for distinguishing sea-level change from vertical land motion by tectonism and isostasy, and for evaluating rates of future marine incursion into low-lying deltas. PMID- 17750667 TI - Response. PMID- 17750666 TI - "Molecule corrals" for studies of monolayer organic films. AB - Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies have demonstrated that monolayer deep, flat-bottomed, circular etch pits can be grown on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite by high-temperature etching in the presence of oxygen. In this work, these graphite etch pits are used as "molecule corrals" to isolate ensembles of molecules for study by STM. The nucleation of self-assembled molecular films in the corrals took place by nucleation events separate from those leading to self assembly on the surrounding terrace and allowed the measurement of the nucleation rate constant in the corrals. The dependence of the nucleation rate for self assembly on pit size shows that nucleation occurs at open terrace sites and that step edges (that is, the corral's perimeter) and confinement inhibit film growth. PMID- 17750668 TI - Comparative terminology. PMID- 17750670 TI - The columbian exchange. PMID- 17750669 TI - A patch of the tropics. PMID- 17750671 TI - Vignettes: pictorial trends. PMID- 17750672 TI - Reprints of books previously reviewed. PMID- 17750673 TI - Unpredictability. PMID- 17750674 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17750675 TI - THE PROVISION MADE BY MATHEMATICS FOR THE NEEDS OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17750676 TI - WHERE DO PITCHER-LEAFED ASH TREES GROW? PMID- 17750678 TI - CHEMICAL PUBLICATIONS. PMID- 17750677 TI - "KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL". PMID- 17750679 TI - THE TENTH-EXPONENT. PMID- 17750680 TI - GOODALE'S EXPERIMENTS ON GONADECTOMY OF FOWLS. PMID- 17750681 TI - THE BEHAVIOR OF CERTAIN GELS USEFUL IN THE INTERPRETATION OF THE ACTION OF PLANTS. PMID- 17750682 TI - Superfluids. PMID- 17750684 TI - Archeological Investigation of Cuicuilco, Valley of Mexico, 1957. PMID- 17750683 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17750685 TI - Equipotentiality Versus Cortical Localization. PMID- 17750686 TI - Equipotentiality Versus Cortical Localization. PMID- 17750687 TI - Suggested Revision of Nomenclature--Angiotensin. PMID- 17750688 TI - Thermal Decomposition of 8-Quinolinol Chelates of Silver (I). PMID- 17750690 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT BEFORE THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17750689 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17750691 TI - ORIGINAL INVESTIGATIONS BY ENGINEERING SCHOOLS A DUTY TO THE PUBLIC AND TO THE PROFESSION. PMID- 17750692 TI - THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONGER EEL. PMID- 17750693 TI - HEAT-ENGINE DIAGRAMS. PMID- 17750694 TI - HERMAN ANDREAS LOOS. PMID- 17750696 TI - THE PROBLEM OF COLOR. PMID- 17750695 TI - NOTE ON THE SILURO-DEVONIC BOUNDARY. PMID- 17750697 TI - UNITS AT THE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRICAL CONGRESS. PMID- 17750698 TI - A LARGE CRYSTAL OF SPODUMENE. PMID- 17750699 TI - THE PROPOSED NATIONAL STANDARDS BUREAU. PMID- 17750700 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17750701 TI - RESEARCH AND ADJUSTMENT MARCH TOGETHER. PMID- 17750702 TI - WORK OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17750703 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17750704 TI - HOW SOME BIRDS SATISFY THIRST. PMID- 17750705 TI - SELENITE NOT A CERTAIN INDICATOR OF WIND EFFECT. PMID- 17750707 TI - ON A WHALE SKELETON IN THE COLLECTIONS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17750706 TI - A NEW MAMMOTH RECORD FOR ILLINOIS. PMID- 17750708 TI - THE FIFTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION. PMID- 17750709 TI - A STAIN FOR DIFFICULT PLANT MATERIAL. PMID- 17750710 TI - A SIMPLE AGITATOR FOR SUBMERGED RESPIROMETERS. PMID- 17750711 TI - RESPIRATORY TYPES AND PHOTOPERIODISM. PMID- 17750712 TI - SPONTANEOUS ENCEPHALOMYELITIS OF MICE--A NEW VIRUS DISEASE. PMID- 17750713 TI - MICRO MOUNTS, REVERSE AND CONVERSE. PMID- 17750714 TI - LINEAR AND DENDRITIC SINK-HOLE PATTERNS IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO. PMID- 17750715 TI - ON THE OCCURRENCE, SITES AND MODES OF ORIGIN AND DESTRUCTION, OF PRINCIPLES AFFECTING THE COMPENSATORY VASCULAR MECHANISMS IN EXPERIMENTAL SHOCK. PMID- 17750716 TI - EDWARD WILBER BERRY February 10, 1875-September 20, 1945. PMID- 17750717 TI - COMMITTEE ON THE GROWTH OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. PMID- 17750718 TI - APPEAL FOR THE DEFERMENT OF COLLEGE SCIENCE STUDENTS. PMID- 17750719 TI - NEWS FROM ABROAD. PMID- 17750720 TI - THE PLIOCENE OGALLALA FORMATION AND ASSOCIATED QUATERNARY DEPOSITS. PMID- 17750721 TI - STREPTOMYCES ANTIBIOTICS. III. DEGRADATION OF STREPTOMYCIN TO STREPTOBIOSAMINE DERIVATIVES. PMID- 17750722 TI - QUINOID STRUCTURE AND BACTERIOSTATIC ACTIVITY. AB - Among various derivatives of tetramethyl-diamino-diphenylmethane only the quinoid structured dye salts had bacteriostatic activity in our experiments, while the leucoderivatives were inactive. PMID- 17750723 TI - THE LACK OF MEANING OF THE PHRASE "INACTIVE BY INTERNAL COMPENSATION" AS APPLIED TO MESO COMPOUNDS. PMID- 17750724 TI - A GLUTAMINE-RICH PEPTONE FOR CULTIVATION OF HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCI. PMID- 17750725 TI - ESTIMATION OF CATHEPSIN ACTIVITY. PMID- 17750727 TI - THE YALE CYCADEOIDS. PMID- 17750726 TI - BIOLOGY IN THE PREMEDICAL CURRICULUM. PMID- 17750728 TI - SUPPRESSION OF VITAL DATA. PMID- 17750729 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17750730 TI - PRELIMINARY MEASUREMENT OF THE VELOCITY OF LIGHT. PMID- 17750731 TI - A NEW TYPE OF ELECTRIC DISCHARGE: THE STREAMER DISCHARGE. PMID- 17750732 TI - THE RACIAL ORIGIN OF ALMSHOUSE PAUPERS IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17750733 TI - ROMEYN BECK HOUGH--1857-1924. PMID- 17750734 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17750735 TI - RADIOACTIVITY OF RIPE TOMATOES. PMID- 17750736 TI - ALKALINE REACTION OF THE COTTON PLANT. PMID- 17750737 TI - THE METRIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17750739 TI - THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM OF THE BRINE SHRIMP. PMID- 17750738 TI - INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOMICROGRAPHY OF THE SKIN CAPILLARIES IN THE LIVING HUMAN BODY. PMID- 17750740 TI - THE REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE OF THE CHARACEAE. PMID- 17750741 TI - THE PLASTICITY SYMPOSIUM AT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE. PMID- 17750742 TI - THE ILLUMINATING ENGINEERING SOCIETY. PMID- 17750743 TI - Natural Resources Problems in Japan. PMID- 17750744 TI - Immunologic. PMID- 17750745 TI - A Comparison of the Total Leucocyte Count in the Heart Blood and Peripheral Blood of the Rat. PMID- 17750747 TI - Vitamin A Content of the Liver of the Frilled Shark. PMID- 17750746 TI - Appeal for Scientific Literature for Austria. PMID- 17750748 TI - On the Recent Frilled Shark Catch. PMID- 17750749 TI - Adrenal Changes in Animals Bearing Transplanted Tumors. PMID- 17750750 TI - Use of Streptomycin-dependent Strains of Bacteria for Demonstrating the Ability of Microorganisms to Produce Streptomycin. PMID- 17750751 TI - Precipitin Reactions in Experimental Histoplasmosis and Blastomycosis. PMID- 17750752 TI - The Occurrence of Temperatures Unusual to American Lakes. PMID- 17750753 TI - On the Origin of Virus Phosphorus. PMID- 17750754 TI - Hydraulic Device for Raising and Lowering Mercury in Gas Analyzers. PMID- 17750755 TI - Heteroplastic Grafts. PMID- 17750756 TI - Preparation of Acellular Homogenates From Muscle Samples. PMID- 17750757 TI - A Photoelectric Drop Counter. PMID- 17750758 TI - A Microextraction Procedure for Phenol Determination. PMID- 17750759 TI - A Convenient Apparatus for Recording the Blood Pressure of Small Animals. PMID- 17750761 TI - THE ANALYSIS OF CRYSTAL STRUCTURE BY X-RAYS. PMID- 17750760 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17750762 TI - REMINISCENCES OF LORD KELVIN. PMID- 17750763 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17750764 TI - THE USE OF SEA SALINES IN THE TREATMENT OF GLANDULAR (INCLUDING UNDOUBTEDLY GOITROUS) ENLARGEMENTS--HISTORICAL NOTES. PMID- 17750765 TI - THE MEANING OF CONSERVATION. PMID- 17750767 TI - MR. W. E. MYER'S ARCHEOLOGICAL COLLECTION. PMID- 17750766 TI - THE CURE AND PREVENTION OF EAR CANKER IN RABBITS. PMID- 17750768 TI - A MODIFICATION OF RECONSTRUCTION METHODS. PMID- 17750770 TI - INEXPENSIVE LANTERN SLIDES FOR TEXT OR TABULAR DATA. PMID- 17750769 TI - SPECIFICITY IN FERTILIZATION. PMID- 17750771 TI - INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE LOOKS AHEAD. PMID- 17750773 TI - REORGANIZATION OF CANADIAN CHEMISTS. PMID- 17750772 TI - HENRY G. BARBOUR. PMID- 17750775 TI - THE NUTRITION FOUNDATION. PMID- 17750774 TI - CONFERENCE ON METHODS IN PHILOSOPHY AND THE SCIENCES. PMID- 17750776 TI - AWARD OF THE WILLIAM H. NICHOLS MEDAL. PMID- 17750778 TI - THE OREGON ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17750777 TI - ALUMNI MEDALS OF THE COLLEGE OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. PMID- 17750779 TI - BIRTH OF A TWO-HEADED MONSTER IN THE RHESUS MONKEY. PMID- 17750781 TI - A FEW WORDS ON RUSSIAN NAMES. PMID- 17750780 TI - THE STABILITY OF THIAMIN IN DEHYDRATED PORK. PMID- 17750782 TI - CHOLINESTERASE. PMID- 17750784 TI - THE MECHANISM OF AUXIN ACTION. PMID- 17750783 TI - TRANSMISSION TO RODENTS OF LANSING TYPE POLIOMYELITIS VIRUS ORIGINATING IN THE MIDDLE EAST. PMID- 17750785 TI - NEW MICROTOME AND SECTIONING METHOD FOR ELECTRON MICROSCOPY. PMID- 17750786 TI - Operational Analysis in Relation to Administration of Government-sponsored Research. PMID- 17750788 TI - COMMENTS by Readers. PMID- 17750787 TI - The American Philosophical Society: Abstracts of Papers Presented at 1947 Annual General Meeting. PMID- 17750789 TI - Effect of Certain Substances on the Prevention of Diabetogenic Action of Alloxan. PMID- 17750790 TI - Fluorescein as an Agent in the Differentiation of Normal and Malignant Tissues. PMID- 17750791 TI - Transmission of the Bunchy Top Disease of Papaya (Carica papaya L.) by the Leaf Hopper Empoasca papayae Oman. PMID- 17750792 TI - Methods for Culturing Termites. PMID- 17750794 TI - An Improved Funnel Design. PMID- 17750793 TI - Use of Radioactive Iodine as a Tracer in the Study of the Physiology of Teeth. PMID- 17750795 TI - THE FIRST PAN-AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS, HELD IN SANTIAGO, CHILE, DECEMBER 25, 1908-JANUARY 6, 1909. PMID- 17750796 TI - MARTIN HANS BOYE. PMID- 17750797 TI - THE DARWIN CENTENARY. PMID- 17750798 TI - ADULTERATION AND THE CONDITION OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY AMONG THE ANCIENTS. PMID- 17750799 TI - EVOLUTIONARY COLLECTIONS AS MONUMENTS TO DARWIN. PMID- 17750801 TI - SECTION B-PHYSICS. PMID- 17750800 TI - A NOTE CONCERNING INHERITANCE IN SWEET CORN. PMID- 17750802 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17750803 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGISTS. PMID- 17750804 TI - Science and Art. PMID- 17750805 TI - Organization of Science in the United Kingdom: There are significant differences as well as similarities between U.K. and U.S. national science patterns. PMID- 17750807 TI - News of Science: Science Advisory Committee's Recommendation for Science Council Being Implemented by Executive Order. PMID- 17750806 TI - Organization of Scientific Activities in Norway: Government, industry, and research have joined forces to develop the country's research capacity. AB - By way of a summary, may I say that I believe we now have in Norway an over-all pattern for the administration of research which fits our present situation reasonably well. There are weaknesses, as I have pointed out, but there are also signs that we have a fair chance of putting them right. The system is sufficiently flexible to allow for initiative, and we know we shall have to make changes to fit our future needs. We are in the happy situation of having our youth show an increasing interest in research work, so if we can sucessfully master our training problems we should have the good recruitment we consider essential for progress in research. The problem of "being small" can probably be solved, or at least remedied, through a combination of concentration and international collaboration. In think it has now become clear to the greater part of our population, and specifically to a great number of influential persons, that if we in Norway are to maintain and develop our spiritual and material culture, we shall have to continue the progress in research. We thus hope that in the future, through a united effort of our Government, our trades and industries, and our research, we shall be able to contribute our share to the common fund of knowledge and shall be able also to use this knowledge to expand the social and economic life of our nation and contribute to the security of all free nations. PMID- 17750808 TI - Predaceous Feeding in Two Common Gooseneck Barnacles. AB - Lepas anatifera and Mitella polymerus, while relatively unselective omnivores, behave at times like predatory macrophagous carnivores. Observations suggest a greater range of food size for gooseneck barnacles than is generally suspected and clearly indicate that large organisms, when available, are effectively captured and handled. PMID- 17750810 TI - Equipment. PMID- 17750811 TI - Echo Ranging in the Porpoise. PMID- 17750812 TI - Echo Ranging in the Porpoise. PMID- 17750814 TI - Education of Science Teachers. PMID- 17750813 TI - Quantitative Gram Reaction. PMID- 17750815 TI - Education of Science Teachers. PMID- 17750817 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17750816 TI - Education of Science Teachers. PMID- 17750818 TI - THE FUNCTION OF RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION. PMID- 17750820 TI - THE SUMMER MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE IN 1933. PMID- 17750819 TI - THE UNSOLVED RIDDLE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM. PMID- 17750821 TI - DEVELOPING NEW VARIETIES OF HOPS. PMID- 17750822 TI - THE MARINE LABORATORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. PMID- 17750823 TI - ABBREVIATIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING TERMS. PMID- 17750824 TI - POLYEMBRYONY IN RED SPRUCE. PMID- 17750826 TI - THE MICROPHONE AMPLIFIER. PMID- 17750825 TI - THE USE OF A HOT CATHODE HELIUM LAMP AS A SOURCE OF MONOCHROMATIC LIGHT FOR THE POLARISCOPE. PMID- 17750827 TI - ACTION CURRENTS IN THE AUDITORY TRACTS OF THE MIDBRAIN OF THE CAT. PMID- 17750828 TI - THE EFFECT OF HYPOPHYSECTOMY ON GESTATION IN THE RAT. PMID- 17750829 TI - Indian development trends. PMID- 17750830 TI - Dynamics of globular clusters. AB - In their attempt to reach kinetic equilibrium, through gravitational encounters between separate stars, globular clusters are driven to destruction, with their cores collapsing and their outer regions expanding. The effects of core collapse, which apparently produces x-ray sources, are not yet fully understood, but white dwarfs and neutron stars, probably in binary systems, are thought to be involved, and possibly black holes as well. PMID- 17750831 TI - Uranium shortage turns to glut. PMID- 17750832 TI - Mathematicians Waking Up to Reality: For more than 13 years hard times in mathematics went unremarked, but now the situation is changing. PMID- 17750833 TI - France's New Technocrats: A cabinet reshuffle has put strong supporters of science and technology in three important posts. PMID- 17750834 TI - The Supercollider, 1 Year Later: The physicists have gotten high marks on their work so far; meanwhile, Washington is pushing international collaboration. PMID- 17750836 TI - Esoteric Math Has Practical Result: A new method of computer graphics relies on math results that seemed so abstruse that they were never published. PMID- 17750835 TI - Probing the Deep Continental Crust: Seismic reflection profiling is creating a clearer picture of some unseen continental rock, but now there is much needed help from other techniques. PMID- 17750837 TI - Sb&F. PMID- 17750839 TI - Obituaries. PMID- 17750838 TI - Review journal, science books & films, approaches milestone. PMID- 17750841 TI - To members in the biological sciences. PMID- 17750840 TI - Renewable resource planning reference published. PMID- 17750842 TI - Pacific division meets in san francisco. PMID- 17750843 TI - 1983 aaas summary financial statements. PMID- 17750844 TI - Efforts at quantification: american medicine and statistical thinking, 1800-1860. PMID- 17750845 TI - Cosmology: the constants of physics. PMID- 17750847 TI - Mechanists and deviationists: american physics in transition. PMID- 17750846 TI - The southern sky: surveys of the southern galaxy. PMID- 17750848 TI - Some other books of interest: periphyton of freshwater ecosystems. PMID- 17750849 TI - Some other books of interest: the ecology of aquatic insects. PMID- 17750850 TI - Some other books of interest: chemical ecology of insects. PMID- 17750851 TI - Cation diffusion in plagioclase feldspar. AB - Steep compositional gradients in igneous plagioclase feldspar from slowly cooled intrusive bodies imply a maximum value of the intracrystalline diffusion coefficient for NaSi [unknown] CaAl exchange, D(max) approximately 10(-20) centimeters squared per second for temperatures in the range 1250 degrees to 1000 degrees C. Millimeter-sized grains cannot be homogenized in all geologic time; hence reactive equilibrium crystallization of plagioclase from the melt does not occur in dry systems. PMID- 17750852 TI - Sinking of volcanic ash in uncompacted sediment in williams lake, washington. AB - Volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount St. Helens on 18 May 1980 fell into Williams Lake in eastern Washington and was temporarily suspended at the sediment water interface. After several months of compaction, the ash layer broke up and sank into lower density uncompacted lake sediment. Stratigraphic time displacements of several hundred years and a failure to recognize discontinuous ash layers in sediment cores are possible consequences of this process. PMID- 17750853 TI - Resonant Nuclear Fusion Processes and the Gamma Rays of SS 433. AB - Gamma-ray spectral lines have recently been reported coming from the celestial object SS 433, which is known to emit high-speed jets in opposite directions. The proposed identification of the lines as coming from fusion reactions on nitrogen nuclei as part of the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle operating in the jets has now received observational support. Predictions of strengths and widths of additional lines which, if seen, would provide valuable new information about conditions giving rise to the jets are presented. PMID- 17750854 TI - Far red bioluminescence from two deep-sea fishes. AB - Spectral measurements of red bioluminescence were obtained from the deep-sea stomiatoid fishes Aristostomias scintillans (Gilbert) and Malacosteus niger (Ayres). Red luminescence from suborbital light organs extends to the near infrared, with peak emission at approximately 705 nanometers in the far red. These fishes also have postorbital light organs that emit blue luminescence with maxima between 470 and 480 nanometers. The red bioluminescence may be due to an energy transfer system and wavelength-selective filtering. PMID- 17750855 TI - Variation among floral visitors in pollination ability: a precondition for mutualism specialization. AB - The unusual floral biology of a neotropical herb provided an opportunity to determine that floral visitors varied significantly in their ability to effect fruit-set. Pollination efficiency and visitation frequency varied among Hymenoptera (five taxa), which were responsible for 99 percent of all fruits set. Lepidoptera (four taxa) were common visitors but poor pollinators. These results indicate that flower visitors vary in their beneficial effects on plants, fulfilling one of the primary conditions required for the specialization of plants on pollinators. PMID- 17750856 TI - Brain factor control of sex pheromone production in the female corn earworm moth. AB - Sex pheromone production in the female corn earworm moth Heliothis zea is controlled by a hormonal substance produced in the female's brain. It is present in the brain in scotophase as well as photophase, but it is released into the hemolymph to stimulate pheromone production only in the scotophase. The stimulatory activity was also detected in the brains of male corn earworm moths and of other moths. PMID- 17750857 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE. PMID- 17750858 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOTANICAL SECTION OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17750859 TI - THE METHOD OF TYPES IN BOTANICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17750860 TI - THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PITY. PMID- 17750861 TI - THE KIEFFER PEAR AND THE SAN JOSE SCALE. PMID- 17750862 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17750863 TI - ACADEMEI DEI LINCEI OF ROME. PMID- 17750865 TI - THE IMPORTATION OF LIVING ANIMALS. PMID- 17750864 TI - STREET CARS IN GLASGOW. PMID- 17750866 TI - Some Coffee and Sandwiches? PMID- 17750867 TI - Strengthening the Behavioral Sciences: The Behavioral Sciences Subpanel of the President's Science Advisory Committee surveys the underlying needs and recommends action to meet them. PMID- 17750868 TI - Dating of Fossil Bones by the Fluorine Method: Fluorine analysis by indirect methods is not a reliable means of determining age. AB - In the light of the discussion presented here, we may conclude that fluorine dating is subject to many uncertainties. While the geochemical and geological uncertainties have been recognized (24), numerous crystalchemical concepts concerning the nature of the carbonate-apatite minerals have been almost completely disregarded. PMID- 17750869 TI - Atomic Power: Cinderella Is Slipping Back into the Kitchen. PMID- 17750870 TI - Space Notes: Soviet Guests; Restrictions on Military Developments; West Ford. PMID- 17750871 TI - Reflexive Selection: A Possible Answer to an Old Puzzle. AB - With the color vision and learning abilities of birds and teleosts now proved, it appears possible that the hitherto puzzling massive variation in color and pattern of certain species, distributed through at least five phyla, is not the result of the mere free play of mutation but represents a protective variation and is the product of what may be called reflexive selection. PMID- 17750873 TI - Peach Mesocarp Explant Enlargement and Callus Production in vitro. AB - Explants from fruits of the peach were stimulated to grow by cell enlargement, cell division, or both when placed on media containing kinetin. Callus cultures have been obtained, even occasionally from ripening fruits, long after cessation of normal cell division. PMID- 17750872 TI - Transpiration Rate Reduction in Plants with Atrazine. AB - When treated with atrazine, a herbicide that acts as an inhibitor of photosynthesis, both tolerant and susceptible plants showed a reduction in transpiration rate. This occurred within 1 to 3 hours of application and usually reduced transpiration by 50 percent or more after about 6 hours. PMID- 17750874 TI - Tumor Formation in Interspecific Hybrids of Lilium. AB - Tumors were formed on germinating seeds of a hybrid of Lilium speciosum "Album" x L. auratum. Ferulic acid and the glucose ester were isolated from both pericarp and seeds. Tumors were induced on excised embryos only when the embryos were grown on nutrient agar containing ferulic acid. Tumors may result from the limited amount of glycosylation and from detoxification of ferulic acid. PMID- 17750875 TI - Seaweed Symposium. PMID- 17750876 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17750877 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17750878 TI - Thermal pollution of cayuga lake. PMID- 17750880 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17750879 TI - No research strike at m.I.T. PMID- 17750881 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17750882 TI - Freedom to breed. PMID- 17750883 TI - Moscow meetings. PMID- 17750884 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17750885 TI - The next objective in space. PMID- 17750886 TI - United States science policy: its health and future direction. PMID- 17750887 TI - Brazil-Gabon geologic link supports continental drift. PMID- 17750888 TI - Euratom: atomic agency foundering amidst squabbles of its partners. PMID- 17750889 TI - Florida submergence curve revised: its relation to coastal sedimentation rates. AB - New data substantiate as well as modify the south Florida submergence curve, which indicates that eustatic sea level has risen continuously, although at a generally decreasing rate, during the last 6500 to 7000 sidereal years (5500 standard radiocarbon years) to reach its present position. Accumulation rates of coastal deposits are similar to the rate of sea-level rise, thus supporting the generalization that submergence rates largely determine as well as limit rates of coastal sedimentation in lagoonal and estuarine areas. PMID- 17750890 TI - Geomagnetic reversal in brunhes normal polarity epoch. AB - The magnetic stratigraphly of seven cores of deep-sea sediment established the existence of a short interval of reversed polarity in the upper part of the Brunches epoch of normal polarity. The reversed zone in the cores correlates well with paleontological boundaries and is named the Blake event. Its boundaries are estimated to be 108,000 and 114,000 years ago +/- 10 percent. PMID- 17750891 TI - Megalithic plan underlying canterbury cathedral. AB - Woodhenge and the Trinity chapel, Canterbury, are strikingly similar in outline. One is megalithic, the other Norman Christian over Saxon Christian. An analysis of the geometry shows that both are based on Pythagorean triangles: Woodhenge with sides, 6, 17.5, and 18.5, and Canterbury with sides 12, 72, and 73 in megalithic yards. The structurally more recent eastern end of Canterbury Cathedral may have been built over and around an older megalithic site. The longitudinal axes of the composite cathedral differ by 2 degrees , and these, if aligned on Betelgeuse, would indicate buried megalithic structures dating from 2300, 1900, and 1500 B.C. PMID- 17750892 TI - Sedimentary rock types: relative proportions as a function of geological time. AB - Proportions of sedimentary rock types remaining today differ from period to period. These differences may be chiefly the result of differential rates of deposition and erosion of the various components of the rocks. Lower percentages of limestones and evaporites in Precambrian rocks than in post-Precambrian rocks probably represent selective loss of these more easily removable components from the original deposits. PMID- 17750894 TI - Fig wasps: mechanism of pollen transfer. AB - The fig (Ficus) is absolutely dependent upon pollination by minute agaonid wasps for development of fertile seeds. In some species of the wasp genera Agaon, Allotriozoon, Blastophaga, Ceratosolen, Elisabethiella, Liporrhopalum, and Pleistodontes, the females possess concavities ("corbiculae") to carry pollen. The New World Tetrapus and some Old World Blastophaga lack pollen-carrying structures and may carry pollen dusted over the body or in the digestive tract. PMID- 17750893 TI - Amoebic meningoencephalitis: axenic culture of naegleria. AB - A medium consisting of 2 percent Bacto-Casitone (Difco) and 10 percent fresh horse serum in distilled water ensures axenic growth of two pathogenic isolates of Naegleria species. PMID- 17750895 TI - Circadian clock action spectrum in a photoperiodic moth. AB - A circadian rhythm of egg hatching in the moth Pectinophora gossypiella can be initiated with a brief light pulse. The action spectrum for this effect has a peak in the blue and near ultraviolet region of the spectrum with a sharp cutoff above 500 nanometers and a more gradual cutoff below 390 nanometers. PMID- 17750896 TI - Avena magna: New Oat Species. PMID- 17750897 TI - Drilling and coring the deep-sea floor. PMID- 17750898 TI - Enzyme regulation in Mammalian tissues. PMID- 17750899 TI - Seaweed. PMID- 17750900 TI - International and foreign meetings. PMID- 17750901 TI - MEDICINE AS A CAREER. PMID- 17750902 TI - KEITH LUCAS. PMID- 17750904 TI - OBSERVATIONS OF THE AURORA OF AUGUST 26 FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALASKA. PMID- 17750903 TI - INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH IN CANADA. PMID- 17750905 TI - THE AURORAS OF 1859. PMID- 17750907 TI - A BUSINESS MAN'S APPRAISEMENT OF BIOLOGY. PMID- 17750906 TI - INFERENCES CONCERNING AURORAS. PMID- 17750908 TI - PSYCHOLOGY AS CONTRABAND. PMID- 17750909 TI - LOBSTER MATING: A MEANS OF CONSERVING THE LOBSTER INDUSTRY. PMID- 17750910 TI - THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. PMID- 17750911 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17750912 TI - SLEEP AND SOMNAMBULISM. PMID- 17750913 TI - FOSSIL ORGANISMS IN METEORITES. PMID- 17750914 TI - ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17750915 TI - SPECTRUM ANALYSIS. PMID- 17750916 TI - To the Editor of "Science.". PMID- 17750917 TI - A NEW DISCOVERY IN PHOTOGRAPHY. PMID- 17750918 TI - THE ELECTRIC RAILWAY. PMID- 17750920 TI - THE MEDICAL PRESS ON KOCH'S CURE. PMID- 17750919 TI - ESTIMATION OF FAT IN MILK. PMID- 17750921 TI - TREES IN LONDON. PMID- 17750922 TI - The Flight of Birds. PMID- 17750923 TI - The American Idea of Architecture. PMID- 17750924 TI - Dr. Hann and the Condensation Theory of Storms. PMID- 17750926 TI - The Practicability of transporting the Negro back to Africa. PMID- 17750925 TI - Cyclones and Anticyclones. PMID- 17750927 TI - The Skeleton in Armor. PMID- 17750929 TI - Meteorology and Mathematics. PMID- 17750928 TI - The Education of the Deaf. PMID- 17750930 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17750931 TI - SOME CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF THE CANCER PROBLEM. PMID- 17750932 TI - "RED WATER" ALONG THE WEST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES IN 1938. PMID- 17750934 TI - PARADICHLORBENZENE AS A CONTROL FOR BLUE MOLD DISEASE OF TOBACCO. PMID- 17750933 TI - TRANSMISSIBLE LYSINS IN WATER EXTRACTS OF SEEDS. PMID- 17750935 TI - GRAZING IN RELATION TO THE CONTROL OF LEAFY SPURGE. PMID- 17750936 TI - THE ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17750937 TI - THE NORTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17750938 TI - THE CHROMOPROTEINS OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC PURPLE BACTERIA. PMID- 17750940 TI - A MICRO-METHOD FOR MEASURING SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE. PMID- 17750939 TI - RESPIRATION OF WHEAT INFECTED WITH POWDERY MILDEW. PMID- 17750941 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17750942 TI - New risks of prejudice, ethnocentrism, and violence. PMID- 17750943 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750944 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750946 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750945 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750947 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750948 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750949 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750952 TI - Erratum. AB - In the article "Americans scarce in math grad schools" by Gina Kolata (News and Comment, 15 Nov., p. 787), the fifth sentence of the second paragraph should have read, "New York University's Courant Institute has five Americans among its 25 first-year graduate students with financial support." PMID- 17750950 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750951 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750953 TI - Ice-nucleating bacteria. PMID- 17750954 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750955 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750956 TI - The new format. PMID- 17750957 TI - Britain, France Play It Safe on Channel Tunnel: The proposal to build twin rail tunnels instead of road links or bridges represents a conservative technological choice. PMID- 17750958 TI - Europeans Embrace Technology Assessment: The U.S. Office of Technology Assessment is seen as a model; so many European versions are being proposed that it may be "difficult to find new topics" says one official. PMID- 17750959 TI - EPA proposes ban on asbestos. PMID- 17750961 TI - Zech Named NRC Head. PMID- 17750960 TI - NBS Plans to Shut Down Source of New Talent. PMID- 17750962 TI - RNA Catalysis Gives Fresh Perspective on the Origin of Life: The old chicken-and egg problem of the origin of life is illuminated in unexpected ways by recent results on the splicing of RNA precursors. PMID- 17750963 TI - Wisconsin Storage Ring Reaches 120 Milliamps: After long delays, the "1-GeV ring" now generates respectable VUV-XUV intensities, but continued funding is uncertain. PMID- 17750964 TI - Sinking Slabs Puncture Layered Mantle Model: Seismologists are finding that oceanic plates sinking into the mantle plunge right through the supposedly impenetrable boundary between the upper and lower mantle. PMID- 17750965 TI - Annual report of the executive officer. PMID- 17750966 TI - Quantum monte carlo. AB - An outline of a random walk computational method for solving the Schrodinger equation for many interacting particles is given, together with a survey of results achieved so far and of applications that remain to be explored. Monte Carlo simulations can be used to calculate accurately the bulk properties of the light elements hydrogen, helium, and lithium as well as the properties of the isolated atoms and of molecules made up from these elements. It is now possible to make reliable predictions of the behavior of these substances under experimentally difficult conditions, such as high pressure, and of properties that are difficult to measure experimentally, such as the momentum distribution in superfluid helium. For chemical systems, the stochastic method has a number of advantages over the widely used variational approach to determine ground-state properties, namely fast convergence to the exact result within objectively established error bounds. PMID- 17750967 TI - Oregon subduction zone: venting, fauna, and carbonates. AB - Transects of the submersible Alvin across rock outcrops in the Oregon subduction zone have furnished information on the structural and stratigraphic framework of this accretionary complex. Communities of clams and tube worms, and authigenic carbonate mineral precipitates, are associated with venting sites of cool fluids located on a fault-bend anticline at a water depth of 2036 meters. The distribution of animals and carbonates suggests up-dip migration of fluids from both shallow and deep sources along permeable strata or fault zones within these clastic deposits. Methane is enriched in the water column over one vent site, and carbonate minerals and animal tissues are highly enriched in carbon-12. The animals use methane as an energy and food source in symbiosis with microorganisms. Oxidized methane is also the carbon source for the authigenic carbonates that cement the sediments of the accretionary complex. The animal communities and carbonates observed in the Oregon subduction zone occur in strata as old as 2.0 million years and provide criteria for identifying other localities where modern and ancient accreted deposits have vented methane, hydrocarbons, and other nutrient-bearing fluids. PMID- 17750968 TI - The modification of an estuary. AB - The San Francisco Bay estuary has been rapidly modified by human activity. Diking and filling of most of its wetlands have eliminated habitats for fish and waterfowl; the introduction of exotic species has transformed the composition of its aquatic communities; reduction of freshwater inflow by more than half has changed the dynamics of its plant and animal communities; and wastes have contaminated its sediments and organisms. Continued disposal of toxic wastes, the probable further reduction in freshwater inflow, and the possible synergy between the two provide the potential for further alteration of the estuary's water quality and biotic communities. PMID- 17750969 TI - Role of seasonality in the evolution of climate during the last 100 million years. AB - A simple climate model has been used to calculate the effect of past changes in the land-sea distribution on the seasonal cycle of temperatures during the last 100 million years. Modeled summer temperatures decreased over Greenland by more than 10 degrees C and over Antarctica by 5 degrees to 8 degrees C. For the last 80 million years, this thermal response is comparable in magnitude to estimated atmospheric carbon dioxide effects. Analysis of paleontological data provides some support for the proposed hypothesis that large changes due to seasonality may have sometimes resulted in an ice-free state due to high summer temperature rather than year-round warmth. Such "cool" non-glacials may have prevailed for as much as one-third of the last 100 million years. PMID- 17750970 TI - Strain accumulation in the shumagin and yakataga seismic gaps, alaska. AB - Strain accumulation during the 1980-85 interval has been measured by means of trilateration surveys in the Shumagin and Yakataga seismic gaps, which are the two regions identified as the most likely sites for the next great thrust earthquakes along the Alaska-Aleutian arc. No significant strain accumulation was detected in the Shumagin gap, but experience at similar subduction zones and simple models of the subduction process suggest that a measurable amount of strain should have accumulated. The most likely explanation of the observation is that subduction there is either aseismic or episodic. The strain accumulation measured in the Yakataga gap is consistent with that expected for the plate convergence rate, although the direction of maximum compression may suggest a somewhat more oblique convergence than expected. PMID- 17750971 TI - Herbivores' direct and indirect effects on algal populations. AB - The increase in algal reproductive rates caused by nitrogen regeneration from herbivorous zooplankton approximately equaled the zooplankton-caused mortality. This result demonstrates that nutrient regeneration by herbivores is at least sometimes a strong indirect effect in natural communities. PMID- 17750972 TI - Postindustrial melanism in the peppered moth. AB - New data show the geographical pattern of frequency of the melanic morph carbonaria of the peppered moth, Biston betularia, in 1983-84. These frequencies are compared with data from 1952 to 1970. After 20 years of smoke control, the area of high melanic frequency has contracted to the northeast. The change indicates a disadvantage to carbonaria of about 12 percent compared with 20 years ago. Computer simulations, which do not include the assumption of heterozygote advantage, provide a good match to the surface for the period 1952 to 1970, and also the 1983-84 surface. Experiments on visual predation have been criticized as giving unrepresentative estimates of selection but they permit satisfactory simulations to be made. PMID- 17750973 TI - Volunteers help bring science alive at local museums. PMID- 17750974 TI - For the library. PMID- 17750975 TI - New book looks at scientists and journalists. PMID- 17750976 TI - Nomination of AAAS Fellows Invited. PMID- 17750978 TI - Boulder Hosts SWARM Annual Meeting. PMID- 17750977 TI - Grants to self-sponsored foreign graduate students to attend r&d colloquium. PMID- 17750979 TI - Salaries of scientists and engineers barely keeping abreast of inflation. PMID- 17750981 TI - AAAS Prize for Behavioral Science Research. PMID- 17750980 TI - Review journal focuses on education to prevent child abuse. PMID- 17750983 TI - Association strengthens african ties. PMID- 17750982 TI - Obituaries. PMID- 17750984 TI - R&D and the Budget Crisis: Eleventh Annual AAAS Colloquium on R&D Policy. PMID- 17750986 TI - Modes of restoring diploidy: biology of fertilization. PMID- 17750985 TI - Apis mellifera: Honeybee Ecology. PMID- 17750987 TI - Plant history: geological factors and the evolution of plants. PMID- 17750988 TI - Weathering processes: the chemistry of weathering. PMID- 17750989 TI - Poliovirus: the molecular biology of poliovirus. PMID- 17750990 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17750992 TI - RECENT EXPLORATIONS IN THE REGION OF THE GULF-STREAM OFF THE EASTERN COAST OF THE UNITED STATES BY THE U. S. FISH-COMMISSION. PMID- 17750991 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17750993 TI - WATER-BOTTLES AND THERMOMETERS FOR DEEP-SEA RESEARCH AT THE INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES EXHIBITION. PMID- 17750994 TI - REAL ROOTS OF CUBICS. PMID- 17750995 TI - THE HABITS OF MURAENOPSIS TRIDACTYLUS IN CAPTIVITY; WITH OBSERVATIONS ON ITS ANATOMY. PMID- 17750996 TI - THE GREAT TERMINAL MORAINE ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA. PMID- 17750997 TI - St. David's rocks and universal law. PMID- 17750998 TI - Change of birds' notes. PMID- 17751000 TI - Pre-Bonneville climate. PMID- 17750999 TI - Silurian strata near Winnipeg. PMID- 17751001 TI - WARD'S DYNAMIC SOCIOLOGY. PMID- 17751003 TI - FRUIT-INSECTS. PMID- 17751002 TI - BREMIKER'S LOGARITHMIC TABLES. PMID- 17751005 TI - Color and other associations. PMID- 17751004 TI - WHO SHOULD BE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE UNITED-STATES COAST-SURVEY. PMID- 17751006 TI - The study of logic in the scientific schools. PMID- 17751007 TI - An abnormal black bass. PMID- 17751008 TI - The ginkgo-tree. PMID- 17751009 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17751011 TI - GERMAN UNIVERSITIES FROM A NEW POINT OF VIEW. PMID- 17751010 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17751012 TI - The Kongo free state. PMID- 17751013 TI - The magnetic declination in 1728. PMID- 17751014 TI - THE CHANGE IN THE GREAT NEBULA IN ANDROMEDA. PMID- 17751015 TI - THE ASSOCIATION OF OFFICIAL AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTS. PMID- 17751016 TI - THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION AT SARATOGA. PMID- 17751018 TI - THE BACILLI OF CHOLERA ASIATICA AND CHOLERA NOSTRAS. PMID- 17751017 TI - PUPPET-SHOWS IN JAVA. PMID- 17751019 TI - THE RECENT TORNADOES. PMID- 17751020 TI - THE COAST-SURVEY AND 'POLITICAL SCIENTISTS.'. PMID- 17751021 TI - THE THEORY OF VOLCANOES. PMID- 17751022 TI - BOLTON'S CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. PMID- 17751024 TI - THE WINDMILL AS A PRIME MOVER. PMID- 17751023 TI - THE FIFTH VOLUME OF OHIO GEOLOGY. PMID- 17751025 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17751026 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17751027 TI - Self-Regulation of Populations. PMID- 17751028 TI - Women as Graduate Students. PMID- 17751029 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17751030 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17751031 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17751032 TI - Air-Pollution Control. PMID- 17751033 TI - Balance of Payments and Government Policies. PMID- 17751034 TI - Basic Research and National Goals. PMID- 17751035 TI - Free Carbon Atom Chemistry: The elusive carbon atom, simplest of organic species, can now be studied with new techniques. AB - The studies of the chemistry of free carbon atoms described here represent only a start toward understanding the properties of this intriguing species. Although many important aspects of its chemistry, such as the influence of its electronic spin state, are still poorly understood, some generalizations may be made. PMID- 17751036 TI - Materials and the Development of Civilization and Science: Empiricism and esthetic selection led to discovery of many properties on which material science is based. AB - It will be apparent from this far-too-hasty view that, in the past, most knowledge of materials has been gained by the intelligent empiricist, and that the role of science has been to explain and to provide better control rather than to open up new areas. It may be that in complex fields this is inevitable, for science invokes subtle abstractions which are necessarily concerned sequentially with parts rather than simultaneously with a whole system. But how enormously better off we are now than we were in 1900, for we at least now understand the physical principles behind most of the properties of ceramics and metals, and more than one practical achievement stems directly from a scientist's suggestion. No practical man now understands metals better than the solid-state physicist; this was certainly not true even as little as 20 years ago. Yet the likelihood that pure science will lead directly to the discovery of really new materials will be only slightly greater in the future than it was in the past unless methods for handling wholes can be developed that are precise enough to be called scientific and communicable enough to be taught. This is a task that the scientist has in the past rightly and profitably refused to accept. We need a supergenius to develop some principles, not of simple particles and their interactions, but of extremely complex structures with parts interacting with other parts, on all levels, and with a hierarchy of interpenetrating substructures combining to form many levels of interpenetrating superstructure (21). PMID- 17751037 TI - NSF Budget: Cuts by House Group Leave Little Leeway for Growth in Support of Research Projects. PMID- 17751039 TI - Anomalous Erosional Topography in Victoria Land, Antarctica. AB - An area of some 18 square kilometers at the head of Wright Dry Valley displays an erosional terrain of unique characteristics-a labyrinthine complex of erratic, interconnecting channels cut to depths of more than 100 meters in bedrock. It is interpreted as a result of catastrophic fluvial erosion, probably analogous to that which produced the Channeled Scabland of eastern Washington, though on a greatly reduced areal scale. PMID- 17751038 TI - Heart, Cancer, and Stroke: Bill Based on Presidential Commission Calls for Regional Medical Centers. PMID- 17751040 TI - Paleontologic Technique for Defining Ancient Ocean Currents. AB - Subtraction from the new data, of a quadratic surface fitted to the taxonomic diversity data of recent planktonic foraminifera yields a residual surface closely related to ocean current systems. This technique could be applied to fossil materials to develop knowledge of ocean circulation patterns during glacial and interglacial climatic episodes. PMID- 17751041 TI - Feldspar in Chondrites. AB - Whereas most chondrites contain sodic plagioclase (or occasionally maskelynite, its glassy equivalent), a few are free of feldspar. Absence of plagioclase is correlated with the presence of calcium-poor clinopyroxene (pigeonite sensu lato) instead of orthopyroxene. Olivine in feldspar-free chondrites is frequently variable in composition; in feldspar-bearing chondrites this mineral has essentially uniform composition. It appears that the silicate material of most chondrites was initially an association of olivine and pigeonite (or perhaps olivine and glass), and recrystallization has produced the usual olivine orthopyroxene-sodic plagioclase association. PMID- 17751042 TI - Is There Vegetation on Mars? AB - At least some of the changes in the color of Mars at different seasons are caused by color centers produced by electromagnetic and corpuscular solar radiation in solids on the surface. Calculated radiation flux, at appropriate energies and known temperature variation, could account for seasonal formation of color centers and bleaching if a simple trap model is assumed. In certain kinds of rhyolite (SiO(2), NaAlSi(3)O(8)), which has been suggested as one of the possible constituents of the martian surface, color centers can be produced. No color centers are expected in limonite, Fe(2)O(3) . 3H(2)O, the other likely constituent. PMID- 17751043 TI - High-Pressure Single-Crystal Studies of Ice VI. AB - By means of a precession camera incorporating a diamond-anvil high-pressure cell, x-ray diffraction data can be obtained from single crystals of ice VI produced and maintained under high pressures. The cell constants for ice VI at room temperature and approximately 9 kilobars are: a = 8.38 A, b = 6.17 A, c = 8.90 A. The unit cell is orthogonal and the space-group aspect is compatible with P**a. These data for single crystals agree with previously reported unindexed data obtained for polycrystalline ice VI, within the limits of experimental error. The single crystals of ice VI were grown in a diamond-anvil pressure cell, distilled water and a metal gasket being used. PMID- 17751044 TI - Radioactivity: Detection of Gamma-Ray Emission in Sediments in situ. AB - A probe for measuring emission of gamma-rays in sediments in situ in water depths to about 35 meters was used to measure radioactivity in the Columbia River estuary and Oregon coastal areas. This technique offers some advantage over methods in which sediment samples are collected at sea and returned to the laboratory for radioanalysis. PMID- 17751045 TI - Kink-Bands: Shock Deformation of Biotite Resulting from a Nuclear Explosion. AB - Microscopic examination of granodiorite samples from the shock region around a nuclear explosion reveals sharply folded lens-shaped zones (kink-bands) in the mineral biotite. Fifty percent of these zones are oriented approximately 90 degrees to the direction of shock-wave propagation, but other zones are symmetrically concentrated at shear angles of 50 degrees and 70 degrees to the direction of shock-wave propagation. PMID- 17751046 TI - Growth Layers on Ammonium Dihydrogen Phosphate. AB - Microscopic observations of growth layers and etch pits on ammonium dihydrogen phosphate crystals reveal screw dislocations on the {100} face generating elliptical spirals that change rapidly but reversibly to rectangular shape when chromium-ion impurity is added. The effects of the impurity on crystal habit are judged to be secondary to changes in the morphology of the growth layers. No sources of growth are observed on the {101} faces; the layers spread inward from the edges and at times are mutually annihilating so that, temporarily, no steps are observed. Similar behavior is recorded for the {1011} faces of NaNO(3). PMID- 17751047 TI - "Trinitite": Cobalt-60, Cesium-137, and Europium-152. AB - Cobalt-60, cesium-137, and europium-152 have been identified in "trinitite," an artifical mineral produced in the first nuclear explosion at Alamagordo, New Mexico, in 1945. Cesium-137 is an expected fission product, but the origin of the other two radionuclides is not certain. PMID- 17751048 TI - Photoreception and Entrainment of Cockroach Activity Rhythms. AB - In the cockroach there are two distinct sets of photoreceptors-the compound eyes and the ocelli-which may function as a sensory input whereby circadian locomotor rhythms are entrained by environmental light cycles. Surgical removal of the ocelli did not interfere with normal entrainment, but covering over the compound eyes effected a loss of entrainment. PMID- 17751049 TI - Endemism in Middle Miocene Caribbean Molluscan Faunas. AB - The term "middle Miocene Caribbean province" is used for a faunal province that embraced both western Atlantic and eastern Pacific waters. The percentage of endemic species in 13 local faunas in that province is tabulated. In general the largest faunas have the highest percentage of endemic species, but notable exceptions to that generalization are apparent. Many examples of discontinuous distribution of species and genera, which are not relicts, support the conclusion that much of the endemisim is apparent rather than real. PMID- 17751050 TI - Lungfish Burrows from the Michigan Coal Basin. AB - Five casts of lungfish burrows have been found in a quarry near Grand Ledge, Michigan, in shale of the Saginaw group, Middle Pennsylvanian. The burrows contain no fish remains, but they closely resemble lungfish burrows from the Lower Permian of Texas which contain remains of the genus Gnathorhiza. PMID- 17751051 TI - Annelid Ciliary Photoreceptors. AB - The photoreceptor cells of the tube-dwelling polychaete Branchiomma vesiculosum contain stacked disc-shaped membranous sacs which are the expanded and flattened outer membranes of cilia. PMID- 17751052 TI - Defensive Spray of a Phasmid Insect. AB - The walkingstick, Anisomorpha buprestoides, has two defensive glands in its thorax from which it ejects an aimed spray when disturbed. Contact stimulation is the usual trigger for the discharge, but birds may elicit the spray by merely approaching the insect. The secretion proved effectively deterrent to ants, predaceous beetles, mice, and blue jays, but not to an opossum. PMID- 17751053 TI - Industrial and Biological Microscopy: New Paths. PMID- 17751054 TI - The Electron Microscope and Its Future Development. PMID- 17751056 TI - THE NEW YORK STATE SCIENCE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION. III. PMID- 17751055 TI - THE RELATIONS OF SCIENCE AND THE SCIENTIFIC CITIZEN TO THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT. PMID- 17751057 TI - MIGRATION OF BATS ON CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS. PMID- 17751058 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17751059 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17751061 TI - THE THREATENED LEGISLATION AGAINST SCIENCE AND EDUCATION. PMID- 17751060 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17751062 TI - RELATIONS OF TARSIUS TO THE LEMURS AND APES. PMID- 17751064 TI - THE DRAINAGE OF THE SAGINAW VALLEY. PMID- 17751063 TI - THE JOURNAL OF SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17751065 TI - THE PRESENT STATE OF THE PROBLEM OF EVOLUTION. PMID- 17751067 TI - PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17751066 TI - SIR CLEMENTS R. MARKHAM. PMID- 17751068 TI - THE CURRENT "DEFINITION" OF ENERGY. PMID- 17751070 TI - A NEW METHOD FOR THE GRAPHICAL SOLUTION OF ALGEBRAIC EQUATIONS. PMID- 17751069 TI - A PECULIAR BREED OF GOATS. PMID- 17751071 TI - THE COORDINATION OF CHROMATOPHORES BY HORMONES. PMID- 17751072 TI - RESEARCH AND THERAPEUTICS. AB - Progressive therapeutics depends on research, but at the same time it is a marked stimulant for promoting research. Through research will come much of the post-war advancement which may occur in medicine and allied sciences, drug manufacturing and educational centers. Success and survival will depend not only on cooperation, leadership and a shrewd business sense but on an adequate appreciation of opportunities, limitations and the value of fostering research by providing grants and fellowships. Much material assistance can be provided with mutual gain for all participants when such fellowships are established. This gain may extend past current problems into lifelong associations. If the manufacturer recognizes his opportunities and obligations and forges ahead to challenge or accept them instead of remaining on the defensive, there will be less likelihood of being fettered by purblind policies. Each one interested in research and therapeutics has responsibilities peculiar to himself, but there are few, regardless of occupation, who, at the completion of a job well done, does not feel as Pasteur, who said of the researcher: It is indeed a hard task when you believe you have found an important scientific fact and are feverishly anxious to publish it, to constrain yourself for days, weeks, years sometimes, to fight with yourself, to try to ruin your own experiments and only to proclaim your discovery after having exhausted all contrary hypotheses. But when, after so many efforts, you have at last arrived at certainty, your joy is one of the greatest which can be felt by a human soul, and the thought that you will have contributed to the honor of your country renders that joy still deeper. PMID- 17751073 TI - THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW VIEWPOINTS AND SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS IN GENERAL BOTANY. PMID- 17751074 TI - WALTER E. MCCOURT. PMID- 17751075 TI - LESLIE TILLOTSON WEBSTER 1894-1943. PMID- 17751076 TI - THE BUDGET OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. PMID- 17751078 TI - THE ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS OF THE ALLIED COUNTRIES. PMID- 17751077 TI - THE ROSS INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL HYGIENE. PMID- 17751080 TI - A RESEARCH COMMITTEE ON CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17751079 TI - AFFILIATED HOSPITAL UNITS FOR CIVILIAN DEFENSE. PMID- 17751081 TI - THE BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION. PMID- 17751082 TI - THE MOSSES OF LURAY CAVERN, VIRGINIA. PMID- 17751083 TI - NEW WORDS IN SCIENCE. PMID- 17751084 TI - NUMBERING BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS. PMID- 17751085 TI - THE HEATH HEN. PMID- 17751086 TI - NATIONAL LEARNED SOCIETY GROUPS. PMID- 17751087 TI - THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. PMID- 17751088 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF FOLIC ACID BY RAT LIVER IN VITRO. AB - The occurrence in urine and in acid-autoclaved grass and liver extracts of a substance which appears to participate in the synthesis of folic acid by rat liver in vitro is described. A similar effect is produced by synthetic xanthopterin. The effect of these materials might be accomplished by (1) catalysis of the enzymatic synthesis of folic acid; (2) the release of folic acid not liberated by takadiastase from tissue complexes; or (3) their serving as substrate material for the enzymatic synthesis of folic acid. The data presented favor the last hypothesis and suggest that xanthopterin, or a substance derived from it, may constitute a portion of the folic acid molecule. The probable involvement of compounds related to ranthopterin in the formation of hemocytopoietic substances in several animal species is discussed. PMID- 17751089 TI - DISTRIBUTION AND HEREDITY OF VARIANTS OF THE RH TYPE. PMID- 17751091 TI - HOMO SAPIENS--WHENCE AND WHITHER. PMID- 17751090 TI - THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE PROTOZOAN PARASITE OF QUAIL MALARIA BY FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY. PMID- 17751092 TI - THE WORD "ALLELE". PMID- 17751093 TI - THE PROBLEM OF EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION. PMID- 17751094 TI - THE BRITISH GUIANA EXPEDITION. PMID- 17751096 TI - SCIENCE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. PMID- 17751095 TI - GERMAN PERIODICALS AGAIN. PMID- 17751097 TI - MEETING OF THE SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION. PMID- 17751099 TI - THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17751098 TI - THE LUMBAR LOCALIZATION OF PARALYSIS IN EXPERIMENTAL POLIOMYELITIS AFTER INTRANASAL INOCULATION. PMID- 17751100 TI - COCCO-BACILLIFORM BODIES ASSOCIATED WITH AN INFECTIOUS FOWL CORYZA. PMID- 17751101 TI - THE ROLE OF LIPOIDS IN THE X-RAY DIFFRACTION PATTERNS OF NERVE. PMID- 17751102 TI - VARIABLE TENSION CLAMPS FOR PHYSIOLOGY EXPERIMENTS. PMID- 17751103 TI - METHOD FOR STUDY OF CRYSTALS FOUND IN AMOEBA BY MEANS OF X-RAYS. PMID- 17751104 TI - A DEVICE FOR PERMANENTLY MARKING LABORATORY ANIMALS. PMID- 17751105 TI - THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGES, AND THE ANTIQUITY OF SPEAKING MAN. PMID- 17751106 TI - WHAT IS NERVE-FORCE? PMID- 17751108 TI - Water of crystallization. PMID- 17751107 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17751109 TI - The oldest living type of vertebrates. PMID- 17751111 TI - Iroquois grammar. PMID- 17751110 TI - An open polar sea. PMID- 17751112 TI - Sky-glows. PMID- 17751114 TI - THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17751113 TI - Rhyssa not lignivorous. PMID- 17751116 TI - HISTORY OF ALMANACS. PMID- 17751115 TI - THE 'POROROCA,' OR BORE, OF THE AMAZON. PMID- 17751117 TI - THE BIRD-COLLECTION OF THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. PMID- 17751118 TI - EXPLORATION OF PUTNAM RIVER, ALASKA. PMID- 17751119 TI - OVER-PRESSURE IN SCHOOLS. PMID- 17751120 TI - NEW-ENGLAND ORCHIDS. PMID- 17751121 TI - INDIAN FOLK-LORE AND ETHNOLOGY. PMID- 17751122 TI - Carbon dioxide and climate. PMID- 17751123 TI - Carbon dioxide and climate. PMID- 17751124 TI - Carbon dioxide and climate. PMID- 17751125 TI - Animals in the classroom. PMID- 17751126 TI - Social, economic, and political leadership. PMID- 17751127 TI - Anomalous sounds from the entry of meteor fireballs. AB - A very bright fireball observed over New South Wales in 1978 produced anomalous sounds clearly audible to some of the observers. An investigation of the phenomenon indicates that bright fireballs radiate considerable electromagnetic energy in the very-low-frequency (VLF) region of the spectrum. A mechanism for the production of VLF emissions from the highly energetic wake turbulence of the fireball is proposed. Trials with human subjects revealed a very extended range of thresholds for the perception of electrically excited sounds among a sample population, particularly when the VLF electric field excites surface acoustic waves in surrounding objects. This fact, together with variable propagation effects and local conditions, can account for the sporadic distribution of reports of anomalous sounds from fireballs and auroras. PMID- 17751128 TI - Carter and reagan on defense: rhetoric and posturing clothe important differences. PMID- 17751129 TI - Anderson stresses conventional arms. PMID- 17751130 TI - Ion generators: old fad, new fashion. PMID- 17751131 TI - Why government should not fund science. PMID- 17751132 TI - Universities face new accounting rules. PMID- 17751133 TI - Carter on continuous creation . . PMID- 17751134 TI - NIH Bills: Legislators May or May Not Compromise. PMID- 17751135 TI - Politics Embroils NSF Directorate. PMID- 17751136 TI - Frank press in line for academy presidency. PMID- 17751137 TI - Imbroglio at yale (I): emergence of a fraud. PMID- 17751138 TI - Origin of life: new ingredients suggested. PMID- 17751140 TI - Annual meeting toronto 3-8 january 1981. PMID- 17751139 TI - No go for salicylate. PMID- 17751141 TI - Grants Offered to Foreign Graduate Students to Attend AAAS Annual Meeting. PMID- 17751143 TI - Audio-visual material on career opportunities available. PMID- 17751142 TI - "Focus" puts science on the radio. PMID- 17751145 TI - New delhi seminar to explore roles for scientific and engineering societies in development. PMID- 17751144 TI - News from the national network of minority women in science. PMID- 17751147 TI - Documents of technology. PMID- 17751146 TI - New fellowship awarded. PMID- 17751148 TI - Cells in development. PMID- 17751149 TI - Cytoskeletal components. PMID- 17751150 TI - Stone tools analyzed. PMID- 17751151 TI - Nimbus-7 coastal zone color scanner: system description and initial imagery. AB - The Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) on Nimbus-7, launched in October 1978, is the only sensor in orbit that is specifically designed to study living marine resources. The initial imagery confirms that CZCS data can be processed to a level that reveals subtle variations in the concentration of phytoplankton pigments. This development has potential applications for the study of large scale patchiness in phytoplankton distributions, the evolution of spring blooms, water mass boundaries, and mesoscale circulation patterns. PMID- 17751152 TI - Phytoplankton pigments from the nimbus-7 coastal zone color scanner: comparisons with surface measurements. AB - The removal of atmospheric effects from Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) images reveals eddy-like ocean turbidity patterns not apparent in the original calibrated images. Comparisons of the phytoplankton pigment concentrations derived from the corrected CZCS radiances with surface measurements agree to within less than 0.5 log C, where C is the sum of the concentrations of chlorophyll a plus phaeopigments a (in milligrams per cubic meter). PMID- 17751153 TI - Atmospheric carbon dioxide, the southern oscillation, and the weak 1975 el nino. AB - The observed rate of change of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration at the South Pole, Fanning Island, Hawaii, and ocean weather station P correlates with an index of the southern oscillation and with El Nino occurrences. There are changes at all four stations that seem to be in response to the weak 1975 El Nino. Thus, even poorly developed El Nino events may affect the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. PMID- 17751155 TI - Canopy orientation: a new kind of orientation in ants. AB - Celestial cues, such as the sun or patterns of polarized sky light, appear to have no detectable effect in the precise homing orientation of foragers of Paltothyreus tarsatus. Field and laboratory experiments reveal that canopy patterns are a major influence in the home range orientation of this ponerine ant, a common species in African forests. Canopy orientation appears to be well suited to the restrictive lighting conditions of tropical forests. PMID- 17751154 TI - Geochronology of wadi tushka: lost tributary of the nile. AB - The Sadat Canal, now under construction, is designed to drain excess water from Lake Nasser to the Western Desert by way of Wadi Tushka, a sand-filled, dry-wash tributary of the Nile 34 kilometers north of Abu Simbel. Core-drilling logs made by the Aswan High Dam Authority prior to excavation of the Sadat Canal and along 48 kilometers of its axis reveal as much as 33 meters of unconsolidated sand and gravel over Mesozoic bedrock and under surficial dune sand and playa muds of Holocene age. Excavation of the canal revealed Acheulean artifacts 6.7 meters below the surface in fluvial sediments capped by a buried, red calcic paleosol. These data are interpreted as evidence for the existence of a major tributary of the Nile during the late middle Pleistocene. The tributary drained the Kiseiba Dungul Depression and possibly the Kharga Depression as well. Chalcedony-armored mudstones in the depressions are believed to be saline lake deposits possibly related to a lake that drained to the Nile by way of Wadi Tushka, thus entrenching the divide between the depression and the valley. Gross correlations with Pleistocene deposits of the Nile Valley and the Kharga Depression are based upon archeological evidence only until more precise geochronology can be applied to the problem. PMID- 17751156 TI - Obituaries. PMID- 17751157 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17751158 TI - Psychical research. PMID- 17751159 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17751160 TI - On the function of the serrated appendages of the throat of Amia. PMID- 17751161 TI - Bot-flies in a turtle. PMID- 17751162 TI - Specimens illustrating Lehmann's 'Origin of the crystalline schists.'. PMID- 17751164 TI - THE 'OLD STONE MILL' AT NEWPORT. PMID- 17751163 TI - Change in the color of the eye. PMID- 17751165 TI - Ergot nectar. PMID- 17751166 TI - THE 'HOOD' OF THE HOODED SEAL, CYSTOPHORA CRISTATA. PMID- 17751167 TI - MEASURING EARTHQUAKES. PMID- 17751168 TI - EXCURSION MAP OF THE VICINITY OF BALTIMORE. PMID- 17751169 TI - THE NEW-YORK AGRICULTURAL STATION. PMID- 17751170 TI - THE ESSENTIAL NEED OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH FOR SOCIAL PROGRESS. PMID- 17751172 TI - OSCAR FLOYD POINDEXTER. PMID- 17751171 TI - THE STATUS AND PROBLEMS OF RESEARCH IN THE NATIVE LANGUAGES OF SOUTH AMERICA. PMID- 17751174 TI - THE JOHN WESLEY HYATT AWARD. PMID- 17751173 TI - THE FOURTH ANNUAL SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH. PMID- 17751175 TI - ENDOWMENT OF THE SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE. PMID- 17751176 TI - IN HONOR OF PROFESSOR DUGALD C. JACKSON. PMID- 17751177 TI - BLANCAN AS A TIME TERM IN THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS. PMID- 17751178 TI - PHOSPHORESCENT TEXAS EARTHWORMS. PMID- 17751179 TI - SPINACH AND BONE FORMATION. PMID- 17751181 TI - THE SOCIETY FOR FREEDOM IN SCIENCE. PMID- 17751180 TI - COMPARATIVE UNIVERSITY STRENGTH IN SCIENTISTS STARRED IN "AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE" V-VII. PMID- 17751182 TI - ON THE NATURE OF REFRACTORINESS OF CERTAIN GRAM-NEGATIVE BACILLI TO PENICILLIN. AB - The suseeptibility of certain strains of E. coli and Salmonella is significantly greater in synthetic medium than in meat infusion broth. Casein hydrolysate, asparagine, glutamic acid to a lesser degree, and possibly some other aminoacids partially antagonize the effect of penicillin upon E. coli in synthetic medium. The antagonism of casein hydrolysate and asparagine can be removed in greater part by methionine. The observations suggest that the refractoriness of Gram negative bacilli to penicillin is at least to some extent extrinsic in nature. PMID- 17751183 TI - THE CHANGES IN RAT KIDNEY COCARBOXYLASE ASSOCIATED WITH THE INJURIOUS EFFECTS OF dl-SERINE. AB - When rats on either a stock or a vitamin B deficient diet are given the amino acid dl-serine by stomach tube, there is a fall in the cocarboxylase concentration of the kidney. This organ exhibits marked damage. There is, also, a lessened tendency for cocarboxylase to disappear from the tissue homogenate upon anaerobic incubation in vitro. In animals on the stock diet, only, there is a recovery of the normal cocarboxylase level. The probable relation of these findings to the mechanism of the production of the injurious action of serine is discussed. We would like to acknowledge the helpful criticisms of Dr. C. Artom. PMID- 17751184 TI - CASTRATION EFFECTS OF THE INHERITED HORMONAL INFLUENCE. PMID- 17751185 TI - QUININE ACTION IN BACTERIAL GROWTH AND DISINFECTION. PMID- 17751186 TI - METHODS FOR DETERMINING REFRACTIVE INDICES IN POLARIZED LIGHT MICROSCOPY. PMID- 17751187 TI - CORN AS AN ETIOLOGICAL FACTOR IN THE PRODUCTION OF A NICOTINIC ACID DEFICIENCY IN THE RAT. PMID- 17751189 TI - PROFESSOR LADD ON THE YALE CURRICULUM. PMID- 17751188 TI - ARRANGEMENT FOR DRYING PROTEINS FROM THE FROZEN STATE. PMID- 17751190 TI - THE LEVELLING OF SIBERIA. PMID- 17751192 TI - LONGEVITY. PMID- 17751191 TI - POPULAR PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17751193 TI - IRON CONFERENCE AT ST. PETERSBURG. PMID- 17751195 TI - PRIMORDIAL COSMIC RINGS. PMID- 17751194 TI - OBSERVATIONS UPON THE COMET AT PRINCETON. PMID- 17751197 TI - GUNTHERS ICHTHYOLOGY. PMID- 17751196 TI - THE USE OF WATER AS A FUEL. PMID- 17751198 TI - To the Editor of Science:. PMID- 17751200 TI - THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN SCIENCE. PMID- 17751199 TI - THE COMET. PMID- 17751201 TI - A SINGULAR METEORIC PHENOMENON. PMID- 17751202 TI - PHOTOGRAPHING THE CORONA WITHOUT AN ECLIPSE. PMID- 17751203 TI - THE TYPHOON AT MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, OCT. 20, 1882. PMID- 17751205 TI - VARIATIONS IN THE VERTICAL DUE TO ELASTICITY OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE. PMID- 17751204 TI - CAPTAIN C. E. DUTTON ON THE HAWAIIANS. PMID- 17751206 TI - Cleaning birds. PMID- 17751207 TI - Movement of the arms in walking. PMID- 17751208 TI - Age of the rocks on the northern shore of Lake Superior. PMID- 17751209 TI - THE ORIGIN OF CULTIVATED PLANTS. PMID- 17751210 TI - NATURAL HISTORY OF MINNESOTA. PMID- 17751211 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17751212 TI - THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF INSECTS AS A CLASS. PMID- 17751213 TI - ANTI-FRICTION ALLOYS. PMID- 17751214 TI - ANNUAL MEETING OF THIE AMERICAN PSYCIIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17751215 TI - REPLY TO CRITICS. PMID- 17751216 TI - ARTIFICIAL DREAMS. PMID- 17751217 TI - TROWBRIDGE'S THEORY OF THE EARTH'S MAGNETISM. PMID- 17751218 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17751219 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17751220 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17751222 TI - Arthur Berridale Keith, Student of Mankind. PMID- 17751221 TI - Publicity: The Scientists' Responsibility. PMID- 17751223 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17751224 TI - Osmotic Pressure. PMID- 17751225 TI - Eradication of Screw-Worms through Release of Sterilized Males. PMID- 17751227 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17751229 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17751228 TI - Scientific Meetings. AB - The 10th International Congress of Entomology will take place in Montreal, 17-25 Aug. 1956. The preliminary announcement that appeared in the 29 July issue failed to mention the year; Science regrets the omission. PMID- 17751230 TI - MOLECULES. PMID- 17751231 TI - CAN WE ABANDON THE VITAMIN ALPHABET? PMID- 17751232 TI - LEGUMINAL AND AGROSTAL. PMID- 17751233 TI - THE USE OF YEAST OR OTHER FUNGI FOR VITAMIN B1 TESTS. PMID- 17751234 TI - REID ON CELTIS. PMID- 17751235 TI - FIRST RECORD OF THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER IN MINNESOTA. PMID- 17751237 TI - ALGAE AND GROWTH-SUBSTANCES. PMID- 17751236 TI - PURIFICATION OF TRAUMATIN, A PLANT WOUND HORMONE. PMID- 17751238 TI - VITAMIN B1 CRAVING IN RATS. PMID- 17751239 TI - TEMPERATURE AND THE GROWTH OF HAIR. PMID- 17751240 TI - A METHOD OF MEASURING THE VOLUME OF AMPHIBIAN EMBRYOS. PMID- 17751241 TI - THE CULTIVATION OF VIRUSES ON THE CHORIOALLANTOIC MEMBRANES OF CHICK EMBRYOS. PMID- 17751242 TI - THE GERMAN SYSTEM OF NORMAL SCHOOLS. PMID- 17751243 TI - THE CONTENTS OF CHILDREN'S MINDS. PMID- 17751244 TI - Conspiracy of Silence. PMID- 17751245 TI - A Wind-Register for Direction and Velocity. PMID- 17751246 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17751247 TI - American Microscopes. PMID- 17751248 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17751249 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17751250 TI - Sound-Blindness. PMID- 17751251 TI - The Biological Actions and Therapeutic Applications of the B-Chloroethyl Amines and Sulfides. PMID- 17751252 TI - Science and Our Future. PMID- 17751253 TI - George Dunlap McLaughlin 1887-1945. PMID- 17751254 TI - Some Physical and Biologic Properties of Subtilin and Other Antibiotics. AB - Subtilin, a new antibiotic obtained from B. subtilis, proved active in vitro against L. plantarum, E. histolytica and its associated bacterium ;t', and T. equiperdum without causing immediate hemolysis of erythrocytes. Subtilin is tensioactive, and amounts required for antibiotic effect are within the range of surface tension activity. It was relatively nontoxic for four species of mammals, especially after intragastric administration. Gramicidin is more hemolytic and more toxic than subtilin. PMID- 17751255 TI - A Relation Between Size of the Divalent Cation and Solubility of Triple Acetate Salt of Sodium. PMID- 17751256 TI - The Mechanism of the Therapeutic Effect of Iodine on the Thyroid Gland. PMID- 17751258 TI - The Ambiguity of International Antitoxic Units. PMID- 17751257 TI - Brain Involvement as a Possible Cause of Relapse After Treatment in Spirochetal Relapsing Fever. PMID- 17751260 TI - International News. PMID- 17751259 TI - U. S. News and Notes. PMID- 17751261 TI - A Note on the Silencing of Air-stirring Motors. PMID- 17751263 TI - On the New Kilgore-Magnuson Bill--S. 1850. PMID- 17751262 TI - A Vibrating Muller for the Preparation of Dispersions of Fine Pigments for Electron Microscopy. PMID- 17751264 TI - Safeguarding Science in the NSF. PMID- 17751265 TI - The Amino Acid Composition of Proteins and Foods. PMID- 17751266 TI - Amino Acids in Food Materials. PMID- 17751267 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17751268 TI - Congressional fellowships for science. PMID- 17751269 TI - Quiet Soviet Subs Prompt Concern: The latest nuclear attack submarines are stretching the limits of passive sonar detection technology; expert panel urges major shakeup of U.S. antisubmarine warfare programs. PMID- 17751270 TI - Mexican research center closed. PMID- 17751271 TI - Big Changes Urged for Precollege Math: New standards would expand content and emphasize concepts and applications over rote learning. Down with true-false tests. PMID- 17751272 TI - Fate of r&d tax credit uncertain. PMID- 17751273 TI - Election turmoil at soviet academy. PMID- 17751274 TI - France to raise faculty enticements. PMID- 17751275 TI - Waste plan bestirs scots nationalist. PMID- 17751276 TI - Fusion Breakthrough?: Scientists working at the University of Utah claim to have found a fusion method that proceeds at room temperature and which could open the way to easily produce fusion power, but so far no one has offered a scientific explanation of what is going on. PMID- 17751277 TI - Judging Paternity in the Hedge Sparrow's World: An individual animal's behavior is expected to be shaped by the Darwinian constraint of reproductive success; DNA fingerprinting helps measure how good a fit is achieved. PMID- 17751278 TI - Polar solvent dynamics and electron-transfer reactions. AB - Polar solvents often exert a dramatic influence on reactions in solution. Equilibrium aspects of this influence involve differential solvation of reactants compared to the transition state that lead to alteration of the free-energy barrier to reaction. Such effects are well known, and often give rise changes in reaction rates of many orders of magnitude. Less well understood are effects arising from non-equilibrium, dynamical aspects of solvation. During the course of reaction, charge is rapidly redistributed among reactants. How the reaction couples to its solvent environment depends critically on how fast the solvent can respond to these changes in reactant charge distribution. In this article the dynamics of solvation in polar liquids and the influence of this dynamics on electron-transfer reactions are discussed. A molecular picture suggests that polar solvation occurs on multiple time scales as a result of the involvement of different types of solvent motion. A hierarchy of models from a homogeneous continuum model to one incorporating molecular aspects of solvation, combined with computer simulations, gives insight into the underlying dynamics. Experimental measures of solvation dynamics from picosecond and subpicosecond time-dependent Stokes shift studies are compared with the predictions of theoretical models. The implication of these results for electron-transfer reactions in solution are then briefly considered. PMID- 17751279 TI - Hexagonal Domain-Like Charge Density Wave Phase of TaS2 Determined by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. AB - The structure of the room-temperature charge density wave (CDW) phase in octahedrally coordinated tantalum disulfide, 1T-TaS2, has been a controversial issue for over 15 years. Large-scale scanning tunneling microscope images of the intralayer structure of this phase exhibit a domain-like pattern defined by a variation in the maximum CDW amplitude. The circular domains, consisting of high amplitude CDWs, are arranged in a regular hexagonal lattice (period 73+/-3 angstroms) that is rotated relative to the CDWs. In addition, from the analysis of atomic resolution images it was determined that there is a well-defined phase shift between the CDWs in adjacent domains, and that within a domain the CDW superlattice is commensurate with the atomic lattice. These results provide evidence for the hexagonal discommensurate CDW phase in 1T-TaS2 and also suggest an explanation for the long-standing controversy concerning the structure of this phase. PMID- 17751280 TI - Thirty thousand years of human colonization in tasmania: new pleistocene dates. AB - Basal dates of 30,420 years before present (BP) from a limestone cave in the Florentine River valley and 30,840 BP from a sandstone rockshelter in the Shannon River valley on the edge of the central Tasmanian highlands indicate colonization of Tasmania 8,000 years earlier than previously thought. These data indicate that people arrived before the Bassian Bridge was exposed about 23,000 years ago and support evidence that Tasmania and Australia may have been connected intermittently during the past 50,000 years. The dates support earlier suggestions that the Tasmanian inland was an important focus for systematic occupation and exploitation by human groups and dispel a belief that the Aboriginal economy 30,000 years ago was based on littoral, lacustral, and riverine resources. The absence of megafauna at both sites points to their extinction by 30,000 years ago in Tasmania. The people inhabiting Tasmania at this time, together with those at Monte Verde in Chile, were the most southerly humans on Earth. PMID- 17751281 TI - Upper jurassic dinosaur egg from utah. AB - The Upper Jurassic egg described here is the first known egg from the 100-million year gap in the fossil record between Lower Jurassic (South Africa) and upper Lower Cretaceous (Utah). The discovery of the egg, which was found mixed in with thousands of dinosaur bones rather than in a nest, the pathological multilayering of the eggshell as found in modern and fossil reptilians, and the pliable condition of the eggshell at the time of burial indicate an oviducal retention of the egg at the time of burial. PMID- 17751282 TI - Restriction fragment length polymorphisms associated with water use efficiency in tomato. AB - Improvement of crop water use efficiency (WUE) has not been successful because evaluation for this component of drought resistance is unreliable in field-grown plants. The composition of stable isotopes of plant carbon (delta(13)C) was earlier shown to be an excellent indicator of WUE in tomato and other species. It is now reported that delta(13)C can be satisfactorily predicted from three restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), which are genetic markers for discrete DNA sequences within the genome. An additive type of gene action was observed for all three RFLP markers, and for one of them there also was a significant nonadditive component. Combining the delta(13)C and RFLP technologies may aid in identifying genes associated with WUE and in studying mechanisms contributing to WUE. These technologies will also be useful for crop improvement. PMID- 17751283 TI - Response: Factor XIIIa--Expressing Dermal Dendrocytes in AIDS-Associated Cutaneous Kaposi's Sarcomas. PMID- 17751284 TI - Long-term care: sharing of the burden: caring for the disabled elderly. PMID- 17751285 TI - AIDS and communal values: private acts, social consequences. PMID- 17751286 TI - Clinical advances in practice: the diffusion of medical innovation. PMID- 17751287 TI - SIGMA XI AND THE FUTURE. PMID- 17751288 TI - ZOOLOGICAL AIMS AND OPPORTUNITIES. PMID- 17751289 TI - LIMICOLOUS OLIGOCHAeTA FOR LABORATORY USE. PMID- 17751291 TI - THE CUMBERLAND FALLS METEORITE. PMID- 17751292 TI - NOTES ON METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17751290 TI - THE THIRD EDITION OF THE BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY OF THE AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17751294 TI - THE KENTUCKY ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17751293 TI - A CHART OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, AROMATIC SERIES. PMID- 17751295 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17751297 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY (III.). PMID- 17751296 TI - AN INHERENT ERROR IN THE VIEWS OF GALTON AND WEISMANN ON VARIATION. PMID- 17751298 TI - TCHEBYCHEV. PMID- 17751300 TI - On paradigms. PMID- 17751299 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17751301 TI - Relations with South Africa. PMID- 17751303 TI - Indicators of drug effectiveness. PMID- 17751302 TI - Reform at the national academy of sciences. PMID- 17751304 TI - The importance of being ernest rutherford. PMID- 17751305 TI - Women in academia. AB - Although our study was conducted in only one physical science discipline, and although most of the individual tests did not yield statistically significant differences, the data consistently yielded a trend in the direction of the existence of discrimination against women in academia. This leads us to the tentative conclusion that when two equally qualified applicants are being considered for an academic position, a male would be chosen over a female. However, a woman with clearly superior qualifications, in competition with an average man, is likely to be recognized. The bias seems to hold especially for higher-quality schools, in departments with younger and newer chairmen, and for chairmen from schools located in the eastern and western parts of the country. The underutilization of potentially qualified women in science represents lost opportunities to society and to science in terms of the overall goal of advancing science. To the extent that the bias reflects strongly held cultural norms, change will come slowly. However, structural changes within the institutions that employ and train women scientists may be achieved sooner through the active intervention of outside agencies, for example, the enforcement by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare of the Equal Opportunities Act in colleges and universities (19). In addition, such federal grant-awarding agencies as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health could be given a mandate to make a special effort to identify and award grants and other forms of recognition to deserving women scientist. PMID- 17751306 TI - Vermont: A Small State Faces Up to a Dilemma over Development. PMID- 17751307 TI - High energy physics: in-group talks funds, possible closeouts. PMID- 17751308 TI - PCB's: Leaks of Toxic Substances Raises Issue of Effects, Regulation. PMID- 17751309 TI - EPA moves on refuse act. PMID- 17751310 TI - DDT Administered to Neonatal Rats Induces Persistent Estrus Syndrome. AB - In the report "DDT administered to neonatal rats induces persistent estrus syndrome" by W. L. Heinrichs et al. (13 Aug., p. 642), line 4 in the last paragraph of column 1, page 643, should read " secretion of luteinizing hormone(LH)." PMID- 17751311 TI - Portraiture and excavations. AB - In a footnote to the review of M. M. Gerasimov's The Face Finder [173, 712 (1971)], the misspelling of Julius Koliman's name is erroneously attributed to a bibliography (1962) by W. M. Krogman. The error occurs in a different authority's work. Kollmann established methods (1898) for building on a skull a face recognizably correct. PMID- 17751312 TI - Racemization of amino acids in marine sediments. AB - Isoleucine, one of several amino acids isolated from a suite of welldated deep sea cores, shows a progressive increase in the degree of racemization with the age of the sediment. Amino acids in sediments show an initial rate of racemization almost an order of magnitude faster than the rate observed for free amino acids at a comparable pH and temperature. The observed kinetics depend on a variety of diagenetic processes, but it appears that the ratio of alloisoleucine to isoleucine is a reliable indicator of age for samples less than 400,000 years old; for older samples the results are more ambiguous. Isoleucine is racemic in samples older than about 15 x 10(6) years. PMID- 17751313 TI - Computer derivation of some dolphin echolocation signals. AB - Recent advances in radar theory have given rise to a straightforward method of sonar signal design. The method involves computer maximization of a signal-to interference ratio. The procedure has been used to derive sonar signals that can accurately measure target velocity. When two dolphins were placed in a situation conducive to the utilization of such signals, their waveforms were similar to those that had been theoretically derived. PMID- 17751314 TI - Fate of air pollutants: removal of ethylene, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide by soil. AB - The ultimate sink for many air pollutants is unknown. Data are presented here in support of the idea that reaction with soil, through microbial or chemical means, can remove ethylene, other hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide from the air. PMID- 17751315 TI - Eight-membered cyclosilicate rings in muirite. AB - The determination of the crystal structure of muirite, Ba(10)(Ca,Mn,Ti)(4)Si(8)O(24)(Cl,OH,O)(12) . 4H(2)O, revealed the presence of discrete cyclic silicate anions, (Si(8)O(24))(16-), formed by the condensation of eight silicate tetrahedra. This first reported occurrence of eight-membered rings is of particular interest, because rings with eight tetrahedra are reported to be energetically less stable than rings with six tetrahedra, which have been found in many minerals. PMID- 17751316 TI - Early silurian spore tetrads from new york: earliest new world evidence for vascular plants? AB - Several taxa of abundant cutinized trilete spores from earliest Silurian shale in New York predate by almost an entire period vascular land plant megafossils. Paleoecological evidence suggests that these spores may represent vascular land or semiaquatic plants but a bryophytic origin cannot be precluded on the basis of spore characters. An algal origin is considered unlikely. PMID- 17751317 TI - Plasmalemma: The Seat of Dual Mechanisms of Ion Absorption in Chlorella pyrenoidosa. AB - Dual mechanisms of absorption of rubidium were demonstrated in a nonvacuolate unicellular alga, Chlorella pyrenoidosa, in both the light and the dark. The two mechanisms were sensitive to metabolic inhibitors. At high concentrations rubidium enhanced the respiration of Chlorella cells. The findings support the conclusion that the mechanisms of rubidium absorption in both the low and high concentration ranges are active processes and reside in the plasmalemma. PMID- 17751318 TI - Orbitolina, a cretaceous larger foraminifer, from flemish cap: paleoceanographic implications. AB - The Tethyan larger foraminiferal genus Orbitolina has been found in the easternmost part of the western North Atlantic continental shelf at 46 degrees 30'N. All other known occurrences of the genus in North America are south of 33 degrees N. The species is Orbitolina conoidea Gras; its abundance in a grainsupported limestone indicates a tropical neritic environment and precludes the influence of Arctic waters in the Flemish Cap region in Early or Middle Cretaceous times. PMID- 17751319 TI - Eye marks in vertebrates: AIDS to vision. AB - Lines leading forward from the eye may function as aiming sights in many small vertebrates. The chief evidence is the correlation of distribution and positions of eye-lines in various vertebrate groups with predatory feeding habits. Dark patches around the eye may serve to reduce glare in species in bright environments. Facial patterns often have multiple functions. PMID- 17751320 TI - Chesapeake bay: a second look. PMID- 17751321 TI - When information becomes knowledge. PMID- 17751322 TI - U. Of california at santa cruz: new deal for undergraduates? PMID- 17751323 TI - Visitors ask m.I.T. Faculty to renounce military research. PMID- 17751324 TI - U.k. Science press: new scientist absorbs sibling science journal. PMID- 17751326 TI - U.C. Faculty Asks New AEC Contract. PMID- 17751327 TI - "Polywater": Evidence from Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) of a Complex Salt Mixture. AB - The ESCA spectra of "polywater" show that this anomalous, high-density, viscous, nonvolatile material contains high concentrations of sodium, potassium, sulfate, chloride, nitrate, borates, silicates, and carbon-oxygen compounds with trace amounts of other impurities but very little water. On the basis of this evidence, in conjunction with reported spectroscopic and analytical experiments, it is very unlikely that a polymerized form of water has been discovered. PMID- 17751328 TI - Paleolimnology of late quaternary deposits: seibold site, north dakota. AB - A unique late Quaternary lacustrine deposit has been discovered recently on the Missouri Coteau of North Dakota. A diverse, extremely well-preserved biota of more than 160 species has been recovered primarily from an organic mud deposited about 9500 years before the present. The lacustrine body shallowed gradually as the climate became drier. PMID- 17751329 TI - Kinetics of single-layer graphite oxidation: evaluation by electron microscopy. AB - Etch-decoration reveals that the rate of removal of carbon atoms exposed at monolayer steps on graphite surfaces is very different from the rate of removal, under identical conditions, at multilayer steps. At 1113 degrees K and a pressure of 1.33 newtons per square meter of oxygen, the rate of oxidation (along the layer planes) is less by a factor of nearly 100 than that at multilayer steps. PMID- 17751330 TI - Euglossine bees as long-distance pollinators of tropical plants. AB - Euglossine bees may return to a nest from as far away as 23 kilometers in a tropical rain forest. These bees apparently forage long distances and visit the same plants repeatedly along a feeding route. They probably promote outcrossing among tropical plants with low population density; therefore, they may permit the existence of plant species whose densities have been forced very low by such things as competition and predators on seeds and seedlings. PMID- 17751331 TI - Experimental design and data news service. PMID- 17751332 TI - EXPEDITION TO SERILAND. PMID- 17751333 TI - NOTE ON THE PERMANENCE OF THE RUTHERFURD PHOTOGRAPHIC MEASURES. PMID- 17751335 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17751334 TI - ANNUAL RECEPTION AND EXHIBITION OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17751336 TI - GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. PMID- 17751337 TI - CERTITUDES AND ILLUSIONS. PMID- 17751338 TI - PRINCIPLES OF MARINE ZOOGEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17751340 TI - NECESSARY AND SUFFICIENT TESTS OF TRUTH. PMID- 17751339 TI - RONTGEN RAY EXPERIMENTS. PMID- 17751341 TI - THE INVERTED IMAGE ON THE RETINA. PMID- 17751343 TI - THE PREROGATIVES OF A STATE GEOLOGIST. PMID- 17751342 TI - THE TEMPERATURE OF THE EARTH'S CRUST. PMID- 17751344 TI - Cholinesterase Activity. PMID- 17751345 TI - Cholinesterase Activity. PMID- 17751346 TI - Big Borother Again. PMID- 17751347 TI - C. F. Roos, Econometrician and Mathematician. PMID- 17751348 TI - News of Science: Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine. PMID- 17751350 TI - Ephemeral Natural Satellites of the Earth. AB - A discussion is presented of transient or short-lived natural satellites of the earth, which result from meteorites that only graze our atmosphere. Preliminary calculations show that only about 0.2 percent of the total number of the porous, stony meteorites which strike the earth will result in natural satellites. It is noted that such satellites also would be difficult to detect observationally. PMID- 17751349 TI - A Relationship between Photoperiod and Cold-Storage Treatment in the Spruce Budworm. AB - Exposure of diapausing second-instar larvae of Choristoneura fumiferana to continuous light at 21 degrees C, after only 6 weeks' storage at 0 degrees C, induces emergence of larvae that will not emerge in photoperiods of 15 or 18 hours. Following the normal storage period (20 weeks) there is no such effect. Complete dark or 12-hour photoperiods inhibit emergence after storage periods of all lengths. PMID- 17751352 TI - Equipment. PMID- 17751354 TI - Culturology. PMID- 17751353 TI - Names for Binary Numbers. PMID- 17751355 TI - The Association's Program. PMID- 17751356 TI - A New Development in the Measurement of High Relative Humidities. PMID- 17751357 TI - Should a "Law of Recency" Be Added to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature? PMID- 17751358 TI - Discriminatory Practices. PMID- 17751359 TI - Nuttall Memorial Celebration. PMID- 17751360 TI - MOLDERS OF A BETTER DESTINY. PMID- 17751361 TI - TECHNOCHEMICAL LECTURES, 1942-1943, OF THE MELLON INSTITUTE. PMID- 17751362 TI - STANDARDS DIVISION OF THE OFFICE OF PRICE ADMINISTRATION. PMID- 17751363 TI - STUDENTS IN THE ARMY ENLISTED RESERVE. PMID- 17751364 TI - OFFICERS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. PMID- 17751366 TI - VERTICAL ORIENTATION OF POWDERY MILDEW CONIDIA DURING FALL. PMID- 17751365 TI - APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS AT FIELD MUSEUM, CHICAGO. PMID- 17751367 TI - THE REQUIREMENTS OF PARASITES FOR MORE THAN HOSTS. PMID- 17751368 TI - THE COMPLETE UTILIZATION OF SCIENTIFICALLY TRAINED PERSONNEL. PMID- 17751369 TI - BIOTIN DEFICIENCY AND OTHER CHANGES IN RATS GIVEN SULFANILYLGUANIDINE OR SUCCINYL SULFATHIAZOLE IN PURIFIED DIETS. AB - The following pathological changes have been observed in rats given sulfaguanidine or sulfasuxidine in purified diets. 1. A granulocytopenia, leukopenia, hypocellularity of bone marrow and, occasionally, an anemia. 2. Hyalinization, necrosis and calcification of voluntary muscle. 3. Hyaline sclerosis and calcification of blood vessels. 4. A dermatitis which can be prevented or successfully treated with crystalline biotin. We have also observed necrosis of heart muscle, hemorrhage into various organs and subcutaneous tissues, and liver damage. PMID- 17751370 TI - UNIFORMITIES IN THE CONTENT OF B VITAMINS IN MALIGNANT NEOPLASMS. PMID- 17751371 TI - ATYPICAL RESPONSE OF THE RABBIT TO DESOXYCORTICOSTERONE ACETATE. PMID- 17751372 TI - THE DETERMINATION OF BLOOD VOLUME WITH RED BLOOD CELLS CONTAINING RADIOACTIVE PHOSPHORUS (P32). PMID- 17751374 TI - CONVENTION OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTS. PMID- 17751373 TI - FREEZING MYRIAPODS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING. PMID- 17751375 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17751376 TI - EVIDENCES OF THE ANTIQUITY OF MAN IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. PMID- 17751377 TI - 'Recent Developments in Great-Circle Sailing.'. PMID- 17751379 TI - Sanitation in India. PMID- 17751378 TI - SCIENTIFIC NEWS IN WASHINGTON. PMID- 17751380 TI - Systematics in Zoology. PMID- 17751382 TI - Clotting Time and Reaction Velocity in the Interaction of Bovine Fibrinogen and Thrombin. PMID- 17751381 TI - Radiocarbon Dates. PMID- 17751383 TI - Radiocarbon Age Measurements and Fossil Man in Mexico. PMID- 17751385 TI - Lipase from Molds Grown on Oil Seeds. PMID- 17751384 TI - In Vivo Transformation of D,1-3-Hydroxykynurenine in Xanthurenic Acid. PMID- 17751387 TI - Decomposition of Streptomycin. PMID- 17751386 TI - Depilatory Action of the Intermediary Polymers of Chloroprene. PMID- 17751388 TI - Fern Prothallia under Cultivation for Twelve Years. PMID- 17751389 TI - The Bible and the Earth's Shape. PMID- 17751390 TI - Chemical Research in Israel. PMID- 17751391 TI - Individualistic or Statistical Approach? PMID- 17751392 TI - UNIVERSITY REGISTRATION STATISTICS. PMID- 17751393 TI - EVOLUTION AS IT APPEARS TO THE PALEONTOLOGIST. AB - The following facts are those which are put forth through paleontological observation, for verification by others: 1. That many origins of new characters are through some internal action in heredity. 2. That many important adaptive characters arise determinately, definitely, but by extremely slow stages. 3. That degrees of similarity in such origins correspond with degrees of kinship. 4. That degrees of kinship also affect to a certain extent, but not absolutely the time of appearance, or the time of the origin, or the rate of evolution. 5. That such origins find expression not sponta. neously, or irrespective of conditions, or from purely internal mechanical causes, but through some entirely unknown and at present inconceivable relation to ontogeny (habit and use), to environment (external conditions), and to selection. 6. That if such origins do spring from internal hereditary principles, as they appear to do in many eases, slow origins (mutations of de Vries) may be simply due to the same law operating with a different velocity. PMID- 17751394 TI - VARIATION OF ENVIRONMENT. PMID- 17751395 TI - TWO FLEA REMEDIES TO BE TESTED. PMID- 17751396 TI - JOHN WESLEY AND EVOLUTION. PMID- 17751397 TI - CONCERNING THE NAME "HAVASUPAI". PMID- 17751398 TI - THE NEHALEM WAX. PMID- 17751399 TI - THE PROLIFICNESS OF THE ENGLISH SPARROW. PMID- 17751400 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17751401 TI - A CASE OF TRIPLET CALVES WITH PECULIAR COLOR INHERITANCE. PMID- 17751402 TI - CONFERENCE OF STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS IN THE MIDDLE WEST. PMID- 17751403 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY AND SECTION C. PMID- 17751404 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17751405 TI - New ringnmaster-sanie circus? PMID- 17751406 TI - Chance, or human judgment? PMID- 17751408 TI - The borax lake site revisited. PMID- 17751407 TI - The case for a hierarchical cosmology. PMID- 17751409 TI - European notes. PMID- 17751410 TI - Nixon's White House Staff: Heyday of the Planners? PMID- 17751411 TI - Authorization for security checks. PMID- 17751413 TI - Gravitational waves: the evidence mounts. PMID- 17751414 TI - Composition of interstitial waters of marine sediments: temperature of squeezing effect. AB - Warmeling of samples of marine sediments to room temperatures prior to the extraction of interstitial water accounts for the apparent enrichments of potassium ion (13.3 percent) and chloride ion (1.4 percent) and depletions of magnesium ion (2.5 percent) and calcium ion (4.9 percent). These differences are the result of changes in ion-exchange selectivity as a function of temperature. PMID- 17751415 TI - Early canid burial from the Western ozark highland. AB - A dog skeleton unearthed at Rodgers Shelter, Benton County, Missouri, came from a zone dating at approximately 5500 B.C. The animal, buried in a shallow pit beneath a tumulus of limestone rocks, is one of the earliest instances of canid interment to be recorded for North America. PMID- 17751416 TI - Far-infrared observations of the night sky: different data. PMID- 17751417 TI - BLUE GLOW IN AN ELECTRIC LIGHT BULB. PMID- 17751418 TI - FISH OF THE WATERS OF YELLOWSTONE PARK. PMID- 17751419 TI - RAINFALL IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17751420 TI - THE DIET IN ANEMIA. PMID- 17751421 TI - TEST ONLY POULTRY FOR TUBERCULOSIS. PMID- 17751422 TI - YELLOW FEVER. PMID- 17751424 TI - BONDS OF UNION BETWEEN TROPICAL MEDICINE AND GENERAL MEDICINE. PMID- 17751423 TI - EXCAVATIONS IN MEXICO CITY. PMID- 17751425 TI - NOMINA CONSERVANDA. PMID- 17751427 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17751426 TI - THE VARIABLE ECHOES PRODUCED BY THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL. PMID- 17751428 TI - THE LUNELL HERBARIUM. PMID- 17751429 TI - PROFESSORSHIPS IN MEDICAL SCHOOLS. PMID- 17751430 TI - A NOTE ON THE HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17751431 TI - THE USE OF THE GENERIC NAME WILSONIA. PMID- 17751432 TI - INDEX KEWENSIS. PMID- 17751433 TI - MUSCLE, YEAST AND CANCER CELLS. PMID- 17751434 TI - GRAPHIC TREATMENT OF EULER'S EQUATIONS. PMID- 17751435 TI - THE SEAT OF FORMATION OF AMINO ACIDS IN PYRUS MALUS L. PMID- 17751437 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17751436 TI - Suggestions for Contributors. PMID- 17751438 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17751440 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17751441 TI - THE RELATION OF THE ENDOCRINE GLANDS TO HEREDITY AND DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17751442 TI - AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENT GRADES AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. PMID- 17751443 TI - CHARLES BASKERVILLE. PMID- 17751444 TI - THE NEW CATASTROPHISM AND ITS DEFENDER. PMID- 17751445 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17751446 TI - THE Y-CHROMOSOME TYPE OF SEXLINKED INHERITANCE IN MAN. PMID- 17751447 TI - KEYS IN SYSTEMATIC WORK. PMID- 17751448 TI - THE SPIRAL TREND OF INTESTINAL MUSCLE FIBERS. PMID- 17751449 TI - SALARIES OF PROFESSORS IN POLAND. PMID- 17751450 TI - THE VOCABULARY OF METABOLISM. PMID- 17751452 TI - STEM END ROT OF APPLES. PMID- 17751451 TI - NEARCTIC PROTURANS. PMID- 17751453 TI - AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17751455 TI - INSECTS IN POPULAR DREAD IN NEW MEXICO. PMID- 17751454 TI - SCIENTIFIC WORK IN CANADA, AT THE ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA, MAY 30 TO JUNE 2. PMID- 17751456 TI - NOTES ON STAR PHOTOGRAPHY. PMID- 17751458 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY.--VIII. PMID- 17751457 TI - GLACIAL PHENOMENA IN NORTH-EASTERN NEW YORK. PMID- 17751459 TI - THE PEAR-TREE PSYLLA. PMID- 17751460 TI - THE PROPER MOTIONS OF THE STARS. PMID- 17751461 TI - THE TECHNICAL EDUCATION OF THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER. PMID- 17751462 TI - How to Protect Inventions in Foreign Countries. PMID- 17751463 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17751464 TI - Transportation fuels. PMID- 17751465 TI - Meta-analysis and bias. PMID- 17751467 TI - British technology group income. PMID- 17751466 TI - Samothrace. PMID- 17751468 TI - Erratum. AB - In the report "Single-crystal (40)Ar/(39)Ar dating of the Eocene-Oligocene transition in North America" (17 Aug., p. 760), the affiliation of first author Carl C. Swisher III should have been given as the Institute of Human Origins Geochronology Center, 2453 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709. PMID- 17751469 TI - In reply: meta-analysis and bias. PMID- 17751470 TI - The Shuttle: Whistling Past the Graveyard?: NASA's main transport vehicle may be entering an early dotage, making it necessary to develop alternative ideas. PMID- 17751471 TI - Energy Science Takes a Heavy Budget Hit: A cost-conscious Congress has made deep cuts in the U.S. fusion energy program, leaving an uncertain future. PMID- 17751472 TI - Grim times for British science. PMID- 17751473 TI - Fermi award. PMID- 17751475 TI - Snaking across the martian sands. PMID- 17751474 TI - Is MCAT Next? PMID- 17751476 TI - Physics Nobel Honors the Discovery of Quarks: The achievement, by a SLAC-MIT team, was a classic case of serendipity: a "routine" experiment that went one extra step... PMID- 17751477 TI - Three "practical" economists share nobel. PMID- 17751478 TI - Chemistry "Grand Master" Garners a Nobel Prize: E. J. Corey developed a logical methods for synthesizing molecules by working backward from the desired product. PMID- 17751479 TI - Earthquake--or Earthquack? PMID- 17751480 TI - AAAS--Newcomb Cleveland Prize. PMID- 17751481 TI - The flight from the arts and sciences: trends in degrees conferred. AB - After rising steadily between 1954 and 1968, the percentage of all bachelor's degrees awarded in the arts and sciences declined dramatically. These swings cannot be explained by demographic variables; however, they have been affected by changes in the academic profiles of educational institutions that were in turn related to trends in enrollment. Even more important have been the changing choices of fields of study made by men and women (particularly in the case of the humanities), in part as a consequence of widening opportunities for women. The flight from the arts and sciences now appears to be over, and in the future gender-related variables can be expected to have less impact on the distribution of degrees conferred. PMID- 17751482 TI - Scattering and Recoiling Spectrometry: An Ion's Eye View of Surface Structure. AB - Recent developments in ion-scattering spectrometry have led to a surface crystallography that is sensitive to all elements, including hydrogen. Time-of flight techniques for the detection of atoms scattered and recoiled from surfaces in simple collision sequences, together with calculations of shadowing and blocking cones, can be used to make direct measurements of interatomic spacings and adsorption sites within an accuracy of /=5 kilometers per second and to produce a total mass of solid ejecta consistent with the observed mass flux of SNC meteorites. Estimates of crater production rates on Mars are then used to evaluate the probability that sufficiently large craters have formed during the available time. The results indicate that the SNC meteorites were probably ejected from a very large crater (> 100 kilometers in diameter) about 200 million years ago, and that cosmic-ray exposure of the recovered meteorites was initiated after collisional fragmentation of the original ejecta in space at much later times (0.5 to 10 million years ago). PMID- 17751564 TI - Disulfate ion as an intermediate to sulfuric Acid in Acid rain formation. AB - The oxidation of the bisulfite ion by dissolved oxygen to produce sulfate ion involves the formation of a previously undetected intermediate. This intermediate has a fairly strong Raman band at 1090 wave numbers and a weak Raman band at 740 wave numbers, both of which are probably due to sulfur-oxygen stretches. The intermediate is proposed to be the disulfate ion S(2)O(7)(2-), which hydrolyzes into H(+) and either SO(4)(2-) or HSO(4)(2-) with a half-life of about 52 seconds at 25 degrees C. PMID- 17751565 TI - Age and diet of fossil california condors in grand canyon, Arizona. AB - A dozen new radiocarbon dates, together with a thorough review of its fossil distribution, shed new light on the time and probable cause of extinction of the California condor, Gymnogyps californianus, in Grand Canyon, Arizona. The radiocarbon data indicate that this species became extinct in Grand Canyon, and other parts of the inland West, more than 10,000 years ago in coincidence with the extinction of megafauna (proboscidians, edentates, perissodactyls). That condors relied on the megafauna for food is suggested by the recovery of food bones from a late Pleistocene nest cave in Grand Canyon. These fossil data have relevance to proposed release and recovery programs of the present endangered population of California condors. PMID- 17751566 TI - The molecular approach to evolution: molecular evolutionary genetics. PMID- 17751567 TI - Astronomical spectroscopy: the analysis of starlight. PMID- 17751568 TI - Instrument Makers: Horace Darwin's Shop. PMID- 17751569 TI - Some other books of interest: the new alliance. PMID- 17751570 TI - Some other books of interest: high-technology ceramics--past, present, and future. PMID- 17751572 TI - ADDRESS TO THE MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SECTION. PMID- 17751571 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17751573 TI - THE WORK OF TIIE INTERRNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR TESTING MATERIALS. PMID- 17751575 TI - THE FAMILY NAME OF THE DORMICE. PMID- 17751574 TI - THE DEVONIAN SYSTEAL IN CANADA I. PMID- 17751576 TI - NATURALISM AND AGNOSTICISM. PMID- 17751577 TI - THE ORIGIN OF MEASUREMENTS. PMID- 17751578 TI - METHODS FOR A CARD INDEX. PMID- 17751579 TI - THE FAUNA OF PORTO RICO. PMID- 17751580 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17751581 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17751582 TI - THE ONE HUNDRED AND TENTH MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND AFFILIATED AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17751583 TI - THE ASSOCIATION PRIZE AWARD. PMID- 17751584 TI - ARTHUR H. COMPTON, PRESIDENT-ELECT. PMID- 17751585 TI - REGISTRATION. PMID- 17751586 TI - THE ACADEMY CONFERENCE. PMID- 17751588 TI - RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION. PMID- 17751587 TI - THE PRESS. PMID- 17751589 TI - GENERAL SESSIONS. PMID- 17751590 TI - THE SECRETARIES CONFERENCE. PMID- 17751591 TI - STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS. PMID- 17751592 TI - SECTION ON PHYSICS (B) AND AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17751593 TI - SECTION ON MATHEMATICS (A) AND AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17751594 TI - SECTION ON ASTRONOMY (D). PMID- 17751595 TI - SECTION ON CHEMISTRY (C). PMID- 17751597 TI - SECTION ON GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY (E). PMID- 17751596 TI - SECTION ON ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCES (F) AND AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17751598 TI - SECTION ON BOTANICAL SCIENCES (G) AND AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17751599 TI - SOCIETIES RELATED TO BOTH THE SECTION ON ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCES (F) AND THE SECTION ON BOTANICAL SCIENCES (G). PMID- 17751600 TI - SECTION ON ANTHROPOLOGY (H). PMID- 17751601 TI - SECTION ON SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES (K) AND AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17751602 TI - SECTION ON PSYCHOLOGY (I). PMID- 17751603 TI - SECTION ON MEDICAL SCIENCES (N). PMID- 17751604 TI - SECTION ON ENGINEERING (M). PMID- 17751605 TI - SECTION ON AGRICULTURE (O) AND AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17751606 TI - SUBSECTION ON PHARMACY (Np). PMID- 17751607 TI - SUBSECTION ON DENTISTRY (Nd). PMID- 17751608 TI - THE SOCIETY OF SIGMA XI. PMID- 17751609 TI - SECTION ON EDUCATION (Q). PMID- 17751611 TI - REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GRANTS. PMID- 17751610 TI - MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. PMID- 17751612 TI - FINANCIAL REPORTS. PMID- 17751613 TI - SCIENCE EXHIBITION. PMID- 17751614 TI - SOME PROBLEMS OF AN EDUCATED MINORITY. PMID- 17751616 TI - IMMUNITY TO FUSARIUM WILT IN THE TOMATO. PMID- 17751615 TI - PLANKTON AS A FOOD SOURCE FOR MAN. PMID- 17751617 TI - ZOOLOGY FOR PRE-MEDICAL STUDENTS. PMID- 17751618 TI - MAHOLI GALAGOS BREED IN CAPTIVITY. PMID- 17751619 TI - THE ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17751620 TI - KILLING THE TERM, PREDATEE. PMID- 17751622 TI - THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17751621 TI - SOCIETIES AND MEETINGS. PMID- 17751623 TI - THE RELATION OF "COENZYME R" TO BIOTIN. PMID- 17751625 TI - PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE ROUS CHICKEN TUMOR AGENT. PMID- 17751624 TI - SAND CULTURE OF COTTON PLANTS. PMID- 17751626 TI - ON THE NATURE OF THE AGENT CAUSING LEUCOSIS IN FOWLS. PMID- 17751627 TI - THE SIMPLEST TRANSPARENT ULTRACENTRIFUGE. PMID- 17751629 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17751628 TI - FUNNEL-HEATING DEVICE. PMID- 17751631 TI - PHYSICS TEACHING IN THE SOUTH. PMID- 17751630 TI - TRANSMUTATIONS OF ATOMIC NUCLEI. PMID- 17751632 TI - MAHOMET AND THE MOUNTAIN. PMID- 17751634 TI - PROPOSED CHEMICAL MECHANISMS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SKIN ERYTHEMA AND PIGMENTATION BY RADIANT ENERGY. PMID- 17751633 TI - A MICROBIOLOGICAL TEST FOR CARCINOGENIC HYDROCARBONS. PMID- 17751635 TI - AGAIN FLYING FISHES. PMID- 17751636 TI - DROUGHT AND THE FUNGOUS FLORA OF COLORADO. PMID- 17751637 TI - THE NEW ORLEANS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17751638 TI - THE NEBRASKA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17751639 TI - A RESPONSE OF ALFALFA TO BORAX. PMID- 17751640 TI - A LATENT VIRUS OF LILY. PMID- 17751641 TI - ENZYMIC SYNTHESIS OF CO-CARBOXYLASE. PMID- 17751642 TI - GENERAL FEATURES. PMID- 17751643 TI - GENERAL SESSIONS. PMID- 17751644 TI - GEORGE DAVID BIRKHOFF--PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17751645 TI - THE ASSOCIATION PRIZE AWARD. PMID- 17751646 TI - IMPORTANT COUNCIL ACTIONS. PMID- 17751647 TI - FINANCIAL REPORTS. PMID- 17751648 TI - THE ANNUAL SCIENCE EXHIBITION. PMID- 17751650 TI - MEMBERSHIP REPORT. PMID- 17751649 TI - THE TWO CONFERENCES. PMID- 17751652 TI - RADIO PROGRAMS AT THE MEETING. PMID- 17751651 TI - SECTION ON MATHEMATICS (A). PMID- 17751654 TI - SECTION ON PHYSICS (B). PMID- 17751653 TI - PRESS SERVICE. PMID- 17751655 TI - SECTION ON CHEMISTRY (C). PMID- 17751656 TI - SECTION ON GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY (E). PMID- 17751657 TI - SECTION ON ASTRONOMY (D). PMID- 17751659 TI - SECTION ON BOTANICAL SCIENCES (G). PMID- 17751658 TI - SECTION ON ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCES (F). PMID- 17751660 TI - PROGRAMS RELATED TO BOTH ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL SCIENCES (F AND G). PMID- 17751661 TI - SECTION ON ANTHROPOLOGY (H). PMID- 17751662 TI - SECTION ON PSYCHOLOGY (I). PMID- 17751664 TI - SECTION ON HISTORICAL AND PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES (L). PMID- 17751663 TI - SECTION ON SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES (K). PMID- 17751665 TI - SECTION ON ENGINEERING (M). PMID- 17751666 TI - SECTION ON MEDICAL SCIENCES (N). PMID- 17751668 TI - SECTION ON EDUCATION (Q). PMID- 17751667 TI - SECTION ON AGRICULTURE (O). PMID- 17751669 TI - ORGANIZATIONS RELATED TO THE ASSOCIATION AS A WHOLE. PMID- 17751670 TI - REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GRANTS. PMID- 17751671 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17751673 TI - Real and imaginary Americanisms. PMID- 17751672 TI - The cholera bacillus. PMID- 17751674 TI - The reddish-brown ring around the sun. PMID- 17751675 TI - EBENEZER EMMONS. PMID- 17751676 TI - Life. PMID- 17751677 TI - THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. PMID- 17751679 TI - SOME PECULIARITIES IN THE AGE STATISTICS OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17751678 TI - PREVENTING COLLISIONS WITH ICEBERGS IN A FOG. PMID- 17751681 TI - HERAT'S IMPORTANCE. PMID- 17751680 TI - CHOLERA INOCULATION. PMID- 17751682 TI - COPE'S TERTIARY VERTEBRATA. PMID- 17751684 TI - THE MICROSCOPE IN BOTANY. PMID- 17751683 TI - PHILLIPS'S ORE-DEPOSITS. PMID- 17751685 TI - SOME STATE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT-STATIONS. PMID- 17751686 TI - UFO's Merit Scientific Study. PMID- 17751687 TI - When are statistics appropriate? PMID- 17751688 TI - HUAC Methods and Motives. PMID- 17751689 TI - IEG's: Some Evaluations. PMID- 17751690 TI - Cruelty in the laboratory. PMID- 17751692 TI - Calendar distortions in 1642. PMID- 17751691 TI - Ancient china. PMID- 17751694 TI - Nobel chairs are privileged. PMID- 17751693 TI - Humility and constitutional rights. PMID- 17751695 TI - International meetings. PMID- 17751696 TI - Paleomagnetic study of antarctic deep-sea cores. AB - The magnetic inclinations and inten sities of about 650 samples from seven deepsea cores taken in the Antarctic were measured on a spinner magnetometer. This series of measurements provided a magnetic stratigraphy, based on zones of normally or reversally polar ized specimens for each core, which was then correlated with the magnetic stra tigraphy of Cox et al. (1). One core (V16-134) gave a continuous record of the paleomagnetic field back to about 3.5 million years. When selected samples were subject ed to alternatingfield demagnetization, most were found to have an unstable component that was removed by fields of 150 oersteds; all samples from two cores were partially demagnetized in a field of 150 oersteds. The average inclination in these two cores was then in good agreement with the average inclination of the ambient field for the latitude of the core site. It was also found that the intensities of the samples decreased at the points of reversal; this finding is to be expected if, as has been postulated by the dynamo theory, the intensity of the dipole field decreases to zero and builds again with opposite polarity. We believe that the magnetiza tion of the cores results from the pres ence of detrital magnetite, although other magnetic minerals also may be present. Four faunal zones (, X, , and ) have been recognized in these Antarctic cores on the basis of upward sequential disappearance of Radiolaria. The faunal boundaries and reversals consistently have the same relations to one another, indicating that they are both timedependent phenomena. Using previously determined times of reversal, one may date the following events in the cores: 1) Radiolarian faunal boundaries:-X, 2 million years; X-, 0.7 million years; -, 0.4 to 0.5 million years. These dates are in good agreement with ages previously extrapolated from radio metric dates. 2) Initiation of Antarctic diatom ooze deposition, approximately 2.0 mil-lion years ago. 3) First occurrence of ice- rafted detritus, approximately 2.5 million years ago. One can also calculate rates of sedi mentation, which vary in the cores studied from 1.1 to about 8.0 millimeters per 1000 years. Sedimentation rates for the Indian Ocean cores are higher than for the Bellingshausen Sea cores. The near coincidence of faunal changes and reversals in the cores suggests but does not prove a causal relation. We conclude from this study that paleomagnetic stratigraphy is a unique method for correlating and dating deep sea cores, and that future work with such cores may provide a complete or nearly complete record of the history of the earth's magnetic field beyond 4 million years. PMID- 17751697 TI - What are mathematicians doing? AB - Let me emphasize the point I have been trying to make. The mathematician's playing with the roots of equations, a play which had no practical motivations and almost no possibilities of practical application, led to the recognition of the importance of symmetry and groups. The study of theory of groups led to mathematical discoveries in geometry and differential equations, and finally to prediction of the existence of a new elementary particle. Surely a surprising outcome for the ivory-tower speculations of an impractical mathematician! Despite my professional bias, I must acknowledge that the importance of symmetry was recognized before mathematicians invented the theory of groups. In 1794 William Blake wrote: Tiger, Tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? However, to the mathematicians must be given the credit of recognizing that, to understand symmetry, you must study the theory of groups. I can now answer my original question, What are mathematicians doing? They are trying to make precise the intuitions of poets. PMID- 17751698 TI - 1966 nobel laureates in medicine or physiology. AB - Two eminent scientists, Peyton Rous and Charles Huggins, were named last week to share the 1966 Nobel prize in medicine or physiology for their work on cancer. Rous is Member Emeritus of Rockefeller University; Huggins is director of the Ben May Laboratory for Cancer Research at the University of Chicago. The following are descriptions and appreciations of their work by W. Ray Bryan and by Paul Talalay and Guy Williams-Ashman. PMID- 17751699 TI - British medicine: (I) doctors carry on but show new militancy. PMID- 17751701 TI - Smale Aftermath:ICSU and Academy Urge Ban on Politics at Meetings. PMID- 17751702 TI - Meteorites: optical activity in organic matter. AB - A low- amplitude, positive, Cotton effect, centered at about 340 millimicrons, has been observed in organic extracts of samples from ordinary (noncarbonaceous) chondrites. Ancillary evidence renders it likely that this optical activity derived from contamination by biologic materials on Earth. PMID- 17751704 TI - Shock-lithification of unconsolidated rock materials. AB - Loose quartz grains packed around chemical explosives are forced during cratering explosions into compacted, coherent masses resembling sand stone blocks found at certain meteorite craters. Sandstone-like lumps found at the Wabar (Arabia) meteorite craters are similar to these shock-lithified sands. Shock-lithification by impact may be effected on Moon as large meteorites strike surfaces covered with rubble from earlier collisions. PMID- 17751703 TI - Electron paramagnetic resonance of methyl radicals on porous glass surface. AB - The photolysis of methyl iodide on a porous glass surface has been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance. A large number of methyl radicals can be stabilized over a wide range of temperature. The surface of porous Vycor glass is an excellent host for trapping free radicals. PMID- 17751705 TI - Meander in valley crossing a deep-ocean fan. AB - Seaward of most submarine canyons there are large sediment fans comparable to the fans at the base of mountain ranges. Many of the submarine fans are cut by valleys called fan-valleys which usually connect with the mouths of submarine canyons. Loop-like bends or meanders characterize the channels of rivers in their lower flood plains, but have never been found in the shallow channels that cross the alluvial fans at the base of mountain canyons. Therefore, it was surprising to find that the channel in a very deep submarine fan-valley off Monterey Bay, California, has a tight meander. PMID- 17751706 TI - Generation of light from free electrons. AB - Experiments with the interaction of a rectangular cross- section beam of electrons which is brought into contact with a metallic diffraction grat e ng produce light variable in wavelength throughout the visible spectrum. Con tinuous variation of the beam thickness shows that light is produced by electrons hundreds of wavelengths from the grating, if the side of the beam near the grating is in contact with it. The results can be accounted for by periodic accelerations of the electrons passing over the surface of the grating. These accelerations are caused by electrostatic forces which in turn are due to the average spacecharge of sheets of elec trons reflected from the grating surface, so that in their space- charge structure the periodicity of the grating rulings is preserved. PMID- 17751707 TI - Pressure- induced dehydration reactions and transitions in inorganic hydrates. AB - Application of high pres sure at 250 degrees C irreversibly dehydrated five inorganic compounds containing molecular water to lower hydrates or to anhydrous forms. Compression at 250 degrees C also lead to ten new reversible phase transformations in another group of nine hydrates. Maximum pressure applied was 22.6 kilobars. PMID- 17751708 TI - Ribosomes from pear fruit. AB - Ribosomes, subunits and polysomes, have been isolated from cells of ripening (senescent) fruit. Sedimentation in sucrose gradients, sedimentation constants, and electron micrographs confirm the physical resemblance of fruit ribosomes to those from other living tissues. PMID- 17751709 TI - Navigation of single homing pigeons: airplane observations by radio tracking. AB - Navigation of homing pigeons was investigated by tracking their homeward flights from a light airplane. Released on successive days from a single training point 35 miles (56 kilometers) from home, individual pigeons, each carrying a transmitter, were repeatedly tracked back to theirloft. No two tracks covered the same ground for even short distances, yet all tracks were within 10 miles of a straight line. Results from further releases north and south of the training point suggest that pigeons often use three methods in sequence to find home: compass orientation, bi-coordinate navigation, and orientation by familiar landmarks. PMID- 17751710 TI - Age of the ocean floor. PMID- 17751711 TI - National Academy of Sciences: Abstracts of papers presented at the autumn meeting, Durham, North Carolina, 17-19 October 1966. PMID- 17751712 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17751713 TI - Calorimetry. PMID- 17751715 TI - NATIONAL STANDARDIZING BUREAU. PMID- 17751716 TI - A NEW ENZYME OF GENERAL OCCURRENCE IN ORGANISMIS. PMID- 17751714 TI - THE MEDICAL SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE. PMID- 17751717 TI - THE RECENT ANNUAL RECEPTION AND EXHIBITION OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17751718 TI - THE OFFICIAL SPELLING OF PORTO RICO. PMID- 17751719 TI - HEMIANOPSIA IN MIGRAINE. PMID- 17751721 TI - THE TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF OHIO. PMID- 17751720 TI - LINGUISTIC FAMILIES IN MEXICO. PMID- 17751722 TI - THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES IN THE LIGHT. PMID- 17751723 TI - EXPERIMENT STATION EXHIBIT AT THE PARIS EXPOSITION. PMID- 17751724 TI - THE ARCHAeOLOGICAL REPORT OF ONTARIO. PMID- 17751725 TI - SOME PROBLEMS FOR AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTS. PMID- 17751727 TI - DISCONTINUOUS VARIATION AND PEDIGREE CULTURE. PMID- 17751726 TI - THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN COLLEGE. PMID- 17751728 TI - VULCANISM. PMID- 17751730 TI - THE INTERIOR OF THE EARTH. PMID- 17751729 TI - THE RIGIDITY OF THE EARTH. PMID- 17751731 TI - THE PRESERVATION OF SURFACE CONDENSER TUBES IN PLANTS USING SALT OR CONTAMINATED WATER CIRCULATION. PMID- 17751732 TI - THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS. PMID- 17751733 TI - CLIMATE AND ALTITUDE IN AFRICA. PMID- 17751735 TI - SIR WILLIAM PERKIN AND THE AMERICAN JUBILEE OF THE COAL TAR INDUSTRY. PMID- 17751734 TI - A NEW FLORA OF COLORADO. PMID- 17751736 TI - CENTRAL BUILDING OF IOWA STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND MECHANIC ARTS. PMID- 17751737 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17751738 TI - A GENERATION'S PROGRESS IN THE STUDY OF EVOLUTION. PMID- 17751739 TI - NUCLEAR-PHYSICS SYMPOSIUM A CORRECTION. PMID- 17751740 TI - TRAVERTINE DEPOSITS NEAR LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA. PMID- 17751741 TI - LIFE HISTORY OF THE GOLD-BANDED SKIPPER (RHABDOIDES CELLUS). PMID- 17751742 TI - HOW SOME BIRDS SATISFY THIRST. PMID- 17751744 TI - A CLOCK DEVICE FOR TEACHING SOIL TEXTURE. PMID- 17751743 TI - AN EASILY CONSTRUCTED ELECTROMICROCAUTER FOR USE IN CELLULAR BIOLOGY. PMID- 17751745 TI - THE EFFECT OF THALLIUM ON PLANT GROWTH. PMID- 17751746 TI - COUPLING OF RESPIRATION AND SYNTHESIS OF PHOSPHATE ESTERS IN HEMOLYZED BLOOD. PMID- 17751747 TI - ON THE DURATION OF SOME IMBIBITION PROCESSES. PMID- 17751748 TI - PHYSIOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS. PMID- 17751750 TI - GEOLOGICAL ATLAS OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17751749 TI - DISCUSSION OF PROF. GAGE'S PAPER ON PHYSIOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS. PMID- 17751751 TI - WORK OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY FOR FISCAL YEAR, 1896-97. PMID- 17751752 TI - THE NEW YORK STATE VETERINARY COLLEGE. PMID- 17751753 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17751754 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17751756 TI - THE TEACHING OF ANATOMY. PMID- 17751755 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17751758 TI - THE FORM OF THE HEAD AS INFLUENCED BY GROWTH. PMID- 17751757 TI - LORD KELVIN. PMID- 17751759 TI - BIOLOGY, ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY. PMID- 17751760 TI - ROCHEFORT ON THE CARIBBEANS. PMID- 17751761 TI - THE NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO. PMID- 17751762 TI - AN UNCOMMON AFTER-IMAGE. PMID- 17751764 TI - THE FIRST SPECIES RULE. PMID- 17751763 TI - ZOOLOGY AT THE NEW YORK MEETING. PMID- 17751765 TI - THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL EXHIBITS IN THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17751766 TI - MAGAZINE SCIENCE. PMID- 17751767 TI - THE ETHER FREEZING MICROTOME, IN BOTANICAL TECHNIQUE. PMID- 17751768 TI - THE YALE PARALLAXES. PMID- 17751769 TI - THE PLATTSBURG MEETING OF THE SECTION OF GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17751770 TI - THE LEICESTER MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17751771 TI - THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17751772 TI - SECOND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS. PMID- 17751773 TI - THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION AND A DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17751774 TI - Retirementitis. PMID- 17751775 TI - I, We, One, and Presently. PMID- 17751776 TI - Science Fairs. PMID- 17751777 TI - Statistics Section of AAAS. PMID- 17751778 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17751779 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17751780 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17751781 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17751783 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17751782 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17751784 TI - Jets, Meteors, Missiles, or Rockets? PMID- 17751786 TI - Biochemistry and Soil Science. PMID- 17751785 TI - In Memory of . . PMID- 17751787 TI - Phosphohistidine. PMID- 17751789 TI - United Nations: Space Committee Sees Test Ban, U. S.-Soviet Accord As New Footing for Negotiation. PMID- 17751788 TI - Investigation: House Unanimously Approves Comprehensive Inquiry into Federal Support of Research. PMID- 17751791 TI - Krypton Difluoride: Preparation and Handling. AB - Krypton difluoride was prepared by irradiation of krypton and fluorine in an electron beam (1.5 Mev) at -150 degrees C. The compound is a white crystalline solid, stable only at temperatures below about -30 degrees C. PMID- 17751790 TI - Radar Observations of Mars. PMID- 17751792 TI - Electric Fields across Water-Nitrobenzene Interfaces. AB - Surface-active ions in waternitrobenzene systems accumulate at the interface in electric fields. Two separate mechanisms can be distinguished. One is similar to the classical electrocapillary adsorption and the other is operative when there is appreciable transference across the interface. The magnitude of the interfacial barrier to transport determines which mechanism operates. PMID- 17751793 TI - Cavity Formation in Thin Films of Viscous Liquids. AB - High-speed photography was utilized to observe the dynamic growth behavior of a cavity in a viscous liquid. From these observations it has been shown that a relatively elementary analytical approach will reproduce the general cavity growth characteristics. PMID- 17751794 TI - Magnetite: Preferred Orientation on the Basal Plane of Partially Reduced Hematite. AB - Crystallites of two different orientations have been observed in the polycrystalline magnetite layer formed by carbon monoxide reduction on the basal plane of a hematite single crystal. The relative reducibility of hematite and magnetite ores may be related to this double orientation. PMID- 17751796 TI - Boron-Oxygen Polyanion in the Crystal Structure of Tunellite. AB - The crystal structure of tunellite, SrO.3B(2)O(3).4H(2)O, with infinite sheets of composition n[B(6)O(9)(OH)(2)](2-), has cations and water molecules in the spaces within the sheets. Adjacent sheets are held together by hydrogen bonding through the water molecules. The boron-oxygen polyanions provide the first example in hydrated borate crystals of one oxygen linked to three borons. PMID- 17751795 TI - Low-Latitude Noctilucent Cloud of 15 June 1963. AB - A bright noctilucent cloud was observed and photographed north-west of Tucson on 15 June 1963. Results of computations indicate that the cloud was at a height of 71 kilometers. The cloud appears to have resulted from the launching of a Scout space vehicle. PMID- 17751797 TI - Apatite: Origin of Blue Color. AB - The optical absorption and emission spectra of natural blue apatite are similar enough to spectra of synthetic compounds containing MnO(4)(-3) to conclude that the blue color of natural apatite results from the presence of this ion. PMID- 17751798 TI - Photochemical Production of the Solvated Electron in Ethanol. AB - Flash photolysis of several inorganic anions in ethanol gives an absorption spectrum attributed to the solvated electron. PMID- 17751799 TI - Development of Complete Homozygotes of Tobacco. AB - True homnozygotes of Nicotiana tabacum L., herein referred to as Ky Iso lines, are being developed from haploids. A technique is described whereby seedlings resulting from fertilization are eliminated, leaving only suspect haploids. After confirmation, haploids are treated to double the chromosomes and these result in completely homozygous plants. One complete homnozygote, Ky Iso 1 Ky 16, has been developed and shows extreme uniformity in all characters studied. The Ky Iso lines will be useful in genetic stuidies that require no plant-to-plant genotypic variability. The Ky Iso lines will be made available upon request as they are developed. PMID- 17751800 TI - cis-3-Chloroacrylic Acid: A New Cotton Defoliant and Crop Desiccant. AB - cis-3-Chloroacrylic acid is a potent cotton defoliant and a crop desiccant. Relationships between structure and activity indicate a relatively high degree of specificity, since minor modifications in structure result in loss of activity. PMID- 17751801 TI - Signal Duration as a Factor in Vigilance Tasks. AB - Short signals in a vigilance test generated an inferior initial performance, as compared with longer signals, and resulted in a steeper decrement in performance. A short (1-minute) and a long (2-hour) vigilance task was undertaken by each subject. PMID- 17751802 TI - Social Anthropology: Models, Political Systems, Religion, and Urbanization. PMID- 17751803 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17751804 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17751805 TI - Resources of plant germplasm. PMID- 17751806 TI - Erratum. AB - In the abstract of the Report ;;Three-dimensional readout of flash x-ray images of living sperm in water by atomic-force microscopy'' by T. Tomie et al. (3 May, p. 691), the word ;;subpicosecond'' should have been ;;subnanosecond.'' PMID- 17751807 TI - Support for jenny harrison. PMID- 17751808 TI - The end of mandatory retirement for tenured faculty. PMID- 17751809 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17751811 TI - In search of a free launch. PMID- 17751810 TI - Small is beautiful for university space outfit. PMID- 17751812 TI - African research waning. PMID- 17751814 TI - The case of the missing milkweed. PMID- 17751813 TI - Searching for the perfect fit. PMID- 17751815 TI - Gene zapping. PMID- 17751816 TI - The education of silicon linguists. PMID- 17751817 TI - Speculating in precious computronium. PMID- 17751819 TI - Declining amphibian populations. PMID- 17751818 TI - Quantum Cryptography's Only Certainty: Secrecy. PMID- 17751820 TI - Laser manipulation of atoms and particles. AB - A variety of powerful techniques to control the position and velocity of neutral particles has been developed. As examples of this new ability, lasers have been used to construct a variety of traps, to cool atoms to temperatures below 3 x 10( 6) kelvin, and to create atomic fountains that may give us a hundredfold increase in the accuracy of atomic clocks. Bacteria can be held with laser traps while they are being viewed in an optical microscope, and organelles within a cell can be manipulated without puncturing the cell wall. Single molecules of DNA can now be stretched out and pinned down in a water solution with optical traps. These new capabilities may soon be applied to a wide variety of scientific questions as diverse as precision measurements of fundamental symmetries in physics and the study of biochemistry on a single molecule basis. PMID- 17751821 TI - Ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources: global development and environmental concerns. AB - Conservation of plant genetic resources is achieved by protection of populations in nature (in situ) or by preservation of samples in gene banks (ex situ). The latter are essential for users of germplasm who need ready access. Ex situ conservation also acts as a back-up for certain segments of diversity that might otherwise be lost in nature and in human-dominated ecosystems. The two methods are complementary, yet better understanding of this interrelation and the role of ex situ conservation in global environmental considerations is needed. Inclusion of ex situ conservation efforts within current environmental policies conserving global diversity would focus greater international attention on the safeguarding of these efforts. PMID- 17751822 TI - Impact-induced cleaving and melting of alkali-halide nanocrystals. AB - Impact of nanocrystalline alkali-halide clusters against solid surfaces causes them to fission exclusively into low surface-energy fragments. In time-of-flight scattering experiments, this process appears at an impact energy so low that it must result from a single-step cleavage of the nanocrystal along low surface energy cleavage planes. At higher energies (more than 1 electron volt per atom), a crossover occurs to an entirely different behavior-evaporative cascades that proceed irrespective of the structureenergetic properties of the fragments. These cascades, and the approximately linear scaling of the crossover energy with cluster size, are characteristic of impact-induced transformation of the cluster to a molten state. Collision with the high-rigidity surface of silicon gives a substantially greater cleavage probability than the soft basal-plane surface of graphite. PMID- 17751823 TI - 13C NMR Spectroscopy of KxC60: Phase Separation, Molecular Dynamics, and Metallic Properties. AB - The results of (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements on alkali fullerides KxC(60) are reported. The NMR spectra demonstrate that material with 0 < x < 3 is in fact a two-phase system at equilibrium, with x = 0 and x = 3. NMR lineshapes indicate that C(3-)(60) ions rotate rapidly in the K(3)C(60) phase at 300 K, while C(6)-(60) ions in the insulating K(6)C(60) phase are static on the time scale of the lineshape measurement. The temperature dependence of the (13)C spin-lattice relaxation rate in the normal state of K(3)C(60) is found to be characteristic of a metal, indicating the important role of the C(3-)(60) ions in the conductivity. From the relaxation measurements, an estimate of the density of electronic states at the Fermi level is derived. PMID- 17751824 TI - (RbxK1-x)3C60 Superconductors: Formation of a Continuous Series of Solid Solutions. AB - By means of an approach that employs alkali-metal alloys, bulk single-phase (RbxK1-x)(3)C(6O) superconductors have been prepared for all x between 0 and 1. For x = 1 it is shown that the maximum superconducting fraction, which approaches 100% in sintered pellets, occurs at a Rb to C(60) ratio of 3:1. More importantly, single-phase superconductors are formed at all intermediate values of x, and it is shown that the transition temperature (T(c)) increases linearly with x in this series of materials. The formation of a continuous range of solid solutions demonstrates that the rubidium- and potassium-doped C(60) superconducting phases must be isostructural, and furthermore, suggests that the linear increase in T(c) with x results from a chemical pressure effect. PMID- 17751825 TI - Interpretation of snow-climate feedback as produced by 17 general circulation models. AB - Snow feedback is expected to amplify global warming caused by increasing concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases. The conventional explanation is that a warmer Earth will have less snow cover, resulting in a darker planet that absorbs more solar radiation. An intercomparison of 17 general circulation models, for which perturbations of sea surface temperature were used as a surrogate climate change, suggests that this explanation is overly simplistic. The results instead indicate that additional amplification or moderation may be caused both by cloud interactions and longwave radiation. One measure of this net effect of snow feedback was found to differ markedly among the 17 climate models, ranging from weak negative feedback in some models to strong positive feedback in others. PMID- 17751826 TI - Declining amphibian populations: the problem of separating human impacts from natural fluctuations. AB - Reports of declining amphibian populations in many parts of the world are numerous, but supporting long-term census data are generally unavailable. Census data from 1979 to 1990 for three salamander species and one frog species at a breeding pond in South Carolina showed fluctuations of substantial magnitude in both the size of breeding populations and in recruitment of juveniles. Breeding population sizes exhibited no overall trend in three species and increased in the fourth. Recent droughts account satisfactorily for an increase in recruitment failures. These data illustrate that to distinguish between natural population fluctuations and declines with anthropogenic causes may require long-term studies. PMID- 17751827 TI - A polypeptide from tomato leaves induces wound-inducible proteinase inhibitor proteins. AB - Defensive genes in plants can be activated by several different types of nonpeptide signaling molecules. An endogenous polypeptide, consisting of 18 amino acids, was isolated from tomato leaves and was able at very low concentrations to induce the synthesis of two wound-inducible proteinase inhibitor proteins when supplied to young tomato plants. The sequence of the polypeptide was determined, and an identical polypeptide was synthesized that possessed full inducing activity. These data establish that a polypeptide factor can initiate signal transduction to regulate the synthesis of defensive proteins in plant tissues. PMID- 17751829 TI - Scientific adventuresses. PMID- 17751828 TI - Critical velocity of stick-slip motion. PMID- 17751830 TI - Some other books of interest. PMID- 17751831 TI - Underrepresentations. PMID- 17751832 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17751833 TI - Frequency or Wavelength? PMID- 17751834 TI - Mass Extinctions of Mesozoic Biota. PMID- 17751835 TI - Extrasensory Induction of Brain Waves. PMID- 17751836 TI - Skeptic. PMID- 17751837 TI - Help Sought with History. PMID- 17751838 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17751839 TI - Evolution in Tennessee. PMID- 17751840 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17751841 TI - Chemistry: Opportunities and Needs. PMID- 17751842 TI - Hard-Sphere Fluid. PMID- 17751843 TI - The Ethical Basis of Science. PMID- 17751844 TI - Preserving Vegetation in Parks and Wilderness. PMID- 17751845 TI - Chemistry: A "Little Science" Would Like a Little More Money. PMID- 17751846 TI - NDEA Fellowships: Expansion Doubles and Redoubles Number. PMID- 17751847 TI - HEW: Running the Great Society. PMID- 17751848 TI - Interstate Compact: Educators and Governors To Join Forces. PMID- 17751850 TI - Paleozoic Reef in Pakistan. AB - A Silurian, and perhaps Devonian, limestone belt in northern West Pakistan contains the first Paleozoic reefs found on the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. The belt contains a rich fauna entirely new to Pakistan. Its presence indicates that this area was inundated in Silurian and Devonian times by seas bordered by reefs or containing reef platforms. PMID- 17751849 TI - Structures in Carbonate Rocks Made Visible by Luminescence Petrography. AB - Using a simple device which should bring the luminescence-petrography technique within the grasp of all interested petrographers, we have examined approximately 250 thin sections of carbonate rocks and minerals. Many new phenomena became apparent. PMID- 17751851 TI - Ultrasound Chemical Effects on Pure Organic Liquids. AB - Molecular fragmentation of organic liquids was produced by cavitation due to ultrasound waves, even in the absence of water. The sonolysis of acetonitrile under argon yielded N(2), CH(4), and H(2); but under oxygen the products were N(2), CO, CO(2), and H(2)O. Pure nonaqueous carbon tetrachloride also underwent sonolytic decomposition under either argon or oxygen, with the production of elemental chlorine. PMID- 17751852 TI - Strontium Isotopes: Global Circulation after the Chinese Nuclear Explosion of 14 May 1965. AB - Strontium-89 and strontium-90, released into the atmosphere by the Chinese nuclear device on 14 May 1965, circled the world in less than a month and caused a sharp peak in the Sr(89)/Sr(90) ratio in rain at Tokyo on 12 June. PMID- 17751853 TI - Adenovirus Multiplication: Genetic Relatedness of Tumorigenic Human Adenovirus Types 7, 12, and 18. AB - Hybridization measurements among the DNA's of six weakly tumorigenic strains of human adenovirus type 7 reveal that all six strains are very closely related (83- to 110-percent nucleotide sequence homology). The DNA homology between these six type 7 strains and nontumorigenic types 2 and 4 is 32 percent and 52 percent, respectively. The 10- to 20-percent homology between the type 7 DNA's and those of "potent" tumorigenic types 12 and 18 indicates a very low degree of genetic relatedness. These data indicate that, if the carcinogenic potential of adenovirus types 7, 12, and 18 lies in the possession of nucleotide sequences common to these three viruses, these regions represent a small portion of the total genome, approximately one to three viral cistrons. PMID- 17751854 TI - Rotational Symmetry in Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus and Models. AB - With small, animal viruses for which electron-microscope images show little penetration by negative stain, the rotation technique for structure determination is useful. Foot-and-mouth disease virus resembles a 32-unit model when rotational images of virus and models simulating virus in negative stain are compared. PMID- 17751855 TI - Hybridization of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase from Rat and Human Erythrocytes. AB - Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from rats and from humans was partially purified and was inactivated (dissociated) by removing triphosphopyridine nucleotide by repeated washing and dialysis, and then it was reactivated by addition of triphosphopyridine nucleotide and incubation at 25 degrees C. When enzyme from each species was mixed with enzyme from the other during or after inactivation, a new electrophoretic band located between the fast-moving rat dehydrogenase and the slow-moving type B human enzyme appeared. This band is interpreted as representing a hybrid composed of polypeptide chains from each enzyme. PMID- 17751856 TI - Defective RNA Synthesis in Lymphocytes from Patients with Primary Agammaglobulinemia. AB - Addition of tetanus toxoid to sensitized lymphocytes from normal subjects and patients with "secondary" acquired agammaglobulinemia resulted in an increased incorporation of tritiated uridine into RNA and this increase was sustained for 48 to 72 hours in vitro. In contrast, the quantity of H(3)-uridine incorporated into the RNA of lymphocytes from patients with "primary" acquired agammaglobulinemia decreased after 48 hours of exposure to specific antigen. Lymphocytes from patients with primary agammaglobulinemia were also distinguished by their subnormal and poorly sustained response to phytohemagglutinin and to rabbit antiserum to Iymphocytes. These data suggest that the defect in primary agammaglobulinemia involves, either as a primary phenomenon or as a secondary event, an abnormality of quantitative RNA synthesis or of RNA stability in the circulating lymphocyte. PMID- 17751857 TI - Mammalian Retina: Associational Nerve Cells in Ganglion Cell Layer. AB - A new type of cell has been found in the ganglion cell layer of the retinas of dogs and humans. Its axon and its terminal branches are intraretinal. From its structure it appears that this cell might play an associational role at the level of the ganglion cells. PMID- 17751858 TI - 132nd AAAS ANNUAL MEETING. PMID- 17751860 TI - Chemicals as Farming Tools. PMID- 17751859 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17751861 TI - Rats in Relationship to Man's Welfare. PMID- 17751862 TI - Origins of Scientists. PMID- 17751863 TI - La Cellule Nerveuse. PMID- 17751864 TI - Geode Note. PMID- 17751866 TI - THE ART OF MEDICINE. PMID- 17751865 TI - AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AS A CAREER. PMID- 17751868 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17751867 TI - PRESENTATION OF THE MARY CLARK THOMPSON MEDAL TO DR. EMMANUEL DE MARGERIE. PMID- 17751869 TI - THE ENDOWMENT OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PMID- 17751870 TI - A TEST FOR ECLIPSE PLATES. PMID- 17751871 TI - WHAT IS A PLANT? PMID- 17751872 TI - CHANGE OF FREQUENCY ON SCATTERING. PMID- 17751874 TI - THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOCIETY FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE. PMID- 17751873 TI - ON AN APPARENT EFFECT OF THE SUN'S ELECTRICAL CHARGE ON THE YEARLY VARIATION OF ATMOSPHERIC POTENTIAL GRADIENT. PMID- 17751875 TI - THE MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, ARTS AND LETTERS. PMID- 17751876 TI - THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17751877 TI - THE MUTUAL RELATIONS OF SCIENCE AND STOCK BREEDING. PMID- 17751878 TI - NOTE ON THE BURIED DRAINAGE SYSTEM OF THE UPPER OHIO. PMID- 17751879 TI - CORN CANE. PMID- 17751880 TI - SALT TIDE MARSHES OF SOUTH JERSEY. PMID- 17751881 TI - THE METEOROLOGICAL CONGRESS. PMID- 17751882 TI - METHODS OF PRESENTING GEOLOGY IN OUR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. PMID- 17751883 TI - WHY NOT THE COLLECTIONS OF SEEDS? PMID- 17751884 TI - AN INSTRUCTIVE ILLUSION. PMID- 17751885 TI - THE IKONOMATIC METHOD. PMID- 17751886 TI - SCIENCE IN THE SCHOOLS. PMID- 17751887 TI - NUMBER-FORMS. PMID- 17751888 TI - GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF PLANTS. PMID- 17751889 TI - A MOUSE DESTROYING ITS YOUNG. PMID- 17751890 TI - A CURIOUS EAR OF INDIAN CORN. PMID- 17751891 TI - General motors: fallacy of the corporate monster. PMID- 17751892 TI - Doom of coal research. PMID- 17751893 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17751894 TI - Socrates on dissent. PMID- 17751895 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17751896 TI - Knowledge and the humane society. PMID- 17751897 TI - International Cooperation in Space: A wide variety of joint projects contribute to science and have practical applications. AB - NASA has developed an extensive program of international cooperation, which opens the entire range of its space activities to foreign participation and benefit. The program has involved developing as well as advanced countries in activities that are fruitful scientifically, technically, economically, and (it may be hoped) politically. "Gaps" or limitations in the program are found in the areas of manned space flight and large booster development and in cooperation with the Soviet Union. In the first case, the low level of European budgeting is the prime explanation, perhaps reflecting Europe's late start in the space business and an early underestimate of its values and possibilities. In the second case, the explanation seems to rest with Soviet political views rather than with technical problems or any lack of interest by the United States. Openhanded efforts are currently under way to raise the level of foreign participation in the space programs of the next decade, but it is too early to estimate their chances of major success. Public commentary could undoubtedly assist these efforts more effectively if it were directed more clearly to the actual sources of restriction on foreign participation. Despite the restricting factors abroad, however, there is every reason to persevere with existing and improved programs for international cooperation. PMID- 17751898 TI - Notes on Science in Cuba: Ample moral and financial support may soon overcome the immaturity of Cuban science and technology. PMID- 17751899 TI - Transit of the planet mercury. PMID- 17751900 TI - SST: Commercial Race or Technology Experiment? PMID- 17751902 TI - Science Adviser's Critique of Mansfield Amendment Draws Sharp Rebuttal from Senate Majority Leader. PMID- 17751903 TI - DuBridge Reviews Major Science Policy Issues, Defends Administration Actions on Basic Research. PMID- 17751904 TI - Education Assessment: Results a Step toward Accountability. PMID- 17751905 TI - Pleistocene climates in the atlantic and pacific oceans: a reevaluated comparison based on deep-sea sediments. AB - Variations of the Globorotalia menardii complex in cores from the Indian Ocean can be interpreted as indicating climatic changes that are opposite to trends exhibited by the total planktonic fauna. The questionable value of correlations between different water masses based on a single species can be shown by Neogloboquadrina dutertrei subcretacea in cores obtained off the coast of California and Baja California. This information, in addition to previous correlations between Quaternary cores of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, indicates that the Pleistocene history of the two oceans was parallel. PMID- 17751906 TI - X-ray Survey of Centaurus A. AB - An x-ray survey of Centaurus A has given marginal evidence of its x-ray flux. If taken as an upper limit on inverse Compton x-rays generated by scattering interactions between relativistic electrons and cosmological background photons, the observation implies an upper limit of close to 3 degrees K for the background radiation temperature. PMID- 17751907 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17751908 TI - RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING. PMID- 17751909 TI - THE PROPOSED REORGANIZATION OF FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS. PMID- 17751910 TI - A MINNESOTA KITCHEN MIDDEN WITH FOSSIL BISON. PMID- 17751911 TI - A UNIQUE DOCUMENT. PMID- 17751912 TI - CATATONIA PRODUCED BY THE INTRODUCTION OF HEAVY WATER INTO THE CEREBROSPINAL FLUID. PMID- 17751913 TI - A FIRE-BALL. PMID- 17751914 TI - THE SPARING ACTION OF LACTOFLAVIN ON VITAMIN B1. PMID- 17751915 TI - ATROPHY OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX OF THE RAT PRODUCED BY THE ADMINISTRATION OF LARGE AMOUNTS OF CORTIN. PMID- 17751916 TI - PARTHENOCARPIC FRUITS INDUCED BY SPRAYING WITH GROWTH-PROMOTING CHEMICALS. PMID- 17751917 TI - THE PRESERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS BY MEANS OF TRANSPARENT PLASTICS. PMID- 17751918 TI - A PARAFFIN BLOCK TRIMMER. PMID- 17751919 TI - SIMON NEWCOMB: A TRIBUTE TO HIS PERSONALITY AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. PMID- 17751920 TI - THE SEATTLE MEETING OF THE PACIFIC DIVISION. II. PMID- 17751921 TI - UNDERTOW, RIP TIDE OR "RIP CURRENT". PMID- 17751922 TI - A HYPOTHESIS TO EXPLAIN BROWN ROOTROT OF HAVANA SEED TOBACCO. PMID- 17751923 TI - THE WEATHERING OF FLINT ARTIFACTS. PMID- 17751924 TI - NAMES OF AND SYMBOLS FOR THE ARTIFICIALLY RADIOACTIVE ELEMENTS. PMID- 17751925 TI - ELECTRIC IMPEDANCE AND PERMEABILITY OF LIVING CELLS. PMID- 17751926 TI - EXTRACTION OF VITAMIN B1 FROM ADSORBATES. PMID- 17751927 TI - AN ARTHROPOD VECTOR FOR EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS, WESTERN STRAIN. PMID- 17751928 TI - VITAMIN C IN AN ESTRIN PRODUCING OVARIAN TUMOR. PMID- 17751929 TI - A SIMPLE SPEED CONTROL FOR SMALL D. C. MOTORS. PMID- 17751930 TI - CONGRESO INTERNACIONAL DE AMERICANISTAS. PMID- 17751931 TI - THE UNITY OF NATURE: Duke of Argyll. PMID- 17751932 TI - DOLBEAR ON THE NATURE AND CONSTITUTION OF MATTER: A Critique. PMID- 17751933 TI - Intra-Mercurial Planets. PMID- 17751934 TI - MICROSCOPICAL NOTES. PMID- 17751935 TI - ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17751936 TI - THE SOLAR PARALLAX. PMID- 17751937 TI - SALUTATORY. PMID- 17751938 TI - DIATOMACEAe v. DESMIDIACEAe. PMID- 17751939 TI - ERRORS OF REFRACTION IN THE EYES OF MICROSCOPISTS. PMID- 17751940 TI - IMPROVED THERMO-ELECTRIC APPARATUS. PMID- 17751941 TI - THE NEBULA IN THE PLEIADES. PMID- 17751942 TI - ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17751943 TI - NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17751944 TI - GENERAL NOTES. PMID- 17751945 TI - WATER SUPPLY OF CITIES. PMID- 17751946 TI - UNIFORM TIME. PMID- 17751947 TI - VISUAL TELEGRAPHY. PMID- 17751948 TI - The coming of age of the origin of species. PMID- 17751949 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17751951 TI - The trabi: not a problem. PMID- 17751950 TI - Frontiers in biotechnology. PMID- 17751953 TI - Journal of biological chemistry and protein crystallization papers. PMID- 17751952 TI - Antinoise and energy expenditure. PMID- 17751954 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17751955 TI - Still a "chilly climate" for women? PMID- 17751956 TI - To Stop Kuwait's Fires, First Clear the Mines. PMID- 17751957 TI - Ad Hoc Team Revives SSC Competition. PMID- 17751959 TI - Researcher's Legal Battle Ends. PMID- 17751958 TI - Gene Mapping Japan's Number One Crop. PMID- 17751960 TI - Women's Health: A World Crisis. PMID- 17751962 TI - Back to the future. PMID- 17751961 TI - A tasty tufted tuber. PMID- 17751963 TI - When do you send blue roses? PMID- 17751964 TI - A nuclear cure for nuclear waste. PMID- 17751965 TI - The SIDS-Seal Connection. PMID- 17751967 TI - A core-mantle link? PMID- 17751966 TI - Scientific split over sampling strategy. PMID- 17751968 TI - A Well-Rounded Worm: The Education of C. elegans. PMID- 17751969 TI - A well-rounded worm: 220 kilobases and counting. PMID- 17751970 TI - Can Earth's Internal Heat Drive Ocean Circulation? PMID- 17751971 TI - A well-rounded worm: roundworm as canary? PMID- 17751972 TI - Impacts, tsunamis, and the haitian cretaceous-tertiary boundary layer. AB - The marker bed at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary of the Beloc Formation (southern Haiti) contains abundant coarse-grained microtektites and minor amounts of shocked quartz grains in the basal part. The upper part is composed of medium grained marl with amalgamated microtektite lenses and finer-grained marl lenses disseminated throughout. Field and petrographic observations, and the distribution of planktonic foraminifera suggest that the bed formed from a complex sequence of events. A bolide impact nearby produced microtektites that sett1led to form a nearly pure layer at the base. Vaporized materials with anomalously high extraterrestrial components settled last, along with carbonate sediments. The entire bed became sparsely consolidated. Subsequently, another major disruptive event, perhaps a giant tsunami, partly reworked the initial deposit. Cohesive fragments of the original marker bed mixed with exotic materials were redeposited as lenticular bodies. This process also may have caused further mixing of Cretaceous and Tertiary microfossils, as observed at Beloc and elsewhere. PMID- 17751974 TI - Physicomathematical aspirations. PMID- 17751973 TI - Identification of widespread pollution in the southern hemisphere deduced from satellite analyses. AB - Vertical profiles of ozone obtained from ozonesondes in Brazzaville, Congo (4 degrees S, 15 degrees E), and Ascension Island (8 degrees S, 15 degrees W) show that large quantities of tropospheric ozone are present over southern Africa and the adjacent eastern tropical South Atlantic Ocean. The origin of this pollution is widespread biomass burning in Africa. These measurements support satellite derived tropospheric ozone data that demonstrate that ozone originating from this region is transported throughout most of the Southern Hemisphere. Seasonally high levels of carbon monoxide and methane observed at middle- and high-latitude stations in Africa, Australia, and Antarctica likely reflect the effects of this distant biomass burning. These data suggest that even the most remote regions on this planet may be significantly more polluted than previously believed. PMID- 17751975 TI - Music producers. PMID- 17751976 TI - A southward endeavor. PMID- 17751977 TI - Combustion science. PMID- 17751979 TI - BUTTER AND OLEOMARGARINE. PMID- 17751978 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17751980 TI - SUCCESSFUL BRAIN GRAFTING. PMID- 17751981 TI - FOREST CULTURE IN HANOVER. PMID- 17751982 TI - Temperature in Storms, and High Areas. PMID- 17751983 TI - Dr. Sprung: Remarks on the General Wind-Systems of the Earth. PMID- 17751985 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17751984 TI - A Brilliant Meteor. PMID- 17751987 TI - The ecosystem and human behavior. PMID- 17751986 TI - Response:Radon hazard. PMID- 17751988 TI - Basic Science's Skies Brighten in Britain: Prime Minister Thatcher signals a higher priority for fundamental research after a period of tight funding. PMID- 17751989 TI - NAE Creates New Prize. PMID- 17751990 TI - Bush discusses science policy. PMID- 17751991 TI - The Elusive Replacements for CFCs: As CFCs are phased out to protect the ozone layer, chemical companies scramble to find substitutes for these vital compounds and to develop economical ways to make them in large quantities. PMID- 17751992 TI - The old and the new. PMID- 17751994 TI - Membrane Protein Holds Photosynthetic Secrets: This year's Nobel Prize for chemistry recognizes the direct and indirect benefits that flowed from the crystallization of the photosynthetic reaction center from a bacterial membrane. PMID- 17751993 TI - A Nobel Prize for the Two-Neutrino Experiment: The prize honors an experiment that pioneered a new research technique, and that was a key step toward unification. PMID- 17751995 TI - Arctic ocean ventilation studied with a suite of anthropogenic halocarbon tracers. AB - The chlorofluoromethanes (CFMs: CCl(2)F(2) and CCl(3)F), methyl chloroform (CH(3)CCl(3)), and carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) have been measured in deep waters of the Arctic Ocean. Oceanic and atmospheric inventories of these compounds result from known anthropogenic releases; because the CFMs and CCl(4) are also chemically nonreactive, they can be used as transient tracers of ocean circulation. The input history of CCl(4) is longer than that of any other transient tracer identified to date( approximately 70 years). This long input history, together with an e-folding time scale of increase(tau) of approximately 28 years, makes CCl(4) potentially the most useful tracer for calibrating models of the oceanic uptake of the fossil-fuel CO(2) transient(tau approximately 25 years). The bottom water of the Nansen Basin, Arctic Ocean, has detectable CCl(4) but undetectable CFM(s) and CH(3)CCl(3), which suggests either that the bottom water is approximately 50 years old, or that there is a small, nonanthropogenic component of atmospheric CCl(4)(<6 parts per trillion by volume). PMID- 17751996 TI - Thermodynamic efficiency of brittle frictional mountain building. AB - An active fold-and-thrust belt in unchanging tectonic and climatic conditions attains a dynamic steady-state in which the influx of accreted material at the toe is balanced by the erosive efflux off the top. The overall balance of energy in such a steady-state fold-and-thrust belt is described by the equation E = W(G) + Q, where E is the rate at which both mechanical and heat energy are added from external sources, W(G) is the rate of work performed against gravitational body forces, and Q is the rate at which waste heat flows out of the upper and lower boundaries. The total amount of power being supplied to the active Taiwan fold and-thrust belt by the subducting Eurasian plate and in situ radioactivity is 4.2 gigawatts. Because only 0.5 gigawatts are expended in doing useful work against gravity and the remaining 3.7 gigawatts are ejected as heat, the efficiency of brittle frictional mountain building in Taiwan is 11 percent. PMID- 17751997 TI - Reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls by anaerobic microorganisms from sediments. AB - Microorganisms from Hudson River sediments reductively dechlorinated most polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Aroclor 1242 under anaerobic conditions, thus demonstrating PCB dechlorination by anaerobic bacteria in the laboratory. The most rapid dechlorination was observed at the highest PCB concentration used; at 700 parts per million Aroclor, 53 percent of the total chlorine was removed in 16 weeks, and the proportion of mono- and dichlorobiphenyls increased from 9 to 88 percent. Dechlorination occurred primarily from the meta and para positions; congeners that were substituted only in the ortho position (or positions) accumulated. These dechlorination products are both less toxic and more readily degraded by aerobic bacteria. These results indicate that reductive dechlorination may be an important environmental fate of PCBs, and suggest that a sequential anaerobic-aerobic biological treatment system for PCBs may be feasible. PMID- 17751998 TI - The progress of ecology: seventy-five years in ecology. PMID- 17751999 TI - Uses of biology: racial hygiene. PMID- 17752000 TI - A "new" protein: ubiquitin. PMID- 17752001 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17752002 TI - SIR WILLIAM HERSCHEL. PMID- 17752003 TI - PAUL CASPAR FREER. AN APPRECIATION. PMID- 17752005 TI - MUSEUM BUILDINGS IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17752004 TI - THE MASTER'S DEGREE AT RUTGERS COLLEGE. PMID- 17752006 TI - REGENTS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. PMID- 17752007 TI - "GENES" NOT MADE IN GERMANY. PMID- 17752008 TI - THE PEI YANG UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17752009 TI - PROPOSITIONS FOR CHANGES IN THE INTERNATIONAL CODE OF ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17752010 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17752011 TI - THE HISTORY OF THE GERM CELLS IN THE PAeDOGENETIC LARVA OF MIASTOR. PMID- 17752013 TI - A Proper Accounting. PMID- 17752012 TI - AN AUTOCOLLIMATING MOUNTING FOR A CONCAVE GRATING. PMID- 17752014 TI - Recent Recession of Tropical Cliffy Coasts: Elevated benches and other coastal forms give evidence of eustatic changes in sea level. AB - My fieldwork in various parts of the world leads me to the conclusion that the retreat of cliffy coasts through abrasion and solutional erosion during Recent times has produced a whole complex of forms, including conspicuous benches well above sea level where bedrock conditions are favorable. In addition, flats of other origin are being developed at various levels. Broad exposures of beach rock are a marine phenomenon only in that such exposure is a result of beach recession and of the uncovering of materials that had been cemented, under freshwater conditions, along water tables, in some places 6 or more feet above sea level (24, 25). Contemporary coral and algal flats are forming in some instances several feet above the level of the highest tides. PMID- 17752016 TI - Space-Age Astronomy and Whale-Oil Lamps: A new window in the electromagnetic spectrum has been opened, but we should not close the older ones. PMID- 17752015 TI - Continuously Cultured Tissue Cells and Viral Vaccines: Potential advantages may be realized and potential hazards obviated by careful planning and monitoring. AB - 1) Continuously cultured tissue cells afford numerous potential advantages for the propagation of viruses to be used in vaccines. 2) Because continuously cultured tissue cells sooner or later become capable of growing into neoplasms when transplanted into a suitable host, every possible precaution should be taken to ensure that viral vaccines grown in cell cultures are free from living cells and cell particles larger than 0.5 to 1.0 micron. 3) The radical abnormalities that occur in cell lines derived from neoplasms and those that develop sooner or later in cell lines derived from normal tissue cannot be ignored. However, no evidence has been recorded (i) that untoward consequences follow administration of cell-free preparations from such cultures to humans or (ii) that oncogenic or other viral activity is associated with the ability of cells of these lines to grow into neoplasms when transplanted into a suitable host. It seems very unlikely, nevertheless, that acceptance could be won at present for the general use of a live-virus vaccine prepared from a virus grown in cells showing evidences of malignancy. This conclusion is based more on psychological and public relations considerations than on the available scientific information, which, however, needs considerable augmentation. In this connection, careful consideration should be given to the question whether the absence of the cited kinds of abnormalities from a continuously cultured cell system is a sufficient indicator of freedom from oncogenic potential. In the absence of unfavorable data, we judge that present knowledge does not preclude judicious extension of clinical trials, in volunteers, of appropriately filtered and otherwise controlled experimental live-virus vaccines grown in carefully selected continuously cultured cell systems. Only in this way can sufficient data be collected, and adequate criteria be developed, to define eventually the conditions for acceptability of such preparations for general administration to humans. 4) Every possible effort should be devoted to the development of non oncogenic and otherwise acceptable cell lines from normal tissues for use in viral vaccine production. It is suggested that exploratory studies begin with continuously cultured mixed-cell populations in the diploid state and stabilized cloned cultures. Criteria for the selection and monitoring of cell lines, and progressive steps leading to large-scale application are outlined. 5) If the need for immunization against a particular viral disease should be deemed sufficiently urgent, and if no practicable alternative were available, serious consideration might be given to a vaccine prepared by inactivating the virus, grown in such a selected stabilized cell line as HeLa or human skin epithelium. The conditions of preparation would have to be such as would inactivate the most resistant known viruses and infective nucleic acids with a generous margin of safety. 6) Principal areas needing intensified research emphasis are indicated. PMID- 17752017 TI - NASA: New Fellowship Program Will Make Space Agency Biggest in Graduate Aid. PMID- 17752018 TI - Birth Control: U.N. Eliminates Aid Provision but Records Concern over Population Problems. PMID- 17752019 TI - Congress: Lag in Science Advice Gives Executive an Advantage. PMID- 17752021 TI - Lichens in a Greenhouse. AB - The discovery of the first species of lichen capable of tolerating cultural conditions in greenhouses opens the possibility for conventional physiological experiments in this group of plants. PMID- 17752020 TI - Removal of Potassium Alters b-Dimension of Muscovite. AB - By treatment of muscovite with molten lithium nitrate at 300 degrees C we have been able to remove a large portion of the interlayer potassium and observe a decrease in the apparent b-axis length as a function of potassium content over the range of 8.8 to 0.7 percent potassium. The b-axis length of Silversheen mica (a 2M(1) muscovite) decreases from 9.024 to 8.988 A as the potassium content decreases from 8.79 to 3.31 percent. The contraction of the b-dimension results in an effective decrease in the size of the ditrigonal opening in the planar surfaces with a consequent increase in the d(001) upon re-saturation with potassium. PMID- 17752022 TI - Spiral Flow in Rivers, Shallow Seas, Dust Devils, and Models. AB - Spiral flow has been observed in meandering rivers, braided rivers, very shallow sea water, model experiments, and dust devils. Experimental work also produced standing spiral waves and spouts of water. Many observed spirals reversed direction from time to time. Geometry of the system, roughness, and turbulence are perhaps dominant in the control of spiral flow. PMID- 17752023 TI - Mariner II: High-Energy-Radiation Experiment. PMID- 17752024 TI - Isolation and Identification of the Sex Attractant of the American Cockroach. AB - The highly potent sex attractant of the female American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (L.), has been isolated in pure form and identified as 2,2-dimethyl-3 isopropylidene-cyclopropyl propionate. The hydrogenated form of the attractant has been synthesized. PMID- 17752025 TI - Giant Muscle Fibers in a Barnacle, Balanus nubilus Darwin. AB - Cross-striated muscle fibers of very large size have been found in the scutal tergal adductor and depressor muscles of the large barnacle B. nubilus. Adductor muscle fibers are up to 2 mm thick. They are innervated by separate nerves, each supplying one end, but not the central region, with terminals; each fiber receives two or three excitor axons. Depressor muscle fibers are up to 1.4 mm thick and receive multiterminal innervation along their entire length; they are innervated by two excitor axons. Postsynaptic potentials are of small or large size and lead to small or large twitches; they do not show facilitation. The muscle fibers shorten to as little as one-sixth resting length. PMID- 17752026 TI - Feather Replacement in Birds. AB - During natural molt in many birds, feathers of the old generation are passively pushed out of the follicles attached to the tips of the sheaths of incoming feathers. PMID- 17752028 TI - THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL CONGRESS, LEYDEN SEPT. 16-21, 1895. PMID- 17752027 TI - Repair and Differential Radiosensitivity. PMID- 17752029 TI - RELATIONS OF THE WEATHER BUREAU TO THE SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY OF THE COUNTRY. PMID- 17752030 TI - SALIX WARDI, BEBB. PMID- 17752032 TI - EDWARDS' BUTTERFLIES OF NORTH AMERICA. PMID- 17752033 TI - ANNUAL REPORT OF PRESIDENT LOW OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE. PMID- 17752031 TI - THE DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17752035 TI - SCIENCE OR POETRY. PMID- 17752034 TI - THE PROBLEM OF SOLAR MAGNETISM. PMID- 17752036 TI - THE KATYDID'S ORCHESTRA. PMID- 17752038 TI - SHELLS AS IMPLEMENTS. PMID- 17752037 TI - A NATURALIST IN MEXICO. PMID- 17752039 TI - ARE FURTHER EXPERIMENTS NEEDED FOR DETERMINING THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF OXYGEN? PMID- 17752041 TI - THE OCCURRENCE OF APTOSOCHROMATISM IN PASSERINA CYANEA. PMID- 17752040 TI - CRUISE OF THE ALBATROSS. PMID- 17752042 TI - THE SOCIETY FOR PLANT MORPHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17752043 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17752044 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17752046 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17752045 TI - THEODORE POESCHE. PMID- 17752047 TI - THE UNIVERSITY AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. PMID- 17752049 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17752048 TI - ROOSEVELT, THE NATURALIST. PMID- 17752050 TI - DISCOVERY AND DISCOVERERS. PMID- 17752052 TI - BREAKING THE DORMANCY OF TREE SEEDLINGS BY CHEMICAL TREATMENT. PMID- 17752051 TI - A NEW AUTOTROPHIC BACTERIUM WHICH OXIDIZES AMMONIA DIRECTLY TO NITRATE AND DECOMPOSES PETROLEUM. PMID- 17752053 TI - GROWTH INHIBITION OF POTATO SPROUTS BY THE VOLATILE PRODUCTS OF APPLES. PMID- 17752054 TI - POSITION OF WOOD IN BEAVER DAMS. PMID- 17752055 TI - THE NERVOUS CONTROL OF HEMATOPOIESIS. PMID- 17752056 TI - DUST PARTICLES. PMID- 17752057 TI - A NEW CONNECTION BETWEEN MAGNETISM AND ELECTRICITY. PMID- 17752058 TI - A SIMPLE APPARATUS FOR MERCURY DISTILLATION. PMID- 17752059 TI - IMPROVED STAINING TECHNIQUES FOR THE DEMONSTRATION OF NON-ACIDFAST TUBERCLE BACILLI AND GRANULES. PMID- 17752061 TI - AIR FILTRATION IN BACTERIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES. PMID- 17752060 TI - POLIOMYELITIS AS AN ESSENTIAL NERVE SYSTEM DISEASE THROUGHOUTITS COURSE. PMID- 17752062 TI - THE NON-IDENTITY OF "PURE" AND "ISOELECTRIC" GELATINS. PMID- 17752063 TI - THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING. PMID- 17752064 TI - THE EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17752065 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17752066 TI - THE GRAZ INTERNATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL CONGRESS. PMID- 17752067 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17752068 TI - ON THE SO-CALLED NORWOOD "METEORITE". PMID- 17752069 TI - A WORD OF EXPLANATION. PMID- 17752070 TI - EARTH MOVEMENTS AT LAKE VICTORIA IN CENTRAL EAST AFRICA. PMID- 17752071 TI - THE FORTY-FIRST GENERAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17752072 TI - SECTION E--GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17752073 TI - A PLAN FOR AN EXCHANGE OF TEACHERS BETWEEN PRUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17752074 TI - THE STATUS OF THE JAPANESE SOFT-SHELLED TURTLE. PMID- 17752075 TI - AN OLD STORY. PMID- 17752076 TI - COINCIDENT EVOLUTION THROUGH RECTIGRADATIONS AND FLUCTUATIONS (THIRD PAPER). PMID- 17752077 TI - THE SATELLITES OF MARS. PMID- 17752078 TI - THE FILLING OF EMERALD LAKE BY AN ALLUVIAL FAN. PMID- 17752079 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17752081 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND YEWS. PMID- 17752080 TI - HARVARD ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17752082 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17752083 TI - FLOOD AND EROSION CONTROL AS POSSIBLE UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF MEASURES. PMID- 17752084 TI - RESEARCH WITH A HEN. PMID- 17752085 TI - PALEOSPONDYLUS. PMID- 17752086 TI - THE THICKNESS OF THE GLACIAL DEPOSITS IN OHIO. PMID- 17752087 TI - A NEMATODE PARASITE IN MYXINOIDS. PMID- 17752088 TI - ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN GERMANY. PMID- 17752089 TI - THE SPIRAL HABIT. PMID- 17752090 TI - BIOLOGICAL ISOMERISM OF WATER MADE OF PROTIUM AND DEUTERIUM. PMID- 17752091 TI - A SORTING STAGE FOR FORAMINIFERA. PMID- 17752092 TI - COLORIMETRIC METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF CO2 IN GAS MIXTURES. PMID- 17752093 TI - A VIRUS ENCOUNTERED IN THE STUDY OF MATERIAL FROM CASES OF ENCEPHALITIS N THE ST. LOUIS AND KANSAS CITY EPIDEMICS OF 1933. PMID- 17752094 TI - THE EXISTENCE OF NON-CHROMOSOMAL INFLUENCE IN THE INCIDENCE OF MAMMARY TUMORS IN MICE. PMID- 17752095 TI - THE BALANCE, THE STEELYARD AND THE CONCEPT OF FORCE. PMID- 17752096 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH EDUCATIONAL MISSION. PMID- 17752097 TI - WILLIAM JOHN KEEP. PMID- 17752098 TI - ALLEGED REDISCOVERY OF THE PASSENGER PIGEON. PMID- 17752100 TI - DO WE WANT A GREAT PRIVATE INSTITUTION FOR INVENTORS LIKE THE INSTITUTE OF FRANCE FOR ARTISTS? PMID- 17752099 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC NAME OF THE PASSENGER PIGEON. PMID- 17752101 TI - CIRCULAR FREQUENCY. PMID- 17752102 TI - THE FLORA OF NORTH DAKOTA. PMID- 17752104 TI - New Institute for Biological Studies at San Diego. PMID- 17752105 TI - New Research Programs: Help for Underdeveloped Nations . . . and for Underdeveloped Industry At Home. PMID- 17752103 TI - PEAR BLIGHT WIND BORNE. PMID- 17752107 TI - Chemical Mating Attractants in the Queen Honey Bee. AB - Drone attraction to ether extracts of virgin queens (Apis mellifera L.) demonstrated that chemical communication enables the drones to orient themselves to queens during mating flights. The primary source of queen mating attractants is the mandibular glands. Fractionation of mandibular gland lipids yielded several attractive fractions that may act jointly. One fraction was queen substance (9-oxodec-2-enoic acid). PMID- 17752106 TI - Who Studies Water? Geological Survey Finds Political Path Is Well Strewn With Pitfalls. PMID- 17752108 TI - Effect of Isotropic Confining Pressure on Hydrostatic Pressure of Water in Unsaturated Soil. AB - A theory has been developed for the response of the pore-water pressure u(w) to pressure applied isotropically to unsaturated soil. The results indicate that the response is determined by two shrinkage characteristics of the soil. PMID- 17752109 TI - Very Small Diatoms: Preliminary Notes and Description of Chaetoceros galvestonensis. AB - Several species and genera of very small diatoms have been isolated from Gulf of Mexico waters at Galveston. A quantitative and qualitative study of their distribution has not yet been made. The organisms were isolated in unialgal cultures, and very rapid growth rates were observed. Environmental and experimental implications are pointed out. A new species, Chaetoceros galvestonensis, 1.5 by 3.0 microns in broad view, is described and figured. PMID- 17752110 TI - RELATIONS OF GEOLOGIC SCIENCE TO EDUCATION. PMID- 17752111 TI - SOME VALUES OF STELLAR PARALLAX BY THE METHOD OF MERIDIAN TRANSITS. PMID- 17752112 TI - OZARKIAN EPOCH--A SUGGESTION. PMID- 17752113 TI - ORGANIC MARKINGS IN LAKE SUPERIOR IRON ORES. PMID- 17752114 TI - FOOD OF THE BARN OWL (STRIX PRATINCOLA). PMID- 17752115 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17752116 TI - THE SENSE OF EQUILIBRIUM. PMID- 17752117 TI - THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CONCOMITANTS OF SENSATIONS AND EMOTIONS. PMID- 17752118 TI - IS THERE MORE THAN ONE KIND OF KNOWLEDGE? PMID- 17752119 TI - CERTITUDES AND ILLUSIONS. PMID- 17752120 TI - ON THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHAM BIOLOGY FROM AMERICA. PMID- 17752121 TI - THE RETINAL IMAGE ONCE MORE. PMID- 17752123 TI - THE PREROGATIVES OF A STATE GEOLOGIST. PMID- 17752122 TI - COIN DISTORTIONS BY RONTGEN RAYS. PMID- 17752124 TI - GEORGE M. DAWSON. PMID- 17752125 TI - STATE NATURAL HISTORY SURVEYS. PMID- 17752126 TI - THE TRAINING OF AN ELECTROCHEMIST. PMID- 17752127 TI - APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17752129 TI - AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17752128 TI - THE REDUCTION TO ABSURDITY OF THE ORDINARY TREATMENT OF THE SYLLOGISM. PMID- 17752130 TI - THE APPLICATION OF PRECEDENCE OF PLACE IN NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17752131 TI - CLAYTON'S ECLIPSE CYCLONE AND THE DIURNAL CYCLONES. PMID- 17752133 TI - NOTES ON PARASITES -- 56: ECHINOSTOMUM BURSICOLA LOOSS AND E. CLOACINUM BRAUN, FROM A NOMENCLATURAL STANDPOINT. PMID- 17752132 TI - THE REVERSAL OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE BY CONTINUED ACTION OF LIGHT. PMID- 17752135 TI - AMATEURISM AND MENTAL INERTIA IN PUBLIC SERVICE. PMID- 17752134 TI - A NEW OCCURRENCE OF CASSITERITE IN ALASKA. PMID- 17752136 TI - MUSEUM METHODS ABROAD. PMID- 17752137 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC ALLIANCE OF NEW YORK. PMID- 17752138 TI - MEMBERSHIP IN THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17752139 TI - INDIVIDUALITY AND SCIENCE. PMID- 17752140 TI - ERNEST EVERETT JUST AUGUST 14, 1883, TO OCTOBER 27, 1941. PMID- 17752141 TI - THE NATIONAL ROSTER OF SCIENTIFIC AND SPECIALIZED PERSONNEL. PMID- 17752142 TI - THE NATIONAL INVENTORS COUNCIL. PMID- 17752143 TI - AN INDUCTION ACCELERATOR. PMID- 17752144 TI - THE OBSERVATORY OF THE BUHL PLANETARIUM. PMID- 17752145 TI - THE LUCIUS N. LITTAUER FUND OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17752146 TI - THE MEDICAL MUSEUM OF THE ROCHESTER ACADEMY OF MEDICINE. PMID- 17752147 TI - THE LIBRARY OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY AT WOODS HOLE. PMID- 17752148 TI - SYMBOLS FOR HUMAN GENES. PMID- 17752150 TI - THE WORK OF THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION IN BRAZIL. PMID- 17752149 TI - SOME FIELD OBSERVATIONS BEARING ON THE ORIGIN OF THE MORRISON "GASTROLITHS". PMID- 17752151 TI - AEDES AEGYPTI LINNAEUS, THE YELLOW FEVER MOSQUITO, IN CENTRAL MISSOURI. PMID- 17752152 TI - THE SMYRNA FIG IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17752154 TI - THE NEW ENGLAND FIELD GEOLOGISTS. PMID- 17752153 TI - THE CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. PMID- 17752156 TI - SYMPOSIUM ON FOLSOM-YUMA PROBLEMS. PMID- 17752155 TI - THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17752157 TI - THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE EASTERN COTTON RAT, SIGMODON HISPIDUS HISPIDUS, TO EUROPEAN TYPHUS. PMID- 17752158 TI - THE QUANTITATIVE RELATIONSHIP OF RIBOFLAVIN TO CATARACT FORMATION IN RATS. PMID- 17752159 TI - THE NERVE-MODULUS FOR ANESTHETICS. PMID- 17752160 TI - A TEST-TUBE SPIRAL ABSORPTION VESSEL. PMID- 17752161 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD OF REMOVING SCALES FROM LARGE LEPIDOPTERA. PMID- 17752163 TI - FRANK DAWSON ADAMS. PMID- 17752164 TI - AMIN FAHD MALUF PASHA. PMID- 17752162 TI - A RATIONALE FOR STUDIES IN THE CONTROL OF EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA. AB - Influenza has long been a field conducive to fancy and speculation. At present, however, through increasing knowledge of the pathogenesis of the disease and the factors influencing resistance, the collected data are beginning to take form. In this discussion an effort has been made to point out the trends, to interpret their possibilities on the basis of the mechanisms involved, and to give some intimation as to their relative applicabilities and limitations. It is clear that certain of them offer reasonable promise of exerting a real effect in the prevention of influenza; it remains only to prove them. PMID- 17752166 TI - THE WORK OF SOVIET ASTRONOMERS AT LENINGRAD DURING THE SIEGE. PMID- 17752165 TI - GRANTS FOR RESEARCH IN TUBERCULOSIS. PMID- 17752167 TI - THE NUFFIELD FOUNDATION. PMID- 17752168 TI - THE SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH. PMID- 17752169 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17752170 TI - THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SALMON CONSERVATION. PMID- 17752171 TI - THE WAR MANPOWER SITUATION IN PHYSICS. PMID- 17752172 TI - RUSSIAN NAMES. PMID- 17752174 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF THE MEAT, MILK AND EGGS TO WIN THE WAR AND THE PEACE. PMID- 17752173 TI - A PLEA. PMID- 17752175 TI - CLOSE RELATION BETWEEN RUSSIAN SPRING-SUMMER ENCEPHALITIS AND LOUPING-ILL VIRUSES. PMID- 17752177 TI - THE RELIGION OF THE UAPE. PMID- 17752176 TI - AN INEXPENSIVE DISPOSABLE FILTER FOR BLOOD AND PLASMA TRANSFUSIONS. PMID- 17752178 TI - ANOTHER FEATURE OF THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE. PMID- 17752179 TI - THE TIMBER OF THE ENGLISH COLONIES. PMID- 17752180 TI - THE PEOPLE ON THE KONGO. PMID- 17752181 TI - EVOLUTION VERSUS INVOLUTION. PMID- 17752182 TI - TWO SCHOOL-BOOKS ON GEOLOGY. PMID- 17752183 TI - THE PLAGUE IN SAN FRANCISCO. PMID- 17752184 TI - ON THE VITAL ACTIVITY OF THE ENZYMES. PMID- 17752185 TI - THE DESTRUCTION OF SEA LIONS IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17752187 TI - MONAURAL LOCALIZATION OF SOUND. PMID- 17752186 TI - THE PROGRESS MADE IN ENGINEERING DURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. PMID- 17752188 TI - FOOD OF SEA LIONS. PMID- 17752189 TI - THE KEELER MEMORIAL. PMID- 17752190 TI - VARIATION IN LIGHT OF EROS. PMID- 17752191 TI - THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF FOSSILS. PMID- 17752192 TI - THE LARYNX AS AN INSTRUMENT OF MUSIC. PMID- 17752193 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17752194 TI - A SIMPLE OSMOMETER. PMID- 17752195 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17752196 TI - A SUMMARY OF WISCONSIN ARCHEOLOGY. PMID- 17752197 TI - FRANCOIS QUESNAY. PMID- 17752198 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17752199 TI - Methylene geometry. PMID- 17752200 TI - U.s. Intellectual resources. PMID- 17752201 TI - High accuracy in physics. PMID- 17752202 TI - Erratum. AB - The time of impact of a meteorite at Lake Acraman is estimated to have been around 600 million years ago, when materials were being deposited in the Bunyeroo Formation, not 1 billion years ago as stated in "Meteorite scenario pieced together" (This Week in Science, 11 July, p. 139). PMID- 17752203 TI - Mental illness. PMID- 17752204 TI - Proposal to Ban Mobile Missiles Favors Targeting Over Arms Control: President Reagan's endorsement last year stemmed in part from Pentagon concerns that Soviet mobile missiles cannot be targeted; arms control experts say that is why both sides should deploy them. PMID- 17752205 TI - U.S.--Soviet Exchanges--Redefining Coexistence: A new group of cooperative programs has been unveiled, but in science and technology some old problems endure. PMID- 17752206 TI - Nuclear Waste Program Faces Political Burial: Angered by DOE's decision to drop plans to explore sites in the eastern United States, some senators are seeking to halt funding for site work in the West. PMID- 17752207 TI - Biotech field test halted by state court. PMID- 17752208 TI - Senate amendment seeks curb on pork barrel funding. PMID- 17752209 TI - Astronomers find their first embryonic star. PMID- 17752210 TI - Spotting the Atoms in Grain Boundaries: To know how the boundaries between crystals affect polycrystalline structural and electronic materials, it is necessary to know quantitatively where the atoms are. PMID- 17752211 TI - Neuronal circuits: an evolutionary perspective. AB - To understand neural circuits completely, it is necessary to know not only how they work, but also why they work that way. Answers to the latter question have been almost teleological in their assumption of optimal design. However, close examination of certain systems has revealed features that apparently lack adaptive value. Their existence can be understood only if the evolution of these circuits is considered and, in particular, how nonadaptive determinants have guided that evoluton. PMID- 17752212 TI - Transport and loss of nitrous oxide in soil water after forest clear-cutting. AB - Whole-tree harvesting increased the concentration of nitrous oxide dissolved in soil water by two orders of magnitude over the concentration expected in equilibrium with the atmosphere. In contrast, the nitrous oxide content of soil water in an intact, second-growth forest was close to the expected theoretical value. Nitrous oxide, produced at active sites in the soil, dissolves in soil water and is transported to seeps and streams where it rapidly degasses from the solution and is released into the atmosphere. This loss of nitrous oxide after clear-cutting is not important to the nitrogen economy of the site; however, it may be important to the global atmospheric budget of nitrous oxide. Sources of nitrous oxide may have been overlooked because nitrous oxide emissions can be separated in time and space from the sites of the most intense production of nitrous oxide. PMID- 17752213 TI - Placers of cosmic dust in the blue ice lakes of greenland. AB - A concentration process occurring in the melt zone of the Greenland ice cap has produced the richest known deposit of cosmic dust on the surface of the earth. Extraterrestrial particles collected from this region are well preserved and are collectable in large quantities. The collected particles are generally identical to cosmic spheres found on the ocean floor, but a pure glass type was discovered that has not been seen in deep-sea samples. Iron-rich spheres are conspicuously rare in the collected material. PMID- 17752214 TI - Dynamic atomic-level rearrangements in small gold particles. AB - Small metal particles (<5 nanometers), which are widely used in catalysis, have physical and chemical properties that are markedly different from those of the bulk metal. The differences are related to crystal structure, and it is therefore significant that structral rearrangements in small particles have been observed in real time by using high-resolution electron microscopy. A detailed investigation at the atomic level has been made of the factors affecting the dynamic activity of small gold crystals that are supported on thin films of amorphous carbon, silicon, and germanium. The rate of activity depends mainly on the current density of the incident electron beam and the degree of contact of the particle with the substrate, but this rate decreases rapidly as the particle size is increased. The activity of the particles is very similar on either carbon or silicon, but it is generally less marked on germanium because of increased contact between the particle and the substrate. The electron beam effectively heats the particles, and it appears that their dynamic behavior depends on their thermal contact with the substrate. PMID- 17752215 TI - Observations of pentagonally twinned precipitate needles of germanium in aluminum. AB - Unusual pentagonally twinned precipitates were observed in a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy study of needle-shaped germanium particles in aluminum. Although commonly found in small particles formed on substrates, such twinning has not been seen in precipitates grown in the solid state. The morphologies and orientation relationships are consistent with symmetry principles. PMID- 17752217 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17752216 TI - A fossil grass (gramineae: chloridoideae) from the miocene with kranz anatomy. AB - A fossil leaf fragment collected from the Ogallala Formation of northwestern Kansas exhibits features found in taxa of the modern grass subfamily Chloridoideae. These include bullet-shaped, bicellular microhairs, dumbbell shaped silica bodies, cross-shaped suberin cells, papillae, stomata with low dome to triangular-shaped subsidiary cells, and Kranz leaf anatomy. The leaf fragment extends the fossil record of plants that show both anatomical and external micromorphological features indicating C(4) photo-synthesis back to the Miocene. On the basis of associated mammals, the leaf fragment is assigned a Hemphillian age (7 to 5 million years ago). PMID- 17752219 TI - Max planck: the dllemmas of an upright man. PMID- 17752218 TI - Atmospheric chemistry: the photochemistry of atmospheres. PMID- 17752220 TI - Brain dysfunction and repair: hope for a new neurology. PMID- 17752222 TI - Evolution and prediction. PMID- 17752221 TI - Membrane Transport: Transport and Diffusion across Cell Membranes. PMID- 17752223 TI - Evolution and prediction. PMID- 17752225 TI - Evolution and prediction. PMID- 17752224 TI - Same name, different spelling. PMID- 17752226 TI - Evolution and prediction. PMID- 17752227 TI - Science policy and congress. PMID- 17752229 TI - Ocean research under foreign jurisdiction. AB - In more than one-fourth of recent cases, U.S. marine scientists desiring to work off the shores of other countries were denied access or encountered inordinate delays in approval of their requests. The regime for marine scientific research proposed in the draft text of the Convention on the Law of the Sea may alleviate some difficulties but will not change the predominant influence of political considerations on decisions affecting clearance for research. PMID- 17752228 TI - Sludge decomposition and stabilization. AB - Sludges are labile putrescible materials which must undergo a heterotrophic decomposition process and be subject to humification before becoming stabilized substances. An understanding of the principles underlying these processes may give rise to better management plans for the application of sludge to land. Procedures are suggested for the evaluation of sludge stabilization rates. PMID- 17752230 TI - Physicists meet to honor sakharov. PMID- 17752232 TI - Watt carves up strip-mining policy. PMID- 17752231 TI - NAS Elects New Members. PMID- 17752233 TI - Academy protests human life bill and budget cuts. PMID- 17752234 TI - No Major Change in OMB View of A-21. PMID- 17752235 TI - Snail Darter's Status Threatened. PMID- 17752236 TI - Federal science policy jobs still unfilled. PMID- 17752237 TI - Richard garwin: defense adviser and critic. PMID- 17752238 TI - Garwin and Weber's Waves. PMID- 17752239 TI - A new contender in world science. PMID- 17752240 TI - Antinuclear forces in europe. PMID- 17752242 TI - Science and government in britain. PMID- 17752241 TI - Foundations of a profession. PMID- 17752243 TI - A prospectus of knowledge. PMID- 17752244 TI - The publishing enterprise. PMID- 17752245 TI - Cattell: the beginnings of a career. PMID- 17752246 TI - Hamilton. PMID- 17752247 TI - An italian mathematician. PMID- 17752248 TI - Argumentation examined. PMID- 17752249 TI - Views of a watershed. PMID- 17752250 TI - Events of physics. PMID- 17752253 TI - Mathematical physics. PMID- 17752252 TI - Foundational study. PMID- 17752251 TI - Sources of inspiration. PMID- 17752254 TI - Geophysics. PMID- 17752255 TI - Bridges past and future. PMID- 17752256 TI - Solar phenomena. PMID- 17752257 TI - An american geologist. PMID- 17752258 TI - An american geologist. PMID- 17752259 TI - Matters relating to the sea. PMID- 17752260 TI - On geological time. PMID- 17752261 TI - Physical aspects. PMID- 17752262 TI - An ecological reassessment. PMID- 17752264 TI - Paleobotany surveyed. PMID- 17752263 TI - Managing wetlands. PMID- 17752265 TI - Plants under Stress. PMID- 17752267 TI - Paleoanthropology without inhibitions. PMID- 17752266 TI - A life in paleontology. PMID- 17752268 TI - Fossil birds. PMID- 17752269 TI - A Mammalian fauna. PMID- 17752270 TI - Respiratory specializations. PMID- 17752272 TI - The biophysical substrate. PMID- 17752271 TI - Mechanisms of a response. PMID- 17752273 TI - Nutrition during pregnancy. PMID- 17752275 TI - Roots of a change. PMID- 17752274 TI - A project in social history. PMID- 17752276 TI - A mesoamerican culture. PMID- 17752277 TI - Beans for valdivia. AB - Carbonized remains of Canavalia beans were recovered from archaeological deposits excavated at Real Alto (OGCh-12), southwestern Ecuador. The identification, context and dating of the earliest beans from Real Alto demonstrate their use from the beginning of Valdivia (about 3300 B.C.) and the Early Formative in coastal Ecuador. PMID- 17752278 TI - Microparticle concentration variations linked with climatic change: evidence from polar ice cores. AB - The microparticle concentrations in three deep ice cores reveal a substantial increase in the concentration of insoluble particles in the global atmosphere during the latter part of the last major glaciation. The ratio of the average particle concentration in the late glacial strata to that in the Holocene strata is 6/1 for the core from Dome C, Antarctica, 3/1 for the core from Byrd Station, Antarctica, and 12/1 for the core from Camp Century, Greenland. Whether this temporal correlation between increased atmospheric particle load and the lower surface temperatures is directly causal is unknown; however, the variations in these two parameters must be satisfactorily resolved in any successful hypothesis that addresses the causes of climatic change. PMID- 17752279 TI - Increased Reproductive Effort with Age in the California Gull (Larus californicus). AB - Comparisons of reproductive behaviors of three age classes of California gulls demonstrate that reproductive effort increases with age in this seabird. These findings contradict the assumption that increased reproductive success with age results from increased experience and social status and demonstrate that selection for increased reproductive effort can occur in long-lived species. PMID- 17752281 TI - The Earth's Free Oscillations: Large earthquakes cause low-frequency vibrations which give new information about the earth's interior. PMID- 17752280 TI - Model Teaching. PMID- 17752282 TI - The International Indian Ocean Expedition: Oceanographers will make full-scale "laboratory" studies of ocean-atmosphere relationships. PMID- 17752283 TI - Brown vs. Baker: The Supreme Court Finds Itself in an Awkward Situation. PMID- 17752284 TI - Educational Television: Setbacks in New York City and Boston. PMID- 17752285 TI - Cooperation in Space: Soviet Scientists and Politicians Appear To Have Different Views. PMID- 17752287 TI - Share the New Focus: 128th Annual Meeting. PMID- 17752286 TI - Identification of Small Animals by Proximity Sensing. AB - Individual deer mice are identified by magnetic proximity sensing. Approach of an animal wearing a small ferromagnetic collar unbalances an excited inductance bridge which triggers recording circuitry. In conjunction with conductance proximity sensing, the techniques can identify four individuals. Some results on the tendency of two females to follow one another are cited. PMID- 17752288 TI - Program Summary. PMID- 17752289 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17752290 TI - THE HODGKINS FUND PRIZES. PMID- 17752291 TI - THE HISTORY, AIMS AND IMPORTANCE OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17752292 TI - BOLOMETRIC INVESTIGATIONS IN THE INFRA-RED SPECTRUM OF THE SUN. PMID- 17752293 TI - VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY IN THE AMERICAN MUSEUM. PMID- 17752294 TI - THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE MOLLUSCA. PMID- 17752296 TI - AUSTRALASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17752295 TI - CURRENT PROBLEMS IN PLANT MORPHOLOGY (I.). PMID- 17752297 TI - THE WORK OF YALE OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17752298 TI - THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17752299 TI - CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17752301 TI - THE DRIFTING MOTION OF CONTINENTS. PMID- 17752300 TI - THE GALILEE SKULL. PMID- 17752302 TI - ATHLETIC RECORDS. PMID- 17752303 TI - SUNLIGHT AND INFANTILE PARALYSIS. PMID- 17752304 TI - INDIANS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY REGION. PMID- 17752306 TI - THE DISASTER TO THE SHENANDOAH. PMID- 17752305 TI - THE ULTRA-MICROSCOPE AND THE CANCER GERM. PMID- 17752308 TI - SCIENCE AND SOCIAL ETHICS. PMID- 17752307 TI - THE CONSTITUTION OF THE EARTH. PMID- 17752309 TI - BERNOUILLI'S PRINCIPLE AS CONSERVATION OF ENERGY. PMID- 17752310 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17752312 TI - ARTIFICIAL CULTIVATION OF FREE-LIVING NEMATODES. PMID- 17752311 TI - CAMPBELL'S DEFINITIVE UNITS. PMID- 17752314 TI - GASTRIC TRANSPLANTATION. PMID- 17752313 TI - TIME MEASUREMENTS. PMID- 17752315 TI - A NUTRITIONAL STUDY UPON A FUNGUS ENZYME. PMID- 17752317 TI - Visitors' Visas. PMID- 17752316 TI - THE IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17752318 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17752319 TI - Radiocarbon Dates for Kara Kamar, Afghanistan, University of Pennsylvania II. PMID- 17752320 TI - Association of Molybdenum with Nitrate Reductase from Soybean Leaves. PMID- 17752323 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17752321 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17752324 TI - Equipment News. PMID- 17752326 TI - DRAPER'S SELF-RECORDING, MERCURIAL BAROMETER. PMID- 17752325 TI - LATENT SOLAR LIGHT. PMID- 17752327 TI - ELEMENTS AND EPHEMERIS OF COMET (c), 1881.--SCHAeBERLE. PMID- 17752328 TI - ON AN OCCURRENCE OF GOLD IN MAINE. PMID- 17752329 TI - PHOTO-MICROGRAPHY. PMID- 17752330 TI - PLANTE AND FAURE BATTERIES. PMID- 17752331 TI - THE LESSON OF THE COMET; DOES IT SHOW A NEW FORCE? PMID- 17752332 TI - To the Editor of "Science.". PMID- 17752334 TI - REPRODUCING DRAWINGS, DESIGNS, &c. PMID- 17752333 TI - To the Editor of "Science". PMID- 17752335 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17752336 TI - CLINICAL INVESTIGATION. PMID- 17752337 TI - BIOLOGY AND INDUSTRY IN COOPERATION. PMID- 17752339 TI - CYTOARCHITECTURE OF THE GORILLA BRAIN. PMID- 17752338 TI - GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT OF RESEARCH IN FRANCE. PMID- 17752340 TI - SCORPION STINGS. PMID- 17752342 TI - THE SEMICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17752341 TI - OCCURRENCE OF THE ORIENTAL RAT FLEA IN THE INTERIOR OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17752343 TI - REPULSIVE FORCES BETWEEN CHARGED SURFACES IN WATER, AND THE CAUSE OF THE JONES RAY EFFECT. PMID- 17752344 TI - THE EFFECTS OF AGE AND ESTROGEN ON THE STROMA OF VAGINA, CERVIX AND UTERUS IN THE MOUSE. PMID- 17752345 TI - THE EFFECTS OF AGE AND HORMONES ON THE STROMA OF THYROID AND MAMMARY GLAND IN THE GUINEA PIG. PMID- 17752347 TI - A new grants program in agriculture. PMID- 17752346 TI - AN ADRENALINE-LIKE SUBSTANCE IN POSTGANGLIONIC SYMPATHETIC FIBERS. PMID- 17752348 TI - The cluster concept in multiple hadron production. AB - The general features of high-energy collisions of elementary particles are outlined. ft is argued that multiple production occurs through the production of hadronic clusters. The history and present status of the cluster concept are surveyed. PMID- 17752349 TI - Coevolution in insect herbivores and conifers. PMID- 17752351 TI - Anti-jensen petition makes council agenda. PMID- 17752350 TI - The berger inquiry: an impact assessment process. AB - The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, conducted by the Honorable Mr. Justice T. R. Berger, undertook to explore thoroughly the issues surrounding the building of a northern pipeline. In doing so, the Inquiry provided a forum for the interplay of the technical and environmental issues with very personalized social and cultural concerns. As a process, it reached out beyond the direct participants: it became one in which all Canadians, north and south, participated. It touched some of Canada's deepest concerns-concerns about energy policy, resource allocation, the price and priority of industrial development, cultural sovereignty, and self-definition. These have become national concerns, not just regional. And so, no matter what the final decision is about the pipeline, the Inquiry will have a profound and lasting national influence. PMID- 17752352 TI - '79 AAAS Meeting Moved from Chicago to Houston. PMID- 17752354 TI - Future of AAAS Fellows--A Poll and a Moratorium. PMID- 17752353 TI - Sociobiology baptized as issue by activists. PMID- 17752355 TI - Breeder reactors: fast flux fuel rods subject of silkwood charges. PMID- 17752356 TI - Sweetness and light from industry and environmentalists on coal. PMID- 17752357 TI - 1977 AAAS Awards Presented During Washington Meeting. PMID- 17752359 TI - Energy in the americas topic of the sixth interciencia symposium. PMID- 17752358 TI - 145th national meeting, 3-8 january 1979. PMID- 17752360 TI - Viking student grant. PMID- 17752362 TI - The politics of the war on cancer. PMID- 17752361 TI - Medical care: issues of evaluation. PMID- 17752363 TI - Geology as history. PMID- 17752365 TI - Processing solar energy. PMID- 17752364 TI - The yerkes tradition. PMID- 17752366 TI - Manganese nodules on the sea floor: inverse correlation between grade and abundance. AB - The grade of copper and nickel in manganese nodules is negatively correlated with their abundance on the sea floor, within small regions and in the Pacific Ocean as a whole. Although the correlation tells nothing about estimates of commercially mineable reserves at particular sites, it contradicts an assumption on which many predictions with respect to manganese nodule resources are based. PMID- 17752367 TI - Blue-green algal inhibition of diatom growth: transition from mesotrophic to eutrophic community structure. AB - Cell-free filtrates of axenic or bacterized cultures of the dominant blue-green algae from a freshwater lake inhibited the growth of diatoms isolated from the same lake. Lake waters, collected during blue-green algal blooms, also inhibited diatom growth. In situ observations over a 5-year period indicate that diatom bloom populations vary inversely with the levels of the preceding blue-green algal populations. Blue-green algal dominance of eutrophic lakes is attributed to this allelopathy, and dilution is proposed as one cause for the limited occurrence of blue-green alga dominance in marine waters. PMID- 17752368 TI - Nitrogen fixation and delayed leaf senescence in soybeans. AB - Delayed leaf senescence has been found in a soybean population which maintains its chlorophyll and ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase activity in leaves and nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) activity in root nodules throughout seed maturation. Incorporation of delayed leaf senescence into an agronomically desirable genetic background may help to increase seed yield and symbiotic nitrogen fixation during seed development. PMID- 17752369 TI - Epidermal patterns of the lemma in some fossil and living grasses and their phylogenetic significance. AB - Morphological study of fossil grass anthoecia of Berriochloa and Nassella collected from Miocene-Pliocene strata in Kansas has revealed well-preserved epidermal structure. This seems to be the first micromorphological information known from fossil grass floral bracts. The epidermal pattern on the lemma in the fossils and their living counterparts are evidence in support of the view that the North American species of Stipa of the section Hesperostipa Elias and species of Piptochaetium have a common ancestry in Berriochloa, and that species of both taxa have been distinct from species of the Nassella, Oryzopsis, and other Stipa since at least the Miocene or Pliocene. PMID- 17752370 TI - Lunar tidal acceleration determined from laser range measures. AB - Lunar laser range measures covering the period 1969 to 1976 have been used to determine the anomalous secular acceleration in the mean longitude of the moon, commonly attributed to the effect of tidal friction in the earth. The acceleration determined is -24.6 +/- 1.6 arc seconds per century squared, against an atomic time scale, where the uncertainty is the formal standard deviation of the solution. The realistic uncertainty is surely larger, as evidenced by the ensemble of solutions performed with various models and observation sets. The determined value is in good agreement with the conventional value and with several recent determinations by other methods. An attempt to determine the rate of change of the mean distance, essential for separating the tidal effect from a time variation of the gravitational constant, yielded no significant result, because the observations still span too short a time. PMID- 17752371 TI - Alkaloids in whole plant material: direct analysis by kinetic energy spectrometry. AB - A new approach to mixture analysis has been applied to the direct detection of various alkaloids in plant materials. The method requires absolutely no sample treatment. Results are presented for cocaine, morphine, papaverine, coniine, and atropine. The signal-to-background characteristics are superior to those of conventional mass spectrometry. Sensitivity is sufficient to detect and identify between 1 and 10 nanograms of alkaloid. PMID- 17752372 TI - Rhythms in pheromone production of the male boll weevil. AB - Male boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis, held in a light regimen of 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness released pheromone rhythmically during the 24 hours. The amount released during peaks was typically 20 times the amount released in valleys. The ratio of the two alcohol components of the pheromone also showed a daily rhythm. Under continuous light, both the release of pheromone and the ratio of the two alcohol components were arrhythmic. In darkness, pheromone release was diminished more than tenfold over the 20-day test period. PMID- 17752373 TI - Temperature Coupling in the Vocal Communication System of the Gray Tree Frog, Hyla versicolor. AB - The gray tree frog mates over a temperature range of at least 9 degrees C. Gravid females, tested at two different temperatures, preferred synthetic mating calls with temperature-dependent temporal properties similar to those produced by a male at about the same temperature as their own. Thus, the vocalization system and the temporal pattern recognition system are affected by temperature in a qualitatively similar fashion. PMID- 17752374 TI - Supersaturated island faunas: a species-age relationship for lizards on post pleistocene land-bridge islands. AB - Lizard faunas on post-Pleistocene land-bridge islands in the region of Baja California were examined for the effect of island age on species diversity. Species diversity and age are significantly correlated; and when the variation in species diversity attributable to area and latitude are removed, the corrected species diversity plotted against island age produces a relaxation or extinction curve. These results provide evidence for supersaturated faunas which are relaxing to lower levels of species diversity consistent with the equilibrium theory of island biogeography. PMID- 17752375 TI - For the library. PMID- 17752376 TI - AAAS Project on the Handicapped in Science Seeking Names for Directory. PMID- 17752378 TI - Howard A. Meyerhoff--Administrative Secretary. PMID- 17752377 TI - The AAAS and Organized American Science. PMID- 17752380 TI - Adventures in Mailing Science. PMID- 17752379 TI - The Membership Campaign. PMID- 17752381 TI - If This Be Treason--. PMID- 17752382 TI - Australian Sod Fly Introduced Into California (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). PMID- 17752383 TI - Quantitative Estimation of Amino Acids on Paper Chromatograms. PMID- 17752384 TI - Parasites to Aid in the Control of the Sweet Clover Weevil. PMID- 17752385 TI - Resolution of the AAAS Executive Committee. PMID- 17752386 TI - Centennial Greetings to the AAAS From the American Chemical Society. PMID- 17752387 TI - Polynesian Origins. PMID- 17752388 TI - Curbing Authors. PMID- 17752389 TI - The Pursuit of Eminence. PMID- 17752390 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17752391 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17752393 TI - On the Rewards of Tenacity. PMID- 17752392 TI - Sex Attractant of the American Cockroach. PMID- 17752394 TI - Ethical Code for Scientists? PMID- 17752396 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17752395 TI - President's Science Adviser. PMID- 17752397 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17752398 TI - Blood of Anthropoid Apes. PMID- 17752399 TI - Biological Mechanisms of Aging. PMID- 17752400 TI - Course Content Improvement, British Style. PMID- 17752401 TI - Intermetallic Compounds. PMID- 17752402 TI - New Administration: Indications Are It Will Bring Few Changes for Scientific, Academic Worlds. PMID- 17752403 TI - U.S.-U.S.S.R. Relations: Way Cleared for Frequency Allocations, Pact on Legal Principles for Space. PMID- 17752404 TI - FDA: Drug Agency Answers Critics by Attempting To Step Up Science, but Many Critical Problems Remain. PMID- 17752405 TI - Ozone Formation in Air Exposed to Cobalt-60 Gamma Radiation. AB - The amount of ozone formed in air exposed to a 4000-curie cobalt-60 radiation source was determined. In closed glass containers exposed to about I Mrad of gamma radiation, ozone concentrations up to 18 parts per million (by volume) were recorded. In air flowing through a glass structure placed near the source, ozone contents up to 0.1 parts per million were observed. It is suggested that ozone formation might be a factor in the reported germicidal effects of ionizing radiations and that damage to plant tissues, ascribed to radiation, might have resulted from exposure to ozone. The possible health hazards from the ozone produced during irradiation should not be overlooked. PMID- 17752406 TI - Miocene-Pliocene Boundary in the Philippines as Related to Late Tertiary Stratigraphy of Deep-Sea Sediments. AB - Planktonic foraminiferal trends across the Miocene-Pliocene boundary in the Philippines suggest that sections of eight deep-sea cores reported to be Pliocene are actually latest Miocene, and that a marked extinction of discoasters in the deep-sea cores is due to an unconformity, separating Miocene and Pleisto-cene sediments, representing a time gap of some 10 million years of Pliocene time. PMID- 17752407 TI - Phosphate Glass Electrode with Good Selectivity for Alkaline-Earth Cations. AB - A phosphate glass has been found to have a significant electrode specificity toward alkaline-earth ions. The order of selectivity is 2H(+) > Ba(++) > Sr(++) > Ca(++) > 2K(+) > 2Na(+) > Mg(++). Exchange properties are discussed in relation to possible structure. Its use to determine activity of Ca(++) in natural systems containing Mg(++) is sug gested. PMID- 17752409 TI - Ultraviolet Radiation Effects on Low Molecular Weight Inorganic Phosphates of Yeast. AB - Ultraviolet radiation causes the loss of ortho-, pyro-, tripoly-, tetrapoly- and trimetaphosphate from yeast cells to the medium. Analyses of combined cell and medium phosphates show a two-and-a-half-fold increase in pyro-phosphate after irradiation while inorganic and total phosphate remain constant. PMID- 17752408 TI - Diurnal Rhythm and Photoperiodism in Testicular Recrudescence of the House Finch. AB - A circadian rhythm in house finches appears to control the timing of the photoperiodic response of testicular recrudescence. A 6-hour light period coupled with dark periods of varying duration does not stimulate spermatogenesis in cycle lengths of 24, 48, and 72 hours, but initiates spermatogenesis in cycles of 12, 36, and 60 hours. PMID- 17752411 TI - CLEVELAND--130th MEETING. PMID- 17752410 TI - Microstructure of Polymers by Tritium Autoradiography. AB - Polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene, containing tritiumlabeled additives and crystallized in thin films, were examined with autoradiographic stripping film. In the structures formed by isotactic polystyrene, tritiated atactic polymer concentrated in specific patterns in the outer regions. Polypropylene spherulites showed marked differences in the distribution of the tritiated additive, dilauryl thiodipropionate, whenever their optical properties also differed. Autoradiographs of polyethylene spherulites containing low molecular weight tritiated polyethylene exhibited concentric ring patterns similar to those observed on viewing the polymer film in a polarizing microscope. PMID- 17752412 TI - CLEVELAND--. PMID- 17752413 TI - Meeting Notes. PMID- 17752414 TI - Embryology. PMID- 17752416 TI - RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE. PMID- 17752415 TI - ON THE NATURE OF MATHEMATICAL AND SCIENTIFIC DEMONSTRATION. PMID- 17752417 TI - ON INTERFERENCE COLORS IN CLOUDS. PMID- 17752418 TI - MORE PALEOLITHIC ART. PMID- 17752419 TI - ORIGIN OF MUTATIONS. PMID- 17752420 TI - SCIENCE AND THE NEWSPAPER. PMID- 17752421 TI - HOW ORYCTES RHINOCEROS, A DYNASTID BEETLE, USES ITS HORN. PMID- 17752422 TI - THE INDUSTRIAL FELLOWSHIPS AT PITTSBURGH. PMID- 17752424 TI - THE CONVOCATION WEEK MEETING OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17752423 TI - ON FUNDAMENTAL METHODS OF ORIENTATION AND "IMAGINARY MAPS". PMID- 17752425 TI - The Concept of Action as a Measure of Living Phenomena. PMID- 17752426 TI - Plant Growth-regulating Properties of Some Nicotinium Compounds. PMID- 17752427 TI - Conduction in Photoconductive PbS Films. PMID- 17752428 TI - On the Direct Fermentation of Maltose. PMID- 17752429 TI - Thymidine and Vitamin B12. PMID- 17752430 TI - Partition Chromatography of Anthocyanidins. PMID- 17752431 TI - Increased Radioresistance of Red Bone Marrow after Anoxia. PMID- 17752432 TI - A Simple Double-Surface Dialyzing Membrane. PMID- 17752433 TI - The System of Stable Nuclei. PMID- 17752434 TI - Erratum. AB - In my communication "Toxicity and the Chemical Properties of Ions" in the August 19th issue of Science, the ionic field was printed as p((1/2)) (p. 194, second column, third line from bottom). It should be r((1/2)), i.e. the reciprocal of the square of the ionic radius. PMID- 17752436 TI - Nuclear power economics. PMID- 17752435 TI - agr-Naphthaflavone as an Indicator in Iodometry. PMID- 17752437 TI - Guayule development. PMID- 17752438 TI - Nuclear power economics. PMID- 17752440 TI - The free-electron laser. PMID- 17752439 TI - Nuclear power economics. PMID- 17752442 TI - Your annual meeting. PMID- 17752441 TI - Curve-fitting. PMID- 17752443 TI - Coral reef morphogenesis: a multidimensional model. AB - Windward reef morphogenesis is a dynamic process directly controlled by the growth potential of dominant corals and coralline algae relative to wave energy and sea level rise. Moderate wave energy favors vertically rapid growth that is porous and uncemented; high wave energy favors slow but compact growth. Growth potentials of Caribbean and Indo-Pacific reefs are probably equivalent. Major differences are probably not due to biological or direct climatic factors but are in part related to differing patterns of sea level rise resulting from Holocene crustal adjustment. The nature and position of antecedent foundations developed by high interglacial and interstadial sea levels is especially critical and is largely controlled by regional tectonic factors, especially long-term subsidence. PMID- 17752444 TI - Energy and labor in the construction sector. AB - An energy input-output model was used to investigate energy and employment in the construction industry. The model covered nearly 400 industrial sectors and was used to determine the impact of construction activities on total national energy consumption in 1967 and to study the patterns of total energy use and employment within various construction categories. For the construction of new buildings, total energy consumption could be reduced by 20 percent by selecting less energy intensive building materials and assemblies for fixed programmatic requirements, by expending energy in construction to minimize the total lifetime energy cost of buildings, and by energy conservation in industries that supply direct and indirect inputs to the construction sector of the economy. PMID- 17752445 TI - Electronics industry takes to "potting" its products for market. PMID- 17752446 TI - China to build an accelerator. PMID- 17752448 TI - Montana passes a nuclear initiative. PMID- 17752447 TI - Austria declines to start a nuclear power program. PMID- 17752449 TI - Director of los alamos laboratory resigns. PMID- 17752450 TI - Computer science: surprisingly fast algorithms. PMID- 17752451 TI - The 1978 nobel prize in economics. PMID- 17752452 TI - Weather modification: a call for tougher tests. PMID- 17752453 TI - Annual Meeting HOUSTON. PMID- 17752454 TI - A soviet view. PMID- 17752455 TI - Genetics. PMID- 17752457 TI - Mathematical physics: bielefeld lectures. PMID- 17752456 TI - Mathematical physics: bielefeld lectures. PMID- 17752458 TI - Seabirds. PMID- 17752459 TI - Carbon-14 dating: a comparison of Beta and ion counting. AB - Accelerator ion counting compares favorably with conventional beta counting. The major advantage of ion counting is that milligram samples can be analyzed. When sample size is not limiting, ion counting complements beta counting for the more routine carbon-14 determinations. Further development is needed before ion counting can achieve the same high precision as beta counting for large samples (+/- 2 per mil). A solution to the background variability has to be found before ion counting can be used to date samples back to the 75,000-year limit of beta counting. PMID- 17752460 TI - Strain in southern california: measured uniaxial north-South regional contraction. AB - The plate tectonics model of the Pacific moving northwest relative to North America implies that the regional strain in California should be simple shear across a vertical plane striking N45 degrees W or equivalently equal parts of north-south contraction and east-west extension. Measurements of the strain accumulation at seven separate sites in southern California in the interval 1972 through 1978 indicate a remarkably consistent uniaxial north-south contraction of about 0.3 part per million per year; the expected east-west extension is absent. It is not clear whether the period from 1972 through 1978 is anomalous or whether the secular strain in southern California is indeed a uniaxial north-south contraction. PMID- 17752461 TI - Stone tools from mid-pleistocene sediments in java. AB - Two stone tools (a chopper and a retouched flake) were found in mid-Pleistocene channel fills at Sambungmachan (Java), which earlier yielded a hominid skull cap with characteristics of Solo man and a Trinil-like fauna. The artifacts are the first discovered in place in deposits on Java that are assigned to the mid Pleistocene on faunal grounds. PMID- 17752462 TI - Regional implications of triassic or jurassic age for basalt and sedimentary red beds in the South Carolina coastal plain. AB - Whole rock potassium-argon ages for samples of subsurface basalt recovered near Charleston, South Carolina, are interpreted to indicate a Triassic or Jurassic age for the basalt and underlying sedimentary red beds. This age is consistent with existing evidence indicating that an early Mesozoic basin is present in the subsurface of a large part of the coastal plain of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. PMID- 17752463 TI - Cultural transmission of enemy recognition: one function of mobbing. AB - There are at least ten suggested hypotheses for the function of mobbing predators by fish, birds, and mammals. Experiments with captive European black-birds support one of these-the "cultural transmission hypothesis." Perceiving a mobbing conspecific together with a novel, harmless bird induced blackbirds to mob the innocuous object. The mobbing response persisted during subsequent presentations of the novel bird alone, which was more effectively conditioned than an artificial control object. Enemy recognition could be culturally transmitted along a chain of at least six individuals. PMID- 17752464 TI - Paper-marking test for chimpanzee: simple control for social cues. AB - A series of paper-marking tests, modeled after tests widely applied to humans, was administered to Sarah, a "language"-trained chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). The test format was simple, economical, and controlled for social cues. The ape successfully made same-similar-different judgments on pictures of familiar objects when up to four questions were presented at the same time. Performance remained satisfactory on same-different judgments of novel pictures of alphabetic characters. Throughout the series of tests, the subject showed a superiority on same judgments. PMID- 17752465 TI - Use of Indigenous Rubidium to Trace Potassium Fertilizer in the Pinus resinosa Ecosystem. PMID- 17752467 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17752466 TI - Use of Indigenous Rubidium to Trace Potassium Fertilizer in the Pinus resinosa Ecosystem. PMID- 17752469 TI - NEW CONTRIBUTIONS IN STEROL METABOLISM. PMID- 17752468 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17752470 TI - NATIONAL PARKS IN AFRICA. PMID- 17752472 TI - CYCLONE AND ANTI-CYCLONE. PMID- 17752471 TI - THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE. PMID- 17752473 TI - THE CLASSIFICATION OF PYTHIUM. PMID- 17752475 TI - "TASTE DEFICIENCY" FOR CREATINE. PMID- 17752474 TI - THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE AND FREE WILL. PMID- 17752476 TI - A METHOD FOR THE STUDY OF CHROMOSOMES IN ENTIRE INSECT EGGS. PMID- 17752478 TI - RECONSTRUCTION WORK BY THE USE OF CELLOPHANE. PMID- 17752477 TI - SIMULTANEITY IN THE ONSET OF POLIOMYELITIS. PMID- 17752479 TI - PRIMITIVE OR FILTERABLE FORMS OF BACTERIA. PMID- 17752481 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. II. PMID- 17752480 TI - DIAMAGNETISM IN METAL CRYSTALS. PMID- 17752482 TI - International Exchanges. PMID- 17752483 TI - The Army Medical Library. PMID- 17752484 TI - COMMENTS by Readers. PMID- 17752485 TI - The Phosphorescence of Chlorophyll and Some Chlorin Derivatives. PMID- 17752487 TI - Rate of Vaporization of Sulfur. PMID- 17752486 TI - The Cytological Effects of Podophyllin. PMID- 17752488 TI - Suppression of Axillary Growth in Decapitated Tobacco Plants by Chemicals. PMID- 17752490 TI - Crystalline Kitol. PMID- 17752489 TI - Effect of Streptomycin on the Metabolism of Certain Mycobacteria. PMID- 17752491 TI - An Interphase Analyzer of the Electroencephalogram. PMID- 17752492 TI - A Simple Method for Administering Nebulized Penicillin. PMID- 17752493 TI - Production of Quantitative Infections With the Filariae of the Cotton Rat. PMID- 17752494 TI - Effective Copying of Kymographic Records. PMID- 17752496 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE RECENT PROGRESS IN SPECTROSCOPY. PMID- 17752497 TI - WILLIAM RANE LAZENBY. PMID- 17752495 TI - An Adaptable Three-dimensional Graph Model. PMID- 17752499 TI - A REPLY TO "METHODS OF CRITICISM OF 'SOIL BACTERIA AND PHOSPHATES' ". PMID- 17752498 TI - SMITHSONIAN REGENTS MEETING. PMID- 17752500 TI - 1916 OR 1816? PMID- 17752502 TI - A NEW INSECT ENEMY OF THE PEACH. PMID- 17752501 TI - Organic Agricultural Chemistry (The Chemistry of Plants and Animals). PMID- 17752503 TI - THE HABIT OF LEAF-OVIPOSITION AMONG THE PARASITIC HYMENOPTERA. PMID- 17752504 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17752505 TI - THE CHARLESTON EARTHQUAKE. PMID- 17752506 TI - WOMEN ON THE NEW YORK SCHOOL BOARD. PMID- 17752507 TI - TECHNICAL AND MANUAL TRAINING CLASSES OF THE SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE ART. PMID- 17752508 TI - RIO DE JANEIRO LETTER. PMID- 17752509 TI - Milk-sickness. PMID- 17752510 TI - Effect of electric light on plant-growth. PMID- 17752511 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17752512 TI - The swindler at work again. PMID- 17752513 TI - The classics versus science. PMID- 17752514 TI - The teaching of natural history. PMID- 17752515 TI - LIQUID OXYGEN. PMID- 17752516 TI - THE PREVENTION OF CHOLERA, ASIATICA. PMID- 17752518 TI - FLORIDA. PITCHER PLANT. PMID- 17752517 TI - NEW DISCOVERIES AT BAOUSSE ROUSSE, NEAR MENTONE. PMID- 17752519 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY.-XV. PMID- 17752520 TI - ANCIENT MEXICAN HERALDRY. PMID- 17752521 TI - GAY HEAD. PMID- 17752522 TI - The Gemination of the Lines in Mars. PMID- 17752524 TI - The Ancient Libyan Alphabet. PMID- 17752523 TI - A Mountain-Top Experience. PMID- 17752525 TI - The Aurora of July 16. PMID- 17752527 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17752526 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17752529 TI - Consensus and the collective "we". PMID- 17752528 TI - Jobs in science: a vanishing market. PMID- 17752530 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17752532 TI - ABM, MIRV, and the Arms Race: ABM and MIRV require and inspire each other; together they will lessen our national security. PMID- 17752531 TI - Ultrafast processes. PMID- 17752533 TI - South Africa: (II): University System Follows Apartheid Pattern; Government Enforces Limits on Academic Dissenters. PMID- 17752535 TI - U.s.-Soviet high energy exchange. PMID- 17752537 TI - Nixon Proposes NOAA and EPA. PMID- 17752536 TI - Nixon administration accused of downgrading science. PMID- 17752538 TI - Petrified peat from a permian coal bed in antarctica. AB - Petrified plant remains that composed a Permian peat deposit occur at a coal horizon in a local area of Mount Augusta near the Beardmore Glacier in Antarctica. This discovery is the first in the entire Gondwana area that yields plant materials as exquisitely preserved as the materials of the well-known coal ball localities of the Northern Hemisphere. A sampling of anatomical details is illustrated. PMID- 17752539 TI - Marine fossils at rancho la brea. AB - Marine assemblages of foraminifera, ostracods, mollusks, and echinoids were recovered from deposits stratigraphically beneath the classic vertebrate assemblages from the tar pits at Rancho La Brea. The marine fossils indicate deposition in quiet, shallow water and suggest that accumulation of the type Rancholabrean material began during Wisconsin time. PMID- 17752540 TI - Lunar atmosphere as a source of argon-40 and other lunar surface elements. AB - The lunar atmosphere is the likely source of excess argon-40 in lunar surface material; about 8.5 percent of the argon-40 released into the lunar atmosphere will be implanted in the surface material by photoionization and subsequent interaction with fields in the solar wind. The atmosphere is also likely to be the source of other unexpected surface elements or of solar wind elements that impact from non-solar wind directions. PMID- 17752541 TI - THE PEDAGOGICS OF PATHOLOGY. PMID- 17752542 TI - PLANT MORPHOLOGY. PMID- 17752543 TI - WHICH OF THE PRESENT MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE HAVE HELD THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS MEMBERSHIP? PMID- 17752544 TI - THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17752545 TI - GENUS AND SUBGENUS. PMID- 17752547 TI - NEW JERSEY CETACEA. PMID- 17752546 TI - NOTES ON THE PERMO-CARBONIFEROUS GENUS CRICOTUS COPE. PMID- 17752548 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD OF INDICATING GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. PMID- 17752550 TI - THE FUR SEAL REPORT. PMID- 17752549 TI - ROGER BACON AND GUNPOWDER. PMID- 17752551 TI - THE LIGHT-SENSIBILITY OF COPPER-OXIDE. PMID- 17752553 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17752552 TI - RADIOACTIVITY OF UNDERGROUND WATERS IN PROVIDENCE AND THE VICINITY. PMID- 17752554 TI - PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FIRST SYRACUSE MEETING. PMID- 17752555 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17752556 TI - THE POSSIBLE CHEMOTACTIC EFFECTS OF THE SALIVARY SECRETIONS OF CERTAIN INSECTS UPON MICROFILARIAE. PMID- 17752557 TI - INDEXES OF BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS. PMID- 17752558 TI - THE JESUIT FOURTH VOW. PMID- 17752559 TI - AINU PITS IN THE KURILE ISLANDS. PMID- 17752560 TI - THE USE OF COLOR FILTERS IN COLORIMETRIC ANALYSIS. PMID- 17752561 TI - PROBABILITY OF THE PRESENCE OF A SEX ANTAGONISTIC SUBSTANCE IN URINE. PMID- 17752563 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. II. PMID- 17752562 TI - BERRIES RICH IN CALCIUM. PMID- 17752565 TI - Mossbauer Effect in Chemistry and Solid-State Physics. PMID- 17752566 TI - Melman: "Overkill" Critic Finds a Welcome Reception in Capital, but the Reasons Are Complicated. PMID- 17752564 TI - Chemistry in the Universities. PMID- 17752568 TI - The Cooperative Space Research Agency. PMID- 17752567 TI - Industrial R&D: Competition from Universities, Non-Profits, Alarms Independent Laboratories. PMID- 17752569 TI - Chronology of a Small Glacier in Eastern British Columbia, Canada. AB - The age of trees growing on the moraines of a small, high-altitude glacier in the Canadian Rockies suggests that the date of the maximum post-Pleistocene ice advance was around A.D. 1714, with another later advance about 1832. These two dates are synchronous with the two major periods of recent ice advance in the area. PMID- 17752570 TI - Amethyst: Optical Properties and Paramagnetic Resonance. AB - Color centers in amethyst are produced by the action of ionizing radiation on precursor centers that arise from substitution of Fe(+3) for Si(+4) in the alpha quartz structure. These Fe(+3) centers provide the dominant features of the electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum of amethyst. The three equivalent Si(+4) sites are unequally occupied by Fe(+3), a circumstance that explains the optical biaxiality of amethyst. PMID- 17752571 TI - Solar Neutrons and the Earth's Radiation Belts. AB - The intensity and spectrum of solar neutrons in the vicinity of the earth are calculated on the assumption that the low-energy protons recently detected in balloon and satellite flights are products of solar neutron decay. The solar neutron flux thus obtained exceeds the global average cosmic-ray neutron leakage above 10 Mev, indicating that it may be an important source of both the inner and outer radiation belts. Neutron measurements in the atmosphere are reviewed and several features of the data are found to be consistent with the estimated solar neutron spectrum. PMID- 17752572 TI - Inherited Male-Producing Factor in an Insect That Produces Its Males from Unfertilized Eggs. AB - An inherited factor causing the normal sex ratio of 92 percent females to drop to about 5 percent has been produced by selective breeding in a laboratory strain of the arrhenotokous parasitic wasp Dahlbominus fuliginosus (Nees) (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae). The factor is known to be of genetic origin and is sex-limited, being transmitted by females to their sons. Its effect on the sex ratio is constant and not influenced by the female parent, the host, or the environment. PMID- 17752573 TI - Demyelinating Diseases. PMID- 17752574 TI - Cave Ecology. PMID- 17752575 TI - Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. PMID- 17752577 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17752576 TI - Vertebrate Hard Tissues. PMID- 17752578 TI - PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FIFTH CHICAGO MEETING. PMID- 17752579 TI - COLLOIDS IN ASTRONOMY AND METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17752580 TI - JAMES W. GLOVER. PMID- 17752581 TI - GRANTS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17752582 TI - THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH OF BRAZIL. PMID- 17752583 TI - THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17752584 TI - U. S. CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS. PMID- 17752586 TI - MAN'S BIOLOGICAL OUTLOOK. PMID- 17752585 TI - THE CULTIVATION OF COTTON BY PUEBLO INDIANS OF NEW MEXICO. PMID- 17752588 TI - THE LAW OF URBAN CONCENTRATION. PMID- 17752587 TI - THE PRESERVATION OF NATURAL AREAS EXEMPLIFYING VEGETATION TYPES. PMID- 17752589 TI - THE LAW OF URBAN CONCENTRATION. PMID- 17752591 TI - DIETARY REQUIREMENTS FOR FERTILITY AND LACTATION. XXX. ROLE OF p-AMINOBENZOIC ACID AND INOSITOL IN LACTATION. PMID- 17752590 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF BOTANICAL GARDENS AND ARBORETUMS. PMID- 17752592 TI - THE GERMINATION OF MAIZE POLLEN. PMID- 17752593 TI - HEARING IN THE RAT AT HIGH FREQUENCIES. PMID- 17752595 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD FOR REMOVING THE PLUNGERS OF "FROZEN" GLASS SYRINGES. PMID- 17752594 TI - THE DAILY REMOVAL OF FORMALIN FROM PRESERVED BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS USED IN CLASS WORK. PMID- 17752596 TI - Security Stirrings. PMID- 17752597 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17752598 TI - Attempts at a Unified Theory of Elementary Particles. PMID- 17752599 TI - Apparatus for Carbon-14 Dating. PMID- 17752601 TI - On the Protection against Alloxan Diabetes by Hexoses. AB - In the article "On the protection against alloxan diabetes by hexoses" by G. Bhattacharya in the 19 Nov. 1954 issue, page 842, the heading for the second column of Table 2 should read "Oxygen uptake (microlit O(2)/30 min)." PMID- 17752600 TI - Henry K. Benson, Wood Chemist. PMID- 17752603 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17752605 TI - Reversible Photoreaction Controlling Expansion of Etiolated Bean-Leaf Disks. PMID- 17752604 TI - Hyperconjugation in Ketene Dimer. PMID- 17752606 TI - Science and Poetry. PMID- 17752607 TI - On "Improving Scientific Communication". PMID- 17752608 TI - Marking of Shrimp. PMID- 17752609 TI - ANIMAL TISSUE AFTER DEATH. PMID- 17752610 TI - THYROID EXTRACT AND CATARACTS OF THE EYE. PMID- 17752611 TI - LIVER EXTRACT FOR PERNICIOUS ANEMIA. PMID- 17752613 TI - EXTREME TEMPERATURES. PMID- 17752612 TI - COSMIC DUST. PMID- 17752615 TI - THREE INDIAN CULTURES. PMID- 17752614 TI - THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE PROCESSES. PMID- 17752616 TI - CHARLES DOOLITTLE WALCOTT PALEONTOLOGIST--1850-1927. PMID- 17752618 TI - SCIENCE AS CULTURE. PMID- 17752617 TI - NEW LIGHTS ON EVOLUTION. PMID- 17752619 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17752621 TI - HUMIDITY AND CHRONOMETRY. PMID- 17752620 TI - SIXTY-ONE NAMES UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR INCLUSION IN THE OFFICIAL LIST OF GENERIC NAMES. PMID- 17752622 TI - AN EARLY BOOK ON ALGOLOGY. PMID- 17752623 TI - CURIOSITIES OF ANTHECOLOGY. PMID- 17752624 TI - NOTES ON THE MECHANISM OF FERMENTATION. PMID- 17752625 TI - THE RELATION OF TEMPERATURE TO HYDROGEN-ION CONCENTRATION OF BUFFER SOLUTIONS. PMID- 17752627 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17752626 TI - PROTEUS HENRICENSIS NOV. SPEC. PMID- 17752628 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17752629 TI - Statistical uncertainties. PMID- 17752630 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17752631 TI - Social science research on foreign areas. PMID- 17752632 TI - Strategic Studies: British Center Said To Attract Nixon's Interest. PMID- 17752633 TI - Walter J. Hickel, advocate of economic growth as Alaska's governor, faces tougher job at Interior. PMID- 17752634 TI - Clifford m. Hardin, university of nebraska chancellor, sees important role for research at agriculture. PMID- 17752635 TI - ABM: Senators Request Outside Scientific Advice in Closed Session. PMID- 17752636 TI - Nondependence of frequency on mass: a differential experiment. AB - A differential Loran C experiment, which is independent of variations in clock rates, shows that the frequency of a radio transmission is not affected by the mass of the earth. PMID- 17752637 TI - Radar scattering from venus at large angles of incidence and the question of polar ice caps. AB - Spectrum analysis of radar waves backscattered from an anulus near the limb of Venus shows that a uniform scattering model applies over regions extending from the equator to within approximately 15 degrees of the poles. These observations indicate that large polar ice caps extending to latitudes as low as 60 degrees are very unlikely. PMID- 17752638 TI - Kaolmite layer structure: relaxation by dehydroxylation. AB - Single-crystal electron-diffraction data reveal features of metakaolin. The basal plane parameters increase 2.2 percent in formation of metakaolin produced by heating kaolinite in air at 700 degrees C for 12 hours. This increase results from removal of the distortion of sheet structure (relaxation). PMID- 17752639 TI - Oxidation of ferrous iron in vermiculite and biotite alters fixation and replaceability of potassium. AB - Oxidation of octahedral ferrous to ferric iron in soil vermiculite clays and biotites increases the potassium-fixation capacity of vermiculites and increases the difficulty of replacing interlayer potassium in biotites. This unexpected effect is believed to be related to an increase in the attractive forces between potassium ions and oxygen ions of the surface layers which is brought about by a tilting of the dipole of the octahedral hydroxyl ions from a perpendicular position to an inclined position with respect to the cleavage plane. PMID- 17752640 TI - Iron meteorites as mascons. PMID- 17752641 TI - Lunar mascons: a near-surface interpretation. PMID- 17752642 TI - Isostasy on the moon. PMID- 17752643 TI - Lunar mascons: another interpretafton. PMID- 17752644 TI - Mascons and the history of the moon. PMID- 17752645 TI - Again the walls are breached. PMID- 17752647 TI - Tours. PMID- 17752646 TI - George ellery hale centennial symposium. PMID- 17752648 TI - AAAS Annual Meeting. PMID- 17752649 TI - LATTER-DAY TAXIDERMY. PMID- 17752650 TI - "CARBORUNDUM"; A SILICIDE OF CARBON. PMID- 17752651 TI - CORN CANE. PMID- 17752653 TI - THE ASTRONOMICAL EXHIBITS AT THE WORLD'S FAIR. PMID- 17752652 TI - SCIENCE TEACHING IN SECONDARY AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS. PMID- 17752654 TI - ELECTRICAL COOKING. PMID- 17752655 TI - SUBMARINE PHOTOGRAPHY. PMID- 17752656 TI - MOUSE TRAPPING. PMID- 17752658 TI - THIE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17752657 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF COMPOSITION. PMID- 17752659 TI - PROSOPOPHORA; A GENUS OF SCALE-INSECTS NEW TO THE NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. PMID- 17752660 TI - INSECT SWARMS. PMID- 17752661 TI - THROWING STICKS. PMID- 17752662 TI - THE CLACKLE OF HENS. PMID- 17752664 TI - WATER ANALYSES. PMID- 17752663 TI - A SMALL TRAGEDY. PMID- 17752665 TI - HIGHER LEVELS OF INTEGRATION. PMID- 17752667 TI - LAWRENCE JOSEPH HENDERSON. PMID- 17752666 TI - HOW PLANT BREEDING PROGRAMS COMPLICATE PLANT DISEASE PROBLEMS. PMID- 17752669 TI - THE COMING HARVEST IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. PMID- 17752668 TI - REPORT OF THE TREASURER OF YALE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17752670 TI - THE PERMANENT SCIENCE FUND OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. PMID- 17752671 TI - THE FINNEY-HOWELL RESEARCH FOUNDATION. PMID- 17752672 TI - JUNIOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS AND THE WAR INDUSTRIES. PMID- 17752673 TI - THE NUTRITION FOUNDATION. PMID- 17752674 TI - ON THE STRIDULATIONS OF INSECTS. PMID- 17752675 TI - A STUDY OF FAUNAL DISTRIBUTION. PMID- 17752676 TI - CALENDAR REFORM AND 364-DAY YEARS. PMID- 17752677 TI - THE RELATIVE EFFECTS OF ANOXIA. PMID- 17752678 TI - OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION AND RESEARCH. PMID- 17752679 TI - THE RELATIONS BETWEEN ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE. PMID- 17752680 TI - GRANTS MADE BY THE BANTING RESEARCH FOUNDATION. PMID- 17752681 TI - THE EFFECT OF COLORED IONS ON THE PHOTO-INACTIVATION OF INVERTASE. PMID- 17752683 TI - EFFECT OF 1-ASCORBIC ACID ON THE ISOLATED FROG HEART. PMID- 17752682 TI - THE OCCURRENCE OF FITS IN PYRIDOXINE DEFICIENT RATS. PMID- 17752684 TI - THE STERILE CULTURE OF PARAMECIUM MULTIMICRONUCLEATA. PMID- 17752685 TI - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FIBRINOLYSIS IN THE MECHANISM OF COAGULATION OF BLOOD. PMID- 17752686 TI - DISCOVERY IN EASTERN WASHINGTON OF A NEW LOBE OF THE PLEISTOCENE CONTINENTAL GLACIER. PMID- 17752687 TI - BRANCHES OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE USSR. II. PMID- 17752688 TI - KARL LANDSTEINER. PMID- 17752690 TI - SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN GREAT BRITAIN. PMID- 17752689 TI - C. STUART GAGER. PMID- 17752691 TI - GRANTS FOR RESEARCH IN APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17752692 TI - THE LEWIS CASS LEDYARD, JR., FELLOWSHIP OF THE SOCIETY OF THE NEW YORK HOSPITAL. PMID- 17752694 TI - THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17752693 TI - THE CANADIAN AIRCRAFT STANDARDS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE. PMID- 17752695 TI - THE NUTRITION FOUNDATION. PMID- 17752696 TI - THE "B-COMPLEX" AWARD OF MEAD JOHNSON AND COMPANY. PMID- 17752697 TI - SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17752698 TI - A TEA PREPARED FROM NEEDLES OF PINE TREES AGAINST SCURVY. PMID- 17752699 TI - VITAMIN C IN EVERGREEN-TREE NEEDLES. PMID- 17752700 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF METHYL CHALCONE OF HESPERIDIN ON THE TOXICITY OF MAPHARSEN IN RABBITS. PMID- 17752701 TI - THE ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECT OF ENZYMATIC XANTHINE OXIDATION. PMID- 17752703 TI - THE CHICAGO MEETING. PMID- 17752702 TI - A SIMPLE THREE-COLOR MIXER USING FILTERED COLORS. PMID- 17752704 TI - SOME ECONOMIC PHASES OF BOTANY. PMID- 17752706 TI - ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. PMID- 17752705 TI - A NEW DIKE NEAR ITHACA, N. Y. PMID- 17752707 TI - THE HAWAIIAN OLONA. PMID- 17752708 TI - CAUSES OF CLIMATIC OSCILLATIONS IN PREHISTORIC TIME, PARTICULARLY IN THE ICE AGE. PMID- 17752709 TI - OBSERVATIONS ON THE ACCUMULATION OF CARBON DIOXIDE FROM STRAWBERRIES IN REFRIGERATOR CARS. PMID- 17752710 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17752712 TI - THE NATURE OF SO-CALLED DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS AND TRIPLE CONSCIOUSNESS. PMID- 17752711 TI - INDUCED SOMNAMBULISM. PMID- 17752714 TI - MUIR'S THERMAL CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17752713 TI - FOOD-ACCESSORIES: THEIR INFLUENCE ON DIGESTION. PMID- 17752715 TI - DEATH-RATE AND SANITATION IN RUSSIA. PMID- 17752716 TI - NEW YORK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT-STATION. PMID- 17752717 TI - THE RECORDING AND TRANSMISSION OF SOUND. PMID- 17752719 TI - THE RELATIVITY THEORY AND THE ETHER DRIFT. PMID- 17752718 TI - RADIOACTIVITY AND EARTHQUAKES. PMID- 17752720 TI - THE EARLIEST INHABITANTS OF AMERICA. PMID- 17752721 TI - EXPERIMENTS ON A CURE FOR SYPHILIS. PMID- 17752722 TI - THE DISPOSITION OF THE AIRPLANE CHICAGO. PMID- 17752724 TI - SOME MATHEMATICAL ASPECTS OF COSMOLOGY. PMID- 17752723 TI - THE SPECIFIC IMMUNITY OF THE TISSUES AND ITS BEARING ON TREATMENT. PMID- 17752725 TI - THE JOHN SCOTT MEDAL FUND. PMID- 17752726 TI - GILBERT VAN INGEN (1869-1925). PMID- 17752727 TI - THE SIZE OF SEA WAVES. PMID- 17752728 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17752729 TI - HEARING BETTER IN THE PRESENCE OF A NOISE. PMID- 17752730 TI - EVOLUTION AND THE BIBLE. PMID- 17752731 TI - THE BARRO COLORADO ISLAND LABORATORY. PMID- 17752732 TI - THE PREPARATION OF PROTOZOA FOR CLASS USE. PMID- 17752733 TI - THE RELATION BETWEEN PROPERTIES AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SOIL COLLOIDS. PMID- 17752735 TI - THE FUNCTION OF MATHEMATICS IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PMID- 17752734 TI - CONTINUOUS REPRODUCTION OF MICRO-ORGANISMS IN SYNTHETIC MEDIA. PMID- 17752736 TI - A TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF WISCONSIN. PMID- 17752737 TI - WINTER ACTIVITY OF THE BROWN BAT, VESPERTILIO FUSCUS (BEAUVOIS), AT BROOKLYN, N. Y. PMID- 17752738 TI - DR. HOBBS ON THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17752739 TI - A SUGGESTION REGARDING THE MECHANISM OF ONE-SIDED PERMEABILITY IN LIVING TISSUES. PMID- 17752741 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17752742 TI - A gift from the heavens. PMID- 17752740 TI - THE UTAH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17752743 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17752744 TI - An industry-friendly science policy. PMID- 17752745 TI - DOE and Texas Settle SSC Claims. PMID- 17752747 TI - People of the Amazon fight to save the flooded forest. PMID- 17752746 TI - Shoemaker-levy dazzles, bewilders. PMID- 17752748 TI - On the track of dark matter in mica. PMID- 17752749 TI - Currency redesign. PMID- 17752750 TI - Another gain in self-assembly. PMID- 17752752 TI - Speeding up diamond growth. PMID- 17752751 TI - Fetal egg-cell research scare. PMID- 17752753 TI - Foot gears. PMID- 17752754 TI - Condoms face barrier at Japan meeting. PMID- 17752755 TI - Brain Drain at UCSF? PMID- 17752756 TI - Totally tubular. PMID- 17752757 TI - Arctic Ocean Gravity Field Derived From ERS-1 Satellite Altimetry. AB - The derivation of a marine gravity field from satellite altimetry over permanently ice-covered regions of the Arctic Ocean provides much new geophysical information about the structure and development of the Arctic sea floor. The Arctic Ocean, because of its remote location and perpetual ice cover, remains from a tectonic point of view the most poorly understood ocean basin on Earth. A gravity field has been derived with data from the ERS-1 radar altimeter, including permanently ice-covered regions. The gravity field described here clearly delineates sections of the Arctic Basin margin along with the tips of the Lomonosov and Arctic mid-ocean ridges. Several important tectonic features of the Amerasia Basin are clearly expressed in this gravity field. These include the Mendeleev Ridge; the Northwind Ridge; details of the Chukchi Borderland; and a north-south trending, linear feature in the middle of the Canada Basin that apparently represents an extinct spreading center that "died" in the Mesozoic. Some tectonic models of the Canada Basin have proposed such a failed spreading center, but its actual existence and location were heretofore unknown. PMID- 17752758 TI - Spatial Organization and Time Dependence of Jupiter's Tropospheric Temperatures, 1980-1993. AB - The spatial organization and time dependence of Jupiter's temperatures near 250 millibar pressure were measured through a jovian year by imaging thermal emission at 18 micrometers. The temperature field is influenced by seasonal radiative forcing, and its banded organization is closely correlated with the visible cloud field. Evidence was found for a quasi-periodic oscillation of temperatures in the Equatorial Zone, a correlation between tropospheric and stratospheric waves in the North Equatorial Belt, and slowly moving thermal features in the North and South Equatorial Belts. There appears to be no common relation between temporal changes of temperature and changes in the visual albedo of the various axisymmetric bands. PMID- 17752759 TI - A unified description of linear and nonlinear polarization in organic polymethine dyes. AB - An internal or external electric field F can drive the chemical structure, bond order alternation, and electronic structure of linear polymethine dyes from a neutral, bond-alternated, polyene-like structure, through a cyanine-like structure, and ultimately to a zwitterionic (charge-separated) bond-alternated structure. As the structure evolves under the influence of F, the linear polarizability alpha, the first hyperpolarizability beta, and the second hyperpolarizability gamma are seen to be derivatives, with respect to F, of their next lower order polarization (for alpha) or polarizability (for beta and gamma). These derivative relations provide a unified picture of the dependence of the polarizability and hyperpolarizabilities on the structure in linear polymethine dyes. In addition, they allow for predictions of structure-property relations of higher order hyperpolarizabilities. PMID- 17752760 TI - A formation mechanism for catalytically grown helix-shaped graphite nanotubes. AB - The concept of a spatial-velocity hodograph is introduced to describe quantitatively the extrusion of a carbon tubule from a catalytic particle. The conditions under which a continuous tubular surface can be generated are discussed in terms of this hodograph, the shape of which determines the geometry of the initial nanotube. The model is consistent with all observed tubular shapes and explains why the formation process induces stresses that may lead to "spontaneous" plastic deformation of the tubule. This result is due to the violation of the continuity condition, that is, to the mismatch between the extrusion velocity by the catalytic particle, required to generate a continuous tubular surface, and the rate of carbon deposition. PMID- 17752762 TI - Fullerenes in the cretaceous-tertiary boundary layer. AB - High-pressure liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-visible spectral analysis of toluene extracts of samples from two Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary sites in New Zealand has revealed the presence of C(60) at concentrations of 0.1 to 0.2 parts per million of the associated soot. This technique verified also that fullerenes are produced in similar amounts in the soots of common flames under ambient atmospheric conditions. Therefore, the C(60) in the K-T boundary layer may have originated in the extensive wildfires that were associated with the cataclysmic impact event that terminated the Mezozoic era about 65 million years ago. PMID- 17752761 TI - A devonian tetrapod from north america. AB - An early tetrapod fossil from the Upper Devonian of Pennsylvania (Catskill Formation) extends the temporal range of tetrapods in North America and suggests that they attained a virtually global equatorial distribution by the end of the Devonian. Derived features of the shoulder girdle indicate that appendicular mechanisms of support and propulsion were well developed even in the earliest phases of tetrapod history. The specialized morphology of the pectoral skeleton implies that the diversity of early tetrapods was great and is suggestive of innovative locomotor patterns in the first tetrapods. PMID- 17752763 TI - The genome negotiations. PMID- 17752764 TI - Fieldwork in the north. PMID- 17752765 TI - A technological economy. PMID- 17752766 TI - Vignettes: a human activity. PMID- 17752767 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17752768 TI - World Soil and Fertilizer Resources in Relation to Food Needs. PMID- 17752770 TI - Philip W. Schutz, 1908-1947. PMID- 17752769 TI - Modern Concepts of Inflammation. PMID- 17752772 TI - COMMENTS by Readers. PMID- 17752771 TI - John Lewis Sheldon, 1865-1947. PMID- 17752773 TI - Inability of Thymine to Substitute for Folic Acid in the Rat. PMID- 17752774 TI - Experimental Diabetes and Diet. AB - In the experiments described the following observations have been made: (1) The toxic and diabetogenic action of alloxan increases in rats fed a low protein diet and even more so in the case of a high lard or ox fat diet. (2) The action of these fat diets was corrected by the addition of methionine, thiouracil, or coconut oil, but there was no modification either by addition of choline or sulfonamide or by increase in the protein proportion. (3) In rats fed other high fat diets (olive oil, butter) the actions of alloxan were not modified, but there was a slight diminution when high oleomargarine or corn oil diets were fed. However, complete protection was observed when a high coconut oil diet was administered. (4) The unfavorable effect of the high lard diet was observed also on the initiation and evolution of diabetes due to subtotal pancreatectomy. Contrarily, feeding a high protein diet and especially treatment with thiouracil had a favorable effect. (5) Diabetes appeared first in subtotal pancreatectomized rats which were overfed, then in those which ate ad libitum, and finally in those which were underfed. Diabetes appeared in rats fed a single meal before it did in those eating the same amount of food divided into three meals. PMID- 17752775 TI - Mechanism of the Antibiotic Action of Certain Quinones. PMID- 17752776 TI - Virus Hemagglutination. PMID- 17752777 TI - Reconsideration of the Photosynthetic Mechanism in Chlorella. PMID- 17752778 TI - Electron Micrographs of X-Ray-treated Escherichia coli Cells. PMID- 17752779 TI - Methods for Increasing the Value of Hydra as Material in Teaching and Research. PMID- 17752780 TI - A Mirror Device for Studying Lower Surfaces of Small Objects Using a Dissecting Microscope. PMID- 17752781 TI - Saturation Concentrations of Triethylene Glycol Vapor at Various Relative Humidities and Temperatures. PMID- 17752782 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17752784 TI - WILBUR CLITONT KNIGHT. PMID- 17752783 TI - MENDEL'S LAW OF HEREDITY. AB - 1. The basic principle in Mendel's discoveries is that of the purity of t. he germcells; in accordance with this a cross-bred animal or plant produces germ cells bearing only one of each pair of characters in which its parents differ. From it follows the occurrence in the second and later hybrid generations of a definite number of forms in definite numerical proportions. 2. Mendel's principle of dominance is realized in the heredity of a considerable number of characters among both animals and plants. In accordance with this principle, hybrid offspring have visibly the character of only one parent or the other, though they transmit those of both parents. 3. In other cases the hybrid has a distinctive character of its own. This may approximate more or less closely the character of one parent or the other, or it may be entirely different from both. Frequently the distinctive hybrid character resembles a lost ancestral character. In some cases of this sort, as in coat-color of mammals, the hybrid character probably results from a recomibination of the characters seen in one or both parents, with certain Other characters latent (that is, recessive) in one parent or the other. 4. There have been observed the following exceptions to the principle of dominance, or to the principle of purity of the germ-cells, or to both: (a) Mosaic inheritance, in which a pair of characters ordinarily related as dominant and recessive occur in a balanced relationship, side by side in the hybrid individual and frequently in its germ-cells also. This balanced condition, once obtained, is usually stable under close breeding, but is readily disturbed by cross-breeding, giving place then to the normal dominance. (b) Stable (self perpetuating) hybrid forms result from certain crosses. These constitute an exception to both the law of dominance and to that of purity of the germ-cells. For the hybrid is like neither parent, but the characters of both parents exist in a stable union in the mature germcells produced by the hybrid. (c) Coupling, i. e., complete correlation may exist between two or more characters, so that they form a compound unit not separable in heredity, at least in certain crosses. (d) Disintegration of characters apparently simple may take place in consequence of cross-breeding. (e) Departures from the expected ratios of dominants to recessives may be explained in some cases as due to inferior vigor, and so greater mortality, on the part of dominants or recessives respectively. (f) Cases of apparent reversal of dominance may arise from 'false hybridization' (induced lparthenogenesis). Possibly in other cases the determination of dominance rests with circumstances as yet unknown. 5. Mendel's principles strengthen the view that species arise by discontinuous variation. They explain why new types are especially variable, how one variation causes others, and why certain variations are so persistent in their Occurrence. PMID- 17752785 TI - TOXIC EFFECT OF ACIDS ON SEEDLINGS. PMID- 17752786 TI - PRIMITIVE FLAGEOLETS. PMID- 17752787 TI - SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXAMINATIONS. PMID- 17752788 TI - Water or nuclear power: which costs less? PMID- 17752789 TI - Conspiracy and espionage. PMID- 17752790 TI - Ph.D.'s Need High Hurdles. PMID- 17752791 TI - Brain drain. PMID- 17752792 TI - Radar observations of insects in free flight. PMID- 17752793 TI - Growth-rings of trees: their correlation with climate. AB - Many differences in the ring-width growth within a tree may be attributed to changing supplies of food and hormones. In moist sites or during periods of favorable climate, there may be sufficient food for the production of wide rings throughout the tree. But in dry sites or during years of low moisture and high temperatures, food competition within the tree is likely to be greater and the cambium at the base of the stem is likely to receive a limited food supply and may produce narrow rings. The cambium at the stem base depends upon the entire crown for food, hence ring growth reflects the tree's ambient climate. But, the cambium in the top of the tree or in the upper branches depends upon a more restricted portion of the crown for its food and hormone supplies. The rings produced by the cambium vary greatly from branch to branch and are less reliable indicators of the climate surrounding the entire tree than rings at the tree base. Therefore, ring series at the base of trees in semiarid sites provide the most reliable, as well as the longest, record of macroclimatic variation. Tree ring widths in certain coniferous species growing in semiarid sites appear to represent the integrated effect of climate on food-making and food accumulation in the crown throughout the 14 to 15 months previous to and including the period of growth. Trees in warm, low-elevation sites may utilize winter moisture most efficiently; trees in cool, high-elevation or more northern sites may utilize early summer and early autumn moisture most efficiently. But even with these differences, a significant amount of variance is found to be common among tree ring series from a wide range of sites, species, and geographical areas in western North America (14, 19, 34), emphasizing a common dependence of ring widths on the gross regional patterns of precipitation and temperature. The remaining variance, which is not correlated among sites, may be attributed to local en-vironmental and climatic differences, to variability among and within trees, and to compounding effects of occasional fires, insect or other infestations, and recurring years of high seed production. It is evident that a large portion of the variability in ring-width patterns from semiarid sites in western North America does reflect differences in climate from year to year. If ring chro- nologies are derived from a number of trees in semiarid sites and if adequate corrections for age and trend are made, these chronologies may be used to reconstruct a first approximation of annual, or somewhat longer period, climatic fluctuations in the past (19). PMID- 17752795 TI - Anti-missile missile:next entry in the arms race? PMID- 17752794 TI - Scientific advice in the state department. PMID- 17752796 TI - Ex-administration officials discuss u.s. Policy in Asia. PMID- 17752798 TI - Science and technology: house subcommittee offers capitol ideas. PMID- 17752797 TI - UNESCO: Stress on Development Brings Parity for Science. PMID- 17752799 TI - Amendments to AAAS Constitution. PMID- 17752800 TI - Energy spectra of a number of celestial x-ray sources in the energy range from 2 to 60 kiloelectron volts. AB - The emission of 20 to 60 kev x-rays by an astronomical object in the constellation of Cygnus has been observed with a balloon-borne x-ray telescope flown from Hyderabad, India. The balloon data, used in conjunction with data pertaining to the flux in the wavelength range from 2 to 10 A can be fitted by a power law in photon energy varying as (h(v))-(1.7). The Cygnus object is the brightest object in the sky in the hard x-ray wavelength range and has the hardest spectrum of all observed objects that emit x-rays. The astronomical object should be capable of accelerating protons up to energies of the order of 10(18) electron volts. Upper limits to the hard x-ray fluxes from Sco XR-1, Cyg XR-2, Oph XR-1, and Ser XR-1 are established; it is shown that the Sco XR-1 spectrum is very soft. PMID- 17752801 TI - Eclogitic pyroxenes, ordered with p2 symmetry. AB - X-ray diffraction crystal-structure analysis of omphacite from eclogite, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, shows that this clinopyroxene has P2 symmetry with a nearly ordered distribution of the multiple cation content defined by its approximate formula: (Na(o.5) Ca(o.5)) (Mg(o.4)Fe(2)+( 0.1) Al(0.4) Fe(3) +(0.1)) Si(2)0(6). Na+ and Ca(2+) tend to assume alternate locations in the structure, and ( Mg,Fe(2+)) octahedra alternate with Al(3+). or (Al,F(3+)) octahedra in chains along c. PMID- 17752802 TI - Crystal structure of the zeolite paulingite. AB - Paulingite, a zeolite, has a framework structure consisting of 2016 atoms (672 silicon or aluminum and 1344 oxygen) which are in a cubic cell with an edge of length 35.093 A. The framework has several features in common with the synthetic zeolites Linde A and ZK-5; the main channels are of similar size. We have also located most of the cations and water molecules inside the frame-work. PMID- 17752803 TI - Silurian of central Texas: a first record for the region. AB - Silurian outcrops, not previously recorded from central Texas, have been identified from the Llano uplift, where they occur in collapse structures within the Lower Ordovician Honeycut Formation of the Ellenburger Group. The formation is a pinkish-gray granular limestone, contains fossils of probable Wenlock age, and is named the Starcke Limestone. PMID- 17752804 TI - Carbon tetrachloride: a new crystalline modification. AB - X-ray and optical studies of single crystals of carbon tetrachloride have established the existence of a previously unreported rhombohedral modification stable between the melting point and the transition temperature. The discovery of this phase emphasizes the need for a careful reinterpretation of available measurements of the thermal properties of solid carbon tetrachloride. PMID- 17752805 TI - Photochemical evolution of oxygen from certain aqueous solutions. AB - Illumination of aqueous solutions containing ferric ions and hydrogen peroxide leads to evolution of 0(2) by way of a chain reaction. The photochemically active intermediate is the complex between Fe(3) and HO(2)-. The effects of pH and concentration of the reagent on the quantum yield (chain length) are reported. PMID- 17752806 TI - Thermal properties of water: discontinuities questioned. AB - Reports of discontinuities have been tabulated, and those dealing with vibrational spectrum and volume have been examined in detail. No evidence has been found of any discontinuity greater than experimental error. PMID- 17752807 TI - Proliferation of cells in the central cylinder of the reduced mutant in lanceolate tomato. AB - When the reduced phenotype in homozygous lanceolate tomato is cultured on a sterile nutrient medium, there is a considerable amount of cell division within the central cylinder. Such proliferation may occur in response to a stimulus furnished to the shoot by the root. PMID- 17752808 TI - Respiration of a Forest Measured by Carbon Dioxide Accumulation during Temperature Inversions. AB - Nocturnal accumulations of carbon dioxide during 40 temperature inversions in 1 year were used as an index of the metabolic activity of a forest. Rates of CO(2) production varied with temperature and with season. Spring and summer rates were 2 to 3 times higher than winter rates at the same temperature. Mean monthly temperatures, averaged over 15 years, were used with the curves of respiration on temperature to compute annual gross respiration of the Brookhaven oak-pine forest. The forest was estimated to have a yearly release of approximately 3400 grams of CO(2) per square meter, theoretically equivalent to 2104 grams of dry matter (carbohydrate). PMID- 17752809 TI - Light reaction in green plant photosynthesis:a method of study. AB - Frozen green plants (Chlorella) carry out a photoreaction which can be assayed by measuring the light produced when the sample is heated. Heating at a rate of several degrees per second gives a measurable signal which shows that green plants can store energy at very low temperatures. The absorption cross section for the unit which carries out the photoreaction is several hundred times larger than that for one chlorophyll molecule, an indication that these are the "photosynthetic units" of photosynthesis. PMID- 17752810 TI - Environmental pollution. PMID- 17752811 TI - Antidepressant drugs. PMID- 17752812 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17752813 TI - The Polysulfides in Levinstein Process Mustard Gas. PMID- 17752815 TI - Erratum. AB - The price of Thermodynamics for chemists by Samuel Glasstone was incorrectly quoted in its review by Don M. Yost in Science, September 26. The book is a single volume, not one of a series, and its correct price is $5.00. PMID- 17752814 TI - Starring in American Men of Science. PMID- 17752816 TI - COMMENTS by Readers. PMID- 17752817 TI - Effect of Rutin on Anaphylactic and Histamine Shock. PMID- 17752818 TI - Ammonia Nitrogen Produced From Isomeric Peptides in Kidney Homogenate Digests. PMID- 17752819 TI - Inhibition of the Enzymatic Hydrolysis of ATP by Certain Cardiac Drugs. PMID- 17752820 TI - Use of Insoluble Penicillin Salts for the Prolongation of Penicillin Blood Levels. PMID- 17752821 TI - Creatinuria in Diabetics and an Evaluation of Methods for Determining Total Creatinine. AB - Creatinuria was found in all 42 diabetic clinic subjects of both sexes taken at random. Total creatinine determined in the urines of diabetics by the Albanese modification showed a variable deviation (in magnitude and direction) when compared with total creatinine obtained by the Folin method. PMID- 17752822 TI - Interpretation of Lignin: The Synthesis of Gymnosperm Lignin. PMID- 17752823 TI - Ortho-Hydroxyphenylacetic Acid From an Amorphous Penicillin. PMID- 17752824 TI - The Laboratory Preparation of Mustard Gas. PMID- 17752825 TI - Oxidation of beta-Carotene With Osmium Tetroxide. PMID- 17752827 TI - Applied Anthropological Research. PMID- 17752826 TI - An Improved Electromagnetic Sphygmograph. PMID- 17752828 TI - THE STATE AS AN ECONOMIC FACTOR. PMID- 17752830 TI - MANUAL TRAINING. PMID- 17752829 TI - CLIMATE AND COSMOLOGY. PMID- 17752831 TI - The Seventh Pacific Science Congress. PMID- 17752832 TI - Evidence for the Occurrence of Nor-Epinephrine in the Adrenal Medulla. PMID- 17752833 TI - The Separation of l-Arterenol from Natural U. S. P. Epinephrine. PMID- 17752834 TI - The Determination of Arterenol in Epinephrine. PMID- 17752835 TI - A Capillary-Ascent Test Tube Method for Separating Amino Acids by Filter Paper Chromatography. PMID- 17752836 TI - Inhibition of Estrogen-induced Growth in the Genital Tract of the Female Chick by a Purine Antagonist; Reversal by Adenine. PMID- 17752837 TI - An Improved Apparatus and Procedure for Ascending Paper Chromatography on Large Size Filter Paper Sheets. PMID- 17752838 TI - Electrical Still. PMID- 17752839 TI - Application of Probits to Sweet Corn Earliness Data. PMID- 17752840 TI - A Linear Diffusion Method Suitable for Large Scale Microbiological Antibiotic Assay. PMID- 17752841 TI - A Prothrombin Conversion Accelerator in Serum. PMID- 17752843 TI - Neurospora as an Object of Genetic Study--a Correction. PMID- 17752842 TI - Potentiality for Testicular Recrudescence during the Annual Refractory Period of the Golden-crowned Sparrow. PMID- 17752846 TI - Erratum. AB - In the report "Color vision is altered during the suppression phase of binocular rivalry" by Earl L. Smith III et al. (19 Nov., p. 802), four entries in Table 1 (p. 803) were incorrect. The dominance scores at 460 nanometers should be 4.37* for both subjects E.S. and D. L., and the dominance scores at 640 nm should be 4.37* for E.S. and 4.64* for D.L. PMID- 17752845 TI - Reply to D. P. Rogers. PMID- 17752847 TI - Not normal littermates. PMID- 17752844 TI - Action of Coal-tar Dyes and Related Compounds on agr-Amino Acids. PMID- 17752848 TI - Appeal from the soviet union. PMID- 17752849 TI - Empirical research in economics. PMID- 17752850 TI - Decline in industrial engineering. PMID- 17752851 TI - Pathfinding by peripheral pioneer neurons in grasshoppers. AB - Grasshopper neurons accurately project axons across long distances between peripheral structures and the central nervous system. Nerve-trunk pathways followed by these axons are established early in embryogenesis by pioneer neurons. Growth cones from the first pioneers navigate along a chain of cells to the CNS. The placement of these cells may constitute the initial guidance mechanism underlying long-distance pathfinding. PMID- 17752852 TI - Europe's Fast Breeders Move to a Slow Track. PMID- 17752853 TI - Breeders and bombs. PMID- 17752854 TI - Can OMB Cure Accountability Strife? PMID- 17752856 TI - The dense pack debate begins. PMID- 17752855 TI - ACLU 2, Creationists 0. PMID- 17752857 TI - Space astronomy: the next 30 years. PMID- 17752858 TI - Laser light "cools" sodium atoms to 0.07 k. PMID- 17752859 TI - Astronauts Can't Stomach Zero Gravity. PMID- 17752861 TI - Affiliate societies form working groups. PMID- 17752860 TI - News from interciencia. PMID- 17752862 TI - Mass media fellowships offered. PMID- 17752863 TI - Chartbook shows employment trends in science and engineering. PMID- 17752864 TI - Foreign graduate students offered grants for march r&d colloquium. PMID- 17752866 TI - Evolution by metaphor. PMID- 17752865 TI - Polish scientist jailed. PMID- 17752867 TI - An expedition. PMID- 17752868 TI - The workings of ecosystems. PMID- 17752869 TI - Andesite genesis. PMID- 17752870 TI - Air pollutant emissions from kerosene space heaters. AB - Air pollutant emissions from portable convective and radiant kerosene space heaters were measured in an environmental chamber. Emission factors for nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen depletion are presented. The data suggest that the use of such heaters in residences can result in exposures to air pollutants in excess of ambient air quality standards and in some cases in excess of occupational health standards. PMID- 17752871 TI - Dehalogenation: a novel pathway for the anaerobic biodegradation of haloaromatic compounds. AB - Microorganisms of lake sediment and sewage sludge anaerobically metabolized halobenzoates by a novel pathway. The primary degradative event was loss of the aryl halide without the alteration of the aromatic ring. Dehalogenation required strict anaerobic conditions and depended on the halogen and position, but not the number of halogen substituents. A stable methanogenic bacterial consortium was enriched from sludge and found capable of dehalogenating and often mineralizing a variety of halobenzoates to CH(4) and CO(2). The results suggest that reductive dehalogenation of aromatics could be important in removal of some chlorinated xenobiotics from the environment. PMID- 17752872 TI - The Sperm Attractant of the Marine Brown Alga Ascophyllum nodosum (Phaeophyceae). AB - Spermatozoids of the intertidal seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) are attracted to eggs prior to fertilization. The attractant has been isolated and its structure identified as 1(3E, 5Z, 8Z)-undecatetraene (finavarrene). The relation of finavarrene to sex hormones in other brown algae is discussed. PMID- 17752873 TI - Leaf closure in the venus flytrap: an Acid growth response. AB - The rapid closure of leaves in the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) involves irreversible cell enlargement, which can be initiated by acidifying the cell walls to pH 4.50 and below. Leaves infiltrated with neutral buffers that keep the pH above 4.50 to 4.75 will not close in response to stimulation of their trigger hairs even though the action potentials that ordinarily cause closure are produced. During the 1 to 3 seconds required for closure about 29 percent of the cellular adenosine triphosphate is lost. It is likely that this adenosine triphosphate is used in very rapid transport of hydrogen ions from the motor cells and that the movement is due to a mechanism of "acid growth." PMID- 17752874 TI - Experimental induction of altered nonmicrofibrillar cellulose. AB - Cellulose produced by Acetobacter xylinum was experimentally modified during its biosynthesis. In the presence of fluorescent brightening agents, such as Calcofluor White M2R or Tinopal LPW, nonmicrofibrillar sheets of cellulose were synthesized by the bacteria. These sheets could then be converted to fibrils by washing with distilled water. Possible mechanisms for these modifications of cellulose assembly are disscussed. PMID- 17752875 TI - Mating types in screwworm populations? PMID- 17752876 TI - Mating types in screwworm populations? PMID- 17752877 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17752879 TI - OLD PROBLEMS AND A NEW TECHNIQUE. PMID- 17752878 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17752880 TI - SPACES OF STATISTICS AND THEIR METRIZATION. PMID- 17752883 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17752882 TI - ALEXANDROVSK BIOLOGICAL STATION. PMID- 17752881 TI - PAUL HEINRICH VON GROTH. PMID- 17752884 TI - THE ETIOLOGY OF EUROPEAN FOULBROOD OF BEES. PMID- 17752885 TI - CONCERNING MAN'S ANTIQUITY AT FREDERICK, OKLAHOMA. PMID- 17752886 TI - "EXIT THE TENTAMEN, BUT..." WHAT? PMID- 17752888 TI - SEPARATIONS BY THE IONIC MIGRATION METHOD. PMID- 17752887 TI - VISIBLE RADIATION FROM EXCITED NERVE FIBER AGAIN. PMID- 17752889 TI - A CONVENIENT METHOD OF MEASURING QUANTITIES OF CHLOROPLAST PIGMENTS. PMID- 17752891 TI - THE ISOLATION AND FUNCTION OF PHOSPHOCREATINE. PMID- 17752890 TI - DETERMINING SOIL MOISTURE RAPIDLY AND ACCURATELY BY METHYL ALCOHOL. PMID- 17752892 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE THE WASHINGTON MEETING. PMID- 17752894 TI - PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIAL FELLOWSHIPS. PMID- 17752893 TI - THE WORK OF THE ELECTRICAL DIVISION OF THE BUREAU OF STANDARDS. PMID- 17752895 TI - UNIVERSITY REGISTRATION STATISTICS. PMID- 17752897 TI - HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS IN THE RECENT EDITION OF THE ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA. PMID- 17752896 TI - "GENOTYPES," "BIOTYPES," "PURE LINES" AND "CLONES". PMID- 17752898 TI - DEVASTATION OF FORESTS IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. PMID- 17752899 TI - ON POWERS OF TEN. PMID- 17752900 TI - INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN RESEARCH. PMID- 17752901 TI - SIR WILLIAM OSLER'S SILLIMAN LECTURES. PMID- 17752902 TI - PROFESSOR BOWMAN'S EXPEDITION TO THE CENTRAL ANDES. PMID- 17752903 TI - GLACIAL EXCURSION OF THE CANADIAN GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS. PMID- 17752905 TI - BLOCKS AND SEGMENTS. PMID- 17752904 TI - THE NEED FOR ENDOWED AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17752906 TI - CRITICAL CRITERIA ON BASIN RANGE STRUCTURE. PMID- 17752907 TI - AN INVESTIGATION OF A "HAUNTED" HOUSE. PMID- 17752908 TI - THE SO-CALLED AEROSTATIC HAIRS OF CERTAIN LEPIDOPTEROUS LARVAe. PMID- 17752909 TI - IS THE BIENNIAL HABIT OF OEligNOTHERA RACES CONSTANT IN THEIR NATIVE LOCALITIES? PMID- 17752911 TI - THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17752910 TI - THE LOWER CALIFORNIA PRONGHORN ANTELOPE. PMID- 17752912 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17752913 TI - ADDRESS TO THE MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SECTION OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17752914 TI - SPECIAL ARTICLES. PMID- 17752916 TI - ACTA OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. PMID- 17752915 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17752917 TI - Proposal for an International Union of Solar System Physics. PMID- 17752918 TI - Basic Research: Capabilities of Universities and Other Research Organizations. PMID- 17752919 TI - The Same Old Gang? PMID- 17752920 TI - Storage Rings. PMID- 17752922 TI - Congress: Its Critics Fulminate, But Some Insiders See Chance for Most Productive Session in Years. PMID- 17752921 TI - The Humanities in the Scientific Curriculum. PMID- 17752923 TI - Mixed Band of Sponsors Propose Investigation of Federal Research. PMID- 17752924 TI - Environmental Health Center: PHS Project Stalled on Several Counts; Site and Scope Are Still in Dispute. PMID- 17752925 TI - Mechanism of Supercontraction in a Striated Muscle Fiber. AB - Cross-striated muscle fibers may contract reversibly to less than 30 percent of their rest length and it is not easy to reconcile this fact with the sliding filament model of muscular contraction. The mechanism of supercontraction has been studied in fibrils obtained from the giant muscle fibers of the barnacle Balanus nubilus. They were examined by phase-contrast light microscopy and electron microscopy. Contraction beyond the 50-percent stage was found to be achieved largely by the passage of thick filaments through the Z-disks, which are perforated. The overlap of thick filaments from adjacent sarcomeres causes the appearance of the contraction bands about the Z-disks. Subsequent contraction is associated with a folding and loose coiling, but not a shortening, of the thick filaments. PMID- 17752926 TI - Indium Telluride Metal. AB - Metallic indium telluride, InTe(II), is metastable up to 125 degrees C at one atmosphere pressure. It has a cubic crystal structure and has a light blue olor. PMID- 17752927 TI - Olfactory Receptor Response to the Cockroach Sexual Attractant. AB - The recently isolated sex attractant of the female American cockroach elicits an electical response in the antennae of males, females, and mymphs of this species. These electroantennograms are known to be summated receptor (generator) potentials of many olfactory sensillae stimulated simultaneously. Many other odorous substances also elicit such responses in the cockroach antenna. PMID- 17752928 TI - Insect Fecundity and Fertility: Chemically Induced Decrease. AB - Ingestion of arsenite by braconid wasps, which have mature ovaries at eclosion, results in a nonselective lowering of egg production; of the eggs produced, the percentage of eggs hatched was not lowered. The effectiveness of the somatic tissues concerned with food assimilation and utilization was altered. The folic acid antagonist, methotrexate, inhibits developing gametes directly, so that differential destruction of gametes and death of zygotes occurs. PMID- 17752930 TI - A Speculation on New Molecules. PMID- 17752931 TI - Complement and Hemolysis. PMID- 17752929 TI - Labeled Oxygen: Increased Diffusion Rate through Soil Containing Growing Corn Roots. AB - The diffusion of oxygen labeled with oxygen-18 through cores of wet soil increased significantly when roots of growing corn seedlings penetrated the cores. The increase was small or absent when roots grew through a layer of soft wax or a layer of water-saturated 0.5-mm glass beads, indicating that the diffusion increase was a joint effect of the roots and airfilled pores in the soil. A possible mechanism is suggested. PMID- 17752933 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17752932 TI - Thirst: Regulation of Body Water. PMID- 17752935 TI - Rudolf W. Glaser 1888-1947. PMID- 17752934 TI - Distribution of American Research Funds. PMID- 17752937 TI - A Living Metasequoia in China. PMID- 17752936 TI - AAAS Meetings and Lantern Slides. PMID- 17752938 TI - Projection of Artificial Meteor Trails on the Moon. PMID- 17752939 TI - Value of Cytochrome C in Anoxia of Newborn Guinea Pigs. PMID- 17752940 TI - Streptomycin-sensitive, -dependent, and -resistant Bacteria. PMID- 17752941 TI - The Static Electrification of Dust Clouds. PMID- 17752942 TI - The Effect of agr-Tocopheryl Phosphate on Diphosphopyridine Nucleotidase. PMID- 17752943 TI - The Sex of the Host as a Factor in Plasmodium gallinaceum Infections in Young Chicks. PMID- 17752944 TI - The Effect of Relative Concentration on Complement Fixation by Identical Amounts of Antigen and Antibody. PMID- 17752945 TI - Effect of Low Temperatures on the Germination of Inbred Lines of Sweet Corn. PMID- 17752946 TI - The Solubility of Progesterone in Saline. PMID- 17752947 TI - A Rapid Method for Celloidin Impregnation of Undecalcified Bone. PMID- 17752948 TI - A Simplified Procedure for Breaking Diapause in Grasshopper Eggs. PMID- 17752949 TI - A Proposed Provisional Definition of Poliomyelitis Virus. PMID- 17752951 TI - Some More Problems in Bird Migration. PMID- 17752950 TI - Continental Drift and Bird Migration. PMID- 17752953 TI - Bird Migration and Magnetic Meridians. PMID- 17752952 TI - Bird Migration and Pressure Patterns. PMID- 17752954 TI - Bird Migration Over the Mediterranean. PMID- 17752955 TI - Sensitivity of the Homing Pigeon to the Magnetic Field of the Earth. PMID- 17752956 TI - On Continental Drift and Bird Migration. PMID- 17752957 TI - The Colchicine and Colchicine-like Reaction as a Possible Response to Enzymic Poisoning. PMID- 17752958 TI - The Crystalline Form of Sodium Ascorbate. PMID- 17752959 TI - Effect of Hyaluronidase and of Hyaluronic Acid on Cultures of Trypanosomes, Leishmania, and Amoebae. PMID- 17752960 TI - Responses of Cuttings, Seeds, and Flowers to Dithiobiuret. PMID- 17752961 TI - Effect of Dietary Factors on Early Mortality and Hemoglobinuria in Rats Following Administration of Alloxan. PMID- 17752962 TI - Growth and Fruiting of Tomato Plants as Influenced by Growth-regulating Substances Applied to the Soil. PMID- 17752963 TI - Early Maturation of Calimyrna Fig Fruits by Means of Synthetic Hormone Sprays. PMID- 17752964 TI - Electronic Mapping of the Activity of the Heart and the Brain. PMID- 17752965 TI - Does the U. S. P. Vitamin A-deficient Diet Require Supplementation With Ascorbic Acid? PMID- 17752966 TI - The Effectiveness of Carbarsone in Rendering Young Mice Free of Intestinal Protozoa. PMID- 17752967 TI - William Delbert Funkhouser 1881-1948. PMID- 17752968 TI - Factoring. PMID- 17752969 TI - An international effort in chemical science. PMID- 17752970 TI - U.s.-European cooperation in space science: a 25-year perspective. AB - In the past 25 years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has engaged in a range of cooperative activities in space with other countries and international organizations, most of the scientific interactions being with Europe. The character of U.S.-European cooperation in space science is changing as a result of the increased maturity and level of space capability which Europe is bringing to the partnership; the consequent addition of a competitive dimension to the relationship; the increasing cost of space science missions; and the relative scarcity of funds available for space science. A number of issues flow from the current situation, but in general the outlook is for continued productive cooperation between the United States and Europe in space science.. PMID- 17752971 TI - Host-selective toxins and their role in plant diseases. AB - Toxins with unusual characteristics are involved in some destructive diseases of plants. Certain parasitic fungi produce toxins of low molecular weight that selectively affect the host plant; nonhosts are tolerant. These toxins have diverse structures, including cyclic peptides and linear polyketols. Genetic and other data show that resistance to each fungus is based on tolerance to its toxin. The same fungal genes control toxin production and ability to cause disease. Little is known about toxic action, although one toxin selectively affects mitochondria. Plant cell membranes are affected; this may allow the fungus to colonize tissues. Resistant cells may lack toxin receptor sites. PMID- 17752972 TI - Chesapeake bay anoxia: origin, development, and significance. AB - Anoxia occurs annually in deeper waters of the central portion of the Chesapeake Bay and presently extends from Baltimore to the mouth of the Potomac estuary. This condition, which encompasses some 5 billion cubic meters of water and lasts from May to September, is the result of increased stratification of the water column in early spring, with consequent curtailment of reoxygenation of the bottom waters across the halocline, and benthic decay of organic detritus accumulated from plankton blooms of the previous summer and fall. The Chesapeake Bay anoxia appears to have had significant ecological effects on many marine species, including several of economic importance. PMID- 17752973 TI - AAAS Board Statement on Politics and Science. PMID- 17752974 TI - Europe Seeks Joint Computer Research Effort: The future of an ambitious program to boost its microelectronics industry hangs in the political balance. PMID- 17752975 TI - Probe wins support the hard way. PMID- 17752976 TI - The Synfuels Shopping List: With the fading of commercial interest in synfuels, the federal government must choose from a variety of money-losing concepts. PMID- 17752977 TI - National Science Board Rethinks Charter: NSB seeks to improve performance as policy board for NSF, also find ways to contribute to national science policy. PMID- 17752978 TI - Stalking the Next Parkfield Earthquake: Testing hypotheses at the Parkfield section of the San Andreas already bears a strong resemblance to earthquake prediction. PMID- 17752979 TI - How to catch an earthquake. PMID- 17752982 TI - Approvals and disapprovals: the confidence gap. PMID- 17752981 TI - Foundations of a field: crystallography in north america. PMID- 17752980 TI - Alien beings here on Earth. PMID- 17752983 TI - Thermometry: temperature. PMID- 17752984 TI - Acidic deposition in forests: effects of accumulation of air pollutants in forest ecosystems. PMID- 17752985 TI - Reprints of books previously reviewed. PMID- 17752986 TI - Plant viruses: plant infectious agents. PMID- 17752987 TI - Discovery of a new gravitational lens system. AB - A new gravitational lens system, the triple radio source MG2016+112, has been discovered. Five emission lines at a redshift of 3.2733+/-0.0014 have been identified in the spectra of two stellar objects of magnitude 22.5 coincident with radio components 3.4 arc seconds apart. The lines are the narrowest ever observed in objects at such a large redshift. The redshift of a 23rd-magnitude extended optical object coincident with the third radio component has not been determined spectroscopically, but its known optical properties are consistent with those of a giant elliptical galaxy with a redshift of about 0.8. PMID- 17752988 TI - Late miocene vegetational and climatic variations inferred from a pollen record in northwest wyoming. AB - A pollen stratigraphy from late Miocene lacustrine strata (Teewinot Formation) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, permits analysis of vegetation and climate history over a time interval of less than 300,000 years with better temporal resolution of data than has been reported from terrestrial Tertiary deposits. The flora was essentially modern, and six successive pollen assemblages indicate alternating dry and wet conditions. The frequency of climatic change in this record is similar to that inferred from marine isotope records for both late Tertiary and Quaternary time. PMID- 17752989 TI - Turbulent jets and eddies in the california current and inferred cross-shore transports. AB - The instantaneous California Current is seen to consist of intense meandering current filaments (jets) intermingled with synoptic-mesoscale eddies. These quasi geostrophic jets entrain cold, upwelled coastal waters and rapidly advect them far offshore; this behavior accounts for the elongated, cool surface features that are seen extending across the California Current region in satellite infrared imagery. The associated advective mechanism should provide significant cross-shore transports of heat, nutrients, biota, and pollutants. The dynamics of the current system should be crucially influenced by its highly variable structure. PMID- 17752990 TI - Structural and bonding changes in cesium iodide at high pressures. AB - Cesium iodide, a simple ionic salt at low pressures, undergoes a second-order transformation at 40 gigapascals (400 kilobars) from the cubic B2 (cesium chloride-type) structure to the body-centered tetragonal structure. Also, the energy gap between valence and conduction bands decreases from 6.4 electron volts at zero pressure to about 1.7 electron volts at 60 gigapascals, transforming cesium iodide from a highly ionic compound to a semiconductor. The structural transition increases the rate at which the band gap closes, and an extrapolation suggests that cesium iodide becomes metallic near (or somewhat above) 100 gigapascals. Similar changes in bonding character are likely to occur in other alkali halides at pressures above 100 gigapascals. PMID- 17752991 TI - Carbon compounds in interplanetary dust: evidence for formation by heterogeneous catalysis. AB - Associations of carbonaceous material with iron-nickel alloy, carbides, and oxides were identified by analytical electron microscopy in ten unmelted chondritic porous micrometeorites from the earth's stratosphere. These associations, which may be interpreted in terms of reactions between a carbon containing gas and catalytically active dust grains, suggest that some of the carbon in the chondritic porous subset of interplanetary dust was emplaced through heterogeneous catalysis. PMID- 17752992 TI - Transamazon highway: impact on indians. PMID- 17752993 TI - Assessing agricultural research. PMID- 17752994 TI - Nuclear weapons materials. PMID- 17752995 TI - Damaging stereotype. PMID- 17752997 TI - The cray-1. PMID- 17752996 TI - Synthetic vaccines. PMID- 17752998 TI - X-ray Holography. PMID- 17752999 TI - Energy and chemicals from trees. PMID- 17753000 TI - Mammalian evolution and the great american interchange. AB - A reciprocal and apparently symmetrical interchange of land mammals between North and South America began about 3 million years ago, after the appearance of the Panamanian land bridge. The number of families of land mammals in South America rose from 32 before the interchange to 39 after it began, and then back to 35 at present. An equivalent number of families experienced a comparable rise and decline in North America during the same interval. These changes in diversity are predicted by the MacArthur-Wilson species equilibrium theory. The greater number of North American genera (24) initially entering South America than the reverse (12) is predicted by the proportions of reservoir genera on the two continents. However, a later imbalance caused by secondary immigrants (those which evolved from initial immigrants) is not expected from equilibrium theory. PMID- 17753001 TI - Pollen-stigma interaction and cross-incompatibility in the grasses. AB - The failure of interspecific and intergeneric crosses in the grasses is commonly due to zygotic inviability, embryo abortion, or endosperm abnormalities, all of which occur after fertilization. Often, however, there is difficulty in obtaining fertilization because the pollen tube fails to reach the embryo sac. This article concerns recent research on pollen-stigma interaction in the grasses and the light it is beginning to throw on prefertilization self- and cross incompatibilities. PMID- 17753002 TI - Tax policy and innovation. AB - Tax policy should be formulated with recognition of its effects on research and development and innovation. Many changes in tax policy designed to stimulate innovation have been proposed in recent years. Some of these changes were embodied in the 1981 tax bill. Basic economic analysis and rudimentary statistics enable economists to make some useful statements about the effects of recent and proposed tax changes but, because practically no studies have been conducted in this area, there is little or no dependable information concerning the quantitative impact of particular changes of this sort on the rate of innovation. PMID- 17753003 TI - A fatal flaw in the concept of space war. PMID- 17753004 TI - EPA may allow more lead in gasoline. PMID- 17753005 TI - Biotech firm lays off 135. PMID- 17753006 TI - Watt and the wilderness. PMID- 17753007 TI - Creationist bill fails in Maryland. PMID- 17753008 TI - Keeping the Door Open to Membership in IIASA. PMID- 17753009 TI - Hearings planned for classification order. PMID- 17753010 TI - Looking a Gift Computer in the Mouth at NSF. PMID- 17753011 TI - Darwin's Thinking Reexamined. PMID- 17753012 TI - Darwin and the prurient biographer. PMID- 17753013 TI - Flatworms. PMID- 17753014 TI - Vibrations of the Earth. PMID- 17753015 TI - Ocean imagery by satellite. PMID- 17753016 TI - Recent volcanic activity at glacier peak. AB - Previous reports suggested that Glacier Peak, a volcano in northern Washington State, has been dormant for the past 11,000 years. New radiocarbon dates for volcanic deposits indicate that major volcanic events, such as tephra eruptions, pyroclastic flows, and mudflows traveling tens of kilometers, occurred at least five times in the past 1800 years and nine times in the past 5500 years. PMID- 17753017 TI - Kinetics of delignification: a molecular approach. AB - A treelike model has been proposed for the structure of lignin. Kinetics of delignification are formulated to account for the cleavage of linkages along the linear primary chains and at the cross-links. Experimental data obtained from isothermal delignification are used to verify this theory. Good agreement has been obtained in calculating the delignification curves. Activation energies are found to be 172 kilojoules per mole of cross-links and 132 kilojoules per mole of aryl ether bonds. PMID- 17753018 TI - Dating of a fault by electron spin resonance on intrafault materials. AB - The total dose of natural radiation and the age were determined from paramagnetic defects in quartz grains at a fractured fault zone. Young age at the fault indicates that the accumulated defects in rocks were destroyed by high stress or high temperature at the time of the last fault movement, setting the clock time to zero. The technique was applied to quartz grains crushed by uniaxial compression in the laboratory to verify this interpretation. PMID- 17753019 TI - Intraspecific vertical stratification as a mate-finding mechanism in tropical cockroaches. AB - Cockroaches in a tropical forest stratify vertically both inter- and intraspecifically along micrometeorological gradients. At night, low wind speeds and unstable atmospheric conditions result in efficient vertical mixing of the air near the ground. Convective ascent of warm air imparts directionality to the pheromone- dispersion process. The occurrence of males at greater heights than pheromone- emitting conspecific females appears to be a mate-finding strategy. PMID- 17753021 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17753020 TI - Jumping chickens: relevance to hazard in humans. PMID- 17753022 TI - THE ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE--I. PMID- 17753023 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17753024 TI - SCHAEBERLE AND GEOLOGICAL CLIMATES. PMID- 17753025 TI - Die Pendulationsthieorie. Von Dr. HEINRICH SIMROTH, Professor an der Universitat Leipzig. Octavo, S. 564, Karten 27. Leipzig, Konrad Grethlein's Verlag, 1907. Pr. brosch, M. 12. PMID- 17753026 TI - NOTE UPON THE STRUCTURE OF THE SANTA CATALINA GNEISS, ARIZONA. PMID- 17753027 TI - MOREHOUSE'S COMET. PMID- 17753028 TI - PHYSIOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF LEWIS COUNTY, N. Y. PMID- 17753030 TI - ON THE ORIGIN OF ANCIENT QUARTZ ROCKS. PMID- 17753029 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE HANOVER MEETING, SECTION E, JULY 1-3, 1908. PMID- 17753031 TI - THE NEW GEOLOGICAL MAP OF PENNSYLVANIA. PMID- 17753033 TI - INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS TO A COURSE OF LECTURES ON VULCANOLOGY IN THE R. UNIV. OF NAPLES. PMID- 17753032 TI - THE SYNTHETICAL POWERS, OF MICRO-ORGANISMS.--II. PMID- 17753034 TI - STEREOCHEMICAL THEORY. PMID- 17753036 TI - Temperature in High and Low Areas. PMID- 17753035 TI - Earth Worms. PMID- 17753037 TI - Mesabi Iron Range. PMID- 17753038 TI - Cats Hunting Snakes. PMID- 17753039 TI - Meandering Rivers in Missouri. PMID- 17753040 TI - ANNUAL MEETING AT CLEVELAND, OHIO, SEPTEMBER 11-16, 1944. PMID- 17753042 TI - THE CONTRIBUTION OF JAMES McKEEN CATTELL TO AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17753041 TI - THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OVARIAN AND HYPOPHYSIAL GRAFTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF MAMMARY CARCINOMA IN MICE. PMID- 17753043 TI - FRANK EUGENE LUTZ. PMID- 17753044 TI - THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION. PMID- 17753045 TI - THE ALABAMA RESEARCH INSTITUTE. PMID- 17753047 TI - WAR CONFERENCE ON INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, HYGIENE AND NURSING. PMID- 17753046 TI - THE CLEVELAND MEETING OF THE AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17753048 TI - EDITORIAL CHANGES IN SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. PMID- 17753049 TI - EDITORIAL CHANGES IN SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. PMID- 17753050 TI - EDITORIAL CHANGES IN SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. PMID- 17753051 TI - EDITORIAL CHANGES IN SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. PMID- 17753053 TI - WARTIME HEALTH AND EDUCATION. PMID- 17753052 TI - EDITORIAL CHANGES IN SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. PMID- 17753054 TI - THE ROLE OF CALCIUM IN CARCINOGENESIS SUMMARY. AB - Estimations of the calcium content of the mouse epidermis during the process of experimental carcinogenesis reveal two distinct phases: an immediate reduction in the calcium content which persists at a fairly constant level for many weeks and a further reduction when the epithelial cells have been transformed into cancer cells. Reduction of calcium in the hyperplastic epidermis is an important feature in this experimentally induced precancerous condition. This investigation was aided by grants from the International Cancer Research Foundation and the National Cancer Institute. PMID- 17753055 TI - CHEMOTHERAPY OF FILARIASIS IN THE COTTON RAT BY ADMINISTRATION OF NEOSTAM. PMID- 17753057 TI - SURVIVAL OF NORMAL CELLS IN PENICILLIN SOLUTIONS LETHAL TO MALIGNANT CELLS. PMID- 17753056 TI - A RAPID, QUANTITATIVE METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF PENICILLIN. PMID- 17753058 TI - Orbiting Words. PMID- 17753060 TI - Nixon and Kennedy on the Geneva Test Ban Talks, Disarmament; Conferees Await Election Outcome. PMID- 17753059 TI - Semiconducting Compounds. PMID- 17753061 TI - Burnet and Medawar Share Nobel Award in Physiology and Medicine. PMID- 17753062 TI - Glass Insulated Platinum Microelectrode. AB - Microelectrodes for electrophysiological use have been prepared easily and quickly by electrolytically sharpening platinum iridium alloy wire and coating with molten glass. The desirable combination of the electrical characteristics and strength of the platinum iridium wire with the exceptional durability of glass insulation has long been known, but earlier methods of fabrication were difficult and tedious. PMID- 17753063 TI - Three-Dimensional X-ray Reflections from Anthracite and Meta-Anthracite. AB - Careful analysis of x-ray scattering intensities of demineralized metaanthracites and high-rank anthracites formed during the Pennsylvanian geological period has revealed the presence of three-dimensional (hkl) reflections of graphite, demonstrating unequivocally that coals graphitize with metamorphism. Graphitization has been observed also with a coal formed before the Cambrian period, much earlier than most coals. A significant degree of graphitization occurs by coalification when the graphite-like layers attain a size of 25 to 30 angstroms as compared to 100 A or more by the heat treatment of amorphous carbons. PMID- 17753064 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17753065 TI - PLATINUM AND THE METALS OF THE PLATINUM GROUP. PMID- 17753066 TI - SEXUALITY IN MUCORS. II. PMID- 17753067 TI - CEREBELLAR LOCALIZATION BY THE APPLICATION OF STRYCHNINE. PMID- 17753068 TI - THE SITUATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEN IN RUSSIA. PMID- 17753069 TI - A LOGIC TEST. PMID- 17753070 TI - CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN CHROMOSOME NUMBER AND LINKAGE GROUPS IN DROSOPHILA VIRILIS. PMID- 17753071 TI - SECTION H--ANTHROPOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17753072 TI - PERSONNEL CLASSIFICATION TESTING IN THE ARMY. PMID- 17753073 TI - THE INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AT BUENOS AIRES. PMID- 17753075 TI - KENDALL SIEBERT TESH. PMID- 17753074 TI - THE SUMMER MEETING OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17753076 TI - FELLOWSHIPS ESTABLISHED IN HONOR OF DR. FRANK B. JEWETT. PMID- 17753077 TI - THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY AND THE HURRICANE. PMID- 17753078 TI - WAS THERE ICE AT COQUIMBO? PMID- 17753080 TI - THE DEANE COLLECTION OF PORTRAITS OF ORNITHOLOGISTS-THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN IDEA. PMID- 17753079 TI - ISOLATION OF VIQLACEIN. PMID- 17753081 TI - TEN O'CLOCK MARKS. PMID- 17753082 TI - ARCTIC INSTITUTE OF NORTH AMERICA. PMID- 17753084 TI - INHIBITION OF METAL CATALYSIS AS A FUNGISTATIC MECHANISM. PMID- 17753083 TI - IMPAIRMENT OF RESPONSE TO STILBESTROL IN THE OVIDUCT OF CHICKS DEFICIENT IN L. CASEI FACTOR ("FOLIC ACID"). PMID- 17753085 TI - THE ULTRAVIOLET ABSORPTION OF VITAMIN Bc AND XANTHOPTERIN. PMID- 17753086 TI - A NEW DIFFERENTIAL STAIN FOR MOUSE PITUITARY. PMID- 17753088 TI - Position of the Catholic Church. PMID- 17753087 TI - ACTION OF RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES ON THE SPEED OF GROWTH OF PENICILLIUM LIUM NOTATUM AND THE PRODUCTION OF A POTENT PENICILLIN. PMID- 17753090 TI - They Have Troubles, Too. PMID- 17753089 TI - Sex Chromatin. PMID- 17753092 TI - Science in the News. PMID- 17753091 TI - National Radio Astronomy Observatory: The early history and development of the observatory at Green Bank, West Virginia, are reviewed. AB - The existence of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the researches already accomplished there are the result of the foresight and wisdom of United States scientists, the National Science Board, and the Congress, who joined forces to make possible this new national asset. Continued effort will be needed td insure that the observatory will always have the finest possible research instruments and that the site will be a haven of radio quiet. Visiting scientists in some instances may wish to bring equipment with them for studying special problems. Within its means, the observatory will provide supporting facilities, including receivers and other electronic devices, computers, laboratories and shops, and housing. Scientists interested in more details concerning arrangements for visitors should direct their inquiries to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P. O. Box 2, Green Bank, West Virginia. PMID- 17753093 TI - Dissipation of Planetary Atmospheres. AB - Escape-level density is approximately inversely proportional to gravity and with decreasing mass will tend toward that of interplanetary gas. When this value is reached, dissipation must cease. The minimum possible ground density of lunar air is calculated to be 10(-12) that of the air at normal temperature and pressure. Ionization creates a binding electrostatic charge at the escape level. PMID- 17753094 TI - Growth Inhibitor in Immature Soybean Seeds and 2,4-D-Sprayed Soybean Seedlings. AB - A naturally occurring inhibitor of seed germination has been isolated by ion exchange chromatography from soybean seeds and seedlings. The inhibitor was present in large amounts in immature seeds and in seedlings sprayed with 2,4-D. The inhibitor acted as an "uncoupler" when applied to soybean root tips or mitochondria. PMID- 17753095 TI - Role of Trehalose in Ascospores of Neurospora Tetrasperma. AB - The anthrone-positive material extractable in 80 percent alcohol, whose disappearance is correlated with the breaking of dormancy, has been found to be a non-reducing sugar which yields only glucose upon hydrolysis. On the basis of its crystal structure, infrared spectrum, melting point, specific rotation, and chromatographic properties, this material has been identified as trehalose. PMID- 17753096 TI - Moon Illusion and Age. PMID- 17753097 TI - Moon Illusion and Age. PMID- 17753098 TI - Correlation. PMID- 17753100 TI - THE BERNE PHYSIOLOGlCAL CONGRESS (I.). PMID- 17753099 TI - Correlation. PMID- 17753102 TI - GEOLOGIC ATLAS OF THE UNITED STATES (II.). PMID- 17753101 TI - AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION. PMID- 17753103 TI - A GLACIER IN THE MONTANA ROCKIES. PMID- 17753104 TI - THE HUXLEY MEMORIAL. PMID- 17753105 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY (XV.). PMID- 17753106 TI - LETTER OF THE LOCAL COMMITTEE OF THE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17753107 TI - FAST TRAINS IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17753108 TI - PRESERVATION OF FORESTS. PMID- 17753109 TI - THE METRIC SYSTEM IN GREAT BRITAIN. PMID- 17753110 TI - THE WILLIAM PEPPER LABORATORY OF CLINICAL MEDICINE. PMID- 17753111 TI - THE BUILDING FOR PHYSICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS. PMID- 17753113 TI - A MECHANICAL ANALOGY IN THE THEORY OF EQUATIONS. PMID- 17753112 TI - THE PERCEPTION OF DIRECTION. PMID- 17753114 TI - WILLIAM BATESON ON DARWINISM. PMID- 17753115 TI - SCIENCE IN THE PHILIPPINES. PMID- 17753116 TI - CHARLES HENRY DAVIS 2ND. PMID- 17753118 TI - KILOBAR, KILOCAL, KILOGRAD. PMID- 17753117 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17753119 TI - ACUTE SENSE OF SOUND LOCATION IN BIRDS. PMID- 17753121 TI - DISSOCIATION OF HYDROGEN IN A TUNGSTEN FURNACE AND LOW VOLTAGE ARCS IN THE MONATOMIC GAS. PMID- 17753120 TI - THE GEOLOGY OF WESTERN VERMONT. PMID- 17753122 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17753123 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD OF DEALING WITH ELECTRIFIED MICROSECTIONS. PMID- 17753124 TI - ON MARINE MOLLUSKS FROM THE PAMPEAN FORMATION. PMID- 17753125 TI - USE OF THE INITIAL CAPITAL IN SPECIFIC NAMES OF PLANTS. PMID- 17753126 TI - DENSITY AND DIAMETER OF TERRESTRIAL PLANETS. PMID- 17753127 TI - THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE BLOW-GUN. PMID- 17753128 TI - PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17753129 TI - LOSS OF PROFESSOR MILNE'S SEISMOLOGICAL APPARATUS, LIBRARY AND COLLECTION. PMID- 17753130 TI - THE IDEAL INDEX TO SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. PMID- 17753131 TI - Chemical Inhibition of Viruses. PMID- 17753132 TI - Jargon of Genetics. PMID- 17753133 TI - Science Planks and Party Platforms. PMID- 17753134 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17753136 TI - Do Antimalarial Sprays Explain Declining Death Rates? PMID- 17753135 TI - Serendipity--the Last Word. PMID- 17753137 TI - Basic Research on a Problem. PMID- 17753138 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17753139 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17753140 TI - Medical Education: Open Minds and Fragmentation. PMID- 17753141 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17753142 TI - Effects of Cosmic Rays on Meteorites. PMID- 17753143 TI - Trends in Scientific Research. PMID- 17753144 TI - Mohole: The Project That Went Awry (II). PMID- 17753145 TI - Tobacco Report: PHS Study Group, after 14-Month Survey, Agrees That Smoking Is Indeed Harmful. PMID- 17753146 TI - Federal Pay: In the Competition for Professionals, Government Faces Salary Gap, Other Problems. PMID- 17753148 TI - Basaltic Cone Suggests Constructional Origin of Some Guyots. AB - A basaltic cinder cone was built beneath the waters of Mono Lake in Pleistocene time. This cone is now exposed. Its internal structure, external form, and petrography suggest that it was constructed with a flat top. PMID- 17753149 TI - Acid of Krypton and Its Barium Salt. AB - An acid of krypton is formed when krypton tetrafluoride is slowly hydrolyzed by ice at -30 degrees to -60 degrees C. The yield is 2 to 3 percent (mole). A barium salt of this acid, thermally stable at room temperature, is formed by the hydrolysis of krypton tetrafluoride with a 0.35N solution of barium hydroxide at O degrees to 5 degrees C in a yield of approximately 7 percent by weight. PMID- 17753147 TI - Solar Minimum and the International Years of the Quiet Sun. PMID- 17753150 TI - Pleistocene Chipped Stone Tool on Santa Rosa Island, California. AB - Santa Rosa Island, California, has been the site of numerous discoveries of evidence of Pleistocene Man. The recent finding of a well-made chipped stone tool in situ in the mammoth beds adds further evidence. PMID- 17753151 TI - Novel Filter for Biological Materials. AB - Thin plastic sieves with precisely controlled hole size and density can be made by irradiating plastic films with fission fragments and etching out the material traversed by the fragments. These filters may be used for the nondestructive separation of cells of closely similar sizes. PMID- 17753152 TI - Wheat: Reconstitution of the Tetraploid Component (AABB) of Hexaploids. AB - The tetraploid AABB genomic component of two varieties of common hexaploid wheat (AABBDD; 2n = 42) was reconstituted by a simple back-crossing technique in which known phylogenetic relationships between the hexaploid and tetraploid groups of Triticum were used. The reconstituted tetraploids do not closely resemble commonly described varieties of the present-day group of tetraploid species. The plants are dwarfed, lack vigor, and are partially or completely self-sterile, depending on the variety of the hexaploid source. Chromosome pairing is similar to that observed in a variety of durum wheat (AABB; 2n = 28). Synthetic hexaploids derived from hybrids between one of the reconstituted tetraploids and several strains of Aegilops squarrosa (D genome) are of normal growth and vigr and are highly fertile. PMID- 17753153 TI - Photoelectric Ecosystem. AB - A natural, self-maintaining photoelectric cell, composed of a blue-green algal mat and bacteria as a layered ecosystem, was isolated from a shallow marine bay in Texas near Port Aransas. In daytime the open-circuit Potential across the ecological membrane was about 0.43 volt. The efficiency of conversion of light energy to organic potential energy before maintenance was 1.62 percent and to external electrical energy at optimum power loading was 0.016 percent, a flow analogous to a consumer population. PMID- 17753154 TI - Stretch Receptor-Like Organs in the Fly Larva: Their Possible Role in Growth Regulation. AB - Typical insect stretch receptors and receptor-like organs present in larvae of Sarcophaga bullata and other flies contain associated cells which are suspected of passing secretory products into "target" organs by way of strands of connective tissue. In the fly larva, such organs are attached to leg rudiments, tracheal discs, muscles, the genital disc and gonads, and may be concerned with the neuroendocrine control of metamorphosis of these structures. PMID- 17753155 TI - Ameiotic Alternation of Generations: A New Life Cycle in the Ferns. AB - The fern Polypodium dispersum Evans (ined.) has a completely somatic alternation of generations. During sporogenesis the sporophyte exhibits 111 unpaired chromosomes, 16 spore mother cells, and 32 viable diplospores. The sporophyte arises by proliferation from a gametophyte lacking sex organs. This is the first completely documented report of this type of life cycle in the ferns. PMID- 17753156 TI - Student Performance in New High School Biology Programs. AB - Data on the effectiveness of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study course were obtained from several sources, including experimental use with 65,000 students. Any of the three versions of this biology course can be taught to average and above-average 10th-grade students. Achievement on the associated comprehensive test is more closely related to the ability and sex of the student, the salary of the teacher, the proportion of graduates of the school who go to college, the size of the class, and the adequacy of laboratory facilities than to the version of the course. PMID- 17753158 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17753157 TI - New Perspectives in Biology. PMID- 17753160 TI - AN ELECTIRIC DRAWBRIDGE. PMID- 17753159 TI - COMPOSITE PORTRAITS OF WASHINGTON. PMID- 17753161 TI - CONGRESS OF ELECTRICIANS AT THE PARIS EXHIBITION. PMID- 17753162 TI - A NEW FORM OF SECOHMMETER. PMID- 17753163 TI - THE RATTLESNAKE'S RATTLE. PMID- 17753165 TI - METHODS AND MODELS IN GEOGRAPHIC TEACHING. PMID- 17753164 TI - WASHINGTON'S SIGNATURE. PMID- 17753167 TI - SCARLET-FEVER. PMID- 17753166 TI - DIPHTHERIA. PMID- 17753168 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17753170 TI - TOPEKA ELECTRIC RAILWAY. PMID- 17753169 TI - EARTHING LIGHTNING-CONDUCTORS BY MEANS OF GAS AND WATER PIPES. PMID- 17753172 TI - THE CONTAGIOUSNESS OF TUBERCULOSIS. PMID- 17753171 TI - LEAD-POISONING. PMID- 17753173 TI - THE BACILLUS OF TUBERCULOSIS. PMID- 17753174 TI - ELECTRICAL NEWS. PMID- 17753175 TI - THE HENRY DRAPER MEMORIAL. PMID- 17753177 TI - ASCENT OF THE KILIMA NDJARO. PMID- 17753176 TI - EXAMINATION AND EDUCATION. PMID- 17753178 TI - STANLEY'S DISCOVERIES. PMID- 17753179 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF CERTAIN DRUGS ON PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. PMID- 17753180 TI - New Sources of Heat. PMID- 17753181 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17753182 TI - Floral-Faunal Associations in American Coal Balls. PMID- 17753183 TI - Some Extensions of Hammett's Equation. PMID- 17753185 TI - PHYSICS AND FAITH. PMID- 17753184 TI - Resolution of Isopropyl Nor-Adrenaline into Optical Isomers and Their Pharmacological Potency Ratio. PMID- 17753186 TI - THE SOCIETY FOR PLANT MORPHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17753187 TI - WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17753188 TI - THE MUSICAL BOW IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17753189 TI - RADIO-ACTIVE MINERALS. PMID- 17753190 TI - THE SIDGWICK MEMORIAL. PMID- 17753191 TI - THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. PMID- 17753192 TI - A BILL ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17753193 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17753194 TI - THE REORGANIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17753195 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17753196 TI - WORLD NATURAL RESOURCES. PMID- 17753197 TI - AN INSTANCE OF PROGRESSIVE INDIVIDUATION IN VISUAL FUNCTIONS. PMID- 17753198 TI - STROBOSCOPIC ILLUSIONS CAUSED BY LIGHTNING. PMID- 17753199 TI - ADVANTAGES OF Fg = kma. PMID- 17753200 TI - HETEROLOGOUS TRANSPLANTATION OF HUMAN AND OTHER MAMMALIAN TUMORS. PMID- 17753201 TI - REDUCED BLOOD COAGULATION TIME BY INJECTION OF STEROL EXTRACT OF LIVER. PMID- 17753202 TI - THE BLOOD VESSELS IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE KANGAROO. PMID- 17753203 TI - Science Teacher Certification. PMID- 17753205 TI - The Tercentenary of the Royal Society. PMID- 17753204 TI - Meteorite Impact Suggested by Shatter Cones in Rock. PMID- 17753206 TI - The Drug Inquiry: A Curious Affair That Has Netted Some Solid Results. PMID- 17753207 TI - Long-Period Seismic Waves from Nuclear Explosions in Various Environments. AB - Large nuclear explosions in the solid earth, the hydrosphere, and the lower and upper atmosphere have generated seismic waves of periods greater than about 5 seconds which have been detected at great distances from the source. PMID- 17753208 TI - Early Man Site Found in Highland Ecuador. AB - Field investigations in Ecuador have produced archeological evidence for the occupation of the northern Andes by early nomadic hunters. Surface collections and test excavations have demonstrated a complex of stone tools with typological relationships to level I at Fell's Cave in southern Chile, and technological relationships to the late Pleistocene "fluted point" complexes of North America. The date of these materials is estimated at 7000 to 8000 B.C. PMID- 17753209 TI - Weber Ratio for Visual Discrimination of Velocity. AB - As an approximation based on various experiments reported in the literature, the least detectable difference in speed (delta w) varies in direct proportion to the speed (w) over a range from 0.1 to 20 degrees of visual angle per second. The constancy of the Weber ratio (deltaw/w) aids in understanding how men react to velocity in various situations. PMID- 17753210 TI - Analysis of Firing Pafferns in Single Neurons. AB - The use of a high-speed digital computer for investigation of neural firing patterns is described. The high sensitivity of the method permits detection of stimulus-response relations buried in a background of spontaneous activity. PMID- 17753211 TI - Scientists and Responsibility. PMID- 17753213 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17753212 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17753214 TI - Evolution and Modern Man. PMID- 17753216 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17753217 TI - Program for Collecting Meteorites. PMID- 17753215 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17753219 TI - PLANTS AND PLANT CULTURE. PMID- 17753218 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17753220 TI - THE PREGLACIAL OUTLET OF LAKE ERIE. PMID- 17753221 TI - RELATIVITY AND ESTIMATES OF STAR DIAMETERS. PMID- 17753222 TI - THE CONSERVATION OF GAME AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. PMID- 17753223 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF BIOLOGICAL STAINS IN AMERICA. PMID- 17753224 TI - THE STRUCTURE OF THE STATIC ATOM. PMID- 17753225 TI - THE OKLAHOMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17753226 TI - THE WESTERN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS--NORTHWEST SECTION. PMID- 17753227 TI - RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17753228 TI - BREEDING BENEFICIAL INSECTS. PMID- 17753229 TI - NOMENCLATURE AT THE INTERNATIONAL BOTANICAL CONGRESS AT VIENNA. PMID- 17753230 TI - A DIAGRAM OR CHART FOR FINDING THE SUN'S AZIMUTH. PMID- 17753231 TI - 'CLON' VERSUS 'CLONE.'. PMID- 17753232 TI - ANALYSIS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. PMID- 17753233 TI - THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. PMID- 17753234 TI - FUNCTIONS OF A TRANSPLANTED KIDNEY. PMID- 17753235 TI - STATIONS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE VARIATIONS OF LATITUDE. PMID- 17753237 TI - PROFESSOR BJERKNES'S LECTURES. PMID- 17753236 TI - PERMIAN GLACIATION IN SOUTH AFRICA. PMID- 17753238 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17753240 TI - Uhl's Deification. PMID- 17753239 TI - Federally funded research. PMID- 17753241 TI - Citations and careers. PMID- 17753242 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17753243 TI - Labstyles of the famous and well funded. PMID- 17753244 TI - Does the harrison case reveal sexism in math? PMID- 17753245 TI - Funding cutoff threatens thai science. PMID- 17753246 TI - Can PR Cool the Greenhouse? PMID- 17753248 TI - Can-do Bugs. PMID- 17753247 TI - Logger's Dismay. PMID- 17753249 TI - Borderless grants. PMID- 17753251 TI - Oil and water. PMID- 17753250 TI - Senate Boosts SSC, Main Injector Funding. PMID- 17753252 TI - Please sir, $250 million more. PMID- 17753253 TI - A transforming look at c60. PMID- 17753254 TI - Untwinkling the stars. PMID- 17753255 TI - Fire and ice under the deep-sea floor. PMID- 17753256 TI - How many genes had to change to produce corn? PMID- 17753257 TI - Localization and its absence: a new metallic state for conducting polymers. AB - A widely held view in solid-state physics is that disorder precludes the presence of long-range transport in one dimension. A series of models has been recently proposed that do not conform to this view. The primary model is the random dimer model, in which the site energies for pairs of lattice sites along a linear chain are assigned one of two values at random. This model has a set of conducting states that ultimately allow an initially localized particle to move through the lattice almost ballistically. This model is applicable to the insulator-metal transition in a wide class of conducting polymers, such as polyaniline and heavily doped polyacetylene. Calculations performed on polyaniline demonstrate explicitly that the conducting states of the random dimer model for polyaniline are coincident with recent calculations of the location of the Fermi level in the metallic regime. A random dimer analysis on polyparaphenylene also indicates the presence of a set of conducting states in the vicinity of the band edge. The implications of this model for the metallic state in other polymers, including heavily doped polyacetylene, are discussed. PMID- 17753258 TI - Pressure Dependence of Superconductivity in Single-Phase K3C60. AB - The superconducting compound K(3)C(60) (with transition temperature T(c) = 19.3 kelvin at ambient pressure), formed as a single phase by reaction of alkali vapor with solids of the icosahedral C(60) molecule (buckminsterfullerene), shows a very large decrease of T(c) with increasing pressure. Susceptibility measurements on sintered pellets showing bulk superconductivity are reported up to 21 kilobars of pressure, where T(c) is already less than 8 kelvin. The results are consistent with a piling up of the density of states at the Fermi level. PMID- 17753259 TI - Environmental patterns in the origins of higher taxa: the post-paleozoic fossil record. AB - Of the 26 well-preserved orders of benthic marine invertebrates that have originated since the beginning of the Mesozoic, 20 first appear in onshore environments. This distribution differs significantly from that shown by well preserved genera and families, and by the 16 poorly preserved orders. These discordances suggest that the pattern of preferential onshore origination is not an artifact of preservation or collection and that the origin of higher taxa cannot be regarded as a simple extrapolation of rates and patterns at lower levels. The onshore environment fosters production or enhances survivorship of species that initiate lineages tending to accumulate suites of derived characters and that thus are ultimately afforded high taxonomic rank. PMID- 17753260 TI - Quaternary raised coral-reef terraces on sumba island, indonesia. AB - A spectacular sequence of coral-reef terraces (six steps broader than 500 meters and many minor substeps) is developed near Cape Laundi, Sumba Island, between an ancient patch reef 475 meters high and sea level. Several raised reefs have been dated with the electron spin resonance and the uranium-series dating methods. The uplift trend deduced from these reefs is 0.5 millimeter per year; most terraces, although polycyclic in origin, appear to correspond to specific interglacial stages, with the oldest terrace formed 1 million years ago. This puts them among the longest and most complete mid-Quaternary terrace sequences. PMID- 17753261 TI - Development of diapiric structures in the upper mantle due to phase transitions. AB - Solid-state phase transitions in time-dependent mantle convection can induce diapiric flows in the upper mantle. When a deep mantle plume rises toward phase boundaries in the upper mantle, the changes in the local thermal buoyancy, local heat capacity, and latent heat associated with the phase change at a depth of 670 kilometers tend to pinch off the plume head from the feeding stem and form a diapir. This mechanism may explain episodic hot spot volcanism. The nature of the multiple phase boundaries at the boundary between the upper and lower mantle may control the fate of deep mantle plumes, allowing hot plumes to go through and retarding the tepid ones. PMID- 17753263 TI - Misguided scientism. PMID- 17753262 TI - A fish that gets away. PMID- 17753264 TI - The biology of aging. PMID- 17753266 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17753265 TI - Spectrometry for biology. PMID- 17753267 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17753268 TI - Erratum. AB - In the article "Science and technology in India" by J. S. Rao (12 July, p. 130), it is incorrectly stated at the top of the first column on page 133 that C. V. Raman founded the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. The Indian Institute of Science was founded by Jamshed Tata. PMID- 17753269 TI - U.s. Oil consumption. PMID- 17753270 TI - Corporate classrooms. PMID- 17753271 TI - Research with high-power short-wavelength lasers. AB - Three high-temperature, high-density experments were conducted recently with the 10-terawatt, short-wavelength Novette laser system at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The experiments demonstrated successful solutions to problems that arose during previous laser-plasma interaction experiments with long-wavelength (greater than 1 micrometer) lasers: (i) large-scale plasmas, with dimensions approaching those needed for high-gain inertial fusion targets, were produced in which potentially deleterious laser-plasma instabilities were collisionally damped; (ii) deuterium-tritium fuel was imploded to a density of 20 grams per cubic centimeter and a pressure of 10(10) atmospheres under the improved laser conditions, and compression conditions (preheating and pressure) were consistent with code calculations that predict efficient (high-gain) burn of a large thermonuclear fuel mass when driven with a large, short-wavelength laser; and (iii) soft x-rays were amplified by a factor of 700 by stimulated emission at 206 and 209 angstroms (62 electron volts) from selenium ions in a laser-generated plasma. These small, short-pulse x-ray sources are 10(10) to 10(11) times brighter than the most powerful x-ray generators and synchrotron sources available today. The plasma conditions for these experiments were made possible by advances in Nd:glass laser technology, in techniques to generate efficiently its short-wavelength harmonics at 0.53, 0.35, and 0.26 micrometers, and in diagnostic and computational modeling. PMID- 17753272 TI - Weapons Labs Influence Test Ban Debate: Professional pride and scientific challenge both play a role in the labs' determination to continue testing weapons. PMID- 17753273 TI - White house remarks worry nuclear weapons designers. PMID- 17753274 TI - EPA finds Acid lakes from maine to Florida. PMID- 17753275 TI - NRC Sees Uncertainties in Reactor Accident Studies. PMID- 17753276 TI - Hawaiian Drosophila: Young Islands, Old Flies: Molecular evidence on Hawaiian drosophilines indicates that they colonized the 6-million-year-old islands more than 40 million years ago. PMID- 17753277 TI - A Spatially Resolved Surface Spectroscopy: A scanning tunneling microscope not only images atoms on surfaces, it may also yield local surface electronic and vibrational spectra. PMID- 17753278 TI - The idea of revolution: revolution in science. PMID- 17753279 TI - Oogenesis: developmental biology. PMID- 17753280 TI - Anatomical adaptation: functional vertebrate morphology. PMID- 17753281 TI - Cooperativity in biochemistry: cooperativity theory in biochemistry. PMID- 17753282 TI - Seismic-reflection signature of cretaceous continental breakup on the wilkes land margin, antarctica. AB - The passive (rifted) continental margin of Wilkes Land, Antarctica, is characterized on seismic reflection records by (i) in the south, a block-faulted sequence of highly stratified continental beds overlain by two distinct unconformities; (ii) a transitional, greatly thinned continental crust overlain by material interpreted to be flood basalt; and (iii) in the north, oceanic crust with a boundary ridge at its edge. The Mohorovicic discontinuity can be followed across the continent-ocean boundary and shows a progressive thinning of continental crust to a minimum of 2.5 kilometers at its northern edge. PMID- 17753283 TI - Episodic rifting of phanerozoic rocks in the victoria land basin, Western ross sea, antarctica. AB - Multichannel seismic-reflection data show that the Victoria Land-basin, unlike other sedimentary basins in the Ross Sea, includes a rift-depression 15 to 25 kilometers wide that parallels the Transantarctic Mountains and contains up to 12 kilometers of possible Paleozoic to Holocene age sedimentary rocks. An unconformity separates the previously identified Cenozoic sedimentary section from the underlying strata of possible Mesozoic and Paleozoic age. Late Cenozoic volcanic rocks intrude into the entire section along the eastern flank of the basin. The Victoria Land basin is probably part of a more extensive rift system that has been active episodically since Paleozoic time. Inferred rifting and basin subsidence during Mesozoic and Cenozoic time may be associated with regional crustal extension and uplift of the nearby Transantarctic Mountains. PMID- 17753284 TI - Crystallographic structure of the octamer histone core of the nucleosome. PMID- 17753285 TI - Crystallographic structure of the octamer histone core of the nucleosome. PMID- 17753286 TI - Crystallographic structure of the octamer histone core of the nucleosome. PMID- 17753287 TI - Products and materials. PMID- 17753288 TI - Love canal chromosome study. PMID- 17753289 TI - Love canal chromosome study. PMID- 17753290 TI - The global 2000 report. PMID- 17753291 TI - Detecting Climate Change due to Increasing Carbon Dioxide. AB - The observed interannual variability of temperature at 60 degrees N has been investigated. The results indicate that the surface warming due to increased carbon dioxide which is predicted by three-dimensional climate models should be detectable now. It is not, possibly because the predicted warming is being delayed more than a decade by ocean thermal inertia, or because there is a compensating cooling due to other factors. Further consideration of the uncertainties in model predictions and of the likely delays introduced by ocean thermal inertia extends the range of time for the detection of warming, if it occurs, to the year 2000. The effects of increasing carbon dioxide should be looked for in several variables simultaneously in order to minimize the ambiguities that could result from unrecognized compensating cooling. PMID- 17753292 TI - Geomorphic reconstructions in the environs of ancient troy. AB - Sea level rise, deltaic progradation, and floodplain aggradation have changed the landscape in the vicinity of ancient Troy during the past 10,000 years. With the waning of the last major world glaciation and resultant sea level rise and fluctuation, a marine embayment protruded nearly 10 kilometers south of the site of Troy at Hisarlik in the Troad of northwest Turkey. As the sea approached its present level approximately 6000 years ago, fluvial and marine deposition caused a northerly migration of the delta and floodplain of the Scamander and Simois Rivers past the site of Troy toward the present-day coast about 6 kilometers north of the site. In view of these major changes in morphology, interpretations of ancient geographies related to historical or historical-mythological settings must be changed. A number of paleogeographic maps have been reconstructed with the use of subsurface data that records the continuing landscape change since the first occupancy of the site at Troy 5000 years ago. These show that ancient Troy was located on an embayment of the sea. If the Trojan War occurred, then the axis of the battlefield and associated events must be relocated to the south and west of Troy. PMID- 17753293 TI - Looking out for science policy. PMID- 17753294 TI - Energy standards for buildings face delay. PMID- 17753295 TI - House reopens nerve gas issue. PMID- 17753296 TI - Ma bell losing grip on old markets. PMID- 17753297 TI - No veto for States on radwaste sites. PMID- 17753298 TI - AMA's New Ethics Code Is Major Break from Past. PMID- 17753299 TI - Science teachers to ban testing harmful to animals. PMID- 17753300 TI - House votes metric board an extension after debate. PMID- 17753301 TI - Tapping sun-warmed ocean water for power. PMID- 17753303 TI - Speculative physiology. PMID- 17753302 TI - Irrigation threatens egyptian temples. PMID- 17753304 TI - Genetics of Homo sapiens. PMID- 17753305 TI - Tectonic evolution. PMID- 17753306 TI - A theory of perception. PMID- 17753307 TI - Sediment trap experiment on the galapagos spreading center, equatorial pacific. AB - Two sediment traps were deployed for 234 days in 2670 meters of water at 0 degrees 36'N, 86 degrees 6'W. A comparison of the fluxes of ten elements into the traps and into the surface sediment indicates that the refractory elements iron, aluminum, and barium are accumulating in the sediments at rates very similar to those measured in the traps. In contrast, at least 80 percent of the opal, 50 percent of the carbonate, and 90 percent of the organic carbon is consumed at the sediment-water interface. PMID- 17753308 TI - Stable isotopes in benthic foraminifera: seasonal variation in large tropical species. AB - The shells of large benthic foraminifera contain a record of seasonal temperature ranges and life history stages. Marginopora vertebralis and Cyclorbiculina compressa show distinct differences in life history, growth rate history, and life-span, as reflected in stable isotope patterns within their shells. PMID- 17753310 TI - Induction of follicle separation in the mosquito by physiological amounts of ecdysterone. AB - Physiological quantities of the molting hormone, ecdysterone, injected into female Aedes aegypti prematurely induced separation of incipient follicles in the ovarioles, an event that normally occurs only in blood-fed females. It was possible to stimulate this morphological event with physiological amounts of hormone by mimicking, with two injections, the timing of normal increases in endogenous hormone of blood-fed females. PMID- 17753309 TI - The meteorite-asteroid connection: the infrared spectra of eucrites, shergottites, and vesta. AB - Infrared reflectance spectra have been obtained for the meteorites Shergotty and Allan Hills (ALHA) 77005, a unique achondrite apparently related to the shergottites. Comparisons with the reflectance spectra of eucrites and asteroid 4 Vesta indicate that the surface of Vesta is covered with eucrite-like basalts and that, if shergottite-like basalts are present on the surface of Vesta, they must be a minor rock type. The paradox that both the eucrite and shergottite parent bodies should presently exist is examined. The preferred solution is that both eucrites and shergottites are derived from Vesta, and that this asteroid is compositionally and isotopically heterogeneous; however, other possible solutions cannot be ruled out. PMID- 17753311 TI - Recombinant DNA. PMID- 17753312 TI - Neurobiology of amnesia. PMID- 17753313 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17753315 TI - Nutrition and IQ. PMID- 17753314 TI - The tris ban. PMID- 17753316 TI - Lovins on "lovins' Fever". PMID- 17753317 TI - Discovery of the monitor. PMID- 17753318 TI - Nutrition and IQ. PMID- 17753319 TI - Coercion of medical schools. PMID- 17753320 TI - Power with heliostats. PMID- 17753322 TI - NASA Bans Sex from Outer Space. PMID- 17753321 TI - Disasters as a necessary part of benefit-cost analyses. AB - Benefit-cost analyses for water projects generally have not included the expected costs (residual risk) of low-probability disasters such as dam failures, impoundment-induced earthquakes, and landslides. Analysis of the history of these types of events demonstrates that dam failures are not uncommon and that the probability of a reservoir-triggered earth-quake increases with increasing reservoir depth. Because the expected costs from such events can be significant and risk is project-specific, estimates should be made for each project. The cost of expected damage from a "high-risk" project in an urban area could be comparable to project benefits. PMID- 17753323 TI - Continuing Saga of the OTA. PMID- 17753325 TI - The Tale of SRI's Golden Fleece. PMID- 17753324 TI - A tale of two cities. PMID- 17753326 TI - Department of energy: opposition rises as the plan leaks out. PMID- 17753327 TI - Science in europe/the antinuclear movement takes hold. AB - Five months after the announcement of President Carter's nonproliferation policy, the common wisdom in this country is that Europe has hardly wavered in its rush toward nuclear power. The cry that "Europe will do what it wants whether the United States builds a breeder or not" is often heard from American nuclear interests, with apparent justification as the State Department has shown little visible progress in negotiating new agreements and some signs of retreating from its original goals. But popular protest against nuclear power has reached a pitch in Europe that would be barely imaginable today in this country, and the political strength of the antinuclear forces has become formidable, not only in Sweden where nuclear power was a pivotal issue last year, but across the continent. West Germany's research minister recently predicted that that country's two ruling coalition parties will vote for a complete moratorium on nuclear construction when they meet this fall, and some observers predict that any moratorium contingent on creation of a waste disposal site could last up to 12 years. Beyond public opposition, the plutonium breeder is running into trouble in Germany for many of the same reasons it has in the United States; program delays, safety concerns, and cost overruns threaten to undermine the claim that it can one day become an economically competitive energy source. Nuclear opposition is far from being a single-issue movement in Europe, as groups of many political persuasions embrace it for their own reasons. But as the following report by Nigel Hawkes details, the Carter administration policy is not the only thing holding back nuclear power in Europe.-W.D.M. PMID- 17753328 TI - Psychologists Back Women, Chuck Magazine, Gear up for NHI. PMID- 17753329 TI - Chitin synthesis inhibitors: new class of insecticides. PMID- 17753331 TI - Instructions for contributors. PMID- 17753330 TI - Human-powered flight: californians claim kremer prize. PMID- 17753333 TI - Synaptic function. PMID- 17753332 TI - Responses to sickness. PMID- 17753334 TI - History of a machine. PMID- 17753335 TI - Long waves in the eastern equatorial pacific ocean: a view from a geostationary satellite. AB - During 1975, westward-moving long waves with a period of about 25 days and a wavelength of 1000 kilometers were observed at a sea surface temperature front in the equatorial Pacific on infrared images obtained by a geostationary environmental satellite system. The absence of these waves during 1976, and the above-average equatorial sea surface temperatures during 1976, may be related to a decrease in the southeasterly trade winds during that year. PMID- 17753336 TI - Lectin release by soybean seeds. AB - Lectin is released from soybean seeds during water uptake. Hemagglutination activity data show that the lectin is a preferential release product within the first 8 hours of hydration. A qualitative filter-paper assay for detection of lectin released by single seeds is used to show that the release phenomenon is independent of seed viability and insensitive to azide. PMID- 17753337 TI - Electrochemical growth of organic charge-transfer complexes. PMID- 17753338 TI - Standard Samples. PMID- 17753339 TI - On Certain Problems of Taxonomists. PMID- 17753341 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17753340 TI - Color in Trilobites of Trenton Age. PMID- 17753342 TI - SOME RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STUDY OF THE SOLID STATE. PMID- 17753343 TI - THE ORGANIZATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEN. PMID- 17753345 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17753344 TI - A PROPOSED NEW "CHALLENGER" EXPLORING EXPEDITION. PMID- 17753346 TI - THE TERM "ARROSTIC". PMID- 17753347 TI - COLUMNAR HOLES. PMID- 17753348 TI - PHOSPHORESCENCE OF AMERICAN ICELAND SPAR AFTER RADIUM RADIATION. PMID- 17753349 TI - ABNORMAL DIPS NEAR THE EASTERN BOUNDARY FAULT OF THE CONNECTICUT TRIASSIC. PMID- 17753350 TI - Problems of our own making. PMID- 17753351 TI - Confusion of Issues. PMID- 17753352 TI - Whose Bad Culture? PMID- 17753354 TI - Political Physiology. PMID- 17753353 TI - Trading upon Science. PMID- 17753355 TI - An Analogous Problem. PMID- 17753356 TI - The Great Teachers. PMID- 17753357 TI - Quantized Magnetic Flux in Superconductors: Experiments confirm Fritz London's early concept that superconductivity is a macroscopic quantum phenomenon. AB - The observation that the magnetic flux in a hollow superconducting cylinder is quantized in units of hc/2e has confirmed Fritz London's prediction that superconductivity is a macroscopic quantum phenomenon and that the superconducting state is a single- valued quantum state. It has also conclusively demonstrated that the pair interaction of the Bardeen-Cooper- Schrieffer theory of superconductivity is the important one, at least for the few superconductors studied. A superconducting ring or hollow cylinder must "decide" at the transition temperature what final quantum state it will be in when the temperature is lowered. This "thinking process" has been observed in experiments which demonstrate that the free energy of a hollow superconducting cylinder at the transition temperature is periodic in the magnetic flux. Very recently quantum-mechanical interference effects have been observed in the Josephson tunneling characteristics of multiply linked superconducting circuits. These experiments complement the other experiments on quantized flux and provide perhaps the most elegant proof of long-range order in the superconducting state. PMID- 17753358 TI - Venture into Politics: Scientists and Engineers in the Election Campaign (I). PMID- 17753359 TI - Britain Confronts Its Technical Options. PMID- 17753360 TI - Radar Meteor Counts: Anomalous Increase during 1963. AB - Radar meteor counts at Ottawa, Canada, show an increase of up to 50 percent in the hourly rates of short-duration echoes during the middle months of 1963. A similar increase has been observed in the Southern Hemisphere. PMID- 17753361 TI - Meteors: An Unexpected Increase in 1963. AB - Counts of meteors observed by radar from Christchurch, New Zealand, rose unexpectedly by over 100 percent during mid-1963. A similar but smaller increase was also observed in Canada. Diminishing peaks have subsequently appeared at 6 month intervals in the Christchurch meteor counts. PMID- 17753362 TI - Sonar Probing in Narragansett Bay. AB - A 12-kilocycle pulsed transducer, with a 0.1 millisecond duration, is used for tracing a sub-bottom rock profile in Narragansett Bay. The short sonar pulse of high energy is produced by a capacitor discharge. Over-the-side installation of the transducer permits the use of any boat or ship for the survey work. Coherent presentation of the data on a wet paper recorder gives an instantaneous visual record. A cross a north-south rock formation, a recurring rise and fall of the rock is shown throughout the sedimentary deposit. PMID- 17753363 TI - Acetylene Ester from Aster spinosus. AB - A polyacetylene compound, cis-lachnophyllum ester, has been isolated from Aster spinosus Benth. The presence of this comipound in this genus is of taxonomic interest. PMID- 17753364 TI - Enzyme Regulation in Mammalian Tissues. PMID- 17753366 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17753365 TI - Diffusion in Oceans and Fresh Waters. PMID- 17753367 TI - THE SPECTROSCOPY OF THE EXTREME ULTRA-VIOLET. PMID- 17753368 TI - THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CORPORATION. PMID- 17753369 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17753370 TI - KENTUCKY AND THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION. PMID- 17753371 TI - PRELIMINARY NOTE ON THE ETIOLOGY OF POTATO TIP-BURN. PMID- 17753374 TI - THE NEUROMOTOR APPARATUS OF PARAMECIUM. PMID- 17753372 TI - RELATIVITY AND STAR DIAMETERS. PMID- 17753373 TI - HIGH SPEED HIGH VACUA MERCURY VAPOR PUMPS. PMID- 17753376 TI - THE HALE PATENT PAVEMENT. PMID- 17753375 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17753377 TI - AN ELECTRIC SNOW-PLOUGH. PMID- 17753378 TI - MAJOR POWELL'S ADDRESS TO THE MINING ENGINEERS. PMID- 17753379 TI - ELECTRIC WELDING. PMID- 17753381 TI - THE HOUR AT WHICH DEATH OCCURS. PMID- 17753380 TI - PUTREFACTION AT GREAT DEPTHS IN THE SEA. PMID- 17753383 TI - The Cause of Rain. PMID- 17753382 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17753384 TI - INDUSTRIAL NOTES. PMID- 17753385 TI - A New Meteorite. PMID- 17753387 TI - Selig Hecht 1892-1947. PMID- 17753386 TI - Symbiosis, Antibiosis, and Cancer. PMID- 17753388 TI - Chloromycetin and Streptothricin. PMID- 17753389 TI - Benzene Hexachloride and Poultry Meat. PMID- 17753390 TI - pH-Fluorescence of Pyrolyzed Amino Acids. PMID- 17753391 TI - Regression of Lymphosarcoma Produced by Intraperitoneal Administration of 95% Ethyl Alcohol. PMID- 17753392 TI - Some Biological Effects Due to Nuclear Fission. PMID- 17753393 TI - Protection Against Bacterial Endotoxins by Penicillin and Its Impurities. PMID- 17753395 TI - Oscillographic Scatterplots Illustrating Various Degrees of Correlation. PMID- 17753394 TI - The Folic Acid Activity and Antagonism of Two Structurally Related Derivatives of Benzimidazole. PMID- 17753396 TI - A Simplified Basal Electrode for Routine EEG Use. PMID- 17753398 TI - Charles C. Adams, Ecologist. PMID- 17753397 TI - Emphasis on Mathematics. PMID- 17753399 TI - E. R. Dunn, Herpetologist. PMID- 17753400 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17753401 TI - Lack of Recognition of Foreign Works. PMID- 17753402 TI - Duttonite, New Vanadium Mineral from Peanut Mine, Montrose County, Colorado. PMID- 17753403 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17753405 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17753407 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON CHEMISTRY.--III. PMID- 17753406 TI - Equipment News. PMID- 17753408 TI - COLLECTION OF MEXICAN MAGUEY PAINTINGS. PMID- 17753409 TI - THE BENDIGO GOLDFIELD. PMID- 17753410 TI - RING PHEASANT. PMID- 17753411 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC MAN ON THE FARM. PMID- 17753413 TI - THE ECCENTRICITIES OF A PAIR OF ROBINS. PMID- 17753412 TI - THE MARINE TERTIARIES OF AUSTRALIA. PMID- 17753414 TI - BIOLOGICAL NOTES FROM NEW ZEALAND--II. PMID- 17753415 TI - THE AMERICAN FOLK-LORE SOCIETY. PMID- 17753416 TI - SOME REMARKS ON THE KINETIC THEORY OF GASES. PMID- 17753417 TI - DISCOVERY OF ANOTHER ANCIENT ARGILLITE QUARRY IN THE DELAWARE VALLEY. PMID- 17753418 TI - THE TIN ORES OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND SOUTH DAKOTA. PMID- 17753419 TI - A RECAPTURE FROM A RIVER PIRATE. PMID- 17753420 TI - Empiricism or diversity? PMID- 17753421 TI - Elephant grass. PMID- 17753422 TI - Erratum. AB - In the report by N. Yamamoto et al., "Transformation of human leukocytes by cocultivation with an adult T cell leukemia virus producer cell line" (20 Aug., p. 737), the column headings in Table 1, on page 738, under "Cells with markers (%)," should have read: Leu 1, Leu 2a, Leu 3a, Leu 4, and Ia (not immunoglobulin A). PMID- 17753423 TI - Engineering programs in Arizona. PMID- 17753424 TI - Engineering education and national policy. PMID- 17753425 TI - Some emerging applications of lasers. AB - New laser applications are emerging in almost every field of science. Many of them show both a high degree of technical sophistication and broad practical utility. The progress being made is illustrated by specific applications in three areas: laser microchemistry, optical disk data storage, and remote sensing. PMID- 17753426 TI - Sedimentation field flow fractionation: applications. AB - Sedimentation field flow fractionation is a powerful, new, high-resolution separation method for a wide variety of colloids, micelles, particulates, and soluble macromolecules of biological interest. Advances in instrumentation allow sedimentation field flow fractionation operation with rotor speeds up to 32,000 revolutions per minute ( approximately 85,000 gravities), which permits separation of materials as small as 5 x 10(5) molecular weight, depending on sample density. Compared to conventional centrifugation techniques, the gentle, mass-separating sedimentation field flow fractionation method is capable of higher resolution in shorter times. PMID- 17753427 TI - Los alamos: the winds of mutiny. PMID- 17753428 TI - The perils of clinch river. PMID- 17753430 TI - Shultz names kennedy nonproliferation chief. PMID- 17753429 TI - ICSU Accepts China and Psychology. PMID- 17753431 TI - Soviets clamp down on dissident groups. PMID- 17753432 TI - Who's Who in Physics and Math. PMID- 17753433 TI - Planetary rings explained and unexplained. PMID- 17753434 TI - How thin is thin? PMID- 17753436 TI - Major scientific meetings. PMID- 17753435 TI - Social issues are themes for seminars. PMID- 17753438 TI - NSF Chautauqua Courses for 1982-1983. PMID- 17753437 TI - Nomination of AAAS Fellows Invited. PMID- 17753440 TI - Cometary physics. PMID- 17753439 TI - Planetary science. PMID- 17753441 TI - Physiology: a supplement. PMID- 17753442 TI - A European insect species. PMID- 17753443 TI - Orthopyroxene exsolution in augite: a two-step, diffusion-transformation process. AB - Orthopyroxene lamellae exsolved from augite on (100) are shown to grow by a two step process involving (i) the diffusion of calcium and (magnesium, iron) to form clinohypersthene and (ii) the inversion of clinohypersthene to orthopyroxene, probably by glide twinning. If complete inversion is prevented by cooling or steep concentration gradients, the two-step process produces orthopyroxene with narrow margins of clinohypersthene. Measured elemental concentration gradients at (100) lamellar interfaces support this mechanism. PMID- 17753444 TI - Calanoid copepods, feeding currents, and the role of gravity. AB - Feeding currents of free-swimming calanoid copepods, observed through an expanded krypton laser beam and a back-focus dark-field optical system, show that these planktonic animals generate a double shear field to help in detecting food. The interrelation between flow field, perception of food items, and body orientation explains why these animals are generally negatively buoyant. PMID- 17753445 TI - Synergistic action of potassium chloride and magnesium sulfate on parasitoid wasp oviposition. AB - A dilute solution of potassium chloride and magnesium sulfate induces oviposition in artificial eggs by the egg parasitoids Trichogramma pretiosum and T. minutum. The ability to obtain large numbers of eggs through the use of this inexpensive solution is a major advance toward the development of diets and the large-scale production of Trichogramma spp. in vitro. PMID- 17753446 TI - Male Lek Formation and Female Calling in a Population of the Arctiid Moth Estigmene acrea. AB - Abdominal coremata in male Estigmene acrea (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) are inflated and displayed in aggregations to which females and males are attracted and where mating occurs (leks). Female E. acrea also release a sex pheromone which attracts males. These two mating behaviors occur in the same populations at different peak times on the same nights. Thus male lek formation and female calling occur in the same species, and the male coremata, or related structures, appear to be integrally associated with lek behavior. PMID- 17753447 TI - Ecological correlates of paternal investment of urates in a tropical cockroach. AB - Females of the tropical cockroach Xestoblatta hamata feed on urates offered by the male after copulation. Females on nitrogen-deficient diets ingest and transfer to their maturing oocytes more male-derived uric acid than do females on high-protein diets. In isolated females, the greatest uptake of uric acid by the ovaries occurs during the mating stage in the reproductive cycle. Uric acid from males contributes significantly to the female's nitrogen pool and may help shorten the time between mating and oviposition. In both field and laboratory experiments males choose high-protein foods and dietary uric acid. PMID- 17753448 TI - Gordon research conferences: 1983 winter schedule. PMID- 17753449 TI - The American Association for the Advancement of Science: A Brief Historical Sketch. PMID- 17753450 TI - Greetings From the British Association. PMID- 17753452 TI - The Southwestern Division of the AAAS. PMID- 17753451 TI - The AAAS on the Pacific Slope. PMID- 17753453 TI - The American Journal of Science, 1818-1948. PMID- 17753455 TI - The National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council. PMID- 17753454 TI - The Progress of Physics From 1848 to 1948. PMID- 17753456 TI - The Rise of Science Understanding. PMID- 17753458 TI - Eighth International Congress of Genetics. PMID- 17753457 TI - Science and Life. PMID- 17753459 TI - The Centennial Celebration - Washington, D.C. September 13-17, 1948. PMID- 17753460 TI - Floating accelerator: progress at last. PMID- 17753461 TI - Floating accelerator. PMID- 17753462 TI - Base si units. PMID- 17753463 TI - Oil Recovery with Supercritical CO2. PMID- 17753465 TI - Congress Set to Improve Weapons Testing: The Pentagon's top scientist will lose responsibility for weapons tests in an effort to eliminate waste. PMID- 17753464 TI - Waves and turbulence in a tokamak fusion plasma. AB - The tokamak is a prototype fusion device in which a toroidal Magnetic field is used to confine a hot plasma. Coherent waves, excited near the plasma edge, can be used to transport energy into the plasma in order to heat it to the temperatures required for thermonuclear fusion. In addition, tokamak plasmas are known to exhibit high levels of turbulent density fluctuations, which can transport particles and energy out of the plasma. Recently, experiments have been conducted to elucidate the nature of both the coherent waves and the turbulence. The experiments provide insight into a broad range of interesting linear and nonlinear plasma phenomena and into many of the processes that determine such practical things as plasma heating and confinement. PMID- 17753466 TI - Lots of new weapons. PMID- 17753467 TI - End of road for barnwell. PMID- 17753468 TI - France's Monumental Science Museum: Amid a lot of controversy, a former Paris abattoir is being converted into one of the world's biggest science museums. PMID- 17753469 TI - DOE Chooses Idaho for New Weapons Plant. PMID- 17753470 TI - Monkey Researcher's Cruelty Verdict Reversed. PMID- 17753471 TI - Oil industry buys a place in the sun. PMID- 17753472 TI - CERN Vector Boson Hunt Successful: Between them, two groups of physicists have collected 90 W's and 10 Z0's whose properties fit the predictions of the electro weak theory. PMID- 17753473 TI - Science Underground: An underground laboratory could house ultrasensitive experiments; Los Alamos wants to build one at the Nevada nuclear test site. PMID- 17753474 TI - A solar system at vega? PMID- 17753475 TI - Genetics and evolution: evolution of genes and proteins. PMID- 17753476 TI - A british institution: the national physical laboratory. PMID- 17753477 TI - Views of the arms race: scientists, the arms race and disarmament. PMID- 17753478 TI - Direct embryogenesis from mesophyll cells of orchardgrass. AB - Segments taken from the basal 15 to 20 millimeters of the two innermost leaves of an orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) genotype produced somatic (nonzygotic) embryos directly from mesophyll cells without an intervening callus when cultured on an agar medium with 30 micromolar 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid (dicamba). This demonstration of high-frequency embryogenesis from mesophyll cells in Gramineae is strong evidence for totipotency of the cells. PMID- 17753479 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17753480 TI - Instrumentation. PMID- 17753481 TI - Enantiomerically pure drugs. PMID- 17753482 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17753483 TI - Everglades rebound from andrew. PMID- 17753484 TI - Physicists take aim at antihydrogen. PMID- 17753485 TI - A fast track to antihydrogen? PMID- 17753487 TI - Could protons be mortal after all? PMID- 17753486 TI - Science imitates art imitating science. PMID- 17753488 TI - Planetesimal found beyond neptune. PMID- 17753489 TI - Toshiba and teachers launch contest. PMID- 17753490 TI - Newest, largest marine sanctuary. PMID- 17753491 TI - Soviet biowarfare apparatus: all gone? PMID- 17753492 TI - Monkeying With NSF's Basic Mission? PMID- 17753494 TI - Neuroscience and mental illness. PMID- 17753493 TI - The anatomy of scientific productivity. PMID- 17753495 TI - Detection of trace molecular species using degenerate four-wave mixing. AB - Spectroscopies that make use of laser light have provided an important tool to modern researchers for the nonintrusive analysis of chemical systems. The strengths and limitations of these spectroscopic techniques often determine the viability of scientific investigations. The unique properties of degenerate four wave mixing, a nonlinear optical technique, have recently been found to provide powerful capabilities for a wide range of applications. PMID- 17753496 TI - Comet yanaka (1988r): a new class of carbon-poor comet. AB - As part of a program to determine the chemical composition of a sample population of comets, a very unusual comet, Yanaka (1988r), was observed in January 1989. Although the comet showed the usual emissions of Ol and NH(2), it did not display any hint of C(2) or CN emission. The comet is depleted in C(2) by at least a factor of 100 and in CN by a factor of 25 relative to typical comets. If comets originate from interstellar clouds, Yanaka (1988r) could be an interloper from a cloud of different composition. If Yanaka (1988r) was formed within our solar system, the solar nebula was less uniform than assumed by most present models of formation. PMID- 17753497 TI - Aaas*93. PMID- 17753498 TI - Activists and the AIDS business. PMID- 17753499 TI - Microstructure revealed. PMID- 17753500 TI - Vignettes: performance tests. PMID- 17753501 TI - Sydney and beyond. PMID- 17753502 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17753503 TI - PONCELET POLYGONS. PMID- 17753504 TI - THE CONTEST WITH PHYSICAL NATURE. PMID- 17753505 TI - DANIEL GIRAUD ELLIOT. PMID- 17753507 TI - THE JOSEPH AUSTIN HOLMES MEMORIAL. PMID- 17753506 TI - FRANCIS MARION WEBSTER. PMID- 17753508 TI - FIREFLIES FLASHING IN UNISON. PMID- 17753509 TI - POLYRADIATE CESTODES. PMID- 17753510 TI - THE FIRST SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17753512 TI - AN ORGANIC OOLITE FROM THE ORDOVICIAN. PMID- 17753511 TI - USE OF C.G.S. UNITS. PMID- 17753513 TI - THE DISCOVERY OF THE CHESTNUT-BLIGHT PARASITE (ENDOTHIA PARASITICA) AND OTHER CHESTNUT FUNGI IN JAPAN. PMID- 17753514 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGISTS. II. PMID- 17753515 TI - OVERTURNING AND ANCHORING OF MONOLAYERS. PMID- 17753516 TI - SCIENCE AND GENERAL EDUCATION. PMID- 17753518 TI - SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17753517 TI - GRANTS IN SUPPORT OF RESEARCH ON THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF RADIATION. PMID- 17753519 TI - NEWTON'S THIRD LAW. PMID- 17753520 TI - BROMINATION OF OPTICALLY ACTIVE METHYLPHENYL- AND PROPYLPHENYL-CARBINOLS. PMID- 17753521 TI - IS AGGLUTINATION AN EXPLANATION FOR THE OCCURRENCE AND FOR THE CHROMOMERE-TO CHROMOMERE SPECIFICITY OF SYNAPSIS? PMID- 17753522 TI - ROOT AND SHOOT PRODUCTION INDUCED IN CABBAGE BY BETA (3) INDOLE-ACETIC ACID. PMID- 17753523 TI - EXACT PROBABILITIES IN CARDMATCHING PROBLEMS. PMID- 17753524 TI - FRONTAL HORN ON ACERATHERIUM INCIVISIVUM. PMID- 17753525 TI - REPORT CONCERNING THE OFFICIAL STATE BUREAUS CONNECTED WITH THE JOHNS HOPKIINS UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17753526 TI - THE BIOLOGICAL STATIONS OF BRITTANY. PMID- 17753528 TI - THE COLUMBIA MEETING OF THE SOCIETY FOR PLANT MORPHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17753527 TI - NOTES ON THE TIMES OF BREEDING OF SOME COMMON NEW ENGLAND NEMERTEANS. PMID- 17753529 TI - ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN FOLK-LORE SOCIETY. PMID- 17753530 TI - THE STORING OF PAMPHLETS. PMID- 17753531 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17753533 TI - AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN RUSSIA. PMID- 17753532 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17753534 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. PMID- 17753535 TI - HENRI POINCARE AS A MATHEMATICAL PHYSICIST. PMID- 17753536 TI - UNIVERSITY ORGANIZATION. PMID- 17753537 TI - THE FUR-SEAL CENSUS FOR 1913. PMID- 17753539 TI - THE MANUS OF TRACHODONT DINOSAURS. PMID- 17753538 TI - EDWIN KLEBS (1834-1913). PMID- 17753540 TI - A NEW TYPE OF BACTERIAL DISEASE. PMID- 17753541 TI - AGRO-DOGMATOLOGY. PMID- 17753542 TI - ANATOMY AS A MEANS OF DIAGNOSIS OF SPONTANEOUS PLANT HYBRIDS. PMID- 17753544 TI - THE CONVOCATION WEEK MEETING OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17753543 TI - THE OHIO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17753545 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17753547 TI - THE EIGHT-HOUR DAY. PMID- 17753546 TI - SHELL-FISH IN CONNECTICUT. PMID- 17753548 TI - DATE OF VINTAGE. PMID- 17753550 TI - BURMAH, PRESENT AND FUTURE. PMID- 17753549 TI - SODA AND POTASH IN THE FAR WEST. PMID- 17753552 TI - COOKING AND DIETING. PMID- 17753551 TI - CHOLERA MORTALITY IN EUROPE DURING 1885. PMID- 17753553 TI - National Speleological Society. PMID- 17753554 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17753556 TI - A New Crystalline Silica. PMID- 17753555 TI - Radio Observations of Meteors. AB - To summarize, we find that the radio technique of meteor observation enables us to extend the systematic recording of meteor rates down to the 9th or 10th magnitude; to determine satisfactory heights and velocities on a scale previously impossible; to calculate the orbits of meteor showers and individual meteors, in particular those that appear only in the daytime; and to study wind drift and fine structure in the ionosphere. The radio observations have quite definitely indicated that down to the 9th magnitude, corresponding to particles approximately 1 mm in diameter, meteors are members of the solar system and do not come from interstellar space. PMID- 17753558 TI - Improvement in Low-Temperature Resistance of Sugar-Beet Seedlings Treated with Dalapon (2,2-Dichloropropionic Acid). PMID- 17753557 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17753559 TI - Uranium Determination by Use of the Photodecomposition of Oxalic Acid. PMID- 17753560 TI - Toxicity to Pineapple Plants of Biuret Found in Urea Fertilizers from Different Sources. PMID- 17753561 TI - Reversible Changes in the Absorption Spectrum of Chlorella upon Irradiation. PMID- 17753562 TI - Fire and the Australopithecines. PMID- 17753563 TI - VEGETABLE DIET AND THE LENGTH OF LIFE. PMID- 17753565 TI - MASURIUM AND RHENIUM. PMID- 17753564 TI - CRYSTALS OF VITAMIN. PMID- 17753566 TI - THE EVOLUTION OF APES. PMID- 17753567 TI - THE ASTRONOMICAL ALMANAC FOR 1927. PMID- 17753568 TI - RELATIVITY IN THE LIGHT OF EXPERIMENTS BY THE ETHER DRIFT. PMID- 17753570 TI - ON CYTOMORPHOSIS IN BACTERIA. PMID- 17753569 TI - A CONSIDERATION OF THE CLINICAL AND DIDACTIC METHODS OF TEACHING MEDICINE. PMID- 17753571 TI - THREE LETTERS BEARING UPON THE CONTROVERSY OVER EVOLUTION. PMID- 17753572 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17753573 TI - THE EXCESSIVE POLITENESS OF AMERICAN BOTANISTS. PMID- 17753574 TI - ON THE DAYLIGHT VISIBILITY OF STARS FROM A MINE SHAFT. PMID- 17753575 TI - TWINNING IN A MOLLUSC, SERPULOIDES VERMICULARIS. PMID- 17753576 TI - BASIN RANGE STRUCTURE AT JEROME, ARIZONA. PMID- 17753578 TI - THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17753577 TI - A SIMPLIFIED METHOD OF MICRO-COMBUSTION: THE MICRO-DENNSTEDT METHOD. PMID- 17753579 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17753581 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17753580 TI - Woods hole: now and then. PMID- 17753582 TI - Upward spiral of costs and dues. PMID- 17753584 TI - Reductionism and real biology. PMID- 17753583 TI - Chromatography warning. PMID- 17753585 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17753586 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17753587 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17753588 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17753589 TI - Meeting world food needs. PMID- 17753590 TI - Telescopes and automation. AB - In stellar astronomy, the future of automation techniques lies in their application to the largest telescopes. In such a case, the cost of automation is small compared to that of the telescope project as a whole, and is well repaid in the savings in observing time. A "stand-alone" capability for manual operation in event of computer breakdown is usually provided for systems like this; an example is the 107-inch (272-cm) telescope under construction at the McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas, which will be associated with an IBM 1800 computer. PMID- 17753591 TI - The Decades Ahead from a Publisher's View. PMID- 17753592 TI - Deep-sea tides: a program. PMID- 17753593 TI - Social sciences: expanded role urged for defense department. PMID- 17753595 TI - NSF Issues Administrative Study. PMID- 17753596 TI - NAS Establishes Board on Medicine. PMID- 17753597 TI - Tridymite pseudomorphs after wood in virginian lower cretaceous sediments. AB - Fossil wood composed of tridymite is abundant in Patuxent (Lower Cretaceous) arkose on Hazel Run, Fredericksburg, Virginia. X-ray diffraction studies of the tridymite indicate that it has a disordered structure in which hexagonal close packing predominates. The specimens, which contain trace amounts of aluminum, iron, and other elements, are soft and fibrous, varying from white to shades of brown. PMID- 17753598 TI - Manganese and related elements in the interstitial water of marine sediments. AB - Analyses for manganese, nickel, iron, cobalt, sodium, and lithium in the interstitial water of cores from the southern California borderland and six deep sea cores in the area of the East Pacific Rise show great variation in concentration of trace elements. Oxidizing near-shore sediments showed a 50-fold enrichment in manganese in contrast to sulfide-rich reducing sediments, which showed no enrichment. Deep-sea sediments were variable in their concentration of the trace metals. All but one core showed a high enrichment in dissolved manganese, with a maximum of 6.6 parts per million. Two cores showed a 100-fold enrichment in nickel and cobalt. The manganese appears to be in solution either as Mn(2+) or as a complex. The results appear to support manganese nodule formation in deep-sea sediments through a diffusion of manganese from depth to the surface. PMID- 17753599 TI - Stanfieldite: a new phosphate mineral from stony-iron meteorites. AB - A new mineral, stanfieldite, Ca(4)(Mg,Fe)(5)(PO(4))(6), has been found in the Estherville mesosiderite and several pallasites: Santa Rosalia, Albin, Finmarken, Imilac, Mount Vernon, and Newport. The atom ratio Mg:Fe of this mineral varies from 1.5 in Estherville to a constant ratio of about 15 in the pallasites. X-ray, optical, and chemical data for the mineral resemble those for the only intermediate compound in the system Mg(3)(PO(4))(2)-Ca(3)(PO(4))(2). PMID- 17753600 TI - Seismic refraction profile in coral sea basin. AB - A refraction profile near the south edge of Coral Sea Basin shows sediments, "second layer," and oceanic crust all thicker than normal for an oceanic station; normal mantle lies at a depth of 19 kilometers. PMID- 17753601 TI - Paleomagnetic field reversals and cosmic radiation. AB - Faunal changes observed in association with reversals of the geomagnetic field have been attributed to increased radiation dosages produced by cosmic rays when the field intensity is greatly reduced. However, at currently observed cosmic ray and solar particle intensities, the additional dosages produced at sea level during a period of complete removal of the geomagnetic field are negligible. Furthermore, even complete dumping of the energetic particle in the radiation belts would not give rise to the necessary increased dosages. PMID- 17753602 TI - Electron microprobe and optical absorption study of colored kyanites. AB - The characteristic blue color of the mineral kyanite is shown to be caused by traces of Ti(+++) in the range of a few parts per million. Evidence from the intensity and position of optical absorption bands indicates that the unusually intense color probably arises from electron delocalization into narrow d-bands. PMID- 17753603 TI - Sedimentary phosphate method for estimating paleosalinities. AB - The widespread occurrence of sedimentary phosphate in argillaceous sediments provides the basis for a new method of paleosalinity estimation. Sedimentary phosphate contains iron- and calcium-phosphate fractions, the relative proportions of which are sensitive to salinity of the water at sites of deposition. The sedimentary phosphate method provides direct estimates of paleosalinity throughout the freshwater to marine range. PMID- 17753604 TI - Gastropod Urosalpinx: pH of Accessory Boring Organ while Boring. AB - Recent development of a microelectrode has enabled the first continuous recording of the pH of the secretion of the normally functioning accessory boring organ of the shell-boring predatory snail Urosalpinx. The recording was made in an incomplete borehole in a glass-shell model. The minimum pH recorded was 3.8; hitherto the secretion had been considered neutral. PMID- 17753605 TI - Sky-hook: old idea. PMID- 17753606 TI - Continental drift and spreading of ocean floors. PMID- 17753608 TI - Marine science. PMID- 17753607 TI - Lamont geological observatory. PMID- 17753609 TI - Brain research. PMID- 17753610 TI - Cancer dissemination. PMID- 17753611 TI - Recombinant DNA: Unknown Risks. PMID- 17753612 TI - Toxicological testing dilemma. PMID- 17753613 TI - Open debate. PMID- 17753615 TI - Preventive medicine. PMID- 17753614 TI - Computers: reassuring, but dispensable. PMID- 17753616 TI - X-rays from Coalescing Atoms. AB - The discovery and investigation of X-ray continua has provided a new tool for studying the detailed electronic processes that occur when atoms collide. In the collisions considered here, the quasimolecular origin of the continuum radiation has been established. Therefore, as the atomic numbers of the projectiles and target atoms are increased one can simulate some of the properties of superheavy atoms. In particular, the peaked nature of the x-ray energy dependence of the anisotropy of K, L, and M MO radiation, as well as the peaked nature of the M MO spectra, will allow approximate spectroscopic studies of superheavy atoms. Special excitement attaches to the possibility of observing fundamental processes occurring under extremely high electric and magnetic fields. The recent successful development of a 1400-Mev U beam at the GSI (Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung) accelerator in Darmstadt, Germany, promises an imminent attack on these basic problems (63). PMID- 17753618 TI - Kronid lyubarsky: the soviet state tries to unmake a scientist. PMID- 17753617 TI - City size effects, trends, and policies. AB - As cities increase in size, so do wage rates for the same work. There is evidence that the wage differential is persistent and stable over time, which suggests that the differential does not arise from a lack of adjustment that is in process of correction. Indeed, there is an inverse relation between size and growth rate. Large metropolitan areas with high wage rates have been losing population in recent years, which is hardly a sign that their higher wage rates are temporary inducements to workers to move into those cities. It is much more plausible that the differential is a more-orless permanent money payment that compensates urban residents for costs they bear as population size increases. This argument does not deny that there are nonwage benefits as well as costs of city size, that city size effects may vary between individuals and groups, or that there may be scope for improved policy on population distribution. Nonetheless, the benefits of size seem to be outweighed by the costs; all types and groups of people generally can and do move about until alternative locations are less attractive than their current location; and solutions to population distribution problems will often emerge as byproducts to the solutions of more basic problems. PMID- 17753619 TI - U.s.s.R. Exchange rejected. PMID- 17753620 TI - Soviet killer satellites: u.s. Ponders a response. PMID- 17753621 TI - International biological program: was it worth the cost and effort? PMID- 17753622 TI - Jimmy Carter's Advisers: Drawing from the Public Interest Movement. PMID- 17753623 TI - Carter's Science Policy Task Force. PMID- 17753625 TI - Coal Research (III): Liquefaction Has Far to Go. PMID- 17753624 TI - Photochemical smog: is it safe to treat the air? PMID- 17753627 TI - Scientific freedom and responsibility committee appointed. PMID- 17753626 TI - Project on values and models of habitat to publish research plan. PMID- 17753628 TI - AAAS Publishes First Budget Report. PMID- 17753629 TI - Erratum. AB - Photo credits for "AAAS News," Science, 6 August 1976, page 473, were inadvertently omitted. Both photographs were taken by Joanne Coyne. PMID- 17753630 TI - Resolutions invited for 1977 council meeting. PMID- 17753631 TI - The angiosperm question. PMID- 17753632 TI - Glacial geomorphology. PMID- 17753633 TI - Heterogeneous catalysis. PMID- 17753634 TI - Psychoendocrinology. PMID- 17753635 TI - Scattering theory. PMID- 17753636 TI - Deep current measurements suggest long waves in the eastern equatorial pacific. AB - During the 1975 El Nino expedition an array of conventional and electric field type near-bottom current recorders was deployed at the equator 300 kilometers west of the Galapagos Islands. While hydrographic observations were indicating El Nino activity off the South American coast, the current meters recorded an oscillation with a 25-day period, a wavelength of about 1000 kilometers, and an amplitude of 0.04 meter per second propagating westward at approximately 0.5 meter per second. These characteristics agree with theoretical models of a first mode baroclinic Rossby wave trapped at the equator. PMID- 17753637 TI - Inositol isomers: occurrence in marine sediments. AB - A combined gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric technique was used to identify and quantitate the occurrence of myo-, chiro-, and scyllo-inositol in marine sediments. The most abundant isomer was myo-inositol. These inositols were found in all the organic-rich sediment samples examined, and the amount of inositol decreased steadily with the age of the sample. A small fraction of the inositols occurred as hexaphosphate esters. PMID- 17753638 TI - Yearly seismic energy release: world totals versus ridge system totals. AB - Yearly seismic energy totals for many different regions of the earth show highs in 1965 and lows in 1967. Correlations found between totals for ridge systems and for the world are attributed to ambient stresses, which are close to those needed for failure in the lithosphere underlying those ridge systems. Energy highs for many different plate edges are thought to be the result of triggering by the large Alaskan earthquake of 1964. Other suggestions of triggering by major earthquakes are found in 1969 and 1971. PMID- 17753639 TI - Interrelations among isotopically anomalous mercury fractions from meteorites and possible cosmological inferences. AB - The magnitudes of the mercury anomaly found in unequilibrated meteorites appear to fit a trend. The excesses in the ratios of mercury-202 to mercury-196 are related by simple multiplication factors. This periodicity may be interpreted in terms of the mode of production and ejection of the anomalous isotope from a stellar source. PMID- 17753640 TI - Light control of growth form in colonial reef corals: computer simulation. AB - Computer simulation with plotter output reveals the close interrelation between ambient light and the skeletal morphogenesis of the massive Caribbean reef coral Montastrea annularis. This technique illustrates a new quantitative approach to evaluating ecological growth responses of colonial organisms. PMID- 17753641 TI - Hierarchical Relations Among Female Hanuman Langurs (Primates: Colobinae, Presbytis entellus). AB - Female hierarchies are stable over short periods but fluctuate from year to year. In general, young females rise in rank over older and often larger female relatives, even though old females remain active in troop defense. This previously undescribed dominance system can be plausibly explained with reference to inclusive fitness theory and the concept of reproductive value. PMID- 17753643 TI - A STRANGE PERFORMANCE. PMID- 17753642 TI - Evolving strategic arms and the technologist. PMID- 17753644 TI - A STUDY OF THE HUMAN TEMPORAL BONE.--I. PMID- 17753645 TI - THE WEATHER IN MARCH, 1883. PMID- 17753646 TI - THE GREAT COMET OF 1882. PMID- 17753648 TI - THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT ETNA. PMID- 17753647 TI - L'HIRONDELLE. PMID- 17753649 TI - MAGNETO-MOTIVE FORCE. PMID- 17753650 TI - RESEARCHES ON THE DICYEMIDAE. PMID- 17753651 TI - THE SMALL PLANETS. PMID- 17753652 TI - ZoOlogical 'regions.'. PMID- 17753653 TI - TEMPERATURE AND ICE OF THE BAVARIAN LAKES. PMID- 17753654 TI - Marking geodetic stations. PMID- 17753656 TI - Panther Creek coal-basin. PMID- 17753655 TI - Crayfish. PMID- 17753657 TI - Distribution of public documents. PMID- 17753658 TI - Sun's radiation and geological climate. PMID- 17753659 TI - Freezing of liquids in living vegetable tissue. PMID- 17753660 TI - THE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT-STATION OF CONNECTICUT. PMID- 17753661 TI - A NEW CALCULATION OF THE ATOMIC WEIGHTS. PMID- 17753662 TI - FOSSIL BOTANY. PMID- 17753664 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17753663 TI - WILDER AND GAGE'S INTRODUCTION TO ANATOMY. PMID- 17753665 TI - TWO LOSSES TO SCIENCE. PMID- 17753666 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17753667 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17753668 TI - Chrome considered as a Poison. PMID- 17753669 TI - Poison Fangs and Glands of the Mosquito. PMID- 17753670 TI - The Pronunciation of 'Arkansas.'. PMID- 17753672 TI - Rockwood Meteorite. PMID- 17753671 TI - Swill-Milk. PMID- 17753673 TI - AN EXPULSION OF SPARROWS. PMID- 17753674 TI - Applied Optics. PMID- 17753675 TI - Increasing Danger of Tape-Worm. PMID- 17753677 TI - Diagnosis of a New Species of Thrush (Turdus celaenops sp. nov.) from Japan. PMID- 17753676 TI - Audubon's Grave. PMID- 17753678 TI - SOME ASPECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17753679 TI - SCIENCE, NATURE AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17753680 TI - THE METRIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17753681 TI - ICHTHYOLOGY IN THE 'ENCYCLOPAeDIA AMERICANA.'. PMID- 17753682 TI - THE MULTI-NIPPLED SHEEP OF BEINN BHREAGH. PMID- 17753683 TI - POPULAR HELPS IN THE STUDY OF THE FUNGI. PMID- 17753684 TI - THE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES AT WOODS HOLE, MASS. PMID- 17753686 TI - THE CAMBRIDGE MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17753685 TI - SCIENTIFIC POSITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. PMID- 17753687 TI - The Other Fellows' Ball Park. PMID- 17753688 TI - New Frontiers of Astronomical Technology: Technological developments challenge the astronomer, both from the ground and in space. PMID- 17753689 TI - Fuel Cells: They produce more electricity per pound of fuel than any other nonnuclear method of power production. PMID- 17753690 TI - The Cambridge Electron Accelerator: This 6-billion-volt machine will be the world's highest energy electron synchrotron. PMID- 17753692 TI - Radio Telemetering from within the Body: Inside information is revealed by tiny transmitters that can be swallowed or implanted in man or animal. PMID- 17753691 TI - Defocusing Images To Increase Resolution: Resolution of two luminous particles is improved by defocusing the microscope or telescope. PMID- 17753693 TI - Mass Spectrographic Analysis of Solids: High sensitivity for bulk and surface impurities is provided by a new analytical method. PMID- 17753694 TI - The Consortium Proposal: Private Industry Offers a Plan for Developing Satellite Communications. PMID- 17753695 TI - Soviet Defections: Conclusions of Broad Discontent Unwarranted. PMID- 17753697 TI - Food for Peace: Ten Nations To Use Surplus To Aid Development. PMID- 17753696 TI - Mental Retardation: The President's Concern Will Broaden Research. PMID- 17753698 TI - Fallout Measurement: Soviets Opposed to a Role for the U.N. PMID- 17753699 TI - Area Redevelopment: Officials $$Word$$ Cautious Start. PMID- 17753700 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17753702 TI - ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. PMID- 17753701 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17753703 TI - CARTWRIGHT LECTURES ON PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17753705 TI - International copyright. PMID- 17753704 TI - LONDON LETTER. PMID- 17753706 TI - Penetrating-power of arrows. PMID- 17753707 TI - The distinction between anatomy and comparative anatomy. PMID- 17753708 TI - Note on the nocturnal cooling of bodies. PMID- 17753709 TI - Underground rivers. PMID- 17753710 TI - Names of the Canadian Rocky Mountain peaks. PMID- 17753711 TI - Maori poetry. PMID- 17753712 TI - THE RESINS AND THEIR CHEMICAL RELATIONS TO THE TERPENES. PMID- 17753713 TI - THE METAPHOR IN SCIENCE. PMID- 17753714 TI - A NEW FRENCH CAVERN WITH PALEOLITHIC MURAL ENGRAVINGS. PMID- 17753716 TI - A NEW FOSSILIFEROUS HORIZON ON BLUEBERRY MOUNTAIN, IN LITTLETON, NEW HAMPSHIRE. PMID- 17753715 TI - INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ENTOMOLOGY. PMID- 17753717 TI - A PUZZLING PHOTOGRAPH. PMID- 17753719 TI - POPULAR "SCIENCE" AGAIN. PMID- 17753718 TI - "TERMS USED TO DENOTE THE ABUNDANCE OR RARITY OF BIRDS". PMID- 17753720 TI - THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE BACTERIOLOGY OF HUMAN LEPROSY. PMID- 17753721 TI - THE LAGOMORPHS AN INDEPENDENT ORDER. PMID- 17753722 TI - NOTE ON THE DINOSAUR-TURTLE ANALOGY. PMID- 17753723 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17753724 TI - THE IMPORTANCE OF CLINICAL PATHOLOGY TO MODERN MEDICINE. PMID- 17753725 TI - THE TREATMENT OF ELECTRICITY FROM A LOGICAL RATHER THAN HISTORICAL STANDPOINT. PMID- 17753726 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17753727 TI - EXPLORATION OF THE DEEP SEA. PMID- 17753728 TI - CORDYLOPHORA IN MASSACHUSETTS. PMID- 17753729 TI - THE ISOLATION OF HEXURONIC ACID. PMID- 17753730 TI - OPPORTUNITY FOR PREVIOUS EXPOSURE BY CASES OF POLIOMYELITIS. PMID- 17753731 TI - THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION. PMID- 17753732 TI - THE USE OF "NEMBUTAL" AS AN ANESTHETIC FOR MICE. PMID- 17753734 TI - NOTE ON THE GROUP SPECIFIC SUBSTANCE OF HORSE SALIVA. PMID- 17753733 TI - AN EFFICIENT MEDIUM FOR REARING HOUSEFLIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. PMID- 17753735 TI - THE PRESENCE OF COMPOUND CHROMOSOMES IN THE PRIMARY SPERMATOCYTES OF CIRCOTETTIX VERRUCULATUS (ORTHOPTERA). PMID- 17753736 TI - PERSONALITY AS REVEALED BY THE CONTENT OF IMAGES. PMID- 17753737 TI - THE INDUSTRIAL FELLOWSHIPS OF THE MELLON INSTITUTE. PMID- 17753738 TI - A METHOD FOR KILLING TURTLES. PMID- 17753739 TI - A VIABLE TEN-YEAR-OLD CULTURE OF BACILLUS PARATYPHOSUS BETA. PMID- 17753740 TI - INHERITANCE OF OIL IN COTTON. PMID- 17753741 TI - SECTION D--MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. II. PMID- 17753742 TI - MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL. PMID- 17753743 TI - FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARY. PMID- 17753745 TI - Phoning long distance. PMID- 17753744 TI - Keeping up. PMID- 17753747 TI - Phoning long distance. PMID- 17753748 TI - Soviet science. PMID- 17753746 TI - Phoning long distance. PMID- 17753749 TI - Soviet science. PMID- 17753751 TI - They're Playing Our Song. PMID- 17753750 TI - Kin recognition. PMID- 17753753 TI - Scientific communication and national security in 1984. AB - The federal government's concern about maintaining the lead of the United States over the Soviet Union and its allies in militarily critical technology has led it to attempt to control unwanted technology transfer. Its attempts have extended to control of open scientific communication as well as the transfer of physical devices and blueprints. In 1982, the Corson Panel (an independent ad hoc committee) reviewed the evidence on the costs and benefits of controls and suggested guiding principles for government policy. This article examines the major policy developments since the Corson Panel completed its work. The stringency and the reach of government restrictions, either proposed or in force, go considerably beyond the panel's recommendations. PMID- 17753752 TI - Prudent practices for disposal of chemicals from laboratories. AB - A recent report of the National Research Council contains guidelines and recommendations for handling and disposing of unneeded chemicals from laboratories. Suggestions are also made for simplifying various procedures imposed by the regulatory agencies with authority over the disposal of laboratory chemicals. PMID- 17753754 TI - Sahel Will Suffer Even if Rains Come: With potential population explosion, no Green Revolution, drought is only part of the problem confronting the region. PMID- 17753756 TI - NAE Elects New Members. PMID- 17753755 TI - Desertification defines ordeal of the sahel. PMID- 17753757 TI - DeLauer Questions DOD Censorship. PMID- 17753758 TI - Comings and goings. PMID- 17753759 TI - U.k. Plutonium not needed for bombs, hodel says. PMID- 17753761 TI - Ancestors Worshiped: Paleoanthropologists have been discussing their agreements and disagreements in the presence of most of the world's hominid fossils. PMID- 17753760 TI - A novel proposal on chemical weapons. PMID- 17753762 TI - Graph Theory Result Proved: Two mathematicians, working on a counterintuitive conjecture resolved a problem that has been around for 50 years. PMID- 17753763 TI - SWARM Meets in Lubbock. PMID- 17753764 TI - Reminder: pacific division to meet in san francisco. PMID- 17753765 TI - Annual meeting comes to the big apple. PMID- 17753766 TI - AAAS Science Photography Contest. PMID- 17753767 TI - Presidents of affiliate societies voice concerns. PMID- 17753768 TI - Agriculture in the far East: agricultural development in china, Japan and Korea. PMID- 17753770 TI - New world cultures: indians of the upper Texas coast. PMID- 17753769 TI - Paleohydrology: background to palaeohydrology. PMID- 17753771 TI - Skin: biochemistry and physiology of the skin. PMID- 17753772 TI - Water uptake by roots controls water table movement and sediment oxidation in short spartina marsh. AB - Downward movement of the water table during both day and night in the short grass zone of intertidal salt marshes is due not to drainage but to water uptake by roots. Removal of water from the sediment results in the entry of air into the sediment, suggesting a feedback between plant growth, water uptake, and sediment oxidation. The water balance of Spartina alterniflora appears to influence the internal morphology of its roots, potentially giving rise to a new mechanism for the mass flow of gas in plants. PMID- 17753773 TI - Ocean circulation: its effects on seasonal sea-ice simulations. AB - A diagnostic ice-ocean model of the Arctic, Greenland, and Norwegian seas is constructed and used to examine the role of ocean circulation in seasonal sea-ice simulations. The model includes lateral ice motion and three-dimensional ocean circulation. The ocean portion of the model is weakly forced by observed temperature and salinity data. Simulation results show that including modeled ocean circulation in seasonal sea-ice simulations substantially improves the predicted ice drift and ice margin location. Simulations that do not include lateral ocean movment predict a much less realistic ice edge. PMID- 17753774 TI - Early land animals in north america: evidence from devonian age arthropods from gilboa, new york. AB - A new fossil site near Gilboa, New York, is one of only three where fossils of terrestrial arthropods of Devonian age have been found. The new Gilboan fauna is younger than the other two but richer in taxa. Fragmentary remains and nearly whole specimens assigned to Eurypterida, Arachnida (Trigonotarbida, Araneae, Amblypygi, and Acari), Chilopoda [Craterostigmatomorpha(?) and Scuterigeromorpha(?)], and tentatively to Insecta (Archaeognatha) have been found. The centipedes and possible insects may represent the earliest records known for these groups. PMID- 17753775 TI - Trace elements in tree rings: evidence of recent and historical air pollution. AB - Annual growth rings from short-leaf pine trees in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park show suppressed growth and increased iron content between 1863 and 1912, a period of smelting activity and large sulfur dioxide releases at Copperhill, Tennessee, 88 kilometers upwind. Similar growth suppression and increases of iron and other metals were found in rings formed in the past 20 to 25 years, a period when regional fossil fuel combustion emissions increased about 200 percent. Metals concentrations in phloem and cambium are high, but whether they exceed toxic thresholds for these tissues is not known. PMID- 17753776 TI - Ancient bisexual flowers. AB - Fossil flowers discovered in 94-million-year-old clays of the Dakota Formation in Nebraska are among the earliest known demonstrably bisexual flowers. The flowers are of medium size and have pentamerous whorls of clearly differentiated floral parts, petals alternate with the sepals, short stamens are borne opposite the petals, the carpels are fused, and a receptacular disk is present. The pollen is small and tricolporate. These flowers appear to be well adapted to insect pollination. The numerous floral features and pollen characters provide sufficient diagnostic data to assess its systematic position. No extant order accommodates the features of this flower and it shares some features of various extant orders. The classification of flowering plants and our understanding of their evolution must be influenced by the fossilized remains of ancient flowers. PMID- 17753777 TI - Laying Eggs in a Neighbor's Nest: Benefit and Cost of Colonial Nesting in Swallows. AB - Intraspecific brood parasitism (laying eggs in another's nest) occurs widely in colonial cliff swallows (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae: Hirundo pyrrhonota). In colonies consisting of more than ten nests, up to 24 percent of the nests were sometimes parasitized by colony members. Laying eggs in a conspecific's nest may be a benefit of coloniality for parasitic individuals and simultaneously may represent a cost to host individuals within the same colony. PMID- 17753778 TI - Factors in ethanol tolerance. PMID- 17753780 TI - Insurance administrator address change. PMID- 17753779 TI - Obituaries. PMID- 17753782 TI - Research Grants-- Are They Worth Saving? PMID- 17753781 TI - Scientists and Jesuits, Gypsies and Jews. PMID- 17753783 TI - Responsible Scientific Choice. PMID- 17753784 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17753785 TI - Code of Ethics. PMID- 17753786 TI - Separating the R from the D. PMID- 17753787 TI - Airglow and the Physics of Upper Atmosphere. PMID- 17753788 TI - Early Seed Plants. PMID- 17753789 TI - Nobel Award Winners Announced. PMID- 17753790 TI - Chemistry. PMID- 17753791 TI - Wiesner Successor: Donald Hornig, Princeton Chemistry Head, Named To Take Over Top Science Posts. PMID- 17753792 TI - Washington Ramble: News in Brief on Investigations, Accelerators, Anger in NSF, and Other Matters. PMID- 17753793 TI - Tobacco: Activity Masks Unrest In Industry as Government Smoking Study is Prepared for Release. PMID- 17753794 TI - Submergence of the New Jersey Coast. AB - A series of five radiocarbon dates obtained from samples taken along the base of the lagoon between the Brigantine City Barrier and the mainland indicates a rate of submergence of 3 meters per millennium between 6090 and 2600 years before the present. During the last 2600 years the average submergence has slowed down to only 1.2 to 1.4 meters per millennium; the general picture of a rapid rise and the subsequent slackening is in agreement with results published for the New England area. PMID- 17753795 TI - Fission Product Gamma Activity with Northerly Winds and with Southerly Winds. AB - The gamma ray activity of particulate matter filtered from air samples of northerly winds and of southerly winds has been studied during the period October 1961 to May 1963 with a scintillation spectrometer. It was found that the gamma activity at 0.75, 0.49, and 0.145 Mev was greater when the wind was southerly than when the wind was northerly during the months December through May; the opposite was true from June through September. The gamma ray activity was least during the summer of 1962, the decrease being more pronounced for southerly winds than for northerly winds. These results can be accounted for by modifying the Brewer-Dobson theory of stratospheric circulation so that during most of the year stratospheric debris first reaches the ground south of latitude 40 degrees N. No diurnal effect on the gamma ray activity of the samples could be detected. PMID- 17753796 TI - Permselective Membranes: Spectroscopic and Conductivity Effects. AB - The absorption spectrum of permselective ion-exchange membranes containing positively charged groups shows specific effects which depend on the nature of the negative gegenion used. Such colored permselective membranes with positive or negative functional groups show increased condutivity after illumination with light flashes. The increased conductivity returns slowly to the original value. PMID- 17753797 TI - Thermochemical Properties of Xenon Difluoride and Xenon Tetrafluoride from Mass Spectra. AB - The standard heats of formation for gaseous xenon tetrafluoride and xenon difluoride and the average strength of the bonds in these molecules have been determined from appearance-potential data obtained with a mass spectrometer. The experimental values are compatible with theoretical estimates of these quantities. PMID- 17753798 TI - Diffusion Coefficients of Hydrocarbons in Water: Method for Measuring. AB - A modification of the capillary-cell method of measuring diffusion coefficients has been applied in studying the diffusion of paraffin hydrocarbons in water. Measurements on ethane, propane, and normal butane indicate that diffusion coefficients can be obtained with a precision of 1 to 2 percent. PMID- 17753799 TI - Symbiosis: On the Role of Algae Symbiotic with Hydra. AB - Green algae living within gastrodermal cells of hydra photosynthetically incorporate C(11)O(2). About 10 percent of the carbon fixed by the algae is released to the hydra where it is assimilated into animal cell components The specific activity (counts per minute per microgram of protein nitrogen) of hydra animal tissue is 50 to 100 times greater than that of algae-free controls exposed to C(14)O(2). Analyses were facilitated by a new method for rapid separation of hydra tissue layers. PMID- 17753800 TI - Insecticides: Effects on Cutthroat Trout of Repeated Exposure to DDT. AB - Cutthroat trout were periodically exposed to p, pp-DDT, in acetone solution or in the food. Excessive mortality occurred only in lots treated with high concentrations of DDT, probably as a result of decreased resistance to nonspecific stressors. Surviving fish in these lots were significantly larger than those in the control lot, or in the lots treated with low concentrations of DDT. The number and volume of eggs produced was not reduced by DDT, but mortality among sac fry appeared to be highest in the lots treated with high concentrations. The data suggest that the sublethal concentrations of DDT ordinarily encountered in the environment are unlikely to damage a fishery. PMID- 17753801 TI - Starch Synthesis in Excised Lemon Fruit Tissue Growing in vitro. AB - Significant quantities of starch accumulation were evident in excised mature lemon fruit tissue growing in vitro on a nutrient solution of mineral salts and sucrose. Positive evidence for the presence of starch in the growing cells was obtained with iodine staining and polarizing microscopy. Starch was observed in all growing cultures regardless of age. PMID- 17753803 TI - Aromatic Biosynthesis and Metabolism. PMID- 17753802 TI - Sharks: Attraction by Low-Frequency Sounds. AB - Large sharks (Carcharhinidae, Sphyrnidae), in their natural environment, were attracted to low-frequency (predominantly 20 to 60 cy/sec) pulsed sounds, but apparently not to higher frequency (400 to 600 cy/sec) pulsed sounds, or to low frequency continuous sounds. The sharks apparently detected and oriented to the sounds in the acoustic far field. PMID- 17753804 TI - FORTHCOMING EVENTS. PMID- 17753805 TI - Other Meetings. PMID- 17753806 TI - James Rowland Angell, 1869-1949, Psychologist-Educator. PMID- 17753807 TI - Smear Preparations for the Electron Microscopy of Animal Chromosomes. PMID- 17753808 TI - Absorption of Radioactive Phosphorus by Mycorrhizal Roots of Pine. PMID- 17753809 TI - A Qualitative Analysis of the Amino Acids in Royal Jelly. PMID- 17753810 TI - Survey of Chinese Drugs for Presence of Antibacterial Substances. PMID- 17753811 TI - The Effect of 7-Ketocholesterol on the Rabbit. PMID- 17753812 TI - The Harefoot Mushroom, Coprinus lagopus Fr., on Fruits Used Commercially as Seedstocks. PMID- 17753813 TI - The Validity of the Use of Tracers to Follow Chemical Reactions. PMID- 17753814 TI - Shielding of Syringes Used for Injecting Radioactive Solutions. PMID- 17753815 TI - Erroneous Ascorbic Acid Values Resulting from Interference by Anthocyanins. PMID- 17753817 TI - Preparation and Properties of Tridecanoic Acid Containing C14 in the Carboxyl Group. PMID- 17753816 TI - Effect of Rutin on the Biological Potency of Vitamin C. PMID- 17753818 TI - AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BACTERIOLOGISTS. PMID- 17753819 TI - THE NEW VAPOR-ENGINES. PMID- 17753820 TI - WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS OF A COURSE TO TRAIN MEN FOR WORK IN TECHNICAL CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17753821 TI - HIGH WATER IN THE LAKES OF NICARAGUA. PMID- 17753823 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17753822 TI - THE UNION AND RIVERSDALE FORMATIONS IN NOVA SCOTIA. PMID- 17753824 TI - UNIO CONDONI IN THE JOHN DAY BEDS. PMID- 17753825 TI - RELIEF SHIP FOR THE BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. PMID- 17753826 TI - THE U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17753828 TI - THE LABORATORY TEACHING OF PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17753827 TI - THE FISH FAUNA OF JAPAN, WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF FISHES. PMID- 17753829 TI - ANDREW ELLICOTT DOUGLASS. PMID- 17753831 TI - THE WASHINGTON MEMORIAL INSTITUTION AND A NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17753830 TI - IS IT NOT TIME THAT THE TITLE 'PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURE' SHOULD GO OUT OF USE? PMID- 17753832 TI - SOME OBSERVATIONS BEARING ON THE PROBABLE SUBSIDENCE DURING RECENT GEOLOGICAL TIMES OF THE ISLAND OF SANTA CATALINA OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17753834 TI - RECENT ZOO-PALEONTOLOGY. PMID- 17753833 TI - ZONE OF MAXIMUM RICHNESS IN ORE BODIES. PMID- 17753835 TI - THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION AND THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT MCKINLEY. PMID- 17753836 TI - Who Calls the Tune? PMID- 17753837 TI - Random Processes in Control and Communications. PMID- 17753838 TI - Food and Agriculture Organization Completes 15 Years. PMID- 17753840 TI - Committees Named for AAAS-Westinghouse Awards. PMID- 17753839 TI - Nixon on Education: His Policy Paper Endorses a Broad, Expensive Program of Federal Support. PMID- 17753841 TI - Village Solidarity among Turkish Peasants Undergoing Urbanization. AB - A group of Anatolian peasants under study are making a smooth adjustment to urban life. This is attributed to a feeling of village solidarity, which is even maintained in the greater Istanbul area. It is questionable whether this phenomenon in underdeveloped countries is detrimental to socioeconomic development, as is generally believed to be the case. PMID- 17753842 TI - Feeding in Conflict Situations and Following Thwarting. AB - It is possible to quantify many different aspects of feeding behavior. In order to specify and differentiate the effects of deprivation levels, conflict, and thwarting, one cannot use only a single measure of this behavior pattern. PMID- 17753843 TI - Changes in Soluble Proteins of Developing Lily Anther physical characterization (10). AB - The extract of soluble proteins from Lilium anthers is characterized by four electrophoretic components. Three of the components show quantitative differences markedly correlated with the synchronized division of the microspores contained within the anthers. One of the components increases in amount before mitosis and disappears at mitosis; two of the components have peak values at the time of mitosis and decrease thereafter; a fourth component remains relatively constant in amount throughout. PMID- 17753845 TI - Election of AAAS Officers. PMID- 17753846 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17753844 TI - Boron and Sugar Translocation in Plants. PMID- 17753848 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY.--X. PMID- 17753847 TI - THE CHEMISTRY OF SOILS. PMID- 17753850 TI - LION BREEDING. PMID- 17753849 TI - THE PURIFICATION OF WATER BY CHEMICAL TREATMENT. PMID- 17753851 TI - Some Remarks oa Professor Cyrus Thomas's Brief Study of the Palenque Tablet. PMID- 17753852 TI - American Weeds. PMID- 17753853 TI - A Grape Vine Produces Two Sets of Leaves During the Same Season. PMID- 17753854 TI - Science and the Humanities. PMID- 17753855 TI - Beetles, Competition, and Populations: An intricate ecological phenomenon is brought into the laboratory and studied as an experimental model. PMID- 17753856 TI - NIH Grants: Policies Revised, but Critics Not Likely To Turn Away. PMID- 17753857 TI - Geological Survey: Effort Starts To Let Public Know That Is Exists. PMID- 17753858 TI - Loyalty Affidavit: Compromise on Repeal Quiets One Controversy. PMID- 17753859 TI - Electron Microscope Studies of Ribosomal Clusters Synthesizing Hemoglobin. PMID- 17753860 TI - Skin Resistance Recording in the Unrestrained Rat. AB - The level of basal skin resistance is proposed as a measure of motivation. It is relatively simple to obtain and can be measured concurrently with behavior of interest to the experimenter. The technique described requires a grid floor, but the assessment procedure does not affect the organism's state because of the subthreshold measuring current that is used. This method in no way restrains the rat and can therefore be used in an unlimited number of experimental situations. PMID- 17753861 TI - Mechanism for Plant Cellular Morphogenesis. AB - The control of the cylindrical cell form in plants appears to reside in the orientation of the reinforcing cellulose microfibrils in the side walls. In elongating cells the fibrils are typically transverse. Control of new synthesis of oriented wall texture is shown to be in turn related to the orientation of cytoplasmic elements in the cell periphery. Three properties of these cytoplasmic elements have been deduced from polarization optical properties of treated and normal cell walls. These deduced properties- namely, possession of a long axis and the ability to build microfibrils perpendicular to it, a tendency to cross bond to make a parallel array, and a sensitivity of this alignment to colchicine are all well-known properties of mitotic spindle and phragmoplast fibers which form the cross-wall after mitosis. It is proposed that proteins of spindle fiber nature exist in cortical cytoplasm of plant cells and are active in the control of wall texture and cell form. PMID- 17753862 TI - Quantum Chemistry and Solid State Physics. PMID- 17753863 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17753864 TI - The Nucleus in Relation to Heredity and Sex. PMID- 17753866 TI - COMMENTS by Readers. PMID- 17753865 TI - Poland in the World of Science. PMID- 17753867 TI - Physiological Availability of Iodine in Dithymol Diiodide. PMID- 17753868 TI - DDT for Powder-Post Beetle Control in Bamboo. PMID- 17753869 TI - Plasma l-Methionine Levels Following Intravenous Administration in Humans. PMID- 17753870 TI - Irreversible Differentiation in Certain Plant Cell Lineages. PMID- 17753871 TI - Activation of Eggs by Oxidation-Reduction Indicators. PMID- 17753872 TI - Separate Localization in the Medulla Oblongata of the Vagal Inspiratory and Expiratory Reflex Centers. PMID- 17753873 TI - A New Disease of the Variegated Cutworm, Peridroma margaritosa (Haw.). PMID- 17753875 TI - An Interval-Timing, Automatically Resetting Switch to Operate After Any Given Number of Counts. PMID- 17753874 TI - Simplified Techniques for Inoculating Chick Embryos and a Means of Avoiding Egg White in Vaccines. PMID- 17753876 TI - Use of Trisodium Phosphate With Herbarium Material and Microfossils in Peat. PMID- 17753877 TI - Three-dimensional Graphs. PMID- 17753878 TI - A Monitoring Probe for Radiochemistry Laboratories. PMID- 17753879 TI - Penicillin as an Agent for Sterilization of Protozoan Cultures. PMID- 17753881 TI - THE NEED OF MONOGRAPHIC ACTIVITY IN AMERICAN BOTANICAL TAXONOMY. PMID- 17753880 TI - Use of the Hydra for Pharmacological Study. PMID- 17753882 TI - UNIVERSITY CAREERS IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY. PMID- 17753883 TI - IONIZATION AND RESONANCE POTENTIALS. PMID- 17753884 TI - ARTHUR LALANNE KIMBALL. PMID- 17753885 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17753888 TI - THE BIRD COLLECTOR. PMID- 17753887 TI - RIGHT AND LEFT HANDED SPEAKERS. PMID- 17753886 TI - RADIATION A FORM OF MATTER: UNPROVEN. PMID- 17753889 TI - STENOMORPH, A NEW TERM IN TAXONOMY. PMID- 17753890 TI - THE ACTION OF SODIUM HYEDRATE UPON THE COMPOSITION AND DIGESTIBILITY BILITY OF GRAIN HULLS. PMID- 17753891 TI - BOTANICAL LITERATURE FOR RUSSIA. PMID- 17753892 TI - OCCURRENCE OF HUMAN REMAINS WITH PLEISTOCENE FOSSILS, LAGOW SAND PIT, DALLAS, TEXAS. PMID- 17753893 TI - THE EFFECT OF SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE UPON THE SPORES OF AMERICAN FOUL BROOD ( BACILLUS LARVAE). PMID- 17753894 TI - THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE POST-WAR WORLD. PMID- 17753896 TI - THE STEVENS RESEARCH FOUNDATION. PMID- 17753895 TI - THE DELHI MEETING OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17753897 TI - FUNGUS INFECTIONS. PMID- 17753898 TI - THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA. PMID- 17753900 TI - THE WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17753899 TI - THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17753901 TI - AMORPHA FRUTICOSA CONTAINS NO ROTENONE. PMID- 17753902 TI - POST-WAR PLANNING IN RUSSIA. PMID- 17753903 TI - IS TEACHING ABILITY RECOGNIZED? PMID- 17753904 TI - A NOTE ON ASCORBIC ACID: NITROGEN RELATIONSHIPS IN GRAPEFRUIT. PMID- 17753905 TI - THIOUREA AND RESISTANCE TO LOW ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES ("HIGH ALTITUDES")*. PMID- 17753906 TI - A NEW METHOD FOR PRESERVATION OF HUMAN AND ANIMAL TISSUES BY THE USE OF A TRANSPARENT PLASTIC. PMID- 17753908 TI - HARRY BURR FERRIS. PMID- 17753907 TI - PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PHILADELPHIA MEETING. PMID- 17753909 TI - ELVIN L. VERNON. PMID- 17753910 TI - THE PLANT, SOIL AND NUTRITION LABORATORY BUILDING OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17753911 TI - THE PAN AMERICAN CONGRESS OF OPHTHALMOLOGY. PMID- 17753912 TI - FELLOWSHIPS OF THE E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY. PMID- 17753913 TI - THE NEW YORK MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. PMID- 17753914 TI - PROBLEMS OF AGING. PMID- 17753915 TI - SHALL ZOOLOGY REVERT TO THE TIME OF LINNAEUS? PMID- 17753916 TI - PALEONTOLOGICAL DISCOVERY IN SIBERIA. PMID- 17753917 TI - ATTENUATION OF CELL STIMULATING BACTERIA BY SPECIFIC AMINO ACIDS. PMID- 17753918 TI - LOCALIZATION OF CHOLINE ESTERASE IN NERVE FIBERS. PMID- 17753919 TI - STRUCTURE-PROTEINS. PMID- 17753920 TI - FELINE PELLAGRA. PMID- 17753922 TI - "STUCK" SYRINGES. PMID- 17753921 TI - DOUBLE-STAINING IN TOTO WITH HEMATOXYLIN AND EOSIN. PMID- 17753923 TI - STERILIZATION OF SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS BY DI-ETHYLENE GLYCOL. PMID- 17753924 TI - EVOLUTIONARY FAITH AND MODERN DOUBTS. PMID- 17753925 TI - EVOLUTIONARY FAITH AND MODERN DOUBTS. PMID- 17753926 TI - RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL. PMID- 17753927 TI - RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17753928 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17753929 TI - THE PROTECTION OF MICROSCOPIC SECTIONS. PMID- 17753930 TI - SEARCH FOR THE RECORD OF ROBERT HANHAM COLLYER, M. D. PMID- 17753931 TI - THE TUNING FORK. PMID- 17753932 TI - AMEBOID BODIES ASSOCIATED WITH HIPPEASTRUM MOSAIC. PMID- 17753934 TI - THE FORMS OF GAS AND LIQUID CAVITIES IN GELS, AND THEIR INTERPRETATION BY SURFACE COMPRESSION. PMID- 17753933 TI - THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17753935 TI - UNLIKE INTERPRETATIONS OF FULLER'S SCALE IN DETERMINING DEGREE OF ACIDITY. PMID- 17753936 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17753938 TI - Wrong Subtitle. PMID- 17753937 TI - Animal Experimentation. PMID- 17753939 TI - Sand Dune Alignment. PMID- 17753940 TI - The Light of the Atom Bomb: In brightness, a nuclear detonation is comparable to the sun. PMID- 17753941 TI - Human Water Needs and Water Use in America: A permanent water shortage affecting our standard of living will occur before the year 2000. PMID- 17753942 TI - The Ocean Bottom. PMID- 17753943 TI - Instructions for Contributors. PMID- 17753944 TI - Nobel Prize: Two Britons, American Share 1962 Award for Genetic Code Achievement. PMID- 17753945 TI - Penguins and Politics: A Zoo Finds It Useful To Have Friends in Washington. PMID- 17753946 TI - Malic Dehyrogenases in Sea Urchin Eggs. AB - Unfertilized Arbacia eggs have five electrophoretically distinct malic dehydrogenases which differ in their rates with pyridine nucleotide analogs. Both the number of peaks and their relative size change during early embryonic development. A D-malic dehydrogenase which utilizes the 3-acetylpyridine analog of DPN but not DPN itself was found. Electrophoresis on starch gel results in five peaks, all of which differ from the peaks of the L-malic dehydrogenases. PMID- 17753947 TI - Secretion of Benzaldehyde and Hydrogen Cyanide by the Millipede Pachydesmus crassicutis (Wood). AB - The millipede Pachydesmus crassicutis (Wood) secretes a mixture of benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide when it is disturbed. These compounds are secreted through paired glands located on 11 of the notal projections of adult millipedes. Experiments with the imported fire ant demonstrate that these natural products serve a defensive function. PMID- 17753949 TI - Force of Response during Ratio Reinforcement. AB - Sharp decline in response force after reinforcement and progressive force elevation over a sequence of unreinforced responses were observed for subjects in a fixed ratio lever-press situation. It is suggested that these systematic variations in force level may provide, through feedback, discriminable cues for behavioral regulation. PMID- 17753948 TI - Marrow Chimerism in Marmosets. AB - In the femoral marrow of three adult marmosets, two male Callithrix jacchus and one female Leontocebus rosalia, a number of opposite-sexed metaphases were found. It is inferred that this chimeric state resulted from intrauterine placental anastomoses between heterosexual twins. The lack of the freemartin effect in connection with this chimerism is discussed, and the structural nature of the Y chromosome in the Callithricidae is described. PMID- 17753950 TI - Four-Electrode Method for Measuring the Direct-Current Resistivity of Ice. AB - The improved system here described has been used successfully in systematic measurements of direct-current conductivity of ice doped with hydrofluoric and hydrochloric acids. The use of four electrodes allows continuous control of measurement reliability. PMID- 17753951 TI - Natural Occurrence of Amino Acids in Virgin Crocidolite Asbestos and Banded Ironstone. PMID- 17753952 TI - Impedance to Water Movement in Soil and Plant. AB - The total impedance to water movement from the soil into the plant was compared with that predicted for the soil alone. When soil suction was below 0.6 bar, the impedance was largely in the plant. When suction was greater than 1 or 2 bars, the soil became the limiting factor. Water movement to the plant roots takes place primarily in the liquid phase. PMID- 17753953 TI - Relation of Infrared Spectra to Coordination in Quartz and Two High-Pressure Polymorphs of SiO2. AB - Infrared spectra of the four-coordinated quartz and coesite polymorphs of SiO(2), the rutile six-coordinated (stishovite) polymorph of SiO(2), and the quartz and rutile polymorphs of GeO(2) show that a change from tetrahedral to octahedral cation coordination results in (i) a 23-per-cent increase in the wavelength of the main absorption band for both the SiO(2) and GeO(2) polymorphs and (ii) a significant increase in the force constant of the same magnitude for the SiO(2) and GeO(2) polymorphs. The quartz and the rutile isostructural pairs for SiO(2) and GeO(2) show that the effect of increasing mass is to increase proportionally the wavelength of the respective main absorption bands. The infrared data for the rutile form of SiO(2) fit the empirical equation of Dachille and Roy relating cation coordination, mass, atomic number, valence, and main absorption wavelength. PMID- 17753954 TI - Pollen Sequence at Kirchner Marsh, Minnesota. AB - A pollen diagram from Kirchner Marsh, southeastern Minnesota, records a continuous vegetation sequence from the time of Late Wisconsin ice retreat from the region. The late-glacial and early postglacial portions of the diagram are correlated with a radiocarbon-dated diagram from Madelia, Minnesota. Both diagrams show a series of maxima of pollen types in the early postglacial that suggest a significant climatic change at that time. The Kirchner diagram, in addition, shows high percentages of nonarboreal pollen later in the postglacial that indicate an advance of prairie elements into the area between 7200 and 5000 years ago. PMID- 17753955 TI - Fallout Radionuclides in Euphausiids. AB - Radioanalyses by gamma-ray spectrometry have been carried out on 37 samples of Euphausia pacifica obtained from a network of stations off the Oregon coast. Data on euphausiids taken from this area in November 1961 and in March and April 1962 are compared to show the variation in concentration of zirconium-95 and niobium 95, ruthenium-103, and cerium-141, with time and location. A mixture of zirconium 95 and niobium-95 was the most abundant fission product noted. PMID- 17753956 TI - Amino Acids in Deep-Sea Water. AB - Approximately 17 different amino acids in acid hydrolyzates of dissolved organic material in sea water to depths of 3500 meters from the central Gulf of Mexico have been identified by ion-exchange resin chromatography. They are glutamic acid, lysine, glycine, aspartic acid, serine, alanine, leucine, valine plus cystine, isoleucine, ornithine, methionine sulfoxide, threonine, tyrosine and phenylalanine, histidine, arginine, proline, and methionine. The results indicate that the dissolved organic material in deep-sea water may make an important contribution to the organic budget of the sea. PMID- 17753957 TI - Water Relations of Plant Communities as a Management Factor for Western Watersheds. AB - Altering natural succession may become a major way of modifying plant cover thereby increasing water yield. PMID- 17753959 TI - Acarology. PMID- 17753958 TI - Muscle Contraction. PMID- 17753960 TI - Treatment of Irradiated Primates. PMID- 17753961 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17753962 TI - A STUDY ON PLANT FECUNDATION. PMID- 17753963 TI - CLIMATE AND THE VARIATION OF SLUGS. PMID- 17753964 TI - A STUDY IN POLARIZATION. --PRELIMINARY NOTE. PMID- 17753965 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. --XXX. PMID- 17753967 TI - THE SEDIMENT OF THE POTOMAC RIVER. PMID- 17753966 TI - ON THE FORMATION OF ALUMINUM SULPHATE IN THE SHALES THROWN FROM COAL-MINES. PMID- 17753968 TI - INFLUENCE OF PARASITES ON OTHER INSECTS. PMID- 17753969 TI - GLACIATION IN PENNSYLVANIA. PMID- 17753970 TI - Some Recently Discovered Trilobites with Appendages. PMID- 17753971 TI - EARTHQUAKES IN AUSTRALASIA.--II. PMID- 17753972 TI - Binocular Vision. PMID- 17753973 TI - Glaciers in the United States. PMID- 17753974 TI - Funnel-Shaped Clouds. PMID- 17753975 TI - The Ancient Egyptian Language. PMID- 17753976 TI - Native Lead. PMID- 17753977 TI - Cedar Waxwing. PMID- 17753979 TI - Is it a Paleolith? PMID- 17753978 TI - Cloud Formation. PMID- 17753980 TI - A Night-Singing Cat-Bird. PMID- 17753981 TI - Teaching of Biology. PMID- 17753982 TI - Birds that Sing in the Night. PMID- 17753983 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17753984 TI - Net primary production: original calculations. PMID- 17753986 TI - In reply: teacher training. PMID- 17753985 TI - Teacher training. PMID- 17753988 TI - Emigres Express Caution on Soviet Human Rights: The recent release of several prominent dissidents and refuseniks is a welcome sign, but the overall picture under Gorbachev is still murky. PMID- 17753987 TI - British Researchers Seek SDI Funds: Contracts worth at least $3 million have been signed with university research groups; many more are awaiting a response to their grant applications. PMID- 17753989 TI - Sakharov sends message to vienna. PMID- 17753991 TI - Comings and goings. PMID- 17753990 TI - Minnesota gets institute for theoretical physics. PMID- 17753992 TI - Science Gets Short End in Foreign Aid Funding: A cut in the budget for the Agency for International Development, together with protection of some favored programs, has reduced funds for Africa and agriculture. PMID- 17753994 TI - Another E1 Nino Surprise in the Pacific, But Was It Predicted?: El Nino has been playing hide-and-seek with the experts, but now it appears to be well under way; did a computer model know all along or were the forecasters just lucky? PMID- 17753993 TI - Boland, NASA at Odds Over Launch of Mars Observer. PMID- 17753995 TI - Space research: at a crossroads. AB - The current state and future directions of the U.S. space-science program are assessed in the wake of the Challenger accident, the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings budget reduction act, and the report of the National Commission on Space. A renewed emphasis on moderate-scale, quickresponse missions will be of special importance for scientific progress and will compensate in part for the postponement of most major space missions. Satellites and manned space stations in Earth orbit, along with unmanned planetary missions, will continue to be the dominant elements in the space program. Future progress and the continuation of U.S. leadership depend on the vitality of U.S. space research. PMID- 17753996 TI - Solar neutrinos: questions and hypotheses. AB - The "solar neutrino puzzle" has been a challenge for almost 20 years, posing broad and fundamental questions about astrophysics and neutrino properties. This article sketches some of the ideas that have been put forward to solve the problem. These ideas can be grouped into two main classes: those involving changes in the standard solar model or in the basic nuclear reaction data, and those that attribute the puzzle to as yet unobserved properties of the neutrinos. PMID- 17753998 TI - R&D Policies, Budgets, and Economic Competitiveness: Twelfth Annual AAAS Colloquium on R&D Policy. PMID- 17753997 TI - Solar neutrinos: experimental approaches. AB - This article discusses the new experiments, under way or proposed, that will measure the flux of solar neutrinos and so probe the "solar neutrino puzzle." Both radiochemical and electronic detector experiments are analyzed in terms of possible findings relevant to astrophysics and neutrino properties. Important elements are sensitivity to the principal components of the solar neutrino spectrum, directionality of the detector response, and an energy-measuring capability that might provide a unique identifying signal. Experiments beyond those currently under way will probably be needed, and development of real-time detectors is particularly important. PMID- 17753999 TI - An academic transformation: the american college and the culture of aspiration, 1915-1940. PMID- 17754001 TI - Radioastronomy of the sun: solar radiophysics. PMID- 17754000 TI - Educational deficiencies: low tech education in a high tech world. PMID- 17754002 TI - North american plants: flora of the great plains. PMID- 17754003 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17754004 TI - ADDRESS TO THE ZOOLOGICAL SECTION BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECTION. PMID- 17754006 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL CONGRESS. PMID- 17754005 TI - SECTION H. ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17754007 TI - THE PRINCETON SESQUICENTENNIAL. PMID- 17754009 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17754008 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17754010 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17754011 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17754012 TI - GEOLOGY IN THE COLLEGES OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17754013 TI - THE CURVE-TRACING TOP. PMID- 17754014 TI - HALSTED ON THE STRAIGHT. PMID- 17754015 TI - Human rights: good news and an apology. PMID- 17754016 TI - Transporting coal: a suggestion. PMID- 17754017 TI - On prizes. PMID- 17754018 TI - Energy galactica. PMID- 17754021 TI - Science: support, excitement. PMID- 17754019 TI - Data evaluation in biology. PMID- 17754020 TI - Nitrites: the newberne report. PMID- 17754022 TI - Nuclear power: a balanced approach. AB - A proposed technological approach to meeting recognized nuclear power needs is a symbiotic combination of breeders and advanced converter reactors. Breeders, situated in secured areas, would be fueled with and self-sufficient in plutonium. The excess fuel produced in the breeder would be uranium-233, sufficient in quantity to supply several advanced converters located near load centers. This approach is suggested as a balanced way to meet important criteria applicable to the continued development of nuclear power. PMID- 17754023 TI - Mediterranean action plan: an interim evaluation. AB - The Mediterranean Action Plan is an extensive program of regional environmental cooperation on technical and institutional approaches to pollution monitoring, environmental assessment, and policy-making. The simultaneous development of a regional monitoring network and legal instruments to protect the Mediterranean from pollution is an important achievement, which provides a firm basis for continuing cooperative efforts. PMID- 17754025 TI - Office of Toxic Substances' Spot on the Learning Curve Influenced by EPA's Origins and Subsequent Experience. PMID- 17754026 TI - Peabody museum contemplates sales to reserve collections. PMID- 17754024 TI - EPA and toxic substances law: dealing with uncertainty. PMID- 17754027 TI - Resources for the future eschews brookings merger. PMID- 17754028 TI - Clock runs out on department of education. PMID- 17754029 TI - Chinese scientists seem actuated by new pragmatism. PMID- 17754030 TI - PETRA and PEP: Two Machines Race to Probe the New Physics. PMID- 17754031 TI - Fields Medals (III): A Broad Attack on Analysis Problems. PMID- 17754032 TI - Annual meeting houston. PMID- 17754033 TI - Medical mores. PMID- 17754034 TI - An autobiography. PMID- 17754035 TI - Behavioral biology. PMID- 17754036 TI - Transmission electron microscopy: direct observation of crystal structure in refractory ceramics. AB - Using high-resolution multibeam interference techniques in the transmission electron microscope, images have been obtained that make possible a real-space structure analysis of a beryllium-silicon-nitrogen compound. The results illustrate the usefulness of lattice imaging in the analysis of local crystal structure in these technologically promising ceramic materials. PMID- 17754037 TI - Oxygen and carbon isotopic growth record in a reef coral from the Florida keys and a deep-sea coral from blake plateau. AB - Carbon and oxygen isotope analysis through a 30-year (1944 to 1974) growth of Montastrea annularis from Hen and Chickens Reef (Florida Keys) shows a strong yearly variation in the abundances of both carbon-13 and oxygen-18 and a broad inverse relationship between the two isotopes. Normal annual dense bands are formed during the summer and are characterized by heavy carbon and light oxygen. "Stress bands" are formed during particularly severe winters and are characterized by heavy carbon and heavy oxygen. The isotopic effect of Zooxanthellae metabolism dominates the temperature effect on the oxygen-18/oxygen 16 ratio. The isotopic results on the deep-sea solitary coral Bathypsammia tintinnabulum, where Zooxanthellae are nonexistent, indicates that the abundance of the heavy isotopes carbon-13 and oxygen-18 is inversely related to the growth rate, with both carbon and oxygen approaching equilibrium values with increasing skeletal age. PMID- 17754038 TI - Structural control of the rapids and pools of the colorado river in the grand canyon. AB - Most of the major rapids along the 450-kilometer course of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon are within fracture zones that run perpendicular to the river. Steep tributaries flowing within the zones of bedrock weakness move large debris to the Colorado, forming the rapids. Accelerated flow through the rapids scours the deep pools that are located below them. PMID- 17754039 TI - Temperature sensitivity: a cell character determined by obligate endosymbionts in amoebas. AB - A strain of Amoeba proteus has lost its ability to survive at temperatures above 26 degrees C as a result of becoming dependent on endosymbiotic bacteria that are psychrophile-like. The observed temperature sensitivity develops in fewer than 200 host cell generations (18 months of culture) after the host cells are experimentally infected with the symbionts. PMID- 17754041 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17754040 TI - Competition Among Courting Male Moths: Male-to-Male Inhibitory Pheromone. AB - The behavioral function of a pheromone released by males of the army-worm moth Pseudaletia unipuncta was investigated both in laboratory wind-tunnel experiments and in experiments with moth-baited traps in the field. Such male moth scents have been thought to act at close range as sexual stimulants for females of the same species. However, the only obvious effect of the P. unipuncta male pheromone was upon other males, decreasing their tendency to approach sexually receptive, pheromone-releasing females and to exhibit copulatory behavior when near those females. The adaptive significance of the male pheromone may be related to the increased reproductive efficiency that results if multiple males are prevented from competing for a single female. PMID- 17754042 TI - CERTAIN RECENT ATTEMPTS TO TEST THE NEBULAR HYPOTHESIS. PMID- 17754043 TI - THE ILLUSORY DUST DRIFT. A CURIOUS OPTICAL PHENOMENON. PMID- 17754044 TI - RAFINESQUE'S WESTERN MINERVA, OR AMERICAN ANNALS OF KNOWLEDGE AND LITERATURE. PMID- 17754045 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. PMID- 17754046 TI - THE AMERICAN MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17754047 TI - HERMAPHRODITISM AMONG THE DOCOGLOSSA. PMID- 17754048 TI - SOME RECENT REPORTS OF FOREIGN MUSEUMS. PMID- 17754049 TI - RECENT PROGRESS IN THE EXAMINTATION OF FOODS AND DRUGS. PMID- 17754050 TI - THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS BEFORE THE SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY. PMID- 17754051 TI - THE JESUP NORTH PACIFIC EXPEDITION. PMID- 17754052 TI - CINCINNATI INCLINED-PLANE RAILWAY. PMID- 17754053 TI - TRANSMISSION OF POWER. PMID- 17754054 TI - SPRAYING WITH THE ARSENITES. PMID- 17754055 TI - THE CAMEROONS DISTRICT OF WEST AFRICA. PMID- 17754056 TI - MEDICINE IN JAPAN. PMID- 17754057 TI - CONGRESS FOR TUBERCULOSIS. PMID- 17754058 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17754059 TI - PLANT-LIFE OF ARABIA FELIX. PMID- 17754060 TI - CHOLERA. PMID- 17754061 TI - FREEDOM OF AIR FROM GERMS. PMID- 17754062 TI - LEPROSY IN HAWAII. PMID- 17754063 TI - VENTILATION IN ICELAND. PMID- 17754064 TI - THE DANGERS OF CARBOLIC ACID. PMID- 17754065 TI - JELLY-FISH STING. PMID- 17754066 TI - FRENCH AND GERMAN TOBACCO. PMID- 17754067 TI - RUSSIAN STUDY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. PMID- 17754068 TI - MENTAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17754069 TI - THE MENTAL POWERS OF THE CHIMPANZEE. PMID- 17754070 TI - MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY. PMID- 17754071 TI - ELECTRICAL NEWS. PMID- 17754072 TI - THE EIFFEL TOWER AND LIGHTNING. PMID- 17754073 TI - FUTURE RAPID-TRANSIT FOR MAIL AND EXPRESS MATTER. PMID- 17754074 TI - Note on the Anserine Affinities of the Flamingoes. PMID- 17754075 TI - Brocken Spectre. PMID- 17754076 TI - A New Method for ascertaining Heights and Distances in Right-angled Triangles. PMID- 17754077 TI - INDUSTRIAL NOTES. PMID- 17754078 TI - AAAS Meetings. PMID- 17754080 TI - An Auditory Sound Association Technique. PMID- 17754079 TI - Preview of the 118th Meeting, AAAS, Philadelphia December 26-31, 1951. PMID- 17754081 TI - Mobilization of the Reserve. PMID- 17754082 TI - Mathematical Association Resolution. PMID- 17754083 TI - Special Libraries. PMID- 17754084 TI - THE EVOLUTION OF MAN. PMID- 17754085 TI - THEORIES OF LIGHT. PMID- 17754086 TI - ESTIMATES OF THE SIZE OF THE UNIVERSE. PMID- 17754088 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF LEAD COMPOUNDS ON CELL DIVISION. PMID- 17754087 TI - MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY. PMID- 17754089 TI - THE ORIGIN OF THE RECENT INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC. PMID- 17754090 TI - THE PRESENT AND FUTURE STATE OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. PMID- 17754091 TI - A MASTER MUSEUM BUILDER. PMID- 17754092 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17754093 TI - CLAUDE BERNARD'S CONCEPTION OF THE INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT. PMID- 17754094 TI - AN UNUSUAL SOURCE OF LIVING MATERIAL. PMID- 17754095 TI - THE OCCURRENCE OF BOTHRIOPLANA IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17754096 TI - METABOLIC ACIDITY OR ALKALINITY OF FOODS. PMID- 17754097 TI - THE ANALYSIS OF DILUTE SOLUTIONS OF METHYL ALCOHOL. PMID- 17754098 TI - GLUTATHIONE IN PLANTS. PMID- 17754099 TI - A SIMPLE BURNER FOR NATURAL GAS. PMID- 17754100 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17754101 TI - SOME NEW ASPECTS OF PLANT NUTRITION. PMID- 17754102 TI - THE RISE OF GENETICS. II. PMID- 17754103 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17754104 TI - THE FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLES. PMID- 17754105 TI - A METEOR IN WISCONSIN. PMID- 17754106 TI - AN UNUSUAL COTTON PLANT. PMID- 17754108 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED IN THE SCIENCES BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES, 1931-1932. PMID- 17754107 TI - LIGHT A FACTOR IN RANCIDITY. PMID- 17754109 TI - RELATION OF ANATOMY AND METHOD OF EXTRACTION TO QUALITY OF SATSUMA ORANGE JUICE. PMID- 17754110 TI - A KNOCKDOWN "BERLESE FUNNEL". PMID- 17754111 TI - THE ADMINISTRATION OF FERROUS IODIDE AND LINOLEIC ACID TO RATS DEPRIVED OF VITAMIN A. PMID- 17754112 TI - EFFECT OF AGE AND SEX ON RESISTANCE OF DAPHNIDS TO MERCURIC CHLORIDE. PMID- 17754114 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17754113 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17754115 TI - How can we intervene "massively"? PMID- 17754116 TI - Economics of sea-level canal. PMID- 17754117 TI - Space ride on saturn v. PMID- 17754118 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17754119 TI - Perils of disease. PMID- 17754120 TI - Indian Agriculture: Modern Methods Produce Good harvests. PMID- 17754121 TI - Bioenergetics bulletin prospers. PMID- 17754122 TI - Selective service and college enrollment. PMID- 17754123 TI - Mission to an asteroid. PMID- 17754124 TI - In defense of science. PMID- 17754125 TI - Point of view. PMID- 17754126 TI - Endangered species: congress curbs international trade in rare animals. PMID- 17754127 TI - HEW: Blacklists Scrapped in New Security Procedures. PMID- 17754129 TI - Power generation: the next 30 years. PMID- 17754130 TI - Photoperiodic induction and termination of diapause in an insect: response to changing day lengths. AB - Chrysopa carnea diapaused after experiencing a decrease in day length above the critical photoperiod. Animals experiencing increasing day lengths less than the critical photoperiod did not diapause, and those in diapause began to reproduce. These experiments are the first to demonstrate that insects respond to the direction of change in photoperiods (both increasing and decreasing) which do not encroach on the critical photoperiod. PMID- 17754132 TI - Proton magnetic resonance spectrum of polywater. AB - With the aid of a time average computer, the proton magnetic resonance spectrum of anomalous water (polywater) is obtained. The spectrum conisists of a single broad resonance shifted approximately 300 hertz downfield from the resonance of ordinary water. PMID- 17754131 TI - Stalactite Growth beneath Sea Ice. AB - Fresh ice stalactites were observed beneath sea ice in Antarctica. They are hollow, tapering, inverted cones having a base diameter between 10 and 20 centimeters and a tip diameter of 4 to 10 centimeters extending downward about 100 centimeters. The stalactites form when dense, chilled brine drains downward from the ice sheet into seawater of norma1 salinity and near-freezing temperature. PMID- 17754133 TI - Scanning electron microscopy of fresh leaves of pinguicula. AB - Moist surfaces of leaves of Pinguicula grandiflora Lamck. can be observed directly by scanning electron microscopy, without metal coating. Samples dry out rapidly in the instrument, but during the first few minutes images can be obtained which must represent the natural state of the leaf surface. PMID- 17754134 TI - Mixed permian-triassic fauna, guryul ravine, kashmir. AB - At Guryul Ravine near Srinagar, Kashmir, a varied fauna of productid brachiopods, including Spinomarginifera, is associated in approximately 15 feet (about 4 meters) of strata with the typical Scythian (Lower Triassic) pelecypod Claraia. These faunas are interpreted as true associations of surviving "Permian" and Lower Triassic faunal elements. Similar mixed associations have previously been identified in the lowest Triassic strata of the Salt Range and Surghar Range of West Pakistan. PMID- 17754135 TI - Iron in synthetic quartz: heat and radiation induced changes. AB - As part of a study of the possible changes in silicate material on the lunar surface produced by solar radiation, effects of ionizing radiation, of heating, and of heating followed by ionizing radiation on iron-doped synthetic quartzes have been studied as models. The optical changes are mainly related to valence changes in ferric or ferrous ions. PMID- 17754136 TI - Insect flight: lift and rate of change of incidence. AB - Large changes in lift output result when a simulated insect wing, undergoing a downstroke, is subjected to a dynamic change of incidence. Given a large positive rate of change of incidence, transient lift values several times those realized in steady-state operation at the same angle of incidence are obtained. Thus a means exists by which insects achieve several times the lift expected by conventional quasi-steady considerations. PMID- 17754137 TI - Leaf hydraulic system: rapid epidermal and stomatal responses to changes in water supply. AB - The epidermis of the leaf of Zea mays transmits changes it water potential in the water supply of the leaf to the Stomata within 0.1 second. Reduction in water supply can caluse the subsidiary cells surrounding the stomata to collapse within 1.5 minutes, and the epidermis to shrink to one-third of its original thickness within 20 minutes. PMID- 17754138 TI - Insect juvenile hormone: activity of selected terpenoid compounds. AB - A nuimber of compounds with terpenoid skeletons attached to various functional groups were prepared and tested for their effects as a juvenile hormone in the yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor. Several of these compounds showed high activity. PMID- 17754140 TI - Sea urchin population explosion in southern california coastal waters. PMID- 17754139 TI - White pine blister rust: simply inherited resistance in sugar pine. AB - Segregation ratios of offspring from disease-free sugar pines suggest that resistance to the white pine blister rust fungus is under major gene control and simply inherited. PMID- 17754141 TI - Rotation of the iberian peninsula. PMID- 17754143 TI - Courses. PMID- 17754142 TI - Purkyne symposium. PMID- 17754144 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17754145 TI - WHAT ACADEMIC DEGREES SHOULD BE CONFERRED FOR SCIENTIFIC WORK? PMID- 17754146 TI - SHALL WE HAVE TWO GRADES OF COLLEGE PHYSICS? PMID- 17754149 TI - THE EDISON MEDAL. PMID- 17754147 TI - COMET a 1904. PMID- 17754148 TI - THE WATER-SOLUBLE PLANT FOOD OF SOILS. PMID- 17754150 TI - UNIVERSIITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17754151 TI - Renewable and nonrenewable resources. PMID- 17754152 TI - The new world of materials. PMID- 17754153 TI - Materials: some recent trends and issues. PMID- 17754155 TI - Basic research in materials. PMID- 17754154 TI - International trade in raw materials: myths and realities. PMID- 17754157 TI - The evolving national policy for materials. PMID- 17754156 TI - Materials supply: the impact of human institutions. PMID- 17754158 TI - Energy, environment and conservation. PMID- 17754159 TI - Tensions between materials and environmental quality. AB - The tensions between availability of materials and quality of the environment will increase with economic growth and the appreciation of environmental values. These tensions can be relieved to an extent by internalizing the costs of environmental protection so that they are reflected in the price of materials. Economic incentives and disincentives, such as effluent fees, are receiving renewed attention (5, pp. 49-51). In addition, government regulation to protect the environment will, perhaps arbitrarily, affect the availability and use of materials. The report, Man, Materials, and Environment (5, p. 25), concluded that: A national materials policy should be based upon the principle that calculations of benefits and costs associated with the extraction, transport, processing, use, and disposal of materials should take full account of the value of common property resources and of any change in the value of common properties resulting from the impact of materials on the environment; and should support the principle that those responsible for impairment of the environment should bear the costs of damage or repair. These principles should become a commonplace element of property rights, legislation, and administrative practice at all levels of government. The difficulty of measuring benefits and costs should not delay adoption of these principles but suggests the need for continuous observation and experimentation. Environmental protection regulations will result in: (i) increased costs for many materials; (ii) disruptive changes in use of materials, due to environmental characteristics and revised cost effectiveness calculations; (iii) restrictions on the siting of processing and manufacturing installations; (iv) preemption of access and surface rights to some mineral bearing lands, particularly those that are federally controlled; (v) diversion of capital from new production facilities; and (vi) frustrating delays in decisions, such as those affecting leasing and plant siting. In return for these generally undesirable disruptions in the continued development and supply of materials, society will obtain: (i) improved quality of air and water; (ii) long-term protection of the natural ecosystems of which man is a part; (iii) more efficient allocation of natural resources on the basis of more accurate and complete accounting of costs; (iv) improved human health through decreased contamination of the environment with toxic substances; and (v) conservation of materials through a closing of the production, use, and disposal cycle. Ingenuity and a more complete understanding of the parts and interactions of the energy, materials, and environment system can do much to reduce the tensions in these conflicts and bring about equitable trade-offs among societal goals. PMID- 17754160 TI - Tapping resources in municipal solid waste. PMID- 17754161 TI - Perspectives on needs and supplies of resources. PMID- 17754162 TI - The age of substitutability. PMID- 17754163 TI - Chemicals from coal. PMID- 17754164 TI - World changes and chances: some new perspectives for materials. PMID- 17754165 TI - Finding and processsing minerals. PMID- 17754166 TI - Technological insurance against shortages in minerals and metals. PMID- 17754167 TI - Minerals extraction and processing: new developments. PMID- 17754168 TI - High technology materials. PMID- 17754169 TI - New materials and composites. PMID- 17754170 TI - Materials for advanced energy technologies. PMID- 17754171 TI - Wood and plant materials. PMID- 17754172 TI - Timber: more effective utilization. PMID- 17754173 TI - The national forests. AB - National forests are a valuable national asset. They produce important amounts of wood, recreation, wilderness, wildlife, and water, but good management could produce much more of each kind of output. The national forests are a major business enterprise, with $42 billion of assets and an annual cash revenue of $400 million to $500 million, but they have never been studied as business enterprises. The national forests are capital-intensive, but the capital is used wastefully, in large part because no charge is made for its use. Funds for management and investment are spent in economically unrewarding regions, forests, and sites. The availability of so much of their output at little or no cost to users seriously distorts management decisions. Major reforms in the management of the national forests are needed. If carried out, these could make the national forests much more useful to the American public. PMID- 17754175 TI - Renewable resources for the production of fuels and chemicals. PMID- 17754174 TI - Agricultural residues and other nonwood plant fibers. PMID- 17754176 TI - But You Have Premises To Keep. PMID- 17754177 TI - Large Submarine Sand Waves: Their orientation and form are influenced by some of the same factors that shape desert sand dunes. PMID- 17754178 TI - National Balance Sheets and the Effects of Inflation: This new tool of economic analysis is used here to study how inflation affects various groups of people. PMID- 17754179 TI - Federal Pay Reform: Congress Shows Little Enthusiasm for Bill Designed To Raise Specialists' Salaries. PMID- 17754180 TI - Congress Shrugs at Proposals On Laboratory Animal Welfare. PMID- 17754182 TI - Chemical Regulation of Flower Sex Expression and Vegetative Growth in Cucumis sativus L. AB - Pistillate flower formation in monoecious cucumber plants is increased when allyl trimethylammonium bromide is added to aerated solution cultures used as the root medium. By contrast, gibberellin induces staminate flower formation on gynoecious cucumber plants. The two chemicals also have diametrically opposite effects in tendril formation and vegetative extension. PMID- 17754181 TI - Cosmogenic Carbon-14 in Meteorites and Terrestrial Ages of "Finds" and Craters. AB - Carbon-14 has been measured in several stone and iron meteorites. For "falls," the C(14)/Al(26) ratios in stones and the C(14)/Cl(36) ratios in irons are consistent with constant irradiation. The stone "finds" have radiocarbon ages of up to >/= 21,000 years. The Henbury craters are apparently /= 11,000 years old. PMID- 17754183 TI - Rainfall and Deposition of Strontium-90 in Clallam County, Washington. AB - A linear relationship between cumulative strontium-90 deposition and rainfall has been observed from measurements made at five sites on the Olympic Peninsula. When an estimated contribution from dry deposition is subtracted from the measured total, the strontium-90 concentration in precipitation is seen to be independent of the amount of precipitation. PMID- 17754184 TI - Application of Information Extraction Techniques to Human Scanning. PMID- 17754185 TI - The Florida Torreya Destined for Extinction. PMID- 17754186 TI - A Durable Peace. PMID- 17754187 TI - Interpreting Science. PMID- 17754188 TI - Cell Growth. PMID- 17754189 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17754190 TI - Desert Vegetation in Nevada. PMID- 17754191 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17754192 TI - The Cunningham Amendment. PMID- 17754193 TI - Lemurs Born in Captivity. PMID- 17754194 TI - Shelter Program. PMID- 17754196 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17754195 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17754197 TI - Space Messengers. PMID- 17754198 TI - Information-Gathering by the CIA. PMID- 17754199 TI - Heredity, Environment, and Culture. PMID- 17754200 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17754201 TI - Standards of Conduct. PMID- 17754202 TI - Rats for Research. PMID- 17754203 TI - SCIENCE AND THE AMERICAN PRESS. PMID- 17754204 TI - THE EFFECT OF LIGHT ON THE VITAMIN C OF MILK. PMID- 17754205 TI - A NEW SOURCE OF DIPHYLLOBOTHRIUM INFECTION. PMID- 17754206 TI - A SEX DIFFERENCE ENCOUNTERED IN THE TRANSPLANTATION OF A CARCINOMA OF THE OVARY. PMID- 17754208 TI - FISH IN THE LATAH FORMATION OF IDAHO. PMID- 17754207 TI - THE PROTECTION OF PLANTS. PMID- 17754209 TI - STIMULATED ACTIVITY OF NATURAL ENEMIES OF NEMATODES. PMID- 17754211 TI - PRESERVING THE NATURAL COLOR OF GREEN PLANTS. PMID- 17754210 TI - SEX VARIATIONS IN THE UTILIZATION OF IRON BY ANEMIC RATS. PMID- 17754212 TI - A CATALYTIC METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF agr-PYROABIETIC ACID. PMID- 17754213 TI - A MODIFIED QUINHYDRONE ELECTRODE FOR TISSUES. PMID- 17754214 TI - A SIMPLE CARBORUNDUM PENCIL. PMID- 17754215 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17754216 TI - PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SUMMER MEETING TO BE HELD IN CHICAGO FROM JUNE 19 TO 30, IN CONNECTION WITH THE CENTURY OF PROGRESS EXPOSITION. PMID- 17754217 TI - EVENING MEETINGS. PMID- 17754218 TI - THE CENTURY OF PROGRESS EXPOSITION. PMID- 17754219 TI - ENTERTAINMENT FOR LADIES. PMID- 17754220 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION PRESS SERVICE. PMID- 17754221 TI - POINTS OF INTEREST AND EXCURSIONS. PMID- 17754222 TI - HOTEL HEADQUARTERS AND TRANSPORTATION. PMID- 17754224 TI - MEMBERSHIP. PMID- 17754223 TI - BUSINESS SESSIONS. PMID- 17754225 TI - SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS OF SECTIONS AND SOCIETIES. PMID- 17754226 TI - THE VALUE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TO AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17754227 TI - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RECENT MEASUREMENTS OF COSMIC RAYS. PMID- 17754228 TI - THE MOVEMENT OF DIFFUSIBLE SUBSTANCES IN FOOD PRODUCTS. PMID- 17754230 TI - A LOUSE FEEDING ON THE BLOOD OF ITS HOST. PMID- 17754229 TI - THE ATTRACTION OF A SPHERE. PMID- 17754231 TI - THE NEED OF OPPORTUNITY FOR EXCEPTIONAL ABILITY. PMID- 17754233 TI - Further observations on eskimo culture. PMID- 17754232 TI - HAIL PRINTS AND MUD-CRACKS OF PROTEROZOIC AGE. PMID- 17754234 TI - Expedient referral service. PMID- 17754235 TI - BSCS: Its Impractical Aspects. PMID- 17754236 TI - On biomedical discoveries. PMID- 17754237 TI - Reactions to nuclear reactors. PMID- 17754239 TI - English spoken here. PMID- 17754238 TI - The new soviet genetics. PMID- 17754240 TI - Preschool education. PMID- 17754241 TI - Luminous phenomena in nocturnal tornadoes. PMID- 17754243 TI - Systems approach: political interest rises. PMID- 17754242 TI - Space: caution prevails on post-apollo commitments. PMID- 17754245 TI - Pasteur institute rebels lose a round. PMID- 17754246 TI - Isotopic composition of strontium in volcanic rocks from oahu. AB - Analysis of several well-documented specimens from each of the three volcanic series on Oahu gives the following mean ratios of Sr(87) to Sr(86): the Waianae series, 0.7030 +/- 0.00010 (sigma); the Koolau series, 0.70385+/- 0.00009 (sigma); and the Honolulu series, 0.7029 ++/- 0.00006 ( sigma). The mean ratio of Sr(87) to Sr(86) of the Koolau series specimens is significantly higher than the means of the other two series. With one exception, significant differences in Sr(87)/ Sr(86) within a series were not found, even though some large compositional differences existed. PMID- 17754247 TI - Some Doubts about the Earth's Dust Cloud. AB - Considerable doubt is cast on the validity of past satellite measurements of micrometeoroid fluxes in which piezoelectric microphones have been used as detectors. Data have been obtained from satellite and laboratory experiments which show that the microphone crystals emit noise when subject to slowly varying temperatures. The rate of noise is consistent with past flight data which have previously been interpreted on the basis of micrometeoroid impacts. These measurements have given rise to the theory that the earth is surrounded by a cloud of dust, although no satisfactory mechanism has yet been found to explain this apparent phenomenon. On the basis of the results reported here, it now appears that whether or not a concentration of dust exists in the vicinity of the earth, the data from satellite microphone measurements should not be used to support such a hypothesis. PMID- 17754248 TI - Antipodal location of continents and oceans. AB - The percentage of continent antipodal to ocean on the earth is compared with a distribution obtained by a Monte Carlo method. It is concluded that the present antipodal arrangement of continents and oceans has less than 1 chance in 14 of being caused by a random process. PMID- 17754249 TI - North atlantic deep-sea fertility. AB - Observations have been made on two cruises in the North Atlantic in which large numbers of microscopic, unicellular flagellates have been found throughout the aphotic zone below 1000 meters. Preliminary measurements also indicate the uptake of dissolved organic substances, suggestive of an apparently viable, actively metabolizing community at these depths. PMID- 17754250 TI - Polymorphism of shock loaded fe-mn and fe-ni alloys. AB - Addition of nickel or manganese to iron lowers the pressure of the "130-k" dynamic polymorphic transition to about 55 kilobars at the limits of the body centered cubic alloy phase. PMID- 17754251 TI - High-pressure reactions and shear strength of serpentinized dunite. AB - The recently reported Pronounced decrease in shear strength of serpentine-bearing rocks at 30 to 40 kilobars in the temperature range 300 degrees to 520 degrees C may be attributed to the transformation of serpentine to a Pressure-dependent, 10 angstrom,2: 1 layer silicate plus brucite and periclase. This reaction increases density by about 8.5 percent. PMID- 17754252 TI - Teaching machines. PMID- 17754254 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17754253 TI - Mental retardation. PMID- 17754255 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17754256 TI - INTERNAL SECRETIONS, CONSIDERED FROM A CHEMICO-PHYSIOLOGICAL STANDPOINT. PMID- 17754257 TI - A CASE OF PRIMITIVE SURGERY. PMID- 17754258 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENT UPON THE BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF THE VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THE COLON GROUP OF BACILLI: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. PMID- 17754259 TI - THE VIRGINIA COLONY OF HELIX NEMORALIS. PMID- 17754260 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17754261 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17754262 TI - IS THE LOESS OF EITHER LACUSTRINE OR SEMIMARINE ORIGIN? PMID- 17754263 TI - ORGANIC SELECTION. PMID- 17754264 TI - A MONUMENT TO THE LATE BUYS-BALLOT. PMID- 17754265 TI - The SST and Ozone Depletion. PMID- 17754266 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17754267 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17754269 TI - Merit and discrimination. PMID- 17754268 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17754270 TI - Mass, force, and weight. PMID- 17754271 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17754272 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17754273 TI - U.s. Grain production. PMID- 17754274 TI - Green revolution: just or unjust? PMID- 17754275 TI - Casting about for a president. PMID- 17754276 TI - Anthropocentrism: a modern version. AB - Anthropocentrism is proposed as a valid and necessary point of view for mankind to adopt for consideration of his place in nature. Our current ecological problems do not stem from an anthropocentric attitude per se, but from one too narrowly conceived. Anthropocentrism is consistent with a philosophy that affirms the essential interrelatedness of things and that values all items in nature since no event is without some effect on wholes of which we are parts. The ecological crisis is viewed as an inevitable crisis in human evolution. Through cultures knowledge becomes cumulative. A crisis occurs when our knowledge of nature, which determines our power to exploit nature, exceeds our knowledge of how to use knowledge for our own survival and for improvement in the quality of our lives. An anthropocentric belief in the value, meaningfulness, and creative potential of the human phenomenon is considered a necessary motivating factor to participatory evolution which, in turn, may be requisite to the future survival of the human species and its cultural values. PMID- 17754277 TI - William anders: a new regulator enters a critical situation. PMID- 17754278 TI - Geological survey faulted. PMID- 17754279 TI - Maharishi international university: "science of creative intelligence%". PMID- 17754280 TI - A helping hand for saudi arabian r& d. PMID- 17754281 TI - Future of private laser fusion research in doubt. PMID- 17754282 TI - EPA grants reprieve on auto emissions. PMID- 17754283 TI - Social Scientist Nominated NSF Deputy Chief. PMID- 17754284 TI - Ozone Destruction: Problem's Scope Grows, Its Urgency Recedes. PMID- 17754285 TI - Public credibility on ozone. PMID- 17754286 TI - Thymic hormones: inducers of T cell maturation. PMID- 17754287 TI - Ceramics: brittle materials for high temperature structures. PMID- 17754288 TI - True Polar Wander since the Early Cretaceous. AB - The motions of the lithospheric plates have been reconstructed for three time intervals back to the Early Cretaceous. These displacements were analyzed to determine the best-fitting rigid rotation, which could then be ascribed to true polar wander. The true polar wander so obtained is no larger than a few degrees and is within the magnitude of the uncertainties involved. PMID- 17754289 TI - Chromatin structure: deduced from a minichromosome. AB - Cells lytically infected with simian virus 40 contain viral DNA in the form of very small chromlosomnes (minichromosomes) segmented into 100-A lengths, each segment containing about 200 base pairs of DNA. This form resembles that of eukaryotic chromnosom1es anid is consistent with the model of chromatin structure proposed recently. PMID- 17754290 TI - Preparation of native chromatin and damage caused by shearing. AB - Chromatin prepared by a method involving limited nuclease digestion contains the same repeating structure as chromatin in the nucleus, whereas chromatin prepared by conventional methods involving shear does not. PMID- 17754291 TI - Permanent translocation heterozygosity and sex determination in East african mistletoes. AB - Viscum fischeri has 2n = 23 chromosomes in male plants. These fornm 7 bivalents and a translocation chain of 9 chromosomes during meiosis. Pollen with 11-and 12 chromosome genomes is thus produced. Female plants have 2n = 22 chromosomes and produce 11 bivalents during meiosis. Sex determination is technically a rare multiple X-multiple Y type, but more importantly it provides the mechanism whereby permanent translocation heterozygosity is maintained in the system. In a second species, Viscum engleri, male plants have 2n=28 chromosomes associating as 11 bivalents and a ring of 6 chomosomes at meiosis. PMID- 17754292 TI - Subceliular Localization of Inorganic Ions in Plant Cells by in vivo Precipitation. AB - Uptake of iodide (as a possible tracer of chloride) by barley roots preloaded with thallium (as a tracer of potassium) resulted in in vivo precipitation of the almost insoluble yellow thallium iodide. Electron microscopic observation revealed in several cells a dense precipitate of thallium iodide within the cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum, which suggests that this membrane system is involved in intracellular ion transport. PMID- 17754293 TI - Josephson junction detectors: geophysical applications. PMID- 17754294 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17754295 TI - Reform in Security? PMID- 17754296 TI - Late-Pleistocene Climates and Deep-Sea Sediments. PMID- 17754298 TI - IGY in Denmark. PMID- 17754297 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17754299 TI - Research at the Grass Roots? PMID- 17754301 TI - Scientists: Smug and Bossy? PMID- 17754300 TI - Radiation Damage. PMID- 17754302 TI - Atom Harvest. PMID- 17754304 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17754305 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17754306 TI - Technology and global industry. PMID- 17754307 TI - Luminous arcs: universal scaffolding? PMID- 17754308 TI - Hanford's Radioactive Tumbleweed: After 44 years of storing radioactive wastes on site, DOE's temporary measures begin to look permanent; cleanup would cost "billions upon billions upon billions". PMID- 17754309 TI - Plant science grant program nears approval. PMID- 17754311 TI - Science medals presented at white house. PMID- 17754310 TI - Supreme court strikes down "creation science" law as promotion of religion. PMID- 17754313 TI - Cautious Optimism on High-Tech Weapons for NATO Forces. PMID- 17754312 TI - New technologies good for employment. PMID- 17754314 TI - Extrasolar Planets, Maybe--But Brown Dwarfs, No: Telltale Doppler shifts have been found in the spectra of certain sunlike stars; yet the most intriguing thing is what the astronomers do not see. PMID- 17754315 TI - Monitoring Earth and sun by satellite. AB - Researchers attending the spring meeting of the American Geophysical Union held 18 to 21 May in Baltimore have grown familiar with doing geophysical studies by satellite. Here are three current examples discussed at the meeting: gauging the output of the sun, measuring crustal movement, and deciphering the mineral composition of surface rocks. PMID- 17754316 TI - Can the u.s. Oil and gas resource base support sustained production? AB - Aggressive drilling for oil and gas in the lower 48 states of the United States over the past decade yielded reserve additions sufficient to arrest decline and to stabilize levels of production. Such positive response from a maturely explored and developed oil resource base was unpredicted and largely unanticipated. Two elements of the recent experience-maintenance of stable rates of finding and substantial levels of conventional reserve growth in older fields indicate that the capability of the resource base to sustain production is yet considerable. The volume of domestic oil and gas production that is necessary in the national interest and the extent to which the resource base should be pursued are the central issues of public energy policy. PMID- 17754317 TI - Release of juvenile water on Mars: estimated amounts and timing associated with volcanism. AB - The amount of water released on Mars in association with volcanism is estimated to equal a layer 46 meters deep over the entire planet. Most of this water was released in the first 2 billion years of martian history. The estimate is based on mapping the volcanic materials and by inferring the volatile content of the lavas. Water from other sources, such as plutonic activity and cometary contributions, is not included in the estimate. PMID- 17754318 TI - Interocean differences in size and nutrition of coral reef sponge populations. AB - Sponges consume an order of magnitude more organic matter on Caribbean coral reefs than on the Great Barrier Reef. This rate of consumption is attributed to Caribbean sponge biomass being five to six times greater than that on the Great Barrier Reef, on average, and to the absence in the Caribbean of phototrophic sponges, which are a feature of clean water regions of the Great Barrier Reef. The long temporal and spatial separation of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans has resulted in the evolution of dissimilar sponge faunas, with Caribbean sponges being heterotrophic, whereas many Great Barrier Reef sponges rely on nutritional input from photosynthetic symbionts. PMID- 17754319 TI - Successions in psychology: the cognitive revolution in psychology. PMID- 17754320 TI - Invertebrate immunology: hemocytic and humoral immunity in arthropods. PMID- 17754321 TI - Carbonate complexes: reef diagenesis. PMID- 17754322 TI - Archeology in the andes: telarmachay. PMID- 17754323 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17754324 TI - 75th Anniversary of the United States Geological Survey, March 3, 1954. PMID- 17754325 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17754326 TI - The Scientist's Responsibility for the Interpretation of Concepts to Laymen. PMID- 17754327 TI - Charles Leonard Huskins: 1897-1953. PMID- 17754328 TI - Timothy William Stanton: 1860-1953. PMID- 17754329 TI - Preliminary Studies on the Use of a Specific Sound to Repel Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) from Objectionable Roosts. PMID- 17754330 TI - Current Volcanic Activity in Katmai National Monument. PMID- 17754331 TI - Hiptagenic Acid, a Toxic Component of Indigofera endecaphylla. PMID- 17754332 TI - Rare-Earth Mineral Deposits of the Mountain Pass District, San Bernardino County, California. PMID- 17754333 TI - Studies of River Morphology. PMID- 17754334 TI - Navajoite, a New Vanadium Oxide from Arizona. PMID- 17754335 TI - The Molybdenum Blue Reaction and the Determination of Phosphorus in Waters Containing Arsenic, Silicon, and Germanium. PMID- 17754336 TI - Geologic Map of Wyoming. PMID- 17754337 TI - Developed and Potential Water Power of the United States and Other Countries of the World. PMID- 17754338 TI - Studies of Evaporation. PMID- 17754339 TI - Total-Intensity Magnetic Anomalies of Three-Dimensional Distributions by Means of Experimentally Derived Double Layer Model Fields. PMID- 17754340 TI - Scribing as a Substitute for Drafting in the Preparation of Maps for Reproduction. PMID- 17754341 TI - Oligocene Plants and Correlation. PMID- 17754343 TI - SOME OPINIONS ON COLLEGE PHYSICS TEACHING. PMID- 17754342 TI - THE RED CROSS AND THE ANTIVIVI-SECTIONISTS. PMID- 17754344 TI - THE ELECTION OF OFFICERS BY SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17754345 TI - ARE ZOOLOGISTS GOING TO USE THE BNA? PMID- 17754346 TI - RATE OF DESERT DELTA GROWTH. PMID- 17754347 TI - THE "RAWNESS" OF SUBSOILS. PMID- 17754348 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17754350 TI - Need for a Meaningful B.S. Degree. PMID- 17754349 TI - Advisory Committee on Scientific Personnel. PMID- 17754351 TI - Canadian Researches on BAL (British Anti-Lewisite). PMID- 17754352 TI - Thiamine Deficiency and High Estrogen Findings in Uterine Cancer and in Menorrhagia. AB - The finding of abnormal estrogenic activity coupled with thiamine deficiency in cases of menorrhagia and uterine cancer suggests a possible etiological correlation between the dietary deficiency, the abnormal estrogen level, and the pathological lesion. The specific element deficient in these cases was thiamine, while the other B factors were normal. Preliminary report of the evidence is made in this small series while more extensive studies on a large series of cases are being pursued. Cornification in cytology smears was used to study estrogenic activity, since the present study was prompted by cytological findings; the method is simple, practical, and reasonably accurate. The urinary estimation measures only the amount excreted, and if liver impairment actually is present, the quantity excreted would not give a true index of the amount retained in the body. Further studies are being undertaken in which estrogenic, urinary, and cornification levels are being compared before and after thiamine administration in cases proven to be deficient. PMID- 17754353 TI - The Antibacterial Activity of Protamine Zinc Insulin. PMID- 17754354 TI - U. S. News and Notes. PMID- 17754355 TI - International News and Notes. PMID- 17754356 TI - A Method for Determining Bacterial Resistance and Susceptibility to Sulfonamides and Penicillin. PMID- 17754358 TI - A Cheap and Speedy Method of Cleaning Old Microscope Slides. PMID- 17754357 TI - About the Chemical Nature of Syphilis Antigen. PMID- 17754359 TI - Sources of Our Future Scientists. PMID- 17754360 TI - On Recognition of High School Science Training. PMID- 17754361 TI - B-Glycoside Formation in Plants From Absorbed Chemicals. PMID- 17754363 TI - Recent Additions to the Dudley Herbarium. PMID- 17754362 TI - New Use for DDT. PMID- 17754364 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17754365 TI - NAS Physics Report. PMID- 17754366 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17754367 TI - DDT in Rainfall. PMID- 17754369 TI - Science and values. PMID- 17754368 TI - Falling watermelons. PMID- 17754370 TI - Metallocarboranes That Exhibit Novel Chemical Features: A virtually unlimited variety of structural and dynamic features are observed in metallocarborane chemistry. AB - Among the myriad transition metal and main group complexes of ligands derived from carboranes, some exhibit unique structural variations and novel dynamic behavior. PMID- 17754371 TI - Cancer Advisory Board: Nobody's Rubber Stamp. PMID- 17754373 TI - West virginia: strip mining issue in moore-rockefeller race. PMID- 17754372 TI - Reactor Safety: AEC Concedes Some Points to Its Critics. PMID- 17754374 TI - The 1972 nobel prize for economic science. PMID- 17754376 TI - The 1972 nobel prize for physics. PMID- 17754375 TI - A black hole in our galaxy? PMID- 17754377 TI - The 1972 nobel prize for chemistry. PMID- 17754378 TI - Ionospheric effects on the transmission of ultralow-frequency plasma waves. AB - Measurements of magnetospheric ultralow-frequency plasma waves (period tau, approximately 18 to 150 seconds) on the ground under continuous daylight conditions in the Antarctic and under alternate day-night solar illumination at the conjugate station in Quebec indicate a significant local time dependence in the transmission properties of the ionosphere for waves of these periods. When the Antarctic station is compared with the Quebec station, the tilt (with respect to the ionosphere) of the orientation plane of the waves is observed to be larger at local noon than at local night. PMID- 17754379 TI - Sandstone: secular trends in lithology in southwestern montana. AB - Long-term secular trends in the composition and texture of sandstones in southwestern Montana reflect changing provenance and depositional environment, which in turn reflect changing tectonic patterns in the Cordilleran mobile belt just to the west. PMID- 17754381 TI - Psychosocial processes and communications technology. PMID- 17754380 TI - Artificial cloud formation in the atmosphere. AB - An artificial cloud in the cloudless atmosphere at a temperature below 0 degrees C was formed by introducing pellets of Dry Ice into air containing more water vapor than would be present at the saturation point with respect to ice. Such clouds could be utilized to establish radiative equilibrium between ground and air so as to inhibit the cooling of selective arctic surface regions under clear skies. PMID- 17754382 TI - Capital City Readout--AAAS Communications Experiment: A Regional Information Exchange on the Employment of Science and Technology in Relation to the Needs of the Washington, D.C., Area. PMID- 17754383 TI - DEWITT BRISTOL BRACE. PMID- 17754384 TI - EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS AT YALE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17754385 TI - STEGOMYIA AND YELLOW FEVER--A CONTRAST. PMID- 17754386 TI - A TREE'S LIMB WITHOUT BARK. PMID- 17754387 TI - THE POSSIBILITY OF ABSORPTION BY HUMAN BEINGS OF NITROGEN FROM THE ATMOSPHERE. PMID- 17754389 TI - EXHIBITION OF EARLY WORKS ON NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17754388 TI - PHYSICAL CHARACTERS AND HISTORY OF SOME NEW YORK FORMATIONS. PMID- 17754390 TI - EXTIRPATION AND REPLANTATION OF THE THYROID GLAND WITH REVERSAL OF THE CIRCULATION. PMID- 17754391 TI - THE EIGHTEENTH SEASON OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. 1905. PMID- 17754392 TI - STATISTICS OF EASTERN, STATE AND FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17754393 TI - THE NEW ORLEANS MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17754394 TI - THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF FOREST CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY EDUCATION. PMID- 17754395 TI - ON CERTAIN RELATIONS OF THE LOWER ANIMALS TO HUMAN DISEASE. PMID- 17754396 TI - INVESTIGATIONS AT THE WOODS HOLE BIOLOGICAL STATION OF THE UNITED STATES BUREAU OF FISHERIES. PMID- 17754397 TI - THE FUNDAMENTAL EQUATION OF MECHANICS (IV). PMID- 17754398 TI - SIR CLEMENTS MARKHAM. PMID- 17754399 TI - NOTES ON METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17754400 TI - THE BROMINE CONTENT OF PUGET SOUND NEREOCYSTIS (GIANT KELP). PMID- 17754401 TI - THE NORTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17754402 TI - THE MATHEMATICAL WAY OF THINKING. PMID- 17754403 TI - ANIMALS AND AIR RAIDS. PMID- 17754404 TI - FINANCES OF THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. PMID- 17754406 TI - THE ROLE OF DENTISTS IN NATIONAL DEFENSE. PMID- 17754405 TI - EARTHQUAKES OF 1940. PMID- 17754407 TI - EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS AND MOSQUITOES. PMID- 17754408 TI - ACQUIREMENT BY HARVARD UNIVERSITY OF A DEPOSIT OF FOSSILS IN NORTHERN FLORIDA. PMID- 17754409 TI - MEMORIALS. PMID- 17754411 TI - THE OCCURRENCE AND ISOLATION OF AZOTOBACTER IN CHINESE SOILS. PMID- 17754410 TI - CORAL-REEFS AND THE FORMATION OF PETROLEUM. PMID- 17754412 TI - AGASSIZ AND LIEBIG. PMID- 17754414 TI - A NEW PAN AMERICAN TREATY. PMID- 17754413 TI - PRODUCTION OF SYMPTOMS BY SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION OF HISTAMINE WITHOUT INCREASE OF THE BLOOD HISTAMINE. PMID- 17754415 TI - UPTAKE OF RADIOACTIVE PHOSPHORUS BY NUCLEI OF LIVER AND TUMORS. PMID- 17754417 TI - THE CONTROL OF PROTOPLASMIC STREAMING. PMID- 17754416 TI - MODE OF ACTION OF ESTROGENS ON THE MAMMARY GLAND. PMID- 17754418 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD OF MOUNTING SMALL EXHIBIT SPECIMENS OF MAMMALS AND BIRDS. PMID- 17754419 TI - AUTOMATIC MERCURY VALVE. PMID- 17754420 TI - A MICROPHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA. PMID- 17754421 TI - THE VAGARIES OF BERYLLIUM. PMID- 17754423 TI - HEREDITY OF EYE-COLOR IN MAN. PMID- 17754422 TI - THE APPLICATION OF SCIENTIFIC METHOD TO EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS. PMID- 17754424 TI - THE NOMENCLATURE OF DEXTRAL, SINISTRAL AND ATTENTIONAL ORGANS AND FUNCTIONS. PMID- 17754426 TI - CONE IN CONE. PMID- 17754425 TI - COLOR VARIETIES OF LOCUSTIDAe. PMID- 17754427 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17754429 TI - The Missile Gap; Overhead for Federal Research Grants; Aid to Education and Civil Rights. PMID- 17754428 TI - A Question of Degrees. PMID- 17754430 TI - Effect of Electrostatic Field on Freezing of Supercooled Water and Insects. AB - Supercooled water and two species of insects froze at higher temperatures than normally when placed in an electrostatic field. The effect became more certain and occurred earlier as the amount of supercooling was increased. The amount of supercooling in the presence of the electrostatic field was not related to the amount in its absence. PMID- 17754431 TI - Latitudinal Effect in the Transfer of Radiocarbon from Stratosphere to Troposphere. AB - Latitudinal variations in the descent of bomb-produced radiocarbon from the stratosphere is suggested by differences in tropospheric carbon-14 activity. The magnitude of a similar latitudinal effect in the pre-bomb steady state is estimated. This effect may be part of the explanation of the short-term oscillations in carbon-14 activity found in treerings from the last 1300 years. PMID- 17754432 TI - Growth Inhibition of Insects and a Fungus by Indole-3-Acetonitrile. AB - Indole-3-acetonitrile obtained from cabbage has been found to inhibit growth of Pyrausta nubilalis (Hbn.), Galleria mellonella (L.), and Penicillium chrysogenum. PMID- 17754433 TI - Paul M. Gross, President-Elect. PMID- 17754434 TI - A Report of the Eighth New York Meeting. PMID- 17754436 TI - Reports of Sections and Societies. PMID- 17754435 TI - Public Information Service. PMID- 17754437 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17754439 TI - APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17754438 TI - THE SPIRIT OF ALCHEMY IN MODERN INDUSTRY. PMID- 17754440 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17754441 TI - APPROPRIATIONS FROM THE BACHE FUND OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17754442 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17754444 TI - THE APPLICATION OF THE METHOD OF LEAST SQUARES. PMID- 17754443 TI - VITALISM AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION. PMID- 17754445 TI - DR. BRUSH'S THEORY OF GRAVITATION. PMID- 17754446 TI - A SCALE FOR MEASURING THE MERIT OF ENGLISH WRITING. PMID- 17754447 TI - SEX-LIMITED INHERITANCE AND SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN POULTRY. PMID- 17754449 TI - THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17754448 TI - THE NORTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17754450 TI - THE WORK OF HUGO DE VRIES AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE STUDY OF PROBLEMS OF EVOLUTION. PMID- 17754451 TI - A PLAN TO ENSURE THE DESIGNATION OF GENERIC TYPES. AN OPEN LETTER TO SYSTEMATIC ZOOLOGISTS. PMID- 17754452 TI - CERTAIN PLANT 'SPECIES' IN THEIR RELATION TO THE MUTATION THEORY. PMID- 17754453 TI - LARVAL CONGER EELS ON THE LONG ISLAND COAST. PMID- 17754455 TI - SHOULD OUR COLLEGES ESTABLISH SUMMER SCHOOLS? PMID- 17754454 TI - ISOLATION BY CHOICE. PMID- 17754456 TI - ON THE ORIGIN OF THE SMALL MOUNDS OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND TEXAS. PMID- 17754457 TI - THE AVAILABILITY OF CELLULOID IN ILLUSTRATING CHROMATIC POLARIZATION. PMID- 17754458 TI - AMOEligBA BLATTAe AND AMOEligBOID MOTION. PMID- 17754459 TI - THE EFFECT OF FERTILIZERS ON THE REACTION OF SOILS. PMID- 17754460 TI - A CULTURE MEDIUM FOR THE ZYGOSPORES OF MUCOR STOLONIFER. PMID- 17754461 TI - NOTES ON ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17754462 TI - CARBONATED MILK. PMID- 17754464 TI - REPORT OF THE ADVISORY BOARD OF THE WISTAR INSTITUTE. PMID- 17754463 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17754465 TI - THE EARTHQUAKE AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17754466 TI - FOOT DEFORMITY AS THE RESULT OF UNSCIENTIFIC SHOES. PMID- 17754467 TI - THE BIRD ON ITS NEST. PMID- 17754468 TI - PHONETIC VALUE OF THE CH'I GLYPH IN THE MAYA GRAPHIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17754471 TI - THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17754469 TI - DEATH OF PROFESSOR W. P. TROWBRIDGE. PMID- 17754470 TI - THE PEST OF FIFLD-MICE IN THESSALY AND LOEFFLER'S SUCCESSFUL METHOD OF COMBATING IT. PMID- 17754473 TI - The Ancient Libyan Alphabet. PMID- 17754472 TI - Remarks on the Migration of Coleopters. PMID- 17754474 TI - Cause of a National Trait. PMID- 17754475 TI - Cleistogamy in the Pansy. PMID- 17754476 TI - Snake Eats Snake. PMID- 17754477 TI - The Color of the Blood in Man. PMID- 17754478 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17754479 TI - How in the world are we? PMID- 17754481 TI - Administration of research. PMID- 17754480 TI - Myths and realities of space flight. PMID- 17754482 TI - Erratum. AB - In Gina Kolata's article "Obese children: A growing problem" (Research News, 4 Apr., p. 20), a statement in the second paragraph of the third column on page 20 referring to a "boy's basal metabolic rate [dropping] by 200 calories an hour while he watched cartoons on television was incorrect. An extrapolation of the drop in the boy's metabolic rate to a 24-hour period would result in a drop of 200 calories a day. PMID- 17754483 TI - Response: biotechnology center. PMID- 17754485 TI - Animal models in research. PMID- 17754484 TI - Biotechnology center. PMID- 17754486 TI - A Project Born of Hope, Desperation: A massive program to develop the Senegal River valley epitomizes the difficulties involved in expanding irrigated agriculture in Africa, and the stakes riding on such ventures. PMID- 17754487 TI - Packard Report Makes a Plea for Universities: The study, by a panel of the White House Science Council, urges greater investment in academic research, more flexible funding, and less micromanagement of grantees. PMID- 17754488 TI - David packard: reduce the micromanagement. PMID- 17754489 TI - A math image problem. PMID- 17754490 TI - Sensitive nuclear technology escapes detailed export review. PMID- 17754491 TI - DOD Declines to Consider Impact of Nuclear Winter. PMID- 17754492 TI - EPA approves second genetic test. PMID- 17754493 TI - NASA Unveils Space Station Concept. PMID- 17754494 TI - The Connection Machine Goes Commercial: The computer's massive parallelism allows programmers to tackle problems in ways they never would have contemplated before. PMID- 17754496 TI - Science must grow. PMID- 17754495 TI - Fight the edifice complex. PMID- 17754497 TI - The space shuttle program: a policy failure? AB - The 5 January 1972 announcement by President Richard Nixon that the United States would develop during the 1970's a new space transportation system-the space shuttle-has had fundamental impacts on the character of U.S. space activities. In retrospect, it can be argued that the shuttle design chosen was destined to fail to meet many of the policy objectives established for the system; the shuttle's problems in serving as the primary launch vehicle for the United States and in providing routine and cost-effective space transportation are in large part a result of the ways in which compromises were made in the 1971-72 period in order to gain White House and congressional approval to proceed with the program. The decision to develop a space shuttle is an example of a poor quality national commitment to a major technological undertaking. PMID- 17754498 TI - Organ-specific and light-induced expression of plant genes. AB - Light plays a pivotal role in the development of plants. The photoregulation of plant genes involves recognition of light quality and quantity by phytochrome and other light receptors. Two gene families, rbcS and Cab, which code for abundant proteins active in photosynthesis, the small subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase and the chlorophyll a/b binding protein, show a 20-to 50-fold increase in transcript abundance in the light. Analyses in calli and transgenic plants of deletions of the rbcS gene and of chimeric constructions has allowed localization of two regions involved in light-induced transcription. One element is confined to a 33-base pair region surrounding the TATA box. In addition, an enhancer-like element contained within a 240-base pair fragment can confer phytochrome-induced transcription and organ specificity on nonregulated promoters. PMID- 17754499 TI - The discovery of dust trails in the orbits of periodic comets. AB - Analysis of data from the Infrared Astronomical Satellite has yielded evidence for narrow trails of dust coincident with the orbits of periodic comets Tempel 2, Encke, and Gunn. Dust was found both ahead of and behind the orbital positions of these comets. This dust was produced by the low-velocity ejection of large particles during perihelion passage. More than 100 additional dust trails are suggested by the data, almost all near the detection limits of the satellite. Many of these dust trails may be derived from previously unobserved comets. PMID- 17754500 TI - Dentochronological separation estimates for pacific rim populations. AB - Dental morphology of American Indians, Asians, and Pacific islanders is used with a multivariate statistic to estimate when genetic separation occurred between several populations. These estimates generally match independent estimates of separation. This method, called dentochronology, gives an American Indian fission date from Asians of about 13,000 +/- 3,000 years ago, which agrees with archeological data and rules out a European origin because of temporal priority. Polynesians split from Southeast Asians 5,000 +/- 2,200 years ago and are not derived from Melanesians. Ainu-Jomon originated in Sundaland 14,000 +/- 3,300 years ago. Africans have been separated from Asian-Americans 60,000 +/- 6,100 years. PMID- 17754501 TI - Insect life histories: seasonal adaptations of insects. PMID- 17754503 TI - Mathematical physics: regular and chaotic motions in dynamic systems. PMID- 17754502 TI - The epidemiology of rabies: population dynamics of rabies in wildlife. PMID- 17754504 TI - Exact astronomy: measuring the universe. PMID- 17754505 TI - Mapping of glacier ice: radioglaciology. PMID- 17754506 TI - Computers in Medicine. PMID- 17754507 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17754508 TI - Footlights and Foot-Pounds. PMID- 17754509 TI - On the Origin of Life. PMID- 17754510 TI - Repeal of the "Non-Communist" Affidavit in the Education Act To Be a Lively Issue in Congress. PMID- 17754511 TI - President Explains New United States Test Ban Proposal. PMID- 17754512 TI - Filmed High-School Biology Course Offered by AIBS. PMID- 17754513 TI - Largest Proton Synchrotron Goes into Operation. PMID- 17754514 TI - Transport of Strontium-90 in Runoff. AB - Only a small portion of the strontium-90 that fell on cultivated soils was removed in runoff. The concentration of strontium-90 was usually about 10 times higher in the soil carried by the runoff than in the soil from the plow layer of the plots. Thus, a considerable concentration of Sr(90) could occur in areas where runoff sediments accumulate. PMID- 17754515 TI - Thomas Park, President-Elect. PMID- 17754516 TI - A Report of the Chicago Meeting. PMID- 17754517 TI - Public Information Service. PMID- 17754518 TI - Reports of Sections and Societies. PMID- 17754519 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17754520 TI - Cardiotachometer. PMID- 17754521 TI - Metric System. PMID- 17754522 TI - Time of Planet Formation. PMID- 17754523 TI - THE TIME-RELATIONS OF MENTAL PHENOMENA. PMID- 17754524 TI - PROFESSOR A. GRAHAM BELL'S STUDIES ON THE DEAF. PMID- 17754525 TI - THE RELATIONS OF THE STATE AND NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE GEOLOGISTS OF THE COUNTRY. PMID- 17754526 TI - ON CERTAIN PHENOMENA OF GROWING OLD. PMID- 17754528 TI - Urey's Scientific Lineage. PMID- 17754527 TI - Materials funding. PMID- 17754529 TI - Urey's Scientific Lineage. PMID- 17754530 TI - Hawaii's Upland Forests. PMID- 17754531 TI - Waste management. PMID- 17754532 TI - Variability of antarctic sea ice: and changes in carbon dioxide. AB - A definitive long-term decrease in the extent of antarctic sea ice is not detectable from 9 years (1973 to 1981) of year-round satellite observations and limited prior data. Regional interannual variability is large, with sea ice decreasing in some regions while increasing in others. A significant decrease in overall ice extent during the mid-1970's, previously suggested to reflect warming induced by carbon dioxide, has not been maintained. In particular, the extent of ice in the Weddell Sea region has rebounded after a large decrease concurrent with a major oceanographic anomaly, the Weddell polynya. Over the 9 years, the trends are nearly the same in all seasons, but for periods of 3 to 5 years, greater winter ice maxima are associated with lesser summer ice minima. The decrease of the mid-1970's was preceded by an increase in ice extent from 1966 to 1972, further indicating the presence of cyclical components of variation that obscure any long-term trends that might be caused by a warming induced by carbon dioxide. PMID- 17754534 TI - Administration grapples with export controls. PMID- 17754533 TI - Building R & d policy from strength. AB - Many proposals have been made for new initiatives in our nation's research and development system. But before rushing into untried approaches, we need to look to the foundations of the system that has worked so well for us in the past. We have a climate for venture capital that has never been better; the world's greatest research universities; an industrial base that is moving aggressively into high technology, spurred by competition; and a defense effort that can be a major asset to civiliarn R & D. We should build our future by understanding and using these existing strengths. PMID- 17754535 TI - A battle on many fronts. PMID- 17754536 TI - Universities find funding shortcut. PMID- 17754537 TI - Texans Woo and Whelm MCC. PMID- 17754538 TI - Bargaining on at u. Mass. PMID- 17754539 TI - Light at the end of litigation. PMID- 17754540 TI - NAS Elects New Members. PMID- 17754542 TI - Homogeneous catalysis: ultimate selectivity. PMID- 17754541 TI - Thin-skinned crustal extension confirmed. PMID- 17754543 TI - Desertification volumes offered. PMID- 17754544 TI - Scientific freedom and responsibility and science journalism awards. PMID- 17754545 TI - The prehistory of central Mexico. PMID- 17754547 TI - Equids. PMID- 17754546 TI - The rotation of the Earth. PMID- 17754548 TI - Interactions among species. PMID- 17754549 TI - Role of shallow phase changes in the subduction of oceanic crust. AB - Detailed studies of the seismicity of several subduction zones demonstrate that shallow-dipping thrust zones turn to steeper angles at depths of about 40 kilometers. An increased downward body force resulting from shallow phase changes in subducted oceanic crust may be the cause of this increased dip angle. In addition, the volume reduction associated with phase changes may produce sufficiently large stresses in neighboring rocks to cause the seismicity of the upper Benioff zone. PMID- 17754550 TI - Fish schools: an asset to corals. AB - Schools of juvenile haemulid fish feed in sea grass beds at night. By day they rest over coral heads, where they excrete substantial quantities of ammonium and particulate nitrogen and phosphorus into the nutrient-poor waters. The percentages of these nutrients contributed by the fish were comparable to those from other sources. Coral heads with resident fish schools grew faster than those without resident schools, indicating that fish may be more beneficial to the corals than has been assumed. PMID- 17754551 TI - Rapid flow cytometric analysis of the cell cycle in intact plant tissues. AB - Mechanical chopping of plant tissues in the presence of mithramycin released intact nuclei representative of the cells within the tissues. The amount of nuclear DNA in the homogenates of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants was accurately and rapidly determined by flow microfluorometry, and the distribution of nuclei involved in the cell cycle was charted for tissues selected from different physical locations or developmental stages. PMID- 17754552 TI - Desuppression of Leaf Primordia of Plagiochila arctica (Hepaticae) by Ethylene Antagonists. AB - Silver nitrate, alpha-aminooxyacetic acid, and aminoethoxyvinylglycine, three potent inhibitors of ethylene synthesis and action, induced the same kind of phenovariation in the liverwort Plagiochila arctica Bryhn and Kaal (Hepaticae) as do antagonists of the synthesis of hydroxyproline-containing protein. This finding (i) supports the hypothesis that hydroxyproline-protein has a role in ethylene-mediated suppression, (ii) provides evidence that the role of ethylene in the correlative development of leafy liverwort gametophytes may be similar to its role in flowering plants, and (iii) contributes to the characterization of a morphoregulatory system that mediates cellular suppression in leafy liverworts and possibly all land plants. PMID- 17754553 TI - Mutants of Rhizobium japonicum with Increased Hydrogenase Activity. AB - Some strains of Rhizobium japonicum can use hydrogen as an energy source for growth under microaerophilic conditions. Mutant strains have been selected that use hydrogen in the presence of high partial pressures of oxygen. The mutants contain more hydrogenase than the parent strain, both as free-living cells and as bacteroids in nitrogen-fixing soybean root nodules. PMID- 17754554 TI - Crystallization and X-ray Analysis of Stemphyloxin I, a Phytotoxin from Stemphylium botryosum. AB - Certain isolates of the plant-pathogenic fungus Stemphylium botryosum produce a phytotoxin, stemphyloxin I. This toxin (C(21)H(34)O(6)) was crystallized and its structure was determined by x-ray crystallography to be a beta-ketoaldehyde trans Decalin. This compound is a highly unusual natural product. Iron (Fe(3+)) controls production of toxin by this fungus. Furthermore, iron reacts with the toxin to yield a colored product which aids in its detection on chromatograms and in its quantitative estimation by colorimetry.; PMID- 17754555 TI - Hybrid tree frogs: vocalizations of males and selective phonotaxis of females. AB - Male hybrids of reciprocal crosses between gray and pinewoods tree frogs (Hyla chtysoscelis x H. femoralis) that were raised to sexual maturity in the laboratory produced distinctive vocalizations. Hybrid females preferred the calls of hybrids to calls of gray tree frogs and also chose synthetic calls with a pulse repetition rate typical of the hybrids in preference to calls with a rate typical of pinewoods tree frogs. PMID- 17754556 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17754557 TI - The relations of Didymodus, or Diplodus. PMID- 17754558 TI - The use of the method of limits in mathematical teaching. PMID- 17754559 TI - The 'unit of time' controversy. PMID- 17754560 TI - Rainfall at Amherst, Mass. PMID- 17754561 TI - Silk-culture in the colonies. PMID- 17754562 TI - A spider's device in lifting. PMID- 17754563 TI - The occurrence of the Hessian fly in North America before the revolution. PMID- 17754564 TI - Dr. Newberry's work in the Colorado Canon. PMID- 17754565 TI - Two species of tertiary plants. PMID- 17754567 TI - Unio forms a byssus. PMID- 17754566 TI - Illusive memory. PMID- 17754568 TI - Spool-shaped ornaments from mounds. PMID- 17754569 TI - WHAT IS A LIBERAL EDUCATION? PMID- 17754570 TI - The reproduction of Clathrulina elegans. PMID- 17754571 TI - ECCENTRIC FIGURES FROM SOUTHERN MOUNDS. PMID- 17754572 TI - ADAPTABILITY OF THE PRAIRIES FOR ARTIFICIAL FORESTRY. PMID- 17754573 TI - THE APPLICATION OF PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE PRODUCTION OF NATURAL HISTORY FIGURES. PMID- 17754574 TI - THE COLORS OF NATURAL WATERS. PMID- 17754575 TI - THE GEODETIC WORK OF THE HAYDEN AND WHEELER SURVEYS. PMID- 17754576 TI - THE DEEP-SEA DREDGING APPARATUS OF THE TALISMAN. PMID- 17754577 TI - THE USE OF NAPHTHALINE AS AN INSECTICIDE. PMID- 17754578 TI - RECENT DETERMINATIONS OF STELLAR PARALLAX. PMID- 17754579 TI - CONDITIONS OF GROWTH OF THE WHEAT-RUST. PMID- 17754581 TI - THE CODEX CORTESIANUS. PMID- 17754580 TI - CARNIVOROUS HABITS OF THE MUSKRAT. PMID- 17754582 TI - THE SOCIETY OF MICROSCOPISTS. PMID- 17754584 TI - DARWINISM. PMID- 17754583 TI - KELLERMAN'S BOTANY. PMID- 17754586 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17754585 TI - HOUZEAU AND LANCASTER'S METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17754587 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17754588 TI - Low-level radioactive waste. PMID- 17754589 TI - Economic growth and environmental policy. PMID- 17754590 TI - The structure of glasses. PMID- 17754591 TI - Economic growth and environmental policy. PMID- 17754592 TI - Economic growth and environmental policy. PMID- 17754594 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17754593 TI - Pharmaceutical value estimates. PMID- 17754595 TI - Republicans split over fate of the department of energy. PMID- 17754596 TI - Studies say--tentatively--that greenhouse warming is here. PMID- 17754597 TI - Many suspects to blame in madagascar extinctions. PMID- 17754598 TI - Two steps for light-altering polymers. PMID- 17754600 TI - A chemical lawnmower. PMID- 17754601 TI - Science conduct goes on-line. PMID- 17754599 TI - Did Homo erectus Tame Fire First? PMID- 17754603 TI - More on genes and homosexuality. PMID- 17754602 TI - Paleo "divorce" final. PMID- 17754604 TI - Engineering women. PMID- 17754605 TI - Keeping yankee ingenuity alive. PMID- 17754606 TI - Rent-a-Missile. PMID- 17754607 TI - Patent change riles inventors. PMID- 17754608 TI - Climatic warming in north america: analysis of borehole temperatures. PMID- 17754609 TI - Atomic-scale desorption through electronic and vibrational excitation mechanisms. AB - The scanning tunneling microscope has been used to desorb hydrogen from hydrogen terminated silicon (100) surfaces. As a result of control of the dose of incident electrons, a countable number of desorption sites can be created and the yield and cross section are thereby obtained. Two distinct desorption mechanisms are observed: (i) direct electronic excitation of the Si-H bond by field-emitted electrons and (ii) an atomic resolution mechanism that involves multiple vibrational excitation by tunneling electrons at low applied voltages. This vibrational heating effect offers significant potential for controlling surface reactions involving adsorbed individual atoms and molecules. PMID- 17754610 TI - Polystyrene-dendrimer amphiphilic block copolymers with a generation-dependent aggregation. AB - A class of amphiphilic macromolecules has been synthesized by combining well defined polystyrene (PS) with poly(propylene imine) dendrimers. Five different generations, from PS-dendr-NH(2) up to PS-dendr-(NH(2))(32), were prepared in yields of 70 to 90 percent. Dynamic light scattering, conductivity measurements, and transmission electron microscopy show that in aqueous phases, PS-dendr (NH(2))(32) forms spherical micelles, PS-dendr-(NH(2))(16) forms micellar rods, and PS-dendr-(NH(2))(8) forms vesicular structures. The lower generations of this class of macromolecules show inverted micellar behavior. The observed effect of amphiphile geometry on aggregation behavior is in qualitative agreement with the theory of Israelachvili et al. The amphiphiles presented here are similar in shape but different in size as compared with traditional surfactants, whereas they are similar in size but different in shape as compared with traditional block copolymers. PMID- 17754611 TI - EUVE Observations of Jupiter During the Impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. AB - The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite conducted extensive observations of the jovian system before, during, and after the impact of the fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in July 1994. About 2 to 4 hours after the impacts of several of the larger fragments, the brightness of the neutral helium (He I) resonance line at 58.4 nanometers temporarily increased by a factor of about 10. The transient 58.4-nanometer brightenings are most simply explained by resonant scattering of sunlight from the widespread high-altitude remnants of the larger impact plumes. Other possible sources of emission, such as electron impact excitation of He or radiative recombination of He(+), may contribute to the observed signal. PMID- 17754613 TI - Microchronology and demographic evidence relating to the size of pre-columbian north american Indian populations. AB - Recent estimates for the size of the aggregate North American Indian population in A.D. 1492 vary from about 18 million to less than 2 million. The unusually favorable archaeological characteristics of Mohawk Iroquois sites in eastern New York have allowed a detailed demographic reconstruction of one case for the period A.D. 1400 to 1776. The case indicates that exogenous epidemics did not reach the region until the 17th century and supports arguments favoring the lower populations estimates for North America as a whole. PMID- 17754612 TI - ROSAT Observations of X-ray Emissions from Jupiter During the Impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. AB - Rontgensatellit (ROSAT) observations made shortly before and during the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter show enhanced x-ray emissions from the planet's northern high latitudes. These emissions, which occur at System III longitudes where intensity enhancements have previously been observed in Jupiter's ultraviolet aurora, appear to be associated with the comet fragment impacts in Jupiter's southern hemisphere and may represent brightenings of the jovian x-ray aurora caused either by the fragment impacts themselves or by the passage of the fragments and associated dust clouds through Jupiter's inner magnetosphere. PMID- 17754614 TI - Exceptionally thermally stable polyimides for second-order nonlinear optical applications. AB - The thermal stability of the electric field induced poled order in a new class of second-order optically nonlinear polymers, "donor-imbedded" side-chain polyimides containing no flexible connectors or tethers to the nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophore, is investigated. In these polymers, the electron-donor part of the chromophore is a diaryl-substituted amine that is incorporated as a part of the polymer backbone. The donorimbedded systems used in this study have exceptional chemical stabilities at elevated temperatures (350 degrees C) and impressive poled order stability at extremely high temperatures (300 degrees C). In both respects, they were significantly more stable than a true side-chain polyimide with a similar NLO-active chromophore covalently linked to the polymer backbone by a flexible tether group. PMID- 17754615 TI - Plant growth-rate dependence of detrital carbon storage in ecosystems. AB - Detrital carbon accumulation accounts for most of an ecosystem's capacity to store organic carbon because the carbon contained as plant detritus exceeds that stored in living plants by about threefold. A comparative analysis of the mass and turnover of detrital carbon in ecosystems demonstrates that these properties are strongly related to the turnover rate of the dominant primary producers and are poorly related to ecosystem primary production. These results contribute to an understanding of the factors that control carbon storage in ecosystems and the role of carbon storage in the global carbon budget. PMID- 17754616 TI - Origins of fullerenes in rocks. PMID- 17754618 TI - Interfacing with bits. PMID- 17754617 TI - Response. PMID- 17754619 TI - Other books of interest. PMID- 17754621 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17754620 TI - Vignettes: using math. PMID- 17754622 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17754623 TI - HIBERNATION OF ANOPHELINE EGGS IN THE TROPICS. PMID- 17754624 TI - THE PRESENCE OF NON-OXYGEN-COMBINING (INACTIVE) HEMOGLOBIN IN THE BLOOD OF NORMAL INDIVIDUALS. PMID- 17754625 TI - DISTRIBUTION OF ARTIFACTS MADE FROM CHALCEDONY OF CERRO PEDERNAL, NEW MEXICO. PMID- 17754626 TI - THE PATHOGENIC ACTION OF PHYMATOTRICHUM OMNIVORUM. PMID- 17754627 TI - URINE CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION IN PATIENTS WITH CUSHING'S SYNDROME. PMID- 17754628 TI - ESSENTIALITY OF PRIMARY AMINO GROUPS FOR SPECIFIC ACTIVITY OF THE LACTOGENIC HORMONE. PMID- 17754629 TI - AN ELECTRIC STERILIZER FOR THE CULTURE ROOM. PMID- 17754630 TI - MULTIPLE NATURE OF THE RAT "FILTRATE FACTOR"--A COMPONENT OF VITAMIN B2. PMID- 17754631 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF CENTRIFUGATION ON THE AGGLUTINATION OF PNEUMOCOCCI. PMID- 17754632 TI - Meetings of the A.A.A.S. and A.I.B.S.: A Joint Statement. PMID- 17754633 TI - The Study of Disordered Systems. PMID- 17754634 TI - The Study of Disordered Systems. PMID- 17754636 TI - THE UPPER STRATA OF THE ATMOSPHERE. PMID- 17754635 TI - The Study of Disordered Systems. PMID- 17754637 TI - MILK FROM TUBERCULOUS COWS. PMID- 17754638 TI - ELECTRICAL EVAPORATION. PMID- 17754639 TI - THE NEW LAKE IN THE COLORADO DESERT. PMID- 17754642 TI - OXFORD SUMMER MEETING OF UNIVERSITY EXTENSION STUDENTS. PMID- 17754640 TI - THE METEOROLOGICAL RESULTS OF THE "CHALLENGER" EXPEDITION. PMID- 17754641 TI - THE FORESTS OF ZULULAND. PMID- 17754644 TI - Rock Magnetism: The magnetization of ancient rocks bears on the questions of polar wandering and continental drift. PMID- 17754643 TI - Basic Research a Luxury? PMID- 17754645 TI - News of Science: Scientists at Space Agency Seminar Compare Views on Composition and Origin of Van Allen Radiation Layer. PMID- 17754647 TI - How To Let Go and Still Hold the Line. PMID- 17754648 TI - Reorganization of Science and Research in the U.S.S.R: A new top-level government committee will coordinate interdisciplinary basic and applied research. PMID- 17754649 TI - Radionuclide Fractionation in Bomb Debris: The fractionation systematics for high yield bursts at sea-water and coral surfaces are delineated. PMID- 17754650 TI - Project Chariot: Two Groups of Scientists Issue "Objective" But Conflicting Reports. PMID- 17754652 TI - Electrophoretic Analysis of Immobilization Antigens of Paramecium aurelia. AB - The isoelectric points of the immobilization antigens A, B, and D of strain 51 of Paramecium aurelia (variety 4) have been determined to be 4.0, 3.9, and 4.3, respectively. PMID- 17754651 TI - The Iranian Prehistoric Project: New problems arise as more is learned of the first attempts at food production and settled village life. AB - Many indications point toward the hill flanks of the Fertile Crescent in southwestern Asia as the scene of the earliest development of effective food production and a village-farming-community way of life, some 10,000 years ago or less. In its 1959-60 field season, with a staff made up of both cultural and natural historians, the Iranian Prehistoric Project reclaimed further evidence of this important transitional step in human history. This is a short interim report, based entirely on an in-the-field assessment of the materials. PMID- 17754653 TI - Auxetic Growth in the Javanese Toad, Bufo melanostictus. AB - Morphologically, it has been found that erythrocyte size in the Javanese toad is greater in large than in small animals, and preliminary data indicate that the same is true of kidney, intestinal, and liver cells. Physiologically, the hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, specific gravity of the whole blood, and the liver glycogen concentration also increase with the size of the animals. PMID- 17754654 TI - Nondestructive Method for Estimating Chlorophyll Content of Leaves. AB - A quantitative relationship is shown to exist between the chlorophyll content of soybean and Valencia orange leaves and their percentage reflectance of light of wavelength 625 mmicro as measured by a colorimeter with reflectance attachment. PMID- 17754655 TI - Action of Gamma-Irradiation on Dimethyl Uracil in Aqueous Solution in Absence of Oxygen. AB - The action of ionizing radiations on dimethyl uracil in aqueous solution, in the absence of oxygen, was found to lead to the formation of the 4-dihydro, 5-hydroxy dimethyl uracil (I), shown to be identical with that formed by the action of ultraviolet radiation. In addition, the corresponding 4,5-glycol (II) has also been identified as one of the reaction products. PMID- 17754656 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17754657 TI - Geodesy by Camel. PMID- 17754658 TI - Corn in the Old World. PMID- 17754660 TI - Genetic Code: Exaggerated Claims. PMID- 17754659 TI - Meharry Medical College. PMID- 17754661 TI - Potto Born in Captivity. PMID- 17754662 TI - Today's Job Market, and Tomorrow's. PMID- 17754663 TI - Intracellular Regulatory Mechanisms: Regulation in multicellular forms may be an elaboration upon the pattern evolved in microorganisms. AB - The study of metabolic regulation in microorganisms has revealed several simple but efficient regulatory circuits. In one, the operation of an entire sequence of enzymes is controlled by the activity of the initial enzyme which contains a specific inhibitor site. When this site is combined with the endproduct of the sequence, the catalytic site is rendered inactive. In another, the formation of an entire sequence of enzymes is controlled by means of a cytoplasmic mediator which blocks the transcription of the genetic message (repression) when activated by the endproduct, or which allows the transcription (induction) when activated by the substrate of the first enzyme in the sequence. Additional circuits have been proposed for the regulation of RNA and DNA synthesis. The same regulatory devices could account, in part, for intracellular metabolic control in more complex animal and plant forms. However, superimposed upon these simple control circuits will be found others which take advantage of the greater degree of organization in these cells and of the possibilities for regulating gene function that are provided by the chromosomes. The pattern of proteins with special control sites, such as have evolved in the relatively simple controls found in bacteria, may also be found essential for intercellular controls involving nervous and humoral mechanisms. PMID- 17754664 TI - Cognitive Dissonance: Its Use in Science: A scientist, like any other human being, frequently holds views that are inconsistent with one another. PMID- 17754665 TI - Goldwater: An Effort to Evaluate the Effects That His Election Might Have on Scientific Activity. PMID- 17754666 TI - Research Climate in Italy. PMID- 17754667 TI - Calcite-Dolomite-Magnesite Stability Relations in Solutions at Elevated Temperatures. AB - The stability relations of calcite, dolomite, and magnesite in aqueous CaCl(2) MgCl(2)-CO(2) solutions have been determined between 275 degrees and 420 degrees C. Small quantities of the carbonates were allowed to equilibrate with large volumes of aqueous solutions, permitting the approach of phase boundaries from two directions. Experimental data indicate that the stability field of calcite narrows toward higher temperatures, dolomite is incongruently soluble, and magnesite stability extends into the calcium-rich portion of the system. PMID- 17754668 TI - Xenon Hexafluoride: Preparation of Pure Form and Melting Point. AB - Xenon hexafluoride forms an addition compound with sodium fluoride which can be used to separate it from the other xenon fluorides and oxyfluoride. The melting point of pure xenon hexafluoride prepared in this way was 47.7 +/- 0.2 degrees C. PMID- 17754669 TI - Planktonic Foraminifera from the American Oligocene. AB - Planktonic foraminiferal assemblages from the Vicksburg group of the Gulf Coast region comprise species comparable with those found in the Oligocene of Tanganyika and northern Europe. The fauna is transitional between typical Upper Eocene and Miocene; its intermediate position is indicative of an Oligocene age. PMID- 17754670 TI - Potassium-Argon and Lead-Alpha Ages of Plutonic Rocks, Bokan Mountain Area, Alaska. AB - Most of the granitic rocks in the Bokan Mountain area, southeastern Alaska, are early Paleozoic (probably Ordovician) judged by potassium-argon and lead-alpha age measurements. The Bokan Mountain Granite, the youngest intrusive unit in the area, belongs to a Mesozoic plutonic episode. These age measurements are the first direct evidence for the emplacement of early Paleozoic granitic intrusive rocks close to the Pacific margin of North America. PMID- 17754671 TI - Origin of Ice Ages: Pollen Evidence from Arctic Alaska. AB - Pollen analysis of radiocarbon-dated samples from the arctic coastal plain of Alaska shows that vegetation of 14,000 years ago reflected a climate colder than the present, and that there has been a progressive warming, culminating in the present cold arctic climate. The record indicates that the Arctic Ocean has been covered with ice since the time of the Wisconsin glacial maximum, suggesting that the essential condition of the Ewing and Donn hypothesis for the origin of ice ages, that the Arctic Ocean be ice-free up to 11,000 years ago, cannot be met. PMID- 17754672 TI - "Male-Producing Factor" in the Wasp Dahlbominus. PMID- 17754673 TI - Telemetry of Dolphins. PMID- 17754674 TI - Radon-222 in Mine Atmospheres. PMID- 17754676 TI - Pesticides. PMID- 17754677 TI - Organic Solid State. PMID- 17754675 TI - Virology. PMID- 17754679 TI - Meeting Notes. PMID- 17754678 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17754680 TI - A HALF-CENTURY OF ACHIEVEMENT BY THE ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. PMID- 17754681 TI - EARLY DAYS OF THE ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. PMID- 17754682 TI - ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIES. PMID- 17754683 TI - NAMES OF THE FOUR CULTURE ROOTS IN THE SOUTHWEST. PMID- 17754684 TI - CYANIDE BEARING ORE MILL REFUSE AS A MENACE TO FISH LIFE. PMID- 17754685 TI - ALLEGED BIRTH OF TRIPLETS IN THE RHESUS MONKEY. PMID- 17754686 TI - THE PERFUSION OF WHOLE ORGANS IN THE LINDBERGH APPARATUS WITH FLUIDS CONTAINING HEMOCYANIN AS RESPIRATORY PIGMENT. PMID- 17754687 TI - ESTIMATION OF FIBER, FAT CELLS AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE IN MUSCLE. PMID- 17754688 TI - A PHOTODYNAMICAL BIOELECTRICAL POTENTIAL. PMID- 17754689 TI - A SYSTEM FOR NUMBERING LABORATORY ANIMALS. PMID- 17754691 TI - PERMANENT MOUNTS OF HELMINTH EGGS IN AQUEOUS PRESERVING FLUIDS. PMID- 17754690 TI - THE SPECIFICITY OF PEPSIN ACTION. PMID- 17754692 TI - Research at Mount Wilson and Palomar. PMID- 17754694 TI - A Tissue-to-Metal Adhesive Useful in Geiger Counting. PMID- 17754693 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17754695 TI - On the "Contractility" of Bacterial Flagellae. PMID- 17754697 TI - Scientific Manpower Commission. PMID- 17754696 TI - Cloudiness in Relation to Choice of Astronomical Sites. PMID- 17754698 TI - Theory of Elementary Particles. PMID- 17754700 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17754699 TI - John E. Potzger, Student of Vegetation. PMID- 17754701 TI - Source and Origin of Magnetite at Scott Mine, Sterling Lake, New York. PMID- 17754703 TI - Variations of Nitrogen-15 Abundance in Naturally Occurring Substances. PMID- 17754702 TI - "Swimming" Anemone from Puget Sound. PMID- 17754704 TI - Vegetative Changes at Pinacate, Sonora, Mexico. PMID- 17754705 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17754707 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17754709 TI - MENTAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17754708 TI - THE MISSISSIPPI PROBLEM. PMID- 17754710 TI - EXPLORATION AND TRAVEL. PMID- 17754711 TI - ELECTRICAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17754712 TI - ETHNOLOGY. PMID- 17754713 TI - Errors in 'The Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley'. PMID- 17754715 TI - Self-Recording Rain-Gauge. PMID- 17754714 TI - Cat Phenomena. PMID- 17754717 TI - The Nutriment in Edible Fungi. PMID- 17754716 TI - A Worm in a Hen's Egg. PMID- 17754718 TI - Triage. PMID- 17754720 TI - Recruitment of Women in the Engineering Profession. PMID- 17754719 TI - Temperature and Age Analysis of Deep-Sea Cores. PMID- 17754721 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17754723 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17754722 TI - Erratum. AB - The name of the publisher, Simon and Schuster, New York, and the publication date, 1956, were inadvertently omitted from the review of James R. Newman's book The World of Mathematics, which appeared in the issue of 1 Feb., page 197. PMID- 17754724 TI - Marine discoveries. PMID- 17754725 TI - Courtesy. PMID- 17754726 TI - Bureaucracy. PMID- 17754728 TI - Latin american aspirations. PMID- 17754727 TI - "Women's Lib". PMID- 17754729 TI - Crustal Spreading in Southern California: The Imperial Valley and the Gulf of California formed by the rifting apart of a continental plate. AB - The current excitement among geologists and geophysicists stemming from the "new global tectonics" has led to a widespread, speculative reinterpretation of continental geology. The Gulf of California and its continuation into the Imperial Valley provide an excellent opportunity for studying the border zone between the North American and Pacific plates, and an interface of continental and oceanic tectonics. The Salton trough, the landward extension of the gulf, is a broad structural depression, comparable in size with the deeper marine basins of the southern part of the gulf, but here partially filled with sediments deposited by the Colorado River. PMID- 17754730 TI - Fermat's Mathematics: Proofs and Conjectures: Fermat's working habits as a mathematician shed new light on the mystery of his famous "last theorem.". PMID- 17754731 TI - Medicine at Michigan State (II): The Architecture of Accountability. PMID- 17754733 TI - Earthquake research: a consequence of the pluralistic system. PMID- 17754732 TI - Earthquake accord and the test ban. PMID- 17754734 TI - OTA Moves Ahead, Science Policy Act Bogs Down. PMID- 17754735 TI - Chinese doctors to visit the United States. PMID- 17754736 TI - Gasification: a rediscovered source of clean fuel. PMID- 17754737 TI - Magnetic dynamo in the moon: a comparison with the Earth. AB - The assumption that the moon had an internal magnetic field produced in the same way as the geomagnetic field requires that the moon rotated faster than the angular velocity at which it would break up. This suggests that a lunar dynamo is not a tenable explanation for the magnetic remanence observed on the moon. PMID- 17754738 TI - Phosphorescence of adsorbed ionic organic molecules at room temperature. AB - Many salts of polynuclear carboxylic acids, phenols, amines, and sulfonic acids adsorbed on paper, silica, alumina, and other substrates exhibit strong triplet phosphorescence at room temperature, with no evidence of quenching by oxygen. No phosphorescence has been observed with nonionic materials. The spectra are similar to those of frozen solutions at -196 degrees C, and the technique provides a simple means of demonstrating phosphorescence phenomena, identifying unknown materials, and investigating the spectra of triplet states. PMID- 17754739 TI - Carbon: a suggested new hexagonal crystal form. AB - Evidence for a new polymorphic form of carbon, similar to but distinct from chaoite, has been discovered. It is trigonal, with a(0) = 5.33 angstroms and c(0) = 12.24 angstroms. It is produced along with chaoite on the surfaces of graphitic carbons under free-vaporization conditions at low pressures, with temperatures above approximately 2550 degrees K. PMID- 17754740 TI - Chemical trail-following by flying insects: a mechanism for orientation to a distant odor source. AB - An aerial trail of odorous pheromone molecules extends downwind from a female pink bollworm moth that is receptive for mating. Males apparently sense the boundaries of the trail during their characteristic zigzag flights across it. Contrary to previous beliefs, the mechanism by which the males steer toward the odor source does not require a sensing of wind direction. PMID- 17754741 TI - Cometary hydrogen and hydroxyl comas. PMID- 17754742 TI - Health and biology. PMID- 17754743 TI - THE ADMINISTRATION OF BOTANICAL GARDENS. PMID- 17754744 TI - THE BOTANIC GARDEN AS A FIELD MUSEUM OF AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17754746 TI - STATISTICS OF FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17754745 TI - THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS IMPLIED IN INSTRUCTION. PMID- 17754748 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17754747 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17754749 TI - THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AND THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION. PMID- 17754751 TI - THE WORK OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION OF THE U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES, AT BEAUFORT, N. C., DURING THE YEAR 1909. PMID- 17754750 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17754753 TI - COLLECTOTRICHUM FALCATUM IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17754752 TI - PRELIMINARY NOTE ON THE LIFE OF GLACIAL LAKE CHICAGO. PMID- 17754754 TI - Diversity in Research Support. PMID- 17754755 TI - Geologic Time Scale: Isotopic age determinations on rocks of known stratigraphic age define an absolute time scale for earth history. PMID- 17754757 TI - Disarmament Review: It Will Clarify Some Touchy General Points, But Working Out the Details Is Difficult. PMID- 17754756 TI - The Moon as a Collector of Biological Material: Terrestrial microorganisms may be found on the moon, but extra-solar-system biota would be undetectable. PMID- 17754758 TI - Bulbar Control of Cortical Arousal. AB - In the cat, the cortical arousal induced by reticular or nociceptive stimulation is more intense and more long-lasting after elimination of the caudal and medial part of the medulla than in preparations with intact brain. This difference is explained by the intervention of a phasic-ascending inhibitory bulbar control secondarily triggered by the mesencephalic activating system. PMID- 17754759 TI - Expediency for Latin America. PMID- 17754760 TI - Racial Differences. PMID- 17754761 TI - Literature Citation Counting. PMID- 17754763 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17754764 TI - THE RELATION OF ANTHROPOLOGY TO INDIAN AND IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS. PMID- 17754762 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17754765 TI - THE GRAY HERBARIUM CARD INDEX. PMID- 17754767 TI - ACCUMULATION OF GAS IN CLOSED COLLODION SACS IMMERSED IN FLOWING TAP WATER. PMID- 17754766 TI - THE ETIOLOGY OF THE DISEASE PSITTACOSIS. PMID- 17754769 TI - HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF PERIODIC REVERSAL OF HEART-BEAT IN INSECTS. PMID- 17754768 TI - BACTERIUM GRANULOSIS AND TRACHOMA OF AN URBAN WHITE POPULATION. PMID- 17754770 TI - THE TEACHING OF HYDROBIOLOGY AND AQUICULTURE IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17754771 TI - THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF PECTINATELLA. PMID- 17754772 TI - A MICROCINEMATOGRAPHIC APPARATUS FOR THE OWNER OF A 16-MM MOTION PICTURE CAMERA. PMID- 17754773 TI - "AUXIMONES" AND THE STIMULATION OF LEMNA BY ORGANIC MATTER. PMID- 17754774 TI - OCCURRENCE OF GERMANIUM AND ARSENIC IN METEORITES. AB - 1. Spectroscopic evidence has been obtained of the occurrence of germanium in certain siderites, siderolites and aerolites. 2. Judging from the number and intensity of spectral lines the germanium in these meteorites is present in traces. 3. Germanium has been extracted from Toluca and Welland siderites. 4. Arsenic has been extracted from Toluca and Welland siderites. PMID- 17754775 TI - ACADEMIC FREEDOM. PMID- 17754776 TI - A NECESSARY AMENDMENT IN THE APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF PRIORITY IN ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17754777 TI - RELATION BETWEEN BIRTH RATES AND DEATH RATES. PMID- 17754779 TI - A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF FOSSIL SHARK RELATED TO EDESTUS LEIDY. PMID- 17754778 TI - ANOTHER WORD ON THE VULTUR CASE. PMID- 17754780 TI - COON MOUNTAIN CRATER. PMID- 17754782 TI - SUMMER FIELD MEETING OF THE SECTION OF GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17754781 TI - MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. PMID- 17754783 TI - THE RUSSELL SAGE INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY. PMID- 17754784 TI - Salvage archeology. PMID- 17754785 TI - Research at oberlin. PMID- 17754786 TI - The funding of research. PMID- 17754787 TI - Etymological purity. PMID- 17754788 TI - More women for higher education. PMID- 17754789 TI - Upper Paleolithic Notation and Symbol: Sequential microscopic analyses of Magdalenian engravings document possible cognitive origins of writing. PMID- 17754791 TI - Institute of aging gets surprise veto. PMID- 17754790 TI - Women in Michigan: Academic Sexism under Siege. PMID- 17754792 TI - IARC: An Environmental Approach to Cancer Research. PMID- 17754793 TI - Salk institute: elitist pursuit of biology with a conscience. PMID- 17754794 TI - Hydrogen: synthetic fuel of the future. PMID- 17754796 TI - Advance registration form. PMID- 17754795 TI - Particle physics: many results, surprising disclaimers. PMID- 17754797 TI - Hotel reservations form. PMID- 17754798 TI - The central program of the 1972 aaas annual meeting. PMID- 17754799 TI - Art and science? Yes! PMID- 17754800 TI - Social science: support now. PMID- 17754801 TI - That biblical spider again. PMID- 17754802 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17754804 TI - Water pollution. PMID- 17754803 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17754805 TI - Chemical releases at high altitudes. PMID- 17754807 TI - Plans for project intrex. PMID- 17754806 TI - Plant pathology and human welfare. PMID- 17754808 TI - The berkeley scene, 1966 (I): politics and potshots. PMID- 17754809 TI - Demand for institutional support attains the form of legislation. PMID- 17754810 TI - U.s. Naval academy: faculty unrest. PMID- 17754811 TI - Science center in siberia. PMID- 17754812 TI - Mariner IV: Analysis of Preliminary Photographs. AB - Comparison of the distributions of Martian and lunar crater diameters indicates that the visible surface of Mars is 2.2 to 3 x 10(9) years old. This result implies that in the early history of Mars large-scale subaerial erosion occurred. Of 69 Martian craters with diameters greater than 10 kilometers, 13 percent have central peaks. This compares favorably with the frequency (11.7 percent) of central peaks among lunar craters and may indicate that the central peaks are a direct result of the impact mechanism rather than post-impact volcanism. A well defined system of lineaments is shown in the Mariner photographs. The presence of these lineaments may indicate that Mars has lost appreciable angular momentum during its history. PMID- 17754813 TI - X-ray diffraction study of minerals from shocked iron meteorites. AB - Diffraction analysis of minerals from iron meteorites indicates a pronounced shock-induced alteration in the minerals' crystallographic character. The extent of alteration seems to be dependent on the degree of shock and can therefore serve as a measure of shock intensity. The changes appear to be due to the minerals' direct recrystallization during passage of the shock wave. PMID- 17754814 TI - Sediments from the lower columbia river and origin of graywacke. AB - The mineral and chemical composition of sediments deposited in the three lowermost reservoirs of the Columbia River is remarkably similar to the composition of many graywackes. Lithic fragments are abundant. In comparison with an "average" sandstone, the sediments have low concentrations of silica and high concentrations of all other major constituents, except calcium. Sodium is more abundant than potassium. The sediments are generally better sorted than graywackes. If graywacke texture is post-depositional in origin, Columbia River type sediments could be expected to form graywackes upon deep burial without any significant addition or removal of material. PMID- 17754815 TI - Geomagnetic polarity epochs: a new polarity event and the age of the brunhes matuyama boundary. AB - Recent paleomagnetic-radiometric data from six rhyolite domes in the Valles Caldera, New Mexico, indicate that the last change in polarity of the earth's magnetic field from reversed to normal (the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary) occurred at about 0.7 million years ago. A previously undiscovered geomagnetic polarity event, herein named the "Jaramillo normal event," occurred about 0.9 million years ago. PMID- 17754816 TI - Color center in amethyst quartz. AB - Treatment with x-rays increased the intensity of color of natural amethyst up to fivefold, and an electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum was detected. The intensity of the spectrum was proportional to the intensity of the optical absorption near 545 mmicro. The EPR spectrum of the color center corresponded to a positive hole trapped on a substitutional Fe(3+) ion in the quartz structure. We ascribe the color to a charge-transfer transition, Fe(4+) + O(2)- --> Fe(3+) + O(1-). PMID- 17754817 TI - Diatoms and the ecological conditions of their growth in sea ice in the arctic ocean. AB - A summer field survey off Point Barrow, Alaska, revealed that Arctic sea ice develops a growth of phytoplanktonic diatoms. The diatoms are found in a brine solution in microfissures between ice crystals on the underside of the ice. The chlorophyll content of this layer is 100 times more than that of the surrounding sea waters; this has led to a hypothesis that a considerable fraction of the primary production of the Arctic Sea may be carried out in sea ice, especially during the spring and early summer months. PMID- 17754818 TI - Sceloporus occidentalis: Preferred Body Temperature of the Western Fence Lizard. AB - Given equal thermal opportunities during four seasonal test periods, western fence lizards active above ground preferred constant body temperature throughout the year. Lizards recovered from subsurface retreats in the fall exhibited a mean body temperature significantly lower than that for sequestered lizards recorded during winter, spring, and summer. PMID- 17754819 TI - Pleistocene age determinations from california and Oregon. AB - Mollusks have been collected from Pleistocene marine deposits at Tomales Bay, California, and Cape Blanco, Oregon. Dating by the carbon-14 and thorium-230 uranium-234 methods suggests that the shells are at least 33,000 years old. The more probable age of the Tomales Bay locality is >/= 50,000 years. PMID- 17754820 TI - Monaco: the shallow continental shelf. PMID- 17754821 TI - Myopathies. PMID- 17754822 TI - Chemistry at high temperatures. PMID- 17754823 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17754824 TI - THE CANADIAN PLAINS. PMID- 17754825 TI - CARBOLIC ACID AS A DISINFECTANT. PMID- 17754826 TI - MALTHUS AND HIS WORK. PMID- 17754827 TI - THE FORMS OF SHIPS FOR WAR AND FOR PEACE. PMID- 17754828 TI - MEDICAL MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA. PMID- 17754829 TI - DOCTORS AND THEIR WORK. PMID- 17754830 TI - THE EFFECT OF RESEARCH IN GENETICS ON THE ART OF BREEDING. PMID- 17754831 TI - GENERAL HYGIENE AS A REQUIRED COLLEGE COURSE. PMID- 17754832 TI - ELIZABETH THOMPSON SCIENCE FUND. PMID- 17754833 TI - JOHN BERNHARDT SMITH. PMID- 17754834 TI - A DEFENCE OF THE "NEW PHRENOLOGY". PMID- 17754835 TI - MR. DOOLEY ON SCIENCE: BEING A PROTEST AGAINST THE VIOLENCE OF THE GENETICIST. PMID- 17754836 TI - DECIDUOUS ROOTLETS OF DESERT PLANTS. PMID- 17754837 TI - THE EFFECT OF NARCOTICS UPON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HEN'S EGG. PMID- 17754838 TI - INHIBITION OF CELL DIVISION IN PARAMOEligCIUM. PMID- 17754839 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17754841 TI - THE PRACTICAL VALUE OF PURE SCIENCE. PMID- 17754840 TI - AMERICAN MATHEMATICS DURING THREE QUARTERS OF A CENTURY. PMID- 17754843 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17754842 TI - GUSTAF ENESTROM. PMID- 17754844 TI - A SUGGESTION AS TO THE APPROXIMATE CHARACTER OF THE PRINCIPLE OF RELATIVITY. PMID- 17754845 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17754846 TI - CONCERNING EXCEPTIONAL HAILSTONES. PMID- 17754847 TI - PROGRESS IN THE CERTIFICATION OF BIOLOGICAL STAINS. PMID- 17754848 TI - DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17754849 TI - THE FATE OF PLANETS. PMID- 17754851 TI - PHENOMENALLY SLOW BREATHING. PMID- 17754850 TI - ARCTIC FLIGHT OF THE "GRAF ZEPPELIN". PMID- 17754852 TI - TELESCOPE FOR SOUTH AFRICA. PMID- 17754853 TI - HOSPITALS FOR PATIENTS OF MODERATE MEANS. PMID- 17754854 TI - THE NEW SOIL SCIENCE. PMID- 17754856 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17754855 TI - RECENT PROGRESS IN THE HISTORY OF ANCIENT MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17754857 TI - THE POPULARIZATION OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17754859 TI - THE ZODIACAL LIGHT. PMID- 17754858 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17754860 TI - INFORMATION CONCERNING CASTOROIDES. PMID- 17754862 TI - CRANBERRY FALSE-BLOSSOM DISEASE SPREAD BY A LEAFHOPPER. PMID- 17754861 TI - CELL FUSIONS IN FUNGOUS HYPHAE. PMID- 17754863 TI - PRESERVING CERTAIN GREEN ALGAE IN NATURAL COLORS. PMID- 17754864 TI - ANCIENT MIGRATION ROUTES OF CENTRAL ASIA. PMID- 17754865 TI - THE STRUCTURAL CORRELATION OF GITOXIGENIN WITH DIGITOXIGENIN. PMID- 17754866 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17754869 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - In the report "A link between cyclin A expression and adhesion-dependent cell cycle progression" by T. M. Guadagno et al. (3 Dec., p. 1572), figure 2B on page 1573 was incorrectly printed. The correct figure appears below. [See Figure in the PDF file]. PMID- 17754868 TI - Heavy ion drivers. PMID- 17754867 TI - Earthquakes and collective action. PMID- 17754870 TI - For the record. PMID- 17754871 TI - Academic decision-making. PMID- 17754872 TI - How many more after northridge? PMID- 17754873 TI - Japan's H-II Rocket to Bolster Remote Sensing Projects. PMID- 17754875 TI - Silicon valley moguls chip in for e.T. PMID- 17754874 TI - Hubble repair and more wins astronomers' acclaim. AB - The repaired Hubble Space Telescope overshadowed everything else at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Meeting earlier this month in Alexandria, Virginia. The nearly 2000 astronomers who turned out for the society's largest meeting yet provided plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" for every new image. But, in between, some astronomers caught word of a new proposal about how to tell whether the universe is open or closed, more data about mysterious gamma ray bursts, and the crowning of the "Galaxy of the Year." PMID- 17754876 TI - A big bang by no other name. PMID- 17754877 TI - Digging out a dinosaur embryo. PMID- 17754878 TI - Basic researchers to head u.k. Councils. PMID- 17754879 TI - Molecular geometry and nonlinear optics. PMID- 17754880 TI - Life on land in the precambrian. AB - Microfossils have been discovered in cavity-fill and replacement silica that occurs between chert-breccia clasts in 1200-million-year-old paleokarst at the top of the Mescal Limestone, central Arizona, and in approximately 800-million year-old paleokarst at the top of the Beck Spring Dolomite, southeastern California. Microbial communities on Precambrian (>550 million years ago) land may have been extensive enough to affect weathering, erosion, sedimentation, and geochemical processes. PMID- 17754881 TI - Dynamics affecting the primary charge transfer in photosynthesis. AB - Analysis of a 60-picosecond molecular dynamics trajectory of the reaction center of Rhodopseudomonas viridis provides an understanding of observations concerning vibrational coherence and the nonexponential kinetics of the primary charge transfer in photosynthesis. Complex kinetics arises from energy gap correlations that persist beyond 1 picosecond. PMID- 17754882 TI - Decomposition of the modulated waves in a rotating couette system. AB - The time-dependent velocity field in a rotating Couette system has been decomposed. Successive instantaneous velocity profiles were obtained by an ultrasonic Doppler velocity profile method, and the spatiotemporal velocity field had been analyzed by two-dimensional Fourier transform. The Fourier spectrum is depicted by intrinsic peaks, and the velocity field cpan be reconstructed with these peak components only, indicating a successful decomposition of the velocity field. This method shows that the so-called broadband component, which is purely spatiotemporal and attributed to chaos, corresponds to a global motion of the wave propagating from roll to roll. PMID- 17754883 TI - Constraints on transport and kinetics in hydrothermal systems from zoned garnet crystals. AB - Zonation of oxygen isotope ratios, fluorine, and rare earth element abundances across garnet crystals from the Permian Oslo Rift reflect temporal variation of the hydrothermal system in which the garnets grew. A sharp rimward decrease in the (18)O/(16)O ratio (of 5 per mil) across the interface between aluminum-rich garnet cores and iron-rich rims indicates influx of meteoric fluids to a system initially dominated by magmatic fluids. This influx may record the transition from ductile to brittle deformation of the hydrothermally altered rocks. In contrast, fluorine and light rare earth element concentrations increase at the core-rim interface. These data may reflect enhanced advective transport and notable kinetic control on trace element uptake by the garnets during brittle deformation. PMID- 17754884 TI - Glacial-interglacial changes in moisture sources for greenland: influences on the ice core record of climate. AB - Large, abrupt shifts in the (l8)O/(16)O ratio found in Greenland ice must reflect real features of the climate system variability. These isotopic shifts can be viewed as a result of air temperature fluctuations, but determination of the cause of the changes-the most crucial issue for future climate concerns-requires a detailed understanding of the controls on isotopes in precipitation. Results from general circulation model experiments suggest that the sources of Greenland precipitation varied with different climate states, allowing dynamic atmospheric mechanisms for influencing the ice core isotope shifts. PMID- 17754885 TI - Large first hyperpolarizabilities in push-pull polyenes by tuning of the bond length alternation and aromaticity. AB - Conjugated organic compounds with 3-phenyl-5-isoxazolone or N,N' diethylthiobarbituric acid acceptors have large first molecular hyperpolarizabilities (beta) in comparison with compounds with 4-nitrophenyl acceptors. For example, julolidinyl-(CH=CH)(3)-CH=N,N'- diethylthiobarbituric acid, which has 12 atoms between the donor and acceptor, has a beta(0) of 911 x 10(-30) electrostatic units, whereas (CH(3))(2)NC(6)H(4),-(CH=CH)(4) C(6)H(4)NO(2), with 16 atoms between its donor and acceptor, has a beta(0) of 133 x 10(-30) electrostatic units. The design strategies demonstrated here have resulted in chromophores that when incorporated into poled-polymer electrooptic modulators exhibited significant enhancements in electrooptic coefficients relative to polymers containing the commonly used dye Disperse Red-1. Poled polymer devices based on these or related chromophores may ultimately lead to high-speed electrooptic switching elements with low drive-power requirements, suitable for telecommunications applications. PMID- 17754886 TI - Arrangements for advanced training. PMID- 17754887 TI - Acaropathology. PMID- 17754889 TI - The gram-positive world. PMID- 17754888 TI - Photosynthesis. PMID- 17754890 TI - Vignettes: wildlife without fear. PMID- 17754891 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17754892 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17754893 TI - The microscope for class-room demonstration. PMID- 17754894 TI - Verification of predictions. PMID- 17754895 TI - QUINTINO SELLA. PMID- 17754897 TI - HOW THE PROBLEMS OF AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGY PRESENT THEMSELVES TO THE ENGLISH MIND. PMID- 17754896 TI - THE NETSCHILLUK INNUITS. PMID- 17754899 TI - THE CHOLERA BACILLUS.--KOCH'S REPLY TO HIS CRITICS. PMID- 17754898 TI - EXPLORATION OF THE KOWAK RIVER. PMID- 17754902 TI - CASTE IN INDIA IN 1881. PMID- 17754901 TI - INDIAN SIGN-LANGUAGE. PMID- 17754900 TI - SCIENCE IN MANCHESTER. PMID- 17754904 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17754903 TI - PALMISTRY. PMID- 17754905 TI - THE VALUE OF OUTRAGEOUS GEOLOGICAL HYPOTHESES. PMID- 17754906 TI - OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH AT THE OCEANOGRAPHICAL INSTITUTE OF MONACO. PMID- 17754907 TI - ANTAEUS, OR THE FUTURE OF GEOLOGY. PMID- 17754909 TI - CONSERVATION OF OUR NATIVE CHESTNUT. PMID- 17754908 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17754910 TI - UPPER PLEISTOCENE OCCURRENCE ALONG THE OAXACA COAST OF MEXICO. PMID- 17754911 TI - THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND FISHERIES RESEARCH. PMID- 17754912 TI - SPECIAL CHARACTERS FOR THE TYPEWRITER. PMID- 17754913 TI - ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION WITHOUT LOSS OF VITALITY IN MALARIAL ORGANISMS. PMID- 17754914 TI - CERAMIC PIGMENTS OF THE INDIANS OF THE SOUTHWEST. PMID- 17754915 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17754916 TI - APPLIED SCIENCE IN THE NAVY. PMID- 17754917 TI - REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE MATHEMATICAL THEORY OF ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. PMID- 17754918 TI - THE LIMITATIONS OF THE PRESENT SOLUTION OF THE TIDAL PROBLEM. PMID- 17754919 TI - GEOMETRICAL OPTICAL ILLUSIONS. PMID- 17754920 TI - SOME RECENT AND IMPORTANT EXPERIMENTS WITH THE EGGS OF THE SEA URCHIN. PMID- 17754921 TI - AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION. PMID- 17754922 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17754923 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES ANT NEWS. PMID- 17754924 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17754925 TI - ADDITIONAL NOTES ON AN APPLE CANKER. PMID- 17754926 TI - DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17754927 TI - SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. PMID- 17754928 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. PMID- 17754930 TI - The American Philosophical Society: Abstracts of Papers Presented at 1948 Meeting. PMID- 17754929 TI - Goals and Trends of Research in Geology and Geography. AB - Summarizing in a few words the essence of the preceding analysis of goals and trends in research in Geology and Geography, we may say that the goal in Geology is a knowledge and understanding of the earth and of its history. In Geography it is a knowledge and understanding of the natural and human environments, to the end that they may best be utilized toward better living in the broadest sense. Trends in research in these sciences that seem not altogether desirable are those toward overorganization of research and overdirection from others than the ones who are to do the work; toward indiscriminate fact-gathering; toward lessening of critical analysis of, and discussion of, papers given at meetings and of the published results; and toward premature publication and excessive volume of publications resulting from the prevailing practice of soliciting papers for scientific meetings. Changes in methods of financing of research resulting from a great decrease in endowment incomes are noted, together with a strong tendency to look toward the Federal Government for the financing of university research, in spite of the obvious dangers to university freedom which such financing involves. PMID- 17754931 TI - Bird Navigation in Homing and in Migration. PMID- 17754932 TI - Toward a More Convenient Method for Expressing the Concentration of Biological Fluids. PMID- 17754933 TI - Physical Basis of Bird Navigation. PMID- 17754934 TI - Microbiological Assay or Bacterimetry? PMID- 17754935 TI - The Amino Acid Requirements of Swine: I. Tryptophan. PMID- 17754936 TI - Trypanosoma cruzi Endotoxin (KR) in the Treatment of Malignant Mouse Tumors. PMID- 17754937 TI - Three New Polymorphs of Zinc Sulfide. PMID- 17754938 TI - An Improved Radioactivity Measuring Cup. PMID- 17754939 TI - A Simple Adaptation of the Mercury Calibration of Warburg Manometer Sets to Insure Interchangeability. PMID- 17754940 TI - A Turbidimetric Method for Determining the Effect of 2,4-D Upon the Growth of Yeast. PMID- 17754941 TI - A Simplified Apparatus for One-dimensional Paper Partition Chromatography. PMID- 17754942 TI - THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17754943 TI - THE LOAN COLLECTION OF OBJECTS USED IN WORSHIP. PMID- 17754944 TI - THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17754946 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17754945 TI - HOMOPTERA INJURIOUS TO GRASSES. PMID- 17754947 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY.--IV. PMID- 17754948 TI - THE HIGHER EDUCATION OF THE DEAF. PMID- 17754949 TI - A MACHINE FOR CHURNING FRESH MILK. PMID- 17754951 TI - The Question of the Celts. PMID- 17754950 TI - THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17754952 TI - INDUSTRIAL NOTES. PMID- 17754954 TI - SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS. PMID- 17754953 TI - The Question of the Artificial Production of Variations in Type. PMID- 17754955 TI - UNIVERSITY REGISTRATION STATISTICS. PMID- 17754957 TI - A PECULIAR HABIT OF THE BADGER. PMID- 17754956 TI - AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGIST'S UNION. PMID- 17754958 TI - THE NOMENCLATURE OF PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17754959 TI - AMPHIBIA VERSUS BATRACHIA. PMID- 17754960 TI - AN ADAPTATION OF THE CARD CATALOGUE CABINET FOR THE STORAGE OF MICROSCOPIC SLIDES. PMID- 17754961 TI - NOTES ON ENTOMOLOGY. PMID- 17754963 TI - THE FRANKLIN FUND. PMID- 17754962 TI - INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN SOLAR RESEARCH. PMID- 17754964 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17754965 TI - Clean coal technology. PMID- 17754966 TI - Can Science Education Be Saved?: Three ambitious but very different projects are testing a variety of ways to overhaul an education system that has been getting failing grades. PMID- 17754967 TI - The reform agenda: emerging consensus. PMID- 17754968 TI - Computer Security: NAS Sounds the Alarm. PMID- 17754969 TI - Hubble Hubris: A Case of "Certified" Blindness: The Allen panel blames the telescope's fuzzy vision on opticians who trusted their equipment more than their eyes. PMID- 17754971 TI - Congress Hungry for NAS Advice. PMID- 17754970 TI - French genome project. PMID- 17754972 TI - AIDS virus target. PMID- 17754973 TI - Now even mummies go digital. PMID- 17754974 TI - Darwin back on the books. PMID- 17754975 TI - TV Attachment Inherited? PMID- 17754976 TI - Domestic math Ph.D.'s hit all-time low. PMID- 17754977 TI - Primate secret to longevity. PMID- 17754978 TI - A New Role for the STM. PMID- 17754979 TI - Buckyball bash. PMID- 17754980 TI - Lessons from grass. PMID- 17754981 TI - Astrophysics from the moon. AB - The surface of the moon would be an excellent location for astronomical telescopes, and, if a lunar base were to be established, the construction and maintenance of instruments would become feasible. The prospects are reviewed, with particular attention given to large optical aperturesynthesis instruments analogous to the Very Large Array of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Typical parameters for a particular system are presented. PMID- 17754982 TI - A possible younger dryas record in southeastern alaska. AB - A stratigraphic record of climatic cooling equal in timing and severity to the Younger Dryas event of the North Atlantic region has been obtained from lacustrine sediments in the Glacier Bay area of southeastern Alaska. Fossil pollen show that a late Wisconsin pine parkland was replaced about 10,800 years ago by shrub- and herb-dominated tundra, which lasted until about 9,800 years ago. This vegetational change is matched by geochemical evidence for loss of organic matter from catchment soils and increased mineral erosion. If this event represents the Younger Dryas, then an explanation for a hemisphere-wide propagation of a North Atlantic climatic perturbation must be sought. PMID- 17754984 TI - Preceramic occupations in the orinoco river valley. AB - Two sites in the Orinoco Valley containing preceramic from excavated contexts are described. Radiocarbon dating and stylistic comparisons indicate that the northern tropical lowlands were inhabited at the onset of the Holocene, suggesting a time depth of 9000 years before the present for tropical forest savanna adaptations in northern South America. PMID- 17754983 TI - El nino-southern oscillation displacements of the Western equatorial pacific warm pool. AB - The western equatorial Pacific warm pool (sea-surface temperatures >29 degrees C) was observed to migrate eastward across the date line during the 1986-1987 El Nino-Southern Oscillation event. Direct velocity measurements made in the upper ocean from 1986 to 1988 indicate that this migration was associated with a prolonged reversal in the South Equatorial Current forced by a large-scale relaxation ofthe trade winds. The data suggest that wind-forced zonal advection plays an important role in the thermodynamics of the western Pacific warm pool on interannual time scales. PMID- 17754985 TI - Oxygen Isotope Effect and Structural Phase Transitions in La2CuO4-Based Superconductors. AB - The oxygen isotope effect on the superconducting transition temperature (alpha(o)) varies as a function of x in La2-xSrxCuO(4) and La2-xBaxCuO(4), with the maximum alpha(o) values (alpha(o) >/= 0.5) found for x near 0.12. This unusual x dependence implies that the isotope effect is influenced by proximity to the Abma --> P4(2)/ncm structural phase transition in these systems. Synchrotron x-ray difaction measurements reveal little change in lattice parameters or orthorhombicity due to isotope exchange in strontium-doped materials where alpha(o) > 0.5, eliminating static structural distortion as a cause of the large isotope effects. The anomalous behavior of alpha(o) in both strontium- and barium-doped materials, in combination with the previously discovered Abma --> P4(2)/ncm structural phase-transition in La(1.88)B(0.12)CuO(4), suggests that an electronic contribution to the lattice instability is present and maximizes at approximately 1/8 hole per copper atom. These observations indicate a dose connection between hole doping of the Cu-O sheets, tilting instabilities of the CuO(6) octahedra, and superconductivity in La(2)CuO(4)-based superconductors. PMID- 17754986 TI - Realized reproductive success of polygynous red-winged blackbirds revealed by DNA markers. AB - Hypervariable genetic markers, including a novel locus-specific marker detected by a mouse major histocompatibility complex probe, reveal that multiple paternity is common in families of polygynous red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Almost half of all nests contained at least one chick resulting from an extra pair fertilization, usually by a neighboring male. Genetically based measures of reproductive success show that individual males realize more than 20% of their overall success from extra-pair fertilizations, on average, and that this form of mating behavior confounds traditional measures of male success. The importance of alternative reproductive tactics in a polygynous bird is quantified, and the results challenge previous explanations for the evolution of avian polygny. PMID- 17754987 TI - Formation of ozone by irradiation of oxygen at 248 nanometers. PMID- 17754988 TI - In reply: formation of ozone by irradiation of oxygen at 248 nanometers. PMID- 17754989 TI - In reply: fetal brain grafts and Parkinson's disease. PMID- 17754990 TI - Advance Registration Form - AAAS*91. PMID- 17754991 TI - Arms and the Enlisted Woman. Judith Hicks Stiehm. Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1989. x, 331 pp., illus. $29.95. PMID- 17754992 TI - A Functional Biology of Clonal Animals. Roger N. Hughes. Chapman and Hall (Routledge, Chapman and Hall), New York, 1990. xii, 331 pp., illus. $75. Functional Biology Series. PMID- 17754994 TI - The Cerebral Cortex of the Rat. Bryan Kolb and Richard C. Tees, Eds. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1990. xii, 645 pp., illus. Paper, $35. A Bradford Book. PMID- 17754995 TI - Some Mathematical Questions in Biology. Sex Allocation and Sex Change: Experiments and Models. American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 1990. x, 205 pp., illus. Paper, $41. Lectures on Mathematics in the Life Sciences, vol. 22. From a symposium, Toronto, Canada, Aug. 1989. PMID- 17754996 TI - Horns, Pronghorns, and Antlers. Evolution, Morphology, Physiology, and Social Significance. George A. Bubenik and Anthony B. Bubenik, Eds. Springer-Verlag, New York, 1990. xii, 562 pp., illus. $89. PMID- 17754998 TI - Epidemiologists Reported to be on Verge of Profession's First Ethics Guidelines. PMID- 17754997 TI - Science alert to embargo debate. PMID- 17754999 TI - Election Results for 1991 AAAS Officers. PMID- 17755000 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17755001 TI - THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AMERICA TO GEOLOGY. PMID- 17755002 TI - FACTS AND INTERPRETATIONS IN THE MUTATION THEORY. PMID- 17755005 TI - THE CASE OF ANASA TRISTIS. PMID- 17755004 TI - SPECIFIC NAME OF NECTURUS MACULOSUS. PMID- 17755003 TI - THE DEFINITION OF SOLID AND FLUID. PMID- 17755007 TI - LECTURES ON PROBLEMS OF INSANITY. PMID- 17755006 TI - A CORRECTION. PMID- 17755009 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17755008 TI - THE ERECTION OF A MONUMENT TO THEODOR SCHWANN. PMID- 17755010 TI - Fuel economy and emission controls. PMID- 17755012 TI - Patent assignment. PMID- 17755011 TI - Applied mathematics. PMID- 17755013 TI - Blended fuels. PMID- 17755014 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17755015 TI - The dirigible. PMID- 17755016 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17755018 TI - The discovery of tunneling supercurrents. PMID- 17755017 TI - A lost opportunity. PMID- 17755019 TI - Educational challenges for the university. PMID- 17755020 TI - American medical students abroad: numbers growing, so are limitations. PMID- 17755021 TI - Condon honored as early nixon victim. PMID- 17755022 TI - Cooper Leaves Heart Institute for HEW. PMID- 17755024 TI - Food and nutrition: is america due for a national policy? PMID- 17755023 TI - Looking beyond watergate: the role of public interest law. PMID- 17755025 TI - Dilatancy: growing acceptance as an earthquake mechanism. PMID- 17755026 TI - Tumor Immunology (I): The Host's Response to Cancer. PMID- 17755027 TI - Lithium primary cells: serendipitous search for a new laser leads to an advanced battery. PMID- 17755028 TI - Spherulitic recrystallization of metamict polycrase. AB - Spherulites occur in the metamict matrix of the rare earth AB(2)A(6-) type niobium-tantalum-titanium oxide, polycrase. Microprobe analyses show that the spherulites are similar in composition to the metamict polycrase except for a fivefold increase in calcium oxide. X-ray examination suggests that the spherulites are a titanium-rich rare earth fersmite. PMID- 17755029 TI - Monoclinic Sulfur: Heat Capacity Anomaly at 198{degrees}K Caused by Disordering of the Crystal Structure. AB - The entropy of disorder of the idealized crystal structure of monoclinic sulfur at high temperatures is equal to the extra entropy change in the lambda-type (second order transformation type) heat capacity anomaly found at 198 degrees K. The extrapolated entropy is zero at 0 degrees K. The partially disordered crystal structure gradually becomes ordered as the temperature is lowered. PMID- 17755030 TI - Electronic structure and catalytic behavior of tungsten carbide. AB - Tungsten carbide has been shown to be an effective catalyst for a number of reactions that are readily catalyzed by platinum, but not at all by tungsten, and it was speculated that this behavior is due to changes in the electron distribution when carbon is added to tungsten. A test of this hypothesis, made by measuring the valence band x-ray photoelectron spectrum of tungsten carbide and comparing it with the spectra of tungsten and platinum, shows that, near the Fermi level, the electronic density of states of tungsten carbide more nearly resembles that of platinum than that of tungsten. PMID- 17755031 TI - X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic Studies of Interactions in Multicomponent Metal and Metal Oxide Thin Films. AB - Changes in chemical oxidation states in alloys and at solid-solid interfaces were monitored by using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. For an oxidized Nichrome surface, the chromium component was selectively converted to chromic oxide while nickel remained in the metallic state. When this surface was overlaid with a 20 angstrom-thick aluminum film, the chromic oxide was reduced to chromium and the aluminum was oxidized to aluminum oxide in a reaction zone consisting of no more than 10 angstroms of the interface. This scheme appeared general for solid-solid contacts and was predicted, to a first approximation, by bulk thermodynamic free energies. PMID- 17755032 TI - Cristobalitic stage in the diagenesis of diatomaceous shale. AB - With increasing depth of burial, diagenetic cristobalite in the Monterey Shale of California shows a decrease in the d(101) spacing from 4.115 to 4.040 angstroms, indicative of a progressive change in its internal structure. The spacing is 0.004 to 0.015 angstrom smaller in porcellanite than in associated chert, probably because the cristobalite of porcellanite formed later than that of chert. PMID- 17755033 TI - Nitric oxide reduction coupled with carbon monoxide oxidation in the presence of soluble metal catalysts. AB - Solutions of RhCl(3).xH(2)O in ethanol and Ru(NO)(2)[P(C(6)H(5))(3)](2) in benzene catalyze the reduction of nitric oxide to nitrous oxide concomitant with the oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. The reaction, which is followed by gas chromatography and by the decrease in pressure of the system, proceeds to 47 percent conversion of the reactants after 63 hours. PMID- 17755034 TI - Air pollution: remote detection of several pollutant gases with a laser heterodyne radiometer. AB - An infrared heterodyne radiometer with a spectral resolution of 0.04 reciprocal centimeters has been used to remotely detect samples of ozone, sulfur dioxide, ammonia, and ethylene at room temperature, and samples of nitric oxide at 390K. Each gas was observed in a background of nitrogen or oxygen at atmospheric pressure. Sensitivities to some of these gases are adequate for detection of ambient concentrations as low as a few parts per billion. PMID- 17755035 TI - Spontaneous remembering after recall failure. AB - Verbal free recall of lists of 20 items increased on repeated recall attempts, without any further presentation of each word after it had been recalled just once. Such restricted presentation resulted in long-term storage and retention of almost all 20 items, as shown by their eventual spontaneous retrieval without further presentation. Most items that failed to be recalled were retrieved again later without any further presentation, indicating that such failures represent retrieval failures rather than loss from storage and that free recall verbal learning requires retrieval from long-term storage. PMID- 17755036 TI - Coyote predation control by aversive conditioning. AB - Conditioned aversions were induced in coyotes by producing lithium chloride illness in them following a meal, and the effects upon eating and attack behavior were observed. One trial with a given meat and lithium is sufficient to establish a strong aversion which inhibits eating the flesh of that prey. One or two trials with a given flesh (lamb or rabbit) specifically suppresses the attack upon the averted prey but leaves the coyote free to attack the alternative prey. A method of saving both prey and predator is discussed. PMID- 17755037 TI - THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROADS. PMID- 17755038 TI - PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE AT THE INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CONGRESS. PMID- 17755039 TI - A CHALLENGE TO THE EVIDENCE FOR THOUGHT PHANTASMS. PMID- 17755041 TI - The Chronological Progress of Infants. PMID- 17755040 TI - THE EFFECT OF OPIUM ON THE HIGHER ANIMALS. PMID- 17755042 TI - Is there a Diamond-Field in Kentucky? PMID- 17755043 TI - The Classification of Lakes. PMID- 17755044 TI - Romantic Love and Personal Beauty. PMID- 17755045 TI - Corruption of American Geographic Names. PMID- 17755046 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17755047 TI - Response: species loss. PMID- 17755048 TI - Species loss. PMID- 17755050 TI - Peace and virtue. PMID- 17755049 TI - Erratum. AB - The listing in the 3 October Books Received (p.94) for Reinventing Technology (p.97) was incorrectly printed as Reinvesting Technology. PMID- 17755051 TI - Europe Struggles to Control Pollution: A major accident on the Rhine has highlighted Europe's need for international controls on hazardous chemicals--and the difficulties of imposing them. PMID- 17755052 TI - Prospects discouraging for minorities in science. PMID- 17755053 TI - Ariane plans next launch in march. PMID- 17755054 TI - Forest conservation. PMID- 17755056 TI - Interior sets fight on alaska oil patch. PMID- 17755055 TI - U.k. Research jobs down. PMID- 17755057 TI - Comets Appear to Be Rosetta Stones: After their closest look yet, astronomers are increasingly hopeful that comets are largely unaltered since the formation of the solar system and perhaps even earlier. PMID- 17755058 TI - Randomly exact methods. AB - Important advances in the understanding of "random" processes have produced a variety of stochastic algorithms that offer unprecedented scope and utility in the study of physical systems. These algorithms represent a departure from the usual philosophy inherent in the study of many-body problems and have a number of significant features. Chief among these features are simplicity, weak dependence on dimensionality, and ease of transition between classical and quantum mechanical descriptions. These methods are also readily adapted for use on massively paraliel computer architectures. These new stochastic methods represent a valuable addition to the tools available for the analysis of both equilibrium and time-dependent many-body problems. PMID- 17755059 TI - The color of the surface of venus. AB - Multispectral images of the basaltic surface of Venus obtained by Venera 13 were processed to remove the effects of orange-colored incident radiation resulting from interactions with the thick Venusian atmosphere. At visible wavelengths the surface of Venus appears dark and without significant color. High-temperature laboratory reflectance spectra of basaltic materials indicate that these results are consistent with mineral assemblages bearing either ferric or ferrous iron. A high reflectance in the near-infrared region observed at neighboring Venera 9 and 10 sites, however, suggests that the basaltic surface material contains ferric minerals and thus may be relatively oxidized. PMID- 17755061 TI - Response: magnetically oriented solutions. PMID- 17755060 TI - Response: Role of Phycoerythrin in Marine Picoplankton Synechococcus spp. PMID- 17755062 TI - Magnetically oriented solutions. PMID- 17755064 TI - Challenges for the u.s.s.R: technical progress and soviet economic development. PMID- 17755063 TI - AAAS Annual Meeting: Preconvention Program. PMID- 17755065 TI - Emotionology: anger. PMID- 17755067 TI - Modern cell biology: molecular cell biology. PMID- 17755066 TI - Astronomical distance scales: galaxy distances and deviations from universal expansion. PMID- 17755069 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17755068 TI - Reprints of books previously reviewed. PMID- 17755070 TI - Fiscal Control of Research. PMID- 17755071 TI - Ancestor of Corn: A genetic reconstruction yields clues to the nature of the extinct wild ancestor. PMID- 17755072 TI - Can There Be Too Much Research?: With competing demands on scarce resources, more applied research may curtail education and progress. PMID- 17755073 TI - Literature in a Technological Age: Attitudes and values involved in a possible symbiosis between arts and science students are discussed. PMID- 17755075 TI - Fertility in Two Haploids of Solanum tuberosum. PMID- 17755074 TI - News of Science: Evolution of the Organization of the Federal Government for Scientific Activities: 1947 to the Present. PMID- 17755076 TI - Phosphorescence Spectra and Analyses of Some Indole Derivatives. AB - Phosphorescence spectra of solutions frozen and at low temperatures (77 degrees K) possess more characteristic structure and detail than fluorescence spectra. They contain no background due to scattering of the exciting radiation. Thus greater analytical specificity and sensitivity are obtained. Some indole derivatives indistinguishable by spectrofluorimetry are easily differentiated by spectrophosphorimetry. PMID- 17755077 TI - Rigid Urethane Foams Based on Sorbitol Derivatives. AB - Present commercial rigid foams are based on polyester raw materials. It has now been demonstrated that certain hydroxyl-terminated polyethers can be used satisfactorily as a major component of rigid urethane foams. These polyethers are hexafunctional materials prepared by reacting propylene oxide with sorbitol. PMID- 17755079 TI - Equipment. PMID- 17755080 TI - International Language. PMID- 17755081 TI - Teacher Certification. PMID- 17755082 TI - Meetings and Societies. AB - The ninth Pacific Science Congress was incorrectly announced for 18 Nov.-9 Dec. 1956 [Science 124, 334 (17 Aug. 1956)]. The congress is to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1957, not 1956. PMID- 17755084 TI - AAAS Building Dedication. PMID- 17755083 TI - News of Science. AB - The news note on the expansion of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation scholarship program [Science 124, 24 (6 July 1956)] stated that 11 institutions were already participating in the program, then named only 10. Carnegie Institute of Technology was accidentally dropped from the list, when actually it was one of the four institutions in which the Sloan program was started. PMID- 17755085 TI - San Augustin Plains--Pleistocene Climatic Changes. PMID- 17755086 TI - San Augustin Plains--the Sediments. PMID- 17755087 TI - San Augustin Plains--the Geologic Setting. PMID- 17755088 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17755090 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17755091 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17755093 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17755092 TI - A campaign for science. PMID- 17755094 TI - Taking the Long View of Computing's Future. PMID- 17755095 TI - Japan bids for u.s. Basic research. PMID- 17755096 TI - Breakfast of a champion? PMID- 17755097 TI - Scientists' campaign to save Earth. PMID- 17755098 TI - Commission Sees NSF's Future in Its Past. PMID- 17755099 TI - Leukemia: child of unholy gene couplings. PMID- 17755101 TI - Amateur night on space telescope. PMID- 17755100 TI - Technology not enough for a thirsty planet. PMID- 17755102 TI - Buying into nippon superconductivity. PMID- 17755103 TI - Tracing the Milky Way's Rough-and-Tumble Youth. PMID- 17755104 TI - Community asks: has sam ting found a new particle? PMID- 17755105 TI - Seismic imaging of sea-floor spreading. PMID- 17755106 TI - Excitation and decay of correlated atomic States. AB - Doubly excited states of atoms and ions in which two electrons are excited from the ground configuration display strong radial and angular electron correlations. They are prototypical examples of quantum-mechanical systems with strong coupling. Two distinguishing characteristics of these states are: (i) their organization into successive families, with only weak coupling between families, and (ii) a hierarchical nature of this coupling, with states from one family decaying primarily to those in the next lower family. A view of the pair of electrons as a single entity, with the electron-electron repulsion between them divided into an adiabatic and a nonadiabatic piece, accounts for many of the dominant features. The stronger, adiabatic part determines the family structure and the weaker, nonadiabatic part the excitation and decay between successive families. Similar considerations extend to three-electron atomic states, which group into five different classes. They are suggestive of composite models for quarks in elementary particle physics, which exhibit analogous groupings into families with a hierarchical arrangement of masses and electroweak decays. PMID- 17755107 TI - Managing Insect Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins. AB - Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) delta-endotoxins provide an alternative to chemical insecticides for controlling many species of pest insects. Recent biotechnological developments offer the promise of even greater use of B.t. toxins in genetically transformed pest-resistant crops. However, the discovery that insects can adapt to these toxins raises concerns about the long-term usefulness of B.t. toxins. Several methods for managing the development of resistance to B.t. toxins have been suggested, but none of these approaches offer clear advantages in all situations. PMID- 17755108 TI - Simultaneous miocene extension and shortening in the himalayan orogen. AB - The South Tibetan detachment system separates the high-grade metamorphic core of the Himalayan orogen from its weakly metamorphosed suprastructure. It is thought to have developed in response to differences in gravitational potential energy produced by crustal thickening across the mountain front. Geochronologic data from the Rongbuk Valley, north of Qomolangma (Mount Everest) in southern Tibet, demonstrate that at least one segment of the detachment system was active between 19 and 22 million years ago, an interval characterized by large-scale crustal thickening at lower structural levels. These data suggest that decoupling between an extending upper crust and a converging lower crust was an important aspect of Himalayan tectonics in Miocene time. PMID- 17755109 TI - The seismic attenuation structure of a fast-spreading mid-ocean ridge. AB - The two-dimensional P-wave attenuation structure of the axial crust of the East Pacific Rise was obtained from an inversion of waveform spectra collected during an active-source seismic tomography experiment. The structure shows that attenuation near the surface is high everywhere but decreases markedly within 1 to 3 kilometers of the rise axis. The near-axis variation is attributed to the thickening of the surface basalt layer and possibly to in situ changes in porosity related to hydrothermal circulation. High attenuation is also observed beneath the rise axis at depths ranging from about 2 kilometers (less than 1 kilometer beneath the axial magma lens) to the base of the crust. The levels of attenuation in this deeper region require at most only a small fraction of partial melt. PMID- 17755110 TI - Photoinduced electron transfer from a conducting polymer to buckminsterfullerene. AB - Evidence for photoinduced electron transfer from the excited state of a conducting polymer onto buckminsterfullerene, C(60), is reported. After photo excitation of the conjugated polymer with light of energy greater than the pi-pi* gap, an electron transfer to the C(60) molecule is initiated. Photoinduced optical absorption studies demonstrate a different excitation spectrum for the composite as compared to the separate components, consistent with photo-excited charge transfer. A photoinduced electron spin resonance signal exhibits signatures of both the conducting polymer cation and the C(60) anion. Because the photoluminescence in the conducting polymer is quenched by interaction with C(60), the data imply that charge transfer from the excited state occurs on a picosecond time scale. The charge-separated state in composite films is metastable at low temperatures. PMID- 17755112 TI - Technological intuition. PMID- 17755111 TI - Travails of publishing. PMID- 17755113 TI - Biotic prognostications. PMID- 17755115 TI - Providing the former soviet union with national security advice. PMID- 17755114 TI - Vignettes: divine terminations. PMID- 17755116 TI - Aaas*93. PMID- 17755117 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17755119 TI - AN AERIAL CAMERA. PMID- 17755118 TI - PAPERS BEFORE THE MINNEAPOLIS MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17755120 TI - THE SECOND CELEBRATION OF THE TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF RESEARCH IN THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. PMID- 17755122 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17755121 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17755123 TI - THE ORIGIN OF CHLOROPHYLL AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE BLOOD PIGMENTS. PMID- 17755124 TI - SIGNIFICANCE OF POST-ILLINOIAN, PRE-IOWAN LOESS. PMID- 17755125 TI - MORTALITY STATISTICS AND THE LENGTH OF LIFE. PMID- 17755126 TI - PECULIARLY SHAPED HAILSTONES. PMID- 17755127 TI - THE CENSUS OF 1930. PMID- 17755128 TI - CONSTRUCTION OF MICRO-THERMOCOUPLES. PMID- 17755129 TI - THE EARTHWORM FAUNA OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17755131 TI - Air ion research. PMID- 17755132 TI - Air ion research. PMID- 17755130 TI - THE RELATIONSHIP OF BLACK CHAFF DISEASE OF WHEAT TO CERTAIN PHYSICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS. PMID- 17755133 TI - R & d and productivity. PMID- 17755134 TI - The mission of the national science foundation. PMID- 17755135 TI - Strong interactions in supported-metal catalysts. AB - Many commercially important catalysts consist of small metal particles dispersed on inorganic oxide surfaces. Although in most cases there is no significant interaction between the metal and the support, strong bonding can be demonstrated in a recently discovered class of supported-metal catalysts. These cases typically involve group VIII metals dispersed on transition metal oxides whose surfaces can be reduced to form cations with lower valences. Spectroscopic measurements indicate that an electron is transferred from the cation (such as Ti(3+) or Nb(4+)) to the metal particle. This, in turn, leads to profound changes in the catalytic and chemisorption properties and the morphology of the metal particles. PMID- 17755136 TI - Mit committee seeks cryptography policy. PMID- 17755137 TI - Autos: a challenge for industrial policy. PMID- 17755138 TI - Hard times, hard choices for michigan universities. PMID- 17755139 TI - NSF Moving to Found Math Institute x 2. PMID- 17755140 TI - First course for genetic engineering technicians. PMID- 17755141 TI - AAAS Protests More Cuts for NSF Science Education. PMID- 17755142 TI - Reagan May Transfer CEQ out of White House. PMID- 17755143 TI - Denver attorney nominated to head EPA. PMID- 17755145 TI - NAE Elects New Members. PMID- 17755144 TI - CARP Scrapped. PMID- 17755146 TI - Physicists dream about a computer network. PMID- 17755148 TI - Anthropologists turn to museums. PMID- 17755147 TI - A fish in the bush is worth . . PMID- 17755149 TI - Avian paleontology. PMID- 17755150 TI - Particle physics. PMID- 17755151 TI - Evolutionary physiology. PMID- 17755152 TI - Shallow-water ecosystems. PMID- 17755153 TI - Synthetic gemstones. PMID- 17755154 TI - Chlorine oxide in the stratospheric ozone layer: ground-based detection and measurement. AB - Stratospheric chlorine oxide, a significant intermediate product in the catalytic destruction of ozone by atomic chlorine, has been detected and measured by a ground-based 204-gigahertz, millimeter-wave receiver. Data taken at latitude 42 degrees N on 17 days between 10 January and 18 February 1980 yield an average chlorine oxide column density of approximately 1.05 x 10(14) per square centimeter or approximately 2/3 that of the average of eight in situ balloon flight measurements (excluding the anomalously high data of 14 July 1977) made over the past 4 years at 32 degrees N. We find less chlorine oxide below 35 kilometers and a larger vertical gradient than predicted by theoretical models of the stratospheric ozone layer. PMID- 17755155 TI - Brachiopods in mud: resolution of a dilemma. AB - Assumptions made from studies of sparse living faunas of brachiopods, namely, that they are intolerant of mud, that the free-lying habit is confined to species without pedicles, and that the pedicle of articulate brachiopods is uniform in structure and function, do not withstand critical examination. Studies in New Zealand show that some species in the same area occur in both attached and free lying populations. Individuals cannot always be differentiated morphologically, but the structure of populations from hard and soft substrates is distinctive. Attachment to a substrate appears to be a larval rather than an adult requirement in most species. PMID- 17755156 TI - Parasitoids as selective agents in the symbiosis between lycaenid butterfly larvae and ants. AB - The larvae of Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) secrete substances that attract ants. In two field sites in Colorado, tending ants protect caterpillars of G. lygdamus from attack by braconid and tachinid parasitoids. This protection may have been an important feature in the evolution of the association between lycaenid larvae and ants. PMID- 17755157 TI - Gordon research conferences. PMID- 17755158 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17755159 TI - Could pterosaurs fly? PMID- 17755161 TI - Sea-floor exploration. PMID- 17755160 TI - DOD Sponsored Research. PMID- 17755162 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17755163 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17755164 TI - Cabbage cigarettes? PMID- 17755165 TI - The shaming of science. PMID- 17755166 TI - Social indicators. AB - The notions of social indicators and social accounting, expressed by analogy with the national economic accounts, generated excitement in the 1960's, and the interest continues to grow if we may judge from governmental activity and the publication of programmatic and research papers. But the concepts which focused much of the early enthusiasm gave exaggerated promise of policy applications and provided an unproductive basis for research. The essential theoretical prerequisites for developing a system of social accounts-defining the variables and the interrelationships among them-are missing. It is now realized that evaluation research, particularly experimentation, must be relied on for evaluation of government programs. Through the development and analysis of descriptive time series and the modeling of social processes, we will be able to describe the state of the society and its dynamics and thus improve immensely our ability to state problems in a productive fashion, obtain clues as to promising lines of endeavor, and ask good questions. But these activities cannot measure program effectiveness. Finally, we must be skeptical about definitions of the social indicators enterprise which confine it to social engineering efforts. The issue is not whether social indicators are useful for policy but, rather, how this usefulness comes about. The interest in social indicators has stimulated a revival of interest in quantitative, comparative, social analysis (60), in the analysis of social change, in conceptual and measurement work on such topics as prejudice, crime, and learning, and in the development of models of social processes. The fruit of these efforts will be more directly a contribution to the policy-maker's cognition than to his decisions. Decision emerges from a mosaic of inputs, including valuational and political, as well as technical components. The work we have described deals with only one type of input; it is a contribution to the intellectual mapping process which is essential if decisionmakers are to know what it is that has changed, and how the change has come about. The character of the scientific contribution will, of course, vary with the subject. Models of a few social processes, such as those pertaining to social mobility and population dynamics, are in varying degrees of development and application. But for many other areas, the appropriate question is not "How does it work?" but "How has it changed?" And for still others, the question is "What is it?" The work of the Berkeley sociologists on the measurement of prejudice illustrates very well the interaction between measurement and conceptual development that is required to answer the question "What is it?" In the present state of work on this topic, the appropriate hypotheses are not so much concerned with the relationships of the phenomenon to others in a causal system, as they are with the nature of the phenomenon itself. What is being tested is a set of propositions that certain ways of thinking about social reality are productive, that a phenomenon as conceptualized is "there" in the reality being measured, and that the investigators have found a set of measures which tell us something we need to know about changes in the society. It is apparent that many different types of work go on under the rubric of social indicators. What is important is that the field be seen as an arena for long-term development, as an effort of social scientists to push forward developments in concepts and in methodology that promise payoffs to both science and public policy.Such a view is reflected in the funding commitments of the National Science Foundation, which supports many of the research projects reported above. What we may expect of this work was aptly stated by Duncan (61): The value of improved measures of social change ... is not that they necessarily resolve theoretical issues concerning social dynamics or settle pragmatic issues,of social policy, but that they may permit those issues to be argued more productively. PMID- 17755167 TI - The comparative analysis of learning. PMID- 17755169 TI - APS Critiques Nuclear Safety R & D. PMID- 17755170 TI - Privacy: congressional efforts are coming to fruition. PMID- 17755168 TI - Deep-Sea Salvage: Did CIA Use Mohole Techniques to Raise Sub? PMID- 17755171 TI - Point of view. PMID- 17755172 TI - NIH: Reunion Held to Boost Morale and Gain Political Visibility. PMID- 17755173 TI - Schmidt Talks About What Is Good out Federal Support of Biomedical Research. PMID- 17755175 TI - Fermilab flexes its muscle. PMID- 17755176 TI - Semiconductors: epitaxial growth of laser diodes. PMID- 17755174 TI - Embryo Development: Debate over Aggregation Factors. PMID- 17755177 TI - Weisskopf on the frontiers and limits of science. PMID- 17755178 TI - Geomagnetic Variations in the Eastern United States: avidence for a Highly Conducting Lower Crust? AB - Temporal geomagnetic variations, recorded at ten stations across the eastcentral United States, are interpreted in terms of the electrical conductivity structure of the earth beneath this region. The results are surprising and suggest that the lower crust is highly conducting, having distinct lateral variations in conductivity beneath the Appalachian Mountains. PMID- 17755179 TI - Aerosols and polar temperature changes. AB - Calculations indicate that aerosols are not directly responsible for the present increase in ice abundance in the Northern Hemisphere. Indeed it appears that aerosols cause heating of the atmosphere near the poles. The present background aerosol density at 85 degrees S latitude causes a temperature increase of approximately 0.2 degrees K, while that at 85 degrees N causes an increase of approximately 0.05 degrees K. PMID- 17755180 TI - ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT. PMID- 17755182 TI - THE THIRD SUMMER MEETING OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17755181 TI - SECTION G--BOTANY. PMID- 17755183 TI - A CURVE-TRACING TOP. PMID- 17755184 TI - MEETING OF THE MAZAMAS AT CRATER LAKE, OREGON. PMID- 17755185 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17755186 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17755188 TI - MR. LOWELL'S BOOK ON 'MARS.'. PMID- 17755187 TI - CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17755189 TI - ON TWO FORMS OF AUTOMATIC MICROTOMES. PMID- 17755190 TI - XII. DEUTSCHER GEOGRAPHENTAG, JENA, 1897. PMID- 17755191 TI - STATUS OF FOREST RESERVATION POLICY. PMID- 17755192 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17755194 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17755193 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17755195 TI - THE DISCRIMINATION OF SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES. PMID- 17755196 TI - GLACIAL MAN IN OHIO. PMID- 17755197 TI - THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AND A NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17755198 TI - Relevant research. PMID- 17755199 TI - The survival of nations and civilization. PMID- 17755200 TI - International environmental problems--a taxonomy. PMID- 17755201 TI - NSF: Is Applied Research at the Take Off Point? PMID- 17755203 TI - Peace corps and smithsonian: deploying environmental experts. PMID- 17755202 TI - Kennedy Proposes Urban NASA. PMID- 17755204 TI - Handler in defense of science. AB - In a lecture titled "In Defense of Science" at a meeting of the American Iron and Steel Institute in New York on 26 May, National Academy of Sciences president Philip Handler presented a wide-ranging analysis of developments which made the public perceive "science and technology as a modern Janus-a two-faced god." The following excerpts are taken from a section on "The Attack on Science" and from a discussion on the environment. PMID- 17755205 TI - House votes medical student aid. PMID- 17755206 TI - Amino Acid analyses of the murchison, murray, and allende carbonaceous chondrites. AB - Three carbonaceous chondrites were examined for water-extractable amino acids. The Murchison Murray specimens were found to be of similar amino acid composition. This similarity suggests that these amino acids in are indigenous to type II carbonaceous chondrites. The Allende (type III) carbonaceous chondrite was found to be essentially devoid of amino acids on the basis of on identical analysis. PMID- 17755207 TI - Schopf, maclure, werner, and the earliest work on american geology. AB - Schopf produced the first substantial report on the geology of North America, a work that has long suffered unjustified oblivion. In at least one feature this treatise is superior to that of Maclure (the"Father of American Geology")- Schopf attempted interpretation whereas Maclure did not. The suggestion is here offered that MacLure, who adopted Werner's classification of the stratigraphic succession, was simply shying away from Wernerian interpretation because he did not like the looks of it. PMID- 17755208 TI - Magnesium-iron replacement in clay minerals in anoxic marine sediments. AB - In anoxic marine sediments iron is extracted from clay minerals to form a sulfide. Magnesium from the surrounding solution then replaces the extracted iron in the clay mineral structure. This process removes magnesium from seawater and serves as a control on the composition of interstitial waters in sediments. PMID- 17755209 TI - Overtones of Free Oscillations and the Structure of the Earth's Interior. AB - Identification of 82 percent of all possible spheroidal overtones with greater than 300 seconds increases the resolving power of the set of gross searth data. Results of inversion indicate a change of composition in the deepest 500 kilometers of the mantle. The assumption that the inner core is rigid is required to satisfy simultaneously the data on free oscillations and travel times. PMID- 17755210 TI - Butterfly feeding on lycopsid. AB - Larvae of Euptychia westwoodi feed on Selaginella, a lycopsid. This is the first feeding record in the Satyrinae outside the monocotyledons and one of the few records of a butterfly feeding on other than a seed plant. Clues to possible evolutionary origins of this habit are found in the oviposition behavior of other Euptychia species. PMID- 17755211 TI - Man and environment: a national biological congress. PMID- 17755212 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17755213 TI - International agriculture. PMID- 17755214 TI - Cricket research. PMID- 17755215 TI - Research in latin america. PMID- 17755216 TI - Research in latin america. PMID- 17755218 TI - Des history. PMID- 17755219 TI - Research in latin america. PMID- 17755217 TI - Research in latin america. PMID- 17755221 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17755220 TI - Apology. PMID- 17755222 TI - China tightens appraisal system. PMID- 17755224 TI - Sun's Role in Warming Is Discounted. PMID- 17755223 TI - Services target labs to save money. PMID- 17755225 TI - Physics festival brightens rainy san jose. AB - A week after floodwaters surged through parts of San Jose's downtown, a flood tide of physicists-almost 6000 of them-appeared for the annual March meeting of the American Physical Society (APS). Gloom and drizzle continued for the first 4 days of the gathering, but there were plenty of bright spots inside the hall. PMID- 17755226 TI - Layoffs at hopkins lab. PMID- 17755227 TI - GM Engineer Wins $500,000. PMID- 17755228 TI - "Ice man" markings seen as medical tattoos. PMID- 17755230 TI - Deep earthquakes: a fault too big? PMID- 17755231 TI - The seasons, global temperature, and precession. AB - Analysis of instrumental temperature records beginning in 1659 shows that in much of the world the dominant frequency of the seasons is one cycle per anomalistic year (the time from perihelion to perihelion, 365.25964 days), not one cycle per tropical year (the time from equinox to equinox, 365.24220 days), and that the timing of the annual temperature cycle is controlled by perihelion. The assumption that the seasons were timed by the equinoxes has caused many statistical analyses of climate data to be badly biased. Coherence between changes in the amplitude of the annual cycle and those in the average temperature show that between 1854 and 1922 there were small temperature variations, probably of solar origin. Since 1922, the phase of the Northern Hemisphere coherence between these quantities switched from 0 degrees to 180 degrees and implies that solar variability cannot be the sole cause of the increasing temperature over the last century. About 1940, the phase patterns of the previous 300 years began to change and now appear to be changing at an unprecedented rate. The average change in phase is now coherent with the logarithm of atmospheric CO(2) concentration. PMID- 17755229 TI - Creationism: alabama cracks open the door. PMID- 17755232 TI - Rupture characteristics of the deep bolivian earthquake of 9 june 1994 and the mechanism of deep-focus earthquakes. AB - The M(w) = 8.3 deep (636 kilometers) Bolivian earthquake of 9 June 1994 was the largest deep-focus earthquake ever recorded. Seismic data from permanent stations plus portable instruments in South America show that rupture occurred on a horizontal plane and extended at least 30 by 50 kilometers. Rupture proceeded at 1 to 3 kilometers per second along the down-dip azimuth of the slab and penetrated through more than a third of the slab thickness. This extent is more than three times that expected for a metastable wedge of olivine at the core of the slab, and thus appears to be incompatible with an origin by transformational faulting. These large events may instead represent slip on preserved zones of weakness established in oceanic lithosphere at the Earth's surface. PMID- 17755233 TI - The Effect of H2O on the 410-Kilometer Seismic Discontinuity. AB - The 410-kilometer seismic discontinuity is generally considered to be caused by a phase transformation of the main constituent of the upper mantle, olivine, alpha (Mg,Fe)(2)SiO(4), to beta-(Mg,Fe)(2)SiO(4). Recent data show that H(2)O dissolves in olivine and other nominally anhydrous mantle minerals and that the partitioning of H(2)O between olivine and beta-(Mg,Fe)(2)SiO(4) is about 1:10. Such behavior strongly affects the region over which the alpha to beta phase transformation occurs and hence the seismic discontinuity that results. The observed width of the discontinuity constrains the maximum H(2)O content of upper mantle olivine to about 200 parts per million by weight. PMID- 17755234 TI - Herbivory in asymbiotic soft corals. AB - A zooxanthellae-free soft coral from the Red Sea feeds almost exclusively on phytoplankton, a mode of nutrition so far unknown for corals. Herbivory was also found in three other azooxanthellate soft corals. In tropical oligotrophic waters, phytoplankton biomass density may be an order of magnitude higher than that of zooplankton. Use of this resource allows these azooxanthellate cnidarians to be highly productive in flow-exposed oligotrophic reef waters. PMID- 17755235 TI - Response. PMID- 17755237 TI - Vignettes: postal services. PMID- 17755236 TI - Zoological ventures. PMID- 17755238 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17755239 TI - New Screw Thread Standards. PMID- 17755240 TI - Solar Eruption of May 10, 1949. PMID- 17755241 TI - Low Temperature Studies with Colloidal Silicic Acid. PMID- 17755242 TI - Mechanical Transmission of a Plant Tumor Virus to an Insect Vector. PMID- 17755243 TI - Antithiamine Effect of Oxythiamine and Neopyrithiamine. A Comparative Study. PMID- 17755244 TI - The Chromatographic Estimation of Lysine and Some Applications of the Method. PMID- 17755245 TI - Quantitative Study of Root Systems in Different Soil Types. PMID- 17755246 TI - A Simple Micromanipulator. PMID- 17755247 TI - Pterin-like Pigment Derived from the Tubercle Bacillus. Fluorescence and Absorption Spectral Data for Erythropterin-like Pigment Isolated by Ultrachromatographic Analysis. PMID- 17755248 TI - Serum Lipase and Alloxan Diabetes in Rats. PMID- 17755249 TI - Growth-regulating Substances in Laminaria agardhii. PMID- 17755250 TI - In Criticism of Chisholm's "Social Responsibility". PMID- 17755251 TI - Dramamine and Motion Sickness. PMID- 17755252 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17755253 TI - HAVEN METCALF 1875-1940. PMID- 17755254 TI - EDWARD PAYSON VAN DUZEE. PMID- 17755255 TI - TRIBUTE TO THE LATE DR. W. E. BRITTON, STATE ENTOMOLOGIST OF CONNECTICUT. PMID- 17755256 TI - THE AMERICAN COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON CORROSION. PMID- 17755258 TI - APPOINTMENT OF DR. BRUNO ROSSI AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17755257 TI - THE HALL OF INVENTIONS AT THE WORLD'S FAIR. PMID- 17755259 TI - IN HONOR OF JULIUS HERMAN FRANDSEN. PMID- 17755261 TI - CONCERNING PURE CULTURES OF SPIRILLUM. PMID- 17755260 TI - NATIVE AND INTRODUCED LAND PLANARIANS IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17755263 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. PMID- 17755262 TI - OXIDATION OF SULFANILIC AND ARSANILIC COMPOUNDS BY NASCENT HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. PMID- 17755264 TI - UNIFORMITY OF THE PAIN THRESHOLD IN MAN. PMID- 17755265 TI - THE UTILIZATION OF L-GLUCOSE BY MAMMALIAN TISSUES AND BACTERIA. AB - The utilization of l-glucose by rat tissues and B. coli and B. aerogenes was studied. There was no evidence that l-glucose was metabolized by either mammalian or bacterial cells. PMID- 17755266 TI - THE THROMBOPLASTIN REAGENT FOR THE DETERMINATION OF PROTHROMBIN. PMID- 17755268 TI - SHADOWGRAPH RECORDING OF AVENA COLEOPTILE CURVATURES. PMID- 17755267 TI - TULAREMIA ENDOTOXIN. PMID- 17755269 TI - A STOPCOCK LUBRICANT FOR USE WITH SOLVENTS, ACIDS OR ALKALIES. PMID- 17755270 TI - THE APPOINTMENT OF DR. WILLARD L. VALENTINE AS EDITOR OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17755271 TI - "UNTO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE". PMID- 17755273 TI - GIFT OF THE CHARLES A. BROWNE COLLECTION TO THE EDGAR FAHS SMITH LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. PMID- 17755272 TI - CARLTON C. CURTIS. PMID- 17755274 TI - THE FOREST PRODUCTS INDUSTRY IN GERMANY. PMID- 17755275 TI - NEWS FROM ABROAD. PMID- 17755276 TI - IN HONOR OF DR. C. S. HUDSON. PMID- 17755277 TI - THE TOXICITY OF INFLUENZA VIRUSES. PMID- 17755278 TI - IMMUNOGENETIC CONSEQUENCES OF VASCULAR ANASTOMOSES BETWEEN BOVINE TWINS. PMID- 17755279 TI - GROWTH INHIBITION BY ANALOGUES OF PANTOTHENIC ACID. II. agr- AND beta-SUBSTITUTED PANTOTHENIC ACIDS AND RELATED COMPOUNDS. PMID- 17755280 TI - PREPARATION OF SHARK CHONDROCRANIA FOR CLASS USE. PMID- 17755281 TI - A METHOD FOR MEASURING THE EFFECTS OF ACID BEVERAGES ON THE TEETH OF SMALL LABORATORY ANIMALS. PMID- 17755282 TI - CONTINUITY AND DISCONTINUITY IN EVOLUTION. PMID- 17755283 TI - TOXICITY OF NEMATODE INFESTED CHEWINGS FESCUE SEED. PMID- 17755284 TI - THE RUMBLING OF THUNDER. PMID- 17755285 TI - SIGNIFICANCE OF NEGATIVE RESULTS IN SMALL SAMPLES. PMID- 17755286 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17755287 TI - PRESENT STATUS OF INVESTIGATIONS CONCERNING ANTIQUITY OF MAN IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17755288 TI - A RECENT DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT HUMAN REMAINS IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17755289 TI - "ANALYZED SOUND" IN NATURE. PMID- 17755290 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17755291 TI - ON THE PROPER WORDING OF THE TITLES OF SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. PMID- 17755292 TI - THE RELATION BETWEEN VOLATILITY AND TOXICITY OF NICOTINE. PMID- 17755293 TI - THE ARGENTINE WEATHER SERVICE. PMID- 17755294 TI - SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. PMID- 17755295 TI - AN APPARATUS FOR THE STUDY OF MICROORGANISMS IN CULTURE SOLUTIONS UNDER CONSTANT HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATIONS. PMID- 17755297 TI - A NEW METHOD OF OBTAINING MOSAIC "VIRUS". PMID- 17755296 TI - CHROMOSOMAL CHIMERAS IN THE JIMSON WEED. PMID- 17755298 TI - UNIQUE DIETARY NEEDS FOR LACTATION. PMID- 17755299 TI - DIVISION OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17755300 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17755301 TI - MASS ACTION IN CEREBRAL FUNCTION. PMID- 17755302 TI - ISOLATION OF PROTEIN CRYSTALS POSSESSING TRYPTIC ACTIVITY. PMID- 17755303 TI - FRACTURING AND MOVEMENT IN ROCKS WITHOUT APPARENT DISPLACEMENT. PMID- 17755305 TI - AN UNUSUAL RAINBOW. PMID- 17755304 TI - YELLOW-SPOT DISEASE OF PINEAPPLES TRANSMITTED BY THRIPS TABACI LIND. PMID- 17755306 TI - A NEW SINGING TUBE. PMID- 17755307 TI - OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING THE CAUSATIVE AGENT OF A CHICKEN TUMOR. PMID- 17755308 TI - A SIMPLE MICROSCOPE EYEPIECE POINTER. PMID- 17755309 TI - THE DEHYDROGENATION OF CHLOROPHYLL AND THE MECHANISM OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS. PMID- 17755310 TI - NEW VOLCANOES AND A NEW MOUNTAIN RANGE. PMID- 17755312 TI - THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR INFANTILE PARALYSIS. PMID- 17755311 TI - WILLIAM GEORGE MacCALLUM. PMID- 17755313 TI - THE LENINGRAD CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC WORKERS. PMID- 17755314 TI - NEW FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17755315 TI - THE NUTRITION FOUNDATION. PMID- 17755316 TI - THE PROPOSED TRAINING OF FOREIGN ENGINEERS IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17755317 TI - THE USE OF AN INTERNATIONALLY UNDERSTANDABLE LANGUAGE IN SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS AND IN CONGRESSES. PMID- 17755318 TI - SOVIET BIOLOGY. PMID- 17755319 TI - THE NATURAL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF CHINA. PMID- 17755320 TI - NEWTON ON HEAT AS A MODE OF MOTION. PMID- 17755321 TI - THE AWARD OF GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIPS FOR 1944. PMID- 17755322 TI - ADEQUACY OF THE ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS FOR GROWTH OF THE RAT. AB - Growth was obtained in rats on synthetic diets in which the ten essential amino acids were the sole source of amino acid nitrogen. The growth rate was dependent upon the quantity of amino acids fed and appeared to compare favorably with that obtained when a similar quantity of nitrogen was fed in the form of casein. No increase in growth was observed when nitrogen in addition to that given in the form of the essential amino acids was supplied as glycine. Our experiments would not support the contention that the unnatural forms of the amino acids are toxic. We wish to acknowledge and thank Phyllis Robison for technical assistance, and Dr. D. Mark Hegsted for helpful suggestions. PMID- 17755325 TI - A DIFFERENTIAL TRIPLE STAIN FOR DEMONSTRATING AND STUDYING NON-ACID-FAST FORMS OF THE TUBERCLE BACILLUS IN SPUTUM, ISSUE AND BODY FLUIDS. PMID- 17755324 TI - METABOLIC EFFECTS OF THIOURACIL IN GRAVES' DISEASE. PMID- 17755323 TI - THE EFFECT OF ADRENAL CORTICAL AND PITUITARY ADRENOTROPIC HORMONES ON TRANSPLANTED LEUKEMIA IN RATS. PMID- 17755326 TI - Scientific Research in Australia. PMID- 17755327 TI - Insects as Experimental Material. PMID- 17755328 TI - Charge Distribution in Nuclei from X-Ray Fine Structure. PMID- 17755329 TI - An Artificial Kidney-- A Simplified Apparatus. PMID- 17755330 TI - The Archaeological and Paleontological Salvage Program at the Medicine Creek Reservoir, Frontier County, Nebraska. PMID- 17755331 TI - Blood Factors in the Nutrition of Trypanosoma cruzi. PMID- 17755332 TI - Antagonistic Action of Uracil, Thiouracil, and Thiourea on Reticulocyte Ripening. PMID- 17755333 TI - Some New Synthetic Estrogens. PMID- 17755334 TI - "Attraction Fields" between Growing Tissue Cultures. PMID- 17755335 TI - Separation of Free-Living Cells. PMID- 17755336 TI - Root-Grafting in Tropical Trees. PMID- 17755337 TI - Medical schools and the government. PMID- 17755338 TI - Medical schools and the government. PMID- 17755339 TI - Augmentation trends. PMID- 17755340 TI - Augmentation trends. PMID- 17755341 TI - Thoughts on reorganization. PMID- 17755342 TI - International sun-Earth explorer: a three-spacecraft program. AB - The International Sun-Earth Explorer is a three-spacecraft program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the European Space Agency aimed at securing a more quantitative knowledge of the structure and stability of the magnetosphere. One spacecraft (ISEE-C) makes observations in the solar wind upstream of the earth, while the other two (ISEE-A and ISEE-B), in the same highly eccentric orbit but separated by a relatively small variable distance, observe inside the magnetosphere. This international program is concurrent with the International Magnetospheric Study, to which ISEE-A and ISEE-C form a large U.S. contribution. The scientific aims and technological methods are discussed. PMID- 17755343 TI - Ocean surface currents mapped by radar. AB - A high-frequency radar remote-sensing system for measuring and mapping near surface ocean currents in coastal waters has been analyzed and described. A transportable prototype version of the system was designed, constructed, and tested. With two units operating tens of kilometers apart, the currents were mapped in near real time at a grid of points 3 by 3 km covering areas exceeding 2000 kM(2), out to a distance of about 70 km from the shore. Preliminary estimates of the precision of current velocity measurements show it to be better than 30 cm/sec. PMID- 17755344 TI - Low light level detectors for astronomy. AB - There is an almost bewildering variety of detectors being used for ground-based astronomical observations. Many of the detectors have advantages for particular projects. One-dimensional detectors are simple, yet suitable for spectroscopy. Other detectors offer high photometric precision and dimensional stability. Some are designed for observing only faint objects and some for bright ones. Sometimes the necessity of having a high quantum efficiency at a particular wavelength dictates the choice of detector. In reality the situation is even more chaotic. This review has not covered some of the exotic detectors that have been developed for x-ray and far-ultraviolet imaging from spacecraft. These detectors use devices such as resistive plates, multianode or crossed-wire microchannel plates, and so on. These devices have not yet seen extensive use in ground-based applications, and their future as visible light detectors remains uncertain. The reasons for the development of such a wide variety of detectors are clear. Commercially available devices are simply not capable of meeting the low light level and photometric performance capabilities needed for astronomical observations. The driving forces are the commercial and military applications for detectors, and with few exceptions there has not been sufficient funding available to mount a detector development program for astronomy. Therefore, astronomers have sought to adapt existing commercial devices to the particular problem at hand. The large number of individual efforts summarized in this review is the result. In the future, I expect the variety to diminish as one or two really good detectors become capable of performing well under the wide variety of observational conditions encountered in astronomy. Many people have proclaimed the ultimate detector to be just around the corner. This is yet to happen. However, I venture to speculate that low-noise, high-performance CCD detectors with a format of 500 by 500 or larger will emerge as the preferred astronomical detector within the next few years. I also expect photographic plates will continue to be used for the many applications requiring wide fields up to 10,000 pixels on a side. Finally, as the detectors approach the ultimate quantum limit, attention will shift away from them and toward development of the system necessary to manipulate, display, and extract the information from the 250,000 numbers that make up a 500 by 500 digital image. PMID- 17755345 TI - Geometry of adsorbates on solid surfaces. PMID- 17755346 TI - How important is early detection? PMID- 17755347 TI - Mammography Controversy: NIH's Entree into Evaluating Technology. PMID- 17755348 TI - The recommendations. PMID- 17755349 TI - Famous war general due to take over vietnamese science. PMID- 17755350 TI - Soviets renege on mathematician. PMID- 17755352 TI - More flowers, less cabbage. PMID- 17755351 TI - U.s.-West European cooperation in science seems to be declining. PMID- 17755353 TI - Confusion breaks out over gene splice law. PMID- 17755354 TI - B-1 raises head from grave. PMID- 17755355 TI - Ocean thermal energy: the biggest gamble in solar power. PMID- 17755356 TI - Elementary particles: classical mechanics to the rescue? PMID- 17755357 TI - World protohistory. PMID- 17755358 TI - Archeological essays. PMID- 17755359 TI - Fluid inclusion assemblages of the stratiform broken hill ore deposit, new South wales, australia. AB - Minerals of the Broken Hill lode in New South Wales, Australia, have a rich assemblage of fluid inclusions. Most typically they contain a high-salinity aqueous liquid and a high-density carbon dioxide and methane gas. Northerly trending shear zones in the area are characterized by a distinct assemblage of inclusions. The inclusions provide a record of the sequence of metamorphic fluids since the period of high-grade metamorphism. Inclusions from the period of ore formation have been eliminated by repeated deformation and recrystallization. PMID- 17755360 TI - New Rules for AAAS-Newcomb Cleveland Prize. PMID- 17755361 TI - Effects of the winter of 1976-1977 on the northwestern sargasso sea. AB - A survey was conducted in the northwestern Sargasso Sea during the spring to assess the effect and extent of the winter cooling of 1976 to 1977 on the ocean. Newly formed, well-mixed layers of 18 degrees C water as deep as 550 meters were observed. The main thermocline south of the Gulf Stream was 100 to 150 meters deeper than it is on the average, which implies significant changes in the baroclinic transports. PMID- 17755362 TI - Holocene woodlands in the southwestern deserts. AB - Twenty-nine radiocarbon-dated pack rat middens document woodland communities in the deserts of the southwestern United States less than 10,000 years ago. A synchronous change from woodland to desert or grassland occurred about 8000 years ago in the Chihuahuan, Sonoran, and Mohave deserts. A shift of the Aleutian low and the winter storm track to the north, which resulted in drastically reduced winter precipitation in these areas, is inferred. The shift to nonpluvial climates in the Southwest lagged behind the beginning of nonglacial climates in the North because the melting continental glaciers contined to affect general circulation patterns. PMID- 17755363 TI - Conservation of Potassium in the Pinus resinosa Ecosystem. AB - Rubidium-potassium ratios were determined on foliage, litter, and surface soils of plots in two plantations of Pinus resinosa 41 to 46 years old previously fertilized once with potassium. Calculations based on indigenous soil rubidium as the "tagging" ion demonstrate that after 9 years some 60 percent of the foliage potassium is still derived from the fertilizer, and after 23 years about 40 percent of the foliage potassium is derived from the fertilizer. Additional fertilizer potassium is present in soil and litter, indicating the high retention of this mobile element in the pine ecosystem. PMID- 17755364 TI - Clustering hypothesis of some high-temperature superconductors. AB - Cluster formation in metallic crystal lattices is important for most high temperature superconductors. PMID- 17755365 TI - Entropy estimates of garnets and other silicates. PMID- 17755366 TI - Checkerboards and color aftereffects. PMID- 17755367 TI - Checkerboards and color aftereffects. PMID- 17755368 TI - Checkerboards and color aftereffects. PMID- 17755369 TI - Simple solutions: concentrations in the surface region. PMID- 17755370 TI - Simple solutions: concentrations in the surface region. PMID- 17755371 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17755372 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17755373 TI - NATURE AND THE DOCTOR. PMID- 17755374 TI - WHY WE SELDOM SEE A LUNAR RAINBOW. PMID- 17755375 TI - FRESH-WATER MEDUSAE IN TENNESSEE. PMID- 17755376 TI - MASTODON DISCOVERED IN OHIO. PMID- 17755377 TI - FREQUENCY OF LUNAR RAINBOWS. PMID- 17755378 TI - OBSERVATION OF A LUNAR RAINBOW BY FRANKLIN. PMID- 17755379 TI - THE STRUCTURE OF THE INSULIN MOLECULE. PMID- 17755380 TI - HUNTING IN SOUTH AFRICA. PMID- 17755381 TI - THE OCCURRENCE IN NATURE OF "EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS" IN THE RING-NECKED PHEASANT. PMID- 17755383 TI - AIRPLANE COLLECTIONS OF SUGAR-BEET POLLEN. PMID- 17755382 TI - THE ABSORPTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS. PMID- 17755384 TI - BASAL DIETS FOR VITAMIN B DETERMINATION. PMID- 17755385 TI - Fish flour and fluoride. PMID- 17755386 TI - Draft, Not Draft--or a Better Way. PMID- 17755387 TI - Political protest on the campus. PMID- 17755388 TI - More on conservation. PMID- 17755389 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17755390 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17755391 TI - Changing human nature. PMID- 17755392 TI - Earthquake prediction. PMID- 17755393 TI - Archeology in an emergency. PMID- 17755394 TI - The training of an astronomer. PMID- 17755396 TI - International science activities: some new vistas open. PMID- 17755395 TI - Grand canyon: colorado dams debated. PMID- 17755397 TI - Public health service: reorganizing the doctors. PMID- 17755398 TI - Glaciated appalachian plateau: till shadows on hills. AB - North slopes are twice as steep as south slopes on the hills of central New York. This asymmetry is caused by unequal till thickness-3.6 meters on north slopes and 27.6 meters on south slopes. Previous workers interpreted the hills as being of bedrock sculptured by glacial erosion, with till 0.9 to 3 meters thick. PMID- 17755399 TI - Methyl radicals: preparation and stabilization. AB - Methyl radicals were prepared by photolysis of methyl iodide in porous glass and were stabilized for days at room temperature. Their reactivity was investigated. PMID- 17755400 TI - Sex Conversion in a Male Vitis vinifera L. by a Kinin. AB - A synthetic (reputed) kinin, SD 8339, at 1000 parts per million in alcohol solution, applied to flower clusters of a male grapevine about 3 weeks before anthesis, completely converted the flower sex from male to hermaphrodite. Indolebutyric acid, 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid, 2-chloroethyltrimethylammonium chloride beta-naphthoxyacetic acid, beta-indoleacetic acid, alpha naphthaleneacetic acid, and gibberellin A(3) failed to modify the sex. PMID- 17755401 TI - Heterosis: complementation by mitochondria. AB - Many (but not all) hybrids between two genetic pure lines show heterosis; that is the hybrids grow more rapidly or larger than the parental pure lines. The mechanism is not known. Two corn crosses were studied. In one hybrid known to exhibit heterosis, the mitochondria and an artificial 1:1 mixture of parent mitochondria showed heterosis with respect to oxidation and phosphorylation. In the other cross, neither the hybrid plant, its mitochondria, nor the mixture of parent mitochondria showed heterosis. PMID- 17755403 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17755402 TI - Dimethyl sulfoxide. PMID- 17755404 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17755406 TI - Could these cut-rate stations be contenders? PMID- 17755405 TI - Response. PMID- 17755407 TI - NASA Rethinks the Space Station. PMID- 17755408 TI - NASA Researchers Eye Mir. PMID- 17755409 TI - Redesign creates consternation abroad daniel clery. PMID- 17755410 TI - Oxford Rebels Protest Women's Status. PMID- 17755411 TI - Volcanoes may warm locally while cooling globally. PMID- 17755412 TI - Ear stones speak volumes to fish researchers. PMID- 17755413 TI - New laser serves red light, straight up. PMID- 17755414 TI - NCAR: Doing Quality Science In a ;Garage for Planes'. PMID- 17755415 TI - Favoritism Found in ARPA Funding. PMID- 17755416 TI - The hazards of estrogens. PMID- 17755417 TI - Haseltine moves to biotech firm. PMID- 17755418 TI - Budget may sting insect unit. PMID- 17755419 TI - Researcher Donates Patent Rights to WHO. PMID- 17755420 TI - New look at drinking and the heart. PMID- 17755422 TI - Scarecrows go high tech. PMID- 17755421 TI - Elderly twin registry in the works. PMID- 17755423 TI - Controlled deposition, soft landing, and glass formation in nanocluster-surface collisions. AB - Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to investigate the dynamics and redistribution of energy during the impact of a nanocrystal with adsorbed liquid films. Although impact of a 32-molecule NaCl cluster on a solid surface at 3 kilometers per second leads to melting, disordering, fragmentation, and rebounding, the same size cluster colliding with a liquid neon film transfers its energy efficiently to the liquid for a controlled soft landing. Impact on a higher density film (argon) leads to rapid attenuation of the cluster velocity, accompanied by fast heating. Subsequent disordering, melting, and fast cooling by evaporation of argon quench the cluster to a glassy state. These results suggest a method for the controlled growth of nanophase materials. PMID- 17755424 TI - Polycrystalline CVD Diamond Films with High Electrical Mobility. AB - Advances in the deposition process have led to dramatic improvements in the electronic properties of polycrystalline diamond films produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). It is now possible to produce CVD diamond with properties approaching those of IIa natural diamonds. The combined electron-hole mobility, as measured by transient photoconductivity at low carrier density, is 4000 square centimeters per volt per second at an electric field of 200 volts per centimeter and is comparable to that of the best single-crystal IIa natural diamonds. Carrier lifetimes measured under the same conditions are 150 picoseconds for the CVD diamond and 300 picoseconds for single-crystal diamond. The collection distance at a field of 10 kilovolts per centimeter is 15 micrometers for the CVD diamond as compared to 30 micrometers for natural diamonds. The electrical qualities appear to correlate with the width of the diamond Raman peak. Also, although the collection distance at the highest fields in the films nearly equals the average grain size, there is no evidence of deleterious grain boundary effects. PMID- 17755425 TI - Experimental Evidence for a New Iron Phase and Implications for Earth's Core. AB - Iron is known to occur in four different crystal structural forms. One of these, the densest form (epsilon phase, hexagonal close-packed) is considered to have formed Earth's core. Theoretical arguments based on available high-temperature and high-pressure iron data indicate the possibility of a fifth less dense iron phase forming the core. Study of iron phase transition conducted between pressures of 20 to 100 gigapascals and 1000 to 2200 Kelvin provides an experimental confirmation of the existence of this new phase. Thee epsilon iron phase transforms to this lower density phase before melting. The new phase may form a large part of Earth's core. PMID- 17755426 TI - Net Exchange of CO2 in a Mid-Latitude Forest. AB - The eddy correlation method was used to measure the net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide continuously from April 1990 to December 1991 in a deciduous forest in central Massachusetts. The annual net uptake was 3.7 +/- 0.7 metric tons of carbon per hectare per year. Ecosystem respiration, calculated from the relation between nighttime exchange and soil temperature, was 7.4 metric tons of carbon per hectare per year, implying gross ecosystem production of 11.1 metric tons of carbon per hectare per year. The observed rate of accumulation of carbon reflects recovery from agricultural development in the 1800s. Carbon uptake rates were notably larger than those assumed for temperate forests in global carbon studies. Carbon storage in temperate forests can play an important role in determining future concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide. PMID- 17755427 TI - Predecessors of the greens. PMID- 17755428 TI - A village reemergent. PMID- 17755429 TI - Reactions to parasites. PMID- 17755430 TI - A revealing tool. PMID- 17755432 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17755431 TI - Vignettes: finishing physics. PMID- 17755433 TI - THE INFLUENZA PNEUMONIA PANDEMIC IN THE AMERICAN ARMY CAMPS DURING SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. 1918. PMID- 17755435 TI - DOCTOR ALEScaron HRDLICcaronKA AND THE VERO MAN. PMID- 17755434 TI - BRITISH SCIENCE IN INDUSTRY. PMID- 17755436 TI - SHALL WRITERS UPON THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AGREE TO IGNORE SYSTEMATIC PAPERS PUBLISHED IN THE GERMAN LANGUAGE SINCE 1914? PMID- 17755437 TI - THE FOUNDATIONS OF MECHANICS. PMID- 17755438 TI - NOTE ON A SIMPLE DEVICE FOR ILLUSTRATING MOLECULAR MOTION. PMID- 17755439 TI - ABNORMALITIES IN THE CHICK EMBRYO. PMID- 17755440 TI - THE LONG AND SHORT OF NUTRITION. PMID- 17755441 TI - HENRY ANDREW BUEHLER. PMID- 17755442 TI - OSCAR MILTON STEWART. PMID- 17755443 TI - INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH COMMITTEE OF THE FEDERATION OF BRITISH INDUSTRIES. PMID- 17755444 TI - THE GIBSON ISLAND CONFERENCE ON CANCER. PMID- 17755445 TI - FELLOWSHIPS OF THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR INFANTILE PARALYSIS. PMID- 17755446 TI - STANDARDS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC CINEMATOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT. PMID- 17755447 TI - NOMENCLATURE OF THE RH BLOOD TYPES. PMID- 17755449 TI - FISHERY DEPLETION. PMID- 17755448 TI - NOTES ON STARRING IN AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17755450 TI - EDUCATION IN SCIENCE MUSEUMS; OR THE TEN PARTS OF THE FUNCTIONAL EXHIBIT. PMID- 17755452 TI - ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS AND LIPOTROPIC ACTION OF INOSITOL. PMID- 17755451 TI - RESEARCH ON PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY IN THE U.S.S.R. PMID- 17755453 TI - STUDIES ON THE TOXICITY AND ACTIVITY OF STREPTOTHRICIN. PMID- 17755454 TI - THE TIDAL AIR OF LABORATORY ANIMALS. PMID- 17755455 TI - A NEW MALE-STERILE MUTANT IN THE TOMATO. PMID- 17755456 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD FOR QUIETING PARAMECIUM AND OTHER SMALL ORGANISMS DURING PROLONGED OBSERVATION. PMID- 17755457 TI - A SIMPLE DROP RECORDING SYSTEM. PMID- 17755459 TI - Nuclear test yields. PMID- 17755458 TI - Erratum. AB - In table 1 of the report by M. Essex et al., "Antibodies to cell membrane antigens associated with human T-cell leukemia virus in patients with AIDS" (20 May, p. 859), the heading for columns 4 and 5 should have read "Cells positive (> 40 percent)" PMID- 17755460 TI - Nuclear test yields. PMID- 17755461 TI - Coping with gridlock. PMID- 17755462 TI - Adventure into space. AB - The exploration of the universe has captured mankind's interest since the earliest attempts to understand the sun, moon, planets, comets, and stars. The last few decades have seen explosive advances of knowledge, sparked by technological advances and by our entry into the space age. Achievements in solar system exploration, discoveries both in the Milky Way and in the farther universe, and challenges for the future are discussed. Of major concern worldwide is the need for people of goodwill in all nations to concentrate on the peaceful uses of outer space and on international collaboration. PMID- 17755463 TI - Science and the urban university. AB - The potential for science to contribute to economic and civic life is of particular importance to urban centers with economic decline. For urban universities, the ability to adapt to changing needs and seize new opportunities has become vital. These universities must take the lead in curricular revision, research emphasizing the application of knowledge, arrangements with private economic enterprises, and public service to improve science and mathematics training in the schools. PMID- 17755464 TI - David A. Hamburg: President-Elect of AAAS. PMID- 17755465 TI - Review Panel Finds Federal Labs Lacking: White House Science Council report says shortcomings threaten quality, concentrates on management faults and recommendations for improvement. PMID- 17755466 TI - NRC Delays Pipe Inspections. PMID- 17755467 TI - Pesticide office demands new safety studies. PMID- 17755468 TI - Smithsonian inventory turns up lots of stuff. PMID- 17755469 TI - Boom and bust in energy. PMID- 17755470 TI - Air force unravels rocket mystery. PMID- 17755471 TI - Archeological Analysis Gets Some Teeth: A BASIC program has been developed that generates a mortality profile of ungulate species from tooth data in a fossil collection. PMID- 17755472 TI - Chaotic rotation predicted for hyperion. PMID- 17755473 TI - Frigid oceans for triton and titan. PMID- 17755475 TI - Could Saturn's Rings Have Melted Enceladus? PMID- 17755474 TI - Volcanism at 100{degrees} Below. PMID- 17755476 TI - A proposal for elections: approval voting. PMID- 17755477 TI - An environmental campaign: the fight to save the redwoods. PMID- 17755478 TI - Atomic processes: atoms in astrophysics. PMID- 17755479 TI - Uranus: variability of the microwave spectrum. AB - Radio astronomical observations of Uranus show that the radio emission spectrum is evolving in time. Ammonia vapor must be depleted in the Uranian atmosphere as Gulkis and his co-workers previously suggested. Since 1965, ammonia either has been decreasing in time or is a decreasing function of latitude, or both, provided that the radio emission is atmospheric in origin. If Uranus has an observable low-emissivity "surface," these trends may be reversed. The microwave observations made in 1965, at the time when the spin axis of Uranus was nearly perpendicular to the sun-Uranus line, are consistent with an atmospheric opacity profile that would be produced by saturated ammonia vapor in a predominantly hydrogen atmosphere. At the present time, when the spin axis of Uranus is nearly aligned with the sun-Uranus line, the measurements require an opacity that would be produced by saturated water vapor. A large thermal gradient between the pole and equator is ruled out. PMID- 17755480 TI - Ediacaran (precambrian) fossils from the wernecke mountains, northwestern Canada. AB - Fossil medusoids identified as Cyclomedusa davidi?, Beltanelliformis brunsae, and cf. Sekwia excentrica are reported from Late Precambrian strata in the Wernecke Mountains. They are representatives of the Ediacaran fauna, the oldest assemblage of cosmopolitan metazoans, and are only the third such occurrence in Canada. In addition, specimens broadly resembling the problematic structure Rugoinfractus ovruchensis, previously known only from the Precambrian of the Ukraine, are reported from the Lower Cambrian of the nearby Mackenzie Mountains. PMID- 17755481 TI - Lessons from the silica "decline" in lake michigan. AB - A new analysis of data obtained from water treatment plants on Lake Michigan fails to support published contentions, based on such data, that the silica content of the lake has declined during the last five decades. The purported silica decline appears to have been due to changes in analytical methods and laboratories. Had such changes been avoided, an invaluable record of the silica content of the lake could have been obtained. PMID- 17755482 TI - The cheetah is depauperate in genetic variation. AB - A sample of 55 South African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) from two geographically isolated populations in South Africa were found to be genetically monomorphic at each of 47 allozyme (allelic isozyme) loci. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of 155 abundant soluble proteins from cheetah fibroblasts also revealed a low frequency of polymorphism (average heterozygosity, 0.013). Both estimates are dramatically lower than levels of variation reported in other cats and mammals in general. The extreme monomorphism may be a consequence of a demographic contraction of the cheetah (a population bottleneck) in association with a reduced rate of increase in the recent natural history of this endangered species. PMID- 17755483 TI - Social wasps: discrimination between kin and nonkin brood. AB - In experiments in which nest boxes were switched, colony foundresses of the social wasp Polistes fuscatus accepted sisters' combs with little brood destruction but destroyed younger brood in the combs of less closely related females and sometimes deserted these combs. Discrimination between related and unrelated brood does not appear to depend on prior brood contact or environmentally acquired cues. PMID- 17755485 TI - In reply: male firefly mimicry. PMID- 17755484 TI - Male firefly mimicry. PMID- 17755487 TI - GARDINER GREENE HUBBARD. PMID- 17755486 TI - TIME WASTED. PMID- 17755488 TI - ON THE ORIGIN AND AGE OF THE RELICBEARING SAND AT TRENTON, N. J. PMID- 17755489 TI - SANARELLI'S WORK UPON YELLOW FEVER. PMID- 17755490 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17755491 TI - LUDWIG RUTIMEYER. PMID- 17755493 TI - THE WINTER MEETINGS OF THE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17755492 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17755494 TI - THE ECLIPSE EXPEDITIONS FROM GREAT BRITAIN. PMID- 17755495 TI - THE ENCHANTED MESA. PMID- 17755496 TI - BEHRING SEA CONFERENCES. PMID- 17755497 TI - LAMARCK AND THE 'PERFECTING TENDENCY.'. PMID- 17755498 TI - MEMORIAL MEETING COMMEMORATIVE OF ALLEN AND HORN. PMID- 17755499 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17755500 TI - Addresses given on the occasion of the dedication of the building for the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council, Washington, April 28, 1924. PMID- 17755501 TI - THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17755502 TI - ERNEST FOX NICHOLS. PMID- 17755503 TI - PORTRAITS OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17755504 TI - THE SPECTRUM OF HELIUM IN THE EXTREME ULTRA-VIOLET. PMID- 17755505 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17755506 TI - FRANK H. BIGELOW. PMID- 17755507 TI - THE SOMATIC CHROMOSOMES OF THE CHICK AND THEIR POSSIBLE SEX RELATIONS. PMID- 17755508 TI - THE WASHINGTON MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17755509 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17755510 TI - Plant pathogens in soils. PMID- 17755511 TI - 525 Laid Off As USGS Looks Ahead. PMID- 17755513 TI - New study provides some good news for fisheries. PMID- 17755512 TI - Polymer light-emitters gain new life. PMID- 17755514 TI - Ecologists flock to snowbird for varied banquet of findings. PMID- 17755515 TI - India's Ph.D. Glut. PMID- 17755516 TI - No hostile climate found for minorities. PMID- 17755518 TI - Another bose-einstein condensate. PMID- 17755517 TI - Gene hacking. PMID- 17755519 TI - Who's Postdocing Now? PMID- 17755520 TI - Japan's Prizes. PMID- 17755521 TI - Old world tree found in Colombia. PMID- 17755522 TI - PETA on the Move. PMID- 17755523 TI - Energy needs in developing countries and sustainability. PMID- 17755524 TI - Branching out into new polymer markets. PMID- 17755525 TI - Snowshoe hare populations: squeezed from below and above. PMID- 17755526 TI - Homogeneous catalysis in supercritical fluids. AB - Supercritical fluids (SCFs), compounds heated and pressurized beyond the critical point, have many unusual properties. Homogeneous molecular catalysts, which have far greater control over selectivity than heterogeneous solid catalysts, are now being tested in SCFs, and early results show that high rates, improved selectivity, and elimination of masstransfer problems can be achieved. As industry moves away from toxic or environmentally damaging solvents, supercritical carbon dioxide may be an ideal replacement medium for nonpolar or weakly polar chemical processes. More than simply substitutes for nonpolar solvents, SCFs can radically change the observed chemistry. Supercritical carbon dioxide is also an excellent medium for its own fixation, as demonstrated by studies of its hydrogenation. PMID- 17755527 TI - Deimos: an obstacle to the solar wind. AB - Two isolated solar wind disturbances about 5 minutes in duration were detected aboard the Russian spacecraft Phobos-2 upon its crossing the wake of the martian moon Deimos about 15,000 kilometers downstream from the moon on 1 February 1989. These plasma and magnetic events are interpreted as the inbound and outbound crossings of a Mach cone that is formed as a result of an effective interaction of the solar wind with Deimos. Possible mechanisms such as remanent magnetization, cometary type interaction caused by heavy ion or charged dust production, and unipolar induction resulting from the finite conductivity of the body are discussed. Although none of the present models is fully satisfactory, neutral gas emission through water loss by Deimos at a rate of about 10(23) molecules per second, combined with a charged dust coma, is favored. PMID- 17755528 TI - Self-condensing vinyl polymerization: an approach to dendritic materials. AB - Self-condensing vinyl polymerization was used to produce dendritic polymers with both highly branched structures and numerous reactive groups. A vinyl monomer will undergo self-polymerization if it contains a pendant group that can be transformed into an initiating moiety by the action of an external stimulus. The self-polymerization combines features of a classical vinyl polymerization process with those of a polycondensation because growth is accomplished by the coupling of reactive oligomers. Highly branched, irregular dendritic structures with a multiplicity of reactive functionalities are obtained by polymerization of 3-(1 chloroethyl)-ethenylbenzene. PMID- 17755529 TI - Scanning interferometric apertureless microscopy: optical imaging at 10 angstrom resolution. AB - Interferometric near-field optical microscopy achieving a resolution of 10 angstroms is demonstrated. The scattered electric field variation caused by a vibrating probe tip in close proximity to a sample surface is measured by encoding it as a modulation in the optical phase of one arm of an interferometer. Unlike in regular near-field optical microscopes, where the contrast results from a weak source (or aperture) dipole interacting with the polarizability of the sample, the present form of imaging relies on a fundamentally different contrast mechanism: sensing the dipole-dipole coupling of two externally driven dipoles (the tip and sample dipoles) as their spacing is modulated. PMID- 17755530 TI - Polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells. AB - A device configuration for light emission from electroactive polymers is described. In these light-emitting electrochemical cells, a p-n junction diode is created in situ through simultaneous p-type and n-type electrochemical doping on opposite sides of a thin film of conjugated polymer that contains added electrolyte to provide the necessary counterions for doping. Light-emitting devices based on conjugated polymers have been fabricated that operate by the proposed electrochemical oxidation-reduction mechanism. Blue, green, and orange emission have been obtained with turn-on voltages close to the band gap of the emissive material. PMID- 17755531 TI - Sprites, ELF Transients, and Positive Ground Strokes. AB - In two summertime mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), mesospheric optical sprite phenomena were often coincident with both large-amplitude positive cloud-to ground lightning and transient Schumann resonance excitations of the entire Earth ionosphere cavity. These observations, together with earlier studies of MCS electrification, suggest that sprites are triggered when the rapid removal of large quantities of positive charge from an areally extensive charge layer stresses the mesosphere to dielectric breakdown. PMID- 17755532 TI - The effect of magmatic activity on hydrothermal venting along the superfast spreading East pacific rise. AB - A survey of hydrothermal activity along the superfast-spreading (approximately 150 millimeters per year) East Pacific Rise shows that hydrothermal plumes overlay approximately 60 percent of the ridge crest between 13 degrees 50' and 18 degrees 40'S, a plume abundance nearly twice that known from any other rige portion of comparable length. Plumes were most abundant where the axial cross section is inflated and an axial magma chamber is present. Plumes with high ratios of volatile ((3)He, CH(4), and H(2)S) to nonvolatile (Mn and Fe) species marked where hydrothermal circulation has been perturbed by recent magmatic activity. The high proportion of volatile-rich plumes observed implies that such episodes are more frequent here than on slower spreading ridges. PMID- 17755533 TI - Catalysis of the olivine to spinel transformation by high clinoenstatite. AB - Although enstatite is a major constituent of the Earth's upper mantle and subducting lithosphere, most kinetic studies of olivine phase transformations have typically involved single-phase polycrystalline aggregates. Transmission electron microscopy investigations of olivine to spinel and modified spinel (beta phase) reactions in the (Mg, Fe)(2)SiO(4)-(Mg,Fe)SiO(3) system show that transformation of olivine in the stability field of spinel plus phase begins with coherent nucleation of spinel on high-clinoenstatite grains. These observations demonstrate that high clinoenstatite can catalyze the transformation by enhancing nucleation kinetics and therefore imply that secondary phases can influence reaction kinetics during high-pressure mineral transformations. PMID- 17755534 TI - A Large Northern Hemisphere Terrestrial CO2 Sink Indicated by the 13C/12C Ratio of Atmospheric CO2. AB - Measurements of the concentrations and carbon-13/carbon-12 isotope ratios of atmospheric carbon dioxide can be used to quantify the net removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the oceans and terrestrial plants. A study of weekly samples from a global network of 43 sites defined the latitudinal and temporal patterns of the two carbon sinks. A strong terrestrial biospheric sink was found in the temperate latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere in 1992 and 1993, the magnitude of which is roughly half that of the global fossil fuel burning emissions for those years. The challenge now is to identify those processes that would cause the terrestrial biosphere to absorb carbon dioxide in such large quantities. PMID- 17755535 TI - Population dynamics of exploited fish stocks at low population levels. AB - Models of population dynamics in which per capita reproductive success declines at low population levels (variously known as depensation, the Allee effect, and inverse density-dependence) predict that populations can have multiple equilibria and may suddenly shift from one equilibrium to another. If such depensatory dynamics exist, reduced mortality may be insufficient to allow recovery of a population after abundance has been severely reduced by harvesting. Estimates of spawner abundance and number of surviving progeny for 128 fish stocks indicated only 3 stocks with significant depensation. Estimates of the statistical power of the tests strengthen the conclusion that depensatory dynamics are not apparent for fish populations at the levels studied. PMID- 17755536 TI - Impact of food and predation on the snowshoe hare cycle. AB - Snowshoe hare populations in the boreal forests of North America go through 10 year cycles. Supplemental food and mammalian predator abundance were manipulated in a factorial design on 1-square-kilometer areas for 8 years in the Yukon. Two blocks of forest were fertilized to test for nutrient effects. Predator exclosure doubled and food addition tripled hare density during the cyclic peak and decline. Predator exclosure combined with food addition increased density 11 fold. Added nutrients increased plant growth but not hare density. Food and predation together had a more than additive effect, which suggests that a three trophic-level interaction generates hare cycles. PMID- 17755537 TI - A life among stars. PMID- 17755538 TI - Vignettes: illiterature. PMID- 17755539 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17755540 TI - Wanted: Consistency. PMID- 17755541 TI - Science in the U.S.S.R. PMID- 17755542 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17755544 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17755543 TI - Biquartimin Criterion for Rotation to Oblique Simple Structure in Factor Analysis. PMID- 17755546 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17755545 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17755547 TI - Immortality and risk assessment. PMID- 17755548 TI - Supercollider Faces Budget Barrier: The SSC could lead to the creation of a new national laboratory, but budget constraints may force Congress to shelve the high energy physics project for some time. PMID- 17755549 TI - Will New Materials Stall SSC? PMID- 17755550 TI - Superphenix springs a leak. PMID- 17755551 TI - Big Versus Little Science in the Federal Budget: Conference attendees salute a generous budget about to die, and await the program cuts at NASA that are bound to follow. PMID- 17755553 TI - Report's Principal Findings. PMID- 17755552 TI - Raising the Stakes at Mount St. Helens: Scientists predicting the behavior of Mount St. Helens have been doing so well that the U.S. Forest Service is opening the mountain to the public; scientists have some doubts. PMID- 17755554 TI - A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing: Tephritid Flies Mimic Spider Predators. AB - Mimicry where prey resemble predators to avoid predation is unusual. Snowberry flies, Rhagoletis zephyria Snow, possess striped wing patterns that resemble the legs of jumping spiders. Observations and comparisons of responses of the jumping spider Salticus scenicus (Clerck) to conspecifics, snowberry flies, and other prey flies showed that snowberry flies can avoid predation by jumping spiders through spider mimicry. The mimicry effect was decreased by obliterating snowberry fly wing stripes. PMID- 17755555 TI - A tephritid fly mimics the territorial displays of its jumping spider predators. AB - The tephritid fly Zonosemata vittigera (Coquillett) has a leg-like pattern on its wings and a wing-waving display that together mimic the agonistic territorial displays of jumping spiders (Salticidae). Zonosemata flies initiate this display when stalked by jumping spiders, causing the spiders to display back and retreat. Wing transplant experiments showed that both the wing pattern and wing-waving displays are necessary for effective mimicry: Zonosemata flies with transplanted house fly wings and house flies with transplanted Zonosemata wings were attacked by jumping spiders. Similar experiments showed that this mimicry does not protect Zonosemata against nonsalticid predators. This is a novel form of sign stimulus mimicry that may occur more generally. PMID- 17755556 TI - Archeology of the midwest: central plains prehistory. PMID- 17755557 TI - The ecology of plant disease: plant virus epidemics. PMID- 17755558 TI - Neutrino mass: '86 massive neutrinos in astrophysics and in particle physics. PMID- 17755559 TI - Insect chemoreception: mechanisms in insect olfaction. PMID- 17755561 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17755560 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17755562 TI - THE MATAMEK CONFERENCE ON BIOLOGICAL CYCLES, 1931. PMID- 17755563 TI - THE "RICKETTSIAE" AND THE INTRACELLULAR "SYMBIONTS". PMID- 17755564 TI - RELIC OF AN EARLY AERIAL POST. PMID- 17755565 TI - THE CAUSE OF MOTTLED ENAMEL. PMID- 17755566 TI - THE ABDOMINAL WINDOW. PMID- 17755567 TI - SEXUAL RHYTHM IN THE CALIFORNIA OYSTER (OSTREA LURIDA). PMID- 17755568 TI - A METHOD FOR RIPENING HAEMATOXYLIN SOLUTIONS RAPIDLY. PMID- 17755570 TI - THE FORMATION OF GLYCINE FROM SERINE. PMID- 17755569 TI - RICE BRAN, A PREVENTIVE OF PEROSIS (DEFORMING LEG WEAKNESS) IN CHICKENS. PMID- 17755571 TI - MOSQUITOES, MALARIA AND THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC. PMID- 17755572 TI - MECHANISM OF ACTION OF ORDINARY WAR GASES. PMID- 17755573 TI - JACOB GOULD SCHURMAN 1854-1942. PMID- 17755574 TI - THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE FORESTS. PMID- 17755575 TI - THE NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17755576 TI - THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. PMID- 17755577 TI - THE BEACH PLUM PRIZES OF THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM. PMID- 17755578 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF TWO ANTIBACTERIAL SUBSTANCES, FUMIGACIN AND CLAVACIN. PMID- 17755579 TI - NATURAL PROTECTION AGAINST SUNBURN. PMID- 17755580 TI - THE SHOT-PUT AND THE EARTH'S ROTATION. PMID- 17755581 TI - THE LISTING OF MEDICAL SCHOOLS. PMID- 17755582 TI - WAR METALLURGICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17755584 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17755583 TI - STATEMENT. PMID- 17755585 TI - THE EFFECTS OF JEJUNAL TRANSPLANTS ON GASTRIC ACIDITY. PMID- 17755586 TI - THE EFFECTS OF ANTI-MICROBIAL SUBSTANCES OF BIOLOGICAL ORIGIN UPON BACTERIAL TOXINS. PMID- 17755587 TI - CAROTENOIDS OF TELIAL GALLS OF GYMNOSPORANGIUM JUNIPERI-VIRGINIANAE LK. AB - In an investigation of the pigments of the telial galls of the common rust fungus Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae Lk. beta- and gamma-carotenes were shown to be the only carotenoids present, with the gamma-isomer predominating. The identification of gamma-carotene was based on its more characteristic properties, behavior on an adsorbent, and its absorption spectra. Neither free nor esterified xanthophylls were present, and only traces of chlorophyll. The leaves of the juniper, besides containing chlorophyll, showed the presence of alpha-, beta- and gamma-carotene. PMID- 17755589 TI - MICROBIAL METABOLISM AND AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17755588 TI - CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS IN REVERSE. PMID- 17755591 TI - MEMORIAL LOAN FUND FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN SCIENCE. PMID- 17755590 TI - ROBERT BENNETT BEAN 1874-1944. PMID- 17755592 TI - THE BRITISH THERAPEUTIC TRIALS COMMITTEE. PMID- 17755594 TI - THE CLEVELAND PHYSICS SOCIETY. PMID- 17755593 TI - MEDALS OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE. PMID- 17755596 TI - "PHOTOPERIODISM" VERSUS "PHOTOPERIODICITY". PMID- 17755595 TI - ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION OR FERMENTATION. PMID- 17755597 TI - SPONGE NAMES. PMID- 17755598 TI - NOTES ON RUSSIAN AND OTHER EUROPEAN HERBARIA. PMID- 17755599 TI - NEW STRAINS OF PENICILLIUM NOTATUM INDUCED BY BOMBARDMENT WITH NEUTRONS. PMID- 17755600 TI - THE DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF BOVINE BRUCELLOSIS FROM THE BACTERICIDAL ACTION OF BLOOD PLASMA. PMID- 17755601 TI - DETOXICATION OF ARSENIC TRIOXIDE BY ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF FLUORIDES. PMID- 17755602 TI - DEPRESSION OF LYMPHOCYTE CONTENT OF THORACIC DUCT LYMPH BY ADRENOCORTICOTROPHIC HORMONE. PMID- 17755603 TI - SUSCEPTIBILITY OF HAMSTERS TO CLOSTRIDIUM CHAUVEI. PMID- 17755605 TI - NEW MATERIALS FOR DELAYING FRUIT ABSCISSION OF APPLES. PMID- 17755604 TI - THE GERMICIDAL EFFICIENCY OF EMULSEPT AND OF CHLORINE IN WASHING DIRTY EGGS. AB - The percentages of microorganisms killed with emulsept in these experiments for the same series of eggs are many times greater than the percentages of those killed when 100 ppm active chlorine was used. Experiments are in progress on other phases of this problem. PMID- 17755606 TI - APPARATUS FOR GROWING MICROORGANISMS ON A FLOWING MEDIUM. PMID- 17755607 TI - INFECTIOUS MYXOMATOSIS IN MALNOURISHED RABBITS. PMID- 17755608 TI - THE ESTIMATION OF PENICILLIN IN BODY FLUIDS. PMID- 17755609 TI - THE WEATHER-PREDICTIONS. PMID- 17755610 TI - SCIENTIFIC NEWS IN WASHINGTON. PMID- 17755611 TI - THE POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE. PMID- 17755612 TI - The Unusual Prevalence of Fog during May. PMID- 17755613 TI - MENTAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17755614 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17755615 TI - ELECTRICAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17755616 TI - Answers. PMID- 17755617 TI - New York Schools. PMID- 17755618 TI - Genealogy of Ideas. PMID- 17755619 TI - SUBMARINE GRAVITY DETERMINATIONS. PMID- 17755620 TI - ECLIPSE EXPEDITIONS. PMID- 17755621 TI - THE CONTROL OF INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17755622 TI - THE TORNADO RECORD. PMID- 17755623 TI - THE ASCENT OF SAP. PMID- 17755625 TI - THOMAS JEFFERSON, THE PIONEER OF AMERICAN PALEONTOLOGY. PMID- 17755624 TI - SCIENCE IN THE GOVERNMENT. PMID- 17755627 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17755626 TI - THE POTENTIALITIES OF ENTOMOLOGY. PMID- 17755628 TI - IS LIFE QUANTITY? PMID- 17755629 TI - MICROPHOTOGRAPH OR PHOTOMICROGRAPH? PMID- 17755630 TI - HERMAPHRODITISM IN ARBACIA. PMID- 17755631 TI - WHEN IS NORMAL NORMAL? PMID- 17755633 TI - THE IN VIVO CULTIVATION OF INTESTINAL PROTOZOA IN PARASITE-FREE CHICKS. PMID- 17755632 TI - THE AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION. PMID- 17755634 TI - IS THE TWELVE-HOUR VARIATION IN ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AN ELECTRIC PHENOMENON? PMID- 17755635 TI - New science. PMID- 17755636 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17755637 TI - Kinetic energy: saltation. PMID- 17755638 TI - Atmospheric sulfur. PMID- 17755640 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17755639 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17755642 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17755641 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17755643 TI - Diet and stomach cancer. PMID- 17755644 TI - The future of graduate education, if any. PMID- 17755645 TI - Contribution of r&d to economic growth in the United States. AB - Technological change has certainly contributed in a very important way to economic growth in the United States. Although existing studies have not been able to estimate this contribution with great accuracy, they have certainly indicated that this contribution has been large. Moreover, although econometric studies of the relationship between R&D and productivity increase have been subject to many limitations, they provide reasonably persuasive evidence that R&D has an important effect on productivity increase in the industries and time periods that have been studied. Turning to the adequacy of the nation's investment in R&D, there is too little evidence to support a very confident judgment as to whether or not we are underinvesting in certain types of R&D. However, practically all of the studies addressed to this question seem to conclude, with varying degrees of confidence, that we may be underinvesting in particular types of R&D in the civilian sector of the economy, and the estimated marginal rates of return from certain types of civilian R&D seem very high. Additional research is badly needed to determine more adequately the relationship of R&D to economic growth. I have indicated a number of specific areas where work is needed. PMID- 17755647 TI - Public-interest advocates examine role of scientists. PMID- 17755648 TI - National Science Foundation: The House That McElroy Built. PMID- 17755646 TI - Freedom of information: officials thwart public right to know. PMID- 17755649 TI - Tough Talk on NSF. PMID- 17755650 TI - Solar neutrinos: where are they? PMID- 17755651 TI - Deuterium content of peat as a paleoclimatic recorder. AB - During the transformation of vegetable matter into peat the initial deuterium concentration decreases systematically with increasing carbon content. From this relationship the original deuterium content of the plants that formed the peat in Dutch peat bogs can be derived, and the values obtained can be correlated with past summer temperatures in the Netherlands. PMID- 17755652 TI - Venus: topography revealed by radar data. AB - Surface height variations over the entire equatorial region on Venus have been estimated from extended series of measurements of interplanetary radar echo delays. Most notable is a mountainous section of about 3-kilometer peak height located at a longitude of 100 degrees (International Astronomical Union coordinate system). The eastern edge has an average inclination of about 0.5 degrees, which is unusually steep for a large-scale slope on Venus. The resolution of the radar measurements along the surface of Venus varied between about 200 and 400 kilometers with a repeatability in altitude determination generally between 200 and 500 meters. The mean equatorial radius was found to be 6050.0+/-0.5 kilometers. PMID- 17755653 TI - Crystallization studies of lunar igneous rocks: crystal structure of synthetic armalcolite. AB - Crystals of armalcolite, Mg(0.5)Fe(0.5)Ti(2)O(5), up to several millimeters in length have been grown from a glass initially having the composition of lunar rock 10017. A single-crystal x-ray study has confirmed that the crystals are isomorphous with pseudobrookite and has shown that the cations are strongly ordered, with the Ti(4+) ions occupying the 8f sites and the Fe(2+) and Mg(2+) ions randomly distributed over the 4c sites. An examination of karrooite, MgTi(2)O(5), has revealed a similar distribution of Mg(2+) and Ti(4+) ions. A reexamination of earlier x-ray and Mossbauer data for pseudobrookite, Fe(2)TiO(5), has shown that it is more consistent with this type of ordering than with the inverse structure that has been generally assumed. PMID- 17755654 TI - Lystrosaurus zone (triassic) fauna from antarctica. AB - Tetrapod skeletons recently found in the Fremouw Formation in the Shackleton Glacier area, Transantarctic Mountains, include several forms that closely compare to South African species. Faunal similarities that confirm a close connection between Antarctica and Africa during the Triassic Period lend further support to the concept of Gondwanaland and continental drift. PMID- 17755655 TI - Sieving behavior of a series membrane system. PMID- 17755656 TI - Bocono fault, venezuelan andes. PMID- 17755657 TI - Stability of enriched aquatic ecosystems. PMID- 17755658 TI - Fusion reactor design studies. PMID- 17755659 TI - International decade of climatology. PMID- 17755660 TI - Statistics and rare phenomena. PMID- 17755661 TI - An R & d delivery system. PMID- 17755662 TI - Maya lowland hydraulic systems. PMID- 17755663 TI - The science court experiment: an interim report. PMID- 17755664 TI - Chinese earthquakes: the maoist approach to seismology. PMID- 17755665 TI - Entomological society of america: a vote which raises advocacy issue. PMID- 17755666 TI - CIA Research: Duckett Out, Dirks In. PMID- 17755668 TI - NAS Committee on Asbestos: Discovery of a Special Relationship. PMID- 17755667 TI - Flunked agency says it actually performed quite well. PMID- 17755669 TI - Air force bestows on national archives a trove for ufologists. PMID- 17755670 TI - Coal research (I): is the program moving ahead? PMID- 17755671 TI - Oil and coal: a troublesome mix. PMID- 17755672 TI - The hydrogen-bomb decision: a reappraisal. PMID- 17755673 TI - Vegetation and culture. PMID- 17755674 TI - Photochemistry. PMID- 17755675 TI - Adaptations of plants. PMID- 17755676 TI - Rhizoid differentiation in fern spores: experimental manipulation. AB - Germination in spores of the fern Onoclea sensibilis is initiated by an asymmetric division that partitions the spore into two cells of unequal size. The unequal daughter cells differentiate immediately into distinct types. When spores are germinated on the surface of solutions of methanol, the initial division is symmetrical, and the daughter cells from this equal division develop into the same type of cell. The differentiation of a rhizoid from the smaller cell in untreated spores is suppressed by methanol treatment. PMID- 17755678 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17755677 TI - Skeletal calcite in living scleractinian corals: microboring fillings, not primary skeletal deposits. PMID- 17755679 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17755680 TI - Hither the university. PMID- 17755681 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17755682 TI - Dictation to science by laymen. PMID- 17755683 TI - Ship canals and aquatic ecosystems. PMID- 17755684 TI - Can science survive in the modern age? AB - A recent newspaper account of the 1970 annual meeting of the AAAS was headlined, "Science's Blank Check Bounces." I am not, however, advocating that giving a "blank check" to science will solve all our problems. The discussion of science policy in the last three decades has too often confused necessary with sufficient conditions. A strong basic science is a necessary condition for a strong economy, a livable environment, and a tolerable society. But it is by no means a sufficient condition. That a vital science is an indispensable tool of human welfare in the present stage of evolution of man on the planet does not mean that it is the only tool or that it cannot also produce the opposite. Indeed, there seems almost to be a complementarity between the power for good and the power for evil inherent in science. Nuclear energy poses the possibility of nuclear holocaust, but is indispensable to a continuing supply of energy after fossil fuels run out. The computer threatens us with "big brother," but seems indispensable to the rational management of our complex social structures. Molecular genetics could be used for frightful purposes, but opens up the prospect of the final conquest of human disease and food supply. Drugs which control human behavior have opened up frightful possibilities for abuse and self destruction, but they also offer the hope of conquest of mental illness. What I have referred to are really technologies, not science, but science is needed to use them wisely, although it will not guarantee their wise use. Although science cannot ask for a blank check, there is a part of it which must have the autonomy to "do its own thing"if it is to continue to serve society. How much of science should have this autonomy, and what sort of accountability should be required of it will be matters of continuing debate. Some accountability outside the scientific system itself is essential, as in any other human activity, but the degree of external accountability which is necessary will depend also on the success with which science maintains its own system of internal accountability, guaranteeing the intellectual excellence and integrity of its results. Although I do not believe scientists can be held accountable for the uses which society makes of the knowledge they produce, they do have an obligation to make clear the implications of this knowledge insofar as it is within their special intellectual competence to do so. However, I believe that the highest allegiance of science must continue to be to truth as defined by the validation procedures of the scientific process itself, and that the distortion of scientific results or the selective use of evidence for political purposes, no matter how worthy, is unforgivable insofar as it is presented cloaked by the authority and imputed objectivity of science. That science should have a measure of autonomy does not mean it cannot also respond to new social priorities. As in the past, new social missions can open up exciting new scientific questions, as fundamental as any generated by the internal workings of science. However, what is important is that no matter how much the broad strategy of science might be influenced by social priorities, the tactics should be largely governed by scientific criteria. Furthermore, it is essential that some science be supported and cultivated for its own sake alone. Here the primary criterion must be excellence as judged scientifically, that is, by internal standards. The fraction of the total technical effort that is supported in this way should have some degree of constancy over the long term. You are no doubt wondering what is the answer to the question posed by the title of this article. I cannot give a definite answer one way or the other. The threats to the integrity of science, both from within and from without, are probably greater than at any time in the past, because science is much more a part of the total social and political process, no longer the semihobby of a few dedicated and somewhat eccentric individuals. But I am an optimist. I do not think that the scientific enterprise is going down the drain. It will change, as science has always changed. It will respond to new social priorities, but, like an organism responding to disease, it will develop antibodies which will fight and finally contain excessive control by external criteria, and in fact will transform these external pressures into new opportunities and new fundamental fields of inquiry. But I could be wrong! PMID- 17755686 TI - Le Vaudreuil: French Experiment in Urbanism without Tears. PMID- 17755687 TI - Moths 65...USDA 0. PMID- 17755685 TI - Change in argonne national laboratory: a case study. AB - Despite traditional opposition to change within an institution and the known reluctance of an "old guard" to accept new managerial policies and techniques, the reactions suggested in this study go well beyond the level of a basic resistance to change. The response, indeed, drawn from a random sampling of Laboratory scientific and engineering personnel, comes close to what Philip Handler has recently described as a run on the scientific bank in a period of depression (1, p. 146). It appears that Argonne's apprehension stems less from the financial cuts that have reduced staff and diminished programs by an annual 10 percent across the last 3 fiscal years than from the administrative and conceptual changes that have stamped the institution since 1966. Administratively, the advent of the AUA has not forged a sense of collaborative effort implicit in the founding negotiations or contributed noticeably to increasing standards of excellence at Argonne. The AUA has, in fact, yet to exercise the constructive powers vested in them by the contract of reviewing and formulating long-term policy on the research and reactor side. Additionally, the University of Chicago, once the single operator, appears to have forfeited some of the trust and understanding that characterized the Laboratory's attitude to it in former years. In a period of complex and sensitive management the present directorate at Argonne is seriously dissociated from a responsible spectrum of opinion within the Laboratory. The crux of discontent among the creative scientific and engineering community appears to lie in a developed sense of being overadministered. In contrast to earlier periods, Argonne's professional staff feels a critical need for a voice in the formulation of Laboratory programs and policy. The Argonne senate could supply this mechanism. Slow to rally, their present concern springs from a firm conviction that the Laboratory is "withering on the vine." By contrast, the Laboratory director Powers, William B. Cannon, who is vice president of programs and projects of the University of Chicago, and a small selection of staff members believe that the Laboratory is going through a natural and inevitable process of change consonant with altered missions and objectives in an atomic energy laboratory. The general mood, however, demonstrates the Jeffersonian insight, as relevant in science as in politics, that only democratic governance provides salutary checks and balances when things go wrong. The point deserves close scrutiny when Argonne's tripartite contract comes up for renegotiation in October 1971. Fundamentally Argonne's relations with its sponsoring agency remain at the center of its progress and future plans. Despite administrative and management changes, there is little doubt that he who pays the piper calls the tune. In common with other federal contract research and development adjuncts, Argonne has undoubtedly undergone tightening and winnowing away of flexibility in the past 6 years. In the nuclear reactor program the consequences have been strongly felt, and stringent national budgets have widened the tendency in the research domain. The impact of these changes and of AEC's attitude to basic research raise large questions for the future of the national laboratories. Few doubt that these "major national assets," with their outstanding scientific and technical personnel and equipment, fulfill a unique function and are here to stay, though their missions may undergo some change; the question of their most effective direction and handling, however, remains crucial for those concerned with priorities and decision-making for science. A recent review of 40 national federal adjuncts (30,31) has indicated that the primary sponsoring agency obtains better performance from a center that has a relatively high degree of independence than from one that is tightly controlled. The point is confirmed at Argonne where the present tendency (particularly on the nuclear reactor front) to use creative scientists as skilled technicians performing tasks specified in detail from Washington threatens to deprive the nation of the benefit of their scientific creativity and of their objective review and evaluation of AEC's programs. "The case for independence," Alan Pifer, president of Carnegie Corporation, has summed up the matter cogently, "rests on the simple proposition that for government to reap the real benefits that these organizations offer, they must be genuinely independent. If they are anything less than this, their effectiveness will be compromised. Among the benefits, as we have seen, can be a special capacity for experimentation, objectivity, the ability to recruit specially trained or talented personnel, flexibility, economy, and efficiency. Each of these benefits is a direct function of the quality of the management of these organizations, and this in turn is a function of the degree of independence which management is accorded. In short, able men know that freedom of action is essential to their own highest performance, and they will demand it. Having won it, they will resist all attempts at government to erode it" (30). PMID- 17755688 TI - Manpower: federal register of scientists "discontinued". PMID- 17755689 TI - Ruckelshaus on accountability. AB - In an address to the American Chemlical Society on 13 Septemeber, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator William D. Ruckelshaus said that "Decisions such as the fate of DDT are not decisions solely within the purview of the scientist to make in his laboratory. Rather they are basic societal decisions about what kind of a life people want and about what risks they are willing to accept to achieve it." He went on to discuss in the following passage his own conception of the accountability of himself and of scientists to the public: PMID- 17755690 TI - Vermont: forced to figure in big power picture. PMID- 17755691 TI - OEO Hedges on Kentucky Program. PMID- 17755693 TI - Aspirin: New Perspective on Everyman's Medicine. PMID- 17755692 TI - Appointmeints. PMID- 17755694 TI - Space groups not always derivable by parallelohedra and subdivision into stereohedra. PMID- 17755695 TI - Primordial oil slick. AB - Calculations and some preliminary experiments suggest that an early methane atmosphere would have been polymerized by solar ultraviolet radiation in geologically short periods of time. An oil slick 1 to 10 meters thick could have been produced in this way and might well have been of considerable importance in the development of life. PMID- 17755697 TI - 29-30 december polar deserts. PMID- 17755696 TI - Fecal pellets: role in sedimentation of pelagic diatoms. AB - Membrane-enclosed fecal pellets of planktonic herbivores were sampled at several depths in the Baltic Sea (459 meters deep) and off Portugal (4000 meters deep) by means of a Simonsen multinet. Pellets contained mainly empty shells of planktonic diatoms and silicoflagellates. Two kinds of fecal pellets were found, those with the remains of one species (for example, Thalassiosira baltica) and those with the remains of several species (for example, Chaetoceros, Achnanthes, and Thalassiosira). Siliceous skeletons were protected from dissolution during settling by a membrane around the pellet. PMID- 17755698 TI - 27 december experimental manipulations of natural systems. PMID- 17755699 TI - BROMINE FROM SEA WATER. PMID- 17755700 TI - THE GROWTH OF BACTERIA IN POLARIZED LIGHT. PMID- 17755702 TI - THE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17755701 TI - GIANT NEBULAE. PMID- 17755703 TI - DEVICE TO RECLAIM MOTOR OIL. PMID- 17755704 TI - PITHECANTHROPUS ERECTUS. PMID- 17755705 TI - EXCAVATIONS IN MONGOLIA. PMID- 17755706 TI - THE TREND OF THOUGHT IN PHYSICS. PMID- 17755707 TI - THE BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE MOUNT DESERT ISLAND (MAINE) REGION. PMID- 17755708 TI - CHARLES ANTHONY GOESSMANN. PMID- 17755709 TI - CONFUSING TRAFFIC SIGNALS. PMID- 17755710 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17755711 TI - "TUMBLING" IN A WILD MOURNING DOVE. PMID- 17755713 TI - THE UNDERTOW MYTH. PMID- 17755712 TI - A QUOTATION FROM HIPPOCRATES. PMID- 17755714 TI - THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION IN NORTH CAROLINA. PMID- 17755716 TI - THE RELATION OF EXERCISE TO RICKETS IN WHITE RATS. PMID- 17755715 TI - A FIELD TRIP AID. PMID- 17755717 TI - COINCIDENCE BETWEEN THE RANGES OF FORMS OF WESTERN YELLOW PINE, BARK BEETLES AND MISTLETOE. PMID- 17755719 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY (II.). PMID- 17755718 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY (IV.). PMID- 17755720 TI - LABORATORY TEACHING OF LARGE CLASSES--ZOOLOGY. PMID- 17755721 TI - NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY OF THE LOBSTER. PMID- 17755722 TI - THE NEWARK SYSTEM. PMID- 17755723 TI - DEATH OF GEORGE N. LAWRENCE. PMID- 17755724 TI - SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. PMID- 17755725 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17755727 TI - WAS PAUL GULDIN A PLAGIARIST? PMID- 17755726 TI - THE SOLAR SYSTEM--SOME UNSOLVED PROBLEMS. PMID- 17755728 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17755730 TI - CRYSTALLINE TETRAMETHYL MANNOSE. PMID- 17755731 TI - ROBERT SIMPSON WOODWARD. PMID- 17755729 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17755733 TI - THE NEBRASKA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17755732 TI - OPTIMUM CONDITIONS FOR MUSIC IN ROOMS. PMID- 17755734 TI - THE ATTENUATION OF PLANT VIRUSES AND THE INACTIVATING INFLUENCE OF OXYGEN. PMID- 17755736 TI - Coincidence Method. PMID- 17755735 TI - Nature's Birthday. PMID- 17755737 TI - R. W. Wood, Physicist. PMID- 17755738 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17755739 TI - National Academy of Sciences: Abstracts of Papers Presented at the Autumn Meeting, 2-4 November 1955, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. PMID- 17755740 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17755741 TI - THE BALLISTIC GALVANOMETER AND ITS USE IN MAGNETIC MEASUREMENTS. PMID- 17755742 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND MODERN INTELLECTUAL LIFE. PMID- 17755743 TI - THE LIQUEFACTION OF GASES.--A CONTROVERSY. PMID- 17755744 TI - JAMES EDWARD OLIVER. PMID- 17755745 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY (VIII.). PMID- 17755746 TI - JAMES DWIGHT DANA. PMID- 17755747 TI - THE EDUCATION OF THE TOPOGRAPHER. PMID- 17755748 TI - THE HELMHOLTZ MEMORIAL. PMID- 17755749 TI - BOTANICAL PARTICIPATION IN WAR WORK. PMID- 17755750 TI - SAMUEL WENDELL WILLISTON. PMID- 17755751 TI - DESMOGNATHUS FUSCUS (SIC). PMID- 17755753 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17755752 TI - HAY FEVER AND THE NATIONAL FLOWER. PMID- 17755755 TI - THE AMERICAN METRIC ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17755754 TI - OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTACT INFECTION. PMID- 17755756 TI - A PRELIMINARY NOTE ON A BACTERIAL DISEASE OF FOXTAIL. PMID- 17755758 TI - AN OUTLINE OF THE PROGRESS OF CHEMISTRY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. PMID- 17755757 TI - PROFESSOR ROWLAND, 1848-1901. PMID- 17755759 TI - CAMPANUS. PMID- 17755760 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17755761 TI - THE TEACHING OF PHYSIOLOGY IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. PMID- 17755762 TI - THE NEW COMET. PMID- 17755764 TI - UNILATERAL COLORATION WITH A BILATERAL EFFECT. PMID- 17755763 TI - THE LARYNX AS AN INSTRUMENT OF MUSIC. PMID- 17755765 TI - VELOCITY OF IONS FROM ELECTRIC ARCS AND FROM HOT WIRES. PMID- 17755766 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17755767 TI - MODULUS OF CONSTANT CROSS SECTION. PMID- 17755769 TI - MUSEUM NOTES. PMID- 17755770 TI - AQUATIC RESOURCES OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. PMID- 17755768 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17755771 TI - THE BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. PMID- 17755772 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17755773 TI - INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN HUMAN BLOOD. PMID- 17755775 TI - A METHOD FOR EXPLANTING THE KIDNEY. PMID- 17755774 TI - CENTRAL BODIES IN THE SPERM-FORMING DIVISIONS OF ASCARIS. PMID- 17755777 TI - THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17755776 TI - MORE ABOUT SHIPWORMS. PMID- 17755778 TI - A CONFERENCE ON HEREDITY AS APPLIED TO MAN. PMID- 17755779 TI - AN AUTOMATIC BALANCE. PMID- 17755780 TI - SECTIONING ORBITOID FORAMINIFERA. PMID- 17755781 TI - A POSSIBLE PHYSIOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE LAW OF THE DIMINISHING INCREMENT. PMID- 17755782 TI - THE ROLE OF COPPER IN THE SETTING AND METAMORPHOSIS OF THE OYSTER. PMID- 17755783 TI - EXPERIMENTS IN TERMITE CASTE DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17755784 TI - DIOECIOUS MAIZE. PMID- 17755785 TI - MORPHOLOGY AS A DYNAMIC SCIENCE. PMID- 17755786 TI - THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER IN VIRGINIA. PMID- 17755787 TI - THE DISTRIBUTION OF BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS. PMID- 17755788 TI - ALKALIZE, ALKALINIZE AND ALKALIFY. PMID- 17755789 TI - PARTHENOGENESIS IN THE GRASSES. PMID- 17755790 TI - THE SIMILARITY OF ACTION OF MALE HORMONES AND ADRENAL EXTRACTS ON THE FEMALE BITTERLING. PMID- 17755791 TI - BUILT-UP FILMS OF PROTEINS AND THEIR PROPERTIES. PMID- 17755792 TI - FOURTH ANNUAL TRI-STATE (ILLINOIS, IOWA, WISCONSIN) GEOLOGICAL FIELD CONFERENCE. PMID- 17755793 TI - PRESENT PROBLEMS OF GEOPHYSICS. PMID- 17755794 TI - THE DOMAIN OF PHYSIOLOGY AND ITS RELATIONS TO MEDICINE. PMID- 17755795 TI - Praktikum fur morphologische. PMID- 17755796 TI - THE STOMACH STONES OF THE PLESIOSAURS. PMID- 17755797 TI - AN ARTIFICIAL ROOT FOR INDUCING CAPILLARY MOVEMENT OF SOIL MOISTURE. PMID- 17755798 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17755799 TI - MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF COMMITTEE ON POLICY OF THE ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17755800 TI - WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE? PMID- 17755802 TI - THE PITTSBURGH EXPERIMENT STATION OF THE BUREAU OF MINES. PMID- 17755801 TI - THE FUNCTIONS OF AN ENVIRONMENT. PMID- 17755803 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17755805 TI - MULTIPLE FACTORS IN HUMAN SKIN COLOR. PMID- 17755804 TI - THE FUR-SEAL COMMISSION. PMID- 17755806 TI - GYROSCOPIC QUANTA. PMID- 17755807 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17755808 TI - DIADOPHIS PUNCTATA IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN. PMID- 17755809 TI - PROFESSORS IN COUNCIL. PMID- 17755810 TI - THE LANGUAGE OF THE BRAZILIAN PEOPLE. PMID- 17755811 TI - SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS MINUS SCIENCE. PMID- 17755813 TI - THE CHEMICAL DYNAMICS OF LIVING PROTOPLASM. PMID- 17755812 TI - THE PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF THE OYSTERS. PMID- 17755814 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17755816 TI - DANGERS OF X-RAY THERAPY. PMID- 17755815 TI - POSSIBLE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF COSMIC RAYS. PMID- 17755817 TI - VITAMIN CONTENT OF DRIED FRUITS. PMID- 17755818 TI - RECENT EARTHQUAKES. PMID- 17755820 TI - WOOD-ROT STUDIES. PMID- 17755819 TI - BETA LACTOSE. PMID- 17755821 TI - ICE CREAM FOR RICKETS. PMID- 17755823 TI - DISCUSSION OF PAPERS ON THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF SCIENTIFIC WORKERS. PMID- 17755822 TI - SALARY SCALES OF TRAINED MEN AND WOMEN. AB - A comparison of salary scales of trained men shows rather clearly at the present time that (1) The pay scale of endowed and state universities and agricultural colleges is approximately like that of the commissioned officers of the army and the navy, but lacks the advantage of the retiring pension of three fourths pay. This pension often relieves the military and naval officer of the necessity of saving for old age. The saving required of the academic man to give him an equivalent retiring fund is not practicable at the present salary scale. (2) It shows that the academic salary scale is appreciably lower than that of the professional and scientific services of the national government at Washington. The retiring allowance of the government employee, though small, and in part contributed by the employee himself, gives him a distinct advantage. (3) The salaries of all groups above mentioned are very much lower than those paid in manufacturing enterprises to positions above the wage-earners. In order to make a concrete comparison, I will enumerate the positions that on the average command salaries of $3,000, $6,000 and $9,000 respectively in these different lines of work. PMID- 17755824 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17755825 TI - BABYLONIAN MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17755826 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17755827 TI - BIOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS IN AMERICA. PMID- 17755828 TI - GEOLOGICAL MAP OF NEW MEXICO. PMID- 17755829 TI - FORBESICHTHYS FOR FORBESELLA. PMID- 17755830 TI - INTESTINAL PROTOZOA AND CECAL MATERIAL IN RATS. PMID- 17755831 TI - LABORATORY USES OF ULTRA-VIOLET TRANSMITTING GLASSES. PMID- 17755832 TI - A VIBRATO TONOMETER. PMID- 17755833 TI - THE EFFECT OF X-RAYS ON BACTERIA. AB - (1) X-rays act like sterilizing agents upon cultures of B.coli and Erythrobacillus prodigiosus, in that the curves are characteristic sterilization or death-rate curves showing that the total counts decrease logarithmically with time. (2) In this experiment B.coli did not show variation or mutation when it was treated with X-rays. (3) With increasing irradiation Erythrobacillus prodigiosus showed a tendency toward lack of ability to produce its characteristic red pigment. By allowing the organism to grow on the plate for a period of five days the greater portion of the colonies produced their pigment. If a transfer of a white colony is made to an agar slant the characteristic pigment is produced in twelve hours. In only one case was it necessary to make a second transfer in order to bring about the development of the pigment. The above is another example of the variation tendency of Erythrobacillus prodigiosus. PMID- 17755834 TI - MULTIPLE GLACIATION IN THE SIERRA NEVADA. PMID- 17755835 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17755837 TI - THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17755836 TI - A TASK FOR ANATOMISTS. PMID- 17755838 TI - PROPOSED ENGLISH FISHERY BOARD. PMID- 17755840 TI - The Davenport tablets. PMID- 17755839 TI - A thunder-squall in New England. PMID- 17755841 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17755843 TI - What was the rose of Sharon? PMID- 17755842 TI - Thermometer exposure and the contour of the earth's surface. PMID- 17755844 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17755845 TI - An old-time salt-storm. PMID- 17755846 TI - Partition of Patagonia. PMID- 17755847 TI - Double vision. PMID- 17755848 TI - THE CORAL REEFS OF TUTUILA, SAMOA. PMID- 17755849 TI - A NOVEL MAGNETO-OPTICAL EFFECT. PMID- 17755851 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17755850 TI - EDWARD BENNETT ROSA. PMID- 17755852 TI - GERMAN SURTAXES ON SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS. PMID- 17755853 TI - NEWTON'S CORPUSCULAR THEORY OF LIGHT. PMID- 17755854 TI - RESISTANCE TO STEM RUST IN KANRED WHEAT. PMID- 17755855 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17755856 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17755858 TI - GEOLOGICAL AND ARCHEOLOGICAL RECORDS OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA. PMID- 17755857 TI - THE RELATION OF PHYSIOLOGY TO OTHER SCIENCES. PMID- 17755859 TI - LANCETILLA EXPERIMENT STATION. PMID- 17755860 TI - THE DISCOVERY OF LIVING MICRORGANISMS IN ANCIENT ROCKS. PMID- 17755861 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17755862 TI - THE SO-CALLED SIEVE OF ERATOSTHENES. PMID- 17755863 TI - NOTE ON THE RADIAL MAGNETIC GRADIENT OF THE SUN. PMID- 17755864 TI - COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS. PMID- 17755866 TI - DIAGRAMS RELATIVE TO HAMILTON'S CANONICAL EQUATIONS. PMID- 17755865 TI - ECTOGONY OR METAXENIA? PMID- 17755867 TI - AN APPARATUS FOR WASHING HISTOLOGICAL MATERIALS. PMID- 17755868 TI - THE GERM CELL CYCLE OF THE DIGENETIC TREMATODES. PMID- 17755869 TI - Pleistocene climate. PMID- 17755870 TI - Documenting science and technology. PMID- 17755871 TI - U.N. Energy conference: substance and politics. PMID- 17755872 TI - Hydrogen storage materials: properties and possibilities. AB - The physics, chemistry, and possible applications of the storage of hydrogen in intermetallic reservoirs are discussed. Storage in the form of intermetallic hydrides can be safe and, where hydrogen has some special value as a fuel, economical. New pumps and refrigerators based on the heat of sorption of the hydrogen into the intermetallic are approaching commercial viability. PMID- 17755873 TI - Creationism goes on trial in arkansas. PMID- 17755874 TI - Diablo canyon license suspended. PMID- 17755875 TI - The purge of leafy spurge. PMID- 17755876 TI - Koop confirmed as surgeon general. PMID- 17755878 TI - The threat to one million species. PMID- 17755877 TI - Whitehead link approved. PMID- 17755879 TI - Biologists buy a piece of the tropics. PMID- 17755881 TI - 1981 election results. PMID- 17755880 TI - Mauna Kea (II): Coming of Age. PMID- 17755882 TI - Science and secrecy. PMID- 17755883 TI - Issues of aging subject of seminar. PMID- 17755885 TI - Reminder. PMID- 17755884 TI - Meeting notes. PMID- 17755886 TI - NSF Committee to Hold Hearings at Annual Meeting. PMID- 17755888 TI - Science communication and support sessions set for 3 january. PMID- 17755887 TI - Mass media ... And engineering. PMID- 17755890 TI - 1980 aaas summary financial statements. PMID- 17755891 TI - The british association in retrospect. PMID- 17755889 TI - Environmental Sciences Symposium Held in People's Republic of China. PMID- 17755892 TI - Biological timekeeping. PMID- 17755893 TI - Risk factors in breast cancer. PMID- 17755894 TI - Protein evolution. PMID- 17755895 TI - Aqueous solutions. PMID- 17755896 TI - Caterpillar setae: insulation for an ectotherm. AB - Gypsy moth caterpillars have long, soft setae distributed along the lateral portions of the body, but only short, stiff setae on the dorsal surface. Setae act as selective insulation for caterpillars by reducing the rates of convective heat exchange without affecting the rates of radiative heat exchange. Changes in posture abolish the effects of the setae by maximizing convection and minimizing radiant heat uptake. PMID- 17755897 TI - Extrinsic microbial degradation of the alligator eggshell. AB - The outer, densely calcified layer of the alligator eggshell shows progressive crystal dissolution, with the production of concentrically stepped erosion craters, as incubation progresses. This dissolution is caused by the acidic metabolic by-products of nest bacteria. Extrinsic degradation serves to gradually increase the porosity and decrease the strength of the eggshell. PMID- 17755898 TI - Vibrio damsela, a Marine Bacterium, Causes Skin Ulcers on the Damselfish Chromis punctipinnis. AB - A previously undescribed marine bacterium, Vibrio damsela, was isolated from naturally occurring skin ulcers on a species of temperate-water damselfish, the blacksmith (Chromis punctipinnis). Laboratory infection of the blacksmith with Vibrio damsela produced similar ulcers. Vibrio damsela was pathogenic for four other species of damselfish but not for members of other families of fish. The bacterium has also been isolated from water and from two human wounds and may be a cause of human disease. PMID- 17755899 TI - Pheromone orientation: role of internal control mechanisms. AB - Male American cockroaches walk a zigzag path upwind toward a source of female sex pheromone. Although the maximum width of the pathway is regulated by the width of an odor plume, many turns are made before the edge of a wide plume is encountered. In addition to the pheromone regulation of the insect's orientation movements, an internal mechanism appears to influence the zigzag turning pattern. PMID- 17755900 TI - Endogenous opiates and stress-induced eating. PMID- 17755901 TI - Limitations in identifying neurotransmitters within neurons by fluorescent histochemistry techniques. PMID- 17755902 TI - SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF VITAMINS. PMID- 17755903 TI - THE USE AND MISUSE OF SCIENCE IN GOVERNMENT. PMID- 17755904 TI - WILLIAM ALBERT NOYES, 1857-1941. PMID- 17755906 TI - GIFTS AND BEQUESTS TO NEW YORK UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17755905 TI - MATARO NAGAYO. PMID- 17755907 TI - THE NEW YORK MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY AND THE HENRY R. TOWNE ENDOWMENT FUND. PMID- 17755908 TI - THE NEW HALL OF ETHNOLOGY OF THE MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO. PMID- 17755909 TI - THE AWARD OF MEDALS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17755911 TI - THE NEW YORK MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. PMID- 17755910 TI - RESIGNATION OF DR. ROY CHAPMAN ANDREWS AS DIRECTOR OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17755912 TI - THE POLARIZATION OF ATMOSPHERIC HAZE. PMID- 17755914 TI - THE OBLIGATION OF THE UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17755913 TI - SOME EFFECTS OF BINOCULAR VISION. PMID- 17755915 TI - PHYSICS IN PRE-NAZI GERMANY. PMID- 17755916 TI - THE NUTRITION SOCIETY. PMID- 17755917 TI - PURIFICATION OF THE VIRUS OF MOUSE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (THEILER'S VIRUS). PMID- 17755918 TI - THE SECTION OF PSYCHOLOGY OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17755919 TI - THE CARCINOGENIC EFFECT OF METHYLCHOLANTHRENE AND OF TAR ON RABBIT PAPILLOMAS DUE TO A VIRUS. PMID- 17755920 TI - A COLORIMETRIC TEST FOR VITAMIN K1. PMID- 17755921 TI - POLYPHENOLASE ACTIVITY AS A PRIMARY CAUSE IN DARKENING OF BOILED POTATOES. PMID- 17755923 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17755922 TI - CONCENTRATION OF ENZYMES AND OTHER BIOLOGICAL COLLOIDS BY DIALYSIS. PMID- 17755924 TI - The laws of sociodynamics. PMID- 17755925 TI - Erratum. AB - In figure 2B (p. 1236) of the report "Induction of CD4(+) human cytolytic T cells specific for HIV-infected cells by a gp160 subunit vaccine" by R. J. Orentas et al. (8 June, p. 1234), the labels for HIV-infected and mock-infected cells were reversed. PMID- 17755926 TI - Billion-dollar zeolite? PMID- 17755927 TI - NSF, NIH Apply Band-Aids. PMID- 17755928 TI - Fang Lizhi: "Thinking" His Way to Freedom: China's most famous dissident consoled himself during a yearlong captivity by considering the large-scale structure of the universe. PMID- 17755929 TI - Doing a Dirty Job-- The Old-Fashioned Way: Earthquakes, dam cdollapses, toxic wastes--they're analyzed by outdated methods, partly because of technical conservatism. PMID- 17755930 TI - Academy dumps on waste rules. PMID- 17755931 TI - Free software "genius" honored. PMID- 17755932 TI - Old museum seeks new eminence. PMID- 17755933 TI - NIH's Top Ten. PMID- 17755934 TI - (Male) chemists in clover. PMID- 17755935 TI - Stone to Head JPL. PMID- 17755936 TI - Updated gene tome. PMID- 17755937 TI - Spidery trompe i'oeuil. PMID- 17755938 TI - New brain journal. PMID- 17755939 TI - Army decontaminant gets washed up. PMID- 17755940 TI - Fractal Fracas: The math community is in a flap over the question of whether fractals are just pretty pictures--or more substantial tools. PMID- 17755941 TI - Organic superconductor record. PMID- 17755942 TI - Critical behavior in the hydrogen insulator-metal transition. AB - The vibrational Raman spectrum of solid hydrogen has been measured from 77 to 295 K in the vicinity of the recently observed insulator-metal transition and low temperature phase transition at 150 gigapascals (1.5 megabars). The measurements provide evidence for a critical point in the pressure-temperature phase boundary of the low-temperature transition. The result suggests that below the critical temperature the insulator-metal transition changes from continuous to discontinuous, consistent with the general criteria originally proposed by Mott for metallization by band-gap closure. The effect of temperature on hydrogen metallization closely resembles that of the lower pressure insulator-metal transitions in doped V(2)O(3) alloys. PMID- 17755943 TI - Diffraction from polymerized membranes. AB - Flexible polymerized membranes in a good solvent are expected to exhibit a remarkable low-temperature flat phase, characterized by a diverging bending rigidity, vanishing elastic constants, and large fluctuations both parallel and perpendicular to the surface. A theory of the equilibrium structure factor provides a good fit to extensive molecular dynamics simulations of simplified "tethered surface" models of these materials. These results show how information about the size, thickness, and internal structure of polymerized membranes can be extracted from diffraction experiments. PMID- 17755944 TI - Evolution of the northern santa cruz mountains by advection of crust past a san andreas fault bend. AB - The late Quaternary marine terraces near Santa Cruz, California, reflect uplift associated with the nearby restraining bend on the San Andreas fault. Excellent correspondence of the coseismic vertical displacement field caused by the 17 October 1989 magnitude 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake and the present elevations of these terraces allows calculation of maximum long-term uplift rates 1 to 2 kilometers west of the San Andreas fault of 0.8 millimeters per year. Over several million years, this uplift, in concert with the right lateral translation of the resulting topography, and with continual attack by geomorphic processes, can account for the general topography of the northern Santa Cruz Mountains. PMID- 17755945 TI - A Molecular Ferromagnet with a Curie Temperature of 6.2 Kelvin: [Mn(C5(CH3)5)2]+[TCNQ]-. AB - The study of magnetic phase transitions in insulating molecular solids provides new insights into mechanisms of magnetic coupling in the solid state and into critical phenomena associated with these transitions. Only a few such materials are known to display cooperative magnetic properties. The use of high-spin molecular components would enhance intermolecular spin-spin interactions and thus a series of chargetransfer (CT) salts have been synthesized that utilize the spin S = 1 molecular cation, [Mn(C(5)(CH(3))(5))(2)](+) (decamethylmanganocenium). The structure and cooperative magnetic behavior of [Mn(C(5)(CH(3))(5))(2)](+)[TCNQ(-) (decamethylmanganocenium 7,7,8,8-tetracyano-p-quinodimethanide) are reported. This salt is a bulk molecular ferromagnet with the highest critical (Curie) temperature (T(c) = 6.2 K) and coercive field (3.6 x 10(3) gauss), yet reported for such a material. PMID- 17755946 TI - Pions to Quarks. Particle Physics in the 1950s. Laurie M. Brown, Max Dresden, and Lilian Hoddeson, Eds. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1989. xxxiii, 734 pp., illus. $59.50. Based on a symposium, Batavia, IL, May 1985. PMID- 17755947 TI - Women of Science. Righting the Record. G. Kass-Simon and Patricia Farnes, Eds. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1990. xvii, 398 pp. $39.95. PMID- 17755948 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17755949 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17755950 TI - The winds of change. PMID- 17755951 TI - Erratum. AB - The title of the report by Mark R. Braford, Jr., in the issue of 25 April (p. 489) should have been, "De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum: A Spiral Center for Taste in the Brain of the Teleost Fish, Heterotis niloticus." PMID- 17755952 TI - Hic, haec, hoc .. PMID- 17755953 TI - Reactor Explodes Amid Soviet Silence: As fallout spreads across Europe, Soviet officials grudgingly begin to release information about the worst reactor accident on record. PMID- 17755954 TI - Europe Plans Its Own Mini Space Station: A proposal to build a small orbiting laboratory as part of Europe's contribution to the U.S. space station could make for some hard bargaining with NASA. PMID- 17755956 TI - NAS Elects New Members. PMID- 17755955 TI - Microgravity seeks lift-off. PMID- 17755957 TI - Third Disaster in a Row for NASA. PMID- 17755959 TI - Congress approves garrison compromise. PMID- 17755960 TI - Comings and goings. PMID- 17755958 TI - New annual report on global deterioration. PMID- 17755961 TI - Rockefeller doubles third world effort. PMID- 17755962 TI - A Silicon Solution for Gallium Arsenide IC's: Epitaxial growth of crystalline gallium arsenide layers on silicon wafers could combine the best properties of both semiconductors in future high-speed microelectronic chips. PMID- 17755963 TI - Inertial confinement fusion with light ion beams. AB - The Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II (PBFA II) is presently under construction and is the only existing facility with the potential of igniting thermonuclear fuel in the laboratory. The accelerator will generate up to 5 megamperes of lithium ions at 30 million electron volts and will focus them onto an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) target after beam production and focusing have been optimized. Since its inception, the light ion approach to ICF has been considered the one that combines low cost, high risk, and high payoff. The beams are of such high density that their self-generated electric and magnetic fields were thought to prohibit high focal intensities. Recent advances in beam production and focusing demonstrate that these self-forces can be controlled to the degree required for ignition, break-even, and high gain experiments. ICF has been pursued primarily for its potential military applications. However, the high efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the light ion approach enhance its potential for commercial energy application as well. PMID- 17755964 TI - Recovering phase information from intensity data. PMID- 17755965 TI - Natural sources of Acid neutralizing capacity in low alkalinity lakes of the precambrian shield. AB - A detailed alkalinity budget was constructed for Lake 239 in the Experimental Lakes Area of northwestern Ontario and for three small watersheds in its terrestrial basin. Alkalinity generation in the lake averaged 118 milliequivalents per square meter per year, 4.5 times as high as the areal rate in the terrestrial basin. Although acid deposition in the area is low, only one of the three terrestrial watersheds was a significant source of alkalinity. A second terrestrial watershed yielded very little alkalinity. The third watershed, which contains a wetland, was a sink for, rather than a source of, alkalinity. An analysis of ion budgets for the lake revealed that more than half of the in situ alkalinity production was by biological rather than geochemical processes. The major processes that generated alkalinity were: biological reduction of SO(4)(2 )(53%), exchange of H(+) for Ca(2+) in sediments (39%), and biological reduction of NO(3)(-) (26%). Comparison with experimentally acidified Lake 223 revealed that alkalinity production by sulfate reduction increased in response to increased inputs of sulfuric acid. PMID- 17755966 TI - Antarctic mesopelagic micronekton: evidence from seabirds that pack ice affects community structure. AB - Through a multidisciplinary project (AMERIEZ), with an unusual complement of components, previously unknown temporal and spatial dimensions to the structure of Antarctic epipelagic and mesopelagic communities were revealed. In late spring, an abundance of crustacean species thought to occur only below 300 meters was detected in ice-covered surface waters. Evident in ice-free waters were the expected occurrence patterns of these normally nonmigratory mesopelagic organisms. Where the pack was consolidated and little light penetrated to depth, primary and secondary production was confined to ice floes, and the physical environment immediately beneath the ice was reminiscent of a mesopelagic one. This suite of characteristics possibly explains why the crustaceans resided at the surface. PMID- 17755967 TI - Lower cretaceous angiosperm flowers: fossil evidence on early radiation of dicotyledons. AB - Three-dimensionally preserved unisexual angiosperm flowers and inflorescences have been recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Patapsco Formation (Potomac Group) of eastern North America, in sediments palynologically dated as late Albian, approximately 100 million years old. In situ tricolpate pollen shows that the flowers were produced by some of the earliest higher (nonmagnoliid) dicotyledons, and the morphology of pollen, flowers, and inflorescences indicates a close relation to extant Platanaceae. Combined with architectural and cuticular features of associated leaves these floral remains suggest that Platanus-like plants with unisexual, probably insect-pollinated flowers were an important element in the mid-Cretaceous diversification of dicotyledonous flowering plants. PMID- 17755968 TI - The locale map of honey bees: do insects have cognitive maps? AB - Whereas higher vertebrates are able to construct a mental "map" of their home area and so use their knowledge of the spatial relations between landmarks to navigate along novel routes, invertebrates have been thought able to use landmarks in their navigation only as a familiar, route-specific series. Experiments with honey bees show that these insects have and use landmark maps thus invalidating this presumed invertebrate-vertebrate dichotomy. PMID- 17755969 TI - Memory Constraints and Flower Choice in Pieris rapae. AB - Darwin hypothesized that flower constancy in insects that feed on nectar results from the need to learn how to extract nectar from a flower of a given species. In laboratory tests, Pieris rapae, the cabbage butterfly, showed flower constancy by continuing to visit flower species with which it had experience. The time required by individuals to find the source of nectar in flowers decreased with successive attempts, the performance following a learning curve. Learning to extract nectar from a second species interfered with the ability to extract nectar from the first. Insects that switch species thus experience a cost in time to learn. These results support recent suggestions on the importance of learning in animal foraging. PMID- 17755971 TI - Fractals: on growth and form. PMID- 17755970 TI - Bacterioplankton: a sink for carbon in a coastal marine plankton community. AB - Recent determinations of high production rates (up to 30 percent of primary production in surface waters) implicate free-living marine bacterioplankton as a link in a "microbial loop" that supplements phytoplankton as food for herbivores. An enclosed water column of 300 cubic meters was used to test the microbial loop hypothesis by following the fate of carbon-14-labeled bacterioplankton for over 50 days. Only 2 percent of the label initially fixed from carbon-14-labeled glucose by bacteria was present in larger organisms after 13 days, at which time about 20 percent of the total label added remained in the particulate fraction. Most of the label appeared to pass directly from particles smaller than 1 micrometer (heterotrophic bacterioplankton and some bacteriovores) to respired labeled carbon dioxide or to regenerated dissolved organic carbon-14. Secondary (and, by implication, primary) production by organisms smaller than 1 micrometer may not be an important food source in marine food chains. Bacterioplankton can be a sink for carbon in planktonic food webs and may serve principally as agents of nutrient regeneration rather than as food. PMID- 17755972 TI - The nuclear infrastructure: nuclear battlefields. PMID- 17755974 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17755973 TI - Transplanted neurons: neural transplantation and regeneration. PMID- 17755975 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17755976 TI - Voyager 2 at neptune and triton. PMID- 17755977 TI - Costs of the national aerospace plane. PMID- 17755979 TI - Sewage treatment: a moral? PMID- 17755978 TI - California evolution guideline. PMID- 17755980 TI - In reply: federal science appointments. PMID- 17755981 TI - Federal science appointments. PMID- 17755982 TI - Past and present cocaine epidemics. PMID- 17755983 TI - Flipping the main switch in the central reward system? PMID- 17755984 TI - Kleber offers expert and blunt opinions on addiction. PMID- 17755985 TI - The Silicon Chip Race Advances into X-rays. PMID- 17755986 TI - Japan's Big Gamble on Synchrotrons. PMID- 17755987 TI - Engineering's Ten Greatest Advances. PMID- 17755988 TI - Running on empty. PMID- 17755990 TI - Scintillating blues. PMID- 17755989 TI - A herpes therapy too hot to take? PMID- 17755991 TI - Banning the biological bomb. PMID- 17755993 TI - A blessing in disguise. PMID- 17755992 TI - Loma prieta: saved by a short, sharp shock. PMID- 17755994 TI - Innovation on trial: punitive damages versus new products. AB - Innovation, scientific discovery transformed into valuable products, is a powerful asset for the United States in today's global economy, but it is being put on trial by the U.S. product liability system. Strict liability and huge jury awards, bloated by the uncontrolled imposition of punitive damages, have led to a proliferation of lawsuits, which in turn has created immense legal uncertainty for innovators who want to create new products. Because a high level of legal uncertainty and scientific innovation cannot coexist, new, safe products may be kept off the market and the scope of research and development restricted. Punitive damages constitute the driving force behind this problem, and both judges and legislators should aim at bringing them under control with legal reforms. PMID- 17755995 TI - Ferroelectric memories. AB - In the past year it has become possible to fabricate ferroelectric thin-film memories onto standard silicon integrated circuits that combine very high speed (30-nanosecond read/erase/rewrite operation), 5-volt standard silicon logic levels, very high density (2 by 2 micrometer cell size), complete nonvolatility (no standby power required), and extreme radiation hardness. These ferroelectric random-access memories are expected to replace magnetic core memory, magnetic bubble memory systems, and electrically erasable read-only memory for many applications. The switching kinetics of these films, 100 to 300 nanometers thick, are now well understood, with switching times that fit an activation field dependence that scales applied field and temperature. Earlier problems of fatigue and retention failure are also now understood and have been improved to acceptable levels. PMID- 17755996 TI - The voyager 2 encounter with the neptunian system. AB - An overview of the Voyager 2 encounter with Neptune is presented, including a brief discussion of the trajectory, the planned observations, and highlights of the results described in the 11 companion papers. Neptune's blue atmosphere has storm systems reminiscent of those in Jupiter's atmosphere. An optically thin methane ice cloud exists near the 1.5-bar pressure level, and an optically thick cloud exists below 3 bars. Neptune's magnetic field is highly tilted and offset from the planet's center; it rotates with a period of 16.11 hours. Two narrow and two broad rings circle the planet; the outermost of these rings has three optically thicker arc segments. Six new moons were discovered in circular prograde orbits, all well inside Triton's retrograde orbit. Triton has a highly reflective and geologically young surface, a thin nitrogen atmosphere, and at least two active geyser-like plumes. PMID- 17755998 TI - Photometry from voyager 2: initial results from the neptunian atmosphere, satellites, and rings. AB - The Voyager photopolarimeter successfully accomplished its objectives for the Neptune encounter, performing measurements on the planet, several of its satellites, and its ring system. A photometric map of Neptune at 0.26 micrometer (microm) shows the planet to be bland, with no obvious contrast features. No polar haze was observed. At 0.75 microm, contrast features are observed, with the Great Dark Spot appearing as a low-albedo region and the bright companion as being substantially brighter than its surroundings, implying it to be at a higher altitude than the Great Dark Spot. Triton's linear phase coefficients of 0.011 magnitudes per degree at 0.26 microm and 0.013 magnitudes per degree at 0.75 microm are consistent with a solid-surface object possessing high reflectivity. Preliminary geometric albedos for Triton, Nereid, and 1989N2 were obtained at 0.26 and 0.75 microm. Triton's rotational phase curve shows evidence of two major compositional units on its surface. A single stellar occultation of the Neptune ring system elucidated an internal structure in 1989N1R, in the approximately 50 kilometer region of modest optical depth. 1989N2R may have been detected. The deficiency of material in the Neptune ring system, when compared to Uranus', may imply the lack of a "recent" moon-shattering event. PMID- 17755997 TI - Voyager 2 at neptune: imaging science results. AB - Voyager 2 images of Neptune reveal a windy planet characterized by bright clouds of methane ice suspended in an exceptionally clear atmosphere above a lower deck of hydrogen sulfide or ammonia ices. Neptune's atmosphere is dominated by a large anticyclonic storm system that has been named the Great Dark Spot (GDS). About the same size as Earth in extent, the GDS bears both many similarities and some differences to the Great Red Spot of Jupiter. Neptune's zonal wind profile is remarkably similar to that of Uranus. Neptune has three major rings at radii of 42,000, 53,000, and 63,000 kilometers. The outer ring contains three higher density arc-like segments that were apparently responsible for most of the ground based occultation events observed during the current decade. Like the rings of Uranus, the Neptune rings are composed of very dark material; unlike that of Uranus, the Neptune system is very dusty. Six new regular satellites were found, with dark surfaces and radii ranging from 200 to 25 kilometers. All lie inside the orbit of Triton and the inner four are located within the ring system. Triton is seen to be a differentiated body, with a radius of 1350 kilometers and a density of 2.1 grams per cubic centimeter; it exhibits clear evidence of early episodes of surface melting. A now rigid crust of what is probably water ice is overlain with a brilliant coating of nitrogen frost, slightly darkened and reddened with organic polymer material. Streaks of organic polymer suggest seasonal winds strong enough to move particles of micrometer size or larger, once they become airborne. At least two active plumes were seen, carrying dark material 8 kilometers above the surface before being transported downstream by high level winds. The plumes may be driven by solar heating and the subsequent violent vaporization of subsurface nitrogen. PMID- 17755999 TI - Infrared observations of the neptunian system. AB - The infrared interferometer spectrometer on Voyager 2 obtained thermal emission spectra of Neptune with a spectral resolution of 4.3 cm(-1). Measurements of reflected solar radiation were also obtained with a broadband radiometer sensitive in the visible and near infrared. Analysis of the strong C(2)H(2) emission feature at 729 cm(-1) suggests an acetylene mole fraction in the range between 9 x 10(-8) and 9 x 10(-7). Vertical temperature profiles were derived between 30 and 1000 millibars at 70 degrees and 42 degrees S and 30 degrees N. Temperature maps of the planet between 80 degrees S and 30 degrees N were obtained for two atmospheric layers, one in the lower stratosphere between 30 and 120 millibars and the other in the troposphere between 300 and 1000 millibars. Zonal mean temperatures obtained from these maps and from latitude scans indicate a relatively warm pole and equator with cooler mid-latitudes. This is qualitatively similar to the behavior found on Uranus even though the obliquities and internal heat fluxes of the two planets are markedly different. Comparison of winds derived from images with the vertical wind shear calculated from the temperature field indicates a general decay of wind speed with height, a phenomenon also observed on the other three giant planets. Strong, wavelike longitudinal thermal structure is found, some of which appears to be associated with the Great Dark Spot. An intense, localizd cold region is seen in the lower stratosphere, which does not appear to be correlated with any visible feature. A preliminary estimate of the effective temperature of the planet yields a value of 59.3 +/- 1.0 kelvins. Measurements of Triton provide an estimate of the daytime surface temperature of 38(+3)(-4) kelvins. PMID- 17756000 TI - Ultraviolet spectrometer observations of neptune and triton. AB - Results from the occultation of the sun by Neptune imply a temperature of 750 +/- 150 kelvins in the upper levels of the atmosphere (composed mostly of atomic and molecular hydrogen) and define the distributions of methane, acetylene, and ethane at lower levels. The ultraviolet spectrum of the sunlit atmosphere of Neptune resembles the spectra of the Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus atmospheres in that it is dominated by the emissions of H Lyman alpha (340 +/- 20 rayleighs) and molecular hydrogen. The extreme ultraviolet emissions in the range from 800 to 1100 angstroms at the four planets visited by Voyager scale approximately as the inverse square of their heliocentric distances. Weak auroral emissions have been tentatively identified on the night side of Neptune. Airglow and occultation observations of Triton's atmosphere show that it is composed mainly of molecular nitrogen, with a trace of methane near the surface. The temperature of Triton's upper atmosphere is 95 +/- 5 kelvins, and the surface pressure is roughly 14 microbars. PMID- 17756001 TI - Voyager radio science observations of neptune and triton. AB - The Voyager 2 encounter with the Neptune system included radio science investigations of the masses and densities of Neptune and Triton, the low-order gravitational harmonics of Neptune, the vertical structures of the atmospheres and ionospheres of Neptune and Triton, the composition of the atmosphere of Neptune, and characteristics of ring material. Demanding experimental requirements were met successfully, and study of the large store of collected data has begun. The initial search of the data revealed no detectable effects of ring material with optical depth tau [unknown] 0.01. Preliminary representative results include the following: 1.0243 x 10(26) and 2.141 x 10(22) kilograms for the masses of Neptune and Triton; 1640 and 2054 kilograms per cubic meter for their respective densities; 1355 +/- 7 kilometers, provisionally, for the radius of Triton; and J(2) = 3411 +/- 10(x 10(-6)) and J(4) = -26(+12)(-20)(x10(-6)) for Neptune's gravity field (J>(2) and J(4) are harmonic coefficients of the gravity field). The equatorial and polar radii of Neptune are 24,764 +/- 20 and 24,340 +/ 30 kllometers, respectively, at the 10(5)-pascal (1 bar) pressure level. Neptune's atmosphere was probed to a pressure level of about 5 x 10(5) pascals, and effects of a methane cloud region and probable ammonia absorption below the cloud are evident in the data. Results for the mixing ratios of helium and ammonia are still being investigated; the methane abundance below the clouds is at least 1 percent by volume. Derived temperature-pressure profiles to 1.2 x 10(5) pascals and 78 kelvins (K) show a lapse rate corresponding to "frozen" equilibrium of the para- and ortho-hydrogen states. Neptune's ionosphere exhibits an extended topside at a temperature of 950 +/- 160 K if H(+) is the dominant ion, and narrow ionization layers of the type previously seen at the other three giant planets. Triton has a dense ionosphere with a peak electron concentration of 46 x 10(9) per cubic meter at an altitude of 340 kilometers measured during occultation egress. Its topside plasma temperature is about 80 +/- 16 K if N(2)(+) is the principal ion. The tenuous neutral atmosphere of Triton produced distinct signatures in the occultation data; however, the accuracy of the measurements is limited by uncertainties in the frequency of the spacecraft reference oscillator. Preliminary values for the surface pressure of 1.6 +/- 0.3 pascals and an equivalent isothermal temperature of 48 +/- 5 K are suggested, on the assumption that molecular nitrogen dominates the atmosphere. The radio data may be showing the effects of a thermal inversion near the surface; this and other evidence imply that the Triton atmosphere is controlled by vapor-pressure equilibrium with surface ices, at a temperature of 38 K and a methane mixing ratio of about 10(-4). PMID- 17756002 TI - Magnetic fields at neptune. AB - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center University of Delaware Bartol Research Institute magnetic field experiment on the Voyager 2 spacecraft discovered a strong and complex intrinsic magnetic field of Neptune and an associated magnetosphere and magnetic tail. The detached bow shock wave in the supersonic solar wind flow was detected upstream at 34.9 Neptune radii (R(N)), and the magnetopause boundary was tentatively identified at 26.5 R(N) near the planet-sun line (1 R(N) = 24,765 kilometers). A maximum magnetic field of nearly 10,000 nanoteslas (1 nanotesla = 10(-5) gauss) was observed near closest approach, at a distance of 1.18 R(N). The planetary magnetic field between 4 and 15 R(N) can be well represented by an offset tilted magnetic dipole (OTD), displaced from the center of Neptune by the surprisingly large amount of 0.55 R(N) and inclined by 47 degrees with respect to the rotation axis. The OTD dipole moment is 0.133 gauss-R(N)(3). Within 4 R(N), the magnetic field representation must include localized sources or higher order magnetic multipoles, or both, which are not yet well determined. The obliquity of Neptune and the phase of its rotation at encounter combined serendipitously so that the spacecraft entered the magnetosphere at a time when the polar cusp region was directed almost precisely sunward. As the spacecraft exited the magnetosphere, the magnetic tail appeared to be monopolar, and no crossings of an imbedded magnetic field reversal or plasma neutral sheet were observed. The auroral zones are most likely located far from the rotation poles and may have a complicated geometry. The rings and all the known moons of Neptune are imbedded deep inside the magnetosphere, except for Nereid, which is outside when sunward of the planet. The radiation belts will have a complex structure owing to the absorption of energetic particles by the moons and rings of Neptune and losses associated with the significant changes in the diurnally varying magnetosphere configuration. In an astrophysical context, the magnetic field of Neptune, like that of Uranus, may be described as that of an "oblique" rotator. PMID- 17756003 TI - Plasma observations near neptune: initial results from voyager 2. AB - The plasma science experiment on Voyager 2 made observations of the plasma environment in Neptune's magnetosphere and in the surrounding solar wind. Because of the large tilt of the magnetic dipole and fortuitous timing, Voyager entered Neptune's magnetosphere through the cusp region, the first cusp observations at an outer planet. Thus the transition from the magnetosheath to the magnetosphere observed by Voyager 2 was not sharp but rather appeared as a gradual decrease in plasma density and temperature. The maximum plasma density observed in the magnetosphere is inferred to be 1.4 per cubic centimeter (the exact value depends on the composition), the smallest observed by Voyager in any magnetosphere. The plasma has at least two components; light ions (mass, 1 to 5) and heavy ions (mass, 10 to 40), but more precise species identification is not yet available. Most of the plasma is concentrated in a plasma sheet or plasma torus and near closest approach to the planet. A likely source of the heavy ions is Triton's atmosphere or ionosphere, whereas the light ions probably escape from Neptune. The large tilt of Neptune's magnetic dipole produces a dynamic magnetosphere that changes configuration every 16 hours as the planet rotates. PMID- 17756004 TI - Hot Plasma and Energetic Particles in Neptune's Magnetosphere. AB - The low-energy charged particle (LECP) instrument on Voyager 2 measured within the magnetosphere of Neptune energetic electrons (22 kiloelectron volts /=0.5 MeV per nucleon) energies, using an array of solid-state detectors in various configurations. The results obtained so far may be summarized as follows: (i) A variety of intensity, spectral, and anisotropy features suggest that the satellite Triton is important in controlling the outer regions of the Neptunian magnetosphere. These features include the absence of higher energy (>/=150 keV) ions or electrons outside 14.4 R(N) (where R(N) = radius of Neptune), a relative peak in the spectral index of low-energy electrons at Triton's radial distance, and a change of the proton spectrum from a power law with gamma >/= 3.8 outside, to a hot Maxwellian (kT [unknown] 55 keV) inside the satellite's orbit. (ii) Intensities decrease sharply at all energies near the time of closest approach, the decreases being most extended in time at the highest energies, reminiscent of a spacecraft's traversal of Earth's polar regions at low altitudes; simultaneously, several spikes of spectrally soft electrons and protons were seen (power input approximately 5 x 10(-4) ergs cm(-2) s(-1)) suggestive of auroral processes at Neptune. (iii) Composition measurements revealed the presence of H, H(2), and He(4), with relative abundances of 1300:1:0.1, suggesting a Neptunian ionospheric source for the trapped particle population. (iv) Plasma pressures at E >/= 28 keV are maximum at the magnetic equator with beta approximately 0.2, suggestive of a relatively empty magnetosphere, similar to that of Uranus. (v) A potential signature of satellite 1989N1 was seen, both inbound and outbound; other possible signatures of the moons and rings are evident in the data but cannot be positively identified in the absence of an accurate magnetic-field model close to the planet. Other results indude the absence of upstream ion increases or energetic neutrals [particle intensity (j) < 2.8 x 10(-3) cm(-2) s(-1) keV(-1) near 35 keV, at approximately 40 R(N)] implying an upper limit to the volume averaged atomic H density at R 22 keV) input on Neptune is approximately 3 x 10(7) W, surprisingly small when compared to energy input into the atmosphere of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. PMID- 17756005 TI - Energetic charged particles in the magnetosphere of neptune. AB - The Voyager 2 cosmic ray system (CRS) measured significant fluxes of energetic [>/=1 megaelectron volt (MeV)] trapped electrons and protons in the magnetosphere of Neptune. The intensities are maximum near a magnetic L shell of 7, decreasing closer to the planet because of absorption by satellites and rings. In the region of the inner satellites of Neptune, the radiation belts have a complicated structure, which provides some constraints on the magnetic field geometry of the inner magnetosphere. Electron phase-space densities have a positive radial gradient, indicating that they diffuse inward from a source in the outer magnetosphere. Electron spectra from 1 to 5 MeV are generally well represented by power laws with indices near 6, which harden in the region of peak flux to power law indices of 4 to 5. Protons have significantly lower fluxes than electrons throughout the magnetosphere, with large anisotropies due to radial intensity gradients. The radiation belts resemble those of Uranus to the extent allowed by the different locations of the satellites, which limit the flux at each planet. PMID- 17756006 TI - First plasma wave observations at neptune. AB - The Voyager 2 plasma wave instrument detected many familiar plasma waves during the encounter with Neptune, including electron plasma oscillations in the solar wind upstream of the bow shock, electrostatic turbulence at the bow shock, and chorus, hiss, electron cyclotron waves, and upper hybrid resonance waves in the inner magnetosphere. Low-frequency radio emissions, believed to be generated by mode conversion from the upper hybrid resonance emissions, were also observed propagating outward in a disklike beam along the magnetic equatorial plane. At the two ring plane crossings many small micrometer-sized dust particles were detected striking the spacecraft. The maximum impact rates were about 280 impacts per second at the inbound ring plane crossing, and about 110 impacts per second at the outbound ring plane crossing. Most of the particles are concentrated in a dense disk, about 1000 kilometers thick, centered on the equatorial plane. However, a broader, more tenuous distribution also extends many tens of thousands of kilometers from the equatorial plane, including over the northern polar region. PMID- 17756007 TI - Voyager planetary radio astronomy at neptune. AB - Detection of very intense short radio bursts from Neptune was possible as early as 30 days before closest approach and at least 22 days after closest approach. The bursts lay at frequencies in the range 100 to 1300 kilohertz, were narrowband and strongly polarized, and presumably originated in southern polar regions ofthe planet. Episodes of smooth emissions in the frequency range from 20 to 865 kilohertz were detected during an interval of at least 10 days around closest approach. The bursts and the smooth emissions can be described in terms of rotation in a period of 16.11 +/- 0.05 hours. The bursts came at regular intervals throughout the encounter, including episodes both before and after closest approach. The smooth emissions showed a half-cycle phase shift between the five episodes before and after closest approach. This experiment detected the foreshock of Neptune's magnetosphere and the impacts of dust at the times of ring plane crossings and also near the time of closest approach. Finally, there is no evidence for Neptunian electrostatic discharges. PMID- 17756008 TI - The Mind Has No Sex? Women in the Origins of Modem Science. Londa Schiebinger. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1989. xii, 355 pp., illus. $29.50. PMID- 17756009 TI - The Chlamydomonas Sourcebook. A Comprehensive Guide to Biology and Laboratory Use. Elizabeth H. Harris. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1989. xiv, 780 pp., illus. $145. PMID- 17756011 TI - QSO Absorption Lines. Probing the Universe. J. Chris Blades, David A. Turnshek, and Colin A. Norman, Eds. Published for the Space Telescope Science Institute by Cambridge University Press, New York, 1988. x, 348 pp., illus. $39.50. Space Telescope Science Institute Symposium Series, vol. 2. From a meeting, Baltimore, MD, May 1987. PMID- 17756012 TI - Recent Vertebrate Carcasses and Their Paleobiological Implications. Johannes Weigelt. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1989. xviii, 188 pp. + plates. $60; paper, $19.95. Translated from the German edition (Leipzig, 1927) by Judith Schaefer. PMID- 17756013 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17756015 TI - CLERKE'S HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17756014 TI - THE PHYSICAL BASIS OF HEREDITY. PMID- 17756017 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17756016 TI - ROSMINI'S PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17756019 TI - EDWARD W. MORLEY, CHEMIST, INVESTIGATOR, TEACHER. PMID- 17756018 TI - THE RELATION OF PHYSICS TO CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17756020 TI - MORE EVIDENCE OF MAMMOTHS IN THE HIGH MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO. PMID- 17756022 TI - THE ESKIMO WORD "IGLU". PMID- 17756021 TI - BEACH SANDS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST. PMID- 17756023 TI - THE SPECIFIC EFFECT OF VITAMIN B ON LACTATION, GROWTH AND WATER METABOLISM. PMID- 17756024 TI - TRUTH VERSUS ADVERTISING. PMID- 17756025 TI - A COOLING UNIT FOR LOW-TEMPERATURE THERMOSTATS. PMID- 17756026 TI - A VACUUM TUBE METHOD OF TEMPERATURE CONTROL. PMID- 17756027 TI - ON THE MONOMETHYL-GLUCOSE OF PACSU. PMID- 17756028 TI - THE EFFECT OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL AGENTS ON THE OOCYSTS OF EIMERIA TENELLA. PMID- 17756029 TI - GONADECTOMY IN THE GOLDFISH CARASSIUS AURATUS. PMID- 17756030 TI - THE RELATION BETWEEN THE ESTRUS-PRODUCING HORMONE AND A CORPUS LUTEUM EXTRACT ON THE GROWTH OF THE MAMMARY GLAND. PMID- 17756031 TI - Public Attitudes toward Science: Righting a Wrong. PMID- 17756032 TI - A matter of perspective. PMID- 17756033 TI - Ground rupture in the baldwin hills. PMID- 17756034 TI - Redwoods: a population model. AB - The chief conclusion to be drawn from the results of this study is that redwoods are amazingly vigorous. The results support both the lumber companies and the conservationists. There is no question that old growth giant redwoods must be preserved. Only commercial greed could be a basis for refuting that stand. On the other hand, the lumber companies seem to be supported in their contention that redwoods can be farmed without driving them to extinction. The central issue revolves around the old trees. And here profit is the big factor. Lumbering is an important industry in California, and redwood lumbering represents about 20 percent of the industry (l). Most of the big names in timber, such as Weyerhaeuser and Georgia-Pacific, are involved in logging the California redwood. At the current rate of logging, particularly of old growth stands, the Bank of America estimates that employment in Humboldt County will be down significantly by 1975 (4). It has been argued that tourism would more than compensate for the lower employment in logging. But not if the trees that the tourists come to see are gone. Why can't young and mature trees be harvested at a reasonable rate, the old trees saved, and both tourism and logging flourish? The question posed earlier has been answered. Redwood growth and survival can be modeled, using matrix methods in a new context. Meaningful conclusions may be drawn. And the results are sufficiently tantalizing to inspire further research. PMID- 17756035 TI - The general scientific association: a bridge to society at large. PMID- 17756036 TI - National Research Council (II): Answering the Right Questions? PMID- 17756037 TI - Hogness to Head NAS Medical Unit. PMID- 17756038 TI - X-ray Structure of the Cygnus Loop. AB - X-ray emission from the Cygnus Loop was observed in the energy region around 0.2 to 1 kiloelectronvolt with a collector that focused x-rays along one dimension while scanning across the nebula. The total integrated intensity is 1.3x 10(-8) erg per square centimeter per second. The one-dimensional x-ray structure has the same angular size-about 3 degrees-as the outermost boundaries of the optical filaments. There is no increase in x-ray emission at the center of the nebula nor at the strong feature that is seen in certain radio maps. The x-ray spectrum is consistent with thermal radiation from a hot plasma at a temperature of about 4 x 10(6) degrees K with evidence for a line at 19 angstroms corresponding to the 2p- >1s transition of O VIII. PMID- 17756039 TI - Soft X-rays from the Cygnus Loop: Interpretation. AB - Two possible interpretations of the recent soft x-ray observation of the Cygnus Loop are discussed. A synchrotron model requires a magnetic field less than 10( 6) gauss and electron energies in excess of 10(14) electron volts. These electrons must either have been reaccelerated or continuously injected into the source for about 50,000 years. The observations are also consistent with the radiation from a hot plasma having the cosmic abundances of the elements. A likely origin for the hot plasma is a blast wave produced by the explosion of a supernova in the interstellar medium. Fitting such a model to the observations implies a kinetic energy release in the explosion of 6x 10(50) ergs for an assumed distance of 770 parsec. PMID- 17756041 TI - A LUMP OF SALT AND A GLASS OF WATER. PMID- 17756040 TI - Holocene eruptions of mauna kea volcano, hawaii. AB - Postglacial lava flows, interstratified with thick locally derived sheets of tephra, cover some 27.5 square kilometers on the south slope of Mauna Kea. Most of the volcanics were erupted about 4500 years ago and overlie a regionally extensive paleosol which developed largely during the last glaciation. PMID- 17756042 TI - THE ORIGIN OF THE ASS, THE CAT, AND THE SHEEP IN CHINA. PMID- 17756043 TI - INDIAN OCCUPATION OF NEW YORK. PMID- 17756044 TI - THE SUPPORT OF MUSEUMS. PMID- 17756046 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17756045 TI - HAINAN. PMID- 17756047 TI - SERICULTURE IN ASIA MINOR. PMID- 17756049 TI - MR. KOEBELE'S SECOND TRIP TO AUSTRALIA. PMID- 17756048 TI - The First Locomotive. PMID- 17756051 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17756050 TI - A Section of Botany in the American Association. PMID- 17756052 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17756053 TI - Drug resistance and sanataria. PMID- 17756054 TI - Panel swims against the tide in wetlands policy. PMID- 17756055 TI - Air force geophysicists reject continental move. PMID- 17756056 TI - Statisticians at odds over software ownership. PMID- 17756058 TI - A lethal "cold fusion" blast. PMID- 17756057 TI - Russian academy: so far, so good. PMID- 17756059 TI - People vs. the Ecosystem. PMID- 17756060 TI - Pack rats' liquid legacy. PMID- 17756061 TI - A sea change for the new superconductors? PMID- 17756062 TI - A Simple Flip-Flop for Earth's Poles? PMID- 17756063 TI - Extinction by a one-two comet punch? PMID- 17756065 TI - In the beginning, let there be beryllium. PMID- 17756064 TI - Extinction with a whimper. PMID- 17756066 TI - Magnetic flux-line lattices and vortices in the copper oxide superconductors. AB - A variety of recent experiments on both the static and the dynamic properties of vortices and flux-line lattices in the mixed state of the copper oxide superconductors are discussed. The experiments are of two basic types: (i) experiments that image the magnetic flux patterns either with magnetic decoration or neutrons and give information about static structures, and (ii) experiments that explore the dynamics of vortices either through the resistivity or other electrodynamic responses of the material. Results of these experiments argue in favor of the existence of a true phase transition in the high-field vortex state from a low-temperature superconducting vortex glass phase into a disordered high temperature vortex fluid phase. The vortex glass phase transition model does a good job of explaining high-precision measurements of the dynamics at the transition. At low fields and temperatures, very long range hexatic order in the flux-line lattice is observed. PMID- 17756067 TI - Paleoceanography of the tropical eastern pacific ocean. AB - The East Pacific Barrier (EPB) is the most effective marine barrier to dispersal of tropical shallow-water fauna in the world today. The fossil record of corals in the eastern Pacific suggests this has been true throughout the Cenozoic. In the Cretaceous, the EPB was apparently less effective in limiting dispersal. Equatorial circulation in the Pacific then appears to have been primarily east to west and the existence of oceanic atolls (now drowned guyots) in the eastern Pacific probably aided dispersal. Similarly, in the middle and early Mesozoic and late Paleozoic, terranes in the central tropical Pacific likely served as stepping stones to dispersal of tropical shelf faunas, reducing the isolating effect of an otherwise wider Pacific Ocean (Panthalassa). PMID- 17756068 TI - Electrical resistivity and stoichiometry of kkhgr c60 films. AB - Electrical resistances of polycrystalline fullerene (C(60)) films were monitored while the films were being doped in ultrahigh vacuum with potassium from a molecular-beam effusion source. Temperature- and concentration-dependent resistivities of K(chi) C(60) films in equilibrium near room temperature were measured. The resistance changes smoothly from metallic at chi approximately 3 to activated as chi --> = 0 or chi --> 6. The minimum resistivity for K(3)C(60) films is 2.2 microohm-centimeters, near the Mott limit. The resistivities are interpreted in terms of a granular microstructure where K(3)C(60) regions form nonpercolating grains, except perhaps at chi approximately 3. Stoichiometries at the resistivity extrema were determined by ex situ Rutherford backscattering spectrometry to be chi = 3 +/- 0.05 at the resistance minimum and chi = 6 +/- 0.05 at the fully doped resistance maximum. PMID- 17756069 TI - Hydrogen as a Probe of Semiconductor Surface Structure: The Ge(111)-c(2 x 8) Surface. AB - Hydrogen can be used as an effective probe of the structure of semiconductor surfaces. Such surfaces consist of bonds with varying degrees of bond strain, and hydrogen can react with each selectively depending on the reaction conditions. This selectivity is derived from a reduced barrier to reaction associated with strained bonds. In this manner, hydrogen can be used to pick apart the surface one bond type at a time, thereby revealing the structure of even complex multilayer reconstructions. This method is used to directly show that the rest layer of the Ge(111)-c(2 x 8) surface has a bulk structure. PMID- 17756070 TI - Late holocene tectonics and paleoseismicity, southern cascadia subduction zone. AB - Holocene deformation indicative of large subduction-zone earthquakes has occurred on two large thrust fault systems in the Humboldt Bay region of northern California. Displaced stratigraphic markers record three offsets of 5 to 7 meters each on the Little Salmon fault during the past 1700 years. Smaller and less frequent Holocene displacements have occurred in the Mad River fault zone. Elsewhere, as many as five episodes of sudden subsidence of marsh peats and fossil forests and uplift of marine terraces are recorded. Carbon-14 dates suggest that the faulting, subsidence, and uplift events were synchronous. Relations between magnitude and various fault-offset parameters indicate that earthquakes accompanying displacements on the Little Salmon fault had magnitudes of at least 7.6 to 7.8. More likely this faulting accompanied rupture of the boundary between the Gorda and North American plates, and magnitudes were about 8.4 or greater. PMID- 17756071 TI - Identifying relatives. PMID- 17756072 TI - Field chemistry. PMID- 17756073 TI - Vignettes: the life of science. PMID- 17756074 TI - Neural Science III. PMID- 17756075 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17756076 TI - Antagonisms and controversies. PMID- 17756077 TI - Environmental task force report. PMID- 17756079 TI - Energy analysis. PMID- 17756078 TI - Energy analysis. PMID- 17756081 TI - Origin of roman "royal purple". PMID- 17756080 TI - Energy analysis. PMID- 17756082 TI - Origin of roman "royal purple". PMID- 17756083 TI - The denver meeting: afterthoughts. PMID- 17756084 TI - Phyllotaxis and the fibonacci series. AB - The principal conclusion is that Fibonacci phyllotaxis follows as a mathematical necessity from the combination of an expanding apex and a suitable spacing mechanism for positioning new leaves. I have considered an inhibitory spacing mechanism at some length, as it is a plausible candidate. However, the same treatment would apply equally well to depletion of, or competition for, a compound by developing leaves, and could no doubt accommodate other ingredients. The mathematical principles involved are clear when it is assumed that only two leaves (the contacts) position a new leaf. There is some experimental evidence for this assumption. Nonetheless, it is not a precondition for Fibonacci phyllotaxis, since a computer model shows that this pattern is generated even when many leaves contribute to inhibition at a given point. Indeed, the Fibonacci pattern seems to be a robust and stable mathematical phenomenon, a finding which goes some way to explaining its widespread occurrence throughout the plant kingdom. PMID- 17756086 TI - Fight over Proposed Saccharin Ban Will Not Be Settled for Months. PMID- 17756085 TI - Cancer society takes pro-saccharin stand. PMID- 17756087 TI - Solar energy research institute: grumbles about a change in plans. PMID- 17756089 TI - Reprocessing alternatives: the options multiply. PMID- 17756088 TI - Stevens institute of technology: after the strike, still unsettled. PMID- 17756090 TI - Canadian disposal of spent fuel. PMID- 17756091 TI - Catastrophe theory: the emperor has no clothes. PMID- 17756092 TI - Noctuidae. PMID- 17756093 TI - Ornithology. PMID- 17756095 TI - Fruit flies. PMID- 17756094 TI - Cell biology. PMID- 17756096 TI - Tritium-helium dating in the sargasso sea: a measurement of oxygen utilization rates. AB - The newly developed technique of "tritium-helium dating" has been used to investigate in situ rates of oceanic oxygen utilization. As an example, an apparent oxygen utilization rate of 0.20 +/- 0.02 milliliter per liter of water per year has been obtained for the Subtropical Mode water (18 degrees C water) in the Sargasso Sea. PMID- 17756097 TI - Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase: a two-layered, square-shaped molecule of symmetry 422. AB - Electron micrographs and x-ray diffraction patterns of crystals of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase, probably the most abundant protein on earth, have provided new details of the arrangement of subunits. The eight large subunits and eight small subunits are clustered in two layers, perpendicular to a fourfold axis of symmetry. Viewed down the fourfold axis, the molecule is square-shaped. PMID- 17756098 TI - High Rates of Vertical Crustal Movement near Ventura, California. AB - Fission track, radiometric, and paleomagnetic age determinations in marine sedimentary rocks of the Ventura Basin make it possible to estimate the vertical components of displacement rates for the last 2 million years. The basin subsided at rates up to 9.5 +/- 2.5 millimeters per year until about 0.6 million years ago, when subsidence virtually ceased. Since then, the northern margin of the basin has been rising at an average rate of 10 +/- 2 millimeters per year, about the same rate as that based on the geodetic record north and west of Ventura since 1960 but considerably lower than the rate along the San Andreas fault at Palmdale since 1960. PMID- 17756100 TI - The capsian escargotieres: a clarification. PMID- 17756099 TI - Alzheimer's disease, trisomy 21, and myeloproliferative disorders: associations suggesting a genetic diathesis. AB - Relatives of probands with Alzheimer's disease had excessive incidences of trisomy 21 and myeloproliferative disorders. Microtubules are structures that are likely to be affected by a genetic defect causing a predisposition to Alzheimer's disease, trisomy 21 and, possibly, to myeloproliferative disorders. PMID- 17756101 TI - Edward e. David, jr., president-elect. PMID- 17756102 TI - 1976 report to the association. PMID- 17756103 TI - THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGISTS. PMID- 17756104 TI - TOWN AND GOWN. PMID- 17756105 TI - THE ORGANIZATION OF UNIVERSITY GOVERNMENT. PMID- 17756106 TI - Flashlights in the Jungle. PMID- 17756107 TI - THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS. PMID- 17756108 TI - A SUGGESTION FOR AN INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHIC EXCHANGE. PMID- 17756109 TI - A SUMMARY OF THE BIBLIOGRAPHIE ASTRONOMIQUE OF LALANDE FOR THE YEARS A.D. 130 TO 1473, THE EPOCH AT WHICH SCIENTIFIC BOOKS BEGAN TO BE PRINTED. PMID- 17756111 TI - PRELIMINARY NOTES ON THE ARCHEOLOGY OF THE YAKIMA VALLEY, WASHINGTON. PMID- 17756110 TI - A MENDELIAN CHARACTER IN CATTLE. PMID- 17756112 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17756114 TI - MECHANICAL FLIGHT. PMID- 17756113 TI - FREDERICK C. PAULMIER. PMID- 17756115 TI - OGDEN N. ROOD. PMID- 17756116 TI - INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICANISTS AT NEW YORK. PMID- 17756117 TI - FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17756118 TI - THE KINETIC THEORY AND THE EXPANSION OF A COMPRESSED GAS INTO A VACUUM. PMID- 17756119 TI - A PECULIAR HAILSTORM. PMID- 17756120 TI - BITTER ROT OF APPLES. PMID- 17756121 TI - WHAT IS NATURE STUDY? PMID- 17756122 TI - DISCOVERY OF TEETH IN BAPTANODON, AN ICHTHYOSAURIAN FROM THE JURASSIC OF WYOMING. PMID- 17756124 TI - THE MAGNETIC SURVEY OF LOUISIANA. PMID- 17756123 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17756125 TI - THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS. PMID- 17756126 TI - LARGE MOLECULES IN SCIENCE AND LIFE. PMID- 17756127 TI - ENGINEERING IN AN AMERICAN PROGRAM FOR SOCIAL PROGRESS. II. PMID- 17756128 TI - THE "PRIMARY CHANGE" IN ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY. PMID- 17756129 TI - "MIGRATION" AND "HOMING" OF SALMON. PMID- 17756130 TI - JELLYFISH FROM GRAND CANYON ALGONKIAN. PMID- 17756132 TI - ACTIVITIES OF THE ENGINEERING FOUNDATION. PMID- 17756131 TI - A WHALE SHARK IMPALED ON THE BOW OF A STEAMER NEAR THE TUAMOTUS, SOUTH SEAS. PMID- 17756133 TI - THE NEW DISCOVERY OF THREE SKULLS OF SINANTHROPUS PEKINENSIS. PMID- 17756134 TI - EXCHANGES BETWEEN BLOOD PLASMA AND TISSUE FLUID IN MAN. PMID- 17756136 TI - TO KEEP CULTURE-MEDIA FROM DRYING OUT. PMID- 17756135 TI - THE PLANT ORIGIN OF A VITAMIN D. PMID- 17756138 TI - DECLIVITY MAPS. PMID- 17756137 TI - THE USE OF BROMINE IN THE STERILIZATION OF FRUITS AND SEEDS. PMID- 17756139 TI - Publications Received. PMID- 17756140 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17756141 TI - Lorentz-Kamerlingh Onnes Centenary Conference on Electron Physics in Leiden. PMID- 17756142 TI - Thermochromism of Diaryldisulfides. PMID- 17756144 TI - True Scientists. PMID- 17756143 TI - Hope Chest. PMID- 17756145 TI - Identification of the Auxin Present in Apple Endosperm. PMID- 17756146 TI - On the Nuclear Envelope. PMID- 17756147 TI - Science and Public Relations. PMID- 17756148 TI - The Mount Wrangell Observatory. PMID- 17756149 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17756150 TI - THE GLACIERS OF MOUNTAIN AND CONTINENT. PMID- 17756151 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17756152 TI - THE EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF CHROMATOPHORES. PMID- 17756153 TI - FOLIAR DETERMINATION IN ANGIOSPERMS. PMID- 17756154 TI - MULTIPLE BIRTHS IN ANTHROPOID APES. PMID- 17756155 TI - PERMIAN SHARKS OF WYOMING AND OF EAST GREENLAND. PMID- 17756156 TI - ENDOSPORE FORMATION BY BACILLUS SUBTILIS IN A SYNTHETIC MEDIUM. PMID- 17756157 TI - ON THE COURAGE OF SCIENTISTS. PMID- 17756158 TI - A VORACIOUS STARFISH. PMID- 17756159 TI - X-RAY DIFFRACTION STUDIES OF THE BUREAU OF STANDARDS RUBBER FRACTIONS. PMID- 17756160 TI - A SIMPLIFIED TECHNIQUE FOR MOUNTING GROUND BONE SECTIONS TO SHOW AIR-INJECTED LACUNAE AND CANALICULI. PMID- 17756162 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. II. PMID- 17756161 TI - EFFECTS OF ENDOCRINE EXTRACTS ON THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHICK. PMID- 17756163 TI - HERMANN MULLER. PMID- 17756164 TI - THE USE OF THE SPECTROSCOPE IN METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17756165 TI - NOTES ON SASSAFRAS-LEAVES. PMID- 17756167 TI - STANDARD RAILWAY TIME. PMID- 17756166 TI - THE UNITS OF MASS AND FORCE. PMID- 17756168 TI - The Iroquois institutions and language. PMID- 17756169 TI - Dissemination of Phlox. PMID- 17756170 TI - Solar constant. PMID- 17756171 TI - Phalansterium digitatum Stein. PMID- 17756172 TI - THOMSON AND TAIT'S NATURAL PHILOSOPHY.--I. PMID- 17756173 TI - OBLIGATIONS OF MATHEMATICS TO PHILOSOPHY, AND TO QUESTIONS OF COMMON LIFE.--II. PMID- 17756174 TI - THE ENDOWMENT OF BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17756175 TI - TEST FOR SCARLET FEVER CARRIERS. PMID- 17756177 TI - THE EFFECT OF DIET ON DENTAL DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17756176 TI - EFFECTS OF LACK OF CALCIUM IN THE BLOOD. PMID- 17756178 TI - HIGH-GRADE PAPERS FROM WOOD. PMID- 17756179 TI - THE NEW BRITISH AIRSHIP. PMID- 17756181 TI - THE FOURTH PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS. AB - Java was hot and there were other discomforts, but all who were present at the congress returned to their homes appreciative of the charms and manifold subjects of scientific and other kinds of interest of what is perhaps the most fascinating of tropical islands, deeply grateful for the courtesies and hospitality extended to them and convinced that the Fourth Pacific Science Congress was the most successful of that series of congresses. Thanks are due all of those who contributed to the social enjoyment and the scientific accomplishments of the congress, but it may be permissible to emphasize the part played by the general president, Dr. Otto de Vries. He showed capacity in the organization of the congress, his handling of all matters connected with it was tactful and his genial personality endeared him to every one. We congratulated him on his success and told him that we were proud of him. PMID- 17756182 TI - THE NINTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17756180 TI - A NEW PARIS MUSEUM. PMID- 17756183 TI - PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17756184 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17756185 TI - THE FRESH-WATER FAUNA OF NEW CALEDONIA. PMID- 17756186 TI - ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY DURING SANDSTORMS. PMID- 17756187 TI - ORGANIC SYNTHESES. PMID- 17756188 TI - THE PREPARATION OF CHARTS FOR REPRODUCTION. PMID- 17756189 TI - A POPULAR FALLACY ABOUT HARDNESS. PMID- 17756190 TI - THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SINGING VOICE. PMID- 17756192 TI - BALANCED FERTILIZERS AND LIEBIG'S LAW OF THE MINIMUM. PMID- 17756191 TI - PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS OF MUSCLE AND LIVER. PMID- 17756193 TI - EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION OF RATS WITH THE BALANTIDIUM FROM THE PIG. PMID- 17756194 TI - SOME RELATIONS BETWEEN PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY IN GERMANY. PMID- 17756195 TI - SOME TABLES OF STUDENT HOURS OF INSTRUCTION. PMID- 17756196 TI - COMMENTS ON PROFESSOR BOLLEY'S ARTICLE ON CEREAL CROPPING. PMID- 17756198 TI - OCEANOGRAPHIC CRUISES OF THE U. S. FISHERIES SCHOONER "GRAMPUS" 1912-1913. PMID- 17756197 TI - "QUITE A FEW". PMID- 17756199 TI - ECTO-PARASITES OF THE MONKEYS, APES AND MAN. PMID- 17756200 TI - Origins and Status of American Botanists. AB - The biographical data on botanists in the ninth edition of American Men of Science, supplemented by limited information from other sources, show a trend toward reduced numbers in the younger age groups, except for a continued increase in physiologists and a stabilized supply of pathologists. The 2640 botanists with bachelor's degrees from American colleges represent 401 undergraduate institutions, but more than half of them are alumni of a group of 37 large universities supported by public funds and 14 privately endowed colleges. More than 86 percent of the botanists have taken doctorates from 92 graduate schools, but 12 of the largest ones, located chiefly in the state universities, have provided two-thirds of these degrees; more than three-fourths of the candidates came from other colleges for their advanced training. Their fields of employment are predominantly in education and in government service, but appreciable numbers are doing research work for industry or in nonindustrial laboratories. PMID- 17756201 TI - K. Henke, Developmental Biologist. PMID- 17756202 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17756203 TI - Erratum. AB - In the "News of science" section for 19 Apr. we reported that next fall Wayne State University would be the second school in the country (Harvard was first) to offer a master's degree in automatic data processing. A reader informs us that Stevens Institute of Technology offered such a program in 1956-57. PMID- 17756204 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17756205 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17756206 TI - THE PHILOSOPHY OF A SCIENTIST. PMID- 17756208 TI - INVESTIGATORS AT THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17756207 TI - THE TRANSCONTINENTAL EXCURSION OF THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. PMID- 17756209 TI - THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE. PMID- 17756211 TI - THE PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SEGMENTED STRUCTURE OF THE STRIATED MUSCLE FIBER. PMID- 17756210 TI - A KEY TO BASIN-RANGE STRUCTURE IN THE CRICKET RANGE, UTAH. PMID- 17756212 TI - FERTILIZATION OF THE EGGS OF VARIOUS INVERTEBRATES BY OX-SERUM. PMID- 17756213 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17756214 TI - Tropical cyclones. PMID- 17756215 TI - Upperglow of the skies in relation to halos and coronas. PMID- 17756216 TI - Osteology of the cormorant. PMID- 17756217 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17756220 TI - THE EVOLUTION OF THE CEPHALOPODA.--II. PMID- 17756219 TI - Inheritance of physical injuries. PMID- 17756222 TI - TISSANDIER'S ELECTRIC BALLOON.--I. PMID- 17756221 TI - THE MOTION OF WAVES OF COLD IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17756218 TI - Pumice from Krakatoa. PMID- 17756223 TI - THE DISCOVERY OF THE GERM OF SWINE-PLAGUE. PMID- 17756224 TI - MIGRATION OF BIRDS IN ENGLAND. PMID- 17756225 TI - COHN'S 'DIE PFLANZE.'. PMID- 17756226 TI - SPANG'S LIGHTNING PROTECTION. PMID- 17756227 TI - REPORT ON SORGHUM-SUGAR. PMID- 17756228 TI - HANN'S CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17756229 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17756230 TI - THE CAUSE OF THE COMMON COLD. PMID- 17756231 TI - AN EARTHQUAKE IN ALASKA. PMID- 17756232 TI - THE PONS WINNECKE COMET. PMID- 17756234 TI - NEW POTATO DISEASES. PMID- 17756233 TI - CRIME DETECTION METHODS. PMID- 17756236 TI - WHAT CAN THE MODERN CHEMIST LEARN FROM THE OLD ALCHEMY? PMID- 17756235 TI - IMPROVED FRUITS. PMID- 17756237 TI - SARAH FRANCES WHITING. PMID- 17756238 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17756239 TI - OLD PROBLEMS WITH NEW ILLUSTRATIONS. PMID- 17756240 TI - ON MANSON'S EYE WORM IN POULTRY. PMID- 17756241 TI - A SIMPLE AUTOMATIC DEHYDRATING APPARATUS FOR MANY SMALL OBJECTS. PMID- 17756242 TI - EARTHWORMS AND SPECTRAL COLORS. PMID- 17756243 TI - RE NOMINA CONSERVANDA. PMID- 17756244 TI - SURVIVAL OF ABILITY. PMID- 17756245 TI - QUANTITATIVE HYDROLYSIS OF STARCH BY BUFFERED TAKA-DIASTASE. PMID- 17756246 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17756248 TI - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DECLINING BIRTH-RATE-A REPLY. PMID- 17756247 TI - THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. PMID- 17756250 TI - A SIMPLE DEVICE FOR ILLUSTRATING OSMOSIS. PMID- 17756249 TI - SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES MEETING AT ST. LOUIS. PMID- 17756251 TI - AN UNUSUAL FORM OF RAINBOW. PMID- 17756252 TI - WHY NOT GOVERNMENT-MAINTAINED FELLOWSHIPS. PMID- 17756253 TI - THE TERM "INVERSION". PMID- 17756254 TI - ORGANIZATION OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17756255 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17756256 TI - THE ANIMAL AS A MACHINE AND PRIME MOVER. PMID- 17756257 TI - HARSHBERGER ON THE ORIGIN OF OUR VERNAL FLORA. PMID- 17756259 TI - NOTES ON AGRICULTURE (I.). PMID- 17756258 TI - BRISSON'S GENERA OF MAMMALS, 1762. PMID- 17756260 TI - SCIENCE IN CANADA. PMID- 17756261 TI - THE CLASSIFICATION OF SKULLS. PMID- 17756262 TI - NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY OF THE LOBSTER; A CORRECTION. PMID- 17756263 TI - The Life and Writings of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. (Filson Club Publications No. 10.) Prepared for the Filson Club and read at its meeting, Monday, April 2, 1894. By RICHARD ELLSWORTH CALL, M. A., M. Sc., M. D. Louisville, Ky., John P. Morton & Co. 1895. 4to. pp. xiii+227. Portraits, etc. Paper. Price $2.50, net. PMID- 17756265 TI - SEEING YOURSELF SING. PMID- 17756264 TI - MATHEMATICS IN NINETEENTH CENTURY SCIENCE. PMID- 17756266 TI - PARIS-WASHINGTON LONGITUDE. PMID- 17756267 TI - ORVILLE A. DERBY. PMID- 17756268 TI - THOSE FUR SEAL BONES. PMID- 17756270 TI - THE TOXICITY OF BOG WATER. PMID- 17756269 TI - EXHIBITION OF THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. PMID- 17756271 TI - MATERIALS IN A TON OF KELP. PMID- 17756273 TI - NOTES ON CANADIAN STRATIGRAPHY AND PALEONTOLOGY. I. PMID- 17756272 TI - THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION. PMID- 17756274 TI - THE THEORY OF THE FREE-MARTIN. PMID- 17756275 TI - A CHEMOTROPIC RESPONSE OF THE HOUSE FLY (MUSCA DOMESTICA L.). PMID- 17756276 TI - Exhilarating editorial. PMID- 17756277 TI - Exhilarating editorial. PMID- 17756278 TI - Exhilarating editorial. PMID- 17756279 TI - Exhilarating editorial. PMID- 17756280 TI - Nesting dinosaur. PMID- 17756282 TI - Response: benefit-cost analysis and the environment. PMID- 17756281 TI - Benefit-cost analysis and the environment. PMID- 17756283 TI - Loco cow logo. PMID- 17756284 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17756285 TI - Scaling in ecology. PMID- 17756286 TI - Lost opportunity? PMID- 17756288 TI - Landlubbing admiral? PMID- 17756287 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17756289 TI - Mr. Wonderfull's Surprize. PMID- 17756290 TI - Telling time. PMID- 17756291 TI - Research chemicals: supply and demand. PMID- 17756292 TI - Will there be enough food? PMID- 17756293 TI - Mutant genes in the mexican axolotl. PMID- 17756294 TI - Careers in science and engineering for black americans. PMID- 17756295 TI - The Sloan-Kettering Affair (II): An Uneasy Resolution. PMID- 17756296 TI - European community energy policy: regulation or mainly information? PMID- 17756297 TI - Government support of research queried. PMID- 17756298 TI - House fails to pass metric bill. PMID- 17756300 TI - The Long and Short of Lasers (II): The Vacuum Ultraviolet. PMID- 17756299 TI - Uranium Enrichment: Both the Americans and Europeans Must Decide Where to Get the Nuclear Fuel of the 1980's. PMID- 17756301 TI - X-ray lasers: here in the not too distant future? PMID- 17756302 TI - Kaolinite Synthesis at 25{degrees}C. AB - The addition of quercetin, an organic flavone (C(15)H(10)O(7)), to aqueous solutions containing silica and aluminum and adjusted to final pH's from 6.5 to 8.5 produced a 1 : 1 alumninosilicate precipitate which, after 6 to 16 months of aging in solution at 25 degrees C, contained as much as 5 percent well-formed kaolinite plates. Similar solutions containing no organic material produced relatively amorphous precipitates with the same composition and stability (standard free energy of formation = -897+/-1 kilocalories per mole) but with substantially smaller amounts of crystaline material even after 2 years of aging. PMID- 17756303 TI - Spectroscopic measurements of stratospheric nitric oxide and water vapor. AB - Spectroscopic measurements have been made of the nitric oxide and water vapor concentrations in the stratosphere at an altitude of 28 kilometers. The measurements, carried out in situ with the use of a spin flip Raman laser, represent the first accurate determination of nitric oxide as a function of time (as the sun rose) from about 6: 30 to 14: 00 C. D. T. PMID- 17756304 TI - Acid rain: a serious regional environmental problem. AB - At present, acid rain or snow is falling on most of the northeastern United States. The annual acidity value averages about pH 4, but values between pH 2.1 and 5 have been recorded for individual storms. The acidity of precipitation in this region apparently increased about 20 years ago, and the increase may have been associated with the augmented use of natural gas and with the installation of particle-removal devices in tall smokestacks. Only some of the ecological and economic effects of this widespread introduction of strong acids into natural systems are known at present, but clearly they must be considered in proposals for new energy sources and in the development of air quality emission standards. PMID- 17756305 TI - A greater gondwanaland. AB - Gondwanaland at its maximum extent included Tibet, the Tarim Basin block, and parts of northern China. Tibet lay between India and Western Australia as submerged continental crust. The Himalayas are of intracontinental origin. The Tien Shatz lie along the former oceanic boundary of Gondwanaland. PMID- 17756306 TI - Methane formation in living trees: a microbial origin. AB - Visibly healthy hardwood trees located on poorly drained soils contained high pressures of methane. Heartwood from these trees was water-soaked, neutral to alkaline in pH, fetid in odor, and infested with a diverse population of obligately anaerobic bacteria. the bacterium responsible for methane formation in tree. was isolated and characterized as a member of the genus Methanobacterium. PMID- 17756307 TI - Moscow symposium on radiation chemistry of aqueous systems. PMID- 17756308 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17756310 TI - Behind the President's Message. PMID- 17756309 TI - Instructions for contributors. PMID- 17756311 TI - An olympiad of science. PMID- 17756312 TI - Spain (I): a developing economy puts spanish on the threshold. PMID- 17756313 TI - The CEQ Papers: Secrecy Is a Sometime Thing. PMID- 17756314 TI - Conversion: kennedy plan to change research priorities approved. PMID- 17756315 TI - Aldrin and Dieldrin Follow DDT. PMID- 17756316 TI - Earth and Mars: evolution of atmospheres and surface temperatures. AB - Solar evolution implies, for contemporary albedos and atmospheric composition, global mean temperatures below the freezing point of seawater less than 2.3 aeons ago, contrary to geologic and paleontological evidence. Ammonia mixing ratios of the order of a few parts per million in the middle Precambrian atmosphere resolve this and other problems. Possible temperature evolutionary tracks for Earth and Mars are described. A runaway greenhouse efect will occur on Earth about 4.5 aeons from now, when clement conditions will prevail on Mars. PMID- 17756317 TI - On carpenter and smith. PMID- 17756318 TI - Golden lion marmoset conference. PMID- 17756319 TI - Penrose conference on fracture mechanics and earthquake source mechanisms. PMID- 17756320 TI - ASYMMETRIC SYNTHESES AND THEIR BEARING UPON THE DOCTRINE OF VITALISM. PMID- 17756321 TI - THE COMMITTEE OF ONE HUNDRED ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17756323 TI - VERTICAL FILING FOR PAMPHLET COLLECTIONS. PMID- 17756322 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF DISEASE IN THE EXTINCTION OF RACES. PMID- 17756324 TI - PHRENOLOGY. PMID- 17756325 TI - ON THE ELECTRIC ORGANS OF GYMNOTUS CARAPUS. PMID- 17756326 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS. PMID- 17756327 TI - Cultura italiana. PMID- 17756328 TI - Zond 5: sketches and guesses. PMID- 17756329 TI - Can success be the cause of failure? PMID- 17756330 TI - Pleistocene climates and chronology in deep-sea sediments. PMID- 17756331 TI - The tragedy of the commons. AB - The population problem has no technical solution; it requires a fundamental extension in morality. PMID- 17756332 TI - Light scattering in central arctic ocean: some winter profiles. AB - Measurements for light scattering in an Arctic water column reveal strong gradients and variability of the order of 15 percent in depths of less than 500 meters. The region of variability appears to persist from day to day and is roughly associated with the typical hydrographic features of the region. No definite nephelocline was observed. PMID- 17756333 TI - Mossbauer investigation of shocked and unshocked iron meteorites and fayalite. AB - Mossbauer spectra of several iron meteorites have been measured by a resonant scattering technique rather than by the conventional transmission method, thereby eliminating the necessity for the preparation of thin samples. No significant differences were observed in the spectra of specimens of mechanically deformed, shocked, and unshocked iron meteorites, nor in the absorption spectra of artificially shocked and unshocked fayalite. PMID- 17756334 TI - Milankovitch radiation variations: a quantitative evaluation. AB - A quantitative determination of changes in the surface temperature caused by variations in insolation calculated by Milankovitch has been made through the use of the thermodynamic model of Adem. Under extreme conditions, mean coolings of 3.1 degrees and 2.7 degrees C, respectively, at latitudes 25 degrees and 65 degrees N are obtained for Milankovitch radiation cycles. At the sensitive latitude 65 degrees N, a mean cooling below the present temperature for each of the times of radiation minimum is only 1.4 degrees C. This result indicates that the Milankovitch effect is rather small to have triggered glacial climates. PMID- 17756335 TI - Hydrofoils: optimum lift-off speed for sailboats. AB - For a hydrofoil sailboat there is a unique optimum lift-off speed. Before this speed is reached, if there are no parasitic vertical hydrofoil appendages, the submerged or partially submerged hydrofoils increase drag and degrade performance. As soon as this speed is reached and the hydrofoils are fully and promptly deployed, the performance of a hydrofoil-borne craft is significantly improved. At speeds exceeding optimum lift-off speed, partially submerged hydrofoils impair performance if there is no significant effect of loading on the hydrofoil lift-to-drag ratio. PMID- 17756336 TI - Mercury's Rotation Period: Photographic Confirmation. AB - Photographic measures of surface features on Mercury have led to a rotation period of 58.663 +/- 0.021 days, which is in good agreement with the 58.646-day period required by a predicted 2:3 resonance between the axial and orbital periods. The incorrect interpretation of earlier visual and photographic observations which supported an 88-day rotation period appears to be partially explained by peculiar characteristics associated with the observability of various hermo-graphic longitudes. The apparent contrast of most of the recorded surface features is marginal for visual observation when viewed through the terrestrial daytime sky. The intrinsic contrast of a relatively conspicuous feature was measured as 0.20, a value lower than that of typical markings observed on the moon and Mars. PMID- 17756337 TI - Holoclemensia instead of clemensia. PMID- 17756339 TI - Prairie rebirth. PMID- 17756338 TI - Mosaic unit ruler. PMID- 17756340 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17756341 TI - THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. PMID- 17756342 TI - WAR AND SCIENCE. PMID- 17756343 TI - THE WESTINGHOUSE TIME CAPSULE. PMID- 17756344 TI - THE SALARIES OF MEN OF SCIENCE EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRY. PMID- 17756346 TI - INFLUENCE OF ADRENALECTOMY ON ANTERIOR PITUITARY KETOGENESIS IN RATS. PMID- 17756345 TI - THE RESEARCH COUNCIL ON PROBLEMS OF ALCOHOL. PMID- 17756347 TI - THE CHEMICAL NATURE AND NOMENCLATURE OF CHOLINE DERIVATIVES. PMID- 17756348 TI - BIOLOGICAL DETERMINATION OF VITAMIN B1 (THIAMIN) IN RHIZOBIUM TRIFOLII. PMID- 17756349 TI - APPARATUS TO ASSIST IN PHOTOGRAPHING EXPERIMENTAL MATERIAL. PMID- 17756350 TI - PHOTOELECTRIC "COLORIMETERS". PMID- 17756351 TI - STANFORD'S IDEAL DESTINY. PMID- 17756352 TI - PLANT FORMS EXISTING IN NATURE AND THEIR RELATION TO BOTANICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17756353 TI - Experimental Electrochemistry. PMID- 17756355 TI - DINOSAURIAN GASTROLITHS. PMID- 17756354 TI - A FEW NOTES ON 'INDIAN MOUNDS' IN TEXAS. PMID- 17756356 TI - MEGASPORE OR MACROSPORE. PMID- 17756357 TI - DEPOSIT OF VENUS SHELLS IN NEW YORK CITY. PMID- 17756358 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17756359 TI - ENGLISH VITAL STATISTICS. PMID- 17756360 TI - THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17756361 TI - THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17756362 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17756363 TI - THE AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION IN THE UNITED STATES--1860-1930. PMID- 17756364 TI - BABYLONIAN MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17756366 TI - NEW TYPES OF PLANTS IN FLORIDA. PMID- 17756365 TI - A FOSSIL FROG, INDOBATRACHUS NOBLE, FROM THE EOCENE OF SOUTHWESTERN INDIA. PMID- 17756367 TI - DEMONSTRATIONS IN CYTOLOGY. PMID- 17756368 TI - DREIKANTER IN WYOMING AND MONTANA. PMID- 17756369 TI - THE RUMFORD FUND. PMID- 17756370 TI - AN ELECTROMAGNETIC TOUCH-STIMULUS REACTION KEY. PMID- 17756372 TI - THE EFFECT OF TESTICLE EXTRACT AND NORMAL SERUM ON THE GROWTH OF A TRANSPLANTABLE EPITHELIAL TUMOR OF THE RABBIT. PMID- 17756371 TI - A METHOD TO SOFTEN TISSUE ALREADY IMBEDDED IN PARAFFIN. PMID- 17756373 TI - IMMUNIZATION WITH ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE MIXTURES OF POLIOMYELITIS VIRUS. PMID- 17756375 TI - THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. PMID- 17756374 TI - THE NECESSITY AND FUNCTION OF MANGANESE IN THE GROWTH OF CHLORELLA SP. PMID- 17756376 TI - THE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. PMID- 17756377 TI - PHYSIOLOGICAL OSMOSIS. PMID- 17756378 TI - PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS VS. BUSINESS. PMID- 17756379 TI - MECHANICAL ILLUSTRATION OF KIRCJIOFF'S PRINCIPLE. PMID- 17756380 TI - PLASTILINE, A NEW MODELING COMPOUND. PMID- 17756381 TI - MEN OF SCIENCE AND ANTI-VIVISECTION. PMID- 17756383 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17756382 TI - THE RED-BEDS OF KANSAS. PMID- 17756384 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17756386 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17756385 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17756387 TI - MEETING OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17756388 TI - The Florence Agreement. PMID- 17756389 TI - Low-Velocity Layers in the Earth, Ocean, and Atmosphere. PMID- 17756390 TI - Beno Gutenberg, Geophysicist. PMID- 17756391 TI - Environmental Radiation Studies Begun by Public Health Service in New Mexico and Missouri. PMID- 17756392 TI - Food Additives Law Reported To Be Curtailing Research. PMID- 17756393 TI - Eisenhower and Macmillan Hold Talks on Soviet Call for a Moratorium on Underground Tests. PMID- 17756394 TI - Mathematics Study Group Announces New Paperback Series. PMID- 17756395 TI - Significance of the Presence of Exchangeable Magnesium Ions in Acidified Clays. AB - Magnesium ions (Mg(++)) were shown to constitute a substantial percentage of the total exchangeable cations in acidified clay samples from various sources. This finding helps in solving several problems of long standing in the fields of soil chemistry, soil formation, and geochemical weathering. PMID- 17756396 TI - Mean Lifetime of Free Radical Chains Determined by a Flow Technique. AB - When radiolysis is induced in chloral hydrate solution flowing through a glass coil wound around a lead brick and irradiated from one side only, the rate of reaction depends on the flow rate. The effect resembles that for intermittent irradiation and makes it possible to estimate the mean lifetime of the free radical chain. PMID- 17756397 TI - New Jersey Academy of Science. PMID- 17756398 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17756399 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17756401 TI - STANDARD TIME AND MEASURES. PMID- 17756400 TI - THE PRISONERS OF THE SOUDAN. PMID- 17756402 TI - THE NATURALISTS' MEETING AT PHILADELPHIA. PMID- 17756403 TI - Polarization of resistance coils. PMID- 17756404 TI - Electrical phenomena on a mountain. PMID- 17756405 TI - What was the rose of Sharon? PMID- 17756406 TI - A brilliant meteor. PMID- 17756407 TI - Atmospheric lines in the solar spectrum. PMID- 17756409 TI - A German sentence. PMID- 17756408 TI - Pleuro-pneumonia. PMID- 17756411 TI - Stereoscopic vision. PMID- 17756410 TI - Star rays. PMID- 17756412 TI - This week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17756413 TI - Erratum. AB - Joyce Higgins should have been named as the source of the illustration on page 651 accompanying the Research News article "Playing tag with membrane proteins" by Michelle Hoffman (1 Nov., p. 650). PMID- 17756414 TI - Heat of fusion in the hydrophobic effect. PMID- 17756415 TI - The Community's Message to NIH. PMID- 17756416 TI - Sphinx riddle put to rest? PMID- 17756417 TI - AAAS*92 First Aid for Russian Science. PMID- 17756418 TI - How to find a black hole. PMID- 17756419 TI - Evolutionists wing it with a new fossil bird. PMID- 17756420 TI - New Assaults Seen on Earth's Ozone Shield. PMID- 17756421 TI - Swimming Against The PCB Tide. PMID- 17756422 TI - Capturing chemical evolution in a jar. PMID- 17756423 TI - Fairy tale prize for nobel noncontenders? PMID- 17756425 TI - Dystrophy gene defect spotted. PMID- 17756424 TI - Getting science into foreign policy. PMID- 17756426 TI - Mengele's DNA. PMID- 17756427 TI - Large quasi-circular features beneath frost on triton. AB - Specially processed Voyager 2 images of Neptune's largest moon, Triton, reveal three large quasi-circular features ranging in diameter from 280 to 935 kilometers within Triton's equatorial region. The largest of these features contains a central, irregularly shaped area of comparatively low albedo about 380 kilometers in diameter, surrounded by crudely concentric annuli of higher albedo materials. None of the features exhibit significant topographic expression, and all appear to be primarily albedo markings. The features are located within a broad equatorial band of anomalously transparent frost that renders them nearly invisible at the large phase angles (alpha > 90 degrees ) at which Voyager obtained its highest resolution coverage of Triton. The features can be discerned at smaller phase angles (alpha = 66 degrees ) at which the frost only partially masks underlying albedo contrasts. The origin of the features is uncertain but may have involved regional cryovolcanic activity. PMID- 17756428 TI - Channel initiation and the problem of landscape scale. AB - Since the 1940s it has been proposed that landscape dissection into distinct valleys is limited by a threshold of channelization that sets a finite scale to the landscape. This threshold is equal to the hillslope length that is just shorter than that necessary to support a channel head. A field study supports this hypothesis by showing that an empirically defined topographic threshold associated with channel head locations also defines the border between essentially smooth, undissected hillslopes and the valley bottoms to which they drain. This finding contradicts assertions that landscapes are scale-independent and suggests that landscape response to changes in climate or land use depends on the corresponding changes in the threshold of channelization. PMID- 17756429 TI - Electrical Transport Properties of Undoped CVD Diamond Films. AB - Polycrystalline diamond films synthesized by microwave-assisted chemical vapor deposition (MACVD) were examined with transient photoconductivity, and two fundamental electrical transport properties, the carrier mobility and lifetime, were measured. The highest mobility measured is 50 centimeters squared per volt per second at low initial carrier densities (<10(15) per cubic centimeter). Electron-hole scattering causes the carrier mobility to decrease at higher carrier densities. Although not measured directly, the carrier lifetime was inferred to be 40 picoseconds. The average drift length of the carriers is smaller than the average grain size and appears to be limited by defects within the grains. The carrier mobility in the MACVD films is higher than values measured in lower quality dc-plasma films but is much smaller than that of single crystal natural diamond. PMID- 17756430 TI - Compressibility of M3C60 Fullerene Superconductors: Relation Between Tc and Lattice Parameter. AB - X-ray diffraction and diamond anvil techniques were used to measure the isothermal compressibility of K(3)C(60) and Rb(3)C(60), the superconducting, binary alkali-metal intercalation compounds of solid buckminsterfullerene. These results, combined with the pressure dependence of the superconducting onset temperature T(c) measured by other groups, establish a universal first-order relation between T(c) and the lattice parameter a over a broad range, between 13.9 and 14.5 angstroms. A small secondorder intercalate-specific effect was observed that appears to rule out the participation of intercalate-fullerene optic modes in the pairing interaction. PMID- 17756431 TI - Molecular dynamics simulations of dimer opening on a diamond {001}(2x1) surface. AB - Computer simulations of hydrocarbon and related molecules using empirical force fields have become important tools for studying a number of biological and related processes at the atomic scale. Traditional force fields, however, cannot be used to simulate dynamic chemical reactivity that involves changes in atomic hybridization. Application of a many-body potential function allows such reactivity to occur in a computer simulation. Simulations of the reaction of small hydrocarbon molecules adsorbed on a reconstructed diamond {001}(2x1) surface suggest that these hydrocarbons are highly reactive species and that initial stages of diamond growth proceed through a dimer-opening mechanism. Rates estimated from transition state theory of two interconversions between states where the dimer is open and closed are given. PMID- 17756432 TI - Early evolution of avian flight and perching: new evidence from the lower cretaceous of china. AB - Fossil bird skeletons discovered in Lower Cretaceous lake deposits in China shed new light on the early evolution of avian flight and perching. The 135 million year-old sparrow-sized skeletons represent a new avian, Sinornis santensis, n. gen. n. sp., that preserves striking primitive features such as a flexible manus with unguals, a footed pubis, and stomach ribs (gastralia). In contrast to Archaeoperyx, however, Sinornis exhibits advanced features such as a broad sternum, wing-folding mechanism, pygostyle, and large fully reversed hallux. Modern avian flight function and perching capability, therefore, must have evolved in small-bodied birds in inland habitats not long after Archaeopteryx. PMID- 17756434 TI - The loop paradigm. PMID- 17756433 TI - Competition, cooperation, and mutation: improving a synthetic replicator by light irradiation. AB - Replication and mutation are necessary elements of evolution, and some properties of self-replicating molecules (replicators) can be explored with synthetic structures. Selection and evolution at the molecular level require systems capable of competition and inheritable change. These phenomena have now been observed with synthetic molecules. Two such molecules were prepared having sufficient structural similarity that they catalyzed each other's formation as well as their own. One of the replicators bears a photochemically active function that is cleaved on irradiation. The resulting species is more effective at replication than the original and rapidly takes over the system's resources. PMID- 17756435 TI - Dark matter. PMID- 17756436 TI - Very luminous objects. PMID- 17756437 TI - Vignettes: a discovery and a solution. PMID- 17756438 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17756439 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17756440 TI - Molecular advances in diseases. PMID- 17756441 TI - Out of Africa: honey bee hybrids. PMID- 17756442 TI - The whitehead institute and mit. PMID- 17756444 TI - Watkins Signals Retreat on DOE Directives. PMID- 17756443 TI - Response. PMID- 17756445 TI - UV Spectrum and Proposed Role of Diethylberyllium in a 7Li-7Be Solar Neutrino Experiment. AB - Although measurement of the solar neutrino flux via the (7)Li(v(e),e(-))(7)Be reaction was proposed many years ago, no experiment has been implemented since it has been difficult to identify a sensitive (7)Be detection technique. Here it is proposed that the (7)Be atom be incorporated into a volatile molecule, placed in a buffer-gas-filled cell, and then extracted by photodissociation; after excitation by a tunable laser, bursts of photons would be detected. The absorption spectrum of the molecular candidate diethylberyllium has been measured between 186 and 270 nanometers in a spectrophotometer to determine the required photodissociation laser wavelength and intensity. PMID- 17756447 TI - A standpoint on science. PMID- 17756446 TI - Synthesis and Single-Crystal X-ray Structure of a Highly Symmetrical C60 Derivative, C60Br24. AB - C(60) and liquid bromine react to form C(60)Br(24), a crystalline compound isolated as a bromine solvate, C(60)Br(24)(Br(2))(x), The x-ray crystal structure defines a new pattern of addition to the carbon skeleton that imparts a rare high symmetry. The parent C(60) framework is recognizable in C(60)Br(24), but sp(3) carbons at sites of bromination distort the surface, affecting conformations of all of the hexagonal and pentagonal rings. Twenty-four bromine atoms envelop the carbon core, shielding the 18 remaining double bonds from addition. At 150 degrees to 200 degrees C there is effectively quantitative reversion of C(60)Br(24) to C(60) and Br(2). PMID- 17756448 TI - Vignettes: ontogenetic viewpoints. PMID- 17756449 TI - An enthusiasm in cosmology. PMID- 17756450 TI - Biological restoration. PMID- 17756451 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17756452 TI - ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND THE SECULAR VARIATION OF TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM. PMID- 17756453 TI - ON A DEVONIAN LIMESTONE-BRECCIA IN SOUTHWESTERN MISSOURI. PMID- 17756454 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY (X.). PMID- 17756455 TI - NOTES ON AGRICULTURE (III.). PMID- 17756456 TI - THE ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE STANDARD NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17756458 TI - A NEW FORM OF COPPER. PMID- 17756457 TI - THE CLIMATE OF MARS. PMID- 17756459 TI - THE ANTIRACHITIC VITAMIN. PMID- 17756460 TI - ARTIFICIAL FAT AS A FOOD. PMID- 17756461 TI - ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN. PMID- 17756462 TI - NUTRITIVE CONDITION AND HABIT FORMATION IN RATS. PMID- 17756463 TI - SCIENCE AND SERVICE. PMID- 17756464 TI - THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE THEORY OF ALGEBRAIC NUMBERS. PMID- 17756465 TI - THE ECLIPSE OF JANUARY 24, 1925. PMID- 17756466 TI - THE NUMBER OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF SELECTED INDIVIDUALS. PMID- 17756467 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17756468 TI - THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION. PMID- 17756469 TI - ENERGY VALUES OF FEEDS FOR CATTLE. PMID- 17756471 TI - PROMISING PLANT INSECTICIDES. PMID- 17756470 TI - PERAMBULATING MILLIPEDS. PMID- 17756473 TI - The National Academy of Sciences: Abstracts of Papers Presented at 1948 Autumn Meeting, Berkeley, California. PMID- 17756472 TI - The Atomic Nucleus, A New World to Conquer. PMID- 17756474 TI - Some Electrochemical Properties of Shales. PMID- 17756475 TI - Carbon Dioxide, Cerebellum, Chloramines, and Convulsions. PMID- 17756476 TI - Construction of Glass Diaphragm Leaks for Gas Analysis With a Mass Spectrometer. PMID- 17756477 TI - A New Influence on Chemically Induced Sarcomata. PMID- 17756478 TI - Antibacterial Action of the Blood of the Large Milkweed Bug. PMID- 17756479 TI - Protection of Mice Against an Encephalitis Virus by Means of Organic-Solvent Extracts of Brain Tissue. PMID- 17756480 TI - Cenogonal--A New Crystallographic Term. PMID- 17756481 TI - A Simple Method of High-Power Tissue Stimulation. PMID- 17756482 TI - Allotment of Funds for Research. PMID- 17756483 TI - Criticism of a Definition of pH. PMID- 17756484 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE ENGINEERING AS A PROFESSION AND ITS RELATION TO THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17756485 TI - THE CHEMICAL REGULATION OF THE PROCESSES OF THE BODY BY MEANS OF ACTIVATORS, KINASES AND HORMONES. PMID- 17756487 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN CONGRESS OF MEDICINE AND HYGIENE. PMID- 17756486 TI - SIR WILLIAM CROOKES. PMID- 17756488 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17756489 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17756490 TI - INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE. PMID- 17756491 TI - SCIENTISTS AND ESPERANTO. PMID- 17756493 TI - "GEOMETRICAL" CANALS ON MARS? A SUGGESTION. PMID- 17756492 TI - RELATIVITY AND SOME OF ITS CONSEQUENCES. PMID- 17756495 TI - THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17756494 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17756496 TI - Ocean Wave Studies. PMID- 17756498 TI - Cell Function in Relation to Structure: Abstracts of a Symposium at the Meeting of the Society of General Physiologists, June 20-22, 1951, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. PMID- 17756497 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17756499 TI - Hudson institute studies. PMID- 17756501 TI - Mining in glacier bay monument. PMID- 17756500 TI - Whom does power corrupt? PMID- 17756502 TI - In defense of dissent. PMID- 17756503 TI - Campus demonstrations. PMID- 17756504 TI - Undergraduate math. PMID- 17756506 TI - The status and problems of high-energy physics today. PMID- 17756505 TI - Concerning dissent and civil disobedience. PMID- 17756507 TI - Steam automobiles: advocates seek government support for research. PMID- 17756508 TI - Smithsonian: innovative leadership carries new programs to inner city. PMID- 17756509 TI - Student aid: standardization sought in u.s. Government stipends. PMID- 17756510 TI - Photoelectric and Spectroscopic Observations Related to a Possible Optical Counterpart for Pulsar CP 1919+21. AB - Spectroscopic observations of the two stars near the pulsar CP 1919+21 are not sufficiently conclusive to permit an identification of either object with the source of the radio pulses. However, our most extensive series of photometric observations of a region of sky near the radio source position, which region includes the brighter of the two stars, suggests an approximately sinusoidal variation. It is significant that the period of the variation is double the period of the radio pulsations. PMID- 17756511 TI - Pulsars: observations of spectra. AB - Dynamic spectrograms of two of the recently discovered pulsating radio sources have been obtained. The data provide the instantaneous spectrum and the time frequency history of the signals over a bandwidth of 3 megahertz. PMID- 17756512 TI - Morphology and origins of sedimentary structures on submarine slopes. AB - Submarine slopes in deep water, such as continental slopes, are often indented by valleys or channels and made uneven by ridges or levees. The origins of many of these features are unknown or disputed. Morphologically, however, there is often great similarity between forms on deep slopes and forms on shallow slopes or on land. Structurally the slopes in deep water are less well explored, but several observations reveal features, such as lamination and crossbedding, that are known from shallow water also. Measurements of current indicate that periodically the movement of water near the bottom is fast enough to move particles of sediment from time to time. Morphology, fine structure, and currents suggest that internal waves and associated currents, as well as gravity, may control the shape of deep submarine slopes analogously to the shaping by surface waves of slopes in shallow water. PMID- 17756513 TI - Mazama ash in the northeastern pacific. AB - Volcanic glass in marine sediments off Oregon and Washington correlates with continental deposits of Mount Mazama ash by stratigraphic position, refractive index, and radiocarbon dating. Ash deposited in the abyssal regions by turbidity currents is used for tracing of the dispersal routes of postglacial sediments and for evaluation of marine sedimentary processes. PMID- 17756514 TI - Band gap of forsterite. AB - Optical absorption and reflectivity measurements on synthetic forsterite show that this silicate has a wide band gap of the order of 8.4 electron volts; thus it resembles other pure insulating oxides such as MgO. For natural olivines, in which divalent cations, mainly Fe(2+), can replace Mg(2+), all the optical absorption bands between the lattice overtones in the infrared and the first excitonic transition at 8.4 electron volts are due to the presence of iron. PMID- 17756515 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT BEFORE THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE BRISTOL, 1898. PMID- 17756516 TI - RECENT ADVANCES IN MALACOLOGY. PMID- 17756517 TI - AN INSTANCE OF LOCAL TEMPERATURE CONTROL OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF MAMMALS. PMID- 17756518 TI - THE ANNUAL INSPECTION OF THE PRIBILOF SEAL ROOKERIES. PMID- 17756520 TI - ZOOLOGICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY AND PUBLICATION. PMID- 17756521 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17756519 TI - THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. PMID- 17756522 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17756523 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17756525 TI - THE GERMAN 'NATURFORSCHER UND AERZTE'. PMID- 17756524 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17756526 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17756527 TI - DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17756528 TI - LIFE-ZONES IN NEW MEXICO. PMID- 17756529 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. PMID- 17756530 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION AT ANN ARBOR. PMID- 17756531 TI - THE COMMITTEE REPORTS. PMID- 17756532 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF ASTRONOMY AND MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17756533 TI - THE RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING THE COAST-SURVEY. PMID- 17756534 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF PHYSICS. PMID- 17756535 TI - CHEMISTRY IN THE SERVICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH. PMID- 17756537 TI - THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS. PMID- 17756536 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17756538 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17756539 TI - PROBLEMS IN THE STUDY OF COAL, WITH A SKETCH OF RECENT PROGRESS IN GEOLOGY. PMID- 17756540 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17756541 TI - EDUCATIONAL MUSEUMS OF VERTEBRATES. PMID- 17756542 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF BIOLOGY. PMID- 17756545 TI - THE NATIVE TRIBES OF ALASKA. PMID- 17756544 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF HISTOLOGY AND MICROSCOPY. PMID- 17756543 TI - THE LIMITATIONS AND VALUE OF HISTOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION. PMID- 17756546 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17756547 TI - THE APPLICATION OF SCIENCE TO THE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF FOOD. PMID- 17756548 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF ECONOMIC SCIENCE AND STATISTICS. PMID- 17756549 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOTANICAL SECTION OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17756550 TI - AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION. PMID- 17756551 TI - A GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING RESEARCH. PMID- 17756552 TI - THE GRAND GULF FORMATION. PMID- 17756553 TI - THE SQUIDS FROM ONONDAGA LAKE, N. Y. PMID- 17756554 TI - PRELIMINARY RESULTS ON THE CHANGES OF ATMOSPHERIC NUCLEATION. PMID- 17756555 TI - THE LARAMIE CRETACEOUS OF WYOMING. PMID- 17756556 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17756558 TI - LECTURE COURSES OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. PMID- 17756557 TI - THE VIRCHOW MEMORIAL. PMID- 17756559 TI - A GENERAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17756560 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17756561 TI - Fish-remains in the North-American Silurian rocks. PMID- 17756562 TI - Indian languages in South America. PMID- 17756563 TI - The meng-leng. PMID- 17756564 TI - Increase in growth of young robins. PMID- 17756566 TI - Depth of the glacial submergence on the upper Mississippi. PMID- 17756565 TI - THE VISIT OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17756568 TI - ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY. PMID- 17756567 TI - LORD RAYLEIGH. PMID- 17756569 TI - IRRIGATION IN THE UPPER MISSOURI AND YELLOWSTONE VALLEYS. PMID- 17756571 TI - THE LOWER FORMS OF LIFE DREDGED BY THE TALISMAN. PMID- 17756570 TI - LAWSUITS AGAINST GRUBS AND GRASSHOPPERS. PMID- 17756572 TI - KOREAN CURIOS. PMID- 17756573 TI - THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS. PMID- 17756574 TI - THE EXPLORING VOYAGE OF THE CHALLENGER. PMID- 17756575 TI - BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17756576 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17756577 TI - Publications Received. PMID- 17756579 TI - Some Biometric Observations on Cacao Fruit. PMID- 17756578 TI - Thermoluminescence as a Research Tool. PMID- 17756580 TI - A Type of Large-Volume Vacuum Ampul. PMID- 17756581 TI - Phosphorylated Hesperidin. PMID- 17756582 TI - PSYCHOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17756584 TI - MENTAL HYGIENE. PMID- 17756583 TI - SCIENTIFIC PHRENOLOGY. PMID- 17756585 TI - CURRENTS IN THE BOSPHORUS. PMID- 17756586 TI - ECONOMICS, SCIENTIFIC AND POPULAR. PMID- 17756587 TI - SOME RECENT MINERALOGICAL TEXTBOOKS. PMID- 17756589 TI - ADJUSTING THE COLLEGE TO AMERICAN LIFE. PMID- 17756588 TI - THE CHEMISTRY OF THE SUN. PMID- 17756590 TI - A DANGER ARISING FROM THE POPULARIZATION OF THE COLLEGE. PMID- 17756591 TI - ENGINEERS OF WISCONSIN FORM STATE SOCIETY. PMID- 17756592 TI - THE PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17756594 TI - THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING. PMID- 17756593 TI - THE DARWIN CENTENARY. PMID- 17756595 TI - FOREST PRESERVATION. PMID- 17756597 TI - A NEW PHENOMENON IN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE. PMID- 17756596 TI - THE DATING OF PUBLICATIONS. PMID- 17756598 TI - MAGNETIC ROCKS. PMID- 17756599 TI - A NEW VARIETY OF ASYMMETRY EXHIBITED BY THE NITROGEN ATOM. PMID- 17756600 TI - RUSSIAN RESEARCH IN METABOLISM. PMID- 17756601 TI - A MENDELIAN VIEW OF SEX-HEREDITY. PMID- 17756602 TI - Three Quarter-Centuries of Cytology. PMID- 17756603 TI - Proposed Changes in Article 25 (the Law of Priority) of the International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature. PMID- 17756604 TI - On Paraffin Embedding. PMID- 17756605 TI - The Situation in Argentine Universities. PMID- 17756607 TI - Delayed Maturity of Bean Plants Sprayed With Solutions of 2,4 Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid of Nonherbicidal Concentrations. PMID- 17756606 TI - A New Penicillin for Prolonged Blood Levels. PMID- 17756608 TI - Survival Time of Various Warm-blooded Animals in Extreme Cold. PMID- 17756609 TI - The Respiration of Streptomyces griseus. PMID- 17756610 TI - Sucrose in the Stalks of Maize Inbreds. PMID- 17756611 TI - Pollak's Trichrome Stain for Demonstrating Distemper Inclusion Bodies in Tissue Sections. PMID- 17756612 TI - A Simple Automatic Pipette Washer. PMID- 17756613 TI - A New Method for Rearing Drosophila. PMID- 17756615 TI - DISTILLERY-MILK REPORT.--III. PMID- 17756614 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17756617 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17756616 TI - EXPLORATION AND TRAVEL. PMID- 17756618 TI - ETHNOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17756619 TI - Height of a meteor. PMID- 17756620 TI - Museums of ethnology and their classification. PMID- 17756622 TI - Small-pox hospitals. PMID- 17756621 TI - The scientific swindler again. PMID- 17756623 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17756625 TI - A Bayanzi execution. PMID- 17756624 TI - An advance in educational advertising. PMID- 17756626 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17756628 TI - A REVISION OF THE FUNDAMENTAL LAW OF HABIT FORMATION. PMID- 17756627 TI - THE PHYSIOLOGIC LIFE. PMID- 17756630 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17756629 TI - HENRI BOSMANS. PMID- 17756631 TI - A PERIODIC CLASSIFICATION OF THE HARDNESS AND MELTING-POINTS OF THE ELEMENTS. PMID- 17756633 TI - WHAT IS A NAME? PMID- 17756632 TI - FURTHER EVIDENCE CONCERNING MAN'S ANTIQUITY AT FREDERICK, OKLAHOMA. PMID- 17756634 TI - THREATENED EXTINCTION OF THE RUFFED GROUSE. PMID- 17756635 TI - THE GEOLOGY OF SONORA. PMID- 17756636 TI - A SIMPLE VISUAL METHOD FOR DEMONSTRATING THE DIFFUSION OF OXYGEN THROUGH RUBBER AND VARIOUS OTHER SUBSTANCES. PMID- 17756637 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF MUTATIONS AND REARRANGEMENTS OF GENES BY X-RAYS. PMID- 17756639 TI - A GOOD RECORD FROM ATLANTIC CITY. PMID- 17756638 TI - A DETERMINATION OF THE NEWTONIAN CONSTANT OF GRAVITATION BY A STUDY OF THE VIBRATIONS OF A TORSION PENDULUM. PMID- 17756640 TI - THE CLARK ELECTRIC COMPANY'S APPARATUS. PMID- 17756642 TI - SANITARY CEILINGS AND WALLS. PMID- 17756641 TI - THE WARD RAM FOR WAR-SHIPS. PMID- 17756643 TI - DR. H. MEYER ON STANLEY'S EXPEDITION. PMID- 17756644 TI - THE LAKES OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. PMID- 17756645 TI - PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF MANGANESE. PMID- 17756646 TI - THE CAMERA ABROAD. PMID- 17756647 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17756649 TI - THE FLY AS A DISEASE-CARRIER. PMID- 17756648 TI - ETHNOLOGY. PMID- 17756650 TI - UNDERGROUND WATER AND BACTERIA. PMID- 17756651 TI - THE MORTALITY AMONG NURSES. PMID- 17756652 TI - ICE-WATER. PMID- 17756653 TI - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHOLINE AS A DIETARY FACTOR. PMID- 17756654 TI - PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DALLAS MEETING II. PMID- 17756656 TI - SYMPOSIA ON EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS AND MOSQUITO CONTROL. PMID- 17756655 TI - CHARLES PECHER. PMID- 17756657 TI - ATKINS INSTITUTION OF THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM. PMID- 17756659 TI - THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CORPORATION. PMID- 17756658 TI - AWARDS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. PMID- 17756660 TI - NICOTIANA RUSTICA IN NEW MEXICO. PMID- 17756662 TI - A NOTE ON THE DETERMINATION OF THIAMINE BY THE YEAST FERMENTATION METHOD. PMID- 17756661 TI - EXCEPTIONAL BURIAL IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17756663 TI - GERMAN PERSECUTIONS IN POLAND. PMID- 17756664 TI - HIGGINS VERSUS HIGBEE. PMID- 17756665 TI - THE EFFECT OF INCREASED PANTOTHENIC ACID IN THE EGG ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHICK EMBRYO. PMID- 17756666 TI - THE PHENOMENON OF THIXOTROPY IN HEMOPHILIC AND HEPARINIZED BLOOD. PMID- 17756667 TI - A NEW TECHNIC FOR STAINING VAGINAL SMEARS: III, A SINGLE DIFFERENTIAL STAIN. PMID- 17756668 TI - THE EFFECT OF PYRIDOXINE ON THE URINARY EXCRETION OF A NEW FLUORESCENT SUBSTANCE. PMID- 17756669 TI - A DEVICE FOR THE PREPARATION OF HYDROSULFITE SOLUTIONS FOR GAS ANALYSIS. PMID- 17756671 TI - THE BRITISH NATIONAL ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. PMID- 17756670 TI - A CENTURY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING. PMID- 17756673 TI - SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. PMID- 17756672 TI - TEACHING OF CHEMISTRY IN SCHOOLS--1876, 1901. PMID- 17756674 TI - A HORNED LIZARD AT A HIGH ALTITUDE. PMID- 17756675 TI - ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE. PMID- 17756676 TI - THE WASHINGTON MEMORIAL INSTITUTION. PMID- 17756677 TI - THE GEOLOGIC DISTRIBUTION OF POLLICIPES AND SCALPELLUM. PMID- 17756678 TI - A NEW MAMMALIAN GENUS. PMID- 17756679 TI - THE NEW BUREAU OF FORESTRY. PMID- 17756680 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17756681 TI - THE CONSERVATION OF OUR LAND RESOURCES. PMID- 17756682 TI - THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES. PMID- 17756684 TI - THE DEPOSITS OF HAYDEN VALLEY IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. PMID- 17756683 TI - THE DAVID EUGENE SMITH GIFT OF HISTORICAL-MATHEMATICAL INSTRUMENTS TO COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17756685 TI - SOURCE OF PROPULSIVE POWER USED BY FLYING FISH. PMID- 17756687 TI - NATURAL GLASSES OF THE INSOLUBLE RESIDUES OF THE PENNSYLVANIAN LIMESTONES OF TEXAS. PMID- 17756686 TI - CRISIS UNDER WATER. PMID- 17756688 TI - TEMPERATURE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE "BERGER RHYTHM" IN MAN. PMID- 17756689 TI - "KARO" AS A MOUNTING MEDIUM. PMID- 17756690 TI - THE ISOLATION OF CRYSTALLINE TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS PROTEIN FROM DISEASED TOMATO PLANTS. PMID- 17756691 TI - A SIMPLE COMPARATOR FOR ABSORPTION SPECTROGRAMS. PMID- 17756692 TI - THE FUNCTIONS AND IDEALS OF A NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17756693 TI - GEORGE MACLOSKIE. PMID- 17756694 TI - BLOOD-INHABITING PROTOZOA FOR CLASS USE. PMID- 17756695 TI - CHEMISTRY APPLIED TO COMMERCE. PMID- 17756696 TI - HORIZONTAL RAINBOWS. PMID- 17756697 TI - THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGIN OF THE NOTOCHORD. PMID- 17756698 TI - THE CONFERENCE AT CLEVELAND ON THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17756699 TI - FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARY. PMID- 17756700 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17756702 TI - Response. PMID- 17756701 TI - Noitall seeks new horizons. PMID- 17756703 TI - Gravitational theory. PMID- 17756705 TI - Rosetta: An ESA Mission. PMID- 17756704 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - In the Random Samples item about the Dial of Ahaz (17 Mar., p. 1599), the miracle referred to concerned the sickness, not of King Ahaz, but of his son Hezekiah. PMID- 17756706 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17756708 TI - ESO and Chile Begin to Clear the Air. PMID- 17756707 TI - Cold war rivals find common ground. PMID- 17756709 TI - U.s., europe clash over plan to set policy on data access. PMID- 17756710 TI - Forecasting the northern lights. PMID- 17756712 TI - Poisoning the greenhouse. PMID- 17756711 TI - Chemists self-assemble in southern california. AB - ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA-Nearly 10,000 scientists gathered for the 209th national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), held from 2 to 6 April. One piece of unwelcome news was that the ACS governance boards approved hikes in journal subscription prices for 1996. But researchers considered matters more physical than fiscal, listening to presentations on substances that self-construct, molecules that clean up after themselves, and DNA recovered from a stone, among other topics. PMID- 17756713 TI - New blood for the lancet. PMID- 17756714 TI - Relative horizontality. PMID- 17756715 TI - River blindness control pays off. PMID- 17756716 TI - Low expectations. PMID- 17756717 TI - Swan Song for ISF? PMID- 17756718 TI - Satellites in stereo. PMID- 17756719 TI - Economic growth, carrying capacity, and the environment. PMID- 17756720 TI - In from the cold: prospects for conversion of the defense industrial base. AB - At the end of the Cold War, the manufacturing operations involved in making military equipment and commercial goods are commonly believed to intersect hardly at all. Our analyses of 1991 survey data from a large sample of establishments in the machining-intensive durable goods sector show that there are few technical and competitive conditions separating the defense and commercial industrial spheres. Commercial-military integration of production is now the normal practice among the majority of defense contractors in this sector. Moreover, we find little difference between defense and commercial producers in the competitive conditions they face or in the diversity of their customers. However, defense contractors have an advantage over their strictly commercial counterparts because of their greater use of productivity-enhancing technologies. PMID- 17756721 TI - Discovery of an unmelted h-chondrite inclusion in an iron meteorite. AB - The link between H chondrites and silicate inclusions in group IIE iron meteorites has long been suspected, but direct evidence for a common parentage has remained elusive. The discovery of an unmelted chondritic inclusion in the Techado iron meteorite sheds light on the genetic relation between these two groups, providing clues on the origin of chondritic materials as inclusions in iron meteorites. It is proposed that the complex IIE iron meteorite breccias formed by collisions with several different bodies, followed by deep burial of metal and silicate fragments in the asteroidal megaregolith. PMID- 17756722 TI - Computation beyond the turing limit. AB - Extensive efforts have been made to prove the Church-Turing thesis, which suggests that all realizable dynamical and physical systems cannot be more powerful than classical models of computation. A simply described but highly chaotic dynamical system called the analog shift map is presented here, which has computational power beyond the Turing limit (super-Turing); it computes exactly like neural networks and analog machines. This dynamical system is conjectured to describe natural physical phenomena. PMID- 17756724 TI - Report on 1995 council meeting. PMID- 17756723 TI - Response. PMID- 17756725 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17756726 TI - RICHARD RATHBUN. PMID- 17756727 TI - THE OLONA, HAWAII'S UNEXCELLED FIBER-PLANT. PMID- 17756728 TI - THE BARBADOS-ANTIGUA EXPEDITION FROM THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA. PMID- 17756729 TI - THE PREVENTION OF ROPE IN BREAD. PMID- 17756730 TI - A NIGHT RAINBOW. PMID- 17756732 TI - PATENT REFORM PROSPECTS. PMID- 17756731 TI - A MICROSCOPIC TRAP. PMID- 17756733 TI - POLARIZATION IN CASE OF MOVING ELECTRODES. PMID- 17756734 TI - Energy and the environment. PMID- 17756735 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17756737 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17756736 TI - Grant administration. PMID- 17756738 TI - The university department. PMID- 17756740 TI - Ignorance as the driving force. PMID- 17756739 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17756741 TI - Atmospheric Effects of Pollutan: Pollutants which affect clouds are most likely to produce modifications in weather and climate. AB - We have argued that aerosols are probably the principal agents by which pollutants may affect weather and climate. They are most likely to act by influencing the structure and distribution of clouds. On the local scale, the effects of pollutants on some aspects of weather are unmistakable. The effects of man-made pollutants on global climate are a matter of debate, but they may already be significant. PMID- 17756742 TI - What Happened at Hawthorne?: New evidence suggests the Hawthorne effect resulted from operant reinforcement contingencies. AB - The Hawthorne effect in experimental research is the unwanted effect of the experimental operations themselves. Following the Hawthorne studies, various explanations have been proposed to account for rising rates of production. Although in the Relay Assembly Test Room experiment the experimental operations may have produced other extraneous variables, a reexamination based on new and neglected evidence has yielded a new interpretation. The new variable, made more plausible because research in other contexts has shown it to have similar effects, is a combination of information feedback and financial reward. It is an example of the control of behavior by its consequences. Although several approaches may be taken to explain the effects of response-consequence contingencies, I have favored operant conditioning because it seems to account for progressive increases in response rate-the Hawthorne phenomenon. Generalizing from the particular situation at Hawthorne, I would define the Hawthorne effect as the confounding that occurs if experimenters fail to realize how the consequences of subjects' performance affect what subjects do. But the Hawthorne effect need not be viewed solely as a problem in conducting experiments. The phenomenon that created it should be studied in its own right, as Sommer (67) suggested with a different phenomenon in mind. The study of response-consequence contingencies might well be extended to the examination of motivation in industrial workers. PMID- 17756743 TI - U.s.-U.s.s.R. Exchange: americans split on schizophrenia program. PMID- 17756744 TI - Insurance dominates health message. PMID- 17756745 TI - ORV's in California Desert Inspire Court Suit. PMID- 17756747 TI - Salk worth $2.4 million to march of dimes. PMID- 17756746 TI - Pentagon's R & D Clients Include MIT, El-Azhar. PMID- 17756749 TI - The presidential prize caper. PMID- 17756748 TI - Institute scrubs three committees. PMID- 17756750 TI - Chemical carcinogenesis: a long-neglected field blossoms. PMID- 17756751 TI - Can potential carcinogens be detected more quickly? PMID- 17756752 TI - Auroral photography from a satellite. AB - Photographs taken from satellites show the form, location, and intensity of the aurora from a new perspective. They provide an effective way of monitoring auroral activity on a worldwide basis and are likely to become one of the major tools in the effort to understand this phenomenon. PMID- 17756753 TI - Low-loss niobium-tin compound for superconducting alternating-current power transmission applications. AB - A Nb(3)Sn superconductor has been fabricated in rods and tapes by the interaction of the tin contained in a copper-tin alloy with niobium which had been in contact with the alloy material. This conductor has lower alternating-current (60 hertz) losses than any presently available commercial products. PMID- 17756754 TI - Melting relations of the aliende meteorite. AB - The proportions of major oxides in the Allende carbonaceous chondrite after partial reduction are remarkably similar to those in possible mantle material of the earth. When heated, the Allende meteorite generates a sulfide melt (47 percent iron, 25 percent nickel, and 24 percent sulfur by weight), a ferrobasaltic melt, and olivine with or without pyroxene, over a wide pressure range (5 to 25 kilobars). The silicate melt contains more sodium and less titanium than lunar ferrobasalts. An aggregate of the Allende chondrite rich in calcium and aluminum produces silica-undersaturated, calcium-rich melt and spinel over a wide pressure and temperature range. From these studies, it is suggested that the earth's core contains significant amounts of both nickel and sulfur and that a 3 : 2 mixture of Allende bulk sample and calcium- and aluminum-rich aggregates is closer in major element abundances than either of these components to the average composition of the moon. PMID- 17756755 TI - Light Flashes Observed by Astronauts on Apollo 11 through Apollo 17. AB - The crew members on the last seven Apollo flights observed light flashes that are tentatively attributed to cosmic ray nuclei (atomic number >/= 6) penetrating the head and eyes of the observers. Analyses of the event rates for all missions has revealed an anomalously low rate for transearth coast observations with respect to translunar coast observations. PMID- 17756756 TI - Eustatic sea level 120,000 years ago on oahu, hawaii. AB - Extensive dating of the fossil corals associated with the Waimanalo shoreline on Oahu has shown that 120,000 years ago the ocean was approximately 7.6 meters above its present level. Corals grown during that time constitute a major portion of the subaerial reef-derived material on the island, with exposures ranging from about 10 meters to near sea level. This evidence corroborates the notion that 120,000 years before the present was the last time during which the sea stood significantly higher than it does today. The reported benches at 3.7, 1.5, and 0.6 meters, if not of Recent origin, could be features created by brief halts of the sea during rapid regression shortly after the Waimanalo high stand. PMID- 17756757 TI - Calcification on an Unstable Substrate: Marginal Growth in the Moilusk Pecten diegensis. AB - Observations of the growing margin of Pecten diegensis show that calcification can occur on an unstable substrate, although this initial shell material is quite disordered. Later growth on the inner surface of the disordered material soon becomes ordered, which suggests that the calcification process benefits from the stability of a mineralized substrate, but does not utilize the substrate as a physical or stereochemical template. PMID- 17756758 TI - Disruption of gypsy moth mating with microencapsulated disparlure. AB - Broadcast applications of microencapsulated disparlure at rates of 2.5 to 15.0 grams per hectare are capable of reducing successful mating of wild gypsy moths under field conditions. In test plots, population densities were as high as 32 pairs of pupae in an area of about 700 square meters. PMID- 17756760 TI - Gordon research conferences. PMID- 17756759 TI - Sex pheromone of the codling moth. PMID- 17756761 TI - Spectrophotometer. PMID- 17756762 TI - Viscometer for polymers. PMID- 17756763 TI - Salinometer-conductivity meter. PMID- 17756765 TI - Piezoelectric chromatograph. PMID- 17756764 TI - Display and scan generator. PMID- 17756766 TI - Metallographic specimen polisher. PMID- 17756767 TI - Literature. PMID- 17756768 TI - This week in sciences. PMID- 17756770 TI - Cleaner air. PMID- 17756769 TI - Communicating science. PMID- 17756771 TI - Foot dragging on metrification. PMID- 17756773 TI - Erratum. AB - The map accompanying the article "Amazon biodiversity" (News & Comment, 15 June, p. 1305) should have been credited to Conservation International. PMID- 17756772 TI - Japan's View of the United States. PMID- 17756774 TI - Postdocs at stanford. PMID- 17756775 TI - The SSC Takes On a Life of Its Own: Despite rising cost estimates and continuing fights over technical issues among its supporters, political backing for the Superconducting Super Collider remains strong--for now. PMID- 17756776 TI - Hubble: The Case of the Single-Point Failure: The technical glitch in Hubble's mirror has been found; what remains to be identified are the managerial problems that led to it. PMID- 17756777 TI - Mirror, mirror, in the sky .. PMID- 17756778 TI - Report Worries That Sun is Setting on British Research. PMID- 17756779 TI - Culture Clash Over Next NSF Head? PMID- 17756780 TI - Potential nobel competitor. PMID- 17756781 TI - Housecleaning for NASA? PMID- 17756782 TI - Clovis Counterrevolution: The debate on who came first to the Americas, and where they lived, seems headed for a new round as the skeptics strike at "pre-Clovis" discoveries. PMID- 17756783 TI - Five Pre-Clovis Sites That Won't Go Away. PMID- 17756784 TI - Will Magellan Find a Half-Sister of Earth's?: Detailed radar maps of Venus will decide whether Venus and Farth, once viewed as twin planets, are at all closely related. PMID- 17756785 TI - Catching venus in the act. PMID- 17756786 TI - The takeover wave of the 1980s. AB - The takeover wave of the 1980s moved large enterprises toward specialization and away from the diversification of the 1960s. The easy availability of funds made acquisitions affordable, while the hands-off antitrust policy allowed mergers between two firms in the same industry. Hostile takeovers and leveraged buyouts fostered the break up of conglomerates and the sell-off of divisions to buyers in the same industry; they helped speed the economy-wide move toward specialization. The poor performance of conglomerates indicates that this trend toward specialization is likely to make U.S. industry more competitive. Current state antitakeover laws are probably the result of intense lobbying by managers trying to entrench themselves; these laws do not promote competitiveness of U.S. industry. In contrast, the current accommodating federal antitrust stance encourages specialization. PMID- 17756787 TI - Optical matter: crystallization and binding in intense optical fields. AB - Properly fashioned electromagnetic fields coupled to microscopic dielectric objects can be used to create arrays of extended crystalline and noncrystalline structures. Organization can be achieved in two ways: In the first, dielectric matter is transported in direct response to the externally applied standing wave optical fields. In the second, the external optical fields induce interactions between dielectric objects that can also result in the creation of complex structures. In either case, these new ordered structures, whose existence depends on the presence of both light and polarizable matter, are referred to as optical matter. PMID- 17756788 TI - Single-Crystal 40Ar/39Ar Dating of the Eocene-Oligocene Transition in North America. AB - Explanations for the causes of climatic changes and associated faunal and floral extinctions at the close of the Eocene Epoch have long been controversial because of, in part, uncertainties in correlation and dating of global events. New single crystal laser fusion (SCLF) (40)Ar/(39)Ar dates on tephra from key magnetostratigraphic and fossilbearing sections necessitate significant revision in North American late Paleogene chronology. The Chadronian-Orellan North American Land Mammal "Age" boundary, as a result, is shifted from 32.4 to 34.0 Ma (million years ago), the Orellan-Whitneyan boundary is shifted from 30.8 to 32.0 Ma, and the Whitneyan-Arikareean boundary is now approximately 29.0 Ma. The new dates shift the correlation of Chron C12R from the Chadronian to within the Orellan-Whitneyan interval, the Chadronian becomes late Eocene in age, and the North American Oligocene is restricted to the Orellan, Whitneyan, and early Arikareean. The Eocene-Oligocene boundary, and its associated climate change and extinction events, as a result, correlates with the Chadronian-Orellan boundary, not the Duchesnean-Chadronian boundary. PMID- 17756789 TI - Seismic trapped modes in the oroville and san andreas fault zones. AB - Three-component borehole seismic profiling of the recently active Oroville, California, normal fault and microearthquake event recording with a near-fault three-component borehole seismometer on the San Andreas fault at Parkfield, California, have shown numerous instances of pronounced dispersive wave trains following the shear wave arrivals. These wave trains are interpreted as fault zone-trapped seismic modes. Parkfield earthquakes exciting trapped modes have been located as deep as 10 kilometers, as shallow as 4 kilometers, and extend 12 kilometers along the fault on either side of the recording station. Selected Oroville and Parkfield wave forms are modeled as the fundamental and first higher trapped SH modes of a narrow low-velocity layer at the fault. Modeling results suggest that the Oroville fault zone is 18 meters wide at depth and has a shear wave velocity of 1 kilometer per second, whereas at Parkfield, the fault gouge is 100 to 150 meters wide and has a shear wave velocity of 1.1 to 1.8 kilometers per second. These low-velocity layers are probably the rupture planes on which earthquakes occur. PMID- 17756790 TI - Precessional forcing of nutricline dynamics in the equatorial atlantic. AB - Climate control of nutricline depth in the equatorial Atlantic can be monitored by variations in the abundance of the phytoplankton species Florisphaera profunda. A conceptual model, based on in situ evidence, associates high abundances of F. profunda with a deep nutricline and low abundances with a shallow nutricline. A 200,000-year record of F. profunda relative abundances, obtained from a deep-sea core sited beneath the region of maximum equatorial divergence at 10 degrees W, has 52 percent of its variance centered on the 23,000 year precessional band. Cross-spectral analysis between the signals of F. profunda and sea-surface temperature, independently derived from zooplankton species, shows their 23,000-year cycles to be coherent and nearly in phase. Abundance minima of F. profunda coincide with times of December perihelion, whereas abundance maxima coincide with June perihelion. These relations indicate that nutricline dynamics in the divergence region of the equatorial Atlantic are controlled by variations in the tropical easterlies, forced by the precessional component of orbital insolation, on time scales greater than 10,000 years. PMID- 17756791 TI - Rapid, sensitive bioluminescent reporter technology for naphthalene exposure and biodegradation. AB - A bioluminescent reporter plasmid for naphthalene catabolism (pUTK21) was developed by transposon (Tn4431) insertion of the lux gene cassette from Vibrio fischeri into a naphthalene catabolic plasmid in Pseudomonas fluorescens. The insertion site of the lux transposon was the nahG gene encoding for salicylate hydroxylase. Luciferasemediated light production from P. fluorescens strains harboring this plasmid was induced on exposure to naphthalene or the regulatory inducer metabolite, salicylate. In continuous culture, light induction was rapid (15 minutes) and was highly responsive to dynamic changes in naphthalene exposure. Strains harboring pUTK21 were responsive to aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in Manufactured Gas Plant soils and produced sufficient light to serve as biosensors of naphthalene exposure and reporters of naphthalene biodegradative activity. The robust and sensitive nature of the bioluminescent reporter technology suggests that new sensing methods can be developed for on line process monitoring and control in complex environmental matrices. PMID- 17756792 TI - The Early Universe. Edward W. Kolb and Michael S. Turner. Addison-Wesley, Redwood City, CA, 1990. xxii, 547 pp., illus. $48.50. Frontiers in Physics, 69. PMID- 17756794 TI - Semelai Culture and Resin Technology. Rosemary Glanno. Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, New Haven, 1990. xxxiv, 238 pp., illus. $40. Memoirs of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, vol. 22. PMID- 17756793 TI - Science and the Navy. The History of the Office of Naval Research. Harvey M. Sapolsky. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1990. xvi, 142 pp., illus. $34.95. PMID- 17756795 TI - 100 Years of Gypsy Studies. Matt T. Salo, Ed. Gypsy Lore Society, 5607 Greenleaf Road, Cheverly, MD, 1990. vi. 286 pp., illus. Paper, $20. Gypsy Lore Society Publication no. 5. From a meeting, Staten Island, NY, March 1988. PMID- 17756796 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17756797 TI - CONTRIBUTION OF BRYN MAWR COLLEGE TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION OF WOMEN. PMID- 17756799 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17756800 TI - SWORDFISH TAKEN ON TRAWL LINES. PMID- 17756798 TI - "THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC". PMID- 17756801 TI - BACTERIAL PLANT DISEASES IN THE PHILIPINE ISLANDS. PMID- 17756802 TI - MEXICAN ARCHEOLOGY. PMID- 17756803 TI - CRATERLETS IN EAST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS PROBABLY DUE TO THE NEW MADRID EARTHQUAKE. PMID- 17756804 TI - GENERAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17756805 TI - AZOTOBACTER IN SOILS. PMID- 17756806 TI - Proposed Congressional Committee on Science. PMID- 17756807 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17756808 TI - An Analytical Study of World and Olympic Racing Records. PMID- 17756809 TI - The Li7 (n,t) Reaction. PMID- 17756810 TI - The White Pine Copper Deposit, Ontonagon County, Michigan. PMID- 17756811 TI - Polarographic Determination of Tungsten in Rocks. PMID- 17756812 TI - Ammonite Accumulations in the Cretaceous Mowry and Aspen Shales. PMID- 17756813 TI - Geology and Ground Water Resources of the Matanuska Valley Agricultural Area, Alaska. PMID- 17756814 TI - Erratum. AB - In the report "Associative behavioral modification in Hermissenda: Cellular correlates" by T. J. Crow and D. L. Alkon (18 July, p. 412), the last sentence on page 412, column 2, paragraph 1, should read, "We have now found that modification of the photopositive response in Hermissenda is correlated with cellular changes in the type B photo-receptors." PMID- 17756815 TI - Galileo's Observations. PMID- 17756817 TI - Conflict management. PMID- 17756816 TI - Nuclear power prediction. PMID- 17756818 TI - News and comment in retrospect. PMID- 17756819 TI - Views from paris. PMID- 17756820 TI - Quantum nondemolition measurements. AB - Some future gravitational-wave antennas will be cylinders of mass approximately 100 kilograms, whose end-to-end vibrations must be measured so accurately (10( 19) centimeter) that they behave quantum mechanically. Moreover, the vibration amplitude must be measured over and over again without perturbing it (quantum nondemolition measurement). This contrasts with quantum chemistry, quantum optics, or atomic, nuclear, and elementary particle physics, where one usually makes measurements on an ensemble of identical objects and does not care whether any single object is perturbed or destroyed by the measurement. This article describes the new electronic techniques required for quantum nondemolition measurements and the theory underlying them. Quantum nondemolition measurements may find application elsewhere in science and technology. PMID- 17756821 TI - Arctic oceanic climate in late cenozoic time. AB - Faunal and lithologic evidence is used to reconstruct paleoceanographic events over the last 4.5 million years. The inception of perennial sea-ice cover is dated at about 0.7 million years. PMID- 17756822 TI - Carter Took Lead in Recruiting NSF Nominee. PMID- 17756823 TI - Debate Continues on the Bomb That Wasn't. PMID- 17756824 TI - Global 2000 report: vision of a gloomy world. PMID- 17756825 TI - Budget crunch hits high energy physics. PMID- 17756826 TI - Energy research disaster averted. PMID- 17756827 TI - Plans begin for 1980-81 regional energy seminar series. PMID- 17756828 TI - The AAAS Sections. PMID- 17756829 TI - Science 80 goes monthly. PMID- 17756830 TI - Foreign graduate students attend r&d colloquium. PMID- 17756831 TI - COAL Meets to Plan Future Activities. PMID- 17756832 TI - AAAS Symposium Volumes. PMID- 17756833 TI - Reinterpreting the history of women. PMID- 17756834 TI - Northern peoples. PMID- 17756835 TI - Anaerobiosis. PMID- 17756836 TI - Pollution biology. PMID- 17756838 TI - The Indian ocean experiment: introduction. PMID- 17756837 TI - Somali current: evolution of surface flow. AB - The transition of the Somali Current from northeast monsoon conditions to southwest monsoon conditions was observed from April through August 1979. The northeastward flow associated with the Somali Current of the southwest monsoon progressed from the equator in April to 4 degrees N in August. The separation of the current from the coast, as observed at the northern boundary of the northeastward flow, did not intrude north continuously, but rather in distinct steps. South of 4 degrees N, the circulation was characterized by the incorporation of increasing amounts of somewhat more saline water from the south and east into the boundary current. A clockwise gyre with northeastward flow along the coast developed between 6 degrees and 10 degrees N during June. PMID- 17756839 TI - Subsurface circulation in the somali current. AB - Direct velocity measurements were made at intermediate depths along the East African coast from March to July 1979. Strong time-dependent flows with multiple reversals in direction were found in the upper 1000 meters between 3 degrees N and 4 degrees S. At 700 meters, there may be a connection between the southwestward coastal current and an equatorial jet observed at 49 degrees E, the latter turning south near the coast. North of 3 degrees N little spatial organization of the flow can be recognized. PMID- 17756840 TI - Development of the subsurface currents of the northern somali current gyre from march to july 1979. AB - Measurements from March to July 1979 by current meters moored between the shelf and the deep sea from 5 degrees to 8 degrees N show that there was shallow ( < 150-meter) coastward and northward circulation between 6 degrees and 8 degrees N long before the onset of the southwest monsoon. After the onset, a powerful coastward flow developed offshore around 6 degrees N, branching into northward and southward flows at the continental rise while the current deepened to more than 250 meters. There seemed to be a separate circulation on the shelf with some counterflow to offshore. All current records show that there were strong fluctuations with periods of 3 to 6 days. PMID- 17756841 TI - Evolution of sea surface temperature in the somali basin during the southwest monsoon of 1979. AB - Satellite and research vessel observations of sea surface temperature during the southwest monsoon of 1979 show the development of large wedge-shaped areas of cold water along the Somali coast at both 5 degrees and 10 degrees N during June and July. The cold water associated with the large northern and southern Somali eddy systems could be traced several hundred kilometers offshore. By late August the cold wedge at 5 degrees N translated northeastward as far as 10 degrees N at speeds of 15 to 30 centimeters per second, indicating a coalescence of the systems. PMID- 17756842 TI - Southwest monsoon of 1979: chemical and biological response of somali coastal waters. AB - In 1979 two areas of upwelling were observed off Somalia, one near 10 degrees N and one near 5 degrees N. The areas of upwelling were characterized by sea surface temperatures between 17 degrees and 22 degrees C, high concentrations of surface nutrients (5 to 20 micromoles of nitrate per liter) and surface chlorophyll a (0.4 to 5.0 milligrams per cubic meter), primary productivity averaging 1.7 grams of carbon per square meter per day, and a phytoplankton assemblage dominated numerically by the diatom Nitzschia delicatissima. PMID- 17756843 TI - Equatorial currents in the Western Indian ocean. AB - Measurements were made in the equatorial Indian Ocean during spring and summer 1979 from the Somali coast to 62 degrees E in the interior of the western basin. The detailed vertical profiles of horizontal current show that the energetic dominance throughout the region of variability was on vertical scales of several hundreds of meters, confined to within a few degrees of the equator, as observed in 1976. The near-surface equatorial circulation responded directly to variations in the wind field, and satellite-tracked drifter buoys showed the equatorial surface jet extending across the width of the ocean. This eastward flow is generated by the eastward winds that appear in the interval between the northeast and southwest monsoons. The zonal velocity fluctuations extended in a consistent pattern over the observation region. The time and meridional scales of the variability were similar to those observed in 1976, suggesting that the velocity field is dominated by long-term, equatorially trapped motions with long zonal scales. PMID- 17756844 TI - Origin of the warped heliospheric current sheet. AB - The warped heliospheric current sheet for early 1976 is calculated from the observed photospheric magnetic field by a potential field method. Comparisons with measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field polarity for early 1976 obtained at several locations in the heliosphere by Helios 1, Helios 2, Pioneer 11, and at the earth show a rather detailed agreement between the computed current sheet and the observations. It appears that the large-scale structure of the warped heliospheric current sheet is determined by the structure of the photospheric magnetic field and that "ballerina skirt" effects may add small scale ripples. PMID- 17756845 TI - Disruptive Coloration in Butterflies: Lack of Support in Anartia fatima. AB - Experimental obliteration of high-contrast wing stripes of the neotropical butterfly Anartia fatima affected neither survival nor wing damage in a natural population over a 5-month period. There is no direct evidence supporting the hypothesis that so-called disruptive wing patterns function as protective coloration in butterflies. PMID- 17756847 TI - SOME COMMENTS ON THE THEORIES OF THE STRUCTURE OF MATTER. PMID- 17756846 TI - THE CHEMICAL BASIS OF AXIAL POLARITY IN REGENERATION. PMID- 17756848 TI - POSSIBILITY OF USING GRAVITY ANOMALIES IN THE SEARCH FOR SALT-DOME OIL AND GAS POOLS. PMID- 17756850 TI - METHODS FOR PREPARING ANIMAL MATERIAL TO BE DISSECTED. PMID- 17756849 TI - ANNUAL FIELD TRIP OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE GEOLOGISTS. PMID- 17756851 TI - THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17756852 TI - A RELATION OF ATOMIC WEIGHTS TO ATOMIC NUMBERS, AND A SUGGESTED STRUCTURE OF ATOMIC NUCLEI. PMID- 17756853 TI - A NOTE ON THE AEROBIC CULTURE OF ANAEROBES AT HIGHER TEMPERATURES. PMID- 17756854 TI - BOSTON MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. II. PMID- 17756856 TI - A mission in transition. PMID- 17756855 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17756857 TI - Erratum. AB - In the article "Mathematicians recognize major discoveries" by Gina Kolata (Research News, 15 Aug., p. 722), Fields Medal winner Michael Freedman was incorrectly described as being a member of the University of Southern California faculty. Freedman is Charles Lee Powell Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego. In addition, several names in the article were spelled incorrectly. Field's should have been Fields, Nevalinna and Navanlinna should have been Nevanlinna, Kirky should have been Kirby, Aryiyah should have been Atiyah, and Strasen should have been Strassen. PMID- 17756858 TI - Response: biotechnology regulation. PMID- 17756860 TI - Satellite of choice. PMID- 17756859 TI - Famine Early Warning Closer to Reality: Chronic lag in response to food emergencies in Africa spurs use of remote sensing to improve reaction time. PMID- 17756861 TI - AID Withholds U.N. Population Funds. PMID- 17756862 TI - Test of tobacco containing bacterial gene approved. PMID- 17756863 TI - Heavy water: where did India obtain it? PMID- 17756864 TI - Two more rocket launches fail. PMID- 17756866 TI - Charleston quakes are larger or widespread. PMID- 17756865 TI - The challenge of testing potential AIDS vaccines. PMID- 17756867 TI - What makes a volcanic lake a killer? PMID- 17756868 TI - Macroeconomics in an open economy. AB - The customary treatment of national economies as closed and self-contained must be substantially modified to allow for those economies that typically trade goods, services, and securities with other countries in increasing volume. Open economy macroeconomics is essential to understanding the major events of the U.S. economy over the past half dozen years. Both the sharp rise in the dollar and the unprecedentedly large U.S. trade deficit are linked to the U.S. budget deficit, as is the drop in the rate of inflation. PMID- 17756869 TI - Molecular transformations on single crystal metal surfaces. AB - One of the primary objectives of modern surface chemistry of transition metals is the synthesis of surface compounds and complexes and the understanding of their reactivity, structure, and bonding. Such considerations are paramount for advancing understanding of catalysis, adhesion, organic thin-film growth, and electrocatalysis. On selected metals, particularly copper, silver, and gold, selective scission of X-H bonds (where X is oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, or sulfur) by surface-bound atomic oxygen occurs to form moderately stable species that can be isolated for further study. Selective oxidation reactions may occur heterogeneously by means of this novel oxygen- activated route. Furthermore, this selective chemistry offers a paradigm for synthesis of a wide variety of surface organometallic complexes, whose formation can be predicted from acid-base principles. These subjects are discussed in this article with emphasis on their role in catalytic oxidation cycles. PMID- 17756870 TI - North american--pacific relative plate motion in southern california from interferometry. AB - Very long baseline interferometry measurements of baselines crossing the San Andreas fault zone in southern California have provided observational constraints on rates of elastic tectonic strain accumulation. The single site located near this fault (the Jet Propulsion Laboratory site) moves in a direction concordant with the Pacific plate motion vector but at approximately half the net rate relative to North America. This motion agrees approximately in amount with geologically determined displacement rates on the San Andreas fault alone but not with the local strike of the fault. When considered together with complementary geodetic data, these results suggest a complex relation between the short-term accumulation of elastic strain and its permanent accommodation on existing faults. PMID- 17756871 TI - Colors of Objects in the Field of the Double Quasi-Stellar Object 1146+111B,C. AB - Color images of faint objects were used to test two hypotheses for the quasi stellar object (QSO) pair 1146+ 111B,C: gravitational lens or massive string. Blue, red, and near-infrared CCD (charge-coupled device) images of the field of this QSO pair were examined for gravitational lens multiple-image candidates for all four QSO's in the field (B, C, D, and E). No third image of 1146+111B,C was found, down to 4 magnitudes fainter than BC. This result implies a compact lens mass distribution, if B and C are images of the same QSO. C appears to be redder than B in the wavelength region from 700 to 1100 nanometers. This raises the question of whether B and C are images of the same QSO. Three blue stellar objects of unusual color were found at plausible locations for multiple images of the other two QSO's in the field. A very red object was found at a plausible lens position. Under the hypothesis that B and C are lensed images, these color data severely restrict the possible lens models and imaged QSO multiplicities. One possibility is a compact lens mass of 4 x 10(15) solar masses at a redshift of 0.8. Another is an S-shaped massive string. If the spectrum of any of the three anomalous blue objects were available, it would be possible to distinguish between these two models. However, it is difficult to fit the color and intensity data reported here to either simple string or black hole models. Overall, the simplest model consistent with all the data is the no-lens, no-string hypothesis: B and C probably are separate QSO's, but with some spectral similarities. PMID- 17756872 TI - High Nitrite Levels off Northern Peru: A Signal of Instability in the Marine Denitrification Rate. AB - During February and March 1985, nitrite levels along the northern (approximately 7 degrees to 10 degrees S) Peruvian coast were unusually high. These accumulations occurred in oxygen-deficient waters, suggesting intensified denitrification. In a shallow offshore nitrite maximum, concentrations were as high as 23 micromoles per liter (a record high). Causes for the unusual conditions may include a cold anomaly that followed the 1982-83 El Nino. The removal of combined nitrogen (approximately 3 to 10 trillion grams of nitrogen per year) within zones of new or enhanced denitrification observed between 7 degrees to 16 degrees S suggests a significant increase in oceanic denitrification. PMID- 17756873 TI - Paleoenvironment of the earliest hominoids: new evidence from the oligocene avifauna of egypt. AB - Analysis of fossil birds from the Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation in the Fayum depression of Egypt, site of the oldest known hominoid primates, allows precise paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the climatic and biotic conditions that influenced some of the earliest stages of hominoid evolution. Unlike the fossil mammals of the Fayum, which belong largely to extinct groups, most of the birds are referable to living families, with some being close to modern genera. The avifauna consists mainly of aquatic species, with such forms as jacanas (Jacanidae) and shoebilled storks (Balaenicipitidae) indicating expanses of freshwater with dense floating vegetation. An avifauna closely analogous to that of the Fayum is found today only in a limited area of Uganda, north and west of Lake Victoria, a region of swampland bordered by forest and grasslands that presents marked faunal similarities to the environment inferred for the Egyptian Oligocene. PMID- 17756874 TI - Paleobiology: phanerozoic diversity patterns. PMID- 17756876 TI - Marine mammals: fur seals. PMID- 17756875 TI - Post-pleistocene foragers: guila naquitz. PMID- 17756877 TI - Some other books of interest: wetlands. PMID- 17756879 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17756878 TI - Some other books of interest: hormones, receptors and cellular interactions in plants. PMID- 17756880 TI - THE TREND OF EARTH HISTORY. PMID- 17756882 TI - PRESENTATION TO PROFESSOR EMERSON. PMID- 17756881 TI - ON THE DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC AMONG NATIVE PEOPLES OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. PMID- 17756883 TI - DISCOVERY OF GIGANTIC FOOTPRINTS IN THE COAL MEASURES OF KANSAS. PMID- 17756884 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17756885 TI - LIESEGANG RING FORMATION. PMID- 17756886 TI - THE IDENTITY OF CERTAIN YELLOW PIGMENTS IN PLANTS AND ANIMALS. PMID- 17756887 TI - RATE AND MODE OF SOIL DEPOSITION IN THE PALOUSE AREA OF WASHINGTON AND IDAHO. PMID- 17756888 TI - REPORT OF THE TREASURER FOR 1921. PMID- 17756889 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17756890 TI - FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1921. PMID- 17756891 TI - ECONOMY OF FOOD. PMID- 17756893 TI - SCIENTIFIC NEWS IN WASHINGTON. PMID- 17756892 TI - EXPLORATION OF THE OBANGI-WELLE. PMID- 17756894 TI - ELECTRICAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17756895 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17756896 TI - Is the Rainfall increasing on the Plains? PMID- 17756898 TI - Disparate Vision. PMID- 17756897 TI - Agriculture and Late Quaternary Geology. PMID- 17756899 TI - Answers. PMID- 17756901 TI - SCIENCE AND THE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS OF THE FUTURE. PMID- 17756900 TI - Queries. PMID- 17756902 TI - UNIVERSITY REGISTRATION STATISTICS II. PMID- 17756903 TI - A BIBLIOGRAPHY ON SCIENCE TEACHING. PMID- 17756904 TI - THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. PMID- 17756905 TI - THE MORLEY CHEMICAL LABORATORY OF WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17756907 TI - MR. MANSON'S THEORY OF GEOLOGICAL CLIMATE. PMID- 17756906 TI - THE "PINCH-EFFECT" IN UNIDIRECTIONAL ELECTRIC SPARKS. PMID- 17756908 TI - ON MISLEADING STATEMENTS. PMID- 17756909 TI - WILLIAM KEITH BROOKS. PMID- 17756911 TI - THE NEWEST ANCIENT MAN. PMID- 17756910 TI - THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY EXPEDITION TO BRITISH GUIANA. PMID- 17756912 TI - SPECTRUM OF COMET MOREHOUSE. PMID- 17756913 TI - A SIMPLIFIED APPARATUS FOR DRAWING WITH THE AID OF THE PROJECTION MICROSCOPE. PMID- 17756914 TI - The New Government Employee Security Program. PMID- 17756915 TI - Publications Received. PMID- 17756916 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17756917 TI - National Manpower Council. PMID- 17756918 TI - Extended-Range High-Frequency Radio Communication at Relatively Low Power, by Means of Overlapping Oblique Reflections from Meteor Ionization Trails. PMID- 17756919 TI - Rapid Aerial Survey of Gulf Stream with Camera and Radiation Thermometer. PMID- 17756921 TI - TO ASTRONOMERS. PMID- 17756920 TI - THE SIGNAL SERVICE. PMID- 17756923 TI - WEIGHT, SPECIFIC GRAVITY, RATES OF ABSORPTION, AND CAPABILITIES OF STANDING HEAT OF VARIOUS BUILDING STONES. PMID- 17756922 TI - CONTRIBUTIONS TO ENCEPHALIC ANATOMY. --THE OBJECTS AND METHODS OF A STUDY OF THE ICHTHYOPSIDEAN BRAIN. PMID- 17756924 TI - MINERAL WAX. A RESUME. PMID- 17756925 TI - MICROSCOPY. PMID- 17756926 TI - OCCURRENCE OF TIN AT WINSLOW, ME. PMID- 17756927 TI - TEXTILE FABRICS OF THE ANCIENT INHABITANTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. PMID- 17756929 TI - SWIFT'S COMET. PMID- 17756928 TI - THE NEW PERIODIC COMET. PMID- 17756931 TI - COMET e, 1880. PMID- 17756930 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17756932 TI - PHYSICAL NOTES. PMID- 17756933 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17756934 TI - Engineering research centers. PMID- 17756935 TI - Response. PMID- 17756936 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17756937 TI - Science and the domestic spending squeeze. PMID- 17756939 TI - Where Have all Japan's Scientists Gone? PMID- 17756938 TI - Civilian r&d: the big four federal spenders. PMID- 17756940 TI - Third World: S(ave) O(ur) S(heep)! PMID- 17756941 TI - Picture-perfect plankton. PMID- 17756942 TI - More turmoil over orphan drugs. PMID- 17756943 TI - Pollutant haze cools the greenhouse. PMID- 17756944 TI - Hot nights in the greenhouse. PMID- 17756945 TI - Yellowstone ecosystem: "win-win" solution. PMID- 17756946 TI - Choosing a human family tree. PMID- 17756947 TI - When do anomalies begin? AB - An anomaly in science is an observed fact that is difficult to explain in terms of the existing conceptual framework. Anomalies often point to the inadequacy of the current theory and herald a new one. It is argued here that certain scientific anomalies are recognized as anomalies only after they are given compelling explanations within a new conceptual framework. Before this recognition, the peculiar facts are taken as givens or are ignored in the old framework. Such a "retrorecognition" phenomenon reveals not only a significant feature of the process of scientific discovery but also an important aspect of human psychology. PMID- 17756948 TI - Deformational mass transport and invasive processes in soil evolution. AB - Soils are differentiated vertically by coupled chemical, mechanical, and biological transport processes. Soil properties vary with depth, depending on the subsurface stresses, the extent of mixing, and the balance between mass removal in solution or suspension and mass accumulation near the surface. Channels left by decayed roots and burrowing animals allow organic and inorganic detritus and precipitates to move through the soil from above. Accumulation occurs at depths where small pores restrict further passage. Consecutive phases of translocation and root growth stir the soil; these processes constitute an invasive dilatational process that leads to positive cumulative strains. In contrast, below the depth of root penetration and mass additions, mineral dissolution by descending organic acids leads to internal collapse under overburden load. This softened and condensed precursor horizon is transformed into soil by biological activity, which stirs and expands the evolving residuum by invasion by roots and macropore networks that allows mixing of materials from above. PMID- 17756950 TI - Modeling 100,000-year climate fluctuations in pre-pleistocene time series. AB - A number of pre-Pleistocene climate records exhibit significant fluctuations at the 100,000-year (100-ky) eccentricity period, before the time of such fluctuations in global ice volume. The origin of these fluctuations has been obscure. Results reported here from a modeling study suggest that such a response can occur over low-latitude land areas involved in monsoon fluctuations. The twice yearly passage of the sun across the equator and the seasonal timing of perihelion interact to increase both 100-ky and 400-ky power in the modeled temperature field. The magnitude of the temperature response is sufficiently large to leave an imprint on the geologic record, and simulated fluctuations resemble those found in records of Triassic lake levels. PMID- 17756949 TI - Antiferromagnetism in Pressure-Amorphized Fe2SiO4. AB - Amorphous Fe(2)SiO(4) synthesized at elevated pressures exhibits a Neel transition at a temperature identical to that observed in the crystalline form, T(N) = 65 (+/-2) kelvin at zero pressure. This behavior contrasts sharply with observations on other disordered systems, such as spin glasses, which characteristically exhibit strong "frustration" of the spins and consequent marked suppression of the Neel transition. PMID- 17756951 TI - Diffusive isotopic contamination of mafic magma by coexisting silicic liquid in the muskox intrusion. AB - Shifts in (87)Sr/(86)Sr and (143)Nd/(144)Nd ratios measured in cumulates from the upper levels of the Muskox mafic intrusion indicate that isotopic and bulk chemical exchange were decoupled across a mafic-silicic liquid interface during crystallization of the intrusion. Modeling of diffusive exchange between liquid layers demonstrates that isotopic compositions of silicate liquids in layered magma chambers may be strongly affected by this process on time scales of 10(3) to 10(4) years. Diffusive contamination can be used to place constraints on the physical processes and time scales of magmatic systems. PMID- 17756952 TI - Reaction planning: computer-aided discovery of a novel elimination reaction. AB - Algorithms based on graph theory and implemented in a computer program have been used to search for unprecedented reactions. This approach is illustrated by a systematic and exhaustive screening of pericyclic reactions in order to find new reactions useful in the synthesis of conjugated dienes. Two reactions were found. They were optimized by structural variation with the aid of quantum-chemical calculations and were then experimentally verified. PMID- 17756954 TI - Getting Ready for LIGO. PMID- 17756953 TI - NMR diffraction and spatial statistics of stationary systems. AB - Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spatial imaging data may be acquired, processed, and interpreted in ways that provide information directly analogous to diffraction experiments, with length scales determined by gradient strengths rather than radiation wavelengths. This approach, originally considered by Mansfield nearly two decades ago, provides access to autocorrelations of sample density that statistically characterize small-scale density variations. These NMR "Patterson functions" can be acquired orders of magnitude more rapidly than comparably resolved NMR images and are suitable for spatial characterization of small features in bulk samples, such as morphology in structural materials. Unlike hindered diffusion approaches, neither mobility, penetrants, nor transport time are required for examining granularity and porosity. PMID- 17756955 TI - A slice of the brain. PMID- 17756956 TI - Pumping ions. PMID- 17756957 TI - Vignettes: the market for books. PMID- 17756958 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17756959 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17756960 TI - Pseudo Science and Censorship. PMID- 17756961 TI - Quantum Phenomena in Biology. PMID- 17756962 TI - The Space Race. PMID- 17756964 TI - A Plank for Science. PMID- 17756963 TI - Closer Scientific Contact with Czechoslovakia. PMID- 17756965 TI - High Magnetic Field Research. PMID- 17756967 TI - Jury Decides Cigarettes Caused Lung Cancer But Company Is Not Liable. PMID- 17756966 TI - Research Overhead and the Universities. PMID- 17756969 TI - Science Foundation Announces Program of Institutional Grants. PMID- 17756968 TI - Senate Space Committee Report Is Critical of NASA's Plans for Its New Office of Life Sciences. PMID- 17756970 TI - Synxenic and Attempted Axenic Cultivation of Rotifers. AB - Three species of rotifers have now been grown synxenically and, to a limited extent, axenically. Brachionus variabilis thrives in suitable media containing Chlorella pyrenoidosa and a bacterial species. Lecane inermis and Philodina acuticornis var. odiosa are bacteriophagous, the former doing best with two bacterial species (dixenically), the latter doing well with Escherichia coli alone (monoxenically). PMID- 17756971 TI - "Second Emerson Effect" in the Hill Reaction of Chlorella Cells with Quinone as Oxidant. AB - The second Emerson effect can be observed not only in photosynthesis but also in the photoreduction of quinone by Chlorella cells. This shows that this effect is not due to respiration and is not associated with the carbon dioxide-reducing phase of photosynthesis. Peaks at 650 and 670 mmicro in the action spectra of this effect, in the case of quinone reductions as well as in that of photosynthesis in Chlorella, show that light absorbed by chlorophyll b as well as that absorbed by chlorophyll a 670 can effectively supplement far-red light (> 680 mmicro) in both reactions; light absorbed by chlorophyll a 680 cannot do so. PMID- 17756972 TI - An Interphylum Luciferin-Luciferase Reaction. AB - The light-emitting enzyme-substance systems, heretofore separated from different types of luminescent organisms, exhibit a marked biological specificity and comprise chemically different components. Extracts from a luminescent fish are now found to cross react with a crustacean system; some properties of the new system and implications of the phenomenon are discussed. PMID- 17756973 TI - Inhibition of Photosynthesis in Some Algae by Extreme-Red Light. AB - Photosynthesis produced by far-red light (about 700 mmicro) is reversibly inhibited in some algae by extreme-red light ( approximately 750 mmicro). PMID- 17756974 TI - Experimental Shark Pens at the Lerner Marine Laboratory. AB - A new facility has recently been added at the Lerner Marine Laboratory, Bimini, Bahamas, which makes it possible for the first time to work experimentally with large elasmobranchs up to 15 feet in length. PMID- 17756975 TI - Congress of Anatomists. PMID- 17756976 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17756977 TI - Dreams and Visions. PMID- 17756978 TI - The Republican Convention: Nixon's "Progressive Conservatism" MoreProgressive than Conservative. PMID- 17756979 TI - Morse Appointed to "Science" Editorial Board. PMID- 17756981 TI - Competitive Exclusion. AB - It is contended that there is little justification and no necessity for believing in the competitive exclusion principle as usually formulated. There is danger that a trite maxim like this may lead to the neglect of important evidence. PMID- 17756983 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17756982 TI - Moisture Stress as a Requirement for Flowering of Coffee. AB - When coffee plants are watered at relatively short intervals, so as to maintain the water content of the soil at close to field capacity, the flower buds remain dormant and no fruits are formed. Irrigation or rain induces flowering only when preceded by a period of water shortage. Water stress is apparently essential to break the dormancy of coffee flower buds. PMID- 17756984 TI - "Of Mice and Mangun". PMID- 17756986 TI - Terrestrial Ostracodes. PMID- 17756985 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17756987 TI - More on Stochastic Models. PMID- 17756988 TI - The Chinese Chestnut. PMID- 17756989 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17756990 TI - Oxygen Diffusion. PMID- 17756992 TI - Elementary Particles of Modern Physics. PMID- 17756991 TI - Science Ambassadors. PMID- 17756993 TI - Hybrid Corn and the Economics of Innovation. PMID- 17756995 TI - Thinking about Disarmament: The Search for a Policy Turns Up Several Apparent Paradoxes. PMID- 17756994 TI - Samuel Alfred Mitchell, Solar and Stellar Astronomer. PMID- 17756996 TI - Another Round in the Test-Ban Talks: The Pool Proposal. PMID- 17756997 TI - Age Determination by X-ray Fluorescence Rubidium-Strontium Ratio Measurement in Lepidolite. AB - X-ray fluorescence analysis of several lepidolites whose rubidium and strontium concentrations had already been determined by neutron activation and stable isotope dilution, or both, indicates that this technique can be used for rapid nondestructive reconnaissance rubidiumstrontium studies, and that an x-ray analysis method comparable in accuracy to isotope dilution can probably be developed for dating Precambrian lepidolites, as the simple technique presently used has many obvious possibilities for improvement. PMID- 17756998 TI - Rates of Submergence of Coastal New England and Acadia. AB - Altitudinal and carbon-14 age determinations of in-place Pinus strobus stumps of drowned forests at Odiorne Point, N.H., and Grand Pre and Fort Lawrence, Nova Scotia, yield apparent average rates of submergence of 3.1, 14.5, and 20.3 feet per 1000 C(14) years, respectively. Rate differences are assessed in terms of eustatic rise of sea level, crustal movements, and tidal effects. PMID- 17757000 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17756999 TI - New Test for the Biological Assay of Oxytocin. AB - A strip of mammary gland is removed from a lactating rabbit and suspended in a bath. The contractions of the strip are recorded isometrically. The strip shows no spontaneous activity and responds with reasonable linearity and stability to oxytocin at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 10 milliunits per milliliter. PMID- 17757001 TI - Elementary-School Science. PMID- 17757002 TI - Social Responsibility of Scientists. PMID- 17757004 TI - Weather Forecasting. PMID- 17757003 TI - Binocular Fusion of Colors. PMID- 17757005 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17757006 TI - Free Radicals in Biological Systems. PMID- 17757007 TI - Science Reporting. PMID- 17757008 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17757009 TI - WASHINGTON'S SIGNATURE. PMID- 17757010 TI - THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FEAR. PMID- 17757011 TI - GEOLOGY OF LONG ISLAND. PMID- 17757012 TI - ELY'S LABOR MOVEMENT IN AMERICA. PMID- 17757013 TI - FORNANDER'S POLYNESIAN RACE. PMID- 17757014 TI - PACKARD'S FIRST LESSONS IN ZOOLOGY. PMID- 17757015 TI - Erratum. AB - In my recent paper "Concerning the Theory of Photoconductivity in Infrared sensitive Semiconducting Films" (Science, 1950, 111) page 685, line 7, column 2, should read ". . . to essentially pictures (1) or (2). . . ." rather than ". . . pictures (10) or (5). . . " On page 687, line 5, column, 1, the words "fixed," "positive," and "electrons" should be deleted. PMID- 17757016 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17757017 TI - Shortage of physicians. PMID- 17757018 TI - Mercury in foods. PMID- 17757020 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17757019 TI - Cancer conquest program. PMID- 17757022 TI - Magnetism and local molecular field. AB - Despite its somewhat naive simplicity, the method of the local molecular field has had undeniable success in satisfactorily explaining a large number of previously known facts and in opening the way for the discovery of new facts. Let us note, however, that all the structures that have been discussed above are collinear structures: on the average (in time) all the atomic magnets pointing in one or the opposite direction are parallel to a single direction. However, the local molecular field method can also be extended to noncollinear structures such as that of helimagnetism, which Yoshimori and Villain discovered independently in an absolutely unexpected manner; one can thus interpret phenomena in a remarkably simple and concrete manner. Nevertheless, the method can hardly be recommended for more complex structures such as the umbrella structure, which requires the decomposition of the principal crystal lattice into a large number of sublattices. Indeed, under these conditions an atom belonging to a given sublattice has only a very small number of neighbors (one or two) in each of the other sublattices, and the molecular field method, which consists in replacing the instantaneous action of an atom by that of an average atom, will be more likely to yield a correct result, the larger the number of atoms to which it is applied. Its correctness probably also increases as the atomic spin becomes larger. Independently of this problem, the method applied to a large number of sublattices completely loses its chief advantage, simplicity. The method also involves more insidious traps. If a judicious choice of parameters is made, the method can lead one to calculate curves and thermal variations of the spontaneous magnetization or paramagnetic susceptibility that coincide remarkably well with the experimental results, for example, to within a few thousandths. Under these conditions, one could expect that the elementary interaction energies deduced from these parameters would correspond to the actual values with the same accuracy. This is not so; errors of 10 to 20 percent and even greater are frequently made in this manner. A certain amount of caution thus becomes imperative. On the other hand, recourse to the local molecular field seems indispensable since more rigorous methods lead to insurmountable complications. Consider for example that the rigorous solution is not yet known for the simplest case, that of a simple cubic lattice with identical atoms of spin 1/2, and interactions reduced to those present between nearest-neighbor atoms. How then should one treat the case of garnets with 160 atoms in the unit cell, spins up to 5/2, and at least six different coupling constants? One must therefore be lenient toward the imperfections of the molecular field methods, considering the simplicity with which the successes recalled in the first few lines of these conclusions were obtained. PMID- 17757021 TI - Women, students, and tenure. PMID- 17757023 TI - Health manpower training: funding levels at issue. PMID- 17757024 TI - Urban health and environment: a new approach. PMID- 17757025 TI - Environmental legislation: 1971 not a year for conclusive action. PMID- 17757026 TI - Thumbs down on think tanks. PMID- 17757027 TI - AEC Transmutation. PMID- 17757028 TI - Image analysis: application to automated medical diagnosis. PMID- 17757029 TI - Probability distribution of enantiomorphous forms in spontaneous generation of optically active substances. AB - The crystallization of 1, l'-binaphthyl from its racemic melt is an example of spontaneous generation of optical activity. The distribution of specific rotations in 200 individual samples varied from [alpha](D) = -218 degrees to [alpha](D) = +206 degrees with a mean of +0.14 degree and standard deviation of 86.4 degrees. This resolution into enantiomers is determined by chance development, with equal probability, of right- or left-handed crystallites; it can be controlled and made stereospecific by addition of dissymmetric compounds at low concentrations. PMID- 17757030 TI - Gravity measured at the apollo 14 lading site. AB - The gravity at the Apollo 14 landing site has been determined from the accelerometer data that were telemetered from the lunar module. The values for the lunar gravity measured at the Apollo 11, 12, and 14 sites were reduced to a common elevation and were then compared between sites. A theoretical gravity, based on the assumption of a spherical moon, was computed for each landing site and compared with the observed value. The observed gravity was also used to compute the lunar radius at each landing site. PMID- 17757031 TI - Desiccation-tolerant flowering plants in southern Africa. AB - The South African flora contains a unique abundance of higher plants which withstand virtually complete desiccation. Water potentials of fielddry leaves corresponded to 30 to 40 percent relative humidity. Mature leaves survived from 15 to approximately 0 percent relative humidity. Known examples were increased from 4 to 15 species, which for the first time included grasses. PMID- 17757032 TI - Optical communications. PMID- 17757033 TI - 27-30 december sound and music. PMID- 17757034 TI - 27 december science and the humanitiea. PMID- 17757035 TI - 27 december humor and science. PMID- 17757036 TI - 27 december scientific institutions of the future. PMID- 17757037 TI - 27 december lightning. PMID- 17757038 TI - 27-30 december general systems of the world environment. PMID- 17757039 TI - ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17757041 TI - THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK. PMID- 17757040 TI - CARY LEROY HILL. PMID- 17757042 TI - THE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND SCIENCE. PMID- 17757043 TI - THE CHICAGO MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING MATERIALS. PMID- 17757044 TI - CONFERENCE ON MOLECULAR STRUCTURE. PMID- 17757046 TI - THE WASHINGTON MEETING OF THE AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION. PMID- 17757045 TI - THE NINTH SUMMER CONFERENCE ON SPECTROSCOPY AND ITS APPLICATIONS. PMID- 17757047 TI - HEAVY CARBON PRODUCTION BY THERMAL DIFFUSION. PMID- 17757048 TI - A GIANT RODENT FROM THE OLIGOCENE. PMID- 17757049 TI - THE VELOCITY OF LIGHT. PMID- 17757050 TI - EGG-WHITE INJURY AS THE RESULT OF NONABSORPTION OR INACTIVATION OF BIOTIN. PMID- 17757051 TI - THE EXCRETION OF INJECTED HEPARIN IN THE URINE OF MICE AND DOGS. PMID- 17757052 TI - AN ANTIMONY ELECTRODE FOR THE CONTINUOUS RECORDING OF THE ACIDITY OF HUMAN GASTRIC CONTENTS. PMID- 17757053 TI - THE ARTIFICIAL SYNTHESIS OF A 42-CHROMOSOME WHEAT. PMID- 17757054 TI - The Roots of Scientific Integrity. PMID- 17757055 TI - TFX: Congress Fumes and Fusses but Seems To Recognize that the Decision Wasn't a Bad One. PMID- 17757056 TI - Science Foundation: Leland Haworth of Atomic Energy Commission Named as Successor to Alan T. Waterman. PMID- 17757057 TI - R & D: New Awareness in Congress of Stimulus of Federal Research Stirs Envy of Areas like Boston. PMID- 17757058 TI - Experimental Animals: Proposals to Regulate Use Bring Clash of Scientists and Humane Societies. PMID- 17757059 TI - Beta-Alanine Utilization of Ebony and Non-ebony Drosophila melanogaster. AB - Carbon-14-labeled beta-alanine was injected into newly formed Drosophila melanogaster female pupae. Homozygous ebony deposited less C(14) in pupal sheaths, deposited more C(14) in adult body extracts and wings, and decarboxylated and oxidized beta-alanine to excrete C(14)O(2) faster than did non ebony homozygotes. Heterozygotes were intermediate in all these activities. PMID- 17757060 TI - Dosimetry of Atomic Bomb Radiation in Hiroshima by Thermoluminescence of Roof Tiles. AB - Thermoluminescence dosimetry is a powerful tool for obtaining the distribution of gamma dose, heretofore unknown, from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Roof tiles irradiated by the bombs show intense thermoluminescence, and the radiation dose for samples irradiated below 100 r by the bomb can be measured by this method. PMID- 17757061 TI - Ytterbium: Effect of Pressure and Temperature on Resistance. AB - The electrical resistance of ytterbium, measured as a function of pressure, shows a sharp maximum at 38 kb, both at 300 degrees K and 77 degrees K. At low pressures ytterbium is a metal because of overlap between filled and empty bands. From about 20 kb to the resistance maximum it is a semiconductor, indicating that the overlap disappears. At the maximum there is a phase transition, and beyond this pressure ytterbium is again metallic. PMID- 17757062 TI - Brownian Movement in Color Photomicrography. AB - Crystals, smaller than 1 micron, in Brownian movement have been photographed in color. PMID- 17757063 TI - Mosquitoes: Comparative Serology of Four Species of Aedes (Ochlerotatus). AB - Antigens of female adult Aedes communis (DeG.), A. punctor (Kby.), A. trichurus (Dyar), and A. excrucians (Walk.) were compared by precipitin tests. There is a wider divergence among species than is indicated by external comparative morphology. PMID- 17757064 TI - Yttrium-88 on High-Activity Zirconium-95 Fallout Particles. AB - Yttrium 88 has been identified, by gamma spectroscopy, in residues of grass samples gathered in the neighborhood of the Euratom Research Center, Ispra, Italy. The yttrium-88 is associated with zirconium-95. PMID- 17757065 TI - Origin of Tektites. AB - A comet of the size recently postulated by H. C. Urey would leave a large crater. It is shown, from aerodynamic theory, from observations of distribution around terrestrial impact craters, and from experimental nuclear explosions, that the observed distribution of tektites cannot be the result of impact on the earth, whether cometary or meteoritic. It is further shown, from aerodynamic theory, from observation of a meteor shower, and from study of the breakup of artificial satellites, that the distribution of tektites can be accounted for as a result of fusion stripping of a satellite, as originally suggested by Suess. PMID- 17757066 TI - Crystal Structures Adopted by Black Phosphorus at High Pressures. AB - Black phosphorus undergoes two reversible structural transitions at high pressures. The first is to a structure of the type arsenic A7. This structure is transformed to a simple cubic structure at higher pressures. The reversibility between the A7 and simple cubic structures at 111 kilobars indicates that the transition obtainable at this pressure provides a good calibration point by which high-pressure x-ray data may be united with volumetric or resistance measurements, or both. PMID- 17757067 TI - Bohr Effect: Absence in a Molluscan Hemocyanin. AB - The hemocyanin of the keyhole limpet, Diodora aspera, shows no Bohr effect within the pH range 6.88 to 7.84. At 10 degrees C the pressure of half-saturation is 5 mm-Hg of oxygen pressure. A moderately positive interaction occurs among the oxygen-combining sites during oxygenation. The heat of oxygenation is calculated to be approximately -12.6 kcal/mole of oxygen. The pH of normal blood of Diodora is lower than that of many other marine molluscs. PMID- 17757068 TI - Mutagenic Action of Ethyl Methanesulfonate in Maize. AB - Pollen of corn plants carrying three closely linked genes (alpha beta Sh(2)) on chromosome 3 were treated by ethyl methanesulfonate in order to determine the nature of genetic changes produced. In this genetic material the loss of the beta gene alone represents a discrete genetic change, possibly a point mutation, while the loss of two or more markers represents chromosome aberrations. Ethyl methanesulfonate, x-rays, and ultraviolet light all induced numerous chromosome aberrations, but only ultraviolet light and probably ethyl methanesulfonate induced discrete genetic changes. PMID- 17757069 TI - Radiation-Induced Gelation of Dilute Aqueous Pectin Solutions. AB - The low-dose gamma irradiation of dilute aqueous pectin solutions after appropriate adjustment of pH with hydrochloric or certain other inorganic acids leads to the formation of thermoreversible gels. Maximum gel strength is attained only under optimum conditions of pH, concentration, temperature, radiation dose, and exposure time, and only in the absence of oxygen and a number of radiation protectants. PMID- 17757070 TI - Density-Gradient Separation of Organic and Inorganic Particles by Centrifugation. AB - Aqueous suspensions of particulate organic and inorganic material were centrifuged in a 2-bromo-ethanol density gradient. The degree of separation with this new technique is superior to that achieved with sucrose density gradients. PMID- 17757071 TI - Indium Antimonide: Superconductivity of the Metallic Form. AB - The transition of metallic indium antimonide into the superconducting state begins at 2.1 degrees K and is complete at about 1.6 degrees K. These data are close to those for white tin. PMID- 17757073 TI - Ethnic Minorities around the World. PMID- 17757072 TI - Indium Antimonide: the Metallic Form at Atmospheric Pressure. AB - The crystal structure of metallic indium antimonide at atmospheric pressure and 197 degrees C is essentially identical with that of white tin at 26 degrees C. PMID- 17757074 TI - STATE ICHTHYOLOGY OF MASSACHUSETTS. PMID- 17757075 TI - THE COLD-CURRENT SYSTEM OF THE PACIFIC, AND SOURCE OF THE PACIFIC COAST CURRENT. PMID- 17757076 TI - MEMBERSHIP IN THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17757077 TI - ANIMAL HEAT AND FEVER. PMID- 17757079 TI - ANCIENT NATURAL HISTORY LORE. PMID- 17757078 TI - RECENT OBSERVATIONS UPON DAeMONELIX. PMID- 17757081 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ARTS AND SCIENCE. PMID- 17757080 TI - THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17757083 TI - PROPOSED LEGISLATION IN REGARD TO THE METRIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17757082 TI - THE EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CONGRESS. PMID- 17757084 TI - ON THE REFLECTION OF THE BONTGEN RAYS FROM PLATINUM. PMID- 17757086 TI - THE RECEPTION OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN FRENCH UNIVERSITIES AND SCHOOLS. PMID- 17757085 TI - FURTHER EXPERIMENTS WITH X-RAYS. PMID- 17757087 TI - THE ESSENCE OF NUMBER. PMID- 17757088 TI - ROBERT EDWARD EARLL. PMID- 17757089 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17757090 TI - COLOR VISION AND LIGHT. PMID- 17757091 TI - EXPERIMENTS SHOWING THAT THE RONTGEN RAYS CANNOT BE POLARIZED BY DOUBLY REFRACTING MEDIA. PMID- 17757092 TI - THE PHILADELPHIA BRICK CLAYS, ET AL. PMID- 17757093 TI - PRIMITIVE HABITATIONS IN OHIO. PMID- 17757094 TI - NEWLY HATCHED CHICKENS INSTINCTIVELY DRINK. PMID- 17757095 TI - QUESTIONS REGARDING HABITS AND INSTINCT. PMID- 17757096 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17757097 TI - CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND THE INTERPRETATION OF BEHAVIOR. PMID- 17757098 TI - CORTICAL EXCITATORY STATE AND VARIABILITY IN HUMAN BRAIN RHYTHMS. PMID- 17757099 TI - THE "FLIGHT" OF FLYING FISH. PMID- 17757100 TI - THE MOISTURE RELATIONS OF PECAN LEAVES. PMID- 17757101 TI - FLYING FISH. PMID- 17757102 TI - PRESENT STATUS OF THE "GEOLOGY OF NORTH AMERICA". PMID- 17757103 TI - PROPULSIVE POWER USED BY FLYING FISH. PMID- 17757104 TI - FIRST NORTH CENTRAL STATES FISH AND GAME CONFERENCE. PMID- 17757105 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF HYPERPNEA AND OF VARIATIONS IN THE O2-AND CO2-TENSION OF THE INSPIRED AIR ON WORD-ASSOCIATIONS. PMID- 17757107 TI - ANOPHELES EXPERIMENTALLY INFECTED WITH MALARIA PLASMODIA. PMID- 17757106 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF THE ADRENAL GLANDS ON CALCIUM METABOLISM. PMID- 17757108 TI - LIGHT AND REPRODUCTION IN GAME BIRDS. PMID- 17757109 TI - DEVICE FOR THE MOTOR CONDITIONING OF SMALL ANIMALS. PMID- 17757110 TI - AN AID IN COLOR-BLINDNESS. PMID- 17757111 TI - THE BEGINNINGS OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN UNICELLULAR ORGANISMS. PMID- 17757112 TI - RODNEY HOWARD TRUE. PMID- 17757113 TI - HOWARD J. BANKER. PMID- 17757114 TI - THE CLASSIFICATION OF TOOL STEELS. PMID- 17757115 TI - DAMAGE TO SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS IN LONDON. PMID- 17757116 TI - SYMPOSIUM ON MALARIA. PMID- 17757117 TI - THE PROPOSED NEW CANCER HOSPITAL IN NEW YORK CITY. PMID- 17757118 TI - THE NEW HYDRAULIC LABORATORY OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA. PMID- 17757119 TI - THE COLD SPRING HARBOR BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17757120 TI - THE PACIFIC DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17757121 TI - MEDALISTS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17757122 TI - COLLECTING PELAGIC FORAMINIFERA. PMID- 17757124 TI - ANTIQUE GALENICALS. PMID- 17757123 TI - ON THE SPECIFICITY OF RENIN. PMID- 17757125 TI - EXCHANGE PERIODICALS FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES. PMID- 17757126 TI - THE AUTUMN GENERAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17757127 TI - SUGGESTIONS ON PLANT VIRUS NOMENCLATURE AS EXEMPLIFIED BY NAMES FOR CITRUS VIRUSES. PMID- 17757128 TI - INEFFICACY OF PANTOTHENIC ACID AGAINST THE GRAYING OF FUR. PMID- 17757129 TI - SOLAR RAYS AND VITAMIN C. PMID- 17757130 TI - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INTERNAL RETICULAR APPARATUS OF GOLGI IN CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17757131 TI - THE NEW PEABODY MUSEUM AT YALE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17757132 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17757133 TI - WATER GLASS AS A MOUNTING MEDIUM. PMID- 17757134 TI - IRON-DEPOSITING BACTERIA. PMID- 17757136 TI - STAFF ORGANIZATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION. PMID- 17757135 TI - ON THE DONNAN EQUILIBRIUM AND THE EQUATION OF GIBBS. PMID- 17757137 TI - ON THE ADAPTATION OF WHEAT TO GROWTH MEDIA DEFICIENT IN NUTRIENTS. PMID- 17757139 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17757138 TI - A NEW VACUUM PUMP. PMID- 17757140 TI - ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE. PMID- 17757141 TI - QUETELET'S SCIENTIFIC WORK. PMID- 17757142 TI - THE GENUS CAMBARUS IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17757143 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17757144 TI - OSMOSIS DEMONSTRATION FOR BIOLOGY CLASSES. PMID- 17757145 TI - ON BOTANY ON THE CAMPUS. PMID- 17757147 TI - HEARING AND NOISE. PMID- 17757146 TI - SOME REMARKS ON THE LITERATURE OF RUST FUNGI. PMID- 17757148 TI - DISCUSSIONS AT SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS. PMID- 17757151 TI - DIRECT SYNTHESIS OF HIGHER FROM LOWER HYDROCARBONS. PMID- 17757149 TI - MATERIAL FOR DEMONSTRATIONS OF ACCESSORY CHROMOSOMES. PMID- 17757150 TI - THE RELATIVE REACTION OF LIVING MAMMALIAN TISSUES. PMID- 17757153 TI - THE WESTERN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17757152 TI - NICOTIANA RUSTICA AS A SOURCE OF NICOTINE FOR INSECT CONTROL. PMID- 17757154 TI - PROBLEMS CONFRONTING MEDICAL INVESTIGATORS. PMID- 17757155 TI - SPECIAL RESEARCH CONFERENCES ON CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17757156 TI - THE SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION. PMID- 17757157 TI - GRANTS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17757158 TI - CHEMICAL RESEARCH REPORTS. PMID- 17757159 TI - THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17757160 TI - NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY AS A FACTOR IN THE ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR OF EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS. PMID- 17757161 TI - THE EARLY USE OF IMPLANTED ELECTRODES FOR STIMULATION OF THE CORTEX CEREBRI. PMID- 17757162 TI - PALM PATTERNS AND HANDEDNESS. PMID- 17757163 TI - A PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR THE DIFFERENTIAL RESISTANCE OF THE TWO RACES OF RED SCALE TO HCN. PMID- 17757164 TI - THE ALABAMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17757165 TI - THE FALL IN BLOOD PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH INTRAVENOUS INJECTION OF TISSUE EXTRACTS. PMID- 17757166 TI - THE MARYLAND ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17757167 TI - THE POLARIZATION OF ATMOSPHERIC HAZE. PMID- 17757168 TI - IDENTITY OF AN IODINE-STORING TISSUE IN AN ASCIDIAN. PMID- 17757169 TI - THE TYPING OF HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCI. PMID- 17757170 TI - AN AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR PERIODICALLY DETERMINING AND RECORDING BOTH SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE IN MAN. PMID- 17757171 TI - THE WATER PROBLEM OF NEW YORK. PMID- 17757172 TI - PRUNES IN FRANCE. PMID- 17757173 TI - THE SUBMARINE BOAT "GYMNOTE". PMID- 17757174 TI - SOME NEW ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. PMID- 17757175 TI - NATURAL GAS IN OHIO IN 1888. PMID- 17757176 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17757177 TI - THE DENISON MOTOR AND DYNAMO. PMID- 17757178 TI - THE SURGEON-GENERAL AND THE NATIONAL BOARD OF HEALTH. PMID- 17757179 TI - ETHNOLOGY. PMID- 17757180 TI - A SURVIVAL OF CORPORAL PENANCE. PMID- 17757181 TI - ELECTRICAL NEWS. PMID- 17757183 TI - THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION. PMID- 17757182 TI - THE ADIRONDACK FORESTS. PMID- 17757184 TI - THE UTILITY OF AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. PMID- 17757186 TI - Origin of Fish in Isolated Waters. PMID- 17757185 TI - The Soaring of Birds. PMID- 17757187 TI - Wind-Velocity and Wind-Pressure. PMID- 17757189 TI - "Shall We Teach Geology?". PMID- 17757188 TI - Curves of Literary Style. PMID- 17757190 TI - Answers. PMID- 17757191 TI - Queries. PMID- 17757192 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17757194 TI - Earth's Early Mantle. PMID- 17757193 TI - Hubble telescope research. PMID- 17757195 TI - Hubble telescope research. PMID- 17757196 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - Throughout the item "Addressing the envelope" in the 2 July This Week in Science (p. 9), the word "luminescence" incorrectly appeared instead of "luminance." PMID- 17757197 TI - Quantum wave measurement. PMID- 17757199 TI - Scientists loosen their grip. PMID- 17757198 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17757200 TI - Surprise fees leave u.s. Research reactors gasping. PMID- 17757201 TI - Science cedes ground to environmental concerns. PMID- 17757202 TI - Balancing scallops with shrimp. PMID- 17757203 TI - U.s. May renew collaboration after china relents on data. PMID- 17757204 TI - Fossils tell of mild winters in an ancient hothouse. PMID- 17757205 TI - Hot and cold dark matter on tap. PMID- 17757206 TI - Flat twist on holographic displays. PMID- 17757207 TI - Indoor robots start flying blind. PMID- 17757208 TI - Triton, pluto, and the origin of the solar system. PMID- 17757209 TI - Electron localization in metallic quasicrystals. AB - Bulk icosahedral-quasicrystalline aluminum-palladium-rhenium alloys of high structural quality and thermal stability are found to exhibit low-temperature electrical resistivities that are four orders of magnitude larger than those found in disordered metals and metallic glasses. Experiments suggest that these quasiperiodic alloys, which have a semimetallic electron density, are insulators at low temperature. The findings are discussed in light of theories on electron localization and band-gap formation in ordered metallic systems. PMID- 17757210 TI - Thorium-uranium fractionation by garnet: evidence for a deep source and rapid rise of oceanic basalts. AB - Mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) and ocean island basalts (QIBs) are derived by partial melting of the upper mantle and are marked by systematic excesses of thorium-230 activity relative to the activity of its parent, uranium-238. Experimental measurements of the distribution of thorium and uranium between the melt and solid residue show that, of the major phases in the upper mantle, only garnet will retain uranium over thorium. This sense of fractionation, which is opposite to that caused by clinopyroxene-melt partitioning, is consistent with the thorium-230 excesses observed in young oceanic basalts. Thus, both MORBs and QIBs must begin partial melting in the garnet stability field or below about 70 kilometers. A calculation shows that the thorium-230-uranium-238 disequilibrium in MORBs can be attributed to dynamic partial melting beginning at 80 kilometers with a melt porosity of 0.2 percent or more. This result requires that melting beneath ridges occurs in a wide region and that the magma rises to the surface at a velocity of at least 0.9 meter per year. PMID- 17757211 TI - Ices on the surface of triton. AB - The near-infrared spectrum of Triton reveals ices of nitrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, of which nitrogen is the dominant component. Carbon dioxide ice may be spatially segregated from the other more volatile ices, covering about 10 percent of Triton's surface. The absence of ices of other hydrocarbons and nitriles challenges existing models of methane and nitrogen photochemistry on Triton. PMID- 17757212 TI - Surface ices and the atmospheric composition of pluto. AB - Observations of the 1.4- to 2.4-micrometer spectrum of Pluto reveal absorptions of carbon monoxide and nitrogen ices and confirm the presence of solid methane. Frozen nitrogen is more abundant than the other two ices by a factor of about 50; gaseous nitrogen must therefore be the major atmospheric constituent. The absence of carbon dioxide absorptions is one of several differences between the spectra of Pluto and Triton in this region. Both worlds carry information about the composition of the solar nebula and the processes by which icy planetesimals formed. PMID- 17757213 TI - The Phase Composition of Triton's Polar Caps. AB - Triton's polar caps are modeled as permanent nitrogen deposits hundreds of meters thick. Complex temperature variations on Triton's surface induce reversible transitions between the cubic and hexagonal phases of solid nitrogen, often with two coexisting propagating transition fronts. Subsurface temperature distributions are calculated using a two-dimensional thermal model with phase changes. The phase changes fracture the upper nitrogen layer, increasing its reflectivity and thus offering an explanation for the surprisingly high southern polar cap albedo (approximately 0.8) seen during the Voyager 2 flyby. The model has other implications for the phase transition phenomena on Triton, such as a plausible mechanism for the origin of geyser-like plume vent areas and a mechanism of energy transport toward them. PMID- 17757214 TI - Spectroscopic determination of the phase composition and temperature of nitrogen ice on triton. AB - Laboratory spectra of the first overtone band (2.1480 micrometers, 4655.4 reciprocal centimeters) of solid nitrogen show additional structure at 2.1618 micrometers (4625.8 reciprocal centimeters) over a limited temperature range. The spectrum of Neptune's satellite Triton shows the nitrogen overtone band as well as the temperature-sensitive component. The temperature dependence of this band may be used in conjunction with ground-based observations of Triton as an independent means of determining the temperature of surface deposits of nitrogen ice. The surface temperature of Triton is found to be 38.0(+2.0)(-1.0) K, in agreement with previous temperature estimates and measurements. There is no spectral evidenceforthe presence of alpha-nitrogen on Triton's surface, indicating thatthere is less than 10 percent carbon monoxide in solid solution with the nitrogen on the surface. PMID- 17757215 TI - Requirement of salicylic Acid for the induction of systemic acquired resistance. AB - It has been proposed that salicylic acid acts as an endogenous signal responsible for inducing systemic acquired resistance in plants. The contribution of salicylic acid to systemic acquired resistance was investigated in transgenic tobacco plants harboring a bacterial gene encoding salicylate hydroxylase, which converts salicylic acid to catechol. Transgenic plants that express salicylate hydroxylase accumulated little or no salicylic acid and were defective in their ability to induce acquired resistance against tobacco mosaic virus. Thus, salicylic acid is essential for the development of systemic acquired resistance in tobacco. PMID- 17757216 TI - Circadian clockwork. PMID- 17757217 TI - Structural drug design. PMID- 17757218 TI - Higgs hunting. PMID- 17757219 TI - Sensing scents. PMID- 17757221 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17757220 TI - Vignettes: unexpected outcomes. PMID- 17757223 TI - ACE Report: Quality Ratings in the Academic Marketplace. PMID- 17757222 TI - Father of the world weather watch. PMID- 17757224 TI - Dimethyl sulfoxide conference. PMID- 17757225 TI - NIH Budget Hearings. PMID- 17757226 TI - Measurement of stellar diameters. PMID- 17757227 TI - Fungus-growing ants. AB - Fungus-growing ants (Attini) are in reality unique fungus-culturing insects.There are several hundred species in some dozen genera, of which Acromyrmex and Atta are the conspicuous leaf-cutters. The center of their activities is the fungus garden, which is also the site of the queen and brood. The garden, in most species, is made from fresh green leaves or other vegetal material. The ants forage for this, forming distinct trails to the vegetation that is being harvested. The cut leaves or other substrate are brought into the nest and prepared for the fungus. Fresh leaves and flowers are cut into pieces a millimeter or two in diameter; the ants form them into a pulpy mass by pinching them with the mandibles and adding saliva. Anal droplets are deposited on the pieces, which are then forced into place in the garden. Planting of the fungus is accomplished by an ant's picking up tufts of the adjacent mycelium and dotting the surface of the new substrate with it. The combination of salivary and anal secretions, together with the constant care given by the ants, facilitates the growth of the ant fungus only, despite constant possibilities for contamination. When the ants are removed, alien fungi and other organisms flourish. A mature nest of Atta Sexdens may consist of 2000 chambers, some temporarily empty, some with refuse, and the remainder with fungus gardens. Thousands of kilograms of fresh leaves will have been used. A young laboratory colony of Atta cephalotes will use 1 kilogram of fresh leaves for one garden. The attines are the chief agents for introducing organic matter into the soil in tropical rain forests; this matter becomes the nucleus for a host of other organisms, including nematodes and arthropods, after it is discarded by the ants. One ant species cultures a yeast; all others grow a mycelium. In the higher species the mycelium forms clusters of inflated hyphae. Mycologists accept as valid two names for confirmed fruiting stages: Leucocoprinus ( or Leucoagaricus) gongylophora (Moeller 1893) and Lepiota n. sp. PMID- 17757228 TI - Investigating the origins of mesopotamian civilization. AB - It seems unlikely that Mesopotamian society took a single path as it approached the rigidly organized, hierarchal civilization of Early Dynastic times. Rather, we imagine that there was considerable experimentation and variety in the organization of society as people adapted to their physical environment and to the presence of other expanding communities Some towns and cities probably arose as the demographic solution to the problem of procuring and distributing resources. It would have made sense to have central "clearing houses." Similarly, it would have made sense to have the craftsmen who turned the raw materials into finished products live close to their supply (probably the temple stores). Temple centers are natural focal points of settlements. Cities and towns, however, are not the only demographic solutions to the problem of farming and maintaining irrigation canals. Both of these tasks could have been carried out by people living in more dispersed settlements. City life in Mesopotamia probably also presented other benefits. For example, as warfare came to be a recurrent threat, the psychological and physical security of a city must have been a comfort for many. Finally, to judge from some historical evidence, Mesopotamian cities were places of diversity and opportunity, no doubt desiderata for many people as long as they could also gain a suitable livelihood (38) In considering the development of civilization, an ecological approach forces us to consider multiple factors. Seeking isolated causes among the many factors possibly involved ignores the central concept of adaptation, with its ramifications of interaction and feedback. Still, we are a long way from fully understanding the emergence of Mesopotamian civilization. In particular, we need a great deal more archeological data that relate to the 2000 years preceding 3000 B. C. in southern Mesopotamia. Specifically, there are three projects which ought to have high priority in the planning of future archeological work in this area. First, we need thorough surveys in order to determine the early history of settlement in Mesopotamia. By means of these surveys in and around the early cities, we would try to determine the duration of occupation, and the variety and location of additional sites. Second, we need extensive excavation of selected smaller sites and portions of larger ones in order to determine the characteristics of different settlements. We would like to know in what way the cities, towns, temple centers, and villages were integrated to form a socioeconomic network. A third question, which gets at the crux of the matter, is, What structural form did the emerging Sumerian society take? Answers to this question must depend in large part on the results of future surveys and excavations of the kind suggested above. Then, selective excavations focusing on successive periods should yield data on the relative roles of economic and religious activities and on social differentiation and stratification. These data, after they are eventually pieced together, will comprise the story of the emergence of the world's first civilization. PMID- 17757229 TI - National research policy: ambuscade for the "establishment". PMID- 17757231 TI - Space science: congressmen want larger voice. PMID- 17757232 TI - Banning History: Frick vs. Stevens. PMID- 17757233 TI - Technology in britain: new moves. PMID- 17757234 TI - Research and industry in czechoslovakia. PMID- 17757235 TI - CERN and Serpukhov Prepare for Collaboration. PMID- 17757236 TI - Thermodynamic equilibrium and the inorganic origin of organic compounds. AB - Theoretical and experimental support is presented for the hypothesis that many organic compounds may form under conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium. This possibility must be considered along with special effects of selective catalysts, radiation, and degradation from biological matter, in explaining the origin of organic compounds in carbonaceous chondrites. Similar considerations may apply to solar nebulas and planetary atmospheres. The equilibrium distribution of organic compounds at temperatures between 300 degrees K and 1000 degrees K and pressures of 10-(6) to 50 atm for the C-H-O system have been computed. At moderate temperatures and low pressures, conditions where graphite production is inhibited, aromatic compounds may form even in the presence of large excesses of hydrogen. Such conditions exist in the solar nebula and in the atmospheres of some of the major planets. Equilibrium concentrations of a large number of compounds at 1000 degrees K with nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine added to the system have also been determined. In some cases, a limited equilibrium method is employed in which those few compounds which form with the most difficulty are excluded from the computations, while representatives of all other families of compounds are included. This approach is shown to be useful in the interpretation of certain experimental data in which complete equilibrium has not been attained. We have also found that gases, activated to the plasma state by a high-energy radio frequency field, recombine on cooling to yield product mixtures which are in qualitative agreement with those predicted by the equilibrium computations. We believe that such products can be profitably studied as if at a metastable limited equilibrium. PMID- 17757237 TI - Mass-yield distribution of the fission products in fallout from the 14 may 1965 nuclear explosion. AB - Twenty single particles separated from a 20-liter sample of rain collected in Osaka, Japan, shortly after the 14 May 1965 test explosion of the Chinese nuclear device, were analyzed radiochemically. The abundance pattern of the fission products in these particles resembled the shape of the mass-yield curve for the thermal neutron-induced fission of uranium-235, except for the facts that cesium hl37 and strontium-90 were markedly depleted and the yields near the symmetric fission region appeared to be somewhat enhanced. PMID- 17757238 TI - Doppler interpretation of quasar red shifts. AB - The hypothesis that the quasistellar sources (quasars) are local objects moving with velocities close to the speed of light is examined. Provided there is no observational cutoff on apparent bolometric magnitude for the quasars, the transverse Doppler effect leads to the expectation of fewer blue shifts than red shifts for an isotropic distribution of velocities. Such a distribution also yields a function N(z), the number of objects with red shift less than z which is not inconsistent with the present data. On the basis of two extreme assumptions concerning the origin of such rapidly moving sources, we computed curves of red shift plotted against magnitude. In particular, the curve obtained on the assumption that the quasars originated from an explosion in or nearby our own galaxy is in as good agreement with the observations as the curve of cosmological red shift plotted against magnitude. PMID- 17757239 TI - Chainpur-like Chondrites: Primitive Precursors of Ordinary Chondrites? AB - Chainpur and similar, apparently primitive, chondritic meteorites may be precursors of ordinary chondrites; a variety of evidence supports this working hypothesis. In general, carbonaceous chondrites seem to be related collaterally to this genetic sequence rather than being direct ancestors of ordinary chondrites. Metamorphic processes may be responsible for fractionations of elements such as indium and iodine, and type-II carbonaceous chondrites seem to be more primitive than types I or IIIA. PMID- 17757240 TI - Acrylonitrile polymerization in a miniaturized high-pressure optical cell. AB - A miniaturized high-pressure optical cell has been used to investigate the feasibility of carrying out high-pressure polymerization, wherein the process can be observed both spectroscopically and optically while the polymerization process is occurring. The method has been illustrated by a novel polymerization of acrylonitrile. PMID- 17757241 TI - Human population genetics. PMID- 17757242 TI - The Solar Constant. PMID- 17757243 TI - Publications Received. PMID- 17757244 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17757246 TI - Use of Propositions in Examinations for the Doctor's Degree. PMID- 17757245 TI - The Recent Arvin-Tehachapi, Southern California, Earthquake. PMID- 17757247 TI - Sulfur in Ether Extracts of Lake Sediments. PMID- 17757248 TI - Superconducting magnets. PMID- 17757249 TI - Superconducting magnets. PMID- 17757250 TI - Superconducting magnets. PMID- 17757251 TI - Shortages of scientists and engineers. PMID- 17757252 TI - Phase transitions, critical phenomena, and instabilities. AB - Transformations among many of the diverse states of matter arise from microscopic interactions involving very many (approximately 10(23)) constituent particles and result in dramatic changes in macroscopic properties. The values of some physical parameters vanish, while others approach infinity. These changes and their evolution are strikingly similar in systems as apparently different as liquids, magnets, superconductors, ferroelectrics, and liquid crystals, which suggests that there is an underlying unity to phase transition phenomena. The basis and extent of this unity are reviewed for many-body systems in equilibrium, and analogies with instability phenomena in systems far from equilibrium (such as lasers, fluid flows, and avalanche electronic devices) are pointed out. PMID- 17757254 TI - Plutonium production slated to increase. PMID- 17757253 TI - Science and technology in the white house, 1977 to 1980: part 1. AB - This is the first half of a two-part article on science and technology policy in the Carter White House. Written from the perspective of the President's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the article describes specific activities and accomplishments in the context of the overall policy framework and institutional structure within which the office operates. This part of the article addresses policy issues related to strengthening the U.S. science and technology enterprise, fostering industrial innovation, enhancing relationships among government, industry, and universities, and improving the regulatory process. Part 2 will focus on OSTP activities related to national security and foreign policy, space, energy and the environment, health, and agriculture, and will discuss OSTP advisory mechanisms and planning efforts. PMID- 17757255 TI - Nuclear fuel account books in bad shape. PMID- 17757257 TI - Biologists need code on commercial behavior. PMID- 17757256 TI - A cooler look at laser weapons. PMID- 17757258 TI - French Have Rocket Aimed at NASA's Shuttle. PMID- 17757259 TI - Auto crash tests unsettle Japan and detroit. PMID- 17757260 TI - Citizens for space. PMID- 17757261 TI - Fingers of salt help mix the sea. PMID- 17757262 TI - Internationalism in denmark. PMID- 17757263 TI - A theoretical physicist. PMID- 17757264 TI - A public health issue. PMID- 17757265 TI - Quantum field theory. PMID- 17757266 TI - Global transport of organic pollutants: ambient concentrations in the remote marine atmosphere. AB - Concentrations of organic pollutants in the air and in precipitation have been measured at Enewetak Atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. These data from a site removed from industrial and human activity indicate the present concentrations of synthetic organic pollutants in the atmosphere and establish the long-range atmospheric transport of organic pollutants to remote marine areas. Hexachlorobenzene and hexachlorocyclohexane isomers are present in the remote marine atmosphere. Polychlorobiphenyls, total DDT, dieldrin, chlordane, and two phthalate ester plasticizers were also found in the samples. The concentrations of pollutants in the atmosphere remote from continental sources are good measures of the minimum concentrations of air pollutants on Earth. PMID- 17757267 TI - Annual Growth Increments in Shells of Spisula solidissima Record Marine Temperature Variability. AB - Systematic variations in annual growth increments, formed over a 16-year period in shells of the marine bivalve mollusc Spisula solidissima, reveal more growth in some years than others. Favorable years are indicated by larger than expected annual growth increments and successful recruitment of juveniles. Variations in the size of growth increments correlate negatively with sea surface temperatures. The results suggest that the annual growth increments in the shells of certain molluscs record changes in the marine environment and may be useful monitors of pollution and indicators of paleotemperatures. PMID- 17757268 TI - Relative humidity: important modifier of pollutant uptake by plants. AB - Laboratory measurements of foliar uptake of sulfur dioxide and ozone by red kidney beans demonstrated a strong effect of relative humidity on internal pollutant dose. Foliar uptake was enhanced two- to threefold for sulfur dioxide and three- to fourfold for ozone by an increase in relative humidity from 35 to 75 percent. For the same exposure concentration, vegetation growing in humid areas (such as the eastern United States) may experience a significantly greater internal flux of pollutants than that in more arid regions. PMID- 17757270 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17757271 TI - Weight it of Expert Testimony. PMID- 17757272 TI - Recent Saprolite: Thick saprolite has formed in northern New Jersey since the last Pleistocene glacial stage. PMID- 17757273 TI - News of Science: Radiation Hazards Pose Problem of How Government Can Best Be Organized to Protect the Public. PMID- 17757274 TI - Production of Spherules from Synthetic Proteinoid and Hot Water. AB - When hot saturated solutions of thermal copolymers containing the 18 common amino acids are allowed to cool, huge numbers of uniform, microscopic, relatively firm, and elastic spherules separate. The place of this phenomenon in a comprehensive theory of original thermal generation of primordial living units is considered. PMID- 17757275 TI - Spatial Distribution of Phoronopsis viridis Hilton. AB - Individuals of the species Phoronopsis viridis Hilton exhibit an even distribution within their colonies. The distance between nearest neighbors is probably related to the space required for the operation of the lophophore. Distributions of other marine invertebrates are discussed briefly, together with the paleoecological implications of such knowledge. PMID- 17757276 TI - Occurrence and Morphology of a Phenotypic Male of a Gynogenetic Fish. AB - A phenotypic male of Mollienesia formosa, a gynogenetic fish, has been collected at Brownsville, Texas. The male and female fish are essentially similar, and their morphology supports a hypothesis that the species is of hybrid origin. PMID- 17757279 TI - Benzene: consumer and occupational exposure. PMID- 17757277 TI - Preliminary Identification of Crystalline Phases in a Transparent Stalactite. AB - Of two crystalline phases found in a cavern stalactite, the major phase is mirabilite, whereas the minor phase, according to preliminary data, is a new mineral, sodium hemicalcium sulfate dihydrate, which is unstable at temperatures above 25 degrees C. PMID- 17757280 TI - Committee on national statistics. PMID- 17757281 TI - Cover caption: april fools'? PMID- 17757282 TI - Cover caption: april fools'? PMID- 17757283 TI - Energy costs: nuclear versus oil. PMID- 17757285 TI - Needed: better data about academic science. PMID- 17757284 TI - The sociobiology debate. PMID- 17757286 TI - Hail suppression and society. AB - An interdisciplinary assessment of hail suppression in the past, present, and future has shown it to be currently scientifically uncertain but a potentially beneficial future technology. An established suppression technology would be widely adopted in the Great Plains, providing benefits to agriculture and secondarily to the American consumer. Development of a reliable technology will require a sizable longterm federal commitment to atmospheric and social research. Subcritical funding would be a mistake. Orderly future usage of hail suppression, with its scientific complexities and regional character, will necessitate development of governmental regulations, evaluation procedures, interstate arrangements, and means for compensating those who lose from modification. PMID- 17757288 TI - Guillemin and schally: the three-lap race to stockholm. PMID- 17757287 TI - Aleuts, sea otters, and alternate stable-state communities. AB - Reexamination of stratified faunal components of a prehistoric Aleut midden excavated on Amchitka Island, Alaska, indicates that Aleut prey items changed dramatically during 2500 years of aboriginal occupation. Recent ecological studies in the Aleutian Islands have shown the concurrent existence of two alternate stable nearshore communities, one dominated by macroalgae, the other by epibenthic herbivores, which are respectively maintained by the presence or absence of dense sea otter populations. Thus, rather than cultural shifts in food preference, the changes in Aleut prey were probably the result of local overexploitation of sea otters by aboriginal Aleuts. PMID- 17757289 TI - Security Agency's Role in DES Confirmed. PMID- 17757290 TI - Mottur Resigns from OTA Job. PMID- 17757291 TI - NATO Science Committee: Redefining Mutual Security. PMID- 17757292 TI - Poisoned pot becomes burning issue in high places. PMID- 17757293 TI - Accounts may get professor fired. PMID- 17757294 TI - Earthquakes: prediction proving elusive. PMID- 17757295 TI - Geodesy: dealing with an enormous computer task. PMID- 17757296 TI - Auditory mechanisms. PMID- 17757297 TI - Monitoring the effects of therapeutic agents. PMID- 17757298 TI - Riverine landscapes. PMID- 17757299 TI - Tree physiology. PMID- 17757300 TI - Earthquakes, faults, and nuclear power plants in southern new york and northern new jersey. AB - Seismic activity in the greater New York City area is concentrated along several northeast-trending faults of which the Ramapo fault appears to be the most active. Three nuclear power plants at Indian Point, New York, are situated close to the Ramapo fault. For a reactor site in use for 40 years, the probability that the site will experience an intensity equal to or in excess of the design (safe shutdown) earthquake is estimated to be about 5 to 11 percent. PMID- 17757302 TI - Temporary queens in metapolybia wasps: nonreproductive helpers without altruism? AB - In Metapolybia aztecoides some mated females produce only workers, losing in competition with other similar egg-layers before producing either males or queens. Worker production by these ultimately nonreproductive females may incidentally benefit others without lowering individual fitness (without "altruism"). It could be a by-product of mutualism rather than of kin selection or parental manipulation. PMID- 17757301 TI - "Helium spots": caused by a diapiric magma from the upper mantle. AB - "Helium spots," where a significant amount of helium is present in the soil [up to 350 parts per million with a high (3)He to (4)He ratio of (8.90 +/- 0.31) x 10(-6)], have been found along the fault zone formed by the 1966 Matsushiro swarm earthquakes. The formation of the "helium spots" and the occurrence of the earthquakes are interpreted as the results of a diapiric uprise of a magma approximately 1 kilometer in diameter. PMID- 17757303 TI - Size variation and the distribution of hemimetabolous aquatic insects: two thermal equilibrium hypotheses. AB - Adult body size and fecundity of a number of hemimetabolous aquatic insects depend largely on thermal conditions during the larval period. Small adults and reduced fecundity result when temperatures are either warmed or cooled with respect to more optimal thermal conditions. Temperature apparently affects adult size by altering the larval growth rate and the timing and rate of adult tissue development for each larva. The data suggest a new interpretation for the geographic distribution of aquatic insects. PMID- 17757304 TI - Zooplankton niches and the community structure controversy. PMID- 17757305 TI - Zooplankton niches and the community structure controversy. PMID- 17757307 TI - WILLIAM JAMES. PMID- 17757306 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17757308 TI - SURFACE TENSION IN RELATION TO CELLULAR PROCESSES. II. PMID- 17757310 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17757309 TI - THE EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL CONGRESS IN GRAZ. PMID- 17757311 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17757312 TI - AMOEligBA MELEAGRIDIS. PMID- 17757313 TI - THE REFORM OF THE CALENDAR. PMID- 17757315 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17757314 TI - WINCHELL ON OPHITIC TEXTURE. PMID- 17757316 TI - NOTES ON ENTOMOLOGY. PMID- 17757317 TI - THE SELECTIVE ELIMINATION OF ORGANS. PMID- 17757318 TI - LIFE IN THE ANDES AND CHRONIC MOUNTAIN SICKNESS. PMID- 17757319 TI - LOW TEMPERATURE PHYSICS IN THE USSR. PMID- 17757320 TI - THE NATIONAL ROSTER OF SCIENTIFIC AND SPECIALIZED PERSONNEL: THIRD PROGRESS REPORT. PMID- 17757321 TI - ELSIE CLEWS PARSONS. PMID- 17757322 TI - ADJUSTMENTS IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. PMID- 17757323 TI - THE GENETICS SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17757324 TI - THE FINLAY INSTITUTE OF THE AMERICAS. PMID- 17757325 TI - AWARD OF THE COPLEY MEDAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17757326 TI - THE PERIOD OF INTERNSHIPS IN NEW YORK CITY. PMID- 17757328 TI - THE STATUS OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY AMONG THE LABORATORY SCIENCES. PMID- 17757327 TI - THE WESTERN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17757329 TI - NATURE OF GROUP THEORY. PMID- 17757330 TI - THE CASE OF DR. S. LEVINE. PMID- 17757331 TI - A PLIOCENE WATERHOLE IN WESTERN KANSAS. PMID- 17757332 TI - ANNUAL REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES AT FIELD MUSEUM FOR 1941. PMID- 17757333 TI - "PEPSITENSIN"--A HYPERTENSINLIKE SUBSTANCE PRODUCED BY PEPTIC DIGESTION OF PROTEINS. PMID- 17757335 TI - MECHANISM OF P-AMINOBENZOIC ACID ACTION AND THE PARALLEL EFFECTS OF ETHYL CARBAMATE (URETHANE). PMID- 17757334 TI - IN VITRO CULTIVATION OF THE STREET VIRUS OF RABIES. PMID- 17757336 TI - A HEAD HOLDER FOR INTRACRANIAL OPERATIONS ON THE MONKEY. PMID- 17757338 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17757337 TI - SODIUM DIPHENYLHYDANTOINATE AND EXPERIMENTAL EPILEPSY. PMID- 17757339 TI - East asian trade with the United States. PMID- 17757340 TI - Quantum mechanics: not mysterious. PMID- 17757341 TI - Achieving sustainable use of renewable resources. PMID- 17757342 TI - Science scope. PMID- 17757343 TI - Virology without a virus. PMID- 17757344 TI - Better for science than expected. PMID- 17757345 TI - Dutch foundation says it gets it right. PMID- 17757347 TI - Asteroidal magnetism. PMID- 17757346 TI - Will federal funds attract tariffs? PMID- 17757349 TI - Research funding crosses the border. PMID- 17757348 TI - Portrait of a woman engineer. PMID- 17757350 TI - Antarctic radar gap to be filled. PMID- 17757351 TI - Paleontologists examine old bones and new interpretations. PMID- 17757352 TI - Cosmologists meet to face their fears. PMID- 17757353 TI - Why is the temperature of the universe 2.726 Kelvin? AB - The Cosmic Background Explorer satellite has recently made the most accurate measurement of the temperature of the universe, determining it to be 2.726 +/- 0.01 kelvin. In trying to understand why the temperature has this value, one is led to discover the most fundamental features of the universe-an early, radiation dominated epoch, enormous entropy per nucleon, synthesis of the light elements around 3 minutes after the bang, and a small excess of matter over antimatter-as well as some of the most pressing issues in cosmology today-the development of structure in the universe and the identification of the nature of the ubiquitous dark matter. PMID- 17757354 TI - Laser-focused atomic deposition. AB - The ability to fabricate nanometer-sized structures that are stable in air has the potential to contribute significantly to the advancement of new nanotechnologies and our understanding of nanoscale systems. Laser light can be used to control the motion of atoms on a nanoscopic scale. Chromium atoms were focused by a standing-wave laser field as they deposited onto a silicon substrate. The resulting nanostructure consisted of a series of narrow lines covering 0.4 millimeter by 1 millimeter. Atomic force microscopy measurements showed a line width of 65 +/- 6 nanometers, a spacing of 212.78 nanometers, and a height of 34 +/-+ 10 nanometers. The observed line widths and shapes are compared with the predictions of a semiclassical atom optical model. PMID- 17757355 TI - Carbon-free fullerenes: condensed and stuffed anionic examples in indium systems. AB - Condensed, well-ordered analogs of the fullerenes occur in the hexagonal phases Na(96)In(97)Z(2) (Z = nickel, palladium, or platinum). Large cages of In(74) (D3h) and M(60) (= In(48)Na(12), D3d) share pentagonal faces to generate a double hexagonal close-packed analog of NiAs. All these polyhedra are centered by partially disordered In(10)Z clusters within deltahedra of sodium atoms that cap all inner faces of the cages, namely, Z@In(10)@Na(39)@In(74) and Z@In(10)@Na(32)@Na(12)In(48) "onions" The highest filled bands in these compounds apparently involve localized electron pairs on surface features on In(74)-based layers. Structural and electronic relations between diamond and Naln (stuffed diamond structure) parallel those between certain fullerenes and Na(96)In(97)Z(2) and, presumably, other valence-driven intermetallic phases. PMID- 17757356 TI - Crystal Structure of the Polymer Electrolyte Poly(ethylene oxide)3:LiCF3SO3. AB - Ionically conducting polymers (polymer electrolytes) are under intensive investigation because they form the basis of all solid-state lithium batteries, fuel cells, and electrochromic display devices, as well as being highly novel electrolytes. Little is known about the structures of the many crystalline complexes that form between poly(ethylene oxide) and a wide range of salts. The crystal structure is reported of the archetypal polymer electrolyte poly(ethylene oxide)(3):LiCF(3)SO(3), which has been determined from powder x-ray diffraction data. The poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chain adopts a helical conformation parallel to the crystallographic b axis. The Li(+) cation is coordinated by five oxygen atoms-three ether oxygens and one from each of two adjacent CF(3)SO(3)(-) groups. Each CF(3)SO(3)(-) in turn bridges two Li(+) ions to form chains running parallel to and intertwined with the PEO chain. There are no interchain links between PEO chains, and the electrolyte can be regarded as an infinite columnar coordination complex. PMID- 17757357 TI - Fire history and climate change in giant sequoia groves. AB - Fire scars in giant sequoia [Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindley) Buchholz] were used to reconstruct the spatial and temporal pattern of surface fires that burned episodically through five groves during the past 2000 years. Comparisons with independent dendroclimatic reconstructions indicate that regionally synchronous fire occurrence was inversely related to yearly fluctuations in precipitation and directly related to decadal-to-centennial variations in temperature. Frequent small fires occurred during a warm period from about A.D. 1000 to 1300, and less frequent but more widespread fires occurred during cooler periods from about A.D. 500 to 1000 and after A.D. 1300. Regionally synchronous fire histories demonstrate the importance of climate in maintaining nonequilibrium conditions. PMID- 17757358 TI - Controls on geyser periodicity. AB - Geyser eruption frequency is not constant over time and has been shown to vary with small ((1,beta)cyclohexaneethanol; III, cis-3,3-dimethlyl->(1,alpha) cyclohexaneacetaldehyde; and IV, trans-3,3-dimethyl->(1,alpha) cyclohexanecetaldehyde. PMID- 17758067 TI - Silica in developing epidermal cells of Avena internodes: electron microprobe analysis. AB - Silica is present in significant amount in mature guard and subsidiary cells of stomata, in trichomes and silica cells, and in the walls of long eidermal cells of Avena. No silica was detectable in cork cells of cork-silica cell pairs. Silica must be accumulated in these specialized epidermal cells quite rapidly. PMID- 17758068 TI - Laughing gull chicks: recognition of their parents' voices. AB - Laughing gull chicks between 6 and 13 days old responded to the calls of their own parents with orientation toward the sound, approach, increased locomotion, and vocalization. In response to the same kinds of calls from other adults they tended to orient away from the sound, withdraw, and sit or crouch. Chicks as young as 6 days can identify their parents from individual characteristics in the calls of adult gulls. PMID- 17758069 TI - Diversity and composition of abyssal benthos. PMID- 17758070 TI - Aaas annual meeting. PMID- 17758071 TI - Crop Improvement through Plant Cell and Tissue Culture. PMID- 17758072 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17758073 TI - Letters. PMID- 17758074 TI - Space programs: who benefits? PMID- 17758075 TI - Letters. PMID- 17758076 TI - Letters. PMID- 17758077 TI - On the art of university pruning. PMID- 17758078 TI - European astronomers decide to consolidate their journals. PMID- 17758079 TI - AAAS (I): Facing the Questions of What It Should Be and Do. PMID- 17758080 TI - Nader group sees "water wasteland". PMID- 17758081 TI - Final desiccation of the afar rift, ethiopia. AB - Stable and radioactive isotope studies of ancient corals and mollusks from a fossil atoll in the Afar Rift indicate that final separation of the Afar Depression from the Red Sea occurred not earlier than 32,000 years ago. Desiccation followed within a few thousand years. The events recorded in the Afar Rift illustrate the processes occurring in the incipient stages leading to the formation of an oceanic body by rifting of a continental block. PMID- 17758082 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17758083 TI - The fifth decade. PMID- 17758084 TI - Alternative crops. PMID- 17758085 TI - Goldfarb's Thanks. PMID- 17758086 TI - Insect resistance. PMID- 17758087 TI - Insect resistance. PMID- 17758088 TI - Response: alternative crops. PMID- 17758089 TI - "Mazel tov" usage. PMID- 17758090 TI - Response: insect resistance. PMID- 17758091 TI - Regrowing a Dry Tropical Forest: Dry tropical forest has all but vanished; now a Pennsylvania biologist is raising money to restore one from forest remnants in a corner of Costa Rica. PMID- 17758092 TI - Germany's 75 Years of Free Enterprise Science: The Max-Planck-Society has celebrated its 75th birthday with its third Nobel Prize in 3 years and bright prospects, but tensions remain over its relationship to German universities. PMID- 17758094 TI - Grasshopper control program successful. PMID- 17758093 TI - World Bank Pressed on Environmental Reforms: Campaign to stop adverse ecological, human rights impact of some bank development projects gets support in Congress. PMID- 17758095 TI - Soviets decline offer to monitor u.s. Test. PMID- 17758096 TI - Comings and goings. PMID- 17758097 TI - Blueprint for r&d. PMID- 17758098 TI - AAU's Poem to Itself. PMID- 17758099 TI - Chipmakers protest. PMID- 17758100 TI - Academy Members Skeptical on SDI. PMID- 17758101 TI - Campaign promises delay waste program. PMID- 17758102 TI - Taking Shots at Ozone Hole Theories: The word from atmospheric chemists monitoring the spring thinning of the ozone layer over Antarctica is that two leading theories are as good as dead, but they won't lie down. PMID- 17758103 TI - Electron Microscope Inventors Share Nobel Physics Prize: Ernst Ruska built the first electron microscope in 1931; Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer developed the scanning tunneling microscope 50 years later. PMID- 17758104 TI - Optical guided-wave devices. AB - Optical fiber is rapidly becoming the transmission medium of choice for new telecommunication systems. For a true lightwave network to evolve, however, optical control devices such as optical switches and multiplexer-demultiplexers will be essential. Optical guided-wave devices built with photolithographic fabrication techniques and electro-optic substrates are compact, low drive power devices that provide these functions. Research is particularly advanced on integrated-optic devices based on waveguides formed by titanium diffused into lithium niobate. Switch arrays, tunable filters, and high-speed modulators have been demonstrated and used in research systems experiments. PMID- 17758105 TI - Mechanical stress and reactivity in organic solids. AB - Organic single crystals provide an ideal model for studying the factors that influence chemical processes in structured media. Reaction trajectories are well defined and reveal the influence of spontaneous mechanical stresses equivalent to tens of thousands of atmospheres. Analysis of molecular and crystal structures helps to explain both local mechanical properties, which influence reactions, and bulk properties such as melting point, compressibility, and surface energy. PMID- 17758106 TI - Third world debt. AB - The international debt crisis arose from imprudent borrowing, imprudent lending, and major shocks to the world economy from 1980 to 1982. The initial impulse in 1982 was to treat the debt problem as one of illiquidity and thus provide further lending while the debtor countries tried to adjust to the shock. This strategy produced massive recessions in the major debtors (mostly in Latin America) and led in 1985 to the Baker plan, the aim of which is to find ways to permit the debtor countries to resume growth while not defaulting on the debt. The Mexican case is highlighted. PMID- 17758107 TI - A 40-million-year lake record of early mesozoic orbital climatic forcing. AB - Sediments of the early Mesozoic Newark Supergroup of eastern North America consist largely of sedimentary cycles produced by the rise and fall of very large lakes that responded to periodic climate changes controlled by variations in the earth's orbit. Fourier analysis of long sections of the Late Triassic Lockatong and Passaic formations of the Newark Basin show periods in thickness of 5.9, 10.5, 25.2, 32.0, and 96.0 meters corresponding to periodicities in time of roughly 25,000, 44,000, 100,0003,, 13000 and 400,000 years, as judged by radiometric time scales and varve-calibrated sedimentation rates. The ratios of the shortest cycle with longer cycles correspond closely to the ratios of the present periods of the main orbital terms that appear to influence climate. Similar long sequences of sedimentary cycles occur through most of the rest of the Newark Supergroup spanning a period of more than 40 million years. This is strong evidence of orbital forcing of climate in the ice-free early Mesozoic and indicates that the main periods of the orbital cycles were not very different 200 million years ago from those today. PMID- 17758108 TI - Transient and stable expression of the firefly luciferase gene in plant cells and transgenic plants. AB - The luciferase gene from the firefly, Photinus pyralis, was used as a reporter of gene expression by light production in transfected plant cells and transgenic plants. A complementary DNA clone of the firefly luciferase gene under the control of a plant virus promoter (cauliflower mosaic virus 35S RNA promoter) was introduced into plant protoplast cells (Daucus carota) by electroporation and into plants (Nicotiana tabacum) by use of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens tumor inducing plasmid. Extracts from electroporated cells (24 hours after the introduction of DNA) and from transgenic plants produce light when mixed with the substrates luciferin and adenosine triphosphate. Light produced by the action of luciferase was also detected in undisrupted leaves or cells in culture from transgenic plants incubated in luciferin and in whole transgenic plants "watered" with luciferin. Although light was detected in most organs in intact, transgenic plants (leaves, stems, and roots), the pattern of luminescence appeared to reflect both the organ-specific distribution of luciferase and the pathway for uptake of luciferin through the vasculature of the plant. PMID- 17758109 TI - Vertical nitrate fluxes in the oligotrophic ocean. AB - The vertical flux of nitrate across the thermocline in the upper ocean imposes a rigorous constraint on the rate of export of organic carbon from the surface layer of the sea. This export is the primary means by which the oceans can serve as a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. For the oligotrophic open ocean regions, which make up more than 75% of the world's ocean, the rate of export is currently uncertain by an order of magnitude. For most of the year, the vertical flux of nitrate is that due to vertical turbulent transport of deep water rich in nitrate into the relatively impoverished surface layer. Direct measurements of rates of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation, coupled with highly resolved vertical profiles of nitrate and density in the oligotrophic eastern Atlantic showed that the rate of transport, averaged over 2 weeks, was 0.14 (0.002 to 0.89, 95% confidence interval) millimole of nitrate per square meter per day and was statistically no different from the integrated rate of nitrate uptake as measured by incorporation of (15)N-labeled nitrate. The stoichiometrically equivalent loss of carbon from the upper ocean, which is the relevant quantity for the carbon dioxide and climate question, is then fixed at 0.90 (0.01 to 5.70) millimole of carbon per square meter per day. These rates are much lower than recent estimates based on in situ changes in oxygen over annual scales; they are consistent with a biologically unproductive oligotrophic ocean. PMID- 17758110 TI - Group Selection Reiterated: Evolution through Group Selection. PMID- 17758111 TI - The physics of black holes: black holes. PMID- 17758112 TI - Physiological diversity: adaptational biology. PMID- 17758113 TI - Cytochrome p-450: cytochrome p-450. PMID- 17758114 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17758116 TI - THE RESPONSE TO THE ADDRESSES OF WELCOME AT THE OPENING SESSION AT NASHVILLE. PMID- 17758115 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17758118 TI - REPORTS OF THE SESSIONS OF SECTIONS AND SOCIETIES AT THE SECOND NASHVILLE MEETING. PMID- 17758117 TI - THE NEWLY-ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17758119 TI - SPECIAL NOTES. PMID- 17758120 TI - DISCOVERY OF FURTHER HOMINID REMAINS OF LOWER QUATERNARY AGE FROM THE CHOU KOU TIEN DEPOSIT. PMID- 17758121 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17758122 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC MEN OF HARVARD AND OF COLUMBIA. PMID- 17758123 TI - AN INSTANCE OF THE INCREASE OF MALARIA BY CIVILIZATION. PMID- 17758124 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17758125 TI - NUTRITIONAL ANEMIA ON WHOLE MILK DIETS AND ITS CORRECTION WITH THE ASH OF BEEF LIVER. PMID- 17758126 TI - Support for the Humanities. PMID- 17758127 TI - Genetic Control of Hemoglobin Synthesis. PMID- 17758128 TI - The Magnetopause: A New Frontier in Space. PMID- 17758130 TI - Foreign Research: U.S. Agencies Take Steps To Limit Their Support for Programs Carried Out Abroad. PMID- 17758129 TI - Education Aid: University Survey Finds That Despite Difficulties, U. S. Programs "Highly Beneficial". PMID- 17758131 TI - NASA: Ranger Misfortunes Attract Attention of Congress to Problems of Spacecraft Sterilization. PMID- 17758132 TI - Transformation of Montmorillonite to Kaolinite during Weathering. AB - Extensive deposits of kaolinite in Florida are formed by transformation of montmorillonite during low-temperature supergene weathering. The transformation occurs by intracrystalline leaching of interlayer cations and tetrahedral silica layers. Interposition of stripped layers within montmorillonite creates a regular 1:1 mixedlayered montmorillonite-kaolinite, a new clay structure. Kaolin-like layers are nourished by lateral epitaxy, as the iron-rich montmorillonite decomposes. Hexagonal outgrowths of new kaolinite develop at the edges of montmorillonite flakes and nucleate new vertical growth. Kaolinitic sands impregnated with goethite are ultimately formed, and the released silica enriches groundwater and forms secondary chert. PMID- 17758133 TI - Uranyl Ion Coordination. AB - A review of the known crystal structures containing the uranyl ion shows that plane-pentagon coordination is equally as prevalent as planesquare or plane hexagon. It is suggested that puckered-hexagon configurations of OH(-) or H(2)O about the uranyl group will tend to revert to plane-pentagon coordination. The concept oft of pentagonal coordination is invoked for possible explanations of the complex crystallography of the natural tiranyl hydroxides and the unusual behavior of polynuclear ions in hydrolyzed uranyl solutions. PMID- 17758134 TI - Corn Seeds Affected by Heavy Cosmic Ray Particles. AB - Corn seeds of a special genetic stock were recovered from two satellite flights and the plants grown from them were examined for abnor malities. Some evidence for a slight increase in chromosomal deletions was observed, which was predicted from the flux of heavy cosmic ray primary particles. Nothing unexpected was observed. PMID- 17758135 TI - Cerebral Heterostimulation in a Monkey Colony. AB - In an established colony a subordinate monkey repeatedly pr essed a lever which stimulated the caudate nucleus of the boss monkey by radio and inhibited his aggressive behavior. In other experiments, timed stimulations of the posteroventral nucleus of the thalamus of the boss monkey, paired with a tone, increased his aggressiveness and established conditioned escape responses of the whole group. Both types of experiments may be useful in neurophysiological and pharmacological investigations. PMID- 17758136 TI - Relationship between Nuclear Volumes, Chromosome Numbers, and Relative Radiosensitivities. AB - An inverse relationship between a volume estimated to be associated with interphase chromosomes and acute lethal exposure to x-or gamma radiation has been found in 16 plant species. The apparent differences in radiosensitivities found would seem spurious, since the estimated average energy absorbed in the nucleus per chromosome (3.6 x 10(6) ev) approaches a constant (variation less than fourfold) in spite of wide ranges of lethal exposures (0.6 to 75 kr), of nuclear volumes (43 to 1758 micro(3)), and of somatic chromosome numbers (6 to 136). The regression line obtained can be used to predict the radiosensitivities of other plant species if their nuclear volumes and chromosome numbers are known. PMID- 17758137 TI - Amino Acid Composition of Hemerythrin in Relation to Subunit Structure. AB - Determination of the amino acid composition of coelomic hemerythrin from Golfingia gouldii shows 3 arginine residues and 10 to 11 lysine residues per protein subunit of 13,500 molecular weight. On this basis, the 28 to 30 major peptide spots revealed by electrophoresis and chromatography of tryptic hydrolysates would indicate two kinds of subunit. However, similar evidence from chymotryptic hydrolyses is not unequivocal, since the number of peptide spots is also compatible with an assumption of only one kind of chain. In addition to indicating the possible existence of two types of subunit, the peptide maps of enzymic digests of hemerythrin from individual animals shows at least one and perhaps more differences in peptide composition. PMID- 17758138 TI - Hydrogen Ion Incorporation in Crystals. AB - The protons in crystal structures can be related to the oxygen lattice through several spatial arrangements. In orthosilicates (for example, hydrogarnets), so called tetrahedral hydroxyls have been demonstrated by indirect methods. Similar methods, when applied to kehoeite and viseite, lead to the conclusion that (H(3)O(2))(-) units can occur in the framework of analcime, a structure in which all apexes of oxygen tetrahedra are shared. PMID- 17758139 TI - Spontaneous Electrical Activity in the Brains of Diapausing Insects. AB - The spontaneous electrical activity in cerebral ganglia of several insect species does not disappear during diapause. Some recordings of electrical activity in pupae of the cecropia silkworm (in which the brain is considered to be electrically "silent" during diapause) suggest that at least some activity is maintained, but possibly it is restricted to certain regions of the brain. PMID- 17758140 TI - Aromaticity: A Key to Polymers Stable at High Temperatures. PMID- 17758142 TI - Astronomy. PMID- 17758141 TI - Physical Anthropology. PMID- 17758143 TI - Plasmas: Wave Interaction and Dynamic Nonlinear Phenomena. PMID- 17758144 TI - Transplutonium. PMID- 17758145 TI - Plant Tissue Culture. PMID- 17758146 TI - Radiation Chemistry: Aqueous Media. PMID- 17758147 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17758148 TI - A Stimulating Environment. PMID- 17758150 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17758149 TI - Government Grants: Their Effect on Universities. PMID- 17758151 TI - Making wolves lovable. PMID- 17758152 TI - Supersymmetry predictions. PMID- 17758153 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - Explanatory material was omitted from the bar graph accompanying the article "World Bank report calls for network to bolster research" by Peter Aldhous (News & Comment, 9 July, p. 155). The y axis should have been labeled "Disability adjusted life years per 1000 population." PMID- 17758154 TI - U.s. Space scientists look to europe. PMID- 17758155 TI - The making of a space program. PMID- 17758156 TI - Regulations go swimmingly. PMID- 17758157 TI - Computers bring back a long-lost French abbey. PMID- 17758159 TI - Listening to the Earth move. PMID- 17758158 TI - Insect-borne viruses: help from plants. PMID- 17758160 TI - A sub surveillance network becomes a window on whales. PMID- 17758162 TI - Krebs nominated for top energy research. PMID- 17758161 TI - Jupiter bombardment now certain, but how big a show? PMID- 17758163 TI - Gallo case spawns new drama. PMID- 17758164 TI - Fishing for missing links with a chain. PMID- 17758165 TI - Tales of the coming mega-greenhouse. PMID- 17758166 TI - Molecular electronics: observation of molecular rectification. PMID- 17758167 TI - Hydrodynamic stability without eigenvalues. AB - Fluid flows that are smooth at low speeds become unstable and then turbulent at higher speeds. This phenomenon has traditionally been investigated by linearizing the equations of flow and testing for unstable eigenvalues of the linearized problem, but the results of such investigations agree poorly in many cases with experiments. Nevertheless, linear effects play a central role in hydrodynamic instability. A reconciliation of these findings with the traditional analysis is presented based on the "pseudospectra" of the linearized problem, which imply that small perturbations to the smooth flow may be amplified by factors on the order of 10(5) by a linear mechanism even though all the eigenmodes decay monotonically. The methods suggested here apply also to other problems in the mathematical sciences that involve nonorthogonal eigenfunctions. PMID- 17758168 TI - Structure of membrane surfactant and liquid crystalline smectic lamellar phases under flow. AB - Synchrotron x-ray scattering studies were performed to probe the nonequilibrium structures of two layered systems at high shear rates: the smectic-A phase of the thermotropic liquid crystal 4-cyano-4'-octylbiphenyl (8CB) and the lamellar L(alpha) phases of surfactant membranes composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate and pentanol. Whereas the lamellar surfactant phases oriented primarily with their layers parallel to the shearing plates, as expected intuitively, in the corresponding high shear regime, the smectic-A liquid crystalline material oriented with the layers perpendicular to the shearing plates. A careful numerical study revealed that this surprising layer orientation results from nonlinear dynamics of the liquid crystal director and is caused by the flow distortion of thermal fluctuations. PMID- 17758169 TI - Relation of major volcanic center concentration on venus to global tectonic patterns. AB - Global analysis of NASA Magellan image data indicates that a major concentration of volcanic centers covering approximately 40 percent of the surface of Venus occurs between the Beta, Atla, and Themis regiones. Associated with this enhanced concentration are geological characteristics commonly interpreted as rifting and mantle upwelling. Interconnected low plains in an annulus around this concentration are characterized by crustal shortening and infrequent volcanic centers that may represent sites of mantle return flow and net down-welling. Together, these observations suggest the existence of relatively simple, largescale patterns of mantle circulation similar to those associated with concentrations of intraplate volcanism on Earth. PMID- 17758170 TI - Detection of a meteoritic component in ivory coast tektites with rhenium-osmium isotopes. AB - Measurement of rhenium (Re) and osmium (Os) concentrations and Os isotopic compositions in Ivory Coast tektites (natural glasses with upper crustal compositions that are ejected great distances during meteorite impact) and rocks from the inferred source crater, Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana, show that these tektites incorporate about 0.6 percent of a meteoritic component. Analysis of elemental abundances of noble metals alone gives equivocal results in the detection of meteoritic components because the target rocks already have relatively large amounts of noble metals. The Re-Os system is ideally suited for the study of meteorite impacts on old continental crust for three reasons. (i) The isotopic compositions of the target rocks and the meteoritic impactor are significantly different. (ii) Closed-system mixing of target rocks and meteorites is linear on Re-Os isochron diagrams, which thus permits identification of the loss of Re or Os. (iii) Osmium isotopic compositions are not likely to be altered during meteorite impact even if Re and Os are lost. PMID- 17758172 TI - China at the limits. PMID- 17758171 TI - Response. PMID- 17758173 TI - Symbioticists rediscovered. PMID- 17758175 TI - Other books of interest. PMID- 17758174 TI - Vignette: on theory. PMID- 17758177 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17758176 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17758178 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17758179 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17758180 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17758181 TI - Reprint System Debated. PMID- 17758182 TI - Meetings: Do's and Don'ts. PMID- 17758183 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17758185 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17758184 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17758186 TI - The Martian Environment. PMID- 17758187 TI - Short-Period Climatic Fluctuations: The nature and cause of climatic abnormalities lasting from a month to a few years are discussed. PMID- 17758188 TI - Science in Mainland China: A Tourist's Impressions: Visits to universities and research institutes show significant efforts to bring science to the people. PMID- 17758189 TI - National Academy: Seitz Elected to Full-Time, 6-Year Presidency Amidst Signs of Greater Activity. PMID- 17758190 TI - Lysenko: Soviet Science Writes Finis to Geneticist's Domination of Nation's Biological Research. PMID- 17758191 TI - School Aid Bill: Attention to Controversial Issues Overshadows Discussion of Educational R&D. PMID- 17758192 TI - Pressure Dependence of the Alpha-Beta Transition Temperature in Silver Selenide. AB - The pressure dependence of the alpha-beta transition temperature in Ag(2)Se was determined by observing the temperature at which the sharp change in resistivity occurs when Ag(2)Se is transformed from the low-temperature orthorhombic to the high temperature body-centered-cubic form. The transition temperature increased from 133 degrees C at 1 atmosphere to 298 degrees C at 47 kilobars. The value of DeltaH(t), the heat of transformation, of 2.19 kcal/mol measured calorimetrically agreed well with the value calculated from dT/dP of the transition. PMID- 17758193 TI - Screw Dislocations in Graphite. AB - Graphite contains varying concentrations of screw dislocations whose Burgers vector parallels the c axis. Single crystals of natural graphite contain very few such dislocations; furthermore, their Burgers vector always exceeds 450 angstroms. Pyrolytic graphites annealed above 3000 degrees C contain abundant screw dislocations, ranging from 10(6) to 5 x 10(8) per square centimeter in two different samples prepared by somewhat different methods. The Burgers vectors of these screws are predominantly 3.35 angstroms. PMID- 17758194 TI - Electron Microprobe Analysis of Oxygen in an Iron Meteorite. AB - A quantitative analysis of oxygen in the iron-nickel matrix of the Santa Catherina iron meteorite has been accomplished by using an electron microprobe with dispersive x-ray optics and by applying theoretically calculated corrections to the observed intensity ratios. Microvolume analyses and two-dimensional scanning images in OKalpha, FeLalpha, and NiLalpha x-radiation show that the high nickel phase of the meteorite has been oxidized while the low nickel phase has remained unoxidized. PMID- 17758195 TI - Anomalous Abundance of Upper Atmosphere Sodium, 1964. AB - Measurements of atomic sodium in the upper atmosphere by absorption spectroscopy with the Pepsios spectrometer on the Fraunhofer D(2) line during February to August 1964 at Madison. Wisconsin, have indicated abundances of about 10(10)/cm(2) for the late winter, about twice the values from a similar method in 1961-62. An abrupt decrease in abundance occurred during March in agreement with established seasonal behavior, but the abundance then increased anomalously in the summer to 8 x 10(9)/cm(2). The summertime increase may be related to observations of increased turbidity of the upper atmosphere, presumably caused by volcanic dust. PMID- 17758196 TI - Neon Isotope Fractionation During Transient Permeation. AB - Fractionation of neon-20 with respect to neon-22 during a single-stage transient permeation process results in as much as 45-percent enrichment of neon-20. The observed fractionations agree with those calculated from simple diffusion theory. PMID- 17758197 TI - Enzyme from Soil Bacterium Hydrolyzes Phenylcarbamate Herbicides. AB - An enzyme preparation from Pseudomonas sp., isolated from a soil culture by an enrichment technique, liberated 3-chloroaniline from the herbicide isopropyl N-(3 chlorophenyl) carbamate. Aniline, 3-chloroaniline, and 3,4-dichloroaniline were detected when the enzyme preparation was incubated with several alkyl esters of the phenylcarbamates and chlorophenylcarbamates. No chloroaniline was detected when the 3-(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (monuron) was used as a substrate. The substrate specificity of the isolated enzyme suggests that it catalyzes the initial hydrolysis of many biologically active phenylcarbamates in soils. PMID- 17758198 TI - American Cockroach Sex Attractant. AB - The structure (2,2-dimethyl-3-isopropylidenecyclopropyl propionate) previously assigned to the sex attractant of the American cockroach has now been shown by additional physical and chemical data and biological inactivity of the synthetic preparation to be incorrect. The structure of this attractant remains to be determined. PMID- 17758199 TI - Ontogeny of Adventive Embryos of Wild Carrot. AB - Somatic carrot cells in culture divide to produce undifferentiated preglobular proembryos which exhibit a wide variety of segmentation patterns. One or more globular proembryos, which exhibit normal histological zonation, may develop from single preglobular proembryos. Regeneration of normal embryos from cultured cells grown on media containing only minerals, sucrose, vitamins, and 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid suggests that the embryo sac may have less of a formative role than currently ascribed to it. PMID- 17758200 TI - Extracellular Matrices. PMID- 17758201 TI - Bioclimatology. PMID- 17758202 TI - Nuclear Medicine. PMID- 17758203 TI - CARP IN PONDS. PMID- 17758204 TI - THE CONSERVATION OF WHALES. PMID- 17758205 TI - A FLORIDA CYPRESS. PMID- 17758206 TI - THE MEXICO CITY-LAREDO ROAD. PMID- 17758207 TI - THE NAVY'S NEW AIRSHIP. PMID- 17758208 TI - BREWING IN ANCIENT EGYPT. PMID- 17758209 TI - SURFACE STRUCTURE AND ATOM BUILDING. PMID- 17758210 TI - THE REGULAR FALL MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. PMID- 17758212 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17758211 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17758213 TI - CONCERNING THE MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY. PMID- 17758214 TI - COLLECTING IN THE LOWER EOCENE. PMID- 17758215 TI - OESTRUS DURING PREGNANCY. PMID- 17758216 TI - THE MICROMETRIC MUDDLE. PMID- 17758217 TI - THE NEW ENGLAND INTERCOLLEGIATE GEOLOGICAL EXCURSION. PMID- 17758218 TI - ALCALIGENES ABORTUS FROM THE SPINAL FLUID. PMID- 17758219 TI - A CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR WATER-COOLED X-RAY TUBES. PMID- 17758220 TI - A USEFUL MODIFICATION OF AMANN'S MEDIUM. PMID- 17758221 TI - VITAMIN B DEFICIENCY IN NURSING YOUNG RATS AND LEARNING ABILITY. PMID- 17758222 TI - SAVING TIME AND STORAGE IN BREEDING SUGAR-BEETS. AB - (1) By seeding sugar-beets in the greenhouse in early December or sooner, by exposing the growing beets to electric light for a few hours in the evening and by transplanting the roots into the field in spring, a seed generation may be produced every year. (2) The beets must have reached a minimum stage of maturity at transplanting time, otherwise many may fail to produce seed. (3) Storage for one month in a cellar before transplanting failed to give any observable benefit. PMID- 17758223 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17758224 TI - Lifelong learning. PMID- 17758225 TI - Psychiatric diagnoses. PMID- 17758227 TI - Oil import fee? PMID- 17758226 TI - Oil import fee? PMID- 17758229 TI - Berry's Phase: Other Observations. PMID- 17758228 TI - Science unfettered. PMID- 17758230 TI - A Dispute Over Soviet ABM Plans: The Defense Department wants to charge the Soviets with preparing a nationwide ballistic missile defense; others say the evidence does not justify such a charge. PMID- 17758231 TI - Trading charges over radars. PMID- 17758233 TI - Lake Nyos Was Rigged for Disaster: Studies suggest that magmatic gas seepage had turned Lake Nyos in Cameroon into a time bomb; evidence mounts against a volcanic trigger for last August's disaster. PMID- 17758232 TI - Fixing the Shuttle: NASA's new managers inform the Senate of plans to redesign the shuttle solid rocket motors and describe a "tight schedule" for the next launch. PMID- 17758234 TI - Record High-Temperature Superconductors Claimed: Several groups have reported evidence for superconductivity at temperatures up to 70 K in samples containing lanthanum, copper, oxygen, and either barium or another group IIA metal. PMID- 17758236 TI - Forensic experts aid philippine search for disappeared. PMID- 17758235 TI - Possible' First Hints of Double Beta Decay: A new experimental result may require an extension of the standard theories of particle physics; but as always, the first question is whether the result is correct. PMID- 17758237 TI - Volume describing technology transfer in china available. PMID- 17758238 TI - Pacific division to meet in san diego in june. PMID- 17758239 TI - Seminar on population-resources-environment interactions held in bangalore. PMID- 17758241 TI - AAAS Prize for Behavioral Science Research. PMID- 17758240 TI - Reminder to members. PMID- 17758242 TI - AAAS Announces New Museum Benefit for Members. PMID- 17758243 TI - Obituaries. PMID- 17758244 TI - Famine: causes, prevention, and relief. AB - Famines are generally caused by decline in food production in successive years brought about by poor weather, war, or both. The consequent complex interactions between prices, employment, and assets impoverish victims and lead to sharply increased mortality. Government policy is a key determinant as to whether or not these conditions mature into wisespread famine. India and Bangladesh have succeeded in controlling famines in recent years, but problems in most of Africa remain intractable due to civil unrest and a paucity of resources, including trained people, institutions, and infrastructure. General economic development and political consensus is needed to reduce Africa's vulnerability to famine. In this context, judiciously provided foreign aid can be of immense help. PMID- 17758245 TI - Focal points in mass spectrometry. AB - Mass spectrometry has advanced with the renaissance of time-of-flight mass analysis, the use of ion traps as analyzers and reactors, the application of tandem mass spectrometers to problems in ionic reaction mechanisms and chemical analysis, and the development of new desorption ionization techniques. These developments have allowed determination of the molecular weight distributions for polymers through the 10,000-dalton range, as well as the molecular weight and partial sequence of biopolymers of similar size. Surfaces can be characterized by use of the mass, energy, and angle distributions of particles ejected by sputtering or by laser-induced desorption. Mass spectrometry has yielded new information on the kinetics of catalytic surface reactions and on the reactivity of metal clusters. PMID- 17758246 TI - Recent mafic volcanism on Mars. AB - The evidence for volcanism on Mars is commonly accepted, but none has been documented in the Valles Marineris equatorial rift system. A recent survey of the troughs in this valley revealed dark patches that are interpreted to be volcanic vents. The configuration and association of these patches with tectonic structures suggest that they are of internal origin; their albedo and color ratios indicate a mafic composition; and their stratigraphic position, crispness of morphologic detail, and low albedo imply that they are young, perhaps even recent. PMID- 17758247 TI - Superconductivity at 52.5 k in the lanthanum-barium-copper-oxide system. AB - A superconducting transition with an onset temperature of 52.5 K has been observed under hydrostatic pressure in compounds with nominal compositions given by (La(0.9)Ba(0.1))(2) CuO4-Y. Possible causes for the high-temperature superconductivity are discussed. PMID- 17758248 TI - Site-Specific Nick in the T-DNA Border Sequence as a Result of Agrobacterium vir Gene Expression. AB - The T-DNA transfer process of Agrobacterium tumefaciens is activated by the induction of the expression of the Ti plasmid virulence (vir) loci by plant signal molecules such as acetosyringone. The vir gene products act in trans to mobilize the T-DNA element from the bacterial Ti plasmid. The T-DNA is bounded by 25-base pair direct repeat sequences, which are the only sequences on the element essential for transfer. Thus, specific reactions must occur at the border sites to generate a transferable T-DNA copy. The T-DNA border sequences were shown in this study to be specifically nicked after vir gene activation. Border nicks were detected on the bottom strand just after the third or fourth base (+/- one or two nucleotides) of the 25-base pair transferpromoting sequence. Naturally occurring and base-substituted derivatives of the 25-base pair sequences are effective substrates for acetosyringone-induced border cleavage, whereas derivatives carrying only the first 15 or last 19 base pairs of the 25-base pair sequence are not. Site-specific border cleavages occur within 12 hours after acetosyringone induction and probably represent an early step in the T-DNA transfer process. PMID- 17758249 TI - Claims of injury: agent orange on trial. PMID- 17758250 TI - Learners from nature: leaders in the study of animal behavior. PMID- 17758251 TI - Molecular evolution: molecular evolutionary genetics. PMID- 17758252 TI - An african population: african pygmies. PMID- 17758253 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17758254 TI - THE THERMOPHONE. PMID- 17758255 TI - THE FOUNDATIONS OF MEDICAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17758256 TI - THE MAJOR PREMISE IN PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17758257 TI - REMARKS ON SOME RECENT FUNGI EXSICCATI. PMID- 17758258 TI - THE BIBLIOGRAPHICA ZOOLOGICA AND ANATOMICA. PMID- 17758259 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY (XVIII.). PMID- 17758261 TI - THE DEPARTMENT OF INSECTS OF THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. PMID- 17758260 TI - HARVARD COLLEGE OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17758262 TI - THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17758263 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL CODE OF NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17758264 TI - KATYDID ORCHESTRATION. PMID- 17758265 TI - INVERTED IMAGE ONCE MORE. PMID- 17758266 TI - THE SCIENCE OF MENTATION. PMID- 17758267 TI - Library photocopying. PMID- 17758268 TI - NAS Research Associates. PMID- 17758269 TI - Scientific aid to indochina. PMID- 17758270 TI - Ectromelia in u. S. Mouse colonies. PMID- 17758271 TI - Rescheduling for Energy Conservation freezing. PMID- 17758272 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17758273 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17758274 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17758276 TI - Science advice-a problein. PMID- 17758275 TI - The density concept. PMID- 17758277 TI - Isotopic Abundances and Their Variations within the Galaxy. PMID- 17758278 TI - The Sloan-Kettering Affair: A Story without a Hero. PMID- 17758279 TI - Scientists talk of the need for conservation and an ethic of biotic diversity to slow species extinction. PMID- 17758280 TI - Breeder reactor debate: the sun also rises. PMID- 17758281 TI - Tumor Immunology (II): Strategies for Cancer Therapy. PMID- 17758283 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17758282 TI - Bioregulators: alteration of gene expression in citrus fruit. PMID- 17758284 TI - Guide to advertised products. PMID- 17758285 TI - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17758286 TI - Man's ancestry. PMID- 17758287 TI - THE KONGO FREE STATE. PMID- 17758288 TI - A mad stone. PMID- 17758289 TI - COMPOSITE PORTRAITURE. PMID- 17758290 TI - A COMPOSITE PORTRAIT OF THE OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17758291 TI - THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. PMID- 17758292 TI - THE YACHT PURITAN. PMID- 17758293 TI - STANLEY'S KONGO. PMID- 17758294 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17758295 TI - PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FIFTH BOSTON MEETING. PMID- 17758296 TI - DEATH AS THE RESULT OF CHANGE OF LIVING MATTER WITHIN THE PLANT CELL. PMID- 17758297 TI - LIGHTNING PROTECTION FOR TREES. PMID- 17758298 TI - A NEW INTERMEDIATE HOST FOR FASCIOLOIDES MAGNA (BASSI, 1873) WARD, 1917. PMID- 17758299 TI - INDUSTRIAL JOBS FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS. PMID- 17758300 TI - WATERMELON SUSCEPTIBLE TO TEXAS ROOT ROT. PMID- 17758301 TI - A SIMPLE DEVICE FOR WASHING MICROSCOPIC MATERIAL IN RUNNING WATER. PMID- 17758302 TI - EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON LONGEVITY. PMID- 17758304 TI - ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED CROSSING-OVER IN MALES OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. PMID- 17758303 TI - ELASTIC FATIGUE AND CREEP OF COILED SPRINGS. PMID- 17758305 TI - THE ACTION OF AMMONIA ON PHENOLS. PMID- 17758306 TI - FUTURE SOURCES OF POWER. PMID- 17758308 TI - FRANK BURR MALLORY. PMID- 17758307 TI - A PRACTICAL SYSTEM OF UNITS FOR THE DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAT EXCHANGE OF MAN WITH HIS ENVIRONMENT. PMID- 17758309 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY. PMID- 17758310 TI - NEW YORK INSTITUTE FOR HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS. PMID- 17758311 TI - THE PERMANENT SCIENCE FUND OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. PMID- 17758312 TI - BOSTON MEETING OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17758313 TI - AWARD OF THE WILLIAM H. NICHOLS MEDAL. PMID- 17758314 TI - THE TERMINOLOGY OF THE COMPONENTS OF COMPLEMENT. PMID- 17758316 TI - THE PURIFICATION OF SPECTROGRAPHIC CARBONS. PMID- 17758315 TI - THE CORRECTION BY SCIENTISTS OF MANUSCRIPTS FOR THE PRESS. PMID- 17758317 TI - SCIENCE SHOWS THE WAY. PMID- 17758318 TI - REPRINTS FOR EUROPEAN LABORATORIES. PMID- 17758319 TI - PROGRESS REPORT ON POSSIBILITIES IN PROGENY-TEST BREEDING. PMID- 17758320 TI - ENZYMES IN ONTOGENESIS (ORTHOPTERA). XVII. THE IMPORTANCE OF COPPER FOR PROTYROSINASE. PMID- 17758322 TI - A BUBBLER PUMP METHOD FOR QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATIONS OF BACTERIA IN THE AIR. PMID- 17758321 TI - THE USE OF FATTY ACIDS IN INSECTICIDAL AEROSOLS. PMID- 17758323 TI - COIN MATS FOR THE MICROSCOPIST. PMID- 17758325 TI - THE ABORIGINAL USE OF BONE IN VERMONT. PMID- 17758324 TI - IS THE MAYA HIEROGLYPHIC WRITING PHONETIC? PMID- 17758326 TI - ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION. PMID- 17758327 TI - ON THE INTROSPECTIVE STUDY OF FEELING. PMID- 17758328 TI - REMARKS ON AMERICAN LICHENOLOGY.-II. PMID- 17758329 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY.-XVI. PMID- 17758330 TI - Animal Phosphorescence. PMID- 17758331 TI - Laboratory Teaching. PMID- 17758332 TI - Is There a Sense of Direction? PMID- 17758334 TI - Manpower Statistics. PMID- 17758333 TI - A Gynandrous Flower-Head. PMID- 17758335 TI - Farther Experiments and Observations in Electricity. PMID- 17758336 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17758337 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17758338 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17758339 TI - Equipment News. PMID- 17758340 TI - REGENERATION, DEVELOPMENT AND GENOTYPE. PMID- 17758341 TI - THE UNIVERSITY AND THE PRESENT CRISIS. PMID- 17758342 TI - THE UNIVERSITY AND THE WAR. PMID- 17758343 TI - ROBERT WILLIAM HEGNER. PMID- 17758344 TI - W. L. SCOVILLE. PMID- 17758345 TI - THE INSTITUTE OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY. PMID- 17758346 TI - PACIFIC DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17758347 TI - THE NINETEENTH COLLOID SYMPOSIUM. PMID- 17758349 TI - THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17758348 TI - THE ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE GEOLOGY TEACHERS. PMID- 17758350 TI - THE EARLIEST ACCOUNT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF HUMAN ARTIFACTS WITH FOSSIL MAMMALS IN NORTH AMERICA. PMID- 17758352 TI - THE PERIOD OF GONADAL ACTIVITY IN THE MARYLAND MUSKRAT. PMID- 17758351 TI - RETURN OF A MARKED SALMON FROM A DISTANT PLACE. PMID- 17758353 TI - HATCHING OF THE BLUE CRAB, CALLINECTES SAPIDUS RATHBUN. PMID- 17758354 TI - "AUDIENCE ENEMIES". PMID- 17758355 TI - "AUDIENCE ENEMIES". PMID- 17758356 TI - "AUDIENCE ENEMIES". PMID- 17758357 TI - "TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE WELFARE OF MANKIND". PMID- 17758358 TI - A NOTE ON THE HYGROSCOPIC PROPERTIES OF CLOTHING IN RELATION TO HUMAN HEAT LOSS. PMID- 17758359 TI - TREATMENT OF RENAL OSTEODYSTROPHY WITH DIHYDROTACHYSTEROL (A.T.10) AND IRON. PMID- 17758360 TI - CONCERNING THE NATURE OF TYPE C BOTULINUS TOXIN FRACTIONS. PMID- 17758362 TI - THE FOREST RESERVATION POLICY. PMID- 17758361 TI - A DARKENING TECHNIQUE FOR INDUCING VIRUS SYMPTOMS IN MATURE AS WELL AS IN GROWING LEAVES. PMID- 17758363 TI - EXPERIMENTS UPON METABOLISM IN THE HUMAN BODY, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17758364 TI - AN INDUCTION-COIL METHOD FOR X-RAYS. PMID- 17758365 TI - NEW YORK STATE SCIENCE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION, II. PMID- 17758366 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17758367 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17758368 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17758369 TI - A BILL FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF SCIENCE, LITERATURE AND ART. PMID- 17758370 TI - THE FORMER EXTENSION OF ICE IN GREENLAND. PMID- 17758371 TI - HISTORY OF ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17758372 TI - THE STATE GEOLOGIST AND CONSERVATION. PMID- 17758373 TI - STANFORD MEETING OF THE PACIFIC DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17758374 TI - WHEN IS A FORCE NOT A FORCE? PMID- 17758375 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17758376 TI - NOTES ON METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17758377 TI - EXPERIMENTS WITH THE FOUCAULT PENDULUM. PMID- 17758378 TI - REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE COMMITTEE ON GRANTS FOR RESEARCH. PMID- 17758379 TI - THE ELEMENTARY COURSE IN GENETICS. PMID- 17758380 TI - LAMARCK, MIRBEL AND THE CELL THEORY. PMID- 17758382 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17758381 TI - DEVONIAN PLANTS. PMID- 17758383 TI - THE EFFECT OF ALKALI ON THE DIGESTIBILITY OF CZLLULOSIC MATERIALS. PMID- 17758385 TI - BUTYL ALCOHOL AS A REAGENT IN HISTOLOGY. PMID- 17758384 TI - GENETICS OF THE VIENNA WHITE RABBIT II. PMID- 17758386 TI - "THE SCIENTIFIC SIDE". PMID- 17758387 TI - UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS AND MAJORGENERALS IN POLAND. PMID- 17758388 TI - A BACTERIAL WILT OF THE BEAN CAUSED BY BACTERIUM FLACCUMFACIENS NOV. SP. PMID- 17758389 TI - THE PERIPHERAL CIRCULATION IN MUSCLE INJURY SHOCK. PMID- 17758390 TI - THE LOUISIANA ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17758391 TI - PREHISTORIC ARCHEOLOGY, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. AB - The attempt has been made in the foregoing paragraphs to outline the whole history of prehistoric archeology: its crude beginnings in ancient times, its steadily accelerating progress during the past two hundred years, and its present achievements. Special emphasis has been placed on the role played by the discovery of surviving primitive industries in America and elsewhere in bringing about a rational attitude towards Stone Age antiquities and a beginning of their systematic investigation. The creation and growth of the organization and personnel promoting and conducting this world-wide research must be left untouched except to say that to-day probably every civilized country has its museums and university teaching staffs. Public interest in man's prehistoric past was never greater than to-day and only financial support is necessary to afford opportunity for the increasing numbers of young men and women who are constantly pleading for a chance to take part in the work. Accordingly, though the task before us is still very great it is not so hopeless as in the case of some other purely natural sciences like astronomy and entomology. For not only is the earth spherical and therefore limited in extent but man's period of occupancy is relatively short. In other words, while prehistoric archeology of necessity was one of the last special branches of research to get really under way, it is likely to be the first to finish its task. Indeed, if archeological investigations, historic and prehistoric, continue to progress at the same accelerating rate as in the past, it would seem that the next hundred years or so might easily see us in possession of all the essential facts. Those more or less indestructible facts or documents once in hand and the spade set aside, archeologists may have to change their titles to those of curators or something even less high-sounding. At all events, those professionally concerned may then devote their entire time to the permanent arrangement and final interpretation of all the available material culture traits, with a view to offering a visible demonstration of how, step by step from small beginnings, things as they are in the human world actually came to be so. That accomplished, when every one has become familiar with our recreated past, we shall be more nearly free and in the best possible position to give our whole-hearted attention to the really major creative problems of the present and the future. PMID- 17758392 TI - HOW BREATHING BEGINS AT BIRTH. PMID- 17758394 TI - NOTES ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER. PMID- 17758393 TI - THE SAN DIEGAN ALLIGATOR LIZARD AND THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER. PMID- 17758395 TI - CUSCUTA NOT A COMPLETE PARASITE. PMID- 17758396 TI - PROTECT DIONAEA MUSCIPULA. PMID- 17758397 TI - WESTERN HIGHWAY HAZARD FOR JACK RABBITS. PMID- 17758398 TI - ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMONWEALTH FUND. PMID- 17758399 TI - STREAM DOUBLE REFRACTION OF PREPARATIONS OF CRYSTALLINE TOBACCO-MOSAIC PROTEIN. PMID- 17758400 TI - A CRYSTALLINE VITAMIN A CONCENTRATE. PMID- 17758401 TI - GENES AFFECTING RESPONSE OF NICOTIANA TABACUM HYBRIDS TO TOBACCO-MOSAIC VIRUS. PMID- 17758402 TI - A VASOPRESSOR LOCAL ANESTHETIC. PMID- 17758403 TI - THE PREPARATION OF FINE FILAMENTS. PMID- 17758404 TI - DIFFERENTIAL STAINING FOR LIVING AND DEAD CELLS. PMID- 17758406 TI - THE SUMMER LABORATORY AS AN INSTRUMENT OF BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17758405 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17758407 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. PMID- 17758408 TI - THE ST. LOUIS CONGRESS OF THE ARTS AND SCIENCES. PMID- 17758409 TI - CONCERNING THE WORD BAROMETER. PMID- 17758410 TI - ON A NEW LILAC-COLORED TRANSPARENT SPODU MENE. PMID- 17758411 TI - THE WATER SUPPLY OF HAVANA, CUBA. PMID- 17758412 TI - NOTES ON PHYSICS GROUP AND WAVE VELOCITY. PMID- 17758414 TI - THE AMERICAN ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17758413 TI - RESOLUTIONS OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17758415 TI - Instrumentation, Science, and Technology. PMID- 17758416 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17758417 TI - Adiabatic Demagnetization and the Temperature Scale Below 1{degrees} K. PMID- 17758418 TI - The Present Status of Temperature Scales. PMID- 17758419 TI - An Automatic Counter for Age Determination by the C14 Method. PMID- 17758420 TI - A Quickly Made Dielectric Constant Cell. PMID- 17758421 TI - The Pirani Gauge. PMID- 17758423 TI - RESEARCH ON TUBERCULOSIS. PMID- 17758422 TI - BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF IRRADIATION. PMID- 17758424 TI - MILLION WATTS POWER. PMID- 17758425 TI - ATLANTIC STEAMSHIP LANES. PMID- 17758426 TI - EXERCISE FOR DEAF EARS. PMID- 17758427 TI - EDGAR FAHS SMITH, CHEMIST. PMID- 17758428 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17758429 TI - REMARKS ON UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLES. PMID- 17758430 TI - HONORARY DEGREES AND A SUGGESTED OPPORTUNITY. PMID- 17758431 TI - NATURALISTS OF THE FRONTIER. PMID- 17758432 TI - HIGH TEMPERATURE DEATHS AMONG EXPERIMENTAL RATS. PMID- 17758433 TI - TWO COMMON FLY SPECIES EASILY REARED IN THE LABORATORY. PMID- 17758434 TI - BARRO COLORADO ISLAND BIOLOGICAL STATION. PMID- 17758435 TI - THE SYNTHESIS OF PYRIMIDINE-NUCLEOSIDES. PMID- 17758437 TI - CRYSTALLINE PEPSIN. PMID- 17758436 TI - CONCERNING RETINAL PRESSURE IMAGES AND THEIR BROWNIAN-LIKE MOVEMENT. PMID- 17758438 TI - THE SPRING MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. PMID- 17758439 TI - GEORGE BROWN GOODE. PMID- 17758440 TI - BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMIERICA. PMID- 17758441 TI - BOTANICAL OPPORTUNITY. PMID- 17758442 TI - SECTION E.--GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17758443 TI - SECTION H.--ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17758445 TI - THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17758444 TI - ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SECTION. PMID- 17758446 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17758447 TI - THE PASTEUR MEMORIAL. PMID- 17758448 TI - THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17758449 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17758450 TI - A PROGRAM FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17758451 TI - SHOULD WE HAVE FACULTIES OF PUBLIC HEALTH? AB - Public health is the science and art of conscious physical adjustment between man and his surroundings in the universe. The modern conception of man as a product of and a part of nature brings the subject of man's individual physical adjustments with his immediate surroundings into its proper place as the fundamental study-the basis of every form of education. Hence, public health is not only eligible for a position as an independent faculty in any university but is as definitely entitled to such a place as any of those now recognized. It is futile to consider the ordinary 45 hour course in public health, furnished as an incident in the ordinary 4000 to 5000 hour medical course, as more than a smattering, offered to medical students alone, of the 900 to 4500 hour courses in public health offered to professional public health students. PMID- 17758452 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17758453 TI - THE SYNCHRONOUS FLASHING OF FIREFLIES. PMID- 17758454 TI - THE TERMS ANODE AND CATHODE. PMID- 17758455 TI - CORRECTIONS. PMID- 17758457 TI - THE PROBLEM OF THE MONKEY AND THE WEIGHT. PMID- 17758456 TI - THE PROFESSOR AND HIS WAGES. PMID- 17758458 TI - A CONVENTIONAL SCHEME FOR TEACHING CELL DIVISION (MITOSIS). PMID- 17758460 TI - THE RELATION OF CLIMATIC CONDITIONS TO THE SALT-PROPORTION REQUIREMENTS OF PLANTS IN SOLUTION CULTURES. PMID- 17758459 TI - OSCILLATIONS IN THE LOW VOLTAGE HELIUM ARC. PMID- 17758461 TI - ON WALDEN-INVERSION. PMID- 17758462 TI - THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17758463 TI - THE GROUP AS A STIMULUS TO MENTAL ACTIVITY. PMID- 17758464 TI - THE PRINCIPLE OF RELATIVITY. PMID- 17758465 TI - SOME CONSIDERATIONS AS TO THE NATURE OF COMETS AND THEIR PROBABLE RELATION TO THE SUN. PMID- 17758466 TI - ROBERT PARR WHITFIELD. PMID- 17758467 TI - CONFERENCE ON AGRICULTURAL NATURE-STUDY. PMID- 17758468 TI - REPORT OF AN INVESTIGATION OF THE PHENOMENA CONNECTED WITH EUSAPIA PALLADINO. PMID- 17758469 TI - THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION. PMID- 17758470 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17758471 TI - THE LENGTH OF SERVICE PENSIONS OF THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION. PMID- 17758473 TI - NOTE ON THE CHROMOSOMES OF NEZARA. A CORRECTION AND ADDITION. PMID- 17758472 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17758474 TI - THE STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS AND RELATIONS OF THE APODAL FISHES. PMID- 17758476 TI - THE PROPER RESTRICTION OF EUCYNOPOTAMUS. PMID- 17758475 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. II. PMID- 17758477 TI - THE ASTRONOMICAL AND ASTROPHYSICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17758478 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. SECTION A--MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17758479 TI - A NEW TYPE OF ELECTRIC ORGAN IN AN AMERICAN TELEOST FISH. PMID- 17758480 TI - A NEW METHOD OF COLLECTING EARTHWORMS FOR LABORATORY USE. PMID- 17758482 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17758481 TI - SPECIAL ARTICLES. PMID- 17758483 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17758484 TI - UNIVERSITY CONTROL. PMID- 17758485 TI - THE MAGNETIC SURVEY OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN: SECOND CRUISE. PMID- 17758487 TI - THE MEASUREMENT AND UTILIZATION OF BRAIN POWER IN THE ARMY, II. PMID- 17758486 TI - THE UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH. PMID- 17758488 TI - AN APPEAL FROM BELGIUM. PMID- 17758490 TI - CROSS-SECTION LINES ON BLACKBOARDS AND THEIR ILLUMINATION. PMID- 17758489 TI - CONCERNING THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHONIC ACIDS. PMID- 17758491 TI - ROTARY VERTIGO IN THE TAIL-SPIN. PMID- 17758492 TI - THE GALTON SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF MAN. PMID- 17758493 TI - PEACETIME VALUES FROM A WAR TECHNOLOGY. PMID- 17758494 TI - OSKAR BOLZA. PMID- 17758496 TI - MICROFILM RECORDS OF THE LINNEAN COLLECTIONS AND MANUSCRIPTS. PMID- 17758495 TI - ASSETS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. PMID- 17758497 TI - AWARD OF THE RESEARCH COUNCIL ON PROBLEMS OF ALCOHOL. PMID- 17758498 TI - THE WAR-TRAINING CENTER OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17758499 TI - ELEMENT NO. 85. PMID- 17758501 TI - EFFECTS OF THE EARTH'S ROTATION ON THE RANGE AND DRIFT OF A PROJECTILE. PMID- 17758500 TI - THE NEW YORK MEETING OF THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17758502 TI - SUGGESTED CASTE TAXONOMY FOR THE COMMON TERMITE. PMID- 17758504 TI - A RECORD OF EMERITA ANALOGA FROM THE WASHINGTON COAST. PMID- 17758503 TI - THE MICROMETER BURETTE. PMID- 17758505 TI - THE VERATRINE ALKALOIDS. XIV. THE CORRELATION OF THE VERATRINE ALKALOIDS WITH THE SOLANUM ALKALOIDS. PMID- 17758506 TI - THE SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTION OF A MAMMALIAN TUMOR WITH A VIRUS-LIKE PRINCIPLE. PMID- 17758507 TI - A LARGE FEEDER FOR SMALL CAGES IN AVIAN MALARIA STUDIES. PMID- 17758508 TI - IMPROVED MAGNETIC FLOW SWITCH FOR USE WITH WATER-COOLED X-RAY TUBES. PMID- 17758510 TI - NUCLEAR AND CYTOPLASMIC EFFECTS OF ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT. PMID- 17758509 TI - SOME THOUGHTS ON THE PROBLEM OF PROGRESS AND DECLINE. PMID- 17758511 TI - HIPPOBOSCID FLIES FROM NORTH AMERICAN DOVES. PMID- 17758512 TI - A SPECIES OF AZOTOBACTER TOLERANT TO HIGH ACIDITY. PMID- 17758513 TI - STOMATAL INDEX AND TRANSPIRATION RATE OF LEAVES. PMID- 17758514 TI - THE NEW YORK MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17758515 TI - PATHOGENIC PLEUROPNEUMONIA-LIKE MICROORGANISMS FROM ACUTE RHEUMATIC EXUDATES AND TISSUES. AB - In suitable cell-free media it has been possible to cultivate pleuropneumonia like microorganisms from the following materials, first, from chorioallantoic membranes in which lesions were apparently induced by exudates from patients with rheumatic fever; second, from pneumonic lungs of mice inoculated with similar exudates or with suspensions of the abovementioned abnormal membranes; and third, directly from the arthritic exudate of a patient with rheumatic fever, and also from an erythema nodosum nodule excised from a patient with this same disease. With three different subcultures from joint fluid, iritis has been induced in rabbits; and following intranasal inoculation with the same cultures there has developed in mice a pneumonia similar to that found in mice inoculated with rheumatic exudates and with suspensions of chorioallantoic membranes infected with rheumatic exudates. Therefore it seems probable that in all instances the pathogenic agent was derived from similar sources, viz., patients with rheumatic fever. Further work will be required to demonstrate the etiologic significance of these pathogenic agents in rheumatic fever. PMID- 17758516 TI - THE PROCESS OF CONTINUOUS DEAMINATION AND REAMINATION OF AMINO ACIDS IN THE PROTEINS OF NORMAL ANIMALS. PMID- 17758517 TI - A METHOD FOR PRODUCING PERSISTENT HYPERTENSION BY CELLOPHANE. PMID- 17758518 TI - THE SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF MENINGO-ENCEPHALITIS, ASSOCIATED WITH CANINE DISTEMPER, WITH SULFANILAMIDE. PMID- 17758519 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE SOME REFORMS NEEDED IN THE TEACHING OF PHYSICS. PMID- 17758520 TI - THE EVOLUTION OF INTELLIGENCE AND ITS ORGANS. PMID- 17758521 TI - THE ALASKAN FUR-SEALS. PMID- 17758522 TI - THE KUSER ASIATIC EXPEDITION. PMID- 17758523 TI - MUNICIPAL CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17758524 TI - COMPULSORY CONCENTRATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF STUDIES IN HARVARD COLLEGE. PMID- 17758525 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17758526 TI - THE LUMINOSITY OF TERMITES. PMID- 17758527 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17758529 TI - THE ANTIVIVISECTION CAMPAIGN. PMID- 17758528 TI - CORRELATIONS OF CLIMATIC CHANGES. PMID- 17758530 TI - THE EFFECTS OF PROLONGED RAPID AND DEEP BREATHING. PMID- 17758531 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17758532 TI - AN EARLY NOTE ON FLIES AS TRANSMITTERS OF DISEASE. PMID- 17758533 TI - GLACIATION IN THE SAN BERNARDINO RANGE, CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17758535 TI - FUR-SEALS DOMESTICATED. PMID- 17758534 TI - MALLOPHAGAN PARASITES FROM THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR. PMID- 17758536 TI - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17758537 TI - AN INSTITUTE FOR THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND CIVILIZATION. PMID- 17758538 TI - THE MEDICAL SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA AND WAR SERVICE. PMID- 17758539 TI - REPLY TO DR. BLEILE. PMID- 17758540 TI - THE CORRECT NAME FOR OUR APPLE-GRAIN APHIS. PMID- 17758541 TI - THE NATURE OF THE ULTIMATE MAGNETIC PARTICLE. PMID- 17758543 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17758542 TI - APPARATUS FOR PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL LABORATORIES. PMID- 17758544 TI - Research applications of lasers. PMID- 17758545 TI - Erratum. AB - In the report " Variable occurrence of the nrdB intron in the T-even phages suggests intron mobility" by J. Pedersen-Lane and M. Belfort (10 July, p.182), two sentences were incorrectly printed. On page 182, the sentence beginning at the bottom of the second column should have read, "The td intron is indeed homologous throughout the T-even phages, as demonstrated by hybridization and dideoxy primer-extension analysis of pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) and splice site products (11)." On page 183, in the legend to figure 2, the next-to-last sentence should have read, "Oligonucleotide probes (1 to 4) indicated by arrows are as described (21)." PMID- 17758547 TI - Ecology of marine communities. PMID- 17758546 TI - Infrared astronomy. PMID- 17758548 TI - Skepticism About SDI. PMID- 17758549 TI - Thirty Ways to Temporize on Waste: One year after Congress ordered a moratorium in the civil nuclear waste program, it is inclined to order another. PMID- 17758550 TI - Yale accelerator to be dedicated. PMID- 17758551 TI - White House Spotlights New Superconductors: Reagan preaches on the virtues of pursuing high-temperature materials; unveils program to assist American industry. PMID- 17758553 TI - Bolivia Swaps Debt for Conservation: Purchase of portion of debt at discount by U.S. group permits creation of conservation buffer zone for reserve. PMID- 17758552 TI - Nuclear Test Watchers Feel Political Heat: On 15 July the Soviet military shut down all three seismic monitoring stations run by the NRDC; the project resumes under new rules in August. PMID- 17758554 TI - Peer Review and ARS. PMID- 17758555 TI - Comings and goings. PMID- 17758556 TI - Proposed growth in u.k. Space budget rejected. PMID- 17758557 TI - Measuring personality. PMID- 17758558 TI - Compact Discs Shrinking Data Storage Costs: The CDs that offer 75 minutes of unsurpassed Bach are now providing 600 megabytes of geophysical data at bargain prices. PMID- 17758559 TI - Laser techniques in high-pressure geophysics. AB - Laser techniques in conjunction with the diamond-anvil cell can be used to study high-pressure properties of materials important to a wide range of problems in earth and planetary science. Spontaneous Raman scattering of crystalline and amorphous solids at high pressure demonstrates that dramatic changes in structure and bonding occur on compression. High-pressure Brillouin scattering is sensitive to the pressure variations of single-crystal elastic moduli and acoustic velocities. Laser heating techniques with the diamond-anvil cell can be used to study phase transitions, including melting, under deep-earth conditions. Finally, laser-induced ruby fluorescence has been essential for the development of techniques for generating the maximum pressures now possible with the diamond anvil cell, and currently provides a calibrated in situ measure of pressure well above 100 gigapascals. PMID- 17758560 TI - Laser spectroscopy of trapped atomic ions. AB - Recent developments in laser spectroscopy of atomic ions stored in electromagnetic traps are reviewed with emphasis on techniques that appear to hold the greatest promise of attaining extremely high resolution. Among these techniques are laser cooling and the use of single, isolated ions as experimental samples. Doppler shifts and other perturbing influences can be largely eliminated. Atomic resonances with line widths of a few parts in 10(11) have been observed at frequencies ranging from the radio frequency to the ultraviolet. Experimental accuracies of one part in 10(18) appear to be attainable. PMID- 17758561 TI - Hole-burning spectroscopy and relaxation dynamics of amorphous solids at low temperatures. AB - The magnitude and temperature dependence of most of the properties of amorphous solids are anomalous at very low temperatures ( less, similar1 Kelvin). Phonon assisted tunneling of a distribution of glassy bistable configurations, or two level systems, can account for these anomalies. A unified understanding of the low-temperature properties is required for an understanding of the glassy state. Persistent nonphotochemical hole burning of impurity optical transitions allows a glass state to be produced that is thermally inaccessible to the preburn state, and that allows the probing of tunneling dynamics on time scales that range between picoseconds and days. These data combined with recently obtained distribution functions for the two-level systems offer new insights into the tunneling dynamics. PMID- 17758562 TI - Evidence for chain molecules enriched in carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in comet halley. AB - In situ measurements of the composition and spatial distribution of heavy thermal positive ions in the coma of comet Halley were made with the heavy-ion analyzer RPA2-PICCA aboard the Giotto spacecraft. Above 50 atomic mass units an ordered series of mass peaks centered at 61, 75, 91, and 105 atomic mass units were observed. Each peak appears to be composed of three or more closely spaced masses. The abundances decrease and the dissociation rates increase smoothly with increasing mass. These observations suggest the presence of chain molecules that are enriched in carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, such as polyoxymethylene (polymerized formaldehyde), in comet Halley. PMID- 17758563 TI - First polymer in space identified in comet halley. AB - The heavy-ion mass spectrum obtained in the inner coma of comet Halley with the PICCA instrument on the Giotto spacecraft has been examined. Short polymer chains of polyoxymethylene and their decay products are identified as the source for the spectrum with six mass peaks between about 45 and 120 atomic mass units. The properties of polyoxymethylene are consistent with many of the unexpected observations in the coma. PMID- 17758564 TI - High-resolution electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy of native oxides on silicon. AB - High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy have been combined to examine the structure of the thin "native" oxide that forms on silicon surfaces at room temperature. Differences in the cleaning procedures for silicon wafers may affect the morphology of this oxide and critically influence further processing on the silicon substrates. An etch that ended with a dip in hydrofluoric acid provided a thinner oxide and a lower interface step density than did a sulfuric peroxide treatment. The availability of complementary information from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy is discussed. PMID- 17758565 TI - Pheromone components and active spaces: what do moths smell and where do they smell it? AB - The pheromone-mediated flight behavior of male Oriental fruit moths was observed in the field to test the hypothesis that male activation far downwind of a female is initiated by the major, or most abundant, component of the pheromone blend. Males responded at significantly greater distances to the three-component pheromone blend produced by females than to the major component alone or to either binary mixture containing the major component and one minor component. These results support the alternative hypothesis that the active space of a multicomponent pheromone is a function of male perception of the female-released blend of components, rather than of the major component alone, and that so-called minor components have a greater impact on male behavior farther downwind of a female than previously thought. PMID- 17758566 TI - More cost savings for insured members. PMID- 17758567 TI - Abelson receives national medal of science. PMID- 17758568 TI - Judging panel selected for public understanding award. PMID- 17758569 TI - Seminar looks at movement of scientists and engineers between Germany and u.s. PMID- 17758570 TI - 1987 science education directory available. PMID- 17758571 TI - Obituaries. PMID- 17758572 TI - Pacific division meets in san diego. PMID- 17758573 TI - Physiology institutionalized: the development of american physiology. PMID- 17758574 TI - Translocations of science: scientific colonialism. PMID- 17758575 TI - Mastery of the infinite: to infinity and beyond. PMID- 17758576 TI - History of electron microscopes. PMID- 17758578 TI - Some other books of interest: plants in danger. PMID- 17758577 TI - Science and technology in chinese civilization. PMID- 17758580 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17758579 TI - Contour Mapping and SURFACE II. PMID- 17758581 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17758582 TI - THE SITE OF ANTIBODY FORMATION. PMID- 17758584 TI - GIFT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE OF A COLLECTION OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS AND BOOKS. PMID- 17758583 TI - CHARLES LE ROY GIBSON. PMID- 17758585 TI - THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17758586 TI - THE TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17758587 TI - GRANTS OF THE SUGAR RESEARCH FOUNDATION. PMID- 17758588 TI - SCURVY IN THE PARRY EXPEDITION OF 1819. PMID- 17758589 TI - PURE SCIENCE. PMID- 17758590 TI - CEMENTING SINO-AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP. PMID- 17758591 TI - PURE SCIENCE. PMID- 17758592 TI - AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PARASITOLOGISTS. PMID- 17758594 TI - PYRIDOXAMINE AND THE SYNTHESIS OF AMINO ACIDS BY LACTOBACILLI. PMID- 17758593 TI - RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PENICILLIN. PMID- 17758595 TI - THE EFFECT OF UREA, URETHANE AND OTHER CARBAMATES ON BACTERIAL GROWTH. PMID- 17758596 TI - PENICILLIN ASSAY. PMID- 17758597 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF "FOLIC ACID" ON SPONTANEOUS BREAST CANCERS IN MICE. AB - Complete regressions of spontaneous breast cancers in mice were observed in 38 among 89 animals (43 per cent.). The treatment consisted of daily intravenous injections of 5 micrograms of l. casei factor ("folic acid"). The treated animals lived longer than the controls, especially the healed mice. The incidence of the development of new tumors was decreased among the treated mice as compared with the controls. PMID- 17758598 TI - A MANOMETRIC APPARATUS FOR RESPIRATORY STUDIES OF SMALL ANIMALS. PMID- 17758599 TI - A MAGNETIC STIRRER FOR CONTINUOUS GAS-FLOW APPARATUS. PMID- 17758600 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE THE RELATIONS BETWEEN JUPITER AND THE ASTEROIDS. PMID- 17758601 TI - ORGANIC RESPONSE. PMID- 17758602 TI - EDUCATIONAL AND INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY. PMID- 17758603 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17758604 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17758605 TI - FACTS AND PRINCIPLES. PMID- 17758606 TI - SPECIAL COMMITTEES ON ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17758607 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17758608 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17758609 TI - ELLIPTIC INTERFERENCE IN CONNECTION WITH REFLECTING GRATING. PMID- 17758610 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17758611 TI - THE TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY, NEW HAVEN, CONN., DECEMBER 27-30, 1910. PMID- 17758612 TI - THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17758614 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17758613 TI - THE SOUTHERN SOCIETY FOR PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17758615 TI - Response. PMID- 17758616 TI - Truth in super collider criticism. PMID- 17758617 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - In the Random Samples item "Processing the new Coke fiasco" (3 Sept., p. 1271), Samuel Leven's name was misspelled. PMID- 17758618 TI - Smallpox virus stocks: more votes. PMID- 17758619 TI - The coming crunch for space science. PMID- 17758620 TI - California's Disposal Plan Goes Nowhere Fast. PMID- 17758621 TI - Beam me up to the new physics! PMID- 17758622 TI - First Stop on the Neutrino Roadshow: CERN. PMID- 17758623 TI - Is marine biodiversity at risk? PMID- 17758624 TI - Recreating the Universe's Fateful Flaws. PMID- 17758625 TI - Cannibal film in poor taste? PMID- 17758627 TI - Eagle population soars. PMID- 17758626 TI - Times Corrects Scientist's Obit. PMID- 17758628 TI - Prizes offered for medical cures. PMID- 17758629 TI - Nobelist gives it away. PMID- 17758630 TI - Venuses reappear. PMID- 17758632 TI - Tropical diversity and global change. PMID- 17758631 TI - Mathematicians losing numbers. PMID- 17758633 TI - An empirical test of recruitment limitation in a coral reef fish. AB - A long-term, large-scale empirical test of the recruitment limitation hypothesis was done by sampling fish populations from the southern Great Barrier Reef after having monitored their recruitment histories for 9 years. After adjustment for demographic differences, recruitment patterns explained over 90 percent of the spatial variation in abundance of a common damselfish among seven coral reefs. The age structures from individual reefs also preserved major temporal variations in the recruitment signal over at least 10 years. Abundance and demography of this small fish at these spatial and temporal scales can be explained almost entirely as variable recruitment interacting with density-independent mortality. PMID- 17758634 TI - Shape of Asteroid 4769 Castalia (1989 PB) from Inversion of Radar Images. AB - The inversion of previously reported, delay-Doppler images of Castalia yields a 167-parameter, three-dimensional shape model that is bifurcated into two distinct, irregular, kilometer-sized lobes. The crevice that separates the lobes has an average depth of between 100 and 150 meters and is oriented roughly perpendicular to the asteroid's longest dimension. The constrained least-squares reconstruction method introduced here can be used to determine the shape, spin vector, and radar-scattering properties of any asteroid or comet for which delay Doppler images provide sufficient signal-to-noise ratio, orientational coverage, and spatial resolution. PMID- 17758635 TI - The cosmological kibble mechanism in the laboratory: string formation in liquid crystals. AB - The production of strings (disclination lines and loops) has been observed by means of the Kibble mechanism of domain (bubble) formation in the isotropic nematic phase transition of the uniaxial nematic liquid crystal 4-cyano-4'-n pentylbiphenyl. The number of strings formed per bubble is about 0.6. This value is in reasonable agreement with a numerical simulation of the experiment in which the Kibble mechanism is used for the order parameter space of a uniaxial nematic liquid crystal. PMID- 17758636 TI - The dependence of electron transfer efficiency on the conformational order in organic monolayers. AB - The electron transfer through an organized organic monolayer of alkyl chains adsorbed on a silicon wafer has been studied. The silicon was used as an electrode in a three-electrode electrochemical cell, and the current versus voltage response was measured. The results show that when the chains in the monolayer are in the "all trans" configuration, the charge transfer efficiency is higher than when the chains have a "gauche" configuration. A mechanism rationalizing all the observations is suggested. PMID- 17758637 TI - Crystal Structure, Bonding, and Phase Transition of the Superconducting Na2CsC60 Fulleride. AB - The crystal structure of superconducting Na(2)CsC(60) was studied by high resolution powder neutron diffraction between 1.6 and 425 K. Contrary to the literature, the structure at low temperatures is primitive cubic [See equation in the PDF file], isostructural with pristine C(60). Anticlockwise rotation of the C(60) units by 98 degrees about [111] allows simultaneous optimization of C(60) C(60) and alkali-fulleride interactions. Optimal Na(+)-C(60)(3-) coordination is achieved with each sodium ion located above one hexagon face and three hexagon hexagon fusions of neighboring fulleride ions (coordination number 12). Reduction of the C(60) molecule lengthens the hexagon-hexagon fusions and shortens the pentagon-hexagon fusions (to approximately 1.43 angstroms). On heating, Na(2)CsC(60) undergoes a phase transition to a face-centered-cubic [See equation in the PDF file] phase, best modeled as containing quasi-spherical C(60)(3-) ions. The modified structure and intermolecular potential provide an additional dimension to the behavior of superconducting fullerides and should sensitively affect their electronic and conducting properties. PMID- 17758638 TI - Increasing turnover through time in tropical forests. AB - Tree turnover rates were assessed at 40 tropical forest sites. Averaged across inventoried forests, turnover, as measured by tree mortality and recruitment, has increased since the 1950s, with an apparent pantropical acceleration since 1980. Among 22 mature forest sites with two or more inventory periods, forest turnover also increased. The trend in forest dynamics may have profound effects on biological diversity. PMID- 17758639 TI - Triethylsilyl cations. PMID- 17758640 TI - Triethylsilyl cations. PMID- 17758641 TI - Response. PMID- 17758642 TI - Response. PMID- 17758643 TI - Response. PMID- 17758645 TI - Days in rome and berkeley. PMID- 17758644 TI - The ecology of coexistence. PMID- 17758646 TI - Home life of a hero. PMID- 17758648 TI - Vignettes: quasi-knowledge. PMID- 17758647 TI - Respiratory physiology. PMID- 17758649 TI - Gordon research conferences. PMID- 17758650 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17758651 TI - PROBLEMS OF ANIMAL MORPHOLOGY. PMID- 17758653 TI - THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17758652 TI - GEOGRAPHY AND SOME OF ITS MORE PRESSING NEEDS. PMID- 17758654 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17758656 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17758655 TI - THE SALARIES OF PROFESSORS OF YALE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17758657 TI - THE REFORM OF THE CALENDAR. PMID- 17758658 TI - ANTARCTICA AS A FORMER LAND CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SOUTHERN CONTINENTS. PMID- 17758659 TI - AMERICAN EDUCATION. PMID- 17758660 TI - REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17758661 TI - PRELIMINARY NOTE ON THE PERMEABLITY TO SALTS OF THE GILL MEMBRANES OF A FISH. PMID- 17758662 TI - PAeDOGENESIS IN TANYTARSUS. PMID- 17758663 TI - AMERICAN MATHEMATICS IN THE PRESENT WAR. PMID- 17758664 TI - MALARIA AND THE WAR. PMID- 17758665 TI - MAURICE COLE TANQUARY. PMID- 17758667 TI - THE VISIT OF INDIAN SCIENTIFIC MEN. PMID- 17758666 TI - THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17758668 TI - AWARD OF THE WILLIAM H. NICHOLS MEDAL. PMID- 17758669 TI - GRANTS OF THE CARNEGIE CORPORATION. PMID- 17758670 TI - PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S LETTER ON THE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17758671 TI - EFFECT OF VITAMIN B. (PYRIDOXINE) IN THE TREATMENT OF LEUCOPENIA AND GRANULOCYTOPENIA OF TOXIC ORIGIN IN HUMANS. PRELIMINARY REPORT. PMID- 17758672 TI - AMPHIPATHIC CHARACTER OF GELATIN SHOWN IN ITS ADSORPTION TO POLAR SURFACES. PMID- 17758673 TI - SUMMER UPWELLING--NORTHEAST COAST OF FLORIDA. PMID- 17758674 TI - ON THE OCCURRENCE OF ANOPHELES PESSOAI IN TRINIDAD, B. W. I. PMID- 17758675 TI - TRANSLITERATION OF RUSSIAN NAMES. PMID- 17758676 TI - BULBAR INHIBITION AND FACILITATION OF MOTOR ACTIVITY. PMID- 17758677 TI - RELATIONSHIP OF PENICILLIN THERAPY TO BRAIN INVOLVEMENT IN EXPERIMENTAL RELAPSING FEVER. PMID- 17758678 TI - PRECIPITATION AND AGGLUTINATION TESTS WITH THE HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCUS. TITRATION OF "M" AND "T" ANTI-BODIES IN HUMAN SERA. AB - While "M" and "T" antibodies can be demonstrated in low titre in human sera, an almost complete absence of specificity seems to indicate an apparent lack of correlation with current or past streptococcal illness. In the present study, agglutination and precipitation tests on patient's sera, using known "T" and "M" antigens, appear to have little value in determining the antigenic relationship of the streptococci involved in infection. Moreover, no correlation could be shown between the amounts of "M" antibody and of "T" antibody present in the different sera. It is obvious that further work is needed. With a greater degree of purification of "M" and "T" and the elimination of non-specific substances, it may ultimately be possible to demonstrate the development of significant type specific antibodies in human sera. PMID- 17758679 TI - LENGTH OF SURVIVAL OF HOMOZYGOUS CREEPER FOWL EMBRYOS. PMID- 17758681 TI - A CONCENTRATED BASAL MEDIUM FOR MICROBIOLOGICAL VITAMIN ASSAY. PMID- 17758680 TI - FLUORESCENT STAINING OF INSECT TISSUES. PMID- 17758682 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17758683 TI - BIOLOGY AND HUMAN LIFE. PMID- 17758684 TI - EXPEDITION OF U. S. COAST GUARD CUTTER MARION TO THE REGION OF DAVIS STRAIT IN 1928. PMID- 17758685 TI - GRANTS FOR RESEARCH IN 1929. PMID- 17758687 TI - ON NUCLEAR DERIVATIVES AND THE LETHAL ACTION OF ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT. PMID- 17758686 TI - THE SECRETARIES' CONFERENCE. PMID- 17758688 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17758690 TI - LOVELAND LOESS: POST-ILLINOIAN, PRE-IOWAN IN AGE. PMID- 17758689 TI - NOMENCLATURE OF THE ACCESSORY FOOD FACTORS. PMID- 17758691 TI - BREEDING HABITS OF OCTOPUS. PMID- 17758693 TI - ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL AS A PRESERVATIVE. PMID- 17758692 TI - THE NEW ENGLAND INTERCOLLEGIATE GEOLOGICAL EXCURSION. PMID- 17758694 TI - SCATTERING OF QUANTA WITH DIMINUTION OF FREQUENCY. PMID- 17758696 TI - THE USE OF INTERNAL PRESSURE IN METALLIC SYSTEMS. PMID- 17758695 TI - A NEW PROCESS FOR HANDLING SOUTH AFRICAN PLATINUM ORES. PMID- 17758697 TI - DIMORPHISM IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY OF THE SEX VEINS OF THE RABBIT. PMID- 17758698 TI - The Growth and Shrinkage of Aerosols. PMID- 17758699 TI - The Existence of "Beta" Ice. PMID- 17758700 TI - Scientist or statistician? Some new computer developments are changing things for the better. PMID- 17758702 TI - Letters to the editor-1. PMID- 17758701 TI - Letters to the editor-2. PMID- 17758703 TI - Man's Rights over Nature. PMID- 17758704 TI - Permeation of polyethylene bags. PMID- 17758705 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17758706 TI - The gravitational field of the moon. PMID- 17758708 TI - Conservation Law II: Scientists Play a Key Role in Court Suits. PMID- 17758707 TI - A Task for Ecologists around Waterfalls in Labrador-Ungava. PMID- 17758710 TI - Environmental defense fund: yannacone out as ringmaster. PMID- 17758711 TI - AMA Research Institute To Close. PMID- 17758712 TI - The nineteen-sixties: a not so fond farewell. PMID- 17758713 TI - State technical services: congress swings the axe. PMID- 17758714 TI - Blacklists: HEW Revisions Due. PMID- 17758715 TI - Quasars: finding a handle for a complex problem. PMID- 17758716 TI - Shock and thermal metamorphism of basalt by nuclear explosion, nevada test site. AB - Olivine trachybasalt metamorphosed by nuclear explosion is classified into categories of progressive metamorphism: (i) Weak. Plagioclase is microfracruree, and augite contains twin lamellae. (ii) Moderate. Plagioclase is converted to glass, amd mafic minerals show intragranular deformation (undulatory extinction, twin lamellae, and, possibly, defomation lamellae), but rock texture is preserved. (iii) Moderately strong. Plagioclase glass shows small-scale flow, mafic minerals are fractured and show intragranular deformation, and rocks contain tension fractures. (iv) Strong. Plagioclase glass is vesicular, augite is minutely fractured, and olivine is coarsely fragmented, shows moscaic extinction, distinctive lamellar structures, and is locally recrystallized. (v) Intense. Rocks are converted to inhomogeneous basaltic glass. PMID- 17758717 TI - Synthetic Juvenile Hormone: Induction of Sex Pheromone Production in Ips confusus. AB - Topical application of 25, 50, or 100 micrograms of 10,11-epoxy-farnesenic acid methyl ester in peanut oil induced male Ips confusus to produce sex pheromone in the hindgut Malpighian tubule region. Twenty-four hours aftertreatment of male beetles with 100 micrograms of hormone, their hindgut Malpighian tubule extract was more attractive to female beetles in a laboratory bioassay than was extract from males producing pheromone naturally in ponderosa pine logs. PMID- 17758718 TI - EXPERIMENTS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17758719 TI - TRANSLOCATION OF CARBOHYDRATES IN MAIZE. AB - (1) The pith of maize shows a changing sugar content with changing sugar movement in the phloem which would not be predicted from our present picture of the morphology of the maize bundle. (2) By all tests of changing concentration, sucrose is the important carbohydrate of translocation in maize. Interconversion of the several sugars is too rapid, however, to permit a final conclusion. (3) An hypothesis of translocation in maize must not only account for movement against an osmotic gradient, but against gradients of each of the substances which might possibly be translocated. Such secretory translocation certainly occurs between the leaf mesophyll and the phloem and probably along the phloem itself. (4) Translocation in maize is polarized, out of the leaf, out of the xylem and toward the developing fruit. Polarized translocation out of the leaf is established during the later stages of tissue differentiation. Polarized translocation toward the fruit is established in the early phases of embryo development and does not develop in the absence of pollination. PMID- 17758721 TI - THE SOVIET ACADEMY OF MEDICINE. PMID- 17758720 TI - DESTRUCTION OF THE BUREAU OF SCIENCE AT MANILA. PMID- 17758722 TI - PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17758723 TI - THE NUTRITION FOUNDATION. PMID- 17758724 TI - "FACTS" AND "INTERPRETATIONS" REGARDING RACE DIFFERENCES. PMID- 17758725 TI - MARINE FOULING AND ITS PREVENTION. PMID- 17758726 TI - AN INORGANIC "BOUNCING PUTTY". PMID- 17758727 TI - ENCYSTMENT AND EXCYSTMENT IN CHAOS. PMID- 17758728 TI - OVER-THE-COUNTER SALE OF SULFONAMIDE DRUGS. PMID- 17758729 TI - THE FATE OF ESTROGENIC METAHORMONES IN THE LIVER. PMID- 17758730 TI - THE FIRST STAGE OF ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY REACTION IN INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS. PMID- 17758731 TI - ALTERATIONS IN THE ANTIDROMIC POTENTIAL OF MOTOR NEURONS FOLLOWING CHROMATOLYSIS. PMID- 17758732 TI - THE ANTIBIOTIC ACTIVITY OF EXTRACTS OF RANUNCULACEAE. PMID- 17758733 TI - DISTRIBUTION OF RADIOACTIVE SULFUR IN THE RAT. PMID- 17758735 TI - GRAPEVINE INJECTION APPARATUS. PMID- 17758734 TI - EXPERIMENTAL VERRUCOUS ENDOCARDITIS. PMID- 17758736 TI - A NEW HERBICIDE, 2,4 DINITRO 6 SECONDARY BUTYL PHENOL. PMID- 17758737 TI - EMOTIONS AND GASTRIC FUNCTION. PMID- 17758738 TI - PETROLEUM, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. II. PMID- 17758739 TI - JOHN MUIRHEAD MACFARLANE September 28, 1855--September 16, 1943. PMID- 17758740 TI - THE PACIFIC MAP OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. PMID- 17758741 TI - ENLARGEMENT OF THE LABORATORY STAFF OF THE U. S. FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY. PMID- 17758742 TI - DESTRUCTION OF THE BERLIN HERBARIUM. PMID- 17758743 TI - ROYAL SOCIETY MEDALISTS. PMID- 17758744 TI - THE INFORMATIONAL SERVICE OF THE DIVISION OF MEDICAL SCIENCES OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. PMID- 17758745 TI - MEETINGS OF ENTOMOLOGISTS. PMID- 17758746 TI - THE TRIPTANE PROCESS. PMID- 17758747 TI - ANGIOTONIN OR HYPERTENSIN. PMID- 17758748 TI - CONCERNING TRANSLATIONS OF GEOLOGICAL TEXTS FOR SOUTH AMERICAN STUDENTS. PMID- 17758750 TI - THE FRACTIONAL CEPHALIN-CHOLESTEROL FLOCCULATION TEST. PMID- 17758749 TI - DESTHIOBIOTIN. PMID- 17758751 TI - RATIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THE RELATIVE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF FATS AND OILS. PMID- 17758752 TI - A TECHNIQUE FOR DIFFERENTIATING THE CELLS OF THE PITUITARY OF THE RAT. PMID- 17758754 TI - Rockets, Resonance, and Physical Chemistry: The problems encountered with solid fuel rockets bring together an amazing variety of disciplines. PMID- 17758753 TI - Pal Smurch Would Never Make It Today. PMID- 17758755 TI - The Civil Defense Debate: Neither Side Is Talking the Other's Language. PMID- 17758756 TI - Beryllium and the Growth of Bush Beans. AB - Beryllium in nutrient solution inhibited the growth of bush beans. The initial symptom was retarded root development. Although severe stunting of plants occurred, the foliage retained normal color. Roots accumulated beryllium. Increased beryllium concentrations decreased calcium in roots, stems, leaves, and fruits, and also decreased magnesium in roots and stems. Phosphorus was slightly increased in stems, leaves, and fruit. PMID- 17758757 TI - Electrostatic Fields: Their Effect on the Surface Tension of Aqueous Salt Solutions. AB - Electrostatic fields of up to 7000 volt/cm have been applied across air/solution interfaces by means of parallel-plate electrodes, and the resulting surface tension changes were obtained by measuring, through a balance linkage, the deflection of mica plates floating on the surface. Surface tension changes (always negative) of up to 0.5 dyne/cm have been observed in both distilled water and dilute sodium chloride solutions. PMID- 17758759 TI - Obstetrical medication study. PMID- 17758758 TI - Esperantists. PMID- 17758760 TI - Jargon and "the juice". PMID- 17758761 TI - Obstetrical medication study. PMID- 17758762 TI - Obstetrical medication study. PMID- 17758763 TI - Erratum. AB - In the article "Nuclear risks: Still uncertain" (News and Comment, 18 May, p. 714), in the fourth paragraph, the sentence, "If one assumes that 40 gigawatts are produced a year, as was the case in 1975. . ., then the nuclear industry is causing two cancer deaths a year," should have read, "20 cancer deaths a year." PMID- 17758764 TI - International oil prices. PMID- 17758765 TI - Energy analysis of the solar power satellite. AB - The energy requirements to build and operate the proposed Solar Power Satellite are evaluated and compared with the energy it produces. Because the technology is so speculative, uncertainty is explicitly accounted for. For a proposed 10 gigawatt satellite system, the energy ratio, defined as the electrical energy produced divided by the primary nonrenewable energy required over the lifetime of the system, is of order 2, where a ratio of 1 indicates the energy breakeven point. This is significantly below the energy ratio of today's electricity technologies such as light-water nuclear or coal-fired electric plants. PMID- 17758766 TI - Institute idea divides mathematicians. PMID- 17758767 TI - Environmentalists chide carter. PMID- 17758768 TI - Patent bill returns bright idea to inventor. PMID- 17758769 TI - FDA bans speed in diet pills. PMID- 17758770 TI - Selling SALT Among the Scientists. PMID- 17758771 TI - Costs still climbing at three mile island. PMID- 17758772 TI - Whistle Blower Reinstated at HEW. PMID- 17758773 TI - Making nondestructive evaluation a science. PMID- 17758774 TI - Chautauqua-type short courses for nonacademic scientists and engineers. PMID- 17758775 TI - Nineteen media fellows in 1979 program. PMID- 17758776 TI - 1979 SWARM Meeting. PMID- 17758777 TI - AAAS Climate Project Under Way. PMID- 17758778 TI - Mellon Foundation Grants Award to AAAS. PMID- 17758779 TI - Arkansas energy seminar planned. PMID- 17758780 TI - Local MWIS Plan Career Days. PMID- 17758781 TI - Workshop on women and development held. PMID- 17758782 TI - 1978 aaas summary financial statements. PMID- 17758783 TI - Explaining an evolutionary success. PMID- 17758785 TI - Comparative studies. PMID- 17758784 TI - Brain biochemistry. PMID- 17758786 TI - Nuclear physics. PMID- 17758787 TI - Organic chemistry. PMID- 17758788 TI - Oil and gas in offshore tracts: estimates before and after drilling. AB - Estimates of volumes of recoverable hydrocarbons underlying offshore tracts are made by the U.S. Geological Survey prior to the sale of leases and after drilling on those leases. Comparisons of these estimates show a moderate positive correlation and no evidence for relative bias, although the precision of the predictions is quite limnited. PMID- 17758789 TI - Magnetospheres of the galilean satellites. AB - The plasma and field perturbations of magnetospheres that would surround magnetized galilean satellites embedded in the corotating jovian plasma differ from those produced by interaction with an unmagnetized conductor. If the intrinsic satellite dipole is antiparallel to that of Jupiter, the magnetosphere will be open. It is predicted that Io has an internal magnetic field with a dipole moment of 6.5 x 10(22) gauss-cubic centimeters antiparallel to Jupiter's, and Io's special properties can be interpreted on the basis of a reconnecting magnetosphere. PMID- 17758790 TI - Solitons in a reaction-diffusion system. AB - Solitary waves in reaction-diffusion systems usually annihilate on collision. A nonlinear system of reaction-diffusion equations has been constructed which has solitons: solitary waves whose interaction in a collision results in the emergence of two solitary waves identical to the colliding waves. PMID- 17758791 TI - Microcracking and healing in granites: new evidence from cathodoluminescence. AB - Quartz grains in granitic rocks usually have blue cathodoluminescence (CL). Within the blue-luminescing grains, there are often red-luminescing domains which are frequently impossible to detect without CL contrast. This finding suggests that the red-luminescing quartz is sealing preexisting mnicrocracks. The presence of these now-healed microcracks has important implications with respect to the role of pore fluid pressure and fluid transfer in metamorphism, the origih of granites, longperiod crustal deformation, earthquake mechanics, physical properties of rocks, and deep-seated geothermal energy. PMID- 17758792 TI - Giant interneurons mediating equilibrium reception in an insect. AB - In the burrowing cockroach Arenivaga, two giant interneurons in each connective of the ventral nerve cord provide gravity orientation information. The interneurons receive input from plumb bob-like equilibrium receptors on the ventral surface of the cerci. Ouir results support the theory that the cerci of cockroaches are specialized equilibrium organs. PMID- 17758793 TI - Prevention of fungal infection of plants by specific inhibition of cutinase. AB - Specific antibodies prepared against cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi and diisopropylfluorophosphate, a potent inhibitor of this enzyme, prevented infection of the host (pea epicotyl) by this organism, without affecting the viability of the spores. This finding shows that enzymatic penetration of cuticle is involved in pathogenesis. PMID- 17758794 TI - Normal levels of 5'-nucleotidase activity in lymphocytes from patients with x linked agammaglobulinemia. PMID- 17758795 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17758797 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - The Random Samples item "The mosquito and the marigold" (12 May, p. 809) incorrectly suggested that a team of scientists in India first characterized phototoxins in marigolds that kill mosquito larvae. In fact, they were originally discovered in the early 1980s in Canada by investigators at the University of British Columbia [see J. T. Arnason, B. J. R. PhilogAne, P. Morand, K. Imrie, B. Hasspieler, A. E. R. Downe, "Naturally occurring and synthetic thiophenes as insecticides," American Chemical Society Symposium Series 387, 164 (1989)]. PMID- 17758796 TI - Response. PMID- 17758798 TI - German funding for sonne expedition. PMID- 17758800 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17758799 TI - Proposed Cuts to NASA Budget. PMID- 17758801 TI - Senate Targets Fusion, Backs NIF. PMID- 17758802 TI - Reactor project presses ahead despite protests. PMID- 17758803 TI - A Fickle Sun Could Be Altering Earth's Climate After All. PMID- 17758804 TI - Taking an attosecond pulse of subatomic behavior. PMID- 17758805 TI - Refining a toxin breaker. PMID- 17758807 TI - Professor of popular science. PMID- 17758806 TI - Epoch of quasars. PMID- 17758808 TI - Tuberculosis's Long, Slow Burn. PMID- 17758809 TI - Observation of stable shapes and conformal diffusion in genus 2 vesicles. AB - The observed equilibrium shapes of phospholipid vesicles of topological genus 2 (shapes with two holes) are found to be in agreement with theoretical predictions on the basis of a minimization of the elastic curvature energy for fluid membranes under the constraints of constant area, volume, and area difference (between the inner and outer layers of the membrane). For some particular geometrical characteristics, the shapes of the vesicles change continuously and randomly on a slow time scale (tens of seconds) and thus exhibit conformal diffusion. This phenomenon is a reflection of the conformal degeneracy of the elastic curvature energy. Its observation sets a limit (three constraints) on the number of physical constraints relevant to the determination of the shapes of vesicles. PMID- 17758810 TI - Two-dimensional imaging of potential waves in electrochemical systems by surface plasmon microscopy. AB - The potential dependence of resonance conditions for the excitation of surface plasmons was exploited to obtain two-dimensional images of the potential distribution of an electrode with high temporal resolution. This method allows the study of spatiotemporal patterns in electrochemical systems. Potential waves traveling across the electrode with a speed on the order of meters per second were observed in the bistable regime of an oscillatory electrochemical reaction. This velocity is close to that of excitation waves in nerve fibers and is far greater than the velocity of reaction-diffusion waves observed in other chemical systems. PMID- 17758811 TI - Molecular diffuse interstellar band carriers in the red rectangle. AB - High-resolution optical spectroscopic observations of unidentified emission bands from the unusual biconical nebula known as the Red Rectangle are reported. The peak wavelengths and the widths of prominent bands near 5799, 5853, and 6616 angstroms decrease with increasing offset from the central A0-type star HD 44179 and, in the limit of large distance from the star, are shown to converge toward the known values for some of the narrower diffuse interstellar absorption bands at 5797, 5850, and 6614 angstroms. The same carriers give rise to both Red Rectangle emission and corresponding diffuse interstellar absorption bands, and these particular bands arise from electronic transitions in gas-phase molecules. PMID- 17758812 TI - Decadal trends in the north atlantic oscillation: regional temperatures and precipitation. AB - Greenland ice-core data have revealed large decadal climate variations over the North Atlantic that can be related to a major source of low-frequency variability, the North Atlantic Oscillation. Over the past decade, the Oscillation has remained in one extreme phase during the winters, contributing significantly to the recent wintertime warmth across Europe and to cold conditions in the northwest Atlantic. An evaluation of the atmospheric moisture budget reveals coherent large-scale changes since 1980 that are linked to recent dry conditions over southern Europe and the Mediterranean, whereas northern Europe and parts of Scandinavia have generally experienced wetter than normal conditions. PMID- 17758813 TI - Coordination in distributed building. AB - A formal model of distributed building is presented that was inspired by the observation of wasp colonies. Algorithms have been obtained that allow a swarm of simple agents, moving randomly on a three-dimensional cubic lattice, to build coherent structures. PMID- 17758814 TI - A social history of truth and trust in numbers. PMID- 17758816 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17758815 TI - Vignettes: principals. PMID- 17758817 TI - WHAT IS SOCIAL SCIENCE? PMID- 17758818 TI - ISOSTATIC CONTROL OF FLUCTUATIONS OF SEA LEVEL. PMID- 17758819 TI - LEE CLEVELAND CORBETT. PMID- 17758821 TI - THE BEIT MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIPS. PMID- 17758820 TI - THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF OCTOBER 1. PMID- 17758822 TI - SYMPOSIUM ON HYDROBIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. PMID- 17758824 TI - THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17758823 TI - THE DEDICATION OF THE NEW OYSTER LABORATORY AT MILFORD, CONNECTICUT. PMID- 17758826 TI - AN EXPERIENCE OF GENERAL ANESTHESIA. PMID- 17758825 TI - A STANDARDIZATION OF OSMOTIC PRESSURE AS A TERM. PMID- 17758827 TI - STRAIN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO THE EUROPEAN CORN-BORER AND THE CORNLEAF APHID IN MAIZE. PMID- 17758828 TI - THE CONQUEST OF LEPROSY. PMID- 17758829 TI - RESEARCH WORK ON CHEMOTHERAPY. PMID- 17758830 TI - THE ISOLATION IN PURE FORM OF THE INTERSTITIAL CELL-STIMULATING (LUTEINIZING) HORMONE OF THE ANTERIOR LOBE OF THE PITUITARY GLAND. AB - Interstitial cell-stimulating (luteinizing) hormone was isolated from swine pituitary glands. This protein hormone, having a molecular weight of about 90,000 and an isoelectric point of pH 7.45, was shown to be pure by tests in the electrophoresis apparatus of Tiselius and in the ultracentrifuge as well as by its constant solubility. The hormone stimulated the interstitial tissue of the testis or ovary and caused the formation of corpora lutea provided that maturing follicles were present. Under the conditions described, its minimal effective total dose in hypophysectomized immature male rats was about 1 microgram of nitrogen or 6.7 micrograms of hormone. Extracts of swine pituitary with purely follicle-stimulating effects did not cause oestrus in immature hypophysectomized female rats unless luteinizing hormone was also administered. PMID- 17758831 TI - SYNTHESIS OF THE PYRIDINE ANALOG OF VITAMIN B1. PMID- 17758832 TI - THE USE OF OUTLINE MAPS ON HERBARIUM LABELS. PMID- 17758833 TI - A SPATULATE PIPETTE SERVING AS SECTION LIFTER. PMID- 17758836 TI - HONORARY DEGREES CONFERRED BY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17758834 TI - MINUTE AMOUNTS OF CHEMICAL ELEMENTS IN RELATION TO PLANT GROWTH. PMID- 17758835 TI - SCIENCE IN GENERAL EDUCATION AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL. PMID- 17758837 TI - CONFERENCES IN BIOCHEMISTRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. PMID- 17758838 TI - DINNER IN HONOR OF PROFESSOR McCLUNG. PMID- 17758839 TI - HONORARY DEGREES CONFERRED BY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17758840 TI - FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF OPERATIONS IN MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17758841 TI - STABILITY IN NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17758842 TI - EATING OF BONE BY THE PREGNANT AND LACTATING GRAY SQUIRREL. PMID- 17758843 TI - ANEUPLOIDY IN A HEPATIC SPECIES. PMID- 17758844 TI - THE NORTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17758845 TI - BIOTIN (BIOS IIB, VITAMIN H)--AN ESSENTIAL GROWTH FACTOR FOR CERTAIN STAPHYLOCOCCI. PMID- 17758846 TI - CHANGES IN THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE OF THE UTERUS AND VAGINA OF THE RAT ASSOCIATED WITH ADVANCING AGE. PMID- 17758847 TI - RADIOACTIVE NITROGEN IN THE STUDY OF N2 FIXATION BY NON-LEGUMINOUS PLANTS. PMID- 17758848 TI - A NEW TECHNIC FOR STAINING VAGINAL SMEARS: II. PMID- 17758849 TI - HEPARIN AS AN ANTICOAGULANT FOR PERMEABILITY STUDIES. PMID- 17758851 TI - THE ORIGIN OF HYPOTHESES, ILLUSTRATED BY THE DISCUSSION OF A TOPOGRAPHIC PROBLEM. PMID- 17758852 TI - SOME FUNDAMENIVALS OF NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17758850 TI - SOLUTIONS OF CHLOROPHYLL IN SALT WATER. PMID- 17758854 TI - ANNUAL MEETING, OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17758853 TI - IMPRESSIONS OF THE NAPLES ZOOLOGICAL STATION. PMID- 17758855 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17758856 TI - THE BRITISH MUSEUM. PMID- 17758857 TI - EXPERIMENT STATIONS FOR ENGINEERING. PMID- 17758858 TI - ASTRONOMICAL. PMID- 17758859 TI - On the Densities of Oxygen and Hydrogen and on the Ratio of their Atomic Weights. PMID- 17758860 TI - EIMER'S EVOLUTION OF BUTTERFLIES. PMID- 17758861 TI - The Structure and Life of Birds. PMID- 17758862 TI - The Beginnings of Writing. PMID- 17758863 TI - SCHOOL OF MINES QUARTERLY, NOVEMBER. PMID- 17758864 TI - AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17758865 TI - EXPERIMENTAL AND CHEMICAL STUDIES OF THE BLOOD WITH AN APPEAL FOR MORE EXTENDED CHEMICAL TRAINING FOR THE BIOLOGICAL AND MEDICAL INVESTIGATOR. II. PMID- 17758866 TI - CHARLES WILLIAM PRENTISS. PMID- 17758867 TI - FRATERNITAS MEDICORUM. PMID- 17758869 TI - LOSING THE ADVANTAGES OF THE BINOMIAL SYSTEM OF NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17758868 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF RADIUM IN COLORADO. PMID- 17758870 TI - THE LONG COST OF WAR. PMID- 17758871 TI - ANIMAL MALFORMATIONS. PMID- 17758872 TI - AMERICAN SANITATION. PMID- 17758873 TI - ON THE ACOUSTICS OF THE CHAPEL OF ADELBERT COLLEGE. PMID- 17758875 TI - TOXICITY AND MALNUTRITION. PMID- 17758874 TI - TWO COLOR MUTATIONS OF RATS WHICH SHOW PARTIAL COUPLING. PMID- 17758876 TI - Atomic Energy. PMID- 17758877 TI - What Is a Map? PMID- 17758878 TI - A New Electroencephalogram Associated With Thinking. PMID- 17758879 TI - Autoradiographs of C14 Incorporated in Individual Blood Cells. PMID- 17758880 TI - Histological Localization of Newly-formed Desoxyribonucleic Acid. PMID- 17758882 TI - Evidence for the Existence of a Low-Mass Mesotron. PMID- 17758883 TI - Measurement of Radiocarbon as CO2 in Geiger-Muller Counters. PMID- 17758881 TI - Protoanemonin as a Mitotic Inhibitor. PMID- 17758884 TI - Reduction of Undesirable By-Effects in Products Treated by Radiation. PMID- 17758885 TI - The Viability of Individuals Heterozygous for Recessive Lethals. PMID- 17758887 TI - Plasma Reduction of Methylene Blue. PMID- 17758886 TI - In Vivo Iodination of Tissue Protein Following Injection of Elemental Iodine. PMID- 17758888 TI - What Is the Pollinating Agent for Hevea brasiliensis? PMID- 17758889 TI - The Varieties, Quantities, and Purities of Stable Isotopes Which Have Been Concentrated Electromagnetically. PMID- 17758890 TI - Varves in the Bed of Lake Erie. PMID- 17758891 TI - Silicone Fluid for Sterilization of Dental Hand Pieces. PMID- 17758892 TI - Time-variable cratering rates? PMID- 17758893 TI - ASTRONOMY: Researchers Get Spectrum Bands. AB - Radio astronomers have been in danger of losing a precious band of the electromagnetic spectrum--the millimeter wavelengths, which promise insight into subjects as diverse as the origins of life and the birth of stars--to the burgeoning telecommunications industry, as millimeter wavelengths also look promising for transmitting high-bandwidth wireless information over relatively short distances. Earlier this month, however, astronomers won an international agreement that guarantees critical wavelengths safe for research. PMID- 17758894 TI - NUCLEAR SECURITY: Los Alamos Under Siege After Secrets Recovered. AB - The secrets-packed computer hard drives that temporarily disappeared at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico could spark big changes in science and security at the country's nuclear weapons laboratories. As Science went to press, investigators were trying to determine if the disks--missing from a vault since at least 7 May and discovered behind a nearby copying machine on 16 June--were pocketed by spies or just mislaid by employees. Their disappearance touched off a debate about how useful they might be to a rogue nation or terrorist group. PMID- 17758895 TI - PLANETARY SCIENCE: Imaging Spat Pits Amateur Against Pros. AB - A long-running dispute over who should get credit for first reporting landmarks on Mercury's uncharted hemisphere burst into public view on 26 May, when a Boston University press release claimed honors for a BU team without mentioning the contributions of an erstwhile collaborator, amateur astronomer Ron Dantowitz. The row, which has left both sides bitter and unwilling to work with each other, "was the opposite of how a collaboration between amateurs and professionals should be," says one of the scientists involved. PMID- 17758897 TI - GREENHOUSE WARMING: Dueling Models: Future U.S. Climate Uncertain. AB - A U.S. national assessment, drawing on the best available climate model predictions, has concluded that the United States will indeed warm, affecting everything from the western snowpacks that supply California with water to New England's fall foliage. But on a more detailed level, the assessment often draws a blank. As much as policy-makers would like to know exactly what's in store for Americans, the rudimentary state of regional climate science will not soon allow it, and the results of this 3-year effort brought the point home. PMID- 17758896 TI - CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES: Funding of 2000 Slots Sets Off Musical Chairs. AB - Four months before it goes into effect, a $605 million program to help Canadian universities attract and retain the best scientific talent has ignited a furor within Canadian academe. Research-intensive universities have begun aggressively shopping for prospective candidates, using the new chairs as bait. Smaller universities say that has left them fending off talent raids. PMID- 17758898 TI - EUROPEAN SCIENCE POLICY: France Rebels Against Gene-Patenting Law. AB - France is on a collision course with the European Union over an E.U. directive that many researchers believe would allow raw DNA sequences of human genes to be patented. On 7 June, French justice minister Elisabeth Guigou told the National Assembly that the directive--which must be enacted by each of the 15 E.U. member nations by 30 July--contradicts French bioethics laws, which forbid the patenting of any part of the human body. If France maintains its defiance, it could be fined up to $600,000 daily for each day it refuses to adopt the directive. PMID- 17758899 TI - RESEARCH POLICY: Report Tracks Federal Funding in Each State. AB - Maryland is the most research-intensive state in the country, according to a new report that describes in unprecedented detail where the federal government's annual $80 billion research budget is spent. Its authors hope the report will raise public awareness about research as well as inform politicians. PMID- 17758900 TI - AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY MEETING: Cool Comets, Barren Clusters, and a Maxed Out Universe. AB - About 900 astronomers gathered 2 weeks ago near the birthplace of Eastman Kodak Co. to share their latest pictures of the sky at the American Astronomical Society's 196th Meeting. Notable findings pointed to a cold origin for comet Hale Bopp, a nasty environment for extrasolar planets, and a maximum size for the biggest structures in the universe. PMID- 17758901 TI - Health care in former soviet republics. PMID- 17758902 TI - Contributions to the u.s. Space program. PMID- 17758903 TI - Mbeki and AIDS in Africa. PMID- 17758904 TI - Many modes of movement. PMID- 17758905 TI - GEOPHYSICS: Enhanced: A Strained Earth, Past and Present. AB - Plate tectonics leads to deformation within converging or transforming plates, but the rates at which this happens are difficult to evaluate. In this Perspective, Ramsay highlights a new technique reported by Muller et al. for overcoming this problem in past and present mountain-building regions, which have particularly complex deformation patterns. PMID- 17758906 TI - PALEOCLIMATE: A Causality Problem for Milankovitch. AB - According to the Milankovitch theory, changes in the incident solar radiation, called insolation, in the Northern Hemisphere provide the driving force for global glacial cycles. In their Perspective, Karner and Muller discuss recent studies of corals from around the world that shed doubt on the applicability of the theory to the termination of the penultimate glaciation. The authors argue that a fresh, unbiased look at the data is warranted. PMID- 17758907 TI - LIQUID CRYSTALS: New Banana Phases. AB - Liquid crystals-materials that flow like a fluid but are optically anisotropic like a crystal-exhibit large responses to modest external disturbances. In his Perspective, Lubensky discusses the advances reported in two papers in this issue, both of which involve liquid crystals made from V-shaped or bent-core molecules. Walba et al. report a synthetic strategy for producing a ferroelectric phase from achiral bent-core molecules. Pratibha et al. show that new liquid crystalline phases form when bent-core molecules are mixed with a particular class of rodlike molecules. These papers introduce new molecular designs that yield new liquid crystalline phases with controlled structure and properties. PMID- 17758908 TI - PREVENTIVE MEDICINE: AN ATTEMPT AT A DEFINITION. PMID- 17758909 TI - WILLIAM SPENCER CARTER 1869-1944. PMID- 17758910 TI - LOSSES IN PERSONNEL OF SOVIET BOTANY DURING THE WAR. PMID- 17758911 TI - THE BUDGET OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. PMID- 17758912 TI - RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE PREVENTIVE MEDICINE SERVICE OF THE U. S. ARMY. PMID- 17758913 TI - IN HONOR OF RALPH E. SMITH. PMID- 17758914 TI - THE CHARLES MAYER FELLOWSHIPS. PMID- 17758915 TI - THE PACIFIC DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17758916 TI - REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE CHICAGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. PMID- 17758917 TI - NEW VOLCANOES AND A NEW MOUNTAIN RANGE. PMID- 17758918 TI - COMPARATIVE STUDIES IN HUMAN BIOLOGY. PMID- 17758919 TI - PENICILLIN PRODUCTION. PMID- 17758920 TI - ENZYMATIC SYNTHESIS OF CRYSTALLINE SUCROSE. PMID- 17758921 TI - THE BRITISH SOCIETY FOR FREEDOM IN SCIENCE. PMID- 17758922 TI - THE CORRELATION OF THE INSULIN CONTENT AND THE HISTOLOGICAL PICTURE OF THE PANCREAS AT INTERVALS AFTER THE ADMINISTRATION OF ALLOXAN. PMID- 17758923 TI - THE CREATINE AND CREATININE EXCRETION OF NORMAL ADULT MALES. PMID- 17758924 TI - CORN OIL AND BUTTERFAT ESSENTIALLY EQUAL IN GROWTH-PROMOTING VALUE. PMID- 17758925 TI - ON QUIETING PARAMECIUM WITH METHYL CELLULOSE. PMID- 17758926 TI - A TECHNIQUE FOR MOUNTING FREELIVING PROTOZOA. PMID- 17758927 TI - MEASUREMENT OF THE INTELLIGENCE OF POLICEMEN. PMID- 17758928 TI - VITAMIN D. PMID- 17758929 TI - RESEARCH ON EARTHQUAKES. PMID- 17758930 TI - AGRICULTURE AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PMID- 17758932 TI - INTRODUCTORY NOTE. PMID- 17758931 TI - THE ELECTRIC MOULDING OF RUBBER. PMID- 17758934 TI - RESEARCH IN LAW. PMID- 17758933 TI - RESEARCH IN MEDICAL SCHOOLS. PMID- 17758935 TI - COSMIC ASPECTS OF ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY. PMID- 17758936 TI - AWARD OF FELLOWSHIPS BY THE GUGGENHEIM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION. PMID- 17758937 TI - HELIUM IN DEEP DIVING. PMID- 17758938 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17758939 TI - PUBLICATION BY PHOTOGRAPHY. PMID- 17758940 TI - DE KRUIF'S MICROBE HUNTERS. PMID- 17758941 TI - ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE SCIENCES. PMID- 17758942 TI - A TECHNIQUE FOR ARTIFICIAL FEEDING OF SANDFLIES (PHLEBOTOMUS) AND MOSQUITOES. PMID- 17758943 TI - EFFICIENCY OF PINHOLE PROBES. PMID- 17758944 TI - THE NUTRITION OF PLANARIAN WORMS. PMID- 17758946 TI - EPA pesticides regulation. PMID- 17758945 TI - EPA pesticides regulation. PMID- 17758947 TI - Protection of archeological sites. PMID- 17758948 TI - ESCA Systems. PMID- 17758949 TI - EPA pesticides regulation. PMID- 17758950 TI - Disclaimer. PMID- 17758952 TI - Protection of archeological sites. PMID- 17758951 TI - Degu colony available. PMID- 17758953 TI - Paper mills. PMID- 17758955 TI - Universities and the law: legislation, regulation, litigation. PMID- 17758954 TI - Sulfur pollution: charges that EPA distorted the data are examined. PMID- 17758956 TI - Plutonium: its morality questioned by national council of churches. PMID- 17758957 TI - Electron microscopy: imaging molecules in three dimensions. PMID- 17758958 TI - The coldest planet: methane ice found on pluto. PMID- 17758959 TI - Environmental adaptations. PMID- 17758960 TI - Achievement in Canada. PMID- 17758961 TI - Interactions of polypeptides. PMID- 17758962 TI - Neurobiology. PMID- 17758963 TI - A Western boundary current in the gulf of Mexico. AB - The curl of the wind stress over the Gulf of Mexico, during the winter and again in the summer, is similar to that over the central North Atlantic Ocean. An anticyclonic gyre is nearly always found in the western gulf, and we suggest that there is a typical western boundary current, similar in many important respects to the Gulf Stream. The flow appears to be strongest in winter and summer, in phase with the wind curl forcing, and there is evidence that this response is at least partially baroclinic. The deep baroclinic gyre persists when the wind curl vanishes. The winter transport is roughly half that of the Florida Current. PMID- 17758964 TI - Leaf pubescence: effects on absorptance and photosynthesis in a desert shrub. AB - The presence of leaf pubescence (leaf hairs) in Encelia farinosa, a desert species of the Composite family, reduces the absorptance of photosynthetically active radiation (400 to 700 nanometers) by as much as 56 percent more than a closely related but nonpubescent species, E. californica, a native of the relatively moist southern California coast. Pubescence in E. farinosa, which increases through the growing season, modifies the leaf energy balance and dramatically reduces the photosynthetic rate. The reduction in the photosynthetic rate is caused by decreased light absorption rather than decreased carbon dioxide conductance through the boundary layer. PMID- 17758966 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17758965 TI - Hydrogen produced from decomposition of methanol during engine compression? PMID- 17758967 TI - RADIATION AND MATTER. PMID- 17758968 TI - THE RELATIONS OF MAGNETISM TO MOLECULAR STRUCTURE. PMID- 17758969 TI - ENROLLMENT IN SCIENCE IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS. PMID- 17758970 TI - SYMBOLS. PMID- 17758971 TI - INTERNATIONAL UNITS AND SYMBOLS IN AEROGRAPHY. PMID- 17758972 TI - BACTERIAL LEAF SPOT OF TOBACCO. PMID- 17758973 TI - A SIMPLE EXPLANATION. PMID- 17758975 TI - PLANT DISEASES IN CANADA. PMID- 17758974 TI - COMMON PLANT NAMES. PMID- 17758976 TI - FIVE YEARS OF STARVATION OF LARVAe. PMID- 17758977 TI - THE ROLE OF THE NUCLEUS IN OXIDATION. AB - Injury produces in the leaf-cells of the Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) a darkening which is due to oxidation. The oxidation is much more rapid in the nucleus than in the cytoplasm and the facts indicate that this is also the case with the oxidation of the uninjured cell. PMID- 17758978 TI - AAAS Dues Increase. PMID- 17758979 TI - H. N. Russell, Astronomer. PMID- 17758980 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17758982 TI - Factors Affecting the Appearance of Picture Varnish. PMID- 17758981 TI - Erratum. AB - In "Potentially simple technique for rearing "germ-free fish" by Evelyn Shaw [Science 125, 987 (17 May 1957)] the second sentence of the second paragraph should read: "Of 25 trials (consisting of 10 eggs per trial) treated in this manner (3), eight trials remained germ-free throughout the experiment." PMID- 17758983 TI - Effect of Gibberellin on Cell Division in Hyoscyamus. PMID- 17758985 TI - Autoradiography of Volcanic Rocks of Mount Lassen. PMID- 17758986 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17758984 TI - Time Course of Far-Red Inactivation of Photomorphogenesis. PMID- 17758988 TI - Passive Voice and Personal Pronouns. PMID- 17758987 TI - University Responsibilities and Government Money. PMID- 17758989 TI - University Responsibilities and Government Money. PMID- 17758991 TI - Women in science: lack of full participation. PMID- 17758990 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17758992 TI - Rangeland productivity and exploitation in the sahel. AB - Results of a Malian-Dutch research project on the Sahelian pastures and their utilization suggest reasons why some efforts to develop traditional livestock farming in this area have been unsuccessful. Failure to appreciate the effects of low soil fertility as well as low rainfall on pasture production has resulted in underestimation of the productivity of the nomadic and seminomadic livestock farming system and overestimation of the possibilities for increasing production by better management and by modernization. PMID- 17758993 TI - UNIDO Hopes for Biotechnology Center: Plans to help Third World nations develop expertise in biotechnology are hindered by argument over site for proposed center. PMID- 17758994 TI - Biotecnology network planned. PMID- 17758995 TI - The Commercialization of Space: Suddenly there is a lot of interest in high-tech development in orbit; NASA and the White House are working hard to encourage it. PMID- 17758996 TI - France gives research a top funding priority. PMID- 17758998 TI - Congress's Fancy Turns to Industrial Policy. PMID- 17758997 TI - Move to bar political checks on science appointees. PMID- 17758999 TI - USDA Drops Landsat. PMID- 17759001 TI - Catalysis in Solar Energy: Photoelectrochemical cells approach the efficiency of photovoltaics, but durability and cost are still major hurdles. PMID- 17759000 TI - Investigation Confirms TMI Cleanup Problems. PMID- 17759002 TI - Desertification as a social problem: desertification and development. PMID- 17759003 TI - Genomic reorganization: mobile genetic elements. PMID- 17759004 TI - Stratigraphic analysis: quantitative stratigraphic correlation. PMID- 17759005 TI - Drosophila in its ecosystem: ecological genetics and evolution. PMID- 17759006 TI - Predicting eruptions at mount st. Helens, june 1980 through december 1982. AB - Thirteen eruptions of Mount St. Helens between June 1980 and December 1982 were predicted tens of minutes to, more generally, a few hours in advance. The last seven of these eruptions, starting with that of mid-April 1981, were predicted between 3 days and 3 weeks in advance. Precursory seismicity, deformation of the crater floor and the lava dome, and, to a lesser extent, gas emissions provided telltale evidence of forthcoming eruptions. The newly developed capability for prediction reduced risk to life and property and influenced land-use decisions. PMID- 17759007 TI - Seismic precursors to the mount st. Helens eruptions in 1981 and 1982. AB - Six categories of seismic events are recognized on the seismograms from stations in the vicinity of Mount St. Helens. Two types of high-frequency earthquakes occur near the volcano and under the volcano at depths of more than 4 kilometers. Medium- and low-frequency earthquakes occur at shallow depths (less than 3 kilometers) within the volcano and increase in number and size before eruptions. Temporal changes in the energy release of the low-frequency earthquakes have been used in predicting all the eruptions since October 1980. During and after eruptions, two types of low-frequency emergent surface events occur, including rockfalls and steam or gas bursts from the lava dome. PMID- 17759008 TI - Deformation monitoring at mount st. Helens in 1981 and 1982. AB - For several weeks before each eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1981 and 1982, viscous magma rising in the feeder conduit inflated the lava dome and shoved the crater floor laterally against the immobile crater walls, producing ground cracks and thrust faults. The rates of deformation accelerated before eruptions, and thus it was possible to predict eruptions 3 to 19 days in advance. Lack of deformation outside the crater showed that intrusion of magma during 1981 and 1982 was not voluminous. PMID- 17759009 TI - Eruption prediction aided by electronic tiltmeter data at mount st. Helens. AB - Telemetry from electronic tiltmeters in the crater at Mount St. Helens contributed to accurate predictions of all six effusive eruptions from June 1981 to August 1982. Tilting of the crater floor began several weeks before each eruption, accelerated sharply for several days, and then abruptly changed direction a few minutes to days before extrusion began. Each episode of uplift was caused by the intrusion of magma into the lava dome from a shallow source, causing the dome to inflate and eventually rupture. Release of magma pressure and increased surface loading by magma added to the dome combined to cause subsidence just prior to extrusion. PMID- 17759010 TI - Gas emissions and the eruptions of mount st. Helens through 1982. AB - The monitoring of gas emissions from Mount St. Helens includes daily airborne measurements of sulfur dioxide in the volcanic plume and monthly sampling of gases from crater fumaroles. The composition of the fumarolic gases has changed slightly since 1980: the water content increased from 90 to 98 percent, and the carbon dioxide concentrations decreased from about 10 to 1 percent. The emission rates of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide were at their peak during July and August 1980, decreased rapidly in late 1980, and have remained low and decreased slightly through 1981 and 1982. These patterns suggest steady outgassing of a single batch of magma (with a volume of not less than 0.3 cubic kilometer) to which no significant new magma has been added since mid-1980. The gas data were useful in predicting eruptions in August 1980 and June 1981. PMID- 17759011 TI - Petrologic monitoring of 1981 and 1982 eruptive products from mount st. Helens. AB - New material from the dacite lava dome of Mount St. Helens, collected soon after the start of each successive extrusion, is subjected to rapid chemical and petrologic analysis. The crystallinity of the dacite lava produced in 1981 and 1982 is 38 to 42 percent, about 10 percent higher than for products of the explosive 1980 eruptions. This increase in crystallinity accompanies a decrease in the ratio of hornblende to hornblende plus orthopyroxene, which suggests that the volatile-rich, crystal-poor material explosively erupted in 1980 came from the top of a zoned magma chamber and that a lower, volatile-poor and crystal-rich region is now being tapped. The major-element chemistry of the dacite lava has remained essentially constant (62 to 63 percent silica) since August 1980, ending a trend of decreasing silica seen in the products of the explosive eruptions of May through August 1980. PMID- 17759012 TI - Monitoring the 1980-1982 eruptions of mount st. Helens: compositions and abundances of glass. AB - The Mount St. Helens eruptive sequence of 1980 through 1982 reflects the tapping of successively less water-rich, more highly crystallized, and more viscous, highly phyric dacitic magmas. These changes reflect both syn- and preeruption processes. The decreasing water content points to a continued decline in the volume and intensity of explosive pyroclastic activity. This decreasing water content appears to be composed of a long-term trend established during a long period of repose (about 130 years) imposed on short-term trends established during short periods (about 7 to 100 days) of repose between eruptions in the present eruptive cycle. The last two eruptive cycles of this volcano, the T (A.D. 1800) and W cycles (about A. D. 1500), exhibited similar trends. These changes are inferred from a combination of petrographic, bulk chemical, and electron- and ion-microprobe analyses of matrix and melt-inclusion glasses. PMID- 17759013 TI - Deep earthquakes beneath mount st. Helens: evidence for magmatic gas transport? AB - Small-magnitude earthquakes began beneath Mount St. Helens 40 days before the eruption of 20 March 1982. Unlike earlier preeruption seismicity for this volcano, which had been limited to shallow events (less than 3 kilometers), many of these earthquakes were deep (between 5 and 11 kilometers). The location of these preeruptive events at such depth indicates that a larger volume of the volcanic system was affected prior to the 20 March eruption than prior to any of the earlier dome-building eruptions. The depth-time relation between the deep earthquakes and the explosive onset of the eruption is compatible with the upward migration of magmatic gas released from a separate deep reservoir. PMID- 17759014 TI - Eruption-triggered avalanche, flood, and lahar at mount st. Helens--effects of winter snowpack. AB - An explosive eruption of Mount St. Helens on 19 March 1982 had substantial impact beyond the vent because hot eruption products interacted with a thick snowpack. A blast of hot pumice, dome rocks, and gas dislodged crater-wall snow that avalanched through the crater and down the north flank. Snow in the crater swiftly melted to form a transient lake, from which a destructive flood and lahar swept down the north flank and the North Fork Toutle River. PMID- 17759015 TI - Peru coastal currents during el nino: 1976 and 1982. AB - Year-long measurements of subsurface current and temperature on Peru's continental shelf included the onset of El Nino in 1976 and 1982. The Peru Coastal Undercurrent more than doubled in speed and advected anomalously warm water poleward. El Nino began in different seasons in 1976 and 1982, but the current and temperature responses were very similar. Acceleration of poleward flow at 10 degrees S occurred several days after sea level rose at the Galapagos Islands in October 1982, suggesting the onset of El Nino propagated as a Kelvin wave. PMID- 17759016 TI - A cellulolytic nitrogen-fixing bacterium cultured from the gland of deshayes in shipworms (bivalvia: teredinidae). AB - A novel bacterium has been isolated in pure culture from the gland of Deshayes in six species of teredinid bivalves. It is the first bacterium known to both digest cellulose and fix nitrogen, and it is a participant in a unique symbiotic relation with shipworms that may explain how teredinids are able to use wood as their principal food source. PMID- 17759017 TI - Territorial bell miners and other birds affecting populations of insect prey. AB - Bell miners (Manorina melanophrys) feed primarily on the lerps and nymphs of psyllids, and they defend communal territories against other bird species. As bell miners were removed exprimentally from a psyllid-infested patch of eucalypt forest, birds of 11 other species moved in to feed on psyllids and within 4 months they eradicated the infestation. This shows the ability of other birds to control these insects in the absence of bell miners and the value of interspecific territoriality to bell miners. PMID- 17759019 TI - To retire or not to retire, that is the question. PMID- 17759018 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17759020 TI - Response: stratospheric ozone. PMID- 17759021 TI - Stratospheric ozone. PMID- 17759022 TI - Anonymous charges. PMID- 17759023 TI - The Space Shack: The Administration, pushed by Congress, backs an automated, private space lab, overriding NASA's fear that the project will undercut the manned space station. PMID- 17759024 TI - A new space policy. PMID- 17759025 TI - Press asks reprieve for condemned somalis. PMID- 17759026 TI - Congress's Handiwork on the R&D Budget. PMID- 17759027 TI - Industry Lobbies Hard for R&D Tax Credit: Congressional support appears strong, but proponents of the expiring R&D tax credits worry that the legislation could perish in budget battles. PMID- 17759028 TI - SDI Test Takes Measure of Potential Targets: The most costly and complex SDI experiment conducted so far gathered basic data on what potential targets might look like to antimissile defenses, but it was marred by malfunctions. PMID- 17759029 TI - Designs on a National Research Network: Major upgrading of existing computer networks urged as part of strategy on high-performance computing. PMID- 17759031 TI - Sea Urchin Massacre Is a Natural Experiment: Major influences on community composition are often difficult to determine, but a massive natural experiment in the Caribbean has thrown some light on one case. PMID- 17759030 TI - Heart of darkness. PMID- 17759032 TI - The New Eye of Texas Is Soon to Be Upon Us: This recently proposed telescope promises twice the light-gathering power of any existing instrument at a strikingly low cost; the key is an innovative, albeit specialized, design. PMID- 17759033 TI - Recent progress in the direct liquefaction of coal. AB - Interest in direct coal liquefaction steadily decreased during the 1980s as the price of crude oil dropped; there is now only one integrated coal liquefaction pilot plant active full time in the United States. The economics derived early in the decade established the price of transportation fuels from coal at $80 per barrel or higher. However, there have been dramatic improvements in the technology since 1983 that have not been widely appreciated. Recent designs and cost estimates show that a 60 percent decrease in the cost of liquid fuels from coal to an equivalent of $35 per barrel for crude oil. Although this cost is not low enough to justify immediate commercialization, additional improvements have been identified that could make direct liquefaction an attractive way to produce gasoline and other conventional fuels. PMID- 17759034 TI - Cooling, stopping, and trapping atoms. AB - Significant advances have been made in the ability to control the motion of neutral atoms. Cooling and trapping atoms present new possibilities for studies of ultracold atoms and atomic interactions. The techniques of laser cooling and deceleration of atomic beams, magnetic and laser trapping of neutral atoms, and a number of recent advances in the use of radiative forces to manipulate atoms are reviewed. PMID- 17759035 TI - Electronic structure and valence-bond band structure of cuprate superconducting materials. AB - From ab initio calculations on various clusters representing the La2 xSrxCu(1)O(4) and Y(1)Ba(2)Cu(3)O(7) classes of high-temperature superconductors, it is shown that (i) all copper sites have a Cu(II)(d(9))oxidation state with one unpaired spin that is coupled antiferromagnetically to the spins of adjacent Cu(II) sites; (ii) oxidation beyond the cupric (Cu(II)) state leads not to Cu(III) but rather to oxidized oxygen atoms, with an oxygen ppi hole bridging two Cu(II) sites; (iii) the oxygen ppihole at these oxidized sites is ferromagnetically coupled to the adjacent Cu(II)d electrons despite the fact that this is opposed by the direct dd exchange; and (iv) the hopping of these oxygen ppi holes (in CuO sheets or chains) from site to site is responsible for the conductivity in these systems (N-electron band structures are reported for the migration of these localized charges). PMID- 17759036 TI - The magnon pairing mechanism of superconductivity in cuprate ceramics. AB - The magnon pairing mechanism is derived to explain the high-temperature superconductivity of both the La2-xSrxCu(1)O(4) and Y(1)Ba(2)Cu(3)O(7) systems. Critical features include (i) a one- or two-dimensional lattice of linear Cu-O-Cu bonds that contribute to large antiferromagnetic (superexchange) coupling of the Cu(II)(d(9)) orbitals; (ii) holes in the oxygen ppi bands [rather than Cu(III)(d(8))] leading to high mobility hole conduction; and (iii) strong ferromagnetic coupling between oxygen ppi holes and adjacent Cu(II)(d(9)) electrons. The ferromagnetic coupling of the conduction electrons with copper d spins induces the attractive interaction responsible for the superconductivity, leading to triplet-coupled pairs called "tripgems." The disordered Heisenberg lattice of antiferromagnetically coupled copper d spins serves a role analogous to the phonons in a conventional system. This leads to a maximum transition temperature of about 200 K. For La(1.85)Sr(0.15)Cu(1)O(4), the energy gap is in excellent agreement with experiment. For Y(1)Ba(2)Cu(3)O(7), we find that both the CuO sheets and the CuO chains can contribute to the supercurrent. PMID- 17759037 TI - Spectroscopic evidence for pressure-induced coordination changes in silicate glasses and melts. AB - Infrared spectra demonstrate that at pressures above 20 gigapascals and room temperature the regular tetrahedral coordination of oxygen around both silicon and aluminum ions is severely disrupted in SiO(2), CaMgSi(2)O(6), and CaAlSi(2)O(8) composition glasses. The spectra are consistent with gradual, pressure-induced increases in the coordination numbers of silicon and aluminum. A variety of coordination environments, from sixfold to fourfold, appears to be present at pressures as high as about 40 gigapascals. This apparent change in coordination is not quenchable at room temperature: on decompression, the glasses return to tetrahedral coordination. This continuous and reversible coordination change in amorphous silicates explains the lack of observation of coordination changes in silicate glasses quenched from high pressure, the shallow melting slopes observed for mantle silicates at high pressures, and the possible presence of neutrally buoyant magmas deep within the terrestrial planets. PMID- 17759038 TI - R&D in FY 1989: Looking Ahead in an Election Year: Thirteenth Annual AAAS Colloquium on R&D Policy. PMID- 17759039 TI - Variance in academia: the academic profession. PMID- 17759040 TI - Marxism and soviet science: science, philosophy, and human behavior in the soviet union. PMID- 17759042 TI - Continental landforms: geomorphic systems of north america. PMID- 17759041 TI - Samples of the solar system: meteorites and their parent planets. PMID- 17759043 TI - State-of-the-Art Materials: Fine Ceramics. PMID- 17759044 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17759045 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17759046 TI - Radar systems. PMID- 17759047 TI - Child care dilemma. PMID- 17759048 TI - Child care dilemma. PMID- 17759049 TI - Child care dilemma. PMID- 17759050 TI - Child care dilemma. PMID- 17759051 TI - Manned spaceflight fails peer review. PMID- 17759053 TI - AIDS pamphlet to be mailed. PMID- 17759052 TI - Space policy: no lift-off. PMID- 17759054 TI - Koop Floats a Plan; CDC Not Impressed. PMID- 17759055 TI - Academy/IOM Name AIDS Panel. PMID- 17759056 TI - Biting the bullet. PMID- 17759057 TI - Is the Greenhouse Here?: A global warming plus hints of other climatic changes are starting to build the case for an intensifying greenhouse, but can the case be proven in time? PMID- 17759058 TI - Recount on Amazon trees. PMID- 17759059 TI - Growth of thin chemically bonded diamondlike films by ion beam deposition. AB - Carbon films with a diamondlike structure that are chemically bonded to surfaces have been deposited by means of low-energy C(+) ion beams. When mass-selected C(+) beams at energies in the range from 20 to 200 electron volts impinge on atomically clean surfaces, the first carbon monolayer grows as a carbide structure that is chemically bonded to the surface. As deposition continues, the structure evolves over the next several atomic layers into a diamondlike structure. These pure carbon films are strongly adhered to the surface through the carbide bonds, which also provide for an intimate interface. There are significant applications for such films, particularly as insulators and doped semiconductors. PMID- 17759060 TI - IRAS 14348-1447, an Ultraluminous Pair of Colliding, Gas-Rich Galaxies: The Birth of a Quasar? AB - Ground-based observations of the object IRAS 14348-1447, which was discovered with the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, show that it is an extremely luminous colliding galaxy system that emits more than 95 percent of its energy at far infrared wavelengths. IRAS 14348-1447, which is receeding from the sun at 8 percent of the speed of light, has a bolometric luminosity more than 100 times larger than that of our galaxy, and is therefore as luminous as optical quasars. New optical, infrared, and spectroscopic measurements suggest that the dominant luminosity source is a dustenshrouded quasar. The fuel for the intense activity is an enormous supply of molecular gas. Carbon monoxide emission has been detected at a wavelength of 2.6 millimeters by means of a new, more sensitive receiver recently installed on the 12-meter telescope of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. IRAS 14348-1447 is the most distant and luminous source of carbon monoxide line emission yet detected. The derived mass of interstellar molecular hydrogen is 6 x 10(10) solar masses. This value is approximately 20 times that of the molecular gas content of the Milky Way and is similar to the largest masses of atomic hydrogen found in galaxies. A large mass of molecular gas may be a prerequisite for the formation of quasars during strong galactic collisions. PMID- 17759061 TI - Response: is ethanol antagonist rol5-4513 selective for ethanol? PMID- 17759062 TI - Annual meeting returns to Boston. PMID- 17759063 TI - Nomination of AAAS Fellows Invited. PMID- 17759064 TI - Amendment to AAAS Constitution Adopted. PMID- 17759065 TI - Entries asked for behavioral science research prize. PMID- 17759066 TI - More museum benefits announced. PMID- 17759067 TI - Participation of women and minorities in science on decline. PMID- 17759068 TI - Soviet scientists to speak at annual meeting. PMID- 17759069 TI - Pacific division to meet in corvallis in june. PMID- 17759070 TI - AAAS Radio Program on Mutual. PMID- 17759071 TI - Roots of a discipline: from mineralogy to geology. PMID- 17759072 TI - Discrimination cases: academics in court. PMID- 17759073 TI - Biotic changes: global bio-events. PMID- 17759074 TI - Explorations of the cosmos: observational cosmology. PMID- 17759075 TI - Some other books of interest: methods in computational chemistry. PMID- 17759076 TI - Some other books of interest: schrodinger. PMID- 17759077 TI - Some other books of interest: environmental radon. PMID- 17759078 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17759079 TI - Partners in Science Education. PMID- 17759080 TI - Efforts to Strengthen Education in the Sciences. PMID- 17759081 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17759082 TI - Relabeling of Cis and Trans Isomers of 1,3-Dimethylcyclopentane. PMID- 17759083 TI - More on "Unpublished" Material. PMID- 17759084 TI - Basic Research versus Pure Research. PMID- 17759085 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17759087 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17759088 TI - National Humanities Foundation. PMID- 17759089 TI - Evolution of an Active Mathematical Theory: Topology started with differential equations; its latest turn brings it back to the differential calculus. PMID- 17759090 TI - Ohio: Old Laissez-Faire Attitude on Linking Education, Research, and Industry Undergoing Change. PMID- 17759091 TI - Barry Goldwater on Space: GOP Candidate Wants Military, Not Civilians, To Run Space Program. PMID- 17759092 TI - Erratum. AB - In the report "Neutron and proton dosages in the upper atmosphere from solar flare radiation" by E. J. Flamm and R. E. Lingenfelter (26 June, p. 1566), the factor 1/micro should be eliminated from Eqs. 2, 3a, and 3b. This correction reduces the calculated neutron and proton doses by approximately 50 percent but does not otherwise alter the conclusions drawn from the calculation. The authors thank Dr. I. M. Karp for pointing out this error. PMID- 17759093 TI - Ancient Granite Gneiss in the Black Hills, South Dakota. AB - Granite gneiss, with an age of approximately 2.5 billion years, in the Black Hills, South Dakota, provides a link between ancient rocks in western Wyoming and Montana and in eastern North and South Dakota and Minnesota. The discovery suggests that early Precambrian rocks covered an extensive area in northcentral United States and were not restricted to several small nuclei. PMID- 17759094 TI - High-Pressure Polymorph of Iron. AB - An x-ray diffraction study of iron under pressure has shown that alpha-iron (body centered cubic) transforms to hexagonal-close-packing (designated epsilon-iron) at 130 kb, room temperature. The volume change for the transformation is -0.20 +/ 0.03 cm2/ mole. The slope for the gamma-epsilon phase boundary has been calculated to be 2 +/- 1 degrees C/kb. The molar volume of iron decreases from 7.10 cm3/mole (density = 7.85 g/cm(3)) at room pressure to 6.10 +/- 0.08 cm(3)/mole (density = 9.1 +/- 0.1 g/cm(3)) at 200 kb and room temperature. The extrapolation of the gamma-epsilon phase boundary, consistent with shock wave data, suggests that it may have an influence on the properties of the earth's core. PMID- 17759095 TI - Magnesium Compounds: New Dense Phases. AB - Magnesium silicide (Mg3Si) undergoes a transformation from a cubic (fluorite) type lattice to a hexagonal lattice at pressures above about 25 kilobars and temperatures above 900 degrees C. There is an increase of density of about 15 percent associated with this structure change. Both the parent and product substances are semiconductors, but of different resistivities. The high pressure phase may be recovered and is indefinitely metastable at normal ambient conditions. PMID- 17759096 TI - X-ray Diffraction Data on Two High-Pressure Phases of Calcium Carbonate. AB - X-ray diffraction studies conducted at high pressure with a beryllium pressure vessel show that compression parallel to the c-axis of CaCO(3)-I (calcite), as the phase boundary of CaCO-(3)II (modified calcite type) is approached, results in a relative reduction of the c-axis of phase II of several times that of the a axes. Such data are not consistent with previously proposed anion disorder in CaCO(3)-II. At 18.7 +/- .5 kb and room temperature a new phase of CaCO3 has been observed that is assumed to be phase III found by Bridgman. At this pressure the x-ray diffraction pattern can be indexed as orthorhombic KNO3-IV type, with a0 = 8.90 +/- .01 A, b0 = 8.42 +/- .01 A, and c0 = 7.14 +/- .01 A (Z = 10). PMID- 17759097 TI - Amitrole Translocation in Agropyron repens Increased by the Addition of Ammonium Thiocyanate. AB - The mechanism for the enhancement of amitrole activity on quackgrass (Agropyron repens) by the addition of ammonium thiocyanate was studied. Absorption and translocation of C(14)-amitrole after applications to foliage were determined by a direct count of the radioactivity in the wash solution and plant extracts. Regardless of the time of application, the addition of ammonium thiocyanate did not alter the amount of C(14)-amitrole absorbed. Ammonium thiocyanate (5000 parts per million) greatly increased the amount of carbon-14 translocated. This increase may account for the greater herbicidal effectiveness of the mixture of amitrole and ammonium thiocyanate. PMID- 17759098 TI - Circulatory Responses to Exercise. PMID- 17759099 TI - Great Lakes Research. PMID- 17759100 TI - Air Pollution. PMID- 17759101 TI - Mollusks. PMID- 17759103 TI - Artifact or artefact? PMID- 17759102 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17759104 TI - Galapagos graffiti. PMID- 17759105 TI - Support for big thicket. PMID- 17759106 TI - ERTS Imagery. PMID- 17759107 TI - Implementation of technology. PMID- 17759108 TI - Modeling the world. PMID- 17759110 TI - Macroscopic quantum phenomena from pairing in superconductors. PMID- 17759109 TI - The two worlds of higher education. PMID- 17759111 TI - Lake Erie's Fish Community: 150 Years of Cultural Stresses. PMID- 17759113 TI - Laird return could aid research. PMID- 17759112 TI - The committee on national statistics. PMID- 17759114 TI - Mexico (II): Growing Pains for Science Policy Agency. PMID- 17759115 TI - Does Daddario Want to Be OTA Head? PMID- 17759116 TI - FAS Protests Cut in Biomedical Funds. PMID- 17759117 TI - Federal council fears future. PMID- 17759118 TI - Ocean temperature gradients: solar power from the sea. PMID- 17759119 TI - Polonium radiohalos: an alternate interpretation. AB - A study of the sizes of so-called polonium radiohalos of various types found in biotite from Bancroft, Ontario, has been carried out. The evidence is consistent with the interpretation that these halos are variants of the standard uranium halos. A review of the literature indicates that there is no firm evidence that polonium halos exist, all evidence being equally consistent with the interpretation that these are uranium halos. PMID- 17759120 TI - Water content in convective storm clouds. AB - The condensed water content of convective storms was measured by the use of a penetrating aircraft. Regions 1 to 2 kilometers in extent and having condensed water contents of about 20 grams per cubic meter were found to be definite features of the cloud interior. PMID- 17759121 TI - Ionic conductivity of yttrium fluoride and lutetium fluoride. AB - At the transitions from the low-temperature orthorhombic forms of lutetium fluoride and yttrium fluoride to the high-temperature hexagonal forms, there are increases of several orders of magnitude in the ionic conductivities. In the high temperature phases the conductivities are comparable to those of typical ionic melts. These fluoride compounds are therefore solid electrolytes. PMID- 17759122 TI - Shape and nature of small sedimentary quartz particles. AB - Quartz particles in sediments become flatter with decreasing size; a cleavage mechanism may operate below the critical size of about 100 microns. Flat particles would tend to form a more open packing than spherical particles, and this may contribute to the collapse of loess and similar soils and the sudden loss of strength observed in "sensitive" clay soils. PMID- 17759123 TI - Time differences in the formation of meteorites as determined from the ratio of lead-207 to lead-206. AB - Measurements of the lead isotopic composition and the uranium, thorium, and lead concentrations in meteorites were made in order to obtain more precise radiometric ages of these members of the solar system. The newly determined value of the lead isotopic composition of Canyon Diablo troilite is as follows: (206)Pb/(204)Pb = 9.307, (207)Pb/(2O4)Pb = 10.294, and (208)Pb/(204)Pb = 29.476. The leads of Angra dos Reis, Sioux County, and Nuevo Laredo achondrites are very radiogenic, the (206)Pb/(204)Pb values are about 200, and the uranium-thorium lead systems are nearly concordant. The ages of the meteorites as calculated from a single-stage (207)Pb/(206)Pb isochron based on the newly determined primordial lead value and the newly reported (235)U and (838)U decay constants, are 4.528 x 10(9) years for Sioux County and Nuevo Laredo and 4.555 x 10(9) years for Angra dos Reis. When calculated with the uranium decay constants used by Patterson, these ages are 4.593 x 10(9) years and 4.620 x 10(9) years, respectively, and are therefore 40 to 70 x 10(6) years older than the 4.55 x 10(9) years age Patterson reported. The age difference of 27 x 10(6) years between Angra dos Reis and the other two meteorites is compatible with the difference between the initial (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratio of Angra dos Reis and that of seven basaltic achondrites observed by Papanastassiou and Wasserburg. The time difference is also comparable to that determined by (129)1-(129)Xe chronology. The ages of ordinary chondrites (H5 and L6) range from 4.52 to 4.57 x 10(9) years, and, here too, time differences in the formation of the parent bodies or later metamorphic events are indicated. Carbonaceous chondrites(C2 and C3) appear to contain younger lead components. PMID- 17759124 TI - Fossil parasitic copepods from a lower cretaceous fish. AB - Well-preserved Lower Cretaceous fossil copepods related to the super-family Dichelesthioidea have been collected from the gill chamber of the ichthyodectid fish Cladocyclus gardneri. The fossils provide conclusive evidence suporting recent theories that link caligid copepods, which are parasitic on fish, to the invertebrate-associated siphonostomes. This is the first discovery of fossil parasitic copepods, and they are by far the oldest copepods of any sort known. PMID- 17759125 TI - Silurian echiuroids: possible feeding traces in the thorold sandstone. AB - Problematic trace fossils collected from the Middle Silurian Thorold Sandstone bear a striking resemblance to feeding traces made by the proboscises of modern echiuroid wormns. Paleoecological approximations of depth and salinity may be possible depending on population densities. Echiuroids may have been a significant element of the Paleozoic benthos. PMID- 17759126 TI - Phytoplankton algae: nutrient concentrations and growth. PMID- 17759127 TI - Project sanguine? PMID- 17759128 TI - Literature. PMID- 17759129 TI - Chemicals for electrophoresis. PMID- 17759130 TI - Argon ion milling. PMID- 17759132 TI - Statistics calculator. PMID- 17759131 TI - Automatic nuclear counting. PMID- 17759133 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17759134 TI - Pentagonal and icosahedral order in rapidly cooled metals. AB - The discovery of an alloy of aluminum and manganese with sharp Bragg diffraction spots and an icosahedral point group symmetry was announced last year. The icosahedral symmetry appears to be an intrinsic property of the material and not an artifact of twinning. There are remarkable similarities between the observed diffraction patterns and aperiodic tesselations of space called Penrose tiles. The relation between the experiments and Penrose tiles, as well as phenomenological descriptions of the icosahedral aluminum-manganese alloy as a superposition of incommensurate density waves, are reviewed. Other types of exotic crystallography are also discussed. PMID- 17759136 TI - Unique Anthropology Films Lie in Limbo: Smithsonian's records of vanishing cultures are unfinished, unfunded, and inaccessible to scholars. PMID- 17759135 TI - The Electricity Industry's Dilemma: Haunted by cost overruns and faced with uncertain forecasts, utilities are shelving construction; some analysts are predicting trouble ahead. PMID- 17759137 TI - Physics institute will not restrict meetings. PMID- 17759138 TI - Site Requirements Drawn Up for SSC. PMID- 17759139 TI - A $750-million plan for coal research. PMID- 17759140 TI - Weather Satellites Coming of Age: After 25 years, observations from satellites have become clearly useful in weather forecasting by computers, but only for some places at some times. PMID- 17759141 TI - Association awards presented at annual meeting in los angeles. PMID- 17759142 TI - Signals and receivers: insect communication. PMID- 17759143 TI - Mineralogy: feldspars and feldspathoids. PMID- 17759144 TI - Paleolimnology: lake sediments and environmental history. PMID- 17759145 TI - Radiative properties of the background aerosol: absorption component of extinction. AB - The light-scattering and light-absorption coefficients of the global background aerosol define its single-scatter albedo. Continuous, simultaneous measurements of these optical coefficients were made on a daily basis for the remote marine mid-troposphere; such measurements are essential for assessment of the effects of aerosol on atmospheric radiative transfer. Measurements of light-absorption coefficients made at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii were higher than expected, and the single-scatter albedo was lower than the value often used in radiative transfer models. Soot appears to be the most likely primary absorber, and hemispheric dispersal of this combustion-derived material is suggested. PMID- 17759147 TI - Working group formed to focus on anthropology and remote sensing. PMID- 17759146 TI - Invasion and extinction in the west Indian ant fauna: evidence from the dominican amber. AB - Of 37 genera and well-defined subgenera identified in the amber of the Dominican Republic (late Oligocene or early Miocene), 34 have survived somewhere in the New World tropics to the present, although the species studied thus far are extinct. Of the surviving genera and subgenera, 22 persist on Hispaniola. Fifteen genera and subgenera have colonized the island since amber times, restoring the number of genera and well-defined subgenera now present on Hispaniola to 37. A higher extinction rate has occurred in genera and subgenera that are either highly specialized or possess less colonizing ability, as evidenced by their restriction to the New World. PMID- 17759148 TI - METHODS OF SECURING BETTER COOPERATION BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND LABORATORY ZOOLOGISTS IN THE SOLUTION OF PROBLEMS OF GENERAL OR NATIONAL IMPORTANCE. PMID- 17759150 TI - MEMBERSHIP OF DIVISIONS. PMID- 17759149 TI - THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. PMID- 17759152 TI - RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS. PMID- 17759153 TI - AN IMMUNE VARIETY OF SUGAR CANE. PMID- 17759151 TI - THE INDUSTRIAL FELLOWSHIPS OF THE MELLON INSTITUTE. PMID- 17759154 TI - THE USE OF POISON GAS. PMID- 17759156 TI - NOTES ON CERTAIN CONGLOMERATIC STRUCTURES IN LIMESTONES IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. PMID- 17759155 TI - MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE ON POLICY OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17759157 TI - THE UTAH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17759158 TI - THE KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17759159 TI - Research, and Political Power. PMID- 17759160 TI - W. Bothe, Experimental Nuclear Physicist. PMID- 17759161 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17759163 TI - Delayed Pain as a Peripheral Sensory Pathway. PMID- 17759162 TI - Delayed Pain as a Peripheral Sensory Pathway. PMID- 17759164 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17759165 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17759167 TI - Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, C.B., F.R.S. (1860-1948). PMID- 17759166 TI - Science and the Maintenance of Peace. PMID- 17759169 TI - Underwater Listening to the White Porpoise (Delphinapterus leucas). PMID- 17759168 TI - The Path of Carbon in Photosynthesis IV: The Identity and Sequence of the Intermediates in Sucrose Synthesis. PMID- 17759170 TI - Colorimetric Estimation of Succinic Dehydrogenase by Triphenyltetrazolium Chloride. PMID- 17759171 TI - Determination of Radioactive Content of Rocks by Means of Geiger-Muller Counters. PMID- 17759172 TI - An Ostreodynamometer for Studying the Activities Inside the Shell of Bivalve Mollusks. PMID- 17759174 TI - Atmospheric Pollution. PMID- 17759173 TI - The Osmotic Activities of Sodium Penicillins F, G, K, and X. PMID- 17759175 TI - History and Development of Chemical Periodicals in the Field of Analytical Chemistry: 1877-1950. PMID- 17759176 TI - Harry Federley: 1879-1951. PMID- 17759177 TI - Herbert Spencer Jackson: 1883-1951. PMID- 17759178 TI - Degradation of Radioactive Glucose. PMID- 17759179 TI - Competition of the Aliesterase in Rat Serum with the Pseudo Cholinesterase for Diisopropyl Fluorophosphonate. PMID- 17759180 TI - The Hall Effect and Electrical Resistivity of Tellurium. PMID- 17759181 TI - Interpretation of the Double Reversal of the Hall Effect in Tellurium. PMID- 17759182 TI - Red Blood Cell Studies: Ashby Curves. PMID- 17759183 TI - The Ultracentrifugation of Soluble Cytochromes. PMID- 17759184 TI - Widespread Distribution of Delacroixia coronata and other Saprophytic Entomophthoraceae in Plant Detritus. PMID- 17759185 TI - Antibiotics and Immunodesensitization in the Treatment of Human Brucellosis. PMID- 17759186 TI - Homing Not Hindered by Wing Magnets. PMID- 17759187 TI - Japanese Illusion. PMID- 17759188 TI - A Flat, Adjustable Lantern Slide Carrier. PMID- 17759189 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17759190 TI - World food. PMID- 17759191 TI - Erratum. AB - In Mark Crawford's article "Genentech sues FDA on growth hormone" (News & Comment, 20 Mar., p. 1454), antibody response that occurs in some patients using Protropin was incorrectly portrayed as the result of the product's 192nd amino acid-a methionyl. While the methionyl may be involved in the antibody responses of a limited number of Protropin users, there is evidence that antibody formation is a result of a number of factors. In particular, the precise details of the manufacturing process appear to be the major factor in determining the antigenicity of growth hormone preparations. PMID- 17759192 TI - Response: malaria diagnosis. PMID- 17759193 TI - Pork Barrel Science: No End in Sight: Congress is unlikely to stop appropriating money for specific academic facilities, and universities are unlikely to stop asking for special treatment. Is a new review mechanism needed? PMID- 17759194 TI - NSF Puts Big Stake On Research Centers: Increase in multidisciplinary research facilities seen as response to change in organization of science. PMID- 17759196 TI - Naval strategy: america rules the waves? PMID- 17759195 TI - The Navy After Lehman: Rough Sailing Ahead?: Navy Secretary John Lehman presided over a major buildup of the fleet but critics charge that there may not be enough money to equip and operate all those new ships; dissent did not flourish in Lehman's Navy. PMID- 17759197 TI - Conserving energy. PMID- 17759198 TI - Soviet bread. PMID- 17759199 TI - Back to the future. PMID- 17759200 TI - A Free Electron Laser in the Visible: Researchers from Stanford and TRW use the high-quality electron beam from a superconducting linear accelerator and a novel energy-doubling scheme to make visible light. PMID- 17759201 TI - New evidence at wayne state for superconductivity at 240 k. PMID- 17759202 TI - Japanese super-sequencer poised to roll. PMID- 17759203 TI - The impact of foreign graduate students on engineering education in the United States. AB - Surveys of chairpersons and faculty members of engineering departments of U.S. universities were conducted in the fall of 1985 to examine the relation between the high proportion of foreign graduate students and the operation and quality of engineering education in the United States. Information was obtained on admissions criteria and policies, financial aid, and the performance of U.S. and foreign students as teaching and research assistants. Overall, the survey respondents believed that foreign students are an asset and that, without them, training and research would suffer. Language and communications were the problems most frequently mentioned as adversely affecting the performance of foreign students. PMID- 17759204 TI - Global Images of the Earth's Interior. AB - The three-dimensional maps of the earth's interior now span regions from the bottom of the crust to the inner core of the earth. Although a wealth of new information on the dynamics of the earth has been discovered, the inner core offers the greatest surprise: it appears to be anisotropic with the axis of symmetry aligned with the axis of rotation. PMID- 17759205 TI - Gene transfer in crop improvement. AB - Transfer of genes between plant species has played an important role in crop improvement for many decades. Useful traits such as resistance to disease, insects, and stress have been transferred to crop varieties from noncultivated plants. Recombinant DNA methods greatly extend (even outside the plant kingdom) the sources from which genetic information can be obtained for crop improvement. Gene transfer systems based on recombinant DNA are available for several crop species and are under development for others. The concerted use of traditional and more recent methods for plant genetic manipulation will contribute to crop improvement. PMID- 17759206 TI - Phonon Density of States and Specific Heat of Forsterite, Mg2SiO4. AB - The phonon density of states of the geophysically important mineral forsterite has been calculated with a rigid-ion model, which gives good agreement with an experimental measurement by inelastic neutron scattering. The density of states has been used to calculate the specific heat as a function of temperature, the results of which are in excellent agreement with calorimetrically measured values. The rigid-ion model takes account of the interatomic interactions and normal modes of vibration on a detailed microscopic basis, and is therefore more realistic than the Debye and other empirical models used previously. PMID- 17759207 TI - Superconductivity in Alkaline Earth-Substituted La2CuO4-y. AB - La(2)CuO4-y ceramics containing a few percent of Ca(2+), Sr(2+), and Ba(2+) ions have been prepared. Resistivity and susceptibility measurements exhibit superconductive onsets (as in earlier Ba(2+)-containing samples). The onset temperature La(2)CuO4-y with Sr(2+) is higher and its superconductivity-induced diamagnetism larger than that found with Ba(2+) and Ca(2+). This is proof that the electronic change resulting from alkaline earthdoping, rather than the size effect, is responsible for superconductivity. The ionic radius of Sr(2+) is close to that of La(3+) for which it presumably substitutes. PMID- 17759209 TI - International symposium on climate and food security. PMID- 17759210 TI - Cost savings for insured members. PMID- 17759208 TI - Avascular necrosis: occurrence in diving cretaceous mosasaurs. AB - A study of vertebrae of extinct giant marine lizards showed the presence of avascular necrosis in two of the three most common genera of these mosasaurs, Platecarpus and Tylosaurus. This bone disease was invariably present (involving 5 to 66% of vertebrae) in these genera, but absent in a third genus Clidastes. Differential occurrence of avascular necrosis may be related to decompression syndrome, suggesting different habitat and diving habits of the respective genera. PMID- 17759211 TI - Early cognition: the origins of logic. PMID- 17759212 TI - Radiation effects: cancer in atomic bomb survivors. PMID- 17759213 TI - Phytogeography: floristic regions of the world. PMID- 17759215 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17759214 TI - Some other books of interest: the cayo santiago macaques. PMID- 17759216 TI - Windowless, Flow Type, Proportional Counter for Counting C14. PMID- 17759217 TI - J. PETER LESLEY. PMID- 17759218 TI - AN ASPECT OF MODERN PATHOLOGY. PMID- 17759219 TI - THE GRAND GULF FORMATION. PMID- 17759220 TI - SHORTER ARTICLES THE REMAINS OF BEAR AND DEER ON THE SHORES OF ONONDAGA LAKE. PMID- 17759221 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17759222 TI - The Nature and Need of Educational Research. PMID- 17759223 TI - Science and Life in the World: George Westinghouse Educational Foundation Forum, 16-18 May. PMID- 17759224 TI - The Structure and Synthesis of the Liver L. casei Factor. PMID- 17759225 TI - Famine Edema and the Mechanism of Its Formation. AB - Famine edema was produced experimentally in 34 normal men who lost a quarter of their body weight while subsisting for 6 months on a European type of semi starvation diet. The ratio of extracellular water to cellular tissue was roughly doubled. Their clinical state closely resembled that seen in Europe in 1945. There were no signs of renal or cardiac failure. The plasma protein concentration fell only slightly and the A/G ratio remained within normal limits. The venous pressure was roughly 50 per cent below normal. Data from the field lend support to these indications that famine edema is not simply a result of hypoproteinemia or of renal or cardiac failure. It is concluded that there is a dynamic nonequilibrium state of the capillary wall and, accordingly, calculations from equilibrium equations are inadmissible. PMID- 17759226 TI - Antibacterial Action of Phenanthrene-related Substances. PMID- 17759228 TI - Reprints to Denmark. PMID- 17759227 TI - Differentiation of Antibiotics by Resistant Strains. PMID- 17759229 TI - Use of the Shay Rat for Assay of Antiulcer Substance. PMID- 17759230 TI - Carbon Dioxide as an Essential Factor in the Bacterial Decomposition of Cellulose. PMID- 17759231 TI - Nuclear Fission Bomb as Initiator of Earthquakes. PMID- 17759232 TI - Kepone chronology. PMID- 17759233 TI - Brown pelican reproduction. PMID- 17759234 TI - Brown pelican reproduction. PMID- 17759235 TI - Linguistic deterrent? PMID- 17759236 TI - Errors in mathematical proofs. PMID- 17759237 TI - R&D in the new budget system. PMID- 17759238 TI - The prehistory of the egyptian sahara. PMID- 17759239 TI - Nuclear proliferation (I): warnings from the arms control community. PMID- 17759241 TI - Experiment planned to test feasibility of a "science court". PMID- 17759240 TI - Tracking the action on nuclear proliferation. PMID- 17759242 TI - National environmental policy act: critics say promise unfulfilled. PMID- 17759243 TI - Kachemak Bay: Oil Spill Leads Alaska to Reverse Drilling OK. PMID- 17759244 TI - British science policy: assuming a lower profile. PMID- 17759245 TI - Liquid membranes: new techniques for separation, purification. PMID- 17759247 TI - Assessing danger. PMID- 17759246 TI - Science and the press: communicating with the public. PMID- 17759248 TI - Earth as a productive system. PMID- 17759249 TI - The endocrine system. PMID- 17759250 TI - Vascular physiology. PMID- 17759251 TI - Microfossils in conophyton from the soviet union and their bearing on precambrian biostratigraphy. AB - Silicified specimens of the Vendian (late Precambrian) "index fossil" Conophyton gaubitza from South Kazakstan contain a diverse assemblage of well-preserved cyanophytic and apparently eukaryotic algae, the first stromatolitic microbiota to be reported from the Soviet Union. Unlike the stromatolites in which they occur, the microorganisms that apparently built this form of Conophyton did not become extinct at the end of the Precambrian. PMID- 17759252 TI - Migration reversal: a regular phenomenon of Canada geese. AB - Migration from a nesting to a wintering ground and back again in autumn was detected each year during a 3-year study of individually identifiable Canada geese (Branta canadensis). Reverse migrants were primarily yearling, nonbreeding individuals and others of nonfamily status. PMID- 17759253 TI - Paracytic (syndetocheilic) stomata in carboniferous seed ferns. AB - Stomata of the paracytic type have been discovered on the lower pinnule surface of the Carboniferous seed fern foliage species Alethopteris sullivanti. The stomatal complex is not visible when the cuticle is in place. This is apparently the first report of paracytic stomata in Carboniferous plants. PMID- 17759254 TI - Cryptoses choloepi: A Coprophagous Moth That Lives on a Sloth. AB - The larvae of the sloth moth, Cryptoses choloepi, live in the dung of the three toed sloth, Bradypus infuscatus. Adult female moths apparently leave the fur of the sloth to oviposit when the sloth descends, once a week, to the forest floor to defecate. Newly emerged moths fly from the dung pile into the forest canopy to find a sloth. PMID- 17759255 TI - Restriction endonuclease analysis of mitochondrial DNA from normal and Texas cytoplasmic male-sterile maize. AB - Mitochondrial DNA from normal and cytoplasmic male-sterile maize was digested with restriction endonucleases RI from Escherichia coli or dIII from Hemophilus influenzae. Electrophoresis of resulting fragments revealed distinctions between the two cytoplasmic types. These distinctions suggest that factors responsible or cytoplasmic male sterility are located in the mitochondrial DNA, and that the mitochondrial genome is not inherited paternally. PMID- 17759256 TI - Aggression and mating success in male spider mites. AB - Male Tetranychus urticae search for and defend quiescent pharate females. Intruding males may be threatened or attacked. Fights involve pushing and grappling with the forelegs, jousting with the mouthparts, and entangling the opponent with silk. In these encounters larger males usually win. Sole possession of a female at her ecdysis virtually ensures successful mating. PMID- 17759257 TI - On Ice. PMID- 17759259 TI - Costly Cash. PMID- 17759258 TI - Crimes and Science Fellowships. PMID- 17759261 TI - Space Cooperation: Agreement at U.N. Leaves Out Some Key Points. PMID- 17759260 TI - Right Wingers Seem To Be Almost Everywhere: Notes on a Report to the Fund for the Republic. PMID- 17759262 TI - Is Soviet Society Classless? Classroom Poll Casts Doubt. PMID- 17759263 TI - Flower Initiation in Excised Stem Disks of Wedgwood Iris. AB - The presence of substances promoting flower induction was demonstrated in both scales and buds of Wedg-wood iris. The flower-inducing extracts of buds appear to contain gibberellin-like compounds. PMID- 17759264 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17759265 TI - Plant Phenolics. PMID- 17759266 TI - Medical Instrumentation. PMID- 17759267 TI - Selling Methods. PMID- 17759268 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17759270 TI - Simulium damnosum. PMID- 17759269 TI - Punctuated equilibrium: from the other side. PMID- 17759271 TI - A winning combination. PMID- 17759272 TI - Soviet--U.S. Fusion Pact Divides Administration: Afraid the Soviet military will benefit from a world ignition machine, DOD wants Reagan to drop his summit pledge. PMID- 17759273 TI - House policy group reviews science academies. PMID- 17759274 TI - Creationism case goes to supreme court. PMID- 17759276 TI - DOD Backtracks on Grants to SDI Critics. PMID- 17759275 TI - Senate tax bill draws few protests from research community. PMID- 17759277 TI - The Continental Plates Are Getting Thicker: Petrologists and seismologists now agree that the old cores of the continents have deep roots extending well below the thickest ocean plates. PMID- 17759278 TI - Factoring on Microcomputers: It is now possible to factor large numbers--and factor them fast--with a series of microcomputers hooked up to run in parallel. PMID- 17759279 TI - A Cosmic String in Leo?: A new gravitation lens system may be evidence for an ultramassive cosmic string winding from one side of the universe to the other. PMID- 17759280 TI - An industry picture of u.s. Science policy. AB - With regard to promoting the competitiveness of U.S. industry, federal science policy is performing unevenly. Federally supported basic research is not well aligned with industrial needs, although the National Science Foundation's Engineering Research Centers and similar programs are improving matters. Large scale federal undertakings in science and technology, such as the Apollo program and now the Strategic Defense Initiative, actually tend to divert resources away from commercial research and development. Needed are federal and industrial leaders who will work together to serve the interests of both competitive industry and efficient government in the United States. PMID- 17759281 TI - Oxidation fronts in pelagic sediments: diagenetic formation of metal-rich layers. AB - The periodic deposition of distal turbidites at a site on the Madeira Abyssal Plain causes the development of a nonsteady-state diagenetic system in which an oxidation front migrates downward into the sediment. Data presented here show that iron, manganese, and particulate organic carbon are oxidized at this front by oxidants (molecular oxygen and nitrate) diffusing from above. A numerical model of systems of this type predicts the formation of iron-rich layers under certain nonsteady-state conditions. The layers predicted by the model are closely comparable in thickness and general morphology to iron-rich layers found in certain ocean sediments, the origin of which has been until now unexplained. PMID- 17759282 TI - Sulfate and nitrate concentrations from a South greenland ice core. AB - An ice core in south Greenland covering the period 1869 to 1984 was analyzed for oxygen isotopes and chloride, nitrate, and sulfate concentrations. The data show that the "excess" (nonsea-salt) sulfate concentration has tripled since approximately 1900 to 1910 and the nitrate concentration has doubled since approximately 1955. The increases may be attributable to the deposition of these chemical specis from air masses carrying North American and Eurasian anthropogenic emissions. PMID- 17759283 TI - Hyperphoretic dispersal of a pyxidiophora anamorph. AB - It has been suggested that Thaxteriola species and other minute, nonmycelial fungi associated with arthropods have phylogenetic relationships with the Laboulbeniales. However, direct development of the thallus of Thaxteriola from an ascospore of Pyxidiophora has now been discovered. Thaxteriola is specialized for dispersal by mites carried on pine bark beetles; other fungi dispersed by arthropods in this symbiotic assemblage rely primarily on arthropod specializations. PMID- 17759284 TI - Modes of higher education: private sectors in higher education. PMID- 17759285 TI - Science teaching surveyed: science education in global perspective. PMID- 17759286 TI - Issues for planners: the state of graduate education. PMID- 17759287 TI - Traditions and reforms: the schooling of china. PMID- 17759289 TI - Processes of persuasion: psychology and deterrence. PMID- 17759288 TI - A professional transmigration: applying the humanities. PMID- 17759290 TI - Engineers in the social order: mechanics of the middle class. PMID- 17759291 TI - A plea for applied science: lost at the frontier. PMID- 17759292 TI - The american telephone industry: the telephone enterprise. PMID- 17759293 TI - Labors at Menlo Park: Edison's Electric Light. PMID- 17759294 TI - Peaceful triumphs: magnificent voyagers. PMID- 17759295 TI - Contractual arrangements: households, employment, and gender. PMID- 17759296 TI - Projections regarding employment: the future impact of automation on workers. PMID- 17759297 TI - Native history in north america: cultures in contact. PMID- 17759298 TI - Social structure in the pleistocene: the upper paleolithic of the central Russian plain. PMID- 17759299 TI - Paleoanthropology today: hominid evolution. PMID- 17759301 TI - Neuroanatomy: the thalamus. PMID- 17759300 TI - Biology syncretized: evolution as entropy. PMID- 17759302 TI - Muscle contraction: energetic aspects of muscle contraction. PMID- 17759303 TI - An evolutionary question: sexual selection and animal genitalia. PMID- 17759304 TI - Museum life: the national museum of natural history. PMID- 17759305 TI - Familiar birds: blackbirds of the americas. PMID- 17759306 TI - The hubbard brook ecosystem: an ecosystem approach to aquatic ecology. PMID- 17759307 TI - Northern waters: the nordic seas. PMID- 17759308 TI - Chemical oceanography: geochemistry of organic matter in the ocean. PMID- 17759309 TI - An active volcano: mount etna. PMID- 17759310 TI - Karst: karst geomorphology. PMID- 17759311 TI - Life in the universe: the search for extraterrestrial life. PMID- 17759312 TI - A Reunion in Physics: Shelter Island II. PMID- 17759313 TI - Teleological cosmology: the anthropic cosmological principle. PMID- 17759314 TI - Precision measurement: the fundamental physical constants and the frontier of measurement. PMID- 17759315 TI - Star Formation: Protostars and Planets II. PMID- 17759316 TI - How to solve it: mathematical problem solving. PMID- 17759318 TI - A Debate over Experiment: Leviathan and the Air-Pump. PMID- 17759317 TI - New looks at faraday: faraday rediscovered. PMID- 17759319 TI - A Russian eminence: mikhail vasillevich lomonosov. PMID- 17759321 TI - NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE: A GEOGRAPHICAL COMPARISON. PMID- 17759320 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17759322 TI - REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17759323 TI - THE DARWIN CENTENARY. PMID- 17759324 TI - THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS. PMID- 17759326 TI - GENERA WITHOUT SPECIES. PMID- 17759325 TI - APPOINTMENTS IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17759327 TI - DR. WILLISTON ON "THE FOSSIL TURTLES OF NORTH AMERICA". PMID- 17759329 TI - RESEARCH WORK IN CHEMISTRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. PMID- 17759330 TI - Dael Wolfle at AAAS. PMID- 17759328 TI - A REVISED CLASSIFICATION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN LOWER PALEOZOIC. PMID- 17759332 TI - Design. PMID- 17759331 TI - Future prospects for physical oceanography. PMID- 17759333 TI - Energy crisis: environmental issue exacerbates power supply problem. PMID- 17759334 TI - Bevan Named New AAAS Executive. PMID- 17759336 TI - Lunar Ephemeris: Delaunay's Theory Revisited. AB - Delaunay's reduced Hamiltonian of the main problem in lunar theory is checked against a new analytical theory based on Lie transforms. It is found to be correct up to order 9 with the exception of one error in addition at order 7. PMID- 17759337 TI - Antarctic ice sheet: stable isotope analyses of byrd station cores and interhemispheric climatic implications. AB - Oxygen- and hydrogen-isotope analyses from the core hole through the Antarctic Ice Sheet at Byrd Station define temperature variations over more than 75,000 years. Synchronism between major climatic changes in Antarctica and the Northern Hemisphere is strongly indicated. The Wisconsin cold interval extended from 75,000 to 11,000 years ago. Three intra-Wisconsin warmer phases were all colder than pre- or post-Wisconsin times, which suggests that North American and Eurasian continental ice sheets did not disappear at any time during the Wisconsin. PMID- 17759338 TI - California earthquakes: why only shallow focus? AB - Frictional sliding on sawcuts and faults in laboratory samples of granite and gabbro is markedly temperature-dependent. At pressures from 1 to 5 kilobars, stick-slip gave way to stable sliding as temperature was increased from 200 to 500 degrees Celsius. Increased temperature with depth could thus cause the abrupt disappearance of earthquakes noted at shallow depths in California. PMID- 17759339 TI - Carbon-13 in black sea waters and implications for the origin of hydrogen sulfide. AB - A combination of measurements of carbon-13 and the hydrogen sulfide content in Black Sea waters with available data on the total carbon dioxide in these waters indicates that the contribution of organic sulfur to the hydrogen sulfide lies between 3 and 5 percent and increases with depth. Likely causes for the increase are increasing productivity or upward movement of the anoxic zone during the facts last 2000 year. PMID- 17759341 TI - Properties and composition of lunar materials: Earth analogies. AB - The sound velocity data for the lunar rocks were compared to numerous terrestrial rock types and were found to deviate widely from them. A group of terrestrial materials were found which have velocities comparable to those of the lunar rocks, but they do obey velocity-density relations proposed for earth rocks. PMID- 17759340 TI - Production of carbon monoxide and gaseous hydrocarbons in seawater: relation to dissolved organic carbon. AB - Carbon monoxide, ethylene, and propylene were produced in illuminated, cell-free distilled water or natural seawater systems to which dissolved organic matter produced by phytoplankton had been added. Methane and the higher saturated gaseous hydrocarbons were not produced. In the dark, little or no carbon monoxide and no hydrocarbons were produced in the distilled water systems; only carbon monoxide was produced in natural seawater, but less was produced than in the light. PMID- 17759342 TI - Courses. PMID- 17759344 TI - Achievement in mathematics. PMID- 17759343 TI - Erratum. AB - A line was inadvertantly omitted from the last sentence of George S. Mumford's letter of 20 January (p. 238). It should have read, "If, at an early stage, we could foster in this manner a feeling among our graduates of their indebtedness to the general public for directly or indirectly supporting their research and the right of that public to know the results, it might become traditional for them to proceed in such a way throughout a career." PMID- 17759345 TI - Achievement in mathematics. PMID- 17759346 TI - Quasars and gravitational lenses. AB - Despite the expenditure of large amounts of telescope time and other resources, most of the fundamental questions concerning quasi-stellar objects (quasars) remain unanswered. A complex phenomenology of radio, infrared, optical, and x-ray properties has accumulated but has not yielded even a satisfactory classification system. The large red shifts (distances) of quasars make them very valuable tools for studying cosmology and the properties of intervening matter in the Universe through observations of absorption lines and gravitational lenses. PMID- 17759347 TI - Molecular analysis of ds controlling element mutations at the adh1 locus of maize. AB - An active maize Adhl-F gene, a Ds-induced mutant of this gene, and two independent Ac-induced revertant alleles have been isolated. The Ds mutant differs from the progenitor allele in having a 405-base pair insertion flanked by a direct repeat of 8 bp. The repeat is a duplication of the 8 bp existing at the point of insertion in the 5' untranslated region of the gene. The insertion sequence is AT-rich (A, adenine; T, thymine) and has 11-bp inverted repeat sequences at its termini. In the revertants the insertion with its inverted repeats is deleted, but the 8-bp direct repeats remain in modified form. These results establish that the 405-bp sequence is a Ds element. The Adh1 messenger RNA level is low in the Ds mutant, and it appears that new sites for transcription initiation or RNA processing or both are used. There are at least 30 sequences in the maize genome related to the Ds element. PMID- 17759348 TI - The Allure of High-Tech Weapons for Europe: The failure of nuclear weapons to resolve the European security problem has created new enthusiasm for a conventional buildup. PMID- 17759349 TI - A defect in the limited war theory. PMID- 17759350 TI - NASA Seeks European Space Partners: NASA head James Beggs recently reminded European governments that a decision on space station collaboration is needed soon. PMID- 17759352 TI - Morawetz to direct math institute. PMID- 17759351 TI - Edinburgh sets up parapsychology chair. PMID- 17759353 TI - NAS Moves to Counter Creationist Challenge. PMID- 17759354 TI - Mathematician freed after 8 years in uruguay prison. PMID- 17759355 TI - Sweden boosts R & d spending. PMID- 17759357 TI - Canada goes it alone on Acid rain controls. PMID- 17759356 TI - EPA proposes change in air pollutants regulation. PMID- 17759358 TI - NSF Gets Up Steam on Drilling Program. PMID- 17759360 TI - The Necessity of Knowledge: The essence of intelligence seems to be less a matter of reasoning ability than of knowing a lot about the world. PMID- 17759361 TI - The imprint of upwelling: coastal upwelling. PMID- 17759359 TI - Periodic Impacts and Extinctions Reported: In a potentially historic workshop, researchers sought a trigger for comet showers that might ultimately drive evolution and even climate change. PMID- 17759362 TI - The physics of stars: solar and stellar magnetic fields. PMID- 17759363 TI - An era in rocketry: prelude to the space age. PMID- 17759364 TI - Biological theorists: the philosophical naturalists. PMID- 17759365 TI - Rock avalanches caused by earthquakes: source characteristics. AB - Study of a worldwide sample of historical earthquakes showed that slopes most susceptible to catastrophic rock avalanches were higher than 150 meters and steeper than 25 degrees. The slopes were undercut by fluvial or glacial erosion, were composed of intensely fractured rock, and exhibited at least one other indicator of low strength or potential instability. PMID- 17759366 TI - Biomass of tropical forests: a new estimate based on forest volumes. AB - Recent assessments of areas of different tropical forest types and their corresponding stand volumes were used to calculate the biomass densities and total biomass of tropical forests. Total biomass was estimated at 205 x 10(9) tons, and weighted biomass densities for undisturbed closed and open broadleaf forests were 176 and 61 tons per hectare, respectively. These values are considerably lower than those previously reported and raise questions about the role of the terrestrial biota in the global carbon budget. PMID- 17759367 TI - People with absolute pitch process tones without producing a p300. AB - The P300 is a positive-going component of the event-related potential. In subjects with absolute, or "perfect," pitch, the P300 elicited by the less frequent of two auditory probes is small or absent. In these subjects, visual probes elicit a normal P300. These results support the view of P300 as a manifestation of the updating of working memory. PMID- 17759368 TI - Products and materials. PMID- 17759369 TI - A VISIT TO A "PICT'S HOUSE.". PMID- 17759370 TI - KEY TO THE MAYA HIEROGLYPHS. PMID- 17759371 TI - OSTEOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17759372 TI - THE LAWS AND NATURE OF COHESION. PMID- 17759373 TI - A PLEA FOR A BROADER BOTANY. PMID- 17759374 TI - NOTES ON LOCAL HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA. PMID- 17759376 TI - OBSERVATIONS AT BOSSEKOP. PMID- 17759375 TI - Laboratory Teaching. PMID- 17759377 TI - Need for graduate education. PMID- 17759378 TI - Exposure to alkyl mercury. PMID- 17759380 TI - "Back-to-the-Wall" Effect? PMID- 17759379 TI - Breath test machines. PMID- 17759381 TI - Teflon membrane. PMID- 17759382 TI - The AAAS Meeting-Where the Action Is. PMID- 17759383 TI - Lead in the air: industry weight on academy panel challenged. PMID- 17759385 TI - Stever-NSF Nomination. PMID- 17759384 TI - Kansas state u.: whatever happened to good old state u.? PMID- 17759386 TI - Hexachlorophene: FDA temporizes on brain-damaging chemical. PMID- 17759387 TI - Breeder reactors: power for the future. PMID- 17759388 TI - Management of u.s. Breeder program draws criticism. PMID- 17759389 TI - Submarine pingos in the beaufort sea. AB - Numerous underwater mounds found on the continental shelf of the Beaufort Sea are thought to be pingos (hills that have a central core of ice) which have formed in the marine environment subsequent to oceanic transgression. PMID- 17759390 TI - Uranium distributions in archeologic ceramics: dating of radioactive inclusions. AB - Small mineral grains (10 to 50 micrometers) of high uranium concentration (100 to 3000 parts per million) were located in polished sections of eight potsherds from Cyprus, England, Greece, and Mexico by induced fission-track mapping. Most of the grains were identified as zircons or apatites by a microprobe attachment to a scanning electron microscope. The advantages in using such radioactive grains for thermoluminescence dating and alpha-recoil track dating are discussed. PMID- 17759391 TI - A rotating solar magnetic " dipole" observed from 1926 to 1968. AB - A recurring pattern with a period of 26(7/8) days observed in the polar geomagnetic field during the interval from 1926 to 1941 appears to persist in the interplanetary magnetic field polarity observed with spacecraft during the interval from 1963 to 1968. This observation suggests the existence of a rotating solar magnetic "dipole" with a period of 26(7/8) +/- 0.003 days. PMID- 17759392 TI - Evolving subduction zones in the Western United States, as interpreted from igneous rocks. AB - Variations in the ratio of K(2)O to SiO(2) in andesitic rocks suggest early and middle Cenozoic subduction beneath the western United States along two subparallel imbricate zones dipping about 20 degrees eastward. The western zone emerged at the continental margin, but the eastern zone was entirely beneath the continental plate. Mesozoic subduction apparently occurred along a single steeper zone. PMID- 17759393 TI - Precambrian columnar stromatolite diversity: reflection of metazoan appearance. AB - Columnar stromatolites (organosedimentary structures built by bluegreen algae) show a marked decrease in diversity in the Late Precambrian; this decrease in diversity occurs at approximately the same time as the appearance of metazoans, 600 to 700 million years ago. PMID- 17759394 TI - Eutrophication of Lake Water Microcosms: Phosphate versus Nonphosphate Detergents. AB - The eutrophication potentials of a phosphate-containing detergent and two phosphate-free detergents, as determined in oligotrophic algal microcosms after activated sludge treatment, were not significantly different. All activated sludge effluents, including those from detergent-free waste water, lowered the algal diversity of the microcosms to about the same extent below that of the lake water controls. PMID- 17759395 TI - Asymmetry, its importance to the action and metabolism of abscisic Acid. AB - Unlabeled and (14)C-labeled enantiomorphs of abscisic acid (ABA) were obtained through acetylcellulose chromatography and tested as inducers of abscission, as inhibitors of seed germination, and as antagonists of gibberellic acid-induced synthesis and release of alpha-amylase. The activity of the R isomer was either equal to or less than that of the naturally occurring S form. Greatest differences were in the inhibition of root-related growth. In excised beam axes, although uptake of S-[(14C)]ABA is faster, the internal concentration of R-ABA is higher because of faster conversion of S-ABA to inactive metabolic products. In axes a reversal in chirality is less important to the physiological action of ABA than to its metabolism. PMID- 17759396 TI - Silkworm Bombyx mori L.: Nature of Diapause Factor. AB - The diapause factor which is responsible for the induction of embryonic diapause in the silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) was isolated from the heads of female moths. It was extracted with 80 percent ethanol or 80 percent methanol and was heat-stable and not dialyzable. Since the active material was precipitated with ammonium sulfate and lost when incubated with proteolytic enzymes, it is highly probable that the diapause factor is a protein or a complex molecule containing peptide bonds. Molecular sieve techniques revealed two species of the diapause factor. The molecular weight of the smaller species lies between 5,000 and 10,000. PMID- 17759397 TI - Central north atlantic plate motions. PMID- 17759398 TI - Annual meeting: Philadelphia. PMID- 17759399 TI - 28-29 december the energy crisis: some implications and alternatives. PMID- 17759400 TI - 29-30 december living systems: synthesis, assembly, origins. PMID- 17759402 TI - 30 december women in academia. PMID- 17759401 TI - 29 December Geological Implications of solid Waste Landfill. PMID- 17759403 TI - 28 december use of scientific information in policy-making. PMID- 17759405 TI - Ion flow in membranes. PMID- 17759404 TI - 2 december workers and the environment. PMID- 17759406 TI - Membrane structure. PMID- 17759407 TI - Anonymous references? PMID- 17759408 TI - Gordon research conferences. PMID- 17759409 TI - Minuteman vulnerability. PMID- 17759410 TI - Understanding energy conservation. PMID- 17759411 TI - U.s. Geological survey core drilling on the atlantic shelf. AB - The first broad program of scientific shallow drilling on the U.S. Atlantic continental shelf has delineated rocks of Pleistocene to Late Cretaceous age, including phosphoritic Miocene strata, widespread Eocene carbonate deposits that serve as reflective seismic markers, and several regional unconformities. Two sites, off Maryland and New Jersey, showed light hydrocarbon gases having affinity to mature petroleum. Pore fluid studies showed that relatively fresh to brackish water occurs beneath much of the Atlantic continental shelf, whereas increases in salinity off Georgla and beneath the Florida-Hatteras slope suggest buried evaporitic strata. The sediment cores showed engineering properties that range from good foundation strength to a potential for severe loss of strength through interaction between sediments and man-made structures. PMID- 17759413 TI - Rattlesnake defender to keep his job. PMID- 17759412 TI - Aquaculture: appropriate technology in china. PMID- 17759414 TI - Prospects for earthquake prediction wane. PMID- 17759416 TI - A phase of american physics. PMID- 17759415 TI - Mathematicians Amazed by Russian's Discovery. PMID- 17759417 TI - Ostwald as philosopher. PMID- 17759418 TI - Vestibular neurophysiology. PMID- 17759419 TI - Quantitative genetics. PMID- 17759420 TI - Quaternary vegetation. PMID- 17759421 TI - Annual meeting san francisco. PMID- 17759422 TI - Congressional fellows begin work. PMID- 17759423 TI - News from interciencia: record attendance at forestry symposium and fifth annual meeting. PMID- 17759424 TI - Nomination of AAAS Fellows Invited. PMID- 17759425 TI - Heterogeneous atmospheric reactions: sulfuric Acid aerosols as tropospheric sinks. AB - The collisional reaction probabilities of several atmospheric species on bulk sulfuric acid surfaces indicate that heterogeneous processes may be important in tropospheric chemistry. PMID- 17759426 TI - Morphologies and origin of elemental carbon in the environment. AB - Carbon particles extracted from sediments collected by box coring from southeastern Lake Michigan were compared with carbon particles extracted from oil, coal, and wood fly ash. Sediments deposited after 1900 contained coal, oil, and wood carbons; older sediments contained only wood carbon. PMID- 17759427 TI - Bees have rules. AB - Honey bees frequently dance with some view of the sky, orienting themselves to the sun or natural patterns of polarized skylight. Three new conventions have been discovered in the dance language which are used in these circumstances to eliminate potential ambiguity in the dance message. PMID- 17759428 TI - Microbodies in germinating fern spores: evidence for glyoxysomal activity. AB - Enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, isocitrate lyase and malate synthase, are active during the germination of spores of the fern Dryopteris filix-mas. Increases in activity of both enzymes are correlated with the breakdown of lipid reserves. The occurrence of these enzymes suggests that the microbodies previously described in these spores are glyoxysomes. PMID- 17759429 TI - Maternal Haploids of Nicotiana tabacum L. from Seed. AB - Abundant seeds of high germinability are obtained when Nicotiana tabacum is pollinated by Nicotiana africana. Most of the seedlings die at the cotyledonary stage. The remaining seedlings are viable F(1) hybrids or maternal haploids that can be easily distinguished. This simple method of producing Nicotiana tabacum haploids offers an alternative to anther culture. PMID- 17759430 TI - Early hominid population densities: new estimates. AB - Proportional faunal representations in excavated fossil occurrences (Shungura Formation, Omo, Ethiopia) are very similar to modern sub-Saharan mammalian faunal proportions in a variety of environments. Early hominids comprise between 0.6 and 1.6 percent of the excavated assemblage, corrected to reflect numbers of individuals. With allochthonous faunal localities for comparison, direct analogies to modern fauna suggest early hominid population densities of between 0.006 to 1.7 individuals per square kilometer. Calculations based on population densities of modern large mammals indicate that population densities of early hominids were between 0.001 and 2.48 individuals per square kilometer. PMID- 17759431 TI - Solid Electrolyte Behavior of NaMgF3: Geophysical Implications. AB - In the solid state, NaMgF(3) transforms smoothly with temperature into a solid electrolyte phase; the conductivity is 130 siemens per meter just below the melting point. The isostructural compound MgSiO(3) should behave similarly under conditions obtaining in the earth's lower mantle, and so it is expected that the electrical conductivity in that region is ionic rather than electronic. PMID- 17759433 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17759432 TI - Conservation: guideline for the courts. PMID- 17759434 TI - Milkweed mystery. PMID- 17759435 TI - Selective service promises. PMID- 17759436 TI - Ion-molecule reactions. PMID- 17759437 TI - George C. Wallace: He's Not Just Whistling Dixie. PMID- 17759438 TI - 300 gev: europe moves closer to getting its big machine. PMID- 17759439 TI - Palladium dichloride whiskers: preparation and properties. AB - Palladium dichloride whiskers can be prepared by reacting palladium with chlorine at temperatures above 500 degrees C. The crystals measure 1 x 100 micrometers and are strong (5 percent elastic deformation). They may be a morphological form of one of the high-temperature polymorphs of PdCl(2). PMID- 17759440 TI - Water importation into arid lands. PMID- 17759441 TI - Glaciers. PMID- 17759442 TI - A DECADE OF AMERICAN MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17759443 TI - SUMMARY OF A REPORT OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARY CONCERNING THE AFFAIRS OF THE ASSOCIATION, SUBMITTED TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AT ITS MEETING, APRIL 24, 1921. PMID- 17759444 TI - THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES. PMID- 17759445 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17759446 TI - STAR DIAMETERS. PMID- 17759447 TI - THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF HYBRIDS. PMID- 17759449 TI - RUSSIAN SCIENTIFIC MEN. PMID- 17759448 TI - A CONVENIENT CULTURE MEDIUM FOR DAPHNIDS. PMID- 17759450 TI - THE NEBRASKA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17759451 TI - INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. PMID- 17759452 TI - THE NEW ZOOLOGICAL LABORATORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. PMID- 17759453 TI - THE CHEMIST AS A CONSERVATIONIST. PMID- 17759454 TI - CYRUS G. PRINGLE. PMID- 17759455 TI - THE INAUGURATION OF THOMAS EDWARD HODGES AS PRESIDENT OF WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17759456 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17759457 TI - THE SOUTH KENSINGTON SOLAR PHYSICS OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17759458 TI - THE USE OF SODIUM BENZOATE AS A PRESERVATIVE OF FOOD. PMID- 17759459 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17759460 TI - A FEW MATHEMATICAL ERRORS IN THE RECENT EDITION OF THE ENCYCLOPAeDIA BRITANNICA. PMID- 17759461 TI - COLUMBIA AND BERLIN. PMID- 17759462 TI - MORE WASHINGTON SCIENCE. PMID- 17759463 TI - ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. PMID- 17759464 TI - CESTODE CELLS IN VITRO. PMID- 17759465 TI - AMERICAN MORPHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17759466 TI - TWENTY YEARS OF SECTION H, ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17759467 TI - COLLEGE WORK FOR AGRICULTURISTS. PMID- 17759468 TI - MOVEMENTS TOWARD UNION AMONG GEOGRAPHERS. PMID- 17759469 TI - CARNEGIE INSTITUTION. PMID- 17759470 TI - DISCHARGE FROM HOT PLATINUM WIRES. PMID- 17759471 TI - BALDWIN'S SOCIAL AND ETHICAL INTERPRETATIONS. PMID- 17759472 TI - PALEONTOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17759473 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17759474 TI - THE ORGANIZATION OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PMID- 17759475 TI - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND ERASMUS DARWIN: WITH SOME UNPUBLISHED CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17759476 TI - SVEN MAGNUS GRONBERGER. PMID- 17759478 TI - A NEW COLOR VARIETY OF THE NORWAY RAT. PMID- 17759477 TI - A NEW FORM OF PLANT DRIER. PMID- 17759479 TI - SYLVESTER AND CAYLEY. PMID- 17759480 TI - MOSQUITOES AND MAN. PMID- 17759481 TI - THE ORIGIN BY MUTATION OF THE ENDEMIC PLANTS OF CEYLON. PMID- 17759482 TI - ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE BETWEEN CONCENTRIC CYLINDRICAL ELECTRODES. PMID- 17759483 TI - UTAH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17759484 TI - ANTHROPOLOGY AT THE WASHINGTON MEETING. PMID- 17759485 TI - Drug detection. PMID- 17759486 TI - NAS Collaboration with SSRC. PMID- 17759487 TI - Nuclear power plants: how many? PMID- 17759488 TI - Planning for PEOPLE. PMID- 17759490 TI - After the moon, the Earth! PMID- 17759489 TI - A crisis of crises. PMID- 17759491 TI - Meteorology and the supersonic transport. PMID- 17759492 TI - Japan (I): on the threshold of an age of big science? PMID- 17759493 TI - Environmental policy act: congress passes a landmark measure--maybe. PMID- 17759494 TI - AAAS Boston Meeting: Dissenters Find a Forum. PMID- 17759495 TI - Superdense water ice. AB - A new allotropic form of water ice with a density of 2.32 +/- 0.15 grams per cubic centimeter has been observed at very low pressures and for temperatures lower than 100 degrees K. It is most likely amorphous. PMID- 17759496 TI - Evidence for solid carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere of Mars. AB - The infrared spectra recorded by Mariner 6 and 7 show reflections at 4.3 microns. which suggest the presence of solid carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere of Mars. PMID- 17759497 TI - Lunar igneous intrusions. AB - Photographs taken from Apollo 10 and 11 reveal a number of probable igneous intrusions, including three probable dikes that crosscut the wall and floor of an unnamed 75-kilometer crater on the lunar farside. These intrusions are distinguished by their setting, textures, structures, and brightness relative to the surrounding materials. Recognition of these probable igneous intrusions in the lunar highlands slupports the indications of the heterogeneity of lunar materials and the plausibility of intrusive igneous activity, in addition to extrusive volcanism, on the moon. PMID- 17759498 TI - Polywater: proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum. AB - In the presence of water, the resonance of the strongly hydrogenbonded protons characteristic of polywater appears at 5 parts per million lower applied magnetic field than water. Polywater made by a new method confirms the infrared spectrum reported originally. PMID- 17759499 TI - Maxillary mycangium in the mountain pine beetle. AB - A mycangium containing blue-stain fungi and yeasts is located in the cardo of the maxilla of the mountain pine bettle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopk. Symbiosis between one or more of the microorganisms and the insect is indicated. PMID- 17759500 TI - Lunar surface rocks and fines: chemical composition. PMID- 17759501 TI - IS THE RAINFALL INCREASING UPON THE PLAINS? PMID- 17759503 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17759502 TI - WASHINGTON SCIENTIFIC NEWS. PMID- 17759504 TI - ELECTRICAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17759506 TI - A Worm in a Hen's Egg. PMID- 17759505 TI - ETHNOLOGY. PMID- 17759507 TI - Sex and Consumption. PMID- 17759509 TI - Ratio between Men and Women. PMID- 17759508 TI - Classification of Diphtheria. PMID- 17759510 TI - The Snow-Snake and the r-Sound. PMID- 17759512 TI - Calls for Domestic Animals. PMID- 17759511 TI - Vermin-Eaters. PMID- 17759513 TI - Answers. PMID- 17759514 TI - Queries. PMID- 17759515 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17759516 TI - JAMES HUTTON, THE PIONEER OF MODERN GEOLOGY. PMID- 17759517 TI - COOPERATIVE RESEARCH--THE PLAN OF THE NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS ASSOCIATION I. PMID- 17759518 TI - THE THIRD PAN-PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS. PMID- 17759520 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17759519 TI - RADIATING POTENTIALS OF THE BAND SYSTEMS OF CARBON MONOXIDE. PMID- 17759521 TI - THE RELATION OF NITRATES TO TOBACCO FRENCHING. PMID- 17759522 TI - LITERATURE CITATIONS. PMID- 17759523 TI - A WIDESPREAD ERROR RELATING TO LOGARITHMS. PMID- 17759524 TI - A NEW ULTRA-VIOLET TRANSMITTING GLASS. PMID- 17759525 TI - NITRATE UTILIZATION BY ASPARAGUS IN THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT. PMID- 17759526 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17759527 TI - Marine science and technology. PMID- 17759528 TI - Late pleistocene history of coniferous woodland in the mohave desert. AB - Seventeen ancient wood-rat middens, ranging in radiocarbon age from 7400 to 19,500 years and to older than 40,000 years, have been uncovered in the northeastern, north-central, southeastern, and southwestern sectors of the Mohave Desert. Excellent preservation of macroscopic plant materials (including stems, buds, leaves, fruits, and seeds) enables identification of many plant species growing within the limited foraging range of the sedentary wood rat. An approximately synchronous zonal differentiation of vegetation in response to a gradient of elevation on limestone in the northeastern Mohave Desert is apparent from the macrofossil evidence, preserved in wood-rat middens and ground-sloth coprolites, covering a time span bracketed by radiocarbon ages of about 9000 and 10,000 years. XerophilQus juniper woodlands descended to an elevation of 1100 meters, some 600 meters below the present lower limit of woodland (1700 meters) in the latitude of Frenchman Flat. But desert or semidesert shrubs coexisted with the woodland trees throughout much of the span of elevation corresponding to the pluvial lowering of the woodland zone, and the more mesophytic phase of pinyonjuniper woodland was evidently confined to montane habitats at elevations above 1500 meters. Joshua trees, accompanied by desert shrubs, prevailed down to about 600 meters at Gypsum Cave, Nevada, but only the shrubs of the existing warm desert vegetation occurred at 530 meters near Rampart Cave, Arizona. Pleistocene middens from the southeastern Mohave Desert record a relatively large downward shift of the pinyon-juniper woodland zone, paralleling the remarkably low minimum elevation of the existing woodland zone in that area. The macrofossil evidence speaks for former continuity of the many disjunct stands of woodland vegetation in the Mohave Desert region, at least along the higher divides connecting most of the ranges. However, there is no macrofossil evidence of pluvial continuity of range for the more mesophytic, montane, coniferous-forest zone of ponderosa pine or white fir now occupying islands of relatively mesic environment on the highest mountains of the region. On the contrary, the uneven stocking of the lofty mountains of the Mohave Desert with mesephytic or boreal species and the trend toward endemism suggest a long history of isolation. PMID- 17759530 TI - Missile Defense: LBJ's Bid To Curb Arms Race Gains Support. PMID- 17759529 TI - Information functions of an international meeting. AB - In spite of a number of difficulties and shortcomings, this international meeting was relatively effective for this group of respondents. They benefitted from the informal interaction of participants, from information that pertained to current and planned work, and from the prospects of continued exchange with colleagues in other countries. That the meeting could have been even more valuable was also the consensus. Additional data on another such meeting reinforce these findings and suggest that the results obtained are probably not peculiar to one social science or to this specific meeting. Reports of a small group of sociologists, who received grants from the National Institute of Mental Health to attend the Sixth World Congress of Sociology at Evian in September 1966, showed marked concurrence with those of the psychologists who attended the Moscow congress. For both groups there was the same preponderence of United States and Russian presentations on the program, informal interaction was more productive of useful information than were formally scheduled events, and the main type of information obtained was a broader knowledge of research activity and effort in various countries. The sociologists emphasized even more than did the psychologists the importance of acquiring new points of view and perspectives. More than half the sociologists planned to use information obtained in their current or future work, and a fourth planned international collaborative research efforts; in both these respects they surpassed the percentages found in the data on the psychologists. Finally, all the criticisms voiced by Moscow respondents appeared also among the Evian group, though not in sufficient numbers to constitute a trend. These data suggest that international meetings can and do fill certain information needs in spite of organizational difficulties and the problems attendant upon any large gathering in an environment unfamiliar to most of those who participate. PMID- 17759532 TI - Their decision-making process bothers some of the british. PMID- 17759533 TI - Amino Acid transport: evidence for genetic control of two types in human kidney. AB - In the report "Amino acid transport: evidence for genetic control of two types in human kidney" by C. R. Scriver and O. H. Wilson (17 Mar., p. 1428), the first sentence in the abstract should read "A mutation affecting renal transport of proline, hydroxyproline, and glycine occurs in man." PMID- 17759534 TI - Planetary contamination I: the problem and the agreements. AB - On the contents page of the 24 March issue, the title of the first article should read "Planetary Contamination I: The Problem and the Agreements: N. H. Horowitz, R. P. Sharp, R. W. Davies." PMID- 17759535 TI - Selection of social partners as a function of peer contact during rearing. AB - In the report "Selection of social partners as a function of peer contact during rearing" by C. L. Pratt and G. P. Sackett (3 Mar., p. 1133), the third sentence of the first paragraph should read as follows: "Monkeys reared in isolation tend to withdraw from other animals and huddle by themselves in social situations. If such animals prefer each other over more normal monkeys, they may not be effectively exposed to the stimuli which lead to some degree of social adjustment." PMID- 17759536 TI - Computer-generated motion pictures. AB - A motion picture of the electromagnetic field pattern of a prolate spheroid antenna was completely produced by an IBM 7094 computer and an SC 4020 microfilm plotter. The technique of illustrating complex mathematical subjects by means of computer pictures should lead to better understanding in electrical engineering. PMID- 17759537 TI - Ratio of blue to red light: a brief increase following sunset. AB - Visible spectra of solar radiation were recorded during sunset. With the development of twilight, there was an expected decrease in the blue-to-red ratio; but directly upon setting of the sun there was a sharp rise in this ratio (due to the predominance of sky-light) which attenuated rapidly to follow the pattern that it had previously taken. PMID- 17759538 TI - Pollen diagrams from sub-arctic central Canada. AB - Peat from Keewatin and Manitoba contained macrofossil and palynological evidence of former latitudinal movements of the forest-tundra boundary in response to the changing location of the mean summer position of the Arctic front. Radiocarbon dating demonstrates the synchroneity of these climatic changes with those registered in northwest Europe during the past 6000 years. PMID- 17759540 TI - Literature program of engineering societies. PMID- 17759539 TI - Medial superior olive and sound localization. PMID- 17759541 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17759542 TI - A bad habit of the fox-squirrel (Sciurus niger, var. ludovicianus). PMID- 17759543 TI - The deep-sea fish, Malacosteus. PMID- 17759545 TI - The claims of political science. PMID- 17759544 TI - Some Indiana glaciology. PMID- 17759547 TI - JEAN-BAPTISTE-ANDRE DUMAS. PMID- 17759546 TI - Osteology of Micropterus salmoides. PMID- 17759548 TI - THE MONK-SEAL OF THE WEST INDIES, MONACHUS TROPICALIS GRAY. PMID- 17759550 TI - GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY OF NORTHERN CANADA. PMID- 17759549 TI - THE TOEPLER-HOLTZ MACHINE. PMID- 17759551 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY OF THE RUSSIAN UNIVERSITIES DURING THE LAST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. PMID- 17759552 TI - RECENT LINGUISTIC RESEARCHES. PMID- 17759553 TI - MODERN RAIL-MAKING. PMID- 17759554 TI - THE GEOLOGICAL RELATIVES OF KRAKATOA AND ITS LATE ERUPTION. PMID- 17759555 TI - STOKES'S LECTURES ON LIGHT. PMID- 17759556 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17759557 TI - NOURSE'S AMERICAN EXPLORATION IN THE ICE-ZONES. PMID- 17759558 TI - THE PHYSIOLOGY OF INTERNAL SECRETIONS. PMID- 17759559 TI - ON THE RELATIVE VARIATION AND CORRELATION IN CIVILIZED AND UNCIVILIZED RACES. PMID- 17759561 TI - FIELD WORK OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17759560 TI - MIGRATION OF THINGS AND OF MEMORIES. PMID- 17759562 TI - THE PHYSICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. PMID- 17759563 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17759564 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17759566 TI - A PLEA FOR 'SCIENT'. PMID- 17759565 TI - SHARPENING MICROTOME KNIVES. PMID- 17759567 TI - Structured water or pumps? PMID- 17759568 TI - Kepone: hazard to aquatic organisms. PMID- 17759569 TI - Structured water or pumps? PMID- 17759570 TI - Structured water or pumps? PMID- 17759571 TI - Structured water or pumps? PMID- 17759573 TI - Politics and reason. PMID- 17759574 TI - High Rydberg atoms: newcomers to the atomic physics scene. PMID- 17759572 TI - Structured water or pumps? PMID- 17759576 TI - Stever: White House Appointment Will Create Vacancy at NSF. PMID- 17759575 TI - Breast cancer: second thoughts about routine mammography. PMID- 17759577 TI - Swine flu vaccination campaign: the scientific controversy mounts. PMID- 17759578 TI - Shedding Light on Facts About ERDA's Role in Nuclear Debate. PMID- 17759579 TI - The four-color conjecture: a computer-aided proof. PMID- 17759580 TI - Computers: helping to study nerve cell structure. PMID- 17759581 TI - A physiological ethology. PMID- 17759582 TI - Memoirs. PMID- 17759583 TI - Atmospheric physics. PMID- 17759584 TI - Agglutinins and precipitins. PMID- 17759585 TI - Conodont pearls? AB - Conodonts are zoologically enigmatic, toothlike phosphatic microfossils occurring in marine sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Cambrian to Triassic. Dimpled spheres of less than 1 millimeter in diameter are sporadic associates of conodonts and have identical chemical composition and microstructure. Mineralogy, morphology, and occurrence of these spheres suggest that they are pearls secreted by the conodont-bearing animal. PMID- 17759586 TI - Man-made carbon tetrachloride in the atmosphere. AB - The emissions of man-made carbon tetrachloride and the rates of its removal from the atmosphere by natural sinks are evaluated. A large fraction, perhaps all of the carbon tetrachloride observed in the atmosphere, could be man-made, and carbon tetrachloride is a global atmospheric pollutant. PMID- 17759587 TI - Volcanic dust in deep-sea sediments: relationship of microfeatures to explosivity estimates. AB - Particle size variations in a series of volcanic ash layers, deposited in high latitudes of the South Pacific during the past 2.5 million years, were earlier analyzed by using a model in which source cloud height and minimum volcanic paleoexplosivity are derived from downwind ash distribution. Examination of submicrometer morphological features of the volcanic glass shards reveals a clear relationship between what appear to be impact features on the glass surfaces and the independently derived paleoexplosivities, which suggests that this may be a simple means to characterize ash horizons and estimate relative volcanic explosivities. PMID- 17759588 TI - Sebertia acuminata: A Hyperaccumulator of Nickel from New Caledonia. AB - Sebertia acuminata (Sapotaceae) from New Caledonia has been shown to be a hyperaccumulator of nickel. The nickel content of the latex (25.74 percent on a dry weight basis) is easily the highest nickel concentration ever found in living material. The nickel is in the form of a low-molecular-weight, water-soluble organic complex. PMID- 17759590 TI - On palaeosclerotium as a link between ascomycetes and basidiomycetes. PMID- 17759589 TI - Differential resource utilization by the sexes of dioecious plants. AB - The distribution of male and female plants was examined in five dioecious, wind pollinated species representing five plant families and two classes (gymnosperms and angiosperms). The arid to semiarid habitats occupied by these species in northern Utah were stratified for sampling into two categories: chronically xeric and seasonally moist. The results show that for all species, males are more abundant on xeric microsites, while females are over represented on the moister parts of each local environment. Differential distribution of the sexes along a soil moisture gradient is a strategy that maximizes seed set of females and pollen dispersal of males; it also tends to minimize intraspecific competition between the sexes. PMID- 17759591 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17759592 TI - THE UNITY OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17759593 TI - MICRO-ORGANISMS OF SOIL AND HUMAN WELFARE. PMID- 17759594 TI - CURRENTS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC. PMID- 17759595 TI - ON THE PUPATION OF ANTS AND THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING THE GUATEMALAN KELEP OR COTTON-WEEVIL ANT IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17759596 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17759598 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ARTS AND SCIENCE. PMID- 17759597 TI - BOTANY AT THE CUBAN EXPERIMENT STATION. PMID- 17759599 TI - THE SCIENCES OF THE IDEAL. PMID- 17759601 TI - DETERMINATION OF LONGITUDE. PMID- 17759600 TI - A RECENT PALEONTOLOGICAL INDUCTION. PMID- 17759602 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17759603 TI - DECLARATION OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17759604 TI - THE COTTON BOLL WEEVIL. PMID- 17759605 TI - APPEAL FOR COOPERATION IN MAGNETIC AND ALLIED OBSERVATIONS DURING THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF AUGUST 29-30, 1905. PMID- 17759606 TI - PROBLEMS OF POPULATION OF THE NORTH PACIFIC AREA AS DEPENDENT UPON THE BIOLOGY, THE OCEANOGRAPHY, AND THE METEOROLOGY OF THE AREA. PMID- 17759607 TI - SOME NECESSARY STEPS IN ANY ATTEMPT TO PROVE INSECT TRANSMISSION OR CAUSATION OF DISEASE. PMID- 17759608 TI - THE U. S. FOOD ADMINISTRATION'S WAR FLOUR. PMID- 17759610 TI - THREE FOURTHS OF AN OCTAVE FARTHER IN THE ULTRA-VIOLET. PMID- 17759609 TI - EDWARD COWLES. PMID- 17759611 TI - THE PROBLEM OF THE BOY IN THE SWING. PMID- 17759613 TI - UNIVERSITY EXTENSION. PMID- 17759612 TI - A PRACTICAL LONG-PERIOD SEISMOGRAPH. PMID- 17759614 TI - THE BOTANICAL CONGRESS AT BRUSSELS. PMID- 17759615 TI - PRESENTATION TO PROFESSOR BOLZA. PMID- 17759616 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17759618 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17759617 TI - THE PROFESSORIAL QUESTION. PMID- 17759619 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17759621 TI - ELECTROLYTIC EXPERIMENTS SHOWING INCREASE IN PERMEABILITY OF THE EGG TO IONS AT THE BEGINNING OF DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17759620 TI - SEX LIMITED INHERITANCE IN DROSOPHILA. PMID- 17759623 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17759622 TI - GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY AT THE BOSTON-CAMBRIDGE MEETING. PMID- 17759624 TI - THE PERMANENT SECRETARY'S REPORT ON THE KANSAS CITY MEETING. PMID- 17759625 TI - GENERAL OFFICERS FOR THE KANSAS CITY MEETING. PMID- 17759626 TI - THE COUNCIL ROLL AT KANSAS CITY. PMID- 17759628 TI - LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE PROCEEDINGS AT KANSAS CITY. PMID- 17759627 TI - THE ROLL OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AT KANSAS CITY. PMID- 17759629 TI - RESOLUTIONS ON THE GENERAL WELFARE, ADOPTED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION AT THE KANSAS CITY MEETING. PMID- 17759630 TI - FINANCIAL REPORTS. PMID- 17759631 TI - PROGRESS REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE PLACE OF THE SCIENCES IN EDUCATION. PMID- 17759632 TI - PROGRESS REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17759634 TI - A Biographical Note. PMID- 17759633 TI - OFFICERS ELECTED AT KANSAS CITY. PMID- 17759635 TI - THE KANSAS CITY SESSIONS OF SECTIONS AND SOCIETIES. PMID- 17759636 TI - OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR 1926. PMID- 17759637 TI - THE ORGANIZATION AND WORK OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17759638 TI - FUTURE ANNUAL MEETINGS. PMID- 17759639 TI - SPECIAL NOTES TO MEMBERS, PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS AND DONORS. PMID- 17759640 TI - THE CIVILIAN ELECTRICIAN IN A MODERN WAR. PMID- 17759641 TI - THE RELATIONS OF MEN OF SCIENCE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. PMID- 17759642 TI - THE CAUSE OF MOTION IN THE RADIOMETER. PMID- 17759643 TI - Reversal of Temperature in Lows and Highs. PMID- 17759645 TI - Neutron scattering: biological applications. PMID- 17759644 TI - Benzene in consumer products. PMID- 17759646 TI - Science and technology for development. PMID- 17759647 TI - Atmospheric carbon dioxide and carbon reservoir changes. AB - The net release of CO(2) from the biosphere to the atmosphere between 1850 and 1950 is estimated to amount to 1.2 x 10(9) tons of carbon per year. During this interval, changes in land use reduced the total terrestrial biomass by 7 percent. There has been a smaller reduction in biomass over the last few decades. In the middle 19th century the air had a CO(2) content of approximately 268 parts per millon, and the total increase in atmospheric CO(2) content since 1850 has been 18 percent. Major sinks for fossil fuel CO(2) are the thermocline regions of large oceanic gyres. About 34 percent of the excess CO(2) generated so far is stored in surface and thermocline gyre waters, and 13 percent has been advected into the deep sea. This leaves an airborne fraction of 53 percent. PMID- 17759648 TI - OSTP Pursues Use of Existing Laws. PMID- 17759649 TI - Firing of NIMH Director Bert Brown Reflects Califano Policy and Style. PMID- 17759650 TI - A new militancy in England. PMID- 17759652 TI - India bans monkey export: u.s. May have breached accord. PMID- 17759651 TI - NIH Considers Animal Rights. PMID- 17759653 TI - Precambrian tectonics: is the present the key to the past? PMID- 17759654 TI - Skepticism persists as plate tectonic answers come harder. PMID- 17759655 TI - The oldest fossil bird: a rival for archaeopteryx? PMID- 17759656 TI - Annual meeting, washington, d.C.--tours. PMID- 17759657 TI - A marshaling of arguments. PMID- 17759658 TI - Phytopathology. PMID- 17759660 TI - Steroids. PMID- 17759659 TI - Mesophases. PMID- 17759661 TI - Strontium Uptake in Shell Aragonite from the Freshwater Gastropod Limnaea stagnalis. AB - Shell aragonite from 96 specimens of the freshwater gastropod Limnaea stagnalis grown in laboratory tanks at different temperatures in water with variable strontium/calcium ratios have been analyzed for its strontium content in order to evaluate the mechanisms of strontium uptake in molluskan aragonite. Within the limits defined by natural freshwater environments, the strontium/calcium ratio in the aragonite was found to be linearly related to the strontium/calcium ratio in the water. A distribution coefficient k(A)(Sr) = 0.237 +/- 0.029, unaffected by variations in temperature and growth rate, has been found. This finding substantiates the existence of a strontium-discriminating effect in aragonite precipitated by mollusks as compared to the case for nonbiogenic aragonite which contains about five times as much strontium when precipitated under the same conditions. PMID- 17759662 TI - Planetary-scale forcing of the january 1977 weather. AB - The type of weather anomalies that occurred in the United States during January 1977 are typical of a planetary-scale wave phenomenon called stratospheric sudden warming (SSW). Specific changes in weather parameters nearly always accompany SSW. Blocking ridges (intensified high-pressure cells) develop over the oceans, the North Pole warms, mid-latitudes cool, and continental temperatures plunge. These characteristics usually persist for at least a month. When the SSW is strong, as in January 1958, 1963, and 1977, the accompanying weather anomalies can be unusually severe. PMID- 17759663 TI - Nitrous oxide: emission from soils during nitrification of fertilizer nitrogen. AB - Nitrous oxide is released from soils to the atmosphere during nitrification of ammonium and ammonium-producing fertilizers under aerobic conditions as well as by denitrification of nitrate under anaerobic conditions. Emissions of nitrous oxide during nitrification of fertilizer nitrogen may be significant in regard to the potential threat of fertilizer-derived nitrous oxide to the stratospheric ozone layer. Such emissions can be greatly reduced through the use of nitrapyrin, which inhibits nitrification of ammonium by soil microorganisms. PMID- 17759664 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17759666 TI - Oil and gas resources. PMID- 17759665 TI - Latters to the editor. PMID- 17759667 TI - Alexandering. PMID- 17759668 TI - Changing climate for medicine. PMID- 17759670 TI - White house science adviser: you can go home again. PMID- 17759669 TI - The caracol tower at chichen itza: an ancient astronomical observatory? AB - Although our investigations reveal a number of significant astronomical events coinciding with many of the measured alignments presented in Table 1, not every alignment appears to have an astronomical match which we can recognize. It may be that only some of the sighting possibilities we have discussed were actually functional. Moreover, our search of significant astronomical events to match the alignments has included only those which seem of obvious functional importance to us: sun, moon, and planetary extremes and the setting positions of the brightest stars. We have emphasized those celestial bodies which are documented in the literature as having been of importance. Perhaps hitherto unrecognized constellations were sighted in the windows, perhaps fainter stars, the heliacal rising and setting times of which could have served to mark important dates in the calendar. While we propose no grand cosmic scheme for the astronomical design of the Caracol it can be inferred that the building, apart from being a monument related to Quetzalcoatl, was erected primarily for the purpose of embodying in its architecture certain significant astronomical event alignments, in the same sense that a modern astronomical ephemeris exhibits information of importance to us in the keeping of the current calendar. There are examples in the Mesoamerican historical literature of deliberate attempts to align buildings with astronomical directions of importance. For example, Maudslay (33) quotes Father Motolinia, who tells us that in Tenochtitlan the festival called Tlacaxipeualistli "took place when the sun stood in the middle of Huicholobos, which was at the equinox, and because it was a little out of the straight, Montezuma wished to pull it down and set it right." According to Maudslay, worshipers were probably facing east to watch the sun rise between the two oratories on the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan at the time of the equinox. The directions of the faces of the Lower and Upper platforms of the Caracol seem to have been laid out deliberately to point to horizon events involving the sun and the planet Venus. Of the lines taken through the windows, the Venus setting points seem most plausible to us in view of both the accuracy with which they fit the architecture and the historical evidence bearing upon the importance of Venus to the Mesoamerican people. A specific connection between the Venus calendar in the Dresden Codex and the sighting of the extreme positions of the planet along the horizon, however, is yet to be established. It is especially significant that alignments in both the base and the top of the tower relate to Venus. The solar equinox alignment in window I remains problematical, although the arrangement probably functioned as an approximate means of determining the first day of spring and the first day of autumn. Lines pointing to individual bright stars undoubtedly should be given lower value. If one is willing to carry the matching game to its ultimate completion, a stellar object can always be found which, although very obscure, will fit an alignment. In our consideration of the problem we have attempted to single out bright stars which appeared or disappeared on significant calendar dates. Other round structures resembling the Caracol exist in Mesoamerica (20), although there are comparatively few built by the Maya. Nearly all can be attributed to the cult of Quetzalcoatl (34). To our knowledge none have been carefully measured and analyzed for astronomical orientations. The ruined tower Q 152 at Mayapan bore distinct similarities to the Caracol, both in shape and structure. It probably contained only a single doorway which faced west. Both structures possessed circular corridors. A circular tower is still standing at Paalmul on the coast of Quintana Roo north of Tulum. Pollock (20, p. 115) states that it has a single room in the turret. A window similar to No. I in the Caracol faces northwest, the same direction as the base of the front of the structure. It may be astronomically significant that the Yucatecan towers fronted in approximately the same direction. Andrews (34) reports the existence of a curious circular building located at Puerto Rico, Campeche, near Xpujil. His crosssectional view of the tower bears a close resemblance to Ruppert's sketch (6, figure 293) of a horizontal section taken through the windows remaining at the top of the Caracol. Hartung (12) has suggested a possible astronomical use for the Puerto Rico tower, but no analysis of the orientation of its "windows," which are much smaller than those of the Caracol, has yet been conducted. Other circular buildings are reported at Ake (20, p. 113) and Isla Cozumel (35, p. 557). We hope that future investigations of the remains of Yucatecan towers will shed further light upon the significance and use of the Caracol as an astronomical observatory. PMID- 17759671 TI - Peaceful nuclear explosions: promises, promises. PMID- 17759672 TI - Ruth Patrick: Hard Work Brings Its Own (and Tyler) Reward. PMID- 17759673 TI - Tyler ecology award. PMID- 17759674 TI - NSF and Its Critics in Congress: New Pressure on Peer Review. PMID- 17759675 TI - VITA: Approprite Technology for the Third World. PMID- 17759676 TI - Laser spectroscopy: probing biomolecular functions. PMID- 17759677 TI - Science Support: Is High Energy Physics at Home in ERDA? PMID- 17759678 TI - Office of science and society programs: congressional science seminars. PMID- 17759679 TI - Notes from other offices. PMID- 17759680 TI - Communications department. PMID- 17759681 TI - Deep-sea erosion and manganese nodule development in the southeast Indian ocean. AB - Features exhibited by a large number of sea floor photographs together with the dating of 187 sediment cores from the southeast Indian Ocean have revealed extensive manganese nodule development and sediment erosion in deep basinal areas. The most extensive nodule field, with an area of 10(6) square kilometers, occurs in the northwestern sector of the South Australian Basin and is named the Southeast Indian Ocean Manganese Pavement. The crests and flanks of the adjacent mid-ocean ridge are, in contrast, free of nodules and marked by much less dynamic bottom water conditions. PMID- 17759682 TI - Corn stunt spiroplasma: isolation, cultivation, and proof of pathogenicity. AB - A spiroplasma isolated from corn infected with corn stunt disease has been successfully cultivated in vitro. Acid formation was associated with its growth in liquid medium, and fried egg-shaped or granulated colonies developed on solid agar medium. Healthy leafhopper vectors injected with or allowed to feed on isolates from various serial passages through liquid medium were able to transmit the corn stunt agent to healthy corn plants, inducing typical corn stunt disease in the plants. The spiroplasma was reisolated and cultivated from such diseased plants and was indistinguishable morphologically from the original isolates. These results provide the first definite proof that the corn stunt disease is caused by the corn stunt spiroplasma. PMID- 17759683 TI - Plant mycoplasmas: a cultivable spiroplasma causes corn stunt disease. AB - A spiroplasma can be isolated and grown continuously in cell-free medium from stunted corn or from Drosophila injected with sap expressed from diseased corn. The organism is serologically related to, but not identical with, Spiroplasma citri, the causative agent of citrus stubborn disease. Leafhopers injected with cultured organisms induced typical symptoms of the corn stunt disease when placed on previously healthy corn plants. PMID- 17759684 TI - Electrostatic and steric effects in the selective complexation of cations in nonactin. AB - The ester carbonyl stretch frequencies of complexes of the macrotetrolide nonactin with Na(+), K(+), Rb(+), Cs(+), Tl(+), NH(4)(+), NH(3)OH(+), and (NH(2))(2)CNH(2)(+) have been measured. For the larger alkali cations and the polyatomic cations, the ester carbonyl stretch frequency is linearly proportional to the cation-ester carbonyl electrostatic interaction energy. This constitutes direct evidence that the cation-nonactin interaction is primarily electrostatic, rather than mechanical (steric). PMID- 17759685 TI - Memory retrieval from long and short lists. AB - Reaction time in Sternberg's memory retrieval task with both short and long lists is a bilinear function of list length, changing slope at the limits of memory span. Separate long-term and short-term retrieval processes are implied. An alternative one-process model expressed by a logarithmic function is also considered. PMID- 17759686 TI - Thermochemical hydrogen generation: heat requirements and costs. PMID- 17759687 TI - PRIMITIVE MARRIAGE. PMID- 17759688 TI - THE OIL-WELLS OF BAKU. PMID- 17759690 TI - RAINFALL IN SOUTH AFRICA. PMID- 17759689 TI - RATIO OF INCREASE OF HEIGHT TO INCREASE OF BULK IN THE CHILD. PMID- 17759691 TI - DIFFERENT PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSES FOR HEAT AND COLD. PMID- 17759693 TI - FACSIMILE OF THE ANTILEGOMENA. PMID- 17759692 TI - EDUCATIONAL BOOKS AND REPORTS. PMID- 17759694 TI - Tritium production. PMID- 17759696 TI - Tritium production. PMID- 17759695 TI - Tritium production. PMID- 17759697 TI - Science for nonmajors ... And majors. PMID- 17759699 TI - Response: optical triggers of protein folding. PMID- 17759698 TI - Earth's Carrying Capacity. PMID- 17759700 TI - Complementary DNA for 12-kilodalton B cell growth factor: misassigned. PMID- 17759701 TI - Complementary DNA for 12-kilodalton B cell growth factor: misassigned. PMID- 17759703 TI - LIGHT WAVES IN ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17759702 TI - Response: complementary DNA for 12-kilodalton B cell growth factor: misassigned. PMID- 17759704 TI - TWENTY-SEVEN KINDS OF MEN. PMID- 17759705 TI - NOTE ON PREPARING COLOR STANDARDS. PMID- 17759706 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17759707 TI - A FACTOR CAUSING THE ASSIMILATION OF CALCIUM. PMID- 17759709 TI - TRABECULAE OF SANIO IN ANGIOSPERMS. PMID- 17759710 TI - BIOLOGICAL RECORD CARDS. PMID- 17759708 TI - A COURSE IN PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS FOR STUDENTS IN OTHER SCIENCES. PMID- 17759712 TI - ON THE ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE OF PHENOL WATER SYSTEMS AND OF PROTOPLASM. PMID- 17759711 TI - AEROBIC. PMID- 17759713 TI - THE ORIGIN OF COLUMNAR HOLES IN WANDERING DUNES. PMID- 17759715 TI - Fresh-Water Diatoms from Atlantic Deep-Sea Sediments. PMID- 17759714 TI - Know It Now. PMID- 17759716 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17759718 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17759717 TI - Erratum. AB - The value of the ratio of "apparent" retention volumes (V'(R)) (H)/V'(R))D, given in paragraph 2, sentence 3 of the report, "Isotope Effects in Gas-Liquid Chromatography," by K. E. Wilybach and P. Riesz [Science 126, 748 (18 October 1957)], should have been 1.08 +/- 0.01 instead of 1.80 +/- 0.01. PMID- 17759720 TI - Technical experts and lawyers. PMID- 17759719 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17759721 TI - Dredged material disposal guidelines. PMID- 17759722 TI - Primates in biomedical research. PMID- 17759724 TI - Absence of u.s. Energy leadership. PMID- 17759723 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17759725 TI - Biogeography of the Megazoo: Biogeographic studies suggest organizing principles for a future system of wild lands. AB - A system of primary wildland reserves may be required to ensure a diversity of plant and animal species in the future. A strategy for locating such reserves involves considerations of their location, number, size, and linkage. The equilibrium theory of island biogeography is a useful analytical tool for predicting future biogeographies according to the dynamics of present plant and animal distributions. Existing reserves in the United States are inadequate in size and number and are clumped in one geographic region. In a planned network there might be several levels of reserves, starting with first- and second-order watersheds of large enough size to support a stable population of large carnivores. Reserves should be distributed so that they include a maximum of the world's biological diversity. Lower-order reserves might serve as stepping-stones among which a supply of species might move as a kind of distributed storage and reintroduce themsleves when local instabilities occur. This would maintain a high immigration rate to balance an extinction rate which can only increase as human settlements expand. PMID- 17759726 TI - NSF: House Appropriations Panel Gives Warning Tug on Purse Strings. PMID- 17759727 TI - Bauman Amendment's Chances Down. PMID- 17759728 TI - White house science adviser: house committee mulls ford bill. PMID- 17759729 TI - Nuclear power: westinghouse looks to washington for a customer. PMID- 17759730 TI - Alaska's Pipeline Road: New Conflicts Loom. PMID- 17759731 TI - Freedom of information act: problems at the FDA. PMID- 17759732 TI - Ray fed up, quits state. PMID- 17759733 TI - Actin and Myosin: role in nonmuscle cells. PMID- 17759734 TI - Exploring the continent by drilling: a new proposal. PMID- 17759735 TI - Native american contributions to science, engineering, and medicine. PMID- 17759736 TI - McElroy Awarded Honorary Degree. PMID- 17759737 TI - Notes from other offices. PMID- 17759738 TI - New Deadline for Nominations for AAAS-Rosenstiel Award in Oceanographic Science. PMID- 17759739 TI - Etch patterns on calcareous sediment grains: petrographic evidence of marine dissolution of carbonate minerals. AB - Scanning electron microscopy reveals that carbonate grains in sublittoral sediments in the North Sea have surfaces with a microscopic etch relief. In structurally complex skeletal grains, the relief grades into marginal corrosion zones. The etch patterns are caused by dissolution of calcium carbonate, taking place at the shallow sea floor. Carbonate phases affected are calcite, aragonite, and a spectrum of magnesian calcites. PMID- 17759741 TI - Survey of affiliates' equal opportunity policies. PMID- 17759740 TI - Volcanic twilights from the fuego eruption. AB - Striated twilight glows have been observed since 26 November 1974 in New England, indicating the spread of stratospheric dust earlier observed over Arizona. Similar photometric results were obtained from New Mexico and Florida, and twilights in Puerto Rico showed features not hitherto measured. Letters and verbal reports indicate the source to be eruptions of Fuego Volcano in Guatemala between 13 and 23 October 1974. PMID- 17759742 TI - ATOMIC PROJECTILES AND THEIR COLLISIONS WITH LIGHT ATOMS. PMID- 17759743 TI - SECOND AWARD OF THE ELLIOT MEDAL. PMID- 17759744 TI - PROPOSED CONSTITUTION AND BY LAWS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17759745 TI - A HELIUM SERIES IN THE EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET. PMID- 17759746 TI - DOUBLE USE OF THE TERM ACCELERATION. PMID- 17759747 TI - NOTES ON METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17759749 TI - THE NEW HAVEN MEETING OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17759748 TI - A PRELIMINARY NOTE ON FOOT-ROT OF CEREALS IN THE NORTHWEST. PMID- 17759750 TI - MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE OF POLICY OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17759751 TI - AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17759752 TI - ANTI-EVOLUTION LEGISLATION IN THE VARIOUS STATES. PMID- 17759753 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND LEGISLATION AGAINST THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION. PMID- 17759755 TI - THE AWARD OF THE FRANKLIN MEDAL TO PROFESSOR ELIHU THOMSON. PMID- 17759754 TI - ATOMS AND ISOMORPHISM. PMID- 17759757 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17759756 TI - WILLIAM JAMES BEAL: AN AMERICAN PIONEER IN SCIENCE. PMID- 17759758 TI - THE GERMINATION OF BARLEY UNDER LATE SPRING MALTING CONDITIONS IN INDIA. PMID- 17759760 TI - AMANITA MUSCARIA IN MAINE. PMID- 17759759 TI - PHOTOGRAPHING THE SHADOW BANDS. PMID- 17759761 TI - A FABLE. PMID- 17759762 TI - THE POSSIBLE ORIGIN OF THE ANGIOSPERMS. PMID- 17759763 TI - THE PRESENCE OF TREHALOSE IN YEAST. PMID- 17759764 TI - A MODEL OF MUSCULAR CONTRACTION. PMID- 17759765 TI - THE ALKALINE REACTION OF THE DEW ON COTTON PLANTS. PMID- 17759766 TI - THE SPRING MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. PMID- 17759767 TI - Alabama and evolution. PMID- 17759768 TI - Wild dogs in the serengeti. PMID- 17759769 TI - Response: wild dogs in the serengeti. PMID- 17759770 TI - Resistance to mutagenesis. PMID- 17759772 TI - Comet hunting: discipline and serendipity. PMID- 17759771 TI - Downsizing at DOE Facilities. PMID- 17759773 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF COTTON. PMID- 17759775 TI - TREATMENT OF COLDS. PMID- 17759774 TI - THE NOBEL PRIZE MEN. PMID- 17759776 TI - SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. PMID- 17759777 TI - THE SAHUARO CACTUS. PMID- 17759778 TI - PREHISTORIC INDIANS. PMID- 17759779 TI - THE BINDING INFLUENCE OF A LIBRARY ON A SUBDIVIDING PROFESSION. PMID- 17759780 TI - THE PLACE OF GEOLOGY AMONG THE SCIENCES. PMID- 17759782 TI - PHARMACOLOGICAL INJECTIONS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL INFERENCES. PMID- 17759781 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17759783 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17759784 TI - A PECULIAR LIGHTNING PHENOMENON. PMID- 17759785 TI - THE PUBLICATION OF PAPERS FROM RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS. PMID- 17759786 TI - THE PUBLIC FUNDS. PMID- 17759787 TI - A METHOD OF RECORDING MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES OF FOREST SOILS. PMID- 17759788 TI - A QUANTITATIVE CLOSING NET FOR CATCHING PLANKTON ORGANISMS. PMID- 17759789 TI - SOME PHYSICOCHEMICAL ASPECTS OF LIFE, MUTATION AND EVOLUTION. PMID- 17759791 TI - SPIRAL NEBULAE. PMID- 17759790 TI - THE TSETSE FLY. PMID- 17759793 TI - WOOD-BORING BEETLES. PMID- 17759792 TI - APPROPRIATION FOR THE ERADICATION OF THE CORN BORER. PMID- 17759794 TI - ANIMAL BEHAVIOR. PMID- 17759796 TI - SOME RECENT SPECULATIONS ON THE NATURE OF LIGHT. PMID- 17759795 TI - THE DICK ANTITOXIN FOR SCARLET FEVER. PMID- 17759797 TI - THE CONCEPTION OF A SPECIES. PMID- 17759798 TI - INTERNATIONAL CRITICAL TABLES. PMID- 17759799 TI - THE COLOR OF HYDRATED SILICA AND ALUMINA. PMID- 17759800 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17759801 TI - STUDY OF BARTLETT PEAR BLACK-END UNDERTAKEN IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17759802 TI - THE "TEARING METHOD". PMID- 17759803 TI - A CRITERION FOR DISTINGUISHING IDENTICAL TWINS FROM FRATERNAL TWINS. PMID- 17759804 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF SELECTIVE AND GENERAL IRRADIATION BY A QUARTZ MERCURY ARC LAMP UPON THE GERMINATION AND GROWTH OF SEEDS. PMID- 17759805 TI - THE EFFECT OF SODIUM BICARBONATE ON THE TITRATION OF IODINE WITH THIOSULFATE. PMID- 17759806 TI - Psychotherapy and health insurance. PMID- 17759807 TI - Soviet and u.s. Coal supplies. PMID- 17759808 TI - Soviet exchanges: an alternative path. PMID- 17759809 TI - Should the gas guzzler go? PMID- 17759811 TI - Science and technology: a five-year outlook. PMID- 17759810 TI - Erratum. AB - In the photograph on page 626 accompanying the article "A new call for abolishing the NRC" (News and Comment, 8 Feb., p. 624), the official shown with Mitchell Rogovin was Lee V. Gossick, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's executive director for operations, not John F. Ahearne, the commission chairman. PMID- 17759812 TI - Dynamic compression of Earth materials. AB - Shock wave techniques have been used to investigate the pressuredensity relations of metals, silicates, and oxides over the entire range of pressures present in the earth (3.7 x 10(6) bars at the center). In many materials of geophysical interest, such as iron, wustite, calcium oxide, and forsterite, major shock induced phase changes dominate the compression behavior below pressures of 10(6) bars. The shock wave data for the high-pressure phases of these minerals lead to important inferences about the composition of the lower mantle and outer, liquid core of the earth. The lower mantle of the earth appears to have a slightly higher density than is inferred to correspond to the behavior of an olivine-rich assembiage of the same composition as the upper mantle. The core has a density some 10 percent less than that of pure iron and may have 9 to 12 percent sulfur or about 8 percent oxygen by weight. PMID- 17759813 TI - Volcanic activity and climatic changes. AB - Radiocarbon dates of volcanic activity suggest variations that appear to be related to climatic changes. Historical eruption records also show variations on the scale of years to centuries. These records can be combined with simple climatic models to estimate the impact of various volcanic activity levels. From this analysis it appears that climatic prediction in the range of 2 years to many decades requires broad-scale volcanic activity prediction. Statistical analysis of the volcanic record suggests that some predictability is possible. PMID- 17759814 TI - Boll weevil eradication. AB - Some representatives of the cotton industry and of the entomological profession advocate efforts to eradicate the boll weevil. This coalition originated in 1958 from a complex of socioeconomic changes in cotton production and scientific developments in entomology. The results of a pilot eradication experiment (1971 to 1973) were controversial, and the debate was inhibited by social pressures upon the entomological profession. Substantial conceptual difficulties also attend evaluations of eradication experiments. A new trial eradication program is under way. If its evaluation is not to be warped by problems similar to the earlier ones, both the social and scientific aspects of eradication must be recognized and steps must be taken to ensure a full and open debate. PMID- 17759815 TI - The leopolds: a family of naturalists. PMID- 17759817 TI - Conservation league gives brown top rating. PMID- 17759816 TI - Science meetings catch the u.s.-Soviet chill. PMID- 17759818 TI - Job protection for "whistle blowers" being tested. PMID- 17759819 TI - Odd couple hit energy budget. PMID- 17759820 TI - The bits and pieces of plate tectonics. PMID- 17759821 TI - Science and human rights. PMID- 17759823 TI - Reports from san francisco. PMID- 17759822 TI - Response to sakharov exile. PMID- 17759824 TI - Chinese attend meeting. PMID- 17759825 TI - Minority women in science. PMID- 17759826 TI - Foreign students attend annual meeting. PMID- 17759827 TI - Manpower resource supplement published. PMID- 17759828 TI - OOS Compiling Registry for NIH. PMID- 17759829 TI - Animal agriculture conference planned. PMID- 17759830 TI - SWARM Annual Meeting. PMID- 17759831 TI - A view of scientific thought. PMID- 17759833 TI - Neurophysiology. PMID- 17759832 TI - Oxygen metabolism. PMID- 17759834 TI - Environmental carcinogens. PMID- 17759835 TI - Physicist's Memoir. PMID- 17759836 TI - Solar ultraviolet radiation and coral reef epifauna. AB - Many "shade-loving" reef organisms show adverse effects when irradiated with full natural sunlight but not if radiation shorter than 400 nanometers is screened out. Shortwave solar radiation appears to be an important physical factor controlling the biology of shallow tropical benthic marine communities. PMID- 17759837 TI - Fallout plutonium in an alkaline, saline lake. AB - Plutonium isotopes, derived from global fallout following atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, have been measured in the water and sediments of a natural alkaline, saline lake. The activities of fallout plutonium in the water column are about two orders of magnitude greater than in most freshwater lakes, where these nuclides are found predominantly in the sediments. PMID- 17759838 TI - An interface phase transition: complete to partial wetting. AB - When two fluid phases are near a critical point, one of them will be excluded from contact with any third phase that happens to be present by a wetting film of the other critical phase. A simple and quite general strategy that may be used to induce a phase transition from complete wetting of the third phase to incomplete wetting is to add a new component to the fluid phases chosen to drive the two phases away from their critical point. This strategy is illustrated for methanol cyclohexane mixtures. PMID- 17759839 TI - How electric fields modify alkane solubility in lipid bilayers. AB - The planar lipid bilayer membrane is assumed to be in osmotic equilibrium with the surrounding Plateau-Gibbs border (annulus) and entrapped microlenses. An electric field applied across the membrane raises the chemical potential of the alkane in the bilayer, causing it to shift from the bilayer to the annulus and microlenses. This shift results in a decrease in thickness. PMID- 17759840 TI - Lipid barrier to water exchange in reptile epidermis. AB - Extraction of lipids from the shed epidermis of the terrestrial snake Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta increases cutaneous water loss in vitro as much as 15-fold. Partial denaturation of epidermal keratin without lipid extraction increases cutaneous water loss only twofold. Histological observations and thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography of the lipid extracts indicate a complex mixture of polar and neutral lipids predominantly in the mesos layer of the cornified epidermis. Comparative measurements of cutaneous water loss in other species of snakes and a lizard show that permeabilities differ naturally but are essentially identical after lipid extraction. These findings establish the importance of lipids in the permeability barrier of reptilian skin and suggest that keratin or scale morphology are of nominal importance in limiting water exchange. PMID- 17759841 TI - Anthophora Bees: Unusual Glycerides from Maternal Dufour's Glands Serve as Larval Food and Cell Lining. AB - The Dufour's gland of Anthophora abrupta, a solitary bee, secretes a complex mixture of liquid triglycerides containing one long-chain and two shortchain fatty acids. This is applied inside the earthen brood cells and added to the provision, where it is converted, perhaps by enzymes from the bee's saliva or gut, to solid diglycerides that are later eaten by the bee larvae. This use of Dufour's gland secretion as food and its nutritive function are reminiscent of the royal jelly secreted by honey bees. PMID- 17759843 TI - On the Status of Australopithecus afarensis. PMID- 17759842 TI - Army ants on the move: relation between food supply and emigration frequency. AB - Underfed colonies of Neivamyrmex nigrescens in the laboratory emigrated on 62 percent of the nomadic days, as compared with only 28 percent for overfed colonies. Because the emigration frequency in the field is similar to that of underfed colonies, nomadic raids may not bring in enough food to satiate the larval broods. Since emigrations take time away from raiding, the food-related mechanism underlying emigrations may have evolved under more stringent ecological conditions. PMID- 17759844 TI - On the Status of Australopithecus afarensis. PMID- 17759845 TI - On the Status of Australopithecus afarensis. PMID- 17759847 TI - HARMON NORTHRUP MORSE. PMID- 17759846 TI - On the Status of Australopithecus afarensis. PMID- 17759848 TI - WILHELM WUNDT, I832-I920. PMID- 17759850 TI - A POSSIBLE RELATION BETWEEN MECHANICAL, CHEMICAL AND ELECTRICAL QUANTITIES. PMID- 17759849 TI - ON THE DETERMINATION OF GEOCHRONOLOGY BY A STUDY OF LAMINATED DEPOSITS. PMID- 17759851 TI - PURCHASES IN GERMANY. PMID- 17759852 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF DRY VERSUS FRESH GREEN PLANT TISSUE ON CALCIUM METABOLISM. PMID- 17759853 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED IN THE SCIENCES BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES IN I920. II. PMID- 17759854 TI - A METHOD OF STUDYING THE ABSORPTION-TRANSPIRATION RATIO IN NUTRIENT MEDIA. PMID- 17759855 TI - THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17759856 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17759857 TI - A Distinction That Needs Elaborating. PMID- 17759858 TI - An Experiment in the History of Science: With a simple but ingenious device Galileo could obtain relatively precise time measurements. PMID- 17759859 TI - Making Science a Vital Force in Foreign Policy. PMID- 17759860 TI - Early Pleistocene Paleoclimatic Record from Sonoran Desert, Arizona. AB - Three pollen spectra from lake sediments stratigraphically well below mid-Kansan fauna indicate plant associations for the Sonoran desert, Arizona, approximating those found now at elevations of 1500 ft and more above the desert floor. The presence of Ostrya, Betula, and Artemisia may indicate some invasion by northern species as well. A climate cooler or wetter, or both cooler and wetter, than the present climate is inferred from paleobotanical and sedimentary evidence. Correlation with the Nebraskan glacial stage is tentatively suggested. PMID- 17759861 TI - Volatile Factor in Culture of Insect Spermatocytes. AB - The in vitro differentiation of insect spermatocytes is critically dependent on the water content of the medium. The postulated "volatile factor" is accounted for in terms of a loss of water from the cultures. PMID- 17759862 TI - Organization of Scientific Research in Latin America. PMID- 17759863 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17759864 TI - Olfactory Cues in Migrating Salmon. PMID- 17759865 TI - Real Professionalism. PMID- 17759866 TI - Federal r&d policy. PMID- 17759867 TI - Acid rain report. PMID- 17759868 TI - Population projections. PMID- 17759869 TI - Population projections. PMID- 17759870 TI - Strategic choices. PMID- 17759871 TI - Strategic choices. PMID- 17759872 TI - Population growth and development. PMID- 17759873 TI - Deep seismic sounding with nuclear explosives in the soviet union. AB - A large geophysical program of exploration that uses deep seismic sounding has been under way in the Soviet Union for decades. Underground nuclear explosives have been used as strong seismic sources since 1971. The wide spacing between these seismic sources-for example, 500 kilometers-has permitted seismic exploration of inaccessible areas in traverses up to 3000 kilometers in length. During the same time an ultra-deep drilling program has also been under way. The data gathered have been used to elucidate details of the crust as well as to describe layering and inhomogeneities in the underlying mantle. By Soviet account, deep seismic sounding has been instrumental in confirming the existence of numerous sedimentary structures containing oil and gas fields in western and eastern Siberia. PMID- 17759874 TI - The Population Factor in Africa's Development Dilemma. AB - Despite several decades of international effort, the development problems of sub Saharan Africa remain acute. By many of the quality of life indexes, the majority of African countries are standing still or moving backward. A rapidly growing population with an adverse dependency ratio places demands on services that present development strategies cannot satisfy. A reorientation of development is necessary to establish realistic population policies and to implement comprehensive family planning programs. PMID- 17759875 TI - The Eocene/Oligocene boundary event in the deep sea. AB - Analysis of middle Eocene to early, Oligocene calcareous and siliceous microfossils shows gradual biotic changes with no massive extinction event across the Eocene/Oligocene boundary. Biotic changes in the late Paleogene appear to reflect changing paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic conditions and do not support suggestions of a catastrophic biotic event caused by a bolide impact at the Eocenel Oligocene boundary. PMID- 17759876 TI - Industry studies the environment. PMID- 17759877 TI - Fear of nuclear power: a phobia? PMID- 17759878 TI - Medical school enrollment still edging downward. PMID- 17759879 TI - Total doctorates edge up in science, engineering. PMID- 17759881 TI - Congress gives archives separate status. PMID- 17759880 TI - Columbia law gets chair in science, technology. PMID- 17759882 TI - EPA Dumps Chemical Data System: Ignoring recommendations in two reports, EPA is handing over the system to industry in a move that critics say will lead to chaos. PMID- 17759883 TI - An endless siege of implausible inventions. PMID- 17759884 TI - Soft X-ray Laser at Lawrence Livermore Lab: An extensive battery of diagnostic tests makes Livermore's the first well-documented x-ray laser; Princeton is not far behind. PMID- 17759885 TI - AAAS Annual Meeting Los Angeles 26-31 May 1985. PMID- 17759886 TI - A chronicle of paleontology: discoverers of the lost world. PMID- 17759887 TI - Environmental physiology: biochemical adaptation. PMID- 17759888 TI - Evolution in slow motion: living fossils. PMID- 17759889 TI - Plants and herbivores: herbivory. PMID- 17759890 TI - Acid precipitation: natural versus anthropogenic components. AB - The concentrations of H(+), SO(4)(2-), and NO(3)(-) in the precipitation of eastern North America are greater now than they were historically as a result of fossil-fuel combustion. Because of a lack of data prior to 1950, the absolute increases in the concentrations of these three ions are unknown. This problem can be addressed by comparing the composition of precipitation from areas sensitive to acidic deposition with that of precipitation from remote areas. An analysis of precipitation data indicates that many areas of eastern North America receive precipitation with substantially greater H(+), SO(4)(2-), and NO(3)(-) concentrations than remote areas. For example, SO(4)(2-), the most ecologically significant indicator of change, is enriched 2 to 16 times in eastern North American precipitation relative to its concentration in remote areas. PMID- 17759891 TI - Holocene sea level changes at the coast of dor, southeast mediterranean. AB - Geological, geomorphological, and archeological data of changes in sea level during the Holocene at the Mediterranean coast of Dor provide a eustatic curve of the region. This curve shows that sea level was approximately 2 meters below the present level 4000 years ago, rose to 1 meter below the present level 3000 years ago, and was 1 meter higher than the present level 1500 years ago. It then dropped to 1 meter below the present level about 800 years ago. PMID- 17759892 TI - Phosphatidylinositol as a Component of the Ice Nucleating Site of Pseudomonas syringae and Erwinia herbiola. AB - Phosphatidylinositol has been identified as a major component of the ice nucleating site on the outer surface of two bacteria, Pseudomonas syringae and Erwinia herbicola. Plant lectins binding to inositol and a highly purified phosphatidylinositol-specific hydrolase (a C(II) lipase) inhibited or decreased the efficiency of the ice nucleating activity (INA) of both bacteria. Extracts of these two INA(+) bacteria had phosphatidylinositol synthase activity while extracts from related INA(-) Pseudomonas or Erwinia strains had no detectable synthase activity. An Escherichia coli strain acquired phosphatidylinositol synthase activity when transformed to the INA(+) phenotype with recombinant plasmids containing fragments of P. syringae DNA. PMID- 17759893 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17759894 TI - Relics in Ventura county, Cal. PMID- 17759895 TI - Law connecting physical constants. PMID- 17759896 TI - The spirifers of the upper Devonian. PMID- 17759897 TI - Ripple-marks. PMID- 17759898 TI - Illusive memory. PMID- 17759899 TI - Ropes of ice. PMID- 17759900 TI - The use of the method of limits in mathematical teaching. PMID- 17759902 TI - THE AMERICAN AWARDS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. PMID- 17759901 TI - The 'Batrachichthys.'. PMID- 17759903 TI - THE DIFFICULTY OF PREVENTING THE OHIO FLOODS. PMID- 17759905 TI - THE CREVAUX EXPEDITION. PMID- 17759904 TI - AN EXPLANATION OF HALL'S PHENOMENON. PMID- 17759906 TI - A NEW THEORY OF HEREDITY. PMID- 17759907 TI - WATTS'S MANUAL OF CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17759908 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17759909 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT, SIR DOUGLAS GALTON, BEFORE THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17759910 TI - ELECTRIFICATION AND DISELECTRIFICATION OF AIR AND OTHER GASES. PMID- 17759912 TI - BIBLIOGRAPHY AS A FEATURE OF THE CHEMICAL CURRICULUM. PMID- 17759911 TI - SCIENCE OR POETRY. PMID- 17759913 TI - AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17759915 TI - THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17759914 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOTANICAL CLUB, A. A. A. S., SPRINGFIELD MEETING, AUGUST 29th TO SEPTEMBER 2d, 1895. PMID- 17759916 TI - THE EARLIEST NAME FOR STELLER'S SEA COW AND DUGONG. PMID- 17759917 TI - A NEW JURASSIC PLESIOSAUR FROM WYOMING. PMID- 17759918 TI - NATURAL SCIENCE TRAINING FOR ENGINEERS. PMID- 17759920 TI - PROFESSOR HALSTED REPLIED TO. PMID- 17759919 TI - AN INTERNATIONAL ZOOLOGISTS' DIRECTORY. PMID- 17759921 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17759923 TI - The voice of serpents. PMID- 17759922 TI - The collection of insects in the national museum. PMID- 17759924 TI - The Georgia wonder-girl and her lessons. PMID- 17759925 TI - Hereditary malformation. PMID- 17759926 TI - Plastic snow. PMID- 17759927 TI - THE MICROSCOPE IN GEOLOGY. PMID- 17759928 TI - THE SPANISH EARTHQUAKES. PMID- 17759929 TI - THE SIERRA NEVADA OF SPAIN: THE SCENE OF THE RECENT EARTHQUAKES. PMID- 17759930 TI - THE WORK OF THE SWISS EARTHQUAKE COMMISSION. PMID- 17759931 TI - THE CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKES. PMID- 17759932 TI - SEISMOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17759934 TI - THE SNAKE-DANCE OF THE MOQUIS. PMID- 17759933 TI - A RECENT DISCUSSION OF THE AXIOMS OF MECHANICS. PMID- 17759936 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17759935 TI - Rape of alaska can be rational. PMID- 17759937 TI - Postage meter technology. PMID- 17759938 TI - Reno: Appraisal of DRI. PMID- 17759940 TI - Foundations and the tax bill: threat to the private sector? PMID- 17759939 TI - Lunar and terrestrial exploration. PMID- 17759942 TI - Project cambridge: another showdown for social sciences? PMID- 17759943 TI - McElroy Asks Expanded NSF Role. PMID- 17759944 TI - Heavy Elements: A Feud over 104 and a Future for 114. PMID- 17759946 TI - Late Cenozoic Underthrusting of the Continental Margin off Northernmost California. AB - The presence of magnetic anomaly 3, age 5 million years, beneath the continental slope off northernmost California, is evidence for underthrusting of the continental margin during the late Cenozoic. Folded and faulted strata near the base of the slope attest to deformation of the eastern edge of the turbidite sedimzents in the Gorda Basin; the deformation observed is exactly that expected from underthrusting. The relative motions of three crustal plates also suggest underthrusting, possibly with a major component of right-lateral slip. PMID- 17759945 TI - Solar-type xenon: a new isotopic composition of xenon in the pesyanoe meteorite. AB - Xenon in the Pesyanoe meteorite is a mixture of several componenits. Solar-type xenon is a new component deficient in the neutron-rich isotopes as compared to both trapped chondritic and terrestrial atmospheric xenon. PMID- 17759947 TI - Ocean floor spreading: olduvai and gilsa events in the matuyama epoch. AB - The magnetic anomaly usually associated with the Olduvai geomagnetic event (1.96 million years) should probably be associated with the Gilsa event (~ 1.65 million years). The Oldu-vai event can be correlated with a con-sistently appearing minor anomalycalled W. This reassignment gives near-ly uniform spreading rates for sections of the mid-ocean ridge system consid-ere( l here. PMID- 17759948 TI - Radionuclide composition of the allende meteorite from nondestructive gamma-ray spectrometric analysis. AB - The concentrations of beryllium-7, sodium-22, aluminum-26, potassium-40, scandium 46, vanadium-48, chromium-51, manganese-54, cobalt-57, cobalt-60, and thorium-232 (thallium-208) have been measured in the Allende meteorite by nondestructive gamma-ray spectrometry. The high cobalt-60 content of the meteorite is indicative of a preatmospheric body with a minimum effective radius of 50 centimeters and a weight of 1650 kilograms; the aluminum-26 activity indicates a minimum exposure age of 3 million years. PMID- 17759949 TI - Hard clam pumping rates: energy requirement. PMID- 17759951 TI - Deep sea drilling project. PMID- 17759950 TI - Occurrences of CaCO3 * H2O and Its Naming. PMID- 17759952 TI - Morphogenetic tissue interactions. PMID- 17759953 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17759954 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17759956 TI - Technology Policy: Congress Takes the Reins: A hesitant Administration has left technology policy in the hands of Congress, which has not been idle. PMID- 17759955 TI - In reply: drug abuse prevention programs. PMID- 17759957 TI - FAO Proposes a "New" Plan for Feeding Africa: It will provide massive supplies of fertilizer--and to some it sounds like a repeat of mistakes made in the 1970s. PMID- 17759959 TI - MIT's Davidson Heads Princeton Lab. PMID- 17759958 TI - New law requires return of Indian remains. PMID- 17759960 TI - Employers shun genetic screening. PMID- 17759961 TI - Creationist writer cries foul. PMID- 17759962 TI - Botanical splice. PMID- 17759964 TI - Bailing out of the Bomb Business. PMID- 17759965 TI - NASA Plugs Leaky Shuttles--At Last. PMID- 17759963 TI - Race into the crust. PMID- 17759967 TI - Cold fusion follies. PMID- 17759966 TI - Cold Fusion: Only the Grin Remains: A year and a half after the original report of "fusion in a jar," a few dogged researchers are still hoping to confirm the existence of a low-level, neutron-producing nuclear process. PMID- 17759968 TI - Hood seems likely to head berkeley genome center. PMID- 17759969 TI - Heat-producing elements and the thermal and baric patterns of metamorphic belts. AB - The character of sedimentary basins, before they are deformed and metamorphosed, may strongly influence the thermal and baric patterns of metamorphic belts. Crustal thickening of anoxic sedimentary basins and subsequent thermal reequilibration may produce large areas of high-grade metamorphic rocks and granites because the concentrations of the heat-producing elements are high in such basins. In New England there is a spatial association among granites and high-grade metasedimentary rocks rich in U and Th that now form the Central Maine terrane. The high content of heat-producing elements in these rocks is attributed to fixing of U and Th in highly reduced sediments that were deposited in an anoxic basin that formed in the Silurian. When the basin was thickened during the Devonian Acadian orogeny, the thermal energy generated by the U- and Th-rich sediments produced the observed broad zone of high-grade rocks and anatectic granites. This hypothesis was tested with thermal calculations that reproduce most of the first-order thermal and baric patterns of the Acadian Appalachians, if pretectonic lateral variations in heat production are assumed. PMID- 17759970 TI - General relativity at 75: how right was einstein? AB - The status of experimental tests of general relativity is reviewed on the occasion of its 75th anniversary. Einstein's equivalence principle is well supported by experiments such as the Eotvos experiment, tests of special relativity, and the gravitational redshift experiment. Tests of general relativity have reached high precision, including the light deflection and the perihelion advance of Mercury, proposed by Einstein 75 years ago, and new tests such as the Shapiro time delay and the Nordtvedt effect in lunar motion. Gravitational wave damping has been detected to an accuracy of 1 percent on the basis of measurements of the binary pulsar. The status of the "fifth force" is discussed, along with the frontiers of experimental relativity, including proposals for testing relativistic gravity with advanced technology and spacecraft. PMID- 17759971 TI - Origin of stick-slip motion in boundary lubrication. AB - Molecular dynamics simulations of atomically thin, fluid films confined between two solid plates are described. For a broad range of parameters, a generic stick slip motion is observed, consistent with the results of recent boundary lubrication experiments. Static plates induce crystalline order in the film. Stick-slip motion involves periodic shear-melting transitions and recrystllization of the film. Uniform motion occurs at high velocities where the film no longer has time to order. These results indicate that the origin of stick slip motion is thermodynamic instability of the sliding state, rather than a dynamic instability as usually assumed. PMID- 17759972 TI - Pressure Dependence of Elastic Wave Velocity for beta-Mg2SiO4 and the Composition of the Earth's Mantle. AB - The pressure dependence of the elastic wave velocities for hot-pressed, elastically isotropic polycrystals of the beta (modified spinel) phase of magnesium orthosilicate (Mg(2)SiO(4)) has been determined at room temperature to 3 gigapascals (GPa) by ultrasonic pulse interferometry. Pressure derivatives of the bulk (dK/dP = 4.8) and shear (dG/dP = 1.7) moduli derived from the travel times of the compressional (P) and shear (S) waves clearly demonstrate that the velocity contrast between the olivine and beta phases of Mg(2)SiO(4) decreases with increasing pressure. When combined with plausible values for the (as yet unmeasured) temperature derivatives, these new data can be used to calculate the contrast in P and S wave velocities across an olivine-beta phase transformation occuaring at pressure-temperature conditions corresponding to about 400 kilometers depth in the earth. The seismologically observed contrasts DeltaV in both P and S wave velocities constrain the percentage of orthosilicate in a model mantle of uniform chemical composition for appropriate relative magnitudes of the temperature (T) derivatives of the bulk and shear moduli for the beta phase. Allowed combinations of orthosilicate content (percent), dK/dT, and dG/dT (both in gigapascals per Kelvin) for a pair of recent seismological models with DeltaV(p) = DeltaV(s) 4.6% include (65, -0.018, -0.020), (55, -0.015, -0.018), and (45, -0.012, -0.016). PMID- 17759973 TI - Female preference predates the evolution of the sword in swordtail fish. AB - The study of female preferences and the evolution of male traits has until recently centered on genetic coevolutionary mechanisms. An alternative mechanism posits that a preference results from a preestablished bias in the female information-processing system arising from sources independent of sexual selection. Male traits then arise that are selected by this preexisting preference. The genus Xiphophorus consists of swordless platyfish and swordtails. Swordlessness is the primitive state. In this study, female platyfish, X. maculatus, were found to prefer conspecific males with artificial swords over those without swords, despite evidence that the common ancestor of platyfish and swordtails was swordless. These results suggest that the evolution of the sword in the swordtail clade was a consequence of selection arising from a preexisting bias. PMID- 17759974 TI - Effects of fish in river food webs. AB - Experimental manipulations of fish in a Northern California river during summer base flow reveal that they have large effects on predators, herbivores, and plants in river food webs. California roach and juvenile steelhead consume predatory insects and fish fry, which feed on algivorous chironomid larvae. In the presence of fish, filamentous green algae are reduced to low, prostrate webs, infested with chironomids. When the absence of large fish releases smaller predators that suppress chironomids, algal biomass is higher, and tall upright algal turfs become covered with diatoms and cyanobacteria. These manipulations provide evidence that the Hairston, Smith, Slobodkin-Fretwell theory of trophic control, which predicts that plants will be alternately limited by resources or herbivores in food webs with odd and even numbers of trophic levels, has application to river communitics. PMID- 17759975 TI - In reply: does diphtheria toxin have nuclease activity? PMID- 17759976 TI - In reply: does diphtheria toxin have nuclease activity? PMID- 17759977 TI - The Transformation of Corporate Control. Neil Fligstein. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1990. xii, 391 pp. $35. PMID- 17759978 TI - Knowledge, Culture, and Science in the Metropolis. The New York Academy of Sciences, 1817-1970. Simon Baatz. New York Academy of Sciences, New York, 1990. x, 269 pp., illus. Cloth or paper, $55. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 584. PMID- 17759979 TI - Patenting the Sun. Polio and the Salk Vaccine. Jane S. Smith. Morrow, New York, 1990. 413 pp. + plates. $22.95. PMID- 17759980 TI - ADP-Ribosylating Toxins and G Proteins. Insights into Signal Transduction. Joel Moss and Martha Vaughan, Eds. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, 1990. xviii, 567 pp., illus. $79; to ASM members, $69. PMID- 17759982 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17759981 TI - The Earth's Climate and Variability of the Sun Over Recent Millennia. Geophysical, Astronomical and Archaeological Aspects. J.-C. Pecker and S. K. Runcorn, Eds. Royal Society, London, 1990. x, 294 pp., ilius., + plates. {pound}42.60. From a meeting, London, Feb. 1989. First published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, series A, vol. 330 (no. 1615). PMID- 17759984 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17759983 TI - THE ATMOSPHERES OF THE PLANETS. PMID- 17759985 TI - BEHAVIOR PATTERN AND BEHAVIOR MORPHOLOGY. PMID- 17759986 TI - REPORT OF THE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD. PMID- 17759987 TI - THE ORIGIN OF NATURAL OIL. PMID- 17759988 TI - LUNAR RINGS. PMID- 17759989 TI - A TIMING DEVICE FOR TAKING MOTION PICTURES. PMID- 17759991 TI - A LETHAL MUTATION IN THE RABBIT WITH STIGMATA OF AN ACROMEGALIC DISORDER. PMID- 17759990 TI - NOTE ON KEEPING LIVE FROGS FOR EXPERIMENTAL PURPOSES. PMID- 17759992 TI - THE MODE OF PENETRATION OF PEAR AND APPLE BLOSSOMS BY THE FIRE-BLIGHT PATHOGEN. PMID- 17759993 TI - The Voice of the Reader. PMID- 17759994 TI - Collective Capitalism and Economic Theory. PMID- 17759995 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17759996 TI - Age of the Sandia Culture Bamberg, Germany. PMID- 17759997 TI - Homing in Bats. PMID- 17759999 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17759998 TI - Some New Whiskers. PMID- 17760000 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17760001 TI - Publications Received. PMID- 17760002 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17760003 TI - Indiana Conference on Nuclear Spectroscopy and the Shell Model. PMID- 17760004 TI - Occlusion of Copper and Zinc by Some Soil Materials of Lower Mississippi River Area. PMID- 17760005 TI - Centennial Celebration, AAAS--A Preview. PMID- 17760006 TI - The National Academy of Sciences: Abstracts of Papers Presented at 1948 Meeting. PMID- 17760007 TI - Recovery of Pneumoencephalitis (Newcastle) Virus From the Air of Poultry Houses Containing Infected Birds. PMID- 17760008 TI - A Coagulation Defect Produced by Nitrogen Mustard. PMID- 17760009 TI - High-Level Gravels of Western Grand Canyon. PMID- 17760011 TI - Sodium Chlorite as an Aid in Paleobotanical and Anatomical Study of Plant Tissues. PMID- 17760010 TI - The Path of Carbon in Photosynthesis. PMID- 17760012 TI - Paper Chromatography Using Capillary Ascent. PMID- 17760013 TI - SENATE COMMITTEE ON CANCER RESEARCH. PMID- 17760014 TI - EPIDEMIC MENINGITIS. PMID- 17760015 TI - LABORATORY-BRED CLAMS FOR PEARLS. PMID- 17760016 TI - FABRIC FOR MOTION-PICTURE FILM. PMID- 17760017 TI - OLD STONE AGE REMAINS IN IRELAND. PMID- 17760018 TI - SKIN PIGMENT. PMID- 17760019 TI - NAVAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17760021 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17760022 TI - GLACIAL GEOLOGY AND THE VERMONT FLOOD. PMID- 17760020 TI - SOME NEW FUNDAMENTALS IN PLANT BIOLOGY, AGRICULTURE AND THE FOOD PROBLEM. PMID- 17760023 TI - THE SPECIES OF PARAMECIUM AND THE THYROID QUESTION. PMID- 17760024 TI - THE SMELT IN LAKE MICHIGAN. PMID- 17760025 TI - PRACTICAL HINTS IN THE LABORATORY STUDIES OF PROTOZOA AND EARTHWORM. PMID- 17760027 TI - THE EFFECT UPON DIGITALIS PURPUREA OF RADIATION THROUGH SOLARIZED ULTRA-VIOLET TRANSMITTING GLASS. PMID- 17760026 TI - THE PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT AS RELATED TO THE SIZE AND SURFACE CONDITIONS OF CARBON PARTICLES. PMID- 17760028 TI - CHROMOSOME MORPHOLOGY IN ZEA MAYS. PMID- 17760029 TI - PHILADELPHIA MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS. PMID- 17760030 TI - Uranium resources. PMID- 17760031 TI - Myelin basic protein: clinical trials. PMID- 17760032 TI - Naloxone antagonism as evidence for narcotic mechanisms. PMID- 17760034 TI - Uranium resources. PMID- 17760033 TI - Uranium resources. PMID- 17760035 TI - Energy development in the americas. PMID- 17760036 TI - Changes of land biota and their importance for the carbon cycle. PMID- 17760037 TI - Searching for extraterrestrial civilizations. AB - We have argued that planning for a search for extraterrestrial intelligence should involve a minimum number of assumptions. In view of the feasibility (at our present level of understanding) of using nuclear fusion to effect interstellar travel at a speed of 0.1c, it appears unwarranted (at this time) to assume that it would not occur for at least some technologically advanced civilizations. One cannot even conclude that humans would not attempt this within the next few centuries. On the contrary, the most likely future situation, given the maintenance of technological growth and the absence of extraterrestrial interference, is that our civilization will explore and colonize our galactic neighborhood. A comparison of the time scales of galactic evolution and interstellar travel leads to the conclusion that the galaxy is either essentially empty with respect to technological civilizations or extensively colonized. In the former instance, a SETI would be unproductive. In the latter, a SETI could be fruitful if a signal has been deliberately directed at the earth or at an alien outpost, probe, or communication relay station in our solar system. In the former case, an existing antenna would probably be sufficient to detect the signal. In the latter case, success would depend on the way in which the communications were coded. Failure to detect a signal could permit any of the following conclusions: (i) the galaxy is devoid of technological civilizations, advanced beyond our own, (ii) such civilizations exist, but cannot (for some reason which is presently beyond our ken) engage in interstellar colonization, or (iii) such civilizations are not attempting overt contact with terrestrial civilizations and their intercommunications, if present, are not coded in a simple way. To plan at this time for a high-cost, large-array SETI based on the last two possibilities appears to be rather premature. PMID- 17760038 TI - Ecology and evolution of flowering plant dominance. AB - Birds and mammals are important seed dispersers and their diversification in the Cretaceous may have created niches for many plant specialists on scattered resources. Maintaining sexual recombination through wind pollination in such sparse populations is difficult, and so angiosperms with their sophisticated systems for insect pollination were favored in many critical situations. PMID- 17760039 TI - Carter energy message: how stiff a prescription? PMID- 17760040 TI - Stanford goes to washington. PMID- 17760041 TI - Drinking water: getting rid of the carbon tetrachloride. PMID- 17760042 TI - NAE Elects 92 New Members. PMID- 17760043 TI - Scientists in space--at least eventually. PMID- 17760044 TI - Meanwhile, at NCI the Search for Director Narrows. PMID- 17760045 TI - Califano loses fordham as assistant secretary. PMID- 17760046 TI - Science in europe/low marks for high technology. PMID- 17760047 TI - Nitrogen fixation: prospects for genetic manipulation. PMID- 17760048 TI - Increased biological nitrogen fixation and the environment. PMID- 17760049 TI - Minorities, women, handicapped review common problems. PMID- 17760051 TI - AAAS Committee Notes. PMID- 17760050 TI - Foreign students discuss american education. PMID- 17760052 TI - New affiliates elected. PMID- 17760053 TI - Section w annual meeting symposia break records. PMID- 17760054 TI - Ecological physiology. PMID- 17760055 TI - Messenger RNA. PMID- 17760056 TI - Marine botany. PMID- 17760057 TI - Estimate of the contribution of biologically produced dimethyl sulfide to the global sulfur cycle. AB - Atmospheric dimethyl sulfide (DMS) measurements were made on the Atlantic Coast of the United States at Wallops Island and Cape Henry, Virginia, during June 1975. The very low concentrations, typically less than 30 parts per trillion observed at the Cape Henry site, were thought to result from the smog chemistry associated with the Norfolk metropolitan area. Atmospheric DMS concentrations at the Wallops Island site were much higher, having a geometric mean of 58 parts per trillion and a geometric standard deviation of 2.1. At this site the DMS source strength was estimated to be 6 milligrams of sulfur per square meter per year. Because of wind conditions during this experiment, the DMS source strength is thought to be representative of the DMS source strength of the ocean in the Wallops Island area and is much less than the 130 milligrams of sulfur per square meter per year needed to balance the ocean-atmosphere portion of the global sulfur budget. PMID- 17760058 TI - Detritus-Based Food Webs: Exploitation by Juvenile Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta). AB - Harpacticoid copepods are the principal food of chum salmon during the first critical weeks of estuarine life. Heterotrophic food sources are preferentially ingested by harpacticoids. A commercially valuable fisheries resource, usually considered to be planktivorous, is related to a detritus-based, benthically derived food web. PMID- 17760059 TI - Galilean satellites of jupiter: 12.6-centimeter radar observations. AB - Observations of the Galilean satellites with the radar system at the Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, show that their surfaces are highly diffuse scatterers of radio waves of length 12.6 centimeters; spectra of the radar echoes are asymmetric and broad. The geometric radar albedos for the outer three satellites 0.42 +/- 0.10, 0.20 +/- 0.05, and 0.09 +/- 0.02 for Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, respectively-show about the same relative decreases as do the optical albedos, although the latter presumably bear only on material much nearer the surface. Radii of 1420 +/- 30, 2640 +/- 80, and 2360 +/- 70 kilometers for Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto were determined from the radar data and are in good agreement with the corresponding optically derived values. Io, observed successfully only once, appears to have an albedo comparable to Ganymede's, but no radius was estimated for it. PMID- 17760060 TI - For the library. PMID- 17760061 TI - Social Responsibility. PMID- 17760062 TI - Synthesis of Enantiomeric agr-Lecithins. PMID- 17760063 TI - Vitamin B14 and Cell Proliferation. PMID- 17760064 TI - Notes on the Life History of a Brachylaemid Trematode. PMID- 17760065 TI - Action of Enzymes on Vitamin B14 and Pteridines. PMID- 17760066 TI - A Synthesis of Benzene, Toluene, and Benzoic Acid Labeled in the Ring With Isotopic Carbon. PMID- 17760067 TI - A Comparative Study of the Hemoglobin and Red Blood Cells of Representative Diving and Dabbling Ducks. PMID- 17760068 TI - Liver Damage by Desoxycorticosterone. PMID- 17760069 TI - The Use of an Electrolytic Injector as a "Compensating Device" in Electrophoresis. PMID- 17760070 TI - Natural Vegetation in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. PMID- 17760071 TI - Climatic Changes and Dark Nebulae. PMID- 17760072 TI - A Tree-Trunk Squeeze-Up in Lava. PMID- 17760073 TI - Joyce Clennam Stearns, 1893-1948. PMID- 17760074 TI - MYCOLOGY IN RELATION TO PHYTOPATHOLOGY. PMID- 17760075 TI - EDWARD WESTON'S INVENTIONS. PMID- 17760076 TI - NOTE ON THE ORBITS OF FREELY FALLING BODIES. PMID- 17760077 TI - ARTHUR VON AUWERS. PMID- 17760078 TI - EVIDENCE BEARING ON THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN TWINS FROM A SINGLE OVUM. PMID- 17760079 TI - NATURALIST'S DIRECTORY. PMID- 17760081 TI - THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17760082 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17760080 TI - INTERPOLATION AS A MEANS OF APPROXIMATION TO THE GAMMA FUNCTION FOR HIGH VALUES OF n. PMID- 17760083 TI - THE NEW WORLD-PICTURE OF MODERN PHYSICS. PMID- 17760085 TI - CAUSE OF MORTALITY OF YOUNG GROUSE. PMID- 17760084 TI - ORIGIN OF ASPHALTS, OIL, NATURAL GAS AND BITUMINOUS COAL. PMID- 17760088 TI - A SPECIFIC CONTAMINATION FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PSEUDO-RADIOACTIVITY. PMID- 17760086 TI - THE IONIZATION OF ARGININE AND HISTIDINE. PMID- 17760087 TI - A SIMPLE AUTOMATIC PUMP. PMID- 17760089 TI - THE ROUTE OF INFESTATION AND THE SITE OF LOCALIZATION OF LUNG-WORMS IN MOLLUSKS. PMID- 17760090 TI - TOXICITY OF NATURALLY OCCURRING ARSENIC IN FOODS. PMID- 17760091 TI - EXPERIMENTAL PRODUCTION OF INCREASED INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE. PMID- 17760092 TI - A STUDY OF THE COMPOSITION OF BLACK CONCRETIONS IN ONONDAGA LIMESTONE. PMID- 17760093 TI - Gulf Research & Development Company. PMID- 17760094 TI - Publications Received. PMID- 17760095 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17760096 TI - Differential Migration of Rubber by Reversed-Phase Partition Chromatography. PMID- 17760097 TI - All really great lies are half true. PMID- 17760098 TI - The helium question. AB - Helium appears indispensable for certain energy-related uses that may be important 50 years from now, when helium-bearing natural gas, a much cheaper source than air, may be exhausted. Present demand, however, is lower than productive capacity, and much helium is being dissipated into the atmosphere as natural gas is burned for fuel. Controversy over the need for a government directed helium-conservation program reflects fundamental differences in viewpoints on the economic future of industrial society, on the limits of substitution of labor and capital for a depleting resource, and on intergenerational equity and risk-bearing. PMID- 17760100 TI - Human rights for tribal peoples. PMID- 17760099 TI - Park is sought to save Indian tribe in Brazil. PMID- 17760101 TI - Ex-Official Scores GM for Lack of Innovation. PMID- 17760102 TI - Postscripts. PMID- 17760103 TI - Nuke-speak. PMID- 17760104 TI - The threat to ozone is real, increasing. PMID- 17760106 TI - 1979 election results. PMID- 17760105 TI - Plants: can they live in salt water and like it? PMID- 17760108 TI - Mass media science fellows. PMID- 17760107 TI - Meeting notes. PMID- 17760109 TI - Energy requirements of rural america discussed at seminar. PMID- 17760110 TI - Professionals and undergraduate education. PMID- 17760111 TI - Energy choices in the u.s.s.R. PMID- 17760112 TI - Regarding technology. PMID- 17760113 TI - Ecological classification. PMID- 17760114 TI - Ion diffusion. PMID- 17760115 TI - Discharge of the nile river: a barometer of short-period climate variation. AB - Eight events of climate variation with durations of the order of 100 years have been found in the history of annual Nile River discharge dating from the year 622. They cease during the "little climatic optimum" in the North Atlantic and then reappear and intensify; this behavior suggests that control is from the belt of the polar westerlies. PMID- 17760116 TI - Recent crustal uplift in yellowstone national park. AB - Comparison of precise leveling measurements made in 1923 with those made in 1975, 1976, and 1977 reveals that the 600,000-year-old Yellowstone caldera is being uplifted relative to its surroundings. Maximum relative uplift since 1923 is in excess of 700 millimeters-about 14 millimeters vertically per year. The most likely cause of this rapid and unusually large surface deformation is a recent influx of molten or partially molten materials to a location within the crust beneath Yellowstone National Park. PMID- 17760118 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17760117 TI - Chimpanzee problem comprehension: insufficient evidence. PMID- 17760119 TI - Women, Science, and Technology at UNCSTD: A Follow-Up. PMID- 17760120 TI - Section news--section B (physics). PMID- 17760121 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17760122 TI - THE DISCOVERY OF TERTIARY MAN. PMID- 17760123 TI - SUPERFLUOUS PUBLICATIONS. PMID- 17760124 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17760126 TI - A NEMATODE PARASITE OF THE JAPANESE BEETLE (POPILLIA JAPONICA NEWM.). PMID- 17760125 TI - FLAGELLUM DIVISION IN PARANEMA GLOBIFERUM. PMID- 17760127 TI - MORE ABOUT LACTOPHENOL. PMID- 17760128 TI - A NEW GUINEA EEL-FAIR. PMID- 17760130 TI - THE UNIVERSITIES IN RELATION TO RESEARCH. PMID- 17760129 TI - REVERSAL OF THE STIMULATING ACTION OF HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE ON STRIATED MUSCLE. AB - The usual augmenting action of pressure on the tension developed by striated muscle in response to a single stimulus changes to depression on fatiguing the muscle. On release of the pressure the tension of the single twitch again reaches the control value. A similar reversal may be brought about by cooling the muscle, the change usually occurring at about 13 degrees C. Below this temperature the depression is roughly proportional to the pressure. At about 1 degrees C. the tension development may be completely inhibited by high pressure. The muscle responds normally upon release of the pressure, and upon warming pressure again causes augmentation of contraction. PMID- 17760131 TI - SECTION OF THE GEOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17760133 TI - PROBLEMS IN THE CHEMISTRY AND TOXICOLOGY OF PLANT SUBSTANCES. PMID- 17760132 TI - SECTION OF THE MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17760134 TI - THE EXPLOSIVE FORCE OF VOLCANOES. PMID- 17760136 TI - A PROPOSED AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIC ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17760135 TI - BLACK RAIN IN NORTH CAROLINA. PMID- 17760137 TI - THE RANGE OF THE FOX SNAKE. PMID- 17760138 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17760139 TI - Erythropoietin available. PMID- 17760140 TI - Space processing. PMID- 17760142 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17760141 TI - Phage in human vaccines. PMID- 17760143 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17760144 TI - Statistics, energy, and life-style. PMID- 17760145 TI - Hemoglobin in humans. PMID- 17760146 TI - Green thumbs. PMID- 17760147 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17760148 TI - Muddling through: government and technology. PMID- 17760149 TI - Marine phosphorite deposits and the nitrogen cycle. AB - We have attempted to demonstrate a possible relationship between phosphorite deposition and an increase in marine denitrification. The studies of others indicate that major phosphorite deposits are often associated with black shales and accumulated during only a few epochs of geologic history. Some of these epochs were also marked by mass extinctions of organisms. Such events are not as precisely nor as strongly correlated as we would like. Nevertheless, the correlations are strong enough to encourage further consideration of the effects of possible changes in the rate of denitrification within ancient oceans on the origin of phosphorite deposits, the extinctions of marine organisms, variations in the overall level of biological activity, and temporal fluctuations in the organic carbon content of sedimentary rocks (36). PMID- 17760150 TI - Localization of heart poisons in the monarch butterfly. AB - The cardiac glycosides that monarch butterflies sequester from milkweed plants during the larval stage differ remarkably in their emetic potency and are concentrated to different degrees in the various parts of the body as well as in the two sexes (Fig. 1). The very high concentrations of these compounds in the wings probably facilitate learned taste rejection in predators and account for the relatively high frequency of Danaid butterflies with beak-marked wings in natural populations. The cardiac glycosides in the abdomen have a much higher emetic potency than those in the rest of the body. Consequently, naive, extremely hungry, or forgetful birds which capture and peck off the wings but eat the abdomen discard the least emetic glycosides and ingest the most emetic, and thus again experience emesis. The nonrandom distribution of cardenolides in the wings, abdomen, and thorax, together with the fact that monarch males not only contain lower concentrations of cardiac glycosides than females but also contain cardenolides that are overall less emetic than those in females, is interpreted as evidence that these poisons are incorporated at a physiological cost. This cost, balanced against the benefits of protection from predation, provides a selective basis for the occurrence of both emetic and nonemetic individuals in natural populations. Since birds can discriminate emetic from nonemetic monarchs on the basis of taste, it is not necessary to invoke theories of kind of group selection to explain the evolution of this kind of unpalatability. PMID- 17760151 TI - Fish fertilizer: a native north american practice? AB - The belief that the use of fish fertilizers originated among North American Indians, and was communicated as such by Squanto to the Plymouth settlers, has achieved the status of folklore and is therefore difficult to challenge. However, examination of the documentary evidence of Squanto's history and of native cultivation practices, and a cultural analysis of the implications of the use of fish fertilizer, have produced complementary lines of evidence. This evidence indicates that widely held beliefs about the "manner of the Indians" should be revised: Squanto's advice at Plymouth is probably best viewed as an interesting example of culture contact, one in which a native "culture-bearer" conveyed a technological idea from one group of Europeans to another. PMID- 17760152 TI - Laser fusion: an energy option, but weapons simulation is first. PMID- 17760153 TI - Laser fusion report plays down power potential, play up the need for university and industrial research. PMID- 17760154 TI - Daniel bell: science as the imago of the future society. PMID- 17760155 TI - Congress reclaims strip-mine law. PMID- 17760156 TI - Biomedical leadership and the waiting game. PMID- 17760157 TI - Genetics: conference sets strict controls to replace moratorium. AB - The article on the International Conference on Recombinant DNA Molecules (14 March, p. 931) should have mentioned that Richard O. Roblin (Harvard Medical School) was one of the members of the organizing committee who was also a member of the ad hoc NAS committee that invoked the moratorium. PMID- 17760158 TI - Photoacoustic spectroscopy: new uses for an old technique. PMID- 17760159 TI - Ceramics (II): Making Gas Turbines from Brittle Materials. PMID- 17760160 TI - Hemophilia: New Information about the "Royal Disease%". PMID- 17760161 TI - Office of international science. PMID- 17760162 TI - Acid-base structure of coal-derived asphaltenes. AB - Asphaltenes, the key intermediates in the liquefaction of bituminous coals, consist of hydrogen bonded complexes which can be separated into their acidic and basic components. The acidic components contain all, while the basic components contain none, of the exchangeable protons present. The significance of these findings with respect to coal structure and coal solubilization is discussed. PMID- 17760163 TI - Ice-rafted sediments as a cause of some thermokarst lakes in the noatak river delta, alaska. AB - Irregular, barren polygonal sheets of mud scattered over the landscape of the western portion of the Noatak River Delta are derived from lake-bottom sediments, ice-rafted during flooding. The evidence suggests that the sheets of mud change the albedo and the thermal regime of the soil, induce the development of thermokarst, and lead to the formation of ponds and lakes. The angular perimeters, especially of the small ponds, support the suggested mode of formation. PMID- 17760165 TI - Hot hydrogen in prebiological and interstellar chemistry. PMID- 17760164 TI - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils and recent sediments. AB - Soils and recent marine sediments contain a complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon assemblage. There is a high degree of similarity in the molecular weight distribution of the many series of alkyl homologs of these aromatic hydrocarbons, and this distribution varies little over a wide range of depositional environments. The evidence suggests that these hydrocarbons are formed in natural fires, are dispersed and mixed by air transport, and are eventually deposited into surface sediments. The analytical, geochemical, and environmental implications of these findings are discussed. PMID- 17760166 TI - Erroneous date for chilean glacial advance. PMID- 17760167 TI - Notes from other offices. PMID- 17760169 TI - Boojums. PMID- 17760168 TI - Boojums. PMID- 17760170 TI - Correction. AB - In an article titled "How safe is Bendectin?" (31 Oct. 1980, p. 518), it was incorrectly reported that William McBride of Sydney, Australia, was paid $5000 a day to testify as an expert witness in a court case involving allegations that Bendectin caused birth defects in a Florida child named David Mekdeci. McBride was not paid for certain testimony. Rather, he was compensated for time away from his Australian practice at a rate of approximately $1116 a day so that he could appear as an expert witness on behalf of the Mekdeci family. He was also reimbursed for his travel expenses to and from Australia. Science regrets the error. PMID- 17760171 TI - Federal policy for basic research. PMID- 17760172 TI - Prehistoric raised-field agriculture in the maya lowlands. AB - The ground pattems found in Pulitrouser Swamp, northern Belize, are vestiges of raised and channelized fields, types of wetland cultivation used by the ancient Maya. This form of hydraulic cultivation was apparently employed sometime between 200 B.C. and A.D. 850. The environment of the swamp, the fields and canals, and one nearby settlement, Kokeal, are described. The evidence indicates that the large number of well-defined ground patterns reported in other areas in the central Maya lowlands are probably vestiges of Maya wetland cultivation. PMID- 17760173 TI - Achievement test scores in mathematics and science. AB - Average achievement test scores of the nation's youth in mathematics and science have declined rather steadily since the early 1960's, and this decline is more marked in the higher grades. The average test scores in mathematics and science of high school seniors who have intended to go to college and major in those fields, however, have been quite stable. These findings may have implications for educational policy. PMID- 17760174 TI - Man versus medfly: some tactical blunders. PMID- 17760175 TI - U.N. Grapples with renewable energy. PMID- 17760176 TI - China to get $200 million for university expansion. PMID- 17760177 TI - French government bullish on science and technology. PMID- 17760179 TI - NMR researchers embark on new enterprise. PMID- 17760178 TI - MX Missile Plan Attracts New Critics. PMID- 17760180 TI - Staggered antarctic ice formation supported. PMID- 17760181 TI - A pyrotechnological art. PMID- 17760182 TI - Structuralist ethnography. PMID- 17760183 TI - Regulatory proteins. PMID- 17760184 TI - The formation of sediments. PMID- 17760185 TI - Women as workers at risk. PMID- 17760186 TI - Changes of place. PMID- 17760187 TI - North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre: SOFAR Floats Tracked by Moored Listening Stations. AB - In 1980, SOFAR (sound fixing and ranging) floats were tracked acoustically in the western North Atlantic entirely by means of moored autonomous listening stations. During a 5-month period 17 float trajectories were obtained in the eastern (45 degrees to 65 degrees W) Gulf Stream and subtropical gyre interior at depths of 700 and 2000 meters. These mid-depth trajectories suggest a time-varying Gulf Stream with instances of both a narrow, swift, westward recirculation south of the stream and a northeastward penetration into the Newfoundland Basin. A hundredfold increase of eddy kinetic energy was observed at 2000 meters from the gyre interior (south of 30 degrees N) to the Gulf Stream. PMID- 17760188 TI - Thermal tides in the dusty martian atmosphere: a verification of theory. AB - Major features of the daily surface pressure oscillations observed by the Viking landers during the two great dust storms on Mars in 1977 can be explained in terms of the classical atmospheric tidal theory developed for the earth's atmosphere. The most dramatic exception is the virtual disappearance of only the diurnal tide at Viking Lander 1 just before the second storm. This disappearance is attributed to destructive interference between the usually westward-traveling tide and an eastward-traveling diurnal Kelvin mode generated by orographically induced differential heating. The continuing Viking Lander 1 pressure measurements can be used with the model to monitor future great dust storms. PMID- 17760189 TI - Circular feature among dunes of the great sand sea, egypt. AB - A circular crater, about 4 kilometers in diameter and located at 24.2 degrees N, 26.4 degrees E, was discovered in Landsat images among the linear dunes of the Great Sand Sea, Egypt. The crater has a sharp and crenulated rim crest, a terraced wall, a discontinuous inner structure (approximately 1.6 kilometers in diameter), and a few rim blocks. Its morphological and morphometric characteristics are similar to those of meteorite impact craters and other circular structures on the moon and the terrestrial planets. Because of its interaction with windblown sand, it is particularly comparable with craters on Mars. PMID- 17760190 TI - Man-made radionuclides confirm rapid burial of kepone in james river sediments. AB - Profiles of man-made radionuclides in sediment cores from the James River estuary confirm the rapid burial of the pesticide Kepone. The greatest deposition of Kepone has occurred in zones characterized by very high sedimentation rates, 10 to 20 centimeters per year. Since sediment is the major Kepone reservoir, rapid burial probably reduces the exposure of organisms to further contamination. Disturbance caused by hurricanes or dredging, however, could return highly contaminated sediment to the surface although this sediment would be diluted with less contaminated particles. PMID- 17760191 TI - Size of the Chloroplast Genome in Codium fragile. AB - Chloroplasts isolated from the siphonous green alga Codium fragile yield circular DNA molecules averaging 27.3 micrometers in length and 56 x 10(6) daltons in molecular size. This chloroplast genome is 25 to 30 percent smaller than any reported. The small size of the Codium chloroplast genome may represent a primitive evolutionary condition in green plants. PMID- 17760192 TI - Evidence for Extensive Overlap of Sporophytic and Gametophytic Gene Expression in Lycopersicon esculentum. AB - Male gametophyte (pollen) isozyme profiles were compared with those of the sporophyte for nine enzyme systems. Sixty percent of the structural genes coding for these enzymes in the sporophyte were also found to be expressed by the gametophyte. All the genes tested were found to be expressed after meiosis, apparently transcribed and translated in the haploid gametophytes. PMID- 17760193 TI - Possible adaptive value of water exchanges in flexible-shelled eggs of turtles. AB - Use of energy reserves by embryos of common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) is related to the hydric conditions to which eggs are exposed during incubation and to the net exchanges of water through the eggshells. Embryos developing inside eggs with a relatively favorable water balance use more of their energy reserves metabolically and grow larger before hatching than embryos inside eggs with less favorable water exchanges. PMID- 17760194 TI - Carbon flow in plant microbial associations. AB - Measurement of the distribution of the photosynthesis product in the symbiotic association of a legume, a mycorrhizal fungus, and nitrogen-fixing bacteria showed that the fungus incorporated 1 percent of the photosynthesis product and respired 3 percent. The nodules of a 5-week-old plant utilized 7 to 12 percent of the photosynthesis product. The legume compensated in partfor the needs of its microbial partners through increased rates of photosynthesis. PMID- 17760196 TI - OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION AND RESEARCH. PMID- 17760195 TI - THE RELATIONS BETWEEN ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE. PMID- 17760199 TI - A RELIEF MAP OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17760197 TI - AN INSTITUTE FOR THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND CIVILIZATION. PMID- 17760198 TI - AN ANCIENT REFERENCE TO THE EMERALD. PMID- 17760200 TI - METHYL AND ETHYL ALCOHOL. PMID- 17760201 TI - THE PINK BOLL WORM. PMID- 17760202 TI - THE EFFECT OF RETARDATION OF GROWTH UPON THE BREEDING PERIOD AND DURATION OF LIFE OF RATS. PMID- 17760203 TI - THE MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA. PMID- 17760205 TI - MORPHOLOGY OF THE BACTERIA (VIBRIO AND SPIRILLUM), AN EARLY RESEARCH.--THE INTESTINAL FLORA. PMID- 17760204 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17760207 TI - SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17760206 TI - PACIFIC FISHERIES SOCIETY. PMID- 17760208 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17760209 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17760210 TI - A NOTE ON DISTINCTION OF THE SEXES IN PHRYNOSOMA. PMID- 17760211 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17760212 TI - CAHOKIA OR MONKS MOUND NOT OF ARTIFICIAL ORIGIN. PMID- 17760213 TI - THE COLLEGE CURRICULUM. PMID- 17760214 TI - ON SOME NON-SPECIFIC FACTORS FOR THE ENTRANCE OF THE SPERMATOZOON INTO THE EGG. PMID- 17760216 TI - The dabl Educational Trust device equivalence procedure. AB - Manufacturers of blood pressure measuring devices that have previously been successfully validated for accuracy may make modifications to a device, which do not affect its measurement accuracy and should not require further validation. In this paper the procedure for manufacturers to declare the equivalence of a modified device with a device that has been validated earlier is described. PMID- 17760215 TI - Progress in blood pressure measurement: a workshop of the European Society of Hypertension. PMID- 17760217 TI - Validation of oscillometric noninvasive blood pressure measurement devices using simulators. AB - Oscillometric noninvasive blood pressure devices measure blood pressure using an indirect method and proprietary algorithms and hence require validation in clinical trials. Clinical trials are, however, expensive and give contradictory results, and validated devices are not accurate in all patient groups. Simulators that regenerate oscillometric waveforms promise an alternative to clinical trials provided they include sufficient physiological and pathological oscillometric waveforms. Simulators should also improve the understanding of the oscillometric method. PMID- 17760219 TI - Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: a mean to stratify cardiovascular risk. AB - OBJECTIVE: Current hypertension guidelines stress the importance to assess total cardiovascular risk but do not describe precisely how to use ambulatory blood pressures in the cardiovascular risk stratification. METHOD: We calculated here global cardiovascular risk according to 2003 European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology guidelines in 127 patients in whom daytime ambulatory blood pressures were recorded and carotid/femoral ultrasonography performed. RESULTS: The presence of ambulatory blood pressures >or =135/85 mmHg shifted cardiovascular risk to higher categories, as did the presence of hypercholesterolemia and, even more so, the presence of atherosclerotic plaques. CONCLUSION: Further studies are, however, needed to define the position of ambulatory blood pressures in the assessment of cardiovascular risk. PMID- 17760218 TI - The International Database of Ambulatory Blood Pressure in relation to Cardiovascular Outcome (IDACO): protocol and research perspectives. AB - OBJECTIVES: The International Database on Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (1993-1994) lacked a prospective dimension. We are constructing a new resource of longitudinal population studies to investigate with great precision to what extent the ambulatory blood pressure improves risk stratification. METHODS: The acronym IDACO refers to the new International Database of Ambulatory blood pressure in relation to Cardiovascular Outcome. Eligible studies are population based, have fatal as well as nonfatal outcomes available for analysis, comply with ethical standards, and have been previously published in peer-reviewed journals. In a meta-analysis based on individual patient data, composite and cause-specific cardiovascular events will be related to various indexes derived by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. The analyses will be stratified by cohort and adjusted for the conventional blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: To date, the international database includes 7609 patients from four cohorts recruited in Copenhagen, Denmark (n=2311), Noorderkempen, Belgium (n=2542), Ohasama, Japan (n=1535), and Uppsala, Sweden (n=1221). In these four cohorts, during a total of 69,295 person-years of follow-up (median 9.3 years), 1026 patients died and 929 participants experienced a fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular event. Follow-up in five other eligible cohorts, involving a total of 4027 participants, is still in progress. We expect that this follow-up will be completed by the end of 2007. CONCLUSION: The international database of ambulatory blood pressure in relation to cardiovascular outcome will provide a shared resource to investigate risk stratification by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring to an extent not possible in any earlier individual study. PMID- 17760220 TI - Masked hypertension, a review of the literature. AB - Masked hypertension (blood pressure that is normal in the physicians' office but elevated elsewhere) is a common phenomenon as prevalence among studies varies from 8 to 45% and is seen at all ages. large discrepancies, however, exist between studies that have dealt with masked hypertension. It is of high clinical importance as it is associated with higher target organ damage as compared with sustained normotension. Therefore more research should be determined. This paper provides an overview of current literature to improve knowledge about masked hypertension and about the cause of this phenomenon. In addition it provides some questions, which need to be answered for performing appropriate research into this subject in future. PMID- 17760221 TI - Readers clarify use of the term "evidence-based practice". PMID- 17760222 TI - Incorporating pharmacogenetics into clinical practice: reality of a new tool in psychiatry. The context of genetic testing in clinical psychiatric practice. PMID- 17760223 TI - Incorporating pharmacogenetics into clinical practice: reality of a new tool in psychiatry. Practical issues related to medication selection. PMID- 17760225 TI - Ongoing Clinical Trials. PMID- 17760226 TI - [Distal radius fracture and extension fracture after Colles]. PMID- 17760224 TI - Incorporating pharmacogenetics into clinical practice: reality of a new tool in psychiatry. Current issues in clinical implementation. PMID- 17760227 TI - [Proceedings from the 5th Polish Forensic Scientific Congress, Poznan, 2006]. PMID- 17760228 TI - Care for caregivers - self care strategies and other methods for work, care and case handling. PMID- 17760229 TI - Notice to readers. PMID- 17760230 TI - Calling time on mobile phones. PMID- 17760231 TI - Shoulder dislocation: reduction without sedation in the emergency department. PMID- 17760232 TI - Achieving full potential. PMID- 17760233 TI - Elder abuse: the same old story? PMID- 17760234 TI - Nursing in New York. PMID- 17760235 TI - Hepatic adenoma: an unusual cause of abdominal pain. PMID- 17760236 TI - Paracetamol. PMID- 17760237 TI - Preventing adverse events. PMID- 17760238 TI - Suicidal behaviour. A study of emergency nurses' educational needs when caring for this patient group. PMID- 17760239 TI - Non-analgesic effects of thoracic epidural anesthesia. AB - Thoracic epidural anaesthesia is selected usually to provide adequate postoperative analgesia; however with administration of local anaesthetics to epidural space selective sympatolysis ensues. The effects of this transient sympathectomy on cardivascular, respiratory and other systems deserve certainly some interest as it may influence postoperative morbidity or mortality. Thoracic epidural anaesthesia has succesfully been used in cardiac, thoracic and major abdominal surgery. It provides dynamic analgesia, rapid mobilization, blunted stress response, early extubation with reduced pulmonary complications and also rapid recovery of bowel function. In cardiac surgery where thoracic sympathetic blockade is expected to be most useful, there is no difference in morbidity and mortality. Despite the superior quality of pain control, the beneficial aspect of thoracic epidural anaesthesia is not reflected on outcome in meta-analysis. Recent papers has still demonstrated positive effects on each system. So thoracic epidural anaesthesia is increasingly used and it seems that it will be discussed more in near future. PMID- 17760240 TI - [Cervical spine and pain]. AB - Chronic pain originating from the cervical spine, that may have diverse etiological factors, is a common condition in the clinical practice. Having distinct properties in the spine, cervical column has a wide range of motion and is commonly subject to traumatic injury. In this review, after the anatomical properties that has clinical significance and the evaluation of a patient with cervical pain are explained, the common cervical spinal pain conditions are discussed by emphasizing the therapeutic approaches in each condition. PMID- 17760241 TI - The linear trend of headache prevalence and some headache features in school children. AB - The objectives of this study were to determine the age and sex dependent linear trend of recurrent headache prevalence in schoolchildren in Mersin. A stratified sample composed of 5562 children; detailed characteristics were previously published. In this study the prevalence distribution of headache by age and sex showed a peak in the female population at the age of 11 (27.2%) with a plateau in the following years. The great stratified random sample results suggested that, in addition to socio-demographic features, detailed linear trend analysis showed headache features of children with headache have some specific characteristics dependent on age, gender and headache type. This study results can constitute a basis for the future epidemiological based studies. PMID- 17760242 TI - A new method for epidural catheter fixation. AB - We investigated the effect of a new fixator made from a medication port of a intravenous fluid container on the migration of epidural catheter. Fifty patients were recruited to receive epidural analgesia and allocated to one of two groups. In the new fixator group (n=25) epidural catheter was advanced through a fixator then fixed with transparent adhesive dressing, in the standard dressing group (n=25), the catheter was fixed only with transparent adhesive dressing. Outward migration of the catheter over 2 cm, and inward migration over 1 cm was described as the failure of the fixation. At the end of the follow up time, outward migration or inward migration distance, and the reason for removing the catheter were recorded. In the standard dressing group, outward migration was detected in 7 patients compared to 2 patients in the new fixator group (p>0.05). Inward migration was determined in only 5 cases in the standard dressing group (p<0.05). There was no movement in 13 cases in the standard dressing group compared with 23 of the new fixator group (p<0.05). The main reason for removal in the standard dressing group was the migration of the catheter whereas the catheter was removed on a regular basis at the end of therapy in the new fixator group. We concluded that the newly described fixation method for epidural catheter is an effective method in reducing catheter migration for short term usage. PMID- 17760243 TI - Efficacy of lornoxicam in postoperative analgesia after total knee replacement surgery. AB - In total knee replacement operation, patients have a severe pain in the postoperative period. Because of side effects of opioids, multiple postoperative pain treatment regimens are more suitable in these elderly patients. In this double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled study, the effect of lornoxicam administration (32 mg/48 hour) on morphine consumption and drug-related side effects were investigated in elderly patients undergoing total knee replacement. Group M (n=23) and Group L (n=23) received morphine with patient controlled analgesia (PCA) device postoperatively. Additionally Group L received lornoxicam 16 mg intravenously 15 minutes before surgery and 8 mg at postoperative 12th and 24th hours. Morphine consumption in Group L were significantly lower than in Group M at 2, 3, 6, 8, 24, 36 and 48th postoperative hours (p<0.05). At the end of 48th hour mean total morphine consumptions (mean+/-SD) for Group M and Group L were 63.70+/-15.70 mg and 34.60+/-16.32 mg, respectively. AUC (area under the curve) Morphine 0-48h in Group M was 59+/-13 and in Group L it was 30+/-13 (p<0.001). Incidence of side effects in Group M were 60% and 25% in Group L (p<0.05). In Group M, 8 patients (40%) experienced nausea and 3 (15%) patients experienced itching where as in Group L, 3 patients (15%) experienced nausea, 1 patient (5%) itching, 1 patient (5%) dry mouth. Lornoxicam administration in total knee replacement is associated with decreased morphine consumption for postoperative analgesia and fewer side effects. PMID- 17760244 TI - Plasma cortisol levels in migraineurs between attacks. AB - We have studied the plasma cortisol levels between attacks in order to investigate the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in migraine patients. We have not found any statistically significance between plasma cortisol levels of patients and control group, after taking the blood of 25 patients and 24 healthy controls between 8.30-9.30 am. PMID- 17760245 TI - The effect of two different methods used during peripheral venous blood collection on pain reduction in neonates. AB - The purpose of the present study was to examine and compare the analgesic effects of breast feeding and sucrose solutions in reducing pain due to venipuncture in term neonates. 102 term infants requiring a venous blood sample for routine screening of phenylketonuria (n=26) and hyperbilirubinemia (n= 76) were included in the study. The participants were allocated into one of the sucrose, breast feeding, and control groups. Allocation of the infants into groups was performed due to mothers' wishes whereas the control group included the infants on whom routine procedures of the hospital were performed. In order to assess the pain response of the neonates before, during and after venipuncture, Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) was used and their heart rates, oxygen saturation levels and length of crying were noted. The crying time (seconds) was shorter both sucrose (9.56+/-12.96) and breast feeding (28.62+/-33.71) than the control group (103.50+/-63.69). No difference was found in the analgesic effect of breast feeding compared with sucrose, when assessed with the NIPS. The mean heart rate did not significantly differ among three groups before, during and after procedure. During procedure, the mean oxygen saturation levels of sucrose group were found significantly higher than the control group, but no difference was observed between sucrose and breast feeding groups. This study has confirmed some well known information that breast feeding and oral sucrose solution have pain reducing effects in infants undergoing venipuncture. PMID- 17760246 TI - [Strategy in the treatment of anthracycline-resistant breast cancer]. PMID- 17760247 TI - [Effects of PTEN gene on human malignant glioma growth in vitro]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biological effects of PTEN gene on the malignant glioma cell line SHG-44. Firstly, A recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid containing PTEN gene fused with EGFP (enhanced green fluorescence protein) gene was constructed. Secondly, the expression of the recombinant vector in human glioma cells was detected. METHODS: (1) The human PTEN gene was amplified by RT PCR and inserted into pEGFP-N1 that was selected by T-A subclone, and the recombinant expression vector was obtained. After the recombinant plasmids were transfected into glioma SHG-44 cells by cation polymex, expression of fusion protein was tested. (2) The stable transfected cells were selected by G418 and amplified. Light microscopy and growth curve were used to measure the effects of PTEN expression on cell morphology and proliferation. Expression of GFAP (glial fibillary acidic protein) was detected immunohistochemically. RESULTS: (1) The positive recombinant was sequenced and demonstrated to have the same sequence as that of PTEN gene in GenBank. It was proved that the eukaryotic expression vector pEGFP-PTEN have been constructed successfully and expressed in SHG-44 cells. (2) The SHG-44 cell growth was changed obviously. The expression of GFAP was increased. CONCLUSION: The construction of PTEN eukaryotic expression vector containing green fluorescence protein gene will lay the basis for carrying out further studies on the function of PTEN gene. PMID- 17760248 TI - [Expression and biological activities of arresten in CHO cells]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the eukaryotic expression of arresten in CHO cells and to investigate its basic biological activities. METHODS: CHO cells were divided into three groups: transfected pSecTag-arresten group, transfected pSecTag group and control group without transfection. PSecTag-arresten was transfected into CHO cells by Lipofectamine 2000 method. The arresten mRNA in CHO cells was assayed by RT-PCR. The protein expression of arresten gene was examined by Western-Blot. The cells expressing arresten were screened out by Zeocin. The effect of arresten on huvec cell migration and anchoring to three-dimensional vascular structures was measured. RESULTS: The result of RT-PCR and Western-blot showed that arresten gene has been successfully transfected into CHO cells and expressed in those cells. Arrssten inhibited huvec cell migration and anchoring to three-dimensional vascular structures. CONCLUSION: CHO cells expressing arresten have been obtained successfully. Arresten can inhibit huvec cell migration and anchoring to three dimensional vascular structures, indicating that it might be one of its anti angiogenetic approaches. PMID- 17760249 TI - [Adeno-associated virus-mediated CD40 ligand transfer into human lung cancer cells]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the transduction efficiency of serotype 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) in human lung cancer cell line A549 cells and compare the transduction efficiency of conventional AAV vectors with that of self-complementary AAV (scAAV) vectors. Furthermore, the capacity of A549 cells expressing transgenic CD40L to stimulate dendritic cells (DCs) was evaluated. METHODS: Lung cancer A549 cells were infected with 1 x 10(4) particules per cell of AAV encoding the green fluorescent protein (GFP) or human CD40L driven by CMV promotor, and transgene expression was analyzed by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. Stimulation of isolated human dendritic cells by CD40L-expressing tumor cells was quantified by measuring secreted interleukin-12 with immunoassay. RESULTS: Serotype AAV2/5 transduced A549 cells much more efficiently than serotypes AAV2/1, AAV2/2, AAV2/6, AAV2/7, AAV2/8, AAV2/9 and AAV2/10. The transduction efficiency of scAAV2/5 was significantly higher than that of conventional AAV2/5. Furthermore, pre-treatment with carboplatin substantially increased AAV-mediated transgene expression. The scAAV2/5 vectors encoding human CD40L was used to generate CD40L. A549 cells transduce by these vectors were co-cultured with immature human DCs. As a consequence, interleukin-12 was released and measured in the culture supernatant. Specificity of immunostimulatory effect of CD40L was confirmed by blocking with a monoclonal antibody binding to human CD40L. CONCLUSION: scAAV2/5 transduce lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell efficiently, and co-administration of chemotherapeutic agent carboplatin further enhances its transduction efficiency. It is confirmed that lung cancer cells infected with a CD40L-encoding scAAV2/5 construct can activate human DCs to secrete interleukin-12. Our findings provided a basis for future immunotherapeutic approaches including intratumoral transfer of stimulating factors. PMID- 17760250 TI - [MDR-reversing effect of short peptide binding specifically to multidrug resistant gastric cancer cells]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the binding effect of the short peptide SY1 to the multidrug-resistant gastric cancer cell line SGC7901/VCR cells and its reversing effect on those cancer cells. METHODS: The cultured cells were divided into two groups named SGC7901 and SGC7901/VCR. The SGC7901/VCR group was co-cultured with vincristine (VCR). SY1 was obtained from cyclic 7-mer peptide library by differential screening. Immunofluorescence technique was used to detect the capacity of SY1-containing positive phage specifically binding to SGC7901/VCR cells, compared with that of the negative phage and unrelated phage. MTT assay in vitro was performed to analyze the alteration of drug resistance of SGC7901/ VCR cells, using the positive phages and the chemically synthesized SY1 peptide. Flow cytometry assay was performed to detect the accumulation and retention of adriamycin (ADM) in the SGC7901/VCR cells. RESULTS: Immunofluorescence analysis showed that the SY1-containing positive phages could bind to the SGC7901/VCR cell surface but not to its parent cell line SGC7901 cells. The unrelated phage and negative phage did not bind to SGC7901/VCR cells. These results indicated that SY1 could specifically bind to SGC7901/VCR cells. MTT assay in vitro showed that the survival rate of SGC7901/VCR cells was reduced considerably by the positive phages and the chemically synthesized SY1 peptide (P <0. 05), indicating that SY1 enhanced the sensitivity of SGC7901/VCR cells to chemotherapeutic drug VCR. Flow cytometric detection showed that SY1 enhanced the accumulation of ADM in the SGC7901/VCR cells, compared with that of the negative phages and the unrelated phages (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: SY1 not only is able to bind to SGC7901/VCR cells specifically, but also can partly reverse the resistance of SGC7901/VCR cell line to chemotherapeutic drug VCR. Those findings might be important to open a new approach to reverse the gastric cancer MDR. PMID- 17760251 TI - [Overexpression of PTEN gene inhibits proliferation of bladder transitional carcinoma cell line EJ]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the anticancer effects of exogenous human WT-PTEN overexpression on bladder transitional carcinoma cell line EJ. METHODS: The plasmid containing WT-PTEN or mutant PTEN was separately transfected into bladder transitional carcinoma cell line EJ, and the protein expression of PTEN in the EJ cells was detected by Western blot. Cell morphological changes were observed under the inverted microscope and transmission electron microscope. MTT test was used to assess the effect of PTEN on proliferation and anticancer effects for mitomycin and theraubicin. The change of bcl-2 expression in the cells was measured by Western blot. The empty plasmid was used as control. RESULTS: Western blot analysis showed that EJ cells expressed high level of PTEN protein after transfection with WT-PTEN or mutant PTEN plasmid. Abnormal morphological changes of the cells were observed in WT-PTEN transfected groups. The growth of EJ cells treated with WT-PTEN was significantly inhibited by 40.1% and anticancer effects were enhanced by mitomycin and theraubicin, but the cells transfected with mutant PTEN plasmid did not show such similar biological behavior. CONCLUSION: WT-PTEN gene transfection can suppress the in vitro growth and induce apoptosis of bladder transitional carcinoma cell line EJ cells. Mutant PTEN does not show similar biological behavior. Overexpression of WT-PTEN inhibits cancer cell proliferation by down-regulating bcl-2 expression in the cells. PMID- 17760252 TI - [A case-control study on genetic polymorphism of CYP17 MspA(1)I and its association with endometrial cancer risk]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the polymorphisms of CYP17 MspA(1)I are associated with the susceptibility of endometrial cancer. METHODS: The allelic discrimination of the CYP17A1 gene polymorphisms were assessed with the ABI PRISM 7900 Sequence Detection Systems using TaqMan genotyping assay. Unconditional logistic regression was applied to assess odds ratio and 95% CI and evaluate the association between different genotypes and endometrial cancer development. RESULTS: The frequencies of wild-type, heterozygote and homozygote for the CYP17 MspA(1)I in control women in Shanghai were 17.8%, 49.3% and 32.9%, respectively. No significant difference was found in the distribution of various genotypes of CYP17 MspA(1)I between patients and controls. Pregnancy was associated with reduced risk of endometrial cancer in pre-menopausal women with A2 allele, OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.44 approximately 0.99. In post-menopausal women with A2 allele, more pregnancies ( > 2) and shorter time of menstruation ( < or = 32 yrs) were associated with reduced risk of endometrial cancer. CONCLUSION: No significant relationship was found between CYP17 MspA(1)I genotypes and endometrial cancer risk. PMID- 17760253 TI - [EGFR gene mutation status among lung cancer patients in China]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate EGFR gene mutations in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and their correlation with clinicopathologic features and clinical characteristics in Chinese NSCLC patients. METHODS: To analyse EGFR mutations of exons 19 and 21 in NSCLCs by PCR amplification and sequencing. RESULTS: Somatic mutations in TK domain of EGFR were found in 13 cases (17.3%), the majority of mutations were in-frame exon 19 (9.3%) and 6 cases missense mutation in exon 21 (8.0%). The mutation rate was significantly higher in adenocarcinoma (12/31, 38.7%), than in bronchioloalveolar cancer (1/10, 10. 0%), adeno-squamous carcinoma (0/5), pulmonary blastoma (0/2), large cell carcinoma (0/1) and squamous cell carcinoma (0/26). Moreover, mutations were more frequently observed in females (30.0%) than in males (8.9%), and significantly higher in non-smokers (28.2%) than in smokers (5.6%). CONCLUSION: EGFR gene mutation is significantly higher related to adenocarcinomas, females and never-smokers. The results may suggest that a lager portion of adenocarcinomas in Chinese patients, females and non-smokers could be associated with favorable response to gefinib. PMID- 17760254 TI - [Tree analysis pattern of mass spectral urine profiles in differential diagnosis of bladder transitional cell carcinoma]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To develope a tree analysis pattern of mass spectral urine profiles to discriminate bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) from non-cancer lesions using surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) technology. METHODS: Urine samples from 61 bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCCs) patients, 53 healthy volunteers and 42 patients with other urogenital diseases were analyzed using IMAC-Cu-3 ProteinChip. Proteomic spectra were generated by SELDI-TOF- MS. A preliminary "training" set of spectra derived from analysis of urine from 46 TCC patients, 32 patients with benign urogenital diseases (BUD), and 40 age-matched unaffected healthy men were used to train and develop a decision tree classification algorithm which identified a fine-protein mass pattern that discriminated cancers from non-cancers effectively. A blinded test set including 38 cases was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the classification system. RESULTS: The algorithm identified a cluster pattern that, in the training set, segregated cancer from non-cancer with a sensitivity of 84.8% and specificity of 91.7%. The discriminatory pattern was correctly identified. A sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 87% for the blinded test were obtained when compared the TCC versus non-cancers. CONCLUSION: SELDI-TOF-MS technology is a rapid, convenient and high-throughput analyzing method. The urine tree analysis proteomic pattern as a screening tool is effective for differential diagnosis of bladder cancer. More detailed studies are needed to further evaluate the clinical value of this pattern. PMID- 17760255 TI - [EGFR mutation predicts response and prognosis in iressa-treated advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between mutation in EGFR tyrosine kinase domain and tumor response as well as prognosis in advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with iressa. METHODS: From May 2002 to Feb. 2005, iressa was orally administered at a dose of 250 mg once daily for 106 advanced stage NSCLC patients until occurrence of disease progression or intolerable toxicity. Cancer tissue was obtained from these patients, and DNA was extracted for analysis of mutation in exon 18 to 24 of EGFR. Exon 18 to 24 of EGFR were amplified by nest PCR, sequenced and analyzed from both sense and antisence directions. RESULTS: Primary NSCLC tissue specimens consisted of 25 frozen tissue blocks and 81 paraffin-embedded tumor tissue blocks from 106 consecutive NSCLC patients. Mutation was found to be more frequent in the adenocarcinoma than in the squamous cell carcinoma (35.9% vs 14.3%, P =0.033). Mutation was identified in 32 patients (30.2%). Response rate to iressa was 71.9% in the patients with EGFR mutation versus 13.5% in those without mutation (P <0.01). Compared with the patients without EGFR mutation, those with mutation had longer overall survival (median, 13.45 vs. 5.25 months; P<0.01) and median time to progression (median, 8.35 vs. 3.0 months; P <0.01). CONCLUSION: EGFR mutation may be positively correlated with the response and survival in advanced stage Chinese NSCLC patient treated with iressa. PMID- 17760256 TI - [Clinicopathological and biological features of breast cancer in young females and their relationship with prognosis]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between clinicopathological and biological characteristics and prognosis in young females with breast cancer. METHODS: The clinicopathological data of 99 young patients (< or =35years) with primary breast cancer were analyzed retrospectively. All the 99 patients were followed up for 5 years. The histological specimens were reviewed. The expression of ER, PR, AR, c erbB2, ki67, p53 and BRCA1 were assessed by immunohistochemistry in 63 carcinomas. RESULTS: The lymph node involvement, 5-year metastasis and 5-year survival rate were 59.6% (59/99), 28.0% (26/ 93) and 72.7% (72/99), respectively. The univariate analysis showed that the survival was related to lymphatic vessel invasion, fat involvement, node-positive status, EIC, AR and c-erbB2 expression. The COX multivariate analysis identified that only node-positive status, AR negativity and c-erbB2 overexpression were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrated that the lymph node status and c-erbB2 expression are strong prognostic factors in young patients with breast cancer. AR may be an adjuvant prognostic factor. The therapeutic measurement could not benefit the outcome radically. PMID- 17760257 TI - [Expression of SKP2 protein in lung carcinoma and its implication for prognosis]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of SKP2 protein expression in lung carcinoma tissues and its implication for prognosis. METHODS: The expression of SKP2 protein was detected in 89 NSCLC, 13 SCLC, 5 benign lung neoplasms, 5 normal bronchus and lung tissues by tissue chip and immunohistochemical techniques. RESULTS: The positive rate of SKP2 staining was (23.52 +/-13.57)% in NSCLC tissues and (53.85 +/- 12.26)% in SCLC tissues, significantly higher than (2.91 +/- 1.27)% in benign lung neoplasms and normal bronchus and lung tissues. Its expression was highest in SCLC tissues and lowest in benign lung tissues, with a significant difference between them (P <0.01). The expressive level of SKP2 protein in lung carcinoma tissues was closely related to cell differentiation and lymph node metastasis, but not to age, sex, smoking history, tumor site and size, and TNM staging, etc. The survival analysis revealed that the 5-year survival rate of lung carcinoma patients was much lower in SKP2 protein positive expression group than that in negative expression group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The positive expression of SKP2 protein is higher in lung carcinoma than in benign or normal lung tissues, in particular, much higher in SCLC tissue. Moreover, it may be an independent factor to exert negative influence on prognosis of patients with lung carcinoma. PMID- 17760258 TI - [Assessment on different modes of lymphadenectomies in the treatment for early gastric cancer]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of different modes of lymphadenectomies in the surgical treatment for early gastric cancer (EGC) in order to provide evidence for reasonable selection of lymphadenectomy for the ECG. METHODS: The clinicopathological data of 325 EGC patients were reviewed. The lymph node metastasis (LNM) rate of different levels and the efficiency of different modes of lymphadenectomies were analyzed, and the correlation between LNM and clinicopathological features were analyzed either. RESULTS: The overall LNM rate in the EGC was 14.8%, and the overall LNM degree was 3.0%. In the ECG located in the lower third of the stomach, the rate of first level nodal involvement was 14.5%, which was detected in the No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6 station of draining lymph nodes for the stomach; and it was 6.9% in the second level lymph nodes which were seen in the No.7 and No. 8a station. There was rare metastasis in the No. 1, No. 9, No. 11p, No. 12a and No. 14v station. In the ECG located in the middle third of the stomach, the rate of first level nodal involvement was 13.8% , which was found in the No. 1, No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 station, and it was 6.9% in the second level nodes only seen in the No. 7 and No. 8a station. The LNM rate was significantly higher in the lesion larger than 3.0 cm in diameter, or having submucosa invasion, or being poorly differentiated, or with lymphatic involvement than that of the lesion smaller than 3.0 cm in diameter, without mucosa invasion or lymphatic involvement, or being well differentiated (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on our data, it is suggested that the D1 or D1 + lymphadenectomy of the No. 7 station of lymph node may be suitable for the lesion smaller than 1.0 cm in diameter or only located in the mucosa; the D1 + lymphadenectomy of the No. 7 and No. 8a station of lymph nodes may be suitable for the lesion larger than 1.0 cm in diameter, or being depressed type or with submucosa invasion in the middle and/or lower third of the stomach. For the lesion larger than 3.0 cm in diameter, the No. 1 and No. 9 station lymph node should be dissected. It is also suggested that regular D2/ D3 lymphadenectomy should be avoided in the surgical treatment for the early gastric cancer whenever the tumor situation is suitable. PMID- 17760259 TI - [Expression of WWOX protein and its significance in non-small cell lung cancers]. PMID- 17760260 TI - [Clinical characteristics and chemotherapy of advanced-stage bronchioloalveolar carcinoma of the lung: report of 53 patients]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical feature and the value of chemotherapy for advanced stage bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) of the lung. METHODS: The clinical data of 53 advanced stage BAC patients treated from Jan. 1999 to Dec. 2004 was collected and reviewed. Most of the patients received more than 2 cycles of the combined chemotherapy with platinum-based regimen. RESULTS: Of these 53 eligible patients in this series, 34 (64.2%) were women, 42 (79.2%) never smoked any cigarette, 29 (54.7%) originated from the right lung, and 12 patients (22.6%) showed bilateral multi-lobular or multi-central lesions or diffusive pulmonary involvement. The objective response rate was 17.0% (2 complete response, 7 partial response). 30 (56.6%) patients demonstrated stable disease and 14 (26.4%) patients showed progression of the disease. The median progression-free and overall survivals were 6.1 and 16.0 months, respectively. The 1-year survival rate was 71.7%. Grade 3 or severer toxicities included neutropenia (34.0%), thrombocytopenia (15.1%), anemia (22.6%), nausea and vomiting (39.6%), alopecia (30.2%), constipation (17.0%) and peripheral neurotoxicity (13.2%). CONCLUSION: Advanced bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is likely to occur in woman, nonsmoker and the right lung, frequently with bilateral diffuse pulmonary involvement. The platinum-based combined chemotherapy regimen is modestly effective with tolerable toxicity. Compared with the historical data of lung adenocarcinoma of the same stage, bronchioloalveolar carcinoma has a longer overall survived. PMID- 17760261 TI - [Mandibular swing procedure for surgical resection of advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore a better approach to resect the advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma. METHODS: From 1995 to 2005, 17 patients underwent mandibular swing procedure for excision of advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma including: 13 tonsillar cancers, 2 soft palate carcinomas and 2 lingual root cancers. Surgical procedure was selected according to the lesion. All tumors were resected through the mandibular swing approach or its combined approaches. Immediate reconstruction of the surgical defect was done using tongue flap, pectoralis major myocutaneous flap, sternohyoid myofascial flap, temporalis myofascial flap and forehead flap, respectively. After surgical resection of the tumors, all patients received postoperative radiotherapy. RESULTS: All patients' advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma were successfully resected as planned through the mandibular swing procedure or its combined procedures without severe complications. Functions of deglutition, respiration and speech were well restored. The 3- and 5-year survival rate was 54. 5% and 40%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The mandibular swing procedure and its combined approach is safe and effective in the surgical resection of the advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma, which can provide a good exposure for the oropharynx, supraglottic region, hypopharynx, the parapharyngeal space and the base of the skull. PMID- 17760262 TI - [Intensity modulated radiation therapy for patients with gynecological malignancies after hysterectomy and chemotherapy/radiotherapy]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for patient with gynecological malignancies after treatment of hysterectomy and chemotherapy/radiotherapy. METHODS: All 32 patients with cervical or endometrial cancer after hysterectomy received full course IMRT after 1 to 3 cycles of chemotherapy (Karnofsky performance status(KPS) > or =70). Seventeen of these patients underwent postoperative preventive irradiation and the other 15 patients were pelvic wall recurrence and/or retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis, though postoperative radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy had been given after operation. RESULTS: The median dose delivered to the PTV was 56.8 Gy for preventive irradiation, and 60.6 Gy for pelvic wall recurrence or retroperioneal lymph node metastasis irradiation. It was required that 90% of iso dose curve could covere more than 99% of GTV. However, The mean dose irradiated to small intestine, bladder, rectum, kidney and spinal cord was 21.3 Gy, 37.8 Gy, 35.3 Gy, 8.5 Gy, 22.1 Gy, respectively. Fourteen patients presented grade I (11 patients) or II (3 patients) digestive tract side-effects, Five patients developed grade I or II bone marrow depression. Twelve patients had grade I skin reaction. The overall 1-year survival rate was 100%. The 2- and 3- year survival rate for preventive irradiation were both 100%, but which was 5/7 and 3/6 for the patients with pelvic wall recurrence or retroperioneal lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: Intensity modulated radiation therapy can provide a better dose distribution than traditional radiotherapy for both prevention and pelvic wall recurrence or retroperioneal lymph node metastasis. The toxicity is tolerable. The adjacent organs at risk can well be protected. PMID- 17760263 TI - [Extramammary Paget's disease of the scrotum: report of 79 cases]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathologic feature and treatment result as well as prognosis of Paget's disease of the scrotum. METHODS: The data of 79 patients with Paget's disease of the scrotum confirmed pathologically from 1993 to 2004 were retrospectively analyzed. The median age of these patients was 62.3 years. The median duration of the disease was 3 years and 7 months. Locally extensive excision and intra-operative frozen section analysis of resection margin were performed in 78 patients. Inguinal and iliac radical lymphadenectomy was done in 7 patients with inguinal lymph node metastasis. RESULTS: Local recurrence developed in 9 patients, and 3 patients died of the disease during follow-up. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of Paget's disease of the scrotum after surgical resection is good. To highly watch out for the disease, to perform histological examination and surgical resection as early as possible are keys to control it successfully. PMID- 17760264 TI - [Surgical treatment result of hilar cholangiocarcinoma: report of 84 patients]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the surgical treatment result and clinical characteristics of hilar cholangiocarcinoma in order to improve the rate of early diagnosis and radical resection. METHODS: Between 1986 and 2004,84 hilar cholangiocarcinoma patients underwent surgery, and their data were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: According to the Bismuth-Corlette staging system, 7 were type I, 18 type II, 22 type II a, 12 type IlI b, 20 type IV and 5 unclassified. 32 patients (38.1%) had had the history of operation for cholelithiasis before or were found to have cholelithiasis simultaneously at the time of diagnosis. The rate of making correct diagnosis by ultrasound, CT and MRCP was 71.4% , 84.0% and 91.4% , respectively. Of these 84 patients, 24 (28.6%) underwent radical resection, 14 (16.7%) palliative resection and 30 (35.7%) only internal or external drainage, while 16 patients was found to have contraindication for any further surgical intervention. The overall operation rate was 81.0% (68/84) with a radical resection rate of 35.3% (24/68). The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates was 70.8%, 50.0% and 20.8% in the radical resection group, and 50.0%, 21.4% and 0 in the palliative resection group, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the survival between two groups. Whereas in the internal or external drainage group, the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates was 20.0% ,10.0% and 0. All of the patients who did not undergo surgical intervention died within one year. CONCLUSION: Cholelithiasis may play an important role in the pathogenesis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Early diagnosis and radical resection are two important factors to improve the prognosis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Skeletonization of hepatoduodenal ligament with partial liver resection can improve the rate of radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. PMID- 17760266 TI - [Microsurgical treatment of thalamic tumors]. PMID- 17760265 TI - [Dose dense chemotherapy in the postoperative adjuvant treatment for breast cancer]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and feasibility of dose dense chemotherapy in the postoperative adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. METHODS: The data of 114 breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant dose dense chemotherapy was retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: 114 breast cancer patients received postoperative adjuvant dose dense chemotherapy from Jan. 2004 to March 2005. The patients were treated with different regimens according to their recurrence risk: 43 with paclitaxel + epirubicin (PE), 8 with taxotere + epirubicin (TE), 36 with cyclophosphamide + epirubicin + 5-Fu ( CEF) and 27 with epirubicin +5-Fu (EC). Totally, 111 patients except 3 completed the dose dense chemotherapy smoothly. Major toxicities severer than grade III included: neutropenia in 6.3% of the patients, nausea and vomit in 11.7%, peripheral neuropathy in 3.6%. CONCLUSION: Postoperative adjuvant dose dense chemotherapy for breast cancer patient is feasible and safe, but the long-term outcome still needs further observation. PMID- 17760267 TI - Development of a surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance system, calculation of SSI rates and specification of important factors affecting SSI in a digestive organ surgical department. AB - We have developed an original system to conduct surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance. This system accumulates SSI surveillance information based on the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System and the Japanese Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (JNIS) System. The features of this system are as follows: easy input of data, high generality, data accuracy, SSI rate by operative procedure and risk index category (RIC) can be promptly calculated and compared with the current NNIS SSI rate, and the SSI rates and accumulated data can be exported electronically. Using this system, we monitored 798 patients in 24 operative procedure categories in the Digestive Organs Surgery Department of Mazda Hospital, Mazda Motor Corporation, from January 2004 through December 2005. The total number and rate of SSI were 47 and 5.89%, respectively. The SSI rates of 777 patients were calculated based on 15 operative procedure categories and Risk Index Categories (RIC). The highest SSI rate was observed in the rectum surgery of RIC 1 (30%), followed by the colon surgery of RIC3 (28.57%). About 30% of the isolated infecting bacteria were Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. Using quantification theory type 2, the American Society of Anesthesiology score (4.531), volume of hemorrhage under operation (3.075), wound classification (1.76), operation time (1.352), and history of diabetes (0.989) increased to higher ranks as factors for SSI. Therefore, we evaluated this system as a useful tool in safety control for operative procedures. PMID- 17760268 TI - A case of informed consent obtained from a patient with terminal cancer and his family using family function by the primary care physician. AB - We evaluated the contents and characteristics of informed consent obtained by the primary care physician from a male patient with advanced cancer and his family, and clarified the influences of the informed consent on family function. This patient was diagnosed as having advanced cancer at the age of 46 years, underwent surgery/chemotherapy, but died after 4 months at the hospital. Semi-structured interviews were held with the elder daughter of the patient, and notes on the patient's disease, the course of treatment, his family's responses, and the informed consent obtained by the primary care physician were taken during the interview. The informed consent obtained by the primary care physician had the following characteristics: (1) The physician transmitted accurate and detailed information on the treatment methods, side effects, and prognosis by appropriate communication techniques with consideration for the feelings of the patient and his family, and proposed choices so that they could participate in the decision of treatment principles. (2) During the entire course, the primary care physician frequently visited the bedside and encouraged the patient and his family to express their feelings of anxiety and to ask questions, giving continuous emotional support. With the progression of the disease and explanation by the primary care physician, the patient and his family expressed and shared feelings such as grief and powerlessness and supported each another. Gradually, they began to show practical/adaptive coping behavior and could accept the patient's death. Appropriate informed consent obtained by the primary-care physician promoted the family function of this family. PMID- 17760269 TI - Endobronchial ultrasonography with a guide-sheath and virtual bronchoscopy navigation aids management of peripheral pulmonary nodules. AB - Occasionally, we have difficulty in diagnosing small peripheral pulmonary nodules. However, efforts have been made to resolve this problem. For instance, computed-tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), flexible bronchoscopy examination (BF), and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) have been performed to investigate such nodules. We have used endobronchial ultrasonography with a guide-sheath (EBUS-GS) for BF examination, and recently applied the virtual reality technique "virtual bronchoscopy (VB)". Here, we present a case in which a combined technique with VB and EBUS-GS was useful. The patient was a 54-year-old man with a persistent cough and chest pain. Small nodules were seen in the bilateral lungs on the chest CT taken at the local hospital. A slight increase in the CEA level (6.1 ng/ml; normal level < 5.0 ng/ml) was shown as well as an uptake in the latter term on PET. As a result, he was referred to our hospital for a detailed work-up. We applied VB to confirm the location of the tumor, which allowed us to approach the lesion easily. Furthermore, we precisely localized the lesion using EBUS-GS. Then a biopsy was performed, which demonstrated bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP). As seen in this case, combining VB and EBUS-GS seems beneficial for diagnosing peripheral pulmonary nodules. PMID- 17760270 TI - Carbohydrate antigen sialyl Lewis a--its pathophysiological significance and induction mechanism in cancer progression. AB - Carbohydrate antigen sialyl Lewis a (CA19-9) is the most frequently applied serum tumor marker for diagnosis of cancers in the digestive organs. Recent progress disclosed the presence of a normal counterpart of the determinant, namely disialyl Lewis a, which is predominantly expressed in non-malignant epithelial cells of the digestive organs, while sialyl Lewis a is preferentially expressed in cancers. The disialyl Lewis a determinant carries one extra sialic residue attached through a 2 --> 6 linkage to the GlcNAc moiety compared to cancer associated sialyl Lewis a, which carries only one 2 --> 3 linked sialic acid residue (monosialyl Lewis a). Disialyl Lewis a in normal epithelial cells serves as a ligand for immunosuppressive receptors such as sialic acid binding immunoglobulin (Ig)-like lectins (siglec-7) and -9 expressed on resident monocytes/macrophages and maintains immunological homeostasis of mucosal membranes in digestive organs. Epigenetic silencing of a gene for a 2 --> 6 sialyl-transferase in the early stages of carcinogenesis results in an impairment of 2 --> 6 sialylation, leading to incomplete synthesis and accumulation of sialyl Lewis a, which lacks the 2 --> 6 linked sialic acid residue, in cancer cells. Simultaneous determination of serum levels of sialyl- and disialyl Lewis a, and calculation of the monosialyl/disialyl Lewis a ratio provide information useful for excluding a false-positive serum diagnosis, and also for averting the undesired influence of the Lewis blood group of patients on serum antigen levels. During the course of cancer progression in locally advanced cancers, tumor hypoxia induces transcription of several glycogenes involved in sialyl Lewis a synthesis. Expression of the determinant, consequently, is further accelerated in more malignant hypoxia-resistant cancer cell clones, which become predominant clones in advanced stage cancers and frequently develop hematogenous metastasis. Sialyl Lewis a, as well as its positional isomer sialyl Lewis x, serves as a ligand for vascular cell adhesion molecule E-selectin and facilitates hematogenous metastasis through mediating adhesion of circulating cancer cells to vascular endothelium. Patients having both strong sialyl Lewis a expression on cancer cells and enhanced E-selectin expression on vascular beds are at a greater risk of developing distant hematogenous metastasis. PMID- 17760271 TI - Salmonella: clinical importance and evolution of nomenclature. AB - Salmonella is an important pathogen for both humans and animals. Although the organism has been intensively studied during the last century, much remains to be learned about this pathogen. The complicated nomenclature system of Salmonella has long been a subject of discussion. In 2005, "Salmonella enterica" finally gained official approval as the type species of the genus Salmonella. The genus Salmonella also contains the species "Salmonella bongori" in addition to a new species, "Salmonella subterranean", which was recognized in 2005. Unlike other bacterial genera, Salmonella organisms are differentiated by serotyping analysis. Presently, new serotypes (serovars) are still being discovered each year, adding to the complexity of this large bacterial population. Despite the conserved genetic background, molecular analysis has indicated successful evolution of the Salmonella genome in response to the environment, particularly to the selective pressure from antimicrobial agents. Mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance in Salmonella are similar to the complex system reported for other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. On the other hand, resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins is more likely to be mediated by bla(CTX-M) or ampC genes that are carried on plasmids. Plasmid-borne genes have increased efficacy in the dissemination of resistance determinants, resulting in increased antimicrobial resistance. To provide clinicians with up-to-date information on this important pathogen, the evolving nomenclature and clinical importance of Salmonella are reviewed. PMID- 17760272 TI - A birthmark survey in 500 newborns: clinical observation in two northern Taiwan medical center nurseries. AB - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of birthmarks in Taiwanese newborns has not been well studied. How gender and maturity of newborns affect presentation and prevalence of vascular birthmarks, in particular, has not been well documented. The aim of this survey was to catalog the above-mentioned problems. METHODS: From May 9 through July 14, 2000, 500 newborns in Linkou and Taipei Chang Gung Memorial Hospital nurseries were examined for the presence of birthmarks. The data were collected and stored in Excel software and analyzed using chi2-test and Fisher's exact test for statistical association. RESULTS: The most common pigmentary birthmark was the Mongolian spot (61.6%), followed by congenital melanocytic nevi (0.6%), cafe-au-lait spots (0.4%), and nevi depigmentosus (0.4%). Vascular birthmark frequency was: salmon patch (27.8%), Port-Wine stain (0.6%), and hemangioma (0.2%). Other miscellaneous changes included preauricular sinus (0.6%), skin tag (0.6%), and accessory auricle (0.2%). Prevalence of the vascular salmon patch birthmarks in female infants and male infants was 31.0% and 26.6%, respectively, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.51). The prevalence of vascular salmon patch birthmarks in full-term infants was 28.0%, and 25.8% in preterm infants. However, there was also no statistical difference (p = 0.96) between the two. The two nevus depigmentosus cases were isolated types and neither of these were distributed along the Blaschko lines. CONCLUSIONS: The Mongolian spot was the most common birthmark in Taiwanese newborns, followed by the salmon patch. All of the other birthmarks had prevalence of less than 1%. The prevalence of vascular salmon patch birthmarks was noted in 31.0% of female infants and in 26.6% of male infants. The prevalence of vascular salmon patch birthmarks in full-term infants was 28.0% versus 25.8% in preterm infants. However, the findings regarding vascular birthmarks were not statistically significant between the differing gender and maturity groups. PMID- 17760273 TI - Transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy. AB - BACKGROUND: In this study we analyzed and presented our experience of performing transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (TPELD). METHODS: A retrospective study of 142 TPELD was conducted on 134 consecutive patients from 2001 through 2005. The inclusion criteria for patients were those who had leg pain with or without low back pain and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that revealed soft contained or noncontained but contiguous lumbar disc herniation (LDH). All patients failed at least 6 weeks of conservative treatment or could not tolerate it. RESULTS: The patients had an average age of 38 years. The mean follow-up period was 8 months. The outcomes were evaluated using the modified MacNab criteria. The percentage of successful outcomes (excellent or good) was 89%. Among the remainder of the patients, six (4.5%) had open surgery later. Moreover, eight patients (6%) sustained temporary dysesthesia over the proximal lower limb of the operated side. No major neurovascular injuries or deaths occurred. CONCLUSIONS: In experienced hands, TPELD is minimally invasive, safe and effective for treating soft contained or noncontained but contiguous LDH. PMID- 17760274 TI - Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty to left internal mammary artery grafts: immediate and long-term clinical outcomes. AB - BACKGROUND: Increasing usage of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) as the graft of choice in coronary artery bypass surgery has led to increased incidence of LIMA graft stenosis. METHODS: Thirteen patients with LIMA graft stenosis were identified from a review of our institutional database, with intervention approach either from the femoral (n = 6) or radial artery (n = 7). There were no LIIMA orifice lesions and all patients presented with anastomosis site stenoses, except one individual who had combined LIMA shaft stenosis. Clinical outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: The procedural success rate was 92% (12/13). Conventional balloon dilation was performed in seven cases and stenting in five. Two patients developed LIMA body dissection during the procedure, with one requiring bail-out stenting and the other prolonged balloon inflation. The in-hospital major adverse cardiac events included 1 non-Q wave myocardial infarction (7.7%) but no deaths, emergency coronary artery bypass surgery or target lesion revascularization. In the one failure case, the patient died 1 month later at home. Angiographic follow up of ten patients (83%) revealed a restenosis rate of 20% (2/10). The mean clinical follow-up duration was 34.5 +/- 20.9 months. One patient expired 32 months later due to acute stroke with sepsis. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous transluminal intervention of LIMA grafts can be performed safely from either the femoral or radial approach. High procedure success and low complication rates are achievable by an experienced cardiologist; long-term clinical results were excellent in our patients. It can be considered as an alternative therapeutic method for a stenosed LIMA graft. PMID- 17760275 TI - Antithyroid drug-induced agranulocytosis: report of 13 cases. AB - BACKGROUND: Antithyroid drug (ATD)-induced agranulocytosis is rare but may cause fatal complications in patients with thyrotoxicosis during treatment with thionamide-derived drugs. From our previous experience, we note that 2 of 11 such patients died in a 10-year retrospective study. METHODS: We reviewed thirteen patients who developed agranulocytosis from 7,466 patients with hyperthyroidism while they were being treated with ATD from July 1989 to November 2003. RESULTS: The incidence of ATD-induced agranulocytosis (absolute neutrophil counts < 500/mm3) was 0.17%. The age of the 13 patients (female: male = 10:3) was 28 to 61 years (mean +/- SD: 39.6 +/- 10.0 years). The most common clinical manifestations were fever (100%), sore throat (76.9%) and chills (46.1%). At the time of agranulocytosis attack, ATD had been administered for 12 to 66 days (mean +/- SD: 36.4 +/- 18.7 days) and the duration of symptoms was 1 to 14 days (mean +/- SD: 4.6 +/- 3.7 days). Intravenous infusion of 300 microg granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) per day was administered to 3 patients simultaneously with intravenous empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics. After intensive and supportive treatment in hospital, all the patients recovered with absolute neutrophil counts of more than 500/mm3 in 2 to 13 days (mean +/- SD: 7.6 +/- 3.4 days). CONCLUSIONS: In our 25-year clinical experience, the most cost-effective method of managing agranulocytosis induced by thionamide-derived ATD is that all patients with thyrotoxicosis must be warned that their white blood cells and differential counts should be checked immediately whenever the "common cold" symptoms occur during treatment, especially within the first 3 months of medication. PMID- 17760276 TI - Phase II study of a biweekly regimen of vinorelbine and cisplatin in advanced non small cell lung cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: Many novel agents, including vinorelbine, gemcitabine, paclitaxel and docetaxel, have been administrated in combination with cisplatin to patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Of these drugs, vinorelbine is reported to have a high response rate and acceptable toxicity level. In an attempt to increase treatment activity, a biweekly regimen using vinorelbine and cisplatin was designed. METHODS: From March 2001 to July 2003, 43 patients with NSCLC, who met the selection criteria, were enrolled. Of the 43 patients, 28 were male and 15 were female. All of them had their diagnosis confirmed histologically and were in an advanced stage, i.e., stage IIIB with pleural effusion or stage IV. Vinorelbine 30 or 35 mg/m2 and cisplatin 50 mg/m2 were given intravenously every 2 weeks. RESULTS: Of the 43 assessable patients, 11 achieved a Partial Response (PR) and 13 had a Stable Disease (SD). Overall response was 25.6% (95% CI 12.0%-39.2%). Median survival was 9.0 months (95% CI: 6.2-11.8) and the 1-year survival rate was 32.6%. Median time to disease progression was 3.9 months (95% CI 2.4-5.4 months). The major hematological toxicity was neutropenia. Seven patients (16.3%) developed grade 3 neutropenia and 17 patients (39.5%) developed grade 4 neutropenia. Eight patients developed febrile neutropenia, 4 patients had confirmed sepsis, 2 of which died due to sepsis. One patient had grade 3 thrombocytopenia. Six patients (7%) developed severe anemia. Ten patients (23.3%) had grade 3/4 nausea and vomiting. Only 2 patients developed grade 3 neuropathy. CONCLUSIONS: This biweekly regimen of vinorelbine and cisplatin is effective against advanced NSCLC. Due to the high incidence of neutropenia, this regimen did not improve therapeutic efficacy and its dose intensity is less than that of a conventional schedule. PMID- 17760277 TI - Flexible outpatient hysterofibroscopy without anesthesia: a feasible and valid procedure. AB - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the feasibility and validity of a large series of outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopies using a 4.9 mm flexible hysterofibroscope without anesthesia. METHODS: In this observational clinical study, 2033 consecutive women referred with various indications underwent an outpatient hysteroscopy without analgesia or anesthesia. A 4.9 mm flexible hysterofibrescope (Olympus Corporation, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan) was used to perform the examination. The diagnostic efficacy and patient tolerance were evaluated. RESULT: The whole procedure was finished within 3 minutes. The hysteroscopy could not be completed in 41 (2.2%) women. Three hundred sixty-six patients (18.0%) required cervical dilatation before insertion of the hysteroscope. Severe discomfort including vagal reflex and ascending infection occurred in 4 (0.19%) women. Normal results were found in 60.1% of women with premenopausal and 59.3% with postmenopausal abnormal uterine bleeding. In women who underwent transvaginal ultrasound and hysteroscopic examination concomitantly, the accuracy of ultrasound diagnosis of an intrauterine mass was 83.3%, and the predictive rate for submucosal myoma was significantly higher than that for endometrial polyps (91.2% vs. 76.2%, p = 0.001). Correlation between histological and hysteroscopic diagnoses showed the accuracy of hysteroscopic diagnosis of submucosal myoma was higher than that for endometrial polyps (81.3% vs. 68.4%, p = 0.034). Physiologic endometrial changes were misdiagnosed as endometrial hyperplasia more often than they were misdiagnosed as endometrial cancer (39.5% vs. 4.2%, p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Low failure and complication rates indicate that flexible hysterofibroscopy is feasible when performed in an outpatient setting without anesthesia. Extensive experience and histological confirmation are necessary for accurate endometrial evaluation. PMID- 17760278 TI - Modified Thompson quadricepsplasty to treat extension contracture of the knee after surgical treatment of patellar fractures. AB - BACKGROUND: This retrospective study reported on the treatment of extension contracture of the knee after surgical treatment of patellar fractures. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients who sustained extension contractures of the knee after surgical treatment of patellar fractures 8-14 months previously (mean, 12 months) were treated. A midline longitudinal approach was made. After implants were removed, adhesions between the vastus intermedius and the femur, and in the patellofemoral joint were released completely. The knee was flexed up to 110 degrees. Postoperatively, a continuous passive motion (CPM) machine was used to assist knee flexion. Physical therapy was continued at local clinics. No aids were necessary for ambulation. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were followed-up for at least 2 years (range, 2.1-7.6 years; mean, 4.6 years). The mean arc of motion of the knee improved from 72 degrees preoperatively to 123 degrees (p < 0.001). Knee function improved from an unsatisfactory grade in all 24 patients preoperatively to a satisfactory grade in 21 patients (p < 0.001). There were no significant surgical complications. CONCLUSION: This surgical technique has a high success rate with few complications. Above all, the surgical procedure is relatively simple. Therefore, it can be considered for indicated cases. PMID- 17760279 TI - Atrioventricular septal defect with cor triatriatum sinister. AB - Cor triatriatum (CT) is a rare cardiac anomaly, characterized by a membrane in the left atrium which separates the atrium into the proximal and distal chambers. Association of CT with atrioventricular septal defects (AVSD) is extremely rare; only three cases with complete AVSD and 10 with partial AVSD have been reported. In this study, we present an 11-month-old female infant with complete AVSD and cor triatriatum. The patient recovered uneventfully after surgery and normal cardiac performance was achieved 2 years later. PMID- 17760280 TI - Removable partial denture on osseointegrated implants and natural teeth. AB - Implants have been designed to provide edentulous patients with fixed prostheses or overdentures. Recently, implant-supported fixed partial prostheses and single crowns have become successful treatment alternatives to removable and fixed partial dentures. However, few researchers have examined "removable partial dentures on implants and natural teeth". In this article, we report two patients fitted with "removable partial dentures on implants and natural teeth". The patients were satisfied with their dentures in terms of function and aesthetics. Regular follow-up visits revealed that the periodontal and peri-implant conditions were stable. There was no evidence of excessive intrusion or mobility of the teeth, nor were any visible changes in the bone levels of the natural teeth or implants noted on radiographs. Since the average duration of observation was about 38 months, further follow-up examinations are necessary to determine whether these dentures remain stable long-term. PMID- 17760282 TI - Tactile cueing vs. vestibular sensation and nystagmus during yaw rotation. AB - INTRODUCTION: It has been reported that vibrating electromechanical tactile stimulation on the torso overrides the vestibular sensation of rotation. The purpose of this study is to further examine the influence of tactile cues on real and apparent sensations of self-rotation and corresponding vestibular nystagmus during passive yaw rotation. METHOD: There were 15 healthy subjects (12 men and 3 women, 31 to 49 yr) who were subjected to clockwise yaw rotation at a constant velocity of 120 degrees. s(-1). A tactile vest using electromechanical tactors (8 columns x 3 rows) was activated either in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction in a randomized design. The sequential activation of the tactors around the body matched the velocity of chair rotation. Eye movements were monitored using infrared eye tracking. Since it is difficult to control for mental set (alertness and imagined target distance) during eye tracking, in addition to paying attention to the apparent sensation of self-motion, the sensation of rotation and the induced vestibular nystagmus were investigated separately. RESULTS: ANOVA failed to reveal any significant effect. Our results suggested that tactile cueing did not enhance or suppress the subjective sensation of rotation during actual rotation, nor did it enhance or suppress the false sensation of rotation experienced. Also, tactile cueing had no effect on the gain and time constant of the induced per-rotation and post-rotation nystagmus with repeated exposures. CONCLUSION: It appears that tactile cueing delivered by a tactile garment provides a sense of direction, but it does not affect any concomitant vestibular responses. PMID- 17760281 TI - Antidepressant use and safety in civil aviation: a case-control study of 10 years of Australian data. AB - OBJECTIVES: Australian aviation medical certification authorities began allowing use of antidepressant medications by aviation personnel in 1987; a sufficiently long period of time and number of personnel involved to allow a preliminary study. The aim of this study was to identify significant safety-related outcomes, such as aircraft accidents or incidents that may be related to the use of antidepressant medication in pilots and air traffic controllers. METHODS: The study employed a matched cohort of all holders of Australian aviation medical certificates who were prescribed antidepressants during the period 1 January 1993 to 30 June 2004 (n = 481), and a matched comparison group. Outcomes of interest were accidents and incidents. RESULTS: No significant differences between the two groups were found in any of the analyses. There were 18 accidents recorded for the antidepressant group and 15 for the comparison group across the whole period, compared with 5 for cases and 5 for controls during the period while antidepressants were being taken. There were 113 incidents recorded for the antidepressant group compared with 131 controls. A non-significantly higher number of accidents and incidents were recorded among cases in the period prior to commencing antidepressant medication. CONCLUSION: This study found no evidence of adverse safety outcomes arising from permitting individuals to operate as commercial or private aircrew or air traffic controllers while using antidepressants provided specific criteria are met and maintained. This finding has the potential to change current policies of aviation regulatory bodies internationally and may be of significance to a range of transport and other safety-critical occupations and activities. PMID- 17760283 TI - Adaptation to motion sickness from torso rotation affects symptoms from supine head nodding. AB - INTRODUCTION: Space motion sickness affects more than 50% of astronauts. Adaptation to one kind of nauseogenic motion can affect the response to another. We hypothesized that repeated exposure to torso rotation (TR) would diminish motion sickness (MS) due to supine head nodding (HN), a ground-based analogue for space sickness. METHODS: During TR, standing subjects swept their gaze back and forth between two targets located 135 degrees to either side of straight ahead. For HN, the subject lay supine on a platform with his/her head and neck hanging over the edge. The head was pitched back and forth between the horizontal position and rotated back as far as possible. MS was quantified in 5 male and 20 female subjects using numerical estimates of discomfort and a more detailed questionnaire. Susceptibility to TR and HN was determined on three occasions for each stimulus. At least 1 mo separated any two tests. Subjects were exposed to TR once a day for 7 consecutive days 1 mo after the final control session. Within 24 h of the seventh session, and 1 mo later, susceptibility to HN was evaluated again. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in MS susceptibility during repeated exposure to TR (time to stop 17.7 min on Day 1, 31.8 min on Day 7). In contrast, there was a significant increase in MS susceptibility to HN after repeated exposure to TR (mean time to stop 11.7 min before TR, 9.5 min after). Susceptibility to HN was back to normal (time to stop 11.4 min) 1 mo later. DISCUSSION: Subjects can adapt to TR by repeated exposure. At the same time, susceptibility to HN increases. Strategies for pre-adaptation to space motion sickness need to be chosen carefully as they could actually be counterproductive. PMID- 17760284 TI - Pulse oximetry to detect hypoxemia during apnea: comparison of finger and ear probes. AB - INTRODUCTION: When investigating apnea, for example in diving or altitude studies, hypoxemia is a variable that must be monitored to reduce the risk of hypoxic syncope. Pulse oximetry is a simple technique that measures arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2). As apnea induces a peripheral vasoconstriction, we hypothesized that it would be better to measure hypoxia using more centrally placed ear lobe oximetry probes rather than peripheral finger probes. METHODS: Seven men were studied, ages 18-35. Two pulse oximeters were used, a Satlite Trans (Ox-1) and Ohmeda Biox (Ox-2), both with ear and finger probes. Subjects carried out a sub-maximal breath hold for 60 s while performing dynamic leg exercise on a cycle ergometer at 50 W. Subjects performed the maneuver six times in total, in a crossover design. RESULTS: The Ox-1 finger probe showed 6.0 +/- 3.7% higher values than the ear-lobe probe at their respective nadirs. The Ox-2 probes differed in the same manner by 6.5 +/- 4.2%. The average delay between the nadir shown by the ear and finger probes was 15 s (+/- 3.5). When the ear-probes were at their nadir (SpO2 78 +/- 3.5%), the finger probes had considerably higher SpO2 levels (94.6 +/- 3.5%). DISCUSSION: Apneic induced hypoxemia was monitored poorly by finger probe pulse oximetry. The delay in response may jeopardize safety, for example in breath-hold diving studies. Hypoxemia does not seem to be accurately reflected by finger measurements in situations where peripheral vasoconstriction may occur. PMID- 17760285 TI - Virtual-reality-Based 3D navigation training for emergency egress from spacecraft. AB - BACKGROUND: Astronauts have reported spatial disorientation and navigation problems inside spacecraft whose interior visual vertical direction varies from module to module. If they had relevant preflight practice they might orient better. This experiment examined the influence of relative body orientation and individual spatial skills during VR training on a simulated emergency egress task. METHOD: During training, 36 subjects were each led on 12 tours through a space station by a virtual tour guide. Subjects wore a head-mounted display and controlled their motion with a game-pad. Each tour traversed multiple modules and involved up to three changes in visual vertical direction. Each subject was assigned to one of three groups that maintained different postures: visually upright relative to the "local" module; constant orientation relative to the "station" irrespective of local visual vertical; and "mixed" (local, followed by station orientation). Groups were balanced on the basis of mental rotation and perspective-taking test scores. Subjects then performed 24 emergency egress testing trials without the tour guide. Smoke reduced visibility during the last 12 trials. Egress time, sense of direction (by pointing to origin and destination) and configuration knowledge were measured. RESULTS: Both individual 3D spatial abilities and orientation during training influence emergency egress performance, pointing, and configuration knowledge. Local training facilitates landmark and route learning, but station training enhances sense of direction relative to station, and, therefore, performance in low visibility. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend a sequence of local, followed by station, and then randomized orientation training, preferably customized to a trainee's 3D spatial ability. PMID- 17760286 TI - Surgical correction of disc pathology in fighter pilots: a review of 14 cases. AB - BACKGROUND: Disorders of the spine are common in fighter crewmembers. The high cost of training and experience for pilots makes it important to use all reasonable clinical means to restore grounded pilots to their flying duties, provided that all safety standards are maintained. To date, there has been limited research into specific surgical treatment of spine injury in pilots. This study was designed to examine the efficacy of surgical procedures in Spanish Air Force fighter pilots with injuries to the spine, as well as the aeromedical disposition of such pilots. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted using the medical records of 14 fighter pilots with symptomatic spinal disorders treated by surgery. RESULTS: The 14 pilots underwent surgery: 12 cases involved fusion of vertebral structures (arthrodesis), while 2 pilots underwent discectomy. All pilots were subsequently given waivers to resume flying duties. DISCUSSION: The successful return to flight status of these pilots indicates the practical application of surgical techniques that safely stabilize the spine. However, due the sample limited size of the sample, further studies are needed. PMID- 17760287 TI - Walking capacity and fitness to fly in patients with chronic respiratory disease. AB - INTRODUCTION: In this study, we tested the hypothesis that walking capacity, assessed by the 6-min walk test (6MWT), could be related to the effect of flight simulation at sea level obtained by the hypoxia-altitude simulation test (HAST) in patients with chronic respiratory disease. METHODS: There were 15 patients with interstitial lung disease and 15 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were recruited. Their baseline SpO2 values ranged from 88 to 98%. All patients performed the 6MWT and HAST according to standardized methods. RESULTS: Patients covered a walking distance ranging from 185 to 592 m without stopping while experiencing no to severe dyspnea. No correlation was found between dyspnea perception during walking, walking distance, and oxygen desaturation during HAST. The oxygen desaturation induced by the 6MWT was related to that after HAST (r = 0.52, p < 0.01). The bias and limits of agreement between the oxygen desaturation after the 6MWT and after the HAST were 0.8 and -6.6 to 8.2%, respectively. The baseline SpO2 could reliably predict the oxygen desaturation during HAST (r2 = 0.51). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that measurement of SpO2 during 6MWT can provide useful information for the preflight assessment and the in-flight oxygen prescription of patients with chronic respiratory disease. PMID- 17760288 TI - Psychological selection of Antarctic personnel: the "SOAP" instrument. AB - INTRODUCTION: The potential advantage of including a psychological test battery in the selection process for service in the Antarctic was examined in 348 applicants for employment in Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). METHODS: Applicants were screened with the Selection of Antarctic Personnel battery (SOAP) consisting of nine well-known psychological instruments. The SOAP scores were not revealed to the BAS selection panel members, who based the selection on operational criteria, interview, and a general medical examination. The SOAP scores of those selected (n = 177) were further compared with station commanders' reports of winter adaptation (n = 140), and subjective health complaints (SHC) (n = 86). RESULTS: There were no significant agreements between SOAP scores (n = 348) and those actually selected by the BAS panel (121 accepted, 227 not accepted) (Cohen's Kappas for inter-rater agreement < 0.20). Participants characterized as exceptionally well adapted by the station commanders had higher scores on Openness on the NEO-FFI (the "Big Five" personality inventory) [Odds Ratio (OR) = 5.2], and higher levels of Emotion-Focused Coping (OR = 2.7) and fewer SHC (OR = 0.3). Participants rated by station commanders as "poor" had higher levels of Defensive Hostility (OR = 4.2), and lower levels of Emotion Focused Coping (OR = 0.3). Women had higher rates of success in service than men, but were less likely to be selected. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Adding a psychological test battery would improve the odds of selecting good performers, and reduce the odds of selecting poor performers. PMID- 17760289 TI - Visual spatial disorientation: revisiting the black hole illusion. AB - Spatial disorientation (SD) is often cited as a contributor to aviation accidents. A specific type of visual SD, the "black-hole illusion" (BHI), occurs on approach to landing at night when the outside view lacks cues to terrain around the lighted runway. Pilots too often confidently proceed with a visual approach despite the impoverished visual conditions; the BHI then causes them to experience glide path overestimation (GPO) so that they initiate an inappropriately steep descent. The result is a shallow approach that lies below the correct glide path for obstacle clearance. This review explores the origins of the BHI and describes several mishaps involving it. Nine possible reasons for pilot misperception leading to GPO are described: constancy of apparent size shape-depth; conflict between familiar and relative size; overestimation of visual angles in the medial extent; deficient terrain orientation cues; lack of distance cues; disparity between optical and geographical slant; perception of approach lighting systems; tendency toward equidistance; and misperception of slant. Mishaps involving visual SD are not pilot error, but demonstrate a perceptual limitation, and more needs to be learned regarding when and where the BHI may occur. It is already clear, however, pilots should be taught that confidence in their visual capabilities during impoverished viewing conditions greatly exceed their perceptual abilities. With the increase in night flying in military and civilian settings, reduction in landing mishaps will depend in part on inclusion of visual SD scenarios in initial and refresher pilot training with presentation of BHI scenarios in annual flight simulator sessions. PMID- 17760290 TI - Reflective inserts to reduce heat strain in body armor: tests with and without irradiance. AB - BACKGROUND: This study evaluated adding reflective thermal inserts (RTI) to reduce the physiological strain during exercise-heat stress with a radiant load. RTI were used with a U.S. Army desert battle dress uniform, body armor, and helmet. METHODS: Four male volunteers attempted four trials (10 min rest followed by 100 min walking at 1.56 m x s(-1)). All trials were at 40.0 degrees C dry bulb (Tdb), 12.4 degrees C dew point (Tdp), 20% RH, and 1.0 m x s(-1) wind speed. On 2 d, there was supplementary irradiance (+1) with globe temperature (Tbg) = 56.5 degrees C and on 2 d there was no supplementary irradiance (-I) with Tbg approximately Tdb. Trial conditions were: 1) RTI and armor with supplementary irradiance (RA+I); 2) plain armor with supplementary irradiance (PA+I); 3) RTI and armor with no supplementary irradiance (RA-I); and 4) plain armor with no supplementary irradiance (PA-I). RESULTS: Endurance times were not significantly different among trials. With one exception, armor and helmet interior and exterior surface temperatures were not significantly different between either RA+I and PA+I or RA-I and PA-I. Temperature on the inside of the helmet in RA+I (47.1 +/- 1.4 degrees C) was significantly lower than in PA+I (49.5 +/- 2.6 degrees C). There were no differences for any physiological measure (core temperature, heart rate, mean weighted skin temperature, forehead skin temperature, sweating rate, evaporative cooling, rate of heat storage) between either RA+I and PA+L or RA-I and PA-I. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed no evidence that wearing RTI with body armor and helmet reduces physiological strain during exercise-heat stress with either high or low irradiance. PMID- 17760291 TI - Medical certification of pilots with lower-extremity amputations. AB - More than 1.2 million Americans live with absence of a limb. Modern prosthetic limbs, talented prosthetists, and enthusiastic therapists enable many motivated individuals with absent limbs to pursue very active lifestyles. This article presents a case report of a first-class pilot who had experienced a traumatic above-knee amputation and includes a brief review of recent U.S. limb loss and amputation data, as well as aeromedical issues associated with amputation. PMID- 17760292 TI - NextGen: the Next Generation Air Transportation System. PMID- 17760293 TI - This month in aerospace medicine history--August 2007. PMID- 17760294 TI - LPNs--a valuable asset during the nursing shortage. PMID- 17760296 TI - Medic to the stars. Interview by James Fraleigh. PMID- 17760297 TI - Bedside emergency: hemorrhage. PMID- 17760298 TI - Katrina's aftermath: how our disaster plan was tested. PMID- 17760299 TI - Fees, fees, fees. PMID- 17760300 TI - From ICU nurse to "miracle" patient. PMID- 17760301 TI - Impact of the probiotic bacteria Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 10415 (SF68) and Bacillus cereus var. toyoi NCIMB 40112 on the development of serum IgG and faecal IgA of sows and their piglets. AB - To examine the influence of two different probiotic bacteria on the humoral immune system of swine, two animal studies were carried out with sows and their litters. The sows' feed was supplemented with either Enterococcusfaecium NCIMB 10415 (SF68) or Bacillus cereus var. toyoi NCIMB 40112 beginning early in pregnancy. The total IgA content in the faeces as well as the total IgG concentration in the blood of the sows was recorded before and after weaning. The same parameters were determined in the blood and faeces of the piglets. In sows, only feed supplementation with B. cereus led to a clear increase in faecal IgA. Serum IgG levels were not significantly affected by any probiotic feeding in sows. In piglets, the group that was fed B. cereus showed significantly higher faecal IgA levels shortly before weaning, whereas in the E. faecium group, a significant decrease in IgA levels was observed one week after weaning. In both probiotic fed groups the post-weaning IgG levels were significantly decreased compared to the respective control groups. We conclude that B. cereus var. toyoi feed supplementation led to an increased intestinal IgA secretion both in sows and piglets. This effect could be related to a more successful mucosal defence which in turn led to a lower level in systemic IgG production in piglets after weaning. PMID- 17760303 TI - Practically relevant concentrations of deoxynivalenol in diets for growing finishing pigs offered as mash or pellets. AB - A complete 2 x 3 two factorial design was applied to investigate the effects of Fusarium-infected wheat (2.5 mg DON/kg, 0, 25 and 50% of the diets), feed processing (mash and pellets) and the interactions thereof on fattening pigs (96, n= 16/group). Feed-to-gain ratio was significantly increased by contaminated wheat (2.65; 2.62 and 2.73 kg/kg for diets containing 0, 25 and 50% Fusarium infected wheat, respectively) while digestibility of nutrients and metabolizable energy were not affected by the wheat batch. The feed processing also resulted in significant differences in feed-to-gain ratio but was accompanied by significant effects on the digestibility of organic matter and crude fat and on the metabolizable energy. Clinical chemical parameters were not significantly altered by the inclusion of the infected wheat. The lymphocyte proliferation capacity was not significantly affected by any of the experimental factors. A contribution of the feed processing to the variation of the deoxynivalenol (DON) effect may not be deduced from the present results. PMID- 17760302 TI - Effect of inulin supplementation on selected gastric, duodenal, and caecal microbiota and short chain fatty acid pattern in growing piglets. AB - We explored whether bifidobacteria and lactobacilli numbers and other selected bacteria in the upper intestine and the caecum of growing pigs were affected by diet and intake of inulin. Starting at two weeks after weaning (28 d) 72 pigs were fed two types of diets (wheat/barley (WB) or maize/gluten (MG)), without or with 3% inulin (WB + I, MG + I) for three and six weeks. Intestinal bacteria were quantified by fluorescence-in-situ-hybridization (n = 8/group). Duration of feeding had no effect on the variables tested, so data for both periods were pooled. Gastric total bacteria amounted to log(10) 7.4/g digesta. Bifidobacteria were detected in stomach and duodenum two weeks after weaning and disappeared thereafter. In jejunum and caecum bifidobacteria were present at a level of log(10) 7.0/g digesta. Inulin did not alter numbers of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, enterococci, enterobacteria and bacteria of the Clostridium coccoides/Eubacterium rectale-group. Inulin disappearance in stomach plus jejunum was higher with the MG diet (73.7 vs. 60.7%, p = 0.013). Caecal acetate was lower in inulin-supplemented diets (p < 0.05) whereas propionate and butyrate were higher in pigs fed the WB diets (p < 0.05). With the WB diet total caecal short chain fatty acids concentration was higher which resulted in a lower pH value (p < 0.05). PMID- 17760304 TI - On the specific and unspecific effects of a polymeric glucomannan mycotoxin adsorbent on piglets when fed with uncontaminated or with Fusarium toxins contaminated diets. AB - A 35-day feeding experiment was performed with weaned piglets (initial live weight of 7.7 +/- 1 kg) to test the effects of a Fusarium toxin contamination of the diet (4.44 mg deoxynivalenol [DON] per kg diet) compared to an uncontaminated control diet. Both diet types were fed either unsupplemented or supplemented with a polymeric glucomannan mycotoxin adsorbent (GMA) to examine the claimed efficacy of detoxification of this feed additive through unspecific performance parameters and the specific proof of the prevention of DON absorption. Feeding of the mycotoxin-contaminated diets resulted in a decrease in feed intake and live weight gain by 28% and 14% when compared to the control group. These effects were independent of GMA addition. Based on the lack of significant interactions between diet mycotoxin-contamination and GMA supplementation for the performance data, and because of the inefficiency of GMA in decreasing DON absorption, it was concluded that the supplementation of DON-contaminated piglet diets with GMA cannot be recommended as an effective tool for alleviation of adverse DON effects. PMID- 17760305 TI - Bacterial protein meal produced on natural gas replacing soybean meal or fish meal in broiler chicken diets. AB - The effects of replacing soybean meal or fish meal with 2, 4 or 6% bacterial protein meal (BPM) on growth performance, ileal digestibility of amino acids and sensory quality of meat, were examined using 630 broiler chickens. Weight gain from 7-32 days of age did not differ significantly among the treatments. Efficiency of feed conversion was increased when BPM replaced soybean meal, and abdominal fat deposition tended to decline. Feed conversion was not affected when BPM replaced fish meal. Amino acid digestibility was unaffected or improved when BPM replaced soybean meal, whereas replacement of fishmeal with BPM resulted in similar digestibility. Sensory quality of fresh thigh meat was similar among treatments, but for freeze-stored chest meat replacement of fish meal with BPM reduced off-odour and off-flavour and increased juiciness. It was concluded that 6% BPM can replace soybean meal or fish meal protein in broiler chicken diets. PMID- 17760306 TI - Effects of source and level of magnesium on catalase activity and its gene expression in livers of broiler chickens. AB - The effects of dietary supplemental magnesium oxide (MgO), magnesium-L-aspartate (MgAsp) and monomagnesium-di-L-aspartate (MgdiAsp) on hepatic catalase (CAT) activity and its mRNA expression were investigated. A total of 360 one-day-old male Abor Acre broiler chickens were allocated to ten treatments, i.e. control plus 9 treatments from 3 x 3 factorial arrangement (Mg source, Mg level), each treatment with six replicates of 6 chickens. The birds were fed with the basal diet alone or supplemented with magnesium (Mg) at 0.9, 1.8, 2.7 g/kg of the diet from MgO, MgAsp or MgdiAsp. Results showed that hepatic Mg concentration increased quadratically as MgO or MgAsp supplementation increased (p < 0.01). Hepatic CAT activity increased linearly in birds fed with MgAsp or MgdiAsp (p < 0.01) and quadratically in birds fed with MgO (p < 0.05) as dietary Mg supplementation level increased. Hepatic CAT mRNA was linearly correlated with the dietary Mg supplementation level (p < 0.01). There were positive correlations among hepatic CAT activity, its mRNA expression level and hepatic Mg concentration (p < 0.01). No effect of Mg2+ on the purified CAT activity was detected in vitro enzymatic reaction system (p > 0.05). Supplemental MgAsp or MgdiAsp was more efficient to increase hepatic Mg concentrations, enhance hepatic CAT activity and its mRNA expression than MgO (p < 0.01). It can be concluded that dietary Mg supplementation could increase hepatic Mg concentration, enhance CAT mRNA expression and consequently enhance CAT activity, and the organic Mg (MgAsp or MgdiAsp) is much more efficient than the inorganic form (MgO). PMID- 17760307 TI - Effect of different protein sources on the concentrations of small peptides in the rumen of sheep. AB - The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different protein sources on concentration of small peptides (Pro-Ala, Val-Val, Pro-Leu, Met-Met) in the rumen fluid of sheep. Four Inner Mongolia Sunite sheep fitted with permanent cannulas were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design, and fed four different protein sources including soybean meal (SBM), casein (Casein), fish meal (FM) and corn gluten meal (CGM), respectively. The results showed that the concentration of Pro Ala peaked in Casein, FM, CGM groups at 2 h after feeding, whereas the highest level was measured at 6 h after feeding in SBM group. Val-Val and Pro-Leu production were highest at 6 h after feeding Casein and CGM diets and 4 h after feeding SBM and FM diets, respectively. During 6 h after feeding the accumulative concentration of Pro-Ala (1.74 mg/l) and Pro-Leu (25.78 mg/l) in rumen was highest for the Casein diet. During the total sampling time, the highest amount of accumulated small peptides was measured for Pro-Leu, and lowest amount for Met Met, which was independent of treatment groups. Experimental results proved that small peptides with N-terminal Pro and a hydrophobic structure could inhibit rumen degradation and may be available for post-ruminal absorption. PMID- 17760309 TI - Right image, right time. Predictive modeling makes radiology management more lean and effective. PMID- 17760308 TI - Nutritional assessment of genetically modified rapeseed synthesizing high amounts of mid-chain fatty acids including production responses of growing-finishing pigs. AB - The nutritive value of genetically modified myristic acid-rich rapeseed, in which a acyl-thioesterase gene inserted, was studied. Crude nutrients, amino acid and fatty acid profiles as well as mineral and glucosinolate contents were determined and compared with those of the non-transgenic parental cultivar. The concentration of crude nutrients, minerals and amino acids were found to be within the range of natural variance. The myristic and palmitic acid content increased from 0.1 - 11.4% and from 3.6-20%, respectively, at the expense of oleic acid, which decreased from 68.6-42.6% of total fatty acids. The glucosinolate contents increased from 12.4 micromol/g in the parental plant to 19 micromol/g DM in the GM-plant. Full-fat rapeseed of both cultivars was incorporated in pig diets at a level of 15%, and the digestibility and the production efficiency were tested under ad libitum feeding conditions with ten pigs each over the growing finishing period from 32-105 kg BW. The experimental diets did not show significant differences in digestibility and energetic feeding value. However, feed intake and weight gain decreased presumably due to the increasing glucosinolate intake associated with the feeding of transgenic rapeseed. The dietary fatty acids profile influenced the fatty acid profile of body fat. Myristic acid accumulated in back fat and intramuscular fat while the oleic acid content decreased. The increased glucosinolate intake affected the weight of thyroid glands and their iodine concentration. PMID- 17760310 TI - Streamlining communication. Transferring patient data between providers, payers and post-acute care facilities is easier, thanks to automated systems. PMID- 17760311 TI - Simplifying managed care communications. A case management department implements time saving technology that overturns nearly $700,000 in denials. PMID- 17760312 TI - Patient data downsizing. A Kansas City practice saves time, money and space with an EMR. PMID- 17760313 TI - An extra dose of safety. Installation of a bar-coding system drives an entire workflow redesign at a non-profit hospital and healthcare network. PMID- 17760314 TI - Mobile tech for homecare paperwork. Tablet PCs help Boston's VNA maximize care by minimizing paperwork. PMID- 17760315 TI - And now for something completely smaller. PMID- 17760316 TI - Portal to a golden age. PMID- 17760317 TI - Levels and patterns of the therapeutic alliance in brief psychotherapy. AB - We examined the relevance of the level and pattern of the therapeutic alliance in 44 cases of three different, manualized 30-session treatments using patient ratings of the Working Alliance Inventory after each session. It was hypothesized that both high-alliance level and either a linear increase in alliance rating or a series of brief rupture-and-repair episodes would be found in successful treatments. We also hypothesized that a more global high-low-high pattern predicted in the literature would not be present. Consistent with the literature, higher alliance levels were found to be related to improved outcome. As predicted, we did not find a global, high-low-high pattern. Local rupture-and repair patterns were found in 50% of the cases; linear trends were found in 66% of the cases. There was no relationship between outcome and either pattern. We found no differences among the treatments. PMID- 17760318 TI - Borderline attributions. AB - Borderline personality disorder is characterized as an identity disturbance or pathology of the self-structure. The author employs concepts from deconstruction philosophy and object relations theory to explore how persons with borderline personality disorder attempt to generate meaning, eliminate ambiguity, and maintain idealizations by assigning polarized attributions of value, agency, and motivation to their experiences. The author proposes that these binary attributions interact to form multiple, discrete self-structures or states of being. Each state is characterized by stereotyped expectations for self and other and patterns of relatedness that are self-perpetuating. The author delineates four common states, labeled as helpless victim, guilty perpetrator, angry victim, and demigod perpetrator, and suggests treatment strategies to deconstruct each state and to facilitate the development of an integrated and differentiated self. PMID- 17760319 TI - Therapeutic storytelling revisited. AB - This article (a) relates the many beneficial features that employing stories in psychotherapy can have, (b) offers guidelines for presenting, clarifying, and applying them to patients' unique situations, and (c) presents a sample of therapeutic stories that may be used with a variety of patients. The work is intended to build upon, and is heavily indebted to, the work of many previous authors in the tradition of therapeutic storytelling. PMID- 17760320 TI - The psychotherapy of schizophrenia through the lens of phenomenology: intersubjectivity and the search for the recovery of first- and second-person awareness. AB - Phenomenological analyses suggest that persons with schizophrenia have profound difficulties with meaningfully engaging the world and situating a sense of self intersubjectively, which leads to the experience of self as absent. In this paper we explore the implications of this view for understanding the workings and potential of individual psychotherapy. Following an examination of individual psychotherapy transcripts for over 60 persons with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders we offer four principles for psychotherapy and provide clinical vignettes to exemplify these points. We suggest that the psychotherapy of persons with schizophrenia may be conceptualised as a "dialogical prosthesis" that helps individuals recover past selves then kindle internal and external dialogue, which partially enables a sense of the self to emerge. The therapeutic process consists of assisting persons to move towards recovery by providing an intersubjective space where they can evolve the first-person perspective of themselves and the second-person perspective when encountering others. PMID- 17760321 TI - Recovering from an extramarital relationship from a non-systemic approach. AB - According to some systemic thinkers, extramarital affairs are a joint venture between spouses. In an attempt to revitalize an emotionally depleted marriage, partners choose to triangulate a third party, and thus generate a crisis in the marriage. From a systemic point of view, cheating spouses represent the fear of engulfment while cheated partners represent the fear of abandonment, both fears being associated with the process of individuation. From the systems theory point of view, both partners are responsible for creating this scenario, in which there are no victims. This paper will explore the possibility that an extramarital affair is not a joint venture between partners, and that cheated partners are often victims of a psychological setup by their partners. In order to justify extramarital relationships, cheating partners induce their spouses into playing a very negative role in the marriage. In a systemic scenario, cheated partners are not only betrayed, but are also made partly responsible for the betrayal, which makes recovery very difficult for them. A clinical case will be discussed. PMID- 17760322 TI - Reflective listening in counseling: effects of training time and evaluator social skills. AB - Psychology students received a 14-, 28-, or 42-hour training course in reflective listening. Before and after training, the students participated in role-played counseling conversations with confederates, who rated them. The conversations were captured on audio- or videotape, categorized, and rated by external evaluators. Results suggested that the students used reflective listening equally after different lengths of training. However, longer training resulted in the confederates disclosing more emotion, the psychology students remembering the information relayed better, and the evaluators perceiving the therapeutic relationship as better. This was especially true among the evaluators who self reported high social skills. PMID- 17760323 TI - Horror films: tales to master terror or shapers of trauma? AB - The authors review the literature of cinematic-related psychiatric case reports and report the case of a 22-year-old woman who presented with intrusive thoughts of demonic possession and flashbacks of the film The Exorcist. Cinematic neurosis may be considered a form of psychological crisis shaped by exposure to a film narrative that is emotionally and culturally significant to the individual. The structure of horror films are examined from the perspectives of trauma theory, narrative theory, and borderline personality organization theories, using the film The Exorcist as an example. Within this framework, the horror film can be seen as a cultural tale that provides a mechanism for attempting mastery over anxieties involving issues of separation, loss, autonomy, and identity. An individual will identify with narrative elements that resonate in personal life experiences and cultural factors embedded within the film, which carry levels of either stress that will be mastered, or act as a trauma to the viewer. The outcome of this exposure is related to how the individual's personality structure is organized in combination with the stresses they are experiencing. PMID- 17760324 TI - Determination of apramycin in animal feeds by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography with precolumn derivatization and fluorescence detection. AB - A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determining apramycin in animal feeds was developed. Apramycin in feeds was extracted with 0.1 M HCl solution and cleaned up with an MCX solid-phase extraction column. The purified extract was derivatized with o-phthaldehyde, and components were separated on a C18 column and detected with a fluorescence detector. Mass spectrometric data confirmed that apramycin was derivatized at all the 4 primary amines on the apramycin molecule. Average recoveries at 8 included levels (5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 200, 400, and 2000 mg/kg) ranged from 92.2 to 100.5%, and the coefficients of variation were < 6.5%. Standard curves were linear over the range 0.05 to 10 microg/mL. The detection and quantitation limits were determined to be 0.2 and 1.0 mg/kg, respectively. PMID- 17760325 TI - Development and validation of a liquid chromatography method for quantification of xanthorrhizol in roots of Iostephane heterophylla (Cav.) Benth ex Hemsl. AB - Roots of Iostephane heterophylla (Cav.) Benth ex Hemsl are used mainly in Mexican traditional medicine to heal skin problems. The development of a column high performance liquid chromatography (LC)-UV detector method for the determination of xanthorrhizol, the major and active component of the roots of I. heterophylla, is described in this paper. The content of this compound was quantitatively determined employing a Symmetry C18 5 microm particle size column with the isocratic mobile phase acetonitrile-water (85 + 15). The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, and UV detection was at 230 nm. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.2 and 0.5 microg/mL, respectively. Quantities of xanthorrhizol measured by this method ranged between 1.8 to 10.94 mg/g of root of the plant in 11 different samples of I. heterophylla. Xanthorrhizol was not detected in a sample of I. madrensis, so xanthorrhizol could be used as a marker compound of I. heterophylla. The LC method described here was shown to be reliable, reproducible, and accurate. PMID- 17760327 TI - New liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet detection for analysis of anthocyanins and anthocyanidins in Vaccinium myrtillus fruit dry extracts and commercial preparations. AB - The Vaccinium myrtillus fruits (bilberry) are a well-known anthocyanins source, and their extracts are widely used in dietary botanicals and pharmaceutical products for the treatment of vascular and vision disorders. Different analytical methods used for standardization of the bilberry extracts and their preparations are available from pharmacopeias and from the literature. However, the methods reported in the literature do not allow the detection of free anthocyanidins, which are markers of poor product quality. A new liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for the identification and quantification of both anthocyanins and anthocyanidins present in bilberry extracts and products. The method shows a good reproducibility and, due to its high specificity, is suitable to identify unequivocally the botanical raw materials used for manufacturing and to evaluate the extract composition, thus ensuring a high degree of product consistency and quality. Forty typical bilberry preparations belonging to 24 different brands were purchased in the marketplace and evaluated for their quality by using the developed method. Results revealed marked differences among the brands despite a common origin and labeling. PMID- 17760326 TI - Status of methodology for the determination of fat-soluble vitamins in foods, dietary supplements, and vitamin premixes. AB - Fat-soluble vitamins (FSVs) include vitamin A, carotenoids, vitamins D, E, and K. New legislation is being introduced in many countries to reinforce regulatory compliance of declared concentrations of vitamins and other micronutrients in food products and dietary supplements. The levels of FSVs are likely to be more closely scrutinized due to their potential health risks associated with overdosing, in particular of vitamin D. However, a proviso of stricter regulatory compliance is that analytical methods must be fit-for-purpose, providing adequate accuracy and precision. Official methods have been published by organizations such as AOAC INTERNATIONAL, European Committee for Standardization, International Dairy Federation, U.S. Pharmacopeia, and International Organization for Standardization. The methods available for foods, dietary supplements, and vitamin premixes are evaluated in this review. In general, these methods show adequate precision for regulatory compliance; however, the field of application has not often been evaluated for a sufficiently large range of food matrixes. Gaps have been noted in the range of published official procedures, particularly for carotenoids and vitamin premixes. The potential of some recent developments in sample preparation and chromatographic techniques were evaluated to provide improved procedures for FSV analysis the future. PMID- 17760328 TI - Evaluation of thin-layer chromatography methods for quality control of commercial products containing Aesculus hippocastanum, Turnera diffusa, Matricaria recutita, Passiflora incarnata, and Tilia occidentalis. AB - In Mexico, plant-derived products with health claims are sold as herbal dietary supplements, and there are no rules for their legal quality control. Aesculus hippocastanum, Turnera diffusa, Matricaria recutita, Passiflora incarnata, and Tilia occidentalis are some of the major commercial products obtained from plants used in this region. In this paper, we describe the effectiveness of thin-layer chromatography methods to provide for the quality control of several commercial products containing these plants. Standardized extracts were used. Of the 49 commercial products analyzed, only 32.65% matched the chromatographic characteristic of standardized extracts. A significant number of commercial products did not match their label, indicating a problem resulting from the lack of regulation for these products. The proposed methods are simple, sensitive, and specific and can be used for routine quality control of raw herbals and formulations of the tested plants. The results obtained show the need to develop simple and reliable analytical methods that can be performed in any laboratory for the purpose of quality control of dietary supplements or commercial herbal products sold in Mexico. PMID- 17760329 TI - Determination of aristolochic acid I in botanicals and dietary supplements potentially contaminated with aristolochic acid I using LC-UV with confirmation by LC/MS: collaborative study. AB - An interlaboratory study was conducted to evaluate a method for the determination of aristolochic acid I, also known as aristolochic acid A, at levels > 2.00 microg/g in botanical species and dietary supplements potentially contaminated with aristolochic acid I. Aristolochic acid I was extracted from various matrixes with aqueous acetonitrile. The amount of aristolochic acid I present was determined by liquid chromatography (LC) using an ultraviolet (UV) detector with confirmation by LC/mass spectrometry (MS). Thirteen blind duplicates were successfully analyzed by 10 collaborators, and aristolochic acid I was successfully confirmed in 1 blind duplicate by 8 collaborators. For repeatability, the relative standard deviation (RSD(r)) ranged from 1.72 to 16.3% and for reproducibility, the RSDR ranged from 5.42 to 19.8%. HorRat values were not applicable for 2 materials but varied from 0.7 to 1.8 for 11 materials. Each collaborating laboratory had calibration curves with correlation coefficients > 0.998. In addition, all of the collaborators that conducted the confirmation were able to verify the identity of aristolochic acid I using LC/MS/MS (using either ion trap or triple quad). PMID- 17760330 TI - Determination of caffeine and caffeine-related metabolites in ephedra-containing standard reference materials using liquid chromatography with absorbance detection and tandem mass spectrometry. AB - The concentrations of caffeine and caffeine-related compounds in 2 ephedra containing reference materials have been determined by 3 independent methods with measurements performed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a collaborating laboratory. Results from the 3 methods were used for value assignment of caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline in these Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). The methods used at NIST to determine the concentration levels of caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline in SRM 3243 Ephedra-Containing Solid Oral Dosage Form and SRM 3244 Ephedra-Containing Protein Powder used reversed-phase liquid chromatography with absorbance detection and tandem mass spectrometry. These reference materials are part of the first suite in a series of NIST SRMs that provide concentration values for multiple components in dietary supplements. These SRMs are primarily intended for method validation and for use as control materials to support the analysis of dietary supplements and similar materials. PMID- 17760331 TI - Spectrofluorometric determination of ketorolac tromethamine via its oxidation with cerium(IV) in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids. AB - A simple and sensitive fluorometric method for determination of ketorolac tromethamine was studied. The method depends on oxidation of the drug with cerium(IV) and subsequent monitoring of the fluorescence of the induced cerium(III) at lambda(em) 365 nm after excitation at 255 nm. Different variables affecting the reaction conditions, such as the concentrations of cerium(IV), sulfuric acid concentration, reaction time, and temperature, were carefully studied and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, a linear relationship was found between the relative fluorescence intensity and the concentration of the investigated drug in the range of 0.1-0.8 microg/mL. No interferences could be observed from the excipients commonly present in dosage forms. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of the investigated drug in its pure form, pharmaceutical preparations, and biological fluids with good accuracy and precision. The recoveries for pharmaceutical formulations ranged from 99.8 101.0 +/- 0.6% for tablets, 98.5-101.0 +/- 1.0% for ampoules, and 99.0-100.5 +/- 0.7% for eye drops. The results obtained by the proposed method were satisfactory compared with those obtained by the official method. The recoveries for biological fluids were 99.1-100.4 +/- 0.7 and 99.0-100.0 +/- 0.5% for plasma and urine, respectively. PMID- 17760332 TI - Micellar enhanced spectrofluorometric determination of labetalol through complexation with aluminium(III): application to dosage forms and biological fluids. AB - Two simple, sensitive, and specific spectrofluorometric procedures have been developed for the determination of labetalol (LBT) in pharmaceuticals and biological fluids. LBT was found to react with Al3+, both in acetate buffer of pH 4.5 (Procedure I) and borate buffer of pH 8.0 (Procedure II), to produce highly fluorescent stable complexes. The fluorescence intensity could be enhanced by the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate, resulting in 3.5- and 2.7-fold increases in the fluorescence intensity for Procedures I and II, respectively. In both procedures, the fluorescence intensity was measured at 408 nm after excitation at 320 nm. The different experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the fluorescent products were carefully studied and optimized. The fluorescence intensity-concentration plots were rectilinear over the range of 0.02-0.1 and 0.01-0.05 microg/mL with a detection limit of 0.003 and 0.001 microg/mL for Procedures I and II, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to commercial tablets containing LBT. The results were in good agreement with those obtained using a reference spectrofluorometric method. Furthermore, the method was applied for the determination of LBT in spiked human plasma, and the recovery (n = 4) was 93.30 +/- 2.62%. A proposal of the reaction pathway was postulated for Procedures I and II, respectively. PMID- 17760333 TI - Development and validation of chemometrics-assisted spectrophotometry and liquid chromatography methods for the simultaneous determination of the active ingredients in two multicomponent mixtures containing chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride. AB - Multivariate spectrophotometric calibration and liquid chromatography (LC) methods were used for the simultaneous determination of the active ingredients in 2 multicomponent mixtures containing chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride with ibuprofen and caffeine (mixture 1) or with propyphenazone (mixture 2). For the multivariate spectrophotometric calibration methods, principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS-1), a calibration set of the mixtures consisting of the components of each mixture was prepared in distilled water. A leave-1-out cross-validation procedure was used to find the optimum numbers of latent variables. Analytical parameters such as sensitivity, selectivity, analytical sensitivity, limit of quantitation, and limit of detection were determined for both PLS-1 and PCR. The LC method depends on the use of a cyanopropyl column with the mobile phase acetonitrile-12 mM ammonium acetate, pH 5.0 (25 + 75, v/v), for mixture 1 or acetonitrile-10 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate, pH 4.7 (45 + 55, v/v), for mixture 2; the UV detector was set at 212 nm. In spite of the presence of a high degree of spectral overlap of these components, they were rapidly and simultaneously determined with high accuracy and precision, with no interference from the matrix excipients. The proposed methods were successfully applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical formulations and laboratory-prepared mixtures containing the 2 multicomponent combinations. PMID- 17760334 TI - High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of proquazone and its m hydroxy metabolite in spiked human plasma and urine. AB - A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of proquazone (PQZ) and its major metabolite, m-hydroxyproquazone, in spiked human plasma and urine was developed. Plasma samples were purified using acetonitrile as a protein precipitant, while urine samples were diluted only with the mobile phase and filtered prior to injection. Samples containing the parent compounds and glafenine (internal standard) were eluted from a reversed-phase C8 column using acetonitrile-0.025 M sodium acetate (60 + 40) adjusted to pH 5 as the mobile phase and detected at 234 nm. Peak area ratios of the analytes versus internal standard were used for calibration. The mean recoveries from plasma and urine samples spiked with PQZ and its m-hydroxy metabolite ranged from 97.87 to 103.88%. The relative standard deviation for the within- and between-day analyses were < 4%. The proposed method was applied for the assay of PQZ in laboratory-made tablets. PMID- 17760335 TI - Simultaneous separation of 14 antiarrhythmic drugs and determination of mexiletine and flecainide by capillary zone electrophoresis. AB - A method using capillary zone electrophoresis was developed for the simultaneous separation of 14 antiarrhythmic drugs belonging to various classes. The drugs are separated on a fused-silica capillary, 90 cm x 75 microm (72 cm effective length), with phosphate and acetate buffers as background electrolytes and UV detection at 217 nm. The effects of buffer pH, temperature, and applied voltage on the migration of the drugs were studied. The pH was found to be the most significant factor determining effective separation. The antiarrhythmic compounds are completely separated within a relatively short time (< 7 min) by using 70 mM phosphate buffer at pH 7.91, an applied voltage of 28 kV, and a temperature of 32 degrees C. Mexiletine (MEX) and flecainide (FLE) were quantified under conditions of the optimum separation. The calibration graphs were constructed over the concentration range of 4.0-14.0 microg/mL for both drugs with good correlation (r > or = 0.9999). Detection and quantitation limits were found to be 0.5 and 1.5 microg/mL for FLE and 0.7 and 2.1 microg/mL for MEX, respectively. The proposed method was used for the determination of both drugs in their commercial forms with satisfactory precision (relative standard deviations of 0.36-1.21% for FLE and 0.78-1.66% for MEX) and accuracy (relative standard errors of 0.13-1.17% for FLE and 0.35-1.18% for MEX). PMID- 17760336 TI - Membrane electrodes for determination of some beta-blocker drugs. AB - Five poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) matrix membrane electrodes responsive to the beta blockers atenolol (AT), bisoprolol fumarate (BI), timolol maleate (TI), and levobunolol HCl (LV) were developed and characterized. A precipitation-based technique with ammonium reineckate anion as an electroactive material in PVC matrix with AT, BI, TI, and LV cations was used for fabrication of Electrodes 1 4, respectively. Electrode 5 fabrication was based on precipitation of LV cation with tungstophosphate anion as an electroactive material. Fast and stable Nernstian responses at 1 x 10(-2)-1 x 10(-7) M for different beta-blockers over the pH range of 2-8 were found for these electrodes, which were evaluated according to International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry recommendations. The method was successively applied for the determination of beta-blockers in their pharmaceutical formulations. Validation of the method according to quality assurance standards showed the suitability of the proposed electrodes for use in the quality control assessment of these drugs. The recoveries for the determination of the beta-blocker drugs by the 5 proposed selective electrodes were 100.1 +/- 0.7, 99.9 +/- 0.8, 100.0 +/-1.1, 100.5 +/- 1.1, and 100.6 +/- 0.7% for Sensors 1-5, respectively. Statistical comparison between the results obtained by this method and the official method of the drugs was performed and no significant difference was found. PMID- 17760337 TI - Comparison of four C18 columns for the liquid chromatographic determination of deoxynivalenol in naturally contaminated wheat. AB - Three long and 1 short reversed-phase C18 columns were compared for separation of deoxynivalenol (DON) in extracts of naturally contaminated wheat samples using liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Among the 3 long columns used, a Symmetry C18 column with an isocratic solvent mixture of water-acetonitrile-methanol (90 + 5 + 5, v/v/v) gave the best separation for DON without interferences from other compounds in the wheat extracts. The Symmetry short (75 mm) column was comparable with the long column (250 mm) in resolving DON but significantly reduced retention time (i.e., 5.8 versus 16.3 min). Increasing the column temperature from 25 to 45 degrees C resulted in a further reduction in retention time. Identity of DON in the wheat extracts and standard solutions was confirmed by LC/MS in the positive ion mode, whereby DON appeared with an (M+1)+ ion at a mass-to-charge ratio of 297 plus fragment ions associated with loss of water and/or a 30 atomic mass unit (amu) CH2O fragment. The Symmetry short column was also capable of separating a mixture of the mycotoxins DON, 15-acetyl-DON, nivalenol, and zearalenone by use of a combination of an isocratic and gradient solvent system. The overall method showed high precision, exhibiting a relative standard deviation of 4.8%, limit of detection of 50 ng/g, and limit of quantitation of 165 ng/g. It was significantly correlated with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis, indicating its appropriateness for safety and quality assurance of wheat and related grains. PMID- 17760338 TI - Single-laboratory validation of the biosense direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for determination of domoic acid toxins in shellfish. AB - Method validation was conducted for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of domoic acid (DA) toxins, known to give amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) symptoms, in shellfish. The calibration curve range of the assay is approximately 10-260 pg/mL, with a dynamic working range for DA toxins in shellfish from 0.01 to at least 250 mg/kg. The ASP ELISA showed no significant cross-reactivity to structural analogs, and proved to be robust to deliberate alterations of the optimal running conditions. The shellfish matrix effects observed with mussels, oysters, and scallops were eliminated by diluting shellfish extracts 1:200 prior to analysis, leading to a limit of detection at 0.003 mg/kg. Thirteen blank shellfish homogenates were spiked with certified mussel material containing DA to levels in the range of 0.1-25 mg DA/kg, and analyzed in quadruplicate on 3 different days. The relative standard deviation (RSD) under intra-assay repeatability conditions ranged from 6.5 to 13.1%, and under interassay repeatability conditions the RSD ranged from 5.7 to 13.4%, with a mean value of 9.3%. The recoveries ranged from 85.5 to 106.6%, with a mean recovery of 102.2%. A method comparison was conducted with liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection, using naturally contaminated scallop samples (n = 27) with DA levels at 0-244 mg/kg. The overall correlation coefficient was 0.960 and the slope of the regression was 1.218, indicating a good agreement between the methods. PMID- 17760339 TI - Determination of domoic acid toxins in shellfish by biosense ASP ELISA--a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: collaborative study. AB - A collaborative study was conducted on the Biosense amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of domoic acid (DA) toxins in shellfish in order to obtain interlaboratory validation data for the method. In addition, a method comparison study was performed to evaluate the ASP ELISA as an alternative to the current liquid chromatography (LC) reference method for DA determination. The study material comprised 16 shellfish samples, including blue mussels, Pacific oysters, and king scallops, spiked with contaminated mussel homogenates to contain 0.1-20 mg DA/kg shellfish flesh. The shellfish samples were extracted with 50% aqueous methanol, and the supernatants were directly analyzed. Sixteen participating laboratories in 10 countries reported data from the ASP ELISA, and 4 of these laboratories also reported data from instrumental LC analysis. The participating laboratories achieved interlaboratory precision estimates for the 8 Youden paired shellfish samples in the range of 10-20% for RSD(r) (mean 14.8 +/- 4%), and 13-29% for RSDR (mean 22.7 +/- 6%). The precision estimates for the ELISA data did not show a strong dependence on the DA concentration in the study samples, and the overall precision achieved was within the acceptable range of the Horwitz guideline with HorRat values ranging from 1.1 to 2.4 (mean HorRat 1.7 +/- 0.5). The analysis of shellfish samples spiked with certified reference material (CRM)-ASP-MUS-b gave recoveries in the range of 88-122%, with an average recovery of 104 +/- 10%. The estimate on method accuracy was supported by a correlation slope of 1.015 (R2 = 0.992) for the determined versus the expected DA values. Furthermore, the correlation of the ASP ELISA results with those for the instrumental LC analyses of the same sample extracts gave a correlation slope of 1.29 (R2 = 0.984). This indicates some overestimation of DA levels in shellfish by the ELISA, but it is also a result of apparent low recoveries for the LC methods. This interlaboratory study demonstrates that the ASP ELISA is suitable for the routine determination and monitoring of DA toxins in shellfish, and that it offers a rapid and cost effective methodology with high sample throughput. PMID- 17760340 TI - Sampling hazelnuts for aflatoxin: effect of sample size and accept/reject limit on reducing the risk of misclassifying lots. AB - About 100 countries have established regulatory limits for aflatoxin in food and feeds. Because these limits vary widely among regulating countries, the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants began work in 2004 to harmonize aflatoxin limits and sampling plans for aflatoxin in almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts. Studies were developed to measure the uncertainty and distribution among replicated sample aflatoxin test results taken from aflatoxin contaminated treenut lots. The uncertainty and distribution information is used to develop a model that can evaluate the performance (risk of misclassifying lots) of aflatoxin sampling plan designs for treenuts. Once the performance of aflatoxin sampling plans can be predicted, they can be designed to reduce the risks of misclassifying lots traded in either the domestic or export markets. A method was developed to evaluate the performance of sampling plans designed to detect aflatoxin in hazelnuts lots. Twenty hazelnut lots with varying levels of contamination were sampled according to an experimental protocol where 16 test samples were taken from each lot. The observed aflatoxin distribution among the 16 aflatoxin sample test results was compared to lognormal, compound gamma, and negative binomial distributions. The negative binomial distribution was selected to model aflatoxin distribution among sample test results because it gave acceptable fits to observed distributions among sample test results taken from a wide range of lot concentrations. Using the negative binomial distribution, computer models were developed to calculate operating characteristic curves for specific aflatoxin sampling plan designs. The effect of sample size and accept/reject limits on the chances of rejecting good lots (sellers' risk) and accepting bad lots (buyers' risk) was demonstrated for various sampling plan designs. PMID- 17760341 TI - Determining the variability associated with testing shelled corn for aflatoxin using different analytical procedures in Louisiana in 1998. AB - The number of elevator facilities with laboratories to test shelled corn for aflatoxin on site is increasing. The inherent difficulty in accurately determining the true aflatoxin concentration of a lot of corn may have serious implications. Deviations from the true value are of even greater significance at busy locations where a high throughput is desired. This study was instituted to measure (1) the differences in aflatoxin test results between elevator laboratories and the Louisiana Agricultural Chemistry (LAC) laboratory and (2) the variability in aflatoxin test results associated with sampling, sample preparation, and analysis of shelled corn at such locations. One hundred lots of shelled corn from 10 elevators in Louisiana were analyzed for aflatoxin using the Aflatest method (at elevators and at the LAC laboratory) and high-performance column liquid chromatography (HPLC; LAC laboratory only). Mean aflatoxin levels determined at elevator laboratories were significantly (P < 0.05) lower from those obtained in the LAC laboratory using the Aflatest method. Overall, Aflatest method results were lower than those obtained by HPLC. This difference may be attributed to analyst technical dexterity, difficulty in providing careful attention to detail in a high throughput environment, and/or substandard facilities found at elevators. The total variance was partitioned into the combined sampling plus subsampling variance and analytical variance. The sampling and sample preparation steps accounted for about 91.5% of the total variability. When using the HPLC analytical method, the analytical step contributed only 8.5% to the total variance. PMID- 17760342 TI - Use of multitoxin immunoaffinity columns for determination of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in ginseng and ginger. AB - Conditions were optimized for the simultaneous, alkaline, aqueous methanol extraction of aflatoxins (AFL), i.e., B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1), and G2 (AFG2), and ochratoxin A (OTA) with subsequent purification, isolation, and determination of the toxins in ginseng and ginger. Powdered roots were extracted with methanol-0.5% NaHCO3 solution (7 + 3). After shaking and centrifugation, the supernatant was diluted with 100 mM phosphate buffer containing 1% Tween 20 and filtered through glass microfiber filter paper. The filtrate was then passed through an immunoaffinity column, and the toxins were eluted with methanol. The AFL were separated and determined by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) with fluorescence detection after postcolumn UV photochemical derivatization. OTA was separated and determined by RPLC with fluorescence detection. Recoveries of AFL added at 2-16 ng/g and OTA added at 1-8 ng/g to ginseng were 72-80 and 86 95%, respectively. Recoveries of AFL and OTA added to ginger were similar to those for ginseng. A total of 39 commercially available ginger products from 6 manufacturers were analyzed. Twenty-six samples were found to be contaminated with AFL at 1-31 ng/g and 29 samples, with OTA at 1-10 ng/g. Ten samples contained no AFL or OTA. Ten ginseng finished products were also analyzed; 3 contained AFL at 0.1 ng/g and 4 contained OTA at levels ranging from 0.4 to 1.8 ng/g. LC/tandem mass spectrometry with multiple-reaction monitoring of 3 collisionally induced product ions from the protonated molecular ions of OTA, AFB1, and AFG1 was used to confirm the identities of the toxins in extracts of the finished products. PMID- 17760343 TI - Evaluating the performance of sampling plans to detect fumonisin B1 in maize lots marketed in Nigeria. AB - Fumonisins are toxic and carcinogenic compounds produced by fungi that can be readily found in maize. The establishment of maximum limits for fumonisins requires the development of scientifically based sampling plans to detect fumonisin in maize. As part of an International Atomic Energy Agency effort to assist developing countries to control mycotoxin contamination, a study was conducted to design sampling plans to detect fumonisin in maize produced and marketed in Nigeria. Eighty-six maize lots were sampled according to an experimental protocol in which an average of 17 test samples, 100 g each, were taken from each lot and analyzed for fumonisin B1 by using liquid chromatography. The total variability associated with the fumonisin test procedure was measured for each lot. Regression equations were developed to predict the total variance as a function of fumonisin concentration. The observed fumonisin distribution among the replicated-sample test results was compared with several theoretical distributions, and the negative binomial distribution was selected to model the fumonisin distribution among test results. A computer model was developed by using the variance and distribution information to predict the performance of sampling plan designs to detect fumonisin in maize shipments. The performance of several sampling plan designs was evaluated to demonstrate how to manipulate sample size and accept/reject limits to reduce misclassification of maize lots. PMID- 17760344 TI - Evaluating the performance of sampling plans to detect hypoglycin A in ackee fruit shipments imported into the United States. AB - Hypoglycin A (HGA) is a toxic amino acid that is naturally produced in unripe ackee fruit. In 1973, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) placed a worldwide import alert on ackee fruit, which banned the product from entering the United States. The FDA has considered establishing a regulatory limit for HGA and lifting the ban, which will require development of a monitoring program. The establishment of a regulatory limit for HGA requires the development of a scientifically based sampling plan to detect HGA in ackee fruit imported into the United States. Thirty-three lots of ackee fruit were sampled according to an experimental protocol in which 10 samples, i.e., ten 19 oz cans, were randomly taken from each lot and analyzed for HGA by using liquid chromatography. The total variance was partitioned into sampling and analytical variance components, which were found to be a function of the HGA concentration. Regression equations were developed to predict the total, sampling, and analytical variances as a function of HGA concentration. The observed HGA distribution among the test results for the 10 HGA samples was compared with the normal and lognormal distributions. A computer model based on the lognormal distribution was developed to predict the performance of sampling plan designs to detect HGA in ackee fruit shipments. The performance of several sampling plan designs was evaluated to demonstrate how to manipulate sample size and accept/reject limits to reduce misclassification of ackee fruit lots. PMID- 17760346 TI - Determination of niacin in food materials by liquid chromatography using isotope dilution mass spectrometry. AB - The availability of deuterium-labeled nicotinic acid makes stable isotope dilution mass spectromerty (MS) coupled with liquid chromatography (LC) an attractive option for the determination of the water-soluble B-vitamin niacin in food samples. A method was developed based on acid digestion, solid-phase extraction with a strong cation exchange column, and reversed-phase chromatography with a C18 column. Detection is by positive ion electrospray MS. Analysis in selected ion recording mode is subject to interference problems similar to those found with other LC determinations of niacin, but the additional selectivity of multiple reaction monitoring mode largely eliminates interference problems. The method was applied to 6 different food matrixes and to appropriate reference materials, including milk samples with niacin levels near 1 ppm. The method exhibited good accuracy, based on levels obtained for the reference materials, and relative standard deviations in the range of 0.5-5%. PMID- 17760345 TI - Determination of fat, moisture, and protein in meat and meat products by using the FOSS FoodScan Near-Infrared Spectrophotometer with FOSS Artificial Neural Network Calibration Model and Associated Database: collaborative study. AB - A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of the FOSS FoodScan near-infrared spectrophotometer with artificial neural network calibration model and database for the determination of fat, moisture, and protein in meat and meat products. Representative samples were homogenized by grinding according to AOAC Official Method 983.18. Approximately 180 g ground sample was placed in a 140 mm round sample dish, and the dish was placed in the FoodScan. The operator ID was entered, the meat product profile within the software was selected, and the scanning process was initiated by pressing the "start" button. Results were displayed for percent (g/100 g) fat, moisture, and protein. Ten blind duplicate samples were sent to 15 collaborators in the United States. The within-laboratory (repeatability) relative standard deviation (RSD(r)) ranged from 0.22 to 2.67% for fat, 0.23 to 0.92% for moisture, and 0.35 to 2.13% for protein. The between-laboratories (reproducibility) relative standard deviation (RSD(R)) ranged from 0.52 to 6.89% for fat, 0.39 to 1.55% for moisture, and 0.54 to 5.23% for protein. The method is recommended for Official First Action. PMID- 17760347 TI - Determination of added sulfites in dried garlic with a modified version of the optimized Monier-Williams method. AB - The optimized Monier-Williams method is slightly modified so that it could be applied for determining sulfite content in dried garlic. Dried garlic sample is directly acidified in a reactor at a pH below 3. At this pH level, the alliinase enzyme activity is irreversibly blocked, and the sulfur-containing amino acids such as alliin (the most abundant) present in dried garlic cannot be transformed into corresponding thiosulfinates such as allicin, which is absent in dried garlic. This prevents allicin from reacting with added sulfites and being probably converted to S-allyl thiosulfate, which is not volatile and has no taste. It is found that at a pH below 2.4 and at boiling water temperature, allicin produces sulfur dioxide in adequate quantity to explain the false positive results when utilizing the optimized Monier-Williams method with allicin suppression for unsulfited dried garlic samples. Finally, when garlic samples are stabilized in a phosphoric acid buffer at a final pH around 2.4, no sulfite is produced during the Monier-Williams distillation, which is further proof there are no naturally occurring sulfites in unsulfited dried garlic under these mild conditions. PMID- 17760348 TI - Validation of erythromycin microbiological assay using an alternative experimental design. AB - The agar diffusion method, widely used in antibiotic dosage, relates the diameter of the inhibition zone to the dose of the substance assayed. An experimental plan is proposed that may provide better results and an indication of the assay validity. The symmetric or balanced assays (2 x 2) as well as those with interpolation in standard curve (5 x 1) are the main designs used in the dosage of antibiotics. This study proposes an alternative experimental design for erythromycin microbiological assay with the evaluation of the validation parameters of the method referring to linearity, precision, and accuracy. The design proposed (3 x 1) uses 3 doses of standard and 1 dose of sample applied in a unique plate, aggregating the characteristics of the 2 x 2 and 5 x 1 assays. The method was validated for erythromycin microbiological assay through agar diffusion, revealing its adequacy to linearity, precision, and accuracy standards. Likewise, the statistical methods used demonstrated their accordance with the method concerning the parameters evaluated. The 3 x 1 design proved to be adequate for the dosage of erythromycin and thus a good alternative for erythromycin assay. PMID- 17760349 TI - Identification of lactic acid bacteria within the consortium of a kefir grain by sequencing 16S rDNA variable regions. AB - The microflora of a kefir grain was identified using a polymerase chain reaction based strategy combined with 16S rRNA gene sequencing. DNA was extracted from the kefir grain and amplified in its 16S rDNA V1 and V2 regions. To guarantee a good representation of the overall lactic acid bacteria populations, DNA amplification was performed separately with primers specific either to the dominant or to the less abundant bacterial groups. The amplified fragments were cloned in Escherichia coli and then sequenced. Sequences of the V1 region were gathered into 5 groups of similarity and identified by aligning with the sequences of a public library. The V1 region allowed the identification of Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, L. kefir, L. parakefir, and Lactococcus lactis but was inappropriate for the identification of leuconostocs at species level. Among 16S rDNA variable regions, the V2 region showed the highest variability between Leuconostoc species. Nevertheless, even in the V2 region, differences were too tenuous for effective identification of L. mesenteroides. The methodology described here allowed detection of the dominant species within each targeted microbial group. PMID- 17760350 TI - Ultrasound-assisted pseudodigestion for toxic metals determination in fish muscles followed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry: multivariate strategy. AB - A simple and efficient procedure for the determination of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in the edible parts of freshwater fish by ultrasonic-assisted acid pseudodigestion (USD) was developed. A Plackett-Burman experimental design was used as a multivariate strategy for the evaluation of the effects of several variables at once. Five variables--sonication time, sample mass of muscle tissue, temperature of the ultrasonic bath, mL of nitric acid, and mL of a mixture of acid and oxidant--were regarded as factors. From these studies, certain variables showed up as significant, and they were optimized by a 23+star central composite design, which involved 16 experiments. Optimum values of the variables were selected for the development of USD to determine the contents of As, Cd, and Pb in fish muscles used as pollution bioindicators from Lake Manchar (Sindh, Pakistan). The determination of the 3 toxic metals under study was performed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The accuracy of the optimized procedure was evaluated by analysis of certified reference materials BCR 185R bovine liver and by comparison with conventional wet acid digestion methodology. The result obtained by the optimized method showed good agreement with the certified values and sufficiently high recovery. No significant differences were observed for P = 0.05. Relative standard deviation values (average of 10 separate determinations) were 1.21, 5.52, and 5.32% for As, Cd, and Pb, respectively. PMID- 17760351 TI - Development of a method for the detection of beta-lactamases in milk samples. AB - With the rapid growth of the dairy industry and the establishment of strict antimicrobial residue limits in the People's Republic of China's (PRC) milk supply, a beta-lactamase product known as "antimicrobial destroyer" was introduced into dairy production without regulatory review. We developed a method for detecting this product in milk samples based on a modified cylinder plate method. The presence of beta-lactamase is defined as a difference between the inhibitory zones of the test samples (supplemented with 25 microg/mL sulbactam plus 0.5 microg/mL penicillin G) and control samples (supplemented only with 0.5 microg/mL penicillin G) > or = 3 mm. Using this method, 77 individually packaged milk samples were randomly collected from 5 retail stores in 3 cities over a 4 month period (May to August 2006). Of the 77 samples, 49 were found to be beta lactamase-positive. In 2 undiluted milk samples showing extremely high beta lactamase activity, 25 microg/mL sulbactam could not inhibit penicillin G activity. Because there is a lack of safety data on beta-lactamases in milk products, these data indicated a potentially serious safety concern for the dairy industry in the PRC. PMID- 17760352 TI - Interlaboratory comparison for the determination of five residual organochlorine pesticides in ginseng root samples by gas chromatography. AB - An interlaboratory comparison study for the determination of 5 residual organochlorine pesticides (hexachlorobenzene and 4 hexachlorocyclohexane isomers) in ginseng root was performed. This program [Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) T049] was the first of its kind for an herbal matrix and involved the participation of 70 laboratories from 26 countries worldwide. Consensus mean values were computed statistically from the reported results, which were eventually used to assess the performance of individual laboratories in terms of the z-scores. The distribution of analytical data was found to be widespread, with standard deviation ranging from 43.9 to 55.9%, and the result patterns obtained were similar to those residue pesticide programs using other matrixes. Although the estimation of measurement uncertainty is a crucial requirement for all quantitative tests for laboratories that meet the requirements of International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commisssion (ISO/IEC) 17025, some laboratories in this program had difficulties and showed unfamiliarity with respect to that quality criterion. It was recommended that laboratories review and rectify the situation promptly so that they would have a better understanding of measurement uncertainty or the test service provided. PMID- 17760353 TI - Accelerated solvent extraction of fluometuron from selected soils. AB - Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is a recently developed extraction technique that is more rapid and produces less waste than do conventional liquid/liquid extraction methods. Optimal conditions were determined for ASE of fluometuron from 2 Weswood clay loam soils. Two solvents (acetonitrile and methanol), 2 temperatures (50 and 100 degrees C), and the number of static cycles (1, 2, and 3) were evaluated. The most efficient and reproducible extractions were obtained when methanol was combined with a 50 degrees C extraction temperature and the static cycle was repeated 3 times. These experiments indicated that existing extraction methods for fluometuron can easily be adapted for ASE. PMID- 17760354 TI - Application of low-pressure gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry to the determination of pesticide residues in tropical fruits. AB - A multiresidue method has been developed for determining pesticide residues in the tropical fruits kiwi, custard apple, and mango. The intended purpose of the method is for regulatory analyses of commodities for pesticides that have established maximum residue limits. A fast and simple extraction method with cyclohexane-ethyl acetate (1 + 1, v/v) and a high-speed homogenizer was optimized. Pressurized liquid extraction was evaluated as an alternative automated extraction technique. The pesticide residues were determined by using low-pressure gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The proposed methodology was validated for each matrix. Pesticide recoveries ranged from 70 to 110%, with repeatability relative standard deviations of < or = 18% at spiking levels of 12 and 50 microg/kg. The limits of quantitation were in the range of 0.03-6.17 microg/kg, and the limits of detection were between 0.01 and 3.75 microg/kg. Mango can be selected as a representative matrix for calibration on the basis of the results of a potential matrix effect study. The method was successfully applied to the determination of pesticide residues in real samples in Spain. PMID- 17760355 TI - Simultaneous analysis of 260 pesticide residues in agricultural products by gas chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. AB - A method for simultaneous analysis of about 260 pesticides by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS) with a triple quadrupole analyzer (QqQ) has been studied. The pesticides were extracted with acetonitrile and cleaned up by a bilayer cartridge. A single injection method was developed for the monitoring of all of the targeted pesticides. Two MS/MS transitions were selected for each analyte using the intensity ratio obtained from them as a confirmatory parameter. By using matrix-matched standards, 260 pesticides could be determined in most matrixes with recoveries of 70-120% and a standard deviation of < or = 20 at 2 different fortification levels of 0.02 and 0.1 microg/g. The developed method was applied to the monitoring of 173 agricultural product samples from the local market. The sensitivities of this method were lower than with most of the selective GC detectors, such as flame photometric or single MS. The selectivity of QqQ gives a very clean chromatogram, making compound identification and confirmation easy. The quick and reliable monitoring was achieved by combination with rapid extraction and cleanup. PMID- 17760356 TI - A simple diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic determination of sulfur dioxide in ambient air using potassium tetrachloromercurate as the absorbing reagent. AB - This paper presents development of a simple, rapid, and precise analytical method for determination of sulfur dioxide in ambient air by a gas to solid-phase conversion method. Sulfur dioxide is determined in the form of sulfite (SO3(2-)) because the absorbing reagent, potassium tetrachloromercurate (TCM), used in this method absorbs sulfur dioxide from the atmosphere in the form of sulfite. Determination of submicrogram levels of sulfur dioxide was based on the selection of a quantitative analytical peak at 495 cm(-1) among the 3 observed vibrational peaks for the dichlorosulfitomercurate complex formed after reaction of sulfur dioxide with TCM and measurement of absorbance using diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The limits of detection and quantification of the method were found to be 0.09 and 0.4 microg/g SO3(2-), respectively. The precision in terms of standard deviation and relative standard deviation (RSD) at a level of 2 microg SO3(2-)/10.1 g KBr for n = 10 was found to be 0.036 microg SO3(2-) and 1.8%, respectively. The RSD (n = 10) for determination of sulfur dioxide in ambient air was observed to be in the range of 2.7-4.2%. The method proposed is time saving and eliminates the slow and cumbersome steps of pH maintenance of the reaction mixture and color formation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended West and Gaeke spectrophotometric method and other methods for quantitative determination of sulfur dioxide. PMID- 17760357 TI - Use of a novel medium, the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-trimethylsilylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, for liquid-liquid extraction of lead in water and its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. AB - The ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-trimethylsilylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, abbreviated as [C4tmsim][PF6], was developed as a novel medium for liquid-liquid extraction of lead(II) in water, in which dithizone was used as a metal chelator to form a neutral lead-dithizone complex. Under optimal conditions, the complex was extracted into the [C4tmsim][PF6] phase from aqueous solution and back extracted with nitric acid solution into the aqueous phase that was used directly for the subsequent determination of Pb. The system using the ionic liquid demonstrated good extraction performance; the extraction and back-extraction efficiencies were 99.8 and 99.7%, respectively, for Pb(II) at 20 microg/L. The above procedure, including the extraction and back-extraction, was used to enrich trace levels of Pb(ll) in a relatively large volume of water samples (1000 mL water), and an enrichment factor of 400 was obtained. The enrichment coupled with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry was successfully applied to the determination of Pb in water. The calibration graph was linear at levels near the detection limits up to > or = 100 ng/L Pb(II). The limits of quantitation and detection for lead in real water samples were 2.5 and 1.0 ng/L, respectively. Lead recoveries of 96.2-103.8% from spiked samples demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed method. PMID- 17760359 TI - The feel good factor. PMID- 17760358 TI - Determination of the cross-reactivities for alpha-zearalenol, beta-zearalenol, zearalanone, alpha-zearalanol, and beta-zearalanol on three commercial immunoaffinity columns targeting zearalenone. AB - Immunoaffinity extraction has become increasingly important as a sample preparation and cleanup method in mycotoxin analysis. In this study, the antibody specificities of 3 commercial immunoaffinity columns (IACs) targeting zearalenone (ZON) were compared for alpha-zearalenol, beta-zearalenol, zearalanone, alpha zearalanol, and beta-zearalanol. The recoveries of ZON and its 5 analogs were determined in triplicate when extracted from 10 mL circumneutral river water samples spiked with 20 ng analyte individually or in a mixture. The analytes were analyzed by means of electrospray ionization liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry using deuterated internal standards for quantitation. Recoveries ranged from 69 to 115% for all analytes with relative standard deviations of 1 39%. Cross-reactivities for the analogs were > 80% when applied both individually and in a mixture. No significant competition effects were observed when the compounds were applied as a multianalyte mixture well below the stated IAC capacities. The results obtained here demonstrate that all IACs tested are highly cross-reactive towards the 5 ZON derivatives and may be applied for their simultaneous extraction or cleanup. PMID- 17760360 TI - Practical tools to support nutrition and hydration. PMID- 17760361 TI - Human rights in action. PMID- 17760362 TI - Parkinson's: not easy to detect. PMID- 17760363 TI - Managing violent patients. PMID- 17760364 TI - Under pressure. PMID- 17760365 TI - Who cares? PMID- 17760366 TI - Involving students in the challenges of caring for older people. AB - Students acquire nursing knowledge and values through occupational socialisation during varied work-based placements. Such experiences not only influence their career paths but, crucially, their orientation towards older people in practice. This paper draws on research exploring nursing students' experiences of working with older people during a pre-registration course. It aims to show how understanding their perceptions might assist in meeting the future challenges of elder care. The author reveals that reformed nurse education, service modernisation and changing roles have modified traditional views of nursing older people but not overturned them. Nurses in age-specific and non-acute areas were more likely to practise and encourage a person-centred approach, this being consistent with students' ideals. PMID- 17760367 TI - Community matrons: advanced assessment skills (part three). AB - This is the third of six articles which draw on the content of a series of masterclasses organised and funded by the Department of Health for community matrons during summer 2006. The articles synthesise the content presented during these masterclasses in order to describe the areas of practice that are common to the community matron role and which have to be practised with high levels of knowledge and skill if community matrons are to deliver the expected benefits to patients and to the NHS. It draws on input to the community matrons masters classes from Andrew Havers, Cath Molineaux, Nancy Williams and Duncan Petty. PMID- 17760368 TI - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a non-pharmalogical approach. AB - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is now regarded as one of the worlds most prevalent chronic disorders and is listed in the top five leading causes of death worldwide (Donaldson et al 2002). Studies have shown that a significant improvement can be made in morbidity and mortality rates, through earlier intervention and management (Hernadez M et al 2000). Therefore, the focus of treatment has moved away from crisis intervention towards helping people manage their condition. This article will explore the physical, social and psychological issues that arise in the management of COPD and discuss the various non pharmacological approaches that the nurse can recommend to help improve the quality of life of a patient. PMID- 17760369 TI - Jules Jones. PMID- 17760371 TI - [Connection and the intensity of work as an ant colony]. PMID- 17760370 TI - [Professional relations: three aspects]. PMID- 17760372 TI - ["for me, everything lies in the art of nuance"]. PMID- 17760373 TI - [When poisonous darts get connected with arguments]. PMID- 17760374 TI - [Modern version of belief in sorcery]. PMID- 17760376 TI - [Substantial readiness for conversation (Part 3)]. PMID- 17760377 TI - [Nurses, the fabric of bonding]. PMID- 17760375 TI - [When the armature stays with the anchor]. PMID- 17760378 TI - [Between informed knowledge and experimental knowledge]. PMID- 17760379 TI - [Transfer of knowledge:: a challenge to fashion]. PMID- 17760380 TI - [Scientific results: accept the small differences]. PMID- 17760381 TI - [Scleroderma]. PMID- 17760382 TI - Diseases affect cold-water corals too: Eunicella verrucosa (Cnidaria: Gorgonacea) necrosis in SW England. AB - The first recorded incidence of cold-water coral disease was noted in Eunicella verrucosa, a coral on the international 'red list' of threatened species, at a marine protected area in SW England in 2002. Video surveys of 634 separate colonies at 13 sites revealed that disease outbreaks were widespread in SW England from 2003 to 2006. Coenchyme became necrotic in diseased specimens, leading to tissue sloughing and exposing skeletal gorgonin to settlement by fouling organisms. Sites where necrosis was found had significantly higher incidences of fouling. No fungi were isolated from diseased or healthy tissue, but significantly higher concentrations of bacteria occurred in diseased specimens. Of 21 distinct bacteria isolated from diseased tissues, 19 were Vibrionaceae, 15 were strains of Vibrio splendidus and 2 others closely matched Vibrio tasmaniensis. Vibrios isolated from E. verrucosa did not induce disease at 15 degrees C, but, at 20 degrees C, controls remained healthy and test gorgonians became diseased, regardless of whether vibrios were isolated from diseased or healthy colonies. Bacteria associated with diseased tissue produced proteolytic and cytolytic enzymes that damaged E. verrucosa tissue and may be responsible for the necrosis observed. Monitoring at the site where the disease was first noted showed new gorgonian recruitment from 2003 to 2006; some individuals had died and become completely overgrown, whereas others had continued to grow around a dead central area. PMID- 17760383 TI - Mortality event in freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens from Lake Ontario, Canada, associated with viral haemorrhagic septicemia virus, type IV. AB - A mortality event primarily affecting freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens was noted during April and May 2005 in the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario, Canada. A conservative estimate of the number of dead drum was approximately 100 metric tonnes. Large numbers of dead round goby Neogobius melanostomus were also seen, as well as a few muskellunge Esox masquinongy. In the drum, there was a consistent histological pattern of variably severe panvasculitis, a necrotising myocarditis, meningoencephalitis and a segmental enteritis. Moderate numbers of bullet-shaped viral particles consistent with a rhabdovirus were identified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in affected heart tissue. Following primary isolation from pooled tissues on fathead minnow (FHM) cells, a morphologically similar virus, approximately 165 x 60 nm in size, was visualised. Identification of the isolate as viral haemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) was confirmed by enzyme immunoassay and by polymerase chain reaction. An appropriately sized product (468 bp) of the G-glycoprotein gene (nucleotides [nt] 340 to 807) was generated with RNA extracted from FHM cell supernatant. Analysis of a 360 nt partial glycoprotein gene sequence (nt 360 to 720) indicated a 96.4 to 97.2% nucleotide identity with known strains of North American (NA) VHSV. Analysis using Neighbour-joining distance methods assigned the isolate to the same lineage as the NA and Japanese isolates (Genogroup IV). However, there was sufficient sequence divergence from known NA VHSV isolates to suggest that this isolate may represent a distinct subgroup. The effects of ongoing mortality in freshwater drum and in multiple species during spring 2006 suggest that this newly recognised virus in the Great Lakes will have continued impact in the near future. PMID- 17760385 TI - Parvicapsula bicornis n. sp. and P. limandae n. sp. (Myxozoa, Parvicapsulidae) in Pleuronectidae (Teleostei, Heterosomata) from Denmark. AB - Two species of Parvicapsula were found in the kidney tubules and the urinary bladder of 2 pleuronectid fish from the northern Oresund, Denmark. The coelozoic, spherical, disporic trophozoites of both species are 10 to 12 pm in diameter. The myxospores of both species are elongate, asymmetrical and slightly curved, and have spherical polar capsules. Parvicapsula bicornis n. sp. (6-8 x 5-6 microm, polar capsule 2.5 microm in diameter) occurs in Pleuronectes platessa. The polar capsules of P. bicornis are arranged symmetrically on either side of the longitudinal axis and its spores differ from other species of Parvicapsula in having two 2-3 microm long posterior processes of different length. Parvicapsula limandae n. sp. (8-11 x 4-5 pm, polar capsule 1.6 microm in diameter) is found in Limanda limanda. The polar capsules are arranged along the longitudinal axis. It differs from Parvicapsula unicornis Kabata, 1962, recorded from L. limanda, in the arrangement of the polar capsules and in the absence of a posterior horn-like projection. The phylogenetic relationship between P. bicornis n. sp., P. limandae n. sp. and other Parvicapsula spp. was examined with their partial small subunit rDNA (SSU rDNA) sequences. P. limandae n. sp. and P. asymmetrica appear to be closely related, while P. bicornis n. sp. and P. minibicornis are the most divergent members of the genus. PMID- 17760384 TI - Base changes in the fliC gene of Edwardsiella tarda: possible effects on flagellation and motility. AB - Edwardsiella tarda is a broad host-range pathogen infecting both animals and humans. E. tarda isolates from red sea bream Pagrus major are non-motile, whereas isolates from Japanese eel Anguilla japonica and Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus are motile with peritrichous flagella. We compared the fliC gene coding for flagellin (FliC) in motile and non-motile E. tarda strains isolated from diseased fish. Twenty-two amino acid residues differed in the predicted FliC amino acid sequences between non-motile and motile strains. There were no significant differences either in the upstream sequences regulating transcription of the fliC gene or in the fliC transcript levels between motile and non-motile strains. The predicted secondary structure of FliC in non-motile E. tarda differed from that of motile strains, and the modeled data suggested that the secondary structure may be the important factor responsible for non-flagellation in the non-motile strains. PMID- 17760386 TI - Histopathology of experimental scuticociliatosis in turbot Scophthalmus maximus. AB - A scuticociliate strain (B-2), originally isolated from an outbreak in a turbot Scophthalmus maximus (= Psetta maxima) farm in Galicia (northwestern Spain) and maintained in axenic culture, was injected intracoelomically (lethal dose 80 equivalent, LD80) in healthy turbot (50 g). Ciliate-injected fish were kept under controlled conditions in a recirculating seawater system and sampled on Days 1 through 8, 10, 12 and 14 postinfection (PI). Necropsies were conducted and included blood collection from the caudal vein and samples of liver, spleen, heart, digestive tract, kidney, gills, abdominal wall and neurocranium taken for routine histology. Mortality occurred from Day 6 until Day 12 PI and reached 66.7% by the end of the experiment. Presence of ciliates in the coelomic fluid was scarce until Day 4 PI. Parasitaemia was only observed from Day 5 until Day 10 PI and its incidence was always low. Presence of scuticociliates in tissue sections followed a progressive pattern of diffusion, with ciliates showing preference for loose connective tissue and also a clear haematophagous activity. The most severely affected organs were the pancreas and digestive tract. No special tropism for nervous tissues was observed in this study. The inflammatory reaction was variable depending on the tissue. After 3 wk, survivors had apparently managed to extinguish the infection. PMID- 17760387 TI - Characterization of Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis strains: PCR-RFLP of the internal transcribed spacer region from the amoeba and endosymbiont. AB - Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis continues to be an ongoing problem for commercial finfish aquaculture and has also sporadically been associated with mass mortalities of commercially relevant marine invertebrates. Despite the ubiquity and importance of this amphizoic amoeba, our understanding of the biology as it applies to host range, pathogenicity, tissue tropism, and geographic distribution is severely lacking. This may stem from the inability of current diagnostic tests based on morphology, immunology, and molecular biology to differentiate strains at the subspecies level. In the present study, we developed a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region that can accurately differentiate amoeba strains of N. pemaquidensis. The investigation focused on the complications of the amoeba ITS microheterogeneity in the development of a subspecies marker and the use of the endosymbiont, Ichthyobodo necator related organism (IRO), ITS region as an alternative marker. The combination of host amoeba and endosymbiont ITS PCR-RFLP analyses was successfully used to correctly identify and characterize an N. pemaquidensis isolate from an outbreak of amoebic gill disease in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar from the west coast of North America (Washington State, USA). PMID- 17760388 TI - Use of the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer of Roseovarius crassostreae for epizootiological studies of juvenile oyster disease (JOD). AB - Juvenile oyster disease (JOD) in Crassostrea virginica is caused by the marine bacterium Roseovarius crassostreae. Although the 16S rRNA genes of the bacterial isolates exhibit little variation, 2 genetic signatures (GSI and GSII) may be discerned by Ava I digestion of the 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS). In this study we analyzed isolates from JOD epizootics throughout the northeastern USA (including affected adults for the first time) to better understand how oyster populations encounter and become affected by the pathogen. Isolates from a given epizootic usually had the same ITS signature; however, the involvement of both genetic signatures was occasionally detected, even within the same oyster. Sequencing was used to localize the variable Ava I site to a 100 bp region of low sequence identity, and detection of additional base changes resulted in the identification of 11 distinct genotypes. One genotype was found only in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA and persisted in JOD survivors. Two genotypes were associated with Maine epizootics, and both were believed to be unique to that region until 2004, when one was detected in Martha's Vineyard among oysters that had survived colonization by the local genotype. Apparent competition between those 2 genotypes was also detected among a population of juveniles. Five genotypes were found only in New York, and the other 3 were isolated from both New York and from around Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Relationships between the geographic occurrence and phylogenetic relatedness of genotypes were compared with regional current patterns to identify possible mechanisms controlling their distribution. PMID- 17760389 TI - Genotyping spring viraemia of carp virus and other piscine vesiculo-like viruses using reverse hybridisation. AB - A simple nylon membrane-based DNA macroarray was developed to genotype spring viraemia of carp virus (SVCV) and related viruses. Twenty-six viruses were genotyped using the array, and the results were confirmed by phylogenetic analysis of a 426 bp partial glycoprotein gene sequence. The array was not only capable of discriminating between the 4 main genogroups of cyprinid vesiculo-type viruses described previously, but also accurately sub-type the SVC viruses assigned to Genogroup I. The assay offers a practical solution for diagnostic laboratories that currently lack a sequencing capability to confirm the nature of PCR products generated in suspected SVCV cases. PMID- 17760390 TI - First report of erythrocytic inclusion body syndrome (EIBS) in chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in Alaska, USA. AB - Juvenile seawater-reared chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha at a hatchery on Baranoff Island, Alaska, USA, sustained chronic mortality associated with anemia and mixed infections by various obligate and opportunistic pathogens including a cytoplasmic erythrocytic virus resembling the agent of erythrocytic inclusion body syndrome (EIBS). This is the first case report of EIBS in Alaska and is a range extension of the disease. PMID- 17760391 TI - [Expression of inflammatory mediators in meningitis]. AB - BACKGROUND: Infectious diseases cause a systemic inflammatory reaction. In some cases of meningitis it is difficult to determine whether the disease is of bacterial, viral or non-infectious origin. In order to distinguish between bacterial and viral diseases the levels of various inflammatory markers are used to determine the severity of the disease and the clinical prognosis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the levels of different markers can be used to distinguish between bacterial or viral meningitis or non infectious neurological disease. METHODS: Patients with bacterial meningitis (n= 8), viral meningitis (n= 17), non-infectious neurological diseases (n = 17) and healthy subjects (n = 15) were studied. The levels of soluble CD14 (sCD 14), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and soluble adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) were determined in the blood of all participants and in spinal fluid only in patients who had clinical indication to perform lumbar puncture. RESULTS: All the patients showed significant differences in the levels of blood and CSF markers measured compared to healthy subjects. In the blood, although some differences were significant, there was overlapping between all values of the measured markers in patient blood samples excluding IL-6, for which levels were significantly different between the bacterial and viral meningitis. Interestingly, the levels of all markers showed significant differences among all groups of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Among the blood markers examined, IL-6 can be used to distinguish between bacterial and viral diseases. However, the levels of cytokines examined in CSF, can serve to distinguish between bacterial and viral meningitis and non-infectious diseases. PMID- 17760392 TI - [The management of pediatric appendicitis: an opinion survey of Israeli pediatric surgeons]. AB - BACKGROUND: Appendicitis remains the most common acute surgical condition of the abdomen in children. However, considerable controversy still exists among surgeons as to the management of pediatric appendicitis. The goal of this study was to determine current practice patterns and provide a foundation for evidence based outcome studies that would standardize patient care. METHODS: Members of the Israeli Pediatric Surgical Association were interviewed with respect to timing of operation, preoperative imaging, opinions on interval appendectomy, use of cultures, abdominal irrigation, transperitoneal drains, method of wound closure, spectrum and duration of post-operative antibiotic coverage and discharge criteria. RESULTS: A total of 14 of the 18 units or departments of Pediatric Surgery responded to our survey. Fifty percent of surgeons prefer to wait within 3-8 hours before the operation and wait until morning to operate on a stable child who presents in the middle of the night. A majority of respondents prefer abdominal ultrasound to CT when an imaging study is felt necessary. More than ninety percent of surgeons indicate that they routinely take intraperitoneal cultures, do not use intraperitoneal drains, use pure crystalloid to irrigate the abdominal cavity, and perform primary closure of the surgical wound, even in the presence of intraabdominal contamination. Laparoscopic versus open appendectomy as the procedure of choice is equally divided. Dissent exists in defining the importance of preoperative imaging, in the type and duration of antibiotic coverage, impact of clinical parameters on antibiotic use, and utility of discharge criteria. CONCLUSIONS: There is an apparent consensus on the many aspects of perioperative and postoperative care of pediatric appendicitis among Israeli Pediatric Surgeons (IPS). This study consolidates current opinions on appropriate management of pediatric appendicitis, providing a foundation for evidence-based outcome studies. PMID- 17760393 TI - [Adolescent health status: new immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Israeli-born]. AB - BACKGROUND: The relationship between immigration and health has unique aspects during adolescence because of the psychosocial aspects of health status at this age. AIMS: To provide data on the physical and emotional health, risk behavior and services utilization of the new immigrant youth from the Former Soviet Union, compared with long-term Israeli residents and Israeli-born youth. METHODS: A survey was performed among Israeli-born and former Soviet Union-born pupils from middle and high schools living in Rishon-le-Zion. A self-reported anonymous questionnaire was completed by 861 adolescents, 29% of them new immigrants. RESULTS: No relationship was found between the immigration status or the number of years in Israel and physical or emotional health. Overall, 82% of the entire sample reported at least one health symptom such as pain or fatigue; 5% reported a chronic disease (mostly asthma) and 9% were overweight; 80% reported to have at least one emotional problem; however the immigration status had no influence on this situation. A total of 11% of the new immigrants reported smoking (5% of the Israeli-born), but in the multivariable analysis the immigration status was not significant. Furthermore, 40% of the new immigrants reported consuming alcoholic beverages compared to 25% of the Israeli-born. One quarter of the sample stated that they know someone who uses narcotic drugs. The percent of girls reporting they were involved in fights was higher among the new immigrants (21% compared to 12%). New immigrants report less visits to dentists even when controlling for other variables. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the authors found many health problems among the youth but no significant differences between the two groups were found. New immigrants reported higher rates of risk behavior. PMID- 17760394 TI - [Sexually transmitted disease morbidity trends in the Haifa district during 2001 2004]. AB - OBJECTIVES: To describe trends in sexually transmitted disease morbidity in the Haifa District during the years 2001-2004 according to subdistrict, age, gender and nationality. METHODS: Epidemiological data were taken from notifications on gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV carriers and AIDS patients. Reports are sent by physicians and diagnostic laboratories of hospitals and Health Maintenance Organizations ("Kupot") in the Haifa District. Denominators for calculating specific incidence rates were based on the data from the Central Bureau of Statistics. Time trends were calculated using Haifa District Health Office's former epidemiological reports. RESULTS: A total of 74 chlamydia trachomatis patients were notified during 2004, an incidence rate of 8.8/100,000, of whom 71 were notified from the Haifa subdistrict (13.4/ 100,000). In the Hadera subdistrict only 3 patients were reported (0.96/100,000). Notification of 57 gonorrhea patients was sent to the Health District (incidence rate 6.8/100,000) including 42 from Haifa subdistrict (7.9/100,000) and 15 from Hadera subdistrict (4.8/100,000). Only 6 patients with primary or secondary syphilis were notified (0.7/100,000): 3 from the Haifa subdistrict and 3 from the Hadera subdistrict. Thirty new HIV carriers were reported and 2 AIDS patients (3.8/100,000), 23 from the Haifa subdistrict (4.3/100,000) and 7 carriers from the Hadera subdistrict (2.2/100,000). Most of the STD patients were Jewish males (2-3 times more than the number of women or Arab patients). Age specific rates were highest among persons 25-44 years old. During the last 4 years a decline was noted in the incidence of all reportable STD's with the exception of chlamydia. CONCLUSIONS: The main indices that reflect the population's present sexual behavior are incidence rates of gonorrhea and primary and secondary syphilis. These indices demonstrate a decline during the years 2001-2004. Reports of new HIV carriers to the Health district also declined. For the first time, chlamydia became the leading notified STD in Haifa District in 2004. Therefore, it is apparent that a true decline in STD's incidence rates has occurred during the last few years in the Haifa District especially in the Haifa subdistrict. This may be attributed to a reduction in the availability of paid sexual services. The increase in chlamydia incidence is most probably related to better diagnostic procedures. PMID- 17760395 TI - [Ethical behavioral standards of medical students on examinations and studies]. AB - INTRODUCTION: In recent years the medical literature has reflected an increasing interest in the medical ethics of physicians and medical students. Studies have shown that cheating in medical school is frequent enough to cause concern, that there is a positive correlation between students' ethical attitude and their ethical behavior and between cheating in school and cheating in patient care. AIM: This study aims to examine student attitudes towards cheating, their self reported behavior, analyze cultural and sub-cultural differences, and to reach practical conclusions that might be incorporated into the teaching of ethics in medical schools. METHODS: Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to 193 first and second year students of the Israeli and American programs at Ben-Gurion University. The questionnaire consisted of fifty three multiple choice questions. The students were asked to state their opinion on various cheating practices at medical school and dishonesty in patient care, to estimate how they would resolve various ethical dilemmas and to provide some demographic information. The results were analyzed using SPSS. T-tests, Chi-Square tests, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson and Spearman's coefficients, all used as appropriate. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were returned by 141 students (73%). The majority of the students regard cheating in an exam (93%) or on a final paper (85%) to be morally unacceptable behavior. Copying during an exam is regarded as more morally unacceptable than copying a homework exercise. The majority of the students consider faking a patient's laboratory results to be morally unacceptable behavior (98%). American students regard copying a homework exercise, reconstructing exam questions for the benefit of next year students and giving answers to a fellow student during an exam to be more morally unacceptable in comparison to the Israeli students. Married students consider cheating to be more morally unacceptable than unmarried students. A positive correlation was found between religiosity and the position that cheating is a morally negative practice. There is a positive correlation between cheating in high school and the position that cheating is morally acceptable. In addition, the more often a student cheated in high school the more that student claims that he or she would cheat if they were sure that they would not be caught. Amongst Israeli students, there was a correlation between the view that the faculty did not treat them well, and the position that cheating is morally acceptable, No correlation was found between cheating and gender, age, birth country of parents, army service, or type of high school. CONCLUSIONS: Students' attitude toward cheating is significantly determined by the cultural and sub-cultural characteristics of each student's background. Ethical discussions in which an ethical code would be formed, moral dilemmas analyzed and cultural differences addressed, may help improve the ethical behavior of students in medical school, and thus improve their ethical practice in patient care. PMID- 17760396 TI - [Introduction of a brief Problem-Based-Learning (PBL) experience in traditional medical faculty curriculum]. AB - BACKGROUND: For medical students studying in a traditional medical curriculum, advancement from the pre-clinical years to clinical clerkships requires a conceptual move from disease-oriented thinking to problem-oriented medicine. OBJECTIVE: To implement an educational tool in the introductory course of clinical medicine that will assist students in the development of comprehensive medical reasoning, including the generation of a dynamic problem list, its assessment and the construction of investigative and treatment plans. METHODS: Since 2001 a novel brief Problem-Based Learning (PBL) experience has been offered as a component of the Introduction to Medicine course given to 4th year medical students prior to the start of their clinical years at the Hebrew University Medical School. The brief experience consists of daily meetings given to small groups of students at the final stages of the pre-clinical courses. Each PBL day covers a single clinical case revealed sequentially over 3-5 structured sessions, interspersed with periods of self-directed learning. Cases are highly structured and contain all of the required information pertaining to the clinical problems presented. RESULTS: Evaluations of this course over 4 years by both students and teachers have been outstanding, with students consistently stating in their written comments that the PBL experience was one of the most meaningful learning experiences they have encountered during the pre-clinical phase of their training. CONCLUSIONS: This brief PBL experience appears to help in building up the students' clinical competence during their first clerkship experiences. It may be especially useful for medical schools using the traditional medical curriculum. PMID- 17760398 TI - [Residency: in the hospital or in the community?]. AB - Over the last two decades larger proportions of medical activity have been transferred from the hospital to the community. Although the reason has been economic and not professional, it has affected medical education and the residency programs. In this issue of Harefuah, Nirel and colleagues, suggest transferring a part of the residency program to the community. They review the necessary setup, the difficulties and offer some solutions. Their message is clear: since the current residency program does not prepare the specialist for "real life", a switch to the community may fill the gap. This editorial deals with this topic and discusses the various aspects related to transferring a part of the residency to the community. In fact, the process has already started both in Israel and in the western world. The classic example is the residency program in family medicine. Other programs are still partial and local. The world experience is also partial and still unclear. The editorial specifies the necessary conditions for performing a successful reform in the residency program: "clinical material", teaching staff, a good program, infrastructure, financial resources and a change in the current ideology and dogmatic concepts of medicine in Israel. Each topic is discussed in light of the current status and the changes required for moving forward towards such reform. The influence of such reform on the work in both the hospitals and the community is also discussed. It is notable that Nirel and colleagues should be congratulated for raising this serious question in the national medical debate. PMID- 17760397 TI - [Patterns of client complaints in Israel's healthcare system]. AB - OBJECTIVES: Israel's National Health Law of 1994 established the rights of citizens to receive quality health services. The Law set several mechanisms for treating clients' complaints. This study examined complaint patterns and reasons, complaint channels, and knowledge regarding complaints among citizens insured by Israeli health services, with the goal of contributing to the usage of complaints as a tool for improving medical services to citizens. METHOD: The study was conducted using a telephone survey, with national probability sample of N = 1500 respondents aged 21+. FINDINGS: About 75% of respondents did not have a cause to complain over the last 12 months, 25% reported a cause to complain, but only 9.5% (143 of 1500) actually complained. Approximately half of the causes for complaint concerned structural problems such as payments, waiting lists or eligibility. Causes regarding processes and interactions, or medical treatment and its outcomes, each accounted for a quarter of causes. Most complainers, about 75%, submitted their grievances informally at the local level. Only a minority (17%) appealed to official bodies established by Israel's National Health Law at the Ministry of Health or at the HMOs. Clients' awareness regarding rights to complain was found to be low. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to improve clients' knowledge and change complaint patterns, develop means for analyzing existing knowledge about client complaints already available to front-line employees. Furthermore, there is a need to plan organizational mechanisms for capturing and using future complaints submitted on a local level or informally, which are the bulk of the complaints. PMID- 17760399 TI - [Has the time come to transfer residency training from hospitals to the community? Lessons from other countries and implications for Israel]. AB - Most medical practice has moved from the hospital to the community. Nevertheless, in the western world, including Israel, residency training in various specialties has remained mostly in the hospital. Residents have no opportunity to encounter the morbidity and the patient mix that they are likely to encounter in their future work life in the community, after their residency. Neither do they have any opportunity for practical training in medical procedures that are now practiced mainly in the ambulatory setting. Therefore, efforts are being made to promote community work in residency training in order to adapt it to medicine of the future. In this literature review the authors summarized the accumulated experience of transferring residency to ambulatory settings in other countries. The literature review deals with the organizational aspects of accreditation of residency training and with ways of coping with budgetary difficulties as well as infrastructure and faculty recruitment issues. It also reviews the accumulated experience with the content of community residency: the acquisition of knowledge and medical skills, and the maintenance of academic standards. This was done in order to benefit from the lessons learned from others' experience and to raise public discussion issues related to the implementation of this process in Israel. PMID- 17760400 TI - [Threshold values for cost-effectiveness ratio and public funding of medical technologies]. AB - Rising healthcare costs, together with the rapid emergence of new and expensive medical technologies, have facilitated the use of economic analyses for making coverage decisions. The use of cost-effectiveness studies requires an external criterion (threshold value) for the cost-effectiveness ratio, below which funding would be recommended. Although such a threshold reflects the societal value of a full-quality life-year, currently accepted thresholds have been determined arbitrarily. Studies that screened hundreds of cost-effectiveness analyses have found that the most commonly used threshold is $US 50,000 for an additional QALY (Quality Adjusted Life-Year). This figure reflects the estimated cost per QALY to the US Medicare plan for funding a dialysis treatment for patients with chronic renal failure. While healthcare systems throughout the world, as in Israel, have not explicitly declared using a specific threshold for coverage decisions, some countries use an implicit threshold, above which the decision would usually be negative. In the UK and Australia, for instance, the implicit threshold is $US 50,000 to $US 60,000 per QALY. There are several suggestions to set a differential threshold value between countries, associated with their relative wealth, or between diverse disease and treatment characteristics, e.g. higher thresholds for life-saving treatments. Advantages of setting an explicit threshold include improved transparency and consistency of decisions, improved social equity and enhanced public credibility. Draw-backs might be the creation of an excessively mechanical decision-making process, without consideration of other relevant variables, such as severity of disease, existence of alternatives, or the economic burden to the patient. Adoption of a "flexible threshold" approach, in which the threshold is not the exclusive criterion for decision making, might resolve these weaknesses. Utilization of the threshold concept is likely to expand in the coming years. PMID- 17760401 TI - [Informed consent of minors--emphasizing the terminally ill]. AB - The article deals with the capacity of a minor about to undergo medical treatment to give informed consent, or the right to refuse and withhold such treatment. The paper discusses the applicability of the principles of The Patient's Rights Law to minors, in view of the provisions of the Legal Capacity and Guardianship Law, which categorically denies all minors the option to be involved in or participate in legal decisions, including those concerning their medical treatment. In view of the mental capacity of present day minors, and the principle on which informed consent is based, it seems that the "modern" minor's developing skills surpass those that were attributed to the minor in the 1960s, at the time when the Legal Capacity Law was enacted. It is suggested that it is our legal and moral obligation to modify the current legal state, as minors do not possess the right to participate in decisions concerning their own medical procedures, but for rare specific exceptions. This article was written in line with the practice adopted worldwide concerning the rights available to minors within the medical system, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Report of Judge Rotlevy's Commission and the Terminally Ill Patient Law. The paper attempts to generate a conceptual and cultural change in the attitude of the medical system towards the care of minors and their families. PMID- 17760402 TI - [Late fertility]. AB - Due to temporary social trends, many women elect to postpone their first pregnancy to a later stage in life. Pregnancy and labor later in life entail major risks to both the mother and the neonate. Furthermore, a large part of this population will be infertile by the time they opt to conceive, mainly because of decreasing ovarian reserve and low oocyte quality. Assessment of the fertility potential of the elderly nullipara includes clinical measurements of early follicular FSH and estradiol, clomiphene citrate test and ultrasonographic evaluation of the ovaries. A fast track step-by-step fertility evaluation is the procedure for women above 35 years of age. Only empirical treatment modalities may be offered to the elderly infertile patient, with the exception of ovum donation. PMID- 17760403 TI - [Behavioral characteristics of children with Fragile X syndrome]. AB - Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited mental retardation in Israel. Children with FXS exhibit a unique behavior profile. In addition to mental impairment manifested by developmental, cognitive and motor delay, one third of the children also show autistic traits and other psychiatric characteristics. This review outlines the behavior difficulties presented by children with FXS. Understanding these characteristics will enable early diagnosis and a specific intervention, which will diminish the comorbidity of this syndrome and lead to improved function and learning. PMID- 17760404 TI - [Hepatorenal syndrome: pathogenesis and treatment]. AB - Hepatorenal syndrome has been known for many years as one of the main complications of cirrhosis. The etiology was unknown for many years, although it was already accepted in the past as a functional renal failure, without renal pathology. The syndrome mostly develops in advanced cirrhosis patients, and some risk factors hasten its development. In recent years there has been considerable progress in the understanding of this syndrome, and some studies found a connection between renal failure and splanchnic vasodilatation, systemic and renal vasoconstriction, high NO level in the splanchnic system, and high neuroadrenaline and renin levels in the blood. The most accepted theory to explain the etiology of the syndrome in known as the "arterial vasodilatation theory". Lately, cardiac involvement in the syndrome was also found, with low cardiac output. The explanation for this is still unclear. The treatment for the hepatorenal syndrome was recently developed, and is based on pathophysiology. Vasoconstrictors with plasma expanders, mostly albumin, were found effective in improving the renal function in patients with hepatorenal syndrome in some studies, with improved chances to complete liver transplantation successfully. It is now well accepted as the treatment of choice until liver transplantation can be performed. PMID- 17760405 TI - [The relationship between RSV bronchiolitis and the development of asthma]. AB - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of bronchiolitis during infancy and is associated with subsequent wheezing and asthma, but the nature of this association is not fully understood. In that sense, RSV bronchiolitis may serve as a marker, reflecting predisposition of the individual for virus-induced wheezing early in life and/ or asthma later in life. This review discusses existing data on RSV infection and respiratory complications later in life, as well as the link between RSV and asthma. PMID- 17760406 TI - [Tying a patient for his own good?]. PMID- 17760407 TI - [First Israeli conference on complementary medicine, law and ethics]. PMID- 17760408 TI - [Franz Schubert's life and illness]. PMID- 17760409 TI - Influence of harvest time on the quality of oil-based compounds in sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L. ssp. sinensis) seed and fruit. AB - The effect of the harvest time on oil-based bioactive compounds in sea buckthorn berries ( Hippophae rhamnoides L. ssp. sinensis) was investigated. Sea buckthorn berries were collected at early maturity (September), maturity (November), and postmaturity (January) during the 2003-2004 harvest year. Whole berries were analyzed for physical characteristics, and fruit and seed fractions were analyzed for bioactive content. November-harvested berries yielded the highest values for berry sizes, CIELab factor a*, and total carotenoid content in the fruit fraction ( p < 0.05). September yielded significantly higher ( p < 0.05) levels of major compounds, alpha-tocopherol and beta-sitosterol, in the fruit fraction. Seed characteristics and bioactive compounds did not vary significantly with respect to the harvest time ( p > 0.05). These results have identified the most suitable level of maturity for the optimization of certain compounds and the losses that may occur with winter harvest, commonly practiced in cold climates. PMID- 17760411 TI - Detection and quantification of provitamin D2 and vitamin D2 in hop (Humulus lupulus L.) by liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. AB - In this work, ergosterol and ergocalciferol were identified for the first time in hop. In addition, in this article, a simple and reliable analytical methodology for analysis of these compounds in different commercial forms of hop is presented. The performance of the method was assessed by the evaluation of parameters such as absolute recovery (higher than 70%), repeatability (lower than 3 %), linearity ( r(2) > 0.9988) and limits of detection (ranging from 0.034 for ergocalciferol to 0.058 mg/L for ergosterol) and quantification (ranging from 0.113 for ergocalciferol to 0.195 mg/L for ergosterol). On the basis of standard additions applied with the optimized procedure and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection, it appears that the Nugget hop plant (crop 2006) contains 1.84 +/- 0.09 microg/g of ergosterol and 1.95 +/- 0.05 microg/g of ergocalciferol. The identity of the compounds was confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode. The presence of ergosterol here reported should have great potential for the assessment of hop as related to the fungal contamination proportion and hence the quality of this raw material. PMID- 17760410 TI - Enhanced carnosic acid levels in two rosemary accessions exposed to cold stress conditions. AB - Two rosemary accessions were subjected to chilling temperatures in control environmental cabins analyzing their variations in rosmarinic and carnosic acids together with their adaptability to these stress conditions. Cold stressed plants of both accessions showed increases in caffeic acid and carnosic acid concentration levels, while other secondary metabolites such as rosmarinic acid, naringin, cirsimaritin, hispidulin, and carnosol showed different responses in both accessions. In addition, cold stressed plants exhibited significant reductions in chlorophylls, beta-carotene, and violaxanthin levels as well as the maximum quantum yield of PSII in both accessions. Hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation levels showed similar responses in both accessions, which were positively and negatively correlated with rosmarinic and carnosic acids. From these results it is therefore suggested that carnosic acid biosynthesis in rosemary plants is induced by chilling periods. On the other hand, we demonstrate that not all rosemary accessions are equally well adapted to chilling temperatures. In fact, for (one) accession cold treated plants severe losses in chlorophyll, beta-carotene, and even xanthophylls (including zeaxanthin and antheraxanthin) were observed, despite no visual symptoms of leaf injury. More research is needed to understand rosmarinic acid variations in rosemary plants under stress conditions. PMID- 17760412 TI - Curcuminoids-cellular uptake by human primary colon cancer cells as quantitated by a sensitive HPLC assay and its relation with the inhibition of proliferation and apoptosis. AB - Curcumin, which is a bright orange-yellow pigment of turmeric with antioxidant properties, has been shown to produce a potent preventative action against several types of cancers in recent studies. It has also been reported to protect the development of colon tumor in animals being fed with carcinogen. In the colon cancer cells, curcumin was illustrated to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. As an antioxidant, it acts as an anti-inflammatory as well as an antitumor agent. Curcumin has been detected to exist in nature in the form of curcuminoids, a mixture of curcumin, the major component, with two of its related demethoxy compounds (demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin). In the present study, we have investigated the antiproliferation and induced apoptosis effects of curcuminoids on colon cancer, using the primary cancer cells isolated from Taiwanese colon cancer patients as the model for colorectal cancer. Results showed that curcuminoids inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of these human primary colon cancer cells. The effects were observed in a dose dependent manner as dose increased from 12.5 to 100 microM. With the aim of furthering the fundamental understanding of the mechanisms underlying the antiproliferation and induced apoptosis effects of curcuminoids on these human colon cancer cells, we developed a sensitive, rapid, and reproducible assay method based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This HPLC technique developed was found to successfully determine, in a quantitative manner, the cellular uptake of curcuminoids. The uptake of these curcuminoids by the colon cancer cells was shown to increase as the dose of curcuminoids was increased. The observations of inhibited proliferation and increased apoptosis in the colon cancer cells appeared to be associated with the cellular uptake of curcuminoids. PMID- 17760413 TI - Genotype, location, and year influence antioxidant activity, carotenoid content, phenolic content, and composition in specialty potatoes. AB - The influence of genotype, location, and year on antioxidant activity (AOA), total phenolics (TP), total carotenoids (TC), and phenolic composition was studied using specialty (colored) potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum L.) from the Texas Potato Variety Development Program. Twenty-five potato genotypes were grown at two Texas locations (McCook and Dalhart) and in two years (2003 and 2004). The AOA, TP, and TC differed significantly with genotype (G), location (L), and year (Y). Phenolic composition differed significantly among genotypes and between locations. The AOA, TP, and chlorogenic acid content were significantly correlated with one another. Genotypic effects were significant for all parameters measured and were larger than location and year effects. Interaction effects (G x L and G x L x Y) were significant for most parameters, but were relatively smaller than genotypic effects. Lutein and violaxanthin were the major carotenoids identified, and genotypes differed significantly in their carotenoid content. Genotypes CO112F2-2P/P and ATTX98013-1R/R were stable between locations and years with high AOA and TP, suggesting that they could be used as parents in breeding varieties with improved health benefits. PMID- 17760414 TI - Microwave-enhanced one-pot synthesis of diversified 3-acyl-5-hydroxybenzofurans. PMID- 17760415 TI - Radiolabeling of bombesin-like peptide with 99mTc: 99mTc-litorin and biodistribution in rats. AB - Bombesin-like peptides are related to several human cancer receptors, including small cell lung, prostate, breast, colon, and pancreatic cancers. Litorin, an amphibian bombesin peptide derivative, is found to stimulate the contraction of smooth muscle, to stimulate gastrin, gastric acid, and pancreatic secretion, and to suppress the nutriment in in vivo experiments. In the present study, litorin was labeled with 99mTc by the stannous chloride procedure. Labeling yield is 95 +/- 1.4%, as determined by radio thin layer chromatography (RTLC) and radio high performance chromatography (RHPLC). Results of in vitro studies demonstrated a high stability in serum and cysteine solutions. In vivo biodistribution was investigated with normal male Albino Wistar rats. Biodistribution data showed fast clearance, low intestinal accumulation, and significant uptake in bombesin/gastrin releasing peptide (BN/GRP) receptor rich tissues such as the pancreas (23.56 +/- 0.01 %ID/g 30 min pi). It can be blocked partially by previous administration of 'cold' litorin. The results showed specificity of the uptake. As 99mTc-litorin displays good radiolabeling and biodistribution, it is a potentially useful radiopharmaceutical for detection of bombesin receptor expressing cancers. PMID- 17760416 TI - Surface engineering of quantum dots for in vivo vascular imaging. AB - Quantum dot-antibody bioconjugates (QD-mAb) were synthesized incorporating PEG cross-linkers and Fc-shielding mAb fragments to increase in vivo circulation times and targeting efficiency. Microscopy of endothelial cell cultures incubated with QD-mAb directed against cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), when shielded to reduce Fc-mediated interactions, were more specific for their molecular targets. In vitro flow cytometry indicated that surface engineered QD-mAb labeled leukocyte subsets with minimal Fc-mediated binding. Nontargeted QD-mAb nanoparticles with Fc-blockade featured 64% (endothelial cells) and 53% (leukocytes) lower nonspecific binding than non-Fc-blocked nanoparticles. Spectrally distinct QD-mAb targeted to the cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) PECAM 1, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 on the retinal endothelium in a rat model of diabetes were imaged in vivo using fluorescence angiography. Endogenously labeled circulating and adherent leukocyte subsets were imaged in rat models of diabetes and uveitis using QD-mAb targeted to RP-1 and CD45. Diabetic rats exhibited increased fluorescence in the retinal vasculature from QD bioconjugates to ICAM-1 and VCAM 1 but not PECAM-1. Both animal models exhibited leukocyte rolling and leukostasis in capillaries. Examination of retinal whole mounts prepared after in vivo imaging confirmed the fluorescence patterns seen in vivo. Comparison of the timecourse of retinal fluorescence from Fc-shielded and non-Fc-shielded bioconjugates indicated nonspecific uptake and increased clearance of the non-Fc shielded QD-mAb. This combination of QD surface design elements offers a promising new in vivo approach to specifically label vascular cells and biomolecules of interest. PMID- 17760418 TI - On-off regulation of 19F magnetic resonance signals based on pH-sensitive PEGylated nanogels for potential tumor-specific smart 19F MRI probes. AB - The pH-sensitive PEGylated nanogels constructed from tethered PEG chains and a polyamine gel core containing 19F compounds showed remarkable on-off regulation of 19F MR (magnetic resonance) signals in response to the extracellular pH (6.5) of the tumor environment, even in the presence of 90% fetal bovine serum, due to the increase in the molecular motion of the 19F compounds through the hydrophilic hydrophobic (volume-phase) transition of the polyamine gel core. Eventually, an appreciably enhanced 19F MR signal at an extremely low 19F compound concentration (approximately 55 microM) was achieved, demonstrating the utility of these nanogels as solid tumor-specific smart 19F MRI probes. PMID- 17760419 TI - Activation of the heterodimeric central complex SoxYZ of chemotrophic sulfur oxidation is linked to a conformational change and SoxY-Y interprotein disulfide formation. AB - The central protein of the four component sulfur oxidizing (Sox) enzyme system of Paracoccus pantotrophus, SoxYZ, carries at the SoxY subunit the covalently bound sulfur substrate which the other three proteins bind, oxidize, and release as sulfate. SoxYZ of different preparations resulted in different specific thiosulfate-oxidizing activities of the reconstituted Sox enzyme system. From these preparations SoxYZ was activated up to 24-fold by different reductants with disodium sulfide being the most effective and yielded a uniform specific activity of the Sox system. The activation comprised the activities with hydrogen sulfide, thiosulfate, and sulfite. Sulfide-activation decreased the predominant beta-sheet character of SoxYZ by 4%, which caused a change in its conformation as determined by infrared spectroscopy. Activation of SoxYZ by sulfide exposed the thiol of the C-terminal Cys-138 of SoxY as evident from alkylation by 4-acetamido-4' maleimidylstilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid. Also, SoxYZ activation enhanced the formation of the Sox(YZ)2 heterotetramer as evident from density gradient gel electrophoresis. The tetramer was formed due to an interprotein disulfide between SoxY to yield a SoxY-Y dimer as determined by combined high pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The significance of the conformational change of SoxYZ and the interprotein disulfide between SoxY-Y is discussed. PMID- 17760421 TI - Menaquinone biosynthesis in Escherichia coli: identification of 2-succinyl-5 enolpyruvyl-6-hydroxy-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxylate as a novel intermediate and re evaluation of MenD activity. AB - Menaquinone is an electron carrier in the respiratory chain of Escherichia coli during anaerobic growth. Its biosynthesis involves (1R,6R)-2-succinyl-6-hydroxy 2,4-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxylic acid (SHCHC) as an intermediate, which is believed to be derived from isochorismate and 2-ketoglutarate by one of the biosynthetic enzymes-MenD. However, we found that the genuine MenD product is 2 succinyl-5-enolpyruvyl-6-hydroxy-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid (SEPHCHC), rather than SHCHC. This is supported by the following findings: (i) isochorismate consumption and SHCHC formation are not synchronized in the enzymic reaction, (ii) the rate of SHCHC formation is independent of the enzyme concentration, (iii) SHCHC is not formed in weakly acidic or neutral solutions in which the isochorismate substrate is readily consumed by MenD, and (iv) the MenD turnover product, formed under conditions disabling SHCHC formation, possesses spectroscopic characteristics consistent with the structure of SEPHCHC and spontaneously undergoes 2,5-elimination to form SHCHC and pyruvate in weakly basic solutions. Two properties of the intermediate, ultraviolet transparency and chemical instability, provide a rationale for the fact that SHCHC has been consistently mistaken as the MenD product. In accordance with these findings, MenD was rediscovered to be a highly efficient enzyme with a high second-order rate constant and should be renamed SEPHCHC synthase. Intriguingly, the enzymatic activity responsible for conversion of SEPHCHC into SHCHC appears not to associate with any of the known enzymes in menaquinone biosynthesis but is present in the crude extract of E. coli K12, suggesting that a genuine SHCHC synthase remains to be identified to fully elucidate the ubiquitous biosynthetic pathway. PMID- 17760420 TI - Stable DNA-protein cross-links are products of DNA charge transport in a nucleosome core particle. AB - DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs) in nucleosome core particles (NCPs), the fundamental building block of chromatin, arise during times of cellular oxidative stress. These lesions are expected to be detrimental to the cell due to interference with processes like chromatin remodeling, transcription, DNA replication, and epigenetic marking. However, much is still unknown about the mechanisms leading to the formation of DPCs in NCPs, and the exact sites of these lesions in chromatin have not been delineated. During DNA charge transport (CT), an oxidant leads to the formation of a guanine radical cation (G*+) which then becomes mobile and migrates away from the initial site of damage. Since previous studies have established that reactions between a G*+ and some amino acids lead to DPC formation in both DNA-peptide and DNA-protein complexes, we hypothesized that DNA CT could lead to DPC formation within NCPs. To test this hypothesis, we studied DNA CT reactions in NCPs reconstituted with DNA containing (i) the 601 NCP positioning sequence and (ii) 14 bp of a linker DNA with a covalently attached anthraquinone (AQ) photooxidant. Collectively, the results from Western blotting, EMSAs, and DNA footprinting reactions lead to the conclusion that AQ initiated DNA CT is responsible for DNA-H3 cross-linking in one specific region of these NCPs. Furthermore, these DPCs are stable for days at 37 degrees C, indicating that DNA CT in chromatin can lead to long-lived DNA lesions which the cell must somehow find and excise. PMID- 17760417 TI - A macrophage-nanozyme delivery system for Parkinson's disease. AB - Selective delivery of antioxidants to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) during Parkinson's disease (PD) can potentially attenuate oxidative stress and as such increase survival of dopaminergic neurons. To this end, we developed a bone marrow-derived macrophage (BMM) system to deliver catalase to PD-affected brain regions in an animal model of human disease. To preclude BMM-mediated enzyme degradation, catalase was packaged into a block ionomer complex with a cationic block copolymer, polyethyleneimine-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEI-PEG). The self assembled catalase/PEI-PEG complexes, "nanozymes", were ca. 60 to 100 nm in size, stable in pH and ionic strength, and retained antioxidant activities. Cytotoxicity was negligible over a range of physiologic nanozyme concentrations. Nanozyme particles were rapidly, 40-60 min, taken up by BMM, retained catalytic activity, and released in active form for greater than 24 h. In contrast, "naked" catalase was rapidly degraded. The released enzyme decomposed microglial hydrogen peroxide following nitrated alpha-synuclein or tumor necrosis factor alpha activation. Following adoptive transfer of nanozyme-loaded BMM to 1-methyl 4 phenyl 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-intoxicated mice, ca. 0.6% of the injected dose were found in brain. We conclude that cell-mediated delivery of nanozymes can reduce oxidative stress in laboratory and animal models of PD. PMID- 17760423 TI - Partial conversion of Hansenula polymorpha amine oxidase into a "plant" amine oxidase: implications for copper chemistry and mechanism. AB - The mechanism of the first electron transfer from reduced cofactor to O2 in the catalytic cycle of copper amine oxidases (CAOs) remains controversial. Two possibilities have been proposed. In the first mechanism, the reduced aminoquinol form of the TPQ cofactor transfers an electron to the copper, giving radical semiquinone and Cu(I), the latter of which reduces O2 (pathway 1). The second mechanism invokes direct transfer of the first electron from the reduced aminoquinol form of the TPQ cofactor to O2 (pathway 2). The debate over these mechanisms has arisen, in part, due to variable experimental observations with copper amine oxidases from plant versus other eukaryotic sources. One important difference is the position of the aminoquinol/Cu(II) to semiquinone/Cu(I) equilibrium on anaerobic reduction with amine substrate, which varies from almost 0% to 40% semiquinone/Cu(I). In this study we have shown how protein structure controls this equilibrium by making a single-point mutation at a second-sphere ligand to the copper, D630N in Hansenula polymorpha amine oxidase, which greatly increases the concentration of the cofactor semiquinone/Cu(I) following anaerobic reduction by substrate. The catalytic properties of this mutant, including 18O kinetic isotope effects, point to a conservation of pathway 2, despite the elevated production of the cofactor semiqunone/Cu(I). Changes in kcat/Km[O2] are attributed to an impact of D630N on an increased affinity of O2 for its hydrophobic pocket. The data in this study indicate that changes in cofactor semiquinone/Cu(I) levels are not sufficient to alter the mechanism of O2 reduction and illuminate how subtle features are able to control the reduction potential of active site metals in proteins. PMID- 17760422 TI - Anticodon recognition and discrimination by the alpha-helix cage domain of class I lysyl-tRNA synthetase. AB - Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are normally found in one of two mutually exclusive structural classes, the only known exception being lysyl-tRNA synthetase which exists in both classes I (LysRS1) and II (LysRS2). Differences in tRNA acceptor stem recognition between LysRS1 and LysRS2 do not drastically impact cellular aminoacylation levels, focusing attention on the mechanism of tRNA anticodon recognition by LysRS1. On the basis of structure-based sequence alignments, seven tRNALys anticodon variants and seven LysRS1 anticodon binding site variants were selected for analysis of the Pyrococcus horikoshii LysRS1-tRNALys docking model. LysRS1 specifically recognized the bases at positions 35 and 36, but not that at position 34. Aromatic residues form stacking interactions with U34 and U35, and aminoacylation kinetics also identified direct interactions between Arg502 and both U35 and U36. Tyr491 was also found to interact with U36, and the Y491E variant exhibited significant improvement compared to the wild type in aminoacylation of a tRNALysUUG mutant. Refinement of the LysRS1-tRNALys docking model based upon these data suggested that anticodon recognition by LysRS1 relies on considerably fewer interactions than that by LysRS2, providing a structural basis for the more significant role of the anticodon in tRNA recognition by the class II enzyme. To date, only glutamyl-tRNA synthetase (GluRS) has been found to contain an alpha-helix cage anticodon binding domain homologous to that of LysRS1, and these data now suggest that specificity for the anticodon of tRNALys could have been acquired through relatively few changes to the corresponding domain of an ancestral GluRS enzyme. PMID- 17760424 TI - Structural determinants of lateral gate opening in the protein translocon. AB - The heterotrimeric SecY/Sec61 complex is a protein-conducting channel that provides a passage for proteins across the membrane as well as a means to integrate nascent proteins into the membrane. While the first function is common among membrane protein channels and transporters, the latter is unique. Insertion of nascent membrane proteins, one transmembrane segment at a time, by SecY likely occurs through a lateral gate in the channel. Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to investigate the mechanism of gate opening. Opening and closing the gate under different conditions allowed us to identify structural elements that resist opening as well as those that aid closure. SecE, considered to act as a clamp keeping the lateral gate closed, was found to play no such role. Loosening of the plug by lateral gate opening, a potential step in channel gating, was also observed. The simulations revealed that lipids on time scales of up to 1 micros do not flood channels with an open lateral gate. PMID- 17760427 TI - Computation of pKa values of substituted aniline radical cations in dimethylsulfoxide solution. AB - A newly developed computation strategy was used to calculate the absolute pKa values of 18 substituted aniline radical cations in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solution with the error origin elucidated and deviation minimized. The B3LYP/6 311++G(2df,2p) method was applied and was found to be capable of reproducing the gas-phase proton-transfer free energies of substituted anilines with a precision of 0.83 kcal/mol. The IEF-PCM solvation model with gas-phase optimized structures was adopted in calculating the pKa values of the substituted neutral anilines in DMSO, regenerating the experimental results within a standard deviation of 0.4 pKa unit. When the IEF-PCM solvation model was applied to calculate the standard redox potentials of anilide anions, it showed that the computed values agreed well with experiment, but the redox potentials of substituted anilines were systematically overestimated by 0.304 eV. The cause of this deviation was found to be related to the inaccuracy of the calculated solvation free energies of aniline radical cations. By adjusting the size of the cavity in the IEF-PCM method, we derived a reliable procedure that can reproduce the experimental pKa values of aniline radical cations within 1.2 pKa units to those from experiment. PMID- 17760426 TI - Imidazole-based excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer (ESIPT) materials: observation of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TDF). AB - We report the first observation of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TDF) from an excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer (ESIPT) molecule, a hydroxyl substituted tetraphenyl imidazole derivative (HPI-Ac), in degassed solutions as well as in low-temperature organic matrixes. In the absence of oxygen, the blue emission of an identical spectral feature was observed in the nanosecond ( approximately 4.4 ns) and microsecond ( approximately 25 micros) time domains, and the fluorescence intensity increased with temperature. From the temperature dependence of the time-resolved spectra of HPI-Ac, the energy gap between the first-excited singlet state and the lowest triplet state was determined to be 7.6 +/- 0.3 kJ/mol (630 +/- 25 cm-1), and the limiting rate constant of intrinsic reverse intersystem crossing was estimated to be 1.3 (+/-0.5) x 107 s-1. PMID- 17760428 TI - Density functional theory study of the platinum-catalyzed cyclopropanation reaction with olefin. AB - A computational study of the platinum-catalyzed cyclopropanation reaction with olefin is presented. The model system is formed by an ethylene molecule and the active catalytic species, which forms from a CH2 fragment and the Cl2Pt(PH3)2 complex. The results show that the active catalytic species is not a metal carbene of the type (PH3)2Cl2Pt=CH2 but two carbenoid complexes which can exist in almost two degenerate forms, namely (PH3)2Pt(CH2Cl)Cl (carbenoid A) and (PH3)Pt(CH2PH3)Cl2 (carbenoid B). The reaction proceeds through three pathways: methylene transfer, carbometalation for carbenoid A, and the reaction of a monophosphinic species for carbenoids (A and B). The most favored reaction channel is methylene transfer pathway for (PH3)Pt(CH2PH3)Cl2 (carbenoid B) species with a barrier of 31.32 kcal/mol in gas phase. The effects of dichloromethane, THF, and benzene solvent are investigated with PCM method. For carbenoid A, both methylene transfer and carbometalation pathway barriers to reaction become remarkably lower with the increasing polarity of solvent (from 43.25 and 52.50 kcal/mol for no solvent to 25.36 and 38.53 kcal/mol in the presence of the dichloromethane). In contrast, the reaction barriers for carbenoid B via the methylene transfer path hoist 6.30 kcal/mol, whereas the barriers do not change significantly for the reaction path of a monophosphinic species for carbenoids (A and B). PMID- 17760429 TI - HC[triple bond]P and H3C-C[triple bond]P as proton acceptors in protonated complexes containing two phosphorus bases: structures, binding energies, and spin spin coupling constants. AB - Ab initio calculations at the MP2/aug'-cc-pVTZ level have been carried out to investigate the structures and binding energies of cationic complexes involving protonated sp, sp2, and sp3 phosphorus bases as proton donor ions and the sp hybridized phosphorus bases H-C[triple bond]P and H3C-C[triple bond]P as proton acceptors. These proton-bound complexes exhibit a variety of structural motifs, but all are stabilized by interactions that occur through the pi cloud of the acceptor base. The binding energies of these complexes range from 6 to 15 kcal/mol. Corresponding complexes with H3C-C[triple bond]P as the proton acceptor are more stable than those with H-C[triple bond]P as the acceptor, a reflection of the greater basicity of H3C-C[triple bond]P. In most complexes with sp2- or sp3-hybridized P-H donor ions, the P-H bond lengthens and the P-H stretching frequency is red-shifted relative to the corresponding monomers. Complex formation also leads to a lengthening of the C[triple bond]P bond and a red shift of the C[triple bond]P stretching vibration. The two-bond coupling constants 2pihJ(P-P) and 2pihJ(P-C) are significantly smaller than 2hJ(P-P) and 2hJ(P-C) for complexes in which hydrogen bonding occurs through lone pairs of electrons on P or C. This reflects the absence of significant s electron density in the hydrogen-bonding regions of these pi complexes. PMID- 17760425 TI - Redox-dependent change of nucleotide affinity to the active site of the mammalian complex I. AB - A very potent and specific inhibitor of mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I), a derivative of NADH (NADH-OH) has recently been discovered (Kotlyar, A. B., Karliner, J. S., and Cecchini, G. (2005) FEBS Lett. 579, 4861-4866). Here we present a quantitative analysis of the interaction of NADH-OH and other nucleotides with oxidized and reduced complex I in tightly coupled submitochondrial particles. Both the rate of the NADH-OH binding and its affinity to complex I are strongly decreased in the presence of succinate. The effect of succinate is completely reversed by rotenone, antimycin A, and uncoupler. The relative affinity of ADP-ribose, a competitive inhibitor of NADH oxidation, is also shown to be significantly affected by enzyme reduction (KD of 30 and 500 microM for oxidized and the succinate-reduced enzyme, respectively). Binding of NADH-OH is shown to abolish the succinate-supported superoxide generation by complex I. Gradual inhibition of the rotenone-sensitive uncoupled NADH oxidase and the reverse electron transfer activities by NADH-OH yield the same final titration point (approximately 0.1 nmol/mg of protein). The titration of NADH oxidase appears as a straight line, whereas the titration of the reverse reaction appears as a convex curve. Possible models to explain the different titration patterns for the forward and reverse reactions are briefly discussed. PMID- 17760430 TI - Gas-phase structure, rotational barrier, and vibrational properties of methyl methanethiosulfonate, CH3SO2SCH3: an experimental and computational study. AB - The molecular structure of methyl methanethiosulfonate, CH3SO2SCH3, has been determined in the gas phase from electron-diffraction data supplemented by ab initio (HF, MP2) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations using 6-31G(d), 6-311++G(d,p), and 6-311G(3df,3pd) basis sets. Both experimental and theoretical data indicate that although both anti and gauche conformers are possible by rotating about the S-S bond, the preferred conformation is gauche. The barrier to internal rotation in the CSSC skeleton has been calculated using the RHF/6 31G(d), MP2/6-31G(d), and B3LYP/6-31G(d) methods as well as MP2 with a 6-31G(3df) basis set on sulfur and 6-31G(d) on C, H, and O. A 6-fold decomposition of the rotational barrier has been performed in terms of a Fourier-type expansion, enabling us to analyze the nature of the potential function, showing that the coefficients V1 and V2 are the dominant terms; V1 is associated with nonbonding interactions, and V2 is associated with hyperconjugative interactions. A natural bond orbital analysis showed that the lone pair --> sigma* hyperconjugative interactions favor the gauche conformation. Furthermore, the infrared spectra for the liquid and solid phases and the Raman spectrum for the liquid have been recorded, and the observed bands have been assigned to the vibrational normal modes. The experimental vibrational data, along with calculated theoretical force constants, were used to define a scaled quantum mechanical force field for the target system that enabled us to estimate the measured frequencies with a final root-mean-square deviation of 6 cm-1. PMID- 17760431 TI - Unpaired and sigma bond electrons as H, Cl, and Li Bond Acceptors: an anomalous one-electron blue-shifting chlorine bond. AB - Ab initio, DFT, and AIM theoretical studies on H-, Cl-, and Li-bonded complexes have been carried out with typical lone pair (H2O), pi (C2H4) and sigma (H2) bonded pairs, and unpaired (CH3) electrons as acceptors and HF, ClF, and LiF as donors. Optimization and frequency calculations have been carried out at reasonably high levels (MP2, DFT(B3LYP), and QCISD) with large basis sets up to aug-cc-pVTZ. Not surprisingly, all HF complexes show red shift in stretching frequency and the shift is correlated to the binding energy. However, the FCl...CH3 complex shows a large blue shift (about 200 cm-1), which appears to be the largest blue shift predicted for any weakly bound complex yet. Analysis of the normal modes of the complex indicates that the shift is due to the mixing of modes between donor and acceptor and it is qualitatively different from the blue shifts reported thus far in hydrogen-bonded complexes. For Cl- and Li-bonded complexes, a correlation between frequency shift and binding energy is not found. However, AIM theoretical analysis shows the similarity in all these interactions. The electron density at the bond critical point shows a strong correlation with the binding energy for H-, Cl-, and Li-bonded complexes. This appears to be the first report on a one-electron chlorine bond. PMID- 17760433 TI - Influence of conformation on GRIND-based three-dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship (3D-QSAR). AB - To address the dependence of GRIND-based 3D-QSAR on data set flexibility, we investigate a series of oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) inhibitors. The results indicate that statistical models are determined independently of the data set but that despite identification of the same outliers and the acceptable test set prediction, not all models show good predictive correlation coefficient (q2). Moreover, the best model was obtained using a data set of the lowest energy conformers generated by a conformational analysis. PMID- 17760434 TI - Structural changes of polyacids initiated by their neutralization with various alkali metal hydroxides. Diffusion studies in poly(acrylic acid)s. AB - The changes in the three-dimensional structure of the poly(acrylic acid), PAA, induced by incorporation of various alkali-metal counterions have been evaluated by studying diffusion of an uncharged probe (1,1'-ferrocenedimethanol) in the polymeric media. The studies are supported by the measurements of conductivity and viscosity of the polymeric media. Solutions of linear PAA of four different sizes (molecular weights: 450,000, 750,000, 1,250,000, 4,000,000) were neutralized with hydroxides of alkali metals of group 1 of the periodic table (Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs) to the desired neutralization degree. The transport properties of the obtained polyacrylates were monitored by measuring the changes in the probe diffusion coefficient during the titration of the polyacids. The probe diffusivity was determined from the steady-state current of the probe voltammetric oxidation at disk microelectrodes. Diffusivity of the probe increases with the increase in the degree of neutralization and with the increase in viscosity. It reaches the maximum value at about 60-80% of the polyacid neutralization. The way the probe diffusion coefficients change is similar in all polyacid solutions and gels. The increase in the size of a metal cation causes, in general, an enhancement in the transport of probe molecules. The biggest differences in the probe diffusivities are between lithium and cesium polyacrylates. The differences between the results obtained for cesium and rubidium are not statistically significant due to lack of good precision of the voltammetric measurements. The measurements of the electric conductivity of polyacrylates and the theoretical predictions supplemented the picture of electrostatic interactions between the polyanionic chains and the metal cations of increasing size. In all instances of the PAAs, the viscosity of the solutions rapidly increases in the 0-60% range of neutralization and then becomes constant in the 60-100% region. With the exception of the shortest chain polyacid, the formation of a rigid medium (gel) has been observed in the experiments with all cations. After the end point of the titration was passed, a sudden drop in the viscosity and the disappearance of the gelatinous structure were seen. The largest value of viscosity has been recorded for the longest chain polyacid. The change in the cation of the strong base used did not affect the viscosity of the polymeric system. PMID- 17760432 TI - On the bonding of first-row transition metal cations to guanine and adenine nucleobases. AB - The binding of first-row transition metal monocations (Sc+-Cu+) to N7 of guanine and N7 or N3 of adenine nucleobases has been analyzed using the hybrid B3LYP density functional theory (DFT) method. The nature of the bonding is mainly electrostatic, the electronic ground state being mainly determined by metal ligand repulsion. M+-guanine binding energies are 18-27 kcal/mol larger than those of M+-adenine, the difference decreasing along the row. Decomposition analysis shows that differences between guanine and adenine mainly arise from Pauli repulsion and the deformation terms, which are larger for adenine. Metal cation affinity values at this level of calculation are in very good agreement with experimental data obtained by Rodgers et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 2678) for adenine nucleobases. PMID- 17760435 TI - Effect of double bond position on lipid bilayer properties: insight through atomistic simulations. AB - Phosphatidylcholines (PCs) are among the most common phospholipids in plasma membranes. Their structural and dynamic properties are known to be strongly affected by unsaturation of lipid hydrocarbon chains, yet the role of the exact positions of the double bonds is poorly understood. In this work, we shed light on this matter through atomic-scale molecular dynamics simulations of eight different one-component lipid bilayers comprised of PCs with 18 carbons in their acyl chains. By introducing a single double bond in each acyl chain and varying its position in a systematic manner, we elucidate the effects of a double bond on various membrane properties. Studies in the fluid phase show that a number of membrane properties depend on the double bond position. In particular, when the double bond in an acyl chain is located close to the membrane-water interface, the area per lipid is considerably larger than that found for a saturated lipid. Further, when the double bond is shifted from the interfacial region toward membrane center, the area per lipid is observed to increase and have a maximum when the double bond is in the middle of the chain. Beyond this point, the surface area decreases systematically as the double bond approaches membrane center. These changes in area per lipid are accompanied by corresponding changes in membrane thickness and ordering of the chains. Further changes are observed in the tilt angles of the chains, membrane hydration together with changes in the number of gauche conformations, and direct head group interactions. All of these effects can be associated with changes in acyl chain conformations and local effects of the double bond on the packing of the surrounding atoms. PMID- 17760436 TI - Films of novel mesogenic molecules at air-water and air-solid interfaces. AB - Discotic molecules are known to form highly anisotropic structures at the air water (A-W) interface. We have studied two novel ionic discotic mesogenic molecules, viz., pyridinium tethered with hexaalkoxytriphenylene with bromide counterion (Py-Tp) and imidazolium tethered with hexaalkoxytriphenylene with bromide counterion (Im-Tp) at A-W and air-solid interfaces. The monolayer phases were investigated at the A-W interface employing surface manometry and Brewster angle microscopy techniques. They indicate a uniform monolayer phase which shows negligible hysteresis on expanding and compressing. Also, in both the systems the collapsed state completely reverts to the monolayer state. These monolayer films transferred at different surface pressures by Langmuir-Blodgett technique were studied by employing atomic force microscopy. The topographies of these films transferred at the low and high surface pressure region of the isotherm indicate a transformation of the monolayer from face-on to edge-on structure. PMID- 17760437 TI - Hydration of NaCl on glassy, supercooled-liquid, and crystalline water. AB - Interactions of sodium chloride with amorphous and crystalline water films, leading to the possible formation of a dilute NaCl solution, were investigated using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry as a function of temperature. A monolayer of NaCl tends to remain on the surface or in subsurface sites of thick amorphous solid water films (200 monolayers); the Na+ ion is hydrated preferentially, whereas the Cl- ion is segregated at the surface. The hydration structure of NaCl is fundamentally unchanged for viscous liquid water that appears at temperatures higher than 136 K. The solubility of NaCl increases abruptly at 160 K because of the evolution of supercooled liquid water, which can hydrate the Cl- ion efficiently. However, the diffusion of the ions toward the bulk of supercooled liquid water is interrupted by crystallization; therefore, the dilute NaCl solution that is characterized by completely separated Na+-Cl- pairs may not be formed. When NaCl is deposited on the crystalline ice film, hydration of NaCl is enhanced above 160 K as well, indicating that a liquidlike phase coexists with crystals. PMID- 17760438 TI - Dynamic molecular structure and phase diagram of DPPC-cholesterol binary mixtures: a 2D-ELDOR study. AB - This paper is an application of 2D electron-electron double resonance (2D-ELDOR) with the "full Sc- method" to study model membranes. We obtain and confirm the phase diagram of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerophosphatidylcholine (DPPC)-cholesterol binary mixtures versus temperature and provide quantitative descriptions for its dynamic molecular structure using 2D-ELDOR at the Ku band. The spectra from the end-chain 16-PC spin label in multilamellar phospholipid vesicles are obtained for cholesterol molar concentrations ranging from 0 to 50% and from 25 to 60 degrees C. This phase diagram consists of liquid-ordered, liquid-disordered, and gel phases and phase coexistence regions. The phase diagram is carefully examined according to the spectroscopic evidence, and the rigorous interpretation for the line shape changes. We show that the 2D-ELDOR spectra differ markedly with variation in the composition. The extensive line shape changes in the 2D-plus mixing-time representation provide useful information to define and characterize the membrane phases with respect to their dynamic molecular structures and to determine the phase boundaries. The homogeneous T2's are extracted from the pure absorption spectra and are used to further distinguish the membrane phases. These results show 2D-ELDOR to be naturally suitable for probing and reporting the dynamic structures of microdomains in model membrane systems and, moreover, providing a very detailed picture of their molecular dynamic structure, especially with the aid of the "full Sc- method". PMID- 17760439 TI - Determining the partial photoionization cross-sections of ethyl radicals. AB - Using a crossed laser-molecular beam scattering apparatus, these experiments photodissociate ethyl chloride at 193 nm and detect the Cl and ethyl products, resolved by their center-of-mass recoil velocities, with vacuum ultraviolet photoionization. The data determine the relative partial cross-sections for the photoionization of ethyl radicals to form C2H5+, C2H4+, and C2H3+ at 12.1 and 13.8 eV. The data also determine the internal energy distribution of the ethyl radical prior to photoionization, so we can assess the internal energy dependence of the photoionization cross-sections. The results show that the C2H4++H and C2H3++H2 dissociative photoionization cross-sections strongly depend on the photoionization energy. Calibrating the ethyl radical partial photoionization cross-sections relative to the bandwidth-averaged photoionization cross-section of Cl atoms near 13.8 eV allows us to use these data in conjunction with literature estimates of the Cl atom photoionization cross-sections to put the present bandwidth-averaged cross-sections on an absolute scale. The resulting bandwidth-averaged cross-section for the photoionization of ethyl radicals to C2H5+ near 13.8 eV is 8+/-2 Mb. Comparison of our 12.1 eV data with high resolution ethyl radical photoionization spectra allows us to roughly put the high-resolution spectrum on the same absolute scale. Thus, one obtains the photoionization cross-section of ethyl radicals to C2H5+ from threshold to 12.1 eV. The data show that the onset of the C2H4++H dissociative photoionization channel is above 12.1 eV; this result offers a simple way to determine whether the signal observed in photoionization experiments on complex mixtures is due to ethyl radicals. We discuss an application of the results for resolving the product branching in the O+allyl bimolecular reaction. PMID- 17760440 TI - Simultaneous effect of microemulsions and phase-transfer agents on aminolysis reactions. AB - The catalytic effect of triethylene glycol dimethyl ether (glyme) on the butylaminolysis of 4-nitrophenylcaprate (NPC) in water/AOT/chlorobenzene microemulsions has been studied. Experimental results show the existence of four simultaneous reaction pathways. One of them takes place at the microemulsion interphase where the rate-determining step of butylaminolysis is the formation of the addition intermediate, T+/-. The locus of the other three pathways is the continuous medium of the microemulsion. These three pathways consist of the decomposition of the addition intermediate catalyzed by butylamine, by glyme, and by both of them. The kinetic model allows us to obtain the value of every rate and distribution constant involved in the overall reaction mechanism. We must emphasize that the reactions located in the continuous medium exhibit a kinetic behavior similar to the corresponding one found in pure chlorobenzene. On the basis of the pseudophase model, the percentage of reaction in each of the microdomains of the microemulsion has been calculated. Likewise, changes in the loci of reaction from the interphase to the continuous medium as a function of catalyst concentration have been proved. PMID- 17760441 TI - Nucleolipoplexes: a new paradigm for phospholipid bilayer-nucleic acid interactions. PMID- 17760442 TI - Total synthesis of (+)-frondosin A. Application of the Ru-catalyzed [5+2] cycloaddition. AB - The first total synthesis of (+)-frondosin A was accomplished in 19 longest linear and 21 total steps from commercially available materials. The key features of the synthesis include a Ru-catalyzed [5+2] cycloaddition, a Claisen rearrangement, and a ring expansion to construct the core of the frondosin A in a diastereoselective and regioselective fashion. This is the first application of a Ru-catalyzed [5+2] cycloaddition in the total synthesis of a natural product. Through this synthesis, the absolute configuration of (+)-frondosin A was established. PMID- 17760444 TI - Structure, stability, and cluster-cage interactions in nitride clusterfullerenes M3N@C2n (M = Sc, Y; 2n = 68-98): a density functional theory study. AB - Extensive semiempirical calculations of the hexaanions of IPR (isolated pentagon rule) and non-IPR isomers of C(68)-C(88) and IPR isomers of C(90)-C(98) followed by DFT calculations of the lowest energy structures were performed to find the carbon cages that can provide the most stable isomers of M(3)N@C(2n) clusterfullerenes (M = Sc, Y) with Y as a model for rare earth ions. DFT calculations of isomers of M(3)N@C(2n) (M = Sc, Y; 2n = 68-98) based on the most stable C(2n)(6-) cages were also performed. The lowest energy isomers found by this methodology for Sc(3)N@C(68), Sc(3)N@C(78), Sc(3)N@C(80), Y(3)N@C(78), Y(3)N@C(80), Y(3)N@C(84), Y(3)N@C(86), and Y(3)N@C(88) are those that have been shown to exist by single-crystal X-ray studies as Sc(3)N@C(2n) (2n = 68, 78, 80), Dy(3)N@C(80), and Tb(3)N@C(2n) (2n = 80, 84, 86, 88) clusterfullerenes. Reassignment of the carbon cage of Sc(2)@C(76) to the non-IPR Cs: 17490 isomer is also proposed. The stability of nitride clusterfullerenes was found to correlate well with the stability of the empty 6-fold charged cages. However, the dimensions of the cage in terms of its ability to encapsulate M(3)N clusters were also found to be an important factor, especially for the medium size cages and the large Y(3)N cluster. In some cases the most stable structures are based on the different cage isomers for Sc(3)N and Y(3)N clusters. Up to the cage size of C(84), non-IPR isomers of C(2n)(6-) and M(3)N@C(2n) were found to compete with or to be even more stable than IPR isomers. However, the number of adjacent pentagon pairs in the most stable non-IPR isomers decreases as cage size increases: the most stable M(3)N@C(2n) isomers have three such pairs for 2n = 68-72, two pairs for n = 74-80, and only one pair for n = 82, 84. For C(86) and C(88) the lowest energy IPR isomers are much more stable than any non-IPR isomer. The trends in the stability of the fullerene isomers and the cluster-cage binding energies are discussed, and general rules for stability of clusterfullerenes are established. Finally, the high yield of M(3)N@C(80) (Ih) clusterfullerenes for any metal is explained by the exceptional stability of the C(80)(6-) (Ih: 31924) cage, rationalized by the optimum distribution of the pentagons leading to the minimization of the steric strain, and structural similarities of C(80) (Ih: 31924) with the lowest energy non-IPR isomers of C(760(6-), C(78)(6-), C(82)(6-), and C(84)(6-) pointed out. PMID- 17760443 TI - Intramolecular trapping of an intermediate in the reduction of imines by a hydroxycyclopentadienyl ruthenium hydride: support for a concerted outer sphere mechanism. AB - Reduction of imines by [2,5-Ph2-3,4-Tol(2)(eta(5)-C(4)COH)]Ru(CO)2H (1) produces kinetically stable ruthenium amine complexes. Reduction of an imine possessing an intramolecular amine was studied to distinguish between inner sphere and outer sphere mechanisms. 1,4-Bn(15)NH(c-C(6)H(10))=NBn (12) was reduced by 1 in toluene d8 to give 85% of [2,5-Ph2-3,4-Tol(2)(eta(4)-C(4)CO)](CO)(2)RuNHBn(c C(6)H(10))(15)NHBn (16-RuN,15N), resulting from coordination of the newly formed amine to the ruthenium center, and 15% of trapping product [2,5-Ph2-3,4 Tol(2)(eta(4)-C(4)CO)](CO)(2)Ru(15)NHBn(c-C(6)H(10))NHBn (16-Ru(15)N,N), resulting from coordination of the intramolecular trapping amine. These results provide support for an outer sphere transfer of hydrogen to the imine to generate a coordinatively unsaturated intermediate, which can be trapped by the intramolecular amine. An opposing mechanism, requiring coordination of the imine nitrogen to ruthenium prior to hydrogen transfer, cannot readily explain the observation of the trapping product 16-Ru(15)N,N. PMID- 17760446 TI - 1-Chloro-4,5,6,7-tetraalkyldihydroindene formation by reaction of bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanacyclopentadienes with titanium chloride. PMID- 17760445 TI - trans-Cyclohexane-1,2-diamine is a weak director of absolute helicity in chiral nickel-salen complexes. AB - The interconversion between helical diastereomers of nickel-salen-based foldamers can be observed on a NMR time scale. Such complexes provide quantitative information about the propensity of different elements of central chirality to control the absolute sense of folding. trans-Cyclohexane-1,2-diamine-a common component of chiral salen catalysts-is a surprisingly weak director of absolute helicity in nickel-salen foldamers. Implications for asymmetric catalysis are discussed. PMID- 17760447 TI - Solution-processible n-channel organic field-effect transistors based on dicyanomethylene-substituted terthienoquinoid derivative. PMID- 17760448 TI - Design and synthesis of polymetallic complexes based on meso-calix[4]pyrrole: platforms for multielectron chemistry. PMID- 17760449 TI - [3+2] cycloaddition reactions of cyclopropyl imines with enones. AB - A nickel-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of cyclopropyl aldimines and enones has been developed. The process provides direct access to trisubstituted cyclopentanes, and the scope exceeds that of the corresponding reactions involving cyclopropyl ketones. A basis for the improved performance of cyclopropyl aldimines compared with cyclopropyl ketones is provided. PMID- 17760450 TI - Thermal cyclodehydrogenations to form 6-membered rings: cyclizations of [5]helicenes. AB - Flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) of [5]helicene induces a thermal cyclodehydrogenation to form benzo[ghi]perylene. Evidence is presented that supports an electrocyclization-rearomatization mechanism and is inconsistent with mechanistic alternatives involving the intermediacy of aryl radicals or carbenes in the helicene fjord region. PMID- 17760451 TI - A [3 + 3] annelation approach to (+)-rhopaloic acid B. AB - A general and enantiospecific [3 + 3] reaction toward functionalized pyrans is reported that has been employed in the first enantioselective synthesis of (+) rhopaloic acid B. PMID- 17760453 TI - A new class of chiroptical molecular switches based on the redox-induced conformational changes. AB - A series of optically active bis(catecholketal)s 1-3 were prepared, and their chiroptical properties were investigated experimentally and theoretically, demonstrating that they undergo conformational changes upon 1-e(-) oxidation and can be used as redox-responsive chiroptical molecular switches. PMID- 17760452 TI - Asymmetric intermolecular heck-type reaction of acyclic alkenes via oxidative palladium(II) catalysis. AB - Herein, we report an asymmetric intermolecular Heck-type reaction of acyclic alkenes by using a palladium-pyridinyl oxazoline diacetate complex under oxidative palladium(II) catalysis conditions. A premade palladium-ligand complex afforded higher enantioselectivities than a corresponding premixed palladium ligand system, while offering enhanced asymmetric induction when compared to known intermolecular Heck-type protocols. PMID- 17760454 TI - Photocyclization of 2-chloro-substituted 1,3-diarylpropan-1,3-diones to flavones. AB - The photochemical behavior of 2-halo-substituted 1,3-diarylpropan-1,3-dione strongly depends on the nature of the halogen atom bonded and the presence of electron-donor groups on the phenyl ring. In the case of 2-chloro-1,3 diphenylpropan-1,3-dione and 1-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-phenylpropan-1,3-dione, cyclization to flavones was the sole reaction pathway, whereas in the case of 2 chloro-1,3-di(4-methoxyphenyl)propan-1,3-dione, only products derived from alpha cleavage were observed. 2-Fluoro derivatives of 1,3-diarylpropan-1,3-diones were photostable; on the other hand, 2-chloro-2-fluoro derivates resulted in 3 fluoroflavones. PMID- 17760455 TI - Asymmetric Eschenmoser-Claisen rearrangement for anti-beta-substituted gamma,delta-unsaturated amino acids. AB - Optically active anti-beta-substituted gamma,delta-unsaturated amino acids are important synthetic building blocks in organic synthesis and for peptidomimetics. A novel asymmetric Eschenmoser-Claisen rearrangement with use of a C2-symmetric chiral auxiliary was developed to generate this type of amino acid. Excellent diastereoselectivities and high enantioselectivities (87-93% ee) were obtained after the chiral auxiliary was removed via iodolactonization/zinc reduction. PMID- 17760456 TI - In situ generation of palladium nanoparticles: a simple and highly active protocol for oxygen-promoted ligand-free suzuki coupling reaction of aryl chlorides. AB - An oxygen-promoted ligand-free Suzuki coupling reaction catalyzed by in situ generated palladium nanoparticles in PEG-400 under aerobic conditions has been demonstrated. The reaction was highly efficient for coupling aryl chlorides with phenylboronic acid in short times under mild conditions. PMID- 17760457 TI - Synthesis of the acutumine spirocycle via a radical-polar crossover reaction. AB - A new radical-polar crossover reaction was developed that consists of intramolecular conjugate addition of an aryl radical followed by enolate formation and hydroxylation. A C-C bond, a C-O bond, and two congested stereocenters are created in the process. The product is obtained as a single isomer. The method was used to synthesize the spirocyclic subunit of the alkaloid acutumine. PMID- 17760458 TI - Diastereoselective synthesis of gamma-lactams by a one-pot, four-component reaction. AB - A new one-pot, four-component reaction (4CR) between amines, maleic anhydrides, aldehydes, and thiols has been discovered to form tetra- and pentasubstituted gamma-lactams with high diastereoselectivity. Each component is independently variable and employed in equivalent stoichiometry, producing only water as a byproduct. PMID- 17760460 TI - The ruthenium-catalyzed reduction and reductive N-alkylation of secondary amides with hydrosilanes: practical synthesis of secondary and tertiary amines by judicious choice of hydrosilanes. AB - A triruthenium cluster, (mu3,eta2,eta3,eta5-acenaphthylene)Ru3(CO)7 (1) catalyzes the reaction of secondary amides with hydrosilanes, yielding a mixture of secondary amines, tertiary amines, and silyl enamines. Production of secondary amines with complete selectivity is achieved by the use of higher concentration of the catalyst (3 mol %) and the use of bifunctional hydrosilanes such as 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane. Acidic workup of the reaction mixture affords the corresponding ammonium salts, which can be treated with a base, providing a facile method for isolation of secondary amines with high purity. In contrast, tertiary amines are formed with high selectivity by using lower concentration of the catalyst (1 mol %) and polymeric hydrosiloxanes (PMHS) as reducing agent. Reduction with PMHS encapsulates the ruthenium catalyst and organic byproducts to the insoluble silicone resin. The two reaction manifolds are applicable to various secondary amides and are practical in that the procedures provide the desired secondary or tertiary amine as a single product. The product contaminated with only minimal amounts of ruthenium and silicon residues. On the basis of the products and observed side products as well as NMR studies a mechanistic scenario for the reaction is also described. PMID- 17760459 TI - Use of glycol ethers for selective release of periplasmic proteins from Gram negative bacteria. AB - Genetic modification of Gram-negative bacteria to express a desired protein within the cell's periplasmic space, located between the inner cytoplasmic membrane and the outer cell wall, can offer an attractive strategy for commercial production of therapeutic proteins and industrial enzymes. In certain applications, the product expression rate is high, and the ability to isolate the product from the cell mass is greatly enhanced because of the product's compartmentalized location within the cell. Protein release methods that increase the permeability of the outer cell wall for primary recovery, but avoid rupturing the inner cell membrane, reduce contamination of the recovered product with other host cell components and simplify final purification. This article reports representative data for a new release method employing glycol ether solvents. The example involves the use of 2-butoxyethanol (commonly called ethylene glycol n butyl ether or EB) for selective release of a proprietary biopharmaceutical protein produced in the periplasmic space of Pseudomonas fluorescens. In this example, glycol ether treatment yielded approximately 65% primary recovery with approximately 80% purity on a protein-only basis. Compared with other methods including heat treatment, osmotic shock, and the use of surfactants, the glycol ether treatment yielded significantly reduced concentrations of other host cell proteins, lipopolysaccharide endotoxin, and DNA in the recovered protein solution. The use of glycol ethers also allowed exploitation of temperature change-induced phase splitting behavior to concentrate the desired product. Heating the aqueous EB extract solution to 55 degrees C formed two liquid phases: a glycol ether-rich phase and an aqueous product phase containing the great majority of the product protein. This phase-splitting step yielded an approximate 10-fold reduction in the volume of the initial product solution and a corresponding increase in the product's concentration. PMID- 17760461 TI - Dialkoxyphosphinyl-substituted enols of carboxamides. AB - Reactions of isocyanates XNCO (e.g., X = p-An, Ph, i-Pr) with (MeO)2P(=O)CH2CO2R [R = Me, CF3CH2, (CF3)2CH] gave 15 formal "amides" (MeO)2P(=O)CH(CO2R)CONHX (6/7), and with (CF3CH2O)2P(=O)CH2CO2R [R = Me, CF3CH2] they gave eight analogous amide/enols 17/18. X-ray crystallography of two 6/7, R = (CF3)2CH systems revealed Z-enols of amides structures (MeO)2P(=O)C(CO2CH(CF3)2)=C(OH)NHX 7 where the OH is cis and hydrogen bonded to the O=P(OMe)2 group. The solid phosphonates with R = Me, CF3CH2 have the amide 6 structure. The structures in solution were investigated by 1H, 13C, 19F, and 31P NMR spectra. They depend strongly on the substituent R and the solvent and slightly on the N-substituent X. All systems displayed signals for the amide and the E- and Z-isomers. The low-field two delta(OH) and two delta(NH) values served as a probe for the stereochemistry of the enols. The lower field delta(OH) is not always that for the more abundant enol. The % enol, presented as K(enol), was determined by 1H, 19F, and 31P NMR spectra, increases according to the order for R, Me < CF3CH2 < (CF3)2CH, and decreases according to the order of solvents, CCl4 > CDCl3 approximately THF-d8 > CD3CN >DMSO-d6. In DMSO-d6, the product is mostly only the amide, but a few enols with fluorinated ester groups were observed. The Z-isomers are more stable for all the enols 7 with E/Z ratios of 0.31-0.75, 0.15-0.33, and 0.047-0.16 when R = Me, CF3CH2, and (CF3)2CH, respectively, and for compounds 18, R = Me, whereas the E-isomers are more stable than the Z-isomers. Comparison with systems where the O=P(OMe)2 is replaced by a CO2R shows mostly higher K(enol) values for the O=P(OMe)2-substituted systems. A linear correlation exists between delta(OH)[Z enols] activated by two ester groups and delta(OH)[E-enols] activated by phosphonate and ester groups. Compounds (MeO)2P(=O)CH(CN)CONHX show or =20) directly on surfaces by seed-mediated growth. The procedure involves attaching gold seed nanoparticles (Au NPs) to 3 mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS)-functionalized silicon or glass surfaces and growing them into NRs/NWs by placing the substrates into a solution containing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), silver nitrate, and ascorbic acid with the pH ranging from 7 to 12. Under our conditions, Ag NRs/NWs grow optimally at pH 10.6 with a 3% yield, where spherical, triangular, and hexagonal nanostructures represent the other byproducts. The length of Ag NRs/NWs ranges from 50 nm to more than 10 microm, the aspect ratio (AR) ranges from 1.4 to >300, and the average diameter is approximately 35 nm. Approximately 40% of the 1D structures are NRs, and 60% are NWs as defined by their ARs. We also report the alignment of Ag NRs/NWs directly on surfaces by growing the structures on amine functionalized Si(100) surfaces after an amidation reaction with acetic acid and a method to improve the percentage of Ag NRs/NWs on the surface by removing structures of other shapes with adhesive tape. Surface-grown Ag NRs/NWs also react with salts of palladium, platinum, and gold via galvanic exchange reactions to form high-surface-area 1D structures of the corresponding metal. The combination of the seed-mediated growth of Ag on Au NRs followed by the galvanic exchange of Ag with Pd leads to interesting core/shell NRs grown directly on surfaces. We used scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to characterize the surface-grown nanostructures. PMID- 17760474 TI - How strain controls electronic linewidth in single beta-phase polyfluorene nanowires. AB - Low-temperature single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy reveals pure, virtually defect-free chains of the one-dimensional crystalline beta-phase of polyfluorene. The likelihood of beta-phase formation is shown to correlate directly with the initial shape of the polymer chain, with extended chains preferentially forming this planarized phase. Planarized chains, characterized by a distinct spectroscopic signature can, however, exhibit substantial bending within the plane. This bending results in a strong increase in the elementary transition linewidth of the conjugated segment. The transition linewidth provides a lower limit to the electronic dephasing time of the excited state of >3 ps at 5 K. Remarkably, bending does not appear to disrupt the pi-electron conjugation so that the emission from a single bent beta-phase chromophore is not necessarily linearly polarized as is generally assumed. PMID- 17760476 TI - Polarization-sensitive nanowire photodetectors based on solution-synthesized CdSe quantum-wire solids. AB - Polarization-sensitive photodetectors are demonstrated using solution-synthesized CdSe nanowire (NW) solids. Photocurrent action spectra taken with a tunable white light source match the solution linear absorption spectra of the NWs, showing that the NW network is responsible for the device photoconductivity. Temperature dependent transport measurements reveal that carriers responsible for the dark current through the nanowire solids are thermally excited across CdSe band gap. The NWs are aligned using dielectrophoresis between prepatterned electrodes using conventional optical photolithography. The photocurrent through the NW solid is found to be polarization-sensitive, consistent with complementary absorption (emission) measurements of both single wires and their ensembles. The range of solution-processed semiconducting NW materials, their facile synthesis, ease of device fabrication, and compatibility with a variety of substrates make them attractive for potential nanoscale polarization-sensitive photodetectors. PMID- 17760478 TI - Nanomechanical characterization of one-step combustion-synthesized Al(4)B(2)O(9) and Al(18)B(4)O(33) nanowires. AB - Two kinds of aluminum borate nanowires, Al(4)B(2)O(9) and Al(18)B(4)O(33), were successfully synthesized by a one-step combustion method through control of the Al:B atomic ratio and synthesis temperature. Both nanowires are single crystalline but have distinguishing growth habits. Nanoindentation tests were performed directly on individual nanowires to reveal their mechanical properties. A 70% reduction in elastic modulus was found in Al(18)B(4)O(33) nanowires compared with their bulk counterpart. Al(18)B(4)O(33) nanowires exhibited higher hardness and elastic modulus than Al(4)B(2)O(9) nanowires. PMID- 17760477 TI - Highly conductive coaxial SnO(2)-In(2)O(3) heterostructured nanowires for Li ion battery electrodes. AB - Novel SnO(2)-In(2)O(3) heterostructured nanowires were produced via a thermal evaporation method, and their possible nucleation/growth mechanism is proposed. We found that the electronic conductivity of the individual SnO(2)-In(2)O(3) nanowires was 2 orders of magnitude better than that of the pure SnO(2) nanowires, due to the formation of Sn-doped In(2)O(3) caused by the incorporation of Sn into the In(2)O(3) lattice during the nucleation and growth of the In(2)O(3) shell nanostructures. This provides the SnO(2)-In(2)O(3) nanowires with an outstanding lithium storage capacity, making them suitable for promising Li ion battery electrodes. PMID- 17760479 TI - The effect of plasmon field on the coherent lattice phonon oscillation in electron-beam fabricated gold nanoparticle pairs. AB - By using electron beam lithography, we fabricated pairs of gold nanoparticles with varying interparticle separation. Double-beam femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy was used to determine the coherent lattice oscillation frequency as a function of the interparticle separation in the presence of the plasmon field excited by the monitoring probe light. We found that the fractional shift in the coherent lattice phonon oscillation frequency follows an exponential decay with respect to the interparticle gap scaled by the disc diameter with the same decay constant as that previously observed for the fractional shift in the surface plasmon electronic oscillation resonance frequency. This strongly suggests that it is the near-field coupling between the particles that shifts both the coherent electronic oscillation (plasmon) frequency and the coherent lattice oscillation (phonon) frequency. The similar trend in the effect of interparticle coupling on the plasmon frequency and the phonon frequency is essentially a reflection of the universal scaling behavior of the distance decay of the interparticle plasmonic near-field. It is shown that the observed decrease in the lattice oscillation frequency with decrease in the interparticle distance is the result of a reduction in the effective free electron density within each nanoparticle pair partner as a result of the polarizing perturbation of the plasmonic field of the other nanoparticle in the pair. PMID- 17760480 TI - Premaxillary osteotomy and guided tissue regeneration in secondary bone grafting in children with bilateral cleft lip and palate. AB - OBJECTIVE: To introduce a surgical technique for secondary alveolar bone grafting performed in conjunction with premaxillary osteotomy and guided tissue regeneration in children with bilateral clefts. This paper also looks at the outcomes of this surgery in a series of 15 consecutive patients. METHODS: Secondary alveolar bone grafting (with a premaxillary osteotomy and guided tissue regeneration with a collagen membrane) is usually carried out in the mixed dentition stage. This retrospective study used patients' medical records, radiographs, and clinical examination to assess the outcome of the surgery. Patients were followed up for an average of 3 years. RESULTS: Bone grafting was successful in all cases. No premaxillae were lost and there was no long-term morbidity of the donor site. Radiographic assessment of the bone heights showed an average of 94% retention, 3 months postoperatively. Preliminary assessment of maxillary canine eruption is encouraging, with 79% being fully erupted in those patients who are at least 3 years post-bone grafting. CONCLUSION: Premaxillary osteotomy allows repositioning of the premaxilla to its optimal preplanned position and successful closure of all fistulae. We have found that use of a collagen membrane is a useful adjunct. PMID- 17760481 TI - Rapid maxillary distraction protocol utilizing the halo distraction system and rigid internal fixation. AB - OBJECTIVE: To shorten head frame wear time associated with external halo distraction (HD), we have adapted a protocol for maxillary distraction with the halo system that integrates plate fixation. PARTICIPANTS: All patients had a history of cleft lip and/or palate and maxillary retrusion > or = 8 mm. Five patients treated with this protocol and followed for at least 1 year were included in this study. INTERVENTIONS: The protocol included a 3-day latency period, variable maxillary distraction, and removal of the halo device with simultaneous rigid internal fixation. Two patients had a variable period of maxillomandibular fixation (MMF), which maintained the maxillary advancement and idealized intercuspal position while permitting further callus maturation. Cephalographs were obtained preoperatively, immediately following distractor removal, and 1 year after rigid internal fixation. RESULTS: The mean age at time of surgery was 18.7 years. The maxillary deficiency ranged from 8 to 15 mm (mean = 10.6 mm). All five patients demonstrated excellent occlusion. Cephalometric analysis 1-year post rigid internal fixation revealed minimal (<1 mm) skeletal relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid maxillary distraction followed by MMF to maintain maxillary advancement may reduce halo device wear to 1 to 2 weeks. MMF optimizes occlusion by forcing the maxillary teeth into maximal intercuspal position. Rigid fixation is not only associated with less long-term relapse compared to nonrigid forms of fixation, but also minimizes the incidence of nonunion. This treatment protocol provides the advancement possible with distraction osteogenesis and the accuracy of orthognathic surgery, thereby minimizing external head frame wear. PMID- 17760482 TI - Moebius syndrome: measures of observer intelligibility with versus without visual cues in bilateral facial paralysis. AB - OBJECTIVE: This study investigated observers' intelligibility for the spoken output of an individual with Moebius syndrome (MoS) with and without visual cues. DESIGN: An audiovisual recording of the speaker's output was obtained for 50 Speech Intelligibility in Noise sentences consisting of 25 high predictability and 25 low predictability sentences. Stimuli were presented to observers under two conditions: audiovisual and audio only. Data were analyzed using a multivariate repeated measures model. OBSERVERS: Twenty students and faculty affiliated with the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of Nevada, Reno. RESULTS: ANOVA mixed design revealed that intelligibility for the audio condition only was significantly greater than intelligibility for the audiovisual condition; and accuracy for high predictability sentences was significantly greater than accuracy for low predictability sentences. CONCLUSIONS: The compensatory substitutional placements for phonemes produced by MoS speakers may detract from the intelligibility of speech. This is similar to the McGurk-MacDonald effect, whereby an illusory auditory signal is perceived when visual information from lip movements does not match the auditory information from speech. It also suggests that observers use contextual clues, more than the acoustic signal alone, to arrive at the accurate recognition of the message of the speakers with MoS. Therefore, speakers with MoS should be counseled in the top-down approach of auditory closure. When the speech signal is degraded, predictable messages are more easily understood than unpredictable ones. It is also important to confirm the speaking partner's understanding of the topic before proceeding. PMID- 17760483 TI - Measuring the quality of life of youth with facial differences. AB - OBJECTIVE: To describe the Facial Differences Module of the Youth Quality of Life Instruments (YQOL-FD) and present results evaluating domain structure, internal consistency, reproducibility, validity, and respondent burden. DESIGN: A multisite observational study of youth aged 11 to 18 years with acquired or congenital facial differences. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred seven youth recruited through clinics at four U.S. sites and one U.K. site. Eligible youth were aged 11 to 18 years, had a noticeable facial difference, could read at the fifth-grade level, and, for youth with facial burns, were at least 2 years posttrauma. MEASURES: Included were the newly developed YQOL-FD, the generic Youth Quality of Life Instrument, the Children's Depression Inventory, and demographics. RESULTS: Principal components analysis showed five significant factors that closely matched the domain structure hypothesized a priori. Domain scores of the YQOL-FD showed acceptable internal consistency and reproducibility. Scores were more strongly correlated with the Children's Depression Inventory score than with self rating of health as predicted. All domain scores showed adequate discrimination among levels of general quality of life (Wilks lambda = 0.84, p = .001). The median time to complete the module was 10 minutes. DISCUSSION: The YQOL Facial Differences Module augmented information obtained from the generic YQOL measure by addressing specific concerns. The module was well received by youth and showed acceptable measurement properties for evaluating the perceived quality-of-life status of youth facial differences. Future use in longitudinal studies and clinical trials is anticipated to evaluate the ability to detect change. PMID- 17760484 TI - Bilateral macrostomia associated with aqueductal stenosis and glial heterotopias. AB - We report on an Italian boy, born to normal and nonconsanguineous parents with a prenatal diagnosis of ventriculomegaly and subependymal glial heterotopias. At birth bilateral macrostomia was diagnosed without other evident facial anomalies. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed triventricular hydrocephalus and aqueductal stenosis and confirmed the nodules of glial heterotopia. The bilateral macrostomia was surgically corrected with the vermilion square flap method and W plasty technique and follow up MRI at 6 months showed mild increase of ventricular dilatation without signs of active hydrocephalus. The association between macrostomia and hydrocephalus has been reported only in rare cases of complex malformative syndromes but never with isolated macrostomia. PMID- 17760485 TI - Comparison of caries prevalence in two populations of cleft patients. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the oral and dental status and the level of oral health care among Polish and German patients with cleft lip and palate treated in Lodz and Erlangen, followed by an assessment of the level of realization of oral care procedures. DESIGN: Oral and dental status were assessed by the presence of dental plaque and caries lesions. Parents of each patient completed a questionnaire related to frequency of tooth brushing, frequency of dental visits, and the use of means with increased fluoride content. SETTING: Department of Dentistry for Developmental Ages, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland, and Department of Orthodontics, University of Erlangen-Nuremburg, Erlangen, Germany. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION: Thirty-seven Polish patients were examined between February and April 2004. Sixty-three German patients were examined between October 2004 and August 2005. RESULTS: In Erlangen, decayed teeth = 1.625, missing teeth = 0.014, and filled teeth = 2.39. In Lodz, decayed teeth = 2.5, missing teeth = 0.09, and filled teeth = 0.75. Among the subjects with Approximal Plaque Index scores <40%, the Decayed-Missing-Filled-Teeth Index was significantly higher in Polish than in German patients. In the total population of patients, a positive correlation between the value of the API Index and caries intensity was recorded. Declared parents' answers did not copy the actual oral cavity status. CONCLUSIONS: Caries prevalence in each group was much higher than in the general population and significantly higher among Polish than German cleft patients. Programs for cleft children promoting oral health, especially aimed at plaque control, are recommended in the early stages of the children's lives. PMID- 17760486 TI - Fourier analysis of human sagittal sutures. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the complexity of human sagittal suture patterns and to investigate whether the suture complexity correlates with age. DESIGN: Geometric patterns of the sagittal sutures from 104 dry human skulls from the Terry Collection and 16 computed tomography images from the Bosma Collection, aged 2 months to 60 years, were digitized. The complexity of the patterns was presented by suture length, curved suture (or skull) length, and length ratio and the frequency and amplitude contents by the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) analysis. RESULTS: The suture length along the skull showed a positive correlation with age from 2 months to 10 years, reflecting the growth of the skull. The suture length ratio, R, a measure of the complexity of the suture pattern, had a similar trend to suture length (i.e., increased with age to about 10 years and leveled off afterward, accompanied by a large scatter). The major frequency from the DFT analysis indicated an age-related development in suture complexity from infants to about 10 years and no further change for individuals older than 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative analyses of human sagittal suture using length, length ratio, and DFT indicated that there is a progressive increase in the complexity of sagittal sutural waveform with age, especially in the early ages. These findings agree with the observations from animal experiments that sagittal sutural waveform is the result of intrinsic tissue response to extrinsic forces such as those generated by the temporalis. PMID- 17760487 TI - Validity of the nasometer measuring the temporal characteristics of nasalization. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the validity of the Nasometer (KayPENTAX, Lincoln Park, NJ) in measuring the temporal characteristics of nasalization by comparing the Nasometer measures to the measures from an external criterion procedure. DESIGN: Speech samples consisted of three rate-controlled nonsense syllables, which varied in their vowel compositions: /izinizi/, /azanaza/, and /uzunuzu/. Acoustic data were recorded simultaneously through the Nasometer and an external criterion procedure (a specialized microphone set that collected acoustic signals separately for the nasal and oral channels). Speech segment durations measured from the two instrumental conditions were compared on the Nasometer display and the Computerized Speech Lab (KayPENTAX, Lincoln Park, NJ) display. Five durational variables were measured: total utterance duration, nasal onset interval, nasal consonant duration, nasal offset interval, and total nasalization duration. PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen normal adults who speak American English as their first language participated in the study. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the measures from the Nasometer and those from an external criterion procedure in all the durational variables pertinent to nasalization. Different vowels, however, yielded significantly different patterns in these durational variables, in which the low vowel /a/ context revealed significantly longer total nasalization duration than did the high vowel /i/ and /u/ contexts. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the Nasometer can be used as a valid tool to measure the temporal characteristics underlying nasalization and confirm significant vowel effects on the temporal patterns of nasalization. PMID- 17760488 TI - A simple and precise classification for cleft lip and palate: a five-digit numerical recording system. AB - OBJECTIVE: Numerous methods have been developed for recording cleft lip and palate deformities, but none has been universally accepted due to limitations, inadequate description of the cleft deformities, and varying complexity. DESIGN: The classification system introduced in this article is designed to describe detailed information of the cleft deformities with five-digit codes. The anatomic description of the cleft components is denoted with five Arabic numerals in order of right lip, right alveolus and primary palate, secondary palate, left alveolus and primary palate, and left lip. The extent of the cleft deformities is recorded using the numerals 0 to 4 (i.e., from intact to complete). SETTING: Department of Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University. RESULTS: This new classification system allows a numerical description of any kind of complete cleft, incomplete cleft, asymmetry, and complex clefts with an intervening intact segment (all simulated cases). CONCLUSIONS: The simplicity and precision of this five-digit classification system make it easy to understand, and it can be used for computerized data analysis. PMID- 17760489 TI - A case of Proteus syndrome with lateral embryonal vein and frontal intraosseous lipoma. AB - A patient with Proteus syndrome is reported with heretofore unreported features including a frontal intraosseous lipoma and a lateral embryonal leg vein (Servelle) associated with a venous malformation. These associated anomalies further broaden the phenotypic variability of Proteus syndrome. PMID- 17760490 TI - Surgical navigation technology for treatment of pneumosinus dilatans. AB - The objective of this study is to present the use of surgical navigation in the selective removal of the anterior table of the frontal sinus in a patient with pneumosinus dilatans. A 16-year-old boy presented with progressive deformity of the forehead and left postauricular sulcus due to pneumosinus dilatans. Reconstruction of the anterior table of the frontal bone was assisted by a surgical navigation system that used data from a preoperative computed tomography scan of the head and neck to map out the boundaries of the frontal sinus. The device enabled selective resection of the anterior table without violation of the cranial cavity. PMID- 17760491 TI - Surgical correction of congenital lower lip sinuses in Van der Woude syndrome. AB - OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical outcome for patients with Van der Woude syndrome undergoing surgical excision of congenital lip sinuses. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Multidisciplinary cleft-craniofacial team within a tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen patients with Van der Woude syndrome were identified from hospital records as having cleft lip and/or palate surgery performed at the University of Iowa, and six of these patients underwent simple surgical excision of lower lip sinuses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of postoperative complications and number of surgeries required per patient for correction of lower lip defect. RESULTS: All six patients undergoing surgical excision of lip sinuses had postoperative mucocele formation. These uniformly required one or two further surgeries for correction. There were no other complications associated with the procedures and no patient had a pre- or postoperative whistling deformity. Cosmetic outcome was thought to be satisfactory in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the overall improvement in cosmetic appearance following simple surgical excision of congenital lower lip sinuses, the high rate of mucocele formation and repeat surgery has led to cautious preoperative counseling regarding the risks and benefits of the procedure. PMID- 17760492 TI - Superiorly based facial artery musculomucosal flap for large anterior palatal fistulae in clefts. AB - OBJECTIVE: An anterior hard palate fistula for which more than one attempt at repair using local tissue has failed is a difficult complication in cleft surgery. Prior to alveolar bone grafting, cleft patients have an open anterior maxillary arch that allows passage of a pedicled flap from cheek to hard palate. The superiorly based facial artery musculomucosal flap passed through the clefted alveolus is one of the newer techniques to solve this difficult problem. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of using a facial artery musculomucosal flap with an anterosuperiorly based pedicle with retrograde blood flow to repair a large anterior hard palate fistula when a lack of adequate local soft tissue precludes a local flap closure and the patient otherwise would need a tongue flap. RESULTS: Of 16 facial artery musculomucosal flaps in 14 children, 12 were successful, 2 suffered partial flap loss secondary to venous congestion, and 2 had complete flap failure. One had a small wound dehiscence that resulted in a small posterior fistula. CONCLUSION: An anterosuperiorly based facial artery musculomucosal flap is a viable option to close large anterior hard palate defects. Care needs to be taken to ensure adequate venous drainage. This flap obviates the need for a staged tongue flap repair for those patients with an open maxillary arch. PMID- 17760493 TI - Severity of skull malformation is unrelated to presurgery neurobehavioral status of infants with sagittal synostosis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between severity of scaphocephalic skull malformation and neurodevelopmental status prior to cranioplasty. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-five infants with single-suture sagittal craniosynostosis (median age, 4.5 months) referred to the Infant Learning Project, a prospective, multisite, longitudinal study to evaluate neurocognitive development. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Scaphocephaly severity indices were used to quantify synostotic skull shape from computed tomography scans. Infants were assessed with the mental (MDI) and motor scales (PDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the receptive (PLS-AC) and expressive (PLS-EC) language scales of the Preschool Language Scale. RESULTS: No association between skull shape and neurodevelopmental status was found. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of association between skull shape and neurodevelopment in infancy may indicate that the presurgical degree of scaphocephaly has little or no direct effect on brain development. Alternatively, such relationships, if they exist, may be evident only at older ages. Finally, it also is possible that aspects of skull malformation not measured in this study may be related to neuropsychological functioning. PMID- 17760494 TI - Comparison of codeine phosphate and morphine sulphate in infants undergoing cleft palate repair. AB - OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the quality of analgesia provided by morphine in comparison to codeine. DESIGN: The study is a prospective, randomized, double blind trial of analgesic effect employing validated pain scores. PATIENTS: Infants having primary cleft palate repair with informed parental consent to enter the study. INTERVENTIONS: Infants received one of two analgesics intraoperatively for immediate postoperative pain relief. Morphine was given by intravenous injection and codeine by the intramuscular route. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Pain scores in the immediate postoperative period for 2 hours following surgery; this outcome measure was decided prior to data collection. RESULTS: The pain score and other outcome measures were all blinded. Measurements are all evident from the nature of the results. CONCLUSIONS: There was no clinically significant difference observed in the analgesic effect of either drug on the two groups studied. PMID- 17760495 TI - Magnetic resonance imaging of the levator veli palatini muscle in speakers with repaired cleft palate. AB - OBJECTIVE: To obtain detailed anatomic and physiologic information on the levator veli palatini muscle from MRI in individuals with repaired cleft palate and to compare the results with those from normal subjects reported by Ettema et al. (2002). DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: University-based hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Four men (ages 22 to 43 years) with repaired cleft lip and palate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Four quantitative measurements of the levator veli palatini muscle from rest position and dynamic speech magnetic resonance images were obtained: the distance between the origins of the muscle, angle of origin of the muscle, muscle length, and muscle thickness. RESULTS: The length and thickness of the levator veli palatini muscle varied among the subjects and were different from measurements obtained from normal subjects in a previous study. The distance between origin points, length, and thickness of the levator veli palatini muscle were smaller than those of the normal subjects. There were systematic changes of the levator veli palatini muscle, depending upon vowel and consonant types. Levator veli palatini muscle angle of origin and length became progressively smaller from rest, nasal consonants, low vowels, high vowels, and fricative consonants. These changes are consistent with those of the normal subjects. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to a better understanding of cleft palate anatomy in comparison with normal anatomy of the levator veli palatini muscle. The use of MRI shows promise as an important tool in the diagnosis and eventual aid to treatment decisions for individuals born with cleft palate. PMID- 17760496 TI - Qualitative research: understanding patients' needs and experiences. PMID- 17760497 TI - Setting priorities in child health research investments for South Africa. PMID- 17760498 TI - Whole grain, bran, and germ intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study and systematic review. AB - BACKGROUND: Control of body weight by balancing energy intake and energy expenditure is of major importance for the prevention of type 2 diabetes, but the role of specific dietary factors in the etiology of type 2 diabetes is less well established. We evaluated intakes of whole grain, bran, and germ in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes in prospective cohort studies. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We followed 161,737 US women of the Nurses' Health Studies (NHSs) I and II, without history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline. The age at baseline was 37-65 y for NHSI and 26-46 y for NHSII. Dietary intakes and potential confounders were assessed with regularly administered questionnaires. We documented 6,486 cases of type 2 diabetes during 12-18 y of follow-up. Other prospective cohort studies on whole grain intake and risk of type 2 diabetes were identified in searches of MEDLINE and EMBASE up to January 2007, and data were independently extracted by two reviewers. The median whole grain intake in the lowest and highest quintile of intake was, respectively, 3.7 and 31.2 g/d for NHSI and 6.2 and 39.9 g/d for NHSII. After adjustment for potential confounders, the relative risks (RRs) for the highest as compared with the lowest quintile of whole grain intake was 0.63 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57-0.69) for NHSI and 0.68 (95% CI 0.57-0.81) for NHSII (both: p-value, test for trend <0.001). After further adjustment for body mass index (BMI), these RRs were 0.75 (95% CI 0.68 0.83; p-value, test for trend <0.001) and 0.86 (95% CI 0.72-1.02; p-value, test for trend 0.03) respectively. Associations for bran intake were similar to those for total whole grain intake, whereas no significant association was observed for germ intake after adjustment for bran. Based on pooled data for six cohort studies including 286,125 participants and 10,944 cases of type 2 diabetes, a two serving-per-day increment in whole grain consumption was associated with a 21% (95% CI 13%-28%) decrease in risk of type 2 diabetes after adjustment for potential confounders and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Whole grain intake is inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes, and this association is stronger for bran than for germ. Findings from prospective cohort studies consistently support increasing whole grain consumption for the prevention of type 2 diabetes. PMID- 17760499 TI - Reducing amyloid plaque burden via ex vivo gene delivery of an Abeta-degrading protease: a novel therapeutic approach to Alzheimer disease. AB - BACKGROUND: Understanding the mechanisms of amyloid-beta protein (Abeta) production and clearance in the brain has been essential to elucidating the etiology of Alzheimer disease (AD). Chronically decreasing brain Abeta levels is an emerging therapeutic approach for AD, but no such disease-modifying agents have achieved clinical validation. Certain proteases are responsible for the catabolism of brain Abeta in vivo, and some experimental evidence suggests they could be used as therapeutic tools to reduce Abeta levels in AD. The objective of this study was to determine if enhancing the clearance of Abeta in the brain by ex vivo gene delivery of an Abeta-degrading protease can reduce amyloid plaque burden. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We generated a secreted form of the Abeta-degrading protease neprilysin, which significantly lowers the levels of naturally secreted Abeta in cell culture. We then used an ex vivo gene delivery approach utilizing primary fibroblasts to introduce this soluble protease into the brains of beta amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice with advanced plaque deposition. Brain examination after cell implantation revealed robust clearance of plaques at the site of engraftment (72% reduction, p = 0.0269), as well as significant reductions in plaque burden in both the medial and lateral hippocampus distal to the implantation site (34% reduction, p = 0.0020; and 55% reduction, p = 0.0081, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Ex vivo gene delivery of an Abeta-degrading protease reduces amyloid plaque burden in transgenic mice expressing human APP. These results support the use of Abeta-degrading proteases as a means to therapeutically lower Abeta levels and encourage further exploration of ex vivo gene delivery for the treatment of Alzheimer disease. PMID- 17760500 TI - Independent associations of fasting insulin, glucose, and glycated haemoglobin with stroke and coronary heart disease in older women. AB - BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that variations in fasting glucose and insulin amongst those without frank type 2 diabetes mellitus are important determinants of cardiovascular disease. However, the relative importance of variations in fasting insulin, glucose, and glycated haemoglobin as risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women without diabetes is unclear. Our aim was to determine the independent associations of fasting insulin, glucose, and glycated haemoglobin with coronary heart disease and stroke in older women. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We undertook a prospective cohort study of 3,246 British women aged 60 79 y, all of whom were free of baseline coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and all of whom had fasting glucose levels below 7 mmol/l. Fasting insulin and homeostasis model assessment for insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S) were linearly associated with a combined outcome of coronary heart disease or stroke (n = 219 events), but there was no association of fasting glucose or glycated haemoglobin with these outcomes. Results were similar for coronary heart disease and stroke as separate outcomes. The age, life-course socioeconomic position, smoking, and physical activity adjusted hazard ratio for a combined outcome of incident coronary heart disease or stroke per one standard deviation of fasting insulin was 1.14 (95% CI 1.02-1.33). Additional adjustment for other components of metabolic syndrome, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting glucose, and glycated haemoglobin had little effect on this result. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that in women in the 60-79 y age range, insulin resistance, rather than insulin secretion or chronic hyperglycaemia, is a more important risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. Below currently used thresholds of fasting glucose for defining diabetes, neither fasting glucose nor glycated haemoglobin are associated with cardiovascular disease. PMID- 17760502 TI - The molecular anatomy of spontaneous germline mutations in human testes. AB - The frequency of the most common sporadic Apert syndrome mutation (C755G) in the human fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 gene (FGFR2) is 100-1,000 times higher than expected from average nucleotide substitution rates based on evolutionary studies and the incidence of human genetic diseases. To determine if this increased frequency was due to the nucleotide site having the properties of a mutation hot spot, or some other explanation, we developed a new experimental approach. We examined the spatial distribution of the frequency of the C755G mutation in the germline by dividing four testes from two normal individuals each into several hundred pieces, and, using a highly sensitive PCR assay, we measured the mutation frequency of each piece. We discovered that each testis was characterized by rare foci with mutation frequencies 10(3) to >10(4) times higher than the rest of the testis regions. Using a model based on what is known about human germline development forced us to reject (p < 10(-6)) the idea that the C755G mutation arises more frequently because this nucleotide simply has a higher than average mutation rate (hot spot model). This is true regardless of whether mutation is dependent or independent of cell division. An alternate model was examined where positive selection acts on adult self-renewing Ap spermatogonial cells (SrAp) carrying this mutation such that, instead of only replacing themselves, they occasionally produce two SrAp cells. This model could not be rejected given our observed data. Unlike the disease site, similar analysis of C to-G mutations at a control nucleotide site in one testis pair failed to find any foci with high mutation frequencies. The rejection of the hot spot model and lack of rejection of a selection model for the C755G mutation, along with other data, provides strong support for the proposal that positive selection in the testis can act to increase the frequency of premeiotic germ cells carrying a mutation deleterious to an offspring, thereby unfavorably altering the mutational load in humans. Studying the anatomical distribution of germline mutations can provide new insights into genetic disease and evolutionary change. PMID- 17760503 TI - Insights into the genome of large sulfur bacteria revealed by analysis of single filaments. AB - Marine sediments are frequently covered by mats of the filamentous Beggiatoa and other large nitrate-storing bacteria that oxidize hydrogen sulfide using either oxygen or nitrate, which they store in intracellular vacuoles. Despite their conspicuous metabolic properties and their biogeochemical importance, little is known about their genetic repertoire because of the lack of pure cultures. Here, we present a unique approach to access the genome of single filaments of Beggiatoa by combining whole genome amplification, pyrosequencing, and optical genome mapping. Sequence assemblies were incomplete and yielded average contig sizes of approximately 1 kb. Pathways for sulfur oxidation, nitrate and oxygen respiration, and CO2 fixation confirm the chemolithoautotrophic physiology of Beggiatoa. In addition, Beggiatoa potentially utilize inorganic sulfur compounds and dimethyl sulfoxide as electron acceptors. We propose a mechanism of vacuolar nitrate accumulation that is linked to proton translocation by vacuolar-type ATPases. Comparative genomics indicates substantial horizontal gene transfer of storage, metabolic, and gliding capabilities between Beggiatoa and cyanobacteria. These capabilities enable Beggiatoa to overcome non-overlapping availabilities of electron donors and acceptors while gliding between oxic and sulfidic zones. The first look into the genome of these filamentous sulfur-oxidizing bacteria substantially deepens the understanding of their evolution and their contribution to sulfur and nitrogen cycling in marine sediments. PMID- 17760504 TI - Enlightening energy parasitism by analysis of an ATP/ADP transporter from chlamydiae. AB - Energy parasitism by ATP/ADP transport proteins is an essential, common feature of intracellular bacteria such as chlamydiae and rickettsiae, which are major pathogens of humans. Although several ATP/ADP transport proteins have so far been characterized, some fundamental questions regarding their function remained unaddressed. In this study, we focused on the detailed biochemical analysis of a representative ATP/ADP transporter (PamNTT1), from the amoeba symbiont Protochlamydia amoebophila (UWE25) to further clarify the principle of energy exploitation. We succeeded in the purification of the first bacterial nucleotide transporter (NTT) and its functional reconstitution into artificial lipid vesicles. Reconstituted PamNTT1 revealed high import velocities for ATP and an unexpected and previously unobserved stimulating effect of the luminal ADP on nucleotide import affinities. Latter preference of the nucleotide hetero-exchange is independent of the membrane potential, and therefore, PamNTT1 not only structurally but also functionally differs from the well-characterized mitochondrial ADP/ATP carriers. Reconstituted PamNTT1 exhibits a bidirectional orientation in lipid vesicles, but interestingly, only carriers inserted with the N-terminus directed to the proteoliposomal interior are functional. The data presented here comprehensively explain the functional basis of how the intracellular P. amoebophila manages to exploit the energy pool of its host cell effectively by using the nucleotide transporter PamNTT1. This membrane protein mediates a preferred import of ATP, which is additionally stimulated by a high internal (bacterial) ADP/ATP ratio, and the orientation-dependent functionality of the transporter ensures that it is not working in a mode that is detrimental to P. amoebophila. Heterologous expression and purification of high amounts of PamNTT1 provides the basis for its crystallization and detailed structure/function analyses. Furthermore, functional reconstitution of this essential chlamydial protein paves the way for high-throughput uptake studies in order to screen for specific inhibitors potentially suitable as anti-chlamydial drugs. PMID- 17760501 TI - Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium exploits inflammation to compete with the intestinal microbiota. AB - Most mucosal surfaces of the mammalian body are colonized by microbial communities ("microbiota"). A high density of commensal microbiota inhabits the intestine and shields from infection ("colonization resistance"). The virulence strategies allowing enteropathogenic bacteria to successfully compete with the microbiota and overcome colonization resistance are poorly understood. Here, we investigated manipulation of the intestinal microbiota by the enteropathogenic bacterium Salmonella enterica subspecies 1 serovar Typhimurium (S. Tm) in a mouse colitis model: we found that inflammatory host responses induced by S. Tm changed microbiota composition and suppressed its growth. In contrast to wild-type S. Tm, an avirulent invGsseD mutant failing to trigger colitis was outcompeted by the microbiota. This competitive defect was reverted if inflammation was provided concomitantly by mixed infection with wild-type S. Tm or in mice (IL10(-/-), VILLIN-HA(CL4-CD8)) with inflammatory bowel disease. Thus, inflammation is necessary and sufficient for overcoming colonization resistance. This reveals a new concept in infectious disease: in contrast to current thinking, inflammation is not always detrimental for the pathogen. Triggering the host's immune defence can shift the balance between the protective microbiota and the pathogen in favour of the pathogen. PMID- 17760505 TI - ISWI regulates higher-order chromatin structure and histone H1 assembly in vivo. AB - Imitation SWI (ISWI) and other ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling factors play key roles in transcription and other processes by altering the structure and positioning of nucleosomes. Recent studies have also implicated ISWI in the regulation of higher-order chromatin structure, but its role in this process remains poorly understood. To clarify the role of ISWI in vivo, we examined defects in chromosome structure and gene expression resulting from the loss of Iswi function in Drosophila. Consistent with a broad role in transcriptional regulation, the expression of a large number of genes is altered in Iswi mutant larvae. The expression of a dominant-negative form of ISWI leads to dramatic alterations in higher-order chromatin structure, including the apparent decondensation of both mitotic and polytene chromosomes. The loss of ISWI function does not cause obvious defects in nucleosome assembly, but results in a significant reduction in the level of histone H1 associated with chromatin in vivo. These findings suggest that ISWI plays a global role in chromatin compaction in vivo by promoting the association of the linker histone H1 with chromatin. PMID- 17760507 TI - Nitroaspirin (NCX-4016), an NO donor, is antiangiogenic through induction of loss of redox-dependent viability and cytoskeletal reorganization in endothelial cells. AB - We recently reported that NCX-4016, a derivative of aspirin containing a nitro moiety that releases nitric oxide (NO) in a sustained fashion in biologic systems, is a potent cytotoxic agent inhibiting the proliferation of cisplatin resistant human ovarian cancer cells. Therefore, we hypothesize that NCX-4016 possesses antiangiogenic properties. Our study with the bovine lung microvascular endothelial cells (BLMVECs) revealed that NCX-4016 significantly induced the loss of redox-dependent cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner, as assayed by the redox-sensitive Alamar blue cell viability assay. Fluorescence microscopy of cells labeled with NO-specific fluorophore (DAF-FM) confirmed that NCX-4016 generated significant levels of intracellular NO. NO donors, including S nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, spermine NONOate, and isosorbide dinitrite, were less effective in causing loss of cell viability. Thiol-protectant, N acetylcysteine, significantly attenuated the NCX-4016-induced loss of cell viability, suggesting the role of alteration of thiol-redox status therein. NCX 4016 also suppressed oxygen consumption, decreased transendothelial electrical resistance (EC barrier dysfunction), and induced actin cytoskeletal reorganization in BLMVECs. The in vitro assay with human umbilical vein ECs and BLMVECs revealed that NCX-4016, in a dose-dependent manner, significantly inhibited angiogenesis with almost complete inhibition at a 100-microM concentration, suggesting that NCX-4016 can act as an antiangiogenic drug. PMID- 17760506 TI - Emergence of large-scale cell morphology and movement from local actin filament growth dynamics. AB - Variations in cell migration and morphology are consequences of changes in underlying cytoskeletal organization and dynamics. We investigated how these large-scale cellular events emerge as direct consequences of small-scale cytoskeletal molecular activities. Because the properties of the actin cytoskeleton can be modulated by actin-remodeling proteins, we quantitatively examined how one such family of proteins, enabled/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (Ena/VASP), affects the migration and morphology of epithelial fish keratocytes. Keratocytes generally migrate persistently while exhibiting a characteristic smooth-edged "canoe" shape, but may also exhibit less regular morphologies and less persistent movement. When we observed that the smooth-edged canoe keratocyte morphology correlated with enrichment of Ena/VASP at the leading edge, we mislocalized and overexpressed Ena/VASP proteins and found that this led to changes in the morphology and movement persistence of cells within a population. Thus, local changes in actin filament dynamics due to Ena/VASP activity directly caused changes in cell morphology, which is coupled to the motile behavior of keratocytes. We also characterized the range of natural cell to-cell variation within a population by using measurable morphological and behavioral features--cell shape, leading-edge shape, filamentous actin (F-actin) distribution, cell speed, and directional persistence--that we have found to correlate with each other to describe a spectrum of coordinated phenotypes based on Ena/VASP enrichment at the leading edge. This spectrum stretched from smooth edged, canoe-shaped keratocytes--which had VASP highly enriched at their leading edges and migrated fast with straight trajectories--to more irregular, rounder cells migrating slower with less directional persistence and low levels of VASP at their leading edges. We developed a mathematical model that accounts for these coordinated cell-shape and behavior phenotypes as large-scale consequences of kinetic contributions of VASP to actin filament growth and protection from capping at the leading edge. This work shows that the local effects of actin remodeling proteins on cytoskeletal dynamics and organization can manifest as global modifications of the shape and behavior of migrating cells and that mathematical modeling can elucidate these large-scale cell behaviors from knowledge of detailed multiscale protein interactions. PMID- 17760508 TI - Translational control and the unfolded protein response. AB - Cellular stresses that disrupt the processing of proteins slated for the secretory pathway induce the unfolded protein response (UPR), a regulatory network involving both translational and transcriptional control mechanisms that is designed to expand the secretory pathway and alleviate cellular injury. PERK (PEK/EIF2AK3) mediates the translational control arm of the UPR by enhancing phosphorylation of eIF2. Phosphorylation of eIF2 reduces global protein synthesis, preventing further overload of the secretory pathway and allowing the cell to direct a new pattern of mRNA synthesis that enhances the processing capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). PERK also directs preferential translation of stress-related transcripts, including that encoding ATF4, a transcriptional activator that contributes to the UPR. Reduced global translation also leads to reduced levels of key regulatory proteins that are subject to rapid turnover, facilitating activation of transcription factors such as NF-B during cellular stress. This review highlights the mechanisms by which PERK monitors and is activated by accumulated misfolded protein in the ER, the processes by which PERK regulates both general and gene-specific translation that is central for the UPR, and the role of PERK in the process of cellular adaptation to ER stress and its impact in disease. PMID- 17760509 TI - Role of oxidants in lung injury during sepsis. AB - The role of oxidative stress has been well appreciated in the development of sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Oxidative stress in sepsis-induced ALI is believed to be initiated by products of activated lung macrophages and infiltrated neutrophils, promptly propagating to lung epithelial and endothelial cells. This leads to tissue damage and organ dysfunction. On stimulation, neutrophils (PMNs) enable their migration machinery. The lung undergoes changes favoring adhesion and transmigration of PMNs, resulting in PMN accumulation in lung, which is a characteristic of sepsis-induced ALI. Oxidative stress turns on the redox-sensitive transcription factors (NF-kappaB, AP-1), resulting in a large output of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which further aggravate inflammation and oxidative stress. During the process, transcription factor nuclear factor-erythroid 2-p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase (HO) appear to play the counterbalancing roles to limit the propagation of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in lung. Many antioxidants have been tested to treat sepsis-induced ALI in animal models and in patients with sepsis. However, the results are inconclusive. In this article, we focus on the current understanding of the pathogenesis of sepsis-induced ALI and novel antioxidant strategies for therapeutic purposes. PMID- 17760511 TI - Temporal variation of Ixodes ricinus intensity on the rodent host Apodemus flavicollis in relation to local climate and host dynamics. AB - The risk to humans of contracting tick-borne zoonotic diseases depends on the risk of a bite from an infected tick, which can be broken down into its component parts as the number of host-seeking ticks in the environment, in particular nymphs, and the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens they are carrying. In turn, the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens is dependent upon tick biting intensity on hosts that support transmission between ticks; namely rodents. These ticks once fed moult into the next life stage and search for the next blood meal, thus posing a zoonotic risk. Here, we analyse tick biting intensity on rodents in a known tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) focus in Trentino (northern Italy). We examine patterns of tick demography and the influence of host densities and climate on ticks' generation time, development rates, tick density and intensity. During the period 2000-2004, a population of the yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis, the most important TBE transmission host, was intensively monitored. Ticks feeding on individual rodents were counted, distinguishing between the larval and nymph life-stages. Local temperature and relative humidity was calculated using both data-loggers in the field site and regional weather stations. We investigated which factors had a predictive value both on feeding tick intensity and on the overall density of larvae or nymphs feeding on rodents in a year. We observed a negative effect of rodent density on tick intensity, while temperature influenced positively both larvae and nymph intensity. Overall larval density was higher in the years and trapping grids where rodent density was higher, while for nymphs no such effect was observed. The best explanatory variable for nymph density was the larval density in the previous year, confirming the discrete nature of tick demography. This provides important information in terms of monitoring the risk to humans of acquiring pathogen infected ticks. PMID- 17760512 TI - Mexican Trypanosoma cruzi isolates: in vitro susceptibility of epimastigotes to anti-trypanosoma cruzi drugs and metacyclic forms to complement-mediated lysis. AB - Trypanosoma cruzi has a clonal organization with an ample array of genetic and phenotypic features and probably anaploid constitution. Consequently, the biological behavior, biochemistry, and molecular attributes may be distinctive for each parasite strain in different geographical regions. As far as we know, there is no published information on the susceptibility of Mexican T. cruzi stocks to anti-T. cruzi drugs such as benznidazole and gentian violet, or on its resistance to complement-mediated lysis. We studied 10 Mexican T. cruzi isolates from different geographical areas, such as the pacific coast (Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Nayarit States), central part of Mexico (Guanajuato State), Gulf of Mexico (Veracruz State), and the Yucatan Peninsula (Campeche State). We searched for the natural resistance to drugs in in vitro assay against the 10 Mexican isolates using epimastigote forms and the complement-mediated lysis using metacyclic trypomastigotes insect-derived in three of them (one for each geographic region). In general, we observed high resistance to benznidazole in all the Mexican isolates tested, but in the complement-mediated lysis test, they showed moderate to high susceptibility. Although it is necessary to expand this study by using trypomastigotes and the intracellular form to verify its biological role, we suggest that Mexican T. cruzi parasites may have a variable susceptibility to antibody-mediated lysis and high resistance to benznidazole. PMID- 17760513 TI - Bird movement predicts Buggy Creek virus infection in insect vectors. AB - Predicting the spatial foci of zoonotic diseases is a major challenge for epidemiologists and disease ecologists. Migratory birds are often thought to be responsible for introducing some aviozoonotic pathogens such as West Nile and avian influenza viruses to a local area, but most information on how bird movement correlates with virus prevalence is anecdotal or indirect. We report that the prevalence of Buggy Creek virus (BCRV) infection in cimicid swallow bugs (Oeciacus vicarius), the principal invertebrate vector for this virus, was directly associated with the likelihood of movement by cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), an amplifying host for the virus, between nesting colonies. The prevalence of BCRV in bugs was also directly correlated with the number of swallows immigrating into a site. Birds that move into a site are often transient individuals that may have more often encountered virus elsewhere. These results indicate that the magnitude and direction of daily bird movement in a local area can accurately predict transmission foci for this virus and provide rare quantitative evidence that birds can play a critical role in the dispersal of certain vector-borne viruses. PMID- 17760515 TI - Characterization of a bipartite recombinant adeno-associated viral vector for site-specific integration. AB - Adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) is the only virus known to integrate into a specific locus in the human genome. The locus, AAVS1, is on the q arm of chromosome 19 at position 13.4. AAV is currently a popular vector for human gene therapy. However, current vectors do not contain two important elements needed for site-specific integration, that is, the rep gene or the P5 promoter, although they do integrate with low frequency at random locations in the human genome. We have designed a bipartite vector that does insert the transgene into AAVS1. One component, rAAVSVAV2, contains the rep gene, driven by the simian virus 40 early promoter rather than the P5 promoter. Thus, the integration enhancer element (IEE) within P5, which greatly enhances site-specific integration, has been deleted. The other component, rAAVP5UF11, contains the P5 IEE plus the transgene with associated regulatory elements. We have created clones of transduced HeLa cells, most of which appear to have the transgene inserted in AAVS1. We have not detected any clones that have rep inserted anywhere. With the optimal multiplicity of infection and ratio of rAAVSVAV2 and rAAVP5UF11, the transgene integrated specifically at AAVS1 with high efficiency (>60%). Most importantly, the cloned cell lines with the AAVS1 site-specific integrated green fluorescent protein (GFP) were healthy and stably expressed GFP for 35 passages. An AAV vector that would integrate at a specific site with high frequency could offer significant advantage in the transduction of progenitor cells and stem cells ex vivo and engineered cells could be used for human gene therapy. AAV site-specific integration gene therapy could provide a novel approach for diseases that need long-term gene expression. PMID- 17760514 TI - Dynamics of oliveros virus infection in rodents in central Argentina. AB - Oliveros virus (OLV) is an arenavirus hosted by the sigmodontine rodent, Necromys benefactus, in central Argentina. We report a 3-year longitudinal field study of the dynamics of OLV infection in host populations from 15 localities in two provinces on the central Argentine pampa. There was an overall 3-year period immunofluorescent antibody prevalence of 25% in the host population, and infected hosts were found throughout the study area. Spill-over infection into common sympatric species was rare. Infection dynamics exhibited many of the patterns seen for other rodent-borne arenaviruses and hantaviruses, but had some unique characteristics. Host population density was highest in autumn and lowest in spring, while antibody prevalence was highest in spring and lowest in autumn. Virus transmission was horizontal: infection was strongly associated with age, reaching 45% prevalence in the oldest individuals, and prevalence of infection was equal among male and female hosts. Infection may have been associated with scars, which were also approximately equally distributed among male and female Necromys. PMID- 17760510 TI - Molecular targeting of proteins by L-homocysteine: mechanistic implications for vascular disease. AB - Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, complications of pregnancy, cognitive impairment, and osteoporosis. That elevated homocysteine leads to vascular dysfunction may be the linking factor between these apparently unrelated pathologies. Although a growing body of evidence suggests that homocysteine plays a causal role in atherogenesis, specific mechanisms to explain the underlying pathogenesis have remained elusive. This review focuses on chemistry unique to the homocysteine molecule to explain its inherent cytotoxicity. Thus, the high pKa of the sulfhydryl group (pKa, 10.0) of homocysteine underlies its ability to form stable disulfide bonds with protein cysteine residues, and in the process, alters or impairs the function of the protein. Studies in this laboratory have identified albumin, fibronectin, transthyretin, and metallothionein as targets for homocysteinylation. In the case of albumin, the mechanism of targeting has been elucidated. Homocysteinylation of the cysteine residues of fibronectin impairs its ability to bind to fibrin. Homocysteinylation of the cysteine residues of metallothionein disrupts zinc binding by the protein and abrogates inherent superoxide dismutase activity. Thus, S-homocysteinylation of protein cysteine residues may explain mechanistically the cytotoxicity of elevated L-homocysteine. PMID- 17760516 TI - What it's all about... PMID- 17760517 TI - Cancer education and research in international settings: challenges and opportunities. PMID- 17760519 TI - Development of communication skills workshop for oncology advanced practice nursing students. AB - BACKGROUND: Communication skills have not traditionally been included in nursing curriculum. The best educational method to improve health care providers' practice in communication skills is first, introduction of content, followed by continuous skills assessment and mentored feedback. METHODS: A communication skills workshop using standardized patients (SPs) was planned for oncology nurse practitioner students. A 6-step development plan was used to design, implement, and evaluate the curriculum. Three patient cases using SPs were developed to represent a specific communication skill. SP teaching methodology is relatively new to nursing curriculum. RESULTS. Four methods of evaluation revealed a high level of satisfaction with the course, a high level of communications skills demonstrated during the course, and student need to have more communication content throughout their curriculum. Confidence in communication skills increased following the workshop. CONCLUSIONS: This methodology has widespread application to other areas of cancer nursing including nurses with less oncology experience and practicing nurses on the oncology units. In addition, there is application throughout nursing curriculum for undergraduate and graduate programs. The content should be presented earlier in the curriculum and then reinforced throughout the remaining courses with clinical follow-up. PMID- 17760518 TI - Disseminating end-of-life education to cancer centers: overview of program and of evaluation. AB - BACKGROUND: Systematic provision of compassionate end-of-life (EOL) care requires strategic training of health professionals. Disseminating EOL Education to Cancer Centers (DELEtCC) targeted education of interdisciplinary institutional teams. METHODS: Competitively-selected two-person teams participated in a national three day EOL conference. Nationally recognized faculty created and presented the curriculum. Project faculty supported teams over 18 months as they implemented EOL goals. Conference evaluations were very positive. RESULTS: Independent participant and administrative evaluations reported successful implementation of goals aimed an improving EOL care. CONCLUSIONS: DELEtCC disseminated education representing best EOL practices, and participants used this knowledge to create and implement goals aimed at improving EOL care. PMID- 17760520 TI - Evaluating the ability of visual images to inform college women about the link between smoking and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and to motivate quitting: critical dimensions. AB - BACKGROUND: Because cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN, or dysplasia) is associated with behavioral factors, health education is an important part of the care of patients at risk for this disease. Smoking, which is strongly associated with CIN and cancers, is particularly important because smoking cessation, even after the onset of CIN, improves outcomes. This study is part of an effort to identify effective ways to convey information about the association between smoking and CIN to at-risk women. METHODS: We created 8 images to systematically incorporate a range of artistic approaches to inform viewers about the relationship between smoking and CIN. College women smokers were recruited to participate. Participants rated the images on the extent to which they attracted attention and motivated smoking cessation. RESULTS: Significant differences were identified in the response of this population to visual images differing in content and style. Informative images were more compelling than those that were emotive. CONCLUSIONS: Further exploration is warranted to improve our understanding of how visual forms of health education can impact smoking cessation by those at risk for cervical cancer. PMID- 17760522 TI - An evaluation of the American Cancer Society research scholar program. AB - BACKGROUND: The American Cancer Society (ACS) allocated competitive funding for Research Project Grants (RPG) to investigators and health care professionals early in their careers. This study explored the process of applying for an ACS grant and determined the differences, if any, in applicants that were funded and applicants that were not funded. METHODS: Applicants applying for RPG funding in the spring of 1996 were sent a questionnaire. RESULTS: Most variables between funded and unfunded applicants did not show significant differences. The perception of the application process varied significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The application process of RPG was highly valued among funded applicants. PMID- 17760521 TI - Ethics-in-oncology forums. AB - BACKGROUND: We developed an ethics curriculum for hematology/oncology fellows who had already learned medical ethics from medical school and residency programs. The goal of the ethics program was to train fellows in ethics issues specific to hematology/oncology; to raise awareness of ethical issues; and to teach fellows to write, edit, and publish reviews in specific ethical issues. METHODS: Fellows learned to summarize expert opinions, to understand diversity in cultural concepts relating to ethics, and to crystallize their approaches to ethical dilemmas to selected oncology patients. Fellows were also trained to write ethics discussions in manuscript format, edit the manuscripts, and submit them for publication. RESULTS: We hypothesized that fellows would learn ethics in oncology by recognizing and choosing an ethical dilemma from among patient population; reviewing the literature for a discussion of relevant ethical issues; presenting the case and facilitating discussion to an ethics-in-oncology committee; hearing faculty and peer input into their cases; and finally writing, editing, and publishing the deliberation. It also increased understanding of health systems management, a new competency required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for board certification. CONCLUSIONS: Fellows' perceptions about the experience were positive. We recommend that other subspecialty programs consider this format for teaching ethics in their subspecialties. PMID- 17760523 TI - Concerns and recommendations regarding inherited cancer risk: the perspectives of survivors and female relatives. AB - BACKGROUND: Little research is available comparing differences in cancer risk perceptions between cancer survivors and family members at risk for hereditary breast/ovarian cancer. METHODS: Qualitative focus groups with survivor-female relative dyads (N = 39) were conducted. RESULTS: Important differences exist between the concerns of survivors and family members relevant to their cancer risk. Survivors focused on their own concerns from a personal perspective, whereas family members focused on the survivors' health and tended to suppress their own fears of cancer. Specific recommendations for inclusion of family members in cancer risk education are provided. CONCLUSIONS: Addressing family member differences is critical to tailor specific risk information inclusive of the entire family. PMID- 17760524 TI - Shopping for nutrition-based complementary and alternative medicine on the Internet: how much money might cancer patients be spending online? AB - BACKGROUND: How much money might cancer patients be spending on-line for nutrition-based complementary and alternative medicine therapies? This question is relevant because over $34 billion per year is spent on complementary and alternative medicine in the United States, and the Internet has facilitated the acquisition of such therapies. METHODS: We therefore conducted a "patient simulation exercise" in which the Internet was surfed for nutrition-based therapies, which were touted as therapeutic or palliative in the cancer setting. Monthly costs for each agent were calculated. Agents with clinical evidence of efficacy were excluded. RESULTS: A search of 2,500 Web sites and related pages revealed a total of 16 different products. The monthly cost of each ranged from to $4.33 to $263.00. The median cost of a single agent was $27.00 per month. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the need for health care providers to undertake with cancer patients a comprehensive discussion of therapeutic options- including those relevant to nutrition-based complementary and alternative medicine. A compassionate discussion of patients' out-of-pocket costs should be an integral part of that discussion and should be emphasized as an important dimension of patient education efforts. PMID- 17760525 TI - Examination of the adherence to the "5 A Day the Color Way" campaign among parents and their preschool children. AB - BACKGROUND: The evidence of health benefits associated with the consumption of a variety fruits and vegetables (FV) is well known. The "5 A Day Color Way" campaign is a national effort to translate the science with a message of increased colorful FV consumption for the public. The extent of the translation and adherence to these recommendations among families in a community setting is an important public health question. METHODS: Parents enrolled in 8 rural Missouri county parent education programs answered surveys for their preschool children (n = 1658) about FV consumption and barriers to purchasing them by color. RESULTS: Of parents, 40% (n = 668) and 26% (n = 425) of children ate from all 5 colors some time the previous week. However, no parents and only 1 child attained perfect adherence to the guidelines (all 5 colors most days of the week). Disliking the taste and not in the habit of purchasing colorful FV were significant predictors for not meeting recommendations for red, yellow/orange, and green FV. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions targeting young children and their families (ie, child care settings, elementary schools) that establish preference for color specific FV may be ideal in rural communities to encourage movement toward adherence to the campaign. PMID- 17760526 TI - Pediatric cancer knowledge: assessment of knowledge of warning signs and symptoms for pediatric cancer among Brazilian community health workers. AB - BACKGROUND: Field workers and lay community health educators are often children's first opportunity for correctly recognizing and responding to early signs and symptoms of pediatric cancers. Inadequate familiarity with the warning signs and symptoms of childhood cancer results in delayed referral to a physician for diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: This pilot study assessed community health workers' baseline level of knowledge about childhood cancers. Community health workers from Brazil completed a pediatric cancer knowledge questionnaire. RESULTS: Although all respondents knew to refer a child suspected to have cancer to a physician, their knowledge of the early warning signs and symptoms of pediatric cancer was very low. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate a link between training and knowledge and confirm the need for targeted education in the warning signs and symptoms of pediatric cancer for community health workers in developing countries. PMID- 17760528 TI - Family support for Native Hawaiian women with breast cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: A cancer diagnosis affects not only the individual but the entire family. Despite the growing body of literature on family support as a resource in cancer care, there is very little research on how cancer affects families in non Western cultures. A minority population that experiences a disproportionate burden from cancer is Native Hawaiian women. METHODS: In this study, 8 Native Hawaiian women with breast cancer and 17 family members of other Native Hawaiian women with breast cancer participated in focus groups examining family support. Specifically, types of support provided by the family (eg, informational, emotional, and tangible), changing dynamics of family roles, and recommendations for health care providers, with attention paid to the influence of culture on family support, were topics that were examined. RESULTS: Similarly to other populations, Native Hawaiians viewed the family as the most important source of emotional and tangible support for women with cancer, and identified a need for increased informational support for both patients and families in the face of cancer. However, their reference to specific cultural values and practices within the 'ohana (family) [eg, haku (family liaison) and ho'omana (spirituality)] reflects a uniqueness that has implications for clinical work with this population. CONCLUSIONS: Consideration of cultural values and practices may enhance health care services for this population. PMID- 17760527 TI - Development and implementation of a curriculum on cancer screening for small groups of Latino women. AB - BACKGROUND: Health programs tailored to serve Latino communities with limited access to health care are necessary. The methods used to develop breast and cervical cancer educational programs and to evaluate their implementation are presented. METHODS: A 12-session curriculum was developed to guide weekly group sessions led by trained community health advisors (ie, consejeras). RESULTS: The curriculum has been implemented and revised over time. Assessments of the extent to which the curriculum educational objectives were met were based on diaries completed by consejeras at the end of the educational sessions and observation ratings of randomly selected educational sessions. The facilitator's guide includes, for each educational session, (1) information about the materials that will be needed for the session, (2) educational objectives, and (3) scripted text to guide the session. CONCLUSIONS: The curriculum has been successfully implemented and represents a carefully constructed tool to foster breast and cervical early detection in underserved Latino communities. PMID- 17760529 TI - Cognitive dysfunction in cancer patients: an educational needs area improved by a single intervention. AB - BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction (CRCD) is increasingly recognized as an important cause of posttreatment morbidity, with significant impact on quality of life. We sought to evaluate the level of need for and awareness of information regarding CRCD among nurses involved with the care of persons receiving chemotherapy. We also hypothesized that educational interventions are useful in this increasingly important area of oncology nursing. METHODS: Chemotherapy nurse providers were surveyed regarding CRCD beliefs and skills; a subset of individuals attending a CRCD educational session underwent pretesting and posttesting to assess CRCD knowledge. RESULTS: Respondents perceived that CRCD is a serious problem and identified the following needs areas: general CRCD education, diagnostic skills, knowledge regarding behavioral and pharmacologic interventions, and availability of adequate CRCD practice protocols. With a single educational intervention, posttest scoring improved over pretest in most subjects, with a statistically significant overall improvement in mean scores. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the need for education in CRCD diagnosis, intervention, and protocol development. A single educational intervention improved knowledge. Our work underscores the importance of CRCD education for the Oncology Education Services and other oncology nurse educational resources. PMID- 17760530 TI - Dr Helen Kim's story: the risk to blossom and glad to be exactly me. PMID- 17760532 TI - Two-piece implants with turned versus microtextured collars. AB - Implant companies have been promoting two-piece implants with microtextured collars in the interest of hard tissue preservation and/or soft tissue integration. However, this rationale may not be justified. Based on comparative studies currently available, it is unclear whether microroughened implant necks reduce crestal bone loss. A possible effect may be overruled by the establishment of a biologic width or by other factors influencing crestal bone remodeling. In addition, the orientation and attachment of the collagen fibers in the peri implant mucosa are a little different because the surface roughness varies at the level of the implant neck. The clinician should be cautious when using these modified implants because the impact of microtextured collars on the initiation and progression of peri-implant pathology is currently unknown. PMID- 17760533 TI - Implant placement with or without simultaneous tooth extraction in patients taking oral bisphosphonates: postoperative healing, early follow-up, and the incidence of complications in two private practices. AB - BACKGROUND: The development of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis in patients with a history of intravenous bisphosphonate therapy is a significant cause of concern in clinical periodontal practice. The role of oral bisphosphonates in the development of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis is less clear. This article documents the results of treatment of patients with a history of oral bisphosphonate therapy in two private periodontal practices. The study was a retrospective analysis of case records of patients treated as part of routine periodontal and implant treatment. METHODS: Patients with a history of oral bisphosphonate therapy of various durations were treated with implant placement and restoration or tooth extraction, immediate placement, and restoration. These patients were followed for 12 to 24 months after implant placement. The incidence of hard and soft tissue complications, including the development of osteonecrosis, was noted. RESULTS: No osteonecrosis was noted immediately postoperatively or during the follow-up period in 61 patients. One patient demonstrated a small tissue dehiscence at the 1-week postoperative examination following extraction of a mandibular first molar and simultaneous implant placement in the area of a prominent torus. No other postoperative complications were noted. All implants were functioning successfully by the Albrektsson criteria 12 to 24 months post-insertion. CONCLUSIONS: A history of oral bisphosphonate use for a mean period of 3.3 years (range, 1 to 5 years) was not found to be a contributing factor to the development of osteonecrosis following implant placement in intact ridges or tooth extraction with immediate implant placement. However, there is no doubt that larger controlled studies and retrospective reports are needed. PMID- 17760534 TI - Success and survival of single dental implants placed in sites of previously failed implants. AB - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the clinical effectiveness of single dental implants placed in sites of previously failed implants. METHODS: The study consisted of a consecutive cohort of 1,215 patients who received 1,387 single implants for single-tooth replacement during a 6-year period (1999 to 2005). Inclusion criteria were a single implant replacing a previously failed implant and follow-up data > or =6 months. Data were recorded and analyzed regarding implant survival and location, need for bone augmentation, and implant dimensions. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients experienced the failure of 96 implants. Of those, 31 implants in 28 patients were replaced by a similar implant placed in the same location. Nine of the replacement implants failed, resulting in an overall survival rate of 71%. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 46 months (mean, 19.4 +/- 11.4 months). Replacement of maxillary and mandibular failed implants was similar. All failures occurred during the first year after implant replacement. On average, implant replacement occurred 5.8 +/- 5.2 months after original implant removal; three implants were placed immediately after implant removal. A third attempt for single implant replacement was made in two patients. However, one failed. CONCLUSIONS: Replacement of a failed implant presents a challenge to achieve osseointegration in a healed bone site and may result in a decline in the survival rates. Patients and clinicians should be aware of these results before a replacement attempt is considered. The success of replacement may be increased by the use of wider implants or with improved surfaces. PMID- 17760535 TI - Analysis of the potential association of implant stability, laboratory, and image based measures used to assess osteotomy sites: early versus delayed loading. AB - BACKGROUND: During the assessments made at presurgical, surgical, and follow-up phases, the clinician may benefit from a wide array of clinical and/or image based measures. Because analysis of the potential associations among the various measures could improve the evaluation process for dental implants, this study attempted to determine the potential correlations among peri-implant sulcus fluid (PISF) volume, implant stability, nitric oxide content of PISF, and marginal bone loss. METHODS: Seventeen completely edentulous patients seeking prosthetic rehabilitation were included. Two ball attachment mandibular overdentures were given to all patients, and early- (N = 18) and delayed-loaded (N = 16) dental implants were compared during 24-weeks of follow-up. Resonance frequency analysis (RFA), marginal bone level, and PISF samples were taken for all dental implants. RESULTS: A consistent and negative correlation was observed between RFA measurements and marginal bone level, whereas some correlations also existed between RFA and PISF volume. The pattern of loading seemed to affect the relationship between RFA measurements and marginal bone level and, to a limited extent, the association between PISF volume and nitrite levels. CONCLUSIONS: Where the potential associations among various implant-related measures are concerned, the factors that may affect such associations (e.g., healing and loading) need to be considered. Data arising from the analysis of the associations between the wide arrays of available implant-related measures may improve dental practitioners' assessment concerning endosseous dental implants. PMID- 17760536 TI - Comparison between full-mouth scaling and root planing and quadrant-wise basic therapy of aggressive periodontitis: 6-month clinical results. AB - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that there are no differences in clinical parameters in generalized aggressive periodontitis patients after full-mouth scaling and root planing (FRP) or quadrant-wise basic periodontal therapy (BPT) when combined with an antibiotic regimen. METHODS: Patients were allocated randomly to BPT (N = 15; mean age: 29.5 +/- 5.7 years) or FRP (N = 15; mean age: 28.4 +/- 5.7 years). All subjects received oral hygiene instructions including the use of a 0.12% chlorhexidine mouthrinse solution twice a day for 2 months. Patients also received amoxicillin, 500 mg, and metronidazole, 250 mg, three times a day for 7 days. Probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level, visible plaque, and bleeding on probing were recorded at baseline and at 2, 4, and 6 months post-therapy. Statistically significant changes within and between groups were determined using the general linear model repeated measures procedure. RESULTS: Both groups showed a significant improvement in all clinical parameters post-therapy, which was particularly evident at 2 months in the sites that had been deepest at baseline. For instance, the mean PD at sites with mean PD > or =7 mm at baseline had decreased 3.9 mm in the BPT group and 3.6 mm in the FRP group. At 6 months, the percentage of sites with PD > or =7 mm decreased from 13.2% +/- 3.2% to 0% in the BPT group and from 13.3% +/- 3.5% to 0.2% +/- 0.1% in the FRP group. No statistically significant differences were observed between groups for most clinical parameters. CONCLUSION: Within the limits of the present investigation, FRP and BPT caused comparable clinical effects in aggressive periodontitis patients when an adjunctive combined antibiotic regimen was included. PMID- 17760537 TI - Treatment of titanium dental implants with three piezoelectric ultrasonic scalers: an in vivo study. AB - BACKGROUND: Dental implants require regular maintenance. It is crucial that the instrument used for maintenance be able to remove plaque and calculus from the implant surface effectively and efficiently, while causing minimal damage to its circumference. Some ultrasonic scalers may be useful for implant maintenance; however, no clinical study has examined this. This study evaluated the treatment of titanium implants with three piezoelectric scalers in vivo. METHODS: Fourteen patients underwent implant treatment in which plaque and calculus were removed from the abutment surfaces with ultrasonic scalers. The abutments were treated with scalers with carbon (VS; N = 7), plastic (PS; N = 7), or metallic (ES; N = 7) tips. The abutment surface characteristics were examined after instrumentation using scanning electron microscopy. The amount of plaque remaining and roughness were estimated using a modification of the remaining plaque and calculus score and the modified roughness score, respectively. In addition, the abutment surfaces were imaged with a laser profilometer and a laser scanning electron microscope (SEM). RESULTS: The remaining plaque and calculus scores did not differ significantly among the VS, PS, and ES groups. VS and PS produced a significantly smoother abutment surface than ES. The laser SEM three-dimensional images also demonstrated that VS and PS produced smooth abutment surfaces, whereas ES resulted in damaged surfaces. CONCLUSIONS: VS and PS produced clean, smooth abutment surfaces. Piezoelectric scalers with non-metal tips are suitable for use in dental implant maintenance. PMID- 17760538 TI - Root surface biomodification with EDTA for the treatment of gingival recession with a semilunar coronally repositioned flap. AB - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the outcome of gingival recession therapy using the semilunar coronally repositioned flap (SCRF) with or without EDTA application for root surface biomodification. METHODS: Fifteen patients with bilateral Miller Class I buccal gingival recessions (< or =4.0 mm) were selected. Thirty teeth with recessions were assigned randomly to receive the semilunar coronally repositioned flap with (SCRF E group) or without (SCRF group) the application of an EDTA gel. Recession height (RH), recession width (RW), width (WKT) and thickness of keratinized tissue, probing depth, and clinical attachment level (CAL) were measured at baseline and 6 months post-surgery. Patient perception of root sensitivity and postoperative pain also was evaluated. RESULTS: Both treatments yielded significant improvements in terms of RH and RW decrease and CAL gain compared to baseline values. For SCRF-E and SCRF, the average root coverage was 70.2% and 90.1%, respectively (P = 0.01), and the complete root coverage was 40.0% and 66.7%, respectively. Only the SCRF group had a significant (P <0.05) increase in WKT. The SCRF group showed a greater reduction (P <0.05) in RW and RH compared to the SCRF-E group. No patient in either group reported any pain during the postoperative course; however, 6 months later, patients in the SCRF-E group complained more of residual or new root sensitivity compared to patients in the SCRF group. CONCLUSION: The use of EDTA gel as a root surface biomodifier agent negatively affected the outcome of root coverage with the SCRF. PMID- 17760539 TI - Coronally positioned flap for root coverage in smokers and non-smokers: stability of outcomes between 6 months and 2 years. AB - BACKGROUND: Smoking adversely affects the short-term outcomes of coronally positioned flap (CPF) root coverage procedures, but the long-term stability of this procedure in smokers has not been studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of smoking on the long-term outcomes of CPF in recession treatment. METHODS: CPF was used to treat a Miller Class I defect in a maxillary canine or premolar in 10 current smokers (> or =10 cigarettes daily for > or =5 years) and 10 non-smokers (never smokers). At baseline and 6, 12, and 24 months, clinical parameters, including probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), recession depth (RD), and width of keratinized tissue (KT), were determined. RESULTS: Intragroup analysis showed that CPF failed to maintain the gingival margin at the initially achieved position. RD significantly increased in smokers (from 0.84 +/- 0.49 to 1.28 +/- 0.58 mm) and in non-smokers (from 0.22 +/ 0.29 to 0.50 +/- 0.41 mm) between 6 and 24 months. Further analysis showed that 50% of smokers and 10% of non-smokers lost between 0.5 and 1.0 mm of root coverage in the same period. Intergroup analysis showed that smokers had significantly greater residual recession (P = 0.001) at 24 months. Both smokers and non-smokers lost CAL and experienced decreases in KT. CONCLUSIONS: The long term stability of CPF outcomes is less than desirable, particularly in smokers. Two years after a CPF procedure, smokers have significantly greater residual recession compared to non-smokers both statistically and clinically. PMID- 17760540 TI - Clinical and microbiologic changes associated with the combined use of a powered toothbrush and a triclosan/copolymer dentifrice: a 3-year prospective study. AB - BACKGROUND: Different means are available for self-performed oral hygiene. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and microbiologic effects of a preventive homecare program including the combined use of a powered toothbrush and a triclosan/copolymer-containing dentifrice. METHODS: A total of 160 adult subjects without signs of destructive periodontal disease were recruited for this 3-year randomized controlled trial. The subjects were assigned to a homecare program using an oscillating/rotating powered toothbrush and a triclosan/copolymer/fluoride-containing dentifrice (test) or a manual toothbrush and a standard fluoride-containing dentifrice (control). Supragingival polishing and reinforcement of homecare procedures were provided every 6 months. Plaque, bleeding on probing (BOP), and probing depth (PD) were scored at baseline and after 1, 2, and 3 years. Subgingival plaque samples were taken from the mesial aspect of each tooth at baseline and after 1, 2, and 3 years and were analyzed for their content of 40 bacterial species using checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. All data analyses were based on "intention-to-treat" with the subject as the statistical unit. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, no significant changes in clinical parameters were observed during the 3 years, except for a reduction in the mean PD at the 2- and 3-year follow-up examinations (P <0.05). No significant differences were found between the two groups with regard to plaque, BOP, or PD or in the mean counts of the 40 species at any time point. CONCLUSION: The study failed to prove additional benefits of the combined use of a powered toothbrush and a triclosan/copolymer-containing dentifrice in adult subjects without signs of destructive periodontal disease. PMID- 17760541 TI - Microbiologic analysis of periodontal pockets and carotid atheromatous plaques in advanced chronic periodontitis patients. AB - BACKGROUND: In recent years, many researchers have focused their attention on the ability of periodontal pathogens to colonize atheromatous plaques. Nevertheless, a clear correlation between the detection rates of periodontopathic bacterial DNA in atheromas and in subgingival plaque samples has not been established. The aim of our study was to assess the presence of five periodontal pathogens (Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia [formerly Tannerella forsythensis]) in periodontal pockets and in carotid atheromas recovered from the same patients. METHODS: Thirty-three patients with advanced chronic periodontitis scheduled for endarterectomy were enrolled in the study. DNA was extracted from subgingival plaque samples and carotid atheromas. Universal bacteria primers for general detection of bacteria and species-specific primers for detection of periodontal pathogens were used to amplify part of the 16S rRNA gene by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: All subgingival plaque samples were positive for at least one target microorganism. The prevalence of T. forsythia, P. gingivalis, T. denticola, P. intermedia, and A. actinomycetemcomitans were 69.7%, 63.6%, 54.5%, 45.4%, and 33.3%, respectively. Bacterial DNA was detected in 31 out of 33 endarterectomy specimens. However, none of the samples tested positive for DNA from periodontal pathogens. CONCLUSION: The presence of periodontal bacteria in atheromatous plaques was not confirmed by this investigation; thus, no correlation could be drawn between periodontitis bacteria and microorganisms involved in the atherosclerotic lesions. PMID- 17760542 TI - Periodontal microbiota in patients with coronary artery disease measured by real time polymerase chain reaction: a case-control study. AB - BACKGROUND: Recent data have shown that periodontal disease may increase the risk of occurrence of coronary heart disease in which inflammation initiated by bacteria and their compounds might be a common causal factor. This case-control study aimed at studying the relationship between periodontal disease and coronary artery disease (CAD) based on clinical and periodontal microbiologic parameters. METHODS: A total of 90 male subjects, 48 to 80 years of age, were included in this study. Forty-five men had CAD (CAD+), which was confirmed by coronary angiography. Forty-five age-matched controls showed no history or symptoms of CAD (CAD-). All subjects underwent a clinical periodontal examination including assessment of tooth loss, probing depth, clinical attachment level, and bleeding on probing. In the CAD+ group, this examination took place 1 day before coronary angiography. Subgingival microbial samples were taken and evaluated by means of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the total amount of bacteria and the following periodontopathogens: Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Parvimonas micra (formerly Micromonas micros), Dialister pneumosintes, and Campylobacter rectus. RESULTS: Compared to control subjects, CAD+ subjects had significantly deeper pockets (2.28 mm versus 2.96 mm; P <0.001) and greater attachment loss (2.85 mm versus 3.65 mm; P <0.001), and this difference remained statistically significant after adjusting for smoking. No significant differences were observed between cases and controls with regard to the number of teeth present. P. intermedia was the only periodontal pathogen that showed significantly higher mean counts in CAD+ subjects compared to CAD- subjects. Higher counts of total bacteria, P. micra, D. pneumosintes, and C. rectus were found in the CAD- group. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a relationship between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease exists, although P. intermedia was the only periodontopathogen related to CAD. PMID- 17760543 TI - The association between postmenopausal osteoporosis and periodontal disease. AB - BACKGROUND: The clinical importance of systemic bone loss as a contributory factor to alveolar bone loss and the subsequent loss of teeth merits further study, given that osteoporosis and periodontal disease lead to significantly increased morbidity and mortality and higher public expenditure of funds. This case-control study evaluated the association between osteoporosis and periodontal disease. METHODS: The sample consisted of 139 postmenopausal women: 48 in the case group (with periodontal disease) and 91 in the control group (without periodontal disease). The diagnosis of periodontal disease was established following a complete clinical examination using measurements of probing depth, gingival recession and hyperplasia, clinical attachment loss, and bleeding index, and confirmed by panoramic radiography. The diagnosis of osteoporosis was made by reviewing densitometry reports obtained previously. Descriptive, stratified, and logistic regression analyses were applied to the data collected. Comparison of proportions was performed using the chi(2) and Fisher tests. Association measurements (odds ratios [ORs]) with and without adjustment for confounding factors and control for effect modifiers were obtained at a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: The OR(unadjusted) for the principal association was 2.58 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 to 6.82). In subgroup analyses of the stratified model, the OR(unadjusted) for low education was 6.40 (95% CI: 1.77 to 23.18). When adjusted for smoking habit and age, the OR(adjusted) was 7.05 (95% CI: 1.90 to 26.19), which also was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and low educational levels have a greater chance of having periodontal disease than do those without osteoporosis. PMID- 17760544 TI - Mechanical therapy with adjunctive minocycline microspheres reduces red-complex bacteria in smokers. AB - BACKGROUND: Smoking increases the risk for periodontal disease and reduces the healing response. We examined the antimicrobial and clinical effects of scaling and root planing (SRP) with and without minocycline HCl 1 mg microspheres (MM) relative to smoking status in subjects with periodontitis. METHODS: A total of 127 subjects (46 never smokers, 44 former smokers, and 37 current smokers) with moderate to advanced periodontitis were randomized to receive MM + SRP (N = 62) or SRP alone (N = 65). Subgingival plaque samples collected at baseline and day 30 were examined for the presence of 40 periodontal bacteria by DNA probe analysis. RESULTS: MM + SRP reduced red-complex bacteria (RCB) numbers and proportions to a greater extent than SRP alone, irrespective of smoking status. RCB numbers were not reduced by SRP in current smokers. The difference in the reduction in numbers of RCB by SRP relative to MM + SRP in current smokers was statistically significant (P <0.05). Numbers and proportions of orange complex bacteria (OCB) were reduced in all groups treated with MM + SRP. Proportions of OCB increased in current smokers treated with SRP alone. In current smokers, MM + SRP significantly reduced probing depth (PD), increased clinical attachment level (CAL), and reduced bleeding on probing (BOP) to a greater extent than SRP alone (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SRP alone was ineffective at reducing numbers or proportions of RCB or OCB in current smokers, whereas MM + SRP significantly reduced both. MM + SRP also improved PD, BOP, and CAL to a greater extent than SRP alone independent of smoking status. PMID- 17760545 TI - The impact of a low-frequency chlorhexidine rinsing schedule on the subgingival microbiota (the TEETH clinical trial). AB - BACKGROUND: Information on the efficacy of chlorhexidine (CHX) rinsing on the subgingival microbiota is limited. This study tested if intermittent CHX rinsing over 5 years had an impact on the subgingival microbiota. METHODS: Subgingival plaque samples were analyzed by the checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization method in a double-blind randomized CHX rinse study. RESULTS: A total of 210 subjects were included. The mean age of the subjects was 71.7 (+/- 4.1) years, and 56.2% were women. Evidence of alveolar bone loss was found in 39% of subjects. Bacterial loads were not correlated significantly with probing depth. At year 5, subjects in the CHX rinse group with no evidence of bone loss presented with lower total bacterial counts than control subjects with no bone loss. The levels of the following bacteria were significantly lower in the CHX group: Lactobacillus acidophilus (P <0.05), Eikenella corrodens (P <0.05), Fusobacterium nucleatum sp. nucleatum (P <0.01), Treponema denticola (P <0.05), Leptotrichia buccalis (P <0.05), and Eubacterium saburreum (P <0.05). No differences in bacterial loads were found between CHX and control rinse subjects with alveolar bone loss. CONCLUSIONS: Older subjects with or without periodontitis carry a large variety of bacteria associated with periodontitis. Intermittent rinsing with CHX may provide a preventive benefit in reducing levels of bacteria but only in subjects without alveolar bone loss. PMID- 17760546 TI - Effects of EDTA gel preconditioning of periodontally affected human root surfaces on chlorhexidine substantivity - an SEM study. AB - BACKGROUND: Infection control is an important requirement during the early stages of periodontal healing. This study was performed to assess the preconditioning effect of EDTA gel on chlorhexidine (CHX) substantivity to periodontally involved root surfaces. METHODS: Eighty patients with severe chronic periodontitis were enrolled in this study. Following cause-related therapy, patients were divided randomly into four groups. Each group consisted of 20 subjects with one tooth that was diagnosed as hopeless and designated for extraction. In group 1 (G1), selected periodontal pockets were filled with a placebo gel in a silica base for 2 minutes. Exposed roots in group 2 (G2) were etched for 2 minutes with a neutral EDTA conditioning agent, followed by pocket fill with the placebo gel. Pockets in group 3 (G3) were filled with 0.12% CHX digluconate gel in a silica base. Exposed roots in group 4 (G4) were etched for 2 minutes with a neutral EDTA conditioning agent, followed by pocket fill with the CHX gel. Four teeth from each group were extracted immediately and at 3, 12, 24, and 48 hours for SEM evaluation. RESULTS: G1 and G2 specimens showed no evidence of silica adherent to any of the examined root surfaces. At 3 hours following CHX gel application, G3 specimens showed marked reduction in CHX-coated silica. At 24 and 48 hours following EDTA and CHX gel application, G4 specimens demonstrated adherent CHX-coated silica particles despite the reclogging of the tubule orifices. CONCLUSION: EDTA and CHX gel root conditioning is a valuable regimen that improves CHX substantivity to periodontally involved root surfaces. PMID- 17760547 TI - Association of salivary levels of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone with periodontitis in older Japanese adults. AB - BACKGROUND: The relationship between periodontitis and psychoneuroimmunologic variables, such as stress-related hormones, is poorly understood. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the associations between two kinds of stress-related hormones, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and periodontitis in healthy community-dwelling elderly subjects aged > or =60 years. METHODS: A total of 171 subjects (85 males and 86 females) participated in this study. The subjects were independently living elderly people with a mean age of 68.4 (+/- 4.46) years. Stimulated whole saliva samples were collected, and hormone levels were determined. A medical questionnaire regarding medical conditions, lifestyle, and psychosocial stress also was administered. The clinical examinations included probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing, and clinical attachment level (CAL). RESULTS: There was a positive correlation between hormone levels and PD and CAL values. When the subjects were divided into two groups based on periodontitis severity, hormone levels were significantly higher in subjects with severe PD or CAL. Multiple regression analysis showed that higher cortisol and DHEA levels were associated significantly with greater numbers of teeth with severe PD or CAL, after adjusting for confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested close relationships between the extent and severity of periodontitis and salivary levels of cortisol and DHEA in healthy elderly subjects. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the association between the levels of DHEA and extensive periodontitis. PMID- 17760548 TI - Gingival blood flow in periodontitis patients before and after periodontal surgery assessed in smokers and non-smokers. AB - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the gingival blood flow of smokers and non-smokers with periodontal disease before and after surgical periodontal treatment. METHODS: Nine smokers and six non-smokers with at least two periodontal lesions were included in the study. Laser Doppler flowmetry was used to measure blood flow in two gingival sites and two skin sites. Two intrabony defects were treated surgically at the same time; enamel matrix derivative was applied at random to one of the sites, whereas the other site received a placebo gel. We measured resting gingival blood flow (GBF) and responses to cold pressor test (CPT) and to smoking and made continuous measurements of blood pressure (BP). Resting GBF levels of 26 young healthy subjects were used as a reference value. RESULTS: Resting GBF was significantly lower for the periodontitis patients compared to the reference subjects, regardless of smoking habits. GBF and gingival vascular conductance (VC) decreased significantly pre- and postoperatively in response to smoking. CPT evoked significant decreases in VC in smokers and non-smokers. Skin blood flow decreased significantly in response to CPT, more so in the non-smokers. BP was significantly higher in the non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Resting GBF of periodontitis patients was not lower in smokers than in non-smokers, but it was significantly lower than in the younger reference subjects. In contrast to our earlier findings in healthy subjects, smoking one cigarette may cause a decrease in GBF and VC in periodontitis patients. These observations suggested the existence of a dysfunction in the gingival vasculature in smokers and non-smokers with periodontitis. PMID- 17760549 TI - Gingival crevicular fluid VEGF levels in periodontal health and disease. AB - BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a glycoprotein, has attracted attention as a potential inducer of angiogenesis. It is detectable in periodontal tissues within endothelial cells, plasma cells, and macrophages and in junctional, sulcular, and gingival epithelium. In periodontitis patients, the volume of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and the total amount of VEGF collected from diseased sites were greater than from clinically healthy sites. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of VEGF in periodontal disease progression and to investigate the effect of periodontal therapy on VEGF concentrations in GCF. METHODS: Forty-five subjects were divided into three groups based on gingival index, clinical attachment loss, and radiographic evidence of alveolar bone loss: healthy (group 1), gingivitis (group 2), and chronic periodontitis (group 3). A fourth group consisted of subjects from group 3, 8 weeks after treatment (scaling and root planing). GCF samples collected from each patient were quantified for VEGF levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Further, the correlation between VEGF levels in situ and the clinical parameters was analyzed in all groups and was analyzed before and after treatment in the periodontitis group. RESULTS: The highest mean VEGF concentration (99.375 pg/ml) was observed in group 3, and the lowest was observed in group 1 (42.025 pg/ml). Its mean level in group 3 decreased to 54.60 pg/ml after treatment (group 4). Further, GCF VEGF levels showed a positive correlation with all of the clinical parameters. CONCLUSIONS: VEGF levels in GCF increased from health to periodontitis, and periodontal treatment resulted in a reduction in their concentrations. These data indicated that VEGF plays a key role in periodontal disease progression and can be considered a biomarker of periodontal disease progression. PMID- 17760550 TI - A hyperactive neutrophil phenotype in patients with refractory periodontitis. AB - BACKGROUND: Neutrophils (PMNs) are critical components of the innate immune system and help to maintain oral health in the face of a constant bacterial challenge. However, along with protecting the periodontium from microbial invasion, these cells release potent lysosomal enzymes and oxygen radicals that can be destructive to periodontal tissues and lead to tooth loss. We examined neutrophil function in a unique population of patients diagnosed with refractory aggressive periodontitis (RAP). METHODS: Venous blood was obtained from 12 non smoking patients who had been diagnosed with RAP, 10 patients with chronic periodontitis who had responded to periodontal therapy (CP), and 13 periodontally healthy controls (HCs). Peripheral blood PMNs were loaded with dihydrorhodamine 123 and stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) to measure the receptor-independent respiratory burst of these key immune cells. Phagocytosis via the complement and Fc-gamma receptors was also assessed. RESULTS: PMNs from patients with RAP displayed significantly increased PMA-induced oxygen radical production compared to those from the HC and CP patients. PMNs from RAP patients also displayed increased phagocytosis compared to those from the CP group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated a larger receptor-independent respiratory burst and higher phagocytotic activity in PMNs derived from patients with RAP compared to PMNs derived from CP patients and periodontally HCs. We speculate that the higher intrinsic intracellular activity of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase system may account for the continued periodontal breakdown, despite ongoing periodontal therapy in these challenging patients. PMID- 17760551 TI - Nfic gene disruption inhibits differentiation of odontoblasts responsible for root formation and results in formation of short and abnormal roots in mice. AB - BACKGROUND: Nuclear factor I genes play an important role in the development of the brain, lung, and roots of teeth. We had reported that Nfic-deficient mice form normal crowns, but abnormal roots of molar teeth. However, the mechanism by which the disruption of Nfic gene causes abnormal root formation remains unknown. METHODS: To understand this mechanism, the root formation in Nfic-deficient mice was examined and compared to that of wild-type mice by morphological, immunohistochemical, and in situ hybridization analyses. RESULTS: Nfic-deficient mice formed normal Hertwig's epithelial root sheath (HERS) but severely disrupted odontoblast differentiation, leading to the formation of aberrant odontoblasts in the early stage of root formation. They became dissociated and polygonal in shape, lost their orientation and polarity, and did not express dentin sialophosphoprotein. The abnormal roots contained trapped aberrant odontoblasts, thereby resembling osteodentin in overall morphology. No osteoclasts were associated with abnormal roots. Further, the abnormal roots exhibited a decreased number of cementoblasts and cementum formation on the root surface. CONCLUSIONS: The loss of Nfic did not interfere with the formation of HERS, but it caused disrupted odontoblast differentiation, which resulted in the formation of short and abnormal roots, and decreased cementum. This finding suggests that root dentin is required for normal cementum formation. Therefore, Nfic may be a key regulator of root odontoblast differentiation and root formation. PMID- 17760552 TI - Hypoxia and reoxygenation augment bone-resorbing factor production from human periodontal ligament cells. AB - BACKGROUND: Oxygen deficiency caused by occlusal trauma and smoking may be associated with bone resorption in periodontitis. In the present study, the effects of hypoxia and reoxygenation on the production of bone-resorbing factors by cultured human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells were examined. METHODS: Human PDL cells were cultured in 1% O(2) (hypoxia), 20% O(2) (normal oxygen tension [normoxia]), or an oxygen concentration that went from 1% to 20% (reoxygenation). The concentrations of bone-resorbing factors, i.e., vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-6 and -1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), in the cell culture supernatants were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Expression of the corresponding mRNAs was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Significantly higher extracellular concentrations of VEGF and IL-6 were detected along with greater corresponding mRNA expression in the hypoxia group compared to the normoxia group. The protein production and mRNA expression of IL-1beta were observed only in the hypoxia group. Neither TNF-alpha nor PGE(2) was detectable in samples from either group, whereas cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA was detected. However, PGE(2) was detected after reoxygenation. Furthermore, VEGF and IL-6 and 1beta production also tended to increase in extracellular concentration and mRNA level after reoxygenation. CONCLUSION: Hypoxia and reoxygenation may stimulate the PDL to produce VEGF, IL-6 and -1beta, and PGE2, which could result in the resorption of alveolar bone in periodontitis. PMID- 17760553 TI - Lutheran blood group antigen as a receptor for alpha5 laminins in gingival epithelia. AB - BACKGROUND: Lutheran blood group glycoprotein (Lu) is a transmembrane receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily. Lu serves as a receptor for alpha5 laminins (Lm). The Lm alpha5 chain is a constituent of Lms-511 and -521. Lm-511 is found in most human basement membranes (BMs) and also is detected in BM of gingival epithelia. Recent studies indicated that Lu mediates cell adhesion to Lms-511/521 independently or in concert with integrins. This study focused on the expression of Lu in gingival epithelia and on cultured immortalized gingival keratinocytes. The role of Lu and alpha(3) and beta(1) integrin subunits in the adhesion of oral epithelial cells to Lms-511/521 was also studied. METHODS: Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to study the expression of Lu in gingival tissues and in cultured gingival keratinocytes. Immunoprecipitation of radioactively metabolically labeled cells was used to detect Lu. Cell adhesion to Lm-511/521 preparation and to pure Lm-511 was studied in quantitative cell adhesion experiments. Morphological adhesion assays were carried out for visualization of the morphology and adhesion structure formation of the adhering cells. RESULTS: Immunofluorescence studies on gingiva showed complete coalignment of Lu on basal epithelial cells with the BM Lm alpha5 chain. A surface-confined, punctate immunoreaction for Lu was detected throughout cell surfaces on cultured gingival cells. Immunoprecipitation showed a broad polypeptide with molecular weight 85,000. In quantitative cell adhesion assays, the adhesion of cells to both Lm alpha5 preparations was diminished with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against integrin alpha(3) and even more effectively with MAbs against the beta(1) subunit. When the adhesion sites were blocked with soluble recombinant Lu (sol Lu), the adhesion of gingival epithelial cells to Lms-511/521 was reduced significantly, and sol-Lu increased the inhibition with integrin alpha(3) antibody. Lm-511 did not induce lamellipodia or focal contacts in cultured gingival keratinocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Lu was in coalignment with Lm alpha5 chain in gingival epithelia. Lu also seemed to have a role in gingival epithelial cell adhesion together with integrin alpha(3)beta(1). PMID- 17760554 TI - Combined therapy in a patient with Papillon-Lefevre syndrome: a 13-year follow up. AB - BACKGROUND: Papillon-Lefevre syndrome (PLS) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by hyperkeratosis of the palms and soles combined with premature loss of the primary and permanent dentition. Several treatment regimens have been recommended in the literature; however, a definitive treatment protocol has not been established. This case report evaluates the success of combined therapy in managing a patient with PLS. METHODS: A 6-year-old girl diagnosed with PLS presented with aggressive periodontal destruction of her primary and permanent dentitions. After extraction of periodontally affected teeth, the edentate region was rehabilitated with different temporary dentures until her skeletal growth was complete. At the same time, her orthodontic treatment was performed. The early loss of her incisors resulted in inadequate alveolar bone height and width for esthetic-advanced prosthetic rehabilitation. Alveolar bone augmentation was performed, and 6 months later, two intraosseous dental implants were placed into the central incisor zone. RESULTS: After 13 years of treatment and follow-up, the patient had periodontally healthy permanent dentition. She had practiced meticulous oral hygiene, and the orthodontic treatment was successful and without incident. Alveolar ridge augmentation and placement of an intraosseous implant with guided bone regeneration were performed successfully. CONCLUSIONS: This case report demonstrates that individually developed treatment protocols can provide long-term dental/periodontal success in patients with PLS. A multidisciplinary approach with advanced periodontal surgery, orthodontic and prosthetic treatment, and implant therapy may be an appropriate treatment modality for dental rehabilitation in patients with PLS. PMID- 17760555 TI - Increasing the apico-coronal dimension of attached gingiva using the modified apically repositioned flap technique: a case series with a 6-month follow-up. AB - BACKGROUND: This case series reports on the effectiveness of the modified apically repositioned flap (MARF) in increasing the apico-coronal dimension of attached gingiva over multiple adjacent teeth. METHODS: The MARF surgical technique consists of a single horizontal incision within keratinized tissue, elevation of a split-thickness flap, and suturing of the flap to the periosteum in an apical position. The periosteum is left exposed so that the full perimeter of the wound is surrounded by keratinized tissue. The nature of this wound healing leads to the formation of new keratinized and attached tissue in the area where periosteum is left exposed. A total of 37 areas in 33 systemically healthy patients were analyzed after treatment with the MARF technique. The treatment areas consisted of a minimum of two and a maximum of five adjacent teeth with a minimum of 0.5 mm and a maximum of 2.0 mm of attached gingiva on each tooth. RESULTS: Treatment with MARF resulted in a significant increase in the apico coronal dimension of the keratinized tissue and attached gingiva (P <0.05). The increase in keratinized tissue ranged from 2.20 to 4.28 mm, and the increase in attached gingiva ranged from 1.0 to 3.14 mm. Gingival recession decreased significantly in the treated areas, but the difference was of little clinical significance. Probing depths in the treated areas did not change significantly compared to baseline values. CONCLUSIONS: MARF is an effective technique in increasing the apico-coronal dimension of the keratinized tissue and attached gingiva. MARF offers considerable advantages over other mucogingival surgery techniques: simplicity, limited chair time for the patient and the operator, low morbidity because of the absence of palatal donor tissue, and a predictable tissue color match. PMID- 17760556 TI - Periodontitis associated with Hajdu-Cheney syndrome. AB - BACKGROUND: Hajdu-Cheney syndrome (HCS) is an inheritable, rare disorder of bone metabolism, associated with acro-osteolysis of the distal phalanges, short stature, distinctive craniofacial and skull changes, premature tooth loss, and periodontitis. This report focuses on the periodontal manifestations of HCS. METHODS: A 22-year-old female presented with the characteristic clinical features of HCS, including short stature, small face, prominent epicanthal folds, thin lips, small mouth, and short hands. There were no abnormal biochemical, hematological, or hormonal data. Tests for bone mineral density were indicative of osteoporosis. Cephalometric analysis revealed hypoplasia of the midface and increased cranial base angle; the maxilla and the mandible were set posteriorly. The sella turcica was enlarged, elongated, and wide open with slender clinoids. Hair samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy, and tooth cementum and dentin were evaluated histologically. RESULTS: According to the periodontal evaluation, gingival inflammation was 12.5%, bleeding on probing score was 24%, probing depths averaged 4 to 6 mm, and clinical attachment loss averaged 3 to 6 mm. Class II furcations were found on three teeth. Almost all teeth exhibited pathological mobility of varying degrees. There was a generalized, horizontal bone loss of approximately 50%. Three teeth had to be extracted because of severe localized periodontal destruction. Histologic examination of the dentin and the cementum was normal. CONCLUSIONS: HCS periodontitis is associated with an unpredictable and uneven, rapid rate of periodontal destruction of unknown etiology. Further research is required to identify the role of the possible pathogenic factors involved. PMID- 17760557 TI - Rhabdomyosarcoma of the maxillary gingiva. AB - BACKGROUND: Rhabdomyosarcoma is a malignant neoplasm of primitive mesenchyme exhibiting skeletal muscle differentiation. Oral rhabdomyosarcoma is rare and accounts for only 0.04% of all head and neck malignancies. METHODS: A 33-year-old woman presented with an erythematous gingival mass involving the anterior maxillary gingiva. The lesion had been present for > or =13 months before presentation, and in recent months, it had become intermittently painful. RESULTS: Clinical examination exhibited erythema and enlargement of the interdental papillae between the left maxillary canine, lateral incisor, and central incisor. The tissue was boggy and tender on palpation. Incisional biopsies were performed, and microscopic examination showed a cellular proliferation of spindle-shaped to ovoid cells with hyperchromatic, enlarged, and pleomorphic nuclei. Many of the tumor cells exhibited abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemical stains showed the tumor cells to be positive for desmin, myogenin, and myogenic differentiation 1 (MyoD1). A diagnosis of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma was made. The patient was treated by surgical resection with postoperative chemotherapy and radiation. The patient had no evidence of disease at a follow-up examination 1 month after completion of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Oral rhabdomyosarcoma can develop insidiously. Pain is a variable presenting symptom, and early lesions may be mistaken for benign neoplastic, inflammatory, or infectious processes. Over several decades, a multidisciplinary treatment approach that includes surgical removal if resectable, in combination with multiagent chemotherapy and possibly radiation therapy, has improved survival rates. PMID- 17760559 TI - Big tumor regression induced by GM-CSF gene-modified 3LL tumor cells via facilitating DC maturation and deviation toward CD11c+CD8alpha+ subset. AB - Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a powerful immune stimulating factor that helps to generate a systemic, strong, and long-lasting immune response. However, whether the transduction of GM-CSF to tumor cell results in tumor regression and optimizes local immune microenvironment remains to be investigated. In this study, using an experimental murine tumor model, we demonstrated that the in vivo growth of 3LL tumor cells modified with the GM-CSF gene (3LL-GM) was inhibited even when the tumor diameter was over 7 mm (big tumor), and mice inoculated with GM-CSF gene-modified 3LL cells survived over 90 days, whereas mice inoculated with control parental 3LL cells and 3LL cells transduced with control vector all succumbed to the tumor by day 17 after tumor inoculation. Further analysis showed that targeted expression of GM-CSF in 3LL tumor cells markedly enhanced the systemic antitumor effect, including specific lymphocytes proliferation, cytotoxicity against 3LL tumor, and increased production of IFN-gamma. GM-CSF gene-modified 3LL cells significantly protected the mice from the parental 3LL tumor challenge. More importantly, the percentage of dendritic cells (DCs) in tumor site was greatly increased and the DCs differentiated into CD11c(+)CD8alpha(+) cells, which were reported to be able to benefit the induction of CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that contribute to tumor regression. Our research indicated that GM-CSF could optimize the immune microenvironment in the tumor site, which provides a potent approach for immunotherapy of tumors. PMID- 17760560 TI - Induction of myofibroblastic differentiation in vitro by covalently immobilized transforming growth factor-beta(1). AB - Growth factors are an important tool in tissue engineering. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 and transforming growth factor-beta(1) (TGF-beta(1)) are used to provide bioactivity to surgical implants and tissue substitute materials. Mostly growth factors are used in soluble or adsorbed form. However, simple adsorption of proteins to surfaces is always accompanied by reduced stability and undefined pharmacokinetics. This study aims to prove that TGF-beta(1) can be covalently immobilized to functionalized surfaces, maintaining its ability to induce myofibroblastic differentiation of normal human dermal fibroblasts. In vivo, fibroblasts differentiate to myofibroblasts (MFs) during soft tissue healing by the action of TGF-beta(1). As surfaces for our experiments, we used slides bearing aldehyde, epoxy, or amino groups. For our in vitro cell culture experiments, we used the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin as a marker for MFs after immunochemical staining. Using the aldehyde and the epoxy slides, we were able to demonstrate the activity of immobilized TGF-beta(1) through a significant increase in MF differentiation rate. A simple immunological test was established to detect TGF-beta(1) on the surfaces. This technology enables the creation of molecular "landscapes" consisting of several factors arranged in a distinct spatial pattern and immobilized on appropriate surfaces. PMID- 17760564 TI - The direct recovery of recombinant hepatitis B core antigen from disruptate derived from continuous-flow bead milling. AB - HBcAg (hepatitis B core antigen) is a nanoplex bioproduct that has a great potential in the development of therapeutic drugs and vaccines. In the present study, a continuous-flow bead milling for the disruption of Escherichia coli was optimized and a direct recovery protocol to isolate the recombinant HBcAg from the unclarified E. coli disruptate was developed. The optimal condition for continuous-flow bead milling for the release of HBcAg from E. coli was achieved at a feed flow rate of 15 litres/h, biomass concentration of 10% [ww/v (wet weight/vol.)] and impeller tip speed of 14 m/s. The sucrose-density-gradient analysis showed that the particulate form of the HBcAg released by this optimal condition is still preserved. In the direct purification of HBcAg from the unclarified disruptate, the AE-EBAC (anion-exchange expanded-bed adsorption chromatography) technique was employed. A 54% adsorption and 50.7% recovery of HBcAg were achieved in this direct recovery process. The purity of HBcAg recovered was 49.8%, which corresponds to a purification factor of 2.0. ELISA showed that the HBcAg recovered is functionally active. PMID- 17760563 TI - Human iron regulatory protein 2 is easily cleaved in its specific domain: consequences for the haem binding properties of the protein. AB - Mammalian IRPs (iron regulatory proteins), IRP1 and IRP2, are cytosolic RNA binding proteins that post-transcriptionally control the mRNA of proteins involved in storage, transport, and utilization of iron. In iron-replete cells, IRP2 undergoes degradation by the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway. Binding of haem to a 73aa-Domain (73-amino-acid domain) that is unique in IRP2 has been previously proposed as the initial iron-sensing mechanism. It is shown here that recombinant IRP2 and the 73aa-Domain are sensitive to proteolysis at the same site. NMR results suggest that the isolated 73aa-Domain is not structured. Iron independent cleavage of IRP2 within the 73aa-Domain also occurs in lung cancer (H1299) cells. Haem interacts with a cysteine residue only in truncated forms of the 73aa-Domain, as shown by a series of complementary physicochemical approaches, including NMR, EPR and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. In contrast, the cofactor is not ligated by the same residue in the full-length peptide or intact IRP2, although non-specific interaction occurs between these molecular forms and haem. Therefore it is unlikely that the iron-dependent degradation of IRP2 is mediated by haem binding to the intact 73aa-Domain, since the sequence resembling an HRM (haem-regulatory motif) in the 73aa-Domain does not provide an axial ligand of the cofactor unless this domain is cleaved. PMID- 17760565 TI - Kinetic analysis of butyrate transport in human colon adenocarcinoma cells reveals two different carrier-mediated mechanisms. AB - Butyrate has antitumorigenic effects on colon cancer cells, inhibits cell growth and promotes differentiation and apoptosis. These effects depend on its intracellular concentration, which is regulated by its transport. We have analysed butyrate uptake kinetics in human colon adenocarcinoma cells sensitive to the apoptotic effects of butyrate (BCS-TC2, Caco-2 and HT-29), in butyrate resistant cells (BCS-TC2.BR2) and in normal colonic cells (FHC). The properties of transport were analysed with structural analogues, specific inhibitors and different bicarbonate and sodium concentrations. Two carrier-mediated mechanisms were detected: a low-affinity/high-capacity (K(m)=109+/-16 mM in BCS-TC2 cells) anion exchanger and a high-affinity/low-capacity (K(m)=17.9+/-4.0 microM in BCS TC2 cells) proton-monocarboxylate co-transporter that was energy-dependent and activated via PKCdelta (protein kinase Cdelta). All adenocarcinoma cells analysed express MCT (monocarboxylate transporter) 1, MCT4, ancillary protein CD147 and AE2 (anion exchanger 2). Silencing experiments show that MCT1, whose expression increases with butyrate treatment in butyrate-sensitive cells, plays a key role in high-affinity transport. Low-affinity uptake was mediated by a butyrate/bicarbonate antiporter along with a possible contribution of AE2 and MCT4. Butyrate treatment increased uptake in a time- and dose-dependent manner in butyrate-sensitive but not in butyrate-resistant cells. The two butyrate-uptake activities in human colon adenocarcinoma cells enable butyrate transport at different physiological conditions to maintain cell functionality. The high affinity/low-capacity transport functions under low butyrate concentrations and may be relevant for the survival of carcinoma cells in tumour regions with low glucose and butyrate availability as well as for the normal physiology of colonocytes. PMID- 17760566 TI - Mislocalization of human transcription factor MOK2 in the presence of pathogenic mutations of lamin A/C. AB - BACKGROUND INFORMATION: hsMOK2 (human MOK2) is a DNA-binding transcriptional repressor. For example, it represses the IRBP (interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein) gene by competing with the CRX (cone-rod homeobox protein) transcriptional activator for DNA binding. Previous studies have shown an interaction between hsMOK2 and nuclear lamin A/C. This interaction could be important to explain hsMOK2 ability to repress transcription. RESULTS: In the present study, we have tested whether missense pathogenic mutations of lamin A/C, which are located in the hsMOK2-binding domain, could affect the interaction with hsMOK2. We find that none of the tested mutations is able to disrupt hsMOK2 binding in vitro or in vivo. However, we observe an aberrant cellular localization of hsMOK2 into nuclear aggregates when pathogenic lamin A/C mutant proteins are expressed. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that pathogenic mutations in lamin A/C lead to sequestration of hsMOK2 into nuclear aggregates, which may deregulate MOK2 target genes. PMID- 17760568 TI - Immunoglobulin E-mediated airway inflammation is active in most patients with asthma. AB - PURPOSE: To review the role of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated inflammation in the pathogenesis of asthma, limitations of standard therapies, and IgE as a logical target for therapy with omalizumab aimed at attaining asthma symptom control. DATA SOURCES: Review of worldwide scientific literature on the role of IgE-mediated inflammation in patients with asthma, supplemented with a clinical case study. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical trials point to an important role for IgE blocker therapy as an add-on to current therapy to reduce exacerbations and corticosteroid use and to improve quality of life in patients with moderate-to severe asthma. Omalizumab, a monoclonal antibody that binds IgE, has been shown to be an effective, well-tolerated treatment in these patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: A significant number of patients with moderate-to-severe asthma do not achieve asthma symptom control, despite adhering to current guidelines-based standards of therapy, including the use of inhaled corticosteroids, beta agonists, and leukotriene modifiers. None of these therapies directly addresses IgE-mediated inflammation. Therefore, patients with persistent symptoms of moderate-to-severe asthma should be evaluated and considered for therapy with the IgE blocker omalizumab. PMID- 17760567 TI - Prostaglandins in the kidney: developments since Y2K. AB - There are five major PGs (prostaglandins/prostanoids) produced from arachidonic acid via the COX (cyclo-oxygenase) pathway: PGE(2), PGI(2) (prostacyclin), PGD(2), PGF(2alpha) and TXA(2) (thromboxane A(2)). They exert many biological effects through specific G-protein-coupled membrane receptors, namely EP (PGE(2) receptor), IP (PGI(2) receptor), DP (PGD(2) receptor), FP (PGF(2alpha) receptor) and TP (TXA(2) receptor) respectively. PGs are implicated in physiological and pathological processes in all major organ systems, including cardiovascular function, gastrointestinal responses, reproductive processes, renal effects etc. This review highlights recent insights into the role of each prostanoid in regulating various aspects of renal function, including haemodynamics, renin secretion, growth responses, tubular transport processes and cell fate. A thorough review of the literature since Y2K (year 2000) is provided, with a general overview of PGs and their synthesis enzymes, and then specific considerations of each PG/prostanoid receptor system in the kidney. PMID- 17760569 TI - Let us talk about it: safe adolescent sexual decision making. AB - PURPOSE: To discuss important factors that influence teens and provide guidance for nurse practitioners (NPs) to promote safe adolescent sexual decision making. DATA SOURCES: A selective review of current professional literature and professional practice. CONCLUSIONS: To promote safe sexual decision making in adolescents, communication with parents, other significant adults, and teens is essential. Being knowledgeable about factors that influence the choices of adolescents and willing to discuss them openly is an important component of NP practice and could make a difference in the lives of many teens. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: NPs are frontline healthcare providers who have many opportunities to promote safe adolescent sexual decision making. This article provides a guide to assist in this work. PMID- 17760570 TI - Many asthma patients experience persistent symptoms despite appropriate clinical and guideline-based treatment with inhaled corticosteroids. AB - PURPOSE: To review possible reasons for persistence of asthma symptoms despite appropriate use of clinical and guideline-based treatments, including the use of inhaled corticosteroids. DATA SOURCES: Review of the worldwide scientific literature on factors related to persistent symptoms in patients with asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with asthma may not respond as expected to therapy because of factors that include poor adherence, improper inhaler technique, persistent exposure to symptom triggers, and limitations of current standard therapy, including steroid insensitivity or the steroid plateau effect. Persistent symptoms may also be associated with IgE-mediated airway inflammation, as current standard asthma therapies do not directly address the IgE-mediated component of the inflammatory cascade. Asthma is a complex disease and its treatment requires the full cooperation and participation of the patient. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Healthcare professionals can play a key role by educating patients and their family members about the nature of asthma and rationale for treatment, supporting the importance of strict adherence to prevention measures and the prescribed treatment regimen. PMID- 17760571 TI - Written educational materials for families of chronically ill children. AB - PURPOSE: To provide information on evaluation of written educational materials and to illustrate the evaluation of Sickle Cell Disease: A Family Guide (SCDFG) used for children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and their families. A large Valerie Fund Children's Center developed the SCDFG in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Special Child Health and Early Intervention Services. Two university faculty members and one pediatric nurse practitioner (NP) working in the clinic conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness and usefulness of the SCDFG. DATA SOURCES: Forty-eight caregivers of children with SCD who were using the SCDFG were asked to complete a survey developed by the investigators. The survey was completed during a clinic visit. CONCLUSIONS: The SCDFG met the standards for content, organization, layout, linguistics, visuals, readability, and comprehension. Overall, the caregivers were knowledgeable about the cause, signs and symptoms, and what to do during a sickle crisis. More than half the participants reported that they felt confident in managing their child's problems related to SCD. Confidence of the caregivers was positively correlated with their perception that the information in the SCDFG was helpful and easy to understand. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: NPs need to evaluate written educational materials that are used as part of a multifaceted approach to the care of children with chronic illnesses. A planned systematic evaluation provides the NP with information about the efficacy and usefulness of the written educational materials. These materials may help empower children and caregivers to manage their long-term illnesses. PMID- 17760572 TI - Characteristics of nurse practitioner curricula in the United States related to antimicrobial prescribing and resistance. AB - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine current nurse practitioner (NP) curricula in the United States with regard to antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance and assess the need for a web-based module for instruction on antimicrobial resistance and appropriate prescribing of antibiotics. DATA SOURCES: A 22-item, anonymous, self-administered, web-based survey was sent to 312 NP programs; 149 (48%) responded. Survey items included questions related to NP specialties offered, program accreditation, format of pharmacology course(s), lecture hours related to antimicrobial therapy, and whether the participant would use a Web-based module to teach NP students about antimicrobial resistance, if one were available. CONCLUSIONS: Most NP programs (99.3%) required a pharmacology course, and 95% had lectures dedicated to antimicrobial therapy. Half of the programs (53.5%) devoted >or=4 lecture hours to antimicrobial therapy in the pharmacology course, and most (84.8%) reported covering antimicrobial therapy in nonpharmacology courses as well. Approximately half of the programs (45.3%) reported <4 h of lecture on antimicrobial therapy in nonpharmacology courses. Many programs (51.9%) did not offer a microbiology course; 39.2% required microbiology as a prerequisite. Most respondents (86.7%) were familiar with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention antimicrobial resistance program, and 92.6% reported that they would use an electronic module regarding resistance. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: NP curricula generally include <10 h of content on antimicrobial therapy. An electronic module regarding antimicrobial resistance is likely to be a useful and relevant adjunct to current curricula. PMID- 17760574 TI - 2006 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Diabetes Management Survey. PMID- 17760573 TI - Budd-Chiari syndrome from an advanced practice nurse perspective. AB - PURPOSE: To provide nurse practitioners (NPs) with a case study and literature review of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS). This rare liver disease has a multitude of clinical presentations that NPs may encounter in the primary care setting. DATA SOURCE: A literature search was conducted in Pub-Med and CINAHL using key search words. Information for the case study was obtained from a patient and his gastroenterology specialist, who is a foremost expert in this field. CONCLUSION: BCS is complex and may be difficult to diagnose because of its atypical clinical presentation. Delayed diagnosis can affect the quality and quantity of a patient's life. Increasing NPs' awareness about this rare condition through a case presentation and review of the literature emphasizes the major factors for accurate diagnosis. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Knowledge of BCS can assist the NP in identifying this syndrome and making prompt, appropriate referrals. PMID- 17760575 TI - It is the discharge. PMID- 17760578 TI - Well vulnerability: a quantitative approach for source water protection. PMID- 17760580 TI - Stochastic hydrogeology: what professionals really need? AB - Quantitative hydrogeology celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2006. Geostatistics is younger but has had a very large impact in hydrogeology. Today, geostatistics is used routinely to interpolate deterministically most of the parameters that are required to analyze a problem or make a quantitative analysis. In a small number of cases, geostatistics is combined with deterministic approaches to forecast uncertainty. At a more academic level, geostatistics is used extensively to study physical processes in heterogeneous aquifers. Yet, there is an important gap between the academic use and the routine applications of geostatistics. The reasons for this gap are diverse. These include aspects related to the hydrogeology consulting market, technical reasons such as the lack of widely available software, but also a number of misconceptions. A change in this situation requires acting at different levels. First, regulators must be convinced of the benefit of using geostatistics. Second, the economic potential of the approach must be emphasized to customers. Third, the relevance of the theories needs to be increased. Last, but not least, software, data sets, and computing infrastructure such as grid computing need to be widely available. PMID- 17760582 TI - Detecting infiltration and impacts of introduced water using strontium isotopes. AB - Water introduced to surface drainages, such as agricultural and roadway runoff, mine drainage, or coalbed natural gas (CBNG)-produced water, potentially can be of environmental concern. In order to mitigate potential environmental effects, it may be important to be able to trace water discharged to the surface as it infiltrates and interacts with near-surface aquifers. We have chosen to study water withdrawn during CBNG production for isotope tracing in the hyporheic zone because it poses a variety of economic, environmental, and policy issues in the Rocky Mountain states. Ground water quality must be protected as CBNG water is added to semiarid ecosystems. Strontium (Sr) isotopes are effective fingerprints of the aquifer from which water originates. In this study, CBNG water was found to have a higher (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratio than the local alluvial aquifer water. This measurable difference allows the strontium isotope ratio and concentration to be used as tracers of CBNG water following its discharge to the surface. The dissolution and mobilization of salts from soil are an important contributor to ground water quality degradation. In the Powder River basin of Wyoming, the soils are calcium carbonate-buffered systems. The chemical similarity of strontium to calcium allows it to substitute into calcium minerals and enabled us to use strontium isotopes to identify calcium salts mobilized from the soil. Strontium isotopes are an effective monitor of the source of ions and the volume and direction of introduced water flow in the hyporheic zone. PMID- 17760581 TI - Complexation of aqueous elements by DOC in a clay aquitard. AB - The extent of partitioning of several elements (Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sr, U, and Zn) on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was investigated in pore water samples collected from a clay-rich aquitard. High DOC concentrations in the aquitard, ranging from 21 to 143 mg C/L, and natural aqueous metal concentrations higher than in most ground water environments facilitated complexation studies at this site. Analyses were conducted using on-line coupling of asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation with ultraviolet, total organic carbon, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry detectors. Of the elements investigated, only U and Zn were complexed with all DOC samples, ranging from 2.2 to 60 microg U/g DOC (0.4% to 3% of the total U in the pore water) and 0.04 to 0.5 microg Zn/g DOC (0.1% to 0.9% of the total Zn in the pore water), respectively. Laboratory experiments conducted over a range in pH (1.3 to 9.7) and geochemical modeling supported the measured complexation of U and Zn on the DOC. The in situ association constant, K(d), for U decreased with depth from 76 mL/g C for pore water samples at 2.2 m below ground (BG) to 24 mL/g C at 9.7 m BG. The decrease was attributed to a decrease in aromaticity of the DOC with depth. Zn K(d)constants ranged from 2 to 12 mL/g C and exhibited no trend with depth. Results of the current study suggest minor masses of U and Zn (less than or equal to 4% of total) complex with this DOC under in situ pH conditions. Our data suggest that competitive complexation by other ligands may limit the importance of DOC-facilitated transport of the elements studied in water of similar chemical composition. PMID- 17760583 TI - Measurement of LNAPL flow using single-well tracer dilution techniques. AB - This paper describes the use of single-well tracer dilution techniques to resolve the rate of light nonaqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) flow through wells and the adjacent geologic formation. Laboratory studies are presented in which a fluorescing tracer is added to LNAPL in wells. An in-well mixer keeps the tracer well mixed in the LNAPL. Tracer concentrations in LNAPL are measured through time using a fiber optic cable and a spectrometer. Results indicate that the rate of tracer depletion is proportional to the rate of LNAPL flow through the well and the adjacent formation. Tracer dilution methods are demonstrated for vertically averaged LNAPL Darcy velocities of 0.00048 to 0.11 m/d and LNAPL thicknesses of 9 to 24 cm. Over the range of conditions studied, results agree closely with steady state LNAPL flow rates imposed by pumping. A key parameter for estimating LNAPL flow rates in the formation is the flow convergence factor alpha. Measured convergence factors for 0.030-inch wire wrap, 0.030-inch-slotted polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and 0.010-inch-slotted PVC are 1.7, 0.91, and 0.79, respectively. In addition, methods for using tracer dilution data to determine formation transmissivity to LNAPL are presented. Results suggest that single-well tracer dilution techniques are a viable approach for measuring in situ LNAPL flow and formation transmissivity to LNAPL. PMID- 17760584 TI - Estimation of recharge from floods in disconnected stream-aquifer systems. AB - Stream-aquifer interaction has been the subject of much research for cases of good hydraulic connection (continuous saturated zone) between a river and an aquifer. Under these conditions, floods do not represent a very large net input to the aquifer because most of the water that enters the aquifer during the flood returns to the river when its stage recedes. The situation is different in disconnected stream-aquifer systems, where the streambed lies above the water level in the aquifer, thus preventing return flow from the aquifer. Under these conditions, floods may represent large, but hard to quantify, water inputs. Here, we present a methodology to estimate recharge from floods for disconnected stream aquifer systems. Recharge is estimated as the product of a flood time function (dependent on the streamflow) and an unknown factor, which is obtained from calibrating a ground water flow model to aquifer heads. The approach can also benefit from concentration data, which can be very informative when river water concentrations vary over time. This methodology is applied to a field situation where recharge from river flooding is found to amount to nearly 15 million m(3)/year on the average, which represents 40% of the total aquifer inputs. Recharge from flooding helps explain major head recoveries, suggesting that basin water management programs should allow some floods to occur. PMID- 17760585 TI - A hybrid artificial neural network-numerical model for ground water problems. AB - Numerical models constitute the most advanced physical-based methods for modeling complex ground water systems. Spatial and/or temporal variability of aquifer parameters, boundary conditions, and initial conditions (for transient simulations) can be assigned across the numerical model domain. While this constitutes a powerful modeling advantage, it also presents the formidable challenge of overcoming parameter uncertainty, which, to date, has not been satisfactorily resolved, inevitably producing model prediction errors. In previous research, artificial neural networks (ANNs), developed with more accessible field data, have achieved excellent predictive accuracy over discrete stress periods at site-specific field locations in complex ground water systems. In an effort to combine the relative advantages of numerical models and ANNs, a new modeling paradigm is presented. The ANN models generate accurate predictions for a limited number of field locations. Appending them to a numerical model produces an overdetermined system of equations, which can be solved using a variety of mathematical techniques, potentially yielding more accurate numerical predictions. Mathematical theory and a simple two-dimensional example are presented to overview relevant mathematical and modeling issues. Two of the three methods for solving the overdetermined system achieved an overall improvement in numerical model accuracy for various levels of synthetic ANN errors using relatively few constrained head values (i.e., cells), which, while demonstrating promise, requires further research. This hybrid approach is not limited to ANN technology; it can be used with other approaches for improving numerical model predictions, such as regression or support vector machines (SVMs). PMID- 17760586 TI - Fracture control of ground water flow and water chemistry in a rock aquitard. AB - There are few studies on the hydrogeology of sedimentary rock aquitards although they are important controls in regional ground water flow systems. We formulate and test a three-dimensional (3D) conceptual model of ground water flow and hydrochemistry in a fractured sedimentary rock aquitard to show that flow dynamics within the aquitard are more complex than previously believed. Similar conceptual models, based on regional observations and recently emerging principles of mechanical stratigraphy in heterogeneous sedimentary rocks, have previously been applied only to aquifers, but we show that they are potentially applicable to aquitards. The major elements of this conceptual model, which is based on detailed information from two sites in the Maquoketa Formation in southeastern Wisconsin, include orders of magnitude contrast between hydraulic diffusivity (K/S(s)) of fractured zones and relatively intact aquitard rock matrix, laterally extensive bedding-plane fracture zones extending over distances of over 10 km, very low vertical hydraulic conductivity of thick shale-rich intervals of the aquitard, and a vertical hydraulic head profile controlled by a lateral boundary at the aquitard subcrop, where numerous surface water bodies dominate the shallow aquifer system. Results from a 3D numerical flow model based on this conceptual model are consistent with field observations, which did not fit the typical conceptual model of strictly vertical flow through an aquitard. The 3D flow through an aquitard has implications for predicting ground water flow and for planning and protecting water supplies. PMID- 17760587 TI - On the relation between steep monoclinal flexure zones and steep hydraulic gradients. AB - Steep hydraulic gradients are found in association with steep monoclinal flexures. However, the physics of the reduction of the hydraulic conductivity, which is responsible for the steep gradients, has seldom been studied. We present results of hydrological and mechanical modeling aiming to study the effect of such steep hydraulic gradients demonstrated in the Judea Group Aquifer system, Israel. The hydrological configuration of steep dips and anisotropy between flows parallel and perpendicular to the bedding planes was simulated using the FEFLOW code. It exhibited a situation whereby part of the flow is oblique to the bedding planes and therefore some steepening of the hydraulic gradients occurred due to actual conductivity reduction. However, this reduction is not enough to account for the steeper gradients observed. The effect of a deep-seated reverse fault under the monocline on the permeability distribution within the structure was examined by numerical mechanical simulations. It exhibited a compressional stress distribution in the steep part of the monocline, which, due to shortening and closure of joints and voids, is presumably responsible for a significant pressure induced permeability reduction. This process by itself in a layered structure, including interlayering of thin marl layers, could be responsible for the steep hydraulic gradients in the steep part of the monocline. PMID- 17760588 TI - Testing alternative ground water models using cross-validation and other methods. AB - Many methods can be used to test alternative ground water models. Of concern in this work are methods able to (1) rank alternative models (also called model discrimination) and (2) identify observations important to parameter estimates and predictions (equivalent to the purpose served by some types of sensitivity analysis). Some of the measures investigated are computationally efficient; others are computationally demanding. The latter are generally needed to account for model nonlinearity. The efficient model discrimination methods investigated include the information criteria: the corrected Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion, and generalized cross-validation. The efficient sensitivity analysis measures used are dimensionless scaled sensitivity (DSS), composite scaled sensitivity, and parameter correlation coefficient (PCC); the other statistics are DFBETAS, Cook's D, and observation-prediction statistic. Acronyms are explained in the introduction. Cross-validation (CV) is a computationally intensive nonlinear method that is used for both model discrimination and sensitivity analysis. The methods are tested using up to five alternative parsimoniously constructed models of the ground water system of the Maggia Valley in southern Switzerland. The alternative models differ in their representation of hydraulic conductivity. A new method for graphically representing CV and sensitivity analysis results for complex models is presented and used to evaluate the utility of the efficient statistics. The results indicate that for model selection, the information criteria produce similar results at much smaller computational cost than CV. For identifying important observations, the only obviously inferior linear measure is DSS; the poor performance was expected because DSS does not include the effects of parameter correlation and PCC reveals large parameter correlations. PMID- 17760589 TI - A visual basic spreadsheet macro for geochemical background analysis. AB - A Visual Basic macro entitled BACKGROUND calculates geochemical background values of chemical parameters and estimates threshold values separating background data from anomalies. The macro uses two statistical methods, the iterative 2-sigma technique and the calculated distribution function, and integrates these model based objective methods into a widely accessible platform (i.e., MS Excel). The macro offers the possibility for automated processing of geochemical data and enables an automated generation of background range and threshold values for chemical parameters. PMID- 17760590 TI - Adaptive underrelaxation of Picard iterations in ground water models. AB - This methods note examines the use of adaptive underrelaxation of Picard iterations to accelerate the solution convergence for nonlinear ground water flow problems. Ground water problems are nonlinear when drains, phreatophytes, stream aquifer, and similar features are simulated. Typically, simple Picard iterations are used to address such nonlinear problems. Nevertheless, the convergence rate can be slow, or convergence cannot be obtained. However, convergence often can be accelerated using Picard iterations with adaptive underrelaxation, and convergence often can be obtained where it otherwise would not occur. PMID- 17760591 TI - Phreatophytes in the Bible. PMID- 17760592 TI - Procedural treatments for acne vulgaris. AB - BACKGROUND: Simple procedural treatments such as comedone extraction and intralesional steroids have been utilized for many years as adjunctive therapy for acne. In the past 5 years, new technologies and procedures have become available that present new options for the treatment of acne. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to review, summarize, and evaluate the key studies of procedural therapies for the treatment of acne as well as place them in perspective with current clinical practice. METHODS: Studies selected for evaluation had at least 10 patients and clear statements of purpose, acne severity, patient selection, follow-up evaluations, previous and concurrent medications, treatment parameters, methods for evaluating results, and adverse effects. All studies were complete and published (in English) in peer-reviewed journals. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Earlier procedural therapies were adjunctive to medical therapy, such as intralesional steroids, chemical peels, and microdermabrasion. Newer methods include radiofrequency, light or laser, and photodynamic therapy that represent treatment alternatives for systemic medications. Still early in their development, these new procedures provide an important, novel set of options for the treatment of acne. The most developed and studied therapies are blue or blue/red light combinations, 1,450-nm diode laser, and photodynamic therapy with 5-aminolevulinic acid or indocyanine green. Review of the literature of more up to-date physical procedures provides a starting point for physicians seeking to treat their acne patients safely and effectively with these new methods. PMID- 17760593 TI - Autologous cultured melanocytes in vitiligo treatment. AB - BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of vitiligo is indicated when lesions are localized in poorly responding areas. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were: (1) to establish the melanocyte culture obtained from the epidermis of vitiligo patients for future treatment; (2) to estimate the influence of selected factors on the formation of suction blisters and the results of culture; and (3) to compare the results of treatment of vitiliginous macules localized in the dorsum of the hands and lower limbs by transplantation of cultured autologous melanocytes plus psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy (CMP), suction blister transplantation plus PUVA therapy (SBP), cryotherapy plus PUVA-therapy (CP), and only PUVA therapy (OP). METHODS: Forty patients were qualified for the study. The roofs of the suction blisters were used as a melanocyte source for culture establishment or were directly transplanted. RESULTS: The CMP procedure was successfully performed on only 10 of 20 patients because of the difficulties in cell culture establishment. The SBP method was carried out on all 20 patients. A total lack of effectiveness was found in CP and OP methods. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of culture depends on time of suction blister forming, phototype, and previous PUVA therapy. This study demonstrated the advantage of the SBP over the CMP method. PMID- 17760594 TI - FDA-approved sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS) versus compounded STS for venous sclerotherapy. AB - BACKGROUND: In the area of endovenous chemical ablation (sclerotherapy), there has been much debate regarding sclerosant quality and efficacy. Only sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS) has garnered Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in the United States. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to compare clinical performance measures of compounded STS from 27% industrial strength stock (compounded STS) versus FDA-approved Sotradecol (Bioniche Pharma USA, Inc., Belleville, Ontario, Canada). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Phase I of this study focused on the chemical composition of the drugs, whereas Phase II studied the ablative abilities of the two drugs at comparable concentrations of 3%. RESULTS: We documented the presence of various impurities in compounded STS. No impurities in AngioDynamics STS were found. Our studies suggest that compounded STS may have significant variation in concentration. The AngioDynamics STS concentration was found to be manufactured within a tight tolerance. Segments of incomplete ablation were more frequent in the compounded STS group when compared to the AngioDynamics STS group. This reached statistical significance (p=.02). Primary closure using the Kaplan-Meier statistic demonstrated a trend in the favor of AngioDynamics STS when compared to compounded STS. CONCLUSION: When product quality, efficacy, and liability are carefully considered, we conclude that it would behoove physicians to use pharmaceutical-grade, FDA-approved sclerosant when treating their patients. PMID- 17760595 TI - Long-term efficacy of a novel ribose-cross-linked collagen dermal filler: a histologic and histomorphometric study in an animal model. AB - BACKGROUND: Degradation and loss of the three-dimensional shape are the major causes of limited functional longevity of dermal fillers made of natural polymers as collagen and hyaluronic acid. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the functional longevity of a new ribose-cross-linked collagen filler during 24 months in an animal model. METHODS: Ribose-cross-linked collagen (Evolence, Colbar Life Sciences Ltd), glutaraldehyde-cross-linked collagen (Zyplast, Inamed Inc.), and non-cross-linked collagen (Zyderm, Inamed Inc.) were injected in the rabbit ear dermis. Biopsies obtained at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months were histomorphometrically assessed for shape preservation and cell repopulation. RESULT: The three dimensional shape of Evolence remained stable during 24 months. Zyderm and Zyplast lost their three-dimensional shape after 6 months. Although the cell density in Evolence remained stable over time, that in Zyplast and Zyderm decreased significantly at 12 and 24 months. CONCLUSION: Ribose-cross-linked collagen is endowed with a higher functional longevity as assessed in an animal model when compared with the most used collagen-based dermal fillers. PMID- 17760596 TI - Mechanisms of laser hair removal: could persistent photoepilation induce vitiligo or defects in wound repair? AB - BACKGROUND: Current laser hair removal modalities achieve a long-term but not persistent (irreversible) hair loss. OBJECTIVE: This review highlights the mechanisms of the current laser hair removal technology and explores possible side effects. METHODS: The literature is reviewed. RESULTS: The hair shaft plays a key role in the mechanisms underlying current photoepilation procedures by acting as a vector for heat transfer. Together with inherent properties of the hair growth cycle and the anatomic specifics of the follicular stem cells located in the bulge, the crucial role of the hair shaft and its lack of complete destruction with present technology are also likely culprits for the nonpersistent nature of present laser hair removal. Future persistent photoepilation may be associated with vitiligo or vitiligolike changes. Disturbances in wound repair of previously lasered sites are less likely. CONCLUSIONS: The currently available laser hair removal protocols are safe, not the least because they achieve long-term but not persistent epilation. The adverse effects of persistent laser hair removal technology possibly available in the future are potentially problematic. PMID- 17760597 TI - Botulinum toxin A adjunctive use in manual chemabrasion: controlled long-term study for treatment of upper perioral vertical wrinkles. AB - BACKGROUND: The treatment of perioral vertical wrinkles is a very common request from female patients as of their 40th decade of life. Actinic damage, cigarette smoking, loss of deep structures volume, sleep positions, orthodontic deformities, and dynamic components have been thought to cause this aesthetic problem. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate the combination of botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA) pretreatment of the orbicularis oris muscle with manual chemabrasion to increase its clinical efficacy in the therapy of upper perioral vertical rhytides. METHODS: Twelve women presenting moderate to severe upper lip vertical rhytides were randomized to receive two unilateral BoNTA injections at the vermilion border, 1 week before chemabrasion (35% trichloroacetic acid followed by dermasanding) of the upper perioral cosmetic unit. Wrinkle severity was assessed by two blinded observers at baseline, 30 days, 90 days, 180 days, and 3 years by using a four-point Facial Wrinkle Severity Scale (FWSS). RESULTS: From Day 90 to Year 3, the BoNTA-injected sides showed smaller grades in the FWSS than control sides (p<.05). CONCLUSION: Previous injections of BoNTA improve short- and long-term results of chemabrasion in the upper lip region. PMID- 17760598 TI - The lidocaine/tetracaine peel: a novel topical anesthetic for dermatologic procedures in adult patients. AB - BACKGROUND: The 7% lidocaine and 7% tetracaine (LT) peel is a self-occlusive, topical local anesthetic that has been proven safe and effective for use in conjunction with many dermatologic procedures, including cryotherapy, collagen injections, and various laser treatments. The product is applied directly to the skin as a cream that dries within 20 to 30 minutes of air exposure to form a flexible film membrane that is easily peeled off before surgery. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to review the safety and efficacy of the LT peel in controlled, randomized trials involving adults undergoing both minor and major dermatologic procedures. METHODS: All published studies involving the LT peel were reviewed, and the results of each were analyzed and collated to provide practical guidelines for clinical use. CONCLUSION: Studies comparing the LT peel with placebo or a 1:1 eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) cream have shown the LT peel to have superior anesthetic efficacy in adult patients undergoing a variety of cutaneous procedures. The LT peel is safe and well tolerated, with side effects limited to localized, transient skin reactions that do not appear to interfere with clinical outcome. It is an effective topical anesthetic for dermatologic procedures that is convenient to use and promotes a positive patient experience. PMID- 17760599 TI - Laser-assisted tattoo removal with topical 5% imiquimod cream. AB - BACKGROUND: Laser-assisted tattoo removal is effective but can be costly and time consuming and can result in disfiguring scars and pigment alterations. Imiquimod, an immune response modifier, may play a role in tattoo removal. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of topical 5% imiquimod cream used daily in conjunction with laser therapy to remove unwanted tattoos. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty subjects with two similar tattoos were enrolled in this randomized, prospective, double-blinded, case-controlled study. Tattoos were treated with either imiquimod or placebo daily and laser therapy every 4 to 6 weeks for a total of six sessions. The primary efficacy parameter was tattoo clearance (5-point scale, poor through complete). Secondary efficacy parameters included textural changes (5-point scale, minimal through severe), pain during and between laser procedures, and undesirable pigment alterations. RESULTS: Nineteen subjects completed the study. The mean score for tattoo clearance with imiquimod versus placebo was 3.2 versus 2.9 and, for textural changes, was 1.37 versus 1.21 (differences not statistically significant). There was no difference in subjective pain during and between laser sessions and no undesirable pigment alterations were reported. Adverse reactions were more frequent with imiquimod compared to placebo. CONCLUSION: Topical imiquimod is an ineffective adjunct to laser-assisted tattoo removal. PMID- 17760600 TI - Teledermatology-based presurgical management for nonmelanoma skin cancer: a pilot study. AB - BACKGROUND: To date, no previous experiences of teledermatology (TD) as a preoperative management facility have been published. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate a store-and-forward TD (SFTD) system aimed at the presurgical management of nonmelanoma skin cancer patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This was a multicenter, longitudinal, descriptive, and evaluative pilot study. Patients included in the TD-based surgical referral system presented with a nonmelanoma skin cancer or a fast-growth vascular tumor suitable for surgery under local anesthesia. Waiting intervals and on-the-day cancellation rates were evaluated and compared with a sample of patients managed through the conventional system. The accuracy of the diagnoses yielded and of the surgical techniques planned through teleconsultation was also calculated. RESULTS: A total of 134 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean waiting interval was 26.10 days [95% confidence interval (CI), 24.51-27.70] in patients managed through TD and 60.57 days (95% CI, 56.20-64.93 days; n=92; p < .001) in the conventional system. On the-day surgery cancellation was 2.99% (95% CI, 1.52%-4.46%) for the TD series and 8.85% (95% CI, 5.62%-11.81%; p<.005) in the conventional system. The accuracy of the telediagnoses was kappa=0.86 (95% CI, 0.83-0.89). The agreement rate between the surgical technique planned through teleconsultation and the technique finally performed was kappa=0.75 (95% CI, 0.04-0.79). CONCLUSION: SFTD has been demonstrated to be effective and accurate as a preoperative tool for nonmelanoma skin cancer, avoiding unnecessary visits to the hospital and shortening the waiting intervals to the surgical treatment. PMID- 17760601 TI - The kinetics of skin cancer: progression of actinic keratosis to squamous cell carcinoma. AB - BACKGROUND: Actinic keratoses (AKs) are intraepidermal skin tumors that have the potential to progress to squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). SCCs are the second most common cancer with more than 200,000 cases each year in America. Approximately 10% of AKs will progress to SCCs. This progression is thought to be due to chronic sun exposure, specifically ultraviolet B sunlight. OBJECTIVE: Understanding the kinetics of this developmental process can help physicians better evaluate and subsequently treat precancerous AKs. METHODS: To determine the time scale of AK progression, we conducted a retrospective electronic medical record study of all patients diagnosed histopathologically with an SCC between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2005. RESULTS: Of a total patient population of 6,691, 91 had a histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of an AK at the same site as the subsequent SCC. The length of time for an AK to progress to an SCC was determined to be 24.6 months (95% confidence interval, 21.04-28.16 months). CONCLUSIONS: Although a more controlled in vivo study is indicated, these data provide a good estimate of the time course from an AK to an SCC. In summary, of the estimated 10% of AKs that will develop into an SCC, the progression will take approximately 2 years. PMID- 17760602 TI - Proliferating trichilemmal tumors: a review of the literature. AB - BACKGROUND: Proliferating trichilemmal tumors (PTTs) are uncommon lesions whose histologic hallmark is the presence of trichilemmal keratinization. PTT is thought to originate from the trichilemmal cyst (TC) and have the potential for malignant transformation, at which point it is termed a malignant proliferating trichilemmal tumor (MPTT). These lesions may cause considerable morbidity and even mortality, and recurrence after simple local excision is common. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to review the clinical presentation, histopathologic characteristics, malignant potential, and treatment options for PTT. METHODS: The English literature was reviewed regarding PTT, TC, and MPTT. RESULTS: PTT generally presents as a subepidermal tumor on the scalp in women over the age of 60. Histologic findings may be used to differentiate PTT from TC and MPTT. Complete surgical excision is recommended; additional radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy may be used for lesions with increased invasive potential. CONCLUSION: Adequate treatment of PTT requires skilled histopathologic examination for proper diagnosis; histologic appearance may not correlate with clinical behavior. After surgical excision, long-term clinical follow-up for evidence of metastatic disease is judicious. PMID- 17760604 TI - The anchor flap: a myocutaneous, biaxial pattern flap for postsurgical defects of the nasal dorsum and tip. PMID- 17760605 TI - Infraorbital hollow treatment by dermal fillers. PMID- 17760606 TI - Digital polarized light dermoscopy of clinically nonpigmented dermal nevi. AB - BACKGROUND: Hand-held dermoscopy improves the malignant/benign excision ratio for melanocytic lesions. Much has been described about its use in pigmented lesions; however, the use of dermoscopy in clinically nonpigmented lesions is less well studied. Existing studies have used a combination of traditional immersion dermoscopy and polarized light dermoscopy. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to strictly use digital polarized light dermoscopy for the evaluation of clinically nonpigmented, biopsy-proven dermal nevi. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to describe the dermoscopic features of clinically nonpigmented, biopsy-proven dermal nevi using digital polarized light images. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The dermoscopic features of 32 histopathologically confirmed, clinically nonpigmented, dermal nevi were evaluated. Images were obtained with a digital camera equipped with an epiluminescence microscopy attachment (polarized light); no liquid interface was used. RESULTS The most frequent dermoscopic feature of 32 clinically nonpigmented, biopsy-proven dermal nevi was brown pigment (78%) followed by white areas (53%), comma-shaped vessels (50%), hair (47%), hairpin vessels (22%), comedolike openings (22%), and dotted vessels, respectively (19%). CONCLUSIONS: The most common dermoscopic features (using polarized light) of clinically nonpigmented, biopsy-proven dermal nevi are brown pigment, white areas, comma-shaped vessels, and hair. PMID- 17760607 TI - Sentinel lymph node biopsy for a squamoid eccrine carcinoma with lymphatic invasion. PMID- 17760608 TI - Basaloid follicular hamartoma: a cautionary tale and review of the literature. PMID- 17760609 TI - Ocular effects of imiquimod with treatment of eyelid melanoma in situ. PMID- 17760610 TI - Intraoral hematoma: a novel complication of dermatologic surgery. PMID- 17760611 TI - Squamous cell carcinoma arising in a port-wine stain with a remote history of cryosurgery. PMID- 17760612 TI - The erasure of skin marks during dermatologic operations. PMID- 17760613 TI - The use of a microscopic grid to localize tumor on sequential Mohs micrographic surgery sections. PMID- 17760614 TI - Low-temperature bitumen stiffness and viscous paraffinic nano- and micro-domains by cryogenic AFM and PDM. AB - In an effort to better understand the structure and behaviour of bitumen in low temperature, we describe the first use of cryogenic atomic force microscopy and phase detection microscopy to characterize bitumen nano- and micro-structures. The results were interpreted in light of glass transition temperatures (T(g)s) for bitumen fractions. The domains visible by microscopy, the catana, peri and para phases, were attributed to domains rich in asphaltenes, naphthene and polar aromatics, and saturates, respectively. Between -10 degrees C and -30 degrees C, atomic force microscopy images revealed topographic features not visible in atomic force microscopy images acquired at room temperature. According to phase detection microscopy and T(g)s, the features were assigned to viscous unfrozen saturates. Upon cooling to -72 degrees C, unfrozen domains of 20-400 nm were observed. These domains were found in the paraphase rich in saturates and in the periphase rich in naphthene aromatics and polar aromatics. The findings indicate that new viscous domains form upon cooling to low temperatures owing to phase segregation, and that some bitumens are never entirely rigid in low temperatures. PMID- 17760616 TI - Cryo-FIB-nanotomography for quantitative analysis of particle structures in cement suspensions. AB - Cryo-FIB-nanotomography is a novel high-resolution 3D-microscopy technique, which opens new possibilities for the quantitative microstructural analysis of complex suspensions. In this paper, we describe the microstructural changes associated with dissolution and precipitation processes occurring in a fresh cement paste, which has high alumina and sulphate contents. During the first 6 min, precipitation of ettringite leads to a general decrease of the particle size distribution. In the unhydrated cement paste almost no particles smaller than 500 nm are present, whereas after 6 min this size class already represents 9 vol%. The precipitation of ettringite also leads to a significant increase of the particle number density from 0.294*10(9)/mm(3) at t(0min) to 20.55*10(9)/mm(3) at t(6min). Correspondingly the surface area increases from 0.75 m(2)/g at t(0min) to 2.13 m(2)/g at t(6min). The small ettringite particles tend to form agglomerates, which strongly influence the rheological properties. The particular strength of cryo-FIB-nt is the potential to quantify particle structures in suspension and thereby also to describe higher-order topological features such as the particle-particle interfaces, which is important for the study of agglomeration processes. PMID- 17760615 TI - A white light confocal microscope for spectrally resolved multidimensional imaging. AB - Spectrofluorometric imaging microscopy is demonstrated in a confocal microscope using a supercontinuum laser as an excitation source and a custom-built prism spectrometer for detection. This microscope system provides confocal imaging with spectrally resolved fluorescence excitation and detection from 450 to 700 nm. The supercontinuum laser provides a broad spectrum light source and is coupled with an acousto-optic tunable filter to provide continuously tunable fluorescence excitation with a 1-nm bandwidth. Eight different excitation wavelengths can be simultaneously selected. The prism spectrometer provides spectrally resolved detection with sensitivity comparable to a standard confocal system. This new microscope system enables optimal access to a multitude of fluorophores and provides fluorescence excitation and emission spectra for each location in a 3D confocal image. The speed of the spectral scans is suitable for spectrofluorometric imaging of live cells. Effects of chromatic aberration are modest and do not significantly limit the spatial resolution of the confocal measurements. PMID- 17760617 TI - The use of amphipathic polymers for cryo electron microscopy of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I). AB - In the three-dimensional (3D) structure determination of macromolecules, cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is an important method for obtaining micrographs of unstained specimens for the single-particle reconstruction approach. For cryo-EM, proteins are fixed in a frozen hydrated state by quick-freezing in a thin water layer on a holey carbon film. Cryo-EM of detergent-solubilized membrane proteins is hindered by the fact that detergents reduce the surface tension of water, so that it is difficult to control the ice thickness and the distribution of protein. Amphipols are a new class of amphipathic polymers designed to handle membrane proteins in aqueous solutions under particularly mild conditions. Amphipol A8-35 stabilizes NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) from Neurospora crassa and keeps it water-soluble in the absence of free detergent. Electron microscope images of quick-frozen complex I/A8-35 samples were used for computer-based single-particle averaging and 3D reconstruction, and the reconstruction of unstained frozen-hydrated particles compared with previous detergent-based reconstructions. The potential of amphipols for cryo-EM is discussed. PMID- 17760618 TI - AFM investigation of Martian soil simulants on micromachined Si substrates. AB - The micro and nanostructures of Martian soil simulants with particles in the micrometre-size range have been studied using a combination of optical and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in preparation for the 2007 NASA Phoenix Mars Lander mission. The operation of an atomic force microscope on samples of micrometre sized soil particles is a poorly investigated area where the unwanted interaction between the scanning tip and loose particles results in poor image quality and tip contamination by the sample. In order to mitigate these effects, etched silicon substrates with a variety of features have been used to facilitate the sorting and gripping of particles. From these experiments, a number of patterns were identified that were particularly good at isolating and immobilizing particles for AFM imaging. This data was used to guide the design of micromachined substrates for the Phoenix AFM. Both individual particles as well as aggregates were successfully imaged, and information on sizes, shapes and surface morphologies were obtained. This study highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of AFM for the potential in situ investigation of Martian soil and dust. Also presented are more general findings of the limiting operational constraints that exist when attempting the AFM of high aspect ratio particles with current technology. The performance of the final designs of the substrates incorporated on Phoenix will be described in a later paper. PMID- 17760619 TI - Determination of pattern centre in EBSD using the moving-screen technique. AB - The 'moving-screen' or 'pattern magnification' method of calibration for electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was reformulated to develop a high-precision technique requiring no crystallographic knowledge of the specimen and no initial estimates of the calibration parameters. The technique depends upon the accurate displacement of the screen and camera assembly. Corresponding points are selected, interactively, from EBSD patterns. It is suggested that, as an alternative, the selection of points from the Hough transform could lead to a completely automated routine. PMID- 17760620 TI - Quasi-cleavage fracture planes in spheroidized A533B steel. AB - Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) has been used to acquire crystal orientation information around unusual microcracks induced by tensile deformation of notched specimens of spheroidized A533B steel. This unusual fracture mode has been called quasi-cleavage and occurs at relatively low temperatures with fracture energies below that of the upper shelf. EBSD measurements on sectioned samples showed that the quasi-cleavage cracks were intragranular. A two dimensional analysis technique was used in which EBSD measured crystal orientations were combined with secondary electron imaging to obtain the trace of the crack facet on the section plane. The measurements revealed that the observed crack facets were consistent with crack propagation along the {001} and {011} planes. PMID- 17760621 TI - Quantification of the 3D microstructure of SC surfaces. AB - This study presents the development of an ImageJ plugin for surface characterization. Based on gradient analysis, parameters, such as the gradient magnitude, orientation, mean resultant vector and surface area are derived. A comparative study of supercalendered (SC) papers was performed to verify the surface representations yielded by a laser profilometer. The surface representations of samples covered with carbon and gold were compared to untreated samples. The results confirm the suitability of gold coating for reducing the artefacts encountered on laser profilometry surface representations of paper. In addition, a complete scanning electron microscopy analysis is performed on the assessed samples to quantify the surface fraction covered by mineral fillers and to reveal the true 3D microstructure of SC surfaces. The influence of filler coverage and filler type on the gloss level of commercial SC papers is evaluated. The relationship between the surface topography, gloss and PPS roughness for a series of commercial SC papers is established. PMID- 17760623 TI - Recrystallization behaviour of the nickel-based alloy 80 A during hot forming. AB - The dynamic recrystallization as well as meta-dynamic and static recrystallization of the nickel-based alloy 80A was investigated by means of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Specimens were hot compressed at a temperature of 1120 degrees C and a strain rate of 0.1/s at varying strain and soak times to describe the recrystallization behaviour. Various approaches were tested in order to differentiate between recrystallized and deformed grains based on EBSD data. The grain orientation spread was clearly found to be the most reliable procedure. A high twinning of the recrystallized grains was observed, and as a consequence the measured grain size was strongly dependent on whether the coherent and incoherent twin boundaries were regarded as genuine boundaries or removed. PMID- 17760625 TI - Determination of parent orientation maps in advanced titanium-based alloys. AB - In the past few years, reconstruction methods have been developed and applied successfully to restore the beta microtexture in titanium alloys. This contribution shows how these methods are extended to other transformations often encountered in advanced titanium alloys: the alpha (hcp)-->gamma (tetragonal) and the beta (bcc)-->O (orthorhombic) transformation. The efficiency of the restitution depends on specific crystallographic features of the investigated phase transformations. Therefore, the paper outlines these crystallographic specificities for some advanced titanium alloys. To illustrate the capability of the method to reconstruct the parent phase, different restored parent microtextures of these alloys are presented. The results show that the reconstruction methods are an efficient tool to study the microstructure and texture modifications induced by these phase transformations. PMID- 17760624 TI - Accuracy of orientation distribution function determination based on EBSD data-A case study of a recrystallized low alloyed Zr sheet. AB - The question of the statistical accuracy of EBSD data for global texture calculation was re-explored on the basis of a very large grain population (83 000 grains measured on a recrystallized low-alloyed Zr sheet). Previous works aimed mainly at identifying and quantifying the main texture components and were based on much smaller data sets. The present work attempts to quantify the accuracy of the complete texture, including low-density regions of the orientation space. For that purpose, a new statistical parameter, V(Delta), based on the calculation of texture difference functions is proposed. This parameter has two main advantages: it is equally sensitive to both high and low peaks of the orientation density function (ODF), and it has a physical interpretation because it is the material volume fraction corresponding to the difference between a given ODF and a reference ODF (considered, or known to be close to the truth). Two main variables were studied: the number of grains taken into account and the peak width phi(0) of Bunge's 'Gaussian' model density used as kernel for the actual analysis. The orientation distribution functions were computed by nonparametric kernel density estimation with harmonics up to the order of 34. Minimizing the value of V(Delta) serves as the objective function for optimizing the peak width phi(0) as a function of the number of grains. The properties of the V(Delta) parameter also allows for the definition of a method for estimating the accuracy of a given texture that has been obtained from a limited number of grains, without knowing the true texture of the investigated material. PMID- 17760626 TI - The preferred CSL misorientation distribution in polycrystalline SrTiO3. AB - Electron backscattered diffraction is used to investigate the preferred CSL (coincidence site lattice) distribution of polycrystalline SrTiO(3) as a function of annealing times (1 h and 16 h). Comparison of the CSL misorientations suggests that the CSL boundary energy plays a role in the preferred grain growth. PMID- 17760628 TI - The interpretation of indexing of high Sigma CSL grain boundaries from ceramics. AB - Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is a useful technique for measuring the orientation of individual grains and for determining grain boundary misorientations in polycrystals. However, its application to ceramics is more difficult than to metals, because the surface quality that can be achieved often makes the Kikuchi patterns blurred. As a consequence, it can be difficult, even for automated systems, to differentiate between different grain orientations, which have similar patterns. In this paper, we carry out EBSD analyses of SrTiO(3) polycrystalline material prepared with different polishing methods, and we consider the effect of different criteria in interpreting the EBSD patterns from them. In particular, we investigate the CSL statistics using both the Palumbo and Aust and the Brandon criteria in this situation. PMID- 17760627 TI - Grain size measurement by EBSD in complex hot deformed metal alloy microstructures. AB - The measurement of grain size by EBSD has been studied to enable representative quantification of the microstructure of hot deformed metal alloys with a wide grain size distributions. Variation in measured grain size as a function of EBSD step size and noise reduction techniques has been assessed. Increasing the EBSD step size from 5% to 20% of the approximate mean grain size results in a change in calculated arithmetic mean grain size of approximately 15% and standard noise reduction techniques can produce a further change in reported size of up to 20%. The distribution of measured grain size is found not to be log-normal, with a long tail of very small sizes in agreement with a computer simulation of linear intercept and areal grain size measurements through randomly oriented grains. Comparison of EBSD with optical measurements of grain size on the same samples shows that, because of the ability of EBSD to distinguish twins and resolve much smaller grains a difference of up to 50% in measured grain size results. PMID- 17760629 TI - Effect of statin drugs and aspirin on open-angle glaucoma progression. PMID- 17760630 TI - Metastatic neoplasms to the intraocular structures. PMID- 17760631 TI - Effect of statin drugs and aspirin on progression in open-angle glaucoma suspects using confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. AB - PURPOSE: To determine the effect of statins and aspirin on the rate of progression of optic nerve parameters in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) suspects, as defined by confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (CSLO). METHODS: Data of OAG suspects who had undergone at least two CSLO tests at the Beckman Vision Center at UCSF from January 2001 to June 2006 was collected. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 149 eyes from 76 patients considered suspect for glaucoma based on a cup-to-disc ratio >0.5, but with normal intraocular pressures (IOP) and visual fields. Subjects included glaucoma suspects who took statin drugs or aspirin for greater than 23 months. The control group consisted of suspects who never used statins or aspirin. The data were analysed using mixed effects regression. RESULTS: When comparing controls with the statin group there were significant differences in the progression of multiple CSLO parameters per year, including rim volume (-13.7% controls, +26.7% statin only; P = 0.0156), retinal nerve fibre layer cross-sectional area (-12.2% controls, +24.3% statin only; P = 0.0051), and mean global retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (-10.3% controls, +26.6% statin only; P = 0.0114), with adjustment for age, gender, race, IOP, central corneal thickness, refractive error and multiple systemic comorbidities. No significant differences were found when comparing subjects taking a statin plus aspirin or aspirin alone with the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Statin drugs may be associated with slowed progression of optic nerve parameters in glaucoma suspects as measured by CSLO. PMID- 17760632 TI - Long-term results of Molteno implant insertion in cases of chronic angle closure glaucoma. AB - BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to provide data on the long-term results of cases of chronic angle closure glaucoma with additional risk factors treated by Molteno implants between 1985 and 2004 at Dunedin Hospital, New Zealand. METHODS: A prospective non-comparative case series followed 21 eyes (17 patients) for a mean of 5.7 years (range 1.3-16.3 years) in terms of intraocular pressure, visual acuity and subsequent procedures. RESULTS: Insertion of a Molteno implant has controlled the intraocular pressure at 21 mmHg or less in 100% of cases at 5 years after surgery, the probability of control being 0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.99). The mean number of hypotensive medications reduced from 2.04 (SD 0.92) preoperatively to 1.40, 0.64 and 0.66 at 1, 2 and 5 years, respectively. The mean visual acuity improved from 6/18 preoperatively to 6/12 at 1 year and declined to 6/13.5 at 2 and 5 years. CONCLUSION: Insertion of Molteno implants was a safe and effective procedure in the management of complex cases of chronic angle closure glaucoma. PMID- 17760633 TI - Lateral rectus resection versus medial rectus re-recession for residual esotropia: early results of a randomized clinical trial. AB - PURPOSE: To compare lateral rectus muscle resection with medial rectus muscle re recession for patients with residual esotropia. METHODS: This randomized controlled clinical trial included 25 patients (mean age, 18.8 +/- 8.7 years) with residual esotropia who were candidates for reoperation. They were randomly assigned into two groups: re-recession group (n = 12), in which the medial rectus muscle was recessed again, and the resection group (n = 13), in which lateral rectus muscle resection was performed. Postoperative deviation < or =10 prism dioptres was considered to be treatment success. RESULTS: The success rate of the re-recession group and the resection group was 67% and 54%, respectively; this difference was not statistically significant. Each 1 mm of medial rectus re recession and lateral rectus resection corrected 7.5 +/- 1.2 and 2.5 +/- 0.5 prism dioptres of residual esotropia, respectively. In 50% of the re-recession group, mild medial rectus muscle underaction occurred; however, only 16.5% developed an increase in the near point of convergence. Major intraoperative and postoperative complications, including overcorrection and slippage or a lost muscle, did not occur in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Medial rectus muscle re-recession can be a substitute for lateral rectus muscle resection in patients with residual esotropia. The resultant underaction of the medial rectus muscle after re-recession is relatively mild and causes no major problems. PMID- 17760634 TI - Neuroprotective effect of topically applied brimonidine tartrate 0.2% in endothelin-1-induced optic nerve ischaemia model. AB - BACKGROUND: To investigate the neuroprotective effects of topically applied brimonidine tartrate 0.2% (BMD), an alpha(2)-receptor agonist, on the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer and inner nuclear layer (INL) of rabbit retina in endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced optic nerve (ON) ischaemia model. METHODS: Osmotic minipumps were surgically implanted into one eye of 16 New Zealand Albino rabbits to deliver ET-1 at the constant rate of 0.5 microL/h for 2 weeks. Eyes were divided into four groups. ET-1 was given with (Group 3) and without topical BMD therapy (Group 1). Groups 2 and 4 were taken as controls. Rabbits were sacrificed at day 14. Morphological alterations, total cell number and proportion of cells undergoing apoptosis in INL and RGC layer were assessed by histopathological analysis to determine the survival of the cells of the INL and RGC layer. RESULTS: Endothelin-1 led to severe reduction of cells in both the RGC layer and INL in Group 1 (P < 0.05). In Group 3, the total cell number and the proportion of cells undergoing apoptosis in the RGC layer were comparable with the control group (Group 4), whereas the former was found to be higher and the latter was found to be lower than those recorded for Group 1. However, the total cell number in the INL was found to be lower in Group 3 compared with that of Group 4, despite topical BMD therapy (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Topically applied BMD seems to be neuroprotective and antiapoptotic in the ET-1-induced ON ischaemia model, especially for RGCs. BMD might be used as an adjuvant agent for its neuroprotective effects in hypoxic-ischaemic conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, normotensive glaucoma and other retinal vascular occlusive conditions which require further investigations. PMID- 17760635 TI - Immunohistochemical findings in prosthesis-associated giant papillary conjunctivitis. AB - PURPOSE: To identify functional subsets of inflammatory cells and expression of cytokines in the conjunctiva of patients with ocular prosthesis-associated giant papillary conjunctivitis (P-GPC). METHODS: Specific immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibodies was performed on biopsy specimens obtained from superior tarsal conjunctiva of 18 patients with P-GPC. The prosthetic eyes were taken as the study group, whereas their fellow eyes were used as matched controls. RESULTS: In normal conjunctiva, mast cells (MCs) were located only in the substantia propria (SP), whereas in P-GPC eyes MCs were also notable in the epithelium in five specimens. Tryptase-chymase-positive MCs (MC(TC)) were predominant both in P-GPC (79%) and in fellow (72%) eyes. MC(TC), CD4(+) lymphocyte, CD8(+) lymphocyte and eosinophil numbers were higher in P-GPC specimens compared with the fellow eyes (P = 0.005, 0.074, 0.012 and 0.025, respectively). Eosinophils were detected in 58.8% of P-GPC specimens and 16.7% of control specimens (P = 0.053). The number of inflammatory cells expressing eotaxin and interleukin (IL)-4 was higher in P-GPC group (P = 0.050 and 0.048, respectively). Nine out of 17 giant papillary conjunctivitis specimens (52.9%) showed eotaxin and IL-4 immunoreactivity, which was considerably higher than the fellow eyes (16.7%) (P = 0.064). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that P-GPC is an allergic disease of the eye associated with increased numbers of MC, eosinophils and lymphocytes in the conjunctiva and a remarkable expression of IL 4 and eotaxin both by the conjunctival epithelium and by the inflammatory cells in the SP. PMID- 17760636 TI - Lymphangiogenesis concurrent with haemangiogenesis in the human cornea. AB - BACKGROUND: Corneal transplant rejection can occur with and without neovascularization; therefore, it is necessary to elucidate what other factors allow for rejection. It has been suggested that the lymphatic system may play a role in graft failure, but it has also been held that the cornea is devoid of lymphatics. Use of a new monoclonal antibody against a lymphatic endothelial marker, D2-40, has been used to detect lymphatics in other tissues. The purpose of this study was to use this new tool to determine if the human cornea can undergo lymphangiogenesis. METHODS: Twelve corneal buttons submitted for routine pathology were subjected to immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody against D2-40 to detect the presence/absence of lymphatics by light microscopy. RESULTS: By the criteria defined, lymphatic vessels were identified in seven out of 12 corneal buttons. In these cases, there was also evidence of neovascularization. Lymphatic positive buttons included four cases where there were histological markers of inflammation. There were no identifiable lymphatics in the remaining five cases and no sign of vascularization. CONCLUSIONS: Corneal lymphatics were identified in association with corneal neovascularization, via the use of a monoclonal antibody against D2-40. In non-vascularized corneas, lymphatics were absent. PMID- 17760637 TI - Comparative in vivo high-resolution confocal microscopy of corneal epithelium, sub-basal nerves and stromal cells in mice with and without dry eye after photorefractive keratectomy. AB - BACKGROUND: The present study compares, using a new-generation high-resolution in vivo confocal microscope, the epithelial morphology, sub-basal nerves and stroma in two groups of mice: one exposed to normal conditions (NC) and the other to a desiccating environment (DE), following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with mechanical epithelial scraping. METHODS: Twenty-four 4- to 8-week-old female Balb/C mice were used in this study. Twenty mice underwent bilateral corneal epithelial scraping using an electric brush prior to PRK. Then, the mice were divided in two groups: 10 mice were placed in NC. The other 10 mice were exposed to a DE for 2 weeks. Four mice served as controls. Corneas were analysed in vivo using the Rostock Cornea Module of the Heidelberg retina tomograph II. For all eyes, 20 confocal microscopic images of each layer, that is, the superficial and basal corneal epithelium, Bowman's layer, anterior and posterior stroma and the endothelium, were recorded. Epithelial and stromal cell densities and sub-basal and stromal nerves were measured and compared. RESULTS: There was a higher density of superficial epithelial cells in the DE group (693 +/- 148 cells/mm(2) in NC group and 443 +/- 128 cells/mm(2) in DE group; Mann-Whitney U-test; P = 0.05). Higher number of basal cells were observed in the DE group. Its density was 986 +/- 198 cells/mm(2) in NC and 1598 +/- 280 cells/mm(2) in DE group (Mann Whitney U-test; P < 0.05). Significantly higher number of reflective structures were noted within the stroma without clearly visible nuclei in the DE group compared with the NC eyes. Additionally, higher number of beads, nerve sprouts and higher tortuosity of sub-basal nerves were observed in the DE group. No difference was observed in the endothelial cell density between the groups. CONCLUSION: Exposure of corneas to a DE after PRK with previous mechanical epithelial scraping increases epithelial turnover and is associated with a higher number of reflective structures in the stroma. Additionally increased nerve beading, nerve sprouts and tortuosity of sub-basal nerves were observed in the DE group, possibly directed to repair the alterations observed at the epithelial level. PMID- 17760638 TI - Peripheral ulcerative keratitis due to a 'long lost' hard contact lens. AB - Peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) is a disorder consisting of a crescent shaped destructive inflammation of the perilimbal corneal stroma. PUK can occur in a variety of ocular and systemic conditions including infections, lid abnormalities, dermatological disorders and connective tissue disorders. We present a case of PUK associated with a hard contact lens (CL) retained in the superior fornix for over 16 years. After removal of the embedded CL, a superior forniceal conjunctival pedicle graft was performed to prevent corneal perforation. The patient was managed postoperatively with a combination of topical steroids and antibiotics. The use of systemic immunosuppressive therapy was not necessary. Micro-trauma and micro-keratitis may have occurred as a result of the mechanical effect of the CL but if this was the sole mechanism, one would expect presentation at a much earlier date. We discuss the pathogenetic mechanisms which may have contributed to the development of this ulceration. This report highlights the importance of lid eversion when examining patients with anterior segment pathology. PMID- 17760639 TI - Management of metastatic carcinoma of the uveal tract: an evidence-based analysis. AB - Uveal metastasis from carcinoma is the most common cause of ocular malignancy in adults and represents an increasing problem in the context of an ageing population and enhanced survival of stage IV cancer patients. The reported prevalence of clinically evident uveal metastases in carcinoma patients ranges from 2% to 9%, with breast and lung cancer together accounting for between 71% and 92% of cases. Most patients (66-97%) have a known history of cancer and, although the majority have metastatic lesions elsewhere, up to 33% may present with an isolated ocular metastasis. These lesions may progress rapidly and are potentially sight-threatening. Early diagnosis and appropriate timely treatment are therefore of paramount importance to maintain patients' quality of life. The diagnosis is usually clinical and detailed descriptions of symptomatology and physical characteristics are provided. In 21-50% of patients, involvement is bilateral. External beam radiotherapy (EBRT), chemotherapy, hormone and biological therapies, brachytherapy, transpupillary thermotherapy, laser photocoagulation/photodynamic therapy and enucleation are therapeutic modalities described in the literature for the management of uveal metastases. The strongest evidence favours timely EBRT for the management of sight-threatening uveal metastases. The published evidence supporting EBRT for sight-threatening uveal metastases was given a grade B (strong support for recommendation). Newer alternative therapies are emerging and may have a role in selected patients; however, there are unfortunately few large studies examining such treatments for carcinoma metastatic to the eye. The role of these modalities will be further clarified with the results of larger comparative trials. PMID- 17760640 TI - Ocular toxicity of fluoroquinolones. AB - The ocular toxicity of fluoroquinolones and the risks of their use in the treatment of ocular infection were reviewed. Systematic identification, selection, review and synthesis of published English-language studies relating to fluoroquinolone use and safety in animals and humans was conducted. Although not free of complications, fluoroquinolones are generally safe when used to treat ocular infection. Ocular toxicity appears to be dose-dependent and results from class-effects and specific fluoroquinolone structures. Phototoxicity and neurotoxicity have been reported, and toxic effects on ocular collagen may be associated with Achilles tendinopathy. Corneal precipitation may provide an advantageous drug depot but delay healing and result in corneal perforation in approximately 10% of cases. Although human toxicity studies are limited, the current recommended dose for intracameral injection of ciprofloxacin is less than 25 microg. Intravitreal injections of ciprofloxacin 100 microg, ofloxacin 50 microg/mL, trovafloxacin 25 microg or less, moxifloxacin 160 microg/0.1 mL or less and pefloxacin 200 microg/0.1 mL are considered safe. PMID- 17760641 TI - Trabeculectomy trapdoor separation with allergic periorbital dermatitis: an unusual late-onset complication of guarded filtration surgery. AB - Hypotony post trabeculectomy may be the result of excessive aqueous outflow. Herein a case of an elderly man with excessive filtration 2 years post trabeculectomy resulting from trapdoor separation associated with allergic periorbital dermatitis is presented. Quaternary ammonium compounds are a significant cause of allergic periorbital dermatitis. Chronic rubbing associated with allergies to multiple topical quaternary ammonium compound-containing ophthalmic preparations is likely to have contributed to the trapdoor autotrauma and separation in this man with a background of allergic contact dermatitis. PMID- 17760642 TI - Stromal haze after combined riboflavin-UVA corneal collagen cross-linking in keratoconus: in vivo confocal microscopic evaluation. AB - The technique of corneal collagen cross-linking consists of photopolymerization of stromal fibres by the combined action of a photosensitizing substance (riboflavin or vitamin B2) and ultraviolet light from a solid state UVA source. Photopolymerization increases the rigidity of corneal collagen and its resistance to keratectasia. In this report we present two cases, studied through in vivo confocal microscopy, with stage III keratoconus that developed stromal haze after the cross-linking treatment. PMID- 17760643 TI - Pseudoexfoliation syndrome: in vivo confocal microscopy analysis. AB - Pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome is a common ocular disease that also affects the cornea. A case of clinical PEX syndrome, studied by in vivo corneal confocal microscopy is reported. The morphological analysis of the confocal images demonstrated hyper-reflective deposits and several dendritic cells in the basal epithelial layer. A fibrillar subepithelial structure was also found. The endothelial layer showed cell anomalies (polymegathism and pleomorphism) and hyper-reflective small endothelial deposits. Confocal microscopy is an in vivo imaging method that may provide new information on corneal alterations in PEX, and detect early corneal features. PMID- 17760644 TI - Reversible optic neuropathy due to metronidazole. AB - Metronidazole is a little known cause of drug-induced optic neuropathy. We report a patient who developed progressive visual loss after an 8-month course of Metronidazole. Electrophysiology confirmed a bilateral optic neuropathy. Her vision improved dramatically with cessation of the drug. PMID- 17760645 TI - Macular hole formation, spontaneous closure, and reopening in severe hypertensive chorioretinopathy. AB - Macular hole is rarely reported in severe hypertensive chorioretinopathy, and spontaneous closure of a macular hole is uncommon. We report a case of reopening after spontaneous closure of a full-thickness macular hole in a patient with severe hypertensive chorioretinopathy. PMID- 17760646 TI - Routine cataract surgery without the presence of an anaesthetist. PMID- 17760648 TI - Novel targeted therapies for advanced esophageal cancer. AB - Esophageal cancer is highly aggressive and is the sixth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Recent advances in multimodality chemoradiotherapy and surgery has improved survival in patients with loco-regional disease, but most patients with advanced stage esophageal cancer have a poor prognosis. Elucidation of the processes involved in esophageal carcinogenesis has identified a number of promising novel targets for therapy. This review focuses on the current status of targeted therapies with potential application to the treatment of advanced esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer. The future challenge is to confirm the efficacy of these targeted agents in appropriately selected esophageal cancer patients, and successfully integrate these agents into effective therapies for all stages and subtypes of disease. PMID- 17760649 TI - Reflux injury of esophageal mucosa: experimental studies in animal models of esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. AB - Barrett's esophagus (BE), a gastroesophageal reflux associated complication, is defined as the replacement of normal esophageal squamous mucosa by specialized intestinal columnar mucosa with the appearance of goblet cells. The presence of BE is associated with an increased risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Although the exposure of gastroduodenal contents to the esophageal mucosa is considered to be an important risk factor for the development of esophagitis, BE and EAC, the mechanisms of reflux esophageal injury are not fully understood. Animal models are now being used extensively to identify the mechanisms of damage and to devise protective and mitigating strategies. Experimental studies on animal models by mimicking the processing of gastroesophageal reflux injury have bloomed during the past decades, however, there is controversy regarding which experimental model for reflux esophagitis, experimental BE and experimental EAC is best. In this review article we aim to clarify the basic understanding of gastroesophageal reflux injury and its complications of BE and EAC, as well as to present current understanding of the reflux experimental models. The animal models of experimental esophageal injury are summarized with focus on the surgical procedures to guide the investigator in choosing or developing a correct animal model in future studies. In addition, our own experimental studies of the animal models are also briefly discussed. PMID- 17760650 TI - Expressions of p53, VEGF C, p21: could they be used in preoperative evaluation of lymph node metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma? AB - The prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is primarily determined by staging. Although radiological methods have revealed lymph node metastasis preoperatively, these radiological findings cannot be correlated with pathological staging. The aim of this study was to compare the expressions of p53, vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF C) and p21 with lymph node metastasis in preoperative endoscopic biopsy and postoperative resection material. Tissue samples were taken from 40 patients who had undergone endoscopic biopsies and radical esophagectomies. The expressions of p53, VEGF C and p21 proteins in these sections were immunohistochemically examined. The expression of each antibody was characterized as a negative or positive reaction according to the pattern and intensity of semiquantitative immunostaining. The staining pattern of antibodies was divided into three groups: < 10% cancer cells were accepted to be (-), 10-50% were (+), heterogenous and > 50% were (+ +), homogenous. For each antibody, statistical correlation with conventional prognostic parameters such as localization, microscopic grade, stage, pathological lymph node metastasis and survival, were investigated. p53 expression was observed in 65.5% (19/29) of lymph node positive cases, whereas p53 was in 50% (20/40) of cases. VEGF C was in 65% (26/40) and p21 was in 15% (6/40) of cases. p53 has the specificity of 90.9% and sensitivity rate of 65.5% in detecting lymph node metastasis and positive predictive value was 95%. Expression of p53 was significantly correlated with stage and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.02 and P = 0.03, respectively). Prediction of lymph node metastasis by p53 was correlated independently and in coexpression with VEGF C (P < 0.01). There was no relation detected between p21 and other parameters. In esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), p53 and VEGF C expressions were correlated with pathologically positive lymph nodes. When preoperative staging has been insufficient in esophageal carcinoma cases, immunohistochemical analysis of p53 and VEGF C staining in tissues could be an aid to clinicians regarding lymph node metastasis. PMID- 17760651 TI - Palliation of malignant aerodigestive fistulae with self-expanding metallic stents. AB - Malignant aerodigestive fistulae are rare but devastating sequelae of thoracic cancers, most commonly associated with esophageal cancer. Survival following development of a malignant aerodigestive fistula is measured in weeks. Palliation is the primary goal of therapy and to this end, we report the use of self expanding metallic stents (SEMS) as treatment. Between May 1999 and January 2004, 12 patients were treated for malignant aerodigestive fistulae. The underlying diagnosis was esophageal cancer for 10 patients, and non-small cell lung cancer for two others. All patients were symptomatic and fistulae were diagnosed by esophagoscopy in seven, bronchoscopy in two, and esophagram in three. Seven covered Wallstents (seven esophageal) and eight covered Ultraflex (five tracheal and three esophageal) were used. A single stent was placed in eight patients (seven esophageal and one tracheal). Three patients required esophageal and tracheal stents and one patient needed two tracheal stents. General anesthesia was required in 50% of the patients. There were no procedure-related complications. Symptoms were palliated in 100% of patients and oral intake was reinstituted in 42% (5/12). All the patients were discharged from hospital after SEMS placement and one patient returned for an uneventful tracheal stent replacement secondary to mucus impaction 2 months later. SEMS placement is an effective strategy to palliate malignant aerodigestive fistulae. Complications are rare and symptoms are alleviated in most patients. PMID- 17760652 TI - Perigastric vascular abnormalities and the impact on esophagogastrectomy. AB - The surgeon's ability to recognize abnormal vascular anatomy has greater importance than ever in modern esophagogastric surgical procedures. Some aberrations of vascular vessels around the stomach found during extensive surgery due to primary cancer of the stomach, cardia and lower esophagus are presented in this paper. The purpose of the prospective study is to evaluate and classify these variations with respect to their impact in visceral surgery. A total of 426 patients who underwent total or extensive gastrectomy and esophagectomy combined with lymphadenectomy, have been analyzed prospectively. For the period of 10 years some vascular aberrations have been found in 54/426 (12.67%) of the patients in the operative field during lymphadenectomy as single or combined anomalies. An arterial perigastric anatomy considered normal in textbooks was found in 372 (87.32%) cases. An accessory left hepatic artery arising from the left gastric artery was found in 19/54 (35.18%), and replaced type in 7/54 (12.96%). The replaced right hepatic artery branching from the superior mesenteric artery was found in 5/54 (7.40%) cases. Replaced and accessory left gastric artery branching from the aorta was found in 8/54 (14.8%); accessory posterior gastric artery was found in 25/54 (44.4%), and abnormalities of the splenic, and subphrenic arteries were found in 6/54 (11.11%). Combined anomalies of both left and right hepatic arteries and variations of the celiac trunk were found in 2/54 (3.70%) cases. Forty-nine cases were classified according to established Michels' typology system. Six cases presented with extremely rare variations and remain unclassified. Possible intraoperative problems concerning postoperative complications are also emphasized. PMID- 17760653 TI - High dose N-acetylcysteine to prevent pulmonary complications in partial or total transthoracic esophagectomy: results of a prospective observational study. AB - Cancer of the esophagus has a poor long-term prognosis and a high peri-operative morbidity in which pulmonary complications play a major role. The combination of the surgical approach, pre-existing pulmonary disorders, poor nutritional status and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines may be contributing factors. N acetylcysteine ((NAC) has been shown to have oxygen scavenging abilities. In severe sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome, positive effects of NAC on morbidity and mortality were discovered. In this observational study peri operative high dose NAC was administered in 22 patients. The effects of this treatment on respiratory function, morbidity and survival were studied. These prospectively collected data were compared with data of a matched, retrospective group without NAC treatment. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of socio-demographic data, preoperative pulmonary function, intra operative course and oncologic characteristics. The oxygenation indices at the postoperative hours 2 (P = 0.019), 4 (P < 0.001), 8 (P = 0.035), 12 (P = 0.035) and 24 (P = 0.046) were significantly higher in the NAC group. After 36 h, the difference between groups was no longer significant (P = 0.064). NAC-treated patients showed significant lower overall pulmonary morbidity, 45.5% versus 81.8% (P = 0.027). Surgical morbidity, intensive care unit and hospital stay were not significantly different between groups, mortality was zero. Kaplan-Meier curves showed no significant difference in survival 12 months postoperatively. These data indicate that postoperative oxygenation can be improved and rate of overall pulmonary complications is reduced using peri-operative high dose NAC in transthoracic esophagectomy. PMID- 17760654 TI - Does the Bravo pH capsule affect esophageal motor function? AB - The aim of this study was to determine whether attachment of the Bravo pH monitoring capsule alters esophageal motility. Twenty normal subjects were studied with 36-channel high-resolution manometry before and after Bravo capsule placement. Subjects performed 10 5-mL water-swallows in both upright and supine positions and two 5-mL barium-swallows under fluoroscopy synchronized with manometry recordings. There was no significant change in basal esophagogastric junction (EGJ) pressure, EGJ relaxation pressure or peristaltic function before and after Bravo placement in either position. However, a 2-cm focus of augmented peristalsis was found corresponding to the position of the Bravo capsule. Ten subjects were aware of the capsule (7 had a mild foreign body sensation, 1 had mild discomfort, and 2 had chest pain altering daily activity or diet) while nine subjects were unaware of the capsule. Subjects who were aware of the capsule's presence exhibited a greater augmentation of peristalsis than those who were not (P < 0.05). Neither EGJ function nor peristaltic performance were significantly altered by the presence of a Bravo capsule. However, capsule presence was associated with a locus of augmented peristalsis and this phenomenon was most evident in subjects who perceived the presence of the Bravo capsule. PMID- 17760655 TI - Effect of pantoprazole in older patients with erosive esophagitis. AB - Several studies suggest that older adults with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are more likely to develop complications, including erosive esophagitis, but it is unclear whether erosive esophagitis is more difficult to treat in older patients. The purpose of this study was to determine if adults > or = 65 years with erosive esophagitis are more difficult to treat than younger adults. The study was a post hoc analysis of two double-blind, randomized, multicenter trials of patients with erosive esophagitis. Patients received pantoprazole 40 mg once daily, nizatidine 150 mg twice daily or placebo. Patients were evaluated for endoscopic healing at 4 and 8 weeks. Patients recorded typical reflux symptoms using a daily diary to note presence or absence of symptoms. Results showed that 44, 13 and 11 patients > or = 65 years and 210, 69, and 71 patients < 65 received pantoprazole 40 mg daily, nizatidine 150 mg twice daily, or placebo, respectively. Eighty-six percent (86%[76%, 97% CI]) of older and 83% (78%, 88% CI) of younger pantoprazole-treated patients were healed at 8 weeks; 46% (19%, 73% CI) and 35% (24%, 46% CI) of nizatidine-treated and 27% (1%, 54% CI) and 34% (23%, 45% CI) of placebo-treated were healed at 8 weeks. Median time to persistent absence of GERD-related symptoms was similar for older and younger patients treated with pantoprazole. We conclude that older patients with erosive esophagitis do not appear to have more difficult-to-treat disease. Erosive esophagitis is effectively healed and GERD symptoms are controlled in older patients using pantoprazole 40 mg daily. PMID- 17760656 TI - Quality of life convergence of laparoscopic and open anti-reflux surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease. AB - Although laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery (LARS) has become the surgical treatment of choice for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), it is unclear whether the quality of life (QoL) advantage of LARS over open anti-reflux surgery (OARS) persists in the long term. The purpose of this study was to compare long term QoL between LARS and OARS patients. A prospectively gathered database of all patients who underwent either LARS or OARS for symptomatic GERD was reviewed. Preoperatively, patients completed the GERD- health-related quality of life (HRQL) symptom severity questionnaire (best score 0, worst score 50), and the Medical Outcome Short Form (36) (SF-36) generic bodily QoL instrument (eight domains, physical functioning, PF; role - physical, RP; role - emotional, RE; bodily pain, BP; vitality, mental health, social functioning, SF; general health, best score 100, worst score 0). Postoperatively, patients completed both questionnaires at 6 weeks and a least 1 year. Data are presented as medians and statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U-test. A beta-error was determined to assess adequacy of sample size. A total of 289 patients underwent LARS and 124 OARS. At 6 weeks there were statistically significantly better scores for LARS in the domains of PF, RP, RE, BP and SF. However, after 1 year, there were no statistically significant differences. The beta-error for non-statistically significant differences were all < 0.2, which is considered an adequate sample size. Although LARS does produce better QoL scores in the early postoperative period, after 1 year, these scores converge. PMID- 17760657 TI - Esophageal ileus following laparoscopic fundoplication. AB - Early postoperative dysphagia occurs in most patients following laparoscopic fundoplication. Whether dysphagia is associated with a change in esophageal motor function and/or a change in gastroesophageal junction characteristics is unknown. Esophageal motility in the early postoperative period has not been evaluated previously. Esophageal motility was studied on the first postoperative day in 10 patients who underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication and 10 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (control group), using standard perfusion manometry. Primary peristalsis on water swallows following fundoplication elicted a median response of 5% successful peristalsis compared with median response of 100% successful peristalsis following cholecystectomy (P = 0.05). The fundoplication was associated with failure of primary esophageal peristalsis in 7/10 patients, compared to 2/10 patients who underwent cholecystectomy (P = 0.068 Fisher's exact test). Three months after fundoplication, in nine patients studied, primary peristalsis was similar to peristalsis observed preoperatively in seven patients and two patients still had an aperistaltic esophagus. In this study, esophageal manometry 1 day after surgery demonstrated grossly disturbed esophageal motility in most patents following laparoscopic fundoplication, compared to normal motility following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Peristalsis improved at 3 months or more following surgery. This suggests that an 'esophageal ileus' occurs during the early period after laparoscopic fundoplication. PMID- 17760658 TI - Midterm follow-up of esophageal anastomosis for esophageal atresia repair: long gap versus non-long-gap. AB - Current approaches to the repair of long-gap esophageal atresia (EA) favor esophageal anastomosis. This investigation provides a midterm follow-up of long gap EA with a primary repair to determine whether this procedure affects symptom severity and whether symptom severity may predict worsening of dysmotility. Fifteen children at least 1-year post primary repair were divided into group 1 (long-gap) and group 2 (non-long-gap). The severity of their symptoms was graded using a questionnaire focused on their eating habits and gastroesophageal motor dysfunction symptoms. Esophageal transit time and gastric emptying were assessed by scintigraphy and used to grade esophagogastric dysmotility. At midterm follow up the majority of patients in both groups were asymptomatic (66% in group 1 vs 77.7% in group 2; P > 0.05). Esophagogastric dysmotility grades for group 1 were more severe than for group 2 (median 2.5, range from 1 to 4 vs median 1, range from 1 to 2, respectively; P > 0.05). We found no relationship between the severity of the symptoms and the presence or severity of esophagogastric dysmotility. At midterm follow-up in patients with long-gap atresia that underwent primary repair, this study showed scintigraphic evidence of silent and serious esophagogastric dysmotility in symptom-free or minimally symptomatic children. It may therefore be unreliable to use symptoms in assessing the severity of esophagogastric dysmotility, since both groups showed similar clinical findings but different scintigraphic findings. PMID- 17760659 TI - Granular cell tumors of the esophagus: report of five cases and review of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. AB - Granular cell tumors (GCT) of the esophagus are stromal lesions originating from the Schwann cells of the submucosal neuronal plexus. Although they are very infrequent, they constitute the second largest cause of non-epithelial tumors in the esophagus after leiomyomas. These tumors are generally benign, although a certain number of malignant, aggressive cases have been reported. Diagnosis requires that this possibility be ruled out before deciding on which course of therapeutic action to take as well as familiarization with the relevant indicators. GCT linked synchronically or metachronically to other malignant neoplasias of the esophagus have also been described, but the actual extent of this association is uncertain. This report describes five cases of GCT recently diagnosed as incidental findings following endoscopic exploration. All of these were benign and were treated conservatively. The article discusses new aspects relating to the diagnosis of these lesions and the role carried out by endoscopic ultrasonography in their characterization, both at preliminary diagnosis and monitoring levels. No standard therapeutic guidelines exist for the management of GCT, but endoscopic treatment without invading the muscularis propria layer would be used for symptomatic patients, creating histopathological doubts requiring research on the entire organ. Endoscopic therapeutic techniques are analyzed (resection with forceps or diathermy handles, yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser ablation, alcohol injection) in esophageal GCT, which have overtaken surgery in most cases due to their efficiency, greater safety and fewer complications. PMID- 17760660 TI - Nonoperative treatment of four esophageal perforations with hemostatic clips. AB - Spontaneous or iatrogenic esophageal perforations are despite advances of modern surgery and intensive care medicine still potentially life-threatening events with a considerable mortality rate. Recently, encouraging results on the sealing of esophageal perforations by placement of endoluminal prostheses were reported. However, if the perforation is very proximal (close to the larynx) or very distal (involving the cardia), the situation is to our experience unsuitable for stent therapy. In these special cases non-operative treatment is still possible by application of hemostatic metal clips. We present four cases unsuitable for stent therapy where the perforation was sealed by endoscopic clip application. All patients had an uneventful recovery. Non-operative treatment of esophageal perforations with hemostatic metal clips is feasible and safe in cases not treatable with self-expanding metal stents. PMID- 17760661 TI - Successful endoscopic hemoclipping of an esophageal perforation. AB - We describe a case of esophageal perforation that resulted from a fishbone. A 71 year-old man had had a fishbone impacted in the lower esophagus for 2 days. At presentation, the bone was dislodged at endoscopy; one round opening in a deep ulceration was detected when the fishbone was removed. The perforation was closed by endoscopic hemoclipping, after the removal of the fishbone. A thoracic computed tomography revealed air around the esophagus, aorta and bronchus and the presence of a pleural effusion. These findings suggested mediastinal emphysema and mediastinitis due to the esophageal perforation after the removal of the fishbone. Esophagography revealed a focal esophageal defect and linear contrast leakage at the distal esophagus. The mediastinal emphysema and pleural effusion successfully resolved after the endoscopic hemoclip application and conservative management of the perforation. PMID- 17760662 TI - Fibrovascular polyp of the esophagus requiring esophagectomy. AB - Fibrovascular polyps of the esophagus are rare, with only 110 cases reported in the world literature to date. Dysphagia is the most common symptom. The diagnosis is usually made by barium swallow or upper endoscopy, but almost a third of cases can be missed with these studies. Treatment is surgical. Only four cases in the literature underwent esophagectomy for removal. We present a female patient with a fibrovascular polyp of the esophagus who required a transhiatal esophagectomy to safely remove this mass. PMID- 17760663 TI - The fine line between competency and quality performance in breast pathology: are we serving our patients right? PMID- 17760664 TI - Why current breast pathology practices must be evaluated. A Susan G. Komen for the Cure white paper: June 2006. AB - Ending breast cancer has long been the mission of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. To this end, the organization has a strong interest and proven track record in ensuring public investment in quality breast health and breast cancer care. Recently, Susan G. Komen for the Cure identified major issues in the practice of pathology that have a negative impact on the lives of thousands of breast cancer patients in the United States. These issues were identified through a comprehensive literature review and interviews conducted in 2005-2006 with experts in oncology, breast pathology, surgery, and radiology. The interviewees practiced in community, academic, and cooperative group settings. Komen for the Cure has identified four areas that have a direct impact on the quality of care breast cancer patients receive in the United States, the accuracy of breast pathology diagnostics, the effects of current health insurance, and reimbursement policies on patients who are evaluated for a possible breast cancer diagnosis, the substantial decrease in tissue banking participation, particularly during a time of rapid advances in biologically correlated clinical science and the role for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, pathology professional societies and the Federal government in ensuring that breast pathology practices meet the highest possible standards in the United States Concerns surrounding the quality and practice of breast pathology are not limited to diagnostic accuracy. Other considerations include, training and proficiency of pathologists who are evaluating breast specimens, the lack of integration of pathologists in the clinical care team, inadequate compensation for the amount of work required to thoroughly analyze specimens, potential loss in translational research as a result of medical privacy regulations, and the lack of mandatory uniform pathology practice standards without any way to measure the degree of variation or to remedy it. PMID- 17760665 TI - Tumor size as a surrogate end point for the detection of early breast cancer: a 30-year (1972-2002), single-center experience in southern Brazil. AB - The 30-year experience in improving detection of breast cancer in the Breast Unit of the Hospital de Clinicas, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (1972-2002) is reported. We retrospectively analyzed the behavior of surrogate parameters of early breast cancer detection, such as the mean tumor diameter at diagnosis, clinical staging, as well as the percentage of breast conservative surgery along this period of three decades. From 2,103 identified women, 1,607 women met our criteria for study entry and had follow-up information, constituting our study cohort. Statistical tests were two-sided and considered significant at p < 0.05. There was a decrease of about 0.8 cm in the median tumor diameter over this 30-year period. The incidence of early-stage tumors increased progressively over time, and the percentage of patients presenting with stage I breast cancer doubled in 30 years. The Halsted procedure that represented 11.5% of surgeries in the 1970s is a very rare procedure nowadays (<1% of cases). Modified radical mastectomy was the procedure applied in about 50% of women with invasive breast cancer during these 30 years of observation. Notably, breast conservative surgery increased from 17.3% in the 1970s to 43.2% in the 2000s, while the decrease in tumor size and clinical staging was accompanied by an increased number of breast conservative surgical procedures. In geographic areas where coordinated preventive efforts are not thoroughly available, analysis of subsets of the patient population using tumor size as a surrogate represents an indirect way to observe long-term effects of prevention. The present study shows that tumor size is a surrogate for populations from developing countries too and gives scientific support for the design of continuous comprehensive programs of breast cancer prevention in this setting. PMID- 17760667 TI - Breast-specific gamma imaging with 99mTc-Sestamibi and magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of breast cancer--a comparative study. AB - The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) using a high-resolution breast-specific gamma camera and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with indeterminate breast findings. Twenty-three women with an indeterminate breast finding that required BSGI and MRI as deemed necessary by the interpreting radiologist or referring physician were included. MRI was performed on a GE 1.5T scanner and BSGI was performed on a Dilon high-resolution breast-specific gamma camera. All imaging findings were correlated with pathologic diagnosis. Thirty-three indeterminate lesions were evaluated in the study. There were a total of nine pathologically confirmed cancers. There was no statistically significant difference in sensitivity of cancer detection between BSGI and MRI. BSGI demonstrated a greater specificity than MRI, 71% and 25%, respectively. BSGI has equal sensitivity and greater specificity than MRI for the detection of breast cancer. PMID- 17760666 TI - Changes in the tumor grade and biological markers in locally advanced breast cancer after chemotherapy--implications for a pathologist. AB - There is insurgence of literature evaluating prognostic and predictive factors in breast carcinomas treated with chemotherapy, with a parallel need to develop guidelines for the pathologist interpreting such excisions. Prechemotherapy gun biopsy and postchemotherapy excision specimens from 78 women with locally advanced breast cancer were analyzed for histological changes in the tumor, changes in the tumor grade, hormone receptors, cerb2, and bcl2 and their impact on disease-free survival (DFS). An unusually prominent granulomatous response to tumor was seen in three cases. The tumor grade changed in five patients, estrogen receptor (ER) expression was altered in 10 cases, progesterone receptor detection changed in 16 cases, cerb2 in one case and bcl2 in 16 cases. Fixation of the gun biopsy in Bouin's fluid and severe damage of nuclei after chemotherapy were the reasons for shift in the expression of hormone receptors. A low-grade tumor was associated with better response to chemotherapy. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis the ER expression and a low-grade tumor (grade I and II) significantly affected DFS. None of the factors evaluated impacted the overall survival of patients. To conclude there is a change in the tumor grade, bcl2, cerb2 and hormone receptors after chemotherapy. A pathologist interpreting specimens of breast cancer after chemotherapy must always record the postchemotherapy grade as it is an indicator of better response to chemotherapy and survival. PMID- 17760668 TI - Immediate skin-sparing mastectomy reconstruction with deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap. Technical aspects and outcome. AB - Although breast reconstruction with deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap is a well-described technique, few publications have specifically reported the technical aspects and the outcome following skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM). The aim of this study is to analyse the feasibility of its immediate application and to describe the operative planning, outcome and complications after SSM. 27 patients underwent 30 DIEP flap breast reconstructions with all immediate and 3 bilateral. Mean time of follow-up was 29 months. Breast skin, DIEP Flap and donor site complications were evaluated. Information on patient satisfaction was collected. 70% had tumors measuring 2 cm or less (T1) and 74% were stage 0 and I according to American Joint Committee on Cancer. Breast skin complications occurred in 7.4%, all represented by small areas of skin necrosis. Partial losses were observed in two (7.4%) patients (less than 15% of total area) and total DIEP loss in 1 (3.7%). Donor-site complications represented by bulging occurred in only one patient (3.7%). The majority of patients were either very satisfied or satisfied. One local recurrence was observed. All complications except 2 were treated by a conservative approach. The DIEP flap is a reliable technique for SSM reconstruction. Success depends on patient selection, coordinated planning with the oncologic surgeon and careful intraoperative and postoperative management. The main advantage is that patients can safely undergo dual procedures with the added aesthetic benefits in breast and abdominal donor site. PMID- 17760669 TI - Is survival from infiltrating lobular carcinoma of the breast different from that of infiltrating ductal carcinoma? AB - Previous studies of patients with breast cancer have compared survival of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) with contradictory results. This study examines the effect of the diagnosis of IDC or ILC in conjunction with age at diagnosis, pathologic tumor size, pathologic stage, histologic grade, and lymph node status of 307 women with IDC or ILC in 1992 in the Greater Western region of Sydney in Australia. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method. Relative risks associated with IDC or ILC and other important prognostic factors and adjusted for each other were computed using Cox proportional hazard regression. The proportion of grade I tumors was significantly higher in ILC (41%) than in IDC (16%). Conversely, the proportion of grade III tumors was only 18% in ILC as against 41% in IDC (p = 0.020). The 10-year survival of women with IDC was 69%, compared to 84% for ILC (p = 0.073). However, the 15 percentile point difference between overall survival of IDC and ILC was markedly reduced after adjustment for nodal status. The difference was eight percentile points for node-negative patients (p = 0.361) and five percentile points for node-positive patients (p = 0.464). Age at diagnosis, tumor size, pathologic stage, and lymph node status were independent prognostic indicators for 10-year survival. There was no prognostic difference between IDC and ILC. The result shows the importance of adjusting for other important clinicopathologic characteristics before comparing the overall survival of IDC and ILC. PMID- 17760670 TI - Segregation of radiographic calcifications in stereotactic core biopsies of breast: is it necessary? AB - Stereotactic-needle core biopsy (SNCB) is increasingly being used for the evaluation of mammographic calcifications. Radiography of SNCB specimens is essential to confirm the presence of calcifications within the biopsy material. To aid and direct the pathologist, it has been recommended that SNCBs be separated into those with and without radiographic calcifications and separately embedded. However, the utility of this separation to the pathologist has not been established. We reviewed 80 consecutive 11 gauge vacuum-assisted SNCB procedures performed for mammographic calcifications. The core biopsies were separated by the radiologist into those with and without radiographic calcifications ("calcs" and "no calcs"). Twenty-nine of 80 (36%) of the "calcs" cores were atypical or malignant, while 23 of 80 (29%) of the "no calcs" cores were atypical or malignant (chi(2) = 0.63, p = NS). The same diagnosis was rendered in the "calcs" and "no calcs" specimens in 61/80 cases (76%). Two cases of ductal carcinoma in situ, four cases of atypical ductal hyperplasia and 13 cases of fibroadenoma were diagnosed in the "calcs" cores only. However, in all cases where the pathologic lesion was seen in the "calcs" core only, the pathologic lesion was present on initial H&E levels and would have been diagnosed even in the absence of core segregation. Deeper sections were deemed necessary in seven of the 80 cases. No change in diagnosis was made on the basis of these deeper sections, even in the cases where histologic calcifications appeared on deeper sections. Separate embedding of SNCBs into those with and without radiographic calcifications does not appear to be of great utility to the pathologist. Equal attention should be given to all cores in the setting of SNCBs for mammographic calcifications. PMID- 17760671 TI - Mirtazapine for the treatment of hot flushes in breast cancer survivors: a prospective pilot trial. AB - The purposes of the study are to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mirtazapine 30 mg/daily for 12 weeks to reduce hot flushes (HF) in women with previous breast cancer and to assess the influence of the same treatment on sleep quality and other menopausal symptoms. A prospective pilot trial was conducted in 40 breast cancer patients with at least seven HF per day. A HF diary was completed daily; sleep quality and other menopausal symptoms were assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and the SF-36 Health Survey. Treatment was never started by 13 out of 40 patients (32.5%) and was interrupted by 7 out of 27 patients (25%) due to of the occurrence of side effects (mostly somnolence). In the remaining 20 patients who completed the three months treatment period, there was a 55.6% (p < 0.05) reduction in HF frequency and 61.9% (p < 0.05) reduction in HF score as compared to baseline. A significant reduction in the MRS score (32.8%; p < 0.05) was observed. Mirtazapine appears to be effective in reducing HF in breast cancer survivors. The more frequent side effect was somnolence. A sizeable compiliance problem has been observed due to the reluctance to take antidepressant drugs and to side effects. PMID- 17760672 TI - Is hormone replacement therapy-related breast cancer more favorable? A case control study. AB - Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)-related breast cancer may carry a better prognosis since there is no increase in breast cancer deaths. We looked at the prognostic risk factors and outcome inpatients who had ever taken HRT compared to those who had not, in a case control study. Subgroups of recent-users and those using HRT for >5 years were also compared to controls. Tumor size, grade, vascular invasion, lymph node, and estrogen receptor status as well as median Nottingham Prognostic Indicator (NPI) were compared between cases and controls. Absolute survival between ever-users and never-users was compared by life table analysis. There was no difference between all the cases and their controls for the five prognostic factors. NPI in each group was also similar. Absolute survival between ever-users and never-users was not significantly different either (p = 0.678). There was no evidence that HRT-related breast cancer has a more favorable outcome. PMID- 17760674 TI - Pulmonary hypertension caused by metastatic breast cancer and its response to antihormone therapy and chemotherapy. PMID- 17760673 TI - Rare species of actinomyces as causative pathogens in breast abscess. AB - Actinomyces species are commensal flora usually found in the oropharynx, gastrointestinal tract, and female genital tract. Primary actinomycosis of the breast is an unusual condition, where the most commonly isolated pathogen has been Actinomyces israelii. In recent years, other Actinomyces strains have been found associated with breast disease. We present the first reported cases of breast infection caused by the rare species, Actinomyces turicensis and Actinomyces radingae. Both infections displayed chronicity and abscess formation. In the first case, the infection was refractory to recurrent aspirations and initial antibiotic therapy. In the second case, aspiration and prolonged antibiotic therapy was required to overcome the chronic infection. PMID- 17760675 TI - Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis: surgery, treatment, and reconstruction. AB - Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is a rare inflammatory breast disease that mimics breast diseases such as inflammatory breast carcinoma, infective mastitis, and inflammatory breast disease of known cause. It is a diagnosis made only after excluding other causes, and although the disease is nonmalignant it may be both locally aggressive and recurrent. Definitive treatment may require radical excision and adjunctive treatment with immunosuppressants. Reconstruction following excision of disease has not been previously described. In those patients who undergo reconstruction, both the surgeon and the patient must be aware of complications associated with residual disease, and the potential involvement of donor sites. Treatment should be undertaken as part of a multidisciplinary team including surgeons and physicians with an interest in inflammatory breast disease. We present two patients diagnosed with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis who were referred to our unit for consideration of reconstruction. One patient underwent autologous breast reconstruction and the other contra lateral surgery to achieve symmetry. PMID- 17760676 TI - Calciphylaxis mimicking inflammatory breast cancer. AB - Calciphylaxis is a rare disorder characterized by microcalcification of small- and medium-sized blood vessels causing cutaneous and soft tissue necrosis. Patients usually present with painful, violaceous skin discoloration in a livedo reticularis pattern. We present a case of a 59-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who manifested signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer. The patient underwent an open biopsy and subsequent mastectomy, with final pathology results of calciphylaxis. Due to recurrent hyperparathyroidism, she underwent a re-parathyroidectomy with reimplantation. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of calciphylaxis recurrence after subtotal parathyroidectomy. We propose that those patients with ESRD who develop breast pathology consistent with inflammation and necrosis, and have no malignancy, be evaluated for secondary hyperparathyroidism. Total parathyroidectomy with reimplantation should be performed. Mastectomy should be performed for unresolving symptoms, necrosis or infection. PMID- 17760677 TI - Merkel cell carcinoma in a male breast: a case report. AB - Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare skin neoplasm and has not been reported yet in a male breast. We present a case of 74-year-old patient who was referred to the breast clinic with a lump in his right breast, which led first to the core biopsy followed by radical mastectomy and axillary clearance. The clinical characteristics, gross, microscopic and immunohistochemical findings and management of this lesion are discussed. Surgical excision remains the main option for treating this lesion including prophylactic lymphadenectomy and local radiotherapy. PMID- 17760678 TI - Acinar pattern of mammary Paget's disease: a case report. AB - Mammary Paget's disease (MPD) is an uncommon in situ neoplasm of the nipple areolar complex and surrounding skin. It is almost always associated with mammary ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), high-grade or invasive carcinoma, usually of ductal origin. MPD has only rarely been described in association with specialized forms of breast carcinoma. We report an unusual case of an acinar pattern of MPD with low-grade cytological atypia, associated with invasive papillary carcinoma and micropapillary DCIS of the lactiferous ducts, in an 83-year-old woman. Most cases of MPD are characterized by intraepidermal spread of discohesive glandular epithelial cells with high-grade nuclear atypia. A predominant acinar pattern of MPD is extremely uncommon and, to our knowledge, has not been formally reported. The histological features and differential diagnosis are discussed. PMID- 17760679 TI - MR imaging and MR spectroscopy findings of multiple breast abscess in the nonlactating case. PMID- 17760680 TI - Unlocalized pathologic nipple discharge with all clinical and radiological investigations. PMID- 17760681 TI - Mammary small-cell carcinoma with dimorphic phenotype. PMID- 17760682 TI - Radiation necrosis of the breast leading to mastectomy. PMID- 17760683 TI - Aberrant breast cancer. PMID- 17760684 TI - Assessment of biomarker expression in predicting pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. PMID- 17760685 TI - Prevalence of breast cancer in breast sample reports in Iran, 2001-2004. PMID- 17760686 TI - Sexuality and quality of life in breast cancer survivors in Brazil. PMID- 17760687 TI - Re: "Pilot trial of a computerized decision aid for breast cancer prevention". PMID- 17760689 TI - Perceptions of beauty. PMID- 17760690 TI - African hair length in a school population: a clue to disease pathogenesis? AB - BACKGROUND: Anecdotal data suggest that combed natural African hair reaches a length steady state. Easier grooming and anticipated long hair have made relaxers popular. OBJECTIVES: These hypotheses were tested in a cross-sectional survey of 1042 school children using a piloted questionnaire and hair length measurements done on four scalp regions. RESULTS: Participants included 45% boys and 55% girls. Girls consider length important for hairstyle choice (P < 0.0001). There was no difference in mean length at 2 to 5 vs. > 5 years (P = 0.3) and at 1 to < 2 vs. 2 to 5 years (P = 0.99), suggesting that a steady state is reached within 1 year after a hair cut for combed natural hair [mean, 5.1 cm (4.3)]. Relaxed hair reached length steady state > 2 years after a haircut [mean, 10.9 cm (3.6)], was longer than natural hair (P < 0.0001), shorter than expected, and significantly shorter on the occiput than the rest of the scalp (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Persistently short combed natural hair years after a hair cut suggests that breakage eventually equals new growth (i.e., steady state), which is likely to be variable. Relaxed hair, irrespective of last haircut, is also short; chemical damage as a limit to potential lengths needs confirmation. Relatively short occipital relaxed hair could be a clue to disease pathogenesis. PMID- 17760691 TI - Clostridium botulinum type A toxin for the treatment of upper face animation lines: an Iranian experience. AB - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment of vertical glabellar frown lines, frontal lines and crow's feet by means of direct injection of Dysport (Clostridium botulinum type A toxin - hemagglutinin complex) in Iranian patients. Dysport is one of the commercially available type A subtypes (Ipsen Ltd, Maidenhead Berkshire, UK). It is the one used most often in Iran. Botox, the other form of commercially available botulinum type A toxin, is used most often in the United States and Canada. Dysport is two to four times less effective, in similar unit doses, than Botox, which is why it is manufactured in larger vials (500-U vials for Dysport vs. 100-U vials for Botox). The authors have been using botulinum toxin type A in their practice for cosmetic purposes since 1995. An experience of over 1295 injections to the upper face animation (dynamic) lines in 108 patients is presented. This study included 108 patients and 208 injection sessions. We used Dysport containing 500 U toxin. Toxin was diluted with 2.5 mL of sterile normal saline and yielded 20 U for each 0.1 mL. A dose of 76 to 90 U was injected into each muscle. There were 95 women and 13 men in this study, ranging in age from 20 to 79 years. Doses ranged from 10 to 20 mL per injection, varying according to the severity of wrinkles, intensity of muscle contraction, and the mass of the muscle. The more bulky or greater intensity of muscle contraction, the higher the dose required to obtain good results. Therefore, the more bulky corrugator or frontalis muscle requires more than the thinner orbicularis. Dysport seemed to be a safe and effective alternative to Botox, giving good to excellent cosmetic results lasting at least 4 months in the majority of the patients. PMID- 17760692 TI - Hyaluronidase offers an efficacious treatment for inaesthetic hyaluronic acid overcorrection. AB - BACKGROUND: Hyaluronic acid is generally accepted today as the "gold standard" filler agent, and its use has subsequently grown enormously. In addition, newer facial volume augmentation indications are constantly evolving. Rare adverse events, such as granulomas, have been described. However, complications are more commonly due to product misplacement or overcorrection leading to unsightly lumps and masses. Hyaluronidase treatment of these latter adverse effects can be both effective and rapid. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to confirm the efficacy of hyaluronidase injections in dissolving unsightly hyaluronic acid overcorrection. METHODS: A case of hyaluronic acid overcorrection is described with evaluation of the effects of hyaluronidase. RESULTS: The use of hyaluronidase, injected intracutaneously permits the elimination of patient discomfort and inaesthetic lumps within a few hours. CONCLUSIONS: Hyaluronidase is highly effective in eliminating HA volume overcorrection. PMID- 17760693 TI - Adverse reactions after nonablative radiofrequency: follow-up of 290 patients. AB - BACKGROUND: Monopolar radiofrequency has been Food and Drug Administration approved for the noninvasive treatment of periorbital rhytides and wrinkles in 2002 and for full-face treatment in 2004. In order to establish the degree of side effects in our practice, a retrospective review was done. OBSERVATIONS: Seven hundred fifty-seven treatments of nonablative monopolar radiofrequency were done on 290 patients. Two hundred sixty-four patients were women (91%), and 26 were men (9%). Two hundred fifty-nine of these patients were treated for facial lifts. Patients were treated with an average energy setting of 81 J/cm(2). Treatments were all done with a 1-cm(2) tip that gives a 2.3-s pulse, and 11.49% of treatments were particularly painful for the patient. The appearance of second degree burns occurred in 2.7% of the treatment sessions. Other less frequent adverse reactions were persistent erythema (1.22%), headache, scarring, edema, fat atrophy, burn in the return pad site, neuralgia, and facial palsy. The occurrence of facial palsy might be a coincidence. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with other studies, we have found a very low incidence of posttreatment erythema and edema. On the other hand, the incidence of second-degree burns is somewhat higher. This might be due to the fact that in other studies higher energy settings have been used but without overlapping pulses. Monopolar radiofrequency is a safe method of treating the skin of the face and neck, and it should be done at moderated energy settings with no immediate overlapping in order to avoid overheating and undesirable side effects. PMID- 17760694 TI - Persistent delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to injectable non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid. AB - OBJECTIVE: Injectable hyaluronic acid is a glycosaminoglycan used for soft-tissue augmentation. A number of products that are not Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for use in the United States are used commonly in Europe. We report a case of persistent delayed-type hypersensitivity to injected non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid. The patient was initially injected in Europe with a non-FDA-approved filler but traveled to the United States for evaluation of this adverse reaction. METHODS: A case of adverse reaction to non-animal-stabilized hyaluronic acid is described. An overview of selected hyaluronic acid filler products is provided. RESULTS: The patient developed persistent facial edema after injection of hyaluronic acid filler to the melolabial folds, glabella, lips, and perioral rhytids. CONCLUSION: Injectable hyaluronic acid can be associated with a variety of complications including immediate and delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions. Physicians should be familiar with products used in other countries, as patients may present for evaluation following adverse reaction to fillers obtained abroad or from American physicians using non-FDA approved products. PMID- 17760695 TI - Moisturizing and antisebum effect of cosmetic application on facial skin. AB - BACKGROUND: Water content of the stratum corneum and skin surface lipids are important factors in the appearance and function of skin. High water content and low sebum secretion are considered main features of fair skin. Aim This paper aims to study the change of skin physiological parameters after cosmetic application. METHODS: The skin water content, transepidermal water loss, and skin sebum secretion on different regions of the facial skin before and after the cosmetic application were measured using Corneometer, Tewameter, and Sebumeter, respectively. RESULTS: The cosmetics kept higher water content and lower transepidermal water loss, at the same time lower sebum secretion 4 and 8 h after the cosmetic application, compared with those before it. The situation was maintained in the following 3-week continuous use of the cosmetics. CONCLUSION: The cosmetic application on human facial skin could provide some moisturizing effect and at the same time some antisebum effect according to different regions on facial skin, which favored the maintenance of good skin physiological function after applying skin care products. PMID- 17760696 TI - Cleansing lotion containing tamarind fruit pulp extract. II. Study of cumulative irritation effects in human. AB - BACKGROUND: Cleansing lotion containing extract of tamarind fruit pulp was developed to provide skin a lighter effect. Skin irritation may occur due to keratolytic effect of alpha-hydroxyl acids (AHA) in the tamarind fruit pulp extract. OBJECTIVE: To assess the cumulative irritation effect of cleansing lotion containing tamarind fruit extract with 2% (w/w) tartaric acid on human skin compared with placebo product and de-ionized water. METHODS: The study design was a single-blinded, randomized side of arm, and controlled study. Three samples, including test product, placebo product, and de-ionized water, were repeatedly applied on the inner forearm of 15 healthy females (aged 28.3 +/- 3.1 years) for 30 min daily for 5 days under semi-occlusive patch. Skin irritation was measured by using visual scoring and instruments such as Tewameter and Mexameter. All measurements were done before application of samples every day from day 1 until day 5. Final measurements were done after the last application for 3 days (day 8). RESULTS: The results obtained from the visual scoring scale indicated no irritation signs and symptoms of test product. Mean differences of transepidermal water loss and erythema values between test product and de-ionized water and between test and placebo products were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate a preliminary safety evidence of our developed cleansing lotion containing the natural AHAs and can be used as cumulative evidence for supporting the future home use study of this product in human. PMID- 17760697 TI - A comparison of the relative antioxidant potency of L-ergothioneine and idebenone. AB - BACKGROUND: L-ergothioneine (EGT) is a stable antioxidant found in food plants as well as in animal tissue undergoing relatively high levels of oxidative stress. Idebenone is a stable analog of the antioxidant coenzyme Q(10). All are potent antioxidants found in skincare products, but their relative potencies are not well described. AIMS: To establish the physiological relevance of EGT by examining transcription of the EGT transporter gene OCTN-1 and production of the receptor protein in skin fibroblasts. In addition, to compare the inhibition of lipid peroxide formation by coenzyme Q(10) and EGT. Furthermore, to compare the peroxide-scavenging abilities of EGT and idebenone in both simple solution and in cell cultures exposed to ultraviolet A (UVA). METHODS: OCTN-1 expression and production in cultured fibroblasts were measured through real-time reverse transcription-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Alloxan-induced lipid peroxidation in liposomes was used to evaluate the inhibition of lipid peroxide formation. The abilities of EGT and idebenone to directly scavenge hydroxyl radicals produced by H(2)O(2 )were determined. Finally, we irradiated fibroblasts with UVA340 radiation and compared antioxidant capabilities to scavenge free radicals. RESULTS: We found that OCTN-1 is expressed and readily detectable in cultured human fibroblasts. EGT was more efficient in inhibiting lipid peroxide formation than coenzyme Q(10) or idebenone. Samples treated with EGT had significantly less peroxide than those treated with idebenone 120 min after adding the antioxidants to H(2)O(2). EGT acted significantly quicker and more efficiently in capturing reactive oxygen species (ROS) after UVA340 irradiation. CONCLUSIONS: EGT is a natural skin antioxidant, as evidenced by the presence of the EGT transporter in fibroblasts. EGT is a more powerful antioxidant than either coenzyme Q(10) or idebenone due to its relatively greater efficiency in directly scavenging free radicals and in protecting cells from UV-induced ROS. PMID- 17760698 TI - The use of light-emitting diode therapy in the treatment of photoaged skin. AB - BACKGROUND: Light-emitting diode (LED) therapy is an increasingly popular methodology for the treatment of sun damage. Combination use of light wavelengths reported to stimulate collagen synthesis and accelerate fibroblast-myofibroblast transformation may display a composite rejuvenative effect. OBJECTIVE: To clinically assess reduction in sun damage signs following a 5-week course of LED therapy and to assess subject's perception of the treatment. METHODS: Thirteen subjects with wrinkles or fine lines in the periorbital and nasolabial region and those presenting Glogau scale photodamage grade II-III received nine 20-min duration light treatments using the Omnilux LED system. The treatments combined wavelengths of 633 and 830 nm at fluences of 126 and 66 J/cm(2), respectively. Sun-damage reduction was assessed at 6, 9, and 12 weeks by clinical photography and patient satisfaction scores. RESULTS: The majority of subjects displayed "moderate" (50%) or "slight" (25%) response to treatment at investigator assessment. Treatment of the periorbital region was reported more effective than the nasolabial region. At 12-week follow-up, 91% of subjects reported improved skin tone, and 82% reported enhanced smoothness of skin in the treatment area. CONCLUSION: Good response to LED therapy has been shown in this modest sample. Larger trials are needed to assess optimum frequency of light treatments and overall treatment time. PMID- 17760699 TI - Hyperpigmentation and melasma. AB - Facial and neck pigmentations are significant cosmetic problems. They are common in middle-aged women, related to endogenous (hormones) and exogenous factors (cosmetics, perfumes, sun exposure), and often represent paramount causes of emotional distress. Although melasma is the most common cause of facial pigmentation, there are many other forms including drug-induced and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. We review pathogenesis, clinical and histopathological data, effect on quality of life, and treatment options in facial hyperpigmentation disorders. PMID- 17760701 TI - What causes dark circles under the eyes? AB - Dark circles under the eyes (DC) are defined as bilateral, round, homogeneous pigment macules on the infraorbital regions. Despite its significant prevalence, there are a few published studies about its pathogenesis. DC are caused by multiple etiologic factors that include dermal melanin deposition, postinflammatory hyperpigmentation secondary to atopic or allergic contact dermatitis, periorbital edema, superficial location of vasculature, and shadowing due to skin laxity. The purpose of this review is to discuss some of the available evidences about the anatomic features that could explain dark circles and the proposed treatments for this unpleasant condition. PMID- 17760700 TI - Effects of ambient room temperature on cold air cooling during laser hair removal. AB - Forced air cooling is a well-established technique that protects the epidermis during laser heating of deeper structures, thereby allowing for increased laser fluences. The goal of this prospective study was to identify whether an elevation in ambient room temperature influences the efficacy of forced air cooling. Skin surface temperatures were measured on 24 sites (12 subjects) during cold air exposure in examination rooms with ambient temperatures of 72 degrees F (22.2 degrees C) and 82 degrees F (27.8 degrees C), respectively. Before cooling, mean skin surface temperature was 9 degrees F (5 degrees C) higher in the warmer room (P < 0.01). Immediately after exposure to forced air cooling (within 1 s), the skin surface temperature remained considerably higher (10.75 degrees F, or 5.8 degrees C, P < 0.01) in the warmer room. We conclude that forced air cooling in a room with an ambient temperature of 82 degrees F (27.8 degrees C) is not as effective as in a room that is at 72 degrees F (22.2 degrees C). PMID- 17760702 TI - Abstracts of the Second Annual Meeting of the European Society of Coloproctology. September 26-29, 2007. Portomaso, Malta. PMID- 17760703 TI - Ophthalmic examination findings in adult pygmy goats (Capra hicus). AB - OBJECTIVE: To document normal ophthalmic findings and ocular abnormalities in captive adult pygmy goats. ANIMALS STUDIED: Ten healthy adult pygmy goats (five male, five female; 5-11 years of age; 26-45 kg body mass) underwent complete ophthalmic examinations. PROCEDURE: Direct illumination, diffuse and slit-beam biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, IOP measurements and Schirmer tear tests were performed. TonoVet rebound tonometry, followed by topical application of 0.5% ophthalmic proparacaine, and Tono-Pen XL applanation tonometry were performed in each eye to obtain estimates of IOP. RESULTS: Ophthalmic abnormalities included corneal scars and pigmentation, incipient cataracts, lenticular sclerosis, and vitreal veiling. Mean STT values were 15.8 mm/min, with a range of 10-30 mm/min. Mean IOP values were 11.8 mmHg for TonoVet-D, with a range of 9-14 mmHg; 7.9 mmHg for TonoVet-P, with a range of 6-12 mmHg; and 10.8 mmHg for Tono-Pen XL, with a range of 8-14 mmHg. CONCLUSIONS: Ophthalmic examination findings in adult pygmy goats, including normal means and ranges for STT and IOP measurements, using applanation and rebound tonometry, are provided. PMID- 17760704 TI - IMPG1 gene variation in rhesus macular drusen. AB - Drusen is a hallmark of human age-related maculopathy. Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) represent a natural model of age-related maculopathy with drusen. We have already mapped the macular drusen susceptibility locus in rhesus macaques to the homolog of human chromosome 6q14-15 and shown that a particular IMPG1 gene SNP haplotype was apparently associated with drusen formation in the rhesus macaques maintained by the Caribbean Primate Research Center (CPRC), Puerto Rico, USA. The aim of the present study was to verify this finding in the macaques kept at the German Primate Research Center (DPZ), Germany. The study group comprised 64 animals (34 affected, 30 unaffected). These monkeys were genotyped for all known variations in the IMPG1 gene and haplotype analysis was performed. A total absence of the previously identified risk haplotype of the IMPG1 gene, and a much lower drusen prevalence in comparison to the CPRC group, was observed in the DPZ samples. This prompted a re-analysis of the original disease association in the CPRC, which revealed that the implied risk haplotype was in fact a sequencing artifact. Taken together, the data highlight that additional factors, other than IMPG1 variation, must play a role in drusen pathogenesis in rhesus macaques. PMID- 17760705 TI - Pretreatment with feline interferon omega and the course of subsequent infection with feline herpesvirus in cats. AB - OBJECTIVE: Recombinant feline interferon omega (rFeIFN-omega), a type I IFN, may have the potential to limit virus replication and associated clinical signs when administered early on in the course of feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) infection and reactivation, respectively. The effect of rFeIFN-omega pretreatment on the course of subsequent FHV-1 infection in cats was investigated. ANIMALS STUDIED: Nine SPF cats were divided into an IFN group (n = 5) and a control-group (n = 4). PROCEDURES: The IFN group was pretreated for 2 days with 10 000 units rFeIFN-omega twice a day topically into both eyes and 20 000 units rFeIFN-omega once a day orally, whereas the control group was mock-treated. Subsequently all cats were infected with FHV-1. Samples for FHV-1 DNA detection and quantitation, virus isolation, and titration of FHV-1 antibodies were collected. Clinical and ocular signs were recorded and scored. RESULTS: Courses of median individual clinical and ocular scores and virus load did not differ significantly between both groups using anova for repeated measurements. Analysis (anova) of each individual ocular parameter revealed significantly high scores for epithelial keratitis (P = 0.016) in the IFN group compared to the control group. Periods of virus shedding did not differ significantly between both groups using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated a lack of beneficial effects of rFeIFN-omega pretreatment in the course of primary FHV-1 infection in cats. PMID- 17760706 TI - Severe, unilateral, unresponsive keratoconjunctivitis sicca in 16 juvenile Yorkshire Terriers. AB - OBJECTIVE: To present ophthalmic findings, clinical data, and treatment outcomes of 16 juvenile Yorkshire Terriers with severe unilateral keratoconjunctivitis sicca. RESULTS: Each of the 16 dogs exhibited extreme unilateral dryness associated with blepharospasm, mucoid discharge, and corneal vascularization. Ages of affected dogs at presentation ranged from 5 months to 4 years. Mean Schirmer tear test (STT) result for affected eyes was 1 mm/min. Topical application of 0.2% cyclosporine to the affected eye was not associated with improvement in STT values in any dog. Clinical signs subjectively improved with topical application of 20% chondroitin sulfate ophthalmic solution in some dogs, and transposition of the parotid duct was performed in three dogs. Histopathologic examination in one dog failed to show evidence of orbital lacrimal gland tissue. Clinical signs, age of presentation, disease severity, and lack of response to treatment are consistent with breed-related unilateral aplasia or hypoplasia of the lacrimal gland. CONCLUSION: Lacrimal gland aplasia or hypoplasia should be considered in young dogs with severe unilateral ocular dryness, especially female Yorkshire Terriers. PMID- 17760707 TI - Perinatal hypoxia induces subsequent retinal degeneration in the offspring of ovoviviparous fish, Xiphophorous maculates. AB - OBJECTIVE: This experiment evaluated the perinatal hypoxic effect on the retina of offspring of the ovoviviparous fish. ANIMAL STUDIED: The ovoviviparous fish Xiphophorous maculates was used for the experiment. PROCEDURE: The mothers were kept in a hypoxic environment of 3.5% oxygen for 6 h, starting 30 h before hatching. Subsequently, the retinae of the offspring were fixed, sectioned at 6 microm and evaluated microscopically from the age of 1 to 35 days. RESULTS: Degeneration of the outer nuclear layer of the retina was noted on the 3rd day and severe retinal degeneration was observed on the 35th day. Immunocytochemistry confirmed apoptosis by TUNEL reaction. There was no difference in neovascularization, as revealed by vascular endothelial growth factor, between controls (group 1) and hypoxic fish (group 2). CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal hypoxia could have long-lasting effects on the central nervous system in some species. PMID- 17760708 TI - The effect of low dose rocuronium on globe position, muscle relaxation and ventilation in dogs: a clinical study. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate globe position, muscle relaxation and changes in ventilatory parameters after intravenous administration of 0.1 mg/kg rocuronium. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. ANIMAL STUDIED: Sixteen dogs of different breeds, with a body weight of 22.1 +/- 13 kg and age of 5.6 +/- 2.8 years (mean +/- SD), were anesthetized for a short ophthalmic examination requiring central position of the globe. PROCEDURES: All dogs were premedicated with 0.005 mg/kg medetomidine and 0.1 mg/kg methadone IV. Anesthesia was induced with propofol to effect and maintained with 10 mg/kg/h propofol by continuous rate infusion. Following endotracheal intubation all dogs breathed 100% oxygen via an anesthetic circle system. Neuromuscular function was assessed with an acceleromyograph (TOF-Guard, Organon Teknika NV, Turnhout, Belgium) and by stimulation of the nervus peroneus superficialis. The ventilation parameters were measured using spirometry and capnography. After baseline measurements 0.1 mg/kg rocuronium was administered IV. Minute volume (MV), tidal volume (Vt), respiratory rate (RR), end expiratory carbon dioxide concentration (PE'CO(2)) and maximal depression of the response of the first twitch (T1) of train-of-four (TOF) stimulation and train-of-four ratio (TOFR) was measured. The change in the position of the globe was recorded. RESULTS: T1 decreased to 61 +/- 18% and the TOF ratio to 45 +/- 21% of baseline values. Both parameters returned to baseline after 9 min. There was no significant reduction in MV, TV and RR and no increase in PE'CO(2). The globe rotated to a central position of 45 +/- 7.7 s after administration of rocuronium and remained there for 23 +/- 10.8 min in all dogs. CONCLUSION: Rocuronium administered intravenously at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg to dogs causes a central position of the globe but minimal impairment of ventilation parameters. PMID- 17760710 TI - Solid intraocular xanthogranuloma in three Miniature Schnauzer dogs. AB - OBJECTIVE: Macrophages that contain abundant intracytoplasmic lipid are called 'foam cells'. In four canine globes submitted to the Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory of Wisconsin (COPLOW), foam cells formed a solid intraocular mass. The purpose of this study was to describe the histopathologic findings in these cases. PROCEDURE: The electronic COPLOW database (1993-2006) was searched for the diagnosis of 'foam cell tumor'. Clinical history, gross pathology and histopathology (5-micron sections, hematoxylin and eosin and Alcian blue periodic acid Schiff) were reviewed in all cases. Cases were included if the globe was grossly filled by a solid mass and if all intraocular structures were effaced by lipid-laden foam cell macrophages admixed with birefringent, Alcian blue-positive crystals oriented in stellate patterns. RESULTS: All three patients (four globes) satisfying the selection criteria were Miniature Schnauzers. In all cases the clinical history included diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and chronic bilateral uveitis that was interpreted to be lens-induced. All globes were enucleated because of glaucoma. CONCLUSIONS: The term solid intraocular xanthogranuloma was used to describe these cases because the intraocular contents were effaced by a solid mass of foam cells and birefringent crystals. The cases in this report suggest that diabetic Miniature Schnauzers with hyperlipidemia are at risk for lipid and macrophage-rich uveitis, which may in some cases form a solid inflammatory intraocular mass, precipitate glaucoma, and lead to enucleation. PMID- 17760709 TI - Visual outcome in a group of dogs with ocular blastomycosis treated with systemic antifungals and systemic corticosteroids. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the success of the use of systemic corticosteroids and antifungal medications in the treatment of dogs with ocular lesions associated with systemic blastomycosis. DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS STUDIED: Medical records of 25 dogs diagnosed with blastomycosis, via either cytology or histopathology, at the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital between 1 January 2000 and 1 January 2005, were reviewed. PROCEDURE: Data collected from the medical records included signalment, presence and progression of ocular lesions, antifungal drugs administered, oral and topical corticosteroid administration, length of follow-up, response to treatment, and visual outcome. RESULTS: Of the 25 cases reviewed, 12 dogs (19 eyes) with follow-up information were found to have lesions consistent with ocular blastomycosis. Length of follow up in the 12 cases ranged from 1 month to 31 months with a mean of 9 months. Antifungal therapy for all cases consisted of oral itraconazole (5 mg/kg every 24 h) initially. In seven cases, the antifungal drug administered was changed from itraconazole to oral fluconazole. Two of these also received intravenous amphotericin B, and two received additional treatment with itraconazole. All 12 dogs also received oral prednisone. The dose of oral prednisone utilized ranged from 0.2 mg/kg/day to 1.4 mg/kg/day with a mean of 0.7 mg/kg/day; the duration of oral prednisone administration ranged from 2 weeks to 8.5 months with a mean of 3 months. Topical prednisolone was a component of the treatment of 16 of the 19 eyes. Duration of topical prednisolone treatment ranged from 1 month to 30 months with a mean of 5 months. Lesions not located in the eyes exhibited a positive response to treatment in 11 (92%) of the 12 dogs. Overall, 14/19 (74%) affected eyes were visual at the time of their final recheck. All eyes with mild or moderate lesions and 5/10 (50%) severely affected eyes were visual at their last recorded recheck examination. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of systemic corticosteroids did not appear to adversely affect the survival rate and might have played a role in preservation of vision in a majority of dogs in this group with ocular blastomycosis. PMID- 17760711 TI - The effects of cataract stage, lens-induced uveitis and cataract removal on ERG in dogs with cataract. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of cataract stage, lens-induced uveitis and cataract removal on the electroretinogram (ERG) of dogs with cataract. ANIMALS STUDIED: Fifty-seven dogs diagnosed with unilateral or bilateral cataract whose ERG was recorded at Rakuno Gakuen University Teaching Animal Hospital from 2001 to 2004. PROCEDURES: Four responses were recorded during the ERG: rod ERG, standard combined ERG, single-flash cone ERG and 30-Hz flicker ERG. Cataracts were divided into four stages: incipient, immature, mature and hypermature, and with or without lens induced uveitis (LIU). Noncataractous eyes of dogs with unilateral cataract were used as the control. We compared ERG amplitude, implicit time, and the b- to a-wave amplitude ratio of cataractous vs. noncataractous eyes, preoperative vs. postoperative cataractous eyes, and cataractous eyes with and without LIU. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in ERG amplitude between incipient, immature and hypermature cataractous eyes, while in mature cataractous eyes decreased amplitude was confirmed in all responses compared with control eyes. However, no significant difference in b/a ratio was found at any stage of cataract. In postoperative eyes, increased amplitude was recorded in all responses compared to preoperative values. In eyes with LIU a decreased amplitude in the rod ERG and b-wave of standard combined ERG was recorded and, furthermore, a significant decline was confirmed in b/a ratio. CONCLUSION: ERG values were influenced by cataract stage and LIU. LIU was associated with a reduction in the b/a ratio. PMID- 17760712 TI - Angiostatin and integrin alphavbeta3 in the feline, bovine, canine, equine, porcine and murine retina and cornea. AB - PURPOSE: Angiogenesis is tightly controlled in the ocular tissues of domestic animals but its mechanisms are not fully understood. This is largely because of insufficient data on the expression of molecules that impact angiogenesis. Because angiostatin and one of its receptors integrin alphavbeta3 inhibit and promote angiogenesis, respectively, we hypothesized that the normal retina and cornea of domestic animals would express angiostatin but not integrin alphavbeta3. PROCEDURE: Normal eyes of the cat, cow, dog, horse, pig and rat were evaluated for angiostatin and integrin alphavbeta3 by light and electron immunocytochemistry and estern blots. RESULTS: Angiostatin was detected in the corneal epithelium of the cat, dog, horse, pig and rat, but was not found in cow corneal epithelium. Angiostatin was localized in the nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell layer, inner and outer plexiform layers, and the photoreceptor layer of the cat, cow, dog and rat. Horse and pig retinas showed additional staining in the matrix of the inner nuclear layer. Immunogold electron microscopy further confirmed angiostatin in cat retina. Western blots showed angiostatin in corneal and retinal homogenates. Integrin alphavbeta3 was absent in cornea and retina of all the species studied. CONCLUSION: These data show that angiostatin, an inhibitor of angiogenesis, is present while integrin alphavbeta3, which promotes angiogenesis, is absent in normal cornea and retina of the domestic animals in this study with the exception being angiostatin absence in cow corneal epithelium. Therefore, angiostatin may contribute to the anti-angiogenic environment in the normal domestic animal eye while its absence in the cow may contribute to greater propensity for corneal vascularization. Because integrin alphavbeta3 is one of the receptors for angiostatin, its absence may prevent angiostatin from killing normal retinal and corneal cells. PMID- 17760713 TI - Keratoacanthoma of the spectacle in a Boa constrictor. AB - ANIMAL STUDIED: A Royal Boa constrictor presented with retained spectacle of the right eye and a tumor-like appearance of the left eye. PROCEDURE: The snake was euthanized, the head fixed in buffered formaldehyde, and histologic examination of both spectacles and both eyes performed. RESULTS: The left orbital rim encircled a solid, scaly mass projecting 5-6 mm from the spectacular area. A cup shaped tumor with a central keratin plug was observed microscopically. There was a thickening of the proliferating squamous epithelium, with squamous eddies and single cell keratinization. A few mitotic figures were seen in the basal layers but the tumor showed no infiltrative growth. The same morphology was observed in the right eye but to a lesser extent. The remaining parts of the eye were normal. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis was keratoacanthoma and this is the first reported keratoacanthoma of the spectacle in a reptile. Keratoacanthoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis when trying to remove retained spectacles from a reptile eye. PMID- 17760715 TI - Eradication of Helicobacter pylori does not reduce the incidence of gastroduodenal ulcers in patients on long-term NSAID treatment: double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. AB - BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the major causes of gastroduodenal ulcers. Studies on the benefit of eradication of H. pylori in NSAID users yielded conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether H. pylori eradication in patients on long-term NSAIDs reduces the incidence of gastroduodenal ulcers. METHODS: Patients on long-term NSAID treatment and who are H. pylori positive on serologic testing, were randomly assigned to either H. pylori eradication (omeprazole, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin) or placebo. Primary endpoint was the presence of endoscopic gastric or duodenal ulcers 3 months after randomization. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-five (48%) of a total of 347 patients were on gastroprotective medication. At endoscopy, gastroduodenal ulcers were diagnosed in 6 (4%) and 8 (5%) patients in the eradication and placebo group, respectively (p = .65). During follow-up of 12 months, no symptomatic ulcers or ulcer complications developed. No significant differences were found in the development of gastroduodenal erosions, dyspepsia, or in quality of life. CONCLUSION: H. pylori eradication therapy in patients on long-term NSAID treatment had no beneficial effect on the occurrence of ulcers, erosions, or dyspepsia. Ulcer rates in both study arms are remarkably low, in both patients with and without gastroprotective therapy. PMID- 17760716 TI - Cross-primed CD8+ cytotoxic T cells induce severe Helicobacter-associated gastritis in the absence of CD4+ T cells. AB - BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have reported important roles of CD4(+) type 1-helper T cells and regulatory T cells in Helicobacter-associated gastritis, the significance of CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells remains unknown. To study the roles of CD8(+) T cells, we examined the immune response in the gastric mucosa of Helicobacter felis-infected major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-deficient (II(-/-)) mice, which lack CD4(+) T cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stomachs from H. felis-infected wild-type and infected MHC II(-/-) mice were examined histologically and immunohistochemically. Gastric acidity and serum levels of anti-H. felis antibodies were measured. The expression of pro inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine, Fas-ligand, perforin, and Foxp3 genes in the gastric mucosa was investigated. RESULTS: H. felis-infected MHC II( /-) mice developed severe gastritis, accompanied by marked infiltration of CD8(+) cells. At 1 and 2 months after inoculation, mucosal inflammation and atrophy were more severe in MHC II(-/-) mice, although gastritis had reached similar advanced stages at 3 months after inoculation. There was little infiltration of CD4(+) cells, and no Foxp3-positive cells were detected in the gastric mucosa of the infected MHC II(-/-) mice. The expression of the interleukin-1beta and Fas-ligand genes was up regulated, but that of Foxp3 was down regulated in the infected MHC II(-/-) mice. Serum levels of anti-H. felis antibodies were lower in the infected MHC II(-/-) mice, despite severe gastritis. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that cross-primed CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells can induce severe H. associated gastritis in the absence of CD4(+) helper T cells and that Foxp3 positive cells may have an important role in the control of gastric inflammation. PMID- 17760718 TI - Novel genotypes in Helicobacter pylori involving domain V of the 23S rRNA gene. AB - BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is a pathogenic bacterium that infects a half of the human population. In Chile, between 55% and 79% of people are colonized by H. pylori. At present, therapeutic strategies to eradicate the bacterium depend on the knowledge of its resistance to antibiotics. The clarithromycin resistance in H. pylori is associated with point mutations in the 23S rRNA. This study analyzes 23S rRNA gene mutations and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for clarithromycin in H. pylori isolates from patients of the metropolitan region of Chile. MATERIALS AND METHODS: H. pylori isolates from 50 dyspeptic patients with no history of clarithromycin exposure were tested for clarithromycin resistance by agar dilution method. Resistant strains were analyzed for mutations in the 23S rRNA gene by polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing. RESULTS: Primary resistance was observed in 10 isolates (20%). A single mutation was detected in four of the 10 isolates and two or more mutations in the other six cases. The C2147G transversion and G1939A, T1942C, and A2142G transitions in the peptidyltransferase region of domain V were novel. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows: 1, novel variants of the H. pylori 23S rRNA gene; and 2, a high prevalence of H. pylori displaying primary clarithromycin resistance with low level of MIC in an urban area of the Metropolitan Region of Chile. PMID- 17760717 TI - Eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection favourably affects altered gastric mucosal MMP-9 levels. AB - BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori gastritis is recognized as an important pathogenetic factor in peptic ulcer disease and gastric carcinogenesis, and is accompanied by strongly enhanced gastric mucosal matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP 9) levels. AIM: This study was performed to investigate whether H. pylori affected gastric mucosal MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels are reversible by successful treatment of the infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with H. pylori-associated gastritis were treated with a combination regimen of acid inhibitory therapy and antibiotics for 14 days. The levels and isoforms of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were measured by semiquantitative gelatin-zymography, bioactivity assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in gastric mucosal biopsy homogenates. RESULTS: Latent, active, and total MMP-9 levels decreased consistently and significantly by successful H. pylori eradication, in antrum as well as corpus mucosa, compared with those prior to treatment, irrespective of the therapy regimen used. The elevated levels remained unchanged, however, when treatment failed. MMP-2 levels did not show major alterations after H. pylori therapy. CONCLUSION: Elevated MMP-9 levels in H. pylori-infected gastric mucosa are reversible by eradication of the infection. No major changes in mucosal MMP-2 levels were observed by H. pylori eradication. PMID- 17760719 TI - Anti-inflammatory effect of capsaicin in Helicobacter pylori-infected gastric epithelial cells. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Capsaicin, the main pungent ingredient of hot red and chilli pepper, has been considered as not only a cytoprotective but also a detrimental agent to the gastric mucosa. However, the effect and mechanism of capsaicin that modulate the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokine in Helicobacter pylori infected epithelial cells have not been investigated previously. Herein, we demonstrated that capsaicin inhibited the release of pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-8 (IL-8) by H. pylori-infected gastric epithelial cells through nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signal pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: AGS or MKN45 cells as gastric epithelial cells and Vac A+, CagA+ wild-type H. pylori strain ATCC 49503 were used. Gastric epithelial cells were pre-treated with various concentrations of capsaicin and infected with H. pylori for different periods of time to determine IL-8 concentrations in culture supernatant by an ELISA assay. We measured IL-8 mRNA transcripts in H. pylori-infected gastric epithelial cells co-treated with capsaicin by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. We performed electrophoretic mobility shift assay to examine the NF-kappaB DNA binding activity with capsaicin and immunofluorescence microscopy to examine nuclear staining of p65. We also performed immunoblotting for IkappaB, IKK activity with capsaicin. RESULTS: Capsaicin inhibits H. pylori induced IL-8 production by gastric epithelial cells in dose- and time-dependent manner. Capsaicin as low as 100 micromol/L significantly inhibited IL-8 production in H. pylori-infected MKN45 cells (43.2% of control) at 24 hours incubation, whereas inhibited IL-8 production in H. pylori-infected AGS cells (70% of control). We confirmed that capsaicin inhibited IL-8 mRNA expression after infection of gastric epithelial cells with H. pylori for 6 hours. The addition of capsaicin (100 micromol/L) suppressed H. pylori-induced NF-kappaB activation in gastric epithelial cells at 1 hour post-infection. We also found that the degradation of IkappaB and IKK activation were inhibited by capsaicin. CONCLUSIONS: Nontoxic dose of capsaicin inhibited H. pylori-induced IL-8 production by gastric epithelial cells through the modulation of IkappaB-, NF kappaB-, and IL-8 pathways. We conclude that capsaicin can be proposed as a potential anti-inflammatory drug by inhibition of the production of IL-8 in H. pylori-infected gastric epithelium. PMID- 17760721 TI - E-cadherin gene promoter hypermethylation in H. pylori-induced enlarged fold gastritis. AB - BACKGROUND: Promoter hypermethylation of E-cadherin plays an important role on gastric carcinogenesis. We have previously reported that the odds ratio for gastric carcinoma and the prevalence of diffuse-type early gastric carcinoma in Helicobacter pylori-induced enlarged fold gastritis increased with increasing fold width. Thus, we examined E-cadherin methylation in gastric mucosa from H. pylori-induced enlarged fold gastritis before and after H. pylori eradication. Moreover, we analyzed the mechanism of H. pylori infection-induced E-cadherin hypermethylation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three H. pylori-positive patients with enlarged folds, 18 H. pylori-positive and seven H. pylori-negative patients without enlarged folds, were involved in the study. E-cadherin promoter methylation was studied using quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. We investigated methylation percentage and DNA methyltransferase activity in gastric cancer cell lines treated with EGF, TNFalpha, and MG132. RESULTS: E-cadherin methylation percentage of the gastric antral and body mucosa in H. pylori-positive patients with enlarged folds was much greater than that in both H. pylori-positive and -negative patients without enlarged folds. After H. pylori eradication, the methylation percentage in six patients with enlarged fold gastritis decreased significantly from 15.6 +/- 3.9 to 8.8 +/- 2.2 (p < .05). Moreover, the methylation was induced by TNFalpha, MG132, and EGF treatment, and DNA methyltransferase activity was induced by EGF treatment in MKN-1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the hypermethylation of E-cadherin promoter might be involved in the process of gastric carcinoma through the specialized factors in H. pylori-induced enlarged fold gastritis. PMID- 17760720 TI - Low efficacy rate of moxifloxacin-containing Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment: in an observational study in a Turkish population. AB - BACKGROUND: Standard triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori has an eradication rate of about 50% in Turkey. It may be due to an increased resistance of H. pylori to antibiotics. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a new second-generation fluoroquinolone, moxifloxacin-containing triple therapy in H. pylori eradication. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is an open-label, prospective, single-center, pilot study. We studied 71 dyspeptic patients infected with H. pylori diagnosed by both histology and rapid urease test. Out of 71 dyspeptic patients, 64 had non-ulcer dyspepsia and seven had peptic ulcer. Patients received pantoprazole (40 mg b.i.d.) plus moxifloxacin (400 mg/day) and amoxicillin (1000 mg b.i.d.) for 14 days. Eradication was assessed 4 weeks after completing the therapy by histology and rapid urease test. Per-protocol and intention-to-treat eradication rates were determined. RESULTS: The eradication rate was 42.2% for the intention-to-treat analysis and 47.6% for the per-protocol analysis. Of all patients included in the study, 29.5% had side-effects and only 2.8% of the patients discontinued the treatment because of side-effects. Most of the complications were mild and self-limiting. CONCLUSION: Triple therapy with pantoprazole, moxifloxacin, and amoxicillin for 14 days yielded unacceptably low eradication rates. However, using tests of susceptibility to antibiotics, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to judge these eradication rates of moxifloxacin containing eradication treatment. PMID- 17760722 TI - L-lactic acid secreted from gastric mucosal cells enhances growth of Helicobacter pylori. AB - BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori mainly inhabit the mucus layer in the gastric mucosa. However, mechanisms involving H. pylori colonization and proliferation in gastric mucosa are not well established. This study focuses on elucidating the role of gastric mucosal cells on growth of H. pylori. MATERIALS AND METHODS: H. pylori was co-cultured with the murine gastric surface mucosal cells (GSM06), and the growth of H. pylori on the cells was assessed by enumerating the colony forming units (CFU). The H. pylori growth factor in the culture media conditioned by GSM06 cell was purified by HPLC, and the chemical structure of the growth factor was identified by analyses of (1)H- and (13)C-NMR spectra. RESULTS: A marked increase in the number of CFU of H. pylori was observed in the GSM06 cells. The enhanced H. pylori growth was also observed when indirectly incubated with GSM06 cells through semi-permeable membrane. In addition, culture media conditioned by GSM06 cell stimulated H. pylori growth approximately one thousand fold. By bioassay-guided purification, the H. pylori growth factor was isolated from the conditioned medium of GSM06 cells and identified as L-lactic acid. The H. pylori growth-enhancing activity under microaerobic condition was well correlated with L-lactic acid concentrations in the conditioned media. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that L-lactic acid secreted by gastric mucosal cells enhances the growth of H. pylori, and this L-lactic acid-dependent growth of H. pylori may be important to the long-term colonization of H. pylori in the stomach. PMID- 17760723 TI - Systematic review and meta-analysis from Chinese literature: the association between Helicobacter pylori eradication and improvement of functional dyspepsia. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of eradicating Helicobacter pylori on dyspeptic symptoms in patients with functional dyspepsia in China. DATA SOURCES: Randomized controlled trials conducted in China and those published between 1989 and April 2007. REVIEW METHODS: The articles were retrieved from Chinese biomedicine Web database and Chinese scientific Journals database using proper MESH headings and assessed by two independent investigators according to established inclusion criteria. The characteristics of chosen articles were displayed for further analysis, and summary odds ratio were calculated to determine the overall effect of H. pylori eradication. All the data were entered and analyzed using REVIEW MANAGER 4.1, and p < .05 was defined as statistically significant in all analysis. RESULTS: Seven qualified trials were enrolled, and the summary odds ratio for improvement in dyspeptic symptoms in patients with functional dyspepsia in whom H. pylori was eradicated was 3.61 (95%CI: 2.62, 4.98, p < .00001). The difference in the follow-up period did not influence the final outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: An improvement in dyspeptic symptoms occurred among Chinese patients with functional dyspepsia in whom H. pylori was eradicated. PMID- 17760724 TI - Diversity of Helicobacter pylori cagA and vacA genes in Costa Rica: its relationship with atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: Associations between Helicobacter pylori gene diversity and gastric cancer have not been reported on in Costa Rica, despite its being one of the countries with the highest gastric cancer incidence and mortality rates in the world. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of H. pylori cagA and vacA genes and investigate whether it could be correlated with atrophic gastritis (AG) and gastric cancer (GC) in Costa Rica. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genomic DNAs from isolates of 104 patients classified into two groups: non atrophic gastritis group (n = 68) and atrophic gastritis group (n = 36), were subjected to PCR-based genotyping of cagA and vacA genes and their correlation with clinical outcome was investigated. Total DNA extractions from gastric tissues of 25 H. pylori-infected gastric cancer patients were utilized for comparative purposes. RESULTS: The presence of cagA (75.3%), vacA s1b (75.3%), and vacA m1 (74.2%) was detected, and colonization by strains with different vacA genotypes in the same stomach was found in 9.7% of the patients. Age- and sex adjusted vacA s1b and vacA m1 were associated with GC while only vacA m1 was significantly associated with AG. A tendency for association between cagA and vacA s1b, and AG was reported. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence status of the cagA and vacA (s1/m1) genes in Costa Rica seems to fall between that found in European/North American and East Asian countries, and both cagA and vacA seem to have clinical relevance in this country. PMID- 17760725 TI - Non-pylori Helicobacteraceae in the upper digestive tract of asymptomatic Venezuelan subjects: detection of Helicobacter cetorum-like and Candidatus Wolinella africanus-like DNA. AB - BACKGROUND: The spectrum of human non-pylori Helicobacter infections is expanding, with species such as H. heilmannii and H. felis occasionally being associated with gastritis. However, the existence of non-pylori Helicobacter colonization in asymptomatic subjects has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Helicobacter species other than pylori are present in the upper digestive tract of asymptomatic human subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Helicobacteraceae-specific semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to detect Helicobacter-like organisms in the upper digestive tract of 91 Venezuelan volunteers (aged 18-68 years, 41 females, 50 males). Species were identified by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis and sequencing of the PCR products. RESULTS: We detected DNA sharing 99-100% sequence identity in over 300-400 bp with the 16S rRNA genes of H. pylori, H. cetorum, and Candidatus Wolinella africanus in 76%, 16%, and 15% of the subjects, respectively. Multiple colonization was documented in 10% of the subjects: H. cetorum and Candidatus W. africanus (4%), H. pylori and Candidatus W. africanus (4%), and H. pylori and H. cetorum (2%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that non-pylori Helicobacteraceae colonization is relatively common in the Venezuelan asymptomatic population. This is the first report documenting the presence of H. cetorum DNA in the human upper digestive tract, and the second report of the recently discovered Candidatus W. africanus. PMID- 17760726 TI - Involvement of Helicobacter pylori infection and impaired glucose metabolism in the increase of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. AB - BACKGROUND: The role of Helicobacter pylori in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis remains controversial. The present study was designed to elucidate the pathogenic role of H. pylori in the early stages of atherosclerosis by measurement of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in relation to glucose metabolism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: baPWV level, anti-H. pylori antibody, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and other conventional risk factors for cardiovascular diseases were measured in 947 subjects who attended their annual medical check-up. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses indicated that age, gender (male), body mass index, FBG, systolic blood pressure, and smoking habits were each independently related to baPWV values. In younger subjects (30-49 years), H. pylori seropositivity was significantly correlated with an increase of baPWV levels (r = 0.100, p = .0445). baPWV values in the H. pylori-positive subjects with impaired glucose metabolism (IG: FBG >or= 110 mg/dL and/or HbA1c >or= 5.9%) were significantly greater than those in the H. pylori-negative subjects with IG (p = .0078). Furthermore, H. pylori-positive subjects with IG were at higher risk for increase of baPWV, in younger (r = 0.203, p < .0001) as well as in older subjects (50-69 years, r = 0.099, p = .0009). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that H. pylori seropositivity is a potential risk factor for increased baPWV levels, and that H. pylori infection accelerates the effect of IG on an increase of baPWV, especially in younger subjects. Thus, the possible interaction between H. pylori infection and IG may contribute to the early development of atherosclerosis. PMID- 17760727 TI - Eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection equally improves chronic urticaria with positive and negative autologous serum skin test. AB - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to examine effects of Helicobacter pylori eradication on chronic idiopathic urticaria (CU) with and without positive aulogous serum skin test (ASST). METHODS: Seventy-eight patients with CU were checked for the positivity ASST and H. pylori urea (13)C-urea breath test ((13)C UBT). Twenty-one patients were with both positive ASST and positive (13)C-UBT (group A), and 24 patients were with negative ASST and positive (13)C-UBT (group B). All patients with positive (13)C-UBT received a 14-day, open treatment with amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d., clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d., and omeprazole 20 mg b.i.d. H. pylori eradication was assessed by a second (13)C-UBT after 8 weeks. In control group, 33 patients with CU were included. The effect of H. pylori eradication on CU was evaluated by urticaria activity score (UAS), measured at study entry and at 8 and 16 weeks. RESULTS: At week 8, baseline UAS reduced from 4.7 +/- 1.1 to 2.4 +/- 1.4 (p = .027) in group A and from 4.3 +/- 1.5 to 2.3 +/- 1.2 (p = .008) in group B, without statistically significant difference between the two groups. In control group and in six patients with H. pylori eradication failure, no changes of UAS were noted. CONCLUSION: Eradication of H. pylori infection by triple therapy significantly and equally reduces UAS in CU patients with positive and negative ASST. PMID- 17760728 TI - Brazilian green propolis on Helicobacter pylori infection. a pilot clinical study. AB - Recent in vitro studies suggest that propolis and some of its phenolic components are able to inhibit Helicobacter pylori growth. To date, there are no clinical studies. AIMS: To evaluate the effect of Brazilian green propolis on H. pylori infected individuals. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighteen (11 females, 7 males, mean age 47 years) participants were included. Before treatment, all participants were submitted to gastroscopy, and H. pylori infection was confirmed by histology, urease test, and (13)C-urea breath test (UBT). Participants with UBT showing a delta over baseline (DOB) value higher than 4 per thousand were considered positive for H. pylori infection. Twenty drops from an alcoholic preparation of Brazilian green propolis were administered three times a day for 7 days. Clinical evaluation and UBT were performed at 1-3 days and at 40 days after the end of therapy to evaluate H. pylori suppression or eradication, respectively. RESULTS: All participants took all medication and completed the study. Eighty-three percent of the subjects did not succeed in suppressing or eradicating H. pylori. Two participants reached partial suppression after treatment, but became positive again at UBT performed 40 days after treatment. Another participant presented negative at UBT 40 days after treatment, not confirmed by a second UBT performed 100 days after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Brazilian green propolis used in popular dose showed minimal effect on H. pylori infection. Larger studies with longer duration, larger dose, and different frequency of administration of propolis extract should be undertaken to define its role on H. pylori therapy. PMID- 17760729 TI - Garlic, vitamin, and antibiotic treatment for Helicobacter pylori: a randomized factorial controlled trial. PMID- 17760732 TI - A standardized, comprehensive magnetic resonance imaging protocol for rapid and precise quantification of HIV-1-associated lipodystrophy. AB - OBJECTIVES: Although multiple methods have been proposed, there is no current gold standard for assessing HIV-1-associated lipodystrophy. METHODS: HIV-1 infected participants were randomly enrolled and surveyed about changes in the abdomen, thigh, cheek and neck areas. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences of these sites were obtained. Participants were grouped according to survey results, and the MRI measurements were compared between groups. RESULTS: One hundred participants were included in the study, of whom 79% reported any body fat changes. Persons reporting increased abdominal girth had higher visceral ([mean+/-standard deviation] 142+/-75 vs. 59+/-48 cm2; P<0.0001) and total abdominal adipose tissue than those reporting no change (344+/-119 vs. 201+/-95 cm2; P<0.0001). The amount of localized fat was less for persons reporting sunken cheeks and reduced diameter of the legs compared with those who noted no changes (5.9+/-3.6 vs. 9.3+/-3.8 cm2; P<0.0001, and 35+/-28 vs. 112+/-56 cm2; P<0.0001). Participants reporting increased neck girth had a thicker fat layer in the dorsocervical region compared with those reporting no change (4.0+/-1.8 vs. 2.3+/ 1.4 cm; P<0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: MRI is a precise method for rapidly surveying body regions affected by HIV-1-associated lipodystrophy. Our proposed protocol provides a rapid, comprehensive survey of these areas, without the need to combine multiple modalities or to expose subjects to radiation. PMID- 17760733 TI - A randomized placebo-controlled trial of metformin for the treatment of HIV lipodystrophy. AB - OBJECTIVE: We conducted a randomized placebo-controlled trial to examine the effects of metformin on visceral adipose tissue (VAT), appendicular fat, lipid profile and insulin sensitivity in HIV-infected persons with central adiposity and mild insulin resistance. METHODS: Forty-eight HIV-infected men and women with a self-reported increase in abdominal girth and an abnormal waist-to-hip ratio were randomly assigned in double-blind fashion to receive metformin 1500 mg or placebo daily for 24 weeks. Persons with diabetes were excluded. The following measures were obtained at baseline and 24 weeks: single-slice computed tomography (CT) scan, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), lipid profile and oral glucose tolerance test. RESULTS: The median fasting insulin concentration of all participants was 12.3 microU/mL. The percentage change in VAT was not significantly different between the metformin and placebo groups in univariate analysis and linear regression analysis adjusting for age, height, baseline VAT and insulin area under the curve (10.1% vs 3.2%; P=0.58). Metformin was associated with a significant decrease in appendicular fat mass compared with placebo (-686.0 vs 161.0 g; P=0.03). There was no significant change in lipid profile or insulin sensitivity between the two groups at 24 weeks. CONCLUSION: Metformin should be used with caution in the treatment of HIV lipodystrophy, and, if used, should be reserved for persons with adequate peripheral fat and marked insulin resistance. PMID- 17760735 TI - Serum leptin concentrations and fat redistribution in HIV-1-infected children on highly active antiretroviral therapy. AB - OBJECTIVES: HIV-related lipodystrophy is a syndrome of adipose tissue redistribution, dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance. Combination antiretroviral therapy (CART) is a key risk factor. We hypothesized that fat redistribution in HIV-infected children is related to altered endocrine function of adipose tissue, namely leptin secretion. METHODS: Serum leptin and fat redistribution were measured in 104 HIV-infected children in a prospective observational study from 2003 to 2004. Fat redistribution was defined by clinical observation. Body fatness was estimated using body mass index and four skinfold measurements. Serum leptin was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Quantikine; R&D Systems, Abingdon, UK). Linear analogue models were used to adjust the leptin concentration for body fatness. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in serum leptin among children treated with protease inhibitors (PIs), children on non-PI CART and children not treated with CART (P>0.05). When leptin concentrations were adjusted for body fatness, there was again no difference among PI-treated, non-PI-treated and untreated children. Categorization of CART exposure as never, current or past did not change these results. CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence that leptin plays any role in lipodystrophy other than reflecting body fatness. PMID- 17760734 TI - A large prospective study assessing injection site reactions, quality of life and preference in patients using the Biojector vs standard needles for enfuvirtide administration. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the severity of injection site reactions (ISRs), patient quality of life (QoL) and preference when enfuvirtide is administered by the Biojector (Bioject, Medical Technologies, Inc., Tualatin, OR, USA) relative to standard needles. METHODS: A total of 201 HIV-positive patients on stable enfuvirtide-based therapy (n=184) or initiating such therapy (n=17) were evaluated prospectively after switching from standard needles to the Biojector system. Patients used needles for a minimum of 2 weeks prior to switching to the Biojector. Questionnaires to assess the incidence and severity of ISRs (31-item score) and QoL [Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV)] were administered at baseline and following a minimum of 14 days of Biojector use. RESULTS: The median changes in ISR score and number of ISRs following a median of 1.0 month [interquartile range (IQR) 0.9, 1.3] of Biojector use were -3 (IQR -7, 1) and -1 (IQR -3, 1), respectively. The severity of pain (P<0.0001), induration (P<0.0001), pruritus (P<0.0001), nodules (P<0.0001) and erythema (P<0.0001) all decreased with the Biojector. Administration of enfuvirtide with the Biojector was associated with an improved patient QoL (P<0.0001), and was preferred by 72% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with needles, the Biojector was associated with a decreased severity of ISRs and improved QoL in patients taking enfuvirtide. PMID- 17760737 TI - Pharmacokinetics of oral zidovudine administered during labour: a preliminary study. AB - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether oral zidovudine (ZDV) given during labour would provide a similar systemic exposure to the established intravenous regimen used to prevent mother-to-child transmission in HIV-infected pregnant women. METHODS: ZDV pharmacokinetic parameters following oral administration during labour were determined in 10 HIV-infected pregnant women in active labour. All subjects were converted to intravenous ZDV prior to delivery. RESULTS: In cohort 1 (n=6), subjects received 300 mg oral ZDV every 3 h for three doses. Oral therapy was well tolerated but plasma ZDV concentrations were substantially lower than previously reported with continuous intravenous therapy. Based on the pharmacokinetic results from cohort 1, women in cohort 2 (n=4) received an initial 600 mg dose followed by two 400 mg doses every 3 h. ZDV area under the curve and concentrations in cohort 2 increased approximately in proportion to the increase in dose but varied 6-7-fold. In both cohorts, ZDV pharmacokinetic parameters suggested erratic absorption. CONCLUSIONS: While ZDV exposure improved with the increased dosing regimen, our sample size was small and larger studies are needed to establish whether oral ZDV administration during labour can consistently provide equivalent exposure to intravenous administration. PMID- 17760736 TI - The long-term benefits of genotypic resistance testing in patients with extensive prior antiretroviral therapy: a model-based approach. AB - OBJECTIVES: Resistance testing in HIV disease may provide long-term benefits that are not evident from short-term data. Our objectives were to estimate the long term effectiveness, cost and cost-effectiveness of genotype testing in patients with extensive antiretroviral exposure. METHODS: We used an HIV simulation model to estimate the long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of genotype testing. Clinical data incorporated into the model were from NARVAL, a randomized trial of resistance testing in patients with extensive antiretroviral exposure, and other randomized trials. Each simulated patient was eligible for up to three sequential regimens of antiretroviral therapy (i.e. two additional regimens beyond the trial-based regimen) using drugs not available at the time of the study, such as lopinavir/ritonavir, darunavir/ritonavir and enfuvirtide. RESULTS: In the long term, projected undiscounted life expectancy increased from 132.2 months with clinical judgement alone to 147.9 months with genotype testing. Median survival was estimated at 11.9 years in the resistance testing arm vs 10.4 years in the clinical judgement alone arm. Because of increased survival, the projected lifetime discounted cost of genotype testing was greater than for clinical judgement alone (euro313,900 vs euro263,100; US$399,000 vs US$334,400). Genotype testing cost euro69,600 (US$88,500) per quality-adjusted life year gained compared with clinical judgement alone. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with extensive prior antiretroviral exposure, genotype testing is likely to increase life expectancy in the long term as a result of the increased likelihood of receiving two active new drugs. Genotype testing is associated with cost effectiveness comparable to that of strategies accepted in patients with advanced HIV disease, such as enfuvirtide use. PMID- 17760738 TI - Steady-state pharmacokinetics of once-daily fosamprenavir/ritonavir and atazanavir/ritonavir alone and in combination with 20 mg omeprazole in healthy volunteers. AB - OBJECTIVES: Use of proton pump inhibitors in HIV-infected patients is common. The purpose of this study was to determine the steady-state pharmacokinetics of once daily (qd) fosamprenavir/ritonavir (FPV/r) and atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) alone and in combination with 20 mg qd omeprazole (OMP) in healthy volunteers. DESIGN AND METHODS: A prospective, open-label, single-site, two-period, crossover pharmacokinetic study was carried out in healthy volunteers. Subjects received either qd FPV/r 1400 mg/200 mg or ATV/r 300 mg/100 mg in the morning for 14 days and then 20 mg OMP in the evening for an additional 7 days. The pharmacokinetics were assessed over 24 h on days 14 and 21. Following a 2-week washout, subjects repeated the process with the other regimen. Trough protease inhibitor (PI) concentrations were taken on day 16 of each period to assess the impact of a single dose of OMP on ATV and amprenavir (APV) concentrations. Plasma ATV and APV pharmacokinetic parameters were assessed by noncompartmental analysis; geometric mean ratios (GMRs; PI+OMP/PI; 90% confidence interval) were calculated between days 14 and 21. RESULTS: Nineteen healthy, non-HIV-infected volunteers were evaluated. OMP reduced ATV exposure [area under the concentration curve at 0-24 h (AUC0-24 h)] and the minimum drug concentration (Cmin) by 27% each. In contrast, APV exposure and Cmin were decreased by 4 and 2%, respectively. Four subjects (21%) experienced greater than 50% declines in both ATV AUC0-24 h and Cmin after the addition of OMP; this was not observed in any subject following receipt of FPV/r. No alterations in APV or ATV trough concentrations were observed following a single dose of OMP. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of 20 mg OMP administered in the evening has minimal effect on APV pharmacokinetics. In contrast, ATV pharmacokinetics were altered; a number of ATV-treated subjects experienced pronounced declines in exposures upon the addition of 20 mg OMP administered in the evening, whereas others experienced little to no change. PMID- 17760739 TI - Prior antiretroviral therapy experience protects against zidovudine-related anaemia. AB - OBJECTIVE: We investigated the use of antiretroviral therapy regimens containing zidovudine or stavudine, using data from the TREAT Asia HIV Observational Database (TAHOD), a multicentre, prospective, observational study of an HIV infected cohort in the Asia-Pacific Region. METHODS: A proportional hazards regression analysis of factors associated with the time to discontinuation of initial regimens containing zidovudine or stavudine and a logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with a diagnosis of anaemia within 6 months of commencement of zidovudine in initial or subsequent regimens were performed. RESULTS: Patients who started zidovudine were more likely to stop within the first 9 months of treatment than those who started on stavudine; the reverse was true after 9 months. Anaemia (haemoglobin60 years (HR=1.5; 95% CI 0.9-2.5; P=0.13), male gender (HR=1.5; 95% CI 1.03-2.5; P=0.03) and CD4 count<50 cells/microL (HR=9.1; 95% CI 5.1-16.3; P<0.001) were independently associated with death. These results suggest that strategies promoting early diagnosis and better follow-up of addicted patients would have a significant impact on mortality. PMID- 17760741 TI - Clinical outcome of surgical management for patients with renal cell carcinoma involving the inferior vena cava. AB - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome after surgical management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) extending to the inferior vena cava (IVC). METHODS: This study included a total of 55 patients (41 men and 14 women; mean age, 59.3 years) with RCC (39 right- and 16 left-sided tumors) involving the IVC, who underwent radical nephrectomy and tumor thrombectomy between 1983 and 2005 at a single institution in Japan. The level of thrombus was classified as follows: level I, infrahepatic; level II, intrahepatic; level III, suprahepatic; and level IV, extending to the atrium. Clinicopathological data from these patients were retrospectively reviewed to identify factors associated with survival. RESULTS: There were 11 and 18 patients who were diagnosed as having lymph node and distant metastases, respectively. Twenty-two patients had tumor thrombus in level I, 20 in level II, 10 in level III, and 3 in level IV. Pathological examinations demonstrated that 34 and 21 patients had clear cell carcinoma and non-clear cell carcinoma, respectively, 42, 9 and 4 were pT3b, pT3c and pT4, respectively, and 6, 35 and 14 were Grades 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Cancer-specific 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of these 55 patients were 74.5%, 51.4% and 30.3%, respectively. Among several factors examined, clinical stage (P = 0.047), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.016), histological subtype (P = 0.034) and tumor grade (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with cancer-specific survival by univariate analysis. Furthermore, multivariate analysis demonstrated clinical stage (P = 0.037) and tumor grade (P < 0.001) as independent predictors of cancer-specific survival irrespective of other significant factors identified by univariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with RCC involving the IVC, biological aggressiveness characterized by tumor grade rather than tumor extension would have more potential prognostic importance; therefore, more intensive multimodal therapy should be considered in patients with high grade RCC with tumor thrombus extending into the IVC. PMID- 17760742 TI - Clinicopathological review of 46 primary retroperitoneal tumors. AB - OBJECTIVES: To clarify the clinical factors including diagnostic imaging findings that may correlate with the histopathological malignancy in primary retroperitoneal tumors. METHODS: The clinical backgrounds and imaging findings of 22 benign and 24 malignant primary retroperitoneal tumors were retrospectively investigated, and the prognosis of patients with malignant retroperitoneal tumors was assessed. RESULTS: There were significant correlations between the presence of symptoms and malignancy (P < 0.01), as well as between the irregularity of tumor margins and malignancy (P < 0.01). On dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 90% of malignant tumors showed early enhancement either with quick or slow washout, while 75% of benign tumors showed delayed and no enhancement (P < 0.002). All malignant and benign paraganglioma showed the same early enhancement with quick washout. Malignant lymphoma showed various enhancement patterns. The 2 year and 5-year cause-specific survival rates of the patients with malignant retroperitoneal tumors were 68.0% and 43.2%, respectively. All malignant lymphoma patients were mainly treated with chemotherapy after being diagnosed histologically. Malignant paraganglioma patients who could not meet complete resection needed chemotherapy for promising survival. CONCLUSION: The symptoms, the irregularity of the margins, and the specific enhancement pattern on the dynamic MRI may be important predictive factors of the primary malignant retroperitoneal tumors. Histological diagnosis was needed for malignant definition of paraganglioma because both benign and malignant paraganglioma showed similar clinical and imaging findings. Preoperative biopsy should be considered for selection of the appropriate treatment particularly in patients that are likely to have malignant lymphoma that could not be diagnosed definitively by the clinical and imaging findings. PMID- 17760743 TI - The prognostic value of E-cadherin, alpha-, beta- and gamma-catenin in bladder cancer patients who underwent radical cystectomy. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the value of the loss of expression of E-cadherin and cadherin associated molecules as useful markers for both prognosis and chemosensitivity in bladder cancer patients who have undergone radical cystectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 55 paraffin embedded specimens of radical cystectomy at our hospital from 1982 to 2000, the expression of E-cadherin, alpha , beta- and gamma-catenin was examined by immunohistochemical staining. To evaluate the prognostic significance of these molecules, Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed and a statistical analysis was calculated by a log-rank test. A multivariate test (tumor stage, tumor grade, lymph node metastasis, configuration, the expression of E-cadherin, alpha-, beta- and gamma-catenin) was performed to detect prognostic markers. RESULTS: Normal expression was found in 33 cases (60.0%) for E-cadherin, 29 (52.7%) for alpha-catenin, 31 cases (56.4%) for beta-catenin, and 31 cases (56.4%) for gamma-catenin. The expression patterns for E-cadherin, alpha-, beta- and gamma-catenin were significantly correlated with each other (P < 0.01). Survival analysis showed a significant difference between normal and aberrant expression in each staining. A multivariate analysis revealed that the expression of alpha- catenin was an independent prognostic factor (P = 0.0191). In 23 patients that received adjuvant chemotherapy, there was a significant difference in survival between the normal and aberrant expression of alpha-catenin, but not other molecules. CONCLUSION: Alpha-catenin may not only be a good prognostic marker, but also one of key molecules that determine the chemosensitivities in patients with invasive bladder cancer. PMID- 17760744 TI - Evaluation of urinary CA19-9 levels in bladder cancer patients classified according to the combinations of Lewis and Secretor blood group genotypes. AB - OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the clinical significance of urinary CA19-9 levels in bladder cancer patients classified according to various combinations of Lewis (Le) and Secretor (Se) genotypes. METHODS: Urinary CA19-9 and DU-PAN-2 levels were measured as units per mg creatinine (U/mg Cr) in 121 patients with bladder cancer and in 31 patients with other urologic diseases. Genotyping was carried out using polymerase chain reaction-based methods. RESULTS: Urinary CA19 9-values in patients with both Le and Se alleles (Le/Le, Se/Se; Le/Le, Se/se; Le/le, Se/Se; Le/le, Se/se) were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in bladder cancer cases compared to the other urologic diseases. The cut-off value determined using receiver operating characteristics analyses was 37.6 U/mg Cr. Approximately 70% (57/87) of bladder cancer patients with both Le and Se alleles demonstrated urinary CA19-9 levels over the cut-off value. In contrast, only 16% (4/24) of patients with other urologic diseases were over the cut-off value. CONCLUSIONS: The urinary CA19-9 level can be a new effective diagnostic tool in bladder cancer patients with both Le and Se alleles. PMID- 17760745 TI - The Val158Met polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene is not associated with the risk of sporadic or latent prostate cancer in Japanese men. AB - AIM: Since catechol estrogens possess carcinogenetic potential, their detoxification may lead to reduced risk of carcinogenesis. Catechol-O methyltransferase (COMT) catalyzes the O-methylation of catechol estrogens. The enzymatic activity of COMT has been shown to be governed by a functional single nucleotide polymorphism represented by a G-to-A transition at codon 158, that results in a valine to methionine substitution; this variant form is associated with an up to 4-fold decrease in enzymatic activity. We attempted to investigate whether the Val158Met polymorphism of COMT was associated with the risk of prostate cancer. METHODS: We analysed genomic DNA samples from 324 sporadic prostate cancer patients; 342 controls who had died from causes unrelated to cancer; and 95 Japanese men who were diagnosed as latent prostate cancer by autopsy. The genotyping method we used was a TaqMan assay. RESULTS: Age adjusted odds ratios for sporadic prostate cancer susceptibility were 1.047 (95% CI: 0.630 1.741) for the G/A genotype and 0.858 (95% CI: 0.407-1.804) for the A/A genotype, as compared with those for the G/G genotype. There was no significant association between this polymorphism and latent prostate cancer susceptibility either. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that the Val158Met polymorphism of COMT was not associated with the risk of sporadic or latent prostate cancer in Japanese men. PMID- 17760746 TI - Impact of improvement in specificity of primary screening test on total cost of prostate cancer mass screening. AB - OBJECTIVES: Improvement in the specificity of primary screening tests, without significant cost elevation of the assay, provides cost savings in prostate cancer screening programs by reducing unnecessary secondary screening procedures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the economic impact of improvement in the specificity of primary screening tests and to estimate the socially acceptable cost elevation for improved specificity. METHODS: A decision-analytic model was designed to evaluate the total costs of prostate cancer mass screening according to the changes in the specificity and the cost of the primary screening test. All assumed factors were tested by three-way sensitivity analyses incorporating cost and specificity. RESULTS: The base case analysis showed that a 1% improvement in the specificity of the primary screening test provides a $1.19 cost reduction per participant. Sensitivity analyses showed that an acceptable cost elevation for a 1% improvement in the specificity ranged from 0.68 to 2.90 $/% with respect to changes in several factors in the screening program. CONCLUSIONS: The specificity and cost of the primary screening test has a significant economical impact on prostate cancer mass screening. For each screening program, it should be taken into consideration whether the cost of the new test deserves the specificity. PMID- 17760747 TI - Initial evaluation of prostate cancer with real-time elastography based on step section pathologic analysis after radical prostatectomy: a preliminary study. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether real-time elastography can be used to detect prostate cancer as a relatively non-invasive modality based on the tissue strain value. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients underwent real-time elastography in conjunction with digital rectal examination (DRE), conventional gray-scale transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS), color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to radical prostatectomy. The elastogram was compared to findings of conventional modalities and pathological findings of prostatectomy specimens. To obtain the elastogram, compression of the prostate was performed along with a visual indicator on a video screen. RESULTS: Twenty of 27 pathologically confirmed tumors were detected with real-time elastography. The cancer detection rate with real-time elastography was superior to the rates of other modalities and nearly equal to both on the anterior side (75.0%) and the posterior side (73.7%) of the prostate. A higher tumor detection rate for real time elastography was observed for tumors with a higher Gleason score and larger tumor volume. CONCLUSION: In our preliminary study, real-time elastography in conjunction with gray-scale TRUS is a non-invasive modality to detect prostate cancer. PMID- 17760748 TI - Significance of the craniocaudal distribution of cancer in radical prostatectomy specimens. AB - OBJECTIVES: To examine the differences in the distribution of prostate cancer (PCa) in the craniocaudal dimension and their potential significance. METHODS: We studied 1253 patients with clinically localized PCa treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) from 1983 to 2000. We analyzed the clinicopathological features according to the craniocaudal distribution (apex, mid, base) of the largest cancer focus. RESULTS: Of these patients, 456 (36%) had the largest cancer focus in the apex, 728 (58%) in the mid, and 69 (6%) in the base. The cancers in the apex were less invasive than those in the mid or base, as evidenced by the lower frequency of extracapsular extension (27% vs 43%, 52%, respectively) and/or seminal vesicle involvement (5% vs 13%, 20%, respectively). The frequency of the largest cancer focus in the apex has increased significantly over time, from 26% before 1995 to 46% after 1995 (P < 0.001). Serum prostate specific antigen non-progression rate at 10 years for patients with a cancer at the apex was 83%, which was better than 76% and 77% of patients with a cancer at the mid or base (P = 0.029, P = 0.14, respectively). CONCLUSION: The cancers dominant at the apex are increasing over time and represent half of the patients treated by RP in recent years. These cancers tend to be less aggressive compared to those in the mid or base of the prostate. This knowledge may be useful in understanding the biology of and maximizing the detection of PCa. PMID- 17760749 TI - Diuretic pattern in adults with nocturnal polyuria: the possible contribution of blood pressure to the worsening of nocturnal polyuria. AB - AIM: The present study was undertaken to investigate diuresis rate determinants of nocturnal polyuria (NP) in adults. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 33 patients aged 50-87 years (mean: 68.6), with nocturnal urine volumes exceeding 10 mL per kg body weight based on records of a frequency-volume chart, were enrolled to evaluate the relationships between diuresis rates and related variables. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify diuresis rate determinants, including brain natriuretic peptide. Furthermore, a hypertonic saline infusion test was conducted to examine the arginine vasopressin (AVP) response to plasma osmotic change. RESULTS: Nocturnal voids correlated negatively with the daytime diuresis rate (P = 0.019). Despite a similar total urine volume per kg body weight (TUV/kgBw), systolic and mean blood pressure (MBP) significantly correlated with the nocturnal diuresis rate positively and the daytime diuresis rate negatively. The MBP, which was selected as a representative variable for blood pressure, was found to be an independent determinant for the nocturnal. The MBP and TUV/kgBw were independent determinants for the daytime diuresis rate on multiple regression analyses. Neither age, AVP, nor brain natriuretic peptide were determinants for them. When divided into two groups using their median nocturnal diuresis rates (0.023 mL/kg/min), there was no difference in the prevalence of stroke and the taking of hypnotics between the groups. Overall, a hypervolemic condition or increased sympathetic nerve activity in NP was suggested using the hypertonic saline infusion test. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that blood pressure might play an important role as a determinant of increasing nocturnal diuresis in NP. PMID- 17760750 TI - Paclitaxel Carboplatin chemotherapy as a second-line chemotherapy for advanced platinum resistant urothelial cancer in Japanese cases. AB - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of Paclitaxel Carboplatin (Pca) therapy in patients with advanced urothelial cancer and platinum based chemotherapy failure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From April 2001 to September 2005, 18 patients were enrolled in this trial. The patients received methotrexate, vinblastine and doxorubicin cisplatin (M-VAC) therapy prior to Pca therapy. On day 1, Paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2), body surface) was injected followed by Carboplatin area under the curve (AUC) (5) via an external venous line and treatment was repeated on a 21-day cycle. Cases exhibiting either a response or stable disease were treated until progression of the disease was observed. All patients were examined to determine toxicity (National Cancer Institute common toxicity criteria) and QOL (EORTC QOL-C30). The survival curves were established using Kaplan-Meier graphs. RESULTS: The median cycle of Pca therapy was 4 cycles (range, 1-9 cycles). The overall survival response was 33% with a partial response in six patients (0 with CR, 6 with PR), stable disease in eight patients (44%) and disease progression in four patients (22%). Grade 3-4 anemia was recognized in 5 (28%), neutropenia in 9 (50%) and thrombocytopenia in 3 (22%). The QOL questionnaire scales showed no significant changes induced by Pca therapy. The progression free survival rates were 33% at 6 months, 16% at 1 year and 5.2% at 2 years. Regarding overall survival period, the 6 month, 1-year and 2 year estimates were 78%, 50% and 22%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Since the Pca therapy was well tolerated we consider that this treatment modality has the potential to prolong survival with a high quality of life when used as a second chemotherapy. PMID- 17760751 TI - Effect of exogenous glutamate and N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid on spontaneous activity of isolated human ureter. AB - OBJECTIVES: While the neurotransmitter role of glutamate in the gastrointestinal tract has been shown, its effects on smooth muscle of the human ureter have not previously been investigated. In our study we have investigated the effects of exogenous glutamate on the spontaneous activity of isolated human ureter, taken from 14 adult patients after nephrectomy. METHODS: The segment of ureter, excised 3 cm distal from the pyeloureteral junction, was isolated in an organ bath. Both longitudinal tension and intraluminal pressure of the segment were recorded simultaneously. RESULTS: Glutamate administered in the lumen of the isolated ureteral segments (7.8 x 10(-7) M/L-3.5 x 10(-2) M/L) was ineffective. When added to the isolated organ bath from the serous side of the ureteral segment, glutamate (7.9 x 10(-6) M/L-10.6 x 10(-3) M/L) and N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) (9.1 x 10(-8) M/L-3.1 x 10(-5) M/L) produced a concentration-dependent increase in spontaneous activity of the isolated preparations, while kainic acid (6.3 x 10(-8) M/L-10.5 x 10(-5) M/L) and (+/-)-trans-1-Aminocyclopentane-trans 1,3-dicarboxylic acid (ACPD) (7.7 x 10(-8) M/L -6.5 x 10(-5) M/L) were ineffective. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that an excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate stimulates spontaneous activity of the human ureter through activation of NMDA ionotropic receptors, located on smooth muscle cells or intramural nerve fibers. PMID- 17760752 TI - Chronic administration of valproic acid inhibits PC3 cell growth by suppressing tumor angiogenesis in vivo. AB - AIM: Chromatin remodeling agents such as histone deacetylase inhibitors have been shown to modulate gene expression in tumor cells and inhibit tumor growth and angiogenesis. We investigated the mechanisms of chronic valproic acid (VPA) inhibiting PC3 cell growth in the study. METHODS: We established tumor xenografts of the PC3 cell line and investigated the effect of VPA chronic administration on tumor growth. Apoptosis in tumor tissue was measured using the TUNEL Detection Kit. We detected the effect of VPA chronic administration on histone acetylation; p21CIP1/WAF1 gene expression; vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression by reverse-transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis; immunohistochemistry; and Western Blotting. RESULT: In mouse models with established subcutaneous prostate (PC3), VPA treatment induced 70% inhibition of tumor growth without overt toxicity. Our result showed that chronic administration of VPA has an effect on tumor growth arrest and the effect was associated with increased histone acetylation, p21CIP1/WAF1 up-regulation, and VEGF down-regulation. CONCLUSION: We conclude that chronic VPA results in profound decreases in the proliferation of PC3 cells, not only by increasing histone H3 acetylation and up-regulating p21CIP1/WAF1 expression, but also by down-regulating VEGF. PMID- 17760753 TI - The protective effect of darbepoetin alfa on experimental testicular torsion and detorsion injury. AB - AIM: Testicular torsion is a serious urological emergency, usually involving newborns, children, and adolescents which can lead to subfertility and infertility. Prevention of testicular damage caused by torsion is still a clinical and experimental problem. So far many chemicals and drugs have been investigated for decreasing ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in experimental animals. The possible protective effect of darbepoetin alfa, a novel erythropoietic protein, on testicular tissue after I/R injury was examined in this study. METHODS: Thirty rats were divided into three groups: sham operation, torsion/detorsion, and torsion/detorsion plus darbepoetin alfa groups. After torsion (2 hours) and detorsion (4 hours), bilateral orchiectomy was performed. Malondialdehyde, nitric oxide and glutathione levels were determined in testicular tissue. RESULTS: Administration of darbepoetin alfa caused a decrease of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels and an increase in glutathione levels compared with the torsion/detorsion group. In addition, histological injury scores were significantly decreased in the treatment group more than the torsion/detorsion group. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that darbepoetin alfa may be a potential protective agent for preventing testicular injury caused by testis torsion. PMID- 17760754 TI - Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the renal pelvis. AB - Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC), best known to occur in the nasopharynx, can arise in a variety of sites, such as the salivary gland, thymus, lung, stomach, skin and uroepithelium. Primary LELC of the uroepithelium is very rare and there is only limited information in the published reports. We managed a case of a 75-year-old woman who presented with nausea and gross painless hematuria. She was treated with laparoscopic nephroureterectomy and was diagnosed with a T1N1M0 LELC of the renal pelvis. Unlike nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma, immunohistochemical analysis of this urinary LELC was negative for the Epstein Barr virus. Herein we report on one more case of primary LELC of the renal pelvis and review of the published reports, particularly those concerning Epstein-Barr virus expressions. Recognition of this tumor and complete resection are essential for saving patients. PMID- 17760755 TI - Obstinate cough as a sole presenting symptom of non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma. AB - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) causes many kinds of symptoms such as hypercalcemia, hypertension, polycythemia and fever. Here we describe a rare case of RCC presenting with a persistent cough. After radical nephrectomy, the obstinate cough disappeared. When the tumor recurred locally, the cough also recurred. Furthermore, the cough disappeared completely again after the removal of the recurrent tumor. Although all the clinical findings suggested that the RCC caused the cough, we could not identify a specific humoral substance responsible for the cough. PMID- 17760756 TI - Ectopic ureter accompanied by giant ureteral stone and pyonephrosis. AB - We report a rare case of ectopic ureter accompanied by a giant ureteral stone and pyonephrosis. A 19-year-old Japanese woman consulted our hospital due to low grade fever and pain in the left flank. The patient had seeping urinary incontinence since childhood. Ultrasonography demonstrated left dysplastic lumbar kidney with hydronephrosis and plain kidney-ureter-bladder film showed a left giant ureteral stone. The left kidney showed no excretion of contrast medium on drip infusion pyelography. After further examination, a diagnosis of left simple ectopic ureter emptying into the vagina was made. Percutaneous nephrostomy penetrating the major psoas muscle was carried out for intractable pyonephrosis, followed by left nephroureterectomy and lithectomy. These procedures resulted in improvement in the patient's symptoms. PMID- 17760757 TI - Solitary upper ureteral malakoplakia successfully diagnosed by ureteroscopic biopsy and treated conservatively. AB - Malakoplakia of the urinary tract is a granulomatous inflammatory disease due to bacterial infection and can usually be treated conservatively, whereas all of the past reported patients with solitary ureteral malakoplakia underwent surgical excision. We report a patient with solitary isolated upper ureteral malakoplakia that was successfully diagnosed by ureteroscopic biopsy. After conservative treatment with levofloxacin, bethanechol chloride and ascorbic acid, her right hydronephrosis and the lesion were reduced for more than six months. PMID- 17760758 TI - Granular cell tumor of the urinary bladder with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia and colocalization with adenocarcinoma. AB - Granular cell tumor of the bladder is exceptionally rare, with only 11 cases reported in the published reports. Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia of the overlying squamous epithelium has been observed in non-bladder granular cell tumors. We herein report the first case of bladder granular cell tumor to exhibit pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia. This phenomenon is significant as it may potentially lead to difficulty in the distinction between infiltrative squamous cell carcinoma and pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia in cases of granular cell tumor of the bladder. This case also represents the first granular cell tumor to demonstrate colocalization with adenocarcinoma of the bladder. Based on our findings and a review of the published reports, management for granular cell tumor of the bladder should involve a course of local resection combined with active surveillance given its typical benign course, albeit with the potential for local recurrence. PMID- 17760759 TI - Tubulovillous adenoma in an Indiana pouch urinary diversion managed by endoscopic resection. AB - We present a case of a tubulovillous adenoma in an Indiana pouch managed by endoscopic resection. A 66-year-old male underwent a cystectomy with creation of an Indiana pouch urinary diversion for invasive small cell carcinoma of the bladder. Seven years following his initial surgery, the patient noted several episodes of gross hematuria. The evaluation revealed a 2.5 cm tubulovillous adenoma with high-grade dysplasia within the Indiana pouch. The patient had significant comorbidities precluding an open operative procedure. He underwent en endoscopic resection of the tumor, and subsequently has been managed with surveillance pouchoscopy, biopsies, and fulguration every 3 months. PMID- 17760760 TI - A female case with Down syndrome and non-neurogenic neurogenic bladder. AB - Although the prevalence of a learned voiding dysfunction and non-neurogenic neurogenic bladder (NNB), which is one type of dysfunctional elimination syndrome, is considered to be relatively rare, the association of NNB with Down syndrome (DS) has been elucidated in male patients. We herein describe the occurrence of NNB in an adult female with DS. The diagnosis was confirmed after completely ruling out any neurological or anatomical anomalies that could be related to a lower urinary tract dysfunction. She had renal dysfunction and multiple obstructive uropathies for which clean intermittent catheterization was successfully introduced. PMID- 17760761 TI - Extragastrointestinal stromal tumor possibly originating from the prostate. AB - We report a case of extragastrointestinal stromal tumor possibly originating from the prostate. The patient underwent radical prostatectomy because of no metastatic evidence. No recurrence and metastasis have been found during 14 months of follow up. To our knowledge, this may be the third such case published in a report in terms of pathological type. PMID- 17760762 TI - Long-term results of endoureterotomy using a holmium laser. AB - The long-term results of endoureterotomy using a holmium laser in cases of benign ureteral stricture, uretero-pelvic junction obstruction (UPJ-O) and ureteroenteric stricture were evaluated. Twenty procedures were carried out in 18 patients. Strictures were incised with a holmium laser using a fiber passed through the ureteroscope. Sixteen of the 20 procedures (80%) were successful at average follow-up of 60.5 months (range, 46-74). Stricture recurred in four cases. All failures occurred within 18 months. Although stricture length was not correlated with recurrence, all failures, with the exception of a single UPJ-O, involved middle ureteral strictures. Endoureterotomy using a holmium laser affords favorable results with respect to long-term patency. This procedure is recommended as a satisfactory therapeutic option for the initial management of patients presenting with ureteral stricture. PMID- 17760763 TI - Influence of the great earthquake in the Chuetsu district on patients managing urination with clean intermittent self-urethral catheterization. AB - Natural disasters cause several medical problems for victims, especially for physically challenged people. The great earthquake in the Chuetsu district in Niigata Prefecture that occurred on October 23, 2004 caused serious damage in the disaster area. We investigated the effect of this earthquake on patients managing urination with clean intermittent self-urethral catheterization (CIC) using a questionnaire by mailing. The questionnaire was collected from 86 patients (60 men, 25 women, one sex unknown). The average age was 64.6 years old (males 64.1, females 65.8). By the first week after the earthquake, the patients with urological symptoms made up 3.8% of subjects surveyed. All of the patients had insufficient fluid intake, and did not live in their own homes, or perform CIC at home, for the period of time after the earthquake. During disasters, it is important that we secure CIC patients a living space, where they can perform CIC, with sufficient drinking water. PMID- 17760764 TI - Successful testis preservation for bilateral testicular tumors with a new chemotherapy-based protocol: initial results of three cases. AB - The treatment for bilateral testicular tumors is associated with infertility and hypogonadism. We carried out testis-preserving therapy treatment for three patients with synchronous bilateral tumors with seminoma. Our protocol of testis preservation consisted of unilateral orchiectomy for the larger tumor followed by three courses of chemotherapy with a cisplatin, etoposide and bleomycin regimen. All three patients showed no recurrence 24, 24, and 82 months after treatment. The serum testosterone level was maintained around the lower limit of the normal range in all patients without androgen replacement, and sexual function was not impaired. One patient showed oligospermia, preoperatively, and the number of sperm was preserved at a similar level after treatment. Azoospermia was observed in two patients before the treatment, and still persisted after treatment. Testis preservation with a chemotherapy-based new protocol was carried out successfully without recurrence. In addition, our protocol preserved a good quality of life in all patients. PMID- 17760765 TI - Three successful cases of bilateral testicular tumors where the unilateral testis was preserved by three courses of BEP chemotherapy. PMID- 17760766 TI - How do individuals solve the doctrinal paradox in collective decisions? An empirical investigation. PMID- 17760767 TI - Facing the music. PMID- 17760768 TI - Learning effects on sperm competition and reproductive fitness. AB - Learning and other common psychological processes presumably evolved because they contribute to reproductive fitness, but reproductive outcomes are rarely measured in psychology experiments. We examined the effects of Pavlovian conditioning on reproductive fitness in a sperm-competition situation. Typically, two males mating with the same female in immediate succession sire similar numbers of offspring. In a study with domesticated quail (Coturnix japonica), we increased paternity success by presenting a Pavlovian signal that permitted one of two competing males to predict copulatory opportunity. Using microsatellite-based DNA fingerprinting, we found that signaled males sired 72% of the offspring when competing with control males, and this effect was independent of copulation order. In the absence of Pavlovian conditioning, rates of fertilization were not significantly different for two males that copulated with the same female. These findings demonstrate that Pavlovian conditioning contributes to reproductive fitness and suggest that individual past experience can bias genetic transmission and the evolutionary changes that result from sexual competition. PMID- 17760769 TI - An ambiguous-race illusion in children's face memory. AB - Adults show better memory for ambiguous faces of their own race than for ambiguous faces of another race, even when the faces are identical and differentiated only by extraneous cues to racial category. We investigated whether similar context effects operate early in development. Young children raised in predominantly White environments were presented with computer-generated White-Black morphed faces, each paired with either the White or the Black face that contributed to its construction, and were told that the two faces in each pair were siblings. The children's subsequent recognition memory was more accurate for faces that had been paired with White siblings than for faces that had been paired with Black siblings. The same effect did not obtain when the ambiguous faces were paired with White or Black faces that did not contribute to their construction and did not look like siblings. These findings suggest that face memory in children is not driven exclusively by visual information present in faces and instead depends on an interplay of categorical and perceptual information about race and relationships. PMID- 17760770 TI - Seeing the world in black and white: the effects of perceptually induced mind sets on judgment. AB - Three experiments examined the notion that rudimentary perceptual experiences can serve as powerful guides to judgments under uncertainty. The results show that exposure to certain perceptual contrast patterns can influence the direction of bias without conscious awareness. In Experiment 1a, perception of alternating black and white squares, which served as orientation markers in a lexical decision task, resulted in a reduction of the well-known anchoring bias. Similar results were obtained when alternating high- and low-pitch tones were the orientation markers (Experiment 1b). Results of a final experiment provide evidence that perceptual contrast experiences can affect judgment-relevant representations across modalities. PMID- 17760771 TI - You've gotta know when to fold 'em: goal disengagement and systemic inflammation in adolescence. AB - The notion that persistence is essential for success and happiness is deeply embedded in popular and scientific writings. However, when people are faced with situations in which they cannot realize a key life goal, the most adaptive response for mental and physical health may be to disengage from that goal. This project followed 90 adolescents over the course of 1 year. Capacities for managing unattainable goals were assessed at baseline, and concentrations of the inflammatory molecule C-reactive protein (CRP) were quantified at that time, as well as 6 and 12 months later. To the extent that subjects had difficulties disengaging from unattainable goals, they displayed increasing concentrations of CRP over the follow-up. This association was independent of potential confounds, including adiposity, smoking, and depression. Because excessive inflammation contributes to a variety of adverse medical outcomes, these findings suggest that in some contexts, persistence may actually undermine well-being and good health. PMID- 17760772 TI - When the need to belong goes wrong: the expression of social anhedonia and social anxiety in daily life. AB - People possess an innate need to belong that drives social interactions. Aberrations in the need to belong, such as social anhedonia and social anxiety, provide a point of entry for examining this need. The current study used experience-sampling methodology to explore deviations in the need to belong in the daily lives of 245 undergraduates. Eight times daily for a week, personal digital assistants signaled subjects to complete questionnaires regarding affect, thoughts, and behaviors. As predicted, higher levels of social anhedonia were associated with increased time alone, greater preference for solitude, and lower positive affect. Higher social anxiety, in contrast, was associated with higher negative affect and was not associated with increased time alone. Furthermore, greater social anxiety was associated with greater self-consciousness and preference to be alone while interacting with unfamiliar people. Thus, deviations in the need to belong affect social functioning differently depending on whether this need is absent or thwarted. PMID- 17760773 TI - A direct assessment of the role of expectation in inhibition of return. AB - An object hidden among distractors can be found more efficiently if previously searched locations are not reinspected. The inhibition-of-return (IOR) phenomenon indexes the tendency to avoid reinspections. Two accounts of IOR, that it is due to inhibition and that it is due to expectation, are generally regarded as incompatible. The relevant evidence to date, however, has been indirect: Inhibition or expectation has been inferred from response times or similar indirect measures. This article reports the first direct measure of IOR, obtained by asking observers to predict the location of the next target in a display containing eight possible locations on an imaginary circle. On any given trial, the previously cued location was chosen less frequently (impairment)--and the opposite location was chosen more frequently (facilitation)--than chance (choice of all other locations was at chance). The impairment is consistent with both inhibition and expectation accounts; the facilitation is consistent only with expectation accounts. This work also shows that inhibition and expectation are not necessarily incompatible: Implementing expectations may entail inhibiting previously cued locations. PMID- 17760774 TI - Frequency correlates in grapheme-color synaesthesia. AB - Individuals with synaesthesia experience certain stimuli in more than one sensory modality. Most common is the linkage of letters and digits (graphemes) to colors. Whereas synaesthesia might be partly genetically determined, the linkages to specific colors are assumed to be learned. We present a systematic statistical analysis of synaesthetic color perception based on subjects' reproduction of individual colors for each grapheme, instead of simple verbal categorizations. The statistical analysis revealed that the color perceptions, measured with the HSL (hue, saturation, and luminance) scale, varied systematically among the different digits and letters. The frequencies of the digits and letters (in the German language) partly explained these systematic variations. However, digit frequency was more strongly related to color perception in the synaesthetes than was letter frequency. The results for digit and letter frequency indicate that experience with graphemes may shape synaesthetic color perception. PMID- 17760775 TI - Grapheme frequency and color luminance in grapheme-color synaesthesia. PMID- 17760776 TI - Response variability in attention-deficit disorders. AB - Reaction times in a mental rotation task were measured across a diverse population that sorted into two groupings based on overall variability. Although both the low- and the high-variance groups produced data that displayed the trends typical of mental rotation, the two groups' reaction time sequences had very different autocorrelation functions. Power spectra derived from the two groups' data showed the presence of distinctive noise processes with long memory. Normal levels of variance were associated with 1/f noise, whereas high-variance data had substantial traces of random walk contour. These findings provide new perspectives on cognitive assessments of attention dysfunction. PMID- 17760777 TI - God is watching you: priming God concepts increases prosocial behavior in an anonymous economic game. AB - We present two studies aimed at resolving experimentally whether religion increases prosocial behavior in the anonymous dictator game. Subjects allocated more money to anonymous strangers when God concepts were implicitly activated than when neutral or no concepts were activated. This effect was at least as large as that obtained when concepts associated with secular moral institutions were primed. A trait measure of self-reported religiosity did not seem to be associated with prosocial behavior. We discuss different possible mechanisms that may underlie this effect, focusing on the hypotheses that the religious prime had an ideomotor effect on generosity or that it activated a felt presence of supernatural watchers. We then discuss implications for theories positing religion as a facilitator of the emergence of early large-scale societies of cooperators. PMID- 17760778 TI - Cognitive costs of exposure to racial prejudice. AB - This study examined how encountering racial prejudice affects cognitive functioning. We assessed performance on the Stroop task after subjects reviewed job files that suggested an evaluator had made nonprejudiced, ambiguously prejudiced, or blatantly prejudiced hiring recommendations. The cognitive impact of exposure to ambiguous versus blatant cues to prejudice depended on subjects' racial group. Black subjects experienced the greatest impairment when they saw ambiguous evidence of prejudice, whereas White subjects experienced the greatest impairment when they saw blatant evidence of prejudice. Given the often ambiguous nature of contemporary expressions of prejudice, these results have important implications for the performance of ethnic minorities across many domains. PMID- 17760779 TI - Why are some individuals not racially biased? Susceptibility to affective conditioning predicts nonprejudice toward blacks. AB - Two studies investigated the psychological underpinnings of racial nonbias, defined as extremely low or null bias on measures of implicit and explicit racial attitudes. In Study 1, racially nonbiased Whites showed differential susceptibility to affective conditioning compared with subjects with greater bias. A significant two-way interaction emerged, indicating that nonbiased individuals were significantly less likely than other individuals to acquire negative affective associations to neutral stimuli in a classical conditioning paradigm, but were more likely than other individuals to acquire positive affective associations to neutral stimuli. This pattern of findings was replicated in Study 2, in which the identification of nonbiased Whites was facilitated by their nomination by an African American acquaintance. Implications for bias formation and prejudice reduction are discussed. PMID- 17760780 TI - The soft embodiment of culture: camera angles and motion through time and space. AB - Cultural assumptions about one's relation to others and one's place in the world can be literally embodied in the way one cognitively maps out one's position and motion in time and space. In three experiments, we examined the psychological perspective that Asian American and Euro-American participants embodied as they both comprehended and produced narratives and mapped out metaphors of time and space. In social situations, Euro-American participants were more likely to embody their own perspective and a sense of their own motion (rather than those of a friend), whereas Asian American participants were more likely to embody a friend's perspective and sense of motion (rather than their own). We discuss how these psychological perspectives represent the soft embodiment of culture by implicitly instantiating cultural injunctions (a) to think about how you look to others and to harmonize with them or (b) to know yourself, trust yourself, and act with confidence. PMID- 17760781 TI - Cultural differences in the impact of social support on psychological and biological stress responses. AB - Social support is believed to be a universally valuable resource for combating stress, yet Asians and Asian Americans report that social support is not helpful to them, resist seeking it, and are underrepresented among recipients of supportive services. We distinguish between explicit social support (seeking and using advice and emotional solace) and implicit social support (focusing on valued social groups) and show that Asians and Asian Americans are psychologically and biologically benefited more by implicit social support than by explicit social support; the reverse is true for European Americans. Our discussion focuses on cultural differences in the construal of relationships and their implications for social support and delivery of support services. PMID- 17760782 TI - Looking at the sunny side of life: age-related change in an event-related potential measure of the negativity bias. AB - Studies of the negativity bias have demonstrated that negative information has a stronger influence than positive information in a wide range of cognitive domains. At odds with this literature is extensive work now documenting emotional and motivational shifts that result in a positivity effect in older adults. It remains unclear, however, whether this age-related positivity effect results from increases in processing of positive information or from decreases in processing of negative information. Also unknown is the specific time course of development from a negative bias to an apparently positive one. The present study was designed to investigate the negativity bias across the life span using an event related potential measure of responding to emotionally valenced images. The results suggest that neural reactivity to negative images declines linearly with age, but responding to positive images is surprisingly age invariant across most of the adult life span. PMID- 17760783 TI - Role of the proteasome in ethanol-induced liver pathology. AB - The ubiquitin-proteasome system has come to be known as a vital constituent of mammalian cells. The proteasome is a large nonlysosomal enzyme that acts in concert with an 8.5 kDa polypeptide called ubiquitin and a series of conjugating enzymes, known as E1, E2 and E3, that covalently bind multiple ubiquitin moieties in a polyubiquitin chain to protein substrates in a process called ubiquitylation. The latter process targets protein substrates for unfolding and degradation by the 26S proteasome. This enzyme system specifically recognizes and degrades polyubiquitylated proteins, many of which are key proteins involved in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, signal transduction, and antigen presentation. The 26S proteasome contains a cylinder-shaped 20S catalytic core that, itself, degrades proteins in an ATP- and ubiquitin-independent manner. The 20S form is actually the predominant enzyme form in mammalian cells. Proteolysis by the constitutive 20S proteasome is vital in removing oxidized, misfolded and otherwise modified proteins. Such degradation is critical as a means of cellular detoxification, as intracellular accumulation of damaged and misfolded proteins is potentially lethal. Studies have shown that inhibition of proteasome activity can lead to cell death. Ethanol and its metabolism cause partial inhibition of the proteasome. This leads to a number of pleiotropic effects that can affect a variety of cellular processes. This critical review describes important aspects of ethanol metabolism and its influence on the proteasome. The review will summarize recent findings on: (1) the interactions between the proteasome and the ethanol metabolizing enzyme, CYP2E1; (2) the dynamics of proteasome inhibition by ethanol in animal models and cultured cells; (3) ethanol-elicited suppression of proteasome activity and its effect on signal transduction; (4) The role of proteasome inhibition in cytokine production by liver cells; and (5) ethanol elicited suppression of peptide hydrolysis and the potential effects on antigen presentation. While the principal focus is on alcohol-induced liver injury, the authors foresee that the findings presented in this review will prompt further research on the role of this proteolytic system in other tissues injured by excessive alcohol consumption. PMID- 17760784 TI - Isoform-specific enhancement of adenylyl cyclase activity by n-alkanols. AB - BACKGROUND: Numerous studies suggest that cAMP signaling pathways play important roles in the development of and predisposition to alcoholism. Our previous study showed that cAMP generation by various isoforms of adenylyl cyclase (AC) exhibits a broad spectrum of responses to ethanol in the human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cell system overexpressing individual AC isoforms. These findings suggest that the target of ethanol's action in the cAMP-generating system is AC. However, it is unknown if the action of ethanol is direct or indirect. METHODS: The effect of a series of n-alkanols (ethanol to decanol) on dopamine (DA)-stimulated activity of AC isoforms type 6, 7, and 9 (AC6, AC7, and AC9) were examined in transfected HEK293 cells by cAMP accumulation assay. RESULTS: n-Alkanols increased DA stimulated cAMP production in an AC isoform-specific manner, and displayed the alcohol cutoff phenomenon (defined as the carbon chain length beyond which there is no further increase in the potency of an ascending series of n-alkanols). The n-alkanol cutoffs for AC6, AC7, and AC9 are butanol (C4), pentanol (C5), and equal to or greater than decanol (C10), respectively. CONCLUSION: The results clearly indicate that, in the HEK293 expression system, the alcohol cutoff effect for n-alkanol potentiation of DA-stimulated AC activity is AC isoform specific. These results strongly suggest that alcohols interact directly with AC molecules. PMID- 17760785 TI - Remission and resurgence of anxiety-like behavior across protracted withdrawal stages in ethanol-dependent rats. AB - BACKGROUND: Alcohol dependence is a chronic disorder in which withdrawal symptoms often persist after detoxification. The purpose of the present experiment was to characterize susceptibility to stress and anxiogenic stimuli in rats over an extended time period following ethanol withdrawal. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were made dependent via ethanol vapor exposure. The rats were then tested in the elevated plus-maze during acute ethanol withdrawal (ACW, approximately 8 hour), early "protracted" withdrawal (EPW, 2 weeks), or late "protracted" withdrawal (LPW, 6, 12 weeks) following brief restraint or no stress. Principal components analysis was used to identify constructs underlying plus-maze behavior. RESULTS: Three factors characterized plus-maze performance: anxiety, locomotor activity, and risk assessment/decision making. Spontaneous anxiety-like behavior was increased during ACW, decreased to levels of ethanol-naive controls during EPW, but markedly resurged during LPW. Withdrawal did not alter sensitivity to the anxiety-like effects of restraint stress. All ethanol-dependent rats showed locomotor hypoactivity that, in contrast to anxiety, remained stable throughout all withdrawal stages. Neither ethanol withdrawal nor restraint stress altered mean "risk assessment/decision making" scores, though ethanol withdrawal altered the emission of "risk assessment/decision making" behavior in relation to anxiety like behavior and behavioral activation state. CONCLUSIONS: The findings illustrate and model the spontaneous, severe, and long-lasting nature of behavioral abnormalities that accompany withdrawal from chronic, intermittent ethanol intoxication. The dynamic remission and resurgence in symptoms of negative affect (i.e., behavioral signs of anxiety) during "protracted" withdrawal may complicate recovery from alcoholism. PMID- 17760786 TI - Developmental differences in acute ethanol withdrawal in adolescent and adult rats. AB - BACKGROUND: Withdrawal from an acute high ethanol dose induces behaviors reminiscent of withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure. While such "hangover" related anxiety has previously been shown to be considerably less pronounced in adolescent compared to adult male rats, ontogenetic studies are limited and few experiments have directly compared sex- and age-related differences in sensitivity to ethanol hangover. METHODS: The current experiments examined consequences of a previous ethanol challenge (4.0 g/kg i.p. injection, 20% v/v) on anxiety and exploratory behavior in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and holeboard (HB) tests, respectively, in adolescent and adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. RESULTS: In Exp. 1, evidence of hangover-related anxiety and withdrawal induced hypoactivity emerged at both ages and in both sexes. As several procedural variables were changed in Exp.1 relative to previous studies from our laboratory showing age-related differences in these hangover measures, Exp. 2 explored the possible contribution of 2 variables to ontogenetic expression of withdrawal-induced anxiogenesis: (1) isolation vs. social context during the postchallenge recovery period and (2) EPM testing alone or immediately following a 5 minute HB test. Results of Exp. 2 revealed few significant interactions of these variables with age- and ethanol exposure-related anxiety measures, although sequential testing (HB before EPM) notably suppressed activity in the EPM and altered the major underlying component of EPM behavior from anxiety to activity as revealed in factor analyses of these data. Additional analyses conducted on animals tested only in the EPM revealed attenuations in withdrawal anxiogenesis among adolescents, along with withdrawal-related decreases in activity at both ages. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results suggest that adolescents do show an attenuated sensitivity to hangover-induced anxiogenesis in the EPM, an age difference not evident under other pretest conditions. Therefore, caution should be exerted when using the EPM to index anxiety across age. The robustness of withdrawal-related hypoactivity at both ages suggests that adolescents may not be globally insensitive to the consequences of previous binge-like exposure to ethanol, but rather less likely to express certain hangover-related consequences. PMID- 17760788 TI - Blood HDL cholesterol levels influence association of alcohol intake with blood pressure in young men but not in middle-aged men. AB - BACKGROUND: Both blood pressure and HDL cholesterol are affected by alcohol drinking. However, it has not been determined whether association of alcohol drinking with blood pressure varies depending on blood HDL level. METHODS: The subjects were male workers aged 20 to 29 year and 50 to 59 year (n = 21,301), representing young and middle ages, respectively, who had received periodic health checkup examinations. The subjects were divided into tertile groups by serum HDL level, and they were further divided into 3 subgroups based on the average daily alcohol intake [nondrinkers, light drinkers (<30 g of ethanol per day) and heavy drinkers (30 g or more of ethanol per day)]. Blood pressure and incidence of high blood pressure were compared among the 3 alcohol subgroups in each age and HDL group. RESULTS: In the lowest HDL tertile of 20 to 29-year-old subjects, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and incidences of high systolic and diastolic blood pressure were not significantly different among the 3 alcohol subgroups. In the middle and highest HDL tertiles of the twenties age group, systolic and diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher in heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers, and incidences of high systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher in drinkers than in nondrinkers. On the other hand, in all HDL tertile groups of 50 to 59-year-old subjects, blood pressure was significantly higher in light drinkers and heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers, and incidences of high systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher in drinkers than in nondrinkers. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that blood pressure of middle-aged men is elevated by alcohol drinking independently of blood HDL level and is more sensitive to drinking than is blood pressure of young men. PMID- 17760789 TI - Effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on basal limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal regulation: role of corticosterone. AB - BACKGROUND: Rats prenatally exposed to ethanol (E) exhibit hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) hyperresponsiveness and changes in central HPA regulation following exposure to stressors. Whether ethanol-induced alterations in basal HPA regulation play a role in mediating HPA hyperresponsiveness remains unclear. We utilized adrenalectomy (ADX), with or without corticosterone (CORT) replacement, to investigate basal HPA function and the role of CORT in mediating ethanol induced alterations. METHODS: Adult males and females from prenatal E, pair-fed (PF), and ad lib-fed control (C) groups were terminated at the circadian peak, 7 days following sham surgery or ADX, with or without CORT replacement. Plasma levels of CORT and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), and mRNA levels of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the paraventricular nucleus, CRH Type 1 receptor (CRH-R1) and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in the anterior pituitary, and mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors in the dorsal hippocampus were determined. RESULTS: Adrenalectomy resulted in significantly greater plasma ACTH elevations in E and PF males, and parallel CRH mRNA elevations in both E and PF males and females compared with their C counterparts. In contrast, pituitary CRH-R1 mRNA levels were lower in E compared with C males, with no differences in POMC. In addition, in response to ADX, E females showed a greater MR mRNA response, and E males showed a greater GR mRNA response compared with their C counterparts, and CORT replacement was ineffective in normalizing ADX-induced alterations in ACTH levels in E and PF females, hippocampal MR mRNA levels in E males, and AVP mRNA levels in PF males and females. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these data indicate that the prenatal ethanol exposure induces HPA dysregulation under basal conditions at multiple levels of the axis, resulting in alterations in both HPA drive and feedback regulation and/or in the balance between drive and feedback. While some effects may be nutritionally mediated, it appears that the mechanisms underlying basal HPA dysregulation may differ between E and PF animals rather than occurring along a continuum of effects on the same pathway. Altered basal HPA tone may play a role in mediating the HPA hyperresponsiveness to stressors observed in E offspring. PMID- 17760792 TI - Assessing the effects of age, gestation, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity on labor inductions. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the likelihood of cesarean births, related to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), maternal education and age, and gestational status for labor inductions on primiparous and multiparous women. DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective descriptive correlational design was used with 1,325 women scheduled for induction at a large tertiary hospital in a southwestern U.S. state from January 1 through December 31, 2005. Birth outcomes were matched against inpatient hospital scheduling induction logs to verify the reason for induction, whether elective or clinically indicated. FINDINGS: Age and gestation had nonlinear and significant associations with cesarean birth. Elective inductions for primiparous women significantly increased the likelihood of cesarean delivery. The independent effect of being a primiparous woman with an elective induction increased the probability of a cesarean birth by 50%, but this association was not significant for multiparous women. Mother's educational level was a significant predictor for cesarean births with multiparous women being induced. Ethnicity and SES did not increase the odds of cesarean delivery following labor induction for either primiparous women or multiparous women. CONCLUSIONS: Elective inductions for primiparous women increased the probability of cesarean births. Elective labor induction for primiparous women should be offered with caution, particularly for women with advanced maternal age. PMID- 17760787 TI - Acute ethanol has biphasic effects on short- and long-term memory in both foreground and background contextual fear conditioning in C57BL/6 mice. AB - BACKGROUND: Ethanol is a frequently abused, addictive drug that impairs cognitive function. Ethanol may disrupt cognitive processes by altering attention, short term memory, and/or long-term memory. Interestingly, some research suggests that ethanol may enhance cognitive processes at lower doses. The current research examined the dose-dependent effects of ethanol on contextual and cued fear conditioning. In addition, the present studies assessed the importance of stimulus salience in the effects of ethanol and directly compared the effects of ethanol on short-term and long-term memory. METHODS: This study employed both foreground and background fear conditioning, which differ in the salience of contextual stimuli, and tested conditioning at 4 hours, 24 hours, and 1 week in order to assess the effects of ethanol on short-term and long-term memory. Foreground conditioning consisted of 2 presentations of a foot shock unconditioned stimulus (US) (2 seconds, 0.57 mA). Background conditioning consisted of 2 auditory conditioned stimulus (30 seconds, 85 dB white noise)-foot shock (US; 2 seconds, 0.57 mA) pairings. RESULTS: For both foreground and background conditioning, ethanol enhanced short-term and long-term memory for contextual and cued conditioning at a low dose (0.25 g/kg) and impaired short term and long-term memory for contextual and cued conditioning at a high dose (1.0 g/kg). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ethanol has long-lasting, biphasic effects on short-term and long-term memory for contextual and cued conditioning. Furthermore, the effects of ethanol on contextual fear conditioning are independent of the salience of the context. PMID- 17760793 TI - Design of control-group conditions in clinical trials of behavioral interventions. AB - PURPOSE: To review considerations in the design of placebo (attention) control conditions for community-based clinical trials of health behavior change interventions and to provide practical strategies for the design of control conditions. ORGANIZING CONSTRUCTS: A well-designed control condition is an essential component of a clinical trial to foster the unambiguous interpretation of study findings. METHODS: Pitfalls in the design of control conditions in clinical trials of behavioral interventions are identified and strategies to address them are offered. Types of control conditions that have been used in fall prevention trials are described, along with their strengths and weaknesses. The control condition used in the recent fall evaluation and prevention program (FEPP) was designed to overcome limitations of previous trial designs; it is provided to illustrate how to apply specific design principles. CONCLUSIONS: Pitfalls in the design of behavioral intervention studies may be avoided with the application of sound design principles. The FEPP active control condition can be used as a model in the design of future studies. PMID- 17760794 TI - Predictors of functional performance in community-dwelling people with COPD. AB - PURPOSE: To identify physiologic, well-being, and coping resource predictors of functional performance in community-dwelling people with COPD. DESIGN: A cross sectional, correlational design was used with a convenience sample of 119 people who received care in a private pulmonary medicine practice. METHODS: Participants were recruited in person, completed the study instruments at home, and returned the instruments to the researcher by mail. Pulmonary function test results were obtained from medical records. Univariate, bivariate, and multiple regression analyses were performed. FINDINGS: Several bivariate correlations were robust, particularly among the well-being and coping resource variables, but none were large enough to indicate multicollinearity. Four proposed predictors (depression, severity of pulmonary disease, age, and gender) explained 46.3% of the variance in functional performance. CONCLUSIONS: Functional performance was influenced by both physiologic and negative well-being factors. Because of the potential influence of depression on adherence to medical regimen, attention to both physical and mental health is necessary for maintaining optimal health and functioning in these chronically ill people. PMID- 17760795 TI - Sense of coherence, spirituality, stress and quality of life in chronic illness. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between sense of coherence and spirituality and their association with perceptions of stress, and quality of life. METHODS: Questionnaires mailed to nonhospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, multiple regressions, and ANOVA. RESULTS: High sense of coherence (SOC) and spirituality were correlated with low stress and high quality of life (QoL). Neither SOC nor spirituality related significantly to objective symptom severity. In regression analyses 73.2% of the variance in QoL was explained by SOC, the FEV1/FVC ratio, and functional ability. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial factors are important in patients' cognitive interpretations of illness. SOC and spirituality may buffer stress in the context of chronic illness. PMID- 17760796 TI - Differences in Mexican American and Non-Hispanic White veterans' homocysteine levels. AB - PURPOSE: To compare homocysteine (Hcy) levels and possible modulatory factors, such as nutrient or supplement intake, between Mexican American and Non-Hispanic White (NHW) male military veterans scoring at high- versus low-risk for stroke. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey with a high and low stroke risk biomarkers substudy. METHODS: Voluntary participants were Mexican American (n=109) and NHW (n=120) veteran outpatients 54 to 85 years of age at a Southwestern Veterans Administration (VA) medical center. Measures included food frequency, health history, and stroke risk scale derived from the Framingham Study. Biomarker subgroups, 30 Mexican American and 30 NHW, half of each group scoring high or low on stroke risk, who were tested for morning fasting blood levels of Hcy, B12, and folate. FINDINGS: In the cross-sectional study (n=229), nutrient intake was comparable between ethnic groups. In the substudy, Mexican Americans (n=30) with high or low stroke risk scores and NHW (n=30) with high stroke risk scores had elevated Hcy levels (12.5; 11.9; 11.4 micromol/L respectively) compared to NHW veterans with low stroke risk scores (7.8 micromol/L) even after controlling for age, education, folate, diabetes, and smoking pack-years (p=.001). Mexican Americans compared to NHW were significantly more likely to be in the preclinical (17% versus 3% >10 micromol/L) and clinical ranges (69% versus 35% >15 micromol/L) for Hcy. CONCLUSIONS: Mexican Americans showed higher levels of Hcy whether they scored high or low for stroke, and greater representation in clinical and preclinical Hcy ranges compared to NHW veterans. The Framingham derived, predominantly NHW population-based stroke risk measure might require ethnically relevant stroke risk factors for Mexican Americans. PMID- 17760797 TI - Nonadherence with diet and fluid restrictions and perceived social support in patients receiving hemodialysis. AB - PURPOSE: To describe nonadherence with diet and fluid restrictions and the level of perceived social support in hemodialysis patients. DESIGN: Descriptive survey. The data were obtained from 160 patients in three hemodialysis centers in Turkey between March 2006 and May 2006. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlations, and logistic regression analysis were conducted. METHODS: Data were collected by using a personal data form, the Dialysis Diet and Fluid Nonadherence Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. RESULTS: Most patients showed nonadherence with diet and fluid restrictions. Family members were important providers of social support for patients. Significant factors affecting fluid nonadherence included age, marital status, and family and friend support. Marital status and family support were also the main variables affecting diet nonadherence. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that nonadherence was more common among younger, married patients, and those with lower levels of perceived social support. PMID- 17760799 TI - A qualitative examination of the phenomenon of sundowning. PMID- 17760798 TI - The influence of caregiver mastery on depressive symptoms. AB - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore how the relationship between care recipients' problem behaviors and caregivers' depressive symptoms varies as a function of caregiver mastery, controlling for the effects of caregiver age, gender, and relationship to the care recipient in caregivers of people with primary malignant brain tumor (PMBT). DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used to gather data via telephone interviews from 95 caregivers of people with primary malignant brain tumor, recruited from 2003 to 2004 from a brain tumor treatment center, two national support groups, and a statewide cancer registry. METHODS: Measures for the study included the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire, Caregiver Mastery, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression. A stepwise regression procedure was used to evaluate potential moderating and mediating relationships. FINDINGS: Data did not indicate that caregiver mastery was a moderating variable. The analysis showed caregiver mastery as a partial mediator, with both a direct effect of care recipients' problem behaviors on caregivers' depressive symptoms and an indirect effect through caregiver mastery. Concerning the indirect effect, care recipients' problem behaviors were related to lower levels of caregiver mastery, which in turn were related to more depressive symptoms in caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: Findings showed a link between care recipients' problem behaviors and caregivers' depressive symptoms, a relationship that has not been well established in oncology. This association indicates one mechanism through which problem behaviors in the care recipient might lead to caregiver depressive symptoms. PMID- 17760800 TI - An update on the representational approach to patient education. AB - PURPOSE: To provide an update on the representational approach to patient education. ORGANIZING CONSTRUCT: The representational approach to patient education to guide a wide-range of educational interventions. METHODS: Four intervention trials based on the representational approach are discussed: the representational intervention to decrease cancer pain (RIDcancerPain), patient centered advance care planning (PC-ACP), an individualized representational intervention to improve symptom management (IRIS), and the written representational intervention to ease symptoms (WRITE symptoms). RESULTS: Findings from these trials show that interventions based on the representational approach are efficacious. Results of these trials have provided information for strengthening the approach and extending it to novel clinical problems and delivery modes. CONCLUSIONS: The representational approach to patient education appears to be adequately flexible to guide interventions in different patient care situations, while also sufficiently structured to be replicable and testable. PMID- 17760802 TI - Improving participant comprehension in the informed consent process. AB - PURPOSE: To critically analyze studies published within the past decade about participants' comprehension of informed consent in clinical research and to identify promising intervention strategies. DESIGN: Integrative review of literature. METHODS: The Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. Inclusion criteria included studies (a) published between January 1, 1996 and January 1, 2007, (b) designed as descriptive or interventional studies of comprehension of informed consent for clinical research, (c) conducted in nonpsychiatric adult populations who were either patients or volunteer participants, (d) written in English, and (e) published in peer-reviewed journals. FINDINGS: Of the 980 studies identified, 319 abstracts were screened, 154 studies were reviewed, and 23 met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen studies (57%) were descriptive, and 10 (43%) were interventional. Interventions tested included simplified written consent documents, multimedia approaches, and the use of a trained professional (consent educator) to assist in the consent process. Collectively, no single intervention strategy was consistently associated with improved comprehension. Studies also varied in regard to the definition of comprehension and the tools used to measure it. CONCLUSIONS: Despite increasing regulatory scrutiny, deficiencies still exist in participant comprehension of the research in which they participate, as well as differences in how comprehension is measured and assessed. No single intervention was identified as consistently successful for improving participant comprehension, and results indicated that any successful consent process should at a minimum include various communication modes and is likely to require one-to one interaction with someone knowledgeable about the study. PMID- 17760801 TI - Decisions about transfer from nursing home to emergency department. AB - PURPOSE: To describe how decisions occurred to transfer nursing home (NH) residents to emergency departments (EDs). DESIGN: Three nursing homes (NHs) in Virginia were selected based on geographic and ownership variability. The phenomenon of concern was the decision-making process culminating in the transfer of NH residents to EDs. Sixteen transfers met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. A minimum of two informants per transfer were interviewed, with a range of 2 to 4 interviews per transfer. All 42 respondents were asked to describe how the transfer decision was reached, to identify who participated in making the decision, and to describe any particular positive or negative aspects of reaching the transfer decision. METHOD: Data were analyzed with hermeneutic phenomenological methods. Journal writing, audit trails, informal and formal member checks, and expert consultation were used to control bias. FINDINGS: The three main themes identified were Consensus, Conflict, and Cogency. Consensus, or agreement, occurred when all decision participants reported similar interpretations as to the severity and acuity of the presenting problem or had shared interpretations of the best interests of the elder. When decision participants held dissimilar interpretations, conflict occurred. Decision participants used cogency by persuading others, in order to reach consensus. CONCLUSIONS: The findings cannot be generalized to long-term care facilities across the US or to other countries, but they enhance understanding about some of the ways transfer decisions occur and the role of nurses in those transfers, especially when conflict arises. PMID- 17760803 TI - Workplace violence among Iraqi hospital nurses. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate (a) the occurrence and frequency of physical workplace violence among Iraqi hospital nurses as well as the complaints and responses of nurses to such violence; (b) measures and policies in the workplace to deal with violence; and (c) factors that contribute to the workplace violence and the strategies to prevent them from Iraqi nurses' perspective. DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive exploratory survey was used. The structured interview technique was used for collecting data from a purposive sample of 116 Iraqi nurses. An adapted version of the original instrument that was developed by the International Labor Office (ILO), the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Public Services International (PSI) on Workplace Violence in the Health Sector was used. RESULTS: Forty-nine of 116 participants reported that they have been physically attacked at work. Few employers had specific policies on workplace violence. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicated the importance of adopting hospital policies for dealing with incidents of violence and legislation to subject aggressors to judicial punishment. PMID- 17760804 TI - CD154 induces a switch in pro-survival Bcl-2 family members in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. AB - Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells survive and proliferate in patients but rapidly die in culture. The microenvironment that sustains leukaemic cells in vivo contains both stromal cell elements and T cells. We defined changes in Bcl-2 family protein expression on culture with CD40 ligand (CD154) expressed on mouse fibroblast L cells, and interleukin-4 (IL-4; CD154/IL-4 system): conditions that support survival and proliferation. Unexpectedly, Bcl-2 protein expression decreased whilst pro-survival Bcl-x(L) (as well as A1 and Mcl-1) increased. However, the CD154-L cell/IL-4 system also increased the pro-apoptotic proteins, Bid and Noxa, suggesting that an increased pool of pro-survival factors and not the effects of a single protein mediate survival. Most pro-apoptotic proteins were not induced in drug or spontaneous apoptosis, but expression of Bcl-x(S), a pro-apoptotic BCL2L1 isoform, was associated with cell death. This was post transcriptionally controlled, and, therefore, alternative splicing at the Bcl-x locus appears to have a role in the regulation of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cell survival. This study demonstrated a switch in pro-survival proteins associated with the transition from quiescence to CD154-driven proliferation. CLL therapies targeting Bcl-2 may need to be modified to antagonize proliferation centre-specific pro-survival proteins. PMID- 17760805 TI - High expression of connective tissue growth factor in pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. AB - In recent years microarrays have been used extensively to characterize gene expression in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Few studies, however, have analysed normal haematopoietic cell populations to identify altered gene expression in ALL. We used oligonucleotide microarrays to compare the gene expression profile of paediatric precursor-B (pre-B) ALL specimens with two control cell populations, normal CD34(+) and CD19(+)IgM(-) cells, to focus on genes linked to leukemogenesis. A set of eight genes was identified with a ninefold higher average expression in ALL specimens compared with control cells. All of these genes were significantly deregulated in an independent cohort of 101 ALL specimens. One gene, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF, also known as CCN2), had exceptionally high expression, which was confirmed in three independent leukaemia studies. Further analysis of CTGF expression in ALL revealed exclusive expression in B-lineage, not T-lineage, ALL. Within B-lineage ALL approximately 75% of specimens were consistently positive for CTGF expression, however, specimens containing the E2A-PBX1 translocation showed low or no expression. Protein studies using Western blot analysis demonstrated the presence of CTGF in ALL cell-conditioned media. These findings indicate that CTGF is secreted by pre-B ALL cells and may play a role in the pathophysiology of this disease. PMID- 17760806 TI - Somatically mutated immunoglobulin IGHV@ genes without intraclonal heterogeneity indicate a postgerminal centre origin of primary intraocular diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. AB - Primary intraocular lymphoma (PIOL) is a type of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) that is related to primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). Whether their pathogenesis is similar is presently unknown. Immunoglobulin heavy chain variable genes (IGHV@) somatic mutations were analysed in five patients with PIOL, one patient with concomitant PCNSL and one patient with systemic DLBCL involving the eye. Six in-frame mutated clonal IGHV@ rearrangements were cloned from PIOL specimens. The sequences showed no evidence of antigen selection and revealed absence of intraclonal heterogeneity in four of five cases, suggesting that PIOL and PCNSL may differ in their ontogeny. PMID- 17760807 TI - Dysregulation of CD47 and the ligands thrombospondin 1 and 2 in multiple myeloma. AB - CD47 and thrombospondin 1 and 2 (TSP1 and TSP2) expression were analysed by real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in fluorescence-activated cell sorted plasma cells (PCs) from patients at consecutive stages of multiple myeloma (MM) development. 80% of MM patients, but only 39% of patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) expressed CD47; median expression level increased 10-fold with progression from MGUS to MM. Elevated TSP1/TSP2 levels occurred in bone marrow cultures from MM patients compared with healthy donors. CD47 and TSP1/TSP2 may have a potential role in the pathophysiology of MM, probably in the interaction between MM PCs and the microenvironment. PMID- 17760809 TI - Elevated endogenous thrombin potential is associated with an increased risk of a first deep venous thrombosis but not with the risk of recurrence. AB - Measurement of the thrombin generating potential could provide a method for quantifying the composite effect of multiple risk factors. This study assessed the risk of a first as well as a recurrent venous thrombotic event associated with an increased endogenous thrombin potential (ETP). Analyses were performed in 360 patients and 404 control subjects of the Leiden Thrombophilia Study. The ETP was measured directly using a fluorogenic assay (Thrombinoscope). Individuals with an increased ETP, i.e. above 90th percentile measured in control subjects (>2109.0 nM x min) had a 1.5-fold [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.9-2.3] increased risk of a first deep venous thrombosis. The risk was more pronounced after the analysis was restricted to idiopathic thromboses, i.e. 1.7-fold (95% CI: 1.0-2.8). Overall, the hazard ratio of a recurrent thrombotic event associated with a high ETP, adjusted for age, sex and oral anticoagulant use was 1.1 (95% CI: 0.5-2.2). Thus, a high ETP was not associated with an increased relative risk of recurrent venous thrombosis. At present, the clinical relevance of the thrombin generation assay in predicting recurrent venous thrombosis remains uncertain. PMID- 17760808 TI - Outcome of children with nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma - a Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group report. AB - This report describes the clinical outcomes and follow-up records of 42 children with nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (LPHL) treated on United Kingdom Children's Cancer Study Group (UKCCSG) HD1 (1982-1992) and HD2 protocols (1992-2000). The clinical records of 42 children with LPHL treated between 1982 and 2000 were reviewed retrospectively. All 42 had histology reviewed centrally and confirmed as LPHL by an expert panel. In both trials, only patients with stage IA disease had the option of being treated with either involved field radiation alone or combination chemotherapy consisting of chlorambucil, vinblastine, procarbazine and prednisolone (ChlVPP). Patients with all other stages were treated with ChlVPP chemotherapy. Thirty-five patients (83%) presented with early stage disease (Stages I & II). All 42 patients achieved a complete remission (CR). Six children relapsed after primary therapy. The 5- and 10-year relapse-free survival rates were 87% and 82% respectively. Forty-one are currently alive in CR. In conclusion, children with low-stage LPHL treated between 1982 and 2000 according to the UK strategy for classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) had an excellent prognosis. There have been no second malignancies or transformations to B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. PMID- 17760812 TI - Splenic peliosis and rupture in patients with dyskeratosis congenita on androgens and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. PMID- 17760810 TI - Inhibition of Akt induces significant downregulation of survivin and cytotoxicity in human multiple myeloma cells. AB - Akt mediates growth and drug resistance in multiple myeloma (MM) cells in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. We have shown that a novel Akt inhibitor Perifosine induces significant cytotoxicity in MM cells in the BM milieu. This study further delineated molecular mechanisms whereby Perifosine triggered cytotoxicity in MM cells. Neither the intensity of Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase phosphorylation nor caspase/poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage correlated with Perifosine-induced cytotoxicity in MM.1S, INA6, OPM1 and OPM2 MM cells. However, survivin, which regulates caspase-3 activity, was markedly downregulated by Perifosine treatment, without changes in other anti-apoptotic proteins. Downregulation of survivin by siRNA significantly inhibited OPM1 MM cell growth, confirming that survivin mediates MM cell survival. Perifosine significantly downregulated both function and protein expression of beta-catenin. Co-culture with BM stromal cells (BMSCs) upregulated both beta-catenin and survivin expression in MM cells, which was blocked by Perifosine. Importantly, Perifosine treatment also downregulated survivin expression in human MM cells grown in vivo in a severe combined immunodeficient mouse xenograft model. Finally, Perifosine inhibited bortezomib-induced upregulation of survivin, associated with enhanced cytotoxicity of combined bortezomib and Perifosine treatment. These preclinical studies provide the framework for clinical trials of bortezomib with Perifosine to improve patient outcome in MM. PMID- 17760813 TI - The disappearance of two alleles of JAK2 V617F from peripheral blood of a polycythaemia vera patient correlates with transformation into myelofibrosis. PMID- 17760811 TI - Establishment and exploitation of hyperdiploid and non-hyperdiploid human myeloma cell lines. AB - The establishment of clinically relevant human myeloma cell lines is central for our understanding of myeloma pathogenesis and development of novel therapies for the disease. Unfortunately, most available lines were generated from extramedullary sites, harbored multiple genetic abnormalities and categorized as non-hyperdiploid. In contrast, hyperdiploid myeloma cell lines, which represent more than 50% of patients, are rare. We established procedures for establishment of stroma-dependent myeloma lines by passaging primary myeloma cells, in severe combined immunodeficient-human (SCID-hu) or SCID-rab mice followed by maintenance in co-culture with stromal cells. We described the establishment and characterization of two hyperdiploid (LD and CF) and two non-hyperdiploid (JB and BN) cell lines. Using our animal models, we also established bortezomib-sensitive and -resistant BN lines. These cell lines were cellularly, phenotypically and molecularly characterized using flow cytometry immunophenotyping, DNA content, G band and multicolor spectral karyotyping (SKY) and global gene expression profiling. All four cell lines were infected with lentiviral-expressing luciferase for detection of tumour cells at high sensitivity level and for monitoring myeloma growth in co-cultures and in vivo by live animal imaging. These myeloma cell lines and the procedures used for their establishment provide essential tools for studying myeloma biology and therapy. PMID- 17760815 TI - Mechanical loading and delta12prostaglandin J2 induce bone morphogenetic protein 2, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-1, and bone nodule formation in an osteoblastic cell line. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: We have previously reported that mechanical strain applied at a 1% level to an osteoblastic cell line induces the transcription of prostaglandin D2 synthase and increases the levels of prostaglandin D2 and its Delta12prostaglandin J2 metabolite. Mechanical strain also induces the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-1 and bone nodule formation. We hypothesized that mechanical load induces bone formation via Delta12prostaglandin J2-dependent synthesis of bone morphogenetic proteins. Our goal was to investigate the molecular events involved in osteogenesis induced by mechanical loading and Delta12prostaglandin J2, namely the induction of bone morphogenetic proteins and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-1, a nuclear receptor for Delta12prostaglandin J2. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Osteoblast monolayers were stretched for 1 h with a 1-h resting period and stretched for another hour at 1 Hz with 1% elongation. Cells were collected 0, 1, 6 and 16 h after stretching. Cyclooxygenase inhibitors and Delta12prostaglandin J2 were added in some experiments. Relative quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to examine whether the mRNA of bone morphogenetic protein 2, -4, -6, -7 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-1 was induced. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate bone morphogenetic protein expression in cells. RESULTS: Mechanical strain significantly increased the mRNA expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2, -6, -7 and of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-1, but not of bone morphogenetic protein-4. In stretched cells, bone morphogenetic protein-2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 1 expression was blocked by cyclooxygenase inhibitors, but restored by exogenous Delta12prostaglandin J2. Delta12Prostaglandin J2 significantly enhanced bone nodule formation and bone morphogenetic protein-2 expression when added alone to resting osteoblasts. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the osteoblastic biomechanical pathways that trigger bone formation involve cyclooxygenase and prostaglandin D2 synthase activation, induction of Delta12prostaglandin J2 and its nuclear receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-1, and increased expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2. These data suggest that the Delta12prostaglandin J2/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-1/bone morphogenetic protein-2 pathway plays an important role in osteogenesis. PMID- 17760816 TI - Areca nut extracts-activated secretion of leukotriene B4, and phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and elevated intracellular calcium concentrations in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Polymorphonuclear leukocytes are the major source of leukotriene B4, which is synthesized via the 5-lipoxygenase pathway. Activation of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway is regulated by intracellular calcium and the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). The impact of areca nut extracts on the biosynthesis of leukotriene B4 by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes was evaluated, and some of the possible mechanisms underlying the responses were examined. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Polymorphonuclear leukocytes were treated with various concentrations of areca nut extracts. The concentrations of leukotriene B4 released into the supernatants were evaluated using enzyme immunoassay. The phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was monitored using immunoblotting, and the cytosolic calcium kinetics were assessed fluorometrically using Fura-2. RESULTS: Exposure of polymorphonuclear leukocytes to areca nut extracts led to a dose-dependent increase in the production of leukotriene B4, with levels peaking at 30 min and decreasing thereafter. Areca nut extracts enhanced the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, an enzyme known to activate 5 lipoxygenase. Incubation with areca nut extracts also resulted in a rapid elevation of intracellular calcium concentrations in polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The induction of leukotriene B4 by areca nut extracts was suppressed with the p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, or with the intracellular calcium chelator, BAPTA-AM. CONCLUSION: The interaction of areca nut extracts with polymorphonuclear leukocytes activated the arachidonic acid metabolic cascade. Incubation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes with areca nut extracts resulted in the activation of intracellular events, such as phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and Ca2+ mobilization, involved in the release of pro-inflammatory lipid mediators. The results of this study emphasize the potential importance of polymorphonuclear leukocytes as a source of leukotriene B4, which may modulate the inflammatory response in areca chewers. PMID- 17760817 TI - Expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand relates to inflammatory bone resorption, with or without occlusal trauma, in rats. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) is an important factor in osteoclast differentiation, activation and survival; however, its involvement in inflammatory bone resorption, with or without occlusal trauma, is unclear. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the distribution of RANKL-expressing cells in rat periodontium during lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation with or without occlusal trauma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Lipopolysaccharide was injected into rat gingiva of the lower left first molar to induce inflammation. In addition, the occlusal surface of the upper left first molar of rat was raised by placing a gold inlay to induce occlusal trauma in the lower left first molars. The distribution of RANKL expressing cells was immunohistochemically observed. RESULTS: In the inflammatory model, many osteoclasts were observed at the apical inter-radicular septum on day 5 and they were reduced by day 10. On the other hand, in the inflammatory model with occlusal trauma, many osteoclasts were still observed on day 10. RANKL expression was similar to the changes in osteoclast number. The expression of RANKL increased in endothelial cells, inflammatory cells and periodontal ligament cells. CONCLUSION: These findings clearly demonstrated that RANKL expression on endothelial cells, inflammatory cells and periodontal ligament cells is involved in inflammatory bone resorption and the expression is enhanced by traumatic occlusion. These results suggest that RANKL expression on these cells is closely involved in the increase of osteoclasts induced by occlusal trauma. PMID- 17760819 TI - A mineralization-associated membrane protein plays a role in the biological functions of the peptide-coated bovine hydroxyapatite. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Anorganic bovine mineral coated with a cell-binding peptide (P-15) is superior to anorganic bovine mineral alone in the treatment of periodontal osseous defects. However, the molecular interactions between P-15 and periodontal ligament fibroblasts remain unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We first compared the in vitro osteogenic activities between periodontal ligament fibroblasts cultured with anorganic bovine mineral alone and with the P 15/anorganic bovine mineral combination. We then harvested the periodontal ligament cell lysate, incubated it with various graft materials, and then washed it to remove unbound proteins. The bound proteins were eluted from graft materials and analyzed using electrophoresis, followed by mass spectrometry and then western blotting. Finally, a neutralizing antibody against one bound protein was added to the cell cultures to repeat the osteogenic assays to clarify its role in the in vitro effects of the P-15/anorganic bovine mineral combination. RESULTS: Cells treated with P-15/anorganic bovine mineral were more viable and showed greater osteogenic activities than cells treated with anorganic bovine mineral alone and the no-graft control. Annexin II, a mineralization-associated protein, bound to P-15/anorganic bovine mineral significantly more than to anorganic bovine mineral alone. The addition of neutralizing antibody for annexin II decreased the osteogenic activities of the P-15/anorganic bovine mineral combination. CONCLUSION: Annexin II of periodontal ligament fibroblasts interacted with the peptide of P-15, and was partially responsible for better in vitro osteogenesis in the P-15 graft. PMID- 17760818 TI - Susceptibility of various oral bacteria to antimicrobial peptides and to phagocytosis by neutrophils. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the susceptibility of nonperiodontopathic and periodontopathic bacteria to major defense mechanisms for bacterial clearance in gingival sulcus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty strains of 13 oral bacterial species were studied for their susceptibility to phagocytosis by human neutrophils and to the antimicrobial peptides LL-37 and human beta defensin-3. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of LL-37 and human beta defensin-3 were determined by a liquid dilution assay, and susceptibility to phagocytosis was examined by a flow cytometric phagocytosis assay. RESULTS: The minimum inhibitory concentrations of LL-37 and human beta defensin-3 varied greatly, depending on the strain and species. Although a significant difference between the non- and periodontopathic groups was not observed, the red-complex bacteria were more resistant to LL-37 than the others (p=0.004). The susceptibility of oral bacteria to phagocytosis was quite variable, depending on the species but not on the strains. The periodontopathic bacteria, especially Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and the red-complex triad, were more resistant to phagocytosis than were the nonperiodontopathic bacteria (p=0.0003). In addition, bacteria resistant both to antimicrobial peptides and to phagocytosis were more common in the periodontopathic group. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that immune evasion may contribute to the pathogenicity of some periodontopathic bacteria. PMID- 17760820 TI - Human beta defensin-1 and -2 expression in the gingiva of patients with specific periodontal diseases. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: beta defensin antimicrobial peptides are important in epithelial innate immunity, and their differential expression is associated with periodontal diseases. The aims of this study were to determine the mRNA expression of human beta defensin-1 and -2 in the gingival tissue of patients with gingivitis, aggressive periodontitis and chronic periodontitis, and to evaluate the relationship between defensin expression and type and/or severity of periodontal destruction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifteen patients in each group with gingivitis, aggressive periodontitis and chronic periodontitis, and 10 healthy subjects, were included in the study (n=55). The periodontal status of the subjects was determined by periodontal clinical measurements and radiographical evaluations. Transcriptional levels of human beta defensin-1 and 2 genes in gingival samples were assessed by using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction technique, and the data were evaluated statistically by the relative expression Software Tool 2 for groupwise comparisons. RESULTS: Expression of the human beta defensin-1 gene was lower in gingivitis and aggressive periodontitis groups, and significantly higher in the chronic periodontitis group, than in the control group (p<0.001). Human beta defensin-2 mRNA expression in the gingivitis group was lower than in the control group; however, the difference was statistically significant only in half of the gingivitis patients (p<0.001). Human beta defensin-2 mRNA levels were higher in some chronic periodontitis patients, but lower in the others when compared with the control group (p<0.001). Expression of the human beta defensin-2 gene increased in the aggressive periodontitis group relative to the control group. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that human beta defensin-1 and -2 genes in the gingival epithelium show differential expression in patients with specific periodontal diseases, and aggressive and chronic periodontitis types demonstrate different gingival beta defensin-1 and -2 expression patterns. PMID- 17760821 TI - Effect of gamma-immunoglobulin on the asaccharolytic growth of Porphyromonas gingivalis. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A minimal medium is indispensable for examining the growth properties of the asaccharolytic bacterium, Porphyromonas gingivalis. The purpose of the present study was to improve the widely used KGB medium to support good growth of P. gingivalis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Growth of P. gingivalis (W50, W83, and ATCC33277) in a minimal medium was monitored by measuring the optical density of the culture during incubation. RESULTS: W50, W83, and ATCC33277 grew poorly with bovine serum albumin as the sole carbon and nitrogen source, and alpha-ketoglutarate had little or no effect on this poor growth. In contrast, FeCl3 improved the growth of W83 and ATCC33277; however, the use of a high concentration of FeCl3 elicited black pigmentation of the cells. Bovine gamma immunoglobulin greatly recovered the growth defect. None of alpha-ketoglutarate, citrate, or trace metal ions, when used to supplement KGB medium, was required for growth. We determined the optimal conditions for growth, and developed a new simple minimal medium for P. gingivalis (GA medium). Growth of ATCC33277 in GA medium was dependent on gingipains; Arg-gingipains and Lys-gingipain contributed comparably to proliferation of the bacterium. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that GA medium is currently the most reliable minimal medium for examining the growth properties of P. gingivalis. PMID- 17760822 TI - Cyclosporin-A inhibits the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in gingiva. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Various inflammatory mediators are involved in the development of cyclosporine A-induced gingival overgrowth. In this study, the gingival expression of cyclooxygenase-2 after cyclosporine A therapy was examined in vivo and in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS: After edentulous ridges on maxilla were established, 21 Sprague-Dawley rats received cyclosporine A daily for 4 wk, and a further 21 rats received solvent. After the rats were killed, the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA, interleukin-1beta mRNA, tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA, and interleukin-6 mRNA was examined in the edentulous gingiva. The expression of cyclooxygenase-2 protein and the production of prostaglandin E2 were also evaluated. RESULTS: In cultured human gingival fibroblasts and epithelial cells, the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA was measured after treatment with cyclosporine A. Significantly lower expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and interleukin-1beta mRNA, but higher interleukin-6 expression, were observed in gingiva from cyclosporine A-treated rats than in those from the control rats. Significantly less prostaglandin E2 production was observed in cyclosporine A treated rats. Immunohistochemistry revealed that fewer gingival stromal cells were positively stained for cyclooxygenase-2 in cyclosporine A-treated rats. In cultured cells, significantly less cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA was detected after treatment with cyclosporine A. CONCLUSION: The expression of cyclooxygenase-2 was lower in the plaque nonretentive gingivae and the in vitro gingival cells upon treatment with cyclosporine A. Thus, we propose that cyclosporine A inhibits the expression of gingival cyclooxygenase-2. PMID- 17760823 TI - Plasma and crevicular fluid osteopontin levels in periodontal health and disease. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The level of osteopontin in gingival crevicular fluid has been found to correlate with clinical measures of periodontal disease. The present study was designed to assess the relationship between clinical parameters and osteopontin levels of the gingival crevicular fluid from inflamed gingivae, periodontitis sites and after treatment of periodontitis sites, and to correlate them to the osteopontin levels of the plasma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty, gender-matched subjects were divided into three groups--healthy, gingivitis and chronic periodontitis--based on modified gingival index scores and clinical attachment loss. The fourth group consisted of 10 subjects in the periodontitis group, 6-8 wk after initial therapy. Plasma and gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected and quantified for osteopontin using an enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The highest mean gingival crevicular fluid and plasma osteopontin concentrations were observed in the periodontitis group (1575.01 and 1273.21 ng/mL, respectively) and the lowest in the healthy group (1194.80 and 476.35 ng/mL, respectively). After treatment of the periodontitis group, the level of osteopontin decreased to 1416.15 in gingival crevicular fluid and to 1051.68 ng/mL in plasma. In all groups the gingival crevicular fluid osteopontin levels showed a statistically significant positive correlation with that of plasma and clinical attachment loss. CONCLUSION: Osteopontin levels were highest in the gingival crevicular fluid from sites with periodontal destruction; however, periodontal treatment resulted in the reduction of osteopontin levels. Gingival crevicular fluid and plasma osteopontin levels showed a positive correlation in all of the groups. PMID- 17760824 TI - In vitro differentiation of epithelial cells cultured from human periodontal ligament. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Alkaline phosphatase and noncollagenous bone proteins are produced prior to cementum formation. While it has been suggested that epithelial rests of Malassez are involved in cementum formation, little is known about the relationship between epithelial rests of Malassez and cementum formation. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the epithelial rests of Malassez cells cultured from human periodontal ligament can produce alkaline phosphatase and noncollagenous bone proteins, such as osteopontin, osteocalcin and bone sialoprotein. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An outgrowth of putative epithelial rests of Malassez cells was produced from periodontal ligament explant, and second passage cultures were used in the experiments. Human gingival epithelial cells and periodontal ligament fibroblasts were used as controls. The expression levels of amelogenin were analyzed by immunostaining and in situ hybridization. Furthermore, the expression levels of alkaline phosphatase and noncollagenous bone proteins were assessed by immunostaining and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Amelogenin, alkaline phosphatase and osteopontin proteins and their corresponding mRNAs were detected at high levels in putative epithelial rests of Malassez cells. Osteocalcin and bone sialoprotein were not expressed in putative epithelial rests of Malassez cells. Alkaline phosphatase and noncollagenous bone proteins were seen in periodontal ligament fibroblasts, but not in gingival epithelial cells. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that putative epithelial rests of Malassez cells cultured alone do not transform into maturing cells to form the cementum, but may play a potential role in the mineralization process. PMID- 17760826 TI - Is coronally positioned flap procedure adjunct with enamel matrix derivative or root conditioning a relevant predictor for achieving root coverage? A systemic review. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study is a systemic review of coronally positioned flap, coronally positioned flap+chemical root surface conditioning, or coronally positioned flap+enamel matrix derivative (EMD) for the treatment of Miller class I and II gingival recession. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All studies available through the Medline database by the end of October 2005 were used. Each study provided mean clinical attachment level, keratinized tissue, probing pocket depth, gingival recession depth and root coverage percentage before and after treatment with coronally positioned flap alone, coronally positioned flap+chemical root surface conditioning, or coronally positioned flap+EMD. Effectiveness was evaluated by comparing the weighted mean average in gingival recession depth, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, keratinized tissue and root coverage percentage achieved with the three treatments. RESULTS: Seven studies for the coronally positioned flap+EMD group, four studies for the coronally positioned flap+chemical root surface conditioning group, and seven studies for the coronally positioned flap group were retrieved for this weighted mean analysis. The results of clinical attachment level, gingival recession depth, and root coverage percentage in the coronally positioned flap+EMD group were statistically significantly better than the changes in the coronally positioned flap and coronally positioned flap+chemical root surface conditioning group at 6 and 12 mo (p<0.001). There was no significant difference at the 6-mo comparison among clinical attachment level, keratinized tissue, probing pocket depth, and gingival recession depth, except in the root coverage percentage for coronally positioned flap and coronally positioned flap+chemical root surface conditioning groups. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that root coverage by the coronally positioned flap and coronally positioned flap+chemical root surface conditioning procedures were unpredictable but became more predictable when the coronally positioned flap procedure was improved by the modification of adding EMD. PMID- 17760825 TI - Alendronate therapy in cyclosporine-induced alveolar bone loss in rats. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cyclosporine A is an immunosuppressive drug that is widely used in organ transplant patients as well as to treat a number of autoimmune conditions. Bone loss is reported as a significant side-effect of cyclosporine A use because this can result in serious morbidity of the patients. As we have shown that cyclosporine A-associated bone loss can also affect the alveolar bone, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the concomitant administration of alendronate on alveolar bone loss in a rat model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty Wistar rats (10 per group) were given cyclosporine A (10 mg/kg, daily), alendronate (0.3 mg/kg, weekly), or both cyclosporine A and alendronate, for 60 d. The control group received daily injections of sterile saline. The expression of proteins associated with bone turnover, including osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and also the calcium levels, were evaluated in the serum. Analysis of the bone volume, alveolar bone surface, the number of osteoblasts per bone surface and the number of osteoclasts per bone surface around the lower first molars was also performed. RESULTS: The results indicate that cyclosporine A treatment was associated with bone resorption, represented by a decrease in the bone volume, alveolar bone surface and the number of osteoblasts per bone surface and by an increase in the number of osteoclasts per bone surface and TRAP-5b. These effects were effectively counteracted by concomitant alendronate administration. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that concomitant administration of alendronate can prevent cyclosporine A-associated alveolar bone loss. PMID- 17760827 TI - Prostanoids induce egr1 gene expression in cementoblastic OCCM cells. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Prostanoids that activate protein kinase C signaling are potent anabolic stimulators of cementoblastic OCCM cells. Using cDNA subtractive hybridization, we identified early growth response gene-1 (egr1) as a prostanoid-induced gene. Egr1, a zinc-finger transcription factor expressed during tooth development, regulates cell growth and differentiation. We hypothesize that Egr1 may mediate part of the prostanoid-induced anabolic effect in cementoblasts. Our objective was to characterize prostanoid-induced egr1 gene expression in OCCM cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Total RNA and proteins were assayed by northern blot and western immunoblot assays. RESULTS: Prostaglandin E2 , prostaglandin F2alpha- and fluprostenol-induced egr1 mRNA levels peaked at 0.5 h and returned to baseline by 4 h. Prostaglandin F2alpha and fluprostenol more potently induced egr1 compared with prostaglandin E2. The phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, which activates protein kinase C signaling, induced egr1 mRNA levels 66-fold over the control, whereas forskolin (a cAMP-protein kinase A activator) and ionomycin (a calcium activator) had no effect. Protein kinase C inhibition significantly inhibited prostaglandin E2-, prostaglandin F2alpha- and fluprostenol-induced egr1 mRNA levels. Finally, prostanoids maximally induced Egr1 protein at 1 h. CONCLUSION: egr1 is a primary response gene induced by prostaglandin E2, prostaglandin F2alpha and fluprostenol in OCCM cells through protein kinase C signaling, suggesting that Egr1 may be a key mediator of anabolic responses in cementoblasts. Cementum is vital for periodontal organ maintenance and regeneration. Periodontal ligament fibers (Sharpey's fibers) insert into bone and cementum, thereby supporting the tooth in the alveolus (1). If the periodontal organ is lost, its regeneration requires cementoblast differentiation in order to form new cementum for periodontal ligament fiber insertion. Early attempts to regenerate cementum have proven difficult and rarely generate sufficient tissue (2). A better understanding of the molecular and cellular regulators that promote cementoblast differentiation is critical for developing targeted periodontal regeneration. PMID- 17760828 TI - Programming the genome in embryonic and somatic stem cells. AB - In opposition to terminally differentiated cells, stem cells can self-renew and give rise to multiple cell types. Embryonic stem cells retain the ability of the inner cell mass of blastocysts to differentiate into all cell types of the body and have acquired in culture unlimited self-renewal capacity. Somatic stem cells are found in many adult tissues, have an extensive but finite lifespan and can differentiate into a more restricted array of cell types. A growing body of evidence indicates that multi-lineage differentiation ability of stem cells can be defined by the potential for expression of lineage-specification genes. Gene expression, or as emphasized here, potential for gene expression, is largely controlled by epigenetic modifications of DNA and chromatin on genomic regulatory and coding regions. These modifications modulate chromatin organization not only on specific genes but also at the level of the whole nucleus; they can also affect timing of DNA replication. This review highlights how mechanisms by which genes are poised for transcription in undifferentiated stem cells are being uncovered through primarily the mapping of DNA methylation, histone modifications and transcription factor binding throughout the genome. The combinatorial association of epigenetic marks on developmentally regulated and lineage specifying genes in undifferentiated cells seems to define a pluripotent state. PMID- 17760831 TI - Concepts of scaffold-based tissue engineering--the rationale to use solid free form fabrication techniques. AB - A paradigm shift is taking place in orthopaedic and reconstructive surgery from using medical devices and tissue grafts to a tissue engineering approach that uses biodegradable scaffolds combined with cells or biological molecules to repair and/or regenerate tissues. One of the potential benefits offered by solid free-form fabrication technology (SFF) is the ability to create scaffolds with highly reproducible architecture and compositional variation across the entire scaffold, due to its tightly controlled computer-driven fabrication. In this review, we define scaffold properties and attempt to provide some broad criteria and constraints for scaffold design in bone engineering. We also discuss the application-specific modifications driven by surgeon's requirements in vitro and/or in vivo. Next, we review the current use of SFF techniques in scaffold fabrication in the context of their clinical use in bone regeneration. Lastly, we comment on future developments in our groups, such as the functionalization of novel composite scaffolds with combinations of growth factors; and more specifically the promising area of heparan sulphate polysaccharide immobilization within the bone tissue engineering arena. PMID- 17760829 TI - Endothelial stomatal and fenestral diaphragms in normal vessels and angiogenesis. AB - Vascular endothelium lines the entire cardiovascular system where performs a series of vital functions including the control of microvascular permeability, coagulation inflammation, vascular tone as well as the formation of new vessels via vasculogenesis and angiogenesis in normal and disease states. Normal endothelium consists of heterogeneous populations of cells differentiated according to the vascular bed and segment of the vascular tree where they occur. One of the cardinal features is the expression of specific subcellular structures such as plas-malemmal vesicles or caveolae, transendothelial channels, vesiculo vacuolar organelles, endothelial pockets and fenestrae, whose presence define several endothelial morphological types. A less explored observation is the differential expression of such structures in diverse settings of angiogenesis. This review will focus on the latest developments on the components, structure and function of these specific endothelial structures in normal endothelium as well as in diverse settings of angiogenesis. PMID- 17760830 TI - Regulation of raft-dependent endocytosis. AB - Raft-dependent endocytosis is in large part defined as the cholesterol-sensitive, clathrin-independent internalization of ligands and receptors from the plasma membrane. It encompasses the endocytosis of caveolae, smooth plasmalemmal vesicles that form a subdomain of cholesterol and sphingolipid-rich lipid rafts and that are enriched for caveolin-1. While sharing common mechanisms, like cholesterol sensitivity, raft endocytic routes show differential regulation by various cellular components including caveolin-1, dynamin-2 and regulators of the actin cytoskeleton. Dynamin-dependent raft pathways, mediated by caveolae and morphologically equivalent non-caveolin vesicular intermediates, are referred to as caveolae/raft-dependent endocytosis. In contrast, dynamin-independent raft pathways are mediated by non-caveolar intermediates. Raft-dependent endocytosis is regulated by tyrosine kinase inhibitors and, through the regulation of the internalization of various ligands, receptors and effectors, is also a determinant of cellular signaling. In this review, we characterize and discuss the regulation of raft-dependent endocytic pathways and the role of key regulators such as caveolin-1. PMID- 17760832 TI - Macropinocytosis: searching for an endocytic identity and role in the uptake of cell penetrating peptides. AB - Macropinocytosis defines a series of events initiated by extensive plasma membrane reorganization or ruffling to form an external macropinocytic structure that is then enclosed and internalized. The process is constitutive in some organisms and cell types but in others it is only pronounced after growth factor stimulation. Internalized macropinosomes share many features with phagosomes and both are distinguished from other forms of pinocytic vesicles by their large size, morphological heterogeneity and lack of coat structures. A paucity of information is available on other distinguishing features for macropinocytosis such as specific marker proteins and drugs that interfere with its mechanism over other endocytic processes. This has hampered efforts to characterize the dynamics of this pathway and to identify regulatory proteins that are expressed in order to allow it to proceed. Upon internalization, macropinosomes acquire regulatory proteins common to other endocytic pathways, suggesting that their identities as unique structures are short-lived. There is however less consensus regarding the overall fate of the macropinosome cargo or its limiting membrane and processes such as fusion, tubulation, recycling and regulated exocytosis have all been implicated in shaping the macropinosome and directing cargo traffic. Macropinocytosis has also been implicated in the internalization of cell penetrating peptides that are of significant interest to researchers aiming to utilize their translocation abilities to deliver therapeutic entities such as genes and proteins into cells. This review focuses on recent findings on the regulation of macropinocytosis, the intracellular fate of the macropinosome and discusses evidence for the role of this pathway as a mechanism of entry for cell penetrating peptides. PMID- 17760834 TI - Immortal hepatic stellate cell lines: useful tools to study hepatic stellate cell biology and function? AB - At the cellular level, the activation and transdifferentiation of quiescent hepatic stellate cells (HSC) into myofibroblasts is the key process involved in hepatic fibrogenesis that is associated with an increased and altered deposition of extracellular matrix components in the liver. The temporal sequence of molecular events associated with stellate cell activation turned out to be appropriately mimicked when HSC isolated from normal livers are cultured on uncoated plastic surface. Therefore, cultured primary cells isolated from rodents and human beings are common in vitro models in investigations addressing these issues of hepatic stellate biology and function. However, the limited supply, cost-effective isolation procedure and the ever growing need have resulted in efforts to establish immortalized stellate cell lines having the advantage of virtually unlimited access. They allow rapid screening for disease-associated factors and restrict the necessary number of animal experiments. From the first description of an immortal HSC line in 1986, a huge number of studies were conducted with these established cell lines. However, differences in morphology, growth characteristics and anomalies of chromosome number and structure make the applications of these models questionable. Here, we summarize the history and cellular characteristics of respective cell lines and discuss the differences of continuous HSC lines and their primary counterparts. PMID- 17760833 TI - Physiological polyamines: simple primordial stress molecules. AB - Physiological polyamines are ubiquitous polycations with pleiotropic biochemical activities, including regulation of gene expression, cell proliferation and modulation of cell signalling. Reports that the polyamines with cytoprotective activities were induced by diverse stresses raised the hypothesis that physiological polyamines may play a role in inducing stress response. In a wide range of organisms, physiological polyamines were not only induced by diverse stresses, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), heat, ultraviolet (UV) and psychiatric stress but were able to confer beneficial effects for survival. Recent biochemical and genetic evidences show that polyamines can function as an ROS scavenger, acid tolerance factor and chemical chaperone, and positive regulators for expression of stress response genes which may explain their protective functions against diverse stresses. Taken together, these data suggest that physiological polyamines can function as primordial stress molecules in bacteria, plants and mammals, and may play an essential role in regulation of pathogen-host interactions. PMID- 17760837 TI - Creating next-generation microscopists: structural and molecular biology at the crossroads. AB - This paper highlights the importance of advanced microscopy and microanalysis in the pursuit of quality research in the biological and life sciences. With the growing complexity of modern microscopes, there is substantial risk of incorrect use or misinterpretation of data by the inexperienced researcher. This paper emphasizes the need for collaboration between biological microscopists and molecular biologists, within the context of centralized facilities and supported by first-class training, to fully realize the power of these unique instruments in modern biology and to create the next generation of molecular microscopists. PMID- 17760835 TI - Role of the soluble pattern recognition receptor PTX3 in vascular biology. AB - Pentraxins act as soluble pattern recognition receptors with a wide range of functions in various pathophysiological conditions. The long-pentraxin PTX3 shares the C-terminal pentraxin-domain with short-pentraxins C-reactive protein and serum amyloid P component and possesses an unique N-terminal domain. These structural features suggest that PTX3 may have both overlapping and distinct biological/ligand recognition properties when compared to short-pentraxins. PTX3 serves as a mechanism of amplification of inflammation and innate immunity. Indeed, vessel wall elements produce high amounts of PTX3 during inflammation and the levels of circulating PTX3 increase in several pathological conditions affecting the cardiovascular system. PTX3 exists as a free or extracellular matrix-associated molecule and it binds the complement fraction C1q. PTX3 binds also apoptotic cells and selected pathogens, playing a role in innate immunity processes. In endothelial cells and macrophages, PTX3 upregulates tissue factor expression, suggesting its action as a regulator of endothelium during thrombogenesis and ischaemic vascular disease. Finally, PTX3 binds the angiogenic fibroblast growth factor-2, thus inhibiting its biological activity. Taken together, these properties point to a role for PTX3 during vascular damage, angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, and restenosis. PMID- 17760838 TI - Close relation of arterial ICC-like cells to the contractile phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cell. AB - This work aimed to establish the lineage of cells similar to the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), the arterial ICC-like (AIL) cells, which have recently been described in resistance arteries, and to study their location in the artery wall. Segments of guinea-pig mesenteric arteries and single AIL cells freshly isolated from them were used. Confocal imaging of immunostained cells or segments and electron microscopy of artery segments were used to test for the presence and cellular localization of selected markers, and to localize AIL cells in intact artery segments. AIL cells were negative for PGP9.5, a neural marker, and for von Willebrand factor (vWF), an endothelial cell marker. They were positive for smooth muscle alpha-actin and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SM-MHC), but expressed only a small amount of smoothelin, a marker of contractile smooth muscle cells (SMC), and of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), a critical enzyme in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. Cell isolation in the presence of latrunculin B, an actin polymerization inhibitor, did not cause the disappearance of AIL cells from cell suspension. The fluorescence of basal lamina protein collagen IV was comparable between the AIL cells and the vascular SMCs and the fluorescence of laminin was higher in AIL cells compared to vascular SMCs. Moreover, cells with thin processes were found in the tunica media of small resistance arteries using transmission electron microscopy. The results suggest that AIL cells are immature or phenotypically modulated vascular SMCs constitutively present in resistance arteries. PMID- 17760839 TI - Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural characteristics of interstitial cells of Cajal in the rabbit duodenum. Presence of a single cilium. AB - Santiago Ramon y Cajal discovered a new type of cell related to the myenteric plexus and also to the smooth muscle cells of the circular muscle layer of the intestine. Based on their morphology, relationships and staining characteristics, he considered these cells as primitive neurons. One century later, despite major improvements in cell biology, the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are still controversial for many researchers. The aim of study was to perform an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural characterization of the ICCs in the rabbit duodenum. We have found interstitial cells that are positive for c-Kit, CD34 and nestin and are also positive for Ki67 protein, tightly associated with somatic cell proliferation. By means of electron microscopy, we describe ICCs around enteric ganglia. They present triangular or spindle forms and a very voluminous nucleus with scarce perinuclear chromatin surrounded by a thin perinuclear cytoplasm that expands with long cytoplasmic processes. ICC processes penetrate among the smooth muscle cells and couple with the processes of other ICCs located in the connective tissue of the circular muscle layer and establish a three-dimensional network. Intercellular contacts by means of gap-like junctions are frequent. ICCs also establish gap-like junctions with smooth muscle cells. We also observe a population of interstitial cells of stellate morphology in the connective tissue that sur-rounds the muscle bundles in the circular muscle layer, usually close to nervous trunks. These cells establish different types of contacts with the muscle cells around them. In addition, the presence of a single cilium showing a structure 9 + 0 in an ICC is demonstrated for the first time. In conclusion, we report positive staining c-Kit, CD34, nestin and Ki 67. ICCs fulfilled the usual transmission electron microscopy (TEM) criteria. A new ultrastructural characteristic of at least some ICCs is demonstrated: the presence of a single cilium. Some populations of ICCs in the rabbit duodenum present certain immunohistochemical and ultrastructural characteristics that often are present in progenitor cells. PMID- 17760836 TI - Mast cells in vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques--a view to a kill. AB - The aim of the present review is to discuss the participation of mast cells in the pathogenesis of erosion and rupture of atherosclerotic plaques, the major causes behind acute coronary syndromes and myocardial infarction. We present ex vivo observations describing mast cells and their activation in human atherosclerotic plaques and discuss in vitro and in vivo data showing that mast cells are potential regulators of inflammation, immunity and adverse remodeling, including matrix remodeling and cell death. Furthermore, we focus on studies that have been performed with human tissues and human mast cells, but when appropriate, we also discuss observations made in animal models. Finally, we present potential pharmacological means to modulate mast cell responses in the arterial vessel walls. PMID- 17760840 TI - Caveolin and MAP kinase interaction in angiotensin II preconditioning of the myocardium. AB - Angiotensin II (Ang II) has been found to exert preconditioning (PC)-like effect in mammalian hearts. The present investigation reported for the first time a unique mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase signalling in Ang II PC of the heart involving lipid rafts, which generated a survival signal by differentially associating MAP kinases with caveolin. A group of rat hearts was treated with Ang II in the absence or presence of NADPH oxidase inhibitor, apocynin or a cell permeable reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC). Ang II pre-treatment improved post-ischaemic ventricular recovery, myocardial infraction and decreased the number of cardiomyocyte apoptosis indicating PC effect of Ang II. Both apocynin and NAC abolished the PC ability of Ang II. In Ang II treated heart, there was a decreased association of p38MAPKbeta & extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) 1/ 2 (anti-death signalling component) with caveolin while there was an increased association of p38MAPKalpha & Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) (death signalling component) indicating reduced amount of death signal components and increased amount of anti-death signalling components being available to the Ang II treated heart to generate a survival signal, which was reversed with NAC or apocynin. The survival signal was also demonstrated by increased phosphorylation of serine/threonine-protein kinase B (AKT) and enhanced induction of expression of Bcl-2 during Ang II PC and its reversal with NAC & apocynin treated heart. PMID- 17760841 TI - Importance of bicarbonate transport for ischaemia-induced apoptosis of coronary endothelial cells. AB - Bicarbonate transport (BT) has been previously shown to participate in apoptosis induced by various stress factors. However, the precise role of BT in ischaemia induced apoptosis is still unknown. To investigate this subject, rat coronary endothelial cells (EC) were exposed to simulated ischaemia (glucose free anoxia at Ph 6.4) for 2 hrs and cells undergoing apoptosis were visualized by nuclear staining or by determination of cas-pase- 3 activity. To inhibit BT, EC were either treated with the inhibitor of BT 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2' disulfonic acid (DIDS, 300 mumol/l) or exposed to ischaemia in bicarbonate free, 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-I-piperazi-neethanesulphonic acid (HEPES)-buffered medium. Simulated ischaemia in bicarbonate-buffered medium (Bic) increased caspase-3 activity and the number of apoptotic cell (23.7 + 1.4%versus 5.1 + 1.2% in control). Omission of bicarbonate during ischaemia further significantly increased caspase-3 activity and the number of apoptotic cells (36.7 1.7%). Similar proapoptotic effect was produced by DIDS treatment during ischaemia in Bic, whereas DIDS had no effect when applied in bicarbonate-free, HEPES-buffered medium (Hep). Inhibition of BT was without influence on cytosolic acidification during ischaemia and slightly reduced cytosolic Ca(2+) accumulation. Initial characterization of the underlying mechanism leading to apoptosis induced by BT inhibition revealed activation of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, i.e., increase of cytochrome C release, depolarization of mitochondria and translocation of Bax protein to mitochondria. In contrast, no activation of death receptor-dependent pathway (caspase-8 cleavage) and endoplasmic reticulum- dependent pathway (caspase-12 cleavage) was detected. In conclusion, BT plays an important role in ischaemia-induced apoptosis of coronary EC by suppression of mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway. PMID- 17760842 TI - Studies on brain volume, Alzheimer-related proteins and cytokines in mice with chronic overexpression of IL-1 receptor antagonist. AB - Inflammation is associated with both acute and chronic neurological disorders, including stroke and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cytokines such as interleukin (IL) 1 have several activities in the brain both under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate consequences of the central blockade of IL-1 transmission in a previously developed transgenic mouse strain with brain-directed overexpression of human soluble IL-1 receptor antagonist (Tg hsIL-1ra). Effects on brain morphology and brain levels of the AD-related proteins beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin 1(PS1), as well as the levels of IL-1beta, IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were analysed in homozygotic and heterozygotic mice and wild type (WT) controls, of both genders and of young (30-40 days) and adult (13 14 months) age. A marked reduction in brain volume was observed in transgenic mice as determined by volumetry. Western blot analysis showed higher levels of APP, but lower levels of PS1, in adult animals than in young ones. In the cerebellum, heterozygotic (Tg hsIL-1ra(+/-)) mice had lower levels of APP and PS1 than WT mice. With one exception, there were no genotypic differences in the levels of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha. The cytokine levels were generally higher in adult than in young mice. In conclusion, the chronic blockade of IL-1 signalling in the brain was associated with an atrophic phenotype of the brain, and with modified levels of APP and PS1. Brain-directed overexpression of hsIL 1ra was not followed by major compensatory changes in the levels of pro inflammatory cytokines. PMID- 17760843 TI - Transient down-regulation of beta1 integrin subtypes on kidney carcinoma cells is induced by mechanical contact with endothelial cell membranes. AB - Adhesion molecules of the integrin beta1 family are thought to be involved in the malignant progression renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Still, it is not clear how they contribute to this process. Since the hematogenous phase of tumour dissemination is the rate-limiting step in the metastatic process, we explored beta1 integrin alterations on several RCC cell lines (A498, Caki1, KTC26) before and after contacting vascular endothelium in a tumour-endothelium (HUVEC) co-culture assay. Notably, alpha2, alpha3 and alpha5 integrins became down-regulated immediately after the tumour cells attached to HUVEC, followed by re-expression shortly thereafter. Integrin down-regulation on RCC cells was caused by direct contact with endothelial cells, since the isolated endothelial membrane fragments but not the cell culture supernatant contributed to the observed effects. Integrin loss was accompanied by a reduced focal adhesion kinase (FAK) expression, FAK activity and diminished binding of tumour cells to matrix proteins. Furthermore, intracellular signalling proteins RCC cells were altered in the presence of HUVEC membrane fragments, in particular 14-3-3 epsilon, ERK2, PKCdelta, PKCepsilon and RACK1, which are involved in regulating tumour cell motility. We, therefore, speculate that contact of RCC cells with the vascular endothelium converts integrin-dependent adhesion to integrin-independent cell movement. The process of dynamic integrin regulation may be an important part in tumour cell migration strategy, switching the cells from being adhesive to becoming motile and invasive. PMID- 17760844 TI - Proteomic identification of nitrated brain proteins in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a regional study. AB - Oxidative stress is an imbalance between the level of antioxidants and oxidants in a cell. Oxidative stress has been shown in brain of subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as well Alzheimer's disease (AD). MCI is considered as a transition phase between control and AD. The focus of the current study was to identify nitrated proteins in the hippocampus and inferior parietal lobule (IPL) brain regions of subjects with amnestic MCI using proteomics. The identified nitrated proteins in MCI brain were compared to those previously reported to be nitrated and oxidatively modified in AD brain, a comparison that might provide an invaluable insight into the progression of the disease. PMID- 17760845 TI - Bone loss in the ovariectomized baboon Papio ursinus: densitometry, histomorphometry and biochemistry. AB - To develop a non-human primate model of systemic bone loss after ovariectomy, 24 ovariectomized (OVX) and eight control (non-OVX) female baboons Papio ursinus were investigated over a period of 48 months using bone mineral density (BMD), iliac crest bone histomorphometry, bone turnover markers, and variables of calcium metabolism. Lumbar spine (L1-L4) BMD measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) decreased in OVX animals in the first 12 months (-7.6%) and showed a slow trend towards recovery after 24 months. Controls showed a slow increase in spinal BMD over 4 years (+9.7%). Total hip BMD decreased slowly up to 48 months in all animals (OVX -12.6%versus controls -10%); this indicated that OVX had a limited effect on total hip BMD. Forearm BMD did not change. The significant decrease in trabecular bone volume (TBV) of the iliac crest from baseline to 12 months was followed by some recovery. Microarchitectural deterioration of trabecular bone in OVX animals was demonstrated by a decline in trabecular number and an increase in trabecular spacing. These changes were also evident on sections of whole vertebrae, proximal femora and iliac crests. Changes in iliac TBV reflected spinal but not hip BMD changes in the OVX animals. Static and dynamic histomorphometric variables indicated that bone turnover was increased for 36 months following OVX. Controls showed no changes in histomorphometric variables. Bone specific alkaline phosphatase (ALPs) in OVX animals remained elevated throughout the study; osteocalcin (OC) was significantly elevated only at 6 and 12 months, and deoxypyridinoline (Pyr-D) was elevated at 12 months but declined after 24 months. ALPs was thus more sensitive to the long-term effects of OVX than were OC or Pyr-D. Controls showed no changes in bone turnover markers. This study showed consistent deleterious changes in lumbar BMD, bone histomorphometry with microarchitectural deterioration together with altered biochemical markers of bone turnover in the first 12 months after OVX. Since these changes resemble those in post-menopausal women, the non-human primate Papio ursinus is suitable for the study of bone loss in post-menopausal women. PMID- 17760846 TI - Ex vivo gene transfer of viral interleukin-10 to BB rat islets: no protection after transplantation to diabetic BB rats. AB - Allogeneic and autoimmune islet destruction limits the success of islet transplantation in autoimmune diabetic patients. This study was designed to investigate whether ex vivo gene transfer of viral interleukin-10 (vIL-10) protects BioBreeding (BB) rat islets from autoimmune destruction after transplantation into diabetic BB recipients. Islets were transduced with adenoviral constructs (Ad) expressing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) or vIL-10. Transduction efficiency was demonstrated by eGFP-positive cells and vIL-10 production. Islet function was determined in vitro by measuring insulin content and insulin secretion and in vivo by grafting AdvIL-10-transduced islets into syngeneic streptozotocin (SZ) diabetic, congenic Lewis (LEW.1 W) rats. Finally, gene-modified BB rat islets were grafted into autoimmune diabetic BB rats. Ad-transduction efficiency of islets increased with virus titre and did not interfere with insulin content and insulin secretion. Ad-transduction did not induce Fas on islet cells. AdvIL-10 transduced LEW.1 W rat islets survived permanently in SZ-diabetic LEW.1 W rats. In diabetic BB rats AdvIL-10-transduced BB rat islets were rapidly destroyed. Prolongation of islet culture prior to transplantation improved the survival of gene-modified islets in BB rats. Several genes including those coding for chemokines and other peptides associated with inflammation were down-regulated in islets after prolonged culture, possibly contributing to improved islet graft function in vivo. Islets transduced ex vivo with vIL-10 are principally able to cure SZ-diabetic rats. Autoimmune islet destruction in diabetic BB rats is not prevented by ex vivo vIL-10 gene transfer to grafted islets. Graft survival in autoimmune diabetic rats may be enhanced by improvements in culture conditions prior to transplantation. PMID- 17760847 TI - Comparison of MY09/11 consensus PCR and type-specific PCRs in the detection of oncogenic HPV types. AB - The causal relationship between persistent infection with high-risk HPV and cervical cancer has resulted in the development of HPV DNA detection systems. The widely used MY09/11 consensus PCR targets a 450bp conserved sequence in the HPV L1 gene, and can therefore amplify a broad spectrum of HPV types. However, limitations of these consensus primers are evident, particularly in regard to the variability in detection sensitivity among different HPV types. This study compared MY09/11 PCR with type-specific PCRs in the detection of oncogenic HPV types. The study population comprised 15, 774 patients. Consensus PCR failed to detect 522 (10.9%) HPV infections indicated by type-specific PCRs. A significant correlation between failure of consensus PCR and HPV type was found. HPV types 51, 68 and 45 were missed most frequently. The clinical relevance of the HPV infections missed by MY09/11 PCR was reflected in the fraction of cases with cytological abnormalities and in follow-up, showing 104 (25.4%) CIN2+ cases. The MY09/11 false negativity could be the result of poor sensitivity, mismatch of MY09/11 primers or disruption of L1 target by HPV integration or DNA degradation. Furthermore, MY09/11 PCR lacked specificity for oncogenic HPVs. Diagnostic accuracy of the PCR systems, in terms of sensitivity (MY09/11 PCR: 87.9%; type specific PCRs: 98.3%) and specificity (MY09/11 PCR: 38.7%; type-specific PCRs: 76.14%), and predictive values for histologically confirmed CIN2+, suggest that type-specific PCRs could be used in a clinical setting as a reliable screening tool. PMID- 17760848 TI - Zonula occludens-1 and connexin 43 expression in the failing human heart. AB - Focal disorganization of gap junctional distribution and down-regulation of the major gap junctional protein connexin 43 are typical features of myocardial remodelling in the failing human heart. Increasing evidence indicates that connexin 43 interacts with zonula-occludens-1 (ZO-1), and it has recently been shown that ZO-1 promotes the formation and growth of gap junctional plaques. In the present study, distribution patterns of ZO-1 and connexin 43 were studied in normal and in heart failure patients using double-label immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. ZO-1 was found to be co-localized with connexin 43 at intercalated disks. Importantly, in patients with heart failure due to dilated or ischaemic cardiomyopathy, areas of diminished connexin 43 expression were characterized by a markedly reduced ZO-1 staining. Based on these data it is concluded that in patients with heart failure, down-regulation of ZO-1 matches the diminished expression levels of connexin 43, suggesting that ZO-1 plays an important role in gap junction formation and gap junction plaque stability. PMID- 17760851 TI - Personality and prejudice: from Big Five personality factors to facets. AB - Extending our previous research on personality and prejudice, we tested the predictive power of Big Five facet compared with factor scores in three studies. Study 1 (N=170) examined the predictive power of factors and facets when explaining generalized prejudice, a composite of four prejudice types. Study 2 (N=158) focused on sexism and Study 3 (N=80) examined the impact of personality and experimentally manipulated social norm against expressing sexism. Multiple regression analyses showed the strongest facets (Tender-Mindedness and Values) to outperform the strongest factors (Agreeableness and Openness to Experience) in predicting prejudice in all three studies. We discuss the outcome against the background of previous empirical findings and the two major approaches - the personality and the social psychological - to explaining individual differences in prejudice. PMID- 17760849 TI - No evidence for a role of the proximal IL-6 G/C -174 single nucleotide polymorphism in Italian patients with systemic sclerosis. PMID- 17760852 TI - The role of personality in social identity: effects of field-dependence and context on reactions to threat to group distinctiveness. AB - This article examines the role of personality dispositions as determinants of people's reactions to threats to social identity. It is argued that since individuals characterized as high field-dependents have a greater tendency to anchor their identity in the social group than low field-dependents, they will be more affected by threats to social identity, especially when the context is framed as an intergroup context. Threat to social identity was manipulated by inducing intergroup similarity, and intergroup differentiation was measured. The first experiment assessed the hypothesis with minimal groups. The second experiment assessed it with real groups (two rival schools). Findings provided support for the hypotheses. The discussion centers on the role of personality dispositions in the social identity perspective. PMID- 17760853 TI - Interactive effects of traits on adjustment to a life transition. AB - A longitudinal design was used to test theoretically derived interactive effects of traits on adjustment to relocation 1, 8, and 15 months after relocation of elderly women. Openness interacted with Neuroticism and with Extraversion in affecting changes in distress after relocation by amplifying the basic emotional tendencies of Neuroticism and Extraversion. These were delayed effects, occurring only 15 months after relocation. Openness also interacted with Neuroticism in predicting changes in psychological well-being with the effects occurring primarily early in postmove adjustment. In addition, Extraversion interacted with Conscientiousness and with Agreeableness in predicting changes in distress, such that the beneficial effects of Conscientiousness and Agreeableness were evident only for individuals low on Extraversion. These effects were consistent across time, showing long-term effects. Overall, the findings demonstrate the multiplicity of ways in which trait interactions predict dynamic adjustment to a life transition. PMID- 17760854 TI - Processing of temporal and nontemporal information as predictors of psychometric intelligence: a structural-equation-modeling approach. AB - Recent research suggests a functional link between temporal acuity and general intelligence. To better understand this relation, the present study took advantage of a large sample (N=260) and structural equation modelling to examine relations among temporal acuity, measured by various tasks, speed of information processing as measured by the Hick reaction time task, and psychometric intelligence. Temporal acuity and the Hick task showed common variance in predicting psychometric intelligence. Furthermore, timing performance was a better predictor of psychometric intelligence and mediated the relation between Hick task performance and psychometric intelligence. These findings are consistent with the idea that temporal acuity reflects a basic property of neural functioning that is relevant to intelligence-related aspects of mental activity including speed of information processing. PMID- 17760855 TI - Improving assessment of personality disorder traits through social network analysis. AB - When assessing personality disorder traits, not all judges make equally valid judgments of all targets. The present study uses social network analysis to investigate factors associated with reliability and validity in peer assessment. Participants were groups of military recruits (N=809) who acted as both targets and judges in a round-robin design. Participants completed self- and informant versions of the Multisource Assessment of Personality Pathology. Social network matrices were constructed based on reported acquaintance, and cohesive subgroups were identified. Judges who shared a mutual subgroup were more reliable and had higher self-peer agreement than those who did not. Partitioning networks into two subgroups achieved more consistent improvements than multiple subgroups. We discuss implications for multiple informant assessments. PMID- 17760856 TI - Adult attachment and preemptive defenses: converging evidence on the role of defensive exclusion at the level of encoding. AB - The objective of this research was to determine whether the tendency of highly avoidant adults not to recall attachment-related information is best explained through defensive strategies that operate on encoding or retrieval processes. In Study 1 participants listened to an emotionally evocative recording and were given both explicit and implicit tests of their memory for the material. Compared to less avoidant people, highly avoidant people recalled fewer details from the recording and performed worse on an implicit test of their memory for the information. In Study 2 we manipulated people's motivation to retrieve information from memory by offering participants a monetary award for recall. Highly avoidant people recalled less information than less-avoidant people despite the monetary incentive. Taken together, these results suggest that the relative inability of avoidant adults to recall attachment-related information is due to the defensive exclusion of information at the time of encoding rather than the time of retrieval. PMID- 17760857 TI - Religiousness, spiritual seeking, and personality: findings from a longitudinal study. AB - The hypothesis that personality characteristics in adolescence can be used to predict religiousness and spiritual seeking in late adulthood was tested using a structural equation modeling framework to estimate cross-lagged and autoregressive effects in a two-wave panel design. The sample consisted of 209 men and women participants in the Berkeley Guidance and Oakland Growth studies. In late adulthood, religiousness was positively related to Conscientiousness and Agreeableness, and spiritual seeking was related to Openness to Experience. Longitudinal models indicated that Conscientiousness in adolescence significantly predicted religiousness in late adulthood above and beyond adolescent religiousness. Similarly, Openness in adolescence predicted spiritual seeking in late adulthood. The converse effect, adolescent religiousness to personality in late adulthood, was not significant in either model. Among women, adolescent Agreeableness predicted late-life religiousness and adolescent religiousness predicted late-life Agreeableness; both these effects were absent among men. Adolescent personality appears to shape late-life religiousness and spiritual seeking independent of early religious socialization. PMID- 17760858 TI - Abstracts of the 26th annual scientific meeting of the Fertility Society of Australia , 9-12 September 2007, Hobart, Australia. PMID- 17760860 TI - Time course of increased heme oxygenase activity and expression after experimental intracerebral hemorrhage: correlation with oxidative injury. AB - Heme oxygenase (HO) activity in tissue adjacent to an intracerebral hematoma may modulate cellular vulnerability to heme-mediated oxidative injury. Although HO-1 is induced after experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), the time course of this induction, its effect on tissue HO activity, and its association with oxidative injury markers has not been defined. We therefore quantified HO activity, HO-1 expression, tissue heme content, and protein carbonylation for 8 days after injection of autologous blood into the mouse striatum. Increased striatal HO-1 protein was observed within 24 h, peaked on day 5 at a level that was 10-fold greater than baseline, and returned to baseline by day 8; HO-2 expression was not altered. HO activity increased by only 1.6-fold at its peak on day 5, and had also returned to baseline by day 8. A significant increase in protein carbonylation was observed at 3-5 days, which also was markedly attenuated by 8 days, concomitant with a return of tissue heme to near-normal levels. These results suggest that the increase in HO activity in tissue surrounding an experimental ICH is considerably less than would be predicted based on an analysis of HO-1 expression per se. As HO-1 expression is temporally associated with increased tissue heme and increased protein carbonylation, it may be more useful as a marker of heme-mediated oxidative stress in ICH models, rather than as an index of HO activity. PMID- 17760859 TI - Two human ARFGAPs associated with COP-I-coated vesicles. AB - ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) are critical regulators of vesicular trafficking pathways and act at multiple intracellular sites. ADP-ribosylation factor-GTPase activating proteins (ARFGAPs) are proposed to contribute to site-specific regulation. In yeast, two distinct proteins, Glo3p and Gcs1p, together provide overlapping, essential ARFGAP function required for coat protein (COP)-I dependent trafficking. In mammalian cells, only the Gcs1p orthologue, named ARFGAP1, has been characterized in detail. However, Glo3p is known to make the stronger contribution to COP I traffic in yeast. Here, based on a conserved signature motif close to the carboxy terminus, we identify ARFGAP2 and ARFGAP3 as the human orthologues of yeast Glo3p. By immunofluorescence (IF), ARFGAP2 and ARFGAP3 are closely colocalized with coatomer subunits in NRK cells in the Golgi complex and peripheral punctate structures. In contrast to ARFGAP1, both ARFGAP2 and ARFGAP3 are associated with COP-I-coated vesicles generated from Golgi membranes in the presence of GTP-gamma-S in vitro. ARFGAP2 lacking its zinc finger domain directly binds to coatomer. Expression of this truncated mutant (DeltaN-ARFGAP2) inhibits COP-I-dependent Golgi-to-endoplasmic reticulum transport of cholera toxin (CTX-K63) in vivo. Silencing of ARFGAP1 or a combination of ARFGAP2 and ARFGAP3 in HeLa cells does not decrease cell viability. However, silencing all three ARFGAPs causes cell death. Our data provide strong evidence that ARFGAP2 and ARFGAP3 function in COP I traffic. PMID- 17760862 TI - Calcium channel subtypes differentially regulate fusion pore stability and expansion. AB - Various studies have focused in the relative contribution of different voltage activated Ca(2+) channels (VACC) to total transmitter release. However, how Ca(2+) entry through a given VACC subtype defines the pattern of individual exocytotic events remains unknown. To address this question, we have used amperometry in bovine chromaffin cells. L, N, and P/Q channels were individually or jointly blocked with furnidipine, omega-conotoxin GVIA, omega-agatoxin IVA, or omega-conotoxin MVIIC. The three channel types contributed similarly to cytosolic Ca(2+) signals induced by 70 mmol/L K(+). However, they exhibited different contributions to the frequency of exocytotic events and they were shown to differently regulate the final steps of the exocytosis. When compared with the other VACC subtypes, Ca(2+) entry through P/Q channels effectively induced exocytosis, it decreased fusion pore stability and accelerated its expansion. Conversely, Ca(2+) entry through N channels was less efficient in inducing exocytotic events, also slowing fusion pore expansion. Finally, Ca(2+) entry through L channels inefficiently induced exocytosis, and the individual blockade of this channel significantly modified fusion pore dynamics. The distance between a given VACC subtype and the release sites could account for the differential effects of the distinct VACC on the fusion pore dynamics. PMID- 17760861 TI - Developmental mercury exposure elicits acute hippocampal cell death, reductions in neurogenesis, and severe learning deficits during puberty. AB - Normal brain development requires coordinated regulation of several processes including proliferation, differentiation, and cell death. Multiple factors from endogenous and exogenous sources interact to elicit positive as well as negative regulation of these processes. In particular, the perinatal rat brain is highly vulnerable to specific developmental insults that produce later cognitive abnormalities. We used this model to examine the developmental effects of an exogenous factor of great concern, methylmercury (MeHg). Seven-day-old rats received a single injection of MeHg (5 microg/gbw). MeHg inhibited DNA synthesis by 44% and reduced levels of cyclins D1, D3, and E at 24 h in the hippocampus, but not the cerebellum. Toxicity was associated acutely with caspase-dependent programmed cell death. MeHg exposure led to reductions in hippocampal size (21%) and cell numbers 2 weeks later, especially in the granule cell layer (16%) and hilus (50%) of the dentate gyrus defined stereologically, suggesting that neurons might be particularly vulnerable. Consistent with this, perinatal exposure led to profound deficits in juvenile hippocampal-dependent learning during training on a spatial navigation task. In aggregate, these studies indicate that exposure to one dose of MeHg during the perinatal period acutely induces apoptotic cell death, which results in later deficits in hippocampal structure and function. PMID- 17760864 TI - Regulatory proteins of eukaryotic initiation factor 2-alpha subunit (eIF2 alpha) phosphatase, under ischemic reperfusion and tolerance. AB - Phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2alpha), which is one of the substrates of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1), occurs rapidly during the first minutes of post-ischemic reperfusion after an episode of cerebral ischemia. In the present work, two experimental models of transient global ischemia and ischemic tolerance (IT) were used to study PP1 interacting/regulatory proteins following ischemic reperfusion. For that purpose we utilized PP1 purified by microcystin chromatography, as well as 2D DIGE of PP1alpha and PP1gamma immunoprecipitates. The highest levels of phosphorylated eIF2alpha found after 30 min reperfusion in rats without IT, correlated with increased levels in PP1 immunoprecipitates of the inhibitor DARPP32 as well as GRP78 and HSC70 proteins. After 4 h reperfusion, the levels of these proteins in PP1c complexes had returned to control values, in parallel to a significant decrease in eIF2alpha phosphorylated levels. IT that promoted a decrease in eIF2alpha phosphorylated levels after 30 min reperfusion induced the association of GADD34 with PP1c, while prevented that of DARPP32, GRP78, and HSC70. Different levels of HSC70 and DARPP32 associated with PP1alpha and PP1gamma isoforms, whereas GRP78 was only detected in PP1gamma immunoprecipitates. Here we suggest that PP1, through different signaling complexes with their interacting proteins, may modulate the eIF2alpha phosphorylation/dephosphorylation during reperfusion after a transient global ischemia in the rat brain. Of particular interest is the potential role of GADD34/PP1c complexes after tolerance acquisition. PMID- 17760863 TI - Chronic treatment with glucocorticoids alters rat hippocampal and prefrontal cortical morphology in parallel with endogenous agmatine and arginine decarboxylase levels. AB - In the present study, we examined the possible effect of chronic treatment with glucocorticoids on the morphology of the rat brain and levels of endogenous agmatine and arginine decarboxylase (ADC) protein, the enzyme essential for agmatine synthesis. Seven-day treatment with dexamethasone, at a dose (10 and 50 mug/kg/day) associated to stress effects contributed by glucocorticoids, did not result in obvious morphologic changes in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, as measured by immunocytochemical staining with beta-tubulin III. However, 21-day treatment (50 mug/kg/day) produced noticeable structural changes such as the diminution and disarrangement of dendrites and neurons in these areas. Simultaneous treatment with agmatine (50 mg/kg/day) prevented these morphological changes. Further measurement with HPLC showed that endogenous agmatine levels in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were significantly increased after 7-day treatments with dexamethasone in a dose-dependent manner. On the contrary, 21-day treatment with glucocorticoids robustly reduced agmatine levels in these regions. The treatment-caused biphasic alterations of endogenous agmatine levels were also seen in the striatum and hypothalamus. Interestingly, treatment with glucocorticoids resulted in a similar change of ADC protein levels in most brain areas to endogenous agmatine levels: an increase after 7-day treatment versus a reduction after 21-day treatment. These results demonstrated that agmatine has neuroprotective effects against structural alterations caused by glucocorticoids in vivo. The parallel alterations in the endogenous agmatine levels and ADC expression in the brain after treatment with glucocorticoids indicate the possible regulatory effect of these stress hormones on the synthesis and metabolism of agmatine in vivo. PMID- 17760866 TI - Effect of disinfection on the dimensional stability of polyether impression materials. AB - PURPOSE: Difficulties in sterilizing impressions have led to chemical disinfection solutions as an alternative; however, some impression materials are more sensitive to humidity. For example, polyether impression materials are more hydrophilic. This study investigated the effect of three disinfecting methods on the dimensional stability of three polyether impression materials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three polyether impression materials (P2, Impregum Penta Soft, and Impregum Penta) were submitted to the following treatments: spray disinfectant (Mikrozid Liquid), immersion in 2% glutaraldehyde solution (Super-On), immersion in 0.525% sodium hypochlorite solution for 10 minutes, and a control group (not disinfected). Each group included five samples. After treatment, dimensional change was evaluated according to ISO 4823. The data were analyzed by 2-way analysis of variance at alpha= 0.05. RESULTS: The mean percentages of linear dimensional change of materials P2, Penta Soft, and Penta were -0.040%, 0.098%, and 0.100%, respectively. The dimensional change associated with different disinfectant agents mikrozid liquid, 2% glutaraldehyde, room air (control), and 0.525% sodium hypochlorite was 0.013%, 0.024%, 0.077%, and 0.096%, respectively. The interaction between the impression materials and the disinfectant treatment was not significant. The disinfectant agents can be classified in two groups as low- and high-effected. The control group did not significantly differ from either group. CONCLUSION: From the standpoint of dimensional change, the disinfectants tested for 10 minutes caused no significant linear dimensional change in the polyether impression materials, compared with the control group. PMID- 17760867 TI - Effect of light-curing method and cement activation mode on resin cement knoop hardness. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the Knoop hardness (KHN) of the resin cement Enforce activated by chemical/physical mode or physical mode solely; light-cured directly or through a 1.5 mm thick ceramic disc (HeraCeram) on shade DD2. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Light-curing was carried out using a conventional quartz tungsten halogen light (QTH) (XL2500) for 40 seconds at 700 mW/cm(2); light-emitting diodes (LED) (Ultrablue Is) for 40 seconds at 440 mW/cm(2); and Xenon plasma arc (PAC) (Apollo 95E) for 3 seconds at 1600 mW/cm(2). Bovine incisors had their buccal faces flattened and hybridized. A mold was seated on these surfaces and filled with cement. A disc of the acid-etched and silanized veneering material was seated over this set for light-curing. After dry storage (24 hours at 37 degrees C), specimens (n= 10) were sectioned for KHN measurements performed in a microhardness tester (50 gf load for 15 seconds). Data were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey's test (alpha= 0.05). RESULTS: The highest KHN values were obtained with LED, for both dual-cured and light-cured cement. The lowest KHN value was obtained with light-cured PAC. Light-curing with QTH resulted in hardness values similar to PAC in dual-cured groups. CONCLUSIONS: Light-curing through HeraCeram can influence resin cement hardness. PMID- 17760868 TI - Effect of heat treatment on fracture toughness K(IC) and microstructure of a fluorcanasite-based glass-ceramic. AB - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the increase in fracture toughness of a fluorcanasite-based glass-ceramic is a linear function of crystal volume fraction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 specimen bars (20 x 5 x 2 mm(3)) were cut from parent glass blocks, polished, annealed, randomly divided into six groups, nucleated at 680 degrees C/4 hr, and crystallized at the following temperatures and times: (1) 850 degrees C/0.5 hr, (2) 850 degrees C/1 hr, (3) 850 degrees C/3 hr, (4) 750 degrees C/6 hr, (5) 800 degrees C/6 hr, or (6) 850 degrees C/6 hr. Indentation flaws were produced by a microhardness indenter at the center of one surface, and the prepared specimens were subjected to three-point flexure loading with the severely flawed surface under tension at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Flexural strength and fracture toughness (K(IC)) were calculated based on the indentation-strength technique. Crystal volume fraction (V(c)) was determined by quantitative stereology of scanning electron images of each group of ceramic specimens. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA and Duncan's multiple comparison test (alpha= 0.05). RESULTS: The mean K(IC) and V(c) values ranged from 2.7 to 3.9 MPa m(1/2) and 37% to 71% within the crystallization temperature range of 750 to 850 degrees C. Five statistical subsets of groups 1, 2/4, 3, 5, and 6 were determined as a function of crystallization temperature and holding time (Duncan's multiple comparison analysis; alpha= 0.05). The lowest and highest K(IC) and V(c) values were associated with Groups 1 (850 degrees C/0.5 hr) and 6 (850 degrees C/6 hr), respectively. Fracture toughness increased linearly as a function of crystal volume fraction (correlation coefficient R(2)= 0.67). The fracture toughness increased by 45% when the crystal volume fraction increased by 92%. CONCLUSIONS: Mean K(IC) values increased as a linear function of crystal volume fraction in a fluorcanasite-based glass-ceramic within the crystallization temperature range of 750 to 850 degrees C and at isothermal crystallization time range of 0.5 to 6 hours. The control of crystallization temperature and isothermal holding time should be optimized to generate tougher, more reliable ceramic prostheses in the shortest period of time. PMID- 17760865 TI - Hypothalamic neuronal histamine mediates the thyrotropin-releasing hormone induced suppression of food intake. AB - We examined the involvement of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and TRH type 1 and 2 receptors (TRH-R1 and TRH-R2, respectively) in the regulation of hypothalamic neuronal histamine. Infusion of 100 nmol TRH into the rat third cerebroventricle (3vt) significantly decreased food intake (p < 0.05) compared to controls infused with phosphate- buffered saline. This TRH-induced suppression of food intake was attenuated partially in histamine-depleted rats pre-treated with alpha-fluoromethylhistidine (a specific suicide inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase) and in mice with targeted disruption of histamine H1 receptors. Infusion of TRH into the 3vt increased histamine turnover as assessed by pargyline-induced accumulation of tele-methylhistamine (t-MH, a major metabolite of neuronal histamine in the brain) in the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN), the paraventricular nucleus, and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus in rats. In addition, TRH-induced decrease of food intake and increase of histamine turnover were in a dose-dependent manner. Microinfusion of TRH into the TMN increased t-MH content, histidine decarboxylase (HDC) activity and expression of HDC mRNA in the TMN. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that TRH-R2, but not TRH-R1, was expressed within the cell bodies of histaminergic neurons in the TMN of rats. These results indicate that hypothalamic neuronal histamine mediates the TRH induced suppression of feeding behavior. PMID- 17760869 TI - Necrostatin-1 protects against glutamate-induced glutathione depletion and caspase-independent cell death in HT-22 cells. AB - Glutamate, a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS, plays a critical role in neurological disorders such as stroke and Parkinson's disease. Recent studies have suggested that glutamate excess can result in a form of cell death called glutamate-induced oxytosis. In this study, we explore the protective effects of necrostatin-1 (Nec-1), an inhibitor of necroptosis, on glutamate-induced oxytosis. We show that Nec-1 inhibits glutamate-induced oxytosis in HT-22 cells through a mechanism that involves an increase in cellular glutathione (GSH) levels as well as a reduction in reactive oxygen species production. However, Nec 1 had no protective effect on free radical-induced cell death caused by hydrogen peroxide or menadione, which suggests that Nec-1 has no antioxidant effects. Interestingly, the protective effect of Nec-1 was still observed when cellular GSH was depleted by buthionine sulfoximine, a specific and irreversible inhibitor of glutamylcysteine synthetase. Our study further demonstrates that Nec-1 significantly blocks the nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (a marker of caspase-independent programmed cell death) and inhibits the integration of Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa-interacting protein 3 (a pro-death member of the Bcl-2 family) into the mitochondrial membrane. Taken together, these results demonstrate for the first time that Nec-1 prevents glutamate-induced oxytosis in HT-22 cells through GSH related as well as apoptosis-inducing factor and Bcl 2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa-interacting protein 3-related pathways. PMID- 17760870 TI - Prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors delay neuronal cell death caused by trophic factor deprivation. AB - Nerve growth factor (NGF) serves a critical survival-promoting function for developing sympathetic neurons. Following removal of NGF, sympathetic neurons undergo apoptosis characterized by the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), up-regulation of BH3-only proteins including BcL-2-interacting mediator of cell death (BIM)(EL), release of cytochrome c from mitochondria, and activation of caspases. Here we show that two small-molecule prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors frequently used to activate hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) - ethyl 3,4 dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) and dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) - can inhibit apoptosis caused by trophic factor deprivation. Both DHB and DMOG blocked the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria after NGF withdrawal, whereas only DHB blocked c-Jun up-regulation and phosphorylation. DHB, but not DMOG, also attenuated the induction of BIM(EL) in NGF-deprived neurons, suggesting a possible mechanism whereby DHB could inhibit cytochrome c release. DMOG, on the other hand, was substantially more effective at stabilizing HIF-2alpha and inducing expression of the HIF target gene hexokinase 2 than was DHB. Thus, while HIF prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors can delay cell death in NGF-deprived neurons, they do so through distinct mechanisms that, at least in the case of DHB, are partly independent of HIF stabilization. PMID- 17760873 TI - Modulation of sinusoidal and canalicular elimination of bilirubin-glucuronides by rifampicin and other cholestatic drugs in a sandwich culture of rat hepatocytes. AB - AIM: Drug-induced hyperbilirubinemia has been shown to often be derived from modulation of the expression and activity of hepatobiliary transporters. In this study we examined the interactions of some therapeutic agents, which have been shown to cause cholestasis, with the elimination of bilirubin-glucuronides, in order to clarify whether these drugs modify the activity of Mrp2 and Mrp3 directly. METHODS: The modulation of bilirubin-glucuronide elimination with rifampicin, probenecid, indomethacin and benzbromarone was assayed in sandwich cultured rat hepatocytes. RESULTS: All the drugs studied decreased the canalicular transport, but modified the sinusoidal efflux differently. Rifampicin and probenecid stimulated the sinusoidal efflux, shifting the elimination of bilirubin-glucuronides to the sinusoidal domain (biliary excretion index: 3.9 +/- 1.2; 22.7 +/- 7.4 vs. 56.6 +/- 1.5 and 56.8 +/- 5.5). However, the overall elimination of bilirubin-glucuronides did not change significantly. In contrast, indomethacin and benzbromarone inhibited bothtransport processes, resulting in the decrease of the overall bilirubin-glucuronide elimination (61 +/- 22; 56 +/- 5% of the control). Rifampicin, indomethacin and benzbromarone decreased 5,(6) carboxy-2',7'-dichlorofluorescein transport by multidrug resistance-associated protein (Mrp)2 as visualized by confocal laser microscopy and in vesicular transport experiments. Interestingly, rifampicin decreased the MRP3 activity in vesicular transport experiments using 17-beta-estradiol-17-beta-D-glucuronide as substrate, in contrast to that observed in bilirubin-glucuronide transport experiments. CONCLUSION: Here we show that the interactions of drugs on hepatobiliary transporter proteins may be identified in vitro in a sandwich culture of hepatocytes, in which canalicular and sinusoidal transport can be studied separately. PMID- 17760871 TI - Evidence of Abeta- and transgene-dependent defects in ERK-CREB signaling in Alzheimer's models. AB - Extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) signaling is critical for memory and tightly regulated by acute environmental stimuli. In Alzheimer disease transgenic models, active ERK is shown to first be increased, then later reduced, but whether these baseline changes reflect disruptions in ERK signaling is less clear. We investigated the influence of the familial Alzheimer's disease transgene APPsw and beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) immunoneutralization on cannulation injury-associated (i.c.v. infusion) ERK activation. At both 12 and 22 months of age, the trauma-associated activation of ERK observed in Tg(-) mice was dramatically attenuated in Tg(+). In cortices of 22-month-old non-infused mice, a reduction in ERK activation was observed in Tg(+), relative to Tg(-) mice. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) anti-Abeta infusion significantly increased phosphorylated ERK, its substrate cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) and a downstream target, the NMDA receptor subunit. We also demonstrated that Abeta oligomer decreased active ERK and subsequently active CREB in human neuroblastoma cells, which could be prevented by oligomer immunoneutralization. Abeta oligomers also inhibited active ERK and CREB in primary neurons, in addition to reducing the downstream post-synaptic protein NMDA receptor subunit. These effects were reversed by anti-oligomer. Our data strongly support the existence of an APPsw transgene-dependent and Abeta oligomer-mediated defect in regulation of ERK activation. PMID- 17760874 TI - Isolation and characterization of epithelial progenitor cells from human fetal liver. AB - AIM: Hepatic progenitor cells can serve as an alternative source of hepatocytes for the treatment of liver diseases. METHODS: We isolated and expanded the epithelial progenitor cells (EPC) from the human fetal liver and investigated the differentiation of EPC into hepatic cells by fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS), real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunofluorescence assay, western blotting, and periodic acid-Schiff staining. RESULTS: Isolated EPC possessed highly proliferative ability and subpassaged for more than 25 passages. Real-time PCR showed that EPC expressed liver epithelial markers (cytokeratin [CK]8 and CK18) and biliary-specific markers (CK7 and CK19). FACS analysis indicated that these cells were positive for CD117, CD147, CD90, CD44, human leucocyte antigen class I and CD71, but negative for CD34 and CD45. The EPCpossessed multipotential indicated by differentiating into osteoblasts and adipocytes; when subjected to the hepatic differentiation condition, EPC could be induced to hepatocyte-like cells, which expressed albumin, alpha-fetoprotein, and CK18 proteins. Two months after EPC transplantation, we observed that the grafted cells differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells and there was no observable tumor mass. CONCLUSION: We have isolated and characterized the human fetal liver derived EPC and these cells may serve as an ideal cell source for cell replacement therapy of diseased livers. PMID- 17760872 TI - A novel biological function for CD44 in axon growth of retinal ganglion cells identified by a bioinformatics approach. AB - The failure of CNS regeneration and subsequent motor and sensory loss remain major unsolved questions despite massive accumulation of experimental observations and results. The sheer volume of data and the variety of resources from which these data are generated make it difficult to integrate prior work to build new hypotheses. To address these challenges we developed a prototypic suite of computer programs to extract protein names from relevant publications and databases and associated each of them with several general categories of biological functions in nerve regeneration. To illustrate the usefulness of our data mining approach, we utilized the program output to generate a hypothesis for a biological function of CD44 interaction with osteopontin (OPN) and laminin in axon outgrowth of CNS neurons. We identified CD44 expression in retinal ganglion cells and when these neurons were plated on poly-l-lysine 3% of them initiated axon growth, on OPN 15%, on laminin-111 (1x) 41%, on laminin-111 (0.5x) 56%, and on a mixture of OPN and laminin (1x) 67% of neurons generated axon growth. With the aid of a deoxyribozyme (DNA enzyme) to CD44 that digests the target mRNA, we demonstrated that a reduction of CD44 expression led to reduced axon initiation of retinal ganglion cells on all substrates. We suggest that such an integrative, applied systems biology approach to CNS trauma will be critical to understand and ultimately overcome the failure of CNS regeneration. PMID- 17760875 TI - Effect of suramin on the human pathogen Candida albicans: implications on the fungal development and virulence. AB - Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that is of growing medical importance because it causes superficial, mucosal and systemic infections in susceptible individuals. Here, the effect of suramin, a polysulfonated naphthylurea derivative, on C. albicans development and virulence was evaluated. Firstly, it was demonstrated that suramin (500 microM) arrested its growth, showing a fungicidal action dependent on cell number. Suramin treatment caused profound changes in the yeast ultrastructure as shown by transmission electron microscopy. The more important changes were the enlargement of the fungi cytoplasmic vacuoles, the appearance of yeasts with an empty cytoplasm resembling ghost cells and a reduction in cell wall thickness. Suramin also blocked the transformation of yeast cells to the germ-tube and the interaction between C. albicans and epithelial cells. In order to ascertain that the action of suramin on C. albicans growth is a general feature instead of being strain-specific, the effects of suramin on 14 oral clinical strains isolated from healthy children and HIV-positive infants were analyzed. Interestingly, the strains of C. albicans isolated from HIV-positive patients were more resistant to suramin than strains isolated from healthy patients. Altogether, the results produced here show that suramin interfered with essential fungal processes, such as growth, differentiation and interaction with host cells. PMID- 17760876 TI - Immunization with dendritic cells loaded with alpha-galactosylceramide at priming phase, but not at boosting phase, enhances cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity against infection by intracellular bacteria. AB - We evaluated the effect of immunization with dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with alpha-galactosylceramide (alphaGalCer) and listeriolysin O (LLO) 91-99 peptide, a dominant cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope of Listeria monocytogenes by observing the responses of specific CD8(+) T cells and in vivo CTL activity. DCs were pulsed with various combinations of alphaGalCer and LLO91-99 peptide and administered to BALB/c mice. Immunization with DCs pulsed with alphaGalCer and LLO91-99 at priming phase and with DCs pulsed with LLO91-99 alone at boosting phase induced stronger in vivo CTL activity, reduced the bacterial load in spleens of Listeria-challenged mice and augmented CD62L(+) CD8(+) central memory T cells compared with other immunization protocols. The blockade of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) at boosting phase reversed the induction of CD8(+) central memory T cells and reduced the bacterial load in spleens of Listeria-challenged mice immunized with DCs pulsed with alphaGalCer and LLO91-99 at both phases, suggesting that alphaGalCer at boosting phase has deleterious effects through IFN gamma production. These results indicate that immunization with DCs pulsed with CTL epitope peptide together with alphaGalCer at priming phase, but not at boosting phase, is feasible for eliciting a specific CTL activity and protective immunity against infection of intracellular bacteria. PMID- 17760877 TI - Casein phosphopeptide promotion of calcium uptake in HT-29 cells - relationship between biological activity and supramolecular structure. AB - Casein phosphopeptides (CPPs) form aggregated complexes with calcium phosphate and induce Ca2+ influx into HT-29 cells that have been shown to be differentiated in culture. The relationship between the aggregation of CPPs assessed by laser light scattering and their biological effect was studied using the CPPs beta-CN(1 25)4P and alpha(s1)-CN(59-79)5P, the commercial mixture CPP DMV, the 'cluster sequence' pentapeptide, typical of CPPs, and dephosphorylated beta-CN(1-25)4P, [beta-CN(1-25)0P]. The biological effect was found to be: (a) maximal with beta CN(1-25)4P and null with the 'cluster sequence'; (b) independent of the presence of inorganic phosphate; and (c) maximal at 4 mmol.L(-1) Ca2+. The aggregation of CPP had the following features: (a) rapid occurrence; (b) maximal aggregation by beta-CN(1-25)4P with aggregates of 60 nm hydrodynamic radius; (c) need for the concomitant presence of Ca2+ and CPP for optimal aggregation; (d) lower aggregation in Ca2+-free Krebs/Ringer/Hepes; (e) formation of bigger aggregates (150 nm radius) with beta-CN(1-25)0P. With both beta-CN(1-25)4P and CPP DMV, the maximum biological activity and degree of aggregation were reached at 4 mmol.L( 1) Ca2+. PMID- 17760878 TI - Zinc-binding property of the major yolk protein in the sea urchin - implications of its role as a zinc transporter for gametogenesis. AB - Major yolk protein (MYP), a transferrin superfamily protein that forms yolk granules in sea urchin eggs, is also contained in the coelomic fluid and nutritive phagocytes of the gonad in both sexes. MYP in the coelomic fluid (CFMYP; 180 kDa) has a higher molecular mass than MYP in eggs (EGMYP; 170 kDa). Here we show that MYP has a zinc-binding capacity that is diminished concomitantly with its incorporation from the coelomic fluid into the gonad in the sea urchin Pseudocentrotus depressus. Most of the zinc in the coelomic fluid was bound to CFMYP, whereas zinc in eggs was scarcely bound to EGMYP. Both CFMYP and EGMYP were present in nutritive phagocytes, where CFMYP bound more zinc than EGMYP. Saturation binding assays revealed that CFMYP has more zinc-binding sites than EGMYP. Labeled CFMYP injected into the coelom was incorporated into ovarian and testicular nutritive phagocytes and vitellogenic oocytes, and the molecular mass of part of the incorporated CFMYP shifted to 170 kDa. Considering the fact that the digestive tract is a major production site of MYP, we propose that CFMYP transports zinc, essential for gametogenesis, from the digestive tract to the ovary and testis through the coelomic fluid, after which part of the CFMYP is processed to EGMYP with loss of zinc-binding site(s). PMID- 17760880 TI - Acinetobacter baumannii outer membrane protein A targets the nucleus and induces cytotoxicity. AB - Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging opportunistic pathogen responsible for healthcare-associated infections. The outer membrane protein A of A. baumannii (AbOmpA) is the most abundant surface protein that has been associated with the apoptosis of epithelial cells through mitochondrial targeting. The nuclear translocation of AbOmpA and the subsequent pathology on host cells were further investigated. AbOmpA directly binds to eukaryotic cells. AbOmpA translocates to the nucleus by a novel monopartite nuclear localization signal (NLS). The introduction of rAbOmpA into the cells or a transient expression of AbOmpA-EGFP causes the nuclear localization of these proteins, while the fusion proteins of AbOmpADeltaNLS-EGFP and AbOmpA with substitutions in residues lysine to alanine in the NLS sequences represent an exclusively cytoplasmic distribution. The nuclear translocation of AbOmpA induces cell death in vitro. Furthermore, the microinjection of rAbOmpA into the nucleus of Xenopus laevis embryos fails to develop normal embryogenesis, thus leading to embryonic death. We propose a novel pathogenic mechanism of A. baumannii regarding the nuclear targeting of the bacterial structural protein AbOmpA. PMID- 17760879 TI - The ESCRT machinery is not required for human cytomegalovirus envelopment. AB - The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been proposed to complete its final envelopment on cytoplasmic membranes prior to its release to the extracellular medium. The nature of these membranes and the mechanisms involved in virus envelopment and release are poorly understood. Here we show by immunogold labelling and electron microscopy that CD63, a marker of multivesicular bodies (MVBs), is incorporated into the viral envelope, supporting the notion that HCMV uses endocytic membranes for its envelopment. We therefore investigated a possible role for the cellular endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery in HCMV envelopment. Depletion of tumour suppressor gene 101 and ALIX/AIP1 with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in HCMV-infected cells did not affect virus production. In contrast, siRNAs against the vacuolar protein sorting 4 (VPS4) proteins silenced the expression of VPS4A and VPS4B, inhibited the sorting of epidermal growth factor to lysosomes, the formation of HIV Gag-derived virus-like particles and vesicular stomatitis virus infection, but enhanced the number of HCMV viral particles produced. Treatment of infected cells with protease inhibitors also increased viral production. These studies indicate that, in contrast to some enveloped RNA viruses, HCMV does not require the cellular ESCRT machinery to complete its envelopment. PMID- 17760881 TI - The relationship between gonadotrophins, gonadal hormones and bone mass in men. AB - OBJECTIVE: Inhibin A and B (Inh A and B), activin A (Act A) as well as FSH may play an important role in bone turnover in perimenopausal women. Data in men are lacking. The aim was to investigate the relationship between circulating concentrations of Inh B and Act A and FSH/LH/testosterone (T) and their contribution to bone mineral density (BMD) in a male population. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: Cross-sectional case-control study of 156 men, 63 with osteoporosis and 93 controls, aged (mean [SD]) 57.7 [13.7] years. MEASUREMENTS: Areal (aBMD) was measured at the femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine. Volumetric BMD (vBMD) was calculated at the femoral neck and lumbar spine. Risk factors were assessed including the measurement of LH/FSH/T, Inh B and Act A. RESULTS: After correction for age and body mass index (BMI), associations were found between Inh B and FSH (beta regression coefficient beta = -0.326; P < 0.0001), T (beta = -0.36; P = 0.019) and Act A (beta = -0.4; P = 0.007) and between Inh B and LH (beta = 0.23; P < 0.0001) in all patients. The controls had higher Inh B concentrations compared to the cases (Inh B: controls: 139 [86] pg/ml vs. cases 88 [51] pg/ml; P = 0.005). Act A tended to be lower in the controls (Act A: controls 0.63 [0.24] ng/ml vs. cases 0.75 [0.4] ng/ml; P = 0.056). Univariate regression analyses showed a positive association between Inh B and BMD (P < 0.01) at the lumbar spine and total hip. In contrast a negative association was seen between FSH and BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck (P < 0.01). In a partial multivariate regression model that included the gonadal factors only, a positive association was seen between Inh B and BMD at the hip (beta = 0.088; P = 0.04). When all hormones including the gonadotrophins were entered in a full multivariate model, FSH and LH were found to be better predictors of BMD than Inh B or Act A in the controls and cases. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the gonadal peptides and gonadotrophins may play a role in the maintenance of bone mass in men. Future confirmatory longitudinal studies are needed. PMID- 17760882 TI - Long-term GH treatment is not associated with disadvantageous changes of inflammatory markers and adipocytokines in children born small for gestational age. AB - CONTEXT: Low birth weight is associated with increased risks for adult cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). Adiponectin and resistin are hormones, considered, respectively, protective and disadvantageous regarding these risks. No data exist on the effect of long-term GH treatment on these hormones and inflammatory markers in children born small for gestational age (SGA). OBJECTIVE: To describe longitudinal changes in inflammatory markers and adipocytokines during and after a long-term dose-response GH study. DESIGN: Longitudinal dose-response study [group A: 1 mg/m(2) body surface area (BSA) (approximately 0.033 mg/kg/day) vs. group B: 2 mg/m(2) BSA (approximately 0.067 mg/kg/day)] and comparison with age-related controls. PATIENTS: One hundred and three SGA children. MEASUREMENTS: We measured adiponectin, resistin, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at baseline, after 1 and 7 years of GH treatment and 6 months after discontinuation of GH. RESULTS: Adiponectin levels decreased over time, but remained comparable with controls. Resistin levels increased and remained lower or comparable with controls. There were no significant differences between the GH dosage groups. After the GH treatment was stopped, adiponectin was decreased in group B and resistin increased in group A. GH therapy did not affect IL-6 and CRP levels at any time point. An increase in body mass index (BMI) standard deviation score (SDS) over time was associated with a decrease in adiponectin levels. None of the markers were associated with insulin sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term GH treatment is not associated with disadvantageous changes in adiponectin, resistin, IL-6 and CRP levels, neither during nor after GH treatment. PMID- 17760883 TI - Pregnancy outcomes following cabergoline treatment: extended results from a 12 year observational study. AB - OBJECTIVE: Cabergoline is a dopamine agonist used to treat hyperprolactinaemia. Because hyperprolactinaemia is a significant cause of infertility in women, cabergoline and other dopamine agonists are frequently prescribed to reduce prolactin levels and restore normal menses. They are usually discontinued shortly after the patient becomes pregnant. Although cabergoline has been used to treat hyperprolactinaemia since the mid-1990s, safety data related to maternal and foetal exposure to this agent are still limited. DESIGN: The current prospective, observational study reports on a total of 380 pregnancies. This extends by 154 pregnancies the results of a previously published interim report on the outcomes of 226 pregnancies in women treated with cabergoline up to 1994. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes examined include the incidence of abortions and premature delivery and the number and types of foetal malformations or abnormalities. RESULTS: Follow-up data were available for 329 pregnancies, including 258 (78%) deliveries and 71 (22%) abortions. Of the 71 reported abortions, 31 (44%) were voluntary, 30 (42%) were spontaneous miscarriages, and nine (13%) were therapeutic. Of the 258 deliveries, 250 (97%) were live deliveries, four (2%) were stillbirths, and the status of delivery was unknown for the remaining four (2%). Of the 250 live deliveries, 193 (77%) were term deliveries (gestational period > 37 weeks), 45 (18%) were preterm deliveries (gestational period < or = 37 weeks), and 62% of the infants had normal birthweights (i.e. 3-4 kg). Neonatal abnormalities were recorded for 23 (9%) of the infants with no apparent pattern in type or severity. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that foetal exposure to cabergoline through early pregnancy does not induce any increase in the risk of miscarriage or foetal malformation. PMID- 17760884 TI - Unravelling the phenotypic map of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): a prospective study of 634 women with PCOS. AB - BACKGROUND: The phenotypic spectrum of PCOS has been broadened but the prevalence and clinical significance of PCOS phenotypes continue to challenge the scientific community. OBJECTIVE: Analysis of the phenotypic spectrum of PCOS and determination of the association between metabolic, hormonal and new ultrasonographic criteria. DESIGN: Clinical prospective study. PATIENTS: Six hundred and thirty-four women with PCOS (18-35 years) and comparable body mass index (BMI), diagnosed by ESHRE/ASRM criteria, were categorized into two major groups of phenotypes: classic (NIH) and nonclassic (ESHRE/ASRM), and then subdivided into phenotypes with all possible combinations of diagnostic characteristics. One hundred and eight healthy women of reproductive age, matched for BMI, were recruited as the control group. MEASUREMENTS: Ultrasonographic (ovarian follicle number and volume), hormonal and metabolic parameters. RESULTS: Classic PCOS phenotype was more frequent (85.96%) than the nonclassic phenotype (14.04%). The patients were also classified according to the presence of biochemical (80.60%) or clinical hyperandrogenaemia (12.62%), and, in the newly introduced group, to absence of evidence of hyperandrogenaemia (6.78%). Subjects with classic PCOS with biochemical hyperandrogenaemia (74.76%) were more insulin resistant than controls. In women with PCOS, follicle number was positively related to both insulin resistance and biochemical hyperandrogenaemia. Additionally, women with PCOS had a 6.58-fold increased relative risk (RR) of > 12 follicles on intravaginal ultrasound and a 2.94-fold increased RR of ovarian volume > 10 cm(3) compared to controls. CONCLUSION: The most frequent PCOS phenotype is the subgroup with biochemical hyperandrogenaemia only within the classic phenotype, which is more insulin resistant than the control group. The follicle number, a newly introduced ultrasonographic marker, is related to both metabolic and hormonal features of PCOS. PMID- 17760885 TI - The diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome: the criteria are insufficiently robust for clinical research. AB - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common disorder but has considerable phenotypic variability and this has led to controversy over its exact definition and diagnosis. The objective of this study was to review the recently proposed diagnostic criteria to determine whether they were sufficiently robust for clinical and research practise. We have reviewed the literature pertaining to clinical measurement and quality of laboratory analysis in relation to clinical and biochemical hyperandrogenism. The recently published statements regarding the diagnosis of PCOS assume that the clinical, laboratory and imaging studies are dichotomous variables, without considering the effect of observer subjectivity or measurement variability on the outcome. The data suggest that there is considerable uncertainty of all measurements and lack of clarity of the definition of the term 'hyperandrogenaemia' which can lead to misdiagnosis. The current diagnostic strategies for PCOS are defined too vaguely to ascertain that individuals fit the definition of the syndrome. A pragmatic approach may be taken in the management of an individual depending upon her particular symptoms and needs. However, research into the epidemiology, pathophysiology and treatment of PCOS will require the production of robust definitions of the diagnostic criteria. We propose specific criteria that would answer the criticisms that we have raised. PMID- 17760887 TI - Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases: will they be the new 'methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus'? PMID- 17760886 TI - Spontaneous recovery from severe cardiac failure after acute hypotensive infarction of a somatotroph adenoma. PMID- 17760888 TI - The discovery of prostate-specific antigen. AB - The discovery of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was beset with controversy; as PSA is present in prostatic tissue and semen, it was independently discovered and given different names, thus adding to the controversy. In this review we document the early research in this field to describe the chronology of the discovery of PSA. Using a comprehensive Medline search of the historical aspects of PSA, all relevant papers were reviewed; communication with the scientists involved in the discovery of PSA was an invaluable contribution. In 1960, Flocks was the first to experiment with antigens in the prostate and 10 years later Ablin reported the presence of precipitation antigens in the prostate. In 1971, Hara characterized a unique protein in the semen fluid, gamma-seminoprotein. Li and Beling, in 1973, isolated a protein, E1, from human semen in an attempt to find a novel method to achieve fertility control. In 1978, Sensabaugh identified semen-specific protein p30, but proved that it was similar to E1 protein, and that prostate was the source. In 1979, Wang purified a tissue-specific antigen from the prostate ('prostate antigen'). PSA was first measured quantitatively in the blood by Papsidero in 1980, and Stamey carried out the initial work on the clinical use of PSA as a marker of prostate cancer. Thus the discovery of PSA is interesting and surrounded by controversy. Although the credit for purifying PSA goes to Wang, other eminent scientists published research on this antigen. The initial work on PSA in semen was to asses its properties as a forensic marker for rape victims, but soon its potential as a marker for prostate cancer became evident. PMID- 17760889 TI - Seminal vesicle-sparing perineal radical prostatectomy improves early functional results in patients with low-risk prostate cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE: To report a new and improved seminal vesicle-sparing (SV) technique of radical perineal prostatectomy (RPP) as an option for patients with localized prostate cancer, which is currently competing with the retropubic RP (RRP), endoscopic and robotic approaches. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From July 2003 to July 2006, 507 RPs were undertaken within a three-arm, unrandomized phase II trial. Patients were selected for RPP if they had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of /=1 year. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 123 women with SUI (aged 36-84 years) were treated with transurethral ultrasonography-guided injections with autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts obtained from skeletal muscle biopsies. The fibroblasts were suspended in a small amount of collagen as carrier material and injected into the urethral submucosa, while the myoblasts were implanted into the rhabdosphincter. All patients were evaluated before and 12 months after the injection using the Incontinence and Quality of Life Instrument (I-QOL) scores, urodynamic variables, and morphology and function of the urethra and rhabdosphincter. RESULTS: At 1 year after implanting the cells, 94 of the 119 women (79%) were completely continent, 16 (13%) had a substantial improvement and nine (8%) a slight improvement. Four patients were lost to follow up. The incontinence and I-QOL scores, and the thickness, contractility and electromyographic activity of the rhabdosphincter were significantly improved after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These results show the efficacy and safety of transferring autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts in the treatment of female SUI, after a follow-up of 1 year. PMID- 17760891 TI - The viral SV40 T antigen cooperates with dj2 to enhance hsc70 chaperone function. AB - Simian virus 40 large T antigen is a J-domain-containing protein with multiple functions. Among its numerous activities, T antigen can bind heat shock cognate 70 (hsc70) but the biological significance of this interaction has not been fully understood. Here, we show that T antigen can act as an hsc70 co-chaperone enhancing the protein-folding ability of the hsc70 chaperone machine. We also show that T antigen exerts its function in collaboration with the mammalian homologue of DnaJ. Moreover, we show that the participation of T antigen in the hsc70 chaperone machine has cell-type-specific characteristics. PMID- 17760892 TI - [Psychodermatology and cosmetic-surgical dermatology--a contradiction?]. PMID- 17760893 TI - Psychosomatic disturbances and cosmetic surgery. AB - Medical activity in recent years has experienced a marked expansion of possibilities for aesthetic surgery, usually requested by patients. Especially in dermatology, an increasing demand for and use of doctor/medical services by healthy individuals has resulted in a drastic change to cosmetic dermatology. The request for cosmetic surgery is emotionally or psychosocially motivated. Patients with psychological disturbances sometimes push aside possible risks and complications or deny side effects and interactions of the procedures. Subjective impairments of appearance, feelings of inferiority and social pho-bias may be in the background of somatizing disorders. These emotional disorders, such as body dysmorphic disorder, personality disorder or polysurgical addiction, often remain undiscovered but should be excluded in any patient receiving cosmetic procedures. PMID- 17760894 TI - Side effects of HIV therapy. AB - The use of highly active effective antiretroviral therapies (ART) has dramatically decreased the morbidity and mortality of the HIV infection. Over 20 anti-retroviral substances are available in four different classes. Side effects of HIV therapy are common and may influence the prognosis, as the medications are required lifelong for the still incurable infection. ART-associated allergic reactions, lipodystrophy syndrome and immune reconstitution syndrome are side effects frequently seen by dermatologists. Exanthems are challenging as drug reactions must be separated from immune reconstitution, syphilis and viral exanthems and then the causative agent must be identified from a long list of medications. Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors typically cause allergic exanthems. Mitochondrial toxicity caused by nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors is responsible for lipoatrophy and fatty changes in the liver. Protease inhibitors cause diarrhea, abnormalities of glucose and fat metabolism and lipohypertrophy. Before other medications or surgical measures are undertaken to address side effects of ART, the regimen should be adjusted to include alternative but equally effective agents. PMID- 17760895 TI - A 7-step consultation plan for health care workers and hairdressers. AB - BACKGROUND: Skin diseases are among the most common occupational disorders in health care workers and hairdressers. Optimal prevention methods make it possible for more individuals to remain active in their profession. We devised a 7-step consultation plan which was employed in a standard fashion and then evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 264 employees were evaluated in the Education and Support Center of the German Accident Prevention and Insurance Association in the Health and Welfare Services (BGW schu.ber.z Berlin) from 2003 to 2005 in a standardized manner. Included were detailed history, physical examination, skin physiology measurements (transepidermal water loss, corneometry, sebumetry) and then making a diagnosis and therapeutic recommendations. RESULTS: Within the study group of 264 employees the most frequent diagnosis were toxic-irritant hand eczema (28.4%), allergic contact eczema (19.7%), atopic eczema (15.5%) and irritant contact eczema with atopic diathesis (13.6%). The frequency of contact sensitivity was high in the study group (80.7%). The skin physiological parameters were not remarkably altered and did not differ between individuals with an atopic diathesis versus without an atopic diathesis. CONCLUSION: This standardized protocol for a "7-step consultation plan"when applied in a standardized manner offers quality-controlled but also individually-adapted support considering dermatological, educational and occupational aspects. Skin physiology parameters did not provide any further information indicating the need of the development of novel techniques to measure skin barrier function. PMID- 17760896 TI - Cost-effectiveness of psoriasis therapy with etanercept in Germany. AB - BACKGROUND: We estimated the cost-effectiveness of intermittent therapy with etanercept in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis in comparison to non-systemic therapy in Germany. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a cost-utility analysis using the endpoint costs per quality-adjusted life year gained (costs/QALY). For this purpose, we adapted a UK-based Markov model by means of resource use data that we derived from a German cost study. Efficacy data, information on frequency of adverse events and changes in quality of life were derived from three pooled clinical trials. We extrapolated the further course of the disease and its treatment over a 10 year course. RESULTS: For patients with an initial Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) > 10 and a Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) > 10 the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for etanercept compared to non-systemic therapy was 45,491 euro/QALY. For patients with PASI and DLQI > 15 costs/QALY were 32,058 euro and among patients with severe plaque psoriasis (DLQI and PASI > 20) 18,154 euro. CONCLUSIONS: According to internationally accepted levels of cost-effectiveness thresholds, the intermittent treatment of (moderate to) severe plaque-type psoriasis with etanercept is a cost-effective measure within the German healthcare system. PMID- 17760897 TI - Cutaneous leishmaniasis: clinical report of two cases and review of the recent literature. AB - With 1-1.5 million cases reported every year cutaneous leishmaniasis represents an increasing health problem. The course of cutaneous leishmaniasis varies from a single self-healing ulcer to a persistent ulcer or progressive mucosal disease with nasopharyngeal destruction. An enormous array of topical and systemic treatment modalities has been endorsed. The response to treatment depends on the species of parasite as well as the host's immunological and genetic status. Species-specific treatment guidelines based on evidence from controlled studies are highly desirable. We present two cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis, one in a child and one during pregnancy, reviewing various diagnostic and therapeutic measures with special attention to problems in young and pregnant patients. PMID- 17760898 TI - Anaphylactic reaction to lupine flour. AB - Roasted lupine seeds have been used as snack food in Mediterranean countries for years. Since the 1990s, lupine flour has been used as a substitute for or additive to other flours in countries of the European Union; usually the amount is so low that no declaration is required. Since 1994, a number of cases of immediate-type allergy to lupine flour-containing products have been published. A 52-year-old woman developed facial and mucosal edema, followed by dizziness and shortness of breath a few minutes after ingestion of a nut croissant containing lupine flour; she required emergency care. Allergy diagnostic tests revealed a total IgE of 116 kU/l, a highly elevated concentration of IgE specific for lupine seed (42.9 kU/l) and birch pollen IgE of 2.57 kU/l. Skin prick test with native lupine flour was strongly positive. Allergy against lupine seeds may develop de novo or via cross-reactivity to legumes, particularly peanuts, the latter being detectable in up to 88% of cases, founded on a strong sequence similarity between lupine and peanut allergens. In our patient, no cross-reactivity could be detected via immunoblotting, indicating a rare monovalent sensitization to lupine flour. Treatment consists of avoidance of lupine flour-containing products. Patients with proven peanut allergy should also avoid lupine flour because of the major risk of cross-reaction. PMID- 17760899 TI - [G-DRG version 2007: a short overview]. AB - Just as in the year before, the structure and regulations of the new GDRG version 2007 was successfully agreed on a mutual basis by the national self-governing bodies in the German health care system. Although some problems in high specialized medicine or day clinic care will remain, the current developments demonstrate once more the learning aptitude of the G-DRG-system. Some beneficial and major changes have been made in 2007, but most of them do not touch dermatology. Additional procedure-based payments have been introduced in 2007 including the parenteral administration of such expensive agents as etanercept and itraconazole. A statistical analysis of cost weights of the year 2006 versus 2007 for two university clinics suggests that in dermatology, the increasing complexity of the G-DRG system partly leads to lower cost weights. Overall in 2007 a remarkable increase of complexity and differentiation throughout the DRG system can be identified as well as a careful expansion of procedure-based payments. PMID- 17760900 TI - [Solar time--the importance of standard time for the UV-exposure of the skin]. AB - Dermatologists recommend that people avoid exposure to the blazing sun around noontime. In most places in Europe there are considerable deviations between true solar time and standard time: Firstly, during summer the standard time in the European countries is set one hour ahead according to the summer time or daylight saving time. Secondly, in all countries of Western and Central Europe, except Great Britain, Ireland and Portugal, standard time uniformly is Central European Summer Time (CEST). Although this standard central European time zone refers to the longitude 15 degrees East of Greenwich, it is valid for all longitudes up to nearly about 9 degrees West of Greenwich. This leads to a maximum deviation between standard time and solar time of nearly 1 hour and 36 min. Thirdly, a comparably small time shift is due to the equation of time. It amounts up to a maximum of about six and a half minutes at the end of July. Altogether, the shift between standard time and true solar time adds up to about 2 h 40 min at the Spanish coast of the Atlantic Ocean, e.g. noon is not at 12:00 but rather at 2:40 p. m. (14:40 h CEST).A paradoxical situation results for British holiday-makers who go to Spain. Although they move to a more westerly geographical position they do not put back their clocks but set them one hour ahead, since they enter the CEST zone. The recommendations given by dermatologists to the people regarding their exposure to the sun should allow for these geographical and astronomical facts. PMID- 17760901 TI - Assessment of publications using methods of evidence-based medicine: an introduction using a dermatological clinical study. AB - Evidence-based medicine is the explicit use of the currently best available scientific data for decision-making in the management of individual patients, with guidelines being among the instruments for its implementation. Publication of the German S3 guideline on the treatment of plaque-type psoriasis is a mile stone for German dermatology, as it is the first dermatologic guideline at this highest level of evidence. Standardized analyses of the respective publications provide the basis for this guideline. This article explains the principles of such an analysis, so the reader can gain insight into the methodology of a crucial aspect of guideline generation. This information is of general relevance, as it provides help for every physician who wishes to critically read original scientific publications. PMID- 17760902 TI - [Nodule on the ear and boil on the forehead of a young girl]. PMID- 17760903 TI - [Retroangular flap for nasal reconstruction]. PMID- 17760904 TI - Therapy of hypertrichosis. PMID- 17760907 TI - [EADV-Conference 16.-20.05.2007 in Vienna: Study of new pharmaceuticals 5 ALAPlaster (PD P 506 A)]]. PMID- 17760910 TI - The Northern Territory can provide hope for the future. PMID- 17760912 TI - Informing rural and remote students about careers in health: factors influencing career decisions. AB - OBJECTIVE: Since 1994 a state-wide program has been operating in Queensland to provide non-metropolitan secondary school students with information about health careers. Determination of the factors influencing the career decisions of rural and remote students was one objective of the evaluation of that program. DESIGN: Telephone interviews. SETTING: Secondary schools. SUBJECTS: People who had previously attended Year 10 residential health career workshops run by Queensland Health. Ninety-four of 277 past participants to Year 10 Health Careers Workshops responded to a postal questionnaire and were invited to take part in a telephone questionnaire to collect further information related to the course and career choices. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported factors affecting career decisions of students from rural and remote areas. RESULTS: Of the 94 past workshop participants, interviews were held with 70. All participants had left secondary education and had either undertaken or were undertaking some form of tertiary study. The most influential of nine factors to both undergraduate and postgraduate course choices was self-interest. Various other factors differentially contributed to undergraduate and postgraduate course choices among them were the health careers workshops, which played a major influence on undergraduate course decisions of students. CONCLUSION: Self-interest is the largest self-reported factor to career decision making among students from rural and remote areas. Finance and career advice from school are not considered to be highly influential. However, these independent decisions can be substantially influenced by external information provided through health career workshops. PMID- 17760911 TI - Where is the evidence that rural exposure increases uptake of rural medical practice? AB - Australian Government initiatives to address medical workforce shortages in rural Australia include increasing the intake of students of rural background and increasing exposure to rural medicine during training. Rural-orientated medical training programs in the USA that selectively admit students from rural backgrounds and who intend to practise as family practitioners have demonstrated success in increasing uptake of practice in rural/underserved areas. However, in examining the specific contribution of rural exposure towards increasing uptake of rural practice, the evidence is inconclusive, largely due to the failure to adjust for these critical independent predictors of rural practice. This paper identifies this evidence gap, examines the concept of rural exposure, and highlights the need to identify which aspects of rural exposure contribute to a positive attitude towards rural practice, thereby influencing students to return to rural areas. The cost of rural exposure through student placements is not insignificant, and there is a need to identify which aspects are most effective in increasing the uptake of rural practice, thereby helping to address the medical workforce shortage experienced in rural Australia. PMID- 17760913 TI - Diabetes risk factors, diabetes and diabetes care in a rural Australian community. AB - OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively describe diabetes-related risk factors, quality of care and patient-perceived barriers to care in a rural community. DESIGN: Cross sectional mail study, self-completed survey and retrospective chart review. SETTING: Community and health services in Corryong, rural Victoria, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-seven patients with diabetes and 495 with other diseases in the mail study, 84 with diabetes in the self-completed survey and 101 diabetic patient chart reviews. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported lifestyle activities, uptake of health checks, metabolic measures and uptake of medication, and self reported barriers to diabetes care. RESULTS: Most residents without diabetes had recently had their blood pressure and cholesterol checked; 60.4% were trying to control their weight and 73.9% were exercising regularly (although only 30.7% to an adequate level). Those with diabetes reported a greater uptake of healthy living messages, and had a mean HbA1c of 7.3%, total cholesterol of 5.0 mmol L( 1); 12.9% had a diastolic blood pressure > or =85 mmHg. Foot checks were infrequent (18%). There was substantial room to increase antiplatelet, blood pressure, antihyperglycaemia and lipid-lowering therapy. Most patients reported psychological (84.5%) and educational (82.1%) barriers to care, with few perceiving physical barriers to care. CONCLUSION: Living in a rural area with predominantly GP care can be associated with comparatively good metabolic control, although psycho-educational barriers are frequently present. In the wider community, risk factors for diabetes remain common, and the majority have been screened for components of the metabolic syndrome in the previous year. PMID- 17760914 TI - Improving access to and outcomes from mental health care in rural Australia. AB - OBJECTIVE: Rural Australians face particular difficulties in accessing mental health care. This paper explores whether 51 rural Access to Allied Psychological Services projects, funded under the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care program, are improving such access, and, if so, whether this is translating to positive consumer outcomes. DESIGN AND METHOD: The paper draws on three data sources (a survey of models of service delivery, a minimum dataset and three case studies) to examine the operation and achievements of these projects, and makes comparisons with their 57 urban equivalents as relevant. RESULTS: Proportionally, uptake of the projects in rural areas has been higher than in urban areas: more GPs and allied health professionals are involved, and more consumers have received care. There is also evidence that the models of service delivery used in these projects have specifically been designed to resolve issues particular to rural areas, such as difficulties recruiting and retaining providers. The projects are being delivered at no or low cost to consumers, and are achieving positive outcomes as assessed by standardised measures. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the rural projects have the potential to improve access to mental health care for rural residents with depression and anxiety, by enabling GPs to refer them to allied health professionals. The findings are discussed with reference to recent reforms to mental health care delivery in Australia. PMID- 17760915 TI - Where do I go from here: we've got enough seniors? AB - OBJECTIVE: To identify recruitment and retention issues for allied health professionals at two rural health services. DESIGN: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was used to collect the data which were analysed using thematic analysis. SETTING: A regional public health service and a community health service in central eastern Victoria, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Eight final year allied health students, 7 allied health or discipline managers, 18 current allied health staff and 10 former allied health staff participated in the interviews. Participants' professional backgrounds included: dentistry, dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology, social work and speech pathology. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Recruitment and retention themes identified from the interview transcripts. RESULTS: Career opportunities and social and community connections were significant for both recruitment and retention of all the participant groups. Financial incentives were important for recruiting staff, while organisational management and policy were important for retaining staff. Health service resources were a specific issue for the recruitment of dentists, but were found to be a significant factor in the retention of all allied health staff. CONCLUSION: A number of strategies can be used by health care organisations in rural areas to recruit staff, including: career progression, mentoring and profession development, connecting people with social networks and providing financial remuneration. To maximise staff retention, it is important to ensure that there are career progression pathways within the organisation, and that organisational management and policy provides support and opportunities for staff. Staff also need to be included as part of a social network in the community. PMID- 17760917 TI - Cardiovascular risk levels in general practice patients with type 2 diabetes in rural and urban areas. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the change of cardiovascular risk factor from 2000 to 2002 in general practice patients with type 2 diabetes in urban and rural areas, and the association between cardiovascular risk (both single risk factors and coronary heart disease absolute risk (CHDAR)) and rurality in three years. METHODS: In total, 6305 patients were extracted from 16 Divisions (250 practices). Multivariate regression at Division, practice and patient levels was conducted with adjustment for age and gender. RESULTS: In each of the three years, most single individual risk factors and CHDAR were high. Comparing 2002 with 2000: for urban patients in 2002 total cholesterol (OR 0.85) and low-density lipoprotein (OR 0.81) significantly decreased, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (OR 1.16) significantly increased; for rural patients in 2002 HbA1c (OR 0.85) significantly decreased and HDL (OR 1.22) significantly increased; and CHDAR significantly improved only in urban patients (OR 0.93) in 2002. In 2002 rural patients were still more likely to be overweight/obese (OR 1.16), be current smokers (OR 1.36), and have worse HDL (OR 0.84) and triglycerides (OR 1.23) than their urban counterparts. CONCLUSION: Some key individual risk factors and CHDAR did not improve in rural patients with type 2 diabetes despite a number of programs designed to provide comprehensive care to rural patients with diabetes. More emphasis is needed on supporting access to lifestyle changes (such as smoking, diet and physical activity) in rural primary health care. PMID- 17760916 TI - Self-reported confidence and skills of general practitioners in management of mental health disorders. AB - OBJECTIVE: To identify the predictors of self-reported confidence and skills of GPs in management of patients with mental health problems. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey, with questionnaire presented to 246 GPs working in 62 practices throughout Gippsland. SETTING: Rural general practices in Gippsland. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and thirty-four GPs across Gippsland. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: GPs completed a questionnaire assessing self-perception of knowledge and skills in recognition and management of common mental health problems. RESULTS: Of 134 GPs, 45% reported that they have a specific interest in mental health, and 39% of GPs reported that they had previous mental health training. Only 22% of GPs describe having both an interest and prior training in mental health care. Age and years since graduation are not significantly related to self reported confidence and skills. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study highlight that self-professed interest and prior training in mental health are associated. Self-professed interest in mental health care predicts confidence and self perceived skills in recognition, assessment and management of common mental health disorders. Similarly, prior training in mental health care predicts confidence and self-perceived skills in recognition, assessment and management of common mental health problems. Self-professed interest in mental health issues is also associated with hours of participation in continuing medical education related to mental health care. Unfortunately, only a minority described having both interest and prior training in mental health care. PMID- 17760919 TI - Making a difference for Indigenous Australians. PMID- 17760918 TI - Supporting an emerging workforce: characteristics of rural and remote therapy assistants in Western Australia. AB - OBJECTIVE: Multidisciplinary therapy assistants (TAs) are an emerging but poorly understood rural and remote allied health workforce. As an aid to planning and support of TA programs in rural and remote Western Australia (WA), the number, locality and a range of practice variables of rural and remote TAs in WA were determined. DESIGN: Survey questionnaire. SETTING: Rural and remote regions of WA. PARTICIPANTS: Allied health professionals, TAs, TA coordinators and managers of allied health in country regions of WA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Information was gathered on TA location, qualifications, employing organisation, allied health disciplines TAs work with, supervision practices, role and work scenarios. RESULTS: Ninety-eight TAs were identified in rural and remote WA with a further 23 vacant TA positions. Most TAs work across multiple allied health disciplines, half are located at a distance to their supervisors, and very few have a recognised qualification for their TA work. CONCLUSION: A substantial rural and remote TA workforce was found. A range of TA characteristics were identified that have considerable relevance to the future planning of TA initiatives in rural and remote WA. PMID- 17760924 TI - There is an increase in the numbers of patients being successfully treated for cancer, with almost one half being alive and well after 5 years. PMID- 17760925 TI - Providing patient information--part 2: assessing the quality of patient information. PMID- 17760926 TI - Hypnosis for nausea and vomiting in cancer chemotherapy: a systematic review of the research evidence. AB - To systematically review the research evidence on the effectiveness of hypnosis for cancer chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). A comprehensive search of major biomedical databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, ClNAHL, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library was conducted. Specialist complementary and alternative medicine databases were searched and efforts were made to identify unpublished and ongoing research. Citations were included from the databases' inception to March 2005. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were appraised and meta-analysis undertaken. Clinical commentaries were obtained. Six RCTs evaluating the effectiveness of hypnosis in CINV were found. In five of these studies the participants were children. Studies report positive results including statistically significant reductions in anticipatory and CINV. Meta-analysis revealed a large effect size of hypnotic treatment when compared with treatment as usual, and the effect was at least as large as that of cognitive-behavioural therapy. Meta-analysis has demonstrated that hypnosis could be a clinically valuable intervention for anticipatory and CINV in children with cancer. Further research into the effectiveness, acceptance and feasibility of hypnosis in CINV, particularly in adults, is suggested. Future studies should assess suggestibility and provide full details of the hypnotic intervention. PMID- 17760928 TI - The development of audio-visual materials to prepare patients for medical procedures: an oncology application. AB - This paper describes a systematic process for the development of educational audio-visual materials that are designed to prepare patients for potentially threatening procedures. Literature relating to the preparation of patients for potentially threatening medical procedures, psychological theory, theory of diffusion of innovations and patient information was examined. Four key principles were identified as being important: (1) stakeholder consultation, (2) provision of information to prepare patients for the medical procedure, (3) evidence-based content, and (4) promotion of patient confidence. These principles are described along with an example of the development of an audio-visual resource to prepare patients for chemotherapy treatment. Using this example, practical strategies for the application of each of the principles are described. The principles and strategies described may provide a practical, evidence-based guide to the development of other types of patient audio-visual materials. PMID- 17760927 TI - Spontaneous bilateral subcapital hip fracture due to multiple myeloma: an 18 month follow-up. AB - We present a rare case of bilateral subcapital hip fracture as a first sign of multiple myeloma in a young man. Right femoral neck fracture was treated by three Asnis screws and the left one by hemiarthroplasty. In order to avoid implant failure, we used zoledronic acid, a bisphosphonate compound, instead of methacrylate cement. After an 18-month follow-up, there was no evidence of avascular necrosis, no implant failure and no periprothetic fracture. PMID- 17760929 TI - An exploration of the meanings and experiences of cancer of Chinese people living and working in London. AB - This paper investigates the meanings and experiences of cancer of Chinese people living and working in London, in order to help the future development of culturally sensitive cancer information for Chinese people in the United Kingdom. A focus group interview method was used. Five focus groups (n = 35) were conducted in 2003 in London; these included Chinese health professionals, asylum seekers, immigrants with unknown status, Chinese young adults and Chinese elders. We found that the participants' understanding of cancer reflected Chinese cultural beliefs about health and illness. There are some misunderstandings and lack of knowledge and information about cancer treatments, but they understand cancer to be life threatening. There is also a great reluctance to talk about cancer. The participants suggested that as well as receiving appropriate and early treatment, by either biomedicine or traditional Chinese medicine, or preferably, a combination of the two, an individual's chances of surviving cancer could be enhanced by being provided with spiritual guidance and by being in a happy, positive mood. There is a need to improve knowledge about cancer in the Chinese community through the provision of culturally appropriate and accessible information on a variety of topics, including healthy lifestyles, cancer prevention and treatments, and by encouraging openness about cancer issues. PMID- 17760930 TI - Quality of life in metastatic breast cancer patients under chemotherapy or supportive care: a single-institution comparative study. AB - The aim of the present study was to evaluate quality of life (QoL) parameters in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and assess the potential differences between patients receiving chemotherapy and those undergoing supportive care interventions. In total, 210 women with MBC were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, single-institution study. The primary outcome of the trial was QoL assessment, using the self-administered European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30, version 3) and Quality of Life Questionnaire Breast 23 (QLQ-BR23) questionnaires. Quality of life was found to be statistically better (P = 0.008) in MBC patients receiving chemotherapy than those under only supportive care. Statistically significant differences in favour of chemotherapy were also found in functioning subscales, symptom single-item questions and sexual functioning. Our findings suggest that chemotherapy in MBC patients with good performance status is the more rational therapeutic approach in terms of QoL improvement. PMID- 17760931 TI - Eye complications of cetuximab therapy. AB - Skin toxicity is the most important side effect of cetuximab administration, but little is known about the eye toxicity, including periorbital skin. We present here four cases of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma treated with the combination of cetuximab, irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin who had manifestation of complications in the eye or periorbital skin. These manifestations consisted of erythematous eruptions in the periorbital skin with blepharitis and conjunctivitis in three patients and trichomegaly in one patient. The symptoms were controlled with local therapy including corticosteroids and antibiotics. The skin toxicity in the periorbital region is more important than in other skin areas because of the impact on the social activity of the patient and the vision. The manifestations of eye toxicity of cetuximab may be controlled by local therapy, and the management of these patients requires the collaboration of medical oncologist and ophthalmologist. PMID- 17760932 TI - A longitudinal study on women's experiences of life with breast cancer in anthroposophical (complementary) and conventional care. AB - Earlier findings in different care settings have revealed that women with breast cancer admitted to anthroposophical clinics (complementary care) initially had lower quality of life scores compared with those in conventional care, but that the scores after 1 year increased significantly. The anthroposophical hospital in this study offers integrated conventional and anthroposophical healthcare therapies. The present study examines experiences of life among women with breast cancer during the 1-year follow-up of the original study. A second aim was to seek profiles of differences between 37 matched pairs of women with breast cancer. The mean age of the women was 48 years, and 17 of the 37 pairs had a local limited disease, whereas 20 pairs had an advanced disease. The findings highlight seven themes of described meaning. Important changes noticed after 1 year were an appreciation of the beauty of life, experiences of threat, introspection into self and meaning of life, and changes in the body. The experience of being stronger constitutes being existentially demanded, including weakness, vulnerability and strength. Some differences in profiles were noticed after 1 year, in that the group that received anthroposophical care seemed to be more orientated towards personal growth and meaning of life, whereas the matching group was more orientated towards external activities and bodily changes. PMID- 17760933 TI - Ocular melanoma presenting as a case of panophthalmitis in a 78-year-old Nigerian woman (masquerade syndrome): an uncommon finding in Benin City, Nigeria. AB - Theodore states that the term 'masquerade syndrome' first appeared in the ophthalmic literature in 1967 to describe a conjunctival carcinoma that presented as chronic conjunctivitis. Since then, the masquerade syndrome label has been applied to a group of disorders that mimic ocular inflammatory disease. Although some benign conditions can be considered masquerade syndromes, most often the term refers to malignant entities. Tsai and O'Brien also report that ocular oncology, the subspecialty that concerns itself with ocular and orbital malignancies, is by nature a field of uncommon disorders. A discussion of the masquerade syndrome therefore becomes a study in uncommon presentations of uncommon diseases. Nevertheless, the subject deserves wide attention because, in many cases, the diseases that masquerade are not only vision-threatening but potentially fatal. Significant morbidity and mortality can be averted by early recognition and diagnosis of the masquerade. In this article, we present a case of a 78-year-old Nigerian woman who had an ocular melanoma that presented as a panophthalmitis, a rare case of masquerade syndrome in our environment. PMID- 17760935 TI - The necropsy and veterinary practice. PMID- 17760934 TI - A case of small-cell gastric carcinoma with an adenocarcinoma component and hepatic metastases: treatment with systemic and intra-hepatic chemotherapy. AB - Primary small-cell carcinoma (SmCC) of the stomach is a rare neoplasm with a poor prognosis and unclear histogenesis: to date, only 50 cases, including ours, have been reported in the literature. In the World Health Organization gastrointestinal tumours' classification, SmCC of the stomach has been recognized as an 'independent entity affecting the stomach'. In this paper, the authors present a clinical case and the surgical treatment of an adult with a SmCC of the stomach associated with gastric adenocarcinoma. After laparotomy, a large neoplasm with locoregional extension and multiple liver metastases were found. A palliative resection, subtotal gastrectomy, was performed, followed by systemic and intra-hepatic chemotherapy: computed tomography scan demonstrated a marked response, but the patient died 15 months after the operation. A review of the literature showed that the diagnosis of gastric SmCC is based on immunohistochemical findings. Our experience confirmed the high aggressiveness of this neoplasm, which is generally diagnosed in advanced stage and is unresponsive to chemotherapy, but the combined use of systemic and intra-hepatic chemotherapy shows an acceptable result in a palliative care perspective. PMID- 17760936 TI - Effects of vaccine dose, virus challenge dose and interval from vaccination to challenge on protection of broiler chickens against Marek's disease virus challenge. AB - OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of varying the doses of turkey herpesvirus (HVT) vaccine and Marek's disease virus (MDV) challenge at two intervals after vaccination on the protection of chickens against challenge with MDV. DESIGN AND PROCEDURE: Experiment 1, a dose response study, consisted of 11 doses of HVT vaccine administered at hatch followed by challenge with 100 plaque forming units (pfu) of MDV 5 days post vaccination. Experiment 2, a 2 x 6 x 2 factorial design, included two HVT vaccine types, six different doses of HVT vaccine and 50 pfu and 200 pfu of MDV challenge 2 days post vaccination. All chickens were reared up to day 56 post challenge when all survivors were killed humanely. Dead and killed chickens were examined for gross MD tumours. RESULTS: Experiment 1 showed a significant positive linear relationship between dose of HVT vaccine and protective index in chickens challenged 5 days post vaccination. However the range of protective index observed was limited. In Experiment 2 neither HVT vaccine provided significant protection at any dose. There was no significant effect of vaccine type or MDV challenge dose on overall protection against challenge. Chickens challenged with 200 pfu of MDV had significantly higher mortality and MD incidence than those with 50 pfu. CONCLUSIONS: HVT vaccine dose had a significant impact on protective index, but vaccination to challenge interval appeared to have greater impact on the protective efficacy of vaccination. A fourfold increase in challenge dose increased mortality rate and incidence of MD. PMID- 17760937 TI - Oesophagogastric ulceration in pigs: a visual morphological scoring guide. AB - OBJECTIVE: To provide a visual guide for oesophagogastric ulcer scoring and recognition of different morphological changes in the pars oesophagea. DESIGN: Pig stomachs were collected at slaughter and visually evaluated and scored for parakeratosis, erosion and ulceration in the pars oesophagea. RESULTS: A visual and descriptive guide is presented that will aid in the objective assessment and scoring of oesophagogastric ulceration in pigs within the pig health monitoring system (PHMS), namely to the four categories of 0 = normal stomach, 1 = parakeratosis and thickened epithelium, 2 = erosions and 3 = developed ulcers with and without stenosis. CONCLUSION: A visual guide has been developed that illustrates the full range of morphological changes that can occur in the pars oesophagea of the stomach within the few currently recognised stages of the disease. PMID- 17760941 TI - Surgical correction of metacarpophalangeal valgus deformity in an alpaca. AB - A 1-month-old alpaca cria presented with a 13 degree valgus deformity of the left metacarpophalangeal joint. The angular limb deformity was centered on the distal metacarpal physes. Transphyseal bridging of the physes was recommended. Two 2.7 mm cortical bone screws were placed either side of the distal metacarpal physes and a figure of eight wire was placed medially around the screw heads. The screws extended through the medial metacarpus into the axial cortex of the lateral metacarpus. Seven weeks after surgery the limb was straight and the screws and wire were removed. Transphyseal bridging of the distal metacarpal physes can be effectively used for the treatment of metacarpophalangeal valgus in crias with open physes. PMID- 17760939 TI - Effect of s-methylmethionine sulphonium chloride on oesophagogastric ulcers in pigs. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of s-methylmethionine sulphonium chloride (SMMSC) (200 mg/kg) on nutritional performance of pigs and as prevention or therapy for oesophagogastric ulcers. DESIGN: Sixty pigs from a high health status herd with continuing oesophagogastric ulcer problems were endoscopically assessed for the presence or absence of oesophagogastric ulcers. Forty-eight pigs were then selected and allocated according to an initial oesophagogastric epithelial (ulcer score) classification to replicated treatment groups in a 2 x 2 factorial design. Weight gain and feed intake were measured over 49 d, after which pigs were killed and stomachs were collected, re-examined and scored for oesophagogastric ulceration. RESULTS: There was no difference over the 49 d in weight gain, feed intake and backfat in pigs with and without SMMSC supplementation between pigs with or without fully developed oesophagogastric ulcers at the start of the study. In pigs with an initially low ulcer score, feeding SMMSC did not prevent further oesophagogastric ulcer development. No significant effect of SMMSC was apparent when final mean oesophagogastric ulcer scores were compared in pigs with existing high ulcer score. However, further analysis of the changes in individual pig oesophagogastric ulcer scores during the experiment showed that the observed reductions in scores of the high ulcer group was significantly different from all other groups. CONCLUSION: This study has indicated that supplementation of pig diets with SMMSC cannot be justified unless the slight ulcer score improvement observed could be translated to some commercial production advantage such as a reduction in pig mortalities due to oesophagogastric ulcers. This study has further confirmed the benefit of endoscopy as a tool to enable objective assessment of oesophageal gastric health. PMID- 17760942 TI - Uterus unicornis in two mares. AB - Two American Paint Horses, a 3-year-old nulliparous mare and a 7-year-old primiparous mare, presented for recent infertility and a pre-breeding examination, respectively. Examination of the internal reproductive tract of both mares using transrectal palpation and ultrasonography revealed the presence of the cervix, uterine body, left uterine horn and bilateral ovaries. The right uterine horn could neither be palpated nor imaged. The clinical diagnosis of uterus unicornis in one mare was confirmed at necropsy, which revealed combined aplasia of the right uterine horn and oviduct. PMID- 17760943 TI - Photosensitisation induced by clofazimine in a cat. AB - A pale ginger cat was treated with clofazimine for feline leprosy. During the course of treatment, photosensitisation by clofazimine led to a dermatological disease resembling actinic dermatitis. The mycobacterial disease was eventually cured with clofazimine and the photosensitisation was managed by regulating sunlight exposure. Upon review of the literature, this appears to be the first documented case of drug-induced photosensitisation in the cat. PMID- 17760944 TI - Recurrent rectal prolapse caused by colonic duplication in a dog. AB - A 9-month-old female Shar Pei cross-bred dog was presented with a history of recurrent rectal prolapse over 7 months. Repeated reduction and anal purse string sutures and subsequent incisional colopexy failed to prevent recurrent rectal prolapse. Digital rectal examination following reduction of the prolapse identified a faeces-filled sac within the ventral wall of the rectum and an orifice in the ventral colonic wall, cranial to the pubic brim. A ventral, communicating tubular colonic duplication was diagnosed by means of a barium enema. Surgical excision of the duplicated colonic tube was performed via a caudal ventral midline laparotomy. At 20 weeks post-operation, there has been no recurrence of rectal prolapse. PMID- 17760947 TI - Prosthodontics in mainstream culture. PMID- 17760951 TI - Hepatitis B virus X protein overcomes oncogenic RAS-induced senescence in human immortalized cells. AB - Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma. The HBV X protein (HBx) is thought to have oncogenic potential, although the molecular mechanism remains obscure. Pathological roles of HBx in the carcinogenic process have been examined using rodent systems and no report is available on the oncogenic roles of HBx in human cells in vitro. We therefore examined the effect of HBx on immortalization and transformation in human primary cells. We found that HBx could overcome active RAS-induced senescence in human immortalized cells and that these cells could form colonies in soft agar and tumors in nude mice. HBx alone, however, could contribute to neither immortalization nor transformation of these cells. In a population doubling analysis, an N-terminal truncated mutant of HBx, HBx-D1 (amino acids 51 154), which harbors the coactivation domain, could overcome active RAS-induced cellular senescence, but these cells failed to exhibit colonigenic and tumorigenic abilities, probably due to the low expression level of the protein. By scanning a HBx expression library of the clustered-alanine substitution mutants, the N-terminal domain was found to be critical for overcoming active RAS induced senescence by stabilizing full-length HBx. These results strongly suggest that HBx can contribute to carcinogenesis by overcoming active oncogene-induced senescence. PMID- 17760952 TI - Human liver-specific organic anion transporter-2 is a potent prognostic factor for human breast carcinoma. AB - Human liver-specific organic anion transporter-2 (LST-2/OATP8/SLCO1B3) has been demonstrated to be expressed in various gastrointestinal carcinomas and also to play pivotal roles in the uptake of a wide variety of both endogenous and exogenous anionic compounds, including bile acids, conjugated steroids and hormones, into hepatocytes in the human liver. However, the biological significance of LST-2 in human carcinomas remains unknown. In the present study, we examined the expression of LST-2 in 102 cases of breast carcinoma using immunohistochemistry and correlated the findings with various clinicopathological parameters in order to examine the possible biological and clinical significance of LST-2. LST-2 immunoreactivity was detected in 51 cases (50.0%); of these 51 positive cases, LST-2 immunoreactivity was inversely correlated with tumor size (P = 0.0289). In addition, LST-2 immunoreactivity was significantly associated with a decreased risk of recurrence and improved prognosis by both univariate (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01) and multivariate (P = 0.03 and P = 0.01) analyses. In the estrogen receptor-positive groups, the LST-2-positive patients showed good prognoses. Considering that LST-2 transports estrone-3-sulfate, these results suggest that LST-2 overexpression is associated with a hormone-dependent growth mechanism of the breast cancer. The results of our present study demonstrate that LST-2 immunoreactivity is a potent prognostic factor in human breast cancer. PMID- 17760953 TI - Spatial and temporal variability of the Glossina palpalis palpalis population in the Mbini focus (Equatorial Guinea). AB - BACKGROUND: Human African Trypanosomiasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease. The geographical distribution of the disease is linked to the spatial distribution of the tsetse fly. As part of a control campaign using traps, the spatial and temporal variability is analysed of the glossina populations present in the Mbini sleeping sickness foci (Equatorial Guinea). RESULTS: A significant drop in the annual mean of the G. p. palpalis apparent density was noted from 2004 to 2005, although seasonal differences were not observed. The apparent density (AD) of G. p. palpalis varies significantly from one biotope to another. The fish dryers turned out to be zones with the greatest vector density, although the AD of G. p. palpalis fell significantly in all locations from 2004 to 2005. CONCLUSION: Despite the tsetse fly density being relatively low in fish dryers and jetties, the population working in those zones would be more exposed to infection. The mono-pyramidal traps in the Mbini focus have been proven to be a useful tool to control G. p. palpalis, even though the activity on the banks of the River Wele needs to be intensified. The application of spatial analysis techniques and geographical information systems are very useful tools to discriminate zones with high and low apparent density of G. p. palpalis, probably associated with different potential risk of sleeping sickness transmission. PMID- 17760955 TI - The "incidental" episode of ventricular fibrillation: a case report. AB - Polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation (VF) carry important prognostic implications, especially in the post myocardial infarction period. However, artifact on the electrocardiographic tracing can mimic VF particularly on routinely recorded rhythm strips in hospitals. Such misinterpretation can lead to expensive (and potentially risky) diagnostic and therapeutic steps. We report on such a case and highlight the need for careful inspection of the tracing. PMID- 17760954 TI - Inhibition of primordial germ cell proliferation by the medaka male determining gene Dmrt I bY. AB - BACKGROUND: Dmrt I is a highly conserved gene involved in the determination and early differentiation phase of the primordial gonad in vertebrates. In the fish medaka dmrt I bY, a functional duplicate of the autosomal dmrt I a gene on the Y chromosome, has been shown to be the master regulator of male gonadal development, comparable to Sry in mammals. In males mRNA and protein expression was observed before morphological sex differentiation in the somatic cells surrounding primordial germ cells (PGCs) of the gonadal anlage and later on exclusively in Sertoli cells. This suggested a role for dmrt I bY during male gonad and germ cell development. RESULTS: We provide functional evidence that expression of dmrt I bY leads to negative regulation of PGC proliferation. Flow cytometric measurements revealed a G2 arrest of dmrt I bY expressing cells. Interestingly, also non-transfected cells displayed a significantly lower fraction of proliferating cells, pointing to a possible non-cell autonomous action of dmrt I bY. Injection of antisense morpholinos led to an increase of PGCs in genetically male embryos due to loss of proliferation inhibition. CONCLUSION: In medaka, dmrt I bY mediates a mitotic arrest of PGCs in males prior to testes differentiation at the sex determination stage. This occurs possibly via a cross-talk of Sertoli cells and PGCs. PMID- 17760956 TI - Genomewide high-density SNP linkage analysis of non-BRCA1/2 breast cancer families identifies various candidate regions and has greater power than microsatellite studies. AB - BACKGROUND: The recent development of new high-throughput technologies for SNP genotyping has opened the possibility of taking a genome-wide linkage approach to the search for new candidate genes involved in heredity diseases. The two major breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in 30% of hereditary breast cancer cases, but the discovery of additional breast cancer predisposition genes for the non-BRCA1/2 breast cancer families has so far been unsuccessful. RESULTS: In order to evaluate the power improvement provided by using SNP markers in a real situation, we have performed a whole genome screen of 19 non-BRCA1/2 breast cancer families using 4720 genomewide SNPs with Illumina technology (Illumina's Linkage III Panel), with an average distance of 615 Kb/SNP. We identified six regions on chromosomes 2, 3, 4, 7, 11 and 14 as candidates to contain genes involved in breast cancer susceptibility, and additional fine mapping genotyping using microsatellite markers around linkage peaks confirmed five of them, excluding the region on chromosome 3. These results were consistent in analyses that excluded SNPs in high linkage disequilibrium. The results were compared with those obtained previously using a 10 cM microsatellite scan (STR-GWS) and we found lower or not significant linkage signals with STR-GWS data compared to SNP data in all cases. CONCLUSION: Our results show the power increase that SNPs can supply in linkage studies. PMID- 17760957 TI - AUG_hairpin: prediction of a downstream secondary structure influencing the recognition of a translation start site. AB - BACKGROUND: The translation start site plays an important role in the control of translation efficiency of eukaryotic mRNAs. The recognition of the start AUG codon by eukaryotic ribosomes is considered to depend on its nucleotide context. However, the fraction of eukaryotic mRNAs with the start codon in a suboptimal context is relatively large. It may be expected that mRNA should possess some features providing efficient translation, including the proper recognition of a translation start site. It has been experimentally shown that a downstream hairpin located in certain positions with respect to start codon can compensate in part for the suboptimal AUG context and also increases translation from non AUG initiation codons. Prediction of such a compensatory hairpin may be useful in the evaluation of eukaryotic mRNA translation properties. RESULTS: We evaluated interdependency between the start codon context and mRNA secondary structure at the CDS beginning: it was found that a suboptimal start codon context significantly correlated with higher base pairing probabilities at positions 13 - 17 of CDS of human and mouse mRNAs. It is likely that the downstream hairpins are used to enhance translation of some mammalian mRNAs in vivo. Thus, we have developed a tool, AUG_hairpin, to predict local stem-loop structures located within the defined region at the beginning of mRNA coding part. The implemented algorithm is based on the available published experimental data on the CDS located stem-loop structures influencing the recognition of upstream start codons. CONCLUSION: An occurrence of a potential secondary structure downstream of start AUG codon in a suboptimal context (or downstream of a potential non-AUG start codon) may provide researchers with a testable assumption on the presence of additional regulatory signal influencing mRNA translation initiation rate and the start codon choice. AUG_hairpin, which has a convenient Web-interface with adjustable parameters, will make such an evaluation easy and efficient. PMID- 17760958 TI - Application of Atomic Dielectric Resonance Spectroscopy for the screening of blood samples from patients with clinical variant and sporadic CJD. AB - BACKGROUND: Sub-clinical variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) infection and reports of vCJD transmission through blood transfusion emphasise the need for blood screening assays to ensure the safety of blood and transplanted tissues. Most assays aim to detect abnormal prion protein (PrPSc), although achieving required sensitivity is a challenge. METHODS: We have used innovative Atomic Dielectric Resonance Spectroscopy (ADRS), which determines dielectric properties of materials which are established by reflectivity and penetration of radio/micro waves, to analyse blood samples from patients and controls to identify characteristic ADR signatures unique to blood from vCJD and to sCJD patients. Initial sets of blood samples from vCJD, sCJD, non-CJD neurological diseases and normal healthy adults (blood donors) were screened as training samples to determine group-specific ADR characteristics, and provided a basis for classification of blinded sets of samples. RESULTS: Blood sample groups from vCJD, sCJD, non-CJD neurological diseases and normal healthy adults (blood donors) screened by ADRS were classified with 100% specificity and sensitivity, discriminating these by a co-variance expert analysis system. CONCLUSION: ADRS appears capable of recognising and discriminating serum samples from vCJD, sCJD, non-CJD neurological diseases, and normal healthy adults, and might be developed to provide a system for primary screening or confirmatory assay complementary to other screening systems. PMID- 17760959 TI - Sodium ascorbate induces apoptosis in neuroblastoma cell lines by interfering with iron uptake. AB - BACKGROUND: Neuroblastoma (NB) is an extra-cranial solid tumour of childhood. In spite of the good clinical response to first-line therapy, complete eradication of NB cells is rarely achieved. Thus, new therapeutic strategies are needed to eradicate surviving NB cells and prevent relapse. Sodium ascorbate has been recently reported to induce apoptosis of B16 melanoma cells through down regulation of the transferrin receptor, CD71. Since NB and melanoma share the same embryologic neuroectodermal origin, we used different human NB cell lines to assess whether the same findings occurred. RESULTS: We could observe dose- and time-dependent induction of apoptosis in all NB cell lines. Sodium ascorbate decreased the expression of CD71 and caused cell death within 24 h. An increase in the global and specific caspase activity took place, as well as an early loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential. Moreover, intracellular iron was significantly decreased after exposure to sodium ascorbate. Apoptotic markers were reverted when the cells were pretreated with the iron donor ferric ammonium citrate (FAC), further confirming that iron depletion is responsible for the ascorbate-induced cell death in NB cells. CONCLUSION: Sodium ascorbate is highly toxic to neuroblastoma cell lines and the specific mechanism of vitamin C-induced apoptosis is due to a perturbation of intracellular iron levels ensuing TfR downregulation. PMID- 17760960 TI - Verifying 4D gated radiotherapy using time-integrated electronic portal imaging: a phantom and clinical study. AB - BACKGROUND: Respiration-gated radiotherapy (RGRT) can decrease treatment toxicity by allowing for smaller treatment volumes for mobile tumors. RGRT is commonly performed using external surrogates of tumor motion. We describe the use of time integrated electronic portal imaging (TI-EPI) to verify the position of internal structures during RGRT delivery METHODS: TI-EPI portals were generated by continuously collecting exit dose data (aSi500 EPID, Portal vision, Varian Medical Systems) when a respiratory motion phantom was irradiated during expiration, inspiration and free breathing phases. RGRT was delivered using the Varian RPM system, and grey value profile plots over a fixed trajectory were used to study object positions. Time-related positional information was derived by subtracting grey values from TI-EPI portals sharing the pixel matrix. TI-EPI portals were also collected in 2 patients undergoing RPM-triggered RGRT for a lung and hepatic tumor (with fiducial markers), and corresponding planning 4 dimensional CT (4DCT) scans were analyzed for motion amplitude. RESULTS: Integral grey values of phantom TI-EPI portals correlated well with mean object position in all respiratory phases. Cranio-caudal motion of internal structures ranged from 17.5-20.0 mm on planning 4DCT scans. TI-EPI of bronchial images reproduced with a mean value of 5.3 mm (1 SD 3.0 mm) located cranial to planned position. Mean hepatic fiducial markers reproduced with 3.2 mm (SD 2.2 mm) caudal to planned position. After bony alignment to exclude set-up errors, mean displacement in the two structures was 2.8 mm and 1.4 mm, respectively, and corresponding reproducibility in anatomy improved to 1.6 mm (1 SD). CONCLUSION: TI-EPI appears to be a promising method for verifying delivery of RGRT. The RPM system was a good indirect surrogate of internal anatomy, but use of TI-EPI allowed for a direct link between anatomy and breathing patterns. PMID- 17760961 TI - Seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 IgG in children affected by juvenile idiopathic arthritis. AB - Parvovirus (PV) B19 is the causative agent of the childhood disease erythema infectiosum. An association of PV B19 with chronic arthropathies, sometimes resembling rheumatoid arthritis or juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), has repeatedly been described. Other studies, however, have failed to identify any such relationship. In order to study further whether there is a link between PV B19 and JIA, we determined the prevalence of PV B19 specific IgG antibodies in serum samples from children with rheumatoid diseases and compared it with the prevalence in unaffected children We reasoned that if there is an association between PV B19 and JIA, then the prevalence of PV B19 IgG in the children with JIA should be higher than in the control group. PV B19 IgG status was tested in 406 children with JIA and related diseases, and in 146 children constituting a control group. The percentage of PV B19 IgG positive children was not significantly elevated in the disease subgroups compared with age-matched control groups. In conclusion, our findings do not support the hypothesis that human parvovirus B19 is involved in the pathogenesis of JIA. PMID- 17760962 TI - A decade of inequality in maternity care: antenatal care, professional attendance at delivery, and caesarean section in Bangladesh (1991-2004). AB - BACKGROUND: Bangladesh is committed to the fifth Millennium Development Goal (MDG 5) target of reducing its maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015. Since the early 1990s, Bangladesh has followed a strategy of improving access to facilities equipped and staffed to provide emergency obstetric care (EmOC). METHODS: We used data from four Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1993 and 2004 to examine trends in the proportions of live births preceded by antenatal consultation, attended by a health professional, and delivered by caesarean section, according to key socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Utilization of antenatal care increased substantially, from 24% in 1991 to 60% in 2004. Despite a relatively greater increase in rural than urban areas, utilization remained much lower among the poorest rural women without formal education (18%) compared with the richest urban women with secondary or higher education (99%). Professional attendance at delivery increased by 50% (from 9% to 14%, more rapidly in rural than urban areas), and caesarean sections trebled (from 2% to 6%), but these indicators remained low even by developing country standards. Within these trends there were huge inequalities; 86% of live births among the richest urban women with secondary or higher education were attended by a health professional, and 35% were delivered by caesarean section, compared with 2% and 0.1% respectively of live births among the poorest rural women without formal education. The trend in professional attendance was entirely confounded by socioeconomic and demographic changes, but education of the woman and her husband remained important determinants of utilization of obstetric services. CONCLUSION: Despite commendable progress in improving uptake of antenatal care, and in equipping health facilities to provide emergency obstetric care, the very low utilization of these facilities, especially by poor women, is a major impediment to meeting MDG-5 in Bangladesh. PMID- 17760964 TI - Echocardiographic quantification of myocardial function using tissue deformation imaging, a guide to image acquisition and analysis using tissue Doppler and speckle tracking. AB - Recent developments in the field of echocardiography have allowed the cardiologist to objectively quantify regional and global myocardial function. Regional deformation (strain) and deformation rate (strain-rate) can be calculated non-invasively in both the left and right ventricle, providing information on regional (dys-)function in a variety of clinical settings. Although this promising novel technique is increasingly applied in clinical and preclinical research, knowledge about the principles, limitations and technical issues of this technique is mandatory for reliable results and for implementation both in the clinical as well as the scientific field. In this article, we aim to explain the fundamental concepts and potential clinical applicability of strain and strain-rate for both tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) derived and speckle tracking (2D-strain) derived deformation imaging. In addition, a step-by-step approach to image acquisition and post processing is proposed. Finally, clinical examples of deformation imaging in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) are presented. PMID- 17760966 TI - Characteristics of facilities with specialized programming for drinking drivers and for other criminal justice involved clients: analysis of a national database. AB - BACKGROUND: Offering specialized programming at substance abuse treatment facilities can help diversify clientele and funding sources, potentially enhancing the facilities' ability to survive and/or expand. Past research has shown that facilities only offering specialized programming for driving under the influence/driving while intoxicated offenders (DUI) are predominately private-for profit owned. As criminal justice populations, both DUI and other criminal justice offenders, comprise a large proportion of those in community-based substance abuse treatment knowing facilities' characteristics would be important for administrators and policymakers to consider when updating programming, training staff or expanding capacity to ensure efficient use of scarce resources. However, while such characteristics are known for DUI programs, they are not known for facilities offering specialized programming for other criminal justice offenders. METHODS: Analysis of the 2004 US National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities. RESULTS: Almost half the facilities (48.2%) offered either DUI or other criminal justice specialized programming. These facilities were divided between those offering DUI specialized programming (17.7%), other criminal justice specialized programming (16.6%) and both types of programming (13.9%). Certain characteristics were independently associated with offering DUI specialized programming (private ownership, rural location, for profit status) or other criminal justice specialized programming (receiving public funds, urban location, region of country). CONCLUSION: Offering specialized programming for DUI or other criminal justice offenders was common and associated with distinct characteristics. These observed associations may reflect the positioning of the facility to increase visibility, or diversify clientele and possibly funding streams or the decision of policymakers. As the criminal justice populations show no sign of decreasing and resources are scarce, the efficient use of resources demands policymakers recognize the prevalence of these specialized programming, join forces to examine them for efficacy, and explicitly incorporate these characteristics into strategies for workforce training and plans for treatment expansion. PMID- 17760965 TI - Influence of household demographic and socio-economic factors on household expenditure on tobacco in six New Independent States. AB - BACKGROUND: To identify demographic and socio-economic factors that are associated with household expenditure on tobacco in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, and Tajikistan. METHODS: Secondary analysis of the data available through the World Bank Living Standards Monitoring Survey conducted in aforementioned countries in 1995-2000. The role of different variables (e.g. mean age of household members, household area of residence, household size, share of adult males, share of members with high education) in determining household expenditure on tobacco (defined as tobacco expenditure share out of total monthly HH consumption) was assessed by using multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between mean expenditure on tobacco between rich and poor - in absolute terms the rich spend significantly more compared with the poor. Poor households devote significantly higher shares of their monthly HH consumption for tobacco products. Shares of adult males were significantly associated with the share of household consumption devoted for tobacco. There was a significant negative association between shares of persons with tertiary education within the HH and shares of monthly household consumption devoted for tobacco products. The correlation between household expenditures on tobacco and alcohol was found to be positive, rather weak, but statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Given the high levels of poverty and high rates of smoking in the New Independent States, these findings have important policy implications. They indicate that the impact and opportunity costs of smoking on household finances are more significant for the poor than for the rich. Any reductions in smoking prevalence within poor households could have a positive economic impact. PMID- 17760963 TI - Spermatozoal sensitive biomarkers to defective protaminosis and fragmented DNA. AB - Human sperm DNA damage may have adverse effects on reproductive outcome. Infertile men possess substantially more spermatozoa with damaged DNA compared to fertile donors. Although the extent of this abnormality is closely related to sperm function, the underlying etiology of ensuing male infertility is still largely controversial. Both intra-testicular and post-testicular events have been postulated and different mechanisms have been proposed to explain the presence of damaged DNA in human spermatozoa. Three among them, i.e. abnormal chromatin packaging, oxidative stress and apoptosis, are the most studied and discussed in the present review. Furthermore, results from numerous investigations are presented, including our own findings on these pathological conditions, as well as the techniques applied for their evaluation. The crucial points of each methodology on the successful detection of DNA damage and their validity on the appraisal of infertile patients are also discussed. Along with the conventional parameters examined in the standard semen analysis, evaluation of damaged sperm DNA seems to complement the investigation of factors affecting male fertility and may prove an efficient diagnostic tool in the prediction of pregnancy outcome. PMID- 17760967 TI - Malaria prevalence in Nias District, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. AB - BACKGROUND: The Nias district of the North Sumatra Province of Indonesia has long been known to be endemic for malaria. Following the economic crisis at the end of 1998 and the subsequent tsunami and earthquake, in December 2004 and March 2005, respectively, the malaria control programme in the area deteriorated. The present study aims to provide baseline data for the establishment of a suitable malaria control programme in the area and to analyse the frequency distribution of drug resistance alleles associated with resistance to chloroquine and sulphadoxine pyrimethamine. METHODS: Malariometric and entomology surveys were performed in three subdistricts. Thin and thick blood smears were stained with Giemsa and examined under binocular light microscopy. Blood blots on filter paper were also prepared for isolation of parasite and host DNA to be used for molecular analysis of band 3 (SAO), pfcrt, pfmdr1, dhfr, and dhps. In addition, haemoglobin measurement was performed in the second and third surveys for the subjects less than 10 years old. RESULTS: Results of the three surveys revealed an average slide positivity rate of 8.13%, with a relatively higher rate in certain foci. Host genetic analysis, to identify the Band 3 deletion associated with Southeast Asian Ovalocytosis (SAO), revealed an overall frequency of 1.0% among the 1,484 samples examined. One hundred six Plasmodium falciparum isolates from three sub districts were successfully analysed. Alleles of the dhfr and dhps genes associated with resistance to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, dhfr C59R and S108N, and dhps A437G and K540E, were present at frequencies of 52.2%, 82.5%, 1.18% and 1.18%, respectively. The pfmdr1 alleles N86Y and N1042D, putatively associated with mefloquine resistance, were present at 31.4% and 2%, respectively. All but one sample carried the pfcrt 76T allele associated with chloroquine resistance. Entomologic surveys identified three potential anopheline vectors in the area, Anopheles barbirostris, Anopheles kochi and Anopheles sundaicus. CONCLUSION: The cross sectional surveys in three different sub-districts of Nias District clearly demonstrated the presence of relatively stable endemic foci of malaria in Nias District, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Molecular analysis of the malaria parasite isolates collected from this area strongly indicates resistance to chloroquine and a growing threat of resistance to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine. This situation highlights the need to develop sustainable malaria control measures through regular surveillance and proper antimalarial drug deployment. PMID- 17760968 TI - Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist delivered directly and by gene therapy inhibits matrix degradation in the intact degenerate human intervertebral disc: an in situ zymographic and gene therapy study. AB - Data implicate IL-1 in the altered matrix biology that characterizes human intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. In the current study we investigated the enzymic mechanism by which IL-1 induces matrix degradation in degeneration of the human IVD, and whether the IL-1 inhibitor IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) will inhibit degradation. A combination of in situ zymography (ISZ) and immunohistochemistry was used to examine the effects of IL-1 and IL-1Ra on matrix degradation and metal-dependent protease (MDP) expression in explants of non degenerate and degenerate human IVDs. ISZ employed three substrates (gelatin, collagen, casein) and different challenges (IL-1beta, IL-1Ra and enzyme inhibitors). Immunohistochemistry was undertaken for MDPs. In addition, IL-1Ra was introduced into degenerate IVD explants using genetically engineered constructs. The novel findings from this study are: IL-1Ra delivered directly onto explants of degenerate IVDs eliminates matrix degradation as assessed by multi-substrate ISZ; there is a direct relationship between matrix degradation assessed by ISZ and MDP expression defined by immunohistochemistry; single injections of IVD cells engineered to over-express IL-1Ra significantly inhibit MDP expression for two weeks. Our findings show that IL-1 is a key cytokine driving matrix degradation in the degenerate IVD. Furthermore, IL-1Ra delivered directly or by gene therapy inhibits IVD matrix degradation. IL-1Ra could be used therapeutically to inhibit degeneration of the IVD. PMID- 17760969 TI - antiCODE: a natural sense-antisense transcripts database. AB - BACKGROUND: Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) are endogenous RNA molecules that exhibit partial or complete complementarity to other RNAs, and that may contribute to the regulation of molecular functions at various levels. In recent years, large-scale NAT screens in several model organisms have produced much data, but there is no database to assemble all these data. AntiCODE intends to function as an integrated NAT database for this purpose. RESULTS: This release of antiCODE contains more than 30,000 non-redundant natural sense-antisense transcript pairs from 12 eukaryotic model organisms. In order to provide an integrated NAT research platform, efficient browser, search and Blast functions have been included to enable users to easily access information through parameters such as species, accession number, overlapping patterns, coding potential etc. In addition to the collected information, antiCODE also introduces a simple classification system to facilitate the study of natural antisense transcripts. CONCLUSION: Though a few similar databases also dealing with NATs have appeared lately, antiCODE is the most comprehensive among these, comprising almost all currently detected NAT pairs. PMID- 17760972 TI - Apollo2Go: a web service adapter for the Apollo genome viewer to enable distributed genome annotation. AB - BACKGROUND: Apollo, a genome annotation viewer and editor, has become a widely used genome annotation and visualization tool for distributed genome annotation projects. When using Apollo for annotation, database updates are carried out by uploading intermediate annotation files into the respective database. This non direct database upload is laborious and evokes problems of data synchronicity. RESULTS: To overcome these limitations we extended the Apollo data adapter with a generic, configurable web service client that is able to retrieve annotation data in a GAME-XML-formatted string and pass it on to Apollo's internal input routine. CONCLUSION: This Apollo web service adapter, Apollo2Go, simplifies the data exchange in distributed projects and aims to render the annotation process more comfortable. The Apollo2Go software is freely available from ftp://ftpmips.gsf.de/plants/apollo_webservice. PMID- 17760971 TI - Living environment and self assessed morbidity: a questionnaire-based survey. AB - BACKGROUND: Health complaints have been reported to be higher among the industrial area residents when compared with reference community. METHODS: Such reports being only a few, a questionnaire survey was conducted in three different areas (Industrial, Residential, Commercial) of Ahmedabad city of India to determine the pattern of morbidity and to do a comparative analysis of different areas within the city. RESULTS: A total of 679 families (243 from commercial, 199 from residential and 237 from industrial area) were included in this study. This study revealed that apart from presence of industry in close proximity to residence (99.2%), industrial area residents are having many other disadvantages from the point of view of public health like waste water stagnation (87.4%), problem of cooking smoke (33.2%) and presence of garbage dumps near residence (72.8%). Consequently, problems like coughing, wheezing, eye irritation, skin irritation, jaundice, asthma, and dental caries have been observed to be more common in industrial area. Comparative risk calculated in terms of odds ratio for different such problems have ranged from 1.83 to 6.2 when industrial area was compared with commercial area. Similarly on comparison of industrial area with residential area, odds ratio for different problems have ranged from 1.82 to 11.5. CONCLUSION: This study has pointed out the need of separate planning and implementation of specific upliftment programs for addressing the environmental as well as public health issues of industrial localities. PMID- 17760970 TI - Transcriptional control of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in extreme phenotypes for berry pigmentation of naturally occurring grapevines. AB - BACKGROUND: Fruit coloration of red-skinned grapevines is mainly due to anthocyanin pigments. We analysed a panel of nine cultivars that included extreme phenotypes for berry colour, ranging from green (absence of anthocyanins) to red, purple, violet and blue. Expression of six genes of the anthocyanin pathway coding for flavanone-hydroxylase (F3H), flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase (F3'H), flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase (F3'5'H), UDP-glucose:flavonoid-3-O glucosyltransferase (UFGT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), O-methyltransferase (OMT) and four transcription factors (MybA, MybB, MybC, MybD) was analysed by quantitative RT-PCR at four developmental stages from before the onset of ripening until full maturity and compared to anthocyanin metabolites. RESULTS: Total anthocyanin content at full maturity correlated well with the cumulative expression of F3H, UFGT and GST throughout ripening. Transcripts of the last two genes were absent in the green-skinned cultivar 'Sauvignonasse', also known as 'Tocai friulano', and were at least 10-fold less abundant in pale red cultivars, such as 'Pinot gris' and 'Gewurztraminer', compared to fully coloured cultivars. Predominance of tri-hydroxylated anthocyanins (delphinidin, petunidin and malvidin) in cultivars bearing dark berries with violet and blue hue was associated with higher ratios of F3'5'H/F3'H transcription, compared to red skinned cultivars. Higher levels of OMT transcripts were observed in berries of cultivars that accumulated methoxylated forms of anthocyanins more abundantly than non-methoxylated forms. CONCLUSION: Colour variation of the grape berry conforms to a peculiar pattern of genotype-specific expression of the whole set of anthocyanin genes in a direct transcript-metabolite-phenotype relationship. Cumulative mRNA levels of the structural genes and their relative abundance throughout ripening explained per se the final phenotype for anthocyanin content, anthocyanin composition, colour intensity and colour hue of grapes at berry maturity. PMID- 17760973 TI - Cholangiocarcinoma presenting as a solitary epididymal metastasis: a case report and review of the literature. AB - BACKGROUND: Solid tumor metastasis to the epididymis is a rare occurrence and is mostly discovered incidentally at autopsy or after therapeutic orchidectomy for prostate cancer. Other primary carcinomas that have been demonstrated to metastasize to the paratesticular region include those originating in the stomach, kidney, ileum, and colon. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old gentleman presented with a firm and tender mass involving the right epididymis. On examination, he was jaundiced. Computed tomography of the abdomen demonstrated an obstructive stricture of the extra-hepatic bile ducts, in keeping with a cholangiocarcinoma, through which a metal stent was endoscopically inserted for symptomatic relief.Subsequent right radical orchidectomy yielded a diffusely infiltrative adenocarcinoma obliterating the epididymis, extending into the rete testis, vas deferens and spermatic cord and showing widespread vascular and perineural invasion. Residual epididymal, rete, and testicular tubules showed no in situ neoplasia. Morphologically and immunohistochemically the features were in keeping with a metastasis from a primary cholangiocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: Only two cases of bile duct carcinoma metastasising to the male genital tract have previously been reported in the literature, the testis being the main site of metastasis in both cases. To our knowledge, this is the first described case of cholangiocarcinoma metastasising primarily to the epididymis, and presenting as a solitary epididymal metastasis in the absence of disseminated disease. It serves to highlight the importance of performing a thorough examination of the male external genitalia both clinically, in the follow up of cancer patients, and at autopsy. PMID- 17760974 TI - Impact of the "Tobacco control law" on exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in Spain. AB - BACKGROUND: The initial evaluations of the introduction of legislation that regulates smoking in enclosed public places in European countries, describe an important effect in the control of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. However, the evidence is still limited. The objective of this study is to estimate the short-term effects of the comprehensive "Tobacco control law" introduced in Spain on January 2006, which includes a total ban of smoking in workplaces and a partial limitation of smoking in bars and restaurants. METHODS: Cross-sectional, population-based study. The self-reported exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at home, at work, in bars and restaurants of the population aged 18 to 64 years in the Madrid Region during a period prior to the law (October and November 2005; n = 1750) was compared to that of the period immediately after the law came into force (January-July 2006; n = 1252). Adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated using logistic regression models. RESULTS: Passive exposure to tobacco smoke at home has hardly changed. However, at indoor workplaces there has been a considerable reduction: after the law came into force the OR for daily exposure > 0-3 hours versus non-exposure was 0.11 (95% CI: 0.07 to 0.17) and for more than 3 hours, 0.12 (95% CI: 0.09 to 0.18). For fairly high exposure in bars and restaurants versus non-exposure, the OR in the former was 0.30 (95% CI: 0.20 to 0.44) and in the latter was 0.24 (95% CI: 0.18 to 0.32); for very high exposure versus non-exposure they were 0.16 (95% CI: 0.10 to 0.24) and 0.11 (95% CI: 0.07 to 0.19), respectively. These results were similar for the smoking and non-smoking populations. CONCLUSION: A considerable reduction in exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace and, to a lesser extent, in bars and restaurants, is related to the implementation of the "Tobacco control law". Although only initial figures, these results already demonstrate the effectiveness of strategies that establish control measures to guarantee smoke free places. PMID- 17760975 TI - Synchronously diagnosed lymph nodal collision tumor of malignant melanoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma: case report. AB - Synchronous composite tumors have been described but are uncommon. Moreover, simultaneous occurrence of synchronous tumors in the same tissue or organ is even less common. We report a case of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma and malignant melanoma (MM) occurring synchronously in the same lymph node. Several cases of an association between cutaneous malignancies and lymphoproliferative disorders have been reported. Some of which included CLL and MM, occurring in the same patient often CLL after MM. The risk of having CLL after MM has been reported to be increased. Various genetic and environmental etiologies have been postulated, but have as yet not been proven. To our knowledge this is the first time that synchronous occurrence of these two malignant processes in the same tissue is described. In this case it is important that the melanoma was recognized in the excised lymph node, as this finding had much more critical treatment and long term survival consequences. PMID- 17760976 TI - Preventable hospitalization and access to primary health care in an area of Southern Italy. AB - BACKGROUND: Ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSC), such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, are conditions that can be managed with timely and effective outpatient care reducing the need of hospitalization. Avoidable hospitalizations for ACSC have been used to assess access, quality and performance of the primary care delivery system. The aims of this study were to quantify the proportion of avoidable hospital admissions for ACSCs, to identify the related patient's socio demographic profile and health conditions, to assess the relationship between the primary care access characteristics and preventable hospitalizations, and the usefulness of avoidable hospitalizations for ACSCs to monitor the effectiveness of primary health care. METHODS: A random sample of 520 medical records of patients admitted to medical wards (Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Pneumology, Geriatrics) of a non-teaching acute care 717-bed hospital located in Catanzaro (Italy) were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 31.5% of the hospitalizations in the sample were judged to be preventable. Of these, 40% were for congestive heart failure, 23.2% for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 13.5% for angina without procedure, 8.4% for hypertension, and 7.1% for bacterial pneumonia. Preventable hospitalizations were significantly associated to age and sex since they were higher in older patients and in males. The proportion of patients who had a preventable hospitalization significantly increased with regard to the number of hospital admissions in the previous year and to the number of patients for each primary care physician (PCP), with lower number of PCP accesses and PCP medical visits in the previous year, with less satisfaction about PCP health services, and, finally, with worse self-reported health status and shorter length of hospital stay. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study add to the evidence and the urgency of developing and implementing effective interventions to improve delivery of health care at the community level and provided support to the usefulness of avoidable hospitalizations for ACSCs to monitor this process. PMID- 17760977 TI - CONDOR: a database resource of developmentally associated conserved non-coding elements. AB - BACKGROUND: Comparative genomics is currently one of the most popular approaches to study the regulatory architecture of vertebrate genomes. Fish-mammal genomic comparisons have proved powerful in identifying conserved non-coding elements likely to be distal cis-regulatory modules such as enhancers, silencers or insulators that control the expression of genes involved in the regulation of early development. The scientific community is showing increasing interest in characterizing the function, evolution and language of these sequences. Despite this, there remains little in the way of user-friendly access to a large dataset of such elements in conjunction with the analysis and the visualization tools needed to study them. DESCRIPTION: Here we present CONDOR (COnserved Non-coDing Orthologous Regions) available at: http://condor.fugu.biology.qmul.ac.uk. In an interactive and intuitive way the website displays data on > 6800 non-coding elements associated with over 120 early developmental genes and conserved across vertebrates. The database regularly incorporates results of ongoing in vivo zebrafish enhancer assays of the CNEs carried out in-house, which currently number approximately 100. Included and highlighted within this set are elements derived from duplication events both at the origin of vertebrates and more recently in the teleost lineage, thus providing valuable data for studying the divergence of regulatory roles between paralogs. CONDOR therefore provides a number of tools and facilities to allow scientists to progress in their own studies on the function and evolution of developmental cis-regulation. CONCLUSION: By providing access to data with an approachable graphics interface, the CONDOR database presents a rich resource for further studies into the regulation and evolution of genes involved in early development. PMID- 17760978 TI - Abnormal oscillatory brain dynamics in schizophrenia: a sign of deviant communication in neural network? AB - BACKGROUND: Slow waves in the delta (0.5-4 Hz) frequency range are indications of normal activity in sleep. In neurological disorders, focal electric and magnetic slow wave activity is generated in the vicinity of structural brain lesions. Initial studies, including our own, suggest that the distribution of the focal concentration of generators of slow waves (dipole density in the delta frequency band) also distinguishes patients with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, affective disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder. METHODS: The present study examined the distribution of focal slow wave activity (ASWA: abnormal slow wave activity) in 116 healthy subjects, 76 inpatients with schizophrenic or schizoaffective diagnoses and 42 inpatients with affective (ICD 10: F3) or neurotic/reactive (F4) diagnoses using a newly refined measure of dipole density. Based on 5-min resting magnetoencephalogram (MEG), sources of activity in the 1-4 Hz frequency band were determined by equivalent dipole fitting in anatomically defined cortical regions. RESULTS: Compared to healthy subjects the schizophrenia sample was characterized by significantly more intense slow wave activity, with maxima in frontal and central areas. In contrast, affective disorder patients exhibited less slow wave generators mainly in frontal and central regions when compared to healthy subjects and schizophrenia patients. In both samples, frontal ASWA were related to affective symptoms. CONCLUSION: In schizophrenic patients, the regions of ASWA correspond to those identified for gray matter loss. This suggests that ASWA might be evaluated as a measure of altered neuronal network architecture and communication, which may mediate psychopathological signs. PMID- 17760980 TI - Common and specific genomic sequences of avian and human extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli as determined by genomic subtractive hybridization. AB - BACKGROUND: Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) strategy was used with extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (EXPEC) that cause avian colibacillosis (avian pathogenic E. coli or APEC) and human urinary tract infections (uropathogenic E. coli or UPEC) to determine if they possessed genes that were host and/or niche specific. Both APEC and UPEC isolates were used as tester and driver strains in 4 different SSHs in order to obtain APEC- and UPEC specific subtraction fragments (SFs). RESULTS: These procedures yielded a total of 136 tester-specific SFs of which 85 were APEC-derived and 51 were UPEC derived. Most of the APEC-derived SFs were associated with plasmids; whereas, the majority of UPEC-derived sequences matched to the bacterial chromosome. We further determined the distribution of these tester-derived sequences in a collection of UPEC and APEC isolates using polymerase chain reaction techniques. Plasmid-borne, APEC-derived sequences (tsh, cvaB, traR, traC and sopB) were predominantly present in APEC, as compared to UPEC. Of the UPEC-derived SFs, those encoding hemolysin D and F1C major and minor fimbrial subunits were present only in UPEC. However, two UPEC-derived SFs that showed strong similarity to the uropathgenic-specific protein gene (usp) occurred in APEC, demonstrating that usp is not specific to UPEC. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of the genetic variability of ExPEC as well as genomic similarities between UPEC and APEC; it did not identify any single marker that would dictate host and/or niche specificity in APEC or UPEC. However, further studies on the genes that encode putative or hypothetical proteins might offer important insight into the pathogenesis of disease, as caused by these two ExPEC. PMID- 17760979 TI - Socio-demographic determinants of coinfections by HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses in central Italian prisoners. AB - BACKGROUND: The coinfections HIV/HCV/HBV are an important health issue in penitentiary communities. The aim of the study was to examine HIV, HBV and HCV coinfections determinants amongst prisoners in the jails of Southern Lazio (Central Italy), in the period 1995-2000. METHODS: Diagnosis of seropositivities for HIV, HBV and HCV was made using ELISA method. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to verify the influence of socio-demographic factors on the HIV/HBV/HCV coinfections. RESULTS: HIV/HCV, HBV/HCV and HIV/HBV coinfections were detected in 42 (4%), 203 (17.9%) and 31 (2.9%) inmates, respectively. These coinfections are significantly associated with the status of drug addiction (OR = 16.02; p = 0.012; OR = 4.15; p < 0.001; OR = 23.57; p = 0.002), smoking habits (OR = 3.73; p = 0.033; OR = 1.42; p = 0.088; OR = 4.25; p = 0.053) and Italian nationality (OR = 7.05; p = 0.009; OR = 2.31; p < 0.001; OR = 4.61; p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV seropositivity in jails suggests that information and education programs for inmates could be useful to reduce the spread of such infections. PMID- 17760981 TI - The efficacy of physiotherapy upon shoulder function following axillary dissection in breast cancer, a randomized controlled study. AB - BACKGROUND: Many patients suffer from severe shoulder complaints after breast cancer surgery and axillary lymph node dissection. Physiotherapy has been clinically observed to improve treatment of these patients. However, it is not a standard treatment regime. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of physiotherapy treatment of shoulder function, pain and quality of life in patients who have undergone breast cancer surgery and axillary lymph node dissection. METHODS: Thirty patients following breast cancer surgery and axillary lymph node dissection were included in a randomised controlled study. Assessments were made at baseline and after three and six months. The treatment group received standardised physiotherapy treatment of advice and exercises for the arm and shoulder for three months; the control group received a leaflet containing advice and exercises. If necessary soft tissue massage to the surgical scar was applied. Primary outcome variables were amount of pain in the shoulder/arm recorded on the Visual Analogue Scale, and shoulder mobility (flexion, abduction) measured using a digital inclinometer under standardized conditions. Secondary outcome measures were shoulder disabilities during daily activities, edema, grip strength of both hands and quality of life. The researcher was blinded to treatment allocation. RESULTS: All thirty patients completed the trial. After three and six months the treatment group showed a significant improvement in shoulder mobility and had significantly less pain than the control group. Quality of life improved significantly, however, handgrip strength and arm volume did not alter significantly. CONCLUSION: Physiotherapy reduces pain and improves shoulder function and quality of life following axillary dissection after breast cancer. PMID- 17760982 TI - Automatic generation of 3D motifs for classification of protein binding sites. AB - BACKGROUND: Since many of the new protein structures delivered by high-throughput processes do not have any known function, there is a need for structure-based prediction of protein function. Protein 3D structures can be clustered according to their fold or secondary structures to produce classes of some functional significance. A recent alternative has been to detect specific 3D motifs which are often associated to active sites. Unfortunately, there are very few known 3D motifs, which are usually the result of a manual process, compared to the number of sequential motifs already known. In this paper, we report a method to automatically generate 3D motifs of protein structure binding sites based on consensus atom positions and evaluate it on a set of adenine based ligands. RESULTS: Our new approach was validated by generating automatically 3D patterns for the main adenine based ligands, i.e. AMP, ADP and ATP. Out of the 18 detected patterns, only one, the ADP4 pattern, is not associated with well defined structural patterns. Moreover, most of the patterns could be classified as binding site 3D motifs. Literature research revealed that the ADP4 pattern actually corresponds to structural features which show complex evolutionary links between ligases and transferases. Therefore, all of the generated patterns prove to be meaningful. Each pattern was used to query all PDB proteins which bind either purine based or guanine based ligands, in order to evaluate the classification and annotation properties of the pattern. Overall, our 3D patterns matched 31% of proteins with adenine based ligands and 95.5% of them were classified correctly. CONCLUSION: A new metric has been introduced allowing the classification of proteins according to the similarity of atomic environment of binding sites, and a methodology has been developed to automatically produce 3D patterns from that classification. A study of proteins binding adenine based ligands showed that these 3D patterns are not only biochemically meaningful, but can be used for protein classification and annotation. PMID- 17760983 TI - Statistical validation of megavariate effects in ASCA. AB - BACKGROUND: Innovative extensions of (M) ANOVA gain common ground for the analysis of designed metabolomics experiments. ASCA is such a multivariate analysis method; it has successfully estimated effects in megavariate metabolomics data from biological experiments. However, rigorous statistical validation of megavariate effects is still problematic because megavariate extensions of the classical F-test do not exist. METHODS: A permutation approach is used to validate megavariate effects observed with ASCA. By permuting the class labels of the underlying experimental design, a distribution of no-effect is calculated. If the observed effect is clearly different from this distribution the effect is deemed significant RESULTS: The permutation approach is studied using simulated data which gave successful results. It was then used on real-life metabolomics data set dealing with bromobenzene-dosed rats. In this metabolomics experiment the dosage and time-interaction effect were validated, both effects are significant. Histological screening of the treated rats' liver agrees with this finding. CONCLUSION: The suggested procedure gives approximate p-values for testing effects underlying metabolomics data sets. Therefore, performing model validation is possible using the proposed procedure. PMID- 17760984 TI - Obstacles for optimal tuberculosis case detection in primary health centers (PHC) in Sidoarjo district, East Java, Indonesia. AB - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a major health problem worldwide. Detection of the most infectious cases of tuberculosis - sputum smear-positive pulmonary cases - by passive case finding is an essential component of TB control. The district of Sidoarjo in East Java reported a low case detection rate (CDR) of 14% in 2003. We evaluated the diagnostic process for TB in primary health care centers (PHC) in Sidoarjo district to assess whether problems in identification of TB suspects or in diagnosing TB patients can explain the low CDR. METHODS: We performed interviews with the staff (general nurse, TB worker, laboratory technician, and head of health center) of the 25 PHCs of Sidoarjo district to obtain information about the knowledge of TB, health education practices, and availability of support services for TB diagnosis. The quality of the laboratory diagnosis was examined by providing 10 slides with a known result to the laboratory technicians for re-examination. RESULTS: Eighty percent of the nurses and 84% of the TB workers knew that cough >3 weeks can be a symptom of TB. Only 40% of the nurses knew the cause of TB, few could mention complications of TB and none could mention the duration of infectiousness after start of treatment. Knowledge of TB workers was much better. Information about how to produce a good sputum sample was provided to TB suspects by 76% of the nurses and 84% of the TB workers. Only few provided all information. Fifty-five percent of the 11 laboratory technicians correctly identified all positive slides as positive and 45% correctly identified 100% of the negative slides as negative. All TB workers, one general nurses and 32% of the laboratory technicians had received specific training in TB control. There has been no shortage of TB forms and laboratory materials in 96% of the PHCs. CONCLUSION: The quality of the diagnostic process for TB at PHC in Sidoarjo district should be improved on all levels. Training in TB control of all general nurses and the laboratory technicians that have not received training would be a good first step to enhance diagnosis of TB and to improve the case detection rate. PMID- 17760985 TI - Exploring the midgut transcriptome of Phlebotomus papatasi: comparative analysis of expression profiles of sugar-fed, blood-fed and Leishmania-major-infected sandflies. AB - BACKGROUND: In sandflies, the blood meal is responsible for the induction of several physiologic processes that culminate in egg development and maturation. During blood feeding, infected sandflies are also able to transmit the parasite Leishmania to a suitable host. Many blood-induced molecules play significant roles during Leishmania development in the sandfly midgut, including parasite killing within the endoperitrophic space. In this work, we randomly sequenced transcripts from three distinct high quality full-length female Phlebotomus papatasi midgut-specific cDNA libraries from sugar-fed, blood-fed and Leishmania major-infected sandflies. Furthermore, we compared the transcript expression profiles from the three different cDNA libraries by customized bioinformatics analysis and validated these findings by semi-quantitative PCR and real-time PCR. RESULTS: Transcriptome analysis of 4010 cDNA clones resulted in the identification of the most abundant P. papatasi midgut-specific transcripts. The identified molecules included those with putative roles in digestion and peritrophic matrix formation, among others. Moreover, we identified sandfly midgut transcripts that are expressed only after a blood meal, such as microvilli associated-like protein (PpMVP1, PpMVP2 and PpMVP3), a peritrophin (PpPer1), trypsin 4 (PpTryp4), chymotrypsin PpChym2, and two unknown proteins. Of interest, many of these overabundant transcripts such as PpChym2, PpMVP1, PpMVP2, PpPer1 and PpPer2 were of lower abundance when the sandfly was given a blood meal in the presence of L. major. CONCLUSION: This tissue-specific transcriptome analysis provides a comprehensive look at the repertoire of transcripts present in the midgut of the sandfly P. papatasi. Furthermore, the customized bioinformatic analysis allowed us to compare and identify the overall transcript abundance from sugar-fed, blood-fed and Leishmania-infected sandflies. The suggested upregulation of specific transcripts in a blood-fed cDNA library were validated by real-time PCR, suggesting that this customized bioinformatic analysis is a powerful and accurate tool useful in analysing expression profiles from different cDNA libraries. Additionally, the findings presented in this work suggest that the Leishmania parasite is modulating key enzymes or proteins in the gut of the sandfly that may be beneficial for its establishment and survival. PMID- 17760987 TI - PKC epsilon and an increase in intracellular calcium concentration are necessary for PGF2 alpha to inhibit LH-stimulated progesterone secretion in cultured bovine steroidogenic luteal cells. AB - The hypotheses that PKC epsilon is necessary for: 1) PGF2 alpha to inhibit LH stimulated progesterone (P4) secretion, and 2) for the expression of key prostaglandin synthesizing/metabolizing enzymes were tested in bovine luteal cells in which PKC epsilon expression had been ablated using a validated siRNA protocol. Steroidogenic cells from Day -6 bovine corpus luteum (CL) were isolated and transfected to reduce PKC epsilon expression after 48, 72 and 96 h. A third tested hypothesis was that an increase in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) is the cellular mechanism through which PGF2 alpha inhibits luteal progesterone. The hypothesis was tested with two pharmacological agents. In the first test, the dose-dependent effects on raising the [Ca(2+)]i with the ionophore, A23187, on basal and LH-stimulated P4 secretion in cells collected from early (Day -4) and mid-cycle (Day -10) bovine CL was examined. In the second test, the ability of PGF2 alpha to inhibit LH-stimulated P4 secretion in Day-10 luteal cells was examined under conditions in which an elevation in [Ca(2+)]i had been buffered by means of the intracellular calcium chelator, Bapta-AM.PKC epsilon expression was reduced 65 and 75% by 72 and 96 h after transfection, respectively. In cells in which PKC epsilon expression was ablated by 75%, the inhibitory effect of PGF2 alpha on LH-stimulated P4 secretion was only 29% lower than in the LH-stimulated group. In contrast, it was reduced by 75% in the group where PKC epsilon expression had not been reduced (P < 0.05). Real time PCR analysis indicated that there were no differences in the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), aldoketoreductase 1B5 (AKR1B5), prostaglandin E synthase (PGES), hydroxyprostaglandin-15 dehydrogenase (PGDH) and PGE2 -9 reductase as a function of PKC epsilon down-regulation. Finally, LH stimulated secretion of P4 at each luteal stage (Day -4 and -10), and PGF2 alpha inhibited this only in Day -10 cells (P < 0.05). When A23187 was used at concentrations greater than 0.1 mumol, the induced elevation in [Ca(2+)]i inhibited the effect of LH on secretion of P4 in Day -4 and -10 cells (P < 0.05, Fig. 5). The inhibitory effect of PGF2 alpha on LH-stimulated P4 in Day -10 cells was reduced if an increase in [Ca(2+)]i was prevented with Bapta-AM. These results support the hypothesis that differential expression of PKC epsilon and an elevation of [Ca(2+)]i are important for acquisition of luteolytic response to PGF2 alpha. PMID- 17760986 TI - The influence of personal and environmental factors on professionalism in medical education. AB - BACKGROUND: Professionalism is a critical quality for physicians to possess. Physician professionalism has received increased attention in recent years, with many authorities suggesting that professionalism is in decline. An understanding of the factors contributing to professionalism may allow the development of more effective approaches to promoting this quality in medical education. DISCUSSION: We propose a model of personal and environmental factors that contribute to physician professionalism. Personal factors include distress/well-being, individual characteristics, and interpersonal qualities. Environmental factors include institutional culture, formal and informal curricula, and practice characteristics. Promotion of professionalism requires efforts directed at each of these elements. SUMMARY: One responsibility of medical education is to foster the development of professionalism among its learners. Both personal and environmental factors play a role in physician professionalism. Accordingly, institutions should consider these factors as efforts to promote physician professionalism evolve. PMID- 17760989 TI - Measuring perinatal complications: methodologic issues related to gestational age. AB - BACKGROUND: Perinatal outcomes differ by week of gestational age. However, it appears that how measures to examine these outcomes vary among various studies. The current paper explores how perinatal complications are reported and how they might differ when different denominators, numerators, and comparison groups are utilized. CONCLUSION: One issue that can clearly affect absolute rates and trends is how groups of women are categorized by their gestational age. Since most perinatal outcomes can only occur in women and neonates who have delivered, using the number of pregnancies delivered (PD) as the denominator of outcomes is appropriate. However, for an outcome such as antepartum stillbirth, all women who are pregnant at a particular gestational age are at risk. Thus, the denominator should include all ongoing pregnancies (OP). When gestational age is used by week this means using both deliveries during a particular week plus those women who deliver beyond the particular week of gestation in the denominator. Researchers should be careful to make sure they are utilizing the appropriate measure of perinatal complications so they do not report findings that would be misleading to clinicians, patients, and policy makers. PMID- 17760988 TI - The Clinical Assessment Study of the Hand (CAS-HA): a prospective study of musculoskeletal hand problems in the general population. AB - BACKGROUND: Pain in the hand affects an estimated 12-21% of the population, and at older ages the hand is one of the most common sites of pain and osteoarthritis. The association between symptomatic hand osteoarthritis and disability in everyday life has not been studied in detail, although there is evidence that older people with hand problems suffer significant pain and disability. Despite the high prevalence of hand problems and the limitations they cause in older adults, little attention has been paid to the hand by health planners and policy makers. We plan to conduct a prospective, population-based, observational cohort study designed in parallel with our previously reported cohort study of knee pain, to describe the course of musculoskeletal hand problems in older adults and investigate the relative merits of different approaches to classification and defining prognosis. METHODS/DESIGN: All adults aged 50 years and over registered with two general practices in North Staffordshire will be invited to take part in a two-stage postal survey. Respondents to the survey who indicate that they have experienced hand pain or problems within the previous 12 months will be invited to attend a research clinic for a detailed assessment. This will consist of clinical interview, hand assessment, screening test of lower limb function, digital photography, plain x rays, anthropometric measurement and brief self-complete questionnaire. All consenting clinic attenders will be followed up by (i) general practice medical record review, (ii) repeat postal questionnaire at 18-months, and (iii) repeat postal questionnaire at 3 years. DISCUSSION: This paper describes the protocol for the Clinical Assessment Study of the Hand (CAS-HA), a prospective, population based, observational cohort study of community-dwelling older adults with hand pain and hand problems based in North Staffordshire. PMID- 17760990 TI - Comparison of estimation capabilities of response surface methodology (RSM) with artificial neural network (ANN) in lipase-catalyzed synthesis of palm-based wax ester. AB - BACKGROUND: Wax esters are important ingredients in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, lubricants and other chemical industries due to their excellent wetting property. Since the naturally occurring wax esters are expensive and scarce, these esters can be produced by enzymatic alcoholysis of vegetable oils. In an enzymatic reaction, study on modeling and optimization of the reaction system to increase the efficiency of the process is very important. The classical method of optimization involves varying one parameter at a time that ignores the combined interactions between physicochemical parameters. RSM is one of the most popular techniques used for optimization of chemical and biochemical processes and ANNs are powerful and flexible tools that are well suited to modeling biochemical processes. RESULTS: The coefficient of determination (R2) and absolute average deviation (AAD) values between the actual and estimated responses were determined as 1 and 0.002844 for ANN training set, 0.994122 and 1.289405 for ANN test set, and 0.999619 and 0.0256 for RSM training set respectively. The predicted optimum condition was: reaction time 7.38 h, temperature 53.9 degrees C, amount of enzyme 0.149 g, and substrate molar ratio 1:3.41. The actual experimental percentage yield was 84.6% at optimum condition, which compared well to the maximum predicted value by ANN (83.9%) and RSM (85.4%). The order of effective parameters on wax ester percentage yield were; respectively, time with 33.69%, temperature with 30.68%, amount of enzyme with 18.78% and substrate molar ratio with 16.85%, whereas R2 and AAD were determined as 0.99998696 and 1.377 for ANN, and 0.99991515 and 3.131 for RSM respectively. CONCLUSION: Though both models provided good quality predictions in this study, yet the ANN showed a clear superiority over RSM for both data fitting and estimation capabilities. PMID- 17760991 TI - The clinical meaningfulness of ADAS-Cog changes in Alzheimer's disease patients treated with donepezil in an open-label trial. AB - BACKGROUND: In 6-month anti-dementia drug trials, a 4-point change in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) is held to be clinically important. We examined how this change compared with measures of clinical meaningfulness. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a 12 month open label study of 100 patients (71 women) diagnosed with mild to moderate AD treated with 5-10 mg of donepezil daily. We studied the observed case, 6-month change from baseline on the ADAS-Cog, the Clinician's Interview Based Impression of Change-Plus Caregiver Input (CIBIC-Plus), patient-Goal Attainment Scaling (PGAS) and clinician-GAS (CGAS). RESULTS: At 6 months, donepezil-treated patients (n = 95) were more likely to show no change (+/- 3 points) on the ADAS-Cog (56%) than to improve (20%) or decline (24%) by 4-points. ADAS-Cog change scores were little correlated with other measures: from -0.09 for PGAS to 0.27 for the CIBIC-Plus. While patients who improved on the ADAS-Cog were less likely to decline on the clinical measures (26%), 43% of patients who declined on the ADAS-Cog improved on at least two of the clinical measures. CONCLUSION: The ADAS-Cog did not capture all clinically important effects. In general, ADAS-Cog improvement indicates clinical improvement, whereas many people with ADAS-Cog decline do not show clinical decline. The open-label design of this study does not allow us to know whether this is a treatment effect, which requires further investigation. PMID- 17760992 TI - Radiotherapeutic alternatives for previously irradiated recurrent gliomas. AB - Re-irradiation for recurrent gliomas has been discussed controversially in the past. This was mainly due to only marginal palliation while being associated with a high risk for side effects using conventional radiotherapy. With modern high precision radiotherapy re-irradiation has become a more wide-spread, effective and well-tolerated treatment option. Besides external beam radiotherapy, a number of invasive and/or intraoperative radiation techniques have been evaluated in patients with recurrent gliomas. The present article is a review on the available methods in radiation oncology and summarizes results with respect to outcome and side effects in comparison to clinical results after neurosurgical resection or different chemotherapeutic approaches. PMID- 17760993 TI - Meningitis registry of hospitalized cases in children: epidemiological patterns of acute bacterial meningitis throughout a 32-year period. AB - BACKGROUND: Bacterial meningitis remains a source of substantial morbidity and mortality in childhood. During the last decades gradual changes have been observed in the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis, related to the introduction of new polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines. The study presents an overview of the epidemiological patterns of acute bacterial meningitis in a tertiary children 's hospital during a 32-year period, using information from a disease registry. Moreover, it discusses the contribution of communicable disease registries in the study of acute infectious diseases. METHODS: In the early 1970s a Meningitis Registry (MR) was created for patients admitted with meningitis in Aghia Sofia Children's Hospital in Athens. The MR includes demographic, clinical and laboratory data as well as treatment, complications and outcome of the patients. In 2000 a database was created and the collected data were entered, analyzed and presented in three chronological periods: A (1974-1984), B (1985-1994) and C (1995-2005). RESULTS: Of the 2,477 cases of bacterial meningitis registered in total, 1,146 cases (46.3%) were classified as "probable" and 1,331 (53.7%) as "confirmed" bacterial meningitis. The estimated mean annual Incidence Rate (IR) was 16.9/100,000 for bacterial meningitis, 8.9/100,000 for Neisseria meningitidis, 1.3/100,000 for Streptococcus pneumoniae, 2.5/100,000 for Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) before vaccination and 0.4/100,000 for Hib after vaccination. Neisseria meningitis constituted the leading cause of childhood bacterial meningitis for all periods and in all age groups. Hib was the second most common cause of bacterial meningitis before the introduction of Hib conjugate vaccine, in periods A and B. The incidence of bacterial meningitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae was stable. The long-term epidemiological pattern of Neisseria meningitidis appears in cycles of approximately 10 years, confirmed by a significant rise of IR in period C. The Case Fatality Rate (CFR) from all causes was 3.8%, while higher CFR were estimated for Streptococcus pneumoniae (7.5%, RR=2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.7) and Neisseria meningitidis (4.8%, RR=1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.5) compared to other pathogens. Moreover, overall CFR varied significantly among the three time periods (p = 0.0015), and was estimated to be higher in period C. CONCLUSION: By using the MR we were able to delineate long-term changes in the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis. Thus the MR proved to be a useful tool in the study and the prevention of communicable diseases in correlation with prevention strategies, such as vaccinations. PMID- 17760994 TI - The prevalance, epidemiology and risk factors for onychomycosis in hemodialysis patients. AB - BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis has a high prevalance among immunocompromised patients such as diabetics and hemodialysis patients. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of onychomycosis among hemodialysis patients with and without diabetes mellitus, and to find out the factors likely to be associated with the development of onychomycosis among hemodialysis patients. METHODS: One hundred and nine hemodialysis patients were enrolled. Fifty-seven of hemodialysis patients had the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Nail scrapings were obtained from 76 patients who had dystrophic nail changes. Samples were examined with 20% potassium hydroxide solution and all of the samples were inoculated on Saboraud's dextrose agar, potateus dextrose agar and mycobiotic agar. Diagnosis of onychomycosis was based on the presence of both positive clinical signs and positive potassium hydroxide test. RESULTS: Onychomycosis was diagnosed in 26.6% of hemodialysis patients. Diabetes mellitus was present in 68.9% of patients with onychomycosis. Toenail scraping cultures were reported to be positive in 19.7% of patients with dystrophic nail changes. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of diabetes mellitus and the mean duration of hemodialysis were the significant predictors associated with the development of onychomycosis. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dystrophic nail changes and onychomycosis is increased among hemodialysis patients. The dialysis duration and the presence of diabetes mellitus are the independent risk factors associated with the development of onychomycosis in uraemic patients. PMID- 17760995 TI - Bouveret's syndrome as an unusual cause of gastric outlet obstruction: a case report. AB - An 83 year old caucasian gentleman presented with vomiting and left sided abdominal pain. A subsequent upper GI endoscopy demonstrated a large smooth mass impacted within the duodenum. A cholecysto-duodenal fistula was discovered at laparotomy, with a large gallstone impacted in the duodenum. A diagnosis of Bouveret's syndrome was made. The management of this rare cause of gastric outlet obstruction is discussed. PMID- 17760996 TI - Site-specific acetylation of ISWI by GCN5. AB - BACKGROUND: The tight organisation of eukaryotic genomes as chromatin hinders the interaction of many DNA-binding regulators. The local accessibility of DNA is regulated by many chromatin modifying enzymes, among them the nucleosome remodelling factors. These enzymes couple the hydrolysis of ATP to disruption of histone-DNA interactions, which may lead to partial or complete disassembly of nucleosomes or their sliding on DNA. The diversity of nucleosome remodelling factors is reflected by a multitude of ATPase complexes with distinct subunit composition. RESULTS: We found further diversification of remodelling factors by posttranslational modification. The histone acetyltransferase GCN5 can acetylate the Drosophila remodelling ATPase ISWI at a single, conserved lysine, K753, in vivo and in vitro. The target sequence is strikingly similar to the N-terminus of histone H3, where the corresponding lysine, H3K14, can also be acetylated by GCN5. The acetylated form of ISWI represents a minor species presumably associated with the nucleosome remodelling factor NURF. CONCLUSION: Acetylation of histone H3 and ISWI by GCN5 is explained by the sequence similarity between the histone and ISWI around the acetylation site. The common motif RKT/SxGx(Kac)xPR/K differs from the previously suggested GCN5/PCAF recognition motif GKxxP. This raises the possibility of co-regulation of a nucleosome remodelling factor and its nucleosome substrate through acetylation of related epitopes and suggests a direct crosstalk between two distinct nucleosome modification principles. PMID- 17760997 TI - The PhenoGen informatics website: tools for analyses of complex traits. AB - BACKGROUND: With the advent of "omics" (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and phenomics), studies can produce enormous amounts of data. Managing this diverse data and integrating with other biological data are major challenges for the bioinformatics community. Comprehensive new tools are needed to store, integrate and analyze the data efficiently. DESCRIPTION: The PhenoGen Informatics website http://phenogen.uchsc.edu is a comprehensive toolbox for storing, analyzing and integrating microarray data and related genotype and phenotype data. The site is particularly suited for combining QTL and microarray data to search for "candidate" genes contributing to complex traits. In addition, the site allows, if desired by the investigators, sharing of the data. Investigators can conduct "in-silico" microarray experiments using their own and/or "shared" data. CONCLUSION: The PhenoGen website provides access to tools that can be used for high-throughput data storage, analyses and interpretation of the results. Some of the advantages of the architecture of the website are that, in the future, the present set of tools can be adapted for the analyses of any type of high-throughput "omics" data, and that access to new tools, available in the public domain or developed at PhenoGen, can be easily provided. PMID- 17760999 TI - The SCI Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES): development and psychometric properties. AB - BACKGROUND: Rising prevalence of secondary conditions among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) has focused recent attention to potential health promotion programs designed to reduce such adverse health conditions. A healthy lifestyle for people with SCI, including and specifically, the adoption of a vigorous exercise routine, has been shown to produce an array of health benefits, prompting many providers to recommend the implementation of such activity to those with SCI. Successfully adopting such an exercise regimen however, requires confidence in one's ability to engage in exercise or exercise self-efficacy. Exercise self-efficacy has not been assessed adequately for people with SCI due to a lack of validated and reliable scales, despite self efficacy's status as one of the most widely researched concepts and despite its broad application in health promotion studies. Exercise self efficacy supporting interventions for people with SCI are only meaningful if appropriate measurement tools exist. The objective of our study was to develop a psychometrically sound exercise self efficacy self-report measure for people with SCI. METHODS: Based on literature reviews, expert comments and cognitive testing, 10 items were included and made up the 4-point Likert SCI Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES) in its current form. The ESES was administered as part of the first wave of a nationwide survey (n = 368) on exercise behavior and was also tested separately for validity in four groups of individuals with SCI. Reliability and validity testing was performed using SPSS 12.0. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha was .9269 for the ESES. High internal consistency was confirmed in split-half (EQ Length Spearman Brown = .8836). Construct validity was determined using principal component factor analysis by correlating the aggregated ESES items with the Generalised Self Efficacy Scale (GSE). We found that all items loaded on one factor only and that there was a statistically significant correlation between Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES) and Generalised Self Efficacy Scale (GSE) (Spearman RHO = .316; p < .05; n = 53, 2-sided). CONCLUSION: Preliminary findings indicate that the ESES is a reliable instrument with high internal consistency and scale integrity. Content validity both in terms of face and construct validity is satisfactory. PMID- 17760998 TI - Phylogenomic analysis of natural selection pressure in Streptococcus genomes. AB - BACKGROUND: In comparative analyses of bacterial pathogens, it has been common practice to discriminate between two types of genes: (i) those shared by pathogens and their non-pathogenic relatives (core genes), and (ii) those found exclusively in pathogens (pathogen-specific accessory genes). Rather than attempting to a priori delineate genes into sets more or less relevant to pathogenicity, we took a broad approach to the analysis of Streptococcus species by investigating the strength of natural selection in all clusters of homologous genes. The genus Streptococcus is comprised of a wide variety of both pathogenic and commensal lineages, and we relate our findings to the pre-existing knowledge of Streptococcus virulence factors. RESULTS: Our analysis of 1730 gene clusters revealed 136 cases of positive Darwinian selection, which we suggest is most likely to result from an antagonistic interaction between the host and pathogen at the molecular level. A two-step validation procedure suggests that positive selection was robustly identified in our genomic survey. We found no evidence to support the notion that pathogen specific accessory genes are more likely to be subject to positive selection than core genes. Indeed, we even uncovered a few cases of essential gene evolution by positive selection. Among the gene clusters subject to positive selection, a large fraction (29%) can be connected to virulence. The most striking finding was that a considerable fraction of the positively selected genes are also known to have tissue specific patterns of expression during invasive disease. As current expression data is far from comprehensive, we suggest that this fraction was underestimated. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that pathogen specific genes, although a popular focus of research, do not provide a complete picture of the evolutionary dynamics of virulence. The results of this study, and others, support the notion that the products of both core and accessory genes participate in complex networks that comprise the molecular basis of virulence. Future work should seek to understand the evolutionary dynamics of both core and accessory genes as a function of the networks in which they participate. PMID- 17761000 TI - Modeling gene expression regulatory networks with the sparse vector autoregressive model. AB - BACKGROUND: To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying important biological processes, a detailed description of the gene products networks involved is required. In order to define and understand such molecular networks, some statistical methods are proposed in the literature to estimate gene regulatory networks from time-series microarray data. However, several problems still need to be overcome. Firstly, information flow need to be inferred, in addition to the correlation between genes. Secondly, we usually try to identify large networks from a large number of genes (parameters) originating from a smaller number of microarray experiments (samples). Due to this situation, which is rather frequent in Bioinformatics, it is difficult to perform statistical tests using methods that model large gene-gene networks. In addition, most of the models are based on dimension reduction using clustering techniques, therefore, the resulting network is not a gene-gene network but a module-module network. Here, we present the Sparse Vector Autoregressive model as a solution to these problems. RESULTS: We have applied the Sparse Vector Autoregressive model to estimate gene regulatory networks based on gene expression profiles obtained from time-series microarray experiments. Through extensive simulations, by applying the SVAR method to artificial regulatory networks, we show that SVAR can infer true positive edges even under conditions in which the number of samples is smaller than the number of genes. Moreover, it is possible to control for false positives, a significant advantage when compared to other methods described in the literature, which are based on ranks or score functions. By applying SVAR to actual HeLa cell cycle gene expression data, we were able to identify well known transcription factor targets. CONCLUSION: The proposed SVAR method is able to model gene regulatory networks in frequent situations in which the number of samples is lower than the number of genes, making it possible to naturally infer partial Granger causalities without any a priori information. In addition, we present a statistical test to control the false discovery rate, which was not previously possible using other gene regulatory network models. PMID- 17761001 TI - Pituitary macroadenomas: are combination antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy contraindicated? A case report. AB - BACKGROUND: Pituitary apoplexy is a life-threatening endocrine emergency that is caused by haemorrhage or infarction of the pituitary gland, commonly within a pituitary adenoma. Patients classically present with headache, ophthalmoplegia, visual field defects and altered mental state, but may present with a typical symptoms such as fever and altered conscious level. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year old female with a known pituitary macroadenoma was treated for suspected acute coronary syndrome with aspirin, clopidogrel and full dose enoxaparin. She developed a severe and sudden headache, nausea and vomiting and visual deterioration. A CT scan showed haemorrhage into the pituitary macroadenoma. She underwent neurosurgical decompression. Post-operatively her visual fields and acuity returned to baseline. She was continued on hydrocortisone and thyroxine replacement on discharge. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the risks of anticoagulation in a patient with a known pituitary macroadenoma, and raises the issue of whether these tumours present a relative contraindication to the use of dual antiplatelet and anticoagulation in acute coronary syndrome. PMID- 17761002 TI - Optimization of filtering criterion for SEQUEST database searching to improve proteome coverage in shotgun proteomics. AB - BACKGROUND: In proteomic analysis, MS/MS spectra acquired by mass spectrometer are assigned to peptides by database searching algorithms such as SEQUEST. The assignations of peptides to MS/MS spectra by SEQUEST searching algorithm are defined by several scores including Xcorr, Delta Cn, Sp, Rsp, matched ion count and so on. Filtering criterion using several above scores is used to isolate correct identifications from random assignments. However, the filtering criterion was not favorably optimized up to now. RESULTS: In this study, we implemented a machine learning approach known as predictive genetic algorithm (GA) for the optimization of filtering criteria to maximize the number of identified peptides at fixed false-discovery rate (FDR) for SEQUEST database searching. As the FDR was directly determined by decoy database search scheme, the GA based optimization approach did not require any pre-knowledge on the characteristics of the data set, which represented significant advantages over statistical approaches such as PeptideProphet. Compared with PeptideProphet, the GA based approach can achieve similar performance in distinguishing true from false assignment with only 1/10 of the processing time. Moreover, the GA based approach can be easily extended to process other database search results as it did not rely on any assumption on the data. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that filtering criteria should be optimized individually for different samples. The new developed software using GA provides a convenient and fast way to create tailored optimal criteria for different proteome samples to improve proteome coverage. PMID- 17761003 TI - Empowerment of women and mental health promotion: a qualitative study in rural Maharashtra, India. AB - BACKGROUND: The global burden of mental illness is high and opportunities for promoting mental health are neglected in most parts of the world. Many people affected by mental illness live in developing countries, where treatment and care options are limited. In this context, primary health care (PHC) programs can indirectly promote mental health by addressing its determinants i.e. by enhancing social unity, minimising discrimination and generating income opportunities. The objectives of this study were to: 1. Describe concepts of mental health and beliefs about determinants of mental health and illness among women involved with a PHC project in rural Maharashtra, India; 2. Identify perceived mental health problems in this community, specifically depression, suicide and violence, their perceived causes, and existing and potential community strategies to respond to them and; 3. Investigate the impact of the PHC program on individual and community factors associated with mental health METHOD: We undertook qualitative in-depth interviews with 32 women associated with the PHC project regarding: their concepts of mental health and its determinants; suicide, depression and violence; and the perceived impact of the PHC project on the determinants of mental health. The interviews were taped, transcribed, translated and thematically analysed. RESULTS: Mental health and illness were understood by these women to be the product of cultural and socio-economic factors. Mental health was commonly conceptualised as an absence of stress and the commonest stressors were conflict with husbands and mother-in-laws, domestic violence and poverty. Links between empowerment of women through income generation and education, reduction of discrimination based on caste and sex, and promotion of individual and community mental health were recognised. However, mental health problems such as suicide and violence were well-described by participants. CONCLUSION: While it is essential that affordable, accessible, appropriate treatments and systems of referral and care are available for people with mental illness in developing country settings, the promotion of mental health by addressing its determinants is another potential strategy for reducing the burden of mental illness for individuals and communities in these settings. PMID- 17761005 TI - Resisting control of neglected tropical diseases: dilemmas in the mass treatment of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths in north-west Uganda. AB - A strong case has recently been made by academics and policymakers to develop national programmes for the integrated control of Africa's 'neglected tropical diseases'. Uganda was the first country to develop a programme for the integrated control of two of these diseases: schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths. This paper discusses social responses to the programme in Panyimur, north-west Uganda. It shows that adults are increasingly rejecting free treatment. Resistance is attributed to a subjective fear of side-effects; divergence between biomedical and local understandings of schistosomiasis/bilharzia; as well as inappropriate and inadequate health education. In addition, the current procedures for distributing drugs at a district level are problematic. Additional research was carried out in neighbouring areas to explore the generalizability of findings. Comparable problems have arisen. It is concluded that the national programme will not fulfil its stated objectives of establishing a local demand for mass treatment unless it can establish more effective delivery strategies and promote behavioural change in socially appropriate ways. To do so will require new approaches to social, economic and political aspects of distribution. There are reasons why populations infected with the 'neglected tropical diseases' are themselves neglected. Those reasons cannot just be wished away. PMID- 17761004 TI - Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a physiotherapy program for chronic rotator cuff pathology: a protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. AB - BACKGROUND: Chronic rotator cuff pathology (CRCP) is a common shoulder condition causing pain and disability. Physiotherapy is often the first line of management for CRCP yet there is little conclusive evidence to support or refute its effectiveness and no formal evaluation of its cost-effectiveness. METHODS/DESIGN: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will involve 200 participants with CRCP recruited from medical practices, outpatient departments and the community via print and radio media. Participants will be randomly allocated to a physiotherapy or placebo group using concealed allocation stratified by treating physiotherapist. Both groups will receive 10 sessions of individual standardised treatment over 10 weeks from one of 10 project physiotherapists. For the following 12 weeks, the physiotherapy group will continue a home exercise program and the placebo group will receive no treatment. The physiotherapy program will comprise shoulder joint and spinal mobilisation, soft tissue massage, postural taping, and home exercises for scapular control, posture and rotator cuff strengthening. The placebo group will receive inactive ultrasound and gentle application of an inert gel over the shoulder region. Blinded assessment will be conducted at baseline and at 10 weeks and 22 weeks after randomisation. The primary outcome measures are self reported questionnaires including the shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI), average pain on an 11-point numeric rating scale and participant perceived global rating of change. Secondary measures include Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short form (SF-36), Assessment of Quality of Life index, numeric rating scales for shoulder pain and stiffness, participant perceived rating of change for pain, strength and stiffness, and manual muscle testing for shoulder strength using a handheld dynamometer. To evaluate cost-effectiveness, participants will record the use of all health-related treatments in a log-book returned to the assessor monthly. To test the effect of the intervention using an intention-to-treat analysis, linear regression modelling will be applied adjusting for baseline outcome values and other demographic characteristics. Participant measures of perceived change will be compared between groups by calculating the relative risks and their 95% confidence intervals at each time point using log binomial regression. DISCUSSION: Results from this trial will contribute to the evidence regarding the effectiveness of a physiotherapy program for the management of CRCP. PMID- 17761007 TI - Menarche and father absence in a national probability sample. AB - The relation between women's timing of menarche and father absence was examined in a national probability sample of Great Britain (NATSAL 2000; N>5000). Current body mass index (as a proxy for childhood weight) was examined as a potential mediator of this relationship, along with the potential moderating role that siblings (e.g. number of older brothers) had on this relationship. As in a number of previous studies, an absent father (but not an absent mother) during childhood predicted an earlier age of puberty (i.e. an early menarche). There was no evidence that weight mediated this relationship or that siblings moderated it. Both a lower body mass index and more siblings (e.g. more younger sisters and brothers) were independent predictors of a later timing of puberty. The results confirm that certain psychosocial factors (i.e. father absence; presence of siblings) may affect the timing of sexual maturation in adolescent girls. PMID- 17761006 TI - Prevention and treatment practices and implications for malaria control in Mukono District Uganda. AB - Available data in Uganda indicate a resurgence of malaria morbidity and mortality countrywide. This study assessed the burden of malaria, treatment and prevention practices in order initiate a policy debate on the scaling-up of current interventions. A triangulation of methods using a cross-sectional survey and key informant interviews was used to assess self-reported malaria at a household level in Mukono District, Uganda. A total of 5583 households were surveyed, and a high proportion (2897, 51.9%) reported a person with malaria two weeks prior to the survey. Only 546 households (9.8%) owned and used insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) for malaria prevention. Similarly, only a few households (86, 1.5%) used indoor residual spraying. Self-treatment with home-stocked drugs was high, yet there was low awareness of the effectiveness of expired drugs on malaria treatment. Self-reported malaria was associated with socioeconomic, behavioural and environmental factors, but more especially with household ownership of ITNs. These results will contribute to the current debate on identifying new approaches for scaling-up prevention interventions and effective case management, as well as selection of priority interventions for malaria control in Uganda. PMID- 17761008 TI - The consequences of non-starch polysaccharide solubility and inclusion level on the health and performance of weaned pigs challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. AB - The inclusion of insoluble NSP (iNSP) in weaner pig diets has been reported to decrease post-weaning colibacillosis (PWC). Conversely, soluble NSP (sNSP) have been shown to exacerbate PWC. The present study investigated the effect of NSP solubility and inclusion level on the health and performance of newly weaned pigs challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), using NSP sources known not to affect digesta viscosity, in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial combination of NSP solubility (iNSP v. sNSP), inclusion level (low (L; 50 g/kg) v. high (H; 150 g/kg)) and ETEC challenge (infected v. sham). Infection had no effect on pig health, but reduced performance to a larger extent in pigs on the L diets compared with those on the H diets. The inclusion of sNSP significantly decreased the occurrence of diarrhoea (P < 0.001) and improved gut health, as indicated by a lower caecal digesta pH (P = 0.008) and increased (P = 0.002) Lactobacillus:coliform ratio, when compared with the iNSP diet on day 14 post weaning. There was no effect of NSP solubility on ETEC shedding, digesta viscosity or pig performance. Pigs on the H diets had fewer cases of diarrhoea and shed fewer ETEC than those on the L diets. Increasing NSP inclusion significantly increased colonic Lactobacillus:coliform ratio, volatile fatty acid concentration and caecal digesta viscosity, but decreased performance. These results suggest that sNSP per se are not detrimental to pig health and that increasing the concentration of NSP in weaner diets that do not increase digesta viscosity may have a beneficial effect on gut health and protect against PWC. PMID- 17761009 TI - The impact of nutritional status on the outcome of Indian patients undergoing neurosurgical shunt surgery. AB - Undernutrition is common in surgical patients, is frequently unrecognised and is strongly associated with adverse outcomes such as high rates of complications and mortality, worsening functional status and prolonged hospitalisation. Owing to the associated infection and symptoms such as repeated vomiting, a high prevalence of undernutrition is expected in hydrocephalus patients, which may contribute to their poor surgical outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of preoperative nutritional status on the outcome of Indian patients with hydrocephalus undergoing neurosurgical shunt surgery. One hundred and twenty-four consecutive patients undergoing scheduled hydrocephalus shunt surgery were studied prospectively. All patients underwent nutritional screening according to different parameters prior to surgery. The patients were classified into normally nourished and undernourished groups. The undernourished group was further subdivided into moderately and severely undernourished. The surgical outcome was compared between these groups. A high prevalence (53%) of undernutrition was observed in these patients. Postoperative complications such as shunt infection (P = 0.0023), shunt revision (P = 0.0074) and mortality (P = 0.0003) were significantly more common in undernourished patients compared with normally nourished patients. Serum albumin emerged as the most significant independent predictor of postoperative mortality. The present study demonstrated a high prevalence of undernutrition in hydrocephalus patients in India and its adverse influence on the outcome of shunt surgery. Early preoperative nutritional status screening and its optimisation may decrease the morbidity and mortality of shunt surgery for hydrocephalus. PMID- 17761010 TI - Vitamin B12 deficiency results in the abnormal regulation of serine dehydratase and tyrosine aminotransferase activities correlated with impairment of the adenylyl cyclase system in rat liver. AB - The aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanism of the vitamin B(12) deficiency-induced changes of the serine dehydratase (SDH) and tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) activities in the rat liver. When rats were maintained on a vitamin B(12)-deficient diet, the activities of these two enzymes in the liver were significantly reduced compared with those in the B12-sufficient control rats (SDH 2.8 (sd 0.56) v. 17.5 (sd 6.22) nmol/mg protein per min (n 5); P < 0.05) (TAT 25.2 (sd 5.22) v. 41.3 (sd 8.11) nmol/mg protein per min (n 5); P < 0.05). In the B(12)-deficient rats, the level of SDH induction in response to the administration of glucagon and dexamethasone was significantly lower than in the B(12)-sufficient controls. Dexamethasone induced a significant increase in TAT activity in the primary culture of the hepatocytes prepared from the deficient rats, as well as in the cells from the control rats. However, a further increase in TAT activity was not observed in the hepatocytes from the deficient rats, in contrast to the cells from the controls, when glucagon was added simultaneously with dexamethasone. The glucagon-stimulated production of cAMP was significantly reduced in the hepatocytes from the deficient rats relative to the cells from the control rats. Furthermore, the glucagon-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in the liver was significantly lower in the deficient rats than in the controls. These results suggest that vitamin B(12) deficiency results in decreases in SDH and TAT activities correlated with the impairment of the glucagon signal transduction through the activation of the adenylyl cyclase system in the liver. PMID- 17761011 TI - Energy utilization and growth performance of broilers receiving diets supplemented with enzymes containing carbohydrase or phytase activity individually or in combination. AB - Energy utilization in broilers as influenced by supplementation of enzymes containing phytase or carbohydrase activities was investigated. Day-old male broilers (480) were allocated to four slaughter groups, thirty broilers in the initial slaughter group and 150 broilers in each of the final slaughter groups on days 7, 14 and 21. Broilers in each of the final slaughter groups were allocated to five treatments in a randomized complete block design, each treatment had six replicate cages of five broilers per replicate cage. The diets were maize soyabean based with wheat as a source of NSP. The treatments were: (1) positive control that met nutrient requirements of the day-old broiler chick; (2) negative control (NC) deficient in metabolizable energy and P; (3) NC plus phytase added at 1000 FTU/kg; (4) NC plus cocktail of xylanase, amylase and protease (XAP); and (5) NC plus phytase and XAP. Gain and gain:food were depressed (P < 0.05) in the NC diet. Phytase improved (P < 0.05) gain at all ages and gain:food at days 0-14 and days 0-21. There was improvement (P < 0.01) in net energy for production, energy retained as fat and protein from days 0 to 14 and from days 0 to 21 in phytase-supplemented diet compared with the NC diet. Net energy for production was more highly correlated with performance criteria than metabolizable energy and may be a more sensitive energy utilization response criterion to use in evaluating broiler response to enzyme supplementation. PMID- 17761012 TI - Consumption of organic foods and risk of atopic disease during the first 2 years of life in the Netherlands. AB - We prospectively investigated whether organic food consumption by infants was associated with developing atopic manifestations in the first 2 years of life. The KOALA Birth Cohort Study in the Netherlands (n 2764) measured organic food consumption, eczema and wheeze in infants until age 2 years using repeated questionnaires. Diet was defined as conventional ( 90 % organic). Venous blood samples taken from 815 infants at 2 years of age were analysed for total and specific IgE. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to control for potential confounding factors. Eczema was present in 32 % of infants, recurrent wheeze in 11 % and prolonged wheezing in 5 %. At 2 years of age, 27 % of children were sensitised against at least one allergen. Of all the children, 10 % had consumed a moderately organic diet and 6 % a strictly organic diet. Consumption of organic dairy products was associated with lower eczema risk (OR 0.64 (95 % CI 0.44, 0.93)), but there was no association of organic meat, fruit, vegetables or eggs, or the proportion of organic products within the total diet with the development of eczema, wheeze or atopic sensitisation. Further studies to substantiate these results are warranted. PMID- 17761013 TI - Decreased expression of carbonic anhydrase isozyme II, rather than of isozyme VI, in submandibular glands in long-term zinc-deficient rats. AB - We previously reported that in rats, long-term Zn deficiency significantly reduced taste sensitivity and total carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity in the submandibular gland. We therefore investigated the effects of Zn deficiency on salivary secretion and the expressions of CA isozymes (II and VI) in the rat submandibular gland, since those isozymes are thought to be related to taste sensation and salivary secretion. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, age 4 weeks, were divided into three groups (Zn-def, low-Zn and pair-fed, that were fed a diet containing 2.2, 4.1 or 33.7 mg Zn/kg, respectively, for 42 d). Northern blot analysis indicated that Zn deficiency reduced CA II mRNA expression in the submandibular gland without reducing CA VI mRNA expression. In Western blot analysis, Zn deficiency significantly reduced CA II (erythrocyte CA) protein expression in the submandibular gland without reducing CA VI protein expression. Salivary secretion was lower in the Zn-def group than in the pair-fed group. These results suggest that decreased CA isozyme II expression underlies the decreased CA activity previously reported in the submandibular gland in Zn-def rats, and this may reduce regular salivary secretion. PMID- 17761014 TI - Chicory increases acetate turnover, but not propionate and butyrate peripheral turnovers in rats. AB - Chicory roots are rich in inulin that is degraded into SCFA in the caecum and colon. Whole-body SCFA metabolism was investigated in rats during food deprivation and postprandial states. After 22 h of food deprivation, sixteen rats received an IV injection of radioactive 14C-labelled SCFA. The volume of distribution and the fractional clearance rate of SCFA were 0.25-0.27 litres/kg and 5.4-5.9 %/min, respectively. The half-life in the first extracellular rapidly decaying compartment was between 0.9 and 1.4 min. After 22 h of food deprivation, another seventeen rats received a primed continuous IV infusion of 13C-labelled SCFA for 2 h. Isotope enrichment (13C) of SCFA was determined in peripheral arterial blood by MS. Peripheral acetate, propionate and butyrate turnover rates were 29, 4 and 0.3 micromol/kg per min respectively. Following 4 weeks of treatment with chicory root or control diets, eighteen fed rats received a primed continuous IV infusion of 13C-labelled SCFA for 2 h. Intestinal degradation of dietary chicory lowered caecal pH, enhanced caecal and colonic weights, caecal SCFA concentrations and breath H2. The diet with chicory supplementation enhanced peripheral acetate turnover by 25 % (P = 0.017) concomitant with an increase in plasma acetate concentration. There were no changes in propionate or butyrate turnovers. In conclusion, by setting up a multi-tracer approach to simultaneously assess the turnovers of acetate, propionate and butyrate it was demonstrated that a chronic chicory-rich diet significantly increases peripheral acetate turnover but not that of propionate or butyrate in rats. PMID- 17761015 TI - The nature of the growth pattern and of the metabolic response to fasting in the rat are dependent upon the dietary protein and folic acid intakes of their pregnant dams and post-weaning fat consumption. AB - The nutritional cues which induce different phenotypes from a single genotype in developing offspring are poorly understood. How well prenatal nutrient availability before birth predicts that after birth may also determine the offspring's response to later metabolic challenge. We investigated the effect of feeding pregnant rats diets containing protein at 180 g/kg (Control) or 90 g/kg (protein-restricted, PR) and either 1 or 5 mg folic acid/kg on growth and metabolic response to fasting in their offspring, and also the effect of diets with different fat contents (40 g/kg (Fat(4)) or 100 g/kg (Fat(10))) after weaning. Offspring of dams fed the PR diet with 5 mg/kg folic acid were significantly lighter than other offspring. The PR offspring fed the Fat(4) diet had lower plasma TAG than the Control offspring, but this relationship was reversed when offspring were fed Fat(10). Increasing the folic acid content of the Control or PR maternal diets induced opposing effects on plasma TAG, NEFA, beta-hydroxybutyrate and glucose concentrations in offspring fed Fat(4). The effect was accentuated in offspring fed the Fat(10) diet such that these metabolites were increased in the Control offspring, but reduced in the PR offspring. These data show for the first time that maternal dietary folic acid intake alters offspring phenotype depending upon dietary protein intake, and that this effect is modified by fat intake after weaning. Prevention by increased folic acid intake of an altered metabolic phenotype by maternal protein restriction may be at the expense of somatic growth. PMID- 17761016 TI - Macronutrient intake and discrepancy with nutritional recommendations in a group of elderly diabetic subjects. AB - Diet is a major aspect of glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes, particularly among the elderly. The objective of this study was to describe the food habits of elderly diabetic subjects compared with non-diabetic ones and to examine the difference between their nutritional behaviour and nutritional recommendations. This study was based on the Three City (3C) community-based cohort. The food habits of 1336 participants aged 65 or over, including 149 diabetic subjects, were evaluated using a FFQ and a 24 h recall of food consumption. For both sexes, intake of carbohydrates was lower for diabetic compared to non-diabetic subjects, essentially due to a lower intake of mono-/disaccharides. For diabetic men, this was compensated for by a higher intake of protein whereas women had a lower energy intake overall. Fibre intake was also higher in diabetic men. There was no absolute increase in fats intake, neither for men nor for women, and distribution of subtypes of fats (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) did not differ between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Carbohydrates provided 40.5 % of energy intake in diabetic men and 43.9 % in diabetic women. Contrary to nutritional recommendations for diabetic subjects, for approximately two-thirds of the diabetic subjects carbohydrates represented less than 45 % of daily energy intake. Although food habits of elderly diabetic subjects differed from those of non-diabetic ones, these habits are not totally in line with nutritional recommendations. These results should be taken into account to adapt nutritional advice given to the diabetic population. PMID- 17761017 TI - Low-calorie cranberry juice supplementation reduces plasma oxidized LDL and cell adhesion molecule concentrations in men. AB - Elevated circulating concentrations of oxidized LDL (OxLDL) and cell adhesion molecules are considered to be relevant markers of oxidative stress and endothelial activation which are implicated in the development of CVD. On the other hand, it has been suggested that dietary flavonoid consumption may be cardioprotective through possible favourable impacts on LDL particle oxidation and endothelial activation. The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of the daily consumption of low-calorie cranberry juice cocktail on plasma OxLDL, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin concentrations in men. Thirty men (mean age 51 (sd 10) years) were recruited and asked to consume increasing daily doses of cranberry juice cocktail (125, 250 and 500 ml/d) over three successive periods of 4 weeks. Plasma OxLDL and adhesion molecule concentrations were measured by ELISA before and after each phase. We noted a significant decrease in plasma OxLDL concentrations following the intervention (P < 0.0001). We also found that plasma ICAM-1 (P < 0.0001) and VCAM-1 (P < 0.05) concentrations decreased significantly during the course of the study. In summary, the present results show that daily cranberry juice cocktail consumption is associated with decreases in plasma OxLDL, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 concentrations in men. PMID- 17761018 TI - Decreased levels of uric acid after oral glucose challenge is associated with triacylglycerol levels and degree of insulin resistance. AB - Hyperuricaemia is one of the components of metabolic syndrome. Both oxidative stress and hyperinsulinism are important variables in the genesis of this syndrome and have a close association with uric acid (UA). We evaluated the effect of an oral glucose challenge on UA concentrations. The study included 656 persons aged 18 to 65 years. Glycaemia, insulin, UA and plasma proteins were measured at baseline and 120 min after an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The baseline sample also included measurements of total cholesterol, triacylglycerol (TAG) and HDL-cholesterol. Insulin resistance was calculated with the homeostasis model assessment. UA levels were significantly lower after the OGTT (281.93 (sd 92.19) v. 267.48 (sd 90.40) micromol/l; P < 0.0001). Subjects with a drop in UA concentrations >40.86 micromol/l (>75th percentile) had higher plasma TAG levels (P = 0.0001), baseline insulin (P = 0.02) and greater insulin resistance (P = 0.034). Women with a difference in plasma concentrations of UA above the 75th percentile had higher baseline insulin levels (P = 0.019), concentration of plasma TAG (P = 0.0001) and a greater insulin resistance index (P = 0.029), whereas the only significant difference in men was the level of TAG. Multiple regression analysis showed that the basal TAG levels, insulin at 120 min, glycaemia at 120 min and waist:hip ratio significantly predicted the variance in the UA difference (r2 0.077). Levels of UA were significantly lower after the OGTT and the individuals with the greatest decrease in UA levels are those who have greater insulin resistance and higher TAG levels. PMID- 17761019 TI - The red clover (Trifolium pratense) isoflavone biochanin A inhibits aromatase activity and expression. AB - Biochanin A is an isoflavone isolated from red clover (Trifolium pratense), and is a commercially available nutraceutical for women suffering from postmenopausal symptoms. Isoflavones resemble the structure of oestrogen, and display agonistic and antagonistic interactions with the oestrogen receptor. Overexposure of oestrogen is a major contributing factor in the development of breast cancer, and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 19 enzyme, or aromatase, catalyses the reaction converting androgen to oestrogen. In the present study the effect of biochanin A on the gene regulation and enzyme activity of aromatase was investigated. By assaying MCF-7 cells stably transfected with CYP19, biochanin A inhibited aromatase activity and hampered cell growth attributing to the enzyme activity. In addition, 25 microm biochanin A significantly reduced CYP19 mRNA abundance in the oestrogen receptor negative breast cancer cells SK-BR-3. The transcriptional control of the CYP19 gene is exon-specific, and promoter regions I.3 and II have been shown to be responsible for CYP19 expression in SK-BR-3 cells. Luciferase reporter gene assays also revealed that biochanin A could repress the transcriptional control dictated by the promoter regulation. Interestingly, genistein did not inhibit aromatase but it might down regulate promoter I.3 and II transactivation. Since genistein is a major metabolite of biochanin A, it might contribute to biochanin A's suppressive effect on CYP19 expression. The present study illustrated that biochanin A inhibited CYP19 activity and gene expression. PMID- 17761020 TI - Whole-grain wheat breakfast cereal has a prebiotic effect on the human gut microbiota: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. AB - Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between dietary intake of whole grains and the risk of chronic disease. This may be related to the ability to mediate a prebiotic modulation of gut microbiota. However, no studies have been conducted on the microbiota modulatory capability of whole-grain (WG) cereals. In the present study, the impact of WG wheat on the human intestinal microbiota compared to wheat bran (WB) was determined. A double-blind, randomised, crossover study was carried out in thirty-one volunteers who were randomised into two groups and consumed daily 48 g breakfast cereals, either WG or WB, in two 3-week study periods, separated by a 2-week washout period. Numbers of faecal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli (the target genera for prebiotic intake), were significantly higher upon WG ingestion compared with WB. Ingestion of both breakfast cereals resulted in a significant increase in ferulic acid concentrations in blood but no discernible difference in faeces or urine. No significant differences in faecal SCFA, fasting blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), TAG or HDL-cholesterol were observed upon ingestion of WG compared with WB. However, a significant reduction in TC was observed in volunteers in the top quartile of TC concentrations upon ingestion of either cereal. No adverse intestinal symptoms were reported and WB ingestion increased stool frequency. Daily consumption of WG wheat exerted a pronounced prebiotic effect on the human gut microbiota composition. This prebiotic activity may contribute towards the beneficial physiological effects of WG wheat. PMID- 17761021 TI - Fruit and vegetables and cardiovascular disease: epidemiological evidence from the non-Western world. PMID- 17761022 TI - Prevalence in the eligibility for weight loss treatment in a Mediterranean population. AB - The aim of the present study was to analyse the prevalence and time trends of the subjects in a Mediterranean population meeting the criteria for weight loss treatment according to the National Institutes of Health (US) treatment algorithm proposed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Obesity Education Initiative Expert Panel. A random sample of the 25-74 year old population (n 4908) of Gerona, Spain, was examined in 1994-1995 and 1999-2000 in two independent population-based cross-sectional surveys. Cardiovascular risk factors, lifestyle measures and anthropometric variables were analysed. The prevalence of subjects meeting the criteria for weight loss treatment according to the National Institutes of Health algorithm significantly increased from 46.4 to 52.9 % in men and from 35.1 to 40.4 % in women from 1995 to 2000. Stratifying this analysis for age groups revealed a significant increase among women aged 25 to 39 years and the older age group (60 to 74 years) of both genders. This increase was mainly observed in men and women with primary school education. The high prevalence of subjects meeting the criteria for weight loss treatment and the increasing secular trend is an important issue for health policy. This trend is more pronounced in older age groups and among the population with a basic educational level. PMID- 17761023 TI - Molecular epidemiology with subtype analysis of Cryptosporidium in calves in Belgium. AB - The prevalence of Cryptosporidium in calves younger than 10 weeks was estimated in a cross-sectional epidemiological study on 100 dairy (n=499) and 50 beef (n=333) farms in East Flanders (Belgium), using a previously evaluated immunofluorescence assay (Merifluor). The calf prevalence was 37% (95% Probability Interval (PI): 7-70%) in dairy calves and 12% (95% PI: 1-30%) in beef calves. To elucidate the genetic diversity, the Cryptosporidium 18S ribosomal DNA and the 70 kDa heat shock protein gene were targeted. In the majority of the samples C. parvum was present, although C. bovis was also identified, all but one in calves older than 1 month. The porcine-specific C. suis was identified in 1 beef calf. Subtyping of C. parvum positive isolates by sequence analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein gene indicated the presence of 4 allele IIa subtypes, along with 1 subtype IIdA22G1. The subtype IIaA15G2R1 was most prevalent, next to subtype IIaA13G2R1 and IIaA16G2R1, and a new subtype IIaA14G2R1. The results of the present study indicate a high prevalence of Cryptosporidium infections in calves in Belgium and confirm that these calves should be considered as a potential zoonotic reservoir for human infections. PMID- 17761024 TI - Genetic fingerprinting and identification of differentially expressed genes in isolates of Leishmania donovani from Indian patients of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis. AB - Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is an unusual dermatosis that develops as a sequel in 5-15% of cured cases of kala-azar (KA) after months or years of treatment in India. Molecular differences are reported to exist between the KA and PKDL isolates which may underlie the diversity in clinical manifestations of the disease. Here, arbitrary primed-PCR (AP-PCR) has been used for genetic fingerprinting of parasite isolates from dermal lesions of PKDL patients (n=14) and compared with bone-marrow derived parasites from KA patients (n=3). All isolates showed an identical AP-PCR pattern with 4 arbitrary primers. Further, AP PCR was exploited to identify the stage regulated genes of the parasite. Six polymorphic fragments were identified in PKDL in comparison with KA isolates, and were subjected to Northern blot analysis. Five polymorphic fragments represented transcribed sequences; 4 out of 5 drew differential expression in pro- and amastigote stages, although the expression was comparable between PKDL and KA isolates. The study led to the identification of genes, which exhibit stage regulated expression in Leishmania donovani derived from PKDL or KA patients, including a putative phosphodiesterase, DEAD box RNA helicase, iron superoxide dismutase b (fesodb) and a hypothetical protein. Demonstration of transcripts of DEAD box RNA helicase in PKDL and KA diseased tissues implicates its role in disease pathogenesis. PMID- 17761025 TI - Manipulating autonomy, competence, and relatedness support in a game-learning context: new evidence that all three needs matter. AB - Self-report correlational data support self-determination theory's (SDT's) postulate that there are three basic psychological needs, for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which combine additively to predict well-being and thriving. However, experimental research in the SDT tradition has focused only on autonomy support, not relatedness and competence support. To fill this gap, we employed a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design within a game-learning experience to predict rated need satisfaction, mood, and motivation, and also objective game performance. Manipulated competence and relatedness support had main effects on most outcomes. Rated competence, relatedness, and autonomy need satisfaction also predicted the outcomes, and the significant experimental main effects were all mediated by the corresponding rated variables. Neutral control group data showed that thwarting participants' needs is more impactful than enhancing them. These findings offer new support for key postulates of SDT, while integrating the correlational and experimental traditions in this area. PMID- 17761026 TI - Subscales measuring symptoms of non-specific depression, anhedonia, and anxiety in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. AB - OBJECTIVES: There has been considerable research and clinical interest in the comorbidity of anxiety and depression in the post-partum period, and specifically in the possibility that the commonly used Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) incorporates an anxiety component. We hypothesized that the recommended version of factor analysis (Fabrigar, Wegener, MacCallum, & Strahan, 1999) would identify such covert dimensions more reliably than the commonly used principal components analysis with varimax rotation and eigenvalues greater than 1. DESIGN: Principal axis factor extraction with parallel analysis and oblique (direct quartimin) factor rotation was applied to the 10 EPDS items. METHOD: The study used a sample of recent mothers recruited and assessed via e-mail and the Internet (N=440). In addition to the EPDS, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Positive and Negative Affect Scales (PANAS) were also administered. RESULTS: Three factors were found, which were identified as 'non specific depressive symptoms', 'anhedonia', and 'anxietal symptoms' subscales, respectively. These subscales were regressed on the HADS anxiety and depression and the PANAS positive and negative affectivity scales, with results substantially consistent with current structural models of the taxonomy of the emotional disorders. LIMITATIONS: The data were obtained from a self-selected non clinical sample. In addition, it is known that the use of computer-based assessment may tend to inflate self-report scores. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that there is now sufficient evidence that clinicians should not assume the EPDS to be unidimensional, but should assess all three subscales when screening for susceptibility to post-partum depression and/or post-partum anxiety. PMID- 17761027 TI - Vasopressin and disorders of water balance: the physiology and pathophysiology of vasopressin. AB - Disorders of water balance are a common feature of clinical practice. An understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of the key endocrine regulator of water balance vasopressin (VP) is key to diagnosis and management of these disorders. Diabetes insipidus is the result of a lack of VP or (less commonly) resistance to the renal effects of the hormone. Diagnostic testing can clarify aetiology and direct appropriate management. VP production can be associated with hyponatraemia. A comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular status and pharmacological influences are needed in these circumstances to differentiate between primary (inappropriate) and secondary (appropriate) physiological VP production. As with diabetes insipidus, diagnostic testing can help define the aetiology of hyponatraemia and direct appropriate management. Patients with disorders of water balance benefit from a joint clinical and laboratory medicine approach to diagnosis and management. PMID- 17761028 TI - Role of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and glomerular basement membrane antibodies in the diagnosis and monitoring of systemic vasculitides. AB - Systemic vasculitis, although rare, is often diagnosed late and long after the onset of symptoms. The small vessel vasculitides are recognized clinically by their multisystem presentation, markers of inflammation and evidence for an acute glomerulonephritis (GN), with the most apparent organ involved directing referral to secondary care. Routine laboratory tests are usually non-specific in systemic vasculitis but the use of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) and glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antibodies can aid diagnosis, treatment and monitoring decisions. These antibodies are detected and quantified by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and antigen-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), usually in combination for ANCA, and ELISA systems (or direct IIF on kidney biopsy) for GBM antibodies. The presence or absence of ANCA does not confirm or exclude the diagnosis of systemic vasculitis but negative and positive predictive values will be strongly influenced by clinical presentation. Various large studies have been unable to conclude that following serial ANCA titres has great clinical utility in each case but each patient must be considered on its own merits; for example the reappearance of ANCA in a patient who was rendered ANCA negative following treatment is more likely to indicate relapse. The adoption of consensus guidelines that direct testing towards patients with rapidly progressive GN, pulmonary haemorrhage, persistent and destructive ear, nose and upper airways problems, such as subglottic tracheal stenosis, a retro orbital mass and cutaneous vasculitis with systemic features or peripheral neuropathy, will greatly increase the clinical utility and positive predictive value of these tests. PMID- 17761029 TI - National audit of cerebrospinal fluid testing. AB - BACKGROUND: UK National External Quality Assessment Service (NEQAS) Specialist Advisory Group for EQA of CSF Proteins and Biochemistry was interested in current practice for the biochemical investigation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the UK. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to laboratories via regional audit committees and the results collated. RESULTS: Most laboratories were analysing CSF in a satisfactory manner. There was some variation in the reference ranges used for glucose, protein and lactate. There was concern about the rejection policies of some laboratories on these unrepeatable samples and the wavelengths used to measure bilirubin. The survey revealed the lack of spectrophotometric scanning for haem pigments and bilirubin in some hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The current practice for the measurement of CSF samples in the UK is satisfactory in most laboratories responding to the questionnaire. National agreement on reference ranges for glucose, protein and lactate should be achievable. Those performing spectrophotometric scanning of the CSF were doing so in concordance with the national guidelines. Some hospitals in the UK may not have responded to the questionnaire because they did not offer spectrophotometric scanning. PMID- 17761030 TI - Fibrin monomer complex in normal pregnant women: a potential thrombotic marker in pregnancy. AB - BACKGROUND: Pregnancy represents a major risk factor for deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Most coagulation/fibrinolysis markers currently utilized change during pregnancy, and therefore they cannot accurately evaluate thrombotic events in pregnancy because the rate of false positive results is high. Fibrin monomer complex (FMC) has recently become widely available for diagnosing DVT. The present study examined whether FMC is suitable for evaluating thrombotic status in pregnancy. METHODS: Concentrations of FMC and other haemostatic markers were investigated in 87 pregnant women without major complications at early, mid- or late pregnancy. FMC concentrations were also measured in 127 normal non-pregnant women, and in one woman who developed DVT after delivery. RESULTS: In normal pregnant women, FMC concentrations were unchanged during early or mid-pregnancy and slightly elevated during late pregnancy. Concentrations were within reference range in most cases, and none exceeded the cut-off value for DVT. In contrast, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) and D-dimer (DD) concentrations were significantly elevated in late pregnancy, and median values exceeded reference ranges. The DVT case displayed significantly elevated FMC concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in FMC concentrations during normal pregnancy are minimal compared with other haemostatic markers. Because the rate of false positivity is lower, FMC could be a potential marker of thrombotic status in pregnancy rather than TAT and DD. PMID- 17761031 TI - Measurement of cotinine in urine by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. AB - BACKGROUND: Cotinine is the major metabolite of nicotine. It is also a specific biomarker for nicotine exposure in cigarette smokers. The measurement of urine cotinine concentration will enable: (1) the assessment of the smoking status of lung transplant patients and (2) tobacco abstinence to be studied in patients during treatment under smoking cessation programmes. METHODS: We have developed and validated a method for the measurement of urinary cotinine using reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This technique utilizes online ion exchange coupled with an analytical column to eliminate ion suppression effects. The chromatography was performed using a Waters 2795 Alliance HT LC system. RESULTS: Cotinine and d3 cotinine had a retention time of 2.5 min and the cycle time from injection to injection was 4 min. The transition identified for cotinine was m/z 177.1>79.6 and for d3-cotinine m/z 180.2>79.6. This method was linear up to 1000 microg/L. Mean recovery of the assay was 112% with a range of 107-117% (n=9). The limit of quantitation for this assay was 2.5 microg/L and the limit of detection was 0.156 microg/L. The intra- and inter-assay imprecision was <12% and <10% respectively over a concentration range of 22-660 microg/L. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed a robust and rapid assay for measuring and analysing urine cotinine by LC-MS/MS, by utilizing a technique, which has reduced ion suppression effects. Ultimately, the method will facilitate the assessment of lung transplant patients' smoking status. PMID- 17761032 TI - The association of circulating ferritin with serum concentrations of fibroblast growth factor-23 measured by three commercial assays. AB - BACKGROUND: The measurement of the serum concentration of fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) is beginning to be used as a diagnostic tool in renal phosphate wasting disorders. Having observed an increased serum FGF-23 in three subjects with low circulating ferritin concentrations we investigated the association between low ferritin and raised serum FGF-23. METHODS: We measured FGF-23 in 150 random anonymized serum samples with ferritin concentrations between <5 and 50 microg/L using three commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. One kit, Human FGF-23[C-term] (Immutopics Inc, USA) measures total FGF-23 whereas the other two kits, Immutopics intact and FGF 23 ELISA (Kainos, Japan) are reported to measure only the biologically active intact molecule. RESULTS: We have detected a significant inverse correlation of 0.565 (P<0.0001) between serum ferritin when <50 microg/L and FGF-23 using the C terminal assay. This relationship is also shown with the Immutopics intact assay but is not demonstrated with the Kainos intact assay. CONCLUSION: The measurement of FGF-23 by both Immutopics assays is altered in the presence of low circulating concentrations of serum ferritin whereas with the Kainos intact assay this effect was not demonstrated. Serum ferritin should be measured when an elevated FGF-23 is obtained using the Immutopics C-terminal or intact FGF-23 assay to prevent misdiagnosis of the cause of this abnormality. PMID- 17761033 TI - Can we manage demand for allergy testing by restricting requests to a small number of prime target allergens? AB - BACKGROUND: Demand for expensive tests such as allergen-specific IgE is expanding far faster than for cheaper tests: at Burton Hospital the annual growth rate is 24%. Different hospitals have different policies on allergen testing. We report a comparison of the effect of requesting policy on diagnostic yield. METHODS: All results from five years of allergen testing were downloaded from the data warehouse at Burton, and a representative sample of recent results was evaluated from Ipswich Hospital. Statistical analysis by chi(2) test and significance tests for differences of proportions were carried out. RESULTS: Ipswich hospital used a standard four-allergen panel for respiratory patients and demonstrated a statistically significantly lower positivity rate for three of those four allergens. No relationship between the number of allergens tested and the probability of a positive result was shown - the probability of a positive result was approximately 0.3. Number of allergen-specific IgE tests requested/patient have remained roughly constant over 5(1/2) years but total demand has increased. CONCLUSIONS: Selective requesting for allergen-specific IgE testing may be more effective than use of a standard panel but this cannot be conclusively proven. It is not appropriate to attempt to limit workload by specifying a maximum number of tests that are allowed for any individual patient. PMID- 17761034 TI - Biochemical analysis of pleural and ascitic fluid: effect of sample timing on interpretation of results. AB - BACKGROUND: Modified Light's criteria are widely used to categorize pleural fluids as either exudates or transudates. Similarly, the serum-ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) is used in the differential diagnosis of ascites, particularly with reference to the prediction of portal hypertension. Fluid and serum samples are required for both of these to be applied. The effect of the time interval between fluid and serum samples on the interpretation of results has not been studied. METHODS: We examined the effect of sample timing on (a) the application of modified Light's criteria, and (b) the categorization of SAAG as wide (> or =11 g/L) or narrow (<11 g/L). Specifically, we compared the use of a 'routine' serum sample, i.e. one that was not formally paired by the requesting clinician with the fluid sample, with serum samples collected within 2 h of the fluid sample. RESULTS: Of 77 pleural fluids included for analysis, 45/47 were categorized as exudates, and 32/30 as transudates, using near simultaneous/routine serum samples respectively. Discrepant categorization was observed in two cases (P=0.74). Of 109 ascitic fluids, SAAG was > or =11 g/L in 100/95 cases, and <11 g/L in 9/14, using near-simultaneous/routine serum samples respectively. Discrepant categorization was observed in five cases (P=0.27). CONCLUSIONS: With reference to categorizing pleural and ascitic fluids as described above under (a) and (b), in most cases the use of routine serum samples does not alter the fluid categorization compared with the use of serum samples collected within 2 h. PMID- 17761035 TI - A rapid ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric method for measuring amino acids associated with maple syrup urine disease, tyrosinaemia and phenylketonuria. AB - BACKGROUND: Patients with inherited disorders of amino acid metabolism including maple syrup urine disease, tyrosinaemia and phenylketonuria on dietary management require frequent monitoring of disease-relevant plasma amino acids in order to optimize therapeutic benefit. Poorly controlled maple syrup urine disease in particular may result in catastrophic metabolic decompensation. Most methods for monitoring amino acid concentrations are time-consuming and have clinically impractical turnaround times, particularly when the required time to run standards and control samples is taken into account. METHODS: We have analysed plasma amino acids using standard ion-exchange chromatography with ninhydrin detection in an amino acid analyser and compared the data with that obtained for the same samples using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) separation with detection by tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The two methodologies compared very well for the measurement of six important amino acids with correlation coefficients greater than 0.96 for all. The time for sample preparation was longer for the UPLC methodology as batched derivatization and evaporation is required but UPLC-tandem mass spectrometry generated sample results every 8 min while conventional ion-exchange chromatography took almost 1 h per sample. CONCLUSION: UPLC-tandem mass spectrometry generates data that compares well with existing 'gold standard' methodologies but significantly reduces sample turnaround time. Decreasing the turnaround time for amino acid analyses is very likely to improve clinical care for patients with amino acid disorders as dietary adjustments can be made sooner. PMID- 17761036 TI - Evaluation of a card test for procalcitonin in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis peritonitis. AB - BACKGROUND: Peritonitis is an important complication in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. Procalcitonin (PCT) has recently been identified as an inflammation marker and recommended as a new potential marker in CAPD peritonitis. We aimed to study a card test for PCT and compare the results with the conventional markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and white blood cell (WBC) count. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 40 CAPD patients; 20 patients with an episode of peritonitis and 20 patients without any clinical or laboratory sign of infection were included in the study. PCT, CRP, ESR, WBC and dialysate cell count were performed at the beginning of the clinical signs of peritonitis. RESULTS: CRP and ESR had the highest sensitivities (100% for both) but lower specificities (55 and 10%; respectively) and PCT had the highest specificity with a relatively low sensitivity (100 and 70%) according to the calculated results. CONCLUSIONS: The card test for PCT seems to be suitable for the adjunctional use in CAPD peritonitis, with its shorter turn-around time, appropriateness for near-patient testing and high specificity. PMID- 17761037 TI - Stability of oleander extract and oleandrin in sera stored in plastic serum separator tubes. AB - INTRODUCTION: Oleander poisoning is common in the southern parts of the United States as well as part of Europe and South East Asia. The fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) for digoxin cross-reacts with oleandrin, the major poison of oleander extract and can be used for rapid detection of oleander poisoning. However, for medicolegal investigation, the presence of oleandrin should be confirmed by a more sophisticated analytical technique such as liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry. We studied stability of oleander extract as well as oleandrin in serum samples stored in Becton Dickinson plastic serum separator tubes (SSTs) by comparing values obtained in parallel specimens stored in plain glass tubes and in red-topped plastic tubes. METHOD: Oleander leaves were extracted using absolute ethanol, and drug-free serum pools were supplemented with oleander extract or ethanolic solution of pure oleandrin. Aliquots of the supplemented pools were then stored in plain glass tubes, red topped plastic tubes or SSTs and the stability of oleander extract or oleandrin in sera were studied by the FPIA digoxin assay for varying times up to seven days. RESULTS: We observed no statistically significant change in apparent digoxin concentrations in specimens stored in SSTs even after seven days of storage compared to original values observed in the supplemented serum pools. CONCLUSIONS: Specimens can be stored in SSTs for up to seven days prior to analysis of oleandrin concentration. PMID- 17761039 TI - Successful rescue of severe hypernatraemia (196 mmol/L) by treatment with hypotonic fluid. AB - Hypernatraemia over 160 mmol/L is considered to be severe. This case reports a patient who developed extreme hypernatraemia with a serum sodium concentration of 196 mmol/L. The patient was known to have chronic renal impairment and was admitted with acute deterioration of renal function secondary to dehydration. This was considered to be secondary to poor oral fluid intake (related to depression) and lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus with salt-losing nephropathy. The patient had a high urinary sodium excretion but was also in a pure water losing state as evidenced by an inappropriately low urine osmolality for the plasma osmolality and was successfully treated with hypotonic intravenous fluid and desmopressin. PMID- 17761038 TI - Central pontine myelinolysis following 'optimal' rate of correction of hyponatraemia with a good clinical outcome. AB - Central pontine myelinolyis (CPM), an acute demyelinating condition of the brain stem, is a recognized complication of the treatment of patients with chronic hyponatraemia (hyponatraemia >48 h), particularly in those who abuse alcohol. The risk of CPM is believed to be associated with a rapid (>8 mmol/L/day) correction of the serum sodium concentration, which is said to lead to an osmotically induced demyelination. CPM is also commonly believed to have a poor, and often fatal, outcome. We report the case of a 37-year-old female alcoholic patient who presented following a collapse, and who was hyponatraemic (serum sodium concentration 105 mmol/L). The rate at which the serum sodium concentration was corrected to normal was less than the 8 mmol/L/day guideline, but nonetheless she developed the clinical and radiological features of CPM. She made a good neurological recovery, however, and was able to be discharged from hospital. CPM does not necessarily have a bleak prognosis, and may occur even with optimal rates of correction of the serum sodium concentration. Clinicians should recognize that the outcome of CPM is not inevitably poor, and the complication may occur despite appropriate management. It is possible that CPM is a complication of the hyponatraemia itself, rather than the treatment of the biochemical disturbance. PMID- 17761040 TI - Relationship between age, metabolic syndrome and platelet counts in the male population. PMID- 17761041 TI - Further aspects of human immunoglobulin A deficiency. PMID- 17761045 TI - [The validity of a presumptive diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis performed by community health workers in Colombia]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To validate a method for the presumptive diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis based on the observation of clinical-epidemiological criteria, carried out by community health workers in three endemic municipalities in Santander, a department in northeastern Colombia. METHODS: This evaluation study of diagnostic technologies was based on a cross-sectional sampling of suspected cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the municipalities of Rionegro, El Playon, and Landazuri. After being trained, the community health workers carried out the presumptive diagnoses of cutaneous leishmaniasis between October 2004 and November 2005. At the time of diagnosis, the health workers also collected samples for confirmatory diagnosis through Field's stain method, culturing, and polymerase chain reaction. Four criteria were used to assess the validity of the presumptive diagnoses carried out by the health workers: sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Replicability among the health workers was estimated through their observed level of agreement. RESULTS: According to the laboratory tests, of the 196 patients studied, 33 (16.8%) were negative and 163 (83.2%) were positive. For all the levels of certainty of the clinical diagnosis, the sensitivity was between 52% and 98% (kappa(1, 0) = 39.0%) and the specificity between 9% and 55% (kappa(0, 0) = 14.0%). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 56.5% (95% confidence interval: 45.6% to 67.4%). The proportion of positive agreement and of negative agreement was 86.3% and 43.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity of the presumptive diagnosis carried out by the health workers surpasses that of the parasitological diagnostic methods generally used in the three endemic areas, but its specificity is much lower. Even though this approach is not useful as a diagnostic test for cutaneous leishmaniasis or as a criterion for deciding to proceed with treatment or not, the method is useful for the active identification of cases in the community. PMID- 17761046 TI - Cost-effectiveness of childhood hepatitis A vaccination in Argentina: a second dose is warranted. AB - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the cost-effectiveness of childhood vaccination against hepatitis A in the five geographic regions of Argentina, and to determine whether adding a second dose to the current one-dose schedule would provide health gains justifying its added cost. METHODS: A Markov model was used to consider four immunization options for the 2005 birth cohort: (1) no vaccination; (2) vaccination at 12 months of age, (3) vaccinations at 12 and 72 months of age; or (4) vaccinations at 12 and 18 months of age. Hepatitis A costs and consequences were predicted over 50 years. The cost-effectiveness of first and second vaccine doses was assessed through a range of vaccine prices and assumptions regarding the duration of vaccine protection. Costs and health gains (measured in quality-adjusted life years) were adjusted to present values using a 3% annual discount rate. RESULTS: The one-dose vaccination policy is predicted to reduce each birth cohort member's 50-year probability of overt hepatitis A from 7.2% to 4.1%. A second dose would reduce the probability to between 2.0% and 2.2%. Vaccination at 12 months of age, at 12 and 72 months, or at 12 and 18 months would reduce cases among personal contacts by 82%, 87%, and 92%, respectively. The first vaccine dose would meet accepted standards of cost effectiveness in each region, and reduce costs in the Northeast, Central, and South regions. Adding a second dose at age 18 months would be cost-effective in each region, and further reduce costs in the Cuyo region. If the duration of protection with one dose is less than anticipated, the second dose would be more cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS: Greater health gains are derived from the first than second hepatitis A vaccine dose. However, this analysis supports the cost effectiveness of providing both first and second doses to Argentina's children. PMID- 17761047 TI - [Timely implementation of interventions to reduce vertical HIV transmission: a successful experience in Brazil]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact, at the public maternity facility of a university hospital in Brazil, of the rapid implementation of new guidelines recommended by national consensus panels concerning the prevention of vertical HIV transmission. METHOD: We performed a retrospective study of deliveries by HIV infected women at the public maternity facility of a university hospital in the city of Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 1990 through 2000. The guidelines utilized at the facility during this period were: (1) from 1990 through 1994, contraindication to breast-feeding and no use of antiretroviral drugs; (2) 1995 and 1996, use of zidovudine (AZT) by the pregnant woman and the newborn; (3) 1997 and 1998, use of AZT according to the ACTG 076 protocol; and (4) 1999 and 2000, multiple antiretroviral agents and elective cesarean delivery. All the antiretroviral drugs were provided for free by Brazil's public health care system. The vertical transmission rate was calculated for each of the four stages, and the risk ratio for congenital transmission was calculated for each stage and for each prophylactic intervention separately (breast-feeding, type of antiretroviral drug, type of delivery). RESULTS: We studied 197 deliveries at the public maternity facility over that 1990-2000 period. Over the four stages, the rate of vertical transmission decreased: it was 32.3% in the first stage, 25.7% in the second, 2.2% in the third, and 2.9% in the fourth. The most pronounced decrease, observed from the second to the third stage, occurred after introduction of the full ACTG 076 regimen. The use of combined antiretroviral agents increased from 0% in the first stage to 46.4% in the fourth stage. There were no cases of vertical transmission in pregnant women treated with multiple drugs. The risk of vertical HIV transmission was 5 times as great with breast feeding vs. no breast-feeding (risk ratio = 5.06), 5 times as great with no antiretroviral therapy vs. the full ACTG 076 regimen (risk ratio = 5.29), and 4 times as great with forceps delivery vs. elective cesarean delivery (risk ratio = 4.13). CONCLUSION: The timely adoption of up-to-date interventions recommended by national consensus panels, along with the free provision of antiretroviral drugs, was effective in reducing congenital HIV transmission in this public maternity facility. The interaction between the university hospital health service and the public health service reduced the time needed for implementation of proven, effective interventions, and this experience could serve as an example for other maternal and perinatal health situations. PMID- 17761048 TI - The relationship between nutritional and sociodemographic factors and the likelihood of children in the Dominican Republic having a BCG scar. AB - OBJECTIVES: To critically assess the prevalence among schoolchildren 6 to 9 years of age throughout the Dominican Republic of a bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination scar, and to examine the relationship between nutritional and sociodemographic factors and the likelihood of having a BCG scar. METHODS: This correlational study used the database of the Second National Census on Height and Weight of Elementary School First Grade Students, which was conducted in the Dominican Republic August 2001-May 2002, to provide a critical assessment of BCG coverage nationwide. The Census information for the children included the presence of BCG scar, their nutritional status, and basic demographic data. We developed a new sociodemographic indicator, the "Rosa Index," to examine the potential influence of poverty and other environmental characteristics on scar presence. We used logistic regression models to predict the presence of a BCG scar. RESULTS: An overall BCG scar prevalence of 55.3% (85,644/154,887) was found. Malnourished children were less likely to have a BCG scar than were children with adequate nutritional status (odds ratio = 0.91; 95% confidence interval: 0.87, 0.95, P < 0.05). Children who were 7-9 years old were less likely to have a BCG scar than were children 6 years old. Children in the areas of the country more than two hours' driving distance from the capital city of Santo Domingo more often exhibited lower BCG scar prevalence levels than did children in Santo Domingo. A higher Rosa Index (better level of socioeconomic characteristics) was correlated with higher BCG scar prevalence values (r = 0.54, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings indicate that BCG coverage appears to be inadequate for schoolchildren in the Dominican Republic. Nevertheless, the presence of a scar in a higher proportion of younger children suggests that coverage has improved in recent years. More programmatic and economic emphasis needs to be placed on extending early BCG vaccination coverage to the areas of the country where vaccination coverage is lower, and on examining the potential role that poverty may have on vaccination effectiveness. PMID- 17761049 TI - [Trends in mortality from scorpion stings in Mexico, 1979-2003]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To describe the trends in mortality from scorpion stings in Mexico as a whole and in each of its states for the period of 1979 to 2003. METHODS: We estimated the crude and standardized mortality rates due to scorpion stings and the trends during the period studied based on official mortality data for Mexico, using the codes (E905.2 and X22, respectively) from the 9th and 10th editions of the International Classification of Diseases. The results were stratified by age group. The frequencies of deaths from scorpion stings were compared using relative risk (RR), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Between 1979 and 2003 in Mexico, 6,077 deaths from scorpion stings were registered. A statistically significant downward trend was found in standardized mortality rates (beta = -0.195; P < or = 0.001), with a total reduction of 86.5% for the period of 2001-2003 versus 1979-1982. For the 2001-2003 period, the highest mortality rates were in children under 1 year of age (7.07 per 1,000,000), children 1 to 4 years old (3.78 per 1,000,000), persons 60 and older (0.84 per 1,000,000), and males (0.81 per 1,000,000). Persons in communities with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants had a relative risk that was 11.8 times (95% CI: 7.86 to 17.72) that found in communities with more than 20,000 inhabitants. The states with the highest mortality rates were in the central and western regions of the country. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the sustained decline in the number of deaths from scorpion stings in the last 20 years in Mexico, there is still an important public health problem. The groups that are most affected are children under 5 and the elderly. Measures should be taken so that in all communities, especially small ones, adequate resources and information are available to provide for the prompt care of persons who suffer a scorpion sting. PMID- 17761050 TI - Hearing impairment and socioeconomic factors: a population-based survey of an urban locality in southern Brazil. AB - OBJECTIVE: To provide the first population-based data on deafness and hearing impairment in Brazil. METHODS: In 2003, a cross-sectional household survey was conducted of 2,427 persons 4 years old and over. The study population was composed of 1,040 systematically chosen households in 40 randomly selected census tracts (dwelling clusters) in the city of Canoas, which is in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil. Hearing function was evaluated in all subjects by both pure-tone audiometry and physical examination, using the World Health Organization Ear and Hearing Disorders Survey Protocol and definitions of hearing levels. The socioeconomic data that were gathered included the amount of schooling of all individuals tested and the income of the head of the household. RESULTS: It was found that 26.1% of the population studied showed some level of hearing impairment, and 6.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.5%-8.1%) were classified in the disabling hearing impairment group. The prevalence of moderate hearing loss was 5.4% (95% CI = 4.4%-6.4%); for severe hearing loss, 1.2% (95% CI = 0.7%-1.7%); and for profound hearing loss, 0.2% (95% CI = 0.03%-0.33%). The groups at higher risk for hearing loss were men (odds ratio (OR) = 1.54; 95% CI = 1.06-2.23); participants 60 years of age and over (OR = 12.55; 95% CI = 8.38 18.79); those with fewer years of formal schooling (OR = 3.92; 95% CI = 2.14 7.16); and those with lower income (OR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.06-2.27). CONCLUSIONS: These results support advocacy by health policy planners and care providers for the prevention of deafness and hearing impairment. The findings could help build awareness in the community, in universities, and in government agencies of the health care needs that hearing problems create. PMID- 17761051 TI - [Diagnosis of leptospirosis: evaluation of a solid-phase enzyme immunoassay in different stages of the disease]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To develop a solid-phase enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) for genus-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) determination with leptospirosis and to evaluate the ELISA in different stages of the disease. METHODS: A total of 1,077 serum samples from 812 patients with suspected leptospirosis were analyzed. The samples had come from diagnoses done in the laboratory of the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias), in the city of Santa Fe, Argentina, between 1999 and 2005. Included in the study were 182 confirmed cases (267 samples), 167 negative cases (293 samples), and 40 probable cases (60 samples) (based on case definitions based on the results from the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), leukocyte counts, and neutrophilia values). Each sample was classified, according to the days of the natural history of disease, into one of three stages: first (< 10 days), second (10-25 days), or third (> 25 days). The antigen used in the ELISA was an extract of a mixture of pyrogenes and tarassovi serovars cultivated in a liquid medium, treated with ultrasound, and immobilized by adsorption on polystyrene plates. As a secondary antibody, a peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-human IgG monoclonal antibody was used. The cutoff value, sensitivity, and specificity of the ELISA were determined using the definitions of confirmed cases and of negatives cases as the standard. In order to determine the optimal cutoff value, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated. RESULTS: The sensitivity of the evaluated test was much higher in the second stage (93.2%) than in either the first stage (68.1%) or the third stage (78.8%). The specificity increased gradually from 96.3% in the first stage to 100% in the third stage. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that this ELISA test can be a very useful complement to the MAT for the diagnosis of leptospirosis in all the stages and, in particular, in order to diagnose acute disease sooner. PMID- 17761052 TI - [Obstetric care and severe pregnancy complications in Latin America and the Caribbean: an analysis of information from demographic health surveys]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compile, consolidate, and analyze information obtained in surveys conducted by the MEASURE DHS [Demographic and Health Surveys] program, concerning obstetric care and pregnancy complications for women in Latin America and the Caribbean, in the five years before the survey. METHODS: This exploratory study utilized data from demographic surveys carried out in the 1990s in seven countries of Latin America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Peru. The study describes the characteristics of the women who were interviewed and of the obstetric care that they received in the five years before the respective survey, and it also estimates the occurrence of prolonged labor and of hemorrhagic, hypertensive, and infectious complications in those five years. RESULTS: The median number of prenatal consultations ranged from 4.7 in Bolivia to 6.6 in the Dominican Republic. More than 40% of deliveries in Guatemala, Peru, and Bolivia were attended by traditional midwives, relatives, or other persons without formal training. The highest rates of deliveries performed in health care facilities (> 90%) were in the Dominican Republic and Brazil. In Guatemala, Peru, and Bolivia more than 45% of deliveries were at home. The highest rate of cesarean delivery was in Brazil (36.4%), and the lowest rates (< 12%) were in Peru and Guatemala. The rate of pregnancy complications reported by the women surveyed was 16.7% in Brazil, 17.9% in Guatemala, 42.1% in Colombia, 42.5% in Nicaragua, 43.0% in the Dominican Republic, 51.7% in Bolivia, and 51.8% in Peru. CONCLUSION: The reported occurrence of severe pregnancy complications in the surveys we examined was well above the 15% rate reported in other scientific literature, suggesting that these complications may have been overestimated in the MEASURE DHS surveys. Prior validation of the questionnaires used for data collection is extremely important in the generation of high-quality data. PMID- 17761054 TI - Measuring performance quality in general practice: is international harmonization desirable? PMID- 17761055 TI - Conflicts between personal and public health care: can one GP serve two masters? PMID- 17761056 TI - Clinical features of primary brain tumours: a case-control study using electronic primary care records. AB - BACKGROUND: Around 4500 new primary brain tumours are diagnosed in the UK each year. Symptoms of these tumours have not previously been studied in primary care. AIM: To identify and quantify the clinical features of brain tumours in primary care. DESIGN OF STUDY: Case-control study. SETTING: The General Practice Research Database, UK. METHOD: A total of 3505 patients with primary brain tumours diagnosed between May 1988 and March 2006, and 17 173 controls, matched for age (to 1 year), sex, and general practice, were studied. Full medical records for 6 months before diagnosis were searched for reports of clinical features previously associated with brain tumours. Odds ratios were calculated for variables independently associated with cancer, using conditional logistic regression, as were the positive predictive values for patients consulting in primary care. RESULTS: Seven features were associated with brain tumours before diagnosis. Positive predictive values against a background risk of 0.013% were: new-onset seizure, 1.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0 to 1.4); weakness (as a symptom), 3.0% (95% CI = 1.7 to 4.9); headache, 0.09% (95% CI = 0.08 to 0.10); confusion, 0.20% (95% CI = 0.16 to 0.24); memory loss, 0.036% (95% CI = 0.026 to 0.052); visual disorder, 0.035% (95% CI = 0.025 to 0.051); and the physical sign of motor loss on examination, 0.026% (95% CI = 0.024 to 0.030); all P<0.001, except for visual disorder, P = 0.005. In a sub-analysis by age, the maximum risk of a brain tumour with headache or new-onset seizures was found in the age group 60-69 years (0.13% and 2.3% respectively). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that isolated headache presented to primary care has too small a risk of an underlying brain tumour to warrant investigation at presentation. However, new-onset seizures should be investigated. PMID- 17761057 TI - Primary care spirometry: test quality and the feasibility and usefulness of specialist reporting. AB - BACKGROUND: Provision of spirometry for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a new requirement in primary care. Effective spirometry requires that tests and interpretations meet international criteria. AIM: To assess the feasibility and usefulness of remote specialist reporting of primary care spirometry. DESIGN OF STUDY: Comparison of reporting by primary care clinicians and respiratory specialists of consecutive primary care spirometry tests. SETTING: South London primary care teams with patient lists > or =6000. METHOD: Feasibility of remote reporting of spirometry was assessed by the frequency of electronic mailing of tests. Usefulness of remote reporting was defined by the frequency that specialist reports made a clinically significant addition. Usefulness was assessed by measuring agreement (kappa) between primary care reports and those of specialists. Clinically significant disagreements were analysed with respect to test quality, diagnosis, and severity. RESULTS: Six practices emailed 312 tests over 3 months. Forty-nine tests sent without indices or curves (flow volume and time volume) were excluded. Mean age of patients tested was 65 years and 52% were female. Mean predicted forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) was 69%. Clinically significant disagreements were identified in the interpretation of acceptability (quality) of 67/212 (32%) tests (kappa = 0.07; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0 to 0.24), of diagnosis in 49/168 (29%) tests (kappa = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.25 to 0.55), and of severity in 62/191 (32%) tests (kappa = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.43 to 0.63). CONCLUSION: Remote reporting of primary care spirometry was feasible. Its usefulness was confirmed by the high rate of additional clinically significant information to the reports of primary care clinicians. The quality of primary care spirometry was so unsatisfactory that remote reporting of tests may be a means of establishing adequate spirometry. PMID- 17761058 TI - A qualitative study exploring variations in GPs' out-of-hours referrals to hospital. AB - BACKGROUND: There is evidence of significant variations in hospital referral rates for GPs working in out-of-hours care. AIMS: To explain why there are marked variations in hospital referral rates for GPs working in out-of-hours care. DESIGN OF STUDY: In depth, face-to-face interviews with a purposive sample of GPs with different out-of-hours referral rates. SETTING: Bristol, UK. METHOD: GPs were selected according to their rate of out-of-hours hospital referral. They were classified as high, medium, or low referrers. Five interviews were carried out with GPs from each of the three categories. RESULTS: High referring GPs are typically cautious and believe it is better to admit if in doubt. They express anxiety about the consequences of a decision not to admit, both for the patient and for themselves. They hold negative attitudes towards alternatives to hospital admission. Low referrers were more confident about their decisions and less often worried afterwards. Low referrers were positive about alternatives to hospital admission and described themselves as able to resist pressures from family or carers to have someone admitted. Low referrers also see hospitals as places to be avoided and viewed their goal as preventing an admission. CONCLUSION: Educational programmes need to be developed to improve GPs' judgements of their competences and to build appropriate levels of confidence. PMID- 17761059 TI - Accessibility, clinical effectiveness, and practice costs of providing a telephone option for routine asthma reviews: phase IV controlled implementation study. AB - BACKGROUND: Attendance for routine asthma reviews is poor. A recent randomised controlled trial found that telephone consultations can cost-effectively and safely enhance asthma review rates; however, concerns have been expressed about the generalisability and implementation of the trial's findings. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of a telephone option as part of a routine structured asthma review service. DESIGN OF STUDY: Phase IV controlled before-and-after implementation study. SETTING: A large UK general practice. METHOD: Using existing administrative groups, all patients with active asthma (n = 1809) received one of three asthma review services: structured recall with a telephone option for reviews versus structured recall with face-to-face-only reviews, or usual-care (to assess secular trends). Main outcome measures were: proportion of patients with active asthma reviewed within the previous 15 months (Quality and Outcomes Framework target), mode of review, enablement, morbidity, and costs to the practice. RESULTS: A routine asthma review was provided for 397/598 (66.4%) patients in the telephone-option group compared with 352/654 (53.8%) in the face to-face-only review group: risk difference 12.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.2 to 17.9, P<0.001). The usual-care group achieved a review rate of 282/557 (50.6%). Morbidity was equivalent in the three groups; however, enablement (P = 0.03) and confidence (P = 0.007) in asthma management were greater in the telephone-option versus face-to-face-only group. The cost per review achieved by providing the telephone-option service was lower than the face-to-face-only service (10.03 pounds versus 12.74 pounds, mean difference 2.71 pounds; 95% CI = 1.92 to 3.50, P<0.001); usual-care costs were 11.85 pounds per review achieved. CONCLUSION: Routinely offering telephone reviews cost-effectively increased asthma review rates, enhancing patient enablement and confidence with management, with no detriment to asthma morbidity. Practices should consider a telephone option for their asthma review service. PMID- 17761060 TI - Treatment reviews of older people on polypharmacy in primary care: cluster controlled trial comparing two approaches. AB - BACKGROUND: Older people are prone to problems related to use of medicines. As they tend to use many different medicines, monitoring pharmacotherapy for older people in primary care is important. AIM: To determine which procedure for treatment reviews (case conferences versus written feedback) results in more medication changes, measured at different moments in time. To determine the costs and savings related to such an intervention. DESIGN OF STUDY: Randomised, controlled trial, randomisation at the level of the community pharmacy. SETTING: Primary care; treatment reviews were performed by 28 pharmacists and 77 GPs concerning 738 older people (> or =75 years) on polypharmacy (>five medicines). METHOD: In one group, pharmacists and GPs performed case conferences on prescription-related problems; in the other group, pharmacists provided results of a treatment review to GPs as written feedback. Number of medication changes was counted following clinically-relevant recommendations. Costs and savings associated with the intervention at various times were calculated. RESULTS: In the case-conference group significantly more medication changes were initiated (42 versus 22, P = 0.02). This difference was also present 6 months after treatment reviews (36 versus 19, P = 0.02). Nine months after treatment reviews, the difference was no longer significant (33 versus 19, P = 0.07). Additional costs in the case-conference group seem to be covered by the slightly greater savings in this group. CONCLUSION: Performing treatment reviews with case conferences leads to greater uptake of clinically-relevant recommendations. Extra costs seem to be covered by related savings. The effect of the intervention declines over time, so performing treatment reviews for older people should be integrated in the routine collaboration between GPs and pharmacists. PMID- 17761061 TI - Measuring patient satisfaction for the Quality and Outcomes Framework. AB - The general medical services (GMS) contract Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) awards up to 70 points for measuring patient satisfaction with either the Improving Practices Questionnaire (IPQ) or the General Practice Assessment Questionnaire (GPAQ). The usefulness of data collected depends crucially on the validity and reliability of the measurement instrument. The literature was reviewed to assess the validity and reliability of these questionnaires. The literature was searched for peer-review publications that assessed the reliability and validity of the IPQ and GPAQ, using online literature databases and hand-searching of references up to June 2006. One paper claimed to assess the validity and reliability of the IPQ. No paper reported the reliability and validity of the GPAQ, but three papers assessed an earlier version (the GPAS). No published evidence could be found that the IPQ, GPAQ, or GPAS have been validated against external criteria. The GPAS was found to have acceptable reliability and test-retest reliability. Neither of the instruments mandated by the GMS contract has been formally assessed for reliability: their reproducibility remains unknown. The validation of the two questionnaires approved by the QOF to assess patient satisfaction with general practice appears to be suboptimal. It is recommended that future patient experience surveys are piloted for validity and reliability before being implemented widely. PMID- 17761064 TI - QOF. PMID- 17761062 TI - Patient satisfaction questionnaires for primary care out-of-hours services: a systematic review. AB - BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction questionnaires are increasingly used for assessing quality of care. AIM: To review the evidence for the reliability and validity of patient satisfaction questionnaires for out-of-hours care. DESIGN: Systematic review. SETTING: Primary care out-of-hours services. METHOD: Searches of CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE((R)) and PsycINFO using terms relevant to the measurement of patient satisfaction and out-of-hours services. Abstracts were reviewed and information relating to questionnaire content, data quality, reliability, and validity were extracted from articles by two independent researchers. RESULTS: Four questionnaires were found, two from the UK - the Patient Satisfaction with Out-of-Hours Care (PSOC) and Short Questionnaire for Out-of-Hours Care (SQOC) - and two from the Netherlands - the van Uden and Moll van Charante questionnaires. Questionnaire content was based on literature reviews and expert opinion; the PSOC and Moll van Charante questionnaires were also developed following interviews or focus groups with patients. Cronbach's alpha values were below 0.7 for some scales within the PSOC and van Uden questionnaires. Test-retest reliability was reported for the PSOC and Moll van Charante questionnaires. Tests of validity were few and did not give explicit consideration to the size of expected associations. CONCLUSION: Potential users wishing to assess patient satisfaction should carefully consider the content of the questionnaires and its relevance to the application and patient group. The four questionnaires have limitations relating to their development and evaluation. The PSOC and van Uden questionnaires have low levels of reliability for some scales, which should be used with caution in future surveys. PMID- 17761065 TI - The RCGP Adolescent Task Group reaches its teenage years. PMID- 17761066 TI - Is primary care the right place for genetic diagnosis? PMID- 17761067 TI - RAM disease and other musings. PMID- 17761068 TI - Lessons from the intravenous room in Hangzhou. PMID- 17761069 TI - The NHS and its role in developing family medicine in China. PMID- 17761071 TI - GPs and junk science. PMID- 17761072 TI - 'Where are now your prophets...?'. PMID- 17761076 TI - The relationship between interstitial cystitis and endometriosis in patients with chronic pelvic pain. AB - OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the relationship between interstitial cystitis (IC), endometriosis (endo), and chronic pelvic pain (CPP) in individuals in whom nongynecological and nonurological problems had been previously ruled out. METHODS: A prospective study of 162 consecutive women with a complaint of chronic pelvic pain seen in the clinic was performed between August 2002 and December 2005. These patients underwent a workup to exclude other causes of pelvic pain, had PUF (Pain Urgency and Frequency) questionnaires filled out, and underwent a laparoscopy and a cystoscopy with hydrodistention. Pain levels were determined, and treatment was reviewed and enumerated. Results were obtained and quantified. RESULTS: In this study, 123 (76%) patients were diagnosed with active endometriosis, 133 (82%) were diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, and 107 (66%) had both disease entities simultaneously. Thirteen (8%) patients were diagnosed with pathologies unrelated to endometriosis and interstitial cystitis. Pain levels were seen to decrease at 6 months in all groups of patients with the exception of those patients with endometriosis only. CONCLUSION: CPP is a difficult, taxing, and frustrating concern for many women in the United States. These individuals have traditionally been difficult to treat. A large number of women with CPP in our patient population have been shown to have endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, or both. Therefore, a workup for premenopausal individuals with CPP involves obtaining a history that keys into possible nongynecologic causes of pain, a complete accounting of urinary problems, and a thorough history of gynecological problems. A physical examination with a comprehensive history should be performed, and the investigation may include the possibility of a simultaneous laparoscopy and cystoscopy if warranted. These procedures can serve as both a means for diagnosis and treatment of these problems when encountered. PMID- 17761078 TI - Assessing the learning curve for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy. AB - OBJECTIVE: We assessed the learning curve for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study. We analyzed the first 60 consecutive laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy procedures performed by a team of 2 gynecological laparoscopic surgeons between May 2001 and July 2006 to examine whether a learning curve exists as defined by a decrease in operating time and complications as the sequence increased. Based on previous reports, we defined the first 30 laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomies as "early" cases and the subsequent cases as "late" cases. RESULTS: The mean operating time for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy was significantly reduced from 166 minutes to 142.3 minutes (P < or = 0.05) between the early and the late cases. The mean first postoperative day drop in hemoglobin between the early and the late cases was from 2.4 gm/dL to 2.0 gm/dL (P = 0.08). Two complications occurred in the series: one delayed bowel injury in the early cases and one conversion to laparotomy due to a cystotomy in the late cases. No difference existed between the early and the late patients regarding age, parity, body mass index, uterine weight, previous abdominal surgery, or hospital stay. There was an overall linear correlation between the operating time and uterine weight (R = 0.384). CONCLUSION: There is a learning curve for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy. After gaining experience in performing 30 cases, the operating time is significantly reduced. The operation can be performed safely during the learning period. PMID- 17761077 TI - Patients with chronic pelvic pain: endometriosis or interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome? AB - BACKGROUND: Endometriosis and interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome share similar symptoms. Interstitial cystitis was once considered rare, but it is now recognized as more common than previously thought. This review examines evidence that patients presenting with symptoms typically attributed to endometriosis or with unresolved pelvic pain after treatment for endometriosis may, in fact, have interstitial cystitis, and suggests approaches for appropriate diagnosis. METHODS: A MedLine search using "chronic pelvic pain," "endometriosis," "interstitial cystitis," and "bladder origin pain" as key words was performed for the most recent English-language articles. Additional references were obtained through cross-referencing the bibliography cited in each publication. DISCUSSION: The symptoms of endometriosis and interstitial cystitis frequently overlap, and these 2 conditions may even coexist in the same patient. In cases of unresolved endometriosis and persistent pelvic pain, patients may have interstitial cystitis. A variety of tools are available to aid in identifying interstitial cystitis. CONCLUSION: Gynecologists should be alert to the possible presence of interstitial cystitis in patients who present with chronic pelvic pain typical of endometriosis. PMID- 17761079 TI - A 5-mm open-entry technique achieves safe, single-step, cosmetic laparoscopic entry. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The rare but serious complications of blind Veress needle insertion during laparoscopy include bowel and vascular injury. To reduce these risks, a novel method of open laparoscopy was introduced into our clinical practice, and its efficacy was evaluated. METHODS: This is a retrospective evaluation of a novel 5-mm-open laparoscopic technique in a university hospital based endoscopy practice in 65 consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopy with a single surgeon. RESULT: A 71% success rate was achieved using the 5-mm open-entry laparoscopic technique. No complications occurred during any of the laparoscopic procedures, but 29% reverted to a standard 5-mm Veress needle technique. The success of the open-entry technique was independent of prior abdominal surgery, subject age, or body mass index (BMI). CONCLUSION: The 5-mm open-entry technique is safe, fast, and cosmetic. It is easily mastered and may be converted to a standard Veress needle technique if peritoneal entry is not achieved. PMID- 17761081 TI - Outcomes in patients treated by laparoscopic resection of rectal carcinoma after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the effect of neoadjuvant chemo radiation on feasibility and outcomes in rectal cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic resection of the rectum. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of a consecutive series of laparoscopic resections for rectal cancer from 1998 to 2004 (N=60). RESULTS: Eight patients received preoperative chemoradiation therapy (neoadjuvant group) for rectal cancer and 52 patients did not (primary surgical group). The conversion rate was higher in the neoadjuvant group, but this did not reach statistical significance (3/8, 37% in the neoadjuvant group vs. 7/52, 13% in the primary surgical group, P=0.12). Operative time was longer in the neoadjuvant group (170+/-60 vs 228+/-70 min, P=0.03). Complication rates (3/52, 5.7% in the primary surgical vs. 0% in the neoadjuvant group, P=1.0), and a median number of resected lymph nodes (14.5 in the primary surgical vs. 16.0 in the neoadjuvant group, P=0.81) were similar between groups. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic resection of rectal cancer in patients after preoperative chemoradiation treatment seems to be associated with a higher conversion rate and a longer duration of surgery. No change in mortality and morbidity was detected. We encourage further investigation of laparoscopic rectal surgery for treatment of rectal cancer. PMID- 17761080 TI - Prospective randomized comparison of cutting and dilating disposable trocars for access during laparoscopic renal surgery. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Traditional trocar tip design for laparoscopic access incorporates cutting blades to penetrate the body wall. More recently, trocars applying tissue dilation have been used that create a smaller defect, seldom requiring fascial wound closure. Four 12-mm commercially available single-use trocar designs were evaluated for postoperative pain. METHODS: The 4-trocar types included 2 cutting (single or pyramidal bladed) and 2 dilating trocars (radially or axially dilating) type. Fifty-six patients undergoing transperitoneal laparoscopic renal surgery were randomized and blinded to one of the 4 trocar types. In each case, trocars were placed in a standard "diamond" configuration: three 12-mm study trocars and a lateral 5-mm trocar that served as a reference point for normalizing patients' pain scores. Postoperative pain based on a visual analog scale and complications were assessed. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference existed in pain scores between different trocar types or trocar sites at 3-hour, 24-hour, and 1-week postoperative assessment time points. Eight (4.8%) minor complications occurred: bleeding in 7 (4.2%) and 1 (0.6%) wound infection. The radially dilating trocar had more device malfunction (P<0.05) than did the others. CONCLUSION: All 4 disposable trocars, muscle cutting or dilating type, were safe and yielded similar postoperative pain scores with or without the fascial wound closure after renal laparoscopy. PMID- 17761082 TI - Laparoscopic peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion using a Quinton percutaneous insertion kit. AB - OBJECTIVE: We assessed a unique technique of laparoscopic peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter insertion which can minimize catheter dysfunction. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of patients undergoing laparoscopic PD catheter placement with a Quinton percutaneous insertion kit between July 2000 and December 2004. RESULTS: Thirty-one catheters were placed laparoscopically. The mean operating time was 52 minutes. Adhesiolysis was required in 9 (29%) and omentectomy or omentopexy in 3 (10%) cases. Late complications included catheter dysfunction in 2 patients (6.5%), debilitating abdominal pain requiring catheter removal in 1 patient, and 1 trocar-site hernia. The mean follow-up was 17 months. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic PD catheter insertion using a Quinton percutaneous insertion kit is safe, reproducible, and effective. It facilitates placement of the catheter tip into the pelvis and allows adhesiolysis, omentectomy, or omentopexy when necessary. Utilization of this technique results in a low rate of PD catheter dysfunction. PMID- 17761083 TI - Is preservation of the adrenal vein mandatory in laparoscopic adrenal-sparing surgery? AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Adrenal tissue-sparing or partial adrenalectomy evolved initially for patients with bilateral synchronous adrenal surgical pathology to preserve vital adrenal volume. In the laparoscopic era, the exact criteria for performing such procedures laparoscopically have yet to be defined. Controversy exists regarding the importance of preserving the adrenal vein, main or accessory. The aim of this retrospective study was to present our short series of laparoscopic tissue-sparing adrenalectomies with vein preservation. Our main goal is not to support partial adrenalectomy as an alternative to total (this is already advocated by many surgeons) but to emphasize the vein-preserving technique. METHODS: Seven patients with peripherally located either aldosterone producing adenomas (4 cases) or myelolipomas (4 cases) underwent laparoscopic lateral partial adrenalectomy. One patient harbored an aldosterone-producing adenoma and a myelolipoma as well. The main adrenal vein was identified and preserved in 6 patients and the accessory vein in one. RESULTS: No conversion to open adrenalectomy was necessary, and no perioperative morbidity or mortality occurred. Three adenoma patients are normotensive 44, 23, and 20 months postoperatively, while the fourth one's pressure is refractory. CONCLUSIONS: Surprisingly, total adrenalectomies preceded the partial ones, which is controversial compared with other procedures. Laparoscopic lateral partial adrenalectomy is a technically challenging tissue-sparing operation. Meticulous dissection allows preservation of the middle artery and main or accessory vein resulting in a functioning adrenal stump. PMID- 17761084 TI - Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a safe approach for management of acute cholecystitis. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is increasingly being used as an appropriate early treatment in patients with cholecystitis. This study evaluated the safety, effectiveness, and complications of LC in all cases of acute cholecystitis. METHODS: A retrospective study involved the patients who underwent LC for acute cholecystitis within 72 hours of admission. The preoperative diagnosis was based on clinical, laboratory, and echographic examinations, while the final diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination of the excised gallbladder. RESULTS: We identified 184 patients with acute cholecystitis. Intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) was not performed. Preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed in 62 patients (33.7%), and postoperative ERCP in 13 patients (7.1%). Conversion to open cholecystectomy was necessary in 19 patients (10.3%); 16 patients for severe inflammation and adhesions and 3 patients because of uncontrolled bleeding. The mean operative time was 68 minutes. No deaths occurred. The overall complication rate was 6% with 3 postoperative bile leakages and 2 nonbilious subhepatic collections. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 2.8 days. CONCLUSIONS: LC is a safe, effective procedure for the early management of patients with acute cholecystitis. LC can be safely performed without routine IOC when ERCP is performed preoperatively on the basis of specific indications. Meticulous dissection and good exposure of Calot's triangle may prevent bile duct injuries. PMID- 17761085 TI - Antegrade dissection in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of gallbladder antegrade dissection (GAD) cholecystectomy to reduce the risk of common biliary duct injuries and to demonstrate that it is an easier and more time-sparing technique than the traditional one. METHODS: The operative procedure performed since 2002 consists of the incision of the visceral peritoneum from the infundibulum away from Calot's triangle along the gallbladder bed up to the fundus. Then it continues from the fundus up to the infundibulum. This method was used to perform 127 laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LC) (first group). We compared the results of 119 LC (second group) performed from 1998 to 2001 by means of a completely retrograde method. RESULTS: In both groups, there were no major complications; 1 vs 4 conversions (0.8% vs 3.4%), mean operative time 70 minutes vs 90 minutes, residual choledocholithiasis in 2 patients in both groups (1.6% for the first group vs 1.7% for the second group). CONCLUSIONS: GAD for laparoscopic cholecystectomy can reduce the time of surgery and is an easier technique to perform. Therefore, it can be proposed as the standard procedure and not only be used for difficult cholecystectomies. PMID- 17761086 TI - Ambulatory total extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: feasibility and impact on quality of life. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Feasibility of ambulatory laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in developing countries is not known due to lack of dedicated outpatient centers. This study prospectively evaluated the feasibility of outpatient discharge after laparoscopic total extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair done in combination with in-hospital services and its impact on quality of life. METHODS: Forty patients were studied who had uncomplicated inguinal hernias and fulfilled the selection criteria. Quality of life was evaluated by using the SF-12 questionnaire. RESULTS: Ninety percent of patients could be discharged as outpatients. Four patients required admission. No major complications or readmissions occurred. Physical components of quality of life deteriorated in the immediate postoperative period but improved to above preoperative levels within one month. A transient deterioration in subgroups of the mental health component was observed, which recovered to normal in less than a week. There was no significant alteration in the emotional component. There has been no recurrence at a median follow-up of 25 months. CONCLUSION: It was feasible to safely perform outpatient TEP in combination with routine in-hospital services without increasing complications or causing any adverse impact on quality of life. This was possible subject to adherence to proper selection and discharge criteria. PMID- 17761087 TI - Laparoscopic reduction of intussusception: an evolving therapeutic option. AB - INTRODUCTION: Intussusception (IS) is a common cause of bowel obstruction in the pediatric population. Traditionally, unsuccessful hydrostatic reduction has been followed by laparotomy. With the advent of minimally invasive surgery, centers have adopted laparoscopic reduction as a surgical option. We reviewed our experience with IS and investigated whether there were any advantages to performing laparoscopy over conventional laparotomy in unsuccessful air enema reduction (AE). METHODS: All the records of patients admitted from January 2001 to August 2004 with a diagnosis of IS (diagnosis code 560.0) were reviewed. Parameters investigated included age, sex, weight, radiological intervention, operative procedure, length of stay (LOS), and days to oral intake (p.o.). Statistical analysis was performed with the 2-tailed t test to compare outcomes and Fisher's exact test to assess differences in nominal frequencies. RESULTS: Seventeen males and 9 females diagnosed with IS were identified. The mean age was 2.5 years (range, 1 month to 14 years), and the average weight was 5.65 kg (range, 4.65 to 95). Twenty-three of the 26 patients (88.5%) underwent AE reduction, with success in 13 (57%). One recurred after initial successful AE, 9 failed multiple attempts at AE, and 2 attempted reductions were complicated by perforations. Fifteen patients underwent surgical reduction for unsuccessful AE or to address a pathological lead point. The success rate of laparoscopic reduction was 85%. The average time to resumption of p.o. intake for patients with successful AE was 0.5 days, and after laparoscopic reduction, the average time to p.o. intake was 1.5 days, while it was 4 days after laparotomy (P=0.05). After laparoscopic reduction, the average LOS was 6 days, but LOS was 7 days after laparotomy (P=0.66). CONCLUSION: Many children who present with IS can be treated by AE. In patients who fail AE, laparoscopy offers a safe, effective alternative to laparotomy. PMID- 17761088 TI - "Chinese fan spread" distraction technique of laparoscopic reduction of intussusception. AB - OBJECTIVE: The "Chinese Fan Spread" (CFS) distraction technique for laparoscopic reduction of intussusception is herein described and its outcome and benefits are evaluated. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all patients who underwent attempts at laparoscopic reduction of intussusception at our center. The CFS distraction technique was consistently applied in all cases. RESULTS: Fourteen patients were identified. Median age was 2.4 years (range, 4 months to 10.3 years). Indications for surgery included (1) failed pneumatic reduction (n=11), (2) need to evaluate for lead point in a patient with 4 recurrences (n=1), (3) need to biopsy the lead point in a patient with suspected lymphoma (n=1), and (4) diagnostic laparoscopy for evaluation of hematochezia (n=1). Two patients who failed laparoscopic reduction by the CFS distraction technique also failed open manual reduction, requiring right hemicolectomy. Of the 12 (86%) who were successfully reduced laparoscopically, pathologic lead points were identified in 5 (2 acute appendicitis, 1 Meckel's diverticulum, 1 harmatomatous polyp, and 1 Burkitt's lymphoma). Lead points were excised laparoscopically or via a vertical transumbilical incision. There were no complications. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic reduction of intussusception by the CFS distraction technique is effective and safe. Lead points may be dealt with together either laparoscopically or via a transumbilical incision. PMID- 17761089 TI - Patient comprehension and recall of laparoscopic surgery and outcomes in a non English speaking population. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine patient recall and comprehension after laparoscopic appendectomy in an underserved population. Laparoscopic surgery can lead to diagnostic uncertainty secondary to poor recall and variable port placement. METHODS: After institutional review board approval, we identified a cohort of patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy from 2000 to 2004 at a single institution. We then attempted to contact the patients to conduct a 10-question telephone survey, which determined whether the patient spoke English or Spanish as a primary language, ethnicity, educational level, and questions about recall of perioperative events and diagnoses. If we could not reach the patient, we tried to call back on 2 different occasions. RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2004, 186 patients underwent laparoscopic appendectomy. Of these, 65% were Hispanic. We found that only 17% of these patients returned for a postoperative visit. Only 19.3% could be contacted by phone. Forty-seven percent of the patients contacted by phone spoke Spanish exclusively. Overall 92% of patients contacted knew what operation they had, and gave their correct diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The low percentage of patients available to follow-up makes this study statistically insignificant. However, we believe that fact in itself is important. In Southwestern states, we see a large migrant population. This highlights the need to communicate effectively with the patients at the time of surgery, which we speculate we did based on the percentage of patients that knew their diagnosis. PMID- 17761090 TI - Laparoscopic mesh splenopexy (sandwich technique) for wandering spleen. AB - BACKGROUND: Wandering spleen is a rare clinical condition caused by incomplete fusion of the 4 primary splenic ligaments, allowing the spleen to be mobile within the abdomen, predisposing to splenic torsion along the vascular pedicle leading to splenomegaly and infarction, often diagnosed in an emergency setting. METHODS: The wandering spleen diagnosis was achieved by ultrasound in our case. We successfully treated the patient with laparoscopic splenopexy because the size was almost normal, and no infarction or evidence of hypersplenism was present. We used the sandwich technique in which 2 meshes sandwich the spleen. RESULTS: This technique was found to be highly satisfactory as a treatment for wandering spleen. The patient was discharged on the third postoperative day with no intraoperative or postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopy usually confirms the diagnosis. Recommended surgical procedures are splenopexy or splenectomy. Splenopexy is feasible, less invasive, and does not diminish splenic function. PMID- 17761091 TI - Isolated torsion of the hydrosalpinx in a postmenopausal woman. AB - OBJECTIVES: Isolated torsion of the fallopian tube is an uncommon cause of acute lower abdominal pain. It is often found in reproductive-age women and is found less in prepubertal and perimenopausal women. METHODS: We describe a 70-year-old postmenopausal woman who presented with lower abdominal pain and discomfort. Ultrasonography revealed a well-defined, echo-free cystic mass measuring 5.3 cm x 5.8 cm without septations. Laparoscopic examination showed a dark-red, round shaped cystic lesion that twisted at the right infundibulo-pelvic ligament site in the right adnexa area with adhesion to the posterior uterine surface and separation from the atrophic ovary. RESULTS: The pathology study of the excised tumor showed hydrosalpinx with torsion. The patient was asymptomatic after the procedure. Torsion of the hydrosalpinx is rare in postmenopausal women. In postmenopausal women presenting with low abdominal pain with an adnexal mass, the gynecologist should contemplate possible torsion of the hydrosalpinx. CONCLUSION: The case was unusual in the postmenopausal age group, making it a rare presentation of a rare entity. Laparoscopy could be a useful tool in diagnosing and treating isolated tubal torsion. PMID- 17761092 TI - Incarcerated internal hernia of the small intestine through a breach of the broad ligament: two cases and a literature review. AB - Two cases of internal herniation through a defect in the broad ligament of the uterus are described. Both were successfully treated laparoscopically. This rare condition should be borne in mind when a middle-aged woman presents with colicky lower abdominal pain. The cause is unknown, but both congenital and acquired origins have been proposed. As far as emergency situations are concerned, laparoscopy has proven to be both a diagnostic and a therapeutic tool. PMID- 17761093 TI - Laparoscopic transmesocolic pyelolithotomy in an ectopic pelvic kidney. AB - Management of large calculi in ectopic pelvic kidneys poses a challenge to the urologist. Risk of injury to surrounding abdominal viscera and vasculature makes open surgery as well as percutaneous nephrostolithotomy in an ectopic kidney a challenging procedure. Laparoscopic management avoids open surgery and associated morbidity and offers added safety. We report the management of symptomatic stones in a pelvic ectopic kidney lying anterior to the L5 vertebra and sacrum by transmesocolic laparoscopic pyelolithotomy in an 11-year-old child. Complete stone clearance was achieved with no complications and an uneventful postoperative recovery. The patient was discharged 72 hours after the surgery. PMID- 17761094 TI - Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for large adrenal metastasis from contralateral renal cell carcinoma. AB - We present herein the case of a patient with solitary metachronous contralateral adrenal metastasis from renal cell cancer. The patient had undergone left radical nephrectomy and adrenalectomy for localized renal cancer 7 years previously. Laparoscopic transperitoneal right adrenalectomy was performed. The postoperative period was uneventful. Histology showed right adrenal metastasis from renal cancer. At 6-month follow-up, there was no evidence of recurrence. PMID- 17761095 TI - Laparoscopic repair of a right paraduodenal hernia in a child. AB - Paraduodenal hernias are infrequently occurring rotational anomalies. We report a case of a right paraduodenal hernia repaired via laparoscopy, which occurred in a 13-year-old boy. PMID- 17761096 TI - Rupture of the spleen with the harmonic scalpel: case report of an unexplained complication. AB - A 69-year-old female patient underwent a standard laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication for repair of a hiatal hernia and correction of reflux. A Harmonic scalpel was used as the only energy source intraoperatively. The operation was uneventful until the middle of the procedure when a significant amount of blood was noted in the left upper quadrant. After aspiration and careful inspection, a 5-cm irregular vertical laceration was found on the posterior and lateral aspect of the spleen, far away from the operative field and any previous instrumentation. Control of bleeding from the spleen was unsuccessful, so a laparoscopic splenectomy was performed, and the procedure was finished without further incident. Histologic examination revealed a normal spleen with no pathologic alterations accounting for the laceration. After comprehensive evaluation of this case to assess a potential cause of the complication, the question arose as to whether the energy produced by the Harmonic scalpel could have caused this splenic laceration. PMID- 17761098 TI - Systemic nickel allergy. PMID- 17761097 TI - Nickel hyposensitization: a literature review. PMID- 17761099 TI - Nickel systemic contact dermatitis. PMID- 17761101 TI - Nickel vaccination: today and tomorrow. PMID- 17761100 TI - Nickel and food. PMID- 17761102 TI - LAIS Allergoid. PMID- 17761103 TI - The relevant allergens. PMID- 17761105 TI - LAIS - Posological schedules. PMID- 17761104 TI - CATS: avoiding or tolerating? PMID- 17761106 TI - Efficacy and its persistence, in children and adults. PMID- 17761107 TI - How to stop the allergy march. PMID- 17761110 TI - Combination therapy of dyslipidemia. AB - Clinical trials have demonstrated the benefit of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol reduction and, with less robust evidence, reduction of triglyceride levels and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Although the statins are the cornerstone of lipid-lowering therapy, they may not be adequate to accomplish all of the changes in lipid and lipoprotein levels called for in current guidelines. Combinations of one or more lipid-modifying drugs in addition to lifestyle changes are now part of clinical guidelines and are being used extensively in practice. Clinicians need to be familiar with the individual drugs and how they interact. There is also a need for outcome data with combination therapy, especially for statin-fibrate and statin-niacin combinations. Several clinical trials are underway and should provide further evidence for the benefit of combination therapy of dyslipidemia. New drug classes have the potential to provide additive effects with currently available medications to provide substantial LDL reduction and increased HDL level that may lead to a substantial reduction in the burden of atherosclerotic vascular disease. PMID- 17761109 TI - Canadian Consensus Guideline on Continuous and Extended Hormonal Contraception, 2007. AB - OBJECTIVE: To serve as a guideline for health care providers on the use of continuous and extended combined hormonal contraception regimens, to prevent pregnancy, and to delay menses that affect health-related quality of life. OPTIONS: All combined hormonal contraceptive methods available in Canada that may be used in a continuous or extended regimen are reviewed, and the implications are discussed. OUTCOMES: Efficacy of cited regimens and assessment of their side effects, patient safety, medical usage and non-contraceptive benefits, cost effectiveness, and availability in Canada. Indications for patient counselling are also provided. EVIDENCE: Medline, PubMed, and Cochrane Database were searched for articles published in English between 1977 and May 2007. Relevant publications and position papers from appropriate reproductive health and family planning organizations were also reviewed. VALUES: The quality of evidence is rated using the criteria described by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (Table 1). BENEFITS, HARMS, AND COSTS: The guideline is intended to help reduce unintended pregnancies and improve health-related quality of life in women who find their menses problematic. Increased awareness and empowerment of women, their partners, and health care professionals will improve their ability to make appropriate choices between continuous or extended and cyclic usage of these regimens. SPONSORS: The development of this guideline has been supported by unrestricted grants from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Ortho, Organon Canada Ltd., Paladin Labs Inc., Pfizer Canada Inc., and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. PMID- 17761111 TI - Adiposopathy: treating pathogenic adipose tissue to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. AB - Excessive adipose tissue is potentially pathogenic due to its mass effects and through adverse metabolic/immune responses, which may lead to cardiovascular disease risk factors (eg, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and possibly atherosclerosis itself). Positive caloric balance in genetically/environmentally susceptible patients may result in adipocyte hypertrophy, visceral adipose tissue accumulation, and ectopic fat deposition, all causally associated with metabolic disease, and all anatomic manifestations of "adiposopathy" (a term used to describe adipose tissue pathology). Weight loss through improved nutrition, increased physical activity, and weight loss agents (ie, orlistat and sibutramine) improves adiposopathy and improves many metabolic diseases whose prevalence are directly associated with an increase in body fat and sedentary lifestyle. Cannabinoid receptor antagonists improve adiposopathy through weight reduction and favorable metabolic effects upon multiple body organs (including adipocytes). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonists may improve adiposopathy through recruitment of functional fat cells and apoptosis of dysfunctional fat cells. PMID- 17761112 TI - Depression and CHD risk: how should we intervene? AB - Depression is common in the community and is a risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). In patients with CHD, the prevalence of major depression is nearly 20% and the prevalence of minor depressive disorder is approximately 27%. When present in patients with existing CHD, depression is independently associated with worse outcome, including higher morbidity and mortality, and worse health status. Observational studies suggest that use of antidepressant medications in patients with CHD is associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular events. However, only one randomized controlled trial, the ENRICHD (Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease) study, was designed to evaluate whether treatment of depression in patients with CHD can improve cardiac prognosis. Although the study showed that cognitive behavior therapy was better than usual care in improving depression, there was no improvement in all-cause mortality or recurrent cardiac events. There have been no clinical trials specifically designed to evaluate whether pharmacologic treatment of depression improves cardiovascular outcomes in patients with CHD. Thus, there is a clear need for additional trials testing interventions to improve cardiac prognosis based on treatment of depression. In the meantime, depression remains an important illness in its own right and deserves treatment. Safe and effective treatments of depression in patients with CHD include cognitive behavior therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. PMID- 17761113 TI - Organizing services for cardiovascular prevention. AB - With an aging population, cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence will continue to increase for at least the next 30 years. Current clinical trial evidence expands the indications for aggressive treatment of risk factors. Concurrently, the use of new screening and diagnostic technologies will expand the number of identified high-risk individuals requiring clinical care. These likely scenarios will force efficient resource allocation. The impression of the authors is that new models of shared responsibilities of care are needed to enable CVD prevention. All stages of care for those with CVD should entail cooperation among nurses, pharmacists, primary care providers, and cardiovascular specialists in delivering comprehensive, evidence-based care. The persistent treatment gap between current knowledge and clinical practice suggests old models of acute patient care by specialists require revision into fundamentally different systems of long-term care by a team of providers such as that proposed by the Chronic Care Model. PMID- 17761114 TI - Heart failure and cardiac hypertrophy. AB - Left ventricular failure is the final common pathway for a wide spectrum of myocardial insults, including systemic hypertension and myocardial infarction. Although left ventricular hypertrophy is an adaptive response to pressure and volume overload, this process becomes maladaptive if left untreated and pathologic cardiac hypertrophy then becomes an important and independent risk factor for the development of heart failure. Despite its importance, the transition from hypertrophy to heart failure in humans is poorly understood. The focus of treatment should be prevention of heart failure and other cardiovascular events, such as stroke and atrial fibrillation. When heart failure is present, treatment with medical and device therapy is then focused on improving functional capacity, increasing survival, and preventing progression to end-stage heart failure. PMID- 17761115 TI - Approach to patients with heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. AB - Pulmonary hypertension (PH), defined as a mean pulmonary artery pressure greater than 25 mm Hg, is not a diagnosis, but rather the physiologic consequence of the interaction between pulmonary blood flow, pulmonary vascular impedance, and downstream pulmonary venous pressure. The diagnosis and appropriate treatment of PH in patients with or without heart failure (HF) requires an understanding of the underlying pathogenesis, whether it be due to increased pulmonary venous pressure, increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), increased pulmonary blood flow, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, an explanation for the underlying cause must also be sought. For example, a rise in pulmonary venous pressure may relate primarily to an increase in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in a patient with a known cardiomyopathy; however, it may be complicated by severe mitral regurgitation. Similarly, an increased PVR may reflect reactive changes in the pulmonary vasculature due to long-standing pulmonary venous hypertension, concomitant hypoxemia/hypercapnia, or it may be the harbinger of chronic thromboembolic disease. It is imperative that reversible causes of PH be considered. Although most often diagnosed by Doppler echocardiography, full hemodynamic characterization of PH requires right heart catheterization to measure biventricular filling pressures and PVR. Integration of invasive pulmonary hemodynamics with an assessment of right ventricular function is essential to appreciate the clinical and prognostic significance of PH of an individual patient. Right heart catheterization is not practically feasible in all patients with HF and PH; however, at a minimum it should be performed in patients with a Doppler-estimated pulmonary artery pressure greater than 60 mm Hg, those who present clinically with predominant right HF, significant mitral valve disease, and in particular, patients with impaired right ventricular function. PMID- 17761116 TI - Thromboembolic risk in the patient with heart failure. AB - Although heart failure is a procoagulant state, the incidence of arterial thromboembolism (peripheral arterial emboli and strokes) is relatively low in the outpatient setting and seems to be higher in those with concomitant atrial fibrillation or recent large anterior myocardial infarction, especially in the presence of a dyskinetic apex. Hospitalized heart failure patients, on the other hand, have an extremely high rate of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary emboli. Outpatients with heart failure should receive anticoagulation only in the presence of atrial fibrillation or if they have experienced a prior embolic event. Patients with recent large anterior infarction or recent infarction with documented thrombus should be treated with anticoagulation for the initial 3 months after the infarct, whereas those with evidence of a mural thrombus should receive anticoagulation at least until the thrombus has resolved. Heart failure patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy should receive antiplatelet agents for the prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death. Antiplatelet agents should not be prescribed for heart failure patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy or without other evidence of atherosclerotic vascular disease. All hospitalized heart failure patients who are not taking oral anticoagulants should receive prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparins or factor Xa inhibitors. PMID- 17761117 TI - Managing drugs and devices in patients with permanent ventricular assist devices. AB - Patients will be considered for destination mechanical circulatory support device (MCSD) implantation when all other organ-saving treatment options have failed and they are not eligible for heart transplantation. Current medical evidence suggests that only for those patients who are inotrope-dependent and therefore likely have a 1-year survival probability without MCSD implantation of less than 50%, MCSD intervention will add to survival and quality-of-life benefit. Suitable candidates for MCSD are those patients who have a high risk of dying from heart failure but acceptable noncardiac risk. Evaluation of patients for MCSD requires a systematic and critical review of all organ systems and of the psychosocial situation. Specifically, right ventricular function and risk of right ventricular failure should be evaluated before planning destination MCSD implantation. Treatment will focus on prompt recovery from MCSD implantation, maintaining optimal treatment for heart failure, and preventing/treating MCSD complications, including infection, bleeding, coagulopathy, right heart failure, and device dysfunction. MCSD programs should be organized as an advanced heart failure center directed by specialized heart failure cardiologists, surgeons expert at implant and management of MCSD, specialized nurses, social workers, psychologists, financial experts, and physical therapists. MCSD practice is based on a patient-centered theory, with an appropriate understanding of the respective roles of the physician and the patient during their iterative encounters in which the patient is an autonomous person making responsible personal health decisions while the health care team is providing continued expert and empathic counseling about various options, based on systematic outcomes research (eg, by participation in the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support - MCSD database ). PMID- 17761118 TI - Optimal use of diuretics in patients with heart failure. AB - Currently, the use of diuretics in heart failure (HF) remains more of an art than a science. Diuretics are the principle means for relieving congestion in patients with decompensated HF. Unfortunately, they persist as the only major therapy in HF that has not been subjected to a large randomized clinical trial, precisely because no comparable therapy exists that can so easily, efficiently, and inexpensively treat fluid overload. Nonetheless, diuretics have many potential drawbacks, including electrolyte abnormalities, neurohormonal activation, hypovolemia, renal dysfunction, and direct myocardial effects. Until definitive answers about mortality are settled, the lowest dose of a diuretic that can produce euvolemia should be employed and these agents should be discontinued when possible. Many outpatients with HF can be managed quite well without diuretics once adequate neurohormonal blockade with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta blockers has been achieved. PMID- 17761120 TI - Treatment of cyclic vomiting syndrome. AB - Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a relatively rare but highly incapacitating disorder. It is seen both in children and adults, although classically it has been perceived as a pediatric gastrointestinal disorder. Recent studies have demonstrated that this disorder indeed can be seen in adults and is highly disabling. Although classically associated with migraine headaches in the pediatric form, this relationship is less well established in adults. This has major implications for management in that traditionally, one of the major avenues for treatment of pediatric CVS has been antimigraine drugs. An additional factor that obscures a review of CVS treatment is the fact that because of its relative rarity, no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been performed. In the absence of RCTs, it is difficult to make definitive recommendations regarding treatment. The literature to date consists of case reports and open-ended case series. However, despite these limitations, it is the goal of this article to present in a comprehensive manner the options available for the treatment of CVS. Recognizing the limitations in the literature, it is clear that a number of treatment strategies that can often prove effective for the treatment of these complicated and often-challenging patients are available. Treatment is divided between acute intervention, when a patient is actively and severely vomiting, and prophylactic treatment for patients in their "interictal" phase, the goal of which is reducing frequency and intensity of subsequent episodes. Finally, we are beginning to identify possible mechanisms of the cause of CVS. Once these are better understood, this will provide the basis for further improvement in treatment. PMID- 17761119 TI - Functional Dyspepsia: A New Rome III Paradigm. AB - Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a condition commonly seen in gastroenterological practice. With the introduction of Rome III criteria in 2006, a new approach for categorizing patients has been recommended. The diagnostic criteria suggest that meal-related and pain-predominant symptom groupings that presumably have distinct pathophysiologic mechanisms and potentially different therapeutic targets exist. The new classification is in the early stages of testing; in the meantime, the umbrella term of FD should continue to be utilized in clinical practice. Treatment of FD remains a major challenge. Unfortunately, most of the agents used in practice have limited or no evidence of efficacy, and the results typically are short-lived once therapy is ceased. Appropriate therapy currently is based on a consideration of putative pathophysiologic mechanisms. Testing for and eradicating Helicobacter pylori is a first-line strategy irrespective of the symptom pattern. In patients who have epigastric pain, antisecretory agents are recommended. Antacids, bismuth, and sucralfate seem to be no better than placebo. For meal-related symptoms such as postprandial fullness or early satiety, prokinetics may confer some benefit. However, few choices are available, and the efficacy for those drugs on the market is limited at best. Antidepressants are of uncertain efficacy but are widely used. Psychological therapies seem promising and may confer benefits on both pain and meal-related symptoms. Efficacy of complementary medicines has been suggested in controlled trials, but more data are needed. Emerging treatments include gastric fundus relaxors and visceral analgesics, although their application in FD is still in the preliminary stages. PMID- 17761121 TI - Advances in the management of gastroparesis. AB - The treatment goals for patients with gastroparesis are to control symptoms; to correct fluid, electrolyte, and nutritional deficiencies; and to identify and treat the underlying cause of gastroparesis. For mild symptoms, dietary modifications and a low-dose antiemetic and/or prokinetic agent might provide satisfactory control of symptoms. Dietary treatments include decreasing the solid food component while increasing the liquid nutrient component of meals. Fat and fiber intake should be minimized. Metoclopramide, despite its potential for neurological side effects, remains a prokinetic treatment for symptomatic patients. In patients with diabetic gastroparesis, careful regulation of glycemic control may help to reduce symptoms. Medical management of patients with gastroparesis who do not respond to initial antiemetic or prokinetic therapy or who develop medication-related side effects involves the use of other prokinetic and antiemetic agents with different mechanisms of action. Combinations of prokinetic and antiemetic agents often are tried in patients with persistent symptoms. In some patients with persistent refractory symptoms and failure to maintain adequate fluid and/or nutritional intake, bypassing the stomach with jejunostomy feedings may be necessary. Gastric electrical stimulation is a treatment for refractory gastroparesis. Based on initial studies showing symptom benefit, especially in patients with diabetic gastroparesis, gastric electrical stimulation was granted humanitarian US Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of chronic, refractory nausea and vomiting secondary to idiopathic or diabetic gastroparesis. However, which patients are likely to respond, the optimal electrode position, and the optimal stimulation parameters remain areas that need to be addressed. PMID- 17761122 TI - Functional heartburn, nonerosive reflux disease, and reflux esophagitis are all distinct conditions--a debate: pro. AB - Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) traditionally has been approached as a spectrum-continuum, suggesting that patients may progress over time and develop a more severe esophageal mucosal involvement. The spectrum-continuum conceptual model had a profound impact on the research priorities in GERD, as well as on proposed diagnostic algorithms and therapeutic strategies. Natural course studies in GERD are almost always retrospective and commonly afflicted with a plethora of shortcomings. Factors that affect quality of natural course studies in GERD include the following: index endoscopy results are taken at face value; antireflux treatment is consumed until index endoscopy and/or offered during the follow-up phase; pathophysiologic, anatomic, and genetic factors are overlooked; and lack of confirmation of the durability of the new esophageal mucosal finding. Functional heartburn is common and likely to affect a large subset of patients presenting with heartburn. Evidence to support progression of functional heartburn to nonerosive reflux disease (NERD), erosive esophagitis, or Barrett's esophagus is very scarce. The largest population-based or longest-duration natural course studies report that only 10% of patients progress from NERD to erosive esophagitis over time. The other GERD patients remained within their respective phenotypic presentations of GERD. PMID- 17761123 TI - Functional heartburn, nonerosive reflux disease, and reflux esophagitis are all distinct conditions--a debate: con. AB - Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is currently defined as a condition that develops when the reflux of stomach contents causes recurrent symptoms and/or complications. The clinical presentation of GERD has been recognized to be much broader than before, when the typical symptoms of heartburn and acid regurgitation were considered as the main clinical presentation. However, now it is recognized that GERD can present with various other mainly extraesophageal symptoms, abdominal pain, and even sleep disturbance. Moreover, there is an important overlap with functional gastrointestinal disorders such as functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome. The morphologic spectrum of esophageal involvement in GERD encompasses erosive (erosive reflux disease ), Barrett's esophagus (BE), and nonerosive reflux disease (NERD). However, there is still no consensus on whether GERD represents one disease that can progress from NERD to ERD and BE, or whether it is a spectrum of different conditions with its own clinical, pathophysiologic, and endoscopic characteristics. Recently published data suggest that mild erosive esophagitis behaves in a way similar to NERD and that there is considerable movement between these categories. But follow-up data also show that after 2 years, some patients with NERD or GERD Los Angeles A or B went on to develop severe GERD or even BE. A practical approach is to categorize patients with reflux symptoms into "functional heartburn" (ie, reflux symptoms and negative endoscopy and absent objective evidence of acid reflux into the esophagus), NERD (negative endoscopy but positive documentation of acid reflux into the esophagus), and ERD (erosions documented endoscopically). In conclusion, it appears that GERD is a disease with a spectrum of clinical and endoscopic manifestations, with characteristics that make it a continuum and not a categorical condition with separate entities. It is difficult to clearly delineate the spectrum of GERD based on the clinical, endoscopic, and pathophysiologic characteristics, but therapeutic trials and follow-up studies suggest that GERD is not composed of different conditions. PMID- 17761125 TI - Biliary and gallbladder dyskinesia. AB - Gallbladder and biliary dyskinesia are conditions that are becoming increasingly recognized due to improved technology. They are motility disorders that affect the gallbladder and sphincter of Oddi (SO), respectively. Gallbladder dyskinesia presents with typical biliary pain in the absence of gallstones. Work-up includes laboratory tests and imaging to rule out gallstones. Further investigation leads to a functional radionuclide study to investigate gallbladder ejection fraction. An ejection fraction of less than 40% is considered abnormal, and patients should be referred for cholecystectomy. Symptom relief after the procedure has been seen in 94% to 98% of patients. The term sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) describes a collection of pain syndromes that are attributed to a motility disorder of the SO. SOD can be further subdivided into biliary and pancreatic SOD. Patients typically have had a prior cholecystectomy and present with episodic biliary pain. The initial work-up includes laboratory tests and imaging to rule out other structural causes of abdominal pain, such as retained gallstones. Imaging and laboratory studies further subdivide patients into types of SOD. SO manometry (SOM) is the gold standard for assessing biliary dyskinesia and can help stratify patients into one of two groups: SO stenosis versus SO dyskinesia. Those with stenosis (type I SOD) are the most likely to respond to treatment with endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy (EBS). As the vast majority of type I patients (>/= 90%) benefit from EBS, SOM is not necessary. Pancreatic SOD patients can be similarly divided into one of three groups. These patients present with recurrent bouts of abdominal pain and/or pancreatitis in the absence of gallstones or other structural abnormalities. Pancreatic sphincter manometry can help distinguish which patients would benefit from endoscopic pancreatic sphincterotomy. Recurrent stenosis of the opening after endoscopic treatment in these patients may necessitate a surgical (open) approach. PMID- 17761124 TI - Irritable bowel syndrome: bacteria and inflammation--clinical relevance now. AB - Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a ubiquitous but heterogeneous syndrome characterized by abdominal pain and erratic bowel habits that affects 5% to 10% of the population. Although current definitions specify that there are no structural or biochemical abnormalities to account for the symptoms, there is growing evidence that in at least a subset of IBS patients, there is low-grade inflammation characterized by increased T lymphocytes and mast cells. Whether this is cause or effect is uncertain, as there is also clear evidence of bidirectional communication between the immune and nervous systems, and at least some of the mucosal changes could be secondary to psychological stress. A small percentage (6%-17%) of patients develop IBS symptoms for the first time after an acute episode of infective gastroenteritis (postinfective IBS), which appears to be directly responsible for low-grade immune activation. However, even in this group, preexisting psychological factors are as important as mucosal ones. Specific anti-inflammatory treatments have not been systematically evaluated, but there is no evidence of benefit currently. PMID- 17761127 TI - Reduction of lymphedema using complete decongestive therapy: roles of prior radiation therapy and extent of axillary dissection. AB - Although radiation therapy (RT) contributes to lymphedema (LE), it is unknown whether RT contributes to more difficulty (more treatments) or less success (decreased LE reduction) with therapy for established LE. We reviewed the results of complete decongestive therapy (CDT) for LE with respect to a history of RT and the number of lymph nodes dissected. Breast cancer survivors with LE were referred to CDT-certified therapists. CDT consists of treatment (phase 1) and maintenance (phase 2) phases. During phase 1, the patient meets with a therapist daily until the LE reduction plateaus; then phase 2 (self-care) begins. During phase 1, LE is quantified weekly at a minimum. Fifty-three patients underwent CDT and completed phase 1. The median number of treatments to plateau was 12 (range 6 25); the median limb volume reduction was 36% (-4-119%). Thirty-six patients with an RT history had an insignificant difference in LE reduction (p = .49) and the number of sessions to plateau (p = .54) compared with 17 patients without RT. The median examined number of nodes was 12 (range 3-28). No significant correlation was observed between the number of nodes examined and percent reduction (r = .390); no significant correlation (r = .291; critical r = .396 for p = .05 for both cases) was observed between the number of nodes sampled and the number of sessions to plateau. Patients with LE obtained relief regardless of whether they received surgery or surgery plus RT. The insignificant correlation between the number of lymph nodes and percent reduction could become significant with a larger sample size. PMID- 17761126 TI - Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Bacterial Overgrowth--What's Known and What to Do. AB - Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal condition whose cause remains unknown. Therefore, most of our effort in treating IBS has been based on a symptom approach. Recent evidence is beginning to suggest that subjects with IBS may have an alteration in gastrointestinal flora. Specifically, findings suggest that IBS patients have excessive bacteria in the small bowel, known as bacterial overgrowth. Although diagnostic testing for bacterial overgrowth is somewhat controversial, as there is no true gold standard test for bacterial overgrowth, antibiotic-based therapies for IBS are now shown to be very effective in treating IBS. Follow-up work in this area has even begun to demonstrate associative factors between gut bacteria and IBS that may explain the different types of IBS. The best example of this is the finding that methanogenic organisms in IBS patients are wholly associated with constipation-predominant IBS. It seems that the methane gas emitted during fermentation may have an influence on gut motility. In this review, the evidence for gut ecology associations in IBS is presented. A treatment algorithm also is proposed based on these findings. New areas of research in IBS such as gut bacteria are changing the treatment approach in IBS from a symptom-based style to one that is hypothesis driven. PMID- 17761128 TI - Flax and flaxseed oil (Linum usitatissimum): a review by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration. AB - The objective of this study was to evaluate the scientific evidence on flaxseed, including expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interactions, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing. Electronic searches were conducted in 9 databases, 20 additional journals (not indexed in common databases), and bibliographies from 50 selected secondary references. No restrictions were placed on the language or quality of the publications. All literature collected pertained to efficacy in humans, dosing, precautions, adverse effects, use in pregnancy/lactation, interactions, alteration of laboratory assays, and mechanisms of action. Standardized inclusion/exclusion criteria are used for selection. Grades were assigned using an evidence-based grading rationale. A review of the literature on flaxseed yielded 13 categories for which flaxseed had been studied in humans, including constipation/laxative, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis/coronary artery disease, breast cancer, cyclic mastalgia (breast pain), menopausal symptoms, hyperglycemia/diabetes, hypertension, lupus nephritis, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and prostate cancer. Most of the available evidence investigates the efficacy of alpha-linoleic acid found in flaxseed compared with fish oil, and almost all of the available studies are poor quality. Although flaxseed and flaxseed oil have several promising future uses, the available literature does not support recommendation for any condition at this time. PMID- 17761129 TI - Pilot evaluation of flaxseed for the management of hot flashes. AB - The objective of this study was to evaluate, in a phase 2 pilot study, tolerability and the effect of 6 weeks of flaxseed therapy on hot flash scores in women not wishing to receive estrogen therapy. Eligibility included 14 hot flashes per week for at least 1 month. In the baseline week, participants took no study medication and documented the characteristics of their hot flashes. Thereafter, crushed flaxseed was administered at 40 g daily. Participants provided weekly toxicity reports and health-related quality of life information. The primary end point was a change in hot flash score prospectively reported in a daily hot flash diary. Thirty women were enrolled between June 17 and November 8, 2005. The mean decrease in hot flash scores after flaxseed therapy was 57% (median decrease 62%). The mean reduction in daily hot flash frequency was 50% (median reduction 50%), from 7.3 hot flashes to 3.6. Fourteen of the 28 participants (50%) experienced mild or moderate abdominal distention. Eight participants (29%) experienced mild diarrhea, one experienced flatulence, and six (21%) withdrew because of toxicities. This study suggests that dietary therapy decreases hot flash activity in women not taking estrogen therapy. This reduction is greater than what would be expected with placebo. PMID- 17761130 TI - Clinical guide to herb-drug interactions in oncology. AB - Cancer patients are increasingly using herbal supplements for relief of symptoms. However, there is a great potential for interactions with concurrent use of herbs and chemotherapy agents. Physicians should be aware of such interactions and encourage patients to discuss supplement use. PMID- 17761131 TI - Patients previously treated for lymphoma consume inadequate or excessive amounts of five key nutrients. AB - Adequate amounts of nutrients such as folate, vitamin A, iron, selenium and calcium are essential for general health including prevention of cancer. Yet, excess amounts of vitamin A, folate, and iron may also promote cancer. This study sought to determine whether adults who had completed initial treatments for B cell lymphoma from 1 to 3 years earlier were consuming recommended amounts of these key nutrients and their interests in nutritional education. We surveyed 141 patients undergoing follow-up in the Lymphoma/Myeloma Clinic at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center using a validated food frequency questionnaire and supplemental questionnaire regarding nutritional interest. Nutrient intakes were estimated based on national databases of average content in foods and compared with recommended guidelines. One hundred forty-one participants returned complete questionnaires, but errors limited some nutrient estimates to 134 participants. Participants' mean age was 50, 55% were male, and 80% were non Hispanic whites. Most participants (94%) were consuming either inadequate or excessive amounts of one or more of these key nutrients. Half of the participants were interested in receiving nutritional education. These findings are of concern because of their potential impact upon recovery and maintenance of general health and possibly cancer-related pathways after treatment. PMID- 17761133 TI - Lycium barbarum. PMID- 17761132 TI - Which botanicals or other unconventional anticancer agents should we take to clinical trial? AB - There is significant public and scientific interest as regards unconventional anticancer agents (complementary and alternative medicine [CAM] agents). This article describes five principles pertaining to the question of which CAM agents should be taken to clinical trial: (1) many CAM agents have been proposed as cancer treatments, far more than could possibly be studied in clinical trials; (2) claims by patients or practitioners are generally unhelpful in choosing which CAM agents to test; (3) laboratory studies can help determine which CAM agents to take to trial and with which cointerventions; (4) preliminary laboratory studies are essential to confirm safety before trials can be considered; and (5) the vast majority of anticancer CAM agents will be ineffective; our aim should be to discard agents from consideration as rapidly as possible. PMID- 17761134 TI - Metal binding to ligands: cadmium complexes with glutathione revisited. AB - We studied the interaction of gamma-L-glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine (glutathione, GSH) with cadmium ions (Cd(2+)) by first performing classical potentiometric pH titration measurements and then turning to additional spectroscopic methods. To estimate the residual concentrations of free cadmium, we studied the competition of glutathione with a Cd(2+)-sensitive dye, either an absorbing dye (murexide) or a fluorescent one (FluoZin-1), and consistent results were obtained with the two dyes. In KCl-containing Tes, Mops, or Tris buffer at pH 7.0 to 7.1 and 37 degrees C (and at a total Cd(2+) concentration of 0.01 mM), results suggest that free cadmium concentration is halved when the concentration of glutathione is approximately 0.05 mM; this mainly reflects the combined apparent dissociation constant for the Cd(glutathione) 1:1 complex under these conditions. To identify the other complexes formed, we used far-UV spectroscopy of the ligand-to-metal charge transfer absorption bands. The Cd(glutathione)(2) 1:2 complex predominated over the 1:1 complex only at high millimolar concentrations of total glutathione and not at low submillimolar concentrations of total glutathione. The apparent conditional constants derived from these spectroscopy results made it possible to discriminate between sets of absolute constants that would otherwise have simulated the pH titration data similarly well in this complicated system. Related experiments showed that although the Cl(-) ions in our media competed (modestly) with glutathione for binding to Cd(2+), the buffers we had chosen did not bind Cd(2+) significantly under our conditions. Our experiments also revealed that Cd(2+) may be adsorbed onto quartz or glass vessel walls, reducing the accuracy of theoretical predictions of the concentrations of species in solution. Lastly, the experiments confirmed the rapid kinetics of formation and dissociation of the UV-absorbing Cd(glutathione)(2) 1:2 complexes. The methods described here may be useful for biochemists needing to determine conditional binding constants for charge transfer metal-ligand complexes under their own conditions. PMID- 17761136 TI - [Vertigo, dizziness and falls in the elderly]. AB - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to find cause of dizziness, vertigo and falls in old age and to propose treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted from October 2003 to March 2004 with 100 patients over the age of 75 years: 72 women and 28 men. They complained of unsteadiness, vertigo, or falls. RESULTS: In this group of patients, 68% were found to have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, 9% neurologic problems, 5% Meniere disease, 4% vestibular areflexia, 8% a rare cause such as a psychiatric or vascular disorder, and no cause was found in 6%. The diagnosis of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is difficult in the elderly because vertigo is often missing and unsteadiness or falls only feeled. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that dizziness or unsteadiness in the elderly must be explored by a complete vestibular examination and treated to improve the well-being of these patients. PMID- 17761135 TI - Simultaneous quantification of sialyloligosaccharides from human milk by capillary electrophoresis. AB - The acidic oligosaccharides of human milk are predominantly sialyloligosaccharides. Pathogens that bind sialic acid-containing glycans on their host mucosal surfaces may be inhibited by human milk sialyloligosaccharides, but testing this hypothesis requires their reliable quantification in milk. Sialyloligosaccharides have been quantified by anion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), reverse- or normal-phase HPLC, and capillary electrophoresis (CE) of fluorescent derivatives; in milk, these oligosaccharides have been analyzed by high pH anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection and, in our laboratory, by CE with detection at 205nm. The novel method described here uses a running buffer of aqueous 200mM NaH2PO4 (pH 7.05) containing 100mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) mixed with 45% (v/v) methanol to baseline resolve 5 oligosaccharides and separate all 12. This allows automated simultaneous quantification of the 12 major sialyloligosaccharides of human milk in a single 35-min run. This method revealed differences in sialyloligosaccharide concentrations between less and more mature milk from the same donors. Individual donors also varied in expression of sialyloligosaccharides in their milk. Thus, the facile quantification of sialyloligosaccharides by this method is suitable for measuring variation in expression of specific sialyloligosaccharides in milk and their relationship to decreased risk of specific diseases in infants. PMID- 17761137 TI - Associations between individual and workplace risk factors for self-reported neck pain and disability among female office workers. AB - A cross-sectional survey of female office workers (n=333) was undertaken to determine the level of neck pain and disability (Neck Disability Index-NDI) and to explore the relationship between individual and workplace risk factors with the NDI score and the presence of pain. Workers reported nil (32%), mild (53%), moderate (14%) and severe (1%) neck pain. There were more risk factors associated with the NDI score than the presence of neck pain. The presence of neck pain was associated with a history of neck trauma (OR: 4.8), using a graduated lens (OR: 4.6), and negative affectivity (OR: 2.7) in the multiple regression model. Factors associated with higher NDI score were using the computer mouse for more than 6h per day, higher negative affectivity, older age and an uncomfortable workstation. These results suggest that measuring the level of neck pain and disability rather than just the presence of neck pain provides more specific directives for the prevention and management of this disorder. PMID- 17761138 TI - Microtiter plate monoclonal antibody epitope analysis of Ca2+- and Mg2+-induced conformational changes in troponin C. AB - Spectroscopic methods such as circular dichroism and Forster resonance energy transfer are current approaches for monitoring protein conformational changes. Those analyses require special equipment and expertise. The need for fluorescence labeling of the protein may interfere with the native structure. We have developed a microtiter plate-based monoclonal antibody (mAb) epitope analysis to detect protein conformational changes in a high throughput manner. This method is based on the concept that the affinity of the antigen-binding site of an antibody for the specific antigenic epitope will change when the 3-D structure of the epitope changes. The effectiveness of this approach was demonstrated in the present study on troponin C (TnC), an allosteric protein in the Ca(2+) regulatory system of striated muscle. Using TnC purified by a highly effective rapid procedure and mAbs developed against epitopes in the N- and C-domains of TnC enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) clearly detected Ca(2+)-induced conformational changes in both the N-terminal regulatory domain and the C terminal structural domain of TnC. On the other hand, Mg(2+)-binding to the C domain of TnC resulted in a long-range effect on the N-domain conformation, indicating a functional significance of Ca(2+)-Mg(2+) exchange at the C-domain metal ion-binding sites. In addition to further understanding of the structure function relationship of TnC, the data demonstrate that the mAb epitope analysis provides a simple high throughput method for monitoring 3-D structural changes in native proteins under physiological condition and has broad applications in protein structure-function relationship studies. PMID- 17761139 TI - Discriminating healthy from tumor and necrosis tissue in rat brain tissue samples by Raman spectral imaging. AB - The purpose of this study was to investigate molecular changes associated with glioma tissues by Raman microspectroscopy in order to develop its use in clinical practice. Spectroscopic markers obtained from C6 glioma tissues were compared to conventional histological and histochemical techniques. Cholesterol and phospholipid contents were highest in corpus callosum and decreased gradually towards the cortex surface as well as in the tumor. Two different necrotic areas have been identified: a fully necrotic zone characterized by the presence of plasma proteins and a peri-necrotic area with a high lipid content. This result was confirmed by Nile Red staining. Additionally, one structure was detected in the periphery of the tumor. Invisible with histopathological hematoxylin and eosin staining, it was revealed by immunohistochemical Ki-67 and MT1-MMP staining used to visualize the proliferative and invasive activities of glioma, respectively. Hierarchical cluster analysis on the only cluster averaged spectra showed a clear distinction between normal, tumoral, necrotic and edematous tissues. Raman microspectroscopy can discriminate between healthy and tumoral brain tissue and yield spectroscopic markers associated with the proliferative and invasive properties of glioblastoma. Development of in vivo Raman spectroscopy could thus accurately define tumor margins, identify tumor remnants, and help in the development of novel therapies for glioblastoma. PMID- 17761140 TI - Reduced expression of INK4a/ARF genes in stem-like sphere cells from rat sarcomas. AB - The presence of cancer stem cells, in both hematopoietic and solid malignancies, has been recently linked to their pathogenesis. We aimed to identify the characteristics and stem-like properties of sphere-colony forming cells in rat osteosarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma cell lines. The results showed that both cell lines possessed an ability to form spherical, clonally expanding colonies in anchorage-independent, serum-starved conditions in N2/1% methylcellulose medium. The sphere cells showed stem-like properties with the ability to self-renew, and expressed the stem cell-related STAT3 and Bmi1 genes. Interestingly, spheres from both sarcomas remarkably decreased the expression of INK4a/ARF locus genes, p16(INK4a) and p19(ARF), which could be related to the resistance against cell senescence and apoptosis. Spheres showed strong tumorigenicity with metastatic potential in vivo via the inoculation into syngeneic rats, suggesting the presence of these populations might contribute to the tumor development such as metastasis via the resistance to apoptotic stimuli. PMID- 17761142 TI - Differentially expressed genes among motor and prefrontal areas of macaque neocortex. AB - In higher primates, the motor-related areas of the neocortex are highly differentiated into several subareas based on both functional and cytoarchitectural aspects. To assess the molecular basis of this areal specialization, we investigated the gene expression profiles of the primary motor area (M1), premotor area (dorsal and ventral, PMd and PMv, respectively), and prefrontal area (A46) in rhesus monkeys using DNA microarray. We discovered that 476 genes were differentially expressed among these 4 areas. More than half of these genes were most abundantly expressed in M1, and most genes were complementarily expressed between M1 and A46. The expression profiles of PMd and PMv were quite similar to each other and different from those of M1 and A46. The data will provide a fundamental basis for the further analysis of the structure function relationship of the primate brain. PMID- 17761141 TI - Connexin 43 confers resistance to hydrogen peroxide-mediated apoptosis. AB - The current study aimed to understand the anti-apoptotic effect of overexpressed gap junction forming protein connexin (Cx) 43 in C6 glioma cells. C6 cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or staurosporine demonstrated morphological and biochemical changes consistent with apoptosis, whereas C6 cells expressing Cx43 demonstrated relative resistance to H2O2, but not to staurosporine. This selective protection against H2O2 was due to inhibition of caspase-3 activation in Cx43 expressing cells. siRNA knockdown experiments in rat primary astrocytes confirmed the presence of endogenous Cx43-mediated anti-apoptotic effect. Cx43 interacts with the upstream apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 known to mediate H2O2-induced apoptosis providing a possible mechanism for protection. These findings provided new evidence for regulation of the mitogen activated protein kinase pathway and apoptosis by Cx43 implicating this protein in intracellular signaling beyond its role as a gap junction forming protein on the plasma membrane. PMID- 17761143 TI - 9-O-acetylated GD3 triggers programmed cell death in mature erythrocytes. AB - An acetylated modification of a tumor-associated ganglioside GD3 (9-O-AcGD3) is expressed in certain tumors and present during early stages of development in different tissues. However, the status and the role of 9-O-AcGD3 in the erythroid progenitor cells remain unexplored. Here, we report the level of 9-O-AcGD3 during erythropoiesis in bone marrow is down regulated during maturation. Signaling via 9-O-AcGD3 induces alteration of morphology and membrane characteristics of mature erythrocytes. This process also induces, a cell death program in these erythrocytes even in the absence of nucleus, mitochondria and other cell organelles sharing features of apoptosis in nucleated cells like membrane alterations, vesicularization, phosphatidyl serine exposure, activation of cysteine proteases like caspase-3. This is the first report of a programmed cell death pathway in mature erythrocytes, triggered by 9-O-AcGD3 contrary to their anti-apoptotic role in lymphoblasts, which suggests a cell specific role of this O-acetyl ester of GD3. PMID- 17761144 TI - Functional study of Capsicum annuum fatty acid desaturase 1 cDNA clone induced by Tobacco mosaic virus via microarray and virus-induced gene silencing. AB - A series of microarray analyses employing the expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of hot pepper was conducted in an effort to elucidate the molecular mechanisms inherent to hypersensitive response (HR) by viral or bacterial pathogens. There were 2535 ESTs exhibiting differential expression (over 2-fold changes) among about 5000 ESTs during viral or bacterial response. Further, via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and TMV-infection studies, we were able to isolate several ESTs, which may be relevant to defense response against TMV. Of these ESTs, Capsicum annuum fatty acid desaturase 1 (CaFAD1) showed the distinct phenotype against TMV infection and thus was subjected to further study. CaFAD1-silenced plants showed weaker resistance against TMV-P0 infection compared to TRV2 control plants. Also the suppression of FAD1 expression caused blocking of cell death induced by Bcl2-associated X (Bax) protein in tobacco plants. Therefore, this report presents that both microarray and VIGS approaches are feasible in hot pepper plants and the TMV-induced CaFAD1 plays a role in HR response. PMID- 17761145 TI - Activin B mediated induction of Pdx1 in human embryonic stem cell derived embryoid bodies. AB - Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the potential to provide alternative sources for pancreatic islet grafts. In the present study we have investigated the influence of Activin A and Activin B on the expression of the pancreas marker gene Pdx1 in hESCs differentiated as embryoid bodies (EBs). We report here that Activin B in a dose depend manner markedly up-regulates Pdx1 expression as compared to Activin A and untreated cultures. Pdx1(+) cells co-express FOXA2 but lacks, however, co-expression with nkx6.1, a marker combination that in the present study is shown precisely to identify embryonic and fetal pancreas anlage in humans. Pdx1(+) cells are found in cell clusters also expressing Serpina1 and FABP1, suggesting activation of intestinal/liver developmental programs. Moreover, Activin B up-regulates Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) and its target Gli1, which during normal development is suppressed in the pancreatic anlage. In conclusion, Activin B is a potent inducer of Pdx1 as well as Shh in differentiating hESCs. The data suggest that additional suppression of Shh signaling may be required to allow for proper specification of pancreatic cell lineages in hESCs. PMID- 17761146 TI - PKA from Mucor circinelloides: model to study the role of linker I in the interaction between R and C subunits. AB - Protein kinase A from the fungus Mucor circinelloides shows high affinity interaction between regulatory (R) and catalytic (C) subunits. Its R subunit shows a differential presence of several acidic residues in linker I region, in the amino terminus. Mutants R1, lacking the N-terminal region, and R2, lacking the acidic cluster, were used to analyze its effect on the interaction with the C subunit, assessed through inhibition of catalytic activity and cAMP activation of reconstituted holoenzyme. A similar decrease in the interaction was obtained when using R1 and R2 with the homologous C subunit; however when using heterologous bovine C, only R1 had a decreased interaction. The results show the general importance of linker I region in the R-C interaction in protein kinases A and point to the importance of the acidic cluster present in the N-terminus of M. circinelloides R subunit in the high affinity interaction between R and C in this holoenzyme. PMID- 17761147 TI - A novel mutation 3090 G>A of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA associated with myopathy. AB - We describe a young woman who presented with a progressive myopathy since the age of 9. Spectrophotometric analysis of the respiratory chain in muscle tissue revealed combined and profound complex I, III, II+III, and IV deficiency ranging from 60% to 95% associated with morphological and histochemical abnormalities of the muscle. An exhaustive screening of mitochondrial transfer and ribosomal RNAs showed a novel G>A substitution at nucleotide position 3090 which was detected only in urine sediment and muscle of the patient and was not found in her mother's blood cells and urine sample. We suggest that this novel de novo mutation in the 16S ribosomal RNA, a nucleotide which is highly conserved in different species, would impair mitochondrial protein synthesis and would cause a severe myopathy. PMID- 17761148 TI - A role for His155 in binding of human prion peptide144-167 to immobilised prion protein. AB - The interactions and conformational changes that lead to the conversion of the normal prion protein (PrP(c)) to its pathogenic form, PrP(sc), are still being elucidated. Using Surface Plasma Resonance (SPR), we provide evidence that a synthetic peptide (PrP(144-167)) corresponding to residues comprising the alpha helix 1-beta strand 2 domain of PrP(c) is able to interact and bind to immobilised recombinant human PrP (rHuPrP) in a dose-dependent manner. The interaction is pH dependent with an increase in binding observed as the pH is lowered, particularly between pH 6.5 and pH 5.5 suggesting a specific role for His(155) in the interaction, confirmed by covalent modification of this residue in the peptide with diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC). Circular dichroism analysis of PrP(144-167) revealed no secondary structure motifs across the pH range investigated. Possible pH related structural changes of immobilised rHuPrP are also discussed with regard to the increased affinity for PrP(144-167). PMID- 17761149 TI - Detecting the inter-peptide arrangement and maturation process of transthyretin (105-115) amyloid fibril using a FRET pair with short Forster distance. AB - Transthyretin (TTR) is an amyloidogenic protein involved in many mental diseases. The peptide derived from TTR (105-115) has been widely studied as a model peptide for understanding the mechanism of amyloid fibril formation. However, the detailed arrangement of this peptide in amyloid fibril is still unclear. We have studied the amyloid fibril formation process of TTR (105-115) by introducing a pair of FRET probes into the peptide with a dansyl group at the N-terminal and a tryptophan residue at the C-terminal. Our experiment demonstrated that the strands of TTR (105-115) in the same beta-sheet may be parallel and the mating sheets may be anti-parallel to each other in the amyloid fibril. The kinetics followed by FRET and EM indicated for a possible intermediate state and the distance between sheets became shorter when the intermediate amyloid fibril turns into a more matured form. PMID- 17761151 TI - Modulation of the trigeminofacial pathway during syllabic speech. AB - The human orofacial system is richly endowed with low-threshold, slowly adapting mechanoreceptors that respond to self-generated movements and external loads. The functional linkage between these afferents and the recruitment of motor units in the lower face during the dynamics of speech is unknown. Mechanically evoked activity in the orbicularis oris muscles was studied in young human female adults (N=10) during a lip force recruitment task associated with the repetition of the nonsense speech utterance "ah-wah." This speech task involved the recruitment of perioral motor units against an elastic load. A skin contactor probe coupled to a servo-controlled linear motor delivered punctate ipsilateral mechanical inputs (25 ms duration, 1800 mum displacement) to the glabrous surface of the upper lip in order to index the modulation and specificity of the compound trigeminofacial response as a function of speech force recruitment threshold (Ft). Modulation of the early (Ft=0.2 N) and later (Ft=1.0 N) components of the evoked perioral response was found at the two force thresholds. Beginning at approximately 60 ms post-stimulus, a significant suppression response was found among lower lip EMG recording sites and its magnitude was greatest when the mechanical perturbation occurred during the early phase of lip force recruitment. Variation in the lip force trajectories was manifest by a greater difference in net interangle force associated with lip perturbations indexed to the early Ft. This was interpreted to reflect the operation of a feedforward mechanism which may play a more significant role during an evolving speech action. Thus, the application of servo controlled mechanosensory inputs effectively indexed the excitability of the facial motor nucleus during production of a simple speech phrase. Future studies are needed to explore mechanisms of short-term adaptation and trigeminofacial modulation during propositional speech in health and disease. PMID- 17761152 TI - Expression of protein kinase-C substrate mRNA in the motor cortex of adult and infant macaque monkeys. AB - To understand the molecular and cellular bases of plasticity in the primate motor cortex, we investigated the expression of three protein kinase-C (PKC) substrates: GAP-43, myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS), and neurogranin, which are key molecules regulating synaptic plasticity. Prominent signals for the three mRNAs were primarily observed in pyramidal cells. Large pyramidal cells in layer V, from which the descending motor tract originates, contained weaker hybridization signals for GAP-43 and neurogranin mRNAs than did the smaller pyramidal cells. We also performed double-label in situ hybridization showing that GAP-43 and neurogranin mRNAs were expressed in a subset of MARCKS positive neurons. Quantitative analysis showed that the expression was different between the layers: layer VI contained the strongest and layer II the weakest signals for all three mRNAs. The expression levels of GAP-43 and MARCKS mRNA in layer V were higher than in layer III, while the expression level of neurogranin mRNA in layer V was almost the same as in layer III. Developmental analysis from the newborn to adult indicated that the expression levels of the three mRNAs were higher in the infant motor cortex than in the adult. The expression of both GAP 43 and neurogranin mRNAs transiently increased over several months postnatally. The present study showed that the expression of the three PKC substrates was specific to cell types, cortical layers, and postnatal developmental stage. The specific expression may reflect functional specialization for plasticity in the motor cortex of both infants and adults. PMID- 17761150 TI - Identification and localization of cell types that express endothelial and neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the rat nucleus tractus solitarii. AB - Numerous studies have suggested that nitric oxide (NO) in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) participates in modulating cardiovascular function. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS), the enzyme responsible for synthesis of NO, exists in 3 isoforms: endothelial NOS (eNOS), neuronal NOS (nNOS), and inducible NOS (iNOS). Although the distribution of nNOS in the NTS has been well documented, the distribution of eNOS in the NTS has not. Because recent studies have shown that eNOS may contribute to regulation of baroreceptor reflexes and arterial pressure, we examined the distribution of eNOS and the types of cells that express it in rat NTS by using multiple labels for immunofluorescent staining and confocal microscopy. Immunoreactivity (IR) for eNOS and nNOS was found in cells and processes in all NTS subnuclei, but eNOS-IR was more uniformly distributed than was nNOS-IR. Although structures containing either eNOS-IR or nNOS-IR were often present in close proximity, they never contained both isoforms. Almost all eNOS IR positive structures, but no nNOS-IR positive structures, contained IR for the glial marker glial fibrillary acidic protein. Furthermore, while all nNOS-IR positive cells contained IR for the neuronal marker neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN), none of the eNOS-IR positive cells contained NeuN-IR. We conclude that eNOS in the NTS is present only in astrocytes and endothelial cells, not in neurons. Our data complement previous physiological studies and suggest that although NO from nNOS may modulate neurotransmission directly in the NTS, NO from eNOS in the NTS may modulate cardiovascular function through an interaction between astrocytes and neurons. PMID- 17761154 TI - Relationship between structure and immunostimulating activity of enzymatically synthesized glycogen. AB - Glycogen acts as energy and carbon reserves in animal cells and in microorganisms. Although anti-tumor activity has recently been reported for shellfish glycogen and enzymatically synthesized glycogen, the activity of glycogen has not yet been fully clarified. We enzymatically prepared various sizes of glycogens with controlled structures to investigate the relationship between the structure and immunostimulating activity of glycogen. The results revealed that glycogens with a weight-average molecular weight (M(w)) of more than 10,000K hardly activated RAW264.7, a murine macrophage cell line, whereas glycogens of M(w) 5000K and 6500K strongly stimulated RAW264.7 in the presence of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), leading to augmented production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Comparing the fine structure of the glycogens, the average-number of chain length, as well as the exterior and the interior chain lengths of the glycogens, had minor correlation between active and less-active glycogen derivatives. The available evidence suggests that the macrophage-stimulating activity of glycogen is strictly related to its molecular weight rather than to any fine structural property. PMID- 17761153 TI - Angiogenesis as a predictive marker of neurological outcome following hypoxia ischemia. AB - Cerebral ischemia induces angiogenesis within and around infarcted tissue. The protection of existing and growth of new blood vessels may contribute to a more favorable outcome. The present study assessed whether angiogenesis can be used as a marker for neurodegeneration/neuroprotection in a model of hypoxia-ischemia (HI). Increased CD31 immunoreactivity 7 days post-HI indicated increased angiogenesis compared to controls (P<0.001). Treatment with the GABA(A) receptor modulator, clomethiazole (CMZ; 414 mg/kg/day), normalized the level of angiogenesis compared to HI + saline (P<0.001). Conversely, the non-selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, L-NAME (5 mg/kg/day), markedly decreased angiogenesis compared to controls (P<0.001). Circulating plasma levels of IL 1alpha, IL-1beta and GM-CSF were significantly elevated post-HI. CMZ treatment attenuated these increases while also stimulating IL-10 levels. L-NAME treatment did not alter IL-1alpha or IL-1beta levels, but decreased endogenous IL-10 levels and exacerbated the ischemic lesion (P<0.001). CMZ treatment has been shown to increase NOS levels, while L-NAME halted the HI-induced increase in NOS activity (P<0.001). We conclude that angiogenesis can be used as a marker of neurodegeneration/neuroprotection for cerebral HI and is correlated to NOS activity and circulating inflammatory mediators. PMID- 17761155 TI - Cyclosophorohexadecaose and succinoglycan monomers as catalytic carbohydrates for the Strecker reaction. AB - Some microbial carbohydrates have been used as catalysts for the multicomponent Strecker reaction using trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN). Alpha Cyclosophorohexadecaose (alpha-C16) derived from Xanthomonas species and succinoglycan monomers derived from Rhizobium species acted as catalytic carbohydrates in the mixture solutions of methanol and water. Malonaldehyde bis(phenylimine) as a substrate was completely converted (yield: 100%) into its product to 100% by both alpha-C16 and the succinoglycan monomer (M2), having acetyl, pyruvyl, and succinyl groups as substituents after 1h. The catalytic abilities of the carbohydrates were dependent on the inherent structures of the substrates used in this study, where substrate 1 having a symmetrical structure rather than the others was favorably reacted with the alpha-C16 and M2. Through this study, we suggest that the microbial carbohydrates used in this study could be expected to be environmentally-benign catalysts for the synthesis of alpha aminonitriles. PMID- 17761156 TI - Modulation of CLA, IL-12R, CD40L, and IL-2Ralpha expression and inhibition of IL 12- and IL-23-induced cytokine secretion by CNTO 1275. AB - Cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23 are implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. IL-12 causes differentiation of CD4+ T cells to interferon-gamma (IFN gamma)-producing T helper 1 (Th1) cells, while IL-23 induces differentiation to IL-17-producing pathogenic Th17 cells. The effects of the monoclonal antibody to IL-12/23 p40 subunit (CNTO 1275) on IL-12 receptor (IL-12R) expression, markers associated with skin homing, activation, and cytokine secretion were investigated in vitro using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors. PBMCs were activated in the presence or absence of recombinant human (rh) IL-12 or rhIL-23, with or without CNTO 1275. CNTO 1275 inhibited upregulation of CLA, IL-12R, IL-2Ralpha and CD40L expression and also inhibited IL-12- and IL-23 induced IFN-gamma, IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-2, and IL-10 secretion. Thus, the therapeutic effect of CNTO 1275 may be attributed to the IL 12/23 neutralization, resulting in decreased expression of skin homing and activation markers, and IL-12- and IL-23-induced cytokine secretion. PMID- 17761158 TI - Parallel non-verbal enumeration is constrained by a set-based limit. AB - Adults can represent approximate numbers of items independently of language. This approximate number system can discriminate and compare entities as varied as dots, sounds, or actions. But can multiple different types of entities be enumerated in parallel and stored as independent numerosities? Subjects who were prevented from verbally counting watched an experimenter hide sequences of objects in two locations. The number of object types, which contrasted in category membership, color, shape, and texture, varied from 1 to 5, and object types were completely temporally intermixed. Subjects were then asked how many objects of each type were in each location. In three experiments, subjects successfully enumerated the objects of each type in each location when 1-3 types were presented, but failed with 4 or 5 types, regardless of the total number of objects seen. Thus, adults can perform simultaneous enumeration of multiple sets that unfold in temporally intermixed fashion, but are limited to 3 such sets at a time. Furthermore, they perform these parallel enumerations in the absence of training or instruction, and can do so for sets of objects that are hidden in distinct locations. The convergence of this 3-set capacity limit with the 3-item capacity limit widely observed in studies of working memory suggests that each enumeration requires a single slot in memory, and that storage in memory is required before enumeration can occur. PMID- 17761157 TI - Promoter polymorphism and expression of beta-arrestin 2 in neutrophils. PMID- 17761159 TI - The small GTPase RhoV is an essential regulator of neural crest induction in Xenopus. AB - In vertebrates, the Rho family of GTPases is made of 20 members which regulate a variety of cellular functions, including actin cytoskeleton dynamics, cell adhesion and motility, cell growth and survival, gene transcription and membrane trafficking. To get a comprehensive view of Rho implication in physiological epithelial-mesenchymal transition, we carried out an in situ hybridization-based screen to identify Rho members expressed in Xenopus neural crest cells, in which we previously reported RhoB expression at the migrating stage. In the present study, we identify RhoV as an early expressed neural crest marker and provide evidence that its activity is essential for neural crest cell induction. RhoV mRNA is maternally expressed and accumulates shortly after gastrulation in the neural crest forming region. Using antisense morpholino injection, we show that at neurula stages, RhoV depletion impairs expression of the neural crest markers Sox9, Slug or Twist but has no effect on Snail induction. At the tailbud stage, RhoV knockdown causes a dramatic loss of cranial neural crest derived structures. All these defects are rescued by ectopic wild-type RhoV, whose overexpression on its own expands the neural crest territory. Our findings disclose an unprecedented Rho function in pathways that control neural crest cells specification. PMID- 17761160 TI - Cooperation of calcineurin and ERK for UTP-induced IL-6 production in HaCaT keratinocytes. AB - UTP causes IL-6 production in HaCaT keratinocytes, which is partially inhibited by PD98059, a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor, suggesting that a pathway other than the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway is involved in the production. In the present study, we examined the involvement of calcineurin in the UTP-induced interleukin (IL)-6 production in HaCaT keratinocytes. FK506 and cyclosporine A, calcineurin inhibitors, partially inhibited UTP-induced IL-6 mRNA expression and protein production. In addition, combined application of FK506 and PD98059 synergistically inhibited the UTP induced IL-6 production. These results suggest that ERK and calcineurin are cooperatively involved in UTP-induced IL-6 production. PMID- 17761162 TI - Role of different types of potassium channels in the antidepressant-like effect of agmatine in the mouse forced swimming test. AB - The administration of agmatine elicits an antidepressant-like effect in the mouse forced swimming test by a mechanism dependent on the inhibition of the NMDA receptors and the L-arginine-nitric oxide (NO) pathway. Since it has been reported that the NO can activate different types of potassium (K(+)) channels in several tissues, the present study investigates the possibility of synergistic interactions between different types of K(+) channel inhibitors and agmatine in the forced swimming test. Treatment of mice by i.c.v. route with subeffective doses of tetraethylammonium (a non specific inhibitor of K(+) channels, 25 pg/site), glibenclamide (an ATP-sensitive K(+) channels inhibitor, 0.5 pg/site), charybdotoxin (a large- and intermediate-conductance calcium-activated K(+) channel inhibitor, 25 pg/site) or apamin (a small-conductance calcium-activated K(+) channel inhibitor, 10 pg/site), augmented the effect of agmatine (0.001 mg/kg, i.p.) in the forced swimming test. Furthermore, the administration of agmatine and the K(+) channel inhibitors, alone or in combination, did not affect locomotion in the open-field test. Moreover, the reduction in the immobility time elicited by an active dose of agmatine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) in the forced swimming test was prevented by the pre-treatment of mice with the K(+) channel openers cromakalim (10 microg/site, i.c.v.) and minoxidil (10 microg/site, i.c.v.), without affecting locomotion. Together these data raise the possibility that the antidepressant-like effect of agmatine in the forced swimming test is related to its modulatory effects on neuronal excitability, via inhibition of K(+) channels. PMID- 17761161 TI - Sasanquasaponin protects rat cardiomyocytes against oxidative stress induced by anoxia-reoxygenation injury. AB - Reactive oxygen species can play an important role in the pathogenesis of anoxia reoxygenation injury. Sasanquasaponin (SQS) is a biologically active ingredient extracted from the Chinese medicinal plant Camellia oleifera Abel. Some studies have shown that SQS possesses potent antioxidant activities. However, it has not been elucidated whether SQS diminishes reactive oxygen species stress induced by anoxia-reoxygenation injury in cardiomyocytes. In this work, neonatal rat cardiomyocytes pretreated with the test compound were subjected to anoxia reoxygenation. The extent of cellular damage was accessed by cell viability and the amount of released lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities, reduced (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) levels, and malondialdehyde contents were measured by a colorimetric method. The levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species and calcium were determined by flow cytometry. The results showed that SQS reduced LDH release and increased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner up to 10 microM and concomitantly decreased malondialdehyde and GSSG contents, while significantly increased GSH contents and the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Moreover, treatment with SQS decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and alleviated calcium accumulation in cardiomyocytes undergoing anoxia-reoxygenation. It is suggested that SQS could protect cardiomyocytes against oxidative stress induced by anoxia-reoxygenation by attenuating reactive oxygen species generation and increasing activities of endogenous antioxidants. PMID- 17761164 TI - Adipose-derived stem cells differentiate into a Schwann cell phenotype and promote neurite outgrowth in vitro. AB - Experimentally, peripheral nerve repair can be enhanced by Schwann cell transplantation but the clinical application is limited by donor site morbidity and the inability to generate a sufficient number of cells quickly. We have investigated whether adult stem cells, isolated from adipose tissue, can be differentiated into functional Schwann cells. Rat visceral fat was enzymatically digested to yield rapidly proliferating fibroblast-like cells, a proportion of which expressed the mesenchymal stem cell marker, stro-1, and nestin, a neural progenitor protein. Cells treated with a mixture of glial growth factors (GGF-2, bFGF, PDGF and forskolin) adopted a spindle-like morphology similar to Schwann cells. Immunocytochemical staining and western blotting indicated that the treated cells expressed the glial markers, GFAP, S100 and p75, indicative of differentiation. When co-cultured with NG108-15 motor neuron-like cells, the differentiated stem cells enhanced the number of NG108-15 cells expressing neurites, the number of neurites per cell and the mean length of the longest neurite extended. Schwann cells evoked a similar response whilst undifferentiated stem cells had no effect. These results indicate adipose tissue contains a pool of regenerative stem cells which can be differentiated to a Schwann cell phenotype and may be of benefit for treatment of peripheral nerve injuries. PMID- 17761163 TI - Fas ligand-induced apoptosis is regulated by nitric oxide through the inhibition of fas receptor clustering and the nitrosylation of protein kinase Cepsilon. AB - Apoptosis induced by the death-inducing ligand FasL (CD95L) is a major mechanism of cell death. Trophoblast cells express the Fas receptor yet survive in an environment that is rich in the ligand. We report that basal nitric oxide (NO) production is responsible for the resistance of trophoblasts to FasL-induced apoptosis. In this study we demonstrate that basal NO production resulted in the inhibition of receptor clustering following ligand binding. In addition NO also protected cells through the selective nitrosylation, and inhibition, of protein kinase Cepsilon (PKCepsilon) but not PKCalpha. In the absence of NO production PKCepsilon interacted with, and phosphorylated, the anti-apoptotic protein cFLIP. The interaction is predominantly with the short form of cFLIP and its phosphorylation reduces its recruitment to the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) that is formed following binding of a death-inducing ligand to its receptor. Inhibition of cFLIP recruitment to the DISC leads to increased activation of caspase 8 and subsequently to apoptosis. Inhibition of PKCepsilon using siRNA significantly reversed the sensitivity to apoptosis induced by inhibition of NO synthesis suggesting that NO-mediated inhibition of PKCepsilon plays an important role in the regulation of Fas-induced apoptosis. PMID- 17761166 TI - Monohydrocalcite in calcareous corpuscles of Mesocestoides corti. AB - Mesocestoides corti (syn. vogae), as many other cestode platyhelminthes, contains abundant mineralized structures called calcareous corpuscles. These concretions may constitute as much as 40% of the dry weight of the organisms, but their function remains poorly understood. In this work, we reviewed the mineral composition of the calcareous corpuscles of M. corti. X-ray diffraction pattern showed that the major mineral component of the corpuscles is a hydrated form of calcium carbonate, monohydrocalcite, also confirmed by infrared spectrometry. The baseline shift of the X-ray diffraction spectra suggested the presence of amorphous calcium carbonate, accordingly to previous reports, and an organic matrix was confirmed by FTIR. Monohydrocalcite is a rare mineral unusually found in biominerals. Although the significance of monohydrocalcite in biominerals has not been determined, the knowledge of corpuscles composition is of relevance to establish their function and for the elucidation of the mechanisms involved in mineralization processes. PMID- 17761165 TI - Immunodeficiency impairs re-injury induced reversal of neuronal atrophy: relation to T cell subsets and microglia. AB - Following facial nerve resection in the mouse, a substantial number of neurons reside in an atrophied state (characterized by cell shrinkage and decreased ability to uptake Nissl stain), which can be reversed by re-injury. The mechanisms mediating the reversal of neuronal atrophy remain unclear. Although T cells have been shown to prevent neuronal loss following peripheral nerve injury, it was unknown whether T cells play a role in mediating the reversal of axotomy induced neuronal atrophy. Thus, we used a facial nerve re-injury model to test the hypothesis that the reversal of neuronal atrophy would be impaired in recombinase activating gene-2 knockout (RAG-2 KO) mice, which lack functional T and B cells. Measures of neuronal survival were compared in the injured facial motor nucleus (FMN) of RAG-2 KO and wild-type (WT) mice that received a resection of the right facial nerve followed by re-injury of the same nerve 10 weeks later ("chronic resection+re-injury") or a resection of the right facial nerve followed by sham re-injury of the same nerve 10 weeks later ("chronic resection+sham"). We recently demonstrated that prior exposure to neuronal injury elicited a marked increase in T cell trafficking indicative of a T cell memory response when the contralateral FMN was injured later in adulthood. We examined if such a T cell memory response would also occur in the current re-injury model. RAG-2 KO mice showed no reversal of neuronal atrophy whereas WT mice showed a robust response. The reversal of atrophy in WT mice was not accompanied by a T cell memory response. Although the number of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the injured FMN did not differ from each other, double-negative T cells appear to be recruited in response to neuronal injury. Re-injury did not result in increased expression of MHC2 by microglia. Our findings suggest that T cells may be involved in reversing the axotomy-induced atrophy of injured neurons. PMID- 17761167 TI - Acidocalcisomes in Apicomplexan parasites. AB - Acidocalcisomes are acidic calcium stores found in diverse organisms, being conserved from bacteria to man. They posses an acidic matrix that contains several cations bound to phosphates, mainly present in the form of short and long polyphosphate chains. Their matrix is acidified through the action of proton pumps such as a vacuolar proton ATPase and a vacuolar proton pyrophosphatase. The calcium uptake occurs through a Ca2+/H+ counter transporting ATPase located in the membrane of the organelle. Acidocalcisomes have been identified in a variety of microorganisms, including Apicomplexan parasites such as Plasmodium and Eimeria species, and in Toxoplasma gondii. In this paper, we review the structural, biochemical and physiological aspects of acidocalcisomes in Apicomplexan parasites and discuss their functional roles in the maintenance of intracellular ion homeostasis. PMID- 17761168 TI - Strange kinetic phase in the extremely early folding process of beta lactoglobulin. AB - A continuous-wave probed laser-induced temperature jump system was constructed and applied to monitor the changes in tryptophan fluorescence of the beta lactoglobulin during its folding; the kinetic phases were traced from 300 ns to 10 ms after a temperature jump. Notably, an early phase with typical squeezed exponential characteristics, [exp[-(kt)(beta)], beta>1.0], was observed around several tens of microseconds after the temperature jump, which is actually the earliest phase ever observed for beta-lactoglobulin. This process can be explained by conformational shift occurring within the unfolded ensemble (U- >U'), which is followed by the non-native intermediate (I) formation of this protein. PMID- 17761169 TI - Characterisation of endothelin converting enzyme-1 shedding from endothelial cells. AB - The aim of this study was to determine if endothelin converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) like other members of this metalloprotease family undergoes ectodomain shedding. The release/shedding of catalytically active ECE-1 was measured by monitoring the fluorescence resulting from the cleavage of a specific quenched fluorescent substrate. Catalytically active ECE-1 was detected in the media of human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and was confirmed by mass spectrometry based assays. Specificity of cleavage was confirmed by using both narrow and broad specificity inhibitors. In conclusion we demonstrate and characterize for the first time, ECE-1 shedding from the surface of endothelial cells. PMID- 17761170 TI - A proteomic screen reveals novel Fas ligand interacting proteins within nervous system Schwann cells. AB - Fas ligand (FasL) binds Fas (CD95) to induce apoptosis or activate other signaling pathways. In addition, FasL transduces bidirectional or 'reverse signals'. The intracellular domain of FasL contains consensus sequences for phosphorylation and an extended proline rich region, which regulate its surface expression through undetermined mechanism(s). Here, we used a proteomics approach to identify novel FasL interacting proteins in Schwann cells to investigate signaling through and trafficking of this protein in the nervous system. We identified two novel FasL interacting proteins, sorting nexin 18 and adaptin beta, as well as two proteins previously identified as FasL interacting proteins in T cells, PACSIN2 and PACSIN3. These proteins are all associated with endocytosis and trafficking, highlighting the tight regulation of cell surface expression of FasL in the nervous system. PMID- 17761171 TI - The oxindole/imidazole derivative C16 reduces in vivo brain PKR activation. AB - Inhibition of double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) represents an interesting strategy for neuroprotection. However, inhibiting this kinase which triggers the apoptotic process could favour in counterpart cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. Here, we use an in vivo model of 7-day-old rat displaying a high activation of brain PKR to investigate the effects of a new PKR inhibitor identified as an oxindole/imidazole derivative (C16). We show for the first time that acute systemic injection of C16 specifically inhibits the apoptotic PKR/eIF2alpha signaling pathway without stimulating the proliferative mTOR/p70S6K signaling mechanism. PMID- 17761172 TI - Functional analyses of the extra- and intracellular domains of the yeast cell wall integrity sensors Mid2 and Wsc1. AB - Cell wall integrity signalling in Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides a model for the regulation of fungal wall biosynthesis. Chimers of the major plasma membrane sensors Wsc1 and Mid2 fused to GFP have been employed to show that intracellular and membrane distribution is only dependent on a membrane-anchored cytoplasmic tail. Phenotypic analyses of chimeric sensors in an isogenic Deltamid2 Deltawsc1 double deletion strain indicate that this tail, provided that it is linked to an extracellular domain, also determines the cellular response to different surface stresses to a large extent. PMID- 17761173 TI - GRASP-1 is a neuronal scaffold protein for the JNK signaling pathway. AB - GRASP-1 is a neuronally enriched protein that interacts with the AMPA-type glutamate receptor/GRIP complex. GRASP-1 can be cleaved by Caspase-3 in both normal and ischemic brains although the functional significance of this cleavage remains elusive. We investigated signal transduction pathways that might lie downstream of GRASP-1 and found that GRASP-1 potently activates JNK pathway signaling, with no effect on ERK signaling. Such JNK pathway activating activity requires binding of GRASP-1 to both JNK and the upstream JNK pathway activator MEKK-1. Furthermore, mutations that prevent Caspase 3-cleavage of GRASP-1 dramatically inhibit the JNK pathway activating activity of GRASP-1, suggesting a novel link between Caspase-3 activation and JNK pathway signaling. These results suggest that GRASP-1 serves as a scaffold protein to facilitate MEKK-1 activation of JNK signaling in neurons. PMID- 17761175 TI - Fatty acid chain-elongation in perfused rat heart: synthesis of stearoylcarnitine from perfused palmitate. AB - Rat hearts perfused for up to 60 min in the working mode with palmitate, but not with glucose, resulted in substantial formation of palmitoylcarnitine and stearoylcarnitine. To test whether lipolysis of endogenous lipids was responsible for the increased stearoylcarnitine content or whether some of the perfused palmitate underwent chain elongation, hearts were perfused with hexadecanoic 16,16,16-d(3) acid (M+3). The pentafluorophenacyl ester of deuterium labeled stearoylcarnitine had an M+3 (639.4 m/z) compared to the unlabeled M+0 (636.3 m/z) consistent with a direct chain elongation of the perfused palmitate. Furthermore, the near equal isotope enrichment of palmitoyl- (90.2+/-5.8%) and stearoylcarnitine (78.0+/-7.1%) suggest that both palmitoyl- and stearoyl-CoA have ready access to mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase and that most of the stearoylcarnitine is derived from the perfused palmitate. PMID- 17761174 TI - Specificity of thioredoxins and glutaredoxins as electron donors to two distinct classes of Arabidopsis plastidial methionine sulfoxide reductases B. AB - Methionine sulfoxide reductases (MSRs) A and B reduce methionine sulfoxide (MetSO) S- and R-diastereomers, respectively, back to Met using electrons generally supplied by thioredoxin. The physiological reductants for MSRBs remain unknown in plants, which display a remarkable variety of thioredoxins (Trxs) and glutaredoxins (Grxs). Using recombinant proteins, we show that Arabidopsis plastidial MSRB1 and MSRB2, which differ regarding the number of presumed redox active cysteines, possess specific reductants. Most simple-module Trxs, especially Trx m1 and Trx y2, are preferential and efficient electron donors towards MSRB2, while the double-module CDSP32 Trx and Grxs can reduce only MSRB1. This study identifies novel types of reductants, related to Grxs and peculiar Trxs, for MSRB proteins displaying only one redox-active cysteine. PMID- 17761176 TI - Compressive pleural effusion after ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome--a case report and review. AB - OBJECTIVE: To report a case of early onset ovarian hyperstimulation with massive pleural effusion and respiratory failure before IVF. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: University teaching intensive care unit. PATIENT(S): A 26-year-old healthy woman with an unexplained infertility transferred to the intensive care unit on day 4 after hCG injection for early severe presentation of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome with massive compressive pleural effusion before she underwent embryo transfer. INTERVENTION(S): Mechanical ventilation, thoracocentesis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Resolution of symptoms/stopping of embryos transfer. RESULT(S): Drainage of 5,300 mL of sterile exudative pleural fluid for a period of 48 hours, which permitted resolution of symptoms and allowed mechanical weaning. The IVF procedure was stopped. CONCLUSION(S): This case described is unusual in that the patient presented with early massive pleural effusion on day 4 after hCG injection and before embryo transfer. This is much earlier than in any case report elsewhere. PMID- 17761177 TI - Cryopreservation and xenotransplantation of human ovarian tissue: an ultrastructural study. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the ultrastructure of human ovarian follicles after cryopreservation and short-term xenografting. DESIGN: Prospective experimental study. SETTING: Academic gynecology and anatomy research units. PATIENT(S): Ovarian cortical biopsy specimens were obtained from 13 patients. INTERVENTION(S): Each ovarian biopsy specimen was dissected into pieces of 1 mm(3) and divided into three groups: [1] fresh tissue, [2] frozen-thawed tissue, and [3] frozen-thawed tissue xenografted onto the peritoneum of nude mice for 3 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Follicular ultrastructure was assessed by light and transmission electron microscopy in [1] fresh, [2] frozen, and [3] frozen grafted tissue. RESULT(S): Thirty-five ovarian follicles were analyzed by light and transmission electron microscopy. Twenty-five primordial and primary ovarian follicles were found. Most of them exhibited ultrastructurally well preserved features (fresh [N = 8/10], frozen [N = 7/10], and frozen-grafted [N = 4/5] tissue). Ten secondary follicles were present in xenografts. By transmission electron microscopy, all the healthy-looking secondary follicles (70%) were shown to contain intact oocytes, with features typical of earlier developmental stages, surrounded by several layers of follicular cells. CONCLUSION(S): The present study demonstrates, for the first time, that cryopreservation and xenotransplantation do not appear to greatly affect human primordial/primary follicle ultrastructure. Interestingly, in frozen-thawed xenografts, secondary human ovarian follicles presented a well preserved ultrastructure, but asynchrony between oocyte and granulosa cell development was detected. The possible causes for this asynchrony are discussed. PMID- 17761178 TI - Maintenance therapy involving a tapering dose of danazol or mid/low doses of oral contraceptive after gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment for endometriosis-associated pelvic pain. AB - Pelvic pain associated with endometriosis was treated by the long-term administration of a tapering dose of danazol or mid/low doses of oral contraceptives after the end of therapy involving a GnRH agonist (GnRH-a). Results demonstrated that each of these three therapies is a practical and efficient treatment regimen to maintain the relief of pelvic pain achieved by GnRH-a therapy, at least for a period of 12 months. PMID- 17761179 TI - Basal and cytokine-stimulated production of epithelial neutrophil activating peptide-78 (ENA-78) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) by cultured human endometrial epithelial and stromal cells. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the constitutive production of epithelial neutrophil activating peptide 78 (ENA-78) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) by epithelial cells and the response of these cells to cytokine stimulation. DESIGN: In vitro study using eutopic endometrial tissue. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): Cycling women undergoing laparoscopy for reasons of infertility or unexplained abdominal pain. INTERVENTION(S): Isolation of epithelial and stromal cells from endometrium, immunocytochemical characterization and separate culture of these cells in presence of IL-1, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and interferon-gamma. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Quantitation of IL-8 and ENA-78 released into the medium by ELISA. Polymerase chain reaction was used to demonstrate the presence of ENA-78 in the cell lysate. RESULT(S): High purity of the endometrial epithelial cell preparation before culture was demonstrated by the lack of immunocytochemical staining for CD10. Stromal cell preparations were CD10 positive and cytokeratin negative. Stromal cells produced ENA-78 and IL-8 under cytokine stimulation, and epithelial cells were found not only to produce these markers in the absence of cytokine stimulation, but also to increase this output in the presence of IL-1beta or of TNF-alpha plus interferon-gamma. CONCLUSION(S): This response may be an important angiogenic step in the early stages in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. PMID- 17761180 TI - DAZL protein expression in mouse preimplantation embryo. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression pattern of Dazl (deleted in azoospermia like) protein in the mouse preimplantation embryo. DESIGN: Experimental study. SETTING: Medical research laboratory in a university hospital. ANIMAL(S): Twenty female 28- to 35-day-old FVB mice. INTERVENTION(S): Embryo collection at 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 days postcoitus (plug date, 0.5 d postcoitus) to examine the Dazl protein expression from the two-cell embryo to the blastocyst. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Dazl protein expression was analyzed by immunofluorescent staining. RESULT(S): There is abundant expression of Dazl protein in the cytoplasm of the blastomere. Strong fluorescent signals of Dazl protein expression were found in preimplantation embryo cytoplasm, including two-cell, eight-cell, morula, and blastocyst. CONCLUSION(S): By using an antibody raised against mouse Daz-like protein (Dazl), we showed that Dazl protein is present in all cleaving stages of the preimplantation embryo. This is the first report on the protein expression of a Dazl gene during embryogenesis in mice. However, further study is needed to evaluate the molecular functional role of Dazl. PMID- 17761181 TI - Habitat-related variation in reproductive endocrine condition in the coral reef damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus. AB - Spiny damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus are brood protectors with no larval dispersal stage, with the result that characteristics of local populations are likely to reflect local habitat conditions. In order to assess the possible effect of habitat on reproductive characteristics, spiny damselfish were captured by divers in 1999 and 2001 from reefs around Lizard Island in the northern section of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, chosen to represent a range of coral cover characteristics. Fish were bled underwater immediately after capture, then blood and fish were placed on ice at the end of the dive for transport to the laboratory where plasma was separated for subsequent measurement of testosterone (T) and 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) in males, and T and 17beta-estradiol (E2) in females. Ovaries from fish captured in 2001 were dispersed to isolate vitellogenic follicles, fecundity and follicle size were determined, then follicles were incubated in Leibowitz L15 medium alone or with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), to assess steroidogenic capacity. In 1999 there were significant site to site variations in plasma T and E2 levels in females, and in 2001, in E2 in females, and in T and 11KT in males. Highest hormone levels were recorded from sites of both low and high coral cover (a measure of presumptive habitat quality), but there was consistently low steroid production in fish from a site of high coral cover and fish density. An initial expectation that poor reproductive condition might be associated with degraded coral sites was not met. Vitellogenic follicles from fish captured in 2001 showed increased in vitro production of E2 and to a lesser extent, T, with increasing follicle size, and this was further augmented by treatment with hCG. Comparison of regression slopes of log E2 production versus follicle size showed that fish from sites where there were generally low levels of plasma steroids also had impaired in vitro steroidogenic capacity, and that this effect partially disappeared when follicles were stimulated with hCG. Reduced steroidogenic capacity was strongly associated with low fecundity, indicating that low in vitro and in vivo E2 production were reflected in reduced reproductive capacity. As the effect was most consistent at a site where fish density (and subsequent competition for planktonic food) was high, it is suggested that nutritional status associated with habitat characteristics may regulate reproductive endocrine condition in spiny damselfish. It is clear that local factors other than coral cover can generate site variation in reproductive performance. PMID- 17761182 TI - One-stage repair for combined fistulas: myth or reality? AB - OBJECTIVE: The repair of combined vesico-vaginal fistulas (VVFs) and recto vaginal fistulas (RVFs) is challenging to both surgeon and patient. The multistage approach involves at least 3 surgical sessions, all associated with morbidity and sometimes with a colostomy procedure as well. The outcomes of the 1 stage approach were examined. METHODS: Twenty patients aged between 16 and 38 years were recruited for a multicenter study conducted from March 2005 to August 2006. Prolonged obstructed labor was the cause of all fistulas. The VVFs were mainly midvaginal (60%), juxtaurethral (25%), and juxtacervical (15%). The RVFs measured between 1 and 3 cm, they were low in 70% of cases, and 1 was associated with fourth-degree perineal tear. Bowel preparation was performed in all patients prior to surgery. No patient underwent temporary colostomy. RESULTS: Both VVFs and VVFs were successfully closed in all patients, as evidenced by the continence dye test. CONCLUSION: The combined repair relieves economic constraints and emotional challenges, and it accelerates restoration to health and social reintegration for women affected with both VVFs and RVFs. PMID- 17761184 TI - On the influence of variation in haemodynamic conditions on the generation and growth of cerebral aneurysms and atherogenesis: a computational model. AB - A risk-factor criterion, based on near-wall haemodynamic conditions, for the assessment of vascular pathology risk is developed and tested. This criterion has its foundation on experimentally observed vascular wall responses to oscillatory and swirling wall shear stress patterns and is applied to the results of computational simulations. We test this model on two anatomically accurate vascular segments, where pathologies are either commonplace or have already been developed, i.e. a healthy carotid bifurcation and a cerebral fusiform aneurysm. In the case of the former, the risk-assessment criterion predicts the emergence of atherosclerosis of the same locations that the disease is usually encountered. In the case of the latter, the risk factor shows increased probability for the appearance of secondary, "baby", aneurysms at certain locations. PMID- 17761183 TI - Health visitors' assessments of parent-child relationships: a focus group study. AB - BACKGROUND: Health visitors (HVs), also known as public health nurses, in the UK provide a universal community-based service to preschool children and their parents. Since they have ongoing supportive contact with almost all mothers and young children they have opportunities to identify problems in the parent-infant relationship: for example during developmental screening, home visits and immunisation clinics. Research into the role of screening for problems in the parent-child relationship in early childhood is sparse and little is known about how such problems are currently identified in the community. OBJECTIVE: To explore the approaches taken by health visitors (HVs) to identifying problems in the parent-child relationship. DESIGN: Focus group study. SETTING: Glasgow, Scotland. PARTICIPANTS: 24 health visitors sampled purposively. RESULTS: Multiple sources of information were used by health visitors in assessing parent-child relationships. These include use of known risk factors, knowledge of local norms, direct observations of behaviour, reflection on the relationship between the parent and health visitor, as well as more intuitive reactions. In many cases understanding difficulties in parent-child relationships involved piecing together a jigsaw over a considerable time span. Continuity of relationships appeared to be crucial in this task. Home visits were described as the most informative setting in which to develop an understanding of the parent-child relationship. PARTICIPANTS reported a lack of formal training in the assessment of parent-child relationships and were keen to obtain more training. CONCLUSIONS: Health visitors use complex strategies to integrate information about parent child relationships. These strategies are acquired in a variety of ways, but receive little emphasis during basic professional training. PMID- 17761185 TI - Ex vivo measurement of lumbar intervertebral disc pressure using fibre-Bragg gratings. AB - Methods were developed to measure intervertebral disc pressure using optical fibre-Bragg gratings (FBGs). The FBG sensor was calibrated for hydrostatic pressure in a purpose-built apparatus and the average sensitivity was determined to be -5.7 +/- 0.085 pm/MPa (mean +/- SD). The average coefficient of determination (r(2)) for the calibration data was 0.99, and the average hysteresis of the sensor was 2.13% of full scale. The FBG was used to measure intradiscal pressure response to compressive load in five lumbar functional spine units. The pressure measured by the FBG sensor varied linearly with applied compressive load with coefficients of determination ranging from 0.84 to 0.97. The FBG sensor's sensitivity to compressive load ranged from 0.702 +/- 0.043 kPa/N (mean +/- SD) in a L1-L2 specimen, to 1.07 +/- 0.069 kPa/N in a L4-L5 specimen. These measurements agree with those of previous studies in lumbar spines. Two strain gauge pressure sensors were also used to measure intradiscal pressure response to compressive load. The measured pressure sensitivity to load ranged from 0.251 kPa/N (L4-L5) to 0.850 kPa/N (L2-L3). The average difference in pressure sensitivity to load between Sensors 1 and 2 was 12.9% of the value for Sensor 1, with a range from 1.1% to 20.4%, which suggests that disc pressure was not purely hydrostatic. This may have contributed to the difference between the responses of the FBG and strain gauge sensors. PMID- 17761186 TI - Strategies for single-drop microextraction optimisation and validation. Application to the detection of potential antimicrobial agents. AB - Convenient methods that are capable of determining potentially antimicrobial compounds in both vapour and liquid phases are required (inter alia) to facilitate the development of active packaging materials using natural substances. The suitability of single-drop microextraction (SDME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for this purpose has been assessed by evaluating its ability to determine a range of analytes (mainly terpenes) in vapour samples and three liquid food simulants - distilled water, 10% (v/v) water/ethanol, and 3% (w/v) acetic acid - by headspace-SDME (HS-SDME) and direct immersion-SDME (DI-SDME), respectively. In this contribution, a screening strategy based on the Hildebrand solubility parameter has been used to build a solvent priority list. Solvents were then tested following the list, taking into account additional factors such as low volatility for HS-SDME or buoyancy and relative miscibility for DI-SDME. Other experimental parameters affecting the performance of SDME (such as drop volume, sampling time and temperature, drop position in the sample vial, sample vial size, stirring rate, filling rate and ionic strength of the sample) were investigated using a Plackett-Burman screening design. The method optimisation was completed by means of response surface modelling (RSM). The methods were validated by characterising relevant performance parameters including their robustness, linear range, accuracy (trueness and precision) and capability of detection as described by the International Organization for Standardization. PMID- 17761187 TI - Steady surface modification of polydimethylsiloxane microchannel and its application in simultaneous analysis of homocysteine and glutathione in human serum. AB - A novel polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface modification method for microchip electrophoresis has been developed to make a stable and sufficient electroosmotic flow (EOF). Poly(l-glutamic acid) (PGA) which had ionizable carboxyl groups at a high pH-range was immobilized on the surface of microchannel fabricated with PDMS. The surface modification involved surface oxidation by plasma, the silanization of 3-aminopropyldimethylethoxysilane (APDMES) and immobilization of PGA via amide bond. The modified channel was extremely stable against consecutive electric power supply over 5h, and its long-term stability was demonstrated by the efficient separation of four amino acid derivatives reproducibly after a week. Additionally, homocysteine (Hcy), important risk factor of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and problems in pregnancy, was successfully measured in human serum in modified PDMS channel with the other thio amino acid simultaneously. PMID- 17761189 TI - Disclosure of the imidazolium cation coordination and stabilization mode in ionic liquid stabilized gold(0) nanoparticles. AB - A surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) study of imidazolium ionic liquid stabilized gold(0) nanoparticles (GNPs) furnished previously unknown knowledge about the coordination and stabilization mode of the imidazolium cation. GNPs were prepared by hydrazine reduction of a chloroauric acid solution in 1 triethylene glycol monomethyl ether-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate 2 as ether-functionalized room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL). UV-vis spectroscopy showed the presence of GNP aggregates as absorptions extended to the NIR region. A parallel coordination mode for the imidazolium cation of RTIL 2 on the GNP surface was observed by SERS, which occurred without the simultaneous coordination of the 1-triethylene glycol monomethyl ether-functionality. Instead of this, the ether-functionality was directed away from the GNP surface and acted as steric barrier between the GNPs/GNP aggregates, thus preventing further aggregation. These new insights suggest that the imidazolium cation is responsible for electrosteric stabilization. PMID- 17761188 TI - Electroosmotic transport through rectangular channels with small zeta potentials. AB - In this article, we analyze the electroosmotic transport of neutral samples through rectangular channels having a small zeta potential at their walls. Exact analytical expressions have been derived for quantifying the solute velocity in such conduits and the Taylor-Aris dispersivity in large-aspect-ratio rectangular geometries. In addition, a semianalytical theory has been presented for estimating the solutal spreading rate in rectangular profiles of all aspect ratios by decoupling the effects of vertical and horizontal velocity gradients in the system. Finally, the predictions made by this theory have been compared with the results from numerical simulations in which all assumptions were relaxed. Our analysis shows that while the sidewalls in a rectangular conduit modify the fluid velocity only to a moderate extent, they can increase the hydrodynamic dispersion of sample slugs as much as by a factor of 8 under strong Debye-layer overlap conditions. In the opposite limit of thin Debye layers, however, the increase in dispersion due to the side regions is only by a factor of 2 and remains nearly unaffected by the aspect ratio of the channel, in agreement with the prediction by [E.K. Zholkovskij, J.H. Masliyah, J. Czarnecki, Anal. Chem. 75 (2003) 901]. PMID- 17761190 TI - Synergistic interactions in the mixed micelles of cationic gemini with zwitterionic surfactants: the pH and spacer effect. AB - Mixed micelle formation of binary cationic gemini (12-s-12, s=4, 6) and zwitterionic (N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethylglycine, EBB) surfactants has been investigated by measuring the surface tension of aqueous solution as a function of total concentration at various pH values from acidic to basic, under conditions of 298.15 K and atmospheric pressure. The results were analyzed by applying regular solution theory (RST), and Motomura's theory, which allows for the calculation of the excess Gibbs energy of micellization purely on the basis of thermodynamic equations. The synergistic interactions of all the investigated cationic gemini + zwitterionic surfactants mixtures were found to be dependent upon the pH of the solution and the length of hydrophobic spacer of gemini surfactant. The evaluated excess Gibbs free energy is negative for all the systems. PMID- 17761191 TI - Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of mesoporous TiO(2) with the surface area, crystallite size, and pore size. AB - Mesoporous TiO(2) materials with various pore-size distributions were synthesized by using diblock copolymers via a sol-gel process in aqueous solution. The properties of these materials were characterized by FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XRD, DRS, BET, and BJH analysis. All particles have spherical morphology with a diameter range of 1-3 mum. The mesoporous TiO(2) materials calcined at 400 degrees C were found to have different specific surface areas - 186, 210, and 192 m(2) g(-1) - and average pore sizes depending on the type of diblock copolymer-5.1, 6.1, and 6.4 nm-and their crystallite sizes were found to be 8.1, 8.3, and 8.8 nm. The photocatalytic activity of each sample was investigated by measuring the photodecomposition of methylene blue (MB), and the small crystallite size, large surface area, and small pore size were found to exhibit better photocatalytic activities. In addition, the photocatalytic activities of all the mesoporous TiO(2) materials were found to be better than that of commercial TiO(2). PMID- 17761192 TI - Electrical double layer around a spherical colloid particle: the excluded volume effect. AB - The influence of the excluded volume effect on both the spatial distribution of ionic species and the electrostatic potential distribution in the neighborhood of a suspended spherical particle is examined on the basis of a modified Poisson Boltzmann equation, which takes into account the finite ion size by means of a Langmuir-type correction. We find that kappaa (kappa and a being the reciprocal Debye length and the particle radius, respectively) ceases to be a valid parameter for the characterization of the electrical double layer, and that it is necessary to use both parameters kappa and a to characterize adequately the system. We also find that the excluded volume effect considerably increases the surface potential (for a given value of the surface charge density) as compared to the case when ideal ion behavior is assumed. This suggests the use of the particle charge rather than the surface potential in order to characterize the system. Because of this, an approximate equation for the surface charge density of spherical colloid particles, valid for a wide range of system parameter values, is also reported. PMID- 17761193 TI - Upregulation of the ligand-RAGE pathway via the angiotensin II type I receptor is essential in the pathogenesis of diabetic atherosclerosis. AB - The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and the angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R) have been separately linked to the pathogenesis of diabetic atherosclerosis. However, no prior study has addressed a linkage between RAGE and AT1R in diabetic atherogenesis. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that upregulation of the ligand-RAGE axis via AT1R is an essential process underlying the disease. Diabetes was induced in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice by streptozotocin, and diabetic mice were treated with AT1 receptor blocker (ARB) for 6 weeks. Diabetic ApoE(-/-) mice that were AT1R-deficient (ApoE(-/-)AT1aR(-/ )) were also investigated. In diabetic ApoE(-/-) mice, AT1R was found to increase within 1 week of diabetes induction, before ligand-RAGE pathway activation and other inflammatory changes were observed. Both ARB treatment and AT1aR deficiency suppressed diabetic atherosclerosis, ligand-RAGE expression and inflammatory changes. In contrast, upregulation of the ligand-RAGE pathway was noted in atherosclerotic plaques from non-diabetic ApoE(-/-) mice infused with angiotensin II. In cultured vascular smooth muscle cells, angiotensin II increased RAGE protein levels via AT1R stimulation. Upregulation of the ligand-RAGE pathway via AT1R is an essential mechanism in diabetic atherosclerosis, implying that ARB might decrease diabetic atherogenesis by inhibiting ligand-RAGE signals. PMID- 17761194 TI - Molecular determination by electron microscopy of the dynein-microtubule complex structure. AB - Dynein is a minus-end-directed microtubule (MT) motor that is responsible for the wide range of MT-based motility in eukaryotic cells. Detailed mechanism of the dynein chemomechanical conversion is still unknown, partly because the structure of dynein is not studied at high resolution. To address this problem and reconstruct the dynein-MT complex at higher resolution, we have developed new procedures based on single particle analysis. To accurately determine the orientation of the dynein-MT complex, we introduced a "dynein track model" to restrict the possible dynein positions on the images. We tested our procedures by reconstructing structures from simulated dynein-MT complex images. Starting from the simulated noisy images generated using three different models of the dynein MT complex, we have successfully recovered the original three-dimensional (3-D) structure. We also showed that our procedure is robust against fluctuation of the dynein molecules and can determine the structure even when the dynein position fluctuates to a certain extent. Convergence of the final 3-D structure can be tested with a "two-dimensional (2-D) agreement value," which we introduced to see whether the final structure is a result of overfit from fluctuating dynein or not. When the procedures did not work well due to the fluctuation, we could recognize the failure by this 2-D agreement value. Finally, the actual structure of the dynein-MT complex was determined from actual cryoelectron micrographs of Dictyostelium cytoplasmic dynein-MT complex. This method has revealed the detailed 3-D structures of the dynein-MT complex and will shed light on the motor mechanism of the dynein molecule. PMID- 17761195 TI - The crystal structure of Trypanosoma cruzi glucokinase reveals features determining oligomerization and anomer specificity of hexose-phosphorylating enzymes. AB - Glucose is an essential substrate for Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan organism responsible for Chagas' disease. The glucose is intracellularly phosphorylated to glucose 6-phosphate. Previously, a hexokinase responsible for this phosphorylation has been characterized. Recently, we identified an ATP-dependent glucokinase in T. cruzi exhibiting a tenfold lower substrate affinity compared to the hexokinase. Both enzymes, which belong to very different groups of the same family, are located inside glycosomes, the peroxisome-like organelles of Kinetoplastida that are known to contain the first seven glycolytic steps as well as enzymes of the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway. Here, we present the crystallographic structure of T. cruzi glucokinase, in complex with glucose and ADP. The structure suggests a loose tetrameric assembly formed by the association of two tight dimers. TcGlcK was previously reported to exist in a concentration-dependent equilibrium of monomeric and dimeric states. Here, we used mass spectrometry analysis to confirm the existence of TcGlcK monomeric and dimeric states. The analysis of subunit interactions and comparison with the bacterial glucokinases give insights into the forces promoting the stability of the different oligomeric states. Each T. cruzi glucokinase monomer contains one glucose and one ADP molecule. In contrast to hexokinases, which show a moderate preference for the alpha anomer of glucose, the electron density clearly shows the d-glucose bound in the beta configuration in the T.cruzi glucokinase. Kinetic assays with alpha and beta-d-glucose further confirm a moderate preference of the T. cruzi glucokinase for the beta anomer. Structural comparison of the glucokinase and hexokinases permits the identification of a possible mechanism for anomer selectivity in these hexose-phosphorylating enzymes. The preference for distinct anomers suggests that in T. cruzi hexokinase and glucokinase are not directly competing for the same substrate and are probably both present because they exert distinct physiological functions. PMID- 17761197 TI - Epidemiology of stroke in Europe: geographic and environmental differences. AB - The development of stroke registries has allowed the accumulation of a wealth of data on the descriptive epidemiology of stroke and its evolution in space and in time. For instance, there has been an observed decrease of stroke incidence and mortality in Western Countries during the past 20 years. The use of brain imaging technologies including CT scan and MRI, along with improved cardiac and vascular imaging, has allowed better identification of risk factors for stroke. Hypertension remains the main risk factor for both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, and its treatment is effective in reducing first-ever and recurrent stroke incidence. Major medical progress has been achieved in the development of effective medications for hypertension control in the last 2 decades. Despite these advances, we observe large differences in the incidence and mortality rates of stroke throughout the European community. In this review we pose some questions regarding the possible reasons for these differences and we analyze the issue of environmental factors such as meteorological factors and pollution as stroke risk factors. PMID- 17761196 TI - Structural basis for activation of fatty acid-binding protein 4. AB - Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) delivers ligands from the cytosol to the nuclear receptor PPARgamma in the nucleus, thereby enhancing the transcriptional activity of the receptor. Notably, FABP4 binds multiple ligands with a similar affinity but its nuclear translocation is activated only by specific compounds. To gain insight into the structural features that underlie the ligand-specificity in activation of the nuclear import of FABP4, we solved the crystal structures of the protein complexed with two compounds that induce its nuclear translocation, and compared these to the apo-protein and to FABP4 structures bound to non activating ligands. Examination of these structures indicates that activation coincides with closure of a portal loop phenylalanine side-chain, contraction of the binding pocket, a subtle shift in a helical domain containing the nuclear localization signal of the protein, and a resultant change in oligomeric state that exposes the nuclear localization signal to the solution. Comparisons of backbone displacements induced by activating ligands with a measure of mobility derived from translation, libration, screw (TLS) refinement, and with a composite of slowest normal modes of the apo state suggest that the helical motion associated with the activation of the protein is part of the repertoire of the equilibrium motions of the apo-protein, i.e. that ligand binding does not induce the activated configuration but serves to stabilize it. Nuclear import of FABP4 can thus be understood in terms of the pre-existing equilibrium hypothesis of ligand binding. PMID- 17761198 TI - A patient with septo-optic dysplasia plus. AB - Septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) is an uncommon developmental disorder involving variable midline brain structures, characterized by optic nerve hypoplasia, dysgenesis of septum pellucidum, and pituitary-hypothalamic dysfunction such as growth hormone deficiency. The phenotype is highly variable and the clinical presentation may be mild or extremely severe. Other distinct features, which occur especially when cerebral cortical abnormalities are also present (SOD plus), consist of significant generalized developmental delay and/or spastic motor deficits. We report a case of SOD-plus with mild cortical dysplasia which was revealed to be thickening of bilateral insular cortex without schizencephaly by MRI, and there was no sign or symptom of cortical dysfunction except for one episode of brief seizure. PMID- 17761199 TI - Interaction between glutamatergic and nitrergic mechanisms mediating cardiovascular responses to L-glutamate injection in the diagonal band of Broca in anesthetized rats. AB - In a previous study, we reported depressor and bradycardiac responses after L glutamate (L-glu) microinjection into the diagonal band of Broca (dbB) in anesthetized rats. Here, we report the glutamatergic-receptor subtype mediating the cardiovascular effects evoked by L-glu injection into the dbB and the involvement of local nitric oxide (NO) mechanisms as well as peripheral effectors. Microinjections of 100 nL of L-glu (1, 27, 81, 130 or 200 nmol) into the dbB of urethane-anesthetized rats caused short-lasting depressor and bradycardiac responses. Responses were dose-related, with an ED(50) of approximately 81 nmol. This dose was used in later experiments. The cardiovascular responses to L-glu in the dbB were abolished by local pretreatment (100 nL) with the selective N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist LY235959 (4 nmol) but were not affected by pretreatment with the selective non NMDA receptor antagonist NBQX (4 nmol). Responses to L-glu in the dbB were blocked by local pretreatment with the selective neuronal NO-synthase (nNOS) inhibitor N(omega)-propyl-L-arginine (NPLA, 0.04 nmol); the NO scavenger carboxy PTIO (C-PTIO, 1 nmol) or the guanylate cyclase inhibitor ODQ (1 nmol). These results suggest that the microinjection of L-glu into the dbB of urethane anesthetized rats causes dose-related depressor and bradycardiac responses through the NMDA receptor-NO-guanylate cyclase pathway. PMID- 17761200 TI - Phytochemistry and pharmacognosy. AB - During the past 50 years there have been tremendous advances in chemical and biological techniques of analysis that have transformed research in pharmacognosy. The PSE has regularly held symposia of relevance to pharmacognosy and some of these are briefly reviewed in the area of natural products from higher plants. These symposia have charted the developments that link pharmacognosy with phytochemistry and illustrate the application of increasingly more sophisticated analytical techniques to the discovery of biologically active compounds. Plants have yielded clinical drugs, either as natural product molecules, or as synthetic modifications, particularly for chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer and malaria. Aspects of biotechnology, traditional medicines and herbal medicinal products are briefly discussed. PMID- 17761201 TI - The role of 5'-adenylylsulfate reductase in the sulfur assimilation pathway of soybean: molecular cloning, kinetic characterization, and gene expression. AB - Soybean seeds are a major source of protein, but contain low levels of sulfur containing amino acids. With the objective of studying the sulfur assimilation pathway of soybean, a full-length cDNA clone for 5'-adenylylsulfate reductase (APS reductase) was isolated and characterized. The cDNA clone contained an open reading frame of 1414 bp encoding a 52 kDa protein with a N-terminal chloroplast/plastid transit peptide. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA indicated that the APS reductase in soybean is encoded by a small multigene family. Biochemical characterization of the heterologously expressed and purified protein shows that the clone encoded a functional APS reductase. Although expressed in tissues throughout the plant, these analyses established an abundant expression of the gene and activity of the encoded protein in the early developmental stages of soybean seed, which declined with seed maturity. Sulfur and phosphorus deprivation increased this expression level, while nitrogen starvation repressed APS reductase mRNA transcript and protein levels. Cold treatment increased expression and the total activity of APS reductase in root tissues. This study provides insight into the sulfur assimilation pathway of this nutritionally important legume. PMID- 17761203 TI - Hyperglycemia decreases mitochondrial function: the regulatory role of mitochondrial biogenesis. AB - Increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is implicated in "glucose toxicity" in diabetes. However, little is known about the action of glucose on the expression of transcription factors in hepatocytes, especially those involved in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication and transcription. Since mitochondrial functional capacity is dynamically regulated, we hypothesized that stressful conditions of hyperglycemia induce adaptations in the transcriptional control of cellular energy metabolism, including inhibition of mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism. Cell viability, mitochondrial respiration, ROS generation and oxidized proteins were determined in HepG2 cells cultured in the presence of either 5.5 mM (control) or 30 mM glucose (high glucose) for 48 h, 96 h and 7 days. Additionally, mtDNA abundance, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) and nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF 1) transcripts were evaluated by real time PCR. High glucose induced a progressive increase in ROS generation and accumulation of oxidized proteins, with no changes in cell viability. Increased expression of PAI-1 was observed as early as 96 h of exposure to high glucose. After 7 days in hyperglycemia, HepG2 cells exhibited inhibited uncoupled respiration and decreased MitoTracker Red fluorescence associated with a 25% decrease in mtDNA and 16% decrease in TFAM transcripts. These results indicate that glucose may regulate mtDNA copy number by modulating the transcriptional activity of TFAM in response to hyperglycemia induced ROS production. The decrease of mtDNA content and inhibition of mitochondrial function may be pathogenic hallmarks in the altered metabolic status associated with diabetes. PMID- 17761202 TI - [Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands: the prognostic value of tumoral markers]. AB - INTRODUCTION: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is one of the most frequent malignant lesions of salivary glands. The treatment is based on clinical, paraclinical and histological data. Several studies on the prognostic value of molecular markers for these cancers were made with contradictory results. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the prognostic value of molecular markers of salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixteen patients were treated for mucoepidermoid carcinoma of principal and/or accessory salivary glands between 1994 and 2003. An immunohistochemical study of archive specimen was performed. Nine markers were specifically studied: 4 proteins/oncoproteins (p53, bcl2, c-erb-B2 and cd117), 2 markers of proliferation (PCNA and Ki67), 1 growing factor receptor (EGFR), 1 epithelial adhesion molecule (E-cadherin), and 1 angiogenic cytokine (PDGF). RESULTS: Nine men and 7 women were included, with a mean age of 43.7 years (14-80). The mean diameter of tumors was 3.1 mm (1-14), and the parotid gland was the most frequent location. The mean global survival rate was 57.3 months with a median of 55 months. The 2 to 5 years survival expectation rate were 82.5% and 46.4% respectively. The mean survival rate for women was superior to that of men (P=0.043). The expression of p53 and the high expression rate of EFGR were bad prognostic factors (respectively P=0.049 and P=0.012). The expression of PCNA was linked to the location (mainly the salivary gland) and to the diameter of the tumor (respectively P=0.037 and P=0.029). The degree of EFGR positivity and the histological grade were linked (P=0.027). DISCUSSION: The strong expression of EGFR was statistically linked to the histological tumor grade. The degree of PCNA positivity seemed to be associated to the preferential location in the main salivary glands and to the diameter of the tumor. The strong expression of p53 and EGFR were bad prognostic factors. These retrospective results need to be confirmed by prospective randomized and larger studies. EGFR and p53 were significant negative prognostic factors. EGFR was highly correlated to the histological grade, making it an interesting target for further investigation. PMID- 17761204 TI - Relationship between aryl hydrocarbon receptor-affinity and the induction of EROD activity by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorinated phenothiazine and derivatives. AB - Reported herein are semi-empirical calculations of the molecular geometry of TCDD, TCPT, TCPT-sulfoxide (TCPT-O), TCPT-sulfone (TCPT-O(2)), N-methyl-TCPT (Me TCPT), N-methyl-TCPT-sulfoxide (Me-TCPT-O), and N-methyl-TCPT-sulfone (Me-TCPT O(2)), the characterization of their AhR binding affinity in rat hepatic cytosol, and their ability to induce EROD activity in a rat hepatoma cell line in vitro. Semi-empirical calculations yielded detailed information about the stereochemistry and the preferred conformation of each of these compounds. These results in combination with observations reported in this paper were used to determine structure-activity relationships. In vitro displacement of (3)H-TCDD was measured by increasing concentrations of the respective ligands. This assay revealed a strong binding affinity of TCPT to the AhR with a K(i) value of 1.08 nM. TCDD had a K(i) value of 0.54 nM. The affinity of TCPT derivatives for the AhR decreased with increasing degree of oxidation. Moreover, N-methylation further lowered the affinity, so that the N-methyl sulfone derivative of TCPT displayed the highest K(i) at approximately 1200 nM (=460.4 ng/ml). A corresponding trend was observed regarding the potency of TCPT and derivatives to induce EROD activity in vitro. However, the potencies were considerably lower than that of TCDD. Enzyme induction was measured in a rat hepatoma cell line H4IIEC/T3 by quantification of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity. Induction was measured at 12, 24, 48 and 72 h to determine time dependence. Sulfoxidated and N-methylated phenothiazines displayed a lower potency than their respective parent compounds. TCPT and all derivatives induced enzyme activity at an efficacy similar to TCDD at all time points measured. The reported findings clearly separate the induction of EROD activity by TCPT and derivatives from their binding affinities to the AhR. In contrast, a direct correlation between the two is generally assumed in drug development, leading to - in our view - unwarranted termination of drug candidates. Therefore, a lack of such a correlation for TCPT and derivatives in fact supports their further development as possible drug leads. PMID- 17761205 TI - Purification, sequencing and structural characterization of the phospholipase A1 from the venom of the social wasp Polybia paulista (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). AB - The biochemical and functional characterization of wasp venom toxins is an important prerequisite for the development of new tools both for the therapy of the toxic reactions due to envenomation caused by multiple stinging accidents and also for the diagnosis and therapy of allergic reactions caused by this type of venom. PLA(1) was purified from the venom of the neotropical social wasp Polybia paulista by using molecular exclusion and cation exchange chromatographies; its amino acid sequence was determined by using automated Edman degradation and compared to the sequences of other vespid venom PLA(1)'s. The enzyme exists as a 33,961.40 Da protein, which was identified as a lipase of the GX class, liprotein lipase superfamily, pancreatic lipases (ab20.3) homologous family and RP2 sub group of phospholipase. P. paulista PLA(1) is 53-82% identical to the phospholipases from wasp species from Northern Hemisphere. The use restrained based modeling permitted to describe the 3-D structure of the enzyme, revealing that its molecule presents 23% alpha-helix, 28% beta-sheet and 49% coil. The protein structure has the alpha/beta fold common to many lipases; the core consists of a tightly packed beta-sheet constituted of six-stranded parallel and one anti-parallel beta-strand, surrounded by four alpha-helices. P. paulista PLA(1) exhibits direct hemolytic action against washed red blood cells with activity similar to the Cobra cardiotoxin from Naja naja atra. In addition to this, PLA(1) was immunoreactive to specific IgE from the sera of P. paulista sensitive patients. PMID- 17761206 TI - Expression of p53 and its homolog, p73, in HPV DNA positive oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas. AB - Several studies have detected human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA in squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus (OSCC). In this study, we analysed OSCC specimens from 114 patients for the presence of HPV DNA, and p53 and p73 expression. HPV DNA was detected in 44.7% of cases, with the low risk HPV11 occurring most frequently. p53 and p73 expression was detected in 70% and 61.4% of cases, respectively. There was no correlation between expression of p53, p73 or HPV infection and tumour grade, or between p53 expression and the presence of HPV DNA. There was, however, significant correlation between p73 expression and the presence of HPV DNA (p<0.01) and p53 and p73 co-expression (p<0.001), as well as co-expression of p53 and p73 with HPV status (p<0.05). These data support previous studies suggesting a role for HPV infection in OSCC and also indicate that HPV infection and p53 and p73 overexpression are not mutually exclusive. In addition, the data implicate a role for p73 in OSCC and suggest a complex interaction between p53, p73 and HPV in the aetiology of the disease. PMID- 17761207 TI - Pre- and post-exposure protection against Western equine encephalitis virus after single inoculation with adenovirus vector expressing interferon alpha. AB - Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus which is transmitted to equines and humans through mosquito bites. WEEV infects the central nervous system with severe complications and even death. There are no human vaccine and antiviral drugs. We investigated whether adenovirus-mediated expression of interferon alpha could be used for pre- and post-exposure protection against a lethal WEEV challenge in mice. A human adenoviral vector (Ad5-mIFNalpha) expressing mouse interferon alpha was constructed. We found that Ad5-mIFNalpha provided 100% protection against various WEEV strains in mice after a single intramuscular inoculation at 24 h, 48 h or 1 week before the challenge. When given as a single inoculation at 6 h after the challenge, Ad5-mIFNalpha delayed the progress of WEEV infection and provided about 60% protection. Our findings suggest that adenovirus-mediated expression of interferon alpha can be an alternative approach for the prevention and treatment of WEEV infection. PMID- 17761208 TI - Reduction in microcystin concentrations in large and shallow lakes: water and sediment-interface contributions. AB - Blooms of cyanobacteria, or blue-greens, are known to produce chemicals, such as microcystins, which can be toxic to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Although previous studies have examined the fate of microcystins in freshwater lakes, primary elimination pathways and factors affecting degradation and loss have not been fully explained. The goal of the present study was to explore sources of algal toxins and investigate the distribution and biodegradation of microcystins in water and sediment through laboratory and field analyses. Water and sediment samples were collected monthly from several locations in Lake Taihu from February 2005 to January 2006. Samples were analyzed for the presence of microcystin. Water and sediment were also used in laboratory studies to determine microcystin degradation rates by spiking environmental samples with known concentrations of the chemical and observing concentration changes over time. Some water samples were found to efficiently degrade microcystins. Microcystin concentrations dropped faster in water collected immediately above lake sediment (overlying water). Degradation in sediments was higher than in water. Based on spatial distribution analyses of microcystin in Lake Taihu, higher concentrations (relative to water concentrations) of the chemical were found in lake sediments. These data suggest that sediments play a critical role in microcystin degradation in aquatic systems. The relatively low levels of microcystins found in the environment are most likely due to bacterial biodegradation. Sediments play a crucial role as a source (to the water column) of bio-degrading bacteria and as a carbon-rich environment for bacteria to proliferate and metabolize microcystin and other biogenic toxins produced by cyanobacteria. These, and other, data provide important information that may be applied to management strategies for improvement of water quality in lakes, reservoirs and other water bodies. PMID- 17761209 TI - Photocatalytic degradation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with TiO2 and simulated solar irradiation. AB - The aim of this work is to evaluate and compare the degradation achieved for three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by heterogeneous TiO2 photocatalytic means in aqueous solution at laboratory scale. The selected pharmaceutical compounds were diclofenac (DCF), naproxen (NPX) and ibuprofen (IBP). These compounds were used in their sodium salt chemical form. Previous experiments (adsorption, photolysis and thermodegradation) were developed to evaluate non-catalytic degradation for each NSAID. Photocatalytic experiments were carried out in a Xe-lamp reactor in order to study the influences of different operational conditions (catalyst load, temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration). These results showed that the optimum amount of TiO2, to achieve maximum degradation, of IBP was 1g/L. In contrast, the maximum degradation for DCF or NPX was observed at a TiO2 loading of 0.1g/L. Temperature had a significant effect only for NPX degradation, achieving almost 99% phototransformation. No significant differences were observed for DCF and IBP at 20, 30 and 40 degrees C. Dissolved oxygen concentration was an important parameter to increase the degradation for NPX and IBP. However, it was observed that its rate of mineralization did not increase. Intermediate metabolites were detected in all cases. Hydroxyl metabolites were the most important residual compounds after the photocatalytic treatment of IBP. The inhibition percentage of bioluminescence from Vibro fischeri--as a toxicity parameter--increased during the irradiation time due to the residual concentration of the hydroxyl metabolites generated. However, after 120 min, in experiments with 40 mg/L of dissolved oxygen, a decrease of the % inhibition was observed. Only photocatalytic treatment of IBP drives to a satisfactory biodegradability index BOD5/COD (between 0.16 and 0.42) and, only in this case, a post-biological treatment could be suggested. PMID- 17761210 TI - Adsorption of polychlorinated biphenyls to activated carbon: equilibrium isotherms and a preliminary assessment of the effect of dissolved organic matter and biofilm loadings. AB - Sequestration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by activated carbon (AC) has been proposed as a remediation strategy for PCB-contaminated sediments. However, published PCB-AC adsorption isotherm data are sparse and, while sediment-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) and biofilms are likely to be present in sediments, the impacts of these loadings have not been quantified. Batch laboratory experiments were undertaken to obtain equilibrium adsorption capacities, q(e), for 9 PCBs on virgin AC, DOM-loaded AC, and biofilm-covered AC. Isotherm data fit the Freundlich isotherm equation (average R2=0.94, n=27) over the range of aqueous concentrations studied ( approximately 0.1-1000 ng/L). Planarity effects were evident at low aqueous concentrations only (0.1-10 ng/L), where q(e) of three PCBs of similar hydrophobicity decreased with an increasing number of ortho-chlorines, indicating steric hindrances attenuated adsorption. The values of q(e) for DOM- and biofilm-loaded ACs were approximately one order of magnitude smaller than those on virgin AC when normalized by the available AC surface area, indicating that PCB adsorption likely occurred on specific regions of the AC structure. Nevertheless, virgin and loaded ACs used in this study had sufficiently high PCB adsorption capacities to warrant further study as an in situ remediation alternative for PCB-contaminated sediments. PMID- 17761211 TI - Risk assessment of linear alkylbenzene sulphonates, LAS, in agricultural soil revisited: robust chronic toxicity tests for Folsomia candida (Collembola), Aporrectodea caliginosa (Oligochaeta) and Enchytraeus crypticus (Enchytraeidae). AB - To obtain robust data on the toxicity of LAS, tests with the collembolan Folsomia candida L., the oligochaetes Aporrectodea caliginosa Savigny (earthworm) and Enchytraeus crypticus Westheide and Graefe (enchytraeid) were performed in a sandy loam soil. Additionally limited tests with LAS spiked to sewage sludge, and subsequently mixed into soil, were performed. For the endpoint of interest, reproduction in soil, we found an EC10 of 205 mg LAS kg(-1) soil [8.6-401] [95% confidence limits] for F. candida and an EC10 of 46 mg LAS kg(-1) soil [13-80] for A. caliginosa after 28 days. E. crypticus was not affected by concentrations up to 120 mg LAS kg(-1) soil. When adding (low contaminated) non-spiked sludge to soil, high stimulation of reproduction was observed for E. crypticus and A. caliginosa but not for F. candida. We argue that this difference in stimulative response between the tested species is related to the difference in feeding behaviour. Sludge spiked with LAS did not significantly affect the reproduction of F. candida (fertility: number of juvenile offspring) and A. caliginosa (fecundity: number of cocoons) (dose equivalent to 181 g and 91 g LAS kg(-1) sludge, respectively). Significantly reduced reproduction was observed for E. crypticus (at 120 mg LAS kg(-1) soil+sludge corresponding to 72 g LAS kg(-1) sludge) compared to non-spiked sludge. The reproduction by E. crypticus was, however, comparable to the reproduction observed in the control soil without sludge. Compared to LAS directly spiked to soil, the reproductive output of organisms exposed to spiked sludge was either not significantly different (F. candida, E. crypticus) or significantly improved (A. caliginosa). More studies are needed in order to make firm conclusions on the potential effect of artificially contaminated sludge in soil systems. PMID- 17761212 TI - Abiotic reduction of antimony(V) by green rust (Fe(4)(II)Fe(2)(III)(OH)(12)SO(4).3H(2)O). AB - Green rust (Fe(4)(II)Fe(2)(III)(OH)(12)SO(4).3H(2)O) is an intermediate phase in the formation of iron (oxyhydr)oxides such as goethite, lepidocrocite, and magnetite. It is widely considered that green rust occurs in many soil and sediment systems. Green rust has been shown to reduce sorbed Se(VI), Cr(VI), and U(VI). In addition, it is also reported that green rust does not reduce As(V) to As(III). In this study, we have investigated for the first time the interaction between Sb(V) and green rust using XAFS and HPLC-ICP-MS. Most of the added Sb(V) was adsorbed on green rust, and Sb(III), a reduced form, was observed in both solid and liquid phases. Thus, it was shown that green rust has high affinity for Sb(V), and that Sb(V) was reduced to more toxic Sb(III) by green rust despite the high stability of the Sb(V) species even under reducing condition as reported in previous studies. Therefore, green rust can be one of the most important reducing agents for Sb(V), which can influence the Sb mobility in suboxic environments where green rust is formed. PMID- 17761213 TI - Biomechanics of phalangeal curvature. AB - Phalangeal curvature has been widely cited in primate functional morphology and is one of the key traits in the ongoing debate about whether the locomotion of early hominins included a significant degree of arboreality. This study examines the biomechanics of phalangeal curvature using data on hand posture, muscle recruitment, and anatomical moment arms to develop a finite element (FE) model of a siamang manual proximal phalanx during suspensory grasping. Strain patterns from experiments on intact cadaver forelimbs validated the model. The strain distribution in the curved siamang phalanx FE model was compared to that in a mathematically straight rendition in order to test the hypotheses that curvature: 1) reduces strain and 2) results in lower bending strains but relatively higher compression. In the suspensory posture, joint reaction forces load the articular ends of the phalanx in compression and dorsally, while muscle forces acting through the flexor sheath pull the mid-shaft palmarly. These forces compress the phalanx dorsally and tense it palmarly, effectively bending it 'open.' Strains in the curved model were roughly half that of the straight model despite equivalent lengths, areas, mechanical properties, and loading conditions in the two models. The curved model also experienced a higher ratio of compressive to tensile strains. Curvature reduces strains during grasping hand postures because the curved bone is more closely aligned with the joint reaction forces. Therefore, phalangeal curvature reduces the strains associated with arboreal, and especially suspensory, activity involving flexed digits. These results offer a biomechanical explanation for the observed association between phalangeal curvature and arboreality. PMID- 17761215 TI - A DASH-ing Success. PMID- 17761214 TI - Evaluation of environmental burdens caused by changes of food waste management systems in Seoul, Korea. AB - During the last decade, there have been remarkable changes in food waste management in Korea following a ban on direct landfilling. To evaluate the environmental impacts of food waste management systems, we examined individual treatment systems with the LCA approach -- landfill, incineration, composting, and feed manufacturing -- and estimated the change from 1997 to 2005. The efficient system was different in each impact category, but it was evaluated that landfill is the main contributor to human toxicity and global warming (based on fossil CO(2)). In contrast, due to the increase of food waste recycling, acidification, eutrophication, and fresh water aquatic ecotoxicity impact was increased. Especially, the high energy consumption and generated residue in recycling systems caused the large burdens in toxicity categories. PMID- 17761216 TI - Underage drinking: a call to action. PMID- 17761219 TI - Fueling and weight management strategies in sports nutrition. PMID- 17761220 TI - Do food and nutrition professionals really need professional liability insurance? PMID- 17761221 TI - The challenge with food stamps. PMID- 17761224 TI - Application regarding ginkgo biloba. PMID- 17761225 TI - Nanotechnology: implications for food and nutrition professionals. PMID- 17761226 TI - Family dinner: more than just a meal. PMID- 17761227 TI - Family meals during adolescence are associated with higher diet quality and healthful meal patterns during young adulthood. AB - BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional research in adolescents has found that eating family meals is associated with better nutritional intake. OBJECTIVE: To describe meal patterns of young adults and determine if family meal frequency during adolescence is associated with diet quality, meal frequency, social eating, and meal structure during young adulthood. DESIGN: Population-based, 5-year longitudinal study in Minnesota. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Surveys and food frequency questionnaires were completed by 946 female students and 764 male students in high school classrooms at Time 1 (1998-1999; mean age 15.9 years) and by mail at Time 2 (2003-2004; mean age 20.4 years). STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Multiple linear regression models were used to predict mean levels of young adult outcomes from adolescent family meal frequency. Probability testing of trends in each outcome across ordered categories of family meal frequency used linear contrasts. RESULTS: Family meal frequency during adolescence predicted higher intakes of fruit (P<0.05), vegetables (P<0.01), dark-green and orange vegetables (P=0.001), and key nutrients and lower intakes of soft drinks (P<0.05) during young adulthood. Frequency of family meals also predicted more breakfast meals (P<0.01) in females and for both sexes predicted more frequent dinner meals (P<0.05), higher priority for meal structure (P<0.001), and higher priority for social eating (P<0.001). Associations between Time 1 family meals and Time 2 dietary outcomes were attenuated with adjustment for Time 1 outcomes but several associations were still statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Family meals during adolescence may have a lasting positive influence on dietary quality and meal patterns in young adulthood. PMID- 17761228 TI - The influence of sociodemographic factors on patterns of fruit and vegetable consumption in Canadian adolescents. AB - BACKGROUND: Poor dietary habits may increase risk for obesity and chronic diseases among Canadian adolescents. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the present study were to: (a) establish the patterns of fruit and vegetable intake by Canadian adolescents, and (b) identify the impact of sociodemographic factors-including age, household income, household education, ethnicity, living arrangement, and location-on the pattern of fruit and vegetable intake in this population. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study using the data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.1, Public Use File. The survey used questions similar to a food frequency questionnaire. METHODS: Total fruit and vegetable intake of 18,524 Canadian adolescents (12 to 19 years old) was cross-tabulated between two age groups (12 to 14 years old [n=7,410] and 15 to 19 years old [n=11,114]) by sex, level of household education, total household income, ethnicity, living arrangement, and geographical location. RESULTS: The data revealed that a 38.3% of Canadian adolescents in this study consumed fruits and vegetables five to 10 times per day; fewer older adolescents (15- to 19-year-olds) reported eating fruits and vegetables at that frequency as compared with the younger subgroup (12 to 14-year-olds) (P<0.001). Household education and income independently had a significant (P<0.001) positive impact on fruit and vegetable consumption. Females reported a significantly (P<0.05) higher frequency of intake than did males. Adolescents living in homes with only one parent reported a significantly (P<0.005) lower frequency of intake, as compared with adolescents living with two parents. CONCLUSIONS: These results may help to identify adolescent groups at risk for poor eating habits and support the implementation of programs to encourage higher fruit and vegetable intakes. PMID- 17761229 TI - The Diet Quality Index-Revised: a tool to promote and evaluate dietary change among older cancer survivors enrolled in a home-based intervention trial. AB - OBJECTIVE: To utilize the Diet Quality Index-Revised (DQI-R) as a framework for delivering and evaluating an intervention to improve overall diet quality among older cancer survivors. DESIGN: As part of a randomized controlled trial to improve lifestyle behaviors among older cancer survivors, we sought a dietary measure that could serve as both an intervention framework and a means to evaluate global dietary quality. The DQI-R measures overall diet quality by summing 10 subscales that relate to national guidelines. At baseline, DQI-R scores were generated from three multi-pass 24-hour dietary recalls. The 6-month intervention delivered tailored feedback on individual DQI-R subscales. Dietary recalls were repeated at 6 and 12 months. SUBJECTS: Elderly (aged >or=65 years) individuals within 18 months of diagnosis of breast or prostate cancer (n=182) were randomized postbaseline measures to intervention vs attention control arms. RESULTS: Significant differences in overall diet quality were observed between arms at 6 months, with the intervention arm improving (67.6+/-12.2 to 69.8+/ 13.9), and controls declining (67.5+/-12.5 to 64.6+/-14.7) (P=0.003). Significant differences were observed between arms over time in dietary diversity subscale scores: baseline and 6-month follow-up means among intervention and control arms were 4.8+/-1.3 to 4.8+/-1.4, and 4.7+/-1.2 to 4.1+/-1.1, respectively (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The DQI-R served as an effective guide and evaluation tool for this diet-related randomized controlled trial. Like many interventions, our effect diminished after the intervention was complete. Future research should consider testing interventions that use the DQI-R, or other global diet-related indexes, as guides and evaluation tools over longer study periods, as well as in other populations. PMID- 17761231 TI - The PREMIER intervention helps participants follow the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension dietary pattern and the current Dietary Reference Intakes recommendations. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of the PREMIER study lifestyle interventions on dietary intakes and adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern and the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). DESIGN: An 18 month multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing two multicomponent lifestyle intervention programs to an advice only control group. SUBJECTS/SETTING: A total of 810 participants were recruited from local communities and randomized into the study. Individuals were eligible if they were aged 25 years or older, had body mass index between 18.5 and 45.0, not taking antihypertensive medication, and had prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension (systolic blood pressure 120 to 159 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure 80 to 95 mm Hg). INTERVENTION: The two active intervention programs were a behavioral lifestyle intervention that implements established recommendations, and an established intervention plus the DASH dietary pattern. Both interventions consisted of intensive group and individual counseling sessions. The control group received a brief advice session after randomization and again after 6 months of data collection. Dietary intakes were collected by two random 24-hour recalls at baseline, 6 months, and 18 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome of the PREMIER study was change in systolic blood pressure at 6 months. The main outcomes examined here include dietary variables collected by 24-hour recall at each time point. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Nutrient intakes were calculated and compared among the time points and the three intervention groups using mixed models with repeated measures at 6 and 18 months. Proportion of participants who met or achieved the original DASH nutrient intake levels and the DRIs were calculated and compared among the three intervention groups. P<0.01 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Participants in both the established intervention and established intervention plus DASH dietary pattern groups substantially reduced energy, total fat, saturated fat, and sodium intake and these reductions persisted throughout the study. Established intervention plus DASH dietary pattern group participants increased intakes of fruits, vegetables, dairy, and many vitamins and minerals; these increases were significantly greater than that of the control and established intervention groups. A majority of established intervention plus DASH dietary pattern group participants achieved at least two thirds of the DRI recommendations for most nutrients at 6 months, despite their reduction in total energy intake. Some but relatively small recidivism occurred at 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: Both the established intervention and established intervention plus DASH dietary pattern group intervention were effective in helping participants follow established recommendations to control blood pressure. The advice-only control group also made some behavior changes, mainly decreasing energy and sodium intake. Only the established intervention plus DASH dietary pattern group significantly increased intakes of DASH-specific food groups, including fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, and nutrients, including protein, fiber, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Most of the increases did not reach the levels consumed in the original DASH feeding studies. Whereas the established intervention plus DASH dietary pattern group intervention provides a useful platform to achieve the DASH dietary pattern and current DRI recommendations, intervention enhancements, including a greater emphasis on nutrient-dense foods, would likely improve this intervention. PMID- 17761230 TI - Acceptability of sodium-reduced research diets, including the Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension diet, among adults with prehypertension and stage 1 hypertension. AB - OBJECTIVE: Examine the acceptability of sodium-reduced research diets. DESIGN: Randomized crossover trial of three sodium levels for 30 days each among participants randomly assigned to one of two dietary patterns. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Three hundred fifty-four adults with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension who were participants in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH-Sodium) outpatient feeding trial. INTERVENTION: Participants received their assigned diet (control or DASH, rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products), each at three levels of sodium (higher, intermediate, and lower) corresponding to 3,500, 2,300, and 1,200 mg/day (150, 100, and 50 mmol/day) per 2,100 kcal. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Nine-item questionnaire on liking and willingness to continue the assigned diet and its level of saltiness using a nine-point scale, ranging from one to nine. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Generalized estimating equations to test participant ratings as a function of sodium level and diet while adjusting for site, feeding cohort, carryover effects, and ratings during run-in. RESULTS: Overall, participants rated the saltiness of the intermediate level sodium as most acceptable (DASH group: 5.5 for intermediate vs 4.5 and 4.4 for higher and lower sodium; control group: 5.7 for intermediate vs 4.9 and 4.7 for higher and lower sodium) and rated liking and willing to continue the DASH diet more than the control diet by about one point (ratings range from 5.6 to 6.6 for DASH diet and 5.2 to 6.1 for control diet). Small race differences were observed in sodium and diet acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: Both the intermediate and lower sodium levels of each diet are at least as acceptable as the higher sodium level in persons with or at risk for hypertension. PMID- 17761233 TI - Student research projects: the experiences of student dietitians, university faculty members, and collaborators. AB - Two universities in the United Kingdom made systematic attempts to increase the number of student dietitians' research projects that are supervised by university faculty members in conjunction with external collaborators (collaborative projects), rather than by faculty alone (faculty-only projects). A questionnaire survey was used to evaluate the experiences of student dietitians (n=110), university faculty members (n=38), and collaborators (n=31) involved in a student research project, comparing those involved in a faculty-only project with those involved in a collaborative project. Students undertaking collaborative projects reported greater involvement in most areas of the research process and greater skill development in obtaining research ethics approval (P=0.005), data collection (P=0.05), and statistical analysis (P=0.004) than students undertaking faculty-only projects. In addition, collaborative projects were more frequently considered to produce results that would change dietetics practice than faculty only projects by both student dietitians (60% vs 30%, P=0.01) and university faculty members (62% vs 19%, P<0.001). The collaborators also considered that in the majority of instances (61%) their involvement helped them to organize their own time to do research. The type of project did not appear to influence student's expectations of future involvement in research and audit. In general, both types of projects resulted in positive experiences for student dietitians, university faculty members, and collaborators. We recommend that those involved in dietetics education, practice, and management consider the potential value of senior-level student dietitian involvement in collaborative research projects. PMID- 17761232 TI - Prediction of resting metabolic rate in critically ill adult patients: results of a systematic review of the evidence. AB - Metabolic rate is generally assessed by use of equations in critically ill patients, but evidence pertaining to the validity of these equations in this population has not been systematically evaluated. This paper represents the first such systematic analysis in adult patients. A work group created by the American Dietetic Association identified pertinent peer-reviewed articles. The work group systematically evaluated these articles and formulated conclusion statements and grades based on the available evidence. Seven equations plus the Fick method were found to have validation work that met criteria for inclusion in this analysis. The Harris-Benedict equation with and without modifiers had the most validation work behind it (n=13), followed by Ireton-Jones (1992 and 1997) (n=9), Penn State (1998, 2003) (n=2), and Swinamer (n=1). Five studies pertaining to the Fick method met acceptance criteria. Based on these validation studies, the Harris Benedict, Ireton-Jones 1997, and Fick methods can be confidently eliminated from use in assessment of energy expenditure in critically ill patients. The Penn State 2003, Swinamer, and Ireton-Jones 1992 equations may be useful in critically ill nonobese patients, whereas the Ireton-Jones 1992 and Penn State 1998 equations seem to be useful in obese patients. The strength of these conclusions is moderated because of limited and sometimes inconsistent data. More validation work is needed to confirm and increase the strength of these conclusions. PMID- 17761234 TI - Adequacy of nutritional intake in a Canadian population of patients with Crohn's disease. AB - Crohn's disease is frequently associated with nutritional deficiencies, often a result of disease activity and poor oral intake. This study investigated the adequacy of dietary intake, based on the Canadian Dietary Reference Intake, in ambulatory patients with Crohn's disease and a normal body mass index (BMI; calculated as kg/m(2)). This was a cross-sectional study of 74 patients with mean age of 35.7+/-1.4 years and BMI of 23.05+/-0.45. All patients completed a 7-day food record and a diary for the Crohn's Disease Activity Index. Mean Crohn's Disease Activity Index was 138.99+/-11.38. Energy and protein intakes were within the recommended levels of intake, but total carbohydrates, fat, and saturated fat intake exceeded the recommended levels of <55%, <35%, and <10% in 39.2%, 27%, and 59.5% of the patients, respectively. Micronutrient intakes were suboptimal most notably for folate, vitamins C, E, and calcium. There were no substantial differences between patients with active and inactive disease in terms of failure to meet the Dietary Reference Intake. In conclusion, in this population sample, a large number of ambulatory patients with Crohn's disease have suboptimal dietary patterns despite a normal BMI and inactive disease. Dietary counseling and supplementation may be warranted in this patient population. PMID- 17761235 TI - Serum carotenoid levels vary by marital status. AB - This study examined differences in serum carotenoid levels by marital status. The design was a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of 16,597 participants ages 18 years and older from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The main outcome measures were serum levels of alpha carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, lycopene, and total carotenoids. Multivariate linear regression was used to model the association of serum carotenoids and marital status by sex and age with adjustments made for age, race/ethnicity, years of education, household income, body mass index, alcohol use, physical activity, serum cotinine, serum cholesterol, and vitamin/mineral supplement use. Among men, never married marital status was associated with lower total carotenoid levels (mean 66.16 microg/dL, P=0.05), lutein/zeaxanthin (mean 15.57 microg/dL [0.27 micromol/L], P=0.01), and lycopene (mean 24.28 microg/dL [0.45 micromol/L], P=0.00) compared to married marital status among men. Divorced marital status was associated with lower lycopene levels (mean 24.23 microg/dL [0.45 micromol/L], P=0.00) compared to married men. Compared to married men, widowed marital status was associated with lower alpha-carotene (mean 2.47 microg/dL [0.05 micromol/L], P=0.02), beta carotene (mean 11.52 microg/dL [0.21 micromol/L], P=0.04), and lycopene levels (mean 25.15 microg/dL [0.47 micromol/L], P=0.04). Among women, widowed marital status was associated with lower levels of total carotenoids (mean 62.72 microg/dL, P=0.01), alpha-carotene (mean 1.85 microg/dL [0.03 micromol/L], P=0.01), beta-carotene (mean 11.57 microg/dL [0.22 micromol/L], P=0.03), and lutein/zeaxanthin (mean 17.50 microg/dL [0.31 micromol/L], P=0.05) compared to married women. Our conclusion is that serum carotenoid levels varied by marital status, and widowed men and women were at the greatest risk of low carotenoid levels. PMID- 17761236 TI - Multi-school collaboration to develop and test nutrition computer modules for pediatric residents. AB - The provision of essential nutrition-related content in US medical education has been deficient, despite efforts of the federal government and multiple professional organizations. Novel and efficient approaches are needed. A multi department project was developed to create and pilot a computer-based compact disc instructional program covering the nutrition topics of oral rehydration therapy, calcium, and vitamins. Funded by an internal medical school grant, the content of the modules was written by Department of Pediatrics faculty. The modules were built by School of Informatics faculty and students, and were tested on a convenience sampling of 38 pediatric residents in a randomized controlled trial performed by a registered dietitian/School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Master's degree candidate. The modules were reviewed for content by the pediatric faculty principal investigator and the registered dietitian/School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences graduate student. Residents completed a pretest of nutrition knowledge and attitude toward nutrition and Web-based instruction. Half the group was given three programs (oral rehydration therapy, calcium, and vitamins) on compact disc for study over 6 weeks. Both study and control groups completed a posttest. Pre- and postintervention objective test results in study vs control groups and attitudinal survey results before and after intervention in the study group were compared. The experimental group demonstrated significantly better posttrial objective test performance compared to the control group (P=0.0005). The study group tended toward improvement, whereas the control group performance declined substantially between pre- and posttests. Study group resident attitudes toward computer-based instruction improved. Use of these computer modules prompted almost half of the residents in the study group to independently pursue relevant nutrition-related information. This inexpensive, collaborative, multi-department effort to design a computer based nutrition curriculum positively impacted both resident knowledge and attitudes. PMID- 17761237 TI - Food and nutrition care indicators: experts' views on quality indicators for food and nutrition services in assisted-living facilities for older adults. AB - This study assessed the views of 153 national experts in nutrition, health, and aging services in assisted-living facilities; including gerontological nutrition (39%), foodservice (14%), aging and disability (22%), geriatric medicine (9%), and assisted living (16%); on the practices that serve as indicators of the quality of food and nutrition services provided in assisted-living facilities and ascertained the most favored style of service delivery: health, amenities, or both. An 88-item Food and Nutrition Care Indicators survey was developed from assisted-living facility regulations in 50 states and other quality indicators of nutrition services. Respondents rated each item on a scale from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important). Results show that at least 80% of experts rated the majority of indicators in each domain as highly important (57% of dining room, 67% of foodservice indicators, 65% of general nutrition, and 70% of therapeutic nutrition indicators). Most experts (89%) rated a combination of indicators that included both health (general and therapeutic) and amenities service styles as being highly important. The 57 items rated most important were consolidated into a checklist. A service model that incorporates all of these elements appears to be most appropriate. PMID- 17761238 TI - What is the latest research regarding cherries and the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis? PMID- 17761239 TI - Spinal muscular atrophy: DNA fragmentation and immaturity of muscle fibers. AB - The presence of apoptotic fibers and the embryonic proteins desmin and vimentin were investigated in muscle biopsy specimens from patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Apoptosis was studied in 24 cases of SMA by means of in situ end labeling of nuclear DNA fragmentation using TUNEL staining and immunohistochemistry. Apoptotic nuclei were observed in 54.1% of the cases, and desmin and vimentin positive fibers were found in the majority of cases. A significant negative correlation was observed between the number of apoptotic nuclei and the duration of the disease, as well as between the number of desmin and vimentin positive fibers and the age of onset. These findings indicate that apoptosis, although probably a secondary phenomenon following denervation, plays a role in the progress of spinal muscular atrophy. PMID- 17761241 TI - Analytical techniques for characterization of organic molecular assemblies in molecular electronics devices. AB - The analytical techniques used for the physical characterization of organic molecular electronic-based devices are surveyed and discussed. These protocols include methods that are used to probe molecular assemblies such as single wavelength ellipsometry, water contact angle goniometry, cyclic voltammetry, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and methods used to measure charge transport properties of devices such as scanning tunneling microscopy, and inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy. Examples from our laboratory and the literature are given for each of these analytical techniques. PMID- 17761242 TI - Metrology for molecular electronics. AB - Building reliable molecular electronic devices requires the ability to accurately and reproducibly measure the electronic response of the system under study. Here we review our work with three distinct molecular electronic test structures which show excellent agreement for measurements on molecular wires and molecular switch molecules. We also discuss how inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy enables chemical characterization of molecular electronic elements in actual device geometries. PMID- 17761243 TI - Metal oxide nano-crystals for gas sensing. AB - This review article is focused on the description of metal oxide single crystalline nanostructures used for gas sensing. Metal oxide nano-wires are crystalline structures with precise chemical composition, surface terminations, and dislocation-defect free. Their nanosized dimension generate properties that can be significantly different from their coarse-grained polycrystalline counterpart. Surface effects appear because of the magnification in the specific surface of nanostructures, leading to an enhancement of the properties related to that, such as catalytic activity or surface adsorption. Properties that are basic phenomenon underlying solid-state gas sensors. Their use as gas-sensing materials should reduce instabilities, suffered from their polycrystalline counterpart, associated with grain coalescence and drift in electrical properties. High degree of crystallinity and atomic sharp terminations make them very promising for better understanding of sensing principles and for development of a new generation of gas sensors. These sensing nano-crystals can be used as resistors, in FET based or optical based gas sensors. The gas experiments presented confirm good sensing properties, the possibility to use dopants and catalyser such in thin film gas sensors and the real integration in low power consumption transducers of single crystalline nanobelts prove the feasibility of large scale manufacturing of well-organized sensor arrays based on different nanostructures. Nevertheless, a greater control in the growth is required for an application in commercial systems, together with a thorough understanding of the growth mechanism that can lead to a control in nano-wires size and size distributions, shape, crystal structure and atomic termination. PMID- 17761245 TI - Bacteriorhodopsin--novel biomolecule for nano devices. AB - The aim of this article is to provide insight on the use of a biological molecule -bacteriorhodopsin (bR) having all the basic properties necessary for the assembly of nanoscale electronic devices. Recent developments made during last decade supported by key references are reviewed in this contribution. Major emphasis on bR-based observations conducted in our laboratory has been elaborated. Important issues concerning structure, widely accepted photocycle of bR has been summarized. The possibility of nano-devices emanating from this biomolecule is briefly presented. PMID- 17761244 TI - NH3 gas sensing properties of nanocrystalline ZnO based thick films. AB - Zinc acetate derived precursor used in the present sol-gel synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles is described. The reaction product obtained before and after reflux of propanolic zinc acetate solution have been studied by UV-vis, photoluminescence and FT-IR studies which confirm the formation of oligomeric precursor Zn4O(Ac)6 (Ac=CH3COO). The formation of approximately 7 nm zinc oxide nanoparticles were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopic studies (TEM). The gaseous ammonia gas sensing characteristics of the nano-zinc oxide sensor showed high sensitivity compared to sensor fabricated with commercial zinc oxide powder. PMID- 17761246 TI - New nanomaterials for light weight lithium batteries. AB - Technological improvements, allowing to manipulate and investigate the properties of nanomaterials, are nowadays changing the approach to the energy storage and power supply vision. Modern nanoscale techniques led the market in the realization of nanostructured inorganic and organic materials increasing the efficiency of different devices, like lithium batteries, one of the most promising energy storage elements, obtaining everyday higher values of capacity, cyclability and environmental resistance. Each part of the battery, the anode, the cathode and the electrolyte, are here described analyzing the nanomaterials used for their realization. PMID- 17761247 TI - Interfacial polarization phenomena in organic molecular films. AB - Electrostatic phenomena occurring at the interface between metal/organic and organic/organic materials are discussed from the viewpoint of dielectrics physics. Focusing on two important origins of surface polarization phenomena, orientational ordering of polar molecules and displacement of excess charges at the interface, surface polarization phenomena of organic thin films are discussed. To define the orientational order of polar molecules, orientational order parameters are introduced, and surface polarization due to the alignment of dipoles is expressed. The generation of Maxwell displacement current (MDC) and optical second harmonic generation (SHG) that are specific for surface organic monomolecular films are discussed, and some experimental evidence are shown. As an extension of the concept of surface Fermi level introduced to discuss the electrostatic phenomena due to electron transfer at the interface between metal organic insulators, the surface Fermi level is extended to the discussion on the electrostatic phenomena of organic semiconductor materials on metals. In this paper, some experimental evidence of surface polarization originating from polar molecules and displacement of excess charges are shown. After that, with consideration of these surface phenomena, single electron tunneling of organic films are briefly discussed in association with surface polarization phenomena. PMID- 17761248 TI - Electricity and mechanics of biomembrane systems: flexoelectricity in living membranes. AB - Flexoelectricity provides a reciprocal relationship between electricity and mechanics in membranes, i.e., between membrane curvature and polarization. Experimental evidence of biomembrane flexoelectricity (including direct and converse flexoelectric effect) is reviewed. Biological implications of flexoelectricity in membrane transport, membrane contact, mechanosensitivity, electromotility and hearing are underlined. Flexoelectricity enables membrane structures to function like soft micro- and nano-machines, sensors and actuators, thus providing important input to molecular electronics applications. PMID- 17761249 TI - Self assembled monolayers on silicon for molecular electronics. AB - We present an overview of various aspects of the self-assembly of organic monolayers on silicon substrates for molecular electronics applications. Different chemical strategies employed for grafting the self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanes having different chain lengths on native oxide of Si or on bare Si have been reviewed. The utility of different characterization techniques in determination of the thickness, molecular ordering and orientation, surface coverage, growth kinetics and chemical composition of the SAMs has been discussed by choosing appropriate examples. The metal counterelectrodes are an integral part of SAMs for measuring their electrical properties as well as using them for molecular electronic devices. A brief discussion on the variety of options available for the deposition of metal counterelectrodes, that is, soft metal contacts, vapor deposition and soft lithography, has been presented. Various theoretical models, namely, tunneling (direct and Fowler-Nordheim), thermionic emission, Poole-Frenkel emission and hopping conduction, used for explaining the electronic transport in dielectric SAMs have been outlined and, some experimental data on alkane SAMs have been analyzed using these models. It has been found that short alkyl chains show excellent agreement with tunneling models; while more experimental data on long alkyl chains are required to understand their transport mechanism(s). Finally, the concepts and realization of various molecular electronic components, that is, diodes, resonant tunnel diodes, memories and transistors, based on appropriate architecture of SAMs comprising of alkyl chains (sigma- molecule) and conjugated molecules (pi-molecule) have been presented. PMID- 17761250 TI - Langmuir-Blodgett films of octadecanethiol--properties and potential applications. AB - Octadecanethiol (ODT) is known to form self-assembled monolayer on noble metal surfaces which has potential technological applications. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique is another useful method of obtaining highly ordered assembly of molecules. It is of interest to find whether ODT molecules can also form a stable Langmuir monolayer which facilitates the preparation of LB films. In literature, it has been reported that ODT molecules form an unstable Langmuir monolayer. We have studied the stability of the monolayer of the ODT molecules at air-water interface using surface manometry and microscopy techniques. We find the monolayer to be stable on ultrapure water of resistivity greater than 18MOmega cm. However, the behavior changes in the presence of even small amount of additives like NaOH or CdCl2 in the subphase. Our AFM studies on the LB films of ODT deposited from ion-free ultrapure water showed streak-like bilayer domains. The LB films of ODT deposited from CdCl2 containing aqueous subphase yield dendritic domains of the complexed unit grown over ODT monolayer. These nanostructures on surfaces may have potential applications in molecular electronics. PMID- 17761251 TI - Biosensing and drug delivery by polypyrrole. AB - Conducting polypyrrole is a biological compatible polymer matrix wherein number of drugs and enzymes can be incorporated by way of doping. The polypyrrole, which is obtained as freestanding film by electrochemical polymerization, has gained tremendous recognition as sophisticated electronic measuring device in the field of sensors and drug delivery. In drug delivery the reversing of the potential 100% of the drug can be released and is highly efficient as a biosensor in presence of an enzyme. In this review we discuss the applications of conducting polypyrrole as biosensor for some biomolecules and drug delivery systems. PMID- 17761253 TI - Tubular linear actuators using conducting polymer, polypyrrole. AB - Conducting polymers show an electrochemomechanical deformation (ECMD), which is able to be utilized as soft actuators. A tubular linear actuator of polypyrrole film is fabricated and the characteristics are examined. The film was electrochemically prepared on an acryl resin rod in an aqueous electrolyte solution of pyrrole and dodecylbenzensulfonic acid (DBS), followed by removing the rod. The actuations of tubular polypyrrole film due to ECMD in various conditions have been examined to clarify the mechanism. It has been found that the tubular actuator elongates upon reduction with the strain of 7%, which is more than twice of that observed in a rectangular film. The facts indicate that cations play the role of dopants instead of large DBS anion and the tubular structure gives the better performance for large strain. PMID- 17761252 TI - Covalent immobilization of cholesterol esterase and cholesterol oxidase on polyaniline films for application to cholesterol biosensor. AB - Cholesterol esterase (ChEt) and cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) have been covalently immobilized on electrochemically prepared polyaniline (PANI) films. These PANI/ChEt/ChOx enzyme films have been characterized using UV-visible, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Electrochemical behavior of these films has been studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometric techniques, respectively. The PANI/ChEt/ChOx enzyme films show broad oxidation peak from 0.2 to 0.5 V. These PANI/ChEt/ChOx biosensing electrodes have a response time of about 40s, linearity from 50 to 500 mg/dl of cholesterol oleate concentration. These PANI/ChEt/ChOx films are thermally stable up to 46 degrees C. This polyaniline based cholesterol biosensor has optimum pH in the range of 6.5-7.5, sensitivity as 7.5x10(-4) nA/mg dl and a lifetime of about 6 weeks. PMID- 17761254 TI - DNA and microfluidics: building molecular electronics systems. AB - The development of molecular electronics using DNA molecules as the building blocks and using microfluidics to build nanowire arrays is reviewed. Applications of DNA conductivity to build sensors and nanowire arrays, and DNA conjugation with other nanostructures, offers an exciting opportunity to build extremely small analytical devices that are suitable for single-molecule detection and also target screening. PMID- 17761255 TI - Unimolecular rectifiers: methods and challenges. AB - Six unimolecular rectifiers have been studied at the University of Alabama: Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) or Langmuir-Schaefer (LS), or self-assembled monolayers of these molecules show asymmetric electrical conductivity between Au or Al electrodes. These molecules are gamma-hexadecylquinolinium tricyanoquinodimethanide (Fig. 1, 2), 2,6-di[dibutylamino-phenylvinyl]-l butylpyridinium iodide, 3, dimethylanilino-aza[C60]-fullerene, 4, fullerene-bis [4-diphenylamino-4''-(N-ethyl-N-2-ethyl)-amino-1,4-diphenyl-1,3 -butadiene] malonate, 5, N-(10-nonadecyl)-N-(2-ferrocenyl-ethyl)-pyrenyl-methyl)pery-lene 3,4,9,10-bis(dicarboxyimide), 6, and 4,5-dipentyl-5'-methyltetrathiaful-valen-4' methyl-oxy-2,4,5-trinitro-9-dicyanomethylenefluorene-7-(3-sulfonylpropionate), 7. Many ancillary experiments must be performed before unimolecular rectification can be fully understood. This review will focus on the fabrication techniques and the analytical tools that can help understand the asymmetric current-voltage (IV) curves. These tools include molecular orbital calculations, cyclic voltammetry, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, contact angle goniometry, ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectroscopy, grazing-angle Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance, spectroscopic ellipsometry, grazing-incidence X-ray reflectometry, core-level and valence-band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. PMID- 17761256 TI - Consolidating molecular AND logic with two chemical inputs. AB - A novel molecular AND logic gate 1 is demonstrated based on the competition between fluorescence and photoinduced electron transfer (PET). It is constructed according to a 'receptor2-spacer-fluorophore-spacer-receptor1-spacer-fluorophore spacer-receptor2' format where receptor1 is a tertiary amine, receptor2 is a benzo-15-crown-5 ether and the fluorophore is an anthracene moiety, which are separated from each other by methylene spacers. The fluorescence response in methanol is significantly enhanced only when both H+ and Na+ are the inputs at high enough concentrations in accordance with AND logic. Cs+ behaves similarly to Na+, but with a lower fluorescence enhancement, whereas the other alkali metal cations are not effective. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry provides evidence for formation of 1:1 and 1:2 (1:metal) complexes with alkali cations, and formation of a 1:2:1 (1:metal:proton) complex in the additional presence of acid. PMID- 17761257 TI - Optical properties and photonic devices of doped carbon nanotubes. AB - Chemical doping of carbon nanotubes provides a variety of opportunities for tailoring the physical properties of carbon nanotubes. In this review, we discussed the optical properties of doped carbon nanotubes and the related applications as nanoscale photonic devices. The fundamental optical properties of carbon nanotubes with various chemical doping have been summarized. Novel optoelectronic and photonic devices based on doped carbon nanotubes, such as optical nonlinear materials, optical limiting devices, photovoltaic devices, etc., have been discussed. PMID- 17761258 TI - Analytical potential of the quadruplex DNA-based FRET probes. AB - DNA exhibits structural flexibility and may adopt also tetraplex structures known as guanine-quadruplexes or G-quadruplexes. These G-quadruplexes have recently received great attention because G-rich sequences are often found in genome and because of their potential links to mechanisms that relate to cancer, HIV, and other diseases. The unique structure of quadruplexes has also stimulated development of new analytical and bioanalytical assays based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Intramolecular folding of a flexible single stranded DNA molecule into a compact G-quadruplex is a structural transition leading to closer proximity of its 5'- and 3'-ends. Thus, labeling both ends of a DNA strand with donor and acceptor fluorophores enables monitoring the quadruplex formation process by means of the FRET signal. This review shows how FRET technique contributes to G-quadruplex research and focuses mainly on analytical applications of FRET-labeled quadruplexes. Applications include studies of structural transitions of quadruplexes, FRET-based selection of ligands that bind to quadruplexes, design of molecular probes for protein recognition and development of sensors for detection of potassium ions in aqueous solution. PMID- 17761259 TI - Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for DNA biosensors: FRET pairs and Forster distances for various dye-DNA conjugates. AB - Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the extrinsic dye labels Cyanine 3 (Cy3), Cyanine 5 (Cy5), Carboxytetramethyl Rhodamine (TAMRA), Iowa Black Fluorescence Quencher (IabFQ), and Iowa Black RQ (IabRQ) has been studied. The Forster distances for these FRET-pairs in single- and double-stranded DNA conjugates have been determined. In particular, it should be noted that the quantum yield of the donors Cy3 and TAMRA varies between single- and double stranded DNA. While this alters the Forster distance for a donor-acceptor pair, this also allows for detection of thermal denaturation events with a single non intercalating fluorophore. The utility of FRET in the development of nucleic acid biosensor technology is illustrated by using TAMRA and IabRQ as a FRET pair in selectivity experiments. The differential quenching of TAMRA fluorescence by IabRQ in solution has been used to discriminate between 0 and 3 base pair mismatches at 60 degrees C for a 19 base sequence. At room temperature, the quenching of TAMRA fluorescence was not an effective indicator of the degree of base pair mismatch. There appears to be a threshold of duplex stability at room temperature which occurs beyond two base pair mismatches and reverses the observed trend in TAMRA fluorescence prior to that degree of mismatch. When this experimental system is transferred to a glass surface through covalent coupling and organosilane chemistry, the observed trend in TAMRA fluorescence at room temperature is similar to that obtained in bulk solution, but without a threshold of duplex stability. In addition to quenching of fluorescence by FRET, it is believed that several other quenching mechanisms are occurring at the surface. PMID- 17761260 TI - Structurally integrated organic light emitting device-based sensors for gas phase and dissolved oxygen. AB - A compact photoluminescence (PL)-based O2 sensor utilizing an organic light emitting device (OLED) as the light source is described. The sensor device is structurally integrated. That is, the sensing element and the light source, both typically thin films that are fabricated on separate glass substrates, are attached back-to-back. The sensing elements are based on the oxygen-sensitive dyes Pt- or Pd-octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP or PdOEP, respectively), which are embedded in a polystyrene (PS) matrix, or dissolved in solution. Their performance is compared to that of a sensing element based on tris(4,7-diphenyl l,10-phenanthroline) Ru II (Ru(dpp)) embedded in a sol-gel film. A green OLED light source, based on tris(8-hydroxy quinoline Al (Alq3), was used to excite the porphyrin dyes; a blue OLED, based on 4,4'-bis(2,2'-diphenylviny1)-1,1'-biphenyl, was used to excite the Ru(dpp)-based sensing element. The O2 level was monitored in the gas phase and in water, ethanol, and toluene solutions by measuring changes in the PL lifetime tau of the O2-sensitive dyes. The sensor performance was evaluated in terms of the detection sensitivity, dynamic range, gas flow rate, and temperature effect, including the temperature dependence of tau in pure Ar and O2 atmospheres. The dependence of the sensitivity on the preparation procedure of the sensing film and on the PS and dye concentrations in the sensing element, whether a solid matrix or solution, were also evaluated. Typical values of the detection sensitivity in the gas phase, S(g) identical with tau(0% O2)/tau(100% O2), at 23 degrees C, were approximately 35 to approximately 50 for the [Alq3 OLED[/[PtOEP dye] pair; S(g) exceeded 200 for the Alq3/PdOEP sensor. For dissolved oxygen (DO) in water and ethanol, S(DO) (defined as the ratio of tau in de-oxygenated and oxygen-saturated solutions) was approximately 9.5 and approximately 11, respectively, using the PtOEP-based film sensor. The oxygen level in toluene was measured with PtOEP dissolved directly in the solution. That sensor exhibited a high sensitivity, but a limited dynamic range. Effects of aggregation of dye molecules, sensing film porosity, and the use of the OLED based sensor arrays for O2 and multianalyte detection are also discussed. PMID- 17761261 TI - Microbial biosensors. AB - A microbial biosensor is an analytical device that couples microorganisms with a transducer to enable rapid, accurate and sensitive detection of target analytes in fields as diverse as medicine, environmental monitoring, defense, food processing and safety. The earlier microbial biosensors used the respiratory and metabolic functions of the microorganisms to detect a substance that is either a substrate or an inhibitor of these processes. Recently, genetically engineered microorganisms based on fusing of the lux, gfp or lacZ gene reporters to an inducible gene promoter have been widely applied to assay toxicity and bioavailability. This paper reviews the recent trends in the development and application of microbial biosensors. Current advances and prospective future direction in developing microbial biosensor have also been discussed. PMID- 17761262 TI - Cellular biosensing: chemical and genetic approaches. AB - Biosensors have been developed to determine the concentration of specific compounds in situ. They are already widely employed as a practical technology in the clinical and healthcare fields. Recently, another concept of biosensing has been receiving attention: biosensing for the evaluation of molecular potency. The development of this novel concept has been supported by the development of related technologies, as such as molecular design, molecular biology (genetic engineering) and cellular/tissular engineering. This review is addresses this new concept of biosensing and its application to the evaluation of the potency of chemicals in biological systems, in the field of cellular/tissular engineering. Cellular biosensing may provide information on both pharmaceutical and chemical safety, and on drug efficacy in vitro as a screening tool. PMID- 17761263 TI - Microbial biosensor for direct determination of nitrophenyl-substituted organophosphate nerve agents using genetically engineered Moraxella sp. AB - A microbial biosensor consisting of a dissolved oxygen electrode modified with the genetically engineered PNP-degrader Moraxella sp. displaying organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) on the cell surface for sensitive, selective, rapid and direct determination of p-nitrophenyl (PNP)-substituted organophosphates (OPs) is reported. Surface-expressed OPH works in tandem with the PNP oxidation machinery of the Moraxella sp. to degrade PNP-substituted OPs and PNP simultaneously while consuming oxygen, that is proportional to the analyte concentration. The optimum performance was obtained by electrodes constructed using 0.35 mg dry weight of cell and operating at pH 7.5. Operating at optimum conditions the biosensor was able to measure as low as 0.1 microM (27.5 ppb) of paraoxon and had excellent selectivity against triazines, carbamates and OPs without PNP substitutent. The biosensor was stable for a week when stored at 4 degrees C. The applicability of the biosensor to measure OPs in lake water was demonstrated. PMID- 17761264 TI - Recent advances in biosensor techniques for environmental monitoring. AB - Biosensors for environmental applications continue to show advances and improvements in areas such as sensitivity, selectivity and simplicity. In addition to detecting and measuring specific compounds or compound classes such as pesticides, hazardous industrial chemicals, toxic metals, and pathogenic bacteria, biosensors and bioanalytical assays have been designed to measure biological effects such as cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, biological oxygen demand, pathogenic bacteria, and endocrine disruption effects. This article is intended to discuss recent advances in the area of biosensors for environmental applications. PMID- 17761265 TI - Protein-sensing assay formats and devices. AB - Proteins are used as biocatalysts, therapeutic or diagnostic agents, and as such they are biotechnological products. Moreover, they are biomarkers for health states, diseases or toxic or other adverse effects, and the intracellular protein network is essential for the adaptation of an organism to its environment. Thus, there is a strong need for analytical methods for protein determination, which allow not only to indicate the presence of a protein, but also its concentration, covalent modification and activity, and corresponding developments of new methods experienced strong support. Among those methods only those were considered here, which are based on affinity reactions between an immobilized capture agent, such as an antibody or a receptor, and the target protein. Immobilization methods range from adsorption on hydrophobic materials, in membranes or gels to covalent binding and bioaffinity reactions, such as the oriented immobilization of antibodies on protein A/G layers. The applicability of the various methods is dependent on physical and chemical properties of the immobilization substrate and of the capture agent, i.e. the presence of surface charges, hydrophobic areas or functional groups for chemical coupling. The choice of the immobilization substrate is influenced by the combination of the assay and detection principle, which meets best the practical requirements. Assay formats range from direct, label-free one-step detection of the affinity reaction between the capture agent and the target protein to multi-step procedures, such as an enzyme-tracer-based sandwich assays. Each approach has its particular advantages and disadvantages with respect to the complexity of the assay, i.e. number of required reagents and of incubation steps, the possible degree of automation, assay time, availability of suitable reagents, required sample volume, sensitivity and specificity, including the possibility to determine several proteins simultaneously. No general recommendation for the "best choice" was given in this contribution, but examples were chosen, which illustrate the potential of the different systems. PMID- 17761266 TI - Enzyme biosensors based on ion-selective field-effect transistors. AB - The key theoretical principles of the work on ion-selective field-effect transistor connected with their application in bioanalytical practice, some specifics of modern microtechnologies for their creation, and measurement schemes with set-ups are discussed. The achievements in the creation of enzyme biosensors based on ion-selective field-effect transistors and prospects for their application are described in detail. PMID- 17761267 TI - Recent developments in bio-molecular electronics techniques for food pathogens. AB - Food borne illnesses contribute to the majority of infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Detection of these pathogens originating from different sources has led to increased interest of researchers. New bio-molecular techniques for food pathogen detection are being developed to improve the sensor characteristics such as sensitivity, reusability, simplicity and economic viability. Present article deals with the various methods of food pathogen detection with special emphasis on bio-molecular electronics techniques such as biosensors, microarrays, electronic nose, and nano-materials based methods. PMID- 17761268 TI - New development of the FIGO staging system. PMID- 17761269 TI - The role of surgery after chemoradiation therapy and brachytherapy for stage IB2/II cervical cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review the results of completion surgery after chemoradiation therapy in stage IB2/II cervical carcinoma. METHODS: Analysis of series published in the literature about completion surgery in this context. RESULTS: Stages of the disease included in those series were stage IB2 IVA disease. The rate of residual disease was correlated with initial stage of the disease and the use of preoperative brachytherapy. Morbidity of such management varied between 15% and 47% and was correlated with the radicality of the surgical procedure and the size of the residual disease. The rate of complete pathological response varied between 52% and 76%. The survival of patients was correlated with the presence and the size of the residual disease and the presence of a nodal involvement. CONCLUSION: Completion surgery after chemoradiation therapy has a place in the multimodality management of stage IB2 or II cervical cancer, particularly in cases of bulky residual disease. Nevertheless further investigations are needed, particularly with collaborative studies, to analyze the real impact of such surgery on the survival of patients. PMID- 17761270 TI - Status of sentinel lymph nodes in cervical cancer. PMID- 17761271 TI - Disease-based therapy of patients with cervical cancer. PMID- 17761272 TI - Hereditary angioedema: a decade of human C1-inhibitor concentrate therapy. AB - BACKGROUND: C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) is a serine protease inhibitor regulating the complement, kinin-kallikrein, coagulation, and fibrinolytic systems. Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is caused by an inherited deficiency of C1-INH characterized by sudden, recurrent edematous swellings of the subcutaneous or submucosal tissues. The optional therapy for the acute management of HAE is administration of human C1-INH (hC1-INH) concentrate. However, hC1-INH is not available in many countries, in which case fresh frozen plasma is an alternative. OBJECTIVE: To summarize our experience with hC1-INH concentrate in patients with HAE. METHODS: Clinical and laboratory information on the effectiveness and safety of hC1-INH administered to relieve 468 acute edematous attacks in 61 patients with HAE was analyzed. RESULTS: Severe abdominal or subcutaneous attacks and laryngeal edema were consistently relieved by the administration of 500 U hC1-INH concentrate. Symptoms improved within 15 to 60 minutes of administration. Progression of the attacks was never observed, and there were no recurrent attacks within 72 hours. hC1-INH concentrate requirements did not change after repeated use. hC1-INH concentrate proved effective in the management of 94 attacks in 22 children and 6 attacks in 4 pregnant women. Adverse reactions, viral infections, and antibody formation against the purified protein did not occur. CONCLUSION: The administration of hC1-INH concentrate in HAE is highly effective and safe for the treatment of acute attacks and short-term prophylaxis and in pediatric patients and pregnant women. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Human C1-INH concentrate is effective and safe for the treatment of acute HAE attacks as well as for short-term prophylaxis. PMID- 17761273 TI - Neonatal BCG vaccination protective for wheeze: residual confounding? PMID- 17761275 TI - Regulation of IL-13 receptor alpha 1 expression and signaling on human tonsillar B-lymphocyte subsets. AB - BACKGROUND: T(H)2 cytokines play crucial roles in driving human B lymphocytes to produce IgE. However, it is unclear whether IL-4 and IL-13 have parallel or sequential roles in the development of B lymphocytes. OBJECTIVE: We investigated IL-13 receptor (IL-13R) expression and regulation in mature and immature human B cells. METHODS: Purified B cells were isolated from human tonsils. We evaluated IL-13Ralpha1 mRNA expression using real-time PCR and IL-13Ralpha1 and IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) alpha expression using flow cytometry and microscopy. Signal transduction was assessed on the basis of signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 phosphorylation. RESULTS: IL13Ralpha1 mRNA was induced after stimulation with anti-CD40 antibodies, anti-CD40 plus IL-4, or anti-IgM/IgG. Baseline surface IL13Ralpha1 levels were low in unstimulated B cells but increased significantly at 24 hours and were sustained for 5 to 14 days. In contrast, IL4R alpha was constitutively expressed on tonsillar B cells, and levels did not significantly vary after stimulation. B cells activated by CD40 ligation or B-cell receptor cross-linking, but not resting B cells, showed significant increases in signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 phosphorylation in response to IL-13. IL-13Ralpha1 expression was induced on mature and memory B cells, as well as on naive subsets. CONCLUSIONS: There is lower constitutive expression and signaling of IL13Ralpha1 in resting tonsillar B lymphocytes compared with that of IL4R alpha. IL-13 is induced on both immature and mature B lymphocytes. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: This implies different roles for IL-4 and IL-13 in B-cell development, which would allow for specific targeting of IL-13 in IgE-mediated diseases. PMID- 17761276 TI - Comparison of Shear Bond Strength, Fatigue Limit and Fatigue Life in resin-bonded metal to enamel bonds. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare the Shear Bond Strength (SBS) of resin-bonded metal/enamel bonds with the Fatigue Limit and Fatigue Life of identical joints. METHODS: 285 discs of Ni/Cr-alloy (dia 5 mmx4 mm) were cast and treated by either (1) Sandblasting with aluminium oxide or (2) Sandblast+15 min electrolyticetch in HCl. The discs were bonded to etched enamel (37% HPO4/30 s) using 3 bonding systems. Ten discs of each group were subjected to a shear bond test (SBT) in a Universal Testing Machine5 (CHS=50 mm/min). Seventeen discs of each group were used to determine the Fatigue Limit using the Staircase method (5000 cycles, 4 kg increment). Further batches of 10 discs were subjected to cyclic loads of either 5, 10, or 20 kg to determine the number of cycles at failure (Fatigue Life). The SBS and Fatigue Limit results were compared by correlation analysis. The Fatigue Life cycles were compared by Weibull analysis to determine the beta (reliability) and alpha (number of cycles) coefficients for the 3 loads. RESULTS: For all materials and treatments, the Fatigue-Limit results were much lower than the SBS and there was no correlation between the values (r=0.49, p=0.18). The Fatigue Limit for the samples using 5000 cycles ranged from 10.7 to 16.1 MPa. In the Fatigue-Life study, the stress at which the samples were reliably able to withstand more than 1 million cycles (beta>5) was 2.5 MPa. CONCLUSION: The Fatigue Limit of the bonds was much lower than the SBS and there was no correlation between the two values. In this study the Fatigue Limit was not a good predictor of the long term Fatigue-Life failure of the specimens. PMID- 17761277 TI - Reconstruction of functional tissues with cell sheet engineering. AB - The field of tissue engineering has yielded several successes in early clinical trials of regenerative medicine using living cells seeded into biodegradable scaffolds. In contrast to methods that combine biomaterials with living cells, we have developed an approach that uses culture surfaces grafted with the temperature-responsive polymer poly(N-isoproplyacrylamide) that allows for controlled attachment and detachment of living cells via simple temperature changes. Using cultured cell sheets harvested from temperature-responsive surfaces, we have established cell sheet engineering to create functional tissue sheets to treat a wide range of diseases from corneal dysfunction to esophageal cancer, tracheal resection, and cardiac failure. Additionally, by exploiting the unique ability of cell sheets to generate three-dimensional tissues composed of only cultured cells and their deposited extracellular matrix, we have also developed methods to create thick vascularized tissues as well as, organ-like systems for the heart and liver. Cell sheet engineering therefore provides a novel alternative for regenerative medicine approaches that require the re creation of functional tissue structures. PMID- 17761278 TI - Cell culture models of higher complexity in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. AB - Cell culture techniques have tended to be used in biomaterial research as a screening method prior to embarking on specific in vivo experimentation. This presentation aims at showing that it is possible to develop more sophisticated in vitro systems using primary human cells in co-culture with other cell types and biomaterials in a three-dimensional setting. While the predictive value of such systems is still not proven these models can be employed to unravel the complexity of biological systems in order to understand molecular mechanisms of cell-cell and cell-material interactions. The brief overview is under the headings of basic principles of relevant culture systems, the study of inflammation and the healing response, scenarios for specific biomaterial applications and future directions. How human endothelial cells can be usefully incorporated into more complex cell culture models is presented as an example of how relevant questions in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine can be addressed. The central tenet of this paper is that it is possible to refine in vitro methodology using cells of human origin to establish relevant assay systems that more closely simulate the cellular and molecular microenvironment encountered in a specific situation of regeneration using biomaterials. PMID- 17761279 TI - Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis: is two better than one? PMID- 17761280 TI - Changes in thymus size, cellularity and relation between thymocyte subpopulations in young adult rats induced by somatostatin-14. AB - The role of somatostatin on inhibition of both normal and tumor cell cycle, secretion of endocrine and exocrine cells, as well as induction apoptosis is well documented. However, its effect on T cell development and thymic structure is not fully clarified. In order to investigate the influence of somatostatin in vivo on the thymus structure and T cell development, the young adult Albino Oxford male rats were intracerebroventriculary treated with somatostatin-14. We examined the thymus compartments and its cellularity, through assessment of morphometric parameters by stereological method, and the relation between thymocytes subpopulations, over expression of CD4, CD8 and T-cell receptor (TCR) alpha beta by flow cytometry. Additionally, we also determined the body and thymus weight of the rats, during the first three months of life, to define the time of SRIH-14 application. A decrease of relative thymus weight from the fourth weeks of postnatal life, and an unchanged relative thymus weight obtained in treated group indicates that SRIH-14 in young adult rats inhibits growth of whole organism, not only thymus. The changes in the absolute number and numerical density of cortical thymocytes indicate that SRIH-14 alters the true lymphoid tissue. SRIH-14 changes relation between thymocyte subsets, increase number of CD4(-)CD8(-)TCR alpha beta(-) and CD4(-)CD8(+)TCR alpha beta(hi) thymocyte subsets as well as the CD4( )CD8(-)TCR alpha beta(low/hi) thymocytes, while decrease number of CD4(+)CD8(+) TCR alpha beta(-/low/hi) thymocyte subsets. These results indicate that somatostatin-14 is not involved in the control of the physiologic involution of the thymus, although induces thymic weight loss through the reduction of true lymphoid tissue. In addition, changes in frequency of thymocyte subpopulations, especially immature cells, indicate that SRIH-14 modulates thymocytes development and maturation. PMID- 17761281 TI - Clinical practice guideline: adult sinusitis. AB - OBJECTIVE: This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations on managing sinusitis, defined as symptomatic inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. Sinusitis affects 1 in 7 adults in the United States, resulting in about 31 million individuals diagnosed each year. Since sinusitis almost always involves the nasal cavity, the term rhinosinusitis is preferred. The guideline target patient is aged 18 years or older with uncomplicated rhinosinusitis, evaluated in any setting in which an adult with rhinosinusitis would be identified, monitored, or managed. This guideline is intended for all clinicians who are likely to diagnose and manage adults with sinusitis. PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this guideline is to improve diagnostic accuracy for adult rhinosinusitis, reduce inappropriate antibiotic use, reduce inappropriate use of radiographic imaging, and promote appropriate use of ancillary tests that include nasal endoscopy, computed tomography, and testing for allergy and immune function. In creating this guideline the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation selected a panel representing the fields of allergy, emergency medicine, family medicine, health insurance, immunology, infectious disease, internal medicine, medical informatics, nursing, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, pulmonology, and radiology. RESULTS: The panel made strong recommendations that 1) clinicians should distinguish presumed acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (ABRS) from acute rhinosinusitis caused by viral upper respiratory infections and noninfectious conditions, and a clinician should diagnose ABRS when (a) symptoms or signs of acute rhinosinusitis are present 10 days or more beyond the onset of upper respiratory symptoms, or (b) symptoms or signs of acute rhinosinusitis worsen within 10 days after an initial improvement (double worsening), and 2) the management of ABRS should include an assessment of pain, with analgesic treatment based on the severity of pain. The panel made a recommendation against radiographic imaging for patients who meet diagnostic criteria for acute rhinosinusitis, unless a complication or alternative diagnosis is suspected. The panel made recommendations that 1) if a decision is made to treat ABRS with an antibiotic agent, the clinician should prescribe amoxicillin as first-line therapy for most adults, 2) if the patient worsens or fails to improve with the initial management option by 7 days, the clinician should reassess the patient to confirm ABRS, exclude other causes of illness, and detect complications, 3) clinicians should distinguish chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and recurrent acute rhinosinusitis from isolated episodes of ABRS and other causes of sinonasal symptoms, 4) clinicians should assess the patient with CRS or recurrent acute rhinosinusitis for factors that modify management, such as allergic rhinitis, cystic fibrosis, immunocompromised state, ciliary dyskinesia, and anatomic variation, 5) the clinician should corroborate a diagnosis and/or investigate for underlying causes of CRS and recurrent acute rhinosinusitis, 6) the clinician should obtain computed tomography of the paranasal sinuses in diagnosing or evaluating a patient with CRS or recurrent acute rhinosinusitis, and 7) clinicians should educate/counsel patients with CRS or recurrent acute rhinosinusitis regarding control measures. The panel offered as options that 1) clinicians may prescribe symptomatic relief in managing viral rhinosinusitis, 2) clinicians may prescribe symptomatic relief in managing ABRS, 3) observation without use of antibiotics is an option for selected adults with uncomplicated ABRS who have mild illness (mild pain and temperature <38.3 degrees C or 101 degrees F) and assurance of follow-up, 4) the clinician may obtain nasal endoscopy in diagnosing or evaluating a patient with CRS or recurrent acute rhinosinusitis, and 5) the clinician may obtain testing for allergy and immune function in evaluating a patient with CRS or recurrent acute rhinosinusitis. DISCLAIMER: This clinical practice guideline is not intended as a sole source of guidance for managing adults with rhinosinusitis. Rather, it is designed to assist clinicians by providing an evidence-based framework for decision-making strategies. It is not intended to replace clinical judgment or establish a protocol for all individuals with this condition, and may not provide the only appropriate approach to diagnosing and managing this problem. PMID- 17761282 TI - Systematic review of antimicrobial therapy in patients with acute rhinosinusitis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the natural history of acute rhinosinusitis and the impact of antimicrobial therapy on clinical outcomes. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE and Cochrane Trial Registry through February 2007 combined with manual review of retrieved article bibliographies. REVIEW METHODS: Systematic review and random-effects meta analysis of double-blind, randomized, controlled trials comparing placebo vs oral antimicrobial for initial therapy of uncomplicated acute rhinosinusitis in patients aged 12 years or older. RESULTS: Thirteen trials met inclusion criteria and had data suitable for pooling. Clinical cure occurred in 8% of patients who received placebo after 3 to 5 days, rising to 35% by 7 to 12 days and 45% by 14 to 15 days. Antimicrobials increased cure rates at 7 to 12 days, with an absolute rate difference of 15% (95% CI, 4%-25%). Clinical improvement occurred in 30% of patients who received placebo after 3 to 5 days, rising to 73% by 7 to 12 days and 14 to 15 days. Antimicrobials increased improvement rates at 7 to 12 days by 14% (95% CI, 1%-28%) and at 14 to 15 days by 7% (95% CI, 2%-13%). Diarrhea and adverse events were about 80% more common in patients who received antimicrobials (P < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Over 70% of patients with acute rhinosinusitis are improved after 7 days, with or without antimicrobial therapy. About 7 patients must be treated to achieve one additional positive outcome at 7 to 12 days above and beyond spontaneous resolution. Generalizability of results is limited because nearly all trials involved a primary care setting and some trials excluded patients with severe illness. PMID- 17761283 TI - Treatment decision in ruptured intracranial aneurysms: comparison between multi detector row CT angiography and digital subtraction angiography. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of multi-detector row computed tomography angiography (CTA) for the triage of patients with acutely ruptured aneurysms, and to assess how therapeutic decisions based on this method compared with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). METHODS: Twenty-seven consecutive patients with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage were included, and underwent both CTA and DSA. CTA was performed on a 16-detector row CT scanner with a 0.75-mm collimation and a 0.558-beam pitch. Two readers reviewed the CTA data, and two different readers reviewed the DSA data. Aneurysm characteristics were recorded and treatment by surgical clipping or endovascular coil embolization was proposed. RESULTS: A total of 24 aneurysms were identified on DSA in 21 patients. Sensitivity and specificity for CTA were 100% and 83%, respectively, on a per-aneurysm-basis. The correlation between DSA and CTA for the determination of sac and neck sizes was very good (r=0.92, and r=0.95, respectively, P<0.0001). Sensitivity and specificity for the detection of arterial branches incorporated into the aneurysmal sac or neck were 50% and 100%, respectively. In three aneurysms, readers judged CTA inappropriate for triage, because peri-aneurysmal branches were not properly visualized. Overall agreement between CTA and DSA regarding the therapeutic decision between surgical clipping and endovascular coil embolization in 24 aneurysms was good (kappa=0.76). CONCLUSION: Multi-detector row CTA provides accurate anatomic information for aneurysm location as well as sac and neck sizes; however, the technique appears to have a low sensitivity in detecting branches incorporated into the aneurysmal sac. PMID- 17761284 TI - Simultaneous supratentorial and brainstem abscesses due to Listeria monocytogenes. AB - Multiple supratentorial abscesses caused by Listeria monocytogenes are rare. We report the simultaneous occurrence of multiple supratentorial and brainstem abscesses due to Listeria, in a patient under corticotherapy for an exacerbation of ulcerative colitis. MR imaging features before and after successful conservative treatments are depicted. In immunocompromised patients with supratentorial listerial abscesses, the coexistence of brainstem abscedation is exceptional. Despite high mortality associated with listerial abscesses, this case illustrates the possibility of a good clinical outcome, if the appropriate antibiotic regimen is instituted and the immunosuppressant agent is discontinued. PMID- 17761285 TI - Exposure and health-risk assessment of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) for sinter plant workers. AB - This study was set out to assess polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) exposures and health-risk impact posed on sinter plant workers. One sinter plant located in southern Taiwan was selected and their workers were divided into four exposure groups based on their work tasks, including raw material charging workers, sintering grate workers, shredding workers, and others. Results show that their mean total PCDD/F and the corresponding total I-TEQ exposure levels shared the same trend as: shredding workers>others>sintering grate workers>raw material charging workers. For all selected exposure groups, their PCDD/F exposures were dominated by the particle phase contents. Congener profiles of the gaseous+particle phase PCDD/Fs were found with more fractions of high chlorinated congeners than low chlorinated congeners. The lifetime average daily doses (LADDs) and their resultant excess cancer risks (ECRs) found for sinter plant workers were higher than those residents living at the residential area and rural area, but were lower than those living at the nearby of the selected sinter plant, urban area, industrial area. Considering ECRs of the sinter plant workers were still higher than 10(-6) suggesting the need for adopting proper control measurements for reducing workers' PCDD/F exposures, particularly for those sinter zone workers. PMID- 17761286 TI - Detection of paravascular lamellar holes and other paravascular abnormalities by optical coherence tomography in eyes with high myopia. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the morphologic alterations at or around the blood vessels of the retinal vascular arcade by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in highly myopic eyes. DESIGN: Observational case series. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred eighty-seven eyes of 149 patients with high myopia (refractive error >/=-8.00 diopters [D] or axial length >26.5 mm) were studied. Fifty-six emmetropic (+1.00 to -1.00 D) eyes and 44 eyes with low (<-6.00 D) myopia were examined as controls. METHODS: The participants had a complete ophthalmologic examination, including stereoscopic fundus observations and OCT examinations. Multiple OCT scans were made along the entire extent of the posterior vascular arcade and across the fovea in each patient. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence of paravascular retinal cysts, vascular microfolds, and paravascular retinal holes was determined. Retinoschisis at the retinal vessels and a macular retinoschisis were also evaluated. RESULTS: In 287 eyes with high myopia, paravascular retinal cysts were detected in 142 eyes (49.5%), vascular microfolds in 128 eyes (44.6%), and paravascular retinal holes in 77 eyes (26.8%) by OCT. The paravascular retinal holes were partial-thickness lamellar holes in all of the patients; full thickness holes were never detected. Vascular microfolds and paravascular lamellar holes were always accompanied by paravascular retinal cysts. Optical coherence tomography examinations revealed the presence of vitreoretinal traction on the inner walls of retinal cysts in sections adjacent to the retinal holes. In the 77 eyes with paravascular lamellar holes, 34 eyes (44.2%) were associated with internal limiting membrane (ILM) detachments and 15 eyes (19.5%) were associated with a macular retinoschisis. In fact, 15 of 18 eyes (83.3%) with a macular retinoschisis had paravascular lamellar holes. None of the 100 control eyes had these paravascular abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that different types of paravascular abnormalities are relatively common in highly myopic eyes. Our findings suggest that paravascular lamellar holes form when the inner wall of paravascular retinal cysts is avulsed by vitreous traction. The presence of paravascular lamellar holes might enhance the proliferative response of the ILM, and this might be an important causative factor for the development of a macular retinoschisis in highly myopic eyes. PMID- 17761287 TI - A microarray analysis of the emergence of embryonic definitive hematopoiesis. AB - OBJECTIVE: Human embryonic stem (ES) cells provide a unique model for studying the development and function of human tissues and have proven utility in a number of areas. However, results from ES cell-based studies have been limited by the paucity of information available about early human hematopoietic development. METHODS: To better understand early development of the hematopoietic lineage, we use microarray analysis to examine the temporal patterns of gene expression in embryoid bodies derived from human ES cells, focusing around the time of the emergence of definitive hematopoiesis. We use an empirical Bayes hierarchical modeling approach, called EBarrays, to classify genes into each of the possible temporal patterns of gene expression for five different time points, and correlate those patterns with the emergence of hematopoiesis. RESULTS: We find a distinct group of genes previously identified as important in adult hematopoietic self-renewal (such as PIK3R1, ABCB1/MDR-1, RGS18, IRS1, SENP6/SUMO-1, and Wnt5A, etc.) temporally correlates with the emergence of the definitive hematopoiesis. Microarray-based results are further supported via flow cytometry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction studies. CONCLUSION: The novel genes demonstrating the same expression pattern as this group could further facilitate the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of embryonic hematopoiesis. PMID- 17761288 TI - Establishment of BCWM.1 cell line for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia with productive in vivo engraftment in SCID-hu mice. AB - A significant impairment in understanding the biology and advancing therapeutics for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) has been the lack of a representative cell line and animal model. We, therefore, report on the establishment of the BCWM.1 cell line, which was derived from the long-term culture of CD19(+) selected bone marrow lymphoplasmacytic cells isolated from an untreated patient with WM. BCWM.1 cells morphologically resemble lymphoplasmacytic cells (LPC) and propagate in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Phenotypic characterization by flow cytometric analysis demonstrated typical WM LPC characteristics: CD5(-), CD10(-), CD19(+), CD20(+), CD23(+), CD27(-), CD38(+), CD138(+), CD40(+), CD52(+), CD70(+), CD117(+), cIgM(+), cIgG(-), cIgA( ), ckappa(-), clambda(+), as well as the survival proteins APRIL and BLYS, and their receptors TACI, BCMA and BAFF-R. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay studies demonstrated secretion of IgMlambda and soluble CD27. Karyotypic and multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization studies did not demonstrate cytogenetic abnormalities. Molecular analysis of BCWM.1 cells confirmed clonality by determination of IgH rearrangements. Inoculation of BCWM.1 cells in human bone marrow chips implanted in severe combined immunodeficient-hu mice led to rapid engraftment of tumor cells and serum detection of human IgM, lambda, and soluble CD27. These studies support the use of BCWM.1 cells as an appropriate model for the study of WM, which in conjunction with the severe combined immunodeficient-hu mouse model may be used as a convenient model for studies focused on both WM pathogenesis and development of targeted therapies for WM. PMID- 17761289 TI - Hoxa9/hoxb3/hoxb4 compound null mice display severe hematopoietic defects. AB - OBJECTIVE: Members of the hox family of homeodomain-containing transcription factors, including hoxa9, hoxb3, and hoxb4 play an important role in the regulation of differentiation, proliferation and self-renewal of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Lack-of-function studies using hoxa9, hoxb4, or hoxb3/hoxb4 null mice demonstrate that all these mutations compromise the repopulating ability of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), implying similar functions of each of these genes in hematopoiesis. Because cross regulation and cooperativity are known features of hox proteins, we investigated mice with a compound deficiency in hoxa9, hoxb3 and hoxb4 (hoxa9/b3/b4) for evidence of synergy between these genes in hematopoiesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hoxa9/b3/b4 were generated by mating the hoxb3/hoxb4 null mice with the hoxa9 null strain and HSC function was measured by competitive repopulating assay and by immunophenotype using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrate that the hoxa9/b3/b4 null mice are smaller in body weight, and display a marked reduction in spleen size and cellularity compared to control mice. The numbers of colony-forming unit (CFU)-granulocyte macrophage and CFU spleen progenitor colonies were normal but hoxa9/b3/b4 null bone marrow contained increased numbers of immunophenotypic HSC (Lin(-), c-kit(+), Sca-1(+), CD150(+)). However the reconstitution defect in hoxa9 null HSC was not enhanced further in the hoxa9/b3/b4 null HSC. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate overlapping functions of hoxa9, hoxb3, and hoxb4 in hematopoietic cells, and emphasize an important role for these transcription factors for regulation of HSC proliferation. However, none of these hox proteins is absolutely essential for generation or maintenance of all major blood lineages. PMID- 17761290 TI - Hematopoietic stem cell mobilization with G-CSF induces innate inflammation yet suppresses adaptive immune gene expression as revealed by microarray analysis. AB - OBJECTIVE: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is used to boost granulocyte counts in immunocompromised patients, but its effects on the immune system may be counterproductive. We tested the hypothesis that G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) products are immunologically downregulated based on gene microarray analysis. METHODS: Ten peripheral blood samples from normal donors for allogeneic PBSC transplantation were obtained before and after administration of G-CSF and tested on Affymetrix Human U133 Plus 2.0 GeneChip microarrays and by flow cytometry. Significant changes in gene expression after G CSF were reported by controlling the false discovery rate at 5%. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method was used to validate expression of representative genes. RESULTS: All immune cells measured, including neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, and dendritic cells, were significantly increased after G CSF. In terms of gene expression, inflammatory and neutrophil activation pathways were upregulated after G-CSF. However, adaptive immune-related gene expression, such as antigen presentation, co-stimulation, T-cell activation and cytolytic effector responses, were downregulated. CONCLUSION: Despite significant increases in lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells, G-CSF-mobilized PBSC allografts exhibit a suppressive adaptive immune-related gene-expression profile. However, innate and inflammatory responses are elevated. Our data provides an explanation for the potentially immunosuppressive effects observed after G-CSF administration. PMID- 17761291 TI - Facets of early transition metal-sulfur chemistry: metal-sulfur ligand redox, induced internal electron transfer, and the reactions of metal-sulfur complexes with alkynes. AB - Metal-sulfur ligand redox interplay, induced internal electron transfer reactions, and the generation of dithiolene and organosulfur ligands in the reactions of metal-sulfur compounds with alkynes are important and useful facets of early transition metal-sulfur chemistry. This review focuses on developments in these areas over the past 30 years. PMID- 17761292 TI - Organic/inorganic complex pigments: ancient colors Maya Blue. AB - Maya Blue is an ancient blue pigment composed of palygorskite clay and indigo. It was used by the ancient Maya and provides a dramatic background for some of the most impressive murals throughout Mesoamerica. Despite exposure to acids, alkalis, and chemical solvents, the color of the Maya Blue pigment remains unaltered. The chemical interaction between palygorskite and indigo form an organic/inorganic complex with the carbonyl oxygen of the indigo bound to a surface Al(3+) in the Si-O lattice. In addition indigo will undergo an oxidation to dehydroindigo during preparation. The dehydro-indigo molecule forms a similar but stronger complex with the Al(3+). Thus, Maya Blue varies in color due to the mixed indigo/dehydroindigo complex. The above conclusions are the result of application of multiple techniques (X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis/thermal gravimetric analysis, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, infrared and Raman spectroscopy) to the characterization of the organic/inorganic complex. A picture of the bonding of the organic molecule to the palygorskite surface forming a surface complex is developed and supported by the results of density functional theory calculations. We also report that other organic molecules such as thioindigo form similar organic/inorganic complexes thus, opening an entirely new class of complex materials for future applications. PMID- 17761293 TI - Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator infection due to Scedosporium apiospermum. AB - We report a case of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator infection due to Scedosporium apiospermum. This infection persisted despite systemic antifungal treatment with voriconazole and was controlled after removal of the foreign device and replacement of the involved tricuspid valve. This case underscores the importance of a combined surgical and medical approach for this complicated infection. Scedosporium species should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cardiac or intravascular device-related infections. PMID- 17761294 TI - Intra-abdominal co-infection with Mycobacterium bovis and Actinomyces in an AIDS patient: the first reported case and review. AB - The Mycobacterium tuberculous complex and Actinomyces can both cause indolent intra-abdominal infections that result in hard mass lesion(s), oftentimes fixed to underlying tissue and involving the right ileocecal fossa region. Although Actinomyces can present as a co-pathogen when anatomic barriers are compromised, its intra-abdominal co-infection with Mycobacterium bovis has not previously been reported. We present the first reported case of intra-abdominal co-infection with Actinomyces and Mycobacterium bovis, a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB), in an AIDS patient and provide a discussion of the pathogenesis and a review of these infections, both individually and together. PMID- 17761295 TI - Role of sensory feedback in the control of stance duration in walking cats. AB - The rate of stepping in the hind legs of chronic spinal and decerebrate cats adapts to the speed of the treadmill on which the animals walk. This adaptive behavior depends on sensory signals generated near the end of stance phase controlling the transition from stance to swing. Two sensory signals have been identified to have this role: one from afferents activated by hip extension, most likely arising from muscle spindles in hip flexor muscles, and the other from group Ib afferents from Golgi tendon organs in the ankle extensor muscles. The relative importance of these two signals in controlling the stance to swing transition differs in chronic spinal cats and in decerebrate cats. Activation of hip afferents is necessary for controlling the transition in chronic spinal cats but not in decerebrate cats, while reduction in activity in group Ib afferents from GTOs is the primary factor controlling the transition in decerebrate cats. Possible mechanisms for this difference are discussed. The extent to which these two sensory signals control the stance to swing transition in normal walking cats is unknown, but it is likely that both could play an important role when animals are walking in a variable environment. PMID- 17761296 TI - Therapeutic potential and biological role of endogenous antioxidant enzymes in multiple sclerosis pathology. AB - Reactive oxygen species contribute to the formation and persistence of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions by acting on distinct pathological processes. To counteract the detrimental effects of ROS the central nervous system is endowed with a protective mechanism consisting of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Expression of most antioxidant enzymes is regulated through the transcription factor nuclear factor-E2-related factor (Nrf2) and antioxidant response elements (ARE) in the genes encoding enzymatic antioxidants and is induced by oxidative stress. In brain tissue of MS patients, enhanced expression of Nrf2/ARE-regulated antioxidants is suggestive of the occurrence of oxidative stress in these lesions. Antioxidant therapy may therefore represent an attractive treatment of MS. Several studies have shown that antioxidant therapy is beneficial in vitro and in vivo in animal models for MS. However, the use of exogenous antioxidants for MS treatment has drawbacks, as large amounts of antioxidants are required to achieve functional antioxidant levels in the central nervous system. Therefore, the induction of endogenous antioxidant enzymes by activators of the Nrf2/ARE pathway may be an interesting approach to obtain sufficient levels of antioxidants to interfere with pathological processes underlying MS lesion formation. In this review we summarize and discuss the biological role, regulation and potential therapeutic effects of endogenous antioxidant enzymes in MS. We propose that antioxidants may inhibit the development and progression of MS lesions and may therefore represent an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of MS and other oxidative stress related neurological diseases. PMID- 17761297 TI - Fluorescent and luminescent probes for measurement of oxidative and nitrosative species in cells and tissues: progress, pitfalls, and prospects. AB - Chemical probes for free radicals in biology are important tools; fluorescence and chemiluminescence offer high detection sensitivity. This article reviews progress in the development of probes for "reactive oxygen and nitrogen" species, emphasizing the caution needed in their use. Reactive species include hydrogen peroxide; hydroxyl, superoxide, and thiyl radicals; carbonate radical-anion; and nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, and peroxynitrite. Probes based on reduced dyes lack selectivity and may require a catalyst for reaction: despite these drawbacks, dichlorodihydrofluorescein and dihydrorhodamine have been used in well over 2,000 studies. Use in cellular systems requires loading into cells, and minimizing leakage. Reactive species can compete with intracellular antioxidants, changes in fluorescence or luminescence possibly reflecting changes in competing antioxidants rather than free radical generation rate. Products being measured can react further with radicals, and intermediate probe radicals are often reactive toward antioxidants and especially oxygen, to generate superoxide. Common probes for superoxide and nitric oxide require activation to a reactive intermediate; activation is not achieved by the radical of interest and the response is thus additionally sensitive to this first step. Rational use of probes requires understanding and quantitation of the mechanistic pathways involved, and of environmental factors such as oxygen and pH. We can build on this framework of knowledge in evaluating new probes. PMID- 17761299 TI - Red meat and colon cancer: heme proteins and nitrite in the gut. A commentary on "diet-induced endogenous formation of nitroso compounds in the GI tract". PMID- 17761300 TI - Diet-induced endogenous formation of nitroso compounds in the GI tract. AB - Red or processed meat, but not white meat or fish, is associated with colorectal cancer. The endogenous formation of nitroso compounds is a possible explanation, as red or processed meat--but not white meat or fish--causes a dose-dependent increase in fecal apparent total N-nitroso compounds (ATNC) and the formation of nitroso-compound-specific DNA adducts. Red meat is particularly rich in heme and heme has also been found to promote the formation of ATNC. To investigate the underlying mechanism of ATNC formation, fecal and ileal samples of volunteers fed a high red meat or a vegetarian diet were analyzed for nitrosyl iron, nitrosothiols, and heme. To simulate the processes in the stomach, food homogenates and hemoglobin were incubated under simulated gastric conditions. Nitrosyl iron and nitrosothiols were significantly (p < 0.0001) increased in ileal and fecal samples after a high red meat diet compared with a vegetarian diet; significantly more nitrosyl iron than nitrosothiols was detectable in ileal (p < 0.0001) and fecal (p < 0.001) samples. The strong correlation between fecal nitrosyl iron and heme (0.776; p < 0.0001) suggested that nitrosyl heme is the main source of nitrosyl iron, and ESR confirmed the presence of nitrosyl heme in fecal samples after a high red meat diet. Under simulated gastric conditions, mainly nitrosothiols were formed, suggesting that acid-catalyzed thionitrosation is the initial step in the endogenous formation of nitroso compounds. Nitrosyl heme and other nitroso compounds can then form under the alkaline and reductive conditions of the small and large bowel. PMID- 17761298 TI - An epigenetic perspective on the free radical theory of development. AB - The development of organisms requires concerted changes in gene activity. The free radical theory of development proposes that oxygen serves as a morphogen to educe development by influencing the production of metabolic oxidants such as free radicals and reactive oxygen species. One of the central tenets of this theory is that these metabolic oxidants influence development by altering the antioxidant capacity of cells by changing their production of glutathione (GSH). Here we extend on these principles by linking GSH production and oxygen sensing in the control of gene expression to establish the epigenotype of cells during development. We prescribe this novel role to GSH and oxygen during development because these metabolites influence the activity of enzymes responsible for initiating and perpetuating epigenetic control of gene expression. Increased GSH production influences epigenetic processes including DNA and histone methylation by limiting the availability of S-adenosylmethionine, the cofactor utilized during epigenetic control of gene expression by DNA and histone methyltransferases. Moreover, the recent discovery of histone demethylases that require oxygen as a cofactor directly links epigenetic processes to oxygen gradients during development. PMID- 17761301 TI - Ethanol preconditioning protects against ischemia/reperfusion-induced brain damage: role of NADPH oxidase-derived ROS. AB - Ethanol preconditioning (EtOH-PC) refers to a phenomenon in which tissues are protected from the deleterious effects of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) by prior ingestion of ethanol at low to moderate levels. In this study, we tested whether prior (24 h) administration of ethanol as a single bolus that produced a peak plasma concentration of 42-46 mg/dl in gerbils would offer protective effects against neuronal damage due to cerebral I/R. In addition, we also tested whether reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from NADPH oxidase played a role as initiators of these putative protective effects. Groups of gerbils were administered either ethanol or the same volume of water by gavage 24 h before transient global cerebral ischemia induced by occlusion of both common carotid arteries for 5 min. In some experiments, apocynin, a specific inhibitor of NADPH oxidase, was administered (5 mg/kg body wt, i.p.) 10 min before ethanol administration. EtOH-PC ameliorated behavioral deficit induced by cerebral I/R and protected the brain against I/R-induced delayed neuronal death, neuronal and dendritic degeneration, oxidative DNA damage, and glial cell activation. These beneficial effects were attenuated by apocynin treatment coincident with ethanol administration. Ethanol ingestion was associated with translocation of the NADPH oxidase subunit p67(phox) from hippocampal cytosol fraction to membrane, increased NADPH oxidase activity in hippocampus within the first hour after gavage, and increased lipid peroxidation (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal) in plasma and hippocampus within the first 2 h after gavage. These effects were also inhibited by concomitant apocynin treatment. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that antecedent ethanol ingestion at socially relevant levels induces neuroprotective effects in I/R by a mechanism that is triggered by ROS produced through NADPH oxidase. Our results further suggest the possibility that preconditioning with other pharmacological agents that induce a mild oxidative stress may have similar therapeutic value for suppressing stroke-mediated damage in brain. PMID- 17761302 TI - The mode of cisplatin-induced cell death in CYP2E1-overexpressing HepG2 cells: modulation by ERK, ROS, glutathione, and thioredoxin. AB - In a previous study, E47 HepG2 cells that overexpress human CYP2E1 were shown to be more sensitive to cisplatin than C34 cells that do not express CYP2E1. In this study, we found that this sensitivity was due to an earlier activation of ERK in the E47 cells compared to the C34 cells. Glutathione depletion by L-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) enhanced cisplatin cytotoxicity via increasing production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activation of ERK. In contrast, elevation of glutathione by glutathione ethyl ester (GSHE) decreased cisplatin/BSO cytotoxicity by decreasing ROS production and ERK activation. Inhibition of ERK activation by U0126 protected against cisplatin/BSO cytotoxicity via inhibiting ROS production but not restoring intracellular glutathione content. Examination of the mode of cell death showed that U0126 inhibited cisplatin-induced necrosis but not apoptosis. Cisplatin-induced apoptosis was caspases-dependent; BSO switched cisplatin-induced apoptosis to necrosis via decreasing activity of caspases, and GSHE switched cisplatin/BSO-induced necrosis back to apoptosis through maintaining activity of caspases. Similar to GSHE, U0126 partially switched cisplatin/BSO induced necrosis to apoptosis via restoring activity of caspases. Cisplatin lowered levels of thioredoxin, especially in the presence of BSO. Although U0126 failed in restoring intracellular glutathione levels, it restored thioredoxin levels, which maintain the activity of the caspases. These results suggest that thioredoxin can replace glutathione to promote the active thiol redox state necessary for caspase activity, and thus glutathione and thioredoxin regulate the mode of cisplatin toxicity in E47 cells via redox regulation of caspase activity. PMID- 17761305 TI - Improved analysis of hydroethidine and 2-hydroxyethidium by HPLC and electrochemical detection. PMID- 17761303 TI - Interactions of the major metabolite of the cancer chemopreventive drug oltipraz with cytochrome c: a novel pathway for cancer chemoprevention. AB - The major metabolite of the cancer chemopreventive agent oltipraz, a pyrrolopyrazine thione (PPD), has been shown to be a phase 2 enzyme inducer, an activity thought to be key to the cancer chemopreventive action of the parent compound. In cells, mitochondria are the major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cytochrome c (cyt c) is known to participate in mitochondrial electron transport and confer antioxidant and peroxidase activities. To understand possible mechanisms by which PPD acts as a phase 2 enzyme inducer, a study of its interaction with cyt c was undertaken. UV-visible spectroscopic results demonstrate that PPD is capable of reducing oxidized cyt c. The reduced cyt c is stable for a long period of time in the absence of an oxidizing agent. In the presence of ferricyanide, the reduced cyt c is rapidly oxidized back to its oxidized form. Further, UV-visible spectroscopic studies show that during the reduction process the coordination environment and redox state of iron in cyt c are changed. Low-temperature EPR studies show that during the reduction process, the heme iron changes from a low-spin state of s = 1/2 to a low-spin state of s = 0. Room-temperature EPR studies demonstrate that PPD inhibits the peroxidase activity of cyt c. EPR spin trapping experiments using DMPO show that PPD inhibits the superoxide radical scavenging activity of oxidized cyt c. From these results, we propose that PPD interacts with cyt c, binding to and then reducing the heme, and this may enhance ROS levels in mitochondria. This in turn could contribute to the mechanism by which the parent compound, oltipraz, might trigger the cancer chemopreventive increase in transcription of phase 2 enzymes. The modifications of cyt c function by the oltipraz metabolite may have implications for the regulation of apoptotic cell death. PMID- 17761304 TI - Role of S-nitrosothiol transport in the cardioprotective effects of S nitrosocysteine in rat hearts. AB - The objective of this study was to determine if prior exposure of rat hearts to S nitrosocysteine (CysNO) was able to provide protection against reperfusion injury. We probed NO release using the extracellular NO scavenger oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb), and we examined the involvement of the amino acid transport system L (L AT), a known transporter of CysNO, using the L-AT competitor, L-leucine (L-Leu). Isolated (9- to 12-week-old Wistar male) rat hearts (six to eight per group) were perfused with CysNO (10 microM) for 30 min with or without the L-AT competitor L Leu (1 mM) before 30 min of ischemia. Cardiac function was assessed before, during, and after treatment and during 120 min of reperfusion after ischemia. Functional recovery (rate-pressure product) was significantly improved in the CysNO group compared to hearts in the CysNO+L-Leu group and the control group (p<0.05). Necrosis, measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, was significantly reduced in CysNO hearts (p<0.05) and this improvement was reversed by L-Leu. The NO scavenger oxyHb (20 microM) was perfused either concomitant with CysNO or just before ischemia. In neither case did oxyHb affect the cardioprotection afforded by CysNO. OxyHb alone, given in either time window, did not alter the course of ischemia-reperfusion injury. When nitrite was used in place of CysNO, no protective effects were observed. Perfusion with CysNO increased tissue S-nitrosothiol (RSNO) levels from an unmeasurable background to a value of about 15.7+/-4.1 pmol RSNO/mg protein, as measured by triiodide-based chemiluminescence in the presence and absence of mercury(II) chloride. In the presence of L-Leu, this value dropped to 0.4+/-0.3 pmol RSNO/mg protein. This study demonstrates that exposure to CysNO before ischemia increases tissue S nitrosothiol levels, improves postischemic contractile dysfunction, and attenuates necrosis. The mechanism of cardioprotection requires the uptake of CysNO via the L-AT and does not seem to involve NO release either during CysNO exposure or during ischemia. This suggests that the protective effects of CysNO are mediated through the posttranslational modification of cellular proteins through an NO-independent transnitrosation mechanism. PMID- 17761306 TI - Anxiety symptoms of new mothers during a period of recurrent, local terror. AB - OBJECTIVE: From September 2000, Israelis have been exposed to frequent terror attacks. In this study, we evaluated the severity of anxiety symptoms among Jerusalem-based mothers during the period of terror (1/2002 to 2/2005). METHOD: Women (N=595) were recruited from maternity wards in public hospitals throughout the three year interval, and each participant was administered a standardized anxiety inventory (Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI) by phone five months after giving birth. RESULTS: Results show that anxiety scores were within normal range throughout the assessment period, but were most severe early in 2002, when the casualty-toll was especially high. Psychological symptoms consistently were rated higher in severity than physiological symptoms and only physiological symptoms declined in the aftermath of attacks. Tests for risk factors revealed higher scores among young mothers (<21 years old), new immigrants (<10 years in the country), and women who delivered by c-section. CONCLUSION: Our sample did not experience high levels of anxiety despite the challenge of adapting to parenthood within a context of local terror. PMID- 17761308 TI - Psychosocial assessment following self-harm: results from the multi-centre monitoring of self-harm project. AB - BACKGROUND: Psychosocial assessment is central to the management of self-harm, but not all individuals receive an assessment following presentation to hospital. Research exploring the factors associated with assessment and non-assessment is sparse. It is unclear how assessment relates to subsequent outcome. METHODS: We identified episodes of self-harm presenting to six hospitals in the UK cities of Oxford, Leeds, and Manchester over an 18-month period (1st March 2000 to 31st August 2001). We used established monitoring systems to investigate: the proportion of episodes resulting in a specialist assessment in each hospital; the factors associated with assessment and non-assessment; the relationship between assessment and repetition of self-harm. RESULTS: A total of 7344 individuals presented with 10,498 episodes of self-harm during the study period. Overall, 60% of episodes resulted in a specialist psychosocial assessment. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of assessment included age over 55 years, current psychiatric treatment, admission to a medical ward, and ingestion of antidepressants. Factors associated with a decreased likelihood of assessment included unemployment, self-cutting, attending outside normal working hours, and self-discharge. We found no overall association between assessment and self-harm repetition, but there were differences between hospitals--assessments were protective in one hospital but associated with an increased risk of repetition in another. LIMITATIONS: Some data may have been more likely to be recorded if episodes resulted in a specialist assessment. This was a non-experimental study and so the findings relating specialist assessment to repetition should be interpreted cautiously. CONCLUSION: Many people who harm themselves, including potentially vulnerable individuals, do not receive an adequate assessment while at hospital. Staff should be aware of the organizational and clinical factors associated with non-assessment. Identifying the active components of psychosocial assessment may help to inform future interventions for self-harm. PMID- 17761307 TI - Deaths by suicide among individuals with anorexia as arbiters between competing explanations of the anorexia-suicide link. AB - BACKGROUND: Suicide is a leading cause of death among individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). In this paper, we examined competing explanations of the high rate of death by suicide among individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). METHODS: Nine case reports of individuals with AN who died by suicide were evaluated to determine whether death by suicide occurred a) because physical health was so compromised that what would be a non-lethal suicide attempt in a healthy adult became a fatal suicide attempt, or b) because highly lethal suicide attempts that would have killed any adult, healthy or medically compromised, were made. RESULTS: The findings converged with the latter hypothesis, as predicted by Joiner's [Joiner, T., 2006. Why People Die By Suicide. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA] theory of suicide, which suggests individuals with AN may habituate to the experience of pain during the course of their illness and accordingly die by suicide using methods that are highly lethal. LIMITATIONS: This study utilized case reports instead of an experimental design, which impedes its ability to comment on whether there is a causal relationship between Joiner's theory and death by suicide among individuals with AN. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians are encouraged to carefully assess suicidality in AN patients, paying particular attention to issues related to lethality. PMID- 17761309 TI - Genetic polymorphisms of macrophage-mediators in Guillain-Barre syndrome. AB - Macrophages infiltrate peripheral nerves and may contribute to neural damage in the Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). We determined whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in genes encoding macrophage-mediators are related to the susceptibility and severity of GBS. The frequencies of SNP in the TNFA, MMP9, IL10, and NOS2a genes did not differ between 263 GBS patients and 210 healthy subjects. The MMP9 C(-1562)T and TNFA C(-863)A SNP were associated with severe weakness and poor outcome, indicating that these SNP may be one of the factors predisposing to a severe form of GBS. PMID- 17761310 TI - Whole-heart magnetic resonance imaging of isolated subpulmonary stenosis accompanied by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. AB - Isolated subvalvular pulmonary stenosis (ISPS) is a rare condition, and it is often accompanied by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. However, diagnosis of ISPS is obscure because of difficulty in comprehension of three-dimensional cardiac anatomy. Whole-heart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a new, totally non invasive technique which allows not only depiction of the coronary artery system, but also three-dimensional comprehension of the cardiac structure. We describe a patient with ISPS associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in whom whole heart MRI was useful to detect and evaluate the cause of ISPS. PMID- 17761311 TI - Identification of hibernating myocardium with myocardial contrast echocardiography: comparison with late gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance. AB - Very little is known about the accuracy of intravenous myocardial contrast echocadiography (MCE) in the detection of myocardial hibernation. There are also currently no data on the comparison of MCE to late gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (LGE-MR) in this clinical setting. The aim of this pilot study was to predict recovery of regional function in patients with ischemic LV dysfunction undergoing bypass surgery and to compare the accuracy of MCE with LGE-MR in this clinical setting. The sensitivity of preserved myocardial perfusion during MCE for segmental function recovery (hibernating myocardium) of akinetic segments was 78% and was similar to LGE-MR (87%, p--NS). Specificity of MCE was higher than for LGE-CMR (72%, and 52%, respectively; p<0.01). This pilot study has showed good diagnostic accuracy of MCE for prediction of function recovery after bypass surgery, which is comparable to "gold standard" in assessing myocardial viability -LGE-MR. PMID- 17761312 TI - Mutation-specific effects of lidocaine in Brugada syndrome. AB - Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a hereditary cardiac disease characterized by right bundle-branch block, an elevation of the ST-segment in leads V1 through V3 on the electrocardiogram, and ventricular fibrillation that can lead to sudden cardiac death. Mutations in the cardiac sodium channel gene SCN5A, which encodes the alpha-subunit of the human cardiac voltage-dependent Na+ channel (Na(v)1.5), are identified in 15-30% of patients with BrS. Most SCN5A mutations lead to a 'loss of-function' phenotype, reducing the Na+ current during the early phases of the action potential. Anti-arrhythmic drugs that affect Na+ channels typically block these Na+ channels, thereby exaggerating the ECG abnormalities and arrhythmogenicity in the BrS. However, the N406S mutation in SCN5A causes distinct gating defects and enhanced intermediate inactivation of Na+ channels, which led to unexpected pharmacological effects of lidocaine in a patient carrying this mutation. In the presence of the N406S mutation, use-dependent block by lidocaine is reduced and recovery from intermediate inactivation is hastened by lidocaine. These findings suggest that lidocaine may improve the Brugada phenotype in patients with N406S by increasing the availability of Na+ channels. PMID- 17761313 TI - Complete fracture and restenosis of sirolimus-eluting stent in ostial saphenous vein graft. AB - Although the use of a sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) have markedly reduced neointimal proliferation, in-stent restenosis still occurs in some cases. SES fracture was recently suggested as a new potential mechanism of restenosis. We described a rare case of complete SES fracture combined with significant restenosis, due to failure of drug delivery to the vessel wall, in the ostial saphenous vein graft (SVG). The curvature of the SVG during cardiac contractions with perivascular adhesion and fibrosis in the limited intra-thoracic space may induce high mechanical stresses at the ostial SVG. The cause of complete SES fracture in the present case was most likely mechanical stresses resulting from cardiac contractions. PMID- 17761315 TI - Evaluating clinical information: the role of the review article. PMID- 17761314 TI - Extent of myocardial ischemia during coronary occlusion in single vessel disease. A comparison between patients with exercise-induced angina and patients with recurrent angina at rest. AB - Patients with exercise angina >2 months (n:13) showed significantly lower SigmaST elevation during 120 s balloon coronary occlusion than those with =<2 months (n:7), or those with angina at rest <=2 days (n:8) but similar to patients with angina at rest >2 days (n:7). These results underscore the importance of the kind and duration of angina in limiting the extent of ischemia during coronary occlusion. PMID- 17761316 TI - Mechanical testing of seven fixation methods for generation of compression across a midtarsal osteotomy: a comparison of internal and external fixation devices. AB - The purpose of this study was to assess 7 methods of fixation for a midtarsal osteotomy. Polyurethane foam models (N = 6) and cadaver specimens (N = 4-7) were used to examine the force generated by the different constructs of fixation. A midtarsal osteotomy was performed on each specimen in the test groups. The osteotomies were fixated either with 2 parallel 0.062-in Kirschner wires and 40 mm-long, 4-mm partially threaded, cancellous, cannulated titanium screws, an external ring fixator (frame), a frame with wires tensioned (tension), a frame with wires tensioned and compressed toward the osteotomy (tension and compression), a frame with tension, compression, and parallel Kirschner wires, or a frame with tension, compression, and two 4.0 cannulated parallel screws, respectively. Each model was fixated, and the force generated by the construct across the osteotomy was recorded via the use of pressure-sensitive film. Statistical analysis of the data in the polyurethane foam group determined that the use of frame with tension, compression, and two 4.0 parallel cannulated screws was statistically superior to 1) frame, 2) frame with tension, 3) 2 parallel Kirschner wires, 4) two 4.0 cannulated parallel screws, and 5) frame with tension and compression. A cadaver study determined that the frame with tension, compression, and 2 parallel Kirschner wires was statistically superior to 1) frame and 2) two parallel Kirschner wires. These findings suggest that there is a difference in the force generated by the type of fixation construct across a midtarsal osteotomy. PMID- 17761317 TI - End-to-end versus augmented repair in the treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures. AB - We prospectively analyzed the functional and clinical results of patients who underwent a single end-to-end suture and an augmented tendon repair with plantaris tendon at middle-term follow-up. From January 2003 to May 2005, 30 consecutive patients were operated on for the treatment of acute Achilles' tendon rupture by means of 2 different methods. No cases required adjunctive procedures to allow for acceptable end-to-end apposition. All ruptures were acute and repairable. The patients were divided into 2 groups. In group 1, augmentation with plantaris tendon was performed in addition to the Krakow end-to-end suturing technique in 16 patients, and in group 2, only the Krakow end-to-end suturing technique was used in 14 patients. The average age of the patients was 40.6 years. Patients in the study groups were followed up at a mean of 17.8 months after surgery. At the end of the follow-up, functional and subjective outcome scores were evaluated. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society hindfoot clinical outcome scores were 96.7 in group 1 and 98.8 in group 2. Although there was a numerical increase in group 2, no significant difference was determined between the 2 study groups statistically. The surgical outcome concerning local tenderness, skin adhesion scar, and tendon thickness was better in group 2 than in group 1 without a statistical significance. Although functional outcomes of both treatment groups were the same, the end-to-end suturing technique provided a safer and more reliable treatment with a low risk of complications in the treatment of acute Achilles' tendon ruptures compared with the plantaris tendon augmentation technique. PMID- 17761318 TI - Bicortical screw fixation of distal fibula fractures with a lateral plate: an anatomic and biomechanical study of a new technique. AB - One of the potential drawbacks of lateral plating of distal fibula fractures is less than satisfactory fixation of unicortical screws commonly placed in the distal fragment to avoid implant penetration of the ankle joint. This study examines the anatomy of the distal fibula, proposes new techniques for bicortical screw fixation and radiographic evaluation of screw placement, and compares pullout strength of unicortical versus bicortical screws in this area. Sixteen pairs of human cadaver feet were used in this study. It was found that a large percentage of the surface area of the distal fibula is nonarticular and that the distal fibula could be divided into 3 zones with distinct anatomic features. Zone I is defined as the distal most 1.5 cm of the fibula, zone II is the next 1 cm of fibula proximal to zone I, and zone III is defined as the fibula above the ankle joint, starting at just over 2.5 cm proximal to the tip of the fibula. We determined a safe corridor for bicortical screw placement by means of a lateral plate in each zone. An improved radiographic view is described for confirmation of extraarticular screw placement. Screw pullout testing was performed on 8 pairs of fresh-frozen human cadaver fibulas. In both zone I and zone II, the bicortical screw fixation was significantly stronger than the unicortical screw fixation. In zone I, the average pullout strength for the bicortical screw fixation was 2.3 times higher than the unicortical screw fixation. In zone II, the average pullout strength for the bicortical screw fixation was 3.3 times higher than the unicortical screw fixation. This study shows that not only is bicortical screw placement in the distal fibula technically feasible, but it is also biomechanically stronger than unicortical placement in this area. PMID- 17761319 TI - Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for chronic painful heel syndrome: a prospective, double blind, randomized trial assessing the efficacy of a new electromagnetic shock wave device. AB - Published data describing the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the treatment of plantar heel pain provide conflicting results, and optimal treatment guidelines are yet to be determined. To assess the efficacy and safety of extracorporeal shockwave therapy compared with placebo in the treatment of chronic painful heel syndrome with a new electromagnetic device, we undertook a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted among 40 participants who were randomly allocated to either active, focused extracorporeal shockwave therapy (0.25 mJ/mm(2)) or sham shockwave therapy. Both groups received 3 applications of 2000 shockwave impulses, each session 1 week apart. The primary outcome was the change in composite heel pain (morning pain, pain with activities of daily living, and pain upon application of pressure with a focal force meter) as quantified using a visual analog pain scale at 12 weeks after completion of the interventions compared with baseline. Secondary endpoints included changes in morning pain, pain with activities of daily living, and pain upon application of pressure with a focal force meter, as measured on a visual analog pain scale, as well as the change in the Roles and Maudsley score, at 12 weeks after the baseline measurement. Active extracorporeal shockwave therapy resulted in a 73.2% reduction in composite heel pain, and this was a 32.7% greater reduction than that achieved with placebo. The difference was not statistically significant (1-tailed Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney U test, P =.0302), but reached clinical relevance (Mann-Whitney effect size = 0.6737). In regard to the secondary outcomes, active extracorporeal shockwave therapy displayed relative superiority in comparison with the sham intervention. No relevant adverse events occurred in either intervention group. The results of the present study support the use of electromagnetically generated extracorporeal shockwave therapy for the treatment of refractory plantar heel pain. PMID- 17761320 TI - Maintenance of correction of first metatarsal closing base wedge osteotomies versus modified Lapidus arthrodesis for moderate to severe hallux valgus deformity. AB - A retrospective radiographic review of 57 feet was conducted to compare maintenance of correction of the modified Lapidus arthrodesis with the first metatarsal closing base wedge osteotomy for moderate to severe hallux valgus deformity. Radiographic parameters were measured on the preoperative, early postoperative, and greater than 11-month postoperative weightbearing radiographs. These measurements included the intermetatarsal angle, the hallux abductus angle, and the tibial sesamoid position. The patients who underwent the closing base wedge osteotomy had an average initial intermetatarsal correction of 10.4 degrees; for the modified Lapidus arthrodesis, it was 7.6 degrees. The patients who underwent the closing base wedge osteotomy had an average loss of intermetatarsal correction of 2.55 degrees from early to late postoperative radiographs; for the modified Lapidus arthrodesis, it was 1.08 degrees. Our results demonstrated that the modified Lapidus arthrodesis maintains correction to a greater degree than the first metatarsal closing base wedge osteotomy with statistical significance (P = .0039). Both the modified Lapidus arthrodesis and the first metatarsal closing base wedge osteotomy are effective procedures with respect to degree of radiographic correction for moderate to severe hallux valgus deformities. PMID- 17761321 TI - Primary closure of lawn mower injuries to the foot: a case series. AB - The standard initial treatment of lawn mower injuries to the foot consists of prompt administration of parenteral antibiotics, debridement of devitalized tissue, irrigation, repair of traumatized vascular structures, and stabilization of osseous fractures. The primary closure of these wounds at the initial operation is a controversial concept. The authors performed a retrospective study of 9 lawn mower injuries in which primary closure was performed. Medical records were evaluated, and 7 patients were reached for follow-up interviews. The hospital courses for this patient population were remarkably lower than those previously reported in the literature. No patient required further admission to the hospital or surgical intervention. The postinjury functional evaluation mean score was 97.6%. The results demonstrate that this treatment method can be an effective means for treating this mutilating injury in the foot. PMID- 17761322 TI - Predictors of postoperative complications of Ilizarov external ring fixators in the foot and ankle. AB - Our objective was to determine factors associated with complications of Ilizarov external ring fixator surgery for foot and ankle disorders in persons with diabetes mellitus. We reviewed the records of patients who underwent Charcot foot reconstruction or soft tissue offloading surgery over 1 year at a single institution. We compared the association of serious pin tract infection, pin fracture, and surgical wound dehiscence with the patient age, weight, duration device was used, preoperative glucose, preoperative hemoglobin, tourniquet time, and total operating time. Fifteen patients (16 limbs) underwent reconstructive surgery. Younger age, elevated preoperative glucose, and lengthy tourniquet times were associated with complications (P = .03). These data demonstrate that 2 modifiable factors (preoperative hyperglycemia and tourniquet time) predict complications and should be mitigated to lower risk. PMID- 17761323 TI - Arthroscopic assisted fixation of juvenile intra-articular epiphyseal ankle fractures. AB - The purpose of this study was to present the long-term follow-up of a case series of arthroscopically assisted fixation of juvenile intraarticular epiphyseal ankle fractures. The functional and radiographic outcomes of 6 patients with a range of follow-up of 1 to 5 years were evaluated. Five of the 6 patients had triplane injuries, whereas the remaining patient sustained a juvenile Tillaux fracture. All of the patients returned to full activity within 14 weeks of surgery, and none of the patients had any restriction in the ankle range of motion at the time of last follow-up. The results of this small series of patients suggest that arthroscopic-assisted, percutaneous fixation of intraarticular juvenile epiphyseal ankle fractures is an effective, less invasive surgical technique. Several surgical maneuvers that are helpful in the consistent execution of this technique are also mentioned. PMID- 17761324 TI - Clear cell hidradenoma of the ankle. AB - Clear cell hidradenoma is a relatively common, benign eccrine neoplasm with rare presentations in the foot and ankle. Variable clinical and histopathologic characteristics of the tumor warrant careful consideration over primary and recurrent malignancy, particularly eccrine carcinoma. The first known case of primary benign clear cell hidradenoma of the ankle is presented with imaging studies, surgical management, and clinicopathologic correlation, distinguishing the neoplasm from its malignant counterparts. PMID- 17761325 TI - Significant forefoot varus deformity resulting in progressive stress fractures of all lesser metatarsal bones. AB - Stress fractures may occur in any bone, but appear most frequently in the metatarsal bones. Consecutive stress fractures of all lesser metatarsals in a short period are rare, and only a few cases have been described in the literature. We report an unusual case of a young man with consecutive stress fractures of four adjacent lesser metatarsal bones. The etiology was in all probability the fixed forefoot varus deformity. This foot deformity may impose increased mechanical loads across the lateral aspect of the foot that, in turn, may result in stress fractures involving the lesser metatarsals. In our patient conservative treatment finally resulted in a satisfactory outcome. PMID- 17761326 TI - Unusually large pedal schwannoma. AB - We present a rare case of an unusually large schwannoma of the posterior tibial nerve that extended through the tarsal tunnel into the forefoot. Radiographic, computerized tomographic and magnetic resonance images supported the diagnosis, and the diagnosis was confirmed by pathological analysis. We found this schwannoma to be unique because of the combination of its location and extensive involvement of the foot. PMID- 17761327 TI - Recurrent hypertrophic peroneal tubercle associated with peroneus brevis tendon tear. AB - Stenosing peroneal tenosynovitis resulting from hypertrophy of the peroneal tubercle has been well described. Successful surgical treatment addresses the hypertrophied peroneal tubercle as well as any intrinsic tendon pathology. We report a case of recurrent foot pain caused by stenosing peroneal tenosynovitis in a 16-year-old woman. Four months after excision of a hypertrophic peroneal tubercle, the patient developed a recurrence of symptoms. Imaging studies, repeat operative exploration, and pathologic specimen demonstrated a recurrence of the peroneal tubercle hypertrophy associated with a longitudinal tear of the peroneus brevis tendon. Re-resection of the hypertrophied tubercle and peroneal tendon repair resulted in a resolution of symptoms. PMID- 17761328 TI - Posterior capsular avulsion fracture of the calcaneus: an uncommon avulsion fracture. PMID- 17761329 TI - Percutaneous autologous bone marrow harvest from the calcaneus and proximal tibia: surgical technique. PMID- 17761330 TI - Cardiovascular effects of propranolol in patients with alcohol dependence during withdrawal. AB - The cardiovascular effects of the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol (40 mg) were compared in 20 alcohol-dependent subjects during alcohol withdrawal syndrome (WS; n=10) on days 1, 2, 3, and 10 to those during remission (n=10; 50 +/- 7.7 days). Significant differences were observed in negative chronotropic and hypotensive effects during withdrawal compared to remission. The initial level of hemodynamics prior to propranolol administration was the most important factor modifying the drug responses. The amount of daily consumption of alcohol also predicted to some extent the effects of propranolol. The WS-related changes in peripheral and central beta-adrenergic system were most likely responsible for the differences in propranolol actions. PMID- 17761331 TI - Personality, gender and brain oscillations. AB - The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between personality structure and brain activity of individuals while resting with eyes closed. In the experiment 110 individuals participated (55 males and 55 females). They were clustered into 5 personality types according to the dimensions of general and emotional intelligence, and the five-factor personality model (FFM) -- extraversion (E), neuroticism (N), openness (O), conscientiousness (C) and agreeableness (A). The resting EEG of individuals was analyzed using three methods: a Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT); Approximated entropy (ApEn), and a low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA). The results show that most robust differences between personality types were observed in the gamma band, between types with extreme constellations of dimensions (neurotic type - low emotional intelligence and A; high N), or between types with specific combinations of dimensions (introverts with high IQ, versus extraverts with low to average IQ). These differences were also gender specific. In the gamma band females with different personality structures differed much more than did males, whereas in the lower-1 alpha band a reverse pattern was observed. It was further shown that the differences were much more pronounced in the parieto-occipital brain areas than in the frontal areas. PMID- 17761332 TI - Chromatographic methods for the simultaneous determination of mycotoxins and their conjugates in cereals. AB - About 300-400 mycotoxins are known today. To some extent these compounds show very different physicochemical properties, which led to a vast quantity of analytical methods for single toxins or certain classes of mycotoxins in a variety of matrices. Due to synergistic effects of co-occurring toxins, endeavors have been made to simultaneously detect and quantify several classes of mycotoxins. This paper discusses several of the published LC-MS/MS multi mycotoxin-methods and also introduces a new method, which allows the concurrent detection and quantification of 90 major mycotoxins and other secondary fungal metabolites in cereals. Even more, known plant derived metabolites of mycotoxins, like zearalenone-4-glucoside or deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside are included in this method. The significance of mycotoxin conjugates is briefly discussed as well. PMID- 17761333 TI - A collaborative study on a Nordic standard protocol for detection and enumeration of thermotolerant Campylobacter in food (NMKL 119, 3. Ed., 2007). AB - A Nordic standard protocol for detection and enumeration of thermotolerant Campylobacter in food has been elaborated (NMKL 119, 3. Ed., 2007). Performance and precision characteristics of this protocol were evaluated in a collaborative study with participation of 14 laboratories from seven European countries. The laboratories performed qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative analyses on samples of chicken meat, cut lettuce, and milk artificially inoculated with different concentrations including blank duplicates of one strain of Campylobacter coli (SLV-271) and one strain of Campylobacter jejuni (SLV-542). Expected concentrations (95% C.I.) (cfu g(-1) or ml(-1)) of both strains in matrices were 0.6-1.4 and 23-60 for qualitative detection, and 0.6-1.4; 23-60; and 420-1200 for semi-quantitative detection. For quantitative determination, the expected concentrations of C. jejuni/C. coli were 420-1200/580-1100; 2100 6000/6300-11,000; and 4100-11,000/53,000-97,000 cfu g(-1) or ml(-1). The qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques resulted in comparable detection. The overall specificity and sensitivity of the detection techniques was 98.6% (95% C.I.: 95.1-99.8%) and 82.8% (C.I.: 78.4-86.6%), respectively. The sensitivity was not influenced by food matrix (P=0.359), but was significantly lower for C. coli compared to C. jejuni (P=0.007) and for concentrations below 1.4 cfu g(-1) (P<0.001). The detection techniques were therefore only considered satisfactory for detection of Campylobacter concentrations above approximately 25 cfu g(-1) for all matrices tested, which was supported by calculation of values for accordance, concordance, and concordance odds ratio. No statistical difference was found between enumerations obtained by the semi-quantitative and quantitative techniques for comparable concentrations of Campylobacter (420-1200 cfu g(-1) or cfu ml(-1)) (P=0.104). Both techniques underestimated concentrations of thermotolerant Campylobacter in milk. The semi-quantitative technique estimated low inoculation levels of Campylobacter more correctly than the high inoculation levels. Counts obtained on the two selective plating media, Abeyta Hunt-Bark agar added to it 0.1% triphenyl tetrazolium chloride and modified charcoal cephoperazone desoxycholate agar were not significantly different (P=0.143). Expressed as an absolute difference between log(10)-transformed results, the overall values for repeatability (r) and reproducibility (R) were r=log(10) 0.43 and R=log(10) 1.99, respectively. By omitting results from laboratories with high level of variability in results, R was reduced to log(10) 1.88. We suggest that the poor detection of low numbers, the underestimation in milk samples, and the large variation between laboratories can be explained by the general difficulties in handling Campylobacter. In conclusion, NMKL 119, 3. Ed., 2007, is regarded as an acceptable protocol for detection of thermotolerant Campylobacter at concentrations above 25 cfu g(-1) and also for enumeration of thermotolerant Campylobacter in chicken meat. PMID- 17761334 TI - Influence of Campylobacter jejuni fliA, rpoN and flgK genes on colonization of the chicken gut. AB - Campylobacter jejuni, a commensal Gram-negative motile bacterium commonly found in chickens is a frequent cause of human gastrointestinal infections. The polar flagellum of C. jejuni is an important virulence and colonization factor, providing motility to the cell as well as a type III secretion function. The flagellar biosynthesis genes fliA (sigma28) and rpoN (sigma54) of C. jejuni regulate a large number of genes involved in motility, protein secretion and invasion, which have been shown to be important factors for the virulence of this organism. To understand the role of the flagellar sigma factors, sigma28 and sigma54, in regulating colonization of the chicken intestinal tract, we assessed fliA and rpoN mutants of C. jejuni NCTC11168 for their ability to secrete Cia proteins and to adhere to and invade Hela cells. The mutants were also tested for their in vivo colonization potential in a chicken model with two different challenge doses. The fliA mutant showed reduced motility (25% that of the wild type) but secreted Cia proteins, yet it did not colonize the chicken cecum. The rpoN mutant cells lacked the spiral shape of C. jejuni and motility was reduced to 10% of the wild-type. The rpoN mutant did not secrete any Cia proteins but RT PCR analysis showed the presence of ciaB mRNA, indicating that ciaB gene expression was independent of sigma54. Not surprisingly, the colonization defects of both fliA and rpoN mutants were more severe than the flgK mutant. We also demonstrated that FlgK, the hook filament junction protein of C. jejuni, is required for assembly of the flagellar secretory apparatus and an flgK mutant of C. jejuni expressing only the hook showed diminished motility and was completely attenuated for cecal colonization in chickens. PMID- 17761335 TI - Drug discovery for malaria: a very challenging and timely endeavor. AB - The prevalence of resistance to known antimalarial drugs has resulted in the expansion of antimalarial drug discovery efforts. Academic and nonprofit institutions are partnering with the pharmaceutical industry to develop new antimalarial drugs. Several new antimalarial agents are undergoing clinical trials, mainly those resurrected from previous antimalarial drug discovery programs. Novel antimalarials are being advanced through the drug development process, of course, with the anticipated high failure rate typical of drug discovery. Many of these are summarized in this review. Mechanisms for funding antimalarial drug discovery and genomic information to aid drug target selection have never been better. It remains to be seen whether ongoing efforts will be sufficient for reducing malaria burden in the developing world. PMID- 17761336 TI - Cyclodextrin/carbopol micro-scale interpenetrating networks (ms-IPNs) for drug delivery. AB - Cross-linking of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP beta CD) with ethyleneglycol diglycidylether (EGDE) in carbopol dispersions enabled the synthesis of cyclodextrin hydrogels with domains of interpenetrating acrylic microgels (micro scale-IPNs) in a single step under mild conditions. As carbopol proportion increased, the hardness and compressibility of the ms-IPNs decreased, but their bioadhesion force and pH-responsiveness rose. Control HP beta CD hydrogel and ms IPNs were loaded with estradiol and ketoconazole by immersion in drug suspensions, some of which were autoclaved to enhance (up to a 50%) drug/cyclodextrin affinity. ms-IPNs prepared with 0.8% or 1.0% carbopol showed the highest loading due to their greater swelling degree and, consequently, mesh size. The total loading of the ms-IPNs greatly exceeded (up to 200-fold) the amount dissolved in their aqueous phase, which highlights the main role of drug complexation with the cross-linked cyclodextrins. The affinity of the drug for HP beta CD sustained the release for several days; the rate being also dependent on carbopol content and on pH of the medium. Therefore, an adequate design of the HP beta CD/carbopol ms-IPNs provides a single material with tunable mechanical properties, in which the complexation ability of cyclodextrins is combined with the bioadhesive and pH-responsive properties of carbopol. The ms-IPNs are potentially useful as vehicles of relatively hydrophobic substances. PMID- 17761342 TI - A multi-directional tracer test in the fractured Chalk aquifer of E. Yorkshire, UK. AB - A multi-borehole radial tracer test has been conducted in the confined Chalk aquifer of E. Yorkshire, UK. Three different tracer dyes were injected into three injection boreholes and a central borehole, 25 m from the injection boreholes, was pumped at 330 m(3)/d for 8 days. The breakthrough curves show that initial breakthrough and peak times were fairly similar for all dyes but that recoveries varied markedly from 9 to 57%. The breakthrough curves show a steep rise to a peak and long tail, typical of dual porosity aquifers. The breakthrough curves were simulated using a 1D dual porosity model. Model input parameters were constrained to acceptable ranges determined from estimations of matrix porosity and diffusion coefficient, fracture spacing, initial breakthrough times and bulk transmissivity of the aquifer. The model gave equivalent hydraulic apertures for fractures in the range 363-384 microm, dispersivities of 1 to 5 m and matrix block sizes of 6 to 9 cm. Modelling suggests that matrix block size is the primary controlling parameter for solute transport in the aquifer, particularly for recovery. The observed breakthrough curves suggest results from single injection-borehole tracer tests in the Chalk may give initial breakthrough and peak times reasonably representative of the aquifer but that recovery is highly variable and sensitive to injection and abstraction borehole location. Consideration of aquifer heterogeneity suggests that high recoveries may be indicative of a high flow pathway adjacent, but not necessarily connected, to the injection and abstraction boreholes whereas low recoveries may indicate more distributed flow through many fractures of similar aperture. PMID- 17761343 TI - In hemocytes from Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk., treatment with corticotropin or growth factors conditions catecholamine release. AB - The cells in charge of the innate immune response in the sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk. are the hemocytes, which have the capacity to release catecholamines when subjected to stressing conditions. Hemocytes were kept in culture before stimulation. That is, their behaviour was not studied immediately after extraction from the mollusc, as happens in most studies. This avoids the interference and variability caused by the conditions in which mussels may be when collected. This work describes the great variability found in the pattern of catecholamine release when the hemocytes are stimulated with either corticotropins or growth factors. Dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline release differs with each of the inducers assayed, with stimulation time and with the season of hemocyte collection. One of the results presented is particularly remarkable; such is the great amount of adrenaline and noradrenaline released to the medium when the hemocytes obtained in summer are stimulated with transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) for 60 min. PMID- 17761344 TI - Signaling molecules involved in production and regulation of IL-1beta by murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro on treatment with concanavalin A. AB - In the present study we report the activation of murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro on treatment with Concanavalin A (ConA). ConA (10 microg/ml) treatment of macrophages resulted in the transcription of IL-1beta gene at 16 h and maximum production of IL-1beta at 24 h. To investigate the signaling molecules involved in the production of IL-1beta different pharmacological inhibitors were used. It was observed that genestein, wortmannin, H-7, TMB-8, PD98059, SB202190, and tyrophostin (AG490) down regulated the expression of IL-1beta. These observations suggested the involvement of tyrosine kinase, PI3 kinase, protein kinase C, p42/44, p38, Ca(++) and JAK2 signaling molecules in ConA induced production of IL 1beta by macrophages. Maximum protein tyrosine kinase activity and expression of PI3K in macrophages was seen at 5 min, PKC activity and Ca(++) release was found at 10 min after ConA treatment. Maximum expression of phospho-JAK2 at 2.5-5 min, phospho-p42/44 at 5-60 min, phospho-p38 at 15-30 min, phospho-IkappaB and phospho Stat1 at 30-60 min and phospho-ELK1, c-Fos, phospho-Stat3 at 60 min of ConA treatment was observed. Pharmacological inhibitors were also used to check the cascade of activation of tyrosine kinase, PKC, PI3 kinase, p42/44, p38, JAK kinase and release of Ca(++) from intracellular storage to sort out the signaling pathways involved in the release of IL-1beta by macrophages on treatment with ConA in vitro. PMID- 17761346 TI - Mechanism of HDAC inhibitor FR235222-mediated IL-2 transcriptional repression in Jurkat cells. AB - Interleukin (IL)-2 is an essential cytokine in T cell proliferation and homeostasis. The importance of IL-2 down-regulation in preventing acute rejection in organ transplantation and the development of autoimmune diseases has been demonstrated by the therapeutic usefulness of the widely used immunosuppressants cyclosporine A and FK506. Recently, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, FR235222, has been shown to inhibit IL-2 gene expression and to possess immunosuppressive activity in vivo. To elucidate the inhibitory mechanism of FR235222 in IL-2 gene expression, we performed Affymetrix GeneChip analysis of activated Jurkat cells treated with or without FR235222. Here, we show that many NF-kappaB-regulated genes are transcriptionally down-regulated by FR235222 in activated Jurkat cells. Further, luciferase reporter assays revealed that FR235222 selectively inhibits NF-kappaB activity without impairing NF-AT or AP-1 at the concentrations at which it potently inhibits IL-2 promoter activation. These results indicate that FR235222 inhibits IL-2 gene expression via a different mechanism to CsA and FK506, and that FR235222 has the ability to inhibit NF-kappaB activity, which may be partly related to the potent inhibition of IL-2 gene expression by FR235222. Our findings may help our understanding of the molecular mechanism of the inhibition of IL-2 gene expression by HDAC inhibitors and provide insight into the development of more effective and safer new immunosuppressants. PMID- 17761345 TI - Apoptosis of murine lupus T cells induced by the selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential. AB - Upregulation of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with their resistance to functional inactivation (anergy) and to activation-induced cell death through apoptosis. It has been demonstrated that celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, can enhance apoptosis of human lupus T cells. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether COX-2 expression is also upregulated in T cells from the lupus-prone BXBS strain of mice and if murine lupus is modified by celecoxib. COX-2 expression was detected in splenic T cells from 6 month-old male BXSB mice (murine lupus T cells) but not in T cells from 2 month-old male or 6-month-old female BXSB or in 6-month-old male C57BL/6 mice, indicating a strong correlation between COX-2 expression in T cells and lupus manifestation in mice. Celecoxib treatment induced apoptosis of murine lupus T cells in vitro, which was inhibited by z-VAD fmk, a pan-caspase inhibitor. In the murine lupus T cells treated with celecoxib, procaspases 3 and 9, but not procaspase 8, were activated. In addition, celecoxib treatment decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential of murine lupus T cells. These data combine to suggest that celecoxib mainly uses the mitochondrial pathway rather than FADD pathway to trigger apoptosis of COX-2 expressing murine lupus T cells. Intragastric administration of celecoxib (40 mg/kg/day for 60 days) in 6-month-old male BXSB mice effectively limited the production of serum antibodies against dsDNA. Our data suggest that celecoxib may have a beneficial effect in treating autoimmune diseases such as SLE through inducing apoptosis of autoreactive T cells. PMID- 17761347 TI - Detection of IgM and IgG complexes provides new insight into immune regulation of patients with malignancies: a randomized controlled trial. AB - Ig/Ig two-component-determined circulating immune complex (TCIC) may reveal alteration in immune regulation in patients. In the current study, IgM and IgG TCIC was investigated in sera of patients suffering from esophagus, intestine, lung, nasopharyngeal, ovarian, breast, uterine and thyroid cancers, and hepatocellular carcinoma, Hodgkins lymphoma, non-Hodgkins lymphoma. This investigation was performed by detection of IgM/IgG-TCIC and IgG/IgM-TCIC with the use of ELISA by the reciprocal use of coating and detecting antibodies. The current study was carried out in 979 patients with these cancers and 401 healthy controls. We found that down-regulated IgM/IgG-TCIC was a common feature in these patients, whereas levels of IgG/IgM-TCIC showed significantly higher, lower or no difference with respect to the control. In summary, our results suggest that IgM and IgG-TCIC may play an important role in immune regulation during the course of malignancies and may be a hallmark for cancer pathogenesis. Decreased IgM/IgG TCIC, accompanied by diverse IgG/IgM-TCIC, forms a peculiar trait in malignancies. Our findings thus provide new insights into immune regulation in patients with malignancies. PMID- 17761348 TI - Protective effect of lipoic acid on oxidative and peroxidative damage in cyclosporine A-induced renal toxicity. AB - Free radical generation, including reactive nitrogen and reactive oxygen species, is known to participate in cell physiology in both a positive and negative manner. Moreover, alterations in their concentrations are implicated in a number of renal diseases. However, there is evidence that high concentration of nitric oxide (NO) occurring as a result of iNOS induction and peroxynitrite formation, is capable of causing lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation in cyclosporine A (CsA) induced cellular damage. The present study was conducted to investigate the possible protective role of Lipoic acid (LA) in nitric oxide mediated cellular abnormalities induced by CsA in rat kidney. Adult male albino rats of Wistar strain were given CsA at a dose of 25 mg/kg body weight, orally for 21 days. An extensive elevation in the activities of xanthine oxidase was noted in the renal tissue of the CsA administered rats. These changes were associated with significant increase in the levels of plasma lipid peroxidation with high protein carbonyl contents and 3-nitrotyrosine formation coupled with diminished protein thiols. In addition, plasma nitrite/nitrate (NO(x)), RT-PCR for inducible NOS (iNOS) mRNA, and immunohistochemically demonstrable iNOS protein were evaluated to assess peroxidative damage. Concomitant treatment with LA (20 mg/kg body weight, orally for 21 days showed that the oxidative stress alteration were significantly decreased in CsA treated renal tissue. While the expression of iNOS and the amounts of NO(x) were decreased simultaneously. These results indicate that the antioxidant LA might have a protective effect against CsA-induced peroxidative changes and cellular damage of the renal tissue of the rat. PMID- 17761349 TI - Inflammation pro-resolving potential of 3,4-dihydroxyacetophenone through 15 deoxy-delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 in murine macrophages. AB - 3,4-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP), an active component isolated from leaves of Tumaodongqing (Ilex Pubescens Hook. Et Arn. Var glaber Chang), is initially used to treat cardiovascular diseases. Previously, we found it had anti-inflammatory effect on macrophages by reducing the production of TNF-alpha in vitro. To further determine whether DHAP could influence inflammatory resolution, 15-deoxy Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2) (15dPGJ(2)), an arachidonic acid metabolite and also crucial pro-resolving mediator in inflammation, was chosen as the research target. It showed that 10(-5) M DHAP resulted in obvious increase of 15dPGJ(2) in LPS-activated macrophages. Further, inflammation related cytokines and cell apoptosis were also studied. We found DHAP could markedly inhibit LPS-stimulated production of TNF-alpha. However, it could not change the level of IL-10 obviously. At the same time, LPS-triggered apoptosis of macrophage was enhanced by DHAP significantly. After different kinds of cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors were administrated, it showed that the effects of DHAP on TNF-alpha and apoptosis were COX-2 dependent. While, inhibition of both COX-1 and COX-2 with indomethacin and administration of 15dPGJ(2) simultaneous reserved the effect of DHAP to inhibit TNF-alpha and enhance apoptosis in LPS-activated macrophages at least partly. The level of COX-2 mRNA and protein were also detected. It was showed that DHAP could increase the expression of COX-2 at both mRNA and protein levels in LPS-activated macrophages. Our results suggest that DHAP could accelerate resolution phase of acute inflammation though enhance the production of 15dPGJ(2), which was also proved to mediate the function of DHAP to inhibit TNF alpha and enhance apoptosis in vitro. These results are potentially valuable for future use of DHAP. PMID- 17761350 TI - Successful treatment of collagen-induced arthritis in non-human primates by chimeric anti-osteopontin antibody. AB - The presence of thrombin-cleaved form of osteopontin well correlated with various inflammatory disease activities in not only rodents, but also humans. We previously demonstrated that the blocking of the interaction of a cryptic epitope within osteopontin, which is exposed by thrombin cleavage, with its integrins by specific antibody recognizing cryptic epitope of mouse osteopontin, could significantly inhibits the development of arthritis in mice. We generated a murine monoclonal antibody, 2K1, specifically recognizing a cryptic epitope of human osteopontin, SVVYGLR. We constructed a chimeric antibody, C2K1 in which variable region of 2K1 was fused with human IgG1 constant region. In the present study, we investigated whether the therapeutic administration of C2K1 could ameliorate the established collagen-induced arthritis in cynomolgus monkey. Thus, C2K1 was injected after the onset of arthritis. The inhibition of joint swelling by C2K1 became evident at 4 to 5 weeks after initiation of arthritis, when blood level of C2K1 was peaked. Joint swelling reappeared along with the sharp decline of C2K1 blood levels at 6 weeks. Importantly, destruction of bone and cartilage in joints was still significantly prevented at 10 weeks when blood level of C2K1 was quite low if any and anti-C2K1 antibody emerged. These results demonstrate that neutralizing antibody against the cryptic epitope of osteopontin can be a future therapeutic choice for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. PMID- 17761351 TI - Inhibition of in vitro tumor cell proliferation by cytokines induced by combinations of TLR or TLR and TCR agonists. AB - The objective of this study was to learn from in vitro studies how to better utilize Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists in controlling tumor growth. One of the primary effects of TLR agonists is induction of cytokine and chemokine production. In order to identify combinations of cytokines or chemokines with optimal ability to inhibit in vitro tumor cell proliferation, a panel of 17 recombinant human or mouse cytokines that have minimal effect on primary cell survival, were tested individually or in combinations of 2, 3 or 4 on a panel of human and mouse chemotherapy sensitive and resistant tumor cell lines. A combination of high (>10 ng/ml) levels of IFNgamma with moderate concentrations of TNFalpha>IFNalpha>IL-6=IL-8 was most effective at inhibiting in vitro tumor cell viability and proliferation with minimal effect on primary cells. We also observed that similar cytokine profile could be induced in vitro PBMC culture by using certain combinations of TLR-TLR and TLR-TCR agonists. Thus, concomitant activation of TLR7/8 with TLR4 or TLR 7/8 with T cell receptor (TCR) in PBMC, amongst all possible paired TLR-TLR and TLR-TCR agonist combinations, produced cytokine mix high in IFNgamma, in combination with IFNalpha, IL-6, IL-8, TNFalpha. Such cytokine mix was equal or more effective tumor cell killing and inhibition of tumor cell proliferation than the best rec-cytokine mixture tested. These results suggest that, TLR and/or TCR agonists combinations generate an optimal mixture of cytokines and chemokines competent in regulating in vitro tumor growth, and imply that realizing such "right cytokine induction" in vivo might be more efficacious than that with individual cytokines or TLR agonists induced cytokine mix. PMID- 17761352 TI - Participation in cysteinyl leukotrienes and thromboxane A2 in nasal congestion model in Brown Norway rats. AB - The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of chemical mediators in a nasal congestion model in Brown Norway (BN) rats. For the above purpose, we studied the effects of pranlukast and zafirlukast (cysteinyl leukotriene (cys-LT) receptor antagonists), seratrodast and ramatroban (thromboxane A(2) (TXA(2)) receptor antagonists) on nasal congestion and sneezing induced by toluene 2, 4 diisocyanate (TDI). All of these drugs suppressed the increase of enhanced pause (Penh), the index of nasal congestion, in both early and late phase responses; however, pranlukast, zafirlukast and seratrodast failed to suppress immediate sneezing caused by TDI challenge. These results indicate that cys-LTs and TXA(2) are responsible for the development of both early and late phase nasal congestion. Moreover, these chemical mediators contribute very little to immediate sneezing in a BN rat model of allergic rhinitis. PMID- 17761353 TI - Human placenta promotes IL-8 expression through activation of JNK/SAPK and transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1 in PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells. AB - Human placenta is a rich reservoir of diverse bioactive molecules with therapeutic potential against certain diseases such as immune disorders. In the present study, we investigated the ability of human placenta extract (HPE) to induce expression of a CXC chemokine, interleukin-8 (IL-8), in a human monocytic cell line, THP-1, differentiated into macrophages with phorbol 12-myristate 13 acetate (PMA). HPE significantly induced IL-8 mRNA and protein expressions in a dose-dependent manner. HPE-induced IL-8 expression was inhibited by a selective inhibitor of JNK/SAPK, but not by inhibitors of p38 kinase or ERK. Since IL-8 transcription is known to be regulated by nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, activating protein (AP)-1 and NF for IL-6 (NF-IL6), an electrophoretic mobility shift assay was performed to examine the DNA-binding activities of these transcription factors. The DNA-binding activities of NF-kappaB and AP-1 increased in cells treated with HPE in a dose-dependent manner, while no change was observed in NF IL6 binding activity under the same conditions. Taken together, these results suggest that HPE-induced IL-8 secretion occurs via activation of JNK/SAPK and transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1 in PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells. PMID- 17761354 TI - Aging skeletal muscle shows a drastic increase in the small heat shock proteins alphaB-crystallin/HspB5 and cvHsp/HspB7. AB - Most heat shock proteins operate as molecular chaperones and play a central role in the maintenance of normal cellular function. In skeletal muscle, members of the alpha-crystallin domain-containing family of small heat shock proteins are believed to form a cohort of essential stress proteins. Since alphaB-crystallin (alphaBC/HspB5) and the cardiovascular heat shock protein (cvHsp/HspB7) are both implicated in the molecular response to fibre transformation and muscle wasting, it was of interest to investigate the fate of these stress proteins in young adult versus aged muscle. The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, now generally referred to as sarcopenia, is one of the most striking features of the senescent organism. In order to better understand the molecular pathogenesis of age-related muscle wasting, we have performed a two-dimensional gel electrophoretic analysis, immunoblotting and confocal microscopy study of aged rat gastrocnemius muscle. Fluorescent labelling of the electrophoretically separated soluble muscle proteome revealed an overall relatively comparable protein expression pattern of young adult versus aged fibres, but clearly an up regulation of alphaBC and cvHsp. This was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoblot analysis, which showed a dramatic age-induced increase in these small heat shock proteins. Immunodecoration of other major stress proteins showed that they were not affected or less drastically changed in their expression in aged muscle. These findings indicate that the increase in muscle specific small heat shock proteins constitutes an essential cellular response to fibre aging and might therefore be a novel therapeutic option to treat sarcopenia of old age. PMID- 17761355 TI - Dynamics of the xanthophyll cycle and non-radiative dissipation of absorbed light energy during exposure of Norway spruce to high irradiance. AB - The response of Norway spruce saplings (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) was monitored continuously during short-term exposure (10 days) to high irradiance (HI; 1000micromol m(-2)s(-1)). Compared with plants acclimated to low irradiance (100micromol m(-2)s(-1)), plants after HI exposure were characterized by a significantly reduced CO(2) assimilation rate throughout the light response curve. Pigment contents varied only slightly during HI exposure, but a rapid and strong response was observed in xanthophyll cycle activity, particularly within the first 3 days of the HI treatment. Both violaxanthin convertibility under HI and the amount of zeaxanthin pool sustained in darkness increased markedly under HI conditions. These changes were accompanied by an enhanced non-radiative dissipation of absorbed light energy (NRD) and the acceleration of induction of both NRD and de-epoxidation of the xanthophyll cycle pigments. We found a strong negative linear correlation between the amount of sustained de-epoxidized xanthophylls and the photosystem II (PSII) photochemical efficiency (F(V)/F(M)), indicating photoprotective down-regulation of the PSII function. Recovery of F(V)/F(M) at the end of the HI treatment revealed that Norway spruce was able to cope with a 10-fold elevated irradiance due particularly to an efficient NRD within the PSII antenna that was associated with enhanced violaxanthin convertibility and a light-induced accumulation of zeaxanthin that persisted in darkness. PMID- 17761356 TI - A multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of a novel formulation of 5% minoxidil topical foam versus placebo in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in men. AB - BACKGROUND: An alternative to currently marketed topical minoxidil solutions is desirable. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of a new 5% minoxidil topical formulation in a propylene glycol-free foam vehicle in men with androgenetic alopecia (AGA). METHODS: This was a 16-week, double-blind, placebo controlled trial of 5% minoxidil topical foam (MTF) in 352 men, 18 to 49 years old. At week 16, 143 subjects continued on an open-label phase to collect 52 weeks of safety information on 5% MTF. RESULTS: At week 16 compared with baseline, there was a statistically significant increase in (1) hair counts in the 5% MTF group versus placebo (P < .0001) and (2) subjective assessment of improved hair loss condition (P < .0001) in the 5% MTF group versus placebo. The 5% MTF was well tolerated over a 52-week period. LIMITATIONS: There was no collection of efficacy data beyond 16 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that 5% MTF is a safe and effective treatment for men with AGA. PMID- 17761357 TI - Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy from JC virus in a patient with advanced mycosis fungoides. AB - Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is a central nervous system disease due to reactivation of the human polyoma JC virus in immunocompromised patients. Advanced mycosis fungoides patients are intrinsically immunosuppressed and susceptible to infections, but only rarely have been reported to develop progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. We report a case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy developing in an advanced mycosis fungoides patient without prior history of immunosuppressive therapy. PMID- 17761358 TI - Association of patient-reported psoriasis severity with income and employment. AB - OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine whether psoriasis severity was associated with patient income and employment. METHODS: Respondents (> 30 years old) to National Psoriasis Foundation surveys (2003-2005) were classified by reported body surface area as having mild (< 3%), moderate (3%-10%), or severe (> 10%) psoriasis. The relationship between severity and household income (< $30,000 vs > or = $30,000) and employment was assessed by logistic regression, adjusting for age, age at onset, sex, race, and drug treatment. RESULTS: Probability of low income (< $30,000) was significantly greater among patients with severe disease than those with mild disease (P = .0002). Patients with severe disease had lower probability of working full time compared with patients with mild psoriasis but it was not statistically significant. Significantly more patients with severe psoriasis (17%) versus mild (6%) reported that psoriasis was the reason for not working (P = .01). LIMITATIONS: Household income was self-reported and may be influenced by household composition, which is unknown. Psoriasis severity was patient reported and not physician assessed. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that income and employment were negatively impacted among patients with severe psoriasis compared with mild psoriasis. PMID- 17761359 TI - Body mass index and neuropsychological function in healthy children and adolescents. AB - Elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with adverse neurocognitive outcome in adults, including reduced neuropsychological test performance. It is unknown whether this relationship also exists in children and adolescents. A total of 478 children and adolescents (age 6-19) without significant medical or psychiatric history provided demographic information and completed a computerized cognitive test battery. Participants were categorized using clinical criteria into underweight, normal weight, at risk for overweight and overweight groups based on age and gender. Partial correlation and MANCOVA analyses adjusting for age and intellectual function found no relationship between BMI and cognitive test performance in the full sample. However, analyses performed separately by gender showed that underweight females exhibited poorer memory performance than other female BMI groups. These findings suggest that elevated BMI is not associated with cognitive function in healthy children and adolescents, though underweight might be a risk factor for reduced memory performance in females. Further work is needed to clarify the inconsistent findings between adults and minors. PMID- 17761360 TI - Seasonal variations of natural ventilation and radon-222 exhalation in a slightly rising dead-end tunnel. AB - The concentration activity of radon-222 has been monitored, with some interruptions, from 1997 to 2005 in the end section of a slightly rising, dead end, 38-m long tunnel located in the Phulchoki hill, near Kathmandu, Nepal. While a high concentration varying from 6 x 10(3) Bq m(-3) to 10 x 10(3) Bq m(-3) is observed from May to September (rainy summer season), the concentration remains at a low level of about 200 Bq m(-3) from October to March (dry winter season). This reduction of radon concentration is associated with natural ventilation of the tunnel, which, contrary to expectations for a rising tunnel, takes place mainly from October to March when the outside air temperature drops below the average tunnel temperature. This interpretation is supported by temperature measurements in the atmosphere of the tunnel, a few meters away from the entrance. The temporal variations of the diurnal amplitude of this temperature indeed follow the ventilation rate deduced from the radon measurements. In the absence of significant ventilation (summer season), the radon exhalation flux at the rock surface into the tunnel atmosphere can be inferred; it exhibits a yearly variation with additional transient reductions associated with heavy rainfall, likely to be due to water infiltration. No effect of atmospheric pressure variations on the radon concentration is observed in this tunnel. This experiment illustrates how small differences in the location and geometry of a tunnel can lead to vastly different behaviours of the radon concentration versus time. This observation has consequences for the estimation of the dose rate and the practicability of radon monitoring for tectonic purposes in underground environments. PMID- 17761361 TI - The transfer of 137Cs and 90Sr from feed to rabbits. AB - Radiological assessment of the impact of nuclear weapons testing on the local population in the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) requires comprehensive site specific information on radionuclide behaviour in the environment. However, information on radionuclide behaviour in the conditions of the STS is rather sparse and, in particular, there are no data in the literature on parameters of radionuclide transfer from feed to rabbit products which have been identified as contributors to internal dose to the inhabitants. The transfer of (137)Cs and (90)Sr to rabbit meat was studied under laboratory conditions in a controlled experiment with 32 locally bred rabbits maintained in the Kazakh Agricultural Research Institute. The equilibrium transfer coefficients for (137)Cs and (90)Sr from feed to rabbit meat were estimated to be 0.4 d kg(-1) and 0.15 d kg(-1), respectively. The biological half-lives were estimated to be 0.1 d for (137)Cs and 0.14 d for (90)Sr. Whereas for (137)Cs the distribution in the body is relatively homogeneous, there are large differences between the organs and tissues for (90)Sr for which, as expected, the highest concentrations were found in bone. PMID- 17761362 TI - Use of (7)Be to document soil erosion associated with a short period of extreme rainfall. AB - Intensification and expansion of agricultural production since the 1970s have increased soil erosion problems in south-central Chile. Quantitative information on soil loss is needed for erosion risk assessment and to establish the effectiveness of improved land management practices. Since information from traditional sources, such as erosion plots, is limited, attention has been directed to the use of environmental radionuclides for documenting erosion rates. Cs-137 has been successfully utilised for this purpose, but only provides information on medium-term erosion rates. There is also a need to document event related soil erosion. This paper outlines the basis for using (7)Be measurements to document short-term erosion and reports its successful use for quantifying the erosion that occurred within an arable field, as a result of a period of heavy rainfall (400mm in 27 days) occurring in May 2005. The study field had been under a no-till, no-burning system for 18 years, but immediately prior to the period of heavy rainfall the harvest residues were burnt. The erosion recorded therefore reflected both the extreme nature of the rainfall and the effects of the burning in increasing surface runoff and erosion. The sampled area corresponded to that used previously by the authors to document the medium-term erosion rates associated with both conventional tillage and the subsequent switch to a no-till system. Comparisons between the erosion documented for the period of heavy rainfall in 2005 with these medium-term erosion rates permits some tentative conclusions regarding the importance of extreme events and the impact of burning in increasing the erosion associated with the no-till system. PMID- 17761363 TI - Time trends (1986-2003) of radiocesium transfer to roe deer and wild boar in two Austrian forest regions. AB - Starting shortly after the Chernobyl accident, samples of roe deer and wild boar from two comparatively highly contaminated Austrian forest stands have been regularly analysed for (137)Cs. Until 1995 average (137)Cs concentrations exceeded 1000 Bq kg(-1) in both roe deer and wild boar. Long-term and seasonal trends are similar in both investigation sites. While (137)Cs aggregated transfer factor (T(ag)) values show a significant decreasing trend in roe deer (ecological half-time 8.6 and 7.2 years, respectively), T(ag)-values in wild boar are highly variable, but rather increasing values are observed over the last years. T(ag) values for roe deer are between 0.04 and 0.008 m(2)kg(-1) fresh weight (1987 2003); values for wild boar are between 0.008 m(2)kg(-1) (1988) and 0.046 m(2)kg( 1) (1996) fresh weight. Seasonal trends for both species are in good agreement with observations from German forests: increased mushroom ingestion leads to higher (137)Cs T(ag)-values for roe deer in the second half of the year (August December) compared to the first half (January-July). T(ag)-values for wild boar are highest in the first half of the year. PMID- 17761364 TI - Vivid bad outcome influences the decisions of older adults about treatment timing: a randomized field experiment with an abdominal aortic aneurysm analog. AB - In balancing the risk of rupture from an asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) against the risk of perioperative mortality, data-based guidelines recommend surgical repair when the AAA diameter reaches 5.5 cm, whereas smaller AAAs should be followed with periodic surveillance. Previous work with vascular surgeon subjects and a computer-based AAA analog simulation showed that, even when constantly updated with the relevant statistics, experiencing a prior bad watchful waiting outcome shortened the time until they made the decision to operate. Using the same simulation, this field experiment enrolled healthy older volunteers (n = 107). Participants were randomly assigned to experience either a bad outcome demonstration with an expanding balloon that bursts (experimental) or an expanding, nonbursting balloon (control). Participants then made decisions about how many times to allow the balloon to expand before opting-out of the simulation. The main outcome measure was the amount of time participants continued watchful waiting before opting-out. A Cox-regression analysis assessed the likelihood of opting-out after each expansion while controlling for censoring and important covariates, including baseline anxiety, uncertainty attitudes, and risk preferences. The bad outcome demonstration group ended the simulation significantly earlier than did the control subjects (Hazard ratio: 1.98; 95% CI: 1.05-3.74). These results extend previous findings from vascular surgeons to older adults at higher risk for AAA. The preceding bad outcome influenced subsequent decisions, even when statistical risk information was readily available. The influence of recent experience on medical decision making by patients with life-threatening conditions may be under-appreciated. PMID- 17761365 TI - Ursodeoxycholic acid intervention in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis: a pilot study. PMID- 17761366 TI - Inflammatory proteins on HDL: what are we measuring? PMID- 17761367 TI - Statin therapy reduces serum levels of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D. AB - Statin therapy is associated with changes in low-density, very low-density, and high- density lipoprotein metabolism. The effect of statin therapy on a minor high-density lipoprotein particle containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase D has not been examined. Glycosylphosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) has been implicated in triglyceride metabolism. A double-blind, crossover design comparing the effect of simvastatin (80 mg) and atorvastatin (80 mg) on serum lipid and glycosylphosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase D levels was conducted in 13 patients with low high density lipoproteins. Both statins reduced cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B and significantly lowered serum glycosylphosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase D levels (16%). This statin effect seems to occur in the plasma compartment as neither statin altered GPI-PLD mRNA levels in HepG2 cells. Serum glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D levels are regulated by statins and may represent an additional biochemical mechanism for affecting serum triglyceride levels. PMID- 17761368 TI - Plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein and total homocysteine in relation to the severity and risk factors for cerebrovascular disease. AB - Higher C-reactive protein (CRP) and plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations have been shown to indicate increased risk of coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease (CVD), but the mechanisms by which they increase the risk of atherothrombotic disease are under investigation. This study evaluates the associations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and tHcy with the risk factors, severity, and outcome on discharge in patients with CVD. hs-CRP, fasting tHcy, and lipid profile were determined in 50 patients with CVD and 20 healthy control subjects. Clinical data, National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) on admission and disability Rankin scale on discharge, were recorded. Based on epidemiologic studies, cutoff points of 1.5 mg/L (hs-CRP) and 15mumol/L (tHcy) were used to indicate increased risk. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to relate tHcy with other CVD risk factors, NIHSS on admission and the disability Rankin scale on discharge. Overall, 38% of patients had increased hs-CRP and 26% had elevated tHcy. hs-CRP (P = 0.005) and tHcy (P < 0.0001) concentrations were significantly higher in patients compared with controls, and these differences remained significant after correction for age and sex. tHcy showed significant correlations with hs-CRP (rs = 0.35; P = 0.003) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C; rs = 0.49; P = 0.005). Logistic regression analysis with CVD as the dependent variable showed significant association with hs-CRP (P = 0.01) and tHcy (P < 0.0001) after adjustment for potential confounders. hs-CRP showed increased trend with disease severity and significant association with the disability Rankin scale (P = 0.033). These data support 4 main conclusions: (1) Elevation of hs-CRP and tHcy are common in CVD; (2) the significant relationship between tHcy and hs-CRP suggests that the association of tHcy with CVD risk may be dependent on inflammation-related mechanisms; (3) increased hs-CRP and tHcy show that patients with CVD may be at greater risk of subsequent coronary heart disease; and (4) admission hs-CRP could be used as an indicator of prognosis. PMID- 17761369 TI - Antioxidant status and circulating lipids are altered in human gestational diabetes and macrosomia. AB - Fetuses from mothers with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of developing neonatal macrosomia and oxidative stress. We investigated the modulation of antioxidant status and circulating lipids in gestational diabetic mothers and their macrosomic babies and in healthy age-matched pregnant women and their newborns. The serum antioxidant status was assessed by employing anti radical resistance kit (KRL; Kirial International SA, Couternon, France) and determining levels of vitamin A, C, and E and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Circulating serum lipids were quantified, and lipid peroxidation was measured as the concentrations of serum thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). As compared with non-diabetic mothers, gestational diabetic women exhibited decreased levels of vitamin E and enhanced concentrations of vitamin C without any changes in vitamin A. Vitamin A and C levels did not change in macrosomic babies except vitamin E whose levels were lower in these infants than in the newborns of non-diabetic mothers. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and macrosomia were also associated with impaired SOD activities and enhanced TBARS levels. Globally, total serum antioxidant defense status in diabetic mothers and their macrosomic babies was diminished as compared with control subjects. Triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations did not differ significantly between gestational diabetic and control mothers; however, macrosomia was associated with enhanced plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels. These results suggest that human GDM and macrosomia are associated with downregulation of antioxidant status, and macrosomic infants also exhibit altered lipid metabolism. PMID- 17761370 TI - Humoral responses to oxidized low-density lipoprotein and related bacterial antigens after pneumococcal vaccine. AB - Antibodies to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) may modulate the development of atherosclerosis. Antibodies to oxLDL may also react with cell wall polysaccharides (CWPS) of Streptococcus pneumoniae because both antigens share a common phosphorylcholine moiety. In hypercholesteremic mice, immunization with pneumococcal organisms elicited antibodies to oxLDL and protection against atherosclerosis. In humans, we determined whether the widely used adult pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine augmented antibodies to oxLDL, CWPS, and phosphorylcholine, providing the potential to retard atherogenesis. Before and 4 weeks after pneumococcal vaccination of 23 healthy adults (11 smokers and 12 matched nonsmokers), we characterized IgG, IgM, and IgA to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides, CWPS, and phosphorylcholine, IgG and IgM to oxLDL, and fasting serum lipids. The pneumococcal vaccine elicited significant increases in each antibody class to surface capsular polysaccharides. In contrast, only IgG to CWPS increased modestly and only among smokers. Moreover, antibodies to neither phosphorylcholine nor oxLDL increased consistently in either group. The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine effectively elicits antibodies to the bacterial capsule. The vaccine had no effect on serum lipids. The vaccine did not augment antibodies to CWPS, to its component phosphorylcholine, or to oxLDL, which are antibodies that have been proposed to modify the uptake of oxLDL by macrophages and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. PMID- 17761371 TI - Role of CAGA boxes in the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 promoter in mediating oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced transcriptional activation in mesangial cells. AB - Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) activates transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta)/Smad signaling to stimulate plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) expression in mesangial cells. Smad-binding sequences, termed CAGA boxes, are present in the promoter of human PAI-1 gene, and they mediate TGF-beta transcriptional induction. However, the functional role of each CAGA box in the Ox-LDL-induced PAI-1 promoter activation is unknown. In this study, mutation of 1 of the 3 CAGA boxes located at -730, -580, and -280 of the PAI-1 promoter decreased the Ox-LDL-induced luciferase activity by 40 to 58%, whereas mutations in 2 sites reduced it over 75% or completely abolished it. Overexpression of Smad3 in N-terminal tagged Smad3-transfected cells increased the Ox-LDL-induced transcriptional activation of the PAI-1 promoter, whereas mutation of Smad3 abolished it. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that the labeled -280, 580, and -730 CAGA box probes detected DNA/protein complexes induced by Ox-LDL, whereas mutant probes did not. When nuclear extracts were preincubated with a 100 fold of an unlabeled -280, -580, and -730 CAGA oligonucleotide, the formation of complexes was prevented but not with mutant CAGA box competitors. The addition of anti-Smad3 to the reaction with the labeled -280 or -580 CAGA box probe resulted in a supershift, but not with the -730 CAGA box probe. These results suggest that the 3 CAGA elements in the PAI-1 promoter mediate the Ox-LDL-induced PAI-1 transcription to a different degree, of which the -280 and -580 CAGA regions directly bind to Smad3. PMID- 17761372 TI - Changes in the antioxidant system by TNP-470 in an in vivo model of hepatocarcinoma. AB - The objective of this study was to determine in a rat model of hepatocarcinoma (HCC) the effects of the antiangiogenic agent TNP-470 on antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutases (Mn-SOD and Cu,Zn-SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Tumor was induced in male Wistar rats by diethylnitrosamine and promoted by two-thirds hepatectomy plus acetaminofluorene administration. Experiments were carried out 28 weeks after initiating the treatment. TNP-470 was administered at 30 mg/kg, 2 times per week from weeks 20 to 28. Carcinomatous tissue was growing outside dysplastic nodules in rats with HCC. HCC caused oxidative stress demonstrated by increased lipid peroxidation and oxidized/reduced glutathione ratio that was accompanied by a reduced activity of antioxidant enzymes Cu,Zn-SOD, GPx, and CAT. In contrast, Mn-SOD activity and expression were higher in hepatocarcinoma than in control groups. These effects were absent in animals receiving TNP-470. No significant differences between untreated and TNP-470-treated rats were observed in the expression of the Cu,Zn SOD, glutathione peroxidise, and CAT. We conclude that TNP-470 inhibits expression and activity of Mn-SOD induced by experimental hepatocarcinogenesis. Oxidative stress reduction by TNP-470 accounts for yet another anti-cancer effect of this molecule. PMID- 17761373 TI - Management of multiple myeloma: the changing landscape. AB - Many changes have been incorporated into the approach to multiple myeloma over the last few years, due to improvements in our understanding of the disease biology. New diagnostic and prognostic criteria from the International Myeloma Working Group have clarified the initial clinical approach to this disease. The prognostic impact of chromosomal abnormalities is now recognized, and the detection of specific abnormal cytogenetics is beginning to influence therapeutic decisions. The introduction of the novel agents thalidomide, bortezomib and lenalidomide has expanded treatment options at different points in the disease course; these agents are being evaluated in conjunction with conventional chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. This report highlights some of the key recent findings in multiple myeloma, and describes areas for future research. PMID- 17761374 TI - Exposure of hematopoietic stem cells to ethylene oxide during processing represents a potential carcinogenic risk for transplant recipients. AB - Stem cells for transplantation are obtained from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, and peripheral blood. A rare complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is donor cell-derived leukemia (DCL). The donors remain cancer free and the causes of these DCL are unknown. Stem cells must repopulate the bone marrow and then give rise to all hematopoietic cells for the rest of the transplant recipient's life. No procedure is acceptable that might introduce precancerous or cancerous mutations in cells performing such a critical function. Medical disposable sets consisting of bags, tubing sets and freezing containers are used to collect, purify and store stem cells. Sterilization of disposables with ethylene oxide is widespread, even though those sets unavoidably retain residual amounts of ethylene oxide which is a potent, direct-acting mutagen and clastogen that has been demonstrated to induce hematopoietic cancer in mice, rats and human beings. Potential exposure levels to ethylene oxide during processing under proposed US FDA guidelines for residual ethylene oxide would be biologically active and present a significant risk factor for DCL. For direct acting mutagens, there is no recognized "no effect" dose using currently accepted cancer risk assessment models. The safety concerns with ethylene oxide can be eliminated by the use of alternative technologies including electron beam, gamma irradiation, or steam for the sterilization of all products used for stem cell processing and storage. PMID- 17761375 TI - Mobility and its liminal context: exploring sexual partnering among truck drivers crossing the Southern Brazilian border. AB - Mobile populations, including truck drivers, are at elevated risk of acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). However, measures of mobility have been poorly operationalized and little research exists exploring the psychosocial context of mobility and sexual risk taking. A systematic sample of 1775 male truck drivers underwent interview at two customs stations on the Southern Brazilian international border in 2003. The psychosocial effect of being mobile was assessed by clustering truckers based on perceptions of the liminal environment, or being outside of one's normal social environment. The relationship between physical mobility (nights spent at home) and liminal cluster with sexual partnerships was assessed. The clustering procedure yielded three dispositions towards the liminal environment. Compared to truckers in the baseline cluster, those who perceive the environment as (1) very, or (2) moderately permissive had increased odds of reporting a commercial sex partner in the past six months and reported increased numbers of commercial partners. For each week slept at home, the odds of reporting a commercial partner decreased by a factor of 0.73 and the average number of commercial partners decreased by a rate of 0.76. Physical and psychosocial measures of mobility were associated independently with increased partnering on the road. Additional exploration of how the liminal environment shapes mobile populations' sexual decision making and vulnerability to STI is warranted. PMID- 17761376 TI - Covariations of emotional states and alcohol consumption: evidence from 2 years of daily data collection. AB - We examined inter- and intra-individual covariations of mood and alcohol consumption in a sample of 171 light, medium, and heavy alcohol consumers aged 21 and over who reported daily about drinking and mood for a period of up to 2 years. The sample was recruited by advertisements in local newspapers and referral from former respondents in Northern Vermont, USA, between July 1997 and September 2000. Participants reported daily alcohol consumption and mood via interactive voice response (IVR) technology. Within-subject correlations were calculated for each individual separately and analyzed via cluster analysis. The cluster solution was subsequently used as a categorical Level-2 predictor in hierarchical linear modeling of daily alcohol consumption. Cluster analyses of the within-subject correlations revealed four clusters: (1) emotion-inhibited drinking (drinking combined with reduced emotional arousal, n=12); (2) "positive emotion drinking" (drinking in combination with positive mood, n=69); (3) "stress drinking" (drinking combined with negative mood, n=12); and (4) "non-emotional drinking" (no relationship between alcohol consumption and mood, n=78). Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses revealed that a significant amount of random variance of the Level-1 mood slopes (38% and 40%) was accounted for by the clusters, demonstrating the predictive power of cluster membership on individual drinking patterns. Although Cluster 3 members (stress drinking) did not report significantly higher levels of alcohol consumption, they were more likely to report current and lifetime dependence symptoms. The results point to the existence of stable, but diverse drinking patterns among non-clinical alcohol consumers with potentially different implications for development into alcohol abuse and dependence. PMID- 17761377 TI - The influence of prescription drug insurance on psychotropic and non-psychotropic drug utilization in Canada. AB - Using 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey data, this paper examines the effect of public and private prescription drug insurance on the utilization of psychotropic and non-psychotropic drugs. It is found that prescription drug utilization is characterized by two stochastic regimes requiring use of latent class modelling framework. In many instances, results differ for the classes of high and low users of prescription drugs. After accounting for the unobserved individual heterogeneity and a number of socio-demographic factors, health status, and province fixed effects, we find that having prescription drug insurance (public or private) increases the expected number of non-psychotropic medications for both low and high users. Public insurance affects psychotropic drug utilization positively for the low-user group only. The statistical insignificance of insurance for the high-user psychotropic drugs or lower magnitude of insurance coefficients on high-user non-psychotropic drugs seems to stem from high inelastic demand for prescription drugs in the concerned groups. In addition, we find that age, self-reported health status, and long-term mental and physical health problem diagnosed by a health professional are important determinants of prescription drug utilization for both classes of users. PMID- 17761378 TI - Disparities in obesity rates: analysis by ZIP code area. AB - Obesity in the United States has been linked to individual income and education. Less is known about its geographic distribution. The goal of this study was to determine whether obesity rates in King County, Washington State, at the ZIP code scale were associated with area-based measures of socioeconomic status and wealth. Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed. At the ZIP code scale, crude obesity rates varied six-fold. In a model adjusting for covariates and spatial dependence, property values were the strongest predictor of the area-based smoothed obesity prevalence. Geocoding of health data provides new insights into the nature of social determinants of health. Disparities in obesity rates by ZIP code area were greater than disparities associated with individual income or race/ethnicity. PMID- 17761379 TI - Calcium channel antagonists suppress cross-tolerance to the anxiogenic effects of D-amphetamine and nicotine in the mouse elevated plus maze test. AB - The purpose of the current experiments was to examine the anxiety-related effects of repeated amphetamine and nicotine administration using the mouse elevated plus maze (EPM). d-amphetamine was administered daily for 8 days (2 mg/kg, i.p.). On the 9th day, mice were challenged with amphetamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) or nicotine (0.1 mg/kg, s.c.), and were tested 30 min after this last injection. Additionally, a distinct group of mice was pretreated with nicotine (0.1 mg/kg, s.c., 6 days). These mice were subjected to nicotine (0.1 mg/kg, s.c.) or amphetamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) challenge on the seventh day to see if full crossover effects developed after the pretreatment of both psychostimulant drugs. Moreover, the L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel antagonists nimodipine (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.), flunarizine (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.), verapamil (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) and diltiazem (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) were injected prior to each injection of chronic d-amphetamine or nicotine. We observed cross-tolerance to the anxiogenic effects of d-amphetamine and nicotine that was blunted by a pretreatment with calcium channel blockers. Overall our findings imply that similar neural calcium-dependent mechanisms are involved in the anxiety-related responses to chronic amphetamine and nicotine injections. As anxiety seems to be an important factor for the development of psychostimulant dependence, the L-type VDCC antagonists can offer an interesting approach for the pharmacotherapy of addiction, including amphetamine and/or nicotine dependence. PMID- 17761380 TI - Adiponectin multimer distribution, not absolute amount of plasma, correlates with depression severity in healthy elderly subjects. AB - Adiponectin is an adipocyte-specific secretory protein that circulates in serum as three oligomeric complexes known as the high, medium and low molecular weight form (HMW, MMW and LMW). HMW adiponectin has been suggested to be a better predictor of metabolic variables, and it was recently reported that the ratio of HMW to total adiponectin or to LMW, not the absolute amount of plasma adiponectin, might be crucial in determining insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance (IR) is considered to be a primary component of vascular risk factors. Although the association of depression with atherosclerotic vascular diseases has been well documented, the contribution of IR to the evolution and progression of depression-associated vascular morbidity and mortality remains unknown. The current preliminary study showed that the ratio of HMW to total adiponectin or to LMW, not the absolute amount of plasma adiponectin, was negatively associated with depression severity in healthy elderly subjects without metabolic syndrome. This pilot study supports a promising role of adiponectin multimer distribution for clarifying the pathophysiological mechanism by which depression is associated with increased risk for IR, leading to cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. PMID- 17761381 TI - Effect of cesium on the volume of the helix-coil transition of dA.dT polymers and their ligand complexes. AB - The pressure dependence of the helix-coil transition of poly(dA).poly(dT) and poly[d(A-T)].poly[d(A-T)] in aqueous solutions of NaCl and CsCl at concentrations between 10 and 200 mM is reported and used to calculate the accompanying volume change. We also investigated the binding parameters and volume change of ethidium bromide binding with poly(dA).poly(dT) and poly[d(A-T)].poly[d(A-T)] in aqueous solutions of these two salts. The volume change of helix-coil transition of poly(dA).poly(dT) in Cs(+)-containing solutions differs by less than 1 cm(3) mol( 1) from the value measured when Na(+) is the counter-ion. We propose that this insensitivity towards salt type arises if the counter-ions are essentially fully hydrated around DNA and the DNA conformation is not significantly altered by salt types. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that the previously observed large volumetric disparity for the helix-coil transition of poly[d(A-T)].poly[d(A-T)] in solutions containing Na(+) and Cs(+) is likely result of a Cs(+)-induced conformation change that is specific for poly[d(A-T)].poly[d(A-T)]. This cation specific conformation difference is mostly absent for poly(dA).poly(dT) and EB bound poly[d(A-T)].poly[d(A-T)]. PMID- 17761382 TI - Integrating drivers influencing the detection of plant pests carried in the international cut flower trade. AB - This paper analyses the cut flower market as an example of an invasion pathway along which species of non-indigenous plant pests can travel to reach new areas. The paper examines the probability of pest detection by assessing information on pest detection and detection effort associated with the import of cut flowers. We test the link between the probability of plant pest arrivals, as a precursor to potential invasion, and volume of traded flowers using count data regression models. The analysis is applied to the UK import of specific genera of cut flowers from Kenya between 1996 and 2004. There is a link between pest detection and the Genus of cut flower imported. Hence, pest detection efforts should focus on identifying and targeting those imported plants with a high risk of carrying pest species. For most of the plants studied, efforts allocated to inspection have a significant influence on the probability of pest detection. However, by better targeting inspection efforts, it is shown that plant inspection effort could be reduced without increasing the risk of pest entry. Similarly, for most of the plants analysed, an increase in volume traded will not necessarily lead to an increase in the number of pests entering the UK. For some species, such as Carthamus and Veronica, the volume of flowers traded has a significant and positive impact on the likelihood of pest detection. We conclude that analysis at the rank of plant Genus is important both to understand the effectiveness of plant pest detection efforts and consequently to manage the risk of introduction of non-indigenous species. PMID- 17761383 TI - Detection and quantification of calcifications in intravascular ultrasound images by automatic thresholding. AB - An innovative application of automatic thresholding is used for the detection of calcification regions in intravascular ultrasound images. A priori knowledge of the acoustic shadow that usually accompanies calcification regions is used to discriminate these from other bright regions in the image. A method for the calculation of the angle of calcification has also been developed. The proposed algorithms are applied to in-vivo images obtained from left anterior descending coronary arteries during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (n = 14). The resulting specificity is 72% and the sensitivity 84%. The receiver operating characteristic curve, the area under the curve being equal to 0.91, is plotted to evaluate the algorithm performance. PMID- 17761384 TI - Prostate carcinoma: atrophy or not atrophy that is the question. PMID- 17761385 TI - Acceptance of and discontinuation rate from erectile dysfunction oral treatment in patients following bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy. AB - OBJECTIVES: Assess acceptance of and discontinuation rate from erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment in patients after bilateral nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy (BNSRRP). METHODS: We analyzed acceptance and discontinuation data of 100 consecutive, age-comparable, preoperatively self reported potent BNSRRP patients who at the discharge from the hospital received a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5-I) prescription. Patients were informed of the pharmacokinetic properties of the available compounds and the option of on demand versus rehabilitative therapy. Thereafter, patients did not receive any specific counseling throughout the entire follow-up period and freely decided to use or not use any ED therapy. Complete preoperative data were obtained on hospital admission and included a medical and sexual history and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). The IIEF was completed every 6 mo postoperatively, and patients participated in a semi-structured interview about the treatment adherence at the 18-mo follow-up. RESULTS: Forty-nine (49%) patients freely decided not to start any ED therapy (group 1). Of the remaining patients, 36 (36%) opted for an as-needed PDE5-I (group 2), whereas 15 (15%) decided to use a daily PDE5-I (group 3). At the 18-mo follow-up, the overall discontinuation rate from both treatment modalities was 72.6% (eg, 72.2% vs. 73.3% in group 2 vs. group 3; p=0.79). Treatment effect below expectations was the main reason for treatment discontinuation, followed by loss of interest in sex due to partner's causes. CONCLUSIONS: Almost 50% of BNSRRP patients freely decided not to start any ED treatment postoperatively. Roughly 73% of patients who started therapy eventually discontinued it. PMID- 17761386 TI - Biological networks in metabolic P systems. AB - The metabolic P algorithm is a procedure which determines, in a biochemically realistic way, the evolution of P systems representing biological phenomena. A new formulation of this algorithm is given and a graphical formalism is introduced which seems to be very natural in expressing biological networks by means of a two level representation: a basic biochemical level and a second one which regulates the dynamical interaction among the reactions of the first level. After some basic examples, the mitotic oscillator in amphibian embryos is considered as an important case study. Three formulations of this biological network are developed. The first two are directly derived by Goldbeter's differential equations representation. The last one, entirely deduced by translating the biological description of the phenomenon in our diagrams, exhibits an analogous pattern, but it is conceptually simpler and avoids many details on the kinetic aspects of the reactions. PMID- 17761387 TI - Characterization of arsenic (V) and arsenic (III) in water samples using ammonium molybdate and estimation by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. AB - Arsenic (V) is known to form heteropolyacid with ammonium molybdate in acidic aqueous solutions, which can be quantitatively extracted into certain organic solvents. In the present work, 12-molybdoarsenic acid extracted in butan-1-ol is used for quantification of As (V). Total arsenic is estimated by converting arsenic (III) to arsenic (V) by digesting samples with concentrated nitric acid before extraction. Concentration of As (III) in the sample solutions could be calculated by the difference in total arsenic and arsenic (V). The characterization of arsenic was carried out by GFAAS using Pd as modifier. Optimization of the experimental conditions and instrumental parameters was investigated in detail. Recoveries of (90-110%) were obtained in the spiked samples. The detection limit was 0.2 microg l(-1). The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of trace amount of arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) in process water samples. PMID- 17761388 TI - Pain and endometriosis. PMID- 17761389 TI - Purification of beta-galactosidase from Erythrina indica: involvement of tryptophan in active site. AB - beta-Galactosidase (EC: 3.2.1.23), one of the glycosidases detected in Erythrina indica seeds, was purified to 135 fold. Amongst the four major glycosidases detected beta-galactosidase was found to be least glycosylated, and was not retained by Con-A CL Seralose affinity matrix. A homogenous preparation of the enzyme was obtained by ion-exchange chromatography, followed by gel filtration. The enzyme was found to be a dimmer with a molecular weight of 74 kDa and 78 kDa, by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE, respectively. The optimum pH and optimum temperature for enzyme activity were 4.4 and 50 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme showed a K(m) value of 2.6 mM and V(max) of 3.86 U/mg for p-nitrophenyl beta-D-galactopyranoside as substrate and was inhibited by Zn(2+) and Hg(2+). The enzyme activity was regulated by feed back inhibition as it was found to be inhibited by beta-D-galactose. Chemical modification studies revealed involvement of tryptophan and histidine for enzyme activity. Involvement of tryptophan was also supported by fluorescence studies and one tryptophan was found to be present in the active site of beta-galactosidase. Circular dichroism studies revealed 37% alpha helix, 27% beta sheet and 38% random coil in the secondary structure of the purified enzyme. PMID- 17761390 TI - The overlooked cause of benign prostatic hyperplasia: prostatic urethral angulation. AB - Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common problems faced by aging men and can be associated with bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms that affect quality of life by interfering with normal daily activities and sleep patterns. Despite the clinical importance of BPH, its pathogenesis is still poorly understood. Previously, our understanding of BPH was centered on bladder outlet obstruction being secondary to benign prostatic enlargement. However, prostate size itself is not correlated with the urine flow rate and symptomatology. The prostatic urethra is a bend tube and the increased prostatic urethral angulation shows a higher bladder neck on cystoscopic examination. Although some urologists suspected that the higher bladder neck might be a causal factor for BPH, the clinical significance of prostatic urethral angulation was previously underestimated. In this study, we propose a new hypothesis that prostatic urethral angulation is a causal factor for BPH. By applying the concept of fluid dynamics to the process of urination in the prostatic urethra, we show that the energy loss in this bending tube (the prostatic urethra) can occur during micturition and it increases proportionally to prostatic urethral angulation; this energy loss results in a decrease of the urine velocity and accordingly, the urine flow rate is inversely associated with prostatic urethral angulation. We also propose that BPH involves prostatic urethral angulation as well as the classical BPH triad of prostatic enlargement, bladder outlet obstruction, and symptomatology. Our hypothesis suggests that prostatic urethral angulation is an overlooked cause of bladder outlet obstruction and is a causal factor of BPH, and provides novel insight into the pathogenesis of BPH. Ultimately, the relationship between prostatic urethral angulation and urine flow rate, and other clinical factors including urodynamic parameters, the symptomatology, the response to treatment, and disease progression, need to be investigated in a clinical setting. PMID- 17761391 TI - Generation of ESTs in Vitis vinifera wine grape (Cabernet Sauvignon) and table grape (Muscat Hamburg) and discovery of new candidate genes with potential roles in berry development. AB - We report the generation and analysis of a total of 77,583 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from two grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars, Cabernet Sauvignon (wine grape) and Muscat Hamburg (table grape) with a focus on EST sequence quality and assembly optimization. The majority of the ESTs were derived from normalized cDNA libraries representing berry pericarp and seed developmental series, pooled non-berry tissues including root, flower, and leaf in Cabernet Sauvignon, and pooled tissues of berry, seed, and flower in Muscat Hamburg. EST and unigene sequence quality were determined by computational filtering coupled with small-scale contig reassembly, manual review, and BLAST analyses. EST assembly was optimized to better discriminate among closely related paralogs using two independent grape sequence sets, a previously published set of Vitis spp. gene families and our EST dataset derived from pooled leaf, flower, and root tissues of Cabernet Sauvignon. Sequence assembly within individual libraries indicated that those prepared from pooled tissues contributed the most to gene discovery. Annotations based upon searches against multiple databases including tomato and strawberry sequences helped to identify putative functions of ESTs and unigenes, particularly with respect to fleshy fruit development. Sequence comparison among the three wine grape libraries identified a number of genes preferentially expressed in the pericarp tissue, including transcription factors, receptor-like protein kinases, and hexose transporters. Gene ontology (GO) classification in the biological process aspect showed that GO categories corresponding to 'transport' and 'cell organization and biogenesis', which are associated with metabolite movement and cell wall structural changes during berry ripening, were higher in pericarp than in other tissues in the wine grape studied. The sequence data were used to characterize potential roles of new genes in berry development and composition. PMID- 17761392 TI - Molecular and functional characterization of EhPAK3, a p21 activated kinase from Entamoeba histolytica. AB - p21-activated kinases (PAKs) are a family of serine/threonine kinases whose activity is regulated by the binding of the small Rho family GTPases as well as by RhoGTPase independent mechanisms. PAKs have wide-ranging functions which include cytoskeletal organisation, cell motility, cell proliferation and survival. We have identified a PAK from Entamoeba histolytica - EhPAK3 that is distributed in the cytoplasm of unstimulated cells and localizes to the caps after induction of capping with Concanavalin A. EhPAK3 contains a GTPase interacting (CRIB) domain, an N-terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) domain and a C terminal kinase domain. Among the PAKs of E. histolytica studied so far, EhPAK3 bears the maximum similarity to Dictyostelium discoideum PAKC (DdPAKC). Phylogenetic analysis showed that EhPAK3 was closely related to DdPAKC and forms a group with DdPAKA, Dd Myosin I heavy chain kinase (DdMIHCK), and a PAK reported earlier from E. histolytica EhPAK2. Recombinant full-length EhPAK3 undergoes auotophosphorylation and phosphorylates histone H1 in vitro in the absence of any small GTPase. This is the first comprehensive characterization of a PAK protein from E. histolytica, which has constitutive activity and has demonstrated a strong involvement in receptor capping. PMID- 17761393 TI - Identification and expression analysis of novel Jakmip1 transcripts. AB - Janus kinase and microtubule interacting protein 1, (Jakmip1) conserved in vertebrates and predominantly expressed in neural tissues, was identified for its ability to bind Tyk2, a member of the Janus kinase (Jak) family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases. Recently Jakmip1 was also identified as an interacting partner of GABA(B)R1 and as a regulatory protein of GABA(B)R2 mRNA. We have confirmed that this gene is highly expressed in brain and retina tissues and it is also present at lower levels in other tissues. We have identified four new transcripts of 2975 bp, 1743 bp, 2189 bp and 2420 bp respectively, named Jakmip1B, Jakmip1C, Jakmip1D and Jakmip1E. The involvement of the Janus kinase pathway in the development of mouse retina and in the control of survival and proliferation of human retinal ganglion cells, together with the restricted Jakmip1 gene expression pattern, may suggest this gene is a putative candidate for neuro degenerative and retinal diseases. For this reason, a mutation analysis of the Jakmip1 gene in a panel of 50 unrelated patients with retinitis pigmentosa has been performed, revealing no pathogenic mutations. PMID- 17761395 TI - Impact of infrasound on the human cochlea. AB - Low-frequency tones were reported to modulate the amplitude of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) indicating periodic changes of the operating point of the cochlear amplifier. The present study investigates potential differences between infrasound and low-frequency sounds in their ability to modulate human DPOAEs. DPOAEs were recorded in 12 normally hearing subjects in the presence of a biasing tone with f(B)=6Hz and a level L(B)=130dB SPL. Primary frequencies were fixed at f(1)=1.6 and f(2)=2.0kHz with fixed levels L(1)=51 and L(2)=30dB SPL. A new measure, the modulation index (MI), was devised to characterise the degree of DPOAE modulation. In subsequent measurements with biasing tones of f(B) = 12, 24 and 50Hz, L(B) was adjusted to maintain the MI as obtained individually at 6Hz. Modulation patterns lagged with increasing f(B). The necessary L(B) decreased by 12dB/octave with increasing f(B) and ran almost parallel to the published infrasound detection threshold. No signs of an abrupt change in transmission into the cochlea were found between infra- and low-frequency sounds. The results show clearly that infrasound enters the inner ear, and can alter cochlear processing. PMID- 17761394 TI - Effects of mothers' prenatal psychiatric status and postnatal caregiving on infant biobehavioral regulation: can prenatal programming be modified? AB - BACKGROUND: Animal research suggests that antenatal stress exposure and postnatal rearing style act in concert to shape offspring biobehavioral outcomes. However, the combination of these maternally-mediated influences has not been studied in human infants. AIMS: To examine antenatal psychiatric status and maternal sensitivity in relation to 4-month-olds' autonomic regulation, HPA-axis functioning, and behavior. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study of 47 pregnant women recruited from an urban hospital who completed questionnaire measures of anxiety and depression and underwent a psychiatric interview in the 2nd trimester. At 4 months postpartum, women again completed mood questionnaires and the mother infant dyads participated in a 10-minute free-play session evaluated for maternal sensitivity. OUTCOME MEASURES: Baseline infant salivary cortisol and electrocardiogram (EKG) collected at the start of the 4-month sessions. Infant responsiveness and maternal report of temperament also were evaluated. RESULTS: Maternal sensitivity, but not antenatal psychiatric diagnosis, predicted greater levels of infant high frequency heart rate variability, after controlling for birth weight and age. Maternal sensitivity, but not psychiatric status, also predicted infant responsiveness. Maternal sensitivity modulated the effects of psychiatric illness on infant cortisol such that cortisol was low regardless of sensitivity for children of healthy women yet higher if the infant had insensitive versus sensitive caregiving when the mother had had an antenatal diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Biobehavioral adaptation, even that initiated in utero, is influenced by interactions with the social world. These findings support the compatibility of fetal programming and social-context models of infant biobehavioral development and have promising implications for pre and postnatal clinical intervention. PMID- 17761396 TI - [Death of a child due to posttonsillectomy hyponatraemic encephalopathy]. PMID- 17761397 TI - Iodine-131 radio-guided surgery in differentiated thyroid cancer: outcome on 31 patients and review of the literature. AB - In the present study we investigated the role of radio-guided surgery with Iodine 131 (I-131) in a group of 31 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and loco-regional recurrent disease. The principal inclusion criterion for I-131 radio-guided surgery in our protocol was the presence of an I-131 positive loco regional disease relapse after previous total thyroidectomy and at least 2 ineffective conventional I-131 treatments. The protocol we used consisted of the following steps. Day 0: all patients were hospitalized and received a therapeutic 3.7 GBq (100 mCi) dose of I-131 after thyroid hormone therapy withdrawal in condition of overt hypothyroidism (serum TSH levels>30 microUI/ml). Day 3: a whole body scan following the therapeutic I-131 dose (TxWBS) administration was acquired. Day 5: neck surgery was performed through a wide bilateral neck exploration using a 15-mm collimated gamma probe, measuring the absolute intra operative counts and calculating the lesion to background (L/B) ratio. Day 7: post-surgery TxWBS was performed using the remaining radioactivity to evaluate the completeness of tumoral lesions extirpation. The final histologic examination showed the presence of 184 metastatic foci; among them, 98 (53.2%) were evident by both TxWBS and gamma probe evaluation, 76 (41.3%) were demonstrated only by gamma probe, and 10 (5.4%) were negative by both TxWBS and gamma probe evaluation. During follow-up (8 months to 4.9 years, mean 2.8 years), DxWBS, serum Tg levels off l-T4, and US showed absence of loco-regional disease in 25 patients (80.6%) while 6 patients had persistent disease. In conclusion, this protocol allowed us to identify neoplastic foci with high sensitivity and specificity, enabling us to remove loco-regional I-131 disease recurrences resistant to previous conventional I-131 therapies. Furthermore, the gamma probe allowed detection of some additional tumoral foci in sclerotic areas or located behind vascular structures that were not visualized at the pre-surgery TxWBS evaluation. PMID- 17761398 TI - Estrogen and environmental estrogenic chemicals exert developmental effects on rat hypothalamic neurons and glias. AB - We investigated effects of 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) and endocrine disrupters, nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol-A (BPA), focusing on the neuronal development in cultures of fetal rat hypothalamic cells. We applied different concentrations of E(2), NP or BPA to the cultured hypothalamic cells and observed their effects on dendritic and synaptic development by immunocytochemistry using anti-microtubule associated protein-2 (MAP2) and anti-synapsin I antibodies, respectively. Administration of E(2) for 7 days affected MAP2-positive area as well as synapsin I-positive area. NP and BPA also influenced neuronal developments. The significant increase both in MAP2- and synapsin I-positive areas was observed at 10 and/or 100 nM of them, while 1 microM of them reduced the positive areas. Synaptic densities calculated from synapsin I-positive area/MAP2-positive area were not constant among different doses of three chemicals, but increased at 10 and/or 100 nM and decreased at 1 microM. Furthermore, immunostaining of NP treated cells with the antibody against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) revealed that glial development was similarly influenced by NP. Therefore, the present results demonstrated that not only E(2) but also the environmental estrogenic chemicals, NP and BPA, affect development of fetal rat hypothalamic cells in vitro. PMID- 17761399 TI - Movement disorders and neurochemical changes in zebrafish larvae after bath exposure to fluoxetine (PROZAC). AB - This study examines the effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), fluoxetine (PROZAC), on the ontogeny of spontaneous swimming activity (SSA) in developing zebrafish. The development of zebrafish motor behavior consists of four sequential locomotor patterns that develop over 1-5 days post fertilization (dpf), with the final pattern, SSA, established at 4-5 dpf. In stage specific experiments, larvae were exposed to 4.6 microM fluoxetine for 24 h periods beginning at 24 h post fertilization (hpf) and extending through 5 dpf. From 1-3 dpf, there was no effect on SSA or earlier stages of motor development, i.e., spontaneous coiling, evoked coiling and burst swimming. Fluoxetine exposure at 3 dpf for 24 h resulted in a transient decrease in SSA through 7 dpf with a complete recovery by 8 dpf. Larvae exposed to 4.6 microM fluoxetine for 24 h on 4 or 5 dpf showed a significant decrease in SSA by day 6 with no recovery through 14 dpf. Although SSA was significantly affected 24 h after fluoxetine exposure, there was little or no effect on pectoral fin movement. These results demonstrate both a stage specific and a long term effect of 4.6 microM fluoxetine exposure in 4 and 5 dpf larvae. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to determine the relative levels of a serotonin transporter protein (SERT) transcript and the serotonin 1A (5-HT(1A)) receptor transcript in developing embryos/larvae over 1-6 dpf. Both transcripts were present at 24 hpf with the relative concentration of SERT transcript showing no change over the developmental time range. The relative concentration of the 5-HT(1A) receptor transcript, however, showed a two-tiered pattern of concentration. RT-PCR was also used to detect potential changes in the SERT and 5-HT(1A) receptor transcripts in 6 dpf larvae after a 24 h exposure to 4.6 microM fluoxetine on 5 dpf. Three separate regions of the CNS were individually analyzed, two defined brain regions and spinal cord. The two brain regions showed no effect on transcript levels subsequent to fluoxetine exposure, however, the spinal cord showed a significant decrease in both transcripts. These results suggest a correlation between decreased concentration of SERT and 5-HT(1A) receptor transcripts in spinal cord and decreased SSA subsequent to fluoxetine exposure. PMID- 17761400 TI - Investigate the role of PTEN in chemotaxis of human breast cancer cells. AB - Chemotaxis plays an important role in metastasis of cancer cells. In the current study, we investigated the role of PTEN, a tumor suppressor, in chemotaxis of human breast cancer cells. Over-expression of PTEN inhibited EGF-induced chemotaxis, probably due to an overall reduction of PIP(3) levels. Disruption of PTEN by siRNA caused a marked decrease in chemokinesis, cell adhesion, and membrane spreading, resulting in a severe defect in chemotaxis. In PTEN disrupted cells, PDK1, AKT, and PKCzeta exhibited elevated basal activities, which prevented EGF-induced further activation of these molecules. In the absence of EGF, active PDK1 was detected on multiple directions of the plasma membranes of PTEN disrupted cells, which competed against EGF-induced gradient sensing. To confirm the biological relevance of in vitro studies, both PTEN disrupted cells and its parental human breast cancer cells were injected into tail veins of SCID mice. Mice injected with PTEN disrupted cancer cells showed a marked decrease in lung metastasis. Taken together, our data show that PTEN plays a non-redundant role in EGF-induced chemotaxis of human breast cancer cells, and an optimal level of PTEN is required in these responses. PMID- 17761402 TI - A possible link between dopamine action and myelin dysfunction in schizophrenia. PMID- 17761403 TI - Orally disintegrating olanzapine induces less weight gain in adolescents than standard oral tablets. AB - We compared the changes in weight (kg) and body mass index (BMI) (kg/m(2)) in 52 hospitalized adolescents between baseline and after 12 weeks of monotherapy with either (i) olanzapine (OLZ) orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) (N=16; 16.6 mg/day+/-4.4 [SD]), or (ii) OLZ standard oral tablets (SOT) (N=10; 18.0 mg/day+/ 4.2), or (iii) risperidone (N=26; 2.8 mg/day+/-1.2). Significantly greater increases in mean weight and BMI were observed in the patients treated with OLZ SOT (8.9+/-5.1 [SD] kg; 1.9+/-0.6 kg/m(2), respectively) than in those with ODT (3.0+/-2.1 kg; 1.1+/-0.8 kg/m(2)). Similarly, OLZ ODT treatment was associated with significantly greater increases in weight and BMI than risperidone (1.0+/ 1.8 kg; 0.4+/-0.7 kg/m(2)). These findings suggest that adolescents gain less weight with OLZ ODT than OLZ SOT, possibly because the former formulation shortens the time of interaction with digestive serotonin receptors mediating satiety. PMID- 17761401 TI - MRI brain volume abnormalities in young, nonpsychotic relatives of schizophrenia probands are associated with subsequent prodromal symptoms. AB - Schizophrenia is characterized by subtle but well-replicated total and regional (frontal and temporal) brain tissue volume deficits. Studies of individuals at risk for developing schizophrenia suggest that the onset of brain volume decrement may closely pre-date overt manifestations of schizophrenia, making brain volume abnormalities potential predictors for early identification. In an ongoing longitudinal morphometric MRI study of young, nonpsychotic first- or second-degree relatives of schizophrenia probands, we compared brain volumes in 46 relatives who are still within age range for developing schizophrenia against comparison groups of 46 schizophrenia patients and 46 healthy volunteers without family history of schizophrenia. Relatives had similar brain volume abnormalities as schizophrenia patients albeit less severe. Relatives had significantly larger whole brain, frontal, temporal and parietal gray matter (GM) volumes than patients. Relatives also had significantly smaller frontal GM volumes than healthy volunteers. Both relatives and patients had significantly larger whole brain WM (specifically parietal WM) volumes compared to healthy volunteers. Abnormally greater WM volumes in relatives and patients are suggestive of genetically-mediated dysmaturation of the age-expected myelination during adolescence through mid adulthood. On prodromal symptoms assessed in relatives one year after MRI brain scans, initial GM deficits as well as larger WM volumes correlated significantly with greater severity of subsequent prodromal symptoms. Together with previous genetic high-risk studies of adolescent or young adult relatives, these findings indicate that premorbid MRI brain abnormalities may be of predictive value for the early identification of schizophrenia. PMID- 17761405 TI - Association study of catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism with personality traits in Japanese healthy volunteers. AB - Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is one of the major enzymes for the degradation of catecholamines. It has been suggested that catecholaminergic neurotransmission is involved in characterization of personality. Previous studies on the association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and personality traits in healthy subjects have produced inconsistent results. Therefore, the relationship between this polymorphism and personality was re examined in 478 Japanese healthy volunteers. Personality traits were assessed by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), and the COMT genotypes were determined by a PCR-RFLP method. In total, there were no significant differences among the Val/Val, Val/Met, and Met/Met genotypes in seven TCI dimension scores. Similarly, no significant relationship was found between the COMT genotypes and the TCI dimensions when males and females were analyzed separately. The present study thus suggests that the COMT Val158Met polymorphism is not associated with personality traits in Japanese healthy subjects. PMID- 17761404 TI - Platelet monoamine oxidase activity in obsessive-compulsive disorder. AB - Response to SSRIs suggests the implication of the serotonergic system in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, biological studies on serotonergic function in OCD have yielded contradictory results. Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity has been proposed as an index of cerebral serotonin activity. The aim of this study was to examine platelet MAO activity in 29 OCD patients and 29 healthy controls matched by age, sex and tobacco use. We also explored the relationship between platelet MAO activity and aggressive obsessions in OCD patients. There were no differences in platelet MAO activity between OCD patients and healthy controls. We found a significant correlation between platelet MAO activity and Y-BOCS scores in the group of patients with Y-BOCS scores >15. OCD patients with aggressive obsessions had significantly lower levels of platelet MAO activity than patients without aggressive obsessions. Our results suggest that platelet MAO activity may be a marker of OCD severity, and that low platelet MAO activity may be associated with aggressive obsessions in OCD patients. PMID- 17761407 TI - Unusual properties of the halotolerant yeast Candida nodaensis Killer toxin, CnKT. AB - CnKT, the Killer toxin from the extreme halotolerant yeast Candida nodaensis, presents a strong salt-stimulated phenotype and is a resilient toxin, able to cope with very diverse and aggressive environmental conditions. This zymocin is active in a broad range of pH and temperature and tolerates freezing and conservation for long periods of time. CnKT stability is increased under very high ionic strength and its activity is stimulated by sodium ions, which might interfere in the zymocin structure/stability. All these characteristics make CnKT a promising candidate for several biotechnological applications, e.g. in the high salt food products preservation from spoilage by other yeasts. PMID- 17761406 TI - Antidepressant drugs and memory: insights from animal studies. AB - This is a selective review of the literature concerning the effects of antidepressant drugs on animal memory, which was performed with the aid of the PubMed database. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors tend to either have no effect on memory or result in its improvement. Studies with cyclic antidepressants have reported no effect or, more often, memory impairments. Pre-training administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has been shown to have either no effect on memory or undermine it (with some isolated exceptions, in which improvements have been recorded), while post-training administration of SSRIs has been demonstrated to improve memory or have no effect. A small group formed by the remaining antidepressants has been shown to improve memory, with the exception of trazodone, which impairs memory. These findings are discussed in the light of knowledge regarding the actions of antidepressants on several neurotransmission systems. The possibility that the effects of antidepressants on memory are the core of the therapeutic effects of these drugs is also considered. PMID- 17761408 TI - Evaluation of antiprotozoal and antimycobacterial activities of the resin glycosides and the other metabolites of Scrophularia cryptophila. AB - Resin glycosides are secondary metabolites exclusive to the convolvulaceous plants. In this study, crypthophilic acids A-C (1-3), the first resin glycosides occurring in another family (Scrophulariaceae), and the other constituents of Scrophularia cryptophila were examined for in vitro antiprotozoal and antimycobacterial potentials. Except for crypthophilic acid B (2), all tested compounds exhibited growth-inhibitory effect against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, with l-tryptophan (6) and buddlejasaponin III (7) being the most potent ones (IC(50)'s 4.1 and 9.7 microg/ml). In contrast, the activity towards Trypanosoma cruzi was poor, and only crypthophilic acid C (3), 6 and 7 were trypanocidal at concentrations above 40 microg/ml. With the exception of 2 and 6, all compounds were active against Leishmania donovani. Harpagide (4) and 3 emerged as the best leishmanicidal agents (IC(50)'s 2.0 and 5.8 microg/ml). Only compounds 3, 6 and 7 showed antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum with IC(50) values of 4.2, 16.6 and 22.4 microg/ml. Overall the best and broadest spectrum activity was presented by compounds 3 and 7, as they inhibited all four parasitic protozoa. None of the isolates had significant activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MICs >100 microg/ml) or were toxic towards mammalian (L6) cells. This is the first report of antiprotozoal activity for natural resin glycosides, as well as for harpagide (4), acetylharpagide (5), tryptophan (6) and buddlejasaponin III (7). PMID- 17761409 TI - A 31-phosphorus neurospectroscopy study of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intervention with eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in patients with chronic refractory epilepsy. AB - The aim of this study was to determine whether supplementation with the n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in patients with chronic refractory epilepsy is associated with beneficial changes in cerebral biochemistry. In a 3-month pilot randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, three patients received eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid daily and four received a placebo. 31-Phosphorus neurospectroscopy showed a decrease in phosphodiesters, an increase in gammaNTP and an increase in the broadband component in the active group over this period, while the opposite changes occurred in the placebo group. Therefore, in chronic refractory epilepsy, omega-3 supplementation may be associated with reduced membrane phospholipid breakdown in the brain, an improvement in brain energy metabolism, and an increased level of phospholipids in membranes and/or vesicle bilayers in cells in the brain. The unfavourable biochemical changes observed in the placebo group may be a feature of chronic intractable epilepsy. PMID- 17761410 TI - Role of mast cells in airway remodeling. AB - The extent of airway remodeling correlates with severity of asthma. Persistent airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is associated with airway remodeling, but not with inflammation. The increase in ASM mass is recognized as one of the most important factors related to AHR and to the severity of asthma. The infiltration of ASM by mast cells (MCs) is associated with the disordered airway function. The mediators such as tryptase and cytokines from MCs can modulate ASM cell function and induce goblet cell hyperplasia. MCs were found to contribute to the development of multiple features of chronic asthma in MC-deficient mice. Therefore, MCs play an important role not only in immediate hypersensitivity and late phase inflammation but also in tissue remodeling in the airway. PMID- 17761412 TI - Tiotropium suppresses acetylcholine-induced release of chemotactic mediators in vitro. AB - The driving force in the progression of COPD is the development of exacerbations which are mostly the result of excessive inflammation. Bronchodilatators play an important role in the treatment of COPD. The reported reduction in exacerbation rates in COPD is due to the inhibition of vagal-mediated bronchoconstriction and mucus secretion. However, recent studies have highlighted the existence of muscarinic receptors on inflammatory cells and we have explored the possibility that tiotropium bromide might also inhibit neutrophil migration. We analysed the influence of tiotropium on the release of neutrophil chemotactic activity in response to acetylcholine (ACh) and the expression of muscarinic receptors on human alveolar macrophages (AM), A549 cells, MonoMac6 cells, and human lung fibroblasts. We found significant levels of all muscarinic receptor subtypes on all analysed cells except the fibroblasts. Fibroblasts expressed predominantly M2, receptors and did not release chemotactic activity. AM, A549 cells, and MonoMac6 cells released chemotactic active mediators after incubation with ACh. The secretion could be suppressed by more than 70% after coincubation with tiotropium. Tiotropium alone did not influence the granulocyte migration. Most of the chemotactic activity could be attributed to leukotriene B4 (LTB4). The release of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) was not induced by ACh. From this, we suggest that the suppression of the Ach mediated release of chemotactic substances like LTB4 modulates the inflammatory reaction. This may contribute to the decreased rate of exacerbations in COPD, which was observed in clinical trials. PMID- 17761413 TI - Granulocyte transfusions in neutropaenic children: a systematic review of the literature. AB - BACKGROUND: Granulocyte transfusions (GTX) have been used for decades in paediatric neutropaenic patients, but uncertainty remains regarding their effectiveness. We reviewed all the paediatric data available on GTX, to gain a insight in to the indications for use, favourable effects and side effects in patients and donors. METHODS: A comprehensive search was done in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS and CENTRAL (1966 until 2006). All studies including children (1-18 years) who received GTX were included. RESULTS: A total of 66 observational studies were included:Seven using prophylactic and 59 therapeutic GTX. Of the therapeutic studies 55 reported a proven sepsis caused by Gram-negative bacteria (34%) or fungal disease (48%) as the indication for GTX. Concerning effectiveness 70% survival was reported, but no controlled studies were identified. Side effects were mentioned in 27 studies including mild respiratory symptoms, allergic reactions and infection related complications (CMV). Side effects in the donor were mainly flu-like illness. DISCUSSION: In this first review covering 30 years of experience on the use of GTX in children, we found no randomised evidence showing a positive benefit risk ratio. The available case reports and cohort studies alert us as to the potential benefits and harms of the use of GTX in neutropaenic children and provides the basis for a well designed trial in children. PMID- 17761414 TI - The influence of spawn type and strain on yield, size and mushroom solids content of Agaricus bisporus produced on non-composted and spent mushroom compost. AB - Two crops of Agaricus bisporus (J. Lange) Imbach were grown on mixtures of non composted substrate (NCS)/spent mushroom compost (SMC) or pasteurized Phase II compost (control). NCS consisted of oak sawdust (28% oven dry wt), millet (29%), rye (8%), peat (8%), ground alfalfa (4%), ground soybean (4%), wheat bran (9%), and CaCO3 (10%). Substrates included 25/75 NCS/SMC, 50/50 NCS/SMC, and 75/25 NCS/SMC, NCS and Phase II compost. Spawn types and strains were evaluated for their effects on yield, biological efficiency (BE), size and mushroom solids content. Spawn types included millet, casing inoculum (CI), 50/50 CI/millet, or NCS while mushroom strains were of the brown or hybrid off-white variety (U1 type). Mushroom yields and BEs on substrate mixtures of NCS and SMC were comparable to non-supplemented Phase II compost. The highest yield (12.8 kg/m2) and BE (70.9%) were produced on a substrate mixture of 50/50 NCS/SMC and spawn type NCS. Mushroom solids content (7.1%) was highest from the brown strain produced on a 50/50 mixture of NCS/SMC. PMID- 17761415 TI - Response surface methodology for the optimization of alpha amylase production by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. AB - The aim of this work was to optimize the cultural and production parameters through the statistical approach for the synthesis of alpha amylase by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens in submerged fermentation (SmF) using a combination of wheat bran and groundnut oil cake (1:1) as the substrate. The process parameters influencing the enzyme production were identified using Plackett-Burman design. Among the various variables screened, the substrate concentration, incubation period and CaCl2 concentration were most significant. The optimum levels of these significant parameters were determined employing the response surface Box-Behnken design, which revealed these as follows: substrate concentration (12.5%), incubation period (42 h) and CaCl2 (0.0275 M). PMID- 17761416 TI - The discovery of 6-amino nicotinamides as potent and selective histone deacetylase inhibitors. AB - This communication highlights the development of a nicotinamide series of histone deacetylase inhibitors within the benzamide structural class. Extensive exploration around the nicotinamide core led to the discovery of a class I selective HDAC inhibitor that possesses excellent intrinsic and cell-based potency, acceptable ancillary pharmacology, favorable pharmacokinetics, sustained pharmacodynamics in vitro, and achieves in vivo efficacy in an HCT116 xenograft model. PMID- 17761417 TI - Small conformationally restricted piperidine N-arylsulfonamides as orally active gamma-secretase inhibitors. AB - The design and development of a new class of small 2,6-disubstituted piperidine N arylsulfonamide gamma-secretase inhibitors is reported. Lowering molecular weight including the use of conformational constraint led to compounds with less CYP 3A4 liability compared to early leads. Compounds active orally in lowering Abeta levels in Tg CRND8 mice were identified as potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease. PMID- 17761418 TI - Thiophene substituted acylguanidines as BACE1 inhibitors. AB - A series of thiophene-substituted acylguanidines were designed from a pyrrole substituted acylguanidine HTS lead. This template allowed a greater flexibility, through differential Suzuki couplings, to explore the binding site of BACE1 and to enhance the inhibitory potencies. This exploration provided a 25-fold enhancement in potency to yield compound 10a, which was 150 nM in a BACE1 FRET assay. PMID- 17761419 TI - Kinesin spindle protein (KSP) inhibitors. Part 6: Design and synthesis of 3,5 diaryl-4,5-dihydropyrazole amides as potent inhibitors of the mitotic kinesin KSP. AB - 3,5-diaryl-4,5-dihydropyrazoles were discovered to be potent KSP inhibitors with excellent in vivo potency. These enzyme inhibitors possess desirable physical properties that can be readily modified by incorporation of a weakly basic amine. Careful adjustment of amine basicity was essential for preserving cellular potency in a multidrug resistant cell line while maintaining good aqueous solubility. PMID- 17761420 TI - Synthesis of chlorogenic acid derivatives with promising antifungal activity. AB - Derivatives of chlorogenic acid or its analogues were synthesized by coupling protected chlorogenic acid or its analogues with p-octyloxyaniline and selected amino acids. Most of the compounds exhibited significant potency against Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida species with low toxicity to brine shrimps. The 4,5-dihydroxyl groups in the quinic acid moiety were necessary for the activity and introduction of a free amino group increased the inhibitory activity against Aspergillus fumigatus. PMID- 17761421 TI - Identification of novel chemical inhibitors for ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L3 by virtual screening. AB - UCH-L3 (ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L3) is a de-ubiquitinating enzyme that is a component of the ubiquitin-proteasome system and known to be involved in programmed cell death. A previous study of high-throughput drug screening identified an isatin derivative as a UCH-L3 inhibitor. In this study, we attempted to identify a novel inhibitor with a different structural basis. We performed in silico structure-based drug design (SBDD) using human UCH-L3 crystal structure data (PDB code; 1XD3) and the virtual compound library (ChemBridge CNS Set), which includes 32,799 chemicals. By a two-step virtual screening method using DOCK software (first screening) and GOLD software (second screening), we identified 10 compounds with GOLD scores of over 60. To address whether these compounds exhibit an inhibitory effect on the de-ubiquitinating activity of UCH L3, we performed an enzymatic assay using ubiquitin-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin (Ub AMC) as the substrate. As a result, we identified three compounds with similar basic dihydro-pyrrole skeletons as UCH-L3 inhibitors. These novel compounds may be useful for the research of UCH-L3 function, and in drug development for UCH-L3 associated diseases. PMID- 17761422 TI - Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: the inhibition profiles of the human mitochondrial isoforms VA and VB with anions are very different. AB - The first anion inhibition study of the mitochondrial human carbonic anhydrase (hCA, EC 4.2.1.1) isoform hCA VB is reported. Fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, cyanate, thiocyanate, cyanide, azide, bicarbonate, carbonate, nitrate, nitrite, hydrogen sulfide, bisulfite, sulfate, sulfamide, sulfamic acid, phenylboronic acid and phenylarsonic acid were compared as inhibitors of the two mitochondrial isozymes hCA VA and hCA VB. These enzymes are involved in biosynthetic reactions leading to fatty acid and Krebs cycle intermediates biosynthesis in addition to acting as catalysts for the interconversion of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate. The anion inhibition profiles of the two isoforms are dramatically different. The best hCA VB inhibitors were cyanate, thiocyanate, cyanide and hydrogensulfide (K(I)s of 80-76 microM) whereas the least effective ones were the halides (K(I)s of 11-72 mM), with the best inhibitor being fluoride and the least effective ones bromide and iodide. Whereas hCA VA is not sensitive to bicarbonate inhibition (K(I) of 82 mM) similarly to the cytosolic isoform hCA II, hCA VB is well inhibited by this anion, with a K(I) of 0.71 mM. Overall, hCA VB is more sensitive to anion inhibitors as compared to hCA VA. Such data support prior suggestions that the two mitochondrial isozymes play different physiological functions. PMID- 17761423 TI - Synthesis and anticonvulsant evaluation of 4-(4-alkoxylphenyl)-3-ethyl-4H-1,2,4 triazoles as open-chain analogues of 7-alkoxyl-4,5-dihydro[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3 a]quinolines. AB - A series of 4-(4-alkoxylphenyl)-3-ethyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole derivatives was synthesized as open-chain analogues of 7-alkoxyl-4,5-dihydro[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3 a]quinolines. Their anticonvulsant activities were evaluated by the maximal electroshock test (MES test) and their neurotoxicity was evaluated by the rotarod neurotoxicity test (Tox). MES test showed that 3-ethyl-4-(4-octyloxyphenyl)-4H 1,2,4-triazole 3q was found to be the most potent with ED(50) value of 8.3mg/kg and protective index (PI=TD(50)/ED(50)) value of 5.5, but compound 3r, 3-ethyl-4 (4-octyloxyphenyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole, exhibited better PI value of 9.3, which was much greater than PI value of the prototype drug phenytoin. For explanation of the possible mechanism of action, the compound 3r was tested in pentylenetetrazole test, isoniazid test, thiosemicarbazide test, 3 mercaptopropionic acid and strychnine test. PMID- 17761425 TI - Abeta(1-40)-induced secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-9 results in sAPPalpha release by association with cell surface APP. AB - To understand matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) involvement in Alzheimer's disease, we examined mechanisms mediating increased expression of MMP-9 in the presence of Abeta(1-40) and the role of MMP-9 on amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing. Up-regulation of MMP-9 expressed by SK-N-SH cells in the presence of Abeta(1-40) was mediated by alpha(3)beta(1) and alpha(2)beta(1) integrin receptors. Overexpression of MMP-9 or treatment of HEK/APP695 cells with activated recombinant MMP-9 resulted in enhanced secretion of soluble APP (sAPPalpha), a product of alpha-secretase cleavage, and reduction of Abeta release. MMP-9 effect was enhanced by phorbol 12-mysistrate-13-acetate (PMA), an alpha-secretase activator and inhibited by EDTA or SB-3CT, an MMP-9 inhibitor. Additionally, immunoprecipitation and confocal microscopy demonstrated that MMP-9 and APP695 were associated on the cell surface. These results indicate that Abeta peptide increases MMP-9 secretion through integrins; MMP-9 then directly processes cell surface APP695 with an alpha-secretase like activity, substantially reducing the levels of secreted Abeta peptide. PMID- 17761424 TI - Differentiating Alzheimer disease-associated aggregates with small molecules. AB - Alzheimer disease is diagnosed postmortem by the density and spatial distribution of beta-amyloid plaques and tau-bearing neurofibrillary tangles. The major protein component of each lesion adopts cross-beta-sheet conformation capable of binding small molecules with submicromolar affinity. In many cases, however, Alzheimer pathology overlaps with Lewy body disease, characterized by the accumulation of a third cross-beta-sheet forming protein, alpha-synuclein. To determine the feasibility of distinguishing tau aggregates from beta-amyloid and alpha-synuclein aggregates with small molecule probes, a library containing 72,455 small molecules was screened for antagonists of tau-aggregate-mediated changes in Thioflavin S fluorescence, followed by secondary screens to distinguish the relative affinity for each substrate protein. Results showed that >10-fold binding selectivity among substrates could be achieved, with molecules selective for tau aggregates containing at least three aromatic or rigid moieties connected by two rotatable bonds. PMID- 17761427 TI - Production and phenotypic analysis of rice transgenics with altered levels of pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase proteins. AB - Pyruvate decarboxylase (Pdc) and alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) enzymes are responsible for the operation of ethanolic fermentation pathway that appears to correlate to an extent with anoxia tolerance in plants. This study was undertaken with the objective of (a) analysing the rice pdc gene family and (b) altering the efficacy of the ethanolic fermentation process, through production of transgenic rice plants over- and under-expressing pyruvate decarboxylase (employing Ospdc1 gene from rice) as well as over-expressing alcohol dehydrogenase (employing Ghadh2 gene from cotton) proteins. Correlations noted in this study between the pattern of expression of the Pdc alpha-subunit and Ospdc2 transcript as well as between the Pdc beta-subunit and Ospdc1 transcript suggest the possibility that alpha-subunit is encoded by Ospdc2 and that beta-subunit is encoded by Ospdc1. The fact that levels of Pdc beta-subunit were particularly high in pUH-sPdc1 (plasmid construct designed for over-expression of Ospdc1) seedlings while levels of beta-subunit levels were negligible or lower in pUH-asPdc1 (plasmid construct designed for under-expression of Ospdc1) seedlings also support these observations. Transgenics raised for over-expression of Pdc and Adh and under expression of Pdc were confirmed for the transgene presence and effects by PCR, Southern blotting, Northern blotting, Western blotting and isozyme assays. Pdc and Adh over-expressing rice transgenics at early seedling stage under unstressed control growth conditions showed slight, consistent advantage in root vigour as compared to that of wild-type seedlings. PMID- 17761428 TI - The ability of plants to secrete proteases by roots. AB - The aim of our study was to find out if the culture medium of aseptically cultivated seedlings exhibits proteolytic activity and if this event is universal in angiospermous plants. Seedlings of 15 agricultural and wild-living plant species were cultivated for 14days without any addition of nutrients. Our studies showed that roots of higher plants could secrete proteases and that levels of proteolytic activity in the culture medium of individual species (and cultivars of the same species) could be significantly different. The differences between quantities of the secreted proteases were connected neither with the fresh weight of the growing seedlings nor with the surface of the root system. No proteins were required to induce secretion of proteases. The culture medium of a few studied species (Allium porrum, Zea mays, Helianthus annuus) showed the highest proteolytic activity at pH 7. Studies of the influence of standard protease inhibitors showed that examined proteases belong to the cysteine protease family. The results suggest that the apical parts of roots exuded proteases more intensively than mature parts. Our studies suggest that some plant species could develop a strategy to actively increase the level of free amino acids in the soil solution as a source of N. Our results may contribute to studying plant N nutrition in natural ecosystems and to increasing yield after organic fertilization of agricultural species. PMID- 17761426 TI - Distribution and cellular localization of adrenoleukodystrophy protein in human tissues: implications for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. AB - Defects of adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ALDP) lead to X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), a disorder mainly affecting the nervous system white matter and the adrenal cortex. In the present study, we examine the expression of ALDP in various human tissues and cell lines by multiple-tissue RNA expression array analysis, Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry. ALDP encoding mRNA is most abundant in tissues with high energy requirements such as heart, muscle, liver, and the renal and endocrine systems. ALDP selectively occurs in specific cell types of brain (hypothalamus and basal nucleus of Meynert), kidney (distal tubules), skin (eccrine gland, hair follicles, and fibroblasts), colon (ganglion cells and epithelium), adrenal gland (zona reticularis and fasciculata), and testis (Sertoli and Leydig cells). In pituitary gland, ALDP is confined to adrenocorticotropin-producing cells and is significantly reduced in individuals receiving long term cortisol treatment. This might indicate a functional link between ALDP and proopiomelanocortin-derived peptide hormones. PMID- 17761429 TI - Enhanced tolerance to heat stress in transgenic plants expressing the GASA4 gene. AB - We conducted a genetic yeast screen to identify Thermo-tolerance genes (TTOs) in maize kernel cDNA library. During the screening, we identified a maize clone (TTO6) that seemed to confer elevated heat tolerance in comparison to control cells. TTO6 cDNA (GenBank accession no. AY103785) encodes an 11-kDa protein which is 69% similarity to the Arabidopsis GASA4 gene. To further examine heat tolerance in Arabidopsis, we functionally characterized the GASA4 gene and found that heat induced GASA4 expression. Constitutive expression of GASA4 in Arabidopsis led to elevated heat tolerance in transgenic lines. Interestingly, endoplasmic reticulum chaperone expression analysis suggests that GASA4 influences BiP gene expression during heat stress. PMID- 17761430 TI - The induction of microsomal NADPH:cytochrome P450 and NADH:cytochrome b(5) reductases by long-term salt treatment of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) plants. AB - We studied the effect of salinity on the activity of microsomal NADPH:cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR, EC 1.6.2.4) and NADH:ferricytochrome b(5) oxidoreductase (B5R, EC 1.6.2.2) in two dicotyledonous plant species differing in their sensitivity to salt, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv Ogosta) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv Dobrujanski 7). A significant inhibition of fresh weight of salt-treated bean plants was observed, while cotton was affected to a much lesser degree. NaCl application resulted in a significant increase in the activity of both reductases, but was more pronounced in salt-tolerant cotton. We suppose that alterations in B5R and CPR activities may be targeted to the maintenance of membrane lipids. Most probably, plants use both enzymes (B5R and CPR) and their respective electron donors (NADH and NADPH) to reduce cytochrome b(5), which can donate reducing equivalents to a series of lipid-modification reactions such as desaturation and hydroxylation. PMID- 17761431 TI - Genioglossus advancement and hyoid myotomy in treating obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome - A follow-up study. AB - AIM: To assess the success of genioglossus advancement and hyoid myotomy in the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) therapy by comparing pre- and postoperative respiratory values during sleep. One of the surgical methods of widening the upper airways is to advance the spina mandibulae together with the genioglossus insertion. Thus the whole tongue is advanced, including its base. Hyoid myotomy itself, leads to a very unaesthetic filling up of soft tissues in the submental space. Therefore, the original window method of genioglossus advancement was modified and the so-called tenon and mortise genioplasty according to Delaire was applied. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients underwent genioglossus advancement by the modified genioplasty with hyoid myotomy (8 women and 23 men, mean age 53.2 years; range 35-69 years). Basic polysomnographic parameters were monitored (during sleep) before surgery and 7.3 months (range 3-6 months) postoperatively. RESULTS: The cumulative success rate was 74%. Subjective assessment of daily sleepiness using the Epworth scale dropped from preoperative 9.6 to 4.7. The average respiratory disturbance index decreased from 20.9 preoperatively to 10.3, the oxygen desaturation index dropped from 15.1 to 8.8, the average preoperative values of baseline oxygen saturation and average desaturation values had been 95.1% and 86.5%, respectively, and had increased postoperatively to 96.0% and 90.3%, respectively. On the average, preoperative desaturation lasted 36.7s whereas it lasted for 31.0 s postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Polysomonographic monitoring proved that changing the upper airways can favourably impact upon respiratory parameters during sleep in OSAS. PMID- 17761432 TI - Need for dental treatment following cardiac valve surgery: a clinical study. AB - AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term need for dental treatment following non-radical treatment modes prior to cardiac valve surgery. PATIENTS: From 1995 to 2001, a total of 305 patients were screened prior to cardiac surgery. After an average period of 36 months, 80 of these patients could be re-evaluated clinically (26%). Another 117 patients (38%) and their family doctors were contacted by telephone. METHODS: Dental evaluation prior to cardiac valve replacement was performed clinically and radiographically. Tooth extraction was recommended in cases of carious or periodontal destruction, root remnants, partial retention or apical osteolysis despite endodontic treatment with poor prognosis for apicectomy. Periodontal therapy was recommended if attachment loss was less than 1/2 of the root length. No measures were undertaken for endodontically treated teeth without apical osteolysis and impacted teeth. In October 2002, oral health was re-evaluated in 80 patients. Dental treatment carried out in the follow-up period was documented and compared with the current findings. RESULTS: At the time of re-evaluation, 60 of the total of 80 patients required dental treatment in 155 teeth; oral surgery was indicated in 51 of these 60 patients, mostly due to periodontal pathology. During the follow-up period, only 99 of the 142 dental interventions having taken place had been carried out with prophylactic antibiotic treatment. CONCLUSION: From the results of this study it may be concluded that non-radical dental treatment modes prior to cardiac valve replacement can only be successful over the long-term if adequate postoperative dental care is provided. To achieve this aim, common follow-up monitoring forms, similar to those used for care of cancer patients, could facilitate communication. PMID- 17761433 TI - Fibrin glue in coronary artery bypass grafting operations: casting out the Devil with Beelzebub? AB - OBJECTIVE: Fibrin sealants are frequently used in aortocoronary bypass operations. Although they are considered to be clinically safe, we performed a retrospective analysis of our data to examine the possible side effects of Tissucol fibrin sealant, namely the acute thrombosis of grafts and native coronary arteries resulting in severe myocardial damage and patient deaths. METHODS: The data of 2716 patients (2001 male, 715 female) who received an aortocoronary bypass operation from November 1995 to December 1999 were studied retrospectively. Two groups (group 1: received Tissucol, group 2: no sealant used) were compared with respect to an a priori selected set of demographic and clinical variables and with respect to their effect on the outcome using bivariate tabulation. Multiple exploratory assessments of factors possibly related to fatal outcome were done by multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Nine hundred ninety patients (group 1) received Tissucol, 1726 patients (group 2) did not receive it. Mean patient age was 64+/-9.1 years. Group 1 had a higher risk of death (7.8% vs 2.8%, p<0.001). The peak values of creatine kinase >500 and creatine kinase-myocardial band >50 were higher in group 1 than in group 2, p<0.001. Adjusted odds ratios for the risk of fatal outcome were: 2.01 for the use of Tissucol, 2.71 for patient age >70 years, 2.02 for aortic cross clamp time >90 min, 3.95 for postoperative ventricular fibrillation, 6.35 for postoperative cardiopulmonary resuscitation, 4.55 for postoperative aortocoronary reoperation. CONCLUSION: In our analysis an increased risk of myocardial injury or even death was found in coronary artery bypass grafting patients when Tissucol fibrin sealant was used intraoperatively. PMID- 17761434 TI - 5-Aminolevulinic acid-induced protoporphyrin-IX accumulation and associated phototoxicity in macrophages and oral cancer cell lines. AB - Studies were carried out on 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced protoporphyrin (PpIX) synthesis in mice peritoneal macrophages and two human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines NT8e and 4451. Cells were treated with 200 microg/ml ALA for 15 h and PpIX accumulation was monitored by spectrofluorometry and phototoxicity to red light (630+/-20 nm) was measured by MTT assay. PpIX accumulation was higher in macrophages as compared to OSCC cells under both normal serum concentration (10%) and conditions of serum depletion. The results on phototoxicity measurements correlated well with the levels of PpIX accumulation in both macrophages and cancer cells. While red light caused 20% phototoxicity in macrophages, no phototoxicity was seen in 4451 cells at 10% serum. Decrease in serum concentration to 5% and 1% led to higher phototoxicity corresponding to 40% and 70% in macrophages and 10% and 15% in 4451 cells. Similar results were obtained in NT8e cell line. Propidium iodide staining followed by fluorescence microscopic observations on photodynamically treated co culture of murine or human macrophages and cancer cells showed selective damage to macrophages. These results suggest that in OSCC, macrophages would contribute more to tumor PpIX level than tumor cells themselves and PDT may lead to selective killing of macrophages at the site of treatment. Since macrophages are responsible for production and secretion of various tumor growth mediators, the effect of selective macrophage killing on the outcome of PDT would be significant. PMID- 17761435 TI - Scuticociliate cysteine proteinases modulate turbot leucocyte functions. AB - The effects exerted by cysteine proteinases isolated from the histiophagous ciliate Philasterides dicentrarchi on the phagocytic functions of turbot pronephric leucocytes (PL) were investigated. The enzymes were tested at concentrations of 125, 250 and 500 microg ml(-1), and it was found that the viability of the leucocytes was not affected after treatment for 24h. Leucocyte migration was inhibited by the cysteine proteinases in a dose-dependent manner, whereas the ascitic fluid obtained from turbot experimentally infected with P. dicentrarchi induced high chemotactic activity in the turbot PL. The proteinases did not affect yeast cell phagocytosis but increased intracellular production of the superoxide anion (O2(-)). Stimulation with the proteinases did not alter the PGE2 levels in supernatants from 24-h cultures of PL, however, beta-glucans (100 microg ml(-1)) provoked a large increase in PGE2 levels, which were inhibited after addition of 10 microg ml(-1) of indomethacin, a non-selective inhibitor of COX2 enzymatic activity. The mean PGE2 level in ascitic fluid from turbot, experimentally infected with P. dicentrarchi, was 500 pg ml(-1), and the addition of low levels of PGE2 (62.5 pg ml(-1)) to PL cultures stimulated O2(-) production, although addition of PGE2 at concentrations higher than 250 pg ml(-1) blocked the increase in stimulation. Addition of cysteine proteinases to 24-h cultures of PL also increased mRNA levels in the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1beta. The results revealed the capacity of cysteine proteinases isolated from P. dicentrarchi to modulate the innate immune response of turbot, which together with the inflammation mediators produced during infection, may play an important role in pathogenesis of the disease and in the survival of the parasite. PMID- 17761436 TI - Tripping without falling; lower limb strength, a limitation for balance recovery and a target for training in the elderly. AB - To reduce the number of falls in old age, we need to understand the mechanisms underpinning a fall, who are at risk of falling, and what interventions can prevent such individuals from falling. This paper provides an overview of our recent research on tripping and muscle strength in the elderly, addressing these questions. To prevent a fall after tripping over an obstacle, high demands are posed on lower limb muscles. It was shown that the support limb plays an important role in balance recovery by generating the appropriate joint moments during push-off. Older individuals show lower rates of moment generation in all support limb joints and a lower peak ankle moment than young adults. As strength declines with age (due to muscular, tendinous and neural alterations), leg muscle strength might be the limiting factor in preventing a fall. Indeed, high-risk fallers could be identified based on maximum leg press push-off force capacity. Resistance training can reverse the ageing-related loss of strength. Therefore, the effects of 16-weeks resistance training on tripping reactions were studied in a small group of elderly. Maximum push-off force increased significantly by training. Moreover, trainers improved more than controls in moment generation after tripping, especially around the ankle. It can be concluded that transfer of resistance training effects to balance recovery is feasible. PMID- 17761437 TI - The effect of fatigue and habituation on the stretch reflex of the ankle musculature. AB - Many ankle injuries are said to occur when athletes are in a fatigued state; therefore, studies investigating the role that fatigue plays in ankle injuries are warranted. Furthermore, the contributions of the stretch reflex in countering the injury mechanism are still unclear. We hypothesized that (1) fatigue would impair the reflex response, (2) there would be no differences between genders, (3) habituation would be present, and (4) fatigue would exacerbate the effect of habituation. Forty healthy subjects participated and were divided into treatment and control groups. Stretch reflex measurements were taken for the tibialis anterior (TA), peroneus longus (PL), and peroneus brevis (PB) muscles in response to a rapid inversion perturbation. A fatigue intervention was administered to the treatment group, while the control group sat quietly. Post-test measurements were recorded within 5min and reflex latency (RL) and amplitude (RA) were calculated. RA decreased significantly, however a significant improvement was noted in RL in the PL and PB muscles. The effect that peripheral fatigue has on RL should not be considered a cause of ankle injuries. However, the diminished RA may suggest reduced dynamic stability after fatigue. Habituation was present and was exacerbated by fatigue, indicating that reflex testing is affected by fatigue and habituation, which must be taken into consideration in future studies. PMID- 17761438 TI - A fast diffeomorphic image registration algorithm. AB - This paper describes DARTEL, which is an algorithm for diffeomorphic image registration. It is implemented for both 2D and 3D image registration and has been formulated to include an option for estimating inverse consistent deformations. Nonlinear registration is considered as a local optimisation problem, which is solved using a Levenberg-Marquardt strategy. The necessary matrix solutions are obtained in reasonable time using a multigrid method. A constant Eulerian velocity framework is used, which allows a rapid scaling and squaring method to be used in the computations. DARTEL has been applied to intersubject registration of 471 whole brain images, and the resulting deformations were evaluated in terms of how well they encode the shape information necessary to separate male and female subjects and to predict the ages of the subjects. PMID- 17761439 TI - Pial arteriolar vasomotion changes during cortical activation in rats. AB - The oscillatory pattern of pial arterioles, i.e. vasomotion, has been described since early 1980s, but the impact of neural activation on such oscillations has never been formally examined. Sciatic nerve stimulation, a well characterized model for studying neurovascular coupling (NVC), leads to a neural activity related increase of pial arteriolar diameter in the contralateral hindlimb somatosensory cortex. Exploiting such an experimental model, the aim of the present study was to explore vasomotion and its changes during NVC with a novel analytical approach. Indeed, to characterize oscillations, we evaluated the total spectral power in the range 0.02-2.00 Hz and subdivided this frequency interval into seven 50% overlapping frequency bands. Results indicated that only arterioles overlying the stimulated hindlimb cortex showed a significant increase of total power, unlike arterioles overlaying the whisker barrel cortex, used as control for the vascular response specificity. The total power increase was sustained mainly by marked increments in the low frequency range, with two peaks at 0.03 and 0.08 Hz, and by a wide increase in the high frequency range (0.60 2.00 Hz) in the averaged spectrum. These activity-related spectral changes suggest: (i) that it is possible to assess the vascular responses by using total power; (ii) the existence of at least three distinct mechanisms involved in the control of NVC, two with a feedback frequency loop in the low frequency range and another one in the high range; (iii) a potential involvement of vasomotion in NVC. Moreover, these findings highlight the oscillatory nature of the mechanisms controlling NVC. PMID- 17761440 TI - A mesostate-space model for EEG and MEG. AB - We present a multi-scale generative model for EEG, that entails a minimum number of assumptions about evoked brain responses, namely: (1) bioelectric activity is generated by a set of distributed sources, (2) the dynamics of these sources can be modelled as random fluctuations about a small number of mesostates, (3) mesostates evolve in a temporal structured way and are functionally connected (i.e. influence each other), and (4) the number of mesostates engaged by a cognitive task is small (e.g. between one and a few). A Variational Bayesian learning scheme is described that furnishes the posterior density on the models parameters and its evidence. Since the number of meso-sources specifies the model, the model evidence can be used to compare models and find the optimum number of meso-sources. In addition to estimating the dynamics at each cortical dipole, the mesostate-space model and its inversion provide a description of brain activity at the level of the mesostates (i.e. in terms of the dynamics of meso-sources that are distributed over dipoles). The inclusion of a mesostate level allows one to compute posterior probability maps of each dipole being active (i.e. belonging to an active mesostate). Critically, this model accommodates constraints on the number of meso-sources, while retaining the flexibility of distributed source models in explaining data. In short, it bridges the gap between standard distributed and equivalent current dipole models. Furthermore, because it is explicitly spatiotemporal, the model can embed any stochastic dynamical causal model (e.g. a neural mass model) as a Markov process prior on the mesostate dynamics. The approach is evaluated and compared to standard inverse EEG techniques, using synthetic data and real data. The results demonstrate the added-value of the mesostate-space model and its variational inversion. PMID- 17761441 TI - Short-term changes in bilateral hippocampal coherence precede epileptiform events. AB - The mesial temporal lobe epilepsy syndrome (MTLE) is the most common form of focal epilepsies. MTLE patients usually respond very little to pharmacological therapy and surgical resection of temporal brain areas is mandatory. Finding less invasive therapies than resection of the sclerotic hippocampus requires knowledge of the network structures and dynamics involved in seizure generation. Investigation of the time interval immediately preceding seizure onset would help in understanding the initiation mechanisms of the seizure proper and, thereby, possibly improve therapeutical options. Here, we employed the in vivo intrahippocampal kainate model in mice, which is characterized by unilateral histological changes, resembling hippocampal sclerosis observed in human MTLE, and recurrent focal seizures. In these epileptic mice, population spikes occurred during epileptiform events (EEs) in the ipsilateral, histologically changed hippocampus, but also concomitantly in the contralateral, intact hippocampus. We studied synchronization processes between the ipsilateral, sclerotic hippocampus and the contralateral hippocampus immediately preceding the onset of EEs. We show that coherence between the two hippocampi decreased consistently and reliably for all EEs at 8 to 12 s before their onset at high frequencies (>100 Hz), without changes in power in these bands. This early decoupling of the two hippocampi indicates the time range for cellular and network mechanisms leading to increased excitability and/or synchronicity in the tissue and thus ultimately to epileptic seizures. PMID- 17761442 TI - Bovine tuberculosis is more prevalent in cattle owned by farmers with active tuberculosis in central Ethiopia. AB - A case control study was conducted between October 2004 and April 2005 to determine the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) in cattle in central Ethiopia relative to the tuberculosis status of their owners. A total of 174 farmers (87 with active tuberculosis and 87 with no active tuberculosis), and 1041 cattle (506 owned by farmers with active tuberculosis and 535 by farmers without active tuberculosis) were included. The comparative intradermal cervical tuberculin test was used in cattle while clinical symptoms, chest X-ray and Ziehl Neelsen staining were used for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in the farmers. In addition, mycobacterial culture, biochemical tests, and drug susceptibility tests were performed for the identification Mycobacterium spp. from both humans and cattle. The prevalence of BTB was threefold higher (odds ratio [OR]=4.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.79-6.2) in cattle owned by farmers with active tuberculosis (24.3%) than in those owned by farmers who did not have active tuberculosis (8.6%). Cattle owned by farmers with active tuberculosis were four times more likely to have tuberculosis than cattle owned by farmers with no active tuberculosis. Furthermore, cattle owners who consumed raw milk were at greater risk (chi2=14.1, P<0.001, OR=3.34) of having active tuberculosis than those who consumed boiled milk. Of the 42 human isolates, 31 (74%) were Mycobacterium tuberculosis, seven (16%) were Mycobacterium bovis while four (10%) were considered a typical mycobacteria on the basis of biochemical and drug sensitivity tests. Of the 11 cattle isolates, two (18%) were Mycobacterium tuberculosis, five (46%) Mycobacterium bovis, and four (36%) were atypical mycobacteria. The prevalence of tuberculosis was higher in cattle owned by farmers with active tuberculosis than in cattle owned by farmers who did not have active tuberculosis, which could suggest possible transmission of Mycobacterium spp. between cattle and their owners. PMID- 17761444 TI - High-field (75)As NMR study of arsenic oxysalts. AB - Arsenic is an important environmental hazard, but there have been few NMR investigations of its molecular scale structure and dynamics, due principally to the large quadrupole moment of (75)As and consequent large quadrupole couplings. We examine here the potential of existing, single-field solid-state NMR technology to investigate solids containing arsenate and arsenite oxyanions. The results show that current techniques have significant potential for arsenates that do not contain both protonated H(x)AsO4-(3-x) groups and structural water molecules, but that the quadrupole couplings for the arsenites examined here are large enough that interpretation of the spectra is difficult, even at 21.1T. Compounds that contain both structural H(2)O molecules and protonated arsenate groups do not yield resolvable signal, likely a result of T(2) effects related to a combination of strong quadrupolar interactions and proton exchange. Spin-echo experiments at 11.7 and 14.1T were effective for Li(3)AsO(4) and CsH(2)AsO(4), as were whole-pattern spikelet experiments for arsenate oxide (As(2)O(5)) at 17.6 and 21.1T. The central transition resonance of Ca(3)(AsO(4))(2).8H(2)O is approximately 6 MHz broad and required a non-conventional, histogram-style spikelet method at high field to improve acquisition efficiency. This approach reduces the acquisition time due to the sensitivity enhancement of the spikelet sequence and a reduction in the number of frequency increments required to map the resonance. Despite the large quadrupole couplings, we have identified a correlation between the (75)As isotropic chemical shift and the electronegativity of the next-nearest neighbor cation in arsenate compounds. PMID- 17761443 TI - Magnetic resonance angiography of the normal canine heart and associated blood vessels. AB - Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) images of the normal canine heart and associated blood vessels were obtained from two mature Beagle dogs. Fast spin echo sequence MRA images were taken with a 1.5T magnet and a human thorax coil. Relevant vascular structures were identified and labelled on maximum intensity projection reconstructions of 3D gadolinium-enhanced MRA and anatomical dissections with vascular latex injection taken from the right and the left thoracic walls and the base of the heart. These images should provide useful reference material for clinical studies of the canine heart. PMID- 17761445 TI - Involvement of a capsaicin-sensitive TRPV1-independent mechanism in lipopolysaccharide-induced fever in chickens. AB - It has been demonstrated that capsaicin blocks lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced fever in mammals. In this study, we investigated TRPV1 (transient receptor potential ion channel of vanilloid subtype-1)-independent action of capsaicin on LPS-induced fever in chickens. The chicken is a valuable model for this purpose because chicken TRPV1 has been shown to be insensitive to capsaicin and thus the effects of capsaicin can be attributed to TRPV1-independent mechanisms. Administration of capsaicin (10 mg/kg, iv) to conscious unrestrained chicks at 5 days of age caused a transient decrease in body temperature. This effect of capsaicin was not observed in chicks that had been pretreated twice with capsaicin, indicating that the capsaicin-sensitive pathway can be desensitized. LPS (2 mg/kg, ip) induced fever that lasted for about 2.5 h, but fever was not induced in chicks that had been pretreated with capsaicin for 2 days. The preventive effect of capsaicin on LPS-induced fever was not blocked by capsazepine, an antagonist for TRPV1, but the antagonist per se blocked the febrile response to LPS. These findings suggest that a capsaicin-sensitive TRPV1 independent mechanism may be involved in LPS-induced fever. PMID- 17761446 TI - Dexamethasone treatment affects nuclear glucocorticoid receptor and glucocorticoid response element binding activity in liver of rats (Rattus norvegicus) during aging. AB - Aging is associated with marked changes in the biochemical processes of many organs. Basal and glucocorticoid induced of liver nuclear glucocorticoid receptor (GR) on the level of protein expression and DNA-binding activity were investigated at different ages (3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months old) in two groups of rats in: untreated and dexamethasone treated. The results showed a significant decline of GR protein immunopurified from untreated rats of advanced age. In dexamethasone-treated rats, the quantity of GR protein was lower than in controls at all ages. The interactions of liver nuclear proteins with radioactively labelled synthetic oligonucleotide analogue containing consensus GRE sequence were analysed during aging. The results showed that GRE binding activity demonstrated a decrease both in untreated and in dexamethasone treated rats. However, relative to untreated rats, dexamethasone treatment resulted in a significant increase in GRE binding at all ages, except that of three months old animals. In conclusion, the observed alterations in GR protein expression and its DNA binding activity may play a role in the changes of the cell response to glucocorticoid during aging. PMID- 17761447 TI - Molecular mechanisms exploited by Listeria monocytogenes during host cell invasion. AB - The facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes has evolved multiple strategies to invade a large panel of mammalian cells. Host cell invasion is critical for several stages of listeriosis pathology such as the initial crossing of the host intestinal barrier and the successive colonization of diverse target organs including the placenta. In this review, we address the main molecular mechanisms known to be used by L. monocytogenes during invasion of nonphagocytic cells and host tissues. PMID- 17761448 TI - [Clitoris and G spot: a fatal connection: Gynecol Obstet Fertil 2007;35:3-5]. PMID- 17761449 TI - Rotating treadmill training reduces freezing in Parkinson disease: preliminary observations. AB - Two subjects with Parkinson disease (PD) who had difficulty turning, and freezing of gait triggered by turning, participated. Subjects completed four blocks of turning trials. Three blocks were conducted in the absence of treadmill intervention. Both subjects had consistent freezing across blocks prior to training and evidenced more freezing when turning left than right. The final block of turns was performed after 10-15 min of training leftward turning on a rotating circular treadmill. Following training: (1) neither subject froze during leftward turns, (2) muscle activity normalized, and (3) turning times decreased for leftward turns. PMID- 17761451 TI - Nursing Informatics: advances and trends to improve health care quality. PMID- 17761450 TI - Inpatient rehabilitation after deep brain stimulator placement: a case series. AB - This case series describes the inpatient rehabilitation of two medically complex patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who had undergone deep brain stimulator (DBS) placement. Most patients may not require inpatient rehabilitation. However, a short rehabilitation stay might be of use to patients who need to be weaned off medications or who need frequent adjustments of their deep brain stimulators. This is the first case series to describe the inpatient rehabilitation of patients with deep brain stimulators. PMID- 17761452 TI - Leo Tolstoy's theory of sleep. AB - Throughout his life, Leo Tolstoy was fascinated by the phenomena of sleep and dreams. He composed a series of observations and judgements that were brought together under "my theory of sleep". Tolstoy was constantly preoccupied with the basic principles of "the theory". It is hard to name a work by him where a description of sleep and/or a dream does not play a vital role in the unfolding of the plot. They testify to Tolstoy's interest in the mechanism of sleep and in the processes of falling asleep and waking up. Tolstoy viewed sleep as a specific state of consciousness, and he subsequently linked the concept of sleep with the concept of death. For him sleep and awakening were experiences emblematic of life and death. PMID- 17761454 TI - Application of videotape in the screening of obstructive sleep apnea in children. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine if watching a videotape that shows features of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) will improve the accuracy of a verbally administered questionnaire in the prediction of OSA in pediatric snorers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective single-blinded, randomized, controlled study at a pediatric clinic for sleep-disordered breathing, we studied children aged 0-18 years, who had been referred to a sleep laboratory for overnight polysomnography (PSG), and their parents from November 1999 to November 2000. The parents were randomized to answer a standard verbally administered panel of three questions (SQ) or a verbally administered panel of questions assisted by videotape (VQ). RESULTS: The parents of 52 and 56 pediatric snorers were assigned to answer SQ and VQ, respectively. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curves (AUCs) for screening of OSA in patients were similar at 0.709 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.561-0.851) for SQ and 0.714 (95% CI=0.571-0.858) for VQ. The two questionnaires had a reasonable negative predictive value to rule out the presence of OSA (VQ=0.816 and 95% CI=0.726 0.885, SQ=0.828, 95% CI=0.714-0.913). CONCLUSION: The addition of a videotape showing important features of OSA achieved no better accuracy than a standard questionnaire. PMID- 17761453 TI - Bed- and room-sharing in Chinese school-aged children: prevalence and association with sleep behaviors. AB - OBJECTIVE: To survey the prevalence of bed- and room-sharing and assess associations with sleep/wake patterns, duration of sleep, and sleep problems among urban school-aged children in China. METHODS: Students representing eight Chinese cities were studied during November and December, 2005. A total of 19,299 elementary-school children (49.7% boys and 50.3% girls with a mean age of 9.00 years) participated in the survey. A parent-administered questionnaire and the Chinese version of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire were completed to quantify children's sleep arrangements and to characterize sleep behaviors. RESULTS: Co-sleeping was a common practice, with a prevalence of 37.6% (routine bed-sharing: 23.0%; room-sharing: 14.6%) in Chinese school-aged children. Bed- and room-sharing did not show significant gender difference but gradually decreased with increasing age. Compared to room-sharing and sleeping alone, bed sharing was correlated with later bedtimes, later awakening times, and a shorter duration of sleep. However, the small difference was unlikely to have clinical significance. Bed- and room-sharing tended to be associated with the increased probability of six types of sleep problems: bedtime resistance, sleep anxiety, night waking, parasomnia, sleep-disordered breathing, and daytime sleepiness. Compared to bed-sharing, room-sharing had a lower odds ratio. Among six sleep problems, bedtime resistance and sleep anxiety had the strongest association with bed-sharing. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep problems were common in Chinese school-aged children. Co-sleeping was highly prevalent and may be potentially associated with negative effects on sleep hygiene and sleep quality, although the context of the co-sleeping must be taken into consideration. PMID- 17761455 TI - Monitoring of ventilation during the early part of cardiopulmonary exercise testing: the first step to detect central sleep apnoea in chronic heart failure. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To evaluate the prediction of nocturnal central sleep apnoea (CSA) syndrome from the presence of periodic breathing (PB) on diurnal monitoring of pre-exercise (cardiopulmonary exercise test [CPX]) parameters. CSA syndrome is commonly found in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients and has several prognostic and therapeutic implications but is frequently undiagnosed. Awake PB pattern is sometimes observed during the CPX cardiopulmonary monitoring period of gas exchanges in CHF patients referred to the stress test laboratory for routine peak VO2 determination. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-five consecutive ambulatory patients (2 women/43 men; 60.2+/-11.7 years old) with clinically moderate to severe CHF (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class II/III: 22/23; mean+/-standard deviation left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF]: 30.5+/-6.6%) underwent a classical maximal CPX test including a 2-min period (pre-test) of gas exchange monitoring and nocturnal ambulatory polygraphic monitoring. PB was defined when a cyclical pattern of VE, VO2, VCO2, was visually noted during the pre-exercise period and/or during the first 4 min of the CPX. CSA syndrome was retained as a central apnoea-plus-hypopnea index (cAHI) equal to or more than 10/h. The sleep study scoring procedure was done independently of the knowledge of the CPX results. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were calculated and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was constructed. RESULTS: Peak VO2 reached 16.4+/-5.2 mL kg(-1)min(-1) (55% of the theoretical value adjusted for gender and age). The polygraphy was completed and validated (at least five consecutive hours of sleep) in all cases. CSA syndrome was found in 28 (62%) patients (mean cAHI: 19.3+/-8.6/h). Sensitivity for the prediction of CSA syndrome reached 92.9% (two false-negative patients with a cAHI of nine) and specificity 94.1% with a predictive accuracy of 93.3%. The only false-positive patient suffered a moderate but significant obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Using ROC curve analysis, the W value reached 0.99 for the prediction of CSA from the presence of PB. The presence of CSA syndrome, using logistic regression analysis, is associated with a more severe functional status (NYHA: p<0.01, peak VO2: p<0.002), a lower basal and peak end-expiratory CO2 pressure (PETCO2, all p<0.03), a worse LVEF (p<0.01) and age equal to or more than 60 years (p<0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The observation of PB in the preliminary period of the CPX test in CHF patients appeared highly predictive of the presence of CSA syndrome during sleep and could prompt the use of polygraphic monitoring in severe CHF patients. PMID- 17761456 TI - Clinical characteristics and HLA typing of a family with Kleine-Levin syndrome. AB - BACKGROUND: Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS) is a rare disorder of unknown etiology. To date, only four familial cases have been described. The possible presence of genetic and autoimmune processes has been postulated recently. Our objective was to report for the first time a multiplex KLS Saudi family with 6 out of 12 family members affected. METHODS: The demographic and clinical features of the six affected family members are described. KLS was diagnosed according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD). Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing was performed for both affected and unaffected family members and compared to previous studies. RESULTS: The father and three male and two female children were affected. Age of onset ranged from 15 to 21 years. Symptoms disappeared in four family members. HLA typing was identical in the father and two children (1F and 5M). All affected members shared one-half of HLA antigens. HLA typing revealed that four members out of the six affected members are homozygous at DQB1 *02 loci. CONCLUSIONS: This report provides a description of a multiplex KLS family with six members affected. HLA-DQB1 *02 homozygosity was present in 4/6 affected and 2/6 unaffected family members. The family studied presents an invaluable opportunity for further DNA and genetic studies, which may help in finding the mutation in the future. PMID- 17761457 TI - Hormonal management of premenstrual syndrome. AB - Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a psychological and somatic disorder of unknown aetiology. The symptoms of PMS regularly occur during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and resolve by the end of menstruation. The severe and predominantly psychological form of PMS is called 'premenstrual dysphoric disorder'. PMS results from ovulation and appears to be caused by the progesterone produced following ovulation in women who have enhanced progesterone sensitivity. This enhanced sensitivity may be due to neurotransmitter dysfunction. Treatment is aimed at suppressing ovulation or reducing progesterone sensitivity. This chapter will describe the role of hormones and hormonal treatments in PMS. PMID- 17761458 TI - Incremental prognostic value of restrictive filling pattern in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a Doppler echocardiographic study. AB - AIM: To study frequency and incremental prognostic value of restrictive filling pattern (RFP) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighty seven consecutive HCM patients (64% men, mean age 45 +/- 19 years) underwent physical and Doppler echocardiographic evaluation at our centre from March 1993 to February 2001. Mean length of follow-up was 96 +/- 54 months. RFP was found in 14 patients (16%) at index evaluation. Patients with RFP had higher NYHA class, more frequent signs of heart failure and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (P = 0.018, P = 0.002 and P = 0.001, respectively). During follow-up, cardiac death plus heart transplantation was significantly higher in HCM patients with RFP than in those without RFP (P = 0.0001). NYHA class (HR = 5.95, 95% CI: 1.34 26.38, P = 0.019), indexed left atrial diameter (HR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.01-2.82, P = 0.047) and RFP (HR = 2.94, 95% CI: 1.25-6.88, P = 0.01) were selected as predictors of cardiac death or heart transplantation in a multivariate proportional hazard model. The AUC of ROC curve from multivariate regression models for predicting adverse outcome significantly improved from 0.76 considering only NYHA class to 0.84 after inclusion of RFP and indexed left atrial diameter (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: RFP is rare, but not exceptional, in HCM. Echo-Doppler evaluation of filling pattern confers additional prognostic power to clinical stratification. PMID- 17761459 TI - Olfactory dysfunction in temporal lobe epilepsy: a case of ictus-related parosmia. AB - Olfactory abnormalities in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) usually involve either brief hallucinations prior to seizures or chronic impairments in odor discrimination and identification. We describe the case of a man (B.C.) with TLE with an unusual presentation, an ictus-related parosmia. B.C. reported distorted perception of odor quality and hedonics that could provoke nausea and gagging, typically at its most extreme in the week or so following a seizure. Measures of B.C.'s olfactory functioning were obtained at stages of the ictal cycle when parosmia symptoms were severe and when they had decreased. Unlike other parosmics, B.C.'s detection thresholds were always normal, and unlike others with TLE, he evidenced little impairment in identification or discrimination. Testing during a period of more severe parosmia suggested that B.C.'s experiences might be the result of hedonic changes. We argue this may be the effect of seizure activity on the amygdala, which is known to be involved in mediating emotive reactions to odors. PMID- 17761460 TI - Combination therapy with dutasteride and tamsulosin in men with moderate-to severe benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate enlargement: the CombAT (Combination of Avodart and Tamsulosin) trial rationale and study design. AB - Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a highly prevalent condition in aging men, which can be progressive and lead to acute urinary retention (AUR) and the need for surgery. It is commonly treated with alpha-blockers and 5alpha-reductase inhibitors (5ARIs), both of which improve the symptoms of BPH. Long-term treatment with 5ARIs can also reduce the risk of developing AUR and the need for surgery. The landmark Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms (MTOPS) trial demonstrated that over 4 years the combination of the type 2-specific 5ARI, finasteride and the alpha-blocker doxazosin was more effective than either agent alone in reducing overall clinical progression. Since the initiation of MTOPS, it has been shown that patients with larger prostates and higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels are at greater risk of BPH progression, and are therefore arguably more likely to benefit from combination therapy. The Combination of Avodart and Tamsulosin (CombAT) trial is a 4-year, global, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study designed to investigate the benefits of combination therapy with the dual 5ARI dutasteride and the alpha blocker tamsulosin compared with each monotherapy in improving symptoms and long term outcomes in men with moderate-to-severe symptoms of BPH and prostate enlargement. Symptoms and long-term outcomes (AUR and surgery) will be assessed as separate primary endpoints at 2 and 4 years, respectively. Eligible patients were at least 50 years old with prostate volume > or =30 cm(3) and PSA level > or =1.5 ng/mL. A total of 4838 subjects have been enrolled. This paper describes the rationale, design and baseline data of the CombAT study. PMID- 17761462 TI - Intrauterine growth restriction in monochorionic twins. AB - Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) occurs in approximately 3-10% of singleton pregnancies, in 9.1% of all twins, and in 9.9% of monochorionic twins. Spontaneous demise of the IUGR twin may occur and may result in concomitant demise or severe neurological handicap of the other twin. Currently, monochorionic twins with selective IUGR (SIUGR) are managed expectantly. Alternatively, all adverse consequences resulting from the potential demise of the SIUGR twin could be averted by unlinking the circulations between the two fetuses. The latter can be achieved by laser photocoagulation of communicating vessels or by umbilical-cord occlusion. The purpose of this chapter is to review this important entity in obstetrics. PMID- 17761461 TI - Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene 5T allele may protect against prostate cancer: a case-control study in Chinese Han population. AB - BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is expressed in a wide variety of epithelial cells including the prostate subglandular epithelia. Previous studies have suggested that CFTR mutations and polymorphisms may be associated with several cancers. Mutations and polymorphisms in the CFTR gene are responsible for cystic fibrosis (CF), and the incidence of prostate cancer in CF patients seemed to be lower than expected. METHODS: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted including 230 prostate cancer patients and 230 age-matched controls. We used nested PCR to analysis the IVS8 poly(T) tract and PCR-RFLP method to analysis the M470V polymorphism in CFTR gene. RESULTS: We observed an association of the low expression allele, IVS8-5T with prostate cancer protection (P=0.002; OR=0.281, 95%CI 0.120-0.658). Logistic regression analysis confirmed the 5T/7T genotype was in protective association with prostate cancer risk (P=0.003; OR=0.232, 95%CI 0.090-0.599). Linkage disequilibrium between IVS8-poly(T) and M470V existed among prostate cancer patients (D'=0.701). The low expression haplotype, "5T-V470" was found to be associated with protection against prostate cancer risk (P=0.010; OR=0.324, 95%CI 0.132-0.796). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the low expression CFTR polymorphisms may contribute to a reduced risk of prostate cancer in Chinese Han population. PMID- 17761463 TI - Fetal lower urinary tract obstruction. AB - Fetal lower urinary tract obstruction affects 2.2 per 10,000 births. It is a consequence of a range of pathological processes, most commonly posterior urethral valves (64%) or urethral atresia (39%). It is a condition of high mortality and morbidity associated with progressive renal dysfunction and oligohydramnios, and hence fetal pulmonary hypoplasia. Accurate detection is possible via ultrasound, but the underlying pathology is often unknown. In future, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be increasingly used alongside ultrasound in the diagnosis and assessment of fetuses with lower urinary tract obstruction. Fetal urine analysis may provide improvements in prenatal determination of renal prognosis, but the optimum criteria to be used remain unclear. It is now possible to decompress the obstruction in utero via percutaneous vesico-amniotic shunting or cystoscopic techniques. In appropriately selected fetuses intervention may improve perinatal survival, but long-term renal morbidity amongst survivors remains problematic. PMID- 17761464 TI - Effect of a fascial tissue interface on silicone implant capsule formation--a preliminary experimental study. AB - The effects of a fascial tissue interface on silicone implant capsule formation were studied in a rabbit model. In two experimental groups, the thoracodorsal fascia was harvested either as a free graft (Group Ia) or as a fascial flap (Group Ib), then wrapped around silicone implants prior to subcutaneous placement. In each instance the fascia was configured to form a biological interface between the implant and surrounding soft tissue. The resulting capsules were macroscopically and histologically compared to a control group (Group II) of unwrapped silicone implants which were inserted subcutaneously. The cellular response to textured and smooth surfaces on opposing sides of each implant was also separately investigated in both study groups. Statistical analysis was performed using a Student's t-test. The capsules formed in each experimental group were observed to be thinner and less cellular when compared to the unwrapped control group (P<0.05), while no demonstrable differences between fascial flap and free graft subgroups were found (P>0.05). Furthermore, less cellularity and reduced capsule thickness were observed in the textured implant capsule surfaces in both fascial flap and free graft groups when compared to smooth implant capsule surfaces (P<0.05). Our preliminary study findings using a fascial tissue interface, either as a flap or a free graft, reveal cellular architectural characteristics of the resulting capsule that may be significant in minimising capsular contraction around silicone implants. PMID- 17761465 TI - Prenatal diagnosis of mosaicism for 11q terminal deletion. AB - The phenotype of 11q terminal deletion also known as Jacobsen syndrome is a clinically well known entity whose diagnosis in infancy and childhood is based on clinical examination, hematological and cytogenetic findings. Hematological features in Jacobsen syndrome are very similar to those reported in Paris Trousseau syndrome (PTS) which is also associated with11q terminal deletion. Karyotype analysis shows a variable terminal deletion from 11q23 sub-band extending to the telomere. Most often in patients with Jacobsen syndrome, this chromosomal deletion is present in all metaphases. We report on the identification of a distal 11q deletion in mosaic (20% of deleted cells) in a fetus ascertained after amniocentesis for maternal serum screening test indicative for Down syndrome. The present case is the third prenatal diagnosis of a mosaic for a distal 11q deletion with the lowest mosaicism rate. The 2D ultrasound examination and cord blood hematological studies were useful to estimate the prognosis at term, considering the contribution of the mosaicism rate to the phenotypic variability in Jacobsen syndrome. The identification of mosaicism for distal 11q deletion is a very rare event in prenatal diagnosis. This case illustrates the complexity in genetic counselling for prenatally ascertained partial monosomy 11qter in mosaic. PMID- 17761466 TI - Biotic interactions, ecological knowledge and agriculture. AB - This paper discusses biotic interactions in agroecosystems and how they may be manipulated to support crop productivity and environmental health by provision of ecosystem services such as weed, pest and disease management, nutrient cycling and biodiversity conservation. Important elements for understanding biotic interactions include consideration of the effects of diversity, species composition and food web structure on ecosystem processes; the impacts of timing, frequency and intensity of disturbance; and the importance of multitrophic interactions. All of these elements need to be considered at multiple scales that depend in part on the range of the movement of the organisms involved. These issues are first discussed in general, followed by an examination of the application of these concepts in agricultural management. The potential for a greater use of ecological management approaches is high; however, owing to the nature of complex interactions in ecosystems, there is some inherent unpredictability about responses to management interventions under different conditions. Such uncertainty needs to be accommodated in the development of recommendations for farm management. This requires an increased emphasis on the effective synthesis of complex and often apparently contradictory information and on field-based adaptive research, monitoring and social learning by farmer/researcher collaborations. PMID- 17761469 TI - Ecological restoration of farmland: progress and prospects. AB - Sustainable agricultural practices in conjunction with ecological restoration methods can reduce the detrimental effects of agriculture. The Society for Ecological Restoration International has produced generic guidelines for conceiving, organizing, conducting and assessing ecological restoration projects. Additionally, there are now good conceptual frameworks, guidelines and practical methods for developing ecological restoration programmes that are based on sound ecological principles and supported by empirical evidence and modelling approaches. Restoration methods must also be technically achievable and socially acceptable and spread over a range of locations. It is important to reconcile differences between methods that favour conservation and those that favour economic returns, to ensure that conservation efforts are beneficial for both landowners and biodiversity. One option for this type of mutual benefit is the use of agri-environmental schemes to provide financial incentives to landholders in exchange for providing conservation services and other benefits. However, further work is required to define and measure the effectiveness of agri environmental schemes. The broader potential for ecological restoration to improve the sustainability of agricultural production while conserving biodiversity in farmscapes and reducing external costs is high, but there is still much to learn, particularly for the most efficient use of agri environmental schemes to change land use practice. PMID- 17761467 TI - Breeding for abiotic stresses for sustainable agriculture. AB - Using cereal crops as examples, we review the breeding for tolerance to the abiotic stresses of low nitrogen, drought, salinity and aluminium toxicity. All are already important abiotic stress factors that cause large and widespread yield reductions. Drought will increase in importance with climate change, the area of irrigated land that is salinized continues to increase, and the cost of inorganic N is set to rise. There is good potential for directly breeding for adaptation to low N while retaining an ability to respond to high N conditions. Breeding for drought and salinity tolerance have proven to be difficult, and the complex mechanisms of tolerance are reviewed. Marker-assisted selection for component traits of drought in rice and pearl millet and salinity tolerance in wheat has produced some positive results and the pyramiding of stable quantitative trait locuses controlling component traits may provide a solution. New genomic technologies promise to make progress for breeding tolerance to these two stresses through a more fundamental understanding of underlying processes and identification of the genes responsible. In wheat, there is a great potential of breeding genetic resistance for salinity and aluminium tolerance through the contributions of wild relatives. PMID- 17761468 TI - Carbon sequestration. AB - Developing technologies to reduce the rate of increase of atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) from annual emissions of 8.6PgCyr-1 from energy, process industry, land-use conversion and soil cultivation is an important issue of the twenty-first century. Of the three options of reducing the global energy use, developing low or no-carbon fuel and sequestering emissions, this manuscript describes processes for carbon (CO2) sequestration and discusses abiotic and biotic technologies. Carbon sequestration implies transfer of atmospheric CO2 into other long-lived global pools including oceanic, pedologic, biotic and geological strata to reduce the net rate of increase in atmospheric CO2. Engineering techniques of CO2 injection in deep ocean, geological strata, old coal mines and oil wells, and saline aquifers along with mineral carbonation of CO2 constitute abiotic techniques. These techniques have a large potential of thousands of Pg, are expensive, have leakage risks and may be available for routine use by 2025 and beyond. In comparison, biotic techniques are natural and cost-effective processes, have numerous ancillary benefits, are immediately applicable but have finite sink capacity. Biotic and abiotic C sequestration options have specific nitches, are complementary, and have potential to mitigate the climate change risks. PMID- 17761470 TI - Agricultural biosecurity. AB - The prevention and control of new pest and disease introductions is an agricultural challenge which is attracting growing public interest. This interest is in part driven by an impression that the threat is increasing, but there has been little analysis of the changing rates of biosecurity threat, and existing evidence is equivocal. Traditional biosecurity systems for animals and plants differ substantially but are beginning to converge. Bio-economic modelling of risk will be a valuable tool in guiding the allocation of limited resources for biosecurity. The future of prevention and management systems will be strongly influenced by new technology and the growing role of the private sector. Overall, today's biosecurity systems are challenged by changing national priorities regarding trade, by new concerns about environmental effects of biological invasions and by the question 'who pays?'. Tomorrow's systems may need to be quite different to be effective. We suggest three changes: an integration of plant and animal biosecurity around a common, proactive, risk-based approach; a greater focus on international cooperation to deal with threats at source; and a commitment to refocus biosecurity on building resilience to invasion into agroecosystems rather than building walls around them. PMID- 17761471 TI - Strategies and models for agricultural sustainability in developing Asian countries. AB - The green revolution of the 1960s and 1970s which resulted in dramatic yield increases in the developing Asian countries is now showing signs of fatigue in productivity gains. Intensive agriculture practiced without adherence to the scientific principles and ecological aspects has led to loss of soil health, and depletion of freshwater resources and agrobiodiversity. With progressive diversion of arable land for non-agricultural purposes, the challenge of feeding the growing population without, at the same time, annexing more forestland and depleting the rest of life is indeed daunting. Further, even with food availability through production/procurement, millions of marginal farming, fishing and landless rural families have very low or no access to food due to lack of income-generating livelihoods. Approximately 200 million rural women, children and men in India alone fall in this category. Under these circumstances, the evergreen revolution (pro-nature, pro-poor, pro-women and pro employment/livelihood oriented ecoagriculture) under varied terms are proposed for achieving productivity in perpetuity. In the proposed 'biovillage paradigm', eco-friendly agriculture is promoted along with on- and non-farm eco-enterprises based on sustainable management of natural resources. Concurrently, the modern ICT-based village knowledge centres provide time- and locale-specific, demand driven information needed for evergreen revolution and ecotechnologies. With a system of 'farm and marine production by masses', the twin goals of ecoagriculture and eco-livelihoods are addressed. The principles, strategies and models of these are briefly discussed in this paper. PMID- 17761472 TI - The role of biotechnology for agricultural sustainability in Africa. AB - Sub-Saharan Africa could have a shortfall of nearly 90Mt of cereals by the year 2025 if current agricultural practices are maintained. Biotechnology is one of the ways to improve agricultural production. Insect-resistant varieties of maize and cotton suitable for the subcontinent have been identified as already having a significant impact. Virus-resistant crops are under development. These include maize resistant to the African endemic maize streak virus and cassava resistant to African cassava mosaic virus. Parasitic weeds such as Striga attack the roots of crops such as maize, millet, sorghum and upland rice. Field trials in Kenya using a variety of maize resistant to a herbicide have proven very successful. Drought-tolerant crops are also under development as are improved varieties of local African crops such as bananas, cassava, sorghum and sweet potatoes. PMID- 17761473 TI - Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae bind respiratory syncytial virus glycoprotein. AB - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is associated with secondary bacterial infections caused by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The pathogenesis of these complications is not completely understood; however, viral infection of respiratory epithelial cells promotes colonization by these bacteria. In the present study, RSV virions associated with NTHi and pneumococci in an inoculum-dependent manner in a fluid phase binding assay. Adherence of NTHi and S. pneumoniae to epithelial cells transiently expressing RSV G glycoprotein was 2- and 2.2-fold higher, respectively, than adhesion to cells transfected with the vector alone (P <0.01). Furthermore, 4.6- and 6.2-fold larger numbers of NTHi and pneumococci bound to cells expressing a membrane-bound full-length RSV G protein than to cells expressing a truncated non-membrane-bound protein (P 22-fold). The leishmanicidal activity of artemisinin was mediated via apoptosis as evidenced by externalization of phosphatidylserine, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, in situ labelling of DNA fragments by terminal deoxyribonucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) and cell cycle arrest at the sub-G(0)/G(1) phase. Taken together, these data indicate that artemisinin has promising anti-leishmanial activity that is mediated by programmed cell death and, accordingly, merits consideration and further investigation as a therapeutic option for the treatment of leishmaniasis. PMID- 17761486 TI - Utility of mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit typing for differentiating Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Wuhan, China. AB - Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit (MIRU) typing has been found to allow rapid, reliable, high-throughput genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and may represent a feasible approach to study M. tuberculosis molecular epidemiology. To evaluate the use of MIRU typing in discriminating M. tuberculosis strains, isolates from 105 patients in Wuhan City, China, were genotyped by this method as compared to spoligotyping. MIRU typing identified 55 types that defined 21 clusters and 34 unique isolates. The discriminatory power was high [Hunter-Gaston discriminatory index (HGDI), 0.97]. Spoligotyping showed that 86 (81.9 %) of 105 isolates belonged to the Beijing family genotype. For Beijing family and non-Beijing strains, the discriminatory power of MIRU was high (HGDI, 0.95 and 0.98, respectively). Among the alleles of the MIRU loci for the Beijing family, only locus 26 was highly discriminative, but for non-Beijing strains, loci 10, 16 and 26 were highly discriminative. MIRU typing is a simple and fast method which may be used for preliminary screening of M. tuberculosis isolates in China. PMID- 17761488 TI - Endotoxin contamination in the dental surgery. AB - Dental waterlines contain large numbers of Gram-negative bacteria. Endotoxin, a component of such organisms, has significant health implications. Paired samples of dental unit water and the aerosols generated during dental procedures were collected, and assayed for bacteria and endotoxin levels, using heterotrophic plate counts and the Limulus amoebocyte lysate test. Consistent with published studies, the extent of bacterial contamination in the dental waters sampled for this investigation surpassed the levels associated with potable water, with counts in excess of 2.0x10(6) c.f.u. ml(-1) in some samples. Correspondingly high concentrations of endotoxin [up to 15 000 endotoxin units (EU) ml(-1)] were present in the water. A statistically significant Spearman correlation coefficient of rho=0.94 between endotoxin (EU ml(-1)) and bacterial load (c.f.u. ml(-1)) was demonstrated. All of the aerosol samples contained detectable endotoxin. Further studies of the consequences of dental endotoxin exposure, and evaluation of means to prevent exposure, are warranted. PMID- 17761487 TI - Molecular characterization of serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis isolated in China. AB - An increase in the number of serogroup C meningococcal disease cases occurred in China from September 2003 to January 2006 as a result of several successive outbreaks. In addition, the proportion of serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis isolates from sporadic cases and carriers has also increased. In this study, 113 serogroup C meningococcal isolates were characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and PorA typing. These isolates comprised those from outbreak cases and their close contacts, the national carriage survey conducted during the same period and some historical isolates from 1966-2002. Twenty MLST sequence types (STs) and 21 PorA variable region (VR) types were identified in the collection. The ST-4821 complex, a newly identified lineage, was the most prevalent lineage (95/113). These data also showed a high level of diversification of serogroup C isolates, as indicated by the number of variants of the ST-4821 clone and the VR types present. There were ten PorA VR types among the ST-4821 isolates, and certain VR types (P1.7-2,14, P1.12-1,16-8) were associated with isolates from outbreak cases. The results of this study allow us to draw a profile of the molecular characteristics of serogroup C strains in China. These data are helpful for monitoring the spread of virulent strains and will provide valuable information for the prevention of bacterial meningitis in China. PMID- 17761489 TI - Spiroplasma spp. from transmissible spongiform encephalopathy brains or ticks induce spongiform encephalopathy in ruminants. AB - Spiroplasma, small motile wall-less bacteria, are linked by molecular and serological studies to the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), which include scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. In this study, two experiments were undertaken to determine the role of spiroplasma in the pathogenesis of TSE. In experiment 1, Spiroplasma mirum, a rabbit tick isolate that had previously been shown to experimentally induce spongiform encephalopathy in rodents, was inoculated intracranially (IC) into ruminants. S. mirum-inoculated deer manifested clinical signs of TSE after 1.5 to 5.5 months incubation. The deer, as well as sheep and goats, inoculated with S. mirum developed spongiform encephalopathy in a dose-dependent manner. In experiment 2, spiroplasma closely related to S. mirum were isolated from TSE-affected brains via passage in embryonated eggs, and propagated in cell-free M1D media. Spiroplasma spp. isolates from scrapie-affected sheep brain and from CWD-affected deer brain inoculated IC into sheep and goats induced spongiform encephalopathy closely resembling natural TSE in these animals. These data show spiroplasma to be consistently associated with TSE, and able experimentally to cause TSE in ruminant animal models, therein questioning the validity of studies that have concluded the prion, a miss-folded protease-resistant protein that builds up in TSE brains during the course of the disease, to be the sole causal agent. The spiroplasma infection models reported here will be important for investigating factors involved in the pathogenesis of TSE since ruminants are the natural hosts. PMID- 17761490 TI - Fatal post-traumatic zygomycosis in an immunocompetent young patient. AB - Zygomycosis, a relatively uncommon infection, usually occurs among immunocompromised individuals. It has been reported only rarely in trauma patients. A fatal case is reported of pulmonary and rapidly progressive cutaneous zygomycosis in a young, otherwise healthy farmer, with multiple bone fractures, wounds and soft tissue injuries after an accident with an agricultural machine in the field. Rhizopus spp. was isolated from both cultures of bronchial washings and wound samples. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination of tissue specimens from a large wound. Despite systemic antifungal therapy and surgical debridement, the patient's condition deteriorated and he died from refractory septic shock. PMID- 17761491 TI - Invasive infection with Streptococcus iniae in Taiwan. AB - Streptococcus iniae, a common fish pathogen, rarely infects humans. In this report, a case of invasive S. iniae infection in a 51-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus and hepatitis C-related liver cirrhosis is described. The isolate was identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. The patient recovered after 1 week of treatment with ampicillin. PMID- 17761492 TI - A case of bilateral microsporidial keratitis from Bangladesh--infection by an insect parasite from the genus Nosema. AB - An HIV-negative patient from Bangladesh with bilateral keratitis was found to be infected with a microsporidian parasite belonging to the genus Nosema. Significantly, the patient had bathed in a rural pond 7 days prior to the development of ocular symptoms. Nosema parasites are common insect parasites and the source of this microsporidial infection was possibly from mosquito larvae developing in the pond in which the patient bathed. The reduced temperature of the human eye and its immune status may have allowed a poikilothermic insect parasite to establish infection in the cornea of a homeothermic human host. This case highlights the opportunistic potential of insect microsporidial parasites to infect immunocompetent humans as well as those who are immunodeficient. PMID- 17761493 TI - Important role of corticosteroids in chronic granulomatous disease. PMID- 17761495 TI - Sensitivity of Legionella pneumophila DNA detection in serum samples in relation to disease severity. PMID- 17761496 TI - Demonstration of agglutinating anti-Leishmania antibodies in lymph node aspirate for confirmation of kala-azar serodiagnosis. PMID- 17761497 TI - Serological heterogeneity against various Mycobacterium leprae antigens and its use in serodiagnosis of leprosy patients. PMID- 17761498 TI - Impaired dexamethasone-mediated induction of tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase in heme deficient rat hepatocytes: translational control by a hepatic eIF2alpha kinase, the heme-regulated inhibitor. AB - Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO), a liver-specific cytosolic hemoprotein, is the rate-limiting enzyme in L-tryptophan catabolism and thus a key serotonergic determinant. Glucocorticoids transcriptionally activate the TDO gene with marked enzyme induction. TDO is also regulated by heme, its prosthetic moiety, as its expression and function are significantly reduced after acute hepatic heme depletion. Here we show in primary rat hepatocytes that this impairment is not due to faulty transcriptional activation of the TDO gene but rather due to its posttranscriptional regulation by heme. Accordingly, in acutely heme-depleted hepatocytes, the de novo synthesis of TDO protein is markedly decreased (>90%) along with that of other hepatic proteins. This global suppression of de novo hepatic protein syntheses in these heme-depleted cells is associated with a significantly enhanced phosphorylation of the alpha-subunit of the eukaryotic initiation factor eIF2 (eIF2alpha), as monitored by the phosphorylated eIF2alpha/total eIF2alpha ratio. Heme supplementation reversed these effects, indicating that heme regulates TDO induction by functional control of an eIF2alpha kinase. A cDNA was cloned from heme-depleted rat hepatocytes, and DNA sequencing verified its identity to the previously cloned rat brain heme regulated inhibitor (HRI). Proteomic, biochemical, and/or immunoblotting analyses of the purified recombinant protein and the immunoaffinity-captured hepatic protein confirmed its identity as a rat heme-sensitive eIF2alpha kinase. These findings not only document that a hepatic HRI exists and is physiologically relevant but also implicate its translational shut-off of key proteins in the pathogenesis and symptomatology of the acute hepatic heme-deficient conditions clinically known as the hepatic porphyrias. PMID- 17761499 TI - High rates of resistance to colistin and polymyxin B in subgroups of Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from Korea. AB - OBJECTIVES: To investigate antimicrobial resistance in clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp. from two Korean hospitals. METHODS: Two hundred and sixty-five isolates of Acinetobacter spp. from two Korean hospitals were collected and were identified to species level using partial rpoB gene sequences. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using a broth microdilution method. RESULTS: rpoB gene sequences indicated that 214 isolates (80.8%) were Acinetobacter baumannii, and allowed these to be classified into three subgroups (I, II and III); 142 isolates (53.6%) belonged to subgroup I, 54 (20.4%) to subgroup II and 18 (6.8%) to subgroup III. Forty-eight isolates (18.1%) and 74 isolates (27.9%) were resistant to polymyxin B and colistin, respectively. However, antimicrobial resistance rates varied markedly between subgroups. While A. baumannii subgroup I showed low resistance rates to polymyxin B and colistin (2.1% and 7.0%, respectively), subgroups II and III showed high resistance rates to these antibiotics (38.9% and 64.8% in subgroup II and 72.2% and 88.9%, in subgroup III, respectively). Multidrug resistance was also significantly more frequent in subgroup I (45.1%) than in subgroups II and III (13.0% and 16.7%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that subgroup identification of A. baumannii may aid selection of appropriate antimicrobial agents for the treatment of Acinetobacter infections. PMID- 17761500 TI - Bactericidal activity of OPC-67683 against drug-tolerant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. AB - OBJECTIVES: There is an urgent need for drugs that hasten sterilization in tuberculosis; however, we presently lack indicators of this activity to guide early drug development. We previously described a novel in vitro assay to study mycobacterial phenotypic drug tolerance, in which sterilizing activity could be assessed. OPC-67,683 is a novel imidazooxazole that accelerates sterilization in the mouse tuberculosis model. The present study was conducted to determine the activity of OPC-67,683 in the in vitro tolerance model using drug-tolerant clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. METHODS: Tolerance was assessed in Bactec radiometric culture as: (i) delayed decline in growth index during 14 days of drug exposure; (ii) shorter time to positivity of subcultures following drug exposure. RESULTS: Four isolates were selected from among 16 surveyed, based on delayed killing by isoniazid and OPC-67,683. Unlike isoniazid and rifampicin, whose rates of killing were concentration-independent, OPC-67,683 showed concentration-dependent effects that, at the highest dose levels tested (1.0 microg/mL), were superior to isoniazid and equal to rifampicin. CONCLUSIONS: The sterilizing activity of OPC-67683 against drug-tolerant M. tuberculosis in the Bactec model is consistent with its activity in mice. Further studies are warranted to examine the effects of OPC-67683 on mycobacterial persistence in tuberculous patients and to determine the biological basis of tolerance in the model. PMID- 17761501 TI - Improving practice--working together to improve the use of antimicrobials. AB - The Hospital Pharmacy Initiative was a Department of Health funded programme in England between 2003 and 2006. It has produced a number of benefits that are organizational, educational, professional, clinical and economic. The opportunity to share experiences, identify what works well and collaborate across national boundaries to address a problem that is taxing all governments and NHS acute trusts and causes considerable concern to patients and their families should be a common goal for the UK. PMID- 17761502 TI - Clinical and prognostic implications of self-rating depression scales and plasma B-type natriuretic peptide in hospitalised patients with chronic heart failure. AB - BACKGROUND: Depression is common among patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and has been independently associated with a poorer prognosis. PURPOSE: This study evaluated the clinical and prognostic value of depression scales (Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (Zung SDS)) along with plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in CHF. METHODS: 155 hospitalised CHF patients (ejection fraction 26.9% (SD 6.4%)) were studied by depression (BDI, Zung SDS) and functional questionnaires (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), Duke Activity Status Index (DASI)), BNP and 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Patients were followed for 6 months for cardiovascular events, including death from any cause or rehospitalisation for CHF decompensation. RESULTS: Seventy-six (49%) patients with depressive symptoms, as estimated by both scales, had significantly lower DASI and KCCQ scores (13.2 (SD 9.9) vs 23.6 (SD 13.0) and 26.6 (SD 15.0) vs 45.0 (SD 17.0), respectively; p<0.001), higher BNP (921 (SD 889) vs 439 (SD 267) pg/ml, p = 0.001) and reduced 6MWT (270 (SD 130) vs 337 (SD 133); p<0.001). According to logistic regression analysis, Zung SDS and BNP were independently associated with adverse clinical outcomes; values of Zung SDS >or=40 and of BNP >or=290 pg/ml predicted future events with a sensitivity of 82% and 94% and a specificity of 45% and 46%, respectively. The combination of Zung SDS plus BNP had an additive prognostic value, predicting events with a sensitivity of 77% and a specificity of 70% (event-free survival: Zung <40 and BNP <290 pg/ml; 170 (SD 9) days; Zung >or=40 and BNP <290 pg/ml, 159 (SD 14) days; Zung <40 and BNP >or=290 pg/ml, 118 (SD 15) days; Zung >or=40 and BNP >or=290 pg/ml, 73 (SD 8) days, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CHF patients with depressive symptoms have impaired physical activity, associated with excessive neurohormonal activation. Among the studied scales, Zung SDS seemed to independently predict clinical outcome, especially in patients with increased plasma BNP concentration. Hence, the combination of those two modalities provides a practical means for risk stratification in CHF. PMID- 17761503 TI - Evaluation of the association between the first observation and the longitudinal change in C-reactive protein, and all-cause mortality. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between vascular inflammation as measured by subacute C-reactive protein (CRP; 1-10 mg/l) and all-cause mortality and the association between change in CRP status (normal 3 mg/l) and all-cause mortality. METHODS: Probabilistic record linkage was used to match hospital episode data, laboratory reports and mortality statistics in a large urban population. Survival was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: 22 962 patients had their first CRP measurement in the subacute range (1-10 mg/l). Analysis grouped by each additional unit increase in CRP across the subacute range was associated with a 7.3% (95% CI 5.4% to 9.2%) increase in the hazard ratio (HR) of death over 4 years, after controlling for confounding factors (p<0.001). Repeated CRP observations around 1 year apart were recorded in 5811 subjects. After controlling for confounding factors, in patients whose CRP changed from normal (3 mg/l), the HR increased 6.7-fold (p<0.001) relative to cases whose CRP remained normal. By comparison, among those subjects whose CRP was reduced from elevated to normal, the hazard ratio halved to 3.5 (p = 0.018). In an underpowered analysis of time to cardiovascular events, an identical pattern of risk emerged. CONCLUSIONS: CRP level predicted all-cause mortality, and additional inclusion of prior change in CRP level and current CRP level more so. Increasing vascular inflammation, as measured by CRP, increases the likelihood of death. PMID- 17761504 TI - Cardiovascular events and re-stenosis following administration of G-CSF in acute myocardial infarction: systematic review and meta-analysis. AB - BACKGROUND: Because of the recently published results of the MAGIC study there is confusion as to whether administration of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) after acute myocardial infarction (MI) should be regarded as a potentially harmful treatment. This meta-analysis of appropriate clinical studies is intended to show the impact of G-CSF given after MI on aggravated incidence of coronary re-stenosis or progression of coronary lesions. METHODS: We used a fixed effects model based on the Mantel-Haenszel method to combine results from the different trials. These studies provided the basis for the current analysis comprising 106 patients of whom 62 were subjected to G-CSF treatment. RESULTS: Minimum lumen diameter (MLD) measured immediately after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was similar in both groups with a diameter stenosis of 12.3% (SD 9.5%) in the G-CSF group and 10.3% (8.5%) in the control group (p = 0.32). At follow-up, both MLD and percentage stenosis were not different between G-CSF treated and control patients. Subsequently, averaged late lumen loss revealed similar results and no differences between groups (p = 0.11), and neither stent thrombosis nor re-infarction in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The current meta analysis of clinical reports fails to justify an elevated risk for coronary re stenosis after PCI in acute MI or adverse events following G-CSF in the setting of MI when used after state of the art treatment in carefully conducted clinical protocols. PMID- 17761505 TI - Impact of late incomplete stent apposition after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation on 4-year clinical events: intravascular ultrasound analysis from the multicentre, randomised, RAVEL, E-SIRIUS and SIRIUS trials. AB - BACKGROUND: The impact of incomplete stent apposition (ISA) after drug-eluting stent implantation determined by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) on late clinical events is not well defined. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical impact of ISA after sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) placement during a follow-up period of 4 years. DESIGN: Pooled analysis from the RAVEL, E-SIRIUS and SIRIUS trials, three randomised, multicentre studies comparing SES and bare-metal stents (BMS). METHODS: IVUS at angiographic follow-up was available in 325 patients (SES: n = 180, BMS: n = 145). IVUS images were reviewed for the presence of ISA defined as one or more unapposed stent struts. Clinical follow-up was available for a 4-year period in all patients. Frequency, predictors and clinical sequel of ISA at follow-up after SES and BMS implantation were determined. RESULTS: ISA at follow up was more common after SES (n = 45 (25%)) than after BMS (n = 12 (8.3%), p<0.001). Canadian Cardiology Society class III or IV angina at stent implantation (odds ratio (OR) = 4.69, 95% CI 2.15 to 10.23, p<0.001) and absence of diabetes (OR = 3.42, 95% CI 1.05 to 11.1, p = 0.041) were predictors of ISA at follow-up after SES placement. Rate of myocardial infarction tended to be slightly higher for ISA than for non-ISA patients. When SES patients only were considered, major adverse cardiac event free survival at 4 years was identical for those with and without ISA at follow-up (11.1% vs 16.3%, p = 0.48). CONCLUSIONS: ISA at follow-up is more common after SES implantation than after BMS implantation. Considering the current very sensitive IVUS definition, ISA appears to be an IVUS finding without significant impact on the incidence of major adverse cardiac events even during long-term follow-up. PMID- 17761506 TI - Effect of cardiac resynchronisation therapy on occurrence of ventricular arrhythmia in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators undergoing upgrade to cardiac resynchronisation therapy devices. AB - BACKGROUND: Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) improves outcomes in selected patients with heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction. One mechanism of benefit is believed to be favourable ventricular remodelling. Whether CRT also decreases the frequency of ventricular arrhythmias and risk of sudden death is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of CRT on frequency of ventricular arrhythmias and appropriate ICD therapies. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Single-centre, tertiary care facility (Mayo Clinic). PATIENTS: 52 patients (46 male), aged 70 (SD 10) years, who underwent upgrade from an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to a CRT-defibrillator were included. INTERVENTIONS: Upgrade of ICD to CRT-defibrillator. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of ventricular arrhythmias prior to and following upgrade to CRT device. RESULTS: Ejection fraction increased from 22% (SD 8%) to 27% (SD 11%) following CRT. However, the frequency of non-sustained ventricular arrhythmias, sustained ventricular arrhythmias, and ventricular fibrillation was not significantly changed prior to and following CRT (2.38 (SD 9.78) vs 58.51 (SD 412.73) per patient per month, p = 0.66; 0.07 (SD 0.17) vs 0.16 (SD 0.52), p = 0.70; 0.05 (SD 0.12) vs 0.25 (SD 1.40), p = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: CRT is not associated with a decrease in the frequency of ventricular arrhythmia or appropriate device therapy. Thus, use of CRT alone is not beneficial in decreasing the frequency of ventricular arrhythmias or the risk of appropriate ICD therapies. PMID- 17761507 TI - Mitochondrial proton leak in obesity-resistant and obesity-prone mice. AB - We quantified uncoupling proteins (UCPs) in molar amounts and assessed proton conductance in mitochondria isolated from interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) and hindlimb muscle [known from prior work to contain ectopic brown adipose tissue (BAT) interspersed between muscle fibers] of obesity-resistant 129S6/SvEvTac (129) and obesity-prone C57BL/6 (B6) mice under conditions of low (LF) and high-fat (HF) feeding. With usual feeding, IBAT mitochondrial UCP1 content and proton conductance were greater in 129 mice than B6. However, with HF feeding, UCP1 and proton conductance increased more in B6 mice. Moreover, with HF feeding GDP-inhibitable proton conductance, specific for UCP1, equaled that seen in the 129 strain. UCP1 expression was substantial in mitochondria from hindlimb muscle tissue (ectopic BAT) of 129 mice as opposed to B6 but did not increase with HF feeding in either strain. As expected, muscle UCP3 expression increased with HF feeding in both strains but did not differ by strain. Moreover, the proton conductance of mitochondria isolated from hindlimb muscle tissue did not differ by strain or diet. Our data uncover a response to weight gain in obesity prone (compared to resistant) mice unrecognized in prior studies that examined only UCP1 mRNA. Obesity-prone mice have the capacity to increase both IBAT UCP1 protein and mitochondrial proton conductance as much or more than obesity resistant mice. But, this is only achieved only at a higher body mass and, therefore, may be adaptive rather than preventative. Neither obesity-prone nor resistant mice respond to HF feeding by expressing more UCP1 in ectopic BAT within muscle tissue. PMID- 17761508 TI - Effects of intermittent intraperitoneal infusion of salmon calcitonin on food intake and adiposity in obese rats. AB - Chronic administration of anorexigenic substances to experimental animals by injections or continuous infusion typically produces no effect or a transient reduction in daily food intake and body weight. Our aim was to identify an intermittent dosing strategy for intraperitoneal infusion of salmon calcitonin (sCT), a homolog of amylin that produces a sustained 25-35% reduction in daily food intake and adiposity in diet-induced obese rats. Rats (649 +/- 10 g body wt, 27 +/- 1% body fat), with intraperitoneal catheters tethered to infusion swivels, had free access to a 45% fat diet. Food intake, body weight, and adiposity during the 7-wk test period were relatively stable in the vehicle-treated rats (n = 16). None of 10 sCT dosing regimens administered in succession to a second group of rats (n = 18) produced a sustained 25-35% reduction in daily food intake for >5 days, although body weight and adiposity were reduced by 9% (587 +/- 12 vs. 651 +/- 14 g) and 22% (20.6 +/- 1.2 vs. 26.5 +/- 1.1%), respectively, across the 7-wk period. The declining inhibitory effect of sCT on daily food intake with the 6-h interinfusion interval appeared to be due in part to an increase in food intake between infusions. The declining inhibitory effect of sCT on daily food intake with the 2- to 3-h interinfusion interval suggested possible receptor downregulation and tolerance to frequent sCT administration; however, food intake increased dramatically when sCT was discontinued for 1 day after apparent loss of treatment efficacy. Together, these results demonstrate the activation of a potent homeostatic response to increase food intake when sCT reduces food intake and energy reserves in diet-induced obese rats. PMID- 17761509 TI - Neonatal dietary supplementation of arachidonic acid increases prostaglandin levels in adipose tissue but does not promote fat mass development in guinea pigs. AB - The role of arachidonic acid (AA) on the development of adipose tissue is still controversial since its metabolites, i.e., prostaglandins, can either stimulate or inhibit preadipocyte differentiation in vitro. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of early postnatal supplementation of AA on body weight and adipose tissue development in guinea pigs. Male newborn guinea pigs were fed for 21 days (day 21) with diets (milk and pellet) supplemented (+AA) or not (-AA) with 1.2% (total fatty acids) AA. From day 21 to day 105 both groups were fed a chow diet. The 21-days-old +AA pups showed a twofold higher AA accretion in phospholipids associated with a two- to sixfold increase in several prostaglandins, such as 6-keto PGF(1alpha) (the stable hydrolysis product of PGI(2)), PGF(2alpha), PGE(2), and PGD(2) in adipose tissue, compared with the -AA group. No difference in fat pad and body weight, aP2, and leptin gene expression in adipose tissue, fasting plasma glucose, free-fatty acids, and triglyceride concentration was observed between groups at day 21 or day 105. These results show that dietary supplementation of AA during the suckling/weaning period increases prostaglandin levels in adipose tissue but does not influence early fat mass development in the guinea pig. PMID- 17761511 TI - In situ hybridization and immunolocalization of concentrative and equilibrative nucleoside transporters in the human intestine, liver, kidneys, and placenta. AB - To better understand the role of human equilibrative (hENTs) and concentrative (hCNTs) nucleoside transporters in physiology and pharmacology, we investigated the regional, cellular, and spatial distribution of two hCNTs (hCNT1 and hCNT2) and two hENTs (hENT1 and hENT2) in four human tissues. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical techniques, we found that the duodenum expressed hCNT1 and hCNT2 mRNAs in enterocytes and hENT1 and hENT2 mRNAs in crypt cells. In these cells, the hCNT and hENT proteins were predominantly localized in the apical and lateral membrane, respectively. Hepatocytes expressed higher levels of mRNAs of hENT1, hCNT1, and hENT2 than of hCNT2 and expressed all these proteins at hepatocyte cell borders and in the cytoplasm. While the kidney expressed hCNT1 and hCNT2 mRNAs in the proximal tubules, hENT1 and hENT2 mRNAs were present in the distal tubules, glomeruli, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells. Proximal tubules adjacent to corticomedullary junctions expressed hENT1, hCNT1, and hCNT2 mRNA. Immunolocalization studies revealed predominant localization of hCNTs in the brush-border membrane of the proximal tubular epithelial cells and hENTs in the basolateral membrane of the distal tubular epithelial cells. Chorionic villi sections of human term placenta expressed mRNAs and proteins for hENT1 and hENT2 but only mRNA for hCNT2. Immunolocalization studies showed presence of hENT1 in the brush-border membrane of the syncytiotrophoblasts. These data are critical for a better understanding of the role of nucleoside transporters in the physiological and pharmacological effects of nucleosides and nucleoside drugs, respectively. PMID- 17761510 TI - Application of menthol to the skin of whole trunk in mice induces autonomic and behavioral heat-gain responses. AB - When ambient temperature is decreased in mammals, autonomic and behavioral heat gain responses occur to maintain their core temperatures. However, what molecules in cutaneous sensory nerve endings mediate cooling-induced responses is unclear. Recently, transient receptor potential melastatin-8 (TRPM8) has been identified in cell bodies of sensory neurons as low-temperature and menthol-activated cation channel. We hypothesized that TRPM8 mediates cooling-induced autonomic and behavioral heat-gain responses. To activate TRPM8 specifically, we applied 1-10% menthol to the skin of whole trunk in mice instead of cooling and measured core temperatures and autonomic and behavioral heat-gain responses. Solvent of menthol (100% ethanol) was used as control. Significant elevation of core temperatures was observed between 20 and 120 min after menthol application. Pretreatment with diclofenac sodium, an antipyretic drug, did not affect this hyperthermia, indicating that the menthol-induced hyperthermia is not fever. Menthol application induced a rise in oxygen consumption, shivering-like muscle activity, tail skin vasoconstriction (autonomic responses), and heat-seeking behavior. All of them are typical heat-gain responses. These results support the hypothesis that TRPM8 mediates cooling-induced autonomic and behavioral heat-gain responses. PMID- 17761512 TI - Mechanisms responsible for the enhanced pumping capacity of the in situ winter flounder heart (Pseudopleuronectes americanus). AB - In situ Starling and power output curves and in vitro pressure-volume curves were determined for winter flounder hearts, as well as the hearts of two other teleosts (Atlantic salmon and cod). In situ maximum cardiac output was not different between the three species (approximately 62 ml.min(-1).kg(-1)). However, because of the small size of the flounder heart, maximum stroke volume per milliliter per gram ventricle was significantly greater (2.3) compared with cod (1.7) and salmon (1.4) and is the highest reported for teleosts. The maximum power output of the flounder heart (7.6 mW/g) was significantly lower than that measured in the salmon (9.7) and similar to the cod (7.8) but was achieved at a much lower output pressure (4.9 vs. 8.0 and 6.2 kPa, respectively). Although the flounder heart could not perform resting levels of cardiac function at subambient pressures, it was much more sensitive to filling pressure, a finding supported by pressure-volume curves, which showed that the flounder's heart chambers were more compliant. Finally, we report that the flounder's bulbus:ventricle mass ratio (0.59) was significantly higher than in the cod (0.37) and salmon (0.22). These data, which support previous studies suggesting that the flatfish cardiovascular system is a high-volume, low-pressure design, show that vis-a-fronte filling is not important in flatfish, and that some fish can achieve high levels of cardiac output by vis-a-tergo filling alone; and suggest that a large compliant bulbus assists the flounder heart in delivering extremely large stroke volumes at pressures that do not become limiting. PMID- 17761513 TI - Canine erythrocytes express the P2X7 receptor: greatly increased function compared with human erythrocytes. AB - Over three decades ago, Parker and Snow (Am J Physiol 223: 888-893, 1972) demonstrated that canine erythrocytes undergo an increase in cation permeability when incubated with extracellular ATP. In this study we examined the expression and function of the channel/pore-forming P2X(7) receptor on canine erythrocytes. P2X(7) receptors were detected on canine erythrocytes by immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting. Extracellular ATP induced (86)Rb(+) (K(+)) efflux from canine erythrocytes that was 20 times greater than that from human erythrocytes. The P2X(7) agonist 2'(3')-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl)adenosine 5'-trisphosphate (BzATP) was more potent than ATP, and both stimulated (86)Rb(+) efflux from erythrocytes in a dose-dependent fashion with EC(50) values of approximately 7 and approximately 309 microM, respectively. 2-Methylthioadenosine 5'-triphosphate and adenosine 5' O-(3-thiotriphosphate) induced a smaller (86)Rb(+) efflux from erythrocytes, whereas ADP, AMP, UTP, or adenosine had no effect. ATP-induced (86)Rb(+) efflux from erythrocytes was inhibited by oxidized ATP, KN-62, and Brilliant blue G, known P2X(7) antagonists. ATP also induced uptake of choline(+) into canine erythrocytes that was 60 times greater than that into human erythrocytes. Overnight incubation of canine erythrocytes with ATP and BzATP induced phosphatidylserine exposure in >80% of cells and caused up to 20% hemolysis. In contrast, <30% of human erythrocytes showed phosphatidylserine exposure after overnight incubation with ATP and BzATP, and hemolysis was negligible. Flow cytometric measurements of ATP-induced ethidium(+) uptake showed that P2X(7) function was three times lower in canine monocytes than in human monocytes. These data show that the massive cation permeability increase induced by extracellular ATP in canine erythrocytes results from activation and opening of the P2X(7) receptor channel/pore. PMID- 17761514 TI - Intestinal carbonic anhydrase, bicarbonate, and proton carriers play a role in the acclimation of rainbow trout to seawater. AB - Abrupt transfer of rainbow trout from freshwater to 65% seawater caused transient disturbances in extracellular fluid ionic composition, but homeostasis was reestablished 48 h posttransfer. Intestinal fluid chemistry revealed early onset of drinking and slightly delayed intestinal water absorption that coincided with initiation of NaCl absorption and HCO(3)(-) secretion. Suggestive of involvement in osmoregulation, relative mRNA levels for vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase), Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, Na(+)/H(+) exchanger 3 (NHE3), Na(+)-HCO(3)(-) cotransporter 1, and two carbonic anhydrase (CA) isoforms [a general cytosolic isoform trout cytoplasmic CA (tCAc) and an extracellular isoform trout membrane-bound CA type IV (tCAIV)], were increased transiently in the intestine following exposure to 65% seawater. Both tCAc and tCAIV proteins were localized to apical regions of the intestinal epithelium and exhibited elevated enzymatic activity after acclimation to 65% seawater. The V-ATPase was localized to both basolateral and apical regions and exhibited a 10-fold increase in enzymatic activity in fish acclimated to 65% seawater, suggesting a role in marine osmoregulation. The intestinal epithelium of rainbow trout acclimated to 65% seawater appears to be capable of both basolateral and apical H(+) extrusion, likely depending on osmoregulatory status and intestinal fluid chemistry. PMID- 17761515 TI - Inhalation of a pulmonary irritant modulates activity of lumbosacral spinal neurons receiving colonic input in rats. AB - The purpose of the present study was to determine whether an intraspinal nociceptive pathway from the lungs modulated activity of spinal neurons that also received afferent input from the colon. Extracellular potentials of single lumbosacral (L6-S2) spinal neurons were recorded in pentobarbital-anesthetized, paralyzed, and ventilated male rats. The lower airways and lungs were irritated by injecting ammonia vapor over a 30% NH(4)OH solution into the inspiratory line of the ventilator (0.5 ml, 20 s). Graded colorectal distension (CRD; 20-60 mmHg, 20 s) was produced by air inflation of a balloon. Inhaled ammonia (IA) altered activity of 31/51 (61%) lumbosacral spinal neurons responding to noxious CRD (60 mmHg, 20 s). In contrast, IA changed activity of 3/30 (10%) spinal neurons with somatic fields that did not respond to colorectal inputs. IA decreased activity of 16/31 (52%) spinal neurons and increased activity of the other 15 neurons with colorectal input. Multiple patterns of viscerovisceral convergent spinal neurons with excitatory and inhibitory responses to CRD and IA were observed; 87% (27/31) of the viscerovisceral convergent neurons also responded to innocuous and/or noxious stimuli of somatic fields. Bilateral cervical vagotomy abolished responses to IA in 2/8 tested neurons, indicating that the remaining 6 neurons had input originating from sympathetic afferent fibers. Rostral C1 spinal transection did not abolish inhibitory responses to IA in 4/4 neurons, but L2 transection eliminated inhibitory responses to IA in 3/3 neurons. These results indicated that irritation of the lower airways modulated activity of lumbosacral spinal neurons with colorectal input. It might contribute to intraspinal cross talk between the colon and lungs. PMID- 17761516 TI - Liver injury after an aggressive encounter in male mice. AB - Acute and intense psychological stressors induce cell damage in several organs, including the heart and the liver. Much less is known about social stress. In male mice, aggressive behavior is the most common social stressor. It is remarkable that upon fighting, submandibular salivary glands release a number of peptides into the bloodstream including epidermal growth factor (EGF). We showed previously that released EGF protects the heart from cell damage in this particular stressful situation. Here, we studied the effect of an aggressive encounter on the liver and whether EGF has a similar effect on this organ. An aggressive encounter in male mice caused inflammatory response and a transient increase in plasma alanine and aspartate transaminase activities. At 3 h, focal infiltration of neutrophils was observed in liver parenchyma. These cells accumulate on eosinophilic hepatocytes, which may correspond to dying cells. A few hours later, evidence of necrotic lesion was observed. Surgical excision of submandibular glands, sialoadenectomy, did not prevent the rise in plasma EGF concentration and did not affect the increase in plasma transaminase activities. Neither did the administration of tyrphostin AG-1478 (inhibitor of EGF receptor kinase) alter the increase in plasma alanine transaminase activity. However, it did enhance the rise in both aspartate transaminase and creatine kinase activity, suggesting heart damage. We conclude that an aggressive encounter causes mild liver damage and that released EGF does not protect this organ, in contrast to its effect on the heart. PMID- 17761517 TI - Mechanisms of impaired calcium handling underlying subclinical diastolic dysfunction in diabetes. AB - Isolated diastolic dysfunction is found in almost half of asymptomatic patients with well-controlled diabetes and may precede diastolic heart failure. However, mechanisms that underlie diastolic dysfunction during diabetes are not well understood. We tested the hypothesis that isolated diastolic dysfunction is associated with impaired myocardial Ca(2+) handling during type 1 diabetes. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were compared with age-matched placebo treated rats. Global left ventricular myocardial performance and systolic function were preserved in diabetic animals. Diabetes-induced diastolic dysfunction was evident on Doppler flow imaging, based on the altered patterns of mitral inflow and pulmonary venous flows. In isolated ventricular myocytes, diabetes resulted in significant prolongation of action potential duration compared with controls, with afterdepolarizations occurring in diabetic myocytes (P < 0.05). Sustained outward K(+) current and peak outward component of the inward rectifier were reduced in diabetic myocytes, while transient outward current was increased. There was no significant change in L-type Ca(2+) current; however, Ca(2+) transient amplitude was reduced and transient decay was prolonged by 38% in diabetic compared with control myocytes (P < 0.05). Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) load (estimated by measuring the integral of caffeine-evoked Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger current and Ca(2+) transient amplitudes) was reduced by approximately 50% in diabetic myocytes (P < 0.05). In permeabilized myocytes, Ca(2+) spark amplitude and frequency were reduced by 34 and 20%, respectively, in diabetic compared with control myocytes (P < 0.05). Sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase-2a protein levels were decreased during diabetes. These data suggest that in vitro impairment of Ca(2+) reuptake during myocyte relaxation contributes to in vivo diastolic dysfunction, with preserved global systolic function, during diabetes. PMID- 17761518 TI - Smad1 and Smad5 differentially regulate embryonic hematopoiesis. AB - The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway regulates multiple steps of hematopoiesis, mediated through receptor-regulated Smads, including Smad1 and Smad5. Here, we use loss-of-function approaches in zebrafish to compare the roles of Smad1 and Smad5 during embryonic hematopoiesis. We show that knockdown of Smad1 or Smad5 generates distinct and even opposite hematopoietic phenotypes. Embryos depleted for Smad1 have an increased number of primitive erythrocytes, but fail to produce mature embryonic macrophages. In contrast, Smad5-depleted embryos are defective in primitive erythropoiesis, yet have normal numbers of macrophages. Loss of either Smad1 or Smad5 causes a failure in the generation of definitive hematopoietic progenitors. To investigate the mechanism behind these phenotypes, we used rescue experiments and found that Smad5 is unable to rescue the Smad1 loss-of-function phenotype, indicating that the 2 highly related proteins have inherently distinct activities. Microarray experiments revealed that the 2 proteins redundantly regulate the key initiators of the hemato vascular program, including scl, lmo2, and gfi1. However, each also regulates a remarkably distinct genetic program, with Smad5 uniquely regulating the BMP signaling pathway itself. Our results suggest that specificity of BMP signaling output, with respect to hematopoiesis, can be explained by differential functions of Smad1 and Smad5. PMID- 17761519 TI - Self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells requires insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor and ERBB2 receptor signaling. AB - Despite progress in developing defined conditions for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) cultures, little is known about the cell-surface receptors that are activated under conditions supportive of hESC self-renewal. A simultaneous interrogation of 42 receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in hESCs following stimulation with mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) conditioned medium (CM) revealed rapid and prominent tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor (IR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R); less prominent tyrosine phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family members, including ERBB2 and ERBB3; and trace phosphorylation of fibroblast growth factor receptors. Intense IGF1R and IR phosphorylation occurred in the absence of MEF conditioning (NCM) and was attributable to high concentrations of insulin in the proprietary KnockOut Serum Replacer (KSR). Inhibition of IGF1R using a blocking antibody or lentivirus-delivered shRNA reduced hESC self-renewal and promoted differentiation, while disruption of ERBB2 signaling with the selective inhibitor AG825 severely inhibited hESC proliferation and promoted apoptosis. A simple defined medium containing an IGF1 analog, heregulin-1beta (a ligand for ERBB2/ERBB3), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2), and activin A supported long term growth of multiple hESC lines. These studies identify previously unappreciated RTKs that support hESC proliferation and self-renewal, and provide a rationally designed medium for the growth and maintenance of pluripotent hESCs. PMID- 17761521 TI - Enhanced macromolecule diffusion deep in tumors after enzymatic digestion of extracellular matrix collagen and its associated proteoglycan decorin. AB - Drug access to tumors is limited by diffusion through the tumor interstitium. We used a microfiberoptic epifluorescence photobleaching method to determine the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in macromolecule diffusion deep in tumor tissue. In subcutaneous B16 tumors in living mice, translational diffusion of 10 kDa FITC-dextran was slowed 2- to 3-fold (compared with its diffusion in water) within a depth of 0.2 mm from the tumor surface, but >10-fold beyond a depth of 1 mm. Diffusion of larger macromolecules, FITC-albumin and 500 kDa FITC dextran, was slowed by up to 40-fold at 0.5 mm and 300-fold at 2 mm. Intratumoral collagenase (to digest collagen) or cathepsin C (to digest decorin) each increased diffusion of 10 kDa FITC-dextran by approximately 2-fold. However, these treatments dramatically increased diffusion (>10-fold) of larger macromolecules, such as 500 kDa dextran, in deep tumor (2 mm depth). Intratumoral hyaluronidase, in contrast, slowed diffusion throughout the tumor. In vitro measurements in defined gel-like mixtures of collagen, hyaluronan, and decorin closely recapitulated results in tumors in vivo. Mathematical modeling quantified the roles of extracellular space volume fraction and dimensions, and indicated a substantial effect of cell density on diffusion in deep tumor. Our data define the determinants of diffusion in deep tumor and suggest collagen and decorin digestion to greatly facilitate macromolecule delivery. PMID- 17761520 TI - FTY720 demonstrates promising preclinical activity for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma. AB - FTY720 is an immunosuppressant developed to prevent organ transplant rejection. Recent studies indicate an additional role for FTY720 in inducing cell apoptosis. We demonstrate here that FTY720 mediates toxic effects in cell lines representing different B-cell malignancies and primary B cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In contrast to previous reports in T-cell lines, FTY720-induced toxicity in the Raji cell line and primary CLL B cells is independent of activation of caspases or poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase processing. Further, pancaspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk failed to rescue these cells from apoptosis mediated by FTY720. FTY720 induced down-regulation of Mcl-1 but not Bcl 2 in CLL B cells. Overexpression of Bcl-2 failed to protect transformed B cells from FTY720-induced apoptosis, suggesting a Bcl-2-independent mechanism. Interestingly, FTY720 induced protein phosphatase 2a (PP2a) activation and downstream dephosphorylation of ERK1/2, whereas okadaic acid at concentrations that inhibited the FTY720-induced PP2a activation also resulted in inhibition of FTY720-mediated apoptosis and restoration of baseline ERK1/2 phosphorylation in primary CLL cells, indicating a role for PP2a activation in FTY720-induced cytotoxicity. Further, FTY720 treatment resulted in significant prolonged survival in a xenograft severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mouse model of disseminated B-cell lymphoma/leukemia. These results provide the first evidence for the potential use of FTY720 as a therapeutic agent in a variety of B-cell malignancies, including CLL. PMID- 17761522 TI - Formation of tight junction: determinants of homophilic interaction between classic claudins. AB - Claudins are the critical transmembrane proteins in tight junctions. Claudin-5, for instance, prevents paracellular permeation of small molecules. However, the molecular interaction mechanism is unknown. Hence, the claudin-claudin interaction and tight junction strand formation were investigated using systematic single mutations. Claudin-5 mutants transfected into tight junction free cells demonstrated that the extracellular loop 2 is involved in strand formation via trans-interaction, but not via polymerization, along the plasma membrane of one cell. Three phenotypes were obtained: the tight junction type (wild-type-like trans- and cis-interaction; the disjunction type (blocked trans interaction); the intracellular type (disturbed folding). Combining site-directed mutagenesis, live-cell imaging-, electron microscopy-, and molecular modeling data led to an antiparallel homodimer homology model of the loop. These data for the first time explain how two claudins hold onto each other and constrict the paracellular space. The intermolecular interface includes aromatic (F147, Y148, Y158) and hydrophilic (Q156, E159) residues. The aromatic residues form a strong binding core between two loops from opposing cells. Since nearly all these residues are conserved in most claudins, our findings are of general relevance for all classical claudins. On the basis of the data we have established a novel molecular concept for tight junction formation. PMID- 17761523 TI - High prevalence and increased severity of pathology of bovine tuberculosis in Holsteins compared to zebu breeds under field cattle husbandry in central Ethiopia. AB - A comparative study on the prevalence and pathology of bovine tuberculosis (TB) was conducted on 5,424 cattle (2,578 zebus, 1,921 crosses, and 925 Holsteins), which were kept on pasture in the central highlands of Ethiopia, using a comparative intradermal tuberculin test, postmortem examination, and bacteriology. The overall prevalence of bovine TB was 13.5%; prevalence was higher in Holsteins than either zebus (22.2% versus 11.6%, chi(2) = 61.8; P < 0.001) or crosses (22.2% versus 11.9%, chi(2) = 50.7; P < 0.001). Moreover, the severity of pathology in Holsteins (mean +/- standard error of the mean [SEM], 6.84 +/- 0.79) was significantly higher (P = 0.018) than the severity of pathology in zebus (5.21 +/- 0.30). In addition, the risk of TB in Holsteins was more than twice (odds ratio [OR] = 2.32; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.89, 2.85) that in zebus. Animals between 5 and 9 years of age were at higher (OR = 2.37; 95% CI = 1.80, 3.12) risk of bovine TB than those 2 years of age or below. A significant difference (chi(2) = 351; P < 0.001) in the occurrence of TB lesions in lymph nodes was recorded; the mesenteric lymph node (mean pathology score +/- SEM, 1.95 +/- 0.08) was most severely affected, followed by the retropharyngeal (0.80 +/- 0.05) and caudal mediastinal (0.8 +/- 0.06) lymph nodes. Fifty-six percent (n = 145) of the animals with gross TB lesions were culture positive; the lowest culture positivity was recorded in the skin lesions (27.3%) and the lesions of the mesenteric lymph node (31.5%). Both the skin test response and the postmortem findings suggested a higher susceptibility to bovine TB in Holsteins than zebus under identical field husbandry conditions (on pasture). In the light of increased numbers of Holstein cattle introduced into this area to raise milk production to satisfy the needs of Addis Ababa's growing population, these findings highlight the need for a control program in these herds. PMID- 17761524 TI - Evaluation of a single-platform technology for lymphocyte immunophenotyping. AB - An accurate and reproducible CD4 count is a fundamental clinical tool for monitoring and treating human immunodeficiency virus infection and its complications. Two methods exist for calculating absolute CD4 counts: dual platform technology (DPT) and single-platform technology (SPT). Numerous studies have documented the unacceptably wide range of variation in absolute CD4 counts between laboratories. SPT was introduced in 1996 to reduce the interlaboratory variation in absolute CD4 counts. The aim of this study was to compare DPT with the BD Biosciences Trucount method (an SPT method). Both the percentages of CD4 (r = 0.986; P = 0.0541) and the absolute CD4 counts (r = 0.960; P = 0.0001) had very good correlation between the two methods. However, poor correlation was observed for the CD8(+) RO(-) (r = 0.314; P = 0.0002), CD8(+) DR(+) (r = 0.666; P = 0.0138), CD3(+) CD38(+) (r = 0.8000; P = 0.0004), CD3(+) CD25(+) (r = 0.464; P = 0.0082), and CD4(+) CD38(+) (r = 0.357; P = 0.0127) measurements. PMID- 17761525 TI - Serodiagnosis of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) caused by Leishmania tropica in Sanliurfa Province, Turkey, where ACL Is highly endemic. AB - In this study, we aimed to evaluate the validity of the conventional enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the Western blotting test for the diagnosis of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) using serum samples obtained from 51 patients with parasitologically proven nontreated CL (NonT-CL patients) and 62 patients under treatment for CL (UT-CL patients). Additionally, 29 serum samples obtained from patients with parasitologically and serologically proven visceral leishmaniasis (VL) were also used as positive controls, and serum samples from 43 blood donors were used as negative controls. All sera were diluted to the same dilution (1/100). Leishmania infantum MON-1 was used as the antigen in the conventional ELISA. The sera of 27 (93.1%) of 29 VL patients were seropositive by ELISA, while the sera of 40 (78.4%) of 51 NonT-CL patients and 43 (69.3%) of 62 UT-CL patients were seropositive by the conventional ELISA. The absorbance values of the CL patients' sera were significantly lower than the absorbance values of the VL patients' sera. Bands between 15 and 118 kDa were detected in two groups of CL patients. Among all bands, the 63-kDa band was found to be more sensitive (88.5%). When we evaluated the Western blotting results for the presence of at least one of the diagnostic antigenic bands, the sensitivity was calculated to be 99.1%. By using serological tests, a measurable antibody response was detected in most of the CL patients in Sanliurfa, Turkey. It is also noted that this response can be changed according to the sizes, types, and numbers of lesions that the patient has. The Western blot test was found to be more sensitive and valid than the conventional ELISA for the serodiagnosis of ACL. In some instances, when it is very difficult to demonstrate the presence of parasites in the smears, immunodiagnosis can be a valuable alternative for the diagnosis of ACL. PMID- 17761526 TI - The zebrafish fleer gene encodes an essential regulator of cilia tubulin polyglutamylation. AB - Cilia and basal bodies are essential organelles for a broad spectrum of functions, including the development of left-right asymmetry, kidney function, cerebrospinal fluid transport, generation of photoreceptor outer segments, and hedgehog signaling. Zebrafish fleer (flr) mutants exhibit kidney cysts, randomized left-right asymmetry, hydrocephalus, and rod outer segment defects, suggesting a pleiotropic defect in ciliogenesis. Positional cloning flr identified a tetratricopeptide repeat protein homologous to the Caenorhabditis elegans protein DYF1 that was highly expressed in ciliated cells. flr pronephric cilia were shortened and showed a reduced beat amplitude, and olfactory cilia were absent in mutants. flr cilia exhibited ultrastructural defects in microtubule B-tubules, similar to axonemes that lack tubulin posttranslational modifications (polyglutamylation or polyglycylation). flr cilia showed a dramatic reduction in cilia polyglutamylated tubulin, indicating that flr encodes a novel modulator of tubulin polyglutamylation. We also found that the C. elegans flr homologue, dyf-1, is also required for tubulin polyglutamylation in sensory neuron cilia. Knockdown of zebrafish Ttll6, a tubulin polyglutamylase, specifically eliminated tubulin polyglutamylation and cilia formation in olfactory placodes, similar to flr mutants. These results are the first in vivo evidence that tubulin polyglutamylation is required for vertebrate cilia motility and structure, and, when compromised, results in failed ciliogenesis. PMID- 17761528 TI - Stress-activated protein kinase-mediated down-regulation of the cell integrity pathway mitogen-activated protein kinase Pmk1p by protein phosphatases. AB - Fission yeast mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) Pmk1p is involved in morphogenesis, cytokinesis, and ion homeostasis as part of the cell integrity pathway, and it becomes activated under multiple stresses, including hyper- or hypotonic conditions, glucose deprivation, cell wall-damaging compounds, and oxidative stress. The only protein phosphatase known to dephosphorylate and inactivate Pmk1p is Pmp1p. We show here that the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) pathway and its main effector, Sty1p MAPK, are essential for proper deactivation of Pmk1p under hypertonic stress in a process regulated by Atf1p transcription factor. We demonstrate that tyrosine phosphatases Pyp1p and Pyp2p, and serine/threonine phosphatase Ptc1p, that negatively regulate Sty1p activity and whose expression is dependent on Sty1p-Atf1p function, are involved in Pmk1p dephosphorylation under osmostress. Pyp1p and Ptc1p, in addition to Pmp1p, also control the basal level of MAPK Pmk1p activity in growing cells and associate with, and dephosphorylate Pmk1p both in vitro and in vivo. Our results with Ptc1p provide the first biochemical evidence for a PP2C-type phosphatase acting on more than one MAPK in yeast cells. Importantly, the SAPK-dependent down-regulation of Pmk1p through Pyp1p, Pyp2p, and Ptc1p was not complete, and Pyp1p and Ptc1p phosphatases are able to negatively regulate MAPK Pmk1p activity by an alternative regulatory mechanism. Our data also indicate that Pmk1p phosphorylation oscillates as a function of the cell cycle, peaking at cell separation during cytokinesis, and that Pmp1p phosphatase plays a main role in regulating this process. PMID- 17761527 TI - RAB-10 regulates glutamate receptor recycling in a cholesterol-dependent endocytosis pathway. AB - Regulated endocytosis of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) is critical for synaptic plasticity. However, the specific combination of clathrin-dependent and -independent mechanisms that mediate AMPAR trafficking in vivo have not been fully characterized. Here, we examine the trafficking of the AMPAR subunit GLR-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans. GLR 1 is localized on synaptic membranes, where it regulates reversals of locomotion in a simple behavioral circuit. Animals lacking RAB-10, a small GTPase required for endocytic recycling of intestinal cargo, are similar in phenotype to animals lacking LIN-10, a postsynaptic density 95/disc-large/zona occludens-domain containing protein: GLR-1 accumulates in large accretions and animals display a decreased frequency of reversals. Mutations in unc-11 (AP180) or itsn-1 (Intersectin 1), which reduce clathrin-dependent endocytosis, suppress the lin-10 but not rab-10 mutant phenotype, suggesting that LIN-10 functions after clathrin mediated endocytosis. By contrast, cholesterol depletion, which impairs lipid raft formation and clathrin-independent endocytosis, suppresses the rab-10 but not the lin-10 phenotype, suggesting that RAB-10 functions after clathrin independent endocytosis. Animals lacking both genes display additive GLR-1 trafficking defects. We propose that RAB-10 and LIN-10 recycle AMPARs from intracellular endosomal compartments to synapses along distinct pathways, each with distinct sensitivities to cholesterol and the clathrin-mediated endocytosis machinery. PMID- 17761530 TI - Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate mediates the targeting of the exocyst to the plasma membrane for exocytosis in mammalian cells. AB - The exocyst is an evolutionarily conserved octameric protein complex that tethers post-Golgi secretory vesicles at the plasma membrane for exocytosis. To elucidate the mechanism of vesicle tethering, it is important to understand how the exocyst physically associates with the plasma membrane (PM). In this study, we report that the mammalian exocyst subunit Exo70 associates with the PM through its direct interaction with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P(2)). Furthermore, we have identified key conserved residues at the C-terminus of Exo70 that are crucial for the interaction of Exo70 with PI(4,5)P(2). Disrupting Exo70 PI(4,5)P(2) interaction abolished the membrane association of Exo70. We have also found that wild-type Exo70 but not the PI(4,5)P(2)-binding-deficient Exo70 mutant is capable of recruiting other exocyst components to the PM. Using the ts045 vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein trafficking assay, we demonstrate that Exo70-PI(4,5)P(2) interaction is critical for the docking and fusion of post Golgi secretory vesicles, but not for their transport to the PM. PMID- 17761529 TI - Saccharomyces cerevisiae CWH43 is involved in the remodeling of the lipid moiety of GPI anchors to ceramides. AB - The glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins are subjected to lipid remodeling during their biosynthesis. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the mature GPI-anchored proteins contain mainly ceramide or diacylglycerol with a saturated long-fatty acid, whereas conventional phosphatidylinositol (PI) used for GPI biosynthesis contains an unsaturated fatty acid. Here, we report that S. cerevisiae Cwh43p, whose N-terminal region contains a sequence homologous to mammalian PGAP2, is involved in the remodeling of the lipid moiety of GPI anchors to ceramides. In cwh43 disruptant cells, the PI moiety of the GPI-anchored protein contains a saturated long fatty acid and lyso-PI but not inositolphosphorylceramides, which are the main lipid moieties of GPI-anchored proteins from wild-type cells. Moreover, the C-terminal region of Cwh43p (Cwh43 C), which is not present in PGAP2, is essential for the ability to remodel GPI lipids to ceramides. The N-terminal region of Cwh43p (Cwh43-N) is associated with Cwh43-C, and it enhanced the lipid remodeling to ceramides by Cwh43-C. Our results also indicate that mouse FRAG1 and C130090K23, which are homologous to Cwh43-N and -C, respectively, share these activities. PMID- 17761531 TI - Rab27b is expressed in a wide range of exocytic cells and involved in the delivery of secretory granules near the plasma membrane. AB - Rab proteins regulate multiple, complex processes of membrane traffic. Among these proteins, Rab27a has been shown to function specifically in regulated exocytic pathways. However, the roles of Rab27b, another Rab27 subfamily member, have not been well characterized. We disrupted the Rab27b gene in mice. The targeting vector was designed to insert LacZ downstream of the initiation codon of the Rab27b gene so that the authentic promoter should drive this reporter gene. A comprehensive analysis of Rab27b expression using this mouse strain indicated that it is widely expressed not only in canonical secretory cells, but also in neurons and cells involved in surface protection and mechanical extension. To evaluate the function in pituitary endocrine cells where the isoform Rab27a is coexpressed, we generated Rab27a/Rab27b double knockout mice by crossing Rab27b knockout mice with Rab27a-mutated ashen mice. The polarized distribution of secretory granules close to the plasma membrane was markedly impaired in the pituitary of double knockout mice, indicating that the Rab27 subfamily is involved in the delivery of granules near the exocytic site. In conjunction with a phenotype having a pituitary devoid of the Rab27 effector granuphilin, we discuss the relationship between the residence and the releasable pool of granules. PMID- 17761532 TI - Old World arenavirus infection interferes with the expression of functional alpha dystroglycan in the host cell. AB - alpha-Dystroglycan (alpha-DG) is an important cellular receptor for extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins as well as the Old World arenaviruses lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and the human pathogenic Lassa fever virus (LFV). Specific O-glycosylation of alpha-DG is critical for its function as receptor for ECM proteins and arenaviruses. Here, we investigated the impact of arenavirus infection on alpha-DG expression. Infection with an immunosuppressive LCMV isolate caused a marked reduction in expression of functional alpha-DG without affecting biosynthesis of DG core protein or global cell surface glycoprotein expression. The effect was caused by the viral glycoprotein (GP), and it critically depended on alpha-DG binding affinity and GP maturation. An equivalent effect was observed with LFVGP. Viral GP was found to associate with a complex between DG and the glycosyltransferase LARGE in the Golgi. Overexpression of LARGE restored functional alpha-DG expression in infected cells. We provide evidence that virus-induced down-modulation of functional alpha-DG perturbs DG mediated assembly of laminin at the cell surface, affecting normal cell-matrix interactions. PMID- 17761533 TI - Two LIM domain proteins and UNC-96 link UNC-97/pinch to myosin thick filaments in Caenorhabditis elegans muscle. AB - By yeast two-hybrid screening, we found three novel interactors (UNC-95, LIM-8, and LIM-9) for UNC-97/PINCH in Caenorhabditis elegans. All three proteins contain LIM domains that are required for binding. Among the three interactors, LIM-8 and LIM-9 also bind to UNC-96, a component of sarcomeric M-lines. UNC-96 and LIM-8 also bind to the C-terminal portion of a myosin heavy chain (MHC), MHC A, which resides in the middle of thick filaments in the proximity of M-lines. All interactions identified by yeast two-hybrid assays were confirmed by in vitro binding assays using purified proteins. All three novel UNC-97 interactors are expressed in body wall muscle and by antibodies localize to M-lines. Either a decreased or an increased dosage of UNC-96 results in disorganization of thick filaments. Our previous studies showed that UNC-98, a C2H2 Zn finger protein, acts as a linkage between UNC-97, an integrin-associated protein, and MHC A in myosin thick filaments. In this study, we demonstrate another mechanism by which this linkage occurs: from UNC-97 through LIM-8 or LIM-9/UNC-96 to myosin. PMID- 17761535 TI - Functional characterization of the OFD1 protein reveals a nuclear localization and physical interaction with subunits of a chromatin remodeling complex. AB - Oral-facial-digital (OFD) type I syndrome is an X-linked dominant disease (MIM311200) characterized by malformations of oral cavity, face, and digits and by cystic kidneys. We previously identified OFD1, the gene responsible for this disorder, which encodes for a centrosomal protein with an unknown function. We now report that OFD1 localizes both to the primary cilium and to the nucleus. Moreover, we demonstrate that the OFD1 protein is able to self-associate and that this interaction is mediated by its coiled-coil rich region. Interestingly, we identify an OFD1-interacting protein RuvBl1, a protein belonging to the AAA(+) family of ATPases, which has been recently associated to cystic kidney in zebrafish and to ciliary assembly and function in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We also provide experimental evidence that OFD1, together with RuvBl1, is able to coimmunoprecipitate with subunits of the human TIP60 histone acetyltransferase (HAT) multisubunit complex. On the basis of these results, we hypothesize that OFD1 may be part of a multi-protein complex and could play different biological functions in the centrosome-primary cilium organelles as well as in the nuclear compartment. PMID- 17761534 TI - ErbB4 isoforms selectively regulate growth factor induced Madin-Darby canine kidney cell tubulogenesis. AB - ErbB4, a member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor family that can be activated by heregulin beta1 and heparin binding (HB)-EGF, is expressed as alternatively spliced isoforms characterized by variant extracellular juxtamembrane (JM) and intracellular cytoplasmic (CYT) domains. ErbB4 plays a critical role in cardiac and neural development. We demonstrated that ErbB4 is expressed in the ureteric buds and developing tubules of embryonic rat kidney and in collecting ducts in adult. The predominant isoforms expressed in kidney are JM a and CYT-2. In ErbB4-transfected MDCK II cells, basal cell proliferation and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced tubule formation were decreased by all four isoforms. Only JM-a/CYT-2 cells formed tubules upon HB-EGF stimulation. ErbB4 was activated by both HRG-beta1 and HB-EGF stimulation; however, compared with HRG-beta1, HB-EGF induced phosphorylation of the 80-kDa cytoplasmic cleavage fragment of the JM-a/CYT-2 isoform. HB-EGF also induced early activation of ERK1/2 in JM-a/CYT-2 cells and promoted nuclear translocation of the JM-a/CYT-2 cytoplasmic tail. In summary, our data indicate that JM-a/CYT-2, the ErbB4 isoform that is proteinase cleavable but does not contain a PI3K-binding domain in its cytoplasmic tail, mediates important functions in renal epithelial cells in response to HB-EGF. PMID- 17761536 TI - PAR-3 and PAR-1 inhibit LET-99 localization to generate a cortical band important for spindle positioning in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. AB - The conserved PAR proteins are localized in asymmetric cortical domains and are required for the polarized localization of cell fate determinants in many organisms. In Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, LET-99 and G protein signaling act downstream of the PARs to regulate spindle positioning and ensure asymmetric division. PAR-3 and PAR-2 localize LET-99 to a posterior cortical band through an unknown mechanism. Here we report that LET-99 asymmetry depends on cortically localized PAR-1 and PAR-4 but not on cytoplasmic polarity effectors. In par-1 and par-4 embryos, LET-99 accumulates at the entire posterior cortex, but remains at low levels at the anterior cortex occupied by PAR-3. Further, PAR-3 and PAR-1 have graded cortical distributions with the highest levels at the anterior and posterior poles, respectively, and the lowest levels of these proteins correlate with high LET-99 accumulation. These results suggest that PAR-3 and PAR-1 inhibit the localization of LET-99 to generate a band pattern. In addition, PAR-1 kinase activity is required for the inhibition of LET-99 localization, and PAR-1 associates with LET-99. Finally, examination of par-1 embryos suggests that the banded pattern of LET-99 is critical for normal posterior spindle displacement and to prevent spindle misorientation caused by cell shape constraints. PMID- 17761537 TI - Hyperosmotic stress signaling to the nucleus disrupts the Ran gradient and the production of RanGTP. AB - The RanGTP gradient depends on nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of Ran and its nucleotide exchange in the nucleus. Here we show that hyperosmotic stress signaling induced by sorbitol disrupts the Ran protein gradient and reduces the production of RanGTP. Ran gradient disruption is rapid and is followed by early (10-20 min) and late (30-60 min) phases of recovery. Results from SB203580 and siRNA experiments suggest the stress kinase p38 is important for Ran gradient recovery. NTF2 and Mog1, which are transport factors that regulate the nuclear localization of Ran, showed kinetics of delocalization and recovery similar to Ran. Microinjection of a nuclear localization signal reporter protein revealed that sorbitol stress decreases the rate of nuclear import. Sorbitol stress also slowed RCC1 mobility in the nucleus, which is predicted to reduce RCC1 dissociation from chromatin and RanGTP production. This was tested using a FRET biosensor that registers nuclear RanGTP levels, which were reduced in response to sorbitol stress. Although sorbitol alters nucleotide levels, we show that inverting the GTP/GDP ratio in cells is not sufficient to disrupt the Ran gradient. Thus, the Ran system is a target of hyperosmotic stress signaling, and cells use protein localization-based mechanisms as part of a rapid stress response. PMID- 17761538 TI - Stable and unstable cadherin dimers: mechanisms of formation and roles in cell adhesion. AB - Numerous attempts to elucidate the strength of cadherin dimerization that mediates intercellular adhesion have produced controversial and inconclusive results. To clarify this issue, we compared E-cadherin dimerization on the surface of living cells with how the same process unfolds on agarose beads. In both cases, dimerization was monitored by the same site-specific cross-linking assay, greatly simplifying data interpretation. We showed that on the agarose surface under physiological conditions, E-cadherin produced a weak dimer that immediately dissociated after the depletion of calcium ions. However, either at pH 5 or in the presence of cadmium ions, E-cadherin produced a strong dimer that was unable to dissociate upon calcium depletion. Both types of dimers were W156 dependent. Remarkably, only the strong dimer was found on the surface of living cells. We also showed that the intracellular cadherin region, the clustering of which through catenins had been proposed as stabilizer of weak intercadherin interactions, was not needed, in fact, for cadherin junction assembly. Taken together, our data present convincing evidence that cadherin adhesion is based on high-affinity cadherin-cadherin interactions. PMID- 17761539 TI - WNT10B functional dualism: beta-catenin/Tcf-dependent growth promotion or independent suppression with deregulated expression in cancer. AB - We found aberrant DNA methylation of the WNT10B promoter region in 46% of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 15% of colon cancer samples. Three of 10 HCC and one of two colon cancer cell lines demonstrated low or no expression, and 5 aza-2'deoxycytidine reactivated WNT10B expression with the induction of demethylation, indicating that WNT10B is silenced by DNA methylation in some cancers, whereas WNT10B expression is up-regulated in seven of the 10 HCC cell lines and a colon cancer cell line. These results indicate that WNT10B can be deregulated by either overexpression or silencing in cancer. We found that WNT10B up-regulated beta-catenin/Tcf activity. However, WNT10B-overexpressing cells demonstrated a reduced growth rate and anchorage-independent growth that is independent of the beta-catenin/Tcf activation, because mutant beta-catenin transduced cells did not suppress growth, and dominant-negative hTcf-4 failed to alleviate the growth suppression by WNT10B. Although WNT10B expression alone inhibits cell growth, it acts synergistically with the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) to stimulate cell growth. WNT10B is bifunctional, one function of which is involved in beta-catenin/Tcf activation, and the other function is related to the down-regulation of cell growth through a different mechanism. We suggest that FGF switches WNT10B from a negative to a positive cell growth regulator. PMID- 17761540 TI - Evaluation of Community Action Against Asthma: a community health worker intervention to improve children's asthma-related health by reducing household environmental triggers for asthma. AB - This article describes the evaluation of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) community health worker (CHW) intervention to improve children's asthma related health by reducing household environmental triggers for asthma. After randomization to an intervention or control group, 298 households in Detroit, Michigan, with a child, aged 7 to 11, with persistent asthma symptoms participated. The intervention was effective in increasing some of the measures of lung function (daily nadir Forced Expiratory Volume at one second [p = .03] and daily nadir Peak Flow [p = .02]), reducing the frequency of two symptoms ("cough that won't go away," "coughing with exercise"), reducing the proportion of children requiring unscheduled medical visits and reporting inadequate use of asthma controller medication, reducing caregiver report of depressive symptoms, reducing concentrations of dog allergen in the dust, and increasing some behaviors related to reducing indoor environmental triggers. The results suggest a CHW environmental intervention can improve children's asthma-related health, although the pathway for improvement is complex. PMID- 17761541 TI - Transgenic mice expressing an inhibitory truncated form of p300 exhibit long-term memory deficits. AB - The formation of many forms of long-term memory requires several molecular mechanisms including regulation of gene expression. The mechanisms directing transcription require not only activation of individual transcription factors but also recruitment of transcriptional coactivators. CBP and p300 are transcriptional coactivators that interact with a large number of transcription factors and regulate transcription through multiple mechanisms, including an intrinsic histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity. HAT activity mediates acetylation of lysine residues on the amino-terminal tails of histone proteins, thereby increasing DNA accessibility for transcription factors to activate gene expression. CBP has been shown to play an important role in long-term memory formation. We have investigated whether p300 is also required for certain forms of memory. p300 shares a high degree of homology with CBP and has been shown to interact with transcription factors known to be critical for long-term memory formation. Here we demonstrate that conditional transgenic mice expressing an inhibitory truncated form of p300 (p300Delta1), which lacks the carboxy-terminal HAT and activation domains, have impaired long-term recognition memory and contextual fear memory. Thus, our study demonstrates that p300 is required for certain forms of memory and that the HAT and carboxy-terminal domains play a critical role. PMID- 17761544 TI - Risk of injury and fatality in single vehicle rollover crashes: danger for the front seat occupant in the "outside arc". AB - BACKGROUND: Rollover crashes are responsible for a large portion of motor vehicle occupant injuries and fatalities. OBJECTIVES: To examine if there is an increased risk of injury or death for either front seat occupant depending on the direction the vehicle rolled over. METHODS: Between 1992 and 2002, crash data were collected and analyzed from the National Accident Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS/CDS) database of police reported tow-away crashes in the United States. These data were limited to information concerning single vehicle crashes with right or left initial rollover, in which both driver and front seat passenger were present and secured with lap-shoulder belts. The "outside arc" occupant was defined as the occupant who underwent the greatest degree of initial rotational torque during the rollover. Crashes involving sport utility vehicles (SUVs) were further evaluated for risks of injury or death based on the direction of the initial rollover. The location of roof crush and the types of injuries were also analyzed for these rollovers. This weighted database allows for the calculation of mortality and injury prevalence in the population. RESULTS: There was a significantly higher fatality rate for outside arc occupants than inside arc occupants in rollover crashes. The weighted percentage fatality for the occupant on the outside arc for all classes of light passenger vehicles was 0.38%, while the percentage fatality for the occupant on the inside arc was 0.23% (odds ratio [OR], 1.64; p = 0.04). As a subgroup, the SUV class showed a weighted outside arc fatality percentage of 0.23%, while the inside arc fatality percentage was 0.02% (OR, 10.69; p = 0.06). Additionally, in SUVs, the weighted percentage having an Injury Severity Score of 9-75 was 0.99% for the outside arc passengers but only 0.19% for the inside arc passengers (OR, 5.42; p = 0.04). Roof crush was located more commonly on the outside arc of the rollovers than on the inside arc (42% vs. 26.3%; p < 0.01). There was a trend toward increased head and neck injuries in the fatal rollover crashes when compared with fatalities in the entire NASS/CDS database (91% vs. 58%; p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of death for outside arc occupants was higher than for inside arc occupants in rollovers. In addition, outside arc occupants in SUV rollover crashes were more likely to incur moderate or severe traumatic injuries. Roof crush occurs more commonly on the outside arc, and head and neck injuries were more prevalent in rollover crashes. PMID- 17761542 TI - Adult visual experience promotes recovery of primary visual cortex from long-term monocular deprivation. AB - Prolonged visual deprivation from early childhood to maturity is believed to cause permanent visual impairment. However, there have been case reports of substantial improvement of binocular vision in human adults following lifelong visual impairment or deprivation. These observations, together with recent findings of adult ocular dominance plasticity in rodents, led us to re-examine whether adult primary visual cortex (V1) is capable of any recovery following long-term monocular deprivation starting in development. Using mice as a model, we find that monocular deprivation from early development to mature ages (well past the critical period) severely impaired binocular vision by reducing the amplitude of responses elicited by stimulation of the deprived eye. Surprisingly, we find little effect on nondeprived eye responses. Restoration of binocular vision in mature adults yields modest but significant improvement of visual responses in V1. Remarkably, we find that when binocular vision is followed by occlusion of the nondeprived eye, visual responses in V1 recover almost fully, as measured by visual evoked potential amplitude, spatial frequency threshold, and single-unit activity. We conclude that adult V1 can recover from long-term deprivation when provided with an optimal regimen of visual experience. PMID- 17761545 TI - Evaluating the effectiveness of dispatch-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of agonal breathing during cardiac arrest (CA), its impact on the ability of 9-1-1 dispatchers to identify CA, and the impact of dispatch-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instructions on bystander CPR rates. METHODS: A before-after observational study enrolling out-of hospital adult CA patients where resuscitation was attempted in a single city with basic life support with defibrillation/advanced life support tiered emergency medical services. Victim, caller, and system characteristics were measured during two successive nine-month periods before (control group) and after (intervention group) the introduction of dispatch-assisted CPR instructions. RESULTS: There were 529 CAs between July 1, 2003, and December 31, 2004. Victim characteristics were similar in the control (n = 295) and intervention (n = 234) period; mean age was 68.3 years; 66.7% were male; 50.1% of CAs were witnessed; call-to-vehicle stop was 6 minutes, 37 seconds; ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia occurred in 29.9%; and the survival rate was 4.0%. Dispatchers identified 56.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 48.9% to 63.0%) of CA cases; agonal breathing was present in 37.0% (95% CI = 30.1% to 43.9%) of all CA cases and accounted for 50.0% (95% CI = 39.1% to 60.9%) of missed diagnoses. Callers provided ventilations in 17.2% and chest compressions in 8.3% of cases as a result of the intervention. Long time intervals were observed between call to diagnosis (2 minutes, 38 seconds) and during ventilation instructions (2 minutes, 5 seconds). Bystander CPR rates increased from 16.7% in the control phase to 26.4% in the intervention phase (absolute rate, 9.7%; 95% CI = 8.5% to 11.3%; p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: This trial demonstrates an increase in bystander CPR rate after the introduction of dispatch-assisted CPR. Agonal breathing occurred frequently and had a negative impact on the recognition of CA. There were long time intervals between call initiation and diagnosis of CA and during mouth-to-mouth ventilation instructions. PMID- 17761543 TI - Control of appetitive and aversive taste-reactivity responses by an auditory conditioned stimulus in a devaluation task: a FOS and behavioral analysis. AB - Through associative learning, cues for biologically significant reinforcers such as food may gain access to mental representations of those reinforcers. Here, we used devaluation procedures, behavioral assessment of hedonic taste-reactivity responses, and measurement of immediate-early gene (IEG) expression to show that a cue for food engages behavior and brain activity related to sensory and hedonic processing of that food. Rats first received a tone paired with intraoral infusion of sucrose. Then, in the absence of the tone, the value of sucrose was reduced (Devalue group) by pairing sucrose with lithium chloride (LiCl), or maintained (Maintain group) by presenting sucrose and LiCl unpaired. Finally, taste-reactivity responses to the tone were assessed in the absence of sucrose. Devalue rats showed high levels of aversive responses and minimal appetitive responses, whereas Maintain rats exhibited substantial appetitive responding but little aversive responding. Control rats that had not received tone-sucrose pairings did not display either class of behaviors. Devalue rats showed greater FOS expression than Maintain rats in several brain regions implicated in devaluation task performance and the display of aversive responses, including the basolateral amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, gustatory cortex (GC), and the posterior accumbens shell (ACBs), whereas the opposite pattern was found in the anterior ACBs. Both Devalue and Maintain rats showed greater FOS expression than control rats in amygdala central nucleus, GC, and both subregions of ACBs. Thus, through associative learning, auditory cues for food gained access to neural processing in several brain regions importantly involved in the processing of taste memory information. PMID- 17761547 TI - Knowledge translation in the emergency medical services: a research agenda for advancing prehospital care. AB - Little is known about knowledge translation in the practice of out-of-hospital medicine. It is generally accepted that much work is needed regarding "getting the evidence straight" in emergency medical services, given the substantial number of interventions that are performed regularly in the field but lack meaningful scientific support. Additional attention also needs to be given to "getting the evidence used," because there is some evidence that evidence-based practices are being incompletely or incorrectly applied in the field. In an effort to help advance a research agenda for knowledge translation in emergency medical services, nine recommendations are put forth to help address the problems identified. PMID- 17761546 TI - Reliability of a computerized version of the Pediatric Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale. AB - BACKGROUND: The use of a standardized triage tool allows better comparison of the patients; a computerized version could theoretically improve its reliability. OBJECTIVES: To compare the interrater agreement of the Pediatric Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (PedCTAS) and a computerized version (Staturg). METHODS: A two phase experimental study was conducted to compare the interrater agreement between nurses assigning triage level to written case scenarios using either traditional PedCTAS or Staturg. Participants were nurses with at least one year of experience in pediatric emergency medicine and trained at triage. Each of the 54 scenarios was evaluated first by all nurses using either one of the strategies. Four weeks later, they evaluated the same scenarios using the other tool. The primary outcome was the interrater agreement measured using kappa score. RESULTS: Eighteen of the 29 eligible nurses participated in the study. The computerized triage tool showed a better interrater agreement, with a Staturg kappa score of 0.55 (95% confidence interval = 0.53 to 0.57) versus a PedCTAS kappa score of 0.51 (95% confidence interval = 0.49 to 0.53). The computerized version was also associated with higher agreements for scenarios describing patients with the highest severity of triage (kappa score of 0.72 vs. 0.55 for level 1; kappa score of 0.70 vs. 0.51 for level 2). CONCLUSIONS: A computerized version of the PedCTAS showed a statistically significant improvement in the interrater agreement for nurses evaluating the triage level of 54 clinical scenarios, but this difference has probably small clinical significance. PMID- 17761548 TI - Evidence-based reviews and databases: are they worth the effort? Developing evidence summaries for emergency medicine. AB - A broad range of relevant evidence-based resources within and outside of emergency medicine (EM) collates and summarizes research evidence pertaining to many questions relevant to clinical emergency care. Such resources may or may not constitute the equivalent of health care recommendations, and their relationship to clinical decision-making may be complex. Many efforts in evidence-based medicine resource development, and their products, are marginally relevant to EM practice but may serve as useful models for parallel EM relevant efforts. A trade off exists between synthesis quality and ease of practitioner access and use. Keeping all such resources up to date is a major challenge. Although observational evidence suggests that dynamic interactivity and information retrieval technology may enhance practitioner utilization, little evidence exists supporting the absolute or comparative effectiveness of different kinds of resources and databases in enhancing evidence uptake or changing clinician behavior. PMID- 17761549 TI - Increased risk of parkinsonism in women who underwent oophorectomy before menopause. AB - OBJECTIVE: There is increasing laboratory evidence for a neuroprotective effect of estrogen on the nigrostriatal pathway; however, the epidemiologic evidence remains limited and conflicting. We studied the association of oophorectomy performed before the onset of menopause with the risk of subsequent parkinsonism. METHODS: We included all women who underwent either unilateral or bilateral oophorectomy before the onset of menopause for a noncancer indication from 1950 through 1987 while residing in Olmsted County, MN. Each member of the oophorectomy cohort was matched by age to a referent woman in the same population who had not undergone oophorectomy. In total, we studied 1,252 women with unilateral oophorectomy, 1,075 women with bilateral oophorectomy, and 2,368 referent women. Women were followed through death or end of study using a combination of direct or proxy interviews, neurologic examinations, medical records in a records-linkage system, and death certificates. RESULTS: Women who underwent either unilateral or bilateral oophorectomy before the onset of menopause had an increased risk of parkinsonism compared with referent women (HR 1.68; 95% CI 1.06 to 2.67; p = 0.03), and the risk increased with younger age at oophorectomy (test for linear trend; p = 0.01). The findings were similar regardless of the indication for the oophorectomy, and for unilateral or bilateral oophorectomy considered separately. The findings were also consistent for Parkinson disease alone, but did not reach significance. CONCLUSIONS: Both unilateral and bilateral oophorectomy performed prior to menopause may be associated with an increased risk of parkinsonism and the effect may be age dependent. However, our findings await independent replication. PMID- 17761550 TI - The incidence and significance of anti-natalizumab antibodies: results from AFFIRM and SENTINEL. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and clinical effects of antibodies that develop during treatment with natalizumab. METHODS: In two randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled studies (natalizumab safety and efficacy in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis [MS, AFFIRM] and safety and efficacy of natalizumab in combination with interferon beta-1a [INF beta]1a] in patients with relapsing remitting MS [SENTINEL]) of patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis, blood samples were obtained at baseline and every 12 weeks to determine the presence of antibodies against natalizumab. Antibodies to natalizumab were measured using an ELISA. Patients were categorized as "transiently positive" if they had detectable antibodies (>or=0.5 microg/mL) at a single time point or "persistently positive" if they had antibodies at two or more time points >or=6 weeks apart. RESULTS: In the AFFIRM study, antibodies were detected in 57 of 625 (9%) of natalizumab treated patients: Twenty (3%) were transiently positive and 37 (6%) were persistently positive. Persistently positive patients showed a loss of clinical efficacy as measured by disability progression (p .2) for either income group. CONCLUSIONS: Despite cigarette price increases after the MSA, income-related smoking disparities have increased. Increasing cigarette prices may no longer be an effective policy tool and may impose a disproportionate burden on poor smokers. PMID- 17761577 TI - Promoting prenatal and early childhood health: evaluation of a statewide materials-based intervention for parents. AB - OBJECTIVES: There is a critical need for effective, large-scale health communication programs to support parents of children aged 0-5 years. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Kit for New Parents, a multimedia health and parenting resource now distributed annually to 500000 parents in California. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, 462 mothers in the intervention group and 1011 mothers in the comparison group, recruited from prenatal and postnatal programs, completed a baseline interview about health-relevant parenting knowledge, and mothers in the intervention group received the kit. Both groups were reinterviewed 2 months later. At 14-months postbaseline, 350 mothers in the intervention group and a sample of 414 mothers who had equivalent demographic characteristics (comparison group) were interviewed about parenting knowledge and practices. RESULTS: Of the mothers in the intervention group, 87% reported using the kit within 2 months after receiving it, and 53% had shared it with their partner. At both follow-ups, mothers in the intervention group showed greater gains in knowledge and reported better practices at 14 months than did mothers in the comparison group. Gains were greater for prenatal recipients and for Spanish speakers. Providers considered the kit a valuable resource for their parenting programs. CONCLUSIONS: The kit is an effective, low-cost, statewide health intervention for parents. PMID- 17761578 TI - Association of education and the occurrence of low birthweight in rural southern China during the early and late 1990s. AB - OBJECTIVES: We examined whether education-related inequalities were associated with the occurrence of low birthweight in 6 counties in southern China in the early and late 1990s. METHODS: The study population consisted of 111,181 women (65,669 in the early 1990s and 45,482 in the late 1990s) in a population-based Perinatal Health Care Surveillance System. We used the chi(2) test, logistic regression, and concentration index for our analyses. RESULTS: From the early to late 1990s, the mean maternal education level increased significantly, and the percentage of low-birthweight births declined among all groups, for both male and female births, and at all levels of the mother's education. Relative to those with less than 9 years of formal education, there was a decreasing risk of low birthweight among those with 9 to 11 years of formal education (range in adjusted odds ratio=0.69-0.82) and with 12 or more years of formal education (range in adjusted odds ratio=0.51-0.74). Between the early and late 1990s, the concentration index changed from -0.0778 to -0.0656 for male births and from 0.0717 to -0.0813 for female births. CONCLUSIONS: Education-related inequalities associated with low birthweight persisted from the early to the late 1990s in surveyed areas. PMID- 17761579 TI - Height, its components, and cardiovascular risk among older Chinese: a cross sectional analysis of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study. AB - OBJECTIVES: Better childhood conditions, inferred from height and specifically leg length, are usually protective against ischemic heart disease and its risk factors in Western countries. In other geoethnic populations, height is less clearly protective, casting doubt on there being a biological etiology. To clarify the role of childhood conditions, we examined the associations of height and its components with cardiovascular risk among older Chinese people. METHODS: We used multivariable regression to examine the associations of height and its components with blood pressure, lipid profile, and diabetes in 10413 older Chinese adults (mean age=64.6 years). RESULTS: After we adjusted for age, gender, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle habits, greater sitting height was associated with diabetes and dyslipidemia. Longer legs were associated with lower pulse pressure and lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: We provide indirect anthropometric evidence for the role of pre-pubertal and pubertal exposures on cardiovascular risk. Pubertal exposures are stronger than are prepubertal exposures but may be influenced by osteoporotic decline in old age. Further research should establish whether the observed relations are ethnically specific or relate to the stage or trajectory of socioeconomic development. PMID- 17761580 TI - Prevalence and correlates of substance use among high school students in South Africa and the United States. AB - OBJECTIVES: We compared prevalence rates and correlates of substance use among high school students in South Africa and the United States. METHODS: We used weighted data from 2 nationally representative surveys of high school students. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses and examined between-country differences in rates and correlates of substance use were examined. RESULTS: Rates of past-month alcohol and marijuana use were lower among South African students than among US students, but rates of illicit hard drug use were higher. Correlates of use in the 2 countries differed. For example, female gender was protective against tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use in South Africa, whereas in the United States it was protective only against marijuana use. Black race/ethnicity was associated with lower rates of past-month cigarette and alcohol use in both countries, but the protective effect for alcohol use was stronger in South Africa. CONCLUSIONS: Crosscultural studies can elucidate common and culturally unique pathways to drug use. Our results can inform future research, policies, and behavioral interventions in South Africa. PMID- 17761581 TI - Trimming exposure data, putting radiation workers at risk: improving disclosure and consent through a national radiation dose-registry. AB - In the United States, regulatory standards allow workers to be exposed to ionizing radiation that can cause 1 additional cancer fatality per 400 workers per year. Because radiation-dose limits cover only single sources (e.g., a nuclear plant) or exposure classes (workplace, medical, or public) and are defined for average occupational exposure, workers typically do not know their precise cumulative, individual, and relative risks from radiation. Nevertheless, this information is necessary for informed consent, because most scientists say radiation effects are cumulative and linear with no risk threshold. To promote public health, informed consent, and better understanding of the effects of low dose radiation, I argue for a multistage National Radiation-Dose Registry, beginning with cumulative, individual worker doses. PMID- 17761582 TI - Factors related to HIV disclosure in 2 South African communities. AB - Disclosure of HIV status is an essential part of behavior modification and access and adherence to treatment in people infected with HIV. We conducted interviews in 2 South African communities of similar ethnic mix but with very different rates of disclosure of HIV status and found that disclosure was the catalyst for access to a variety of important and often essential resources. In the community with high rates of disclosure of HIV infection, disclosure led to greater access to formal institutional support and opportunities to take positive leadership roles in the community. Our findings highlight the prominence of wider sociopolitical contexts for disclosure decisionmaking and the need for HIV interventions to increase levels of disclosure of HIV infection. PMID- 17761583 TI - Black-White mortality from HIV in the United States before and after introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy in 1996. AB - OBJECTIVES: We sought to describe Black-White differences in HIV disease mortality before and after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). METHODS: Black-White mortality from HIV is described for the nation as a whole. We performed regression analyses to predict county-level mortality for Black men aged 25-84 years and the corresponding Black:White male mortality ratios (disparities) in 140 counties with reliable Black mortality for 1999-2002. RESULTS: National Black-White disparities widened significantly after the introduction of HAART, especially among women and the elderly. In county regression analyses, contextual socioeconomic status (SES) was not a significant predictor of Black:White mortality rate ratio after we controlled for percentage of the population who were Black and percentage of the population who were Hispanic, and neither contextual SES nor race/ethnicity were significant predictors after we controlled for pre-HAART mortality. Contextual SES, race, and pre-HAART mortality were all significant and independent predictors of mortality among Black men. CONCLUSIONS: Although nearly all segments of the Black population experienced widened post-HAART disparities, disparities were not inevitable and tended to reflect pre-HAART levels. Public health policymakers should consider the hypothesis of unequal diffusion of the HAART innovation, with place effects rendering some communities more vulnerable than others to this potential problem. PMID- 17761585 TI - Nativity and duration of time in the United States: differences in fruit and vegetable intake among low-income postpartum women. AB - Limited research has examined the association of diet with immigrant status, adjusting for multiple socio-demographic and contextual influences. Among 662 WIC eligible postpartum women, those who were foreign-born and had lived in the United States for 4 or fewer years consumed 2.5 more fruit and vegetable servings daily than native-born women; this difference diminished with longer US residence. White women consumed 1 serving less than Latinas, and those speaking both English and Spanish at home consumed 1.4 servings more than English-only speakers after adjusting for other covariates. PMID- 17761584 TI - Neighborhood residence and cigarette smoking among urban youths: the protective role of prosocial activities. AB - OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between neighborhood characteristics and cigarette use among adolescents and explored the protective effects of participation in prosocial activities to better understand strengths in adolescents' lives and help identify protective factors for the prevention of adolescent smoking. METHODS: We interviewed ninth graders who had grade point averages of 3.0 or lower and who were not developmentally disabled. Participants' addresses were geocoded so that interview data could be linked to 1990 US census data on neighborhood characteristics. RESULTS: Neighborhood disadvantage and the percentage of Black residents in a neighborhood had different effects on cigarette smoking among Black and White adolescents. Living in a neighborhood with a high percentage of Black residents had favorable effects for Blacks but not for Whites. For both groups, a low percentage of Black residents was a risk factor for cigarette use, and risk effects were higher in the more disadvantaged neighborhoods. Involvement in prosocial activities moderated neighborhood risks. CONCLUSIONS: Neighborhood effects on adolescent cigarette use were contingent upon both contextual and individual characteristics. Participation in prosocial activities had a protective effect among adolescents in high-risk neighborhoods. Engaging adolescents in such activities may help offset the adverse effects of living in a disadvantaged neighborhood. PMID- 17761587 TI - Images in clinical medicine. Oral acanthosis nigricans. PMID- 17761586 TI - Rosiglitazone and the FDA. PMID- 17761588 TI - Regulation of follow-on biologics. PMID- 17761589 TI - Bridge to life--cardiac mechanical support. PMID- 17761590 TI - Reversal of idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. AB - BACKGROUND: Idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, which may be associated with anosmia (the Kallmann syndrome) or with a normal sense of smell, is a treatable form of male infertility caused by a congenital defect in the secretion or action of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Patients have absent or incomplete sexual maturation by the age of 18. Idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism was previously thought to require lifelong therapy. We describe 15 men in whom reversal of idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism was sustained after discontinuation of hormonal therapy. METHODS: We defined the sustained reversal of idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism as the presence of normal adult testosterone levels after hormonal therapy was discontinued. RESULTS: Ten sustained reversals were identified retrospectively. Five sustained reversals were identified prospectively among 50 men with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism after a mean (+/-SD) duration of treatment interruption of 6+/-3 weeks. Of the 15 men who had a sustained reversal, 4 had anosmia. At initial evaluation, 6 men had absent puberty, 9 had partial puberty, and all had abnormal secretion of GnRH-induced luteinizing hormone. All 15 men had received previous hormonal therapy to induce virilization, fertility, or both. Among those whose hypogonadism was reversed, the mean serum level of endogenous testosterone increased from 55+/-29 ng per deciliter (1.9+/-1.0 nmol per liter) to 386+/-91 ng per deciliter (13.4+/-3.2 nmol per liter, P<0.001), the luteinizing hormone level increased from 2.7+/-2.0 to 8.5+/-4.6 IU per liter (P<0.001), the level of follicle-stimulating hormone increased from 2.5+/-1.7 to 9.5+/-12.2 IU per liter (P<0.01), and testicular volume increased from 8+/-5 to 16+/-7 ml (P<0.001). Pulsatile luteinizing hormone secretion and spermatogenesis were documented. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained reversal of normosmic idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and the Kallmann syndrome was noted after discontinuation of treatment in about 10% of patients with either absent or partial puberty. Therefore, brief discontinuation of hormonal therapy to assess reversibility of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is reasonable. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00392756 [ClinicalTrials.gov].). PMID- 17761591 TI - Saline or albumin for fluid resuscitation in patients with traumatic brain injury. AB - BACKGROUND: The Saline versus Albumin Fluid Evaluation study suggested that patients with traumatic brain injury resuscitated with albumin had a higher mortality rate than those resuscitated with saline. We conducted a post hoc follow-up study of patients with traumatic brain injury who were enrolled in the study. METHODS: For patients with traumatic brain injury (i.e., a history of trauma, evidence of head trauma on a computed tomographic [CT] scan, and a score of < or =13 on the Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS]), we recorded baseline characteristics from case-report forms, clinical records, and CT scans and determined vital status and functional neurologic outcomes 24 months after randomization. RESULTS: We followed 460 patients, of whom 231 (50.2%) received albumin and 229 (49.8%) received saline. The subgroup of patients with GCS scores of 3 to 8 were classified as having severe brain injury (160 [69.3%] in the albumin group and 158 [69.0%] in the saline group). Demographic characteristics and indexes of severity of brain injury were similar at baseline. At 24 months, 71 of 214 patients in the albumin group (33.2%) had died, as compared with 42 of 206 in the saline group (20.4%) (relative risk, 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 2.26; P=0.003). Among patients with severe brain injury, 61 of 146 patients in the albumin group (41.8%) died, as compared with 32 of 144 in the saline group (22.2%) (relative risk, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.31 to 2.70; P<0.001); among patients with GCS scores of 9 to 12, death occurred in 8 of 50 patients in the albumin group (16.0%) and 8 of 37 in the saline group (21.6%) (relative risk, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.31 to 1.79; P=0.50). CONCLUSIONS: In this post hoc study of critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury, fluid resuscitation with albumin was associated with higher mortality rates than was resuscitation with saline. (Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN76588266 [controlled trials.com].). PMID- 17761592 TI - Use of a continuous-flow device in patients awaiting heart transplantation. AB - BACKGROUND: The use of left ventricular assist devices is an accepted therapy for patients with refractory heart failure, but current pulsatile volume-displacement devices have limitations (including large pump size and limited long-term mechanical durability) that have reduced widespread adoption of this technology. Continuous-flow pumps are newer types of left ventricular assist devices developed to overcome some of these limitations. METHODS: In a prospective, multicenter study without a concurrent control group, 133 patients with end-stage heart failure who were on a waiting list for heart transplantation underwent implantation of a continuous-flow pump. The principal outcomes were the proportions of patients who, at 180 days, had undergone transplantation, had cardiac recovery, or had ongoing mechanical support while remaining eligible for transplantation. We also assessed functional status and quality of life. RESULTS: The principal outcomes occurred in 100 patients (75%). The median duration of support was 126 days (range, 1 to 600). The survival rate during support was 75% at 6 months and 68% at 12 months. At 3 months, therapy was associated with significant improvement in functional status (according to the New York Heart Association class and results of a 6-minute walk test) and in quality of life (according to the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy questionnaires). Major adverse events included postoperative bleeding, stroke, right heart failure, and percutaneous lead infection. Pump thrombosis occurred in two patients. CONCLUSIONS: A continuous-flow left ventricular assist device can provide effective hemodynamic support for a period of at least 6 months in patients awaiting heart transplantation, with improved functional status and quality of life. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00121472 [ClinicalTrials.gov].). PMID- 17761593 TI - Luteinizing hormone beta mutation and hypogonadism in men and women. AB - Selective luteinizing hormone deficiency due to mutations in the luteinizing hormone beta-subunit gene (LHB) is a rare cause of hypogonadism. We describe the clinical features of a consanguineous family in which three siblings, two men and one woman, had hypogonadism related to isolated luteinizing hormone deficiency. These subjects have a newly discovered homozygous mutation of a 5' splice site in LHB: IVS2+1G-->C. This mutation disrupts the splicing of messenger RNA (mRNA), generating a gross abnormality in the processing of the luteinizing hormone beta subunit mRNA, which abrogates the secretion of luteinizing hormone. We also determined that the female phenotype of this LHB mutation is characterized by normal pubertal development, secondary amenorrhea, and infertility. PMID- 17761594 TI - Mechanisms of anabolic therapies for osteoporosis. PMID- 17761595 TI - Images in clinical medicine. Muehrcke's lines. PMID- 17761596 TI - Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Case 27-2007. A 30-year-old pregnant woman with intrauterine fetal death. PMID- 17761597 TI - Experiments of nature--a glimpse into the mysteries of the pubertal clock. PMID- 17761598 TI - A tale about tau. PMID- 17761599 TI - An unusual complication of support with a continuous-flow cardiac assist device. PMID- 17761600 TI - Rosiglitazone and cardiovascular risk. PMID- 17761601 TI - The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis. PMID- 17761602 TI - Decrease in U.S. deaths from coronary disease. PMID- 17761603 TI - Central venous catheterization. PMID- 17761604 TI - Long-term follow-up after treatment of rabies by induction of coma. PMID- 17761605 TI - The long-term consequence of anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus injuries: osteoarthritis. AB - The objectives of this study are to review the long-term consequences of injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament and menisci, the pathogenic mechanisms, and the causes of the considerable variability in outcome. Injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament and menisci are common in both athletes and the general population. At 10 to 20 years after the diagnosis, on average, 50% of those with a diagnosed anterior cruciate ligament or meniscus tear have osteoarthritis with associated pain and functional impairment: the young patient with an old knee. These individuals make up a substantial proportion of the overall osteoarthritis population. There is a lack of evidence to support a protective role of repair or reconstructive surgery of the anterior cruciate ligament or meniscus against osteoarthritis development. A consistent finding in a review of the literature is the often poor reporting of critical study variables, precluding data pooling or a meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis development in the injured joints is caused by intra-articular pathogenic processes initiated at the time of injury, combined with long-term changes in dynamic joint loading. Variation in outcome is reinforced by additional variables associated with the individual such as age, sex, genetics, obesity, muscle strength, activity, and reinjury. A better understanding of these variables may improve future prevention and treatment strategies. In evaluating medical treatment, we now expect large randomized clinical trials complemented by postmarketing monitoring. We should strive toward a comparable level of quality of evidence in surgical treatment of knee injuries. In instances in which a randomized clinical trial is not feasible, natural history and other observational cohort studies need to be as carefully designed and reported as the classic randomized clinical trial, to yield useful information. PMID- 17761606 TI - Neuromuscular and lower limb biomechanical differences exist between male and female elite adolescent soccer players during an unanticipated run and crosscut maneuver. AB - BACKGROUND: Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries often occur during sports such as soccer and basketball in which cutting or landing maneuvers are frequently performed. These injuries are more common in female athletes, and identifying biomechanical or neuromuscular risk factors related to gender may help with the development of preventive training programs aimed at reducing anterior cruciate ligament injury. HYPOTHESIS: Lower limb biomechanical and/or neuromuscular differences between male and female soccer players will be identified during unanticipated running and cutting maneuvers. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive laboratory study. METHODS: A complete 3-dimensional kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic analysis of the lower limb for an unanticipated straight-run and crosscut maneuver was performed on 42 (male, 21; female, 21) elite adolescent soccer players. RESULTS: For both maneuvers, female players had greater lateral gastrocnemius activity, normalized to maximal voluntary isometric contractions, and demonstrated a mediolateral gastrocnemii imbalance that was not present in male players. Rectus femoris activity for both maneuvers and vastus medialis and lateralis activity for the straight run only were also greater in female than in male athletes. Other notable differences captured for the maneuvers included female players having reduced hamstring activity, a reduced hip flexion moment, a reduced hip flexion angle, and an increased ankle eversion angle throughout stance compared with male players. CONCLUSION: This is one of the first studies to identify gastrocnemii differences between genders as a possible anterior cruciate ligament injury risk factor. Additional biomechanical and neuromuscular differences were also identified as potential risk factors. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings provide insight into the noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury gender bias and may help improve preventive training programs. PMID- 17761607 TI - Presidential address: "building the best . . . Lifelong learning". PMID- 17761608 TI - Joint space narrowing after partial medial meniscectomy in the anterior cruciate ligament-intact knee. AB - Osteoarthritis of the knee is common after total medial meniscectomy. In anterior cruciate ligament-intact knees, the reported outcomes of partial medial meniscectomy are variable. Radiographic assessment using a posteroanterior weight bearing view is a reliable tool for detecting minor medial joint space narrowing, which may be an early sign of osteoarthritis. Studies that assessed the effect of partial medial meniscectomy found a low percentage of patients with >50% joint narrowing at 10 to 15 years after surgery. Digital radiography, using a posteroanterior weight-bearing view, is a highly sensitive method for observing minor joint space narrowing in the involved knee. A recent study showed that 88% of patients who underwent partial medial meniscectomy had joint space narrowing of <2 mm, and none had narrowing >or=2 mm, at a mean follow-up of 12 years. Subjective results after partial medial meniscectomy are favorable, with 88% to 95% of patients reporting good to excellent results. PMID- 17761609 TI - The use of osteoconductive bone graft substitutes in orthopaedic trauma. AB - Several bone graft substitutes are now available for use in augmenting bone healing following trauma. Many of these products are osteoconductive and are indicated for filling bone defects in conjunction with standard methods of internal and external fixation. Osteoconduction refers to a process in which the three-dimensional structure of a substance is conducive for the ongrowth and/or ingrowth of newly formed bone. Currently used bone graft substitutes that primarily offer osteoconductive properties include coralline hydroxyapatite, collagen-based matrices, calcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, and tricalcium phosphate. These products vary considerably in chemical composition, structural strength, and resorption or remodeling rates. Understanding these differences is important in selecting a bone graft substitute with the properties desired for a specific clinical situation. The limited number of clinical studies and lack of direct-comparison studies between these products require the surgeon to fully understand the properties of each product when choosing a bone graft substitute. PMID- 17761610 TI - Carpal tunnel syndrome. AB - Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common compressive neuropathy of the upper extremity. As a result of median nerve compression, the patient reports pain, weakness, and paresthesias in the hand and digits. The etiology of this condition is multifactorial; anatomic, systemic, and occupational factors have all been implicated. The diagnosis is based on the patient history and physical examination and is confirmed by electrodiagnostic testing. Treatment methods range from observation and splinting, to cortisone injection and splinting, to surgical intervention. Both nonsurgical and surgical management provide symptom relief in most patients. The results of open and endoscopic surgery essentially are equivalent at 3 months; the superiority of one technique over the other has yet to be established. PMID- 17761611 TI - Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring during spinal surgery. AB - Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) is a battery of neurophysiologic tests used to assess the functional integrity of the spinal cord, nerve roots, and other peripheral nervous system structures (eg, brachial plexus) during spinal surgery. The underlying principle of IONM is to identify emerging insult to nervous system structures, pathways, and/or related vascular supply and to provide feedback regarding correlative changes in neural function before development of irreversible neural injury. IONM data provide an opportunity for intervention to prevent or minimize postoperative neurologic deficit. Current multimodality monitoring techniques permit intraoperative assessment of the functional integrity of afferent dorsal sensory spinal cord tracts, efferent ventral spinal cord motor tracts, and nerve roots. Combined use of these techniques is useful during complex spinal surgery because these monitoring modalities provide important complementary information to the surgery team. PMID- 17761612 TI - Femoroacetabular impingement. AB - Evidence is emerging that subtle morphologic abnormalities around the hip, resulting in femoroacetabular impingement, may be a contributing factor in some instances to osteoarthritis in the young patient. The morphologic abnormalities result in abnormal contact between the femoral neck/head and the acetabular margin, causing tearing of the labrum and avulsion of the underlying cartilage region, continued deterioration, and eventual onset of arthritis. Nonsurgical treatment typically fails to control symptoms. Surgical management involves dislocation of the hip (while preserving the blood supply to the femoral head) and femoroacetabular osteoplasty. Encouraging results have been reported following femoroacetabular osteoplasty and arthroscopic treatment of femoroacetabular impingement. PMID- 17761613 TI - Chronic instability of the distal radioulnar joint. AB - The ligament reconstruction technique described closely reconstructs the anatomic origin and insertion of the palmar and dorsal radioulnar ligaments. In a series of 14 patients, stability was completely restored in 12. Patients were able to return to their previous work, athletic activities, and avocations without limitations. Recovery of strength and motion was at least 85%. One patient with initial bidirectional instability and good early surgical correction developed recurrent volar instability. Another patient had persistent preoperative ulnocarpal instability and an insufficient volar rim of the sigmoid notch from a previous fracture, but the DRUJ was stabilized. Ligament reconstruction is effective for DRUJ instability but requires a competent sigmoid notch; however, it may not fully correct ulnocarpal instability. PMID- 17761614 TI - Impaired flow-mediated dilation is associated with low pulmonary function and emphysema in ex-smokers: the Emphysema and Cancer Action Project (EMCAP) Study. AB - RATIONALE: Basic science research suggests a causal role for endothelial dysfunction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Clinical studies examining endothelial function are lacking, particularly early in the disease. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is a physiologic measure of endothelial reactivity to endogenous nitric oxide. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that lower FMD among former smokers would be associated with lower post-bronchodilator FEV(1), higher percentage of emphysema using computed tomography (CT) and lower diffusing capacity. METHODS: We measured FMD, pulmonary function, and CT percentage of emphysema in a random sample of 107 cotinine-confirmed former smokers in the ongoing EMCAP study. FMD was defined as percentage change in the brachial artery diameter with reactive hyperemia. Generalized additive models were used to adjust for potential confounders and assess linearity. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 71 +/- 5 years, 46% were female, and pack-years averaged 48 +/- 26. Mean FMD was 3.8 +/- 3.1%; mean post-bronchodilator FEV(1), 2.3 +/- 0.8 L; and mean CT percentage of emphysema, 26 +/- 10%. A 1 SD decrease in FMD was associated with a 132-ml (95% confidence interval, 16-248 ml; P = 0.03) decrement in post-bronchodilator FEV(1) and a 2.6% (95% confidence interval, 0.5-4.7%; P = 0.02) increase in CT percentage of emphysema in fully adjusted models. These associations were linear across the spectrum from normality to disease, independent of smoking history, and also significant among participants without COPD. Associations with diffusing capacity were consistent but nonsignificant (P = 0.09). The FMD-FEV(1) association was entirely attributable to percentage of emphysema. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired endothelial function, as measured by FMD, was associated with lower FEV(1) and higher CT percentage of emphysema in former smokers early in COPD. PMID- 17761615 TI - Comparative expression profiling in pulmonary fibrosis suggests a role of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha in disease pathogenesis. AB - RATIONALE: Despite intense research efforts, the etiology and pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: To discover novel genes and/or cellular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. METHODS: We performed expression profiling of disease progression in a well characterized animal model of the disease. Differentially expressed genes that were identified were compared with all publicly available expression profiles both from human patients and animal models. The role of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha in disease pathogenesis was examined with a series of immunostainings, both in the animal model as well as in tissue microarrays containing tissue samples of human patients, followed by computerized image analysis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Comparative expression profiling produced a prioritized gene list of high statistical significance, which consisted of the most likely disease modifiers identified so far in pulmonary fibrosis. Extending beyond target identification, a series of meta-analyses produced a number of biological hypotheses on disease pathogenesis. Among them, the role of HIF-1 signaling was further explored to reveal HIF-1alpha overexpression in the hyperplastic epithelium of fibrotic lungs, colocalized with its target genes p53 and Vegf. CONCLUSIONS: Comparative expression profiling was shown to be a highly efficient method in identifying deregulated genes and pathways. Moreover, tissue microarrays and computerized image analysis allowed for the high-throughput and unbiased assessment of histopathologic sections, adding substantial confidence in pathologic evaluations. More importantly, our results suggest an early primary role of HIF-1 in alveolar epithelial cell homeostasis and disease pathogenesis, provide insights on the pathophysiologic differences of different interstitial pneumonias, and indicate the importance of assessing the efficacy of pharmacologic inhibitors of HIF-1 activity in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. PMID- 17761616 TI - Cystic fibrosis pulmonary guidelines: chronic medications for maintenance of lung health. AB - RATIONALE: Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease characterized by dehydration of the airway surface liquid and impaired mucociliary clearance. As a result, individuals with the disease have difficulty clearing pathogens from the lung and experience chronic pulmonary infections and inflammation. Death is usually a result of respiratory failure. Newly introduced therapies and aggressive management of the lung disease have resulted in great improvements in length and quality of life, with the result that the median expected survival age has reached 36 years. However, as the number of treatments expands, the medical regimen becomes increasingly burdensome in time, money, and health resources. Hence, it is important that treatments should be recommended on the basis of available evidence of efficacy and safety. OBJECTIVES: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation therefore established a committee to examine the clinical evidence for each therapy and to provide guidance for the prescription of these therapies. METHODS: The committee members developed and refined a series of questions related to drug therapies used in the maintenance of pulmonary function. We addressed the questions in one of three ways, based on available evidence: (1) commissioned systematic review, (2) modified systematic review, or (3) summary of existing Cochrane reviews. CONCLUSIONS: It is hoped that the guidelines provided in this article will facilitate the appropriate application of these treatments to improve and extend the lives of all individuals with cystic fibrosis. PMID- 17761617 TI - Transforming growth factor-beta1 suppresses airway hyperresponsiveness in allergic airway disease. AB - RATIONALE: Asthma is characterized by increases in airway resistance, pulmonary remodeling, and lung inflammation. The cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF) beta has been shown to have a central role in asthma pathogenesis and in mouse models of allergic airway disease. OBJECTIVES: To determine the contribution of TGF-beta to airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), we examined the time course, source, and isoform specificity of TGF-beta production in an in vivo mouse asthma model. To then elucidate the function of TGF-beta in AHR, inflammation, and pulmonary fibrosis, we examined the effects of blocking TGF-beta signaling with neutralizing antibody. METHODS: Mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) to establish allergic airway disease. TGF-beta activity was neutralized by intranasal administration of monoclonal antibody. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: TGF-beta1 protein levels were increased in OVA-challenged lungs versus naive controls, and airway epithelial cells were shown to be a likely source of TGF-beta1. In addition, TGF-beta1 levels were elevated in OVA-exposed IL-5-null mice, which fail to recruit eosinophils into the airways. Neutralization of TGF-beta1 with specific antibody had no significant effect on airway inflammation and eosinophilia, although anti-TGF-beta1 antibody enhanced OVA-induced AHR and suppressed pulmonary fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that TGF-beta1 is the main TGF-beta isoform produced after OVA challenge, with a likely cellular source being the airway epithelium. The effects of blocking TGF beta1 signaling had differential effects on AHR, fibrosis, and inflammation. While TGF-beta neutralization may be beneficial to abrogating airway remodeling, it may be detrimental to lung function by increasing AHR. PMID- 17761619 TI - Treating patients with herpes simplex virus infections: dental and dental hygiene students' knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior. AB - Dental and dental hygiene students frequently interact with patients with herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections, often simply referred to as cold sores. The objectives of this study were to assess dental and dental hygiene students' knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior concerning the treatment of patients with HSV infections and to investigate the relationships among knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior. Questionnaire data were collected from 337 dental and seventy-three dental hygiene students at regularly scheduled classes. Dental and dental hygiene students did not differ in their overall knowledge concerning HSV infections. Dental hygiene students were more apprehensive about treating patients with these infections, but used more appropriate professional behavior compared to dental students. Dental students' knowledge and appropriateness of professional behavior increased over the course of their education. Overall, it was found that an increase in student knowledge was associated with increased apprehension related to treating these patients. However, the more apprehensive they were, the more they engaged in appropriate professional behavior. Educating future health care providers about the treatment of patients with infectious and communicable diseases can potentially increase the students' apprehension/negative attitudes concerning providing care, while at the same time increasing appropriate professional behavior during their education. Addressing students' apprehensions might be a crucial moderator that will determine whether they will provide the best possible care for these patients in their future professional lives. PMID- 17761620 TI - Teaching alternatives to the standard inferior alveolar nerve block in dental education: outcomes in clinical practice. AB - Surveys were sent to Harvard School of Dental Medicine students and graduates from the classes of 2000 through 2006 to determine their current primary means of achieving mandibular anesthesia. Orthodontists and orthodontic residents were excluded. All subjects received clinical training in the conventional inferior alveolar nerve block and two alternative techniques (the Akinosi mandibular block and the Gow-Gates mandibular block) during their predoctoral dental education. This study tests the hypothesis that students and graduates who received training in the conventional inferior alveolar nerve block, the Akinosi mandibular block, and the Gow-Gates mandibular block will report more frequent current utilization of alternatives to the conventional inferior alveolar nerve block than clinicians trained in the conventional technique only. At the 95 percent confidence level, we estimated that between 3.7 percent and 16.1 percent (mean=8.5 percent) of clinicians trained in using the Gow-Gates technique use this injection technique primarily, and between 35.4 percent and 56.3 percent (mean=47.5 percent) of those trained in the Gow-Gates method never use this technique. At the same confidence level, between 0.0 percent and 3.8 percent (mean=0.0 percent) of clinicians trained in using the Akinosi technique use this injection clinical technique primarily, and between 62.2 percent and 81.1 percent (mean=72.3 percent) of those trained in the Akinosi method never use this technique. No control group that was completely untrained in the Gow-Gates or Akinosi techniques was available for comparison. However, we presume that zero percent of clinicians who have not been trained in a given technique will use the technique in clinical practice. The confidence interval for the Gow-Gates method excludes this value, while the confidence interval for the Akinosi technique includes zero percent. We conclude that, in the study population, formal clinical training in the Gow-Gates and Akinosi injection techniques lead to a small but significant increase in current primary utilization of the Gow-Gates technique. No significant increase in current primary utilization of the Akinosi technique was found. PMID- 17761618 TI - 4G/5G plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 polymorphisms and haplotypes are associated with pneumonia. AB - RATIONALE: Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 inhibits urokinase and tissue plasminogen activator, required for host response to infection. Whether variation within the PAI-1 gene is associated with increased susceptibility to infection is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To ascertain the role of the 4G/5G polymorphism and other genetic variants within the PAI-1 gene. We hypothesized that variants associated with increased PAI-1 expression would be associated with an increased occurrence of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS: Longitudinal analysis (>12 yr) of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition cohort, aged 65-74 years at start of analysis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We genotyped the 4G/5G PAI-1 polymorphism and six additional single nucleotide polymorphisms. Of the 3,075 subjects, 272 (8.8%) had at least one hospitalization for CAP. Among whites, variants at the PAI4G,5G, PAI2846, and PAI7343 sites had higher risk of CAP (P = 0.018, 0.021, and 0.021, respectively). At these sites, variants associated with higher PAI-1 expression were associated with increased CAP susceptibility. Compared with the 5G/5G genotypes at PAI4G,5G site, the 4G/4G and 4G/5G genotypes were associated with a 1.98-fold increased risk of CAP (95% confidence interval, 1.2-3.2; P = 0.006). In whole blood stimulation assay, subjects with a 4G allele had 3.3- and 1.9-fold increased PAI-1 expression (P = 0.043 and 0.034, respectively). In haplotype analysis, the 4G/G/C/A haplotype at the PAI4G,5G, PAI2846, PAI4588, and PAI7343 single nucleotide polymorphisms was associated with higher CAP susceptibility, whereas the 5G/G/C/A haplotype was associated with lower CAP susceptibility. No associations were seen among blacks. CONCLUSIONS: Genotypes associated with increased expression of PAI-1 were associated with increased susceptibility to CAP in elderly whites. PMID- 17761621 TI - Survey of special patient care programs at U.S. and Canadian dental schools. AB - This article describes the results of a survey of U.S. and Canadian dental schools regarding the delivery of dental care to special needs patients. The purposes of the fifteen-item survey were to identify the percentage of dental schools that operate special patient care (SPC) clinics, gain information as to how care is being provided in those clinics, and identify how this patient population is managed in institutions without designated SPC clinics. Forty percent of the respondent institutions had designated SPC clinics. Institutions without SPC clinics tend to mainstream these patients into their predoctoral clinics or refer them to residency programs such as GPR or pediatric programs within their university. PMID- 17761622 TI - Investigating the relationship between PBL process grades and content acquisition performance in a PBL dental program. AB - In this study, we examined the relationship between students' problem-based learning (PBL) skills and their content acquisition as measured by traditional examinations. We conducted this investigation to evaluate the assumption that students' learning in the small group setting of PBL as evaluated by their faculty facilitators was an accurate indicator of students' learning as measured by problem analysis tests and traditional content acquisition tests. Parallel model reliability analyses were conducted to determine reliability for each year's assessment components, which included multiple choice examinations, image based computer tests, facilitators' evaluations of students' performance in the PBL small groups, and assessments that measured the students' problem analysis and problem-solving skills. We also performed correlation tests to analyze the data. The reliability tests show that all assessment measures were consistently significant. There were predominantly significant correlations between process type assessment measures and the more traditional objective tests. When analyzed on a yearly basis, all of the correlations were significant. When analyzed on a trimester basis, all of the correlations were positive, with many being significant. The finding that the process grade revealed significant correlation with the other two assessment tools indicates that although process type evaluations may seem to be primarily subjective, they are an important metric for monitoring student progress. PMID- 17761623 TI - Tobacco cessation counseling training with standardized patients. AB - A pilot study was conducted to assess clinician receptivity to tobacco cessation counseling training methods using standardized patients. Additionally, the study assessed changes in clinician knowledge and behavioral intentions following the training. Medical and dental residents and dental hygiene students from the University of Louisville attended a one- to two-hour lecture addressing the counseling strategies (the Five As/the Five Rs) and pharmacotherapy recommended in the U.S. Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. Participants subsequently had three training encounters with standardized patients representing various stages of change including a patient ready to quit, a patient contemplating quitting, and a patient resistant to quitting. Thirty-six participants completed a preprogram survey prior to the lecture and a postprogram evaluation that included questions about their attitudes and beliefs about tobacco, their comfort level with various aspects of tobacco intervention, and eight knowledge questions. Participants demonstrated a statistically significant increase in objective knowledge about the practices recommended in the Clinical Practice Guideline following intervention. Results also indicate a significant increase in subjective measures of participant receptivity, self-reported comfort, and perceived skill with various aspects of tobacco intervention. Overall, participants were found to be very receptive to training sessions on tobacco cessation counseling with standardized patients. In light of the educational gains and positive response from participants, the use of standardized patients is a promising strategy for training on tobacco cessation counseling. PMID- 17761624 TI - Effectiveness of phase I orthodontic treatment in an undergraduate teaching clinic. AB - In this retrospective study, the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) index was used to objectively evaluate the effectiveness of Phase I (early) orthodontic treatment provided in an undergraduate teaching clinic. Pre-treatment and post-treatment casts of ninety-three patients were analyzed. All patients selected for Phase I orthodontic treatment had Class I skeletal relationships and did not require complex orthodontic treatment such as growth modification or treatment of occlusions with missing or impacted teeth. The mean age of patients who received Phase I orthodontic treatment was 9.9 years. The mean initial PAR score for the sample was 29.70 +/-9.84. The mean reduction in PAR score was 14.9 points corresponding to a 50.2 percent decrease in the PAR score following Phase I orthodontic treatment. Seventy-three percent of the patients experienced at least a 30 percent reduction in their PAR score following Phase I (early) orthodontic treatment. The mean cost of $381.00 for the Phase I orthodontic treatment was found to be influenced by the length of treatment, type of Phase I treatment provided, age at start of treatment, and percentage reduction in PAR score. The greatest success rate for the Phase I orthodontic treatment occurred with either fixed or a combination of fixed and removable appliances. Over half of the patients recommended for Phase I orthodontic treatment in the undergraduate dental clinic were successfully treated and did not require Phase II treatment. For them, there was both a treatment and a financial benefit to the Phase I orthodontic treatment. PMID- 17761625 TI - The virtual child: evaluation of an internet-based pediatric behavior management simulation. AB - This article describes an Internet-based instructional tool designed to give predoctoral dental students a virtual simulation of clinical pediatric dentistry to develop their pediatric behavior management knowledge. Effectiveness of this tool was evaluated using two consecutive classes of junior dental students. The control group was exposed to the traditional behavior management curriculum (two lectures) in a spring term course. The next class of dental students was exposed to the two lectures and, in addition, completed the behavior management simulation during the following spring term. Both groups completed a two-part examination (objective section=18 questions; open-ended section=responses to a clinical situation) designed to test their behavior management knowledge. The simulation group performed significantly better in both parts of the examination (objective section: p=.028; open-ended section: p=.012). The simulation was evaluated by students and perceived by most to be an effective addition to the curriculum. It was concluded that the experimental behavior management simulation, when added to the traditional lecture curriculum, improved pediatric behavior management knowledge in predoctoral dental students. PMID- 17761626 TI - Factors influencing candidates' choice of a pediatric dental residency program. AB - The goal of this study was to identify the factors and program characteristics that influenced the program ranking decisions of applicants to pediatric dentistry residency programs. A questionnaire was sent to the first-year resident class in 2005 with a response rate of 69.2 percent (n=260). Approximately 55 percent were female (104/180) and 61 percent were non-His-panic white (110/180). The respondents reported that they applied to an average of nine programs, of which five were ranked. Most applicants were interested in a program that had a hospital component with a duration of two years. A program's ability to prepare the resident for an academic career was a minimal influence for 48.6 percent (87/179), and 57.5 percent (103/179) were not interested in a master's or Ph.D. degree. Factors associated with program ranking included modern clinical facilities, high ratio of dental assistants and faculty to residents, availability of assistants for sedation and general anesthesia cases, availability of a salary or stipend, and amount of clinical experience. Important non-clinical factors included hospitality during the interview, geographic location, and perceived reputation of the program. Opportunity to speak with the current residents in private, observing the interaction between residents and faculty, and touring the facilities were also highly considered. These findings may help program directors tailor their interviews and programs to suit the needs of applicants. PMID- 17761627 TI - Use of the OSCE to evaluate brief communication skills training for dental students. AB - Although communications competency is recommended by the American Dental Education Association, only a few (n=5) dental schools report evaluating students' skills using a competency examination for communication. This study used an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to evaluate dental students' competency in interpersonal and tobacco cessation communication skills. All students were evaluated on their interpersonal communication skills at baseline and at six months post-OSCE by standardized patients and on their tobacco cessation communication skills by two independent raters. First- and second-year dental students (n=104) were randomized to a control or intervention group. One month after the baseline OSCE, students in the intervention group participated in a two-hour training session in which faculty members communicated with a standardized patient during a head and neck examination and counseled the patient about tobacco cessation. There were no statistically significant differences from baseline to post-test between the intervention and control group students as measured by the OSCE. However, among first-year students, both the intervention (n=23) and control (n=21) groups significantly increased in tobacco cessation communication scores. Second-year students in both intervention (n=24) and control (n=28) groups declined in interpersonal communication skills from baseline to post-test. Overall, this one-shot intervention was not successful, and results suggest that a comprehensive communication skills training course may be more beneficial than a single, brief training session for improving dental students' communication skills. PMID- 17761628 TI - Accreditation of dental programs in Australia: a thematic analysis of recommendations, 1996-2004. AB - For dental education to continue to grow in Australia, there is a need to understand the effect of new innovations and to reflect on the way the profession as a whole has adapted to the highly innovative environment that is modern dental education. The Australian Dental Council's (ADC) accreditation activities for undergraduate dental programs is one constant over the last ten years that can be used to provide some insight into the reactions of schools to threats and opportunistic solutions brought about by change. In this study, accreditation reports were analyzed to provide trends in the themes of accreditation findings over the last ten years. The hypothesis was that the themes emanating from the findings of accreditation will reflect changes over time as schools have adapted to the changing higher education environment. A total of 820 recommendations were collated from twenty-one reports. From the recommendations collated, a series of themes were identified; predominant themes included staff, external relationships, funding, structure, documentation, curriculum, and communications. No clear trends in terms of recommendations were noted over the study period, and themes remained fairly consistent over the years. The outcome of the study did not support the hypothesis that changing trends in accreditation recommendations over the last ten years would reflect changes in the environment in which education providers are operating. PMID- 17761629 TI - Western Australian dental graduates' perception of preparedness to practice: a five-year follow-up. AB - The School of Dentistry in Western Australia developed a pregraduation intern year in which final-year students, having completed their didactic education, undertook a focused clinical experiential program (CEP) over an extended year. This program was implemented for the first time in 2002. The aim of this study was to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum as perceived by graduates and to compare the perceptions of those graduates who did the CEP to those who did not. A survey with questions based on the graduate outcomes of the dental school was mailed to all graduates from 2000, 2001 (did not complete CEP), and 2004 (completed CEP). The response rate was 66 percent (n=57) and included twenty-nine respondents who graduated before implementation of the CEP and twenty eight who completed the CEP. Most respondents (80 percent) were in the twenty to twenty-nine age group, and there were slightly more males (53 percent). Learning outcome items with the highest mean scores were practicing universal precautions (4.2), behaving ethically (4.2), and demonstrating a satisfactory level of core dental knowledge (4.2). Practical skills outcomes with the highest scores were amalgam restorations (4.3), anterior endodontics (4.3), and single crowns (3.9). When comparing the respondents who did CEP (51 percent) with those who did not (49 percent), there were few significant differences. The general findings from this survey were that most graduates, whether completing the CEP or not, perceived themselves to be prepared, competent, and confident to practice as dentists and were most confident in managing problems that they most frequently encountered during training. PMID- 17761630 TI - Infection control procedures in commercial dental laboratories in Jordan. AB - The risk of cross-infection in dental clinics and laboratories has attracted the attention of practitioners for the past few years, yet several medical centers have discarded compliance with infection control guidelines, resulting in a non safe environment for research and medical care. In Jordan, there is lack of known standard infection control programs that are conducted by the Jordanian Dental Technology Association and routinely practiced in commercial dental laboratories. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge and practices in infection control among dental technicians working in commercial dental laboratories in Jordan. Data were collected from the dental technicians by a mailed questionnaire developed by the author. The questionnaire asked respondents to provide demographic data about age and gender and to answer questions about their knowledge and practice of infection control measures: use of gloves, use of protective eyeglasses and face shields, hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, laboratory work disinfection when sent to or received from dental offices. and regularly changing pot water or pumice slurry. Of the total respondents, 135 were males (67.5 percent) and sixty-five were females (32.5 percent) with a mean age of twenty-seven years. The results showed that 24 percent of laboratory technicians wore gloves when receiving dental impressions, while 16 percent continued to wear them while working. Eyeglasses and protective face shields were regularly worn by 35 percent (70/200) and 40 percent (80/200) of technicians, respectively. Fourteen (14 percent) had received an HBV vaccination, and 17 percent inquired if any disinfection measures were taken in the clinic. Eighty six percent of the technicians reported that pumice slurry and curing bath water were rarely changed. Only five dental technicians (two males and three females) were considered to be fully compliant with the inventory of infection control measures, a compliance rate of 2.5 percent with no significant difference between males and females (p>0.05). In conclusion, there is lack of compliance with infection control procedures of dental technicians working in commercial laboratories in Jordan. PMID- 17761632 TI - Sphingomyelin-dependence of cholesterol efflux mediated by ABCG1. AB - ABCG1, one of the half-type ATP binding cassette (ABC) proteins, mediates the efflux of cholesterol to HDL and functions in the reverse cholesterol transport from peripheral cells to the liver. We have shown that ABCG1 mediates the efflux of not only cholesterol but also sphingomyelin (SM) and phosphatidylcholine. Because SM preferentially associates with cholesterol, we examined whether it plays an important role in the ABCG1-mediated efflux of cholesterol. The efflux of cholesterol and SM mediated by ABCG1 was reduced in a mutant CHO-K1 cell line, LY-A, in which the cellular SM level is reduced because of a mutation of the ceramide transfer protein CERT. In contrast, CHO-K1 cells overexpressing CERT showed an increased efflux of cholesterol and SM mediated by ABCG1. The sensitivity of cells to methyl-beta-cyclodextrin suggested that cholesterol in nonraft domains was increased due to the disruption of raft domains in LY-A cells. These results suggest that the ABCG1-mediated efflux of cholesterol and SM is dependent on the cellular SM level and distribution of cholesterol in the plasma membrane. PMID- 17761631 TI - The roles of different pathways in the release of cholesterol from macrophages. AB - Cholesterol efflux occurs by different pathways, including transport mediated by specific proteins. We determined the effect of enriching cells with free cholesterol (FC) on the release of FC to human serum. Loading Fu5AH cells with FC had no effect on fractional efflux, whereas enriching mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPMs) resulted in a doubling of fractional efflux. Efflux from cholesterol-normal MPM and Fu5AH cells to 15 human sera correlated well with HDL parameters. However, these relationships were reduced or lost with cholesterol loaded MPMs. Using macrophages from scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI)-, ABCA1-, and ABCG1-knockout mice, together with inhibitors of SR-BI- and ABCA1 mediated efflux, we were able to quantitate efflux upon loading macrophages with excess cholesterol and to establish the contributions of the various efflux pathways in cholesterol-normal and -enriched cells. The removal of ABCA1 had essentially no effect on the total efflux when cell cholesterol levels were normal. However, in cholesterol-enriched cells, the removal of ABCA1 reduced efflux by 50%. Approximately 20% of the efflux stimulated by FC-loading MPM is attributable to ABCG1. The SR-BI contribution to efflux was small. Another pathway that is present in all cells is aqueous diffusion. Our studies demonstrate that this mechanism is one of the major contributors to efflux, particularly in cholesterol-normal cells. PMID- 17761634 TI - A step in the right direction. PMID- 17761633 TI - Atherogenic, enlarged, and dysfunctional HDL in human PLTP/apoA-I double transgenic mice. AB - In low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)-deficient mice, overexpression of human plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) results in increased atherosclerosis. PLTP strongly decreases HDL levels and might alter the antiatherogenic properties of HDL particles. To study the potential interaction between human PLTP and apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), double transgenic animals (hPLTPtg/hApoAItg) were compared with hApoAItg mice. PLTP activity was increased 4.5-fold. Plasma total cholesterol and phospholipid were decreased. Average HDL size (analyzed by gel filtration) increased strongly, hPLTPtg/hApoAItg mice having very large, LDL-sized, HDL particles. Also, after density gradient ultracentrifugation, a substantial part of the apoA-I-containing lipoproteins in hPLTPtg/hApoAItg mice was found in the LDL density range. In cholesterol efflux studies from macrophages, HDL isolated from hPLTPtg/hApoAItg mice was less efficient than HDL isolated from hApoAItg mice. Furthermore, it was found that the largest subfraction of the HDL particles present in hPLTPtg/hApoAItg mice was markedly inferior as a cholesterol acceptor, as no labeled cholesterol was transferred to this fraction. In an LDLR-deficient background, the human PLTP expressing mouse line showed a 2.2-fold increased atherosclerotic lesion area. These data demonstrate that the action of human PLTP in the presence of human apoA-I results in the formation of a dysfunctional HDL subfraction, which is less efficient in the uptake of cholesterol from cholesterol-laden macrophages. PMID- 17761635 TI - Chinese herbal medicine for cancer pain. AB - AIM: The purpose of this review is to summarize and evaluate the current status of clinical research on the use of Chinese herbal medicine in treating cancer pain, with emphasis on the efficacy and safety of the applications. METHOD: A search of the clinical research published between 1986 and 2006 on the effects and applications of Chinese herbal medicine in cancer pain management was conducted using databases of CBM, CMCC, Wanfang, and Weipu (available since 1989) in Chinese and PubMed and EMBASE in English. We included only reports of original publications on cancer-induced pain, resulting in a total of 115 articles. We evaluated the methodological quality of the articles following the guidelines set forth as "Levels of Evidence of Human Studies of Cancer in Complementary and Alternative Medicine" by the National Cancer Institute. RESULTS: Various methods of traditional Chinese medicine herbal treatment for cancer pain management have been reported. These methods include external application, oral administration, intravenous infusion, and other applications such as inhalation and clysmata. Forty-one of the 115 studies reviewed were randomized controlled clinical trials, most comparing the effects of Chinese herbal medicine to conventional analgesics and the others using placebo controls. These trials suggest that (1) Chinese medicine may be effective for cancer pain, and its effects are similar to those of Western analgesics; (2) Chinese medicine may reduce the side effects of conventional analgesics, thus enhancing cancer patients' quality of life; and (3) the various methods of application--topical, oral, and intravenous--are suitable to treat a range of pain conditions found in cancer patients. However, trials were of varying quality with respect to control group selection, dosing and side effect information, and outcome measures. CONCLUSION: The studies reviewed in this article suggest that Chinese herbal medicine may be useful for managing cancer pain, at least for short-term application. The products evaluated appear relatively safe, with no serious adverse effects reported. However, the quality of the published reports is variable. More research using rigorously controlled clinical trial design is warranted. PMID- 17761636 TI - Exercise training manages cardiopulmonary function and fatigue during and following cancer treatment in male cancer survivors. AB - This investigation determined the cardiopulmonary function and fatigue alterations in male cancer survivors during treatment as well as following treatment utilizing similar exercise assessment protocols and individualized, prescriptive exercise interventions. The study included 45 male cancer survivors that were referred by local oncologists. Following a comprehensive screening and physical examination, cardiovascular endurance, pulmonary function, and fatigue were assessed leading to the development of 12-week individualized exercise prescriptions and exercise interventions. The cancer survivors were divided into during treatment (DTm) and following treatment (FTm) groups. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and analyses of covariance were used to compare pre- versus postintervention and between groups. Cardiopulmonary function was maintained in the DTm, whereas the FTm showed significant reductions in resting heart rate (P < .05) with concurrent increases in predicted VO2max and time on treadmill ( P < .05) postexercise intervention. Fatigue levels did not increase in the DTm group, whereas the FTm group showed significant reductions in behavioral fatigue, affective fatigue, sensory fatigue, cognitive/mood fatigue, and total fatigue (P < .05) after the exercise intervention. The results of the current study suggest that moderate intensity, individualized, prescriptive exercise intervention maintains or improves cardiovascular and pulmonary function with concomitant reductions in fatigue in cancer survivors during and following cancer treatment. Exercise appears to be a safe, efficacious strategy for improving physical fitness in cancer survivors during and following treatment. PMID- 17761637 TI - Effects of an integrated yoga program in modulating psychological stress and radiation-induced genotoxic stress in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. AB - Effects of an integrated yoga program in modulating perceived stress levels, anxiety, as well as depression levels and radiation-induced DNA damage were studied in 68 breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Two psychological questionnaires--Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)--and DNA damage assay were used in the study. There was a significant decrease in the HADS scores in the yoga intervention group, whereas the control group displayed an increase in these scores. Mean PSS was decreased in the yoga group, whereas the control group did not show any change pre- and postradiotherapy. Radiation-induced DNA damage was significantly elevated in both the yoga and control groups after radiotherapy, but the postradiotherapy DNA damage in the yoga group was slightly less when compared to the control group. An integrated approach of yoga intervention modulates the stress and DNA damage levels in breast cancer patients during radiotherapy. PMID- 17761638 TI - The neuroimmune basis of anti-inflammatory acupuncture. AB - This review article presents the evidence that the antiinflammatory actions of acupuncture are mediated via the reflexive central inhibition of the innate immune system. Both laboratory and clinical evidence have recently shown the existence of a negative feedback loop between the autonomic nervous system and the innate immunity. There is also experimental evidence that the electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve inhibits macrophage activation and the production of TNF, IL-1beta , IL-6, IL-18, and other proinflammatory cytokines. It is therefore conceivable that along with hypnosis, meditation, prayer, guided imagery, biofeedback, and the placebo effect, the systemic anti-inflammatory actions of traditional and electro-acupuncture are directly or indirectly mediated by the efferent vagus nerve activation and inflammatory macrophage deactivation. In view of this common physiological mediation, assessing the clinical efficacy of a specific acupuncture regimen using conventional double blind placebo-controlled trials inherently lacks objectivity due to (1) the uncertainty of ancient rules for needle placement, (2) the diffuse noxious inhibitory control triggered by control-needling at irrelevant points, (3) the possibility of a dose-response relationship between stimulation and effects, and (4) the possibility of inadequate blinding using an inert sham procedure. A more objective assessment of its efficacy could perhaps consist of measuring its effects on the surrogate markers of autonomic tone and inflammation. The use of acupuncture as an adjunct therapy to conventional medical treatment for a number of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases seems plausible and should be validated by confirming its cholinergicity. PMID- 17761639 TI - Beta-carotene inhibits tumor-specific angiogenesis by altering the cytokine profile and inhibits the nuclear translocation of transcription factors in B16F 10 melanoma cells. AB - Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels out of the preexisting vascular network and involves a sequence of events that are of key importance in a broad array of physiological and pathological processes. The growth of tumor and metastasis are dependent on the formation of new blood vessels. The present study therefore aims at evaluating the antiangiogenic effect of beta-carotene using in vivo and in vitro models. Male C57BL/6 mice as well as B16F-10 cells were used for the experimental study. The in vivo study includes the inhibitory effect of beta-carotene on the formation of tumor-directed capillaries. Rat aortic ring assay, human umbilical vein endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation are used for assessing the in vitro antiangiogenic effect of beta-carotene. The differential regulation of proinflammatory cytokines as well as the inhibitory effect of beta-carotene on the activation and nuclear translocation of transcription factors are also assessed. Beta-carotene treatment significantly reduces the number of tumor-directed capillaries accompanied by altered serum cytokine levels. Beta-carotene is able to inhibit proliferation, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells. Beta-carotene treatment downregulates the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, prolyl hydroxylase, and lysyl oxidase gene expression and upregulates the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2. The study reveals that beta-carotene treatment could alter proinflammatory cytokine production and could inhibit the activation and nuclear translocation of p65, p50, c-Rel subunits of nuclear factor-kappa B, and other transcription factors such as c-fos, activated transcription factor-2, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein in B16F-10 melanoma cells. These observations show that beta carotene exerts its antiangiogenic effect by altering the cytokine profile and could inhibit the activation and nuclear translocation of transcription factors. PMID- 17761640 TI - Hepatoprotective effect of andrographolide against hexachlorocyclohexane-induced oxidative injury. AB - Many plant products are known to exert antioxidative effects by quenching various free radicals and singlet molecular oxygen. Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh) is used extensively in the Indian traditional system of medicine as a hepatoprotective and hepatostimulative agent and has been reported to have antioxidant effects against different hepatotoxins. The present study aims to analyze antioxidant properties of an active component, andrographolide (ANDLE), extracted from A paniculata. This study investigates the effect of andrographolide on the hepatocellular antioxidant defense system and lipid peroxidation of control mice, mice treated with hexachlorocyclohexane (BHC) only, and andrographolide + BHC. Glutathione (GSH), glutathione-s-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) are studied by spectrophotometric methods. The BHC experimental model forms an irreversible liver tumor in male mice. The activities of GSH, GR, GSH-Px, SOD, and CAT show significant (P 45 min in respiratory-deficient (rho(-) and rho(o)) cells, the cox4Delta mutant defective in the cytochrome c oxidase, and wild type cells treated with KCN (a cytochrome c oxidase inhibitor). The increased CHO1 mRNA stability in response to respiratory deficiency caused increases in CHO1 mRNA abundance, phosphatidylserine synthase protein and activity, and the synthesis of phosphatidylserine in vivo. Respiratory deficiency also caused increases in the activities of CDP-diacylglycerol synthase, phosphatidylserine decarboxylase, and the phospholipid methyltransferases. Phosphatidylinositol synthase and choline kinase activities were not affected by respiratory deficiency. This work advances our understanding of phosphatidylserine synthase regulation and underscores the importance of mitochondrial respiration to the regulation of phospholipid synthesis in S. cerevisiae. PMID- 17761683 TI - Early developmental pathology due to cytochrome c oxidase deficiency is revealed by a new zebrafish model. AB - Deficiency of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is associated with significant pathology in humans. However, the consequences for organogenesis and early development are not well understood. We have investigated these issues using a zebrafish model. COX deficiency was induced using morpholinos to reduce expression of CoxVa, a structural subunit, and Surf1, an assembly factor, both of which impaired COX assembly. Reduction of COX activity to 50% resulted in developmental defects in endodermal tissue, cardiac function, and swimming behavior. Cellular investigations revealed different underlying mechanisms. Apoptosis was dramatically increased in the hindbrain and neural tube, and secondary motor neurons were absent or abnormal, explaining the motility defect. In contrast, the heart lacked apoptotic cells but showed increasingly poor performance over time, consistent with energy deficiency. The zebrafish model has revealed tissue specific responses to COX deficiency and holds promise for discovery of new therapies to treat mitochondrial diseases in humans. PMID- 17761684 TI - Nesprin-1 and -2 are involved in the pathogenesis of Emery Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and are critical for nuclear envelope integrity. AB - Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is a heterogeneous late-onset disease involving skeletal muscle wasting and heart defects caused, in a minority of cases, by mutations in either of two genes encoding the inner nuclear membrane (INM) proteins, emerin and lamins A/C. Nesprin-1 and -2 are multi-isomeric, spectrin-repeat proteins that bind both emerin and lamins A/C and form a network in muscle linking the nucleoskeleton to the INM, the outer nuclear membrane, membraneous organelles, the sarcomere and the actin cytoskeleton. Thus, disruptions in nesprin/lamin/emerin interactions might play a role in the muscle specific pathogenesis of EDMD. Screening for DNA variations in the genes encoding nesprin-1 (SYNE1) and nesprin-2 (SYNE2) in 190 probands with EDMD or EDMD-like phenotypes identified four heterozygous missense mutations. Fibroblasts from these patients exhibited nuclear morphology defects and specific patterns of emerin and SUN2 mislocalization. In addition, diminished nuclear envelope localization of nesprins and impaired nesprin/emerin/lamin binding interactions were common features of all EDMD patient fibroblasts. siRNA knockdown of nesprin 1 or -2 in normal fibroblasts reproduced the nuclear morphological changes and mislocalization of emerin and SUN2 observed in patient fibroblasts. Taken together, these data suggest that EDMD may be caused, in part, by uncoupling of the nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton because of perturbed nesprin/emerin/lamin interactions. PMID- 17761685 TI - Adaptor protein disabled-2 modulates low density lipoprotein receptor synthesis in fibroblasts from patients with autosomal recessive hypercholesterolaemia. AB - Autosomal recessive hypercholesterolaemia (ARH), characterized clinically by severe inherited hypercholesterolaemia, is caused by recessive null mutations in LDLRAP1 (formerly ARH). Immortalized lymphocytes and monocyte-macrophages, and presumably hepatocytes, from ARH patients fail to take up and degrade plasma low density lipoproteins (LDL) because they lack LDLRAP1, a cargo-specific adaptor required for clathrin-mediated endocytosis of the LDL receptor. Surprisingly, LDL receptor function is normal in ARH patients' skin fibroblasts in culture. Disabled-2 (Dab2) has been implicated previously in clathrin-mediated internalization of LDL-receptor family members, and we show here that Dab2 is highly expressed in skin fibroblasts, but not in lymphocytes. SiRNA-depletion of Dab2 profoundly reduced LDL-receptor activity in ARH fibroblasts as a result of profound reduction in LDL-receptor protein, but not mRNA; heterologous expression of murine Dab2 reversed this effect. In contrast, LDL-receptor protein content was unchanged in Dab-2-depleted control cells. Incorporation of 35S-labelled amino acids into LDL receptor protein revealed a corresponding apparent reduction in accumulation of newly synthesized LDL-receptor protein on depletion of Dab2 in ARH, but not in control, cells. This reduction in LDL-receptor protein in Dab2 depleted ARH cells could not be reversed by treatment of the cells with proteasomal or lysosomal inhibitors. Thus, we propose a novel role for Dab2 in ARH fibroblasts, where it is apparently required to allow normal translation of LDL receptor mRNA. PMID- 17761687 TI - Association of haplotypic variants in DRD2, ANKK1, TTC12 and NCAM1 to alcohol dependence in independent case control and family samples. AB - There have been many conflicting reports concerning the association of the DRD2 locus with alcohol dependence (AD). To investigate whether these findings could be reconciled by considering the genomic region of DRD2 in greater detail, we conducted two separate association studies of AD in 1220 European-American subjects using family-based (488 subjects) and case-control (318 cases and 414 controls) designs, and 43 single nucleotide polymorphisms mapped to the gene cluster of NCAM1, TTC12, ANKK1 and DRD2. We used a generalized linear model and haplotype score tests for the case-control sample, and the family-based association test for the family sample. Haplotype associations centered on TTC12 exon 3 [rs1893699-rs723077; optimal individual haplotype simulated P-value (P(oihs)) = 0.00021] in both independent samples (family and case-control). Additional AD-associated haplotypes centered around NCAM1 exon 12 in the family sample (P(oihs) = 0.0032), and at exons 2 and 5 of ANKK1 in the case-control sample (P(oihs) = 0.00058). LD contrasts between cases and controls support selection at TTC12 exon 3 and ANKK1 exon 2. The armadillo repeat domains encoded by TTC12 and dopamine interact in the Wnt pathway and may have effects on dopamine cell development in the ventral midbrain. We conclude that risk for AD is attributable in part to variants in four regions within this cluster: exon 3 of TTC12, exon 12/intron13 of NCAM1 and exons 2 and 5 of ANKK1. The complexity of these relationships, many of which replicate between our independent samples, may explain prior inconsistent results. PMID- 17761686 TI - Genetic association of CTNNA3 with late-onset Alzheimer's disease in females. AB - Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia in the elderly, was found to exhibit a trend toward a higher risk in females than in males through epidemiological studies. Therefore, we hypothesized that gender-related genetic risks could exist. To reveal the ones for late-onset AD (LOAD), we extended our previous genetic work on chromosome 10q (genomic region, 60-107 Mb), and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based genetic association analyses were performed on the same chromosomal region, where the existence of genetic risk factors for plasma Abeta42 elevation in LOAD was implied on a linkage analysis. Two-step screening of 1140 SNPs was carried out using a total of 1408 subjects with the APOE-epsilon3*3 genotype: we first genotyped an exploratory sample set (LOAD, 363; control, 337), and then genotyped some associated SNPs in a validation sample set (LOAD, 336; control, 372). Seven SNPs, spanning about 38 kb, in intron 9 of CTNNA3 were found to show multiple-hit association with LOAD in females, and exhibited more significant association on Mantel-Haenszel test (allelic P values(MH-F) = 0.000005945-0.0007658). Multiple logistic regression analysis of a total of 2762 subjects (LOAD, 1313; controls, 1449) demonstrated that one of the seven SNPs directly interacted with the female gender, but not with the male gender. Furthermore, we found that this SNP exhibited no interaction with the APOE-epsilon4 allele. Our data suggest that CTNNA3 may affect LOAD through a female-specific mechanism independent of the APOE-epsilon4 allele. PMID- 17761688 TI - Simulation tests to assess occupational exposure to airborne asbestos from asphalt-based roofing products. AB - This study sought to evaluate exposure from specific products to evaluate potential risk from roof repair activities. Five asbestos-containing fibered roof coatings and plastic cements, representing a broad range of these types of products, were tested in exposure simulations. These products were applied to representative roof substrates. Release of asbestos fibers during application and sanding of the product shortly thereafter (wet sanding) were tested initially. Other roof substrates were cured to simulate a product that had been on a rooftop for several months and then were tested to evaluate release of fibers during hand sanding and hand scraping activities. Additional tests were also conducted to evaluate asbestos release during product removal from tools and clothing. Two personal (n = 84) and background/clearance (n = 49) samples were collected during each 30-min test and analyzed for total fiber concentration [phase-contrast microscopy (PCM)] and for asbestos fiber count [transmission electron microscopy (TEM)]. PCM concentrations ranged from <0.005 to 0.032 fibers per cubic centimeter (f cc(-1)). Chrysotile fibers were detected in 28 of 84 personal samples collected. TEM concentrations ranged from <0.0021 to 0.056 f cc(-1). Calculated 8-h time-weighted averages (TWAs) ranged from 0.0003 to 0.002 f cc(-1) and were comparable to the background TWA concentration of 0.0002 f cc(-1) measured in this study. Based on these results, it is unlikely that roofers were exposed to airborne asbestos concentrations above the current or historical occupational guidelines during scraping and sanding of these products during roof repair. PMID- 17761689 TI - Chill-induced decrease in capacity of RuBP carboxylation and associated H2O2 accumulation in cucumber leaves are alleviated by grafting onto figleaf gourd. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chilling results in a significant decrease in Rubisco content and increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cucumber (Cucumis sativus), a chilling-sensitive species. The role of roots in the regulation of the tolerance is unknown. Here, cucumber plants grafted onto figleaf gourd (Cucurbita ficifolia), a chilling-tolerant species were used to study the role of roots in the regulation of shoot functioning and the associated root-to-shoot communication. METHODS: Gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence were measured using an infrared gas analyser combined with a pulse amplitude fluorimeter during chilling at 14 degrees C or 7 degrees C and subsequent recovery. At the same time, Rubisco content and activity and ROS generation were spectrophotometrically assayed. Abscisic acid and cytokinin concentrations in xylem sap were also determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Grafted plants showed a significantly higher light-saturated rate of CO(2) assimilation (A(sat)) than own-rooted plants when roots were gradually cooled, but no differences were detected when shoots were cooled. Chill at 7 degrees C irreversibly reduced A(sat), and significantly decreased maximum carboxylation activity, Rubisco content and initial Rubisco activity. However, grafted plants showed weaker inhibition, together with decreased electron flux in the water-water cycle. Higher activity of antioxidant enzymes with less ROS production was found in grafted plants. In addition, ABA concentration increased by 48.4-fold whilst cytokinin concentration decreased by 91.5% in the xylem sap of own-rooted plants after exposure to a 7 degrees C chill. In comparison, ABA and cytokinin concentrations increased by 10.5-fold and 36.9%, respectively, for the grafted plants. Improved plant growth was also observed in grafted plants after the chill. These results suggest that some signals coming from chilling resistant roots (i.e. ABA and cytokinins) protect leaf photosynthesis in shoots of chilling-sensitive plants. PMID- 17761690 TI - The importance of barley genetics and domestication in a global perspective. AB - BACKGROUND: Archaeological evidence has revealed that barley (Hordeum vulgare) is one of the oldest crops used by ancient farmers. Studies of the time and place of barley domestication may help in understanding ancient human civilization. SCOPE: The studies of domesticated genes in crops have uncovered the mechanisms which converted wild and unpromising wild species to the most important food for humans. In addition to archaeological studies, molecular studies are finding new insights into the process of domestication. Throughout the process of barley domestication human selection on wild species resulted in plants with more harvestable seeds. One of the remarkable changes during barley domestications was the appearance of six-rowed barley. The gene associated with this trait results in three times more seed per spike compared with ancestral wild barley. This increase in number of seed resulted in a major dichotomy in the evolution of barley. The identification of the six-rowed spike gene provided a framework for understanding how this character was evolved. Some important barley domestication genes have been discovered and many are currently being investigated. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of domestication genes in crops revealed that most of the drastic changes during domestication are the result of functional impairments in transcription factor genes, and creation of new functions is rare. Isolation of the six-rowed spike gene revealed that this trait was domesticated more than once in the domestication history of barley. Six-rowed barley is derived from two rowed ancestral forms. Isolation of photoperiod-response genes in barley and rice revealed that different genes belonging to similar genetic networks partially control this trait. PMID- 17761691 TI - Oral health and risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and esophagus: results of two multicentric case-control studies. AB - Poor oral health has been reported as a risk factor in the etiology of head and neck cancer. Data on oral health were ascertained as part of two multicenter case control studies comprising 924 cases and 928 controls in central Europe and 2,286 cases and 1,824 controls in Latin America. Incident cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx) and esophagus, as well as age (in quinquennia)- and sex frequency-matched controls, were enrolled from 1998 to 2003. Poor condition of the mouth (central Europe: odds ratio (OR) = 2.89, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.74, 4.81; Latin America: OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.47, 2.42), lack of toothbrush use (Latin America: OR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.28, 4.36), and daily mouthwash use (Latin America: OR = 3.40, 95% CI: 1.96, 5.89) emerged as risk factors for head and neck cancer, independent of tobacco use and alcohol consumption. Missing between six and 15 teeth was an independent risk factor for esophageal cancer (central Europe: OR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.26, 6.41; Latin America: OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.04, 4.59). These results indicate that periodontal disease (as indicated by poor condition of the mouth and missing teeth) and daily mouthwash use may be independent causes of cancers of the head, neck, and esophagus. PMID- 17761692 TI - SerpinB6 is an inhibitor of kallikrein-8 in keratinocytes. AB - SerpinB6 (Proteinase inhibitor 6/PI-6) is an intracellular serpin produced by leukocytes, platelets, endothelial cells, keratinocytes and other epithelial cells. It is a potent cathepsin G inhibitor thought to protect monocytes, neutrophils and bystander cells from ectopic cathepsin G during inflammation. Here we show that serpinB6 also inhibits the human serine protease kallikrein-8 (hK8) and that in human and mouse skin, serpinB6 and kallikrein-8 co-localize in differentiated keratinocytes. SerpinB6 inhibits hK8 with an association rate constant (kass) of 1.8 +/- 0.2 x 10(5) M(-1)s(-1) compared to 3.4 +/- 0.2 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) for the interaction between the mouse orthologue of serpinB6 (SPI3/serpinb6a) and mouse kallikrein-8 (mK8). Molecular modelling suggested that the lower efficiency of the serpinB6/hK8 interaction is partly due to the bulkier P2 methionine residue of serpinB6 compared to the smaller P2 valine in SPI3. Taken together, these results suggest that serpinB6 is a physiologically relevant inhibitor of hK8 in skin. We postulate that serpinB6 protects the intracellular compartment of keratinocytes from ectopic hK8. PMID- 17761693 TI - Functional and stable expression of recombinant human FOXP3 in bacterial cells and development of antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies. AB - FOXP3 is a member of the forkhead/winged-helix family of transcriptional regulators which plays a key role in CD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cell (Tregs) function and represents a specific marker for these cells. In order to understand the functional role of FOXP3 and identify Tregs both in normal development and relevant diseases, protein-DNA and protein-protein interaction studies involving this factor are essentially required. Such investigations would be facilitated by the availability of significant amounts of purified FOXP3 protein and specific McAb against FOXP3. Here, we report the purification of human FOXP3 (HFOXP3) expressed in Escherichia coli as a soluble and functional glutathione-S transferase (GST) fusion protein. Through a single purification procedure, 4 mg of GST-HFOXP3 recombinant protein was obtained per litre of bacterial culture. The biological activity of the recombinant protein was verified by EMSA assay. The yield of folded FOXP3 in the purified GST-FOXP3 was determined by reverse phase HPLC. Besides, we generated and obtained two specific monoclonal antibodies by immunizing BALB/c mouse with the purified GST-HFOXP3 protein. The resulting HFOXP3 protein and anti-HFOXP3 McAbs might provide a useful tool in studying Tregs development and immune regulations. PMID- 17761694 TI - Haeme-regulated degradation of delta-aminolevulinate synthase 1 in rat liver mitochondria. AB - Protein turnover, which occurs at various rates, is critical for the homeostasis of cellular protein levels. However, the proteolysis systems that determine the turnover rate of mitochondrial proteins are largely unknown. Delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS) 1, a rate-limiting enzyme in the haeme biosynthesis, is one of the mitochondrial proteins that have a very short lifetime. In this study, to reveal the regulatory mechanisms for ALAS1 degradation, we examined the turnover rates of ALAS1 in rat liver under several conditions. In primary rat hepatocytes, the degradation of ALAS1 was stimulated by haeme, and suppressed by inhibition of haeme biosynthesis. Furthermore, the haeme-stimulated degradation of ALAS1 was observed in the isolated mitochondria. These results suggested that, in mitochondria, there exists an ALAS1 degradation system that is regulated by cellular haeme level and plays a crucial role in the regulation of haeme biosynthesis. PMID- 17761696 TI - Protein thermostabilization requires a fine-tuned placement of surface-charged residues. AB - Using the information from the genome projects, recent comparative studies of thermostable proteins have revealed a certain trend of amino acid composition in which polar residues are scarce and charged residues are rich on the protein surface. To clarify experimentally the effect of the amino acid composition of surface residues on the thermostability of Escherichia coli Ribonuclease HI (RNase HI), we constructed six variants in which five to eleven polar residues were replaced by charged residues (5C, 7Ca, 7Cb, 9Ca, 9Cb and 11C). The thermal denaturation experiments indicated that all of the variant proteins are 3.2-10.1 degrees C in Tm less stable than the wild proteins. The crystal structures of resultant protein variants 7Ca, 7Cb, 9Ca and 11C closely resemble that of E. coli RNase HI in their global fold, and several different hydrogen bonding and ion pair interactions are formed by the mutations. Comparison of the crystal structures of these variant proteins with that of E. coli RNase HI reveals that thermal destabilization is apparently related to electrostatic repulsion of the charged residues with neighbours. This result suggests that charged residues of natural thermostable proteins are strictly posted on the surface with optimal interactions and without repulsive interactions. PMID- 17761695 TI - Structural evidence for endocrine disruptor bisphenol A binding to human nuclear receptor ERR gamma. AB - Many lines of evidence reveal that bisphenol A (BPA) functions at very low doses as an endocrine disruptor. The human estrogen-related receptor gamma (ERR gamma) behaves as a constitutive activator of transcription, although the endogenous ligand is unknown. We have recently demonstrated that BPA binds strongly to ERR gamma (K(D) = 5.5 nM), but not to the estrogen receptor (ER). BPA preserves the ERR gamma's basal constitutive activity, and protects the selective ER modulator 4-hydroxytamoxifen from its deactivation of ERR gamma. In order to shed light on a molecular mechanism, we carried out the X-ray analysis of crystal structure of the ERR gamma ligand-binding domain (LBD) complexed with BPA. BPA binds to the receptor cavity without changing any internal structures of the pocket of the ERR gamma-LBD apo form. The hydrogen bonds of two phenol-hydroxyl groups, one with both Glu275 and Arg316, the other with Asn346, anchor BPA in the pocket, and surrounding hydrophobic bonds, especially with Tyr326, complete BPA's strong binding. Maintaining the 'activation helix' (helix 12) in an active conformation would as a result preserve receptor constitutive activity. Our results present the first evidence that the nuclear receptor forms complexes with the endocrine disruptor, providing detailed molecular insight into the interaction features. PMID- 17761697 TI - Luciferase from Vibrio campbellii is more thermostable and binds reduced FMN better than its homologues. AB - A new luciferase from V. campbellii (Lux_Vc) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. Although the amino acid sequences and the catalytic reactions of Lux_Vc are highly similar to those of the luciferase from V. harveyi (Lux_Vh), the two enzymes have different affinities toward reduced FMN (FMNH(-)). The catalytic reactions of Lux_Vc and Lux Vh were monitored by stopped-flow absorbance and luminescence spectroscopy at 4 degrees C and pH 8. The measured Kd at 4 degrees C for the binding of FMNH(-) to Lux_Vc was 1.8 microM whereas to Lux_Vh, it was 11 microM. Another difference between the two enzymes is that Lux_Vc is more stable than Lux_Vh over a range of temperatures; Lux_Vc has t1/2 of 1020 min while Lux_Vh has t1/2 of 201 min at 37 degrees C. The superior thermostability and tighter binding of FMNH(-) make Lux_Vc a more tractable luciferase than Lux_Vh for further structural and functional studies, as well as a more suitable enzyme for some applications. The kinetics results reported here reveal transient states in the reaction of luciferase that have not been documented before. PMID- 17761698 TI - Recombinant sea urchin flagellar adenylate kinase. AB - Adenylate kinase (AK) is localized in sea urchin sperm flagella and embryonic cilia. To investigate sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus AK (SpAK) enzymatic characteristics, the full-length recombinant protein of 130 kDa (SpAKr) and each of its three catalytic domains were expressed in Escherichia coli. Although the full-length SpAK had high enzymatic activity, each of the three catalytic domains had no activity. The Km for ATP synthesis from ADP was 0.23 mM and the Vmax was 4.51 mumol ATP formed per minute per milligram of protein. The specific AK inhibitor, Ap5A, blocks SpAKr enzymatic activity with an IC50 of 0.53 microM. The pH optimum for SpAKr is 8.1, as compared to 7.7 for the natural SpAK. Calcium inhibits SpAKr activity in a dose-dependent manner. Although SpAKr has three cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation sites, and can be phosphorylated in vitro, the enzymatic kinetics after phosphorylation are not significantly altered. SpAK and Chlamydomonas flagellar AKs are the only AKs with three catalytic sites. Further study of the SpAKr will aid in understanding the active site of this interesting and important ATP synthase. PMID- 17761699 TI - Results of a prospective dose-intensive regimen in 27 patients with small cell carcinoma of the ovary of the hypercalcemic type. AB - BACKGROUND: The evaluation of first-line intensive combination therapy in small cell carcinoma of the ovary (SCCO). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Debulking surgery; four to six cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin (P) 80 mg/m(2) day 1, adriamycin (A) 40 mg/m(2) day 1, vepeside (V) 75 mg/m(2)/day days 1-3, cyclophosphamide (EP) 300 mg/m(2)/day days 1-3, every 3 weeks and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor with, in case of a complete remission, high-dose chemotherapy with carboplatin, vepeside, cyclophosphamide and stem-cell support. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients (median age 25 years); International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage: five I, four IIC, 17 IIIC-IV and one unknown. Twenty patients underwent complete surgery. Eight patients progressed under chemotherapy. Among 18 patients in complete response (CR), 10 received high-dose chemotherapy (CT) (three stem cell collection failures, two protocol violations, two disease progression and one refusal). The main grade 3-4 toxic effects were hematologic. There were eight relapses among the 18 CR, four of which were pelvic alone. Among the 27 patients, 13 died and 10 patients are in CR1, three in CR2. The median follow-up is 37 months (8-166) and the median duration of the 18 CR is 30 months (5-111). Overall survival at 1 and 3 years is 58% [confidence interval (CI) 40% to 75%] and 49% (CI 30% to 67%). CONCLUSIONS: Initial dose-intensive therapy achieves interesting overall survival in SCCO. PMID- 17761700 TI - Adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer: do the St Gallen recommendations influence clinical practice? Results from the NORA study. AB - BACKGROUND: The NORA study is a prospective longitudinal cohort study aiming at investigating treatment in patients with early breast cancer. Here, we present the impact of the St Gallen recommendations on clinical practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compared adjuvant strategies in patients enrolled in 2000-2002 to those in 2003-2004 to verify the impact of the 2003 St Gallen recommendations. RESULTS: The use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) doubled: 65/629 patients (10.3%) vs 100/458 patients (21.8) (P < 0.0001). Following chemotherapy, AIs were administered in 8.5% of the retrospective cohort and in 15.1% of the prospective one (P < 0.0001). The use of taxanes plus hormones dropped (P = 0.0026), but not when used as single agents. A marked increase was observed in the use of anthracycline-based chemotherapy (46.3% vs 65.2%), mainly three-drug regimens (33.3% vs 46.6%). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the St Gallen recommendations have had a major impact on clinical practice. PMID- 17761702 TI - Breast cancer follow-up: just a burden, or much more? PMID- 17761701 TI - Epigenetic modulation of resistance to chemotherapy? PMID- 17761703 TI - Not credible: a subversion of science by the pharmaceutical industry. Commentary on A global comparison regarding patient access to cancer drugs (Ann Oncol 2007; 18 Suppl 3: pp 1 75). PMID- 17761704 TI - The relevance of circulating epithelial tumor cells (CETC) for therapy monitoring during neoadjuvant (primary systemic) chemotherapy in breast cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: Having demonstrated in a previous report that the response of circulating epithelial tumor cells (CETC) during the first cycles of primary (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy perfectly reflects the response of the tumor, in the present study the changes in cell numbers during subsequent cycles and their possible impact on the therapy's outcome were examined. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 58 breast cancer patients CETC were quantified during therapy with either EC (epirubicin/ cyclophosphamid) or dose intensified E (epirubicin) followed by taxane, with or without trastuzumab, and subsequent CMF (cyclophosphamid/methorexate/ fluorouracil). RESULTS: CETC numbers declined more than 10-fold (good response) in 65% (her2/neu-negative) and 55% (her2/neu positive) of patients during EC, and in 60% during dose intensified E, respectively, followed by an increase of CETC in all patients. CETC remained increased, decreasing only when adding CMF. A good initial response correlated with estrogen-receptor negativity, a poor response with early distant relapse (P < 0,0001, hazard ratio = 11.91). CONCLUSION: Response of CETC already during the first cycles of neoadjuvant treatment predicts the final response of the tumor. Hitherto unknown effects of the release of tumor cells during therapy further our understanding of tumor-blood interaction and may improve access of agents like antibodies to cells. The impact on the further course of disease remains to be evaluated. PMID- 17761705 TI - Cost-effectiveness of trastuzumab in the adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer: a model-based analysis of the HERA and FinHer trial. AB - BACKGROUND: Routine adjuvant administration of trastuzumab (T) has been implemented in most centers, but its economic impact has not yet been well examined. METHODS: A Markov model was constructed based on clinical data of the Herceptin Adjuvant (HERA) and the Finland Herceptin (FinHer) trials. Costs from the perspective of a Swiss health care provider were calculated based on resource use. RESULTS: On the basis of HERA data, our model yielded an overall survival rate of 71.8% for the T group versus 62.8% for the control group [risk ratio (RR) = 0.87) after 10 years and 62.9% versus 52.7% (RR = 0.84) after 15 years. Cost effectiveness resulted in 40505 Euros (EUR) per life years gained (LYG) after 10 years and 19673 EUR per LYG after 15 years. For the FinHer regimen, overall survival after 10 and 15 years resulted in 81.8% versus 66.1% (RR = 0.81) and 73.6% versus 57.0% (RR = 0.77). Costs of 8497 EUR per patient could be saved after 10 years and 9256 EUR after 15 years compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: In a long-term perspective, adjuvant T based on the HERA regimen can be considered cost-effective. The regimen used in the FinHer trial is even cost saving, but estimations are based on a single small trial. PMID- 17761706 TI - Role of protease activated receptor-2 in tumor advancement of ovarian cancers. AB - BACKGROUND: Protease activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) has been implicated in cellular proliferation, invasion and metastasis with angiogenesis in various tumors. This prompted us to study the role of PAR-2 in tumor advancement of ovarian cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight patients underwent surgery for ovarian cancers. In ovarian cancers, PAR-2 histoscores and mRNA levels were determined by immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Patient prognosis was analysed with a 36-month survival rate. Microvessel counts were determined by immunohistochemistry for CD31 and factor VIII-related antigen and the rate of cell proliferation was determined by immunohistochemistry for Ki67. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining revealed distribution of PAR-2, dominantly in cancer cells and faintly in stromal cells of the tumor. PAR-2 histoscores in cancer cells and mRNA levels both significantly increased in ovarian cancers with clinical stages (I < II < III < IV, P < 0.05), regardless of histopathological type. The 36-month survival rate of 24 patients with high PAR-2 was poor (58%), while that of the other 24 patients with low PAR 2 was significantly higher (83%). There were significant correlations between PAR 2 histoscores in cancer cells and mRNA levels with microvessel counts and with the rate of cell proliferation in ovarian cancers. CONCLUSIONS: PAR-2 was up regulated during ovarian cancer progression. Therefore, PAR-2 might work on tumor advancement of ovarian cancers via angiogenic activity and is considered to be a novel prognostic indicator in ovarian cancers. PMID- 17761707 TI - Frequency and prognostic significance of HPV DNA in sentinel lymph nodes of patients with cervical cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that histologically undetectable or 'occult' metastases in the lymphatic system could explain some recurrences. HPV DNA screening by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been proposed as a method to detect occult metastases. This study was designed to determine the frequency of HPV DNA detection by PCR in sentinel lymph node (SN), and its relation to the clinical characteristics and outcome of women with cervical cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The primary cervical tumor and SN were tested for HPV DNA by means of PCR in 59 patients. RESULTS: Fifteen (25.4%) of the 59 women undergoing the SN procedure had an involved SN. HPV DNA was more frequent in positive SN than in negative SN (P < 0.0001). Seven patients had a recurrence, after a mean delay of 17 months (range: 10-26). One of seven patients with a recurrence had an involved SN. HPV DNA was detected in an SN of one of seven patients with recurrence and nine (19.5%) of 46 patients without recurrence (not significant). CONCLUSION: In women with cervical cancer, HPV DNA screening of sentinel nodes might help to identify patients at risk of lymph node metastases and recurrence. PMID- 17761708 TI - Participation in screening colonoscopy in first-degree relatives from patients with colorectal cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend screening colonoscopy in first-degree relatives of patients with colon cancer. The aim of this state-wide study was to investigate the compliance for colonoscopic in first-degree relatives, who were younger than 60 years of age. METHODS: A total of 602 patients were identified from the tumor registry of the public health insurance of Lower Saxony. A questionnaire was sent to these patients, which included a number of different questions regarding their knowledge about the risk of colon cancer for their family members, as well as their participation in screening colonoscopy. RESULTS: Data from 442 patients and their first-degree relatives (1005 siblings and 354 parents) were available; 178 parents had undergone screening colonoscopy and 344 siblings. Interestingly, the percentage of siblings who underwent screening colonoscopy was significantly higher (27%) among those siblings where the index patients were aware of the increased risk for the first-degree relatives, in contrast to the siblings of the index patients who were not aware of this risk (20%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that only a minority of first-degree relatives undergo screening colonoscopy and that informing patients about the potential risk for their relatives will increase participation in screening colonoscopy in first-degree relatives of the patients. PMID- 17761709 TI - Increased risk of acute myeloid leukaemia due to polymorphisms in detoxification and DNA repair enzymes. AB - BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in genes involved in detoxification and DNA-repair pathways may modify the individual's risk for genomic damage, and, as a consequence, the risk of developing malignant diseases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a case-control study including 160 cases of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and 162 matched controls to test the impact of six genomic polymorphisms on the risk to develop AML and/or therapy-related AML. RESULTS: We found a significantly higher prevalence of the polymorphic variants RAD51-G135C and CYP3A4-A-290G genes in AML cases, when compared with controls (P = 0.02 and P = 0.04), increasing the risk of AML 2.1-folds (95% CI: 1.1-4.0) and 3.2-fold (95% CI: 1.1-11.5), respectively. Carriers of both the RAD51-G135C and CYP3A4-A-290G variants were at highest AML risk (P = 0.003; OR:13,6; 95% CI: 2.0-585.5), suggesting a synergistic effect between these polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that polymorphic variants in DNA-repair and detoxification enzymes may co-operate in modulating the individual's risk of AML. PMID- 17761710 TI - A phase II study of epigenetic therapy with hydralazine and magnesium valproate to overcome chemotherapy resistance in refractory solid tumors. AB - BACKGROUND: Epigenetic aberrations lead to chemotherapy resistance; hence, their reversal by inhibitors of DNA methylation and histone deacetylases may overcome it. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Phase II, single-arm study of hydralazine and magnesium valproate added to the same schedule of chemotherapy on which patients were progressing. Schedules comprised cisplatin, carboplatin, paclitaxel, vinorelbine, gemcitabine, pemetrexed, topotecan, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and anastrozole. Patients received hydralazine at 182 mg for rapid, or 83 mg for slow, acetylators, and magnesium valproate at 40 mg/kg, beginning a week before chemotherapy. Response, toxicity, DNA methylation, histone deacetylase activity, plasma valproic acid, and hydralazine levels were evaluated. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were evaluable for toxicity and 15 for response. Primary sites included cervix (3), breast (3), lung (1), testis (1), and ovarian (7) carcinomas. A clinical benefit was observed in 12 (80%) patients: four PR, and eight SD. The most significant toxicity was hematologic. Reduction in global DNA methylation, histone deacetylase activity, and promoter demethylation were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical benefit noted with the epigenetic agents hydralazine and valproate in this selected patient population progressing to chemotherapy' and re-challenged with the same chemotherapy schedule after initiating hydralazine and valproate' lends support to the epigenetic-driven tumor-cell chemoresistance hypothesis (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00404508). PMID- 17761712 TI - Small tumor of the medial breast presenting with a contralateral lymph node involvement detected on positron emission tomography scan. PMID- 17761711 TI - Phase I clinical study of the novel epothilone B analogue BMS-310705 given on a weekly schedule. AB - BACKGROUND: BMS-310705, a water-soluble semi-synthetic analogue of epothilone B, was selected for clinical development because of its in vivo anti-tumour activity and toxicity profile similar to that of ixabepilone, currently the most extensively evaluated and promising epothilone B analogue. The improved solubility of BMS-310705 allowed a cremophore-free formulation that avoided the need for pre-medication. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two schedules were tested, one with drug administrations on days (D) 1, 8 and 15 followed by 1-week's rest, the other with administrations on D1 and 8 (D1&8 schedule) followed by 1-week's rest. Treatment was given as a 15-min infusion without pre-medication against hypersensitivity. The plasma pharmacokinetics of BMS-310705 was studied in 30 patients. An accelerated titration design 2B was applied for dose escalations. Twenty-seven patients were accrued in the D1, 8, 15 and 32 in the D1&8 schedule. RESULTS: The dose was escalated from 5-30 mg/m(2)/week with diarrhoea as dose limiting toxicity; 15 and 20 mg/m(2) were the recommended doses in the D1, 8, 15 and D1&8 schedule, respectively. Other frequent non-haematological toxicities were neurotoxicity, mainly paraesthesia, asthenia and myalgia. Preliminary results showed linear pharmacokinetics along the range of doses tested with a short half-life. Five objective responses were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Further clinical development of BMS-310705 might be worthwhile in solid tumours where ixabepilone or other epothilones are not indicated. PMID- 17761713 TI - The characteristics of unsolicited clinical oncology literature provided by pharmaceutical industry. PMID- 17761714 TI - Leukocytoclastic vasculitis during treatment with the oral EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib. PMID- 17761715 TI - Occasional FDG PET recognition of in situ breast cancer. PMID- 17761717 TI - Introduction to 'A multitargeted approach: clinical advances in the treatment of solid tumours'. AB - Although single-target agents have been shown to improve patient outcomes in certain tumour types, drug resistance often occurs due to salvage pathways that compensate for the inhibited signalling pathway. Simultaneous inhibition of individual target receptors along multiple pathways has been shown to have additive inhibitory effects on tumour growth and vasculature, and data supporting the efficacy of strategies incorporating multitargeted agents in the treatment of several tumour types have already begun to emerge in the clinical setting. This supplement provides an overview of presentations from a satellite symposium that took place at the European Society of Medical Oncology congress on 29 September 2006, entitled 'A Multitargeted Approach: Clinical Advances in the Treatment of Solid Tumours', which discusses the most recent data on multitargeted agents with a focus on sunitinib malate (Sutent, Pfizer Inc.). PMID- 17761718 TI - Surrogate biomarkers in evaluating response to anti-angiogenic agents: focus on sunitinib. AB - Conventional methods to assess the clinical activity of new agents that target specific biological pathways involved in tumour pathology may not provide correlation with clinically relevant outcomes such as patient survival or progression-free disease, and new and alternative methods should be explored. Biomarkers can assist in evaluation, and once validated, serve as a surrogate for clinical activity. Angiogenesis, a process well known to be involved in tumour growth and metastasis, is the target of several agents available today in the treatment of cancer. Laboratory assays used to detect proteins involved in angiogenesis and emerging imaging approaches have provided the bulk of the biomarker data to date in this area, and have already corroborated aspects of the biochemical basis of anti-angiogenic strategy. This symposium article will provide a brief overview of biomarker data in several different tumour types and discuss the effect that sunitinib and other anti-angiogenic agents have on these biomarkers. Surrogate biomarkers discussed include soluble proteins found in the blood or urine, circulating endothelial cells and their progenitors, and non invasive imaging techniques. PMID- 17761719 TI - Advances in the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumours. AB - Imatinib, a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is currently the standard of care first-line treatment for unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST), improving survival time and delaying disease progression in many patients. Nevertheless, primary and secondary (acquired) resistance to imatinib is a substantial problem in routine clinical practice. Sunitinib is an oral, multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that was approved for the treatment of imatinib-resistant or -intolerant GIST. In the pivotal phase III study, sunitinib provided substantial clinical benefits including disease control and superior survival versus placebo as second-line treatment. Treatment with sunitinib was reasonably well tolerated. The availability of sunitinib represents an important clinical advance in GIST management, providing physicians and patients with an effective therapy when resistance to imatinib develops. PMID- 17761720 TI - Treatment options in renal cell carcinoma: past, present and future. AB - Cytokine therapies have been the standard of care in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, these agents only provide clinical benefit to a small subset of patients and are associated with significant toxicity. A better understanding of the molecular biology of RCC has identified the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor signalling pathways as rational targets for anticancer therapy. The multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors sunitinib and sorafenib have both demonstrated improved efficacy as second-line therapy in patients with RCC. Sunitinib has also been shown to be effective in the first-line setting, and has recently received European Union approval as first-line treatment for advanced and/or metastatic RCC. There is also recent evidence that temsirolimus (an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin) and bevacizumab (a mAb targeted against VEGF) may provide benefits in the first-line treatment setting. These results confirm that inhibiting these tumour targets is a feasible approach to treatment and provides a more positive outlook for the future management of metastatic RCC. PMID- 17761721 TI - A preclinical review of sunitinib, a multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor with anti-angiogenic and antitumour activities. AB - Sunitinib malate is an oral, multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets both angiogenic pathways (i.e., vascular endothelial growth factor receptor and platelet-derived growth factor receptor) and direct pro-oncogenic pathways (e.g., stem-cell factor receptor and FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3). Preclinical studies with this agent have indicated that it exhibits robust inhibitory activity against these targets. Clinical trial results have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of this agent and have implicated sunitinib targets in the pathophysiology of malignancies such as renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumour. This paper reviews the preclinical data supporting the development of this agent and its translation from benchtop to bedside. It also highlights the importance of the multiple pathways that may be involved in cancer progression and the importance of these pathways in selected malignancies. PMID- 17761722 TI - Potential role of multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors in non-small-cell lung cancer. AB - Treatment outcomes for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are poor with chemotherapy. In recent years, novel agents that target specific, aberrant molecular pathways in NSCLC have been under evaluation in clinical trials. To date, just two targeted agents have impacted the natural history of the disease--erlotinib and bevacizumab--each of which targets a single molecule in a signalling pathway involved in NSCLC. While modest, the activity of these single-target agents results in improved clinical outcomes, highlighting the potential of agents that target biological pathways in patients with NSCLC. However, as NSCLC is a highly heterogeneous disease, it is likely that agents with multiple targets (e.g. sunitinib, sorafenib, ZD6474, AZD2171 and AMG 706) may have greater activity than those with single-target activity through inhibition of other pathways that may act as salvage or escape mechanisms for malignant cells. New multi-targeted therapeutic agents currently undergoing clinical evaluation have shown promise as single agents, and preclinical studies have indicated that this efficacy may be due at least in part to the inhibition of multiple pathways that may result in a synergistic antitumour effect. PMID- 17761723 TI - Body position-dependent shift in odor percept present only for perithreshold odors. AB - We recently demonstrated that a supine position causes a decrease in olfactory sensitivity compared with an upright position. We pursued that initial finding in 3 separate experiments in which we explored the extent of, and mechanism underlying, this phenomenon. In Experiment 1, we replicated the decrease in olfactory sensitivity when in a supine compared with an upright position. In Experiment 2, we measured body position-dependent shifts in physiological variables and sniff measures while smelling suprathreshold odorants and performing a perithreshold odor intensity discrimination task. Olfactory performances were reduced while supine. However, no relationships between the shift in olfactory performances and either the physiological variables or sniff measures were found. In Experiment 3, we determined that there were no position dependent shifts in ability to discriminate or identify suprathreshold odors or rate them for pleasantness, intensity, or familiarity. However, a drop in scores was observed, and performance was slowed, on a cognitive skill while supine. These results demonstrate a body position-dependent shift in olfactory sensitivity only for perithreshold odors that appears to be mediated by cognitive rather than physiological factors. Implications for olfactory imaging studies are discussed. PMID- 17761724 TI - Different odor tests contribute differently to the evaluation of olfactory loss. AB - In a clinical context, the importance of the sense of smell has increasingly been recognized, for example, in terms of the evaluation of neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, 2 strategies of olfactory testing, a simple one and a more complex one, were compared with respect to their suitability to assess olfactory dysfunction. Odor threshold (T), discrimination (D), and identification (I) were assessed in a control sample of 916 males and 1160 females, aged 6-90 years, and in 81 men and 21 women, aged 38-80 years, suffering from idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). Sums of the 3 subtest results T, D, and I yielded threshold discrimination identification (TDI) scores reflecting olfactory function. Sensitivity of any of the 3 subtests to confirm the diagnosis established by the composite TDI score was assessed separately for each test. Principal component analyses were applied to determine any common source of variance among the 3 specific subtests. Sensitivities of the subtests to provide the diagnosis established by the composite TDI score were 64% (T), 56% (D), and 47% (I), respectively. In IPD patients, each of the subtests provided the correct diagnosis (sensitivity >90%), as olfaction was impaired in 99% of the patient group. Two principal components emerged in both controls and IPD patients, with eigenvalues >0.5. The first component received high loadings from all factors. The second component received high loadings from odor threshold, whereas loadings from odor discrimination and identification were much smaller. In conclusion, combined testing of several components of olfaction, especially including assessment of thresholds, provides the most significant approach to the diagnosis of smell loss. PMID- 17761725 TI - Hydrazine inhalation hepatotoxicity. AB - Abstract Hydrazine is a hazardous chemical commonly used as a reactant in rocket and jet fuel cells. Animal studies have demonstrated hepatic changes after hydrazine inhalation. Human case reports of hydrazine inhalation hepatotoxicity are rare. We report a case of mild hepatotoxicity following brief hydrazine vapour inhalation in a healthy young man, which resolved completely on expectant management. PMID- 17761726 TI - Genetic insights into the biogeography of the southeastern North American endemic, Ceratiola ericoides (Empetraceae). AB - The southeastern United States harbors an unusually large number of endemic plant taxa, which may reflect the refugial nature of the region during Pleistocene glacial maxima. Understanding the genetic diversity and structure of extant plant taxa can provide insights into the biogeographical processes that shaped them genetically. Here, we investigate the levels and partitioning of allozyme diversity in the southeastern North American endemic, Ceratiola ericoides, which displayed greater genetic variation and structure than other endemics. Central Florida populations represent a center of genetic diversity, whereas South Carolina and Georgia Fall Line sandhill populations have a subset of the Central Florida genetic diversity and may be relicts of a once continuous distribution. This much broader, continuous distribution throughout the southeastern United States occurred during glacial maxima when the scrub habitat, dominated by C. ericoides, expanded considerably owing to drier climatic conditions. Georgia Coastal Plain populations appear to have been independently founded more recently by propagules from Central Florida and the Fall Line sandhills because they have an even more limited subset of genetic diversity and greater genetic heterogeneity among populations. Since their establishment, coastal plain populations appear to have had little, if any, gene exchange among each other or with the relatively proximate Fall Line sandhill populations. These data underscore the importance of understanding the genetic composition and historical biogeography of species before intelligent management or restoration decisions can be made regarding their preservation. PMID- 17761728 TI - Molecular characterization of cotton GhTUA9 gene specifically expressed in fibre and involved in cell elongation. AB - The microtubule cytoskeleton may play an important role in the polarized growth of fibre cells that are single-cell trichomes on the surface of cotton ovules. To investigate whether the high expression levels of alpha-tubulin genes are correlated with fibre elongation, nine GhTUA genes (cDNAs) encoding alpha tubulins with 449-451 amino acid residues were isolated and characterized in cotton. The GhTUA genes share high sequence homology at the nucleotide level (62 93% identity) in the coding region and at the amino acid level (89-99% identity), and can be classified into two subgroups. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that seven out of the nine GhTUA genes are predominantly expressed in developing fibres. Among them, GhTUA9 displays the highest level of expression, revealing its fibre specificity. The GhTUA9 transcripts in fibres reached its peak value between 5-10 DPA, and dramatically declined to undetectable levels as the ovule matured further, suggesting that its expression is developmentally regulated in fibres. The GhTUA9 gene including the promoter region was isolated from the cotton genome. To demonstrate the specificity of the GhTUA9 promoter, the 5'-flanking region, including the promoter and 5'-untranslated region, was fused with the GUS gene. Histochemical assays demonstrated that the GhTUA9:GUS gene was specifically expressed in elongating fibres. Overexpression of GhTUA9 in fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) promoted atypical longitudinal growth of the host cells by 1.4-1.7-fold, indicating that the GhTUA9 gene is involved in cell elongation. Given all the above results, it is proposed that the GhTUA9 gene may play an important role in fibre elongation. PMID- 17761729 TI - Senescence-associated genes induced during compatible viral interactions with grapevine and Arabidopsis. AB - The senescence process is the last stage in leaf development and is characterized by dramatic changes in cellular metabolism and the degeneration of cellular structures. Several reports of senescence-associated genes (SAGs) have appeared, and an overlap in some of the genes induced during senescence and pathogen infections has been observed. For example, the enhanced expression of SAGs in response to diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, and viruses that trigger the hypersensitive response (HR) or during infections induced by virulent fungi and bacteria that elicit necrotic symptoms has been observed. The present work broadens the search for SAGs induced during compatible viral interactions with both the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and a commercially important grapevine cultivar. The transcript profiles of Arabidopsis ecotype Uk-4 infected with tobacco mosaic virus strain Cg (TMV-Cg) and Vitis vinifera cv. Carmenere infected with grapevine leafroll-associated virus strain 3 (GLRaV-3) were analysed using microarray slides of the reference species Arabidopsis. A large number of SAGs exhibited altered expression during these two compatible interactions. Among the SAGs were genes that encode proteins such as proteases, lipases, proteins involved in the mobilization of nutrients and minerals, transporters, transcription factors, proteins related to translation and antioxidant enzymes, among others. Thus, part of the plant's response to virus infection appears to be the activation of the senescence programme. Finally, it was demonstrated that several virus-induced genes are also expressed at elevated levels during natural senescence in healthy plants. PMID- 17761730 TI - 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid and abscisic acid during the germination of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.): a comparative study of fruits and seeds. AB - The control of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) germination by plant hormones was studied by comparing fruits and seeds. Treatment of sugar beet fruits and seeds with gibberellins, brassinosteroids, auxins, cytokinins, and jasmonates or corresponding hormone biosynthesis inhibitors did not appreciably affect radicle emergence of fruits or seeds. By contrast, treatment with ethylene or the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) promoted radicle emergence of fruits and seeds. Abscisic acid (ABA) acted as an antagonist of ethylene and inhibited radicle emergence of seeds, but not appreciably of fruits. High endogenous contents of ACC and of ABA were evident in seeds and pericarps of dry mature fruits, but declined early during imbibition. ABA-treatment of seeds and fruits induced seed ACC accumulation while ACC-treatment did not affect the seed ABA content. Transcripts of ACC oxidase (ACO, ethylene-forming enzyme) and ABA 8'-hydroxylase (CYP707A, ABA-degrading enzyme) accumulate in fruits and seeds upon imbibition. ABA and ACC and the pericarp did not affect the seed CYP707A transcript levels. By contrast, seed ACO transcript accumulation was promoted by ABA and by pericarp removal, but not by ACC. Quantification of the endogenous ABA and ACC contents, ABA and ACC leaching, and ethylene evolution, demonstrate that an embryo-mediated active ABA extrusion system is involved in keeping the endogenous seed ABA content low by 'active ABA leaching', while the pericarp restricts ACC leaching during imbibition. Sugar beet radicle emergence appears to be controlled by the pericarp, by ABA and ACC leaching, and by an ABA-ethylene antagonism that affects ACC biosynthesis and ACO gene expression. PMID- 17761731 TI - Drought effect on nitrate reductase and sucrose-phosphate synthase activities in wheat (Triticum durum L.): role of leaf internal CO2. AB - In order to study the impact of a decline of leaf internal CO(2) molar ratio on nitrate reductase (NR) and sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) activities, leaves of wheat (Triticum durum) were submitted to different treatments: slow or rapid dehydration and decline in ambient CO(2) concentration and abscisic acid (ABA) supply. In agreement with the literature, NR activity of slowly dehydrated leaves was inhibited by about 50% when net CO(2) assimilation (A(n)) decreased by 45%. NR activity of stressed leaves kept 4 h in air containing 5% CO(2) or after 2 d of re-watering was only partially restored. NR activity was slightly dependent on ambient CO(2) molar ratio, declining by 30% when non-stressed leaves were kept in CO(2)-free air for 4 h. The decline of NR activity after ABA supply (through the transpiration stream) and after rapid dehydration of non-stressed leaves was comparable with the decrease observed under low CO(2) treatment. Overall, these data suggest that a drought-induced decrease of the leaf internal CO(2) concentration is only part of the signal triggering the decline of NR activity. In disagreement with most of the literature, SPS activity increased during slow dehydration, being stimulated by 30% when A(n) declined by 40%. SPS activity of stressed leaves kept 4 h in air containing 5% CO(2) or 2 d after re-watering was slightly increased or unchanged, respectively. By contrast to NR activity, SPS activity of well-hydrated leaves was hardly affected by low CO(2). Increased SPS activity was mimicked, in non-stressed leaves, by a rapid dehydration within 4 h and by ABA fed through the transpiration stream. In durum wheat, the increase in SPS activity could be linked to ABA-based signalling during a drought stress. PMID- 17761735 TI - Results of a UK survey of fatal anaphylaxis after oral amoxicillin. PMID- 17761736 TI - The effect of chromosome 17 polysomy on HER-2/neu status in breast cancer. AB - AIM: To investigate the effect of polysomy 17 on HER-2 status as evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC), dual-colour fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) and chromogenic in situ hybridisation (CISH). METHODS: Dual-probe FISH and single probe CISH were performed to detect HER-2 gene amplification, and IHC to detect HER-2 expression, on 309 invasive breast cancers. RESULTS: Polysomy 17 was detected in 32.0% of the total number of breast cancers; it was detected in 12.3% of the IHC 0 or 1+ cases, 42.8% of the IHC 2+ cases and 66.0% of the IHC 3+ cases (p<0.001). In addition, there was a substantially higher rate of polysomy 17 in the IHC 2+ or 3+/FISH-negative cases than in the IHC 0 or 1+ cases (40.8% vs 12.3%; p<0.001). The FISH and CISH results were concordant in 299 cases (96.8%). Of the 10 discordant cases, FISH suggested amplification in five with disomy 17 and one with monosomy 17, whereas CISH pointed to borderline copy numbers in each of these six cases. The remaining four cases had high polysomy 17; CISH, but not FISH, indicated amplification. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that an increase of HER-2 gene copy number secondary to polysomy 17 leads to HER-2 overexpression in some IHC 2+/3+ breast cancers, without gene amplification. The high level of concordance between FISH and CISH suggests that CISH is a valid alternative to FISH for assessing HER-2 gene amplification. However, cases in which CISH indicates the presence of borderline copy numbers or low levels of amplification may need FISH to rule out polysomy 17 and to determine HER-2 gene amplification status accurately. PMID- 17761732 TI - Characterization of rodent models of HIV-gp120 and anti-retroviral-associated neuropathic pain. AB - A distal symmetrical sensory peripheral neuropathy is frequently observed in people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1). This neuropathy can be associated with viral infection alone, probably involving a role for the envelope glycoprotein gp120; or a drug-induced toxic neuropathy associated with the use of nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors as a component of highly active anti-retroviral therapy. In order to elucidate the mechanisms underlying drug-induced neuropathy in the context of HIV infection, we have characterized pathological events in the peripheral and central nervous system following systemic treatment with the anti-retroviral agent, ddC (Zalcitabine) with or without the concomitant delivery of HIV-gp120 to the rat sciatic nerve (gp120+ddC). Systemic ddC treatment alone is associated with a persistent mechanical hypersensitivity (33% decrease in limb withdrawal threshold) that when combined with perineural HIV-gp120 is exacerbated (48% decrease in threshold) and both treatments result in thigmotactic (anxiety-like) behaviour. Immunohistochemical studies revealed little ddC-associated alteration in DRG phenotype, as compared with known changes following perineural HIV-gp120. However, the chemokine CCL2 is significantly expressed in the DRG of rats treated with perineural HIV-gp120 and/or ddC and there is a reduction in intraepidermal nerve fibre density, comparable to that seen in herpes zoster infection. Moreover, a spinal gliosis is apparent at times of peak behavioural sensitivity that is exacerbated in gp120+ddC as compared to either treatment alone. Treatment with the microglial inhibitor, minocycline, is associated with delayed onset of hypersensitivity to mechanical stimuli in the gp120+ddC model and reversal of some measures of thigmotaxis. Finally, the hypersensitivity to mechanical stimuli was sensitive to systemic treatment with gabapentin, morphine and the cannabinoid WIN 55,212-2, but not with amitriptyline. These data suggests that both neuropathic pain models display many features of HIV- and anti-retroviral-related peripheral neuropathy. They therefore merit further investigation for the elucidation of underlying mechanisms and may prove useful for preclinical assessment of drugs for the treatment of HIV-related peripheral neuropathic pain. PMID- 17761738 TI - European and US publications in the 50 highest ranking pathology journals from 2000 to 2006. AB - AIMS: To analyse the contributions of the 15 primary member states of the European Union and selected non-European countries to pathological research between 2000 and 2006. METHODS: Pathological journals were screened using ISI Web of Knowledge database. The number of publications and related impact factors were determined for each country. Relevant socioeconomic indicators were related to the scientific output. Subsequently, results were compared to publications in 10 of the leading biomedical journals. RESULTS: The research output remained generally stable. In Europe, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain ranked top concerning contributions to publications and impact factors in the pathological and leading general biomedical journals. With regard to socioeconomic data, smaller, mainly northern European countries showed a relatively higher efficiency. Of the lager countries, the UK is the most efficient in that respect. The rising economic powers of China and India were consistently in the rear. CONCLUSIONS: Results mirror the leading role of the USA in pathology research but also show the relevance of European scientists. The scientometric approach in this study provides a new fundamental and comparative overview of pathology research in the European Union and the USA which could help to benchmark scientific output among countries. PMID- 17761737 TI - Apoptosis is a major cause of so-called "caseous necrosis" in mycobacterial granulomas in HIV-infected patients. AB - AIM: To demonstrate that so-called "caseous necrosis" is the result of apoptosis and investigate the association of B and T cells, and macrophages with the granulomas and their relationship to some apoptosis-related proteins. METHODS: Cervical lymph node biopsy specimens from 55 HIV-infected Thai patients with caseating granulomas, confluent caseating granulomas, sarcoid-like granulomas, foamy macrophage response, pseudo-inflammatory tumour response or non-specific lymphoid hyperplasia were examined histologically and for apoptosis by immunostaining for caspase 3 and TUNEL. Classic tuberculoid caseating granulomas in cervical lymph node and lungs from non-HIV-infected patients were also stained with caspase 3. RESULTS: All areas of caseous necrosis frequently displayed extensive apoptosis that readily accounted for the so-called "necrosis". Small foci of apoptosis were present in the other reaction patterns and fibrotic granulomas often showed residual apoptosis. The extent of apoptosis was inversely related to the numbers of identifiable acid-fast bacilli; all epithelioid macrophages revealed strong immunoexpression of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Fas, whereas the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 was not present. Apoptosis occurred in CD68+ macrophages and CD3+ CD8+ T cells; all nodes were deficient of CD4+ cells. CD8+ T cells were intimately related to the apoptotic foci, suggesting a role in the process, particularly in the absence of CD4+ cells. In non-HIV-infected cases, similar extensive apoptosis was confirmed with caspase 3. CONCLUSIONS: So-called "caseous necrosis" is shown for the first time to be the result of apoptosis. In the absence of CD4+ cells the findings negate many of the postulated mechanisms of apoptosis in the murine model and have implications for the treatment of mycobacterial infections. PMID- 17761739 TI - Peripheral blood culture contamination in adults and venepuncture technique: prospective cohort study. AB - AIMS: To test the hypothesis that compliance with a hospital protocol on peripheral blood culture (PBC) collection in adults is associated with a reduction in PBC contamination, and to investigate likely contributing factors for contamination. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted, utilising data collection by participant questionnaire completion, and utilising bacteriology laboratory results on PBCs. Participants were all healthcare workers involved in obtaining PBCs from adults. RESULTS: 1460 PBCs with questionnaires were received. Contamination among the 1460 PBCs as a whole was 8.8%. 766 of the questionnaires were sufficiently complete to allow analysis of blood culture contamination in relation to protocol compliance. Among these, protocol compliance was 30% and contamination was 8.0%. When the protocol was complied with, 2.6% of PBCs were contaminated, but when the protocol was not followed, contamination was significantly higher at 10.3% (OR 4.35, 95% CI 1.84 to 12.54). Univariate analysis on all 1460 PBCs suggested that the site for blood collection, and disinfection of the venepuncture site were important factors in PBC contamination: when no venepuncture site disinfection was performed, contamination was significantly higher than when alcohol was used (5.1% versus 15.8%, OR 3.46, 95% CI 2.01 to 5.97); when a PBC collection site other than a fresh peripheral vein was used, contamination was significantly higher (7.3% versus 12.0%, OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.96). CONCLUSIONS: Compliance with a hospital protocol on PBC collection technique in adults significantly reduces blood culture contamination. PMID- 17761740 TI - Rapid identification of Candida species in oral rinse solutions by PCR. AB - AIMS: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of a multiplex PCR assay for the contemporary identification of major species involved in oral candidiasis, without extraction and purification of DNA from the samples under investigation; and evaluation of this method in comparison with routine phenotypic culture identification. METHODS: 78 oral rinse solutions were collected. The concentrated oral rinse technique was used for a quantitative and qualitative study. Research and identification of Candida spp, with routine phenotypic culture identification (germ-tube test in serum at 37 degrees C for 3 hours and sugar assimilation strip analysis), were performed. Each sample was analysed with multiplex PCR directly on oral rinse solution. Samples giving discrepant results between routine phenotypic and PCR identification methods were resubcultured on CHROMagar Candida plates. The fungus-specific primers ITS1, ITS2, CA3, and CA4 were used. For the identification of other species (C kefyr, C famata and C dubliniensis), ITS1F, ITS1K, and ITS2D primers were designed. RESULTS: Multiplex PCR correctly identified all samples, including those with single species, or with mixed species, negative samples and positive samples which appeared to be negative from routine phenotypic methods. CONCLUSION: This multiplex PCR assay provides a rapid alternative to the conventional culture based technique for the identification and speciation of the most frequently isolated Candida species. The absence of an extraction method made identification of 10 species possible in a few hours. PMID- 17761741 TI - Implications of method specific creatinine adjustments on General Medical Services chronic kidney disease classification. AB - AIMS: To evaluate the impact of different equations for calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) on general practitioner (GP) workload. METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of routine workload data from a district general hospital chemical pathology laboratory serving a GP patient population of approximately 250 000. The most recent serum creatinine result from 80 583 patients was identified and used for the evaluation. eGFR was calculated using one of three different variants of the four-parameter Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. RESULTS: The original MDRD equation (eGFR(186)) and the modified equation with assay-specific data (eGFR(175corrected)) both identified similar numbers of patients with stage 4 and stage 5 chronic kidney disease (ChKD), but the modified equation without assay specific data (eGFR(175)) resulted in a significant increase in stage 4 ChKD. For stage 3 ChKD the eGFR(175) identified 28.69% of the population, the eGFR(186) identified 21.35% of the population and the eGFR(175corrected) identified 13.6% of the population. CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the choice of equation there can be very large changes in the proportions of patients identified with the different stages of ChKD. Given that according to the General Medical Services Quality Framework, all patients with ChKD stages 3-5 should be included on a practice renal registry, and receive relevant drug therapy, this could have significant impacts on practice workload and drug budgets. It is essential that practices work with their local laboratories. PMID- 17761742 TI - Rare co-existence of multifocal myoepitheliosis with infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast. PMID- 17761743 TI - Primary hyperparathyroidism and metastatic carcinoma within parathyroid gland. PMID- 17761744 TI - Granulomatous reaction to injectable hyaluronic acid (Restylane) diagnosed by fine needle biopsy. PMID- 17761745 TI - HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides: an overlooked issue? PMID- 17761746 TI - Histological findings of avulsion tear-type medial patellofemoral ligament injury in acute patellar dislocation. PMID- 17761747 TI - Mucin 2 (MUC2) and mucin 5 (MUC5) expression is not associated with prognosis in patients with radically resected ampullary carcinoma. PMID- 17761748 TI - The JAK2 V617F mutation is frequently present in buccal swabs from patients suffering from Philadelphia-negative chronic myeloproliferative disorders, who carry the mutation detected in bone marrow or peripheral blood cells [corrected]. PMID- 17761749 TI - Helicobacter pylori-associated peptic ulcer and florid follicular gastritis mimicking a malignancy. PMID- 17761750 TI - Comprehensive analysis of glucan elicitor-regulated gene expression in tobacco BY 2 cells reveals a novel MYB transcription factor involved in the regulation of phenylpropanoid metabolism. AB - We previously demonstrated that a beta-1,3-, 1,6-oligoglucan (AaGlucan) from the fungus Alternaria alternata 102 shows strong elicitor activity in tobacco BY-2 cells. We have used cDNA microarray analysis to monitor global changes in gene expression in tobacco cells treated with this A. alternata fraction or with laminarin. In total, we identified 265 genes that were induced 1 h after treatment with an AaGlucan-enriched fraction or laminarin. Among them, we characterized in detail a novel tobacco R2R3 MYB-type transcription factor homolog (NtMYBGR1) and two DC1 domain-containing genes (NtDC1A and NtDC1B). Microarray data, together with overexpression and metabolic analyses, indicated that NtMYBGR1, but not the NtDC1 proteins, primarily targets the phenylpropanoid synthesis-related genes PAL and 4CL. These results suggest that NtMYBGR1 specifically regulates defense responses in BY-2 cells by enhancing phenylpropanoid metabolism in response to AaGlucan and laminarin elicitors. PMID- 17761751 TI - A novel equation to estimate glomerular filtration rate using beta-trace protein. AB - BACKGROUND: Beta-trace protein (BTP) is a low molecular weight glycoprotein that is a more sensitive marker of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) than serum creatinine. The utility of BTP has been limited by the lack of an equation to translate BTP into an estimate of GFR. The objectives of this study were to develop a BTP-based GFR estimation equation. METHODS: We measured BTP and GFR by (99m)technetium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid in 163 stable adult renal transplant recipients. Stepwise multiple regression models were created to predict GFR corrected for body surface area. The following variables were considered for entry into the model: BTP, urea, sex, albumin, creatinine, age, and race. RESULTS: BTP alone accounted for 75.6% of variability in GFR. The model that included all the predictor variables had the largest coefficient of determination (R(2)) at 0.821. The model with only BTP, urea, and sex had only a slightly lower R(2) of 0.81 and yielded the following equation: GFR mL . min(-1) . (1.73 m(2))(-1) = 112.1 x BTP(-0.662) x Urea(-0.280) x (0.88 if female). A 2nd equation (R(2) = 0.79) using creatinine instead of urea was also developed: GFR mL . min(-1) . (1.73 m(2))(-1) = 1.678 x BTP(-0.758) x creatinine(-0.204) x (0.871 if female). CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that BTP can be used in a simple equation to estimate GFR. Further study is needed in other populations to determine accuracy and clinical utility of this equation. PMID- 17761752 TI - Effect of sample aliquot size on the limit of detection and reproducibility of clinical assays. AB - BACKGROUND: Nucleic acid amplification technologies significantly improved the limit of detection (LOD) for diagnostic assays. The ability of these assays to amplify fewer than 10 target copies of DNA or RNA imposes new requirements on the preparation of clinical samples. We report a statistical method to determine how large of an aliquot is necessary to reproducibly provide a detectable number of cells. METHODS: We determined the success probability (p) based on aliquot size and sample volume. The binomial distribution, based on p and the concentration of cells in sample, was used to calculate the probability of getting no target objects in an aliquot and to determine the minimum number of objects per aliquot necessary to generate a reproducible clinical assay. RESULTS: The described method was applied to find a minimum aliquot volume required for a set LOD, false negative rate (FNR), and %CV. For example, to keep FNR <0.01% for 0.5%, 1% and 2% aliquots (minimum 2000, 1000, and 500 cells per sample) are required. Comparison between experimental and predicted FNR demonstrated good correlation for the small volume aliquots and/or low concentration of target. When 4 muL of 200 copies/mL of plasmid is amplified, predicted and experimental FNRs are 47.2% and 44.9%. CONCLUSION: This probability model is a useful tool to predict the impact of aliquot volume on the LOD and reproducibility of clinical assays. Even for samples for which pathogens are homogeneously distributed, it is theoretically impossible to collect a single pathogen consistently if the concentration of pathogen is below a certain limit. PMID- 17761753 TI - Soluble Jagged1 attenuates lateral inhibition, allowing for the clonal expansion of neural crest stem cells. AB - The activation of Notch signaling in neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) results in the rapid loss of neurogenic potential and differentiation into glia. We now show that the attenuation of endogenous Notch signaling within expanding NCSC clones by the Notch ligand soluble Jagged1 (sJ1), maintains NCSCs in a clonal self renewing state in vitro without affecting their sensitivity to instructive differentiation signals observed previously during NCSC self-renewal. sJ1 functions as a competitive inhibitor of Notch signaling to modulate endogenous cell-cell communication to levels sufficient to inhibit neural differentiation but insufficient to instruct gliogenic differentiation. Attenuated Notch signaling promotes the induction and nonclassic release of fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1). The functions of sJ1 and FGF1 signaling are complementary, as abrogation of FGF signaling diminishes the ability of sJ1 to promote NCSC expansion, yet the secondary NCSCs maintain the dosage sensitivity of the founder. These results validate and build upon previous studies on the role of Notch signaling in stem cell self-renewal and suggest that the differentiation bias or self-renewal potential of NCSCs is intrinsically linked to the level of endogenous Notch signaling. This should provide a unique opportunity for the expansion of NCSCs ex vivo without altering their differentiation bias for clinical cell replacement or transplant strategies in tissue repair. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17761754 TI - Functional similarities among genes regulated by OCT4 in human mesenchymal and embryonic stem cells. AB - OCT4 is a master transcriptional regulator, which mediates pluripotency in ESCs through inhibition of tissue-specific and promotion of stem cell-specific genes. Suppression of OCT4, along with other regulators of pluripotency, such as SOX2 and NANOG, has been correlated with cell-fate specification and lineage-specific differentiation. Recent reports have shown the expression of OCT4 in adult MSCs but have not ascribed functional homology with ESCs. MSCs are mesoderm-derived cells, primarily resident in adult bone marrow, that undergo lineage-specific differentiation to generate specialized cells such as stroma, fat, bone, and cartilage. We have previously demonstrated the plasticity of MSCs through their ability to generate neuronal cells. Here, we show that OCT4 provides similar regulatory circuitries in human MSCs and ESCs, using chromatin immunoprecipitation-DNA selection and ligation technology and loss-of-function studies. MSCs were found to express the embryonic transcription factors OCT4, NANOG, and SOX2. In addition, OCT4 was found to (a) target similar genes in MSCs and ESCs, (b) promote the expression of MSC-specific genes, and (c) regulate MSC cell cycle progression. The results suggest similar regulatory mechanisms for OCT4 in MSCs and ESCs and have implications regarding MSC plasticity. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17761755 TI - Severe combined immunodeficiency-repopulating cell assay may overestimate long term repopulation ability. PMID- 17761756 TI - Commentary: is totipotency of a human cell a sufficient reason to exclude its patentability under the European law? AB - This article argues that totipotent character of human totipotent cells--defined as the capacity of a cell "to differentiate into all somatic lineages (ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm), the germ line and extra-embryonic tissues such as the placenta"--is not a sufficient reason to exclude their patentability on the basis of Article 5(1) of the Directive 98/44/EC on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Inventions (Biopatent Directive), which maintains that "the human body, at the various stages of its formation and development, [...] cannot constitute patentable inventions." Since human totipotent cells have both the potential to generate an entire new organism or to generate only different tissues or organs of an organism, they simultaneously fit the definition of the unpatentable human body at the earliest stage of its formation as well as of an element of the human body, which "may constitute a patentable invention" pursuant to Article 5(2) of the Biopatent Directive, whether that element is isolated from the human body or otherwise produced by means of a technical process. Therefore, this article suggests that, when evaluating patentability of human totipotent cells, they should be further evaluated according to their location and their method of derivation (i.e., whether human totipotent cells are located in the human body, whether they are isolated from the human body, or whether they are produced otherwise by means of a technical process). Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17761757 TI - Irradiation does not compromise or exacerbate the innate immune response in the brains of mice that were transplanted with bone marrow stem cells. AB - Microglia and invading macrophages play key roles in the brain immune response. The contributions of these two populations of cells in health and diseases have yet to be clearly established. The use of chimeric mice receiving bone marrow derived stem cell grafts from green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing mice has provided an invaluable tool to distinguish between local and blood-derived monocytic populations. The validity of the method is questioned because of the possible immune alterations caused by the irradiation of the recipient mouse. In this experiment, we compared the brain expression of innate immune markers Toll like receptor 2, interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in C57BL/6, GFP, and chimeric mice following an intracerebral injection of lipopolysaccharide. The endotoxin caused a marked transcriptional activation of all these innate immune genes in microglial cells across the ipsilateral side of injection. The expression patterns and signal intensity were similar in the brains of the three groups of mice. Consequently, the chimera technique is appropriate to study the role of infiltrating and resident immune cells in the brain without having immune compromised hosts. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17761758 TI - Isolation and characterization of mesoangioblasts from facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy muscle biopsies. AB - Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is the third most frequent inherited muscle disease. Because in FSHD patients the coexistence of affected and unaffected muscles is common, myoblasts expanded from unaffected FSHD muscles have been proposed as suitable tools for autologous cell transplantation. Mesoangioblasts are a new class of adult stem cells of mesodermal origin, potentially useful for the treatment of primitive myopathies of different etiology. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of mesoangioblasts from FSHD muscle biopsies and describe morphology, proliferation, and differentiation abilities of both mesoangioblasts and myoblasts derived from various affected and unaffected muscles of nine representative FSHD patients. We demonstrate that mesoangioblasts can be efficiently isolated from FSHD muscle biopsies and expanded to an amount of cells necessary to transplant into an adult patient. Proliferating mesoangioblasts from all muscles examined did not differ from controls in terms of morphology, phenotype, proliferation rate, or clonogenicity. However, their differentiation ability into skeletal muscle was variably impaired, and this defect correlated with the overall disease severity and the degree of histopathologic abnormalities of the muscle of origin. A remarkable differentiation defect was observed in mesoangioblasts from all mildly to severely affected FSHD muscles, whereas mesoangioblasts from morphologically normal muscles showed no myogenic differentiation block. Our study could open the way to cell therapy for FSHD patients to limit muscle damage in vivo through the use of autologous mesoangioblasts capable of reaching damaged muscles and engrafting into them, without requiring immune suppression or genetic correction in vitro. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17761759 TI - Enhanced oxygenation promotes beta-cell differentiation in vitro. AB - Despite progress in our knowledge about pancreatic islet specification, most attempts at differentiating stem/progenitor cells into functional, transplantable beta cells have met only with moderate success thus far. A major challenge is the intrinsic simplicity of in vitro culture systems, which cannot approximate the physiological complexity of in vivo microenvironments. Oxygenation is a critical limitation of standard culture methods, and one of special relevance for the development of beta cells, known for their high O(2) requirements. Based on our understanding of islet physiology, we have tested the hypothesis that enhanced O(2) delivery (as provided by novel perfluorocarbon-based culture devices) may result in higher levels of beta-cell differentiation from progenitor cells in vitro. Using a mouse model of pancreatic development, we demonstrate that a physiological-like mode of O(2) delivery results in a very significant upregulation of endocrine differentiation markers (up to 30-fold for insulin one and 2), comparable to relevant in vivo controls. This effect was not observed by merely increasing environmental O(2) concentrations in conventional settings. Our findings indicate that O(2) plays an important role in the differentiation of beta cells from their progenitors and may open the door to more efficient islet differentiation protocols from embryonic and/or adult stem cells. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17761760 TI - Combination therapy with amylin and peptide YY[3-36] in obese rodents: anorexigenic synergy and weight loss additivity. AB - Circulating levels of the pancreatic beta-cell peptide hormone amylin and the gut peptide PYY[3-36] increase after nutrient ingestion. Both have been implicated as short-term signals of meal termination with anorexigenic and weight-reducing effects. However, their combined effects are unknown. We report that the combination of amylin and PYY[3-36] elicited greater anorexigenic and weight reducing effects than either peptide alone. In high-fat-fed rats, a single ip injection of amylin (10 microg/kg) plus PYY[3-36] (1000 microg/kg) reduced food intake for 24 h (P < 0.05 vs. vehicle), whereas the anorexigenic effects of either PYY[3-36] or amylin alone began to diminish 6 h after injection. These anorexigenic effects were dissociable from changes in locomotor activity. Subcutaneous infusion of amylin plus PYY[3-36] for 14 d suppressed food intake and body weight to a greater extent than either agent alone in both rat and mouse diet-induced obesity (DIO) models (P < 0.05). In DIO-prone rats, 24-h metabolic rate was maintained despite weight loss, and amylin plus PYY[3-36] (but not monotherapy) increased 24-h fat oxidation (P < 0.05 vs. vehicle). Finally, a 4 x 3 factorial design was used to formally describe the interaction between amylin and PYY[3-36]. DIO-prone rats were treated with amylin (0, 4, 20, and 100 microg/kg.d) and PYY[3-36] (0, 200, 400 microg/kg.d) alone and in combination for 14 d. Statistical analyses revealed that food intake suppression with amylin plus PYY[3-36] treatment was synergistic, whereas body weight reduction was additive. Collectively, these observations highlight the importance of studying peptide hormones in combination and suggest that integrated neurohormonal approaches may hold promise as treatments for obesity. PMID- 17761761 TI - Identification of target cells for the genomic effects of estrogens in bone. AB - Estrogen has bone protective effects, but the exact mechanism behind these effects remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to identify the primary target cells in bone for the classical genomic effects of estrogens in vivo. For this purpose we have used reporter mice with a luciferase gene under the control of three estrogen-responsive elements (EREs), enabling detection of in vivo activation of gene transcription. Three-month-old ovariectomized mice were treated with a single dose (50 mug/kg) 17beta-estradiol (E2). Luciferase activity was analyzed in several tissues and in different bone marrow-derived lymphocyte enriched/depleted preparations using MacsMouse CD19 (for B lymphocytes) or CD90 (for T lymphocytes) MicroBeads (Miltenyi Biotec GmbH, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany). Histological characterization of cells with high luciferase content was performed using immunohistochemistry. Both cortical bone and bone marrow displayed a rapid (within 1 h) and pronounced E2-induced increase in luciferase activity. The luciferase activity in total bone marrow and in bone marrow depleted of lymphocytes was increased six to eight times more than in either B lymphocyte or T-lymphocyte enriched cell fractions 4 h after the E2 injection, demonstrating that mature lymphocytes are not major direct targets for the genomic effect of estrogens in bone. Immunohistochemistry identified clear luciferase staining in hypertrophic growth plate chondrocytes, megakaryocytes, osteoblasts, and lining cells, whereas no staining was seen in proliferative chondrocyte. Although most of the osteocytes did not display any detectable luciferase staining, a subpopulation of osteocytes both in cortical and trabecular bone stained positive for luciferase. In conclusion, hypertrophic growth plate chondrocytes, megakaryocytes, osteoblasts, lining cells, and a subpopulation of osteocytes were identified to respond to estrogen via the classical ERE-mediated genomic pathway in bone. Furthermore, our findings indicate that possible direct estrogenic effects on the majority of osteocytes, not staining positive for luciferase, on proliferative chondrocytes and on mature lymphocytes are mediated by non-ERE actions. PMID- 17761762 TI - Gender-dependent role of endogenous somatostatin in regulating growth hormone axis function in mice. AB - It has been previously reported that male and female somatostatin (SST) knockout mice (Sst-/-) release more GH, compared with Sst+/+ mice, due to enhanced GH secretory vesicle release. Endogenous SST may also regulate GH secretion by directly inhibiting GHRH-stimulated GH gene expression and/or by modulating hypothalamic GHRH input. To begin to explore these possibilities and to learn more about the gender-dependent role of SST in modulating GH-axis function, hypothalamic, pituitary, and liver components of the GH-axis were compared in male and female Sst+/+ and Sst-/- mice. Pituitary mRNA levels for GH and receptors for GHRH and ghrelin were increased in female Sst-/- mice, compared with Sst+/+ controls, and these changes were reflected by an increase in circulating GH and IGF-I. Elevated levels of IGF-I in female Sst-/- mice were associated with elevated hepatic mRNA levels for IGF-I, as well as for GH and prolactin receptors. Consistent with the role of GH/IGF-I in negative feedback regulation of hypothalamic function, GHRH mRNA levels were reduced in female Sst /- mice, whereas cortistatin (CST) mRNA levels were unaltered. In contrast to the widespread impact of SST loss on GH-axis function in females, only circulating GH, hypothalamic CST, and hepatic prolactin receptor expression were up-regulated in Sst-/- male mice, compared with Sst+/+ controls. These results confirm and extend the sexually dimorphic role of SST on GH-axis regulation, and suggest that CST, a neuropeptide that acts through SST receptors to inhibit GH secretion, may serve a compensatory role in maintaining GH-axis function in Sst-/- male mice. PMID- 17761763 TI - Human chorionic gonadotropin induces neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells through activation of stably expressed lutropin/choriogonadotropin receptor. AB - Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and LH play an important role in reproductive physiology. Both hCG and LH bind to the same LH/choriogonadotropin receptor (LH/CG-R). Recent reports documented the temporal and spatial expression of LH/CG R in the developing and mature mammalian brain. Administration of hCG promoted nerve regeneration in vivo and neurite outgrowth and survival of primary neurons in vitro. The function of hCG/LH and LH/CG-R in the nervous system remains unclear. In this study, we report that hCG/LH induced distinct morphological and biochemical changes, characteristic of neuronal differentiation, in PC12 cells stably expressing LH/CG-R and that the differentiation effect is ligand dose and time dependent. Western blot analysis revealed that both the ERKs and p38 MAPK are activated after hCG treatment. Inhibitor studies showed both the ERK and p38 MAPK signal transduction pathways are required for this differentiation process, which is cAMP dependent and protein kinase A independent. These findings imply a potential role for hCG/LH and LH/CG-R in the development, maintenance, and regeneration of the mammalian nervous system, and in the neuropathogenesis of genetic diseases caused by a mutated LH/CG-R. PMID- 17761764 TI - Nonassembled human chorionic gonadotropin subunits and alphaalpha-homodimers use fast-track processing in the secretory pathway in contrast to alphabeta heterodimers. AB - In multimeric glycoproteins, like glycoprotein hormones, mutual subunit interactions are required for correct folding, assembly, and transport in the secretory pathway. However, character and time course of these interactions need further elucidation. The influence of the glycoprotein hormone alpha-subunit (GPHalpha) on the folding of the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) beta-subunit (hCGbeta) in hCG alphabeta-heterodimers was investigated in [(35)S]Met/Cys labeled JEG-3 cells. Completeness of disulfide bridge formation during the time course of folding was estimated by labeling with [(3)H]N-ethylmaleinimide of free thiol groups not yet consumed. Subunit association took place between immature hCGbeta (high (3)H/(35)S ratio) and almost completely folded GPHalpha. Analysis revealed a highly dynamic maturation process comprising of at least eight main hCGbeta folding intermediates (molecular masses from 107 to 28 kDa) that could be micro-preparatively isolated and characterized. These hCGbeta variants developed while being associated with GPHalpha. The 107-kDa variant was identified as a complex with calnexin. In contrast to hCG alphabeta-heterodimers, free nonassociated hCGbeta, free large GPHalpha, and GPHalphaalpha homodimers showed a fast-track-like processing in the secretory pathway. At 10 min before hCG secretion, sialylation of these variants had already been completed in the late Golgi, whereas hCG alphabeta-heterodimers had still not arrived medial Golgi. This shows that the GPHalpha in the hCG alphabeta-heterodimers decelerates the maturation of the hCGbeta portion in the heterodimer complex. This results in a postponed approval of hCG alphabeta-heterodimers by the endoplasmic reticulum quality control unlike GPHalphaalpha homodimers, free hCGbeta, and GPHalpha subunits. PMID- 17761765 TI - Influence of thyroid hormone and thyroid hormone receptors in the generation of cerebellar gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic interneurons from precursor cells. AB - Thyroid hormones have important actions in the developing central nervous system. We describe here a novel action of thyroid hormone and its nuclear receptors on maturation of cerebellar gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic interneurons from their precursor cells. In rats, the density of GABAergic terminals in the cerebellum was decreased by hypothyroidism, as shown by immunohistochemistry for the GABA transporter GAT-1. This was due, at least partially, to a decreased number of GABAergic cells, because the number of Golgi II cells in the internal granular layer was decreased. GABAergic interneurons in the cerebellum differentiate from precursors expressing the Pax-2 transcription factor, generated in the subventricular zone of the embryonic fourth ventricle from where they migrate to the cerebellum. Hypothyroidism caused both decreased proliferation and delayed differentiation of precursors, with the net effect being an accumulation of immature cells during the neonatal period. The contribution of thyroid hormone receptors was studied by treating hypothyroid rats with T(3) or with the thyroid hormone receptor (TR) beta-selective agonist GC-1. Whereas treatment with T(3) reduced the number of precursors to control levels, GC-1 had only a partial effect, indicating that both TRalpha1 and TRbeta mediate the actions of T(3). Deletion of TRalpha1 in mice decreased cerebellar GAT-1 expression and Pax-2 precursor cell proliferation. It is concluded that thyroid hormone, acting through the nuclear receptors, has a major role in the proliferation and further differentiation of the Pax-2 precursors of cerebellar GABAergic cells. PMID- 17761766 TI - Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation of growth hormone receptor in Janus kinase 2-deficient cells. AB - A key factor governing cellular sensitivity to GH is cell surface GH receptor (GHR) abundance, which is affected transcriptionally and posttranscriptionally. Mature cell surface GHR abundance is regulated by constitutive and inducible metalloproteolysis and constitutive endosomal/lysosomal degradation. We previously found that Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)-deficient GHR-expressing cells have a greater precursor/mature GHR ratio, exhibit diminished inducible metalloproteolysis, and have a cytoplasmic domain-containing GHR fragment called the basal remnant (by virtue of comigration on SDS-PAGE with the inducible, metalloprotease-generated remnant). Herein we examined the mechanism of generation of basal remnant in JAK2-deficient cells, asking whether it originates from precursor vs. mature receptor and which protease(s) catalyzes its appearance. Prolonged metalloprotease inhibitor treatment or small interfering RNA knockdown of TNF-alpha converting enzyme (TACE) and a disintegrin and metalloprotease-10 (ADAM10) (both implicated in inducible GHR proteolysis) did not reduce basal remnant, indicating its generation is not metalloprotease dependent. However, a mutant GHR resistant to metalloprotease cleavage did not yield basal remnant when expressed in JAK2-deficient cells, suggesting common structural determinants for generation of the inducible remnant and the non metalloprotease-generated basal remnant seen in JAK2-deficient cells. Treatment of JAK2-deficient cells with a proteasome inhibitor, but not two separate lysosome inhibitors, dramatically decreased basal remnant, accompanied by decreased precursor GHR and increased mature GHR abundance. Disruption of endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi transport with brefeldin A (BFA) also reduced basal remnant, and washout of BFA allowed regeneration of basal remnant along with GHR precursor. Notably, BFA washout in the presence of cycloheximide blocked both basal remnant and precursor GHR reappearance, but BFA washout in the presence of lactacystin blocked only basal remnant reappearance, suggesting that basal remnant is generated proteasome dependently from precursor GHR. Collectively, our data suggest that JAK2, by association with GHR in the secretory pathway, blunts proteasome activity-dependent discrete GHR cleavage and endoplasmic reticulum-dependent degradation of the precursor receptor. In so doing, JAK2 enables efficient processing of precursor receptor to mature GHR. PMID- 17761767 TI - Evidence for adipose-muscle cross talk: opposing regulation of muscle proteolysis by adiponectin and Fatty acids. AB - Illnesses associated with insulin resistance exhibit increases in whole-body protein degradation and amino acid oxidation. However, the mechanisms stimulating muscle catabolism under these conditions are not clear. Because insulin resistance is associated with accumulation of lipids in muscle, we measured protein degradation in muscles of mice fed a high-fat diet. Muscle protein catabolism was accelerated on the high-fat diet, and this was associated with an increase in plasma free fatty acid and a decrease in plasma levels of the adipocyte-derived cytokine adiponectin. To evaluate how free fatty acids influence adiponectin-mediated changes in muscle protein breakdown we examined C2C12 skeletal muscle cells exposed to free fatty acids. Both saturated fatty acids (palmitate) and unsaturated fatty acids (oleate) increased protein degradation (25 and 18%, respectively) in part by activating the E3 ubiquitin ligases. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of adiponectin blocked fatty acid induced protein degradation in C2C12 cells. Palmitate activated the E3 ubiquitin ligases by suppressing insulin receptor substrate-1/Akt signaling in the C2C12 muscle cells, whereas adiponectin attenuated the E3 ubiquitin ligase activation by increasing both insulin receptor substrate-1 tyrosine phosphorylation and Akt Ser473 phosphorylation. In related experiments, adiponectin overexpression decreased TNFalpha and IL-6 expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, whereas exposure to free fatty acids had the opposite effect. We conclude that the balance between free fatty acids and adiponectin impacts muscle proteolysis in insulin-resistant conditions and suggest a role for adipose tissue-muscle cross talk in diabetes and obesity. PMID- 17761768 TI - Infliximab restores glucose homeostasis in an animal model of diet-induced obesity and diabetes. AB - TNF-alpha plays an important role in obesity-linked insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus by activating at least two serine kinases capable of promoting negative regulation of key elements of the insulin signaling pathway. Pharmacological inhibition of TNF-alpha is currently in use for the treatment of rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, and some case reports have shown clinical improvement of diabetes in patients treated with the TNF-alpha blocking monoclonal antibody infliximab. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of infliximab on glucose homeostasis and insulin signal transduction in an animal model of diabetes. Diabetes was induced in Swiss mice by a fat-rich diet. Glucose and insulin homeostasis were evaluated by glucose and insulin tolerance tests and by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Signal transduction was evaluated by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting assays. Short-term treatment with infliximab rapidly reduced blood glucose and insulin levels and glucose and insulin areas under the curve during a glucose tolerance test. Furthermore, infliximab increased the glucose decay constant during an insulin tolerance test and promoted a significant increase in glucose infusion rate during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. In addition, the clinical outcomes were accompanied by improved insulin signal transduction in muscle, liver, and hypothalamus, as determined by the evaluation of insulin-induced insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrate-1, and receptor substrate-2 tyrosine phosphorylation and Akt and forkhead box protein O1 serine phosphorylation. Thus, pharmacological inhibition of TNF-alpha may be an attractive approach to treat severely insulin-resistant patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. PMID- 17761769 TI - Regulation of fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 (FGFR1) by thyroid hormone: identification of a thyroid hormone response element in the murine Fgfr1 promoter. AB - T(3) is essential for normal skeletal development, acting mainly via the TRalpha1 nuclear receptor. Nevertheless, the mechanisms of T(3) action in bone are poorly defined. Fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 (FGFR1) is also essential for bone formation. Fgfr1 expression and activity are positively regulated by T(3) in osteoblasts, and in mice that harbor a dominant negative PV mutation targeted to TRalpha1 or TRbeta, Fgfr1 expression is sensitive to skeletal thyroid status. To investigate mechanisms underlying T(3) regulation of FGFR1, we obtained primary calvarial osteoblasts from wild-type and TRbeta(PV/PV) littermate mice. T(3) treatment increased Fgfr1 expression 2-fold in wild-type cells, but 8-fold in TRbeta(PV/PV) osteoblasts. The 4-fold increased T(3) sensitivity of TRbeta(PV/PV) osteoblasts was associated with a markedly increased ratio of TRalpha1:TRbeta1 expression that resulted from reduced TRbeta1 expression in TRbeta(PV/PV) osteoblasts compared with wild-type. Bioinformatics and gel shift studies, and mutational analysis, identified a specific TR binding site 279-264 nucleotides upstream of the murine Fgfr1 promoter transcription start site. Transient transfection analysis of a series of Fgfr1 promoter 5'-deletion constructs, of a mutant reporter construct, and a series of heterologous promoter constructs, confirmed that this region of the promoter mediates a TR-dependent transcriptional response to T(3). Thus, in addition to indirect regulation of FGFR1 expression by T(3) reported previously, T(3) also activates the Fgfr1 promoter directly via a thyroid hormone response element located at positions 279/-264. PMID- 17761770 TI - Cardiac metabolic adaptations in response to chronic hypoxia. AB - Since a constant supply of oxygen is essential to sustain life, organisms have evolved multiple defence mechanisms to ensure maintenance of the delicate balance between oxygen supply and demand. However, this homeostatic balance is perturbed in response to a severe impairment of oxygen supply, thereby activating maladaptive signalling cascades that result in cardiac damage. Past research efforts have largely focused on determining the pathophysiological effects of severe lack of oxygen. By contrast, and as reviewed here, exposure to moderate chronic hypoxia may induce cardioprotective properties. The hypothesis put forward is that chronic hypoxia triggers regulatory pathways that mediate long term cardiac metabolic remodelling, particularly at the transcriptional level. The novel proposal is that exposure to chronic hypoxia triggers (a) oxygen sensitive transcriptional modulators that induce a switch to increased carbohydrate metabolism (fetal gene programme) and (b) enhanced mitochondrial respiratory capacity to sustain and increase efficiency of mitochondrial energy production. These compensatory protective mechanisms preserve contractile function despite hypoxia. PMID- 17761771 TI - Neurosteroid migration to intracellular compartments reduces steroid concentration in the membrane and diminishes GABA-A receptor potentiation. AB - Neurosteroids are potent modulators of GABA-A receptors. We have examined the time course of development of potentiation of alpha1beta2gamma2L GABA-A receptors during coapplication of GABA and an endogenous neurosteroid (3alpha,5alpha)-3 hydroxypregnan-20-one (3alpha5alphaP). The simultaneous application of 3alpha5alphaP with 5 microm GABA resulted in a biphasic rising phase of current with time constants of 50-60 ms for the rapid phase and 0.3-3 s for the slow phase. The properties of the rapid phase were similar at all steroid concentrations but the time constant of the slower phase became successively shorter as the steroid concentration was increased. Potentiation developed very rapidly (tau = 130 ms) when cells were preincubated with 300 nm 3alpha5alphaP before application of GABA + 3alpha5alphaP, and in outside-out patch recordings, suggesting that steroid diffusion to intracellular compartments competes with receptor potentiation by depleting the cell membrane of steroid. Very low steroid concentrations (3-5 nm) potentiated GABA responses but the effects took minutes to develop. Intracellular accumulation of a fluorescent steroid analogue followed a similar time course, suggesting that slow potentiation results from slow accumulation within plasma membrane rather than indirect effects, such as activation of second messenger systems. In cell-attached single-channel recordings, where 3alpha5alphaP is normally applied through the pipette solution, addition of steroid to the bath solution dramatically shifted the steroid potentiation concentration-effect curve to lower steroid concentrations. We propose that bath-supplied steroid compensates for the diffusion of pipette supplied steroid out of the patch to the rest of the cell membrane and/or intracellular compartments. The findings suggest that previous studies overestimate the minimum concentration of steroid capable of potentiating GABA actions at GABA-A receptors. The results have implications for the physiological role of endogenous neurosteroids. PMID- 17761772 TI - Restriction of placental growth in sheep impairs insulin secretion but not sensitivity before birth. AB - Restricted growth before birth is associated with impaired insulin secretion but with initially enhanced insulin sensitivity in early postnatal life, which then progresses to insulin resistance and impaired glucose homeostasis by adulthood. This suggests that prenatal restraint impairs insulin secretion, but increases insulin sensitivity, before birth. Poor placental growth and function are major causes of restricted fetal growth in humans. We have therefore investigated the effects of restricted placental growth and function on plasma glucose, alpha amino nitrogen and insulin concentrations and glucose- and arginine-stimulated insulin secretion in the fetal sheep at 120 and 140 days gestational age, and on insulin sensitivity, measured by hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp, at 130 days gestational age. Placental restriction decreased fetal blood pH and oxygen content, and weight in late gestation by approximately 20%. Reduced fetal and placental weights and indices of poor placental function, in particular fetal hypoxia and hypoglycaemia, were associated with impaired glucose- and arginine stimulated insulin secretion, but not with changes in insulin sensitivity in the fetal sheep. We conclude that the impaired insulin secretion capacity reported in children and adults after intrauterine growth restriction, and in the neonatal and young adult sheep which is small at birth, is present in utero and persists. Whether this reflects the actions of the adverse intrauterine environment or changes to intrinsic capacity is unclear, but in utero interventions may be necessary to improve postnatal insulin secretion in the infant who is growth restricted before birth. PMID- 17761773 TI - De-phosphorylation of MyoD is linking nerve-evoked activity to fast myosin heavy chain expression in rodent adult skeletal muscle. AB - Elucidating the molecular pathways linking electrical activity to gene expression is necessary for understanding the effects of exercise on muscle. Fast muscles express higher levels of MyoD and lower levels of myogenin than slow muscles, and we have previously linked myogenin to expression of oxidative enzymes. We here report that in slow muscles, compared with fast, 6 times as much of the MyoD is in an inactive form phosphorylated at T115. In fast muscles, 10 h of slow electrical stimulation had no effect on the total MyoD protein level, but the fraction of phosphorylated MyoD was increased 4-fold. Longer stimulation also decreased the total level of MyoD mRNA and protein, while the level of myogenin protein was increased. Fast patterned stimulation did not have any of these effects. Overexpression of wild type MyoD had variable effects in active slow muscles, but increased expression of fast myosin heavy chain in denervated muscles. In normally active soleus muscles, MyoD mutated at T115 (but not at S200) increased the number of fibres containing fast myosin from 50% to 85% in mice and from 13% to 62% in rats. These data establish de-phosphorylated active MyoD as a link between the pattern of electrical activity and fast fibre type in adult muscles. PMID- 17761774 TI - Neuron type-specific effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in rat superficial dorsal horn and their relevance to 'central sensitization'. AB - Chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the rat sciatic nerve increases the excitability of the spinal dorsal horn. This 'central sensitization' leads to pain behaviours analogous to human neuropathic pain. We have established that CCI increases excitatory synaptic drive to putative excitatory, 'delay' firing neurons in the substantia gelatinosa but attenuates that to putative inhibitory, 'tonic' firing neurons. Here, we use a defined-medium organotypic culture (DMOTC) system to investigate the long-term actions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a possible instigator of these changes. The age of the cultures and their 5-6 day exposure to BDNF paralleled the protocol used for CCI in vivo. Effects of BDNF (200 ng ml(-1)) in DMOTC were reminiscent of those seen with CCI in vivo. These included decreased synaptic drive to 'tonic' neurons and increased synaptic drive to 'delay' neurons with only small effects on their membrane excitability. Actions of BDNF on 'delay' neurons were exclusively presynaptic and involved increased mEPSC frequency and amplitude without changes in the function of postsynaptic AMPA receptors. By contrast, BDNF exerted both pre- and postsynaptic actions on 'tonic' cells; mEPSC frequency and amplitude were decreased and the decay time constant reduced by 35%. These selective and differential actions of BDNF on excitatory and inhibitory neurons contributed to a global increase in dorsal horn network excitability as assessed by the amplitude of depolarization-induced increases in intracellular Ca(2+). Such changes and their underlying cellular mechanisms are likely to contribute to CCI induced 'central sensitization' and hence to the onset of neuropathic pain. PMID- 17761776 TI - IP3-dependent nuclear Ca2+ signalling in the mammalian heart. AB - In cardiac myocytes the type-2 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP(3)R2) is the predominant isoform expressed. The IP(3)R2 channel is localized to the SR and to the nuclear envelope. We studied IP(3)-dependent nuclear Ca(2+) signals ([Ca(2+)](Nuc)) in permeabilized atrial myocytes and in isolated cardiac nuclei. In permeabilized myocytes IP(3) (20 microm) and the more potent IP(3)R agonist adenophostin (5 microm) caused an elevation of [Ca(2+)](Nuc). An IP(3)-dependent increase of [Ca(2+)](Nuc) was still observed after pretreatment with tetracaine to block Ca(2+) release from ryanodine receptors (RyRs), and the effect of IP(3) was partially reversed or prevented by the IP(3)R blockers heparin and 2-APB. Isolated nuclei were superfused with an internal solution containing the Ca(2+) indicator fluo-4 dextran. Exposure to IP(3) (10 microm) and adenophostin (0.5 microm) increased [Ca(2+)](Nuc) by 25 and 27%, respectively. [Ca(2+)](Nuc) increased to higher levels than [Ca(2+)](Cyt) immediately adjacent to the outer membrane of the nuclear envelope, suggesting that a significant portion of nuclear IP(3) receptors are facing the nucleoplasm. When nuclei were pretreated with heparin or 2-APB, IP(3) failed to increase [Ca(2+)](Nuc). Isolated nuclei were also loaded with the membrane-permeant low-affinity Ca(2+) probe fluo-5N AM which compartmentalized into the nuclear envelope. Exposure to IP(3) and adenophostin resulted in a decrease of the fluo-5N signal that could be prevented by heparin. Stimulation of IP(3)R caused depletion of the nuclear Ca(2+) stores by approximately 60% relative to the maximum depletion produced by the ionophores ionomycin and A23187. The fluo-5N fluorescence decrease was particularly pronounced in the nuclear periphery, suggesting that the nuclear envelope may represent the predominant nuclear Ca(2+) store. The data indicate that IP(3) can elicit Ca(2+) release from cardiac nuclei resulting in localized nuclear Ca(2+) signals. PMID- 17761775 TI - Differential regulation of action potential firing in adult murine thalamocortical neurons by Kv3.2, Kv1, and SK potassium and N-type calcium channels. AB - Sensory signals of widely differing dynamic range and intensity are transformed into a common firing rate code by thalamocortical neurons. While a great deal is known about the ionic currents, far less is known about the specific channel subtypes regulating thalamic firing rates. We hypothesized that different K(+) and Ca(2+) channel subtypes control different stimulus-response curve properties. To define the channels, we measured firing rate while pharmacologically or genetically modulating specific channel subtypes. Inhibiting Kv3.2 K(+) channels strongly suppressed maximum firing rate by impairing membrane potential repolarization, while playing no role in the firing response to threshold stimuli. By contrast, inhibiting Kv1 channels with alpha-dendrotoxin or maurotoxin strongly increased firing rates to threshold stimuli by reducing the membrane potential where action potentials fire (V(th)). Inhibiting SK Ca(2+) activated K(+) channels with apamin robustly increased gain (slope of the stimulus-response curve) and maximum firing rate, with minimum effects on threshold responses. Inhibiting N-type Ca(2+) channels with omega-conotoxin GVIA or omega-conotoxin MVIIC partially mimicked apamin, while inhibiting L-type and P/Q-type Ca(2+) channels had small or no effects. EPSC-like current injections closely mimicked the results from tonic currents. Our results show that Kv3.2, Kv1, SK potassium and N-type calcium channels strongly regulate thalamic relay neuron sensory transmission and that each channel subtype controls a different stimulus-response curve property. Differential regulation of threshold, gain and maximum firing rate may help vary the stimulus-response properties across and within thalamic nuclei, normalize responses to diverse sensory inputs, and underlie sensory perception disorders. PMID- 17761777 TI - Cue-evoked encoding of movement planning and execution in the rat nucleus accumbens. AB - The nucleus accumbens is involved in the modulation of motivated behaviour by reward-associated sensory information. However, little is known about the specific nature of the nucleus accumbens' contribution to generating movement. We investigated motor encoding by nucleus accumbens neurons in rats performing a delayed response task that allowed us to dissociate the effects of sensory and motor events on firing. In a subset of neurons, firing in the delay period preceding movement was highly selective; this selectivity was tightly correlated with the direction of the subsequent movement, but not with the sensory properties of the instructive cue. Direction selectivity in this population of neurons developed over the course of the delay period, with the strongest selectivity apparent just prior to movement onset. Selectivity was also apparent in nucleus accumbens neurons during movement, such that firing showed a tight correlation with movement direction, but not the instructive cue presented nor the spatial destination of the movement. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that a subpopulation of nucleus accumbens neurons contributes to the selection and execution of specific motivated behaviours. PMID- 17761778 TI - Differences in sympathetic neuroeffector transmission to rat mesenteric arteries and veins as probed by in vitro continuous amperometry and video imaging. AB - As arteries are resistance blood vessels while veins perform a capacitance function, it might be expected that sympathetic neural control of arteries and veins would differ. The function of sympathetic nerves supplying mesenteric arteries (MA) and veins (MV) in rats was investigated using in vitro continuous amperometry with a carbon fibre microelectrode and video imaging. We simultaneously measured noradrenaline (NA) overflow at the blood vessel adventitial surface and vasoconstriction evoked by electrical stimulation of perivascular sympathetic nerves. Sympathetic nerve arrangement was studied using glyoxylic acid-induced fluorescence of NA. We found that: (i) there were significant differences between MA and MV in the arrangement of sympathetic nerves; (ii) frequency-response curves for NA overflow and vasoconstriction for MV were left-shifted compared to MA; (iii) the P2X receptor antagonist, pyridoxal phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulphonic acid (PPADS, 10 microm), reduced constrictions in MA but not in MV while the alpha(1)-adrenergic receptor antagonist, prazosin (0.1 microm), blocked constrictions in MV but not in MA; (iv) NA overflow for MA was enhanced by the alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor antagonist, yohimbine (1.0 microm), and attenuated by the alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor agonist, UK 14,304 (1.0 microm), while yohimbine and UK 14,304 had little effect in MV; (v) cocaine (10 microm) produced larger increases in NA overflow in MA than in MV; (vi) UK 14,304 constricted MV but not MA while yohimbine reduced constrictions in MV but not MA. We conclude that there are fundamental differences in sympathetic neuroeffector mechanisms in MA and MV, which are likely to contribute to their different haemodynamic functions. PMID- 17761779 TI - Characterization of N-glucuronidation of 4-(5-pyridin-4-yl-1H-[1,2,4]triazol-3 yl) pyridine-2-carbonitrile (FYX-051): a new xanthine oxidoreductase inhibitor. AB - In humans, orally administered 4-(5-pyridin-4-yl-1H-[1,2,4]triazol-3-yl) pyridine 2-carbonitrile (FYX-051) is excreted mainly as triazole N(1)- and N(2) glucuronides in urine. It is important to determine the enzyme(s) that catalyze the metabolism of a new drug to estimate individual differences and/or drug-drug interactions. Therefore, the characterization and mechanism of these glucuronidations were investigated using human liver microsomes (HLMs), human intestinal microsomes (HIMs), and recombinant human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms to determine the UGT isoform(s) responsible for FYX-051 N(1)- and N(2)-glucuronidation. FYX-051 was metabolized to its N(1)- and N(2)-glucuronide forms by HLMs, and their K(m) values were 64.1 and 72.7 microM, respectively; however, FYX-051 was scarcely metabolized to its glucuronides by HIMs. Furthermore, among the recombinant human UGT isoforms, UGT1A1, UGT1A7, and UGT1A9 catalyzed the N(1)- and N(2)-glucuronidation of FYX-051. To estimate their contribution to FYX-051 glucuronidation, inhibition analysis with pooled HLMs was performed. Mefenamic acid, a UGT1A9 inhibitor, decreased FYX-051 N(1)- and N(2) glucuronosyltransferase activities, whereas bilirubin, a UGT1A1 inhibitor, did not affect these activities. Furthermore, in the experiment using microsomes from eight human livers, the N(1)- and N(2)-glucuronidation activity of FYX-051 was found to significantly correlate with the glucuronidation activity of propofol, a specific substrate of UGT1A9 (N(1): r(2) = 0.868, p < 0.01; N(2): r(2) = 0.775, p < 0.01). These results strongly suggested that the N(1)- and N(2)-glucuronidation of FYX-051 is catalyzed mainly by UGT1A9 in human livers. PMID- 17761780 TI - Utility of the coefficient of determination (r2) in assessing the accuracy of interspecies allometric predictions: illumination or illusion? AB - The appropriateness of relying on the coefficient of determination (r(2)) as a statistical metric for judging the predictability of human clearance (CL) based on interspecies animal data was assessed. An explicit mathematical expression was derived for r(2) as a function of species body weight and the corresponding measured value of CL. The derived mathematical function demonstrated that r(2) is numerically large in most instances. Simulations using random CL generated from a common combination of species of mouse, rat, and monkey resulted in an r(2) of 0.75 as the minimum, and 0.95 and 0.98 at 50th and 75th percentiles, respectively, given that total CL values increase with increasing species body weight. Analysis of literature data also indicated that the prediction accuracy of human CL was not correlated with values of r(2). Therefore, it is concluded that r(2) is a limited statistical measure when assessing allometric scaling for the purpose of predicting human CL. PMID- 17761781 TI - Lack of association between common polymorphisms in UGT1A9 and gene expression and activity. AB - Interindividual variability in the glucuronidation of xenobiotics metabolized by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A9 (UGT1A9) suggests the presence of functional UGT1A9 variants. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the putative functionality of the UGT1A9 variants-118T(9>10) (rs3832043), I399C>T (rs2741049), -275T>A (rs6714486), and-2152C>T (rs17868320) could be confirmed in an independent study. UGT1A9 genotypes and UGT1A9 activity (i.e., flavopiridol and mycophenolic acid glucuronidation) were determined in 46 Caucasian human livers. mRNA levels were quantitated by real-time polymerase chain reaction in 35 of these livers. In addition, samples from 60 unrelated Caucasians belonging to the HapMap Project were also genotyped to confirm the allele frequencies and linkage disequilibrium (LD) pattern observed in our Caucasian livers. The allele frequencies of the-118T(9>10), I399C>T, -275T>A, and-2152C>T variants were 0.39, 0.39, 0.02, and 0.02 in the livers, respectively. The I399C>T variant was in complete LD (r(2) = 1) with-118T(9>10) (linked alleles: C and T(9), respectively). Complete LD between these two variants was also found in the HapMap samples (frequencies of-118T(9>10) and I399C>T = 0.38). I399C>T and 118T(9>10) correlated with neither UGT1A9 activities nor mRNA levels. Because of the low frequencies of the-275T>A and-2152C>T variants, an effect on phenotype could not be evaluated. Our data demonstrate that the common I399C>T and 118T(9>10) polymorphisms do not explain interindividual variation in hepatic UGT1A9 activity and mRNA expression and are in complete LD in the donor liver samples we studied. PMID- 17761782 TI - Activation of P2X purinoceptors by ATP subsequent to an increase in reactive oxygen species causes enhanced laryngeal reflex reactivity in a rat model of extraoesophageal reflux. AB - BACKGROUND: The pathogenetic mechanisms of enhanced laryngeal reflex reactivity (ELRR) in patients with extraoesophageal reflux (EOR) are unclear. In a rat EOR model, a laryngeal acid-pepsin insult produces an ELRR that is mediated through sensitization of the capsaicin-sensitive laryngeal afferent fibers by reactive oxygen species (ROS). AIMS: We investigated whether activation of P2X receptors by ATP subsequent to an increase in ROS may induce ELRR in an inflamed larynx that has been insulted by acid-pepsin or H2O2. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The larynxes of 184 anesthetized rats were functionally isolated while the animals breathed spontaneously. Ammonia vapor was delivered into the larynx to measure laryngeal reflex reactivity. RESULTS: Laryngeal insult with acid-pepsin or H2O2 produced ELRR with similar characteristics. These two ELRR events were completely prevented by ATP scavengers (a combination of apyrase and adenosine deaminase) or a P2X receptor antagonist (iso-pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2',5' disulphonate). Laryngeal application of a P2X receptor agonist (alpha,beta methylene-ATP) also produced ELRR. An insult with either acid-pepsin or H2O2 similarly promoted an increase in the levels of ATP, lipid peroxidation and inflammation in the larynx. CONCLUSIONS: Laryngeal insult with acid-pepsin or H2O2 induces inflammation and produces excess ROS in the rat's larynx. The latter may in turn promote the release of ATP to activate P2X receptors resulting in sensitization of capsaicin-sensitive laryngeal afferent fibers and ELRR. PMID- 17761784 TI - Reliability of a new shoulder laxometer to assess inferior glenohumeral joint translation. AB - OBJECTIVE: This study tested the reliability of the ORI laxometer, a newly developed non-invasive device for testing inferior translation of the humeral head in humans. DESIGN: The instrument was designed to measure displacement between the top of the acromion and the head of the humerus when loaded in a similar fashion to the sulcus sign. PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: Sixteen healthy subjects (32 shoulders) were measured for inferior glenohumeral joint laxity. One observer used the laxometer in 16 subjects on three separate occasions for the intra-observer trial. Three observers measured the inferior shoulder laxity of six subjects on one occasion in the inter-observer trial. Asymptomatic and unstable shoulders were also compared in 12 subjects with shoulder instability. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Translation in the glenohumeral joint RESULTS: The range of inferior translation of glenohumeral joint in these subjects was between 0.01 mm and 6.5 mm with a mean of 1.5 mm. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for inter-observer reliability was 0.74. For intra observer reliability the ICC was 0.76. These results are considered to be good to excellent. There was no advantage gained by using data from all five cycles of testing compared with three cycles. In patients with shoulder instability, laxometer measurements were significantly greater in their unstable shoulders than in their normal shoulders. CONCLUSIONS: The laxometer is easy to use, painless and gives objective measures for inferior glenohumeral laxity, with good intra- and inter-observer reliabilities. The ORI laxometer may be useful for assessing and monitoring global glenohumeral joint laxity which usually involves inferior laxity. PMID- 17761783 TI - The association of gastric leptin with oesophageal inflammation and metaplasia. AB - BACKGROUND: Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease complications may reflect imbalances between protective and injurious factors. Through its effects on cell growth, leptin may influence oesophageal mucosal homeostasis. AIMS: To determine whether leptin receptors are present in the oesophagus, and whether serum or gastric leptin levels are associated with oesophageal inflammation and metaplasia. METHODS: From patients referred for upper endoscopy, biopsies were obtained from the stomach and distal oesophagus, and serum samples were collected. Patients were classified as having normal, inflamed or Barrett's oesophagus. Quantitative immunohistochemistry was performed on representative sections, and leptin levels in plasma and gastric biopsy samples were determined by specific immunoassay. RESULTS: Of 269 individuals enrolled, 105 were Helicobacter pylori-negative. Of the 88 patients with complete oesophageal biopsies, 44 were normal, 24 were inflamed and 20 were Barrett's oesophagus. Receptors for leptin were highly expressed on oesophageal epithelial cells, with similar density and staining pattern in all three conditions, and plasma and antral leptin levels did not differ significantly. Patients with Barrett's had significantly (p = 0.01) higher fundic leptin levels (median 202 (interquartile range 123-333) pg/mg) compared with normal (126 (78-221) pg/mg) or inflamed (114 (76-195) pg/mg) oesophagus. In multivariate analysis, for every twofold increase in fundic leptin, the odds of having Barrett's was 3.4 times (95% CI 1.5 to 7.6) higher compared with having a normal oesophagus. CONCLUSIONS: Leptin receptor expression on oesophageal epithelial cells provides a pathway for leptin-mediated signal transduction. Variation in gastric leptin production could contribute to differential oesophageal healing and metaplasia progression. PMID- 17761785 TI - Natural and traumatic sports-related fatalities: a 10-year retrospective study. AB - OBJECTIVE: To identify the most common causes of death during sports activity in the population of Hamburg, Germany, and to identify which groups of sportspeople are particularly in danger of dying during sports and in which types of sport most fatalities occur. DESIGN AND SETTING: We performed a 10-year autopsy-based retrospective study of all 48,335 fatalities in Hamburg and the surrounding areas that were subjected to police investigations between 1997 and 2006 and screened for sports-related deaths. The main outcome measure was cause of death depending on form of sport, age and risk factors. RESULTS: Most of the fatalities were male. In natural deaths, cardiac causes were the most frequent causes found, with running and football being the most frequent forms of sport in which death had occurred. In some of the cases, sports medical examinations had been performed before death, certifying eligibility for the respective activity. Traumatic deaths were found in all age groups, with younger age groups more likely to have traumatic than natural deaths, and as expected, occurred more commonly in "risky" outdoor activities. CONCLUSIONS: Although exercise can have beneficial effects on health, fatalities related to sports activity occur. Cardiac disease is the main cause of sudden death from natural causes. In patients with pre-existing coronary heart disease, left ventricular hypertrophy constitutes a risk factor for exercise-related sudden death. Traumatic deaths often happen on holiday outside the person's country of dwelling, and are most commonly attributable to drowning and blunt trauma. Preparticipation medical screening cannot always prevent fatal incidents during sports activity. Postmortem macroscopic and histological examination can clarify the cause of death and legal issues. PMID- 17761786 TI - A new 2-regression model for the Actical accelerometer. AB - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop a new 2-regression model relating Actical activity counts to METs. METHODS: Forty-eight participants (mean (SD) age 35 (11.4) years) performed 10 min bouts of various activities ranging from sedentary behaviours to vigorous physical activities. Eighteen activities were split into three routines with each routine being performed by 20 individuals. Forty-five routines were randomly selected for the development of a new 2-regression model and 15 tests were used to cross-validate the new 2 regression model and compare it against existing equations. During each routine, the participant wore an Actical accelerometer on the hip and oxygen consumption was simultaneously measured by a portable metabolic system. The coefficient of variation (CV) of four consecutive 15 s epochs was calculated for each minute. For each activity, the average CV and the counts min(-1) were calculated for minutes 4-9. If the CV was < or =13% a walk/run regression equation was used and if the CV was >13% a lifestyle/leisure time physical activity regression was used. RESULTS: An exponential regression line (R(2) = 0.912; standard error of the estimate (SEE) = 0.149) was used for activities with a CV< or =13%, and a cubic regression line (R(2) = 0.884, SEE = 0.804) was used for activities with a CV>13%. In the cross-validation group the mean estimates, using the new 2 regression model with an inactivity threshold, were within 0.56 METs of measured METs for each of the activities performed (p> or =0.05), except cycling (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: For most activities examined the new 2-regression model predicted METs more accurately than currently available equations for the Actical accelerometer. PMID- 17761787 TI - Integration of jugular venous return and circle of Willis in a theoretical human model of selective brain cooling. AB - A three-dimensional mathematical model was developed to examine the induction of selective brain cooling (SBC) in the human brain by intracarotid cold (2.8 degrees C) saline infusion (ICSI) at 30 ml/min. The Pennes bioheat equation was used to propagate brain temperature. The effect of cooled jugular venous return was investigated, along with the effect of the circle of Willis (CoW) on the intracerebral temperature distribution. The complete CoW, missing A1 variant (mA1), and fetal P1 variant (fP1) were simulated. ICSI induced moderate hypothermia (defined as 32-34 degrees C) in the internal carotid artery (ICA) territory within 5 min. Incorporation of the complete CoW resulted in a similar level of hypothermia in the ICA territory. In addition, the anterior communicating artery and ipsilateral posterior communicating artery distributed cool blood to the contralateral anterior and ipsilateral posterior territories, respectively, imparting mild hypothermia (35 and 35.5 degrees C respectively). The mA1 and fP1 variants allowed for sufficient cooling of the middle cerebral territory (30-32 degrees C). The simulations suggest that ICSI is feasible and may be the fastest method of inducing hypothermia. Moreover, the effect of convective heat transfer via the complete CoW and its variants underlies the important role of CoW anatomy in intracerebral temperature distributions during SBC. PMID- 17761788 TI - Control of heart rate variability by cardiac parasympathetic nerve activity during voluntary static exercise in humans with tetraplegia. AB - Heart rate (HR) is controlled solely by via cardiac parasympathetic outflow in tetraplegic individuals, who lack supraspinal control of sympathetic outflows and circulating catecholamines but have intact vagal pathways. A high-frequency component (HF; at 0.15-0.40 Hz) of the power spectrum of HR variability and its relative value against total power (HF/Total) were assessed using a wavelet transform to identify cardiac parasympathetic outflow. The relative contribution of cardiac parasympathetic and sympathetic outflows to controlling HR was estimated by comparing the HF/Total-HR relationship between age-matched tetraplegic and normal men. Six tetraplegic men with complete cervical spinal cord injury performed static arm exercise at 35% of the maximal voluntary contraction until exhaustion. Although resting cardiac output and arterial blood pressure were lower in tetraplegic than normal subjects, HR, HF, and HF/Total were not statistically different between the two groups. When tetraplegic subjects developed the same force during exercise as normal subjects, HF and HF/Total decreased to 67-90% of the preexercise control and gradually recovered 1.5 min after exercise. The amount and time course of the changes in HF/Total during and after exercise coincided well between both groups. In contrast, the increase in HR at the start of exercise was blunted in tetraplegic compared with normal subjects, and the HR recovery following exercise was also delayed. It is likely that, although the withdrawal response of cardiac parasympathetic outflow is preserved in tetraplegic subjects, sympathetic decentralization impairs the rapid acceleration of HR at the onset of exercise and the rapid deceleration following exercise. PMID- 17761789 TI - Aging potentiates the effect of congestive heart failure on muscle microvascular oxygenation. AB - Congestive heart failure (CHF) is most prevalent in aged individuals and elicits a spectrum of cardiovascular and muscular perturbations that impairs the ability to deliver (Qo(2)) and utilize (Vo(2)) oxygen in skeletal muscle. Whether aging potentiates the CHF-induced alterations in the Qo(2)-to-Vo(2) relationship [which determines microvascular Po(2) (Pmv(O(2)))] in resting and contracting skeletal muscle is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that old rats with CHF would demonstrate a greater impairment of skeletal muscle Pmv(O(2)) than observed in young rats with CHF. Phosphorescence quenching was utilized to measure spinotrapezius Pmv(O(2)) at rest and across the rest-to-contractions (1-Hz, 4-6 V) transition in young (Y) and old (O) male Fischer 344 Brown-Norway rats with CHF induced by myocardial infarction (mean left ventricular end-diastolic pressure >20 mmHg for Y(CHF) and O(CHF)). In CHF muscle, aging significantly reduced resting Pmv(O(2)) (32.3 +/- 3.4 Torr for Y(CHF) and 21.3 +/- 3.3 Torr for O(CHF); P < 0.05) and in both Y(CHF) and O(CHF) compared with their aged-matched counterparts, CHF reduced the rate of the Pmv(O(2)) fall at the onset of contractions. Moreover, across the on-transient and in the subsequent steady state, Pmv(O(2)) values in O(CHF) vs. Y(CHF) were substantially lower (for steady state, 20.4 +/- 1.7 Torr for Y(CHF) and 16.4 +/- 2.0 Torr for O(CHF); P < 0.05). At rest and during contractions in CHF, the pressure driving blood-muscle O(2) diffusion (Pmv(O(2))) is substantially decreased in old animals. This finding suggests that muscle dysfunction and exercise intolerance in aged CHF patients might be due, in part, to the failure to maintain a sufficiently high Pmv(O(2)) to facilitate blood-muscle O(2) exchange and support mitochondrial ATP production. PMID- 17761790 TI - Exercise improves glucose homeostasis that has been impaired by a high-fat diet by potentiating pancreatic beta-cell function and mass through IRS2 in diabetic rats. AB - In this study, we investigated the effects of a high-fat diet and exercise on pancreatic beta-cell function and mass and its molecular mechanism in 90% pancreatectomized male rats. The pancreatectomized diabetic rats were given control diets (20% energy) or a high-fat (HF) diet (45% energy) for 12 wk. Half of each group was given regular exercise on an uphill treadmill at 20 m/min for 30 min 5 days/wk. HF diet lowered first-phase insulin secretion with glucose loading, whereas exercise training reversed this decrease. However, second-phase insulin secretion did not differ among the groups. Exercise increased pancreatic beta-cell mass. This resulted from stimulated beta-cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis, which is associated with potentiated insulin or IGF-I signaling through insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS2) induction. Although the HF diet resulted in decreased proliferation and accelerated apoptosis by weakened insulin and IGF-I signaling from reduction of IRS2 protein, beta-cell mass was maintained in HF rats just as much as in control rats via increased individual beta-cell size and neogenesis from precursor cells. Consistent with the results of beta cell proliferation, pancreas duodenal homeobox-1 expression increased in the islets of rats in the exercise groups, and it was reduced the most in rats fed the HF diet. In conclusion, exercise combined with a moderate fat diet is a good way to maximize beta-cell function and mass through IRS2 induction to alleviate the diabetic condition. This study suggests that dietary fat contents and exercise modulate beta-cell function and mass to overcome insulin resistance in two different pathways. PMID- 17761792 TI - Applicability of a segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis for predicting the whole body skeletal muscle volume. AB - This study aimed to test the hypothesis that a segmental bioelectrical impedance (BI) analysis can predict whole body skeletal muscle (SM) volume more accurately than a whole body BI analysis. Thirty males (19-34 yr) participated in this study. They were divided into validation (n = 20) and cross-validation groups (n = 10). The BI values were obtained using two methods: whole body BI analysis, which determines impedance between the wrist and ankle; and segmental BI analysis, which determines the impedance of every body segment in both sides of the upper arm, lower arm, upper leg and lower leg, and five parts of the trunk. Using a magnetic resonance imaging method, whole body SM volume was determined as a reference (SMV(MRI)). Simple and multiple regression analyses were applied to (length)(2)/Z (BI index) for the whole body and for every body segment, respectively, to develop the prediction equations of SMV(MRI). In the validation group, there were no significant differences between the measured and estimated SMV and no systematic errors in either BI analysis. In the cross-validation group, the whole body BI analysis produced systematic errors and resulted in the overestimation of SMV(MRI), but the segmental BI analysis was cross-validated. In the pooled data, the segmental BI analysis produced a prediction equation, which involves the BI indexes of the trunk and upper thigh as independent variables, with a SE of estimation of 1,693.8 cm(3) (6.1%). Thus the findings obtained here indicated that the segmental BI analysis is superior to the whole body BI analysis for estimating SMV(MRI). PMID- 17761791 TI - Influence of promoter region variants of insulin-like growth factor pathway genes on the strength-training response of muscle phenotypes in older adults. AB - To examine the influence of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway gene polymorphisms on muscle mass and strength responses to strength training (ST), we studied 128 White and Black men and women before and after a 10-wk single-leg knee extension ST program. One-repetition maximum strength, muscle volume (MV) via computed tomography, and muscle quality (MQ) were assessed at baseline and after 10 wk of ST. There was a significant combined IGF1 cytosine adenine (CA) repeat gene effect, which included both the IGF1 CA repeat main effect and IGF1 CA repeat x PPP3R1 insertion-deletion (I/D) gene x gene interaction effect, on the changes in strength (P < 0.01) and MQ (P < 0.05) with ST. There was a trend for a significant gene x gene interaction between IGF1 CA repeat and PPP3R1 I/D for changes in strength (P = 0.07) and MQ (P = 0.06) with ST. The influence of the PPP3R1 A-202C gene polymorphism on change in MV with ST approached significance (P = 0.06). The IGF1 CA repeat polymorphism had a significant influence on the change in strength and MV combined with ST (P < 0.05), whereas the influence of the PPP3R1 I/D polymorphism approached significance (P = 0.08). There were no associations between the IGFBP3 A-202C gene polymorphism and the muscle phenotypic responses to ST. These data suggest that two of the three IGF pathway gene polymorphisms identified in this study influence muscle phenotypic responses to ST in both black and white older men and women. PMID- 17761793 TI - Quinidine: a valuable medication joins the list of 'endangered species'. PMID- 17761794 TI - A honey bee odorant receptor for the queen substance 9-oxo-2-decenoic acid. AB - By using a functional genomics approach, we have identified a honey bee [Apis mellifera (Am)] odorant receptor (Or) for the queen substance 9-oxo-2-decenoic acid (9-ODA). Honey bees live in large eusocial colonies in which a single queen is responsible for reproduction, several thousand sterile female worker bees complete a myriad of tasks to maintain the colony, and several hundred male drones exist only to mate. The "queen substance" [also termed the queen retinue pheromone (QRP)] is an eight-component pheromone that maintains the queen's dominance in the colony. The main component, 9-ODA, acts as a releaser pheromone by attracting workers to the queen and as a primer pheromone by physiologically inhibiting worker ovary development; it also acts as a sex pheromone, attracting drones during mating flights. However, the extent to which social and sexual chemical messages are shared remains unresolved. By using a custom chemosensory specific microarray and qPCR, we identified four candidate sex pheromone Ors (AmOr10, -11, -18, and -170) from the honey bee genome based on their biased expression in drone antennae. We assayed the pheromone responsiveness of these receptors by using Xenopus oocytes and electrophysiology. AmOr11 responded specifically to 9-ODA (EC50=280+/-31 nM) and not to any of the other seven QRP components, other social pheromones, or floral odors. We did not observe any responses of the other three Ors to any of the eight QRP pheromone components, suggesting 9-ODA is the only QRP component that also acts as a long-distance sex pheromone. PMID- 17761797 TI - Ingestion of a quadhelix appliance requiring surgical removal: a case report. AB - This report presents an unusual case, whereby a 13-year-old Down's syndrome boy accidentally swallowed a removable quadhelix appliance that subsequently required surgical removal. The paper discusses management strategies for patients who have accidentally swallowed components of their orthodontic appliance. It also highlights the need for orthodontists to consider limited objective treatment options for certain patient groups. PMID- 17761795 TI - Critique of early models of the demographic impact of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa based on contemporary empirical data from Zimbabwe. AB - Early mathematical models varied in their predictions of the impact of HIV/AIDS on population growth from minimal impact to reductions in growth, in pessimistic scenarios, from positive to negative values over a period of 25 years. Models predicting negative rates of natural increase forecast little effect on the dependency ratio. Twenty years later, HIV prevalence in small towns, estates, and rural villages in eastern Zimbabwe, has peaked within the intermediate range predicted by the early models, but the demographic impact has been more acute than was predicted. Despite concurrent declines in fertility, fueled in part by HIV infections (total fertility is now 8% lower than expected without an epidemic), and a doubling of the crude death rate because of HIV/AIDS, the rate of natural population increase between 1998 and 2005 remained positive in each socioeconomic stratum. In the worst-affected areas (towns with HIV prevalence of 33%), HIV/AIDS reduced growth by two-thirds from 2.9% to 1.0%. The dependency ratio fell from 1.21 at the onset of the HIV epidemic to 0.78, the impact of HIV associated adult mortality being outweighed by fertility decline. With the benefit of hindsight, the more pessimistic early models overestimated the demographic impact of HIV epidemics by overextrapolating initial HIV growth rates or not allowing for heterogeneity in key parameters such as transmissibility and sexual risk behavior. Data collected since the late 1980s show that there was a mismatch between the observed growth in the HIV epidemic and assumptions made about viral transmission. PMID- 17761798 TI - Mini-implants for retraction, intrusion and protraction in a Class II division 1 patient. AB - This case report demonstrates the clinical utility and versatility of mini implants in carrying out different types of tooth movement in a 14-year-old boy with a 'severe' Class II division 1 malocclusion. Mini-implants were placed for 'en masse' retraction and intrusion of maxillary anterior teeth and for lower molar protraction. More than 11 mm of maxillary incisor retraction was achieved together with 3 mm of intrusion. There was significant reduction in the dentoalveolar protrusion and retraction of the upper lip, which resulted in decreased mentalis strain and improved chin projection. Cephalometric superimposition and panoramic radiographs showed no anchorage loss and good occlusion at the end of treatment. PMID- 17761799 TI - A late-forming mandibular supernumerary: a complication of space closure. AB - This case report describes a situation in which a mandibular supernumerary developed during orthodontic treatment and prevented space closure. PMID- 17761800 TI - Clinical pearl: a method of controlled movement of teeth using open and closed coil spring. AB - A method of controlled movement of teeth using open and closed coil spring. A 'clinical pearl' describing an original clinical technique to prevent uncontrolled tooth movement while using an active coil spring on the archwire. PMID- 17761801 TI - Northcroft Memorial Lecture 2006: The future of specialist training. PMID- 17761802 TI - Evaluation of a quality of life measure for children with malocclusion. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the validity and reliability of the child perception questionnaire as an oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) measure in adolescents with malocclusion. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study comparing two groups of individuals. SETTING: One group of children with malocclusion was recruited from the orthodontic departments at the Charles Clifford Dental Hospital (CCDH), Sheffield and Chesterfield Royal Hospital (CRH), Chesterfield. A second group with no malocclusion was recruited from the Paediatric Department at CCDH and one General Dental Practice in Sheffield. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The malocclusion group consisted of 116 patients aged 11-14 years about to commence orthodontic treatment. The non-malocclusion group consisted of 31 11-14-year-old patients with index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) 1 and 2, and DMFT 1 megabase) to short (<500 base pairs) insertions. Potential Wolbachia-to-host transfers were also detected computationally in three additional sequenced insect genomes. We also show that some of these inserted Wolbachia genes are transcribed within eukaryotic cells lacking endosymbionts. Therefore, heritable lateral gene transfer occurs into eukaryotic hosts from their prokaryote symbionts, potentially providing a mechanism for acquisition of new genes and functions. PMID- 17761850 TI - Target protectors reveal dampening and balancing of Nodal agonist and antagonist by miR-430. AB - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) repress hundreds of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), but the physiological roles of specific miRNA-mRNA interactions remain largely elusive. We report that zebrafish microRNA-430 (miR-430) dampens and balances the expression of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) Nodal agonist squint and the TGF-beta Nodal antagonist lefty. To disrupt the interaction of specific miRNA-mRNA pairs, we developed target protector morpholinos complementary to miRNA binding sites in target mRNAs. Protection of squint or lefty mRNAs from miR 430 resulted in enhanced or reduced Nodal signaling, respectively. Simultaneous protection of squint and lefty or absence of miR-430 caused an imbalance and reduction in Nodal signaling. These findings establish an approach to analyze the in vivo roles of specific miRNA-mRNA pairs and reveal a requirement for miRNAs in dampening and balancing agonist/antagonist pairs. PMID- 17761849 TI - Demethylation of H3K27 regulates polycomb recruitment and H2A ubiquitination. AB - Methylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) is a posttranslational modification that is highly correlated with genomic silencing. Here we show that human UTX, a member of the Jumonji C family of proteins, is a di- and trimethyl H3K27 demethylase. UTX occupies the promoters of HOX gene clusters and regulates their transcriptional output by modulating the recruitment of polycomb repressive complex 1 and the monoubiquitination of histone H2A. Moreover, UTX associates with mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) 2/3 complexes, and during retinoic acid signaling events, the recruitment of the UTX complex to HOX genes results in H3K27 demethylation and a concomitant methylation of H3K4. Our results suggest a concerted mechanism for transcriptional activation in which cycles of H3K4 methylation by MLL2/3 are linked with the demethylation of H3K27 through UTX. PMID- 17761851 TI - Toward direct measurement of atmospheric nucleation. AB - Atmospheric aerosol formation is known to occur almost all over the world, and the importance of these particles to climate and air quality has been recognized. Although almost all of the processes driving aerosol formation take place below a particle diameter of 3 nanometers, observations cover only larger particles. We introduce an instrumental setup to measure atmospheric concentrations of both neutral and charged nanometer-sized clusters. By applying the instruments in the field, we come to three important conclusions: (i) A pool of numerous neutral clusters in the sub-3 nanometer size range is continuously present; (ii) the processes initiating atmospheric aerosol formation start from particle sizes of approximately 1.5 nanometers; and (iii) neutral nucleation dominates over the ion induced mechanism, at least in boreal forest conditions. PMID- 17761852 TI - Mixed grill. PMID- 17761853 TI - Cancer research. Texas voters asked to approve $3 billion cancer initiative. PMID- 17761854 TI - Particle physics. Fermilab proposes way station on the road to the ILC. PMID- 17761856 TI - Climate change. Judge orders more timely U.S. reports. PMID- 17761855 TI - Organic chemistry. Synthesis mimics natural craftsmanship. PMID- 17761857 TI - Endangered species. U.S. announces recovery plan for a ghost bird. PMID- 17761858 TI - Australian science. New misconduct rules aim to minister to an ailing system. PMID- 17761859 TI - Oncology. In their prime, and dying of cancer. PMID- 17761860 TI - Space exploration. Asian powers shoot for the moon with orbiting research missions. PMID- 17761861 TI - Archaeology. Murder in Mesopotamia? PMID- 17761862 TI - Ecology. Doing battle with the green monster of Taihu Lake. PMID- 17761863 TI - Earth monitoring. Scientists seeking new homes for orbiting climate sensors. PMID- 17761864 TI - The risks and advantages of framing science. PMID- 17761865 TI - Comment on "Deep mixing of 3He: reconciling Big Bang and stellar nucleosynthesis". AB - Eggleton et al. (Reports, 8 December 2006, p. 1580) reported on a deep-mixing mechanism in low-mass stars caused by a Rayleigh-Taylor instability that destroys all of the helium isotope 3He produced during the star's lifetime. Observations of 3He in planetary nebulae, however, indicate that some stars produce prodigious amounts of 3He. This is inconsistent with the claim that all low-mass stars should destroy 3He. PMID- 17761866 TI - Undergraduate education in Jordan. PMID- 17761867 TI - Data-driven education research. PMID- 17761868 TI - Retention. Engineering education research aids instruction. PMID- 17761870 TI - Engineering. Privacy by design. PMID- 17761869 TI - Geophysics. Mapping the Earth's engine. PMID- 17761871 TI - Molecular biology. miRNAs in neurodegeneration. PMID- 17761872 TI - Structural biology. Getting DNA to unwind. PMID- 17761873 TI - Materials science. Polymer therapeutics. PMID- 17761874 TI - Early urban development in the Near East. AB - It has been thought that the first cities in the Near East were spatially extensive and grew outward from a core nucleated village while maintaining a more or less constant density in terms of persons or households per unit of area. The general applicability outside of the Near East of this southern Mesopotamian.derived model has been questioned recently, and variations from it are increasingly recognized. We can now demonstrate that such variation was present at the beginnings of urbanism in the Near East as well. PMID- 17761876 TI - Alfven waves in the solar corona. AB - Alfven waves, transverse incompressible magnetic oscillations, have been proposed as a possible mechanism to heat the Sun's corona to millions of degrees by transporting convective energy from the photosphere into the diffuse corona. We report the detection of Alfven waves in intensity, line-of-sight velocity, and linear polarization images of the solar corona taken using the FeXIII 1074.7 nanometer coronal emission line with the Coronal Multi-Channel Polarimeter (CoMP) instrument at the National Solar Observatory, New Mexico. Ubiquitous upward propagating waves were seen, with phase speeds of 1 to 4 megameters per second and trajectories consistent with the direction of the magnetic field inferred from the linear polarization measurements. An estimate of the energy carried by the waves that we spatially resolved indicates that they are too weak to heat the solar corona; however, unresolved Alfven waves may carry sufficient energy. PMID- 17761875 TI - Epoxide-opening cascades promoted by water. AB - Selectivity rules in organic chemistry have been inferred largely from nonaqueous environments. In contrast, enzymes operate in water, and the chemical effect of the medium change remains only partially understood. Structural characterization of the "ladder" polyether marine natural products raised a puzzle that persisted for 20 years: Although the stereochemistry of adjacent tetrahydropyran (THP) cycles would seem to arise from a biosynthetic cascade of epoxide-opening reactions, experience in organic solvents argued consistently that such a pathway would be kinetically disfavored. We report that neutral water acts as an optimal promoter for the requisite ring-opening selectivity, once a single templating THP is appended to a chain of epoxides. This strategy offers a high-yielding route to the naturally occurring ladder core and highlights the likely importance of aqueous-medium effects in underpinning certain noteworthy enzymatic selectivities. PMID- 17761877 TI - Large magnetic anisotropy of a single atomic spin embedded in a surface molecular network. AB - Magnetic anisotropy allows magnets to maintain their direction of magnetization over time. Using a scanning tunneling microscope to observe spin excitations, we determined the orientation and strength of the anisotropies of individual iron and manganese atoms on a thin layer of copper nitride. The relative intensities of the inelastic tunneling processes are consistent with dipolar interactions, as seen for inelastic neutron scattering. First-principles calculations indicate that the magnetic atoms become incorporated into a polar covalent surface molecular network in the copper nitride. These structures, which provide atom-by atom accessibility via local probes, have the potential for engineering anisotropies large enough to produce stable magnetization at low temperatures for a single atomic spin. PMID- 17761878 TI - Current-induced hydrogen tautomerization and conductance switching of naphthalocyanine molecules. AB - The bistability in the position of the two hydrogen atoms in the inner cavity of single free-base naphthalocyanine molecules constitutes a two-level system that was manipulated and probed by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. When adsorbed on an ultrathin insulating film, the molecules can be switched in a controlled fashion between the two states by excitation induced by the inelastic tunneling current. The tautomerization reaction can be probed by resonant tunneling through the molecule and is expressed as considerable changes in the conductivity of the molecule. We also demonstrated a coupling of the switching process so that the charge injection in one molecule induced tautomerization in an adjacent molecule. PMID- 17761880 TI - Structural basis of DNA replication origin recognition by an ORC protein. AB - DNA replication in archaea and in eukaryotes share many similarities. We report the structure of an archaeal origin recognition complex protein, ORC1, bound to an origin recognition box, a DNA sequence that is found in multiple copies at replication origins. DNA binding is mediated principally by a C-terminal winged helix domain that inserts deeply into the major and minor grooves, widening them both. However, additional DNA contacts are made with the N-terminal AAA+ domain, which inserts into the minor groove at a characteristic G-rich sequence, inducing a 35 degrees bend in the duplex and providing directionality to the binding site. Both contact regions also induce substantial unwinding of the DNA. The structure provides insight into the initial step in assembly of a replication origin and recruitment of minichromosome maintenance (MCM) helicase to that origin. PMID- 17761879 TI - Replication origin recognition and deformation by a heterodimeric archaeal Orc1 complex. AB - The faithful duplication of genetic material depends on essential DNA replication initiation factors. Cellular initiators form higher-order assemblies on replication origins, using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to locally remodel duplex DNA and facilitate proper loading of synthetic replisomal components. To better understand initiator function, we determined the 3.4 angstrom-resolution structure of an archaeal Cdc6/Orc1 heterodimer bound to origin DNA. The structure demonstrates that, in addition to conventional DNA binding elements, initiators use their AAA+ ATPase domains to recognize origin DNA. Together these interactions establish the polarity of initiator assembly on the origin and induce substantial distortions into origin DNA strands. Biochemical and comparative analyses indicate that AAA+/DNA contacts observed in the structure are dynamic and evolutionarily conserved, suggesting that the complex forms a core component of the basal initiation machinery. PMID- 17761881 TI - Structure of a tyrosine phosphatase adhesive interaction reveals a spacer-clamp mechanism. AB - Cell-cell contacts are fundamental to multicellular organisms and are subject to exquisite levels of control. Human RPTPmu is a type IIB receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase that both forms an adhesive contact itself and is involved in regulating adhesion by dephosphorylating components of cadherin-catenin complexes. Here we describe a 3.1 angstrom crystal structure of the RPTPmu ectodomain that forms a homophilic trans (antiparallel) dimer with an extended and rigid architecture, matching the dimensions of adherens junctions. Cell surface expression of deletion constructs induces intercellular spacings that correlate with the ectodomain length. These data suggest that the RPTPmu ectodomain acts as a distance gauge and plays a key regulatory function, locking the phosphatase to its appropriate functional location. PMID- 17761883 TI - Cap-independent translation is required for starvation-induced differentiation in yeast. AB - Cellular internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs) are untranslated segments of mRNA transcripts thought to initiate protein synthesis in response to environmental stresses that prevent canonical 5' cap-dependent translation. Although numerous cellular mRNAs are proposed to have IRESs, none has a demonstrated physiological function or molecular mechanism. Here we show that seven yeast genes required for invasive growth, a developmental pathway induced by nutrient limitation, contain potent IRESs that require the initiation factor eIF4G for cap-independent translation. In contrast to the RNA structure-based activity of viral IRESs, we show that an unstructured A-rich element mediates internal initiation via recruitment of the poly(A) binding protein (Pab1) to the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of invasive growth messages. A 5'UTR mutation that impairs IRES activity compromises invasive growth, which indicates that cap-independent translation is required for physiological adaptation to stress. PMID- 17761882 TI - A MicroRNA feedback circuit in midbrain dopamine neurons. AB - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are evolutionarily conserved, 18- to 25-nucleotide, non protein coding transcripts that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression during development. miRNAs also occur in postmitotic cells, such as neurons in the mammalian central nervous system, but their function is less well characterized. We investigated the role of miRNAs in mammalian midbrain dopaminergic neurons (DNs). We identified a miRNA, miR-133b, that is specifically expressed in midbrain DNs and is deficient in midbrain tissue from patients with Parkinson's disease. miR-133b regulates the maturation and function of midbrain DNs within a negative feedback circuit that includes the paired-like homeodomain transcription factor Pitx3. We propose a role for this feedback circuit in the fine-tuning of dopaminergic behaviors such as locomotion. PMID- 17761884 TI - Strand-biased spreading of mutations during somatic hypermutation. AB - Somatic hypermutation (SHM) is a major means by which diversity is achieved in antibody genes, and it is initiated by the deamination of cytosines to uracils in DNA by activation-induced deaminase (AID). However, the process that leads from these initiating deamination events to mutations at other residues remains poorly understood. We demonstrate that a single cytosine on the top (nontemplate) strand is sufficient to recruit AID and lead to mutations of upstream and downstream A/T residues. In contrast, the targeting of cytosines on the bottom strand by AID does not lead to substantial mutation of neighboring residues. This strand asymmetry is eliminated in mice deficient in mismatch repair, indicating that the error-prone mismatch repair machinery preferentially targets top-strand uracils in a way that promotes SHM during the antibody response. PMID- 17761885 TI - Localization of a stable neural correlate of associative memory. AB - Do learning and retrieval of a memory activate the same neurons? Does the number of reactivated neurons correlate with memory strength? We developed a transgenic mouse that enables the long-lasting genetic tagging of c-fos-active neurons. We found neurons in the basolateral amygdala that are activated during Pavlovian fear conditioning and are reactivated during memory retrieval. The number of reactivated neurons correlated positively with the behavioral expression of the fear memory, indicating a stable neural correlate of associative memory. The ability to manipulate these neurons genetically should allow a more precise dissection of the molecular mechanisms of memory encoding within a distributed neuronal network. PMID- 17761886 TI - Cell and molecular biology of Notch. AB - Notch signalling is a cell-cell communication process, which allows the establishment of patterns of gene expression and differentiation, regulates binary cell fate choice and the maintenance of stem cell populations. So far, the data published has elucidated the main players in the Notch signalling pathway. However, its regulatory mechanisms are exhibiting an increasing complexity which could account for the multitude of roles it has during development and in adult organisms. In this review, we will describe the multiple roles of Notch and how various factors can regulate Notch signalling. PMID- 17761887 TI - Differential expression of neurogenins and NeuroD1 in human pituitary tumours. AB - Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors are involved in neuroendocrine cell growth and differentiation. Though NeuroD1 is viewed as corticotroph specific, its overexpression in non-corticotroph pituitary adenomas (PAs) may reflect the activation of molecular pathways involving other bHLH factors, like neurogenins. To search for neurogenin-NeuroD1 molecular pathways in the human normal and tumoural pituitary. Fifty-one PAs--22 clinically non secreting (CNS) and 29 secreting respectively--and normal human pituitaries (NP) were studied for NeuroD1 and neurogenins (Ngn1, Ngn2 and Ngn3) gene expression by RT-PCR and quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Immunohistochemistry for Ngn2/3 was performed in some cases. NeuroD1, Ngn2, Ngn3 and Ngn1 were observed in up to 84.3, 76.5, 30.4 and 9.1% of PA respectively, only NeuroD1 and Ngn2 being frequently overexpressed when compared with NP. Whereas NeuroD1 expression was higher in corticotroph and CNS adenomas (P=0.0001 versus Pit-1-dependent PA), Ngn2 expression was higher in secreting PA, especially in Pit-1-dependent PA (P=0.007 and P=0.0006 versus CNS respectively). Pit-1-dependent PA which received pre-operative pharmacological treatment expressed higher Ngn2 levels than untreated cases (P=0.025). Nuclear Ngn2 was observed in NP and in most PA, especially ACTH- and GH-secreting adenomas. Nuclear Ngn3 was observed in a minority of secreting PA. Ngn2 is normally expressed in the anterior pituitary and frequently expressed in PA, but does not account for NeuroD1 overexpression where present. Owing to their low and inconstant expression, the biological significance of Ngn1/3 in the adult pituitary is uncertain. PMID- 17761888 TI - Expression and biological effects of bone morphogenetic protein-15 in the hen ovary. AB - The bone morphogenetic protein 15 (Bmp15) and growth differentiation factor 9 (Gdf9) genes are two members of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily. In mammals, these genes are known to be specifically expressed in oocytes and to be essential for female fertility. However, potential ovarian roles of BMPs remain unexplored in birds. The aim of the present work was to study for the first time the expression of Bmp15 in the hen ovary, to compare its expression pattern with that of Gdf9, and then to investigate the effects of BMP15 on granulosa cell (GC) proliferation and steroidogenesis. We found that chicken Bmp15 and Gdf9 genes were preferentially expressed in the ovary. We showed using in situ hybridization that Bmp15 and Gdf9 mRNAs were specifically localized in oocytes of all ovarian follicles examined. We also demonstrated using real-time quantitative RT-PCR that Bmp15 and Gdf9 expression was maintained during hierarchical follicular maturation in the gerrminal disc region and then progressively declined after ovulation. BMP15 was able to activate Smad1 (mothers against decapentaplegichomolog1) signaling pathway in hen GCs. Moreover, we showed a strong inhibitory effect of BMP15 on gonadotropin-induced progesterone production in hen GCs. This inhibitory effect was associated with a decrease in steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) level. Taken together, our results suggest that BMP15 may have a key role in the female fertility of birds. PMID- 17761889 TI - Differential expression of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis enzymes in conceptus during peri-implantation period and endometrial expression of carbonyl reductase/PG 9-ketoreductase in the pig. AB - Prostaglandins (PGs) play a pivotal role in luteolysis, maternal recognition of pregnancy, and implantation. In many species, including pigs, both conceptus (embryo and associated membranes) and endometrium synthesize PGE(2), which may antagonize PGF(2alpha) by playing a luteotropic/antiluteolytic role. Previously, we have reported expression profiles of PG G/H synthases (PGHS-1 and PGHS-2), PGE synthase (mPGES-1), and PGF synthase (PGFS) in the endometrium of cyclic and pregnant pigs. In the present study, expression of above-mentioned PG synthesis enzymes and PG 9-ketoreductase (CBR1), which converts PGE(2) into PGF(2alpha), and the PGE(2)/PGF(2alpha) ratios were investigated in porcine peri- and post implantation conceptuses. Furthermore, expression of CBR1 was examined in the endometrium. PGHS-2 and mPGES-1 were upregulated, and PGHS-1, PGFS, and CBR1 were downregulated in conceptuses during trophoblastic elongation. A second increase of mPGES-1 mRNA occurred after days 20-21 of pregnancy. After initiation of implantation, expression of PGHS-1, PGFS, and CBR1 in conceptuses increased and remained higher until days 24-25 of pregnancy. Comparison of the endometrial CBR1 protein expression in cyclic and pregnant gilts revealed upregulation on days 16 17 of the cycle and downregulation on days 10-11 of pregnancy. In conclusion, reciprocal expression of PGHS-2, mPGES-1, PGFS, and CBR1 in day 10-13 conceptuses and decrease of endometrial CBR1 may be important in increasing the PGE(2)/PGF(2alpha) ratio during maternal recognition of pregnancy. This study indicates that PGE(2) produced via PGHS-2 and mPGES-1 in conceptus may be involved in corpus luteum control. Moreover, high expression of conceptus PGHS-1, mPGES-1, PGFS, and CBR1 after initiation of implantation suggests their significant role in placentation. PMID- 17761890 TI - Up-regulation of Per1 expression by estradiol and progesterone in the rat uterus. AB - It has been established that estrogen can alter circadian rhythms in behavior and endocrine physiology in rodents. The uterus is a reproductive organ that is critically dependent on regulation by ovarian steroids. Here, we examined the expression of Per1 in different compartments of the uterus, and explored whether the ovarian steroids could regulate Per1 expression employing ovariectomized rat uterus. RT-PCR analysis showed that Per1 was cyclically expressed in the uterus. As revealed by in situ hybridization, the staining intensity of Per1 mRNA was stronger at ZT 8 than at ZT 0 in the uterine luminal epithelium (LE), stroma (S), and myometrium (M) compartments, but was not changed in the glandular epithelium (GE). Both in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence analyses revealed that estradiol (E(2)) administration induced high expression of Per1 in the LE, GE, and M, and less expression in the S compartment. Progesterone (P(4)) treatment resulted in an obvious enhancement of Per1 expression in the LE, GE, and S, but unchanged in the M compartment. Furthermore, the E(2)- and P(4)-activated Per1 expression was significantly repressed by their respective antagonists, ICI182 780 and RU486. These findings were further supported by RT-PCR analysis of Per1 expression in cultured uterine stromal cells. Collectively, the present data indicate that E(2) and P(4) might be involved in modification of circadian rhythm via direct regulation of the expression of clock genes. PMID- 17761891 TI - Cardiac expression of adenine nucleotide translocase-1 in transgenic mice overexpressing bovine GH. AB - Heart hypertrophy is a common finding of acromegaly, a syndrome due to GH excess. Impairment of adenine nucleotide translocase-1 (ANT-1) gene, the main mitochondrial ADP/ATP exchanger, leads to cardiac hypertrophy. The aim of the study was to evaluate cardiac expression and the functional role of ANT-1 in 1- to 12-month-old transgenic mice overexpressing bovine GH (acromegalic mice, Acro) and littermate controls (wild-type mice, Wt). GH specificity of protein degree variation was assessed treating Acro with pegvisomant, a GH receptor competitor. Tissue levels of ANT-1, NF-kappaB, ATP, and lactic acid were evaluated by western blot, bioluminescence, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy respectively. The degree of ANT-1 expression was higher in 1-month-old Acro than in Wt (47+/-5% OD vs 33+/-4% OD, P<0 01). On the contrary, ANT-1 expression was lower in 3- to 12-month-old Acro than in Wt (P<0 03). Changes in ANT-1 expression were associated with consistent changes of cellular ATP content, increasing at 1 month (P<0 05) and reducing thereafter in Acro when compared with Wt (P<0 04). Treatment with pegvisomant abolished ANT-1 and ATP changes observed in 1- and 3 month-old Acro, thus supporting a GH-dependent mechanism. Reduced ATP generation in hypertrophied hearts of older Acro was associated with increased lactic acid levels suggesting that part of energy was due to glycolysis. Variations in ANT-1 expression were linked to GH through changes in NF-kappaB, the levels of which changed accordingly. In conclusion, 1-month-old acromegalic mice had increased ANT-1 expression and higher degree of ATP production. Long-standing disease was associated with a consistent reduction of ANT-1 and ATP tissue levels, which became GH-independent in older animals. This study demonstrated a direct effect of GH on key proteins involved in energy metabolism of acromegalic hearts. PMID- 17761892 TI - GH enhances proliferation of human hepatocytes grafted into immunodeficient mice with damaged liver. AB - We investigated effects of human (h) GH on the proliferation of h-hepatocytes that had been engrafted in the liver of albumin enhancer/promoter driven urokinase plasminogen activator transgenic/severe combined immunodeficiency disease (uPA/SCID) mice (chimeric mice). The h-hepatocytes therein were considered to be deficient in GH, because hGH receptor (hGHR) is unresponsive to mouse GH. Actually, hIGF-1 was undetectable in chimeric mouse sera. The uPA/SCID mice were transplanted with h-hepatocytes from a 6-year (6Y)-old donor, and were injected with recombinant hGH (rhGH). rhGH stimulated the repopulation speed of h hepatocytes; and up-regulated hIGF-1, human signal transducers and activators of transcription (hSTAT) 3, and cell cycle regulatory genes such as human forkhead box M1, human cell division cycle 25A, and human cyclin D1. To confirm the reproducibility of these effects of rhGH, similar experiments were run using h hepatocytes from a 46-year (46Y)-old donor. rhGH similarly enhanced their repopulation speed and up-regulated the expression of the above-tested genes, especially hIGF-1 and hSTAT1. The extent of the enhancement by rhGH was much less than that in 6Y-hepatocyte-chimeric mice most probably due to the difference in GHR expression levels between the two donors. In conclusion, this study clearly demonstrated that rhGH stimulates the proliferation of h-hepatocytes in vivo. PMID- 17761893 TI - Infliximab reverses steatosis and improves insulin signal transduction in liver of rats fed a high-fat diet. AB - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, induced by nutritional factors, is one of the leading causes of hepatic dysfunction in the modern world. The activation of proinflammatory signaling in the liver, which is induced by systemic and locally produced cytokines, and the development of hepatic insulin resistance are two important factors associated with the progression from steatosis to steatohepatitis, a pre-cirrhotic condition. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of inhibition of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha , using the monoclonal antibody infliximab, on the expression of cytokines, induction of steatosis and fibrosis, and insulin signal transduction in the liver of Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet. Ten days of treatment with infliximab significantly reduced the expression of the proinflammatory markers, TNF-alpha , IL-6, IL-1beta , and SOCS-3, in the liver of rats fed a high-fat diet. This was accompanied by reduced fat deposition and fibrosis and by improved insulin signal transduction through insulin receptor (IR)/IR substrate/Akt/FOXO1 and JAK2/STAT3 pathways. In conclusion, short-term inhibition of TNF-alpha with infliximab reduces inflammation and steatosis/fibrosis, while improving insulin signal transduction in an animal model treated with a high-fat diet. PMID- 17761894 TI - Rat insulin promoter 2-Cre recombinase mice bred onto a pure C57BL/6J background exhibit unaltered glucose tolerance. AB - Beta-cell-specific gene targeting is a widely used tool when studying genes involved in beta-cell function. For this purpose, several conditional beta-cell knockouts have been generated using the rat insulin promoter 2-Cre recombinase (RIP2-Cre) mouse. However, it was recently observed that expression of Cre alone in beta-cells may affect whole body glucose homeostasis. Therefore, we investigated glucose homeostasis, insulin secretion, and beta-cell mass in our line of RIP2-Cre mice bred onto the C57BL/6J genetic background. We used 12- and 28-week-old female RIP2-Cre mice for analyses of insulin secretion in vitro, glucose homeostasis in vivo and beta-cell mass. Our mouse line has been backcrossed for 14 generations to yield a near 100% pure C57BL/6J background. We found that fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels were similar in both genotypes. An i.v. glucose tolerance test revealed no differences in glucose clearance and insulin secretion between 12-week-old RIP2-Cre and WT mice. Moreover, insulin secretion in vitro in islets isolated from 28-week-old RIP2-Cre mice and controls was similar. In addition, beta-cell mass was not different between the two genotypes at 28 weeks of age. In our experiments, we observed no differences in glucose tolerance, insulin secretion in vivo and in vitro, or in beta-cell mass between the genotypes. As our RIP2-Cre mice are on a near 100% pure genetic background (C57BL/6J), we suggest that the perturbations in glucose homeostasis previously reported in RIP2-Cre mouse lines can be accounted for by differences in genetic background. PMID- 17761895 TI - Inactivation of the IGF-I receptor gene in primary Sertoli cells highlights the autocrine effects of IGF-I. AB - IGF-I regulates pituitary and gonadal functions, and is pivotal for sexual development and fertility in mammalian species. To better understand the function of autocrine IGF-I in Sertoli cell physiology, we established a system for Cre mediated conditional inactivation of the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) in cultured Sertoli cells. We show here that loss of IGF-IR decreased the number of viable Sertoli cells as a consequence of diminished Sertoli cell proliferation and increased Sertoli cell death. Furthermore, the lack of IGF-IR altered the morphology of cultured Sertoli cells and decreased lactate and transferrin secretions. Collectively, our data indicate that autocrine IGF-I contributes significantly to Sertoli cell homeostasis. The described in vitro system for loss of-function analysis of the IGF-IR can be readily transposed to study the role of other intratesticular growth factors involved in spermatogenesis. PMID- 17761896 TI - Isoginkgetin enhances adiponectin secretion from differentiated adiposarcoma cells via a novel pathway involving AMP-activated protein kinase. AB - Adiponectin is an anti-diabetic hormone secreted by adipocytes. Circulating adiponectin levels are lower in obese and type II diabetic patients than in healthy people. Weight loss or thiazolidinedione treatment increases plasma adiponectin levels. Animal models and human studies suggest that elevated adiponectin levels increase insulin sensitivity. We screened a library of drug like compounds and natural products for novel agents enhancing adiponectin production. We identified isoginkgetin, a compound derived from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba, to up-regulate adiponectin secretion with potency comparable to that of rosiglitazone, a known modulator of adiponectin production. However, unlike rosiglitazone, peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma activity seems not required for the action of isoginkgetin, and isoginkgetin has only a slight effect on adipogenesis, which makes it an attractive candidate for anti diabetic treatment. Further investigation revealed that both isoginkgetin and rosiglitazone activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in adipocytes. Our findings suggest a novel mechanism for the elevation of adiponectin by isoginkgetin, which is different from that of rosiglitazone. Furthermore, this novel mechanism for adiponectin regulation involving AMPK can potentially facilitate new understanding of metabolic diseases and identification of new targets, as well as agents that increase plasma adiponectin levels. PMID- 17761897 TI - The development of rat Leydig cell progenitors in vitro: how essential is luteinising hormone? AB - Luteinising hormone (LH) appears to be important for the establishment of the adult-type Leydig cell population. The role of LH in the initial steps of stem Leydig cell/precursor cell differentiation is less clear. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the role of LH in the differentiation of spindle-shaped mesenchymal-like cells into Leydig cell progenitors. Interstitial cells were isolated from rat testes at three different ages reflecting different phases in development, and cultured in the presence of increasing concentrations of LH (ranging from 0.01 to 10 ng/ml). Cells were isolated from 10-day-old rats when stem Leydig cells/precursor cells are abundant; 13-day-old rats when the first 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD)-positive Leydig cell progenitors have developed in the strain of rats used in this study; and 18-day-old rats just prior to the wave of progenitor proliferation. Immunohistochemistry revealed that before stem Leydig cells differentiate into progenitor cells, they acquire functional LH receptors and become precursor cells. This was confirmed by an in vivo immunohistochemical double-labelling experiment. Addition of LH to the cultures increased the percentage of LH/3beta-HSD-labelled Leydig cell progenitors, while the percentage of cells solely expressing the LH receptor decreased. Cell proliferation was negligible, suggesting that the increase in 3beta-HSD-positive cells is the result of precursor cell differentiation. When interstitial cells were isolated from 13-day-old rats and to a lesser extent from 10-day-old rats, a small proportion of the precursors could develop into progenitor cells independent of the presence of LH. IN CONCLUSION: before Leydig stem cells differentiate into 3beta-HSD-positive progenitor cells, they acquire LH receptors and become precursor cells. LH appears to be essential, even at very low doses for the differentiation of these precursor cells into 3beta-HSD positive progenitors, although a subpopulation of precursor cells can develop into progenitors independently of LH. PMID- 17761899 TI - The influence of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on steroidogenesis by the ovarian granulosa cells of immature female rats. AB - Phthalate esters are known to exert harmful effects on mammalian reproduction and fertility, but their potential adverse effects on the hormonal functions of the ovary have not yet been elucidated in detail. Here, we investigated the effects of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis of young developing female rats, as well as on ex vivo steroidogenesis by granulosa cells (GCs) and secretion of LH by gonadotropes. Exposure of 20-day-old female rats to 500 mg DEHP by oral gavage once daily for 10 days reduced their serum levels of progesterone and estradiol, while tending to enhance levels of LH. Furthermore, primary cultures of GCs isolated from these rats exhibited an attenuated capacity to produce progesterone in response to stimulation by LH and FSH, as well as a lower degree of transport of endogenous cholesterol into mitochondria. Moreover, the ability of primary cultures of pituitary cells isolated from DEHP-treated rats to produce and secrete LH in response to GnRH was significantly enhanced. In addition, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, a metabolite of DEHP, significantly potentiated GnRH-stimulated production of LH by cultures of pituitary cells isolated from untreated 20-day-old female rats. Together, these data indicate that DEHP exerts dual effects on the pituitary-gonadal axis, stimulating the hormonal function of the pituitary and, at the same time, by inhibiting steroidogenesis by GCs. PMID- 17761898 TI - PTGER1 and PTGER2 receptors mediate regulation of progesterone synthesis and type 1 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity by prostaglandin E2 in human granulosa lutein cells. AB - In luteinizing granulosa cells, prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) can exert luteotrophic actions, apparently via the cAMP signalling pathway. In addition to stimulating progesterone synthesis, PGE(2) can also stimulate oxidation of the physiological glucocorticoid, cortisol, to its inactive metabolite, cortisone, by the type 1 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD1) enzyme in human granulosa-lutein cells. Having previously shown these human ovarian cells to express functional G-protein coupled, E-series prostaglandin (PTGER)1, PTGER2 and PTGER4 receptors, the aim of this study was to delineate the roles of PTGER1 and PTGER2 receptors in mediating the effects of PGE(2) on steroidogenesis and cortisol metabolism in human granulosa-lutein cells. PGE(2)-stimulated concentration-dependent increases in both progesterone production and cAMP accumulation (by 1.9 +/- 0.1- and 18.7 +/- 6.8-fold respectively at 3000 nM PGE(2)). While a selective PTGER1 antagonist, SC19220, could partially inhibit the steroidogenic response to PGE(2) (by 55.9 +/- 4.1% at 1000 nM PGE(2)), co treatment with AH6809, a mixed PTGER1/PTGER2 receptor antagonist, completely abolished the stimulation of progesterone synthesis at all tested concentrations of PGE(2) and suppressed the stimulation of cAMP accumulation. Both PGE(2) and butaprost (a preferential PTGER2 receptor agonist) stimulated concentration dependent increases in cortisol oxidation by 11betaHSD1 (by 42.5 +/- 3.1 and 40.0 +/- 3.0% respectively, at PGE(2) and butaprost concentrations of 1000 nM). Co treatment with SC19220 enhanced the ability of both PGE(2) and butaprost to stimulate 11betaHSD1 activity (by 30.2 +/- 0.2 and 30.5 +/- 0.6% respectively), whereas co-treatment with AH6809 completely abolished the 11betaHSD1 responses to PGE(2) and butaprost. These findings implicate the PTGER2 receptor-cAMP signalling pathway in the stimulation of progesterone production and 11betaHSD1 activity by PGE(2) in human granulosa-lutein cells. PMID- 17761900 TI - Maternal adaptations to pregnancy in spontaneously hypertensive rats: leptin and ghrelin evaluation. AB - Leptin and/or ghrelin, initially thought to be considered messengers of energy metabolism, are now considered to play a role in normal and complicated pregnancy. In this study, pregnant, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) have been used to evaluate, for the first time, the modification of leptin and ghrelin both at serum and tissue levels. In SHR, we evaluate plasma leptin level and tissue protein expression in both placenta and adipose tissue at the end of gestation (day 20) versus normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) animals. The expression of functional leptin receptor (Ob-Rb) in peripheral tissues and in the hypothalamus was evaluated. Moreover, we measured plasma ghrelin level and its mRNA expression in the stomach and placenta. SHR strain presented significantly lower plasma leptin levels when compared with those found in pregnant or not WKY controls. Interestingly, in the placenta, leptin gene expression was higher in SHR than normotensive WKY. Moreover, we demonstrated a resistance to the effects of leptin via 'downregulation' of hypothalamic receptors in pregnant SHR. Conversely, SHR presented significantly higher ghrelin plasma levels when compared with those found in pregnant or not WKY. However, we observed that ghrelin level in the stomach of SHR did not change during pregnancy, and on the opposite, mRNA ghrelin in the placenta of SHR was lower than that of normotensive rats, suggesting a different production of this hormone in the fetal-placental unit. These data gain further insight into metabolic hormone modifications observed in a model of pre-existing hypertension associated with pregnancy. PMID- 17761901 TI - Ghrelin differentially modulates glucose-induced insulin secretion according to feeding status in sheep. AB - The present study was conducted to investigate roles of ghrelin in glucose induced insulin secretion in fasting- and meal-fed state in sheep. Castrated Suffolk rams were fed a maintenance diet of alfalfa hay cubes once a day. Hyperglycemic clamp (HGC) was carried out to examine glucose-induced insulin response from 48 to 53 h (fasting state) and from 3 to 8 h (meal-fed state) after feeding in Experiment 1 and 2 respectively. Total dose of 70 nmol/kg body weight of D-Lys3-GHRP6, a GH secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) antagonist, was intravenously administered at 0, 60, and 120 min after the commencement of HGC. In the fasting state, the ghrelin antagonist significantly (P < 0.01) enhanced glucose-induced insulin secretion. In the meal-fed state, i.v. administration of synthetic ovine ghrelin (0.04 microg/kg body weight per min during HGC) significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced glucose-induced insulin secretion. d-Lys3-GHRP6 treatment suppressed ghrelin-induced enhancement of the insulin secretion. In conclusion, ghrelin has an inhibitory and stimulatory role in glucose-induced insulin secretion via GHS-R1a in fasting- and meal-fed state respectively. PMID- 17761902 TI - Dehydroepiandrosterone secretion in dairy cattle is episodic and unaffected by ACTH stimulation. AB - This paper describes the episodic release and response to adrenal stimulation of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in cows. Observations made in samples taken every 10 min for 8 h (experiment 1) showed that plasma DHEA was significantly greater (P < 0.001) than DHEA-S, and release of these steroids was episodic and variable between animals (P < 0.01). No relationship was found between DHEA and cortisol. Significant (P < 0.001) DHEA-sulphate (DHEA-S) versus cortisol (R = -0.264) and DHEA-S versus DHEA (R = 0.200) correlations were found. DHEA and DHEA-S were not affected by a single ACTH challenge (experiment 2). In experiment 3, cortisol and DHEA secretions in response to prolonged ACTH administration (every 12 h for 6 days) were studied. On day 7, the episodic cortisol and DHEA release and response to the opioid antagonist naloxone were studied in blood samples taken every 10 min for 8 h. Animals were injected with naloxone after 4 h. A significant increase (P < 0.05) in mean circulating DHEA and DHEA pulse amplitude was observed during frequent sampling following ACTH treatment. DHEA and DHEA-S plasma concentrations were not affected following luteal regression (experiment 4). The effect of milk secretion around parturition on DHEA secretion was studied in dry and continuously milked cows (experiment 5). Plasma DHEA was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in milked cows. In the cow, ACTH is not an important DHEA secretagogue. Adrenal contribution to plasma DHEA is scarce. Likely, the placenta is the most important source of DHEA, and the lactating mammary gland can affect circulating DHEA levels. Investigation about the DHEA biological role in cows should be focused around parturition. PMID- 17761903 TI - Melatonin administration prevents cardiac and diaphragmatic mitochondrial oxidative damage in senescence-accelerated mice. AB - Cardiac and diaphragmatic mitochondria from male SAMP8 (senescent) and SAMR1 (resistant) mice of 5 or 10 months of age were studied. Levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione (GSH), GSH disulfide (GSSG), and GSH peroxidase and GSH reductase (GRd) activities were measured. In addition, the effect of chronic treatment with the antioxidant melatonin from 1 to 10 months of age was evaluated. Cardiac and diaphragmatic mitochondria show an age-dependent increase in LPO levels and a reduction in GSH:GSSG ratios. Chronic treatment with melatonin counteracted the age-dependent LPO increase and GSH:GSSG ratio reduction in these mitochondria. Melatonin also increased GRd activity, an effect that may account for the maintenance of the mitochondrial GSH pool. Total mitochondrial content of GSH increased after melatonin treatment. In general, the effects of age and melatonin treatment were similar in senescence-resistant mice (SAMR1) and SAMP8 cardiac and diaphragmatic mitochondria, suggesting that these mice strains display similar mitochondrial oxidative damage at the age of 10 months. The results also support the efficacy of long-term melatonin treatment in preventing the age-dependent mitochondrial oxidative stress. PMID- 17761904 TI - Different interpretation of the effect of two different intense training regimens on repeated sprint ability. PMID- 17761906 TI - Do we need to assess the effect of treatment withdrawal? The paradigm of life long prevention. PMID- 17761907 TI - Higher total serum cholesterol levels are associated with less severe strokes and lower all-cause mortality: ten-year follow-up of ischemic strokes in the Copenhagen Stroke Study. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Evidence of a causal relation between serum cholesterol and stroke is inconsistent. We investigated the relation between total serum cholesterol and both stroke severity and poststroke mortality to test the hypothesis that hypercholesterolemia is primarily associated with minor stroke. METHODS: In the study, 652 unselected patients with ischemic stroke arrived at the hospital within 24 hours of stroke onset. A measure of total serum cholesterol was obtained in 513 (79%) within the 24-hour time window. Stroke severity was measured with the Scandinavian Stroke Scale (0=worst, 58=best); a full cardiovascular risk profile was established for all. Death within 10 years after stroke onset was obtained from the Danish Registry of Persons. RESULTS: Mean+/-SD age of the 513 patients was 75+/-10 years, 54% were women, and the mean+/-SD Scandinavian Stroke Scale score was 39+/-17. Serum cholesterol was inversely and almost linearly related to stroke severity: an increase of 1 mmol/L in total serum cholesterol resulted in an increase in the Scandinavian Stroke Scale score of 1.32 (95% CI, 0.28 to 2.36, P=0.013), meaning that higher cholesterol levels are associated with less severe strokes. A survival analysis revealed an inverse linear relation between serum cholesterol and mortality, meaning that an increase of 1 mmol/L in cholesterol results in a hazard ratio of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.82 to 0.97, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study support the hypothesis that a higher cholesterol level favors development of minor strokes. Because of selection, therefore, major strokes are more often seen in patients with lower cholesterol levels. Poststroke mortality, therefore, is inversely related to cholesterol. PMID- 17761909 TI - Selective impairment of working memory in a mouse model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We recently designed a mouse model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, in which the cerebral white matter is damaged without significant gray matter lesions. The behavioral characteristics of these mice were studied using a test battery for neurological and cognitive functions. METHODS: Adult C57Bl/6 male mice were subjected to either sham-operation or bilateral common carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) using microcoils with an internal diameter of 0.18 mm. At 30 days after BCAS, 70 animals were divided into 3 groups and subjected to behavioral test batteries. The first group underwent comprehensive behavioral test, including the neurological screen, prepulse inhibition, hot plate, open field, light/dark transition, Porsolt forced swim and contextual and cued fear conditioning (BCAS n=13; sham-operated n=11). The second group was for the working memory task of the 8-arm radial maze test (BCAS n=12; sham-operated n=10), and the third for the reference memory task of the 8-arm radial maze test (BCAS n=13; sham-operated n=11). Another batch of animals were examined for histological changes (BCAS n=11; sham-operated n=12). RESULTS: The white matter including the corpus callosum was consistently found to be rarefied without clear ischemic lesions in the hippocampus. No apparent differences were observed in the comprehensive test batteries between the control and BCAS mice. However, in the working memory tasks tested with the 8-arm radial maze, the BCAS mice made significantly more errors than the control mice (P<0.0001). Again, there were no detectable differences in the reference memory tasks between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: At 30 days after BCAS, working memory deficits as well as white matter changes were apparent in the mice. Working memory deficit was attributable to damage of the frontal-subcortical circuits, suggesting the BCAS model is useful to evaluate the substrates of subcortical vascular dementia. PMID- 17761910 TI - Impaired endothelial function of forearm resistance arteries in CADASIL patients. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a hereditary arteriopathy, which mainly involves the brain causing stroke and dementia. Mice expressing the mutated protein display early dysfunction in vasoreactivity in resistance arteries, but studies of patients have been inconclusive so far. METHODS: We examined peripheral endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in 10 CADASIL-patients and 20 controls using 3 methods: venous occlusion plethysmography of forearm blood flow with intraarterial acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside infusions for evaluation of resistance arteries, ultrasound with flow mediated vasodilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery for evaluation of a conduit artery, and the pulse wave method with measurements before and after terbutaline for evaluation of systemic endothelium-dependent vasodilation. RESULTS: The CADASIL patients displayed reductions in both basal (P=0.034) and stimulated blood flow (P=0.023 for the highest dose of acetylcholine) and an impaired endothelium dependent vasodilation when investigated in forearm resistance arteries (P=0.019). The FMD and the pulse wave method did not show any reduction in endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Endothelium dependent vasodilation was impaired in resistance arteries, but not in a conduit artery, in the forearm of CADASIL patients. PMID- 17761911 TI - To FAST or not to FAST? PMID- 17761912 TI - A new hippocampal model for examining intracerebral hemorrhage-related neuronal death: effects of deferoxamine on hemoglobin-induced neuronal death. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is an urgent need to develop a model in which to study the mechanism of intracerebral hemorrhage-induced neuronal death in vivo. METHODS: This study was divided into 2 parts: (1) Rats received either an infusion of hemoglobin, ferrous iron, or saline into the right hippocampus; (2) Rats had an infusion of hemoglobin and then were treated with either deferoxamine or vehicle. Rats were killed for hippocampus size, DNA damage, and neuronal death measurements. RESULTS: Compared with saline, hemoglobin or iron injection caused hippocampal neuronal death. Systemic use of deferoxamine reduced hemoglobin induced DNA damage, hippocampal neuronal death, and atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: This article demonstrates a new model and indicates that iron has a key role in hemoglobin-induced neuronal death. PMID- 17761913 TI - Detection of carotid adventitial vasa vasorum and plaque vascularization with ultrasound cadence contrast pulse sequencing technique and echo-contrast agent. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Adventitial vasa vasorum and plaque vascularization have been established as predictors of unstable atheromasic lesions in cerebro- and cardiovascular patients. Ultrasound contrast agents provide reliable information on tissue perfusion and microcirculation. We used contrast ultrasound duplex scanning to identify carotid plaque vascularization. METHODS: Contrast carotid duplex scanning was performed in 23 patients with plaques of different degree of stenosis and echogenicity. RESULTS: Plaque vascularization was detected in the fibrous and fibro-fatty tissue and not observed in the calcific nor in the necrotic and hemorrhagic tissue. Constantly, a small vessel was observed under ulcerations. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid contrast ultrasound imaging appears to be an emerging technique for identifying plaque angiogenesis. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of plaque angiogenesis for assessing cerebrovascular risk and to monitor effects of therapies aimed to plaque remodelling. PMID- 17761914 TI - Magnetic resonance spectroscopy study of oxygen therapy in ischemic stroke. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent studies suggest that normobaric oxygen therapy (NBO) is neuroprotective in acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: We performed multivoxel magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging and diffusion/perfusion MRI in patients with stroke treated with NBO or room air. Imaging was performed before, during, and after therapy. RESULTS: Voxel-based analysis showed excellent correlation between apparent diffusion coefficient values, lactate, and N-acetyl aspartate levels at all time points. Lactate decreased during NBO and increased post-NBO. N-acetyl-aspartate decreased in patients receiving room air but not in NBO-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that NBO improves aerobic metabolism and preserves neuronal integrity in the ischemic brain. PMID- 17761915 TI - Risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage in a pooled prospective study. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Few prospective studies have reported risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and results are inconsistent. We studied risk factors for ICH in a pooled cohort of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) and the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). METHODS: The ARIC cohort was recruited in 1987 to 1989 and involves 15 792 men and women, aged 45 to 64 years at baseline, sampled from 4 US communities. The CHS cohort was recruited in 1989 to 1993 and involves 5888 men and women, aged 65 or over at baseline, sampled from 4 US communities. Baseline measurements included many potential vascular risk factors. The cohorts were followed for incident stroke events. RESULTS: Over 263 489 person-years of follow-up, 135 incident ICH events occurred. In a multivariable model, age, African-American ethnicity (versus Whites), and hypertension were positively associated with incident ICH, whereas low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides were inversely related to incident ICH. Participants with systolic blood pressure >or=160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure >/=110 mm Hg had 5.55 (95% CI 3.07 to 10.0) times the rate of ICH as nonhypertensives. Sex, smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, and diabetes were not related to ICH. CONCLUSIONS: In this pooled cohort the risk factors for ICH were older age, African-American ethnicity, hypertension, lower LDL-C, and lower triglycerides. PMID- 17761916 TI - Discontinuation of statin therapy and clinical outcome after ischemic stroke. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The majority of patients with previous ischemic stroke are expected to benefit significantly from long-term statin therapy. However, discontinuation of medication therapy frequently occurs in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of discontinued statin therapy on clinical outcome in patients discharged after an acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: The study population included 631 consecutive stroke survivors (322 men and 309 women; mean+/-SD age, 70.2+/-7.6 years) without clinical evidence of coronary heart disease. All patients were discharged on statin therapy and were followed up for 12 months after the acute ischemic stroke. RESULTS: Within 12 months from discharge, 246 patients (38.9%) discontinued statin therapy; the mean time from discharge to statin discontinuation was 48.6+/-54.9 days (median time, 30 days; interquartile range, 18 to 55 days). During follow-up, 116 patients died (1-year probability of death=0.18; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.21). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that after adjustment for all confounders and interactions, statin therapy discontinuation (hazard ratio=2.78; 95% CI, 1.96 to 3.72; P=0.003) was an independent predictor of all-cause 1-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS: A large number of patients discontinue their use of statins early after acute stroke. Moreover, patients discontinuing statins have a significantly increased mortality during the first year after the acute cerebrovascular event. These findings suggest that patient care should be improved during the transition from a hospital setting to outpatient primary care. PMID- 17761918 TI - Artery-related differences in atherosclerosis expression: implications for atherogenesis and dynamics in intima-media thickness. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Information about the expression of atherosclerosis in different arteries is important. The impact of cardiovascular risk factors is artery-related, and the assessment of arterial structure and function in peripheral arteries are increasingly used as surrogate markers for coronary atherosclerosis and the risk of developing heart attack. METHODS: In an autopsy study, we analyzed the coronary, carotid and superficial femoral arteries from 100 individuals (70 men; 20 to 82 years of age) of which 27 died from coronary atherosclerosis. Microscopic sections (n=4756) were analyzed blindly using a modification of the histological classification endorsed by the American Heart Association (AHA). RESULTS: We found distinct artery-dependent patterns of atherosclerosis with a high prevalence of foam cell lesions and lipid core plaques in the carotid arteries. The femoral arteries were least affected by atherosclerosis, foam cell lesions were rare, and the development of advanced atherosclerosis was strongly age-dependent and dominated by fibrous plaques. Plaques were most common in the left anterior descending coronary artery and the carotid bifurcation. In coronary (versus noncoronary) death, lipid core plaques were more prevalent in all arteries. CONCLUSIONS: The initiation, speed of development, and phenotypic expression of atherosclerotic plaques are artery related. Foam cell lesions are frequent in the carotid arteries, probably explaining the dynamics in carotid intima-media thickness. Atherosclerosis develops slowly in femoral arteries, and severe atherosclerosis is dominated by fibrous plaques. The higher prevalence of lipid core plaques in all arteries in coronary death indicates a systemically more vulnerable expression of atherosclerosis in these individuals. PMID- 17761917 TI - Lipopolysaccharide induces early tolerance to excitotoxicity via nitric oxide and cGMP. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Sublethal injury induces tolerance to a subsequent lethal insult, a phenomenon termed preconditioning (PC). PC occurs within hours (early tolerance) or days (delayed tolerance) after the inducing stimulus. In the brain, delayed tolerance has been studied extensively, but very little is known about early tolerance. We investigated whether the proinflammatory agent lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a well-established inducer of delayed tolerance, can also induce early tolerance and, if so, whether nitric oxide (NO) is involved in its mechanisms. METHODS: In C57BL/6 mice, LPS was administered and N-methyl-D aspartate (NMDA) was microinjected into the neocortex 30 minutes to 24 hours later. Lesion volume was assessed 24 hours after NMDA administration in thionine stained sections. RESULTS: LPS reduced NMDA lesions when administered 1 hour ( 25+/-1%; P<0.05, n=5 per group) or 24 hours (-25+/-4%; P<0.05, n=5 per group) before NMDA application. LPS administration 30 minutes or 2 to 4 hours before NMDA administration was not neuroprotective (P>0.05). The protection at 1 hour was independent of protein synthesis and was blocked by inhibition of neuronal NO synthase or soluble guanylyl cyclase. Furthermore, early protection was not observed in neuronal or endothelial NO synthase-null mice, but it was present in inducible NO synthase-null mice. CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrate that LPS induces both early and late tolerance. At variance with delayed tolerance, which depends on inducible NO synthase and peroxynitrite, early tolerance is mediated by endothelial and neuronal NO through production of cGMP. The findings suggest that LPS can trigger signaling between endothelial cells and neurons, leading to NO production and cGMP-dependent neuroprotection. PMID- 17761919 TI - Association of kallikrein gene polymorphisms with intracranial aneurysms. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Genomewide DNA linkage analysis identified a susceptibility locus for intracranial aneurysm (IA) on chromosome 19q13 in the Finnish population, a region including the kallikrein gene cluster. We investigated the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the kallikrein gene cluster with IA in the Finnish population. METHODS: We genotyped 18 haplotype-tagging SNPs spanning a 244 kbp region in the kallikrein gene cluster for 266 Finnish IA cases and 290 Finnish control subjects. In a second phase, we genotyped 2 SNPs (rs1722561 and rs1701946) in an additional set of 102 Finnish IA cases and 102 Finnish control subjects; and in a third phase, we genotyped these 2 SNPs in 156 Russian IA cases and 186 Russian control subjects. Both single-marker and haplotype-based tests of association were performed. RESULTS: In phase I, SNPs rs1722561 and rs1701946 were significantly associated with IA in the Finnish population for single locus models (rs1722561: P=0.0395; rs1701946: P=0.0253). A 2-SNP haplotype block (rs1722561-rs1701946) identified in phase I was also associated with IA in the expanded Finnish (phase II) data set (asymptotic P=0.012; empirical P=0.019). In the Finnish and Russian combined data set (phase III) with 524 cases and 578 control subjects, the same 2 SNPs (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.60; P=0.0005 for rs1722561 and OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.57; P=0.0011 for rs1701946) were significantly associated with IA. These SNPs are located in the intronic region of KLK8, although linkage disequilibrium could extend from rs268912-rs2250066, a approximately 76-kbp region that includes KLK5 KLK10. CONCLUSIONS: Polymorphisms within the kallikrein gene cluster are associated with IA suggesting that the kallikreins are important candidate genes for IA. PMID- 17761920 TI - Beneficial effects of hematopoietic growth factor therapy in chronic ischemic stroke in rats. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability worldwide. Currently, there is no effective treatment for stroke survivors. Stem cell factor (SCF) and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) are the growth factors regulating hematopoiesis. We have previously observed that SCF and G-CSF have neuroprotective and functional effects on acute brain ischemia. In the present study, the beneficial effects of SCF and G-CSF on chronic brain ischemia were determined. METHODS: SCF, G-CSF, or SCF+G-CSF was administered subcutaneously to rats 3.5 months after induction of ischemic stroke by middle cerebral artery occlusion. Neurological deficits were evaluated by limb placement test and foot fault test over time. Field-evoked potential was performed 19 weeks after treatment. Infarct volume was histologically determined using serial coronal sections. RESULTS: Significant functional improvement was seen in SCF+G CSF-treated rats 1, 5, and 17 weeks after injections. SCF alone also improved functional outcome, but it did not show as stable improvement as SCF+G-CSF. No functional benefit was seen in G-CSF-treated rats. Field-evoked potential studies further confirmed the behavioral data that the normal pattern of neuronal activity was reestablished in the lesioned brain of the rats with good functional outcome. Interestingly, infarction volume was also significantly reduced in SCF+G CSF-treated rats. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide first evidence that functional restoration in chronic brain ischemia can be attained using hematopoietic growth factors. PMID- 17761921 TI - Continuous time-domain analysis of cerebrovascular autoregulation using near infrared spectroscopy. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Assessment of autoregulation in the time domain is a promising monitoring method for actively optimizating cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) in critically ill patients. The ability to detect loss of autoregulatory vasoreactivity to spontaneous fluctuations in CPP was tested with a new time domain method that used near-infrared spectroscopic measurements of tissue oxyhemoglobin saturation in an infant animal model. METHODS: Piglets were made progressively hypotensive over 4 to 5 hours by inflation of a balloon catheter in the inferior vena cava, and the breakpoint of autoregulation was determined using laser-Doppler flowmetry. The cerebral oximetry index (COx) was determined as a moving linear correlation coefficient between CPP and INVOS cerebral oximeter waveforms during 300-second periods. A laser-Doppler derived time-domain analysis of spontaneous autoregulation with the same parameters (LDx) was also determined. RESULTS: An increase in the correlation coefficient between cerebral oximetry values and dynamic CPP fluctuations, indicative of a pressure-passive relationship, occurred when CPP was below the steady state autoregulatory breakpoint. This COx had 92% sensitivity (73% to 99%) and 63% specificity (48% to 76%) for detecting loss of autoregulation attributable to hypotension when COx was above a threshold of 0.36. The area under the receiver-operator characteristics curve for the COx was 0.89. COx correlated with LDx when values were sorted and averaged according to the CPP at which they were obtained (r=0.67). CONCLUSIONS: The COx is sensitive for loss of autoregulation attributable to hypotension and is a promising monitoring tool for determining optimal CPP for patients with acute brain injury. PMID- 17761922 TI - Stimulating circle of Willis nerve fibers preserves the diffusion-perfusion mismatch in experimental stroke. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stimulation of the nerves traversing the ethmoidal foramen (including postsynaptic, parasympathetic projections from the sphenopalatine ganglion [SPG], henceforth referred to as "SPG-stimulation") has been shown to elevate cerebral blood flow (CBF) and to be neuroprotective after permanent, middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). METHODS: Employing diffusion (DWI)- and perfusion (PWI) weighted MRI, the effect of SPG-stimulation (started at 60 minutes post-MCAO) on the spatiotemporal evolution of ischemia during and after pMCAO was investigated. In an additional experiment, regional CBF changes were investigated in the nonischemic brain. RESULTS: In the nonischemic brain, SPG stimulation significantly elevated CBF predominantly within areas supplied by the anterior cerebral artery (by 0.64 mL/g/min relative to baseline). In the ischemic brain, CBF only marginally increased within the penumbra and core (by up to 0.08 and 0.15 mL/g/min relative to prestimulation, respectively). However, the threshold-derived CBF lesion volume did not change significantly. Penumbral apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)-values improved to almost baseline values and the threshold derived ADC/CBF-mismatch was preserved up to 180 minutes after MCAO. TTC-derived lesion volumes were significantly smaller in stimulated versus nonstimulated animals (120.4+/-74.1 mm(3) versus 239.3+/-68.5 mm(3), respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that unilateral SPG stimulation increases CBF bilaterally within the normal brain, acutely preserves the CBF/ADC mismatch largely independent of altering cerebral blood flow, and reduces infarct size in the rat permanent suture model. PMID- 17761923 TI - The Met allele of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism predicts poor outcome among survivors of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a role in neuronal survival, plasticity and neurogenesis. The BDNF gene contains a common Val66Met polymorphism; the Met allele is associated with lower depolarization induced BDNF release and differences in memory functions and brain morphology. We hypothesized that the Met allele is associated with poor recovery from subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHODS: A sample of 105 survivors was assessed at 3 months after subarachnoid hemorrhage using Glascow Outcome Scale. Poor outcome was defined as severe disability or worse. DNA samples were genotyped for the Val66Met polymorphism. RESULTS: Higher percentage of the Met carriers had a poor outcome (29%) as compared with the Val/Val group (10%; P=0.011). In multiple logistic regression, this association between the Met allele and poor outcome was independent of several other prognostic factors such as patient age, clinical condition, and radiological severity of the bleeding (odds ratio 8.40; 95% CI, 1.60 to 44.00; P=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Genetically influenced variation in BDNF function plays a role in recovery from subarachnoid hemorrhage. These data indicate that augmentation of BDNF signaling may be beneficial to recovery from brain injury. PMID- 17761925 TI - The increase of circulating endothelial progenitor cells after acute ischemic stroke is associated with good outcome. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Increased circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) have been associated with a low cardiovascular risk and may be involved in endothelial cell regeneration. The present study was designed to evaluate the prognostic value of EPC in acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with a first-ever nonlacunar ischemic stroke were prospectively included in the study within 12 hours of symptoms onset. Stroke severity was evaluated by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and functional outcome was assessed at 3 months by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Infarct volume growth between admission and days 4 to 7 was measured on multiparametric MRI. EPC colonies were defined as early outgrowth colony-forming unit-endothelial cell (CFU-EC). The increment of CFU-EC was quantified during the first week and defined as the absolute difference between the number of CFU-EC at day 7 and admission. The influence of CFU-EC increase on good functional outcome (mRS or=4 during the first week was associated with good functional outcome at 3 months (odds ratio, 30.7; 95% CI, 2.4 to 375.7; P=0.004) after adjustment for baseline stroke severity, ischemic volume and thrombolytic treatment. For each unit increase in the CFU-EC the mean reduction in the growth of infarct volume was 0.39 (0.03 to 0.76) mL (P=0.033). CONCLUSIONS: The increase of circulating EPC after acute ischemic stroke is associated with good functional outcome and reduced infarct growth. These findings suggest that EPC might participate in neurorepair after ischemic stroke. PMID- 17761926 TI - Designing a message for public education regarding stroke: does FAST capture enough stroke? AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown poor public knowledge of stroke warning signs. The current public education message adopted by the American Heart Association lists 5 stroke warning signs ("suddens"). Another message called FAST (face, arm, speech, time) could be easier to remember, but it does not contain as many stroke symptoms. We sought to assess the percentage of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients identified by both public awareness messages by examining presenting symptoms of all stroke/TIA patients from a large, biracial population in 1999. METHODS: Cases of stroke who presented to an emergency department or were directly admitted were ascertained at all local hospitals by screening of ICD-9 codes 430 to 436, and prospective screening of emergency department admission logs, in 1999. Study nurses abstracted initial presenting symptoms from the medical record. All-cause 30-day case-fatality was calculated. RESULTS: During 1999, 3498 stroke/TIA patients (17% black, 56% female) presented to an emergency department. Of these events, 11.1% had presenting symptoms not included in FAST, whereas 0.1% had presenting symptoms not included in the suddens. The FAST message performed much better for ischemic stroke and TIA than for hemorrhage, missing 8.9% of the ischemic strokes and 8.2% of the TIAs, versus 30.6% of intracerebral hemorrhage/subarachnoid hemorrhage cases. Case-fatality in patients missed by FAST was similar to patients with FAST symptoms (9.0% versus 11.6%, P=0.15). CONCLUSIONS: Within our population, we found that the FAST message identified 88.9% of stroke/TIA patients. The FAST message performed better for ischemic stroke and TIA than for hemorrhagic stroke. Whether the FAST message is easier to recall for the public than the "suddens" message has yet to be determined. PMID- 17761924 TI - Echocardiographic left ventricular mass index predicts incident stroke in African Americans: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Despite theories that link stroke to left ventricular mass, few large, population-based studies have examined the predictive value of echocardiographically derived left ventricular mass index (LVMI) to incident stroke in African Americans. METHODS: Participants in the Jackson cohort of the Atherosclerotic Risk in Communities study have had extensive baseline evaluations, have undergone echocardiography during the third examination (1993 1995), and have been followed up for incident cardiovascular disease including ischemic stroke. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 1792 participants, of whom 639 (35.7%) were men and the mean+/-SD age was 58.8+/-5.7 years. Compared with those without ischemic stroke, those with ischemic stroke had a higher frequency of hypertension (85.6% vs 58.7%) and diabetes (46.9% vs 21.0%). Left ventricular hypertrophy was more prevalent in those with stroke (62.2% vs 38.6%). During a median follow-up of 8.8 years, 98 incident strokes occurred (6.5 per 1000 person-years). LVMI was independently associated with stroke after adjusting for age, sex, hypertension, systolic blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, total to HDL cholesterol ratio, body mass index, and low left ventricular ejection fraction (adjusted hazard ratio per 10 g/m(2.7) increment of LVMI=1.15; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.28). The relation remained statistically significant after adding left atrial size and mitral annular calcification to the multivariable model. CONCLUSIONS: In this large, population-based African American cohort, we found that echocardiographic LVMI was an independent predictor of incident ischemic stroke even after taking into account traditional clinical risk factors. PMID- 17761927 TI - Preoperative cerebral hemodynamic impairment and reactive oxygen species produced during carotid endarterectomy correlate with development of postoperative cerebral hyperperfusion. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to determine whether preoperative cerebral hemodynamic impairment and reactive oxygen species produced during carotid endarterectomy (CEA) correlate with development of postoperative cerebral hyperperfusion. METHODS: Concentrations of malondialdehyde-modified low density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL), a biochemical marker of oxidative damage, were measured in serum samples obtained from 90 patients undergoing CEA for ipsilateral ICA stenosis (>70%). Serum samples were obtained from a venous catheter inserted into the ipsilateral jugular bulb before clamping of the internal carotid artery (ICA), 10 minutes after clamping of the ICA, and 5 and 20 minutes after declamping of the ICA. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) to acetazolamide were also measured using single photon emission computed-tomography before CEA. In addition, CBF was measured postoperatively. RESULTS: Hyperperfusion (CBF increase >100% compared with preoperative values) was observed immediately after CEA in 12 patients (13%). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that reduced preoperative CVR (95% CIs, 1.053 to 1.453; P=0.0097) and an increase in MDA-LDL (calculated as a percentage of the preclamp values) after ICA declamping (95% CIs, 0.862 to 0.980; P=0.0098) were significantly associated with development of postoperative cerebral hyperperfusion among the variables tested. Ten of 11 patients with reduced preoperative CVR and increased MDA-LDL after ICA declamping developed post-CEA hyperperfusion, and 2 of these patients developed cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Both preoperative cerebral hemodynamic impairment and reactive oxygen species produced during surgery correlate with development of cerebral hyperperfusion after CEA. PMID- 17761928 TI - Recurrent hemorrhagic stroke in children: a population-based cohort study. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although hemorrhagic strokes (HS) account for half of all strokes in children, rates and predictors of recurrent HS have not been studied. METHODS: We collected data on all documented cases of HS (intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intraventricular hemorrhage, except neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage), among 2.3 million children (<20 years) enrolled in a Northern Californian health maintenance organization from January 1993 to December 2004. Using Kaplan-Meier survival analyses censoring at death or loss to follow-up, we determined rates of recurrent HS. Log rank tests were used for bivariate comparisons. RESULTS: Among 116 children with atraumatic incident HS followed for a mean of 4.2 years, 11 had a recurrent HS at a median of 3.1 months (range 7 days to 5.7 years), yielding an overall 5-year cumulative recurrence rate (CRR) of 10% (95% CI, 58% to 18%). Sixty-four percent of recurrences were within the first 6 months. Whereas children with idiopathic HS (n=29) had no recurrences, children with structural lesions (vascular malformations or tumors) had a 5-year cumulative recurrence rate of 13% (95% CI, 7% to 25%; 9 recurrences among 71 children; P<0.05 compared with idiopathic). Children with medical etiologies (eg, thrombocytopenia, hypertension) had a 5 year cumulative recurrence rate of 13% (95% CI, 3% to 41%; 2 recurrences among 16 children), but the recurrences were within the first week. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, 1 in 10 children with HS experienced a recurrence within 5 years, despite available therapies. Whereas idiopathic HS rarely recurred, and HS due to medical etiologies tended to recur acutely, children with structural lesions had a high and prolonged risk for recurrence. PMID- 17761929 TI - Blood pressure in relation to the incidence of cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage. Hypertensive hemorrhage: debated nomenclature is still relevant. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Data regarding the association between blood pressure level and incidence of stroke subtype, especially primary intracerebral hemorrhage (PICH) subtypes, is sparse. This population-based study explored the relationship between blood pressure and the incidence of cerebral infarction, and PICH, with lobar and nonlobar location. METHODS: Risk factors were assessed in 27,702 men and women without prior stroke from the city of Malmo, Sweden. RESULTS: Mean age was 58.1 years. In all, 701 subjects had stroke (613 cerebral infarction and 88 PICH) during the follow-up period (mean, 7.5 years). The age- and sex-standardized incidences of cerebral infarction in subjects with hypertension grade 3 (>or=180/110 mm Hg) and normal blood pressure (<140/90 mm Hg) were 6.8 and 1.7 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Compared with the normotensive group, the adjusted relative risk of cerebral infarction was 3.4 (95% CI: 2.6 to 4.5) in subjects with hypertension grade 3. The corresponding incidences of lobar PICH were 0.5 versus 0.08 per 1000 person-years, respectively (adjusted relative risk: 9.2, 95% CI: 2.6 to 32.6) and for nonlobar PICH 1.6 versus 0.09 per 1000 person-years, respectively (adjusted relative risk: 25.9, 95% CI: 8.2 to 82.3). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke increased progressively with increasing blood pressure. Although hypertension was associated with substantially higher incidence rates and absolute numbers of cerebral infarction, which is most important in the public health perspective, the relationship with nonlobar PICH was strongest in terms of relative risks. PMID- 17761930 TI - Retention of low-density lipoprotein in atherosclerotic lesions of the mouse: evidence for a role of lipoprotein lipase. AB - Direct binding of apolipoprotein (apo)B-containing lipoproteins to proteoglycans is the initiating event in atherosclerosis, but the processes involved at later stages of development are unclear. Here, we investigated the importance of the apoB-proteoglycan interaction in the development of atherosclerosis over time and investigated the role of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) to facilitate low-density lipoprotein (LDL) retention at later stages of development. Atherosclerosis was analyzed in apoB transgenic mice expressing LDL with normal (control LDL) or reduced proteoglycan-binding (RK3359-3369SA LDL) activity after an atherogenic diet for 0 to 40 weeks. The initiation of atherosclerosis was delayed in mice expressing RK3359-3369SA LDL, but they eventually developed the same level of atherosclerosis as mice expressing control LDL. Retention studies in vivo showed that although higher levels of 131I-tyramine cellobiose-labeled control LDL (131I TC-LDL) were retained in nonatherosclerotic aortae compared with RK3359-3369SA 131I-TC-LDL, the retention was significantly higher and there was no difference between the groups in atherosclerotic aortae. Lower levels of control 125I-TC-LDL and RK3359-3369SA 125I-TC-LDL were retained in atherosclerotic aortae from ldlr-/ mice transplanted with lpl-/- compared with lpl+/+ bone marrow. Uptake of control LDL or RK3359-3369SA LDL into macrophages with specific expression of human catalytically active or inactive LPL was increased compared with control macrophages. Furthermore, transgenic mice expressing catalytically active or inactive LPL developed the same extent of atherosclerosis. Thus, retention of LDL in the artery wall is initiated by direct LDL-proteoglycan binding but shifts to indirect binding with bridging molecules such as LPL. PMID- 17761931 TI - Electrophysiological coupling of transplanted cardiomyocytes. PMID- 17761932 TI - Stoking up BKCa channels in hemorrhagic shock: which channel subunit is really fueling the fire? PMID- 17761933 TI - Bouncing back from elastin deficiency. PMID- 17761934 TI - Angiotensin-converting enzyme and vascular remodeling. AB - Vascular remodeling is the result of a close interplay of changes in vascular tone and structure. In this review, the role of angiotension-converting enzyme (ACE) and the impact of ACE inhibition on vascular remodeling processes during vascular injury and restenosis, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and aneurysm formation are discussed. The role of ACE and angiotensin II (Ang II) in neointimal thickening has been firmly established by animal studies and is mediated by Ang II type 1 (AT(1)) receptor signaling events via monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and NAD(P)H oxidase. ACE and Ang II are involved in the remodeling of large and resistance arteries during hypertension; here, cell proliferation and matrix remodeling are also regulated by signaling events downstream of the AT(1) receptor. In atherosclerosis, Ang II is involved in the inflammatory and tissue response, mediated by various signaling pathways downstream of the AT(1) receptor. Although ACE inhibition has been shown to inhibit atherosclerotic processes in experimental animal models, results of large clinical trials with ACE inhibitors were not conclusive. Remodeling of vessel dimensions and structure during aneurysm formation is counteracted by ACE inhibition. Here, a direct effect of ACE inhibitors on matrix metalloproteinase activity has to be considered as part of the working mechanism. The role of ACE2 in vascular remodeling has yet to be established; however, ACE2 has been shown to be associated with vascular changes in hypertension and atherosclerosis. PMID- 17761935 TI - Prevention of tissue death by killer cells? The role of the immune system in arteriogenesis. PMID- 17761936 TI - Involvement of Rho kinase in endothelial barrier maintenance. AB - OBJECTIVE: Rho kinase mediates vascular leakage caused by many vasoactive agents including thrombin. Enhanced Rho kinase activity induces endothelial barrier dysfunction by a contractile mechanism via inactivation of Myosin Phosphatase (MP). Here, we investigated the contribution of basal Rho kinase activity to the regulation of endothelial barrier integrity. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a phospho specific antibody against the myosin phosphatase targeting subunit (Thr696-MYPT1) as a marker for Rho kinase activity, basal endothelial Rho kinase activity was observed at cell-cell contact sites, in vitro and in situ. Thrombin enhanced MYPT phosphorylation at F-actin stress fibers. Inhibition of basal Rho kinase activity for 24 hours or depletion of Rho kinase (ROCK-I and -II) by siRNA disrupted endothelial barrier integrity, opposite to the previously observed protection from the thrombin-enhanced endothelial permeability. This barrier dysfunction could not be explained by changes in RhoA, Rac1, eNOS, or apoptosis. Remarkably, basal Rho kinase activity was essential for proper expression of the adhesion molecule VE-cadherin. CONCLUSIONS: Rho kinase has opposing activities in regulation of endothelial barrier function: (1) an intrinsic barrier-protective activity at the cell margins, and (2) an induced barrier-disruptive activity at contractile F-actin stress fibers. These findings may have implications for long term antivascular leak therapy. PMID- 17761937 TI - Angptl4 upregulates cholesterol synthesis in liver via inhibition of LPL- and HL dependent hepatic cholesterol uptake. AB - BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of plasma lipoprotein levels may increase the risk for atherosclerosis. Recently, angiopoietin-like protein 4, also known as fasting induced adipose factor Fiaf, was uncovered as a novel modulator of plasma lipoprotein metabolism. Here we take advantage of the fasting-dependent phenotype of Angptl4-transgenic (Angptl4-Tg) mice to better characterize the metabolic function of Angptl4. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 24-hour fasted mice, Angptl4 overexpression increased plasma triglycerides (TG) by 24-fold, which was attributable to elevated VLDL-, IDL/LDL- and HDL-TG content. Angptl4 overexpression decreased post-heparin LPL activity by stimulating conversion of endothelial-bound LPL dimers to circulating LPL monomers. In fasted but not fed state, Angptl4 overexpression severely impaired LPL-dependent plasma TG and cholesteryl ester clearance and subsequent uptake of fatty acids and cholesterol into tissues. Consequently, hepatic cholesterol content was significantly decreased, leading to universal upregulation of cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis pathways and increased rate of cholesterol synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: The hypertriglyceridemic effect of Angptl4 is attributable to inhibition of LPL dependent VLDL lipolysis by converting LPL dimers to monomers, and Angptl4 upregulates cholesterol synthesis in liver secondary to inhibition of LPL- and HL dependent hepatic cholesterol uptake. PMID- 17761938 TI - Thrombospondin-1 activates medial smooth muscle cells and triggers neointima formation upon mouse carotid artery ligation. AB - OBJECTIVE: Thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) is described as a positive regulator of vascular smooth muscle growth in cell culture. However, insight into the in vivo effects of TSP1 on smooth muscle cell (SMC) function is lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed wild-type (WT) and TSP1-deficient (Tsp1-/-) mice in a carotid artery ligation model, in which neointimal lesions form without overt mechanical damage to the endothelium. On ligation, the expression of TSP1 increased strongly in the matrix of neointima and adventitia. In the early phase after ligation (day 3 to 7), activation, proliferation, and migration of medial SMCs were delayed and impaired in Tsp1-/- mice, in parallel with defective upregulation of metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 activity. As a result, Tsp1-/- arteries developed smaller neointimal lesions, a thicker media but comparably attenuated patency as in WT arteries, 28 days after ligation. Furthermore, medial and neointimal SMCs in Tsp1-/- mice produced more collagen, more osteopontin, and displayed weaker smooth muscle actin staining than WT SMCs, indicative of a modified SMC phenotype in Tsp1-/- mice. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial SMC activation in the absence of TSP1 is delayed and dysregulated, reducing neointima formation, on mild vascular injury. PMID- 17761940 TI - Platelet activation by oxidized low density lipoprotein is mediated by CD36 and scavenger receptor-A. AB - OBJECTIVE: The interaction of platelets with low density lipoprotein (LDL) contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease. Platelets are activated by native LDL (nLDL) through apoE Receptor 2' (apoER2')-mediated signaling to p38(MAPK) and by oxidized LDL (oxLDL) through lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) signaling to Rho A and Ca2+. Here we report a new mechanism for platelet activation by oxLDL. METHODS AND RESULTS: Oxidation of nLDL increases p38(MAPK) activation through a mechanism that is (1) independent of LPA, and (2) unlike nLDL-signaling not desensitized by prolonged platelet-LDL contact or inhibited by receptor-associated protein or chondroitinase ABC. Antibodies against scavenger receptors CD36 and SR-A alone fail to block p38(MAPK) activation by oxLDL but combined blockade inhibits p38(MAPK) by >40% and platelet adhesion to fibrinogen under flow by >60%. Mouse platelets deficient in either CD36 or SR-A show normal p38(MAPK) activation by oxLDL but combined deficiency of CD36 and SR-A disrupts oxLDL-induced activation of p38(MAPK) by >70%. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal a novel platelet-activating pathway stimulated by oxLDL that is initiated by the combined action of CD36 and SR-A. PMID- 17761939 TI - Segregation of platelet aggregatory and procoagulant microdomains in thrombus formation: regulation by transient integrin activation. AB - OBJECTIVE: Platelets play a dual role in thrombosis by forming aggregates and stimulating coagulation. We investigated the commitment of platelets to these separate functions during collagen-induced thrombus formation in vitro and in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: High-resolution 2-photon fluorescence microscopy revealed that in thrombus formation under flow, fibrin(ogen)-binding platelets assembled into separate aggregates, whereas distinct patches of nonaggregated platelets exposed phosphatidylserine. The latter platelet population had inactivated alphaIIb beta3 integrins and displayed increased binding of coagulation factors. Coated platelets, expressing serotonin binding sites, were not identified as a separate population. Thrombin generation and coagulation favored the transformation to phosphatidylserine-exposing platelets with inactivated integrins and reduced adhesion. Prolonged tyrosine phosphorylation in vitro resulted in secondary downregulation of active alphaIIb beta3. CONCLUSIONS: These results lead to a new spatial model of thrombus formation, in which aggregated platelets ensure thrombus stability, whereas distinct patches of nonaggregated platelets effectuate procoagulant activity and generate thrombin and fibrin. Herein, the hemostatic activity of a developing thrombus is determined by the balance in formation of proaggregatory and procoagulant platelets. This balance is influenced by antiplatelet and anticoagulant medication. PMID- 17761941 TI - Association of OAZ1 gene polymorphisms with subclinical and clinical vascular events. AB - OBJECTIVE: Proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are striking features shared by vascular ageing, atherosclerosis, and in-stent restenosis. VSMC biology depends in part on polyamines whose metabolism is closely regulated by ornithine decarboxylase antizyme 1 (OAZ1). Therefore, we sought for association between OAZ1 gene polymorphisms and various outcomes involving VSMC proliferation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Systematic screening of the OAZ1 gene enabled to detect 21 variants. The impact of 4 selected tag polymorphisms (+849C/T, +851G/T, +1804G/A, and +2222A/G) was evaluated in 3 independent association studies. In a sample of 205 patients, the +2222G allele was associated with an increased risk of 6-month coronary in-stent restenosis (OR [95%CI]=2.1 [1.2 to 3.6]; P=0.0071). In a sample of 1001 subjects participating to the EVA study, the +2222G allele was longitudinally associated with a 4-year increase in common carotid intima-media thickness (P=0.047). In a case-control study (466 cases versus 466 controls), the risk of coronary heart disease associated with the +2222G allele was 1.3 (95%CI=[1.1 to 1.6]; P=0.026). No other significant association was consistently detected. CONCLUSIONS: We identified the OAZ1+2222A/G polymorphism as a potential genetic marker of vascular events. Our findings strengthen the hypothesis that the polyamine metabolism plays a role in vascular diseases. PMID- 17761943 TI - Sphingosine-1-phosphate analogue FTY720 causes lymphocyte redistribution and hypercholesterolemia in ApoE-deficient mice. AB - OBJECTIVE: Resident immune cells are a hallmark of atherosclerotic lesions. The sphingolipid analogue drug FTY720 mediates retrafficking of immune cells and inhibits their homing to inflammatory sites. We have evaluated the effect of FTY720 on atherogenesis and lipid metabolism. METHODS AND RESULTS: ApoE-/- mice on a normal laboratory diet received oral FTY720 for 12 weeks, which led to a 2.4 fold increase in serum cholesterol (largely VLDL fraction) and a 1.8-fold increase in hepatic HMGCoA reductase mRNA. FTY720 increased plasma sphingosine-1 phosphate and induced marked peripheral blood lymphopenia. A discoordinate modulation of B, T and monocyte cell numbers was found in peripheral lymphoid organs. Overall depletion of T cells was accompanied by a relative (2-fold) increase in regulatory T cell content paralleled by a similar increase in effector memory T cells (CD4+ CD44hi CD62lo) as absolute numbers of both subpopulations remained essentially unchanged. Lymphocyte function was unaltered as indicated by anti-OxLDL antibodies and T cell proliferation. There were no changes in atherosclerotic lesions in early and established atherosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: FTY720 mediated peripheral lymphocyte depletion and retrafficking without altering function and overall balance of pro- and antiatherogenic lymphocyte populations. A net decrease in lymphocyte numbers occurred concomitantly with a more proatherogenic hypercholesterolemia resulting in unaltered atherogenesis. PMID- 17761942 TI - Studies on the cholesterol-free mouse: strong activation of LXR-regulated hepatic genes when replacing cholesterol with desmosterol. AB - OBJECTIVE: Characterization of cholesterol homeostasis in male mice with a genetic inactivation of 3beta-hydroxysteroid-delta24-reductase, causing replacement of almost all cholesterol with desmosterol. METHODS AND RESULTS: There was an increase in hepatic sterol synthesis and markedly increased fecal loss of neutral sterols. Fecal excretion of bile acids was similar in knockout mice and in controls. The composition of bile acids was changed, with reduced formation of cholic acid. It was shown that both Cyp7a1 and Cyp27a1 are active toward desmosterol, consistent with the formation of normal bile acids from this steroid. The levels of plant sterols were markedly reduced. Hepatic mRNA levels of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG) coenzyme A (CoA) reductase, Srebp-1c, Srebp 2, Cyp7a1, Abcg5, Abcg8, and Fas were all significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in hepatic mRNA levels in combination with increased biliary and fecal excretion of neutral steroids, reduced tissue levels of plant sterols, increased plasma levels of triglyceride-rich VLDL, are consistent with a strong activation of LXR-targeted genes. The markedly increased fecal loss of neutral sterols may explain the fact that the Dhcr24-/- mice do not accumulate dietary cholesterol. The study illustrates the importance of the integrity of the cholesterol structure--presence of a double bond in the steroid side-chain is compatible with life but is associated with serious disturbances in sterol homeostasis. PMID- 17761944 TI - Links between adipose tissue and thrombosis in the mouse. AB - Obesity has become a global epidemic and carries a considerable negative impact in regard to quality of life and life expectancy. A primary problem is that obese individuals are at increased risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease complications such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Because fat accumulation is a consistent aspect of obesity, mechanisms that may link adipose tissue to cardiovascular disease complications should be considered. Proteins expressed from adipose tissue, known as adipokines, are hypothesized to have important effects on the progression and incidence of cardiovascular disease complications. This review examines the evidence that adipokines play a direct role in vascular thrombosis, an important event in cardiovascular disease complications. PMID- 17761945 TI - Transcriptional activation of hepatic ACSL3 and ACSL5 by oncostatin m reduces hypertriglyceridemia through enhanced beta-oxidation. AB - OBJECTIVE: In our previous studies that examined in vivo activities of oncostatin M (OM) in upregulation of hepatic LDL receptor (LDLR) expression, we observed reductions of LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels in OM-treated hyperlipidemic hamsters. Interestingly, the OM effect of lowering plasma TG was more pronounced than LDL-cholesterol reduction, suggesting additional LDLR independent actions. Here, we investigated mechanisms underlying the direct TG lowering effect of OM. METHODS AND RESULTS: We demonstrate that OM activates transcription of long-chain acyl-coenzymeA (CoA) synthetase isoforms 3 and 5 (ACSL3, ACSL5) in HepG2 cells through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway. Increased acyl-CoA synthetase activities in OM stimulated HepG2 cells and in livers of OM-treated hamsters are associated with decreased TG accumulation and increased fatty acid beta-oxidation. We further show that overexpression of ACSL3 or ACSL5 alone in the absence of OM led to fatty acid partitioning into beta-oxidation. Importantly, we demonstrate that transfection of siRNAs targeted to ACSL3 and ACSL5 abrogated the enhancing effect of OM on fatty acid oxidation in HepG2 cells. CONCLUSIONS: These new findings identify ACSL3 and ACSL5 as OM-regulated genes that function in fatty acid metabolism and suggest a novel cellular mechanism by which OM directly lowers the plasma TG in hyperlipidemic animals through stimulating the transcription of ACSL specific isoforms in the liver. PMID- 17761947 TI - Tumor suppressor LKB1 inhibits activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) by thyroid oncogenic tyrosine kinase rearranged in transformation (RET)/papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). AB - The tumor suppressor LKB1 (STK11) is a cytoplasmic/nuclear serine/threonine kinase, defects in which cause Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) in humans and animals. Recent studies showed that loss of function of LKB1 is associated with sporadic forms of lung, pancreatic, and ovarian cancer. In cancer cells, LKB1 is inactivated by two mechanisms: mutations in its central kinase domain or complete loss of LKB1 expression. Inactivation of LKB1 is associated with progression of PJS and transformation of benign polyps into malignant tumors. This study examines the effect of LKB1 on regulation of STAT3 and expression of transcriptional targets of STAT3. The results show that LKB1 inhibits rearranged in transformation (RET)/papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC)-dependent activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which is mediated by phosphorylation of STAT3 tyrosine 705 by RET/PTC. Suppression of STAT3 transactivation by LKB1 requires the kinase domain but not the kinase activity of LKB1. The centrally located kinase domain of LKB1 is an approximately 260-amino acid region that binds to the linker domain of STAT3. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies indicate that expression of LKB1 reduces the binding of STAT3 to its target promoters and suppresses STAT3-mediated expression of Cyclin D1, VEGF, and Bcl-xL. Knockdown of LKB1 by specific small interfering RNA led to an increase in STAT3 transactivation activity and promoted cell proliferation in the presence of RET/PTC. Thus, this study suggests that LKB1 suppresses tumor growth by inhibiting RET/PTC-dependent activation of oncogenic STAT3. PMID- 17761946 TI - The transcription factor snail mediates epithelial to mesenchymal transitions by repression of estrogen receptor-alpha. AB - The estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha (ESR1) is a key regulatory molecule in mammary epithelial cell development. Loss of ER-alpha in breast cancer is correlated with poor prognosis, increased recurrence after treatment, and an elevated incidence of metastasis. A proposed molecular pathway by which ER-alpha acts to constrain invasive growth in breast cancer cells involves direct, ER-alpha-dependent expression of metastasis-associated protein 3, a cell-type-specific component of the Mi-2/NuRD chromatin remodeling complex. MTA3 in turn represses expression of Snail, a transcription factor linked to epithelial to mesenchymal transition and cancer metastasis. To elucidate its role(s) in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), we expressed Snail in the noninvasive, ER-alpha-positive MCF-7 cell line. Snail expression led to decreased cell-cell adhesion and increased cell invasiveness. Furthermore, we observed loss of ER-alpha expression at both the RNA and protein level that was accompanied by direct interaction of Snail with regulatory DNA sequences at the ESR1 locus. A consequence of loss of ER alpha function in this system was the increased abundance of key components of the TGF-beta signaling pathway. Thus, cross-talk among ER-alpha, Snail, and the TGF-beta pathway appears to control critical phenotypic properties of breast cancer cells. PMID- 17761948 TI - Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1/dual specificity phosphatase 1 mediates glucocorticoid inhibition of osteoblast proliferation. AB - Steroid-induced osteoporosis is a common side effect of long-term treatment with glucocorticoid (GC) drugs. GCs have multiple systemic effects that may influence bone metabolism but also directly affect osteoblasts by decreasing proliferation. This may be beneficial at low concentrations, enhancing differentiation. However, high-dose treatment produces a severe deficit in the proliferative osteoblastic compartment. We provide causal evidence that this effect of GC is mediated by induction of the dual-specificity MAPK phosphatase, MKP-1/DUSP1. Excessive MKP-1 production is both necessary and sufficient to account for the impaired osteoblastic response to mitogens. Overexpression of MKP-1 after either GC treatment or transfection ablates the mitogenic response in osteoblasts. Knockdown of MKP-1 using either immunodepletion of MKP-1 before in vitro dephosphorylation assay or short interference RNA transfection prevents inactivation of ERK by GCs. Neither c-jun N-terminal kinase nor p38 MAPK is activated by the mitogenic cocktail in 20% fetal calf serum, but their activation by a DNA-damaging agent (UV irradiation) was inhibited by either GC treatment or overexpression of MKP-1, indicating regulation of all three MAPKs by MKP-1 in osteoblasts. However, an inhibitor of the MAPK/ERK kinase-ERK pathway inhibited osteoblast proliferation whereas inhibitors of c-jun N-terminal kinase or p38 MAPK had no effect, suggesting that ERK is the MAPK that controls osteoblast proliferation. Regulation of ERK by MKP-1 provides a novel mechanism for control of osteoblast proliferation by GCs. PMID- 17761949 TI - Increased steroidogenic factor-1 dosage triggers adrenocortical cell proliferation and cancer. AB - Steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1/Ad4BP; NR5A1), a nuclear receptor transcription factor, has a pivotal role in adrenal and gonadal development in humans and mice. A frequent feature of childhood adrenocortical tumors is SF-1 amplification and overexpression. Here we show that an increased SF-1 dosage can by itself augment human adrenocortical cell proliferation through concerted actions on the cell cycle and apoptosis. This effect is dependent on an intact SF-1 transcriptional activity. Gene expression profiling showed that an increased SF-1 dosage regulates transcripts involved in steroid metabolism, the cell cycle, apoptosis, and cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix. Consistent with these results, increased SF-1 levels selectively modulate the steroid secretion profile of adrenocortical cells, reducing cortisol and aldosterone production and maintaining dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate secretion. As a model to understand the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation by increased SF-1 dosage, we studied FATE1, coding for a cancer-testis antigen implicated in the control of cell proliferation. Increased SF-1 levels increase its binding to a consensus site in FATE1 promoter and stimulate its activity through modulation of the recruitment of specific cofactors. On the other hand, sphingosine, which can compete with phospholipids for binding to SF-1, had no effect on the SF-1 dosage-dependent increase of adrenocortical cell proliferation and expression of the FATE1 promoter. In mice, increased Sf-1 dosage produces adrenocortical hyperplasia and formation of tumors expressing gonadal markers (Amh, Gata-4), which originate from the subcapsular region of the adrenal cortex. Gene expression profiling revealed that genes involved in cell adhesion and the immune response and transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (Stat3) are differentially expressed in Sf-1 transgenic mouse adrenals compared with wild type adrenals. Our studies reveal a critical role for SF-1 dosage in adrenocortical tumorigenesis and constitute a rationale for the development of drugs targeting SF-1 transcriptional activity for adrenocortical tumor therapy. PMID- 17761950 TI - Orphan receptor TR3 attenuates the p300-induced acetylation of retinoid X receptor-alpha. AB - Acetylation modification regulates the functions of histone and nonhistone proteins, including transcriptional activity, protein interaction, and subcellular localization. Although many nuclear receptors have been shown to be modified by acetylation, whether retinoid X receptors (RXRs) are acetylated and how the acetylation is regulated remains unknown. Here, we provide the first evidence of RXRalpha acetylation by p300 on lysine 145. Acetylation of RXRalpha by p300 facilitated its DNA binding and subsequently increased its transcriptional activity. Furthermore, we discovered that TR3, an orphan receptor, exerted a negative regulation on p300-induced RXRalpha acetylation. TR3 significantly reduced the p300-induced RXRalpha acetylation and transcriptional activity, and such inhibition required the interaction of TR3 with RXRalpha. Binding of TR3 to RXRalpha resulted in the sequestration of RXRalpha from p300. 9 cis retinoic acid, a ligand for RXRalpha, enhanced the association of RXRalpha with TR3, rather than acetylation of RXRalpha by p300. Biological function analysis revealed that the mitogenic activity of RXRalpha stimulated by p300 was acetylation dependent and could be repressed by TR3. Upon the treatment of 9-cis retinoic acid, RXRalpha was translocated with TR3 from the nucleus to the mitochondria, and apoptosis was induced. Taken together, our data demonstrate the distinct regulatory mechanisms of p300 and TR3 on RXRalpha acetylation and reveal a previously unrecognized role for orphan receptor in the transcriptional control of retinoid receptors. PMID- 17761951 TI - Transcriptional regulation of the androgen receptor cofactor androgen receptor trapped clone-27. AB - Cofactors modulate nuclear receptor activity and impact human health and disease, yet surprisingly little is known about their transcriptional regulation. Androgen receptor trapped clone-27 (ART-27) is a cofactor that binds to androgen receptor (AR) amino terminus and modulates AR-dependent transcription. Interestingly, ART 27 displays both a cell type- and developmental stage-specific expression pattern. However, the cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors affecting ART 27 gene expression have not been elucidated. We found that ART-27 gene expression is repressed and its promoter is histone H3-K27 tri-methylated in human embryonic kidney cells, but not prostate cells, and the histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A, relieves this inhibition. The DNA response elements that control the induction of ART-27 gene expression were also characterized. The major cis acting element corresponds to a consensus cAMP-responsive element (CRE) and binds the CRE-binding protein (CREB) as shown by EMSA and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Furthermore, ART-27 promoter activity is induced upon CREB overexpression. Epidermal growth factor, which activates CREB via phosphorylation, also induces ART-27 expression, whereas a reduction in CREB phosphorylation or expression blocks this induction in prostate cells. In human prostate development, both epithelial and stromal cells express CREB; however, active phosphorylated CREB is restricted to epithelial cells where ART-27 is expressed. Based on these findings, we propose a transcriptional regulatory circuit for the developmental expression of ART-27 that includes repression by chromatin modification through a trichostatin A-sensitive factor and activation upon growth factor stimulation via CREB. PMID- 17761952 TI - The glucose transporter 4 FQQI motif is necessary for Akt substrate of 160 kilodalton-dependent plasma membrane translocation but not Golgi-localized (gamma)-ear-containing Arf-binding protein-dependent entry into the insulin responsive storage compartment. AB - Newly synthesized glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) enters into the insulin responsive storage compartment in a process that is Golgi-localized gamma-ear containing Arf-binding protein (GGA) dependent, whereas insulin-stimulated translocation is regulated by Akt substrate of 160 kDa (AS160). In the present study, using a variety of GLUT4/GLUT1 chimeras, we have analyzed the specific motifs of GLUT4 that are important for GGA and AS160 regulation of GLUT4 trafficking. Substitution of the amino terminus and the large intracellular loop of GLUT4 into GLUT1 (chimera 1-441) fully recapitulated the basal state retention, insulin-stimulated translocation, and GGA and AS160 sensitivity of wild-type GLUT4 (GLUT4-WT). GLUT4 point mutation (GLUT4-F5A) resulted in loss of GLUT4 intracellular retention in the basal state when coexpressed with both wild type GGA and AS160. Nevertheless, similar to GLUT4-WT, the insulin-stimulated plasma membrane localization of GLUT4-F5A was significantly inhibited by coexpression of dominant-interfering GGA. In addition, coexpression with a dominant-interfering AS160 (AS160-4P) abolished insulin-stimulated GLUT4-WT but not GLUT4-F5A translocation. GLUT4 endocytosis and intracellular sequestration also required both the amino terminus and large cytoplasmic loop of GLUT4. Furthermore, both the FQQI and the SLL motifs participate in the initial endocytosis from the plasma membrane; however, once internalized, unlike the FQQI motif, the SLL motif is not responsible for intracellular recycling of GLUT4 back to the specialized compartment. Together, we have demonstrated that the FQQI motif within the amino terminus of GLUT4 is essential for GLUT4 endocytosis and AS160-dependent intracellular retention but not for the GGA-dependent sorting of GLUT4 into the insulin-responsive storage compartment. PMID- 17761953 TI - Inhibitory receptor gp49B regulates eosinophil infiltration during allergic inflammation. AB - gp49B, an Ig-like receptor, negatively regulates the activity of mast cells and neutrophils through cytoplasmic immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motifs. To characterize the role of gp49B further in vivo, gp49B-deficient mice were tested in two allergic models. Responses to ragweed (RW) challenge in the lung and conjunctiva were assessed in models of allergic inflammation and during an infection with parasitic larvae of the nematode Ascaris suum. Infiltration by inflammatory cells into the lung during allergic responses was under negative control of the inhibitory receptor gp49B. Furthermore, an increase in conjunctival inflammation with a predominance of eosinophils, neutrophils, and degranulated mast cells was observed in RW-sensitized, gp49B-deficient mice, which had been challenged in the eye, as compared with C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) controls. Finally, an increase in allergic inflammation in the lungs of A. suum infected, RW-sensitized mice was observed upon RW challenge, as compared with C57BL/6 WT controls. The observed influx of eosinophils into mucus membranes is characteristic of allergic asthma and allergic conjunctivitis and may contribute to airway hyper-responsiveness, airway remodeling, and mucus production. Expression of gp49B was detected on peripheral eosinophils of control mice and on eosinophils from lungs of mice treated with RW, suggesting a role for gp49B on eosinophils in dampening allergic inflammatory responses. PMID- 17761954 TI - Placental growth factor down-regulates type 1 T helper immune response by modulating the function of dendritic cells. AB - Placental growth factor (PlGF) belongs to the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family and represents a key regulator of angiogenic events in development and pathologic conditions. In this study, PlGF-modulated differentiation and maturation of human dendritic cells (DCs) from CD14+ monocytes were investigated. The DC, differentiated from CD14+ monocytes in the presence of PlGF during 5 days, was referred to as "PlGF-DC", in contrast to the "classical-DC", obtained in the absence of PlGF. Treatment of PlGF-DC or classical-DC with PlGF resulted in the down-regulation of CD80, CD86, CD83, CD40, and HLA-DR expression, and CD1a was increased, as well as the inhibition of IL-12 p70, p40, IL-8, and TNF-alpha production in response to LPS stimulation. This PlGF-induced DC dysfunction was recovered by anti-human VEGF receptor 1 mAb. In addition, treatment of PlGF-DC or classical-DC with PlGF resulted in the suppression of naive CD4+ T cell proliferation in an allogenic MLR but up-regulated the IL-5 and IL-13 secretion of the CD4+ T cell. PlGF was also able to inhibit LPS-induced IkappaBalpha phosphorylation and NF-kappaB activity. Taken together, our data demonstrate that the immunosuppressive properties of PlGF are through the NF-kappaB signaling pathway. PlGF might play a major role in the pathogenesis of tumors and act as an effector molecule to skew T cell response to the Th2 phenotype, which might be more beneficial for pregnancy. PMID- 17761955 TI - NADPH oxidase deficiency results in reduced alveolar macrophage 5-lipoxygenase expression and decreased leukotriene synthesis. AB - Reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) play an important role in cell signaling in addition to their role in microbial killing. We have shown previously that exogenous ROI regulate activity of the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) in alveolar macrophages (AM). Here, we examined the role of endogenous ROI, specifically generated by NADPH oxidase, in the regulation of leukotriene (LT) synthetic capacity in AM, which from NADPH oxidase knockout (KO) mice, was significantly less than that from wild-type (WT) AM. The decrease in LT synthesis could not be explained by reduced release of the substrate for 5-LO, arachidonic acid. However, the expression of 5-LO was reduced approximately 50% in AM from NADPH oxidase KO mice compared with WT mice. Reduced 5-LO expression could be reproduced by treating WT AM with ROI scavengers and with selective pharmacologic inhibitors of NADPH oxidase. Furthermore, conditioned media from WT AM augmented 5-LO metabolism in AM from NADPH oxidase KO mice. This decrease in 5-LO expression in NADPH oxidase KO cells was associated with decreased expression of the transcription factors, specificity protein-1 and early growth response-1, both of which are known to regulate 5-LO mRNA expression. These data reveal a previously unrecognized influence of endogenous ROI generated by NADPH oxidase on expression of the key LT biosynthetic protein, 5-LO. In view of the antimicrobial actions of LT, a reduction in LT synthetic capacity by AM from NADPH oxidase KO mice may contribute to the susceptibility of these animals to infection. PMID- 17761956 TI - Guidance on good practice in cost-effectiveness modeling: is more needed? PMID- 17761957 TI - The decision to conduct a head-to-head comparative trial: a game-theoretic analysis. AB - Recent Medicare legislation calls on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to conduct research related to the comparative effectiveness of health care items and services, including prescription drugs. This reinforces earlier calls for head-to-head comparative trials of clinically relevant treatment alternatives. Using a game-theoretic model, the authors explore the decision of pharmaceutical companies to conduct such trials. The model suggests that an important factor affecting this decision is the potential loss in market share and profits following a result of inferiority or comparability. This hidden cost is higher for the market leader than the market follower, making it less likely that the leader will choose to conduct a trial. The model also suggests that in a full-information environment, it will never be the case that both firms choose to conduct such a trial. Furthermore, if market shares and the probability of proving superiority are similar for both firms, it is quite possible that neither firm will choose to conduct a trial. Finally, the results indicate that incentives that offset the direct cost of a trial can prevent a no-trial equilibrium, even when both firms face the possibility of an inferior outcome. PMID- 17761959 TI - Quantification of health states with rank-based nonmetric multidimensional scaling. AB - OBJECTIVES: An alternative methodology is introduced to generate cardinal valuations of health states. This methodology is based on the ranking of differences between health states combined with an associated scaling model that transforms the individual rank data into group values on the interval level. METHODS: Data were collected in a Dutch EuroQol EQ-5D valuation study, in which a representative sample (n = 212) of the Dutch population valued a set of 18 EQ-5D health states and death. Three computational steps were undertaken: 1) differences in visual analog scale (VAS) values were computed for each pair of health states based on individual data; 2) the rank ordering of these pairwise differences was derived; 3) nonmetric multidimensional scaling was used to recover cardinal scale values for each state based on these rankings of differences. RESULTS: Scaling of ranked differences between health states using multidimensional scaling produced cardinal values that were nearly identical to the mean VAS valuations. The rank-based values explained 98% of the variance in the VAS values. CONCLUSION: Ordinal data collection techniques, combined with scaling models, may offer an attractive alternative to direct cardinal elicitation methods for valuing health states. PMID- 17761958 TI - Improving the decision to pursue a phase 3 clinical trial by adjusting for patient-specific factors in evaluating phase 2 treatment efficacy data. AB - Phase 2 clinical trials are undertaken to provide evidence of treatment efficacy and safety. A test statistic that accounts for individual patient risk in the patient population is proposed and applied to a phase 2 clinical trial for castrate metastatic prostate cancer. The test statistic is computed to compare, for each patient, the observed 2-year survival outcome to the predicted 2-year survival probability. A logistic regression model, developed using historical data in the same patient population, is used to adjust for patient risk in predicting the 2-year survival probability. Goodness-of-fit procedures are performed to ensure that a proper model is fit to the data. The test result is compared to the score test, the binomial exact test, and Fisher's exact test, all of which use the average 2-year survival probability in the population as the parameter of interest. The results demonstrate the benefit of risk adjustment in determining treatment efficacy in a single-arm phase 2 trial. By adjusting for patient risk, this method can provide a more precise assessment of phase 2 treatment efficacy, thereby improving the decision whether to proceed to a phase 3 clinical trial. PMID- 17761960 TI - Calculating partial expected value of perfect information via Monte Carlo sampling algorithms. AB - Partial expected value of perfect information (EVPI) calculations can quantify the value of learning about particular subsets of uncertain parameters in decision models. Published case studies have used different computational approaches. This article examines the computation of partial EVPI estimates via Monte Carlo sampling algorithms. The mathematical definition shows 2 nested expectations, which must be evaluated separately because of the need to compute a maximum between them. A generalized Monte Carlo sampling algorithm uses nested simulation with an outer loop to sample parameters of interest and, conditional upon these, an inner loop to sample remaining uncertain parameters. Alternative computation methods and shortcut algorithms are discussed and mathematical conditions for their use considered. Maxima of Monte Carlo estimates of expectations are biased upward, and the authors show that the use of small samples results in biased EVPI estimates. Three case studies illustrate 1) the bias due to maximization and also the inaccuracy of shortcut algorithms 2) when correlated variables are present and 3) when there is nonlinearity in net benefit functions. If relatively small correlation or nonlinearity is present, then the shortcut algorithm can be substantially inaccurate. Empirical investigation of the numbers of Monte Carlo samples suggests that fewer samples on the outer level and more on the inner level could be efficient and that relatively small numbers of samples can sometimes be used. Several remaining areas for methodological development are set out. A wider application of partial EVPI is recommended both for greater understanding of decision uncertainty and for analyzing research priorities. PMID- 17761962 TI - Clinical Year in Review I: lung cancer, interventional pulmonology, pediatric pulmonary disease, and pulmonary vascular disease. PMID- 17761961 TI - A critique and impact analysis of decision modeling assumptions. AB - BACKGROUND: A descriptive analysis of 4 modeling issues (inclusion of incident cases over a model time horizon, appropriate time horizon, parsimonious model structure, and the handling of age-specific subgroups) is presented. A case study model is analyzed to illustrate the quantitative impact of 3 of the issues. RESULTS: In the case study model, alternative specifications of the modeling framework are shown to alter the estimated cost-effectiveness by large percentages. The combined effect of including incident cases and reduced follow up yielded the highest divergence from the reference case results, by between 20% and 40%, depending on the age group. Reference case results of an age-weighted population were almost 14% different from the middle single age cohort. DISCUSSION: The identified issues are all generalizable to a wide range of treatment areas and are, or should be, addressed by evaluative guidelines. The authors call for the continued development, dissemination, and application of guidelines for the conduct of economic evaluation in general and model-based economic evaluations in particular. PMID- 17761963 TI - Clinical Year in Review II: interstitial lung disease, sepsis, pulmonary infections, and sleep medicine. PMID- 17761964 TI - Clinical Year in Review III: asthma, lung transplantation, cystic fibrosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome. PMID- 17761965 TI - Clinical Year in Review IV: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, nonpulmonary critical care, diagnostic imaging, and mycobacterial disease. PMID- 17761966 TI - A positive step forward, but more needed to maximize cost benefits of new generation cancer therapies. PMID- 17761967 TI - More support for the judicious use of high-dose interleukin-2 in patients with advanced melanoma. PMID- 17761968 TI - Aromatase inhibitors and arthralgias: a new frontier in symptom management for breast cancer survivors. PMID- 17761969 TI - Durable complete responses with high-dose bolus interleukin-2 in patients with metastatic melanoma who have experienced progression after biochemotherapy. AB - PURPOSE: We conducted a phase II trial of high-dose bolus (HDB) interleukin-2 (IL 2) in patients with metastatic melanoma who had experienced progression after biochemotherapy (BCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients had experienced progression on or after BCT (cisplatin, vinblastine, dacarbazine, IL-2 9 MU/m(2)/d for 4 days, and interferon alfa-2b). HDB IL-2 was administered at 600,000 U/kg per dose for a maximum of 14 doses per cycle with a 1-week rest period between cycles. Stable or responding patients were offered an additional course (two cycles) after 6 to 8 weeks. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (12 men and 14 women), age 28 to 70 years (median, 45 years), have been treated. All but three patients received at least two cycles of HDB IL-2; 10 patients received a second course of therapy. Disease stage was American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage M1a (n = 5), M1b (n = 5), and M1c (n = 16). Grade 3 and 4 toxicities included hyperbilirubinemia (n = 10), thrombocytopenia (n = 6), oliguria (n = 3), diarrhea (n = 1), infection (n = 2), and neurologic toxicity (n = 2). Overall response rate was 19.2% (four complete responses, lasting 4, 4, 26+, and 41+ months; and one partial response, lasting 3 months). Five patients (19%) had stable disease lasting 1 to 3 months, but all eventually experienced progression. All four complete responders had AJCC stage M1a disease. At a median follow-up time of 10 months, median survival time was 42 weeks (95% CI, 19.1 to 86.6 weeks), and median progression-free survival time was 10 weeks (95% CI, 8 to 16.1 weeks). An initial response to BCT was not found to be predictive for response to HDB IL-2. CONCLUSION: HDB IL-2 is active therapy for patients who experience progression on BCT. This observation has implications regarding the importance of dose-intensity for IL-2 therapy. PMID- 17761970 TI - What is the psychological impact of mammographic screening on younger women with a family history of breast cancer? Findings from a prospective cohort study by the PIMMS Management Group. AB - PURPOSE: Studies are underway to establish the clinical effectiveness of annual mammographic screening in women younger than 50 years with a family history of breast cancer. This study investigated both the positive and negative psychological effects of screening on these women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Women who received an immediate all-clear result after mammography (n = 1,174) and women who were recalled for additional tests before receiving an all-clear result (false positive; n = 112) completed questionnaires: 1 month before mammography, and 1 and 6 months after receiving final results. The questionnaires included measures of cancer worry, psychological consequences, and perceived benefits of breast screening. RESULTS: Women who received an immediate all-clear result experienced a decrease in cancer worry and negative psychological consequences immediately after the result, whereas women who were recalled for additional tests did not. By 6 months this cancer-specific distress had reduced significantly in both groups. Changes in levels of distress were significantly different between the two groups, but in absolute terms the differences were not large. Recalled women reported significantly greater positive psychological consequences of screening immediately after the result, and were also more positive about the benefits of screening compared with women who received an immediate all-clear result. CONCLUSION: For women receiving an immediate all clear result, participating in annual mammographic screening is psychologically beneficial. Furthermore, women who are recalled for additional tests do not appear to be harmed by screening: these women's positive views about mammography suggest that they view any distress caused by recall as an acceptable part of screening. PMID- 17761971 TI - Clinical implications of CYP2D6 genotypes predictive of tamoxifen pharmacokinetics in metastatic breast cancer. AB - PURPOSE: The CYP3A and CYP2D6 enzymes play a major role in converting tamoxifen to its active metabolites. CYP3A is a highly inducible enzyme, regulated mainly by pregnane X receptor (PXR). This study assessed the association between genetic polymorphisms of CYP2D6 and PXR, and tamoxifen pharmacokinetics (PK) and clinical outcomes in patients with breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Plasma concentrations of tamoxifen and its metabolites were measured. Common alleles of CYP2D6 and PXR were identified in 202 patients treated with tamoxifen 20 mg daily for more than 8 weeks. Twelve of the 202 patients and an additional nine patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving tamoxifen were assessed for clinical outcome in correlation with genotypes. RESULTS: Patients carrying CYP2D6*10/*10 (n = 49) demonstrated significantly lower steady-state plasma concentrations of 4 hydroxy-N-desmethyltamoxifen and 4-hydroxytamoxifen than did those with other genotypes (n = 153; 4-hydroxy-N-desmethyltamoxifen: 7.9 v 18.9 ng/mL, P < .0001; 4-hydroxytamoxifen: 1.5 v 2.6 ng/mL, P < .0001), whereas no difference by PXR genotypes was found. CYP2D6*10/*10 was significantly more frequent among nonresponders with MBC (100% v 50%, P = .0186). In Cox proportional hazard analysis, CYP2D6 genotype and number of disease sites were significant factors affecting time to progression (TTP). The median TTP for patients receiving tamoxifen was shorter in those carrying CYP2D6*10/*10 than for others (5.0 v 21.8 months, P = .0032) CONCLUSION: CYP2D6*10/*10 is associated with lower steady state plasma concentrations of active tamoxifen metabolites, which could possibly influence the clinical outcome by tamoxifen in Asian breast cancer patients. PMID- 17761972 TI - Brain structure and function differences in monozygotic twins: possible effects of breast cancer chemotherapy. AB - PURPOSE: Adjuvant chemotherapy has been associated with mild cognitive decline among a subset of breast cancer survivors. Late cognitive effects after chemotherapy can have a deleterious impact on survivor quality of life and functional health; however, the etiology of chemotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction remains unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We present a case of monozygotic twins who are discordant for breast cancer and chemotherapy exposure (ie, one twin contracted breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy, and the other had no breast cancer). As part of a larger study, each was evaluated with standardized, self-report measures of cognitive function, standard neuropsychological tests, and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). RESULTS: Results indicated small differences in neuropsychological test performance but striking contrasts in self-reported cognitive complaints and structural and functional MRI images. Specifically, the twin who underwent chemotherapy had substantially more subjective cognitive complaints, more white matter hyperintensities on MRI, and an expanded spatial extent of brain activation during working memory processing than her nonaffected twin. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates possible physiologic mechanisms that could produce long-term cognitive complaints among chemotherapy recipients and help formulate hypotheses for further empirical study in the area of chemotherapy associated cognitive dysfunction. PMID- 17761973 TI - Prevalence of joint symptoms in postmenopausal women taking aromatase inhibitors for early-stage breast cancer. AB - PURPOSE: Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) improve survival in postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer, but can cause joint pain and stiffness. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the prevalence of and identify risk factors for AI-related joint symptoms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a cross sectional survey of consecutive postmenopausal women receiving adjuvant AI therapy for early-stage hormone-sensitive breast cancer at an urban academic breast oncology clinic. Patients completed a 25-item self-administered questionnaire assessing the presence of joint symptoms that started or worsened after initiating AIs. Multivariate regression was used to compare those with AI related arthralgia with those who did not report symptoms, adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. RESULTS: Of 200 patients who completed the survey, 94 (47%) reported having AI-related joint pain and 88 (44%) reported AI related joint stiffness. In multiple logistic regression analysis, being overweight (body mass index of 25 to 30 kg/m(2)) and prior tamoxifen therapy were inversely associated with AI-related joint symptoms. Patients who received taxane chemotherapy were more than four times more likely than other patients to have AI related joint pain and stiffness (odds ratio [OR] = 4.08, 95% CI, 1.58 to 10.57 and OR = 4.76; 95% CI, 1.84 to 12.28, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that AI-related joint symptoms are more prevalent than what has been described previously in clinical trials. The success of AI therapy depends on patients' ability to adhere to treatment recommendations; therefore, additional studies of interventions that may alleviate these symptoms are needed. PMID- 17761974 TI - Pleural effusion in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia treated with dasatinib after imatinib failure. AB - PURPOSE: We investigated the risk factors and management of pleural effusion associated with dasatinib therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) after failure of imatinib. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed 138 patients with CML treated with dasatinib from November 2003 to January 2006 in one phase I (n = 50) and four phase II (n = 88) studies for the development of pleural effusion. RESULTS: Pleural effusion occurred in 48 patients (35%; grade 3/4 in 23 [17%]), including 29% of those treated in chronic phase (CP), 50% in accelerated phase (AP), and 33% in blast phase (BP). By multivariate analysis, history of cardiac disease, hypertension, and use of a twice-daily schedule (v once daily) were identified as factors associated with development of pleural effusions. Effusions were exudative in 78% of the assessable cases. In some patients, effusions were associated with reversible increments of right ventricular systolic pressure. Management included transient dasatinib interruption in 83%, diuretics in 71%, pulse steroids in 27%, and thoracentesis in 19% of patients. CONCLUSION: Pleural effusions occur during dasatinib therapy, particularly among patients in AP or BP. A twice-daily schedule may result in a higher incidence of pleural effusion. Close monitoring and timely intervention may allow patients to continue therapy and achieve the desired clinical benefit. PMID- 17761975 TI - Prevalence, clinical pattern, and outcome of CNS involvement in childhood and adolescent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma differ by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma subtype: a Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster Group Report. AB - PURPOSE: We analyzed the prevalence, clinical pattern, and prognostic impact of CNS involvement in a large cohort of children and adolescents diagnosed with non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), with special attention to differences according to NHL subtype. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From October 1986 to December 2002, 2,381 patients (median age, 9.37 years; range, 0.2 to 23.8 years; female-to-male ratio, 1:2.7) from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland were registered. A total of 2,086 patients were eligible for the consecutive multicenter protocols NHL-Berlin-Frankfurt Munster [BFM] -86, NHL-BFM-90, and NHL-BFM-95, and could be evaluated for outcome. RESULTS: CNS involvement was diagnosed in 141 (5.9%) of 2,381 patients and was associated with an advanced stage of NHL. The percentage of CNS-positive patients was 8.8% for Burkitt's lymphoma/Burkitt's leukemia (BL/B-ALL), 5.4% for precursor B-lymphoblastic lymphoma (pB-LBL), 3.3% for anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, 3.2% for T-cell-LBL, 2.6% for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and 0% for primary mediastinal large B-cell NHL (P < .001). Most CNS-positive patients with pB-LBL, T-LBL, or BL/B-ALL had meningeal disease. The probability of event-free survival (pEFS; +/- SE) at 5 years was 85% +/- 1% for the 2,086 protocol patients (median follow-up, 6.5 years; range, 0.3 to 17.7 years). For the 112 CNS-positive patients, pEFS was 64% +/- 5%, compared with 86% +/- 1% for the 1,927 CNS negative patients (P < .001). Although CNS disease had no impact on pEFS for advanced-stage T-LBL patients, CNS-positive patients with BL/B-ALL had a worse average outcome than CNS-negative patients with stage IV BL/B-ALL (60% +/- 5% v 81% +/- 3%; P < .001). In multivariate analysis, CNS disease was the strongest predictor for relapse in BL/B-ALL patients with advanced-stage disease. CONCLUSION: Six percent of childhood/adolescent NHL patients were CNS positive. However, the prevalence, pattern, and prognostic impact of CNS involvement differed among NHL subtypes. PMID- 17761976 TI - Nuclear factor-kB tumor expression predicts response and survival in irinotecan refractory metastatic colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab-irinotecan therapy. AB - PURPOSE: NF-kB expression has been shown to be responsible for resistance to antineoplastic agents and it also plays a part in the activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor downstream signaling pathway in colorectal tumors. The aim of our analysis was to investigate a correlation between NF-kB expression, response rate, time to progression, and survival in advanced colorectal cancer patients receiving cetuximab and irinotecan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively the immunoreactivity for NF-kB in irinotecan-refractory patients receiving cetuximab and irinotecan. Results Seventy-six patients were analyzed. Cetuximab and irinotecan were administered as second-line chemotherapy in 19 patients and after > or = two lines of chemotherapy in the remaining 57 patients. We observed a partial response (PR) in 16 patients for an overall response rate of 24%. Thirty-two patients (48%) experienced progressive disease; median time to progression (TTP) was 3.6 months and median overall survival was 10.3 months. NF kB was positive in 46 patients (60%). All main clinical characteristics were well balanced between NF-kB-positive and NF-kB-negative patients. The response rate was 10% (four PRs) versus 48% (12 PRs; P = .0007) in NF-kB-positive and NF-kB negative tumors, respectively. Median TTP in NF-kB-positive patients was 3 v 6.4 months in the remaining patients (P = .021). Median overall survival was 9.5 v 15.8 months for NF-kB-positive and NF-kB-negative patients, respectively (P = .036) CONCLUSION: The difference in median TTP, overall survival, and response rate seem to confirm that NF-kB may play a crucial role in predicting the efficacy of cetuximab and irinotecan in advanced colorectal tumors. PMID- 17761977 TI - Multicenter, randomized, phase II trial of CI-1033, an irreversible pan-ERBB inhibitor, for previously treated advanced non small-cell lung cancer. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of the pan-ERBB inhibitor, CI-1033, in platinum refractory or recurrent advanced-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This open-label, randomized phase II trial evaluated CI 1033 in patients with advanced-stage NSCLC who experienced treatment failure after or were refractory to platinum-based chemotherapy. Three oral CI-1033 doses were evaluated in 21-day dosing cycles: 50 mg daily for 21 consecutive days, 150 mg daily for 21 consecutive days, and 450 mg daily for 14 consecutive days followed by 7 days of no treatment. The primary efficacy end point was the 1-year survival rate. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-six patients were randomly assigned to treatment. Baseline patient demographics were well balanced. The most common drug related adverse events were rash and diarrhea. The 450-mg arm (14 days on/7 days off) was closed early due to an excessive rate of adverse events. The 1-year survival rates were 29%, 26%, and 29%, respectively, in the three arms. The response rates were 2%, 2%, and 4%, and stable disease was confirmed in 16%, 23%, and 18% of patients, respectively, in the three study arms. Exploratory analyses demonstrated a prolonged survival in patients who developed a rash and in those with baseline tumor ERBB-2 expression. CONCLUSION: CI-1033 had modest activity in unselected NSCLC patients but did not meet its primary end point. Future studies should focus on identifying methods of patient selection. PMID- 17761978 TI - Phase III double-blind, placebo-controlled study of thalidomide in extensive disease small-cell lung cancer after response to chemotherapy: an intergroup study FNCLCC cleo04 IFCT 00-01. AB - PURPOSE: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study aimed to determine whether thalidomide prolongs survival of patients with extensive disease small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred nineteen patients received two courses of etoposide, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, and 4' epidoxorubicin (PCDE). Responder patients who had recovered from chemotherapy toxicity were randomly assigned to receive four additional PCDE cycles plus thalidomide (400 mg daily) or placebo. RESULTS: After the first two PCDE cycles, objective response rate was 81.5%, and 92 patients were randomly assigned to placebo (n = 43) or thalidomide (n = 49). Median exposure duration to placebo was 4.5 months, and median exposure to thalidomide was 4.9 months. Patients treated with thalidomide had a longer survival compared with patients who received placebo, although the difference was not statistically significant (minimal follow-up, 3 years; median survival time, 11.7 v 8.7 months, respectively; log rank test: hazard ratio [HR] = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.49 to 1.12; P = .16). Patients with a performance status (PS) of 1 or 2 who received thalidomide had a significantly longer survival (HR = 0.59; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.92; P = .02). The disease also progressed slower in patients with PS of 1 or 2 receiving thalidomide (HR = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.87; P = .02), whereas the difference did not reach statistical significance for the whole population (HR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.49 to 1.12; P = .15). Neuropathy occurred more frequently in the thalidomide group compared with the placebo group (33% v 12%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Treatment with thalidomide was not associated with a significant improvement in survival of SCLC patients. There was pronounced heterogeneity in survival outcomes between groups of patients. Some benefit was observed among patients with a PS of 1 or 2 (exploratory analyses), deserving further studies targeting angiogenesis in this disease. PMID- 17761979 TI - Epidermal growth factor receptor mutation status and adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur for adenocarcinoma of the lung. AB - PURPOSE: Adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur has been demonstrated to prolong survival among patients with resected lung adenocarcinomas. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations have been reported to be present in lung adenocarcinomas. The present study evaluated whether the EGFR status could be used as a biologic predictor of the outcome of adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil tegafur. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The EGFR mutational status of 187 patients with resected lung adenocarcinomas was determined using a polymerase chain reaction based assay for EGFR exons 19 and 21; the results were then correlated with the effect of adjuvant uracil-tegafur chemotherapy on survival. The antiproliferative effect of fluorouracil (FU) on adenocarcinoma cell lines with EGFR wild-type or mutant type status was examined by measuring the inhibitory concentrations at 50% (IC(50)s). RESULTS: Among the 187 patients, 68 received uracil-tegafur as adjuvant chemotherapy, and 119 were not treated with any chemotherapeutic agents. EGFR mutations were present in 79 patients (43%). Overall, the adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur significantly prolonged survival compared with the control group (hazard ratio = 0.38; P = .005). The survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur was also examined after stratifying the patients according to EGFR mutation status. Adjuvant chemotherapy significantly prolonged survival among patients with EGFR wild-type tumors (hazard ratio = 0.34; P = .013) but not among patients with EGFR mutant tumors. In an in vitro experiment, the IC(50)s of EGFR mutant cells to FU were higher than those of wild type cells, indicating that EGFR wild-type cells are more sensitive to FU than mutant cells. CONCLUSION: EGFR status influenced the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur. Adjuvant chemotherapy could be customized based on EGFR status. PMID- 17761980 TI - Phase I/II trial of temsirolimus combined with interferon alfa for advanced renal cell carcinoma. AB - PURPOSE: Temsirolimus, an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin, has single-agent activity against advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A recommended dose and safety profile for the combination of temsirolimus and interferon alfa (IFN) were determined in patients with advanced RCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were enrolled onto a multicenter, ascending-dose study of temsirolimus (5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 mg) administered intravenously once a week combined with IFN (6 or 9 million units [MU]) administered subcutaneously three times per week. An expanded cohort was treated at the recommended dose to obtain additional safety and efficacy information. RESULTS: Seventy-one patients were entered to receive one of six dose levels. The recommended dose was temsirolimus 15 mg/IFN 6 MU based on dose-limiting toxicities of stomatitis, fatigue, and nausea/vomiting, which were observed at higher doses of temsirolimus and IFN. The most frequent grade 3 or 4 toxicities occurring in any cycle included leukopenia, hypophosphatemia, asthenia, anemia, and hypertriglyceridemia for all patients and those who received the recommended dose. Among patients who received the recommended dose (n = 39), 8% achieved partial response and 36% had stable disease for at least 24 weeks. Median progression-free survival for all patients in the study was 9.1 months. CONCLUSION: The combination of temsirolimus and IFN has an acceptable safety profile and displays antitumor activity in patients with advanced RCC. Temsirolimus 15 mg plus IFN 6 MU is the recommended dose for evaluation in a randomized phase III study. PMID- 17761981 TI - Prostate-specific antigen and pain surrogacy analysis in metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer. AB - PURPOSE: It is currently unclear if early prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or pain improvements are adequate surrogates for overall survival in men with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Here we examined various degrees of PSA decline and pain response as surrogates for the survival benefit observed in the TAX327 trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the TAX327 trial, 1,006 men with HRPC were randomly assigned to receive docetaxel in two schedules, or mitoxantrone, each with prednisone: 989 men provided data on 3-month PSA decline. Surrogacy was examined for post-treatment changes in PSA and pain response using Cox proportional hazards models to calculate the proportion of treatment effect (PTE) explained by each potential surrogate. RESULTS: A > or = 30% PSA decline within 3 months of treatment initiation provides the highest degree of surrogacy, with a PTE of 0.66 (95% CI, 0.23 to 1.0), and was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.50 (95% CI, 0.43 to 0.58) for overall survival after adjusting for treatment effect. Introduction of a > or = 30% PSA decline is predictive of survival regardless of treatment arm. Other changes in PSA or PSA kinetics, PSA normalization, and pain responses were highly prognostic but weaker surrogates for survival. CONCLUSION: In the TAX327 trial, a PSA decline of > or = 30% within 3 months of chemotherapy initiation had the highest degree of surrogacy for overall survival, confirming data from the Southwest Oncology Group 9916 trial. However, given the wide CIs around the estimate of this moderate surrogate effect, overall survival should remain the preferred end point for phase III trials of cytotoxic agents in HRPC. PMID- 17761982 TI - Phase II trial of chemoradiation for organ preservation in resectable stage III or IV squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx or oropharynx: results of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Study E2399. AB - PURPOSE: Taxane-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCR) for head and neck cancers has proven to have a favorable toxicity profile compared with cisplatin and radiation. This phase II multi-institutional trial evaluates taxane-based induction chemotherapy followed by CCR for organ preservation in resectable stage III/IVA and IVB larynx and oropharynx (OP) cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligibility required resectable stage T2N+, or T3-T4N0-3M0 biopsy-proven squamous carcinoma, age at least 18 years, PS 0 to 2, good organ function, and no prior chemotherapy or radiation. Treatment was induction paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) and carboplatin area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) 6 for two cycles every 21 days followed by concurrent paclitaxel 30 mg/m(2) every 7 days with 70 Gy if no evidence of tumor progression. Weekly erythropoietin alpha 40 kU was used for suboptimal hemoglobin (< 14 gm/dL men, < 13 gm/dL women). The primary end point was organ preservation (freedom from primary site salvage surgery or primary tumor recurrence). RESULTS: One hundred five of 111 patients (36 larynx, 69 OP) were eligible. Median follow-up was 36.7 months. Ninety-four percent received full-dose radiotherapy and 91% received at least five cycles of concurrent paclitaxel. No patient progressed while receiving chemotherapy. Organ preservation was 81% at 2 years after completion of therapy (larynx 74%, OP 84%). Thirteen patients required primary-site salvage surgery (seven larynx, six OP), and six of these have progressed and died (three larynx, three OP). Thirteen patients developed distant metastases (seven larynx, six OP; P = .02) and 10 of 36 larynx and 11 of 69 OP patients have died as a result of their disease. Two year survival is 76% (63% larynx v 83% OP). CONCLUSION: A high organ preservation rate was obtained with this regimen for OP but not for larynx patients. Toxicity was low, and induction chemotherapy did not preclude delivery of concurrent chemoradiotherapy. PMID- 17761983 TI - Phase II study of lapatinib in recurrent or metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor and/or erbB2 expressing adenoid cystic carcinoma and non adenoid cystic carcinoma malignant tumors of the salivary glands. AB - PURPOSE: Expression of erbB2 and/or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is associated with biologic aggressiveness and poor prognosis in malignant salivary gland tumors (MSGTs). This phase II study was conducted to determine the antitumor activity of lapatinib, a dual inhibitor of EGFR and erbB2 tyrosine kinase activity, in MSGTs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with progressive, recurrent, or metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) immunohistochemically expressing at least 1+ EGFR and/or 2+ erbB2 were treated with lapatinib 1,500 mg daily, in a two-stage cohort. Patients with non-ACC MSGTs were treated as a separate single-stage cohort. RESULTS: Of 62 patients screened, 29 of 33 (88%) ACC and 28 of 29 (97%) non-ACC patients expressed EGFR and/or erbB2. Forty patients with progressive disease were enrolled onto the study. Among 19 assessable ACC patients, there were no objective responses, 15 patients (79%) had stable disease (SD), nine patients (47%) had SD > or = 6 months, and four patients (21%) had progressive disease (PD). For 17 assessable non-ACC patients, there were no objective responses, eight patients (47%) had SD, four patients (24%) had SD > or = 6 months, and nine patients (53%) had PD. The most frequent adverse events were grade 1 to 2 diarrhea, fatigue, and rash. Eight paired tumor biopsies for correlative studies were procured; results did not correlate with clinical outcome. CONCLUSION: Although no responses were observed, lapatinib was well tolerated, with prolonged tumor stabilization of > or = 6 months in 36% (95% CI, 21% to 54%) of assessable patients. The antitumor effects of lapatinib in MGSTs appear mainly cytostatic, hence evaluation of other molecular targeted agents, or combinations with lapatinib, may be considered. Continued efforts should be made to gain better understanding into the biology of this heterogeneous group of malignancies. PMID- 17761984 TI - Primary fallopian tube malignancies in BRCA-positive women undergoing surgery for ovarian cancer risk reduction. AB - PURPOSE: To review the frequency and location of malignancies detected after prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy in women with BRCA mutations. METHODS: Medical records and pathology findings were reviewed from BRCA-positive women undergoing prophylactic surgery for ovarian cancer risk reduction who underwent complete examination of the adnexa. Patients undergoing this procedure between January 1999 and January 2007 were identified. RESULTS: From January 1999 to January 2007, 122 BRCA-positive patients underwent prophylactic surgery in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The median age was 46.5 years (range, 33 to 76 years). Seven (5.7%) were found to have an early malignancy in the upper genital tract and all patients were age > or = 44 years at diagnosis. Of seven consecutive cancers culled between January 1999 and January 2007, all (100%) originated in the fimbrial or ampullary region of the tube; six had an early (intraepithelial) component. Two were associated with surface implants on the ovary and two required repeated sectioning to detect microscopic carcinomas in the fimbria. CONCLUSION: The distal fallopian tube seems to be the dominant site of origin for early malignancies detected in approximately 6% of women undergoing ovarian cancer risk-reduction surgery. The greatest proportion of serous cancer risk in BRCA mutation-positive women should be assigned to the fimbria rather than the ovary, and future clinical and research protocols should employ thorough examination of the fimbria, including multiple sections from each tissue block, to maximize detection of early malignancies in this population. PMID- 17761985 TI - Pleural metastases from renal cell carcinoma 16 years after resection. PMID- 17761986 TI - Presentation of childhood acute myeloid leukemia with erythema nodosum. PMID- 17761987 TI - Retrorectal cystic hamartoma as benign cause of CA 19-9 elevation. PMID- 17761988 TI - When two worlds collide. PMID- 17761990 TI - Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 testing recommendation. PMID- 17761991 TI - Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 testing in breast cancer. PMID- 17761992 TI - Avoiding bias in the prospective evaluation of patients with brain metastases. PMID- 17761993 TI - Is surgery still part of local therapy in patients with locally advanced esophageal carcinoma? PMID- 17761994 TI - Reliable evidence of safety and efficacy of elderly patients in randomized clinical trials still needed. PMID- 17761995 TI - Psychological impact of screening for type 2 diabetes: controlled trial and comparative study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) randomised controlled trial. AB - OBJECTIVE: To quantify the psychological impact of primary care based stepwise screening for type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: Controlled trial and comparative study embedded in a randomised controlled trial. SETTING: 15 practices (10 screening, five control) in the ADDITION (Cambridge) trial in the east of England. PARTICIPANTS: 7380 adults (aged 40-69) in the top fourth for risk of having undiagnosed type 2 diabetes (6416 invited for screening, 964 controls). INTERVENTIONS: Invited for screening for type 2 diabetes or not invited (controls), incorporating a comparative study of subgroups of screening attenders. Attenders completed questionnaires after a random blood glucose test and at 3-6 months and 12-15 months later. Controls were sent questionnaires at corresponding time points. Non-attenders were sent questionnaires at 3-6 months and 12-15 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: State anxiety (Spielberger state anxiety inventory), anxiety and depression (hospital anxiety and depression scale), worry about diabetes, and self rated health. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the screening and control participants at any time-for example, difference in means (95% confidence intervals) for state anxiety after the initial blood glucose test was -0.53, -2.60 to 1.54, at 3-6 months was 1.51 ( 0.17 to 3.20), and at 12-15 months was 0.57, -1.11 to 2.24. After the initial test, compared with participants who screened negative, those who screened positive reported significantly poorer general health (difference in means -0.19, -0.25 to -0.13), higher state anxiety (0.93, -0.02 to 1.88), higher depression (0.32, 0.08 to 0.56), and higher worry about diabetes (0.25, 0.09 to 0.41), although effect sizes were small. Small but significant trends were found for self rated health across the screening subgroups at 3-6 months (P=0.047) and for worry about diabetes across the screen negative groups at 3-6 months and 12-15 months (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Screening for type 2 diabetes has limited psychological impact on patients. Implementing a national screening programme based on the stepwise screening procedure used in the ADDITION (Cambridge) trial is unlikely to have significant consequences for patients' psychological health. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN99175498 [controlled trials.com]. PMID- 17761996 TI - Self monitoring of blood glucose in type 2 diabetes: longitudinal qualitative study of patients' perspectives. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore views of patients with type 2 diabetes about self monitoring of blood glucose over time. DESIGN: Longitudinal, qualitative study. SETTING: Primary and secondary care settings across Lothian, Scotland. PARTICIPANTS: 18 patients with type 2 diabetes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Results from repeat in-depth interviews with patients over four years after clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: Analysis revealed three main themes-the role of health professionals, interpreting readings and managing high values, and the ongoing role of blood glucose self monitoring. Self monitoring decreased over time, and health professionals' behaviour seemed crucial in this: participants interpreted doctors' focus on levels of haemoglobin A(1c), and lack of perceived interest in meter readings, as indicating that self monitoring was not worth continuing. Some participants saw readings as a proxy measure of good and bad behaviour-with women especially, chastising themselves when readings were high. Some participants continued to find readings difficult to interpret, with uncertainty about how to respond to high readings. Reassurance and habit were key reasons for continuing. There was little indication that participants were using self monitoring to effect and maintain behaviour change. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical uncertainty about the efficacy and role of blood glucose self monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes is mirrored in patients' own accounts. Patients tended not to act on their self monitoring results, in part because of a lack of education about the appropriate response to readings. Health professionals should be explicit about whether and when such patients should self monitor and how they should interpret and act upon the results, especially high readings. PMID- 17761997 TI - Screening for diabetes. PMID- 17761998 TI - Self management of type 2 diabetes. PMID- 17761999 TI - Benefits and harms of antidiabetic agents in patients with diabetes and heart failure: systematic review. AB - OBJECTIVE: To review the literature on the association between antidiabetic agents and morbidity and mortality in people with heart failure and diabetes. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled studies (randomised trials or cohort studies) evaluating antidiabetic agents and outcomes (death and admission to hospital) in patients with heart failure and diabetes. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases, manual reference search, and contact with investigators. REVIEW METHODS: Two reviewers independently extracted data. Risk estimates for specific treatments were abstracted and pooled estimates derived by meta-analysis where appropriate. RESULTS: Eight studies were included. Three of four studies found that insulin use was associated with increased risk for all cause mortality (odds ratio 1.25, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.51; 3.42, 1.40 to 8.37 in studies that did not adjust for diet and antidiabetic drugs; hazard ratio 1.66, 1.20 to 2.31; 0.96, 0.88 to 1.05 in the studies that did). Metformin was associated with significantly reduced all cause mortality in two studies (hazard ratio 0.86, 0.78 to 0.97) compared with other antidiabetic drugs and insulin; 0.70, 0.54 to 0.91 compared with sulfonylureas); a similar trend was seen in a third. Metformin was not associated with increased hospital admission for any cause or for heart failure specifically. In four studies, use of thiazolidinediones was associated with reduced all cause mortality (pooled odds ratio 0.83, 0.71 to 0.97, I2=52%, P=0.02). Thiazolidinediones were associated with increased risk of hospital admission for heart failure (pooled odds ratio 1.13 (1.04 to 1.22), I2=0%, P=0.004). The two studies of sulfonylureas had conflicting results, probably because of differences in comparator treatments. Important limitations were noted in all studies. CONCLUSION: Metformin was the only antidiabetic agent not associated with harm in patients with heart failure and diabetes. It was associated with reduced all cause mortality in two of the three studies. PMID- 17762000 TI - Patients' experiences of screening for type 2 diabetes: prospective qualitative study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) randomised controlled trial. AB - OBJECTIVES: To provide insight into factors that contribute to the anxiety reported in a quantitative study of the psychological effect of screening for type 2 diabetes. To explore expectations of and reactions to the screening experience of patients with positive, negative, and intermediate results. DESIGN: Prospective qualitative interview study of patients attending a screening programme for type 2 diabetes. SETTING: Seven general practices in the ADDITION (Cambridge) trial in the east of England. PARTICIPANTS: 23 participants (aged 50 69) attending different stages in the screening process. RESULTS: Participants' perceptions changed as they progressed through the screening programme; the stepwise process seemed to help them adjust psychologically. The first screening test was typically considered unimportant and was attended with no thought about its implications. By the final diagnostic test, type 2 diabetes was considered a strong possibility, albeit a "mild" form. After diagnosis, people with screen detected type 2 diabetes tended to downplay its importance and talked confidently about their plans to control it. Participants with intermediate results seemed uncertain about their diagnosis, and those who screened negative were largely unaware of their remaining high risk. CONCLUSIONS: This study helps in understanding the limited psychological impact of screening for type 2 diabetes quantified previously, in particular by the quantitative substudy of ADDITION (Cambridge). The findings have implications for implementing such a screening programme in terms of timing and content. PMID- 17762001 TI - Prescribing antibiotics in primary care. PMID- 17762002 TI - Reassessing normal blood pressure. PMID- 17762003 TI - Recognising serious illness in feverish young children in primary care. PMID- 17762004 TI - Pain and heavy bleeding with intrauterine contraceptive devices. PMID- 17762005 TI - Chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis. PMID- 17762006 TI - Is depression overdiagnosed: Global perspectives. PMID- 17762007 TI - Is depression overdiagnosed: Walking the Black Dog. PMID- 17762008 TI - Is depression overdiagnosed: Task of primary care is to grade depression. PMID- 17762009 TI - Medical education research: Reasons to be cheerful. PMID- 17762010 TI - Probiotics in children: All nutritional supplements should be classified as drugs. PMID- 17762011 TI - Probiotics in children: Consider microbial cause. PMID- 17762012 TI - Carpal tunnel syndrome: Nerve studies are not that useful in diagnosis. PMID- 17762013 TI - Idea in action: Generic ID card to save jobs. PMID- 17762014 TI - Researching incapacity: Time to get our acts together. PMID- 17762015 TI - Medical education research: Other journals, other means. PMID- 17762016 TI - Patients' groups welcome NICE decisions on arthritis and multiple sclerosis drugs. PMID- 17762017 TI - GMC clears GP accused of giving court "junk science" on MMR vaccine. PMID- 17762018 TI - Surgery outcomes are to be made public--but a five year wait is likely. PMID- 17762019 TI - Out of hours cover in Scotland is unsustainable, audit finds. PMID- 17762020 TI - Growing displacement of refugees causes new problems in Iraq. PMID- 17762021 TI - Infectious diseases are spreading more rapidly than ever before, WHO warns. PMID- 17762024 TI - US National Institutes of Health investigates one of its own institutes. PMID- 17762032 TI - Silver syndrome. PMID- 17762033 TI - Should eponyms be abandoned? Yes. PMID- 17762034 TI - Should eponyms be abandoned? No. PMID- 17762035 TI - Has Modernising Medical Careers lost its way? PMID- 17762036 TI - Parkinson's disease. PMID- 17762037 TI - Diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): summary of NICE guidance. PMID- 17762038 TI - Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. PMID- 17762044 TI - Evidence for 26 distinct acyl-coenzyme A synthetase genes in the human genome. AB - Acyl-coenzyme A synthetases (ACSs) catalyze the fundamental, initial reaction in fatty acid metabolism. "Activation" of fatty acids by thioesterification to CoA allows their participation in both anabolic and catabolic pathways. The availability of the sequenced human genome has facilitated the investigation of the number of ACS genes present. Using two conserved amino acid sequence motifs to probe human DNA databases, 26 ACS family genes/proteins were identified. ACS activity in either humans or rodents was demonstrated previously for 20 proteins, but 6 remain candidate ACSs. For two candidates, cDNA was cloned, protein was expressed in COS-1 cells, and ACS activity was detected. Amino acid sequence similarities were used to assign enzymes into subfamilies, and subfamily assignments were consistent with acyl chain length preference. Four of the 26 proteins did not fit into a subfamily, and bootstrap analysis of phylograms was consistent with evolutionary divergence. Three additional conserved amino acid sequence motifs were identified that likely have functional or structural roles. The existence of many ACSs suggests that each plays a unique role, directing the acyl-CoA product to a specific metabolic fate. Knowing the full complement of ACS genes in the human genome will facilitate future studies to characterize their specific biological functions. PMID- 17762045 TI - Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the ovaries: imaging findings. AB - Primary ovarian lymphoma is very rare. We report a case of primary ovarian Burkitt-type non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, describing the imaging appearance on ultrasound, CT and MRI, and review the literature. PMID- 17762046 TI - Pre-operative localization and embolization for jejunal arteriovenous malformation with massive haemorrhage. AB - Arteriovenous malformation of the gastrointestinal tract is relatively rare in adults. The most accurate diagnosis is by angiography and pre-operative localization has been reported, including by coil embolization, catheter or guidewire replacement, and intraoperative staining techniques. We report the case of a 20-year-old man with acute and massive small intestinal haemorrhage due to jejunal ateriovenous malformation, which was embolized immediately with N-butyl-2 cyanoacrylate. The technique is rapid and safe under fluoroscopy control and the method can help surgeons with mini-laparotomy or laparoscopic surgery because of the clear localization and stable condition of the patient. PMID- 17762047 TI - Reversed halo sign in lymphomatoid granulomatosis. AB - Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder which affects extranodal sites, most commonly lung. Radiologically, it typically presents with multiple nodular opacities that may wax and wane. The reversed halo sign has previously been reported in cryptogenic organizing pneumonia and more recently in South American blastomycosis. We describe a case of histologically proven lymphomatoid granulomatosis in a patient who presented initially with the more typical nodular opacities, which subsequently progressed into the reversed halo sign. To the best of our knowledge, this association has not been previously described. PMID- 17762048 TI - Renal agenesis: report of an interesting case. AB - Renal agenesis is generally thought to result from a lack of induction of the metanephric blastema by the ureteral bud, which may be secondary to ureteral bud maldevelopment and/or to a problem with the formation of the mesonephric duct. Uncommonly, post-natal involution of multicystic dysplastic kidneys results in solitary kidney. Unilateral renal agenesis may be associated with ipsilateral genitourinary anomalies and VATER abnormalities. The interest of this case lies in the association of unilateral renal agenesis with the presence of an ipsilateral pelvic dilated ureter, ipsilateral seminal vesicle hypoplasia and absence of the vas deferens. PMID- 17762049 TI - Neoadjuvant chemotherapy enables R0 resection of locally advanced rectal cancer in a patient with a previously irradiated pelvis. AB - Pre-operative chemoradiation is frequently employed in an attempt to downstage locally advanced rectal cancer which threatens or involves the circumferential resection margin (CRM) on MRI scanning. We present a case where radiotherapy was contraindicated as the patient had previously been irradiated to a radical dose for prostatic adenocarcinoma. Neoadjuvant capecitabine and oxaliplatin were used to downsize the tumour to permit resection with a clear CRM. PMID- 17762050 TI - Atypical bronchial thickening and ulceration: a rare radiological finding in Wegener's granulomatosis. AB - We report the case of a 55-year-old male patient who presented with non-specific pulmonary symptoms (cough, haemoptysis, fever up to 39 degrees C, night sweats and weight loss). After empirical antibiotic therapy prescribed by his primary care physician, the patient showed no improvement in symptoms. Laboratory findings were: elevated C-reactive protein and C-ANCA, leukocytosis and thrombocytosis, and anaemia. Chest radiography showed disseminated nodules bilaterally. On multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT), the bronchial walls showed a significant thickening and extensive peribronchiolar consolidations. Bronchoscopy revealed diffuse erythema of the tracheobronchial mucosa with diffusely scattered white plaques. Histopathology described a multifocal ulcerative bronchitis with underlying chronic bronchitis. These findings in combination with the laboratory data lead to the diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis. Consequently, we started with an immunosuppressive therapy. Chest radiography after 10 days showed marked resolution of the infiltrates. Within 1 month, the patient became asymptomatic. PMID- 17762051 TI - Spontaneous rupture of the left common iliac vein associated with May Thurner syndrome: successful management with surgery and placement of an endovascular stent. AB - We report a case of spontaneous rupture of the left common iliac vein diagnosed pre-operatively with CT and successfully treated with surgery and placement of a stent. A 60-year-old woman was referred to our emergency room because of a sudden left lower abdominal pain and swelling of the left lower extremity. CT revealed a huge retroperitoneal haematoma and extrinsic compression of the left common iliac vein with acute thrombosis of deep veins of the left lower extremity. Venous patch angioplasty was performed at the site of spontaneous rupture. After thrombectomy with use of a Forgaty catheter, a stent was placed at the occluded segment of the left common iliac vein under the C-arm fluroscopic guidance. Follow-up CT 10 days and 8 months after initial examination demonstrated a venous stent with preserved luminal patency and striking resolution of deep vein thrombosis of the left lower extremity. PMID- 17762052 TI - Primitive neuroectodermal tumour of the prostate gland: ultrasound and MRI findings. AB - We report a rare case of primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET) of the prostate occurring in a 26-year-old man with a mass replacing the prostate gland in the absence of any lesion involving the bone and soft tissues. To our knowledge, there is no radiological literature that has described the imaging findings in a case of PNET of the prostate. Imaging findings in cases of PNET of the kidney are described in the literature. On ultrasound, the mass appeared multilobulated and multinodular with intratumoural heterogeneity. No brightly reflective echoes with posterior acoustic shadowing to suggest calcification were noted. MRI revealed a heterogeneous lobulated mass with irregular septae within. The mass showed low signal intensity on T(1) weighted images and appeared heterogeneous on T(2) weighted images. Haemorrhage and necrosis were also seen in the tumour. PMID- 17762053 TI - Intratesticular haematoma: differentiation from tumour on clinical history and ultrasound appearances in two cases. AB - Intratesticular haematoma is not well described in the ultrasound literature and may be mistaken for a primary testicular malignancy if a detailed clinical history and careful ultrasound examination are not performed. We report two cases of intratesticular haematoma (one complicated by the presence of microlithiasis), describe the ultrasound appearances and document the natural history of the haematomas. A clinical history coupled with Doppler ultrasound features is crucial for conservative management. PMID- 17762054 TI - Magnetic resonance lymphangiography in Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. AB - To date, lymphoscintigraphy and conventional, direct lymphography have been the favoured imaging modalities in assessing the lymphatic system in patients with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. We report on the first patient suffering from Klippel Trenaunay syndrome whose lymphatic vasculature of the lower limbs was evaluated with MR lymphangiography. PMID- 17762055 TI - Mammography screening and genetic disposition to radiation risk. PMID- 17762056 TI - Comparative evaluation of organ and effective doses for paediatric patients with those for adults in chest and abdominal CT examinations. AB - Patient doses in paediatric and adult CT examinations were investigated for modern multislice CT scanners by using specially constructed in-phantom dose measuring systems. The systems were composed of 32 photodiode dosemeters embedded in various tissue and organ sites within anthropomorphic phantoms representing the bodies of 6-year-old children and adults. Organ and the effective doses were evaluated from dose values measured at these sites. In chest CT examinations, organ doses for organs within the scanning area were 2-21 mGy for children and 7 26 mGy for adults. Thyroid doses for children were frequently the highest with a maximum of 21 mGy. In abdominal CT examinations, organ doses for organs within the scanning area were 3-16 mGy for children and 10-34 mGy for adults. Effective doses evaluated for children and adults were found to be proportional to the effective mAs of CT scanners, where linear coefficients were specific to the types of CT examinations and to the manufacturers of CT scanners. Effective doses in paediatric chest CT and abdominal CT examinations were lower than those in adult examinations by a factor of two or greater on average for the same CT scanners because of the lower effective mAs adopted in paediatric examinations. PMID- 17762057 TI - Are you reading what we are reading? The effect of who interprets medical images on estimates of diagnostic test accuracy in systematic reviews. AB - Observer variation and error in the interpretation of medical images is substantial and has been described as Radiology's Achilles' heel. The enormous development in imaging technologies has brought with it an increase in the complexity and volume of images produced. There is also increased diversity as to who interprets medical images. Whilst the influence of the observer on diagnostic test performance is frequently ignored, there is evidence that this influences estimates of accuracy. Characteristics of observers that should be considered when designing systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy are: allocation of images to be read by observers; number, experience and training of observers; profession of observers; and assessment of observer variability and examination of its effect on test accuracy. This information could be used to inform study appraisal, data synthesis, and the investigation of sources of heterogeneity. Establishing the effect of the role of the observer on estimates of accuracy and explaining heterogeneity is important for informing the delivery of these potentially expensive and resource-intensive imaging technologies and the continuing debate about who should read the images. PMID- 17762058 TI - Acute spinal cord compression. PMID- 17762059 TI - Meeting the challenges. PMID- 17762060 TI - Volume therapy in cardiac surgery. PMID- 17762061 TI - The clinical effects and mechanisms of leukocyte depletion filters during cardiac surgery. PMID- 17762062 TI - Bleeding and blood product utilization in adults undergoing elective aortic root replacement: the impact of antifibrinolytic exposure and aortic root prosthesis. AB - A retrospective observational study was carried out to test the hypothesis that bleeding and blood component utilization are significantly associated with aortic root replacement (ARR). The aims of the study were as follows. (1) To determine antifibrinolytic exposure (AFE) in ARR; (2) To determine mediastinal drainage within the first 24 hours after ARR; (3) To determine blood component transfusion within the first 24 hours after ARR; (4) To determine whether AFE affects bleeding and blood component transfusion for ARR; and, (5) To determine whether type of aortic root prosthesis affects bleeding and/or blood component transfusion after ARR. All adults undergoing elective ARR from 1996-2001 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania were included in the study. Cohort size was 61. Average age was 49.1 years. AFE was 52%: 23.0% aminocaproic acid, and 29% aprotinin. Mediastinal drainage averaged 384 ml for the first 24 hours. Transfusion in the first 24 hours averaged <1 unit red cells, <1 unit plasma, and <16-pack of platelets. Mediastinal drainage and blood component transfusion were not significantly related to AFE or type of surgical prosthesis. Based on these findings the hypothesis is rejected. The protocol for ARR at our institution is associated with excellent haemostatic outcome, regardless of AFE or type of aortic root prosthesis. Further clinical research in haemostatic outcome after thoracic aortic surgery should be directed at more extensive aortic procedures such as aortic arch repair with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. PMID- 17762063 TI - Ultra low dose aprotinin decreases blood loss and transfusion requirements in high risk two valve replacement surgery. AB - The efficacy of ultra-low-dose-aprotinin (ULDA) in 'high-risk' two valve replacement surgery, was evaluated in this prospective, randomized, double-blind study. Forty adult high-risk patients undergoing elective two valve replacement surgery, were included. The patients were divided into 2 groups of 20 each. In Group I, aprotinin in a dose of 1,000,000 KIU was administered from the end of anaesthesia induction to the time of sternotomy after a 1 ml of test dose. In Group II (control), 100 ml of normal saline was administered in a similar fashion. Coagulation parameters, blood loss, and amount of transfusion of blood / blood products were measured at specific intervals. The postoperative chest tube drainage in the first 24 hours was significantly less 203+/-35 ml (p<0.05) in Group I as compared with 490+/-104 ml in group II and consequently, Group I patients received significantly less (p<0.05) red cell concentrates and platelet transfusion. There was a significant decrease in the length of postoperative elective ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) stay and direct costs involved in the hospital expenses with the use of ULDA. We conclude that ULDA is safe and effective in 'high-risk' two-valve replacement surgery to reduce postoperative bleeding, postoperative length of intubation and ICU stay; use of ULDA is associated with significant direct cost savings. PMID- 17762064 TI - Direct cardiac effects in isolated perfused rat hearts of fentanyl and remifentanil. AB - Opioids are widely used as analgesics to supplement general anaesthesia or as adjunct to anaesthetic agents and for long term analgesia and sedation in intensive care patients. Some clinical studies have suggested that opioids may have different and deleterious haemodynamic effects that remain incompletely examined. We compared the direct cardiac effects of fentanyl and remifentanil in isolated Wistar rat hearts. Twenty rats were randomly assigned to two groups. Hearts were perfused with modified Krebs Henseleit solution and were exposed to 1 x 10(-6) moles(M)/L fentanyl (n=10) in Group I and 1 x 10(-6) M/L remifentanil (n=10) in Group II. Heart rates, contractile force and coronary perfusion were recorded continuously during the study. There was a significant decrease in heart rate and increase in contractility and coronary perfusion in two groups (p<0.001). Fentanyl had less depressant effects on heart rate than remifentanil. We conclude that in isolated rat heart, fentanyl and remifentanil cause direct negative chronotropic and positive inotropic effect. Remifentanil had more depressant effects on heart rate than fentanyl in isolated rat heart. PMID- 17762065 TI - Anaesthetic management of patient with Poland syndrome and rheumatic mitral valve stenosis: a case report. PMID- 17762066 TI - Post-intubation tracheal stenosis in paediatric patients after cardiac surgery. PMID- 17762067 TI - An interesting case of coronary cameral fistula. PMID- 17762068 TI - Aortic root abscess with disruption of aorto-mitral curtain and anterior mitral leaflet perforation causing severe mitral regurgitation. PMID- 17762069 TI - Ebstein's anomaly with severe tricuspid regurgitation. PMID- 17762070 TI - Giant anterior mediastinal mass causing airway obstruction. PMID- 17762071 TI - Cardiopulmonary bypass for management of intracranial aneurysms: anaesthetic considerations. PMID- 17762072 TI - Experimental validation of the new nanodosimetry-based cell survival model for mixed neutron and gamma-ray irradiation. AB - The new nanodosimetry-based linear-quadratic (LQ) formula has been reviewed for mixed-LET irradiation. V-79 Chinese hamster cells have been irradiated with a mixed-LET field of fission neutrons and gamma rays at the University of Maryland Training Reactor (MUTR). The results show that the experimental survival curve agrees well with that predicted by the new nanodosimetry-based LQ model. The experimental study described in this note, therefore, serves as a validation for the new model to be used for mixed-LET radiotherapies, e.g. 252Cf brachytherapy. PMID- 17762073 TI - The denoising of Monte Carlo dose distributions using convolution superposition calculations. AB - Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculations can be accurate but are also computationally intensive. In contrast, convolution superposition (CS) offers faster and smoother results but by making approximations. We investigated MC denoising techniques, which use available convolution superposition results and new noise filtering methods to guide and accelerate MC calculations. Two main approaches were developed to combine CS information with MC denoising. In the first approach, the denoising result is iteratively updated by adding the denoised residual difference between the result and the MC image. Multi-scale methods were used (wavelets or contourlets) for denoising the residual. The iterations are initialized by the CS data. In the second approach, we used a frequency splitting technique by quadrature filtering to combine low frequency components derived from MC simulations with high frequency components derived from CS components. The rationale is to take the scattering tails as well as dose levels in the high dose region from the MC calculations, which presumably more accurately incorporates scatter; high-frequency details are taken from CS calculations. 3D Butterworth filters were used to design the quadrature filters. The methods were demonstrated using anonymized clinical lung and head and neck cases. The MC dose distributions were calculated by the open-source dose planning method MC code with varying noise levels. Our results indicate that the frequency-splitting technique for incorporating CS-guided MC denoising is promising in terms of computational efficiency and noise reduction. PMID- 17762074 TI - Quality assurance of brachytherapy afterloaders using a multi-slit phantom. AB - Brachytherapy is a very successful treatment option for many different tumors. Consequently the quality assurance (QA) of afterloaders is of special interest. For many quality checks verification films are essential. Because currently in many clinics the film development units are replaced by computed radiography systems, the question arises of how to perform QA for afterloaders without conventional radiography films. In this note the use of a new designed multi-slit phantom demonstrates the possibility of performing QA checks with high sensitivity computed radiography systems. Because the presented phantom allows a method for imaging the radiation source it might be useful in the development of further QA techniques. PMID- 17762075 TI - Measurement of electric fields due to time-varying magnetic field gradients using dipole probes. AB - The operation of dipole probes in measuring electric fields in conductive media exposed to temporally varying magnetic fields is discussed. The potential measured by the probe can be thought of as originating from two contributions to the electric field, namely the gradient of the scalar electric potential and the temporal derivative of the magnetic vector potential. Using this analysis, it is shown that the exact form of the wire paths employed when using electric field probes to measure the effects of temporally varying magnetic fields is very important and this prediction is verified via simple experiments carried out using different probe geometries in a cylindrical sample exposed to a temporally varying, uniform magnetic field. Extending this work, a dipole probe has been used to measure the electric field induced in a cylindrical sample by gradient coils as used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Analytic solutions for the electric field in an infinite cylinder are verified by comparison with experimental measurements. Deviations from the analytic solutions of the electric field for the x-gradient coil due to the finite length of the sample cylinder are also demonstrated. PMID- 17762076 TI - A model to predict patient temperature during cardiac surgery. AB - A core temperature drop after cardiac surgery slows down the patient's recuperation process. In order to minimize the amount of the so-called afterdrop, more knowledge is needed about the impaired thermoregulatory system during anesthesia and the effect of different protocols on temperature distribution. Therefore, a computer model has been developed that describes heat transfer during cardiac surgery. The model consists of three parts: (1) a passive part, which gives a simplified description of the human geometry and the passive heat transfer processes, (2) an active part that takes into account the thermoregulatory system as a function of the amount of anesthesia and (3) submodels, through which it is possible to adjust the boundary conditions. The validity of the new model was tested by comparing the model results to the measurement results of three surgical procedures. A good resemblance was found between simulation results and the experiments. Next, a model application was shown. A parameter study was performed to study the effect of different temperature protocols on afterdrop. It was shown that the effectiveness of forced air heating is larger than the benefits resulting from increased environmental temperature or usage of a circulating water mattress. Ultimately, the model could be used to develop a monitoring decision system that advises clinicians what temperature protocol will be best for the patient. PMID- 17762077 TI - Registration of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI using a progressive principal component registration (PPCR). AB - Registration of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance images (DCE-MRI) of soft tissue is difficult. Conventional registration cost functions that depend on information content are compromised by the changing intensity profile, leading to misregistration. We present a new data-driven model of uptake patterns formed from a principal components analysis (PCA) of time-series data, avoiding the need for a physiological model. We term this process progressive principal component registration (PPCR). Registration is performed repeatedly to an artificial time series of target images generated using the principal components of the current best-registered time-series data. The aim is to produce a dataset that has had random motion artefacts removed but long-term contrast enhancement implicitly preserved. The procedure is tested on 22 DCE-MRI datasets of the liver. Preliminary assessment of the images is by expert observer comparison with registration to the first image in the sequence. The PPCR is preferred in all cases where a preference exists. The method requires neither segmentation nor a pharmacokinetic uptake model and can allow successful registration in the presence of contrast enhancement. PMID- 17762078 TI - Artefacts in intracavitary temperature measurements during regional hyperthermia. AB - For adequate hyperthermia treatments, reliable temperature information during treatment is essential. During regional hyperthermia, temperature information is preferably obtained non-invasively from intracavitary or intraluminal measurements to avoid implant risks for the patient. However, for intracavitary or intraluminal thermometry optimal tissue contact is less natural as for invasive thermometry. In this study, the reliability of intraluminal/intracavitary measurements was examined in phantom experiments and in a numerical model for various extents of thermal contact between thermometry and the surroundings. Both thermocouple probes and fibre optic probes were investigated. Temperature rises after a 30 s power pulse of the 70 MHz AMC-4 hyperthermia system were measured in a tissue-equivalent phantom using a multisensor thermocouple probe placed centrally in a hollow tube. The tube was filled with (1) air, (2) distilled water or (3) saline solution that mimics the properties of tissue, simulating situations with (1) bad thermal contact and no power dissipation in the tube, (2) good thermal contact but no power dissipation or (3) good thermal contact and tissue representative power dissipation. For numerical simulations, a cylindrical symmetric model of a thermocouple probe or a fibre optic probe in a cavity was developed. The cavity was modelled as air, distilled water or saline solution. A generalised E-Field distribution was assumed, resulting in a power deposition. With this power deposition, the temperature rise after a 30 s power pulse was calculated. When thermal contact was bad (1), both phantom measurements and simulations with a thermocouple probe showed very high temperature rises (>0.5 degrees C), which are artefacts due to self-heating of the thermocouple probe, since no power is dissipated in air. Simulations with a fibre optic probe showed almost no temperature rise when the cavity was filled with air. When thermal contact was good, but no power was dissipated in the tube (2), artefacts due to self-heating were not significant and the observed temperature rises were very low ( approximately 0-0.1 degrees C). For the situation, with tissue representative power dissipation (3), a temperature rise of approximately 0.23 degrees C was observed for both measurements and simulations. A clinical example of a regional hyperthermia treatment of a patient with a cervix uteri carcinoma showed that the artefacts observed in the case of bad thermal contact also affect the steady-state temperature measurements. Good tissue contact must be assured for reliable intraluminal or intracavitary measurements. PMID- 17762079 TI - Angular resolution in magnification radiography and the observation of x-ray wave interaction signatures. AB - High resolution x-ray imaging studies have demonstrated significant radiographic contrast enhancements that are attributed to wave interactions within the sample. This paper reviews diffraction and refraction in the context of medical radiography, describing signatures produced by each process and the necessary experimental conditions for observing them. The concept of angular resolution is introduced and applied to current x-ray source and detector configurations, testing their ability to record these features. It is difficult to record interference patterns arising from refractive phase shifts because their formation requires a mono-energetic beam. The refraction of x-rays across boundaries, as described by Snell's law, produces strong contrast enhancements when they are struck at close to the glancing incidence. Deflections are proportional to the change in electron density (at energies above the K-edge) and square root of the wavelength, so they can be observed with a poly-energetic beam. Diffraction can also be observed with white radiation, but produce fringes with far narrower separation under the same irradiation conditions. In both cases, the observation of wave interaction signatures requires a propagation distance between the sample and detector, and selection of an appropriate geometric magnification, which can be estimated using a simple model presented here. PMID- 17762080 TI - List-mode-based reconstruction for respiratory motion correction in PET using non rigid body transformations. AB - Respiratory motion in emission tomography leads to reduced image quality. Developed correction methodology has been concentrating on the use of respiratory synchronized acquisitions leading to gated frames. Such frames, however, are of low signal-to-noise ratio as a result of containing reduced statistics. In this work, we describe the implementation of an elastic transformation within a list mode-based reconstruction for the correction of respiratory motion over the thorax, allowing the use of all data available throughout a respiratory motion average acquisition. The developed algorithm was evaluated using datasets of the NCAT phantom generated at different points throughout the respiratory cycle. List mode-data-based PET-simulated frames were subsequently produced by combining the NCAT datasets with Monte Carlo simulation. A non-rigid registration algorithm based on B-spline basis functions was employed to derive transformation parameters accounting for the respiratory motion using the NCAT dynamic CT images. The displacement matrices derived were subsequently applied during the image reconstruction of the original emission list mode data. Two different implementations for the incorporation of the elastic transformations within the one-pass list mode EM (OPL-EM) algorithm were developed and evaluated. The corrected images were compared with those produced using an affine transformation of list mode data prior to reconstruction, as well as with uncorrected respiratory motion average images. Results demonstrate that although both correction techniques considered lead to significant improvements in accounting for respiratory motion artefacts in the lung fields, the elastic-transformation based correction leads to a more uniform improvement across the lungs for different lesion sizes and locations. PMID- 17762081 TI - Three-dimensional modeling of a portable medical device for magnetic separation of particles from biological fluids. AB - A portable separator has been developed to quantitatively separate blood-borne magnetic spheres in potentially high-flow regimes for the human detoxification purpose. In the separator design, an array of biocompatible capillary tubing and magnetizable wires is immersed in an external magnetic field that is generated by two permanent magnets. The wires are magnetized and the high magnetic field gradient from the magnetized wires helps to collect blood-borne magnetic nano/micro-spheres from the blood flow. In this study, a 3D numerical model was created and the effect of tubing-wire configurations on the capture efficiency of the system was analyzed using COMSOL Multiphysics 3.3(R). The results showed that the configuration characterized by bi-directionally alternating wires and tubes was the best design with respect to the four starting configurations. Preliminary in vitro experiments verified the numerical predictions. The results helped us to optimize a prototype portable magnetic separator that is suitable for rapid sequestration of magnetic nano/micro-spheres from the human blood stream while accommodating necessary clinical boundary conditions. PMID- 17762082 TI - Improvement of ESR dosimetry for thermal neutron beams through the addition of gadolinium. AB - In this paper, the addition of gadolinium is proposed as a useful tool to enhance the electron spin resonance (ESR) sensitivity of organic compounds to thermal neutrons. The target of this work is the detection, through the ESR technique, of the thermal neutron fluence in a mixed field of photons and neutrons. Gadolinium was chosen because it has a very high capture cross section to thermal neutrons; its nuclear reaction with thermal neutrons induces complex inner shell transitions that generate, besides other particles, Auger electrons, which in turn release their energy in the neighborhood (only several nanometers) of the place of reaction. Gadolinium was added to two organic molecules: alanine and ammonium tartrate. The main result obtained was a greater neutron sensitivity for dosimeters with gadolinium than for those without gadolinium for both organic molecules used. Since a dosimeter pair is required to discriminate between the two components of a mixed field, we studied the response of each dosimeter pair irradiated in a mixed field. Through a blind test we verified the usefulness of this dosimetric system and we obtained an estimate of the fluence in the mixed field with a relative uncertainty of 3%, when the pair composed of an alanine dosimeter and a dosimeter with alanine and gadolinium is used. PMID- 17762083 TI - Influence of total-body mass on the scaling of S-factors for patient-specific, blood-based red-marrow dosimetry. AB - To perform patient-specific, blood-based red-marrow dosimetry, dose conversion factors (the S factors in the MIRD formalism) have to be scaled by patients' organ masses. The dose to red marrow includes both self-dose and cross irradiation contributions. Linear mass scaling for the self-irradiation term only is usually applied as a first approximation, whereas the cross-irradiation term is considered to be mass independent. Recently, the need of a mass scaling correction on both terms, not necessarily linear and dependent on the radionuclide, has been highlighted in the literature. S-factors taking into account different mass adjustments of organs are available in the OLINDA/EXM code. In this paper, a general algorithm able to fit the mass-dependent factors S(rm<--tb) and S(rm<--rm) is suggested and included in a more general equation for red-marrow dose calculation. Moreover, parameters to be considered specifically for therapeutic radionuclides such as (131)I, (90)Y and 177Lu are reported. The red-marrow doses calculated by the traditional and new algorithms are compared for (131)I in ablation therapy (14 pts), 177Lu- (13 pts) and (90)Y- (11 pts) peptide therapy for neuroendocrine tumours, and (90)Y-Zevalin therapy for NHL (21 pts). The range of differences observed is as follows: -36% to -10% for (131)I ablation, -22% to 5% for 177Lu-DOTATATE, -9% to 11% for (90)Y-DOTATOC and -8% to 6% for (90)Y-Zevalin. All differences are mostly due to the activity in the remainder of the body contributing to cross-irradiation. This paper quantifies the influence of mass scaling adjustment on usually applied therapies and shows how to derive the appropriate parameters for other radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals. PMID- 17762084 TI - Annihilation photon acollinearity in PET: volunteer and phantom FDG studies. AB - Annihilation photon acollinearity is a fundamental but little investigated problem in positron emission tomography (PET). In this paper, the cause of the angular deviation from 180.00 degrees is described as well as how to evaluate it under conditions of a spatially distributed radiation source and a limited acquisition time for the human body. A relationship between the shape of the photopeak spectrum and the angular distribution is formulated using conservation laws of momentum and energy over the pair annihilation. Then the formula is used to evaluate the acollinearity for a pool phantom and the human body with FDG injected. The angular distribution for the pool phantom agrees well with that for pure water which had been directly measured by Colombino et al in 1965 (Nuovo Cimento 38 707-23), and also with that for the human body determined in this study. Pure water can be considered as a good approximation of the human body regarding the angular deviation. The blurring coefficient to be multiplied by the ring diameter in calculations of the PET spatial resolution is experimentally determined for the first time as 0.00243 +/- 0.00014; this is 10% larger than the value widely used by investigators. PMID- 17762085 TI - Optimization of image process parameters through factorial experiments using a flat panel detector. AB - In the optimization process of lumbar spine examinations, factorial experiments were performed addressing the question of whether the effective dose can be reduced and the image quality maintained by adjusting the image processing parameters. A 2k-factorial design was used which is a systematic and effective method of investigating the influence of many parameters on a result variable. Radiographic images of a Contrast Detail phantom were exposed using the default settings of the process parameters for lumbar spine examinations. The image was processed using different settings of the process parameters. The parameters studied were ROI density, gamma, detail contrast enhancement (DCE), noise compensation, unsharp masking and unsharp masking kernel (UMK). The images were computer analysed and an image quality figure (IQF) was calculated and used as a measurement of the image quality. The parameters with the largest influence on image quality were noise compensation, unsharp masking, unsharp masking kernel and detail contrast enhancement. There was an interaction between unsharp masking and kernel indicating that increasing the unsharp masking improved the image quality when combined with a large kernel size. Combined with a small kernel size however the unsharp masking had a deteriorating effect. Performing a factorial experiment gave an overview of how the image quality was influenced by image processing. By adjusting the level of noise compensation, unsharp masking and kernel, the IQF was improved to a 30% lower effective dose. PMID- 17762086 TI - A deformable lung tumor tracking method in fluoroscopic video using active shape models: a feasibility study. AB - A dynamic multi-leaf collimator (DMLC) can be used to track a moving target during radiotherapy. One of the major benefits for DMLC tumor tracking is that, in addition to the compensation for tumor translational motion, DMLC can also change the aperture shape to conform to a deforming tumor projection in the beam's eye view. This paper presents a method that can track a deforming lung tumor in fluoroscopic video using active shape models (ASM) (Cootes et al 1995 Comput. Vis. Image Underst. 61 38-59). The method was evaluated by comparing tracking results against tumor projection contours manually edited by an expert observer. The evaluation shows the feasibility of using this method for precise tracking of lung tumors with deformation, which is important for DMLC-based real time tumor tracking. PMID- 17762087 TI - A noninvasive multimodal technique to monitor brain tumor vascularization. AB - Determination of tumor oxygenation at the microvascular level will provide important insight into tumor growth, angiogenesis, necrosis and therapeutic response and will facilitate to develop protocols for studying tumor behavior. The non-ionizing near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique has the potential to differentiate lesion and hemoglobin dynamics; however, it has a limited spatial resolution. On the other hand, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has achieved high spatial resolution with excellent tissue discrimination but is more susceptible to limited ability to monitor the hemoglobin dynamics. In the present work, the vascular status and the pathophysiological changes that occur during tumor vascularization are studied in an orthotopic brain tumor model. A noninvasive multimodal approach based on the NIRS technique, namely steady state diffuse optical spectroscopy (SSDOS) along with MRI, is applied for monitoring the concentrations of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin and water within tumor region. The concentrations of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin and water within tumor vasculature are extracted at 15 discrete wavelengths in a spectral window of 675 780 nm. We found a direct correlation between tumor size, intratumoral microvessel density and tumor oxygenation. The relative decrease in tumor oxygenation with growth indicates that though blood vessels infiltrate and proliferate the tumor region, a hypoxic trend is clearly present. PMID- 17762088 TI - Probabilistic forward model for electroencephalography source analysis. AB - Source localization by electroencephalography (EEG) requires an accurate model of head geometry and tissue conductivity. The estimation of source time courses from EEG or from EEG in conjunction with magnetoencephalography (MEG) requires a forward model consistent with true activity for the best outcome. Although MRI provides an excellent description of soft tissue anatomy, a high resolution model of the skull (the dominant resistive component of the head) requires CT, which is not justified for routine physiological studies. Although a number of techniques have been employed to estimate tissue conductivity, no present techniques provide the noninvasive 3D tomographic mapping of conductivity that would be desirable. We introduce a formalism for probabilistic forward modeling that allows the propagation of uncertainties in model parameters into possible errors in source localization. We consider uncertainties in the conductivity profile of the skull, but the approach is general and can be extended to other kinds of uncertainties in the forward model. We and others have previously suggested the possibility of extracting conductivity of the skull from measured electroencephalography data by simultaneously optimizing over dipole parameters and the conductivity values required by the forward model. Using Cramer-Rao bounds, we demonstrate that this approach does not improve localization results nor does it produce reliable conductivity estimates. We conclude that the conductivity of the skull has to be either accurately measured by an independent technique, or that the uncertainties in the conductivity values should be reflected in uncertainty in the source location estimates. PMID- 17762089 TI - An experimental MOSFET approach to characterize (192)Ir HDR source anisotropy. AB - The dose anisotropy around a (192)Ir HDR source in a water phantom has been measured using MOSFETs as relative dosimeters. In addition, modeling using the EGSnrc code has been performed to provide a complete dose distribution consistent with the MOSFET measurements. Doses around the Nucletron 'classic' (192)Ir HDR source were measured for a range of radial distances from 5 to 30 mm within a 40 x 30 x 30 cm(3) water phantom, using a TN-RD-50 MOSFET dosimetry system with an active area of 0.2 mm by 0.2 mm. For each successive measurement a linear stepper capable of movement in intervals of 0.0125 mm re-positioned the MOSFET at the required radial distance, while a rotational stepper enabled angular displacement of the source at intervals of 0.9 degrees . The source-dosimeter arrangement within the water phantom was modeled using the standardized cylindrical geometry of the DOSRZnrc user code. In general, the measured relative anisotropy at each radial distance from 5 mm to 30 mm is in good agreement with the EGSnrc simulations, benchmark Monte Carlo simulation and TLD measurements where they exist. The experimental approach employing a MOSFET detection system of small size, high spatial resolution and fast read out capability allowed a practical approach to the determination of dose anisotropy around a HDR source. PMID- 17762090 TI - Carbon ion therapy for ocular melanoma: planning orthogonal two-port treatment. AB - We recently started orthogonal two-port carbon ion therapy for choroidal melanoma with the intent to reduce the incidence of radiation complications that occur with mono-port therapy. Treatment planning techniques involving therapeutic beam characteristics are described here. The vertical (140 MeV/u) and horizontal (170 MeV/u) carbon ion beams from the synchrotron at the NIRS were shaped, using the passive beam delivery system, to irradiate the target volume. The range modulating ridge filters were designed to produce spread-out Bragg peaks (SOBPs) with a region of uniform HMV-I cell killing. The apertures and range compensators were designed for individual patients. A commercial treatment planning system, which was customized to our general carbon ion therapy, was tested for applicability to this treatment. Dose distributions were calculated with either a broad beam or a pencil beam algorithm using parameters determined by measurements and calculations. We evaluated the accuracy of the system software features, and replaced or added some other features to the software. The system was used for 12 patients during the past year. For nine patients two-port treatment was assessed to be more effective than mono-port therapy and these patients were treated with two fractions of vertical beams and three fractions of horizontal beams. PMID- 17762091 TI - Estimation of individual evoked potential components using iterative independent component analysis. AB - Independent component analysis (ICA) has been successfully employed in the study of single-trial evoked potentials (EPs). In this paper, we present an iterative temporal ICA methodology that processes multielectrode single-trial EPs, one channel at a time, in contrast to most existing methodologies which are spatial and analyze EPs from all recording channels simultaneously. The proposed algorithm aims at enhancing individual components in an EP waveform in each single trial, and relies on a dynamic template to guide EP estimation. To quantify the performance of this method, we carried out extensive analyses with artificial EPs, using different models for EP generation, including the phase resetting and the classical additive-signal models, and several signal-to-noise ratios and EP component latency jitters. Furthermore, to validate the technique, we employed actual recordings of the auditory N100 component obtained from normal subjects. Our results with artificial data show that the proposed procedure can provide significantly better estimates of the embedded EP signals compared to plain averaging, while with actual EP recordings, the procedure can consistently enhance individual components in single trials, in all subjects, which in turn results in enhanced average EPs. This procedure is well suited for fast analysis of very large multielectrode recordings in parallel architectures, as individual channels can be processed simultaneously on different processors. We conclude that this method can be used to study the spatiotemporal evolution of specific EP components and may have a significant impact as a clinical tool in the analysis of single-trial EPs. PMID- 17762092 TI - Random left censoring: a second look at bone lead concentration measurements. AB - Bone lead concentrations measured in vivo by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) are subjected to left censoring due to limited precision of the technique at very low concentrations. In the analysis of bone lead measurements, inverse variance weighting (IVW) of measurements is commonly used to estimate the mean of a data set and its standard error. Student's t-test is used to compare the IVW means of two sets, testing the hypothesis that the two sets are from the same population. This analysis was undertaken to assess the adequacy of IVW in the analysis of bone lead measurements or to confirm the results of IVW using an independent approach. The rationale is provided for the use of methods of survival data analysis in the study of XRF bone lead measurements. The procedure is provided for bone lead data analysis using the Kaplan-Meier and Nelson-Aalen estimators. The methodology is also outlined for the rank tests that are used to determine whether two censored sets are from the same population. The methods are applied on six data sets acquired in epidemiological studies. The estimated parameters and test statistics were compared with the results of the IVW approach. It is concluded that the proposed methods of statistical analysis can provide valid inference about bone lead concentrations, but the computed parameters do not differ substantially from those derived by the more widely used method of IVW. PMID- 17762093 TI - A basic step toward understanding skin surface temperature distributions caused by internal heat sources. AB - This study uses numerical solutions of a bio-heat transfer equation to investigate the relationship between skin surface temperature distributions and internal heat sources under various physiological and environmental conditions. It is found that although a surface temperature distribution depends on all heat source parameters, the properly normalized distribution is primarily affected only by the depth of the heat source. This study provides a physical basis for determining the depth and type of an internal heat source from a thermogram acquired in various environmental conditions and an understanding of the basic relationship between skin surface temperature distributions and internal heat sources. PMID- 17762094 TI - A new scheme for view-dependent data differentiation in fan-beam and cone-beam computed tomography. AB - In computed tomography, analytical fan-beam (FB) and cone-beam (CB) image reconstruction often involves a view-dependent data differentiation. The implementation of this differentiation step is critical in terms of resolution and image quality. In this work, we present a new differentiation scheme that is robust to changes in the data acquisition geometry and to coarse view sampling. Our scheme was compared to two previously suggested methods, which we call the direct scheme and the chain-rule scheme. Image reconstructions were performed from computer-simulated data of the Shepp-Logan phantom, the FORBILD thorax phantom and a modified FORBILD head phantom. For FB reconstruction, we investigated three acquisition geometries: a circular, an ellipse-shaped and a square-shaped trajectory. For CB reconstruction, the circle-plus-line trajectory was considered. Image comparison showed that the new scheme performs consistently well when varying the scenario, in both FB and CB geometry, unlike the other two schemes. PMID- 17762095 TI - Bioluminescence imaging of point sources implanted in small animals post mortem: evaluation of a method for estimating source strength and depth. AB - The performance of a simple approach for the in vivo reconstruction of bioluminescent point sources in small animals was evaluated. The method uses the diffusion approximation as a forward model of light propagation from a point source in a homogeneous tissue to find the source depth and power. The optical properties of the tissue are estimated from reflectance images obtained at the same location on the animal. It was possible to localize point sources implanted in mice, 2-8 mm deep, to within 1 mm. The same performance was achieved for sources implanted in rat abdomens when the effects of tissue surface curvature were eliminated. The source power was reconstructed within a factor of 2 of the true power for the given range of depths, even though the apparent brightness of the source varied by several orders of magnitude. The study also showed that reconstructions using optical properties measured in situ were superior to those based on data in the literature. PMID- 17762096 TI - 7 T body MRI: B1 shimming with simultaneous SAR reduction. AB - The high frequency of the radiofrequency (RF) fields used in high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results in electromagnetic field variations that can cause local regions to have a large specific absorption rate (SAR) and/or a low excitation. In this study, we evaluated the use of a B1 shimming technique which can simultaneously improve the B+1 homogeneity and reduce the SAR for whole body imaging at 7 T. Optimizations for four individual anatomies showed a reduction up to 74% of the peak SAR values with respect to a quadrature excitation and a simultaneous improvement of the B+1 homogeneity varying between 39 and 75% for different optimization parameters. The average SAR was reduced with approximately 50% for all optimizations. The optimized phase and amplitude settings from an elliptical phantom model were applied to four realistic human anatomy models to evaluate whether a generic application without prior knowledge of the detailed human anatomy is possible. This resulted in an average improvement of the B+1 homogeneity of 37% and an average reduction of the maximum and average SAR of 50 and 55%, respectively. It can be concluded that this generic method can be used as a simple method to improve the prospects of 7 T body imaging. PMID- 17762097 TI - Derivation of the tumor position from external respiratory surrogates with periodical updating of the internal/external correlation. AB - In this work we develop techniques that can derive the tumor position from external respiratory surrogates (abdominal surface motion) through periodically updated internal/external correlation. A simple linear function is used to express the correlation between the tumor and surrogate motion. The function parameters are established during a patient setup session with the tumor and surrogate positions simultaneously measured at a 30 Hz rate. During treatment, the surrogate position, constantly acquired at 30 Hz, is used to derive the tumor position. Occasionally, a pair of radiographic images is acquired to enable the updating of the linear correlation function. Four update methods, two aggressive and two conservative, are investigated: (A1) shift line through the update point; (A2) re-fit line through the update point; (C1) re-fit line with extra weight to the update point; (C2) minimize the distances to the update point and previous line fit point. In the present study of eight lung cancer patients, tumor and external surrogate motion demonstrate a high degree of linear correlation which changes dynamically over time. It was found that occasionally updating the correlation function leads to more accurate predictions than using external surrogates alone. In the case of high imaging rates during treatment (greater than 2 Hz) the aggressive update methods (A1 and A2) are more accurate than the conservative ones (C1 and C2). The opposite is observed in the case of low imaging rates. PMID- 17762098 TI - The dielectric properties of human pineal gland tissue and RF absorption due to wireless communication devices in the frequency range 400-1850 MHz. AB - In order to enable a detailed analysis of radio frequency (RF) absorption in the human pineal gland, the dielectric properties of a sample of 20 freshly removed pineal glands were measured less than 20 h after death. Furthermore, a corresponding high resolution numerical model of the brain region surrounding the pineal gland was developed, based on a real human tissue sample. After inserting this model into a commercially available numerical head model, FDTD-based computations for exposure scenarios with generic models of handheld devices operated close to the head in the frequency range 400-1850 MHz were carried out. For typical output power values of real handheld mobile communication devices, the obtained results showed only very small amounts of absorbed RF power in the pineal gland when compared to SAR limits according to international safety standards. The highest absorption was found for the 400 MHz irradiation. In this case the RF power absorbed inside the pineal gland (organ mass 96 mg) was as low as 11 microW, when considering a device of 500 mW output power operated close to the ear. For typical mobile phone frequencies (900 MHz and 1850 MHz) and output power values (250 mW and 125 mW) the corresponding values of absorbed RF power in the pineal gland were found to be lower by a factor of 4.2 and 36, respectively. These results indicate that temperature-related biologically relevant effects on the pineal gland induced by the RF emissions of typical handheld mobile communication devices are unlikely. PMID- 17762100 TI - Calcium chloride rhenate(VII) dihydrate. AB - The crystal structure of calcium chloride rhenate(VII) dihydrate, CaCl(ReO4).2H2O, investigated at 85 K, consists of calcium cations, chloride anions, rhenate(VII) anions and water molecules. In the nearly tetrahedral rhenate(VII) anion, all constituent atoms lie on special positions of m2m (Re) and m (O) site symmetries. The Cl- anion and water O atom lie on special positions of m2m and 2 site symmetries, respectively. The Ca2+ ion, also on a special position (m2m), is eight-coordinated in a distorted square-antiprismatic coordination mode. The crystal has a layered structure stabilized by Ca-O coordination bonds and O-H...Cl hydrogen bonds. PMID- 17762101 TI - Rhombohedral boron subnitride, B13N2, by X-ray powder diffraction. AB - The structure of the title compound consists of distorted B12 icosahedra linked by N-B-N chains. The compound crystallizes in the rhombohedral space group R3m (No. 166). The unit cell contains four symmetry-independent atom sites, three of which are occupied by boron [in the 18h, 18h (site symmetry m) and 3b (site symmetry 3m) Wyckoff positions] and one by nitrogen (in the 6c Wyckoff position, site symmetry 3m). Two of the B atoms form the icosahedra, while N atoms link the icosahedra together. The main feature of the structure is that the 3b position is occupied by the B atom, which makes the structure different from those of B(6)O, for which these atom sites are vacant, and B(4+x)C(1-x), for which this position is randomly occupied by both B and C atoms. PMID- 17762102 TI - Structure and thermal decomposition of poly[[triaqua(mu4 oxydiacetato)lanthanum(III)] nitrate]. AB - In the title lanthanum complex, {[La(C(4)H(4)O(5))(H(2)O)(3)]NO3}n, the lanthanum cation is immersed in a nine-coordinate environment provided by a tridentate oxydiacetate (oda) ligand (through two carboxylate and one ether O atoms), three carboxylate O atoms from neighbouring oda ligands and three aqua ligands. The LaO9 polyhedra are interlinked into a tight three-dimensional framework, which leaves holes where the nitrate anions lodge. The links to the polymeric framework are by an extensive hydrogen-bonding scheme utilizing all the water H atoms. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the three coordinated water molecules leave the structure in two well differentiated steps. PMID- 17762103 TI - A one-dimensional CdII coordination polymer: catena-poly[cadmium(II)-bis(mu-6 methylpicolinato)]. AB - In the title compound, [Cd(C(7)H(6)NO(2))2]n, the Cd(II) ion has a distorted octahedral geometry. The 6-methylpyridine-2-carboxylate anions are perpendicular to one another and act as bidentate and bridging ligands. Two carboxylate O atoms bridge the Cd(II) ions, forming centrosymmetric dinuclear units. These units are further connected via carboxylate O atoms into a one-dimensional polymeric chain which extends in the [100] direction. PMID- 17762104 TI - Tetrakis(mu-benzoato-kappa2O:O)bis{[4-(dimethylamino)pyridine kappaN1]copper(II)}. AB - The title compound, [Cu2(C(7)H(5)O(2))4(C(7)H(10)N(2))2], is a crystallographically centrosymmetric binuclear complex, with Cu atoms [Cu...Cu = 2.6982 (4) A] bridged by four benzoate ligands. Each of the Cu atoms in this bunuclear copper(II) acetate hydrate analogue is present in an approximately square-pyramidal environment, with four O atoms in a plane and the pyridine N atom at the apical site. Selected geometric parameters are compared with values for related tetrabenzoate complexes of copper(II). PMID- 17762105 TI - Poly[(mu3-1,1-dioxo-1,2-benzoisothiazole-3-thiolato-kappa3N:S3:S3)silver(I)]. AB - The centrosymmetric title compound, [Ag(C(7)H(4)NO(2)S(2))]n, consists of dinuclear units in which two thiosaccharinate anions each bridge two Ag atoms via an endocyclic N atom and an exocyclic S atom across a crystallographic centre of inversion midway between the Ag atoms. The dimeric units are connected via Ag S(exo) interactions to create two-dimensional networks. The thiosaccharinate anions bridge in a mu3-S:S:N manner. The Ag...Ag distance can be considered a strong argentophilic interaction. PMID- 17762106 TI - Poly[mu2-4,4'-bipyridine-di-mu2-bromido-cadmium(II)], with novel colour-tunable fluorescence. AB - The title inorganic-organic hybrid complex, [CdBr2(C(10)H(8)N(2))]n, features two dimensional [CdBr2(4,4'-bipy)]n (4,4'-bipy is 4,4'-bipyridine) neutral networks, based on the octahedral Cd atom coordinated by four mu2-Br and two mu2-4,4'-bipy at trans positions, yielding a CdBr(4)N(2) octahedron. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system (Cmmm). All the crystallographically independent atoms are on special positions, namely Cd on mmm, Br on mm, N on mm2, and C on sites of symmetry m or mm2. Optical absorption spectroscopy reveals the presence of an optical gap of 3.76 eV, indicating that the complex is a wide-gap semiconductor. Photoluminescence investigation reveals that the complex displays strong colour tunable emissions, which might originate from a ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer (LLCT) transition. Thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis shows that the complex is thermally stable up to 493 K. PMID- 17762107 TI - Tris(dimethylamido)bis(dimethylamine)titanium(IV) chloridobis(dimethylamine)[tris(pentafluorophenyl)boron amido][tris(pentafluorophenyl)boron-nitrido]titanate(IV) toluene solvate. AB - The title ionic solid, [Ti(C(2)H(6)N)3(C(2)H(7)N)2][Ti(C(18)BF(15)N)(C(18)H(2)BF(15)N)Cl(C(2)H(7)N)(2)]. (7)H(8), (I), comprises a cation with three dimethylamide ligands in the equatorial plane and two dimethylamine ligands positioned axially in a trigonal bipyramidal geometry about the central Ti(IV) atom. The anion has a highly distorted octahedral structure. The two dimethylamine ligands are coordinated mutually trans. The chloride is trans to the tris(pentafluorophenyl)boron-amide, while the sixth coordination site is occupied by an ortho-F atom of the tris(pentafluorophenyl)boron-amide group in a trans disposition with respect to the tris(pentafluorophenyl)boron-nitride ligand. The most significant feature of the anion is the presence of an unprecedented terminal Ti[triple-bond]N moiety [1.665 (2) A], stabilized by coordination to B(C(6)F(5))(3), with a Ti[triple bond]N-B angle of 169.50 (19) degrees. PMID- 17762108 TI - Poly[mu2-4-aminobenzoato-aqua-mu2-nitrato-zinc]. AB - In the title compound, [Zn(C(7)H(6)NO(2))(NO3)(H2O)]n, the Zn atom is coordinated by two nitrate ions, one aqua molecule and two 4-aminobenzoate ions in a distorted octahedral geometry. The structure of the compound exhibits a two dimensional layer, which is formed by the interconnection of [Zn(C(7)H(6)NO(2))(H2O)]n chains via mu2-nitrate bridges or by the interconnection of [Zn(NO(3))(H2O)]n chains via mu2-4-aminobenzoate bridges. PMID- 17762109 TI - (Acetonitrile){2,6-bis[1-(2,4,6 trimethylphenylimino)ethyl]pyridine}dichloridoruthenium(II) dichloromethane solvate. AB - In the title compound, [RuCl2(C(2)H(3)N)(C(27)H(31)N(3))].CH(2)Cl(2), the Ru(II) ion is six-coordinated in a distorted octahedral arrangement, with the two Cl atoms located in the apical positions, and the pyridine (py) N atom, the two imino N atoms and the acetonitrile N atom located in the basal plane. The two equatorial Ru-N(imino) distances are almost equal (mean 2.087 A) and are substantially longer than the equatorial Ru-N(py) bond [1.921 (4) A]. It is observed that the N(imino)-M-N(py) angle for the five-membered chelate rings of pyridine-2,6-diimine complexes is inversely related to the magnitude of the M N(py) bond. The title structure is stabilized by intra- and intermolecular C H...Cl hydrogen bonds, as well as by van der Waals interactions. PMID- 17762110 TI - trans-bis(3-aminoflavone-kappa2N,O)bis(perchlorato-kappaO)copper(II), a new potential antitumour agent. AB - The title compound, trans-bis(3-amino-2-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one kappa(2)N,O(4))bis(perchlorato-kappaO)copper(II), [Cu(ClO4)2(C(15)H(11)NO(2))2], is composed of mononuclear units wherein the central Cu(II) cation occupies a crystallographic inversion centre. The cation is coordinated by two bidentate 3 aminoflavone ligands occupying the equatorial sites and by two perchlorate anions in the apical positions, thereby giving rise to a markedly elongated octahedral coordination geometry. Two symmetry-related intermolecular N-H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into chains of rings running parallel to the [100] direction, while intramolecular N-H...O hydrogen bonds help to determine the orientation of the apical perchlorate anions. PMID- 17762111 TI - Poly[[hexaaquabis[mu4-2-hydroxy-5-(4 sulfonatophenyldiazenyl)benzoato]dibarium(II)] 4,4'-bipyridine solvate]. AB - The title compound, {[Ba2(C(13)H(8)N(2)O(6)S)2(H2O)6].C(10)H(8)N(2)}n, possesses a novel two-dimensional porous coordination network, in which each Ba(II) ion is nine-coordinated by three carboxylate O atoms, two sulfonate O atoms and four water molecules in an irregular coordination environment. Hydrogen-bond interactions between coordinated water molecules and sulfonate/hydroxyl groups hold the network layers together and produce a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture. PMID- 17762112 TI - catena-poly[[[pyridinecopper(II)]bis[mu3-4-(2-oxidobenzylideneamino)benzoato]] dimethylformamide disolvate], a polymer composed of dimeric dicopper building units. AB - The title compound, {[Cu(C(14)H(9)NO(3))(C(5)H(5)N)].C(3)H(7)NO}n or {[Cu(2)L(2)(py)(2)].2DMF}n [py is pyridine, L is 4-(salicylideneamino)benzoate and DMF is dimethylformamide], is composed of dimeric dicopper [CuL(py)]2 building units, which are interlinked into a one-dimensional chain through the formation of Cu-O(COO) bonds. The dimeric unit is centrosymmetric, containing two Cu(II) atoms linked by bridging phenolate O atoms into a Cu(2)O(2) plane with a chelating Cu-O bond length of 1.927 (2) A and a bridging Cu-O bond length of 2.440 (2) A. Interchain C-H...O and pi-pi stacking interactions are responsible for an extensive three-dimensional structure in which the resulting channels are filled by DMF solvent molecules. PMID- 17762113 TI - Hexakis[3-(aminocarbonyl)pyridinium] decavanadate(V) dihydrate. AB - The structure of the title compound, (C(6)H(7)N(2)O)(6)[V(10)O(28)].2H2O, at 120 (2) K has monoclinic (C2/c) symmetry. The asymmetric unit consists of one half decavanadate anion of Ci symmetry, three cations and one water molecule. Each water molecule is hydrogen bonded to two decavanadate anions, thus forming a one dimensional chain of anions. The three-dimensional supramolecular structure is formed by a network of N-H...O, O-H...O and C-H...O hydrogen bonds, in which the cations, anions and water molecules are involved, and by nonparallel-displaced pi stacking interactions between pyridine rings. As a result of hydrogen bonding, the carboxamide groups of the cations are somewhat twisted from the pyridine ring plane. PMID- 17762114 TI - Hexaaquazinc(II) dipicrate trihydrate. AB - In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Zn(H2O)6](C(6)H(2)N(3)O(7))2.3H2O, the zinc cation complexes and picrate anions are stacked separately, extending along the b axis. No picrate species ligate to the metal cation. This lack of picrate coordination is atypical among metal picrate salts. We speculate that the size of the metal-aqua complex as related to the intermolecular distance of the picrate anions in the pi stack can be a measure of the formation of such separated stacks in the crystal structures of divalent metal complexes with picrate anions. Picrate ions are linked to each other with short intermolecular C...C contacts of 3.223 (6) and 3.194 (6) A in the stack. PMID- 17762115 TI - Tetraaqua-1kappaO,2kappa3O-(mu-2,4-dinitrophenolato-1kappa2O1,O2:2kappaO1)(2,4 dinitrophenolato-1kappa2O1,O2)dilithium(I): a dinuclear lithium(I) complex. AB - The title complex, [Li2(C(6)H(3)N(2)O(5))2(H2O)4], contains two kinds of Li atoms, viz. five-coordinated and four-coordinated. The five-coordinated Li ion has a tetragonal-pyramidal geometry, with a water molecule in the apical position and four O atoms from two 2,4-dinitrophenolate (2,4-DNP) ligands in the basal plane. The four-coordinated Li ion has a tetrahedral geometry, with three water molecules and one phenolate O atom of a 2,4-DNP ligand. The Li ions are bridged by a phenolate O atom, giving the complex a dinuclear structure. The crystal packing is stabilized by O-H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions involving the water molecules and nitro O atoms. PMID- 17762116 TI - Dipotassium maleate with boric acid. AB - In the title compound, poly[(mu3-boric acid)-mu4-maleato-dipotassium], [K2(C(4)H(2)O(4)){B(OH)3}]n, there are two independent K+ cations, one bonded to seven O atoms (three from boric acid and four from maleate), and the other eight coordinate via three boric acid and four maleate O atoms and a weak eta(1)-type coordination to the C=C bond of the maleate central C atoms. Hydrogen bonding links the boric acid ligands and maleate dianions, completing the packing structure. PMID- 17762117 TI - A new sulfate acid polymorph of 1,3-dihydrobenzotriazole. AB - A new sulfate acid polymorph of 1,3-dihydrobenzotriazole, viz. 1,3 dihydrobenzotriazolium hydrogensulfate, C(6)H(6)N(3)+.HSO4-, differs from an existing polymorph in that the polymeric interaction between the HSO4- anions, together with different classical (D-H...A) and nonclassical (C-H...A) interactions, changes the space group. PMID- 17762118 TI - O-phenyl (triphenylphosphoniomethyl)phosphonate phenol solvate: supramolecular structure generated by O-H...O, C-H...O and C-H...pi(arene) hydrogen bonds. AB - The title compound, C(25)H(22)O(3)P(2).C(6)H(6)O, has a zwitterionic betaine-like structure and crystallizes as a phenol solvate. The two molecular components are held together by an almost linear intermolecular O-H...O hydrogen bond. The structure also contains three weak C-H...O and two C-H...pi(arene) interactions. PMID- 17762119 TI - Hydrogen-bonded sheets of R2(2)(10) and R4(4)(24) rings in 1-deoxy-1-morpholino-D fructopyranose. AB - In the title compound, C(10)H(19)NO(6), both rings adopt almost perfect chair conformations and their mutual orientation is influenced by an intramolecular O H...N hydrogen bond. The molecules are linked by three independent O-H...O hydrogen bonds into sheets containing equal numbers of R2(2)(10) and R4(4)(24) rings. PMID- 17762120 TI - Two isomeric reaction products: hydrogen-bonded sheets in methyl 4-(5-amino-3 phenyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-3-nitrobenzoate and hydrogen-bonded chains of edge-fused rings in methyl 3-nitro-4-[(5-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)amino]benzoate. AB - In methyl 4-(5-amino-3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-3-nitrobenzoate, C(17)H(14)N(4)O(4), the molecules are linked into complex sheets by a combination of N-H...N, N-H...O and C-H...O hydrogen bonds. In the isomeric methyl 3-nitro-4 [(5-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)amino]benzoate, molecules exhibit a polarized molecular-electronic structure and are linked into chains of edge-fused rings by a combination of N-H...O and C-H...O hydrogen bonds. PMID- 17762121 TI - 4-Carboxyanilinium (2R,3R)-tartrate and a redetermination of the alpha-polymorph of 4-aminobenzoic acid. AB - In the title compounds, 4-carboxyanilinium (2R,3R)-tartrate, C(7)H(8)NO(2)+.C(4)H(5)O(6)-, (I), and 4-aminobenzoic acid, C(7)H(7)NO(2), (II), the carboxyl planes of the 4-carboxyanilinium cations/4-aminobenzoic acid are twisted from the aromatic plane. In (I), the characteristic head-to-tail interactions are observed through the tartrate anions, forming two C2(2)(7) chain motifs propagating parallel to the a and c axes of the unit cell. Also, the tartrate anions are connected through two primary C1(1)(6) and C1(1)(7) chain motifs, leading to a secondary R4(4)(22) ring motif. In (II), head-to-tail interaction is seen through a discrete D1(1)(2) motif and carboxyl group dimerization is observed through centrosymmetrically related R2(2)(8) motifs around the inversion centres of the unit cell. The crystal structures of both compounds are stabilized by intricate three-dimensional hydrogen-bonding networks. Alternate hydrophobic and hydrophilic layers are observed in (I) as a result of a column-like arrangement of the anions and the aromatic rings of the cations. PMID- 17762125 TI - Hydrogen-bonded frameworks of bis(2-carboxypyridinium) hexafluorosilicate and bis(2-carboxyquinolinium) hexafluorosilicate dihydrate. AB - In bis(2-carboxypyridinium) hexafluorosilicate, 2C(6)H(6)NO(2)+.SiF6(2-), (I), and bis(2-carboxyquinolinium) hexafluorosilicate dihydrate, 2C(10)H(8)NO(2)+.SiF6(2-).2H2O, (II), the Si atoms of the anions reside on crystallographic centres of inversion. Primary inter-ion interactions in (I) occur via strong N-H...F and O-H...F hydrogen bonds, generating corrugated layers incorporating [SiF6](2-) anions as four-connected net nodes and organic cations as simple links in between. In (II), a set of strong N-H...F, O-H...O and O-H...F hydrogen bonds, involving water molecules, gives a three-dimensional heterocoordinated rutile-like framework that integrates [SiF6](2-) anions as six connected and water molecules as three-connected nodes. The carboxyl groups of the cation are hydrogen bonded to the water molecule [O...O = 2.5533 (13) A], while the N-H group supports direct bonding to the anion [N...F = 2.7061 (12) A]. PMID- 17762126 TI - Monoclinic and orthorhombic polymorphs of 4,4',6,6'-tetrachloro-2,2'-(piperazine 1,4-diyldimethylene)diphenol. AB - The title compound, C(18)H(18)Cl(4)N(2)O(2), crystallizes as monoclinic and orthorhombic polymorphs from CHCl3-CH(3)OH solution. In both polymorphic forms, the molecule lies on a crystallographic centre of inversion (at the piperazine ring centroid) and exhibits an intramolecular O-H...N hydrogen bond. In the monoclinic polymorph (space group P2(1)/c), the molecules are linked by intermolecular C-H...Cl hydrogen bonds into a ribbon sheet built from R8(8)(34) rings. In the orthorhombic polymorph (space group Pbcn), the molecules are linked by intermolecular C-H...O hydrogen bonds into a ribbon sheet of R6(6)(34) rings. The sheets in the orthorhombic polymorph are crosslinked into a three-dimensional framework by pi-pi stacking interactions. PMID- 17762127 TI - 1'-Methylcyclooctane-1-spiro-3'-pyrrolidine-2'-spiro-3''-indoline-2,2''-dione and 1,1'-dimethylpiperidine-3-spiro-3'-pyrrolidine-2'-spiro-3''-indoline-2'',4-dione. AB - In both title compounds, C(19)H(24)N(2)O(2), (I), and C(17)H(21)N(3)O(2), (II), respectively, there are two molecules in the asymmetric unit and the pyrrolidine rings adopt envelope conformations. The conformations of the cyclooctane [in (I)] and 1-methylpiperidone [in (II)] rings are boat-chair and chair, respectively. The indolin-2-one group is almost perpendicular to the pyrrolidine ring. Intermolecular C-H...O, N-H...O and N-H...N interactions provide stability to the structures. PMID- 17762128 TI - Hydrogen-bonding patterns in rac-1-acetyl-5-methyl-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-one. AB - In the title compound, C(6)H(8)N(2)O(2)S, also known as N-acetyl-2-thiohydantoin alanine, the molecules are joined by N-H...O hydrogen bonds, forming centrosymmetric R2(2)(8) dimers; these dimers are linked by C-H...O interactions to form R2(2)(10) rings, thus forming C2(2)(10) chains that run along the [101] direction. PMID- 17762129 TI - Amitriptylinium picrate: conformational disorder. AB - In the structure of the title salt [systematic name: 3-(10,11-dihydro-5H dibenzo[a,d][7]annulen-5-ylidene)-N,N-dimethylpropan-1-aminium 2,4,6 trinitrophenolate] of a tricyclic antidepressant, C(20)H(24)N+.C(6)H(2)N(3)O(7)-, the dimethylaminopropyl subunit possesses a classical static conformational disorder. The central cycloheptadiene ring adopts a bent conformation that is intermediate between boat and chair forms, leading to a butterfly shape for the hetero-tricyclic moiety. In a complementary fashion, donors from amitriptyline and acceptors from picrate form intermolecular C-H...O hydrogen bonds and N-H...O salt bridges. These hydrogen bonds cluster amitriptyline and picrate ions into a closed R4(4)(36) hetero-tetramer, whereas intermolecular C-H...pi interactions between amitriptyline ions cluster them into homo-dimers. Significant pi-pi stacking interactions are also observed between aromatic rings of amitriptyline and picrate, and these, combined with the C-H...pi interactions, associate molecules into linear arrays along the [111] direction. PMID- 17762130 TI - 2'-Deoxyimmunosine: a thiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine nucleoside adopting the syn conformation. AB - The title compound [systematic name: 5-amino-3-(2-deoxy-beta-D-erythro pentofuranosyl)thiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine-2,7-(3H,6H)-dione], C(10)H(12)N(4)O(5)S, exhibits a syn glycosylic bond conformation, with a torsion angle chi of 61.0 (3) degrees. The furanose moiety adopts the N-type sugar pucker ((3)T4), with P = 33.0 (5) degrees and tau(m) = 15.1 (1) degrees. The conformation at the exocyclic C4'-C5' bond is +ap (trans), with the torsion angle gamma = 176.71 (14) degrees. The extended structure is a three-dimensional hydrogen-bond network involving O H...O and N-H...O hydrogen bonds. PMID- 17762131 TI - (E)-Methyl 2-anilinomethylene-3-oxobutanoate: X-ray and density functional theory studies. AB - Molecules of the title compound, C(12)H(13)NO(3), are not planar and are stabilized by electrostatic interactions, as the dipole moment of the molecule is 3.76 D. They are also stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonds of N...O and C...O types, and by a complicated network of weak intermolecular hydrogen bonds of the C...O type. This paper also reports the theoretical investigation of the hydrogen bonding and electronic structure of the title compound using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. PMID- 17762132 TI - Different interaction motifs of dipolar S=O...C=O contacts that associate diastereomers of 2,4(6)-di-O-benzoyl-6(4)-O-{[(1S)-7,7-dimethyl-2 oxobicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-1-ylmethyl]sulfonyl}-myo-inositol 1,3,5-orthoacetate. AB - Diastereomeric mixtures of 2,4(6)-di-O-benzoyl-6(4)-O-[(1S)-10-camphorsulfonyl] myo-inositol 1,3,5-orthoesters associate in their crystal structures via different geometries of S=O...C=O short contacts, depending upon the substitution. A comparison of the dimeric association in the orthoacetate and orthoformate (solvated) derivatives shows a sheared parallel motif of dipolar S=O...C=O contacts bridging the former, whereas perpendicular S=O...C=O contacts occur in the latter. The title compound, C(32)H(34)O(11)S, is chiral, owing to the presence of the camphor moiety. PMID- 17762133 TI - N,N'-bis(2-hydroxybenzylidene)pentane-1,5-diamine. AB - In the title potential O,N,N',O'-tetradentate Schiff base ligand {systematic name: 2,2'-[pentane-1,5-diylbis(nitrilomethylidyne)]diphenol}, C(19)H(22)N(2)O(2), the mutual orientation of the three planar fragments determines the conformation of the molecule. The dihedral angles between the planes of the two salicylidene groups and the plane of the central extended pentane chain are 78.4 (2) and 62.0 (3) degrees, and the angle between the terminal ring planes is 55.4 (1) degrees. Strong intramolecular O-H...N hydrogen bonds close almost-planar six-membered rings, and the O-H bonds are elongated as a result of hydrogen-bond formation. PMID- 17762135 TI - Keratins: markers of cell differentiation or regulators of cell differentiation? PMID- 17762136 TI - Sources for Imanishi Kinji's views of sociality and evolutionary outcomes. AB - Prior to the contribution of genetics or the modern evolutionary synthesis (MES)to natural selection theory, social ecologists searched for factors in addition to natural selection that could influence species change. The idea that sociality, not just biology, was important in determining evolutionary outcomes was prevalent in research in social ecology in the 1920s and 1930s. The influence of 'tradition' (or the transmission of learned behaviours between generations) and the view that animals are active in selecting their own environments,rather than passive organisms acted upon by chance, were given as much attention as natural selection theory in European ecology,while animal aggregation and cooperation studies were pursued in America. Imanishi Kinji's personal library and his scientific notes and papers reveal that he was well aware of this literature and had been profoundly influenced by these earlier viewpoints prior to writing his view of nature in his first book, Seibutsu no Sekai (The World of Living Things,1941). Evidence is presented to show that he developed his theories based partly on early western debates in social ecology while finding inspiration and a way to express his views in the writings of philosopher Nishida Kitaro and, perhaps, General J C Smuts. One of Imanishi's lasting contributions is in the demonstrated results of over 40 years of subsequent ecological and ethological research by Imanishi and those trained by him that maintained the broader viewpoints on evolution that had been dropped from the western corpus of research by the 1950s. The current attempt to again get beyond natural selection theory is reflected in debates surrounding genetic and cultural evolution of cooperation,the biology of 'traditions' and the idea of 'culture' in animal societies. PMID- 17762137 TI - Living in a physical world XI. To twist or bend when stressed. PMID- 17762138 TI - What history tells us IX. Z-DNA: when nature is not opportunistic. PMID- 17762139 TI - Complete nucleotide sequence analysis of Cymbidium mosaic virus Indian isolate: further evidence for natural recombination among potexviruses. AB - The complete nucleotide sequence of an Indian strain of Cymbidium mosaic virus (CymMV)was determined and compared with other potexviruses. Phylogenetic analyses on the basis of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), triple gene block protein and coat protein (CP) amino acid sequences revealed that CymMV is closely related to the Narcissus mosaic virus (NMV), Scallion virus X (SVX), Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV)and Potato aucuba mosaic virus (PAMV). Different sets of primers were used for the amplification of different regions of the genome through RT-PCR and the amplified genes were cloned in a suitable vector. The full genome of the Indian isolate of CymMV from Phaius tankervilliae shares 96-97% similarity with isolates reported from other countries. It was found that the CP gene of CymMV shares a high similarity with each other and other potexviruses. One of the Indian isolates seems to be a recombinant formed by the intermolecular recombination of two other CymMV isolates. The phylogenetic analyses, Recombination Detection Program (RDP2)analyses and sequence alignment survey provided evidence for the occurrence of a recombination between an Indian isolate (AM055720) as the major parent, and a Korean type-2 isolate (AF016914) as the minor parent. Recombination was also observed between a Singapore isolate (U62963) as the major parent,and a Taiwan CymMV (AY571289) as the minor parent. PMID- 17762140 TI - Frequency of infection with A and B supergroup Wolbachia in insects and pests associated with mulberry and silkworm. AB - Wolbachia is a ubiquitous, Gram-negative,vertically transmitted, alpha proteobacterium that causes an array of reproductive abnormalities including cytoplasmic incompatibility, feminization of genetic males, parthenogenesis in a number of insect species, among others. Wolbachia is now being exploited as an agent for pest and vector control. Previous surveys indicated that it is commonly seen in 16-76% of arthropods. In this paper, using polymerase chain reaction assay based on specific amplification of the ftsZ -A and -B supergroup Wolbachia gene fragments, we found that 30% of insects and pests screened were positive for Wolbachia. Among them 66.7% harbour double Wolbachia infection, while 33.3 % harbour single Wolbachia infection. These results indicate widespread infection with both double and single Wolbachia, and provide a wealth of information to exploit this endobacterium for the management of pests and vectors. PMID- 17762141 TI - Strong and weak hydrogen bonds in drug-DNA complexes: a statistical analysis. AB - A statistical analysis of strong and weak hydrogen bonds in the minor groove of DNA was carried out for a set of 70 drug-DNA complexes. The terms 'strong' and 'weak' pertain to the inherent strengths and weakness of the donor and acceptor fragments rather than to any energy considerations. The dataset was extracted from the protein data bank (PDB). The analysis was performed with an in-house software, hydrogen bond analysis tool (HBAT). In addition to strong hydrogen bonds such as O-H...O and N-H...O, the ubiquitous presence of weak hydrogen bonds such as C-H...O is implicated in molecular recognition. On an average, there are 1.4 weak hydrogen bonds for every strong hydrogen bond. For both categories of interaction, the N3 of purine and the O2 of pyrimidine are favoured acceptors. Donor multifurcation is common with the donors generally present in the drug molecules, and shared by hydrogen bond acceptors in the minor groove. Bifurcation and trifurcation are most commonly observed. The metrics for strong hydrogen bonds are consistent with established trends. The geometries are variable for weak hydrogen bonds. A database of recognition geometries for 26 literature amidinium-based inhibitors of Human African Trypanosomes (HAT) was generated with a docking study using seven inhibitors which occur in published crystal structures included in the list of 70 complexes mentioned above, and 19 inhibitors for which the drug-DNA complex crystal structures are unknown. The virtual geometries so generated correlate well with published activities for these 26 inhibitors, justifying our assumption that strong and weak hydrogen bonds are optimized in the active site. PMID- 17762142 TI - Ion pairs in non-redundant protein structures. AB - Ion pairs contribute to several functions including the activity of catalytic triads, fusion of viral membranes, stability in thermophilic proteins and solvent protein interactions. Furthermore, they have the ability to affect the stability of protein structures and are also a part of the forces that act to hold monomers together. This paper deals with the possible ion pair combinations and networks in 25% and 90% non-redundant protein chains. Different types of ion pairs present in various secondary structural elements are analysed. The ion pairs existing between different subunits of multisubunit protein structures are also computed and the results of various analyses are presented in detail. The protein structures used in the analysis are solved using X-ray crystallography, whose resolution is better than or equal to 1.5 A and R-factor better than or equal to 20%. This study can, therefore, be useful for analyses of many protein functions. It also provides insights into the better understanding of the architecture of protein structure. PMID- 17762143 TI - Molecular cloning and expression of the C-terminus of spider flagelliform silk protein from Araneus ventricosus. AB - A cDNA coding for the C-terminus of spider flagelliform silk protein (AvFlag) was cloned from Araneus ventricosus. Analysis of the cDNA sequence shows that the C terminus of AvFlag consists of 167 amino acids of a repetitive region and 87 amino acids of a C-terminal non-repetitive region. The peptide motifs found in spider flagelliform silk proteins, GPGGX and GGX,were conserved in the repetitive region of AvFlag. Phylogenetic analysis further confirmed that AvFlag belongs to the spider flagelliform silk proteins. The AvFlag cDNA was expressed as a 28 kDa polypeptide in baculovirus-infected insect cells. As a new expression approach for spider silk protein,the combination of polyhedrin and AvFlag creates a polyhedrin AvFlag fusion protein (61 kDa) that is produced as recombinant polyhedra; this provides a basis for the source of spider silk proteins for various applications. PMID- 17762144 TI - Diversity and evolutionary relationship of nucleotide binding site-encoding disease-resistance gene analogues in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas Lam.). AB - Most plant disease-resistance genes (R-genes) isolated so far encode proteins with a nucleotide binding site (NBS) domain and belong to a superfamily. NBS domains related to R-genes show a highly conserved backbone of an amino acid motif, which makes it possible to isolate resistance gene analogues (RGAs) by degenerate primers. Degenerate primers based on the conserved motif (P-loop and GLPL) of the NBS domain from R -genes were used to isolate RGAs from the genomic DNA of sweet potato cultivar Qingnong no.2. Five distinct clusters of RGAs (22 sequences) with the characteristic NBS representing a highly diverse sample were identified in sweet potato genomic DNA. Sequence identity among the 22 RGA nucleotide sequences ranged from 41.2% to 99.4%, while the deduced amino acid sequence identity from the 22 RGAs ranged from 20.6%to 100%. The analysis of sweet potato RGA sequences suggested mutation as the primary source of diversity. The phylogenetic analyses for RGA nucleotide sequences and deduced amino acids showed that RGAs from sweet potato were classified into two distinct groups--toll and interleukin receptor-1 (TIR)-NBS-LRR and non-TIR-NBS-LRR. The high degree of similarity between sweet potato RGAs and NBS sequences derived from R-genes cloned from tomato, tobacco, flax and potato suggest an ancestral relationship. Further studies showed that the ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous substitution within families was low. These data obtained from sweet potato suggest that the evolution of NBS-encoding sequences in sweet potato occur by the gradual accumulation of mutations leading to purifying selection and slow rates of divergence within distinct R-gene families. PMID- 17762145 TI - Selenium acts as an insulin-like molecule for the down-regulation of diabetic symptoms via endoplasmic reticulum stress and insulin signalling proteins in diabetes-induced non-obese diabetic mice. AB - To investigate whether selenium (Sel) treatment would impact on the onset of diabetes,we examined serum biochemical components including glucose and insulin,endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and insulin signalling proteins, hepatic C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP) expression and DNA fragmentation in diabetic and non- diabetic conditions of non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. We conclude that (i) Sel treatment induced insulin-like effects in lowering serum glucose level in Sel-treated NOD mice, (ii) Sel-treated mice had significantly decreased serum biochemical components associated with liver damage and lipid metabolism, (iii) Sel treatment led to the activation of the ER stress signal through the phosphorylation of JNK and eIF2 protein and insulin signal mechanisms through the phosphorylation of Akt and PI3 kinase, and (iv) Sel-treated mice were significantly relieved apoptosis of liver tissues indicated by DNA fragmentation assay in the diabetic NOD group. These results suggest that Sel compounds not only serve as insulin-like molecules for the downregulation of glucose level and the incidence of liver damage, but may also have the potential for the development of new drugs for the relief of diabetes by activating the ER stress and insulin signalling pathways. PMID- 17762146 TI - Synergy between verapamil and other multidrug -resistance modulators in model membranes. AB - Various cationic lipophilic compounds can reverse the multidrug resistance of cancer cells. Possible interaction between these compounds, which are known as modulators, has been assessed by measuring leakage of Sulphan blue from anionic liposomes, induced both by verapamil alone and by verapamil in combination with diltiazem, quinine, thioridazine or clomipramine. An equation was derived to quantify the permeation doses and Hill coefficients of the drugs and mixtures between them by simultaneous fitting of the experimental data. The interaction was tested by two methods, the competition plot and the isobole method; both showed synergy between verapamil and each of diltiazem, quinine and thioridazine. The dose factor of potentiation for verapamil determined within membranes was 4.0 +/- 0.4 with diltiazem, 3.2 +/-0.4 with quinine and 2.4 +/- 0.3 with thioridazine. The results suggest that the effectiveness of reversing multidrug resistance may be increased with modulators such as verapamil and diltiazem that have a much greater effect in combination than what would be expected from their effects when considered separately. PMID- 17762147 TI - Diet-dependent depletion of queuosine in tRNAs in Caenorhabditis elegans does not lead to a developmental block. AB - Queuosine (Q), a hypermodified nucleoside,occurs at the wobble position of transfer RNAs (tRNAs)with GUN anticodons. In eubacteria, absence of Q affects messenger RNA (mRNA) translation and reduces the virulence of certain pathogenic strains. In animal cells,changes in the abundance of Q have been shown to correlate with diverse phenomena including stress tolerance, cell proliferation and tumour growth but the function of Q in animals is poorly understood. Animals are thought to obtain Q (or its analogues) as a micronutrient from dietary sources such as gut micro flora. However,the difficulty of maintaining animals under bacteria-free conditions on Q-deficient diets has severely hampered the study of Q metabolism and function in animals. In this study,we show that as in higher animals, tRNAs in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans are modified by Q and its sugar derivatives. When the worms were fed on Q-deficient Escherichia coli, Q modification was absent from the worm tRNAs suggesting that C.elegans lacks a de novo pathway of Q biosynthesis. The inherent advantages of C.elegans as a model organism, and the simplicity of conferring a Q-deficient phenotype on it make it an ideal system to investigate the function of Q modification in tRNA. PMID- 17762148 TI - Hyaluronidase and collagenase inhibitory activities of the herbal formulation Triphala guggulu. AB - Myrrh (guggulu) oleoresin from the Commiphora mukul tree is an important component of antiarthritic drugs in Ayurvedic medicine. Clinical data suggest that elevated levels of hyaluronidase and collagenase type 2 enzymes contribute significantly to cartilage degradation. Triphala guggulu (TG) is a guggulu-based formulation used for the treatment of arthritis. We assessed the chondroprotective potential of TG by examining its effects on the activities of pure hyaluronidase and collagenase type 2 enzymes. Triphala shodith guggulu (TSG), an intermediate in the production of TG, was also examined. A spectrophotometric method was used to assay Hyaluronidase activity, and to detect potential Hyaluronidase inhibitors. Aqueous and hydro-alcoholic extracts of TSG showed weak but dose-dependent inhibition of hyaluronidase activity. In contrast, the TG formulation was 50 times more potent than the TSG extract with respect to hyaluronidase inhibitory activity. A validated X-ray film-based assay was used to measure the gelatinase activity of pure collagenase type 2. Hydro-alcoholic extracts of the TG formulation were 4 times more potent than TSG with respect to collagenase inhibitory activity. Components of Triphala were also evaluated for their inhibitory activities on hyaluronidase and collagenase. This is the first report to show that the T2 component of Triphala (T.chebula) is a highly potent hyaluronidase and collagenase inhibitor. Thus, the TG formulation inhibits two major enzymes that can degrade cartilage matrix. Our study provides the first in vitro preclinical evidence of the chondroprotective properties of TG. PMID- 17762149 TI - Cytological evidence for population-specific sex chromosome heteromorphism in Palaearctic green toads (Amphibia, Anura). AB - A chromosome study was carried out on a number of European and Central Asiatic diploid green toad populations by means of standard and various other chromosome banding and staining methods (Ag-NOR-, Q-, CMA3-, late replicating [LR] banding pattern, C-and sequential C-banding + CMA3 + DAPI). This study revealed the remarkable karyological uniformity of specimens from all populations, with the only exception being specimens from a Moldavian population, where one chromosome pair was heteromorphic. Though similar in shape, size and with an identical heterochromatin distribution,the difference in the heteromorphic pair was due to a large inverted segment on its long arms. This heteromorphism was restricted to females, suggesting a female heterogametic sex chromosome system of ZZ/ZW type at a very early step of differentiation. PMID- 17762150 TI - Presence of two types of flowers with respect to nectar sugar in two gregariously flowering species. AB - Many species of animal-pollinated flowers are known to vary widely in the nectar content of flowers. Some proportion of flowers in many species is apparently nectarless,and such flowers are believed to be 'cheaters'. Cheating may explain a part of the variability in nectar content.If cheating exists as a qualitatively different strategy then we expect bimodality in the distribution of nectar content of flowers. It has been shown in a multispecies study that gregarious species have a higher proportion of cheater flowers. We studied the frequency distribution of total nectar sugar in two gregariously flowering species Lantana camara and Utricularia purpurascens, which differed in other floral and ecological characters. At the population level, both the species showed significant bimodality in the total sugar content of flowers. The obvious sources of heterogeneity in the data did not explain bimodality. In Lantana camara, bimodality was observed within flowers of some of the individual plants sampled. In Utricularia purpurascens the proportion of nectarless flowers was more in high density patches, suggesting that the gregariousness hypothesis may work within a species as well. The results support the hypothesis of cheating as a distinct strategy since two distinct types of flowers were observed in both the species. The effect of density in Utricularia purpurascens also supports the gregariousness hypothesis. PMID- 17762151 TI - Sociobiology of biodegradation and the role of predatory protozoa in biodegrading communities. AB - Predatory protozoa are known to enhance biodegradation by bacteria in a variety of systems including rumen. This is apparently counterintuitive since many protozoa do not themselves produce extracellular degradative enzymes and prey upon bacterial degraders. We propose a mechanism of protozoal enhancement of bacterial biodegradation based on the sociobiology of biodegradation. Since extracellular enzyme production by degraders involves a cost to the bacterial cell, cheaters that do not make the enzyme will have a selective advantage. In the presence of cheaters, degraders that physically attach to water-insoluble substrate will have a selective advantage over free-floating degraders. On the other hand, cheaters will benefit by being free floaters since they consume the solubilized products of extracellular enzymes. Predatory ciliated protozoa are more likely to consume free-floating cheaters. Thus, due to protozoan predation a control is exerted on the cheater population. We illustrate the dynamics of such a system with the help of a computer simulation model. Available data on rumen and other biodegradation systems involving protozoa are compatible with the assumptions and predictions of the model. PMID- 17762152 TI - Patterns of species discovery in the Western Ghats, a megadiversity hot spot in India. AB - Even since Linnaeus,naturalists and taxonomists have been systematically describing species new to science. Besides indicating gaps in taxonomic effort, understanding the temporal patterns of species discovery could help in identifying drivers that determine discovery. In this study we report the patterns of discovery of eight taxa--birds, butterflies, frogs, tiger beetles, grasses, asters, ferns and orchids--in the Western Ghats, a megadiversity centre in India. Our results indicate that the discovery curves for birds and butter flies have been saturated while those for frogs and grasses continue to increase. Within each taxon, the major drivers of discovery were commonness of the species and their size. The average years taken for discovery across taxa were directly related to the per cent endemicity and species richness of the taxa. We discuss the trajectories of discovery with respect to rarity or endemicity of the species and life history features, and the implications these might have for strategizing the discovery process in India. PMID- 17762153 TI - Do we live in a largely top-down regulated world? AB - Based on a review of mostly recent literature for a public lecture, the question is discussed whether we live in a largely "top-down" regulated world rather than one formed "bottom-up" by the resources for plant and animal growth. Of course, the top-down mechanism is predicated by bottom-up production, especially by the plants. Examples for the effects of grazing and predation for the land and the open sea, but including coral reefs, are discussed. The answer to the question posed by the title is affirmative. Ecosystems altered by man and urgent needs for marine conservation are briefly treated. PMID- 17762154 TI - Singing of Neoconocephalus robustus as an example of deterministic chaos in insects. AB - We use nonlinear time series analysis methods to analyse the dynamics of the sound-producing apparatus of the katydid Neoconocephalus robustus. We capture the dynamics by analysing a recording of the singing activity. First, we reconstruct the phase space from the sound recording and test it against determinism and stationarity. After confirming determinism and stationarity, we show that the maximal Lyapunov exponent of the series is positive, which is a strong indicator for the chaotic behaviour of the system. We discuss that methods of nonlinear time series analysis can yield instructive insights and foster the understanding of acoustic communication among insects. PMID- 17762155 TI - Hydrogen peroxide promotes endothelial dysfunction by stimulating multiple sources of superoxide anion radical production and decreasing nitric oxide bioavailability. AB - Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) is an oxidant implicated in cell signalling and various pathologies, yet relatively little is known about its impact on endothelial cell function. Herein we studied the functional and biochemical changes in aortic vessels and cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAEC) exposed to H(2)O(2). Exposure of aortic rings to 25 or 50 microM, but not 10 microM, H(2)O(2) for 60 min prior to constriction significantly decreased subsequent relaxation in response to acetylcholine (ACh), but not the nitric oxide ((.)NO) donor sodium nitroprusside. Treatment of PAEC with 50 microM H(2)O(2) significantly decreased ACh-induced accumulation of (.)NO, as measured with a (.)NO-selective electrode, yet such treatment increased nitric oxide synthase activity approximately 3-fold, as assessed by conversion of L-arginine to L-citrulline. Decreased (.)NO bioavailability was reflected in decreased cellular cGMP content, associated with increased superoxide anion radical (O(2)( .)), and overcome by addition of polyethylene glycol superoxide dismutase. Increased cellular O(2)(-.) production was inhibited by allopurinol, diphenyliodonium and rotenone in an additive manner. The results show that exposure of endothelial cells to H(2)O(2) decreases the bioavailability of agonist-induced (.)NO as a result of increased production of O(2)(-.) likely derived from xanthine oxidase, NADPH-oxidase and mitochondria. These processes could contribute to H(2)O(2)-induced vascular dysfunction that may be relevant under conditions of oxidative stress such as inflammation. PMID- 17762156 TI - Differential effects of an anti-oxidant intervention on cardiomyocyte expression of adrenomedullin and intermedin and their receptor components in chronic nitric oxide deficiency. AB - BACKGROUND: Chronic inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis is associated with hypertension, myocardial oxidative stress and hypertrophic remodeling. Up regulation of the cardiomyocyte adrenomedullin (AM) / intermedin (IMD) receptor signaling cascade is also apparent in NO-deficient cardiomyocytes: augmented expression of AM and receptor activity modifying proteins RAMP2 and RAMP3 is prevented by blood pressure normalization while that of RAMP1 and intermedin (IMD) is not, indicating that the latter is regulated by a pressure-independent mechanism. AIMS: to verify the ability of an anti-oxidant intervention to normalize cardiomyocyte oxidant status and to investigate the influence of such an intervention on expression of AM, IMD and their receptor components in NO deficient cardiomyocytes. METHODS: NO synthesis inhibitor, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 35 mg/kg/day) was given to rats for 8 weeks, with/without con-current administration of antioxidants (Vitamin C (25mg/kg/day) and Tempol (25mg/kg/day)). RESULTS: In left ventricular cardiomyocytes isolated from L-NAME treated rats, increased oxidative stress was indicated by augmented (3.6 fold) membrane protein oxidation, enhanced expression of catalytic and regulatory subunits of pro-oxidant NADPH oxidases (NOX1, NOX2) and compensatory increases in expression of anti-oxidant glutathione peroxidase and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutases (SOD1, SOD3). Vitamin C plus Tempol did not reduce systolic blood pressure but normalized augmented plasma levels of IMD, but not of AM, and in cardiomyocytes: (i) abolished increased membrane protein oxidation; (ii) normalized augmented expression of prepro-IMD and RAMP1, but not prepro-AM, RAMP2 and RAMP3; (iii) attenuated (by 42%) increased width and normalized expression of hypertrophic markers, skeletal-alpha-actin and prepro-endothelin-1 similarly to blood pressure normalization but in contrast to blood pressure normalization did not attenuate augmented brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) expression. CONCLUSION: normalization specifically of augmented IMD/RAMP1 expression in NO-deficient cardiomyocytes by antioxidant intervention in the absence of blood pressure reduction indicates that these genes are likely to be induced directly by myocardial oxidative stress. Although oxidative stress contributed to cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, induction of IMD and RAMP1 is unlikely to be secondary to cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. PMID- 17762157 TI - Cross-regulation of iNOS and COX-2 by its products in murine macrophages under stress conditions. AB - Exposure of macrophages to heat shock induces rapid synthesis of heat shock proteins (HSPs) which are important for cell homeostasis. Prostaglandins (PGs) and nitric oxide (NO) are important cell regulatory molecules. We have therefore investigated the interactions between these molecules in the LPS-induced expression of iNOS and COX-2 and in the mitochondrial activity of macrophages. Cultures of the murine macrophage cell line, J774, were exposed to heat shock (43 degrees C, 30 min) and stimulated with LPS (1 microg/ml), concomitantly or after 8h of cell recovery. NO production was measured by Griess reaction; PGE(2) by ELISA; HSP70, iNOS and COX-2 by immunobloting; mitochondrial activity by MTT assay. Heat shock induced HSP70, but not iNOS or COX-2 whereas LPS induced iNOS and COX-2 but not HSP70. When heat shock and LPS were given concomitantly, iNOS but not COX-2 expression was reduced. When a period of 8h was given between heat shock and LPS stimulation, iNOS, COX-2, PGE(2) and NO levels were significantly increased. Under these conditions, the expression of COX-2 was reduced by L-NAME (NO-synthesis inhibitor) and of iNOS by nimesulide (PGs-synthesis inhibitor). Such cross-regulation was not observed in cells at 37 degrees C. These treatments significantly reduced MTT levels in cells at 37 degrees C but not in cells submitted to heat shock. These results suggest that HSPs and cross-regulation of iNOS and COX-2 by their products might be of relevance in the control of cell homeostasis during stress conditions. PMID- 17762158 TI - NO underlies the muscarinic receptor-mediated inhibition of If in early embryonic heart cells. AB - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Early embryonic cardiomyocytes beat spontaneously. The hyperpolarization-activated cyclic-nucleotide-modulated current (I(f)) appears to be involved in its modulation as it is highly expressed at this stage. The spontaneous beating of early embryonic heart cells is slowed by acetylcholine (ACh), and our earlier studies identified a key role for nitric oxide (NO) in the regulation of the voltage dependent L-type Ca(2+) current (I(Ca,L)). The aim of the present study was to clarify whether and via which signalling pathway(s) I(f) is regulated upon muscarinic receptor activation in early embryonic (E9.5 to E11.5) cardiomyocytes. METHODS: The whole-cell patch clamp technique in combination with pharmacology and/or knock out mouse models was used to investigate the regulation of I(f). RESULTS: We found that the ACh analogue carbachol (CCh, 10 micromol) led in the majority of cells (68%, n=50) to a significant depression of I(f) by 16.3+/-1.4% (n=34, p<0.01, voltage steps from 35 mV to -110 mV). This cholinergic inhibition was mediated by the NO/cGMP signalling pathway as it was largely reversed by superfusion with the non selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N(G)-Methyl-L-arginine acetate salt (L-NMMA, 1 mmol), the inhibitor of the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) 1H-[1, 2, 4]Oxadiazolo[4, 3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ, 100 micromol) and a selective inhibitor of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) type 2 Erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3 nonyl)adenine (EHNA, 30 micromol). Analysis of the muscarinic signalling in embryonic cardiomyocytes harvested from NOS2 (-/-) and NOS3 (-/-) mice revealed that the NOS3 isoform was entirely responsible for the muscarinic receptor induced NO production. CONCLUSIONS: Muscarinic receptor stimulation depresses I(f) by generating NO via the NOS3 and the cGMP/PDE type 2 signalling pathway in early embryonic cardiomyocytes. This suggests that NO is a key signalling molecule involved in the regulation of chronotropy of early embryonic heart cells. PMID- 17762159 TI - Evidence for the dimerization of human regulator of G-protein signalling 5 (RGS5). AB - RGS5 is a R4 type RGS that regulates GPCR signalling. Using western blot, we detected RGS5 as a specific 23 kDa protein in cells overexpressing RGS5. A 42 kDa band representing a possible RGS5 dimer was also detected. Given that GPCRs and their associated proteins form complexes involving multiple protein-protein interactions, we investigated the possibility that the 42 kDa band represents an RGS5-RGS5 dimer. RGS5 dimerization was confirmed by the analysis of a GFP tagged RGS5 fusion in yeast and with two-hybrid assays. Analysis of RGS5 in HEK293A cells suggests that the dimer may serve a regulatory function since it is longer lived than the monomer. PMID- 17762160 TI - ODF1 phosphorylation by Cdk5/p35 enhances ODF1-OIP1 interaction. AB - Cdk5 and p35 are integral components of the sperm tail outer dense fibers (ODFs), which contribute to the distinct morphology and function of the sperm tail. In this study, we sought to characterize and investigate the significance of Cdk5/p35 association with ODFs. We show that ODF2 interacts with Cdk5 and p35 but not with the Cdk5/p35 heterodimer. By using deletion mutants, the ODF2 binding region in p35 was mapped to residues 122 to 198. This overlaps the Cdk5 binding region in p35, explaining the inability of ODF2 to bind to the Cdk5/p35 complex. In vitro phosphorylation assay showed that although Cdk5/p35 does not phosphorylate ODF2, it phosphorylates ODF1. Mass spectrometry revealed that Cdk5/p35 specifically phosphorylates Ser193 in the ODF1 C-terminal region containing the Cys-X-Pro motif, the interaction site for the novel RING finger protein, ODF1 interacting protein (OIP1), a candidate E3 ubiquitin ligase, that also localizes in the sperm tail. Cdk5 phosphorylation of ODF1 Ser193 results in enhanced ODF1-OIP1 interaction. These findings suggest that Cdk5 may be important in promoting ODF1 degradation, and potentially, the detachment and fragmentation of the sperm tail following fertilization. PMID- 17762161 TI - Modulation of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B by erythropoietin in UT-7 cell line. AB - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Since the reversible phosphorylation of tyrosyl residues is a critical event in cellular signaling pathways activated by erythropoietin (Epo), attention has been focused on protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) and their coordinated action with protein tyrosine kinases. The prototypic member of the PTP family is PTP1B, a widely expressed non-receptor PTP located both in cytosol and intracellular membranes via its hydrophobic C-terminal targeting sequence. PTP1B has been implicated in the regulation of signaling pathways involving tyrosine phosphorylation induced by growth factors, cytokines, and hormones, such as the downregulation of erythropoietin and insulin receptors. However, little is known about which factor modulates the activity of this enzyme. METHODS: The effect of Epo on PTP1B expression was studied in the UT-7 Epo-dependent cell line. PTP1B expression was analyzed under different conditions by Real-Time PCR and Western blot, while PTP1B phosphatase activity was determined by a p nitrophenylphosphate hydrolysis assay. RESULTS: Epo rapidly induced an increased expression of PTP1B which was associated with higher PTP1B tyrosine phosphorylation and phosphatase activity. The action of Epo on PTP1B induction involved Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) and Phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K). CONCLUSION: The results allow us to suggest for the first time that, besides modulating Epo/Epo receptor signaling, PTP1B undergoes feedback regulation by Epo. PMID- 17762162 TI - TFF3 and EGF induce different migration patterns of intestinal epithelial cells in vitro and trigger increased internalization of E-cadherin. AB - BACKGROUND/AIMS: TFF3, a member of the TFF (trefoil factor family) peptides, and epidermal growth factor (EGF) actively support the repair of mucosal barriers, particularly during restitution. The aim of this study was to compare the motogenic effects of TFF3 and EGF. METHODS: The influence of recombinant human TFF3 (dimeric form) and EGF on the migration of IEC-18 cells was characterized in an in vitro restitution model (scratch wound assay) with the help of time-lapse video microscopy, morphometry, and immunocytochemistry including confocal laser scanning microscopy. RESULTS: TFF3- and EGF-treated cells re-populated the wounded area via different migration patterns; TFF3 treatment resulted in the formation of continuous sheets of migrating cells with only a few gaps. In contrast, EGF-treated cells formed a network of migrating cells (often with a fibroblast-like morphology) with numerous gaps and only punctual contacts. TFF3 and EGF treatment also changed the localization of E-cadherin indicating endocytotic recycling and/or degradation of E-cadherin. CONCLUSION: TFF3, in contrast to EGF, enhanced a collective cell migration ensuring a precise coverage of the re-populated area avoiding gaps. PMID- 17762163 TI - Fc gamma RII activation induces cell surface ceramide production which participates in the assembly of the receptor signaling complex. AB - We studied an involvement of various cellular ceramide pools in signaling of immunoreceptor Fc gamma II (Fc gamma RII). The cell surface ceramide level was assessed by a technique based on binding of ceramide probes to intact cells. Total cellular ceramide was estimated by radioactive measurements. The activity of sphingomyelinases was measured by NBD-ceramide release while immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting were applied to analyze protein tyrosine phosphorylation. A complex pattern of protein phosphorylation was found to accompany Fc gamma RII activation and the phosphorylation was either diminished by imipramine or increased by B13, modulators of acid sphingomyelinase and acid ceramidase activity. The effects of the drugs on the phosphorylation of Fc gamma RII and NTAL were prominent and correlated with a reduction of the cell surface ceramide production by imipramine and an augmentation of the ceramide generation by B13. The ceramide generation followed activation of acid sphingomyelinase and preceded that of neutral sphingomyelinase. The level of cell surface ceramide was additionally elevated by exogenous bacterial sphingomyelinase, but only at later stages of the receptor activation. The total mass of ceramide was diminished in the course of receptor activation pointing to an engagement of enzymes metabolizing ceramide. The data indicate that Fc gamma RII activates enzymes of the sphingomyelin cycle which affect various sphingomyelin/ceramide pools in a cell. PMID- 17762164 TI - Tachykinin family genes and their receptors are differentially expressed in the hypothyroid ovary and pituitary. AB - Plasma tachykinin levels are known to be altered with sexual acyclicity and loss of reproductive function. Ovulatory dysfunction, as seen in postmenopausal women, is also often encountered in hypothyroid patients. To know the involvement of different tachykinin genes in hypothyroidism-associated reproductive disorders, we performed DD-PCR with the pituitary RNA of control and hypothyroid rats to see the differentially expressed gene profile. Subsequently, we selected a few clones, tachykinin being one of them. Since its expression was up regulated in hypothyroidism as it does in the sexually acyclic females, we wanted to correlate these two phenomena with hypothyroidism associated reproductive disorders. We observed differential expression of tac2 along with other tk genes and their receptors in rat pituitary and ovary, which suggests that hypothyroidism affects the expression of these genes in these tissues. The experiments were repeated in ovarian tissue obtained at surgery from hypothyroid human patients, which showed similar expression pattern of TAC3 (equivalent to rat tac2) and their receptors as in rat ovary. Significant reduction of tac2 expression in reproductively less active rat ovary suggests the association of tac2 with reproductive senescence. Our results suggest that decline in reproductive function in hypothyroidism is associated with altered expression level of tac2 and its receptors. Further investigation in this area could elucidate the possible mechanism of tachykinins' involvement in loss of sexual cyclicity and other reproductive disorders associated with hypothyroidism. PMID- 17762165 TI - Modulation of gene expression profiles by hyperosmolarity and insulin. AB - Cell hydration changes play a key role in the regulation of cell function and critically affect insulin sensitivity of carbohydrate- and protein metabolism. Here, the modulation of gene expression profiles by hyperosmolarity and insulin was examined in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells by cDNA/oligonucleotiode array-, Northern- and Western blot analysis. Osmosensitive expression of the insulin-like growth factor binding protein Igfbp1, the multidrug resistance protein Mrp5 (Abcc5a) and cyclin D1 (Ccnd1) was established at the mRNA and protein level. Despite a hyperosmotic increase of cyclin D1 mRNA induction by insulin, the cyclin D1 protein expression was decreased by hyperosmolarity, suggesting a hyperosmotic interference with cyclin D1 mRNA translation. Hyperosmolarity at the mRNA level blunted the insulin response of betaine homocysteine-S-methyl transferase, the multidrug resistance proteins Mdr1a (Abcb1a) and 2 (Abcb4), the Igfbp 2 and 5, cyclin G1, dual specificity phosphatase Dusp1, signal transducers and activators of transcription Stat3 and 5, catalase and the bile salt export pump Bsep (Abcb11), whereas the insulin response was increased for Mrp5, cyclin D1 and the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Insulin effects on the mRNA expression of the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 4e-bp1, tubulin, gene 33, growth hormone receptor, keratin18, ornithine decarboxylase and heme oxygenase 1 were largely insensitive to hyperosmolarity. The data indicate that hyperosmolarity differentially modulates insulin sensitivity at the level of gene expression. PMID- 17762166 TI - Cell swelling-induced signaling for insulin secretion bypasses steps involving G proteins and PLA2 and is N-ethylmaleimide insensitive. AB - BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to examine putative mechanisms of calcium independent signal transduction pathway of cell swelling-induced insulin secretion. METHODS: The role of phospholipase A(2), G proteins, and soluble N ethylmaleimide-sensitive-factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) in insulin secretion induced by 30% hypotonic medium was studied using isolated rat pancreatic islets. RESULTS: In contrast to glucose stimulation, osmotically induced insulin secretion from pancreatic islets was not inhibited by 10 micromol/l bromoenol lactone, an iPLA(2) (Ca(2+) independent phospholipase) inhibitor. Similarly, preincubation of islets for 20 hours with 25 microg/ml mycophenolic acid to inhibit GTP synthesis fully abolished glucose-induced insulin secretion but was without effect on hypotonicity stimulated insulin release. Glucose-induced insulin secretion was prevented by preincubation with 20 nmol/l tetanus toxin (TeTx), a metalloprotease inactivating soluble SNARE. Cell swelling-induced insulin secretion was inhibited by TeTx in the presence of calcium ions but not in calcium depleted medium. The presence of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM, 5 mmol/l, another inhibitor of SNARE proteins) in the medium resulted in high basal insulin secretion and lacking response to glucose stimulation. In contrast, high basal insulin secretion from NEM treated islets further increased after hypotonic stimulation. CONCLUSION: G proteins and iPLA(2) - putative mediators of Ca(2+) independent signaling pathway participate in glucose but not in hypotonicity-induced insulin secretion. Hypotonicity-induced insulin secretion is sensitive to clostridial neurotoxin TeTx but is resistant to NEM. PMID- 17762167 TI - The epsilon-isoform of PKC mediates the hypertonic activation of cation channels in confluent monolayers of rat hepatocytes. AB - We were interested whether PKC alpha, delta, epsilon or zeta is the isoform actually employed in the activation of hypertonicity-induced cation channels (HICCs) in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. Quantitative SDS-page and Western blot experiments revealed that PKC alpha, delta and epsilon were stimulated by Indolactam V (as a DAG substitute for activation of c and nPKCs) but that only PKC delta and epsilon did respond to hypertonic stress. Furthermore, chelation of intracellular Ca(++) by BAPTA-AM did not alter HICC activation in cable-analysis experiments whereas Indolactam V as well as V8 (an Indolactam derivative specific for PKC delta and epsilon) activated HICC currents under isotonic conditions. Finally, by use of Rottlerin (as an inhibitor exhibiting a slight preference for PKC delta over epsilon) PKC epsilon could be identified as the most likely isoform responsible for the activation of the HICC. PMID- 17762168 TI - Potassium channels lost during harvesting of epithelial cells are restored with a kinetics that depends on channel species. AB - The polarized distribution of K(+) channels in MDCK cells is lost upon harvesting and restored upon re-seeding. Using semi-quantitative PCR, in the present work we find that (i) Cells do not "wait" for the normal recycling of membrane proteins to restore their lost channels, but trigger their replacement, suggesting that the membrane has a way of engaging the nucleus. (ii) Replacement channels do not come from an internal reservoir, as it is the case with Na(+), K(+)-ATPase, but requires a de novo synthesis. (iii) Replacement is not an all-or-none response, since mRNA for MaxiK channels increases by 8-fold after re-seeding, but those for Kv1.6 and Kv1.7 are not affected by harvesting/re-seeding. (iv) TEA, charybdotoxin and iberiotoxin fail to trigger the replacement response in mature monolayers, suggesting that replacement is not due to suppression of channel function. (v) MDCK cells have a typical transporting epithelial phenotype (TEP) consisting of tight junctions (TJs) plus polarity. Although the polarized distribution of K-channels is a prominent attribute of TEP, blocking their function does not perturb the development of TEP, as gauged through the development of TJs, nor level of expression (Western blot) and distribution (confocal microscopy) of occludin, and claudins 1, 3 and 7. PMID- 17762169 TI - Phospholipid lysophosphatidylcholine as a metabolic trigger and HERG as an ionic pathway for extracellular K accumulation and "short QT syndrome" in acute myocardial ischemia. AB - The most profound abnormalities during acute myocardial ischemia are extracellular K(+) accumulation ([K(+)](o)- upward arrow) and shortening of action potential duration or QT interval (APD- downward arrow or QT- downward arrow), which are pivotal in the genesis of ischemic arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. The ionic mechanisms however remained obscured. We performed studies in a rabbit model of acute global myocardial ischemia in order to explore ionic and metabolic mechanisms for ischemic [K(+)](o)- upward arrow and QT- downward arrow. Exogenous 1-palmitoyl-lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC-16) mimicked the low-perfusion ischemia to produce significant [K(+)](o)- upward arrow and QT- downward arrow. The [K(+)](o)- upward arrow and QT- downward arrow induced by either LPC-16 or ischemia were prevented by dofetilide, a blocker of rapid delayed rectifier K(+) current (I(Kr)), but not by blockers for other K(+) channels. Consistently, dofetilide efficiently abolished the ventricular tachy arrhythmias induced by ischemia or LPC-16. LPC-16 remarkably shortened APD and enhanced the function of I(Kr) and HERG (the pore-forming subunit of I(Kr)). The effects of LPC-16 manifested with shorter APD (faster repolarization rate) and at more negative potential (membrane repolarization). Dofetilide abolished the I(Kr)/HERG enhancing and APD shortening effects of LPC-16. Our results suggest that LPC-16 accumulation/HERG enhancement may be a link between metabolic trigger and ionic pathway for ischemic [K(+)](o)- upward arrow and QTc- downward arrow. This represents the first documentation of I(Kr)/HERG as the ionic mechanism in ischemic [K(+)](o)- upward arrow and QTc- downward arrow. Inhibition of LPC-16 production and accumulation and/or of I(Kr)/HERG may be a promising therapeutic strategy to attenuate the incidence of lethal arrhythmias associated with ischemic heart disease. PMID- 17762170 TI - Sphingolipid metabolite ceramide causes metabolic perturbation contributing to HERG K+ channel dysfunction. AB - Ceramide, a sphingolipid metabolite, has emerged as a key second messenger molecule that mediates multiple cellular functions. Its de nova synthesis and accumulation in ischemic myocardium, congestive heart failure and diabetic cardiomyopathy is associated with the abnormalities such as abnormal QT prolongation and increased risk of arrhythmias. To investigate how ceramide is involved in modulating cardiac repolarization, we performed whole-cell patch clamp studies on HERG current (I(HERG)), a critical determinant of cardiac repolarization, expressed in HEK293 cells. Acute application (superfusion for 25 min) of membrane permeable ceramide (C2, 5 microM) did not alter I(HERG). Prolonged incubation with C2 for 10 hrs caused pronounced I(HERG) inhibition in a concentration-dependent and voltage-independent fashion and positive shift of voltage-dependent HERG activation. The IC(50) for I(HERG) suppression was 19.5 microM. C2 did not affect the inactivation property and time-dependent kinetics of I(HERG). Similar effects were observed with production of endogenous ceramide catalyzed by sphingomyelinase. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors failed to reverse C2 induced suppression of HERG function, and PKA and PKC inhibitors only slightly reversed the I(HERG) depression. Western blotting and immunocytochemical analyses indicate that C2 does not alter HERG protein expression on the cytoplasmic membrane. The inhibitory effect of C2 on I(HERG) was reversed by antioxidants vitamin E or MnTBAP. C2 caused considerable production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), which was prevented by vitamin E or MnTBAP. We conclude that ceramide depresses I(HERG) mainly via ROS overproduction and ceramide induced I(HERG) impairment may contribute to QT prolongation in prolonged myocardial ischemia, heart failure and diabetic cardiomyopathy. PMID- 17762171 TI - Alterations in the cytoplasmic domain of CLCN2 result in altered gating kinetics. AB - Mutations in the human ClC-2 Cl(-) channel have been described to influence its function dramatically. To test for naturally occurring gene variants in a human population and their functionality, all 24 CLCN2 exons from a Central African population were sequenced. Six single amino acid exchanges in the intracellular N terminus (P48R, R68H), in the pore domain (G199A), or in the intracellular C terminus (R646Q, R725W, R747H) were identified at low frequency. Heterologous expression of these polymorphisms in Xenopus laevis oocytes demonstrated their functional significance as determined by two-electrode voltage-clamp. The polymorphisms R68H, R725W, and R747H exhibited faster voltage-stimulated gating as compared to the wild type channel, resulting in higher steady state currents of R725W. Probably due to decreased surface expression P48R, R68H, and R646Q mutants generated lower currents than the wild type channels. The inward currents of the mutated channels R725W, R747H, and G199A failed to increase during hypotonic swelling, a defect paralleled by impaired swelling-accelerated voltage gating in one mutant (G199A). In conclusion, the Africans' gene pool comprises CLCN2 gene variants in the N-terminus, the C-terminus or the pore domain that affect surface expression and voltage- or cell-swelling-stimulated channel gating. PMID- 17762172 TI - Absence of ClC5 in knockout mice leads to glycosuria, impaired renal glucose handling and low proximal tubule GLUT2 protein expression. AB - Glycosuria is one of the well-documented characteristics in ClC-5 knockout (KO) mice and patients with Dent's disease. However, the underlying pathophysiology of its occurrence is unknown. In this study, we have compared ClC-5 KO mice with age and gender matched wild-type (WT) control mice to investigate if the underlying cause of manifested glycosuria is an impairment of glucose homeostasis and/or an alteration in expression levels of proximal tubule (PT) glucose transporters. We observed that, the blood glucose concentration (n=12, p<0.01) and the fractional excretion of glucose and insulin (n=6, p<0.05) were higher in KO mice. In contrast, the fasting blood glucose levels (n=7) were not significantly different in the two groups. Plasma glucose increased to a greater extent in KO mice (n=7, p<0.05) when challenged by an intraperitoneal injection of glucose. However, no peripheral tissue insulin resistance was observed following an intraperitoneal injection of insulin (n=9) in the KO mice. ELISA analysis demonstrated low plasma insulin concentrations after a 12 hour fasting period and also following glucose injection in KO mice. The total insulin released during a 2 hour period following glucose challenge was significantly lower in KO mice (n=6, p<0.05). By western blot, we observed a significant decrease in GLUT2 protein expression levels in isolated PT ((n=10, p<0.01)) of KO mice. This decrease in protein levels was corroborated by a significant decrease in GLUT2 mRNA levels estimated semi quantitatively by RT-PCR in isolated PT (n=10, p<0.01). No significant changes in mRNA expression levels of SGLT2, SGLT1 and GLUT1, as analyzed by RT-PCR, could be detected in the isolated PT (n=10). Also, we have shown by western blot analysis that expression of megalin is lower in the renal cortex of KO mice when compared to WT mice (n=3, p<0.05). Our results suggest that low plasma insulin concentration together with renal function changes observed in KO mice significantly contribute towards the glucose intolerance and documented glycosuria observed in this animal. PMID- 17762173 TI - Altered biogenesis of deltaF508-CFTR following treatment with doxorubicin. AB - Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations to the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. The most common of these mutations is deletion of a phenylalanine residue at position 508 (Delta F508), which accounts for approximately 70% of all CF alleles. This mutation interferes with the biogenesis and maturation of Delta F508-CFTR to the plasma membrane. However, Delta F508 CFTR can partially function upon proper localization. Thus, pharmacological correction of Delta F508-CFTR maturation holds promise in CF therapy. Our previous studies indicate that a single non-cytotoxic dose of the anthracycline doxorubicin (Dox) significantly increase Delta F508-CFTR-associated chloride secretion in MDCK cells by increasing the expression of this protein at the apical plasma membrane. We report here that Dox alters the biogenesis of Delta F508-CFTR. Treatment with Dox increases the resistance of Delta F508-CFTR to trypsin digestion, possibly by expediting protein folding. Further, treatment with Dox reduces the amount of polyubiquitinated Delta F508-CFTR in cells and prolongs the half-life of this protein. Concomitantly, treatment with Dox decreases the association of Delta F508-CFTR with HSP70 but does not alter the expression of major HSP70 family members. Based on these results, we propose that Dox expedites the folding and maturation of Delta F508-CFTR by acting as a pharmacological chaperone, which consequently promotes the functional expression of this protein in MDCK cells. PMID- 17762174 TI - Cholesterol depletion and genistein as tools to promote F508delCFTR retention at the plasma membrane. AB - BACKGROUND/AIMS: F508delCFTR-, but not wtCFTR-, expressing fibroblasts resemble Niemann Pick type C cells in the massive intracellular accumulation of free cholesterol. The recruitment and activation of F508delCFTR by cholesterol depletion was studied. METHODS: Filipin staining, forskolin-stimulated anion efflux and FITC-dextran uptake were studied in control cells and fibroblasts treated with 2-hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin phosphatidylcholine large unilamellar vesicles to deplete cellular free cholesterol. RESULTS: Treatment of F508delCFTR-, but not wtCFTR-, expressing fibroblasts with 2-hydroxypropyl beta cyclodextrin resulted in a reduction in cellular cholesterol and a potentiation of the forskolin-induced anion efflux. In addition, forskolin also promoted a massive increase in the rate of endocytosis in F508delCFTR fibroblasts, which was absent in genistein- or cyclodextrin-treated cultures. CONCLUSION: The results not only suggest that reducing cellular cholesterol may serve as pharmacotherapeutic tool in the treatment of cystic fibrosis but also reveal a novel mechanism for genistein regulation of F508delCFTR, i.e. retention by inhibition of endocytosis. PMID- 17762175 TI - Enhancement of P2Y6-induced Cl- secretion by IL-13 and modulation of SK4 channels activity in human bronchial cells. AB - Expression of functional P2Y(6) receptors was demonstrated in primary cultures of human bronchial cells (NHBE cells). P2Y(6) receptors were located only on the apical membranes of NHBE cells. Their stimulation by UDP induced a chloride secretion (short-circuit current) reflected by the development of two I(sc) components (I(fast) and I(late)). A pharmacological characterization of those two I(sc) components showed the involvement of CaCC and CFTR channel activity in I(fast) and I(late) respectively. I(fast) was also found to be under control of basolateral SK4 channels. Indeed, inhibition of SK4 channels opening by clotrimazole dramatically reduced I(fast) amplitude. The epithelial ion transporting phenotype depends on the cellular state of differentiation. As previously reported, we observed that Ultroser G increased the epithelial tightness and Na(+)-transport capacity while IL-13 switch the epithelial ion transport phenotype from a Na(+)-absorbing to a Cl(-)-secreting one. In our study, we report for the first time a change in the K(+) cell permeability associated to IL-13-induced cell differentiation. IL-13 treatment increased the resting K(+) permeability as well as the Ca(2+)-dependent K(+) permeability stimulated by UDP or ionomycin. SK4 channels activity, underlying the Ca(2+) dependent K(+) permeability was in particular increased by IL-13. The on/off effect of IL-13 on P2Y(6)-induced Cl-secretion may help to identify the molecular determinants responsible for the CaCC channel activity. PMID- 17762176 TI - Methyl-beta-cyclodextrin increases permeability of Caco-2 cell monolayers by displacing specific claudins from cholesterol rich domains associated with tight junctions. AB - In a previous study we demonstrated that depletion of Caco-2 cell cholesterol results in the loss of tight junction (TJ) integrity through the movement of claudins 3 and 4 and occludin, but not claudin 1, out of the TJs [1]. The aims of this study were to determine whether the major tight junction (TJ) proteins in Caco-2 cells are associated with cholesterol rich, membrane raft-like domains and if the loss of TJ integrity produced by the extraction of cholesterol reflects the dissolution of these domains resulting in the loss of TJ organisation. We have demonstrated that in Caco-2 cells claudins 1, 3, 4 and 7, JAM-A and occludin, are associated with cholesterol rich membrane domains that are insoluble in Lubrol WX. Co-immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that there is no apparent restriction on the combination of claudins present in the rafts and that interaction between the proteins is dependent on cholesterol. JAM-A was not co-immunoprecipitated with the other TJ proteins indicating that it is resident within in a distinct population of rafts and therefore is likely not directly associated with the claudins/occludin present in the TJ complexes. Depletion of Caco-2 cell cholesterol with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin resulted in the displacement of claudins 3, 4 and 7, JAM-A and occludin, but not claudin 1, out of the cholesterol rich domains. Our data indicate that depletion of cholesterol does not result in the loss of the TJ-associated membrane rafts. However, the sterol is required to maintain the association of key proteins with the TJ associated membrane rafts and therefore the TJs. Furthermore, the data suggest that cholesterol may actually directly stabilise the multi-protein complexes that form the TJ strands. PMID- 17762177 TI - Expression and localisation of the pyrophosphate transporter, ANK, in murine kidney cells. AB - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Mutation of the pyrophosphate transporter, ANK, results in progressive arthritis in mice. ANK is expressed in non-skeletal tissues including kidney. The aim was therefore to investigate ANK location at the cellular and subcellular level in renal cells. METHODS: RT-PCR identified a murine cell-line, mIMCD3, expressing ANK. The intra-renal distribution of ANK was determined by immunohistochemistry and the subcellular distribution in mIMCD3 cells by transfection of an ANK-NT-GFP fusion protein. Furthermore, an inactivating mutation of murine ank, Glu440X, and a gain of function mutation, Met48Thr, were tested to determine whether membrane traffic contributed to a transport defect. RESULTS: ANK is expressed in cells of the cortical collecting duct, as assessed by colocalisation with aquaporin 2 and at the lateral and apical plasma membranes of mIMCD-3 epithelial cells, as assessed by colocalisation with wheat germ agglutinin lectin (WGA). ANK-NT-GFP was also present in endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, acidic endosomes and mitochondria. mIMCD3 expression of Glu440X ANK-NT-GFP shows evidence of Golgi retention whereas Met48Thr ANK-NT-GFP is unaltered at the plasma membrane compared to wild type. CONCLUSION: The intra-renal and subcellular localisation of ANK is consistent with pyrophosphate export from collecting duct cells and supports a role for ANK in limiting intra-renal calcium crystal formation. PMID- 17762178 TI - Syncytin-A mediates the formation of syncytiotrophoblast involved in mouse placental development. AB - Syncytin-A, a new mouse endogenous retroviral envelope protein expressed in placenta, can mediate cell fusion in vitro. But its physiological function was still unknown. We proposed a role for syncytin-A in syncytiotrophoblast (SynT) formation derived from the differentiation of trophoblast stem (TS) cells during placental development. To evaluate this hypothesis, we analyzed the involvement of syncytin-A in the differentiation of mouse TS cells. After withdrawing fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4), TS cells can fuse to form SynT cells. We found syncytin-A mRNA and protein expression are colinear with fusion index increase during TS cell differentiation. Expression of syncytin-A is localized in SynT cells through in situ immunofluorescent staining. By using specific antibody and antisense oligonucleotides, we demonstrated that inhibition of syncytin-A lead to obvious decrease of SynT cell formation. These results present evidence in support of the direct role for syncytin-A in mouse TS cell fusion and differentiation involved in placental development. PMID- 17762179 TI - PI3 kinase dependent stimulation of gastric acid secretion by dexamethasone. AB - Excessive gastric acid secretion plays an important role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcers. Dexamethasone, a widely used drug, is known to stimulate gastric acid secretion and increase the incidence of peptic ulcers. However little is known about the mechanism of the dexamethasone's effect on parietal cells. The present study was performed to investigate the contribution of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3 kinase) to dexamethasone induced stimulation of gastric acid secretion. In vivo pretreatment with dexamethasone injections (150 microg/100g for 3 days) or in vitro exposure to (10 microM for > 20 minutes) significantly increased acid secretion in isolated gastric glands approximately 2 3 fold. The dexamethasone induced stimulation of gastric acid secretion was concentration dependent and significantly blunted by the H+/K2+ ATPase inhibitor omeprazole (200 microM), the PI3 kinase inhibitor Wortmannin (500 nM), the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine (2.5 microM) and the Cl(-) channel blocker NPPB (100 microM); but not by the H(2) antagonist cimetidine (100 microM). In conclusion, it was observed that dexamethasone's effect on proton extrusion requires the activity of a PI3 kinase pathway, an apical Cl(-) channel and the H2+/K2+ ATPase. PMID- 17762180 TI - Overexpression of non-functional LAT1/4F2hc in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells from the spontaneous hypertensive rat. AB - The present study examined the expression of type 1 L-amino acid transporter (LAT1) and its associated glycoprotein 4F2hc in freshly isolated renal proximal tubules and immortalized renal proximal tubular epithelial (PTE) cells from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive (WKY) rats. The study also examined the inward and outward transport of [(14)C]-L-leucine, the preferred substrate of LAT1. The abundance of LAT1 and 4F2hc was greater in SHR than in WKY, both in freshly isolated renal proximal tubules and immortalized renal proximal tubular cells. In the absence of extracellular Na(+) the BCH (2 aminobicyclo(2,2,1)-heptane-2-carboxylic acid)-sensitive [(14)C]-L-leucine uptake in SHR PTE cells was approximately 50% that observed in WKY PTE cells (77+/-4 vs 164+/-7 pmol/mg protein). In the absence of extracellular Na(+) the affinity of the transporter for the substrate in WKY PTE cells was 7.7-fold that in SHR cells, as evidenced by lower K(0.5) values. Gene silencing with a LAT1 siRNA and a 4F2hc siRNA significantly reduced LAT1 and 4F2hc expression, which was accompanied by a marked reduction in Na(+)-independent [(14)C]-L-leucine uptake in both SHR and WKY PTE cells. The spontaneous and L-leucine-stimulated outward transfer of [(14)C]-L-leucine was Na(+)-independent in both SHR and WKY PTE cells. The spontaneous [(14)C]-L-leucine efflux was higher in WKY than in SHR PTE cells and the potency of L-leucine to stimulate [(14)C]-L-leucine efflux in WKY (EC(50) = 9 microM) was greater than in SHR PTE cells (EC(50) = 41 microM). It is concluded that the SHR kidney overexpress LAT1/4F2hc units which display low affinity for L-leucine transport. PMID- 17762181 TI - Arginine-vasopressin modulates intracellular pH via V1 and V2 receptors in renal collecting duct cells. AB - Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) has been proposed to be involved in the modulation of acid-base transporters; however, the nature of the mechanisms underlying AVP direct action on intracellular pH (pH(i)) in the cortical collecting duct (CCD) is not yet clearly defined. The aim of the present study was to elucidate which are the proteins implicated in AVP modulation of pH(i), as well as the receptors involved in these responses using a CCD cell line (RCCD(1)); pH(i) was monitored with the fluorescent dye BCECF in basal conditions and after stimulation with basolateral 10(-8) M AVP. Specific V1- or V2-receptor antagonists were also used. RT-PCR studies demonstrated that RCCD(1) cells express V1a and V2 receptors. Functional studies showed that while V2-receptor activation induced a biphasic response (alkalinization-acidification), V1-receptor activation resulted in an intracellular acidification. The V2-mediated alkalinization phase involves the activation of basolateral NHE-1 isoform of the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger while in the acidification phase CFTR is probably implicated. On the other hand, V1-mediated acidification was due to activation of a Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchanger. We conclude that in RCCD(1) cells AVP selectively activates, via a complex of V1 and V2 receptor-mediated actions, different ion transporters linked to pH(i) regulation which might have physiological implications. PMID- 17762182 TI - Differential role of TNF receptors in cellular trafficking of intact TNF. AB - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although ligand signaling and degradation within the cell have received much attention, few studies have quantified the role of receptors on the transcytosis of ligand into and out of the cell in intact form. Accordingly, we determined the differential role of the two receptors for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFR1, TNFR2) on cellular transcytosis. METHODS: TNFR1 and TNFR2 were overexpressed in HEK293 cells by transient transfection. Cell surface binding, endocytosis, and exocytosis of (125)I-TNF were quantified. Degradation was determined by acid precipitation and size-exclusion chromatography. RESULTS: TNFR1- mediated uptake of TNF was faster than TNFR2-mediated uptake of TNF. TNFR2, however, exhibited greater capacity, leading to a higher percentage release of TNF into the exocytosis medium. Rather than being degraded, most of the TNF inside the cell remained intact for 1 h. Both receptors exerted protective roles against degradation, but there was no cooperativity between them. CONCLUSION: The effects of TNFR1 and TNFR2 in shepherding TNF across the cell illustrate the differential roles of receptors on the cellular trafficking of the ligand in intact form so as to facilitate its biological effects. PMID- 17762183 TI - Spatio-temporal dynamic analysis of bid activation and apoptosis induced by alkaline condition in human lung adenocarcinoma cell. AB - Activation of initiator and effector caspases and Bid cleavage are apoptotic characteristic features. They are associated with cell alkalization or acidification in some models of apoptosis. The alteration of culture conditions such as extracellular pH value and the overexpression of Bid plasmids may induce cell apoptosis. In present report, we used fluorescence confocal imaging and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) techniques based on green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) to monitor the spatio-temporal dynamics of Bid translocation and caspase-3 activation in real time in living human lung adenocarcinoma (ASTC-a-1) cells under neutral (pH 7.4) and alkaline (pH 8.0) conditions. The cells transfected with Bid-CFP plasmid did not show apoptotic characteristics for 96 hours under an atmosphere of 95% air, 5% CO(2) at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C, implying that the overexpression of Bid-CFP plasmid does not induce cell apoptosis. However, all the cells underwent apoptosis after being placed in the alkaline culture (pH 8.0). The dynamic results in single living cell showed that the alkaline condition at pH of 8.0 induced Bid cleavage and tBid translocation to mitochondria at about 1.5 hour, and then induced the caspase-3 activation and cell apoptosis. These results show that the alkaline sondition (pH=8.0) induces cell apoptosis by activating caspase-8, which cleaves Bid to tBid, tBid translocation to mitochondria, and then activating the caspase 3 in the ASTC-a-1 cells. PMID- 17762184 TI - Profiling of apoptotic changes in human breast cancer cells using SELDI-TOF mass spectrometry. AB - Apoptosis is a key process in the response of tumours to chemotherapeutic agents. Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis in many tumor cells, while sparing most normal cells. Several chemotherapeutic drugs synergize with TRAIL in reducing tumor growth and inducing apoptosis. Because some tumour cells respond poorly to these treatments, biomarkers that predict clinical responsiveness are needed. This study used surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) to identify novel apoptotic markers in TRAIL and etoposide (T+E)-treated MDA-MB-231 and ZR-75-1 breast cancer cells and MCF-10A non-transformed breast cells. T+E induced apoptosis, increasing caspase-3 activity at 4-8h, in all cell lines. Protein profiles revealed two prominent peaks, m/z 10090 and 8560, which decreased significantly during apoptosis. Mass spectrometry sequencing of tryptic peptides identified these proteins as S100A6 (confirmed immunologically) and ubiquitin (confirmed against a purified standard), respectively. Caspase inhibition prevented the decrease in both proteins during T+E-induced apoptosis whereas proteasome inhibition combined with T+E further decreased ubiquitin, possibly by preventing its recycling. Using SELDI-TOF MS we have identified S100A6 and ubiquitin as potential protein markers of apoptosis. Further validation using patient samples is required to confirm their potential utility in monitoring the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs in inducing tumour cell apoptosis. PMID- 17762185 TI - Stimulation of eryptosis by anti-A IgG antibodies. AB - Anti-A IgG antibodies have previously been shown to stimulate Ca(2+) entry into red blood cells. Increased cytosolic free Ca(2+) concentration is known to trigger eryptosis, i.e. suicidal erythrocyte death, characterized by exposure of phosphatidylserine at the erythrocyte surface. As macrophages are equipped with phosphatidylserine receptors, they bind, engulf and degrade phosphatidylserine exposing cells. The present experiments have been performed to explore whether anti-A IgGs trigger phosphatidylserine exposure of erythrocytes. Phosphatidylserine exposure was estimated from annexin-V binding as determined in FACS analysis. Exposure to anti-A IgGs (0.5 microg/ml) indeed significantly increased annexin-V binding in erythrocytes with blood group A, but not in erythrocytes with blood group 0. According to Fluo3 fluorescence, anti-A IgGs increased cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration. Whole cell patch clamp recordings revealed the activation of a Ca(2+)-permeable cation channel following treatment with anti-A-IgGs. Annexin-V binding following anti-A IgG exposure was blunted by Ca(2+) removal while anti-A IgG-stimulated cation channel activity was not dependent on extracellular Ca(2+). Osmotic shock (exposure of erythrocytes to 850 mOsm) increased annexin binding, an effect further enhanced by exposure to anti-A IgGs. In conclusion, anti-A IgGs activate erythrocyte cation channels leading to Ca(2+) entry and subsequent erythrocyte cell membrane scrambling. The effect most likely contributes to the elimination of erythrocytes following an immune reaction against the A antigen. PMID- 17762186 TI - Differential effect of HOE642 on two separate monovalent cation transporters in the human red cell membrane. AB - Residual K(+) fluxes in red blood cells can be stimulated in conditions of low ionic strength. Previous studies have identified both the non-selective, voltage dependent cation (NSVDC) channel and the K(+)(Na(+))/H(+) exchanger as candidate pathways mediating this effect, although it is possible that these pathways represent different modes of operation of a single system. In the present study the effects of HOE642, recently characterised as an inhibitor of the K(+)(Na(+))/H(+) exchanger, on NSVDC has been determined to clarify this question. Radioisotope flux measurements and conductance determinations showed that HOE642 exerted differential effects on the NSVDC channel and the K(+)(Na(+))/H(+) exchanger, confirming that the salt loss observed in low ionic strength solutions represents contributions from at least two independent ion transport pathways. The findings are discussed in the context of red blood cell apoptosis (eryptosis) and disease. PMID- 17762187 TI - Anti-apoptotic effects of arachidonic acid and prostaglandin E2 in pancreatic beta-cells. AB - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The polyunsaturated fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA) has been implicated in beta-cell defence mechanisms and prostaglandin (PG) products of cyclooxygenase (COX) 2 action confer resistance to alloxan-induced apoptosis in insulin-secreting RIN cells. We have now investigated the anti-apoptotic effects of AA and its metabolite, PGE(2), in the MIN6 mouse insulin-secreting beta-cell line and mouse islets. METHODS: Apoptosis was determined in MIN6 beta-cell and mouse islet extracts by measurement of capase-3 activity, and COX2 mRNA levels were quantified by real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: Exposure of MIN6 cells to AA (3.1 12.5 microM) caused concentration-dependent reductions in apoptosis, and similar results were obtained when endogenous AA levels were elevated in cytosolic phospholipase A(2)-overexpressing MIN6 cells. 25mM glucose caused both a significant up-regulation of MIN6 cell COX2 mRNA levels and a decrease in apoptosis. Inhibition of MIN6 cell COX2 activity with a selective inhibitor, NS 398 (10-100 microM), increased apoptosis and exogenous PGE(2) (0.2-5 microM) reduced NS-398-induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. The protective effects of AA and PGE(2) were also observed in primary mouse islets. CONCLUSION: These data show that AA and its COX2-generated metabolite, PGE(2), can protect beta-cells from apoptosis. PMID- 17762188 TI - E-cadherin interactions regulate beta-cell proliferation in islet-like structures. AB - Islet function is dependent on cells within the islet interacting with each other. E-cadherin (ECAD) mediates Ca(2+)-dependent homophilic cell adhesion between b-cells within islets and has been identified as a tumour suppressor. We generated clones of the MIN6 beta-cell line that stably over- (S) and under express (alphaS) ECAD. Modified expression of ECAD was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry. Preproinsulin mRNA, insulin content and basal rates of insulin secretion were higher in S cells compared to aS and control (V) cells. However, stimulated insulin secretory responses were unaffected by ECAD expression levels. ECAD expression did affect proliferation, with enhanced ECAD expression being associated with reduced proliferation and vice versa. Formation of islet-like structures was associated with a significant reduction in proliferation of V and S cells but not alphaS cells. These data suggest that ECAD expression levels do not modulate insulin secretory function but are consistent with a role for ECAD in the regulation of beta-cell proliferation. PMID- 17762189 TI - Aluminum-induced mitochondrial dysfunction leads to lipid accumulation in human hepatocytes: a link to obesity. AB - Mitochondrial dysfunction is the cause of a variety of pathologies associated with high energy-requiring tissues like the brain and muscles. Here we show that aluminum (Al) perturbs oxidative-ATP production in human hepatocytes (HepG2 cells). This Al-induced mitochondrial dysfunction promotes enhanced lipogenesis and the accumulation of the very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). Al-stressed HepG2 cells secreted more cholesterol, lipids and proteins than control cells. The level of apolipoprotein B-100 (ApoB-100) was markedly increased in the culture medium of the cells exposed to Al. (13)C-NMR and HPLC studies revealed a metabolic profile favouring lipid production and lowered ATP synthesis in Al treated cells. Electrophoretic and immunoblot analyses pointed to increased activities and expression of lipogenic enzymes such as glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) and ATP-citrate lyase (CL) in the hepatocytes exposed to Al, and a sharp diminution of enzymes mediating oxidative phosphorylation. D-Fructose elicited the maximal secretion of VLDL in the Al-challenged cells. These results suggest that the Al-evoked metabolic shift favours the accumulation of lipids at the expense of oxidative energy production in hepatocytes. PMID- 17762190 TI - The protective effects of N-n-butyl haloperidol iodide on myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in rats by inhibiting Egr-1 overexpression. AB - AIMS: Our previous studies have shown that N-n-butyl haloperidol iodide (F(2)) can antagonize myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury by blocking intracellular Ca(2+) overload. The present study is to test the hypothesis that the protective effects of F(2) on myocardial I/R injury is mediated by downregulating Egr-1 expression. METHODS: The Sprague-Dawley rat myocardial I/R model and cardiomyocyte hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) model were established. With antisense Egr-1 oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN), the relationship between Egr-1 expression and myocardial I/R injury was investigated. Hemodynamic parameters, myeloperoxidase (MPO), cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured to assess the degree of injury and inflammation of myocardial tissues and cells. Egr-1 mRNA and protein expressions were examined by Northern-blot and Western-blot analyses. RESULTS: Treatment with antisense Egr-1 ODN significantly reduced Egr-1 protein expression and attenuated injury of myocardial tissues and cells. Meanwhile, treatment with F(2) significantly inhibited the overexpression of Egr-1 mRNA and protein in myocardial tissues and cells. Consistent with downregulation of Egr-1 expression by F(2), inflammation and other damages were significantly relieved evidenced by the amelioration of hemodynamics, the reduction in myocardial MPO activity as well as the decrease in leakage of cTnI and release of TNF-alpha from cardiomyocyte. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that the overexpression of Egr-1 was causative in myocardial I/R or H/R injury, and F(2) could protect myocardial tissues and cells from I/R or H/R injury, which was largely due to the inhibition of Egr-1 overexpression. PMID- 17762191 TI - Physical integrity of smooth muscle myosin filaments is enhanced by phosphorylation of the regulatory myosin light chain. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Smooth muscle myosin monomers self-assemble in solution to form filaments. Phosphorylation of the 20-kD regulatory myosin light chain (MLC20) enhances filament formation. It is not known whether the phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated filaments possess the same structural integrity. METHODS: We purified myosin from bovine trachealis to form filaments, in ATP-containing zero-calcium solution during a slow dialysis that gradually reduced the ionic strength. Sufficient myosin light chain kinase and phosphatase, as well as calmodulin, were retained after the myosin purification and this enabled phosphorylation of MLC20 within 20-40s after addition of calcium to the filament suspension. The phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated filaments were then partially disassembled by ultrasonification. The extent of filament disintegration was visualized and quantified by atomic force microscopy. RESULTS: MLC20 phosphorylation reduced the diameter of the filaments and rendered the filaments more resistant to ultrasonic agitation. Electron microscopy revealed a similar reduction in filament diameter in intact smooth muscle when the cells were activated. CONCLUSION: Modification of the structural and physical properties of myosin filaments by MLC20 phosphorylation may be a key regulation step in smooth muscle where formation and dissolution of the filaments are required in the cells' adaptation to different cell length. PMID- 17762192 TI - Ghrelin stimulates myocyte development. AB - Ghrelin, a gastric peptide hormone, may regulate mesenchymal cell development. Here we show that ghrelin promotes myogenesis in vitro in the mouse myoblast cell line C2C12 cells. Cells expressing ghrelin demonstrated a significant increase in the differentiation of premyocytes into myocytes. The mean myogenic index in cells stably expressing ghrelin increased significantly relative to control cells (42 +/- 2% vs. 16 +/- 1%, p<0.05). Western blotting showed that expression of MHC protein was elevated in cells expressing ghrelin compared to control cells. MyoD expression increased after treatment of C2C12 cells with exogenous ghrelin (10( 7) M). The stimulatory effect of ghrelin on myogenesis was abolished by either replacement of the third amino acid serine with alanine or deletion of its first nine amino acids. This study demonstrated that ghrelin is a potent stimulator for myogenesis. PMID- 17762193 TI - Soluble signalling factors derived from differentiated cartilage tissue affect chondrogenic differentiation of rat adult marrow stromal cells. AB - BACKGROUND: Chondral defects show lack of proper regeneration whereas osteochondral lesions display limited regeneration capacity. Latter is probably due to immigration of chondroprogenitor cells from the subchondral bone. Known chondroprogenitor cells for cartilage tissues are multi-potent adult marrow stromal or mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In vitro chondrogenic differentiation of these precursor cells usually require cues from growth and signalling factors provided in vivo by surrounding tissues and cells. We hypothesise that signalling factors secreted by differentiated cartilage tissue can initiate and maintain chondrogenic differentiation status of MSCs. METHODS: To study such paracrine communication between allogenic rat articular cartilage and rat MSCs embedded in alginate beads a novel coculture system without addition of external growth factors has been established. RESULTS: Impact of cartilage on differentiating MSCs was observed at two different time points. Firstly, sustained expression of Sox9 was observed at an early stage which indicated induction of chondrogenic differentiation. Secondly, late stage repression of collagen X indicated pre hypertrophic arrest of differentiation. In the culture supernatant we have identified vascular endothelial growth factor alpha (VEGF-164 alpha), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -13 and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2) which could be traced back either to the cartilage explant or to the MSCs under the influence of cartilage. CONCLUSION: The identified factors might be involved in regulation of collagen X gene and protein expression and therefore, may have an impact on the control and regulation of MSCs differentiation. PMID- 17762194 TI - pH nanoenvironment at the surface of single melanoma cells. AB - Extracellular pH and the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE1) modulate tumor cell migration. Yet, the pH nanoenvironment at the outer surface of the cell membrane (pH(em)) where cell/matrix interaction occurs and matrix metalloproteinases work was never measured. We present a method to measure this pH nanoenvironment using proton-sensitive dyes to label the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane or the glycocalyx of human melanoma cells. Polarized cells generate an extracellular proton gradient at their surface that increases from the rear end to the leading edge of the lamellipodium along the direction of movement. This gradient collapses upon NHE1 inhibition by HOE642. NHE1 stimulation by intracellular acidification increases the difference in pH(em) between the tips of lamellipodia and the cell body in a Na(+) dependent way. Thus, cells create a pH nanoenvironment that promotes cell migration by facilitating cell adhesion at their front and the release of cell/matrix contacts at their rear part. PMID- 17762196 TI - Perinatal brain damage causation. AB - The search for causes of perinatal brain damage needs a solid theoretical foundation. Current theory apparently does not offer a unanimously accepted view of what constitutes a cause, and how it can be identified. We discuss nine potential theoretical misconceptions: (1) too narrow a view of what is a cause (causal production vs. facilitation), (2) extrapolating from possibility to fact (potential vs. factual causation), (3) if X, then invariably Y (determinism vs. probabilism), (4) co-occurrence in individuals vs. association in populations, (5) one cause is all that is needed (single cause attribution vs. multicausal constellations), (6) drawing causal inferences from very small numbers of observations (the tendency to generalize), (7) unstated causal inferences, (8) ignoring heterogeneity, and (9) failing to consider alternative explanations for what is observed. We hope that our critical discussion will contribute to fruitful research and help reduce the burden of perinatal brain damage. PMID- 17762197 TI - Serial diffusion tensor imaging detects white matter changes that correlate with motor outcome in premature infants. AB - The objective of the study was to assess predictive value of serial diffusion tensor MRI (DTI) for the white matter injury and neurodevelopmental outcome in a cohort of premature infants. Twenty-four infants less than 32 weeks' gestation were stratified to a control group (n = 11), mild brain injury with grades 1-2 of intraventricular hemorrhage (n = 6) and severe brain injury with grades 3-4 intraventricular hemorrhage (n = 4). Serial DTI studies were performed at around 30 and 36 weeks' gestation. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient were calculated. Twelve infants were followed up for developmental outcome. Developmental testing was performed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development to obtain psychomotor index (Performance Developmental Index). Apparent diffusion coefficient was higher in the severe injury group at the second MRI in the central and occipital white matter, and corona radiata; FA was lower in optic radiation compared to controls. Performance Developmental Index score correlated with FA on the scan taken at the 30th week and inversely with the change of FA between scans in internal capsule and occipital white matter. A low value of FA at 30 weeks and a higher change of FA predicted less favorable motor outcome at 2 years and suggests that early subtle white matter injury can be detected in premature infants even without obvious signs of injury. PMID- 17762198 TI - Delayed IGF-1 administration rescues oligodendrocyte progenitors from glutamate induced cell death and hypoxic-ischemic brain damage. AB - We previously demonstrated that IGF-1 blocks glutamate-mediated death of late oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPs) by preventing Bax translocation, mitochondrial cytochrome c release and cleavage of caspases 9 and 3. Here, we demonstrate that IGF-1 prevents caspase 3 activation in late OPs when administered up to 16 h following exposure to glutamate. Moreover, late addition of IGF-1 to OPs previously exposed to toxic levels of glutamate promotes oligodendrocyte maturation as measured by myelin basic protein expression. We also demonstrate that intraventricularly administered IGF-1 retains OPs in the perinatal white matter after hypoxia-ischemia when given after insult. These results suggest that delayed administration of IGF-1 will rescue OPs in the immature white matter and promote myelination following hypoxia-ischemia. PMID- 17762199 TI - Prenatal cord clamping in newborn Macaca nemestrina: a model of perinatal asphyxia. AB - Our objective was to establish a nonhuman primate model of perinatal asphyxia appropriate for preclinical evaluation of neuroprotective treatment strategies under conditions that closely resemble human neonatal emergencies, and to begin testing the safety and efficacy of erythropoietin neuroprotective treatment. Prior to delivery by hysterotomy, the umbilical cords of near term Macaca nemestrina (n = 8) were clamped for times ranging between 12 and 15 min. Animals received erythropoietin (5,000 U/kg/dose x 2 i.v., n = 3), or vehicle (n = 5) after resuscitation. We assessed physiologic parameters, continuous electroencephalogram, magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy, safety parameters and behavior. Animals were euthanized at 4 months of age. Mean birth weight was 507 +/- 62 g. Initial arterial pH ranged from 6.75 to 7.12, with base deficits of 17-25 mEq. Animals were flaccid at birth, with attenuated electroencephalograms, and seizures occurred in 3 of 8 animals. We demonstrated magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy changes consistent with hypoxia (elevated lactate levels were present in some animals), significant motor and behavioral abnormalities (particularly with 15 min of cord clamping), and evidence of gliosis at the time of death. We have established a reproducible model of moderate to severe perinatal hypoxic-ischemic injury in M. nemestrina newborns. This model, which combines structural, biochemical, and behavioral assessments over time can be used to assess the safety and efficacy of neuroprotective strategies. PMID- 17762200 TI - Erythropoietin enhances long-term neuroprotection and neurogenesis in neonatal stroke. AB - Neonatal stroke leads to mortality and severe morbidity, but there is no effective treatment currently available. Erythropoietin (EPO) has been shown to promote cytoprotection and neurogenesis and decrease subventricular zone morphologic changes following brain injury. The long-term cellular response to EPO has not been defined, and local changes in cell fate decision may play a role in functional improvement. We performed middle cerebral artery occlusion in P10 rats. EPO treatment (5 U/g i.p.) significantly preserved hemispheric brain volume 6 weeks after injury. Furthermore, EPO increased the percentage of newly generated neurons while decreasing newly generated astrocytes following brain injury, without demonstrating long-term differences in the subventricular zone. These results suggest that EPO may neuroprotect and direct cell fate toward neurogenesis and away from gliogenesis in neonatal stroke. PMID- 17762201 TI - Perinatal hypoxic/ischemic brain injury induces persistent production of striatal neurons from subventricular zone progenitors. AB - Ischemia-induced production of new striatal neurons in young and adult rodents has been studied. However, it is unclear whether neonatal hypoxic/ischemic (H/I) brain injury-induced neuronogenesis in the striatum is transient or sustained, nor has it been established whether these new neurons arise from progenitors within the striatum or from precursors residing in the adjacent subventricular zone. Here, we report that from 2 weeks to 5 months after H/I there are more doublecortin-positive (Dcx+) cells and Dcx+/NeuN+ cells in the damaged striatum compared to the contralateral striatum. After the S-phase marker 5-bromo-2' deoxyuridine (BrdU) was injected at both short and long intervals (2 days and 2 months) after H/I to label newly born cells, more BrdU+/Dcx+ and BrdU+/NeuN+ cells were observed in the ipsilateral striatum compared to the contralateral striatum. Retroviral fate-mapping studies demonstrated that these newly born striatal neurons are generated from precursors within the subventricular zone. Altogether, these observations indicate the neonatal brain initiates a prolonged regenerative response from the precursors of the subventricular zone (SVZ) that results in persistent production of new striatal neurons. PMID- 17762202 TI - Uteroplacental inflammation results in blood brain barrier breakdown, increased activated caspase 3 and lipid peroxidation in the late gestation ovine fetal cerebellum. AB - Maternal infection is associated with perinatal brain damage, but effects on the cerebellum are not known in detail. In this study, we examined the effects of placental inflammation induced by administering lipopolysaccharide into the uterine artery of pregnant sheep at 134-136 days gestation. The fetal brain was collected 72 h later and compared to brains collected from age-matched untreated fetuses. Placental lipopolysaccharide treatment had substantial effects on the fetal cerebellum, including increasing the number of cells undergoing apoptosis, widespread lipid peroxidation, and extravasation of plasma albumin, suggesting compromise of the cerebellar blood-brain barrier. These effects may account for some of the learning and motor deficits that emerge in neonates from pregnancies compromised by infection. PMID- 17762203 TI - Identification of POSH2, a novel homologue of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase scaffold protein POSH. AB - The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway plays an important role in neuronal apoptosis both during normal CNS development and following stroke in adult animals. As with other MAP kinase pathways, scaffold proteins regulate JNK signaling. The scaffold protein POSH (Plenty of SH3s) enhances JNK activation and apoptosis. We identified a POSH homologue, POSH2, which was cloned from rat brain and is present in cortical neurons in vitro. POSH2 mRNA is expressed in a variety of tissues including brain, and this distribution partially overlaps with that of POSH. POSH2 overexpression promotes JNK activation in HEK293 cells and promotes apoptosis in neuronal PC12 cells, which is blocked by a dominant-negative c-Jun. Finally POSH2 contains a functional RING domain and enhances the stability of coexpressed mixed-lineage kinases. These results indicate that POSH2 may regulate JNK activation and consequent apoptosis under conditions of increased expression. PMID- 17762204 TI - Pomegranate polyphenols and resveratrol protect the neonatal brain against hypoxic-ischemic injury. AB - A previous study from our lab has shown that the polyphenol-rich pomegranate juice can protect the neonatal mouse brain against hypoxic-ischemic (H-I) injury when given to mothers in their drinking water. To test the hypothesis that this protection is due to the polyphenols in the juice, we studied the effects of the pomegranate polyphenol extract in the same neonatal H-I model. To further explore the role of a specific polyphenol in neonatal H-I we investigated the effects of resveratrol. The neuroprotective effects of resveratrol have been demonstrated in adult models of stroke, but had not previously been examined in neonates. We show that pomegranate polyphenols and resveratrol reduce caspase-3 activation following neonatal H-I. Resveratrol reduced caspase-3 activation when given before the injury but not when given 3 h after the injury. In addition to preventing caspase-3 activation, resveratrol also reduced calpain activation. Finally, we show that resveratrol can protect against tissue loss measured at 7 days after the injury. These and other recent findings suggest that polyphenols should be further investigated as a potential treatment to decrease brain injury due to neonatal H-I. PMID- 17762205 TI - Mast cell stabilization limits hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in the immature rat. AB - Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain damage is a major cause of mortality and neurological morbidity in infants and children. Using an established model of unilateral hypoxia-ischemia in neonatal rats, the present study focused on mast cells (MCs), important regulators of inflammatory processes, as potential contributors to HI damage. MCs are present in the pia of the neonatal rat, entering the central nervous system (CNS) during cerebral development along penetrating blood vessels. Following hypoxia-ischemia, MC numbers increased dramatically in the ipsilateral (ischemic) hemisphere (p < 0.01). In animals exposed to hypoxia only, the numbers of MCs were elevated in both hemispheres to an extent equal to that observed in the contralateral hemisphere of HI animals (p < 0.05 vs. control). Within damaged areas (ipsilateral only), MCs were observed in regions of activated microglia and astroglia that characterize the ischemic hemisphere. Using a triple-label paradigm, MCs were observed along elongating blood vessels, some of which express the GLUT1 isoform of the glucose transporter protein, indicative of blood-brain barrier vessels. To determine whether MC activation has a role in HI brain damage, rat pups were treated with the MCs stabilizer, disodium cromoglycate (cromolyn), prior to and/or following hypoxia ischemia. The cromolyn treatment inhibited MC migration into the CNS (p < 0.05) and limited brain damage more than 50% (p < 0.01) vs. saline controls. These data support the hypothesis that MCs are key contributors to the extent of brain damage due to hypoxia-ischemia in the immature animal. PMID- 17762206 TI - Gender-dependent pathways of hypoxia-ischemia-induced cell death and neuroprotection in the immature P3 rat. AB - Previously, we demonstrated neuroprotection with 2-iminobiotin (2-IB) after cerebral hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in female, but not in male P7 rats. Given the different patterns of brain injury in more immature rats, we examined whether these gender differences could also be observed in P3 rats. HI was induced by unilateral carotid ligation and FiO2 reduction, followed by 2-IB administration. HSP70 protein expression and cytochrome c release from the mitochondria, markers of short-term outcome, were induced by HI to the same extent in male and female animals. However, reduction in HSP70 production and cytochrome c release by 2-IB was seen in female rats only. Long-term cerebral injury after HI, assessed with histology, was similar in male and female P3 rats, but long-term neuroprotection by 2-IB was observed in female rats only. In conclusion, 2-IB provides neuroprotection after cerebral HI in female, but not in male immature P3 rats. PMID- 17762207 TI - Delayed peripheral administration of a GPE analogue induces astrogliosis and angiogenesis and reduces inflammation and brain injury following hypoxia-ischemia in the neonatal rat. AB - Glycine 2-methyl proline glutamate (G-2mPE) is a proline-modified analogue to the naturally existing N-terminal tripeptide glycine-proline-glutamate that is a cleaved product from insulin-like growth factor-1. G-2mPE is designed to be more enzymatically resistant than glycine-proline-glutamate and to increase its bioavailability. The current study has investigated the protective effects of G 2mPE following hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in the neonatal brain. On postnatal day 7, Wistar rats were exposed to hypoxia-ischemia (HI). HI was induced by unilateral ligation of the left carotid artery followed by hypoxia (7.7% O2, 36 degrees C) for 60 min. The drug treatment started 2 h after the insult, and the pups were given either 1.2 mg/kg (bolus), 1.2 mg/ml once a day for 7 days, or vehicle. The degree of brain damage was determined histochemically by thionin/acid fuchsin staining. G-2mPE's anti-inflammatory properties were investigated by IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-18 ELISA, and effects on apoptosis by caspase 3 activity. Vascularization was determined immunohistochemically by the total length of isolectin-positive blood vessels. Effect on astrocytosis was also determined in the hippocampus. Animals treated with multiple doses of G-2mPE demonstrated reduced overall brain injury 7 days after HI, particularly in the hippocampus and thalamus compared to vehicle-treated rats. The expression of IL-6 was decreased in G-2mPE-treated animals compared to vehicle-treated pups, and both the capillary length and astrogliosis were increased in the drug-treated animals. There was no effect on caspase 3 activity. This study indicates that peripheral administration of G-2mPE, starting 2 h after a hypoxic-ischemic insult, reduces the degree of brain injury in the immature rat brain. The normalization of IL-6 levels and the promotion of both neovascularization and reactive astrocytosis may be potential mechanisms that underlie its protective effects. PMID- 17762208 TI - Antioxidant status alters levels of Fas-associated death domain-like IL-1B converting enzyme inhibitory protein following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia. AB - Activation of Fas death receptor (Fas DR) signaling cascade is seen after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI). Cell survival is favored when signaling through the death-inducing signaling complex and cleavage of caspase 8 to its active form is blocked by FLIP, a dominant negative of caspase 8. H2O2 quickly downregulates expression of FLIP. Neonatal mice overexpressing glutathione peroxidase (GPx) have less injury and less H2O2 accumulation compared with neonatal mice overexpressing superoxide dismutase (SOD) or wild-type (WT) littermates. Expression of both FLIP(L) and FLIP(S) is increased in GPx-oxerexpressing mice relative to WT mice at 24 h and relative to SOD-overexpressing mice at 2 and 24 h following neonatal HI (ANOVA, p < 0.05). There is an increase in Fas DR expression at 24 h in both WT and GPx-overexpressing mice and significant differences between WT and SOD-overexpressing mice (ANOVA, p < 0.01). There is no difference in FADD expression among the 3 groups 24 h after HI. At 24 h following HI, the ratio of FLIP to Fas DR expression supports a significant negative correlation with injury score (r2 = 0.99, slope = -4.01), and expression of both the active fragment of caspase 8 and caspase 8 activity is increased in SOD overexpressors compared to GPx overexpressors at 24 h after HI (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The overall degree of injury previously seen in these 3 strains correlates well with changes in expression of Fas DR signaling proteins favoring neuroprotection in the GPx-overexpressing mice, i.e. increased FLIP expression and decreased caspase 8 activity compared to SODtg mice. The mechanism by which antioxidant status alters FLIP levels following neonatal HI may be related to the ability to detoxify H2O2 produced following neonatal HI. PMID- 17762209 TI - Polytrauma: the wounds of war. PMID- 17762216 TI - The Office of Inspector General cites wound care industry. PMID- 17762217 TI - Bismuth subgallate/borneol (suile) is superior to bacitracin in the human forearm biopsy model for acute wound healing. AB - BACKGROUND: The human forearm biopsy model can evaluate the effect of novel agents on acute wounds. Bismuth subgallate/borneol (Suile) is a new product cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for treating partial-thickness wounds. Anecdotal reports suggest that Suile may be effective for full-thickness wounds because of its antimicrobial and hemostatic properties. METHODS: In a randomized, investigator-blinded study, 20 normal healthy volunteers underwent 2 6-mm full-thickness skin punch biopsies on the flexor surface of each forearm (2 wounds per subject). Biopsies were randomly assigned to control (bacitracin) and test article (Suile). Wounds were examined, measured by digital planimetry, and photographed daily until healed. Adverse events and pain levels were monitored. Time-to-complete closure was determined. RESULTS: Direct quantitative and qualitative comparisons of wound healing were made. The Suile group trended strongly toward more rapid healing (log-rank analysis). Individual subject arm analysis identified which biopsies healed first. Suile-treated biopsies healed more rapidly (P = .03, paired t-test). CONCLUSION: Although this study was powered to demonstrate equivalence, convincing evidence indicates that Suile is superior to bacitracin in this model. Based on the results, future studies in full-thickness wounds with Suile are warranted. The biopsy model provides these advantages: direct comparison within subjects, rapid study completion, good patient compliance, and experience with products before embarking on larger clinical trials in wounds. PMID- 17762218 TI - Skin substitutes and alternatives: a review. PMID- 17762221 TI - Long-term outcomes after critical illness: past, present, future. PMID- 17762222 TI - Interventions to improve long-term outcomes after critical illness. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this article is to review the literature specifically on interventions that are targeted at improving health related quality of life in survivors of critical illness. Although there is a growing literature describing the impairment in quality of life of survivors of critical illness, there are a considerably smaller number of studies describing effective interventions at treating or preventing these complications. The topic is complex because critical illness spans a number of diseases including spinal cord injury and myocardial infarction that have an extensive rehabilitation literature. RECENT FINDINGS: To date there are limited studies to guide clinicians in treatments to prevent or treat the sequelae of critical illness. Standard therapies such as daily interruption of sedation and lung protective ventilation do not appear to worsen long-term outcomes. Insulin therapy and stress dose corticosteroids may be beneficial in preventing neuromuscular complications and posttraumatic stress disorder, respectively. A self-help manual for survivors appears to improve physical functioning. SUMMARY: Research interest in developing interventions to improve long-term outcome after critical illness is in its infancy and it is too early to make strong clinical recommendations. Multiple potential treatment areas exist both within the ICU and after patients leave the hospital for intensivists to target. PMID- 17762223 TI - Burnout syndrome among critical care healthcare workers. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Burnout syndrome is a psychological state resulting from prolonged exposure to job stressors. Because ICUs are characterized by a high level of work-related stress, a factor known to increase the risk of burnout syndrome, we sought to review the available literature on burnout syndrome in ICU healthcare workers. RECENT FINDINGS: Based on most recent studies, severe burnout syndrome (as measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory) is present in about 50% of critical care physicians and in one third of critical care nurses. Strikingly, determinants of burnout syndrome are different in the two groups of caregivers. Namely, intensivists who have severe burnout syndrome are those with a high number of working hours (number of night shifts and time from last vacation) but determinants of severe burnout syndrome in ICU-nurses are related to ICU organization and end-of-life-related characteristics. ICU conflicts, however, were independent predictors of severe burnout syndrome in both groups. SUMMARY: Recent studies reported high levels of severe burnout syndrome in ICU healthcare workers and identified potential targets for preventive strategies such as ICU working groups, communication strategies during end-of-life care and prevention and management of ICU conflicts. PMID- 17762224 TI - The role of future longitudinal studies in ICU survivors: understanding determinants and pathophysiology of weakness and neuromuscular dysfunction. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The goals of this review are to discuss the pathophysiology and determinants of muscle weakness and neuromuscular dysfunction after critical illness, and to offer thoughts regarding the role of future longitudinal studies in this area. RECENT FINDINGS: While recent studies support the finding that neuromuscular dysfunction is common and important after critical illness, reversible risk factors and approaches to prevention and treatment remain unproven. Pathophysiologic studies implicate disease and treatment associated factors in the development of nerve and muscle damage during critical illness; these factors may provide targets for future studies. SUMMARY: Additional studies with improved methodology that address epidemiology and that test interventions are needed to understand and to improve neuromuscular function after critical illness. PMID- 17762225 TI - The role of future longitudinal studies in ICU survivors: understanding determinants and pathophysiology of brain dysfunction. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent investigations demonstrate that most critical care survivors face significant brain-related morbidity including neurocognitive deficits. While current data on neurocognitive outcomes after critical illness are intriguing, gaps in the literature far exceed what we have learned to date. In this paper, we examine important areas of investigation heretofore unaddressed and propose directions for clinically oriented outcomes research. RECENT FINDINGS: Neurocognitive impairments after critical illness, which affect multiple cognitive domains, may improve during the first 12 months after ICU discharge but may persist in many patients for years. These impairments appear to be independent of traditional measures of severity of critical illness or age, and risk factors for and mechanisms of injury are currently being defined. SUMMARY: Over the last decade, ICU-related cognitive impairment has been identified as a significant public health problem and has become the focus of intense investigation by researchers around the world. While substantial work has been done to date, vitally important questions remain. Future research should evaluate the mechanisms of and risk factors for brain injury, the natural history of neurocognitive dysfunction, structural and functional brain-imaging studies, and therapeutic modalities designed to prevent or decrease neuropsychological disability. PMID- 17762226 TI - Patient and caregiver counselling after the intensive care unit: what are the needs and how should they be met? AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To examine current research on the psychological needs of both patients and their families following critical illness, and discuss how these may be met in a cost-effective manner. RECENT FINDINGS: Patients and their families have significant psychological problems following critical illness. To date, very few intensive care units have specialist psychological services to help with the aftermath of the illness experience. There are promising simple therapeutic interventions, such as intensive care unit diaries, that may be beneficial, but which require further research at present. SUMMARY: Currently, there is an awareness of the psychological sequelae of critical illness for patients and their family caregivers, and with this a responsibility to assess and appropriately help those who are unable to manage their distress. The development and application of specialist psychological services after an episode of critical illness, possibly using a stepped care model, is in its infancy. There are a few centres of excellence that are currently employing these resources, but the vast majority of patients and their families are left to cope on their own. This lack of psychological support has important implications for long-term recovery and quality of life following the episode of critical illness. PMID- 17762227 TI - Seven lessons from 20 years of follow-up of intensive care unit survivors. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Through a personal narrative, the authors discuss the lessons they have learned from 20 years of intensive care follow-up and rehabilitation. RECENT FINDINGS: There is a greater understanding of the legacies of the physical, psychological and cognitive problems after critical illness, and new momentum toward developing and delivering practical care to both survivors of intensive care and their relatives. SUMMARY: The need and demand for care after critical illness is now firmly established. PMID- 17762228 TI - Health policy and future planning for survivors of critical illness. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Few health policy decisions directly address the needs of intensive care unit survivors. This review will assess some of the health system level barriers to effective post-intensive care unit care and provide a framework for policy decisions directed at improving outcomes for survivors of critical illness. RECENT FINDINGS: Intensive care unit survivors incur significant morbidity, and account for enormous financial and opportunity costs. Despite our understanding of these burdens, relatively little is known about how to structure the healthcare system to improve outcomes after intensive care unit discharge. Several ongoing clinical trials will aid in system design and inform policy decisions. While we await more evidence, lessons learned in other disease states such as coronary care, acute stroke and traumatic brain injury can help us understand the attributes of a comprehensive longitudinal care model for critical illness. Future planning for the care of intensive care unit survivors should include defining the post-intensive care unit syndrome, expanding the use of information technology, educating providers, and developing a robust public health infrastructure that integrates acute and chronic care. SUMMARY: Advances in our understanding of the long-term outcomes of critical illness must be accompanied by healthcare system changes designed to meet the specific needs of intensive care unit survivors. PMID- 17762229 TI - Hemodynamic management of the critically ill patient: craft meets science. PMID- 17762230 TI - Percutaneous left ventricular assist devices for treatment of patients with cardiogenic shock. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review will discuss the rationale and clinical utility of percutaneous left ventricular assist devices in the management of patients with cardiogenic shock. RECENT FINDINGS: Left ventricular assist devices maintain partial or total circulatory support in case of severe left ventricular failure. Currently, two percutaneous left ventricular assist devices are available for clinical use: the TandemHeart and the Impella Recover LP system. Compared with the intraaortic balloon pump, the TandemHeart has been shown to significantly reduce preload and to augment cardiac output. In a randomized comparison between the TandemHeart and intraaortic balloon pump support in patients with cardiogenic shock, the improved cardiac index afforded by the left ventricular assist device resulted in a more rapid decrease in serum lactate and improved renal function. There were, however, no significant differences with respect to 30-day mortality, and complications including limb ischemia and severe bleeding were more frequent with left ventricular assist devices than intraaortic balloon pump support. SUMMARY: The advent of percutaneous left ventricular assist devices constitutes an important advance in the management of patients with severe cardiogenic shock and may serve as bridge to recovery or heart transplantation in carefully selected patients. While improvement of hemodynamic parameters appears promising, it remains to be determined whether this benefit translates into improved clinical outcome. PMID- 17762231 TI - Heart-lung interactions. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Assessment of cardiovascular stability using ventilation induced changes in measured physiological variables, referred to as functional hemodynamic monitoring, usually requires measurement of ventilation-induced changes in venous return. Thus, it is important to understand the determinants of these complex heart-lung interactions. RECENT FINDINGS: Several animal and human studies have recently documented that ventricular interdependence plays an important role during positive-pressure breathing, causing acute cor pulmonale. With the use of lower tidal volume ventilation in patients with acute respiratory failure, the incidence of acute cor pulmonale is decreasing proportionally. When present, however, it induces a stroke volume variation that is 180 degrees out of phase with that seen in hypovolemic states, such that left ventricular stroke volume increases during inspiration rather than decreasing as seen in hypovolemia. Further, when either tidal volume or positive end-expiratory pressure levels are varied, both stroke volume variation and pulse pressure variation are affected in a predictable manner. The greater the swing in intrathoracic pressure, the greater the change in venous return. SUMMARY: Functional hemodynamic monitoring is becoming more prevalent. For it to be used effectively, the operator needs to have a solid understanding of how ventilation induces both pulse pressure variation and stroke volume variation in that specific patient. PMID- 17762232 TI - Right ventricular dysfunction. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Until recently the right ventricle's role in myocardial dynamics has not been fully appreciated. This article provides an overview of the pathophysiology, imaging and management of right ventricular dysfunction. RECENT FINDINGS: That levosimendan may promote right ventricular function opens new avenues for treatment. In addition there are existing therapies such as phosphodiesterase inhibitors and nitric oxide, which offer yet further modalities to improve outcome in right ventricular failure. How these drugs are used, in combination or alone, in conjunction with ventilatory and cardiovascular strategies has not been evaluated in multicentred randomized controlled trials. SUMMARY: Acute right ventricular dysfunction is relatively common. There is a lack of convincing evidence in favour of any single treatment modality. Imaging methods now permit a more accurate evaluation of the right ventricle and its function. Combining treatments may offer significant advantages and the imaging and monitoring available allows real-time assessment of the response to intervention. This article illustrates how incomplete our knowledge of this condition and its management within the critical care setting is and reinforces previous calls for suitably designed trials to evaluate and develop guidelines for existing strategies and therapeutic agents. PMID- 17762233 TI - The influence of volume management on outcome. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Fluid (volume) therapy is an integral component in the management of critically ill patients and fluid management may influence outcome. There is much controversy, however, about the type, timing and amount of fluid therapy. Here, we discuss the evidence available to guide such choices. RECENT FINDINGS: Fluid therapy is widely endorsed for resuscitation of critically ill patients across a range of conditions. Yet, the approach to fluid therapy is subject to substantial variation in clinical practice. Emerging data show that the choice, timing and amount of fluid therapy may affect clinical outcomes. Synthetic colloids may increase the risk of acute kidney injury. Albumin may benefit hypoalbuminemic patients with sepsis and acute lung injury but may worsen outcome in traumatic brain injury. Early administration of fluid therapy in sepsis may improve survival but may be unnecessary in patients with penetrating trauma. Later fluid therapy in acute lung injury patients will increase the duration of ventilator dependence without achieving better survival. A positive cumulative balance likely contributes to increased morbidity and mortality after major surgery. SUMMARY: Emerging evidence shows that choice, timing and amount of fluid therapy affect outcome. Future studies need to focus on these aspects of fluid therapy by means of larger, more rigorous and blinded controlled trials. PMID- 17762234 TI - Volume responsiveness. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In the ICU only half of the patients are volume responsive - that is, they respond to fluid administration by increasing their cardiac output. We aim to summarize the methods available for predicting volume responsiveness, focusing on recent findings in patients with spontaneous breathing activity. RECENT FINDINGS: New information mainly comes from studies that have attempted to find accurate predictors of volume responsiveness in cases of spontaneous breathing activity when heart-lung interaction indices cannot be reliably used. Passive leg raising has emerged as a reliable test for this purpose. The hemodynamic response to this maneuver, which induces a transient increase in cardiac preload, has been shown to provide a robust prediction of volume responsiveness. Assessment of the effects of passive leg raising requires real time measurement of cardiac output/stroke volume or their surrogates. SUMMARY: Predicting the hemodynamic response to fluid administration in patients with acute circulatory failure is of major importance and numerous methods are now available. While the respiratory variations of stroke volume (or its surrogates) can be used in patients fully adapted to their ventilator, the passive leg raising test has become a reliable predictive method in patients with spontaneous breathing activity. PMID- 17762235 TI - Should the development of new antibiotics be a public health priority? PMID- 17762236 TI - Evidence-based infection control in the ICU (except catheters). AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To evaluate the recent literature on new randomized controlled trials and metaanalyses investigating infection control measures in the ICU. The focus is on ventilator-associated pneumonia, urinary tract infections and surgical site infections. RECENT FINDINGS: At least 10 randomized controlled studies and 11 metaanalyses were published last year investigating various infection control measures for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia, urinary tract infections and surgical site infections in ICU patients. They endorsed existing recommendations and led to some changes in the present guidelines. One of the most interesting findings was evidence for the routine use of oral chlorhexidine gluconate rinse to decrease ventilator-associated pneumonia rates. Furthermore, several cohort studies with a before-after design were published and demonstrated a substantial reduction in infection rates by introducing multimodal infection control programs. SUMMARY: There is currently enormous interest in the field of infection control in ICU patients. Experts in this field are aiming to summarize existing knowledge on decreasing nosocomial infection rates and to update guidelines. Translating infection prevention evidence into practice, however, is also a very import element of ICU infection control and should be the main focus of further studies. PMID- 17762237 TI - Diagnosis and prevention of catheter-related infections. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To highlight the major advances in diagnosing and preventing catheter-related infections published in research articles published between March 2004 and May 2007. RECENT FINDINGS: The challenge remains to make the diagnosis of catheter-related infection with good accuracy without catheter removal. The differential time to obtain positive qualitative blood culture appeared to be the most accurate available technique. Many catheter-related bloodstream infections are preventable. Simple interventions are often useful and multimodal programs are very efficacious, particularly in the intensive care setting. For long-term catheter-related bloodstream infection prevention, patient education appeared promising. Interesting evidence suggested that anticoagulant, by decreasing the biofilm formation, could decrease the risk of infection. For short-term central venous catheter-related infections research is ongoing on antiseptic dressings. Antiseptic lock appeared promising for preventing long-term central venous catheter bloodstream infections. SUMMARY: Nowadays, multimodal programs of catheter infection prevention are efficacious. Levels of catheter related bloodstream infection of more than one or two per 1000 catheter-days are usually only found in the intensive care unit. It is a prerequisite to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of new techniques of prevention. As catheter-related bloodstream infections become rarer, strategies limiting unnecessary removal of catheters need to be developed and tested. PMID- 17762238 TI - Interventions to prevent transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in the intensive care unit. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Healthcare-associated infections caused by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin resistant Enterococcus (VRE), and multidrug resistant Gram negative bacilli are a serious problem in ICUs. This review analyzes recent reports of interventions to prevent transmission of these organisms in the ICU. RECENT FINDINGS: Two multicenter retrospective cohort studies demonstrated that surveillance cultures are necessary to identify the full reservoir of patients colonized with MRSA or VRE. A single center, interrupted time series study found that the incidence of healthcare-associated MRSA bacteremia was reduced after initiation of MRSA surveillance cultures. Other studies with various designs describe the effect of active surveillance on the use of isolation precautions, sustained improvements in compliance with hand hygiene and glove use associated with a multimodal intervention, reduced transmission of VRE associated with chlorhexidine bathing and improved environmental cleaning, and the efficacy of a MRSA decolonization regimen. SUMMARY: Progress is being made in identifying interventions to prevent transmission of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in ICUs, although the strength of the evidence is limited compared with many therapeutic interventions. Large MRSA control initiatives launched during 2006 and 2007 may build on this work; their effects should be evaluated using proper study designs and analyses. PMID- 17762239 TI - Biomarkers to improve diagnostic and prognostic accuracy in systemic infections. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We review the advantages and drawbacks of biomarkers in the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of systemic infections. RECENT FINDINGS: Since the signs and symptoms of severe infections can be ambiguous, biomarkers provide a more reliable tool in ascertaining the presence of a relevant bacterial infection, its severity and treatment response. Procalcitonin and, to a lesser extent, C-reactive protein and interleukin-8 can improve the diagnostic assessment of infections and guide antibiotic therapy. Promising prognostic biomarkers include cortisol, proadrenomedullin, copeptin and natriuretic peptides. The strengths and weaknesses of biomarkers must be recognized in order to use them rationally and safely. Cutoff ranges of biomarkers must be chosen according to the specific clinical context and they should be used as a complementary tool, to reinforce the clinical diagnostic workup. Biomarkers cannot determine the causative organisms and associated patterns of antibiotic susceptibility. SUMMARY: If used in the proper setting, serial measurements of diagnostic biomarkers may allow treatments to be adjusted at an early stage in patients with severe infections. This may involve either intensifying treatment when infection levels stay high or avoiding unnecessary prolonged courses of antibiotics when levels rapidly decrease, thereby improving the allocation of healthcare resources. PMID- 17762240 TI - Prompt antibiotic administration and goal-directed hemodynamic support in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Treatment protocols targeting the rapid administration of appropriate antibiotics and hemodynamic support are now recognized as a key measure in the initial care of patients presenting with severe sepsis and septic shock. Strong evidence exists showing that time parameters, particularly in the emergency department, are as important as the nature of the treatment administered. The concept of sepsis bundles integrates evidence-based and time sensitive issues, derived from international sepsis guidelines, to ensure that all eligible patients receive the right treatment as early as possible. RECENT FINDINGS: Several studies have demonstrated that patients resuscitated according to sepsis bundles had a significantly lower mortality. SUMMARY: It seems logical that timely and protocolized treatment for patients presenting with severe sepsis and septic shock will impact on outcome. It remains to be shown, however, whether translating evidence into clinical practice will increase adherence to the bundles and positively impact on survival. PMID- 17762241 TI - Old antibiotics for infections in critically ill patients. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The alarming epidemic of multidrug-resistant bacteria and the reluctance of the pharmaceutical industry to invest in the development of new antibiotics have forced clinicians to reintroduce forgotten antibiotics into their practice. This review highlights the effectiveness and safety of older antibiotics when used in the treatment of infections of critically ill patients. RECENT FINDINGS: Polymyxins emerged as useful antibiotics for the treatment of infections due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, in particular Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity associated with their use are less frequent and serious than previously reported. In addition, aerosolized polymyxins may be a useful weapon in the treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia. Fosfomycin and chloramphenicol have a wide antimicrobial spectrum, are used extensively in Europe and Africa, respectively, and may have an expanded role in our antimicrobial arsenal. Fusidic acid remains active against various staphylococcal strains, while isepamicin (an aminoglycoside used in some European countries) is slightly more effective than amikacin against some Gram-negative bacteria. SUMMARY: The declining investment of the pharmaceutical industry in the development of new antibiotics and the increasing antimicrobial resistance create a fertile ground for the study and, probably, revival of older antibiotics for use, especially in critically ill patients. PMID- 17762242 TI - Continuous infusion of beta-lactams. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Continuous infusion of beta-lactam antibiotics is becoming increasingly popular. The background and current clinical evidence are discussed. Tools to apply continuous infusion are analyzed. RECENT FINDINGS: One randomized controlled trial in an ICU setting and two nonrandomized controlled trials have shown continuous infusion to be more beneficial than intermittent infusion. One randomized controlled trial in chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder patients, however, showed no difference between the two treatments. The stability of most beta-lactams for use during continuous infusion has been documented. SUMMARY: Killing of bacteria by beta-lactam antibiotics is maximal at around four times the minimum inhibitory concentration in vitro. To ensure an optimal effect when treating severe infections, free unbound concentrations at or above four times the minimum inhibitory concentration should be maintained. Although continuous infusion has been demonstrated to be superior in animal studies, randomized clinical trials have failed to confirm this in humans, primarily because of suboptimal design. A better designed randomized clinical trial, set up as a pilot study, recently demonstrated a favorable outcome with continuous infusion. A major issue during continuous infusion is the stability of the antibiotic, which may limit its application. The calculation of the infusion rate necessary to obtain the desired free drug concentration is relatively straightforward. PMID- 17762243 TI - Bibliography. Current world literature. Critical care outcomes. PMID- 17762244 TI - High occurrence of a new variant of Chlamydia trachomatis escaping diagnostic tests among STI clinic patients in Stockholm, Sweden. AB - BACKGROUND: In 2006, a genetic variant of Chlamydia trachomatis not detectable with the most commonly used diagnostic tests was identified. Initial reports suggested that as many as 10% to 13% of all chlamydia cases would have remained undiagnosed. The aim of the study was to find the occurrence and clinical findings of this genetic variant among a high-risk population in Stockholm, Sweden. METHODS: Samples were analyzed using the Cobas TaqMan CT test (Roche Diagnostics). To detect the new variant, an additional PCR-analysis, artus C. trachomatis LC MOMP PCR Kit (Qiagen) was performed on all negative samples. Positive results in the artus test were confirmed by a mutant specific PCR. Clinical data were retrospectively collected from medical records. RESULTS: Among 1009 samples analyzed, 115 were positive for C. trachomatis and among those, 27 were found to belong to the genetic altered strain. This variant constituted 23% of all chlamydia cases diagnosed, and 29% were found in the age group 20 to 29 years. Women with the new variant were younger and had more often performed another chlamydia test within the previous 6 months compared with those infected with the wild type. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that a large number of sexually active individuals might be infected despite a negative chlamydia test, thus facilitating a rapid transmission of the new variant. Accordingly, it is of great importance to be aware of limitations of the diagnostic methods used. PMID- 17762246 TI - Baylor College of Medicine's support of Tulane University School of Medicine following Hurricane Katrina. AB - The authors describe how Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), with three other Texas medical schools, "adopted" virtually all the 620 medical students and 526 house officers of Tulane University School of Medicine and continued their education for eight months after most of New Orleans, including Tulane, was flooded on August 29, 2005, after Hurricane Katrina. Soon after, BCM's president asked all senior staff to take whatever actions were necessary to sustain Tulane, and on September 7, leaders from BCM and three other Texas medical schools met to plan the relocation of Tulane's students and programs. The authors explain how problems were overcome (e.g., locating the scattered Tulane students and staff, finding them lodging, obtaining their records, and providing financial aid and counseling), and how high-quality educational experiences were maintained for both Tulane's and BCM's students and residents while assisting Tulane's faculty in numerous ways, helping Tulane plan the enrollment of its following year's students, and undergoing Liaison Committee for Medical Education and Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education site visits to BCM. After the BCM-Tulane experience, BCM developed a disaster-management plan (available online) that could help other schools as they plan for disasters. The authors also offer lessons learned in the areas of communication, cooperation, curriculum, collaboration, contact with accrediting bodies, and compassion. They close by stating that when BCM faculty are asked "how could you take Tulane's medical school in?" their response is, "how could we not?" They continue: "In medical education, a frequent discussion is how to teach humanism and professionalism; we teach it best by modeling it." PMID- 17762247 TI - Survival and recovery: maintaining the educational mission of the Louisiana state university school of medicine in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. AB - Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama on August 29, 2005. The flooding in New Orleans left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and threatened to close businesses and institutions, including Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Medicine and its two principle training sites in New Orleans, Charity Hospital and University Hospital. In the weeks immediately after the storm, LSU School of Medicine resumed undergraduate and graduate medical education in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and elsewhere. The authors discuss the specific challenges they faced in relocating administrative operations, maintaining the mission of medical education, and dealing with the displacement of faculty, staff, residents, students, and patients, and the processes used to overcome these challenges. They focus on the school's educational missions, but challenges faced by the offices of student affairs, faculty affairs, and admissions are also discussed. LSU School of Medicine's experience provides lessons about organizational preparedness for a mass disaster that may be of interest to other medical schools. PMID- 17762248 TI - Dr. Harvey and the ballistic glasses. PMID- 17762249 TI - Surviving Hurricane Katrina: reconstructing the educational enterprise of Tulane University School of Medicine. AB - Hurricane Katrina was one of the greatest natural disasters to ever strike the United States. Tulane University School of Medicine, located in downtown New Orleans, and its three major teaching hospitals were flooded in the aftermath of the storm and forced to close. Faculty, students, residents, and staff evacuated to locations throughout the country. All critical infrastructure that normally maintained the school, including information technology, network communication servers, registration systems, and e-mail, became nonoperational. However, on the basis of experiences learned when Tropical Storm Allison flooded the Texas Medical Center in 2001, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas-Houston, University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and Texas A&M School of Medicine created the South Texas Alliance of Academic Health Centers, which allowed Tulane to move its education programs to Houston. Using Baylor's facilities, Tulane faculty rebuilt and delivered the preclinical curriculum, and clinical rotations were made available at the Alliance schools. Remarkably, the Tulane School of Medicine was able to resume all educational activities within a month after the storm. Educational reconstruction approaches, procedures employed, and lessons in institutional recovery learned are discussed so that other schools can prepare effectively for either natural or man-made disasters. Key disaster-response measures include designating an evacuation/command site in advance; backing up technology, communication, financial, registration, and credentialing systems; and establishing partnership with other institutions and leaders. PMID- 17762250 TI - Coping with disaster: relocating a residency program. AB - In September 2005, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Tulane University School of Medicine relocated temporarily from New Orleans to the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. For Tulane's residency program in anesthesiology, a training consortium was formed in Texas consisting of the University of Texas at Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The authors explain the collaborative process that allowed the consortium to find spaces to accommodate Tulane's 30 anesthesiology residents within 30 days after they left New Orleans, and they offer reflections and recommendations. The residents were grateful to continue training close to home, and for maintaining the Tulane program. The consortium successfully provided an administrative and academic framework, logistical support, clinical capacity for the residents to complete the required numbers and types of cases, and integration into preexisting didactic programs. Communications represented a major challenge; the importance of having an up-to date disaster plan, including provisions for communication using more than one modality or provider, cannot be underestimated. Other challenges included resuming a training program without basic information regarding medical credentials or training status, competing for resources with businesses that had also relocated, maintaining a coordinated decision-making process, and managing the behavioral sequelae after the disaster. Of the original 30 Tulane residents, 23 (77%) relocated to Houston. Seventeen (74%) of those who relocated either graduated or returned with the program to New Orleans. The program has retained its status of full accreditation. PMID- 17762251 TI - Role of a database-driven web site in the immediate disaster response and recovery of Academic Health Center: the Katrina experience. AB - In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's landfall on August 29, 2005, and the subsequent levee failures, operations of Tulane University School of Medicine became unsustainable. As New Orleans collapsed, faculty, students, residents, and staff were scattered nationwide. In response, four Texas medical schools created an alliance to assist Tulane in temporarily relocating operations to south Texas. Resuming operations in a three- to four-week time span required developing and implementing a coordinated communication plan in the face of widespread communication infrastructure disruptions. A keystone of the strategy involved rapidly creating a "recovery Web site" to provide essential information on immediate recovery plans, mechanisms for reestablishing communications with displaced persons, housing relocation options (over 200 students, faculty, and staff were relocated using Web site resources), classes and residency training, and other issues (e.g., financial services, counseling support) vitally important to affected individuals. The database-driven Web site was launched in four days on September 11, 2005, by modifying an existing system and completing new programming. Additional functions were added during the next week, and the site operated continuously until March 2006, providing about 890,000 pages of information in over 100,000 visitor sessions. The site proved essential in disseminating announcements, reestablishing communications among the Tulane family, and supporting relocation and recovery. This experience shows the importance of information technology in collaborative efforts of academic health centers in early disaster response and recovery, reinforcing recommendations published recently by the Association of Academic Health Centers and the National Academy of Sciences. PMID- 17762252 TI - The road to developing an advanced degree program in public health preparedness. AB - The master of homeland security (MHS) degree in public health preparedness at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine is the first degree program of its kind offered by any U.S. medical school. The field of public health preparedness has been increasingly viewed as a new, emerging professional discipline, which academic medicine is well positioned to complement. The process by which the MHS program has evolved from conception to realization is a case study in the mission-based alignment of core values and leadership between the government and academic medicine. Recognizing the need for multidisciplinary involvement, the program architects reconsidered the traditional approach to the development and implementation of new graduate degree programs. Instead, a more flexible, loosely connected network of strategic partners and alliances was adopted. These partnerships were developed and cultivated by vested individuals who excelled in specific core competencies and came together to create value. This allowed for both the expertise and flexibility needed to adapt quickly to the evolving homeland security environment in the United States. To that end, this article describes the 10-step multidisciplinary program-development process that spanned three years and culminated in the establishment of this new graduate degree program. The MHS program as it now stands focuses on public health preparedness, including epidemiological evaluation, disaster communication and psychology, agricultural biosecurity, and critical infrastructure protection. The program is geared toward the practicing professional already working in the field, and its graduates are positioned to be among the top leaders, educators, and researchers in homeland security. PMID- 17762254 TI - Emergency Preparedness for Health Professionals in a Statewide AHEC Program: the first two years. AB - In 2003 through 2005, the California Statewide Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program developed an educational delivery system, through partnerships with six AHECs and state organizations concerned with emergency preparedness, to train for public health emergency preparedness the health professionals who practice primarily in the state's medically underserved areas. Four educational modules--General Emergency Preparedness, Bioterrorism, Chemical and Radiologic Agents, and Emerging Infections--were developed and delivered by a trained, multidisciplinary, community-based faculty. The authors discuss the organization, partnerships, curriculum, faculty, characteristics of trainees, outcomes of the program, effects for AHECs, and the evaluation used to commit the organization and program process to the intended program objectives during the two-year period. Over 9,000 health professionals attended one or more of the 462 educational presentations. Approximately one third of attendees were physicians, and 82% of the learners were from sites that typically care for the underserved. Important to the success of the program (which still continues in a revised form) were the types of partnerships, an orientation of the curriculum to all-hazards disaster preparedness, the delivery of educational sessions at clinical sites, and the increased capacities of community AHECs to facilitate continuing professional education. The challenges were the diminished role of a key partner organization, uncertainties within the funding agency, and the widespread geographic area to address. PMID- 17762255 TI - Ten years later: the flood of 1997 and the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. AB - Ten years ago, the University of North Dakota and its school of medicine and health sciences experienced the "flood of the millennium." All essential services were shut down, most community residents were evacuated, and the university closed for the remainder of the semester. The school of medicine and health sciences building was the hardest hit. However, the need to completely rebuild the lower level worked to the school's advantage, permitting a reconfiguration that supported the implementation of the school's new curriculum. After a natural disaster, recovery is probably the greater part of the story. From a difficult time, the school learned six lessons: (1) everyone is affected and individuals react differently, progressing through the process on different time lines, (2) it is important to pay attention to infrastructure concerns, (3) rumors must be confronted, (4) it is important to take one step forward at a time, remaining both optimistic and realistic, (5) the tremendous emotional impact of a disaster has to be recognized and accepted, and (6) recovery takes about five years. The university and the school identified many areas of excellence that helped in responding to the flood. Open discussion, a team attitude, and giving staff members latitude in decision making were important. Shutting down systems and turning off power and gas in buildings before they flooded and cleaning buildings before the flood ended prevented damage and saved dollars. Establishing a "virtual university" to facilitate communication, protecting undamaged infrastructure, and beginning recovery early fostered a faster recovery. PMID- 17762257 TI - Lessons from Hurricane Rita: the University of Texas Medical Branch Hospital's evacuation. AB - In September 2005, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) was threatened by Hurricane Rita, a category five storm. Abandoning its historic practice of clearing the hospital of all but the sickest patients, UTMB rapidly organized and conducted the first total evacuation in its 114-year history. The authors report how this was accomplished and lessons learned. Specific factors were crucial for success, including identifying an incident commander with sole authority to make decisions, developing and communicating a set of guiding principles, setting patient safety as our top priority, establishing an incident command center that consolidated vital institutional functions, avoiding delays in deciding to evacuate, identifying strategic partners, selecting essential personnel who would not be distracted by personal concerns during the emergency, and conducting periodic trial runs of emergency preparedness. Complex demands for communication were not met as well as was hoped. Technical problems were encountered with some communication devices that proved inoperable; trial runs would have probably revealed these problems in advance. Also, in-transit communication could be improved-not always knowing which patients were where, what vehicles were mired in stalled traffic, and what relocations occurred impeded optimal communication with patients' family members. Finally, a system ensuring that the recipients of UTMB's electronic records had the proper software to receive them would have facilitated communication and helped record keeping. The authors encourage physicians, as essential members of the health care team, to become better prepared to respond to disasters. PMID- 17762258 TI - Responding to disasters: academic medical centers' responsibilities and opportunities. AB - Disaster preparedness and disaster response should be a capability of all academic health centers. The authors explore the potential role and impact of academic medical centers (AMC)s in disaster response. The National Disaster Medical System and the evolution of disaster medical assistance teams (DMAT) are described, and the experience at one AMC with DMAT is reviewed. The recent deployment of a DMAT sponsored by an AMC to the Hurricane Katrina disaster is described, and the experience is used to illustrate the opportunities and challenges of future disaster medical training, research, and practice at AMCs. AMCs are encouraged to identify an appropriate academic unit to house and nurture disaster-preparedness activities, participate in education programs for health professionals and the public, and perform research on disaster epidemiology and response. Networks of AMCs offer the potential of acting as a critical resource for those AMCs stricken by a disaster and for communities needing the infusion of highly trained and motivated health care providers. The Association of American Medical Colleges can play a critical role in assisting and coordinating AMC networks through its relationship with all AMCs and the federal government and by increasing the awareness of medical educators and researchers about this important, emerging area of medical knowledge. PMID- 17762259 TI - Overcoming sin. PMID- 17762260 TI - Tulane University School of Medicine. PMID- 17762263 TI - Strategic planning in a complex academic environment: lessons from one academic health center. AB - Leaders in academic health centers (AHCs) must create a vision for their academic unit embedded in a complex environment. A formal strategic planning process can be valuable to help shape a clear vision taking advantage of potential collaborations and to develop specific achievable long- and short-term goals. The authors describe the steps in a formal strategic planning process and illustrate it with the example of the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine beginning in 2004. The process included the active participation of over 300 faculty members, trainees, and stakeholders of the department and resulted in broad-based support and leadership for the resulting plan. The authors describe the steps, which include getting started, committing to planning principles, establishing the work plan, understanding the environment, pulling it all together, shaping the vision, testing strategic directions, building effective implementation, and promoting the plan. Articulation of vision, mission, and values informed the plan's development, as well as 10 key principles integral to the plan. Challenges and lessons learned are also described. The final strategic plan is an active core activity of the department, guiding decisions and resource allocation and facilitating measurement of success or shortcomings. The process the authors describe is applicable to multiple academic units, including divisions/sections, departments, or thematic programs in AHCs. PMID- 17762264 TI - Responding to the HIV pandemic: the power of an academic medical partnership. AB - Partnerships between academic medical center (AMCs) in North America and the developing world are uniquely capable of fulfilling the tripartite needs of care, training, and research required to address health care crises in the developing world. Moreover, the institutional resources and credibility of AMCs can provide the foundation to build systems of care with long-term sustainability, even in resource-poor settings. The authors describe a partnership between Indiana University School of Medicine and Moi University and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya that demonstrates the power of an academic medical partnership in its response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Through the Academic Model for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS, the partnership currently treats over 40,000 HIV-positive patients at 19 urban and rural sites in western Kenya, now enrolls nearly 2,000 new HIV positive patients every month, feeds up to 30,000 people weekly, enables economic security, fosters HIV prevention, tests more than 25,000 pregnant women annually for HIV, engages communities, and is developing a robust electronic information system. The partnership evolved from a program of limited size and a focus on general internal medicine into one of the largest and most comprehensive HIV/AIDS-control systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The partnership's rapid increase in scale, combined with the comprehensive and long-term approach to the region's health care needs, provides a twinning model that can and should be replicated to address the shameful fact that millions are dying of preventable and treatable diseases in the developing world. PMID- 17762266 TI - Viewpoint: the importance of worldviews for medical education. AB - The culture of academic medicine holds implicit and explicit assumptions about what is important in life, including assumptions about health and the practice of medicine. This philosophy of life constitutes a worldview from which medicine is practiced. Medical educators should introduce medical students to the benefits and limitations of this worldview, and to important alternative worldviews, early in medical school. The authors describe the concept of worldview, discuss the biomedical worldview that is dominant in Western medicine, compare it with other life philosophies (including non-Western and spiritual perspectives), and propose teaching about biomedical and other worldviews within the existing structure of preclinical medical education. The authors propose beginning medical school with a Foundations of Healing course that would introduce students to the concept of worldviews, place the biomedical worldview in a larger context with other worldviews, and explore the beneficial and adverse elements of the biomedical worldview. To maintain the awareness of worldviews after the course described above, the authors propose humanistic "horizontal strands." These would be structural elements of a longitudinal curriculum that intentionally interweave patient vignettes and case discussions into basic science lectures to highlight the variety of worldviews operating in healthcare contexts. By exposing students to the concept of worldview early in their training, educators can better meet professionalism mandates related to bias and self-awareness, immunize students against the adverse effects of the hidden curriculum, and bolster the status of the social and behavioral sciences in medical education. PMID- 17762268 TI - Effects of dexamethasone on the expression of transforming growth factor-beta in the mouse model of allergic rhinitis. AB - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dexamethasone on the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta in the mouse model of allergic rhinitis. STUDY DESIGN: Female BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to four groups, including two control groups and two treatment groups. METHODS: General sensitization and local challenge were performed with ovalbumin (OVA). In the treatment groups, dexamethasone was injected intraperitoneally 3 hours before general sensitization or local challenge. Symptom score, eosinophil infiltration, and immunostaining for TGF-beta1 and CD4 in nasal mucosa, and TGF-beta1 and OVA specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in sera were analyzed. RESULTS: Dexamethasone administration before general sensitization reduced the symptom score, OVA specific IgE, and eosinophil infiltration and increased the serum level of TGF beta1 significantly. Dexamethasone administration before local challenge reduced only the eosinophil infiltration significantly. Immunoreactivity of TGF-beta1 and CD4 was lower in both treatment groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that dexamethasone may play an important role in the regulation of allergic reactions by at least two mechanisms; one by suppressing allergic sensitization through decrease of CD4+ T cells and increase of TGF-beta, and the other by suppressing late allergic reactions through the inhibition of proliferation and chemotaxis of inflammatory cells such as eosinophils. PMID- 17762269 TI - Swallowing outcomes after microvascular head and neck reconstruction: a prospective review of 191 cases. AB - BACKGROUND: The use of microvascular free tissue flaps tailored specifically to the ablative surgical defects has allowed precise anatomic reconstructions to be performed and, in turn, has improved patient outcomes. We report here the postoperative swallowing outcomes of patients undergoing microvascular reconstructions for a range of head and neck defects at the Cleveland Clinic. METHODS: The study includes 191 consecutive reconstructions for varied defects. All patients were reconstructed with four specific microvascular flaps based on their surgical defect, and postoperative swallowing outcomes were evaluated and recorded on a prospectively maintained database. Pre- and postoperative swallowing was graded on an ordinal scale. Data were simultaneously collected on the precise anatomic ablative defect in each patient, subdividing the head and neck into 16 subsites. The data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis accounting for comorbid factors, type of flap used, and subsite of defect. RESULTS: The findings are summarized as follows. There were no flap failures. The percent of patients who were able to swallow and maintain an exclusively oral diet postoperatively was 78.5%. Only 16.8% were unable to have an oral diet (NPO) and dependent on a gastric tube (G-tube) for feeding. The factors that predicted an inability to swallow include tongue resection, preoperative radiation therapy, and hypopharyngeal defects. In contrast, floor of mouth, mandibular, and pharyngeal defects, regardless of size, had excellent long-term swallowing outcomes. Most patients with these defects were able to tolerate at least a soft solid diet. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, we report excellent postoperative swallowing outcomes after microvascular reconstructions at our institution that compare favorably with outcomes with pedicled flaps and historic controls. The type of flap used and the size of defect had minimal effects on swallowing outcomes. The most difficult subsites to reconstruct were tongue defects, which strongly correlated with poor swallowing outcomes. The other factor that strongly impacted outcomes was preoperative radiation treatment. We believe these results highlight the utility of free flaps in recreating the precise anatomy required to maintain swallowing function. These data will hopefully support numerous previous studies that have established the use of microvascular reconstruction as standard of care for ablative surgical defects in the head and neck. PMID- 17762270 TI - Pediatric salivary gland obstructive swelling: sialendoscopic approach. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of sialendoscopy as a diagnostic and interventional procedure for salivary ductal pathologies of children. DESIGN: Prospective case series study. SETTING: Tertiary care teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: Eight children were investigated under general anesthesia by sialendoscopy for recurring salivary gland swellings between 2003 to 2004 in two university centers. INTERVENTION: Diagnostic sialendoscopy was used for classifying ductal lesions as sialolithiasis or stenosis. Interventional sialendoscopy was used to treat these disorders. Different variables were analyzed: type of endoscope used, intraoperative findings, type of device used for sialoliths fragmentation or extraction, total number of procedures, and size and number of sialoliths removed. RESULTS: Five cases of parotid and three cases of submandibular gland recurring swellings were included in the present study. Diagnostic sialendoscopy was possible in all cases. Salivary stones were found in six patients and parotid ductal stenosis in the remaining two. Multiple stones were seen in two cases. Interventional sialendoscopy was also possible in all cases, allowing an intraductal retrieval of the stones in three cases, and a marsupialization of the duct in two cases. Two cases required laser fragmentation of the stone. No major complications occurred intraoperatively or during follow up (mean 18 months). CONCLUSION: Diagnostic sialendoscopy is a new technique allowing a reliable evaluation of salivary ductal disorders in children, with low morbidity. Interventional sialendoscopy allows early treatment of pediatric sialoliths and stenosis in most cases, avoiding classical open surgery. PMID- 17762271 TI - Prevalence of laryngopharyngeal reflux in a population with gastroesophageal reflux. AB - OBJECTIVE: Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is a syndrome associated with a constellation of symptoms usually treated by ENT surgeons. It is believed to be caused by the retrograde flow of stomach contents into the laryngopharynx, this being a supra-esophageal manifestation of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It has been cited that LPR and GERD can be considered separate entities. Our hypothesis was that LPR is a supra-esophageal manifestation of GERD and therefore that patients with GERD should have a degree of symptoms suggestive of LPR because of the reflux of the gastric contents. We examined a population of patients with both upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and symptom-proven GERD and, using a questionnaire, looked at their existing symptoms to help assess the prevalence of LPR. We also looked at whether, with more severe GERD (suggestive of increased gastric content reflux), the degree of symptoms suggestive of LPR would be increased, as would be expected. METHODS: A population of patients with endoscopically proven GERD were recruited and divided into groups depending on the severity of their reflux disease. A questionnaire was then administered that examined both LPR and GERD scoring criteria. The relationship between GERD and LPR was then analyzed. RESULTS: We recruited 1,383 subjects with GERD; those with severe GERD had significantly higher LPR scores compared with those with mild (P < .01), moderate (P < .05), or inactive disease (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The condition of LPR is likely to represent a supra-esophageal manifestation of GERD. This study examined a large number of patients with endoscopically proven GERD and has demonstrated a correlation between the severity of GERD and the prevalence of LPR. LPR and GERD are common and interlinked conditions. The subsequent prevalence of LPR in the population with GERD is therefore likely to be dramatically underestimated. PMID- 17762272 TI - Minicricothyrotomy approach with fiberoptic guidance for management of posterior glottic stenosis. PMID- 17762273 TI - Estimating subglottal pressure via airflow redirection. AB - Subglottal pressure (SGP) is a valuable parameter in the research and clinical assessment of laryngeal function. The lungs serve as a constant pressure source during sustained phonation, and that pressure, SGP, can be used to determine the efficiency with which the larynx converts aerodynamic power to acoustic power. As the larynx serves as an aerodynamic transducer, the vocal efficiency (Ve) coefficient, defined as acoustic power (dB) divided by aerodynamic power (SGP x glottal airflow) has been shown to reliably reflect vocal health. However, current SGP measurement techniques are hesitantly used because of either an invasive nature or the requirement of intensive patient training. This study tests a novel device that has been designed to noninvasively estimate SGP through mechanical airflow redirection, producing a numeric output on completion of the trial, which lasts only a few seconds. The novelty of this design lies in the ease of use for both the patient and the clinician. Multiple mechanical airflow redirections occlude the airway for only 135 ms, which is predicted to limit the effect of confounding laryngeal reflexes that may occur during the trials. Additionally, the airflow redirection into a retention device allows for the pneumatic in-trial comparison of the estimated SGP with the pressure achieved by the patient, providing a numeric output to the clinician on completion. PMID- 17762275 TI - In reference to Orbital sequelae of rhinosinusitis after cochlear implantation in children. PMID- 17762277 TI - In reference to Viscoelasticity of hyaluronan and nonhyaluronan based vocal fold injectables: implications for mucosal versus muscle use. PMID- 17762278 TI - In reference to Continuous laryngoscopy exercise test: a method for visualizing laryngeal dysfunction during exercise. PMID- 17762280 TI - Biomechanical comparison of a fully threaded, variable pitch screw and a partially threaded lag screw for internal fixation of Type II dens fractures. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Stiffness and load to failure were studied in a human cadaver model of Type II odontoid fractures stabilized with either a single partially threaded lag screw and washer or a headless fully threaded variable pitch screw. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a headless fully threaded variable pitch screw provides biomechanically superior fixation of Type II odontoid fractures in comparison with a partially threaded, cannulated lag screw and washer. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Surgical treatment of Anderson and D'Alonzo Type II odontoid fractures is often performed using a partially threaded cannulated screw and washer. Reported clinical failure rates of this construct are as high as 20%. This technique requires perforation of the cortex of the tip of the dens, placing the brainstem and vertebrobasilar circulation at risk. A headless fully threaded variable pitch screw has not been described for this application. METHODS: A transverse osteotomy was created at the base of the dens in 16 human cadaver C2 specimens and stabilized using either a headless fully threaded variable pitch screw or a partially threaded cannulated lag screw and washer. Specimens were loaded to failure under a static, posteriorly directed force applied to the surface of the dens. Stiffness and load to failure were measured and the mode of failure for each specimen was determined. RESULTS: Stiffness and load to failure were greater for the headless, fully threaded variable pitch screw compared with the partially threaded lag screw and washer. The mode of failure for all specimens was via anterior screw cut-out at the C2 vertebral body. CONCLUSION: A headless, fully threaded variable pitch screw was biomechanically favorable in comparison with a partially threaded lag screw and washer in this cadaver model of Type II dens fractures. The mode of failure at the C2 vertebral body may have important implications for further improvements in construct strength. PMID- 17762281 TI - A biomechanical investigation of vertebroplasty in osteoporotic compression fractures and in prophylactic vertebral reinforcement. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Cadaveric single vertebrae were used to evaluate vertebroplasty as a prophylactic treatment and as an intervention for vertebral compression fractures. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biomechanical characteristics of prophylactic reinforcement and postfracture augmentation of cadaveric vertebrae. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a treatment option for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Short-term results are promising, but longer-term studies have suggested a possible accelerated failure rate in the adjacent vertebral body. Limited research has been conducted into the effects of prophylactic vertebroplasty in osteoporotic vertebrae. This study aims to elucidate the biomechanical differences between the 2 treatment groups. METHODS: Human vertebrae were assigned to 2 scenarios: Scenario 1 simulated a wedge fracture followed by cement augmentation; Scenario 2 involved prophylactic augmentation using vertebroplasty. Micro-CT imaging was performed to assess the bone mineral density, vertebral dimensions, fracture pattern, and cement volume. All augmented specimens were then compressed under an eccentric flexion load to failure. RESULTS: Product of bone mineral density and endplate surface area gave a good prediction of failure strength when compared with actual failure strength of specimens in Scenario 1. Augmented vertebral bodies showed an average cement fill of 23.9% +/- 8.07%. There was a significant postvertebroplasty increase in failure strength by a factor of 1.72 and 1.38 in Scenarios 1 and 2, respectively. There was a significant reduction in stiffness following augmentation for Scenario 1 (t = 3.5, P = 0.005). Stiffness of the vertebral body in Scenario 2 was significantly greater than observed in Scenario 1 (t = 4.4, P = 0.0002). CONCLUSION: Results suggest that augmentation of the vertebrae postfracture significantly increases failure load, while stiffness is not restored. Prophylactic augmentation was seen to increase failure strength in comparison to the predicted failure load. Stiffness appears to be maintained suggesting that prophylactic vertebroplasty maintains stiffness better than vertebroplasty postfracture. PMID- 17762282 TI - Correlation of scoliotic curvature with Z-score bone mineral density and body mass index in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta. AB - STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional radiographic and clinical study of patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). OBJECTIVE: To determine demographic, anthropometric, and radiographic parameters that correlate with development of scoliosis in patients with OI. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Despite the relatively high prevalence of scoliosis in patients with OI and its clinical significance, little is known about demographic and anthropometric parameters that correlate with the development of scoliosis. METHODS: Clinical records and spinal radiographs of 19 OI patients were reviewed. There were 5 male and 14 female patients with an average age of 14.2 years (range, 4-20 years). Seven patients were Sillence Type I and 12 patients were Type III. The Cobb angle of scoliosis was analyzed for correlations with age, body mass index (BMI), physical capability, leg-length discrepancy, Z-score bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine, thoracic kyphosis angle, and lumbar lordosis angle by using Pearson's correlation method. A probability of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The average Cobb angle of scoliosis was 25.2 degrees (range, 5 degrees-108 degrees) including 6 patients with an angle of > or = 30 degrees. Five of these 6 patients were Sillence Type III. Statistical analysis showed a significant positive correlation between the extent of scoliosis and BMI, as well as leg-length discrepancy. There was an inverse correlation between the extent of scoliotic curvature and the Z-score BMD as well as the thoracic kyphosis angle. CONCLUSION: The correlation of scoliosis with the Z-score BMD and BMI supports the pathology of scoliosis based on vertebral fragility. Proper management of BMD and BMI may have therapeutic value in delaying the progression of scoliosis in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta. PMID- 17762283 TI - Comorbidity and impact of chronic spinal pain in Nigeria. AB - STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of households selected using multistage stratified sampling. OBJECTIVE: This paper investigates the prevalence of chronic spinal pain, its profile of comorbidity, and its impact on role disability in Nigeria. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Study was conducted in 21 states representing 57% of the national population. A probability sample (n = 2143) was interviewed. METHODS: Self-reports of chronic spinal pain, other pain conditions, as well as comorbid medical conditions were obtained. Composite International Diagnostic Interview, version 3, was used to evaluate mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Functional role impairment was assessed with questions about days out of role. RESULTS: Chronic spinal pain was present in 16.4% (95% confidence interval, 14.5%-18.5%) of the sample. Prevalence increased with age of respondents, with 1 in 3 persons 60 years of age and older reporting chronic spinal pain. Persons with chronic spinal pain were at elevated risk to have chronic pain at other anatomic sites, to have a range of medical comorbidities, and to have mood and substance use disorders. Even though about one third of the decrement in functional role performance associated with chronic pain condition was attributable to demographics and comorbid conditions, chronic spinal pain was independently associated with significant role impairment. CONCLUSION: Chronic spinal pain is a common problem in the Nigerian community, and persons 60 years of age and older may be at particularly elevated risk. Chronic spinal pain is associated with increased probability of comorbid physical and mental disorders. These comorbid conditions partly but do not fully explain the disability associated with chronic spinal pain, which therefore constitutes a substantial health burden on the society. PMID- 17762284 TI - Occipitoatlantoaxial instability and congenital thoracic vertebral deformity in Pierre Robin sequence: a case report. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Case report of a patient with Pierre Robin sequence who presented with occipitoatlantoaxial instability and congenital thoracic deformity. OBJECTIVE: As there are lack of similar cases in the literature, we would like to introduce a case of a patient with associated malformations, the consultations that we consider that are obligatory, and our decision-making process. We would also like to demonstrate the follow-up plan and the further key points about either the conservative or the surgical solution of the problem. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The occurrences of 2 malformations (Pierre Robin sequence and occipitoatlantoaxial instability) together are very rare. We have found only 1 publication in the related literature about this topic. We consider that this rare appearance is due to the difficulty in diagnosing this problem. There is no clinical evidence that musculoskeletal examinations are indicated in a patient with Pierre Robin sequence, and it is difficult to check for all the possible deformities. METHOD: As congenital scoliosis appeared only at 6 years of age in the case of this child with Pierre Robin syndrome, we promptly began to investigate for other musculoskeletal defects. We would like to demonstrate the investigation process and emphasize the necessity of conventional and functional radiographs, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance images. RESULTS: We have not found similar cases to refer to, so we made our decision about conservative treatment of the craniocervical instability knowing that we will have to follow up the progression of both the congenital thoracic scoliotic deformity and the occipitoatlantoaxial instability later. CONCLUSION: To recognize a rare case is a big challenge indeed due to the lack of the investigational protocol, the key points of the decision process, the prognostic classification system, and the progression of the disease. We recommend that one should individualize and follow up the patient frequently. PMID- 17762286 TI - Efficacy of epidural perineural injections with autologous conditioned serum for lumbar radicular compression: an investigator-initiated, prospective, double blind, reference-controlled study. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, double-blind, reference-controlled, investigator initiated, single center. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of Autologous Conditioned Serum (ACS; Orthokine) for the treatment of lumbar radicular compression in comparison to triamcinolone. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Evidence from animal studies indicates that cytokines such as interleukin-1 play a decisive role in the pathophysiology of lumbar radiculopathy. ACS is enriched in the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist and other anti-inflammatory cytokines. METHODS: Thirty-two patients were treated by epidural perineural injections with ACS; 27 patients were treated with 5 mg triamcinolone and 25 patients with 10 mg triamcinolone. Treatment was applied once per week for 3 consecutive weeks and followed for 6 months. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of low back pain was the primary outcome measure. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was the secondary endpoint of the study. All statistical analyses were performed in an exploratory manner using SAS for Windows, version 8.2, on a personal computer. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the VAS and ODI by treatment group and time point. The data were submitted to a repeated-measurements analysis of variance with effects on treatment group, time, and treatment group-by-time interaction. RESULTS: Patients with lumbar back pain who were treated with ACS or the 2 triamcinolone concentrations showed a clinically remarkable and statistically significant reduction in pain and disability, as measured by patient administered outcome measurements. From Week 12 to the final evaluation at Week 22, injections with ACS showed a consistent pattern of superiority over both triamcinolone groups with regard to the VAS score for pain, but statistical significance was observed only at Week 22 in direct comparison to the triamcinolone 5 group. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 triamcinolone dosages during the 6 months of the study. CONCLUSION: ACS is an encouraging treatment option for patients with unilateral lumbar radicular compression. The decrease in pain was pronounced, clinically remarkable, and potentially superior to steroid injection. PMID- 17762287 TI - The leakage pathway and effect of needle gauge on degree of disc injury post anular puncture: a comparative study using aged human and adolescent porcine discs. AB - STUDY DESIGN: An in vitro biomechanical study using aged human and adolescent porcine discs. OBJECTIVES: To find the leakage pathway and effect of needle gauge on the degree of disc injury post anular puncture. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spinal needles are widely used for minimal invasive disc surgeries and disc degeneration/regeneration research. Applications of anular puncture require different diameters of spinal needles. However, the effect of needle diameters on the disc injury has not been systematically studied yet. METHODS: Four groups of experiments were conducted: 1) porcine thoracic disc, 2) human thoracic disc, 3) porcine thoracic disc with 200 N external loading, and 4) porcine lumbar discs. The disc was punctured consecutively with needles from smaller diameter to larger diameter. After each anular puncture, the quantitative discomanometry technique was conducted to quantify the disc rupture pressure and volume. The association between needle gauge and rupture pressure and volume was analyzed. RESULTS: The degree of disc injury increased with the diameter of needle. For an aged human thoracic disc, the anulus fibrosus cannot hold pressure more than 2 MPa after a 21-gauge-needle-anular-puncture. The leakage pathway of injected saline was through the anular fissure but was through the endplate when the disc was next to an osteoporotic vertebrae. The pressure holding power of porcine disc is stronger than of human disc. The rupture pressure of porcine lumbar disc is higher than of porcine thoracic disc. The axial compressive external loading increased the disc rupture pressure. The rupture volumes were not affected by the dimension of injury fissure. The rupture volume was at level of 0.3 mL without external loading and at 0.2 mL with external loading. CONCLUSION: A spinal needle of < or = 22 gauge and injection volume of < or = 0.2 mL are recommended to prevent postsurgery leakage. PMID- 17762288 TI - Experimental intervertebral disc degeneration induced by chondroitinase ABC in the goat. AB - STUDY DESIGN: In 2 studies, the injection of chondroitinase ABC into intervertebral discs of mature goats was evaluated as an experimental disc degeneration model. The first study analyzed the development of degeneration in time; the second study determined the optimal enzyme concentration. OBJECTIVES: To develop reproducible, slowly progressive disc degeneration in a large animal model. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Currently available, small animal models of intervertebral disc degeneration have shortcomings in the comparability to humans in terms of size, geometry, and cell population. Also, the methods to induce degeneration in the current models do not mimic human degeneration, which starts with the loss of proteoglycans. Injecting the enzyme chondroitinase ABC into the nucleus pulposus mimics the loss of proteoglycans. METHODS: In Study 1, lumbar intervertebral discs of 17 goats were injected with chondroitinase ABC (0.25 U/mL) or phosphate-buffered saline. Degeneration was analyzed with radiograph analysis, MR imaging, and macroscopic and histologic scoring at 5 different time points (4, 8, 12, 18, and 26 weeks). Six control goats were analyzed. The second study used 6 goats in which 4 different concentrations of chondroitinase ABC (0.2 0.35 U/mL) or phosphate-buffered saline were injected. After 12 weeks, similar analyses as in Study 1 were performed. RESULTS: After 12 weeks, degenerative signs were observed in all parameters in Study 1. The degeneration increased up to 18 weeks and leveled off after 26 weeks. The variability, however, was high. The second study showed a concentration dependent effect of chondroitinase ABC with all analyzed parameters. The injection of 0.25 U/mL chondroitinase ABC resulted in disc degeneration after 12 weeks without signs of severe degeneration. CONCLUSION: Injection of chondroitinase ABC in the caprine intervertebral disc results in mild, slowly progressive disc degeneration. This effect was optimal at a concentration of 0.25 U/mL. This is a promising model of disc degeneration that deserves further study. PMID- 17762289 TI - Elastin content correlates with human disc degeneration in the anulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Quantitative study of elastin content in nondegenerate and degenerate human intervertebral discs. OBJECTIVE: To measure the site-specific changes in elastin content that accompany disc degeneration using a quantitative, dye-binding assay to assess elastin levels. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Recently, an abundant and organized network of elastic fibers was observed in nondegenerated human disc using immunostaining histochemistry, suggesting a functional role for elastin. While degenerative changes in the disc extracellular matrix composition are well known, changes in elastin content that may accompany degeneration have not been reported. METHODS: Human discs were assigned a degenerative grade by 3 independent orthopedic surgeons based on gross morphology. Samples were taken from the outer anulus fibrosus (OAF), inner AF (IAF) and nucleus pulposus (NP). Elastin content was measured using a specific, dye-binding assay and normalized to dry weight and collagen content, which was measured via a hydroxyproline assay. Samples were divided into 2 groups: nondegenerate (Grades 1-2.5) and degenerate (Grades 2.6-4.0). A 2-way analysis of variance was used to test for statistical significance where the 2 factors were disc location and degeneration. Correlations of composition with degeneration and age were analyzed. RESULTS: In nondegenerate tissue, elastin by dry weight was on average 2.0% +/- 0.3%, and there were no differences in elastin content among the locations of OAF, IAF, or NP. With degeneration, there was a significant increase in total disc elastin per dry weight at each location. The degenerate IAF had the largest amount of elastin (9.3% +/- 2.3%), significantly greater than the NP and OAF. Elastin content correlated with degenerative grade and age at each site. CONCLUSION: Based on the location-dependent degenerative changes, with highest increases in the IAF, elastin may function to restore lamellar structure under radial loads that potentially cause delamination. Future work will focus on distinguishing the changes in elastin orientation with degeneration and understanding the mechanical functional role of elastin in the disc. PMID- 17762290 TI - A comparison of fatigue failure responses of old versus middle-aged lumbar motion segments in simulated flexed lifting. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Survival analysis techniques were used to compare the fatigue failure responses of elderly motion segments to a middle-aged sample. OBJECTIVES: To compare fatigue life of a middle-aged sample of lumbosacral motion segments to a previously tested elderly cohort. An additional objective was to evaluate the influence of bone mineral content on cycles to failure. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: A previous investigation evaluated fatigue failure responses of 36 elderly lumbosacral motion segments (average age, 81 +/- 8 years) subjected to spinal loads estimated when lifting a 9-kg load in 3 torso flexion angles (0 degrees, 22.5 degrees, and 45 degrees). Results demonstrated rapid fatigue failure with increased torso flexion; however, a key limitation of this study was the old age of the specimens. METHODS: Each lumbosacral spine was dissected into 3 motion segments (L1-L2, L3-L4, and L5-S1). Motion segments within each spine were randomly assigned to a spinal loading condition corresponding to lifting 9 kg in 3 torso flexion angles (0 degrees, 22.5 degrees, or 45 degrees). Motion segments were statically loaded and allowed to creep for 15 minutes, then cyclically loaded at 0.33 Hz. Fatigue life was taken as the number of cycles to failure (10 mm displacement after creep loading). RESULTS: Compared with the older sample of spines, the middle-aged sample exhibited increased fatigue life (cycles to failure) in all the torso flexion conditions. Increased fatigue life of the middle-aged specimens was associated with the increased bone mineral content (BMC) in younger motion segments (mean +/- SD, 30.7 +/- 11.1 g per motion segment vs. 27.8 +/- 9.4 g). Increasing bone mineral content had a protective influence with each additional gram increasing survival times by approximately 12%. CONCLUSION: Younger motion segments survive considerably longer when exposed to similar spine loading conditions that simulate repetitive lifting in neutral and flexed torso postures, primarily associated with the increased bone mineral content possessed by younger motion segments. Cycles to failure of young specimens at 22.5 degrees flexion were similar to that of older specimens at 0 degrees flexion, and survivorship of young specimens at 45 degrees flexion was similar to the older cohort at 22.5 degrees. PMID- 17762291 TI - Comparison of biomechanical function at ideal and varied surgical placement for two lumbar artificial disc implant designs: mobile-core versus fixed-core. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Finite element model. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of lumbar mobile-core and fixed-core artificial disc design and placement on the loading of the facet joints, and stresses on the polyethylene core. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although both mobile-core and fixed-core lumbar artificial disc designs have been used clinically, the effect of their design and the effect of placement within the disc space on the structural element loading, and in particular the facets and the implant itself, have not been investigated. METHODS: A 3D nonlinear finite element model of an intact ligamentous L4-L5 motion segment was developed and validated in all 6 df based on previous experiments conducted on human cadavers. Facet loading of a mobile-core TDR and a fixed-core TDR were estimated with 4 different prosthesis placements for 3 different ranges of motion. RESULTS: Placing the mobile-core TDR anywhere within the disc space reduced facet loading by more than 50%, while the fixed-core TDR increased facet loading by more than 10% when compared with the intact disc in axial rotation. For central (ideal) placement, the mobile- and fixed-core implants were subjected to compressive stresses on the order of 3 MPa and 24 MPa, respectively. The mobile-core stresses were not affected by implant placement, while the fixed-core stresses increased by up to 40%. CONCLUSION: A mobile-core artificial disc design is less sensitive to placement, and unloads the facet joints, compared with a fixed-core design. The decreased core stress may result in a reduced potential for wear in a mobile-core prosthesis compared with a fixed-core prosthesis, which may increase the functional longevity of the device. PMID- 17762292 TI - Loss of cervical endplate integrity following minimal surface preparation. AB - STUDY DESIGN: In vitro biomechanical study. OBJECTIVES: This biomechanical study was designed to evaluate the loss of endplate integrity with incremental removal of the endplate. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The position of the anterior cervical motion preserving prosthesis is very important. Unlike interbody bone graft, where a certain amount of settling is tolerable and potentially advantageous with respect to the fusion rate, a settled total disc replacement will not function properly and may dislodge. Partial or aggressive endplate removal may be a factor resulting in subsidence of an interbody device. This study was designed to precisely examine the change of endplate strength following precise burring of the surface. METHODS: Eight human cadaver cervical spines (C3 C7) were dissected and 6 locations on the endplates from each vertebra were biomechanically tested using an indentation test protocol. Pairs of locations were randomly assigned to be burred to the depth of 0 mm (intact), 1 mm, or 2 mm before the testing using a flat 3-mm end mill. Strength of the endplate was statistically analyzed to examine the effect of the depth of the burr and any regional variations. RESULTS: Significant differences (P < 0.0001) in endplate strength was noted between the intact endplate (106 +/- 86 N) and burred endplates (1 mm depth, 59 +/- 49 N; 2 mm depth, 51 +/- 46 N). No significant differences existed between the burr depths of 1 and 2 mm (P = 0.21). The posterior endplate was significantly stronger than the anterior endplate irrespective of depth of burr. CONCLUSION: There is a significant loss of endplate integrity when 1 mm of endplate (44% loss) or 2 mm of endplate (52% loss) is removed. Although the implant interface plays an important role in the magnitude of the subsidence of a device, this study in general shows that the endplate is important in terms of maximizing the strength of a construct. PMID- 17762293 TI - The fate of anterior autogenous bone graft after anterior radical surgery with or without posterior instrumentation in the treatment of pyogenic lumbar spondylodiscitis. AB - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective clinical study. OBJECTIVE: To assess the results of anterior strut grafting and the loss of the reduction in anterior interbody fusion and anterior interbody fusion combined with posterior instrumental fusion in pyogenic spondylodiscitis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Resorption of the anterior graft is an ominous sign following most anterior surgery. Thus, additional posterior instrumentation has been used to prevent collapse of the anterior graft. However, its effect is controversial, and few studies have examined the fate of the anterior strut graft. METHODS: Twenty-four consecutive patients underwent surgical treatment for pyogenic spondylodiscitis. The patients were divided into Group I (anterior interbody fusion) and Group II (anterior interbody fusion + posterior instrumented fusion). The sagittal angle, intervertebral height, and complications relating to the anterior graft were compared. RESULTS: Solid bone fusion was achieved in 23 (95.8%) patients. The sagittal angle and the intervertebral height were similar in Groups I and II (P = 0.61, P = 0.89, respectively). In Groups I and II, the postoperative sagittal angle was maintained until 1 month after surgery (P > 0.05), but it decreased significantly by 3 months after surgery (P < 0.05). In Groups I and II, intervertebral height correction was maintained until 1 month after surgery (P > 0.05), but by 3 months after surgery, it had collapsed significantly (P < 0.05). Subsidence of the graft occurred through the damaged endplate. Group I included 1 case of graft dislodgement necessitating revision; there were no such cases in Group II. There were no recurrences of infection in either group. CONCLUSION: Reduction of intervertebral height and loss of sagittal profile occurred in both groups. Complications relating to the bone graft were more common in Group I than in Group II. Despite loss of correction, both groups had a high fusion rate without recurrence of infection. The reduction of intervertebral graft height appears to be the result of destruction of the endplate either due to surgical debridement or the infective process. PMID- 17762294 TI - The incidence of donor site pain after bone graft harvesting from the posterior iliac crest may be overestimated: a study on spine fracture patients. AB - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study on patients with traumatic vertebral fractures who underwent fusion with iliac crest bone. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of low back surgery on donor site attributed pain, we compared donor site pain between patients who underwent high and low level fusions. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The most common complication of posterior iliac crest bone graft harvesting is postoperative pain at the donor site. The incidence of donor site pain after bone graft harvesting from the posterior iliac crest is mainly reported from studies in patients who underwent low lumbar or lumbosacral surgery. The close proximity of the primary surgery to the iliac crest could interfere with the reported incidence of donor site pain. METHODS: Questionnaires regarding the iliac crest morbidity were sent to patients who underwent instrumented posterolateral fusion after traumatic spinal fractures. The incidence of donor site attributed pain was compared between patients whose fusion was between T2 and L2, with patients whose fusion extended to L3 or more caudally. RESULTS: In patients with a fusion of high levels, the donor site pain was significantly lower compared with patients with fusion of low levels (14.3% vs. 40.9%). CONCLUSION: Patients probably cannot differentiate between donor site pain and residual low back pain. The reported incidence of pain related to posterior iliac crest bone graft harvesting may therefore be overestimated. PMID- 17762295 TI - A pedicle screw construct gives an enhanced posterior correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis when compared with other constructs: myth or reality. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Tricenter retrospective cohort study of 72 patients who underwent posterior correction of Lenke 1 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Each center represented a single surgeon using only one type of construct. OBJECTIVE: Compare the initial postoperative and 2-year follow-up correction of Lenke 1 AIS curves, after accounting for the preoperative flexibility of the curves. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: There are multiple reports in literature of the enhanced posterior corrective ability of the pedicle screw in the treatment of AIS. Unfortunately, none of these reports took into account the preoperative flexibility of the curve. It stands to reason that rigid curves will not correct as much as flexible curves irrespective of the nature of the construct. METHODS: Groups were as follows: Group 1 (proximal and distal hooks and segmental intraspinous collar button wires), 24 patients; Group 2 (proximal hooks, distal screws, and apical sublaminar wires), 23 patients; and Group 3 (pedicle screws only), 25 patients. The postoperative correction percentage was expressed as a ratio of the preoperative flexibility and was termed Cincinnati correction index (CCI). Mathematically speaking the CCI equals (postoperative correction/preoperative erect Cobb angle) divided by (supine bending preoperative correction/preoperative erect Cobb angle). The postoperative sagittal correction was also measured. RESULTS: CCI 2 (at 2-year follow-up) for Group 1 was 1.71, for Group 2 was 1.34, and for Group 3 was 1.41. The differences were not statistically significant. Within Group 1, however, there was a statistically significant difference between CCI (1.95) and CCI 2 (1.71), indicating a statistically significant loss of correction over 2 years. However, in terms of absolute values, there was only a 4 degree (average) difference between the initial and the 2-year postoperative Cobb measurement, rendering the loss off correction clinically insignificant. No such statistically or clinically significant differences were noted within Groups 2 and 3. Group 1 and Group 3 constructs further lordosed the curve by 8 degrees and 11 degrees, respectively, whereas the Group 2 construct retained or marginally increased the preoperative kyphosis. CONCLUSION: The Group 3 (pedicle screw only) construct did not give an enhanced correction of Lenke 1 AIS, when the preoperative flexibility of the curve was considered. Also, contrary to popular belief, the pedicle screw construct has a lordosing effect on the thoracic spine. Therefore, we think that there is no significant advantage in using a relatively expensive pedicle screw construct in the correction of Lenke 1 AIS. PMID- 17762296 TI - Predictors of change in postoperative pulmonary function in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a prospective study of 254 patients. AB - STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter study of prospectively collected pulmonary function testing and radiographic measures in patients surgically treated for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were 1) to identify the factors that determine pulmonary function more than 2 years after surgery for AIS; and 2) to determine what factors, if any, can predict an increase or decrease in the percent predicted 2-year pulmonary function. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Thoracic spinal deformity can lead to significant pulmonary impairment. Studies have shown that patients with AIS experienced a significantly greater improvement in pulmonary function at 2 years after surgery when treated with a posterior approach compared to an anterior approach. METHODS: Pulmonary function testing (PFT) and radiographic examination of 254 patients with AIS were completed prospectively. Demographic data, associations between radiographic measurements of spinal deformity, and the results of spirometry underwent correlation analysis and subsequent step-wise multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The variables found to be significant predictors of 2-year pulmonary function (FVC, FEV1, TLC) include: preop PFT (R = 0.20-0.39), having an open thoracotomy (as opposed to thoracoscopic or posterior) (R = 0.07-0.09), surgical time (R = 0.03-0.07), and thoracoplasty (R = 0.02-0.04). These models explain 40 to 51% of the variance in 2-year PFT. For patients undergoing open thoracotomy with a thoracoplasty, approximately 54% had a 15% decrease, or more, in percent predicted PFT. This compared with 11% and 15%, respectively of patients who either had posterior or thoracoscopic procedures with no thoracoplasty that had a 15% decrease or more in percent predicted PFT. CONCLUSION: Aside from preoperative PFT values, open anterior approaches predict the largest percent of variance in 2-year PFT. Additionally, a clinically significant reduction in the predicted 2-year pulmonary function is more likely when performing a thoracoplasty. The magnitude of the effects for both these variables, however, is modest. This may facilitate the decision-making process as regards to operative intervention. PMID- 17762297 TI - The significance of increased fluid signal on magnetic resonance imaging in lumbar facets in relationship to degenerative spondylolisthesis. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective radiographic review of consecutive patients with universally applied standard. OBJECTIVES: To define MRI findings at the facet joints that may suggest abnormal sagittal plane translation seen on standing lateral flexion-extension (SLFE) radiographs. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: MRI findings, including facet joint orientation, facet joint osteoarthritis, and the presence of synovial cysts, have all been linked with degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). MRI can also detect facet joint effusion; however, there has not been a study specifically addressing the association of facet fluid signal to degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). METHODS: MRI and SLFE films of all patients seen at a single institution for an orthopedic spine consultation over a 2-year period were analyzed. The presence of facet effusions, synovial cysts, increased intensity within the interspinous ligament, degenerative changes at the facets, and anterior sagittal plane translation were all recorded. The data were analyzed to determine if there was a significant association between the presence of DS and the following: facet effusion, degenerative changes of the facets, synovial cysts, increased signal in the interspinous ligament, age, and gender. RESULTS: There were 139 patients without DS at (NegDS) and 54 with DS (PosDS) on SLFE films at L4-L5 (n = 193). PosDS patients were more likely to be older (P < 0.0001), female (P = 0.0042), have synovial cysts (P < 0.0001), have higher osteoarthritis grade (P < 0.0001), and have larger facet effusion size (P < 0.0001). For both groups, facet joint effusions were also found to be significantly larger in patients with Grade 2 or less osteoarthritis, than in patients with Grade 3 osteoarthritis. Twenty-two percent of the listheses were not detectable on supine MRI. CONCLUSION: Large (> 1.5 mm) facet effusions are highly predictive of degenerative spondylolisthesis at L4-L5 in the absence of measurable anterolisthesis on supine MRI. A clinically measurable facet effusion (> or = 1 mm) suggests the need for SLFE films to diagnose degenerative spondylolisthesis that can be missed with supine positioning on MRI. PMID- 17762298 TI - Assessment of sacral doming in lumbosacral spondylolisthesis. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Quantitative versus subjective evaluation of sacral doming in lumbosacral spondylolisthesis. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relevance of the Spinal Deformity Study Group (SDSG) index in the assessment of sacral doming and to propose a quantitative criterion to differentiate between significant and nonsignificant doming. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: There is no consensus on the optimal technique to assess sacral doming, although it is an important feature in spondylolisthesis. METHODS: Five spinal surgeons subjectively assessed the sacral endplate of 100 subjects (34 high-grade spondylolisthesis, 50 low-grade spondylolisthesis, 16 controls) from lateral radiographs. Subjects were classified by each surgeon as having significant or nonsignificant sacral doming. An independent observer quantitatively evaluated sacral doming for all subjects using the SDSG index. A criterion to differentiate significant from nonsignificant sacral doming was sought, based on the comparison between the subjective assessment of surgeons and the quantitative evaluation by the independent observer. Intrarater and interrater reliability of the SDSG index was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: Intrarater and interrater ICCs for the SDSG index were excellent at 0.91 and 0.88, respectively. Sacral doming evaluated with the SDSG index was 11.6% +/- 5.0% (range, 1.5% 18.9%), 16.4% +/- 6.3% (range, 3.7%-35.6%), and 27.9% +/- 10.9% (range, 5.7% 56.9%) for controls, low-grade, and high-grade cases, respectively. Overall intersurgeon agreement on the significance of sacral doming was substantial at 88% (kappa = 0.72). With a threshold value of 25% for the SDSG index, 93% of concordance was found between the quantitative evaluation using the SDSG index and the multisurgeons subjective assessment. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the relevance of the SDSG index to assess sacral doming in lumbosacral spondylolisthesis. The authors propose a criterion of 25% to differentiate significant from nonsignificant sacral doming using the SDSG index. Such a criterion will allow more accurate assessment of sacral remodeling, especially for borderline cases, and facilitate comparisons between studies. PMID- 17762299 TI - Construct validity of the physical function scale of the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire for the measurement of walking capacity. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Measurement (validity) study using data from a prospective longitudinal study of lumbar spinal stenosis. OBJECTIVE: Provide convergent and divergent validity evidence for the use of the Physical Function Scale of the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire for the measurement of walking capacity in persons with lumbar spinal stenosis. We were also interested in the association between the Physical Function Scale and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The Physical Function Scale has been used to assess walking capacity in persons with lumbar spinal stenosis; however, there have been limited studies investigating its psychometric properties. No validity studies have compared the Physical Function Scale and the ODI head to head. METHODS: The Physical Function Scale was correlated with the ODI, Health Utilities Index, Centres for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Medical Outcomes Survey Social Support Scale, and an additional item from the Oxford Claudication Score. RESULTS: As hypothesized, the Physical Function Scale was correlated highly with those instruments and items intended to measure walking capacity and minimally with those instruments intended to measure different constructs. The correlation between the Physical Function Scale and the ODI was r = 0.719. CONCLUSION: Results support construct validity of the Physical Function Scale for the measurement of walking in an lumbar spinal stenosis population. However, it cannot be ascertained from the current study that the construct being measured is, indeed, walking capacity. Further research is warranted to investigate criterion validity evidence for the use of the Physical Function Scale in the measurement of walking capacity in lumbar spinal stenosis, by examining the relationships between self-report and observational measures of walking. PMID- 17762300 TI - Psychometric characteristics of the Brazilian-Portuguese versions of the Functional Rating Index and the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric testing of self-report outcome measurements. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to adapt the Functional Rating Index (FRI) to Brazilian-Portuguese and to test the psychometric properties of this new questionnaire and the Brazilian-Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Self-report measures are commonly used in clinical practice and in research studies. Most existing questionnaires were developed in English and there is only 1 Brazilian-Portuguese cross-cultural adaptation of a spine outcome measure. METHODS: The FRI was translated and adapted into Brazilian-Portuguese according to the Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self report measures. The Brazilian Portuguese FRI and RMDQ were tested for internal consistency, reliability, ceiling and floor effects, construct validity, and responsiveness in 140 low back pain (LBP) patients. RESULTS: A very high level of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) and reliability [ICC = 0.95 (95% confidence interval, 0.93-0.97)] was shown for both instruments. The FRI and RMDQ were highly correlated (r = 0.80), while both the FRI and RMDQ were moderately correlated with pain at baseline (r = 0.67 and 0.55, respectively). No ceiling or floor effects were detected; however, the responsiveness of both questionnaires was quite small (RMDQ ES = 0.10 [84% confidence interval, 0.04-0.16] and FRI ES = 0.18 [84% confidence interval, 0.11-0.24]). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that the Brazilian-Portuguese versions of the FRI and RMDQ are reliable and valid instruments for the measurement of disability in Brazilian-Portuguese speaking patients with LBP presenting for physiotherapy treatment. Both instruments are suitable for use in clinical practice and research studies. PMID- 17762301 TI - Role of screening tests for deep venous thrombosis in asymptomatic adults with acute spinal cord injury: an evidence-based analysis. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. OBJECTIVE: To examine the evidence to support practice guidelines for screening for DVT in asymptomatic adults with acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) who undergo pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Despite the fact that pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis has been widely used since the 1980s, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and subsequent pulmonary embolism (PE) still account for approximately 10% of deaths during the first year following SCI. METHODS: MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched from the earliest achievable date to December 2005. We only included clinical studies that used a screening test for DVT and the gold standard diagnostic tests for DVT (i.e., lower limb venography) and for PE (i.e., lung arteriogram) in adults with traumatic SCI who underwent drug thromboprophylaxis during the acute stage after SCI. RESULTS: The search yielded 188 articles, of which 9 articles fulfilled the criteria to be included in our review. Screening for DVT was performed in 3 randomized clinical trials and 6 case series. The protocol of these studies included the use of D-Dimer (1 of 9), I-labeled fibrinogen (2 of 9), ultrasound (1 of 9), impedance plethysmography (1 of 9), impedance plethysmography and Doppler in combination (1 of 9), Duplex (1 of 9) or venography (2 of 9) as screening test for DVT. Based on the pooled data of these studies, asymptomatic DVT was detected in 16.9% of SCI population. Only 4 studies reported the occurrence of PE in 4.4% of cases. CONCLUSION: There is insufficient evidence to support (or refute) a recommendation for routine screening for DVT in adults with acute traumatic SCI under thromboprophylaxis. However, there is level II-2 evidence that screening could detect asymptomatic DVT in 22.7% of those individuals. Although additional investigation is needed, we hypothesize that weekly screening for DVT during the first 13 weeks post-SCI could detect most of the asymptomatic DVT events in this patient population. D-Dimer, ultrasound, and MR venography could be considered as potentially useful screening tests for DVT in the SCI population in future research studies. PMID- 17762302 TI - Psychiatric comorbidity in chronic disabling occupational spinal disorders has minimal impact on functional restoration socioeconomic outcomes. AB - STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study conducted at a tertiary functional restoration center for patients with chronic disabling occupational spinal disorders (CDOSDs), comparing treatment outcome status 1-year posttreatment of patients with specific diagnosed psychiatric disorders to those without. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if diagnosed psychopathology is a significant limiting factor in the successful interdisciplinary rehabilitation of CDOSD patients. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Research has demonstrated high prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders in patients with CDOSDs. Little is known about whether these disorders are associated with less successful treatment outcomes. METHODS: A consecutive group of CDOSD patients (n = 1323) averaging 19 months of prerehabilitation disability were evaluated for psychiatric disorders with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Patients participated in a functional restoration program. A structured clinical interview addressing work status, recurrent injury, healthcare utilization, and financial claims closure was administered 1 year after discharge. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the unique contribution of the specific DSM-IV disorders that were significantly associated with the outcomes. RESULTS: Patients with panic disorder, antisocial personality disorder (PD) and dependent PD were >2 times more likely to be program noncompleters. For successful program completers, those with opioid dependence disorder (ODD) were 2.7 times less likely to return to work and 2.6 times less likely to retain work. Patients with ODD were also 2.1 times more likely to seek postrehabilitation treatment from a new provider. CONCLUSIONS: Despite intensive management of psychiatric disorders during interdisciplinary functional restoration for CDOSD, several disorders were found to be associated with less successful outcomes. Poorer work outcomes were more common with specific (and comorbid) Axis I psychiatric disorders. Opioid dependence was the single disorder associated most often with less successful outcomes. Despite these findings, the large majority of patients demonstrated successful outcomes. Depression did not independently link to less successful outcomes. PMID- 17762303 TI - Controlled cervical extension osteotomy for ankylosing spondylitis utilizing the Jackson operating table: technical note. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Technical note. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate a controlled extension osteotomy technique of the cervical spine in a prone position and using the head elevator mechanism on the Jackson operating table to correct a chin-on-chest deformity in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Catastrophic cord injury causing quadriplegia and death has been associated with correction of chin-on-chest deformity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Manual control of spinal column motion during and after osteoclasis or osteotomy can be difficult, inexact, and anxiety inducing. METHODS: A 45-year-old woman with ankylosing spondylitis and severe chin-on-chest deformity underwent a posterior C7 pedicle subtraction osteotomy, deformity correction, and instrumented fusion in a prone position on the Jackson operating table. RESULTS: By using the elevator mechanism attached to the head of the operating table and Mayfield tongs, the patient's cervicothoracic junction was placed into extension by over 30 degrees in controlled increments. CONCLUSION: We present a technique for controlled extension osteotomy correction of chin-on-chest deformity in a prone position. Use of the operating table mechanism in conjunction with a closing-wedge osteotomy diminishes the risk of translation, decreases risk of air embolus associated with a sitting position, and promotes greater opportunity for fusion through the osteotomy, and the stability allows for placement of modern instrumentation. PMID- 17762304 TI - Re: Terao T, Taniguchi M, Ide K, et al. Cervical dural arteriovenous fistula presenting with brain stem dysfunction: case report and review. Spine 2006;31:E722-7. PMID- 17762305 TI - Beyond certification for wound care practitioners. PMID- 17762309 TI - Get to know and work with your Medicare carrier advisory committee representative. PMID- 17762310 TI - Radiation wounds. PMID- 17762311 TI - Using olivamine-containing products to reduce pruritic symptoms associated with localized lymphedema. PMID- 17762312 TI - Best practice recommendations for the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers: update 2006. AB - PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to enhance the professional nurses' knowledge of the best practice recommendations for the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. TARGET AUDIENCE: This continuing education activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in wound care. OBJECTIVES: After reading this article and taking this test, the reader should be able to: 1. Interpret the pathway to assess and treat pressure ulcers. 2. Differentiate the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) levels of evidence. 3. Identify the scientific evidence for treatment recommendations. PMID- 17762314 TI - Monotherapy of lamotrigine versus carbamazepine in patients with poststroke seizure. AB - OBJECTIVES: The incidence of seizures is known to be high in the elderly. The most common cause of an unprovoked seizure in the elderly population is stroke. These patients require effective and well-tolerated antiepileptic treatment because they frequently experience other medical conditions and use other medications that can interact with the antiepileptic treatment. The aim of the study was to analyze the tolerability and efficacy of lamotrigine (LTG) versus sustained-release carbamazepine (CBZ) treatment in newly diagnosed symptomatic poststroke seizure. METHODS: Sixty-four patients with a first post episode of seizures were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either LTG or CBZ treatment and were followed up prospectively for up to 12 months for efficacy and tolerability of the drugs. RESULTS: More patients in the LTG group were seizure-free (72%) versus those in the CBZ group (44%; P = 0.06), but the numbers did not reach statistical significance because of a relative small number of study patients. The number of patients who withdraw from the study because of adverse events was statistically significantly less in the LTG group (3%) compared with the CBZ group (31%; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The LTG treatment in poststroke seizures versus CBZ treatment is a relatively better-tolerated drug and can be acceptable as initial treatment in this specific group of patients. PMID- 17762315 TI - Alcohol dehydrogenase 2 genotype and allelic variants are not associated with the risk for essential tremor. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible association between alcohol dehydrogenase 1B, beta-polypeptide (ADH2) genotype and allelic variants and the risk for developing essential tremor (ET). METHODS: Leukocytary DNA from 204 ET patients and 200 healthy controls was studied for the genotype ADH2 and the occurrence of ADH2 allelic variants using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction amplification and MslI-restriction fragment length polymorphism's analyses. RESULTS: The frequencies of the ADH2*1/ADH2*2 genotype and of the allelic variant ADH2*2 did not differ significantly in ET patients when compared with those of the controls. The mean age at onset of ET did not differ significantly between patients with genotypes ADH2*1/ADH2*2 and ADH2*1/ADH2*1. The frequencies of the genotype ADH2*1/ADH2*2 and of the allelic variant ADH2*2 in patients with voice, tongue, and chin tremors did not differ from those of the controls, whereas patients with voice tremor showed lower frequencies of mutated genotypes and ADH2*2 alleles. The frequencies of ADH2 genotypes and ADH2 alleles did not differ significantly between patients who did not drink ethanol and those who reported improvement, no improvement, or unknown response of tremor to ethanol. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ADH2 genotype and allelic variants are not associated with the risk for ET in white Spanish people. PMID- 17762316 TI - The effect of duloxetine on primary pain symptoms in Parkinson disease. AB - OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of duloxetine (Cymbalta), a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, on pain symptoms in Parkinson Disease (PD). METHODS/PATIENTS: Twenty-three patients with PD with painful phenomena were treated with duloxetine for 6 weeks in an open-label design. Assessments were performed before and at treatment completion and consisted of a Visual Analogue Scale, the Brief Pain Inventory, Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, Parkinson Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire-39-item version, and motor part of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale. Pain threshold was assessed by quantitative sensory tests. RESULTS: Thirteen of the 20 patients who completed the study reported varying degrees of pain relief. The mean Visual Analogue Scale, Brief Pain Inventory, and Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire scores decreased significantly. There was no change in pain threshold after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Duloxetine seems to be effective for the treatment of central pain in PD. PMID- 17762317 TI - An open-label trial of escitalopram in the treatment of pathological gambling. AB - BACKGROUND: The effectiveness and tolerability of escitalopram was tested in the treatment of pathological gambling (PG). METHOD: Nondepressed outpatients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition PG received flexibly dosed escitalopram in a prospective, 10-week, open-label trial after a 2 week observation period. Subjects were evaluated at baseline and at 2-week intervals for assessment of gambling behavior, mood symptoms, and adverse experiences. The primary efficacy measure was the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale modified for PG. Secondary efficacy measures included the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Improvement and Severity Scales, a patient self-rated global rating, the Sheehan Disability Scale, and the Timeline Follow Back. RESULTS: Nineteen subjects (12 men and 7 women) had at least 1 postbaseline visit and were included in the analysis; 16 subjects (84%) completed the protocol. Significant improvement was found in all measures, including the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for PG, both CGI Scales, a patient self-rated global scale, the Timeline Follow Back, the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Checklist, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and all 3 Sheehan Disability Scale subscales. Fourteen subjects (73.7%) were considered responders (ie, achieved "much" or "very much" improvement on the CGI). Few adverse experiences were reported. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that escitalopram is well tolerated and may be effective in the treatment of PG. PMID- 17762318 TI - Effects of valproate on vestibular symptoms and electronystagmographic findings in migraine patients. AB - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of valproic acid on vestibular symptoms and electronystagmography (ENG) findings in patients with migraine-related vestibulopathy. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients with migraine (13 with vertigo, 13 with dizziness, and 11 without vestibular symptoms) were included in the study. Slow-released valproic acid (500 mg/d) was given for 3 months. Frequency of headache and vestibular symptoms in the first, second, and third months of the therapy were recorded and compared with the pretreatment values. The ENG findings were also evaluated before and 2 months after the therapy. RESULTS: We determined that prophylactic low-dose valproic acid decreased the frequency of headache and vestibular symptoms, although it does not cause any statistically meaningful change in ENG findings. CONCLUSIONS: Valproate can be used satisfactorily for patients with migraine who have vestibular complaints. Ineffectiveness of valproic acid on ENG findings can be clarified by the permanent effect of migraine on the vestibular system. PMID- 17762319 TI - Add-on therapy with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors for memory dysfunction in schizophrenia: a systematic quantitative review, part 2. AB - RATIONALE: Memory impairment is frequent in schizophrenia and remains difficult to treat. Improved memory function is associated with a better functional outcome. Some clinical trials have used add-on therapy with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) to test the cognitive enhancement effect of this kind of medication, which is usually prescribed for other indications than schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review with meta-analysis. METHODS: Studies were identified using electronic search engines, hand searches, cross-referencing of studies, and contacts with investigators. Eligible studies were those comparing cognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia before and after AChEI treatment, randomized controlled trials, and crossover and open trials of AChEI in people with schizophrenia, with trial duration of more than 2 weeks. Validated neurocognitive measures and computerized batteries were used to corroborate the effect. RESULTS: Our findings reveal a small to medium improvement in short-term memory and long-term memory (LTM) performance when patients are compared with the baseline performance, but when compared with controls (placebo treatment) at the end of the trial, they performed worse on both short-term memory and on LTM. However, the effects were nonsignificant. The LTM magnitude estimate demonstrating a treatment effect between the start and end points of the trial consisted of 8 studies (before treatment, n = 209; overall attrition rate, 8%). The effect estimate was significant and close to heterogeneous. Duration of trial increases the effect estimate slightly. The analysis was broken down by AChEI: 5 studies of donepezil (effect size [ES], 0.352), 2 studies of rivastigmine (ES, 0.383), and 1 study of galantamine. There were 6 studies of AChEI added to second-generation antipsychotics (ES, 0.424) and 2 studies of first-generation antipsychotics (ES, 0.207). CONCLUSIONS: Notwithstanding an extensive investigation, eligible data for the meta-analysis were nominal. To date, and overall, our quantitative systematic review provides no clear evidence on whether AChEIs should be prescribed for memory enhancement in patients with schizophrenia. PMID- 17762320 TI - Clinical pharmacology and mechanism of action of zonisamide. AB - Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) suppress seizures by selectively modifying the excitability of neurons and blocking seizure firing with minimal disturbance of nonepileptic activity. All AEDs have been shown to work by at least one of 3 main mechanisms of action: through modulation of voltage-gated ion channels, enhancement of synaptic inhibition, and inhibition of synaptic excitation. Zonisamide is a novel AED that has a broad combination of complementary mechanisms of action, which may offer a clinical advantage over other antiepileptic agents. By altering the fast inactivation threshold of voltage dependent sodium channels, zonisamide reduces sustained high-frequency repetitive firing of action potentials. Zonisamide also inhibits low-threshold T-type calcium channels in neurons, which may prevent the spread of seizure discharge across cells. In addition, zonisamide is a weak inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase. However, this mechanism is not believed to contribute to the antiepileptic activity of zonisamide. Although zonisamide also seems to alter dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine metabolism, it is not clear to what extent these effects on neurotransmitters are involved in the clinical actions of the drug. In addition to these actions, recent evidence suggests that zonisamide may exert neuroprotective actions, independent of its antiepileptic activity. These potential effects may be important in preventing neuronal damage caused by recurrent seizures. Therefore, it seems that the multiple pharmacological actions of zonisamide may contribute to the seizure reductions observed in a wide range of epilepsies and may help to preserve efficacy in individual patients despite possible changes in electrophysiological status. PMID- 17762321 TI - Levetiracetam-responding paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia. AB - We report on a patient with 7-year history of short-lasting paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia. The episodes occurred 100 to 125 times per day, lasted from 5 seconds to 3 minutes, and were not suppressed with sleeping, underlining the heterogeneity of phenomenology in paroxysmal dyskinesias. Neuroimaging studies showed calcifications in the basal ganglia, thalamus, brain stem, and subcortical and cerebellar regions. He was diagnosed with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism. After failure of valproate, he responded well to levetiracetam (1000 mg/d). This report revealed that intracerebral calcifications secondary to hypoparathyroidism could present as paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia, and levetiracetam could be effective in this particular entity. PMID- 17762322 TI - Neuroleptic malignant syndrome due to amisulpride in a patient with solvent induced chronic toxic encephalopathy. PMID- 17762323 TI - Citalopram-induced macropsia. PMID- 17762324 TI - Low-dose topiramate (topamax) in the treatment of essential tremor. PMID- 17762327 TI - Diseases of bones and joints: orthopedic surgery. 1950. PMID- 17762328 TI - Positive pressure in arthrodesis for tuberculosis of the knee joint. 1932. PMID- 17762329 TI - Particle size of fillers affects permeability of polymethylmethacrylate. AB - Particulate soluble filler added to polymethylmethacrylate increases its permeability, leading to increased elution. We asked whether particle size affects permeability and elution rate associated with a given volume fraction of filler. Permeability of filler-loaded PMMA was measured in 9 mm rods with a 32% volume fraction of four particle sizes (106 microm, 212 microm, 425 microm, 850 microm) and two filler materials (sucrose and xylitol) using a modified phenolphthalein-sodium hydroxide technique, which allowed quantitative serial observation on the same specimens. Fluid penetration was faster for larger particle sizes. The elution rate was greater for smaller particle sizes on qualitative visual assessment. Sucrose fillers were not different from xylitol fillers independent of particle size. For the volume fraction of 32%, larger particles lead to larger caliber porosity, less pore interconnectivity, and faster fluid penetration. Smaller size particles lead to smaller caliber porosity, greater pore interconnectivity, smaller areas between the pores with no fluid penetration and greater increase in the effective surface area causing a greater elution rate. PMID- 17762330 TI - Turnbuckle correction of angulation deformities of recent fractures of the long bones. PMID- 17762331 TI - Staging metastasis profile of non-small cell lung cancer: a new paradigm? PMID- 17762332 TI - A seismic shift in staging. PMID- 17762333 TI - Randomized controlled trial of resection versus radiotherapy after induction chemotherapy in stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer. PMID- 17762334 TI - The IASLC Lung Cancer Staging Project: proposals for revision of the M descriptors in the forthcoming (seventh) edition of the TNM classification of lung cancer. AB - PURPOSE: To analyze all nonlymphatic metastatic components (T4 and M1) of the current TNM system of lung cancer, with the objective of providing suggestions for the next edition of the TNM classification for lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data on 100,809 patients were submitted to the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer International Database. Of these, 5592 selected T4M0 and M1 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the analysis. Specific categories of clinically staged T4 (lesions not continuous with the primary tumor) and M1 cases were compared with respect to overall survival using Kaplan Meier survival estimates and comparisons via Cox regression analysis. Relevant findings were validated internally by geographic area and type of database and were validated externally by the North American Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Registries. RESULTS: Median survival for cT4M0 with malignant pleural effusion was significantly worse than that of other cT4M0 patients (8 months versus 13 months) and was more comparable with M1 cases with metastases to the contralateral lung only (10 months). M1 cases with metastases outside the lung/pleura had a significantly poorer prognosis than those with metastases confined to the lung, with a median survival of 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Revisions to the TNM classification system for lung cancer should include grouping cases with malignant pleural effusions and cases with nodules in the contralateral lung in the M1a category, and cases with distant metastases should be designated M1b. In addition, cases with nodule(s) in the ipsilateral lung (nonprimary lobe), currently staged M1, should be reclassified as T4M0, in accordance with the recommendations of the T descriptor subcommittee of the IASLC international staging committee. PMID- 17762335 TI - The IASLC Lung Cancer Staging Project: validation of the proposals for revision of the T, N, and M descriptors and consequent stage groupings in the forthcoming (seventh) edition of the TNM classification of malignant tumours. AB - INTRODUCTION: In 1996, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) launched a worldwide TNM staging project to inform the next edition (seventh) of the TNM lung cancer staging system. In this article, we describe the methods and validation approaches used and discuss the internal and external validity of the recommended changes. METHODS: The International Staging Committee agreed on a number of general principles that guided the decision-making process. Internal validity was addressed by visually assessing the consistency of Kaplan Meier curves across database types, geographic regions and addressing external validity, by assessing the similarity of curves generated using the population based Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results cancer registry data to those generated using the project database. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate hazard ratios between the proposed stage groupings with adjustment for cell type, sex, age, and region. RESULTS: Calls for data by the International Staging Committee resulted in the creation of an international database containing information on more than 100,000 cases. The present work is based on analyses of the 67,725 cases of non-small cell lung cancer. Validation checks were robust, demonstrating that the suggested staging changes are stable within the data sources used and externally. For example, suggested changes based on tumor size were well supported, with statistically significant hazard ratios ranging from 1.14 to 1.51 between adjacent pairs in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results data. CONCLUSIONS: Lung cancer stage definitions have never been subjected to such an intense validation process. We do accept, however, that this work is limited in ways that can only be addressed by a prospective database, which we intend to develop. In the meantime, we think that this new system will greatly improve the usefulness of TNM lung staging across all of its purposes. PMID- 17762336 TI - The IASLC Lung Cancer Staging Project: proposals for the revision of the TNM stage groupings in the forthcoming (seventh) edition of the TNM Classification of malignant tumours. AB - INTRODUCTION: The seventh edition of the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors is due to be published early in 2009. In preparation for this, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer established its Lung Cancer Staging Project in 1998. The recommendations of this committee for changes to the T, N, and M descriptors have been published. This report contains the proposals for the new stage groupings. METHODS: Data were contributed from 46 sources in more than 19 countries. Adequate data were available on 67,725 cases of non-small cell lung cancer treated by all modalities of care between 1990 and 2000. The recommendations for changes to the T, N, and M descriptors were incorporated into TNM subsets. Candidate stage groupings were developed on a training subset and tested in a validation subset. RESULTS: The suggestions include additional cutoffs for tumor size, with tumors >7 cm moving from T2 to T3; reassigning the category given to additional pulmonary nodules in some locations; and reclassifying pleural effusion as an M descriptor. In addition, it is suggested that T2b N0 M0 cases be moved from stage IB to stage IIA, T2a N1 M0 cases from stage IIB to stage IIA, and T4 N0-1 M0 cases from stage IIIB to stage IIIA. CONCLUSIONS: Such changes, if accepted, will involve a reassessment of existing treatment algorithms. However, they are based on an intensive and validated analysis of the largest database to date. The proposed changes would improve the alignment of TNM stage with prognosis and, in certain subsets, with treatment. PMID- 17762337 TI - Schedule-dependent interaction between the proteosome inhibitor bortezomib and the EGFR-TK inhibitor erlotinib in human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. AB - INTRODUCTION: Both erlotinib (E) and bortezomib (B) have shown single-agent activity in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. We studied the combination of these two novel biologic agents in vitro using a panel of non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. METHODS: The growth inhibitory effect of E and B were determined by MTT assay on seven non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. The data obtained from the growth inhibition assay in response to the combination of E and B were subject to isobologram analysis. The effects of each individual drug as well as combination in different sequences on cell cycle and apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Two of seven cell lines are sensitive to E. However, B has narrower range of cytotoxicity. The combination is neither synergistic nor additive in two of four cell lines tested. In H358 bronchoalveolar cell lines, the combination is more active than either agent alone. E causes G1 cell cycle arrest and B causes G2/M cell cycle arrest. In sequential studies, 24-hour previous exposure to E causes G1 arrest and abrogates the cytotoxic effect of B. This is observed in both E-sensitive as well as E resistant cells and is accompanied by an increase in cell survival and a decrease in apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of E and B is neither additive nor synergistic in two of four cell lines tested. In H358 bronchoalveolar cell, the combination is more active than either agent alone. The schedule-dependent antagonistic effect of E pre-exposure was observed. E pre-exposure causes G1 cell cycle arrest and abrogates the activity of B. Further in vivo studies of this combination are warranted. PMID- 17762338 TI - Differences in primary care clinicians' approach to non-small cell lung cancer patients compared with breast cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a disease with a stigma of being primarily self induced. We hypothesize that this negative connotation for patients and physicians could lead to differences in referral patterns, treatment, and, ultimately, poorer outcomes compared with patients with non-self-induced diseases. We conducted a survey of primary care physicians to determine whether treatment and referral patterns of breast cancer patients differed from those of lung cancer patients. METHODS: Case scenarios were mailed to 1132 primary care physicians in Wisconsin. Physicians were randomized to receive one of four scenarios on the basis of cancer type and smoking status. Physicians' referral patterns, length of follow-up, and knowledge about the benefits of chemotherapy were compared. RESULTS: Six hundred seventy-two physicians replied (response rate 59.4%). On the basis of the responses to the clinical scenarios, physicians were less likely to refer patients with advanced lung cancer than patients with advanced breast cancer (p < 0.001). More physicians knew that chemotherapy improved survival in advanced breast cancer than in advanced lung cancer (p = 0.0145). Breast cancer patients were more likely to be referred for further therapy, whereas lung cancer patients were often referred only for symptom control (p = 0.0092). Yet, when asked directly, physicians stated that type of cancer was not a factor in their decisions to refer patients. There were no statistically significant differences between smoking and nonsmoking patients. CONCLUSIONS: There is a difference in referral patterns and a lack of knowledge in the primary care community regarding the benefit of treatment of patients with lung cancer compared with breast cancer patients. PMID- 17762339 TI - High risk of deep vein thrombosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a cohort study of 493 patients. AB - INTRODUCTION: The risk of symptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been well studied. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with NSCLC to determine the incidence of DVT and to characterize predictors of DVT in patients with NSCLC. METHODS: The pulmonary oncology database of the Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital contains prospectively collected clinical data on lung cancer patients since January 1, 1997. We identified all consecutive patients with histologically confirmed new diagnoses of NSCLC between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2004, and we determined the occurrence of an objectively defined DVT. Data on clinical and tumor characteristics were collected and compared among patients with DVT and patients without DVT. RESULTS: Of the 493 NSCLC patients included in the cohort for a total of 634 person-years, 67 (13.6%) patients developed objectively confirmed DVTs, with an incidence of 110 cases (95% confidence interval [CI] 80, 130) per 1000 person-years. An adjusted multivariable regression analysis showed that advanced stage (rate ratio [RR] 2.63, 95% CI 1.38, 5.00) and male sex (RR 1.75, 95% CI 1.03-2.94) were independent predictors of DVT. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show a high incidence of DVT in NSCLC patients. Advanced stage and, to a lesser extent, male sex, are important predictors of DVT. Trials to evaluate the use of prophylactic anticoagulant treatments in patients with NSCLC should be conducted. PMID- 17762340 TI - Early response to platinum-based first-line chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer may predict survival. AB - INTRODUCTION: Response rates in the palliative treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, with combination platinum-based chemotherapy, vary from 20% to 40%, leaving a large number with either stable or progressive disease. We examined radiographic response after two courses of platinum-based induction chemotherapy to see whether this is an early predictor of outcome. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 320 patients with stage III/IV NSCLC were identified who received 4 or more courses of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy and attained partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD). RESULTS: After two courses, 115 patients attained PR and 205 SD. Cox regression analysis shows that response after two courses of chemotherapy remains an independent significant prognostic factor for survival. The 2-year survival for patients attaining PR after two courses (n = 115) was 23% compared with 11% (n = 205) for those with SD (p = 0.002). Patients who achieve an objective response after two courses also have a better symptomatic response (p = 0.003) and it was significantly longer (p = 0.04). Of the 205 with SD, 51 attained PR with four courses, whereas 154 (48%) remained with SD; there was no difference in survival outcome of these two groups. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that NSCLC patients who only have SD after two cycles of first-line chemotherapy have poorer survival outcome and less symptomatic benefit than those in PR. Trials looking at change in management at this point are warranted. PMID- 17762341 TI - Evaluation of the recommended dose and efficacy of amrubicin as second- and third line chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer. AB - INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to evaluate the recommended dose and activity of amrubicin (AMR) as second- or third-line chemotherapy for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). METHODS: Small-cell lung cancer patients with measurable disease who had previously been treated with at least one platinum-based chemotherapy regimen and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2 were eligible. Two groups of patients were selected: (1) a group to be treated with second-line chemotherapy and (2) a group to be treated with third line chemotherapy. AMR was administered to both groups as a 5-minute daily intravenous injection at a dose of 40 or 35 mg/m2 for three consecutive days every 3 weeks. RESULTS: Between March 2003 and June 2006, 27 patients (second line, 40 mg/m2: 13 patients; third-line, 40 mg/m2: seven patients; and 35 mg/m2: seven patients) were enrolled. Although the 40-mg/m2 dose of AMR was feasible (one of 13 patients developed febrile neutropenia and four of 13 patients had grade 4 neutropenia) and effective (six of 13 patients had a partial response) in the second-line group, it produced unacceptable toxicity in a third-line setting (three of seven patients with grade 3 nonhematologic toxicities [febrile neutropenia in two patients and fatigue in one patient] and four of seven patients with grade 4 neutropenia). The 35-mg/m2 dose of AMR had acceptable toxicity in the third-line group (one of seven patients with febrile neutropenia and one of seven had grade 4 neutropenia) and moderate efficacy (one of seven patients had a partial response and two of seven had stable disease). CONCLUSIONS: AMR exhibits significant activity as second-line or third-line chemotherapy for small-cell lung cancer. The recommended dose is 40 mg/m2 in a second-line setting and 35 mg/m2 in a third-line setting. PMID- 17762342 TI - Phase I trial of motexafin gadolinium in combination with docetaxel and cisplatin for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. AB - INTRODUCTION: Motexafin gadolinium is a novel antineoplastic drug that disrupts cancer cell antioxidant systems, thus contributing to cellular death. In patients with lung cancer, motexafin gadolinium has been shown to increase the time to neurologic progression when given in combination with whole-brain radiotherapy in randomized phase III studies. Preclinical data suggest that this drug might also enhance the antineoplastic effects of chemotherapy. METHODS: In this one-arm, open label, phase I, dose-escalation study, we administered docetaxel (75 mg/m2), cisplatin (75 mg/m2), and motexafin gadolinium every 3 weeks to patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Twenty-one patients were treated at one of four motexafin dose levels. RESULTS: The maximal tolerated motexafin dose was 10 mg/kg on day 1 of a 3-week cycle. Dose-limiting toxicities consisted of febrile neutropenia, hypertension, myocardial ischemia, and pneumonitis/pulmonary infiltrates. Other common grade 3-4 adverse events across all cohorts that did not appear to be exacerbated by motexafin gadolinium included granulocytopenia, fatigue, dehydration, nausea, and vomiting. Two episodes of myocardial ischemia and one sudden death of unknown cause were observed. Response rates were partial response (10%), stable disease (60%), and disease progression (30%). CONCLUSIONS: The regimen studied was tolerable and showed activity in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. The recommended doses for future phase II trials are motexafin gadolinium 10 mg/kg, docetaxel 75 mg/m2, and cisplatin 75 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1 every 3 weeks. Caution is advised in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease. PMID- 17762343 TI - Phase I trial of sirolimus combined with radiation and cisplatin in non-small cell lung cancer. AB - PURPOSE: The safety and tolerability of sirolimus combined with thoracic radiation and cisplatin was evaluated in patients with lung cancer. In parallel, the effects of sirolimus were studied in a murine model of radiation pneumonitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The phase I trial evaluated standard three-dimensional conformal thoracic radiation therapy (60 Gy) and weekly cisplatin (25 mg/m2 i.v.) in combination with escalating doses of oral sirolimus. Sirolimus drug levels and inhibition of mTOR signaling to ribosomal S6 protein were assessed in blood. The effects of sirolimus administered during and after whole thoracic radiation of C57BL6/J mice were evaluated by monitoring mouse breathing rates and survival. RESULTS: Seven patients with stage III lung cancer were accrued to the clinical study. None of the four patients treated with 2 mg/day sirolimus developed dose limiting toxicities. Three patients were treated with 5 mg/day sirolimus, and one patient at this dose level had dose-limiting toxicity of grade 3 dysphagia. However, the maximally tolerated dose of sirolimus in this regimen was not defined because the study was terminated prematurely because of loss of funding. In the mouse experiments, concomitant sirolimus treatment was not associated with an increase in radiation-associated morbidity or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy with sirolimus, radiation, and cisplatin was well tolerated in patients. PMID- 17762344 TI - Three cases of long-lasting tumor control with erlotinib after progression with gefitinib in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. AB - INTRODUCTION: We report the cases of three patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer responding to erlotinib after progression under gefitinib treatment. METHODS: Three never-smoker women with advanced lung adenocarcinoma, two pretreated with chemotherapy and with gefitinib and one with gefitinib alone, received erlotinib in a daily dose of 150 mg. All three patients had disease progression and had achieved tumor control with gefitinib. RESULTS: The first patient achieved partial response of lung lesions, the second had partial response of brain lesions and stable disease of lung and bone disease, and the third had partial response of brain lesions and stable disease of lung disease. At the time of this analysis, all three patients were still receiving treatment with erlotinib with no evidence of treatment failure after more than 13, 13, and 7 months, respectively. Erlotinib was generally well tolerated, with grade 1 skin toxicity recorded in two patients. CONCLUSIONS: Erlotinib may be effective in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who were previously and successfully treated with gefitinib. However, careful selection of these patients is needed. PMID- 17762345 TI - Radiation necrosis mimicking progressive brain metastasis in a patient with non small cell lung cancer. PMID- 17762346 TI - Current status of second-line treatment and novel therapies for small cell lung cancer. AB - Despite high response rates to first-line standard treatment, the great majority of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) will relapse and succumb to their disease rather quickly. In the context of salvage therapy, symptom palliation and quality-of-life improvements, besides survival prolongation, are primary treatment endpoints. A variety of single-agent and multi-agent chemotherapy regimens have been tested with limited success in patients with recurrent SCLC. A number of combination regimens have demonstrated high response rates in second line settings, but these can be considered only for patients with good performance status. Treatment outcome depends on many factors, including type of response to first-line therapy, treatment-free interval, and performance status. Currently, topotecan represents an effective, tolerable therapeutic option and is the only agent approved for this indication. The management of patients with recurrent disease remains an area of active research. This review provides an update of clinical research on second-line chemotherapy of SCLC and of recent results obtained with novel molecular targeted approaches in both first- and second-line therapy. PMID- 17762347 TI - Complete resection of an isolated chest wall metastasis from esophageal carcinoma after transhiatal esophagectomy and gastric pull-up at one and a half-year follow up. AB - INTRODUCTION: In esophageal cancer, the liver, lung, and bones are the most common sites of visceral metastases. Isolated chest wall metastases are quite extraordinary and occur very rarely. METHODS: In February 2004, a 59-year-old male patient was admitted with esophageal adenocarcinoma. Preoperative routine staging failed to detect any metastases. A transhiatal esophagectomy and retrosternal gastric pull-up with cervical esophago-gastrostomy were performed. The definitive histopathological staging showed an adenocarcinoma, Union Internationale Contre le Cancer stage I. The first check-up 6 months later consisted of a computed tomographic scan of the neck, thorax, and abdomen as well as endoscopy, and raised no suspicion of distant metastases and/or local recurrence. We detected an isolated subcutaneous tumor at the area of the right ventrolateral chest wall 18 months after surgery. The magnetic resonance tomography scan of the thorax showed a solid subcutaneous expansion. The surgical biopsy of this lesion confirmed the suspicion of an isolated chest wall metastasis of the resected esophageal adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: A complete resection of the metastasis was performed without any complications, and the chest wall deficiency became stabilized using a Prolene-Mesh and could be closed directly by skin and subcutaneous tissue. CONCLUSIONS: In case of transhiatal esophageal resection without operative participation of the chest wall, an isolated thoracic wall metastasis can be explained by an occult widespread dissemination of the tumor cells along the extensive esophageal lymphatic and hematogenous system. The final decision of surgical resection of this chest wall metastasis should always be made by an interdisciplinary tumor board. PMID- 17762348 TI - Subpleural pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma presenting as a solitary pulmonary nodule. AB - We introduce a case of pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma presented as a solitary pulmonary nodule located subpleurally. The patient was a 57-year-old man who had abnormal chest roentgenograms showing a solitary pulmonary nodule in the right lower lung field. The nodule was resected for definitive diagnosis and histopathologically proved to be pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma. In previously reported cases, most patients had ill-defined margins and usually bilateral, multiple lesions radiographically. In our case, the subpleural location is an uncommon location of this rare entity. PMID- 17762349 TI - Report of a case of pericardial mesothelioma with liver metastases responding well to pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy. AB - Pericardial mesothelioma remains a disease with a bleak prognosis. We report the case of a patient with metastases to liver and good response to pemetrexed and carboplatin-based combination chemotherapy and consequent prolonged progression free survival. PMID- 17762350 TI - Molecular diagnostics in advanced NSCLC: trying to maximize a non-ideal situation. PMID- 17762351 TI - Does dehydration impair exercise performance? PMID- 17762352 TI - Exercise-related spontaneous coronary artery dissection: case report and literature review. AB - BACKGROUND: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of acute cardiac events and occurs most frequently in the peripartum period. Coronary artery dissection related to exercise is even more unusual, with only a few cases reported in the literature. We report a case of acute coronary artery dissection related to exercise in a 17-yr-old high school athlete, and we review the available literature on exercise-related coronary dissection. METHODS: We performed a PubMed literature search using the search terms exercise, sports, spontaneous coronary dissection, and athletics. We found seven cases of spontaneous coronary artery dissection that had occurred during intense physical exercise. Vigorous exercise can provoke acute ischemic events, but such events occur primarily in adults with atherosclerotic disease. Many of the cases reported as spontaneous coronary artery dissection are more likely atherosclerotic plaque rupture, in which cases they are not truly spontaneous. Because spontaneous coronary dissection is so rare, there are no available recommendations on how to manage young athletes with this condition. We permitted this athlete to return to limited competition, without data to support either a total restriction or even a limited restriction, with the written understanding that a recurrent event is possible but probably unlikely. In summary, spontaneous coronary artery dissection should be considered in young individuals presenting with exercise-related acute ischemic cardiac events. PMID- 17762353 TI - Flattening of oxygen pulse during exercise may detect extensive myocardial ischemia. AB - PURPOSE: Flattening of oxygen pulse curve during incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing has been proposed for the improvement of diagnostic accuracy of exercise-induced myocardial ischemia. In this study, we compare the oxygen pulse response to incremental treadmill exercise in patients with and without ischemia as detected by myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. METHODS: Eighty-seven patients referred to exercise myocardial perfusion scintigraphy were also evaluated with incremental treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise testing. One investigator prospectively identified patients who presented transient exercise-induced perfusion defects on 99mTc sestamibi myocardial scintigraphies. Another investigator evaluated the response of oxygen pulse to incremental exercise testing without knowledge of electrocardiographic response or scintigraphic findings. RESULTS: Exercise myocardial perfusion scintigraphy detected transient perfusion defects in 36% of the patients. Compared with patients with normal perfusion studies, patients with exercise-induced ischemia presented similar peak double product, peak oxygen uptake, and anaerobic threshold. Oxygen pulse at 25% of peak (ischemia: 9.7 +/- 2 mL per beat; no ischemia: 9.3 +/- 2 mL per beat), 50% of peak (11.2 +/- 3 vs 10.8 +/- 3 mL per beat), 75% of peak (12.5 +/- 3 vs 11.9 +/- 3 mL per beat), and at peak exercise (13 +/- 4 vs 13 +/- 4 mL per beat) were not different in exercise-induced ischemia and normal groups, respectively. However, patients who presented extensive transient perfusion defects during exercise had a lower peak oxygen pulse (12.8 +/- 3.8 vs 16.4 +/- 4.6 mL per beat; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The analysis of the oxygen pulse response to incremental exercise test does not identify mild myocardial ischemia. Flattening of oxygen pulse response during incremental exercise might be present only with extensive myocardial ischemia. PMID- 17762354 TI - Hip strength in collegiate female athletes with patellofemoral pain. AB - PURPOSE: Decreased hip strength has been theorized to contribute to the development of patellofemoral pain. The purpose of this study was to test for strength differences of six hip muscle groups in collegiate female athletes diagnosed with unilateral patellofemoral pain compared with the unaffected leg and noninjured sport-matched controls. METHODS: At four Division III schools, all collegiate female athletes experiencing unilateral patellofemoral pain were recruited during the 2004-2005 academic school year. The athletes were diagnosed with patellofemoral pain by sports medicine-trained family physicians or orthopedic surgeons. Hip strength of six different muscle groups was tested using a handheld dynamometer. The highest value of two trials was used, and strength values were normalized to body weight. The measurements from the injured leg were compared with the uninvolved leg and also with uninjured control subjects matched for sport. RESULTS: Thirteen athletes were diagnosed with unilateral patellofemoral pain. The injured-side hip abductor (P = 0.003) and external rotator muscle groups (P = 0.049) were significantly weaker than the noninjured sides. There were no significant differences in the other hip muscles tested. In addition, the injured legs were significantly weaker in five of the six hip muscle groups compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that hip abductors and external rotators were significantly weaker between the injured and unaffected legs of the injured athletes. In addition, injured collegiate female athletes exhibited global hip weakness compared with age- and sport-matched asymptomatic controls. Screening for hip muscle weakness and adding strengthening exercises to the affected hip muscles may be important factors in managing female athletes with patellofemoral pain. PMID- 17762355 TI - Low physical activity and obesity: causes of chronic disease or simply predictors? AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Many studies have shown associations between risk of morbidity and mortality with both obesity and low physical activity (PA), but association does not imply causality. Moreover, there is an inverse relationship between PA and obesity; therefore, controlling for one of these factors when investigating the risk associated with the other is essential. The purpose of this review is to determine whether low PA and obesity actually cause metabolic dysfunction and chronic disease, especially type 2 diabetes (T2D), rather than simply operating as predictors or markers. METHODS: The case for causality is strengthened if the following two conditions are satisfied: first, that significant associations between obesity or low PA and risk persist after controlling appropriately; and second, that the physiological mechanisms by which obesity or low PA may exert a causal effect are clearly established. The studies examined include those that have used cardiorespiratory (CR) fitness as a surrogate measure for PA, thus also providing evidence for low CR fitness as an independent risk factor in its own right. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Low PA and poor CR fitness are independent predictors of mortality related to type 2 diabetes and chronic disease in general. Together with well-demonstrated mechanisms, there is strong evidence that low PA and low CR fitness are direct, independent causes of metabolic dysfunction and type 2 diabetes. Despite some reports to the contrary, there is evidence that both general and visceral obesity are predictors of mortality and morbidity after controlling for PA. However, in the absence of established mechanisms, evidence is insufficient to conclude that either general or visceral obesity is a direct, independent cause of metabolic dysfunction or type 2 diabetes. PMID- 17762356 TI - A brief review on correlates of physical activity and sedentariness in youth. AB - INTRODUCTION: Better understanding of the correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in youth will support the development of effective interventions that promote a physically active lifestyle and prevent a sedentary lifestyle. The main goal of this systematic review is to summarize and update the existing literature on correlates of young people's physical activity, insufficient physical activity, and sedentary behavior. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted and included studies published between January 1999 and January 2005. RESULTS: The 60 reviewed studies showed that for children (age range 4-12), gender (male), self-efficacy, parental physical activity (for boys), and parent support were positively associated with physical activity. For adolescents (age range 13-18), positive associations with physical activity were found for gender (male), parental education, attitude, self-efficacy, goal orientation/motivation, physical education/school sports, family influences, and friend support. For adolescents, a positive association was found between gender (male) and sedentary behavior, whereas an inverse association was found between gender and insufficient physical activity. Ethnicity (Caucasian), socioeconomic status, and parent education were found to be inversely associated with adolescents' sedentary behaviors. For children, the evidence was insufficient to draw conclusions about correlates of insufficient physical activity and sedentary behavior. CONCLUSION: To gain more insight in the correlates of change in physical activity levels, more prospective studies are needed. Moreover, further research is needed examining the correlates of insufficient physical activity and sedentary behaviors, to develop effective interventions that may help children and adolescents diminish the time they spend on inactive behaviors. PMID- 17762357 TI - Fatness, fitness, and cardiovascular disease risk factors in children and adolescents. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors across four cross-tabulated groups of cardiorespiratory fitness and body fatness in youth. METHODS: Subjects included 860 males and 755 females aged 9-15 yr from the Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey. Participants were cross-tabulated into four groups using percent body fat and estimated maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) to split the groups. CVD risk factors included blood pressure, triglycerides (TG), fasting total cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and TC:HDL-C. RESULTS: In males, significant differences across groups were observed for blood pressure, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, and TC:HDL-C (P < 0.05). In females, significant group differences were observed for blood pressure and HDL-C (P < 0.05). In females, a significant difference was also evident between those in the high-fat/high-fitness group compared with the high-fat/low-fitness group for all blood pressure measures. A general trend of lower blood pressure values for both males and females in the low-fat group compared with the high-fat group was also observed. This same trend was found for males in the blood lipids. There was a linear relationship across groups for the CVD risk score for both genders. There were also significant differences between the low- and high-fat subgroups within a fitness group for both genders. CONCLUSION: The results provide evidence for the consideration of both fatness and fitness when interpreting CVD risk factors in youth, particularly among high fat youth. PMID- 17762358 TI - Physical activity in nonoverweight and overweight Hispanic children and adolescents. AB - BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of childhood obesity among U.S. Hispanic children and adolescents, quantitative, objective data on their patterns and levels of physical activity are scarce. OBJECTIVES: 1) To describe qualitatively the types of physical activities in which nonoverweight and overweight Hispanic children and adolescents participate; 2) to use accelerometry to quantitatively describe the duration, intensity, and frequency of physical activity; 3) to examine the influence of age, gender, and BMI status on physical activity levels; and 4) to determine the relationships between physical activity and adiposity, fitness, and risk for the metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Cross-sectional assessment of physical activity using accelerometers was made for three continuous days in 897 nonoverweight and overweight Hispanic children, ages 4-19 yr. Ancillary measurements included blood pressure, anthropometry, body composition by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, fitness by VO2peak test, and metabolic risk factors, using standard clinical and biochemical methods. RESULTS: Types and levels of physical activity were influenced by age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) status. Total physical activity counts declined markedly with increasing age (P = 0.001) and were consistently higher in boys than in girls (P = 0.001). Total activity counts were lower (P = 0.002) and sedentary activity counts were higher in overweight than in nonoverweight children (P = 0.001). Sleep duration (min.d( 1)) was slightly lower in overweight compared with nonoverweight children, ages 4 8 yr (P = 0.03). Physical activity levels were significantly associated with percent FM, VO2peak, fasting serum insulin, and waist circumference, although the strength of the associations were generally low. CONCLUSION: Efforts should be made to shift the time in sedentary activity to light activity, and to increase the time spent in moderate to vigorous activity in U.S. Hispanic children and adolescents, with special attention given to the overweight, girls, and adolescents. PMID- 17762359 TI - Reliability and validity of the instrument used in BRFSS to assess physical activity. AB - INTRODUCTION: State-level statistics of adherence to the physical activity objectives in Healthy People 2010 are derived from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. BRFSS physical activity questions were updated in 2001 to include domains of leisure time, household, and transportation-related activity of moderate- and vigorous intensity, and walking questions. This article reports the reliability and validity of these questions. METHODS: The BRFSS Physical Activity Study (BPAS) was conducted from September 2000 to May 2001 in Columbia, SC. Sixty participants were followed for 22 d; they answered the physical activity questions three times via telephone, wore a pedometer and accelerometer, and completed a daily physical activity log for 1 wk. Measures for moderate, vigorous, recommended (i.e., met the criteria for moderate or vigorous), and strengthening activities were created according to Healthy People 2010 operational definitions. Reliability and validity were assessed using Cohen's kappa (kappa) and Pearson correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Seventy three percent of participants met the recommended activity criteria compared with 45% in the total U.S. population. Test-retest reliability (kappa) was 0.35-0.53 for moderate activity, 0.80-0.86 for vigorous activity, 0.67-0.84 for recommended activity, and 0.85-0.92 for strengthening. Validity (kappa) of the survey (using the accelerometer as the standard) was 0.17-0.22 for recommended activity. Validity (kappa) of the survey (using the physical activity log as the standard) was 0.40-0.52 for recommended activity. CONCLUSIONS: The validity and reliability of the BRFSS physical activity questions suggests that this instrument can classify groups of adults into the levels of recommended and vigorous activity as defined by Healthy People 2010. Repeated administration of these questions over time will help to identify trends in physical activity. PMID- 17762360 TI - Impact of repetition number on muscle performance and histological response. AB - Skeletal muscle injury is major concern in sport- and occupation-related fields. PURPOSE: We investigated the effects of increasing stretch-shortening contraction (SSC) repetition number in vivo and the resulting changes in functional performance and quantitative morphometry in rat skeletal muscle. METHODS: Functional testing was performed on the ankle dorsiflexor muscles of Sprague Dawley rats, which were randomly exposed to 30 SSC, 70 SSC, 150 SSC, or 15 isometric contractions of equal duration. Changes in functional performance and muscle morphometry were assessed at 48 h after exposure. Stereology was used to quantify the volume density of degenerative myofibers and normal myofibers in the tibialis anterior muscle from each group, as well as measures of inflammation and swelling and changes in the interstitial space. RESULTS: At 48 h there was a significant decline in isometric force for the 70- and 150-SSC groups (P < 0.05 and P < 0.05, respectively). Stereological measures indicated significant decreases in the percentage of volume density of normal myofibers in the 70- and 150-SSC groups (P < 0.05). Measures for percentage of volume density of degenerative myofibers and inflammation were increased (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.05, respectively) in the 70- and 150-SSC groups. Moreover, a significant increase in the percentage of volume density of degenerative myofibers in the 150-SSC group compared with the 70-SSC group was observed (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These data strongly suggest that exposure to increasing SSC repetitions results in increased functional decrements and morphometric indices of myofiber degeneration and inflammation, and that there is an apparent threshold (repetition number) at which this occurs. PMID- 17762361 TI - The effect of the estimated innervation zone on EMG amplitude and center frequency. AB - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of electrode placement over the estimated innervation zone (IZ) for the vastus lateralis, as well as proximal and distal to the estimated IZ, on the isometric torque-related patterns for electromyographic (EMG) amplitude and mean power frequency (MPF). METHODS: Eleven men performed submaximal to maximal isometric muscle actions of the dominant leg extensors. Surface EMG signals were recorded simultaneously from the vastus lateralis muscle with bipolar electrode arrangements placed over the estimated IZ, as well as proximally and distally to the estimated IZ. RESULTS: The results indicate that the patterns of response and mean values for absolute and normalized EMG amplitude and MPF versus isometric torque over the estimated IZ were not consistently different from those away from the IZ. There were, however, mean differences among electrode-placement sites for absolute EMG amplitude values (distal site > proximal and/or estimated IZ sites by approximately 76 microVrms) that were not eliminated with normalization (proximal site > distal and/or estimated IZ sites by approximately 5% max). CONCLUSION: Although these differences were not attributable to the IZ, they suggest that during isometric muscle actions, normalized EMG amplitude values from different individuals cannot be compared if the EMG signals are detected from different electrode locations over the muscle of interest. PMID- 17762362 TI - Effect of explosive versus slow contractions and exercise intensity on energy expenditure. AB - OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this study was to compare the effects of explosive versus slow contractions on the rate of energy expenditure during and after resistance exercise. METHODS: Nine men (20 +/- 2.5 yr) performed three exercise protocols using a plate-loaded squat machine, and a no-exercise (CONTROL) session in a randomly assigned, counterbalanced order. Subjects performed squats using either two second (SLOW) or explosive concentric contractions (EXPL), but identical repetitions (8), sets (4), and loads (60% 1RM). A secondary objective was to compare high- versus moderate-intensity exercise. Thus, a third protocol was performed that also used explosive contractions, with heavier loads (80% 1RM) and six sets of four reps (HEAVYEXPL). Eccentric reps (2 s), work (reps x sets x load), range of motion, and rest intervals between sets (90 s) were identical among all three protocols. Expired air was collected continuously for 20 min before, during, and 1 h after exercise and for about 1.5 h during CONTROL. Blood samples (25 microL) were collected before, immediately after, and 15, 30, 45, and 60 min after each protocol, and these samples were analyzed for blood lactate (mM). RESULTS: Average rates of energy expenditure (kcal.min) were significantly greater (P 6.43 +/- 1.64 and 6.25 +/- 1.55, respectively) and after (2.54 +/- 1.44 > 2.38 +/- 1.31 and 2.21 +/- 1.08, respectively) EXPL compared with SLOW and HEAVYEXPL, despite significantly (P or=90 min after the same interval session. CONCLUSIONS: In the highly trained endurance athlete, exercise for or=13% of body mass), IGF-I and cortisol correlate more closely with soft tissue tissue adaptations than does testosterone. PMID- 17762373 TI - The sensory psychobiology of thirst and salt appetite. AB - Thirst and the hunger for sodium containing fluids and food (i.e., sodium appetite) are the consequences of the generation of unique central nervous system states. Altered body fluid homeostasis produces sensory and perceptional changes that arise from signals generated in the body that serve as indices of body fluid balance and distribution. These signaling mechanisms activate networks of brain neurons that use specific neurochemicals to communicate between cells and process information. The brain integrates information derived from various bodily sources so that thirst and sodium appetite are in a true sense the synthetic products of the nervous system. In recent years much has been learned about the stimuli and receptor systems involved in signaling the brain to reflect the status of bodily fluids and about the central neural substrates that process such inputs to generate thirst and sodium appetite. Knowledge about the sensory nature of thirst and sodium appetite provides a basis for understanding the biological constraints under which thirst and sodium appetite operate. This information is important for appreciating the extent to which thirst and sodium appetite motivational states and behaviors can be relied on to maintain and repair disruptions of body fluid homeostasis. PMID- 17762374 TI - The impact of resistance exercise on the cognitive function of the elderly. AB - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of 24 wk of resistance training at two different intensities on cognitive functions in the elderly. METHODS: Sixty-two elderly individuals were randomly assigned to three groups: CONTROL (N = 23), experimental moderate (EMODERATE; N = 19), and experimental high (EHIGH; N = 20). The volunteers were assessed on physical, hemodynamic, cognitive, and mood parameters before and after the program. RESULTS: On the 1 RM test (P < 0.001), the two experimental groups performed better than the CONTROL group, but they did not show differences between themselves. The EHIGH group gained more lean mass (P = 0.05) than the CONTROL group and performed better on the following tests: digit span forward (P < 0.001), Corsi's block-tapping task backward (P = 0.001), similarities (P = 0.03), Rey-Osterrieth complex figure immediate recall (P = 0.02), Toulouse-Pieron concentration test errors (P = 0.01), SF-36 (general health) (P = 0.04), POMS (tension-anxiety, P = 0.04; depression-dejection, P = 0.03; and total mood disorder, P = 0.03). The EMODERATE group scored higher means than the CONTROL group on digit span forward (P < 0.001), Corsi's block-tapping task backward (P = 0.01), similarities (P = 0.02), Rey-Osterrieth complex figure immediate recall (P = 0.02), SF-36 (general health, P = 0.005; vitality, P = 0.006), POMS (tension anxiety, P = 0.001; depression-dejection, P = 0.006; anger-hostility, P = 0.006; fatigue-inertia, P = 0.02; confusion-bewilderment, P = 0.02; and total mood disorder, P = 0.001). We also found that IGF-1 serum levels were higher in the experimental groups (EMODERATE, P = 0.02; EHIGH, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Moderate- and high-intensity resistance exercise programs had equally beneficial effects on cognitive functioning. PMID- 17762375 TI - The unique relation of physical activity to executive function in older men and women. AB - PURPOSE: To determine whether physical activity participation was specifically and positively associated with executive function in older individuals after accounting for age, education, and IQ. METHODS: Participants were 120 healthy men (N = 38) and women (N = 82) aged 65-92 yr (mean = 78.9, SD = 5.8), who were free of depression and dementia (Beck Depression Inventory and Mini-Mental Status Exam, respectively), had above-average intelligence (mean = 118.1, SD = 9.4) as indexed by the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT), and stable patterns of physical activity during a 3- to 5-yr period before the study. Participants completed the Yale Physical Activity Survey (YPAS) for older adults and the Stroop Color and Word Test to assess inhibitory executive function. RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that YPAS summary index scores explained a small, but significant amount of variance in Stroop color-word and interference scores (DeltaR2 = 2 and 4%, respectively) after accounting for intelligence and age. The YPAS index was unrelated to nonexecutive performance. CONCLUSIONS: The results support specificity of the physical activity/cognition relationship in older individuals. The results may be explained by additive benefit from participation in physical activity to the frontal lobe (i.e., beyond any benefits from cognitive stimulation), a region that mediates executive function and experiences accelerated age-related decline. In summary, habitual physical activity is positively related to executive performance in older men and women into the 10th decade. PMID- 17762376 TI - Affective responses to exercise are dependent on intensity rather than total work. AB - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to compare affective responses for two bouts of cycle ergometry with differing duration and intensity, but equal total work in kilocalories. METHODS: Thirty-seven participants (20 male, 17 female, mean age 23.9 yr) completed a multistage cycle ergometer protocol to determine ventilatory threshold (VT) and peak oxygen consumption (mean = 34.9 mL.kg( 1).min(-1)). Two cycling trials were prescribed: 30 min at 85% of VT (50.1% VO2 reserve) and an average of 24 min at 105% of VT (64.7% VO2 reserve). The length of the 105% of VT bout was adjusted to yield equal total work in each exercise trial. RESULTS: Using repeated-measures ANOVA, heart rate and exertion were significantly higher, and affective valence was significantly less positive (P < 0.01) for the higher-intensity, shorter-duration bout, with no differences in felt arousal (P > 0.05). Additionally, affective valence became less positive during the higher-intensity bout (P < 0.01) but not the lower-intensity bout (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: These data extend previous findings by showing that the decline in ratings of pleasure during higher-intensity exercise is not dependent on differences in total caloric expenditure. Additionally, results from this study support continued promotion of prescriptions that focus on exercise intensity that does not exceed the VT. PMID- 17762377 TI - Physical activity and public health: updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. AB - SUMMARY: In 1995 the American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published national guidelines on Physical Activity and Public Health. The Committee on Exercise and Cardiac Rehabilitation of the American Heart Association endorsed and supported these recommendations. The purpose of the present report is to update and clarify the 1995 recommendations on the types and amounts of physical activity needed by healthy adults to improve and maintain health. Development of this document was by an expert panel of scientists, including physicians, epidemiologists, exercise scientists, and public health specialists. This panel reviewed advances in pertinent physiologic, epidemiologic, and clinical scientific data, including primary research articles and reviews published since the original recommendation was issued in 1995. Issues considered by the panel included new scientific evidence relating physical activity to health, physical activity recommendations by various organizations in the interim, and communications issues. Key points related to updating the physical activity recommendation were outlined and writing groups were formed. A draft manuscript was prepared and circulated for review to the expert panel as well as to outside experts. Comments were integrated into the final recommendation. PRIMARY RECOMMENDATION: To promote and maintain health, all healthy adults aged 18 to 65 yr need moderate-intensity aerobic (endurance) physical activity for a minimum of 30 min on five days each week or vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 20 min on three days each week. [I (A)] Combinations of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity can be performed to meet this recommendation. [IIa (B)] For example, a person can meet the recommendation by walking briskly for 30 min twice during the week and then jogging for 20 min on two other days. Moderate-intensity aerobic activity, which is generally equivalent to a brisk walk and noticeably accelerates the heart rate, can be accumulated toward the 30-min minimum by performing bouts each lasting 10 or more minutes. [I (B)] Vigorous-intensity activity is exemplified by jogging, and causes rapid breathing and a substantial increase in heart rate. In addition, every adult should perform activities that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance a minimum of two days each week. [IIa (A)] Because of the dose-response relation between physical activity and health, persons who wish to further improve their personal fitness, reduce their risk for chronic diseases and disabilities or prevent unhealthy weight gain may benefit by exceeding the minimum recommended amounts of physical activity. [I (A)]. PMID- 17762378 TI - Physical activity and public health in older adults: recommendation from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. AB - OBJECTIVE: To issue a recommendation on the types and amounts of physical activity needed to improve and maintain health in older adults. PARTICIPANTS: A panel of scientists with expertise in public health, behavioral science, epidemiology, exercise science, medicine, and gerontology. EVIDENCE: The expert panel reviewed existing consensus statements and relevant evidence from primary research articles and reviews of the literature. PROCESS: After drafting a recommendation for the older adult population and reviewing drafts of the Updated Recommendation from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) for Adults, the panel issued a final recommendation on physical activity for older adults. SUMMARY: The recommendation for older adults is similar to the updated ACSM/AHA recommendation for adults, but has several important differences including: the recommended intensity of aerobic activity takes into account the older adult's aerobic fitness; activities that maintain or increase flexibility are recommended; and balance exercises are recommended for older adults at risk of falls. In addition, older adults should have an activity plan for achieving recommended physical activity that integrates preventive and therapeutic recommendations. The promotion of physical activity in older adults should emphasize moderate-intensity aerobic activity, muscle strengthening activity, reducing sedentary behavior, and risk management. PMID- 17762379 TI - Osteoradiology magnetic resonance imaging. PMID- 17762380 TI - Role of magnetic resonance imaging in musculoskeletal trauma. AB - The unique ability of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to visualize injuries of bone, cartilage, bone marrow, and supporting soft tissue structure makes it ideally suited for the evaluation of musculoskeletal trauma. Magnetic resonance imaging also offers exquisitely detailed anatomical information on the musculoskeletal system. The widespread availability of MR imaging and the constantly improving technology make it the imaging modality of choice for the patients with a musculoskeletal trauma. This review discusses the role and applications of MR imaging for musculoskeletal trauma. It covers traumatic conditions of the musculoskeletal system, including hemarthrosis, lipohemarthrosis, stress fracture, occult fractures, cartilage injuries, the muscle and tendon trauma, avulsion injuries, extensor mechanism injuries, and traumatic conditions of joints. PMID- 17762381 TI - The role of magnetic resonance imaging in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. AB - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common disease that affects 1% of the population. With the advent of disease-modifying therapies, it became particularly important to detect RA as early as possible. In this article, we discuss the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the imaging of early RA. Imaging of soft tissues manifestations, which precede the development of osseous erosions, is discussed. We also review the role of MRI in establishing correct diagnosis in cases of arthritis, which do not demonstrate classical clinical presentation. The role of MRI in the follow-up of RA is addressed. PMID- 17762382 TI - Magnetic resonance imaging of appendicular musculoskeletal infection. AB - Appendicular skeletal infection includes osseous and extraosseous infections. Skeletal infection needs early diagnosis and appropriate management to prevent long-term morbidity. Magnetic resonance imaging is the best imaging modality to diagnose skeletal infection early in most circumstances. This article describes the role of magnetic resonance imaging in relation to the other available imaging modalities in the diagnosis of skeletal infection. Special circumstances such as diabetic foot, postoperative infection, and chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis are discussed separately. PMID- 17762383 TI - Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography-computed tomography in oncology. AB - The advent of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) and whole body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) has introduced tumor imaging with a systemic and functional approach compared with established sequential, multimodal diagnostic algorithms.Whole-body PET with [18F]-fluoro-2-desoxy-glucose is a useful imaging procedure for tumor staging and monitoring that can visualize active tumor tissue by detecting pathological glucose metabolism. The combination of PET with the detailed anatomical information of multislice computed tomography as dual-modality scanners has markedly increased lesion localization and diagnostic accuracy compared with both modalities as standalone applications.Hardware innovations, such as the introduction of multi-receiver channel whole-body MRI scanners at 1.5 and, recently, 3 T, combined with acquisition acceleration techniques, have made high-resolution WB-MRI clinically feasible. Now, a dedicated assessment of individual organs with various soft tissue contrast, spatial resolution, and contrast media dynamics can be combined with whole-body anatomical coverage in a multiplanar imaging approach. More flexible protocols (eg, T1-weighted turbo spin-echo and short inversion recovery imaging, dedicated lung imaging or dynamic contrast-enhanced studies of the abdomen) can be performed within 45 minutes.Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging has recently been proposed for tumor screening of asymptomatic individuals, and potentially life-changing diagnoses, such as formerly unknown malignancy, have been reported. However, larger patient cohort studies will have to show the cost efficiency and the clinical effectiveness of such an approach.For initial tumor staging, PET-CT has proved more accurate for the definition of T-stage and lymph node assessment, mainly because of the missing metabolic information in WB-MRI. However, new applications, such as magnetic resonance whole-body diffusion weighted imaging or lymphotropic contrast agents, may significantly increase sensitivity in near future. Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging has shown advantages for the detection of distant metastatic disease, especially from tumors frequently spreading to the liver or brain and as a whole-body bone marrow screening application. Within this context, WB-MRI is highly accurate for the detection of skeletal metastases and staging of multiple myeloma. This article summarizes recent developments of CT/PET-CT and WB-MRI and highlights their performance within the scope of systemic oncological imaging. PMID- 17762384 TI - Diffusion weighted imaging in osteoradiology. AB - Diffusion weighted imaging gained attention as an imaging modality, which provides information on the microstructure of a tissue, which can be used for tissue characterization. This is of importance in patients where other diagnostic tools provide equivocal or unspecific information. In addition quantitative diffusion measurements provide objective parameters for unbiased comparison of treatment response, which is mandatory for therapy monitoring. Technical restriction limited the use of Diffusion Weighted Imaging to the brain. However, with the improvement in scanner technology and the availability of new MR sequences investigation of the Muskulo Skeletal System was made possible. We describe the potential of Diffusion Weighted Imaging as a non-invasive technique to evaluate pathological, inflammatory and physiological processes in osteoradiology. PMID- 17762385 TI - Magnetic resonance imaging of spinal infection. AB - This article reviews the pathophysiology of spinal infection and its relevance for imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the modality with by far the best sensitivity and specificity for spinal infection. The imaging appearances of spinal infection in MRI are outlined, and imaging techniques are discussed. The problems of clinical diagnosis are outlined. There is some emphasis on the MRI differentiation of pyogenic and nonpyogenic infection and on the differential diagnosis of spinal infection centered on the imaging presentation. PMID- 17762386 TI - Hypercalcemia in patients in the burn intensive care unit. AB - Although patients with burns are known to develop hypocalcemia, the development of hypercalcemia has also been reported in a few patients in the burn intensive care unit. Here, the incidence of hypercalcemia in the burn unit of a single institution is reviewed. The records of all patients admitted to the burn intensive care unit over a period of 4 years of a single institution were reviewed. When looking at a select group of burn patients who have been hospitalized for more than 4 weeks, an unusually high incidence of hypercalcemia was found, especially in patients with renal failure (because of decreased renal clearance, patients with renal failure are prone to hypercalcemia if another inciting factor is present). As previously reported, the hypercalcemia in our patients was consistent with hypercalcemia caused by immobilization. We also observed that mortality correlated with higher calcium levels. PMID- 17762387 TI - National study of Emergency Department visits for burn injuries, 1993 to 2004. AB - No studies have examined U.S. burn epidemiology from the perspective of the Emergency Department. We sought to describe patient characteristics, injury types, and Emergency Department practice patterns. Data were collected from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey between 1993 and 2004. Emergency Department visit rates for burn injury decreased from 1993 to 2004 with a peak of 2.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.1-3.4) per 1000 U.S. population in 1995 and a nadir of 1.6 (95% CI 1.2-2.0) per 1000 in 2004. The Emergency Department visit rate for burn injuries was greater for men than women (2.7 [95% CI 2.4-3.0] vs 1.8 [95% CI 1.6-2.0] per 1000) and for black than white subjects (3.4 [95% CI 2.8 3.9] vs 2.1 [95%CI 1.9-2.3] per 1000), though all these groups showed decreases. Emergency Department visit rates for burns were greatest in the first and third decades (3.3 [95% CI 2.8-3.7] and 3.5 [95% CI 3.0-4.0] per 1000, respectively) and decreased thereafter. The upper extremity was the most commonly burned part of the body (37% of total) and most burns of specified depth were partial thickness (48% of total). Less than half of patients received analgesics (47%) or topical antibiotics (38%). Emergency Department visits for burns are declining, but rates remain high in men, black individuals, and children. Burn-prevention efforts should target these groups. Upper-extremity and partial-thickness injuries are common, and less than half of patients receive analgesics or topical antibiotics. Collaboration between burn specialists and Emergency Department personnel should focus on the care of these types of injuries. PMID- 17762388 TI - Invited critique: national study of emergency department visits for burn injuries, 1993 to 2004. PMID- 17762389 TI - Fluid creep. PMID- 17762390 TI - New chemotherapy options for the treatment of malignant gliomas. AB - This review focuses on the recent advances in chemotherapy of malignant gliomas, with special emphasis on the most common primary brain tumor in adults, glioblastoma. The demonstration of the superiority of concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide with standard radiotherapy over radiotherapy alone in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastomas by means of phase III international trial has been the major advance in the care of these patients so far. Moreover, patients whose tumors display the hypermethylation of the promoter of the gene for the repairing enzyme O-methylguanine-DMA methyltransferase are most likely to benefit from the combination regimen. The advantage of a postsurgical local administration of carmustine by slow-release polymers ('gliadel wafers') is more modest, and the efficacy and safety of a sequence of carmustine wafers followed by temozolomide combined with radiotherapy remain to be defined. Different DNA repair modulation strategies are being investigated to further improve the results: dose-dense regimens of temozolomide, combination of temozolomide with specific inhibitors of O-methylguanine-DMA methyltransferase and combination of temozolomide with specific inhibitors of base excision repair [poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors]. Other developments include the combination of cytotoxic, cytostatic and targeted therapies. Multitargeted compounds that simultaneously affect multiple signaling pathways, such as those involving epidermal growth factor receptor, platelet-derived growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, are increasingly employed. In the future, innovative trial designs (factorial and adaptative designs), pretreatment molecular profiling of individual tumors and the adoption of biological end-points (changes in serum tumor markers, measures of target inhibition), in addition to the traditional clinical and radiographic end-points, will be needed to achieve further advances. PMID- 17762391 TI - Establishment and gene analysis of an oxaliplatin-resistant colon cancer cell line THC8307/L-OHP. AB - Oxaliplatin is widely used for chemotherapy of several malignancies, especially of colon cancer. As the mechanism of resistance to oxaliplatin is unclear, we established an oxaliplatin-resistant cell line, THC8307/L-OHP, from an oxaliplatin-sensitive colonic cancer cell line, THC8307. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2 yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium assay indicated that THC8307/L-OHP has 30.99-fold greater resistance to oxaliplatin than THC8307. Analyzing its gene expression profile using an in-house oligomicroarray, a number of genes were differentially expressed in the THC8307/L-OHP cells, compared with parental cells (THC8307). Proapoptotic genes such as STK17A and BNIP3 were significantly downregulated, whereas the genes PSAP and GDIA1, which were involved in antiapoptosis, were overexpressed. Moreover, the THC8307/L-OHP cells are also resistant to the other anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil, and the expression levels of the differentially regulated genes such as S100P, CAeta, STA15, TCF8 are constantly maintained. These results provide clues for understanding the oxaliplatin-resistant mechanisms and imply markers to predict drug sensitivities for 'personalized chemotherapy'. PMID- 17762392 TI - Combination of SK-7041, one of novel histone deacetylase inhibitors, and STI571 induced synergistic apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukemia. AB - Although STI571 still plays a key role in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia, emergence of resistance to STI571 is a major obstacle to successful outcome. Therefore, new agents that increase the sensitivity of chronic myeloid leukemia cells to STI571 are urgently required. SK-7041 is a novel hybrid synthetic histone deacetylase inhibitor derived from the hydroxamic acid of trichostatin A and pyridyl ring of MS-275. Its cytotoxic effects were examined both as a single agent and in combination with STI571 in acute and chronic myeloid leukemia. SK-7041 exhibited growth inhibition of leukemia cells by downregulation of CDK4, cyclin E and cyclin B1 expression, and by upregulation of p21 expression with subsequent activation of the mitochondria-mediated caspase pathway. SK-7041 showed synergism on growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukemia (K562) when combined with STI571. The synergistic effect was mediated through the same mechanism as in SK 7041 alone, involving reduction of cyclin D1 and induction of p21. Taken together, our findings suggest that SK-7041 is active against leukemia and offers new prospects for overcoming STI571 resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia. PMID- 17762393 TI - Genistein-induced apoptosis of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells involves calpain caspase and apoptosis signaling kinase 1-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation cascades. AB - The molecular mechanisms of genistein-induced apoptosis of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells were investigated. Genistein showed 50% cell growth inhibition at IC50=27.5+/-0.8 micromol/l in 24 h incubation under 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) 2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay conditions. Genistein is known to express both cell growth activity at nanomolar concentrations and anti-cell growth activity at micromolar concentrations. It was found that genistein at 100 micromol/l concentration effectively induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells in 24 h. Genistein-induced apoptosis involved activation of calpain, caspase 7 and poly(ADP ribose) polymerase. Dantrolene, an inhibitor of Ca release from the endoplasmic reticulum, inhibited genistein-induced activation of calpain and caspase 7, in addition to effectively negating genistein-induced apoptosis. MCF-7 cells treated with genistein also showed increased phosphorylation of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase, whereas no effect was observed for extracellular signal regulating kinase 1/2. Phosphorylation of apoptosis signaling kinase 1, an upstream regulator of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, was also increased by genistein treatment. Genistein-induced phosphorylation of apoptosis signaling kinase 1 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase was diminished by the presence of dantrolene. These results suggest that genistein-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells is mediated through calpain-caspase 7 and apoptosis signaling kinase 1-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation cascades that involve Ca release from the endoplasmic reticulum. PMID- 17762394 TI - The cisplatin-irradiation combination suggests that apoptosis is not a major determinant of clonogenic death. AB - It is commonly believed that tumor cells treated with anticancer agents, chemotherapy and/or radiation, die by apoptosis and that tumors which do not undergo apoptosis are resistant to treatment. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis underlying cisplatin cytotoxicity in the murine teratocarcinoma F9 cell line to see whether irradiation enhances cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. We compared the apoptosis induced by chemo and/or radiotherapy with other cellular effects such as cell survival, clonogenic capability, cell cycle perturbation, expression of p53 and p53-related mRNAs, and necrosis. When combined with radiation, a clear additive cytotoxic effect of cisplatin was demonstrated. We found that both cisplatin and radiation induced cell death, but the level of induced apoptosis was low and there was no correlation with the results of the clonogenic assays: we noted a difference between cytotoxic effects in the clonogenic assay and the extent of apoptosis by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis, suggesting that cell killing reflected not only apoptosis but also cell cycle arrest, and that apoptosis, cell kinetics and clonogenicity suppression were independent processes. PMID- 17762395 TI - Ukrain modulates glial fibrillary acidic protein, but not connexin 43 expression, and induces apoptosis in human cultured glioblastoma cells. AB - Glioblastoma is a highly malignant tumor, characterized by an unfavorable prognosis even in response to multidisciplinary treatment strategies, owing to its high-invasive phenotype. Ukrain, a semisynthetic thiophosphoric acid derivative of the purified alkaloid chelidonine, has been used in the therapy of several solid tumors, but little is known about its effect on glioblastoma and, in general, about the molecular mechanisms responsible for its effects. In particular, we previously demonstrated that Ukrain modulates the expression of genes and proteins involved in tumor invasion, and here we investigate some unreported effects of Ukrain on human cultured glioblastoma cells. We used morphological and molecular biology methods to analyze the expression and the intracellular distribution pattern of glial fibrillary acidic protein, the expression of the gap junction protein connexin 43 and the apoptotic effect in human glioblastoma cells treated with 0.1, 1 and 10 micromol/l Ukrain for 72 h. After treatment with 10 micromol/l Ukrain, glial fibrillary acidic protein fluorescence increased and a higher number of cells displayed glial fibrillary acidic protein organized into a filamentous state. Western blot analysis of glial fibrillary acidic protein confirmed that Ukrain tended to upregulate the protein. Connexin 43 was not modulated by Ukrain both at the mRNA and at the protein level. Ukrain-induced apoptotic rate was 4.63, 10.9 and 28.9% after 0.1, 1 and 10 micromol/l Ukrain, respectively, likely mediated by cytochrome c release in the cytoplasm. Considered as a whole, these findings provide new information to complete the understanding of the mechanisms of Ukrain antitumor and chemopreventive effect, and support the possible potential of Ukrain for the therapy of brain tumors. PMID- 17762396 TI - Antitumor effects and drug interactions of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (PS341) in gastric cancer cells. AB - The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (PS341) inhibits the function of the 26S proteasome and has been extensively investigated in the clinical setting of hematologic malignancies. Remarkable efficacy has been reported in the treatment of multiple myeloma, but there have been few studies of its use in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancy, especially gastric cancer. Here, we demonstrate its efficacy, both alone and in combination with other cytotoxic agents, in gastric cancer cell lines. The human gastric cancer cell lines AZ521, MKN45 and NUGC3 were used as experimental models. Bortezomib produced significant growth inhibition in these cells (mean IC50 values: 1.26, 9.44 and 8.63 micromol/l, respectively) and was also observed to decrease the activity of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and Akt signal pathways, increasing the accumulation of p21. Cell-cycle analysis revealed that a low concentration of bortezomib (10 100 nmol/l) increased accumulation in the G1 phase. Moreover, bortezomib showed synergistic growth inhibition in combination with the conventional cytotoxic agents 5-fluorouracil, paclitaxel, doxorubicin and SN-38, and also downregulates the activity of nuclear factor -kappaB, which is induced by these agents. Our results demonstrate that bortezomib could be an effective antitumor agent in the treatment of gastric cancer, both as single-agent therapy and in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic agents. PMID- 17762397 TI - Weekly epirubicin and paclitaxel with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support in previously untreated metastatic breast cancer patients: a phase II study. AB - We conducted a phase II study to determine the activity and tolerability of weekly epirubicin-paclitaxel and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in breast cancer patients untreated for metastatic disease. The phase II study was designed following the Simon optimal-two stage method. Patients received epirubicin 25 mg/m and paclitaxel 80 mg/m every week, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on days 2 and 4 for 24 consecutive weeks in the absence of progression. From 1999 to 2004, 53 patients entered the study; 1093 weekly courses were delivered, with a median number of cycles of 22. Patients received a median relative dose intensity of 94%. No hematological grade 3-4 toxicities were observed. One patient had one episode of grade 3 mucositis and two patients (3.8%) suffered grade 2 asthenia. Eight patients (15.1%) experienced grade 2 neutropenia, grade 2 anemia was registered in seven patients (13.2%). No cardiotoxicity was observed. Ten out of 53 patients (18.9, 95% confidence interval 8.3, 29.4%) showed a complete response, whereas 28 (52.8, 95% confidence interval 39.4, 66.3%) had a partial response, with an overall response rate of 71.7% (95% confidence interval 59.6, 83.8%). In addition, 14 patients (26.4%) had stable disease. Median time to progression was 12 months (95% confidence interval 7, 17). Median response duration was 14 months (range 3-60). The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 90.1, 68.0 and 56.6%, respectively. In untreated metastatic breast cancer patients, the weekly administration of epirubicin and paclitaxel with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support seems to be extremely tolerable and active, and deserves further investigation into a phase III trial. PMID- 17762398 TI - Distribution of the UGT1A1*28 polymorphism in Caucasian and Asian populations in the US: a genomic analysis of 138 healthy individuals. AB - The hepatic isoform 1A1 of uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase is responsible for glucuronidation and detoxification of SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan. The presence of an additional TA repeat in the TATA sequence of the UGT1A1 promoter leads to a significant decrease in SN-38 glucuronidation. Patients with the UGT1A1 (TA)7 allele are more likely to experience severe neutropenia and diarrhea following irinotecan chemotherapy. We assessed the distribution of the UGT1A1 (TA)n polymorphism in healthy male and female US residents of European and Asian descent. We used a fluorescent polymerase chain reaction-based assay to detect UGT1A1 (TA)n polymorphisms in 138 healthy volunteers (56 Caucasians, 37 Chinese, 37 Filipino and eight Japanese) between the ages of 18 and 65 years. The chi-test was used to assess between group differences in the distribution of UGT1A1 (TA)n genotypes. The UGT1A1 (TA)6/6 genotype was significantly more common in Asians than in Caucasians (76 vs. 46%), whereas the (TA)6/7 (39 vs. 20%) and (TA)7/7 (13 vs. 5%) genotypes were more common in Caucasians than in Asians. Genotype distributions did not differ significantly between men and women in either group. The UGT1A1 (TA)5/5 genotype was detected in one Caucasian woman. In conclusion, consistent with previous reports, the UGT1A1 (TA)7/7 genotype was significantly more common in Caucasians than in Asians. UGT1A1 (TA)n/n genotype distribution did not vary with sex in individuals of European or Asian descent. PMID- 17762399 TI - A pilot study of bendamustine in advanced bile duct cancer. AB - We performed a pilot study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of bendamustine in patients with advanced hilar bile duct cancer and impaired liver function. Six patients with histologically proven, unresectable adenocarcinoma of the hilar bile duct were treated with bendamustine 140 mg/m intravenously on day 1 of the first cycle and with bendamustine 100 mg/m on days 1 and 2 of the second to fourth cycle. Treatment cycles were repeated every 21 days. Primary endpoint was the safety and tolerability of the treatment; secondary endpoints were response rate, time to progression and overall survival. Transient lymphopenia grade 3 occurred in all six patients. No other grade 3 or 4 toxicities were present. The most common nonhematologic toxicity was mouth dryness grade 2 in six patients. Three patients had stable disease. No partial or complete responses were observed. Median time to progression was 3.3 months; median overall survival was 6 months. Our study demonstrates that bendamustine can be safely administered in patients with hilar bile duct cancer and impaired liver function. A potential role of bendamustine in combination therapies for bile duct cancer will be a subject of further trials. PMID- 17762400 TI - Multifractionated paclitaxel and cisplatin combined with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in patients with metastatic or recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. AB - This study assessed the clinical activity and safety of twice-weekly paclitaxel and cisplatin combined with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (TP-HDFL) in patients with recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The regimen, composed of paclitaxel 35 mg/m 1-h intravenous infusion on days 1, 4, 8 and 11; cisplatin 20 mg/m 2-h intravenous infusion on days 2, 5, 9 and 12; and 5 flourouracil 2000 mg/m and leucovorin 300 mg/m 24-h intravenous infusion on days 5 and 12; repeated every 21 days. Forty-one patients (median age 51), 15 with de novo metastatic disease and 26 with recurrent disease, were enrolled. Grades 3-4 neutropenia, leukopenia and diarrhea occurred in 37.8, 29.4 and 14.2% of cycles, respectively. One patient died of invasive fungal infection. Three complete responses, 13 partial response and 13 stable diseases were observed. The intent to-treat response rate was 39.0% (95% confidence interval: 24-54). The median progression-free and overall survival were 6.3 and 8.9 months (range 1-50+), respectively. Twice-weekly TP-HDFL has the activity and toxicity profile similar to the previously reported same three-drug combination for advanced esophageal cancer. PMID- 17762401 TI - UFT/leucovorin and mitomycin C as salvage treatment in patients with advanced colorectal cancer - a retrospective analysis. AB - Active anticancer drugs and/or combination regimens for the treatment of patients failing oxaliplatin, irinotecan and 5-fluorouracil are desperately needed. In this analysis we describe the safety and efficacy of the combination of mitomycin C, UFT and leucovorin in such an extensively pretreated patient population. Between January 2002 and June 2004, a total of 41 patients were treated with mitomycin C (8 mg/m on day 1) and UFT (350 mg/m)+ leucovorin (90 mg) both divided into three daily doses from day 1 to day 14 every 4 weeks. All patients had failed prior first-line and second-line treatment with oxaliplatin, irinotecan and 5-fluorouracil. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety data of this potential salvage therapy regimen. Thirty-nine patients were evaluable for the response. The overall response rate (intent-to treat) was 7.3% (95% confidence interval, 2.5-19.4%) and disease stabilization was achieved in 29.3%. Median time to progression was 2.5 months (range, 1.5 13.5) and median overall survival was 6 months (range, 1.5-26). Myelosuppression was the most frequent side effect. Grade 3 hematotoxicity, however, was observed in only three patients. The most common nonhematological toxicities consisted of mild and reversible nausea, emesis and diarrhea; again, severe symptoms were only occasionally seen. These data show that the combination of mitomycin C/UFT/leucovorin is safe and active in about one-third of patients in terms of abrogation of progression in extensively pretreated metastatic colorectal cancer. PMID- 17762402 TI - A phase II study of induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. AB - The optimal management of unresectable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in older patients has not been defined to date. The present phase II study was planned to evaluate the activity and safety of platinum-based induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Patients received two cycles of paclitaxel (175 mg/m) and carboplatin (area under the curve: 5) day 1, every 3 weeks. Chemoradiotherapy (thoracic radiation therapy) was initiated on day 42 and consisted of 1.8 Gy daily, five times per week over 5 weeks (45.0 Gy target dose) followed by 10 2.0 Gy daily fractions. Concomitant chemotherapy was weekly paclitaxel 50 mg/mq followed by weekly carboplatin at an area under the curve of 2. The eligibility for patients: age 70 or older and histologically documented untreated non-small-cell lung cancer, locally advanced, unresectable, stage III A N2 bulky or III B. Thirty consecutive patients were enrolled onto the study. The median age was 73 (range 70-76). According to the intention-to-treat analysis, 1 month after the end of combined chemoradiotherapy, we observed complete and partial responses in one and 19 of the 30 patients, respectively, for an overall response rate of 66% (95% confidence interval, 45-76%). Median progression-free survival was 8.7 months (95% confidence interval, 3.4-37.8) and median survival was 15 months (95% confidence interval, 4.2-52.1). During the treatment, 12 patients (40.0%) experienced grade 3-4 neutropenia, two patients neutropenic fever, and three patients grade 3 anaemia and grade 3 thrombocytopenia, respectively. Grade 3 oesophagitis, during concomitant radiotherapy, was observed in six patients (20.0%). No treatment-related mortality was reported. The investigated sequential approach including induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy appears safe and seems a reasonable chance for the treatment of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in the elderly population. PMID- 17762403 TI - Successful desensitization to oxaliplatin with incorporation of calcium gluconate and magnesium sulfate. AB - Since the results of the MOSAIC trial demonstrated an improved disease-free survival in stage III colorectal patients treated with oxaliplatin combined with 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid when they were compared with those treated with 5 fluorouracil and folinic acid alone, the addition of this organoplatin to 5 fluorouracil and folinic acid has become first-line adjuvant treatment for stage III colorectal cancer. Unfortunately, there is a small population of patients who develop grade III/IV hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin which, until recently, have interfered with further treatment with oxaliplatin-containing regimens. Successful oxaliplatin desensitization protocols for patients having severe oxaliplatin hypersensitivity reactions have been reported. However, none of these protocols, have incorporated magnesium and calcium salts. Retrospective data has suggested that pretreating colorectal cancer patients with magnesium sulfate and calcium gluconate before the administration of oxaliplatin may reduce the incidence of neurotoxicities induced by this drug. Therefore, we modified a previously published oxaliplatin-desensitization protocol by incorporating intravenous calcium gluconate and magnesium sulfate, and report a patient with stage IIIc colorectal cancer and prior severe hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin who underwent successful oxaliplatin desensitization using this protocol. PMID- 17762404 TI - Radioimmunotherapy of refractory or relapsed Hodgkin's lymphoma with 90Y-labelled antiferritin antibody. AB - The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of radiolabelled rabbit polyclonal antiferritin antibody in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. The protocol included a first intravenous injection of In-labelled antiferritin antibody, followed by immunoscintigraphy at 4, 48 and 72 h, and an intravenous injection of Y-labelled antiferritin antibody in the case of tumour targeting. Ten patients were included in the study: median number of chemotherapy regimens: 3; number of autografted patients: 8; number of previously irradiated patients: 9; response to last chemotherapy: six partial response and four progressions. All immunoscintigraphies showed tumour targeting. Nine patients were treated, as the last patient died from progressive Hodgkin's lymphoma before therapeutic injection. Median injected activity was 12 MBq/kg (0.32 mCi/kg). Among the 10 patients who were included in the study, one complete response and six partial responses were observed (overall response rate 70%) with a median duration of response of 8 months (range: 7-12 months). Toxicity was mainly haematological, with grade 1 or 2 neutropenia and anaemia, and grade 2 and 3 thrombocytopenia. The pharmacokinetic study showed that the half-lives of In and Y were almost identical. These results confirm those previously reported and show the therapeutic potential of rabbit polyclonal antiferritin antibody in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. They therefore justify further multicentre prospective trials. PMID- 17762405 TI - Adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil in a patient with colorectal cancer and Familial Mediterranean Fever. AB - Colorectal cancer is a common malignancy often requiring adjuvant chemotherapy. Familial Mediterranean Fever is a chronic hereditary disease which is relatively prevalent in the Middle East and is associated with recurrent episodes of serosal, synovial or cutaneous inflammations. The aim of this paper was to describe a patient with Familial Mediterranean Fever who received fluorouracil based adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. A 56-year-old man with Familial Mediterranean Fever and amyloidosis was referred for evaluation and treatment following surgery for colorectal cancer. In light of his relatively young age, good general state of health and apparently well-controlled Familial Mediterranean Fever, he was treated with chemotherapy consisting of four cycles of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin. The patient's clinical course during chemotherapy was unremarkable except for one minor attack of Familial Mediterranean Fever. The patient's follow-up was notable for periodic fluctuations in serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels, up to 4-fold of normal. The Familial Mediterranean Fever remained stable. Although our patient showed a good tolerability of treatment, the administration of chemotherapy to patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever raises several concerns. These include a potential deterioration in the Familial Mediterranean Fever status owing to chemotherapy-induced stress, the potential effect of Familial Mediterranean Fever or its treatment on the tolerability of chemotherapy and an overlapping toxicity of the drugs used to treat the two diseases. An increase in serum carcinoembryonic antigen in this setting may be related to the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism of Familial Mediterranean Fever but does not necessarily indicate disease recurrence. Clinicians should be aware of these issues considering the recent worldwide increase in colorectal cancer. PMID- 17762406 TI - Long-term follow-up of patients with doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity after chemotherapy for osteosarcoma. AB - The overall survival of patients with osteosarcoma of the extremity with localized disease has greatly improved in recent decades and today about half of them are long-term survivors (i.e. more than 10 years). Owing to the increased number of long-term survivors, late side effects of combined chemotherapy are more evident and have been better studied. Doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity is still an important and ominous side effect even if the percentage of affected patients is low. In this study, we report the incidence of clinically symptomatic cardiac toxicity induced by doxorubicin, in our series of 755 patients with localized osteosarcoma of the extremity, who had been treated from 1983 to 2000 with different protocols at our institution. Thirteen (1.7%) patients developed a clinically symptomatic cardiac toxicity (New York Heart Association class II-IV). Six of them died. Of the seven still alive, three needed a heart transplant. The case report of these 13 patients is described in detail. A higher incidence of cardiac toxicity was noted in women patients (eight women=2.5% and five men=1.1%). Cumulative dose and dose intensity (cumulative dose/week of treatment) are the most important risk factors in developing doxorubicin-related cardiomyopathy. PMID- 17762407 TI - Locally advanced leiomyosarcoma of the urinary bladder: near-complete pathologic response to neoadjuvant gemcitabine and docetaxel. AB - Leiomyosarcoma of the urinary bladder is a rare mesenchymal tumor with distinct pathologic features. Although radical cystectomy is the standard therapy for locally invasive disease, available literature appears to support the benefit of perioperative chemotherapy, similar to that seen with the more conventional urothelial malignancies. We report on a 77-year-old gentleman with locally advanced leiomyosarcoma of the bladder achieving a near-complete pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with a unique regimen: gemcitabine and docetaxel. Further study of this anthracycline-sparing regimen is warranted. PMID- 17762409 TI - Prevention of birth injuries. PMID- 17762410 TI - Operative vaginal delivery: a cause of birth injury or is it? AB - Operative vaginal delivery has been maligned since the days of W.J. Little with the word "forceps" becoming nearly synonymous with "Birth Injury" and "Cerebral Palsy." However in his presentation to the Obstetrical Society of London in 1861, Little's emphasis was on difficult labors being the culprit in subsequent disabilities in the offspring. Instrumented deliveries in that era were the end result of a long, obstructed labor performed for maternal benefit and to avoid a destructive procedure to the fetus thus allowing a chance at life. If there had been a normal progress in labor, operative assistance for delivery would not have been needed. Thus, was it the instrument or the obstructed labor that led to fetal injury? In this article, we will review what injuries to the fetus and the mother can be directly attributable to the instrument. We will explore the processes of labor, conduct of labor management, and concurrent fetal factors that can modulate the occurrence of birth trauma. Evidence regarding inexperience and improper use as contributing to injury will also be explored. PMID- 17762411 TI - Perinatal outcomes of traumatic injuries during pregnancy. AB - Traumatic injuries although uncommon (affect 6% to 7% of all pregnancies) are associated with poor maternal, fetal, neonatal, and infant outcomes. The magnitude of the problem is most likely largely underestimated secondary to lack of standardized reporting. Newer data are available that stratify maternal risk by type of injury sustained, and may assist in evaluation of the pregnant trauma victim. Long-term adverse events after maternal discharge for a traumatic injury are emerging, and suggest closer monitoring of the patient for preterm labor, growth restriction, and placental abruption during the affected pregnancy. PMID- 17762412 TI - Optimizing shoulder dystocia management to prevent birth injury. AB - A practical clinical review of those aspects of shoulder dystocia management that are directly relevant to birth injury is presented. In contrast to more popular viewpoints, the tenets of this paper are that, with few exceptions, clinically relevant, permanent brachial plexus injury is nearly universally associated with shoulder dystocia, injury is causally related to mechanical stresses induced during shoulder dystocia delivery, and management algorithms can be optimized to reduce the incidence of mechanical birth injury from shoulder dystocia. Advantages of direct rotational manipulation of the fetus within the birth canal are emphasized, supported by critical analysis of maneuver-related outcomes research. The competing issue of potential asphyxial insult with prolonged shoulder dystocia is addressed in light of evidence for differential time dependency between central and peripheral nerve injury as head-to-body interval increases. The importance of proper execution of shoulder dystocia maneuvers for maximizing favorable outcome of shoulder dystocia is iterated, as is coordination of teamed response by multiple healthcare providers. To avoid permanent neurologic sequelae from shoulder dystocia, clinicians are encouraged to be ever mindful of traction applied to the fetal head and neck, to become adept at performance of alternative maneuvers that instead concentrate on finesse rather than force, and to be more favorably disposed to the use of such maneuvers early and often in shoulder dystocia management algorithms. PMID- 17762413 TI - On the mechanical aspects of shoulder dystocia and birth injury. AB - This article presents objective evidence about shoulder dystocia and its associated mechanical injuries, namely clavicle fractures, and brachial plexus injuries. Specifically, the review focuses on the mechanical response of the fetus to forces applied to it or its anatomic components, including possible force thresholds for injury. This is followed by presenting the medical and engineering literature on the mechanical aspects of shoulder dystocia with emphasis on kinematics, the forces associated with labor and with traction forces associated with delivery. Finally, the paper discusses the mechanical characteristics of maternal and fetal maneuvers for shoulder dystocia and demonstrates how shoulder dystocia models can be used to train clinicians in the performance of maneuvers that stress the fetus the least. From a mechanical point of view, there are obstetric methods and training that can be employed to reduce the stresses induced by the fetus while alleviating shoulder dystocia, thereby reducing, but not eliminating, the risk of mechanical injury. PMID- 17762414 TI - Hypothermia as a treatment for birth asphyxia. AB - This chapter will report to the frequency of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. The pathophysiology and the childhood outcome of encephalopathy due to hypoxia-ischemia will be examined. The limitations of current therapy for this condition and new therapies will be evaluated. Hypothermia seems to offer the most promise as a therapy for neuroprotection in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. The evidence-based trials of hypothermia will be reviewed along with recommendations regarding clinical applications for this therapy and need for long-term follow-up of children receiving this therapy. PMID- 17762415 TI - Head cooling for neonatal encephalopathy: the state of the art. AB - The possibility that hypothermia started during or after resuscitation at birth might reduce brain damage and cerebral palsy has tantalized clinicians for a long time. The key insight was that transient severe hypoxia-ischemia can precipitate a complex biochemical cascade leading to delayed neuronal loss. There is now strong experimental and clinical evidence that mild to moderate cooling can interrupt this cascade, and improve the number of infants surviving without disability in the medium term. The key remaining issues are to finding better ways of identifying babies who are most likely to benefit, to define the optimal mode and conditions of hypothermia and to find ways to further improve the effectiveness of treatment. PMID- 17762416 TI - The fetal inflammatory response syndrome. AB - The fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS) is a condition characterized by systemic inflammation and an elevation of fetal plasma interleukin-6. This syndrome has been observed in fetuses with preterm labor with intact membranes, preterm prelabor rupture of the membranes, and also fetal viral infections such as cytomegalovirus. FIRS is a risk factor for short-term perinatal morbidity and mortality after adjustment for gestational age at delivery and also for the development of long-term sequelae such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia and brain injury. Multiorgan involvement in FIRS has been demonstrated in the hematopoietic system, thymus, adrenal glands, skin, kidneys, heart, lung, and brain. This article reviews the fetal systemic inflammatory response as a mechanism of disease. Potential interventions to control an exaggerated inflammatory response in utero are also described. PMID- 17762417 TI - Beyond menopause: the new age of old age care. PMID- 17762418 TI - Common gynecologic problems in geriatric-aged women. AB - Gynecologic concerns in postmenopausal women are common. Although various conditions may affect all women in this age group, the prevalence of certain disorders, and also diagnostic approaches and treatment options, may vary significantly when considering very elderly women compared with those early in the sixth decade. The focus of this chapter is to address several commonly encountered gynecologic issues in postmenopausal women, with particular attention given to aspects that must be considered when caring for women in the geriatric age group. PMID- 17762419 TI - Practicalities and pitfalls of pessaries in older women. AB - Pelvic floor disorders are known to increase with age. With the number of elderly women more than doubling in the coming decades, gynecologists will need to be skilled in the assessment and treatment of these conditions. Conservative forms of therapy such as pessaries can often be successfully employed. These devices are well suited for elderly patients as they are noninvasive with minimal risk, provide immediate relief of symptoms, and are cost-effective compared with surgery. Although there are some downsides in using pessaries in clinical practice, many of these pitfalls can be appropriately addressed with education and training of clinician and patients. PMID- 17762420 TI - Beyond the bladder: management of urinary incontinence in older women. AB - Unlike urinary incontinence (UI) in younger women, UI in older women is usually multifactoral in etiology and involves factors beyond the more common types of lower urinary tract (LUT) pathophysiology associated with UI in younger women. The evaluation and management of UI in older women, therefore, must itself be multifactoral and sometimes multidisciplinary, and encompass an understanding of age-related LUT changes, age-specific LUT pathophysiology, and a broadened, multidimensional concept of continence. PMID- 17762421 TI - Sacral neuromodulation in the older woman. AB - In the last 10 years, sacral neuromodulation has evolved from an experimental therapy to a safe and proven treatment option for patients with a variety of complex lower urinary tract disorders. It is currently Food and Drug Administration approved for the following indications: intractable urge incontinence, urgency-frequency, and nonobstructive urinary retention. Herein, we will discuss some of the factors complicating incontinence treatment in the elderly population paying particular attention to sacral neuromodulation, its history, indications, and applications within the elderly female population. PMID- 17762422 TI - Unique dermatologic aspects of the postmenopausal vulva. AB - Aging and estrogen deficiency compromise the skin barrier's defense mechanisms, resulting in greater microbial colonization of the skin. Susceptibility to mechanical injury and chemical irritation also increases. Menopause blunts the cell-mediated immune response to microbes and allergens. Healing after an insult is delayed. Skin disorders such as lichen sclerosus or allergic dermatitis may not be clinically obvious. A biopsy interpreted by a dermatopathologist is often helpful. Some conditions require long-term use of topical steroid ointments, and antimicrobial therapy. A compounding pharmacist may be necessary to find a base for the topical cream that does not irritate. PMID- 17762423 TI - Osteoporosis in the older woman. AB - Osteoporosis and resulting fractures are very common medical issues seen in the rapidly growing older population. Adverse outcomes of osteoporosis complicated by fracture include increased mortality, functional decline, an increased requirement for long-term care services, decreased satisfaction with quality of life, and excess utilization of healthcare resources. Gynecologists frequently evaluate older women and should develop expertise in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of these common disorders. This chapter provides an overview of this important topic. PMID- 17762424 TI - Screening for common clinical conditions in older women. AB - The prevalence of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and thyroid disease is higher in older women, placing these women at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The presenting features of these conditions are most often clinically silent. Effective treatments for these conditions are available to prevent cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. An overview of current screening guidelines for these common conditions is presented. PMID- 17762426 TI - Recent legal trends affecting your older patients. AB - Although elder law encompasses many areas, this article examines 2 recent trends, caregiver issues and elder abuse. These trends address the ever-increasing overlap between healthcare services and the legal rights of older persons. Both the legal and healthcare systems must often intervene to assist aging patients. This article outlines resources and strategies that physicians or office staff can use to help patients access appropriate legal services and aging network services. The ElderCare Locator, sponsored by the Administration on Aging, is one of several such excellent resources (www.eldercare.gov). PMID- 17762425 TI - Impaired muscle and mobility: the road from menopause to frailty. AB - Older women should be screened for fall risk frequently. Falls are preventable and screening can be as simple as asking "Have you fallen in the past year?" combined with questioning about gait or balance problems if the patient has not experienced a recent fall. A simple physician screen can drive the need for a more comprehensive fall evaluation and the appropriateness of a multifactorial fall reduction program referral. This paper describes an algorithmic management approach to fall prevention in older women with impaired muscle and mobility; assisting them in navigating and mitigating adversity on the road from menopause to frailty. PMID- 17762427 TI - Assessing decision-making capacity in elderly patients: the gynecologist's role. AB - To obtain informed consent, a physician must be able to assess a patient's capacity to consent to treatment. She must be able to understand the information, appreciate how it applies to her situation, rationally process it to make reasonable choices, and express herself. Medicine and law no longer view capacity as dichotomous (fully capable or absolutely not). Patients may be able to make some choices but not others. There is a legal point at which decision-making capacity should be transferred from a patient to a surrogate, but the patient need not be henceforth excluded from the decision-making process. PMID- 17762428 TI - Optimizing outcomes of surgery in advanced age--perioperative factors to consider. AB - The gynecologic surgeon should be knowledgeable about the normal physiologic changes associated with aging and skilled at assessing baseline medical comorbidities, neuropsychiatric, nutritional, social, and functional status as increasing numbers of older women seek and undergo surgical interventions to improve their quality of life. A multidisciplinary approach to the perioperative care of the older woman, aiming for prevention and early intervention, can help minimize both typical surgical complications and "geriatric" complications. PMID- 17762429 TI - Pelvic floor surgery in the older woman. AB - Pelvic floor disorders including urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and fecal incontinence are common problems encountered by the older woman. With the increasing population of older Americans, healthcare providers can expect to provide evaluation and treatment of these conditions with increasing frequency. These conditions are amenable to both medical and surgical therapies. The older woman who undergoes surgery can expect similar risks and outcomes to that of younger women. Further research is required to more fully understand the functional, anatomic, and physiologic outcomes after treatment for pelvic floor disorders in the older woman. PMID- 17762431 TI - A population-based analysis of second primary cancers after irradiation for rectal cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible association between pelvic irradiation for rectal cancer and subsequent second primary cancers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A population-based analysis of 20,910 individuals with rectal cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry, for whom follow-up times were at least 5 years, was performed. Kaplan-Meier estimates for the development of second cancers within irradiated and nonirradiated cohorts provided a comparison that accounted for censored data. Cox proportional hazards analyses were further conducted to compensate for patient and tumor-related factors. RESULTS: A total of 656 (12%) and 2368 (16%) second primary cancers were enumerated from the irradiated and nonirradiated cohorts, respectively, with the proportion of second primary cancers within the irradiated cohort being significantly decreased (P < 0.001) on crude analysis. However, Kaplan-Meier and Cox analyses revealed no significant difference between the 2 cohorts when all second primary cancer sites were considered together (hazard ratio = 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92-1.12). Proportional hazards analysis for specific second primary sites revealed a decreased risk after pelvic irradiation for cancer of the prostate (hazard ratio = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.48-0.84), and an increased risk for cancers of the uterine corpus & cervix (hazard ratio = 2.5; 95% CI, 1.6 4.0). CONCLUSION: Second primary cancers after irradiation for rectal cancers appear relatively infrequent compared with the background incidence of spontaneous cancers, and should not factor into treatment decisions for this older population. We hypothesize that the incidence of second primary tumors within adjacent organs could represent a balance between the radiation-induction of tumors and the radiation-inhibition of spontaneously occurring tumors. PMID- 17762432 TI - A phase II study of preoperative capecitabine and radiation therapy in patients with rectal cancer. AB - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of preoperative capecitabine and radiation therapy (RT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). METHODS: Patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectum stage >or=T3 or >or=N1 were treated with capecitabine 1330 mg/m per day in 2 divided doses days 1 to 42 and 50.4 Gy of RT in 28 1.8-Gy fractions. Patients with metastatic disease were eligible provided that operative intervention on primary site was anticipated. Surgery resection occurred 4 to 6 weeks after completion of preoperative therapy. RESULTS: Thirty eligible patients were enrolled at two institutions. Median age and performance status were 62 years and 90%, respectively. Twenty-eight patients (93%) completed combined modality therapy and 27 underwent resection, including 17 abdominal-perineal and 9 low anterior resections. Three of 27 (11%) had pathologic complete response (pCR) with an additional 7 (26%) having minimal residual disease. Two patients who were felt to require abdominal perineal resection prior to combined modality therapy (CMT) were able to have sphincter-sparing surgery. No patients had progression during CMT which precluded surgical resection. Treatment was well tolerated with >or=grade 3 toxicities limited to diarrhea (5 patients), hand-foot syndrome (1 patient), dermatitis (1 patient). Twenty-four patients are living, 18 with no evidence of disease. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of preoperative capecitabine and RT in patients with LARC has significant antitumor activity, efficacy, and a low toxicity profile. PMID- 17762433 TI - A phase I study of docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine in patients with metastatic gastroesophageal cancer. AB - OBJECTIVES: Docetaxel, capecitabine, and oxaliplatin are important new agents in esophagogastric cancer. The Brown University Oncology Group initiated a phase I study to determine the maximum tolerated dose of weekly docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine. METHODS: Patients with metastatic esophageal and gastric cancers received docetaxel and oxaliplatin on days 1 and 8 and capecitabine in divided doses, twice daily, on days 1 to 10, with each cycle repeated every 21 days. Patients were enrolled in cohorts of 3 at escalating dose levels. The docetaxel dose ranged from 30 to 35 mg/m2, the oxaliplatin dose from 40 to 50 mg/m2, and the capecitabine dose from 750 to 850 mg/m2 BID. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were enrolled over 4 dose levels. The median age was 59 years. Eight patients had esophageal cancer and 9 had gastric cancer. Grade 3/4 dose-limiting toxicities of diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, and febrile neutropenia occurred in 3 of 4 patients at dose level 3. An intermediate dose level was added (2A), reducing the capecitabine dose to 750 mg/m2. One of 6 patients had a dose-limiting toxicity at level 2A. CONCLUSIONS: Oxaliplatin 50 mg/m2 and docetaxel 30 mg/m2 day 1 and 8 with capecitabine 750 mg/m2 BID for 10 days in 21-day cycles may represent a promising, easily administered regimen for metastatic esophageal and gastric cancer. A phase II study will be initiated. PMID- 17762434 TI - Capecitabine plus 3-weekly irinotecan (XELIRI regimen) as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer: phase II trial results. AB - BACKGROUND: Capecitabine results in superior response rate, improved safety, and improved convenience compared with 5-fluorouracil (FU)/leucovorin (LV) in metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC). Irinotecan in combination with 5-FU/LV has been shown to improve efficacy compared with 5-FU/LV alone in MCRC. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of capecitabine plus irinotecan every 3 weeks (XELIRI regimen) as first-line treatment. METHODS: Patients with MCRC who were <65 years of age received irinotecan 250 mg/m i.v. on day 1 + capecitabine 1000 mg/m orally twice daily on days 1 to 14, every 3 weeks. Patients >or=65 years of age and those with impaired renal function or with a history of prior radiotherapy received lower doses of both agents (200 mg/m and 750 mg/m twice daily, respectively). RESULTS: A total of 52 patients (29 men, 23 women) were enrolled between October 2001 and August 2003. Median age was 57.5 years (range, 30-79 years); median Karnofsky performance status was 90 (range, 70-100). Treatment led to a response rate of 50% (ITT population) and a disease control rate of 71%. With a median cohort follow-up of 30.5 months, median time to progression and overall survival are 7.8 months (95% confidence interval, 5.6 10.0) and 16.8 months (95% confidence, 11.9 to not reached), respectively. Most common treatment-related grade 3/4 adverse events were neutropenia (25%), diarrhea (20%), vomiting (16%), dehydration (10%), nausea (6%), abdominal pain (6%), and hand-foot syndrome (6%). CONCLUSION: XELIRI is an active first-line treatment of MCRC. Implementation of upfront dose reductions for both agents in patients with risk factors for toxicity appears to have produced a safer regimen compared with previous studies of XELIRI without such dose reductions. PMID- 17762435 TI - Phase II study of paclitaxel and irinotecan chemotherapy in patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer. AB - OBJECTIVES: We conducted a phase II study of combination chemotherapy with paclitaxel (Pac) and irinotrecan (CPT) to determine the qualitative and quantitative toxicities and efficacy of the combination against advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC were treated with CPT at 60 mg/m and Pac at 160 mg/m2 every 2 weeks. RESULTS: Between May 2002 and July 2004, 39 of registered 46 patients received 4 to 6 cycles of chemotherapy, and 7 patients discontinued treatment because of disease progression in 5 patients and grade 2 pneumonitis in 2 patients. Grade 3 anemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, and elevation of bilirubin occurred in 4.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 0.5%, respectively. Twenty-one patients responded, and the overall response rate was 45.6%. The median survival time was 355 days and the 1 year survival rate was 47.8%. CONCLUSION: Pac plus CPT was efficacious and safe in NSCLC. PMID- 17762436 TI - Image-guided percutaneous thermal ablation for the palliative treatment of chest wall masses. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the palliative benefits of image-guided thermal ablation for the treatment of painful tumors affecting the chest wall. METHODS: Thirty nine patients, median age 65 years, underwent percutaneous thermal ablation of 44 chest wall masses. Thirty-eight radiofrequency ablations (RFAs), 3 microwave ablations (MWAs), and 3 cryoablations were performed. Subjective pain reports at 1 week and 1 month postablation were scored from 0 to 4 based on a standard Likert pain relief scale, with 2 or higher representing clinically significant pain relief. RESULTS: Patients were followed for a median of 6 months. Overall, 31 of 44 procedures (70.5%) resulted in significant pain relief. Improvement followed 15 of 15 (100%) of ablations that were performed within 90 days of treatment with palliative external-beam radiation therapy (XRT), compared with 16 of 29 (55.2%) of the remaining procedures. Mean pain relief score at 1 month was 3.86 for the 15 combined procedures versus 1.96 for the 29 remaining procedures (P < 0.001). Local pain recurred after 5 of 31 positive responses (16.1%). Median survival was 11.2 +/- 2.3 months for patients with significant pain relief and 4.3 +/- 1.4 months for nonresponders (P < 0.001). Adverse events included a transient symptom "flare" (n = 5, 11.4%) and the exacerbation of a preexisting brachial plexopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Thermal ablation results in significant pain relief for the majority of patients and shows evidence of synergistic benefit when temporally combined with XRT. This minimally invasive technique appears to be a safe and durable alternative for the palliation of chest wall masses. PMID- 17762437 TI - Can serum markers be used to predict acute and late toxicity in patients with lung cancer? Analysis of RTOG 91-03. AB - PURPOSE: To identify factors that are predictive of satisfactory acute and long term pulmonary tolerance of definitive irradiation and, conversely, factors that are predictive of excessive impairment of pulmonary functions. To determine if there is any correlation between early elevation of biochemical markers obtained in blood of irradiated patients and subsequent pulmonary abnormalities as detected by clinical findings, pulmonary function tests, and/or radiographic findings of pneumonitis/fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a multi institutional prospective trial sponsored by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. Eligible patients had surgically unresectable or medically inoperable stage II or III non-small cell lung cancer. Pretreatment evaluation included baseline dyspnea index (BDI) and pulmonary function tests (PFT). Radiation therapy consisted of once-daily treatment with 2 Gy to a total of 60 to 66 Gy. A quantitative nuclear medicine perfusion study was correlated to the radiation therapy portals to assess the proportion of lung irradiated. Blood for serum markers (surfactant apoprotein, procollagen type III, interleukin [IL]-1, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) was drawn prior to the beginning of radiation therapy and then weekly during treatment (at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 Gy). Post-treatment follow-up included PFT every 3 months for 1 year and then annually. The BDI was reevaluated at the same intervals. RESULTS: There were 127 analyzable patients. Squamous cell carcinoma was the predominant histology and 93% of the patients had AJCC stage III disease. The median survival time is 10.9 months with 43% of patients living 1 year and 10% living 3 years. Grade >or=2 acute lung toxicity was seen in 18% of patients; patients least likely to develop lung toxicity are those with undetectable levels of IL-6 at 10 Gy and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide percent (DLCO%) >54. Patients most likely to develop acute toxicity are those with elevated IL-6 and age >60 years. Grade >or=2 late lung toxicity was seen in 30% of patients. Karnofsky performance status was the only pretreatment factor predictive of late lung toxicity. The proportion of lung within the irradiated field, BDI indices, physician-assessed baseline dyspnea, and baseline PFT were not predictive of pulmonary toxicity. Using grade >or=2 toxicity as an event, age >60 years, gender, and a surfactant level <797 at 20 Gy were predictive of late lung toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of serum IL-6 after 10 Gy of lung irradiation appear to predict grade >or=2 acute lung toxicity, and high serum levels of surfactant apoproteins at 20 Gy correlated with grade >or=2 late pulmonary toxicity. These findings need to be confirmed but could be useful in a model to predict risk of pulmonary injury with high doses of radiation. For future studies, it is necessary to evaluate serum markers at multiple time-points during treatment, and quality control is critical during the collection, storage, and analysis of these serum markers. PMID- 17762438 TI - FDG-PET/CT tumor segmentation-derived indices of metabolic activity to assess response to neoadjuvant therapy and progression-free survival in esophageal cancer: correlation with histopathology results. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic abilities of PET tumor segmentation-derived indices of metabolic activity for the assessment of response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and progression-free survival in patients with esophageal cancer. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with histologically confirmed esophageal cancer were retrospectively evaluated. The patients underwent PET-CT imaging before and after completion of neoadjuvant therapy. Images were evaluated visually and quantitatively with a three-dimensional threshold-based region growing program, which calculates SUVm, SUVa of the entire tumor, metabolic tumor length (Lm) and volume (Vm) before and after therapy (SUVm1, SUVm2, SUVa1, SUVa2, Lm1, Lm2, Vm1, and Vm2, respectively). Percentage changes in these metabolic variables before and after therapy were also calculated (%SUVm, %SUVa, %Lm, %Vm, respectively). RESULTS: SUVm1 (P = 0.018), SUVa1 (P = 0.019), Lm1 (P = 0.016), and Vm1 (P = 0.016) correlated with T-status. Advanced stage tumors (T3 + T4) had significantly higher glucose metabolism, metabolic length, and volume. Moreover, Lm1 >47.4 mm and Vm1 >29 cm3 were the best predictors of the level of tumor invasiveness. SUVm1 >12.7 and SUVa1 >5.9 could differentiate patients with positive lymph nodes from those without at presentation. %SUVa >32.3% and the SUVa1 >5.5 proved to be reliable predictors of pathologic response. SUVa2 >3.55 and SUVm2 >4.35 were the best predictors of disease progression during follow-up, with the latter having the best prognostic value. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that FDG-PET tumor segmentation-derived indices of metabolic activity play a definite role in the evaluation of response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and progression-free survival in patients with esophageal cancer. PMID- 17762439 TI - Adjuvant radiotherapy for thymic epithelial tumor: treatment results and prognostic factors. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the use of adjuvant radiation in the treatment of invasive thymic tumors affects survival and to identify prognostic factors. METHODS: The files of 47 patients with thymic tumors treated by adjuvant radiation in our institute from 1984 to 2003 were reviewed for data on prognosis and survival. All patients underwent thoracotomy followed by either total macroscopic resection (n = 42) or biopsy (n = 5). The radiation dose ranged from 26 to 60 Gy. RESULTS: Median duration of follow-up was 10.6 years. Overall 5-year survival was 73% (60%-88%): 77% for thymoma (n = 35/45) versus 33% for thymic carcinoma (n = 2/6) (P = 0.14). Better survival was associated with lower disease stage (II vs. III/IVA, P = 0.01), resection (P = 0.0004), myasthenia gravis at presentation (P = 0.04), and higher radiation dose (45 Gy, P = 0.02); sex, smoking, tumor size, pathology, and margin status had no effect. Locoregional relapse occurred in 11 patients and distant metastasis in 4. The 5 year disease-free survival was 67% (52%-86%), with a median time to recurrence of 8.3 years. The better overall survival and disease-free survival associated with higher doses of radiation were also true for stage II patients. On multivariate analyses after adjusting for age, higher disease stage and lower radiation dose were found to adversely affect overall survival and disease-free survival. Thymic carcinoma had an impact only on disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: Postoperative radiation therapy to doses above 45 Gy may improve the disease-free and overall survival of patients with invasive thymoma, especially stage II. Thymic carcinoma has a worse prognosis. PMID- 17762440 TI - Preliminary report of the effect of high-dose adjuvant intensity modulated radiation therapy on the sural nerve graft for cavernosal nerve sacrifice after radical prostatectomy. AB - PURPOSE: A sural nerve graft may replace a killed cavernosal nerve. The effect of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) on function of the graft has not been reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1998 and 2001, 8 patients (9 nerve grafts) were treated with postoperative IMRT (mean dose, 70 Gy). Two patients had neoadjuvant Lupron 30 mg 2 months prior to radiation. Potency was defined as ability to achieve spontaneous erection sufficient for vaginal penetration. Median follow-up was 31.6 months. RESULTS: Five patients (62.5%) who had erectile function after prostatectomy preserved spontaneous erectile function after radiation. Of these, 3 patients had both nerves resected (two receiving unilateral grafts and one receiving bilateral grafts) and 2 others had one graft and one nerve preserved. The impotent patients were impotent after surgery. CONCLUSION: High-dose postprostatectomy IMRT does not place sural nerve grafts at greater risk for failure. Larger numbers of patients are needed to confirm these encouraging, preliminary findings. PMID- 17762441 TI - Dose escalation for patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with radiotherapy alone. AB - OBJECTIVES: The local control of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma is still unsatisfactory. This prospective study was designed to evaluate the treatment outcomes and treatment-related complications of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with escalated radiation doses. METHODS: A total of 118 consecutive patients with T4 classification (1992 American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system), histology-proven nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated with radiotherapy alone between 1992 and 1997 in a medical center in southern Taiwan. Thirty-two of them were enrolled into a prospective study of dose escalation and were irradiated to a total of 81 Gy. The other 86 patients received a total of 70.2 Gy. Potentially significant patient-related and treatment-related parameters were analyzed for their prognostic significance. Radiation-related complications were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: The 5-year local progression-free rates were 61%, and 61% for patients receiving 70.2 Gy and 81 Gy, respectively (P > 0.05). The incidences of xerostomia, hearing impairment, and temporal radionecrosis were significantly higher for those receiving 81 Gy. The 5-year complication-free rates of patients receiving 70.2 Gy and 81 Gy were 14% versus 2% for xerostomia (P = 0.0070), 50% versus 30% for hearing impairment (P = 0.0198), and 91% versus 82% for temporal radionecrosis (P = 0.0400). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with radiotherapy alone, dose escalation to 81 Gy failed to show benefits on local control rate. Higher radiation doses contribute to a higher incidence of radiation-related complications. PMID- 17762442 TI - Microvessel density >or=60 does not predict for outcome after radiation treatment for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: results of a correlative study from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 90-03 Trial. AB - OBJECTIVES: To assess whether microvessel density (MVD), an immunohistochemical marker for tumor vascularity, predicts for radiotherapy (RT) outcome in locally advanced HNSCC patients. METHODS: A total of 459 patients, enrolled on the RTOG 90-03 trial, had biopsy specimens submitted, and a value for MVD determined, prior to definitive RT. 450 patients were analyzable for this study. Tumor microvessels were stained for factor VIII-related antigen using a standard immunoperoxidase method. The mean number of stained microvessel profiles, from three x200 fields containing the highest MVD (hot spot), was recorded as the MVD. A prospective value of >or=60 was chosen as the threshold for high MVD, tumor vascularity. RESULTS: The median follow-up for the analyzable patients with MVD assessment was 22.0 months and 79.1 months for all living patients. There were no differences concerning the pretreatment characteristics between those RTOG 90-03 patients with a value for MVD and those without a value for MVD. Thus, the present study cohort possessed comparable characteristics with the entire RTOG 90 03 population. MVD values ranged from 5 to 80, with a median value of 30. Only 37 of 450 (8.2%) patients possessed an MVD >or=60. There were no outcome differences for patients with MVD <60 versus >or=60 on multivariate analysis for time to local-regional failure (P = 0.89), time to distant metastasis (P = 0.80), disease free survival (P = 0.46), and overall survival (P = 0.39). CONCLUSIONS: In this large, correlative study, a MVD >or=60, ie, high tumor vascularity, did not predict for outcome in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with radiotherapy. PMID- 17762443 TI - The potential role of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) in breast carcinogenesis and its correlation with 99mTc-(V)DMSA scintimammography. AB - OBJECTIVES: Experimental data suggest a role for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in normal breast development and angiogenesis. This pilot study correlated CGRP with neoangiogenesis and the uptake of the tumor-seeking, proliferation imaging radiotracer pentavalent technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinate (99mTc (V)DMSA) in invasive and preinvesive breast lesions. METHODS: Among women evaluated preoperatively by 99mTc-(V)DMSA scintimammography, 29 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDCs) were retrospectively studied: 15 isolated (Group I); 14 mixed with preinvasive pathologies (ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS] and/or epithelial hyperplasia [EH]; Group M). CGRP staining and neoangiogenesis were compared between invasive and DCIS/EH regions and were correlated. 99mTc-(V)DMSA displayed a diffusely increased uptake pattern corresponding to DCIS/EH; its lesion-to background (L/B) ratio was compared between images acquired at 10 and 60 minutes and its retention ratio (RR) was correlated with CGRP. RESULTS: Seven of 15 group I and 10 of 14 group M patients (58.6% of the population) were CGRP-positive. CGRP was prevalent in the DCIS/EH component of mixed-lesions (even in the surrounding normal epithelium of nearly half), with declining intensity as advancing from DCIS/EH to high-grade IDC. Similarly, neoangiogenesis was considerably higher in DCIS/EH than in group I pure IDCs. A significant CGRP neoangiogenesis correlation was verified only in group I. The diffuse 99mTc (V)DMSA uptake exhibited significant, time-related L/B increase and a RR positively correlating with CGRP. CONCLUSIONS: CGRP expression and neoangiogenesis are intensified in mixed invasive-preinvasive breast lesions; an underlying relation may exist, requiring further investigation. CGRP also appears associated with 99mTc-(V)DMSA's propensity to depict preinvasive pathologies. This relationship could denote an additional proliferative role for CGRP. PMID- 17762444 TI - Phase II clinical trial of docetaxel in refractory squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix: a Gynecologic Oncology Group Study. AB - OBJECTIVE: A phase II study was conducted to evaluate the antitumor activity and adverse effects of docetaxel in patients with previously treated squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. METHODS: Eligible patients were to have measurable disease and not more than one prior chemotherapy regimen. Docetaxel 100 mg/m was administered intravenously over 1 hour. This treatment was repeated every 21 days until progression of disease or adverse effects prohibited further therapy. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were entered onto this study, of whom 23 were eligible and evaluable. There were 2 (8.7%) partial responses. Eight patients (34.8%) had stable disease and 9 patients (39.1%) had increasing disease. The median time to progression was 3.8 months (range, 1.2-11.7 months), while median survival time was 7.0 months (range, 1.8-23.0 months). The most frequently reported adverse events were neutropenia, infection, gastrointestinal, and constitutional. CONCLUSIONS: Docetaxel has minimal activity in refractory squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix at the dose and schedule tested. PMID- 17762445 TI - Multivitamins do not improve radiation therapy-related fatigue: results of a double-blind randomized crossover trial. AB - BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a common symptom in cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a double-blind randomized crossover trial of multivitamins versus placebo in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy to evaluate fatigue and quality of life. RESULTS: : We randomized 40 patients to either placebo or Centrum Silver. At the middle of the radiation treatments, patients were switched from placebo to multivitamins and vice versa. Patients answered the EORTC QLQ C-30 quality of life (QOL) and Chalder fatigue questionnaires at the beginning, middle, and end of radiation therapy. Both groups experienced decreases in general (P = 0.009; P = 0.001) and physical fatigue scores (P = 0.031; P = 0.029) at the end of the course of placebo compared with the assessment prior to this treatment. We also observed significant improvements in functional (P = 0.026) and symptoms (P = 0.016) score scales of the QOL questionnaire in the patients on placebo. No significant changes were elicited with the use of multivitamins. We also observed significantly lower rates of fatigue in the patients who had just finished a course of placebo as compared with patients finishing a course of multivitamins (0 vs. 25% P = 0.035). CONCLUSION: Multivitamins do not improve radiation-related fatigue in patients with breast cancer. PMID- 17762446 TI - Beta decay in science and medicine. AB - Radioisotopes that decay via beta emission are widely used in science and medicine, particularly in the field of oncology. PET imaging, which exploits the basic mechanism of beta plus decay or positron emission, is becoming increasingly important in cancer diagnosis, follow-up evaluation, and radiation therapy planning. Beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals are finding wider applications in cancer treatment, such as radioimmunotherapy and bone-seeking radiopharmaceutical therapy. Beta-emitting radioisotopes have also been extensively used in vascular brachytherapy and other brachytherapy applications. Many radioisotopes that undergo beta decay yield excited daughter nuclei, which produce gamma rays that are useful for both brachytherapy and teletherapy. This review briefly describes some of the history, basic physics, and common applications of representative beta emitters in basic science and clinical oncology. PMID- 17762447 TI - A spermatocytic seminoma with rhabdomyosarcoma transformation and extensive metastases. PMID- 17762448 TI - Thrombocytopenia: an unusual manifestation of advanced composite merkel cell carcinoma and in situ squamous cell carcinoma. PMID- 17762449 TI - Atherosclerosis and central nervous system involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus. PMID- 17762450 TI - Are patients with rheumatoid arthritis less physically active than the general population? AB - BACKGROUND: Although promoting physical activity (PA) and exercise among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is highly advocated nowadays, little is known about actual PA levels of these patients. In particular, the literature investigating how these PA levels are in proportion to the levels among the general population is scarce. OBJECTIVE: To compare the self-reported PA levels of patients with RA with those of the general Dutch population. METHODS: A sample of 400 RA patients were sent the Short QUestionnaire to ASsess Health-Enhancing PA comprising 10 questions about PA. From these data the proportions meeting the Dutch public health recommendation for PA (i.e., moderate PA for 30 minutes on > or = 5 days/wk) and the total number of minutes of PA per week were calculated. These data were compared with similar data from a representative sample of the general Dutch population. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty-two patients returned the questionnaire (response 63%). The proportions of RA patients meeting the PA recommendation were similar to those of the general population (57% in categories 45-64 years; 59% in categories > or = 65 years, and 58% in the total groups). The average number of minutes of PA per week was significantly lower in the RA population compared with the general population in the category 45 to 64 years (1836 vs. 2199, respectively, P = 0.001), whereas the difference in the category > or = 65 years was not significant (1115 vs. 1218 minutes, respectively, P = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of RA patients meeting the Dutch PA recommendation was similar to the general Dutch population. However, with respect to the average number of minutes of PA per week, the RA patients were less physically active. Because patients with RA have an increased risk of chronic conditions such as osteoporosis or cardiovascular diseases along with their arthritis, it remains a matter of utmost importance for health care professionals such as rheumatologists, physical therapists, and clinical nurse specialists to promote PA in daily clinical practice and guide patients in achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. PMID- 17762451 TI - Systemic sclerosis mortality in the United States: 1999-2002 implications for patient care. AB - OBJECTIVE: To describe the systemic sclerosis mortality rates in the United States between 1999 and 2002, a time period in which a new coding system was used to record deaths, and to describe its implications in patient care. METHODS: We used the mortality database from the National Center of Health Statistics and with the use of ICD-10 codes for systemic sclerosis calculated death rates by gender, race, age, state, and region for the United States. Death rates are expressed as per million population. RESULTS: Age-adjusted death rates for systemic sclerosis were 6.8 cases per million in women, 2.1 cases per million in men, and 4.7 cases per million for the whole population. Death rates peaked a decade earlier in the African American population when compared with those in the white population (65-74 vs. 75-84 years of age). Age-adjusted mortality was highest in African American women at 9.5 cases per million. CONCLUSION: Mortality rates for systemic sclerosis are slightly higher since the implementation of the new disease-specific ICD-10 coding system for recording deaths. Death rates related to systemic sclerosis among the African American population are remarkably higher than those among the white population; this is believed to be related to the more aggressive disease seen in the African American patients and to the disparity of healthcare resources. These findings suggest that earlier and more aggressive treatment is warranted in the African American population, with more frequent follow-up and preventive care. PMID- 17762452 TI - A controlled study of double filtration plasmapheresis in the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis. AB - BACKGROUND: Double-filtration plasmapheresis with a plasma fractionator pore size of 20 nm should selectively remove large molecular weight substances like rheumatoid factor and IgM. This was proposed to be more likely to be helpful for rheumatoid arthritis than standard plasma exchange. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of double-filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) in the treatment of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Eighty-two patients were randomly assigned, 42 to the DFPP group and 40 to the no-DFPP group. All patients received sulfasalazine (0.75 g 3 times daily) plus methotrexate (10 mg orally once weekly). All patients had been on stable doses for more than 3 months. DFPP was performed once a week for 2 to 3 sessions. A total of 121 plasmapheresis procedures were performed in 42 patients. Control patients did not receive sham DFPP. The efficacy measures recorded 1 day after the final treatment and every month in follow-up for 4 to 22 months included the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20%, 50%, and 70% improvement criteria (ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70), the Health Assessment Questionnaire estimate of disability and the disease activity index. RESULTS: Patients in the DFPP group had ACR20, ACR 50, and ACR70 improvements immediately after the last treatment of 100%, 92.9%, and 81.0%, when compared with the patients in no-DFPP group 17.5%, 0%, and 0% (P < 0.001). Significant change from baseline was observed in Health Assessment Questionnaire scores in the DFPP group, but not in the no-DFPP group (P < 0.001). The changes from baseline in the disease activity scores were significantly greater than in the no-DFPP group (P < 0.001). Improvements were maintained during follow-up of 7 to 22 months. CONCLUSION: This open trial showed that DFPP therapy significantly altered the signs and symptoms of active rheumatoid arthritis. There were increases in physical function and improvement in quality of life. This is proposed as an approach that merits further investigation. PMID- 17762453 TI - Work disability and health system utilization in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. AB - BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) usually affects women of working age. We expect significant work-related disability in association with FMS. Because of the variety of symptoms, these patients often have multiple visits to their general practitioners with many referrals and visits to various specialists. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of fibromyalgia on working disability and health system utilization. METHOD: This was a case-control study comparing fibromyalgia outpatient attendees with controls attending nonrheumatology outpatient clinics in Eastern Scotland. One hundred thirty-six patients with FMS and 152 age- and sex-matched controls completed a postal questionnaire about their working history and attendance at various outpatient clinics and general practitioners' visits. RESULTS: Significant number of patients with FMS (46.8%) reported that they lost their job because of the disease, compared with only 14.1% of controls (P < 0.00001). There was no significant difference in health system utilization between patients with FMS and other clinic controls in a subset of patients surveyed. CONCLUSION: Fibromyalgia is significantly associated with reports of working disability. Reasons for this decreased employment need to be investigated. The impact on the health system appeared to be the same as for patients with known specific organic diseases with regard to the number of general practitioner or hospital visits. PMID- 17762454 TI - Prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus and associated comorbidities in Puerto Rico. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its associated comorbidities in patients from Puerto Rico using a database from a health insurance company. METHODS: The insurance claims submitted by physicians in 2003 to a health insurance company of Puerto Rico were examined. Of 552,733 insured people, 877 had a diagnosis of SLE (code 710.0) per the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9). Demographic parameters and selected comorbidities were determined. The diagnosis of comorbities was ascertained using the ICD-9 code, the Current Procedural Terminology-4 code (for disease-specific procedures) and/or the Medi-Span Therapeutic Classification System (for disease-specific pharmacologic treatment). Fisher exact test and chi were used to evaluate differences between SLE patients groups. RESULTS: The mean age was 42.0 +/- 13.5, and the female-to-male ratio was 12.5:1. The overall prevalence of SLE was 159 per 100,000 individuals. The prevalence for females was 277 per 100,000 women and for males it was 25 per 100,000 men. The most common comorbidities were high blood pressure (33.7%), osteopenia/osteoporosis (22.2%), hypothyroidism (19.0%), diabetes mellitus (11.6%), and hypercholesterolemia (11.6%). Overall, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and coronary artery disease were more prevalent in SLE patients older than 54 years. Osteopenia/osteoporosis was more prevalent in women than in men. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of SLE in Puerto Rico is very high. High blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism, and osteopenia/osteoporosis are common comorbidities in these patients. Identification and management of these comorbidities are critical for optimal medical care to this population. PMID- 17762455 TI - Pediatric rheumatology for the adult rheumatologist II: uveitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. AB - Uveitis is an important and frequent extra-articular manifestation of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) that may result in poor visual outcome. Without early detection and aggressive therapy, the uveitis and topical steroid therapy used to treat it may result in cataracts, glaucoma, and even blindness. Fortunately, a variety of systemically administered anti-inflammatory agents have been found useful for the treatment of JIA associated uveitis. Methotrexate is often the first line disease modifying systemic agent used to help wean topical corticosteroids, but when this is not sufficiently effective there are a variety of other systemic medicines available. In particular, one of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors, infliximab, has shown some promising results in difficult to treat JIA associated uveitis. With early screening and detection combined with aggressive therapy in difficult to treat cases, the morbidity associated with uveitis as part of JIA is on the decline. PMID- 17762456 TI - Premature atherosclerosis-related central nervous system involvement in two cases of systemic lupus erythematosus. AB - Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus are prone to premature atherosclerosis. Though atherosclerosis-related coronary artery disease in young lupus patients has been reported, there are a few reports on related central nervous system (CNS) involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus. It is imperative to differentiate CNS-atherosclerosis from active lupus as aggressive immunosuppressive treatment is often the choice for the latter. Two cases of young lupus patients with transient loss of consciousness and cerebral infarctions are reported, in whom atherosclerosis was considered as the major risk factor. Both were premenopausal young women who had more than 10-year histories of lupus. Besides CNS symptoms, they did not have any sign suggesting lupus flare. Both had hyperlipidemia without family histories, and carotid ultrasound showed bilateral atherosclerotic plaques. Both responded to treatment with statins and antiplatelet agents. PMID- 17762457 TI - Opportunistic infections mimicking gastrointestinal vasculitis in systemic lupus erythematosus. AB - Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who are on chronic immunosuppressive therapy are at risk for developing infectious complications. We present 2 cases of immunosuppressed patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who presented with abdominal complaints without other systemic lupus symptoms. These patients were initially thought to have gastrointestinal vasculitis based on preliminary pathologic reports; however, further workup and careful review of the pathologic specimens confirmed an opportunistic infection as the etiology in each case. It is critical that physicians maintain a high index of suspicion for infection when treating immunocompromised patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with abdominal complaints to avoid delay in appropriate treatment. PMID- 17762458 TI - Spontaneous rupture of ulnar nerve due to neglected cubital tunnel syndrome associated with rheumatoid arthritis. AB - A case of spontaneous rupture of the ulnar nerve due to neglected cubital tunnel syndrome associated with rheumatoid arthritis is reported. Earlier decompression and anterior transposition in this patient may have prevented nerve rupture. PMID- 17762459 TI - Reactivation of pulmonary tuberculosis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis during treatment with IL-1 receptor antagonists (anakinra). AB - This single case report describes reactivation of previous pulmonary tuberculosis (TBC) after 23 months of treatment with the IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra. This patient had severe acute rheumatoid arthritis (Disease Activity Score >6). Initially, he received treatment with 10 mg prednisolone daily along with oral methotrexate 15 mg weekly. Methotrexate was discontinued after 3 months because of repeated liver enzyme elevation. After the disease became more active, he was treated with the IL-1 receptor antagonist along with 10 mg prednisolone daily. One month later, the patient improved significantly, and prednisolone was decreased to 5 mg on alternate days and discontinued after another 3 months. After 23 months of anakinra monotherapy, the patient developed pulmonary TBC and was put on quadruple anti-TBC treatment, which resulted in excellent recovery. Six years before, the patient had pulmonary TBC and received triple anti-TBC treatment for 9 months with complete clinical and radiologic remission. We believe this is the first reported case of TBC reactivation during anakinra treatment. PMID- 17762460 TI - Mouth and genital ulcers with inflamed cartilage (MAGIC) syndrome complicated by aneurysmal aortitis. AB - "MAGIC syndrome" (Mouth And Genital ulcers with Inflamed Cartilage) has been proposed to describe patients with clinical features of both relapsing polychondritis and Behcet disease. A total of 18 cases have been reported with only 1 case associated with aneurysmal aortitis described in 1997. Herein, we describe a patient with MAGIC syndrome complicated by aneurysmal aortitis requiring cardiothoracic surgery and intensive immunosuppression. Monitoring for the possible development of inflammatory aortic aneurysms should thus be considered in patients with MAGIC syndrome who have persistently elevated serum inflammatory markers. If an aortic aneurysm is detected, cardiothoracic surgical referral is necessary, close monitoring for enlargement is mandatory, and intensification of immunosuppressive therapy should be considered. PMID- 17762461 TI - Recurrent thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in a young boy with systemic lupus erythematosus. AB - Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare but potentially fatal disease in childhood. The association of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, schistocytes, and thrombocytopenia without fever, neurologic, and renal involvement is sufficient to suspect TTP at an early stage for prompt plasma infusion or exchange therapy. TTP has been increasingly described especially in association with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report the youngest Chinese boy who presented his SLE with TTP and subsequently experienced 9 relapses of TTP in a 2 year period. SLE disease activity index was low during his TTP relapses and therefore alertness of TTP relapse is required even in a relatively inactive period of SLE. TTP should be recognized even without renal or neurologic features and can respond to plasma therapy. PMID- 17762462 TI - Basic science for the clinician 45: CD4+ T-cell subsets of probable clinical consequence. AB - I have often said "blessed be the splitters, for they shall inherit the earth." By that I mean that it is only by studying carefully culled populations, approaching, but never quite reaching, homogeneity that we can ever gain real insights into rheumatologic diseases. Differentiating tuberculous from gouty from rheumatoid arthritis was a good start, and when Moll and Wright identified the seronegative spondyloarthropathies, we were on our way to establishing "splitters" as leaders. Predictably, once T cells were identified as different from B cells, the floodgates opened. Subsets galore were described, with more isolated populations in the T-cell family, but we are now finding heterogeneity in B-cell populations, as well, which has been discussed in a previous article in this series. But as for T cells... well, it has not been smooth sailing. I initially trained in a laboratory that was firmly committed to the proposition that there were within the CD8 population not only cytotoxic cells but also "suppressor cells." Problem is, no one could ever isolate the little buggers, and so the idea of a suppressor or regulatory subpopulation of CD8+ T cells went the way of the Edsel. As noted in a previous article in this series, T regulatory cells were finally identified but not within the CD8+ population. And there are other regulatory subsets within both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells populations and even new effector and memory populations that can be identified by their surface markers and functions. It is high time to review some of them; some of these populations may be involved in the immunopathogenesis of our diseases and undoubtedly will shortly be targets of immunotherapeutics. Although previous articles in this series discussed some of these subsets, I thought expanding on what is known about another recently described subset and putting them all together in one review might be helpful. PMID- 17762463 TI - Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: a rare cause of subcutaneous nodules in childhood. PMID- 17762465 TI - Rheumatoid-like hand deformities in Parkinson disease. PMID- 17762466 TI - Neurological manifestations of primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome: a prospective study. PMID- 17762467 TI - Polyarthritis associated with monoclonal gammopathy: an unusual case with plasmacytoma. PMID- 17762468 TI - Primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. PMID- 17762470 TI - Comment on recurrent Henoch-Schonlein purpura in children. PMID- 17762471 TI - The effect of C-arm malrotation on iliosacral screw placement. AB - OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether inaccurate C-arm positioning could create images that lead to inaccurate interpretation of iliosacral screw positions. DESIGN: Cadaveric dissection study. SETTING: The learning institute of Zimmer Inc. in Warsaw, Indiana. METHODS: A laboratory investigation was performed using 3 nonpreserved cadaveric specimens. Several anatomic landmarks of the pelvis were outlined using radiographic markers and guide wires placed in several positions within the pelvis in each specimen. Using C-arm images we inserted the following: a "good" wire (GW), an out-the-front (OTF) wire, an out-the-back (OTB) wire placed into the sacral canal, an "in-out-in" (IOI) wire, and a wire in the S1 foramen (S1). The C-arm was then canted in 2-degree increments toward the head and then toward the feet starting from the optimum position. RESULTS: Properly positioned wires always appear to be contained within bone regardless of the amount of malrotation of the C-arm from the optimum inlet and outlet views. CONCLUSIONS: Improper malrotated fluoroscopic inlet and outlet views of the pelvis will distort the anatomic landmarks of the pelvis before improperly placed guide wires appear to be correctly placed. Properly placed guide wires will always appear correctly positioned regardless of the malrotation of the C-arm. "Malrotated" views, however, can be used to rule out certain incorrect screw positions. PMID- 17762472 TI - Sacroiliac joint compression using an anterior pelvic compressor: a mechanical study in synthetic bone. AB - OBJECTIVES: Pelvic external fixation pins placed in the supraacetabular region, directed posteriorly, and mounted with a femoral distractor as a compressor may impart compression forces across the sacroiliac joint. This would be useful for indirect reduction and stabilization of the posterior pelvis. The purpose of this study was to determine the forces achieved by this construct compared with other forms of fixation. DESIGN: Mechanical study. SETTING: University laboratory. PATIENTS: Synthetic pelvis models. INTERVENTION: A complete symphyseal and unilateral sacroiliac joint disruption was created in 6 synthetic pelves. Five different fixation constructs were applied, and a pressure-sensitive film (TekScan) was fixed in the sacroiliac joint. Each construct was compressed in a standardized fashion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: After maximal compression of each trial, the magnitude and regional distribution of the force was recorded. RESULTS: Standard 2-bar external fixation did not allow for any compression across the sacroiliac joint in any specimen. The pelvic compressor delivered 86.3 N (SD, 12.1 N) of force across the sacroiliac joint when the pins were inserted half way, and 85.8 N (SD, 11.0 N) with full pin insertion. Iliosacral screws led to 145 N of compression on average (SD, 69.9 N), but this was not statistically different from the pelvic compressor groups. A C-clamp generated compression of 206 N (SD, 31.9 N), which was significantly greater than both the pelvic compressor groups (P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: A simple modification of pelvic external fixation, placing a femoral distractor as a compressor on supraacetabular pins, allows for indirect medial translation of the innominate bone and compression across the sacroiliac joint. The force achieved is less than with a C-clamp, but it is safer, involves techniques familiar to most surgeons, and may be useful in the acute management of unstable pelvic fractures. PMID- 17762473 TI - The accuracy of the saline load test in the diagnosis of traumatic knee arthrotomies. AB - OBJECTIVES: When open joint injury is suspected in a knee laceration, the saline load test has been recommended as a diagnostic modality, especially in small wounds, where inspection and palpation cannot confirm joint violation. The goals of this study are: 1) to correlate fluid volume needed for positive diagnosis with demographic factors, 2) to assess the sensitivity of using the commonly recommended volume of 50 mL, and 3) to identify the minimum fluid volume necessary to obtain 95% sensitivity. DESIGN: Prospective cohort. SETTING: University medical center. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Thirty consecutive patients scheduled for elective outpatient knee arthroscopy were prospectively enrolled. Exclusion criteria include history of open traumatic injury, presence of active infection, or limited range of motion as evidence of arthrofibrosis. INTERVENTION: A standard lateral parapatellar portal was made with a no. 11 blade scalpel, and a 5.8 mm diameter cannula-trochar was inserted and withdrawn to create a standard arthrotomy size of 26.4 mm. Using an 18-gauge needle, saline was injected through a separate lateral suprapatellar site until outflow was noted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Upon fluid outflow, the volume of injected saline was recorded. RESULTS: The volume injected until outflow was similar between men and women (P = 0.87). No correlation was observed between the volume injected and age (P = 0.85), height (P = 0.18), weight (P = 0.46), and body mass index (P = 0.91). Injection of 50 mL successfully identified only 46% of known arthrotomies. A saline load of 194 mL was required to achieve 95% sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: For small lacerations around the knee, saline loads of less than 194 mL are of questionable sensitivity, and surgeons should not use the saline load test to rule out open knee injuries. PMID- 17762474 TI - Medial buttress versus lateral locked plating in a cadaver medial tibial plateau fracture model. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare the mechanical stability of a medial tibial plateau fracture model secured with a lateral locking periarticular plate versus a medial buttress plate in cyclic testing and load to failure. METHODS: Medial tibial plateau fractures were created in 6 matched pairs of fresh cadaveric tibias. In each pair of tibias, 1 side was randomly selected to be fixed with a lateral locking plate on 1 side and the contralateral limb to be fixed with a medial buttress plate. The fixated tibias then underwent cyclic testing followed by single-cycle failure compressive loading. Displacement of the medial tibial plateau was measured in both cyclic and failure testing. RESULTS: Statistical analyses revealed relevant trends in fixation strength during cyclic testing, but neither the mean maximum displacement during nor mean residual displacement after cyclic testing were statistically different between the 2 fixation techniques. Statistically significant differences were observed for the mean forces to failure however. The medial buttress plate construct provided greater fixation strength with its failure force of 4136 +/- 1469 N compared with the lateral locking plate mean failure force of 2895 +/- 1237 N (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In the setting of a vertically oriented fracture in a medial tibial plateau without comminution, the medial buttress plate provides significantly greater stability in static loading, and a trend toward improved stability with cyclic loading. Clinical correlation is necessary to substantiate these findings. PMID- 17762475 TI - Does a positive ankle stress test indicate the need for operative treatment after lateral malleolus fracture? A preliminary report. AB - OBJECTIVES: At our institution, a standardized protocol using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate ankle stability and need for surgery following a positive manual stress test for isolated lateral malleolus fractures has been used. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results using this standardized protocol. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: University teaching hospital. PATIENTS: : Twenty-one patients who had a positive ankle stress test (>or=5 mm clear space widening) after isolated Weber B lateral malleolus fracture were further evaluated by MRI to determine the status of the deep deltoid ligament. INTERVENTION: If the MRI showed the deltoid ligament was completely disrupted, the patient was advised to have operative ankle repair. However, if the MRI demonstrated that the deep deltoid was intact or only partially disrupted, the patient was treated nonoperatively in a walking boot with weightbearing as tolerated ambulation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Patients were followed until fracture union and contacted at 12-month minimum follow-up to determine outcomes by radiographic evaluation, health related quality of life (HRQOL) based on Short Form (SF)-36 results and functional outcomes based on the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle (AOFAS) and patient report of treatment satisfaction. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients had an MRI after a positive ankle stress test and comprised the study group. There were 12 men and 9 women with an average age of 27 years (range, 16-62 years). Absolute medial clear space measurement on stress testing ranged from 5 to 8 mm. In all, 19 of 21 patients (90%) had evidence of partially torn deep deltoid ligament on MRI and were treated nonoperatively, whereas two patients had MRI findings of a complete deep deltoid injury and underwent surgical treatment. There were no statistically significant correlations between the medial clear space measurements and MRI documentation of complete deltoid ligament rupture. All fractures united without evidence of residual medial clear space widening or posttraumatic joint space narrowing. Of the 15 patients who were available for 1 year minimum follow-up and agreed to come back for clinical and radiographic evaluation, 14 had an AOFAS score of 100, with the remaining patient having a score of 85. HRQOL based on SF 36 results indicated all patients were above or at normal levels, and all patients reported that they were satisfied with their treatment; 93% (14/15) indicated that they would make the same treatment decision again. CONCLUSIONS: Using our protocol, we were able to identify and provide effective nonoperative care to 19 patients who otherwise might have underwent operative treatment after an isolated lateral malleolus fracture. Further work is needed to identify the subset of patients who could be treated nonoperatively without a need for MRI scanning. PMID- 17762476 TI - Prediction of avascular necrosis of the femoral head by measuring intramedullary oxygen tension after femoral neck fracture. AB - OBJECTIVE: To measure the intramedullary oxygen tension of the proximal femur after a femoral neck fracture and to evaluate the usefulness of that monitoring for prediction of subsequent avascular necrosis. DESIGN: Prospective case series with comparison group. SETTING: University hospital. INTERVENTION: Measurement of intramedullary oxygen tension of the femoral head and neck during internal fixation using the Hansson hook-pin system. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Intramedullary oxygen tension was measured directly during surgery in 17 patients with 18 femoral neck fractures treated by internal fixation between October 2000 and February 2002. The intramedullary oxygen tension was measured by using polarographic oxygen electrodes and an oxygen monitor at four points: (A) 1 cm distal from the joint surface; (B) 1 cm proximal from the fracture site; (C) 1 cm distal from the fracture site; and (D) 1 cm proximal from the lateral wall. The presence or absence of avascular necrosis was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 2, 6, and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: MRI evaluation showed 11 fractures healed without complications, and 7 fractures developed avascular necrosis. We found significant differences in the distribution of intramedullary oxygen tension of the femoral head between points A (1 cm from the joint surface) and B (1 cm proximal from the fracture site) in those patients who developed avascular necrosis (P = 0.039); that is the oxygen tension was lower at point A than at point B. In contrast, in those patients who did not develop avascular necrosis there was no significant differences between point A and B were found (P = 0.059). The sensitivity and specificity for prediction of avascular necrosis were 1.0 and 0.82 (Fischer exact probability test, P = 0.002), respectively, when the cut-off level of oxygen tension differences between points A and B was set at 3.1 mm Hg. CONCLUSION: We believe that this method of measuring intramedullary oxygen tension is simpler and less invasive than other currently used methods and has the possibility for intraoperatively identifying a risk group that can develop a late segmental collapse of the femoral head secondary to avascular necrosis. PMID- 17762477 TI - Bioelectrical impedance: a new method for measuring post-traumatic swelling. AB - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this pilot study was to investigate whether measurement of the bioelectrical impedance of the lower limb could be used to measure the swelling resulting from acute ankle fracture. METHODS: The impedance of each ankle was measured in 14 patients with isolated acute ankle fracture. The degree of ankle swelling was also directly assessed by measurement of the ankle circumference and diameter and by the water displacement method. A control group of 17 healthy subjects with uninjured ankles was similarly assessed. RESULTS: The impedance of the ankle was significantly reduced in patients with ankle fracture, and there was a strong inverse relationship between the degree of this reduction and the amount of swelling as directly measured. The relationship was stronger using the impedance method than the circumference and diameter methods. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that bioelectrical impedance can be used to measure ankle swelling in the presence of injury and could potentially be used both to monitor swelling clinically and as a research tool in studies of swelling management. More research is required to further define the potential role for this technique. PMID- 17762478 TI - Treatment of proximal humerus fractures. AB - The majority of proximal humerus fractures are treated nonoperatively with good functional results. Multiple options exist for treating displaced fractures, without a clear advantage of any one method for a given fracture type. Goals include an adequate reduction and stable fixation to initiate early motion and rehabilitation. Decision-making should be based on patient and injury specifics and surgeon's experience. Various types of fixation, including plates, nails, or percutaneous pins, can maintain sufficient stability to promote shoulder mobility and function. Any of these methods will have few complications when undertaken with appropriate patient selection and careful surgical technique. Preliminary results of locking plates in the proximal humerus suggest that this is a favorable treatment option for displaced, comminuted proximal humerus fractures, which compares well with established methods. Locked plating may improve fracture stability in some complex patterns and facilitate early rehabilitation. It is possible that some fractures previously treated with hemiarthroplasty may be managed successfully with locking plates. Prospective study to assess the complications, outcomes, and cost effectiveness of nonoperative management compared to various surgical treatment options is warranted. PMID- 17762479 TI - Damage control nailing. AB - The role of intramedullary nailing of the femur and the timing for this procedure in the trauma patient with multiple injuries has been widely debated. Recent literature has advocated the idea of "damage control orthopaedics," promoting temporary external fixation for stabilization of long bone fractures in the acute setting. This paper advances an alternative to damage control orthopaedics, the option of rapidly executed small-diameter unreamed retrograde nailing of the femur for the patient with polytrauma who will be undergoing simultaneous surgery for other injuries. This technique offers the advantages of rapid stabilization performed under controlled circumstances in the operating room, without some of the disadvantages of using external fixation in this situation. PMID- 17762483 TI - The anterior and medial reduction of intertrochanteric fractures: a simple method to obtain a stable reduction. AB - This article describes a simple method using anterior and medial bone contact of the distal shaft piece to obtain a stable reduction for displaced intertrochanteric fractures of the hip. The technique is based on the observation that the anterior pathoanatomy of the intertrochanteric hip fracture involves a noncomminuted fracture plane that can be placed into contact. This reestablishes a normal neck shaft angle and prevents excessive collapse of the fracture site. The maneuver is described in the context of the fracture pathoanatomy and the use of a fracture table. PMID- 17762484 TI - Open reduction of intracapsular hip fractures using a modified Smith-Petersen surgical exposure. AB - The Smith-Petersen or modified direct anterior hip surgical exposures have not previously been described for open reduction of femoral neck fractures. This technique of reduction provides a direct approach to the femoral neck and hip joint. Displaced fractures of the femoral neck can easily be reduced through this approach, local osseus defects resulting from impaction can be supported with bone graft, and fracture fixation is then placed through a separate lateral exposure or through small stab incisions. The technique of reduction is presented. PMID- 17762485 TI - Acetabular fracture through the triradiate cartilage after low-energy trauma. AB - Although rare, injury to the triradiate cartilage is both a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Trauma to the triradiate cartilage or its blood supply can adversely affect acetabular development due to premature physeal closure. A shallow acetabulum with a lateralized hip joint that is prone to subluxation, premature degenerative changes, chronic pain, and functional limitations can result. We present a case of an acetabular fracture with injury to the triradiate cartilage after low-energy trauma in an adolescent male treated nonoperatively and healed without complications. PMID- 17762486 TI - Segmental bony defect of the proximal phalanx in the great toe reconstructed by free vascularized bone graft from the supracondylar region of the femur: a case report. AB - We report the case of a 24-year-old man with a segmental bone defect of the proximal phalanx of the great toe that was successfully reconstructed by free vascularized bone graft (FVBG) from the supracondylar region of the femur after initial stabilization with external fixation and temporary antibiotic-impregnated bone cement. His functional outcome at 22 months follow-up was excellent. On the basis of this experience, FVBG from the supracondylar region of the femur can be used as an option for treating segmental bone defects of the great toe. PMID- 17762487 TI - Treatment of infection after fracture fixation. Opinion: retain stable implant and suppress infection until union. PMID- 17762488 TI - Treatment of infection after fracture fixation. Opinion: two-stage protocol: treatment of nonunion after treatment of infection. PMID- 17762489 TI - Infected nonunion of the long bones. AB - BACKGROUND: Although definitions vary, infected nonunion has been defined as a state of failure of union and persistence of infection at the fracture site for 6 to 8 months.>). Infected nonunions of the supracondylar region of the femur are uncommon and are mostly due to a severe open fracture with extensive comminution and segmental bone loss or after internal fixation of a comminuted closed fracture. Associated factors include exposed bone devoid of vascularized periosteal coverage for more than 6 weeks, purulent discharge, a positive bacteriological culture from the depth of the wound, and histologic evidence of necrotic bone containing empty lacunae. Soft-tissue loss with multiple sinuses, osteomyelitis, osteopenia, complex deformities with limb-length inequality, stiffness of the adjacent joint, polybacterial multidrug-resistant infection, and smoking all complicate treatment and recovery. Although uncommon in incidence, infected nonunions of the long bones present a great challenge to the orthopaedic surgeon in providing optimal treatment of this entity. To give direction to the optimal strategy, this systematic review was performed. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to review the highest level of available evidence on the operative management of infected nonunions of the long bones. PMID- 17762490 TI - Severe neutropenia in children: a single institutional experience. AB - Severe neutropenia (SN) is a rare disorder in childhood. This study aimed to document the approach to diagnosis and treatment of children with SN in a single university-based children's hospital, determine the types of SN seen in a 4-year period, and determine outcomes of the subtypes of SN. Forty-five children with SN were identified between 2000 and 2004. Two patients had autoimmune, 3 congenital, 3 familial, 6 cyclic, and 31 idiopathic SN. The median age of the patients with idiopathic SN was 15 months (3 mo to 17 y). Thirteen patients with idiopathic SN received filgrastim and 18 were observed. The history of severe infection and hospitalization at presentation was significantly more common among the patients who received filgrastim than those observed, but was not different between the 2 groups during the follow-up period. SN resolved in 16 patients and persisted in 14 patients. One patient with idiopathic SN did not respond to filgrastim and died of sepsis while she was still neutropenic. In summary, the majority of patients with SN had idiopathic SN, the infection risk was variable, treatment was based on clinical judgment rather than absolute neutrophil count, and approximately half of the patients had complete recovery. PMID- 17762491 TI - Hair selenium status in children with leukemia and lymphoma. AB - Selenium (Se) is a trace element contributing to the structure of antioxidant system that saves cells from reactive oxygen species. Low serum Se levels have been reported in pediatric and adult patients with cancers. On the other hand, hair Se levels, predicting the long-term body Se status, have been reported in only adult patients with cancer. The aim of the study was to investigate the hair Se status in children with newly diagnosed lymphoid malignancies and the relation between malnutrition and Se deficiency. Thirty patients with leukemia (n=17) and lymphoma (n=13), and 25 healthy controls were enrolled to the study. Se was determined with atomic absorption spectrophotometrical method. Hair Se levels of the patients were significantly lower than those of control group [666.96+/ 341.46 ng/g vs. 1019.22+/-371.83 ng/g (P<0.001)]. Children with lymphoma had lower Se than the children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia but not statistically significant [547.03+/-283.67 ng/g vs. 758.67+/-361.05 ng/g (P>0.05)]. Malnourished patients (11/30) had lower hair Se levels (483.51+/ 235.55 ng/g) than those of the controls (P=0.036), whereas the Se levels of the patients who had no malnutrition (773.17+/-352.92 ng/g) were also lower than those of the controls but not statistically significant (P=0.053). There was no correlation between age, sex, and the hair Se levels. In this study, we found that hair Se levels of the children with leukemia and lymphoma, especially those of malnourished patients, were lower than those of controls. Additional studies are needed to determinate whether low levels of hair Se may play a role in carcinogenesis. PMID- 17762492 TI - Evaluation of the children with beta-thalassemia in terms of their self-concept, behavioral, and parental attitudes. AB - This study was planned to explore the self-concept, behavioral, and parental attitudes of the children with beta-thalassemia major, and the factors that affect them. The study was undertaken between January and June 2004 at the Hacettepe University Ihsan Dogramaci Children's Hospital, Pediatric Hematology Unit, Ankara and 43 voluntary children with beta-thalassemia major on regular blood transfusion and iron chelation treatment between the ages of 5.0 and 18.0 years were included into the study. Age, sex, birth order, school performance, hemoglobin value, serum ferritin levels, associated illness, splenectomy status, presence of thalassemic sibling or relatives, death of thalassemic relatives, place of residence, maternal and paternal education were recorded. Parental Attitude Research Instrument, Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale, and Child Behavior Checklist were applied. Higher educated mothers have lower overprotection (P=0.009), parental discordance (P=0.044), and discipline scores (P=0.002) than lower educated mothers. In cases with death of thalassemic relatives, democratic/equality attitude scores were decreased (P=0.034). With stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, splenectomy, good school achievement, absence of death of thalassemic relatives, and serum ferritin levels were found to increase Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale; however, total behavior problem score was found to decrease with increasing age, splenectomy and decreasing overprotection subscale of Parental Attitude Research Instrument scores. The self esteem and behavior problems of children with thalassemia depended not only on the variables related exclusively to the child (age, school achievement) and the illness-associated conditions (splenectomy, serum ferritin levels) but also on the parental attitude (overprotection). PMID- 17762493 TI - Insufficient growth hormone secretion is associated with metabolic syndrome after allogeneic stem cell transplantation in childhood. AB - The aim was to evaluate whether the metabolic syndrome associates with other endocrinopathies observed after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) in childhood. Thirty-one SCT long-term survivors, transplanted for leukemia (n=26) or nonmalignant hematologic diseases (n=5) were evaluated by oral glucose tolerance test and assessment of serum lipids at a median age of 15 (range 7 to 34) years. Hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and abdominal obesity were required for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Growth hormone (GH) secretion was evaluated either with GH releasing hormone and arginine (n=14), clonidine (n=15), or insulin-tolerance (n=2) test. A GH peak level of <20 mU/L was considered insufficient. The thyroid and gonadal functions were assessed. Twelve patients (39%) had metabolic syndrome. Nine out of 12 (75%) patients with metabolic syndrome had insufficient GH response in provocative testing as opposed to 6/19 (31%) of those without it (P=0.02). No difference was observed in thyroid or gonadal function between patients with versus without metabolic syndrome. In conclusion, metabolic syndrome is frequently associated with insufficient GH secretion in the SCT long-term survivors. This should implicate a close follow-up of the metabolic parameters in SCT patients with either frank GH insufficiency or signs of inadequate GH response in provocative testing. PMID- 17762494 TI - Longitudinal evaluation of fine motor skills in children with leukemia. AB - BACKGROUND: Improved survival for children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) has allowed investigators to focus on the adverse or side effects of treatment and to develop interventions that promote cure while decreasing the long-term effects of therapy. Although much attention has been given to the significant neurocognitive sequelae that can occur after ALL therapy, limited investigation is found addressing fine motor function in these children and motor function that may contribute to neurocognitive deficits in ALL survivors. METHODS: Fine motor and sensory-perceptual performances were examined in 82 children with ALL within 6-months of diagnosis and annually for 2 years (year 1 and year 2, respectively) during therapy. RESULTS: Purdue Pegboard assessments indicated significant slowing of fine motor speed and dexterity for the dominant hand, nondominant hand, and both hands simultaneously for children in this study. Mean Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) scores for children with low-risk and high-risk ALL decreased from the first evaluation to year 1 and again at year 2. Mean VMI scores for children with standard risk ALL increased from the first evaluation to year 1 and then decreased at year 2. Significant positive correlations were found between the Purdue and the VMI at both year 1 and year 2, suggesting that the Pegboard performance consistently predicts the later decline in visual-motor integration. Significant correlations were found between the Purdue Pegboard at baseline and the Performance IQ during year 1, though less consistently during year 2. A similar pattern was also observed between the baseline Pegboard performance and performance on the Coding and Symbol Search subtests during year 1 and year 2. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, children with ALL experienced significant and persistent visual-motor problems throughout therapy. These problems continued during the first and second years of treatment. These basic processing skills are necessary to the development of higher-level cognitive abilities, including nonverbal intelligence and academic achievement, particularly in arithmetic and written language. PMID- 17762495 TI - Psychosocial indicators of health-related quality of life in children with cancer 2 months after end of successful treatment. AB - The purpose of the study was to identify psychosocial correlates of Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in pediatric cancer patients after completion of cancer treatment. Multiple regression analyses were performed to predict self reported HRQoL of 52 patients aged 8 to 15 years, and parent-reported HRQoL of 54 patients aged 1 to 5 years. Cognitive coping, family functioning, parental emotional reactions, communication about the disease, and several medical variables were included in the regression models. Better HRQoL was especially associated with more positive expectations of the further course of the disease and less frequent parental asking after disease-related emotions of the child. Interventions should include "positive thinking" as a coping strategy. Several other psychosocial variables were indicative of better HRQoL but further research is needed to confirm and to understand the relationship between psychosocial variables and HRQoL. PMID- 17762496 TI - High expressions of neuronatin isoforms in favorable neuroblastoma. AB - Neuroblastoma is a malignant solid tumor of children, which derives from the embryonal sympathoadrenal linage. Clinical cases can vary widely from a favorable to an unfavorable prognosis according to the presence of genetic aberrations, such as MYCN amplification. Our cDNA microarray analysis which compared the gene expressions between favorable and unfavorable neuroblastomas showed a high expression of the neuronatin (Nnat) gene in favorable neuroblastomas. Nnat is highly conserved in mammalian species, and its expression appears in nervous systems from the hindbrain to the peripherals during the prenatal periods. The Nnat mRNA expression, investigated in 63 of neuroblastoma samples by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, was found to be significantly higher in the favorable prognosis groups than in the unfavorable groups. Nnat is an imprinted gene, and its expression in IMR32 neuroblastoma cell line was up regulated by treatment with a demethylating agent. High expressions of Nnat isoforms induced in an IMR32 neuroblastoma cell line changed the cell morphology to the extension of the neural processes, which thus indicated the occurrence of cell differentiation. In conclusion, the high expressions of Nnat were found to be associated with good prognoses in neuroblastoma, which might indicate tumor differentiation, and its suppressions in unfavorable tumors are considered to be under epigenetic control. PMID- 17762497 TI - Gut overgrowth of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) results in linezolid resistant mutation in a child with severe congenital neutropenia: a case report. AB - A child with severe congenital neutropenia was monitored with microbiologic surveillance cultures for 3 years. He had recurrent bacterial infections and carriage of vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Resistance to linezolid emerged in the colonizing vancomycin-resistant enterococci after each course of this antibiotic when enterococci were present in overgrowth in the gut before treatment. The child was successfully treated for his congenital neutropenia by unrelated donor stem cell transplantation. PMID- 17762498 TI - Periosteal Ewing sarcoma family of tumors of the femur confirmed by molecular detection of EWS-FLI1 fusion gene transcripts: a case report and review of the literature. AB - Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT) comprise common sarcomas in children and young adults. Such tumors usually occur in the medullary cavity of long bones and directly invade cortical bone and circumferential soft tissue, including periosteum. Periosteal ESFT is extremely rare and only a small numbers of cases, including cases not confirmed by molecular detection of chimeric fusion gene, have been reported. We describe herein a case of periosteal ESFT of the femur in a 13-year-old boy harboring EWS-FLI1 chimeric fusion gene transcripts detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. This report may provide an opportunity for further evaluation of the EWS-FLI1 type 1 fusion gene and detection of prognostic significance in periosteal ESFT. PMID- 17762499 TI - Enterovirus 71 meningoencephalitis during chemotherapy in a child with metastatic osteosarcoma. AB - Enterovirus meningoencephalitis is rare but can be severe. Very few cases of these infections have been reported in pediatric oncology. We report the case of a 10-year-old boy with tibial osteosarcoma and lung metastases who developed enterovirus 71 meningoencephalitis during aplasia. Clinical features comprised fever, hypotension, vesicular rash, generalized seizures, and altered consciousness. Diagnosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction on samples of cerebrospinal fluid and skin vesicles. The patient received treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins with an excellent outcome with no cutaneous or neurologic sequelae. Immunoglobulin therapy could be considered in cases of invasive enteroviral infection with such severity in pediatric oncology. PMID- 17762500 TI - Use of rituximab in conjunction with immunosuppressive chemotherapy as a novel therapy for Epstein Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. AB - Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a rare, life-threatening complication of Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infection. Current treatments are directed at reducing virus-induced immune dysregulation. Addition of agents that eliminate EBV infected B cells may improve therapeutic efficacy. On the basis of the observations that the anti-CD-20 monoclonal antibody rituximab reduces disease burden in individuals with EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorders, we treated a patient with severe EBV-hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis using a combination of rituximab and chemotherapy. This patient demonstrated a rapid clinical response and an 18-fold reduction in EBV viral load within 24 hours of receiving rituximab. He remains free of disease 8 months after completing treatment. PMID- 17762501 TI - Immunologic profile and outcome of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Morocco. AB - Immunophenotyping in leukemia offers a precise delineation of the hematopoietic lineage and differentiation stage of the malignant cell. In this study, we used flow cytometry to determine the frequency of the immunologic types of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Moroccan children. We analyzed 100 samples from ALL patients within an age ranging from 6 months to 16 years presented over a 4 year period (1996 to 2000). Immunophenotyping allowed classification into 2 major categories: T-ALL (37%) and B-ALL (63%), with a higher percentage of males (69%). Comparison of the clinical characteristics showed that the frequency of splenomegaly was similar in B-ALL and T-ALL patients (53% and 47%, respectively). Hepatomegaly and mediastinal masses were more often associated with T-ALL (62% and 71%, respectively). Splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and mediastinal masses were more frequent in immature than mature B-ALL, whereas the reverse was observed for T-ALL. Complete remission was obtained in 88% and 84% of B-ALL and T-ALL, respectively and relapse after 1 year occurred in 30% and 37% of cases, respectively. CD10 expressing B-ALL showed a slightly higher complete remission rate, whereas the reverse was observed for CD10 expressing T-ALL. The overall 5 year survival rate of ALL was 38%, whereas patients with B-ALL showed better survival than children with T-ALL. PMID- 17762502 TI - Treatment of thrombosis with fondaparinux (Arixtra) in a patient with end-stage renal disease receiving hemodialysis therapy. AB - Treatment of thrombosis in children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is extremely challenging owing to the underlying risk of bleeding. Fondaparinux (Arixtra, Sanofi-Synthelabo), a synthetic pentasaccharide, is contraindicated in patients with compromised renal function as it is excreted via kidneys. We describe a unique case with ESRD and pulmonary embolism who was treated with fondaparinux owing to the toxicity and poor compliance with low-molecular-weight heparin. Despite regular hemodialysis, a gradual rise in drug levels was observed without significant bleeding complications. This report implies that although low dose fondaparinux can be an option in patients with ESRD under special circumstances, guidelines for laboratory monitoring and appropriate dose adjustments are urgently required to ensure the safety of the patient. PMID- 17762503 TI - Frequency of BCR-ABL fusion oncogene in Pakistani childhood acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) patients reflects ethnic differences in molecular genetics of ALL. PMID- 17762505 TI - Elicited hippocampal theta rhythm: a screen for anxiolytic and procognitive drugs through changes in hippocampal function? AB - Hippocampal damage produces cognitive deficits similar to dementia and changes in emotional and motivated reactions similar to anxiolytic drugs. The gross electrical activity of the hippocampus contains a marked 'theta rhythm'. This is a relatively high voltage sinusoidal waveform, resulting from synchronous phasic firing of cells, variation in which correlates with behavioural state. Like the hippocampus, theta has been linked to both cognitive and emotional functions. Critically, it has recently been shown that restoration of theta-like rhythmicity can restore lost cognitive function. We review the effects of systemic administration of drugs on hippocampal theta elicited by stimulation of the reticular formation. We conclude that reductions in the frequency of reticular elicited theta provide what is currently the best in-vivo means of detecting antianxiety drugs. We also suggest that increases in the power of reticular elicited theta could detect drugs useful in the treatment of disorders, such as dementia, that involve memory loss. We argue that these functionally distinct effects should be seen as indirect and that each results from a change in a single form of cognitive-emotional processing that particularly involves the hippocampus. PMID- 17762507 TI - The role of hippocampus in anxiety: intracerebral infusion studies. AB - Although current models of hippocampal function stress its well-known role in cognitive functions, historically it has also been viewed as a neural mediator of emotion. Here, we review recent evidence from intrahippocampal infusion studies in animals that support a distinctive role of the hippocampus in anxiety, independent of its roles in learning and memory. Specifically, gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor agonists, both direct and indirect, reliably inhibit a number of animals' untrained anxiety reactions when microinfused into the hippocampus, whereas gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor antagonists do not. Intrahippocampal infusions of glutamatergic, serotonergic and cholinergic compounds also produce statistically reliable antianxiety effects, but the results vary as a function of specific anxiety reactions, and to some extent specific intrahippocampal targets. One hypothesis that may accommodate some of this variability is that anxiety is functionally segregated within the hippocampus, with ventral subregions more involved in anxiety-related processes, and dorsal subregions more involved with cognitive processes. Another possibility is that different hippocampal functions (e.g. memory and anxiety) are mediated by different neurotransmitter systems and/or different receptor subtypes within the hippocampus. Although there is some evidence that supports the latter hypothesis, the evidence for the former is not conclusive. Overall, however, the data clearly suggest that the hippocampus is importantly and directly involved in the mediation of untrained anxiety reactions in animals. PMID- 17762508 TI - The role of the hippocampus in mediating emotional responses to nicotine and cannabinoids: a possible neural substrate for functional interactions. AB - The endocannabinoid system is involved in the regulation of behavioural and physiological stress-related responses. Nicotine exerts complex effects on emotional behaviour, and its withdrawal may result in depressive and anxiogenic like symptoms. Cannabinoid receptor agonists and nicotine induce biphasic effects in diverse tests of unconditioned anxiety, alter adrenocortical activity and affect hippocampus-dependent contextual fear conditioning. Upon exposure to stressful stimuli, central endocannabinoid and cholinergic systems appear to be activated in key limbic areas such as hippocampus and amygdala, which might contribute to adaptive cognitive and emotional strategies to cope with aversive situations. Numerous studies indicate the existence of functional interactions between nicotine and cannabinoids, particularly in relation to anxiety-related processes. An overlapping distribution of CB1 and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the hippocampus is observed and the endocannabinoid system exerts a modulatory role over the hippocampal cholinergic system. In this review, we point to the hippocampus as a relevant neural substrate for cannabinoid-nicotine interactions, notably as regards emotional responses. After a general description of the cannabinoid and nicotinic systems, we review their implications in unconditioned anxiety, depressive-like behaviour and fear conditioning. Then we discuss the role of both systems in modulating stress-induced changes at cellular, endocrine and behavioural levels and their possible involvement in hippocampal neurogenesis. Although we mainly focus on animal data, some relevant human studies are also discussed. PMID- 17762506 TI - Anti-dementia drugs and hippocampal-dependent memory in rodents. AB - Abnormalities in hippocampal structure and function are characteristics of early Alzheimer's disease (AD). Behavioral tests measuring hippocampal-dependent memory in rodents are often used to evaluate novel treatments for AD and other dementias. In this study, we review the effects of drugs marketed for the treatment of AD, such as the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine and the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid antagonist, memantine, in rodent models of memory impairment. We also briefly describe the effects of novel treatments for cognitive impairment in rodent models of memory impairment, and discuss issues concerning the selection of the animal model and behavioral tests. Suggestions for future research are offered. PMID- 17762509 TI - The role of neurotrophic factors in adult hippocampal neurogenesis, antidepressant treatments and animal models of depressive-like behavior. AB - Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by structural and neurochemical changes in limbic structures, including the hippocampus, that regulate mood and cognitive functions. Hippocampal atrophy is observed in patients with depression and this effect is blocked or reversed by antidepressant treatments. Brain derived neurotrophic factor and other neurotrophic/growth factors are decreased in postmortem hippocampal tissue from suicide victims, which suggests that altered trophic support could contribute to the pathophysiology of MDD. Preclinical studies demonstrate that exposure to stress leads to atrophy and cell loss in the hippocampus as well as decreased expression of neurotrophic/growth factors, and that antidepressant administration reverses or blocks the effects of stress. Accumulating evidence suggests that altered neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus mediates the action of antidepressants. Chronic antidepressant administration upregulates neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus and this cellular response is required for the effects of antidepressants in certain animal models of depression. Here, we review cellular (e.g. adult neurogenesis) and behavioral studies that support the neurotrophic/neurogenic hypothesis of depression and antidepressant action. Aberrant regulation of neuronal plasticity, including neurogenesis, in the hippocampus and other limbic nuclei may result in maladaptive changes in neural networks that underlie the pathophysiology of MDD. PMID- 17762510 TI - The role of hippocampus in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. AB - Bipolar disorder (BD) is thought to be associated with abnormalities within discrete brain regions associated with emotional regulation, particularly in fronto-limbic-subcortical circuits. Several reviews have addressed the involvement of the prefrontal cortex in the pathophysiology of BD, whereas little attention has been given to the role of the hippocampus. This study critically reviews data from brain imaging, postmortem, neuropsychological, and preclinical studies, which suggested hippocampal abnormalities in BD. Most of the structural brain imaging studies did not find changes in hippocampal volume in BD, although a few studies suggested that anatomical changes might be restricted to the psychotic, pediatric, or unmedicated BD subgroups. Functional imaging studies showed abnormal brain activation in the hippocampus and its closely related regions during emotional, attentional, and memory tasks. This is consistent with neuropsychological findings that revealed a wide range of cognitive disturbances during acute mood episodes and a significant impairment in declarative memory during remission. Postmortem studies indicate abnormal glutamate and GABA transmission in the hippocampus of BD patients, whereas data from preclinical studies suggest that the regulation of hippocampal plasticity and survival might be associated with the therapeutic effects of mood stabilizers. In conclusion, the available evidence suggests that the hippocampus plays an important role in the pathophysiology of BD. PMID- 17762511 TI - Local enhancement of cannabinoid CB1 receptor signalling in the dorsal hippocampus elicits an antidepressant-like effect. AB - Systemic administration of direct cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonists and inhibitors of the hydrolytic enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase have been shown to elicit antidepressant effects. Moreover, the endocannabinoid system in the hippocampus is sensitive to both chronic stress and antidepressant administration, suggesting a potential role of this system in emotional changes associated with these regimens. The aim of this study was to determine if cannabinoid CB1 receptors in the hippocampus modulate emotionality in rats as assessed via the forced swim test. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were bilaterally implanted with cannulae directed at the dentate gyrus of the dorsal hippocampus and subsequently received three infusions of either the cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist HU-210 (1 and 2.5 microg), the fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor URB597 (0.5 and 1 microg), the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (1 and 2.5 microg), or vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide) and were assessed in the forced swim test. Infusion of both doses of HU-210 resulted in a dramatic reduction in immobility and increase in swimming behaviour, indicative of an antidepressant response, which was partially reversed by coadministration of AM251. No effect of URB597 administration or any effect following the administration of AM251 alone was, however, observed. These data indicate that activation of CB1 receptors in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus results in an antidepressant-like response. Collectively, these data highlight the potential importance of changes in the hippocampal endocannabinoid system following stress or antidepressant treatment with respect to the manifestation and/or treatment of depression. PMID- 17762512 TI - Anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like effects produced by the selective 5-HT6 receptor antagonist SB-258585 after intrahippocampal administration to rats. AB - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of SB-258585, a selective 5-HT6 receptor antagonist, administered intrahippocampally to rats, in the conflict drinking and forced swim tests, that is models used for evaluating anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like activity, respectively. Diazepam and imipramine were used as reference drugs. SB-258585 at a dose of 1 microg (but not 0.3 and 3 microg) showed an anticonflict effect that was weaker than that of diazepam (40 microg). SB-258585 at a dose of 3 microg (but not 1 and 10 microg) produced a marked anti-immobility effect comparable with that of imipramine (0.1 microg). The anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like activity of SB-258585 seemed to be specific, as that compound--when given by the same route in doses effective in each model--did not affect the shock threshold, nonpunished water consumption, or exploratory activity of rats. The results obtained indicate that the hippocampus is one of the neuroanatomical sites involved in the anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like activity of the selective 5-HT6 receptor antagonist SB 258585. PMID- 17762513 TI - Benzodiazepine-induced hippocampal CA1 neuron alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5 methylisoxasole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptor plasticity linked to severity of withdrawal anxiety: differential role of voltage-gated calcium channels and N methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors. AB - Withdrawal from 1-week oral administration of the benzodiazepine, flurazepam (FZP) is associated with increased alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxasole-4 propionic acid (AMPA) receptor (AMPAR) miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) but reduction of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR)-evoked (e)EPSCs in hippocampal CA1 neurons. A positive correlation was observed between increased AMPAR-mediated mEPSC amplitude and anxiety-like behavior in 1-day FZP withdrawn rats. These effects were disrupted by systemic AMPAR antagonist administration (GYKI-52466, 0.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) at withdrawal onset, strengthening the hypothesis that CA1 neuron AMPAR-mediated hyperexcitability is a central component of a functional anatomic circuit associated with the expression of withdrawal anxiety. Abolition of AMPAR current upregulation in 2 day FZP withdrawn rats by GYKI-52466 injection also reversed the reduction in NMDAR-mediated eEPSC amplitude in CA1 neurons from the same rats, suggesting that downregulation of NMDAR function may serve a protective, negative-feedback role to prevent AMPAR-mediated neuronal overexcitation. NMDAR antagonist administration (MK-801, 0.25 mg/kg intraperitoneally) had no effect on modifying increased glutamatergic strength or on withdrawal anxiety, whereas injection of an L-type voltage-gated calcium channel antagonist, nimodipine (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) averted AMPAR current enhancement and anxiety-like behavior, suggesting that these manifestations may be initiated by a voltage-gated calcium channel-dependent signal transduction pathway. An evidence-based model of likely cellular mechanisms in the hippocampus contributing to benzodiazepine withdrawal anxiety was proposed implicating regulation of multiple CA1 neuron ion channels. PMID- 17762514 TI - The anxiolytic-like effects of allopregnanolone vary as a function of intracerebral microinfusion site: the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, or hippocampus. AB - Allopregnanolone is a 5alpha-reduced metabolite of progesterone that potentiates gamma-aminobutyric acid type-A (GABA(A)) receptor activity and produces anxiolytic effects in animal models. Little is, however, known about the brain regions that mediate its anxiolytic effects. In this study Sprague-Dawley rats were microinfused with allopregnanolone into the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, or hippocampus--brain regions that have been previously implicated in the control of anxiety in animal models. After the microinfusion, the animals were tested on the elevated plus-maze and the shock-probe burying test. In the amygdala, allopregnanolone produced anxiolytic-like effects in both tests; in the medial prefrontal cortex, allopregnanolone produced anxiolytic effects restricted to the plus-maze test; in the hippocampus, allopregnanolone was ineffective in both tests. The results were discussed in terms of differences in the control of specific fear reactions within subregions of each brain area, differences in the 'sensitivity' of behavioral tests to the anxiolytic effects of allopregnanolone, and finally, regional differences in the subunit composition of GABA(A) receptors and their possible relationship to the relative efficacy of steroidal and nonsteroidal GABA(A) agonists. PMID- 17762515 TI - DNA fragmentation and oxidative stress in the hippocampal formation: a bridge between 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) intake and long-lasting behavioral alterations. AB - Intake of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) in humans leads to marked behavioral alterations. In a recent paper, we demonstrated that chronic MDMA intake produces a latent hippocampal hyperexcitability that parallels a reduced threshold for limbic seizures and a slowing of electroencephalographic activity. These phenomena suggest an alteration in hippocampal function. So far, only a few studies have focused on the hippocampal formation as a potential target for the effects induced by MDMA. In this study we sought to evaluate whether the intrinsic cells of the hippocampus might be modified chronically by ecstasy intake. In particular, we examined whether administration of MDMA, at doses producing hippocampal hyperexcitability also produces rearrangements of DNA strands measured by the comet assay. We found that MDMA, at very low doses, comparable with those self-administered by humans, produces acute oxidative stress and DNA single and double-strand breaks, which persist together with long lasting metabolic changes in the hippocampal formation. These persisting effects are accompanied by behavioral sensitization, reduced seizure threshold and long lasting slowing of electroencephalographic activity, and hyperexcitability of the hippocampus, without affecting the basal ganglia. The present data indicate that the intake of very low doses of MDMA, comparable to those consumed by humans, produces selective hippocampal alterations which may underlie cognitive impairment and seizure susceptibility. PMID- 17762516 TI - Inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase in the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus blocks extinction of inhibitory avoidance memory. AB - Step-down inhibitory avoidance (IA) memory formation involves association of stepping-down from a platform present in a training box (conditioned stimulus) with a footshock (unconditioned stimulus). A single short training session is enough to induce a lasting and strong memory trace expressed as an increase in step-down latency. Repeated nonreinforced retrieval, however, induces extinction of the IA response, a process involving a new learning that overrules the original one to indicate that the conditioned stimulus no longer predicts the unconditioned stimulus. Although the molecular requirements of IA memory consolidation are well understood, comparatively less is known about the signaling pathways involved in its extinction. Here we report that, when given into dorsal CA1 immediately but not 180 min after daily nonreinforced retrieval sessions, SP60015, a specific inhibitor of the mitogen-activated protein kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, impaired IA memory extinction in a dose-dependent manner without producing any motor or perceptual impairment or damaging the hippocampal formation. Our results suggest that, as happens during consolidation, extinction of IA long-term memory also requires c-Jun N-terminal kinase activity in the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus. PMID- 17762517 TI - Investigating the neurobiology of music: brain-derived neurotrophic factor modulation in the hippocampus of young adult mice. AB - It has been shown that music might be able to improve mood state in people affected by psychiatric disorders, ameliorate cognitive deficits in people with dementia and increase motor coordination in Parkinson patients. Robust experimental evidence explaining the central effects of music, however, is missing. This study was designed to investigate the effect of music on brain neurotrophin production and behavior in the mouse. We exposed young adult mice to music with a slow rhythm (6 h/day; mild sound pressure levels, between 50 and 60 db) for 21 consecutive days. At the end of the treatment, mice were tested for passive avoidance learning and then killed for analysis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in selected brain regions. We found that music exposed mice showed increased BDNF, but not nerve growth factor in the hippocampus. Furthermore, we observed that music exposure significantly enhanced learning performance, as measured by the passive avoidance test. Our results demonstrate that exposure to music can modulate the activity of the hippocampus by influencing BDNF production. Our findings also suggest that music exposure might be of help in several central nervous system pathologies. PMID- 17762518 TI - Roles of hippocampal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors and calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II in amphetamine-produced conditioned place preference in rats. AB - This study investigates the roles of hippocampal N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors and CaMKII (calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) in amphetamine-produced conditioned place preference (AMPH-CPP) in rats. An earlier report showed that AMPH-CPP resulted in the enhancement of hippocampal CaMKII activity. In this study, AMPH-CPP significantly increased hippocampal GluR1 receptors, though AMPH-CPP was impaired by either blockade of NMDA receptors (AP5) or inhibition of CaMKII (KN-93) during conditioning. These treatments also impaired CPP if administered before testing, but CPP recovered during the next testing session. Therefore, these treatments had no effect on the extinction of CPP. If the conditioned rats were, however, reexposed to AMPH-CPP after a hippocampal-infusion of AP5 or KN-93, the extinction of the original CPP was greater than that seen in the controls. The hippocampal-infusion of D cycloserine before CPP testing enhanced the extinction of CPP. These results, taken together, indicate that NMDA receptor activation and CaMKII activity are essential for the AMPH-CPP. AMPH-CPP reexposure is similar to the memory reconsolidation process, being disrupted by either a blockade of the NMDA receptor or an inhibition of CaMKII. Furthermore, the extinction of CPP resembles new learning, which is an active process and is facilitated by a partial NMDA agonist. PMID- 17762519 TI - Effects of fluoxetine on hippocampal-dependent and hippocampal-independent learning tasks. AB - It is generally assumed that fluoxetine does not produce cognitive impairments, based on observations that fluoxetine-treated animals do not show impairment in learning the spatial water-maze task. As fluoxetine has different effects on different brain regions and as learning is not a unitary phenomenon, it may be the case that fluoxetine has different effects on different types of learning and memory paradigms. In this study, 15 male Sprague-Dawley rats were given chronic injections of either fluoxetine or saline and received training in two hippocampal-independent tasks in addition to a spatial water-maze task. The two hippocampal-independent tasks were a short-delay appetitive Pavlovian conditioning task and an object-recognition task. The results showed that the fluoxetine-injected rats did not show any impairment relative to the saline controls in either the acquisition or the retention phases of the water-maze task, but were significantly impaired in both of the hippocampal-independent tasks. Fluoxetine-injected rats spent significantly less time exploring the novel object in the object-recognition task and took longer to learn the association between the conditional stimulus and the appetitive unconditional stimulus in the appetitive Pavlovian-conditioning task. PMID- 17762520 TI - WIN-55,212-2 chronically implanted into the CA3 region of the dorsal hippocampus impairs learning: a novel method for studying chronic, brain-area-specific effects of cannabinoids. AB - We report here that local hippocampal WIN-55,212-2 implants release this cannabinoid agonist for extended periods, the release is restricted to the implanted brain region and is behaviorally active. Radiolabeled WIN-55,212-2 was implanted bilaterally into the CA3 region of the dorsal hippocampus by means of fused silica capillaries. Significant amounts of the compound were released from the implants for at least 10 days. No labeled WIN-55,212-2 was detected in other brain regions, for example, the cortex, amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, and pons. In a separate experiment, radiolabeled WIN-55,212-2 was implanted chronically into the same hippocampal region, and rats were assessed 8 days later in the object-recognition test. In contrast to controls, rats implanted with WIN 55,212-2 were unable to differentiate familiar and unfamiliar objects. Object recognition was reinstated by the cannabinoid antagonist SR141716A, as rats implanted with both WIN-55,212-2 and SR141716A did not differ from controls. Thus, chronic hippocampal WIN-55,212-2 implants impaired recognition memory via the CB1 receptor. The memory-impairing effects of acute cannabinoid treatments are well known, but the effects of chronic treatments are controversial. The rate and magnitude of tolerance, however, have been shown to be brain-area specific and cell-type specific. Here we show that chronic hippocampal treatments impair memory, suggesting that no tolerance develops in the hippocampus towards the memory-impairing effects of cannabinoids. The data also suggest that chronic, brain-area-specific effects of cannabinoids can be studied by the novel method described here. PMID- 17762521 TI - Fluoxetine and the dentate gyrus: memory, recovery of function, and electrophysiology. AB - Chronic fluoxetine increases neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG). In view of the widespread clinical use of fluoxetine and the well-established role of the DG in memory, surprisingly few studies have examined the effects of fluoxetine on memory and hippocampal electrophysiology. Additionally, few studies have evaluated the potential for fluoxetine to promote recovery of function after DG damage. Therefore, we studied the effects of long-term administration of fluoxetine on both spatial-reference memory and working memory, recovery of function after intrahippocampal colchicine infusions, which can destroy 50-70% of DG granule cells, and electrophysiological responses in the DG to perforant path stimulation in freely moving rats. Chronic fluoxetine did not affect matching-to place or reference-memory performance in intact rats in the Morris water-maze task. Surprisingly, in rats with DG damage, recovery of function on both tasks was adversely affected by chronic fluoxetine. Finally, unlike an earlier study that reported fluoxetine-induced increases in hippocampal population spike amplitudes and excitatory postsynaptic potential slopes in urethane-anesthetized rats, electrophysiological measures in DG of freely moving rats were not affected by chronic fluoxetine treatment. PMID- 17762522 TI - Bidirectional changes in water-maze learning following recombinant adenovirus associated viral vector (rAAV)-mediated brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the rat hippocampus. AB - Alterations in hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression have been implicated in the pathogenesis of emotional and cognitive dysfunction. Here, we induced BDNF overexpression in the rat hippocampus using recombinant adenovirus-associated viral (rAAV) vectors, and studied its long-term (2 months postinduction) effects on anxiety-related behaviour, exploration in the open field, and spatial learning in the water maze. Although the treatment successfully led to substantial elevation of hippocampal BDNF levels, its effect on spatial learning was bidirectional: a subset of rAAV-induced BDNF overexpressing rats performed well above control level, whereas the rest were clearly impaired. This behavioural distinction corresponded to two markedly different levels of BDNF overexpression. The increase in dorsal hippocampal BDNF content achieved in the 'water-maze-impaired' subgroup was twice that attained in the 'water-maze-improved' rats. Although neither subgroup of rAAV-induced BDNF overexpressing rats differed from controls in the open field, the 'water-maze impaired' subgroup also showed a significant anxiolytic effect. Our results suggest that hippocampal BDNF elevation significantly affects cognitive and emotional behaviours, but the direction and magnitude of the effects critically depend on the precise levels of overexpression. This factor must be taken into account in future studies examining the functional consequences of hippocampal BDNF overexpression. PMID- 17762523 TI - Age-dependent effects of neonatal methamphetamine exposure on spatial learning. AB - Neonatal rats exposed to (+)-methamphetamine (MA) display spatial learning and reference memory deficits in the Morris water maze. In separate experiments the emergence and permanence of these effects were determined. Twenty litters were used in each experiment, and two male/female pairs/litter received saline or MA (5 mg/kg four times a day) on postnatal days (P) 11-20. In experiment 1, one MA and one saline pair from each litter began testing on either P30 or P40, whereas in experiment 2, testing began on P180 or P360. Animals received trials in a straight swimming channel and then in the Morris maze (acquisition, reversal, and reduced platform phases). In both experiments, MA-treated groups showed impaired learning in the platform trials and impaired reference memory in the probe trials, which were largely independent of age. The P30 and P40 MA impairments were seen on acquisition and reduced platform trials but not on reversal. In the probe trials, MA effects were seen during all phases. The P180 and P360 MA induced deficits were seen in all phases of the platform trials. In probe trials, deficits were only seen during the reversal and reduced platform phases. The results demonstrate that neonatal MA treatment induces spatial learning and reference memory deficits that emerge early and persist until at least 1 year of age, suggesting permanence. PMID- 17762524 TI - Sex differences in the effects of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol on spatial learning in adolescent and adult rats. AB - Like other recreational drugs, cannabinoids may produce different effects in men and women. In this study we measured the effects of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on spatial learning in two groups that are underrepresented in drug research--females and adolescents. In the first experiment, adolescent (postnatal day 30) and adult (postnatal day 70) rats of both sexes were treated subchronically with 5.0 mg/kg THC or vehicle for five consecutive days. Thirty minutes after each daily injection, they were tested on the spatial version of the Morris water maze task. In the second experiment, a separate group of adolescent and adult rats of both sexes was treated with 5.0 mg/kg THC or vehicle daily for 21 days and tested, 4 weeks later, on the spatial version of the water maze. Subchronic THC impaired spatial learning, and this effect was dependent upon both the age and sex of the animals tested. Prior exposure to chronic THC, however, did not cause any long-lasting spatial learning deficits. On the basis of our previous studies in male rats the third experiment assessed the dose response relationship for the effects of THC on spatial learning and memory in female animals. We found that subchronic THC treatment (2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) disrupted learning in both adolescents and adults, but with greater effects at higher doses in adolescents compared with adults. The developmental sensitivity to subchronic THC confirms previous work carried out in our laboratory, and the sex-dependent effects highlight the importance of including females in drug abuse and addiction research. PMID- 17762525 TI - Short-term memory is modulated by the spontaneous release of endocannabinoids: evidence from hippocampal population codes. AB - Population codes derived from ensembles of hippocampal neurons were assessed to determine whether endocannabinoids were active when rats performed a delayed nonmatch-to-sample (DNMS) short-term memory task. Multivariate discriminant analyses of the firing patterns of ensembles of CA1 and CA3 hippocampal neurons extracted representations of information encoded at the time of the sample response (SmR codes) during individual DNMS trials. The 'strength' or distinctiveness of trial-specific SmR codes in normal sessions was compared with sessions in which either rimonabant, the well-characterized cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist, or WIN 55212-2 (WIN-2), a cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist, were administered. Results show that performance on trials with delay intervals longer than 10 s was facilitated by rimonabant (2.0 mg/kg) owing to a significantly increased frequency of trials with stronger SmR codes. In contrast, WIN-2 (0.35 mg/kg) suppressed the strength of SmR codes necessary to perform trials with delays greater than 10 s. The positive influence of rimonabant on performance indicated that the action of endocannabinoids was to reduce SmR code strength, resulting in trials that were at risk for errors if the delay exceeded 10 s. Thus endocannabinoids, like exogenously administered cannabinoids, reduced hippocampal encoding necessary to perform long-delay trials. The findings therefore indicate a direct relationship between the actions of endocannabinoids on hippocampal processes and the ability to encode information into short-term memory. PMID- 17762526 TI - Late vitamin K deficiency bleeding: 16 cases reviewed. AB - In this study, clinical and demographic features of 16 cases with late vitamin K deficiency bleeding are presented. Ages of infants were between 30 and 130 days. Their delivery histories were uneventful, and family histories for bleeding disorders were negative. All parents except one were unaware of whether their children received vitamin K at birth or not. All cases did not have any underlying illness to explain the abnormal coagulation profile. The common presenting finding was pallor (62.5%). Intracranial haemorrhage was the most common bleeding site (37.5%), and two patients (12.5%) died because of it. Late vitamin K deficiency bleeding is still an important handicap in infants. Parents and healthcare providers should be informed about the importance of vitamin K prophylaxis to prevent vitamin K deficiency in infants. PMID- 17762527 TI - Quantitative analysis of catheter roughness induced by cutting and manipulation: a potential prothrombotic risk. AB - Thrombosis is a major complication of central venous access devices, its incidence depending on material, diameter, tip position, and tip surface. Catheters are usually cut to the appropriate length for accurate positioning. Cutting is not recommended, however, as rough surfaces can serve as a nidus for thrombosis. The present study was performed to assess the roughness of catheter tips provided by various manufacturers versus the roughness once cut and handled. Three types of catheters (Hickman, Port-a-Cath, and Per Q Cath) were cut by scissors, iris scissors, or scalpel, and were handled with debakey forceps, a needle driver, adson with teeth or adson without teeth, to determine the damage created on the catheter. The uncut manufactured tip was compared as a control. Scanning electron microscopy was used for imaging of all samples, and roughness was quantified by atomic force microscopy for the cutting methods. Qualitative results by scanning electron microscopy showed that scalpel-cut and manufactured ends appeared smoother relative to those cut with scissors or iris scissors. This complemented the roughness analysis by atomic force microscopy. Catheters handled by debakey forceps and adsons with teeth showed most roughness, visible as deep holes or a grainy surface when observed by high-magnification scanning electron microscopy. Overall, the smoothest result was produced by scalpel, followed by the manufactured end, scissors, and iris scissors. Handling should be minimized, and use of adsons with teeth, needle drivers and debakey forceps should be avoided, as they can leave permanent damage. Adsons without teeth appeared the least damaging. PMID- 17762528 TI - Patent foramen ovale and prothrombotic markers in young stroke patients. AB - Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is more frequent in cryptogenic stroke patients than in the general population. The aim of this study was to determine prothrombotic markers regarding PFO in young cryptogenic stroke patients. We prospectively included consecutive cryptogenic stroke patients younger than 55 years. PFO was diagnosed with simultaneous transcranial Doppler and transesophageal echocardiography. We analyzed the following prothrombotic markers: antiphospholipid antibodies (APS), protein C and protein S deficiencies, factor V Leiden FVG1691A, prothrombin gene mutation PTG20210A and coagulation factor XII mutation FXIIC46T. From June 2005 to July 2006 we studied 39 patients, mean age 44.7 +/- 8.6 years, 48.7% men. PFO was detected in 17 patients (43.6%). We found no differences between PFO and non-PFO patients regarding prothrombotic markers: APS (P = 0.851), protein S deficiency (P = 0.851), protein C deficiency (P = 0.249), FVG1691A (P = 0.202), PTG20210A (P = 0.401) or FXIIC46T (P = 0.966). Female gender was the only variable related to prothrombotic markers, independent of PFO (P = 0.001). The only prothrombotic marker related to PFO size (large PFO) was APS (P = 0.043). Large PFO were also related to deep venous thrombosis (P = 0.040) and atrial septal aneurysm (P = 0.010). PFO patients do not present more prothrombotic markers than non-PFO patients, but APS are more frequent in large PFO. PMID- 17762529 TI - Interference of factor V Leiden on protein S activity: evaluation of a new prothrombin time-based assay. AB - Protein S activity in plasma from factor V Leiden (FVL)-positive patients may be lower than expected. We investigated a new commercially available method for protein S for such interference. Protein S activity was measured for plasmas from 50 individuals with FVL and their results were compared with those obtained for plasmas from 47 sex-matched and age-matched individuals without FVL. We assumed that the median protein S activity value from a relatively large number of individuals with or without FVL would not be significantly different if there is no influence from FVL. The FVL-positive plasmas gave relatively (albeit not significantly) lower protein S levels than FVL-negative plasmas when both were tested undiluted (86 versus 93 IU/dl, P = 0.06). Those differences were reduced (98 versus 102 IU/dl, P = 0.58) when testing was performed on diluted plasmas. Furthermore, the proportion of patients with FVL identified as low-abnormal on the basis of the specific cut-off values (undiluted = 64 U/dl; diluted = 71 IU/dl), which was 8% when testing was performed on undiluted plasmas, was reduced to 4% when testing was performed on diluted plasmas. Conversely, the corresponding proportions of patients without FVL remained unaltered (4.3 versus 4%). In conclusion, these results indicate that the evaluated method is somewhat affected by FVL and that dilution of plasma prior to testing improves specificity. Protein S activity measurement for FVL-positive patients should be performed on diluted plasma and the results interpreted on the basis of the cut off value specifically determined for diluted plasmas. PMID- 17762530 TI - Recombinant activated factor VII effectively reverses the anticoagulant effects of heparin, enoxaparin, fondaparinux, argatroban, and bivalirudin ex vivo as measured using thromboelastography. AB - Bleeding is the major adverse reaction to anticoagulants, leading to significant morbidity and even mortality. Protamine is a specific antidote for heparin yet is only partially effective for enoxaparin, and the activated factor X inhibitor fondaparinux and the direct thrombin inhibitors argatroban and bivalirudin lack specific antidotes. We evaluated the ability of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa), a general hemostatic agent, to reverse the anticoagulant effects of heparin, enoxaparin, fondaparinux, argatroban, and bivalirudin, as measured by thromboelastography. Whole-blood samples containing each test anticoagulant, with or without rFVIIa 1.5-4.5 microg/ml, were prepared ex vivo (n >or= 48, each anticoagulant) and analyzed by thromboelastography. The thromboelastography parameters of clot initiation, propagation, rigidity and elasticity were compared for the ex-vivo samples for each anticoagulant. The reversal ability of rFVIIa was also assessed using the standard clinical assay used to monitor each anticoagulant. Thromboelastography was performed on blood from eight stably anticoagulated patients, with and without exogenous rFVIIa. For each anticoagulant, rFVIIa significantly improved and, in some cases, completely normalized all thromboelastography parameters (P < 0.001). rFVIIa significantly (P < 0.01) decreased the activated partial thromboplastin time for argatroban containing, bivalirudin-containing, or heparin-containing blood yet did not affect the anti-activated factor X levels for enoxaparin-containing or fondaparinux-containing blood. By thromboelastography, rFVIIa exerted generally similar reversal effects on the anticoagulated patient samples as on the ex-vivo samples. In conclusion, rFVIIa effectively reverses the anticoagulant effects of heparin, enoxaparin, fondaparinux, argatroban, and bivalirudin, and should be considered for patients with excessive bleeding associated with these anticoagulants. PMID- 17762531 TI - Study on hemostatic mechanism of fully soluble hemostatic fiber. AB - Fully soluble hemostatic fiber (FHF) is made from cotton yarn through a series of chemical reactions with NaOH and chloroacetic acid. The major component of FHF is carboxymethylcellulose. FHF is a kind of biodegradation macromolecule material that can disassociate into a low-molecular-weight compound or a simple substance by hydrolytic and enzymatic courses. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the hemostatic mechanism of FHF. The study indicated that FHF can stop bleeding by physical, chemical and physiological routes. In the physical route, expansion of carboxymethylcellulose in FHF stops bleeding by forming a mechanical clog after contacting with the blood. In the chemical route, the platelets can quickly aggregate around FHF and stimulate releasing and disaggregating reactions, after contacting with the rough surface of FHF, producing thrombus and hemostasis. In the physiological route, gluey particles with negative charges can activate intrinsic coagulation systems by activating the blood coagulation factor XII after FHF dissolution. PMID- 17762532 TI - Polymorphisms of the tissue factor pathway inhibitor gene are associated with venous thromboembolism in the antiphospholipid syndrome and carriers of factor V Leiden. AB - Polymorphisms within the tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) gene may determine TFPI expression and increase the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in predisposed individuals. We tested this hypothesis by comparing TFPI activity and the frequency of common TFPI polymorphisms, -33T->C, -399C->T and -287T->C, in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) (n = 24) or factor V Leiden (n = 44) who had a history of VTE (n = 26), compared with those without VTE (n = 42) and also with normal control individuals (n = 56). TFPI activity was measured using a modified amidolytic assay and genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. We found that only APS patients with a history of venous thrombosis had TFPI activity levels significantly different from control individuals (1.77 +/- 0.60 vs 0.77 +/- 0.19 U/ml; P = 0.0001), and this was associated with inheritance of the TFPI -33C allele (1.70 +/- 0.72 U/ml for TC/CC genotypes vs 0.97 +/- 0.56 U/ml for TT; P = 0.01). Multivariate analysis of APS and factor V Leiden patients revealed that the greatest independent contributor to VTE was TFPI activity (adjusted odds ratio = 16.84; 95% confidence interval = 2.47-114.36, P = 0.004), while inheritance of either the TFPI -33C or -399T alleles each increased the odds of VTE by nearly 13 times (95% confidence interval = 2.39-69.91, P = 0.003; and 95% confidence interval = 2.25-71.23, P = 0.004, respectively). These results indicate that the TFPI -33T->C and -399C->T polymorphisms are significantly associated with venous thrombosis in the presence of other risk factors, especially APS, and may be clinically relevant in patients who are prone to hypercoagulability. PMID- 17762533 TI - Successful emergency reversal of phenprocoumon anticoagulation with prothrombin complex concentrate: a prospective clinical study. AB - The present prospective study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) for emergency reversal of oral anticoagulation with phenprocoumon, a long-acting coumarin. Patients were eligible for study entry if they required emergency reversal of phenprocoumon anticoagulation because they needed invasive surgical or diagnostic procedures or were actively bleeding. Patients received one or more infusions of pasteurized nanofiltered PCC (Beriplex P/N). Primary study endpoints were changes in International Normalized Ratio, Quick value, factors II, VII, IX and X, and protein C 10, 30 and 60 min following PCC infusion. Eight adult patients were enrolled, seven requiring urgent invasive procedures and one experiencing intracranial bleeding. In the first infusion, patients received a median 3600 IU PCC at median infusion rate 17.0 ml/min. Mean (SD) baseline International Normalized Ratio was 3.4 (1.2). The International Normalized Ratio 10 min after PCC infusion declined to 1.3 or less in seven of eight patients and to 1.4 in one patient. After PCC infusion, the Quick value increased by a mean of 57% [confidence interval (CI), 45-69%], circulating factor II concentration by 85% (CI, 68-103%), factor VII by 51% (CI, 40-62%), factor IX by 61% (CI, 47-76%), factor X by 115% (CI, 95-135%) and protein C by 100% (CI, 82-117%). Clinical effectiveness of PCC treatment was rated 'very good' in seven patients and 'satisfactory' in one. No thromboembolic or other adverse events occurred. PCC treatment rapidly, effectively and safely reversed phenprocoumon anticoagulation in patients undergoing urgent invasive procedures or actively bleeding. PMID- 17762534 TI - Coagulation factor deficiency as a cause of recurrent fetal loss: a red herring! AB - Whether severe coagulation factor deficiency can cause adverse pregnancy outcomes or recurrent fetal loss is not definitely known. We report here on five women with severe deficiency of coagulation factors (two factor X, one factor XI, one factor VII and one von Willebrand factor) who presented with history of unexplained fetal loss or with adverse pregnancy outcome. Detailed investigations of thrombophilia showed that four patients were positive for antiphospholipid antibodies, one of whom was also homozygous for the plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 4G/4G polymorphism, and the fifth patient was deficient for protein C. Despite the concomitant presence of both coagulation factor defect and thrombophilia, fetal loss may be attributed to factor defect that in reality is a red herring, with underlying thrombophilia not being evaluated. PMID- 17762535 TI - Lingual hematoma threatening airway obstruction in a patient on oral anticoagulation with warfarin. AB - Warfarin sodium is a commonly used oral anticoagulant agent. It has been well documented that, when effective anticoagulant therapy is employed in treating thromboembolic disease, hemorrhage is a possible complication that can be spontaneous without a history of trauma. The numerous sites of bleeding are the genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts, the central nervous system, the nose (epistaxis), the penis (priapism), the retroperitoneum, wounds (surgical or traumatic), and subcutaneous tissues during warfarin therapy, but the hemorrhage rarely causes bleeding compromising a patient's airway. We report a case of a spontaneous lingual hematoma that developed during oral anticoagulation therapy. This life-threatening complication of warfarin therapy and its successful management without surgery indicates that observation, close monitoring and reversal of anticoagulation can be a reasonable management option. PMID- 17762536 TI - Recombinant activated factor VII for intractable bleeding post splenectomy in a patient with myeloproliferative disorder. AB - Recombinant activated factor VII has been Food and Drug Administration approved to treat hemorrhages in hemophiliac patients with inhibitors and in acquired hemophilia patients. Recombinant activated factor VII use has also been considered for the management of uncontrolled bleeding in a number of congenital and acquired hemostatic abnormalities. The myeloproliferative disorders are a group of clonal hematologic diseases where, frequently, abnormal platelet function is considered a hallmark. This is the first case report addressing the clinical benefit of off-label use of recombinant activated factor VII in an attempt to control intractable bleeding in a patient with a myeloproliferative disorder after splenectomy. PMID- 17762537 TI - Treatment of extensive subacute portal, mesenteric and ileocolic vein thrombosis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. AB - Portal or/and mesenteric vein thrombosis is a rare condition with high mortality in an acute form. Therapy of thrombosis is not well defined, although there are some general guidelines that differ according to disease onset and clinical presentation. In acute thrombosis with bowel infarction, surgical resection with possible thrombolysis is advised. The best therapy for the subacute form is not known and the approach differs between centers. For chronic disease, prolonged anticoagulant therapy is recommended. Thrombolysis is well recognized in the treatment of acute ischemic coronary or cerebral diseases. Success of treatment is better if therapy is introduced within a few hours after symptoms have begun. We describe a 25-year-old patient with the subacute form of extensive portal, mesenteric and ileocolic vein thrombosis in the setting of underlying liver cirrhosis due to autoimmune disease. An aggressive therapeutic approach is advised, especially in patients who will eventually undergo liver transplantation, since portal and/or mesenteric vein thrombosis is relative contraindication for liver transplantation in the majority of transplant centers. PMID- 17762538 TI - Collagen/endogenous thrombin-induced platelet aggregation in whole blood samples. AB - The aim of the study was to investigate the individual and combined effects of collagen (3.5 microg/ml) and endogenously generated thrombin (due to addition of 0.35 pmol/l tissue factor) on platelet aggregation in the physiological environment of whole blood by means of the impedance method. Lag times were significantly shorter when a combination of collagen and endogenous thrombin was used to provoke platelet aggregation (41.9 +/- 16.3 s) compared with collagen (173.8 +/- 52.1 s, P < 0.0001) or endogenous thrombin (94.3 +/- 43.6 s, P < 0.001). Amplitudes and slopes were the lowest in collagen-induced experiments (2.83 +/- 1.59 Omega and 1.79 +/- 0.45 Omega/min, respectively), whereas they were approximately the same in endogenous thrombin-induced experiments whether collagen was present or not (13.7 +/- 3.1 versus 11.2 +/- 4.0 Omega and 6.3 +/- 2.8 versus 5.6 +/- 2.3 Omega/min, respectively). No synergistic effect of collagen and endogenous thrombin on the clot formation process was observed by means of thrombelastometry. Moreover, thrombin potentials in tissue factor activated plasma samples were approximately the same whether collagen was present or not (834 +/- 67 versus 809 +/- 63 nmol/l.min). In conclusion, endogenously generated thrombin is a potent platelet agonist in whole blood, and a combination of collagen and endogenous thrombin synergistically shortens the lag time until the onset of platelet aggregation. PMID- 17762540 TI - Adenosine single photon emission computed tomography for assessing risk after myocardial infarction: recent developments. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: While the prognostic power of adenosine single photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging has been validated in multiple patient populations including those with known or suspected coronary artery disease, the utility of this modality in assessing risk after an acute myocardial infarction in the primary angioplasty era is still a topic of debate. RECENT FINDINGS: The INSPIRE trial showed that early adenosine single photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging is capable of identifying low risk patients for early hospital discharge after acute myocardial infarction. This novel study demonstrated that intensive medical therapy is a reasonable strategy in low, intermediate, and high-risk post-myocardial infarction patients with preserved left ventricular function. SUMMARY: The INSPIRE trial established the role for early adenosine single photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging as a tool for risk stratification in stable patients after an acute myocardial infarction and provided evidence that intensive medical therapy is comparable to coronary revascularization in suppressing ischemia and presumably improving cardiac outcomes. It remains to be seen whether these new findings will alter current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines, which emphasize a primary role of coronary revascularization in acute coronary syndromes. PMID- 17762541 TI - New advances in cardiac computed tomography. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Multidetector computed tomography has been growing in every way possible. The test is becoming more common in clinical practice. It has breached the public consciousness and is being asked for by name. Research in the field is accelerating. The technology is improving, as is our skill at interpretation. There have been hundreds of publications on the subject over the past year. We will address three of the most important recent areas of focus. RECENT FINDINGS: Multidetector computed tomography has been touted as a possible 'triple rule-out' for myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolus, and aortic dissection, with an eye to improving emergency department efficiency and efficacy. A recent study has shown that, at least in low-risk patients, the triple rule-out is as safe as standard of care diagnosis, and saves considerable time and expense. Calcium scoring, hotly debated for years, has received approval from both the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology as a screening test under certain circumstances. The 64-detector scanner has shown improvement over the 16-detector scanner. SUMMARY: These developments indicate that multidetector computed tomography has more uses than previously realized. They also indicate that we have much more work to do before we can claim to have fully utilized this technology. PMID- 17762542 TI - Combining myocardial perfusion imaging with computed tomography for diagnosis of coronary artery disease. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To illustrate where the integration of computed tomography with myocardial perfusion single photon tomography may improve current diagnostic imaging paradigms and allow for enhanced risk stratification. RECENT FINDINGS: Computed tomography has the advantage of detecting coronary atherosclerosis at its earliest stages and also identifying patients at high risk for having underlying myocardial ischemia, allowing initiation of appropriate therapeutic measures well before development of obstructive coronary artery disease. Single photon computed tomography can, conversely, clarify the anatomic findings of computed tomography, based on a functional assessment of myocardial blood flow, thereby guiding antiischemic and interventional therapies. SUMMARY: Hybrid imaging with single photon tomography and computed tomography angiography may prove important from a diagnostic and therapeutic viewpoint in several clinical scenarios. It is likely that fusion imaging may more precisely tailor therapy, reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcome over the next decade. PMID- 17762543 TI - Positron emission tomography in coronary artery disease. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Mortality and coronary events are dramatically reduced in coronary artery disease by intense lifestyle and pharmacologic management without further improvement by revascularization procedures, thereby requiring definitive noninvasive diagnostic imaging. Consequently, this review summarizes the evidence supporting cardiac positron emission tomography as a definitive, noninvasive, 'one-stop' test for routine management of coronary artery disease that is well validated in the scientific literature and illustrated by clinical cases. RECENT FINDINGS: Substantial evidence documents accuracy of positron emission tomography for identifying early or advanced coronary artery disease, quantifying its severity, risk stratification, deciding on revascularization procedures, following progression or regression and for evaluating coronary endothelial function as the basis for preventive treatment. Recent technology like positron emission tomography-computed tomography, however, requires advanced knowledge, training and attention to technical details to avoid common artifactual results and to provide definitive conclusions illustrated in this review. SUMMARY: Cardiac positron emission tomography, done correctly with attention to technical details, provides definitive noninvasive assessment of early or advanced coronary atherosclerosis as the basis for invasive procedures or for lifelong intense risk factor management, demonstrates progression or regression of disease, predicts clinical outcomes and serves as the primary definitive noninvasive guide for managing coronary artery disease. PMID- 17762544 TI - The diagnostic role of stress echocardiography in women with coronary artery disease: evidence based review. AB - 1) Coronary artery disease in women differs from men in several ways, including their response to many diagnostic tests.2) Strong comparative data on stress echocardiography for detecting coronary artery disease in women are lacking, but existing data consistently show sensitivity comparable with other high sensitivity tests and superior specificity, increasing its diagnostic accuracy.3) Pharmacological stress echocardiography appears to provide superior specificity to exercise stress echocardiography due to difficulties in test execution with the latter that increase the number of false positive results.4) Current evidence suggests that stress echocardiography should be the first-line diagnostic tool for detecting coronary artery disease in women with chest pain, but other noninvasive imaging tests may be valuable in some patient subgroups. PMID- 17762545 TI - Lessons from hormone replacement therapy trials for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Coronary heart disease in women is a common cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly after menopause. It was thought that estrogen and progesterone protected women from coronary heart disease. The recommendations of the recent Women's Health Initiative, however, are that hormone replacement therapy should not be used for primary prevention of coronary heart disease in women. Here, we have made a comprehensive review of major studies and comment on the validity of this recommendation. We have also analyzed the importance of dietary modification in primary prevention. In addition, we have delineated the important predictors of cardiovascular disease in women from prior observational and clinical studies. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent major studies, including the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS), studied the role of hormone replacement therapy in protecting women from coronary heart disease. These studies showed no significant reduction in coronary heart disease events. In addition, the dietary modification component of the Women's Health Initiative did not show any significant reduction in the incidence of coronary heart disease. SUMMARY: It can be summarized that hormone replacement is not generally recommended in postmenopausal women for primary prevention of coronary heart disease. Although the dietary modification trials did not show any significant reduction in the incidence of coronary heart disease, it is currently recommended to continue using a heart-healthy diet. PMID- 17762546 TI - Reversal of cardiac remodeling by modulation of adrenergic receptors: a new frontier in heart failure. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Heart failure is a common clinical syndrome, and despite intensive medical therapy it remains a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Pathological stimuli promote a general remodeling process in the heart. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent animal studies have highlighted very promising novel therapeutic possibilities, based on the regulation of adrenergic receptor function, and novel signaling pathways are being discovered that could be relevant for future molecular approaches. SUMMARY: This review highlights some of the novel approaches to reverse pathological remodeling and improve cardiac dysfunction, placing emphasis on strategies targeting the adrenergic receptors. PMID- 17762547 TI - Novel pharmacological therapies for atrial fibrillation. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Atrial fibrillation is a common yet difficult cardiac rhythm to treat. Limitations of the currently available medications, increasing complexity of atrial fibrillation patient populations and the prevalence of the condition have made new drug development crucial. Our understanding of the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation has increased tremendously over the years. The importance of electrical remodeling and structural remodeling has been widely appreciated and has opened new avenues for pharmacological research. RECENT FINDINGS: Novel ion channel blockers have targeted atrial-specific ion channels or a combination of ion channels in order to maximize efficacy and minimize proarrhythmic risk. Understanding of atrial fibrillation as a metabolically complex condition with activation of multiple signaling cascades has fuelled drug development in a new direction. Exciting new drugs inhibiting fibrosis, cellular hypertrophy and improving cell-cell communication may help treat chronic atrial fibrillation in the future. SUMMARY: Continuing progress in our knowledge of the ionic and structural remodeling in atrial fibrillation will only accelerate the search for a safe antidote. In the future focal pharmacological modulation may help target specific targets in diverse populations. The potential of many of these pharmacotherapies, however, will need to be tested in large randomized trials before our faith in them is realized. PMID- 17762548 TI - Growth factors for therapeutic angiogenesis in peripheral arterial disease. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Peripheral arterial disease is a common disease that has few treatment options. Angiogenesis is defined as the growth of new blood vessels from preexisting vasculature. Therapeutic angiogenesis is an investigational method that uses vascular growth to alleviate disorders of tissue ischemia, such as coronary artery disease and peripheral arterial disease. There have been tremendous changes in the field of therapeutic angiogenesis over the past decade, and there is much promise for the future. RECENT FINDINGS: Initial preclinical work with cytokine growth factor delivery resulted in a great deal of enthusiasm, but larger clinical studies have failed to achieve similar success. With an increased understanding of the complex mechanisms involved in angiogenesis, gene therapy and cell therapy have moved to the forefront of therapeutic angiogenesis. Novel therapies which target multiple different angiogenic pathways are also being developed and tested. SUMMARY: Therapeutic angiogenesis is an exciting field that continues to evolve. This review will focus on the different growth factors being used, their routes of delivery, the results of clinical trials, and some of the novel therapies being developed. PMID- 17762549 TI - Stem cell therapy for the treatment of heart failure. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Congestive heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome resulting from myocardial dysfunction that impairs the cardiovascular system's function. Medical and surgical therapy both still result in a large number of patients with very few options and persistent ventricular dysfunction. The major process to reverse ventricular remodeling would be the enhancement of regeneration of cardiac myocytes, as well as the stimulation of neovascularization within the affected area of the myocardium. This can be achieved by introducing progenitor cells that are capable of differentiating into cardiac myocytes, or that promote neovascularization and restore the normal characteristics of myocardium environment. A number of issues remain as to the type of cells, delivery, timing, and mechanisms involved, however. RECENT FINDINGS: There have been a number of clinical trials in patients with heart failure that have been based on animal data related to stem cell therapy. Most have utilized whole bone marrow cells or myoblasts. The majority of the studies demonstrate an improvement in ventricular function, reduction in scarring, and improvement in symptoms. Some trials have shown no improvement at all. SUMMARY: This review examines the bench-to-bedside developments of stem cell therapy related to congestive heart failure. PMID- 17762550 TI - Percutaneous valve replacement: a paradigm shift. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Valvular heart disease is often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Surgical treatment of stenotic or regurgitant valvular lesions can alter the natural history of the disease process, yielding excellent short and long-term results, meaning that this has been accepted as the gold standard for therapy of valvular disease. Surgical procedures can be associated with a significant rate of perioperative complications, however. These procedures are particularly associated with unacceptably high short and long-term morbidity and mortality in the elderly - a population group that has grown steadily over the years. Elderly patients often have significant comorbidities that preclude a safe and durable surgical correction of the valvular lesions in up to 31% of these high-risk cases. This review provides an overview of recent developments in percutaneous valve therapeutics. RECENT FINDINGS: Over the last decade, numerous technical developments in valvular interventions have focused on percutaneous valve replacement. There are percutaneous valve replacements on the horizon that promise to offer a novel approach to correct valvular lesions, especially in this high-risk surgical population. SUMMARY: Several devices are presently being evaluated in feasibility trials, and many new ones are being developed. Results with semilunar valves have generally been better than the atrioventricular valves. Long-term results of these treatment modalities are still unknown. PMID- 17762551 TI - Bibliography. Current world literature. Imaging and echocardiography. PMID- 17762553 TI - Editorial comment. Pancreatic diseases. PMID- 17762555 TI - Chronic pancreatitis. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: As in previous reviews in this journal, this review is focused on the most important new observations in chronic pancreatitis made in the past year and the beginning of this year. RECENT FINDINGS: Important observations include the following: first, the natural history and course of chronic pancreatitis; second, that smoking enhances the risk of chronic pancreatitis; third, possible new function tests in combination with imaging procedures; fourth, the superiority of surgery compared with endotherapy for long-term pain relief; fifth, new insights in autoimmune pancreatitis. SUMMARY: All in all, little progress has recently been made in the field of diagnosis and therapy of chronic pancreatitis. There are some studies in the field of endotherapy and autoimmune pancreatitis that are promising however. PMID- 17762554 TI - New advances in acute pancreatitis. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We endeavor to review important new advances in acute pancreatitis made in the past year. We focused on clinical aspects of acute pancreatitis, which contained new observations or insights into new or old concepts. For experimental acute pancreatitis we refer readers to a recent comprehensive review. RECENT FINDINGS: Recently, case fatality rates of acute pancreatitis have stabilized; carbohydrate-deficient transferrin was shown to predict alcoholic acute pancreatitis; idiopathic chronic pancreatitis or occult cholelithiasis have been associated with 'recurrent acute pancreatitis' in most patients; and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator genetic mutations were frequently found (10-50%) in patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis. In addition, alcohol was shown to increase the risk of pancreatic necrosis regardless of the cause of acute pancreatitis. Persistent organ failure and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome but not necessarily extent of necrosis were demonstrated to predict increased mortality in acute pancreatitis. Chemoprevention of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography acute pancreatitis remains unproven. Enteral feeding has been strongly recommended in severe acute pancreatitis. Finally, data are lacking for routine, prophylactic antibiotic administration to all patients with pancreatic necrosis. SUMMARY: We reviewed studies this past year that further characterize the epidemiology, etiology and risk stratification of acute pancreatitis. Evolving areas include chemoprevention of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography acute pancreatitis and enteral feeding and antibiotics in severe acute pancreatitis. We await translation of novel therapies from the bench to bedside. PMID- 17762556 TI - Progress on molecular markers of pancreatic cancer. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To describe advances in the development of biomarkers for pancreatic cancer over the past year. RECENT FINDINGS: Several new approaches were taken in the search for biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. Studies of CA19-9 revealed new prognostic abilities of the already well known biomarker. New blood biomarkers were investigated and CEACAM1 and MIC-1 were found to be superior to CA19-9 at distinguishing cancer from normal but, unfortunately, not from chronic pancreatitis. MUC1 was reported to be superior to CA19-9 based on the use of a novel immunoassay. The superiority of the concept of a panel of biomarkers as opposed to single biomarkers was supported by several studies, but no such panel was identified. RNA levels in blood and DNA methylation in pancreatic juice yielded some promising findings. Advancements were also made in the area of tissue biomarkers, which can improve the diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspirations and provide prognostic information. A new source of potential biomarkers, microRNAs, also made its debut in the past year. SUMMARY: The tools to identify pancreatic-cancer biomarkers and sources of samples needed in this search are expanding. The field has not yet achieved its aims, but several encouraging breakthroughs have been made. PMID- 17762557 TI - Endoscopic evaluation and palliation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: current and future options. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To analyze the role of endoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. New developments, including molecular analysis of endoscopic tissue samples and injection of antitumor agents, are discussed. RECENT FINDINGS: Endoscopic ultrasound is superior to multidetector computed tomography for detection of smaller than 3-cm pancreatic tumors, and for T staging, while they are equivalent for nodal staging and assessment of resectability. Molecular analysis of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration samples has the potential to improve cancer detection. Placement of biliary self-expanding metal stents prior to Whipple resection appears to be an option to reduce stent obstruction and allow neo-adjuvant therapy. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage is a new approach to patients who failed to have a biliary stent placed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound may be useful to differentiate focal inflammation from pancreatic carcinoma. Optical coherence tomography was shown to distinguish nonneoplastic from neoplastic main pancreatic duct tissue. Finally, endoscopic ultrasound-guided interstitial brachytherapy and injection of therapeutic agents into tumors have shown exciting preliminary results. SUMMARY: Endoscopic approaches for diagnosis and palliation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma are rapidly expanding. These new techniques show promise in the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of pancreatic malignancy. PMID- 17762558 TI - New advances in pancreatic surgery. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: New understanding of the dynamic of acute pancreatitis, the clinical impact of local pathology in chronic pancreatitis and cystic neoplastic lesions bearing high potential for malignant transformation has changed the management of pancreatic diseases. RECENT FINDINGS: In acute pancreatitis, risk factors independently determining outcome in severe acute pancreatitis are early and persistent multiorgan failure, infected necrosis and extended sterile necrosis. The management of severe acute pancreatitis is based on early intensive care treatment and late surgical debridement. In chronic pancreatitis, recent data from randomized controlled clinical trials have demonstrated duodenum preserving pancreatic head resection with an inflammatory mass of the head as superior to pylorus-preserving Whipple resection. Cystic neoplasms are local lesions of the pancreas with high malignant potential. Local organ-preserving resection techniques have been applied with low morbidity and mortality, replacing a Whipple-type resection. Resection of pancreatic cancer is ineffective to cure patients. After an R0-resection, a significant survival benefit has been achieved when adjuvant chemotherapy has additionally been applied. SUMMARY: New knowledge about the nature of inflammatory diseases, cystic neoplastic lesions and malignant pancreatic tumours has changed the indication for surgical treatment and the application of organ-preserving surgical techniques. PMID- 17762559 TI - Endoscopic stenting of esophageal cancer: the clinical impact. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize the most relevant articles with regard to endoscopic stenting of esophageal cancer published in 2006. RECENT FINDINGS: In 2006, there were two studies on esophageal stents with experimental designs and adequate size to contribute to an evaluation of esophageal stent technology. A study on an antireflux stent will not measurably change the current use of this device, but emphasizes the need for additional investigation. A study on a self expanding plastic stent was the largest study to date demonstrating a self expanding plastic stent to be comparable to self-expanding metal stents. Other published studies in 2006 on esophageal stents include review articles, case reports and small case series that are not addressed in this review. SUMMARY: Self-expanding metal stents remain an important option for the treatment of patients with tracheoesophageal fistulae and esophageal malignancies. Recent innovations are dominated by a shift toward self-expanding esophageal stents that are potentially removable. Such potentially removable stents allow for expanded clinical applications and will be the focus of publications in 2007. PMID- 17762560 TI - Endoscopic diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal cell tumors. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To outline the recommended course of action when a subepithelial lesion is encountered during upper endoscopy. It will focus on the endoscopic and endosonographic features common to gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and the optimal tests performed to confirm the diagnosis of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. RECENT FINDINGS: The major recent finding of a mutation in the protooncogene c-kit which is unique to gastrointestinal stromal tumors has led to their reclassification as separate from other spindle cell tumors. Endoscopic ultrasound is a key component of the evaluation of submucosal lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, allowing determination of the wall layer of origin of the lesion and diagnostic sampling. Endosonographic features of gastrointestinal stromal tumors associated with high-risk lesions include size larger than 4-5 cm, irregular or invasive border, cystic spaces and malignant appearing lymph nodes. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration is generally adequate for tissue acquisition. Immunohistochemical analysis is performed on the tissue to differentiate gastrointestinal stromal tumors from other spindle cell neoplasms. SUMMARY: The clinical behavior of gastrointestinal stromal tumors is variable. Accurate preoperative endoscopic characterization of the lesion with fine needle aspiration is critical for treatment decisions and for an assessment of prognosis. PMID- 17762561 TI - Preoperative colonic stenting: how, when and why? AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Acute colonic obstruction due to malignancy is often a surgical emergency. Surgical decompression with colostomy with or without resection and eventual re-anastomosis has traditionally been the treatment of choice. These procedures have been associated with a significant morbidity and mortality rate. Preoperative colonic stenting is effective for decompressing the obstructed colon and may allow for surgery to be performed on an elective basis. RECENT FINDINGS: Although randomized clinical data are lacking, the role for preoperative stenting in the emergent management of acute malignant colonic obstruction has been supported by cost-effectiveness analysis studies and several pooled analyses that demonstrate efficacy and safety. SUMMARY: This review evaluates the latest developments in colonic stent technology, indications for use in the preoperative setting, and evidence to support their use in this setting. PMID- 17762562 TI - Taking NOTES: translumenal flexible endoscopy and endoscopic surgery. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the current state of natural orifice surgery and examine the concerns, challenges, and opportunities presented by translumenal research. RECENT FINDINGS: Translumenal endoscopic procedures have been the focus of extensive research. Researchers have reported natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery in a swine model in several areas involving the abdominal cavity. Diagnostic procedures have included endoscopic peritoneoscopy, liver biopsy, lymphadenectomy, and abdominal exploration. Several gynecologic procedures including tubal ligation, oophorectomy, and partial hysterectomy have been demonstrated using current commercial endoscopes. Gastrointestinal surgical procedures, including gastrojejunostomy, cholecystectomy, splenectomy, and distal pancreatectomy have been performed successfully via transgastric and/or transcolonic approaches. There have been no studies of natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery procedures published in humans. While fundamental questions about the emerging technology have not been scrutinized, limitations of the large animal model will pose a challenge to the development of large randomized trials. SUMMARY: While natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery may represent a paradigm shift and may offer significant benefits to patients, rigorous testing of the techniques is lacking and current data have been drawn from case series. PMID- 17762563 TI - Bibliography. Current world literature. Pancreas. PMID- 17762564 TI - Bibliography. Current world literature. Cancer in AIDS. PMID- 17762565 TI - Maintenance therapy for low-grade lymphomas: has the time come? AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The introduction of rituximab (MabThera, Rituxan) maintenance treatment has initiated a new era in the management of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. RECENT FINDINGS: Five randomized trials have recently reported on rituximab maintenance in the treatment of indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. These trials enrolled patients with follicular, mantle cell and small lymphocytic non Hodgkin's lymphomas, mostly in relapse. Patients responding to either rituximab monotherapy, chemotherapy alone or rituximab associated with chemotherapy were randomly assigned between observation and rituximab maintenance. Maintenance treatment significantly improved progression-free survival and response duration, and resulted in increased overall survival in two patients. In one trial, rituximab maintenance therapy produced significantly longer progression-free survival compared with rituximab retreatment at disease progression. SUMMARY: Rituximab maintenance therapy has demonstrated an impact on survival in patients with follicular lymphoma. These data justify recommending rituximab maintenance for patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma. Further trials are needed to determine its efficacy in first-line follicular lymphoma and other histological subtypes. The optimal schedule of maintenance therapy has not been established. Although these trials did not report severe adverse drug reactions, information concerning long-term toxicity is scarce, and careful monitoring of patients is therefore recommended. PMID- 17762566 TI - Natural history of follicular grade 3 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Follicular lymphoma grade 3 is recognized as a distinct entity in the World Health Organization classification of lymphomas. There is confusion regarding the natural history of these lymphomas, because some studies indicate an indolent behavior and others show more aggressive behavior. This review examines the biological and clinical characteristics of follicular lymphoma grade 3 and compares these characteristics with other lymphomas. RECENT FINDINGS: Several reports suggest that follicular lymphoma grade 3 has molecular and genetic characteristics that distinguish these lymphomas from other grades of follicular lymphoma. These characteristics are often more common in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma than follicular lymphoma. It is impossible to make firm recommendations on management because prospective trials are lacking. Nevertheless, recent studies have demonstrated that follicular lymphoma grade 3 patients treated with anthracycline-based therapy have similar outcomes to patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. SUMMARY: Patients with follicular lymphoma grade 3 should be treated with curative intent. They should receive aggressive anthracycline-based therapy combined with rituximab, which is identical to therapy used for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. PMID- 17762567 TI - Management of peripheral T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas are an uncommon and heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas that are noted for their particularly poor prognosis. Their rarity has resulted in few data being available to allow formulation of optimal treatment approaches. There remains no widely accepted standard therapy. A new and increasing interest in studying these lymphomas is leading to advances in our understanding, which is widening options for management. RECENT FINDINGS: Historically, peripheral T-cell lymphomas were treated with strategies borrowed from management of aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Investigators have recognized the inadequacy of these approaches, and we are beginning to receive results, often preliminary, of studies specifically designed to evaluate T-cell lymphomas. These range from transplantation approaches, to better prognostic schemes and to attempts at molecular characterization, and new drugs are being developed specifically for their activity against T-cell lymphomas. SUMMARY: Research in T-cell lymphomas is still mainly preliminary and studies tend to be small. Nonetheless, our understanding of these disorders is increasing, and data on new and hopefully better approaches are emerging. PMID- 17762568 TI - Bibliography. Current world literature. Gynecological cancer. PMID- 17762569 TI - AIDS-defining and non-AIDS-defining malignancies: cancer occurrence in the antiretroviral therapy era. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Effective antiretroviral therapy use has resulted in a large number of older individuals living with HIV. Recent literature is reviewed with respect to the incidence and risk factors for cancer in HIV patients. RECENT FINDINGS: Previous studies have demonstrated substantial declines in AIDS defining malignancies in the era of antiretroviral therapy, with clear links to better immune function. Increases in non-AIDS-defining malignancies such as Hodgkin's disease, skin, lung, anal, and kidney cancers have been noted by some but not all authors. Certain non-AIDS-defining malignancies may be related to immunodeficiency, although data are conflicting. Recent studies have indicated that confounding by traditional risk factors, including cigarette use, may account for some of the increased risk of lung and other cancers in HIV patients. SUMMARY: Non-AIDS-defining malignancies account for more morbidity and mortality than AIDS-defining malignancies in the antiretroviral therapy era. Traditional risk factors play a significant role in the increased risk of non-AIDS-defining malignancies for HIV-infected individuals, but do not entirely explain the excess cancer risk. Unanswered questions remain including the relationship of immunodeficiency and the risk of site-specific non-AIDS-defining malignancies, and the effect of antiretroviral therapy duration and drug class on cancer risk. PMID- 17762570 TI - Targeted therapy for Kaposi's sarcoma and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize major recent findings on the biology of human herpesvirus-8, i.e. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, and the implications of these findings for Kaposi's sarcoma treatment. RECENT FINDINGS: Although reduced in incidence in developed countries since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy, Kaposi's sarcoma incidence is still markedly increased in HIV-infected patients in resource-rich areas of the world and is a major complication among HIV-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa. The Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway has emerged as a major driving force in Kaposi's sarcoma. In addition, the roles of p53, the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus viral cyclin and nuclear factor-kappaB in the development and progression of Kaposi's sarcoma are being further clarified, and therapeutic agents are being developed that may target these pathogenetic mechanisms. New Kaposi's sarcoma treatments should be considered that target the molecular interface between virus and host. SUMMARY: The growing knowledge of Kaposi's sarcoma biology provides multiple opportunities for rational targeted therapies. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms by which Kaposi's sarcoma develops and to develop therapeutic strategies that prevent resistance to treatment. PMID- 17762571 TI - HIV-associated lymphoma: the evidence for treating aggressively but with caution. AB - PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: The aim of this article is to review key reports regarding the biology and management of HIV-associated lymphoma during the past year. RECENT FINDINGS: The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been associated with a reduced risk of primary cerebral and systemic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a stable or slightly increased risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma, and improved prognosis for those who develop HIV-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or Hodgkin's lymphoma. Emerging evidence suggests that patients with HIV-associated lymphoma should be treated in a similar manner as immunocompetent patients with the same disease, especially if the CD4 count is 50-100 cells/mul or higher. Use of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab in combination with chemotherapy appears to result in improved control of B-cell lymphoma, but may come at the expense of an increased risk of bacterial and viral infections. SUMMARY: Although the evidence currently supports an aggressive and curative approach for the management of HIV-associated lymphoma, clinicians must be vigilant about implementing infection prophylaxis and promptly recognizing, diagnosing, and treating bacterial, parasitic, fungal, and viral infections that may occur as a consequence of therapy. PMID- 17762572 TI - Update: human papillomavirus infection remains highly prevalent and persistent among HIV-infected individuals. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Human papillomavirus infections and human papillomavirus associated anogenital tumors are more prevalent in HIV-infected than HIV uninfected individuals. This review focuses on recent developments related to human papillomavirus burden in HIV-infected individuals; anogenital human papillomavirus types and type-specific differences in the natural history of human papillomavirus infections; the effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy on human papillomavirus infection; and novel human papillomavirus therapeutic interventions. RECENT FINDINGS: There is a paucity of recent data on the effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy on human papillomavirus infection and its related anogenital abnormalities/cancer. Review articles on the molecular biology of human papillomavirus in HIV infection outline why, despite highly active antiretroviral therapy, anogenital tumors may continue to increase in this population. Studies continue to confirm the high prevalence of human papillomavirus infection and to define the different human papillomavirus types correlated with anogenital cytologic abnormalities, an important area in light of the development of an effective type-specific human papillomavirus vaccine. SUMMARY: Anogenital human papillomavirus infection remains highly prevalent and persistent in HIV-infected individuals. HIV is associated with a wide diversity of human papillomavirus types and a high prevalence of anogenital cytologic abnormalities. The incidence of anogenital human papillomavirus-related cancers remains high in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era, raising concerns of human papillomavirus infections as a rising health burden among HIV-infected individuals. Interventions aimed at preventing human papillomavirus infections with vaccinations need to be evaluated in HIV-infected individuals. PMID- 17762573 TI - Human papillomavirus vaccines in HIV-positive men and women. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Individuals with HIV are at greater risk of human papillomavirus-related cancers. This report will assess the potential and limitations of vaccines against human papillomavirus in HIV-positive individuals. RECENT FINDINGS: A worldwide meta-analysis of published data established the under-representation of HPV16, and increased prevalence of multiple-type human papillomavirus infections in HIV-positive women. Associations between HIV-related immunodepression, the progression of human papillomavirus infection to cervical lesions, and an increased risk of cervical cancer in women with HIV have also been shown. An increased incidence of human papillomavirus infection in anal and vulvar/vaginal neoplasia has been reported in individuals with HIV. A prophylactic vaccine against HPV6, 11, 16 and 18 has been licensed, and one against HPV16 and 18 is under evaluation. Both have shown efficacy against persistent infection, as well as related human papillomavirus cervical lesions for up to 5 years. Preliminary results have also been reported on therapeutic vaccines, notably for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2 and 3. SUMMARY: The safety and efficacy of human papillomavirus vaccines in individuals with HIV need to be assessed to prevent cervical cancer in current and future generations. Screening for human papillomavirus-related cancer among HIV patients should be undertaken. PMID- 17762575 TI - Treatment modalities in endometrial cancer. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract. This review highlights new insights and these will change current practice. RECENT FINDINGS: Surgery is the cornerstone of the treatment of endometrial cancer but the metastatic pattern is different for types 1 and 2. The surgical staging procedure therefore depends on subtype. Type 2 endometrial cancers often metastasize to the lymph nodes and peritoneal cavity and patients should undergo a staging procedure similar to that performed for ovarian cancer. Laparoscopic staging and treatment for endometrial cancer appears to be safe and effective. Adequate staging also serves to appropriately tailor adjuvant treatment modalities that benefit high-risk patients only. Recent data suggest adequate staging to improve the overall survival. In addition, following complete surgical staging, recent studies emphasize the benefit for adjuvant chemotherapy in early stage serous endometrial cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy appears to be more effective than radiotherapy for type 1 cancers. In the primarily advanced or recurrent setting, hormonal treatment may be beneficial. Doxorubicin-cisplatin is still the standard chemotherapy regime used in many centres; paclitaxel containing regimes also appear to show promise. SUMMARY: Recent data shed new light on the current concepts of tumour spread, surgical staging and adjuvant treatment modalities for endometrial cancer. PMID- 17762576 TI - Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia management: an update. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia represents the malignant end of the gestational trophoblastic disease spectrum. This review updates readers on developments in the management of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia over the past few years. RECENT FINDINGS: Progress has been made in elucidating the genetic changes that give rise to gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. The importance of accurate human chorionic gonadotrophin monitoring and the types of human chorionic gonadotrophin produced in cancer are also topical. Fortunately, most patients are cured with chemotherapy, and the choice of treatment schedule according to low-risk and high-risk prognostic groups is relatively unchanged. Indeed, most patients with low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia are treated with single agent chemotherapy, and those who have high-risk disease with combination chemotherapy using etoposide, methotrexate and actinomycin D, alternating with cyclophosphamide and oncovine. For resistant disease, new paclitaxel-containing regimens appear better tolerated than etoposide and cisplatin alternating weekly with etoposide, methotrexate and actinomycin D. SUMMARY: Prognosis in gestational trophoblastic neoplasia is now excellent following treatment. Virtually all patients with low-risk disease are cured, and survival is now 86% in high-risk patients. Optimization of treatment strategies for those who develop drug resistance remains a key challenge. PMID- 17762574 TI - AIDS related malignancies in Brazil. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There have been relatively few studies of HIV-related malignancies in Brazil. Universal access to antiretroviral drugs in Brazil has changed both the mortality and morbidity rates of AIDS. Nevertheless, there is also extreme poverty in both urban and rural areas and complications of prolonged immune suppression such as mycobacterial and malignant diseases have put a significant strain on the country's healthcare system. This brief review outlines the existing data regarding AIDS related malignancies in the largest Latin American country. RECENT FINDINGS: Currently, there are almost 600 000 people infected with HIV in Brazil and 170,000 patients are receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. In the studies done of HIV malignancies in Brazil, it appears that these tumors are histologically similar to those that occur in other equatorial countries and differ somewhat from those seen in Europe and the US. Another unique distinction is the high association with oncogenic herpes viruses. SUMMARY: The existence of federally sponsored highly active antiretroviral therapy, clinicians and healthcare providers experienced in the care of HIV patients and high incidence of malignancies associated with oncogenic viruses make Brazil an important site for clinical and basic research in AIDS and immunodeficiency related malignancies. PMID- 17762577 TI - Gynaecological sarcomas. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review gynaecological sarcomas, their management and future perspectives. RECENT FINDINGS: Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of tumours consisting of a wide variety of subtypes. The most common subtypes encountered in the female tract are uterine leiomyosarcomas and endometrial stromal sarcomas. Other subtypes do occur but at a much lower frequency. Mixed Mullerian tumours were previously considered to be a subtype of sarcoma, but recent evidence has revealed that they should in fact be regarded as carcinomas. Given the different approaches for different subtypes of sarcomas, their rarity and the complexity of treatment, the management of patients with gynaecological sarcomas should be delivered by multidisciplinary teams experienced in the treatment of these entities. SUMMARY: Gynaecological sarcomas are rare tumours and are treated differently from gynaecological carcinomas. Hopefully, improved insight into the pathogenesis of gynaecological sarcomas will yield novel therapies in the near future. PMID- 17762578 TI - Antiangiogenic therapy for ovarian cancer. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To highlight the current antiangiogenic compounds being evaluated as single agents or in association with chemotherapy in the treatment of ovarian cancer, as well as the rationale for their development. RECENT FINDINGS: Several proangiogenic factors may be potential targets for antiangiogenic therapy in ovarian cancer. Bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor, has been evaluated as a single agent in two phase II clinical trials and in combination with chemotherapy in three phase II studies, with promising results. This agent is also being evaluated in association with chemotherapy in two phase III clinical trials, both in the treatment and in the maintenance settings. Heparanase inhibitors and inhibitors of platelet-derived growth factor signalling remain as potential agents to be investigated in phase II trials. The development of biomarkers to define appropriate dosing regimens and predict which patients may benefit from antiangiogenic therapies is of great importance. SUMMARY: Data from preclinical and clinical studies reported in the last 2 years demonstrate the importance of several proangiogenic factors in the prognosis of ovarian cancer, suggesting possible new targets for antiangiogenic therapy. The agents that are currently being investigated in phase II and III clinical trials include bevacizumab, erlotinib, sunitinib, sorafenib and vascular endothelial growth factor Trap, and the results of these trials will have significant implications in the future management of ovarian cancer. PMID- 17762579 TI - Fertility preservation in gynecologic cancers. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review focuses on the current options for fertility preservation in young women facing the risk of premature ovarian failure and infertility as a sequel to the treatment of gynecologic cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: There is a wide range of options to preserve fertility. Embryo freezing is the most established method and the success rate of in-vitro fertilization using frozen-thawed embryos now approaches that of using fresh embryos. Success rates with oocyte cryopreservation are on the rise and begin to approach that of embryo freezing. Exposure to high levels of estrogen during ovarian stimulation can be minimized by utilizing aromatase inhibitors in women with estrogen-sensitive cancers undergoing embryo or oocyte cryopreservation. Ovarian-tissue cryopreservation is used to preserve fertility in children and in patients with time restraints; however, the number of reported cases is very small. Likewise, in-vitro maturation and xenografting are experimental and their potential to preserve fertility remains to be determined. SUMMARY: A number of fertility preservation techniques have been developed and many others are in the experimental stages. Consistent with recent ASCO clinical guidelines, all young individuals with gynecologic cancer should be counseled about the available fertility preservation techniques. PMID- 17762581 TI - Bibliography. Current world literature. Lymphoma. PMID- 17762580 TI - Local therapy in endometrial cancer: evidence based review. AB - KEY POINTS: (1) Surgery is the standard primary treatment for early stage endometrial cancer, with local adjuvant therapies such as pelvic radiotherapy and vaginal brachytherapy most often used in patients with high risk of recurrence. (2) There are currently very few well designed studies evaluating local therapies in endometrial cancer. (3) To date, the available evidence suggests that adjuvant external beam radiotherapy reduces locoregional recurrence in stage I disease but not the risk of death. Considering the high survival rate and low recurrence risk of patients with early stage disease, postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy should perhaps be limited to patients with high risk of recurrence, particularly since such radiotherapy is associated with increased long-term complications and toxicity. (4) Adjunctive chemotherapy has so far failed to demonstrate any improvement over radiotherapy in terms of overall survival in patients with intermediate and high-risk endometrial cancer. (5) Further well controlled studies are required in order to confidently establish the optimal use of local treatments and other therapies in endometrial cancer. PMID- 17762584 TI - Deinstitutionalization in intellectual disabilities. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The process of deinstitutionalization for intellectual disability services is at different stages across the world, varying from complete closure in Sweden to a vague hope in Taiwan. This review explores recent literature on deinstitutionalization and intellectual disabilities and focuses on papers published in academic journals mainly during 2006. RECENT FINDINGS: Work on deinstitutionalization continues to show that outcomes are better in the community than in institutional care but recent papers highlight that there is more to deinstitutionalization than just hospital closure. Just moving people out of institutions into community settings does not bring about automatic improvement in quality of life in terms of choice and inclusion as well as self identity and access to effective healthcare and treatment. This is especially true for people with more severe intellectual disabilities as well as complex needs such as challenging behaviour. Some of the current research illustrates that even offenders with intellectual disability can be successfully supported in the community. SUMMARY: Recent research provides further examples and lessons on how community care can and should work, which it would be hoped will help those countries just starting the process of institutional closure to move more quickly to full deinstitutionalization. PMID- 17762585 TI - Co-morbidity of psychiatric disorder and medical illness in people with intellectual disabilities. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To examine the most recently published studies on the co morbidity of medical and mental-health problems in people with intellectual disabilities. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies that have been published in the review period have advanced our understanding and strengthened the evidence base on how to meet the complex healthcare needs of people with intellectual disabilities more effectively and reduce their health inequalities, as compared with the general population. In particular, there is much emphasis on epidemiology, epilepsy, dementia, use of psychotropic medications and health-screening intervention. SUMMARY: In view of the common interface of medical and mental health problems in people with intellectual disabilities, and the disparity in health they often face, initiatives should be taken to enhance their healthcare. Family carers, social-care providers, primary-care practitioners and specialist psychiatric teams can all play an important role in recognizing ill health and navigating access to the appropriate health services that people with intellectual disabilities need. PMID- 17762586 TI - Challenging behaviour and psychiatric disorder in intellectual disability. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To critically review recent publications on the relationship between challenging behaviour and psychiatric disorder in people with intellectual disabilities. RECENT FINDINGS: Although a number of recent studies have highlighted possible similarities in the aetiology of challenging behaviour and psychiatric disorder, these findings need to be viewed with caution as they do not constitute evidence that the two phenomena are equivalent. While research into their possible interrelationship has produced equivocal findings, there are a number of theoretical perspectives that have been tested to some degree by empirical studies. Intervention studies that attempt to explore these perspectives are rare, however, and there is some evidence that people with complex mental health and behavioural needs are receiving far from optimal treatment. SUMMARY: The relationship between challenging behaviour and psychiatric disorder has yet to be adequately explored in the research literature. While both undoubtedly coexist in some people with intellectual disability, available research suggests that it is unlikely that disturbances in psychiatric functioning will underpin the majority of challenging behaviours. Evidence to link specific patterns of behaviour with particular disorders also remains elusive. Recommendations for future research are discussed. PMID- 17762587 TI - Psychosocial interventions for people with intellectual disabilities and mental ill-health. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize recent research on psychosocial interventions for people with intellectual disabilities and mental ill-health. RECENT FINDINGS: Psychosocial interventions for people with intellectual disabilities and mental ill-health are poorly developed. Recent research has focused upon individual therapeutic interventions and the evaluation of structures for the delivery of services to people with intellectual disabilities and mental ill-health. There is little research that has examined psychosocial interventions with carers or families, and the impact of housing, leisure and employment for this group of people. SUMMARY: As people with intellectual disabilities are increasingly recognized as having severe and enduring mental ill-health, the development of an evidence base for psychosocial intervention is of considerable importance. PMID- 17762588 TI - Psychotropic medication for behaviour problems in people with intellectual disability: a review of the current literature. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A high proportion of people with intellectual disability have behaviour problems and psychotropic medication is a commonly used management strategy for these behaviours, despite lack of good-quality evidence to support this practice. RECENT FINDINGS: In recent years, one randomized controlled trial among adults and four on children with intellectual disability have been published showing effectiveness of low-dose risperidone in the management of behaviour problems as compared with placebo. Most of these randomized controlled trials are of good quality and included a reasonable number of participants. Most of these studies showed adverse effects, however, somnolence and weight gain particularly being associated with risperidone treatment. Most of the evidence on other psychotropic medications such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antianxiety drugs and opioid antagonists is difficult to interpret because it is based primarily on small case studies. SUMMARY: There is growing evidence in support of some antipsychotic medication, particularly the atypical antipsychotic, risperidone. Many of the studies of effectiveness included in this review have methodological flaws however. Therefore, the results need to be interpreted with caution. Furthermore, the paucity of evidence for some groups of medication does not necessarily mean that these medications are ineffective, but rather that their use is not currently supported by good-quality research. PMID- 17762589 TI - Ageing and mental health problems in people with intellectual disability. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Increasing numbers of people with intellectual disability are now living well into old age. This paper will review the recent literature pertaining to the mental health of older people with intellectual disability. RECENT FINDINGS: Overall, the prevalence of mental health problems is high in adults of all ages with intellectual disability. A major epidemiological study did not report sufficient detail to examine the effect of ageing on specific disorders or the differential effects of ageing and early mortality in people with Down's syndrome. At least a third of people with Down's syndrome can expect to develop Alzheimer's disease in middle age whilst for other people with intellectual disability, Alzheimer's disease is probably no more common than in the general population. Diagnosis and management of dementia is complicated by the high rates of comorbid physical and mental health problems. SUMMARY: Overall, mental health problems in older people with intellectual disability are similar to younger people with intellectual disability, however there are more cases of dementia and physical health problems. Further research is needed to improve our understanding of the effects of ageing on the mental health and care needs of older people with intellectual disability. PMID- 17762591 TI - On terrorism--2. PMID- 17762590 TI - Children with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present article reviews the increasing literature on comorbidity, treatment and use of health service resources for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability from January 2006 to January 2007. RECENT FINDINGS: Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability have a high prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, mood disorders, catatonia and repetitive behaviours compared with children without autism. Psychopharmacology is effective in reducing symptoms of behavioural problems and attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, although further studies are required. Autism spectrum disorders are recognized to occur with Smith-Lemli-Optiz syndrome and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders have a high use of mental health services. SUMMARY: There is increasing evidence of the comorbidity of psychiatric and behavioural disorders in young people with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability responding to established treatments. This high morbidity results in increased healthcare expenditure compared with children without autism and intellectual disability. PMID- 17762592 TI - Mental health legislation in the commonwealth. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Mental health law is changing in some common law jurisdictions. Questions are being asked about whether special legislation is still needed, whether it is a health or a legal issue, and how this part of the law relates to cognate laws about patient consent to healthcare and determinations about competence. The role of tribunal or court adjudication of the need for admission is also debated, along with the capacity of the law to harness resources or manage care. It is therefore timely to review these debates. RECENT FINDINGS: Renewed support is evident in the literature for subsuming mental healthcare within the general laws governing consent to care or determinations of competence. Socio-legal and interdisciplinary research suggests that health perspectives are already quite dominant in mental health law, while involuntary detention may correlate poorly with levels of need. The mesh between the law and service systems remains problematic, and there is little evidence that law has yet developed a significant capacity for leveraging treatment resources. SUMMARY: This review suggests that the priority for future research lies in exploring the factors which enhance treatment access and outcomes for the mentally ill rather than debating the shape or content of mental health law. PMID- 17762593 TI - Employment equity and mental disability. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent research on the civil rights issue of employment equity for people with psychiatric disabilities is reviewed. RECENT FINDINGS: Mental disorders, particularly depression, are the most frequent source of occupational disability worldwide and are expected to grow. Employers are increasingly aware of the productivity costs associated with mental disorders and the importance of fostering a mentally healthy workforce. Few firms, however, have explicit policies to include disabled people in their workforce, and many employers continue to express prejudicial views toward people with mental disabilities which would exclude them from competitive work. At the same time, disability legislation has not offered the hoped-for protection for people with mental disorders. Employers have expressed concerns over the costs of making workplace accommodations and have successfully battled for a legal definition of disability that excludes many individuals with mental disorders. CONCLUSION: In the absence of antistigma efforts directed toward the business community, one wonders if the growing awareness of the productivity costs associated with mental disability will foster greater employment equity, or fuel more subtle forms of employment discrimination. Low employment levels among people with disabilities remain a major determinant of the social disparities they face. PMID- 17762594 TI - Torture. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Torture has become a key theme in healthcare and a rising number of publications, especially over the last years, confirm its relevance also in regard to mental health. RECENT FINDINGS: Torture survivors appear to be a frequent but also underdetected group in clinical and general populations. Exposure to further stressful and traumatic events is common. Sequelae include posttraumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, depressive disorders, and more, but so far insufficiently explored and partly culture-based, reactive symptoms. Symptoms are frequently chronic and can be hard to treat even in cost-intensive treatment settings. Medical ethics are challenged in several situations, including documentation, in speaking up against and reporting of torture, and in the refusal to participate in or condone any form of torture. SUMMARY: Torture prevention and interdisciplinary rehabilitation of survivors must receive more attention, and healthcare professionals have an obligation to take a substantial role in this effort. PMID- 17762595 TI - The mind of the sexual predator. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review reports recent articles in the criminological literature that may be of help in understanding the psychodynamics of sexual predators in the hope of better defining them and preventing recidivistic behavior. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent literature presents the motivations behind sexual offending, attempting to explain in a psychodynamic way the complex problem of the aberrant sexual drives of the sexual predator. Recent civil commitment laws and their implications are touched upon. SUMMARY: The literature presented will enable the criminology practitioner to reach a more holistic understanding of the sexual predator and better detection of them. PMID- 17762596 TI - On measuring incapacity. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We review the relevant literature published in the last year on assessing the capacity of mental patients to make decisions in different areas of their lives. We have analyzed the research relating to the development of capacity assessment instruments. RECENT FINDINGS: We examine recent studies focusing on the capacity of mental patients with mild to moderate dementia. Also we investigate how brief interventions affect patients' understanding of the implications of being enrolled in a particular research project. A new area of research has emerged in the field trying to elucidate which neuropsychological and clinical factors can help to predict present or future incapacity. There is still debate on the construct validity of capacity since different theoretical approaches can be used. SUMMARY: Unfortunately there is controversy regarding the utility of neuropsychological and clinical data as predictors of incapacity. It is still necessary, therefore, to use different capacity instruments to ascertain whether patients have sufficient capacity for a specific task or decision. PMID- 17762597 TI - Ethics in forensic psychiatry. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Ethics in forensic expertise has been the focus of important debates. After providing a brief history of the theme, a review is given of the articles published in the last 2 years. As this field is constantly changing, it is possible to identify significant differences and even opposing positions adopted till now by various researchers. RECENT FINDINGS: The review includes a discussion on the current ethical theories applied to the forensic field, the objective and subjective issues involved in forensic work, the care needed to prevent additional and unnecessary suffering to the examinees and, finally, future directions as indicated by the authors. SUMMARY: The authors conclude that the discussion on the ethics of forensic expertise should be more comprehensive. The debate should include the search for equilibrium between objectivity and subjectivity, inherent to forensic expertise work, and also the utilization of advanced technological resources, always bearing in mind the conditions to which the examiner and examinee are subjected. PMID- 17762598 TI - Research issues in forensic psychiatry. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Forensic psychiatry is a multidisciplinary specialty within the context of criminal and civil law. This paper reviews a broad spectrum of research areas within the forensic psychiatric field, covering publications in 2006. RECENT FINDINGS: New developments can be divided into four subject areas. The first relates to risk assessment, the second to the epidemiology of violence, the third refers to treatment outcome studies, and the fourth relates to topics of interest within different offender groups. SUMMARY: There seems to be a growing interest in specifying the needs of different offender groups, such as intellectually-disabled patients, adolescents and women. When it comes to effective treatment models for these subgroups, however, it is not always clear if sufficient attention is paid to the presence of comorbid disorders and their consequences, even in research publications. PMID- 17762599 TI - International work in forensic psychiatry. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review literature published worldwide during the past year on forensic psychiatry. RECENT FINDINGS: In Singapore, more homicides are committed by foreigners than nationals. In Israel, immigrants are less often involuntarily committed. In Australia, a community treatment order results in more rehospitalizations after the first admission and fewer rehospitalizations after subsequent admissions. In New Zealand, assertive community treatment with cultural engagement results in good outcome even for those offenders with a diagnosis of antisocial behavior. SUMMARY: New findings are leading to public policy decisions and improved treatment methods. PMID- 17762600 TI - Bibliography. Current world literature. Mental retardation and developmental disorders. PMID- 17762602 TI - Systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjogren's syndrome. PMID- 17762603 TI - An important role for B-cell activation factor and B cells in the pathogenesis of Sjogren's syndrome. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review provides an update on the specific, strong association between dysregulated production of the cytokine B-cell activation factor and Sjogren's syndrome, and offers new perspectives on potential pathogenic mechanisms. RECENT FINDINGS: Excess B-cell activation factor in mice triggers Sjogren's syndrome-like symptoms, and elevated serum B-cell activation factor in humans correlates with Sjogren's syndrome. B-cell activation factor is produced locally by activated monocytes, T cells and dendritic cells, and by epithelial cells and infiltrating B cells. Moreover, recent data in humans suggest that the innate immune system plays a role as an initiator of immune disorders in inflamed tissues. SUMMARY: Recent data have demonstrated the critical role of B-cell activation factor and B cells in the pathogenesis of Sjogren's syndrome, and its association with B lymphomas. Moreover, B-cell depleting treatments have confirmed the critical role of B cells in Sjogren's syndrome. Excess B-cell activation factor possibly corrupts B-cell tolerance and allows the emergence of self-reactive B cells that efficiently present antigen to T cells. In addition, B-cell activation factor may stimulate T-cell independent activation of B cells via Toll-like receptors; this recently identified mechanism could also play a separate, detrimental role in autoimmunity. PMID- 17762604 TI - Estrogen and CD4+ T cells. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Many autoimmune rheumatic autoimmune disorders predominantly affect women. Sex hormones, in particular estrogen, can influence CD4 T-helper development and function. We highlight recent studies that begin to provide insights into the mechanisms by which estrogen modulates CD4 T-cell development and function, and thus potentially contribute to disease pathogenesis. RECENT FINDINGS: High levels of estrogen can lead to thymic atrophy. Recent studies showed that this phenomenon results from effects of estrogen at multiple stages in early T-cell development. Estrogen is also known to affect mature CD4 T-cell function, and, in particular, their ability to produce selected cytokine profiles. The mechanisms by which estrogen can exert these effects were also recently explored and shown to include effects on expression of critical molecules known to be involved in these processes. SUMMARY: Dissecting the molecular pathways employed by estrogen to modulate CD4 T cells will be critical in elucidating the manner by which estrogen exerts its effects on this compartment. Given that cell type specific differences underlie the ability of many hormonal therapies to exert tissue-specific estrogenic or antiestrogenic activities, this knowledge will be crucial to further exploitation of hormonal therapies in rheumatic autoimmune diseases. PMID- 17762605 TI - Regulation of autoreactive antibodies. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Significant progress has been made over recent years in uncovering the B-cell tolerance mechanisms that control development of autoreactive antibodies. This review examines current knowledge on the regulation and selection of autoreactive B cells in mouse models, and in healthy humans and patients with autoimmune disorders. RECENT FINDINGS: Autoreactive B cells undergo stringent selection either in the bone marrow or peripheral circulation by deletion, induction of anergy, or receptor editing. There is growing evidence that receptor editing represents the primary physiologic B-cell tolerance mechanism. Several checkpoints against autoreactive B cells have been established in bone marrow and peripheral blood of healthy humans. Recent studies demonstrate that some autoimmune disorders are associated with several alterations in B-cell tolerance checkpoints and often lead to a greater number of autoreactive B cells in the circulation. SUMMARY: Discovering the precise nature of B-cell tolerance alterations in patients with autoimmune diseases will lead to the identification of new targets for therapeutic interventions in patients with these disorders. PMID- 17762606 TI - Osteoarthritis. PMID- 17762607 TI - New gene associations in osteoarthritis: what do they provide, and where are we going? AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Osteoarthritis is a serious medical, social and economic problem affecting populations worldwide. Identifying susceptibility genes for osteoarthritis is a critical step in tackling this disease. The association study is today's most powerful tool for finding such genes, and the osteoarthritis research community has enjoyed initial success through the identification of several promising candidates. This review summarizes recent advances and emerging challenges in osteoarthritis association studies. RECENT FINDINGS: Replication studies have confirmed association of functional sequence variations in the secreted frizzled-related protein 3 (FRZB) and asporin (ASPN) genes with osteoarthritis. These studies have also prompted discussion of population specific differences in reported associations. Association of several other promising genes with osteoarthritis, including LRCH1, RHOB, TXNDC3 and GDF5, await replication. The Human Genome Project and the International HapMap Project have established an infrastructure to support genome-wide association studies. Large-scale case-control association scans are underway, and genome-wide association scans are also beginning. SUMMARY: Due to initial success in confirming several susceptibility genes and the advent of the post-genome sequence era, this area of osteoarthritis study is expanding quickly. To overcome current challenges and to move on to the next stage, however, international collaboration based on a common platform is essential. PMID- 17762608 TI - Imaging of knee osteoarthritis: data beyond the beauty. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: MRI has revolutionized osteoarthritis research by providing semi-quantitative and quantitative imaging endpoints on most articular tissues. With the first image data of the Osteoarthritis Initiative now becoming publicly available, this article reviews recent developments in quantitative imaging of osteoarthritis. RECENT FINDINGS: Although radiography remains the standard for regulatory studies on disease modifying osteoarthritis drugs, there is no consensus on the optimal positioning and acquisition protocol. With MRI, semi quantitative scoring systems for evaluation of multiple articular tissue changes have been developed and are currently investigated in the context of correlation with symptoms and of predicting structural progression of osteoarthritis. Most efforts on quantitative measurement of imaging endpoints have focused on cartilage morphology and composition, with higher field strength (3T), newer sequences, and new measurement endpoints being a driver of current innovation. SUMMARY: The semi-quantitative and quantitative tools for analysis of articular structure are now available and permit comprehensive analysis of morphological and compositional tissue changes in osteoarthritis. These changes will need to be related to clinical outcomes (e.g. how a patient feels or functions) with current epidemiological studies, such as the Osteoarthritis Initiatives, providing the opportunity for clinical validation of these imaging biomarkers. PMID- 17762609 TI - Type II collagen markers in osteoarthritis: what do they indicate? AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We provide a critical review of recent in-vitro, animal and human clinical studies on type II collagen biomarkers. In describing the human studies, we have applied the BIPED (burden of disease, investigative, prognostic, efficacy of intervention, and diagnostic) classification scheme recently proposed by the Osteoarthritis Biomarkers Network (a consortium of five US National Institutes of Health designated sites). Based on this analysis, we propose an update to the classification of the type II collagen biomarkers. RECENT FINDINGS: Various type II collagen epitopes have been described as potential biomarkers for osteoarthritis. Some have demonstrated ability in the following areas: classification of individuals as either diseased or nondiseased; assessment of severity or extent of osteoarthritis; prediction of future onset of osteoarthritis among those without osteoarthritis at baseline or the progression of osteoarthritis among those with existing disease; and monitoring treatment efficacy. SUMMARY: Type II collagen biomarkers provide useful information for clinical and research applications. Furthermore, they are promising tools for the monitoring the influence of drug treatment on cartilage metabolism in joint diseases such as osteoarthritis. PMID- 17762610 TI - Cell-based cartilage repair: illusion or solution for osteoarthritis. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Regeneration of damaged articular cartilage remains one of the most challenging problems in orthopedic surgery. Distinct surgical procedures were developed for the repair of focal cartilage defects and this review will focus on recent aspects of cell-based healing approaches that aim to achieve restoration of normal joint function by regenerating hyaline cartilage. RECENT FINDINGS: Surgical techniques are rapidly developing, and include resorbable biomaterials and expanded human mesenchymal stem cells to avoid disadvantages conferred by periosteal flaps and autologous chondrocytes. While expansion of mesenchymal stem cells seems to be safe and applicable, some concern exists about the stability of mesenchymal stem cells set to path to become chondrocytes, since common in-vitro protocols of chondrogenesis induce a program related to endochondral ossification which may finally yield only transient cartilage. SUMMERY: Bone marrow-stimulating techniques and autologous chondrocyte transplantation confer pain relief to the patients, and are superior to no treatment. Similar in their clinical outcome, they induce fibrocartilaginous repair tissue which may mature towards hyaline cartilage over time. Gained knowledge in the regulation of chondrogenesis, the role of host cell recruitment, transplanted cells, defect-filling materials and the influence of factors from subchondral bone will help to improve surgical procedures to allow their application to larger defects and patients with advanced signs of osteoarthritis. PMID- 17762611 TI - Hypoxia and osteoarthritis: how chondrocytes survive hypoxic environments. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review summarizes the current knowledge about hypoxia and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) for chondrocyte survival, energy generation and matrix synthesis of articular chondrocytes during cartilage homeostasis and disease. RECENT FINDINGS: In recent years increasing evidence of a pivotal role of hypoxia and the transcription factor HIF-1alpha in cartilaginous tissues has been published. Growth plates with functionally inactivated hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha display great defects in their central areas caused by massive cell death. This very important observation indicates that hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha is absolutely necessary for chondrocytes to survive extremely low oxygen tensions. Furthermore, hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha has been shown to have very important functions for the regulation of glucose transport, anaerobic energy generation and matrix synthesis by articular chondrocytes. Besides hypoxia, other factors such as proinflammatory mediators and mechanical load have been shown to increase hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha activity in articular chondrocytes. All these factors are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Thus, a dependence of osteoarthritis chondrocytes on hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha to survive and function properly is a reasonable assumption. SUMMARY: Low oxygen tensions and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha are important factors in articular chondrocyte behaviour during cartilage homeostasis and osteoarthritis. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha is a highly conserved transcription factor that has key functions in controlling energy generation, cell survival and matrix synthesis by articular and growth-plate chondrocytes. PMID- 17762612 TI - Functional genomics, evo-devo and systems biology: a chance to overcome complexity? AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review addresses the key question of how to integrate a high complexity of processes and data to a unifying picture of disease processes and progression relevant for osteoarthritis. RECENT FINDINGS: Many research efforts in the last few years have resulted in the accumulation of a huge amount of data. To date, however, these data have not led to a unifying concept of the pathogenesis and progression of the osteoarthritic disease process. Methods to integrate a lot of information are needed, therefore, in order to progress from experimental findings to practical knowledge. Several such strategies have been followed up in the past: in-vitro models, large-scale gene expression analysis/functional genomics, and an attempt to interpret gene expression patterns on the basis of developmental chondrocyte differentiation. A novel approach is systems biology, which promises to overcome issues of complexity using appropriate models and quantitative simulation. SUMMARY: Efforts are required to integrate a continuously growing high complexity of experimental data into an understanding of the joint system and its derangement in osteoarthritis. Modelling of the 'whole' picture appears to be needed so that we do not get lost in the plethora of details. PMID- 17762613 TI - Measuring clinical response and remission in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The increasing availability of new medications for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis has made the accurate assessment of treatment outcomes critically important. The purpose of this review is to describe recent investigations focused on the development of new outcome measures in the domains of disease activity and joint damage, and to summarize recently published data within the area of health-related quality of life. RECENT FINDINGS: Since the development of the preliminary definition of disease improvement in 1997, the American College of Rheumatology pediatric response criteria have become the primary outcome measures in therapeutic trials in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Additional definitions, including preliminary definitions of flare and remission have subsequently been added. Investigations have also sought to determine whether measures currently in use in adult rheumatoid arthritis might have utility in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. As the pathogenesis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis becomes better understood, biomarkers have significant potential as outcome measures. Lastly, recent reports regarding the health-related quality of life in large cohorts of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis are important in guiding investigators towards areas most in need of improved treatment. SUMMARY: Significant progress has been made in the measurement of outcomes in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Outcome measures will continue to be designed and tested to keep pace with the development of new therapies and the improved understanding of the disease pathogenesis. PMID- 17762614 TI - Recognition and management of macrophage activation syndrome in juvenile arthritis. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Macrophage activation syndrome is a life-threatening complication seen predominantly in children with systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It accounts for a significant amount of the morbidity and mortality seen with systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis. RECENT FINDINGS: In this article, we will look at the new developments in the diagnosis, classification, pathogenesis and management of macrophage activation syndrome in systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients. SUMMARY: More work is needed to further elucidate the pathophysiology of macrophage activation syndrome in systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis. This would be the key to early diagnosis using more sensitive criteria and better management. PMID- 17762615 TI - Use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in uveitis. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Use of tumor necrosis factor-alpha blocking agents to treat chronic pediatric uveitis is becoming recognized as an important therapeutic modality. This review summarizes the rationale for this use, highlighting new studies of these agents in pediatric uveitis. RECENT FINDINGS: The majority of patients with pediatric uveitis either have idiopathic uveitis or uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Ophthalmologic morbidity among these children is common. Most studies evaluating tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockade in pediatric uveitis are retrospective case series, with attendant limitations that are inherent to any retrospective study. Study of uveitis has been hampered by lack of standardization of disease and outcome measures, which has been addressed by uveitis experts with publication of consensus measures. Data to date suggest that tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockade is efficacious in refractory uveitis. Agents with direct tumor necrosis factor-alpha membrane receptor binding activity may be the most efficacious. There remain many unanswered questions in the treatment of pediatric uveitis, including optimal dosing regimen and long-term efficacy. SUMMARY: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha blocking agents play an important role in the treatment of chronic pediatric uveitis. Prospective comparative studies are needed so that we may better understand this role. PMID- 17762616 TI - Pathogenesis of myositis in children. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is increasing evidence for involvement of innate immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. This review focuses on recent advances in understanding these mechanisms in juvenile dermatomyositis, the most common form of childhood inflammatory myopathy. RECENT FINDINGS: Type I interferon activity in juvenile dermatomyositis has been demonstrated by both global gene expression profiling and immunohistochemical analysis of affected tissues. Most recently, expression of interferon-inducible genes in peripheral blood cells has shown promise as a biomarker for disease activity. The possible pathogenic actions of type I interferons include induction and maintenance of major histocompatibility complex class I expression in affected myofibers, and promotion of local pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine production. The cellular source of type I interferons is not clearly defined, though plasmacytoid dendritic cells that constitute a significant component of the inflammatory cell infiltrate are obvious candidates. These cells likely contribute to pathogenesis not only via type I interferon production, but also by regulating other infiltrating inflammatory cells. SUMMARY: Type I interferons and plasmacytoid dendritic cells appear to make important contributions to the pathogenesis of juvenile dermatomyositis. Understanding the role of the innate immune system in childhood myositis may lead to novel treatment strategies. PMID- 17762617 TI - Autoinflammatory bone disorders. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review provides an update on clinical, genetic, and immunologic aspects of the autoinflammatory bone disorders. RECENT FINDINGS: Chronic noninfectious inflammation of the bone is a clinical feature of both chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis and (to a lesser degree) cherubism. The genes responsible for Majeed syndrome (LPIN2), murine chronic multifocal osteomyelitis (pstpip2), and cherubism (SH3BP2 and possibly PTPN11) have been identified. Murine models of both chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis and cherubism have demonstrated that the bone inflammation is mediated by hematopoietically derived cells and can occur in the absence of a functioning adaptive immune system. As the immunologic defects become better defined, the cells of the myeloid lineage are emerging as the primary players. SUMMARY: Chronic multifocal osteomyelitis and cherubism are hereditary chronic inflammatory disorders in which bone is the primary inflammatory target. Recent genetic and immunologic discoveries demonstrate involvement of the innate immune system, which places these entities in the category of autoinflammatory disorders. PMID- 17762618 TI - Bibliography. Current world literature. Systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjogren's syndrome. PMID- 17762620 TI - Predicting cancer-control outcomes in patients with renal cell carcinoma. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Several novel treatment modalities have been introduced for patients across all renal cell carcinoma stages. Observation or a variety of minimally invasive approaches can be applied to small renal masses. Conversely, aggressive loco-regional resections may be performed for locally advanced disease. Cytoreductive partial nephrectomy has become an alternative to radical nephrectomy. Finally, targeted therapies improve cancer control in unresectable or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The variety of modes and stages at presentation and the number of treatment options may render medical decision making highly complex. Various prognostic models and nomograms can assist with treatment decision-making in patients with renal cell carcinoma. RECENT FINDINGS: The multivariable risk-factor approach to renal cell carcinoma-specific mortality has been pioneered. In 1999 was proposed a multivariate model for prediction of individual survival in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Since then several prenephrectomy and postnephrectomy models have been developed. These models can be distinguished according to their target populations, discriminant properties (accuracy of predictions) and confirmed validity within independent cohorts. SUMMARY: We give a comparative outline of these model characteristics within existing tools. Our work provides the clinician with a complete list of such tools, including comparisons of their relative advantages and disadvantages. PMID- 17762621 TI - Prognostic markers in renal cell carcinoma. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article reviews recent reports on prognostic markers in renal cell carcinoma. RECENT FINDINGS: Inclusion in studies of larger cohorts of patients has yielded enhanced prognostic information from integrated pathological markers; the findings suggest that adjustment to the TNM (tumour-node-metastasis) system is warranted. A number of patient-related factors remain important prognostically, including performance status, C-reactive protein and thrombocytosis, but also immunological factors (e.g. expression of B7-H1 by renal cell carcinomas is associated with progression). Additional prognostic information may be derived from a range of molecular markers. Findings of gene array and methylation studies may yield independent prognostic information. Enhanced knowledge of signalling pathways has facilitated better understanding of underlying biology and prediction of response to treatment. Other genes involved in regulating hypoxia-inducible factor [e.g. genes encoding carbonic anhydrase-IX and PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog)] were reported to be prognostically important in renal cell carcinoma. Other markers independently predicted survival (e.g. thymidine-phosphorylase and survivin). SUMMARY: The potential of molecular markers suggested by clinical research is encouraging. Knowledge of various pathways will facilitate creation of systems of biomarkers that are predictive of individual response to therapy. Useful biomarkers may have potential as therapeutic targets. PMID- 17762622 TI - Open partial nephrectomy: an essential operation with an expanding role. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To describe the rationale for expanding the role of partial nephrectomy in the treatment of renal cortical tumors. RECENT FINDINGS: Renal tumors are a family of neoplasms ranging from the benign oncocytoma, to the indolent papillary and chromophobe carcinomas, to the more potentially malignant clear cell carcinomas that account for 54% of the lesions resected, but 90% of those that metastasize. Due to a contemporary stage migration, 70% of the tumors are detected incidentally with a median tumor size of below 4.0 cm. Partial nephrectomy for tumors of 7 cm or less provides equivalent oncological tumor control to radical nephrectomy with maximum preservation of long-term renal function. Twenty-six percent of patients prior to operation already have stage 3 chronic kidney disease with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m. Chronic kidney disease is an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, hospitalization and death. The likelihood of freedom from a glomerular filtration rate of less than 45 was 95% after partial nephrectomy, but only 64% following radical nephrectomy. SUMMARY: Partial nephrectomy is an essential surgical approach to the small kidney tumor and provides equivalent local tumor control while preventing the new onset or worsening of chronic kidney disease. PMID- 17762623 TI - Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: how far have we gone? AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Several technical modifications of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy have resulted in a reduction of complications and warm ischemia time. The most recent results are reviewed with a focus on oncologic outcome and postoperative renal function. RECENT FINDINGS: The indications for laparoscopic partial nephrectomy are the same as for open surgery. All tumors up to 4 cm should be included and selected tumors up to 7 cm may be considered as well. In experienced hands, the complication rate is considerably low. Oncologic outcome is comparable with open partial nephrectomy and 5-year survival data have been published recently. Long warm ischemia time may be of some concern. The published functional results are excellent. Cost should not be the main argument in favor of a method. Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, however, combines advantages for the patient with lower cost as shown by two studies. SUMMARY: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy duplicates the principles of open surgery and has been standardized to a great extent. It is technically difficult and is being performed by a small number of centers only; however, the interest of the urologists and patient demand is growing quickly. At the present time, laparoscopic partial nephrectomy cannot be considered a standard of care, but excellent results have been reported when performed by experienced laparoscopists. PMID- 17762624 TI - Kidney cancer: energy ablation. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Solid renal tumours with a diameter 4 cm or less are frequently found during routine radiologic investigations. Since a significant number of patients are elderly and frail, there is a growing interest in effectively treating these patients by minimally invasive energy-ablative surgery. RECENT FINDINGS: Such tumours may be treated by either freezing (cryoablation) or by heat (radio-frequency ablation or high-intensity focused ultrasound). In addition, percutaneous methods are available, but percutaneous focused ultrasound is not feasible as yet with the technique available. All percutaneous techniques lack effective monitoring of ablation, however, and oncological follow-up commonly relies on radiologic measurements only. Not surprisingly, the effectiveness of all percutaneous procedures is significantly lower, with a high recurrence and re-treatment rate as compared with open or laparoscopic procedures. Long-term results in larger series are missing, but it seems that laparoscopic cryoablation is most effective in respect to oncological results, but requires more technical efforts and surgical skills as compared with radio-frequency ablation or focused ultrasound. SUMMARY: There is currently no ideal energy-ablative energy source on the horizon, but cryoablation seems to produce the most durable result. Focused ultrasound, however, may have the greatest potential for further developments. PMID- 17762625 TI - Robotic approaches to renal cancer. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery has had considerable impact on the management of localized prostate cancer. The role of robot assistance in laparoscopic renal surgery is less well defined, however. RECENT FINDINGS: There have been few recently published papers regarding the robotic approach to management of renal cancer. SUMMARY: Few clear benefits have been demonstrated for robotic-assisted over the conventional laparoscopic approach for the management of renal cancer. PMID- 17762626 TI - Recent advances in targeted therapy for renal cell carcinoma. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To provide an overview and summary of the recent developments in the use of targeted therapy in the management of advanced kidney cancer. The focus is on publications within the last year. RECENT FINDINGS: The last year has seen several exciting developments in the targeted approach to managing advanced renal cell carcinoma. The benefits of small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been demonstrated in two large-scale, phase III prospective, randomized controlled trials. There is growing evidence, some not yet published, that mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors are effective in this disease and the roles of therapies directed at the receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor continue to be refined. SUMMARY: Recent published trials offer substantial hope for those patients with advanced kidney cancer, where before the outlook was often bleak. There is an expanding menu of potential agents in this disease, so called targeted therapies, that are grounded in a growing understanding of the biology of kidney cancer. Many challenges and questions still remain, but there are encouraging signs of progress and hope for the future. PMID- 17762627 TI - Renal cell carcinoma: imaging and therapy. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The increasing use of ultrasound and computerized tomography has led to over 50% of renal cell carcinomas being incidentally detected. With an increasing number of small and asymptomatic tumors being identified it is particularly important for an accurate diagnosis to be reached via available imaging modalities to permit selection of patients for surgical treatment. The identification of patients suitable for management via nephron-sparing surgery is a key issue. RECENT FINDINGS: Advances in imaging have focused on the ability to distinguish malignant from nonmalignant tumors. Advanced assessments have aimed to identify the cancer subtype preoperatively in order to limit the requirement for surgery in carcinomas with low metastatic potential. Improved staging of renal tumors with magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography has allowed more accurate preoperative assessment and planning of treatment for both organ-confined and extensive renal tumors. Radioimmunoscintigraphy and radioimmunotherapy also offer potential for therapeutic intervention at an antigen-directed level. SUMMARY: More accurate matching of therapeutic options to newly diagnosed renal carcinomas is now possible with contemporary imaging techniques in order to limit morbidity of surgical treatment. The potential for urologists to progress to treatment of renal malignancies via advanced radiographic techniques is fast approaching. PMID- 17762628 TI - Bladder cancer biomarkers: current developments and future implementation. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Bladder cancer biomarker development has advanced significantly over the last decade, but has not yet been able to make a significant impact in the diagnosis and management of the disease. Many available markers are suitable, but do not meet the expectations of physicians and patients. Patients do not want to compromise accuracy in diagnosing bladder cancer for less-invasive tests. The review highlights the latest developments in bladder cancer biomarkers, including markers developed over the last year, and comments on the high standards placed on these markers which have delayed their widespread implementation into the urologic field. RECENT FINDINGS: New markers described in the last year include soluble Fas, urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 and human chorionic gonadotropin beta type II genes. The latter two markers represent the contribution of genomic technology to this field. Also described are updates to known markers, including long-term follow-up of hematuria screening, recent studies in DNA methylation for bladder cancer diagnosis and patient perspectives on bladder tumor markers. SUMMARY: Biomarkers for bladder cancer have been intensively scrutinized over the last decade, but despite new findings and good performance characteristics, they are currently not accepted in clinical practice. PMID- 17762629 TI - Recent developments in fluorescence cystoscopy: do novel agents bring a benefit? AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In flat bladder cancer and carcinoma in situ, and in multifocal papillary cancer, some smaller lesions may be overlooked at cystoscopy. For 10 years fluorescence cystoscopy has been promoted to solve these problems without wider acceptance. New fluorophobes now promise better clinical applicability. RECENT FINDINGS: In prospective multicenter studies fluorescence cystoscopy shows significant improvement in the detection of flat bladder cancer and carcinoma in situ. It also permits more reliable identification of all neoplastic lesions with multifocal tumors, hence more precise removal and as a consequence lower recurrence rates. SUMMARY: New agents bring a significant benefit. Hexyl-aminolevulinate offers more rapid urothelial accumulation, better fluorescence contrast and less photobleaching than previously used fluorophobes. It is simple to use in everyday practice and has a favorable toxicity profile. PMID- 17762630 TI - Current strategies for first and second line intravesical therapy for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer is a common malignancy, usually treated by transurethral resection and adjuvant intravesical instillations of chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Appropriate adjuvant treatment can be selected based on several prognostic factors that determine risk for recurrence or progression. We discuss options for first-line and second-line adjuvant therapy for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: Mitomycin-C and epirubicin are the mostly used adjuvant chemotherapeutic drugs for tumours of low and intermediate risk. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin remains first choice therapy in high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer. Gemcitabine and apaziquone are especially promising for treatment of intermediate risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer but require further study. Device-assisted therapies, such as thermochemotherapy and electromotive drug administration, have yielded good results in high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer and could be considered second-line therapy in this setting. SUMMARY: Primary problems in nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer are its tendency to recur and its elusiveness (especially high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer) of progression to muscle invasive disease. First-line adjuvant therapies are well established but suboptimal. Some second-line therapies are promising but should be used cautiously, because in some patients the best option is not always the conservative one. PMID- 17762631 TI - The value of bladder-conserving strategies in muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma compared with radical surgery. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer will practically all develop progression, often associated with severe side effects including pain, dysuria or macrohematuria. Recent reports demonstrate multimodality bladder sparing approaches as primary treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: Bladder-conserving strategies include thorough transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, external beam radiation therapy and chemotherapy. It has been shown that survival rates are similar to those of radical cystectomy series; additionally, a substantial number of patients survive with an intact bladder. The high costs, close cooperation between clinical specialists and a highly compliant patient need to be taken into consideration, however. SUMMARY: Nowadays, the good long-term results after radical cystectomy with the creation of an orthotopic neobladder make the substantial advantage of a bladder preserving strategy questionable when the patient's quality of life is addressed. Multimodality bladder-conserving strategies are a therapeutic option for selected patients; however, radical cystectomy remains the gold standard of treatment. PMID- 17762632 TI - New developments in first- and second-line chemotherapy for transitional cell, squamous cell and adenocarcinoma of the bladder. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the systemic treatment, patient selection and treatment outcome of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, focusing on advances and findings within the last year. RECENT FINDINGS: Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is considered to be the standard treatment for transitional cell carcinoma. In recent updates of randomized trials, patients with favorable prognostic factors were shown to have a chance of long-term disease-free survival even after chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Patient selection for cisplatin, newer drugs or alternative combinations is crucial. New genetic markers like excision repair cross complementing 1 expression were developed and tested for this purpose. Adequate evaluation of renal function plays an important role for treatment selection, especially in the elderly population. Newer chemotherapeutics like oxaliplatin, vinflunine and pemetrexed have been studied in the first- or second-line settings. Their efficacy is promising, but there is still a need for further testing. Only few data are available on the systemic treatment of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Complete resection seems to be more important than chemotherapy in the rare cases of adenocarcinoma of the urinary tract. SUMMARY: In locally advanced and metastatic disease patient- and tumor-related prognostic factors and predictive factors for response to treatment will guide treatment decisions in the future. PMID- 17762633 TI - Open radical cystectomy with lymphadenectomy remains the treatment of choice for invasive bladder cancer. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Radical cystectomy with an appropriate lymph node dissection and an appropriate form of urinary diversion is the standard treatment for muscle invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Optimal outcomes following radical cystectomy require an extended lymph node dissection, negative surgical margins, and a continent urinary diversion. There has been an increasing number of reports describing initial experiences with laparoscopic radical cystectomy. RECENT FINDINGS: Intermediate and long-term oncologic outcomes with laparoscopic radical cystectomy remain undefined, and appropriate lymph node dissections laparoscopically have not been uniformly performed. Furthermore, the long-term functional outcomes associated with laparoscopically performed urinary diversions also remain undefined. There appears to be a recent trend toward performing the urinary diversion portion of the procedure extracorporeally, after laparoscopic removal of the bladder. Some studies suggest a decrease in postoperative analgesic requirements and quicker recovery of bowel function in those undergoing laparoscopic radical cystectomy, but these observations have not been corroborated by others. SUMMARY: In the absence of long-term functional and oncologic outcome data, laparoscopic radical cystectomy should be considered an investigative technique, and potential candidates for this operation should be appropriately counseled. PMID- 17762634 TI - Current world literature. Kidney cancer. PMID- 17762635 TI - 2007 ESH-ESC Practice Guidelines for the Management of Arterial Hypertension: ESH ESC Task Force on the Management of Arterial Hypertension. PMID- 17762636 TI - Three endothelial nitric oxide (NOS3) gene polymorphisms in hypertensive and normotensive individuals: meta-analysis of 53 studies reveals evidence of publication bias. AB - BACKGROUND: Studies on the relationship between endothelial nitric oxide (NOS3) gene variants and hypertension have been conflicting. To explore this hypothesis further, we performed a meta-analysis and re-evaluated the relationship between the three most widely studied NOS3 polymorphisms and hypertension status and blood pressure levels. METHODS: Data on 40,413 subjects from 53 studies were combined in five distinct meta-analyses, and heterogeneity and publication bias were explored. RESULTS: Heterogeneity was observed in all meta-analyses. By a random-effects model, carriers of the four 27-basepair repeat variable number of tandem repeats in intron 4 were associated with a 28% increase in the risk of hypertension compared with those homozygous for the 5 repeat: odds ratio (OR) 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11-1.47, P=0.001. In Asian individuals, Asp allele carriers displayed a similar association: OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.06-1.54, P=0.01, as well as a 2 mmHg increase in both systolic (P=0.04) and diastolic (P=0.009) blood pressure levels. Furthermore, meta-regression analysis indicated that the effect of the Glu298Asp genotype on the risk of hypertension might be dependent on total cholesterol status. No effect of the T-786C variant on hypertension was detected. There was evidence that such findings might be a result of selectively reporting/publishing positive reports. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that current data on the relationship between NOS3 variants and hypertension are subject not only to important heterogeneity but also to publication bias. Future research should preferentially focus on gene-environment interactions as well as haplotype analyses. PMID- 17762637 TI - The difficult conception, birth and delivery of a renin inhibitor: controversies around aliskiren. PMID- 17762638 TI - The use of a generalized transfer function: different processing, different results! PMID- 17762639 TI - ERK1/2 as a molecular switch for the initiation of long-term pressor response to central angiotensin II. PMID- 17762640 TI - I don't need this pressure on; src-family kinases, ERK 1/2 kinase and mechanotransduction in arteries. PMID- 17762641 TI - Influence of renal angioplasty on inflammatory markers: harm or benefit? PMID- 17762642 TI - Pulse pressure and arterial stiffness: an emerging renal risk predictor? PMID- 17762643 TI - The association of waist circumference with ambulatory blood pressure is independent of alternative adiposity indices. AB - AIM: The relationship between waist circumference (WC) and conventional blood pressure (BP) is independent of other clinical indices of adiposity. As ambulatory BP may offer more prognostic information than conventional BP, we aimed to identify whether indices of central adiposity are associated with ambulatory BP independent of other indices of adiposity. METHODS: The relationship between indices of adiposity [WC, waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index (BMI) or skin-fold thickness] and ambulatory or conventional BP was determined in 300 randomly selected individuals of African descent living in an urban developing community in South Africa. Relationships were determined with multiple indices of adiposity in the same regression model and after adjusting for age, gender, alcohol and tobacco intake, the presence or absence of diabetes mellitus or inappropriate blood glucose control [haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)], antihypertensive therapy and menopausal status. RESULTS: Sixty-five per cent of participants were overweight or obese. With respect to the relationships between indices of adiposity, BMI and WC showed the strongest correlation (r=0.84, P<0.0001). After including all indices of adiposity and confounders in the model, WC was the only clinical index of adiposity which independently predicted 24-h (partial r=0.15, P<0.005) and conventional (partial r=0.14, P<0.005) systolic BP and 24-h (partial r=0.13, P<0.02) and conventional (partial r=0.40, P<0.0001) diastolic BP. After adjusting for other adiposity indices and confounders, every 1 SD (15 cm) increase in WC resulted in a 4.04 mmHg increase in 24-h systolic BP and a 4.33 mmHg increase in 24-h diastolic BP. Similar results were obtained in the subgroup of 237 participants not receiving antihypertensive therapy. CONCLUSION: WC is the only clinical index of adiposity that is associated with 24 h and conventional BP independent of other adiposity indices in a community with a high prevalence of obesity. PMID- 17762644 TI - Trends in prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in urban communities in Chile. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the changes experienced over 15 years in the prevalence, state of awareness, treatment and control of hypertension, in urban communities of the VIII Region of Chile. METHODOLOGY: In order to ensure an objective analysis in comparison of the indicators, the methodological design used in 1988 was replicated: a representative, non-institutionalized sample, considering age, gender and socio-economic level. Blood pressure was measured using mercury manometers during two visits carried out on different days. Hypertension criteria: systolic blood pressure>or=140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure>or=90 mmHg, or patients under treatment. RESULTS: A sample of 8472 residents was obtained, based on the previously defined stratification. Hypertension prevalence increased from 18.6% in 1988 to 21.7% in 2004. This occurred in all age groups and in both genders. The state of awareness remained stable: 66.9% in 1988 and 66.6% in 2004. The state of treatment increased from 35.6% (1988) to 59.9% (2004), and the state of hypertension control from 7.5 to 30.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated an increase in hypertension prevalence from 1988 to 2004. Meanwhile the state of awareness remained stable but there was a significant increase in the state of treatment and control, which were in accordance with public policies and changes in antihypertensive treatment. PMID- 17762645 TI - 'Generalizability' of a radial-aortic transfer function for the derivation of central aortic waveform parameters. AB - OBJECTIVE: Arterial transfer functions (TFs) describe the relationship between the pressure waveform at different arterial sites. Generalized TFs are used to reconstruct central aortic waveforms from non-invasively obtained peripheral waveforms and have been promoted as potentially clinically useful. A limitation is the paucity of information on their 'generalizability' with no information existing on the number of subjects required to construct a satisfactory TF, nor is adequate prospective validation available. We therefore investigated the uniformity of radial-aortic TFs and prospectively estimated the capacity of a generalized TF to reconstruct individual central blood pressure parameters. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-three subjects (64 male) were studied by simultaneous radial applanation and high-fidelity (Millar Mikro-tip catheter) direct measurement of central aortic BP during elective coronary procedures. Subjects were prospectively randomized to either a derivation or validation group. RESULTS: Increasing numbers of individual TFs from the derivation group were averaged to form a generalized TF. There was minimal change with greater than 20 TFs averaged. In the validation group, the error in most reconstructed parameters related to the absolute value of the directly measured parameter [systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse pressure, P<0.05; systolic pressure-time interval, subendocardial viability index, augmentation index, and times to the inflection point, peak and end systole, all P<0.01]. Aorto-radial delay was related to error in reconstructed central aortic SBP and pulse pressure (negatively) and time to peak systole (positively) (all P<0.001). Reconstruction of augmentation index was poor. DISCUSSION: Inclusion of more than 20 individual TFs in the construction of a generalized TF does not improve 'generalizability'. There appear to be systematic errors in derived central pressure waveforms and derived aortic augmentation index is inaccurate compared to the directly measured value. PMID- 17762646 TI - A coding polymorphism of the kallikrein 1 gene is associated with essential hypertension: a tagging SNP-based association study in a Chinese Han population. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between common variants in the human tissue kallikrein 1 (KLK1) gene and susceptibility to essential hypertension in Chinese Han. METHODS: A tagging single nucleotide polymorphism (tSNP) approach was used for a case-control study in 2411 patients with essential hypertension and 2348 controls. All DNA samples and clinical data were collected from the International Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Disease in Asia (InterASIA). RESULTS: Based on the HapMap data of Han Chinese in Beijing (CHB) population, two non-synonymous polymorphisms, namely rs5517 (Glu162Lys) and rs5516 (Gln121Glu), were selected as tSNPs which could efficiently tag eight SNPs of the KLK1 gene with R larger than 90% for both haplotypes and single locus. Significant differences were found between groups for frequencies of rs5517 A allele (42.48% in cases versus 39.32% in controls, P=0.0019) and AA genotype [adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.25 for AA versus AG/GG, P=0.0067]. The haplotype composed of the rs5517 A and rs5516 G allele significantly increased the risk of hypertension, with adjusted OR of 1.12 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04-1.28, P=0.0377] when compared with the common haplotype G-C. Diplotype analysis also showed a significant association between the diplotype of AG-AC and essential hypertension (OR=1.34, 95% CI, 1.07-1.68, P=0.0096). CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggested that rs5517 in the KLK1 gene was significantly associated with essential hypertension in a Chinese Han population. PMID- 17762647 TI - Skinfold thickness and blood pressure across C-344T polymorphism of CYP11B2 gene. AB - OBJECTIVE: To ascertain whether body adiposity is associated with the C-344T polymorphism of the CYP11B2 gene codifying for aldosterone synthase. DESIGN: A cross-sectional epidemiological evaluation of a highly homogeneous unselected general population of Caucasians. METHODS: Lifestyle, medical history, anthropometrics, subscapular, triceps and suprailiac skinfold thickness, lying blood pressure and biochemical measures were recorded in a population-based study among 1386 unselected subjects (56.5% women) living in a secluded valley. All were genotyped for C-344T allele status. Continuous variables were compared across genotypes with analysis of covariance and correlations evaluated using the Pearson method. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated for the TT and CT genotype versus the CC homozygotes and compared with the T-carriers with a logistic model. RESULTS: The C-344T genotypic frequency did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In women, higher values of triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness were found in the CC homozygotes than in the T-carriers. In this sex, skinfold thickness also directly correlated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the T-carriers only. The logistic regression for the dependent variable arterial hypertension showed an influence of triceps [OR 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.12, P=0.006], subscapular (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.06 1.20, P<0.0001) and suprailiac (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.15, P=0.03) skinfold in T carrier women only. These relationships were not detectable in men. The aldosterone-to-renin ratios were comparable across genotypes and sexes. CONCLUSION: The C-344T polymorphism of the CYP11B2 gene seems to exert a sex specific influence on body adiposity, independent of adrenal aldosterone. PMID- 17762648 TI - Intrahippocampal microinjection of an exquisitely low dose of ouabain mimics NaCl loading and stimulates a bufadienolide Na/K-ATPase inhibitor. AB - BACKGROUND: Brain endogenous ouabain (EOU) raises blood pressure (BP) via an angiotensin II (ATII)-sensitive pathway in NaCl-loaded Dahl salt-sensitive rats (DSS). Brain EOU activates central and adrenocortical renin-angiotensin systems, and stimulates marinobufagenin, a vasoconstrictor and natriuretic inhibitor of sodium pump. METHODS: We studied effects of acute NaCl loading (17 mmol/kg NaCl, intraperitoneally) on levels of EOU and marinobufagenin in several brain areas in DSS. We then studied effects of intrahippocampal administration of very-low-dose ouabain (60 pg) on EOU, marinobufagenin, BP, sodium excretion, and sodium-pump activity in the aorta and renal medulla in the absence and presence of anti marinobufagenin and anti-ouabain antibodies, and losartan. RESULTS: NaCl loading of DSS induced transient increases of EOU in the hippocampus and amygdala (15 min; 300%), supraoptical nucleus of hypothalamus (SON) (30 min, 230%) and pituitary (30 min; 85%), and ATII elevation in the SON (30 min). Intrahippocampal administration of ouabain (60 pg) stimulated ATII in the SON, produced natriuresis, 40 mmHg rise in BP, inhibition of sodium-pump in the renal medulla (19.6%) and aorta (25%), and a two-fold increase in renal marinobufagenin excretion. Pretreatment of rats with anti-marinobufagenin antibody prevented ouabain-induced pressor and natriuretic responses and sodium-pump inhibition. Pressor responses to ouabain were also prevented by losartan (intravenously) and by administration of anti-ouabain antibody into the SON. CONCLUSIONS: NaCl loading of DSS induces a cascade of events, triggered by brain EOU and ATII. Intrahippocampal administration of a low-dose ouabain mimics effects of NaCl loading and stimulates marinobufagenin, which produces natriuresis, and inhibits the vascular sodium-pump, inducing an increase in BP. PMID- 17762649 TI - Upregulation of AT1 receptor gene on activation of protein kinase Cbeta/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide diphosphate oxidase/ERK1/2/c-fos signaling cascade mediates long-term pressor effect of angiotensin II in rostral ventrolateral medulla. AB - OBJECTIVE: Angiotensin II induces the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 via the activation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide diphosphate (NADPH) oxidase on stimulation of the angiotensin subtype 1 receptor (AT1R) in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), where sympathetic premotor neurons for the maintenance of vasomotor tone and blood pressure are located. Angiotensin II activated p38 MAPK in RVLM promotes a short-term pressor effect via augmented glutamatergic neurotransmission. We tested the hypothesis that the NADPH oxidase dependent phosphorylation of ERK1/2 after the activation of conventional protein kinase C (PKC) mediates the AT1R-dependent long-term pressor effects of angiotensin II via transcriptional induction of the proto-oncogene c-fos gene in RVLM. METHODS AND RESULTS: In Sprague-Dawley rats, a microinjection of angiotensin II bilaterally into the RVLM induced membrane-bound translocation of the conventional PKCalpha, PKCbeta or PKCgamma isoform, phosphorylation of the p47 subunit of NADPH oxidase and ERK1/2, followed by phosphorylation of the transcription factor cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein (CREB), and c-fos induction. The PKC inhibitor antagonized angiotensin II induced p47 phosphorylation, and an antisense oligonucleotide (ASON) complementary to PKCbeta messenger RNA suppressed angiotensin II-induced ERK1/2 activation, phosphorylation or DNA binding activity of CREB, and upregulation of c-fos mRNA expression in the ventrolateral medulla. Furthermore, a microinjection of ERK1/2, CREB or c-fos ASON into the RVLM significantly reduced the long-term pressor effect and augmented AT1R expression in the ventrolateral medulla induced by intracerebroventricular infusion of angiotensin II. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the PKCbeta/NADPH oxidase/ERK1/2/CREB/c-fos cascade represents a novel signaling cascade that mediates the long-term pressor effect induced by angiotensin II in the RVLM. PMID- 17762650 TI - Persistence of baroreceptor control of cerebral blood flow velocity at a simulated altitude of 5000 m. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of acute exposure to simulated high altitude on baroreflex control of mean cerebral blood flow velocity (MCFV). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compared beat-to-beat changes in RR interval, arterial blood pressure, mean MCFV (by transcranial Doppler velocimetry in the middle cerebral artery), end-tidal CO2, oxygen saturation and respiration in 19 healthy subjects at baseline (Albuquerque, 1779 m), after acute exposure to simulated high altitude in a hypobaric chamber (barometric pressure as at 5000 m) and during oxygen administration (to achieve 100% oxygen saturation) at the same barometric pressure (HOX). Baroreflex control on each signal was assessed by univariate and bivariate power spectral analysis performed on time series obtained during controlled (15 breaths/min) breathing, before and during baroreflex modulation induced by 0.1-Hz sinusoidal neck suction. RESULTS: At baseline, neck suction was able to induce a clear increase in low-frequency power in MCFV (P<0.001) as well as in RR and blood pressure. At high altitude, MCFV, as well as RR and blood pressure, was still able to respond to neck suction (all P<0.001), compared to controlled breathing alone, despite marked decreases in end-tidal CO2 and oxygen saturation at high altitude. A similar response was obtained at HOX. Phase delay analysis excluded a passive transmission of low-frequency oscillations from arterial pressure to cerebral circulation. CONCLUSIONS: During acute exposure to high altitude, cerebral blood flow is still modulated by the autonomic nervous system through the baroreflex, whose sensitivity is not affected by changes in CO2 and oxygen saturation levels. PMID- 17762651 TI - Src family tyrosine kinases mediate contraction of rat isolated tail arteries in response to a hyposmotic stimulus. AB - OBJECTIVE: Hypotonic solutions cause vasoconstriction in rat tail arteries, due largely to activation of L-type calcium channels (CaV1.2). We studied possible roles of tyrosine kinases, particularly src family kinases (SFK) and extracellular signal-related kinases (ERK1/2), in this response. METHODS: Rat tail arteries were mounted on a myograph for measurement of isometric force. Arteries were bathed in isosmotic physiological saline solution (300 mOsm/l) containing 50 mmol/l mannitol and were stimulated by a hyposmotic solution containing 0 mmol/l mannitol (PSS-M). Activation of tyrosine kinases and ERK1/2 by hyposmotic solution was examined by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and western blotting on rat tail artery lysates with specific phospho-antibodies. RESULTS: Western blotting showed SFK src and yes present in rat tail artery. PSS-M increased tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins, including SFK and ERK1/2. Genistein blocked phosphorylation of SFK and ERK1/2 by PSS-M. In isolated arteries PSS-M caused a contraction inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein, and three structurally different selective SFK inhibitors, herbimycin-A, PP1 and SU6656. Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor PD98059 or selective inhibitors of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (AG1296) and epidermal growth factor receptor (AG1478) had no effect on contraction induced by a hypotonic solution. CONCLUSIONS: Hyposmotic conditions activate SFK, src and yes, and contract rat tail artery by a SFK-dependent mechanism. ERK1/2 are activated by the hypotonic solution, but do not play a role in the contractile response. SFK modulation of CaV1.2 may be an important mechanism mediating vasoconstriction to mechanical stimuli in vascular smooth muscle. PMID- 17762652 TI - Distinct effects of amlodipine treatment on vascular elastocalcinosis and stiffness in a rat model of isolated systolic hypertension. AB - OBJECTIVE: Medial elastocalcinosis (MEC) contributes to the development of large artery stiffness and isolated systolic hypertension. Since endothelin receptor antagonists can prevent and regress elastocalcinosis, our aim was to determine whether amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker that inhibits endothelin signaling, could likewise influence MEC, or reduce pressure mainly through its vasorelaxing properties. METHODS: Control male Wistar rats were compared with rats receiving warfarin (20 mg/kg per day) with vitamin K1 (15 mg/kg per day) alone (WVK) or in association with amlodipine (15 mg/kg per day) for 4 weeks or during the last week or last 4 weeks of an 8-week WVK treatment (two regression groups). RESULTS: Inactivation of matrix Gla protein by WVK for 4 or 8 weeks increased the calcium content 10-fold in the aorta, inducing a significant elevation of pulse wave velocity and pulse pressure by selective augmentation of systolic blood pressure. Amlodipine prevented aortic MEC, pulse wave velocity and pulse pressure elevation, but reversed only MEC and pulse pressure when administered for 4 weeks. One week of amlodipine administered after 7 weeks of WVK partially decreased pulse pressure without modifying aortic MEC. Amlodipine did not reduce the fibrosis associated with calcified areas in the WVK model during the regression protocols. CONCLUSION: The clinical efficacy of amlodipine in improving hemodynamic variables and reducing cardiovascular events in isolated systolic hypertension could be explained by its beneficial effect on vascular calcification. Amlodipine's lack of effect on pulse wave velocity and collagen deposition, however, suggests that it may reduce pulse pressure by means other than improving arterial stiffness. PMID- 17762653 TI - Microvascular function: a potential link between salt sensitivity, insulin resistance and hypertension. AB - OBJECTIVE: Generalized microvascular dysfunction may contribute to the development of salt sensitivity, insulin resistance and hypertension, and may thus link these cardiovascular risk factors. To test this hypothesis, we examined skin microvascular function, salt sensitivity, insulin sensitivity and blood pressure in 27 normotensive and 26 hypertensive individuals. METHODS: Capillary density was examined by videomicroscopy during venous congestion and postocclusive reactive hyperaemia. Endothelium-(in)dependent vasodilation was assessed by iontophoresis of acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside and by laser Doppler flowmetry. Salt sensitivity was determined as the difference in mean arterial pressure (MAP) between a 1-week high-salt diet (approximately 235 mmol NaCl/day) versus low-salt diet (approximately 55 mmol NaCl/day). Insulin sensitivity was measured with the hyperinsulinaemic, euglycaemic clamp, and blood pressure was assessed by 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. RESULTS: Salt sensitivity of blood pressure was inversely associated with postocclusive capillary recruitment and endothelium-dependent vasodilation (r=-0.67, P<0.001 and r=-0.60, P<0.01, respectively), but not with capillary density during venous congestion or endothelium-independent vasodilation. Salt sensitivity was negatively associated with insulin sensitivity (r=-0.55, P<0.001) and positively with MAP (r=0.58, P<0.001). Multiple regression analyses suggested that associations between salt sensitivity and both insulin sensitivity and MAP were dependent on microvascular function. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a close inverse association between skin microvascular function and salt sensitivity and a role for generalized microvascular defects as a link between salt sensitivity, insulin resistance and hypertension. PMID- 17762654 TI - Novel Compliance Index derived from digital volume pulse associated with risk factors and exercise capacity in patients undergoing treadmill exercise tests. AB - OBJECTIVE: Although large-artery stiffness is a well-known independent factor for cardiovascular risk, the importance of small-artery stiffness is not well elucidated. We have developed a novel Compliance Index as a marker of small artery stiffness. This study aimed to determine the clinical significance of this index by evaluating 140 patients without left ventricular dysfunction referred for treadmill exercise tests. METHODS: Immediately after a 10-min rest period before the test, the pulse wave velocity and Compliance Index were measured. The patients were then given a symptom-limited treadmill test using Bruce's protocol. Our dual-channel photoplethysmography system automatically measured the area under the curve of each digital volume pulse, which represented the volume change in the finger with each heart beat. The Compliance Index was calculated by dividing the area under the curve of finger digital volume pulse by pulse pressure. RESULTS: The Compliance Index was significantly correlated with pulse wave velocity (r=-0.254, P=0.002), systolic blood pressure (r=-0.606, P<0.001), and diastolic blood pressure (r=-0.323, P<0.001). It was lower in males (3.3+/ 1.4 versus 4.8+/-2.4 units, P<0.001), in hypertensive patients (3.2+/-1.5 versus 4.4+/-2.2 units, P<0.001), and in smokers (3.0+/-1.5 versus 4.1+/-2.1 units, P=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: The Compliance Index was lower in patients with risk factors and was associated with poor exercise capacity. This index may be clinically useful for evaluating arterial stiffness. PMID- 17762655 TI - Arterial stiffness predicts severe progression in systemic sclerosis: the ERAMS study. AB - OBJECTIVE: The ERAMS study addressed the value of arterial stiffness in predicting the severity of systemic sclerosis. METHODS: ERAMS was a prospective multicentre cohort study including patients with definite systemic sclerosis. Arterial stiffness was measured by the standardized non-invasive QKd 100-60 method. Clinical evaluation, biological measurements, functional respiratory tests and cardiac Doppler echography were performed at inclusion then each year until 3 years' follow-up was completed. Progression was defined as mild (articulations, muscle, oesophagus or skin involvement) or severe (lung, heart or kidney involvement) by a critical event committee. The prediction of severe progression was studied for QKd 100-60 as well as clinical and biological data at baseline by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients were included (81 women, 18 men, mean age 57 years, standard deviation 12.5). Although their blood pressure profile was normal, half the patients had increased arterial stiffness (QKd 100-60<200 ms). There was a significant relationship between age-adjusted arterial stiffness and decrease in carbon dioxide diffusion (P<0.03) or haemoglobin rate (P<0.01). By univariate analysis, severe progression after 3 years was predicted by age (P=0.04), lung involvement (P=0.04), diffusion of lung carbon oxide (DLCO) (P<0.01), skin score (P=0.02), haemoglobin (P<0.01) and baseline Qkd 100-60 divided into two classes according to the median (P<0.01). By multivariate analysis, only haemoglobin rate [odds ratio (OR) 0.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2-0.9] and QKd 100-60 (OR 19.6, 95% CI 1.2-308.2) predicted severe progression of systemic sclerosis. CONCLUSION: The measurement of arterial stiffness by the QKd method is a useful objective method for assessing the prognosis of systemic sclerosis independently from other data. PMID- 17762656 TI - Renal angioplasty causes a rapid transient increase in inflammatory biomarkers, but reduced levels of interleukin-6 and endothelin-1 1 month after intervention. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine prospectively whether inflammatory biomarkers and endothelin (ET)-1 are increased in patients with renal artery stenosis (RAS), and to investigate how treatment with percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) affects these variables during the first month after intervention. METHODS: One hundred patients with suspected RAS undergoing renal angiography were included. PTRA was performed if the trans-stenotic mean arterial pressure gradient was>or=10 mmHg. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), neopterin, CD40 ligand (CD40L) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were measured before, and 1 day and 1 month after PTRA (n=61) or diagnostic angiography only (n=39). RESULTS: At baseline there were no significant differences in inflammatory biomarkers or ET-1 levels between patients subsequently undergoing PTRA or angiography only. After angiography, IL-6 and hs-CRP had increased in both groups compared to baseline (P<0.001). At this time point hs-CRP (10.90+/-1.48 versus 6.37+/-1.61 mg/l; P<0.05) and IL-6 (13.70+/-0.94 versus 13.00+/-0.17 pg/ml; P<0.01) were higher in the PTRA group than in patients subjected to angiography only. One month after PTRA, systolic blood pressure and levels of IL-6 and ET-1 were lower than before intervention (P<0.05), whereas CD40L had increased compared to baseline (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: In patients with RAS, PTRA triggers rapid transient increases in hs CRP and IL-6; however, 1 month after PTRA, both IL-6 and ET-1 had decreased compared to before intervention, indicating beneficial effects of PTRA on inflammation and the endothelin system. PMID- 17762657 TI - Pulse pressure is an independent determinant of renal function decline during treatment of essential hypertension. AB - BACKGROUND: In large epidemiological studies and using serum creatinine or estimates of glomerular filtration rate (GFR), blood pressure has emerged as a predominant determinant of the age-associated decline in renal function. METHODS: The present longitudinal study (median follow-up period of 5.8 years) was conducted in 132 never-treated patients with essential hypertension at baseline. The effect of treatment on the GFR and effective renal plasma flow, estimated by urinary clearances of isotopic markers, was assessed. RESULTS: Satisfactory control of hypertension (<140/90 mmHg) was achieved in 57% of the population. During follow-up, the yearly change in the GFR was -1.72+/-0.21 ml/min per year (mean+/-SEM). In univariate regression analysis, the change in the GFR was correlated with baseline pulse pressure (r=-0.27, P=0.002), whereas no influence of systolic, diastolic or mean blood pressures, as well as baseline albuminuria or left ventricular mass index, was found. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only baseline pulse pressure conveyed a significant odds ratio of accelerated decline of GFR (>median of 1.5 ml/min per year), independently of age, baseline GFR, mean blood pressure and other known cardiovascular risk factors. No influence of the type of antihypertensive treatment (64% of the population had received angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor) was detected. CONCLUSION: Pulse pressure (a marker of arterial stiffening) is suggested as an independent determinant of the treatment associated decline in renal function in essential hypertension. No influence of target organ damage (albuminuria of left ventricular hypertrophy) was detected. PMID- 17762658 TI - Albuminuria response to very high-dose valsartan in type 2 diabetes mellitus. AB - OBJECTIVE: Renin-angiotensin system blockade is now standard in the management of the patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We aimed to investigate whether high doses of valsartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker, are superior to conventional doses to reduce urinary albumin excretion rates (UAER) in such patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three hundred and ninety-one hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and UAER 20-700 microg/min were randomized to 160, 320 or 640 mg valsartan. All received valsartan 160 mg for the first 4 weeks. Valsartan dose was then increased in two of three groups for 30 weeks. Overnight urine collections at baseline, 4, 16, and 30 weeks in triplicate were used to assess proteinuria. RESULTS: Comparable albuminuria reductions occurred in all groups at week 4 (P<0.001). Subsequently, a highly significant albuminuria fall occurred with valsartan 320 and 640 mg (P<0.001) versus a modest additional change with 160 mg (P=0.03). At week 30, twice as many patients returned to normal albuminuria with valsartan 640 mg versus 160 mg (24 versus 12%; P<0.01). High doses were well tolerated, with no dose-related increases in adverse events, including hypotension and hyperkalemia. CONCLUSION: High doses of valsartan reduced albuminuria more than the more commonly used 160 mg dose, apparently independent of blood pressure. Thus, at least in type 2 diabetes mellitus, higher doses of valsartan are required to optimize tissue protection than for blood pressure control. PMID- 17762659 TI - Nuclear factor-kappaB signaling contributes to severe, but not moderate, angiotensin II-induced left ventricular remodeling. AB - OBJECTIVE: The transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) has been implicated in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro as well as in vivo; however, it is unknown if activation of NF-kappaB plays a mandatory role in the hypertrophic process. Here we characterize the importance of NF-kappaB signaling in moderate and severe left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy in rats with chronic pressure overload induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion. METHODS AND RESULTS: Electrophoretic mobility shift assay analysis revealed that Ang II infusion (2.5 microg/kg per min) for 6 days increased LV NF-kappaB/DNA-binding activity in a biphasic manner in Sprague-Dawley rats. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) (100 mg/kg per day), an NF-kappaB inhibitor, abolished Ang II-induced NF-kappaB activation and concomitant increase in tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene expression, while activator protein-1/DNA binding was not affected. Inhibition of NF-kappaB signaling for 6 days significantly attenuated Ang II-induced increases in LV/body weight ratio, LV mean wall thickness and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area, without compromising LV systolic function. Moreover, PDTC abolished Ang II induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and interstitial fibrosis, and attenuated the gene expression of type I collagen. In contrast, a moderate LV hypertrophy induced by Ang II at a lower dose (0.5 microg/kg per min) was not associated with a significant activation of NF-kappaB, and PDTC treatment had no effect on the hypertrophic indices. CONCLUSION: Our in-vivo data indicate a critical role of NF kappaB signaling in the advanced stage of the remodeling process, whereas development of moderate LV hypertrophy is not dependent on NF-kappaB activation. PMID- 17762660 TI - Atrial natriuretic peptide behaviour and myocyte hypertrophic profile in combined pressure and volume-induced cardiac hypertrophy. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and hormonal profile in cardiac hypertrophy resulting from sequentially applied overloads. METHODS: We studied Sprague-Dawley rats with renovascular hypertension (RV), where pressure overload predominates, or deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt (DS), where volume overload predominates, at 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, and the combination of both models in inverse sequence: RV 2 weeks/DS 2 weeks (RV2/DS2) and DS 2 weeks/RV 2 weeks (DS2/RV2), and their sham controls (Sh). RESULTS: Blood pressure and cardiomyocyte diameter increased to a similar extent in RV and DS at 2 and 4 weeks and in combined models. Cardiomyocyte length increased remarkably in the DS4 group. Circulating atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) was elevated in all hypertensive groups after 2 and 4 weeks. The RV2/DS2 group showed similar plasma ANP levels to RV4, but DS2/RV2 exhibited a three-fold increase in ANP levels (P<0.001 versus Sh4, DS2 and DS4). Atrial ANP mRNA remained unchanged in all groups. DS treatment alone or in combination with RV increased left ventricular ANP mRNA, meanwhile only RV treatment increased left ventricular B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) mRNA. Ventricular ANP expression levels, but not circulating ANP, correlated with both cardiomyocyte diameter (r=0.859, P<0.01) and length (r=0.848, P<0.01). Renal expression of natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPR-C) was unchanged in RV4 but decreased to a similar extent in the DS4 group and both combined treatments. CONCLUSION: Morphometric patterns seem to be more related to the paracrine function of the heart than to the secretion of ANP and the endocrine function. Plasma ANP in the DS2/RV2 group could indicate a different evolution of the remodelling process. ANP expression seems to be a more sensitive marker for volume than for pressure overload. PMID- 17762661 TI - Relationship of electrocardiographic repolarization measures to echocardiographic left ventricular mass in men with hypertension. AB - OBJECTIVE: Arterial hypertension often leads to an increase in left ventricular mass (LVM). Marked left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is associated with potentially arrhythmogenic ventricular repolarization abnormalities, which may contribute to the increased risk of sudden cardiac death in this disorder. We studied whether electrocardiographic repolarization changes are already detectable in mild LVM increase associated with hypertension. METHODS: In 220 men (mean age 51+/-6 years) attending the GENRES hypertension study, we measured QT intervals (QTend and QTpeak), T-wave peak to T-wave end (TPE) intervals, and novel T-wave morphology parameters (principal component analysis ratio, T-wave morphology dispersion, total cosine R-to-T, and T-wave residuum) from a digital standard 12-lead electrocardiogram, and related them to echocardiographically determined LVM. RESULTS: In this group of moderately hypertensive men, the mean LVM index (LVMI; LVM divided by body surface area) was 99+/-19 g/m2, with only 18% of the subjects showing evidence of echocardiographic LVH (LVMI>116 g/m2). LVMI correlated significantly with QT intervals (r=0.16-0.21, P=0.018-0.002), TPE intervals (r=0.23-0.27, P<0.001), and T-wave morphology parameters (r=0.22-0.39, P<0.001). Except for the QTpeak interval, the relationship between LVMI and electrocardiographic repolarization parameters was independent in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSION: Altered electrocardiographic ventricular repolarization, indicating reduced repolarization reserve and possibly increased repolarization heterogeneity, is already present in hypertensive men with only mild LVM increase. At a population level, this may carry important risk implications for the large group of hypertensive patients. PMID- 17762662 TI - Myocardial fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction in patients with hypertension: results from the Swedish Irbesartan Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Investigation versus Atenolol (SILVHIA). AB - OBJECTIVES: Hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is associated with cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and an excess in myocardial collagen. Myocardial fibrosis may cause diastolic dysfunction and heart failure. Circulating levels of the carboxy-terminal propeptide of procollagen type I (PICP), an index of collagen type I synthesis, correlate with the extent of myocardial fibrosis. This study examines myocardial fibrosis in relation to blood pressure, left ventricular mass (LVM), and diastolic function. METHODS: We examined PICP levels in 115 patients with hypertensive LVH, 38 with hypertension but no hypertrophy, and 38 normotensive subjects. Patients with LVH were subsequently randomly assigned to the angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker irbesartan or the beta1 receptor blocker atenolol for 48 weeks. Diastolic function was evaluated by tissue velocity echocardiography (n=134). We measured basal septal wall velocities of early (Em) and late (Am) diastolic myocardial wall motion, Em velocity deceleration time (E-decm), and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRTm). RESULTS: Compared with the normotensive group, PICP was elevated and left ventricular diastolic function was impaired in the hypertensive groups, with little difference between patients with and without LVH. PICP related to blood pressure, IVRTm, Em, and E/Em, but not to LVM. Irbesartan and atenolol reduced PICP similarly. Only in the irbesartan group did changes in PICP relate to changes in IVRTm, and LVM. CONCLUSION: Myocardial fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction are present in hypertension before LVH develops. The findings with irbesartan suggest a role for angiotensin II in the control of myocardial fibrosis and diastolic function in patients with hypertension with LVH. PMID- 17762663 TI - Electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy regression induced by an angiotensin receptor blocker-based regimen in daily clinical practice: the SARA study. AB - AIM: Clinical trials have proved that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) are more effective than other antihypertensive agents in reducing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH); however, information about the efficacy of ARB on LVH regression in daily medical practice is scarce. The aim of the SARA study was to investigate the effect of an ARB on electrocardiographic LVH (ECG-LVH) in a hypertensive outpatient population attending clinical practice. METHODS: From 276 recruited patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension (245 uncontrolled, 31 newly diagnosed), 264 (age: 62.9+/-11.6 years; 51.2% women) completed the study and were valid for the analysis. The patients were treated for a 12-month period with a candesartan-based regimen [(8/16 mg+hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg+additional drugs to target BP<140/90 mmHg (<130/80 in diabetics)]. ECG changes were measured at a core laboratory and Cornell product (CorP), Sokolow-Lyon product (SokP) and QRS duration (QRSd) criteria were determined. RESULTS: At baseline, 27.4% of patients fulfilled the criteria of LVH by CorP. The proportion of patients with ECG-LVH by CorP criteria decreased to 21.1% at the end of the study, relative risk reduction (RRR) was 22.9%, P<0.001. When using SokP the percentage of ECG-LVH reduced from 24.1 to 21.7% (RRR 9.6%, P=0.1). Quantitatively, CorP was reduced by 84.4 mmxms [95% confidence interval (CI): -8.14, -160.66; P=0.03]; a greater reduction was detected in obese patients (P<0.05), diabetics (P<0.07) and patients with baseline ECG-LVH (P<0.05). In the multivariate analysis, female gender, baseline systolic blood pressure, baseline CorP and QRSd values were the main predictive factors for ECG-LVH regression. CONCLUSION: The SARA study demonstrates that a candesartan-based regimen reduces ECG-LVH in the hypertensive population attending daily in clinical practice. PMID- 17762664 TI - Tai chi for cardiovascular disease and its risk factors: a systematic review. PMID- 17762665 TI - Evolution of blood pressure control in Spain. PMID- 17762666 TI - A case of pheochromocytoma symptomatic after delivery. PMID- 17762667 TI - The radiographic classification of the bone-screw interface in paediatric tibial lengthening. AB - Bone-screw loosening in monolateral external fixators is a significant problem. This study classifies the radiographic appearance of the bone-screw interface and predicts which screws will become loose and those that will remain solidly fixed to bone. Five radiographic features were identified at the bone-screw interface. The classification of these features was validated using interobserver and intraobserver studies. The reliability of the classification was improved by image enhancement with simple filters. Some radiographic features predicted which screws would eventually become loose, allowing the clinician to make earlier management decisions regarding the adjustment of screws. PMID- 17762668 TI - Arthroscopically assisted percutaneous fixation of triplane fracture of the distal tibia. AB - Triplane ankle fractures typically occur in the adolescent age group. Although many are minimally displaced and can be managed nonoperatively, some are displaced and difficult to reduce by closed methods and need open reduction and internal fixation. Traditionally satisfactory articular reduction is achieved through an open approach, which can be extensive. We describe our experience of treating displaced triplane fractures in four patients, assisted by ankle arthroscopy to ensure anatomical reduction and minimal soft tissue disruption. We achieved excellent reduction and stable fixation in all four cases. All patients regained full range of movement within 6 weeks. PMID- 17762669 TI - Comparative results of the conservative treatment in clubfoot by two different protocols. AB - The current study aims at presenting the results of the two methods of conservative treatment in clubfoot: the Romanian traditional method and the Ponseti method. The study population included 103 children (148 clubfeet) treated in our department between 1998 and 2005. Between 1998 and 2003, the conservative treatment protocol was based upon the Romanian method. The Ponseti method has been used since 2004. The main criterion for the assessment of the efficiency of the two conservative methods in clubfoot is the number of feet requiring surgical treatment - posteromedial release at 18 months. This criterion is clearly in favor of the Ponseti method: four feet (5%) needed posteromedial release in Ponseti group patients versus 13 feet (18%) in Romanian group patients (P=0.0193). The Ponseti method is safe, efficient in the conservative treatment of clubfoot and decreases the number of surgical interventions needed for the correction of the deformation compared with our traditional method. PMID- 17762670 TI - Congenital aplasia of the patella and the distal third of the quadriceps mechanism. AB - Congenital absence of the patella and aplasia of the muscles are very rare anomalies. We describe a 4-year-old boy with bilateral congenital aplasia of the patella and agenesis of the distal third of the quadriceps muscle who was unable to walk owing to the lack of active knee extension. The features of this child differed from all other conditions associated with patellar aplasia. The continuity of the quadriceps mechanism was restored and he began walking normally. This appears to be the first report of the combination of aplasia of the patella and the distal third of the quadriceps that was successfully treated. PMID- 17762671 TI - Intracortical lipoma of bone: report of the first case in a child. PMID- 17762672 TI - Isolated Madelung's deformity: long-term follow-up study of five patients treated surgically. AB - Five patients with isolated Madelung's deformity were reviewed with an average follow-up of 34 years after surgery. All the patients were female and their average age at surgery was 12.7 years, whereas the average age at follow-up was 53 years. The deformity was bilateral in four patients and unilateral in one, for a total of nine deformities. At diagnosis, in all the patients the typical radial deviation of the hand was observed, with dorsal prominence of the distal end of the ulna. Pain and limitation of the range of motion were present in all the wrists except two, which were painless but presented marked functional impairment. In no patient did we observe growth disorders of the other bones or deformities typical of osteochondrodysplasias. Surgical correction was sought by both the families and the patients mainly for functional reasons, although cosmetic improvement was also expected. The operation consisted of closing-wedge osteotomy of the distal radial metaphysis and either shortening osteotomy or resection of the distal ulna. At follow-up, the range of motion of the wrists was improved, and all the patients were pain-free and satisfied with the final results. No significant radiographic osteoarthritis was present in any of the operated wrists, although four of the five patients were above 50 years of age. PMID- 17762673 TI - Fibrous deltoid muscle in Vietnamese children. AB - To evaluate the clinical and functional results of surgical treatment for fibrous deltoid muscle in children, a retrospective study has been undertaken. The data were analysed on 105 patients with age over 5 years (182 shoulders) from August 1994 to December 2004. Surgical techniques performed by the author were divided into four types: (i) type I, proximal release of intermediate portion of deltoid muscle; (ii) type II, distal release of intermediate portion of deltoid muscle; (iii) type III, lengthening of intermediate portion of deltoid muscle; and (iv) type IV, distal release of intermediate portion of deltoid muscle and transfer of posterior portion of deltoid muscle to fill the gap. Accordingly, clinical and functional results were compared among four groups. The average duration of follow-up was 3 years and 2 months (range, 2-9 years and 5 months). Overall, in 174 shoulders (95.6%, 99 patients), we had a good clinical result; in two shoulders (1.1%, two patients) a fair result; and poor result in only six shoulders (3.3%, four patients). Postoperative formation of stairstep deformity or loss of roundness of the lateral aspect of shoulder in type I: 46.2%; type II: 30.3%; type III: 16.7%; type IV: 4.3%. Generally, surgical treatment gave good results. Technique type IV had reduced rate of stairstep deformity or loss of the natural roundness of the lateral aspect of the shoulder muscle. Sixty-eight patients (98.6%) in this group achieved a satisfactory outcome. PMID- 17762674 TI - Superior mesenteric artery syndrome after scoliosis repair surgery: a case study and reassessment of the syndrome's pathogenesis. AB - We carried out a retrospective analysis to investigate the prevalence of superior mesentery artery syndrome (SMAS) in children who underwent scoliosis surgical repair at our hospital between 1998 and 2006 and to reassess the syndrome's pathogenesis. Among 133 consecutive pediatric patients, two cases were identified, both 13-year-old girls with idiopathic scoliosis, undergoing surgery using third-generation instrumentation systems. Conservative management achieved resolution of the symptoms without recurrence. SMAS prevalence in our series was 1.6%. SMAS might occur after derotation and translation forces application, and even with nonextreme corrections. Low BMI and significant weight loss at presentation are not mandatory. PMID- 17762675 TI - Free nerve endings and morphological features of the ligamentum capitis femoris in developmental dysplasia of the hip. AB - A conflict exists on whether the ligamentum capitis femoris has the neuro morphological structures required for nociception or proprioception of the hip joint. Therefore, we investigated the morphological features and the presence of mechanoreceptors in 24 ligamentum capitis femoris biopsies obtained at open reduction in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip. Of these 24 hips, 16 were completely dislocated and eight were subluxated. The mean age was 33.8 months (range 13-52 months) at the time of surgery. En bloc ligamentum capitis femoris and pulvinar were taken for biopsy specimen. Ligamentum capitis femoris was dissected and the weight of each ligament was determined using a highly sensitive balance. Specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson trichrome for routine histolopathological evaluation and examined immunohistochemically using monoclonal antibody against S-100 protein. All specimens were graded on a four-grade system according to the amount of coarse thick collagen bundles and hyalinization. The mean number and type of mechanoreceptors of each specimen were recorded. When the mean age, the patient's weight and the ligamentum capitis femoris weight of each group (completely dislocated vs. subluxated) were compared, there were no significant differences. In the ligamentum capitis femoris of the dislocated hips, the cells were irregularly distributed, had different shapes, and appeared to be in different stages of functional activity. The collagen fiber bundles were thicker than in the subluxated hips, distributed and of varied thickness. The elastic fibers of the dislocated hips were thicker and more numerous than those in the subluxated hips. We found a significant difference between the two groups with regard to the grade of collagen and hyalinization of ligamentum capitis femoris (P<0.004). We found type IVa, free nerve endings in 16 of 24 samples of ligamentum capitis femoris. The 66.6% presence of free nerve endings in the ligamentum capitis femoris suggests a role in nociception/proprioception of the hip in developmental dysplasia of the hip. Interestingly, the percentage and the mean numbers of free nerve endings containing ligamentum capitis femoris were similar in completely dislocated hip group and the subluxated group (62.5 vs. 75%, 12.13+/-9.07 vs. 9.37+/-9.24, respectively). We conclude that the morphological features of ligamentum capitis femoris are influenced by the severity of developmental dysplasia of the hip, whereas the distribution of free nerve endings are not influenced. PMID- 17762676 TI - Measurement of soft tissue elasticity in the congenital clubfoot using scanning acoustic microscope. AB - To compare the soft-tissue elasticity between the medial, lateral, and posterior aspects, the deltoid and calcaneofibular ligaments, and the medial, lateral, and posterior capsular tissues were collected from 27 feet of 16 congenital-clubfoot patients. The tissue sound speed, which closely correlates to the Young's modulus, was measured using a scanning acoustic microscope. Contrary to our expectations, lateral ligament showed a significantly higher sound speed than medial ligament (P=0.0023). Lateral capsule also showed a higher sound speed than the medial one (P=0.0338). The results of the study indicated that the lateral soft tissues including the ligaments and capsule underwent severe contracture in congenital clubfoot. PMID- 17762677 TI - Multiple exostosis: a short study of abnormalities near the growth plate. AB - The pathogenesis of multiple exostosis has been controversial with many theories put forward including the structural/mechanical theory, which emphasizes that the osteochondroma arises in the displaced growth plate cartilage penetrating a defective periosteum. Recently, molecular genetics has offered the neoplastic model with tumor suppressor genes implicated in the development and pathogenesis of exostosis. In this study, we demonstrated the spectrum of histological abnormalities in the developing exostosis present on the surface of the bone at the physis. Seven skeletally immature patients with multiple exostoses were used in this study. The patients' families were advised of and consented to the proposed study. Coincident with removal of symptomatic exostoses that was adjacent to the physis, a thin strip of bone with overlying periosteum was removed to include the edge of the physis. This was followed by formalin fixation and routine paraffin embedding. We demonstrated the earliest lesion as a microchondroma within the periosteum adjacent to the normal physis (also called the 'groove of Ranvier'). More mature progressively larger lesions showing enchondral ossification were seen distally. The periosteum and the perichondrium were intact with normal physis. Our observations give support to the fact that precursor cells in the periosteum adjacent to the physis (also called the 'groove of Ranvier') gives rise to the chondrocytes that clonally expands and develops into exostosis. PMID- 17762678 TI - Continuous decompression of unicameral bone cyst with cannulated screws: a comparative study. AB - We determined the role of mechanical decompression in the resolution of unicameral bone cyst. A total of 69 children with unicameral bone cysts were treated either by (i) open curettage and bone grafting, (ii) steroid injection or (iii) cannulated screw insertion. During a mean follow-up of 69 months (range, 12 58), the cysts were evaluated by radiological criteria. The healing rates in the three groups were 25, 12 and 29% after the first treatment, and a further 50, 19 and 65% after the second. The study has demonstrated the advantages of the decompression technique for unicameral bone cysts over other treatment modalities studied. PMID- 17762679 TI - Conservative treatment of Charcot artroparthy in a series of spina bifida patients: the experience of one center and review of the literature. AB - The present study was performed to evaluate the use of patellar tendon-bearing ankle foot orthesis for the treatment of Charcot arthropathy in a series of patients with spina bifida. A cohort of 350 spina bifida patients, ages ranging between 12 months and 22 years were evaluated in our clinic between June 1993 and March 2004. Charcot arthropathy was seen in five of these children. Treatment was initiated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, oral bisphosphonates and immobilization. No change was observed in the patients' symptoms after a month of treatment. At this time, a patellar tendon-bearing ankle foot orthesis was prescribed and used for a period of 6 to 24 months. All patients improved within 2 months. At the end of 2 years of follow-up, three patients are still using the brace without any complaints. One patient still has symptoms, although she is wearing her brace, but she has had significant improvement compared with the initiation of therapy. Non-weight-bearing, immobilization and surgery are the known treatment choices in Charcot arthropathy. Little experience exists about this entity and its treatment. Our experience reveals that the patellar tendon bearing ankle foot orthesis leads to significant improvement in children with Charcot arthropathy without surgery and immobilization. PMID- 17762680 TI - Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica: two cases in two different regional expression. AB - Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica most commonly presents as an overgrowth of the epiphysis in the lower limb. We report two cases, one a classical form involving the lower limb, and the other in a relatively rarer location in the wrist. Both cases were treated surgically by excision of the masses. We recommend excision of symptomatic intra-articular lesions by using MRI, which provides additional information concerning physeal line and extension of the mass, to prevent the development of angulation and to keep the range of motion. PMID- 17762682 TI - Tropical pyomyositis in children. PMID- 17762684 TI - Is it a Proteus syndrome? PMID- 17762685 TI - Public health emergency preparedness and the evolution of public health in the 21st century. PMID- 17762686 TI - Medical response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita: local public health preparedness in action. AB - Like more than 150 communities in Texas, our community participated in disaster response for Gulf coast citizens evacuated from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We implemented and adjusted emergency operations plans that were designed to respond to a local disaster. Lessons learned will strengthen our disaster preparedness in the future, including the importance of a robust medical presence at evacuation shelters; the value of an accurate and timely database of medical needs for shelter occupants; the usefulness of brief paperwork; the need for a preidentified and pretrained group of healthcare workers; the necessity of timely and accurate communications with medical partners in the community; the requirement that our local city government plan, open, and operate disaster shelters in our community; and the impact of ease of travel, frequent and honest communication, and sincere appreciation on maintaining morale in our volunteers. PMID- 17762687 TI - Mobilizing mobile medical units for hurricane relief: the United States Public Health Service and Broward County Health Department response to hurricane Wilma, Broward County, Florida. AB - OBJECTIVES: To describe the outcomes of a collaborative response of federal, state, county, and local agencies in conducting syndromic surveillance and delivering medical care to persons affected by the storm through the use of mobile medical units. METHODS: Nine mobile medical vans were staffed with medical personnel to deliver care in communities affected by the storm. Individual patient encounter information was collected. RESULTS: A total of 14,033 housing units were approached and checked for occupants. Of residents with whom contact was made, approximately 10 percent required medical assessment in their homes; 3,218 clients were medically evaluated on the mobile medical vans. Sixty-two percent of clients were female. The most common presenting complaints included normal health maintenance (59%), upper respiratory tract illness (10%), and other illness (10%). Injuries occurred in 9 percent. A total of 1,531 doses of medications were dispensed from the mobile medical units during the response. CONCLUSION: Mobile medical units provided an efficient means to conduct syndromic surveillance and to reach populations in need of medical care who were unable to access fixed local medical facilities. PMID- 17762688 TI - Data collection and communications in the public health response to a disaster: rapid population estimate surveys and the Daily Dashboard in post-Katrina New Orleans. AB - CONTEXT: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita crippled the ability of the local public health community to provide healthcare services to the population of New Orleans. Lack of information about the city's population size and health needs and the absence of an adequate communications system posed considerable obstacles to the coordination of local, state, and federal public health assets. RESEARCH: Acting to relieve the information crisis, personnel from the Health and Human Services Branch of the city of New Orleans Emergency Operations Center designed a project to collect population-based data through field surveys. With technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Branch conducted surveys between October 2005 and January 2006, the results of which were widely used throughout the recovery process. INFORMATION REPORTING: The Dashboard began as an internal reporting mechanism of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Health Branch assumed responsibility for the Dashboard and made it the key communication tool for the local healthcare community. The NOLA Dashboard Readership Survey identified the continued relevance and usefulness of the Dashboard almost 1 year after Katrina. RESULTS: Communicating the population based data collected from the rapid population estimate surveys to disseminate results to the local healthcare community proved to be a vital link for informing the public health response to Hurricane Katrina. PMID- 17762689 TI - Survey on the population's needs and the public health response during floods in Germany 2002. AB - A survey after the 2002 flood in Germany identifies contact with floodwater as a risk factor for diarrhea and injuries and shows that the affected population valued the given professional support in securing homes and cleanup work. Evacuations were well tolerated. Information reached the population mainly through loudspeakers, radio, and TV. PMID- 17762690 TI - All-hazards preparedness in an era of bioterrorism funding. AB - OBJECTIVES: All-hazards preparedness was evaluated in North Carolina's 85 local health departments (LHDs). METHODS: In regional meetings, data were collected from LHD teams from North Carolina's LHDs using an instrument constructed from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's preparedness indicators and from the Local Public Health Preparedness and Response Capacity Inventory. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Levels of preparedness differ widely by disaster types. LHDs reported higher levels of preparedness for natural disasters, outbreaks, and bioterrorist events than for chemical, radiation, or mass trauma disasters. LHDs face challenges to achieving all-hazards preparedness since preparation for one type of disaster does not lead to preparedness for all types of disasters. LHDs in this survey were more prepared for disasters for which they were funded (bioterrorism) and for events they faced regularly (natural disasters, outbreaks) than they were for other types of disasters. PMID- 17762691 TI - Regionalization: collateral benefits of emergency preparedness activities. AB - INTRODUCTION: To assess the impact of regionalization of Kansas counties associated with emergency preparedness since 2002 via local health departments (LHDs). METHODS: Three focus groups were conducted in May 2005 with 31 Kansas health department employees. Most participants were public health administrators, women, and 40 years or older. RESULTS: Regionalization was perceived as "absolutely necessary" by participants and resulted in improved collaboration and communication among LHDs. The process supported the development of relationships, trust, and mutual respect among LHDs and other governmental agencies. Participants agreed that LHD functioning has improved the delivery and availability of public health services, increased the efficiency and timeliness of operations, and enhanced public health's visibility in emergency preparedness efforts. Moreover, regionalization added resources to LHDs including personnel, knowledge, technology, technical expertise, and fiscal resources. Dissatisfaction with regionalization was associated with insufficient funding, frustration with changing preparedness guidelines, and differences between state and local expectations. Participants identified four issues necessary to sustain regions: funding, documented benefits, commitment from LHDs and their communities, and engagement from local elected officials. DISCUSSION: The regionalization process has been beneficial for LHDs and produced tangible and intangible benefits. Barriers to regionalization expansion should be addressed for additional collaborative ventures. PMID- 17762692 TI - Improving rural community preparedness for the chronic health consequences of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. PMID- 17762693 TI - Immunization information systems use during a public health emergency in the United States. AB - Use of the Louisiana Immunization Network for Kids Statewide (LINKS) during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina saved parents and immunization providers' time, money, and the inconvenience of having to unnecessarily revaccinate children displaced both inside and outside Louisiana. This immunization information system remained online via a backup system following the hurricane, thereby making immunization history data available to queries from healthcare providers caring for displaced persons both within Louisiana and throughout the United States. LINKS contained immunization records for approximately 1.5 million people of all ages at the time of the hurricane. Assessment of more than 21 000 successful electronic immunization queries of children and adolescents displaced outside Louisiana state boundaries from virtually all states estimates that more than $4.6 million was saved in revaccination expenses. The impact of recovered records for these children within Louisiana is certainly as critical. Our review illustrates the value of an immunization information system as a tool to support not only individuals, healthcare providers, and public health authorities but also the presidential vision to develop Electronic Health Records in the United States over the next 10 years. PMID- 17762694 TI - An integrated information system for all-hazards health preparedness and response: New York State Health Emergency Response Data System. AB - Effective and timely exchange of information among healthcare, state and local public health, and other health emergency response partners is essential to all hazards emergency preparedness and response. Since fall of 2001, NY State Department of Health has partnered with the healthcare and public health community in New York to implement a statewide Health Emergency Response Data System to meet this need. During this time, it has been used in a wide range of preparedness and response applications including regional and local exercises, surveillance, health facility asset tracking, and response to actual health events. The architecture, design, and implementation model used in the system readily support all-hazards preparedness and response at state, regional, and local levels. It has become one of the most important assets to health emergency response in New York State. PMID- 17762695 TI - Expanding the public health emergency preparedness competency set to meet specialized local and evolving national needs: a needs assessment and training approach. AB - This article presents an approach to competency development created at the South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness to expand and refine existing competency sets for public health emergency responders. The technique uses course content generated by subject matter experts to validate and expand existing national competency sets. New competencies based on local needs were identified that provide coverage of subject matter appropriate to local public health emergency responders beyond the focus of existing national competency sets. PMID- 17762696 TI - Appraising outbreak investigation skills in a public health emergency: an examination based on an actual event. AB - The purpose of this article is to provide a method of appraising skills in surveillance, assessment, and public health emergency investigation by using an examination based on an actual outbreak occurrence. This article presents an examination that uses a problem-based approach that works sequentially through the steps of an outbreak investigation to assess the investigation skills of individual students. Designed for graduate public heath students enrolled in a course in infectious disease epidemiology at East Carolina University, the examination can be used to appraise the outbreak investigation skills of medical students or practitioners. PMID- 17762697 TI - Performance indicators for response to selected infectious disease outbreaks: a review of the published record. AB - The purpose of this study was to determine whether published reports of infectious disease outbreaks could serve as a source of evidence for public health practice, particularly in responding to bioterrorism. Such performance indicators are measures of practice and process that lead to optimal health outcomes. We collected data from 116 individual articles that described 59 outbreaks of eight different pathogens with potential for bioterrorist use. Analysis of these reports determined whether they addressed 12 process indicators and four outcome indicators--each generally recognized as a component of effective outbreak response. The results showed that outbreak reports typically included information about these process and outcome indicators, thus validating their practical importance. However, few reports had been written with specificity to document the chronology of outbreak response, or the dissemination of information to protect healthcare workers, or the communication with law enforcement and emergency operations that are important in response to bioterrorism. We conclude that the published record of infectious disease outbreaks can, in the future, be used as a source for practice-based evidence if agreed-upon measures for effective performance become standard components of outbreak reports. PMID- 17762698 TI - Setting standards and an evaluation framework for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome surveillance. AB - National acquired immunodeficiency syndrome surveillance commenced with the beginning of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the United States in 1981, and by 2003 all states had implemented HIV surveillance. This information, used for prevention interventions, and the allocation of resources, must be accurate to determine trends in HIV transmission and the number of persons living with HIV. Standards for data accuracy were developed through a national consensus approach and integrated into a framework for local and national program evaluation. The evaluation framework allows for continual quality improvement by providing information for training and technical assistance efforts. These tools allow comprehensive assessments of whether reported HIV case data are adequate, reliable, and sufficiently accurate for determining the resources needed for HIV prevention and care. PMID- 17762699 TI - Employee engagement. PMID- 17762700 TI - When does mental health become public health? PMID- 17762701 TI - Legal fears, legal protections, and responsible behavior during public health emergencies. PMID- 17762702 TI - Event-related potential correlates of repetition priming for ignored faces. AB - An attentional capacity limit was recently suggested for faces, such that only one face can be processed at a time. We measured interference and repetition priming caused by irrelevant distractor faces. Participants initially performed male/female judgments for central faces or symbols flanked by distractor faces. Interference (slower responses for sex-incongruent target-distractor pairs) occurred for central symbols but was absent for central faces. In subsequent fame judgements, previously presented distractor faces had no repetition priming effect on response times. Relative to new faces, event-related brain potentials revealed a right occipitotemporal negativity approximately 400-600 ms for faces previously shown as distractors flanking central symbols (but not distractors flanking faces). These findings support a face-specific attentional capacity limit, showing that event-related brain potential priming effects can reveal covert distractor processing. PMID- 17762704 TI - Opening of shortcut circuits between visual and retrosplenial granular cortices of rats. AB - Traveling neural signals may try to find suitable paths of propagation in cortical circuits. We examined the behavior of electrically evoked signals from primary visual cortex (Oc1) to granular retrosplenial cortex (RSG) in rat brain slices under caffeine application. With continued electrical stimulation, evoked signals propagated from Oc1 to RSG along the upper layer of the secondary visual cortex (Oc2) and agranular retrosplenial cortex (RSA), but on further continuation of stimulation, a new shortcut pathway along the deep layer between Oc2 and RSG was opened. Circuitry changes reduced the signal traveling time by about 40 ms. Cortical neural circuits between Oc1 and RSG may thus have the ability to open a shortcut circuit in a use-dependent manner. PMID- 17762703 TI - Attention modulates sound processing in human auditory cortex but not the inferior colliculus. AB - Auditory attention powerfully influences perception and modulates sound processing in auditory cortex, but the extent of attentional modulation in the subcortical auditory pathway remains poorly understood. We examined the effects of intermodal attention using functional magnetic resonance imaging of the inferior colliculus and auditory cortex in a demanding intermodal selective attention task using a silent imaging paradigm designed to optimize inferior colliculus activations. Both the inferior colliculus and auditory cortex showed strong activations to sound, but attentional modulations were restricted to auditory cortex. PMID- 17762706 TI - Neural correlates of colour categories. AB - This study used an electrophysiological marker of visual detection to investigate adults' processing of colour difference. Event-related potentials were collected from the identical colour (green: G0) presented as the frequent or infrequent stimulus within different colour contexts. Critically, we compared differences within the same colour category (G0 vs. green: G1) to differences between colour categories (G0 vs. blue and G0 vs. red). All differences showed a change-related positivity with similar scalp distribution. It was, however, not simply the magnitude of colour difference that reduced the latencies of the change-related positivity. A change in colour category without a magnitude difference also reduced latency of the event-related potential. Thus, for the first time we report an independent neural correlate of a colour category. PMID- 17762705 TI - Homocysteine is toxic for dopaminergic neurons in primary mesencephalic culture. AB - Hyperhomocysteinemia associated with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa) treatment has been observed in patients with Parkinson's disease. We investigated the toxicity of homocysteine (Hcy) on E14-rat-primary mesencephalic culture. Exposure to 0-5 mM Hcy decreased number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive dopaminergic neurons and microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP2)-positive neurons in a dose-dependent manner. TH-positive neurons had vulnerability to the insult of Hcy compared with the other MAP2-positive neurons. In dopaminergic neurons, 5 microM reserpine enhanced the Hcy toxicity, whereas 50 microM alpha methyltyrosine attenuated the toxic effect, showing that the intracellular dopamine increased the cytotoxicity of Hcy. Hcy enhanced the toxicity of 1-methyl 4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) for dopaminergic neurons. It was suggested that the Hcy toxicity was associated with the oxidative stress. Hcy is toxic for dopaminergic neurons, and hyperhomocysteinemia may modify the clinical course of Parkinson's disease. PMID- 17762707 TI - Efficient transduction of spiral ganglion neurons in vitro by baculovirus vectors. AB - Degeneration of peripheral auditory neurons constitutes one of the main causes of sensorineural hearing loss. Gene delivery to the inner ear is central to the development of gene therapy for hearing impairment. Thus we investigated the effectiveness of baculovirus-derived vectors to transduce spiral ganglion neurons. We found that baculovirus could efficiently transduce spiral ganglion neurons in vitro and that the highest transduced cell rate could be over 75%. The level of transgene expression exhibited viral dose dependence and was enhanced by the addition of butyrate. Thus, baculovirus is a novel and promising tool for gene transfer into the cochlear nervous system, both in studies of the function of foreign genes and in the development of gene-therapy strategies. PMID- 17762708 TI - Cerebral processing of spontaneous reversals of the rotating Necker cube. AB - The cerebral processing of spontaneous perceptive reversals of the rotating Necker cube was studied in humans by combined functional MRI and electroencephalography. These reversals prefer certain positions of the Necker cube and can be studied without external reference of the perception. Functional MRI revealed six bilaterally active regions in the visual, parietal, and premotor cortex. A new method determined phase-locked electroencephalography-activations in the regions of interest and showed a significant stimulus-locked activity that started in the left Brodmann area 18. This activity started 38 ms after passing the symmetric position of the Necker cube and spread along the dorsal stream. We suggest that a further portion of the event-related potential signal reflects additional top-down processing, dependent on the position of the Necker cube. PMID- 17762709 TI - Handedness and functional MRI-activation patterns in sentence processing. AB - We investigate differences of cerebral activation in 12 right-handed and left handed participants, respectively, using a sentence-processing task. Functional MRI shows activation of left-frontal and inferior-parietal speech areas (BA 44, BA9, BA 40) in both groups, but a stronger bilateral activation in left-handers. Direct group comparison reveals a stronger activation in right-frontal cortex (BA 47, BA 6) and left cerebellum in left-handers. Laterality indices for the inferior-frontal cortex are less asymmetric in left-handers and are not related to the degree of handedness. Thus, our results show that sentence-processing induced enhanced activation involving a bilateral network in left-handed participants. PMID- 17762710 TI - Distribution and electrophysiological effects of motilin in Purkinje cells. AB - Evidence exists that motilin immunoreactivity is highly expressed in Purkinje cells. In this study, immunohistochemistry and whole-cell patch-clamp recording were performed to investigate the spatial distribution and electrophysiological effects of motilin receptors in the cerebellum. We show here that motilin receptors are strongly expressed in Purkinje cells of the human and rat cerebellum. Motilin at 10 nM depolarized Purkinje cells of the rat cerebellum, and this was mimicked by the motilin receptor agonist erythromycin. The depolarization evoked by motilin persisted in the presence of tetrodotoxin, glutamate and gamma-amino-n-butyric acid receptor antagonists, indicating that motilin excited the Purkinje cells by activating the receptor expressed on the neurons recorded. We suggest that motilin may serve specific neural functions in the cerebellum. PMID- 17762711 TI - Citalopram modulation of neuronal responses to aversive face emotions: a functional MRI study. AB - This study investigated the serotonergic modulation of face emotion processing using blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI. In a placebo controlled, balanced order design, intravenous citalopram (7.5 mg) was given to 12 male volunteers 60 min before a covert face emotion recognition task. Angry, disgusted and fearful faces produced BOLD signal responses, which were broadly consistent with previous findings. Citalopram enhanced the BOLD signal response in the left posterior insula (together with nonprespecified pulvinar and visual cortex) but attenuated activation in the left amygdala to disgusted faces and right amygdala activation to fearful faces. No citalopram modulation of BOLD responses to angry faces were found. These results suggest that serotonin modulates low-level amygdala activation to aversive stimuli. PMID- 17762712 TI - Functional map of orientation tuning width and specificity. AB - To map the orientation-tuning property based on optical signals, we propose using correlation coefficients that can determine the correlation between the measured optical intensities and a Gaussian function at each pixel. The correlation coefficients at each pixel were computed by setting the spread (or SD) of the Gaussian function at 20 and 40 degrees. Comparison between the coefficients showed that, in the region representing cardinal lines, there was a significantly larger area that had a higher correlation with the 40 degree Gaussian function, in contrast to the region representing oblique lines, which had a larger area that displayed a higher correlation for the 20 degree Gaussian function. These results demonstrate that the cardinal orientation-sensitive cortical area tuned over a broader spectrum than the oblique orientation-sensitive cortical area did. PMID- 17762713 TI - Attention modulates responses to motion reversals in human visual cortex. AB - Selective attention modulates brain responses in visual cortex. A common finding, using functional magnetic resonance imaging or event-related potentials, is that responses to attended relative to unattended stimuli are potentiated. We report an exceptional circumstance in a motion-processing paradigm. Participants viewed superimposed stationary and moving dots and were instructed to attend to one or the other subset. Changes in the direction of dot motion triggered an event related potential over posterior scalp sites, with a prominent negative peak at 200 ms that was larger when attention was directed at the stationary dots. This effect was localized to extrastriate visual cortex and may be due to reflexive effects of attention orienting triggered by unattended peripheral motion. PMID- 17762714 TI - Repeating through the insula: evidence from two consecutive strokes. AB - Mixed transcortical aphasia is a very rare syndrome characterized by intact repetition, despite severe impairment in all other language modalities. In some cases, however, preservation of repetition is accompanied by intact reading. We report the case of a left-handed man who, after a subcortical stroke in the left hemisphere, showed the typical features of mixed transcortical aphasia with spared repetition and reading. After 10 days, a second stroke, involving the anterior insula and adjacent white matter bundles, markedly deteriorated repetition while his reading abilities recovered. By comparing features of repetition and reading before and after the second stroke, we provide evidence for the existence of a modular organization of language abilities, pointing to the primary role of the insula and surrounding white matter in phonological processing. PMID- 17762715 TI - Impact of synaptic noise and conductance state on spontaneous cortical firing. AB - Cortical neurons in-vivo operate in a continuum of overall conductance states, depending on the average level of background synaptic input throughout the dendritic tree. We compare how variability, or fluctuations, in this input affects the statistics of the resulting 'spontaneous' or 'background' firing activity, between two extremes of the mean input corresponding to a low conductance (LC) and a high-conductance (HC) state. In the HC state, we show that both firing rate and regularity increase with increasing variability. In the LC state, firing rate also increases with input variability, but in contrast to the HC state, firing regularity first decreases and then increases with an increase in the variability. At high levels of input variability, firing regularity in both states converge to similar values. PMID- 17762716 TI - Voice familiarity engages auditory cortex. AB - Familiarity with a speaker's voice has been shown to enhance its auditory processing, implicating physiological effects at the level of the auditory cortex, although auditory cortical involvement has not previously been demonstrated. Eleven healthy right-handed male participants performed two tasks during blood oxygenation level-dependent functional MRI at 1.5 T. Both tasks used the same vocal stimuli. In task 1, they classified speakers as familiar or unfamiliar. In task 2, they judged stimuli as being in the right or left auditory field. Our analysis showed an area of auditory cortex on the lower bank of the superior temporal sulcus that was preferentially activated by familiar voices in both tasks. Familiar voices may elicit access to detailed sensory expectations, allowing enhanced auditory cortical processing. PMID- 17762717 TI - Differential effect of galanin on proliferation of PC12 and B104 cells. AB - The effect of galanin (GAL) on neural cell proliferation was studied using PC12 and B104 cells. Reverse transcription-PCR was used to determine the expression of GAL and GAL receptors and a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay of cell viability was employed to detect the effects of GAL on cell proliferation. These studies revealed firstly that PC12 cells express mRNAs encoding all three GAL receptors (GalR1-3) but not GAL mRNA, whereas B104 cells express GAL, GalR2 and GalR3 mRNAs, but not GalR1 mRNA; and secondly that GAL inhibited the proliferation of PC12 cells, but in contrast significantly activated the proliferation of B104 cells. Moreover, these effects of GAL were blocked by M35, a nonselective, chimera peptide antagonist of GAL receptors. These data suggest that GAL can alter neural cell proliferation via GAL receptor activation, and that different GAL receptors and/or cellular complements of receptors produce different net effects via activation of different signaling pathways. PMID- 17762718 TI - Detecting perceptual conflict by the feedback-related negativity in brain potentials. AB - The feedback-related negativity (FRN) in brain potentials is typically observed for the outcome evaluation concerning one's performance or monetary reward. Using a task in which the participant guesses whether the first stimulus (S1) would have the same color as the subsequently presented second stimulus (S2), this study demonstrates that the FRN to S2, which serves as feedback to the guessing, is also sensitive to the conflict between perceptual representations of S1 and S2 in working memory. The FRN effect for the feedback concerning the correctness of one's performance is modulated by the congruency between perceptual properties of the stimuli. The anterior cingulate cortex, which generates the FRN, is thus a general conflict-monitoring device detecting both response and perceptual conflicts. PMID- 17762719 TI - Subthreshold oscillations of membrane potential of rat subfornical organ neurons. AB - Previous work has demonstrated that subfornical organ neurons exhibit spontaneous action potentials interspersed with periods of membrane potential oscillation. We used whole cell patch clamp recording to investigate properties of these oscillations. The amplitude, but not the frequency, of the oscillations exhibited voltage dependence. The oscillations were unaffected by application of blockers for gamma-amino-n-butyric acid type A (GABA(A)) and glutamate receptors, nor were they affected by application of Cd2+ to block Ca2+ channels, or Cs+ to block hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation (HCN) channels. The oscillations, however, were abolished by the application of tetrodotoxin, indicating a role for voltage-gated Na+ channels. Voltage clamp experiments demonstrated that the activation of persistent Na+ current, but not transient Na+ current, matched with the voltage dependence of activation of the oscillation. PMID- 17762720 TI - The effects of ferric iron on voltage-gated potassium currents in molluscan neurons. AB - In isolated neurons of Helix pomatia, a two-microelectrode voltage clamp technique was used to study the effect of Fe3+ on voltage-gated potassium currents: a low-threshold fast-inactivating current (I(A)) and a high threshold slow-inactivating current with calcium-dependent (I(C)) and calcium-independent (I(DR)) components. Extracellular application of FeCl3 rapidly, reversibly and dose-dependently reduced the amplitude of I(A), I(C) and I(DR) with IC50 values of 49, 45 and 70 microM, respectively. Complete inhibition of K+ currents was reached at 100-500 microM Fe3+. The threshold for the total slow-inactivating potassium current shifted in a positive direction by 10-30 mV in the presence of Fe3+ (50-300 microM). Our work is the first demonstration of the strong blocking effect of Fe3+ on potassium currents of neuronal membrane. PMID- 17762721 TI - Saccadic adaptation without retinal postsaccadic error. AB - Primary saccades undershoot their target. Corrective saccades are then triggered by retinal postsaccadic information. We tested whether primary saccades still undershoot when no postsaccadic visual information is available. Participants saccaded to five targets (10-34 degrees) that were either constantly illuminated (ON) or extinguished at saccade onset (OFF(Onset)). In OFF(Onset), few corrective saccades were observed. The saccadic gain increased over trials for the furthest (34 degrees) target. Terminal eye position after glissades or microsaccades progressively converged to the values observed in ON (targets over 16 degrees). Target extinction during the saccade only did not elicit any change. The results show that (i) postsaccadic retinal signals stabilize the saccadic gain and (ii) adaptive changes that reduce terminal error can take place without visual information. PMID- 17762722 TI - Visual-vestibular interaction in vertical vestibular only neurons. AB - The central nervous system combines information from different stimulus modalities to generate appropriate behaviors. For instance, vestibular and visual information are combined during oculomotor behavior. We used squirrel monkeys to study this signal combination on vestibular neurons that carry the vertical component of vestibular and visual (slow visual pathway, or optokinetic) signals. We found that these neurons contain a neuronal correlate of asymmetries observed in oculomotor behaviors, and that there is a relationship between their response to vestibular and visual (optokinetic) stimulation. We argue that if this relationship is maintained after learning, changes in one information pathway (e.g. vestibular) will result in changes in the other (e.g. visual), explaining the cross-modality plasticity observed in these systems after vestibulo-ocular reflex motor learning. PMID- 17762723 TI - Peripeduncular and pedunculopontine nuclei: a dispute on a clinically relevant target. PMID- 17762725 TI - A meningioma with islets of extramedullary myeloid metaplasia: case report. AB - OBJECTIVE: Idiopathic myelofibrosis is a clonal stem cell disorder that leads to ineffective erythropoiesis accompanied by reactive myelofibrosis (bone marrow fibrosis). As a consequence, extramedullary hematopoiesis characteristically develops. The central nervous system is rarely affected; the spinal canal and the cranial meninges are generally the preferred locations. Extramedullary hematopoiesis within central nervous system primary tumors have already been reported but, to our knowledge, never before in a patient with evidence of idiopathic myelofibrosis. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A patient experiencing generalized idiopathic myelofibrosis developed a hemorrhagic intracranial meningioma containing islets of extramedullary myeloid metaplasia. INTERVENTION: The tumor was radically removed through a right frontal craniotomy. After surgery, the patient recovered completely and was discharged with a normal neurological status. After 6 years, the patient is in excellent condition with no sign of recurrence on magnetic resonance imaging scans. CONCLUSION: The reasons for this uncommon association are uncertain, but we hypothesize that myeloid islets may be involved in the origin of the tumor as well as in its acute hemorrhagic onset. Moreover, we suggest that in the presence of proven idiopathic myelofibrosis intracranial myeloid metaplasia should be ruled out by appropriate neuroimaging and considered as a potential diagnosis in the presence of brain lesions. PMID- 17762726 TI - A dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor in the area of the caudate nucleus in a 57-year-old woman: case report. AB - OBJECTIVE: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNTs) are clinicopathologically unique tumors. They are usually located within the supratentorial cortex, most often in the temporal lobe. These lesions are frequently associated with intractable complex partial seizures in children and young adults. DNTs may also arise outside of the cerebral cortex. We report a case of a 57-year-old woman who had a DNT in the caudate nucleus. During a 7-year follow-up period, the tumor did not recur. The literature on DNTs with atypical "ectopic" localizations is summarized. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A patient presented with a 1-year history of headaches, nausea and vomiting, and progressive visual disturbances. INTERVENTION: Gross subtotal removal of the lesion was accomplished without further treatment. CONCLUSION: Unlike diffuse gliomas, such as oligodendrogliomas and central neurocytomas, DNTs are benign lesions with a favorable prognosis after surgical resection. Therefore, recognition of DNTs at atypical ectopic locations is essential for predicting the clinical course and for making the right therapeutic decisions. PMID- 17762727 TI - A true malignant schwannoma of the eighth cranial nerve: case report. AB - OBJECTIVE: The clinical presentation, pathology, treatment, and outcome of a 43 year-old woman with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor arising from a benign schwannoma of the eighth cranial nerve are presented. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Initially, the tumor was debulked. After finding malignant areas within the benign tumor, it was considered to be a malignant transformation of a previously benign tumor. INTERVENTION: Aggressive total resection was obtained during a second-stage procedure. Postoperatively, the tumor bed was radiated for palliation. CONCLUSION: Despite surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the patient died rapidly as a result of disseminated metastatic disease. PMID- 17762728 TI - A hemangioblastoma in the pineal region: case report. AB - OBJECTIVE: Although reported to occur throughout the central nervous system, hemangioblastomas are principally found in the cerebellum and spinal cord. Pineal region tumors comprise approximately 1% of central nervous system neoplasms. A wide variety of tumors can affect this region, the most common being germ cell tumors, gliomas, and pineal cell tumors. In the literature, we found only one case of hemangioblastoma in the pineal region in association with von Hippel Lindau disease. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a patient with a symptomatic hemangioblastoma in the pineal region with no clinical criteria for von Hippel-Lindau disease. The patient had a 1-month history of short-term memory loss, headache, difficulty concentrating and writing, disturbed balance, and loss of bladder function. At the time of physical examination, she was awake, alert, and oriented. An ophthalmoscopic examination revealed nystagmus with conjugate upward gaze and papilledema. Radiological images showed a mass in the pineal region with obstructive hydrocephalus. INTERVENTION: A lateral suboccipital infratentorial supracerebellar approach was used to remove the tumor, which was attached to the quadrigeminal plate. Histological examination showed the lesion to be a hemangioblastoma. The clinical findings for von Hippel-Lindau disease were negative. CONCLUSION: The patient's neurological deficits were reversed after surgery. This case emphasizes the importance of the differential diagnosis of hemangioblastomas located in this region. These tumors can be safely removed through surgery. PMID- 17762729 TI - Acute central cord syndrome arising from a cervical epidural abscess: case report. AB - OBJECTIVE: Acute central cord syndrome (ACCS) is a well-known sequela to spinal trauma but has rarely been associated with nontraumatic etiologies. Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) and spinal osteomyelitis/discitis are also well characterized clinical entities. Neither SEA nor osteomyelitis leading to ACCS has been previously reported. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: In this report, a patient presented with refractory neck pain after minor trauma followed by development of left hand weakness and paresthesia, which progressed to a classic central cord injury clinical pattern over a period of 4 weeks. INTERVENTION: Imaging and laboratory studies were consistent with SEA and osteomyelitis. Motor evoked potentials obtained during surgery definitively corroborated the clinical diagnosis of ACCS and supported a long tract pathophysiology. CONCLUSION: ACCS may be caused by SEA. PMID- 17762730 TI - Transient syringomyelia leading to acute neurological deterioration after repair of a lipomyelomeningocele: case report. AB - OBJECTIVE: Transient paraplegia in the immediate postoperative period after lipomyelomeningocele repair is uncommon and is not discussed in the literature. We present the unique case of a patient who developed transient paraplegia 48 hours after lipomyelomeningocele repair attributable to the acute development of a thoracic syrinx. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: At birth, the patient was noted to have a large skin-covered mass in the lumbosacral region. On neurological examination, both iliopsoas and quadriceps exhibited 3/5 motor function, and the plantar flexors and dorsiflexors exhibited 1/5 motor function. Urodynamic studies were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the presence of a lipomyelomeningocele associated with tethering of the spinal cord in the lumbosacral region. INTERVENTION: At 5 months of age, the patient underwent repair of the lipomyelomeningocele. After surgery, the patient developed progressive paraplegia along with bowel and bladder dysfunction. Given the concern about a postoperative hematoma resulting in cauda equina syndrome, the patient returned to the operating room for a wound exploration. No compressive lesion such as a hematoma was found at surgery. A postoperative magnetic resonance imaging scan obtained afterward, however, demonstrated the presence of a large thoracic syrinx. CONCLUSION: Syrinx formation can occur as early as 48 hours after lipomyelomeningocele repair, leading to progressive lower extremity weakness and bowel and bladder incontinence. In the immediate postoperative period, an acute syrinx can mimic cauda equina syndrome, and a magnetic resonance imaging scan is necessary to distinguish between these two entities. In this patient, the syrinx was transient and resolved without a shunting procedure. PMID- 17762733 TI - Chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the National Football League. PMID- 17762734 TI - A review of image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy for spinal tumors. AB - OBJECTIVE: A new paradigm for the radiotherapeutic management of paraspinal tumors has emerged. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has gained wide acceptance as a way of delivering highly conformal radiation to tumors. IMRT is capable of sparing sensitive structures such as the spinal cord of high-dose radiation even if only several millimeters away from the tumor. Image-guided treatment tools such as cone beam computed tomography coupled with IMRT have reduced treatment errors associated with traditional radiotherapy, making highly accurate and conformal treatment feasible. METHODS: This review discusses the physics of image-guided radiotherapy, including immobilization, the radiobiological implications of hypofractionation, as well as outcomes. Image guided technology has improved the accuracy of IMRT to within 2 mm of error. Thus, the marriage of image guidance with IMRT (IG IMRT) has allowed the safe treatment of spinal tumors to a high dose without increasing the risk of radiation-related toxicity. With the use of near real-time image-guided verification, very-high-dose radiation has been given for tumors in standard fractionation, hypofractionated, and single fraction schedules to doses beyond levels traditionally believed safe in terms of spinal cord tolerance. RESULTS: Clinical results, in terms of treatment-related toxicity and tumor control, have been very favorable. With follow-up periods extending beyond 30 months, tumor control rates with single fraction IG IMRT (1800-2400 cGy) are in excess of 90%, regardless of histology, and without serious sequelae such as radiation myelopathy. Patients also report correspondingly high rates of palliation. Excellent results, both in terms of tumor control and minimal toxicity, have been consistently reported in the literature. CONCLUSION: IG IMRT represents a significant technological advance. Paraspinal IG IMRT is proof of principle, making it possible to give very-high-dose radiation within close proximity to the spinal cord. By reducing treatment-related uncertainties, margins around tumors can be shortened, thereby reducing the volume of normal tissue that must be irradiated to tumoricidal doses, reducing the likelihood of toxicity. Similarly, higher doses of radiation can be administered safely, improving the likelihood of eradication. Dose escalation can be done to increase the likelihood of tumor cell kill without increasing the dose given to nearby sensitive structures. PMID- 17762735 TI - A 7-year experience with balloon-mounted coronary stents for the treatment of symptomatic vertebrobasilar intracranial atheromatous disease. AB - OBJECTIVE: Balloon-mounted coronary stents (BMCS) have been adapted for use in the intracranial circulation for the treatment of symptomatic intracranial atheromatous disease (ICAD). We performed a retrospective analysis of our 7-year experience with these devices in an attempt to quantify the periprocedural risks and long-term outcomes in patients with symptomatic ICAD of the vertebrobasilar (VB) system treated with BMCS. METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was performed to determine the neurological and non neurological periprocedural risks of BMCS treatment of ICAD. Patients were followed with serial transcranial Doppler (TCD) and, in some cases, angiographic imaging. The clinical status was determined based on clinic visits and by telephone interviews when possible. RESULTS: Over the 6-year period from March 1999 to May 2005, 44 patients (35 men, 9 women; average age, 64.8 yr) with 47 symptomatic atheromatous lesions of the VB system were treated with BMCS. In two patients, the BMSC could not be delivered across the target lesion. Treatment of the remaining 45 lesions was technically successful (95.7%). The periprocedural neurological morbidity and mortality was 26.1% (10 clinically evident strokes, 2 deaths). One additional patient experienced a periprocedural transient ischemic attack (TIA). Two patients died of non-neurological causes within 6 months (4.3%, myocardial infarction and cholecystitis). The average stenosis measured 82.5%, declining to 10.0% stenosis after BMCS. TCD examinations showed a preprocedural velocity of 127.7 cm/second (n = 43; standard deviation, 63.7 cm/s), which declined to 54.0 cm/s immediately after the procedure (n = 42; standard deviation, 22.7 cm/s). In patients with serial TCD evaluations, velocities were typically constant over years of follow-up (six patients with >5 yr of follow-up; average velocity, 52.2 cm/s). Angiographic follow-up was available for 11 patients. Three patients had stent occlusion (all symptomatic with TIAs), one patient had greater than 50% in-stent restenosis (ISR) (symptomatic with TIA) and seven had no significant (<50%) stenosis. The overall ISR/occlusion rate was 12.5% (4 out of 32 lesions with angiographic and/or TCD follow-up > 6 mo). Of the 42 patients who successfully underwent BMCS, clinical follow-up was available for 33 (78.6%, average follow-up period, 43.5 mo), three patients died before any follow-up could be performed, and seven were lost to follow-up. Of the patients with follow-up, five had recurrent vertebrobasilar ischemic symptoms (15%; four TIA, one stroke). Four out of five patients with recurrent symptoms had ISR or occlusion verified on conventional angiography. At the time of the last follow-up examination, seven patients of 44 patients who underwent attempted treatment were dead (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score, 6); four had an mRS score of 3 to 5, 16 had an mRS score of 1 or 2, and 10 had an mRS score of 0. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting using BMCS for the treatment of symptomatic VB ICAD can be carried out with high rates of technical success and excellent immediate angiographic results. However, the procedure carries with it a very high rate of periprocedural morbidity and mortality. Greater than 50% ISR or stent occlusion occurred in 12.5% of the patients and was associated with recurrent TIAs. In the absence of ISR/occlusion, patients who tolerated the initial procedure did well neurologically and did not typically experience recurrent ischemic symptoms. PMID- 17762736 TI - Preoperative embolization of intracranial arteriovenous malformations with Onyx. AB - OBJECTIVE: Preoperative embolization in accordance with multimodal therapies for cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is generally the first step in treatment and may result in complete obliteration. The Onyx liquid embolic system (Micro Therapeutics, Inc., Irvine, CA) may offer advantages for intranidal targeted embolization and microsurgical resection. We present our experience in the combined treatment of intracranial AVMs using Onyx embolization and neurosurgical resection. METHODS: We treated a total of 47 patients for compact intracranial AVMs that were located in the frontal or frontoparietal area (16 patients); temporal, temporoparietal, or temporo-occipital regions (12 patients); parietal or parieto-occipital areas (8 patients); occipital regions (8 patients); had basal ganglia involvement (2 patients); and was cerebellar (1 patient). The Spetzler-Martin grading scale values were as follows: 25 patients were Grades I or II, 10 patients were Grade III, and 12 patients were Grades IV or V. Twenty three AVMs were located in eloquent brain regions. RESULTS: After we performed final embolizations, the mean nidus reduction was 84%. Seven patients had new, nondisabling neurological deficits, and four patients had new, disabling neurological deficits after embolization. Periprocedurally, five vessel perforations and four stuck microcatheters were encountered without clinical deficits. In two patients, delayed hemorrhage after embolization occurred with good clinical outcome. We completely resected 46 AVMs; in one patient, we detected an AVM on postoperative angiography. The mean operative time was 4.7 hours, and the mean blood loss was 455 mL. Clinical status worsened postoperatively in 14 patients. Angiographic and clinical follow-up examinations were available for 42 patients (89%); the average follow-up period was 13 months. We found no relapse of arteriovenous shunt. Fourteen patients improved clinically after discharge. Of the 42 patients followed up, 23 individuals had no neurological deficit, 16 had a nondisabling deficit, and three had a disabling deficit. CONCLUSION: Preoperative use of the Onyx liquid embolic system in cerebral AVM treatment allows profound occlusion by targeted embolization and provides a basis for safe neurosurgical resection. PMID- 17762737 TI - Early plasma complement C3a levels correlate with functional outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. AB - OBJECTIVE: Studies have documented an inflammatory response in the circulating plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). In particular, early upregulation of several complement proteins, including C3a, C4a, and C5b-9, has been demonstrated after the initial hemorrhagic insult. The inflammatory actions of the complement cascade are largely mediated through the anaphylatoxins, C3a and C5a. Recent investigations have established a critical role for C3a in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia. We attempt to confirm that plasma C3a and C5a values are elevated in patients with aSAH and to determine whether or not these levels are reliable independent predictors of functional outcome irrespective of clinical presentation. METHODS: Fifty-two patients with aSAH were prospectively enrolled and stratified according to admission Hunt and Hess grade, demographic variables, and functional status at the time of discharge (modified Rankin Scale score). Plasma C3a and C5a levels were determined at early and late time points after aSAH through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: After aSAH, early C3a and C5a values were increased compared with levels in non-SAH control patients (P < 0.001). Univariate analysis demonstrated that elevations in early C3a (P = 0.010) and C5a (P = 0.041) levels and poor admission Hunt and Hess grade (P = 0.015) correlated significantly with unfavorable outcome. In our multivariate model, only early C3a levels retained a strong correlation with outcome when modeled with Hunt and Hess grade (P = 0.009). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate an association between early complement C3a levels and outcome after aSAH that seems to be independent of the initial hemorrhage. The findings suggest that inflammatory processes involving C3a may contribute to delayed morbidity and mortality after aneurysmal rupture. PMID- 17762738 TI - Thrombophilic abnormalities among patients with cranial dural arteriovenous fistulas. AB - OBJECTIVE: Dural sinus thrombosis often accompanies or precedes the development of dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs). Because thrombophilic abnormalities can contribute to sinus thrombosis, we investigated the prevalence of such abnormalities and of venous sinus thrombosis in patients with DAVFs. METHODS: Thrombophilic factors were measured in 18 patients with DAVFs treated with embolization at our university hospital. Control data were obtained from patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms. In addition to sinus occlusion, we investigated prothrombin time, activated thromboplastin time, platelet count, and fibrinogen, platelet, antithrombin III, protein C, protein S, anticardiolipin antibody, anti-cardiolipin beta2-glycoprotein-I complex antibody, and D-dimer levels. RESULTS: Of the 18 patients with DAVFs, 16 had abnormal D-dimer levels, whereas the mean values for other thrombophilic factors were nearly normal. D dimer levels were significantly higher in preoperative DAVF patients than in controls. Interestingly, the mean value of D-dimer was higher in patients with sinus occlusion than in those without it (3.33 versus 1.19). D-dimer levels rose after embolization in eight out of 10 serially tested patients, but, on average, the change was not significant. In clinically cured patients treated more than 3 months before, D-dimer was lower than in preoperative patients. CONCLUSION: D dimer is a very sensitive indicator of acute venous thrombosis, suggesting that elevations in patients with DAVFs are likely to reflect sinus thrombosis. D-dimer values decreased and nearly normalized in clinically cured patients during a long term follow-up period, a finding consistent with completion of thrombosis and cure of the disease. To clarify the correlation between DAVF and sinus thrombosis from the aspect of etiology, we should thoroughly check the variation in the concentration of the thrombophilic factors in the patient with chronic sinus occlusion to know the variation in the fistula formation in the further study. PMID- 17762739 TI - Pituitary adenomas treated with gamma knife radiosurgery: volumetric analysis of 100 cases with minimum 3 year follow-up. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze pituitary adenoma volume changes after gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in patients with 3 years of follow-up and to investigate factors that might affect these changes. METHODS: Between January 1997 and March 2004, a total of 1930 patients were treated in the Gamma Knife Unit of the Marmara University Department of Neurosurgery in Istanbul, Turkey. Three hundred sixty of these patients had pituitary adenomas (PAs). This prospectively designed clinical study documents the radiological-volumetric analysis for the first 100 of these patients with PAs who had a minimum of 3 years of follow-up and met the study requirements. Each tumor was assessed with serial magnetic resonance imaging scans after radiosurgery; at each time point, adenoma volume was expressed as a percentage of the tumor's initial volume. Volume changes were investigated relative to margin dose, the cavernous sinus infiltration, and endocrinological type of adenoma. RESULTS: At the end of the first year after GKRS, the PA volumes had decreased to approximately 90% of the initial volume on average. The corresponding approximate averages for the ends of Years 2 and 3 were 80 and 70% of the initial volume, respectively. At 3 years after GKRS, the PAs in the group with a peripheral dose of less than 17 Gy were reduced to approximately 80% of the initial volume on average. In contrast, the tumors in the patients with marginal doses of 21 to 23 Gy were reduced to approximately 60% of the initial volume at this stage. The adenomas treated with the highest marginal doses (>27 Gy) showed the earliest volume decreases after GKRS (6-9 mo after the procedure). Cavernous sinus noninfiltrating adenomas showed greater volume decreases after GKRS; on average, these masses were reduced to approximately 50% of their initial volume at 3 years. In contrast, the PAs that had infiltrated the cavernous sinus had only dropped to approximately 80% of their initial volume at this stage. The growth hormone-secreting PAs showed the maximum volume decrease with GKRS. On average, these lesions were approximately 60% of their initial volume at the 3-year stage. The nonfunctioning tumors and the prolactin-secreting adenomas showed similar volume changes over time. On average, these tumors had dropped to approximately 75 and 70% of the initial volume, respectively, by 3 years after GKRS. CONCLUSION: Gamma knife radiosurgery halts the growth of pituitary adenomas. Cavernous sinus extension and margin dose are the most important determinants of adenoma volume after this type of therapy. PMID- 17762740 TI - Volumetric follow-up of meningiomas: a quantitative method to evaluate treatment outcome of gamma knife radiosurgery. AB - OBJECTIVE: The most important treatment options for meningiomas are microsurgery, radiotherapy, and gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS). The efficacy of GKRS in terms of local tumor control and tumor volume (TV) reduction can best be determined by accurate analysis of changes in tumor size in pre- and post-GKRS images. In this prospective study, we set the focus on evaluating TV changes and treatment outcome of meningiomas using a quantitative volumetric follow-up protocol after GKRS. METHODS: Consecutive patients with World Health Organization Grade I and II meningiomas were included in this study. Most patients underwent a microsurgical TV reduction before being treated with GKRS. Follow-up examinations were performed according to a standardized protocol and included magnetic resonance imaging and quantitative volumetric tumor analyses as well as thorough neurological examinations. RESULTS: Complete follow-up data was available for 211 patients (243 tumors) with a mean age of 57.9 years. TVs ranging from 0.1 to 48.3 cm3 were treated with GKRS using prescription doses ranging from 10 to 22 Gy. The achieved overall tumor control rate determined with quantitative TV analyses after GKRS was 93.4%; a mean TV reduction of 42.1% was achieved in 74.5% of all treated patients. CONCLUSION: Results of this study show that a quantitative volumetric follow-up study of meningiomas is a useful method to demonstrate the efficacy of GKRS for meningiomas. Statistically significant TV reductions with a low rate of side effects can be achieved with GKRS. PMID- 17762741 TI - Long-term results and late complications after intracavitary yttrium-90 colloid irradiation of recurrent cystic craniopharyngiomas. AB - OBJECTIVE: Data were analyzed to assess the value of stereotactically applied intracystic colloidal yttrium-90 (YTx) for the treatment of recurrent cystic craniopharyngiomas during a 30-year period. METHODS: This article compares data from 73 YTx procedures in 60 patients between 1975 and 2006. The cumulative beta dose aimed at the inner surface of the cyst wall was 300 Gy. RESULTS: After YTx, the initial cyst volumes decreased an average of 79%. In 47, the reduction was more than 80%; in 27 of them, the cyst disappeared completely within 1 year. The mean survival after YTx was 9.4 years (range, 0.7-30 yr). Actuarial survival rates at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years were 81, 61, 45, 18, 2, and 0%, respectively. Late complications of YTx were related to the anatomic localization of the cyst, either presellar and retrosellar, e.g., a presellar (prechiasmatic/suprasellar) localization caused neuro-ophthalmological complications in 5.8% and internal carotid artery injury in 1.6%. The treatment of retrosellar (retrochiasmatic, suprasellar) tumors occasionally induced hypothalamic and/or pontomesencephalothalamic damage obviously by untoward radiation to the so-called perforating arteries. This occurred in 3.2% of these latter patients. CONCLUSION: Despite sporadic complications, intracavitary YTx irradiation is a valuable treatment alternative for craniopharyngioma cysts, sometimes as part of a multimodality management in these tumors, especially in precarious surgical cases. PMID- 17762742 TI - Exhaustive, one-year follow-up of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation in a large, single-center cohort of parkinsonian patients. AB - OBJECTIVE: To prospectively assess the impact of subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) at 12 months after surgery in a series of 100 consecutive patients treated in a single center. The primary objective was to describe the clinical outcome in terms of efficacy and tolerance in STN-DBS patients. A secondary objective was to discuss presurgery clinical characteristics a posteriori as a function of outcome. METHODS: One hundred and three consecutive patients with severe Parkinson's disease received bilateral STN-DBS in our clinic between May 1998 and March 2003. Clinical assessment was performed before and 12 months after surgery and was based on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Parts II, III, and IV A; the Schwab and England Scale; and cognitive evaluation. Patient-rated overall improvement was also evaluated. RESULTS: Twelve months after surgery, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III score decreased by 43%, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part II score (activities of daily living) fell by 34%, and the severity of dyskinesia-related disability decreased by 61%. The main surgical complications after STN-DBS were as follows: infection (n = 7), intracerebral hematoma (n = 5), electrode fracture (n = 4), and incorrect lead placement (n = 8). We observed cognitive decline and depression in 7.7 and 18% of the patients, respectively. The mean patient-rated overall improvement score was 70.7%. CONCLUSION: The efficacy and safety of STN DBS in our center's large cohort of Parkinsonian patients are generally similar to the results obtained by other groups, albeit at the lower limit of the range of reported values. In contrast to efficacy, the occurrence of adverse events cannot be predicted. Younger patients with Parkinson's disease (i.e., those younger than 60 yr) often show an excellent response to levodopa. However, in view of our data on overall patient satisfaction and the occurrence of adverse events, we suggest that older patients (but not those older than 70 yr) and less dopa-sensitive patients (but not those with a response <50%) should still be offered the option of STN-DBS. PMID- 17762743 TI - Diagnosis of ventricular drainage-related bacterial meningitis by broad-range real-time polymerase chain reaction. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare a broad-range real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic strategy with culture to evaluate additional effects on the etiological diagnosis and the quantification of the bacterial load during the course of ventricular drainage-related bacterial meningitis (VR-BM). METHODS: We applied a PCR that targeted conserved regions of the 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients with external ventricular drainage or a ventriculoperitoneal shunt during the course of VR-BM. We compared the PCR results with CSF cultures. A total of 350 routine CSF samples were consecutively collected from 86 patients. The CSF deoxyribonucleic acid was automatically purified and subjected to PCR. Amplicons from the PCR samples that were positive for VR-BM were subsequently deoxyribonucleic acid sequenced for final identification. Clinical data were extracted from patient files. RESULTS: Sixteen patients had at least one VR-BM-positive sample as diagnosed from culture or PCR. Nineteen episodes were diagnosed with signs of VR-BM (n = 16 patients) or were determined to be contaminated (n = 3 patients). Four episodes of VR-BM were diagnosed via PCR alone and were predominantly caused by gram-negative pathogens, five episodes were diagnosed via culture alone, and seven episodes were diagnosed via both culture and PCR. Five patients had mixed infections. Overall, 71 samples were positive for VR-BM as indicated by either one or both of the methods. Eighteen CSF samples were VR-BM positive as indicated by culture alone, and 21 CSF samples were positive as indicated via PCR alone. CONCLUSIONS: Culture supplemented with broad-range, real-time PCR may increase the number of etiologically diagnosed VR-BM episodes, particularly when these are caused by gram-negative bacteria. PMID- 17762744 TI - Concussion in professional football: biomechanics of the struck player--part 14. AB - OBJECTIVE: Impacts causing concussion in professional football were simulated in laboratory tests to determine collision mechanics. This study focuses on the biomechanics of concussion in the struck player. METHODS: Twenty-five helmet impacts were reconstructed using Hybrid III dummies. Head impact velocity, direction, and helmet kinematics-matched game video. Translational and rotational accelerations were measured in both players' heads; 6-axis upper neck responses were measured in all striking and five struck players. Head kinematics and biomechanics were determined for concussed players. Head displacement, rotation, and neck loads were determined because finite element analysis showed maximum strains occurring in the midbrain after the high impact forces. A model was developed of the helmet impact to study the influence of neck strength and other parameters on head responses. RESULTS: The impact response of the concussed player's head includes peak accelerations of 94 +/- 28 g and 6432 +/- 1813 r/s2, and velocity changes of 7.2 +/- 1.8 m/s and 34.8 +/- 15.2 r/s. Near the end of impact (10 ms), head movement is only 20.2 +/- 6.8 mm and 6.9 +/- 2.5 degrees. After impact, there is rapid head displacement involving a fourfold increase to 87.6 +/- 21.2 mm and 29.9 +/- 9.5 degrees with neck tension and bending at 20 ms. Impacts to the front of the helmet, the source of the majority of National Football League concussions, cause rotation primarily around the z axis (superior inferior axis) because the force is forward of the neck centerline. This twists the head to the right or left an average of 17.6 +/- 12.7 degrees, causing a moment of 17.7 +/- 3.3 Nm and neck tension of 1704 +/- 432 N at 20 ms. The head injury criterion correlates with concussion risk and is proportional to deltaV(4)/d(1.5) for half-sine acceleration. Stronger necks reduce head acceleration, deltaV, and displacement. Even relatively small reductions in deltaV have a large effect on head injury criterion that may reduce concussion risks because changes in deltaV change head injury criterion through the 4th power. CONCLUSION: This study addresses head responses causing concussion in National Football League players. Although efforts are underway to reduce impact acceleration through helmet padding, further study is needed of head kinematics after impact and their contribution to concussion, including rapid head displacement, z-axis rotation, and neck tension up to the time of maximum strain in the midbrain. Neck strength influences head deltaV and head injury criterion and may help explain different concussion risks in professional and youth athletes, women, and children. PMID- 17762745 TI - Long-term and cumulative effects of sports concussion on motor cortex inhibition. AB - OBJECTIVE: Using transcranial magnetic stimulation paradigms, this study investigated motor cortex integrity as a function of an athlete's prior history of concussions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Motor cortex excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms were studied in athletes using four different transcranial magnetic stimulation protocols, namely 1) resting motor threshold, 2) intracortical inhibition and intracortical facilitation in a paired-pulse paradigm, 3) excitability of the corticospinal system using an input-output curve, and 4) intracortical inhibition in a cortical silent-period paradigm. Motor-evoked potentials were recorded from the first dorsal interosseous muscle of the right hand. RESULTS: Cortical silent-period duration in athletes who have experienced multiple concussions was prolonged when compared to that of normal control participants. Linear regression suggested that concussion severity was the main factor explaining motor cortex dysfunction. Moreover, when we retested the athletes, the cortical silent period was more prolonged in those who sustained another concussion after baseline testing had occurred. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study indicate that sports-related concussions result in long-term motor system dysfunctions that seem to be attributable to subclinical intracortical inhibitory system abnormalities. This study also shows that sustaining subsequent concussions exacerbates this deficit, and thus provides additional support for the contention that the adverse effects of sports-related concussions on intracortical inhibitory systems are cumulative. PMID- 17762746 TI - Differential rate of recovery in athletes after first and second concussion episodes. AB - OBJECTIVE: Clinical observations suggest that a history of previous concussions may cause a slower recovery of neurological function after recurrent concussion episodes. However, direct examination of this notion has not been provided. This report investigates the differential rate of restoring the visual-kinesthetic integration in collegiate athletes experiencing single versus recurrent concussion episodes. METHODS: One hundred sixty collegiate athletes were tested preseason using multimodal research methodology. Of these, 38 experienced mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and were tested on Days 10, 15, and 30 after injury. Nine of these MTBI patients experienced a second MTBI within 1 year after the first brain injury and were retested. The postconcussion symptoms checklist, neuropsychological evaluations, and postural responses to visual field motion were recorded using a virtual reality environment. RESULTS: All patients were asymptomatic at Day 10 of testing and were cleared for sport participation based on clinical symptoms resolution. Balance deficits, as evident by incoherence with visual field motion postural responses, were present at least 30 days after injury (P < 0.001). Most importantly, the rate of balance symptoms restoration was significantly reduced after a recurrent, second concussion (P < 0.001) compared with those after the first concussion. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study confirm our previous research indicating the presence of long-term residual visual-motor disintegration in concussed individuals with normal neuropsychological measures. Most importantly, athletes with a history of previous concussion demonstrate significantly slower rates of recovery of neurological functions after the second episode of MTBI. PMID- 17762747 TI - Sex differences in neuropsychological function and post-concussion symptoms of concussed collegiate athletes. AB - OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether sex differences exist with respect to post-concussion symptoms and neurocognitive function in concussed collegiate athletes. METHODS: A prospective dependent-sample cohort design was used to compare baseline and post-concussion neuropsychological test scores and endorsed symptoms as functions of serial post-concussion assessment with respect to time and sex. The Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) battery was administered to a multicenter analysis group of 79 concussed athletes. This computerized neuropsychological test was given to the athletes during the preseason and, on average, 2 and 8 days postinjury. RESULTS: Multivariate analyses revealed no significant between-group differences on baseline test performance with respect to sex on any of the ImPACT composite scores or on the total symptom score. Multivariate analyses of post-concussion data revealed a significant main effect of time on ImPACT scores, but no main effect of sex was identified, and no time-by-sex interaction existed. Post hoc analysis revealed that concussed female athletes performed significantly worse than concussed male athletes on visual memory tasks (P = 0.001), and analysis of endorsed post-concussion symptoms revealed that concussed men were significantly more likely than concussed women to report post-concussion symptoms of vomiting (P = 0.001) and sadness (P = 0.017). Athletes' scores were examined individually using the reliable-change methodology. At 2 days post-injury, 58% of concussed athletes had one or more reliable incidents of performance decline or increases in symptom reporting. At 8 days post-concussion, 30% of concussed athletes were still showing one or more reliable change from preseason values. CONCLUSIONS: College athletes exhibit differences on visual memory composite scores and symptoms post-concussion as a function of sex. These data support the importance of evaluating neuropsychological status and post-concussion symptoms in concussed athletes. In addition, these data illustrate the importance of analyzing an individual athlete's recovery pattern, because individual differences in recovery trajectories may be overshadowed by global norm-group comparisons. PMID- 17762749 TI - Spinal cord stimulation versus reoperation for failed back surgery syndrome: a cost effectiveness and cost utility analysis based on a randomized, controlled trial. AB - OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of treating failed back-surgery syndrome using spinal cord stimulation (SCS) versus reoperation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A disinterested third party collected charge data for the first 42 patients in a randomized controlled crossover trial. We computed the difference in cost with regard to success (cost-effectiveness) and mean quality adjusted life years (cost-utility). We analyzed the patient-charge data with respect to intention to treat (costs and outcomes as a randomized group), treated as intended (costs as randomized; crossover failure assigned to a randomized group), and final treatment costs and outcomes. RESULTS: By mean 3.1-year follow up, 13 of 21 patients (62%) crossed from reoperation versus 5 of 19 patients (26%) who crossed from SCS (P < 0.025) [corrected]. The mean cost per success was US $117,901 for crossovers to SCS. No crossovers to reoperation achieved success despite a mean per-patient expenditure of US $260,584. The mean per-patient costs were US $31,530 for SCS versus US $38,160 for reoperation (intention to treat), US $48,357 for SCS versus US $105,928 for reoperation (treated as intended), and US $34,371 for SCS versus US $36,341 for reoperation (final treatment). SCS was dominant (more effective and less expensive) in the incremental cost effectiveness ratios and incremental cost-utility ratios. A bootstrapped simulation for incremental costs and quality-adjusted life years confirmed SCS's dominance, with approximately 72% of the cost results occurring below US policymakers' "maximum willingness to pay" threshold. CONCLUSION: SCS was less expensive and more effective than reoperation in selected failed back-surgery syndrome patients, and should be the initial therapy of choice. SCS is most cost effective when patients forego repeat operation. Should SCS fail, reoperation is unlikely to succeed. PMID- 17762748 TI - Functional brain abnormalities are related to clinical recovery and time to return-to-play in athletes. AB - OBJECTIVE: The relationship between athlete reports of symptoms, neurophysiological activation, and neuropsychological functioning is investigated in a sample of high school athletes. METHODS: All athletes were evaluated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a computer-based battery of neurocognitive tests, and a subjective symptom scale. Athletes were evaluated within approximately 1 week of injury and again after clinical recovery using all assessment modalities. RESULTS: This study found that abnormal fMRI results during the first week of recovery predicted clinical recovery. As a group, athletes who demonstrated hyperactivation on fMRI scans at the time of their first fMRI scan demonstrated a more prolonged clinical recovery than athletes who did not demonstrate hyperactivation at the time of their first fMRI scan. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate the relationship between neurophysiological, neuropsychological, and subjective symptom data in a relatively large sample composed primarily of concussed high school athletes. fMRI represents an important evolving technology for the understanding of brain recovery after concussion and may help shape return-to-play guidelines in the future. PMID- 17762750 TI - Observations on spine deformity and syringomyelia. AB - OBJECTIVE: Spine deformities, notably scoliosis, are known to occur in conjunction with syringomyelia. This study aims to analyze the effect of laminectomies performed in the course of treatment of syringomyelia. It examines the incidence, severity, and type of spine deformity as it relates to the extent and location of laminectomies performed. METHODS: Records of 169 patients were analyzed for evidence of spinal deformity on imaging studies for the extent of the syringomyelic cavities and for previous surgical procedures on the spine. This analysis included patients with syringomyelia related to Chiari malformation, as well as patients with primary spinal pathology. RESULTS: Spinal deformities were encountered in 41% of Chiari-syringomyelia patients who had not undergone previous surgery and in 57% of such patients who underwent reoperation. Scoliosis, the most common type of deformity encountered, was likely to be mild in patients who had not undergone previous surgery and severe in reoperated patients. Spine deformity was significantly more common in those patients who had more extensive bone removal. CONCLUSION: Complete laminectomy should be avoided whenever possible in patients with syringomyelia because local denervation of the axial musculature, added to loss of medial anterior horn cells from syringomyelia, favors the development of spine deformities. This is particularly true of laminectomies performed at the junctional areas of the spine, i.e., cervical-thoracic and thoracolumbar. Hemilaminectomy usually suffices for shunt placement; instrumented stabilization should be considered in patients undergoing full laminectomy, especially those considered to be at high risk of developing deformity. PMID- 17762751 TI - Temporal window of metabolic brain vulnerability to concussions: mitochondrial related impairment--part I. AB - OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we investigate the existence of a temporal window of brain vulnerability in rats undergoing repeat mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) delivered at increasing time intervals. METHODS: Rats were subjected to two diffuse mTBIs (450 g/1 m height) with the second mTBI delivered after 1 (n = 6), 2 (n = 6), 3 (n = 6), 4 (n = 6), and 5 days (n = 6) and sacrificed 48 hours after the last impact. Sham-operated animals were used as controls (n = 6). Two further groups of six rats each received a second mTBI after 3 days and were sacrificed at 120 and 168 hours postinjury. Concentrations of adenine nucleotides, N-acetylated amino acids, oxypurines, nucleosides, free coenzyme A, acetyl CoA, and oxidized and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides, oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate nicotinic coenzymes were measured in deproteinized cerebral tissue extracts (three right and three left hemispheres), whereas the gene expression of N-acetylaspartate acylase, the enzyme responsible for N-acetylaspartate (NAA) degradation, was evaluated in extracts of three left and three right hemispheres. RESULTS: A decrease of adenosine triphosphate, adenosine triphosphate/adenosine diphosphate ratio, NAA, N-acetylaspartylglutamate, oxidized and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, and acetyl CoA and increase of N-acetylaspartate acylase expression were related to the interval between impacts with maximal changes recorded when mTBIs were spaced by 3 days. In these animals, protracting the time of sacrifice after the second mTBI up to 1 week failed to show cerebral metabolic recovery, indicating that this type of damage is difficult to reverse. A metabolic pattern similar to controls was observed only in animals receiving mTBIs 5 days apart. CONCLUSION: This study shows the existence of a temporal window of brain vulnerability after mTBI. A second concussive event falling within this time range had profound consequences on mitochondrial-related metabolism. Furthermore, because NAA recovery coincided with normalization of all other metabolites, it is conceivable to hypothesize that NAA measurement by 1H-NMR spectroscopy might be a valid tool in assessing full cerebral metabolic recovery in the clinical setting and with particular reference to sports medicine in establishing when to return mTBI affected athletes to play. This study also shows, for the first time, the influence of TBI on acetyl-CoA, N-acetylaspartate acylase gene expression, and N acetylaspartylglutamate, thus providing novel data on cerebral biochemical changes occurring in head injury. PMID- 17762752 TI - The role of the journal club in neurosurgical training. AB - OBJECTIVE: The journal club (JC) plays a traditional role in resident education. However, little has been written on its current role in neurosurgical training programs. Our goal was to determine resident perception of JCs, factors that make JCs successful, and identifying variables for improving JCs. METHODS: We electronically surveyed all resident members of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons to determine the format, prevalence, content, and efficacy of neurosurgical JCs. RESULTS: Eighty-five percent of the respondents stated that their residency programs have a JC. The perceived primary goal of JCs is for keeping current with the literature and the dissemination of information. Most JCs meet for 1 hour during the week on a monthly basis and review one to three articles. Residents generally present the articles, which are typically original research articles selected by either the faculty or the residents. Most residents consider JCs of good educational value with positive effects on reading habits. Resident and faculty attendance are important variables to a successful JC. Although the majority of residents have minimal background training in epidemiology, biostatistics, or research, fewer than one-third of the training programs provide any type of supplemental sessions or handouts regarding such methods. CONCLUSION: JCs have a high perceived value by neurosurgical residents and should be maintained at all neurosurgical residency training programs. Key factors to a successful JC include faculty and resident attendance. Additional studies are needed to assess optimal JC formats and the possible utilization of supplemental educational tools. PMID- 17762753 TI - The Death of Casagemas: early Picasso, the Blue Period, mortality, and redemption. AB - Pablo Picasso created the posthumous memorial painting, The Death of Casagemas, in 1901 in Paris. The Catalan artist, Carles Casagemas, was a constant companion of Picasso during his formative years in bohemian and "modernista" Barcelona and accompanied Picasso on his seminal first trip to Paris at the turn-of-the century. Casagemas' suicide, the result of a failed romance, in Paris in 1901 was a seismic event for the young Picasso and, to an extent, gave impetus to the origins of the artist's melancholy Blue Period. In his Blue Period paintings, Picasso continually attempted to exorcise the pain and guilt he experienced as a result of the death of Carles Casagemas; this struggle with mortality, human suffering, and pain was a constant theme throughout the continuing decades of Picasso's art. Many of his Blue Period works deal both directly and allegorically with these conflicts. Throughout his life, Picasso sought redemption from the issues of human mortality by creating a vast world of sexuality, strength, and virility. The specter of death, and his need for redemption and survival, haunted Picasso into his 90s. The Death of Casagemas is an illustration, in oil, of Picasso's origins, as well as the tensions and struggles that would give rise to the paintings of the Blue Period and beyond. PMID- 17762754 TI - Surgery versus implant for early prostate cancer: what is equivalence? PMID- 17762755 TI - Association of polymorphisms of FAS-1377, FAS-670, and FASL-844 genes with risk factors for cutaneous malignant melanoma. PMID- 17762756 TI - Surgery versus implant for early prostate cancer: results from a single institution, 1992-2005. AB - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the biochemical disease-free survival rates for radical prostatectomy versus transperineal ultrasound-guided prostate implant for patients with early prostate cancer treated at a single institution from 1992 through 2005. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The charts of 741 patients with early prostate cancer (350 implant and 391 surgery) treated from 1992 through 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Surgery patients were treated by members of the academic Urology Section at Yale University School of Medicine. Implant patients were treated by a combined team from the Urology Section and the Department of Therapeutic Radiology at Yale Medical School. For the 350 implant patients, 35% were treated with iodine-125 and 65% with palladium-103. Of the implant patients 92% were treated with an implant alone and 8% with combined external beam radiation therapy plus an implant and 25% received short-term hormone therapy to downsize the prostate before the implant. Both surgery and implant patients were analyzed based on a group with favorable cancers (clinical stage T1c or T2, prostate-specific antigen <10, and Gleason score <7), an intermediate group (any 1 factor increased compared with the favorable group), and a poor group (any 2 factors increased compared with the favorable group). The follow-up time varied from 12 to 120 months with a mean/median follow-up time of 44 months/42 months for implant patients and 42 months/40 months for surgery patients. Prostate-specific antigen recurrence for surgery was defined as any detectable prostate-specific antigen after surgery. Prostate-specific antigen recurrence for implant was defined as the prostate-specific antigen nadir plus 2 ng/mL after implant. The biochemical disease-free survival rates were calculated using the life-table method. RESULTS: The 5-year biochemical disease-free survival rates for radical prostatectomy versus implant were identical for the favorable group (93% versus 92%), intermediate group (70% versus 70%), and poor group (50% versus 52%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: From 1992 through 2005, implant therapy produced equivalent 5-year biochemical disease-free survival rates compared with surgery in patients with early prostate cancer treated at a single institution. PMID- 17762757 TI - Importance of FAS-1377, FAS-670, and FASL-844 polymorphisms in tumor onset, progression, and pigment phenotypes of Swedish patients with melanoma: a case control analysis. AB - PURPOSE: Human skin melanoma at later stages usually has an extremely poor prognosis. It is of importance to search for biologic markers to identify and monitor individuals at risk for melanoma for early diagnosis and to avoid tumor progression. The FAS gene and its natural ligand (FASL) gene initiate the death signal cascade, playing a central role in the apoptotic signaling pathway and tumor growth and metastasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, we analyzed polymorphisms in 229 patients with melanoma and 351 age- and gender-matched tumor free individuals. Genomic DNAs were isolated from mononuclear cells in peripheral vein blood, and the polymorphisms were examined with polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques. Frequency in distribution of the polymorphisms was compared between the patients with melanoma and the healthy control subjects, and associations with patients' pigment phenotypes, age at diagnosis, and melanoma characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The FAS-1377, FAS-670, and FASL-844 polymorphisms were not found to be markers of melanoma risk (P > 0.05). In patients with melanoma, frequencies of the FAS-1377, FAS-670, and FASL-844 polymorphisms were different between the patients aged <50 and > or =50 years (P < or = 0.025, P < or = 0.025, and P < or = 0.01). Moreover, the FAS-670 polymorphism correlated with tumor Breslow thickness (P < or = 0.01) and Clark level (P < or = 0.001) and was associated with tumors developing in sun exposed locations (P < or = 0.001). FAS and FASL were not markers for melanoma risk but might be important in the development and progression of sun-induced melanoma independently of skin type. PMID- 17762758 TI - High-dose radiotherapy for the treatment of inoperable non-small cell lung cancer. AB - PURPOSE: Local failure continues to be a major cause of mortality in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with radiation therapy. Dose escalation is one method of improving local control. We investigated whether high-dose radiotherapy enhances outcomes in patients with inoperable NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-two patients with inoperable NSCLC stage I-IIIB were treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy to doses of > or =80 Gy. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on stage: those with stage I/II disease (55 patients) and those with stage III (IIIA or IIIB) disease (27 patients). RESULTS: The 5-year local control and overall survival rates for the patients with stage I/II disease were 67% and 36%, respectively, with a median survival time of 41 months. For the patients with stage III disease, 5-year local control and overall survival rates were observed to be 39% and 31%, respectively, with a median survival time of 32 months. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show a favorable 5-year overall survival rate (36%) with an acceptable toxicity profile in patients with early-stage NSCLC treated to doses of > or =80 Gy using three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy. Sequential chemotherapy combined with high-dose radiation gave survival rates equivalent to those seen with concurrent chemoradiation therapy in locally advanced disease. The overall survival and local control rates observed among patients with all stages of disease are consistent with and comparable to results from other dose-escalation studies reported in the literature. PMID- 17762759 TI - Limited-stage extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma: outcomes after modern chemotherapy and radiotherapy. AB - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical outcomes and patterns of failure of limited-stage extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma (EPSCC) treated with modern chemotherapy and radiation (RT). METHODS: We retrospectively identified 18 patients with limited-stage EPSCC treated definitively with three dimensional conformal RT or intensity modulated radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Patients were treated between November 1987 and May 2006. Primary sites of disease included head and neck (n = 7), genitourinary (n = 7), gynecologic (n = 3), and gastrointestinal (n = 1). Chemotherapy consisted of combined platinum and etoposide in 88% of patients. The median number of chemotherapy cycles was 4 (range 3-6), and the median RT dose was 62 Gy (range 32.4-85 Gy). No patient received prophylactic cranial radiation. RESULTS: With a median follow-up for all patients of 14 months (range 4-42 months), the median overall survival was 17 months, and median disease-free survival was 6 months. Eleven percent (2 of 18) of patients had a locoregional failure, and 78% (14 of 18) had a distant failure. One of these patients had a brain failure. There were no significant differences between the overall survival for patients with gynecologic, head and neck, and genitourinary disease. CONCLUSIONS: Despite modern chemotherapy and RT, patients with limited-stage EPSCC do poorly. Consistent with previous findings the majority of the first failures are distant. Brain failures in this series were uncommon despite no prophylactic cranial radiation. These findings support the need for further studies in an attempt to improve systemic therapies for this disease. PMID- 17762760 TI - Phase II study of capecitabine with concomitant radiotherapy for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer: up-regulation of thymidine phosphorylase. AB - PURPOSE: The objectives of this phase II study were to evaluate the effect of radiation (XRT) on thymidine phosphorylase (TP), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and the efficacy of capecitabine-XRT in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients received 50.4 Gy XRT with capecitabine 1,600 mg/m(2) on Monday through Friday for 6 weeks determined from our phase I study (Saif MW, Eloubeidi MA, Russo S, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2005;23:8679-8687). After capecitabine-XRT, stable and responding patients received capecitabine 2,000 mg/m(2) for 14 days every 3 weeks till progression. Restaging was performed every 9 weeks. Tumor specimens were procured with endoscopic ultrasound-fine needle aspiration before and at week 2 after capecitabine-XRT was started to evaluate the effect of XRT on TP, DPD, and TNF-alpha mRNA levels, determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Among 20 patients, 4 (20%) had a partial response and 13 (65%) had stable disease. Two patients underwent surgical resection (10%). The 6-month survival rate was 84%, and the 1-year survival was 58%. Grade > or =3 toxicities included nausea/vomiting (5%), thrombosis (5%), hyperbilirubinemia (5%), and grade 3 gastrointestinal bleeding (5%). TP was elevated during week 2 when compared with the pre-XRT TP (P = 0.01). However, no such effect of XRT was found either on DPD (P = 0.22) or on TNF-alpha (P = 0.6). No correlation between TP and TNF-alpha was noticed. Also, no association between TP/DPD ratio and efficacy of capecitabine was identified. CONCLUSIONS: This phase II study further confirms our phase I results and suggests that capecitabine-XRT is an effective, tolerable, and convenient alternative to an infusional 5-fluorouracil regimen for patients with pancreatic cancer. Although results support the use of capecitabine-XRT and TP was up regulated, there appears to be additional genes associated with the response to capecitabine. PMID- 17762761 TI - Phase II trial of weekly docetaxel/irinotecan combination in advanced pancreatic cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: Docetaxel and irinotecan have activity in pancreatic cancer. The combination of docetaxel and irinotecan is attractive because of preclinical evidence of synergy between the two drugs. We have previously demonstrated the safety of docetaxel 35 mg/m(2) and irinotecan 50 mg/m(2) given on days 1, 8, 15, and 21 of a 35-day schedule. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who had unresectable or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, bidimensionally measurable disease, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2, and normal bilirubin levels were eligible. Tumor assessment was performed with computed tomography, computed tomographic angiography, or magnetic resonance imaging every 2 cycles. Response was graded according to World Health Organization criteria. RESULTS: We enrolled 37 eligible patients. Principal grade 3/4 toxicities were diarrhea (21%), neutropenia (30%), and hyperglycemia (30%). There were 3 patients with febrile neutropenia and no toxic deaths. There were 4 early deaths. Among 36 evaluable patients, 9 (24%) attained a partial response and 1 (3%) attained a complete response for an objective response rate of 27%. One patient enrolled because she had been deemed to have unresectable disease but then underwent resection with negative margins after attaining a confirmed partial response. Median survival for all eligible patients is 9.4 months (range 0-68+ months) with minimum follow-up for surviving patients of 23.4 months. One-year survival is 43%. The patient who attained a complete response is alive with recurrent disease at 68 months. CONCLUSIONS: The docetaxel/irinotecan combination given on a weekly schedule is an active treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. PMID- 17762762 TI - Findings at follow-up endoscopies in subjects with suspected colorectal abnormalities: effects of baseline findings and time to follow-up. AB - PURPOSE: Guidelines for colonoscopic surveillance after the removal of colorectal polyps already exist in the United Kingdom and United States. However, there is a continuing need to build up an evidence base on the likely effect of different follow-up policies for specific current findings. This article reports on the colonoscopic surveillance of a cohort of patients in Taiwan. The risk of various outcomes at the second examination is assessed according to findings at the first examination and the interval between examinations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from baseline and follow-up examinations for 2,287 individuals attending the National Taiwan University Hospital were collected retrospectively. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for the following 4 outcomes: any positive findings; multiple (> or =3) polyps; large (> or =10 mm) polyp(s); or villous adenoma(s) or cancer. The effect of the interval between examinations was assessed in all models. RESULTS: Older age was an independent risk factor for all outcomes. The number of baseline polyps was a significant risk factor for both positive results and multiple polyps, more severe baseline histology was a risk factor for large polyps and villous adenomas/cancer, and larger baseline polyps were a risk factor for large polyps at follow-up. Interval time was only an independent risk factor for villous adenomas/cancer, which tended to be found at shorter follow-up times. The total number of abnormalities found at follow-up was significantly related to the number of follow-up examinations but not to the total follow-up time. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that, with the possible exception of subjects with villous adenomas at baseline, most reexaminations can safely be delayed for > or =5 years. In the majority of cases staff at the hospital were correctly identifying those subjects at particularly high risk and assigning shorter follow-up intervals accordingly. Models indicate that many of the findings seen at follow-up were due to missed baseline findings. PMID- 17762763 TI - Impact of caring for children with cerebral palsy on the general health of their caregivers in an African community. AB - Caring for children with physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy can have an impact on the health of their caregivers. Records show a dearth of literature on the health impact of caring for children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Africa. This study compared the general health of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy (CGCP) with that of caregivers of age-matched children without cerebral palsy (CGNCP). The relationship between severities of motor disorder in children with CP and the general health of their caregivers was also investigated. Participants comprised 71 CGCP and 70 CGNCP in the Yoruba community of South-Western Nigeria. The General Health Questionnaire was administered to all participants and the severity of motor disorder was assessed in children with cerebral palsy using the Gross Motor Function Measure-66. Results showed significantly higher General Health Questionnaire scores in the caregivers of children with cerebral palsy than in the caregivers of age-matched children without cerebral palsy group (U=1237.5, P=0.00). No significant correlation was found between the Gross Motor Function Measure and General Health Questionnaire scores of the caregivers of children with cerebral palsy (rho=-0.104). Caring for children with cerebral palsy apparently had a negative impact on the health of their caregivers when compared with the health of caregivers of children without cerebral palsy. It seemed that severity of motor disorder in cerebral palsy had no direct bearing on the health status of caregivers. PMID- 17762764 TI - Self-concept in children with attention deficits. AB - This study focuses on the BASTA project (basic skills, social interaction and training of the working memory), which studied children with attention deficits and hyperactive behaviour attending remedial classes in regular schools. The project is interdisciplinary, with research teams from both social science and medicine. Our study is both qualitative and quantitative with a socio-cultural approach, and focuses on the pupil's social interaction, self-concept and the classroom climate. This article reports on the results of the study on self concept. Our supposition was that the pupil's self-concept should change when they improved their skills in reading, writing and mathematics, but this was not the case. The results showed the dominating pattern to be that the differences between data from the BASTA project and comparison data from a similar study on academic self-concept, social self-concept, personal self-concept and global self concept are small to nonexistent. Our results indicate that the children studied report higher degrees of self-concept than were warranted and that entering remedial classes was often linked to previous academic failures, social failures or both. PMID- 17762765 TI - Ethical issues when interviewing children in remedial classes. AB - This study concerns the ethical issues related to interviews with children. In a substudy of the Basic Skills, Social Interaction and Training of the Working Memory (BASTA) project, 10 children between 10 and 12 years of age were interviewed. Interviews involving children have to address many more ethical issues than interviews with adults. Children constitute an overexposed group because they are under age and because they stand in a dependent relationship with adults. One ethical dilemma for the researcher in interviews with children might be the conflict between professional secrecy and the obligation to report, as stated in the Swedish Social Services Act. According to this Act and to ethical research principles, researchers are bound to maintain professional secrecy. PMID- 17762766 TI - Personal relationships after a spinal cord injury. AB - The objective of this study was to examine the perspectives of individuals living with spinal cord injury (N=14) concerning the changes that occur in personal relationships after the injury. A qualitative study was completed and a finer grained analysis of data collected from a primary study took place. The primary study had a cross-sectional and retrospective design in which participants with an acquired spinal cord injury were interviewed. Data collection took place in five regions of Ontario, Canada. A modified grounded theory analysis was performed on data related to relationships that was extracted from a primary study. Many study participants believed that their relationships with others provided them with support to assist in their recovery; however, for some participants this support led to their feeling overassisted by their family and friends. Study participants also discussed the barriers they experienced that limited the formation of new relationships; some participants also discussed the strategies they employ to deal with these barriers. Finally, many participants discussed how their relationships with others helped them to view their own spinal cord injuries positively and to take on new life roles. The findings of this study indicate that occupational and physical therapists and other health professionals should assist individuals with spinal cord injury to continue to participate in their relationships. Directions for future research are also discussed. PMID- 17762767 TI - The impact of subacute whiplash-associated disorders on functional self-efficacy: a cohort study. AB - Self-efficacy is increasingly being recognized as an important factor to consider in medical research, especially in different pain conditions such as whiplash associated disorders (WAD). When pain is not effectively treated or relieved, it may negatively affect patients' life situation and cause a decline in perceived self-efficacy. Knowledge of what level of self-efficacy can be considered an actual deficit in patients with WAD is, however, sparse. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether subacute WAD has an impact on self-efficacy beliefs. A cohort study was designed to identify the impact of WAD on self-efficacy beliefs. The exposed group consisted of 47 patients with subacute WAD following a whiplash trauma. The control group representing the general population consisted of 212 participants, and was randomly selected to match the distribution of age and sex in the exposed group. The Self-Efficacy Scale was used to assess the individuals' confidence in their ability to successfully carry out activities of daily living. In the exposed group, 47 responded (100%), and in the control group, 113 (53%) responded. The results show that the total scores on the Self Efficacy Scale were significantly lower in the exposed group compared with the control group, concerning both the mean (P<0.001) and median (P<0.001) scores. In conclusion, patients with subacute WAD experience a decline in functional self efficacy, which stresses the importance of incorporating these beliefs in clinical practice and research. PMID- 17762768 TI - Functional vibratory stimulation on the hand facilitates voluntary movements of a hemiplegic upper limb in a patient with stroke. AB - The use of a new device consisting of a small vibrator to deliver functional vibratory stimulation (FVS) to the arm resulted in improvements of flexion of the hemiparetic shoulder in a man with thalamic bleeding. FVS delivered to the palm enabled the patient to repeat flexing his hemiparetic shoulder to manipulate objects with his hand. The functions of the patient's hemiparetic shoulder and fingers improved after treatments using FVS for 1 month. We examined whether FVS of the hemiplegic upper limb could facilitate voluntary movements of the limb by increasing the excitability of the motor cortex or the spinal motor neurons using somatosensory-evoked potentials, transcranial magnetic stimulation, F-wave, and single photon emission computed tomography. Our results did not detect an increase of excitability in the motor cortex or in spinal motor neurons by FVS. PMID- 17762769 TI - Internet-based rehabilitation for individuals with chronic pain and burnout II: a long-term follow-up. AB - This study is a long-term follow-up of a previously published study that used the internet in the rehabilitation of people on long-term sick leave owing to chronic pain and/or burnout. The follow-up was to assess the effects over time of this kind of rehabilitation. The goals of the first study were to improve the participants' health and work capacity. Sixty people were randomly assigned to either a treatment or a waiting-list group. A 20-week rehabilitation programme based on 19 films on different themes was supplemented with written material and a dialogue over the internet. Fifty participants, 25 in each group, were followed up for 1 year after programme completion. They were administered the same questionnaire (SF-36, HAD, Stress Barometer) that they had taken immediately before (pre) and after (post) the rehabilitation programme. No significant differences were found regarding stress and health between the treatment and waiting-list groups at the time of the 12-month follow-up. Significant group differences were, however, seen in work capacity (number of hours worked per week): 52% of the participants in the treatment group reported an increased work capacity, compared with only 13% in the waiting-list group (P=0.005). Rehabilitation of people on long-term sick leave, which is carried out over the internet seems to complement other rehabilitation programmes as well. PMID- 17762770 TI - Evaluation of the psychometrics of the Social Impact Scale: a measure of stigmatization. AB - As stigmatization has a large impact on patients, therapists need a measure of this impact to provide patients with adequate services. This study, therefore, examined the reliability and validity of the Social Impact Scale (SIS) when applied to three groups of individuals diagnosed with major depression, schizophrenia, or HIV/AIDS. The study sample (N=580) included 237 patients with depressive disorder, 119 with schizophrenia, and 224 with HIV/AIDS. Of these, 56% were men, 45.5% had an elementary school education or less, 48% were employed, and 56% were single. The Rasch measurement model, an item-response theory, was used to analyze the SIS structure and quality. The Rasch model solves several statistical problems of traditional measurement theory, such as misuse of ordinal data as interval data and sample dependence. Rasch analysis indicated that the 24 items of the SIS fit the measurement model. The match between item difficulties and person abilities was adequate. All items showed acceptable rating scale structure. The separation reliability of the scale reached 0.99. The SIS had acceptable psychometric qualities in terms of internal consistency, item validity, person validity, sensitivity, and concurrent validity when applied to patients with depression, schizophrenia, and HIV/AIDS in Taiwan. PMID- 17762771 TI - The measurement of the Hong Kong-based 'Baseline Survey of Students' Attitudes toward People with a Disability': cross-cultural validation in Lebanon. AB - The negative attitudes of nondisabled persons are among the most serious invisible barriers to the full participation and integration of disabled citizens into society. A big question is, 'what is the current level of acceptance and recognition of disabled persons in a given society, and what kind of public awareness interventions shall be devised to promote positive changes?'. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the level of the existing attitudinal barriers in a war-torn, middle-income Arab country, Lebanon. The study attempted to determine the present level of prejudice against people with a disability in Lebanon, and to examine the relationship between the participants' attitudes, and their previous exposure to and personal experience with disability. An instrument, the 'Baseline Survey of Students' Attitudes toward People with a Disability', developed by the Equal Opportunity Commission of Hong Kong, was selected as the instrument. A total of 94 valid questionnaires were collected from three universities in Beirut, Lebanon. This instrument was able to differentiate the participating students' attitudes toward people with different types of disabilities. The scale and its subscales showed that students generally had less favorable attitudes toward people with intellectual impairment and mental illness (including the ex-mentally ill). The participating Lebanese university students (an older age group than the Hong Kong students) are more differentiating in their attitudes toward people with the two most-discriminated categories of disabled people (the intellectually disabled and those with mental illness history). The cross-cultural validity and reliability of this instrument has been confirmed, and the major findings of this study could inform future policy directions, public awareness-raising strategies and social interaction variables to foster positive public attitudes in Lebanon. PMID- 17762772 TI - A new evaluation method for upper extremity dexterity of patients with hemiparesis after stroke: the 10-second tests. AB - We developed a new, sensitive evaluation method for upper extremity dexterity in patients with hemiparesis after stroke. This evaluation method consists of three types of test: the Finger Individual Movement Test, Hand Pronation and Supination Test, and Finger Tapping Test. In each test, the number of movements that can be performed during a 10-s period is measured. Data obtained by these 10-s tests were compared with those obtained by the Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT), and the usefulness of this new method was evaluated. In patients with hemiparesis after stroke, three types of 10-s test and NHPT were performed for the upper extremities on both the affected and unaffected sides. Simple correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis of data obtained by the three types of test and NHPT were performed using the affected/unaffected ratios. Twenty patients participated (54-85 years; 0.23-43.83 months after stroke) with mild upper extremity hemiparesis. Significant correlations exist between Finger Individual Movement Test and NHPT data (r=-0.584, P=0.0068) and between Hand Pronation and Supination Test and NHPT data (r=-0.707, P=0.0005). The multiple regression analysis model using the three types of 10-s test as explanatory variables was significant (P=0.0025) and explained 52.4% of the NHPT results. A significant association was observed between NHPT and the 10-s tests. The 10-s tests require no special examination instruments and can be readily performed in a short period. This evaluation method consisting of the 10-s tests can be a new clinical parameter of dexterity in patients with hemiparesis after stroke. PMID- 17762773 TI - BiosStep-assisted walking in spinal cord-injured patients: an evaluation report. AB - BiosStep is a functional neuromuscular stimulation system designed to assist the gait of people with central nervous system injuries. It stimulates the quadriceps during the stance phase and the nerves in the popliteal space to produce the swing phase of the gait cycle. The gait obtained with BiosStep was assessed using kinematic analysis and it was compared with nondisabled gait. Moreover, the evolution of the physiological cost of walking using BiosStep was evaluated and compared with the gait obtained with mechanical orthoses. The kinematic analysis of the three lower limb joints showed that the angular excursion morphologies of BiosStep-assisted gait were similar to those obtained in healthy gait, but with minor amplitudes. The physiological cost indexes for the BiosStep-assisted gait were higher than those computed for the mechanical-orthoses-assisted gait. Results show the necessity to continue improving the strategies to obtain more functional movements and enhance the training of patients. PMID- 17762774 TI - The impact of pain and depression on assessment of rehabilitation need: a cross sectional study in long-term sick-listed patients. AB - The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between pain extent, severity of depressive symptoms and recommended rehabilitation measures in long term sick-listed patients. In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of 228 long-term sick-listed patients consecutively referred to a multidisciplinary setting were examined retrospectively. Three specialists in psychiatry, orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation medicine had made joint rehabilitation recommendations into the four different groups: (i) back to work without rehabilitation; (ii) vocational rehabilitation or adjusted work; (iii) medical rehabilitation and (iv) sick pension. Each patient filled in a pain drawing as a measure of pain extent and the self-administered Montgomery-Asberg-Depression Rating Scale for evaluating the severity of depressive symptoms. Ninety-five percent of the patients had ongoing pain and 53% had depression. No statistically significant difference was seen between the outcome groups regarding the pain extent. A statistically significant difference was seen between the back to work without any rehabilitation and vocational rehabilitation or adjusted work groups in Montgomery-Asberg-Depression-Rating Scale score versus the medical rehabilitation and sick-pension groups [P<0.001 between groups (chi(2) test); P<0.05 within groups (Tukey-Kramer Honestly Significant Difference test)]. In conclusion, two-thirds of the patients were assessed to need medical rehabilitation. These patient groups could be separated from the ones who were assessed to be able to go back to work without medical rehabilitation by the severity of the ongoing depression, but not by the pain extent alone. It was found that the combination of severity of depression and pain extent provided more information than the severity of depression alone. PMID- 17762776 TI - Etiology of travel-related fever. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Many potentially life-threatening infections cause fever. Several recent large studies help to define causes of fever in returned travelers. RECENT FINDINGS: The destination of travel determines the relative likelihood of the different major causes of fever. Systemic febrile illness occurs disproportionately among ill travelers returning from sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria remains the most important overall cause of systemic febrile illness in travelers to tropical regions; dengue fever is now the most prominent cause of fever in travelers to certain regions, most notably Asia. Chikungunya fever has emerged as a major cause of fever in travelers to Indian Ocean islands off Africa and to India itself. Causes of fever vary by the time of presentation after travel. Vivax malaria is an important cause of fever with onset more than a month after return; recently studies have shown that parasites causing relapse are genetically distinct from those causing primary infection. At expert referral centers up to 25% of febrile patients have no specific cause of fever determined. SUMMARY: Knowledge of predominant causes of febrile infections by geographic region, traveler characteristics, and time of presentation can assist the clinician in guiding posttravel diagnosis and empiric therapy of ill returned travelers and is also valuable in pretravel preparation. PMID- 17762777 TI - Meningococcal vaccine in travelers. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: New vaccines to prevent meningococcal disease have been licensed in recent years. It is therefore timely to discuss current vaccine strategies pertinent to international travelers in relation to the changing epidemiology. RECENT FINDINGS: Serogroup W135 achieved epidemic status in Africa in 2002, and then largely disappeared over a short time period. The year 2006 saw a marked epidemic rise in meningitis attack rates across the meningitis belt in Africa. This rise was mainly due to a new serogroup A strain, indicating that a new meningitis epidemic wave is beginning in Africa. Epidemics are also spreading south of the meningitis belt, including the Greater Lakes Area (Burundi, Rwanda, Republic of Tanzania). The new quadrivalent conjugate meningococcal vaccine is now licensed in North America but not elsewhere. In most other industrialized countries, the serogroup C conjugate vaccine is licensed. Plain polysaccharide quadrivalent vaccines are available almost worldwide. SUMMARY: Quadrivalent meningococcal vaccination is a visa requirement for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Travelers to the meningitis belt during the dry season should be advised to receive meningococcal vaccine that covers all four serogroups. This recommendation should be extended to the Greater Lake Area, because of recent epidemics. Vaccine choices depend on availability. PMID- 17762779 TI - Asexual blood-stage malaria vaccine development: facing the challenges. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this article is to highlight the challenges that researchers face in the development of asexual blood-stage vaccines, and the progress made recently towards achieving the goal of a successful candidate to reduce morbidity. RECENT FINDINGS: There is good rationale to support the development of blood-stage malaria vaccines, the most promising being the demonstration that nonimmune volunteers repeatedly challenged and cured with blood-stage parasites developed immunity to subsequent challenge as well as the demonstration of the efficacy of the first asexual blood-stage vaccine tested in a malaria endemic area (combination B) to reduce parasite density in children. The selective pressure induced by this vaccine and the accumulating evidence of extensive antigenic diversity of blood-stage proteins pose a difficult challenge to vaccine researchers. Numerous clinical trials, both in nonendemic and endemic areas, are being conducted with different antigens, different allelic types and different protein fragments. SUMMARY: Considerable efforts and funding are available to shift from laboratory experiments to field trials. Field trials remain the definitive method to assess the real impact of different vaccines in the target populations. More rigorous side-by-side comparisons are needed between the different vaccines using standardized in-vitro and in-vivo testing, so that the most promising candidates will be selected for further development. PMID- 17762778 TI - Preerythrocytic malaria vaccine development. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review examines the potential of current preerythrocytic stage malaria vaccine approaches to reduce the global burden of malaria. RECENT FINDINGS: Radiation-attenuated parasite vaccines induce lasting sterile protection in all models tested. Inherent safety concerns in conjunction with challenges to produce and deliver a radiation-attenuated parasite vaccine have prevented its mass production and application. Recent advances in genetic engineering and initiatives in production process development of live attenuated malaria vaccines, however, will overcome roadblocks that currently prevent their large-scale application. Development of preerythrocytic subunit vaccines has focused on the circumsporozoite protein and the thrombospondin related anonymous protein, yet the most advanced circumsporozoite protein-based vaccine confers limited protection against infection in malaria endemic areas. Work in rodent malaria models demonstrated that circumsporozoite protein-based immunity is not required for to achieve sterile protection. SUMMARY: We conclude that preerythrocytic malaria vaccine efforts should focus on two major areas: development of a safe live attenuated sporozoite vaccine with its accelerated testing in malaria endemic areas and identification of as yet unknown antigens that reproduce sterilizing immune responses induced by vaccination with whole parasites. The sporozoite challenge model provides a unique opportunity to rapidly test preerythrocytic vaccine candidates. PMID- 17762780 TI - Mosquito stage, transmission blocking vaccines for malaria. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review highlights progress made in the development of vaccines aimed at the stages of malaria parasites found in mosquitoes that block the transmission of malaria within a community. RECENT FINDINGS: Substantial progress has been made on the production and characterization of the leading candidates P25 and P28 from Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax. Immunogenicity data have been obtained for P25 in humans that showed significant transmission blocking activity and further advances in formulation should boost this activity. The completion of the malaria genome and ongoing proteomics identified further candidate antigens now entering development. SUMMARY: Recent advances increase confidence that a mosquito stage transmission blocking malaria vaccine will be feasible. PMID- 17762781 TI - Immune reconstitution disease associated with parasitic infections following initiation of antiretroviral therapy. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this article is to review the literature concerning immune reconstitution disease associated with parasitic infections during antiretroviral therapy. RECENT FINDINGS: Immune reconstitution disease is most commonly associated with mycobacterial, chronic viral and invasive fungal infections. The spectrum of infections recognized to be associated with this phenomenon is expanding, however, and now includes a number of parasite infections (protozoal and helminthic). A total of 24 suspected cases have been reported in association with the following diseases: leishmaniasis in its various forms (visceral, cutaneous, mucosal and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis), toxoplasmosis, cryptosporidiosis, schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis. All cases associated with helminthic infections (schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis) occurred in immigrants from tropical countries living in high-income countries; four of the patients with leishmaniasis were either immigrants or migrants who had moved out of endemic areas. As access to antiretroviral therapy expands in resource-limited settings, the clinical spectrum, frequency and impact of immune reconstitution disease associated with parasitic infections must be defined. SUMMARY: Reports of immune reconstitution disease associated with parasitic infections are increasing, with many occurring in immigrants or migrants from areas where these diseases are endemic. The importance of such cases in antiretroviral therapy programmes in resource-limited settings, however, is not yet known. PMID- 17762782 TI - Zoonotic helminth infections of humans: echinococcosis, cysticercosis and fascioliasis. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Tissue parasites of humans are still prevalent in most regions of the world, and are also seen more frequently in developed countries due to increasing travel patterns. In particular, Echinococcus infections still account for hepatic and pulmonary pathology, cysticercosis is a major cause of seizures and epilepsy, and fascioliasis also causes significant liver pathology. This review summarizes current knowledge on clinical and epidemiologic aspects of zoonotic disease caused by tissue helminths. RECENT FINDINGS: Tissue helminth infections remain as a public health concern. Recent research has provided new insights into clinical disease in humans and improved methods for diagnosis, treatment and control, arising mostly from the application of new techniques for immune and molecular diagnosis, availability of data from controlled trials, and development of new vaccines. Specific antiparasitic therapies are now better characterized, and new control tools are available. SUMMARY: Recent research has provided new diagnostic technologies applicable to diagnosis, treatment and control, but effective interventions to reduce transmission are rarely applied. Despite some progress in their control, these zoonoses continue to be a major public health problem in many regions both in developing countries and in some more developed ones. PMID- 17762783 TI - Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a tick-borne viral zoonosis with the potential of human-to-human transmission, affecting wide areas in Asia, Southeastern Europe, and Africa. Hemorrhagic manifestations constitute a prominent symptom of late stage disease with case fatality rates from 10% to 50%. The purpose of this article is to review recent literature on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever with emphasis on its epidemiology and management. RECENT FINDINGS: Climate and environmental changes may affect Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever epidemiology and trigger community outbreaks. Risk factors for acquisition of infection have been well studied. In the hospital, high-risk activities include interventions for gastrointestinal bleeding and needle stick injuries. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction may rapidly diagnose Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever with high sensitivity and specificity. Ribavirin is the only promising therapeutic agent currently available but case-control studies have not been conducted. Recently, the Mx proteins have been found to act against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and deserve further research. SUMMARY: Clinicians should be aware of the potential of importation of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever cases from endemic areas and nosocomial transmission. Studies on the efficacy of ribavirin are needed. PMID- 17762784 TI - Rotavirus vaccines: entering a new stage of deployment. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Rotavirus is the single most important cause of severe diarrhoea in infants and young children. This review provides updated information concerning three rotavirus vaccines that are being evaluated and introduced globally. RECENT FINDINGS: Two large, phase III clinical trials, each involving more than 60,000 infants in both developing and developed countries, demonstrated that both RotaTeq (Merck & Co., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, USA), the pentavalent human-bovine reassortant vaccine, and Rotarix (GlaxoSmithKine Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium), the monovalent live-attenuated human rotavirus vaccine, are safe with respect to intussusception when the first dose is administered between 6 and 12 weeks of age, and that both vaccines are 90-95% efficacious in preventing severe rotavirus gastroenteritis including hospitalization. The bovine (UK)-human rotavirus reassortant tetravalent (BRV-TV) vaccine, developed at the National Institutes of Health (USA), was licensed for local production in several developing countries. SUMMARY: Rotavirus vaccines are entering a new stage of deployment toward the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality attributed to rotavirus infection in developing countries, and hospitalizations and emergency visits caused by rotavirus in developed countries. High vaccine prices appear to offset cost savings, and may make policymakers even in wealthy countries hesitate to introduce a rotavirus vaccine into their childhood immunization programmes. PMID- 17762785 TI - The normal intestinal microbiota. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Long neglected and considered a difficult ecosystem to study, several developments have recently converged to renew interest in studying the normal gut microbiota. These include molecular methods of studying the microbiota, improved understanding of host-microbe interactions in health and disease, and the potential for therapeutic manipulation of the microbiota. This review focuses on the most recent work in these areas. RECENT FINDINGS: Host microbe signaling in the gut is critical for normal development and homeostasis of the gastrointestinal mucosa. The molecular basis of these interactions promises new therapeutic strategies for various disorders. Particularly noteworthy has been the emergence of evidence for the role of enteric bacterial metabolism in the pathogenesis of disorders ranging from functional and inflammatory bowel diseases to human obesity. Metagenomic and metabolomic profiling of the microbiota, although at an early stage, has demonstrated the range and complexity of the gut ecosystem and cast insights into several diseases. The molecular basis of host-microbe dialogue and the mechanisms by which the host contains enteric bacteria within the lumen has immediate relevance to infectious and chronic inflammatory bowel disease. SUMMARY: Improved understanding of the normal gut microbiota has made the therapeutic manipulation of the gut ecosystem a valid and realistic future prospect. PMID- 17762786 TI - The second century of Campylobacter research: recent advances, new opportunities and old problems. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite the prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and the importance of the disease, investigations into pathogenesis have been restricted because of the absence of a convenient animal model of disease. In particular it is still unclear how C. jejuni infection causes diarrhoea. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent developments in improved models of infection and studies on the innate immune responses have provided a deeper understanding of host-pathogen interactions. From the organism's perspective, further genomics-based information including two new genome sequences has provided much basic information, particularly relating to cell surface glycostructures. SUMMARY: Research over the last few years is starting to address the gaps in our knowledge of how this important human pathogen interacts with host cells and causes diarrhoeal disease. Further research is required for a detailed understanding of these interactions and also to develop intervention strategies to reduce the burden of C. jejuni associated disease. PMID- 17762787 TI - Below the belt: new insights into potential complications of HIV-1/schistosome coinfections. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Areas of the world with high endemnicity for helminth parasites overlap with those regions that have a seemingly disproportionate prevalence of HIV/AIDS. This has fueled speculation that potential pathological interactions between these infectious agents may accelerate disease progression. The proximity of many helminth infections to gastrointestinal mucosal sites combined with the recent discovery that acute HIV-1 infection causes early and massive depletion of CD4+ T cells in the gut furthers the potential pathological significance of co-infection. In this review, the 'gut wrenching' consequences of schistosome infection on HIV disease progression that may ensue during coinfection are considered. RECENT FINDINGS: Massive depletion of CD4+ T cells in the gut during acute HIV-1 infection suggests that in addition to the administration of highly active antiretroviral therapy, limiting viral infection of susceptible cells in the gut after initial exposure may offer the best opportunity for slowing disease progression. In addition to memory T cells, mast cells, which are present in the intestinal lamina propria and upregulated in the gut during schistosome infection, have been recently described as an inducible reservoir of persistent HIV-1 infection. SUMMARY: Schistosome infections create immune environments that may accelerate HIV disease progression. Their impact on highly active antiretroviral therapy should be considered. PMID- 17762788 TI - Intestinal cestodes. AB - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review summarizes the biology, clinical aspects, diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology for the common and rarer (zoonotic) intestinal cestodes of humans. RECENT FINDINGS: Mass drug application to eliminate Taenia solium carriers may have only temporary effects on cysticercosis transmission. At least two major world genotypes of T. solium have been identified and greater genetic heterogeneity may occur at the regional level. A new human taeniid T. asiatica has been confirmed which occurs sympatrically with T. saginata and T. solium in Southeast Asia. Coproantigen and PCR tests for Taenia spp. have greatly improved diagnostic efficacy and epidemiological studies. There appears to be an increase in human diphyllobothriasis in Europe, Japan and the Americas. SUMMARY: Human intestinal cestode infections are globally primarily caused by species in three genera: Taenia, Hymenolepis or Diphyllobothrium. Sporadic zoonotic infections caused by nontaeniids are usually food-borne or due to accidental ingestion of invertebrate hosts. Intestinal cestode infections generally result in only mild symptoms characterized chiefly by abdominal discomfort and diarrhoea. Most human intestinal cestode infections can be treated with a single oral dose of praziquantel or niclosamide. PMID- 17762789 TI - Bibliography. Current world literature. Tropical and travel-associated diseases. PMID- 17762790 TI - Incidence and significance of myocardial injury after surgical treatment of head and neck cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: To review the incidence of, and risk factors for myocardial injury after head and neck surgery to help optimize patient care and develop perioperative cardioprotective strategies. STUDY DESIGN: Observational cohort study. METHODS: Records of 65 patients surgically treated for upper aerodigestive tract squamous cell carcinoma between 2005 and 2006 were reviewed. Information about cardiovascular history, tumor characteristics, details of surgery, and postoperative complications were recorded. Patients had troponin assays on the third postoperative day. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for postoperative myocardial injury. RESULTS: The average age at presentation was 62+/-12 years. There were 46 (71%) males and 19 (29%) females. Troponin-positive and -negative groups were matched for age, sex, cardiovascular risks, comorbidity, site, tumor-node-metastasis status, and duration of the operations. Sixteen (25%) patients had postoperative myocardial injury including five clinical myocardial infarctions. Factors identified as independent predictors of postoperative myocardial injury were blood pressure level (odds ratio [OR] 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.31; P<.02), intraoperative heart rate variability (OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.04-1.71; P<.02), and the degree of postoperative inflammatory response (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.02-1.13; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative myocardial injury is a known independent predictor of cardiovascular prognosis. Its incidence in head and neck patients could potentially be reduced through stringent blood pressure management, tight intraoperative heart rate control, and dampening of the postoperative inflammatory response. Troponin testing is a valuable screening tool, and patients who have elevated levels postoperatively should be closely monitored and referred to a cardiologist for optimization of cardiovascular care. PMID- 17762791 TI - Routine histologic examination is unnecessary for tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the current practice and incurred cost of histologic examination of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy specimens is warranted. STUDY DESIGN: Review article based on medical literature. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A retrospective PubMed review of all pertinent literature regarding tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and related surgical pathology was conducted. References of the articles obtained were reviewed for additional sources. RESULTS: Twenty studies report 54,901 patients and found 54 malignancies (0.087% prevalence). Of these, 48 (88% of the patients) had suspicious features such as tonsillar asymmetry, cervical lymphadenopathy, or abnormal tonsil appearance, preoperatively. The remaining six patients without any suspicious features (better representing true occult malignancy) were 0.011% of the total cases. CONCLUSION: Submission of tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, or both specimens is warranted only when patients demonstrate findings associated with malignancy: tonsillar asymmetry, history of cancer, neck mass, tonsil firmness or lesion, weight loss, and constitutional symptoms. PMID- 17762792 TI - Lemierre syndrome: two cases and a review. AB - OBJECTIVES: Lemierre syndrome is usually caused by an acute oropharyngeal infection in previously healthy young adults, resulting in thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein, leading to metastatic septic embolization and bacteraemia. The usual organism is Fusobacterium necrophorum. Lemierre syndrome, not so long ago labeled as the "forgotten disease," is on the rise. Today with increasing antibiotic-resistant organisms, and decreasing awareness of the syndrome, subsequent re-emergence of this "forgotten disease" is becoming more common in clinical settings. Lemierre syndrome has significant morbidity. Cranial nerve complications associated with the condition have been increasingly diagnosed in the last few years. Looking back at literature on Lemierre syndrome, there have been review articles in medical and microbiology journals but rarely in otolaryngology journals. By presenting our cases we demonstrate the diverse presentations and severity of the illness. METHODS: A review of the literature and a case report on two cases seen in our institution in the last year are presented. Each of these had varied presentations and neurologic complications one developed 9th to 12th cranial nerve palsies and Horner syndrome, which have not been described in previous literature, and the other developed polyneuropathy and a frontal lobe infarct among other multisystem complications. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of Lemierre syndrome is not always straightforward as clinical features are variable and blood cultures are often negative. Awareness of the syndrome and a high degree of suspicion are needed. PMID- 17762793 TI - Tracheolaryngeal complications of inherited epidermolysis bullosa: cumulative experience of the national epidermolysis bullosa registry. AB - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To accurately determine the frequency with which complications arise in the ears, noses, and throats of patients with inherited epidermolysis bullosa (EB) as well as the cumulative risk of tracheolaryngeal stenosis or stricture. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study (3,280 patients) with a nested, randomly sampled longitudinal subcohort (n=450), representing data collection, stratified by major EB subtype, of the National EB Registry, an epidemiologic project focused on enrolling all EB patients within the continental United States from 1986 to 2002, to permit generalization of findings to the entire American EB population. METHODS: Systematic epidemiologic case finding and data collection were performed throughout the continental United States, followed by subclassification of patients by EB subtype. ENT complications were quantified via contingency tables (as frequencies) and lifetable analyses. Frequencies of surgical procedures were also determined. RESULTS: The most important clinical ENT complication in inherited EB was tracheolaryngeal stenosis or stricture, arising during early childhood and primarily within infants and children with junctional EB (JEB) (cumulative risk of 39.8% and 12.8% in Herlitz and non Herlitz JEB, respectively, by ages 6 and 9). Other uncommon complications included chronic otitis media, chronic otitis externa, and hearing loss. CONCLUSIONS: Given the potential risk for sudden airway occlusion and death, meticulous surveillance by a pediatric otolaryngologist is a critical part of the overall management of infants and children with EB, especially those with JEB and two rare subtypes of generalized EB simplex. Elective tracheostomy should be considered in EB infants and children with evidence of airway embarrassment. PMID- 17762794 TI - Comparing phonation threshold flow and pressure by abducting excised larynges. AB - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: This experiment studied a new aerodynamic parameter, phonation threshold flow, along with phonation threshold pressure, by varying prephonatory glottal width in canine larynges ex vivo. Goals were to examine phonation threshold flow as a measurable parameter sensitive to physiologic changes in the vocal folds and compare the relative sensitivities of phonation threshold flow and phonation threshold pressure. METHODS: Ten excised canine larynges were tested on a bench apparatus for subglottal pressure and airflow at phonation onset. Metal shims simulated abduction levels ranging from 0.0 to 4.0 mm. For each glottal configuration, airflow through the larynx was increased until the vocal folds began vibrating, and onset airflow and pressures were recorded. RESULTS: One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) found significant differences in the aggregate phonation threshold flow means over the latter portion of the width domain (1.0-4.0 mm). Phonation threshold flow increased as posterior glottal width increased and was modeled linearly. One-way ANOVA of phonation threshold pressure means was insignificant, with a P value of .941. CONCLUSION: Results showed phonation threshold flow to be more sensitive to posterior glottal width changes than phonation threshold pressure. Therefore, phonation threshold flow could be a more effective indicator than phonation threshold pressure for those vocal diseases related to abduction. PMID- 17762795 TI - Failure to use movement in postural strategies leads to increased spinal displacement in low back pain. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Lumbar and hip movements, before and in response to rapid bilateral arm flexion, were evaluated in 10 people with recurrent low back pain (LBP) and 10 matched control subjects when standing on a flat surface or short base. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the preparatory movement and resultant displacement of the lumbopelvic region associated with internal perturbation in people with or without LBP. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Strategies to control the trunk involve movement. Small spinal movements (preparatory movement), opposite to the direction of reactive moments, precede voluntary arm movements in healthy individuals. However, people with LBP often use less spinal movement. We hypothesized that the tendency to reduce spinal motion in LBP may be associated with decreased preparatory motion, and this may counter intuitively lead to increased displacement of the trunk in response to arm movements. METHODS: Movements at the lumbopelvic region before and in response to rapid bilateral arm flexion were examined using electromagnetic motion sensors when subjects were standing on a flat surface or short base. RESULTS: In control subjects, preparatory extension of the lumbar spine preceded a resultant flexion of the region in 88% of trials on the flat surface. People with LBP used preparatory extension less frequently (69%, P = 0.027). Consequently, the spinal displacement (resultant flexion) induced by shoulder flexion was significantly greater in the LBP group (3.2 degrees +/- 1.8 degrees) than controls (1.8 degrees +/- 1.6 degrees, P = 0.004). There was a significant correlation (r = 0.47) between preparatory and resultant movement of the lumbar spine in the LBP group, which indicates that subjects with reduced preparatory extension were more likely to have a greater resultant displacement. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that spinal movement is different in people with LBP, and reduced spinal movement in advance of predictable perturbation may be associated with compromised quality of trunk control. PMID- 17762796 TI - Intervertebral disc degeneration reduces vertebral motion responses. AB - STUDY DESIGN: A prospective in vivo experimental animal study. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of disc degeneration and variable pulse duration mechanical excitation on dorsoventral lumbar kinematic responses. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: In vitro and in vivo biomechanical studies have examined spine kinematics during posteroanterior loading mimicking spinal manipulation therapy (SMT), but few (if any) studies have quantified SMT loading-induced spinal motion responses in the degenerated intervertebral disc. METHODS: Fifteen sheep underwent a survival surgical procedure resulting in chronic disc degeneration of the L1-L2 disc. Ten age- and weight-matched animals served as controls. Uniform pulse dorsoventral mechanical forces (80 N) were applied to the L3 spinous processes using 10-, 100-, and 200-ms duration pulses mimicking SMT. L3 displacement and L2 L1 acceleration in the control group were compared with the degenerated disc group. RESULTS: Dorsoventral displacements increased significantly (fivefold, P < 0.001) with increasing mechanical excitation pulse duration (control and degenerated disc groups). Displacements and L2-L1 acceleration transfer were significantly reduced (approximately 19% and approximately 50%, respectively) in the degenerated disc group compared with control (100- and 200-ms pulse duration protocols, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Dorsoventral vertebral motions are dependent on mechanical excitation pulse duration and are significantly reduced in animals with degenerated discs. PMID- 17762797 TI - How does the ossification area of the posterior longitudinal ligament thicken following cervical laminoplasty? AB - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the progression of the thickness of the ossification area over time following cervical laminoplasty. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Cervical laminoplasty has become the standard technique for the treatment of patients with myelopathy due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). However, OPLL is a progressive disease, and an increase in the area of ossification following laminoplasty affects the surgical results. To date, complete analysis of the thickness of OPLL progression has not been undertaken because changes in the ossification thickness are minor compared with those of the longitudinal axis. METHODS: Fifty-five patients who were available for serial radiographs more than 5 years after cervical laminoplasty were included. The extent of ossification thickness was assessed using lateral radiographs of the cervical spine and computer software. The neurologic evaluation was graded using the Japanese Orthopedic Association score (JOA score). The associations between the progression of OPLL and the clinical and radiologic data were analyzed. We also evaluated the progression of the thickness of the ossification area over time following surgery. RESULTS: Twelve patients (21.8%) had progression in the OPLL thickness. Progression was marked in younger patients with the mixed or continuous types of OPLL. C3 involvement was also common in the patients with the OPLL progression. The progression of OPLL thickness was not directly related to the score-based recovery rate. The progression of OPLL was frequently observed at C2, C3, and C4 levels. Progression in OPLL thickness was detected in 42.1% of C2 ossifications, 13.3% of C3, 11.9% of C4, 4.1% of C5, 5.5% of C6, and 6.6% of C7. CONCLUSION: Young patients with continuous or mixed-type OPLL and C3 involvement of ossification had a risk for progression in OPLL thickness following surgery. As the increased thickness of ossified lesions directly causes the narrowing of the spinal canal, it is important to pay attention to these risk factors and the increase in ossification before and after cervical laminoplasty in the surgical treatment of patients with OPLL. PMID- 17762798 TI - Unusual spinal manifestation in secondary hyperparathyroidism: a case report. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVES: To describe an unusual spinal manifestation of secondary hyperparathyroidism in a 29-year-old woman and discuss the pathologic basis of the disease and evaluate the response to treatment. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Extraskeletal tumoral calcification (i.e., tumoral calcinosis, tumoral calcinosis-like lesion, calcifying pseudoneoplasms) is an uncommon entity associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism. Involvement of the cervical spine with this tumor causing neural compression is extremely rare. Only a few cases have been reported in literature and none with a concomitant presence of brown tumors. METHODS: A 29-year-old woman presented with upper back pain with tingling and weakness in the left hand. She had been on dialysis for 5 years following renal failure. She had a partial parathyroidectomy for hyperparathyroidism a year ago. Para vertebral calcification eroding the posterior elements of C6-T2 and abutting the dura and neural foramens was seen on a CT scan. There were numerous lytic defects of the thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies, most notable at L4, suggesting focal brown tumors. An MRI scan of the spine demonstrated a large heterogeneously hypointense lesion of the cervicothoracic spine, which remained hypointense on T2 images. A cervicothoracic decompression and spinal stabilization from the front and back was performed. A pathologic diagnosis of tumoral calcinosis-like lesion was confirmed. RESULT: Following surgery, the patient recovered neurologically and subsequently underwent total parathyroidectomy. Presently, her bone lesions have healed. CONCLUSION: Hyperparathyroidism may cause tumoral calcinosis-like lesions in the spine. An early spinal decompression followed with parathyroidectomy leads to remission of symptoms. PMID- 17762799 TI - Atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation associated with cervical dystonia. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To document an interesting case of cervical dystonia associated with atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation and compressive myelopathy. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Dystonia is an involuntary disorder characterized by twisting, pulling, and sustained contractions, which may be extremely powerful and painful. Cervical dystonia can contribute to the development of cervical spondylosis. However, cervical dystonia with atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation is very rare. Only 2 cases of primary dystonia with atlantoaxial subluxation have been reported previously. METHODS: We present the case of a 53-year-old man who had dystonic movements involving the neck. The head tilted to the left and rotated to the right. The subluxation was reduced by a sensory trick. Involuntary movements of the neck worsened. After 2 years, neck pain and difficulty in walking developed. RESULT: Cervical MRI showed atlantoaxial subluxation with compression of the spinal cord at C1-C2. Computed axial tomography of the cervical spine demonstrated rotatory subluxation of the atlas on the axis. Surgical intervention combined with globus pallidus internus deep-brain stimulation and atlantoaxial fixation successfully controlled the cervical dystonia and atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation. CONCLUSION: Although this case is extremely rare, clinicians should be keep in mind that cervical dystonia may carry a risk of atlantoaxial subluxation, potentially progressing to myelopathy. Neurosurgery combined with globus pallidus internus-deep-brain stimulation and atlantoaxial fixation is one treatment option for cervical dystonia with atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation. PMID- 17762800 TI - Quadriparesis and spinal cord stimulation: case report. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To report the occurrence of a rare complication following revision of a spinal cord stimulator. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Puncture of the dura with placement of an electrode within the spinal cord has not been reported as a complication of spinal cord stimulation. METHODS: A patient presented with upper and lower extremity weakness following inadvertent placement of an electrode into the spinal cord. The clinical case is presented as well as review of the literature. RESULTS: The patient had the electrode successfully removed; however, her neurologic status deteriorated. CONCLUSION: Revision of spinal cord stimulators is usually a safe procedure. However, placement of an electrode within the spinal cord during the revision process is a potential complication resulting in severe neurologic injury. PMID- 17762802 TI - The applicability of clinical equipoise and sham surgery in patients with symptomatic lumbar radiculopathy due to a herniated disc: the SPORT trial. PMID- 17762803 TI - Physiotherapy-based rehabilitation following disc herniation operation: results of a randomized clinical trial. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Three-group, randomized, single blinded, controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of physiotherapy-based rehabilitation starting 1 week after lumbar disc surgery. In addition, we tried to estimate the contribution of specific effects to the observed outcome (efficacy). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Physiotherapy-based rehabilitation is usually recommended for patients following lumbar disc surgery. Few and conflicting data exist for the relative effectiveness of this intervention. METHODS: A total of 120 patients following first-time, uncomplicated lumbar disc surgery were randomly assigned to "comprehensive" physiotherapy, "sham" neck massage, or no therapy. Before enrollment, all subjects completed a minimal physiotherapeutic intervention. Physiotherapy was administered by experienced physiotherapists and consisted of 20 sessions per patient over 12 weeks. Masseurs administered "sham massage" to the neck. The amount of treatment time was equal to that of physiotherapy. The main outcome measure was the Low Back Pain Rating Score (LBPRS) at 6 and 12 weeks, and 1.5 years after randomization. Secondary parameters were patients' overall satisfaction with treatment outcome and socioeconomic and psychologic measures. RESULTS: At the end of therapy (12 weeks), the LBPRS revealed a significantly better improvement in the physiotherapy group than in the untreated group. LBPRS outcome, however, did not significantly differ between physiotherapy and "sham" therapy. There was a tendency toward significance between the sham therapy and no therapy. Within the 1.5-year follow-up, LBP rating scales remained significantly improved compared with baseline, but there were no significant outcome differences. No statistically significant between-group differences were found for the secondary outcome parameters. CONCLUSION: As compared with no therapy, physiotherapy following first-time disc herniation operation is effective in the short-term. Because of the limited benefits of physiotherapy relative to "sham" therapy, it is open to question whether this treatment acts primarily physiologically in patients following first-time lumbar disc surgery, but psychological factors may contribute substantially to the benefits observed. PMID- 17762804 TI - Are back supports plus education more effective than education alone in promoting recovery from low back pain?: Results from a randomized clinical trial. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of a back support plus education versus education alone in promoting recovery from a work-related low back disorder (WR-LBD) while simultaneously considering personal, health, and occupational factors and the impact of occupational factors on recovery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: No randomized studies of active industrial workers with low back disorders exist regarding the effectiveness of back supports plus education. METHODS: A total of 433 actively employed hourly union workers who had a recent diagnosis of a WR LBD: 1) those who wore a specially designed back support plus received education on back health; and 2) those who received education on back health only. Demographic, health, medical, and occupational factors were obtained through interview or abstraction of computer files; individual ergonomic exposures were measured with a lumbar motion monitor. Outcomes evaluated over a 12-month period included: self-reported measures of back pain, back pain disability level, physical health, mental health, and administrative measures of recurrence, lost work time, and medical care utilization. RESULTS: There was no difference between the study groups with respect to mental or physical health, low back pain, back pain disability, neurogenic symptoms, lost work time, likelihood of recurrence of an episode of a back disorder, or other administrative measures of healthcare utilization or lost work time. However, significant decreases in low back pain, low back pain disability, neurogenic symptoms, and an increase in physical health were observed over the 12 months of observation in both study groups. The only occupational variable found to influence was plant group whereby service parts operations workers in the back support plus education group experienced a lower likelihood of WR-LBD recurrence. CONCLUSION: Although there was no overall effect on self-reported recovery or administrative measures or lost work time between the study groups, a back support plus health education may have some value in preventing recurrent WR-LBD in industrial workers who work in psychosocial environments and perform manual material handling tasks similar to those found in parts distribution centers. PMID- 17762805 TI - Prevalence of lumbar facet arthrosis and its relationship to age, sex, and race: an anatomic study of cadaveric specimens. AB - STUDY DESIGN: An anatomic, epidemiologic study of facet arthrosis in cadaveric lumbar spines. OBJECTIVE: To define the prevalence of lumbar facet arthrosis in a large population sample and to examine its association with age, sex, and race. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Arthrosis of lumbar facet joints is a common radiographic finding and has been linked to low back pain. However, no population studies have specifically defined the prevalence of facet arthrosis in the lumbar spine in relation to age, sex, and race. METHODS: A total of 647 cadaveric lumbar spines were examined by a single examiner for evidence of lumbar facet arthrosis. Information on race, age, and sex were collected. Arthrosis at each facet was graded from 0 to 4 on a continuum from no arthritis to complete ankylosis. RESULTS: Facet arthrosis was present in 53% (L1-L2), 66% (L2-L3), 72% (L3-L4), 79% (L4-L5), and 59% (L5-S1). By decade, facet arthrosis was present in 57% of 20 to 29-year-olds, 82% of 30- to 39-year-olds, 93% of 40- to 49-year-olds, 97% in 50- to 59-year-olds, and 100% in those >60 years old. Fisher exact test and t test demonstrated that men had a greater prevalence and degree of facet arthrosis than women at all lumbar levels (P < 0.001). The lumbar level with the highest prevalence and degree of arthrosis was the L4-L5 level, as compared with each of the other levels (P < 0.001). There was no difference in arthrosis between right versus left facet joints (P > 0.5). CONCLUSION: Facet arthrosis is a universal finding in the human lumbar spine. Evidence of arthrosis begins early, with more than one half of adults younger than 30 years demonstrating arthritic changes in the facets. The most common arthritic level appears to be L4-L5. Men have a higher prevalence and degree of facet arthrosis than women. PMID- 17762806 TI - Effects of low glucose concentrations on oxygen consumption rates of intervertebral disc cells. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Investigation of the effects of low glucose concentrations on the oxygen consumption rates of intervertebral disc cells. OBJECTIVES: To determine the oxygen consumption rate of porcine anulus fibrosus (AF) cells at different glucose concentrations and to examine the differences in the oxygen consumption rate between AF and nucleus pulposus (NP) cells at different glucose levels. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Poor nutrient supply has been suggested as a potential mechanism for degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD). Distribution of nutrients in the IVD is strongly dependent on transport properties of the tissue and cellular metabolic rates. Previous studies have shown dependence of oxygen consumption rate of IVD cells on oxygen tension, pH levels, and glucose levels outside the physiologic range. However, the oxygen consumption rate of AF cells at in vivo glucose levels has not been investigated. METHODS: IVD cells were isolated from the outer AF and NP of 4- to 5-month-old porcine lumbar discs. The changes in oxygen tension were recorded when cells were cultured in sealed metabolism chamber. The oxygen consumption rate of cells was determined by theoretical curve fitting using the Michaelis-Menten equation. RESULTS: The outer AF cells cultured in high glucose medium (25 mmol/L) exhibited the lowest oxygen consumption rate, whereas no significant differences in oxygen consumption rates were found among outer AF cells cultured at physiologic glucose levels (i.e., 1 mmol/L, 2.5 mmol/L, 5 mmol/L). The oxygen consumption rate of NP cells was significantly greater than that of outer AF cells. CONCLUSION: Since the oxygen consumption rates determined in this study are comparable to the findings in the literature, this study has developed a new alternative method for determining oxygen consumption rate. The oxygen consumption rates of IVD cells reported in this study will be valuable for theoretically predicting local oxygen concentrations in IVD, which can provide a better understanding of transport of oxygen in the discs. PMID- 17762807 TI - Rho kinase inhibitor improves motor dysfunction and hypoalgesia in a rat model of lumbar spinal canal stenosis. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Immunohistochemical and behavioral study using a rat cauda equina compression model. OBJECTIVE: To investigate, after cauda equina compression by spinal canal stenosis (SCS), Rho activation in the spinal cord and cauda equina, and the effect of intrathecal administration of a Rho kinase inhibitor on hypoalgesia and motor dysfunction. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Compression of the cauda equina caused by SCS is a common clinical disorder associated with sensory disturbance and intermittent claudication. Cauda equina compression is thought to reduce blood flow and result in nerve degeneration caused by various cytokines. Rho, a member of the small GTPases, is a signal transmitter. It promotes Wallerian degeneration, decreases blood flow in the spinal cord and brain, and increases expression of several cytokines. Currently, Rho kinase inhibitor is used clinically to treat progressive nerve damage due to cerebrovascular disorders. However, its effect for SCS has not been evaluated. METHODS: Forty-two 6-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were used. For the SCS model (n = 27), a small piece of silicon was placed under the lamina of the fourth lumbar vertebra. In the sham-operated group, laminectomies were performed at L5 only (n = 15). We examined mechanical sensitivity and motor function using von Frey hairs and a treadmill, and immunohistochemically localized Rho in the spinal ventral neurons, axons, and Schwann cells in the cauda equina. We also examined the effects of intrathecally administered Rho kinase inhibitor for hypoalgesia or motor dysfunction caused by SCS. RESULTS: We observed motor dysfunction and hypoalgesia and activated Rho-immunoreactive cells in spinal ventral neuroreported to induce neurite and axonal outgrowth in the spinal cord and brain after nervous system injury. In addition, 1 report showed that Rho kinase was involved in Wallerian degeneration that was rescued by Rho kinase inhibitor. Furthermore, it is thought that Rho is involved in TNF-alpha and interleukin (IL) production in the central nervous system, and the production was inhibited by administering Rho kinase inhibitor in the central nervous system. Regardns, axons, and Schwann cells in the cauda equina. Intrathecal administration of Rho kinase inhibitor improved mechanical hypoalgesia and motor dysfunction caused by SCS. CONCLUSION: Activated Rho may play an important role in nerve damage in the cauda equina in SCS. Rho kinase inhibitor may be a useful tool in determining the pathomechanism of cauda equina syndrome caused by SCS. PMID- 17762808 TI - Vertebral augmentation with a novel Vessel-X bone void filling container system and bioactive bone cement. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Evaluation of a novel, leakage-free vertebroplastic instrumentation by fresh cadaveric studies. OBJECTIVES: To compare Vessel-X, a novel percutaneous bone void filling container system, with conventional kyphoplasty in restoring strength, stiffness, and height in experimentally induced vertebral compressive fractures and morphologically determine the cement distribution. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Clinically, both vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty perform well in reinforcement and pain relief. One of the shortcomings, however, is the risk of cement leakage. Vessel-X is a novel bone expander and bone void filler combined instrumentation for vertebral augmentation requiring evaluation. METHODS: A total of 28 fresh-frozen vertebral specimens were randomly assigned to 4 groups for testing: unipedicular kyphoplasty, bipedicular kyphoplasty, unipedicular Vessel X, and bipedicular Vessel-X. Compressive fractures were experimentally created on each vertebra after determining the bone mineral density. Kyphoplasty and Vessel X were performed using bioactive bone cement (SrHAC) under C-arm fluoroscopy and compared by compression testing to measure the effects of augmentation. Morphologic observations were also performed to determine the cement distribution and vertebral height restoration. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in bone mineral density, initial strength, and stiffness in any of the groups. Furthermore, no significant difference was observed in total cement volume in intragroup comparison within the unipedicular or bipedicular groups. Vessel-X bone filler container could expand well and contain most of the cement. The height restoration ranged from 88.5% to 96.4% in all groups. The augmented strength with unipedicular and bipedicular injections reached 3651.57 N and 4833.73 N, respectively. Stiffness with bipedicular injection was significantly higher than that of unipedicular injection. CONCLUSION: Vessel-X was comparable to kyphoplasty in restoring the mechanical properties and height of the fractured vertebrae. Interestingly, Vessel-X instrumentation showed considerably less cement leakage and better cement placement in the vertebral body. Therefore, it could be a leakage controllable technique in percutaneous vertebral augmentation. PMID- 17762809 TI - A quantitative and reproducible method to assess cord compression and canal stenosis after cervical spine trauma: a study of interrater and intrarater reliability. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Reliability study. OBJECTIVE: To assess the intrarater and interrater reliability of a recently described technique to measure of maximum canal compromise (MCC) and maximum spinal cord compression (MSCC) using digitized and magnified images in the setting of traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The extent of MCC and MSCC is of clinical and prognostic value in the setting of traumatic cervical SCI. However, concerns remain regarding the accuracy of measurements based on hard copy images. We hypothesized that the interrater and intrarater reliability of these assessments would be enhanced using magnified digitized images and software-based measurement tools. METHODS: Midsagittal MRI and CT images of cervical spine were selected from 5 individuals with acute traumatic cervical SCI. Measurements of MCC using CT scan and T1-weighted MRI and measurements of MSCC based on T2-weighted MR images were independently estimated by 13 raters on 10 occasions. RESULTS: The intrarater reliability for CT-MCC, T1-weighted MRI-MCC and T2-weighted MRI-MSCC was high in the 10 rounds in each patient. In addition, the mean intrarater interclass correlation coefficient was 0.72 +/- 0.05 for the CT-MCC, 0.70 +/- 0.07 for the T1-weighted MRI-MCC, and 0.68 +/- 0.11 for the T2-weighted MRI-MSCC. The mean interrater interclass correlation coefficients were 0.43 +/- 0.02 for the CT-MCC, 0.61 +/- 0.03 for the T1-weighted MRI-MCC, and 0.55 +/- 0.05 for the evaluation of T2-weighted MRI-MSCC. CONCLUSION: Our study has demonstrated that the intrarater reliability for the instrument to assess MCC and MSCC in the setting of traumatic SCI was high. The interrater ICCs at a moderate level of reliability combined with our results using analysis of variance with post hoc tests indicate that the measurements of MCC and MSCC are reproducible, which supports the use of these radiologic parameters in the clinical and research settings. PMID- 17762810 TI - A method to measure cervical spine motion over extended periods of time. AB - STUDY DESIGN: System validation study. OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a motion sensor system for measuring cervical spine motion over extended time periods. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Many studies using different methodologies have tried to estimate cervical spine motion. These have mostly been carried out in a laboratory setting performing active/passive range of motion or activities of daily living. However, cervical spine performance over extended periods of time in natural environments remains unknown. METHODS: A novel motion sensor system, Wisconsin Analysis of Spine Motion Performance (WASP), was validated using 2 benchmarks: a materials testing machine (MTS) and optical motion tracking laboratory. Parameters tested included drift, frequency response, accuracy, effect of sensor orientation, and coupled motions. Applied motions from the MTS and measured motions in subject volunteers under various conditions were compared with WASP using correlation coefficients. Intersubject and intrasubject variability analyses for WASP were also performed. RESULTS: The average WASP slopes for accuracy (compared with MTS) in flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation were 0.89, 0.93, and 0.38, respectively. The correlation coefficient was 0.99 in all cases. Compared with optical motion tracking, the WASP regression slopes were 1.1, 1.02, and 0.4 and the correlation coefficients were 0.98, 0.92, and 0.93 in the 3 axes of motion. Coupled motion was noted during all subject motions. WASP peak detection algorithm had a 0% error discounting boundary conditions. CONCLUSION: WASP was accurate in flexion extension and lateral bending. In axial rotation, WASP was less accurate. However, the system was highly reliable with low intersubject and intrasubject variability. WASP can be used in estimating cervical spine motion with high reliability while keeping in mind the decreased accuracy in measuring axial rotation. PMID- 17762811 TI - Hip-spine syndrome: the effect of total hip replacement surgery on low back pain in severe osteoarthritis of the hip. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Prospective clinical study on the effect of total hip replacement surgery (THR) on low back pain (LBP) in patients with severe hip osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE: To assess the affect of THR on LBP. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Hip osteoarthritis causes abnormal gait and spinal sagittal alignment and is associated with LBP. METHODS: All consecutive adults scheduled for THR in our department due to severe hip osteoarthritis were assessed by an independent investigator before surgery and 3 months and 2 years post-THR. The Harris Hip Score and the Oswestry scores were used to evaluate hip- and spine-related symptoms, respectively, as were visual analogue scales (VAS) and sagittal spinal radiographs. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients (10 males; age range, 32-84 years) were evaluated. Both spinal and hip pain and function were significantly better following THR. The mean preoperative LBP VAS score of 5.04 was 3.68 after THR (P = 0.006). The mean preoperative Oswestry score of 36.72 was 24.08 after THR (P = 0.0011). Clinical improvement was maintained and enhanced at the 2-year follow up. The mean hip pain VAS score was 7.08 before THR and 2.52 after THR (P < 0.01). The mean Harris Hip Score was 45.74 before and 81.8 after surgery (P < 0.01). There were no changes in the radiographic measurements. CONCLUSION: Both LBP and spinal function were improved following THR. This study demonstrates the clinical benefits of THR on back pain and is the first to clinically validate hip spine syndrome as hypothesized by Offierski and MacNab in 1983. PMID- 17762812 TI - Idiopathic scoliosis treated with Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation: evaluation 10 years after surgery. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with 10-year follow-up. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term results after operative treatment with Cotrel-Dubousset (CD) instrumentation for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Limited knowledge exists in the evaluation of long-term function with quality of life measures after CD instrumentation in patients with AIS. METHODS: A total of 100 (76 females and 24 males) consecutive AIS patients all with single primary curves were included. Radiologic measures and pain were registered at baseline and at 1- to 5-year follow-up. Quality of life and back specific measures, including EuroQol (EQ) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), were obtained by a questionnaire mailed to the patients at 10 years after surgery. RESULTS: Mean age at operation was 16.8 (SD, 5.3) years, mean Risser sign was Grade 3.2 (SD, 1.5). All patients were observed for 2 years. The average primary curve was reduced from 56 degrees to 19 degrees, and this correction was maintained during follow-up. Fourteen patients had minor complications, and 5 patients had implants removed because of late clinically suspected infections. A total of 86 patients answered the 10-year questionnaire; 97% of the patients considered back function as excellent, good, or fair, and 96% would have done the operation again. Scores for EQ-5D and ODI were slightly worse than in the normal population. Despite this observation, 45% of the patients reported to have consulted a physician or received physiotherapy for back pain during the last year before the 10-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: Radiologic results, patient satisfaction, and mean scores for quality of life and back function were excellent after CD instrumentation for AIS, but a considerable number of patients had treatment for back problems. PMID- 17762813 TI - Spinal somatosensory evoked potential to evaluate neurophysiologic changes associated with postlaminotomy fibrosis: an experimental study. AB - STUDY DESIGN: We evaluated electrophysiologic changes of the cauda equina after lumbar laminotomy in rats. OBJECTIVE: To clarify immediate and long-term electrophysiologic and neurologic responses in an experimental postlaminotomy animal fibrosis model. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Postspinal surgery-induced epidural fibrosis is assessed using either Gadolinium- enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or intraoperative observations. In experimental animal models mimicking this complication, many approaches are used: advanced imaging (computed tomography, CT; and MRI), functional observations, biomechanical techniques, and histologic examinations. However, no study has reported the substantial neurophysiologic changes of the cauda equina in such a model. METHODS: Rats were given a sham operation (laminar exposure only), a left L5 hemilaminotomy alone, or a left L5 hemilaminotomy with extradural topical collagen. Mixed-nerve-elicited somatosensory-evoked potentials (M-SSEPs) and dermatomal (D)-SSEPs were recorded at the thoracolumbar junction after percutaneous stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve at the bilateral medial ankles and the L5 dermatomal field, respectively. Potentials recorded on the operated and nonoperated sides before surgery and then 30 minutes, 2 weeks, and 1, 2, and 3 months after surgery were compared. Walking track and thermal hyperalgesia test results and a final histologic analysis of perineural fibrosis were correlated. RESULTS: Electrical stimulation yielded reproducible responses in all rats on all tests. Preoperative and postoperative measurements showed no statistically significant differences in M-SSEP or D-SSEP. Postoperative D-SSEPs in both experimental groups showed significant reductions in relative amplitude, but the M-SSEPs of all groups and D-SSEPs of the control groups remained constant. CONCLUSION: SSEP is valuable for detecting electrophysiologic changes after laminotomy fibrosis, but acceptable accuracy requires proper stimulation and recording settings. D-SSEP monitoring provided reliable, useful information about the functional integrity of the cauda equina in this animal model. We recommend D-SSEP monitoring as a supplemental tool for quantifying the effect of postlaminotomy fibrosis on neuropathy. PMID- 17762814 TI - Are lumbar spine reoperation rates falling with greater use of fusion surgery and new surgical technology? AB - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of population-based hospital discharge registry from all nonfederal acute care hospitals in Washington State. OBJECTIVE: We examined the cumulative incidence of second lumbar spine operation following an initial lumbar operation for degenerative conditions. We aimed to determine if the cumulative incidence of a second lumbar spine operation decreased in the 1990s following an increase in the rate of fusion surgery and the introduction of several newer fusion technologies. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Repeat lumbar spine operations are generally undesirable, implying persistent symptoms, progression of degenerative changes, or treatment complications. Improved technology is expected to improve alignment, healing, and instability, and to reduce repeat operations. METHODS: Among the patients who had an inpatient lumbar decompression or lumbar fusion surgery for degenerative spine disorders in 1990 to 1993 (n = 24,882) or in 1997 to 2000 (n = 25,209), we examined rates of subsequent lumbar spine surgery during a 4-year follow-up. We performed a Cox proportional hazards regression to compare the probability of a reoperation between the 2 cohorts, adjusting for age, sex, primary diagnosis, type of insurance, and comorbidity. RESULTS: Among patients who underwent surgery for lumbar degenerative disease, more than twice as many had a fusion procedure in the 1997 to 2000 cohort (19.1%) compared with the 1990 to 1993 cohort (9.4%). However, the 4-year cumulative incidence of reoperation was higher in the 1997 to 2000 cohort compared with the 1990 to 1993 cohort (14.0% vs. 12.4%; hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.22, P < 0.001). Among fusion patients, those in the 1997 to 2000 cohort were approximately 40% more likely to undergo a reoperation within the first year when compared with fusion patients in the 1990 to 1993 cohort. There was no difference in reoperation probability beyond 1 year. CONCLUSION: A higher proportion of fusion procedures and the introduction of new spinal implants between 1993 and 1997 did not reduce reoperation rates. Patients who had lumbar surgery for degenerative disease in the late 1990s were more likely to undergo a repeat operation within 4 years than patients who had surgery in the early 1990s. PMID- 17762815 TI - Relationship between early opioid prescribing for acute occupational low back pain and disability duration, medical costs, subsequent surgery and late opioid use. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of workers' compensation (WC) claims with acute disabling low back pain (LBP). OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between early opioid use for acute LBP and outcomes: disability duration, medical costs, "late opioid" use (> or = 5 prescriptions from 30 to 730 days), and surgery in a 2-year period following LBP onset. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Opioid analgesics have become more accepted for acute pain management. However, treatment guidelines recommend limited opioid use for acute LBP management. Little is known about the long-term impact on outcomes of opioid use for acute LBP. METHODS: The sample consisted of 8443 claimants from a large WC database with new-onset, disabling LBP that occurred between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2003. Based on morphine equivalent amount (MEA) in milligrams received in the first 15 days ("early opioids"), claimants were divided into 5 groups (0, 1-140, 141-225, 226-450, 450+). The associations between early opioids and outcomes were evaluated using multivariate linear and logistic regression models. Covariates included age, gender, job tenure, and low back injury severity. Injury severity was classified using ICD-9 codes. RESULTS: Twenty-one percent of claimants received at least 1 early opioid prescription. After controlling for the covariates, mean disability duration, mean medical costs, and risk of surgery and late opioid use increased monotonically with increasing MEA. Those who received more than 450 mg MEA were, on average, disabled 69 days longer than those who received no early opioids (95% confidence interval [CI], 49.2-88.9). Compared with the lowest MEA group (0 mg opioid), the risk for surgery was 3 times greater (95% CI, 2.4-4.0) and the risk of receiving late opioids was 6 times greater (95% CI, 4.9-7.7) in the highest MEA group. Low back injury severity was a strong predictor of all the outcomes. CONCLUSION: Given the negative association between receipt of early opioids for acute LBP and outcomes, it is suggested that the use of opioids for the management of acute LBP may be counterproductive to recovery. PMID- 17762816 TI - Fear avoidance beliefs do not influence disability and quality of life in Spanish elderly subjects with low back pain. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Correlation between previously validated questionnaires. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of fear avoidance beliefs (FAB) with disability and quality of life in elderly Spanish subjects. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: As opposed to Anglo-Saxon and Northern European patients, in Spanish low back pain (LBP) patients of working age, the influence of FAB on disability and quality of life is sparse and much less than that of pain. The influence of FAB on LBP related disability and quality of life in the elderly is unknown. METHODS: A visual analogue scale (VAS), the Roland Morris Questionnaire (RMQ), the FAB-Phys questionnaire (FABQ), and the SF-12 questionnaire were used to assess LBP, disability, fear avoidance beliefs, and quality of life in 661 institutionalized elderly in Spain, 439 of whom had LBP. RESULTS: In all subjects, FAB correlated with LBP (r = 0.477), disability (r = 0.458), the Physical Component Summary of SF-12 (PCS SF-12) (r = -0.389), and the Mental Component Summary of SF-12 (MCS SF 12) (r = -0.165). In subjects with LBP, FABs only correlated weakly with disability (r = -0.110). The stronger correlations were found between LBP and disability, both in all subjects (r = 0.803) and LBP patients (r = 0.445). Regression models including all the participants showed that the influence of FABs on physical quality of life was sparse and that FABs were not associated with either disability or mental quality of life. In elderly subjects with LBP, FABs were not associated with either disability or quality of life. CONCLUSION: In Spanish institutionalized elderly subjects, FABs only have a minor influence on physical quality of life, and none on disability or mental quality of life. In elderly subjects with LBP, differences in FABs are not associated with differences in disability or quality of life. Further studies should explore the potential value of FABs in the elderly in other settings. PMID- 17762817 TI - Working Backs Scotland: a public and professional health education campaign for back pain. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Public and professional health education campaign. OBJECTIVE: To change public beliefs about the management of back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Within the past decade, there has been a reversal in the strategy of management of back pain, from rest to staying active. There is only one previous public health education campaign on back pain, in a workers compensation setting in Australia. METHODS: A multimedia campaign was based around 1777 radio advertisements, which were heard by 60% of adults. Information leaflets were prepared for people with back pain, for all health professionals who treat back pain, and for employers. A Web site was set up: www.workingbacksscotland.com. Structured monthly samples of 1000 adults were surveyed on their beliefs about rest or staying active, professional help sought and advice received for 2 months before the campaign and over the following 3 years. Royal Mail sickness absence rates and new awards of social security benefits for back pain were compared in Scotland versus the rest of the United Kingdom, before and after the campaign. RESULTS: There was a significant (P < 0.001) change in the balance of beliefs, from about 55% rest versus 40% staying active to about 30% rest versus 60% staying active. This occurred within 1 month of the launch and was maintained over 3 years. There was a comparable change in professional advice. There was no change in advice about work or the number who said they stayed off work. There was no effect on sickness absence or new awards of social security benefits for back pain. CONCLUSION: There was a major shift in public beliefs and professional advice but no change in work-related outcomes. PMID- 17762818 TI - Complications of interlaminar cervical epidural steroid injections: a review of the literature. AB - STUDY DESIGN: A comprehensive literature review. OBJECTIVES: To review and critically evaluate the past literature focusing on incidence and clinical presentation of complications associated with interlaminar cervical epidural steroid injection (ICESI). The overall goal is to guide the direction of future research and improve clinical care by increasing awareness of complications, their presentations, and management. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although ICESI is considered a relatively safe procedure, a number of minor and major complications have been reported across the literature. Thus far, reports of complications are limited to retrospective studies, case reports, and data extrapolated from lumbar and thoracic procedures. As a result, the past literature has been of limited value with regard to facilitating both clinical care and future research efforts. METHODS: Medical databases were searched for studies of ICESI. The bibliographies of these papers were then searched as well. Papers focusing on cervical techniques that did not involve injection into the epidural space were discarded, as were studies of thoracic and lumbar spine injections. Reports of complications associated with ICESI were further subdivided into major and minor categories. RESULTS: The reported rate of complications associated with ICESI varied between 0 and 16.8%. CONCLUSION: There are significant limitations in the available literature discussing the complications associated with ICESI, but they strongly suggest that ICESI is a relatively safe procedure. Numerous potential adverse reactions have been associated with ICESI, with the vast majority being minor and transient in nature. However, serious complications may also result and may be technique related. Injectionists should be aware of the clinical presentations, rates, potential consequences, and appropriate techniques to avoid these complications. More studies are needed with specific focus on cervical complication rates, standardization of injection techniques, and differentiation between complications and poor efficacy. In addition, the use of a prospective randomized blinded controlled design would be beneficial. PMID- 17762819 TI - [Ocean and bio-medical research]. AB - On the Planet Earth, oceans and seas today correspond to the largest volume offered to Life. Roughly, 275,000 species have been described from marine environments, only representing some 15% of all the present known living. But marine biomass can be enormous. Life appeared in the ancestral ocean 3 800 million years ago and determining events occurred there: appearance of the nuclear membrane and cell nucleus, "pluricellularity", capture of bacteria transformed into organelles, then sexuality. On the 33 phyla existing today on the Earth, 12 never have left the ocean and are exclusively marine. Such biodiversity, archaism of characters, organisational and behavioural patterns make these marine organisms an excellent reservoir for identifying and extracting very interesting pharmacological and cosmetic molecules (>5 000 today) and/or to represent very pertinent "models" for basic and applied research. Relationships between ocean and public health are physical, chemical, biological and physiological. A few marine species as "models" set the base for major advances in life sciences recognized by several Nobel Prices: from the discovery of phagocytosis to anaphylactic shock, and including nervous influx transmission, memory molecular bases, cyclins discovery, eye organisation, neurotransmitter membrane receptors, bases of the specific immune system... These marine models are very useful to understand the origin and functioning of important living mechanisms in the human and sometimes to deduce applications for efficient treatments. Ocean supplies mankind with renewable living resources, much threatened today. We have to manage and protect these to maintain ecosystems, stocks and biodiversity. Only because of the greenhouse effect and anthropic emissions, temperature is globally increasing: and, what if (tomorrow?) one million species would disappear (before 2050) because of global warming? PMID- 17762820 TI - [Photoperiodic control of melatonin synthesis in fish pineal and retina]. AB - Melatonin is the time-keeping molecule of vertebrates. The daily and annual variations of its rhythmic production allow synchronizing physiological functions and behaviours to the variations of the environment. In fish, melatonin is produced by the photoreceptor cells of the retina and pineal organ. It is also synthesized by other retinal cell types of the inner nuclear and ganglion cell layers. In most of the species investigated, the melatonin rhythm displays a high at-night profile, resulting from the circadian control of the arylalkylamine N acetyltranferase (AANAT) activity; AANAT is the penultimate enzyme in the melatonin biosynthesis pathway. Some fish species escape the high-at-night rule in the retina, and the rhythm displays a high-at-day profile, intermediate situations being sometimes observed. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the rhythmic control of production of an important circadian clock messenger, underlying their plasticity. PMID- 17762821 TI - [Melatonin and neuroendocrine regulations in fish]. AB - Melatonin is the time-keeping molecule of the organism. The production by the pineal organ is responsible for the diurnal and annual rhythms of plasma melatonin content. This contributes to synchronizing behavioural, biochemical and physiological processes to the environmental variations in photoperiod and temperature. Conservation and diversity characterize the melatonin system in vertebrates: conservation because its nocturnal pattern of production as well as its synchronizing properties are a constant; diversity because the modalities of its biosynthesis and modes of action have been profoundly modified in the course of evolution. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the targets and modes of action of melatonin in fish and comparisons are made with mammals. PMID- 17762823 TI - [Isolation and characterization of marine oligotrophic bacteria]. AB - A significant part of the world ocean is characterized by low absolute nutrients and chlorophyll concentrations. In these oligotrophic environments, bacteria are very abundant and play a vital role in the remineralization of the dissolved organic matter. Bacteria adapted to oligotrophic waters differ from those adapted to richer environments by some genetic and metabolic characteristics. Culture techniques in bacteriology are based on rich media and do not allow the growth of most marine bacteria. New techniques have been developed for the culture of oligotrophic bacteria, which allow to isolate unknown bacteria. Pelagibacter ubique and Sphingopyxis alaskensis belong to these bacteria recently isolated from the marine environment and their study yielded better understanding of how marine bacteria adapt to oligotrophic conditions. PMID- 17762822 TI - [Genome sequencing in the sea urchin embryo: what is new concerning the cell cycle?]. AB - Sea urchin is a classical research model system in developmental biology; moreover, the external fertilization and growth of embryos, their rapid division cycle, their transparency and the accessibility of these embryos to molecular visualization methods, made them good specimens to analyze the regulatory mechanisms of cell division. These features as well as the phylogenetic position of sea urchin, close to vertebrates but in an outgroup within the deuterostomes, led scientists working on this model to sequence the genome of the species S. purpuratus. The genome contains a full repertoire of cell cycle control genes. A comparison of this toolkit with those from vertebrates, nematodes, drosophila, as well as tunicates, provides new insight into the evolution of cell cycle control. While some gene subtypes have undergone lineage-specific expansions in vertebrates (i.e. cyclins, mitotic kinases,...), others seem to be lost in vertebrates, for instance the novel cyclin B identified in S. purpuratus. On the other hand, some genes which were previously thought to be vertebrate innovations, are also found in sea urchins (i.e. MCM9). To note is also the absence of cell cycle inhibitors of the INK type, which are apparently confined to vertebrates. The uncovered genomic repertoire of cell-cycle regulators will thus provide molecular tools that should further enhance future research on cell cycle control and developmental regulation in this model. PMID- 17762824 TI - [Amphioxus: how to become a vertebrate]. AB - Evo-devo is a young disciplin, which aims to explain the morphological evolution of organisms through developmental mechanisms and genes networks. A major question within this discipline is the origin of vertebrates. It seems now admitted that vertebrates derive from an invertebrate chordate ancestor. Several models among living chordate representatives are used today to answer this question. The small world of evo-evo interested in the emergence of vertebrates is ebullient about the advent of several totally sequenced genomes allowing comparative analyses to become evermore reliable. Furthermore "non classical" models are developed which can be submitted to refined developmental analysis. One of these is amphioxus (genus Branchyostoma), "a peaceful anchory fillet to illuminate chordate evolution" (Garcia-Fernandez, 2006a, b). The features of this model are described in this review. PMID- 17762825 TI - [Planar polarity in mammals: similarity and divergence with Drosophila Melanosgaster]. AB - Planar cell polarity (PCP) genes were originally identified in invertebrates (Drosophila Melanogaster) for their role in the uniform orientation of a structure within the plane of the epithelium (hair, group of cells). During the last five years, numerous studies have shown that vertebrate, but more importantly, mammalian homologues of some of these genes are involved in various developmental processes such as neural tube closure, polycystic kidney disease, inner ear functions (hearing, balance) or Bardet Biedl syndrome. These processes rely on a set of genes whose PCP function is conserved in mammals and Drosophila Melanogaster for some, or only present in mammals for others. In 2003, the inner ear was identified as a model to study PP in mammals and allowed the identification of the first important genes. These genes encode a variety of cell surface molecules as well as intracellular adapters whose molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood. It is clear that the identification of the PP pathways in mammals will come from a comparison with the genes in Drosophila, but also from the identification of genes specific to mammals. PMID- 17762826 TI - [mRNA localization to the mitochondrial surface: a tool to treat retinal pathologies due to mitochondrial DNA mutations]. AB - mRNA subcellular distribution and translational control are key player mechanisms for development, cellular differentiation and synaptic plasticity. mRNA localization is also implicated in mitochondria biogenesis. Two sequences within the transcripts are involved in their mitochondrial localization: the region coding for the mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS) and the 3'UTR. Therefore, we decided to use mRNA localization as a tool to address to mitochondria a protein that is not normally imported. We have chosen to construct nuclear versions of the mtDNA encoded ATP6 and ND1 genes to which we appended the signals of COX10 gene, whose transcript is sorted to the mitochondrial surface. Thus, by directing a hybrid mRNA to the mitochondrial surface, we significantly improved the feasibility of the allotopic approach for the mitochondrial genes examined. PMID- 17762827 TI - [Melatonin in the circadian system]. AB - In Mammals, the master circadian clock is located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus. This clock is synchronized with the astronomical time, essentially by the light/dark cycle. The different zeitgebers studied act on the Per1 and/or Per2 genes from the main molecular loop which initiates the circadian oscillations. Once synchronized with the environment, circadian oscillations are distributed through the organism by efferent signals, and the complex interaction of neural, hormonal and behavioural outputs from the circadian clock drive circadian expression of events, either directly or through coordination of the timing of peripheral oscillators. Melatonin, one of the endocrine output signals of the clock, provides the organism with circadian information, and can be considered as an endogenous synchronizer. Melatonin receptors are present in the suprachiasmatic nuclei which allows the hormone to feed back on the clock. To day, the physiological role of this peculiar feed-back has not yet been established. However, the presence of these receptors indicates that through an action on the circadian clock, exogenous melatonin can affect all levels of the circadian network and its capacity to entrain circadian rhythms to 24 h has been demonstrated. Melatonin is thus a zeitgeber. However, surprisingly, and different from the action mechanism of other zeitgebers on the clock, the chronobiotic effect of melatonin does not implicate Per1 and/or Per2. Rather, Rev-erb alpha could be the link between the physiological action of melatonin and the core of the molecular circadian clock. PMID- 17762828 TI - [Sites and mechanisms of action of melatonin in mammals: the MT1 and MT2 receptors]. AB - The rhythmic secretion of melatonin by the pineal gland plays a key role in the synchronisation of circadian and seasonal functions with cyclic environmental variations. The biological effects of this neurohormone are relayed mainly by G protein-coupled seven-transmembrane receptors. These receptors, known as MT1 and MT2, are present in a large number of central and peripheral structures in mammals, with considerable inter-species variations. However, only the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus, the site of the master circadian biological clock, and the pars tuberalis of the adenohypophysis contain melatonin receptors in the majority of species. Inhibition of the production of AMPc by a Gi/Go protein is one of the principal signalling pathways of the MT1 and MT2 receptors, although many other signal transduction pathways are also brought into play according to the cell type studied (PKC, Ca2+, K+ channels or GMPc in the case of MT2, etc.). Numerous factors or physiological stimuli are capable of influencing the number and functional status of the MT1 and MT2 receptors, such as melatonin, the photoperiod, the circadian clock or the phenomena of receptor dimerisation. Melatonin has numerous physiological effects for which the mechanisms of action and the specific role of the MT1 and MT2 receptors have not yet been clearly elucidated. However, selective pharmacological tools for each of the two receptor subtypes are currently being identified, notably in the Servier Group, for the purpose of furthering our knowledge of the functionality and physiological role of the MT1 and MT2 receptors in the central and peripheral structures. PMID- 17762829 TI - [Melatonin binding site MT3 is QR2: state of the art]. AB - Melatonin is a neurohormone primarily synthesized in the pineal gland at night. It has numerous functions in various pathophysiological situations, including anti-oxidant properties at pharmacological concentrations (1 microM and above). It is believed that melatonin acts through three main targets: two 7TM receptors (MT1 and MT2) and one atypical binding site called MT3. This last binding site has been purified in our laboratory and is designated as quinone reductase 2 (QR2, E.C. 1.10.99.2). This enzyme has several individualistic features. It does not recognize standard nicotinamide derivatives as co-substrates, but rather, it recognizes rare ones such as N-ribosylnicotinamide. Among other features of this enzyme, two are of major importance: 1) experiments from Dr Jaiswal (Houston, Texas) laboratory with QR2-/- mice and with cells derived from them demonstrated that this enzyme is implicated in the toxicological activation of menadione, and thus, may have an activation rather than a detoxification role, as formerly believed, and 2) the polyphenol resveratrol, a molecule with anti-oxidant properties, is a potent inhibitor of QR2 ( approximately 30 nM). This talk will briefly summarize these findings, and will present our working hypotheses, molecular tools and findings on several aspects of the possible relationship between QR2 and melatonin, in particular those suggesting a mechanism for the anti-oxidant activity of melatonin. PMID- 17762830 TI - [Melatoninergic receptor agonists and antagonists: therapeutic perspectives]. AB - The chronobiotic neurohormone melatonin, synthetized in the pineal gland during darkness periods governs the circadian and seasonal biological rhythms. Physiologically, melatonin regulates the sleep/activity alternance, together with the circadian cycle of body temperature and cortisol secretion, and influences various immune, endocrine and metabolic functions. Dysfunction of the endogenous melatonin secretion is associated with mood and behavioral disorders including body weight. Patients with severe depression exhibit desynchronized and reduced melatonin secretion, in parallel with marked sleep disturbances whereas exogenous melatonin administration and antidepressive drugs restore melatonin secretion. A dysregulated melatonin secretion is also observed in obese subjects. Implication of melatonin in these disorders stimulated the search for melatonin analogues with enhanced antidepressive and body weight control effects. The melatoninergic agonist S 20098, or agomelatin, disclosed a potent antidepressive and anxiolytic activity in preclinical studies, which was confirmed in clinical trials in patients with major depression. The antagonist S 20928 was shown to limit seasonal weight gain in an hibernating rodent model. Thus, development of melatoninergic agonists and antagonists appear as an innovative approach in the treatment of depression and obesity, two major public health problems. PMID- 17762831 TI - [Liver tumors]. PMID- 17762832 TI - [Anatomy of the liver: what you need to know]. AB - A precise knowledge of arterial, portal, hepatic and biliary anatomical variations is mandatory when a liver intervention is planned. However, only certain variations must be searched when a precise intervention is planned. The basic liver anatomy as well as the most relevant malformations will be precised. PMID- 17762833 TI - [Liver and focal liver contrast: radiologic-pathologic correlation]. AB - Knowledge of the histological features of different components of a liver lesion greatly assists radiologists because it provides understanding of the correspondingimaging features. The imaging characteristics of lesions depend on variations of the extracellular architecture, mainly surrounding stromal tissue. Until histological imaging techniques become available, cellular analysis relies on optical microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Recent advances in imaging techniques now provide additional information on lesions due to improved spatial, temporal and contrast resolution. Correct interpretation of these imaging features should improve diagnosis. PMID- 17762834 TI - [Incidentalomas]. AB - A liver incidentaloma corresponds to a liver lesion detected during work-up of for unrelated pathology. The frequency of incidentalomas is directly related to the incidence of liver tumors in the general population. After detection of an incidental liver lesion, the goal is to assess if diagnosis can be made based on imaging features alone or if biopsy is required. As such, radiologists must be familiar with the imaging features of different types of liver lesions, irrespective of the imaging modality. US is useful to determine the number of lesions (single versus multiple) and the cystic or solid nature of each lesion. Cystic lesions are usually benign. Incidental solid liver lesions are typically benign, but detection of a malignant lesion, hepatocellular carcinoma and metastases, is possible. The most frequent benign incidental solid liver lesions are hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia and liver cell adenoma. Accurate imaging diagnosis may not always be achievable, and biopsy, percutaneous or surgical, may be required. PMID- 17762835 TI - [Imaging of cystic liver diseases]. AB - The high frequency of benign and asymptomatic liver cysts must not underevaluate the potential diagnostic difficulties of liver cystic diseases. Complicated liver cyst or cystic mass of various origin, such as developmental, neoplastic or inflammatory, are important to be recognized by the radiologist. The diagnostic approach is depending on the number of lesions and their dissemination. The presence of a wall, the internal structure of the lesion, particularly the MR signal and the proximity of the biliary tree are the main diagnostic criteria. Some less frequent but characteristic unusual features need to be memorized. PMID- 17762836 TI - [Imaging nodules within cirrhotic liver: how do I do it?]. AB - Cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease characterized by the presence of diffuse parenchymal necrosis, reactive fibrosis and nodular regeneration. These regenerative nodules may evolve into dysplastic nodules and finally nodules of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Improved survival of cirrhotic patients with HCC depends on eligibility to liver transplantation. The purpose of this paper is to review the imaging features of liver nodules within cirrhotic liver and to propose the imaging strategies when considering the possibility of liver transplantation. PMID- 17762837 TI - [Focal liver lesions in oncology]. AB - In order to improve management of oncologic patients, a standardized 5-step approach should be considered: detection, characterization, locoregional and systemic staging, and post treatment follow up. The use of imaging techniques will be adapted to the clinical question at hand during multi-disciplinary review of cases. The role of the radiologist is to review the indications for each imaging modality and incorporate the results in the clinical context. PMID- 17762838 TI - [Liver imaging: pitfalls, pseudolesions and pseudotumors]. AB - Recognition of pseudolesions of the liver at imaging is important because of their close resemblance to primary liver cancer or metastases. There are several types of pseudolesions: pseudolesions, with mostly straight borders, corresponding to perfusion abnormalities, fatty liver, confluent fibrosis and radiation hepatitis; morphologic changes of the liver; true pseudotumors. The use of multidetector CT and MR imaging increases the likelihood of detecting such lesions in routine practice. Radiologists must recognize these lesions and understand the underlying etiology. PMID- 17762840 TI - Scalp hair mercury concentrations in Pakistan. AB - The presence of mercury in the environment is widespread and persistent, but the extent of exposure of Pakistanis to mercury is virtually unknown. We collected toenail and scalp hair samples from 158 subjects (83 males and 75 females) residing in Lahore and its suburbs. We also conducted a questionnaire survey and personal interviews to obtain information on demographic factors, lifestyles, and socioeconomic factors, among others. Mercury concentration in hair samples was measured by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS). In addition, the concentration of selenium in the toenail and hair samples was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The mean hair mercury concentration was 0.45 ppm (95% CI = 0.34-0.60) and did not show correlation with fish consumption, age, area of origin, or present residence. Mercury concentration was higher (p = 0.021) in females than in males, and was also higher in subjects with 11 or more years of education (p for trend = 0.013). There were 13 subjects with mercury concentration higher than 10 ppm. Most of them were young females and a few were middle-aged males. When the analysis was confined to subjects with mercury concentrations lower than 0.6 ppm, the amount of fish consumed showed correlation with hair mercury concentration with a marginal statistical significance (p = 0.065). The geometric means of selenium in hair and toenails were 0.87 and 1.01 ppm, respectively. Mercury and selenium concentrations in hair showed no correlation (correlation coefficient = 0.057, p = 0.478). This study shows that mercury exposure levels among residents in Lahore and its suburban areas are relatively low, except among outliers, wherein mercury exposure might be brought about by the use of mercury-containing soaps. PMID- 17762841 TI - Initial ecological risk assessment of eight selected human pharmaceuticals in Japan. AB - Eight pharmaceuticals were selected on the basis of their domestic consumption in Japan, the excretion ratio of the parent compound and the frequency of detection in the aquatic environment or wastewater treatment plant effluent. Toxicity tests on these pharmaceuticals were conducted using Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes), daphnia (Daphnia magna), and green algae (Psuedokirchneriella subcapitata). Predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) was calculated using lethal or effect concentration 50 (LC50 or EC50) values and no effect concentration (NOEC) obtained in the toxicity tests for these compounds. Predicted environmental concentration (PEC) was also calculated from annual consumption, the excretion rate of the parent compound, and removal rate in the preliminary batch activated sludge treatment performed in this study. Maximum concentrations found in the aquatic environment or sewage effluent in Japan or foreign countries were also used for another calculation of PEC. Initial risk assessment on the selected pharmaceuticals was performed using the PEC/PNEC ratio. The results of initial risk assessment on the eight selected pharmaceuticals suggest neither urgent nor severe concern for the ecological risk of these compounds, but further study needs to be conducted using chronic toxicity tests, including reproduction inhibition and endocrine disruption assessments. PMID- 17762842 TI - Hormonal activity of polycyclic musks evaluated by reporter gene assay. AB - Synthetic musk fragrance compounds, such as polycyclic musks (PCMs), are a group of chemicals used extensively as personal care products, and can be found in the environment and the human body. PCMs, such as 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8 hexa-methylcyclopenta-gamma-2-benzopyran (HHCB) and 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6 hexamethyltetralin (AHTN), are known to have agonistic activities toward human estrogen receptor alpha (hERalpha) and hERbeta, and have antagonistic activity toward the human androgen receptor (hAR), as shown in several reporter gene assays. However, little is known about the interaction of PCMs with the human thyroid hormone receptor (hTR), and the hormonal effects of other PCMs except for HHCB and AHTN. In this study, we focus on the interactions of six PCMs, namely, HHCB, AHTN, 4-acetyl-1,1-dimethyl-6-tert-butyl-indan (ADBI), 6-acetyl-1,1,2,3,3,5 hexamethylindan (AHMI), 6,7-dihydro-1,1,2,3,3-pentamethyl-4(5H)-indanone (DPMI), and 5-acetyl-1,1,2,6-tetramethyl-3-isopropy-lindan (ATII) with hERalpha, hAR, and hTRbeta by in vitro reporter gene assay using Chinese hamster ovary cells. All the samples were found to be agonists toward hERalpha, whereas no agonistic activities of these PCMs for hAR and hTRbeta were observed. No antagonistic activities for hERalpha and hTRbeta were observed at the concentrations tested. However, several PCMs, namely, HHCB, AHTN, ATII, ADBI, and AHMI, showed dose dependent antagonistic activities for hAR, and the IC50 values of these compounds were estimated to be 1.0 x 10(-7), 1.5 x 10(-7), 1.4 x 10(-7), 9.8 x 10(-6), and 1.4 x 10(-7) M, respectively. The results suggest that these PCMs interact with hERalpha and hAR but have no hormonal effect on hTRbeta. This is the first report on the agonistic and antagonistic activities of ATII, ADBI, AHMI, and DPMI for hERalpha and hAR as determined by in vitro reporter gene assay using stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. PMID- 17762844 TI - High-flow nasal cannula as a device to provide continuous positive airway pressure in infants. AB - OBJECTIVE: To measure the intrapharyngeal pressure (IPP) generated by high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) at varying flow rates up to 5 l min(-1). STUDY DESIGN: We studied 14 infants on HFNC or NCPAP using IPP manometry to measure the IPP generated at flows of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 l min(-1). RESULT: On average flow rates of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 l min(-1) generated an IPP (cm of H(2)O) of 1.70+/-0.34, 1.75+/-0.2, 2.62+/-0.28, 3.78+/-0.44 and 4.84+/-0.51 respectively. CONCLUSION: HFNC delivers significant IPP and is potentially a well-tolerated and viable option to provide CPAP at flows of > or = 3 min(-1) in infants with respiratory distress. PMID- 17762843 TI - In vitro evaluation of atmospheric particulate matter and sedimentation particles using yeast bioassay system. AB - Little information on the evaluation of airborne particulate matter (APM) and sedimentation particles from subway stations is available. The thermal metamorphism of train wheels generating toxic particles in subway stations is a possibility. In this study, the toxicity and physiological effects of particles from subway stations were evaluated using a yeast bioassay system. Estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities of APM in APM extracts from subway stations were determined. No estrogenic activity was found in the APM fractions and their S9 activated APM samples. Sedimentation dust samples also showed no estrogen activity. In contrast, extracts from sedimentation dust samples showed antiestrogen activity. Marked yeast toxicity was observed in the samples extracted from sedimentation dust. Potent yeast toxicity was also found in the S9 activated extracts from sedimentation dust. The results suggest that sedimentation dust from a semiclosed area of a subway system has antiestrogen activity, although both the origin and generation system of this activity are uncertain. These pollutants in sedimentation dust may change to a more toxic form in vivo by S9 activation. PMID- 17762845 TI - Decision-making in the delivery room: a survey of neonatologists. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine influences on neonatologists' decision-making regarding resuscitation of extremely premature infants. STUDY DESIGN: A mailed survey of Illinois neonatologists evaluated influences on resuscitation. Personal and parentally opposed (that is, acting against parental wishes) gray zones of resuscitation were defined, with the lower limit (LL) the gestational age at or below which resuscitation would be consistently withheld and the upper limit (UL) above which resuscitation was mandatory. RESULT: Among the 85 respondents, LL and UL of the personal and parentally opposed gray zones were median 22 and 25 weeks, respectively. Neonatologists with an UL personal gray zone <25 completed weeks were significantly more fearful of litigation, more likely to have received didactic/continuing medical education teaching, and less likely to always consider parents' opinions in resuscitation decisions. Neonatologists with an UL parentally opposed gray zone <25 completed weeks were more fearful of litigation. CONCLUSION: Neonatologists perceive a 'gray zone' of resuscitative practices and should understand that external influences may affect their delivery room resuscitation practices. PMID- 17762847 TI - The importance of literacy in research and in practice. PMID- 17762846 TI - Cervical length and the risk of spontaneous labor at term. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between cervical length (CL) at 37 to 40 weeks and delivery within 7 days and delivery by 41 weeks. STUDY DESIGN: We performed transvaginal ultrasound to measure CL in women with singleton gestations at 37 to 40 weeks. We then used a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) to assess the relationship between CL and delivery within 7 days and delivery by 41 weeks. RESULT: For the 120 women included in the analysis, the mean CL (+/-s.d.) was 25.3+/-9.8 mm. The logistic regression model to predict each of the outcomes includes gestational age at ultrasound (GA-US) and CL. Neither birthweight, nor parity seems to affect the probability of delivery within 7 days. The ROC curve was used to assess the probability of spontaneous labor within 7 days at each CL measurement. The likelihood ratio of delivery within 7 days when CL is < or = 10 mm is 12. CONCLUSION: CL measurement at 37-40 weeks is an independent predictor of delivery within 7 days and delivery by 41 weeks regardless of GA-US. This information can be utilized when counseling patients regarding the management of term pregnancies. PMID- 17762848 TI - The assessment of ankylosing spondylitis in clinical practice. AB - Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis that predominantly affects the axial skeleton in adolescent patients causing spinal pain and stiffness. There is a marked delay, on average 8 years, between onset of disease symptoms and clinical diagnosis. The distinction between the symptoms of mechanical and inflammatory back pain remains one of the main contributing factors for the delay in diagnosis. Several classification criteria exist to aid the diagnosis of AS, but their accuracy is poor. The Ankylosing Spondylitis Assessment Study group (ASAS) has defined a core set of domains for clinical outcome measurement in AS in order to assess the disease process in individual patients and to identify those with rapidly progressive disease. New therapies, such as the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, have transformed the treatment paradigm in AS, especially for those patients with aggressive disease. Thus, the definition of both patient selection criteria for these agents and the development of clinical methods to assess response to therapy have become a priority. This Review focuses on measuring the degree of disease activity, function and damage in patients with AS in an ambulatory care setting, and the assessment of suitability of various outcome measures for monitoring response to treatment with TNF inhibitors. PMID- 17762849 TI - Regional pain syndrome: clinical characteristics, mechanisms and management. AB - Regional soft-tissue complaints are commonplace, and they usually relate to a disease process, such as strain, inflammation or degeneration of a muscle, tendon or related muscle-tendon unit. The clinical features and investigations of the causative processes of these complaints are characteristic, and outcomes to treatments are usually predictable and satisfactory. Regional pain syndromes are different: these syndromes present with regional pain and tenderness, and other sensory symptoms unaccounted for by a simple musculoskeletal mechanistic explanation. Approved classification criteria for regional pain syndromes are lacking, and these syndromes are poorly understood and frequently misdiagnosed. Regional pain syndromes often occur after injury and overlap extensively with other musculoskeletal pain syndromes, in terms of clinical signs and symptoms. The clinician and patient are often confused about the nature of the problem and routine treatments directed to putative tissue damage will fail. Review of the epidemiology of regional pain syndromes combined with knowledge of other similar pain syndromes has enabled an evolving understanding of the condition. The musculoskeletal and central nervous systems both contribute to regional pain syndromes, through spine-related pain mechanisms and central sensitization, respectively. The patient's emotional state, particularly the effect on pain modulation, links these two systems. PMID- 17762850 TI - Primer: the practical use of biological markers of rheumatic and systemic inflammatory diseases. AB - The assessment of systemic inflammation by means of laboratory tests often complements the results of medical examination. Traditionally, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and leukocytosis with left shift are diagnostic markers for inflammatory and infectious diseases. The levels of acute-phase proteins- especially C-reactive protein--are used to assess both the presence of inflammation and any response to treatment. The determination of C-reactive protein levels may be advised in three types of pathological situation: infection, acute or chronic inflammation, and evaluation of metabolic risk. Procalcitonin is useful as a marker of sepsis and severe infection. The concentration of serum amyloid A predicts the chances of survival of patients with secondary (AA) amyloidosis. Ferritin and its glycosylated form are of interest in the study of specific diseases such as adult-onset Still's disease. Markers of cartilage and bone turnover are complementary to these markers of inflammation. Although cytokine serum levels are transiently crucial to the generation of inflammation, their usefulness in the clinic is still under investigation. Serum concentrations of cytokine inhibitors or soluble cytokine receptors, as well as the clinical response of patients to treatment with cytokine antagonists, might generate important information for monitoring autoinflammatory diseases. PMID- 17762851 TI - Primer: epigenetics of autoimmunity. AB - Interactions between environmental and genetic factors are proposed to explain why autoimmunity afflicts certain individuals and not others. Genes and genetic loci predisposing to autoimmunity are being identified, but theories as to how the environment contributes to autoimmunity still rely largely on examples such as drug-induced systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and epidemiologic evidence of occupational exposure, without clear mechanistic explanations or identification of specific environmental agents. Eukaryotic gene expression requires not only transcription factor activation but also regional modification of chromatin structure into a transcriptionally permissive configuration through epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone modifications. The realization that epigenetic mechanisms can alter gene expression and, therefore, cellular function has led to new insights into how environmental agents might contribute to the development of diseases in genetically predisposed individuals. The observation that some SLE-inducing drugs, such as procainamide and hydralazine, affect T cell DNA methylation and thereby cellular function, and that identical changes in T cell DNA methylation and cellular function are found in patients with SLE, implicates epigenetic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of human SLE, and perhaps other autoimmune diseases. In this Review we discuss how epigenetic mechanisms affect gene expression, how environmental agents can affect epigenetic mechanisms, and how epigenetic changes in gene expression can contribute to autoimmunity. Similar mechanisms might also contribute to the pathogenesis of other poorly understood human diseases. PMID- 17762852 TI - Rapid immunodiagnosis of tuberculosis in a woman receiving anti-TNF therapy. AB - BACKGROUND: A 63-year-old German woman with a 24-year history of Crohn's disease and associated polyarthralgias presented with severe malaise, dyspnea, fever, night sweats, dry cough and an extensive right-sided pleural effusion. The patient had begun treatment with bi-weekly subcutaneous injections of adalimumab 5 weeks earlier. INVESTIGATIONS: Physical examination, chest X-ray, transthoracic ultrasonography, pleural tap and drainage, bacterial and cytological analyses of pleural fluid, bronchoscopy, microscopy and bacteriological culture of pleural exudates and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, thoracic CT, thoracoscopy, histopathology of pleural biopsy, tuberculin skin test, nucleic acid amplification of mycobacterial RNA and DNA in the pleural fluid specimens and the parietal pleural biopsy, microscopy of sputum samples, ESAT-6-specific and CFP-10 specific interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot assay on peripheral blood and pleural exudate mononuclear cells. DIAGNOSIS: Pulmonary and pleural tuberculosis. MANAGEMENT: Cessation of adalimumab treatment. Initiation of quadruple antibiotic therapy with isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide. Prednisolone administered to reduce the pleural effusion. PMID- 17762853 TI - Integrin alpha3beta1 potentiates TGFbeta-mediated induction of MMP-9 in immortalized keratinocytes. AB - Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) signaling pathways regulate a number of keratinocyte functions during epidermal carcinogenesis and wound healing, including proliferation, survival, and migration. TGFbeta can induce expression of the matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which has critical roles in promoting extracellular matrix remodeling and angiogenesis during tumorigenesis and tissue repair. Integrin alpha3beta1 is a cell adhesion receptor for laminin-332/laminin 5 with important roles in the survival and motility of epidermal keratinocytes. We previously reported that alpha3beta1 induces the expression of MMP-9 in immortalized keratinocytes. In this study, we show that endogenous TGFbeta is required for maximal MMP-9 expression, and that alpha3beta1 is required for full induction of MMP-9 protein and mRNA in response to TGFbeta. This regulation was not observed in non-immortalized, primary keratinocytes, indicating that coordinate regulation of MMP-9 by alpha3beta1 and TGFbeta is a property of immortalized cells. Alpha3beta1 did not regulate endogenous TGFbeta gene expression, TGFbeta bioavailability, or TGFbeta-Smad signaling. However, the combined inductive effects of TGFbeta and alpha3beta1 on MMP-9 were suppressed by a Src family kinase (SFK) inhibitor, indicating involvement of a SFK pathway. These findings provide early evidence of a role for alpha3beta1 in augmenting TGFbeta-mediated induction of MMP-9 in immortalized or transformed keratinocytes during skin carcinogenesis. PMID- 17762855 TI - Development of therapeutic siRNAs for pachyonychia congenita. AB - Pachyonychia congenita (PC) is an autosomal-dominant keratin disorder where the most painful, debilitating aspect is plantar keratoderma. PC is caused by mutations in one of four keratin genes; however, most patients carry K6a mutations. Knockout mouse studies suggest that ablation of one of the several K6 genes can be tolerated owing to compensatory expression of the others. Here, we have developed potent RNA interference against K6a as a paradigm for treating a localized dominant skin disorder. Four small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were designed against unique sequences in the K6a 3'-untranslated region. We demonstrated near-complete ablation of endogenous K6a protein expression in two keratinocyte cell lines, HaCaT and NEB-1, by transient transfection of each of the four K6a siRNAs. The siRNAs were effective at very low, picomolar concentrations. One potent lead K6a inhibitor, which was highly specific for K6a, was tested in a mouse model where reporter gene constructs were injected intradermally into mouse paw and luciferase activity was used as an in vivo readout. Imaging in live mice using the Xenogen IVIS system demonstrated that the K6a-specific siRNA strongly inhibited bicistronic K6a-luciferase gene expression in vivo. These data suggest that siRNAs can specifically and very potently target mutated genes in the skin and support development of these inhibitors as potential therapeutics. PMID- 17762854 TI - Transglutaminase autoantibodies in dermatitis herpetiformis and celiac sprue. AB - Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is an autoimmune blistering skin disorder that is associated with intestinal gluten sensitivity. Epidermal transglutaminase (TGe) and closely related tissue transglutaminase (tTG) are considered to be autoantigens in DH, because a majority of DH patients have IgA specific for TGe and for tTG. It is unknown where and how these autoantigen-specific IgAs are generated in DH. Results reported in this paper on nine DH patients on a gluten containing diet demonstrate that the levels of circulating anti-tTG IgA and anti TGe IgA in DH are correlated with each other and that both appear to be correlated with the degree (extent) of enteropathy. An analysis of 15 untreated celiac sprue (CS) patients demonstrated that approximately 33% of CS patients had elevated levels of anti-TGe IgA. These results would indicate that intestinal damage is associated with the production of anti-tTG IgA and anti-TGe IgA in DH patients. PMID- 17762856 TI - The dose rate of UVA treatment influences the cellular response of HaCaT keratinocytes. AB - The contribution of UV exposure to the etiology of skin cancer and photoaging is undisputed. However, the effect of altering the intensity or dose rate of UV, which varies considerably with geographical location, the time of day or year, and the use of sunscreens, is not understood. In this study, the effect of altering the dose rate of UVA was investigated in the immortalized human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT. Lowering the dose rate of UVA resulted in increased cytotoxicity, which correlated with increases in both lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. Furthermore, exposure at low dose rate did not appear to reduce the ability of UVA to induce the phenomenon of persistent genomic instability. Pretreatment with the antioxidant vitamin E significantly protected against UVA dose-rate effects observed with respect to lipid peroxidation and survival. Additionally, cell populations irradiated at low dose rate exhibited a shift towards a more pro-oxidant state. Taken together, these observations suggest an oxidative stress mechanism is underlying the UVA dose rate effect. This study demonstrates that dose rates must be included as a key factor when evaluating the biological effects of UVA, especially considering the concerns, which exist regarding the efficacy and photostability of sunscreens to UVA. PMID- 17762857 TI - Absence of PDGFRA mutations in primary melanoma. PMID- 17762859 TI - The HTLV tax-like sequences in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients. PMID- 17762858 TI - Localization of the TIG3 transglutaminase interaction domain and demonstration that the amino-terminal region is required for TIG3 function as a keratinocyte differentiation regulator. AB - Tazarotene-induced gene 3 (TIG3) regulates keratinocyte terminal differentiation by activating type I transglutaminase (TG1). TIG3 consists of an amino-terminal (N-terminal) segment, that encodes several conserved motifs, and a carboxy terminal (C-terminal) membrane-anchoring domain. By producing a series of truncation mutants that remove segments of the N-terminal region, and monitoring the ability of each mutant to co-precipitate TG1, function as a TG1 substrate, or functionally localize with TG1 in cells, we show that the TIG3 domain that interacts with TG1 is located within a TIG3 segment spanning amino acids 112-164. Although they bind TG1, TIG3 mutants lacking the conserved N-terminal region drive apoptosis-like cell death characterized by cell rounding, membrane blebbing, cytochrome c release, procaspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) cleavage, and reduced p53 and p21 levels. Compared with TIG3, these truncated mutants have an increased tendency to associate with membranes. A mutant lacking the C-terminal membrane-anchoring domain is inactive. These findings suggest that TIG3 interaction with TG1 does not require the N-terminal conserved domains, that the TIG3 N-terminal region is required for TIG3-dependent keratinocyte differentiation, that its removal converts TIG3 into a proapoptotic protein, and that this change in action of TIG3 is associated with an intracellular redistribution. PMID- 17762860 TI - Proportion of skin surface area of children and young adults from 2 to 18 years old. AB - When studying the density of skin lesions, calculations of relative density are based on charts of proportion of skin surface area. However, the current source of information is derived from skewed data obtained at the beginning of the twentieth century. Using more recent data from a population-based sample of children in the United States, we propose a new set of tables. Data from measurements taken in the United States in the 1970s for design and safety were applied to the computer-based model MAN3D. This model, originally created for ergonomic studies in the automotive industry, allowed us to obtain a precise estimate of the main surface areas of children. Compared with previously published studies, our estimates increased the relative proportion of arms and of the trunk and allowed for differentiation of these proportions by sex. New tables are proposed for epidemiological studies of skin lesion density in children. PMID- 17762862 TI - Cryo-electron microscopy of hepatitis B virions reveals variability in envelope capsid interactions. AB - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major human pathogen causing about 750,000 deaths per year. The virion consists of a nucleocapsid and an envelope formed by lipids, and three integral membrane proteins. Although we have detailed structural insights into the organization of the HBV core, the arrangement of the envelope in virions and its interaction with the nucleocapsid is elusive. Here we show the ultrastructure of hepatitis B virions purified from patient serum. We identified two morphological phenotypes, which appear as compact and gapped particles with nucleocapsids in distinguishable conformations. The overall structures of these nucleocapsids resemble recombinant cores with two alpha-helical spikes per asymmetric unit. At the charged tips the spikes are contacted by defined protrusions of the envelope proteins, probably via electrostatic interactions. The HBV envelope in the two morphotypes is to some extent variable, but the surface proteins follow a general packing scheme with up to three surface protein dimers per asymmetric unit. The variability in the structure of the envelope indicates that the nucleocapsid does not firmly constrain the arrangement of the surface proteins, but provides a general template for the packing. PMID- 17762861 TI - The EM structure of human DNA polymerase gamma reveals a localized contact between the catalytic and accessory subunits. AB - We used electron microscopy to examine the structure of human DNA pol gamma, the heterotrimeric mtDNA replicase implicated in certain mitochondrial diseases and aging models. Separate analysis of negatively stained preparations of the catalytic subunit, pol gammaA, and of the holoenzyme including a dimeric accessory factor, pol gammaB(2), permitted unambiguous identification of the position of the accessory factor within the holoenzyme. The model explains protection of a partial chymotryptic cleavage site after residue L(549) of pol gammaA upon binding of the accessory subunit. This interaction region is near residue 467 of pol gammaA, where a disease-related mutation has been reported to impair binding of the B subunit. One pol gammaB subunit dominates contacts with the catalytic subunit, while the second B subunit is largely exposed to solvent. A model for pol gamma is discussed that considers the effects of known mutations in the accessory subunit and the interaction of the enzyme with DNA. PMID- 17762863 TI - D-serine is a key determinant of glutamate toxicity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. AB - Excitotoxicity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). More recently, glial involvement has been shown to be essential for ALS-related motoneuronal death. Here, we identified an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor co-agonist, D-serine (D-Ser), as a glia-derived enhancer of glutamate (Glu) toxicity to ALS motoneurons. Cell death assay indicated that primary spinal cord neurons from ALS mice were more vulnerable to NMDA toxicity than those from control mice, in a D-Ser-dependent manner. Levels of D-Ser and its producing enzyme, serine racemase, in spinal cords of ALS mice were progressively elevated, dominantly in glia, with disease progression. In vitro, expression of serine racemase was induced not only by an extracellular pro inflammatory factor, but also by transiently expressed G93A-superoxide dismutase1 in microglial cells. Furthermore, increases of D-Ser levels were also observed in spinal cords of both familial and sporadic ALS patients. Collectively, Glu toxicity enhanced by D-Ser overproduced in glia is proposed as a novel mechanism underlying ALS motoneuronal death, and this mechanism may be regarded as a potential therapeutic target for ALS. PMID- 17762864 TI - Conserved function of RNF4 family proteins in eukaryotes: targeting a ubiquitin ligase to SUMOylated proteins. AB - The function of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)-binding proteins is key to understanding how SUMOylation regulates cellular processes. We identified two related Schizosaccharomyces pombe proteins, Rfp1 and Rfp2, each having an N terminal SUMO-interacting motif (SIM) and a C-terminal RING-finger domain. Genetic analysis shows that Rfp1 and Rfp2 have redundant functions; together, they are essential for cell growth and genome stability. Mammalian RNF4, an active ubiquitin E3 ligase, is an orthologue of Rfp1/Rfp2. Rfp1 and Rfp2 lack E3 activity but recruit Slx8, an active RING-finger ubiquitin ligase, through a RING RING interaction, to form a functional E3. RNF4 complements the growth and genomic stability defects of rfp1rfp2, slx8, and rfp1rfp2slx8 mutant cells. Both the Rfp-Slx8 complex and RNF4 specifically ubiquitylate artificial SUMO containing substrates in vitro in a SUMO binding-dependent manner. SUMOylated proteins accumulate in rfp1rfp2 double-null cells, suggesting that Rfp/Slx8 proteins may promote ubiquitin-dependent degradation of SUMOylated targets. Hence, we describe a family of SIM-containing RING-finger proteins that potentially regulates eukaryotic genome stability through linking SUMO interaction with ubiquitin conjugation. PMID- 17762865 TI - SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligases in genome stability. AB - We identify the SUMO-Targeted Ubiquitin Ligase (STUbL) family of proteins and propose that STUbLs selectively ubiquitinate sumoylated proteins and proteins that contain SUMO-like domains (SLDs). STUbL recruitment to sumoylated/SLD proteins is mediated by tandem SUMO interaction motifs (SIMs) within the STUbLs N terminus. STUbL-mediated ubiquitination maintains sumoylation pathway homeostasis by promoting target protein desumoylation and/or degradation. Thus, STUbLs establish a novel mode of communication between the sumoylation and ubiquitination pathways. STUbLs are evolutionarily conserved and include: Schizosaccharomyces pombe Slx8-Rfp (founding member), Homo sapiens RNF4, Dictyostelium discoideum MIP1 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Slx5-Slx8. Cells lacking Slx8-Rfp accumulate sumoylated proteins, display genomic instability, and are hypersensitive to genotoxic stress. These phenotypes are suppressed by deletion of the major SUMO ligase Pli1, demonstrating the specificity of STUbLs as regulators of sumoylated proteins. Notably, human RNF4 expression restores SUMO pathway homeostasis in fission yeast lacking Slx8-Rfp, underscoring the evolutionary functional conservation of STUbLs. The DNA repair factor Rad60 and its human homolog NIP45, which contain SLDs, are candidate STUbL targets. Consistently, Rad60 and Slx8-Rfp mutants have similar DNA repair defects. PMID- 17762866 TI - Pcl-PRC2 is needed to generate high levels of H3-K27 trimethylation at Polycomb target genes. AB - PRC2 is thought to be the histone methyltransferase (HMTase) responsible for H3 K27 trimethylation at Polycomb target genes. Here we report the biochemical purification and characterization of a distinct form of Drosophila PRC2 that contains the Polycomb group protein polycomblike (Pcl). Like PRC2, Pcl-PRC2 is an H3-K27-specific HMTase that mono-, di- and trimethylates H3-K27 in nucleosomes in vitro. Analysis of Drosophila mutants that lack Pcl unexpectedly reveals that Pcl PRC2 is required to generate high levels of H3-K27 trimethylation at Polycomb target genes but is dispensable for the genome-wide H3-K27 mono- and dimethylation that is generated by PRC2. In Pcl mutants, Polycomb target genes become derepressed even though H3-K27 trimethylation at these genes is only reduced and not abolished, and even though targeting of the Polycomb protein complexes PhoRC and PRC1 to Polycomb response elements is not affected. Pcl-PRC2 is thus the HMTase that generates the high levels of H3-K27 trimethylation in Polycomb target genes that are needed to maintain a Polycomb-repressed chromatin state. PMID- 17762867 TI - The NECAP PHear domain increases clathrin accessory protein binding potential. AB - AP-2 is a key regulator of the endocytic protein machinery driving clathrin coated vesicle (CCV) formation. One critical function, mediated primarily by the AP-2 alpha-ear, is the recruitment of accessory proteins. NECAPs are alpha-ear binding proteins that enrich on CCVs. Here, we have solved the structure of the conserved N-terminal region of NECAP 1, revealing a unique module in the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain superfamily, which we named the PHear domain. The PHear domain binds accessory proteins bearing FxDxF motifs, which were previously thought to bind exclusively to the AP-2 alpha-ear. Structural analysis of the PHear domain reveals the molecular surface for FxDxF motif binding, which was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. The reciprocal analysis of the FxDxF motif in amphiphysin I identified distinct binding requirements for binding to the alpha-ear and PHear domain. We show that NECAP knockdown compromises transferrin uptake and establish a functional role for NECAPs in clathrin mediated endocytosis. Our data uncover a striking convergence of two evolutionarily and structurally distinct modules to recognize a common peptide motif and promote efficient endocytosis. PMID- 17762868 TI - Distinct roles for SWR1 and INO80 chromatin remodeling complexes at chromosomal double-strand breaks. AB - INO80 and SWR1 are two closely related ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes that share several subunits. Ino80 was reported to be recruited to the HO endonuclease-induced double-strand break (DSB) at the budding yeast mating type locus, MAT. We find Swr1 similarly recruited in a manner dependent on the phosphorylation of H2A (gammaH2AX). This is not unique to cleavage at MAT; both Swr1 and Ino80 bind near an induced DSB on chromosome XV. Whereas Swr1 incorporates the histone variant H2A.Z into chromatin at promoters, H2A.Z levels do not increase at DSBs. Instead, H2A.Z, gammaH2AX and core histones are coordinately removed near the break in an INO80-dependent, but SWR1-independent, manner. Mutations in INO80-specific subunits Arp8 or Nhp10 impair the binding of Mre11 nuclease, yKu80 and ATR-related Mec1 kinase at the DSB, resulting in defective end-processing and checkpoint activation. In contrast, Mre11 binding, end-resection and checkpoint activation were normal in the swr1 strain, but yKu80 loading and error-free end-joining were impaired. Thus, these two related chromatin remodelers have distinct roles in DSB repair and checkpoint activation. PMID- 17762871 TI - An experimental correction for arginine-to-proline conversion artifacts in SILAC based quantitative proteomics. PMID- 17762872 TI - New lasers for flow cytometry: filling the gaps. PMID- 17762870 TI - AtPRD1 is required for meiotic double strand break formation in Arabidopsis thaliana. AB - The initiation of meiotic recombination by the formation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) catalysed by the Spo11 protein is strongly evolutionary conserved. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Spo11 requires nine other proteins for meiotic DSB formation, but, unlike Spo11, few of these proteins seem to be conserved across kingdoms. In order to investigate this recombination step in higher eukaryotes, we have isolated a new gene, AtPRD1, whose mutation affects meiosis in Arabidopsis thaliana. In Atprd1 mutants, meiotic recombination rates fall dramatically, early recombination markers (e.g., DMC1 foci) are absent, but meiosis progresses until achiasmatic univalents are formed. Besides, Atprd1 mutants suppress DSB repair defects of a large range of meiotic mutants, showing that AtPRD1 is involved in meiotic recombination and is required for meiotic DSB formation. Furthermore, we showed that AtPRD1 and AtSPO11-1 interact in a yeast two-hybrid assay, suggesting that AtPRD1 could be a partner of AtSPO11-1. Moreover, our study reveals similarity between AtPRD1 and the mammalian protein Mei1, suggesting that AtPRD1 could be a Mei1 functional homologue. PMID- 17762869 TI - The Kruppel-like factor KLF4 is a critical regulator of monocyte differentiation. AB - Monocyte differentiation involves the participation of lineage-restricted transcription factors, although the mechanisms by which this process occurs are incompletely defined. Within the hematopoietic system, members of the Kruppel like family of factors (KLFs) play essential roles in erythrocyte and T lymphocyte development. Here we show that KLF4/GKLF is expressed in a monocyte restricted and stage-specific pattern during myelopoiesis and functions to promote monocyte differentiation. Overexpression of KLF4 in HL-60 cells confers the characteristics of mature monocytes. Conversely, KLF4 knockdown blocked phorbol ester-induced monocyte differentiation. Forced expression of KLF4 in primary common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) or hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) induced exclusive monocyte differentiation in clonogenic assays, whereas KLF4 deficiency inhibited monocyte but increased granulocyte differentiation. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that KLF4 is a target gene of PU.1. Consistently, KLF4 can rescue PU.1-/- fetal liver cells along the monocytic lineage and can activate the monocytic-specific CD14 promoter. Thus, KLF4 is a critical regulator in the transcriptional network controlling monocyte differentiation. PMID- 17762874 TI - Channeling the worm: microfluidic devices for nematode neurobiology. PMID- 17762873 TI - SNPs matter: impact on detection of differential expression. PMID- 17762875 TI - Hunting for ion channel modulators with herpes simplex virus. PMID- 17762876 TI - Soaking up small RNAs. PMID- 17762877 TI - Solution NMR of supramolecular complexes: providing new insights into function. AB - Solution NMR spectroscopy is an extremely powerful technology for the study of biomolecular dynamics and site-specific molecular interactions. An important limitation in the past has been molecule size, with molecular weights of targets seldom exceeding 50 kDa. New labeling technology and NMR experiments are changing this paradigm so that applications for investigating supramolecular complexes are starting to become feasible. Here we describe a strategy developed in our laboratory that involves the use of labeled methyl groups of isoleucine, leucine and valine residues in proteins as probes, along with experiments that significantly enhance the lifetimes of the resulting signals. We describe the application of these methods to a number of systems with molecular weights in the hundreds of kilodaltons. PMID- 17762879 TI - Mechanisms underlying mutually exclusive expression of virulence genes by malaria parasites. AB - A fundamental yet poorly understood aspect of gene regulation in eukaryotic organisms is the mechanisms that control allelic exclusion and mutually exclusive gene expression. In the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, this process regulates expression of the var gene family--a large, hypervariable repertoire of genes that are responsible for the ability of the parasite to evade the host immune system and for pathogenesis of the disease. A central problem in understanding this process concerns the mechanisms that limit expression to a single gene at a time. Here, we describe results that provide information on the mechanisms that control silencing and single gene expression and differentiate between several models that have recently been proposed. The results provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, supporting the existence of a postulated var specific, subnuclear expression site and also reinforce the conclusion that var gene regulation is based on cooperative interactions between the two promoters of each var gene. PMID- 17762881 TI - Antagonistic control of cell fates by JNK and p38-MAPK signaling. AB - During the development and organogenesis of all multicellular organisms, cell fate decisions determine whether cells undergo proliferation, differentiation, or aging. Two independent stress kinase signaling pathways, p38-MAPK, and JNKs, have evolved that relay developmental and environmental cues to determine cell responses. Although multiple stimuli can activate these two stress kinase pathways, the functional interactions and molecular cross-talks between these common second signaling cascades are poorly elucidated. Here we report that JNK and p38-MAPK pathways antagonistically control cellular senescence, oncogenic transformation, and proliferation in primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Similarly, genetic inactivation of the JNK pathway results in impaired proliferation of fetal hepatoblasts in vitro and defective adult liver regeneration in vivo, which is rescued by inhibition of the p38-MAPK pathway. Thus, the balance between the two stress-signaling pathways, MKK7-JNK and MKK3/6 p38-MAPK, determines cell fate and links environmental and developmental stress to cell cycle arrest, senescence, oncogenic transformation, and adult tissue regeneration. PMID- 17762880 TI - An endocytic pathway as a target of tubby for regulation of fat storage. AB - The tubby loci provide a unique opportunity to study adult-onset obesity. Mutation in either mammalian tubby or its homologue in Caenorhabditis elegans, tub-1, results in increased fat storage. Previously, we have shown that TUB-1 interacts with a new Rab GTPase-activating protein, RBG-3, for the regulation of fat storage. To understand further the molecular mechanism of TUB-1, we identified the Rab GTPase downstream of RBG-3. We found that RBG-3 preferentially stimulates the intrinsic GTPase activity of RAB-7 in both human and C. elegans. Importantly, either mutation or RNA interference knockdown in rab-7 reduces stored fat in wild type and tub-1 mutants. In addition, the small GTPase rab-5 and genes that regulate Rab membrane localization and nucleotide recycling are required for the regulation of fat storage, thereby defining a role for endocytic recycling in this process. We propose that TUB-1 controls receptor or sensory molecule degradation in neurons by regulating a RAB-7-mediated endocytic pathway. PMID- 17762882 TI - Involvement of cellular death in TRAIL/DR5-dependent suppression induced by CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells. AB - CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells (Treg) are potent immunosuppressive cells active in controlling normal pathological immune responses. The mechanisms of this suppression have been investigated under various conditions. In this report, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL)/death receptor 5 (DR5) was explored as one of the pivotal factors for the suppression and cytotoxicity induced by CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg. Cell death was involved in the suppression induced by activated CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg in vitro. The induction of CD4(+) T cell death was not mediated by the CD95/CD95L pathway, but rather depended upon the upregulation of TRAIL in the Treg. Blocking the TRAIL/DR5 pathway resulted in a significant reduction of the suppressive activity as well as the cytotoxic effects of Treg in vitro. Activated Treg displayed TRAIL dependent cytotoxicity against CD4(+) T cells in vivo. The prolonged survival of allogeneic skin grafts induced by Treg was inhibited by DR5-blocking antibodies. Our findings suggest that the TRAIL/DR5 pathway is one of the mechanisms used by Treg to regulate immune responses both in vitro and in vivo. PMID- 17762883 TI - Role of EndoG in development and cell injury. PMID- 17762884 TI - Transcriptional activation of p53 by Pitx1. AB - Little is known about factors that stimulate transcription of the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Here, we report that the human pituitary homeobox 1 (hPitx1) transcription factor increases the expression of p53 at the mRNA and protein levels in human mammary carcinoma (MCF-7) cells. Increased p53 mRNA expression was due to activation of the p53 promoter by hPitx1. hPitx1 bound directly to the p53 promoter and functionally utilized two hPitx1 consensus elements. The predominant consensus element utilized by hPitx1 to stimulate p53 transcription was located within the first exon of the p53 gene. A hPitx1 mutant (hPitx1-R141P) acting as a dominant inhibitor repressed p53 transcription. Forced expression of hPitx1 resulted in cell-cycle arrest and p53-dependent apoptosis in p53-replete MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, hPitx1 stimulated the transcription of p53 target genes involved in cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis (p21 and PTGF-beta), again in a p53 dependent manner. Depletion of endogenous hPitx1 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) in MCF-7 cells resulted in decreased basal expression of p53 and consequently of p21 and placental transforming growth factor beta (PTGF-beta). Depletion of p53 by siRNA dramatically attenuated hPitx1-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Thus, p53 is a direct transcriptional target gene of hPitx1. This observation is concordant with the recent identification of hPitx1 as a tumor suppressor gene. PMID- 17762885 TI - Stimulating the development of mechanism-based, individualized pain therapies. AB - Biomedical science has greatly improved our understanding of pain in recent decades, but few novel molecular entities that address fundamentally new pain mechanisms have entered the clinic, despite dramatically increased pharmaceutical investment. Indeed, virtually all new analgesics approved over the past 25 years are derivatives or reformulations of opioids or aspirin-like drugs, existing drugs given for a new indication or older drugs given by a different route of administration. Here, we discuss factors contributing to this lack of innovation in therapies for pain and advocate public-private partnerships (PPPs) to translate new knowledge into more efficacious and safer treatments. PMID- 17762886 TI - Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors: mutant mice provide new insights for drug development. AB - Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs), M(1)-M(5), regulate the activity of numerous fundamental central and peripheral functions. The lack of small-molecule ligands that can block or activate specific mAChR subtypes with high selectivity has remained a major obstacle in defining the roles of the individual receptor subtypes and in the development of novel muscarinic drugs. Recently, phenotypic analysis of mutant mouse strains deficient in each of the five mAChR subtypes has led to a wealth of new information regarding the physiological roles of the individual receptor subtypes. Importantly, these studies have identified specific mAChR-regulated pathways as potentially novel targets for the treatment of various important disorders including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, pain, obesity and diabetes. PMID- 17762887 TI - Developing disease. AB - When pathways vital for development go awry, the consequences can be disastrous. This collection of reviews highlights emerging translational aspects of developmental biology at a time when the first clinical applications are taking shape. PMID- 17762888 TI - Human-animal cytoplasmic hybrid embryos, mitochondria, and an energetic debate. AB - Scientists are seeking permission to generate human embryonic stem cells to study disease by introducing human genetic material into an animal oocyte. This has raised ethical questions that centre on whether the entities being generated are actually human. The answer to these questions will determine how this area of research will be regulated and whether such work will be legal. The function of the extra-nuclear mitochondrial genome lies at the heart of these issues and forms the focus of this commentary. PMID- 17762889 TI - The mouse ascending: perspectives for human-disease models. AB - The laboratory mouse is widely considered the model organism of choice for studying the diseases of humans, with whom they share 99% of their genes. A distinguished history of mouse genetic experimentation has been further advanced by the development of powerful new tools to manipulate the mouse genome. The recent launch of several international initiatives to analyse the function of all mouse genes through mutagenesis, molecular analysis and phenotyping underscores the utility of the mouse for translating the information stored in the human genome into increasingly accurate models of human disease. PMID- 17762890 TI - Differentiation plasticity regulated by TGF-beta family proteins in development and disease. AB - During development, stem and progenitor cells gradually commit to differentiation pathways. Cell fate decisions are regulated by differentiation factors, which activate transcription programmes that specify lineage and differentiation status. Among these factors, the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta family is important in both lineage selection and progression of differentiation of most, if not all, cell and tissue types. There is now increasing evidence that TGF-beta family proteins have the ability to redirect the differentiation of cells that either have fully differentiated or have engaged in differentiation along a particular lineage, and can thereby elicit 'transdifferentiation'. This capacity for cellular plasticity is critical for normal embryonic development, but when recapitulated in the adult it can give rise to, or contribute to, a variety of diseases. This is illustrated by the ability of TGF-beta family members to redirect epithelial cells into mesenchymal differentiation and to cause switching of mesenchymal cells from one lineage to another. Hence, various pathologies in adults may be considered diseases of abnormal development and differentiation. PMID- 17762891 TI - Patching the gaps in Hedgehog signalling. AB - The Hedgehog (Hh) pathway plays central roles in animal development and stem-cell function. Defects in Hh signalling lead to birth defects and cancer in humans. The first and often genetically damaged step in this pathway is the interaction between two membrane proteins - Patched (Ptc), encoded by a tumour suppressor gene, and Smoothened (Smo), encoded by a proto-oncogene. Recent work linking Hh signalling to sterol metabolites and protein-trafficking events at the primary cilium promises to shed light on the biochemical basis of how Patched inhibits Smoothened, and to provide new avenues for cancer treatment. PMID- 17762893 TI - Cell polarity in development and cancer. AB - The development of cancer is a multistep process in which the DNA of a single cell accumulates mutations in genes that control essential cellular processes. Loss of cell-cell adhesion and cell polarity is commonly observed in advanced tumours and correlates well with their invasion into adjacent tissues and the formation of metastases. Growing evidence indicates that loss of cell-cell adhesion and cell polarity may also be important in early stages of cancer. The strongest hints in this direction come from studies on tumour suppressor genes in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, which have revealed their importance in the control of apical-basal cell polarity. PMID- 17762892 TI - Convergent extension and the hexahedral cell. AB - During development, embryonic cells sculpt three-dimensional tissues. Although cell polarity is commonly analysed along one, and sometimes two, dimensions, this perspective illustrates how higher-order cell polarity regulates convergent extension - the coordinated cell rearrangement that produces solid tissue elongation. PMID- 17762895 TI - PARtners for endocytosis. PMID- 17762896 TI - Turning to the cold. PMID- 17762897 TI - Neural stem cells: guardians of the brain. PMID- 17762900 TI - High-resolution structure of NodZ fucosyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of the nodulation factor. AB - The fucosyltransferase NodZ is involved in the biosynthesis of the nodulation factor in nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacteria. It catalyzes alpha1,6 transfer of l fucose from GDP-fucose to the reducing residue of the synthesized Nod oligosaccharide. We present the structure of the NodZ protein from Bradyrhizobium expressed in Escherichia coli and crystallized in the presence of phosphate ions in two crystal forms. The enzyme is arranged into two domains of nearly equal size. Although NodZ falls in one broad class (GT-B) with other two-domain glycosyltransferases, the topology of its domains deviates from the canonical Rossmann fold, with particularly high distortions in the N-terminal domain. Mutational data combined with structural and sequence alignments indicate residues of potential importance in GDP-fucose binding or in the catalytic mechanism. They are all clustered in three conserved sequence motifs located in the C-terminal domain. PMID- 17762899 TI - Fibrin gel-immobilized VEGF and bFGF efficiently stimulate angiogenesis in the AV loop model. AB - The modulation of angiogenic processes in matrices is of great interest in tissue engineering. We assessed the angiogenic effects of fibrin-immobilized VEGF and bFGF in an arteriovenous loop (AVL) model in 22 AVLs created between the femoral artery and vein in rats. The loops were placed in isolation chambers and were embedded in 500 microL fibrin gel (FG) (group A) or in 500 microL FG loaded with 0.1 ng/microL VEGF and 0.1 ng/microL bFGF (group B). After two and four weeks specimens were explanted and investigated using histological, morphometrical, and ultramorphological [scanning electron microscope (SEM) of vascular corrosion replicas] techniques. In both groups, the AVL induced formation of densely vascularized connective tissue with differentiated and functional vessels inside the fibrin matrix. VEGF and bFGF induced significantly higher absolute and relative vascular density and a faster resorption of the fibrin matrix. SEM analysis in both groups revealed characteristics of an immature vascular bed, with a higher vascular density in group B. VEGF and bFGF efficiently stimulated sprouting of blood vessels in the AVL model. The implantation of vascular carriers into given growth factor-loaded matrix volumes may eventually allow efficient generation of axially vascularized, tissue-engineered composites. PMID- 17762901 TI - Determination of plasma salbutamol concentrations after nebulization in a pediatric emergency department. AB - OBJECTIVES: To partially validate the methodology for determining salbutamol in human plasma through high-efficiency liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. To analyze plasma salbutamol concentrations in a group of pediatric patients with indication for nebulization in the emergency room. METHOD: Analytical, prospective cross-sectional case series. Fifteen patients aged 12 to 37 months with a diagnosis of acute asthma crisis were selected at the Pediatric Emergency Service at Hospital da Crianca Santo Antonio - Complexo Hospitalar Santa Casa, Porto Alegre, Brazil. The patients were treated following the unit's routine for the management of acute asthma crises: nebulization with salbutamol (flow rate of 6-8 L/min) (0.15 mg/kg) suspended in 4 mL of 0.9% saline solution. Nebulization was administered sequentially, three times, at 20 minute intervals. All patients were given prednisolone orally (1 mg/kg) concurrently with the nebulizations. RESULTS: Plasma concentrations exhibited great variability in acute asthma crisis patients given three nebulizations of salbutamol (0.15 mg/kg). The mean level in plasma was 12.09 +/- 10.8 ng/mL, with a median of 8.9 ng/mL (IQ25-75% 2.75-17.65). The sample's coefficient of variation was 92.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Post-inhalation plasma salbutamol concentrations exhibit great variation in the pediatric population, as seen in other studies. The possible causes and implications of this finding remain the subject of disagreements and of further assessments. PMID- 17762902 TI - Cutaneous reactions to anticancer agents targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor: a dermatology-oncology perspective. AB - The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is often overexpressed or dysregulated in solid tumors. Targeting the EGFR-mediated signaling pathway has become routine practice in the treatment of lung, pancreatic, head and neck, and colon carcinomas. Available agents with selected activity towards the EGFR include low molecular weight tyrosine kinase inhibitors, e.g., erlotinib (Tarceva, Genentech BioOncology/ OSI Pharmaceuticals/ F. Hoffmann-La Roche) and monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab (Erbitux, Bristol-Myers Squibb/ ImClone Systems/ Merck) and panitumumab (Vectibix, Amgen). Their use is anticipated to increase for treating other solid tumors that are dependent on this pathway for growth and proliferation. Health Canada and the US FDA have approved erlotinib for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). It has also been approved in the US for use against pancreatic cancer in combination with gemcitabine (Gemzar, Eli Lilly). Cetuximab and most recently panitumumab (Vectibix, Amgen/ Abgenix) were approved by the US FDA for metastatic colorectal carcinoma. Cetuximab is also approved in the US for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The safety profile for this class of drugs is unique, with virtually no hematological toxicity, but frequent cutaneous and gastrointestinal side effects. Although there is a dearth of randomized trials addressing treatment of the dermatological side-effects, some basic principles of management have been agreed upon and can likely improve patient compliance and decrease inappropriate dose reduction, which may negatively influence the antitumor effect. PMID- 17762903 TI - Rituximab: a B-cell depletion therapy for dermatologic disease. AB - Rituximab (Rituxan, Genentech/ Biogen Idec) is a genetically engineered chimeric murine/human monoclonal antibody directed against CD20, a B lymphocyte-specific antigen. Initially approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory low-grade or follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), rituximab has been increasingly used to treat a variety of immune-mediated and autoimmune diseases. While anecdotal case reports recommend its "off-label" use in dermatology, randomized clinical trials are required to firmly establish the safety and efficacy of this emerging biologic therapy. PMID- 17762904 TI - Measurement of quality of life in schizophrenia: a comparison of two scales. AB - BACKGROUND: People with schizophrenia have an impaired quality of life (QoL), and various QoL assessment scales are available. However it is not clear which scale should be used in different situations. We aimed to compare a patient-rated subjective QoL scale with an observer-rated QoL scale by measuring their degree of correlation and their respective associative profiles with outcome measures. METHOD: Patients of the UK Schizophrenia Care and Assessment Program completed a patient-rated QoL questionnaire (MANSA). Research staff completed the observer rated QoL tool (QLS) as part of an assessment of symptomatology and functioning. RESULTS: The two QoL tools were moderately positively correlated (r = 0.39). Both scales were negatively correlated with positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and depressive symptoms, and positively correlated with functioning scores. However the two scales were influenced by different factors. The patient rated QoL was more significantly influenced by depressive symptoms, and the observer-rated QoL was more heavily influenced by negative symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-rated and observer-rated QoL are moderately related, with a number of joint determinants, but the former is sensitive to depressive influences, whilst the latter is sensitive to the negative symptomatology of schizophrenia. PMID- 17762906 TI - Variable growth responses of water thyme (Hydrilla verticillata) to whole-cell extracts of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. AB - Static-renewal ecotoxicity trials monitored growth of Hydrilla verticillata in conjunction with exposure to Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii whole-cell extracts containing the cyanotoxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN). Maximum exposure concentrations were 400 microg L(-1) CYN over 14 days. The responses of Hydrilla to the treatments were variable according to the toxin concentrations and lengths of exposure. Plant deaths, chlorosis, and necrosis were not recorded from treated plants. However, Hydrilla experienced significant growth stimulation and redistribution of plant resources in conjunction with exposure to the whole-cell extracts. Root production was particularly impacted. The results of this study imply that root production could aid in reducing C. raciborskii cell concentrations and CYN toxicity. Results of chlorophyll analyses differed, indicating that CYN in whole-cell extracts might exert complex effects on photosynthesis. This is the first study to describe the responses of an aquatic macrophyte following exposure to C. raciborskii whole-cell extracts containing the cyanotoxin cylindrospermopsin. PMID- 17762905 TI - Evolutionary analysis for functional divergence of the toll-like receptor gene family and altered functional constraints. AB - The Toll-like receptor (TLR) gene family consists of type 1 transmembrane receptors, which play essential roles in both innate immunity and adaptive immune response by ligand recognition and signal transduction. Using all available vertebrate TLR protein sequences, we inferred the phylogenetic tree and then characterized critical amino acid residues for functional divergence by detecting altered functional constraints after gene duplications. We found that the extracellular domain of TLR genes showed higher functional divergence than that of the cytoplasmic domain, particularly in the region between leucine-rich repeat (LRR) 10 and LRR 15 of TLR 4. Our finding supports the concept that sequence evolution in the extracellular domain may be responsible for the broad diversity of TLR ligand-binding affinity, providing a testable hypothesis for potential targets that could be verified by further experimentation. PMID- 17762907 TI - Insolubilization of potassium chloride crystals in Tradescantia pallida. AB - Calcium oxalate crystals are by far the most prevalent and widely distributed mineral deposits in higher plants. In Tradescantia pallida, an evergreen perennial plant widely used as an ornamental plant, calcium oxalate crystals occur in the parenchymal tissues of stem, leaf, and root, as well as in flower organs, in the form of either raphides or tetragonal prismatic crystals or both. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis revealed that C, O, and Ca were the main elements; and K, Cl, and Si, the minor elements. Infrared and X-ray analyses of crystals collected from these tissues detected the coexistence of two calcium oxalate chemical forms, i.e., whewellite and weddellite, as well as calcite, opal, and sylvite. Here, we show for the first time the occurrence of epitaxy in mineral crystals of plants. Epitaxy, which involves the oriented overgrowth of one crystal onto a second crystalline substrate, might explain how potassium chloride (sylvite)--one of the most water-soluble salts--stays insoluble in crystal form when coated with a calcium oxalate epilayer. The results indicate the potential role of crystals in regulating the ionic equilibrium of both calcium and potassium ions. PMID- 17762908 TI - Formation of archegonium chamber is associated with nucellar-cell programmed cell death in Ginkgo biloba. AB - The archegonium chamber in Ginkgo biloba L. is a pathway for spermatozoids swimming towards the archegonium for fertilization. The objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of archegonium chamber formation. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay and DNA ladder demonstrated that the nucellar cell death, coordinated with the archegonium chamber formation, was a process of programmed cell death. Cytochemical localization of Ca(2+) in these nucellar cells was determined by means of in situ precipitation with potassium pyroantimonate and electron microscopic visualization, in order to study the relation between Ca(2+) and programmed cell death. The results showed an early uptake of the mitochondrial calcium particles in the nucellar cells undergoing programmed cell death. Together with other dynamic changes in Ca(2+) subcellular distribution, this indicates that Ca(2+) may play a role in the regulation of mitochondria-mediated programmed events in the nucellar cells. PMID- 17762909 TI - Cytological and molecular characterization of Vicia esdraelonensis Warb. & Eig: a rare taxon. AB - Vicia esdraelonensis, a rare taxon belonging to section Hypechusa of subgenus Vicia, was recovered and analyzed by cytological, karyological, and molecular methods, with the aim of both characterizing this species and furthering our knowledge of the phylogeny of subgenus Vicia. Automated karyotype analysis, nuclear DNA content, and chromatin organization were determined by the Feulgen reaction, as well as chromosome banding after double staining with 4',6-diamidino 2-phenylindole (DAPI) and chromomycin A3. The chromosome number and the nuclear DNA content were in agreement with the values of the species of section Hypechusa. The GC- and AT-rich preferential sites were determined by chromomycin A3 and DAPI staining. Karyomorphological parameters indicated that V. esdraelonensis is in an intermediate position in the spatial representation of the species of section Hypechusa on the basis of symmetry indices, as well as in the dendrogram of linkage distance constructed on 37 chromosome parameters. Molecular data based on internal transcribed spacer sequences show that V. esdraelonensis can doubtlessly be included in section Hypechusa and document its closeness to V. noeana. A cladistic analysis combining the molecular data set with karyological characters is also reported. Karyological, cytological, and molecular data allow characterization of the V. esdraelonensis genome and provide information about the phylogenetic position of this species within the Hyrcanicae series of section Hypechusa. PMID- 17762910 TI - Molecular characterisation of the small GTPase CDC42 in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Tuber borchii Vittad. AB - The small GTPase CDC42 is ubiquitously expressed in eukaryotes, where it participates in the regulation of the cytoskeleton and a wide range of cellular processes, including cytokinesis, gene expression, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis. As very little is known on the molecular level about mycorrhizal morphogenesis and development and these events depend on a tightly regulated reorganisation of the cytoskeleton network in filamentous fungi, we focused on the molecular characterisation of the cdc42 gene in Tuber borchii Vittad., an ascomycetous hypogeous fungus forming ectomycorrhizae. The entire gene was isolated from a T. borchii cDNA library and Southern blot analyses showed that only one copy of cdc42 is present in the T. borchii genome. The predicted amino acid sequence is very similar to those of other known small GTPases and the similar domain structures suggest a similar function. Real-time PCR analyses revealed an increased expression of Tbcdc42 during the phase preparative to the instauration of symbiosis, in particular after stimulation with root exudate extracts. Immunolocalisation experiments revealed an accumulation of CDC42 in the apical tips of the growing hyphae. When a constitutively active Tbcdc42 mutant was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, morphological changes typical of pseudohyphal growth were observed. Our results suggest a fundamental role of CDC42 in cell polarity development in T. borchii. PMID- 17762911 TI - Configuration of a chiral smectic-C film with a circular inclusion. AB - It was shown experimentally (P.V. Dolganov et al., Europhys. Lett. 76, 250 (2006)) and by numerical calculations (C. Bohley, R. Stannarius, Eur. Phys. J. E 23, 25 (2007)) that the c -director profile of a two-dimensional chiral smectic-C (SmC) film around a circular inclusion adopts dipolar rather than quadrupolar configuration observed in achiral SmC films. We give an analytical argument on how spontaneous bend inherent in chiral SmC liquid crystals influences the configuration of a SmC liquid crystal film around a circular inclusion imposing tangential anchoring. We find how the angle alpha between two surface defects seen from the center of the inclusion depends on the radius of the inclusion R and the strength of the spontaneous bend q . We show, however, that the contribution of the spontaneous bend to the free energy suffers from mathematical ambiguity; it depends on the mathematical treatment of the outer boundary even when it is at infinity. This might indicate that the shape as well as the treatment of the outer boundary of the film can significantly influence the equilibrium configuration of the c -director and the position of the surface defects. PMID- 17762914 TI - Modeling the effects of body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio on mortality. PMID- 17762912 TI - DNA ejection from bacteriophage: towards a general behavior for osmotic suppression experiments. AB - We present in this work in vitro measurements of the force ejecting DNA from two distinct bacteriophages (T5 and lambda using the osmotic-suppression technique. Our data are analyzed by revisiting the current theories of DNA packaging in spherical capsids. In particular we show that a simplified analytical model based on bending considerations only is able to account quantitatively for the experimental findings. Physical and biological consequences are discussed. PMID- 17762913 TI - Rimexolone 1% versus prednisolone acetate in preventing early postoperative inflammation after cataract surgery. AB - PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety of rimexolone 1% and prednisolone acetate 1% ophthalmic suspensions in controlling intraocular inflammation in the early period after cataract surgery. METHODS: Eighty patients undergoing cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation, either planned extra capsular cataract extraction (PECCE) or phacoemulsification surgery, were evaluated in a prospective, randomized, observer-masked, clinical trial in which efficacy in controlling early postoperative inflammation and safety of prednisolone acetate 1% one eye drop every 4 h (n = 36 eyes) was compared with that of rimexolone 1% one eye drop every 4 h (n = 44 eyes) in an eighteen day course. Efficacy was assessed from changes of the anterior chamber cell count, flare, conjunctival hyperemia, and ciliary congestion by means of slit lamp biomicroscopy on days 1, 3, 8, 15, and 18. Intraocular pressure (IOP) and possible side effects were also recorded on each visit. RESULTS: Anterior chamber cell count and flare showed no difference in the two groups at any visits. The rimexolone group was associated with significantly higher score for conjunctival hyperemia on days one and three (P < 0.05) and the prednisolone acetate group was associated with a significantly higher score for corneal edema on day 8 (P < 0,05). However, there were no between group differences in IOP. CONCLUSIONS: Rimexolone 1% ophthalmic suspension was as effective and safe as prednisolone acetate 1% ophthalmic suspension in controlling inflammation in the early period after cataract surgery. PMID- 17762915 TI - Intracellular delivery. PMID- 17762916 TI - Intelligent biosynthetic nanobiomaterials (IBNs) for hyperthermic gene delivery. AB - PURPOSE: Intelligent biosynthetic nanobiomaterials (IBNs) were constructed as recombinant diblock copolymers, notated as K8-ELP(1-60), containing a cationic oligolysine (VGK8G) and a thermosensitive elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) block with 60 repetitive pentapeptide units [(VPGXG)60; X is Val, Ala and Gly in a 5:2:3 ratio]. METHODS: K8-ELP(1-60) was synthesized by recursive directional ligation for DNA oligomerization. Purity and molecular weight of K8-ELP(1-60) were confirmed by SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry. DNA polyplexes were prepared from K8-ELP(1-60) and pGL3-Control (pGL3-C) plasmid DNA (pDNA) and stability was evaluated by gel retardation, DLS, and DNA displacement with heparin. Thermal transition profiles were studied by measuring the turbidity change at 350 nm and the polyplexes were used to transfect MCF-7 cells with a concomitant cytotoxicity assay. RESULTS: SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF studies showed highly pure copolymers at the desired molecular weight. K8-ELP(1-60) condensed pDNA at a cation to anion (N/P) ratio above 0.25 with a tight distribution of particle size ranging from 115.5-32.4 nm with increasing N/P ratio. Thermal transition temperatures of K8 ELP(1-60)/pDNA and K8-ELP(1-60) alone were 44.9 and 71.5 degrees C, respectively. K8-ELP(1-60)/pDNA complexes successfully transduced MCF-7 cells with qualitative expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and minimal cytotoxicity compared to branched poly(ethyleneimine) controls. CONCLUSIONS: K8-ELP(1-60) was successfully designed and purified through recombinant means with efficient and stable condensation of pDNA at N/P ratios>0.25 and polyplex particle size<115 nm. MCF-7 cells successfully expressed EGFP with minimal cytotoxicity compared to positive controls; moreover, polyplexes retained sharp, thermotransitive kinetics within a narrow Tt range at clinically relevant hyperthermic temperatures, where the decrease of Tt was due to the increased hydrophobicity upon charge neutralization. PMID- 17762917 TI - Delineating the mechanism of Alzheimer's disease A beta peptide neurotoxicity. AB - The Alzheimer's disease neurotoxic amyloid-beta (A beta) peptide is derived from the larger amyloid precursor protein (APP) and is the principal component of the senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. This mechanism by which A beta mediates neurotoxicity or neuronal dysfunction is not fully resolved. This review will outline some of the key determinants that modulate A beta's activity and the cellular pathways and mechanisms involved. PMID- 17762918 TI - Dietary taurine supplementation ameliorates diabetic retinopathy via anti excitotoxicity of glutamate in streptozotocin-induced Sprague-Dawley rats. AB - The purpose of this study was to investigate whether taurine ameliorate the diabetic retinopathy, and to further explore the underlying mechanisms. The Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with streptozotocin to establish experimental diabetic model, then fed without or with 1.2% taurine for additional 4-12 weeks. After that, the protective effects of dietary taurine supplementation on diabetic retinopathy were estimated. Our results showed that chronic taurine supplement effectively improved diabetic retinopathy as changes of histopathology and ultrastructure. The supplementation could not lower plasma glucose concentration (P > 0.05), but caused an elevation in taurine content and a decline in levels of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in diabetic retina (P < 0.05). Moreover, chronic taurine supplementation increased glutamate transporter (GLAST) expression (P < 0.05), decreased intermediate filament glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and N-methyl-D: -aspartate receptor subunit 1 (NR1) expression in diabetic retina (P < 0.05). These results demonstrated that chronic taurine supplementation ameliorates diabetic retinopathy via anti-excitotoxicity of glutamate in rats. PMID- 17762919 TI - High-fidelity simulation in post-graduate training and assessment: an Irish perspective. AB - BACKGROUND: Lack of financial resources was internationally ranked as the greatest limitation to the application of human physiological simulation in clinical teaching. The Beaumont Simulation Centre in the Republic of Ireland is solely funded by once-off grant payments. Attracting a range of health care specialties through course diversity can offset costs. AIMS: This survey of simulator course evaluations aimed to determine attitudes of an array of Irish health care professionals towards full-scale simulation. METHODS: Anaesthetists (n = 51), nurses (n = 48) and dentists (n = 12) rated simulator-based courses and use of simulation for competency assessment with a self-reporting questionnaire with a five-point scale (1 = poor, 5 = excellent). RESULTS: Participants rated the courses from very good to excellent and were of the opinion that full-scale simulation is acceptable and appropriate for both education and competency assessment. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates successful post-graduate course development in a simulation centre with narrow budgetary restrictions. In addition, it is the first to examine Irish anaesthetists', nurses' and dentists' attitudes towards full-scale simulation as an assessment tool. PMID- 17762920 TI - Stage-adjusted chemoradiation in cervical cancer after transperitoneal laparoscopic staging. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of transperitoneal laparoscopic staging on choice of subsequent therapy including oncologic outcome and toxicity of chemoradiation after surgical staging. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 101 patients with cervical cancer FIGO IB1-IVB underwent chemoradiation after transperitoneal laparoscopic staging. RESULTS: 101 women (FIGO IB1-IVB) were laparoscopically staged. In 68/101 patients, pelvic and/or paraaortic lymph node metastases were confirmed histologically. Only 17/101 patients (17%) retained their original FIGO stage after laparoscopy. Laparoscopic staging and chemoradiation were well tolerated. Laparoscopic debulking of tumor-involved lymph nodes resulted in significantly improved overall survival. CONCLUSION: In patients with cervical cancer, laparoscopic staging led to an upstaging of 83% of cases with significant impact on therapeutic strategies. Nodal debulking prior to chemoradiation improves the prognosis of node positive women. Pretherapeutic laparoscopic staging should be the basis of the primary chemoradiation in patients with cervical cancer. PMID- 17762921 TI - Comparison of intratumor and intraluminal temperatures during locoregional deep hyperthermia of pelvic tumors. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate whether intraluminal thermometry provides sufficient information to apply high quality deep hyperthermia in pelvic tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The intratumor and intraluminal temperatures of 48 patients were analyzed per cancer type: rectum (21 male, 14 female), cervix (n=8), and bladder (n=5). Temperature-dose parameters were calculated, temperature curves within each treatment session were compared, and correlation between intratumor and intraluminal temperatures was analyzed. RESULTS: Intratumor and intraluminal temperatures at the same time points during individual treatments were highly correlated (mean correlation coefficient: 0.93). However, the quantitative level differed from 0.1 to 1.1 degrees C and the differences of the time-temperature graphs varied per tumor group. Average intratumor and intraluminal temperatures were not different in the four groups. Intratumor thermometry was found not superior over intraluminal thermometry to improve tumor temperature level and homogeneity by SAR steering. CONCLUSION: Intraluminal thermometry provides sufficient information to apply deep hyperthermia to individual patients with centrally located rectum, cervix or bladder cancer. PMID- 17762922 TI - Severe reversible toxic encephalopathy induced by cisplatin in a patient with cervical carcinoma receiving combined radiochemotherapy. AB - CASE REPORT: A 45-year-old patient with cervix carcinoma received combined radiochemotherapy including cisplatin. After a cumulative dose of 240 mg/m(2) the patient suddenly became somnolent and developed a severe tetraparesis and generalized seizures. After ruling out intracranial bleeding, cerebral metastases as well as infectious and metabolic causes of this condition, a severe toxic encephalopathy was diagnosed based on the clinical findings and MRI scans. After symptomatic treatment on the intensive care unit all symptoms were completely reversible. CONCLUSION: Toxic encephalopathy is a rare but dramatic complication of various cytostatic drugs. With the widespread use of cisplatin this rare disorder should be kept in mind. PMID- 17762923 TI - Prostate Risk Index (PRIX) as a new method of risk classification for clinically localized prostate cancer. AB - PURPOSE: The aim of this study is (1) to develop a new method of risk classification for clinically localized prostate cancer; (2) to examine it in terms of compatibility with existing data such as nomograms; and (3) to compare it with existing risk-grouping methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The new grading system introduced here consists of three factors. The first is a prostate specific antigen (PSA) of 4.1-10.0 ng/ml (score 0), 10.1-20.0 ng/ml (score 1), and >20.0 ng/ml (score 2). The second is a Gleason score (GS) of 6 (score 0), 7 (score 1), and 8-10 (score 2). The third is T classifications (UICC 2002) of T1c T2a (score 0), T2b-T2c (score 1), and T3a (score 2). The sum of the three scores was named Prostate Risk Index (PRIX). Then, the compatibility of PRIX with the Partin Table, Kattan Nomogram, and Roach's formula was examined. At the same time, PRIX was compared with D'Amico, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), and Seattle classifications. RESULTS: PRIX 0 corresponded to 1-2% of pathologic lymph node involvement (pLN+) according to the Partin Table; PRIX 1 to 3-4%; PRIX 2 to 7-10%; PRIX 3 to 14-18%; PRIX 4 to 24-29%; PRIX 5 to 32-37%; and PRIX 6 to 42%. PRIX well separated the risks with relatively narrow ranges of probability, while D'Amico, NCCN, and Seattle classifications generally gave wide ranges especially for high-risk groups, both in the Partin Table and Kattan Nomogram. Roach's formula sometimes overestimated the risk compared to the Partin Table. CONCLUSION: PRIX fully corresponded to the Partin Table in terms of pLN+, and corresponded to the other nomograms better than any existing risk-grouping method. PRIX may thus function as a prognostic factor or contribute to patient selection in clinically localized prostate cancer. PMID- 17762925 TI - Nonrigid patient setup errors in the head-and-neck region. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate the magnitude and clinical relevance of relative motion/nonrigid setup errors in the head-and-neck (H&N) region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eleven patients with tumors in the H&N region were immobilized in thermoplastic head masks. Patient positioning was verified using a kilovoltage cone-beam CT (kv CBCT) prior to 100 treatment fractions. Five different regions of interest (ROIs) were selected for automatic image registration of planning CT and verification CBCT: (1) the whole volume covering planning CT and CBCT, (2) the skull, (3) the mandible, (4) C1-C3, and (5) C4-C6. Differences were calculated describing relative motion between the ROIs. RESULTS: The 3-D patient setup error was 3.2 mm +/- 1.7 mm based on registration of the whole volume. No systematic relative motion (group mean errors <0.5 mm and <0.5 degrees ) between planning and treatment for any ROI was observed. Mobility was largest for the skull and the mandible relative to C4-C6 with 3-D displacements of 4.7 mm +/- 2.5 mm and 4.4 mm +/- 2.5 mm. Relative rotations were largest around the left-right axis (nodding) between C1-C3 and C4-C6 with maximum 11 degrees . No time trend of relative motion was observed. Margins for compensation of relative motion ranged between 5 mm and 10 mm. CONCLUSION: The simplification of the patient as a rigid body was shown to result in significant errors due to relative motion in the H&N region. Margins for compensation of relative motion exceeded margins for compensation of patient positioning errors. PMID- 17762924 TI - Simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) for nasopharynx cancer with helical tomotherapy. A planning study. AB - PURPOSE: To explore the potential of helical tomotherapy (HT) in the treatment of nasopharynx cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six T1-4 N1-3 patients were considered. A simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique was planned with inversely optimized conventional intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT; dynamic multileaf collimator using the Eclipse-Helios Varian system) and HT. The prescribed (median) doses were 54 Gy, 61.5 Gy, and 64.5 Gy delivered in 30 fractions to PTV1 (planning target volume), PTV2, and PTV3, respectively. The same constraints for PTV coverage and for parotids, spinal cord, mandible, optic structures, and brain stem were followed in both modalities. The planner also tried to reduce the dose to other structures (mucosae outside PTV1, larynx, esophagus, inner ear, thyroid, brain, lungs, submental connective tissue, bony structures) as much as possible. RESULTS: The fraction of PTV receiving >95% of the prescribed dose (V95%) increased from 97.6% and 94.3% (IMRT) to 99.6% and 97% (HT) for PTV1 and PTV3, respectively (p<0.05); median dose to parotids decreased from 30.1 Gy for IMRT to 25.0 Gy for HT (p<0.05). Significant gains (p<0.05) were found for most organs at risk (OARs): mucosae (V30 decreased from 44 cm(3) [IMRT] to 18 cm(3) [HT]); larynx (V30: 25 cm(3) vs. 11 cm(3)); thyroid (mean dose: 48.7 Gy vs. 41.5 Gy); esophagus (V45: 4 cm(3) vs. 1 cm(3)); brain stem (D1%: 45.1 Gy vs. 37.7 Gy). CONCLUSION: HT improves the homogeneity of dose distribution within PTV and PTV coverage together with a significantly greater sparing of OARs compared to linac five-field IMRT. PMID- 17762926 TI - Preliminary report of pulsed dose rate brachytherapy in head-and-neck cancer. AB - PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility and acute/delayed toxicity of pulsed-dose-rate brachytherapy (PDR BT) in head-and-neck tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 45 head and neck cancer patients underwent interstitial or contact PDR BT at a dose of 10.2 70 Gy (median, 70 Gy) and 0.6 or 1.0 Gy/pulse/h. 42 patients were administered BT as part of their curative treatment; 32 of them had sole BT. Three reirradiated patients with recurrent tumor had palliative BT. RESULTS: PDR BT was well tolerated. Intense bleeding was the only complication associated with catheter removal from the tongue and bucca. 44 patients who completed BT experienced acute mucositis. Grade 3 toxicity of skin and oral mucosa occurred in three (6.8%) and six patients (13.6%), respectively. At a median follow-up of 22 months (range, 2 67 months), late serious toxicity (grade 4, for soft tissue and bone) was seen in seven patients (15.9%). Among the parameters analyzed, only dental care performed before BT had a significant impact on mucosal side effects. Acute severe mucositis was observed in 23% of patients without dental care compared to 0% of those with dental care (p=0.044). Late severe mucositis occurred in 17.7% and 26.9% of the respective patients (p=0.035), overall in 23%. The larger the volume encompassed by the reference isodose, the more late (p=0.004) mucosal reactions were observed. CONCLUSION: PDR BT continued over a few days is a feasible and safe approach in head-and-neck tumors; however, it is accompanied by some toxicity. Dental care should precede isotope application. PMID- 17762927 TI - Objective response to radiation therapy and long-term survival of patients with WHO grade II astrocytic gliomas with known LOH 1p/19q status. AB - BACKGROUND: WHO grade II gliomas are often approached by radiation therapy (RT). However, little is known about tumor response and its potential impact on long term survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients subjected to RT were selected from the own database of WHO grade II gliomas diagnosed between 1991 and 2000. The volumetric tumor response after RT was assessed based on magnetic resonance imaging and graded according to standard criteria as complete, partial (PR, >or= 50%), or minor (MR, 25% to <50%). RESULTS: There were 24 astrocytomas and three oligoastrocytomas. 21 patients (78%) were dead at follow-up (mean survival 74 months). None of the patients had chemotherapy. Objective response occurred in 14 patients (52%, five PR and nine MR) but was not associated with overall survival. The vast majority of the tumors had no loss of heterozygosity (LOH) 1p and/or 19q (86%). CONCLUSION: Approximately 50% of patients with astrocytic WHO grade II gliomas respond to RT despite the absence of LOH for 1p/19q. The potential predictive factors for response and the impact of response on overall survival remain unclear. PMID- 17762928 TI - [Advanced trauma life-support for trauma management. A concept for Europe or not?]. PMID- 17762929 TI - [Remifentanil-based intraoperative anaesthesia and postoperative pain therapy. Is there an optimal treatment strategy?]. AB - Remifentanil is a synthetic opioid derivate with an agonist activity at mu-opioid receptors. The pharmacokinetic profile differs from other synthetic opioids. Remifentanil is rapidly metabolised by unspecific blood and tissue esterases and the metabolites have almost no intrinsic activity. According to its unique pharmacokinetic profile, remifentanil-based anaesthesia might be associated with a high level of postoperative pain, therefore, an appropriate postoperative pain management is an import aspect. In addition, remifentanil withdrawal induces a compensatory up-regulation of secondary messenger pathways, inducing hyperalgesia. This review provides a comprehensive summary of basic and clinical research concerning the intraoperative use of remifentanil and postoperative pain therapy. The relative contribution of rapid degradation and withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia to postoperative pain will be discussed. In addition, this review attempts to identify potential clinical implications and treatment strategies. PMID- 17762930 TI - Variations in pulmonary artery occlusion pressure to estimate changes in pleural pressure. AB - OBJECTIVE: A readily available assessment of changes in pleural pressure would be useful for ventilator and fluid management in critically ill patients. We examined whether changes in pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (Ppao) adequately reflect respiratory changes in pleural pressure as assessed by changes in intraesophageal balloon pressure (Peso). We studied patients who had a pulmonary catheter and esophageal balloon surrounding a nasogastric tube as part of their care (n=24). We compared changes in Ppao (dPpao) to changes in Peso (dPeso) by Bland-Altman and regression analysis. Adequacy of balloon placement was assessed by performing Mueller maneuvers and adjusting the position to achieve a ratio of dPeso to change in tracheal pressure (dPtr) of 0.85 or higher. This was achieved in only 14 of the 24 subjects. We also compared dCVP to dPeso. The dPpao during spontaneous breaths and positive pressure breaths gave a good estimate of Peso but generally underestimated dPeso (bias=2.2 +8.2 and -3.9 cmH2O for the whole group). The dCVP was not as good a predictor (bias=2.9 +10.3 and -4.6). In patients who have a pulmonary artery catheter in place dPpao gives a lower estimate of changes in pleural pressure and may be more reliable than dPeso. The dCVP is a less reliable predictor than changes in pleural pressure. PMID- 17762931 TI - Effects of arthroscopic meniscectomy on the long-term prognosis for the discoid lateral meniscus. AB - This study compared the long-term clinical and radiological outcomes, according to the extent of arthroscopic meniscectomy, of complete and incomplete types of the discoid lateral meniscus. A total of 125 discoid menisci (74 complete and 51 incomplete types) without significant cartilage erosion at the time of surgery were included. The extent of meniscectomy was decided along with tear patterns and the stability of the discoid meniscus. Both clinical and radiological results were evaluated after total or partial meniscectomy. In the complete type of discoid meniscus with less than 5 years of follow-up, the total meniscectomy group showed better clinical results than the partial meniscectomy group. However, with over 5 years of follow-up, there were no differences between the two groups. In the radiological results, there was no significant difference between the two groups during the first 5 years after operation. However, with more than 5 years of follow-up, the partial meniscectomy group showed better results than the total meniscectomy group. In the incomplete-type discoid meniscus, clinical results were better in the partial meniscectomy group regardless of the follow-up periods. In the radiological results, the partial meniscectomy group showed better results for only more than 5 years of follow-up. The long-term prognosis after arthroscopic meniscectomy for the torn discoid lateral meniscus was related to the volume of the meniscus removed. PMID- 17762933 TI - A phase II study of patients with metastatic or locoregionally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma and evaluation of plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA as a biomarker of efficacy. AB - BACKGROUND: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is commonly overexpressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and gefitinib inhibits NPC growth in vitro. METHOD: Patients who progressed after prior platinum-based chemotherapy for recurrent NPC were given gefitinib orally at 500 mg/day at a 28-day cycle. Plasma Epstein-Barr virus (pEBV) DNA levels were obtained at specific intervals. RESULTS: Sixteen patients enrolled and 15 were evaluable for response. The median age was 49 years (range 34-64 years), and most patients were males with metastatic NPC. No objective response was seen and three patients had stable disease (SD) for 2.8 to 8.5 months. Radiological progression of disease coincided with rising levels of pEBV DNA in most patients, while the level of a patient with the longest duration of SD fell to an undetectable level at study completion. The mean time to progression and overall survival was 2.7 (standard error, SE +/- 0.5 months) and 12 months (SE +/- 1.7 months), respectively. No unexpected drug-related toxicities were seen. The study was prematurely terminated because there was insufficient activity to warrant progression to the second stage of accrual. CONCLUSION: This study found limited activity of gefitinib in recurrent NPC. Further evaluation of pEBV DNA as a biomarker of response in clinical trials of target-based agents is warranted. PMID- 17762932 TI - A phase II study of capecitabine and cisplatin (XP) as first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. AB - PURPOSE: The combination of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin (FP) remains the mostly used regimen for metastatic esophageal squamous carcinoma. This phase II study assessed the efficacy and safety of capecitabine/cisplatin (XP) as a first line chemotherapy in a homogenous cohort of patients with metastatic or recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients received 60 mg/m(2) of cisplatin intravenously (IV) on day 1 and capecitabine 1,250 mg/m(2)/dose orally twice a day on days 1-14. Treatment cycles were repeated every 3 weeks until the documented disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or patient's refusal. Immunohistochemical studies against thymidylate synthase (TS) and thymidine phosphorylase (TP) were performed to seek predictive markers for treatment response. RESULTS: Between December 2003 and March 2006, 45 patients entered the study. All patients had histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. The overall response rate (ORR) was 57.8% (95% CI, 43.3-72.2) with 0 CR and 26 PRs. The median duration of response in responders was 4.6 months (1.0-15.6 months). With a median follow-up duration of 25.7 months (10.8 42.6 months), the median time to progression was 4.7 months (95% CI, 2.5-7.0) and the median survival time was 11.2 months (95% CI, 8.5-13.9). Common grade 3 or 4 non-hematological adverse events were anorexia (18/191, 9.4%), fatigue (9/191, 4.7%), constipation (6/191, 3.1%), hand-foot syndrome (6/191, 3.1%) and diarrhea (4/191, 2.1%). The most common grade 3 or 4 hematological adverse events were neutropenia (33/191, 17.3%), followed by leucopenia (11/191, 5.8%), anemia (2/191, 1.0%) and thrombocytopenia (1/191, 0.5%). There was no treatment-related death. Neither TS nor TP showed predictive value for treatment response. CONCLUSION: The XP regimen demonstrated a promising antitumor activity in metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, which may potentially replace the FP regimen. PMID- 17762934 TI - Valvular heart disease: what does cardiovascular MRI add? AB - Although ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of cardiac-related morbidity and mortality in the industrialized countries, a growing number of mainly elderly patients will experience a problem of valvular heart disease (VHD), often requiring surgical intervention at some stage. Doppler echocardiography is the most popular imaging modality used in the evaluation of this disease entity. It encompasses, however, some non-negligible constraints which may hamper the quality and thus the interpretation of the exam. Cardiac catheterization has been considered for a long time the reference technique in this field, however, this technique is invasive and considered far from optimal. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is already considered an established diagnostic method for studying ventricular dimensions, function and mass. With improvement of MRI soft- and hardware, the assessment of cardiac valve function has also turned out to be fast, accurate and reproducible. This review focuses on the usefulness of MRI in the diagnosis and management of VHD, pointing out its added value in comparison with more conventional diagnostic means. PMID- 17762936 TI - Ependymoma and intraparenchymal calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neural axis: incidental collision or unique reactive phenomenon? AB - The so-called "calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neural axis" is a rare tumefactive lesion presumed to be reactive in nature. To our knowledge, association with a true neoplasm has not been previously reported. We recently encountered the case of a 67-year-old woman who underwent resection of an incidentally discovered cerebellar cystic mass with a distinct, calcified component. Histology demonstrated a partially ossified, lobulated, chondrocalcific lesion surrounded by chronic inflammation, spindle to epithelioid cells, and occasional multinucleated giant cells-all features of calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neural axis. A low-grade ependymoma associated with marked piloid gliosis was found contiguous to the lesion. The unique combination of an ependymoma with marked reactive gliosis and a calcifying pseudoneoplasm supports the reactive nature of the latter. PMID- 17762935 TI - [Chronic blepharitis. Pathogenesis, clinical features, and therapy]. AB - Chronic blepharitis is one of the most common diseases of the eyelids, but surprisingly, it is not often recognized. Frequently, a skin disease such as seborrheic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, or acne rosacea is the underlying cause of chronic blepharitis. Bacterial pathological lipase, cholesterylesterase production, and bacterial lipopolysaccharides are pathogenetically relevant. Only rarely do genuine bacterial infections play a role. Collarettes occur at the base of the eye lashes, and the Meibomian glands show either abundant fluid secretion or inspissated secretion with obstruction of the orifices. Chronic blepharitis can include sequelae including dry eye and corneal and lid contour changes. The basic treatment comprises attendance of the underlying dermatological disease and lid hygiene. In addition, preservative-free tear film substitutes, antibiotics, immunomodulatory agents, or even surgical intervention may become necessary. PMID- 17762937 TI - Thermal osteonecrosis and bone drilling parameters revisited. AB - INTRODUCTION: During the drilling of the bone, the temperature could increase above 47 degrees C and cause irreversible osteonecrosis. The result is weakened contact of implants with bone and possible loss of rigid fixation. The aim of this study was to find an optimal condition where the increase in bone temperature during bone drilling process would be minimal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Influence of different drill parameters was evaluated on the increase of bone temperature. Drill diameters were 2.5, 3.2 and 4.5 mm; drill speed 188, 462, 1,140 and 1,820 rpm; feed-rate 24, 56, 84 and 196 mm/min; drill point angle 80 degrees , 100 degrees and 120 degrees and external irrigation with water of 26 degrees C. RESULTS: Combinations of drill speed and drill diameter with the use of external irrigation produced temperatures far below critical. Without external irrigation, temperature values for the same combination of parameters ranged 31.4 55.5 degrees C. Temperatures above critical were recorded using 4.5 mm drill with higher drill speeds (1,140 and 1,820 rpm). There was no statistical significance of different drill point angles on the increase or decrease of bone temperature. The higher the feed-rate the lower the increase of bone temperature. CONCLUSIONS: The external irrigation is the most important cooling factor. With all combinations of parameters used, external irrigation maintained the bone temperature below 47 degrees C. The increase in drill diameter and drill speed caused increase in bone temperature. The changes in drill point angle did not show significant influence in the increase of the bone temperature. With the increase in feed-rate, increase in bone temperature is lower. PMID- 17762938 TI - Synchronized reconstitution of muscle fibers, peripheral nerves and blood vessels by murine skeletal muscle-derived CD34(-)/45 (-) cells. AB - In order to establish the practical isolation and usage of skeletal muscle derived stem cells (MDSCs), we determined reconstitution capacity of CD34( )/CD45(-) (Sk-DN) cells as a candidate somatic stem cell source for transplantation. Sk-DN cells were enzymatically isolated from GFP transgenic mice (C57/BL6N) skeletal muscle and sorted using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), and expanded by collagen gel-based cell culture with bFGF and EGF. The number of Sk-DN cells was small after sorting (2-8 x 10(4)); however, the number increased 10-20 fold (2-16 x 10(5)) after 6 days of expansion culture, and the cells maintained immature state and multipotency, expressing mRNAs for mesodermal and ectodermal cell lineages. Transplantation of expanded Sk-DN cells into the severe muscle damage model (C57/BL6N wild-type) resulted in the synchronized reconstitution of blood vessels, peripheral nerves and muscle fibers following significant recovery of total muscle mass (57%) and contractile function (55%), whereas the non-cell-transplanted control group showed around 20% recovery in both factors. These reconstitution capacities were supported by the intrinsic plasticity of Sk-DN cells that can differentiate into muscular (skeletal muscle), vascular (pericyte, endothelial cell and smooth muscle) and peripheral nerve (Schwann cells and perineurium) cell lineages that was revealed by transplantation to non-muscle tissue (beneath renal capsule) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. PMID- 17762939 TI - Disparity estimation through Green's functions of matching equations. AB - Binocular disparities arise from positional differences of scene features projected in the two retinae, and constitute the primary sensory cue for stereo vision. Here we introduce a new computational model for disparity estimation, based on the Green's function of an image matching equation. When filtering a Gabor-function-modulated signal, the considered Green's function yields a similarly modulated but shifted version of the original signal. Since a Gabor function models the receptive field of a cortical simple cell, the Green's kernel thus allows the simulation of relative shifts between the cell's left and right binocular inputs. A measure of the local degree of matching of such shifted inputs can then be introduced which affords disparity estimation in a similar manner to the energy model of the complex cortical cells. We have therefore effectively reformulated, in physiologically plausible terms, an image matching approach to disparity estimation. Our experiments show that the Green's function method allows the detection of disparities both from random-dot and real-world stereograms. PMID- 17762940 TI - Infrared thermography: experience from a decade of pediatric imaging. AB - The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of clinical application of infrared thermography (IRT) in the pediatric population and to identify pathological states that can be diagnosed as well as followed up using this non invasive technique. In real time computer-assisted IRT, 483 examinations were performed over a period of 10 years from 1990-2000 on 285 patients in the pediatric age group (range 1 week-16 years) presenting with a wide range of pathologies. The temperature was measured in centigrade ( degrees C), and color images obtained were computer analyzed and stored on floppy discs. IRT was found to be an excellent noninvasive tool in the follow-up of hemangiomas, vascular malformations and digit amputations related to reimplantation, burns as well as skin and vascular growth after biomaterial implants in newborns with gastroschisis and giant omphaloceles. In the emergency room, it was a valuable tool for rapid diagnosis of extremity thrombosis, varicoceles, inflammation, abscesses, gangrene and wound infections. In conclusion, IRT can be performed in the pediatric age group, is non-invasive, without any biological side effects, requires no sedation or anesthesia and can be repeated as desired for follow-ups, with objective results that can demonstrated as colored images. Periodic thermographic studies to follow progression of lesions seem to be a useful and reproducible method for repeated and long-term examination. PMID- 17762942 TI - Do common ravens (Corvus corax) rely on human or conspecific gaze cues to detect hidden food? AB - The ability of non-human animals to use experimenter-given cues in object-choice tasks has recently gained interest. In such experiments, the location of hidden food is indicated by an experimenter, e.g. by gazing, pointing or touching. Whereas dogs apparently outperform all other species so far tested, apes and monkeys have problems in using such cues. Since only mammalian species have been tested, information is lacking about the evolutionary origin of these abilities. We here present the first data on object-choice tasks conducted with an avian species, the common raven. Ravens are highly competitive scavengers, possessing sophisticated cognitive skills in protecting their food caches and pilfering others' caches. We conducted three experiments, exploring (i) which kind of cues ravens use for choosing a certain object, (ii) whether ravens use humans' gaze for detecting hidden food and (iii) whether ravens would find hidden food in the presence of an informed conspecific who potentially provides gaze cues. Our results indicate that ravens reliably respond to humans' touching of an object, but they hardly use point and gaze cues for their choices. Likewise, they do not perform above chance level in the presence of an informed conspecific. These findings mirror those obtained for primates and suggest that, although ravens may be aware of the gaze direction of humans and conspecifics, they apparently do not rely on this information to detect hidden food. PMID- 17762941 TI - Evaluation of the transcription level of the protein disulfide isomerase in different stages from Ancylostoma caninum with a real-time PCR assay. AB - The protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is a ubiquitous protein, which contributes in building disulfide bridges. In the work presented here, the expression of the PDI in different stages of the canine hookworm Ancylostoma caninum was investigated. Third-stage larvae (L3), adults, as well as serum-stimulated and hypobiotic L3 were used. For quantification of the PDI gene transcription, a real time PCR was used establishing a hybridization probe (TaqMantrade mark probes) for detection of PDI copy numbers in different populations. 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) was used as a housekeeping gene for normalization. The results show differences in the transcription level of the investigated A. caninum populations: The serum-stimulated larvae representing the switch to parasitism showed the highest PDI expression. The hypobiotic larvae representing a resting stage showed the lowest expression level. Male adults showed an elevated expression compared to female adult worms. The L3 expression level was just below the serum-stimulated population. This work confirms the upregulated gene expression of PDI during host penetration and invasion. PMID- 17762944 TI - First and second-order kernel multifocal electroretinography abnormalities in acute central serous chorioretinopathy. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the first and second-order kernel multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) response abnormalities in patients with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional observational study in which 45 eyes of 45 patients with acute CSC underwent mfERG recordings. Peak amplitudes and implicit times of the first and second-order kernel responses were analyzed and compared with 20 age-matched normal controls. Correlation analyses were performed between the patients' visual acuity and the first and second-order amplitudes and implicit times. RESULTS: The first-order N1 and P1 mfERG amplitudes in the central three concentric rings were reduced in eyes with acute CSC compared with controls (P < 0.05). The first-order P1 implicit times of the central four rings were also delayed (P < 0.05). For the second-order mfERG response, there were significant reductions in the second-order P1 and N1 amplitudes in rings 3-5 compared with controls (P < 0.05). No significant difference between the second-order P1 and N1 implicit times was found compared with controls (P > 0.05). Correlation analyses showed significant correlations between visual acuity and the first-order N1 response amplitudes of rings 1 and 2, and for the first-order N1 and P1 implicit times of rings 1-4 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both first and second-order mfERG response abnormalities occur in eyes with acute CSC. These results suggest that in acute CSC, while outer retinal dysfunction is mostly localized to the central macula, there might be more widespread impairment in adaptive mechanisms of the inner retina or outer plexiform layer dysfunction in the more peripheral macula. PMID- 17762943 TI - Regulation of immature cartilage growth by IGF-I, TGF-beta1, BMP-7, and PDGF-AB: role of metabolic balance between fixed charge and collagen network. AB - Cartilage growth may involve alterations in the balance between the swelling tendency of proteoglycans and the restraining function of the collagen network. Growth factors, including IGF-I, TGF-beta1, BMP-7, and PDGF-AB, regulate chondrocyte metabolism and, consequently, may regulate cartilage growth. Immature bovine articular cartilage explants from the superficial and middle zones were incubated for 13 days in basal medium or medium supplemented with serum, IGF-I, TGF-beta1, BMP-7, or PDGF-AB. Variations in tissue size, accumulation of proteoglycan and collagen, and tensile properties were assessed. The inclusion of serum, IGF-I, or BMP-7 resulted in expansive tissue growth, stimulation of proteoglycan deposition but not of collagen, and a diminution of tensile integrity. The regulation of cartilage metabolism by TGF-beta1 resulted in tissue homeostasis, with maintenance of size, composition, and function. Incubation in basal medium or with PDGF-AB resulted in small volumetric and compositional changes, but a marked decrease in tensile integrity. These results demonstrate that the phenotype of cartilage growth, and the associated balance between proteoglycan content and integrity of the collagen network, is regulated differentially by certain growth factors. PMID- 17762946 TI - Response to intravenous immunoglobulins and placebo in a patient with narcolepsy with cataplexy. PMID- 17762945 TI - Long T2 water in multiple sclerosis: what else can we learn from multi-echo T2 relaxation? AB - Multi-echo T(2) measurements are invaluable in studying brain pathology in multiple sclerosis (MS). In addition to information about myelin water and total water content, the T(2) distribution has the potential to detect additional water reservoirs arising from other sources such as inflammation or edema. The purpose of this study was to better define the T(2) distribution in MS lesions and normal appearing white matter (NAWM) with particular emphasis on the characterisation of longer T(2) components. Magnetisation transfer (MT), T(1) and 48-echo T(2) relaxation data were acquired in 20 MS subjects and regions of interest were drawn in lesions and NAWM. Twenty-seven out of 107 lesions exhibited signal with a markedly prolonged T(2) (200-800 ms). Lesions with a Long-T(2) signal also exhibited a longer geometric mean T(2) (GMT(2)), increased water content (WC), higher T(1), reduced magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) and decreased myelin water fraction (MWF) than lesions without a Long-T(2) signal. Those subjects with Long-T(2) lesions had a significantly longer disease duration than subjects without this lesion subtype. A strong correlation was observed between T(1) and Long-T(2) fraction, while a slightly weaker relationship was found for GMT(2), MTR and MWF with Long-T(2) fraction. A potential source of the Long-T(2) signal is an increase in extracellular water. This study supports the usefulness of increasing the data acquisition window of the multi-echo T(2) relaxation sequence to better characterise the T(2) decay in MS. PMID- 17762947 TI - Measuring outcomes in clinical trials of stroke: time for state-of-the-art clinical trials to reject state-of-the-ark rating scales. PMID- 17762948 TI - Joseph Jules Francois Felix Babinski (1857-1932). PMID- 17762953 TI - Thromboembolism and the role of anticoagulation in the Fontan patient. AB - Among factors contributing to morbidity and failure of the Fontan circulation is the group of events referred to as thromboembolic complications. These events have been variously attributed to low flow states, stasis in the venous pathways, right-to-left shunts, blind cul-de-sacs, prosthetic material, atrial arrhythmias, and hypercoagulable states. Numerous investigations, most retrospective, have been undertaken to characterize thromboembolic events; describe the frequency and circumstances of these occurrences; and relate the risk of these events to patient, surgical, hemodynamic, and hematologic factors. Practices vary widely with respect to strategies of prophylactic anticoagulation in the hopes of minimizing the occurrence and morbidity of thromboembolism after Fontan operations. Review of the literature suggests that the factors associated with thromboembolic events after Fontan operations likely represent a complex field of biologic factors with multiple interactions. It is unlikely that a single agent will represent the solution to this complex problem. PMID- 17762955 TI - Effects of different anesthetic techniques on antidiuretic hormone secretion during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. AB - BACKGROUND: With the advent of minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the standard treatment for symptomatic gallbladder disease. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of using high- versus low pressure pneumoperitoneum with different anesthetic techniques on hemodynamics and antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion. METHODS: For this prospective study, 60 patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly recruited. They were classified into four equal groups: group 1 received general anesthesia with low insufflation pressure (7-9 mmHg); group 2 received general anesthesia with high insufflation pressure (13-15 mmHg); group 3 received general anesthesia in addition to epidural analgesia with low insufflation pressure; and group 4 received general anesthesia in addition to epidural analgesia with high insufflation pressure. Routine intraoperative monitoring was done. The study parameters included heart rate per minute, mean blood pressure (mmHg), and ADH levels (via blood samples) before anesthesia, after induction, 30 and 45 min after abdominal insufflation, and finally, 2 h postoperatively. RESULTS: The heart rate showed significant increases after pneumoperitoneum in group 2, as compared with the other three groups. Significant differences in mean blood pressure were observed between the study groups. In groups 1 and 4, mean arterial pressure (MAP) significantly decreased after 15 min, and this decrease persisted until the end of the study. In group 2, MAP significantly increased after 15, 30, 45, and 60 min and after 60 min postoperatively. In group 3, MAP significantly decreased after 30 min, and this decrease persisted 1 h after surgery. There were no significant differences in ADH levels before and after induction of anesthesia among any of the study groups. In groups 1 and 4, no statistically significant changes in ADH levels were observed throughout the study period except a mild increase in ADH levels 30 and 45 min after abdominal insufflation. In group 2, after pneumoperitoneum, there was statistically significant increase in ADH levels from the baseline value of 6.422 +/- 0.551 pmol/l to 7.749 +/- 0.635 pmol/l at 30 min and to 6.457 +/- 0.450 pmol/l at 45 min. In group 3, there was a statistically significant decrease in ADH levels from the baseline value of 6.551 +/- 0.356 pmol/l to 6.125 +/- 0.618 pmol/l at 30 min, to 6.118 +/- 0.491 pmol/l at 45 min, and to 6.169 +/- 0.676 pmol/l at 2 h after abdominal insufflation. CONCLUSION: Pneumoperitoneum can affect several homeostatic systems, leading to hemodynamic and hormonal stress responses. The use of general anesthesia plus epidural analgesia with low insufflation pressure, general anesthesia with low insufflation pressure, or general anesthesia plus epidural analgesia with high insufflation pressure is safe and effective in attenuating these responses. PMID- 17762954 TI - Perceptions of surgical specialists in general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, urology and gynaecology on teaching endoscopic surgery in The Netherlands. AB - BACKGROUND: Specific training in endoscopic skills and procedures has become a necessity for profession with embedded endoscopic techniques in their surgical palette. Previous research indicates endoscopic skills training to be inadequate, both from subjective (resident interviews) and objective (skills measurement) viewpoint. Surprisingly, possible shortcomings in endoscopic resident education have never been measured from the perspective of those individuals responsible for resident training, e.g. the program directors. Therefore, a nation-wide survey was conducted to inventory current endoscopic training initiatives and its possible shortcomings among all program directors of the surgical specialties in the Netherlands. METHODS: Program directors for general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, gynaecology and urology were surveyed using a validated 25-item questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 113 program directors responded (79%). The respective response percentages were 73.6% for general surgeons, 75% for orthopaedic surgeon, 90.9% for urologists and 68.2% for gynaecologists. According to the findings, 35% of general surgeons were concerned about whether residents are properly skilled endoscopically upon completion of training. Among the respondents, 34.6% were unaware of endoscopic training initiatives. The general and orthopaedic surgeons who were aware of these initiatives estimated the number of training hours to be satisfactory, whereas the urologists and gynaecologists estimated training time to be unsatisfactory. Type and duration of endoscopic skill training appears to be heterogeneous, both within and between the specialties. Program directors all perceive virtual reality simulation to be a highly effective training method, and a multimodality training approach to be key. Respondents agree that endoscopic skills education should ideally be coordinated according to national consensus and guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: A delicate balance exists between training hours and clinical working hours during residency. Primarily, a re-allocation of available training hours, aimed at core endoscopic basic and advanced procedures, tailored to the needs of the resident and his or her phase of training is in place. The professions need to define which basic and advanced endoscopic procedures are to be trained, by whom, and by what outcome standards. According to the majority of program directors, virtual reality (VR) training needs to be integrated in procedural endoscopic training courses. PMID- 17762956 TI - Experimental results and early clinical experience with an easy method for intracorporeal knot tying using a novel laparoscopic needleholder. AB - BACKGROUND: Intracorporeal suturing and knot tying are among the most difficult procedures in laparoscopic operations. An easy and inexpensive method for intracorporeal instrumental ligation with a modified laparoscopic needle driver is presented. METHODS: The needle driver developed in this study has a novel mechanism that can fix the suturing thread in a hook at the distal site of the holder's jaw hinge. This hook projects out from the rod only when the jaw of the holder is open. After the needle is removed from the tissue using the grasper, the needle driver is placed under the grasper, which the surgeon manipulates by the left hand. Then the thread is hooked on the needle driver by withdrawal of the driver with the jaw opening. The tip of the needle driver is moved over the shaft of the grasper by keeping the thread on the hook. The thread is entwined during a series of crossing movements of the rods of the forceps. The short tail of the suture material is gripped and tied up as a first throw of ligation. The side edge of the jaw, used for thread cutting, is sharpened by grinding. RESULTS: When the angle of the forceps is set at 90 degrees in the box trainer, no difference in terms of ligation time and degree of error is observed between the hook and conventional C-loop methods. In the case of the 30 degree forceps angle, the novel method is superior to the conventional method. CONCLUSION: The novel needle driver provides an easy and inexpensive method for performing an intracorporeal ligation, particularly in a case involving a sharp axis angle of the forceps. More clinical experience is necessary for evaluation of this method, but it has potential advantages in laparoscopic operations. PMID- 17762957 TI - Comparison in prognosis after VATS lobectomy and open lobectomy for stage I lung cancer: retrospective analysis focused on a histological subgroup. AB - BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has become an attractive surgical procedure, but several issues remain to be resolved. Prognosis after VATS lobectomy is important to evaluate the adequacy of VATS lobectomy as a cancer operation. Interestingly, several investigators, including us, have reported that prognosis after VATS lobectomy was superior to that after open lobectomy in early non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). One of the possible reasons is the low invasiveness of VATS lobectomy. But we considered that patient bias might have some influence favoring VATS lobectomy. To evaluate our hypothesis, we reviewed medical records of stage I NSCLC patients undergoing operation between 1993 and 2002. We compared and evaluated the relationship between patient characteristics and prognosis after VATS and open lobectomy. We focused particularly on histological type, classifying it into four subgroups; (1) bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC), (2) mixed BAC + papillary adenocarcinoma (BAC + Pap), (3) other adenocarcinoma (Other adeno), (4) squamous cell carcinoma + others (Sq + others). RESULTS: A total of 165 patients underwent VATS lobectomy, and 123 patients underwent open lobectomy. The 5-year survival rate of the VATS lobectomy group was 94.5% and that of the open lobectomy group was 81.5%. Univariate Cox regression of survival revealed that male, CEA > 5, Other adeno, Sq + others, open lobectomy, and tumor size > 3 cm were significant negative prognostic variables. Multivariate Cox regression of survival revealed that histological subtype and tumor size were independent prognostic factors, but surgical procedure was not an independent prognostic factor. COMMENTS: Prognosis after VATS lobectomy was superior to that after open lobectomy, but patient bias influenced the prognosis in favor of VATS lobectomy, and the surgical procedure itself was not a prognostic factor. PMID- 17762958 TI - Management of herniated retroperitoneal adipose tissue during endoscopic extraperitoneal inguinal hernioplasty. AB - BACKGROUND: Herniation of retroperitoneal adipose tissue into the inguinal canal, traditionally called cord lipoma, is frequently encountered during endoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernioplasty (TEP). Failure to recognize and manage the cord lipoma accounted for 30%-50% of recurrent hernia after TEP. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, and management of herniated retroperitoneal adipose tissue during TEP. METHODS: Between December 2002 and November 2005 all patients who underwent TEP were prospectively evaluated for the presence of cord lipoma. Clinical outcomes of patients who were treated for their cord lipoma were compared with those without cord lipoma. Risk factors for the occurrence of cord lipoma were also examined. RESULTS: A total of 498 patients underwent unilateral (n = 386) or bilateral (n = 112) TEP. The overall incidence of cord lipoma was 26.5% (n = 132). A higher body weight, a higher body mass index, and a larger hernial defect were significantly associated with the presence of cord lipoma. Most of the cord lipoma cases (n = 119) were reduced to pelvic peritoneal reflection line after division of the feeding vessels from surrounding structures, while the rest (n = 13) were resected. Early postoperative outcomes, including pain score, morbidities, and other recovery variables, showed no significant difference between the two groups. No recurrence occurred in the present series. CONCLUSIONS: Herniation of retroperitoneal adipose tissue into the inguinal canal occurred in more than one fifth of the patients with inguinal hernia. Awareness and appropriate treatment of the cord lipoma helped to reduce the risk of recurrence. During TEP, the internal inguinal ring and inguinal canal should always be cleared of any herniated adipose tissue by either reduction or resection. This clearing posed no adverse effects on postoperative outcome. PMID- 17762960 TI - A new endoscopic technique for the buried bumper syndrome. AB - BACKGROUND: The Buried Bumper Syndrome is a well-recognized long-term complication of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). Overgrowth of gastric mucosa over the inner bumper of the tube will cause mechanical failure of feed delivery, rendering the tube useless. Endoscopic removal is usually attempted but fails in most cases. Therefore, most of the buried inner bumpers are removed by making an external incision over the PEG site under local anaesthesia or at laparotomy. These approaches can be associated with pain, wound infection, or a gastrocutaneous fistula. TECHNIQUE: A new method to facilitate the removal of a PEG tube, where the inner bumper is buried in the gastric mucosa, is described. A length of ureteric catheter, or similar tube, is passed through the shortened external PEG tube into the gastric cavity and is then tied to the tube above the skin. The intragastric part of that tube helps to identify the site of the buried bumper and is then trapped within an endoscopic snare. Traction is then applied to the snare, inverting the tube and dislodging the bumper with minimum disruption to the stomach wall. This avoids the need for repair and allows for immediate reinsertion of a fresh PEG tube. CONCLUSIONS: A PEG tube in a patient with buried bumper syndrome can be safely removed endoscopically, without a skin incision or gastric wall disruption. A novel, simple, and safe endoscopic removal technique is described. PMID- 17762959 TI - Single use of fentanyl in colonoscopy is safe and effective and significantly shortens recovery time. AB - BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy remains an uncomfortable examination and many patients prefer to be sedated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous administration of fentanyl in titrated doses compared with intravenous administration of the well-known midazolam in titrated doses. METHODS: One hundred twenty-six patients scheduled for ambulatory colonoscopy were randomly assigned to receive either 25 mcg fentanyl (Fentanyl group, n = 66, 35 females, mean age = 61.5 years) and titrated up to 50 mcg or 2 mg midazolam (Midazolam group, n = 60, 33 females, mean age = 63.2 years) and titrated up to 5 mg. Patients graded discomfort on a scale from 0 to 4 and pain on a scale from 0 to 10. Success of the procedure, time to cecum, complications, and recovery time for each patient were independently recorded. RESULTS: Mean discomfort scores were 0.4 in the Fentanyl group and 1.0 in the Midazolam group (p = 0.002). Similarly, mean scores for pain and anus to cecum time were lower in the Fentanyl group than in the Midazolam group [2.59 vs. 4.43 (p = 0.002) and 8.7 vs. 12.9 min (p = 0.012), respectively]. No adverse events were reported in the Fentanyl group, while in the Midazolam group a decrease in oxygen saturation was noted in 23/60 (35%) patients. Mean recovery time was 5.6 min in the Fentanyl group and 16 min in the Midazolam group (p = 0.014). Mean dosage was 36 mcg for fentanyl and 4.6 mg for midazolam. CONCLUSION: Administration of fentanyl in low incremental doses is sufficient to achieve a satisfactory level of comfort during colonoscopy. PMID- 17762961 TI - 5-Lipoxygenase is coexpressed with Cox-2 in sporadic colorectal cancer: a correlation with advanced stage. AB - PURPOSE: It has been extensively documented that the cyclooxygenase inducible form and 15-lipoxygenase are implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis. Nonetheless, the role of other enzymes involved in the arachidonic acid metabolism, such as 5-lipoxygenase, in colorectal neoplasms has not been fully ascertained. This study was designed to evaluate 5-lipoxygenase expression in sporadic colorectal adenocarcinomas by using immunohistochemistry and to analyze its potential correlations with clinicopathologic parameters and with cyclooxygenase-2 expression. METHODS: Expression of 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase-2 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 50 surgically resected sporadic colorectal adenocarcinomas (28 male and 22 female patients age range, 47 88 (mean age, 69 +/- 8) years). The chi-squared and Spearman correlation tests were used to analyze correlations with clinicopathologic characteristics and to evaluate any relationships between expression of the two enzymes. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: 5-Lipooxygenase and cyclooxygenase-2 immunostaining was found in the cytoplasm of neoplastic cells in 41 (82 percent) and in 43 cases (86 percent), respectively. Spearman correlation test demonstrated a positive correlation in the expression of the two enzymes. A statistically significant correlation also was observed between 5-lipoxygenase expression and tumor stage and lymph node metastasis, whereas no significant correlations emerged regarding cyclooxygenase-2 expression and clinicopathologic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that 5-lipoxygenase is expressed in colorectal adenocarcinomas in association with cyclooxygenase-2 expression. Moreover, an elevated expression of this enzyme seems to be significantly correlated with tumor aggressiveness. Further studies would clarify the need for target therapies inhibiting both metabolic pathways in such tumors. PMID- 17762962 TI - Impedance planimetric description of normal rectoanal motility in humans. AB - PURPOSE: Manometry and pressure-volume measurements are commonly used to study anorectal physiology. However, the methods are limited by several sources of error. Recently, a new impedance planimetric system has been introduced in a porcine model. It allows simultaneous determination of anorectal pressures and multiple rectal luminal cross-sectional areas. This study was designed to study normal human rectoanal motility by means of impedance planimetry with multiple rectal cross-sectional areas and rectal and anal pressure. METHODS: Twelve healthy volunteers (10 females), aged 24 to 53 years, were studied during one hour fasting and one hour after a meal. Rectal cross-sectional areas were determined at five levels each 2 cm apart, as well as rectal and anal pressure. RESULTS: A number of rectoanal motility patterns were observed. A total of 25 episodes with very localized cyclic rectal contractions detected at only one of five channels were observed lasting two to four minutes with a median frequency of three per minute (range, 2-6). A total of 44 episodes of cyclic rectal contractions propagating over two or more channels were detected lasting 2 to 36 minutes. Most were associated with contractions of the anal canal. A significant increase in rectal contractile activity was observed after the meal (P < 0.05). Single rectal contractions were observed in 11 subjects, and the majority were located to one channel and lasted less than 40 seconds. In two subjects who felt a need to defecate during the experiment, the cross-sectional area at all channels showed strong cyclic contractile activity and the anal pressure increased by approximately 100 percent. CONCLUSIONS: The new rectal impedance planimetry system allows highly detailed description of rectoanal motility patterns. It has promise as a new method for description of rectoanal motility in further studies. PMID- 17762963 TI - Laparoscopic total colectomy: an evolutionary experience. AB - PURPOSE: Laparoscopic total abdominal colectomy and total proctocolectomy are technically challenging operations. Advances in minimally invasive techniques, including sleeveless hand-assist devices, may influence performance of these procedures. This study was designed to evaluate the results of laparoscopic total colectomy and to compare the hand-assisted approach with straight laparoscopy. METHODS: Sequential patients undergoing hand-assisted and straight laparoscopic total abdominal colectomy and total proctocolectomy from 1997 to 2004 were identified from a single institution prospective database involving four colorectal surgeons, of which three had limited laparoscopic experience. Patient characteristics, perioperative parameters, and outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 130 patients were analyzed. Sixty-nine patients underwent total abdominal colectomy (hand-assisted 17 vs. straight laparoscopic 52), and 61 underwent total proctocolectomy (hand-assisted 28 vs. straight laparoscopic 33). For both total abdominal colectomy and total proctocolectomy, the hand-assisted and straight laparoscopic groups were well matched. Although no differences were observed in operative blood loss and intraoperative complications, hand assistance resulted in fewer overall conversions to open (1/45 (2.2 percent) vs. 6/85 (7.1 percent); P < 0.01), with no conversions in the total abdominal colectomy group (0 vs. 9.6 percent; P = 0.05). There was a trend toward reduced operative time with hand assistance, and nonlaparoscopic staff surgeons performed a greater proportion of the hand-assisted cases (22.2 vs. 10.6 percent; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic total colectomy is technically feasible and safe. With a significant reduction in conversions and a greater proportion of cases performed by nonlaparoscopic surgeons, there was an evolutionary shift to a hand-assisted technique. A hand-assisted approach may be a useful alternative to a straight laparoscopic approach for this technically challenging operation. PMID- 17762964 TI - Accuracy of four fecal assays in the diagnosis of colitis. AB - PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the accuracy of four different fecal markers in discriminating between irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and other forms of colitis and to examine the feasibility of collecting fecal samples in outpatients. METHODS: We prospectively included 20 patients with irritable bowel syndrome, 36 with inflammatory bowel disease (24 Crohn's disease, 12 ulcerative colitis), and 18 with other forms of colitis (8 infectious colitis, 5 ischemic colitis, 5 medication-induced colitis). Diagnosis was established by clinical, laboratory, and endoscopic workup. Blinded fecal samples were measured for calprotectin (PhiCal-Test, ELISA), lactoferrin (IBD-SCAN, ELISA), Hexagon OBTI (immunochromatographic test for detection of human hemoglobin), and LEUKO TEST (lactoferrin latex-agglutination test). RESULTS: Overall accuracy for discriminating irritable bowel syndrome from inflammatory bowel disease or other forms of colitis was recorded, respectively: IBD-SCAN 91/100 percent, PhiCal-Test 89/100 percent, LEUKO-TEST 83/89 percent, Hexagon OBTI 77/84 percent, C-reactive protein 71/79 percent, and blood leukocytes 63/68 percent. Differentiation of inflammatory bowel disease from other forms of colitis with fecal markers was as follows: range of overall accuracy from 43 to 50 percent. Overall accuracy (in percent) for discrimination of irritable bowel syndrome from patients with Crohn's disease in remission (CDAI<150) was: IBD-SCAN 90, PhiCal-Test 90, LEUKO TEST 85, Hexagon OBTI 77. Calprotectin and lactoferrin were significantly elevated in patients with Crohn's disease with CDAI>150 compared with those in remission. Fecal sampling feasibility in outpatients was high (acceptance rate 95 percent). CONCLUSIONS: IBD-SCAN and PhiCal-Test have the best overall accuracy for detection of colitis, followed by LEUKO-TEST, Hexagon OBTI, C-reactive protein, and blood leukocytes. Accuracy of fecal markers is high even in patients with Crohn's disease in remission. Fecal sampling feasibility was high in outpatients. Because fecal markers are unspecific, endoscopic workup remains crucial to determine the underlying cause of colitis. PMID- 17762965 TI - Rectal cancer perforation after short-course neoadjuvant radiotherapy. PMID- 17762966 TI - DNA stool test for colorectal cancer: hypermethylation of the secreted frizzled related protein-1 gene. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate a potential mode of noninvasive screening for colorectal cancer, we evaluated the hypermethylation of the secreted frizzled-related protein-1 gene promoter in human stool DNA. METHODS: In stool samples from 36 patients with colorectal neoplasia (7 adenoma, 29 colorectal cancer) and 17 healthy control subjects, isolated DNA was treated with sodium bisulfite and analyzed by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction with primers specific for methylated or unmethylated promoter sequences of the secreted frizzled related protein-1 gene. RESULTS: Hypermethylation of the secreted frizzled related protein-1 promoter was present in the stool DNA of patients with adenoma and colorectal cancer. A sensitivity of 89 percent and specificity of 86 percent were achieved in the detection of colorectal neoplasia. The difference in hypermethylation status of the secreted frizzled-related protein-1 promoter between the patients with colorectal neoplasia and the control group was statistically highly significant (P < 0.001). Adenoma and early tumor Stage I (International Union Against Cancer) displayed both unmethylated and methylated secreted frizzled-related protein-1 promoter sequences, whereas advanced tumor stages showed only methylated secreted frizzled-related protein-1 (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that this DNA stool test of hypermethylation of the secreted frizzled-related protein-1 promoter is a sensitive and specific method. It has the potential of a clinically useful test for the early detection of colorectal cancer. PMID- 17762967 TI - Safety and efficacy of strictureplasty for Crohn's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. AB - PURPOSE: This study was designed to review safety and efficacy of strictureplasty for Crohn's disease. METHODS: A literature search was performed to identify studies published between 1975 and 2005 that reported the outcome of strictureplasty. Systematic review was performed on the following subjects separately: 1) overall experience of strictureplasty; 2) postoperative complications; 3) postoperative recurrence and site of recurrence; 4) factors affecting postoperative complications and recurrence; 5) short-bowel syndrome; and 6) cancer risk. Meta-analysis of recurrence rate after strictureplasty was performed by using random-effect model and meta-regressive techniques. RESULTS: A total of 1,112 patients who underwent 3,259 strictureplasties (Heineke-Mikulicz, 81 percent; Finney, 10 percent; side-to-side isoperistaltic, 5 percent) were identified. The sites of strictureplasty were jejunum and/or ileum (94 percent), previous anastomosis (4 percent), duodenum (1 percent), and colon (1 percent). After jejunoileal strictureplasty, including ileocolonic strictureplasty, septic complications (leak/fistula/abscess) occurred in 4 percent of patients. Overall surgical recurrence was 23 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 17-30 percent). Using meta-regressive analysis, the five-year recurrence rate after strictureplasty was 28 percent. In 90 percent of patients, recurrence occurred at nonstrictureplasty sites, and the site-specific recurrence rate was 3 percent. Two patients developed adenocarcinoma at the site of previous jejunoileal strictureplasty. The experience of duodenal or colonic strictureplasty was limited. CONCLUSIONS: Strictureplasty is a safe and effective procedure for jejunoileal Crohn's disease, including ileocolonic recurrence, and it has the advantage of protecting against further small bowel loss. However, the place for strictureplasty is less well defined in duodenal and colonic diseases. PMID- 17762968 TI - Long-term outcome after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis: function and health-related quality of life. AB - PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate long-term pouch function and health-related quality of life in a single, large cohort of patients with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis. METHODS: Data from 370 patients were included in the study. Thirty-nine patients (11 percent) did not have a functioning pouch (failures) but were included in the health-related quality of life analyses. Pouch function (Oresland score) and health-related quality of life (Short Form-36) were evaluated by postal questionnaires. A total of 88 percent of the patients with a functioning ileal pouch-anal anastomosis returned the questionnaires vs. 76 percent of the failures. Median follow-up time after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis was 15 years vs. 11 years after failure. An age-matched and gender-matched reference sample (n = 286) was randomly drawn from the Swedish Short Form-36 database. RESULTS: Median bowel frequency was six per 24 hours: 76 percent emptied the reservoir at night, 23 percent had urgency, 12 percent had evacuation difficulties, and 17 percent experienced soiling during the day. Fifty two percent of the males and 32 percent of the females suffered from soiling at night. More than one-half of the patients had occasional perianal soreness, 6 percent considered the pouch to be a social handicap, and 94 percent were satisfied with their pouch. Patients with a functioning ileal pouch-anal anastomosis did not differ from the reference sample on any Short Form-36 domain, except for a reduced score in General Health (P = 0.02). Pouch function was positively correlated to health-related quality of life. Patients with pouch failure had reduced health-related quality of life in most domains. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' satisfaction is high and functional outcome is good after ileal pouch anal anastomosis. Poor pouch function affects health-related quality of life negatively. Patients with failure after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis are substantially limited in a variety of health-related quality of life domains. PMID- 17762969 TI - Pelvic floor images: anatomy of the levator ani muscle. AB - PURPOSE: The levator ani has been divided into many functional portions based on necropic observation. Our objective was to use a combination of CT and magnetic resonance images to show a complete levator ani. METHODS: Normal magnetic resonance images of the pelvis were obtained at rest in 22 volunteers while in the lying position (10 males, aged 21-23 yr). The pelvic floor images of ten cadavers (5 males) were obtained while in the supine position by CT. Source magnetic resonance images were used to measure the heights of the transverse portion of the levator ani and the area of the genital hiatus. Source magnetic resonance images and CT reconstructed images were used to study the anatomy of the levator ani. RESULTS: The levator ani had a transverse portion and a vertical portion. The anterior transverse portion was found to be basin-shaped, the middle transverse portion was funnel-shaped, and the posterior transverse portion was dome-shaped. The transverse portion sloped sharply downward to form the vertical portion at the puborectalis plane. The vertical portion was a muscular tube outside the intrahiatal structures. The puborectalis was a u-shaped muscle outside the vertical portion. One case of the deep transverse perineal muscle was found in 22 volunteers. The volume of the ischioanal fossa influenced the anatomic appearance of the pelvic floor in cadavers. CONCLUSIONS: The transverse portion of the levator ani has five kinds of shapes in the different-coronal sections of the pelvis, which changes from basin to dome in a lying position. The puborectalis is outside the vertical portion and not part of the levator ani. PMID- 17762970 TI - Rectoanal sensorimotor response in humans during rectal distension. AB - PURPOSE: Rectal perception facilitates maintenance of continence and defecation. Whether perception is associated with motor changes in anorectum is unclear. We examined sensory and motor responses of the anorectum during rectal distention. METHODS: Stepwise graded rectal balloon distensions were performed in 23 healthy subjects by placing a six-sensor probe in the anorectum. Manometric changes, rectoanal reflexes, and sensory thresholds were assessed. Studies were repeated in six subjects. RESULTS: All subjects showed rectoanal inhibitory and contractile reflexes, but rectal perception was associated with an anal contractile response (sensorimotor response). In 4 subjects (17 percent) the sensorimotor response first occurred synchronously with a sensation of fullness (Group 1) and in 19 (83 percent) with a desire to defecate (Group 2). Mean balloon volume for inducing the sensorimotor response in Groups 1 and 2 were 80 +/- 14 ml and 96 +/- 26 ml (P > 0.05). The onset, amplitude, duration, and area under curve of the response were similar in both groups. At higher volumes of balloon distention, all subjects (n = 23) reported a desire and an urge to defecate. The sensorimotor response associated with an urge to defecate had higher amplitude (P = 0.01) and higher area under curve (P = 0.001) compared with that associated with a desire to defecate. Repeat studies showed good reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.9; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A desire to defecate is associated with a unique, consistent, and reproducible anal contractile response: the sensorimotor response. This response could play an integral role in regulating anorectal sensation and function. PMID- 17762971 TI - Overexpression of interleukin-10 in sentinel lymph node with breast cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: In breast carcinoma, identification of tumor cells in the sentinel lymph nodes is a predictor of the tumor's metastatic potential. Sentinel lymph node may be targeted not only by tumor cell metastasis but also by cytokines from the emergence of antitumor immune responses. METHODS: Between February 2003 and February 2004, the investigator evaluated 38 cases that underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy at the Samsung Medical Center. Eighty paraffin-embedded sections, 49 sentinel, and 31 nonsentinel lymph node, from breast carcinoma without lymphatic metastases were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the cytokine profile (interferon-gamma, interleukin-2, interleukin-10 and interleukin 12) for the T cell response. RESULTS: A higher expression of interleukin-10 was observed in sentinel lymph node than in nonsentinel lymph node (P = 0.03). The expressions of interferon-gamma, interleukin-2, and interleukin-12 were similar between sentinel and nonsentinel lymph node. CONCLUSIONS: Theses results indicate that T cell response was downregulated by interleukin-10 overexpression in sentinel lymph node with breast cancer. PMID- 17762973 TI - Hedgehog signaling in the murine melanoma microenvironment. AB - The Hedgehog intercellular signaling pathway regulates cell proliferation and differentiation. This pathway has been implicated to play a role in the pathogenesis of cancer and in embryonic blood vessel development. In the current study, Hedgehog signaling in tumor related vasculature and microenvironment was examined using human umbilical vein endothelial cells and B16F0 (murine melanoma) tumors models. Use of exogenous Sonic hedgehog (Shh) peptide significantly increased BrdU incorporation in endothelial cells in vitro by a factor of 2 (P < 0.001). The Hedgehog pathway antagonist cyclopamine effectively reduced Shh induced proliferation to control levels. To study Hedgehog signaling in vivo a hind limb tumor model with the B16F0 cell line was used. Treatment with 25 mg/kg cyclopamine significantly attenuated BrdU incorporation in tumor cells threefold (P < 0.001), in tumor related endothelial cells threefold (P = 0.004), and delayed tumor growth by 4 days. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the Hedgehog receptor Patched was localized to the tumor stroma and that B16F0 cells expressed Shh peptide. Furthermore, mouse embryonic fibroblasts required the presence of B16F0 cells to express Patched in a co-culture assay system. These studies indicate that Shh peptide produced by melanoma cells induces Patched expression in fibroblasts. To study tumor related angiogenesis a vascular window model was used to monitor tumor vascularity. Treatment with cyclopamine significantly attenuated vascular formation by a factor of 2.5 (P < 0.001) and altered vascular morphology. Furthermore, cyclopamine reduced tumor blood vessel permeability to FITC labeled dextran while having no effect on normal blood vessels. These studies suggest that Hedgehog signaling regulates melanoma related vascular formation and function. PMID- 17762974 TI - Calibrating and monitoring the western gray whale mitigation zone and estimating acoustic transmission during a 3D seismic survey, Sakhalin Island, Russia. AB - A 3D marine seismic survey of the Odoptu license area off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, was conducted by DalMorNefteGeofizika (DMNG) on behalf of Exxon Neftegas Limited and the Sakhalin-1 consortium during mid-August through early September 2001. The key environmental issue identified in an environmental impact assessment was protection of the critically endangered western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), which spends the summer-fall open water period feeding off northeast Sakhalin Island in close proximity to the seismic survey area. Seismic mitigation and monitoring guidelines and recommendations were developed and implemented to reduce impacts on the feeding activity of western gray whales. Results of the acoustic monitoring program indicated that the noise monitoring and mitigation program was successful in reducing exposure of feeding western gray whales to seismic noise. PMID- 17762972 TI - Serum angiogenin levels predict treatment response in patients with stage IV melanoma. AB - This work was conducted to find out new potential serum markers and study their role as predictive factors in patients with metastatic melanoma. Serum samples from 68 patients with stage IV malignant melanoma were collected just before current treatment and screened for 79 different cytokines by using a multi cytokine array. Angiogenin, which is a protein capable of promoting angiogenesis, was found to be markedly elevated among a sub-group of patients with progressive disease (PD) and thus was subjected to further analysis. The mean serum angiogenin level was 270 ng/ml and the median 236 ng/ml (STD 163 ng/ml). Concentrations were significantly higher among men than in women (P = 0.031), whereas patient's age, site of the primary tumour, Clark's or Breslow's classifications were not associated with angiogenin levels. Patients with only lymph node metastases had markedly lower angiogenin levels than those with metastases at other sites (P = 0.05). High angiogenin levels were significantly (P = 0.015; Kruskal-Wallis) associated with poor treatment response with chemoimmunotherapy. Treatment-related survival (TRS) was shorter (10 months) in patients with above-median values than in those with below-median levels (19 months, P = NS). Cox multivariate regression model was used to control for the confounding by the classical prognostic factors of melanoma (age, sex, disease burden, performance score, site of metastases). Disease burden was the only variable that remained in the model as a significant independent predictor of TRS (P = 0.044). These data suggest that serum angiogenin levels might be of predictive value in the evaluation of treatment response for patients with stage IV melanoma. PMID- 17762975 TI - SRY and AZF gene variation in male infertility: a cytogenetic and molecular approach. AB - AIM: The aim of this study was to identify the genetic effects of Y chromosome and azoospermia factor (AZF) gene variation in men with infertility and to elucidate the molecular mechanism responsible for the identified point mutation. METHODS: Chromosome analysis was performed according to standard methods on lymphocyte cultured cells and genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood. Three sets of primers were used encompassing the AZFb, AZFc and SRY14 gene regions. Products were genotyped with single-strand comformational polymorphisim (SSCP) analysis. RESULTS: The profiles of the mutated genes were detected in five of three azoospermic and two oligoasthenozoospermic infertile males. The SSCP variability of the AZFc gene was detected in all of the cases, while sex determining region Y (SRY) gene variation was detected in two of the current cases. Three cases with oligoasthenozoospermia showed mutated SSCP profiles in both their SRY and AZFc gene regions. No AZFb variation was detected in the presented cases. CONCLUSION: The AZF locus is assumed to contain the genes responsible for spermatogenesis in human. Deletions in these genes are thought to be involved in male infertility associated with azoospermia, oligozoospermia and/or both. AZF microdeletions and variations that are seen in infertile males suggest the need for molecular screening of such cases. Advance studies are also needed to detect of these variations and their relevance to male infertility before using assisted reproduction techniques in such cases. PMID- 17762977 TI - Human rights and the treatment of sex offenders. AB - Human rights create a protective zone around persons and allow them the opportunity to further their own valued personal projects without interference from others. All human beings hold human rights and that includes sex offenders, although some of their freedom rights may be legitimately curtailed by the State. In this paper we apply the concept of human rights to sex offenders. First we briefly analyze the concept of human rights, their structure, and justification. Second, we apply our own model of human rights to the assessment and treatment of sex offenders. We conclude that a significant advantage of a human rights approach is that it is able to integrate the value and capability aspects of offender treatment. PMID- 17762976 TI - Molecular characterization of two important antifungal proteins isolated by downy mildew infection in non-heading Chinese cabbage. AB - Two cDNA clones for a pathogen induced genes in non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis L. cv. Suzhouqing) were isolated and characterized. The two full-length cDNA clones, designated Bcchi and BcAF were isolated during the resistance response to Peronospora parasitica. Sequence analysis of corresponding cDNA clones confirmed the translation products of both genes showed high degree of homology to other plant chitinases and plant defensins, respectively. Genomic DNA Southern blot analysis indicated that each gene represented a small multi-gene family. Upon inoculation with P. parasitica, both genes transcripts were rapid accumulated in the infected leaves. Tissue-specific expression of both genes showed that 24 h post-inoculation the highest expression tissue of Bcchi mRNA was leaves, and 12 h post-inoculation the highest expression tissue of BcAF mRNA was leaves. These data revealed that both genes may be involved in plant resistance against fungal pathogen infection. PMID- 17762978 TI - Sepsis and Multiorgan Dysfunction . Abstracts from the 3rd International Congress of the German Sepsis Society. September 5-8, 2007. Weimar, Germany. PMID- 17762979 TI - Mutans streptococci colonization and longitudinal caries detection with laser fluorescence in fissures of newly erupted 1st permanent molars. AB - OBJECTIVE: To longitudinally apply a laser fluorescence (LF) device (DIAGNOdent) in newly erupted 1st permanent molars over a 3-year period and to relate the findings to mutans streptococci (MS) colonization, fissure morphology, and caries development. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The material consisted of 101 consecutive 5 to 6-year-old children attending a Public Dental Clinic and who volunteered after ethical approval and informed consent had been given. Only fully erupted molars with clinically sound fissures were included. At baseline, the fissures were subjectively categorized as "shallow" or "deep", and, prior to the LF readings, a plaque sample was collected and cultivated for MS using a chair-side kit. The registrations were repeated annually and the microbial samplings after 2 years. The total drop-out rate was 12%. RESULTS: The mean LF values increased significantly (p<0.05) with increasing age from 8.2 to 12.4 in the teeth that remained sound. Thirty-five teeth were decayed or filled during the follow-up and their mean LF values increased from 13.4 to 40.7. The LF readings were significantly higher in molars with "deep" fissures (p<0.05) at all visits. MS colonization at baseline was associated with an increased risk for caries (OR = 11.6, p<0.05) and significantly elevated LF readings. Baseline LF readings > or =12 were not diagnostic for dentin caries or fillings over the study period (sensitivity 0.57; specificity 0.86). CONCLUSION: LF readings could be used to some extent to monitor fissure morphology and caries development in fissures of newly permanent molars over time, but elevated initial values were not predictive for caries development. PMID- 17762980 TI - Gender differences in child-related and parent-related determinants of oral health-related lifestyle among 11- to 12-year-old Finnish schoolchildren. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to ascertain whether child-related and parent-related characteristics were associated differently with oral health related lifestyle among boys and girls. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 5th and 6th graders and their parents in Pori, Finland. There were 1691 children ranging in age between 11 and 12 years. The data were gathered by questionnaires. For the analyses, we grouped children and parents within three lifestyle groups: favorable, moderate and poor. Differences in child related and/or parent-related characteristics between boys and girls were analyzed with logistic regression analyses; those with a favorable lifestyle comprised the healthy lifestyle group, and those with a moderate or poor lifestyle the unhealthy lifestyle group. RESULTS: Oral health-related lifestyle was healthy more often among girls than among boys. In both genders, those who considered toothbrushing important for pleasing authorities more often had a healthy lifestyle. Girls who considered toothbrushing important for health and appearance were more likely to have a healthy lifestyle than those who did not. The effect of parents' oral health-related lifestyle was slightly stronger among boys than among girls. Among girls, however, high occupational level of father was indicative of healthy lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS: Among girls and boys, there are similarities and differences in factors related to oral health-related lifestyle. The parents' model is important for both, but the effect is stronger among boys than among girls. Among girls, attitudes on health and appearance are positively associated with a health-related lifestyle. PMID- 17762981 TI - Degree of conversion of dual-cure luting resins light-polymerized through various materials. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of monomer conversion of four dual-cure luting resins irradiated through various restorative materials or dentin. MATERIAL AND METHODS: RelyX ARC (3M-ESPE), RelyX Unicem (3M ESPE), Variolink 2 (Ivoclar,Vivadent), and Panavia F 2.0 (Kuraray) were mixed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. They were placed under the disks (thickness 1.5 mm) representing a metal restoration, a composite restoration (Sinfony D A3), a fiber-reinforced composite (EverStick 0.5 mm + 1.0 mm Sinfony D A3) restoration, and dentin. Five specimens (thickness 0.6 mm) in each group were irradiated through the disks for 40 s (Optilux-501, 800 mW/cm(2)). Light polymerization of the dual-cure luting resin without the covering disk was used as control. The degree of monomer conversion (DC%) was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR)/ATR spectrometry from the bottom of the resin. The infrared spectra were recorded at every 5.2 s for 15 min beginning from the mixing of the resin. RESULTS: ANOVA revealed significant differences in DC% between the luting resins tested (p<0.001) and the different restorations (p<0.001). RelyX ARC showed the highest degree of conversion 15 min after the start of polymerization, whereas Panavia F 2.0 and RelyX Unicem showed the lowest. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of conversion of dual-cured luting resins differed significantly. Furthermore, the restorative material significantly influenced the DC% of the dual-cure luting resin underneath. PMID- 17762982 TI - Attitudes to oral health among adolescents with high caries risk. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore and describe attitudes to oral health among adolescents with high caries risk. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A strategic selection of 45 subjects (15 to 19 years of age) assessed with high caries risk were invited to participate in the study, and 7 girls and 10 boys gave their informed consent. Semi-structured interviews performed, recorded, and transcribed verbatim were evaluated using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Three categories and seven associated subcategories could be determined, and cognitive consistency in parallel with emotional inconsistency in relation to oral health was disclosed. On a cognitive level, attitudes to oral health were characterized by an awareness of the determinants (diet, plaque, fluoride) for caries. Fresh breath and even, white, teeth were considered signs of good oral health. Breath and esthetic appearance were important inducements for home care. Although toothbrushing was considered the most important activity for maintaining good oral health, forgetfulness and lack of time were the main reasons for not brushing. The provision of adequate information on caries risk was perceived as important. On the emotional level, the three subcategories were: (i) a positive attitude to oral health and clear self-confidence that improved health would be achieved, (ii) an impassive attitude that everything would be all right and fixed by the dentist, and (iii) a negative attitude characterized by frustration and a tendency to give up. CONCLUSIONS: Allowing adolescents with high caries risk to relate their views on oral health is important for dental professionals when encouraging patients at caries risk towards healthy behavior. PMID- 17762983 TI - Computed online determination of life-long mean index values for carious, extracted, and/or filled permanent teeth. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop and test a data-mining system for the online determination of mean DS, M, and FS or DMFS values per subject at different ages from electronic patient records at two health centers to see if there are north-south differences in oral health in Finland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The mean index values were determined at two health centers using the codes of dental charts and progress notes of electronic dental records during the digital era of more than 10 years in a total of 153,619 subjects of all ages. Extracted teeth, as well as sound, carious, and restored tooth surfaces, were recorded from the dental charts. Treatments were then additionally registered from progress notes of the records when performed. RESULTS: The cumulative DS and FS values were similar in subjects under the age of 20 years at both health centers. In adults, caries was more abundant in northern Finland, where there was a higher number of restored surfaces (>40) registered, compared to only 30 in southern Finland at the age of 40 years. A high increase in the number of extractions began at age 45 in the north compared to age 70 in the south. These changes were clearly reflected in the DMFS index. CONCLUSIONS: Online determination of health parameters is a feasible methodology. The results revealed that north-south regional differences in dental health still occur in adults in Finland, but not in subjects younger than 20 years of age. PMID- 17762984 TI - Background factors associated with endodontic treatment due to caries in young permanent teeth. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to assess the association between background factors and future endodontic treatment due to caries in young permanent teeth. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The material comprised all 19-year-olds born in 1979 in a city in Sweden who had experienced endodontic treatment due to caries in permanent teeth (n=105) and a control group with no endodontic treatment. From dental records, the following independent variables were derived from age 7 to age 19: immigrant background, caries prevalence (DMFT values) at age 10, occurrence of dental anxiety, and missed or cancelled appointments before endodontic treatment. The outcome variable was presence or absence of endodontic treatment due to caries. Bivariate analysis and a multiple logistic regression model were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: In the bivariate analyses, all independent variables except cancelled appointments were statistically significantly associated with future endodontic treatment. Of these, immigrant background did not remain as a statistically significant factor in the multiple regression model. The highest odds ratios were 4.3 for >2 DMFT at age 10 and 4.1 for >20% missed appointments. CONCLUSION: In the present sample, with a relatively high proportion of individuals with an immigrant background, >2 DMFT at age 10, many missed appointments and dental anxiety were all risk indicators for future endodontic treatment due to caries up to age 19. PMID- 17762985 TI - Association between dental fear and dental attendance among adults in Finland. AB - OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the association between dental attendance and dental fear while considering the simultaneous effects of perceived oral health and treatment need, satisfaction with oral health services, age, gender, marital status, and attained level of education. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The two-stage stratified cluster sample (n=8028) represented Finnish adults aged 30 years and older. The response rate to this nationwide sample was 88%. Dental fear was measured with the question: "How afraid are you of visiting a dentist?" Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between dental fear and dental attendance, including the following independent variables: perceived oral health, perceived treatment need, satisfaction with oral health services, age, gender, marital status, and attained level of education. RESULTS: Among all ages, except 30 to 34-year-olds, irregular attenders were more likely to be very afraid of visiting a dentist than regular attenders were. The association was stronger the older the age group. Only age modified the association between dental fear and attendance. Irregular dental attendance can be attributed to high dental fear (etiologic fraction among exposed) in 41% of cases. CONCLUSION: Reducing dental fear would increase the number of regular attenders, especially among older age groups. Individuals for whom oral health services have been provided regularly since childhood seem to continue to use these services regularly despite high dental fear. PMID- 17762986 TI - Dental arches in submucous cleft palate: comparison of six-year-old boys with unoperated submucous cleft palate, with operated cleft of the soft palate, and without a cleft. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dental arch dimensions in 6-year-old boys with unoperated submucous cleft palate (SMCP), and to compare their dental arch dimensions with those of boys without clefts and boys with clefts of the soft palate (CP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sizes of dental arches in 97 boys were compared retrospectively from dental casts taken at a mean age of 6.4 years (range 5.2-8.4). The material included 34 boys without clefts, 30 with unoperated SMCP, and 33 with CP. In children with CP, palatal closure had been done by the pushback technique at a mean age of 1.5 years. RESULTS: The dental arch dimensions of the boys with SMCP were similar to those of boys without clefts, except for a decreased maxillary arch length. There was no difference in maxillary arch length between the boys with SMCP and those with CP. The boys with CP had smaller maxillary and mandibular dental arch widths than the boys without clefts and with SMCP. There were no differences in the number of boys with permanent incisors between the three groups. CONCLUSION: Six-year-old boys with unoperated SMCP have similar dental arch dimensions as boys without clefts, except for a decreased maxillary arch length. PMID- 17762987 TI - Evaluating a single dental anxiety question in Finnish adults. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric properties (criterion validity, construct validity, sensitivity, and specificity) of a single-item question screening for dental anxiety in a Finnish adult population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 823 subjects, ranging in age from 18 to 87 years, answered a questionnaire comprising sections assessing the respondents' demographic profile and dental attendance patterns. A single dental anxiety question and the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) were included. The final response rate was 85%. RESULTS: Eight percent of the sample was highly dentally anxious using the MDAS cut-off point of 19 or above. Twelve percent of the respondents rated themselves as "very scared" on the single-item question. The percentage agreement between the single item question and the MDAS was 93; the Kappa coefficient was 0.63. Specificity of the single question was 0.95 while sensitivity was 0.80 using the MDAS dichotomous classification. The single-item question related to age (p<0.001), gender (p<0.001), and dental attendance (p<0.001), as predicted. CONCLUSIONS: The single question has good validity, specificity, and sensitivity and may be used with confidence to assess dental fear in such situations as national health surveys or in routine dental practice where a multi-item dental anxiety questionnaire is not feasible. PMID- 17762988 TI - Effect of operating air pressure on tribochemical silica-coating. AB - OBJECTIVE: Alumina and zirconia are inert to conventional etching and need to be initially conditioned with, for example, silicatization. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of operating air pressure of tribochemical silica-coating method on the shear bond strength of composite resin to ceramic substrates. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Alumina (Procera Alumina, Nobel Biocare) and zirconia (LAVA; 3M ESPE and Procera Zirconia; Nobel Biocare) were airborne particle silica-coated (CoJet; 3M ESPE) using selected, clinically available air pressures of 150, 220, 300, and 450 kPa. The surfaces were silanized with silane coupling agent (ESPE Sil; 3M ESPE) and coated with adhesive resin (3M Multipurpose resin; 3M ESPE). Particulate filler resin composite (Z250; 3M ESPE) stubs (diameter 3.6 mm, height 4.0 mm) were added onto ceramics and light-cured for 40 s. The test specimens (n=18/group) were thermocycled (6000 x 5-55 degrees C) and shear bond strengths were measured with a cross-head speed of 1.0 mm/min. Fracture surfaces were examined with SEM, and an elemental analysis (EDS) was carried out to determine silica content on the substrate surface. RESULTS: The highest bond strengths were obtained with the highest pressures. ANOVA showed significant differences in bond strength between the ceramics (p<0.05) and between the specimens treated at various air pressures (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Clinically, the operating air pressure of silicatization may have a significant effect on bond strength to non-etchable ceramics. PMID- 17762989 TI - Local application of CpG oligodeoxynucleotide enhances nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae-specific mucosal IgA responses in the middle ear. AB - CONCLUSIONS: Nasal vaccination with P6 protein of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) and CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) may be effective for the induction of NTHi-specific protective immunity in the middle ear and middle ear application of CpG ODN may possibly be a new treatment strategy for otitis media (OM). OBJECTIVES: Owing to the increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in recent years, treatment for OM often fails. In the interest of developing an alternative treatment that does not require antibiotics, the efficacy of middle ear application of CpG ODN was examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mice were immunized intranasally with P6 and CpG ODN, and CpG ODN was then inoculated into the middle ear. P6-specific antibody titers were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the numbers of P6-specific antibody-producing cells were determined by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay. RESULTS: P6-specific IgA in ear wash and serum IgG titers were elevated after nasal immunization. The number of specific IgA-producing cells was markedly increased in the middle ear mucosa. Interestingly, middle ear application of CpG ODN enhanced IgA levels in the middle ear. PMID- 17762991 TI - MRI findings of the middle ear in infants. AB - CONCLUSIONS: While infants under the age of 1 year exhibited a high rate of abnormal intensities in the middle ear and mastoid cavities, older infants showed no abnormal intensities in these regions. From the signal intensity on T1- and T2 weighted MRI, the abnormal intensities in the middle ear cavity were considered to represent liquid effusion. Taken together with the findings of temporal bone CT, the abnormal intensities in the mastoid cavity were considered to represent bone marrow. OBJECTIVE: Histopathological studies of the temporal bone and tympanometry investigations have reported the presence of mesenchyme and liquid effusion in the middle ear cavity of infants. However, very few CT or MRI middle ear cavity findings of newborns and infants have been published, and none have included the mastoid cavity. We therefore performed an MRI study of the middle ear and mastoid cavities of infants under 2 years old (83 cases, 88 imaging series). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: MRI (1.5 T) was originally performed on suspicion of brain disorders in infants aged under 2 years. All MRI slices were studied and classified on the basis of the distribution of abnormal intensities in the middle ear and mastoid cavities. RESULTS: All the abnormal imaging appeared in infants under 1 year old, in particular, 74.24% (n=49) of abnormal imaging appeared in the first 20 weeks after birth. PMID- 17762990 TI - Conductive deafness with normal eardrum: absence of the long process of the incus. AB - CONCLUSIONS: The most likely cause of lesions with an absence of the long process of the incus was congenital origin because many cases were associated with the stapedial anomaly. However, the possibility of a potential inflammation of this lesion could not be completely excluded, especially in cases with only an absence of the long process of the incus. OBJECTIVE: To clarify whether the absence of the long process of the incus is caused by congenital anomaly or a potential inflammation. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 21 patients (5 bilateral cases, 16 unilateral cases) with absence of the long process of the incus were reviewed. Operative and histopathological findings of the removed incus were analyzed. RESULTS: The 21 cases with absence of the long process of the incus were classified into 6 types. Thirteen cases showed the absence of the long process associated with the stapedial anomaly, which were all unilateral. Eight cases showed no association with the stapedial anomaly, among which five cases were bilateral. Three of eight cases not associated with the stapedial anomaly showed evidence of resorption in the incus body such as fibrosis and Haversian canal widening. PMID- 17762992 TI - Modified dynamic visual acuity tests after acoustic neuroma resection. AB - CONCLUSION: These data suggest that visual acuity during quiet sitting is dynamic, requiring full body interaction of vestibulo-ocular and postural responses. These findings may have practical implications for seating design and design of tasks requiring good visual acuity while seated. OBJECTIVES: Looking at something during quiet sitting is usually assumed to be a static activity. We tested the idea that visual acuity during quiet sitting is dynamic, requiring integration of whole body responses as well as intact vestibulo-ocular reflexes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Normal subjects and patients scheduled for acoustic neuroma resection were tested preoperatively. Patients were then tested during the four in-patient postoperative days. Testing was done while seated, with or without head and back support, while reading numbers from slides on a laptop computer at eye level, in font sizes from 20 pt to 12 pt. The dependent measure was percent correct per font size. RESULTS: In both groups scores while sitting unsupported were significantly higher than with full support or only back support. In patients, scores were significantly decreased on postoperative day 1 and gradually increased toward normal but maintained the pattern of better scores when sitting unsupported than with head or back support. PMID- 17762993 TI - Speech understanding in quiet and in noise with the bone-anchored hearing aids Baha Compact and Baha Divino. AB - CONCLUSIONS: Speech understanding is better with the Baha Divino than with the Baha Compact in competing noise from the rear. No difference was found for speech understanding in quiet. Subjectively, overall sound quality and speech understanding were rated better for the Baha Divino. OBJECTIVES: To compare speech understanding in quiet and in noise and subjective ratings for two different bone-anchored hearing aids: the recently developed Baha Divino and the Baha Compact. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seven adults with bilateral conductive or mixed hearing losses who were users of a bone-anchored hearing aid were tested with the Baha Compact in quiet and in noise. Tests were repeated after 3 months of use with the Baha Divino. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two types of Baha for speech understanding in quiet when tested with German numbers and monosyllabic words at presentation levels between 50 and 80 dB. For speech understanding in noise, an advantage of 2.3 dB for the Baha Divino vs the Baha Compact was found, if noise was emitted from a loudspeaker to the rear of the listener and the directional microphone noise reduction system was activated. Subjectively, the Baha Divino was rated statistically significantly better in terms of overall sound quality. PMID- 17762994 TI - Subjective visual horizontal in patients with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. AB - CONCLUSION: Patients with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (p BPPV) could have mild excitation in the vestibular system on the affected side. OBJECTIVE: p-BPPV is considered to be caused by small particles dislodged from the utricular macula. While subjective visual horizontal (SVH) mainly reflects utricular function, there is less documentation on SVH in patients with p-BPPV. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether p-BPPV could affect SVH. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with unilateral idiopathic p-BPPV were enrolled. For comparison, 17 patients with vestibular neuritis and 45 patients with cerebello-pontine angle (CPA) tumor were also examined. For measurement of SVH, we used a device that has a red bar of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in front of the patient. Subjects were asked to rotate the bar to the position that they felt was horizontal in a completely dark room. RESULTS: Deviation of SVH toward the unaffected side down was seen in 82.1% (23/28) of patients with p-BPPV. Mean+/-SD deviation of SVH from the true horizontal to the unaffected side down was 0.49+/-1.21 degrees. Conversely, deviation of SVH was toward the affected side down in 88.2% of patients with vestibular neuritis and in 75.6% of patients with CPA tumor. PMID- 17762995 TI - Comparison of electronystagmography results with dynamic posturography findings in patients with vestibular schwannoma. AB - CONCLUSION: Condition-5-score (C5S) and condition-6-score (C6S) of computerized dynamic platform posturography (CDPP) can detect the presence of a functional deficit of the lateral semicircular canal (and the superior vestibular nerve), irrespective of the central vestibular compensatory status, in vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients. OBJECTIVES: To test whether CDPP findings differ between VS patients with and without asymmetry on caloric and/or rotational ENG studies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective review of 216 consecutive patients with VS. C5S and C6S of CDPP (Equitest) were compared among patients with normal caloric and rotational studies, patients with asymmetry on caloric studies and normal rotational studies, and patients with asymmetric caloric and rotational studies using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: C5S and C6S of VS patients with normal caloric and rotational studies were significantly higher than in VS patients with either asymmetry on both rotational and caloric test results (p<0.001 for both C5S and C6S) or normal rotational studies and asymmetry on caloric testing (p<0.001 for both C5S and C6S). Neither C5S nor C6S were significantly different between patients with asymmetry on caloric testing and normal rotational studies and patients with asymmetry on both rotational and caloric testing. PMID- 17762996 TI - Alternobaric vertigo: prevalence in Portuguese Air Force pilots. AB - CONCLUSION: Having found a prevalence rate of alternobaric vertigo in Portuguese Air Force pilots that is somewhat higher than previously reported, we underline the importance of implementing education on the management of this condition as part of routine Air Force pilot training programs. OBJECTIVES: Alternobaric vertigo is a condition in which transient vertigo with spatial disorientation occurs suddenly during flying or diving activities, caused by bilateral asymmetrical changes in middle ear pressure. Its prevalence is very likely underestimated and under-reported, with the 10-17% prevalence rate mentioned in early literature not being challenged by recent data. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: To assess its actual prevalence, the authors requested all high performance aircraft pilots presently on active duty in the Portuguese Air Force to anonymously answer a questionnaire on alternobaric vertigo symptoms, after a short briefing on the subject. RESULTS: A 29% prevalence rate of in-flight episodes consistent with alternobaric vertigo was obtained. PMID- 17762997 TI - Evaluation of the surgical treatment of nasal polyposis. II: Influence of a non specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness. AB - CONCLUSION: Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is not a risk factor for surgery in patients with nasal polyposis (NP). OBJECTIVE: Management of NP should be primarily medical, and surgery should not be envisaged before a trial of dual steroid therapy. In patients with severe NP resistant to a strict medical treatment, endoscopic sinus surgery is performed, but no prognostic factor for efficacy of surgery is obvious. Some authors suggest that asthma could be a major risk for ineffectiveness of surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the presence of BHR can be considered a risk factor for ineffectiveness of surgery. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Surgery (with associated medical treatment) was evaluated over a mean follow-up period of 74 months. A total of 63 subjects without and 131 subjects with BHR were operated according to a standardized protocol. RESULTS: The present study shows that combined surgery and corticosteroid therapy is effective in the treatment of severe NP, producing significant and long-term improvements in symptoms and in the size of nasal polyps. BHR did not influence the outcome. Moreover, the mean amount of prednisolone and beclomethasone necessary after surgery was similar in the two groups. PMID- 17762998 TI - Experimentally induced acute sinusitis and efficacy of vitamin A. AB - CONCLUSIONS: Although antibiotics are the mainstays for treatment of sinusitis, they do not specifically treat tissue damage due to free radicals. We propose that antioxidant, anti-infective, immunomodulator vitamin A may be a useful addition in the management of sinusitis. OBJECTIVES: Acute sinusitis is one of the most common diseases in humans. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and essential for immunity, cellular differentiation, and maintenance of respiratory and gastrointestinal epithelial surfaces, growth, reproduction, and vision. The objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic role of vitamin A on healing of acute sinusitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective controlled animal trial. Experimental sinusitis was induced by blocking the right nose and inoculating Streptococcus pneumoniae into the right maxillary sinuses. Left maxillary sinuses were used as controls. Rabbits were divided in to two groups. At 48 h after inoculation, group I received only parenteral ampicillin sulbactam (50 mg/kg), group II was treated with parenteral ampicillin-sulbactam (50 mg/kg) and parenteral a dose of 100,000 IU vitamin A in palmitate form. All animals were sacrificed on the 10th day. Mucosal samples were excised from the infected and control sinuses for histopathologic examination, for measurement of activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT), and for evaluation of levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO). RESULTS: All the infected sinuses displayed signs of inflammation, but there was no statistically significant difference between the study and control groups. In our study, epithelial integrity as well as NO and MDA levels were better in the group receiving both antibiotic and vitamin A than the group receiving antibiotic alone. Nevertheless, SOD activity was significantly increased in the group receiving only antibiotics, compared with the control mucosal SOD activity. There was no difference between the groups as regards CAT and GSH activity. PMID- 17762999 TI - Positioner--a method for preventing sleep apnea. AB - CONCLUSIONS: A 'Positioner' preventing sleeping on the back can effectively reduce obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but not always snoring for patients with long-term OSA. By preference, the device should be used for younger snorers without OSA as a training tool to avoid sleeping on the back. Instructions and support by a nurse are necessary for compliance. OBJECTIVES: Snoring is a progressive condition with a prevalence of 25-30% among the adult male population. Long-term snoring seems to be the basis for apneas caused by vibration damage to the pharyngeal tissue. Patients with OSA often have more apneas in the supine position than in the lateral position. Preventing sleeping on the back is a way to treat OSA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and comfort of a recently developed Positioner. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 23 patients diagnosed with positional sleep apnea (AHI>15 in supine position and AHI<5 in lateral position), were included. The Positioner--a soft vest, attached to a board placed under the pillow, makes it impossible for the patient to sleep on his back. It was fitted and tried out individually. Patients answered sleep questionnaires and kept sleep diaries before beginning use. After 3 months, a new sleep study was done while using the Positioner and new questionnaires were filled out. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (5 women and 13 men) completed the study. The rest could not tolerate being strapped into the Positioner. Of those participating, 61% demonstrated a decrease of AHI to<10 using the Positioner. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) decreased from a mean of 12.3 to 10.2. Half of the patients snored more frequently with the Positioner. The evaluation of comfort showed that minor adjustments are desirable. PMID- 17763000 TI - Morphometric analysis using automated image analysis of CD34-positive vessels in salivary gland acinic cell carcinoma. AB - CONCLUSIONS: In computer-assisted analysis of acinic cell cancer (ACC) morphological characteristics of CD34 immunoreactivity were detected. Bigger vessel size, vessel irregularity, and lower intensity of CD34-positive vessel staining may indicate unfavorable prognosis. OBJECTIVES: Salivary gland cancer (SGC) is a morphologically diverse group of malignancies, the most common histological types being mucoepidermoid, adenoid cystic and ACC, which has the most favorable prognosis of the three. The aim of this research was to study the applicability of automated image analysis as prognostic criteria in ACC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a nationwide study covering SGC patients in Finland during 1991 1996, 34 patients with ACC (15 males, 19 females, aged 19-95 years, mean 55 years) were included. Parameters were measured from CD34-stained samples. RESULTS: In all, 10 385 vessels were measured, of which 9873 were from specimens from patients who were alive 5 years after treatment (n=32, group I) and 512 were from patients who died of disease (n=2, group II). The following results were found in group II versus group I: mean vessel size 469 microm vs 272 microm (p=0.024); vessel irregularity 28.3 microm vs 22.3 microm (p<0.001); CD34 staining intensity 0.555 microm vs 0.584 microm (p=0.024). PMID- 17763001 TI - Oropharyngectomy without mandibulotomy in advanced stage (T3-T4) oropharyngeal cancer. AB - CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative course was excellent for this type of surgery, and the functional recovery was comparable to that obtained with much more laborious techniques. OBJECTIVES: To compare the advantages and disadvantages of the described technique and oropharyngectomy with labial mandibulotomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 46 patients underwent surgery by means of an oropharyngectomy without mandibulotomy. The pharynx was reconstructed using a plasty made of four regional flaps. RESULTS: In addition to obvious esthetic benefits, complications of the osteotomy were absent and surgical time was reduced. Some patients undergoing pull-through oropharyngectomy also underwent a marginal mandibulectomy, markedly reducing the frequency of radionecrosis compared with other statistics of techniques using mandibulotomy. PMID- 17763002 TI - Cytotoxic effects of the oncolytic herpes simplex virus HSV1716 alone and in combination with cisplatin in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. AB - CONCLUSIONS: HSV1716 alone and combined with cisplatin was efficacious in destroying head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells. Combination treatment with HSV1716 and cisplatin gave additive efficacy. These results indicate that HSV1716 in combination with cisplatin could be of therapeutic value in HNSCC and warrants further investigation. OBJECTIVES: HSV1716 is a replication competent herpes simplex virus which selectively replicates and lyses actively dividing cells but not normal or terminally differentiated cells. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of HSV1716 alone and in combination with cisplatin in HNSCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three HNSCC cell lines were studied; UM-SCC 14C, UM-SCC 22A and UM-SCC 22B. The permissivity of HSV1716 in these cell lines was determined using multicycle growth experiments. In vitro, cytotoxicity of HSV1716 and cisplatin was determined using an MTS proliferation assay. Isobologram analysis was used to determine the interaction between HSV1716 and cisplatin combination treatment. RESULTS: The three HNSCC cell lines studied were permissive for HSV1716 replication. Cytotoxicity increased in a dose dependent fashion in all three cell lines. Cisplatin was non-toxic to the virus. Isobologram analysis showed additive cytotoxicity when HSV1716 was combined with cisplatin in all three cell lines. PMID- 17763003 TI - Prognosis for Bell's palsy: a comparison of diabetic and nondiabetic patients. AB - CONCLUSION: The present study indicates that recovery from Bell's palsy in a diabetic group (DG) is delayed, and the facial movement score remains low in comparison with a nondiabetic group (NDG). More aggressive treatments, such as higher-dose corticosteroid administration and/or facial nerve decompression surgery, might be considered in diabetic patients with severe Bell's palsy. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to reveal prognostic differences for Bell's palsy in the DG and NDG. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The grades of facial palsy in 19 diabetic and 57 nondiabetic patients with Bell's palsy were assessed using the House-Brackmann grading system (HB system). Recovery was defined as grade I. The average of HB system grades and recovery rates were compared in the DG and NDG at the start of the treatment, and 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after onset. RESULTS: There were no differences in the HB system between the DG and NDG at the start of treatment and at 1 month after onset. However, facial movement in the DG was poorer than that in the NDG at 3 months and 6 months after onset. In terms of the recovery rate, the rate in the DG (52.6%) was much lower than that in the NDG (82.5%) at 6 months after onset. PMID- 17763004 TI - Spontaneous otogenic pneumocephalus managed with the middle fossa approach. AB - Spontaneous otogenic pneumocephalus caused by barotrauma is extremely rare. We surveyed the literature and describe a case report of otogenic pneumocephalus from barotrauma managed with a middle fossa craniotomy. The neurotologic literature review revealed three similar cases. We conclude that anatomic defects in the floor of the middle cranial fossa contribute to the development of spontaneous otogenic pneumocephalus. Neurotologic consultation should be obtained. In selected instances, middle fossa craniotomy may be required for repair. PMID- 17763005 TI - Time course and determinants of leptin decline during weight loss in obese boys and girls. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether changes in leptin concentrations during weight loss can be explained by gender, puberty, baseline adiposity and changes in adiposity, body composition, rate of weight loss, physical activity and insulin concentrations. DESIGN: A longitudinal study with 9 repeated measures during a 12 week weight loss programme. SUBJECTS: Fifty-three boys and 62 girls (7.9-15.2 years) with body mass index (BMI) standard deviation scores (SDS) of median 2.78 and 2.70, respectively. MEASUREMENTS: Height, weight, fat mass percentage assessed by bioimpedance, Tanner stages, testicular size, physical activity scores, blood leptin (ng/ml) and insulin concentrations (pmol/l) were measured at baseline, and except for Tanner stage and testicular size, repeated regularly during the programme. RESULTS: The weight loss was accompanied by a steep decline in leptin concentrations during the first 10-11 days, followed by a less steep decline until day 82. Leptin declined to 39% in boys and 51% in girls of the level that was expected given the relationship at baseline between leptin and BMI SDS, and the BMI SDS changes during weight loss. The biphasic leptin decline was independent of gender, puberty, baseline adiposity or concomitant changes in BMI SDS, fat mass percentage, rate of weight loss, physical activity scores or insulin concentrations. CONCLUSION: The biphasic leptin decline, which exceeded the level expected, was independent of puberty, baseline adiposity and changes in adiposity, body composition, rate of weight loss, physical activity scores and insulin concentrations. The dissociation of the leptin-weight relationship during weight loss may contribute to the general leptin variability in obese subjects. PMID- 17763006 TI - Adults' values and attitudes about genetic testing for obesity risk in children. AB - OBJECTIVE: We explored personal attitudes about genetic testing of children for obesity risk among parents of overweight children. We also gathered telephone opinions from the parents and from obese adults about policy related to such genetic testing. METHODS: We conducted three parents' focus groups, during which they produced numerical ratings on whether they would want their children to be tested according to scenarios in which 1) genetically-targeted drug treatment would be available, 2) a positive test would be associated with a prognosis for developing diabetes, or 3) neither of these. Quantitative data were also gathered during follow-up calls. RESULTS: Parents were more likely to want testing for their children under the first two scenarios, although there was interest in the third scenario, particularly among separated/divorced parents, and those whose children were not dieting. Even if treatment were not available, more than three quarters believed testing should be available, more than one-third of them at birth. The youngest child age to divulge a positive result, on average, was 10 years. A primary reason was the perceived helpfulness of the result in framing behavior of both parent and child in preventing development of obesity. Respondents generally failed to perceive the possible negative consequences of a positive test result, insufficiently to consider implications of a negative result. CONCLUSIONS: Additional research is required in order to understand the best ways to educate parents about genetic testing for obesity risk, given the strong interest shown in having such testing available and divulging results to minor children. PMID- 17763008 TI - Comparison of a short food frequency questionnaire with the Youth/Adolescent Questionnaire in the Growing Up Today Study. AB - INTRODUCTION: Our purpose was to design and evaluate a shorter version of our 126 item food frequency questionnaire (long FFQ) for use with adolescents. A shorter FFQ is needed that can reliably rank research subjects according to their intakes of energy, macronutrients and selected micronutrients. METHODS: Dietary data were collected annually, for 3 years, using the full-list FFQ from 16 882 participants of the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS). From this full-list FFQ data, the top ten food contributors for energy and each macronutrient, and the top five food contributors for eight other selected micronutrients were compiled to create a 26 item (short-list) FFQ. Arithmetic means and Pearson correlations were computed to assess relationships between nutrient intakes estimated from the short- and full list FFQs. We further compared both FFQs with three 24-hour recalls (approximately every 4 months over a 1-year period). Linear regression models were fitted, using energy and nutrients estimated from the short-list FFQ and separately from the full-list FFQ, to see how results may differ. RESULTS: As expected, mean nutrient values from the short-list FFQ were substantially below those from the full-list FFQ. Pearson correlations >0.85 between the short- and full-list FFQs were found for most nutrients. However, correlations between nutrients from the short-list FFQ and the three 24-hour recalls were lower (mean correlation =0.40) than the full-list FFQ. Linear regression models suggested that the short-list FFQ performed nearly as well as the full-list FFQ, for studying associations between energy and several nutrients (trans fatty acids, saturated fat, and glycemic load) and the non-dietary factor, TV viewing. Model betas for energy and nutrients from the short-list FFQ were slightly smaller than betas obtained from the full-list FFQ, but all were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The short-list FFQ can assess nutrient values of a population for analytic research purposes, such as studying associations between certain dietary intakes and non-dietary factors. PMID- 17763007 TI - Feasibility of a home-based versus classroom-based nutrition intervention to reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes in Latino youth. AB - OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this pilot study were to compare the dietary, physiological and metabolic effects of 12-week modified carbohydrate nutrition intervention when disseminated in an individualized home-based format versus a group classroom-based format. METHODS: Twenty-three overweight (>/=85(th) percentile BMI) Latina adolescent females (12-17 years of age) were randomized to a 12-week modified carbohydrate dietary intervention delivered in either an individualized home-based format (n = 11) or a group classroom-based format (n = 12). Anthropometrics, dietary intake by 3-day diet records, insulin dynamics by extended 3-hour Oral Glucose Tolerance test (OGTT) and body composition by Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were measured before and after intervention; 24 hour diet recalls were collected once or twice per month throughout the program. RESULTS: Mixed modeling showed no significant differences in changes in dietary intake between intervention groups, but both groups significantly reduced intake of added sugar, sugary beverages and refined carbohydrates by 33%, 66%, and 35%, respectively, and dietary fiber significantly increased by 44% (p <0.01) throughout the 12 weeks. There was a significant time effect for BMI z-scores within each intervention group (p <0.05). There was no significant time*intervention group interaction for any of the physiological or metabolic variables, indicating that change over time was not significantly different between intervention groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although a culturally tailored, modified carbohydrate dietary intervention led to significant improvements in dietary intake and BMI z-scores, the extremely intensive, individualized, home based program was no more effective at improving diet, decreasing adiposity or reducing type 2 diabetes risk factors than the traditional classroom-based format. PMID- 17763009 TI - Prevalence of overweight and obesity in preschool children and associated socio demographic factors in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the magnitude of overweight and obesity and its relationship with socio-demographic factors among preschool children in urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. METHODS: This is the baseline measurement from a one-year follow-up study on obesity in children attending kindergartens in HCMC with a sample of 670 children. Socio-demographic information was collected using an interview-administered, pre-coded questionnaire. Weight and height were measured. Body mass index (BMI: kg/m(2)) was calculated and overweight/obesity was defined using age- and sex-specific BMI cut-off points proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 20.5% (95% CI: 17.5, 24.3) and 16.3% (95% CI: 13.2, 20.4), respectively. The level of overweight/obesity was similar in both less wealthy and wealthy urban areas: 35.9% (95% CI: 29.4, 42.9) and 38.9% (95% CI: 32.3, 45.0), respectively. A multivariate model showed that gender, parental overweight, paternal education, high birth weight, duration of breast-feeding and sleep hours at night were all significantly associated with overweight/obesity (p < 0.05). The prevalence ratio of overweight/obesity and obesity in children where both parents were overweight were 1.87 (95% CI: 1.37, 2.54) and 2.59 (95% CI: 1.46, 4.61) times, respectively, higher than for children whose parents were of normal weight. The prevalence ratio of being obese significantly decreased by 5% (PR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.93, 0.98) for each additional month of breast-feeding. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity is a public health problem in preschool children and apparently becoming widespread in urban areas of HCMC. Overweight and obesity in children were strongly associated with parental overweight status, but longer duration of breast-feeding and longer sleep duration at night appear to protect against overweight and obesity in young children. PMID- 17763010 TI - Obesity in a provincial population of Canadian preschool children: differences between 1984 and 1997 birth cohorts. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether trends of increasing overweight and obesity reported for older children and adults are evident in Canadian preschoolers. METHODS: A sample of 3857 preschool-aged children (51.1% boys) in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, born in 1984 and measured in 1987-1989, was selected from government archival records. The sample of 4161 children (50.1% boys), born in 1997 and measured in 2000-2002, was obtained from regional health authority records. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using heights and weights measured by nurses. Overweight and obesity prevalence was estimated according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) methods. RESULTS: Combined rates of overweight and obesity were significantly higher in preschoolers born in 1997 (25.6% IOTF and 36.0% CDC) than in 1984 (16.9% IOTF and 25.1% CDC), when levels were already high. There were some differences between sexes and classification systems. CONCLUSION: The relatively rapid rise in overweight and obesity in children as young as 3.5 years, in little more than a decade, underscores the immediate need for monitoring, and implementation of effective interventions. Overweight and obesity in preschool children is not new, but has become increasingly prevalent, and requires population-based strategies. PMID- 17763011 TI - What is the best way to measure waist circumference? AB - Waist circumference is a measure of potential value in paediatrics, given its relation to cardiovascular risk in adults. However, three different methods of measurement are currently in use, giving potential for confusion. This study was undertaken to assess consistency across the measures in a population of overweight and normal weight children. We found that when expressed as standard deviation score (SDS) on the British 1990 reference, all three methods correlated highly with body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS); however, there was bias and variability between the measures. Based on ease of measurement, the site 4 cm above the umbilicus was the most convenient. This method was also endorsed by children's views. We therefore recommend that 4 cm above the umbilicus is adopted for clinical use until such time as the methods are verified against the gold standard of visceral fat, as measured by magnetic resonance imaging scan. PMID- 17763012 TI - Child overweight and obesity in the USA: prevalence rates according to IOTF definitions. AB - AIMS: To establish the prevalence of child overweight and obesity in the USA using IOTF-recommended definitions. METHODS: Original data from the NHANES surveys for 1999-2000 and 2003-2004 were analysed using the IOTF cut-offs and prevalence levels calculated using sample weightings provided. RESULTS: In 1999 2000, overweight (including obesity) was affecting 29% of school-age children. By 2003-2004 this figure had risen above 35%. Obesity alone was affecting 10% of school children in the 1999-2000, and over 13% in 2003-2004. CONCLUSION: The United States is experiencing levels of child overweight and obesity that are among the highest recorded in any country in the world. PMID- 17763014 TI - Randomised controlled trials in overweight children: practicalities and realities. AB - AIM: To highlight and discuss the practical aspects of conducting high quality, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with overweight and obese children and their families. CONTENT: Realistic considerations and suggestions for researchers arising from the experiences of three Australian interventions in overweight/obese children are highlighted. The practical implications of key issues arising during this type of RCT include study design, obtaining ethical approval, choice of outcome measures, recruitment, working with families, impact and process evaluation, retention strategies, managing multi-site trials and data management. CONCLUSION: Interventions for overweight children and their families are challenging. Although there were some differences in the design and outcome measures among the three studies, there were many similarities. Multi-site trials, although more expensive than single-site trials, are advantageous in increasing sample size and external validity. Collectively we have developed strategies to address key problems in conducting RCTs, including the common challenges of recruitment, retention and working with families. PMID- 17763013 TI - Combined influence of cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index on cardiovascular disease risk factors among 8-18 year old youth: The Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors across four cross-tabulated groups of cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index in 8- to 18-year-old children and adolescents. METHODS: The sample included 296 boys and 188 girls (mean age=15.7 years) participating in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. Participants were cross tabulated into four groups using a median split of age-adjusted treadmill time to exhaustion (TM) and body mass index (BMI). Group differences in CVD risk factors (blood pressure [BP], fasting total cholesterol [TC], low density lipoprotein-cholesterol [LDL-C], high density lipoprotein-cholesterol [HDL-C], TC:HDL-C, triglycerides [TG], glucose, and a metabolic syndrome score) were examined by ANCOVA, controlling for age. RESULTS: In males, significant differences across groups were observed for systolic BP, mean arterial pressure (MAP), TC, LDL-C, TC:HDL-C and the metabolic syndrome score (p<0.05). In females, only TG was significantly different across groups (p<0.05). A trend for significance was also observed for DBP and TG in males (p=0.09 to 0.11) and diastolic BP, MAP, HDL-C, and the metabolic syndrome score in females (p=0.14 to 0.16). In general, males and females in the low BMI group, either fit or unfit, had lower BP and blood lipid values than those in the high BMI group. In both sexes, the high BMI/low fit group had the highest (most adverse) metabolic syndrome score. CONCLUSION: This study utilized a unique approach to examine the possible interaction of fitness and fatness on CVD risk factors in children and adolescents. The results provide some evidence for the consideration of both variables when interpreting CVD risk factors in young people. PMID- 17763015 TI - Associations between family circumstance and weight status of Australian children. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between weight status and multiple indicators of family circumstance in Australian elementary school children. METHODS: Data were combined from the 2001 Children's Leisure Activities Study (CLAS Study) and 2002/3 Health, Eating and Play Study (HEAP Study), involving 2520 children in Grades Prep (mean age 6 years) and 5-6 (mean age 11 years) in Melbourne, Australia. Children's body mass index (BMI) was calculated from measured height and weight. Weight status (non-overweight or overweight) was determined according to International Obesity Taskforce cut-off points and BMI was transformed to z scores based on the 2000 US growth chart data. Parents reported family circumstance (number of parents in the home, marital status, presence of siblings, parental education, parental employment status, parental work hours [HEAP Study only]) and parental BMI. Regression analyses were conducted for the sample overall and separately for young girls, young boys, older girls and older boys. RESULTS: Children in single-parent homes, those without siblings, and those with less educated mothers and fathers tended to have higher z-BMIs (p=0.002, p=0.003, p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively) and were more likely to be overweight (p=0.003, p<0.001, p<0.001 and p=0.02, respectively). Associations were stronger for older children. Parental employment and work hours were not consistently associated with child weight status. The multivariable models did not demonstrate a cumulative explanatory effect (R(2)=0.02), except when maternal BMI was included (R(2)=0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Individual measures of family circumstance were differentially associated with child weight status and appeared to be largely independent of other measures of family circumstance. Childhood overweight interventions may need to be tailored based on the age, gender, maternal BMI and family circumstances of the target group. PMID- 17763016 TI - Restrained eating in overweight children: does eating style run in families? AB - Overweight children show abnormalities in eating style, such as restrained eating and tendency toward overeating (comprising both emotional and external eating). Family surroundings play a major role in developing eating behaviors in children. We tested whether restrained eating and tendency toward overeating predicted the amount of food intake in 41 overweight children (23 girls and 18 boys) and their parents (40 mothers and 11 fathers) after receiving a preload. We further investigated with questionnaires whether there were associations between the parents' and their children's eating behavior and whether mothers' food intake predicted the amount of food consumed by children in an experimental trial. We found that neither children with restrained eating nor their mothers ate more after a preload, but children with a high tendency toward overeating ate somewhat more after receiving a preload. Further analyses showed that children's food intake in the preload paradigm was predicted by mothers' food intake. Our findings point to a familial transmission of eating styles: children eat as their primary caregivers do, even when the caregivers are not present in the laboratory. PMID- 17763017 TI - Correlates of body mass index among a nationally representative sample of New Zealand children. AB - OBJECTIVES: To describe how nutrition behaviours and physical activity are associated with body mass index (BMI) among New Zealand children and to determine if these relationships vary by ethnicity. METHODS: Data were collected during the 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey. 3250 children provided information about their eating and activity behaviours and anthropometric measurements. RESULTS: Approximately 31% of New Zealand children aged 5 to 14 years were overweight/obese, with the highest prevalences of overweight/obesity among Pacific children (62%) and Maori children (41%). Higher prevalences of obesity were also observed among females and children experiencing socioeconomic deprivation. Television use, buying school food from the dairy/takeaway shops, skipping breakfast, consumption of fruit drinks/soft drinks, and low physical activity were associated with BMI in analyses controlling for demographic characteristics among the total population. Buying school food from the dairy/takeaway (p=0.04) and skipping breakfast (p=0.007) retained significance when all nutrition behaviours and physical activity were analysed simultaneously. Significant interactions between ethnicity and bringing school food from home and buying school food from school were observed in relation to BMI. In most cases, the relationships were most significant for Pacific children. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies to address childhood obesity among all New Zealand children should primarily include efforts to increase breakfast consumption and decrease food purchases away from home. Given the high rates of obesity between Pacific and Maori children, targeted interventions are warranted and should include strategies to improve the school food environment. PMID- 17763018 TI - Determination of central body fat by measuring natural waist and umbilical abdominal circumference in Guatemalan schoolchildren. AB - BACKGROUND: Obesity prevalence is rising in many developing countries, also among children. Waist circumference (WC) is a good measure of central obesity. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to compare umbilical waist circumference (UWC) and natural waist circumference (NWC) in children between socio-economic status (SES) and between sex; to describe correlations between body mass index (BMI), UWC and NWC; and to compare waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) between stunted and non-stunted children. STUDY POPULATION AND METHODS: We measured height, weight and waist circumference at the natural and at the umbilical level in 583 boys and girls aged 8 to 10 years of two different social strata in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. RESULTS: Mean UWC and mean NWC (cm) were significantly larger in high SES than in low SES children (66.6 vs. 62.7, p<0.001, and 62.6 vs. 59.8, p<0.001, respectively). Boys had a larger mean NWC than girls (62.8 vs. 60.3, p<0.001). The mean difference between UWC and NWC (UWC-NWC) was larger in high SES and in boys. Overall, Pearson correlation of BMI vs. NWC is high (r=0.902, p<0.001), of BMI vs. UWC is higher (r=0.919, p<0.001) and of NWC vs. UWC is highest (r=0.965, p<0.001). The proportion of WHtR>/=0.500 was significantly higher in non-stunted than in stunted boys (p=0.03) and in high SES as compared with low SES children (p<0.001). Results for mean WHtR were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, in Quetzaltenango high SES, non-stunted schoolchildren are most likely to have a centralized body fat pattern. PMID- 17763019 TI - Frequency of hypoglycaemia during the intravenous glucose tolerance test in overweight children. AB - The study aimed to assess the frequency of hypoglycaemia during the insulin modified, frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIVGTT) in overweight Hispanic children. The study included 210 children, mean age=11+/-1.7 years, BMI percentile=97.2+/-2.9 who where enrolled in a longitudinal study to explore risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Two fasting blood samples were collected to determine basal glucose and insulin concentrations. At time 0, glucose (0.3 g/kg body weight) was administered intravenously. Eleven blood samples were collected until 180 min post glucose injection. Insulin (0.02 U/kg body weight) was injected intravenously at 20 min. Plasma was analyzed for glucose and insulin and used for the determination of insulin sensitivity. Hypoglycaemia, defined as a plasma glucose<50 mg/dl, was observed in one asymptomatic subject (<0.5% subjects). In addition, only 1.9% of subjects (n=4) had plasma glucose<60 mg/dl at any time during the FSIVGTT. The frequency of hypoglycaemia during the insulin modified FSIVGTT is very low in overweight Hispanic youth. PMID- 17763020 TI - Classification of body composition in 11-14 year olds by both body mass index and bioelectrical impedance. AB - This study investigated the prevalence of obesity in 1671 Caucasian 11-14 year olds using body mass index (BMI) and fat percentage (F%). Age and sex-related criteria for both BMI and F% were applied to characterise the individuals as normal, overweight/overfat or obese. Using BMI, 5.6% males and 6.1% females were identified as obese. F% gave higher values for obesity: 11.9% males and 15.3% females. The prevalence of obesity appears to be in-line with other surveys; however, the outcome does appear to depend on both the measure employed (BMI/F%) and the categories used (overweight/obese). Questions are raised by this survey as to whether BMI is underestimating the number of individuals who are obese, given that obesity is a factor of adiposity, and whether the two measures are identifying the same individuals as obese; 23% were categorised differently between the two measures. These issues have implications for both survey and clinical work. PMID- 17763022 TI - A multicentre trial of the epilation efficacy of a new, large spot size, constant spectrum emission IPL device. AB - This study assesses the efficacy of a new, low fluence, constant spectrum IPL device. In three European centres, 52 females underwent epilation of one arm axilla with the new IPL, the contralateral axilla serving as a treatment control. Satisfied patients at the 1-month assessment received no further treatments and in the other patients up to five further monthly sessions were given. Clinical photography was taken at the pretreatment baseline and at approximately 1 month later. Side effects and hair attributes were graded. Patient satisfaction was graded. All patients completed the study: 11 required one treatment, with eight, 13, 11 and nine requiring two, three, four and five sessions, respectively. Side effects were minimal. A total of 44 patients were very satisfied with the final result, eight were somewhat satisfied and no patient expressed dissatisfaction, giving an overall satisfaction score of 84.6%. In all cases, hair regrowth in the treated side was finer and lighter. The greatest efficacy was seen in coarse dark hair in darker skin, and least efficacy was noted in fine blonde hair in lighter skin. Epilation with this constant spectrum IPL was safe, effective, well tolerated, and with high patient satisfaction. Repeated sessions were required in some patients with lighter hair and skin. PMID- 17763023 TI - Measuring key parameters of intense pulsed light (IPL) devices. AB - BACKGROUND: Unlike medical lasers, intense pulsed light (IPL) devices are largely unregulated and unclassified as to degree of safety hazard. With the exception of most of the USA, the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, the Far East and Australia, the sale of IPLs is generally unrestricted, with the majority being sold into the beauty therapy and spa markets. Standards are only imposed on manufacturers for technical performance data and operating tolerances determined by CE-compliance under electrical safety standards or the EU Medical Device Directive. Currently, there is no requirement for measurement of key IPL performance characteristics. OBJECTIVE: To identify the key IPL parameters, emphasize their importance in terms of safe and effective treatment and provide examples of preliminary measurement methods. These measurements can highlight changes in an IPL device's performance, improving patient safety and treatment efficacy. METHODS: Five key parameters were identified as having an important role to play in the way light interacts with the skin, and therefore an important role in patient safety and effective treatment. Simple methods were devised to measure the parameters, which include fluence, pulse duration, pulse profile, spectral output and time-resolved spectral output. RESULTS: The measurement methods permitted consistent and comparable measurements to be made by two of the authors at working clinic locations on 18 popular IPL devices and allowed assessment of output variations. Results showed discrepancies between the measured IPL device outputs and those values displayed on the system or claimed by the manufacturers. The importance of these discrepancies and their impact is discussed. CONCLUSIONS: This study, of 18 popular devices in regular daily use in England and Wales, provides example methods for measuring key IPL device parameters and highlights the need for regular measurement of at least those five key parameters measured in this study. These methods can help service technicians to check performance and eliminate device malfunction. PMID- 17763024 TI - Fractional photothermolysis treatment for resistant melasma in Chinese females. AB - BACKGROUND: Melasma is a common disorder of pigmentation which is common in women of Asian and Latina descent. Melasma lesions are resistant to numerous laser therapies, but have responded well in clinical studies to fractional photothermolysis. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Chinese women with resistant melasma will respond to fractional photothermolysis. METHODS: Six female patients (Fitzpatrick skin types III-IV) were treated with fractional photothermolysis at approximately 4 week intervals. Three to four treatments were performed for each patient. Before and after photos were taken of each patient in order to identify the degree of improvement of the pigmented lesions treated. RESULTS: All patients who participated in the study experienced at least 20% improvement in the appearance of their melasma lesions. Three patients obtained 50% improvement, two obtained 30% improvement, and one obtained 20% improvement. CONCLUSION: Fractional photothermolysis is a useful treatment modality for Chinese women who have resistant melasma. PMID- 17763025 TI - Pain inhibition in Q-switched laser tattoo removal with pneumatic skin flattening (PSF): a pilot study. AB - BACKGROUND: Tattoo removal with a Q-switched laser is often a painful procedure. The sensation of pain associated with the treatment is immediate and acute. Application of topical anesthesia to the treated area of the skin is time consuming, with only very moderate pain relief. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of pneumatic skin-flattening (PSF) technology which utilizes an evacuation chamber that generates skin compression and activates tactile neural receptors in the skin, resulting in afferent inhibition of pain transmission in the dorsal horn (the 'gate theory'). METHODS: Eleven young patients aged 17-25 years old (nine females, two males) who were treated for tattoo removal were enrolled in the study. The patients were treated by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Acute pain evaluation was performed on all 11 patients: one to two sites per patient with PSF and one to two control sites without PSF. When patients were treated with PSF, they knew they were being treated with a device that might reduce pain. This may have influenced patients' perception of pain. The evaluation was based on a modified McGill pain questionnaire. RESULTS: All 11 patients completed the study. A lower pain score with PSF was observed in all but one patient (10/11 or 91%). The average reduction of pain is by two levels: from very painful to very mild pain. The energy transmission of the PSF window is 95%, resulting in essentially identical efficacy of the PSF treatment and the regular non-PSF treatment. CONCLUSION: This pilot study indicates that PSF technology may reduce pain in tattoo removal with medium energy density Q-switched lasers (3-5 J/cm(2)). PMID- 17763026 TI - Reduction of pain and side effects in the treatment of solar lentigines with pneumatic skin flattening (PSF). AB - BACKGROUND: Energy densities utilized in the treatment of pigmented lesions such as solar lentigines with intense pulsed light systems are often limited by pain and post-treatment erythema and edema. The sensation of pain associated with the treatment is immediate and acute. Application of topical anesthesia is time consuming, with only very moderate pain relief. OBJECTIVE: (a) To test pain reduction as well as the reduction of post-treatment erythema and edema when using pneumatic skin flattening (PSF). This new technology utilizes an evacuation chamber to generate skin compression and activates tactile neural receptors in the skin. The result is an afferent inhibition of pain transmission in the dorsal horn (the 'gate theory'). (b) To test the efficacy of PSF. METHODS: Twenty patients were treated for solar lentigines. The patients were treated by three different IPLs. The evaluation of acute pain and post-treatment erythema and edema was performed on all 20 patients: one to three sites per patient treated with PSF and the same number of control sites without PSF. Identical energies and IPL were applied to both sites on each patient. The pain evaluation was performed on a 10-level scale modified McGill Pain Questionnaire. The clinical response to treatment was also evaluated. RESULTS: All 20 patients completed the study and preferred the PSF treatment side over the non-PSF side. Substantial pain reduction was observed in 19/20 patients (95%). The average reduction of pain was by two levels, from very painful to very mild pain. Erythema reductions were observed on 14/18 (77%) patients and edema reduction on 8/9 (88%) patients. Treatment efficacy on PSF sites was identical to that of non-PSF sites. CONCLUSION: The pneumatic skin flattening (PSF) technology considerably reduces pain, erythema and edema in the treatment of solar lentigines by IPLs. Treatment efficacy is preserved. The enhanced safety of PSF enables the increase of energy density and the acceleration of results. PMID- 17763027 TI - Comparison of the open technique with a new wound dressing, H2460, in the healing of an acute wound after laser skin resurfacing. AB - BACKGROUND: Applying various dressings or leaving the treated area open are two techniques in use after laser skin resurfacing (LSR). OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to compare healing of an acute wound using a new hydrocolloid dressing, H2460, with the open technique. METHODS: Immediately after LSR, one side was covered with the new hydrocolloid dressing H2460 and the other side was left open. Participants were instructed to clean the open side four times a day and replace the H2460 dressing if it was dislodged. RESULTS: In the volunteers' and investigator's evaluations, the new dressing H2460 generally outperformed the 'open' technique. At the 1-month follow-up, eight of 10 volunteers reported that the H2460 side resulted in better healing; two of 10 volunteers felt there was no difference between the two sides for final outcome and none believed that the open side had better healing. Overall, the H2460 side healed better in the majority of participants as graded by the blinded observer (60%) and participant themselves (80%). CONCLUSION: The new hydrocolloid dressing H2460 is a better and suitable alternative to the open technique to manage an acute wound after LSR. PMID- 17763028 TI - Hyaluronidase in the office: a necessity for every dermasurgeon that injects hyaluronic acid. AB - Soft tissue augmentation plays an increasingly important role in the management of the aging face. The recent explosion of dermal filler use in aesthetic dermatology has brought with it the expected reporting of rare but significant side effects. These include the too-superficial placement of product which can yield an undesirable bluish discoloration due to the Tyndall effect, the use of excessive product, persistent granulomatous foreign-body reactions and, most significantly, the risk of injection necrosis. PMID- 17763029 TI - The evolution of botulinum neurotoxin type A for cosmetic applications. AB - Very few pharmaceutical preparations share an evolutionary history as remarkable as that of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). The exotoxin of the organism Clostridium botulinum, once feared as a terrible poison, has been reborn as a highly regarded and widely used therapeutic and aesthetic agent. In less than two decades since the report of the success of BoNT type A (BoNTA) in reducing glabellar lines, injection of this product has become the most common non-surgical cosmetic procedure performed in the USA and worldwide. In addition to temporarily eliminating rhytids by muscle weakening, other dermatologic applications of BoNTA include correcting facial asymmetries and treating hyperhidrosis. Although BOTOX is the most clinically substantiated and published of the BoNTA preparations, other BoNTA products, as well as a BoNT type B product, are available in some parts of the world, and others are in development. PMID- 17763031 TI - Degradation of cyprodinil, fludioxonil, cyfluthrin and pymetrozine on lettuce after different application methods. AB - Degradation of two fungicides (cyprodinil and fludioxonil) and two insecticides (cyfluthrin and pymetrozine) applied on iceberg and romaine lettuce under field conditions with different methods (portable mistblower and chemigation) was studied field data showed that both distribution methods and lettuce cultivar affect the degradation trends of examined pesticides. In these trials the residues of all active ingredients after pre-harvest time were less than fifty's maximum residue levels; the values in the romaine cultivar were generally higher than those in iceberg lettuce. After pre-harvest time residues of pesticides applied on romaine lettuce by portable motor sprayer were always higher than those obtained by the chemigation system. PMID- 17763032 TI - Dissipation of fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen in fresh and canned peach. AB - The objective of this work was to determine the dissipation of fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen in fresh and canned peaches in order to know the levels of residues that can reach consumers in real circumstances. Two field dissipation studies were carried out, one of them at the pre-harvest interval (PHI) with good agricultural practice (GAP) and the other one in a situation of critical agricultural practice (CAP). Two canning dissipation studies were carried out for samples from both agricultural situations in an industrial pilot plant and the dissipation was determined in each relevant step. An analytical methodology was used including acetone-dichloromethane extraction, purification and analysis by liquid chromatography and diode array detection (LC-DAD) with a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.05 mg/kg. It was validated under SANCO/10232/2006 Guidelines. These pesticides complied with the official maximum residue limits (MRLs) in peaches at the PHI with good agricultural practices. In hypothetical situation of a second application at the PHI, fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen residues were above the MRLs in peaches. The canning study reduced the residues to no detectable levels in the cans for consumers. PMID- 17763033 TI - Removal of famoxadone, fluquinconazole and trifloxystrobin residues in red wines: effects of clarification and filtration processes. AB - The effects of six clarification agents [egg albumin, blood albumin, bentonite + gelatine, charcoal, polyvinylpolypyrrolidine (PVPP) and silica gel] on the removal of residues of three fungicides (famoxadone, fluquinconazole and trifloxystrobin) applied directly to a racked red wine, elaborated from Monastrell variety grapes from the D.O. Region of Jumilla (Murcia, Spain) were studied. The clarified wines were filtered with 0.45 microm nylon filters to determine the influence of this winemaking process in the disappearance of fungicide residues. Analytical determination of fluquinconazole and trifloxystrobin was performed by gas chromatography with electron captor detector (ECD), while that of famoxadone using an HPLC equipped with a diode array detector (DAD). Generally, trifloxystrobin is the fungicide that is the lowest persistent one in wines, except in the egg albumin study whereas, the most persistent one is fluquinconazole. The elimination depends on the nature of the active ingredient, though the water stability in the presence of light within it has more influence than the solubility and polarity of the product itself. The most effective clarifying agents were the charcoal and PVPP. The silica gel and bentonite plus gelatine were not enough to reduce considerably the residual contents in the wine clarified with them. In general terms, filtration is not an effective step in the elimination of wine residues. The greatest removal after filtration is obtained in wines clarified with egg albumine and bentonite plus gelatine, and the lowest in those clarified with PVPP. PMID- 17763034 TI - Evaluation of the impact on entomocoenosis of active agents allowed in organic olive farming against Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin, 1790). AB - Several attempts for evaluating environmental impact of active agents allowed in organic olive farming against Bactrocera oleae have been made, but very few studies were performed contemporaneously on more than one of them. Insects were chosen as indicators because they are known to react very quickly to environmental perturbations, mainly at the community level. In fact, the coenosis is the functional unit interacting with biotic and abiotic environmental parameters. Seven taxa, known for their sensitivity to habitat alterations, were sampled and grouped in functional groups: predators and parasitoids, phytophagouses and pollinators. The coenotic balance between these two functional groups was analyzed. The study was carried out in an organic olive orchard in the municipality of Terranova da Sibari, Cosenza, Southern Italy. The tested active agents (Azadirachtin, Rotenone, Copper Oxychloride) were sprayed twice (end of September and middle October). During the treatments the population dynamics of all the taxa were knocked-down. No one tested compound seems to be harmless to the entomocoenosis, particularly on phytophagouses and pollinators. In truly organic farming it is necessary to provide natural refuge areas to beneficial insects (i.e. pest antagonists) in which no active agents are sprayed and alternative preys could be found. PMID- 17763035 TI - Assessment of susceptibility of olive cultivars to the Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin, 1790) and Camarosporium dalmaticum (Thum.) Zachos & Tzav.-Klon. attacks in Calabria (Southern Italy). AB - Within the framework of research concerning the application of techniques alternative to chemical pesticides for control of parasites, the C.R.A. Experimental Institute for Olive Growing for many years has been performing a large investigation in order to detect sources of genetic resistance in olive germplasm. In the present study we observed the behavior related to the olive fly (Bactrocera oleae) infestation and Camarosporium dalmaticum infection of ten olive cultivars farmed under the same agronomic and climatic conditions in Calabria, Southern Italy. The sampling and the data collecting were carried out in three different ripening times. The drupe amount of oleuropein and cyanidine was detected by laboratory analyses in order to verify a possible correlation between these molecules and the level of infestation/infection of the above mentioned parasites. The obtained data were submitted to analysis of variance. In relation to the fungal infection the results displayed that cvs Tonda nera dolce showed the lowest susceptibility, while the cv Giarraffa turned out to be the most susceptible. The less susceptible cultivars to the phytophagous were Tonda nera dolce and Bhardi Tirana. Since the less susceptible cultivar to olive fly attacks are the same observed in relation to the susceptibility to olive fruit rot, it is suggested a relation between the olive fly infestation and the fungal infection. It suggests the utility to achieve these results both to transfer directly to the farmers' world and to emphasize ecosystem health and biodiversity conservation. PMID- 17763036 TI - Fungitoxicity of lyophilized and spray-dried garlic extracts. AB - Among the compounds discussed for anti-microbial and anti-fungal use allicin (allylthiosulfinate, diallyl disulfide-S-monoxide), an active ingredient of garlic, has attracted considerable attention. The objective of this study is to determine the antifungal activity of a local garlic ecotype (Voghiera) extracts against different pathogens. Primary screening was carried out by the agar plates technique using ethanol garlic extract at four final concentrations against the following organisms: Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus spp., Colletotrichum acutatum, Didymella bryoniae, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium avenaceum, Fusarium gramineareum, Gliocladium roseum 47, Pythium splendens, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotium rolfsii, Stemphylium vesicarium, Trichoderma longibranchiatum, and Botrytis cinerea. Secondary screening was carried out using a lyophilized and a spray-dried preparation at different concentrations against the organisms selected for the high inhibition garlic effect in the primary screening and compared with the commercial fungicides mancozeb and iprodione. The best results were observed for the spray-dried garlic compound that showed a good fungicidal activity at the concentration of 1.5 g/10 mL while lyophilized garlic at the same concentration exhibited less inhibition activity against the four fungi analyzed in the second screening. PMID- 17763037 TI - Analysis and residue levels of forchlorfenuron (CPPU) in watermelons. AB - This paper describes the application of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS) for analysis of residues of forchlorfenuron (CPPU), a new plant growth regulator, in watermelons, after a sample preparation step based on the buffered Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe extraction method. Analytical determinations were carried out in a triple quadrupole system fitted with an electrospray interphase operating in the positive ionisation mode (ESI+). Three simultaneous MS-MS transitions of the quasi-molecular ion m/z 248 (precursor ion) were monitored for data acquisition (248 > 129, 248 > 155, and 248 > 248), using the transition 248 > 129 for quantitation. Recovery studies on watermelons at levels of 1-200 microg/kg, performing five replicates at each level and using bracketing single-level calibration with matrix-matched standards for quantitation, gave forchlorfenuron mean recoveries ranging from 82 to 106% with relative standard deviations (RSD) lower than 18%. The limit of determination was established at 1 microg/kg. The method was applied to evaluate the persistence of forchlorfenuron residues in watermelons grown in plastic greenhouses, after applying an individual spray treatment to the flower ovary at the anthesis stage (45 mu g/flower and 60 mu g/flower for cv "Extazy" and cv "reina de corazones" watermelons, respectively). One month after treatment, 20 "Extazy" watermelon units (1.5-2 kg/unit) and 20 "Reina de corazones" watermelon units (4-5 kg/unit) were collected and analyzed individually. None of the samples contained forchlorfenuron residues higher than 1 microg/kg. PMID- 17763038 TI - Assessing supercritical fluid extraction for the analysis of fipronil, kresoxim methyl, acrinathrin, and pyridaben residues in melon. AB - An analytical method, using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), was assessed for residue analysis of the insecticides fipronil, acrinathrin and pyridaben and the fungicide kresoxim-methyl in melons. Extraction conditions were optimized on glass beads, as inert material, evaluating different pressures, temperatures, and CO(2) volumes. Also, the extractability of pesticides from hydromatrix and anhydrous magnesium sulfate was evaluated. Both adsorbents were evaluated for the preparation of SFE-spiked melon samples. Extractions of fortified samples were done using 20 mL of CO(2), 300 atm, and 50 degrees C. Different extraction conditions, including the addition of water and methanol as a static modifier, were used to assess the extractability of these pesticides, and the addition of methanol was demonstrated to improve the extraction of all the studied pesticides. PMID- 17763039 TI - Validation and global uncertainty of a gas chromatographic with mass spectrometry method for fenamidone analysis in grapes and wines. AB - Fenamidone is an imidazolinone fungicide recently introduced in viticulture practices. This work reports the validation and assessment of global uncertainty of a gas chromatographic with mass spectrometry method to analyze fenamidone in grapes and wines. This method consists in a simple and fast liquid-liquid extraction step followed by chromatographic determination. Limits of detection for fenamidone in grapes and wines were, respectively, 0.05 mg/kg and 0.06 mg/L, precision was below 9.4% and average recovery was 89 +/- 5%. In the concentration range from 0.05 to 1.00 mg/kg (or mg/L) of fenamidone, global uncertainty calculated following the EURACHEM/CITAC rules, and also by the Horwitz function, was below 25%. The EURACHEM/CITAC global uncertainty budget used gave lower estimates than those obtained from the Horwitz function. PMID- 17763040 TI - Pesticide residues in Italian Ready-Meals and dietary intake estimation. AB - The investigations carried out during 2005 by state-run Italian laboratories within the framework of controls seeking pesticide residues monitoring in foodstuffs involve quantifying the levels of such residues in fruit and vegetable produce and their processed products: oil, wine and fruit juices. The Italian Ready-Meal Residue Project, promoted by the pesticides working group of Italian Environmental Agencies, seeks to asses the quantity of pesticides in pre-prepared (ready-to-eat) lunches (comprising a first course, side dish, fruit, bread and wine), and to quantify the amounts consumed and compare with the acceptable daily intake ADIs. The data provided by 16 laboratories which analyzed 50 complete meals in 2005 (samples taken on 8 February, 26 May, 24 October, 21 December 2005) showed residues in 39 lunches, with an average number of 2.4 pesticides in each meal and a maximum of 10 pesticides. The most frequently found substances were: pirimiphos-methyl (20 times), procymidone (17), pyrimethanil (7), iprodione (7), cyprodinil (7), fenitrothion (6), diphenylamine (6), chlorpyrifos (6), metalaxyl (5) and chlorpyrifos-methyl (5). The distribution of residues among each dish of the meal was also examined, and the results showed that: 77.3% of the residues were present in the fruit, 14.9% in the wine, 3.0% in the main course, 2.8% in the bread and 2.1% in the side dish. Assuming that two meals are consumed per day, the daily intake of pesticide residues was calculated on a daily basis, in relation to normal body weight (60 kg for an adult, 40 kg for a teenager, 20 kg for a child) and compared with the ADI values established by the European Union. In the case of adults, the average daily intake of pesticides in relation to ADI was 2.6% with a maximum of 73.3%; for teenagers it was 4.9% with a maximum of 109% and for children it was 9.8% with a peak of 219%. PMID- 17763041 TI - Results of the monitoring program of pesticide residues in organic food of plant origin in Lombardy (Italy). AB - Organic agriculture, with its restrictions on the use of synthetic chemical inputs, seems to offer a low-residue alternative to conventional methods. In Europe, the Council Regulation n. 2092/91/EEC regulates the production and trade of organic products and foodstuffs; national and regional legislation in Italy gives specific guidance on the surveillance of organic agriculture. However, monitoring of specific chemical residues in organic foodstuffs is part of the regular controls on food, aiming to safeguard consumer's health. Monitoring programs are coordinated at the national level by the Ministry of Health and at local level by Regional authorities. In Lombardy, in accordance with the provisions of the General Directorate of Health of the Region and under the supervision of the 15 Local Health Units, a monitoring program of pesticide residues in food of plant origin is undertaken every year. The International Centre for Pesticides and Health Risk Prevention (ICPS), on behalf of the General Directorate of Health of the Region of Lombardy, has been collecting and elaborating the data resulting from the analysis of food samples, carried out by the local laboratories. During the period 2002-2005, a total of 3508 samples food of plant origin were analyzed for pesticide residues, among which were 266 samples of organic farming products. Commodities were classified into groups (citrus fruits, legumes, vegetables, potatoes, processed products, cereals, and fruit other than citrus) and the outcomes of the analyses were reported by year, origin of the sample and presence/absence of pesticide residues. Results showed that the vast majority of organic farming products were in conformity with the relevant legislation and did not contain detectable pesticide residues. A limited amount of samples had residues at concentration below the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL). Only in one sample the residue level was above the MRL, however it did not pose a concern for public health, as demonstrated by the outcomes of dietary risk assessment. Organic fruits and vegetables can be expected to contain fewer agrochemical residues than conventionally grown alternatives. There is a widespread belief that organic agriculture products are safer and healthier than conventional foods. It is difficult to come to conclusions, but what should be made clear to the consumer is that "organic" does not automatically equal "safe". In the absence of adequate comparative data, additional studies in this area of research are required. PMID- 17763042 TI - Behavior of fenhexamid in soil and water. AB - A study was conducted to investigate fenhexamid (FEX) behavior in soil and in water. FEX proved to be rather stable at acid pH but showed slight degradation at neutral and alkaline pH. After 101 days of FEX spiking of a soil sample, 94% at pH 4, 12% at pH 7 and 23% at pH 9 of the active ingredient was still present. In natural water the rate of FEX disappearance appeared to be slow which may be due to abiotic rather than biotic processes. The soil degradation tests showed low persistence of the active ingredient if a good microflora activity is guaranteed (DT(50) about 1 day). Moreover, in absence of microorganisms, FEX proved to be stable. Humidities of 25 and 50% of Water Holding Capacity (WHC) influenced in equal measure the rate of degradation. From the same soil, a bacterium was isolated and identified as Bacillus megaterium, which was able to metabolize FEX with the hydroxylation of the cyclohexane ring. Moreover, FEX showed an elevated affinity for humic acid (73%), smectite (31%), and ferrihydrite(20%) and low affinity for vermiculite (11%) and kaolinite (7%). PMID- 17763043 TI - Influence of humic fractions on retention of isoproturon residues in two Moroccan soils. AB - The influence of different fractions of soil organic matter on the retention of the herbicide isoproturon (IPU) has been evaluated. Water and methanol extractable residues of (14)C labeled isoproturon have been determined in two Moroccan soils by beta -counting-liquid chromatography. The quantification of bound residues in soil and in different fractions of soil humic substances has been performed using pyrolysis/scintillation-detected gas-chromatography. Microbial mineralization of the herbicide and soil organic matter has been also monitored. Retention of isoproturon residues after 30-days incubation ranged from 22% to 32% (non-extractable fraction). The radioactivity extracted in an aqueous environment was from 20% to 33% of the amount used for the treatment; meanwhile, methanol was able to extract another 48%. Both soils showed quantities of bound residues into the humin fraction higher than humic and fulvic acids. The total amount of residues retained into the organic matter of the soils was about 65 % of non-extractable fraction, and this percentage did not change with incubation time; on the contrary, the sorption rate of the retention reaction is mostly influenced by the clay fraction and organic content of the soil. Only a little part of the herbicide was mineralized during the experimental time. PMID- 17763044 TI - Controlled release systems to prevent the agro-environmental pollution derived from pesticide use. AB - Different controlled release formulations (CRFs) of isoproturon, imidacloprid and cyromazine have been studied to contribute to diminish, somehow, the problems related to the application of conventional formulations. The alginate-based CRFs were based on sodium alginate (1.90%), Technical grade (TG) isoproturon or imidacloprid (1.20%), natural bentonite (3.30%), and water (93.6%), and the lignin-based CRF was based on kraft lignin (50.0%) and TG cyromazine (50.0%). The mobility of non-formulated TG pesticides and CRFs were compared by using soil columns. The use of CRFs retard release and reduce the presence of pesticides in the leachate and, moreover, the pesticides stay in the soil longer. Sorption capacity of the soil for pesticides was measured using batch experiments. The results obtained (11.67 mg kg(- 1) for isoproturon, 3.17 mg kg(- 1) for imidacloprid and 0.63 mg kg(-1) for cyromazine) were in agreement with those obtained under dynamic conditions. PMID- 17763045 TI - Controlled-release formulations of cyromazine-lignin matrix coated with ethylcellulose. AB - An encapsulation system was developed and designed to give long-lasting effectiveness of the insect growth regulator cyromazine. Cyromazine was incorporated in lignin-poly (ethylene glycol) (PE) controlled-release formulations by means of a melting process. The basic formulation [lignin (65%) PE (20%)-cyromazine (15%)] was coated in a Wurster-type fluidized-bed equipment using two different amounts of ethylcellulose. That of the highest one was modified by the addition of a plasticizer, dibutyl sebacate (DBS). The effect on cyromazine release rate caused by the incorporation of ethylcellulose and DBS in lignin-PE formulation was studied by immersion of the granules in water under static conditions. Using an empirical equation, the time taken for 50% of the active ingredient to be released into water (T(50)) was calculated. From the analysis of the T(50) values, the influence of ethylcellulose appears clearly defined, observing a delay in release rate of cyromazine with respect to the basic lignin-PE formulation. In addition, the granules coated with ethylcellulose and the plasticizer lead the slowest release rate into water. The release of cyromazine into water is controlled by a diffusion mechanism. The thickness and permeability of the coating film are the most important factors that affect cyromazine release. PMID- 17763046 TI - Postulated carbon tetrachloride mode of action: a review. AB - Under the 2005 U.S. EPA Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (1), evaluations of carcinogens rely on mode of action data to better inform dose response assessments. A reassessment of carbon tetrachloride, a model hepatotoxicant and carcinogen, provides an opportunity to incorporate into the assessment biologically relevant mode of action data on its carcinogenesis. Mechanistic studies provide evidence that metabolism of carbon tetrachloride via CYP2E1 to highly reactive free radical metabolites plays a critical role in the postulated mode of action. The primary metabolites, trichloromethyl and trichloromethyl peroxy free radicals, are highly reactive and are capable of covalently binding locally to cellular macromolecules, with preference for fatty acids from membrane phospholipids. The free radicals initiate lipid peroxidation by attacking polyunsaturated fatty acids in membranes, setting off a free radical chain reaction sequence. Lipid peroxidation is known to cause membrane disruption, resulting in the loss of membrane integrity and leakage of microsomal enzymes. By-products of lipid peroxidation include reactive aldehydes that can form protein and DNA adducts and may contribute to hepatotoxicity and carcinogenicity, respectively. Natural antioxidants, including glutathione, are capable of quenching the lipid peroxidation reaction. When glutathione and other antioxidants are depleted, however, opportunities for lipid peroxidation are enhanced. Weakened cellular membranes allow sufficient leakage of calcium into the cytosol to disrupt intracellular calcium homeostasis. High calcium levels in the cytosol activate calcium-dependent proteases and phospholipases that further increase the breakdown of the membranes. Similarly, the increase in intracellular calcium can activate endonucleases that can cause chromosomal damage and also contribute to cell death. Sustained cell regeneration and proliferation following cell death may increase the likelihood of unrepaired spontaneous, lipid peroxidation- or endonuclease-derived mutations that can lead to cancer. Based on this body of scientific evidence, doses that do not cause sustained cytotoxicity and regenerative cell proliferation would subsequently be protective of liver tumors if this is the primary mode of action. To fulfill the mode of action framework, additional research may be necessary to determine alternative mode(s) of action for liver tumors formed via carbon tetrachloride exposure. PMID- 17763047 TI - Ginkgo biloba leave extract: biological, medicinal, and toxicological effects. AB - Ginkgo biloba leave extract is among the most widely sold herbal dietary supplements in the United States. Its purported biological effects include: scavenging free radical; lowering oxidative stress; reducing neural damages, reducing platelets aggregation; anti-inflammation; anti-tumor activities; and anti-aging. Clinically, it has been prescribed to treat CNS disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and cognitive deficits. It exerts allergy and changes in bleeding time. While its mutagenicity or carcinogenic activity has not been reported, its components, quercetin, kaempferol and rutin have been shown to be genotoxic. There are no standards or guidelines regulating the constituent components of Ginkgo biloba leave extract nor are exposure limits imposed. Safety evaluation of Ginkgo biloba leave extract is being conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology Program. PMID- 17763048 TI - The application of non-default uncertainty factors in the U.S. EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Part I: UF(L), UF(S), and "other uncertainty factors". AB - The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) includes hazard identification and dose-response assessment values developed by Agency scientists. Uncertainty factors (UFs) are used in the development of IRIS values to address the lack of information in five main areas. The standard UFs account for interspecies uncertainty (UF(A)) and intraspecies variability (UF(H)). The UF(A) addresses uncertainty related to the extrapolation of data from animals to humans, whereas the UF(H) addresses variability amongst individuals (i.e., intrahuman). Additional UFs have been employed to account for database incompleteness, extrapolations from a lowest-observed-adverse-effect level in the absence of a no-observed-adverse-effect level (UF(L)), and subchronic-to-chronic extrapolation (UF(S)). A sixth UF designated as "other uncertainty factors" (UF(O)) has also been applied in place of the UF(L) to account for uncertainty with the adversity of points of departure obtained using benchmark dose modeling. This review will discuss how UF(L), UF(S), and UF(O) have been applied in IRIS assessments, along with the rationale used to describe the choice of UF values that deviate from the standard default of 10. PMID- 17763049 TI - Advances in public health-- values, trust, and XDR-TB. PMID- 17763050 TI - Determinants of physician discussion regarding tobacco and alcohol abuse. AB - The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that clinicians screen adults for tobacco and alcohol abuse and provide appropriate interventions. This study employed direct observation and interactional analysis of medical visits to investigate factors associated with physician discussion of tobacco and alcohol use with patients. New adult patients were randomly assigned to primary care at a university medical center. Videotapes of the visits were analyzed using the Davis observation code. Regression equations related discussions of substance use (alcohol and other substances), smoking, and health promotion to patient health status, depression, age, education, income, gender, alcohol abuse, and current smoking. Patients reporting better physical health were more likely to have their physicians employ a practice style emphasizing addiction behaviors (p = .0186). Substance use (p = .0117) and health promotion counseling (p = .0130) occurred more frequently with younger patients. Physicians discussed substance use (p = < .0001) and addiction (p < .0001) more often with male patients. Problem drinkers were more likely to have physicians address their substance use (p = .0069) and focus on addiction behaviors (p = .0017). Physicians adopted an addiction oriented practice style (p < .0001), addressing substance use (p = .0009) and smoking (p < .0001), more often with patients who smoked. Physicians appear more apt to discuss these behavioral risk factors with healthier, younger, male patients who abuse tobacco and alcohol. PMID- 17763051 TI - Public meetings about suspected cancer clusters: the impact of voice, interactional justice, and risk perception on attendees' attitudes in six communities. AB - Holding a public meeting is a frequent method of communicating with community residents during official investigations into possible cancer clusters; however, there has been little formal research into the effectiveness of this method of health communication. This article presents research examining the influence of public meetings held during ongoing cancer cluster investigations in six U.S. communities. Drawing on social psychological theories of organizational justice, it examines the degree to which three specific elements of justice, including having a voice in the process, receiving fair interactional treatment, and facing equal risk of loss (i.e., cancer), influenced five outcome variables: meeting satisfaction, community connectedness, willingness to accept meeting outcomes or recommendations, willingness to attend future public meetings, and concern about the potential cancer cluster. The analysis of data collected from meeting attendees who responded to the mailed survey (N = 165) confirms a strong role for justice concerns in public meeting evaluations. In particular, perceptions of voice and interactional treatment had consistently large effects on the outcome variables, suggesting that managing a fair public engagement process can contribute to positive civic outcomes even during periods of heightened community concern about area cancer rates. PMID- 17763053 TI - Attitude toward direct-to-consumer advertising and drug inquiry intention: the moderating role of perceived knowledge. AB - This study examined how consumers' general attitude toward direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) influenced their drug inquiry intent, and whether the relationship between attitude toward DTCA and drug inquiry intent was moderated by their perceived knowledge of health and medicine. Results showed that those with favorable views of DTCA were more likely to inquire and request an advertised drug they saw. The effect was greater in magnitude for consumers with high perceived knowledge in health and medicine, however, than for those with low perceived knowledge. PMID- 17763052 TI - Evaluating a Minor Storyline on ER About Teen Obesity, Hypertension, and 5 A Day. AB - This study evaluates the effects of an ER (NBC) storyline about teen obesity, hypertension, and 5 A Day on knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. The storyline depicted an African American teen who presented at the emergency room with burns from a workplace injury. Upon diagnosis, the teen was discovered to have hypertension and counseled to eat more fruits and vegetables and get more exercise. The evaluation was conducted using three separate datasets, one of which provided data on a sample of primetime viewers before and after the storyline aired. Results showed that the storyline affected self-reported behavior change and had modest impacts on knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Interestingly, these effects were stronger for men than for women, possibly due to men's lower knowledge levels at baseline. Issues including identification with characters and the value of even modest effects on large audiences and the implications of our findings for future evaluations of entertainment education (EE) and other health communication programs are discussed. PMID- 17763054 TI - Processing radio PSAs: production pacing, arousing content, and age. AB - This experiment uses the limited capacity model of mediated message processing (LC3MP) to investigate the effects of production pacing and arousing content in radio public service announcements (PSAs) on the emotional and cognitive responses of college-age and tween (9-12-year-olds) participants. The LC3MP predicts that both arousing content and production pacing should increase emotional arousal, physiological arousal, cognitive effort, and encoding up to the point of cognitive overload after which cognitive effort and encoding should decrease. Results showed that, as expected, arousing content did increase emotional arousal and cognitive effort for both tweens and college students, though the effect was larger for college students. For production pacing, however, the results were less clear cut. First, it was found that for radio PSAs pacing increased arousal for calm messages only. Further, the effects of production pacing on cognitive effort were larger for tweens and were experienced primarily during the first 25 seconds of the message, while college students were less affected by production pacing, and those effects appeared in the last 25 seconds of the messages. Finally, none of the messages in this experiment resulted in cognitive overload - thus both production pacing and arousing content increased memory for both groups of participants. PMID- 17763056 TI - Influence of polymers on the bioavailability of microencapsulated celecoxib. AB - Celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, primarily used in treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and acute pain was encapsulated in microparticles composed of various polyesters, polymethacrylates or cellulose derivatives used alone or blended. The influence of polymers on microparticle mean diameter, encapsulation efficiency and in vitro and in vivo celecoxib release was investigated. Microparticles were in the size range 11-37 microm. Encapsulation efficiency was optimal due to poor aqueous solubility of celecoxib. Considering in vitro release, microparticles could be divided into drug delivery systems with fast and slow release profiles. Microparticles prepared with poly epsilon-caprolactone, Eudragit RS and low viscosity ethylcellulose, together with physical mixture of celecoxib with lactose and Celebrex, were tested in vivo. Relative bioavailability of celecoxib was below 20% in all cases and was probably the consequence of a slow in vivo release of celecoxib from microparticles or low wettability in the case of Celebrex and physical mixture. PMID- 17763057 TI - Effect of processing parameters on the formation of spherical multinuclear microcapsules encapsulating peppermint oil by coacervation. AB - The gelatin/gum arabic multinuclear microcapsules encapsulating peppermint oil were prepared by coacervation. The effect of various processing parameters, including the core/wall ratio, wall material concentration, pH value, as well as stirring speed on the morphology, particle size distribution, yield and loading was investigated. When the wall material concentration or the core/wall ratio increased, the morphology of multinuclear microcapsules changed from spherical to irregular and the average particle size increased, the optimal wall material concentration and the core/wall ratio were 1% and 2:1, respectively. The multinuclear spherical microcapsules with desired mean particle size can be manufactured by modulating the pH value and stirring speed. The ideal preparation conditions were pH 3.7 at 400 rpm of stirring speed. The yield of multinuclear microcapsules encapsulating peppermint oil by coacervation was approximately 90% and the processing parameters had very slight influence on the yield. When transglutaminase was used as the cross-linker instead of formaldehyde, morphology, mean particle size, yield and loading remained the same as that hardening with formaldehyde, but the particle size distribution became narrower. PMID- 17763059 TI - Gelatin microspheres cross-linked with EDC as a drug delivery system for doxycyline: development and characterization. AB - Chronic wounds express elevated levels of proteases, in particular matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which degrades de novo granulation tissue and endogenous biologically active proteins. An effective therapeutic approach for chronic wounds would be to modify this hostile environment and reduce the proteolytic imbalance. Doxycycline has been proved recently to inhibit MMPs and used topically for chronic wound ulcers, beyond their antimicrobial profile. To this end, a carrier system for controlled release of doxycycline, suitable for incorporation into various wound dressings like membranes and sponges was developed. In the present study gelatin microspheres, cross-linked with 1-ethyl-3 (3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) was proposed. The cross-linking was carried out with different concentrations of EDC (10 mM, 50 mM and 100 mM) and for different time periods (3-24 h). The cross-linked microspheres were characterized by evaluating the extent of cross-linking, the morphology, swelling behaviour and drug loading and in vitro studies of drug release, enzymatic degradation and biocompatibility. The extent of cross-linking increased as a function of both EDC concentration and the cross-linking time periods. It is found that the extent of cross-linking greatly influences the swelling and drug release behaviour of the microspheres. The cross-linked microspheres were found to be biocompatible to NIH 3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblast. The overall study indicates that the zero length cross-linker EDC can be considered as a potential alternative for cross-linking the gelatin microspheres. PMID- 17763060 TI - Solid lipid nanoparticles formed by solvent-in-water emulsion-diffusion technique: development and influence on insulin stability. AB - Insulin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), obtained by the solvent-in-water emulsion-diffusion technique, were produced using isovaleric acid (IVA) as organic phase, glyceryl mono-stearate (GMS) as lipid, soy lecithin and sodium taurodeoxycholate (TDC) as emulsifiers. IVA, a partially water-miscible solvent with low toxicity, was used to dissolve both insulin and lipids. SLN of spherical shape were obtained by simple water dilution of the O/W emulsion. Analysis of SLN content after processing showed interesting encapsulation efficiency with respect to therapeutic doses; moreover, insulin did not undergo any chemical modification within the nanoparticles and most of it remained stable after incubation of the SLN with trypsin solution. The biological activity of insulin, i.e. the ability to decrease glycemia in rats, was not negatively influenced by the SLN production process, as after subcutaneous administration of insulin extracted from SLN to animals, the blood glucose levels were quite similar to those obtained after administration of a conventional insulin suspension. Consequently, SLN seem to have interesting possibilities as delivery systems for oral administration of insulin. PMID- 17763061 TI - Stability of microencapsulated B. lactis (BI 01) and L. acidophilus (LAC 4) by complex coacervation followed by spray drying. AB - Microcapsules containing Bifidobacterium lactis (BI 01) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (LAC 4) were produced by complex coacervation using a casein/pectin complex as the wall material, followed by spray drying. The aim of this study was to evaluate the resistance of these microorganisms when submitted to the spray drying process, a shelf-life of 120 days at 7-37 degrees C and the in vitro tolerance after being submitted to acid pH (pH 1.0 and 3.0) solutions besides morphology of microcapsules. Microencapsulated microorganisms were shown to be more resistant to acid conditions than free ones. Microencapsulated L. acidophilus maintained its viability for a longer storage period at both temperatures. The microcapsules presented a spherical shape with no fissures. The process used and the wall material were efficient in protecting the microorganisms under study against the spray drying process and simulated gastric juice; however, microencapsulated B. lactis lost its viability before the end of the storage time. PMID- 17763062 TI - Synthesis of sol-gel mesoporous silica materials providing a slow release of doxorubicin. AB - Samples of mesoporous base-catalysed silica xerogel materials made by the sol-gel process were impregnated with an anticancer drug--doxorubicin, followed by different times of ageing at room temperature. The effect of ageing time on the physical and structural properties as well as sorption-desorption of the drug was investigated. The obtained results suggest an inverse relationship with a solid density and surface area increasing as the pore size and volume decrease during ageing time. These results also revealed the effect of ageing time on the efficiency of sorption-desorption of the drug. An increase in ageing time results in an increase of the efficiency of drug sorption and a decrease in the rate of drug release. PMID- 17763064 TI - Literature alerts. PMID- 17763066 TI - Quaternary ammonium compound (QAC): case study of disinfectant field application methodology and effectiveness during Hurricane Katrina flooding. PMID- 17763067 TI - Comments on the choice of exposure metrics as risk indicators. PMID- 17763068 TI - Crystalline silica dust and respirable particulate matter during indoor concrete grinding - wet grinding and ventilated grinding compared with uncontrolled conventional grinding. AB - The effectiveness of wet grinding (wet dust reduction method) and ventilated grinding (local exhaust ventilation method, LEV) in reducing the levels of respirable crystalline silica dust (quartz) and respirable suspended particulate matter (RSP) were compared with that of uncontrolled (no dust reduction method) conventional grinding. A field laboratory was set up to simulate concrete surface grinding using hand-held angle grinders in an enclosed workplace. A total of 34 personal samples (16 pairs side-by-side and 2 singles) and 5 background air samples were collected during 18 concrete grinding sessions ranging from 15-93 min. General ventilation had no statistically significant effect on operator's exposure to dust. Overall, the arithmetic mean concentrations of respirable crystalline silica dust and RSP in personal air samples during: (i) five sessions of uncontrolled conventional grinding were respectively 61.7 and 611 mg/m(3) (ii) seven sessions of wet grinding were 0.896 and 11.9 mg/m(3) and (iii) six sessions of LEV grinding were 0.155 and 1.99 mg/m(3). Uncontrolled conventional grinding generated relatively high levels of respirable silica dust and proportionally high levels of RSP. Wet grinding was effective in reducing the geometric mean concentrations of respirable silica dust 98.2% and RSP 97.6%. LEV grinding was even more effective and reduced the geometric mean concentrations of respirable silica dust 99.7% and RSP 99.6%. Nevertheless, the average level of respirable silica dust (i) during wet grinding was 0.959 mg/m(3) (38 times the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists [ACGIH] threshold limit value [TLV] of 0.025 mg/m(3)) and (ii) during LEV grinding was 0.155 mg/m(3) (6 times the ACGIH TLV). Further studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of a greater variety of models, types, and sizes of grinders on different types of cement in different positions and also to test the simulated field lab experimentation in the field. PMID- 17763069 TI - Performance of membrane filters used for TEM analysis of asbestos. AB - This article presents findings related to characteristics of membrane filters that can affect the recovery of asbestos and the quality of preparations for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Certain applications and preparation steps can lead to unacceptable performance of membrane filters used in analysis of asbestos by TEM. Unless substantial care is used in the collapsing of mixed-cellulose ester (MCE) filters with an acetone hot block, grid preparations can suffer and fiber recoveries can be compromised. Calibration of the etching depth of MCE filters, especially at differing locations in an asher's chamber, is critical for reliable fiber recovery. Excessive etching of MCE filters with aerosol-deposited asbestos can lead to loss of short fibers, while insufficient etching of MCE filters with aqueous-deposited asbestos can, paradoxically, also lead to loss of short fibers. Interlaboratory precision on MCE filters is improved by aerosol-deposited asbestos, as opposed to aqueous deposition. In comparison, straightforward preparation, improved solvents, and reduced contamination make PC filters an increasingly acceptable alternative. Variations in the geometric configuration during application of carbon films can lead to fiber loss and unacceptable grid quality for either type of filter. PMID- 17763070 TI - A case-crossover study of transient risk factors for occupational hand trauma by gender. AB - An estimated 8.2 million occupational injuries occur annually to women in the United States. This case-crossover study of 1166 subjects compares transient risk factors for occupational traumatic hand injury to women and men. Study subjects were recruited over a 3-year period (1997 to 2000) from 23 occupational health clinics in five New England states. The case-crossover design was used to estimate the short-term risk of an acute hand injury while controlling between person potential confounders. Subjects reported on the occurrence of seven transient exposures within a 90-min period and provided control exposure information during the month before an acute hand injury. A total of 275 women and 891 men were interviewed a median of 1.3 days after injury. Lacerations were the most common injury type in both women (58%) and men (64%). Relative risks for women were higher for being distracted, doing unusual tasks, and working with malfunctioning equipment or materials, and were lower than men for being rushed. Gloves provided significant protection for males and females. Results suggest the importance of considering both the prevalence of various exposures and gender in modifying risk factors to reduce the incidence of acute hand injury in the workplace. Thus, greater emphasis should be placed on the planning of safer working environments for all workers. PMID- 17763071 TI - A modified Marple-type cascade impactor for assessing aerosol particle size distributions in workplaces. AB - Knowledge of the particle size distributions for workplace aerosols is invaluable in the assessment of aerosol-related health effects. Cascade impactors have been widely used for obtaining such information, including a small number that have been developed as personal samplers of the type that can be used for the assessment of the exposures of individual workers. Common limitations for most samplers of this type have been that (a) the aspiration efficiency has not been well defined (leading to biases in particle size distribution measurement), and (b) the range of particle size has been constrained by particle bounce in impactors for particle sizes beyond about 20 micro m. This article describes a modification of the Marple personal cascade impactor that addresses these limitations. The sampler has a new entry whose aspiration efficiency is known and a new top stage that employs porous plastic foam filtration media and significantly extends the particle size range of the instrument. The new instrument is referred to as the modified-Marple sampler. A numerical simulation was performed to investigate the ability of the new instrument to accurately retrieve particle size distributions over the range typical of aerosols found in workplaces. The retrieval process was carried out using a simple inversion algorithm of the "zeroth-order" type. The results are presented in terms of the ability of the new sampler to retrieve the masses contained in the inhalable, thoracic, and respirable fractions. They suggest that the more narrowly distributed the particle size distribution, the more restricted the ability to accurately retrieve the particle size distribution. However, for most aerosols of the type encountered in the real world of industrial hygiene, the modified-Marple sampler provides particle size information of sufficient quality for most practical purposes. PMID- 17763072 TI - A survey of the status of hazardous drug awareness and control in a sample Massachusetts nursing population. PMID- 17763073 TI - Inhibiting the transport of hazardous spores using polymer-based solutions. AB - A series of polymer solutions were developed for the purpose of immobilizing aerosolized 1-10 mu m sized hazardous biological particles. The polymer solutions were designed as tools for emergency response and remediation personnel. The inhibition of secondary aerosolization and migration of biothreat particles has important implications for public health protection and contamination cleanup. Limiting further dispersion of particles such as Bacillus anthracis spores may reduce inhalation hazards and enhance remediation efficiencies. This study evaluated film-forming polymers that have multiple functional groups capable of attracting and binding particles; these included acrylates, cellulosics, vinyl polymers, and polyurethanes. The selected polymers were combined with appropriate solvents to design solutions that met specific performance objectives. The polymer solutions were then evaluated for key characteristics, such as high adhesion, high elasticity, low density, short drying time, low viscosity, and low surface tension. These solutions were also evaluated for their adhesion to biothreat agent in a series of wind tunnel experiments using highly refined aerosolized Bacillus atrophaeus spores (a simulant for anthrax, 1-3 mu m). Results demonstrated that a polymer solution, an amphoteric acrylate identified as NS-2, was the best candidate for attaching to spores and inhibiting reaerosolization. This polymer solution was anionic, thus providing the electrostatic (coulombic) attraction to cationic spores, had low surface tension, and performed well in wind tunnel tests. PMID- 17763075 TI - Toxicology in Australia: a key component of environmental health. AB - Managing public concerns relating to chemical exposures can consume substantial public health resources, particularly as the scientific basis around these issues is often contentious. Toxicology remains underrecognized as a public health discipline in Australia, although Australian toxicologists are making significant contributions from academia, government, and the commercial sector toward assessing the level of risk and protecting the community from environmental hazards. Internationally, the growth of environmental toxicology and the promotion of sound science in risk assessment as a basis for making regulatory decisions have been, to some extent, driven by the outcomes of the 1992 UNCED Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio Summit) and its Chapter 19 Agenda 21 activities. The promotion of safe chemical management practices and the need for global strengthening of capabilities in toxicology are among the initiatives of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), which was formed after the Rio Summit to manage these programs. This article describes some of the initiatives in capacity building that marked the development of environmental toxicology in Australia since 1992 in response to these international environmental health initiatives. PMID- 17763076 TI - The concentration of no toxicological concern (CoNTC): a risk assessment screening tool for air toxics. AB - Although numerous chemicals might occur in ambient air as a result of natural or anthropogenic activity (primarily through vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions), not all are necessarily of concern for public health even if they are classified as hazardous. There are many minor components in emissions that are predicted to be present at small concentrations. For the majority of these chemicals a health-based guideline does not exist to facilitate risk assessment. Furthermore, there are no appropriate toxicological or health data to enable health-based guidelines to be established. Consequently in most risk assessments these substances are usually, and conveniently, ignored. The tacit justification is that concentrations in ambient air are small and thus insignificant. For many stakeholders this is an inadequate explanation, and the justifiable question of how it is known exposures are insignificant for health is often asked. The concept of a "concentration of no toxicological concern" (CoNTC) was developed for air toxics and can be applied as a risk assessment screening tool to legitimately dismiss substances whose ground-level concentrations are predicted to be trivial. The CoNTC helps define trivial and is grounded in regulatory and scientific deliberations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Commission for developing concentrations of no toxicological or regulatory concern for contaminants in food. The suggested conservative generic CoNTC value that can be applied to most organic chemicals in air is 0.03 microg/m3. The derivation of the CoNTC and its validation and limitations are discussed, and its utility as a screening tool is presented. PMID- 17763077 TI - Health risk assessment of chlorobenzenes in the air of residential houses using probabilistic techniques. AB - A human health risk assessment was performed to evaluate the risks due to chlorobenzenes in the air of residential houses. Chlorobenzenes found in the air in the toilets, rooms, and outdoors of three houses in Brisbane, Australia, were sampled by trapping on Tenax TA and analyzed using an automated thermal desorption (ATD)-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method. Concentrations of 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DCB) in the rooms, toilets, and outdoors were used as the exposure concentrations (E), while those in the toilets (microg/m3) were used as the high-exposure concentrations (HE). The exposure concentrations were transformed into exposure doses (EXD(E) and EXD(HE)). Dose response data from the literature for a range of adverse effects in animals were obtained and exposure doses were expressed as human equivalent dose (HED). The HED values were higher than the EXD(E) and EXD(HE) values for all adverse effects, and a hazard quotient was calculated that indicated a low level of risk with the high-exposure environment. The lifetime average daily doses (LADDs) for a wide range of adverse effects observed in human case studies were estimated and compared to the doses in the high-exposure (HE) situation. Using the Monte Carlo simulation technique the probabilities of risk quotients higher than unity ranged from 0.02 to 0.26. This evaluation indicated that 1,4-DCB posed low risks to general residents; however, for individuals with susceptible characteristics and exposure to elevated 1,4-DCB, the probability of adverse responses was moderate to high. PMID- 17763078 TI - An integrated in vitro approach for toxicity testing of airborne contaminants. AB - While it is possible to establish the chemical composition of air pollutants through conventional air sampling and analytical techniques, such data do not provide direct measures of toxicity and the potential mechanisms that induce adverse effects. The aim of this study was to optimize in vitro methods for toxicity testing of airborne contaminants. An integrated approach was designed in which appropriate exposure techniques were developed. A diversified range of in vitro assays using multiple human cell systems were implemented. Direct exposure of cells to airborne contaminants was developed by culturing cells on porous membranes in conjunction with a horizontal diffusion chamber system. Concentration-response curves were generated allowing the measurement of toxicity endpoints. Regression analysis indicated a significant correlation between in vitro and published in vivo toxicity data for the majority of selected chemical contaminants. Airborne IC50 values were calculated for selected volatile organic compounds (xylene, 5350 +/- 328 ppm > toluene, 10,500 +/- 527 ppm) and gaseous contaminants (NO2, 11 +/- 3.54 ppm > SO2, 48 +/- 2.83 ppm and > NH3, 199 +/- 1.41 ppm). Results of this study indicate the significant potential of in vitro methods as an advanced technology for toxicity assessment of airborne contaminants. PMID- 17763079 TI - Associations between ambient PM2.5 concentrations and respiratory symptoms in Melbourne, 1998-2005. AB - Particulate matter (PM) has been widely associated with adverse effects on respiratory health, both overseas and in Australia. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of ambient particles of <2.5 microm diameter (PM2.5) in Melbourne on adverse respiratory symptoms. Two cohorts of adults were recruited in 1992-1998, and completed detailed respiratory questionnaires in 1998-1999 and 2004-2005. The mean age at baseline was 37.2 years, 55% were female, and the mean time lapsed between the baseline and follow-up questionnaires was 5.2 years. PM2.5 exposure was assessed from gravimetric data and routine nephelometry at monitoring stations located centrally with respect to the residence of most participants. Daily exposures to PM2.5 were averaged over the previous 12 months and mean daily exposure was 6.8 microg/m3. Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between PM2.5 exposure and adverse respiratory symptoms. Adjustment was made for age, gender, current smoking status, and medication use, but further adjustment for atopy did not alter the results. There was insufficient variability in PM2.5 exposure among participants over the study period to provide convincing evidence for or against associations between PM2.5 and adverse respiratory symptoms. PMID- 17763080 TI - Exposure assessment modeling for volatiles--towards an Australian indoor vapor intrusion model. AB - Human health risk assessment of sites contaminated by volatile hydrocarbons involves site-specific evaluations of soil or groundwater contaminants and development of Australian soil health-based investigation levels (HILs). Exposure assessment of vapors arising from subsurface sources includes the use of overseas derived commercial models to predict indoor air concentrations. These indoor vapor intrusion models commonly consider steady-state assumptions, infinite sources, limited soil biodegradation, negligible free phase, and equilibrium partitioning into air and water phases to represent advective and diffusive processes. Regional model construct influences and input parameters affect model predictions while steady-state assumptions introduce conservatism and jointly highlight the need for Australian-specific indoor vapor intrusion assessment. An Australian non-steady-state indoor vapor intrusion model has been developed to determine cumulative indoor human doses (CIHDs) and to address these concerns by incorporating Australian experimental field data to consider mixing, dilution, ventilation, sink effects and first-order soil and air degradation. It was used to develop provisional HILs for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), naphthalene, and volatile aliphatic and aromatic total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) < or = EC16 fractions for crawl space dwellings. This article summarizes current state of knowledge and discusses proposed research for differing exposure scenarios based on Australian dwelling and subsurface influences, concurrent with sensitivity analyses of input parameters and in-field model validation. PMID- 17763081 TI - Issues in Australian contaminated land risk assessment toxicology. AB - Since implementation of the National Environmental Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure (NEPM) guidelines in 1999, a number of improvements are needed to enhance the contaminated land risk assessment process. In particular, due to advances in toxicological research there is a need to update the Australian adopted health investigation levels (HILs), presented in the NEPM guidelines, and to significantly expand the number of HILs to generate a comprehensive list of soil screening criteria. Furthermore, there is a need to develop Australian benchmark doses for carcinogens and to incorporate benchmark doses more widely in Australian risk assessment practice. The NEPM is currently under revision and consequently there is an excellent opportunity to undertake such development; however, this will require appreciation of the need for improvement and significant financial investment. PMID- 17763082 TI - Site contamination health risk assessment case study involving tenant relocation from a former gasworks site. AB - An Adelaide suburban public-housing residential site with 16 apartments was investigated after complaints of odor in some yard areas. A distinct 0.5-m layer of dark, odorous (tarry), contaminant material, which in some areas had been covered with plastic sheeting, was subsequently found beneath the topsoil across most of the site. This material appeared to extend beneath the apartments. Analysis indicated high levels of cyanide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), consistent with gasworks waste. Historical investigation revealed that the site was originally owned by a gas company and that a large gasometer (gas storage tank) existed in one corner of the site. This finding of significant soil contamination precipitated a decision by the health and housing authorities to notify tenants immediately and to plan for their relocation. In addition to tending to the consequent personal disruption and logistical difficulties this posed, a detailed risk assessment process was developed. Urine samples were collected before and after relocation and analyzed for 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), a biomarker for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure. In addition, samples of tap water, indoor and outdoor air, indoor and ceiling dust, carpets, and soil from tillage areas were analyzed for PAHs. Data indicated a low health risk associated with tenancy on the site. This report presents details of the health risk assessment process undertaken and discusses vindicative reasons for tenant relocation. PMID- 17763084 TI - The applicability of traditional health risk analysis and ill-health models in the investigation of medically unexplained physical symptoms. AB - Many cases of medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) have been recorded. The sufferers of a large proportion of the more recent cases believe their illness to have been caused by exposure to chemicals in the environment. The evacuation of Melbourne airport in February 2005 exemplifies a recent health "scare" where people thought they were ill but no tangible evidence of illness was recorded and no chemical or biological agents detected. It was suggested that the "illnesses" in this instance were psychogenic. In such cases, where psychogenic illnesses are a potential diagnosis, risk managers need to think carefully about how the message is communicated, as contested causation often arises. While environmental investigations and health testing are important steps in the diagnostic process, they are used more to exclude possibilities, that is, to prove a negative, rather than to discover the "smoking gun." An example of a case of MUPS that lasted several years in a primary school is provided to illustrate that different forms of investigation are needed and that there is a need to consider a potential diagnosis of MUPS relatively early in the investigation. It is important to recognise the potential for MUPS so that the psychogenic elements of the illness can be investigated and treated. PMID- 17763083 TI - A proposed approach for the assessment of chemicals in indirect potable reuse schemes. AB - The city of Perth in Western Australia is facing a future of compromised water supplies. In recent years, this urban region has been experiencing rapid population growth, coupled with drying climate, which has exacerbated water shortages. As part of the government strategy to secure water sustainability and to address an agenda focused on all elements of the water cycle, a target of 20% reuse of treated wastewater by 2012 was established. This includes a feasibility review of managed aquifer recharge for indirect potable reuse. A characterization of contaminants in wastewater after treatment and an assessment of the health implications are necessary to reassure both regulators and the public. To date, the commonly used approach involves a comparison of measured contaminant concentrations with the established drinking-water standards or other toxicological guidelines for the protection of human health. However, guidelines and standards have not been established for many contaminants in recycled water (unregulated chemicals). This article presents a three-tiered approach for the preliminary health risk assessment of chemicals in order to determine key contaminants that need to be monitored and managed. The proposed benchmark values for the calculation of risk quotients are health based, systematically defined, scientifically defensible, easy to apply, and clear to interpret. The proposed methodology is based on the derivation of health-based levels for unregulated contaminants with toxicity information and a "threshold of toxicological concern" for unregulated contaminants without toxicity data. The application of this approach will help policymakers set guidelines regarding unregulated chemicals in recycled water. PMID- 17763085 TI - Development of a tolerable daily intake for N-nitrosodimethylamine using a modified benchmark dose methodology. AB - N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is an environmental contaminant that has recently been detected in Australian drinking-water supplies and that is principally generated in chloramination systems. NDMA is acutely toxic to humans at high doses, is genotoxic after cytochrome P-450 metabolism, and is carcinogenic in several animal species. An extremely large lifetime cancer dose-response study reported by Peto and colleagues (1984, 1991a, 1991b) of NDMA in drinking water given to rats is used in risk assessment by various jurisdictions. We have recently reported on use of an Australian modified benchmark dose (mBMD) methodology for developing tolerable daily intakes (TDIs) and guideline values for environmental carcinogens based on cancer dose response in the low-dose region, and have applied this to the NDMA rat liver tumor data. The application of a suite of mathematical models to the incidence data for hepatocellular carcinomas and hemangiosarcomas, followed by arithmetic and exponential-weight averaging of the 5% extra risk dose (mBMD(0.05)) for the various models, produced an mBMD(0.05) range of 0.020-0.028 mg/kg/d. This was then divided by a range of modifying factors to account for seriousness of the carcinogenic endpoint, adequacy of the database, and inter- and intraspecies differences, generating a TDI range of 4.0 to 9.3 ng/kg/d. This may be employed in developing guideline values for NDMA in environmental media. PMID- 17763086 TI - Studies of the comparative in vitro toxicology of the cyanobacterial metabolite deoxycylindrospermopsin. AB - Cyanobacteria are capable of producing metabolites that are in some cases toxic to humans and other animals. Of these metabolites, the toxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is produced by a number of species of cyanobacteria including Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, and its toxicity has been documented. The CYN analog deoxycylindrospermopsin (deoxyCYN) is commonly produced in varying proportions by the cyanobacteria that produce CYN. The toxicological profile of CYN suggests that it is primarily a hepatotoxin, but with the capacity to damage other organs and tissues. Limited in vivo information is available on the toxicity of deoxyCYN and suggests it to be of low potency. The aim of this research was to determine the comparative toxicology of deoxyCYN using in vitro systems. Using cell viability assays, it was shown that deoxyCYN had inhibitory effects on cell viability and proliferation of a similar magnitude to that of CYN. Morphological changes in deoxyCYN-treated cells were similar to those of CYN. Investigation of protein synthesis inhibition demonstrated that deoxyCYN was of similar potency to CYN. Inhibition of protein synthesis is an acknowledged mechanism of toxicity for CYN, and the results produced here suggest that deoxyCYN operates by similar toxicological mechanisms to CYN and that in vivo animal testing should be undertaken to clarify the potential for risk to humans from this toxin. PMID- 17763087 TI - Induction of p53-regulated gene expression in human cell lines exposed to the cyanobacterial toxin cylindrospermopsin. AB - Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is a cyanobacterial toxin that induces a range of genotoxic indicators in a variety of models. The possible involvement of the tumor suppressor protein p53 in cylindrospermopsin-induced gene expression was examined in cultured human dermal fibroblasts and the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. After 6 h of exposure to CYN, concentration-dependent increases in mRNA levels were observed for the p53 target genes CDKN1A, GADD45alpha, BAX, and MDM2, indicating an early activation of p53. After 24 h, relative mRNA levels for these genes remained elevated. Accumulation of p53 protein occurred after longer exposures in the HepG2-derived cell line C3A. Data suggest that cylindrospermopsin induces stress responses that result in the activation of the p53 transcription factor. PMID- 17763088 TI - Public health risks from heavy metals and metalloids present in traditional Chinese medicines. AB - Out of 247 traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) investigated, a proportion were contaminated with arsenic (5-15%), lead (approximately 5%), and mercury (approximately 65%). Some preparations exceeded the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for males and females for arsenic (4 and 5 products, respectively), lead (1 and 2 products), and mercury (5 and 7 products). These exceedances were as high as 2760 fold, which posed a potential danger to public health. As many users are known to self-prescribe, there is a substantial risk of poisoning from the consumption of these contaminated TCM. PMID- 17763090 TI - Abstracts from the XII International Workshop on CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia), 14-16 September 2007, London, United Kingdom. PMID- 17763089 TI - In vitro physiologically based extraction test (PBET) and bioaccessibility of arsenic and lead from various mine waste materials. AB - In vivo models show that the bioavailability of soil contaminants varies between site and type of matrix. Studies demonstrated that assuming 100% bioavailability of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) from soils and mine waste materials overestimates the risk associated with human exposure. In in vitro systems, the simulated bioavailability of a contaminant is referred to as the "bioaccessibility" and is used as an alternative quantitative indicator for in vivo derived bioavailability estimates. The general concept of the in vitro extraction test is to predict the bioavailability of inorganic substances from solid matrices by simulating the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) environment. The aims of this study were to: (1) investigate the bioaccessibility of As and Pb from various mine wastes, including tailings, heap leach, and waste rock, using a physiologically based extraction test (PBET); (2) validate the bioaccessibility values from PBET with in vivo bioavailability values measured using animal models; and (3) correlate PBET results with the bioavailability values measured from alternative in vivo models (rats and cattle, from Bruce, 2004). Significant correlation was observed between bioaccessibility values from PBET, and bioavailability values generated for both rats and cattle, demonstrating the potential to utilize PBET as a relatively inexpensive alternative to in vivo models for bioavailability assessment. PMID- 17763091 TI - Image-guided robotics and navigation. PMID- 17763092 TI - Navigated CT-guided interventions. AB - Diagnostic and therapeutic CT- guided percutaneous interventions are clinical routine in interventional radiology. Image-guided navigation systems visualize the internal anatomy during interventions in real time not necessitating continuous image acquisition. Although multiple 3D image-guidance devices have been developed and used by several surgical disciplines in the last few years, they have not yet been fully applied by the interventional radiologist. The aim of this article is to review the currently performed methods of CT-guided percutaneous interventions and to discuss the potential benefits of newly developed 3D- navigation systems. PMID- 17763093 TI - Medical technology integration: CT, angiography, imaging-capable OR-table, navigation and robotics in a multifunctional sterile suite. AB - Technology integration is an enabling technological prerequisite to achieve a major breakthrough in sophisticated intra-operative imaging, navigation and robotics in minimally invasive and/or emergency diagnosis and therapy. Without a high degree of integration and reliability comparable to that achieved in the aircraft industry image guidance in its different facets will not ultimately succeed. As of today technology integration in the field of image-guidance is close to nonexistent. Technology integration requires inter-departmental integration of human and financial resources and of medical processes in a dialectic way. This expanded techno-socio-economic integration has profound consequences for the administration and working conditions in hospitals. At the university hospital of Basel, Switzerland, a multimodality multifunction sterile suite was put into operation after a substantial pre-run. We report the lessons learned during our venture into the world of medical technology integration and describe new possibilities for similar integration projects in the future. PMID- 17763094 TI - Robotically assisted CT-based procedures. AB - Since the beginning of 2007 the first six robotically assisted CT-based clinical punctures were performed with a new CE-certified assistance device with CT and MRI compatibility. The cases treated include bone and soft-tissue interventions, closed reduction and percutaneous fixation of pelvic fractures, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and drainage within a Multifunctional Image-Guided Therapy Suite (MIGTS) under interdisciplinary conditions. The device was successfully integrated within the operating room environment of the MIGTS. The results of the robotically assisted CT-based procedures are promising. Even though further experience is needed in view of team experience, decrease of intervention time and system modifications, the first clinical cases demonstrate the feasibility of the system for various application types. The support offered by the device for trajectory planning, insertion point recognition, and needle guidance is especially beneficial for complex punctures with small target volumes or off plane trajectories. PMID- 17763095 TI - Preparation, assistance and imaging protocols for robotically assisted MR and CT- based procedures. AB - To achieve millimetre accuracy and targeting precision of instrument positioning during image-guided (MRT and CT) percutaneous interventions, the Institute of Diagnostic Radiology in Basel is using the medical assistance system INNOMOTION developed and manufactured by Innomedic (Herxheim, Germany). The system does not perform the intervention itself but rather provides the correct insertion angle and depth for the physician who stays in control of the process. After successful completion of the learning curve, the system shall substitute all systems currently used for navigation and puncture assistance. In addition to this, the system shall also be applied in surgery, e.g. trauma surgery. During the current learning curve phase, radiologists and manufacturer are combining their expertise and efforts to continually improve the workflow of planning and executing interventions. The following article describes the execution of an intervention in CT and MRT from the point of view of a registered radiology technician. PMID- 17763096 TI - MR-guided interventions of the prostate gland. AB - In recent years MR imaging has played an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. MR imaging of the prostate allows a clear delineation of the anatomic structures and prostate tumors when performing interventions such as biopsies, brachytherapy or thermal therapy of the prostate gland. MRI robotic assistance will improve the accuracy of the interventions. Due to the advantages of MR imaging MR-guided prostate interventions will play an increasing role in future. PMID- 17763097 TI - MR-guided percutaneous ethanol ablation of hepatocellular carcinomas before liver transplantation. AB - It was the objective of this study to evaluate MR-guided, percutaneous ethanol injection of hepatocellular carcinoma in ten patients scheduled for liver transplantation. Using a 0.2 T open MR scanner (Magnetom Open, Siemens Medical Systems, Erlangen, Germany) and percutaneous instillation of ethanol, 12 liver tumors (median tumor volume, 6.3; range, 0.6-43.2 ccm) were treated. Coagulation necrosis, morbidity, and post-transplant histology were assessed. No major complications were observed. A mean of 16.4+/-11.4 ml ethanol was injected for each tumor. The median volume of the ablation necrosis was 12.3 (range, 0.3-48.3) ccm. Three tumors were retreated and complete radiological necrosis before liver transplantation was found in eight of 12 tumors (67%). One patient developed multifocal disease and was excluded from transplantation; thus nine of ten patients underwent liver transplantation within 3.9+/-3.1 months. In the explants, satellite nodules (n = 2), new liver tumors (n = 2) and a complete necrosis were found in five of 12 treated tumors (42%). During follow-up (median 41.3; range, 0.4-86.1 months), three patients died, but no tumor-seeding or post transplantation recurrence occurred. MR-guided ethanol injection is feasible, and may delay tumor progression. However, the local recurrence rate is high, and the spatial resolution of a low-field MR scanner limits the detection of small tumors. PMID- 17763099 TI - Water-soluble phenylpropanoid constituents from aerial roots of Ficus microcarpa. AB - New water-soluble phenylpropanoid constituents, ficuscarpanoside A, guaiacylglycerol 9-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and erythro-guaiacylglycerol 9-O beta-D-glucopyranoside, along with known guaiacylglycerol, erythro guaiacylglycerol, 4-methoxy guaiacylglycerol 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and 3-(4 hydroxy-3-methoxy phenyl) propan-1,2-diol, have been isolated from the aerial roots of Ficus microcarpa. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR experiments. PMID- 17763100 TI - Studies on the chemical constituents of Phyllanthus emblica. AB - Phytochemical investigations on Phyllanthus emblica have resulted in the isolation of the two new flavonoids, kaempferol-3-O-alpha-L-(6''-methyl) rhamnopyranoside (1) and kaempferol-3-O-alpha-L-(6''-ethyl)-rhamnopyranoside (2). Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic studies including 2D-NMR experiments. PMID- 17763098 TI - "MRI Stealth" robot for prostate interventions. AB - The paper reports an important achievement in MRI instrumentation, a pneumatic, fully actuated robot located within the scanner alongside the patient and operating under remote control based on the images. Previous MRI robots commonly used piezoelectric actuation limiting their compatibility. Pneumatics is an ideal choice for MRI compatibility because it is decoupled from electromagnetism, but pneumatic actuators were hardly controllable. This achievement was possible due to a recent technology breakthrough, the invention of a new type of pneumatic motor, PneuStep 1, designed for the robot reported here with uncompromised MRI compatibility, high-precision, and medical safety. MrBot is one of the "MRI stealth" robots today (the second is described in this issue by Zangos et al.). Both of these systems are also multi-imager compatible, being able to operate with the imager of choice or cross-imaging modalities. For MRI compatibility the robot is exclusively constructed of nonmagnetic and dielectric materials such as plastics, ceramics, crystals, rubbers and is electricity free. Light-based encoding is used for feedback, so that all electric components are distally located outside the imager's room. MRI robots are modern, digital medical instruments in line with advanced imaging equipment and methods. These allow for accessing patients within closed bore scanners and performing interventions under direct (in scanner) imaging feedback. MRI robots could allow e.g. to biopsy small lesions imaged with cutting edge cancer imaging methods, or precisely deploy localized therapy at cancer foci. Our robot is the first to show the feasibility of fully automated in-scanner interventions. It is customized for the prostate and operates transperineally for needle interventions. It can accommodate various needle drivers for different percutaneous procedures such as biopsy, thermal ablations, or brachytherapy. The first needle driver is customized for fully automated low-dose radiation seed brachytherapy. This paper gives an introduction to the challenges of MRI robot compatibility and presents the solutions adopted in making the MrBot. Its multi-imager compatibility and other preclinical tests are included. The robot shows the technical feasibility of MRI-guided prostate interventions, yet its clinical utility is still to be determined. PMID- 17763101 TI - Nordehydrocyclodercitin, a hexacyclic pyridoacridine alkaloid from the marine ascidian, Aplidium sp. AB - A new hexacyclic pyridoacridine alkaloid, nordehydrocyclodercitin (1), from an ascidian, Aplidium sp., cf. Aplidium cratiferum collected at Arab Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia is reported. Nordehydrocyclodercitin is structurally related to stellettamine (2) and cyclodercitin (3), which are sponge metabolites, and cycloshermilamine D (4) which was isolated from the marine tunicate Cystodytes violatinctus. The structure of nordehydrocyclodercitin was determined by interpretation of spectroscopic data, particularly those obtained from HMBC correlations, and by comparison with reported data for known related pyridoacridine alkaloids. PMID- 17763102 TI - Activity-directed-fractionation and isolation of four antibacterial compounds from Abrus precatorius L., roots. AB - Root extracts of the plant Abrus precatorius L., was tested for antibacterial activity. Various solvent fractions exhibited inhibitory activity against 13 gram positive and gram-negative bacteria. Root extracts were analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). The antibacterial activity was localized to specific chromatophores in the chloroform fraction through a bioautography assay. It was found localized to four chromatophores out of seven. The chromatophores were isolated from the TLC plates and rechecked for activity against Slaphylococcus aureus A, using a disc diffusion assay. Among the four active principles isolated, AP 3 (Rf 0.87) exhibited maximum activity i.e. 56% inhibition of growth of S. aureus A, in disc diffusion assay compared to the standard antibiotic Ampicillin. Results of this study suggest that chloroform extractable phytochemicals in A. precatorius L. may yield promising molecules with antibiotic activity. PMID- 17763103 TI - In vitro angiotensin converting enzyme inhibiting activity of Salsola oppositifolia Desf., Salsola soda L. and Salsola tragus L. AB - In order to support scientifically the traditional use of Salsola species in the treatment of hypertension, this study was designed to evaluate the hypotensive properties of Salsola oppositifolia, S. soda and S. tragus. In vitro bio-assay based on the measured enzymatic cleavage of the chromophore-fluorophore-labelled substrate dansyltriglycine into dansylglycine and diglycine by angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) was performed. EtOAc extracts of S. oppositifolia and S. soda exhibited an interesting activity with an IC(50) of 181.04 and 284.27 microg mL(-1), respectively. PMID- 17763104 TI - A new 8,14-dihydropromorphinane alkaloid from Papaver nudicaule L. AB - A racem. 8,14-dihydroamurine is a new promorphinane alkaloid isolated from the aerial parts of Papaver nudicaule L. (Papaveraceae) of Mongolian origin. The known promorphinane and isopavine alkaloids (+)-amurine, (-)-amurensinine, (-)-O methylthalisopavine, (-)-flavinantine and (-)-amurensine were also described. All structures were established by physical and spectral analysis. Flavinantine has been found for the first time in the species. PMID- 17763105 TI - What's new in Nicotine & Tobacco Research? PMID- 17763106 TI - Cost-effectiveness of self-help smokeless tobacco cessation programs. AB - This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of two low-intensity programs for quitting smokeless tobacco, based on results of a randomized trial with 1,069 volunteer participants. Cost data were collected for two levels of intervention: manual only (a self-help manual) and assisted self-help (the manual plus a videotape and two supportive phone calls from tobacco cessation counselors). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated for assisted self-help vs. quitting on one's own, using the manual-only quit rate and data from another study as alternative proxies for no intervention. A threshold analysis was conducted to determine the spontaneous quit rate at which the manual-only intervention becomes more cost-effective than assisted self-help. The cost to provide and receive the assisted self-help intervention averaged US $56 per participant vs. $20 for the manual-only intervention (societal perspective, Year 2000 dollars). Estimates for incremental cost per quit for the assisted self-help intervention ranged from $922 to $1,758, depending on the proxy used for no intervention. The manual-only intervention was more cost-effective than assisted self-help if quitting among motivated chewers who do not receive treatment does not exceed 3.4%. Support from a wife or partner added little cost to a quit attempt for male chewers ($3-$4). Providing a manual, video, and brief phone counseling to smokeless tobacco users who want to quit is a reasonable use of health care resources. The self-help quitting guide also may be a cost-effective treatment, but it remains to be demonstrated whether it is more effective than quitting on one's own. PMID- 17763107 TI - Parents' and older siblings' smoking during childhood: changing influences on smoking acquisition and escalation over the course of adolescence. AB - This study investigated prospectively the change in the influence of parents' and older siblings' smoking at the start of the childhood and adolescent smoking acquisition period (i.e., 3rd grade, or age 8) on the initiation and escalation of smoking over the course of adolescence. In a sample of 5,520 individuals in 3rd grade, we measured parents' and older siblings' smoking. Individuals' smoking data were provided at four grade intervals over the course of adolescence. The influence of parents' smoking, measured at 3rd grade, was stable and significant for the transition to trying smoking and increased over the course of adolescence for the transition from monthly to daily smoking (p = .001). In contrast, we found no evidence that influence of older siblings' smoking, measured at 3rd grade, changed (p>.05) across the grade intervals for any adolescent smoking transition. The results suggest that the influence of parents' smoking on smoking initiation is stable and enduring whereas it increases substantially for smoking escalation occurring over the course of adolescence. PMID- 17763108 TI - Chlorisondamine inhibits the nicotine-induced stimulation of c-fos in the pigeon brain for up to 2 weeks. AB - Chlorisondamine is a charged molecule that acts as long-acting nicotinic antagonist in many species, including pigeon. Evidence indicates that, despite the charged nature of chlorisondamine, it blocks some central effects of nicotine. The present study examined the time course of chlorisondamine's blockade of nicotine-induced c-fos expression in the pigeon brain. Chlorisondamine's central blockade was examined from 1 hr to 28 days prior to nicotine administration. Nicotine stimulated increases in c-fos mRNA in the hippocampus, hyperstriatum accessorium, hyperstriatum ventrale, nucleus accumbens, bulbus olfactorius, paleostriatum augmentatum, and stratum griseum et fibrosum superficiale. Nicotinic receptors labeled by [(125)I]-epibatidine were not always found in the same regions as nicotine-induced increases in c-fos expression. Acute chlorisondamine increased the level of c-fos mRNA in the cerebellum, hippocampus, hyperstriatum accessorium, locus parolfactorius, nucleus accumbens, tectum opticum, paleostriatum augmentatum, and stratum griseum et fibrosum superficiale but had no effect on its own 24 hr after administration. Chlorisondamine blocked nicotine-induced increases in c-fos RNA for 4 days in the nucleus accumbens, a week in the bulbus olfactorius, and 2 weeks in the stratum griseum et fibrosum superficiale. The time course of chlorisondamine's blockade of nicotine-induced c-fos expression is consistent with the time course of the ability of chlorisondamine to block behavioral and physiological responses to nicotine. PMID- 17763109 TI - Cigar and smokeless tobacco use in the lesbian, gay, and bisexual population. AB - Large population-based studies of alternative tobacco use in the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) population are needed to more fully measure tobacco use outcomes. This descriptive study used standard measures of alternative tobacco use from two separate, statewide household-based studies to compare basic prevalence rates in the LGB population and the general population in California. A total of 1,950 adult lesbians, bisexual women, heterosexual women who have sex with women, gay men, bisexual men, and heterosexual men who have sex with men, all living in California, completed surveys between 2003 and 2004. From a general population-based sample (California Tobacco Survey, 2002), a total of 11,037 adult women and 9,488 men were used as comparisons. The prevalence rates for lifetime and current cigar smoking and smokeless tobacco use were lower for all LGB subpopulations compared with the general population. PMID- 17763110 TI - Practice nurses' self-reported opportunistic smoking cessation advice in three contexts. AB - Little is known of the current smoking cessation activities of practice nurses and their attitudes toward giving smoking cessation advice. This study aimed to (a) compare practice nurses' reports of giving smoking cessation advice as part of cervical screening with their reports of giving such advice in cardiovascular disease screening and diabetes care, (b) compare their beliefs about providing such advice in these three contexts, and (c) determine the strongest predictors of their reports of giving smoking cessation advice. A survey was completed by 152 practice nurses in the United Kingdom. The frequency with which they reported giving smoking cessation advice and their beliefs about giving such advice in three contexts are reported. Nurses reported being more likely to give smoking cessation advice and had more positive beliefs about giving it in the more traditional contexts of cardiovascular screening and diabetes care compared with cervical screening. Beliefs about the appropriateness and practicality of giving such advice in the latter context were the strongest predictors of nurses' reports of doing so. This study provides guidance on the potential barriers that need to be overcome to increase the frequency with which nurses give smoking cessation advice in the context of cervical screening. PMID- 17763112 TI - Genome-wide linkage analysis for smoking-related regions, with replication in two ethnically diverse populations. AB - As part of the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy, hypertensive sibships were collected and smoking behavior recorded. Using an affected sibpair design and genome-wide microsatellite data markers ( approximately 10 cM coverage), we identified 214 non-Hispanic White sibships (502 sibpairs) from Rochester, Minnesota (M (age) [SD] = 55.68 years [10.56]) and 206 Black sibships (376 sibpairs) from Jackson, Mississippi (M (age) = 57.97 [8.94]), who had smoked for at least 3 years, and performed nonparametric linkage analysis using GENEHUNTER. We found evidence of linkage on chromosome 3 in both Whites (LOD = 1.76@109 cM) and Blacks (LOD = 2.03@122 cM). Each of these peaks had a secondary smaller peak at 140-147 cM that was statistically suggestive only in the Black sample (LOD = 1.4). The peak for the combined samples was suggestive of strong linkage (LOD = 3.24@124 cM). Additional suggestive peaks (LOD>1.3) were found in the White (chromosomes 8 [26 cM] and 19 [36 cM]) and Black sibships (chromosome 10 [153 cM]) but did not overlap with corresponding regions in the other ethnic group. This is the first study to identify a chromosomal region that has replicate evidence of linkage to smoking in two independent samples of similar size differing both geographically and ethnically. The gene for serotonin receptor 1F (HTR1F) is located in the region of the chromosome 3 linkage signal, representing at least one potential candidate gene. Fine mapping may well provide useful new information about genetic factors underlying nicotine dependence. PMID- 17763111 TI - Efficacy of bupropion alone and in combination with nicotine gum. AB - In this double-blind, placebo-controlled smoking cessation treatment study, 608 participants were randomly assigned to receive active bupropion and active 4-mg gum (AA, n = 228), active bupropion and placebo gum (AP, n = 224), or placebo bupropion and placebo gum (PP, n = 156). Relative to the PP group, the AA and AP groups were each significantly more likely to be abstinent at 1 week, end of treatment, and 6 months but not at 12 months postquit. After the first week postquit there were no differences in abstinence rates between the AA and AP groups. We found no significant individual difference variables that moderated outcome beyond 1 week postquit. PMID- 17763113 TI - Smoking and its association with disability in chronic conditions: results from the Canadian Community and Health Survey 2.1. AB - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between smoking, chronic conditions, and short-term disability in a representative community sample. The analysis was based on data from 115,548 respondents from the Canadian Community and Health Survey (CCHS-2.1), a nationally representative survey. Smoking status, chronic conditions, and short-term disability were assessed by self-report. The population prevalence of current smoking was 23.5%. More than half of the subjects (51.9%) reported at least one chronic condition. Although a large number of subjects with chronic conditions had stopped smoking (33.7%), a high prevalence of current smoking remained (22.9%) among subjects with chronic conditions. Disability was markedly elevated in smokers with chronic medical conditions. Subjects with chronic conditions who smoked were more likely to report disability days than subjects with chronic conditions who never smoked (27.2% and 20.5%, respectively). Our results suggest that smoking is associated with short-term disability in subjects with chronic health problems. PMID- 17763114 TI - Incremental validity of anxiety sensitivity in terms of motivation to quit, reasons for quitting, and barriers to quitting among community-recruited daily smokers. AB - The present investigation examined the relationships between anxiety sensitivity and motivation to quit smoking, barriers to smoking cessation, and reasons for quitting smoking among 329 adult daily smokers (160 females; M (age) = 26.08 years, SD = 10.92). As expected, after covarying for the theoretically relevant variables of negative affectivity, gender, Axis I psychopathology, nonclinical panic attack history, number of cigarettes smoked per day, and current levels of alcohol consumption, we found that anxiety sensitivity was significantly incrementally related to level of motivation to quit smoking as well as current barriers to quitting smoking. Partially consistent with the hypotheses, after accounting for the variance explained by other theoretically relevant variables, we found that anxiety sensitivity was significantly associated with self-control reasons for quitting smoking (intrinsic factors) as well as immediate reinforcement and social influence reasons for quitting (extrinsic factors). Results are discussed in relation to better understanding the role of anxiety sensitivity in psychological processes associated with smoking cessation. PMID- 17763115 TI - Harm perception of nicotine products in college freshmen. AB - This study examined the association of sociodemographic characteristics and smoking behaviors (i.e., cigarette, cigar, and waterpipe) with nicotine product harm perception in college freshmen. Students were asked to compare the perceived harmfulness of 11 nicotine-delivering products with that of a regular cigarette. Data were from a cross-sectional Internet survey conducted during the spring 2004 semester at a private university (N = 411). Binomial logistic regression was used to determine the association between sociodemographic and behavioral factors with nicotine product harm perception. A statistically significant association was found between nicotine product harm perception and sex, race, income, citizenship, and smoking behavior (p< or =.05). Regarding the three medicinal nicotine replacement therapies, 19.6% of respondents incorrectly perceived the nicotine patch to be as harmful as or more harmful than a regular cigarette; corresponding values were 24.1% for nicotine gum and 52.9% for nicotine inhaler. Respondents incorrectly perceived the following smoked tobacco products to be less harmful than regular cigarettes: ultra-light cigarettes (40.4%), waterpipe (37%), light cigarettes (35.2%), cigarillos (17.4%), and cigars (16.9%). Regarding smokeless nicotine products, 89.3% of respondents incorrectly perceived dip and chew to be as harmful as or more harmful than regular cigarettes; corresponding values were 36.2% for nicotine lollipops and 35.2% for nicotine water. Our findings reveal misperceptions about nicotine product harmfulness and underscore the importance of developing a science base to inform policies and educate consumers about these products. PMID- 17763116 TI - Personality disorders and change in personality. PMID- 17763117 TI - Anger and depression--theoretical and clinical considerations. AB - The Freudian idea of inhibited anger being central to the pathogenesis of depression has been one of the cornerstones of psychiatric thinking. The aim of this article is to review the literature on psychotherapy theory and the relevant research with regard to the association of anger and depression, and to discuss clinical implications in treating depressive patients. Choice of research articles was based on systematic search of databases. Psychotherapy theories are mostly found in books not included in databases. Literature on psychotherapy theory was selectively chosen. Over-control, under-control and mixtures of the two may be present in depression, indicating problems in anger regulation. The links between anger and depression form a complex network. When treating patients with depression, explicit or implicit dealing with anger often seems to be helpful. In clinical reality, the relative amounts of elicitation of anger experience and training in expressive control needed by depressive patients may vary between different types of patients, different phases of depressive disorder, and different phases of therapy. PMID- 17763118 TI - Mortality among persons with schizophrenia in Sweden: an epidemiological study. AB - The objective of the study was to analyse 10-year mortality among persons with schizophrenia from an epidemiological perspective. This cohort study included all persons with schizophrenia (n=255) living in the northern catchment area in Uppsala in 1991, and 1275 subjects from the national population register matched for sex, age and living area. The prevalence of schizophrenia was 0.37% and the mortality rate for individuals with schizophrenia was higher than for referents: 23.0% vs. 11.2%. The higher mortality among those with schizophrenia was mainly the result of unnatural causes and cardiovascular disease, especially in men. Excess mortality from cardiovascular disease was more pronounced in middle age, irrespective of gender. Multivariate analysis revealed higher mortality among individuals with schizophrenia living in the city than among those living in less urbanized areas. People with schizophrenia die more often than those without schizophrenia from unnatural causes or circulatory diseases. Individuals with schizophrenia die sooner from circulatory diseases than those without schizophrenia. Having schizophrenia and living in the city also results in higher mortality than having schizophrenia and living in other areas. The risk of early death from circulatory disease needs to be studied in more detail to reveal the potential respective contributions of intrinsic patient vulnerability, lifestyle factors and side-effects from psychotropic drugs. PMID- 17763119 TI - Psychological distress and functional impairment in patients with personality disorders. AB - The study is aimed at investigating the impact of a personality disorder (PD) diagnosis, in terms of functional impairment and subjective distress, in order to better understand the burden of this diagnosis and its implications. Among the 462 consecutive psychiatric patients diagnosed with the DSM structured interview for Axis I, II and V diagnoses, almost 60% had PD. Patients with PD displayed considerable vulnerability and suffering in many domains, including finances and interpersonal relationships. Despite the educational and occupational similarities of PD patients and non-PD patients, the PD patients had more problems maintaining permanent job positions. They also had more symptomatic suffering and concerns about health than non-PD patients. Generally, the results were in line with findings in the literature but more thoroughly captured the challenges that PD patients face in various areas of life. Awareness of the frequent comorbidity of PD with Axis I disorders seems crucial in developing future treatment plans with an emphasis on psychosocial rehabilitation, vocational training and social support. PMID- 17763120 TI - Associations between patient characteristics and ratings of treatment milieu. AB - The objective of the study was to investigate associations between patients ratings of their treatment milieu and personal characteristics such as gender, age, educational level, personality disorders, symptom distress, interpersonal problems, global level of functioning, as well as treatment outcome. Data was taken from 908 patients (with mainly personality, mood and anxiety disorders) consecutively admitted to eight day-treatment units. Treatment milieu was measured by Ward Atmosphere Scale for Therapeutic Programs (WAS-TP). Overall level of psychosocial functioning was measured by Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Diagnoses and personality traits was measured by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II), according to DSM-IV. Symptom distress and interpersonal problems was measured by Symptom Checklist 90-R and the Circumplex of Interpersonal Problems, respectively. No substantial associations were found between individual personal characteristics and ratings of the treatment milieu, and no substantial associations were found between ratings of the treatment milieu and treatment outcome or the likelihood of treatment completion. There seems to be no support as to making general inferences about or from individual ratings of the treatment milieu. Possible uses of individual evaluations of treatment milieu are discussed. PMID- 17763121 TI - Changes in some personality traits after recovery from alcohol dependence/abuse, anxiety and depression--results of a 5-year follow-up in a general population sample of women. AB - The aim of this study was to analyse stability of and change in personality traits in a general population sample of women over 5 years. Specific questions were how personality traits changed after a first episode of alcohol dependence/abuse (ADA), anxiety or depression disorders and after remission of an episode. The study was based on data from a longitudinal general population-based survey titled, "Women and alcohol in Goteborg (WAG)". A total of 641 women were interviewed in 1990 or 1995 and re-interviewed after 5 years. Personality traits were assessed with the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses given according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd revised edition (DSM-III-R). Mean T-scores (KSP) for the general population sample were stable between initial assessment and follow-up 5 years later. Correlations between assessments were high for most KSP scores, indicating high individual stability. For women with resolved ADA, KSP scores were normalized to five scales at the follow-up assessment: somatic anxiety, muscular tension, monotony avoidance, social desirability and irritability. Women who recovered from anxiety disorders during the follow-up had decreased scores in somatic anxiety and muscular tension and increased scores in verbal aggression. Women who developed ADA during follow-up had increased scores on the scales impulsiveness and verbal aggression. Women who developed depression during follow up had increased monotony avoidance. Personality traits were generally stable in this adult female population but some personality traits changed in association with changes in psychiatric disorders. This knowledge could be useful in evaluation of treatment needs and treatment outcome. PMID- 17763122 TI - Efficacy of maintenance treatment with methadone for opioid dependence: a meta analytical study. AB - The two aims of this study were to analyse the impact of methadone on outcome, and to confirm the results from previous meta-analyses by using a different methodology. The literature on randomized controlled trials (RCT) of methadone as maintenance treatment for opioid dependence was systematically reviewed. Eight studies involving 1511 patients were included. Both dichotomous and continuous variables were transformed into the standardized effect size (d). Homogeneity was analysed. A random effect model was used in all calculations. The combined analyses for retention, abuse and criminality were all significant: d=0.90, d=0.61, and d=0.35, respectively. A test of heterogeneity was significant for all three outcomes: P<0.01 for all comparisons. The type of study design was a significant moderator in five of nine comparisons: for retention in all three comparisons, concerning abuse in gradual detoxification vs. untreated controls and concerning criminality in placebo vs. untreated controls. In these sub groups, three of six studies were homogeneous. In one study, methadone maintenance treatment reduced abuse of illegal opioids in prisoners. We conclude that methadone maintenance treatment in opioid dependence shows positive effects on retention, opioid abuse and criminality compared with non-active controlled conditions. Type of study design could explain some of the heterogeneity found. A different meta-analytical approach made it possible to confirm effects of methadone on retention and opioid abuse from previous studies and document effect on criminality. PMID- 17763123 TI - The association of parental monitoring and family structure with diverse maladjustment outcomes in middle adolescent boys and girls. AB - The aim of this study was to study the associations between family structure, parental monitoring and maladjustment outcomes among middle adolescent girls and boys. Data was collected through a school-based survey of a nationally representative sample of 17,643 Finnish adolescents aged 14-16 years. The less the parents knew the adolescents' friends and whereabouts, the more common were all the maladjustment outcomes studied. Non-intact family structure was associated with maladjustment and had associations independent of parental monitoring. We conclude that parental involvement with adolescents is conducive to healthy development, and that adolescents need the protection provided by parental supervision. Knowing the adolescent's whereabouts and friends is a concrete and easily measurable way of assessing parents' involvement in the adolescent's life. PMID- 17763124 TI - Subjective health complaints are more prevalent in Maasais than in Norwegians. AB - The aim of this observational, population-based study was to compare subjective health complaints (SHC) in Norwegians, living in a Western welfare society, and Maasai people, living in rural Kenya under primitive conditions. An interview based version of SHC inventory was used. Data from 320 Maasais were compared to data from 1243 Norwegians. The Maasais had significantly higher score than the Norwegians on 23 of 28 items, involving musculoskeletal, "pseudo-neurological" and gastrointestinal complaints. The Maasais, living under primitive conditions, close to nature, seems to have more SHC than Norwegians, living in a modern, highly developed and industrialized country. PMID- 17763125 TI - Alcohol-related problems in adolescents and young adults admitted to psychiatric emergency rooms. PMID- 17763126 TI - Human corneal epithelial cells synthesize ELR(-)alpha-chemokines in response to proinflammatory mediators. AB - The purpose of this study was to characterize the synthesis of alpha-chemokines IP-10, MIG, and I-TAC by human corneal epithelial cells (HCE) following exposure to proinflammatory mediators. Supernatants were collected from HCE cultures stimulated with individual or combinations of TNF-alpha, IL-1alpha, and IFN gamma, and assayed for alpha-chemokines by ELISA. RT-PCR was used to detect IFN gamma receptor mRNA. Activation of STAT 1 was determined by Western blotting. Stimulation of HCE with either IL-1alpha or TNF-alpha increased IP-10 protein synthesis up to 6-fold, whereas insignificant levels of MIG and I-TAC were induced. The epithelial cells were found to express IFN-gamma receptors constitutively. Exposure to the ligand resulted in STAT 1 phosphorylation and production of nanogram amounts of IP-10, I-TAC, and MIG. When HCE were stimulated with combinations of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, or IL-1alpha and IFN-gamma, the levels of IP-10 and I-TAC secreted were > 150-fold higher than that produced following exposure to a single cytokine. In contrast, MIG protein synthesis was not enhanced upon stimulation with cytokine combinations. The abundant production of ELR(-)alpha -chemokines following appropriate stimulation suggests that HCE may play an important role in the recruitment of effector cells such as activated T-lymphocytes to inflamed corneal tissue. The data also indicate that the synthesis of IP-10, I-TAC, and MIG are differentially regulated in HCE. PMID- 17763127 TI - Urinary neopterin levels in uveitis: is it a new activity marker? AB - PURPOSE: Neopterin is an immunologic marker for the activation of the cell mediated immune system and it is found to be elevated in autoimmune diseases. We aimed in this study to investigate the relationship between urinary neopterin levels and disease activity in patients with uveitis. METHODS: 31 patients with active uveitis and 13 patients with inactive uveitis were compared with 27 age and sex matched controls. Disease activity was evaluated by clinical examination and fundus florescein angiography findings. Samples were studied with High Performance Liquid Chromatography. RESULTS: Urinary neopterin levels in patients with active uveitis, inactive uveitis and control subjects were 274 +/- 98, 179 +/- 61 and 166 +/- 38 micromol/mol creatinine respectively (p < 001). The difference between active uveitis, inactive uveitis and control groups were statistically significant (p < 001). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary neopterin levels are found to be increased in patients with active uveitis. Neopterin can be used as a biochemical activity marker to support the clinical findings in patients with uveitis. PMID- 17763128 TI - Penetration of gatifloxacin eye drops into the aqueous humor in humans. AB - The authors topically administered gatifloxacin (GFLX) into the eye before cataract surgery and measured the concentrations of this agent to determine its penetration into aqueous humor. Seventy-seven patients with age-related cataracts who underwent cataract surgery were enrolled in this study. They received 0.3% GFLX ophthalmic solution 4 times at 30-min intervals, beginning 2 h before surgery. Aqueous humor was aspirated from the anterior chamber and assayed for GFLX concentration using high-performance liquid chromatography. The mean intraoperative GFLX concentration in aqueous humor was 0.485 +/- 0.328 microg/mL. GFLX level was 0.573 +/- 0.367 microg/mL in elderly patients, at least 70 years of age, and was significantly higher than that (0.322 +/- 0.135 microg/mL) in the patients less than 70 years old. This concentration was close to or higher than the minimum inhibitory concentrations required to inhibit the growth of 90% of major pathogens of endophthalmitis (MIC90), such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecalis associated with poor prognosis, other than Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and MRSA (methicillin-resistant S. aureus) in vitro. The GFLX concentrations found in aqueous humor samples were sufficient to kill bacteria other than S. epidermidis, P. aeruginosa, and MRSA in vitro. PMID- 17763129 TI - Presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome in India. AB - The authors report a case series of presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS) from India. Patients with progressive diminution of vision and having subretinal neovascularisation (SRNVM) were evaluated thoroughly to look for signs of POHS. Three patients had features suggestive of POHS, which to the best of the authors' knowledge is the first case series reported from India. This study shows that patients with clinical features suggestive of POHS do exist in India. A thorough fundus examination of young adults with supposedly idiopathic SRNVM may help to uncover more cases of POHS in India. PMID- 17763130 TI - Objective analysis of retinal function in HIV-positive children without retinitis using optical coherence tomography. AB - PURPOSE: To assess the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in children with human immunodeficiency virus disease without cytomegalovirus retinitis or visual symptoms. METHODS: Thirty-eight eyes of 19 human immunodeficiency virus-positive children (group A) with visual acuity of 20/20 or better, normal color vision testing and no ophthalmoscopically detectable disorders were prospectively examined. All subjects of group A had no history of cytomegalovirus retinitis and CD4 counts consistently above 100. Patients in group B (40 eyes of 21 patients) were human immunodeficiency virus-negative age-matched control subjects. Thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer along a 3.4-mm-diameter circle centered on the optic nerve head was evaluated using third-generation optical coherence tomography. CD8 T-lymphocyte count, presence of systemic infection, hemoglobin, hematocrit and serum beta-microglobulin levels were also recorded. RESULTS: The mean overall retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in groups A and B were 89.2 +/- 24.01 microm and 102.82 +/- 29.168 microm (SD) respectively. The difference was considered extremely significant (P < 0.0001). Group A had significantly thinner average nerve fiber layer in temporal, nasal, superior and inferior retinal areas. CONCLUSIONS: Significant retinal nerve fiber layer thinning occurs in human immunodeficiency virus-positive children with no visual impairment or ophthalmologic evidence or retinitis. PMID- 17763131 TI - Clinical profile, treatment, and visual outcome of serpiginous choroiditis. AB - The purpose of this study was to report the clinical profile and management of patients with serpiginous choroiditis in a tertiary care referral center in India. In a retrospective cohort study, 107 eyes of 70 patients with serpiginous choroiditis seen between January 1995 and December 2002 were analyzed. Systemic steroids and immunosuppressives were the mainstay of therapy. Antituberculous and antiviral drugs were used in selected cases. There was male preponderance (7:3). Age at presentation ranged from 11 years to 52 years (mean 30.3 +/- 9 years); 52.9% had bilateral involvement. Vision improved or maintained in 86% eyes and deteriorated in 15 eyes (14%). The main cause of decrease of vision was macular involvement. Improvement in vision and resolution of lesions in patients with serpiginous choroiditis can occur with combination therapy of systemic steroids and immunosuppressive agents. Serial examination at regular intervals is needed to monitor the disease progression, recurrences, and involvement of the other eye. PMID- 17763133 TI - Simvastatin-induced rhabdomyolysis following cyclosporine treatment for uveitis. AB - The purpose of this study was to heighten awareness of a potentially life threatening drug interaction in patients with chronic uveitis treated with cyclosporine. A 69-year-old female with chronic posterior uveitis was treated with cyclosporine while on concomitant oral simvastatin for hypercholesterolemia. Rhabdomyolysis developed with acute renal failure from the probable interaction between these drugs. Discontinuation of simvastatin and cyclosporine resulted in resolution of rhabdomyolysis and normalization of renal function. Statins are associated with a small, dose-related risk of myopathy, myositis, and rhabdomyolysis. Cyclosporine is a potent inhibitor of simvastatin metabolism, and may therefore facilitate simvastatin-induced rhabdomyolysis. Concomitant use of statins and cyclosporine should be avoided. PMID- 17763132 TI - Referral patterns, demographic and clinical features, and visual prognosis of Turkish patients with sarcoid uveitis. AB - The purpose of this study was to investigate the referral patterns, demographic and clinical features, and visual prognosis of patients with sarcoid uveitis seen at 2 tertiary eye care centers in Turkey. A retrospective study was made of 44 patients with uveitis associated with biopsy-confirmed or presumed sarcoidosis. Thirty-four patients (77%) were female and 10 (23%) were male. The mean age at onset of uveitis was 39.8 years. Twenty-seven patients (61%) were referred without a diagnosis of sarcoidosis and 17 (39%) patients were referred with a diagnosis of systemic sarcoidosis. The duration of uveitis prior to referral was 2-15 years in 52% of the patients in the former group. At presentation, 37 patients (84%) had bilateral and 7 patients (16%) had unilateral uveitis, and 17 patients (39%) had only anterior uveitis. The most common ocular findings were granulomatous keratic precipitates, persistent posterior synechiae, and snowball vitreous opacities. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis estimated the risk of recurrence as 30% at 6 months and 61% at 5 years. New complications developed in 18 patients. Potential visual acuity was better than 0.4 in 80% of eyes. The estimated risk of losing potential visual acuity by at least 2 lines was 7% at 6 months and 43% at 5 years. None of the eyes lost useful vision (> 0.1) under the authors' care. The referral patterns suggest underrecognition of sarcoidosis as a cause of uveitis in Turkey. The demographic and clinical features of these patients were mostly similar to those reported from other countries, suggesting that the diagnosis may not be difficult in Turkish patients but requires an increased awareness of the disease in this population. PMID- 17763134 TI - Conjunctival marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (MALT lymphoma) with amyloid and relapse in the stomach. AB - The authors report a localized (primary) conjunctival marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT)-type), with amyloid deposition with relapse in the stomach, 14 months after the initial diagnosis. Ocular adnexal marginal zone B-cell MALT lymphoma is often localized at diagnosis; some relapse in typical MALT sites. There are few reports of localized conjunctival lymphoma with a relapse in the stomach. The authors suggest that all patients with localized ocular adnexal lymphoma be followed for an extended period. PMID- 17763135 TI - Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome in children: report of a case and review of the literature. AB - This article reviews the therapeutic approaches in children with Vogt-Koyanagi Harada (VKH) syndrome, and reports on a 9-year-old girl with progressive visual loss due to VKH syndrome in spite of treatment. In previous reports, corticosteroids were found to be the most effective agents in the treatment of VKH syndrome, while combination therapies with cyclosporine, methotrexate, or azathioprine were used with favorable results in refractory cases. In the current case, none of the treatments sufficiently stabilized the vision, but triple combination of corticosteroids, cyclosporine, and methotrexate suppressed the relapses of intraocular inflammation. Treatment of children with VKH syndrome is challenging. Various treatment modalities have been reported with various responses, but there is still no definite treatment regimen, and the treatment is usually individualized in pediatric VKH cases. PMID- 17763136 TI - Chronic, postoperative Pseudomonas luteola endophthalmitis. AB - An interventional case report is described of a patient with chronic postoperative endophthalmitis caused by the gram-negative aerobic rod Pseudomonas luteola. A 61-year-old developed slowly progressive blurring of vision, hypopyon, and vitritis following cataract surgery. Diagnostic vitrectomy and intraocular lens explantation were performed. The undiluted vitreous samples and explanted lens were analyzed. Aerobic cultures revealed moderate growth of P. luteola. The patient responded to intravitreal injections of piperacillin/tazobactam and oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxasole. Best-corrected visual acuity improved from hand motions to 20/40. A repeat anterior chamber tap was negative. P. luteola may be a relatively nonvirulent cause of chronic endophthalmitis. Good visual outcomes may be obtained with appropriate therapy. PMID- 17763139 TI - Optimization of the high-shear wet granulation wetting process using fuzzy logic modeling. AB - A fuzzy model has been developed for the optimization of high-shear wet granulation wetting on a plant scale depending on the characteristics of pharmaceutical active substance particles. The model optimized on the basis of experimental data involves a set of rules obtained from expert knowledge and full scale process data. The skewness coefficient of particle size distribution and the tapped density of the granulated mixture were chosen as the model input variables. The output of the fuzzy ruled system is the optimal quantity of wetting liquid. In comparison to manufacturing practice, a very strong sensitivity of the optimal quantity of the added wetting liquid to the size and shape of the active substance particles has been identified by fuzzy modeling. PMID- 17763140 TI - Influence of impactor operating flow rate on particle size distribution of four jet nebulizers. AB - When a nebulizer is evaluated by the Andersen Cascade Impactor (ACI), the flow rate is generally maintained at 28.3 L/min, as recommended by the manufacturer. However, the nebulizer flow rate that a patient inhales is only around 18 L/min. Because the drive flow of a nebulizer is approximately 6-8 L/min, the nebulized drug is mixed with outside air when delivered. Evaluating impactor performance at the 28.3 L/min flow rate is less than ideal because an additional 10 L/min of outside air is mixed with the drug, thereby affecting the drug size distribution and dose before inhalation and deposition in the human lung. In this study we operated the ACI at an 18.0 L/min flow rate to test whether the effect of the changing ambient humidity was being exaggerated by the 28.3 L/min flow rate. The study was carried out at three different relative humidity levels and two different impactor flow rates with four commercially available nebulizers. The mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) and the geometric standard deviation (GSD) of the droplets were found to increase when the impactor was operated at a flow rate of 18 L/min compared to that of 28.3 L/min. The higher MMAD and GSD could cause the patient to inhale less of the drug than expected if the nebulizer was evaluated by the ACI at the operating flow rate of 28.3 L/min. PMID- 17763141 TI - Physical and chemical stability of miconazole liposomes prepared by supercritical aerosol solvent extraction system (ASES) process. AB - The aerosol solvent extraction system (ASES) process was applied to prepare miconazole (MCZ) liposomes in a dry and reconstitutable form, the optimized temperature and pressure of which were 35 degrees C and 8.0 MPa, respectively. The influence of compositions of phosphatidylcholine (PC), cholesterol (CHOL), and poloxamer 407 (POLOX) as well as the pH of hydration medium on physical and chemical stability of both dry microparticles and liposomes hydrated from them were examined following storage at 4 degrees C and 25 degrees C for 3 months. MCZ microparticles in dry powder were stable on storage at 4 degrees C but degraded considerably after storage at 25 degrees C. MCZ liposomes hydrated from dry ASES prepared microparticles at pH 4.0 tended to aggregate, whereas those hydrated at pH 7.2 tended to reduce in size on storage, especially with the addition of CHOL. Liposomes with high MCZ content stored at 4 degrees C degraded faster than when stored at 25 degrees C. Addition of POLOX tended to retard the degradation of MCZ liposomes, whereas CHOL appeared to enhance the degradation on storage under both conditions. The chemical degradation of MCZ liposomes appeared to follow the acid catalyzed hydrolysis. The MCZ liposomes prepared by the ASES process in this study were substantially internalized after being incubated with human lymphocytes. PMID- 17763142 TI - Impact of a non-meltable additive on melt agglomeration with a hydrophobic meltable binder in high-shear mixer. AB - The present study aims to investigate the behavior of melt agglomeration with a low-viscosity hydrophobic meltable binder by using a non-meltable additive. The size, crushing strength, and pore size distribution of resultant agglomerates, the rheological, surface tension, and wetting properties of the molten binder, as well as, the flow characteristics of preagglomeration powder blend were determined. The use of additive showed contradictory agglomerate growth-promoting and -retarding effects on the molten binder surface tension and the interparticulate frictional forces. Critical concentration effects of additive corresponded to threshold transition of agglomeration-promoting to -retarding behavior were discussed. PMID- 17763143 TI - The influence of surfactants and additives on drug release from a cationic eudragit coated multiparticulate diltiazem formulation. AB - A cationic polymethacrylate coated multiparticulate diltiazem formulation exhibited sigmoidal drug release. Lag time prior to drug release was influenced by dissolution media, coat thickness, and by the nature of additives included in the formulation. Incorporation of up to 5% w/w sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) in the coating membrane resulted in substantial increases in lag times in acidic and neutral media. The extent of drug release in acid was 100%, whereas in phosphate buffer, the extent of release was dependent on the level of SLS. Substituting SLS for various compounds was used to assess the functionality of the SLS molecule responsible for these behaviors. The ability to ion-pair with the polymer and the presence of a hydrophobic moiety were both important functionalities. PMID- 17763144 TI - Improving the content uniformity of a low-dose tablet formulation through roller compaction optimization. AB - In this investigation, the potency distribution of a low-dose drug in a granulation was optimized through a two-part study using statistically designed experiments. The purpose of this investigation was to minimize the segregation potential by improving content uniformity across the granule particle size distribution, thereby improving content uniformity in the tablet. Initial operating parameters on the Gerteis 3-W-Polygran 250/100/3 Roller Compactor resulted in a U-shaped potency function (potency vs. granule particle size) with superpotent fines and large granules. The roller compaction optimization study was carried out in two parts. Study I used a full factorial design with roll force (RF) and average gap width (GW) as independent variables and Study II used a D-optimal response surface design with four factors: RF, GW, granulating sieve size (SS), and granulator speed (GS). The planned response variables for Study I were bypass weight % and potency of bypass. Response variables for Study II included mean granulation potency with % relative standard deviation (% RSD), granulation particle size, sieve cut potency % RSD, tablet potency with % RSD, compression force at 7 kP crushing strength, and friability of 7-kP tablets. A constraint on GW was determined in Study I by statistical analysis. Bypass and observations of ribbon splitting were minimized when GW was less than 2.6 mm. In Study II, granulation potency, granulation uniformity, and sieve cut uniformity were optimized when the SS was 0.8 mm. Higher RF during dry granulation produced better sieve cut uniformity and tablets with improved uniformity throughout the run, as measured by stratified tablet samples taken during compression and assayed for potency. The recommended optimum roller compaction and milling operating parameters that simultaneously met all constraints were RF = 9 kN, GW = 2.3 mm, SS = 0.8 mm, and GS = 50 rpm. These parameters became the operating parameter set points during a model confirmation trial. The results from the confirmation trial proved that the new roller compaction and milling conditions reduced the potential for segregation by minimizing the granulation potency variability as a function of particle size as expressed by sieve cut potency % RSD, and thus improved content uniformity of stratified tablet samples. PMID- 17763145 TI - Use of compaction energetics for understanding particle deformation mechanism. AB - A primary goal of the current work was to examine the potential use of compaction energetics as a tool to predict particle deformation mechanism. Three deformation models, namely, those developed by Heckel, Walker, and Gurnham, were first used to evaluate the deformation mechanisms of 11 commonly used excipients. To complement the information gained from the deformation models, the mechanical energy used in tablet formation was then examined. It has been found that the sum of the work in the compression and decompression phases (plastic work) is a relatively good indicator of a material's plasticity. Conclusions based on this indicator regarding deformation mechanism for the different diluents used were in good agreement with those obtained from the different deformation models studied. PMID- 17763146 TI - Wound dressings based on chitosans and hyaluronic acid for the release of chlorhexidine diacetate in skin ulcer therapy. AB - In the present work wound dressings, based on chitosan hydrochloride (HCS), 5 methyl-pyrrolidinone chitosan (MPC), and their mixtures with an anionic polymer, hyaluronic acid (HA), were prepared by freeze-drying. Chlorhexidine diacetate (CX) was used as an antimicrobic drug. The mechanical properties of the wound dressings were investigated. In particular, the wound dressings were subjected to dynamic hydration measurements to evaluate their capability to absorb wound exudate and to rheological analysis to investigate their resistance to mechanical stresses on hydration. The wound dressings were also characterized for drug release properties. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of medicated and non-medicated wound dressings were also investigated. All the wound dressings are characterized by mechanical resistance suitable for skin application. The addition of hyaluronic acid to chitosans leads to a reduction in wound dressing hydration properties and a modulation of drug release. The wound dressing based on MPC is characterized by the highest elastic properties and by the best scavenger activity. Antimicrobial activity against bacteria and C. albicans is shown by the dressing based on chitosan also in absence of chlorhexidine. PMID- 17763147 TI - Interaction study of paracetamol with saturated (capric) and unsaturated (oleic) fatty acids. AB - Interaction study of paracetamol with saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, namely, capric and oleic acid have been performed by using serial dilution method, release behavior, FT-IR, and DSC study. Preliminary investigations by release studies indicated the possibility of interaction between paracetamol and fatty acids. UV-studies failed to detect any interaction between paracetamol and fatty acids. The possibility of hydrogen bonding between amino group of paracetamol and carbonyl group of fatty acids was revealed by FT-IR study. Polymorphic transition of paracetamol in the binary sample of paracetamol-capric acid was identified by DSC studies. However, no such possibility was detected in paracetamol-oleic acid mixture. PMID- 17763148 TI - Methods for genetic modification of megakaryocytes and platelets. AB - During recent decades there have been major advances in the fields of thrombosis and haemostasis, in part through development of powerful molecular and genetic technologies. Nevertheless, genetic modification of megakaryocytes and generation of mutant platelets in vitro remains a highly specialized area of research. Developments are hampered by the low frequency of megakaryocytes and their progenitors, a poor efficiency of transfection and a lack of understanding with regard to the mechanism by which megakaryocytes release platelets. Current methods used in the generation of genetically modified megakaryocytes and platelets include mutant mouse models, cell line studies and use of viruses to transform primary megakaryocytes or haematopoietic precursor cells. This review summarizes the advantages, limitations and technical challenges of such methods, with a particular focus on recent successes and advances in this rapidly progressing field including the potential for use in gene therapy for treatment of patients with platelet disorders. PMID- 17763149 TI - Genetic characterization of patients with Bernard-Soulier syndrome and their relatives from Southern Iran. AB - Bernard-Soulier syndrome (BSS) is a rare recessively inherited bleeding disorder caused by the deficiency of the platelet glycoprotein (Gp) complex Ib/IX/V that is the von Willebrand factor receptor on platelets. In patients suffering from BSS platelet adhesion is typically impaired, while platelet aggregation is normal; macrothrombocytopenia is a common feature. In this study three different families from Southern Iran were investigated. GpIb/IX/V platelet expression as detected by flow cytometry was less than 2% of normal in six cases and 12% in the remaining one. Platelet count was 35,000 platelets/microliter and iron deficiency anemia was common. All patients suffered from mucocutaneous bleeding at presentation and were born from consanguineous marriages. Genetic analysis demonstrated the presence of the same GpIX Phe55Ser missense mutation in two families and of a single base insertion (GP1BA C3221 ins), a never described mutation causing a frameshift in the GpIbalpha gene, in the third family. Among the family members studied several heterozygotes were identified. None of them, with one exception, had macrothrombocytopenia. In one family a slight reduction of GpIb/IX/V expression was observed. PMID- 17763151 TI - Does prematurity affect thrombocytopoiesis? AB - Data concerning thrombocytopoiesis in newborns are poorly recognized. Platelets have a crucial role in hemostatic physiology, which is deficient in newborns, especially in preterm newborns. A total of 51 preterm newborns (PTN), 25 girls and 26 boys, were recruited for the study. The control group consisted of 25 female and 30 male healthy term newborns (HTN). Plasma thrombopoietin (TPO) was measured using Quantikine human TPO system. Reticulated platelets (PLRET) was estimated by means of Retic-Count Kit. Platelet count (PLT) was determined using Advia(TU) 120 Hematology System. TPO was evidently higher in PTN (110.9 pg/ml) than in HTN (71.5 pg/ml), (p < 0.001). The percentage of reticulated platelets (PLRET) was also twice as high in PTN (3.49%) in comparison to HTN (1.7%), (p < 0.001). The PLT count was lower in PTN (246.7 x 10(3) microL) than in HTN (287.2 x 10(3) microL), (p < 0.01). Increased TPO levels and the percentage of PLRET indicate that thrombocytopoiesis is more active in prematurity. Our finding may be useful in therapeutic strategies. PMID- 17763150 TI - Platelet function measured by VerifyNow identifies generalized high platelet reactivity in aspirin treated patients. AB - Selected aspirin treated patients may exhibit high platelet reactivity to agonists other than arachidonic acid. This study aimed to determine whether the VerifyNow identifies generalized high platelet reactivity supported by correlations with other established methods that stimulate platelets with various agonists. Stable outpatients with coronary artery disease (n = 110) were treated with aspirin in a two 3 x 3 Latin square design (81, 162 and 325 mg/day for 4 weeks each). VerifyNow (arachidonic acid (AA) cartridge); light transmittance aggregometry; thrombelastography; PFA-100; flow cytometry; PlateletWorks; and urinary 11- dehydro thromboxane levels were measured. Multianalyte profiling measured fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor (vWF). Patients with >or=550 ARU by VerifyNow had increased 5 mM AA-, 5 microM ADP-, and 2 microg/mL collagen-induced platelet aggregation compared to patients with <550 ARU (p or= 25% (or DeltaMPA >or= 20%) with 5 microM ADP at 4-5 and 24 hours after dosing or who failed to achieve and maintain an IPA >or= 20% (or DeltaMPA >or= 15%) with 20 microM ADP at 4-5 and 24 hours after dosing. Application of these thresholds indicated that, depending on the concentration of ADP used, 25% to 45% of subjects were classified as clopidogrel poor responders. Using thresholds from the published literature resulted in 17% to 56% of subjects being classified as poor responders. Objective thresholds for pharmacodynamic poor responders to clopidogrel should consider the concentration of the agonist used and may help assess the consistency of pharmacodynamic response to novel ADP receptor antagonists. PMID- 17763153 TI - Platelet pathology in sex-linked GATA-1 dyserythropoietic macrothrombocytopenia II. Cytochemistry. AB - A previous investigation detailed the pathology of platelets in a family with the X-linked GATA-1 G208S mutation causing dyserythropoiesis and megathrombocytopenia. The present study has used ultrastructural immunocytochemistry, cytochemistry, and tannic acid staining to answer questions raised in the original investigation. Earlier studies, as well as ours, had shown that GATA-1 megathrombocytes are hypogranular, but did not definitively determine which organelles are decreased. Cytochemical localization of aryl sulfatase revealed that lysosomes were present in normal numbers, and the whole mount technique showed a normal frequency of dense bodies rich in arlenine nucleotides and serotonin. Thus alpha granules were the only organelles deficient in GATA-1 platelets. Tannic acid staining confirmed that the membranes wrapped around each other to form tubular inclusions come from elements of the dense tubular system. The unique tubular membrane inclusions in GATA-1 megathrombocytes, thought originally to derive from endoplasmic reticulum in the parent cell, were shown to be in direct continuity with elements of the surface connected open canalicular system (OCS), and to drive from the demarcation membrane system (DMS) of the megakaryocyte. Platelets in platelets and platelets in platelets in platelets were independent cells, and not derived by cytoplasmic sequestration in the enclosing macrothrombocytes. Fully spread GATA-1 platelets incubated with fibrinogen coated gold (Fgn/Au) particles before or after fixation bound as many Fgn/Au particles as normal spread platelets and moved the Fgn/Au- GPIIb/IIIa complexes from peripheral margins to cell centers and into channels of the OCS as efficiently. Exposure of spread normal platelets to bovine vWF resulted in coverage of the surface from edge to edge with multimers detected by anti-vWF antibody and protein A gold. Spread GATA-1 platelets bound very few vWF multimers, which were much smaller in size than those on normal spread cells, but were able to move then to cell centers. These findings support the concept that GATA-1 platelets are macrothrombocytes because they are not able to detach normally from each other during separation from megakaryocyte proplatelets. The marked decrease in the number and abnormal distribution of GPIb/IX receptors may play a role in GATA-1 megathrombocyte formation. PMID- 17763154 TI - Reassociation and translocation of glycoprotein IIB-IIIA in EDTA-treated human platelets. AB - Platelet membrane glycoproteins IIb and IIIa form a calcium-dependent heterodimer that plays a key role in platelet adhesion and aggregation. The present objective was to measure the dissociation and reassociation of GPIIb-IIIa by flow cytometric analysis of platelets labelled with mAbs specific for the glycoprotein complex or each monomer. In agreement with previous studies, EDTA chelation of extracellular calcium, [Ca2+]o, dissociated the heterodimer in a time and temperature dependent manner. Agonist stimulation of EDTA-treated platelets induced subunits to reassociate with the following order of potency: thrombin > collagen > ADP. Two-fold increases in GPIIb-IIIa and GPIIb indicate that thrombin caused reassociation of surface subunits and concurrent translocation of complexes from intracellular pools. The latter was partially inhibited by cytochalasin B thus indicating that a subpopulation of GPIIb-IIIa required cytoskeletal remodelling for translocation. Surface GPIIIa as reported by anti CD61 declined more and upregulated less compared with GPIIb-IIIa or GPIIb. Results suggest that EDTA incubation might have altered the conformation of this epitope and decreased mAb binding. Collagen induced GPIIb-IIIa reassociation but not translocation of cryptic complexes. BAPTA suppression of rises in cytosolic calcium concentration or low [Ca2+]o inhibited GPIIb-IIIa reassociation, thus indicating that this reaction was driven by signal transduction. Thrombin and collagen induced a comparable level of aggregation of EDTA-treated platelets despite a 3-fold difference in cell surface GPIIb-IIIa. It is concluded that the effects of EDTA on GPIIb-IIIa dissociation and loss of adhesive functions are largely but not completely reversible. PMID- 17763155 TI - Effects of beta-amyloid peptide and estrogen on platelet mitochondrial function of Sprague-Dawley rats. AB - Beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) peptides play a central role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. They are known to induce mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase activation, resulting in apoptosis of neuronal cells. In the present experiment, an Abeta-induced damage model of platelets was established to observe the effects of Abeta, estradiol benzoate (EB) and genistein on platelets and platelet mitochondria. It was found that after the addition of Abeta, platelet number, platelet mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content were lowered while no protective effects of EB and genistein had been observed. The platelets could serve as a biomarker for detection of mitochondrial function and age related disease. PMID- 17763156 TI - Depression of platelet counts in apparently healthy children with asymptomatic malaria infection in a Nigerian metropolitan city. AB - Asymptomatic malaria infection is a common feature of malaria endemic regions in the tropics. In this prospective cross sectional survey, involving 240 children aged 1 to 8 years (Boys = 117, Girls = 123; Ratio 1:1.05), the median platelet count was 115 x 10(9)/L (IQR 97.5-190). Thirty-three out of 240 (13.75%) of the children had thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 100 x 10(9)/L). Malaria parasite was found to exert significant reduction in platelet count. This reduction was more pronounced in children under 5 years and also at higher parasite counts. An inverse relationship was established between parasite density and platelet count (y = -0.017x + 96.2, r = -0.2). Thrombocytopenia is not only a feature of acute malaria infection but also that of asymptomatic malaria infection in the tropics and might be a useful indicator of malaria in children. PMID- 17763158 TI - Factors affecting survival in advanced chronic kidney disease patients who choose not to receive dialysis. AB - INTRODUCTION: Non-dialytic treatment (NDT) has become a recognized and important modality of treatment in end stage renal disease (ESRD) in certain groups of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. However, little is known about the prognosis of these NDT patients in terms of hospitalization rates and survival. We analyzed our experience in managing these NDT with a multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach over a three-year period. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Renal Unit at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital set up a dedicated MDT clinic to manage NDT patients in January 2003. Patients approaching end stage chronic kidney disease who chose not to dialyse were recruited from other nephrologists. The study group was classified according to age band (<70 years, 71-80 years, and >80 years), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (<10 ml/min, 11-20 ml/min, and >20 ml/min) according to the Modified Diet In Renal Disease formula and Stoke comorbidity grade (SCG). The SCG is a validated scoring system for the survival of patients on renal replacement therapy. We also used the ERA-EDTA primary renal diagnosis codes. As there are no existing standards for NDT patients, we used the U.K. national set for haemodialysis patients as a reference and target for our NDT patients. Data was collected prospectively. RESULTS: The median age was 79 years and the male: female ratio was approximately 1. The most common primary cause of kidney disease in the NDT study population was chronic renal failure of unknown cause n = 22 (31%), but the most common identifiable cause was diabetic nephropathy, n = 20 (28%). The most common comorbidity was ischaemic heart disease n = 25 (34%). Those achieving the standards for anaemia were 78% at referral. Only 30% of the NDT patients achieved the standard for blood pressure (<130/80 mmHg) at referral. Forty-three patients (60%) had no admissions at all. There were a total of 30 patients admitted on 58 occasions. Thirty-one (53%) of these were due to a non-renal cause. The median length of stay for the other NDT patients was 10 days. The median overall survival (life expectancy) was 1.95 years. The one-year overall survival was 65%. SCG was an independent prognostic factor in predicting survival in NDT patients studied (p = 0.005), the hazard ratio being 2.53, for each incremental increase in the SCG. At one year, the survival for comorbidity grade 0, 1 and 2 were 83%, 70% and 56% respectively. Of the 28 patients who died, 20 did so at home (71%). DISCUSSION: The NDT of ESRD has become an important alternative modality in renal replacement therapy. With the emergence of epidemic proportions of CKD, more elderly patients with progressive renal disease will need to make informed decisions regarding renal replacement therapy. There is likely to be increasing number of elderly patients that will tolerate dialysis badly and who will be very dependent on others. We believe that there should be a multidisciplinary approach to assist the ESRD patients in choosing their modality of renal replacement therapy, and with an agreed care plan to support these patients in managing their chosen modality to achieve the best possible quality of life. There should be integrated services with primary care, community nurses, and palliative care teams to enable the majority of the patient's treatment to be carried out at home and to allow a dignified death. However. there was a statistically significant trend for shorter survival among those with greater comorbidities, as determined by the SCG. This is the first report of the potential importance of SCG as an independent prognostic factor in NDT patients. This will help us to counsel our patients in the future about their prognosis if they choose NDT as their modality of renal replacement therapy. CONCLUSION: Our prospective study is the first and currently the largest observational study of a multidisciplinary approach in the management of NDT patients. SCG was an independent prognostic factor in predicting survival. In those patients who chose not to dialyse, SCG provides a potentially useful indication of expected prognosis. PMID- 17763159 TI - Aminograms during continuous hemodiafiltration in the treatment of hyperammonemia due to ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. AB - BACKGROUND: Hyperammonemia caused by ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency can be properly managed by continuous arteriovenous hemodiafiltration (CAVHDF). Removal of amino acids (AA) during CAVHDF has not been thoroughly investigated. AA losses in patients with urea cycle defects due to ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency treated by CAVHDF were analyzed. METHODS: Twelve neonates with elevated serum ammonia levels, confirmed through urine organic acid analysis and serum amino acid studies, were documented to have OTC deficiency. CAVHDF was administered in an attempt to lower serum ammonia concentration. Amino acid analysis of ultrafiltration and serum were performed by liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Serum levels of leucine, isoleucine, methionine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine were significantly lower than acceptable in these patients. Glutamine was the only amino acid that increased significantly, which is clinically relevant to OTC enzyme deficiency. Although the mean serum concentrations of tyrosine and glutamine concentrations were lower in the dialysate, the serum and dialysate concentrations of other amino acids did not differ. CONCLUSION: CAVHDF may induce changes in amino acid metabolism and distribution as well. The requirement of aminogram monitor for amino acid supplementation in urea cycle defect patients is important. PMID- 17763160 TI - Creatinine clearance after cimetidine administration: is it useful in the monitoring of the function of transplanted kidney? AB - BACKGROUND: Determination of clearance of endogenous creatinine using its plasma and urinary concentration (standard clearance), Cockroft and Gault formula, or MDRD formula (estimated clearance) is commonly performed for assessment of glomerular filtration rate. Although the evaluation of renal function in this way is useful, it is biased with an error resulting from secretion of creatinine in tubules. This error can be reduced by determining the clearance after administration of cimetidine, which competitively blocks creatinine tubular transport. METHODS: The study was performed in the group of 87 patients after renal transplantation. In this group, estimated clearance and creatinine clearance after cimetidine administration (1000 mg in 75 patients and then 1600 mg in 12 patients with plasma creatinine above 3 mg/dL) were determined. RESULTS: Analysis of mean percentage differences between clearance values after cimetidine administration and estimated clearance shows increasing contribution of creatinine tubular secretion along with plasma creatinine increase in renal transplant recipients. A higher dose of cimetidine resulted in lower clearance values in renal transplant recipients with plasma creatinine above 3 mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: Creatinine clearance after administration of 1000 mg cimetidine seems to be a useful measure of glomerular filtration rate in renal graft recipients with plasma creatinine concentration below 2.5 mg/L. Higher dose of cimetidine would be needed to effectively block tubular excretion at higher concentrations of creatinine. Establishing an efficient but safe dose of cimetidine for such patients needs further investigations. As we have noticed that creatinine clearance calculated according to MDRD formula was similar to the clearance after administration of cimetidine, we propose a strategy of one GFR measurement at baseline using 24h urine collection after cimetidine administration and follow-up with creatinine clearance calculated from MDRD formula during standard check-up visits. PMID- 17763161 TI - Sleep disturbance in chronic hemodialysis patients: the impact of depression and anemia. AB - BACKGROUND: Many patients with end-stage renal disease who are undergoing chronic hemodialysis suffer from sleep disturbance. This paper was designed to study the severity and prevalence of sleep disorders and the factors affecting the syndromes in this unique patient group. METHODS: We conducted this study by the use of questionnaires. Included in this study were a total of 245 patients at our center who had end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and who received hemodialysis thrice weekly for more than three months. Their demographic data and biochemical and hematologic parameters were analyzed. All patients were asked to complete two questionnaires (in a Chinese version) of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Beck Depression Inventory second edition (BDI-II), either by themselves or with assistance from the medical staff. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-four patients completed both questionnaires with a response rate of 70.4%. Their mean age was 57.9 +/- 11.8 (ranging from 23.1 to 83.7) years old. They had been receiving hemodialysis for an average of 49.1 +/- 50.9 months before the study. The male to female ratio was 77:87. Seventy six (46.3%) patients had diabetes mellitus. The prevalence of sleep disturbance was 74.4% (122/164), defined as PSQI scores >5. The poor sleepers had higher BDI scores and a higher ratio of females comparing to the good sleepers. By a multivariate analysis, the BDI scores and female sex were the independent predictors of the patients being poor sleepers. In analyzing the poor sleepers, the BDI scores, durations of hemodialysis and hemoglobin levels were the independent factors for predicting the global PSQI scores. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire showed a high prevalence of insomnia in the dialytic population. The study also attributes a predictive role in sleep quality to gender, depression, dialytic duration, and hemoglobin levels. The data indicate that in the management of insomnia in this patient group, anemia and depression, both of which are potentially correctable, should be assessed. PMID- 17763162 TI - The influence of calcineurin inhibitors on pulse wave velocity in renal transplant recipients. AB - BACKGROUND: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a marker of the arterial wall stiffness and independent cardiovascular risk factor in hemodialysis patients. Cyclosporine A (CyA) and tacrolimus (TAC) are known to differ in the influence on cardiovascular risk factors in renal transplant recipients. Recent studies suggest that CyA may decrease arterial compliance. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of CyA and TAC on the PWV and arterial wall stiffness in renal transplant recipients. METHODS: The study population consisted of two groups of cadaveric renal transplant recipients, 76 patients each, matched for age, sex, blood pressure, body mass index, and length of the post-transplant follow-up. PWV between carotid and femoral artery was measured using a Complior device. Fasting blood was sampled for serum creatinine, lipid profile, uric acid, glucose, and C-reactive protein. RESULTS: Aortic pulse wave velocity -- a marker of increased arterial stiffness -- was significantly higher in CyA group compared with TAC group (9.33 +/- 2.10 vs. 8.54 +/- 1.35, respectively; p < 0.01). Uric acid, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher in CyA group. Significant correlations were found between PWV and age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and fasting glucose in the CyA group, but only between PWV and age in TAC group. CONCLUSION: CyA-based immunosuppressive therapy is associated with an unfavorable profile of cardiovascular risk factors and increased arterial stiffness in renal transplant recipients. PMID- 17763163 TI - Radionuclide staging of renal function in type 1 diabetes mellitus. AB - AIM: The aim of this study was to assess renal function in different stages of type 1 diabetes mellitus by radionuclide methods. Additionally, glomerular and tubular functions were correlated with urinary albumin (UAER) and N-acetyl-beta-D glucosaminidase (NAGA) excretion rates. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-three patients with diabetes mellitus were classified into four groups: normoalbuminuric (NA, 18 patients), microalbuminuric (MiA, 12 patients), macroalbuminuric (MaA, 13 patients), and chronic renal failure group (CRF, 10 patients). Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated by diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-technetium 99m ((99m)Tc-DTPA) clearance rate while tubular function was calculated as a percentage of net injected activity fixed in both kidneys, 4 h after intravenous injection of dimercaptosuccinate acid-technetium 99m ((99m)Tc-DMSA). Additionally, (99m)Tc-DTPA clearance was correlated with estimated GFR (eGFR) by using modified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study Group formula. RESULTS: (99m)Tc-DTPA clearance and (99m)Tc-DMSA fixation were found significantly higher in normoalbuminuric group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.02, respectively), unchanged in microalbuminuric group (p > 0.05, p > 0.05), and decreased in both macroalbuminuric (p < 0.0001, p < 0.00001) and chronic renal failure group (p < 0.0001, p < 0.00001). Renal function was denoted as normal, increased (hyperfunction), or decreased (hypofunction). It was found normal in a high percentage of patients with normalbuminuria (filtration 44.4%, fixation 72.2% pts) and microalbuminuria (66.7% and 66.7%). Renal hyperfunction was not only found frequent in normalbuminuric group (55.6% and 27.8%), but was also recorded in microalbuminuric group (8.3% and 8.3%). Renal hypofunction was present in all macroalbuminuric patients and in one-quarter of those with microalbuminuria as well. Such distribution of renal function conditions indicated normalbuminuric and microalbuminiric groups functionally heterogeneous. Regression analysis showed a significant correlation between (99m)Tc-DTPA clearance and eGFR in MaA and CRF groups only. Although urinary NAGA excretion rate was shown as a less sensitive staging parameter, being significantly increased when compared to control group only in MaA and CRF groups (p < 0.05), it significantly correlated with (99m)Tc-DTPA clearance rate (r = -0.485, p = 0.0004) and (99m)Tc-DMSA tubular fixation (r = -0.526, p = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study favor the performance of radionuclide studies together with the determination of urinary albumin excretion rate in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus in order to achieve more reliable staging of diabetic kidney disease. The demonstration of glomerular hyperfiltration and tubular hyperfunction by radiopharmaceuticals contributes to the early detection of diabetic kidney disease, while the quantification of renal function enables the follow-up of the progressive function loss in the later course of the disease. PMID- 17763164 TI - Study of the association of -667 aquaporin-2 (AQP-2) A/G promoter polymorphism with the incidence and clinical course of chronic kidney disease in Korea. AB - BACKGROUND: Impaired urinary concentration is uniformly present with advanced disease in chronic renal failure. Aquaporin-2 (AQP-2) is known to be expressed in the renal collecting duct cells and participates in urinary concentration in response to vasopressin. Recently, the study of AQP expression in various forms of chronic kidney disease (CKD) demonstrated a reduction in AQP-2 expression associated with a loss of nephrons and the presence of chronic interstitial fibrosis. No information on aquaporin genetic variations in CKD is available to date. The aim of our study was to evaluate the possible impact of aquaporin-2 genotype on the development and clinical course of CKD. METHODS: Blood samples from 259 patients with CKD and 106 ethnicity-, age-, and sex-matched healthy controls were collected, and genomic DNA was extracted. AQP-2 -667 genotype was assessed by PCR, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in genotype and allele frequencies between the patients and healthy controls (p = 0.3936, p = 0.2941, respectively). In all, 79 (30.5%) patients had the AQP-2 -667 wild-type A/A, 123 (47.5%) were heterozygous for the G allele, and 57 (22.0%) patients showed homozygosity. After subclassification of CKD according to underlying disease, no significant differences were observed between those patients and controls (p = 0.72 for diabetic nephropathy, p = 0.52 for hypertensive nephropathy, p = 0.27 for chronic glomerulonephritis, and p = 0.80 for unknown etiology). Genotype and allele frequencies of the AQP-2 gene polymorphism (rs3759126) of hypertensive patients in pre-ESRD did not show a noticeable difference compared with normal blood pressure patients in pre-ESRD (p = 0.50). No correlation was found to exist between the AQP-2 gene polymorphism (rs3759126) and serum electrolyte levels in pre-ESRD patients (p = 0.38 for serum sodium level and p = 0.44 for serum potassium level). CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that no association exists between the -667 AQP-2 A/G polymorphism and susceptibility to CKD or its clinical course. PMID- 17763165 TI - Effect of hemodialysis on cognitive function in ESRD patients. AB - BACKGROUND: Uremia is associated with impairment of different cognitive functions. However the pathogenesis of this cognitive dysfunction is unknown. OBJECTIVE: In this study, long-latency event related potentials (ERPs) were used to assess changes in cortical function due to hemodialysis treatment. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we measured event related potentials in 15 end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients maintained on hemodialysis, two hours before and two hours after they underwent hemodialysis and compared their data with a strictly age and sex matched healthy control group. The P3 was elicited by using standard auditory "odd-ball" paradigm and the data obtained was statistically analyzed (Wilcoxon signed ranks, Mann Whitney). RESULTS: Before hemodialysis, the patients' P3 latency (347.73 +/- 39.47 ms) was significantly increased as compared with that of healthy control group (308.4 +/- 13.73 ms) (p = 0.001). After hemodialysis, P3 latency of the patients showed a significant decrease (347.73 +/- 39.47 ms to 325.20 +/- 37.15 ms, p = 0.001). P3 latency after dialysis was not significantly different from controls. No significant correlation was noted between various biochemical parameters (hemoglobin, blood urea, creatinine, uric acid and calcium) and P3 latency or amplitude. CONCLUSIONS: Removal of uremic toxins by hemodialysis leads to an improvement in cognitive processing. PMID- 17763166 TI - Disturbed lipids, lipoproteins and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins as well as fasting and nonfasting non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in post-renal transplant patients. AB - Serum levels of lipids and lipoproteins were determined in 98 post-renal transplant fasting patients, and lipids and non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and lipid ratios in the same post-renal transplant non fasting patients were compared. The reference group was 87 healthy subjects. All patients were divided into two groups: patients with dyslipidemia (n = 69) and patients with normolipidemic (n = 29). The post-renal transplant patients (TX) with dyslipidemia had a significantly increased concentration of triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), non-HDL-C, apoB, and TRL and lipid ratios, and decreased HDL-C level and lipoprotein ratios. The lipids, lipoproteins, and lipoprotein ratios were significantly beneficial in TX patients with normolipidemic than in those with dyslipidemia. However, TRL concentration and lipid ratios were significantly increased and apoAI/apoCIII significantly decreased as compared to the reference group. The TX patients with dyslipidemia showed a significant correlation between TG and apoB:CIII (r = 0.562, p < 0.001) and apoCIII (r = 0.380, p < 0.004), but those with normolipidemic showed a significant correlation only between TG and apoCIII (r = 0.564, p < 0.008). Regression and Bland-Altman analyses showed excellent correlation between fasting and nonfasting non-HDL-C levels (r = 0.987, R(2) + 0.987) in TX patients both with dyslipidemia and normolipidemic. We think the finding that nonfasting labs that are reliable for non-HDL-C as well as total cholesterol is important, as fasting labs are not always available. Disturbances of lipids, lipoproteins, and TRLs depend not only on the kind of treatment, but due to multiple factors can accelerate cardiovascular complications in post-renal transplant patients with dyslipidemia and also with normolipidemic. Further studies concerning this problem should be completed. PMID- 17763167 TI - Associations between apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and atherogenic lipid profile in dialysis patients. AB - BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein-E (ApoE) gene polymorphism has an important role in lipoprotein metabolism and could participate in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is also regarded as a risk factor for CVD. The aim of the present study is to further investigate the possible link(s) between ApoE gene polymorphism and plasma PAI-1 antigen and serum lipid profile in peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 72 PD patients (38 female, mean age 49.9 +/- 16.1 years), 72 HD patients (22 female, mean age 57.4 +/- 14.6 years), and 42 healthy subjects (21 female, mean age 50.1 +/- 18.6 years). Serum lipid parameters, plasma PAI-1 levels, and ApoE genotypes were determined in all subjects. RESULTS: The distribution of ApoE genotypes and alleles frequencies was similar in dialysis patients and healthy controls. In PD patients, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-C, and ApoB levels were significantly higher than that of HD patients. HD patients with E3/4 genotype had elevated TC, LDL-C and ApoB levels compared with E3/3 genotype. TC and triglyceride levels were also higher in E3/4 genotype than that of E2/3 genotype. PD and HD patients showed a significantly increased PAI-1 levels compared with controls, whereas PAI-1 levels were highest in HD patients. There was no significant relation between ApoE genotypes and PAI-1 levels. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that ApoE polymorphism significantly affects serum lipid profile in HD patients and epsilon4 allele carriers are more susceptible to have atherogenic lipid profile. PMID- 17763168 TI - Do AshSplit haemodialysis catheters provide better flow rates in the long term? AB - BACKGROUND: Recently, interventional radiologists have adopted an increasingly prominent role in the placement and management of hemodialysis catheters, as well as in the research and development of new and better catheters. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the viability and hemodialysis efficiency of the AshSplit catheter and the Permcath catheter. METHODS: 204 consecutive patients requiring radiological insertion of hemodialysis catheters were followed, retrospectively, over a 42-month period. Both hemodialysis catheters were placed using a combination of ultrasonic and fluoroscopic guidance and tunneled appropriately. Information collected included catheter insertion sites, insertion complications, catheter duration, and final outcome. RESULTS: Over the study period of two years, 269 catheters were placed into 204 patients with end stage renal failure. Patients received either an AshSplit (101 patients, 127 catheters) or a Permcath (103 patients, 142 catheters). Vascular access route of choice was the right internal jugular vein (67% AshSplit, 71% Permcath). Insertion complications occurred in 18 patients overall (6.6%), with only 1 requiring further intervention (hemopneumothorax). Flow rates averaged 259 mls/min for AshSplits and 248 mls/min for Permcaths (p < 0.001). Follow-up of catheter viability for 42 months yielded a mean AshSplit catheter duration of 246 days (range 6-932) and 239 days (range 1-1,278) for Permcath (p = 0.46). Reasons for catheter failure and elective catheter removal were similar in both groups; however, Permcaths required significantly more thrombolysis than AshSplits, p < 0.001. CONCLUSION: The AshSplit provides significantly better flow rates and less thrombolysis compared to the Permcath, with similar catheter dwell times. PMID- 17763169 TI - Acute hepatitis C in patients receiving hemodialysis. AB - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is frequent in patients with end-stage renal disease treated by chronic dialysis, with a prevalence varying from 10-65% according to the geographical data. The prevalence is significantly associated with the duration of dialysis and the number of transfused blood products[1,2] and has dramatically declined with efficient blood screening.[3] We studied patients with acute HCV infection in a dialysis unit. The diagnosis was based on both anti-HCV detection and HCV-RNA detection. Other virological tools including HCV genotype determination was also used to tailor treatment to the individual patient and determine its efficacy for a one-year follow-up period. Seventeen patients (7 male and 10 female, mean age: 63.7 +/- 11.6 SD) with acute hepatitis C were enrolled to our study. All of them were followed up for a period of one year after the diagnosis was established. Phylogenetic analysis distinguished two separate HCV subtypes 1b, which were both responsible for this acute infection (see Figure 1). These types did not differ in their behavior on the clinical situation of our patients, as confirmed by the fact that in both groups of patients, there was only one patient who presented with acute illness. Six patients of our study group, three months after the acute infection, received pegylated interferon (Peg-IFNa2a) 135 mug for a six-month period. Four of them responded very well to therapy and at the first determination HCV RNA was below the cutoff point. One of our patients with very high HCV levels (HCV RNA > 50,000,000 IU/mL), despite receiving the same therapy, did not respond well and developed cirrhosis. In conclusion, it is clear from our experience that better information is needed about the current incidence, prevalence, and risk factors for HCV infection in dialysis patients. Algorithms for the diagnosis and management of hepatitis C should be developed by academic societies. Routine screening for hepatitis C also would allow for better definition of the natural history of hepatitis C in patients with end stage renal disease. [image omitted]Figure 1. NS 5B gene phylogenetic tree analysis of the acute hepatitis C epidemic. PMID- 17763170 TI - Early and intensive fluid replacement prevents acute renal failure in the crush cases associated with spontaneous collapse of an apartment in Konya. AB - BACKGROUND: Crush syndrome developing as a result of earthquake and other natural disasters has been investigated from many angles to date. Data are scarce, however, on cases associated with the spontaneous crash of buildings. This study presents the results on seven rhabdomyolysis patients treated in our clinics out of nine casualties who were rescued from the rubble of Zumrut apartment after the building collapsed suddenly and spontaneously. METHODS: As a result of the sudden, spontaneous collapse of the 10-floor Zumrut apartment in Konya at 20:15 hours on February 2, 2004, 92 out of a total of 121 persons who were inside the building lost their lives, and 29 casualties were rescued from the rubble. Nine hospitalized patients had crush syndrome, and a prophylactic mannitol-bicarbonate cocktail was started in all at admission. RESULTS: The time they remained entrapped under the rubble was 11.1 +/- 7.3 (5-24 hours) on average. The highest CPK level of the patients was 79049 +/- 75374 u/L (17478-223600 u/L), observed on the median day 1.7 +/- 1.1 (days 1-4) following the incident. ARF developed in only two cases (28.6%) owing to the prophylactic mannitol-bicarbonate cocktail administered to prevent ARF, and because of hyperpotassemia, hemodialysis (HD) treatment was administered to these patients. One patient required two sessions of HD, and another required four. In both patients who received HD treatment, the level of potassium was in excess of 7 mEq/L. A total of eight fasciotomies were performed on five (71.4%) of the seven patients with crush syndrome. Five of the fasciotomies (62.5%) were performed on two of our patients who required HD treatment. None of our patients with crush syndrome developed permanent kidney damage, and no mortality occurred. CONCLUSION: It was deduced that rapid fluid therapy accompanied by the prophylactic administration of mannitol-bicarbonate are largely effective in preventing the development of ARF in cases with crush syndrome resulting from disasters. PMID- 17763171 TI - Acute renal failure associated with rhabdomyolysis in acute Q Fever. AB - The clinical presentation of Q fever is polymorphic and non-specific, and it may be presented as an acute or chronic disease. Renal complications of acute Q fever such as acute glomerulonephritis are not uncommon. Acute renal failure induced by rhabdomyolysis in acute Q fever has until now never been reported in the literature. We presented a case of acute Q fever associated by extreme rhabdomyolysis and consecutive acute renal failure. A male patient was treated with doxycycline and continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration. After two weeks of treatment, the patient completely recovered kidney function, and there were no clinical abnormalities. Acute Q fever must be considered as a possible cause of rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure. The continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration may be effective, and it seems to be the treatment of choice in severe rhabdomyolysis and consecutive acute renal failure. PMID- 17763172 TI - Adult hemolytic-uremic syndrome associated with urosepsis due to Shigatoxin producing Escherichia coli O138:H-. AB - We report the case of a 62-year-old man without prodromal symptoms who developed a hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) one week after the diagnosis of an acute bacteremic urinary infection (UTI). In this patient, the E. coli isolated in blood cultures was a non-O157:H7 Shigatoxin-producing strain that could subsequently be identified as O138:H-. This is a strain that is normally found in pigs and that has never been isolated in humans previously. UTI-related HUS is a rare event, as until now, only 14 pediatric and 3 adult cases have been reported. Indeed, this new case, besides its interesting microbiological aspects, should heighten our awareness of UTI-related HUS as a rare but real condition, not only in young children but also in adult patients. This should emphasize the necessity to search actively for other sources of Shigatoxin-producing E. coli in patients presenting with HUS without gastrointestinal symptoms. PMID- 17763173 TI - Continuous hemodiafiltration in the treatment of hyperammonemia due to methylmalonic acidemia. AB - Methylmalonic academia (MMA) is a rare inborn error of branched-chain amino acid metabolism. Therapy consists of a special formulated protein diet, carnitine supplementation, and emergent detoxification during acute decompensation. Continuous hemodiafiltration is a modality choice to treat acute metabolic decompensation in inborn error of metabolism. We report the successful use of continuous hemodiafiltration in the management of acute decompensation in patients with methylmalonic academia. Three male patients were diagnosed with methylmalonic academia with the initial presentation of hyperammonemia. Continuous hemodiafiltration was utilized to treat acute decompensation of metabolic crisis. This approach results in a rapid reduction of systemic toxin levels. Continuous hemodiafiltration should be considered as a treatment modality for symptomatic neonates with MMA where hemodialysis is not feasible. PMID- 17763174 TI - Successful medical treatment of emphysematous pyelonephritis in a renal allograft recipient. AB - Emphysematous pyelonephritis in renal allograft recipients is a rare but serious complication. The management of this entity is a subject of controversy in live related donor programs where the absence of a second donor is a key factor influencing surgical removal of the graft. We present a case of emphysematous pyelonephritis in a renal allograft recipient managed successfully with medical therapy alone. PMID- 17763175 TI - An unusual etiology of erythropoietin resistance: hyperthyroidism. AB - Many possible causes of resistance to human recombinant erythropoietin (rh-EPO) have been reported in patients with renal failure. This case presents an unusual cause of erythropoietin-resistant anemia in a patient with chronic renal failure. A 61-year-old male patient who was on chronic hemodialysis program due to diabetic nephropathy for seven months developed erythropoietin resistant anemia. No iron deficiency was revealed by laboratory data, no megaloblastic anemia were found by biochemical investigation, and no inflammatory states including infection or neoplastic diseases were disclosed by abdominal ultrasonography, chest X-ray, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, or other methods (normal C reactive protein levels). This hemodialysis patient had epoetin-resistant anemia with primary autoimmune hyperthyroidism. The anti-thyroid therapy was effective not only against the hyperthyroidism but also against his epoetin resistant anemia. PMID- 17763176 TI - Renal failure with granulomatous interstitial nephritis and diffuse leukemic renal infiltration in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. AB - Renal dysfunction is uncommon in patients with leukemic infiltration of the kidney due to Chronic Lymphocytic Leukanemia (CLL). Granulomatous interstitial nephritis (GIN) is also rare, but a characteristic hallmark of certain diseases such as sarcoidosis and tuberculosis. GIN has been associated with medications, infections, inflammation, Wegener's granulomatosis, and jejuno-ileal bypass. GIN combined with leukemic infiltration by CLL is very uncommon. We present a 72-year old male with Binet stage A CLL who developed progressive renal failure over a period of four years requiring maintenance dialysis. During the course of his illness, he underwent renal biopsies at different time intervals, revealing varying degrees of involvement by GIN together with leukemic infiltration. PMID- 17763177 TI - Excellent prognosis of culture negative endocarditis in hemodialysis patients: a case series. AB - Despite improved diagnostic methods, antimicrobial agents and more sophisticated echocardiographic studies, the incidence of infective endocarditis remains high, especially in a uremic and end stage renal disease (ESRD) population. Culture negative endocarditis (CNE) patients with normal renal function have increased morbidity and mortality, but clinical features and outcome in hemodialysis patients remains unclear. This study reported five survival cases of CNE in hemodialysis patients. The prognosis of all dialysis-related CNE patients enrolled in this study was excellent. PMID- 17763178 TI - Nutritional status of hemodialysis patients with hepatitis C infection. PMID- 17763179 TI - Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis presenting with recurrent ascites and tamoxifen: case reports and review of the literature. PMID- 17763180 TI - Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis in an anti-HCV-positive patient on chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. PMID- 17763181 TI - Adiponectin, obesity and atherosclerosis. AB - The circulating protein adiponectin has been the subject of immense interest ever since it was first discovered in the mid-1990s. The protein is uniquely produced and secreted by mature adipocytes and is believed to have important anti inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects; low levels have been shown to be predictive of future type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This review discusses adiponectin in relation to obesity, inflammation, insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. PMID- 17763182 TI - Folate in colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. PMID- 17763183 TI - Relationship between serum soluble E-selectin levels and development of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether diabetic retinopathy is associated with serum soluble E-selectin (ssE-selectin) level in type 2 diabetic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-six patients with type 2 diabetes classified as Groups A, B, C and D according to grade of retinopathy were enrolled in the study. Sixteen age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects were also enrolled. Levels of ssE selectin were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in all patients and control subjects. Clinical characteristics and ssE-selectin levels were compared between the groups. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in ssE-selectin levels between diabetic patients and non-diabetic control subjects (p>0.05). There was also no statistically significant difference in levels of ss E-selectin between diabetic subgroups (Groups A, B, C, D) (p>0.05). No correlation was found between ssE-selectin level and HbA1c, or duration of diabetes in the whole group of diabetic patients (r = 0.10, p>0.05 and r = -0.12, p>0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that no significant elevation of ssE-selectin occurs in patients with type 2 diabetes in comparison with control subjects. Our results also indicate that there is no statistically significant correlation between ssE-selectin level and the development or grade of diabetic retinopathy. PMID- 17763184 TI - Obesity and the clinical use of serum GGT activity as a marker of heavy drinking. AB - OBJECTIVE: Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is a widely used clinical marker of alcohol abuse. However, although obesity may also elevate serum GGT activities, the effects of overweight on the interpretation of GGT testing have remained poorly defined. MATERIAL AND METHODS: GGT activities from 1147 moderate drinkers and 449 abstainers who were classified according to body mass index (BMI) were compared with those of 208 heavy drinkers admitted for detoxification. RESULTS: GGT upper normal limits, defined based on normal weight abstainers (men 53 U/L; women 45 U/L) were lower than those based on moderate drinkers (men 68 U/L; women 50 U/L). The relative increases in GGT activities in male moderate drinkers with overweight (54%) or obesity (125%) exceeded the corresponding changes found in women (25% and 75%, respectively). The BMI-dependent variation on the sensitivity of GGT for correctly classifying heavy drinkers ranged from 29% to 67%. The rates of false-positive values in the subgroups from low to high BMI varied from 0% to 27%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The data indicate that the diagnostic value of serum GGT testing could be improved by using reference data derived from databases of abstainers with normal weight or BMI-based categorization of reference ranges. PMID- 17763185 TI - Effects and mediated pathway of electrical stimulation of nucleus ambiguus on gastric motility and mucus secretion in rats. AB - BACKGROUND: It has been reported that nucleus ambiguus (NA) can regulate gastric motility. However, gastric motility is enhanced or inhibited after NA is excited, and reports have been inconsistent. Does NA affect gastric mucus secretion? This has been unreported up to now. We researched the effects of electrical stimulation of NA on gastric motility and mucus secretion in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The rats were divided into three groups. Group I, right NA was stimulated by four stimulation parameters. Group II, left NA was stimulated by the same parameters. The four stimulation parameters were 30 Hz 0.15 mA, 30 Hz 0.20 mA, 40 Hz 0.15 mA and 40 Hz 0.20 mA, and the width of all stimulation pulses was 0.30 ms. Group III, right NA was stimulated after the vagus nerves beneath the diaphragm were cut. RESULTS: Electrical stimulations of both NAs significantly inhibited gastric motility, the right NA more so than the left. The results for group III show that the inhibitory effect of NA on gastric motility was withdrawn by vagotomy beneath the diaphragm. CONCLUSIONS: NA inhibits gastric motility and the inhibitory degree of right NA is more than that of left NA. The inhibitory effect is mediated by vagus nerves. However, NA has no effect on gastric mucus secretion. PMID- 17763186 TI - Normal S-cholesterol indicates unchanged S-LDL, S-HDL and S-triglycerides in patients with previously acceptable blood lipids. AB - BACKGROUND: Analysis of blood lipids should be repeated routinely in many patients, and limiting testing to total cholesterol may eliminate the need for fasting prior to sampling, thereby saving time and money. The primary aim was to investigate the sufficiency of S-cholesterol analysis (TC) in monitoring all blood lipids. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The results of blood lipid measurement in blood samples taken at a primary care unit over a 10-year period were studied retrospectively, and the probability of TC predicting acceptable levels of LDL, HDL and TG was calculated. RESULTS: Blood lipid levels from two samples in 518 patients taken within an interval of 0.5 to 3 years were accessible for study. If TC, LDL, HDL and TG levels were previously acceptable within this interval, a single acceptable TC was a predictor of acceptable LDL (97 %), HDL (94-97 %) and TG levels (96 %). CONCLUSIONS: In patients requiring blood lipid monitoring, it may be concluded that if TC, LDL, HDL and TG levels are acceptable in one blood sample, this is sufficient to monitor TC levels. If TC levels remain acceptable, there is no need to analyse LDL, HDL and TG levels more than every second year. PMID- 17763187 TI - Imprecision of cardiac marker analyses among laboratories on the basis of external quality assurance results: Finnish experience. AB - The purpose of this report was to evaluate the reproducibility and harmonization of cardiac marker tests and to describe the current situation concerning quality of assays for cardiac markers on the basis of the results of the external quality control schemes (EQAS) of Labquality Ltd., Helsinki, Finland in the period 2002 to 2005. Finnish EQAS surveys obtained for proficiency samples at low marker concentration indicated that the overall coefficient of variation (CV) between laboratories for CK-MBmass and troponin I exceeded 10 %, while for cardiac troponin T the CV was 8.6 %. Intra-laboratory reproducibility was investigated in a single laboratory using concomitant testing in the same EDTA plasma samples to establish cut-off limits for one CK-MBmass and three troponin assays. The 10 % imprecision limit obtained from the concomitant testing in the same samples for CK-MBmass was (by Elecsys) 8.5 microg/L, for cardiac troponin T (by Elecsys) 0.023 microg/L and for cardiac troponin I (by AxSYM) and by Immulite 2000) 0.85 microg/L and 0.63 microg/L. At present, it is recommended that laboratories determine the concentration at which the 10 % imprecision for a specific cardiac marker assay is reached, because the assays generally do not reach that imprecision at the level of the 99th percentile value, usually taken as decisional level. However, common efforts of scientific societies and professional diagnostic industry associations internationally are needed if consensus is to be reached on standardization of immunoassays for cardiac markers and uniform results obtained among laboratories. PMID- 17763188 TI - Human chorionic gonadatropin (hCG) during third trimester pregnancy. AB - OBJECTIVE: Separate reference values were recently established for routine blood samples during last trimester pregnancy. Previously, these were based on blood samples from healthy men or non-pregnant women. Normal changes in variation in the levels of steroid hormones in the last weeks of pregnancy before delivery are also incompletely investigated. This study of the preterm hormone levels was carried out in the search for events leading to increased contractility that might occur in the predelivery weeks and potentially influence the initiation of delivery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Blood samples during pregnancy weeks 33, 36 and 39 as well as 1-3 h postpartum were collected from pregnant women (19-39 years, mean age 30) with at least one previous pregnancy without hypertension or pre eclampsia. All women (n = 135) had had a vaginal delivery and spontaneous start of labour. The blood samples were analysed for serum hCG, oestradiol and progesterone. Postpartum, the values were retrospectively rearranged to correspond with the actual week before the day of delivery. RESULTS: During the last trimester of normal pregnancy, a gradual increase was found in oestradiol (median 45980 to 82410 pmol/L), progesterone (median 341 to 675 nmol/L) and a gradual decrease in hCG (median 31833 to 19494 IU/L). Furthermore, a significant (p<0.03) decrease in hCG was found from the third to the second week before delivery, while oestradiol and progesterone continued to increase. CONCLUSIONS: Hormone levels during third-trimester pregnancy have not previously been systematically investigated. Recent data suggest that hCG may have a role as an endogenous tocolytic in normal pregnancy by directly promoting relaxation of uterine contractions. In the present study a significant decrease in serum hCG level was found 2-3 weeks before the spontaneous start of labour. This might contribute to increasing the contractility in the uterine muscle and gradually initiate the onset of labour. PMID- 17763189 TI - Regional distribution of blood flow during proximal aortic cross-clamping: an experimental study using coloured microspheres. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of thoracic aortic cross-clamping on blood perfusion of the brain, spinal cord, heart, muscular tissue and visceral organs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nine pigs underwent 30 min cross-clamping of the descending thoracic aorta. Multiple coloured microspheres (15.0 microm +/- 0.1) were infused into the left ventricle before and during aortic cross-clamping (XC) and after declamping (DC). Tissue samples were analysed by spectrophotometry. RESULTS: Blood perfusion of the middle and lower segments of the spinal cord was significantly reduced during aortic XC. Perfusion of the brain was not significantly altered by aortic XC, while perfusion of myocardium increased 3 fold. During XC, perfusion of the deltoid muscle and diaphragm increased 5-fold and 13-fold, respectively, while a decrease was found in the gluteus muscle. Renal blood flow was significantly reduced during XC. Finally, XC induced a significant decrease of perfusion in the bowel, spleen, liver and pancreas. CONCLUSION: During XC of the thoracic aorta, the perfusion of the muscular tissue was significantly increased proximal to the level of XC. The circulation of the brain was unchanged, probably because of autoregulatory mechanisms. Blood perfusion of the myocardium increased 3-fold during XC. PMID- 17763190 TI - Arterial elasticity is associated with endothelial vasodilatory function and asymmetric dimethylarginine level in healthy subjects. AB - Arterial stiffening may be linked to the reduced bioactivity of nitric oxide (NO) and increased plasma concentrations of the endogenous NO synthase inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). The aim of this study was to investigate whether large (C1) and small artery (C2) elasticity is associated with endothelial function index (EFI) and plasma concentration of ADMA. We included 63 healthy subjects, aged 19 to 70 years, in the study. EFI, C1 and C2 were assessed by pulse wave analysis (PWA) and ADMA level was measured using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Linear regression analysis revealed significant positive correlation between EFI and both C1 and C2 (R = 0.29, p = 0.02; R = 0.38, p = 0.002, respectively). A significant inverse association occurred between ADMA and C1 as well as C2 (R = -0.32, p = 0.03; R = -0.37, p = 0.009, respectively). In multiple regression analysis, C2 was determined by EFI, ADMA, age and BMI, and C1 was correlated with EFI, age and BMI. These findings suggest that endothelial vasodilatory dysfunction and accumulation of ADMA may be important mechanisms underlying reduced arterial elasticity in healthy subjects. PMID- 17763191 TI - Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 levels in plasma from tumour arteries and veins of patients with rectal cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE: Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) plays a major role in the regulation of tissue growth, including cancer growth. The TIMP-1 protein can be determined in plasma, and increased plasma levels of TIMP-1 are associated with a poor prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether tumour tissue release of the TIMP-1 protein contributes to the increased plasma levels of TIMP-1 observed in patients with colorectal cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Preoperative blood samples from a peripheral vein and intraoperative blood samples from a tumour artery, a tumour vein and from a peripheral vein were drawn from 24 patients undergoing elective, intended curative surgery for primary rectal cancer. TIMP-1 levels were determined concurrently in plasma from all samples using a validated ELISA method. Counts of white blood cells and platelets were also carried out. RESULTS: No significant differences between plasma TIMP-1 levels could be demonstrated in any compartment. In particular, there was no significant difference in TIMP-1 levels in plasma from tumour arteries and tumour veins. However, there was a significant decrease in neutrophil cell counts from tumour arteries to tumour veins (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present results do not support the current hypothesis that tumour cells contribute substantially to increased plasma TIMP-1 levels observed in patients with colorectal cancer. PMID- 17763192 TI - Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF-II and IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-3 levels in Arab subjects with coronary heart disease. AB - OBJECTIVE: Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I, IGF-II) and their binding protein (IGFBP-3) may be risk markers for coronary heart disease (CHD). This study aimed to assess the levels and determinants of the serum levels of IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP-3 in Arab patients with established CHD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two groups of subjects were matched for age, gender, BMI and waist-hip ratio (WHR): (i) CHD (n = 105), median age 51.0 (range 40.0-60.0) years; (ii) controls (n = 97) aged 49.0 (range 37.0-60.0) years. We measured fasting serum levels of glucose and lipoproteins (total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, apo B), insulin, HOMA IR, IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP-3 and compared the results between groups. The effects of body mass and the metabolic syndrome (MS) on IGF levels were also examined, and linear correlations were sought between the various parameters. RESULTS: The levels of IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP-3 were significantly lower (all p<0.01) for the CHD group than for the control group. These differences were not influenced by BMI or with the presence of MS. In CHD, there were no significant correlations between levels of IGF-I and IGF-II and age, BMI, WHR, lipoprotein concentrations and insulin sensitivity, although IGFBP-3 had weakly significant relationships with some of the lipoproteins. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP3 are reduced in male Arab patients with CHD, and did not appear influenced by traditional CHD risk factors such as age, BMI, insulin sensitivity and presence of MS. Perturbations in the IGF/IGFBP-3 axis may be potential additional targets for pharmacological manipulation in CHD. PMID- 17763193 TI - Evaluation of Gentian cystatin C reagent on Abbott Ci8200 and calculation of glomerular filtration rate expressed in mL/min/1.73 m(2) from the cystatin C values in mg/L. AB - OBJECTIVE: Estimation of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is essential when evaluating patients with kidney disease and treating patients with drugs eliminated from the circulation by the kidneys. Cystatin C has been shown in several studies to be superior to creatinine in the estimation of GFR. At our hospitals, there is an increasing demand for cystatin C and at present we perform approximately 1500 cystatin C analyses a month. We thus need the assay available 24 h/day and to have it on our routine chemistry instrument to minimize handling time per test and time to reported test results. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have evaluated a new cystatin C immunoassay from Gentian (Gentian, Moss, Norway) on Architect ci8200 (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Ill., USA). A prerequisite at our hospital is that cystatin C results are reported as a calculated GFR in mL/min/1.73 m(2), so we also made a comparison with iohexol clearance. RESULTS: The Gentian cystatin C assay showed good agreement with the corresponding assay from Dade Behring (Deerfield, Ill., USA) and good inter-laboratory concordance. The assay has very low total imprecision, good linearity and strong correlation with iohexol clearance (R (2) = 0.956). The equation for the correlation curve is: y = 79.901x(-1.4389). CONCLUSIONS: There was low inter-laboratory variation between the three laboratories involved in the cystatin C evaluation, and thus all three laboratories can use the same equation for calculating the estimated GFR. PMID- 17763194 TI - Circulating ghrelin levels in obese women: a possible association with hypertension. AB - OBJECTIVE: The orexigenic hormone ghrelin induces weight gain by stimulating food intake. Ghrelin has been shown to modulate sympathetic activity, to exert vasodilative effects and to counterreact with leptin on both food intake and blood pressure. Of these two hormones, ghrelin levels are decreased in obesity, whereas leptin levels are increased. In this cross-sectional study, differences in serum ghrelin and leptin levels were examined in normotensive and hypertensive obese women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-one normotensive and hypertensive women were classified according to the body mass indices as follows: (a) 18 healthy subjects with BMI 21.5-27.5 kg/m(2); (b) 22 normotensive subjects with BMI 30-47 kg/m(2); (c) 21 hypertensive obese subjects (BMI 30-48 kg/m(2)) with systolic blood pressure > or =140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure > or =90 mmHg. Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences and blood pressure were recorded. The levels of ghrelin and leptin were determined in sera using the commercial ELISA kits. RESULTS: In normotensive obese subjects, ghrelin levels were significantly lower than in controls (0.21+/ 0.13 vs 0.60+/-0.3 ng/mL), whereas hypertensive obese women had elevated ghrelin levels (0.64+/-0.36 ng/mL). Ghrelin concentration was decreased despite the presence of hypertension in the patients who had BMIs above 35 kg/m(2). Leptin levels were significantly higher in both normotensive and hypertensive obese groups (19.54+/-11.19 and 21.61+/-12.7 ng/mL, respectively) than in controls (7.61+/-3.3 ng/mL), and were not affected by the presence of hypertension in obese subjects. CONCLUSION: Ghrelin was positively associated with hypertension in obese women and this association was inversely influenced by the increase of BMI. PMID- 17763196 TI - Challenges in the development of strategies for housing adaptation evaluations. AB - Founded on recent empirical experiences and results from a Housing Adaptation Project accomplished in a Swedish municipality, this paper aims to elucidate and problematize challenges inherent in the process of developing research-based strategies for housing adaptation (HA) evaluations feasible for municipality contexts. In this paper, theory and conceptual definitions of client-level outcomes related to Swedish HA legislation - i.e. accessibility, usability, and activity - are presented. In order to lay the ground for the presentation and discussion on challenges, the Housing Adaptation Project is described with regard to design sampling and data collection, client-level outcomes and assessment instruments used, as well as longitudinal results. The challenges faced during the project were related to the assessment of outcomes, the logistic flow of the data-collection process, client availability for follow-up assessments as well as interpretation of changes in accessibility. Some challenges were due to the organizational HA framework in the municipalities, while others were related to the methodology used for outcomes assessment. Based on our experiences with this project, a set of evaluation recommendations for practice and research is provided. PMID- 17763197 TI - Clients using community occupational therapy services: sociodemographic factors and the occurrence of diseases and disabilities. AB - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe sociodemographic factors and the occurrence of diseases and disabilities among a representative sample of clients who were using community occupational therapy services in Norway. METHOD: A postal survey of occupational therapists about their last clients (n=168) was carried out in 2001. A survey questionnaire based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) was developed. Diagnoses were coded according to the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2). RESULTS: This study showed that more than half of the clients were adults, youths, or children. Only 17% of adults participated in "ordinary working life", and of those approximately 10% were on sick leave and 62% were on disablement pension. A predominance of neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease was found (24%). Stroke was the most common principal diagnosis (19%). Musculoskeletal (16%) and mental diseases (13%) were also frequently reported. "Movement impairments" (96%) were most common in the body function component. Frequent problems in several domains of the activity and participation components were reported, in particular in "education, work and employment" (93-94%) and "recreation and leisure" (94%). CONCLUSION: Clients using community occupational therapy in Norway had numerous types of chronic and severe diseases, and a high occurrence of musculoskeletal impairment, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. PMID- 17763198 TI - Worker Role Interview: testing the psychometric properties of the Icelandic version. AB - In Iceland, the worker role is one of the most enacted and valued roles, but the national disability rate is increasing and is often associated with the loss of the worker role. Resources in work rehabilitation in Iceland are disjointed, and the Ministry of Health and Social Security is calling for more focused and effective services in the field of work rehabilitation. One step towards reaching the goal of more effective services is having a reliable and theory-based assessment tool available to clinicians. The Worker Role Interview (WRI) is a psychometrically sound assessment tool based on the Model of Human Occupation. WRI assesses the psychosocial and environmental factors influencing injured and disabled workers' ability to return to work. This article examines the psychometric properties of the Icelandic version of the WRI (WRI-IS) in order to determine whether therapists can use the instrument in a consistent and dependable manner. Fourteen Icelandic occupational therapists completed the WRI IS with 146 clients who intended to return to work. Eleven of the interviewed clients were videotaped and rated by more than one therapist. Total ratings were 249. A many-faceted Rasch measurement (MFRM) approach was used to analyze the WRI IS. Fifteen of the 17 WRI-IS items showed acceptable fit to the measurement model, and the items represented a meaningful continuum of psychosocial ability to return to work. The 14 therapists and over 95% of the clients showed acceptable fit to the model. The results indicate that the WRI-IS can generate reliable and valid measures of a client's psychosocial ability to return to work. PMID- 17763199 TI - Elderly persons' expectations of day-care rehabilitation. AB - The aim of this study was to explore elderly persons' conceptions of what they expected to gain from attending day-care rehabilitation centres (DCR). A purposeful sampling procedure was employed. Interviews with 22 prospective elderly day-care patients were carried out and analysed according to a phenomenographic approach. The analysis yielded eight categories. Two categories, Social contact and Exercise, described what the elderly persons expected to encounter. The remaining categories, A change from the monotony of everyday life, An opportunity to be yourself, A balm for the body, A safety net, A mastery of everyday activities, and An energizing spark, described the meanings of the encounters. Two categories were attributed to the elderly persons' physical presence at the centre and the gains were expected to end when the programme ended. In three categories the expected improvements were projected into the future and were expected to last. The findings imply that follow-up home visits and suggestions for alternative social activities in order to provide stimulation and social equality would be a valuable complement to the DCR programme. Rehabilitation personnel need to consider the ambivalent view on assistive devices as well as the elderly person's need for continuity when setting goals and planning individual programmes. PMID- 17763200 TI - Test-retest of a Swedish version of the Pulmonary Functional Status & Dyspnea Questionnaire-modified. AB - The number of people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing. From an occupational therapy perspective, it is important to estimate dyspnea, fatigue and activity performance in daily activities to be able to use the most effective interventions. In Sweden, there are several assessments for evaluating activities in daily living, but none of them are diagnosis specific for this group. The Pulmonary Functional Status & Dyspnea Questionnaire Modified (PFSDQ-M) is a self-completion assessment, which takes a short time to complete. The aim of this study was to translate the PFSDQ-M into Swedish and test it twice on 30 people to make a test-retest assessment. The aim was also to evaluate the interviewees' experience of filling in the form. Agreement between the assessments was examined by percentage agreement (PA) and unweighted kappa value (k). The test-retest shows the complexity of evaluating the influence of dyspnea and fatigue in performing activities. It was easier to reach agreement in a five-point scale compared to an eleven-point scale. When it comes to screening people with COPD, the PFSDQ-M can be a valuable instrument for detecting individuals who require occupational therapy. PMID- 17763201 TI - Experiences of daily occupations at 99 years of age. AB - The aim was to explore experiences of daily occupations among the oldest old. Ten 99-year-old persons were interviewed in their living environment about an ordinary day. The interviews were analysed according to the phenomenographic approach. The result showed that participants regarded themselves as competent and that they felt proud because they were involved in daily occupations. Being challenged was experienced as a way of performing difficult tasks, thus being confirmed as a capable person who performs and learns new things. The participants' occupational patterns preserve occupational ability and continuity in life in that they have a rhythm and allow the individuals to predict and handle interruptions. Participants experienced being incapable and being restricted as a result of personal, environmental, and social hindrances. The participants adapted to and reshaped their sense of self, which has been disrupted due to the discrepancy between self, the person's ability, and the real world "outside". Experience of daily occupation is unique, supports the sense of self, builds identities, and describes engagement and creative processes. Individual experience must be recognized as it can mean the difference between success and failure in maintaining meaningful daily occupation. PMID- 17763202 TI - The clinical role of IL-23p19 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical implications of the over-expression of synovial and circulating interleukin (IL)-23p19 and the correlation between IL 23p19 and other cytokines such as IL-17, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)alpha, and IL-1beta in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Synovial fluid (SF) and sera of 22 patients with RA were obtained during knee arthrocentesis and stored at -20 degrees C. Tender/swollen joint counts, 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor (RF), and antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP Ab) were measured. Bony erosions were determined by X-rays. Serum and SF IL-23p19, IL-17, TNFalpha, and IL-1beta concentrations were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The concentration of IL-23p19 correlated with the concentration of IL-17 in SF and sera, and with the concentrations of TNFalpha and IL-1beta in sera. SF IL-23p19 concentration was higher in patients who had bony erosions than those who had not. However, there was no correlation between IL-23p19 concentrations and other clinical parameters of RA. CONCLUSION: Upregulated IL-23p19 in SF might be involved in joint destruction in RA through interplay with other cytokines such as IL-17, TNFalpha, and IL-1beta. PMID- 17763203 TI - Effects of selective and non-selective cyclo-oxygenase inhibition on endothelial function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. AB - OBJECTIVES: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk that has been attributed to endothelial dysfunction and inflammation. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors have been shown in some studies to improve endothelial function in subjects without RA. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of COX inhibition on endothelial function in patients with RA. METHODS: Patients with RA (n = 37) were randomized to receive a 2-week course of either indomethacin (75 mg bd), rofecoxib (12.5 mg bd), or placebo in a double-blind study. Endothelial function was measured using flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery in response to reactive hyperaemia. Arterial stiffness was also assessed using pulse wave analysis (PWA) through the measurement of the aortic augmentation index (AIx). Measurements of vascular function and inflammatory markers were taken before and at the end of the treatment period. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in changes in FMD, AIx, blood pressure (BP), serum creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), or high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) between groups. However, compared with the other treatment groups, there was a tendency for systolic BP to decrease in the placebo group (p = 0.063) and for creatinine to increase in the indomethacin and rofecoxib groups after treatment (p = 0.054). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that COX inhibition by indomethacin or rofecoxib do not improve endothelial function in patients with RA. PMID- 17763204 TI - Cost of Finnish statutory inpatient rehabilitation and its impact on functional and work capacity of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: experience from the FIN-RACo trial. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the cost of the statutory inpatient rehabilitation system in Finland and its impact on the functional and work capacity of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: In the Finnish Rheumatoid Arthritis Combination-Therapy trial (FIN-RACo), 195 patients with recent-onset RA, 162 of them available for the work force, were randomly assigned to two different drug treatment strategies for 2 years. Otherwise, the patients received routine multidisciplinary care and, if their functional or work capacity was endangered, were referred to inpatient rehabilitation. After a 5-year follow-up, data on rehabilitation, sick leave, and RA-related disability pensions were obtained from official registers. RESULTS: Of the 162 patients, 49 (30%) underwent inpatient rehabilitation at an average cost of EURO5400. The rehabilitated patients more often worked in white-collar jobs and had more pain and a worse Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score (1.0 vs. 0.78; p = 0.01) at baseline. Their HAQ scores remained higher throughout follow-up (p<0.001); no change appeared over inpatient periods [mean 0.01; 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.13 to 0.16]. No independent impact of rehabilitation on the HAQ score emerged in an adjusted generalized estimating equations (GEE) model (p = 0.55). Nor did any improvement in work capacity appear: average lost productivity (human capital approach) per patient year was EURO10 155 (95% CI 6994-14 196) before and EUR 12 839 (95% CI 8589-19 139) after the start of rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: For patients with recent onset RA, the Finnish statutory inpatient rehabilitation system had no positive impact on either functional or work capacity during the first few years, despite its considerable cost. PMID- 17763205 TI - TNF receptor I polymorphism is associated with persistent palindromic rheumatism. AB - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), TNF receptor superfamily member 1A (TNFRSF1A, also known as TNFRI), TNFRSF1B (TNFRII), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the susceptibility to persistent palindromic rheumatism (PR). METHODS: Fifty-six unrelated patients with persistent PR and 100 unrelated healthy controls were genotyped for TNFalpha -308G/A, -238G/A, and +488G/A, TNFRSF1A -609G/T and +36A/G, TNFRSF1B +676T/G and +1663G/A, and IL-1beta -511C/T, -31T/C, and +3954C/T using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: The TNFRSF1A +36G allele [odds ratio (OR) = 3.94, p = 0.003, corrected p (p(c)) = 0.03] and the TNFRSF1A +36AG genotype (OR = 4.81, p = 0.002, p(c) = 0.04) were significantly associated with persistent PR. The frequency of TNFRSF1B +676T/+1663A was increased in PR patients (OR = 2.12, p = 0.01), but failed to reach statistical significance after Bonferroni correction. No correlation was observed between persistent PR and TNFalpha, TNFRSF1A -609G/T, or IL-1beta SNPs. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide evidence of an association between persistent PR and SNPs within the TNFRSF1A gene, and suggest that TNFRI is involved in the aetiopathogenesis of PR. PMID- 17763206 TI - Pulmonary dysfunction in systemic lupus erythematosus and anti-phospholipid syndrome patients. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare parameters of pulmonary function in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) patients. METHODS: Consecutive patients (n = 74) who were free of respiratory symptoms were divided into four groups: 1) SLE (n = 23); 2) SLE with anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) (n = 18); 3) SLE with APS (n = 20); and 4) primary APS (PAPS) (n = 13). Pulmonary function testing, single breath diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO/SB) and echocardiography studies were performed. Induced sputum cytology was analysed. RESULTS: Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and DLCO were significantly reduced in SLE compared to PAPS patients (p = 0.039; p = 0.017; p = 0.029, respectively). Elevated pulmonary arterial pressure was observed in two patients with SLE and aPL and in two with SLE and APS. Lymphocyte and eosinophil counts in induced sputum showed no significant differences; however, a trend towards lower CD4 counts in SLE vs. PAPS was noted (p = 0.086), while in patients with both SLE and APS, a low CD4/CD8 ratio was seen. Patients with APS were older than patients without APS (47.12+/-14.86 vs. 34.29+/-12.6, p = 0.0001), while SLE patients were younger than PAPS patients (38.19+/-14.68 vs. 48.53+/-13.97, p = 0.023). CONCLUSION: Abnormal pulmonary functions tests were detected frequently in asymptomatic patients with SLE or PAPS. Although SLE patients were younger, pulmonary function was significantly more impaired in SLE as compared to PAPS patients. PMID- 17763207 TI - Anti-chromatin and anti-C1q antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus compared to other systemic autoimmune diseases. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence, sensitivity, and specificity of anti chromatin and anti-C1q antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis compared to small vessel vasculitis and other connective tissue diseases. To provide long-term follow-up data for anti-chromatin antibodies in lupus nephritis. METHODS: We determined the significance of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA), anti- double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA), anti-chromatin, and anti-C1q antibodies, as well as complement factors C3 and C4, in relation to disease activity in SLE patients with (n = 47; long-term follow-up data for 33 patients) and without (n = 31) biopsy-confirmed lupus nephritis, microscopic polyangiitis (n = 37), Wegener's granulomatosis (n = 66), primary Sjogren's syndrome (n = 17), limited scleroderma (CREST syndrome) (n = 6), and progressive systemic scleroderma (PSS) (n = 11). RESULTS: Anti-chromatin antibodies were more specific and sensitive than anti-C1q antibodies in distinguishing SLE patients from those with other systemic autoimmune diseases [anti-chromatin: sensitivity 64.1%, specificity 99.2%, odds ratio (OR) 219.6; anti-C1q: sensitivity 50%, specificity 72.6%, OR 2.65]. Anti-C1q antibodies were present in 75% of patients with Sjogren's syndrome and 35.1% of patients with microscopic polyangiitis. Anti chromatin antibodies could identify SLE in patients with positive ANA but negative anti-dsDNA antibodies. Persisting anti-chromatin antibodies indicated SLE disease activity, even if anti-dsDNA antibodies had become negative. In long term follow-up, those SLE patients with negative anti-dsDNA antibodies but persisting ANA and anti-chromatin antibodies relapsed if immunosuppression had been tapered. Anti-chromatin antibodies correlated with the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) as a marker of disease activity. CONCLUSIONS: The measurement of anti-chromatin, but not anti-C1q, antibodies in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases increases diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for SLE and assists in treatment decisions in anti-dsDNA-negative patients. PMID- 17763208 TI - Association of the -2510A/G chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 polymorphism with knee osteoarthritis in a Korean population. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible association between polymorphisms [the 2510A/G promoter polymorphism (rs1024611) and the Cys35Cys coding polymorphism (rs4586) in exon 2] of the chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) gene and knee osteoarthritis (OA) in a Korean population. METHODS: DNA was obtained from 153 Korean primary knee OA patients and 270 healthy controls. CCL2 genomic variants ( 2510A/G and Cys35Cys polymorphisms) were detected by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). In additional, the effect of -2510A/G on CCL2 transcription was examined, using a luciferase reporter gene construct transfected into HMC-1 cells. RESULTS: The -2510A/G promoter polymorphism was associated with OA [genotype frequency, p = 0.041; allele frequency, p = 0.017, odds ratio (OR) = 1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07 1.96]. Significant association was observed between the G carrier of the -2510A/G promoter polymorphism and primary knee OA patients (p = 0.021, OR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.12-4.52). The G carrier of the -2510A/G promoter polymorphism was also associated with both clinically subtyped OA patients (OA patients with functionally poor index and radiographically severe OA patients). However, no significant difference was found in the Cys35Cys polymorphism. Haplotype frequency analysis revealed a significant difference (chi(2) = 8.98, p = 0.030). The CCL2 serum level of subjects with the G carrier (290.0+/-87.5 pg/mL) of the 2510A/G promoter polymorphism was statistically higher than that of subjects with the non-G carrier (161.5+/-48.3 pg/mL). The luciferase activity was significantly greater from interleukin (IL)-1beta-induced cells transfected with constructs containing G at position -2510. CONCLUSIONS: The G carrier of the -2510A/G promoter polymorphism was found to be associated with primary knee OA, and could be a susceptibility factor in the development of primary knee OA in the Korean population. PMID- 17763209 TI - Serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the intercritical phase of hereditary periodic fevers and its relationship with the MIF-173G/C polymorphism. AB - OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of the -173 single-nucleotide G/C polymorphism of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene (MIF) and serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) concentrations in a group of Italian patients with hereditary periodic fevers (HPF), tested during a symptom-free phase of their disease. METHODS: Genomic DNA for MIF and serum MIF were evaluated in 22 patients with HPF and compared with healthy controls of the same ethnic group. The MIF-173G/C polymorphism was genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and visualized by ethidium bromide staining. Serum MIF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: MIF-173*C allele frequency and MIF serum concentrations were significantly higher in patients with HPF than in controls, with no statistically significant difference between familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and hyperimmunoglobulinaemia D/periodic fever syndrome (HIDS) and no correlation with specific MIF genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: The MIF-173*C allele was found more frequently in patients with HPF than in controls and MIF serum concentrations were considerably elevated in attack-free phases, suggesting a persistent state of subclinical cytokine activation with MIF involvement in the autoinflammatory cascade. PMID- 17763210 TI - In vivo interactions of platelets and leucocytes with the endothelium in murine antigen-induced arthritis: the role of P-selectin. AB - OBJECTIVE: Platelets are thought to participate in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We showed recently an in vivo increase in platelet-endothelial cell interactions in mice with antigen induced arthritis (AiA). The underlying mechanisms are not yet clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of P-selectin in AiA by means of intravital fluorescence microscopy (IVM). METHODS: C57/Bl6 mice and P-selectin deficient mice were divided into four groups (n = 7; control/AiA per strain). The extent of AiA was assessed by measuring knee joint swelling and by histological scoring. Rolling and adherent fluorescence-labelled platelets and leucocytes were investigated by IVM. RESULTS: In arthritic P-selectin-deficient mice (rolling: 0.05+/-0.01; adherent: 130+/-20 mm(-2)), compared to arthritic C57/Bl6 mice (rolling: 0.20+/-0.04; adherent: 1910+/-200 mm(-2)), platelet interaction was significantly reduced (p<0.05) and reached the level of both control groups without AiA. In addition, interaction of leucocytes in P-selectin-deficient arthritic animals (rolling: 0.12+/-0.06; adherent: 387+/-37 mm(-2)) was significantly decreased in comparison to arthritic C57/Bl6 animals (rolling: 0.21+/-0.06; adherent: 1492+/-284 mm(-2); p<0.05). Swelling of the knee joint and histological scoring were reduced in arthritic P-selectin-deficient mice compared to arthritic C57/Bl6 mice. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated for the first time in vivo a significant decrease in the interaction of platelets and leucocytes with the endothelium in P-selectin-deficient mice with AiA and a reduction in clinical and histological symptoms of arthritis. These findings suggest that leucocyte endothelial cell interactions depend at least partially on platelet P-selectin and therefore platelets may be responsible for the leucocyte tissue damage in AiA. PMID- 17763211 TI - Staphylococcus aureus thymic abscesses associated with anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy. PMID- 17763212 TI - A case of chronic polyarthritis with debut in 1771: rheumatoid arthritis or Poncet's disease? PMID- 17763213 TI - Spontaneous remission in Wegener's granulomatosis. PMID- 17763214 TI - Serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-3 in undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy. PMID- 17763215 TI - The rationale behind recommendations for follow-up after urinary diversion: an evidence-based approach. PMID- 17763216 TI - Intracellular calcium in hypertrophic smooth muscle from rat urinary bladder. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore whether infravesical outlet obstruction is associated with alterations in calcium activation of detrusor smooth muscle. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Outlet obstruction was created by partial ligature of the urethra in female rats. Western blotting was performed using an antibody against the cytoplasmatic region of the alpha1c subunit of the L-type Ca2+ channel. Intracellular calcium was measured using Fura-2 in detrusors that had been obstructed for 10 days and activated by high K+ concentrations at different extracellular Ca2+ concentrations. The rate of force development after rapid opening of L-type Ca2+ channels was measured in contractions initiated by flash photolysis of nifedipine in Ca2(+)-containing depolarizing solution. RESULTS: Bladder weight increased from 62 +/- 3 to 254 +/- 43 mg after 10 days of obstruction. Expression of the alpha1c subunit increased after 3 days and continued to increase until it was about fourfold greater after 10 days; however, it had not increased further at 6 weeks. This change was reversible after removal of obstruction. Activation with K+ produced a stable force at different extracellular Ca2+ concentrations, with no difference in response between controls and rats that had been obstructed for 10 days. Intracellular Ca2+ concentrations were lower in the obstructed group, showing that the calcium sensitivity of the contraction force had increased. The delay between the opening of L-type channels and the onset of contraction was longer in obstructed detrusors. CONCLUSIONS: Growth of detrusor muscle following obstruction is accompanied by attenuated calcium transients following activation, despite upregulation of L-type Ca2+ channels. The Ca2+ sensitivity of contraction was increased in obstructed detrusors. We suggest that the decreased surface: volume ratio in hypertrophic smooth muscle cells is partly involved in the lowered Ca2+ transients. The increases in L-type calcium channels and in calcium sensitivity may be compensatory mechanisms. PMID- 17763217 TI - The National Penile Cancer Register in Sweden 2000-2003. AB - OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the first 4 years of operation of the National Penile Cancer Register (NPECR) in Sweden. The register was set up to gain knowledge about the incidence and primary treatment of penile cancer, including the use of and the frequency of lymph node dissection. The register elicits treatment disparities between regions, and aims to determine the impact of clinical practice guidelines introduced in Sweden. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients newly diagnosed with penile cancer after the year 2000 have been registered in the NPECR. A total of 454 patients were registered in the period 2000-2003. RESULTS: Registrations in the NPECR were almost complete, with 98.7% of cases registered in the National Cancer Register also being registered in the NPECR. At least 145 clinicians reported to the register. The annual incidence of penile cancer is 2.2/100 000 men. Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for 95% of the cases. The mean age at diagnosis was 65.5 years. Most tumours were classified as Tis, T1 or T2, each class representing 25-30% of the total number of diagnosed cases. Penis-preserving treatment was performed in 58% of the patients (Table I). The number of patients classified as > or = T1/G2-G3 was 206, and 101 of these patients (49%) underwent inguinal lymphadenectomy. CONCLUSIONS: We have introduced a population-based register in Sweden with almost complete registration, and this offers unique possibilities for further studies of both epidemiological and clinical aspects of penile cancer. The results obtained to date indicate that the primary treatment is done in many settings and that guidelines, e.g. to dissect lymph nodes, are not always followed. PMID- 17763218 TI - Prognostic value of p53, Ki-67, microstaging and microvessel density in pT1G3 bladder tumors: creation of risk groups for progression. AB - OBJECTIVE: New predictive factors for bladder tumor progression have been analyzed in many publications, often with contradictory results. Very few papers have referred specifically to T1G3 tumors. Our objective was to find new, clinically useful markers which either alone or in association with classical prognostic factors would allow the early selection of the correct therapeutic approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 83 patients with T1G3 bladder tumors who were initially treated with transurethral resection + bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy, with a minimum follow-up period of 3 years. We analyzed eight variables. New factors considered were: the level of submucosal invasion; microvessel density; and immunostaining for Ki-67 and p53. Independent prognostic variables for progression were established using logistic regression analysis, and risk groups were created from mathematical models. RESULTS: Five variables were determined as unfavorable: tumor multiplicity; tumor size >3 cm; carcinoma in situ; T1b substage; and p53 positivity. The first three factors predicted progression in only 32% of cases, while the addition of the new prognostic factors (T1b substage and p53 positivity) increased this rate to 65%. We established four risk groups, with rates of progression of 67% and 100% in the high-risk and very high-risk groups, respectively. For inclusion in these groups, both new predictive factors had to be unfavorable; if either one were absent then the three classical factors had to be present. CONCLUSIONS: Microstaging and p53 positivity have a prognostic value for predicting progression in T1G3 tumors, providing 33% more information than that obtained with classical prognostic factors alone. The application of mathematical models identifies risk groups and allows the use of an early and more aggressive treatment. PMID- 17763219 TI - Prospective study of transitional cell carcinoma in the prostatic urethra and prostate in the cystoprostatectomy specimen. Incidence, characteristics and preoperative detection. AB - OBJECTIVES: To prospectively evaluate the incidence of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in the prostatic urethra and prostate in the cystoprostatectomy specimen, investigate characteristics of bladder tumours in relation to the risk of involvement of the prostatic urethra and prostate and examine the sensitivity of preoperative loop biopsies from the prostatic urethra. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Preoperatively, patients were investigated with cold cup biopsies from the bladder and transurethral loop biopsies from the bladder neck to the verumontanum. The prostate and bladder neck were submitted to sagittal whole mount pathological analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of TCC in the prostatic urethra and prostate in the cystoprostatectomy specimen was 29% (50/175 patients). Age, previous bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment, carcinoma in situ (Cis) in the cold cup mapping biopsies and tumour grade were not associated with the risk of TCC in the prostatic urethra/prostate. Cis, multifocal Cis (> or = 2 locations) and tumour location in the trigone were significantly more common in cystectomy specimens with TCC in the prostatic urethra and prostate: 21/50 (42%) vs 32/125 (26%), p=0.045; 20/50 (40%) vs 27/125 (22%), p=0.023; and 20/50 (40%) vs 26/125 (21%), p=0.01, respectively. Preoperative resectional biopsies from the prostatic urethra in the 154 patients analysed identified 31/47 (66%) of patients with TCC in the prostatic urethra/prostate, with a specificity of 89%. The detection of stromal-invasive and non-stromal involvement was similar: 66% and 65%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of TCC in the prostatic urethra and prostate was 29% (50/175) in the cystoprostatectomy specimen. Preoperative biopsies from the prostatic urethra identified 66% of patients with such tumour growth. Our findings suggest that preoperative cold cup mapping biopsies of the bladder for detection of Cis add little extra information with regard to the risk of TCC in the prostatic urethra and prostate. PMID- 17763220 TI - Implications of circulating chromogranin A in prostate cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether measurement of circulating chromogranin A (CgA) levels provides clinicopathological and prognostic information in prostate cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Plasma CgA levels were measured in 57 patients with histologically confirmed prostate cancer (stage B or less, n=22; stage C, n=10; stage D1, n=2; hormone-naive D2, n=12; hormone-refractory D2, n=11) and in 22 with undetected prostate cancer using an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. RESULTS: Median plasma CgA levels were significantly higher in patients with prostate cancer than in those with undetected cancer (p=0.0271). Higher stage (p<0.0001) and higher grade (p=0.0412) tumours were also significantly associated with higher plasma CgA levels. Above-normal CgA levels were also detected in 4/27 patients (15%) who underwent radical prostatectomy. Postoperative clinical failure was not reported in the prostatectomy patients; however, prostate specific antigen (PSA) failure was reported in 44% of patients after a median follow-up period of 20.3 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that the pathological stage of the tumour was the only independent predictive variable for postoperative PSA failure (p=0.0494). Preoperative plasma CgA levels had no impact on postoperative PSA failure in the subgroup (prostatectomy patients). Elevated plasma CgA levels were associated with a poor survival prognosis in patients with stage D2 prostate cancer after a median follow-up period of 22.5 months (p=0.0416). CONCLUSIONS: It was demonstrated in this study that plasma CgA levels in prostate cancer increase with the severity of the disease, especially for progressive hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC), after hormone therapy. Although this cross-sectional study involved only a small number of patients, we believe that plasma CgA levels may effectively predict HRPC status and prognosis in metastatic cases. PMID- 17763221 TI - Prevalence of prostate cancer at different levels of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and different free: total PSA ratios in a consecutive series of men referred for prostate biopsies. AB - OBJECTIVE: In this retrospective study we report on the detection rate of prostate cancer (PCa) at different levels of prostate-specific antigen in serum (s-PSA) and at different PSA ratios (free:total PSA) during a 2-year period in patients without previously known PCa. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During the years 2001 and 2002, 361 consecutive patients were examined with ultrasound-guided core needle biopsies at our department. The patients were biopsied due to an increased s-PSA level, a low PSA ratio or findings at digital rectal examination (DRE). Patients with previously known cancer (T1a/b or cancer already detected with fine needle aspiration cytology) were excluded. We used the BioPince biopsy needle, which has a stroke length of 32 mm. In 91% of the patients, eight biopsies were taken from the apex, mid-medial, mid-lateral and base positions bilaterally. RESULTS: Of the 361 patients, 188 (52%) had PCa. Most cancers were T1c or T2 tumors (51% and 34%, respectively). Among patients with an s-PSA level of < 4 ng/ml, 8/35 (23%) had PCa. Five of 13 patients with a normal DRE (T1c) and an s PSA level of < 4 ng/ml had PCa. In total, in the PSA ratio intervals 0.05-0.1 and 0.11-0.17, cancer was found in 71% and 51% of cases, respectively. In contrast, only 35% of patients had positive biopsies when the PSA ratio was normal (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The overall cancer detection rate was high and a large proportion of patients with an s-PSA level of < 4 ng/ml had PCa. The risk of having PCa increased considerably with a low PSA ratio. PMID- 17763222 TI - Improved survival of patients with prostate cancer in northern Denmark, 1985 2004. AB - OBJECTIVE: In 2003 prostate cancer was the commonest non-cutaneous cancer among men. In general, the prognosis for men with prostate cancer is less favourable in Denmark than in neighbouring countries. We aimed to examine possible changes in the long-term survival of patients with prostate cancer in four counties in Denmark during the period 1985-2004. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From four Danish counties (population 1.6 million) we included all patients (n=8928) with an incident discharge diagnosis of prostate cancer, as recorded in regional hospital discharge registries. We determined age-stratified survival and mortality rates, and used Cox proportional hazards regression to assess changes over time while controlling for age. RESULTS: The median age was 75 years (range 43-99 years). The number of patients increased during the four time periods, especially for those aged <70 years. The overall survival rate improved over time, in particular for the period 2001-04. One-year survival increased from 71% (1985-89) to 77% (2001-04). Overall 5-year survival was unchanged (26% and 28% for 1985-89 and 2001-04, respectively), whereas 5-year survival in patients aged <70 years improved from 35% in 1985-89 to 41% in 1995-99. Compared with the period 1985-89, the age-adjusted 1-year mortality rate ratio (MRR) was 0.79 (95% CI 0.70-0.89) (2000-04) and the age-adjusted 5-year MRR was 0.95 (95% CI 0.88-1.02 (1995-99). CONCLUSIONS: The survival of prostate cancer patients has improved in Denmark over the time period 1985-2005, and this change was most pronounced in men aged <70 years. These results may suggest a benefit from increasing use of prostate specific antigen testing leading to an earlier diagnosis of prostate cancer, in some cases with a lower tumour burden. PMID- 17763223 TI - Management of post-radical prostatectomy anastomotic stricture by endoscopic transurethral balloon dilatation. AB - OBJECTIVE: Anastomotic strictures are seen more commonly with increasing treatment of prostate cancer by means of radical prostatectomy. In view of the proximity to the sphincter, anastomotic strictures need careful management to avoid making the patient incontinent. We describe our experience with a novel method. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nine patients who had developed anastomotic strictures were treated with endoscopic transurethral balloon dilatation. A catheter was left in place for 24 h postoperatively. RESULTS: Eight patients were treated successfully and remained well after a median follow-up period of 33 months. There were no complications and all patients remained continent. CONCLUSION: This is a safe and effective procedure that should be used as a first line treatment for the management of anastomotic strictures, with transurethral incision being reserved for non-responders. PMID- 17763224 TI - Composition and clinically determined hardness of urinary tract stones. AB - OBJECTIVES: To derive hardness factors for crystal phases of urinary tract stones and describe the hardness pattern in a stone population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a retrospective study, recordings from patients treated with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) (stone surface area < or = 100 mm2) were used to derive hardness factors. The number of re-treatments, the number of shock waves and the energy index (the voltage in kilovolts multiplied by the number of shock waves) required for a satisfactory stone disintegration were assumed to reflect the hardness. The stone composition in 2100 patients provided the basis for an average hardness pattern. A hardness index was calculated from the fraction of each crystal phase and its hardness factor. RESULTS: The hardness factors were as follows: calcium oxalate monohydrate, 1.3; calcium oxalate dehydrate, 1.0; hydroxyapatite, 1.1; brushite, 2.2; uric acid/urate, 1.0; cystine, 2.4; carbonate apatite, 1.3; magnesium ammonium phosphate, 1.0; and mixed infection stones, 1.0. The hardness index for 114 stones (surface area 100-200 mm2) corresponded reasonably well to the ESWL treatment efforts. Calcium oxalate monohydrate, calcium oxalate dihydrate and hydroxyapatite were the most frequently encountered crystal phases in all 2100 stones. Only 21% of the stones were composed of only one crystal phase. There were two, three and more than three crystal phases in 26%, 38% and 15% of the stones, respectively. The hardness index calculated for 2100 stones ranged between 0.70 and 2.33, with a mean (SD) of 1.18 (0.15). CONCLUSIONS: The hardness factors and hardness index derived in this study might be useful for describing the stone situation in individual patients and groups of patients and for comparison of various treatment strategies. PMID- 17763225 TI - Adjustable Continence Therapy for the treatment of male stress urinary incontinence: a single-centre study. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Adjustable Continence Therapy (ProACT) device, a new device for the treatment of male stress urinary incontinence resulting from compromised sphincteric function. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 64 males with post-prostatectomy incontinence underwent ProACT implantation. Efficacy was assessed by means of a daily pad count, a direct visual stress test, administration of the Incontinence Quality of Life (IQOL) and patient global impression (PGI) questionnaires and use of a visual analogue scale (VAS) to assess improvement in incontinence. These assessments were performed at baseline, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the procedure and annually thereafter. RESULTS: The pad count declined from a median of 5.2 at baseline to 2 at 6 months and to 1.54 at 12 months. The median baseline IQOL score was 31.7, and this improved to 62.5 at 6 months and to 71.1 at 12 months. In terms of postoperative daily pad usage, 43 patients (67%) were considered to be dry, 10 (15%) improved and 11 (17%) unchanged. In terms of the post operative PGI score, 42 patients (66%) considered themselves to have improved greatly, 10 (16%) to have improved quite a lot, 6 (9%) to have improved slightly and 6 (9%) to be unchanged. The average improvement based on the VAS was 80%. The average number of postoperative adjustments was three (range zero to nine). Complications included infection (2/64; 3%), erosion of balloons (5/64; 7.6%), migration (2/64; 3%) and balloon deflation (2/64; 3%). Device removal was required in 9/64 patients (14%) but was easily achieved using local anaesthesia, and this thus permitted further therapeutic intervention. New balloons were implanted following endoscopic confirmation of urethral healing. CONCLUSION: The ProACT device represents an efficacious treatment modality, which has an acceptable complication rate for a difficult group of patients. PMID- 17763226 TI - Pelvic floor muscle training before transurethral resection of the prostate: a randomized, controlled, blinded study. AB - OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of preoperative pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) in men scheduled for transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in a randomized, single-blind study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-eight men with benign prostatic obstruction were included, and 49 completed the study (training group, n=26; control group, n=23). The preoperative training included a 1-h individual lesson, three 1-h group lessons and a home training programme. Postoperatively and before discharge from hospital both groups received verbal instructions regarding PFMT. Pelvic floor muscle function was assessed by anal examination before and 4 weeks after surgery by one physiotherapist who was blinded to the randomization. The primary outcome parameter was the total score on the Danish Prostatic Symptom Score questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures were other subjective and objective voiding and incontinence parameters and four tests of the pelvic floor muscle: function; strength; static endurance; and dynamic endurance. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups. Improved static endurance occurred in the training group but not in the control group (p=0.004). Regarding dynamic endurance, a difference in favour of training developed between the groups (p=0.049). Many men produced results that were outside the test scales. At follow-up at 2 and 4 weeks and 3 months there were no differences between the groups in any of the lower urinary tract parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative PFMT produced a significant improvement in pelvic floor muscle endurance after TURP, but clinically relevant storage or voiding improvements did not occur. Pelvic floor muscle assessment tests need to be sex specific. PMID- 17763227 TI - Efficacy and impact of botulinum toxin A on quality of life in patients with neurogenic detrusor overactivity: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a single injection of 500 U of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A; Dysport) on use of oral rescue medication, bladder compliance, continence and quality of life in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study in patients with incontinence due to neurogenic detrusor overactivity. As this group of patients often have severe symptoms, oral tolterodine was allowed as rescue medication and the amount of tolterodine consumed was our primary endpoint. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 31 patients with urinary leakage due to spinal cord injury, myelomeningocele, trauma at birth, multiple sclerosis and myelitis of another cause were randomized to intravesical injections of either 500 U of BTX-A or placebo. Intake of tolterodine and episodes of urinary leakage were registered. Cystometry was performed after 6, 12 and 26 weeks and quality of life was assessed. RESULTS: Patients in the BTX-A group had a significantly lower intake of tolterodine throughout the study compared to those in the placebo group (p=0.003). Cystometric capacity was significantly higher at 6 (p<0.001) and 12 weeks (p=0.026) and maximum detrusor pressure and frequency of urinary leakage were significantly (p<0.01) lower during follow-up in the BTX-A group compared to the placebo group. In addition, many quality-of-life parameters were significantly improved in the BTX-A group compared to the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Intravesical injection of 500 U of BTX-A in patients with neurogenic detrusor instability was shown to be an effective treatment which reduced use of oral medication, high detrusor pressure and frequency of urinary leakage during the overall study period of 26 weeks. Quality of life was also significantly improved. PMID- 17763228 TI - Residual urine after intermittent catheterization in females using two different catheters. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of a new 7-cm long female catheter (SpeediCath Compact; Coloplast A/S, Humlebaek, Denmark) to drain the urinary bladder compared to standard-length female catheters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a prospective, single-blind, randomized, crossover study. Twenty-four female intermittent catheter users with neurogenic bladder dysfunction took part. Each test person catheterized three times with the test catheter on one day and three times with a standard-length female catheter on another day. The residual urine (RU) volume in the bladder after catheterization was measured by means of ultrasound. Furthermore, participants were asked to evaluate the length and handling of the test catheter during insertion, and to rate their overall satisfaction with the test catheter. RESULTS: There was no difference between the catheters in terms of volume of RU. One test person could not use the SpeediCath Compact catheter. Twenty-three participants found handling the SpeediCath Compact very easy or easy and rated their overall satisfaction with it as either very satisfying or satisfying. CONCLUSION: In most females, the SpeediCath Compact catheter is at least as efficient at emptying the bladder as more conventional female catheters. PMID- 17763229 TI - Pyelovenous backflow or veno-caliceal valve fistula? AB - A 70-year-old male with urinary bladder carcinoma was admitted for follow-up. Retrograde pyelography demonstrated transfer of contrast medium into the left renal vein in two independent sessions. The absence of hematuria and a negative CT scan ruled out a classical veno-caliceal fistula. The presence of a veno caliceal valve fistula into the left renal vein was hypothesized. PMID- 17763231 TI - Papilledema associated with dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. AB - The purpose of this paper is to report a case of dialysis disequilibrium syndrome as an unusual cause of papilledema. A 38-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes mellitus presented with decreased visual acuity and bilateral optic nerve swelling associated with systemic signs and symptoms of dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. Repeated lumbar punctures revealed elevated intracranial pressures. She was placed on acetazolamide with some improvement in symptoms. After renal transplantation, the patient had complete resolution of headaches, nausea and the papilledema. Our conclusion is that patients with visual disturbance and focal neurological symptoms during and after hemodialysis should be suspected of having dialysis disequilibrium syndrome (DDS). DDS is thought to occur as a result of a rapid reduction in plasma osmolality during dialysis. As the shift of urea from cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) is delayed, the relative increase in CSF osmolality draws fluid into the brain. The ensuing cerebral edema is responsible for the characteristic neurological symptoms. We report the association of papilledema with this syndrome, and caution as to the possible concurrent risk of permanent visual impairment. PMID- 17763232 TI - Ranibizumab-pegaptanib therapy for idiopathic choroidal neovascularization: report of a case. AB - Idiopathic choroidal neovascularization is a rather uncommon condition in children and young adults. While some cases resolve spontaneously, in this case visual acuity deteriorated from 20/25 to 20/80 in the affected eye of a 20-year old college student. After weighing numerous treatment options, she was treated with an intravitreal injection of Ranibizumab (Lucentis) which induced an involution of the membrane over one month's time. Vision recovered to 20/20-1. A follow-up injection with Pegaptanib sodium (Macugen) was administered to promote further involution of the membrane. Vision remained stable over the next four months with no recurrence of the membrane. PMID- 17763233 TI - Ethambutol neuroretinopathy. AB - OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features of ethambutol neuroretinopathy. DESIGN: Case report and meta-analysis of the literature. PARTICIPANTS: A patient with clinical and electrophysiological findings suggestive of ethambutol neuroretinopathy. TESTING: Electroretinogram, electro-oculogram and visual fields. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Clinical and electrophysiological findings. RESULTS: 101 cases were reviewed, retinal findings include retinal pigment epithelial changes, macular edema, flame-shaped hemorrhages. Electroretinogram findings include decreased amplitude and abnormal wave pattern in full field ERG, multifocal or pattern ERG and electro-oculogram findings include abnormal Arden ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical, electrophysiological and in vitro studies support the toxic effect of ethambutol on the retina. Therefore ethambutol ocular toxicity may be a neuroretinopathy. PMID- 17763234 TI - Optic disc melanocytoma and glaucoma. AB - An 82-year-old man presented with optic disc melanocytoma and glaucomatous optic neuropathy. The coexistence of these findings is particularly challenging, as there is no specific means for differentiating whether the optic nerve damage is glaucoma- or melanocytoma-related. PMID- 17763235 TI - Cystoid macular edema with docetaxel chemotherapy and the fluid retention syndrome. AB - Docetaxel (Taxotere) is an anticancer agent used to treat a wide range of malignancies including breast, lung, and prostate cancer. In this report, we describe a patient with bilateral vision loss due to cystoid macular edema (CME) associated with docetaxel therapy. This report documents for the first time the optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings of CME despite the lack of leakage with flourescein angiography and its association with the Fluid Retention Syndrome (FRS). Successful management of CME with oral acetazolamide is also discussed. PMID- 17763236 TI - The coexistence of age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa in three unrelated families. AB - PURPOSE: To describe the clinical, electroretinographic (ERG) and genetic findings in three unrelated families with a coexistence of severe, atrophic age related macular degeneration (ARMD) in the first generation and rod-cone retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in the second generation. METHODS: Patients underwent complete ophthalmologic examination, fluorescein angiography (FA), Humphrey visual field (HVF) and ERG analyses. Genetic screening was conducted to search for mutations of the ABCA4, peripherin/RDS, and GCAP-1 genes. RESULTS: In each of the three families, the mother demonstrated severe vision loss from geographic atrophy (GA). At least one child in each family demonstrated clinical and ERG evidence of rod-cone RP with a flat or severely depressed scotopic response and a variably depressed photopic response. Genetic screening was negative for known mutations in ABCA4, peripherin/RDS and GCAP-1 genes. CONCLUSIONS: The coexistence of ARMD and RP in different members of one family lacks precedent in the literature. Here we present three families with severe, atrophic ARMD (GA) in the mothers and rod-cone RP in the children, which may represent a novel phenotype. A currently unidentified genetic mutation with variable expression and/or gene manifesting a carrier state may explain the presence of these two diseases in the same family. PMID- 17763238 TI - Spontaneous macular hole closure in bilateral macular holes. AB - The natural course of full thickness macular hole is progression in size and stage. There have been reports of spontaneous closure of unilateral idiopathic full thickness macular holes, but we report the first case of spontaneous closure of a full thickness macular hole in one eye in a patient with bilateral idiopathic full thickness macular holes. After macular hole surgery in the left eye of the patient, spontaneous closure of the macular hole in the right eye was observed during the follow-up period. PMID- 17763237 TI - Retinal manifestations of cerebroretinal vasculopathy. AB - We report a case of a 42-year-old woman who presented with a slowly progressive decrease in visual acuity and memory loss. Dilated fundus exam showed cotton-wool spots and parafoveal telangiectasias. Fluorescein angiography revealed foveal capillary nonperfusion, which was very similar to that of her father, who passed away from a similar illness. These two patients share the same clinical, angiographic and pathologic features as a pedigree that had autosomal dominant cerebroretinal vasculopathy. Hereditary small vessel disease of the brain and retina is a spectrum of different entities that has many manifestations in end organs outside of the central nervous system. PMID- 17763239 TI - Retinal astrocytic hamartoma with associated macular edema: report of spontaneous resolution of macular edema as a result of increasing hamartoma calcification. AB - The purpose of this article is to report a case of retinal astrocytic hamartoma with an associated macular edema and the spontaneous resolution of the latter due to an increase in hamartoma calcification over a seven-year follow-up period. Clinical examination, red-free and colour fundus photographs, fluorescein angiography, and optical coherence tomography were performed during a seven-year follow-up. We conclude that retinal astrocytic hamartomas may be associated with cystoid macular edema. In some cases, the CME may resolve due to an increase in tumor calcification. Whether the progressive calcification of the retinal mass represents an overall positive prognostic factor is still unknown and further histologic studies are certainly required. PMID- 17763240 TI - Treatment considerations for primary uveal melanoma with choroidal metastasis to the fellow eye. AB - We report two cases of primary uveal melanoma with metastatic involvement of the contralateral eye. Two female patients presented with primary choroidal melanoma. In the first case, primary enucleation of the affected eye was performed. Two years later, systemic tumor spread with contralateral choroidal melanoma was detected. A decision for observation of the ocular metastasis was made. In the second case, systemic tumor spread was already evident at time of initial diagnosis of the ocular melanoma. Six months later, a choroidal metastasis was detected in the fellow eye. Again, observation was recommended. In conclusion, systemic spread of primary choroidal melanoma may include a choroidal metastasis to the contralateral eye. Observation of the second affected eye may be prescribed. PMID- 17763241 TI - Sutureless Transconjunctival 20 Gauge pars plana Vitrectomy. AB - PURPOSE: Sutureless Transconjunctival 20 Gauge Vitrectomy (20G STV) is a technique that reduces the operating time and the post-operative inflammation. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Eighty-four eyes underwent this new technique. Conjunctival diathermy over the ports before sclerostomy produced adhesions adequate to stop transoperative conjunctival chemosis. The MVR blade introduced into the conjunctiva-sclera in a bevelled direction. The tunnel incision that was created left without a suture at the end of the operation. RESULTS: Three patients (3,5%) had hypotony (2-6 mmHg) on day 1 that was normalized 3 days later. Two of them had a bleb formation and the rest a very minor leakage through a flat conjunctiva. No other serious complications occurred as a result of this novel transconjunctival approach. Also there were no differences in visual acuity, intraocular pressure, redetachments, or inflammations between the patients who underwent this technique and the patients having the conventional 20-gauge pars plana technique. CONCLUSION: 20G STV is a safe and practical technique for the full spectrum of vitreoretinal surgery. It makes the surgery quicker and is well tolerated by patients. PMID- 17763242 TI - Retinal arterial macroaneurysm with blood-staining of the internal limiting membrane and optic nerve. AB - An 83-year-old man presented with a retinal arterial macroaneurysm complicated by vitreous hemorrhage, hyphema and ghost cell glaucoma requiring surgical intervention. After pars plana vitrectomy, anterior chamber wash-out and laser photocoagulation, the retinal arterial macroaneurysm closed but blood-staining of the optic nerve, internal limiting membrane and peripapillary vessels persisted. The rare sequela of blood-staining, which in this case did not adversely affect the final visual outcome, further contributes to our understanding of the wide ranging clinical spectrum of retinal arterial macroaneurysms. PMID- 17763243 TI - OCT-3 study of serous retinal detachment in a preeclamptic patient. AB - We report optical coherence tomography-3 (OCT-3) of retinal disorders in acute preeclampsia. A 33-year-old woman developed mind hypertension (170/90 mm Hg) and proteinuria in the 28th week of pregnancy. The patient complained of sudden and severe visual acuity decrease. Fundus exam showed bilateral serous retinal detachment at the macula area. OCT-3 exam demonstrated subretinal and intraretinal fluid. Bilateral serous retinal detachment is an unusual finding of preeclampsia of unknown aetiology. Intense arteriolar vasospasm has been implicated in the pathogenesis of the serous retinal detachment. OCT-3 showed the presence of both subretinal and intraretinal fluid during the acute phase of preeclampsia. PMID- 17763244 TI - Syphilitic scleritis and choroidal malignant melanoma of the same eye. AB - A 42-year-old Italian homosexual presented with a red painful eye associated with exudative retinal detachment that was subsequently attributed to syphilitic posterior scleritis. These findings all resolved with intravenous penicillin therapy. However, choroidal mass lesion persisted and subsequent ancillary imaging including B scan and ultrasonography confirmed the presence of a choroidal melanoma, which was treated with radioactive plaque therapy. This case report will describe the interesting findings of this unique presentation. PMID- 17763245 TI - Suprachoroidal hemorrhage as an intraoperative complication of 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy. AB - PURPOSE: To describe a case of suprachoroidal hemorrhage occurring during 25 gauge vitrectomy. METHODS: Retrospective case review. RESULTS: An 80-year old pseudophakic man developed intraoperative suprachoroidal hemorrhage during a vitreous biopsy procedure for chronic intraocular inflammation. Despite drainage of the choroidals, visual outcome was poor. CONCLUSIONS: 25-gauge vitrectomy is often referred to as a "less-invasive" procedure than 20-gauge vitrectomy, but it is not necessarily less risky and probably carries a similar risk profile. PMID- 17763246 TI - Intravitreal ranibizumab and bevacizumab: a review of risk. AB - Ranibizumab (Lucentis), a recombinant monoclonal antibody, blocks all active forms of vascular endothelial growth factor A and was the first treatment for age related macular degeneration shown to improve visual acuity in a substantial percentage of patients rather than slowing visual loss. Bevacizumab (Avastin) has a similar action, is related to the ranibizumab compound with respect to its structure, but has not been approved by the FDA for intravitreal use and therefore must be utilized only in an off-label setting. While ranibizumab was approved by the FDA at a dose of 0.5 mg per intravitreal injection, the manufacturer recently issued a letter to physicians warning of the increased risk of stroke at the FDA-approved dose as compared to a lower studied dose of 0.3 mg. An interim analysis of the ongoing SAILOR study revealed a 1.2% risk of stroke in the 0.5 mg arm versus 0.3% in the 0.3 mg arm (p = 0.02). It is unclear whether the trend toward a higher risk of stroke in patients receiving 0.5 mg dose of ranibizumab would persist in the final analysis, but details such as causality, topography, and severity of stroke in the SAILOR study should also be delineated. The risks of intraocular use of bevacizumab remain largely unknown at this time. PMID- 17763247 TI - Questions on the movement of the human eye (Part I). 1848. PMID- 17763249 TI - Full-tendon nasal transposition of the vertical rectus muscles: a retrospective review. AB - The authors report the results of a retrospective review of patients who underwent nasal transposition of the vertical rectus muscles between 1997 and 2004. Eight patients were identified, 4 males and 4 females. There was an average age at surgery of 37 years, with a range from 8 to 79 years. The aetiologies included 6 patients with trauma to their medial rectus (4 following endoscopic sinus surgery) and 2 patients with paralytic medial rectus muscles secondary to 3rd nerve palsy. All patients underwent whole tendon transposition of the superior and inferior rectus muscles, with resection of both muscles in 7 cases, before reattachment adjacent to the upper and lower borders of the medial rectus, respectively. One patient had a reduced amount of resection and this was combined with inferior oblique disinsertion and traction sutures. All patients had a reduction in deviation in the primary position and in 5 patients there was some improvement in adduction. A consequence of surgery was a degree of limitation of abduction, elevation and depression in some patients. Overall, patients were satisfied with the improvement in their appearance. PMID- 17763248 TI - Factors affecting the surgical outcome of primary exotropia. AB - AIMS: To identify the predictors for motor outcome and response to surgical treatment of primary exotropia. SETTING: Taunton and Somerset Hospital, Somerset, United Kingdom. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective analysis of the surgical treatment of primary exotropia performed in our department over a period of 12 years from April 1991 to May 2003. METHODS: Case-notes of the patients who had surgical treatment for primary exotropia for the specified period were identified by a hospital computer database (MDI coding). All case-notes were reviewed and the following data were recorded and used for statistical analysis: age at the time of surgery, type and severity of exotropia, presence of amblyopia, AV pattern and vertical deviation, the level of stereopsis, type of surgery, and motor and cosmetic results. The surgical outcome was determined as good motor outcome if tropia was within 10 PD of orthotropia. The response to surgery was derived from the difference between the preoperative and postoperative angle of deviation for distance per amount of muscle surgery in millimetres. RESULTS: A total of 124 cases were included in the study. Good motor outcome was achieved in 83 (67%) cases. There was a positive correlation between the preoperative angle of deviation at distance and dose response to surgery (r = 0.6 and p < 0.001) and a negative correlation between average corrected visual acuity and response (r = 0.21 and p = 0.025). There was a statistically significant negative relationship between preoperative stereopsis and response to surgery (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment for exotropia is effective and the dose response is correlated to the preoperative angle of deviation and average visual acuity. Poor or no preoperative stereopsis was associated with better response to surgery. PMID- 17763251 TI - Abducens nerve ocular neuromyotonia following non-sellar or parasellar tumors. AB - Ocular neuromyotonia is an uncommon disorder resulting from episodic involuntary discharge of ocular motor nerves producing sustained contraction of their respective ocular muscles. Ocular neuromyotonia manifests in brief spells of diplopia occurring spontaneously or after eccentric gaze holding. In most cases, ocular neuromyotonia follows months or years after radiotherapy to the sellar and parasellar region and involves the oculomotor nerve. We report two unusual cases of abducens nerve ocular neuromyotonia that followed radiation therapy of tumors in areas other than the sellar or parasellar region. PMID- 17763250 TI - Quantitative eye movement recordings in a patient with acquired bilateral superior oblique palsy before and after a bilateral Harada-Ito procedure. AB - PURPOSE: We examined the effects of the Harada-Ito procedure on static and dynamic alignment in an adult with acquired bilateral superior oblique palsy (SOP). METHODS: 3D eye movements were recorded before and six weeks after a bilateral Harada-Ito procedure. Superior oblique muscle (SOM) size and contractility were assessed with orbital imaging. RESULTS: On MRI, the left SOM was smaller than the right. Little contractile thickening was present in down gaze for either eye. Preoperatively, the patient had a hypertropia: 1.9 degrees right hypertropia (at down 20 degrees , left 20 degrees ) and 6.4 degrees left hypertropia (at down 20 degrees , right 20 degrees ). Postoperatively, the vertical tropia in all positions was < 1 degrees . Listing's primary position rotated toward straight ahead for the RE but was unchanged for the LE. Postoperatively, for 40 degrees upward saccades peak dynamic intrasaccadic extorsion decreased by 2.2-3.2 degrees for both eyes and for 40 degrees downward saccades by 2.3-3.6 degrees for the RE but was unchanged for the LE. Saccade conjugacy improved and post-saccadic drift lessened for all vertical saccades. CONCLUSIONS: The Harada-Ito procedure produced striking improvements in static and dynamic alignment in bilateral SOP. Some changes were binocular (decreased post-saccadic drift, improved saccade conjugacy, less dynamic extorsion for upward saccades) but others were much greater in the less paretic eye (torsional gradients from up to down gaze, less dynamic extorsion for downward saccades). Both central adaptive and peripheral mechanical changes explain these findings. Our results also imply that the Harada-Ito procedure has more effect when there is residual function of the SOM. PMID- 17763252 TI - External ophthalmoplegia as the presenting feature of systemic amyloidosis. AB - INTRODUCTION: Amyloidosis is a multi-system disease characterised by the intracellular deposition of beta-pleated sheets of amyloid. It can involve the eye, orbit and ocular adnexae. METHOD: We describe a case of a 58-year-old woman presenting to the eye department with external ophthalmoplegia, including the findings of various investigations. The spectrum of ocular amyloidosis is discussed. CONCLUSION: Amyloidosis may be the underlying diagnosis in some cases of external ophthalmoplegia with findings atypical to other systemic disease. PMID- 17763253 TI - Management of congenital fibrosis of the inferior rectus muscle associated with high myopia: a case report. AB - BACKGROUND: Congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles includes a wide spectrum of phenotypically heterogeneous disorders involving a single or multiple muscles. METHODS: We present a case of congenital fibrosis of the inferior rectus associated with ipsilateral high myopia. First we tried to treat the hypotropia with inferior rectus weakening and superior rectus strengthening procedures, but this failed, so we proceeded with an ocular sling with fascia lata and a vertical Hummelsheim procedure. RESULTS: Hypotropia improved completely after the last operation and some degree of upward movement appeared. CONCLUSION: It seems that in a highly myopic globe with fibrotic muscles, classical methods for the correction of deviation may have poor response and more innovative procedures may be required to correct the deviation. PMID- 17763254 TI - Use of botulinum toxin in small-angle heterotropia and decompensating heterophoria: a review of the literature. AB - Botulinum toxin has been used extensively in strabismus management. However, less is published regarding its use in small-angled manifest deviations or decompensating heterophorias, where an alternative to surgery is required. The aim of this review is to look at the use and effectiveness of botulinum toxin in managing small-angled manifest deviations, both constant and intermittent, and decompensating heterophorias. These types of strabismus can prove difficult to manage, as the angle present is often too small for surgery to be advised, but it may still cause a cosmetic or symptom-producing problem. A search of the English speaking literature was undertaken using Medline facilities as well as a limited manual search of non-Medline journals and transactions. A brief overview is provided for mechanisms of action, complications and dose effects, and diagnostic and therapeutic uses of botulinum toxin. The main reported complications are those of ptosis, induced vertical deviation and subconjunctival haemorrhage. The higher the dose, the greater the risk of complications. In small-angle strabismus, botulinum toxin is reported as particularly useful in cases of acquired and acute-onset esotropia in aiding maintenance of binocular vision. It is useful for additional management of surgically under- or over-corrected esotropia, particularly for those with potential for binocular vision. Less effect is reported in primary exotropia versus primary esotropia. It is the management of choice for consecutive exotropia, particularly when patients have had previous multiple surgery and where there is a risk for postoperative diplopia. Botulinum toxin has a specific role in decompensated heterophoria, allowing the visual axes a chance to 'lock on' and subsequently maintain binocular vision. Successful outcomes are reported after 1-2 injections only but the results are best in cases of heterophoria with little near-distance angle disparity. PMID- 17763256 TI - Evidence for preventing infection in abortion care. AB - There is controversy of whether prophylaxis treatment or a ''screen and treat'' policy should be adopted for preventing infective complications when women undergo abortion. There is currently compelling evidence that indicates that a universal policy of prophylaxis treatment to all women undergoing abortion should receive antibiotics. It is also a cost-effective policy. PMID- 17763257 TI - Pathogenesis of endometriosis: the role of defective 'immunosurveillance'. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyse the aetiopathogenesis and the role of defective 'immunosurveillance' in endometriosis. METHOD: Review of studies on the pathogenesis of endometriosis, focusing particularly on novel molecules which express adhesive or proteolytic properties. Hypotheses addressing the role of oxidative stress in endometriosis were also reviewed. RESULTS: Endometriosis is a multifactorial disease associated with a general inflammatory response aiming to clear the peritoneal cavity from the ectopic endometriotic cells and tissue. Modern theories suggest that this inflammatory response creates an environment that may promote implantation and proliferation due to defective 'immunosurveillance'. CONCLUSION: The modern interpretation of the theory of reflux menstruation holds that women destined to develop endometriosis have a deficient immune system, which cannot defend against regurgitated endometrial cells. New findings on genetics, immune modulation, and secreted products of endometriotic lesions of affected women have given insight into the pathogenesis of this disorder and may serve as the background for new treatments of endometriosis-associated pain and infertility. PMID- 17763258 TI - Evaluation of menstrual bleeding patterns: a new proposal for a universal guideline based on the analysis of more than 4500 bleeding diaries. AB - OBJECTIVE: To develop a universal guideline allowing the comparison of interventions like oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy with an impact on menstrual bleeding pattern. METHODS: Literature analysis and cluster analysis of 4612 bleeding diaries. RESULTS: We summarized key definitions needed for the evaluation of menstrual bleeding patterns from the literature. We developed a methodology to systematically evaluate menstrual bleeding patterns that distinguishes between cyclical and continuous hormonal regimens. CONCLUSION: This universal guideline can be applied to all prospective clinical studies that affect menstrual bleeding patterns. It allows regulatory agencies and prescribing physicians to make meaningful comparisons of different products. PMID- 17763259 TI - Expression of leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) during the window of implantation in copper T380A intrauterine device users. AB - OBJECTIVE: The mechanism of action of intrauterine devices (IUDs) is not well understood. This investigation was intended to gain further insight into the role of leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in intrauterine contraception. We evaluated the immunohistochemical distribution patterns of LIF in women wearing a copper T380A IUD. METHODS: The immunohistochemical distribution patterns of LIF in women who had been using a copper T380A IUD for different periods of time, two months after removal of the IUD, and in normal fertile women were evaluated. Endometrial biopsies were obtained from four groups of patients according to the duration of T Cu380A IUD use (group I: <5 years, n = 15, and group II: > or = 5 years, n = 15), after IUD removal (group III, n = 15) and normal fertile women (controls, n = 15) during the window of implantation (WOI). Staining intensity of LIF was evaluated using semi-quantitative IRS-scores. RESULTS: The lowest expression of LIF was observed in women using a copper T380A IUD, being statistically significant compared with the control group (p < 0.05). LIF immunostaining remained abnormal two months after IUD removal. CONCLUSIONS: Copper IUDs can inhibit expression of LIF and they may cause inhibition of the implantation stage, which is crucial for pregnancy. PMID- 17763260 TI - A Canadian multicentre prospective study on the effects of an oral contraceptive containing 3 mg drospirenone and 30 microg ethinyl oestradiol on somatic and psychological symptoms related to water retention and on body weight. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of an oral contraceptive containing 3 mg drospirenone (DRSP) and 30 microg ethinyl oestradiol (EE) on somatic and psychological symptoms related to water retention, and on body weight. METHODS: This prospective study was performed in 26 centres in Canada over six treatment cycles. The first primary efficacy variable was the individual change in the water retention score of the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) from baseline to the final examination in women with significant somatic symptoms related to water retention (n = 43). The second primary target variable was the change in body weight (n = 305). RESULTS: Forty-three women met the criteria for the first primary target variable. In the premenstrual phase, the score decreased from 6.49 (SEM 0.45) at baseline to 3.19 (SEM 0.54) at the final examination (p = 0.0001). The data for the menstrual phase were 4.70 (SEM 0.30) at baseline and 2.35 (SEM 0.32) at the final examination (p < 0.0001). Baseline data from 299 women were assessed for the second primary target variable. Body weight did not change significantly, having increased only by 0.14 kg (SEM 0.13) at the final visit (p = 0.3082). CONCLUSION: An oral contraceptive containing 3 mg DRSP and 30 microg EE significantly reduced the clinical symptoms of water retention. Body weight did not change. PMID- 17763262 TI - Clinical experience with NuvaRing in daily practice in Switzerland: cycle control and acceptability among women of all reproductive ages. AB - OBJECTIVES: To assess clinical experience with NuvaRing in daily practice in Switzerland, including a large subgroup of young women (aged < or = 22 years). METHODS: Open, prospective, multicentre, observational clinical experience study to investigate cycle control, acceptability and usage of NuvaRing. RESULTS: Altogether, 2642 women participated in the programme and were included in the analysis, of which 658 were aged < or = 22 years (25% of the total group). A total of 744 women (28% of the total group) discontinued NuvaRing use; the main reason was adverse events (11% of all users). In younger women, there was a shift from moderate (-18%) and heavy (-45%) bleeding to mild bleeding (+71%) and dysmenorrhoea decreased by 60%, despite previous hormonal contraception use by 83% of women. Most women found ring insertion and removal to be straightforward (>95%), and were satisfied with its use (85%), primarily for the ring's once-a month application (81%). Data were very similar for the total group. Cycle control and satisfaction were further improved with duration of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In daily practice, NuvaRing improved cycle control and was highly acceptable to women, including young women. Switchers from other hormonal methods also showed improved cycle control and high satisfaction. PMID- 17763261 TI - A one-year randomized double-blind, multicentre study to evaluate the effects of an oestrogen-reduced, continuous combined hormone replacement therapy preparation containing 1 mg oestradiol valerate and 2 mg dienogest on metabolism in postmenopausal women. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of an oestrogen-reduced, continuous combined hormone replacement therapy preparation containing 1 mg oestradiol valerate (1EV) and 2 mg dienogest (2DNG) on metabolism. METHODS: In a randomized double-blind study, 1EV/2DNG was compared with a reference preparation containing 1 mg 17Beta oestradiol and 0.5 mg norethisterone acetate (E2/NETA). For the primary variable, i.e. the ratio of HDL cholesterol (week 52 to baseline), at least 98 case evaluations were planned. Secondary variables were other lipid parameters, haemostasis factors and carbohydrate metabolism. RESULTS: After 1 year of treatment, the mean HDL cholesterol levels had decreased by 4.5 +/- 14.8% in the 1EV/2DNG group and by 6.1 +/- 13.9% in the E2/NETA group (treatment difference NS). The ratio of HDL cholesterol (week 52 to baseline) was 0.944 for 1EV/2DNG and 0.929 for E2/NETA (geometric means). The primary efficacy variable, the ratio of the geometric means of the two treatments (1EV/2DNG/E2/NETA) was 1.016, with a lower one-sided 95% confidence limit of 0.973, which was clearly above the prespecified non-inferiority bound of 0.85 (p-value < 0.001). HDL2 cholesterol increased by 0.3 +/- 34.4% (1EV/2DNG) and decreased by 6.2 +/- 34.3% (E2/NETA; treatment difference NS); HDL3 cholesterol decreased by 4.4 +/- 19.9% (1EV/2DNG) and 8.2 +/- 17.7% (E2/NETA; treatment difference NS). Changes in the haemostasis and carbohydrate variables were very similar in both treatment groups. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that a new oestrogen-reduced HRT preparation containing 1 mg oestradiol valerate and 2 mg dienogest has no major impact on lipid variables. Minimal changes were seen in haemostatic and carbohydrate variables. PMID- 17763263 TI - Side effects and acceptability of Implanon: a pilot study conducted in eastern Turkey. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess side effects during the first 6 months of use of Implanon. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study was conducted in eastern Turkey between June 2004 and May 2005. Forty-one healthy women, aged 18-40 years who chose to use Implanon participated in the study. The implant was inserted between days 1 and 5 of the menstrual cycle. Findings were recorded before and during 6 months following insertion. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS package programme including paired samples t-test. RESULTS: No pregnancy occurred during the study. Ninety days after initiation of therapy, three of the 41 patients (7.3%) had regular periods, 14 (34.1%) were amenorrhoeic and the remaining 24 (58.5%) had some type of abnormal bleeding. Dysmenorrhoea affected significantly less women (1/41, i.e. 2.4%) than before treatment (17/41, i.e. 41.5%), but mastalgia increased significantly as it was reported by five previously unaffected participants (12.2%). Mood changes appeared in seven patients (17.1%) and acne in 11 of them (26.8%). The circulating levels of protein C, total cholesterol and oestradiol dropped significantly. Endometrial thickness decreased significantly. At completion of the study period, removal of the implant was requested by eight of the 41 patients (19.5%) because of irregular bleeding (six women), depressive symptoms requiring treatment (one woman) or weight gain (one woman). CONCLUSIONS: Mainly because of irregular bleeding, the discontinuation rate of Implanon at 6 months among the women in this region is high (19.5%). PMID- 17763264 TI - Effect of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate on bone density in a Scottish industrial city. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine if long-term users of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate injectable contraception (DMPA) were more likely than their peers to have low bone density. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: The Domiciliary Family Planning Service, Glasgow, Scotland. SUBJECTS: Clients of the Domiciliary Service who had used DMPA for contraception for longer than 5 years (mean 12 years) were invited to participate and select their own control, a friend or relative who had never used this method of contraception. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Bone density measured at the hip and lumbar spine by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). RESULTS: DMPA users had a significantly lower bone density than controls, 12-13% less at both hip and lumbar spine. This difference remained even when controlling for parity, smoking, family history of kyphosis or hip fracture, and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: DMPA significantly decreases bone density in a group of long-term users with significant social deprivation. The long-term significance of this remains uncertain. PMID- 17763265 TI - Reasons and correlates of contraceptive discontinuation in Kuwait. AB - OBJECTIVES: (1) To examine the probability of discontinuation of various methods within 1, 2, and three years of use and the reasons for discontinuation; 2) to analyse the socio-demographic correlates of discontinuation. METHODS: Data from a survey of Kuwaiti women in reproductive ages conducted in 1999 were used. Information on duration of use of modern and traditional methods, and reasons for discontinuation during the 72 months before the survey were analysed. Probabilities of discontinuation were estimated through multiple decrement life table analysis. RESULTS: After 1 year, 30% of modern and 40% of traditional method users had discontinued; after 3 years, discontinuation increased to 66 and 70%, respectively. After 36 months, only 40% of IUD users discontinued compared with 74% of oral contraceptive users. The desire to become pregnant was the leading reason for discontinuation of most modern methods, while method failure was an equally important reason for traditional methods. Discontinuation was significantly more frequent among higher parity, non-working and Bedouin women, and among those who said Islam disapproves of contraception. DISCUSSION: Contraception is used largely for spacing. More than two-thirds of the women studied had discontinued most methods after three years, except the IUD, which was used only by about 10% of them. Traditional methods are often discontinued due to method failure and may result in an unintended pregnancy. Better counselling is warranted for traditional methods. Health care for managing side effects of modern methods also needs improvement. PMID- 17763266 TI - A qualitative analysis of accounts of hormonal contraceptive use: experiences and beliefs of British adolescents. AB - OBJECTIVES: Britain has high rates of unintended adolescent pregnancy compared to other European countries. Relatively little is known about the beliefs, attitudes and experiences of using hormonal contraceptive methods amongst middle-class adolescents, and mention of their views in the literature will add to the knowledge in this area. The current qualitative study addresses these issues to some extent. METHODS: Middle-class 16-18-year-old men and women were interviewed about their understanding and use of hormonal contraceptives. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and transcripts subjected to an adaptation of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). RESULTS: Six emergent themes represent important aspects of these adolescents' experiences: negative experiences, experiences unrelated to pregnancy prevention, mistrust of the pill, risk reduction, issues of communication and trust, and perceptions of pill promotion by adults. CONCLUSIONS: The findings illustrate the complexities inherent in contraceptive health care in relation to hormonal methods and highlight not only potential targets for enhancing effective use, but the importance of the way such information is disseminated. PMID- 17763268 TI - Age at menarche in Turkish adolescents in Kahramanmaras, Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the age at menarche in adolescents in the Eastern Mediterranean city of Kahramanmaras, Turkey. METHODS: The study was conducted in primary and high schools of Kahramanmaras, during the academic year 2003-2004. Data of 8212 female students were collected by using a standard questionnaire. Mean and median ages at menarche (with 95% confidence intervals) were calculated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Also, probit analysis was performed to determine the age at menarche for all girls by estimating the age at which 10, 25, 50, 75 and 90% of the girls reached menarche. RESULTS: According to the answers obtained through the questionnaire, 5506 (67.5%) of 8161 respondents had had their menarche. Mean age at menarche was 13.04 years (95% CI: 13.01-13.06), and median age 13.00 years (95% CI: 12.97-13.03). According to probit analyses, the probability of menstruating before the age of 11.48 years was 10% and before 15.08 years 90%. CONCLUSION: We provide data about age at menarche in Kahramanmaras, an Eastern Mediterranean city of Turkey. PMID- 17763267 TI - Induced abortion frequency in Ankara, Turkey, before and after the legal regulation of induced abortion. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of the 1983 law that legalized induced abortion on the number and place of abortions, and on the use of family planning (FP) methods before and after abortion, and to determine the demographic characteristics and reproductive health features according to the order of abortion. METHOD: This study included 2455 married, widowed or divorced women presenting at Mother and Child Health-Family Planning Centres in Ankara. A questionnaire was used for data collection. RESULT: Nearly three out of 10 (28.7%) of the women had undergone at least one induced abortion. In the age groups 45-54 and 55-64, 49 and 37.3%, respectively, had had one or more terminations of pregnancy (TOPs). The induced abortion rate increased following the enacting of the law. In the 15-24 and in the 55-64 age group, 55.6 and 89%, respectively, of the women had been aborted by a private physician. Before the index pregnancy, 63.1% were not using contraception compared with 37.3% thereafter. The rate of use of FP increased after the law was passed. CONCLUSION: Although the most common reason for having an abortion was unwanted pregnancy in all age groups and nearly 60.0% of the women aged less than 55 reported that they were not using any FP method at the time of the TOP, the proportion of women having undergone at least one of these procedures increased after the law was passed, indicating that abortion is used as a FP method. PMID- 17763269 TI - Transverse limb reduction and intrauterine device: case report and review of the literature. AB - BACKGROUND: Pregnancies with an intrauterine device (IUD) in situ are associated with increased maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality. No proven teratogenetic effects have been attributed to IUDs. CASE: A 29-year-old-woman conceived with an IUD in place. The device was removed at 7 weeks' gestation. Her level 2 sonogram at 25 weeks' gestation revealed transverse limb reduction of the foetal right forearm. She gave birth at term to a female infant with reduction of the right forearm. The rest of the physical examination, imaging and laboratory tests, including serology and karyotype were normal. CONCLUSION: We present a rare case of transverse limb reduction defect associated with the presence of an IUD at the time of conception. The device had been removed in the first trimester of the pregnancy. Data from the literature are reviewed. PMID- 17763270 TI - The post-cesarean section symptomatic bladder flap hematoma: a modern reappraisal. AB - The bladder-flap hematoma (BFH) is an unusual complication of the cesarean section (CS) performed by Misgaw Ladach method or Stark CS (performed without peritoneal closure) and it is an usual event after the visceral peritoneal closure performed during the traditional method. A BFH is generally thought of as a blood collection located in a space placed between the bladder and lower uterine segment (LUS), called vescico-uterine space. If, during a Stark CS, pathological fluid collections arise in this space by uterine suture bleeding, these decant into the large peritoneal cavity causing a hemoperitoneum. This last complication can be easily and accurately detectable by ultrasonography, which can be utilised by non-invasive monitoring as a guide for the clinical follow-up. In the authors' experience, the CS by Stark method is associated with a lower febrile and infective morbidity and it is possible also to perform a successful conservative laparoscopy for the BFH management. Laparoscopical treatment of BFH offers to patients the potential clinical benefits of the minimally invasive endoscopical treatments, but it should be reserved for surgeons trained in extensive laparoscopic procedures. PMID- 17763271 TI - A randomized clinical trial comparing the effect of maternal intravenous hydration and placebo on the amniotic fluid index in oligohydramnios. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare the treatment of acute intravenous hydration with placebo in term pregnant women manifesting oligohydramnios. METHODS: All patients with oligohydramnios who met the inclusion criteria were offered participation in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. After ruling out rupture of membranes and maternal and fetal complications, we recruited 44 women with third trimester singleton pregnancies having an amniotic fluid index (AFI) of less than 6. Patients were randomized into treatment or control groups. Patients in the treatment group received a continuous intravenous infusion of (1/2) normal saline (NS) at a rate of 1000 mL/h for two hours. Patients in the placebo group received an intravenous infusion of (1/2) NS at 10 mL/h for two hours. The AFI was re assessed by the same sonographer one hour after the hydration was completed. Both the patient and the examiner were blinded to the study groups. RESULTS: Maternal age, parity, gestational age, and birth weight were not significantly different between the two groups. The AFI increased significantly in both treatment (3.8 +/ 1.2 vs. 5.3 +/- 2.5, p < 0.05) and placebo (4 +/- 1.3 vs. 5.5 +/- 2.4, p < 0.05) groups. Moreover, the changes in AFI did not significantly differ between the treatment and the placebo groups (1.2 +/- 2.1 vs. 1.5 +/- 2.1, respectively; p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There are statistically significant short-term increases in the AFI in patients with oligohydramnios whether the patients are treated with intravenous fluids or not. The short-term increase in AFI may reflect physiologic diurnal variations in the amniotic fluid. PMID- 17763272 TI - Placenta previa and the risk of preterm delivery. AB - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to quantify the risk of preterm delivery and maternal and neonatal morbidities associated with placenta previa. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of singleton births that occurred between 1976 and 2001, examining outcomes including preterm delivery and perinatal complications. Multivariate logistic regression was used to control for potential confounders. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed to compare preterm delivery in pregnancies complicated by previa vs. no previa. RESULTS: Among the 38 540 women, 230 women had previas (0.6%). Compared to controls, pregnancies with previa were significantly associated with preterm delivery prior to 28 weeks (3.5% vs. 1.3%; p = 0.003), 32 weeks (11.7% vs. 2.5%; p < 0.001), and 34 weeks (16.1% vs. 3.0%; p < 0.001) of gestation. Patients with previa were more likely to be diagnosed with postpartum hemorrhage (59.7% vs. 17.3%; p < 0.001) and to receive a blood transfusion (11.8% vs. 1.1%; p < 0.001). Survival curves demonstrate the risk of preterm delivery at each week and showed an overall higher rate of preterm delivery for patients with a placenta previa. CONCLUSIONS: Placenta previa is associated with maternal and neonatal complications, including preterm delivery and postpartum hemorrhage. These specific outcomes can be used to counsel women with previa. PMID- 17763273 TI - No effect of tocolytic therapy with atosiban on maternal serum interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in threatened preterm labor. AB - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the effect of intravenous administration of tocolytic therapy with an oxytocin antagonist drug (atosiban) on maternal serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels in women with threatened preterm labor. METHODS: The study population consisted of 46 women with a singleton pregnancy admitted to our department with a diagnosis of threatened preterm labor at between 26 and 34 weeks of gestation. Atosiban was administered to all women. Nine women (group A) progressed to delivery within 48 hours of admission. The remaining 37 women were divided in two groups: group B consisted of 16 women who remained undelivered at 48 hours but experienced delivery within 7 days and group C consisted of 21 women who did not deliver within the next 7 days. Maternal serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels were assessed in duplicate by a high sensitivity ELISA kit on patient admission and again at the end of treatment with atosiban (36 hours post-admission). RESULTS: Serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha concentrations on admission were significantly higher in group A compared to those found in group B (p = 0.01) and group C (p = 0.04). Comparisons of serum IL-6 values on admission and at 36 hours after the initiation of atosiban treatment were comparable in group A (p = 0.95), group B (p = 0.39), and group C (p = 0.79). Similarly serum TNF-alpha levels on admission were not significantly different compared to those at the end of treatment in all groups (p = 0.85 for group A, p = 0.45 for group B, and p = 0.21 for group C). CONCLUSIONS: No effect of tocolytic therapy with atosiban was observed on serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels in women with threatened preterm labor. PMID- 17763274 TI - Shoulder dystocia and the next delivery: outcomes and management. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate delivery mode management decisions and the rate of shoulder dystocia recurrence for women with a prior delivery complicated by shoulder dystocia. STUDY DESIGN: We used a computerized perinatal database and ICD-9 codes to identify all vaginal deliveries complicated by shoulder dystocia from 1996 to 2001. Subsequent deliveries over the next three years were identified and reviewed for relevant clinical, obstetric, and delivery outcomes. Management including use of labor induction, labor augmentation, operative vaginal delivery, and delivery mode (elective cesarean section (CS) vs. trial of labor (TOL)) were reviewed. The recurrence rate of shoulder dystocia was calculated and the characteristics of these cases further described. RESULTS: Over the initial 5-year study, there were 25 995 vaginal deliveries, 205 shoulder dystocia cases (0.8%), 36 (17.5%) with neonatal injury. Of the 205 initial shoulder dystocia cases, 39 patients had 48 subsequent deliveries at our institution (a subsequent delivery rate of 23% at our institution, significantly less than the overall population (42%, p < 0.001)). Complete data were available for 47 deliveries. Four women had elective CS without labor (one due to prior shoulder dystocia), 43 (91.5%) had a TOL, and 42 (88%) achieved vaginal delivery. Recurrent shoulder dystocia complicated 9.5% (4/42) of deliveries; one case included neonatal brachial plexus injury that resolved prior to hospital discharge. Of the four recurrent shoulder dystocia cases, none were complicated by maternal diabetes, macrosomia, prolonged second stage of labor, or underwent an operative vaginal delivery. No statistically significant univariate differences were seen between the recurrence group and the no-shoulder dystocia vaginal delivery group; however birth weight and nulliparity at initial shoulder dystocia pregnancy jointly demonstrated a relationship of recurrence (p = 0.048). CONCLUSION: In TOL cases that result in a vaginal delivery, the rate of recurrence of shoulder dystocia is high--approximately 10 times higher than the rate for the general population. Often the only identifiable risk factor is the prior history itself, which may influence delivery management in subsequent pregnancies. Birth weight and nulliparity at initial shoulder dystocia pregnancy may influence clinical decision-making in cases of prior shoulder dystocia. PMID- 17763276 TI - Chorioamnionitis and brain damage in the preterm newborn. AB - AIM: To evaluate the association between histological chorioamnionitis and brain damage (intraventricular hemorrhage and cystic periventricular leukomalacia) in the preterm newborn. METHODS: This was a retrospective study on neonates born at less than 34 weeks gestational age, and their respective mothers, at three tertiary medical centers in the north of Portugal, from January 2001 to December 2002. RESULTS: The study included 452 newborns (235 male/217 female; birth weight 1440 (515-2620) grams; gestational age 31 (23-33) weeks), 125 from mothers whose placenta showed signs of chorioamnionitis and 327 from mothers without the condition. The association between histological chorioamnionitis and: (1) intraventricular hemorrhage grades I-IV was OR 1.43 (95% CI 0.49-3.94); (2) intraventricular hemorrhage grades III and IV was OR 2.49 (95% CI 1.20-5.11); (3) cystic periventricular leukomalacia was OR 3.02 (95% CI 1.50-6.07). The association, adjusted for birth weight and gestational age, between chorioamnionitis and: (1) intraventricular hemorrhage grades III and IV was OR 0.94 (95% CI 0.39-2.28); (2) cystic periventricular leukomalacia was OR 1.94 (95% CI 1.03-4.61). The association between histological chorioamnionitis with funisitis and/or vasculitis and: (1) intraventricular hemorrhage grades I to IV was OR 1.27 (95% CI 0.52-3.10); (2) cystic periventricular leukomalacia was OR 2.08 (95% CI 0.72-5.98). CONCLUSION: This study confirms the association between histological chorioamnionitis and cystic periventricular leukomalacia, but was unable to confirm the association between histological chorioamnionitis and intraventricular hemorrhage. PMID- 17763278 TI - Comparison between the use of the Joel-Cohen incision and its modification during Stark's cesarean section. AB - OBJECTIVE: A comparative evaluation between the Joel-Cohen incision and its modification for the Stark's cesarean section (CS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective study, 477 women who underwent a Stark's CS were evaluated: 204 with the Joel-Cohen incision (JC) and 273 with a modified Joel-Cohen incision (MJC). All patients were checked for the following parameters: febrile morbidity, the need for painkillers, duration of hospital stay, and ultrasound examination for blood collection (BC) on the third postoperative day. The collections, when diagnosed were divided into three groups: (1) in the abdominal wall, (2) in the pouch of Douglas, and (3) in the lower uterine segment (LUS). Those included in the study were low-risk primiparae at term, presenting for CS for breech presentation, macrosomia, and on demand, and who had combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. Statistical evaluation was performed using SAS/V12 software. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences between the two groups with regard to febrile morbidity, duration of need for painkillers, and hospital stay. Statistically more blood collections were found in the MJC incision group (5.4% in the abdominal wall, 12.4% in the pouch of Douglas, and 11.7% in the LUS) than in the classical JC incision group (3.9% in the abdominal wall, 10.2% in the pouch of Douglas, and 8.8% in the LUS), however without any clinical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The routine use of the classical JC incision during the Stark's CS seems to be more rational, and causes fewer blood collections. PMID- 17763277 TI - Effects of ritodrine hydrochloride tocolysis on echocardiographic parameters. AB - OBJECTIVE: Preterm delivery is a leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of ritodrine hydrochloride, used for tocolysis and having serious cardiovascular side effects, on echocardiographic parameters. METHODS: Sixty-two pregnant women were included in our study. The study and control groups were composed of patients with preterm labor (group A, N = 30) and patients with uneventful pregnancies (group B, N = 32), respectively. While the patients in group A were evaluated before and during treatment, those in group B were evaluated only once for ejection fraction and fractional shortening of the left side of the heart with echocardiography and for the regional systolic and diastolic functions with the tissue Doppler technique. One-way ANOVA and a t-test (paired comparison) were used for statistical purposes. RESULTS: For the left side of the heart, it was shown that while fractional shortening increased with tocolysis (p < 0.05), neither the ejection fraction nor E/A ratio, showing diastolic function, changed significantly (p < 0.01). While systolic function parameters (S(asep) and S(alat)) increased due to the inotropic and chronotropic actions of the beta-mimetic agents (p < 0.05), regional diastolic function parameters (E(asep)/A(asep) and E(alat)/A(alat)) did not change (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Due to its potent inotropic and chronotropic effects, ritodrine hydrochloride increases myocardial oxygen demand significantly. Therefore, it should be used sparingly or avoided altogether in patients with ischemic or structural heart disease. PMID- 17763279 TI - Sequential selective laser photocoagulation of communicating vessels in twin-twin transfusion syndrome. AB - OBJECTIVE: We have previously described the selective laser photocoagulation of communicating vessels (SLPCV) technique for the treatment of twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Because TTTS is thought to result from a net transfer of blood from the donor twin to the recipient twin, we hypothesized that lasering the arteriovenous anastomoses from the donor to the recipient (AVDRs) first (sequential SLPCV or SQLPCV) would result in an improved hemodynamic status and decreased likelihood of intrauterine fetal demise of the donor twin (IUFD-D). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The diagnosis of TTTS was made by ultrasound showing the combined presence of a maximum vertical pocket > or = 8 cm in one sac and < or =2 cm in the other in a monochorionic/diamniotic twin pregnancy. Triplet pregnancies and monoamniotic pregnancies were excluded. Severity of TTTS was assessed using the Quintero staging system. All vascular anastomoses were endoscopically identified and classified as AVDR (AV from donor to recipient), AVRD (AV from recipient to donor), arterio-arterial (AA), or veno-venous (VV). The surgical procedure was coded as SQLPCV if all AVDRs were lasered first. Outcome measures included intrauterine fetal demise and perinatal survival. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-three TTTS patients (137 SQLPCV, 56 SLPCV) underwent surgery from May 2003 to August 2005. Gestational age at surgery or at delivery, Stage, patent anastomoses, or persistent/reverse TTTS were not different between the groups. IUFD-D was significantly lower in the SQLPCV than in the SLPCV group (7.3% vs 21.4%, respectively, p = 0.005). Dual perinatal survival was significantly higher in the SQLPCV than in the SLPCV group (73.7% vs 57.1%, respectively, p = 0.02), although the incidence of at least one survivor was not different between the groups (90.5% vs 87.5%, respectively). Logistic regression showed SQLPCV, but not placental location, operating time or number of anastomoses to be significantly associated with a decreased likelihood of IUFD-D (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: SQLPCV is associated with a decreased likelihood of IUFD-D and an increased rate of dual survivors compared to SLPCV. SQLPCV represents both an anatomical and functional surgical approach to the laser treatment of twin-twin transfusion syndrome. PMID- 17763280 TI - Fetal cerebellar hemorrhage in parvovirus-associated non-immune hydrops fetalis. AB - We report two cases of fetal cerebellar hemorrhage in the setting of parvovirus associated hydrops fetalis and fetal blood transfusion. In both cases, the cerebellar hemorrhage was diagnosed by fetal magnetic resonance imaging after intrauterine blood transfusion. To our knowledge, this is the first report of fetal cerebellar hemorrhage in the setting of parvovirus-associated hydrops fetalis, and may be the result of cerebrovascular changes both during and after the transfusion. PMID- 17763275 TI - Maternal serum concentrations of the chemokine CXCL10/IP-10 are elevated in acute pyelonephritis during pregnancy. AB - OBJECTIVE: Acute pyelonephritis is one of the most frequent medical complications of pregnancy, as well as a common cause of antepartum hospitalization. Interferon (IFN)-gamma inducible protein, CXCL10/IP-10, is a member of the CXC chemokine family with pro-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic properties. The purpose of this study was to determine whether maternal serum concentrations of CXCL10/IP-10 change in patients with acute pyelonephritis during pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the difference in maternal serum concentrations of CXCL10/IP-10 in pregnant women with acute pyelonephritis (N = 41) and normal pregnant women (N = 89). Pyelonephritis was defined in the presence of a positive urine culture, fever, and maternal clinical signs; blood cultures were performed in 36 cases. Maternal serum concentrations of CXCL10/IP 10 were measured by a sensitive immunoassay. Non-parametric statistics were used for analysis. RESULTS: (1) The median serum concentration of CXCL10/IP-10 in pregnant patients with pyelonephritis was significantly higher than in normal pregnant women (median 318.5 pg/mL, range 78.8-2459.2 vs. median 116.1 pg/mL, range 40.7-1314.3, respectively; p < 0.001); (2) maternal median serum concentrations of CXCL10/IP-10 did not differ significantly among patients with acute pyelonephritis with and without bacteremia (positive blood cultures: median 362.6 pg/mL, range 100.2-2459.2 vs. negative blood cultures: median 298.9 pg/mL, range 108.5-1148.7, respectively; p = 0.3). CONCLUSIONS: Pyelonephritis in pregnant women is associated with an increased maternal serum concentration of the chemokine CXCL10/IP-10. PMID- 17763281 TI - Influence of chorionicity on umbilical arterial blood gas discordance in twin pairs following elective Cesarean delivery. PMID- 17763282 TI - Six-month continuous intraputamenal infusion toxicity study of recombinant methionyl human glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (r-metHuGDNF) in rhesus monkeys. AB - Recombinant human glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (r-metHuGDNF) is a potent neuronal growth and survival factor that has been considered for clinical use in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Here we present results of a 6 month toxicology study in rhesus monkeys conducted to support clinical evaluation of chronic intraputamenal infusion of r-metHuGDNF for PD. Monkeys (6-9/sex/group) were treated with 0 (vehicle), 15, 30, or 100 micro g/day r-metHuGDNF by continuous unilateral intraputamenal infusion (150 micro l/day flow rate) for 6 months; a subset of animals (2-3/sex/group) underwent a subsequent 3-month treatment-free recovery period. Notable observations included reduced food consumption and body weight at 100 micro g/day and meningeal thickening underlying the medulla oblongata and/or overlying various spinal cord segments at 30 and 100 micro g/day. In addition, multifocal cerebellar Purkinje cell loss (with associated atrophy of the molecular layer and, in some cases, granule cell loss) was observed in 4 monkeys in the 100-micro g/day group. This cerebellar finding has not been observed in previous nonclinical studies evaluating r metHuGDNF. The small number of affected animals precludes definitive conclusions regarding the pathogenesis of the cerebellar lesion, but the data support an association with r-metHuGDNF treatment. PMID- 17763283 TI - Human skin in organ culture and human skin cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts) in monolayer culture for assessment of chemically induced skin damage. AB - Human skin cells (epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts) in monolayer culture and human skin in organ culture were exposed to agents that are known to produce irritation (redness, dryness, edema and scaly crusts) when applied topically to skin. Among the agents used were three well accepted contact irritants (i.e., all-trans retinoic acid [RA], sodium lauryl sulfate [SLS] and benzalkonium chloride) as well as the corrosive organic mercury compound, aminophenyl mercuric acetate (APMA), and 5 contact sensitizers (oxazolone, nickel sulfate, eugenol, isoeugenol and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate [EGDM]). As a group, the contact irritants (including the corrosive mercuric compound) were cytotoxic for keratinocytes and fibroblasts and suppressed growth at lower concentrations than the contact sensitizers. The contact irritants also produced histological changes (hyperplasia, incomplete keratinization, loss of the granular layer, acantholysis and necrosis) in organ-cultured skin at dose levels at which the contact sensitizers appeared to be inert. Finally, the profile of secreted molecules from organ-cultured skin was different in the presence of contact irritants versus contact sensitizers. Taken together, these data suggest that the use of organ-cultured skin in conjunction with cells derived from the skin in monolayer culture may provide an initial approach to screening agents for deleterious changes in skin. PMID- 17763284 TI - Pulmonary toxicity of Expancel microspheres in the rat. AB - Expancel microspheres are thermoplastic microspheres enclosing hydrocarbon. These microspheres expand when heated, producing many applications. Because they have unknown biological persistence and toxicity, we investigated the toxicity of two unexpanded (11.1 and 15.4 micro m mean diameter) and two expanded (3.1 and 5.5 micro m mass median aerodynamic diameter) Expancel microspheres in intratracheally-instilled, male, Sprague-Dawley rats. Pulmonary histopathology was evaluated at 28 days postexposure. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was evaluated at days 1, 7, 14, and 28 days postexposure. Crystalline silica was the positive control. By histopathology, both unexpanded and expanded microspheres caused granulomatous bronchopneumonia characterized by macrophages and giants cells, suggesting a persistent foreign body response. Expanded, but not unexpanded microspheres, also caused eosinophilic bronchitis and bronchiolitis, mucous metaplasia of airways and organized granulomatous inflammation with associated fibrosis and frequent airway obstruction. In contrast, alveolar macrophage activation, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, LDH and albumin in bronchoalveolar laveage fluid were initially elevated but returned to near control levels at 28 days, and did not reflect the persistent granulomatous bronchopneumonia caused by Expancel microspheres. These findings emphasize the importance of histopathology for evaluating pulmonary toxicity, suggest that Expancel microspheres are a potential occupational hazard, and indicate a need for additional studies on their potential pulmonary toxicity. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Toxicology Pathology for the following free supplemental resources: motion within unexpected microspheres in H&E-stained lung (supplementary Figure 1); broncholar epithelium 28 days following exposure to 551 DE 20 microspheres (supplementary Figure 2); membrane ruffling and some instances of phagocytosis within the microspheres (supplementary Figure 3)] PMID- 17763285 TI - Novel use of botulinum toxin to ameliorate arthrofibrosis: an experimental study in rabbits. AB - This study aimed to investigate the effects of intra-articular botulinum toxin in preventing arthrofibrosis. Arthrofibrosis was induced in both stifle joints of 20 rabbits by transecting the anterior cruciate ligament under intramuscular anesthesia with ketamine and xylazine. Intra-articular toxin at a dose of 0.6 ml (50 unit) and physiologic saline solution (0.6 ml) were injected into the right and left stifle joints, respectively, 3 times with a 1-week interval between each injection. The rabbits were euthanized in the 12th week via high dose anesthesia to remove the stifle joint. The severity of adhesions was assessed, applying a universal scoring system. Also the stifle joints were histologically evaluated for fibrosis. With regards to severity of adhesion a significant reduction in the adhesion score was observed in the toxin-treated group in comparison to untreated controls with mean +/- SE values of 0.2 +/- 0.1 and 2.4 +/- 0.2, respectively (p < 0.01). The histological evaluation showed no significant fibroblast in the toxin-treated group versus dense fibers with mature fibroblasts in the control group. Our results suggest that botulinum toxin demonstrated efficacy in preventing adhesion after knee surgery and all the parameters monitored showed consistent statistically significant improvement. PMID- 17763286 TI - Dose-dependent effects of sertoli cell toxicants 2,5-hexanedione, carbendazim, and mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in adult rat testis. AB - Sertoli cells are the primary cellular target for a number of pharmaceutical and environmental testicular toxicants, including 2,5-hexanedione, carbendazim, and mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Exposure to these individual compounds can result in impaired Sertoli cell function and subsequent germ cell loss. The loss of testicular function is marked by histopathological changes in seminiferous tubule diameter, seminiferous epithelial sloughing, vacuolization, spermatid head retention, germ cell apoptosis, and altered microtubule assembly. The present study investigates dose-response relationships for these classic Sertoli cell toxicants using histopathology endpoints. Understanding the relationship between the Sertoli cell toxicant dose and its histopathologic manifestations will help establish the sensitivity of these endpoints as markers of testicular injury. The results indicate that no single histopathology endpoint was sensitive on its own in identifying altered testicular morphology resulting from toxicant exposure. However, when multiple endpoints were combined dose-response relationships could be associated with incremental alterations in histopathology. The data generated from these experiments will be useful in further investigating the effects of Sertoli cell toxicant exposure in animal toxicity studies. In addition, this work is fundamental to a planned investigation of the histopathologic and gene expression changes associated with testicular toxicant co-exposures, which may occur both occupationally and environmentally. PMID- 17763287 TI - An immunohistochemical approach to differentiate hepatic lipidosis from hepatic phospholipidosis in rats. AB - Hepatocellular vacuolation can be a diagnostic challenge since cytoplasmic accumulations of various substances (lipid, water, phospholipids, glycogen, and plasma) can have a similar morphology. Cytoplasmic accumulation of phospholipids following administration of cationic amphiphilic drugs (CAD) can be particularly difficult to differentiate from nonphosphorylated lipid accumulations at the light microscopic level. Histochemical methods (Sudan Black, Oil Red-O, Nile Blue, etc.) can be used to identify both nonphosphorylated and/or phosphorylated lipid accumulations, but these techniques require non-paraffin-embedded tissue and are only moderately sensitive. Thus, electron microscopy is often utilized to achieve a definitive diagnosis based upon the characteristic morphologic features of phospholipid accumulations; however, this is a low throughput and labor intense procedure. In this report, we describe the use of immunohistochemical staining for LAMP-2 (a lysosome-associated protein) and adipophilin (a protein that forms the membrane around non-lysosomal lipid droplets) to differentiate phospholipidosis and lipidosis, respectively in the livers of rats. This staining procedure can be performed on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues, is more sensitive than histochemistry, and easier to perform than ultrastructural evaluation. PMID- 17763289 TI - [50 years Kleihauer-Betke test: a forgotten method?]. PMID- 17763290 TI - 50 years Kleihauer-Betke test. PMID- 17763291 TI - Unintentional household poisoning in children. AB - Despite the major reduction in fatal paediatric poisonings that has been achieved in industrialised countries over the last few decades, unintentional paediatric poisoning remains a major public health issue worldwide. In this article, we aim to provide clinicians dealing with poisoned children an overview of the problem and specific guidance on the identification and management of significant poisoning. Substances most frequently ingested by children in the developed world include household chemicals, medication, and plants. Although the great majority of such poisonings have no or limited clinical effects, it puts substantial burden on health care systems. Importantly, a few poisons can kill after ingestion of very small amounts. Unintentional poisoning in developing countries can be much more serious, following ingestion of kerosene, caustic agents, herbal remedies, insecticides or herbicides. Management of symptomatic patients involves supportive care, if available the administration of antidotes, and the removal of the offending drug from the body. Recent position papers on gastric decontamination indicate that such interventions are only rarely necessary. To further reduce the number of deaths and disabilities in the industrialised world and to begin to have an effect in the developing world, much more work is required to both identify and implement prevention strategies to reduce the number of cases of paediatric poisoning. PMID- 17763292 TI - Efficacy of ERCP in infancy and childhood. AB - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a well established diagnostic and therapeutic tool in adult and pediatric patients. Because of its inherent risks we analysed our series in an attempt to better define the diagnostic and therapeutic roles of ERCP and its effectiveness in children. METHODS: All ERCPs performed in our department during a 10-year period in patients age 14 years and under were reviewed retrospectively. Indications, diagnostic findings, therapeutic interventions and final outcome were documented. RESULTS: A total of 61 procedures were performed on 47 patients whose median age was 8.56 years. ERCP was successful in 53 of 61 interventions (89%) with a complication rate of 6%. Thirty patients underwent diagnostic ERCP. In these a pathological diagnosis was established in 57%. In patients without morphological changes in ultrasound or magnet resonance imaging ERCP failed to set diagnosis too. Seventeen patients had therapeutic ERCPs. All of these interventions were performed with similar or better outcome than in adults. CONCLUSION: Indications for diagnostic ERCP are morphologic biliary or pancreatic duct disorders, but only where higher resolution imaging is necessary for therapeutic decisions. Without morphologic changes on ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging we rarely see any indication for diagnostic ERCP. Efficacy of therapeutic ERCP in childhood is similar or even better to that in adults. Prognoses are directly dependent from the basic disease of the patient. PMID- 17763293 TI - [Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis and tumoral calcinosis--is there an association?]. AB - BACKGROUND: Idiopathic tumorous calcinosis is a rare benign disease of the periarticular tissue near large joints. Deposits of hydroxyapatite in single or multiple pseudocysts lead to consecutive pain or complaints by attaching the surrounding tissues. The etiology of this disease is not definitively clear. CASE REPORT: We describe the case of an 11-year-old turkish girl with a well known chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) and hyperphosphataemia. Furthermore, she developed a tumorous calcinosis around the left hip, which recurred after surgery, and around the ankle joint. CONCLUSIONS: CRMO and tumorous calcinosis can be associated diseases. The development of tumorous calcinosis in patients with CRMO and hyperphosphataemia should be excluded. PMID- 17763294 TI - [Efficient imaging of elbow injuries in children and adolescents]. AB - The purpose of imaging of the elbow region in children after acute trauma is the diagnosis of injuries that require further treatment. Basic diagnostic consists of standard X-rays of the elbow in two planes. Exceptions can be made in the case of nursemaid's elbow lesion (subluxation of the radial head; pronation douloureuse; Chassaignac lesion) with unambiguous mechanism of the trauma where no X-ray imaging is needed and in heavily dislocated fractures for which one plane can be sufficient. X-ray imaging of the uninjured side is obsolete. Follow up X-ray imaging is only allowed if consequences for the further treatment are expected. Ultrasound may partially replace X-rays in the future if further standardization of this technique can be achieved. MRI provides additional information in acute trauma which, however, remains currently without consequences for the further treatment strategy. PMID- 17763295 TI - Encouraging survival of infants with terminal renal failure combining dialysis and succeeding early transplantation. AB - Dialysis in newborns and infants is a very challenging field in pediatric nephrology and still associated with high mortality. This article is designed for pediatricians who advise parents of newborns with renal failure. It aims to provide information about the difficulties during the period of dialysis and outcome after successful transplantation. We report upon five patients who proceeded to end-stage renal failure within the first year of life. All patients received peritoneal dialysis; however, two had to be switched to hemodialysis for several months. Four patients received percutaneous endoscopic gastric tubes (PEG) to enable high caloric diet. At the age of 1.5 to 5 years all children were successfully transplanted achieving good renal function. With regard to severe complications, hospitalisation time and somatic development all patients showed a substantial improvement after renal transplantation. Growth velocity increased to above SDS +2 after transplantation and all children reached the milestones of development in due time. In conclusion, after renal replacement therapy is initialised in infants with end-stage renal failure, sufficient nutrition to improve weight gain and to achieve the earliest possible transplantation is mandatory. Early transplantation results in a catch-up of developmental delay in short time. PMID- 17763296 TI - [Vasculo-Behcet's disease: imaging findings]. PMID- 17763308 TI - [Special need permission in focal point pediatric radiology?]. PMID- 17763310 TI - Bony fusion through an empty cervical disc interspace implant. AB - OBJECTIVE: Today most cervical intervertebral implants (cages) have at least one cranio-caudal hole which can be filled to facilitate bony fusion. Whether this should be done or not remains a matter of debate. The assessment of bony fusion remains difficult, especially in titanium implants. Evaluation is therefore reserved for problem cases and revisions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report one case with recurrent problems years after anterior cervical discectomy followed by the implantation of a titanium cage without an additional bone grafting procedure. The patient was revised and the contents of the cage examined histologically. RESULTS: The case was considered fused on plain radiograph investigation. Histological examination showed solid bone formation through the hollow interspace. CONCLUSION: Solid bone formation through an empty implant is possible. In the discussion about bone substitutes or bone graft alternatives this fact should be taken into account. PMID- 17763311 TI - [Immunisation strategies for the management of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)]. AB - Most patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) develop antibodies against the SARS coronavirus and survive the infection. This suggests that active or passive immunisation might be an effective option in preventing or treating SARS. Therefore, the development of SARS vaccination strategies belongs to the most important targets of SARS research. The present study analyses data-bases for the current knowledge on vaccination strategies. Both, passive and active immunisation protocols are presently being developed. Passive immunisation with sera from surviving patients leads to partial success. Whereas the passive immunisation exhibits a promising therapeutic tool, only active immunisation can successfully prevent infection. A number of approaches has been used on the basis of inactivated SARS coronaviruses, recombinant subunits, recombinant DNA, and viral vectors. However, all recently developed candidates need to be evaluated critically before clinical use. The so-called "antibody-dependent enhancement" can improve viral uptake into host cells resulting in increased viral load and exacerbation of disease. PMID- 17763313 TI - Unraveling the contradictions of vitamin A and infectious diseases in children. PMID- 17763314 TI - Human bocavirus: multisystem detection raises questions about infection. PMID- 17763315 TI - Good news for women living with HIV. PMID- 17763316 TI - Is it time to rethink the expanded-access programs for HIV infection? AB - The purpose of expanded-access programs (EAPs) for antiretroviral therapy has been to allow patients without alternative treatment options to obtain drugs before formal Food and Drug Administration approval. Given the dramatic changes that have occurred in antiretroviral therapeutic approaches during the past 2 decades, we wish to review the history of antiretroviral EAPs and to propose an updated model for expanded access that would achieve maximal patient benefit and add useful knowledge that could guide treatment decisions in patients infected with multidrug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus. PMID- 17763317 TI - Vitamin A supplementation has divergent effects on norovirus infections and clinical symptoms among Mexican children. AB - BACKGROUND: The effect of vitamin A supplementation on viral gastrointestinal infections among young children living in developing countries remains unclear. METHODS: The effect of vitamin A supplementation on norovirus (NoV) infection among 127 Mexican children 5-15 months of age was studied in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial during June-August 1998. Stool samples collected every 2 weeks and after diarrheal episodes were screened for NoV and characterized at the genogroup level (GI and GII). RESULTS: Of the stool samples collected, 29.9% were positive for NoV, and NoV GI and NoV GII were found in 55.4% and 46.4% of the positive samples, respectively. Vitamin A supplementation reduced the prevalence of NoV GII infections (rate ratio [RR], 0.60 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.20 0.82]), increased the length of both NoV GI and GII shedding, and decreased the prevalence of NoV-associated diarrhea (RR, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.26-0.97]). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that NoV is an important cause of pediatric diarrhea in this study population and that vitamin A supplementation has divergent effects on specific outcomes of NoV infection. PMID- 17763318 TI - Clinical and molecular epidemiology of human bocavirus in respiratory and fecal samples from children in Hong Kong. AB - BACKGROUND: Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a recently discovered parvovirus associated with respiratory tract infections in children. We conducted the first systematic prospective clinical and molecular study using nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) and fecal samples. METHODS: NPAs negative for influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, and coronavirus and fecal samples from patients with acute gastroenteritis were included. On the basis of results from a pilot study using 400 NPAs from all age groups, a prospective 12-month study was conducted to detect HBoV in 1,200 NPAs and 1,435 fecal samples from patients <18 years old by polymerase chain reaction. The complete genome sequences of HBoVs from 12 NPAs and 12 fecal samples were determined. RESULTS: Of the 400 NPAs collected in the pilot study, 20 (5.0%) were found to contain HBoV, all from children <5 years old. In the subsequent prospective study of pediatric patients, HBoV was detected in 83 (6.9%) of 1,200 NPAs. Upper and lower respiratory tract infections were equally common. HBoV was detected in 30 (2.1%) of 1,435 fecal samples. Fever and watery diarrhea were the most common symptoms. The seasonality of HBoV in NPAs and fecal samples was similar. Codetection with other pathogens occurred in 33% and 56% of NPAs and fecal samples, respectively, from patients with HBoV infection. Genomes of HBoVs from NPAs and fecal samples displayed minimal sequence variations. CONCLUSIONS: HBoV was detected in fecal specimens in children with acute gastroenteritis. A single lineage of HBoV was associated with both respiratory tract and enteric infections. PMID- 17763319 TI - Detection of human bocavirus in children hospitalized because of acute gastroenteritis. AB - The idea that human bocavirus (hBoV) infection possibly plays a role in gastroenteritis has been suggested because of the frequent manifestation of gastrointestinal symptoms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hBoV in children with gastroenteritis. We studied the etiologic agents in 962 children hospitalized with gastroenteritis. Viral etiologic agents were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. A viral agent was found in 44.4% of the study population: rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus were detected in 25.7%, 13.7%, 3.0%, and 1.1% of the study population, respectively; hBoV was detected in 0.8%, which suggests that it might play a minor role in gastroenteritis. PMID- 17763321 TI - Risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and secondary structure of hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protein amino-terminus, in patients infected with HCV subtype 1b. AB - We conducted a retrospective study of 65 patients with chronic hepatitis C, to determine whether the secondary structure of the amino-terminal 120 residues of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protein is associated with an increased risk of development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The cumulative incidence of HCC was highest among patients infected with group B HCV-1b, wherein the risk of HCC significantly increased compared with that among patients infected with group A (hazard ratio, 4.95 [95% CI, 1.43-17.11]) after adjustment for age and histological stage. This HCV-1b grouping may be a useful marker for detecting the risk of development of HCC. PMID- 17763322 TI - Replicative competence of the T131I, K141E, and G145R surface variants of hepatitis B Virus. AB - Variants of hepatitis B surface antigen have been described in different clinical settings, but their replicative capacity in vitro has remained unexplored. Point mutations leading to sT131I, sK141E, and sG145R amino-acid substitutions were engineered by site-directed mutagenesis into an infectious plasmid clone of the virus. The mutated constructs were transfected into Huh7 cells, and their replication capacity was documented by LightCycler (Roche Diagnostics) measurements of virion-associated hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, intracellular relaxed circular double-stranded DNA, and pregenomic RNA. The sT131I and sG145R variants replicated with efficiency equal to that of the wild type, whereas the sK141E variant was replication impaired. PMID- 17763320 TI - Impact of NS5A sequences of Hepatitis C virus genotype 1a on early viral kinetics during treatment with peginterferon- alpha 2a plus ribavirin. AB - BACKGROUND. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 is the most prevalent genotype in Western countries, and treatment with pegylated interferon (pegIFN) plus ribavirin fails in 50%-60% of patients. Genetic variability within the NS5A dsRNA dependent protein kinase binding domain (PKRbd) of HCV-1b has been associated with responsiveness to IFN- alpha . Little is known about NS5A sequences of HCV 1a. We investigated whether genetic variability of HCV-1a NS5A correlates with the early HCV kinetics during treatment. METHODS: Twenty-four treatment-naive, HCV-1a-infected patients were treated with standard doses of pegIFN- alpha 2a plus ribavirin. HCV viremia was quantitated at days 0, 1, 2, and 3 and weeks 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 of treatment. According to HCV kinetics, patients were classified as early rapid responders, early moderate responders, or early slow responders. The full-length HCV NS5A was sequenced at baseline and at week 1. RESULTS: At baseline, variability of the NS5A C terminus (concentrated in the PKRbd) is associated with interferon efficacy but not with the second phase of the early viral decline that has been associated with a sustained virologic response. Comparisons between baseline and week-1 full-length sequences did not show significant increases in mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variability of HCV-1a NS5A does not predict responsiveness to IFN- alpha . Differences in early kinetics during combination therapy are not due to selection of IFN-resistant HCV strains. PMID- 17763323 TI - Varicella-zoster-virus genotypes in East London: a prospective study in patients with herpes zoster. AB - A total of 298 patients with herpes zoster were recruited as part of 2 community based studies in East London between 1998 and 2003. Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of 4 regions (genes 1, 21, 37, and 60) found that most genotypes were European strains C and B, representing 58% and 21% of all samples collected. No change in the proportion of these European clades has occurred during the past 80 years, strongly supporting the hypothesis that these strains are indigenous to the United Kingdom. White patients almost exclusively had reactivation of genotypes C (66%) and B (21%), whereas patients from Africa, Asia, or the Caribbean mainly had reactivation of genotypes A and J. An increase in BglI-positive A and J genotypes in UK cases of zoster is only partly explained by immigration from endemic regions. The data presented provide a baseline against which to evaluate changes in the molecular epidemiology of varicella zoster virus and the effect of immunization with the Japanese Oka vaccine strain. PMID- 17763324 TI - Host single-nucleotide polymorphisms and altered responses to inactivated influenza vaccine. AB - We analyzed the relationship between host gene polymorphisms and responses in recipients of inactivated influenza vaccine, who were classified into poor, normal, or adverse response groups. The frequency of the mannose-binding lectin-2 codon 54 allele was significantly different among the 3 types of responders, with a decreased odds ratio for the development of poor or adverse responses (P=.033). There was no statistical relationship between responses and either tumor necrosis factor- alpha or interleukin (IL)-10 promoter polymorphisms among the 3 response groups. When poor and normal responses were combined, the -1082 A allele in the IL-10 promoter conferred a significantly decreased risk of the development of adverse responses (P=.041). These data indicate that host polymorphisms play a role in determining responses to influenza vaccine. PMID- 17763325 TI - Antibodies to the A27 protein of vaccinia virus neutralize and protect against infection but represent a minor component of Dryvax vaccine--induced immunity. AB - The smallpox vaccine Dryvax, which consists of replication-competent vaccinia virus, elicits antibodies that play a major role in protection. Several vaccinia proteins generate neutralizing antibodies, but their importance for protection is unknown. We investigated the potency of antibodies to the A27 protein of the mature virion in neutralization and protection experiments and the contributions of A27 antibodies to Dryvax-induced immunity. Using a recombinant A27 protein (rA27), we confirmed that A27 contains neutralizing determinants and that vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) derived from Dryvax recipients contains reactivity to A27. However, VIG neutralization was not significantly reduced when A27 antibodies were removed, and antibodies elicited by an rA27 enhanced the protection conferred by VIG in passive transfer experiments. These findings demonstrate that A27 antibodies do not represent the major fraction of neutralizing activity in VIG and suggest that immunity may be augmented by vaccines and immune globulins that include strong antibody responses to A27. PMID- 17763326 TI - Comparison of CD8+ T Cell responses to cytomegalovirus between human fetuses and their transmitter mothers. AB - BACKGROUND: The mechanisms responsible for the increased susceptibility of fetuses to cytomegalovirus (CMV) were studied by comparing CD8(+) T cell responses to the virus in susceptible fetuses to those in their comparatively more resistant mothers. METHODS: Included in the study were 16 transmitter mothers who underwent seroconversion during the first trimester of pregnancy as well as their fetuses, who were positive for CMV in amniotic fluid by polymerase chain reaction at 17-19 weeks of gestation. Fetal and maternal blood samples were collected between the 22nd and 39th week of gestation. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that had activated (HLA-DR(+)), effector/memory (CD28(-)), and memory (CD18(high)) phenotypes; that stained with the HLA-A2/pp65 or the HLA-B7/pp65 multimer; and that secreted interferon (IFN)- gamma were enumerated by flow cytometry. Viral loads were determined simultaneously. RESULTS: The results showed (1) similar levels of activated, effector/memory, and memory CTLs in fetuses and mothers but a smaller pp65-specific CTL pool in fetuses (median, 0.015% vs. 0.99%; P=.003); (2) similar percentages of CTLs secreting IFN- gamma after stimulation with ionomycin/phorbol myristate acetate in fetuses and mothers but lower percentages of CTLs secreting IFN- gamma after stimulation with a CD3 monoclonal antibody in fetuses (median, 1% vs. 14%; P=.01); and (3) higher viral loads (mean, 17,290 vs. <250 genome equivalents/mL) in fetuses. CONCLUSION: Impaired viral clearance might be related to a defective expansion of the pp65 specific CTL pool and/or to the immaturity of IFN- gamma -secreting cells in fetuses. PMID- 17763327 TI - Pregnancy and HIV disease progression during the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. AB - BACKGROUND: Before the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), there was no clear effect of pregnancy on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression. This has not been assessed during the HAART era. METHODS: We conducted an observational cohort study among HIV-infected women with >or=1 outpatient clinic visit between January 1997 and December 2004. HIV disease progression was defined as the occurrence of an AIDS-defining event or death. RESULTS: Of 759 women who met the inclusion criteria, 139 (18%) had had >1 pregnancy, and 540 (71%) had received HAART. There was no difference in HAART duration by pregnancy status. Eleven pregnant (8%) and 149 nonpregnant (24%) women progressed to AIDS or death. After controlling for age, baseline CD4(+) lymphocyte count, baseline HIV-1 RNA level, and durable virologic suppression in a Cox proportional hazards model that included propensity score for pregnancy, pregnancy was associated with a decreased risk of disease progression (hazard ratio [HR], 0.40 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.20-0.79]; P=.009]). In a matched-pair analysis of 81 pregnant women matched to 81 nonpregnant women according to age, baseline CD4(+) lymphocyte count, receipt of HAART, and date of cohort entry, pregnant women had a lower risk of disease progression both before (HR, 0.10 [95% CI, 0.01-0.89]; P=.04) and after (HR, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.19-1.00]; P=.05) the pregnancy event. CONCLUSION: Pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of HIV disease progression in this HAART-era study. This finding could be the result of the healthier immune status of women who become pregnant or could possibly be related to a beneficial interaction between pregnancy and HAART. PMID- 17763328 TI - Elevated serum levels of interferon- gamma -inducible protein-10 in patients coinfected with hepatitis C virus and HIV. AB - Coinfection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is associated with an accelerated course of HCV infection and a faster progression to severe liver disease. We have investigated whether the development of liver disease in coinfected patients is associated with specific chemokine and cytokine production. Four cohorts--HCV/HIV-coinfected patients, HCV-monoinfected patients, HIV-monoinfected patients, and healthy control subjects--were studied. Serum levels of the 10-kDa interferon- gamma -inducible protein (IP-10) were higher in all 3 groups of infected patients than in control subjects (P<.0001). HCV/HIV-coinfected patients had significantly higher IP-10 levels than monoinfected patients. In HCV-monoinfected patients, liver fibrosis scores and liver enzyme levels were positively correlated with IP-10 levels. Elevated IP-10 levels are associated with and may contribute to liver damage in both HCV monoinfected and HCV/HIV-coinfected patients. PMID- 17763329 TI - Dynamics of simian immunodeficiency virus populations in blood and cerebrospinal fluid over the full course of infection. AB - BACKGROUND. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication and compartmentalization in the central nervous system, including in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), are associated with severe neurological disease and may contribute to viral persistence during antiretroviral therapy. To understand the relationships between viral populations in multiple compartments, we performed a systematic longitudinal characterization of viral populations in blood plasma and CSF obtained at short time intervals over the full course of infection in 3 macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVsm strain E660). METHODS: Complex viral genetic populations in blood plasma and CSF were characterized using a heteroduplex tracking assay targeted to the V1/V2 hypervariable region of env. To identify signs of neurological disease, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 levels in CSF and CD68(+) monocyte/macrophage infiltration in brain tissues were quantified. RESULTS: Two patterns of blood/CSF viral dynamics were apparent as infection progressed: concordant blood/CSF viral evolution and discordant blood/CSF viral evolution. Perivascular CD68(+) cells in autopsy brain tissue and elevated CSF MCP-1 levels accompanied blood/CSF viral population discordance but not concordance. CONCLUSIONS: Two distinct patterns of blood/CSF viral population dynamics can be observed in SIV-infected macaques, and the patterns may be associated with different neurological disease outcomes. PMID- 17763330 TI - Within-host evolution for the invasiveness of commensal bacteria: an experimental study of bacteremias resulting from Haemophilus influenzae nasal carriage. AB - BACKGROUND: Many bacteria responsible for clinically relevant disease reside harmlessly in a large fraction of humans. Three explanations have been proposed to account for why these normally commensal bacteria occasionally cause invasive disease: host susceptibility, stochasticity in the host-bacteria interaction, and the evolution of invasive mutants in colonized hosts. Here we test the third of these hypotheses for the rare invasiveness of commensal bacteria: within-host evolution. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using neonatal rats intranasally colonized with pairs of marked Haemophilus influenzae type b strains, we demonstrate that the resulting bacteremias are derived from single organisms. To test the within-host evolution hypothesis we explored the relative ability of bacteria isolated from the blood and nasal passages of bacteremic rats to colonize the nasopharynx and invade the bloodstream. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide support for within-host evolution as one but not the sole explanation for the invasiveness of these bacteria. We discuss the implications of these results for both the rare invasiveness of commensal bacteria and the general observation that bacteria isolated from the sites of human invasive disease are almost invariably monoclonal. PMID- 17763331 TI - Multinucleate giant cells release functionally unopposed matrix metalloproteinase 9 in vitro and in vivo. AB - Multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) are characteristic of granulomatous inflammation. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, the major monocyte-derived matrix metalloproteinase, is key in inflammatory tissue damage. At 72 h, MGCs secrete 153 +/- 2.5 ng/mL MMP-9, compared with 115 +/- 3.8 ng/mL during macrophage differentiation (P<.05). In contrast, the level of MGC secretion-specific tissue inhibitor, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, is lower (P<.05). Mature MGCs secrete constitutively greater concentrations of MMP-9 than do monocytes or macrophages (P<.05). MGCs in tuberculous lymph-node biopsy samples express high MMP-9 levels adjacent to areas of necrosis, whereas TIMP-1 is not detected. Thus, MGCs are potentially important sources of MMP-9 secretion and may contribute to inflammatory tissue damage in human tuberculosis. PMID- 17763332 TI - A reservoir of Moraxella catarrhalis in human pharyngeal lymphoid tissue. AB - BACKGROUND: Early exposure of infants and long-term immunity suggest that colonization with Moraxella catarrhalis is more frequent than is determined by routine culture. We characterized a reservoir of M. catarrhalis in pharyngeal lymphoid tissue. METHODS: Tissue from 40 patients (median age, 7.1 years) undergoing elective tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy was analyzed for the presence of M. catarrhalis by culture, real-time DNA and RNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemical analysis (IHC), and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Histologic sections were double stained for M. catarrhalis and immune cell markers, to characterize the tissue distribution of the organism. Intracellular bacteria were identified using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). RESULTS: Twenty-nine (91%) of 32 adenoids and 17 (85%) of 20 tonsils were colonized with M. catarrhalis. Detection rates for culture, DNA PCR, RNA PCR, IHC, and FISH were 7 (13%) of 52, 10 (19%) of 52, 21 (41%) of 51, 30 (61%) of 49, and 42 (88%) of 48, respectively (P<.001). Histologic analysis identified M. catarrhalis in crypts, intraepithelially, subepithelially, and (using CLSM) intracellularly. M. catarrhalis colocalized with macrophages and B cells in lymphoid follicles. CONCLUSIONS: Colonization by M. catarrhalis is more frequent than is determined by surface culture, because the organism resides both within and beneath the epithelium and invades host cells. PMID- 17763334 TI - Pathologic changes in mice induced by subtilase cytotoxin, a potent new Escherichia coli AB5 toxin that targets the endoplasmic reticulum. AB - Subtilase cytotoxin (SubAB) is the prototype of a recently discovered AB(5) cytotoxin family produced by certain strains of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC). The catalytic A subunit is a highly specific subtilase-like serine protease that cleaves the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone BiP. The toxin is lethal for mice, but the pathology it induces is poorly understood. Here, we show that intraperitoneal injection of SubAB causes microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and renal impairment in mice--characteristics typical of Shiga toxin-induced hemolytic uremic syndrome. SubAB caused extensive microvascular thrombosis and other histologic damage in the brain, kidneys, and liver, as well as dramatic splenic atrophy. Peripheral blood leukocyte levels were increased at 24 h; there was also significant neutrophil infiltration in the liver, kidneys, and spleen and toxin-induced apoptosis at these sites. These findings raise the possibility that SubAB directly contributes to pathology in humans infected with strains of STEC that produce both Shiga toxin and SubAB. PMID- 17763333 TI - Unique lipid a modifications in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis. AB - Three structural features of lipid A (addition of palmitate [C16 fatty acid], addition of aminoarabinose [positively charged amino sugar residue], and retention of 3-hydroxydecanoate [3-OH C10 fatty acid]) were determined for Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF; n=86), from the environment (n=13), and from patients with other conditions (n=14). Among P. aeruginosa CF isolates, 100% had lipid A with palmitate, 24.6% with aminoarabinose, and 33.3% retained 3-hydroxydecanoate. None of the isolates from the environment or from patients with other conditions displayed these modifications. These results indicate that unique lipid A modifications occur in clinical P. aeruginosa CF isolates. PMID- 17763335 TI - The association between Trichomonas vaginalis infection and level of vaginal lactobacilli, in nonpregnant women. AB - The effect that vaginal lactobacilli have on trichomoniasis is not known. At 3 clinics for treatment of sexually transmitted disease, we recruited 521 female patients with trichomoniasis and 176 control subjects. All participants underwent physical examinations and testing for sexually transmitted infection and completed questionnaires. Low levels of vaginal lactobacilli were associated with trichomoniasis (odds ratio [OR], 2.2 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.4-3.2]). After adjustment for covariables, this association remained in women with a higher educational level (OR, 4.6 [95% CI, 2.2-9.5]) but not in women with a lower educational level (OR, 1.6 [95% CI, 0.7-3.4]). Vaginal lactobacilli may be associated with trichomoniasis in women with higher levels of education or a related behavioral factor. PMID- 17763337 TI - Prevention and cure efforts both substitute and complement. AB - Suppose one could expend effort to prevent probabilistic transition to an adverse state, and also effort to expedite probabilistic transition to a beneficial state. Bearing in mind that the efforts occur in different states, should these efforts substitute or complement? Two appealing arguments are in conflict. If cure effort is costly, then the incentive to prevent should be high in order to avoid future cure effort costs, i.e. efforts are gross substitutes in demand. If prevention effort is costly, then the incentive to cure should be low since recidivism is likely, i.e. efforts complement. In a lifetime present value model, we show that both arguments have merit. We also show that the prevalence of the adverse state can rise with a subsidy on cure effort costs. PMID- 17763336 TI - Interaction between Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and pulmonary dendritic cells induces interleukin-10 production and toll-like receptor-2 expression: possible mechanisms of susceptibility. AB - Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most effective antigen-presenting cells for inducing cell-mediated immune responses; it is thus important to investigate the role played by lung DCs in the pathogenesis of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) and their potential to initiate an immune response in mice susceptible (B10.A) and resistant (A/J) to PCM. Initially, we observed that lung DCs from susceptible mice were more phagocytic than cells from resistant mice, and we observed that phagocytosis in the presence of laminarin was inhibited only in DCs from susceptible mice. DCs from resistant mice produced a low concentration of interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- alpha . In contrast, DCs from susceptible mice produced high concentrations of TNF- alpha and IL-10, but IL-10 production was significantly inhibited in the presence of laminarin. We also observed that DCs from Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 knockout mice displayed defective production of IL-10. After 15 days of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection, DCs from susceptible mice produced IL-10 and expressed costimulatory molecules at a low level. We found that expression of the gene for TLR-2 is increased after infection in susceptible, but not resistant, mice. In conclusion, our data suggest that P. brasiliensis induces regulatory DCs in susceptible mice, which promotes IL-10 production and contributes to the susceptibility of mice to P. brasiliensis infection. PMID- 17763338 TI - Sonographic findings of a large vulvar lipoma. AB - Lipomas of the vulva are rare benign tumors that consist of mature fat cells often interspersed with strands of fibrous connective tissue. They arise from the vulvar fatty pads and present as soft, multilobulated subcutaneous neoplasms. Histological examination reveals a thin capsule surrounding a lobular proliferation of lipocytes. Liposarcomas of the vulva have been described rarely. We present the sonographic findings of a large lipoma of the vulva, and demonstrate the contribution of topical application of a high-frequency transvaginal transducer in depicting lobular structural features, characteristic of this soft tissue tumor. PMID- 17763339 TI - Quantifying the blood oxygenation level dependent effect in cerebral blood volume weighted functional MRI at 9.4T. AB - In cerebral blood volume (CBV)-weighted functional MRI (fMRI) employing superparamagnetic contrast agent, iron dose and blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contamination are two important issues for experimental design and CBV quantification. Both BOLD and CBV-weighted fMRI are based upon the susceptibility effect, to which spin-echo and gradient-echo sequences have different sensitivities. In the present study, CBV-weighted fMRI was conducted using spin echo and gradient-echo sequences at 9.4T by systematically changing the doses of contrast agent. Results suggest that BOLD contamination is a significant component in CBV-weighted fMRI at high field, particularly when relatively low dose of contrast agent is administered. A mathematical model was developed to quantify the extravascular (EV) BOLD effect. With a TE of 35 ms, the EV BOLD effect was estimated to account for 76+/-12% of the observed spin-echo fMRI signal at 9.4T. These data suggest that correcting BOLD effect may be necessary for accurately quantifying activation-induced CBV changes at high field. PMID- 17763340 TI - Paul C. Lauterbur, 77, dies; won Nobel Prize for M.R.I. PMID- 17763341 TI - Pharmacokinetic modeling of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the hand and wrist in rheumatoid arthritis and the response to anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy. AB - Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) of the hand and wrist was performed in 11 patients with rheumatoid arthritis twice before and once 2 weeks after treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha therapy. A rapid, T1-weighted 3D spoiled gradient echo (SPGR) sequence was used for the dynamic imaging. T1 estimation was performed using similar images obtained at different flip angles. The relative radiofrequency field was estimated from the known T1 of the periarticular fatty marrow. The arterial input function (AIF) was measured at each examination, and normalized to the expected plasma concentration to reduce partial volume effects. Synovial enhancement was modeled to yield values for Ktrans, ve, and vp. Ktrans and ve showed good reproducibility. There was a significant decrease of about 20% in Ktrans after 2 weeks of treatment. This study demonstrates the potential of DCE-MRI and pharmacokinetic modeling to study early changes in inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis following treatment. PMID- 17763342 TI - Magnetically-labeled sensitized splenocytes to identify glioma by MRI: a preliminary study. AB - This study investigated the feasibility of imaging the migration and incorporation of magnetically-labeled sensitized splenocytes in an experimental 9L glioma brain tumor model. Splenocytes collected from tumor-bearing (sensitized splenocytes) or control (nonsensitized splenocytes) host rats were analyzed to determine the population of different cells, labeled with ferumoxides-protamine sulfate (FePro) and injected intravenously to recipient rats (N=4, for each group) bearing intracranial 9L tumors. Day 3 postinjection of splenocytes multiecho T2*-weighted and three-dimensional (3D) gradient echo MRI were obtained using a 7 Tesla MR system. R2* (1/T2*) maps were created from the T2*-weighted images. Signal intensities (SIs) and R2* values in the tumors and contralateral brain were determined by hand drawn regions of interest (ROIs). Brain sections were stained for the evidence of administered cells. Both 3D and T2*-weighted MRI showed low signal intensity areas in and around the tumors in rats that received labeled sensitized splenocytes. Prussian blue (PB), CD45- and CD8-positive cells were present in areas at the corresponding sites of low signal intensities seen on MRI. Rats that received labeled nonsensitized splenocytes did not show low signal intensity areas or PB positive cells in or around the implanted tumors. In conclusion, the immunogenic reaction can be exploited to delineate recurrent glioma using MRI following systemically delivered magnetically labeled sensitized splenocytes or T-cells. PMID- 17763343 TI - Dynamic water changes in excised rat myocardium assessed by continuous distribution of T1 and T2. AB - Ischemic changes in excised rat myocardium were followed by series of T1 or T2 measurements from 1 to 60 min after isolated perfusion cessation, and the influence of manganese enhancement was investigated. An inverse Laplace transformation (ILT) of T1 or T2 data was used to resolve the number, time constants, and fractions of tissue water components in a continuous distribution. For T1 distributions, one single tissue component approximately 900 ms was significantly shortened and dispersed by manganese enhancement (25 and 200 microM MnCl2). For T2 distributions, three tissue components (approximately 30, approximately 100, and approximately 350 ms) were obtained initially. The two shortest components merged after approximately 10 min to one component (approximately 40 ms). Both T1 and T2 tissue components became shorter with time. In particular, the T2 distribution dynamics might be compatible with complex sequential changes in tissue water fractions during ischemia. PMID- 17763345 TI - Organ-specific effects of oxygen and carbogen gas inhalation on tissue longitudinal relaxation times. AB - Molecular oxygen has been previously shown to shorten longitudinal relaxation time (T1) in the spleen and renal cortex, but not in the liver or fat. In this study, the magnitude and temporal evolution of this effect were investigated. Medical air, oxygen, and carbogen (95% oxygen/5% CO2) were administered sequentially in 16 healthy volunteers. T1 maps were acquired using spoiled gradient echo sequences (TR=3.5 ms, TE=0.9 ms, alpha=2 degrees/8 degrees/17 degrees) with six acquisitions on air, 12 on oxygen, 12 on carbogen, and six to 12 back on air. Mean T1 values and change in relaxation rate were compared between each phase of gas inhalation in the liver, spleen, skeletal muscle, renal cortex, and fat by one-way analysis of variance. Oxygen-induced T1-shortening occurred in the liver in fasted subjects (P<0.001) but not in non-fasted subjects (P=0.244). T1-shortening in spleen and renal cortex (both P<0.001) were greater than previously reported. Carbogen induced conflicting responses in different organs, suggesting a complex relationship with organ vasculature. Shortening of tissue T1 by oxygen is more pronounced and more complex than previously recognized. The effect may be useful as a biomarker of arterial flow and oxygen delivery to vascular beds. PMID- 17763344 TI - Unique patterns of diffusion directionality in rat brain tumors revealed by high resolution diffusion tensor MRI. AB - Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a new technique that uses the microscopic motion of water molecules to probe tissue 3D microstructures. In this study, high resolution DTI was performed on rats bearing intracranial 9L gliosarcoma, F98 glioma, and human glioblastoma. It was found that the tumors consisted of central zones with low diffusion anisotropy and peripheral structures (rim) with high diffusion anisotropy. In the rims, water diffusion directionality formed a circular pattern for the 9L and F98 tumors, and a radial pattern for the human glioblastoma xenografts. These well-organized diffusion patterns appeared at an early stage postimplantation and continued to exist with tumor growth in all three models. High-resolution ex vivo imaging and histology confirmed the in vivo findings. These distinct patterns, undetectable with conventional MRI, may reflect tumor organization and growth patterns at the cellular level. PMID- 17763346 TI - Optimized balanced steady-state free precession magnetization transfer imaging. AB - Balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) suffers from a considerable signal loss in tissues. This apparent signal reduction originates from magnetization transfer (MT) and may be reduced by an increase in repetition time or by a reduction in flip angle. In this work, MT effects in bSSFP are modulated by a modification of the bSSFP sequence scheme. Strong signal attenuations are achieved with short radio frequency (RF) pulses in combination with short repetition times, whereas near full, i.e., MT-free, bSSFP signal is obtained by a considerable prolongation of the RF pulse duration. Similar to standard methods, the MT ratio (MTR) in bSSFP depends on several sequence parameters. Optimized bSSFP protocol settings are derived that can be applied to various tissues yielding maximal sensitivity to MT while minimizing contribution from other impurities, such as off-resonances. Evaluation of MT in human brain using such optimized bSSFP protocols shows high correlation with MTR values from commonly used gradient echo (GRE) sequences. In summary, a novel method to generate MTR maps using bSSFP image acquisitions is presented and factors that optimize and influence this contrast are discussed. PMID- 17763347 TI - Contrast agent concentration measurements affecting quantification of bolus tracking perfusion MRI. AB - Measurement of the concentration of the contrast agent using dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI relies on field inhomogeneities caused by the presence of the paramagnetic agent. The usual method for calculation of the concentration from dynamic T2*-weighted images is based on two key assumptions: 1) a linear relation between the change in R2* and the contrast agent concentration, and 2) a negligible effect on the MR signal due to concurrent T1 changes. In this study the effect of inaccuracies in these two assumptions on perfusion measurements was investigated using simulations and in vivo data. The results of the simulations provide a quantitative characterization of the magnitude of these effects for various experimental conditions (e.g., when a 1 sec TR is used with TE=20 ms, the T1 effects can introduce up to 40% cerebral blood flow underestimation depending on the flip angle). These findings can be used as a guide to estimate the errors in specific practical implementations, as well as to optimize the sequence parameters to minimize their effect. In summary, this study shows that the arterial input function measurement should be corrected for nonlinear R2* effects and that care should be taken in the study design to avoid introducing significant T1 effects in perfusion quantification. PMID- 17763348 TI - Statistical framework and noise sensitivity of the amplitude radial correlation contrast method. AB - A statistical framework for the amplitude radial correlation contrast (RCC) method, which integrates a conventional pixel threshold approach with cluster size statistics, is presented. The RCC method uses functional MRI (fMRI) data to group neighboring voxels in terms of their degree of temporal cross correlation and compares coherences in different brain states (e.g., stimulation OFF vs. ON). By defining the RCC correlation map as the difference between two RCC images, the map distribution of two OFF states is shown to be normal, enabling the definition of the pixel cutoff. The empirical cluster-size null distribution obtained after the application of the pixel cutoff is used to define a cluster-size cutoff that allows 5% false positives. Assuming that the fMRI signal equals the task-induced response plus noise, an analytical expression of amplitude-RCC dependency on noise is obtained and used to define the pixel threshold. In vivo and ex vivo data obtained during rat forepaw electric stimulation are used to fine-tune this threshold. Calculating the spatial coherences within in vivo and ex vivo images shows enhanced coherence in the in vivo data, but no dependency on the anesthesia method, magnetic field strength, or depth of anesthesia, strengthening the generality of the proposed cutoffs. PMID- 17763349 TI - Parallel image reconstruction using B-spline approximation (PROBER). AB - A new reconstruction method for parallel MRI called PROBER is proposed. The method PROBER works in an image domain similar to methods based on Sensitivity Encoding (SENSE). However, unlike SENSE, which first estimates the spatial sensitivity maps, PROBER approximates the reconstruction coefficients directly by B-splines. Also, B-spline coefficients are estimated at once in order to minimize the reconstruction error instead of estimating the reconstruction in each pixel independently (as in SENSE). This makes the method robust to noise in reference images. No presmoothing of reference images is necessary. The number of estimated parameters is reduced, which speeds up the estimation process. PROBER was tested on simulated, phantom, and in vivo data. The results are compared with commercial implementations of the algorithms SENSE and GRAPPA (Generalized Autocalibrating Partially Parallel Acquisitions) in terms of elapsed time and reconstruction quality. The experiments showed that PROBER is faster than GRAPPA and SENSE for images wider than 150x150 pixels for comparable reconstruction quality. With more basis functions, PROBER outperforms both SENSE and GRAPPA in reconstruction quality at the cost of slightly increased computational time. PMID- 17763350 TI - Feasibility of multiple-mouse dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. AB - Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE-) MRI is often used to evaluate the response to experimental antiangiogenic therapies in small animal models of cancer. Unfortunately, DCE-MRI studies often require a substantial investment of both time and money to achieve the desired level of statistical significance. Multiple mouse MRI has previously been used to improve imaging efficiency, but its feasibility for DCE-MRI has not been investigated. The purpose of this work was to determine if multiple-mouse DCE-MRI is feasible when using gadolinium-based contrast agents with a low molecular weight. A population of tumor-bearing mice was scanned using two four-element arrays and a single-coil configuration on a 4.7T, 40 cm bore Bruker Biospec MRI scanner. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated and compared to determine if a significant difference between methodologies existed. With both four-animal imaging configurations, animal throughput accelerations of just less than three were achieved and quantitative data were not significantly different than from single-animal acquisitions. PMID- 17763351 TI - Comparison of airway diameter measurements from an anthropomorphic airway tree phantom using hyperpolarized 3He MRI and high-resolution computed tomography. AB - An anthropomorphic airway tree phantom was imaged with both hyperpolarized (HP) 3He MRI using a dynamic projection scan and computed tomography (CT). Airway diameter measurements from the HP 3He MR images obtained using a newly developed model-based algorithm were compared against their corresponding CT values quantified with a well-established method. Of the 45 airway segments that could be evaluated with CT, only 14 airway segments (31%) could be evaluated using HP 3He MRI. No airway segments smaller than approximately 4 mm in diameter and distal to the fourth generation were adequate for analysis in MRI. For the 14 airway segments measured, only two airway segments yielded a non-equivalent comparison between the two imaging modalities, while eight more had inconclusive comparison results, leaving only four airway segments (29%) that satisfied the designed equivalence criteria. Some of the potential problems in airway diameter quantification described in the formulation of the model-based algorithm were observed in this study. These results suggest that dynamic projection HP 3He MRI may have limited utility for measuring airway segment diameters, particularly those of the central airways. PMID- 17763352 TI - New algorithm for quantifying vascular changes in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI independent of absolute T1 values. AB - In this work, we present a new method for predicting changes in tumor vascularity using only one flip angle in dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) imaging. The usual DCE approach finds the tissue initial T1 value T1(0) prior to injection of a contrast agent. We propose finding changes in the tissue contrast agent uptake characteristics pre- and postdrug treatment by fixing T1(0). Using both simulations and imaging pre- and postadministration of caffeine, we find that the relative change (NR50) in the median of the cumulative distribution (R50) is almost independent of T1(0). Fixing T1(0) leads to a concentration curve c(t) more robust to the presence of noise than calculating T1(0). Consequently, the NR50 for the tumor remains roughly the same as the ideal NR50 when T1(0) is exactly known. Further, variations in eating habits are shown to create significant changes in the R50 response for both liver and muscle. In conclusion, analyzing data with fixed T1(0) leads to a more stable measure of changes in NR50 and does not require knowledge of T1(0). Both caffeine and eating introduce major changes in blood flow that can significantly modify the NR50 and lead to incorrect conclusions regarding drug treatment. PMID- 17763353 TI - Assessing atrophy of the major white matter fiber bundles of the brain from diffusion tensor MRI data. AB - Brain atrophy is a typical feature of many neurological conditions. Therefore, quantitative evaluation and spatial characterization of atrophy are potentially useful for monitoring the evolution of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. In this study, a method for measuring atrophy of the major white matter (WM) fiber bundles in the brain using diffusion tensor (DT) MRI data is developed. To this end, an atlas was created from sets of diffusion anisotropy images from normal subjects, and the deformations necessary to match single subject anisotropy images to this atlas were then computed. Because diffusion anisotropy images were used, this approach should be sensitive to fiber bundle volume changes in the same way that using T1-weighted images allows gray matter volume changes to be measured. The Jacobian determinant of the deformation field for each subject was then used as a measure of contraction or expansion of the tissue at each image voxel. An overview of the nonlinear registration problem is given; then an optimization of the parameters for the chosen algorithm is performed and the method for producing the atlas is described. The effectiveness of the method was then tested on data from five patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and two patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). PMID- 17763354 TI - Oxygenation and hematocrit dependence of transverse relaxation rates of blood at 3T. AB - Knowledge of the transverse relaxation rates R2 and R2* of blood is relevant for quantitative assessment of functional MRI (fMRI) results, including calibration of blood oxygenation and measurement of tissue oxygen extraction fractions (OEFs). In a temperature controlled circulation system, these rates were measured for blood in vitro at 3T under conditions akin to the physiological state. Single spin echo (SE) and gradient echo (GRE) sequences were used to determine R2 and R2*, respectively. Both rates varied quadratically with deoxygenation, and changes in R2* were found to be due predominantly to changes in R2. These data were used to estimate intravascular blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contributions during visual activation. Due to the large R2* in venous blood, intravascular SE BOLD signal changes were larger than GRE effects at echo times above 30 ms. When including extravascular effects to estimate the total BOLD effect, GRE BOLD dominated due to the large tissue volume fraction. PMID- 17763355 TI - Fast, accurate, and precise mapping of the RF field in vivo using the 180 degrees signal null. AB - RF field B1 nonuniformity is the largest cause of error in the quantitative measurement of many clinically relevant parameters in MR images and spectra. Knowledge of the absolute flip angles at every region will improve the accuracy and precision of such parameters. This method uses the 180 degrees signal null to construct a flip angle map of the entire brain in less than 4 min, independent of T1, T2, and proton density. Three spoiled gradient echo volume acquisitions of the whole brain were made with three different flip angles. The optimum choice of flip angles was determined to be 145 degrees, 180 degrees, and 215 degrees. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the nominal (system calibrated) flip angle required for a signal null at every pixel and thence determine the absolute flip angle at that location. The experiment utilizes an existing MR sequence supplied by the scanner manufacturer. The technique is validated experimentally and a theoretical investigation into the optimum experimental parameters is presented. PMID- 17763357 TI - Fluctuations in tumor blood perfusion assessed by dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. AB - Temporal heterogeneity in blood perfusion is a common phenomenon in tumors, but data characterizing the nature of the blood flow fluctuations are sparse. This study investigated the occurrence of blood flow fluctuations in A-07 melanoma xenografts by using gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd-DTPA)-based dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI). Each tumor was subjected to two DCE-MRI acquisitions separated by 1 hour. The data were processed by Kety analysis and resulted in two E.F images (E is the initial extraction fraction of Gd-DTPA and F is the perfusion) and two lambda images (lambda is the partition coefficient of Gd-DTPA) for each tumor. The E . F images were used to determine the changes in blood perfusion arising in the time between the two imaging sequences. The lambda images were used to control the reproducibility of the experimental procedure. The study showed that DCE-MRI with subsequent Kety analysis is a useful method for detection of blood flow fluctuations in A-07 tumors, and strongly suggested that the peripheral regions of A-07 tumors are more exposed to temporal changes in blood perfusion than are the central regions. PMID- 17763358 TI - Regularized, fast, and robust analytical Q-ball imaging. AB - We propose a regularized, fast, and robust analytical solution for the Q-ball imaging (QBI) reconstruction of the orientation distribution function (ODF) together with its detailed validation and a discussion on its benefits over the state-of-the-art. Our analytical solution is achieved by modeling the raw high angular resolution diffusion imaging signal with a spherical harmonic basis that incorporates a regularization term based on the Laplace-Beltrami operator defined on the unit sphere. This leads to an elegant mathematical simplification of the Funk-Radon transform which approximates the ODF. We prove a new corollary of the Funk-Hecke theorem to obtain this simplification. Then, we show that the Laplace Beltrami regularization is theoretically and practically better than Tikhonov regularization. At the cost of slightly reducing angular resolution, the Laplace Beltrami regularization reduces ODF estimation errors and improves fiber detection while reducing angular error in the ODF maxima detected. Finally, a careful quantitative validation is performed against ground truth from synthetic data and against real data from a biological phantom and a human brain dataset. We show that our technique is also able to recover known fiber crossings in the human brain and provides the practical advantage of being up to 15 times faster than original numerical QBI method. PMID- 17763359 TI - Eliciting the demand for long-term care coverage: a discrete choice modelling analysis. AB - We evaluate the demand for long-term care (LTC) insurance prospects in a stated preference context, by means of the results of a choice experiment carried out on a representative sample of the Emilia-Romagna population. In this paper, these methods are first of all used in order to assess the relative importance of the characteristics that define hypothetical insurance programmes and to elicit the willingness to pay for some LTC coverage prospects. Moreover, thanks to the application of a nested logit specification with 'partial degeneracy', we are able to model the determinants of the preference for status quo situations where no systematic cover for LTC exists. On the basis of this empirical model, we test for the effects of a series of socio-demographic variables as well as personal and household health-state indicators. PMID- 17763360 TI - Three-dimensional cine imaging using variable-density spiral trajectories and SSFP with application to coronary artery angiography. AB - A single breath-hold 3D cardiac phase resolved steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequence was developed, allowing 3D visualization of the moving coronary arteries. A 3D stack of spirals was acquired continuously throughout the cardiac cycle, and a sliding window reconstruction was used to achieve high temporal resolution. A coil specific field of view reconstruction technique was combined with Parallel Imaging with Localized Sensitivities (PILS) to allow acquisition of a reduced field of view. A view ordering incorporating fat suppression was employed to allow use of sliding window reconstruction. The technique was evaluated on healthy volunteers (n=8), yielding images with 102 ms temporal resolution and 1.35 mm in-plane resolution, and reasonable visualization of the left and right coronary arteries was achieved. PMID- 17763361 TI - Volumetric texture analysis of breast lesions on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance images. AB - Automated image analysis aims to extract relevant information from contrast enhanced magnetic resonance images (CE-MRI) of the breast and improve the accuracy and consistency of image interpretation. In this work, we extend the traditional 2D gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) method to investigate a volumetric texture analysis approach and apply it for the characterization of breast MR lesions. Our database of breast MR images was obtained using a T1 weighted 3D spoiled gradient echo sequence and consists of 121 biopsy-proven lesions (77 malignant and 44 benign). A fuzzy c-means clustering (FCM) based method is employed to automatically segment 3D breast lesions on CE-MR images. For each 3D lesion, a nondirectional GLCM is then computed on the first postcontrast frame by summing 13 directional GLCMs. Texture features are extracted from the nondirectional GLCMs and the performance of each texture feature in the task of distinguishing between malignant and benign breast lesions is assessed by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. Our results show that the classification performance of volumetric texture features is significantly better than that based on 2D analysis. Our investigations of the effects of various of parameters on the diagnostic accuracy provided means for the optimal use of the approach. PMID- 17763362 TI - Joint design of trajectory and RF pulses for parallel excitation. AB - We propose an alternating optimization framework for the joint design of excitation k-space trajectory and RF pulses for small-tip-angle parallel excitation. Using Bloch simulations, we show that compared with conventional designs with predetermined trajectories, joint designs can often excite target patterns with improved accuracy and reduced total integrated pulse power, particularly at high reduction factors. These benefits come at a modest increase in computational time. PMID- 17763363 TI - Click chemistry reactions in medicinal chemistry: applications of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between azides and alkynes. AB - In recent years, there has been an ever-increasing need for rapid reactions that meet the three main criteria of an ideal synthesis: efficiency, versatility, and selectivity. Such reactions would allow medicinal chemistry to keep pace with the multitude of information derived from modern biological screening techniques. The present review describes one of these reactions, the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition ("click-reaction") between azides and alkynes catalyzed by copper (I) salts. The simplicity of this reaction and the ease of purification of the resulting products have opened new opportunities in generating vast arrays of compounds with biological potential. The present review will outline the accomplishments of this strategy achieved so far and outline some of medicinal chemistry applications in which click-chemistry might be relevant in the future. PMID- 17763364 TI - Present status of coronary bifurcation stenting. AB - Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for bifurcation lesions is technically limited by the risk of side branch occlusion. In comparison with nonbifurcation interventions, bifurcation interventions have a lower rate of procedural success, higher procedural costs and a higher rate of clinical and angiographic restenosis. The recent introduction of drug-eluting stents (DES) has resulted in reduced incidence of main vessel restenosis compared with historical controls. However, side-branch ostial residual stenosis and long-term restenosis still remain problematic. In the era of DES, techniques employing two stents have emerged that allow stenting of the large side branch in addition to the main artery. Stenting of the main vessel with provisional side branch stenting seems to be the prevailing approach. This paper reviews outcome data with different treatment modalities for this complex lesion with particular emphasis on the use of DES as well as potential new therapeutic approaches. PMID- 17763365 TI - Is early cardioversion for atrial fibrillation safe in patients with spontaneous echocardiographic contrast? AB - The 2006 American Heart Association guidelines for management of patients with atrial fibrillation state "For patients with no identifiable thrombus in the left atrium (LA) or left atrial appendage (LAA), cardioversion (CV) is reasonable immediately after anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin. Thereafter, continuation of oral anticoagulation is reasonable for an anticoagulation period of at least 4 weeks". For patients with thrombus identified by transesophageal echocardiography, guidelines recommend therapeutic oral anticoagulation for 3 weeks prior to and 4 weeks after elective cardioversion. Patients with spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) identified by TEE have a high risk of thromboembolic events,1-8 however, the guidelines do not address whether patients with SEC without thrombus can be safely cardioverted. This paper reviews the literature describing the pathogenesis of SEC, how it is detected, and whether elective cardioversion is safe. On the basis of our review, we believe that the risk of cardioembolic stroke after cardioversion of a patient with SEC is low, regardless of anticoagulation. The safe conclusion is that patients with SEC on TEE should receive therapeutic anticoagulation prior to cardioversion if possible and early cardioversion is not contraindicated. PMID- 17763366 TI - A case of ventriculo-venous communication: an extremely rare congenital anomaly of the left ventricle. PMID- 17763367 TI - Calcitonin gene-related peptide: a marker for putative primary afferent neurons in the pig small intestinal myenteric plexus? AB - For years, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has been used as a marker peptide for Dogiel type II neurons, putative intrinsic primary afferent neurons, in the pig enteric nervous system. Recently, some studies showed CGRP-positive neurons displaying distinctly different shapes. The aims of this study were to evaluate (1) the proportion of myenteric type II neurons that contain CGRP and (2) the proportion of myenteric CGRP-positive neurons that display type II vs. non-type II morphologies and to conclude if this peptide could be suited as a marker for type II neurons. For this purpose, nine myenteric whole-mounts (each one from duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, respectively, derived from three pigs) were triple-immunostained for CGRP, neurofilaments (NF), and choline acetyl transferase (ChAT). Each whole-mount was evaluated twice. First, 50 NF-stained type II neurons were selected randomly and their coreactivities for CGRP and ChAT were observed. Second, 50 CGRP-positive neurons were located randomly and their NF morphology and ChAT coreactivity were observed. Altogether, 92% of all type II neurons investigated displayed CGRP immunoreactivity, whereas 94.9% of all CGRP reactive neurons recorded displayed type II morphology. We observed three further shapes of CGRP-positive neurons: 7 type V neurons (all were ChAT-positive; mainly in the ileal whole-mounts), 6 type I-like neurons (all were ChAT-positive), and 14 type III-like neurons (mostly ChAT-negative; mainly in duodenal and jejunal specimens). We conclude that CGRP-antibodies can be used as markers for type II neurons in the pig small intestinal myenteric plexus in quantitative studies but it should be kept in mind that up to one-tenth of CGRP-reactive neurons may be non-type II neurons. In case of single cell evaluation, CGRP-immunoreactivity alone is not suited as a marker. In such cases additional, morphological analysis is necessary. PMID- 17763368 TI - Glypican-3 immunocytochemistry in liver fine-needle aspirates : a novel stain to assist in the differentiation of benign and malignant liver lesions. AB - BACKGROUND: Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan which is elevated in the serum of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but not in healthy blood donors, or patients with benign liver disease. GPC3 immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a promising marker of HCC in surgical pathology. This study explores the value of GPC3 expression in liver fine-needle aspirates (FNAs) by immunocytochemistry (ICC), and compares its sensitivity and staining intensity with that of IHC. METHODS: Archival cytologic material in hepatic FNAs from 20 patients with HCC, 20 patients with metastatic tumors, and 20 patients with benign lesions, were studied. Correlating surgical specimens and/or cell blocks were available for GPC-3 IHC in 16 patients with HCC. All slides were stained with GPC3-1G12 antibody with appropriate positive and negative controls. Staining intensity was graded as 0, no staining; 1, weak cytoplasmic staining; 2, moderate cytoplasmic staining; 3, strong cytoplasmic staining with membranous accentuation. Grades 0 and 1 were regarded as negative; grades 2 and 3 were considered positive for GPC3. RESULTS: In the HCC group, positive staining was found in 18/20 (90%) samples. In contrast, GPC3 ICC of 20/20 (100%) metastatic tumors and 20/20 (100%) benign cases displayed negative staining, no cases showing moderate or strong expression. The sensitivity and specificity of GPC3 in HCC ICC were 90% and 100% respectively. The surgical sections and cell blocks of HCC demonstrated positive staining less frequently, in 11/16 (68.8%) cases, with 12/16 (75%) correlation with ICC. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated positive staining for GPC3 as defined in 90% of liver FNAs from HCC patients. All metastatic tumors and benign aspirates studied were negative for GPC3. ICC was superior to IHC in 25% of cases. This pilot study supports the diagnostic utility of GPC3 in hepatic FNAs to aid in distinction of HCC from metastatic tumors and benign liver lesions. PMID- 17763369 TI - Prospective assessment of radiotherapy-associated cardiac toxicity in breast cancer patients: analysis of data 3 to 6 years after treatment. AB - BACKGROUND: Radiation therapy (RT) to the left breast/chest wall has been linked with cardiac dysfunction. Previously, the authors identified cardiac perfusion defects in approximately 50% to 60% of patients 0.5 to 2 years post-RT. In the current study, they assessed the persistence of these defects 3 to 6 years post RT. METHODS: From 1998 to 2006, 160 patients with left-sided breast cancer were enrolled onto an Institutional Review Board-approved, prospective study. All patients received tangential photons to the left breast/chest wall. Patients had pre-RT and serial post-RT single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans to assess changes in regional cardiac perfusion, wall motion, and ejection fraction (EF). Forty-four patients had SPECT scans 3 to 6 years post-RT and were evaluable for the current analysis. RESULTS: The overall incidence of perfusion defects at 3 years, 4 years, 5 years, and 6 years was 52% (11 of 21 patients), 71% (17 of 24 patients), 67% (12 of 18 patients), and 57% (4 of 7 patients), respectively. The rate of abnormal SPECT scans 3 to 6 years post-RT in patients who had scans at 0.5 to 2 years that were either all abnormal, intermittently abnormal, or all normal was 80%, 67%, and 63%, respectively. The incidence of wall motion abnormalities in patients with or without perfusion defects 3 to 6 years post-RT was low and did not differ statistically (17% vs 7.1%, respectively; P = .65), as was the incidence of reductions in EF of >/=5% (27% vs 36%, respectively; P = .72). CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study indicated that RT-induced perfusion defects may persist or initially may appear 3 to 6 years post-RT in a high percentage of patients. However, these defects were not associated with changes in regional wall motion or EF. Additional study will be needed to determine the clinical relevance of these defects. In the meantime, the authors believe that every effort should be made to minimize incidental irradiation of the heart while maintaining adequate coverage of target volumes. PMID- 17763370 TI - Getting to personalized cancer medicine: taking out the garbage. PMID- 17763371 TI - Breast cancer vaccines: promise for the future or pipe dream? AB - The objective of this study was to review issues involved in the search for a breast cancer vaccine. A review of the recent literature (2004-2007) was undertaken, with earlier literature included as appropriate for background, to assess 1) current approaches being used to create a therapeutic breast cancer vaccine, and 2) potential strategies for a preventive vaccine targeting either an infectious agent or tumor-associated antigen. Several approaches to the development of a therapeutic vaccine show promise, including tumor cell/dendritic cell fusion and DNA vaccines based on single purified antigens or DNA fragments from whole cells. Most of these experimental vaccines have either not moved beyond preclinical testing or have not shown a significant clinical response. Strategies involving host factors that mitigate immune response against tumors also show promise. Interest has increased in developing a preventive vaccine that can be administered to immunocompetent patients with minimal or no evidence of disease. Prophylactic vaccines typically target infectious agents, but the evidence for an infectious etiology for breast cancer is largely descriptive and difficult to interpret. A second strategy for a preventive breast cancer vaccine is to target tumor-associated antigens. Ongoing clinical trials are utilizing this approach, with preliminary results that are encouraging. PMID- 17763372 TI - Pathologic fractures correlate with reduced survival in patients with malignant bone disease. AB - BACKGROUND: Data from randomized, controlled trials of zoledronic acid were retrospectively analyzed to assess the effect of pathologic fractures on survival in patients with malignant bone disease. METHODS: A Cox regression model was used to estimate the effect of fractures (time-dependent variable) on survival in patients with stage III multiple myeloma or bone metastases from solid tumors enrolled in 3 large trials. Patients were randomized to receive zoledronic acid, pamidronate, or placebo every 3-4 weeks for up to 24 months (prostate cancer, breast cancer, and multiple myeloma) or up to 21 months (lung and other solid tumors). RESULTS: A total of 3049 patients with multiple myeloma (n = 513), breast (n = 1130), prostate (n = 640), or lung cancer or other solid tumors (n = 766) were included in this analysis. Patients with multiple myeloma had the highest fracture incidence (43%), followed by breast (35%), prostate (19%), and lung cancer (17%). In all tumor types except lung, pathologic fracture was associated with a significant increase in risk of death, and breast cancer patients had the greatest increased risk. After adjustment for baseline characteristics, including performance status and prior skeletal complications, breast cancer patients who developed a pathologic fracture on study had a significant 32% increased risk of death relative to patients without a fracture (hazard ratio = 1.32; P < .01); patients with multiple myeloma or prostate cancer had a >20% increased risk of death. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that fractures are associated with increased risk of death in patients with malignant bone disease. Therefore, preventing fractures is an important goal of therapy. PMID- 17763373 TI - 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (PET)/PET-computed tomography in carcinoma of the cervix. PMID- 17763374 TI - 1-cinnamyl-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazines: synthesis, binding properties, and docking to dopamine (D(2)) and serotonin (5-HT(1A)) receptors. AB - Clinical properties of atypical antipsychotics are based on their interaction with D(2) dopamine receptor and serotonin 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2A) receptors. As a part of our research program on new antipsychotics, we synthesized various derivatives of 1-cinnamyl-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazines, and evaluated their affinities for D(2), 5-HT(1A), 5-HT(2A), and adrenergic (alpha(1)) receptors using radioligand-binding assays. In addition, we performed docking analysis using models for the D(2) and 5-HT(1A) receptors. All compounds exhibited low to moderate affinity to 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2A) receptors, high affinity to the D(2 )receptor and large variability in affinities for the alpha(1) receptor. Docking analysis indicated that the binding to D(2) and 5-HT(1A) receptors is based on (i) interaction between protonated N1 of the piperazine ring and various aspartate residues, (ii) hydrogen bonds between various moieties of the ligand and the residues of threonine, serine, histidine or tryptophane, and (iii) edge to-face interactions of the aromatic ring of the arylpiperazine moiety with phenylalanine or tyrosine residues. Docking data for the D(2) receptor can account for the binding properties obtained in binding assays, suggesting that the model is reliable and robust. However, docking data for the 5-HT(1A) receptor cannot account for actual binding properties, suggesting that further refinement of the model is required. PMID- 17763375 TI - Pharmacokinetic profile of atenolol aspirinate. AB - We report microwave-assisted synthetic routes, the pharmacokinetic profile along with results from ulcerogenicity and mutagenicity studies of atenolol aspirinate, and an already described derivative, in which acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) was connected to atenolol by an ester linkage. Atenolol aspirinate was stable towards aqueous hydrolysis but rapidly hydrolyzed in plasma (t(1/2) = 7.6 min). The results showed that the rapid and complete hydrolysis generates atenolol salicylate, which assumes a conformation stabilized by two intramolecular H bonds, avoiding its further hydrolysis to salicylic acid and atenolol. PMID- 17763376 TI - Synthesis of 2-substituted-7-heptyloxy-4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]-triazolo[4,3 a]quinolin-1(2H)-ones with anticonvulsant activity. AB - A series of 2-substituted-7-heptyloxy-4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinolin 1(2H)-ones was synthesized. The anticonvulsant effect and neurotoxicity of the compounds were calculated with maximal electroshock (MES) test, subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (sc-PTZ), and rotarod tests with intraperitoneally injected mice. Among the synthesized compounds, 2-propionyl-7-heptyloxy-4,5-dihydro [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoline-1(2H)-one 4b was the most active one and also had the lowest toxicity. In the anti-MES potency test, it showed median effective dose (ED(50)) of 8.2 mg/kg, median toxicity dose (TD(50)) of 318.3 mg/kg, and the protective index (PI) of 39.0 which is much greater than the PI of the reference drugs phenytoin and carbamazepine. PMID- 17763377 TI - A parametric comparison of diagnostic accuracy with three ordinal diagnostic groups. AB - Many medical diagnostic studies involve three ordinal diagnostic groups in which the diagnostic accuracy can be summarized by the volume or partial volume under a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) surface. We study in this paper the statistical comparison of diagnostic accuracy from multiple diagnostic tests when three ordinal diagnostic groups are involved. Under the assumption that the multiple diagnostic tests follow a multivariate normal distribution within each diagnostic group, we provide the asymptotic variance and covariance for the maximum likelihood estimates of the volumes under the ROC surfaces from multiple diagnostic tests and propose statistical tests to test whether the diagnostic accuracy as measured by the volume under the ROC surface is the same for multiple diagnostic tests. We also propose a confidence interval estimate to the difference of two volumes under two ROC surfaces. Our approach depends crucially on the assumptions of normal distributions on diagnostic tests, which might not be robust when such assumptions are violated. Finally, we apply our proposed methodology to a real data set of 118 subjects to compare the diagnostic accuracy of early stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) from multiple neuropsychological tests. PMID- 17763378 TI - Estimation and confidence regions for multi-dimensional effective dose. AB - The problem of finding confidence regions for multiple predictor variables corresponding to given expected values of a response variable has not been adequately resolved. Motivated by an example from a study on hyperbaric exposure using a logistic regression model, we develop a conceptual framework for the estimation of the multi-dimensional effective dose for binary outcomes. The k dimensional effective dose can be determined by conditioning on k - 1 components and solving for the last component as a conditional univariate effective dose. We consider various approaches for calculating confidence regions for the multi dimensional effective dose and compare them via a simulation study for a range of possible designs. We analyze data related to decompression sickness to illustrate our procedure. Our results provide a practical approach to finding confidence regions for predictor variables for a given response value. PMID- 17763380 TI - Twenty years of liver transplantation for Budd-Chiari syndrome: a national registry analysis. AB - Several treatment options exist for the management of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS), yet the relative role and timing of liver transplantation (LT) remain poorly defined. Small case series published to date have not been able to delineate the impact of comorbidities and thromboembolic complications of BCS on survival after LT. To better understand the outcomes after LT for BCS, we analyzed 510 liver transplants performed for this disease in the United States between 1987 and 2006. Risk factors predicting graft loss or patient death included increased recipient age, hyperbilirubinemia, elevated creatinine, life support or hospitalization at the time of transplantation, prior transplantation, prior abdominal surgery, increased donor age, and prolonged cold ischemic time (CIT). Prior transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) was not associated with worse outcomes. Transplantation in the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) era was associated with significantly lower risk of graft loss (hazard ratio [HR], 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30-0.86; P = 0.012) and death (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.29-0.93; P = 0.027). Similarly, MELD era was associated with significantly lower risk of early graft loss (odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% CI, 0.16 0.79, P = 0.012) and early death (odds ratio, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.14-0.95; P = 0.040). However, patients with BCS transplanted in the MELD era were less likely to have life support, hospitalization, prior transplants, and prolonged cold ischemia times. In conclusion, outcomes of LT for BCS are excellent, with further improvements since 2002 associated with a selection shift imposed by MELD-based organ allocation. PMID- 17763379 TI - Application of intraoperative cine-portogram to detect spontaneous portosystemic collaterals missed by intraoperative doppler exam in adult living donor liver transplantation. AB - Adequate portal inflow is essential to the regeneration of a partial liver graft after adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). A recipient having large spontaneous portosystemic collaterals with or without portal vein (PV) stenosis would require surgical interruption of large collaterals and/or correction of PV stenosis to prevent postoperative "portal flow steal phenomenon." Intraoperative Doppler ultrasound (IOUS) has been used to estimate the adequacy of portal inflow, but it has a limitation to identify the correct anatomical and hemodynamic parameters of portosystemic collaterals. We initiated to utilize intraoperative cine-portogram (IOCP) to overcome the limitations of IOUS. The spontaneous portosystemic large collaterals in 5 of 156 adult LDLTs from March 2003 to February 2004 were precisely identified not by IOUS but by IOCP, and successfully interrupted. In addition, 3 of these patients had stenotic PV (<1 cm in diameter), which was interfering with the hepatopetal portal flow and the PVs were effectively widened by the placement of intraoperative PV stenting. In conclusion, IOCP seems to be an effective tool for precise detection of the persistent large portosystemic collaterals that were not detected by IOUS, and for monitoring their complete interruption. PMID- 17763381 TI - Impact of non-congestive graft size in living donor liver transplantation: new indicator for additional vein reconstruction in right liver graft. AB - Addition of the middle hepatic vein (MHV) or reconstruction of its tributaries to increase noncongestive graft volume is expected to improve graft function in right liver living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). However, the relationship between noncongestive graft volume and graft function after transplantation has not been clarified and definitive criteria for the reconstruction of MHV tributaries have yet to be established. We analyzed 29 right liver LDLT cases. The noncongestive graft weight was calculated as the total weight of the graft regions drained by hepatic veins reconstructed without postoperative occlusion. We calculated the noncongestive graft-to-recipient weight ratio (ncGRWR) by comparing it to the GRWR. Indocyanine green (ICG) clearance results on days 1 and 3 were significantly correlated with ncGRWR, but not with GRWR. Patients were then divided into 2 groups based on ncGRWR: lower than the median (L-ncGRWR group) and above the median (H-ncGRWR group). ICG clearance in the H-ncGRWR group was significantly better on days 1 and 3. For a different analysis, the patients were again divided into 2 groups, those with and without prolonged cholestasis after transplantation. ncGRWR was significantly lower in patients with prolonged cholestasis, and 7 of 9 patients with an ncGRWR value lower than 0.65 suffered from prolonged cholestasis. Our results demonstrated that the noncongestive volume of a right liver graft has a significant association with early graft function. Further, ncGRWR can play a key role in preoperative determination for additional vein reconstruction of MHV tributaries. When the estimated ncGRWR value with reconstruction of only the right hepatic vein (RHV) (+ inferior right hepatic vein [IRHV]) is less than 0.65, additional vein reconstruction of MHV tributaries should be planned. PMID- 17763382 TI - Malaria infection through multiorgan donation: an update from Spain. AB - During the last years, immigration has increased and, consequently, the pool of foreign donors and associated infectious diseases from exotic countries (especially from the tropics) has also increased. Only a few cases of malaria transmitted via different donation sources have been published. In the present report, a Plasmodium vivax transmitted through a multiorgan donation is reported. In conclusion, we discuss the features related with the diagnosis, the treatment, and the special characteristics of a case in which the liver and not any other organ is the reservoir of the plasmodium. PMID- 17763383 TI - Hepatic venous pressure gradient to assess fibrosis and its progression after liver transplantation for HCV cirrhosis. AB - Progression of fibrosis following recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is frequent after liver transplantation (LT). Histology remains the gold standard to assess fibrosis, but the value of hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) is being explored. We evaluated patients with recurrent HCV infection after LT to assess whether HVPG correlates with liver histology, particularly fibrosis. A total of 90 consecutive patients underwent 170 HVPG measurements concomitant with transjugular liver biopsy (TJB), with 31.5 (range, 6-156) months of follow up. Median biopsy length was 22 mm and total portal tract count was 12 (complete 6, partial 6). Median HVPG was 4 mmHg: 38% of patients > or =6 mmHg (portal hypertension, PHT), 13% > or =10 mmHg. HVPG correlated with Ishak stage (r = 0.73, P < 0.001) for mild (0-3) and severe fibrosis (4-6), and grade score (r = 0.47, P < 0.001), but neither correlated with interval from LT nor biopsy length. HVPG was > or =10 mmHg in 15 patients: 12 had stage 5 or 6, and 3 severe portal expansion. HVPG was repeated in 49, between 7 and 60 months with weak correlation to fibrosis score (r = 0.30, P = 0.045). A total of 12 patients with HVPG > or =6 mmHg had fibrosis score < or =3, while 8 patients had normal HVPG but fibrosis stage > or =4. These discrepancies were mostly associated with specific histological features such as perisinusoidal fibrosis rather than errors in measuring HVPG. In 29 with HVPG <6 mmHg at 1 yr, none decompensated compared to 4 of 13 (31%) with PHT. In conclusion, HVPG correlates with fibrosis and its progression, due to recurrent HCV infection, assessed in TJB. PMID- 17763384 TI - Initial steroid bolus injection promotes vigorous CD8+ alloreactive responses toward early graft acceptance immediately after liver transplantation in humans. AB - We have found that steroid bolus withdrawal prior to graft reperfusion increased the incidence of acute cellular rejection (ACR). This study aims to clarify how initial steroid bolus (ISB) injection at reperfusion influences the kinetics of CD8(+) alloreactive immune responses immediately after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). A total of 49 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected recipients were classified into 3 groups according to hierarchical clustering by preoperative CD8(+)CD45 isoforms. The naive T cell proportion was considerably higher in Group I than in Groups II and III, whereas Group II recipients had the highest effector memory (EM) T cells and Group III the highest effector T cells. The frequency of ACR was significantly higher in recipients without ISB than in those with ISB. In particular, the ACR rates were the highest in Group II without ISB. Following ISB, the proportion of effector T cells was promptly upregulated within 6 hours after graft reperfusion, simultaneously with the upregulation of CD27(-)CD28(-) subsets, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor-alpha and perforin expression, which significantly correlated with increasing interleukin (IL)-12 receptor beta 1 cells. These were then downregulated to below preoperative levels by tacrolimus (Tac) administered at 24 hours. These changes did not occur in the absence of ISB. In Group II without ISB, the downregulation of IL-12Rbeta1(+) cells was the greatest, consistent with the highest rates of ACR and mortality (60%). In conclusion, ISB must be done in place, especially in Group II with preexisting high EM T cells, to enable the development of early allograft acceptance. PMID- 17763385 TI - Intrahepatic portal cavernoma as an indication for liver transplantation. AB - Cavernous transformation of the portal vein (portal cavernoma) consists of a periportal or/and intrahepatic venous collateral network, developed as a result of acute or long-standing portal vein thrombosis. Better control of hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications in the patients with portal cavernoma substantially improves their life span and the clinical outcome. However, biliary complications that occur in the late stages of this disease have been recently recognized as challenging management issues because they recur and are difficult to treat. Because of the relatively small number of the patients with cholangiopathy due to portal cavernoma, there is no current standardized treatment approach. We report the case of a predominantly intrahepatic portal cavernoma occurring in a patient with chronic idiopathic portal vein thrombosis, which led to severe cholangiopathy that mimicked primary sclerosing cholangitis and cholangiocarcinoma, was unresponsive to endoscopic stent placement, and finally required liver transplantation. PMID- 17763386 TI - Excellent results of cardiac surgery in patients with previous liver transplantation. AB - Cardiovascular diseases requiring surgical therapy in patients with prior liver transplantation are rare. Little is known about the outcome of patients with liver allograft undergoing cardiac surgery. Herein we report our experience in this patient population with an emphasis on operative outcomes and mid-term survival. Between January 1998 and December 2004, 12 patients (mean +/- standard deviation age 68 +/- 9 years, 7 [58%] male) with previous liver transplantation who underwent cardiac surgery were identified. Main outcome measures were hospital mortality, postoperative complications, allograft function, and long term survival. There was no in-hospital mortality. Three major complications (25%) occurred, including 1 each (8%) of respiratory failure, renal failure, and biliary leakage. All complications were resolved by the time of discharge. Allograft dysfunction determined by an increase of liver function parameters was noticed in 4 (33%) and recovered before discharge. The average length of stay in intensive care unit was 72 +/- 45 hours, and the mean length of stay in hospital was 22 +/- 17 days. One- and 5-year survival was 91% +/- 8% and 67% +/- 14%, respectively. Cardiac surgery can be performed safely in liver transplant recipients with extremely low mortality and acceptable morbidities. Allograft dysfunction is a common finding, but it is transient, with early functional recovery. Five-year survival of liver recipients undergoing cardiac procedures is similar to that of the general population undergoing cardiac surgery. Our data suggest that these patients should be considered for cardiac surgery in reference centers with expertise in complex cardiac procedures and perioperative management of these highly specific patients. PMID- 17763387 TI - Predictive value of actin-free Gc-globulin in acute liver failure. AB - Serum concentrations of the actin scavenger Gc-globulin may provide prognostic information in acute liver failure (ALF). The fraction of Gc-globulin not bound to actin is postulated to represent a better marker than total Gc-globulin but has been difficult to measure. We tested a new rapid assay for actin-free Gc globulin to determine its prognostic value when compared with the King's College Hospital (KCH) criteria in a large number of patients with ALF. A total of 252 patients with varying etiologies from the U.S. ALF Study Group registry were included; the first 178 patients constituted the learning set, and the last 74 patients served as the validation set. Actin-free Gc-globulin was determined with a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The median (range) actin-free Gc-globulin level at admission for the learning set was significantly reduced compared with controls (47 [0-183] mg/L vs. 204 [101-365] mg/L, respectively, P < 0.001). Gc-globulin levels were significantly higher in spontaneous survivors than in patients who died or were transplanted (53 [0-129] mg/L vs. 37 [0-183] mg/L, P = 0.002). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that a 40 mg/L cutoff level carried the best prognostic information, yielding positive and negative predictive values of 68% and 67%, respectively, in the validation set. The corresponding figures for the KCH criteria were 72% and 64%. A new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for actin-free Gc-globulin provides the same (but not optimal) prognostic information as KCH criteria in a single measurement at admission. PMID- 17763389 TI - Incisional hernia following liver transplantation: today's incidence and causes of this pesky problem. PMID- 17763388 TI - Employment and quality of life in liver transplant recipients. AB - The purposes of liver transplantation (LT) include the extension of survival, improvement in quality of life, and the return of the recipient as a contributing member of society. Employment is one measure of the ability to return to society. The aim of this study is to determine the factors affecting employment/subemployment after LT. A total of 308 adult liver transplant recipients who were seen at the University of California, Los Angeles were administered the Medical Outcomes Short Form 36 (SF-36) and a questionnaire regarding work history and insurance coverage. Multivariate analysis were used to identify independent variables associated with posttransplantation employment. Interaction terms were used to examine effect modification. Of 308 transplant recipients, 218 (70.8%) worked prior to transplantation, and 78 (27%) worked posttransplantation. Pretransplant variables that were independently associated with posttransplantation employment included the following: lack of disability income (odds ratio [OR] = 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-7.18; P = 0.36); health maintenance organization (HMO)/preferred provider organization (PPO) insurance (OR = 3.08; 95% CI, 1.32-7.18; P < 0.01); the number of hours worked (OR = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.08-1.28; P < 0.01); and the lack of diabetes mellitus (OR = 0.23; 95% CI, 0.70-0.73; P < 0.01). An interaction term between disability income and hours worked prior to transplantation (OR = 0.16; 95 % CI, 0.03-0.83; P = 0.03) was independently associated with posttransplantation employment. In a separate regression model of SF-36 responses, posttransplantation physical functioning (OR = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.10-1.26; P < 0.01) and role-physical (OR = 1.1; 95% CI, 1.02-1.16; P < 0.01) were independently associated with employment after transplantation. In conclusion, HMO or PPO insurance, lack of disability income coverage prior to transplant, the absence of diabetes mellitus, the number of hours worked prior to transplantation, and high physical functioning were associated with posttransplantation employment. PMID- 17763390 TI - Transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome (Takotsubo cardiomyopathy) following orthotopic liver transplantation. PMID- 17763391 TI - Successful long-term repair of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm following liver transplantation with primary stent-grafting. PMID- 17763392 TI - Temporary abdominal coverage for adult liver transplantation. PMID- 17763394 TI - Expression of transforming growth factor beta1 gene, basic fibroblast growth factor gene and hydroxyproline in diabetes-induced bladder dysfunction in a rat model. AB - AIMS: To investigate the content of hydroxyproline (Hyp) and the expression of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF beta1) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the bladder 8 weeks after diabetes induction. METHODS: Thirty wistar rats were divided into three groups: control (n = 10), streptozotocin-induced diabetic group (n = 10), TAD group (n = 10; diabetic rats were fed with Tadenan 100 mg kg(-1) day(-1)). Eight weeks later, the bladders were dissected. RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA were used to detect the expression of TGF beta1 and bFGF in the bladder. Also hydroxyproline (Hyp) was measured using a method based on alkaline hydrolysis. RESULTS: The content of hydroxyproline in the diabetic group was greater than that of control group (P < 0.05); we found significantly increased expression of TGF beta1 mRNA and bFGF mRNA in the bladder from the diabetic group compared with the control group; immunohistochemical and ELISA studies showed a statistically significant increased expression of TGF beta1 protein and bFGF protein in the bladder from the diabetic group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The content of hydroxyproline in TAD group was less than that of diabetic group (P < 0.05); mRNA expression of TGF beta1 and bFGF greatly decreased in TAD group compared with that of the diabetic group; immunohistochemical and ELISA studies showed decreased levels of TGF beta1 protein and bFGF protein in the bladder from TAD group compared with the diabetic group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Rats with streptozoticin-induced diabetes mellitus showed significant increase in hydroxyproline, TGF beta1 and bFGF levels in their bladders, which may be an important mechanism inducing diabetic cystopathy. Tadenan could effectively reduce hydroxyproline, TGF beta1, and bFGF levels. PMID- 17763395 TI - The function of suburothelial myofibroblasts in the bladder. AB - The properties of suburothelial myofibroblasts are described, and their possible role in shaping sensory responses from the bladder wall are discussed. Suburothelial myofibroblasts consist of long spindle-shaped cells that form a distinctive layer below the urothelium and are connected to each other through connexin 43 gap junctions. Isolated cells from guinea pig or human bladders display spontaneous fluctuations of membrane potential and intracellular [Ca(2+)], and respond in a similar way to exogenous application of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or lowering of extracellular pH. ATP generates an intracellular Ca(2+) transient via activation of a P2Y receptor, which in turn initiates a Ca(2+)-sensitive Cl(-) current inward at the normal membrane potential of -50 to -60 mV. Of the P2Y receptor subtypes identified by immunolabeling, the most prominent was the P2Y(6) receptor. Cell pairs, without the formation of gap junctions, elicit augmented responses to exogenous agonists. Mechanical stimulation of the suburothelial layer in intact cross-sections of the bladder elicited Ca(2+) waves that propagated across the suburothelial layer before invading the detrusor layer. This indicates that the suburothelial layer forms a discrete functional layer of cells capable of propagating signals over many cell lengths. A function for suburothelial myofibroblasts is proposed whereby they act as an amplification stage in the sensory response to bladder wall stretch, as occurs during bladder filling. PMID- 17763396 TI - Reduced Shh expression in TFF2-overexpressing lesions of the gastric fundus under hypochlorhydric conditions. AB - Expression of sonic hedgehog (Shh), a morphogen for the gastric fundic glands, is reduced in the atrophic mucosa that develops in association with Helicobacter pylori infection, resulting in impaired differentiation of the fundic gland cells, increased expression of trefoil factor family 2 (TFF2) and the formation of spasmolytic polypeptide (SP)-expressing metaplasia (SPEM), a preneoplastic lesion. However, it is still unresolved whether H. pylori-induced inflammation and the resultant reduction in parietal cell number or reduced parietal cell function per se reduces Shh expression. The present study was designed to clarify the expression of Shh and TFF2 in the context of parietal cell dysfunction in the absence of inflammation, using histamine H(2) receptor-knockout (H(2)R-null) mice and an acid exposure model. Age-matched H(2)R-null mice and wild-type (WT) mice were used. The expression of Shh and TFF2 mRNA was quantified by quantitative RT PCR. Immunohistochemistry was also performed to detect the expression of Shh, TFF2 and cell markers. To study the effects of acid exposure, HCl solution was administered to the animals. The H(2)R-null mice exhibited higher gastric pH, increased TFF2 expression and reduced Shh expression. Impaired mucous neck-to zymogenic cell differentiation was observed in the H(2)R-null mice. Furthermore, Shh expression increased in the presence of gastric acid and showed a significant correlation with gastric surface pH. In conclusion, our results suggest that persistent parietal cell dysfunction alone (suppressed gastric acid secretion), in the absence of inflammation or parietal cell loss caused by H. pylori infection, may be sufficient to down-regulate Shh expression in TFF2 overexpressing preneoplastic lesions of the gastric fundus. Since exposure to acid restored fundic Shh expression, appropriate gastric acid secretion may play an important role in the morphogen dynamics involved in the maintenance of gastric fundic gland homeostasis. PMID- 17763397 TI - Predicting outcome in acute liver failure: are we there yet? PMID- 17763398 TI - Liver transplantation for porphyria: who, when, and how? AB - Porphyrias are a heterogenous group of diseases that may result in disabling or life threatening neurovisceral symptoms and/or cutaneous photosensitivity. In acute intermittent porphyria, the clinical features, particularly neurological symptoms, may be life-threatening and disabling. Conventional treatment with human hemin, though effective in reducing symptoms, does not reverse neuropathy when structural nerve damage has occurred and may cause intense phlebitis. Liver transplantation (LT) may be considered as treatment for those with repeated life threatening acute attacks resulting in poor quality of life, requirement of ventilatory support, and progressive loss of venous access due to hemin infusion. Patients with variegate porphyria (VP) present after puberty with neurovisceral symptoms and skin manifestations. LT resolved VP in the 1 patient reported in the literature. Aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase deficient porphyria is a rare autosomal recessive disorder and a child who presented with failure to thrive and required transfusions and parenteral nutrition did not improve with LT. In erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), there is excessive production of protoporphyrin in the bone marrow. Protoporphyrin is hepatotoxic and pigment loading of hepatocytes and bile canalicular sludging may result in progressive cholestasis and cirrhosis. LT is beneficial for such patients with end-stage liver disease. Perioperative management includes use of filters on operative lights to prevent skin burns and intestinal perforation. Other concerns include development of neuropathy, biliary complications, and recurrent liver disease. This review addresses the rationale, patient selection, evaluation, management issues, and technique of performing LT in various types of porphyria. PMID- 17763399 TI - Performance of the new MELD-Na score in predicting 3-month and 1-year mortality in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B. AB - The new Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)-Na score has been validated in a population predominantly affected by chronic hepatitis C and alcoholic liver disease. We aimed to validate the score in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B-related complications admitted to the hospital from 1996 to 2003. MELD and the new MELD-Na scores (MELD-Na = MELD + 1.59 [135 - Na] with maximum and minimum Na of 135 and 120 mmol/L, respectively) on initial admissions were calculated. Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess factors associated with mortality. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) was used to compare the predictive abilities of MELD and MELD-Na scores for 3 month and 1-yr mortalities. Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were excluded. A total of 2,073 patients with liver disease were admitted during the study period and 363 patients had chronic hepatitis B-related complications other than hepatocellular carcinoma. At a median follow-up of 106 weeks, 134 patients died and 14 received liver transplantation. Patients with MELD-Na scores 11-20, 21-30, and >30 had mortality increased by 2.0-fold, 4.7-fold, and 7.6-fold, respectively, compared to patients with scores < or =10. At 3 months and 1 yr, the AUC of the MELD-Na score (0.75 and 0.79, respectively) was superior to those of the MELD score (0.72 and 0.75, respectively) (P = 0.004) in predicting mortality. In conclusion, the new MELD-Na score is a valid model to predict mortality in patients with complications of chronic hepatitis B. PMID- 17763400 TI - Actin-free Gc globulin: a rapidly assessed biomarker of organ dysfunction in acute liver failure and cirrhosis. AB - Reductions in serum levels of Gc globulin, a hepatically synthesized component of the extracellular actin scavenger system responsible for complexing circulating actin and attenuating intravascular microthrombus formation, are associated with poor outcome in acute liver failure. Clinically applicable assays of the important actin-free fraction (Af-Gc) have not been available until now. We measured actin-free Gc globulin levels with a novel, rapid assay in 61 cases of acute liver failure (ALF) and in 91 patients with cirrhosis (40 of whom were clinically unstable with extrahepatic organ dysfunction), and studied associations with liver dysfunction, extrahepatic organ dysfunction, indices of disseminated coagulation, and outcome. Reductions in Af-Gc levels mirrored hepatic dysfunction and organ dysfunction in both groups, and discriminated patients with poor prognosis from those with good prognosis in the ALF cohort. Levels were lowest in patients with ALF (10% of control values), but levels were also markedly reduced in both unstable (28%) and stable (44%) patients with cirrhosis. Associations with markers of disseminated intravascular coagulation were seen in both groups, most notably in the cirrhosis cohort, supporting a pathophysiological role for reduced Af-Gc in the evolution of organ dysfunction. In acetaminophen-induced ALF, Af-Gc identified patients with poor prognosis as well as did the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.7), and in cirrhosis, Af-Gc was an independent predictor of mortality by multifactorial analysis. In conclusion, the importance of Af-Gc reductions in the development of multiple organ dysfunction in ALF and cirrhosis is highlighted, probably resulting from reduced hepatic production and peripheral exhaustion of this arm of the extracellular actin scavenger system. PMID- 17763401 TI - Long-term survival and impact of ursodeoxycholic acid treatment for recurrent primary biliary cirrhosis after liver transplantation. AB - The recurrence of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in the hepatic allograft may impact patient and graft survival with long-term follow-up. The efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) for treatment of recurrent PBC after liver transplantation (LT) remains less well known. The aims of this study were as follows: 1) to determine the significance of recurrent PBC on overall survival among PBC patients who underwent LT, and 2) to determine the efficacy of UDCA treatment after LT in patients with recurrent PBC. A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 154 PBC patients who underwent LT with at least 1 yr of follow up after transplantation from 1985 through 2005. A total of 52 patients with recurrent PBC were identified. After adjusting for age and gender, recurrent PBC was not associated with death or liver retransplantation (hazard ratio, 0.97, 95% confidence interval, 0.41-2.31; P = 0.9). A total of 38 patients with recurrent PBC received UDCA at an average dose of 12 mg/kg/day for a mean duration of 55 months. Over a 36-month period, an estimated 52% of UDCA-treated patients experienced normalization of serum alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase compared to 22% of untreated patients. There was no significant difference in the rate of histological progression between subgroups. UDCA did not influence patient and graft survival. In conclusion, the development of recurrent PBC has little impact on long-term survival or need for retransplantation. While UDCA therapy is associated with biochemical improvement, its role in delaying histologic progression remains unknown. In this short period of treatment, UDCA was not associated with improved patient and graft survival compared to untreated patients. PMID- 17763402 TI - Clinical trials for variceal bleeding: and the winner is--the patient. PMID- 17763403 TI - How, why, and when does primary biliary cirrhosis recur after liver transplantation? PMID- 17763404 TI - Liver retransplantation for hepatitis C: seeing is believing. PMID- 17763405 TI - Retransplantation for hepatitis C: results of a U.S. multicenter retransplant study. AB - It is widely perceived that outcomes are relatively poor following retransplantation (reTX) for recurrent of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Transplant centers debate the utility of offering another liver to these patients. A U.S. study group was formed to retrospectively compare survival after reTX in patients with recurrent HCV (histologically proven) and those transplanted for other indications greater than 90 days after first transplantation, from 1996 to 2004. Patients were divided into 3 groups; group 1: HCV reTX (n = 43), group 2: non-HCV reTX (n = 73), and group 3: recurrent HCV but no reTX (n = 156). They were predominantly male, Caucasian, with mean age of 47.2 yr. The commonest indications for non-HCV reTX were chronic rejection (36%), hepatic artery thrombosis (31%) and recurrent primary sclerosing cholangitis (17%). Duration of hospitalization, number of intensive care unit (ICU) days, and time interval from listing to transplantation or reTX were similar between reTX groups. The 1-yr and 3-yr survival rates after reTX were also similar for HCV reTX and non-HCV reTX groups (1 yr, 69% vs. 73%; 3 yr, 49% vs. 55%). Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores were not predictive of survival from reTX. However, with a MELD score of >30 in the non HCV group, survival was <50%. In the recurrent HCV not undergoing reTX group, 30% were reevaluated for reTX but only 15% were listed for reTX and the 3-yr survival was 47%. The most common reasons for not listing for reTX were recurrent HCV within 6 months (22%), fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis (19%), and renal dysfunction (9%). In conclusion, patients retransplanted for recurrent HCV had similar 1-yr and 3-yr survival when compared to patients undergoing reTX for other indications. MELD scores were not predictive of post-reTX survival. Survival was <50% in the non-HCV reTx group with MELD score of >30. Many patients with recurrent HCV are not considered for reTX and die from recurrent disease. PMID- 17763406 TI - Protein isoprenylation regulates secretion of matrix metalloproteinase 1 from rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts: effects of statins and farnesyl and geranylgeranyl transferase inhibitors. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether protein prenylation (farnesyl/geranylgeranylation) regulates matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) secretion from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial fibroblasts (RASFs), and whether MMP-1 secretion can be regulated by statins or prenyltransferase inhibitors via effects mediated by ERK, JNK, and NF-kappaB. METHODS: RASFs obtained from patients during elective knee replacement surgery were assessed by immunoblotting and/or enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for secretion of MMP-1 and MMP-13 in the presence of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), statins, the farnesyl transferase (FT) inhibitor FTI-276 and geranylgeranyl transferase inhibitor GGTI-298, and prenyl substrates (farnesyl pyrophosphate [FPP] and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate [GGPP]). Activities of JNK and ERK were determined by phosphoimmunoblotting, and NF-kappaB activation was determined by nuclear translocation of the p65 component. RESULTS: FTI-276, but not statins, inhibited RASF secretion of MMP-1, but not MMP-13, following induction with TNFalpha (P = 0.0007) or IL-1beta (P = 0.006). Loading RASFs with FPP to promote farnesylation enhanced MMP-1 secretion. FTI-276 inhibited activation of JNK (P < 0.05) and NF kappaB (P = 0.02), but not ERK. In contrast, GGTI-298 enhanced, while GGPP inhibited, MMP-1 secretion. FTI-276 and GGTI-298 together had no effect on MMP-1 secretion. Stimulation of RASFs with TNFalpha or IL-1beta led to increased expression and activity of FT. CONCLUSION: Protein farnesylation is required for expression and secretion of MMP-1 from RASFs, via effects on JNK and NF-kappaB. The ability of cytokines to stimulate the expression and activity of FT suggests that FT may be increased in the rheumatoid joint. In contrast, geranylgeranylation down-regulates MMP-1 expression. Statins simultaneously inhibit farnesylation and geranylgeranylation, and in consequence do not inhibit MMP-1 secretion. The ability of FTI-276 to inhibit MMP-1 secretion suggests a potential therapeutic strategy in RA. PMID- 17763407 TI - The performance of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies in predicting the severity of radiologic damage in inflammatory polyarthritis: results from the Norfolk Arthritis Register. AB - OBJECTIVE: Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies are a stronger predictor of the severity of rheumatoid arthritis than is rheumatoid factor (RF). Their role in predicting outcome in unselected patients with new-onset inflammatory polyarthritis (IP) has not been examined. The aims of this study were to examine the role of baseline RF and anti-CCP antibodies in determining the likelihood of patients having erosions at presentation or in predicting future radiologic damage, and to determine whether anti-CCP antibodies or RF is sufficiently robust to be clinically useful in guiding treatment decisions in early IP. METHODS: Patients were recruited from the Norfolk Arthritis Register. Logistic regression models were fitted to test the ability of anti-CCP antibodies and RF to predict erosions. Further models were investigated to examine the role of anti-CCP antibodies in patients stratified by RF status. RESULTS: The presence of anti-CCP antibodies at baseline was strongly associated with both prevalent erosions (odds ratio [OR] 2.53 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.48-4.30]) and developing erosions at 5 years (OR 10.2 [95% CI 6.2-16.9]). These ORs were higher than those for RF (OR 1.63 [95% CI 0.94-2.82] and OR 3.4 [95% CI 2.2-5.2], respectively). The likelihood ratio (LR) for the prediction of prevalent erosions and erosions at 5 years was highest in the RF-subgroup (LR 2.2 and 5.8, respectively). However, 27% of anti-CCP-patients had developed erosions by 5 years. CONCLUSION: Despite their strong association with the presence, development, and extent of erosions, anti-CCP antibodies alone are not a sufficiently accurate measure upon which to base clinical treatment decisions. Knowledge of anti-CCP antibody status is most informative in RF-negative patients. PMID- 17763408 TI - Menopause hormonal therapy in women with systemic lupus erythematosus. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of menopause hormonal therapy on disease activity in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, randomized clinical trial involving 106 women with SLE who were in the menopausal transition or in early or late postmenopause. Patients received a continuous-sequential estrogen-progestogen regimen (n = 52) or placebo (n = 54). Disease activity was assessed at baseline and at 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 months, according to the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). The primary outcome measure was global disease activity, estimated by measuring the area under the SLEDAI curve. Secondary outcome measures included maximum SLEDAI score, change in SLEDAI score, incidence of lupus flares, median time to flare, medication use, and adverse events. Results were studied using intent-to-treat analysis. RESULTS: At baseline, demographic and disease characteristics were similar in both groups. Mean +/- SD SLEDAI scores were 3.5 +/- 3.3 and 3.1 +/- 3.4 in the menopause hormonal therapy and placebo groups, respectively (P = 0.57). Disease activity remained mild and stable in both groups throughout the trial. There were no significant differences between the groups in global or maximum disease activity, incidence or probability of flares, or medication use. Median time to flare was 3 months in both groups. Thromboses occurred in 3 patients who received menopause hormonal therapy and in 1 patient who received placebo. One patient in each group died during the trial due to sepsis. CONCLUSION: Menopause hormonal therapy did not alter disease activity during 2 years of treatment. However, an apparently increased risk of thrombosis seems to be a real threat in women with SLE who receive menopausal hormone therapy. PMID- 17763409 TI - Systemic humoral autoimmunity but joint-specific inflammation: the syndrome of rheumatoid arthritis. PMID- 17763410 TI - A possible mechanism for endogenous activation of the type I interferon system in myositis patients with anti-Jo-1 or anti-Ro 52/anti-Ro 60 autoantibodies. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate type I interferon (IFN) system activation and its correlation with autoantibodies and organ manifestations in polymyositis (PM), dermatomyositis (DM), and inclusion body myositis. METHODS: Sera from 30 patients and 16 healthy controls, or purified IgG, were combined with material released from necrotized cells to stimulate IFNalpha production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy blood donors. Muscle biopsy specimens from 25 patients and 7 healthy controls were investigated for blood dendritic cell antigen 2 (BDCA-2)-positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) and IFNalpha/beta inducible myxovirus resistance 1 (MX-1) protein. RESULTS: Sera from 13 patients who were positive for anti-Jo-1 or anti-Ro 52/anti-Ro 60 autoantibodies induced IFNalpha production in PBMCs when combined with necrotic cell material. In addition, IgG prepared from anti-Jo-1-positive PM sera induced IFNalpha with necrotic material, but not when the latter was treated with RNase. BDCA-2 expression in PDCs in muscle tissue was increased in PM patients with anti-Jo-1 autoantibodies, while MX-1 staining in capillaries was increased in DM patients, compared with healthy individuals. IFNalpha-inducing capacity correlated with interstitial lung disease, while MX-1 expression in the capillaries correlated with DM. CONCLUSION: Immune complexes containing anti-Jo-1 or anti-Ro 52/anti-Ro 60 autoantibodies and RNA may act as endogenous IFNalpha inducers that activate IFNalpha production in PDCs. These PDCs could be of importance for inducing myositis, whereas in DM patients without autoantibodies the presence of MX-1 protein in capillaries suggests another cellular IFNalpha source and induction mechanism. Consequently, the type I IFN system may be of importance in both PM and DM, but via different pathways. PMID- 17763411 TI - Pattern of interleukin-1beta secretion in response to lipopolysaccharide and ATP before and after interleukin-1 blockade in patients with CIAS1 mutations. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the synthesis, processing, and secretion of interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), as well as the clinical and biologic effects of IL-1 blockade, in patients with chronic infantile neurologic, cutaneous, articular (CINCA) syndrome and Muckle-Wells syndrome (MWS), in an effort to understand the molecular mechanisms linking mutations of the CIAS1 gene and IL-1beta hypersecretion, and the underlying response to IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra). METHODS: Six patients with CINCA syndrome or MWS were treated with IL-1Ra and followed up longitudinally. Monocytes obtained from the patients and from 24 healthy donors were activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 3 hours, and intracellular and secreted IL-1beta levels were determined by Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before and after exposure to exogenous ATP. RESULTS: LPS-induced IL-1beta secretion was markedly increased in monocytes from patients with CIAS1 mutations. However, unlike in healthy subjects, secretion of IL-1beta was not induced by exogenous ATP. Treatment with IL-1Ra resulted in a dramatic clinical improvement, which was paralleled by an early and strong down regulation of LPS-induced IL-1beta secretion by the patients' cells in vitro. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the requirements of ATP stimulation for IL 1beta release observed in healthy individuals are bypassed in patients bearing CIAS1 mutations. This indicates that cryopyrin is the direct target of ATP and that the mutations release the protein from the requirement of ATP for activation. In addition, the dramatic amelioration induced by IL-1Ra treatment is at least partly due to the strong decrease in IL-1beta secretion that follows the first injections of the antagonist. These findings may have implications for other chronic inflammatory conditions characterized by increased IL-1beta. PMID- 17763412 TI - Mutations in cryopyrin: bypassing roadblocks in the caspase 1 inflammasome for interleukin-1beta secretion and disease activity. PMID- 17763413 TI - Development of an ex vivo cellular model of rheumatoid arthritis: critical role of CD14-positive monocyte/macrophages in the development of pannus tissue. AB - OBJECTIVE: To establish an ex vivo cellular model of pannus, the aberrant overgrowth of human synovial tissue (ST). METHODS: Inflammatory cells that infiltrated pannus tissue from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were collected without enzyme digestion, and designated as ST-derived inflammatory cells. Single-cell suspensions of ST-derived inflammatory cells were cultured in medium alone. Levels of cytokines produced in culture supernatants were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. ST-derived inflammatory cells were transferred into the joints of immunodeficient mice to explore whether these cells could develop pannus. CD14 and CD2 cells were depleted by negative selection. RESULTS: Culture of ST-derived inflammatory cells from 92 of 111 patients with RA resulted in spontaneous reconstruction of inflammatory tissue in vitro within 4 weeks. Ex vivo tissue contained fibroblasts, macrophages, T cells, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinucleated cells. On calcium phosphate-coated slides, ST-derived inflammatory cell cultures showed numerous resorption pits. ST-derived inflammatory cell cultures continuously produced matrix metalloproteinase 9 and proinflammatory cytokines associated with osteoclastogenesis, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-8, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor. More importantly, transferring ST-derived inflammatory cells into the joints of immunodeficient mice resulted in the development of pannus tissue and erosive joint lesions. Both in vitro development and in vivo development of pannus tissue by ST-derived inflammatory cells were inhibited by depleting CD14-positive, but not CD2-positive, cells from ST-derived inflammatory cells. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that overgrowth of inflammatory cells from human rheumatoid synovium simulates the development of pannus. This may prove informative in the screening of potential antirheumatic drugs. PMID- 17763414 TI - Rituximab for the treatment of juvenile dermatomyositis: a report of four pediatric patients. AB - OBJECTIVE: Juvenile dermatomyositis (DM) is a chronic inflammatory myopathy of childhood primarily affecting the muscles and skin. Treatment for juvenile DM is often difficult, and conventional therapies include corticosteroids and other immune suppressants. We reviewed the records of 4 patients with juvenile DM who received the B cell-depleting anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab to determine whether this therapy resulted in improved control of their juvenile DM. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 4 pediatric patients ages 10-17 years with juvenile DM who were treated with rituximab. All patients were tested for myositis autoantibodies and received weekly rituximab infusions for a total of 4 doses. Two patients received repeat courses of rituximab 1 year after their first dose. Patients were followed up between 12 and 24 months after their first course of rituximab, and their strength, muscle enzymes, and rash were reviewed. RESULTS: One patient was positive for a myositis-specific antibody, anti-Mi-2, and demonstrated striking reductions in her muscle enzyme levels for 1 year after rituximab therapy. Following a second course of rituximab, this patient remained disease free for 14 months before requiring a third course of rituximab. Two myositis antibody-negative patients showed clinical improvement and tolerated lower doses of corticosteroids following treatment with rituximab. Finally, 1 patient had worsening of her disease following rituximab. CONCLUSION: These cases highlight the potential for anti-B cell therapies in the treatment of juvenile DM in both myositis-specific autoantibody-positive and -negative patients. PMID- 17763415 TI - HLA-DRB4 as a genetic risk factor for Churg-Strauss syndrome. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between HLA alleles and Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS), and to investigate the potential influence of HLA alleles on the clinical spectrum of the disease. METHODS: Low-resolution genotyping of HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DR loci and genotyping of TNFA -238A/G and TNFA -308A/G single nucleotide polymorphisms were performed in 48 consecutive CSS patients and 350 healthy controls. RESULTS: The frequency of the HLA-DRB1*07 allele was higher in the CSS patients than in controls (27.1% versus 13.3%; chi(2) = 12.64, P = 0.0003, corrected P [P(corr)] = 0.0042, odds ratio [OR] 2.42, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.47-3.99). The HLA-DRB4 gene, present in subjects carrying either HLA-DRB1*04, HLA-DRB1*07, or HLA-DRB1*09 alleles, was also far more frequent in patients than in controls (38.5% versus 20.1%; chi(2) = 16.46, P = 0.000058, P(corr) = 0.000232, OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.58-3.09). Conversely, the frequency of the HLA-DRB3 gene was lower in patients than in controls (35.4% versus 50.4%; chi(2) = 7.62, P = 0.0057, P(corr) = 0.0228, OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.35 0.84). CSS has 2 major clinical subsets, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-positive, with features of small-vessel vasculitis, and ANCA-negative, in which organ damage is mainly mediated by tissue eosinophilic infiltration; analysis of HLA-DRB4 in patients categorized by different numbers of vasculitic manifestations (purpura, alveolar hemorrhage, mononeuritis multiplex, rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, and constitutional symptoms) showed that its frequency strongly correlated with the number of vasculitis symptoms (P for trend = 0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that HLA-DRB4 is a genetic risk factor for the development of CSS and increases the likelihood of development of vasculitic manifestations of the disease. PMID- 17763416 TI - Inhibition of Toll-like receptor 4 breaks the inflammatory loop in autoimmune destructive arthritis. AB - OBJECTIVE: Degeneration of extracellular matrix of cartilage leads to the production of molecules capable of activating the immune system via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4). The objective of this study was to investigate the involvement of TLR-4 activation in the development and progression of autoimmune destructive arthritis. METHODS: A naturally occurring TLR-4 antagonist, highly purified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Bartonella quintana, was first characterized using mouse macrophages and human dendritic cells (DCs). Mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and mice with spontaneous arthritis caused by interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) gene deficiency were treated with TLR 4 antagonist. The clinical score for joint inflammation, histologic characteristics of arthritis, and local expression of IL-1 in joints were evaluated after treatment. RESULTS: The TLR-4 antagonist inhibited DC maturation induced by Escherichia coli LPS and cytokine production induced by both exogenous and endogenous TLR-4 ligands, while having no effect on these parameters by itself. Treatment of CIA using TLR-4 antagonist substantially suppressed both clinical and histologic characteristics of arthritis without influencing the adaptive anti-type II collagen immunity crucial for this model. Treatment with TLR-4 antagonist strongly reduced IL-1beta expression in articular chondrocytes and synovial tissue. Furthermore, such treatment inhibited IL-1-mediated autoimmune arthritis in IL-1Ra(-/-) mice and protected the mice against cartilage and bone pathology. CONCLUSION: In the present study, we demonstrate for the first time that inhibition of TLR-4 suppresses the severity of experimental arthritis and results in lower IL-1 expression in arthritic joints. Our data suggest that TLR-4 might be a novel target in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. PMID- 17763417 TI - Interleukin-1beta impairment of transforming growth factor beta1 signaling by down-regulation of transforming growth factor beta receptor type II and up regulation of Smad7 in human articular chondrocytes. AB - OBJECTIVE: Extracellular matrix deposition is tightly controlled by a network of regulatory cytokines. Among them, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) have been shown to play antagonistic roles in tissue homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of IL-1beta on TGFbeta receptor type II (TGFbetaRII) regulation and TGFbeta1 responsiveness in human articular chondrocytes. METHODS: TGFbeta1-induced gene expression was analyzed through plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and p3TP-Lux induction. Receptor-activated Smad (R-Smad) phosphorylation, TGFbeta receptors, and Smad expression were determined by Western blotting and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction techniques. Signaling pathways were investigated using specific inhibitors, messenger RNA (mRNA) silencing, and expression vectors. RESULTS: IL-1beta down-regulated TGFbetaRII expression at both the protein and mRNA levels and led to inhibition of the TGFbeta1-induced gene expression and Smad2/3 phosphorylation. Moreover, IL-1beta strongly stimulated the expression of inhibitory Smad7. TGFbetaRII overexpression abolished the loss of TGFbeta1 responsiveness induced by IL-1beta. The decrease in TGFbetaRII required de novo protein synthesis and involved both the NF-kappaB and JNK pathways. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that IL-1beta impairs TGFbeta1 signaling through down-regulation of TGFbetaRII, which is mediated by the p65/NF kappaB and activator protein 1/JNK pathways, and secondarily through the up regulation of Smad7. These findings show that there is cross-talk in the signaling of 2 regulatory cytokines involved in inflammation. PMID- 17763418 TI - Adapted versions of the Sharp/van der Heijde score are reliable and valid for assessment of radiographic progression in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To develop adapted versions of the Sharp/van der Heijde radiographic scoring system for use in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and to investigate their validity in JIA patients with polyarticular disease. METHODS: The study group comprised 177 patients with polyarticular JIA. Radiographs of the wrist/hand of each patient were obtained at baseline (first observation) and then at 1, 3, 5, 7/8, and 10 years and were assessed independently by 2 pediatric rheumatologists according to different adaptations of the Sharp/van der Heijde method. To facilitate score assignment, the radiograph for each patient was compared with a bone age-related standard. Validation procedures included analysis of reliability, construct validity, and score progression over time. RESULTS: Interobserver and intraobserver agreement on longitudinal score values and score changes was good for all of the adapted scoring versions (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.85). Score changes over time were moderately to strongly correlated with the clinical indicators of long-term joint damage and with the amount of long-term radiographic damage as measured with the carpo:metacarpal ratio, thereby demonstrating good construct validity. A steady increase in scores over time was observed, with joint space narrowing being the most common form of damage throughout the disease course. The inclusion of 5 new areas appeared to increase the overall construct validity of erosion scores. CONCLUSION: Our results show that the adapted versions of the Sharp/van der Heijde score are reliable and valid for the assessment of radiographic progression in patients with JIA. PMID- 17763420 TI - Identification of a novel autoantibody directed against small ubiquitin-like modifier activating enzyme in dermatomyositis. AB - OBJECTIVE: Myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs) are directed against cell machinery proteins such as aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetases, signal recognition particle, Mi-2, and CADM-140. Because serologic subsets can define patients with specific clinical manifestations, the identification of further MSAs may help to identify additional disease subsets within the myositis spectrum. METHODS: Sera from 20 adult patients with dermatomyositis (DM) were screened for autoantibodies. Two patients were further characterized due to the presence of the same novel immunoprecipitation (IP) pattern on sodium docecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and similar clinical manifestations. Both patients presented with cutaneous disease, followed by proximal myositis 6 months later. Both patients had associated nonspecific interstitial pneumonia but no signs of malignancy. The novel targets were identified using a combination of IP, SDS-PAGE, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Indirect HEp-2 immunofluorescence on sera from both patients displayed a diffuse, coarse, speckled, nucleolar-sparing pattern. IP revealed the presence of previously uncharacterized bands at approximately 40 kd and approximately 90 kd in both patients. The novel targets were identified as the small ubiquitin-like modifier 1 (SUMO-1) activating enzyme A subunit and SUMO-1 activating enzyme B subunit. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal previously uncharacterized autoantibodies directed against a protein involved in posttranslational modification, the SUMO activating enzyme, in 2 patients with DM who had similar clinical features, including severe skin disease and interstitial pneumonia. PMID- 17763419 TI - Distinct regulation of interleukin-17 in human T helper lymphocytes. AB - OBJECTIVE: Interleukin-17 (IL-17)-producing T helper cells have been proposed to represent a separate lineage of CD4+ cells, designated Th17 cells, which are regulated by the transcription factor retinoic acid-related orphan receptor gammat (RORgammat). However, despite advances in understanding murine Th17 differentiation, a systematic assessment of factors that promote the differentiation of naive human T cells to Th17 cells has not been reported. The present study was undertaken to assess the effects on naive human CD4+ T cells of cytokines known to promote murine Th17 cells. METHODS: Human naive and memory CD4+ T cells isolated from peripheral blood were activated and cultured with various cytokines. Cytokine production was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry. Messenger RNA was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: In response to anti-CD3/anti CD28 stimulation alone, human memory T cells rapidly produced IL-17, whereas naive T cells expressed low levels. Transforming growth factor beta1 and IL-6 up regulated RORgammat expression but did not induce Th17 differentiation of naive CD4+ T cells. However, IL-23 up-regulated its own receptor and was an important inducer of IL-17 and IL-22. CONCLUSION: The present data demonstrate the differential regulation of IL-17 and RORgammat expression in human CD4+ T cells compared with murine cells. Optimal conditions for the development of IL-17 producing T cells from murine naive precursors are ineffective in human T cells. Conversely, IL-23 promoted the generation of human Th17 cells but was also a very potent inducer of other proinflammatory cytokines. These findings may have important implications in the pathogenesis of human autoimmunity as compared with mouse models. PMID- 17763421 TI - Early changes in serum type II collagen biomarkers predict radiographic progression at one year in inflammatory arthritis patients after biologic therapy. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether short-term changes in serum biomarkers of type II collagen degradation (C2C) and types I and II collagen degradation (C1,2C), as well as the biomarker for the synthesis of type II procollagen (CPII) can predict radiographic progression at 1 year following initiation of biologic therapy in patients with inflammatory arthritis. METHODS: Serum levels of biomarkers were measured at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after initiation of biologic therapy. A composite score reflecting changes from baseline in all 3 biomarkers (DeltaCOL) was calculated. Associations with clinical responses according to the 28-joint count Disease Activity Score and with radiographic progression according to the modified Sharp/van der Heijde score (SHS) were assessed. RESULTS: The 1-year increase in the SHS correlated with the 1-month change in C2C results (r = 0.311, P = 0.028) and the DeltaCOL score (r = 0.342, P = 0.015). Radiographic progression was predicted by increases in serum C2C at 1 month (P = 0.031). The DeltaCOL score was significantly associated with 1-year radiographic progression after 1 (P = 0.022), 3 (P = 0.015), 6 (P = 0.048), and 9 (P = 0.019) months of therapy. Clinical remission was predicted by 1-month decreases in serum levels of C2C (P = 0.008) and C1,2C (P = 0.036). By regression analysis, 1-month changes in C2C, C1,2C, and CPII levels were independently associated with, and correctly predicted radiographic outcome in, 88% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Short-term changes in serum levels of collagen biomarkers following initiation of biologic therapy may better predict long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes. These collagen biomarkers may therefore be valuable new early indicators of short-term biologic treatment efficacy in clinical trials and in individual patients with inflammatory erosive arthritis. PMID- 17763422 TI - Inverse relationship between matrix remodeling and lipid metabolism during osteoarthritis progression in the STR/Ort mouse. AB - OBJECTIVE: The biologic changes associated with osteoarthritis (OA) are incompletely understood. The aim of this study was to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying OA progression in an STR/Ort murine model of spontaneous disease. METHODS: Global patterns of gene expression were assessed using microarray analysis of articular cartilage/subchondral bone from the tibial plateaus of STR/Ort mice at 3, 9, and 12 months of age. The age-dependent severity of osteophyte formation and extent of cartilage damage were determined in the corresponding femurs using microfocal computed tomography and the Mankin histologic scoring system. Pathway analysis was used to identify the functions of genes associated with OA progression, and changes in gene expression were confirmed using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Six hundred twenty-one genes were associated with both osteophyte formation and cartilage damage in the STR/Ort joints. Genes involved in the development/function of connective tissue and in lipid metabolism were most significantly enriched and regulated during disease progression. Genes directly interacting with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha)/PPARgamma were down-regulated, whereas those genes involved with connective tissue remodeling were up-regulated during disease progression. Associations of down-regulation of myotubularin-related phosphatase 1 (a phosphoinositide 3-phosphatase involved in lipid signaling) and up regulation of biglycan (a member of the small leucine-rich protein family known to modulate osteoblast differentiation and matrix mineralization) with OA progression were confirmed by immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSION: Since adipogenesis and osteogenesis are inversely related in the developing skeletal tissue, these results suggest that a shift in the differentiation of mesenchymal cells from adipogenesis toward osteogenesis is a component of the OA pathophysiologic processes occurring in the tibial plateau joints of STR/Ort mice. PMID- 17763423 TI - Delayed memory B cell recovery in peripheral blood and lymphoid tissue in systemic lupus erythematosus after B cell depletion therapy. AB - OBJECTIVE: Recent data suggest that the reconstituting peripheral B cell compartment after B cell depletion therapy may be functionally immature, with a preponderance of transitional B cells and a paucity of memory B cells. This study was undertaken to determine the magnitude, duration, and cause of these defects in rituximab-treated systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. METHODS: Fifteen patients with SLE previously treated with rituximab as part of a phase I/II dose-escalation study were evaluated during a long-term followup (mean followup period 41 months). B cells from peripheral blood and tonsils were assessed using multicolor flow cytometry, and their developmental pathway was classified based on the expression of defined surface markers. RESULTS: Reconstitution of peripheral blood CD27+ memory B cells was delayed for several years after B cell depletion therapy in a subset of patients with prolonged clinical responses and autoantibody normalization. This delay correlated with the degree of expansion of B cells of a transitional phenotype during the B cell reconstitution phase (P = 0.005) and the absence of baseline autoantibodies directed against extractable nuclear antigens (RNP, Sm, Ro antigen, La antigen). Despite the paucity of peripheral blood memory cells and the prolonged expansion of functionally immature transitional B cells, tonsil biopsy tissues revealed active germinal center (GC) reactions, but with decreased Fc receptor homolog 4 positive memory B cells. CONCLUSION: These results suggest heterogeneity in the B cell depletion and reconstitution process that impacts clinical and immunologic outcomes in SLE. The presence of GC reactions, but with altered memory B cell subpopulations in tonsils, suggests that peripheral blood memory cell reconstitution lags behind a slow secondary lymphoid tissue recovery, with important implications for immunologic competence and tolerance. PMID- 17763426 TI - Enhanced efficacy of regulatory T cell transfer against increasing resistance, by elevated Foxp3 expression induced in arthritic murine hosts. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of type II collagen-reactive Foxp3 expressing T cell transfer in suppressing collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in relation to disease progression. METHODS: CD3-activated CD4 T cells were retrovirally transduced with the Foxp3 gene, and their in vitro suppressive activity on T cell proliferation was assessed for correlation with Foxp3 levels. To suppress CIA, Foxp3-transduced T cells generated with type II collagen- or ovalbumin (OVA)-pulsed dendritic cells (DCs), which were fractionated by Foxp3 levels, were adoptively transferred to mice at various time points. RESULTS: The in vitro suppressive activity of Foxp3-transduced cells correlated positively with Foxp3 levels. Type II collagen-reactive, but not OVA-reactive, Foxp3 transduced cells significantly suppressed CIA when they were transferred before immunization, and this suppression was accompanied by decreased anti-type II collagen antibody production. Larger cell numbers were required to suppress CIA when transfer occurred 20 days after immunization, indicating that hosts became resistant to suppression. Transfer of 1 x 10(5) Foxp3(low) cells had only a marginal effect on CIA suppression in immunized hosts, while transfer of Foxp3(high) cells at smaller doses significantly suppressed CIA. Transfer of 1 x 10(5) Foxp3(high) cells after establishment of arthritis attenuated disease progression but did not reverse joint swelling. CONCLUSION: Resistance to Foxp3 transduced T cells proceeded as CIA progressed, suggesting that late-stage aggressive arthritis is more resistant to regulatory T cell transfer. An elevated expression level of Foxp3 in type II collagen-specific T cells improved their suppressive function in CIA. Thus, transfer of T cells expressing high levels of Foxp3 could be a strategy to overcome the induced resistance to regulatory T cell therapy. PMID- 17763427 TI - Correlation of the development of knee pain with enlarging bone marrow lesions on magnetic resonance imaging. AB - OBJECTIVE: Results of cross-sectional studies have suggested that bone marrow lesions (BMLs) visualized on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are related to knee pain, but no longitudinal studies have been done. This study was undertaken to determine whether enlarging BMLs are associated with new knee pain. METHODS: Subjects ages 50-79 years with knee osteoarthritis (OA) or at high risk of knee OA were asked twice at baseline about the presence of knee pain, aching, or stiffness (classified as frequent knee pain) on most days; absence of knee pain was the baseline eligibility criterion. At 15 months' followup, subjects were again queried twice about frequent knee pain. A case knee was defined as absence of knee pain at baseline but presence of knee pain both times at followup. Controls were selected randomly from among knees with absence of pain at baseline. All MR images were scored for volume of BMLs in the medial, lateral, and patellofemoral compartments. We focused on the maximal change in BML score among the knee compartments from baseline to 15 months. Multiple logistic regression, with adjustments for demographic and clinical variables, was used to assess whether an increased BML score is predictive of the development of knee pain. RESULTS: Among case knees, 54 of 110 (49.1%) showed an increase in BML score within a compartment, whereas only 59 of 220 control knees (26.8%) showed an increase (P < 0.001 by chi-square test). A BML score increase of at least 2 units was much more common in case knees than in control knees (27.5% versus 8.6%; adjusted odds ratio 3.2, 95% confidence interval 1.5-6.8). Among case knees with increased BMLs, most already had BMLs at baseline, with enlarging BMLs at followup, but among the subset of knees with no BMLs at baseline, new BMLs were more common in case knees (11 [32.4%] of 34) than in control knees (9 [10.8%] of 83). CONCLUSION: Development of knee pain is associated with an increase in BMLs as revealed on MRI. PMID- 17763429 TI - Isolation and characterization of connective tissue progenitor cells derived from human fracture-induced hemarthrosis in vitro. AB - In our search for alternative sources of connective tissue progenitor cells that can be obtained with minimal invasion, we studied human intraarticular fracture induced hemarthrosis of the knee and attempted to isolate connective tissue progenitors from the hemarthrosis. Hemarthrosis was aspirated from the knee joints of 13 patients suffering from intraarticular osteochondral fractures of the knee. Mononuclear cells were isolated from the aspirated hemarthrosis by density gradient separation, and cultured. We were able to obtain fibroblastic adherent cells from the mononuclear cell fractions. Flow cytometry analysis after in vitro expansion on tissue culture plastic revealed that the fibroblastic cells were positive for CD29, CD44, CD105, and CD166, and negative for CD14, CD34, CD45, and CD133. These cells could differentiate in vitro into osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic cells in the presence of lineage-specific induction factors. These results demonstrate that human intraarticular fracture-induced knee hemarthrosis contains connective tissue progenitor cells with morphologic features, immunophenotypic markers, and differentiation potential that are similar to bone marrow stromal cells. This suggests that hemarthrosis, which is easy to harvest without unnecessary invasion to the patient, has possible future clinical applications such as in tissue-engineered therapies for severe osteochondral defects, posttraumatic osteoarthritis, and delayed fracture unions or nonunions. PMID- 17763428 TI - Reduction in the incidence of myocardial infarction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who respond to anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha therapy: results from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register. AB - OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease, possibly acting via shared mechanisms of inflammation. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the powerful antiinflammatory effect of anti-tumor necrosis alpha (anti-TNFalpha) therapy might lead to a reduction in the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with RA. METHODS: Using data from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register, a national prospective observational study, we compared MI rates in 8,670 patients with RA treated with anti-TNFalpha and 2,170 patients with active RA treated with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). RESULTS: Through July 2006, 63 MIs occurred in the anti-TNFalpha cohort during 13,233 person-years of followup and 17 MIs occurred in the DMARD cohort during 2,893 person-years of followup, equivalent to a rate of 4.8 events per 1,000 person-years and 5.9 events per 1,000 person-years, respectively. After adjustment for baseline risk factors, there was no reduction in the rate of MI in the anti-TNFalpha cohort compared with the DMARD cohort (incidence rate ratio 1.44 [95% confidence interval 0.56-3.67]). In an analysis of anti-TNFalpha treated patients who responded to the treatment within 6 months versus those who did not, MI rates were found to be 3.5 events per 1,000 person-years in responders and 9.4 events per 1,000 person-years in nonresponders. The adjusted incidence rate ratio (95% confidence interval) for responders compared with nonresponders was 0.36 (0.19-0.69). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that RA patients treated with anti-TNFalpha do not have a lower incidence of MI compared with RA patients treated with traditional DMARDs. However, the risk of MI is markedly reduced in those who respond to anti-TNFalpha therapy by 6 months compared with nonresponders. This finding supports the notion that inflammation plays a pivotal role in MI. PMID- 17763430 TI - Varus foot alignment and hip conditions in older adults. AB - OBJECTIVE: Mechanical strain on the hip can result from varus malalignment of the foot. This study was undertaken to explore the cross-sectional relationship between varus foot alignment and hip conditions in a population of older adults. METHODS: The Framingham Osteoarthritis Study cohort consists of a population based sample of older adults. Within this sample, we measured forefoot and rearfoot frontal plane alignment using photographs of a non-weight-bearing view of both feet of 385 men and women (mean age 63.1 years). Each foot segment was categorized according to the distribution of forefoot and rearfoot alignment among cases of ipsilateral hip pain, trochanter tenderness, hip pain or tenderness, and total hip replacement (THR). The relationship of foot alignment to these conditions was examined using logistic regression and generalized estimating equations, adjusting for age, body mass index, sex, and physical activity. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD rearfoot varus alignment was 0.7 +/- 5.5 degrees, and the mean +/- SD forefoot varus alignment was 9.9 +/- 9.9 degrees. Subjects in the highest category of forefoot varus alignment had 1.8 times the odds of having ipsilateral hip pain (P for trend = 0.06), 1.9 times the odds of having hip pain or tenderness (P for trend < 0.01), and 5.1 times the odds of having undergone THR (P for trend = 0.04) compared with those in the lowest category. No significant associations were found between rearfoot varus alignment and any hip conditions. CONCLUSION: Forefoot varus malalignment may be associated with ipsilateral hip pain or tenderness and THR in older adults. These findings have implications for treatment, since this risk factor is potentially modifiable with foot orthoses. PMID- 17763431 TI - Anti-Jo-1 antibody levels correlate with disease activity in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. AB - OBJECTIVE: Previous case series have examined the relationship between anti-Jo-1 antibody levels and myositis disease activity, demonstrating equivocal results. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and novel measures of myositis disease activity, the current study was undertaken to systematically reexamine the association between anti-Jo-1 antibody levels and various disease manifestations of myositis. METHODS: Serum anti-Jo-1 antibody levels were quantified using 2 independent ELISA methods, while disease activity was retrospectively graded using the Myositis Disease Activity Assessment Tool, which measures disease activity in 7 different organ systems via the Myositis Disease Activity Assessment Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Myositis Intention-to-Treat Index (MITAX) components. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and mixed linear regression analysis were used to identify associations between anti-Jo-1 antibody levels and organ-specific disease activity in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, respectively. RESULTS: Cross-sectional assessment of 81 patients with anti-Jo-1 antibody revealed a modest correlation between the anti Jo-1 antibody level and the serum creatine kinase (CK) level, as well as muscle and joint disease activity. Correlation coefficients were similar for CK levels (r(s) = 0.38, P = 0.002), myositis VAS (r(s) = 0.36, P = 0.002), and arthritis VAS (r(s) = 0.40, P = 0.001). In multiple regression analyses of 11 patients with serial samples, anti-Jo-1 antibody levels correlated significantly with CK levels (R(2) = 0.65, P = 0.0002), myositis VAS (R(2) = 0.53, P = 0.0008), arthritis VAS (R(2) = 0.53, P = 0.006), pulmonary VAS (R(2) = 0.69, P = 0.005), global VAS (R(2) = 0.63, P = 0.002), and global MITAX (R(2) = 0.64, P = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: In this large series of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, anti-Jo-1 antibody levels correlated modestly with muscle and joint disease, an association confirmed by a custom ELISA using recombinant human Jo-1. More striking associations emerged in a smaller longitudinal subset of patients that link anti Jo-1 antibody levels to muscle, joint, lung, and global disease activity. PMID- 17763432 TI - Febrile temperatures control antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-induced neutrophil activation via inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt. AB - OBJECTIVE: Neutrophil activation by antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCAs) is central to the pathogenesis of the ANCA-associated vasculitides. Febrile infections occur frequently during these diseases, often in the context of immunosuppressive treatment. Heat exposure may affect the underlying pathophysiologic processes of the vasculitis. In this study we tested the hypothesis that short-term exposure to heat inhibits ANCA-induced neutrophil activation. METHODS: After exposure to temperatures from 37 degrees C to 42 degrees C, human neutrophils were primed with either tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and stimulated with monoclonal antibodies to myeloperoxidase or to proteinase 3. Respiratory burst activity was assayed using rhodamine and a nitroblue tetrazolium reduction assay. Specific inhibition experiments against p38 MAPK, ERK, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase)/Akt, and Western blotting with phospho-specific antibodies were used to identify key components in the antibody-induced respiratory burst. RESULTS: A temperature-dependent reduction in ANCA-induced respiratory burst was observed over a range of heat exposures from 37 degrees C to 42 degrees C. Inhibition of human ANCA-induced neutrophil stimulation was significant at 40 degrees C (after priming with 2 ng/ml TNFalpha, mean [+/- SEM] fluorescence intensity [MFI] 114 +/- 12 at 37 degrees C versus 53 +/- 6 at 40 degrees C; after priming with 20 ng/ml GM-CSF, MFI 92 +/- 16 at 37 degrees C versus 35 +/- 6 at 40 degrees C; both P < 0.01). In the priming phase, the transient activation of the p38 MAPK, ERK, and PI 3-kinase/Akt pathways by TNFalpha was blocked by prior exposure of the neutrophils to heat, but GM-CSF induced activation was unaltered by heat. However, in the second, antibody induced wave of kinase activation, exposure to heat inhibited only the PI 3 kinase/Akt pathway, and these effects were independent of the priming agent used. CONCLUSION: Short-term spikes of modest heat abrogate ANCA-induced activation of neutrophils via inhibition of PI 3-kinase/Akt signaling. Febrile responses in ANCA-mediated diseases may therefore have a physiologic purpose. PMID- 17763433 TI - B cell infiltration in systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease. PMID- 17763434 TI - The future of pediatric rheumatology: many questions remain. PMID- 17763435 TI - Use of a bioscaffold to improve healing of a patellar tendon defect after graft harvest for ACL reconstruction: A study in rabbits. AB - Following harvest of a bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) autograft, the central third of the patellar tendon (PT) does not heal well. The healing tissues also form adhesions to the fat pad and can cause abnormal patellofemoral joint motion. The hypotheses were that a bioscaffold could enhance patellar tendon healing through contact guidance and chemotaxis, and the scaffold could serve as a barrier to decrease adhesion formation between the neo-PT and infrapatellar fat pad. In 20 New Zealand White rabbits, a central-third PT defect was created. One strip of porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) was attached to both the anterior and posterior sides of the PT defect of the SIS-treated group (n = 10). For comparison, a central defect was left nontreated (n = 10). At 12 weeks, histomorphology was examined using Masson's trichrome staining. The cross sectional area (CSA) was determined with a laser micrometer, and the central BPTB complexes were tested in uniaxial tension. SIS-treated samples showed a greater amount of healing tissue with denser and well-oriented collagen fibers and more spindle-shaped cells. There was no noticeable adhesion formation in the SIS treated group. For the nontreated group, there were significantly more and diffuse adhesive formations. The SIS-treated group also had a 68% increase in neo PT CSA, 98% higher stiffness, and 113% higher ultimate load than that in the nontreated group. SIS treatment increased the quantity of healing tissue, improved the histological appearance and biomechanical properties of the neo-PT, and prevented adhesion formation between the PT and fat pad. PMID- 17763436 TI - Association of smoking with the constitution of the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide response in the absence of HLA-DRB1 shared epitope alleles. AB - OBJECTIVE: Smoking is a risk factor for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti CCP) antibody-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients with HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE) alleles. It is unknown whether smoking influences not only the presence of these antibodies, but also other characteristics of the anti-CCP response, such as isotype usage. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of smoking on anti-CCP isotypes in RA patients, and to determine whether this influence is observed in the presence and/or absence of SE alleles. METHODS: IgA, IgM, and IgG subclasses of anti-CCP antibodies were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum obtained at the first visit to the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic from 216 patients with anti-CCP-positive RA whose smoking habits were also assessed. HLA genotyping data were available for 202 of these patients. RESULTS: IgA and IgM anti-CCP were more frequent in RA patients who were smokers than in those who were nonsmokers (odds ratio 2.8 and 1.8, respectively). In addition, levels of all isotypes of anti-CCP, except IgG3, were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in smokers. The number of anti-CCP isotypes was higher in smokers compared with nonsmokers, both in SE-negative RA (P = 0.04) and in SE-positive RA (P = 0.07). CONCLUSION: Patients with anti-CCP-positive RA who have a current or former tobacco exposure display a more extensive anti-CCP isotype usage in general, and IgA and IgM in particular, compared with patients with anti-CCP-positive RA who have never smoked. In contrast to its influence on the incidence of anti-CCP positivity, the influence of tobacco exposure on the constitution of the anti-CCP response is significant in SE-negative RA. These findings suggest a differential effect of tobacco exposure on the induction as compared with the propagation of the anti-CCP antibody response. PMID- 17763437 TI - Clinical images: bamboo spine in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis. PMID- 17763438 TI - Association of a CD24 gene polymorphism with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the potential role of the CD24 A57V gene polymorphism in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: We studied 3 cohorts of Caucasian patients and controls. The Spanish cohort included 696 SLE patients and 539 controls, the German cohort included 257 SLE patients and 317 controls, and the Swedish cohort included 310 SLE patients and 247 controls. The CD24 A57V polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction, using a predeveloped TaqMan allele discrimination assay. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: In the Spanish cohort there was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of the CD24 V allele between SLE patients and controls (OR 3.6 [95% CI 2.13-6.16], P < 0.0001). In addition, frequency of the CD24 V/V genotype was increased in SLE patients compared with controls (OR 3.7 [95% CI 2.16-6.34], P < 0.00001). We sought to replicate this association with SLE in a German population and a Swedish population. A similar trend was found in the German group. The CD24 V/V genotype and the CD24 V allele were more frequent in SLE patients than in controls, although this difference was not statistically significant. No differences were observed in the Swedish group. A meta-analysis of the Spanish and German cohorts demonstrated that the CD24 V allele has a risk effect in SLE patients (pooled OR 1.25 [95% CI 1.08-1.46], P = 0.003). In addition, homozygosity for the CD24 V risk allele significantly increased the effect (pooled OR 2.19 [95% CI 1.50 3.22], P = 0.00007). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the CD24 A57V polymorphism plays a role in susceptibility to SLE in a Spanish population. PMID- 17763439 TI - A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of infliximab plus methotrexate for the treatment of polyarticular-course juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of infliximab in the treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). METHODS: This was an international, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. One hundred twenty-two children with persistent polyarticular JRA despite prior methotrexate (MTX) therapy were randomized to receive infliximab or placebo for 14 weeks, after which all children received infliximab through week 44. Patients received MTX plus infliximab 3 mg/kg through week 44, or MTX plus placebo for 14 weeks followed by MTX plus infliximab 6 mg/kg through week 44. RESULTS: Although a higher proportion of patients in the 3 mg/kg infliximab group than in the placebo group had achieved responses according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Pediatric 30 (Pedi 30) criteria for improvement at week 14 (63.8% and 49.2%, respectively), the between-group difference in this primary efficacy end point was not statistically significant (P = 0.12). By week 16, after the crossover from placebo to infliximab 6 mg/kg when all patients were receiving infliximab, an ACR Pedi 30 response was achieved in 73.2% of all patients. By week 52, ACR Pedi 50 and ACR Pedi 70 responses had been reached in 69.6% and 51.8%, respectively, of patients. Infliximab was generally well tolerated, but the safety profile of infliximab 3 mg/kg appeared less favorable than that of infliximab 6 mg/kg, with more frequent occurrences of serious adverse events, infusion reactions, antibodies to infliximab, and newly induced antinuclear antibodies and antibodies to double-stranded DNA observed with the 3 mg/kg dose. CONCLUSION: While infliximab at 3 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg showed durable efficacy at 1 year, achievement of the primary efficacy end point at 3 months did not differ significantly between infliximab-treated and placebo-treated patients. Safety data indicated that the 6-mg/kg dose may provide a more favorable risk/benefit profile. These results warrant further investigation in children with JRA. PMID- 17763440 TI - Regulation of apoptosis in fibroblast-like synoviocytes by the hypoxia-induced Bcl-2 family member Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19-kd protein-interacting protein 3. AB - OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial hyperplasia is related in part to a resistance to apoptosis exhibited by fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). Since hypoxia is a regulator of apoptosis, and since RA synovium is hypoxic, we conducted this study to examine the effects of hypoxia on the Bcl-2 pathway and the role this may play in regulating apoptosis in FLS. METHODS: Synovium samples from RA patients, osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and normal subjects were used for immunohistologic assessments and for generating FLS lines in vitro. FLS were stimulated under conditions of hypoxia (1% O(2)) and using 100 microM CoCl(2) to simulate the effects of severe hypoxia. Changes in the gene expression profile of FLS were evaluated using microarrays and were confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Changes in protein expression were detected by Western blotting. The effect of transient transfection with a BNIP3 plasmid on the apoptosis of FLS was evaluated in the presence and absence of cytokines. RESULTS: Gene expression profiling demonstrated that BNIP3 was unique among the BCL2 family, in that it was induced by hypoxia in FLS. Quantitative PCR indicated a 2-3-fold induction of BNIP3 messenger RNA, and Western blotting showed a 3-5 fold increase in the 30-kd Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19-kd protein-interacting protein 3 (BNIP-3) monomer. BNIP-3 was widely expressed in RA synovium and was prominent in FLS from the lining layer. Overexpression of BNIP3 increased FLS apoptosis under hypoxic conditions, an effect that was inhibited by tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1beta. CONCLUSION: The proapoptotic protein BNIP-3 is induced in FLS by hypoxia and is widely expressed in RA synovium, but its proapoptotic effects may be inhibited in vivo by proinflammatory cytokines. Since overexpression of BNIP3 in FLS increases apoptosis, this may provide a novel approach for controlling synovial hyperplasia in RA. PMID- 17763442 TI - Meta-analysis evidence of a differential risk of the FCRL3 -169T-->C polymorphism in white and East Asian rheumatoid arthritis patients. PMID- 17763441 TI - Serious infection following anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: lessons from interpreting data from observational studies. AB - OBJECTIVE: In a recent observational study, we found that the risk of serious infection following anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFalpha) therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was not importantly increased compared with the background risk in routinely treated RA patients with similar disease severity. Observational data sets are, however, subject to a number of important biases related to selection factors for the timing of starting and stopping therapy. Infection risk is also likely to vary with duration of therapy. This study was undertaken to examine the influences of these biases and of the method of analysis on the risk of infection. METHODS: We compared the risk of serious infection in 8,659 patients treated with anti-TNFalpha with that in 2,170 patients treated with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) recruited to the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register. We applied a number of statistical models in which we varied the length of the followup period by using different definitions of the date of discontinuation of treatment and different lag periods of risk following drug cessation. RESULTS: When the at risk period was defined as "receiving treatment", the adjusted incidence rate ratio comparing patients receiving anti-TNFalpha therapy with patients receiving DMARD therapy was 1.22 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.88-1.69). Limiting followup to the first 90 days, however, revealed an adjusted incidence rate ratio of 4.6 (95% CI 1.8-11.9). Rates of infection were increased in the 90 days immediately following drug discontinuation and beyond, explained by selection factors for drug discontinuation. CONCLUSION: These findings show that overall, the way in which UK rheumatologists select patients for starting and discontinuing anti-TNFalpha therapy explains our previous finding of no increase in risk. However, there may be important increases in true risk, notably early in the course of treatment, that would become more evident depending on the definition of at-risk period. PMID- 17763443 TI - Targeting of Gr-1+,CCR2+ monocytes in collagen-induced arthritis. AB - OBJECTIVE: The chemokine receptor CCR2 is highly expressed on monocytes and considered a promising target for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, blockade of CCR2 with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) during progression of collagen induced arthritis results in a massive aggravation of the disease. In this study we investigated why CCR2 antibodies have proinflammatory effects, how these effects can be avoided, and whether CCR2+ monocytes are useful targets in the treatment of arthritis. METHODS: Arthritis was induced in DBA/1 mice by immunization with type II collagen. Mice were treated with mAb against CCR2 (MC 21), IgE, or isotype control antibodies at various time points. Activation of basophils and depletion of monocyte subsets were determined by fluorescence activated cell sorter analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Crosslinkage of CCR2 activated basophils to release interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL 4. In vivo, IL-6 release occurred only after exposure to high doses of MC-21, whereas application of low doses of the mAb circumvented the release of IL-6. Regardless of the dose level used, the antibody MC-21 efficiently depleted Gr 1+,CCR2+ monocytes from the synovial tissue, peripheral blood, and spleen of DBA/1 mice. Activation of basophils with high doses of MC-21 or with antibodies against IgE resulted in a marked aggravation of collagen-induced arthritis and an increased release of IL-6. In contrast, low-dose treatment with MC-21 in this therapeutic setting had no effect on IL-6 and led to marked improvement of arthritis. CONCLUSION: These results show that depletion of CCR2+ monocytes may prove to be a therapeutic option in inflammatory arthritis, as long as the dose dependent proinflammatory effects of CCR2 mAb are taken into account. PMID- 17763444 TI - Low molecular weight isoforms of the aggrecanases are responsible for the cytokine-induced proteolysis of aggrecan in a porcine chondrocyte culture system. AB - OBJECTIVE: The major proteases responsible for aggrecan turnover in articular cartilage are the aggrecanases (ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5). Although several studies have demonstrated C-terminal truncation of these aggrecanases, the mechanism and importance of this processing are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to further investigate ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 C-terminal truncation in a porcine model in vitro culture system. METHODS: Chondrocyte-agarose cultures with well-established extracellular matrices were treated with or without interleukin 1 (IL-1), for a variety of different culture time periods. Cultures were analyzed for release of sulfated glycosaminoglycan, aggrecanase-generated interglobular domain (IGD)-aggrecan cleavage, and the presence of ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 isoforms. Inhibition of aggrecanase activity with monoclonal antibodies, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 3 (TIMP-3), and cycloheximide pretreatment were used to identify ADAMTS isoforms involved in IGD-aggrecan catabolism. RESULTS: Multiple isoforms, including possible zymogens, of ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 were sequestered within the extracellular matrix formed by 3-week chondrocyte-agarose cultures. IL-1 exposure induced production of a low molecular weight (37 kd) isoform of ADAMTS-4. This isoform was capable of degrading exogenous aggrecan at the IGD-aggrecanase site, was inhibited by TIMP-3, was blocked after preincubation with an antibody to a sequence in the catalytic domain of ADAMTS-4, and required de novo synthesis in the presence of IL-1 for its generation. CONCLUSION: In porcine chondrocyte-agarose cultures, a 37-kd ADAMTS-4 isoform appears to be the major matrix protease responsible for the IGD-aggrecanase activity detected in response to exposure to IL-1. This conclusion contradicts that of recent studies of transgenic knockout mice and highlights the need to determine the roles of the different aggrecanase(s) in human disease. PMID- 17763445 TI - CD19 hyperexpression augments Sle1-induced humoral autoimmunity but not clinical nephritis. AB - OBJECTIVE: B cell hyperactivity is a common denominator in murine and human systemic lupus erythematosus. Some susceptibility genes in lupus are associated with B cell hyperactivity, but others are clearly not. While the Sle1 lupus susceptibility locus of NZM2410/NZW origin leads to chromatin-focused autoimmunity, genetically engineered overexpression of CD19 leads to "generalized" B cell hyperactivity. We undertook this study to determine the degree to which generalized B cell hyperactivity can amplify lupus pathogenesis. METHODS: To elucidate the impact of generalized B cell hyperactivity on Sle1 triggered autoimmunity, B6 mice bearing the human CD19 transgene were rendered congenic for the Sle1(z) genetic locus and phenotyped for serologic, cellular, and pathologic evidence of lupus. RESULTS: As expected, B6.Sle1.hCD19(Tg/Tg) mice, homozygous at Sle1 and bearing the hCD19 transgene, exhibited high levels of IgM and IgG anti-DNA/antiglomerular autoantibodies, skewed B cell subsets, and profoundly activated B and T cells. Despite exhibiting glomerular IgM, IgG, and complement deposits, these mice did not exhibit accelerated mortality or any clinical evidence of renal dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Generalized B cell hyperactivity may augment humoral autoimmunity, but this may not suffice to engender end-organ disease in lupus. These findings allude to the presence of an additional distal checkpoint that dissociates pathogenic autoantibody formation and renal immunoglobulin deposition from the progression to clinical nephritis in lupus. PMID- 17763446 TI - Pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor/visfatin, a new marker of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis with proinflammatory and matrix-degrading activities. AB - OBJECTIVE: To study possible mechanisms that mediate induction of the recently described adipocytokine pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor (PBEF) in joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to analyze whether levels of PBEF correlate with disease severity and whether PBEF itself has the potential to act as a proinflammatory and destructive mediator in RA. METHODS: RA synovial fibroblasts (RASFs) and monocytes were stimulated with Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, cytokines, and recombinant human PBEF or were transfected with PBEF expression constructs or with PBEF-specific small interfering RNA. Production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. PBEF expression in synovial tissue, synovial fluid, serum, and SFs was assessed by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, Western blotting, and enzyme immunoassays. RESULTS: In RASFs, PBEF was up-regulated by TLR ligands and cytokines that are characteristically present in the joints of patients with RA. In synovial tissue, RASFs were the major PBEF-expressing cells. A predominance of PBEF was found in the synovial lining layer and at sites of invasion into cartilage. Levels of PBEF in serum and synovial fluid correlated with the degree of inflammation and clinical disease activity. Moreover, PBEF itself activated the transcription factors NF-kB and activator protein 1 and induced IL-6, IL-8, MMP-1, and MMP-3 in RASFs as well as IL-6 and TNFalpha in monocytes. PBEF knockdown in RASFs significantly inhibited basal and TLR ligand-induced production of IL-6, IL-8, MMP-1, and MMP-3. CONCLUSION: Our findings establish PBEF as a proinflammatory and destructive mediator of joint inflammation in RA and identify PBEF as a potential therapeutic target. PMID- 17763448 TI - Suppressive treatment of calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease. PMID- 17763449 TI - Differential regulation of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and matrix metalloproteinase 9 by activated protein C: relevance to inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the in vitro effect of activated protein C (APC), a natural anticoagulant and novel antiinflammatory agent, on the regulation of the gelatinases matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9. METHODS: Synovial fibroblasts and peripheral blood monocytes isolated from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA) and Mono Mac6 cells were used in this study. After treatment, cells and culture supernatants were collected for zymography, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Fibroblasts and monocytes from RA patients produced substantially more MMP-9 than did those from OA patients; however, there was no difference in MMP-2 production. The addition of recombinant APC markedly reduced MMP-9 at the gene and protein levels. In contrast, APC up-regulated and activated MMP-2. Using a blocking antibody to the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR), we showed that the inhibition of MMP-9 by APC was EPCR-dependent. Furthermore, APC directly suppressed the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and the activation of NF-kappaB and MAP kinase p38, and inhibitors of NF-kappaB or p38 reduced the production of MMP-9, suggesting that APC inhibits MMP-9 by blocking TNF, NF-kappaB, and p38. Thus, APC acts on MMP-9 by binding to EPCRs on the cell surface and, subsequently, inhibiting the intracellular activation of the proinflammatory signaling molecules NF-kappaB and p38. CONCLUSION: APC appears to be the first physiologic agent to inhibit the production of proinflammatory MMP-9, yet increase antiinflammatory MMP-2 activity. Our results provide the initial evidence that APC may be beneficial in the prevention of inflammation and joint destruction in RA. PMID- 17763447 TI - Circulating C3 is necessary and sufficient for induction of autoantibody-mediated arthritis in a mouse model. AB - OBJECTIVE: For the inflammation characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis, the relative contribution of mediators produced locally in the synovium versus those circulating systemically is unknown. Complement factor C3 is made in rheumatoid synovium and has been proposed to be a crucial driver of inflammation. The aim of this study was to test, in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, whether C3 synthesized within the synovium is important in promoting inflammation. METHODS: Radiation bone marrow chimeras between normal and C3(-/-) mice were constructed in order to generate animals that expressed or lacked expression of C3 only in hematopoietic cells. Parabiotic mice were made by surgically linking C3(-/-) mice to irradiated wild-type mice to obtain animals having C3 only in the circulation. Arthritis was induced by injection of serum from arthritic K/BxN mice. RESULTS: In bone marrow chimeras, synthesis of C3 by radioresistant cells was necessary and sufficient to confer susceptibility to serum-transferred arthritis. Parabionts having C3 only in the circulation remained sensitive to arthritis induction, and the cartilage of these arthritic mice contained deposits of C3. CONCLUSION: In a mouse model in which the alternative pathway of complement activation is critical to the induction of arthritis by autoantibodies, circulating C3 was necessary and sufficient for arthritis induction. PMID- 17763450 TI - Effects of heat stimulation via microwave applicator on cartilage matrix gene and HSP70 expression in the rabbit knee joint. AB - The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of heat stimulation on the expression of extracellular matrix genes and heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) in rabbit articular cartilage in vivo. Heat stimulation was applied to the knee joints of Japanese white rabbits for 20 min using a microwave (MW) applicator (2.45-GHz, 0-80 W). After 8-72 h, the articular cartilage was removed from the knee joints and proteins and total RNA were extracted. As controls, knee joints without heat stimulation were analyzed. The expression of HSP70 was confirmed by real-time PCR and Western blotting. The expression of proteoglycan core protein (PG) and type II collagen (Col II) was quantified using real-time PCR to assess cartilage matrix metabolism. Compared to controls, HSP70 expression was higher with more than 40 W of heat stimulation. The expression of PG and Col II mRNA was higher, with more than 20 W of heat stimulation and peaked with 40 W. When quercetin was used to inhibit the induction of HSP70 expression, PG mRNA expression did not increase. External MW application stimulated HSP70 expression in the articular cartilage in vivo. The expression of extracellular matrix genes was increased by appropriate heat stimulation. PMID- 17763451 TI - Static knee alignment is associated with the risk of unicompartmental knee cartilage defects. AB - Although knee malalignment is a risk factor for the progression of unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis (OA), it is unclear how this relationship is mediated. Cartilage defects are known to predate cartilage loss and the onset of knee OA, and it may be that knee malalignment increases the risk of unicompartmental knee cartilage defects. Knee radiographs and MRI were performed on a total of 202 subjects, 36.6% of whom had radiographic knee OA, to determine the relationship between static knee alignment and knee cartilage defects. Analyses were performed for the entire cohort, as well as for healthy and OA subgroups. For every 1 degrees increase in a valgus direction, there was an associated reduced risk of the presence of cartilage defects in the medial compartment of subjects with knee OA (p = 0.02), healthy subjects (p = 0.002), and the combined (p < 0.001) group. Moreover, for every 1 degrees increase in a valgus direction, there was an associated increased risk of the presence of lateral cartilage defects in the OA group (p = 0.006), although the relationship between change toward genu valgum and lateral compartment cartilage defects did not persist for the healthy group (p = 0.16). This cross-sectional study has demonstrated that knee alignment is associated with the risk for compartment specific knee cartilage defects in both healthy and arthritic people. Given that the natural history of cartilage volume reduction appears to be predated by the presence of cartilage defects, whether knee alignment affects the longitudinal progression from cartilage defects to cartilage loss requires further examination. PMID- 17763452 TI - On the biomedical promise of cell penetrating peptides: limits versus prospects. AB - The cell membrane poses a substantial hurdle to the use of pharmacologically active biomacromolecules that are not per se actively translocated into cells. An appealing approach to deliver such molecules involves tethering or complexing them with so-called cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) that are able to cross the plasma membrane of mammalian cells. The CPP approach is currently a major avenue in engineering delivery systems that are hoped to mediate the non-invasive import of problematic cargos into cells. The large number of different cargo molecules that have been efficiently delivered by CPPs ranges from small molecules to proteins and even liposomes and particles. With respect to the involved mechanism(s) there is increasing evidence for endocytosis as a major route of entry. Moreover, in terms of intracellular trafficking, current data argues for the transport to acidic early endosomal compartments with cytosolic release mediated via retrograde delivery through the Golgi apparatus and the endoplasmic reticulum. The focus of this review is to revisit the performance of cell penetrating peptides for drug delivery. To this aim we cover both accomplishments and failures and report on new prospects of the CPP approach. Besides a selection of successful case histories of CPPs we also review the limitations of CPP mediated translocation. In particular, we comment on the impact of (i) metabolic degradation, (ii) the cell line and cellular differentiation state dependent uptake of CPPs, as well as (iii) the regulation of their endocytic traffic by Rho family GTPases. Further on, we aim at the identification of promising niches for CPP application in drug delivery. In this context, as inspired by current literature, we focus on three principal areas: (i) the delivery of antineoplastic agents, (ii) the delivery of CPPs as antimicrobials, and (iii) the potential of CPPs to target inflammatory tissues. PMID- 17763453 TI - Severe Guillain-Barre syndrome associated with chromosome 17p11.2-12 duplication. AB - We report a patient with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), characterized by severe tetraparesis, bulbar syndrome, and ophthalmoparesis. The nadir was reached within 1 day, followed by respiratory insufficiency requiring mechanical ventilation. Molecular analysis revealed a duplication at chromosome 17p11.2-12, which is a known genetic cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A). We suggest that this genotype may comprise a previously unrecognized genetic risk factor for GBS. PMID- 17763454 TI - Critical illness myopathy: further evidence from muscle-fiber excitability studies of an acquired channelopathy. AB - Recent studies have demonstrated acquired muscle inexcitability in critical illness myopathy (CIM) and have used direct muscle stimulation (DMS) techniques to distinguish neuropathy from myopathy as a cause of weakness in the critically ill. The mechanisms underlying weakness in CIM are incompletely understood and DMS is only semiquantitative. We report results from a series of 32 patients with CIM and demonstrate significant slowing of muscle-fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) and muscle-fiber conduction block during the acute phase of CIM, which correlates with prolonged compound muscle action potential (CMAP) duration, clinical severity, and course. We also used a paired stimulation technique to explore the excitability of individual muscle fibers in vivo. We demonstrate altered muscle-fiber excitability in CIM patients. Serial studies help define the course of these pathophysiological changes. Parallels are made between CIM and hypokalemic periodic paralysis. Our findings provide further evidence for muscle membrane dysfunction being the principal underlying abnormality in CIM. PMID- 17763455 TI - Ectopic pregnancy in a cesarean section scar treated with intramuscular methotrexate and bilateral uterine artery embolization. AB - We report a case of an ectopic pregnancy implanted in the myometrium at the site of a scar from a previous cesarean section that presented with vaginal bleeding and was successfully treated with bilateral uterine artery embolization and intramuscular administration of methotrexate. The combination of minimally invasive interventional techniques and medical therapies can preserve fertility. PMID- 17763456 TI - Species differences in inhibition potential of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs against estradiol 3beta-glucuronidation between rats, dogs, and humans. AB - Differences in the inhibitory potentials against UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) between species have been reported only rarely, even though the information would be useful for the precise characterization of drug candidates. In this study, the inhibition potentials of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) against UGT-catalyzed estradiol 3beta-glucuronidation (E3G) in the liver microsomes of rats, dogs, and humans were compared. Rat liver microsomes (RLMs) and human liver microsomes (HLMs) exhibited homotropic activation kinetics with S(50) values of 22 and 12 microM, respectively. However, dog liver microsomes (DLMs), exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics with no activation. Among the NSAIDs investigated (diclofenac, diflunisal, fenoprofen, flurbiprofen, ibuprofen, indomethacin, ketoprofen, mefenamic acid, niflumic acid, and sulindac), only niflumic acid and mefenamic acid inhibited E3G potently in all three species. The IC(50) values of NSAIDs against E3G in RLMs and HLMs were within a threefold difference of each other, while those in DLMs was more than three times higher than the other two. In conclusion, RLMs showed an inhibitory pattern similar to that of HLMs, whereas DLMs presented a distinct pattern. These results indicate that a rat animal model would be useful for evaluating the inhibitory potentials of drugs against estradiol glucuronidation, but a dog model would not. PMID- 17763457 TI - Phrenic nerve conduction studies: technical aspects and normative data. AB - In our clinical work we have occasionally encountered difficulties (e.g., no response, concomitant brachial plexus stimulation) in performing phrenic nerve conduction studies. The aim of this study was to overcome these difficulties and obtain our own set of normative data. In 29 healthy volunteers (15 men), aged 21 65 years, phrenic nerve conduction studies were performed using bipolar surface stimulation electrodes and a standard recording montage. Stimulation just above the clavicle, between the sternal and clavicular heads of the sternocleidomastoid muscles, elicited responses at the lowest stimulation strength, without concomitant brachial plexus stimulation. M-wave amplitude and duration changed with respiration, whereas latency and area did not. The normative limit for M wave latency was 8.0 ms (upper), for amplitude it was 0.46/0.33 mV (lower: inspiration/expiration), and for area it was 4.4 mVms (lower). We suggest a slight modification of the generally used position for phrenic nerve stimulation, and the use of M-wave latency and area (unaffected by the respiratory cycle) in future phrenic nerve conduction studies. PMID- 17763458 TI - Effects of nandrolone on denervation atrophy depend upon time after nerve transection. AB - Anabolic steroids prevent disuse atrophy and reverse atrophy caused by glucocorticoids. To determine whether these beneficial effects extend to denervation atrophy, we tested whether nandrolone blocked denervation atrophy acutely or reversed subacute denervation atrophy. We also tested the association of such anabolic effects with expression of MAFbx, MuRF1 (both of which accelerate denervation atrophy), and IGF-1 (which prevents such atrophy). When begun at the time of denervation, nandrolone did not alter atrophy or expression of MAFbx, MuRF1, or IGF-1 measured 3, 7, or 14 days thereafter. When nandrolone administration was begun 28 days after denervation, atrophy was significantly reduced 7 and 28 days later (16% and 30%, respectively), and this was associated with significant reductions in expression of MAFbx and MuRF1, without alterations in the expression of IGF-1. The findings indicate that the actions of nandrolone depend on time after nerve transection and that the timing of anabolic steroid administration is an important determinant of responses of atrophying muscle to these agents. PMID- 17763459 TI - Diagnostic validity of epidermal nerve fiber densities in painful sensory neuropathies. AB - In this prospective study, intraepidermal nerve fiber densities (IENFD) and subepidermal nerve plexus densities (SENPD) were quantified by immunostaining in skin punch biopsies from the distal calf in 99 patients with clinical symptoms of painful sensory neuropathy and from 37 age-matched healthy volunteers. The clinical diagnosis was based on history and abnormal thermal thresholds on quantitative sensory testing (QST). In patients with neuropathy, IENFD and SENPD were reduced to about 50% of controls. Elevated warm detection thresholds on QST correlated with IENFD but not with SENPD. Using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of IENFD values, the diagnostic sensitivity for detecting neuropathy was 0.80 and the specificity 0.82. For SENPD, sensitivity was 0.81 and specificity 0.88. With ROC analysis of both IENFD and SENPD together, the diagnostic sensitivity was further improved to 0.92. The combined examination of IENFD and SENPD is a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tool in patients suspected to suffer from painful sensory neuropathies but with normal values on clinical neurophysiological studies. PMID- 17763460 TI - An Italian family with inclusion-body myopathy and frontotemporal dementia due to mutation in the VCP gene. AB - Mutations of the valosin-containing protein gene (VCP) are responsible for autosomal-dominant hereditary inclusion-body myopathy associated with frontotemporal dementia and Paget's disease of bone. We identified the p.R155C missense mutation in the VCP gene segregating in an Italian family with three affected siblings, two of whom had a progressive myopathy associated with dementia, whereas one exhibited a progressive myopathy and preclinical signs of Paget's disease of bone. Our study demonstrates that VCP mutations are found in patients of Italian background and may lead to a variable clinical phenotype even within the same kinship. PMID- 17763461 TI - Structure-function relations of the giant elastic protein titin in striated and smooth muscle cells. AB - The striated muscle sarcomere contains, in addition to thin and thick filaments, a third myofilament comprised of titin. The extensible region of titin spans the I-band region of the sarcomere and develops passive force in stretched sarcomeres. This force positions the A-bands in the middle of the sarcomere, maintains sarcomere length homogeneity and, importantly, is responsible for myocardial passive tension that determines diastolic filling. Recent work suggests that smooth muscle expresses a truncated titin isoform with a short extensible region that is predicted to develop high passive force levels. Several mechanisms for tuning the titin-based passive tension have been discovered that involve alternative splicing as well as posttranslational modification, mechanisms that are at play both during normal muscle function as well as during disease. PMID- 17763462 TI - Iron-mediated regulation of liver hepcidin expression in rats and mice is abolished by alcohol. AB - Alcohol reduces and iron increases liver hepcidin synthesis. This study investigates the interaction of alcohol and iron in the regulation of hepcidin messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in animal models. Mice were administered 10% ethanol for 7 days after an iron-overloaded diet. Rats were administered regular or ethanol-Lieber De Carli diets for 7 weeks with or without carbonyl iron. Hfe( /-) mice were used as a model for genetic iron overload. Hepcidin mRNA expression was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and northern blotting. Iron elevated and alcohol decreased liver hepcidin expression in mice and rats. Interestingly, despite iron overload, alcohol was capable of suppressing the up-regulation of hepcidin mRNA expression in both models. Liver iron and ferritin protein expression was elevated in alcohol-treated rats, but was not elevated further in rats treated with both iron and alcohol. Duodenal ferroportin protein expression was increased both in alcohol-treated mice and in mice treated with alcohol and iron. Hfe(-/-) mice treated with ethanol for 7 days exhibited a further decrease in hepcidin mRNA expression. The iron-induced increase in DNA-binding activity of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBP alpha) was also suppressed by alcohol. CONCLUSION: Alcohol abolishes the iron-induced up-regulation of both liver hepcidin transcription and the DNA-binding activity of C/EBP alpha. Of note, hepcidin protects the body from the harmful effects of iron overload. Our findings therefore suggest that alcohol negates the protective effect of hepcidin, which may have implications for the liver injury observed in alcoholic liver disease and genetic hemochromatosis in combination with alcohol. PMID- 17763463 TI - Clinical and laboratorial prediction of bone marrow involvement in children and adolescents with Hodgkin Lymphoma. AB - BACKGROUND: A risk group (RG) system to predict bone marrow involvement (BMI) based on clinical and laboratory parameters was previously shown to have prognostic value in adult patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Our aim was to test the applicability of BMI RG in an independent group of childhood and adolescent HL patients. PROCEDURE: Seventy-eight HL patients (range 3-18, median 14 years old) were retrospectively studied, including revision of histopathological diagnosis and bilateral BM biopsies. Patients were divided into BMI high-, standard- and low-RG. RESULTS: The high-RG included 29.5% of the patients, the standard-RG, 32%, and the low-RG, 38.5%. All the patients in the high-RG had stage III or IV. The five children (6.4%) with BMI were included in the high-RG (P = 0.001, chi(2) test) and had stage IV (P < 0.00001, chi(2) test). The BMI risk group out-performed the clinico-pathologic risk assessment in predicting BMI, showing 100% sensitivity, 75% specificity and a positive predictive value of 0.88. Neither BMI nor risk of BMI was statistically associated to age groups (14 years old), suggesting that age is not a risk factor for BMI in the pediatric population. CONCLUSIONS: The application of BMI RG score was able to efficiently foresee BMI in a pediatric group of HL patients, adding independent information to clinico-pathologic BMI risk assessment. PMID- 17763464 TI - Tandem duplications of MLL and FLT3 are correlated with poor prognoses in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia: a study of the Japanese childhood AML Cooperative Study Group. AB - BACKGROUND: Mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL)-partial tandem duplication (PTD) is associated with poor prognosis in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but its relationship to pediatric AML is unknown. PROCEDURE: One hundred fifty-eight newly diagnosed AML patients, including 13 FAB-M3 and 10 Down syndrome (DS) patients, who were treated on the Japanese Childhood AML Cooperative Treatment Protocol AML 99 were analyzed for MLL-PTD, as well as internal tandem duplication (ITD) and the kinase domain mutation (D835Mt) in the FLT3 gene. RESULTS: We found MLL-PTD in 21 (13.3%) of 158 AML patients, but not in FAB-M3 or DS patients. The differences between patients with and without MLL-PTD were significant for 3-year overall survival (OS) (56.3% vs. 83.2%, P = 0.018), disease-free survival (DFS) (41.7% vs. 69.6%, P = 0.010), and relapse rate (RR) (54.3% vs. 27.6%, P = 0.0085) of 135 AML patients excluding the FAB-M3 and DS patients. Furthermore, ITD and D835Mt in the FLT3 gene were found in 17 (12.6%) and 8 (5.9%) of these 135 patients, respectively. The differences between patients with FLT3-ITD and the wild-type allele were significant for 3-year OS (35.3% and 84.3%, P < 0.0000001), DFS (40.0% and 66.9%, P < 0.003), and RR (52.4% and 30.3%, P < 0.005). Coduplication of both genes was found in only 3 (1.9%) patients. CONCLUSION: AML patients with FLT3-ITD, but not D835Mt, showed a poor prognosis. AML patients with MLL-PTD were also correlated with poor prognosis in this study. PMID- 17763465 TI - Failure to lactate: a possible late effect of cranial radiation. AB - We conducted a retrospective review of the lactation experience of female survivors who received 24 Gy cranial radiotherapy as CNS prophylaxis for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in childhood prior to 1982 and who attend the Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, Australia. Median time since diagnosis is 28 years (range 25-37 years). Twelve have produced offspring. Ten report minimal or no breast changes during pregnancy and failure to lactate postpartum. All patients remain in remission. These data suggest a high risk of failure of lactation in women treated during childhood with 24 Gy cranial irradiation. Awareness of this possibility can assist in counseling. PMID- 17763466 TI - Decrease in peripheral muscle strength and ankle dorsiflexion as long-term side effects of treatment for childhood cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: This study investigated muscle strength, passive ankle dorsiflexion, and their association with motor performance in children after treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Wilms tumor, B-non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and malignant mesenchymal tumors. PROCEDURE: Muscle strength was assessed with a hand-held dynamometer and ankle dorsiflexion with a goniometer in 92 and 64 survivors, respectively. Motor performance was measured with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (movement-ABC). Age at testing: 6.1-12.9 years. Mean time since completing treatment: 3.3 years. Results were compared to 155 healthy controls. RESULTS: Muscle strength of the survivors was reduced in ankle dorsiflexors on both sides (P < 0.001), wrist dorsiflexors on the non-dominant side (P < 0.001), and pinch grip on the non-dominant (P = 0.001) and dominant side (P = 0.01). Passive ankle dorsiflexion of the survivors was significantly less on both sides (P < 0.01). Movement-ABC percentile score was affected by pinch grip strength on the non-dominant (P < 0.004), and dominant side (P = 0.024) but not by strength of other muscle groups or by passive ankle dorsiflexion. CONCLUSION: Peripheral muscle strength and ankle dorsiflexion are reduced in the long-term in children treated for cancer with chemotherapy. However, neither decreased muscle strength nor reduced ankle dorsiflexion could completely explain reduced scores on the movement-ABC. PMID- 17763468 TI - Molecular characterization of reconstructed skin model by Raman microspectroscopy: comparison with excised human skin. AB - Human skin is directly exposed to different exogenous agents. Many research works have studied the diffusion, interactions, absorption mechanisms, and/or toxicity of these agents toward different cutaneous structures. With the use of living animals for such tests being more and more rejected; and the number of human volunteers being limited; different types of skin models are used. In the last few years, reconstructed epidermis from cell cultures has been frequently employed, and recent changes in the European chemical policy have approved and encouraged the use of these reconstructed models for skin-related research works and assessments. Among the techniques used actually to study the skin, Raman microspectroscopy is a rising and powerful nondestructive technique that detects characteristic molecular vibrations. In this study, we created a spectral database to index the vibration peaks and bands of a well-known reconstructed epidermis model, the Episkin. The comparison with a native epidermis signal enabled us to put in evidence several spectral differences associated with molecular and structural differences between the skin and the reconstructed model, both maintained in living conditions. In addition to that, we have showed the feasibility of tracking the penetration of a pharmaceutical molecule through the Episkin model. ( PMID- 17763467 TI - Prognostic significance of myeloperoxidase expression in childhood acute myeloid leukemia. AB - BACKGROUND: The percentage of myeloperoxidase (MPO)-positive blast cells is associated with prognosis in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but this association is unsubstantiated in pediatric AML. PROCEDURE: We retrospectively compared cytochemical MPO results with outcome in 154 patients younger than 21 years treated on three consecutive institutional protocols for newly diagnosed AML (1987-2001). Patients with FAB M0 and M7 AML (no MPO expression) or M3 AML (100% MPO expression) and Down's syndrome were excluded. RESULTS: Median MPO expression was higher in FAB M2 subtype than in other subtypes (P < 0.0001) and differed significantly across cytogenetic risk groups (P = 0.002) with highest MPO expression among those with favorable karyotypes. The percentage of MPO positive blasts was not significantly associated with the probability of complete remission (P = 0.97), event-free survival (P = 0.72), or survival (P = 0.76) in multivariate analyses that accounted for age, FAB subtype, presenting WBC count, cytogenetic and protocol treatment risk group. In analysis limited to patients with intermediate-risk cytogenetics, higher MPO expression appeared to be associated with improved EFS (P = 0.06) but was not associated with remission induction rate (P = 0.16) or overall survival (P = 0.38). CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of MPO-positive blast cells is related to FAB subtype in pediatric AML but has limited prognostic relevance. PMID- 17763469 TI - Elucidation of the ribonuclease A aggregation process mediated by 3D domain swapping: a computational approach reveals possible new multimeric structures. AB - By lyophilization from 40% acetic acid solutions, bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A forms several three-dimensional (3D) domain-swapped oligomers: dimers, trimers, tetramers, pentamers, hexamers, and traces of high-order oligomers, purifiable by cation-exchange chromatography. Each oligomeric species consists of at least two conformers displaying different basicity density, and/or exposure of positive charges. The structures of the two dimers and one trimer have been solved. Plausible models have been proposed for a second RNase A trimer and four tetramers, but not all the models are certainly assignable to the tetramers purified. Further studies have also been made on the pentameric and hexameric species, again without reaching structurally clear-cut results. This work is focused on the detailed modeling of the tetrameric RNase A species, using four different approaches to possibly clarify unknown structural aspects. The results obtained do not confirm the validity of one tetrameric model previously proposed, but allow the proposal of a novel tetrameric structure displaying new interfaces that are absent in the other known conformers. New details concerning other tetrameric structures are also described. RNase A multimers larger than tetramers, i.e., pentamers, hexamers, octamers, nonamers, up to dodecamers, are also modeled, with the proposal of novel domain-swapped structures, and the confirmation of what had previously been inferred. Finally, the propensity of RNase A to possibly form high-order supramolecular multimers is analyzed starting from the large number of domain-swapped RNase A conformers modeled. PMID- 17763470 TI - Phenotype classification in IBD: Is there an impact on therapy? AB - This review summarizes the current phenotypic classifications of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and outlines their implications for diagnosis, therapy, prognosis, clinical trial design, and genotype-phenotype correlations. PMID- 17763471 TI - Pediatric onset Crohn's colitis is characterized by genotype-dependent age related susceptibility. AB - BACKGROUND: Pediatric onset Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with more colitis and less ileitis compared with adult onset CD. Differences in disease site by age may suggest a different genotype, or different host responses such as decreased ileal susceptibility or increased susceptibility of the colon. METHODS: We evaluated 721 pediatric onset CD patients from 3 cohorts with a high allele frequency of NOD2/CARD15 mutations. Children with isolated upper intestinal disease were excluded. The remaining 678 patients were evaluated for interactions between age of onset, NOD2/CARD15, and disease location. RESULTS: We found an age related tendency for isolated colitis. Among pediatric onset patients without NOD2/CARD15 mutations, colitis without ileal involvement was significantly more common in first-decade onset patients (P = 4.57 x 10(-5), odds ratio [OR] 2.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.72-4.43). This was not true for colonic disease with ileal involvement (P = 0.35), or for isolated colitis in patients with NOD2/CARD15 mutations (P = 0.61). Analysis of 229 patients with ileal or ileocolonic disease and a NOD2/CARD15 mutation disclosed that ileocolitis was more prevalent through age 10, while isolated ileitis was more prevalent above age 10 (P = 0.016). NOD2/CARD15 mutations were not associated with age of onset. CONCLUSIONS: In early-onset pediatric CD, children with NOD2/CARD15 mutations demonstrate more ileocolitis and less isolated ileitis. Young children without NOD2/CARD15 mutations have an isolated colonic disease distribution, suggesting that this phenotype is associated with genes that lead to a specific phenotype of early-onset disease. PMID- 17763472 TI - NF-kappaB and the intestine: friend or foe? AB - The biological impact of the NF-kappaB transcriptional system in various intestinal biological processes such as cellular proliferation, differentiation and survival, inflammation, and carcinogenesis is a relatively young field of research. Less than a decade ago, reviews addressing NF-kappaB regulation and function in the intestine had to borrow concepts and hypotheses from other bodily systems such as the joints (rheumatoid arthritis), the lungs (asthma), or the cardiovascular system (systemic inflammatory states, sepsis). Since then, important progress has been made in defining the various functional aspects of NF kappaB signaling in intestinal homeostasis and diseases, and exciting new paradigms have emerged from this research. This review will discuss the function of NF-kappaB in intestinal homeostasis and diseases in relation to injury responses and microbial colonization/infection. PMID- 17763473 TI - Dual-association of gnotobiotic IL-10-/- mice with 2 nonpathogenic commensal bacteria induces aggressive pancolitis. AB - BACKGROUND: Monoassociating gnotobiotic IL-10-deficient (-/-) mice with either nonpathogenic Enterococcus faecalis or a nonpathogenic Escherichia coli strain induces T-cell-mediated colitis with different kinetics and anatomical location (E. faecalis: late onset, distal colonic; E. coli: early onset, cecal). HYPOTHESIS: E. faecalis and E. coli act in an additive manner to induce more aggressive colitis than disease induced by each bacterial species independently. METHODS: Germ-free (GF) inbred 129S6/SvEv IL-10-/- and wildtype (WT) mice inoculated with nonpathogenic E. faecalis and/or E. coli were killed 3-7 weeks later. Colonic segments were scored histologically for inflammation (0 to 4) or incubated in media overnight to measure spontaneous IL-12/IL-23p40 secretion. Bacterial species were quantified by serial dilution and plated on culture media. Mesenteric lymph node (MLN) CD4(+) cells were stimulated with antigen-presenting cells pulsed with bacterial lysate (E. faecalis, E. coli, Bacteroides vulgatus) or KLH (unrelated antigen control). IFN-gamma and IL-17 levels were measured in the supernatants. RESULTS: Dual-associated IL-10-/- (but not WT) mice developed mild-to-moderate pancolitis by 3 weeks that progressed to severe distal colonic predominant pancolitis with reactive atypia and duodenal inflammation by 7 weeks. NF-kappaB was activated in the duodenum and colon in dual-associated IL-10-/- x NF-kappaB(EGFP) mice. The aggressiveness of intestinal inflammation and the degree of antigen-specific CD4(+) cell activation were greater in dual- versus monoassociated IL-10-/- mice. CONCLUSION: Two commensal bacteria that individually induce phenotypically distinct colitis in gnotobiotic IL-10-/- mice act additively to induce aggressive pancolitis and duodenal inflammation. PMID- 17763475 TI - Continuing immunomodulators and biologic medications in pregnant IBD patients - pro. PMID- 17763476 TI - Transient non-viral cutaneous gene delivery in burn wounds. AB - BACKGROUND: Gene transfer to burn wounds could present an alternative to conventional and often insufficient topical and systemic application of therapeutic agents to aid in wound healing. The goals of this study were to assess and optimize the potential of transient non-viral gene delivery to burn wounds. METHODS: HaCaT cells were transfected with luciferase or beta galactosidase transgene using either pure plasmid DNA (pDNA) or complexed with Lipofectamine 2000, FuGENE6, or DOTAP-Chol. Expression was determined by bioluminescence and fluorescence. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats received naked pDNA, lipoplexes, or carrier control intradermally into either unburned skin, superficial, partial, or full-thickness scald burn. Animals were sacrificed after 24 h, 48 h, or 7 days, and transgene expression was assessed. RESULTS: Gene transfer to HaCaT cells showed the overall highest expression for DOTAP/Chol (77.85 ng luciferase/mg protein), followed by Lipofectamine 2000 (33.14 ng luciferase/mg protein). pDNA-derived gene transfer to superficial burn wounds showed the highest expression among burn groups (0.77 ng luciferase/mg protein). However, lipoplex-derived gene transfer to superficial burns and unburned skin failed to show higher expression. CONCLUSIONS: Lipofectamine 2000 and DOTAP/Chol lipoplex showed significantly enhanced gene transfer, whereas no transfection was detectable for naked DNA in vitro. In contrast to the in vitro study, naked DNA was the only agent with which gene delivery was successful in experimental burn wounds. These findings highlight the limited predictability of in vitro analysis for gene delivery as a therapeutic approach. PMID- 17763477 TI - Outsourcing in the Italian National Health Service: findings from a national survey. AB - Over the last decade, outsourcing has become one of the major issues in health care. Two major concerns are related to public health care outsourcing practice. The first one involves the suitability of the outsourcing strategy in the public sector, principally with reference to the outsourcing of essential clinical services. The second one relates to the actual benefits of the outsourcing practice in health care, in terms of cost reduction and increasing efficiency. This paper aims to contribute to the debate and literature on outsourcing through a national survey carried out in the Italian National Health Service. In order to achieve the research objective, a questionnaire was developed and, after a pilot test, it was mailed to all Italian public providers. The total response rate was around 42%. Results showed that outsourcing is a widespread phenomenon within health care, especially in the ancillary services area. Moreover, results showed many criticalities of the outsourcing practice in the Italian health-care sector. On the one hand, criticalities concerned the reasons for outsourcing, the characteristics of the outsourced services and the management of the relationship with the vendor. With reference to essential clinical service, outsourcing, as currently managed by health-care providers, may potentially weaken their ability to reach its own objectives. On the other hand, criticalities related to respondent-perceived benefits. Despite the overall positive outsourcing experience expressed in the survey, the results on perceived benefits showed that the effects of outsourcing did not always align to managers' expectations, especially in the cost containment and efficiency area. PMID- 17763478 TI - Ultrasound diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy in the non-communicating horn of a unicornuate uterus (cornual pregnancy). AB - OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate ultrasound criteria for the diagnosis of pregnancy in the rudimentary horn of a unicornuate uterus (cornual pregnancy). METHODS: This was a prospective observational study over a period of 90 months in a tertiary referral center in a London teaching hospital. A diagnosis of cornual pregnancy was made when all the following ultrasound criteria were met: (1) a single interstitial portion of Fallopian tube in the main uterine body; (2) a gestational sac, mobile and separate from the uterus, surrounded by myometrium; and (3) a vascular pedicle joining the gestational sac to the unicornuate uterus. In cases where the ultrasound criteria were met the pregnancy was followed up and the final outcome was recorded, including operative and histological findings. RESULTS: Over the study period eight cases of cornual pregnancy were diagnosed. Six women had a single case of cornual pregnancy. One woman was managed expectantly in her first cornual pregnancy and subsequently suffered a recurrence. Surgical management varied depending on viability of the pregnancy and gestational age at presentation. In all the women who underwent surgery the diagnosis was eventually confirmed at operation and on histological examination. During the study period there were no false positive or false negative results in our unit using the above criteria. CONCLUSION: The proposed ultrasound criteria appear accurate and may be applied in clinical practice to facilitate preoperative diagnosis of cornual ectopic pregnancy. PMID- 17763479 TI - Cellulose conversion into polyols catalyzed by reversibly formed acids and supported ruthenium clusters in hot water. PMID- 17763480 TI - Modular assembly of a functional polyoxometalate-based open framework constructed from unsupported AgI--AgI interactions. PMID- 17763481 TI - Addressing single molecules on DNA nanostructures. PMID- 17763482 TI - Highly efficient and selective C-H activation in gallium-containing molten-salt systems. PMID- 17763483 TI - Observation of single-file diffusion in dipeptide nanotubes by continuous-flow hyperpolarized xenon-129 NMR spectroscopy. PMID- 17763484 TI - Intergrowth structure of zeolite crystals as determined by optical and fluorescence microscopy of the template-removal process. PMID- 17763485 TI - Water-tolerant, highly active solid acid catalysts composed of the keggin-type polyoxometalate H(3)PW(12)O(40) immobilized in hydrophobic nanospaces of organomodified mesoporous silica. PMID- 17763486 TI - Non-colinear polyketide biosynthesis in the aureothin and neoaureothin pathways: an evolutionary perspective. AB - Aureothin and neoaureothin (spectinabilin) represent rare nitroaryl-substituted polyketide metabolites from Streptomyces thioluteus and Streptomyces orinoci, respectively, which only differ in the lengths of the polyene backbones. Cloning and sequencing of the 39 kb neoaureothin (nor) biosynthesis gene cluster and its comparison with the aureothin (aur) pathway genes revealed that both polyketide synthase (PKS) assembly lines are remarkably similar. In both cases the module architecture breaks with the principle of colinearity, as individual PKS modules are used in an iterative fashion. Parsimony and neighbour-joining phylogenetic studies provided insights into the evolutionary process that led to the programming of these unusual type I PKS systems and to prediction of which modules act iteratively. The iterative function of the first module in the neoaureothin pathway, NorA, was confirmed by a successful cross-complementation. PMID- 17763487 TI - Branched KLVFF tetramers strongly potentiate inhibition of beta-amyloid aggregation. AB - The key pathogenic event in the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the aggregation of beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptides into toxic aggregates. Molecules that interfere with this process might act as therapeutic agents for the treatment of AD. The amino acid residues 16-20 (KLVFF) are known to be essential for the aggregation of Abeta. In this study, we have used a first-generation dendrimer as a scaffold for the multivalent display of the KLVFF peptide. The effect of four KLVFF peptides attached to the dendrimer (K(4)) on Abeta aggregation was compared to the effect of monomeric KLVFF (K(1)). Our data show that K(4) very effectively inhibits the aggregation of low-molecular-weight and protofibrillar Abeta(1-42) into fibrils, in a concentration-dependent manner, and much more potently than K(1). Moreover, we show that K(4) can lead to the disassembly of existing aggregates. Our data lead us to propose that conjugates that bear multiple copies of KLVFF might be useful as therapeutic agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. PMID- 17763488 TI - Site-specific protein and peptide immobilization on a biosensor surface by pulsed native chemical ligation. PMID- 17763489 TI - Can electrophilicity act as a measure of the redox potential of first-row transition metal ions? AB - Previous contributions concerning the computational approach to redox chemistry have made use of thermodynamic cycles and Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations to obtain accurate redox potential values, whereas this article adopts a conceptual density functional theory (DFT) approach. Conceptual DFT descriptors have found widespread use in the study of thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of a variety of organic and inorganic reactions. However, redox reactions have not received much attention until now. In this contribution, we prove the usefulness of global and local electrophilicity descriptors for the prediction of the redox characteristics of first row transition metal ions (from Sc(3+) | Sc(2+) to Cu(3+) | Cu(2+)) and introduce a scaled definition of the electrophilicity based on the number of electrons an electrophile ideally accepts. This scaled electrophilicity concept acts as a good quantitative estimate of the redox potential. We also identify the first solvation sphere together with the metal ion as the primary active region during the electron uptake process, whereas the second solvation sphere functions as a non-reactive continuum region. PMID- 17763490 TI - Chirally modified platinum generated by adsorption of cinchonidine ether derivatives: towards uncovering the chiral sites. AB - The adsorption behavior of O-methyl and O-trimethylsilyl derivatives of cinchonidine (CD), employed as chiral modifiers for heterogeneous enantioselective hydrogenations on supported Pt catalysts, has been investigated by using attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) and density functional theory (DFT) electronic structure calculations. The ATR-IR spectroscopic investigation provided detailed insight of the adsorbed modifiers under conditions close to those employed during catalytic processes, and electronic structure calculations were used as a complement to the experiments to uncover the implications of conformational changes in generating the topology of the surface chiral site. The structural investigation of the adsorbed modifiers revealed a relationship between the spatial positions of the ether substituents and the enantiodifferentiation induced by the modified catalyst observed in the hydrogenation of alpha-activated ketones. Experiments and calculations corroborate a model, according to which the addition of a bulky ether group to CD reshapes the chiral sites, thus generating catalytic chiral surfaces with different and, in some cases (e.g. hydrogenation of ketopantolactone), even opposite enantioselective properties to those obtained with CD without altering the absolute configuration of the modifier. The study also confirms that active surface conformations of cinchona modifiers are markedly different from those existing in vacuum and in solution, thus underlying the necessity of investigating the surface-modifier interaction in order to understand enantioselectivity. PMID- 17763491 TI - Optical switching and antenna effect of dendrimers with an anthracene core. AB - Dendrimers 6G(i) (i=1-4) consisting of an anthracene core and Frechet dendrons which are attached via a CH(2)OCH(2) chain in the 9-position undergo quantitative and completely reversible intramolecular [4pi+4pi] cycloaddition. The process can be monitored by absorption and fluorescence measurements. The Frechet dendrons act as an energy funnel that collects and focuses the photon energy but does not change the photostationary states, which for both directions are completely on the product side when the separate chromophores are selectively irradiated. The quantum yields of anthracene fluorescence and of singlet energy transfer from the dendrons to the core were studied as a function of dendrimer generation. PMID- 17763492 TI - Asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-indicol by a carbene cyclization-cycloaddition cascade strategy. AB - The first total synthesis of a secodolastane, (-)-indicol, has been accomplished. The key reaction is a rhodium(II)-mediated carbene cyclization-cycloaddition cascade, by which the core bicyclo[5.4.0]undecane skeleton was assembled. In this one-pot reaction, a domino series of transformations resulting in the construction of three sigma bonds and three stereocenters was realized in good yield. PMID- 17763493 TI - Regiodivergent epoxide opening: a concept in stereoselective catalysis beyond classical kinetic resolutions and desymmetrizations. AB - An approach to highly regiodivergent epoxide openings (REOs) is presented. The very popular kinetic resolutions of epoxides and openings of meso-epoxides constitute subclasses of such REOs. REOs are attractive for parallel resolutions, double asymmetric reactions of enantiomerically enriched epoxides, and for semisynthetic applications in the functionalization of natural products. They have been notoriously difficult to realize by means of SN2 mechanisms. Our titanocene-catalyzed radical REO addresses this issue by decoupling epoxide opening and radical trapping and is firmly based on a mechanistic study of the reductive epoxide opening. PMID- 17763494 TI - Enantioselective total synthesis of the polycyclic guanidine-containing marine alkaloid (-)-batzelladine D. PMID- 17763495 TI - C-H stretching vibrational shift of benzene dimer: consistency of experiment and calculation. AB - Three low-energy structures of the benzene dimer are investigated by several theoretical procedures (RI-MP2, CCSD(T), RI-DFT-D, DFT/BH&H) covering London dispersion energy. The RI-DFT-D and CCSD(T) calculations are used to verify the DFT/BH&H dimer characteristics, as only at this level can anharmonic calculations be performed. It is ascertained that the T-shaped (C(2v)) structure, in which the C-H stretching frequency of the proton donor shows a significant blue shift, is not stable at any level of theory. It is either a transition structure or a minimum which is easily transformed into a parallel-displaced structure or a T shaped (C(s)) structure, even at low temperature. Consequently, no blue shift can be detected. On the other hand, the calculated anharmonic IR spectra of the two most stable structures of benzene dimer, namely, the T-shaped (C(s)) and the parallel-displaced ones, give rise to a small red (and no blue) shift of the C-H stretching vibration. This finding is fully consistent with the experimental results. PMID- 17763496 TI - Temperature-induced chiroptical changes in a helical poly(phenylacetylene) bearing N,N-diisopropylaminomethyl groups with chiral acids in water. AB - A stereoregular poly(phenylacetylene) bearing an N,N-diisopropylaminomethyl group as the pendant (poly-1) changed its structure into the prevailing one-handed helical conformation upon complexation with optically active acids in water. The complexes exhibited induced circular dichroism (ICD) in the UV/Vis region of the polymer backbone. Poly-1 is highly sensitive to the chirality of chiral acids and can detect a small enantiomeric imbalance in these acids, in particular, phenyl lactic acid in water. For example, a 0.005% enantiomeric excess of phenyl lactic acid can be detected by CD spectroscopy. The observed ICD intensity and pattern of poly-1 were dependent on the temperature and concentration of poly-1, probably due to aggregations of the polymer at high temperature as revealed by dynamic light scattering and AFM. On the basis of the temperature-dependent ICD changes, the preferred chiral helical sense of poly-1 was found to be controlled by noncovalent bonding interactions by using structurally different enantiomeric acids. PMID- 17763503 TI - With emphasis on nano LC-MS. PMID- 17763497 TI - Quantitative comparison of functional MRI and direct electrocortical stimulation for functional mapping. AB - BACKGROUND: Mapping functional areas of the brain is important for planning tumour resections. With the increased use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for presurgical planning, there is a need to validate that fMRI activation mapping is consistent with the mapping obtained during surgery using direct electrocortical stimulation (DECS). METHODS: A quantitative comparison of DECS and fMRI mapping techniques was performed, using a patient-specific conductivity model to find the current distribution resulting from each stimulation site. The resulting DECS stimulation map was compared to the fMRI activation map, using the maximal Dice similarity coefficient (MDSC). RESULTS: Our results show some agreement between these two mapping techniques--the stimulation site with the largest MOSC was the only site that demonstrated intra operative effect. CONCLUSIONS: There is a substantial effort to improve the techniques used to map functional areas, particularly using fMRI. It seems likely that fMRI will eventually provide a valid non-invasive means for functional mapping. PMID- 17763504 TI - Gel-free sample preparation for the nanoscale LC-MS/MS analysis and identification of low-nanogram protein samples. AB - Protein identification at the low nanogram level could in principle be obtained by most nanoscale LC-MS/MS systems. Nevertheless, the complex sample preparation procedures generally required in biological applications, and the consequent high risk of sample losses, very often hamper practical achievement of such low levels. In fact, the minimal amount of protein required for the identification from a gel band or spot, in general, largely exceeds the theoretical limit of identification reachable by nanoscale LC-MS/MS systems. A method for the identification of low levels of purified proteins, allowing limits of identification down to 1 ng when using standard bore, 75 microm id nanoscale LC MS/MS systems is here reported. The method comprises an offline two-step sample cleanup, subsequent to protein digestion, which is designed to minimize sample losses, allows high flexibility in the choice of digestion conditions and delivers a highly purified peptide mixture even from "real world" digestion conditions, thus allowing the subsequent nanoscale LC-MS/MS analysis to be performed in automated, unattended operation for long series. The method can be applied to the characterization of low levels of affinity purified proteins. PMID- 17763505 TI - "Nanoions": fundamental properties and analytical applications of charged nanoparticles. AB - Mixtures of oppositely charged nanoparticles (NPs) precipitate sharply only at the point of NP electroneutrality. This behavior-reminiscent of the threshold precipitation of inorganic ions-is specific to the nanoscale and can be attributed to the formation of like-charged NP clusters stabilized in solution by mutual electrostatic repulsions. NP titrations based on this phenomenon provide a uniquely accurate tool for measuring charges tethered onto nanoscopic objects and for studying the thermodynamics of surface reactions at the nanoscale. PMID- 17763506 TI - Force-field development and molecular dynamics simulations of ferrocene-peptide conjugates as a scaffold for hydrogenase mimics. AB - The increasing importance of hydrogenase enzymes in the new energy research field has led us to examine the structure and dynamics of potential hydrogenase mimics, based on a ferrocene-peptide scaffold, using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. To enable this MD study, a molecular mechanics force field for ferrocene-bearing peptides was developed and implemented in the CHARMM simulation package, thus extending the usefulness of the package into peptide-bioorganometallic chemistry. Using the automated frequency-matching method (AFMM), optimized intramolecular force-field parameters were generated through quantum chemical reference normal modes. The partial charges for ferrocene were derived by fitting point charges to quantum-chemically computed electrostatic potentials. The force field was tested against experimental X-ray crystal structures of dipeptide derivatives of ferrocene-1,1'-dicarboxylic acid. The calculations reproduce accurately the molecular geometries, including the characteristic C2-symmetrical intramolecular hydrogen-bonding pattern, that were stable over 0.1 micros MD simulations. The crystal packing properties of ferrocene-1-(D)alanine-(D)proline-1'-(D)alanine (D)proline were also accurately reproduced. The lattice parameters of this crystal were conserved during a 0.1 micros MD simulation and match the experimental values almost exactly. Simulations of the peptides in dichloromethane are also in good agreement with experimental NMR and circular dichroism (CD) data in solution. The developed force field was used to perform MD simulations on novel, as yet unsynthesized peptide fragments that surround the active site of [Ni-Fe] hydrogenase. The results of this simulation lead us to propose an improved design for synthetic peptide-based hydrogenase models. The presented MD simulation results of metallocenes thereby provide a convincing validation of our proposal to use ferrocene-peptides as minimal enzyme mimics. PMID- 17763508 TI - Determination of alachlor, metolachlor, and their acidic metabolites in soils by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) combined with solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with GC-MS and HPLC-UV analysis. AB - A well-validated analytical method based on microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and SPE is presented for the combined analysis of alachlor, alachlor-oxanilic acid (OXA), alachlor-ethanesulfonic acid (ESA), metolachlor, metolachlor-OXA, metolachlor-ESA residues in soils. Extraction of solutes by soil sample was carried out by MAE for 20 min at 100 degrees C in the presence of 50 mL solution (methanol/water 50:50), the extract was subsequently passed through C18 cartidges and fractionated into two fractions, the first with parent compounds (PCs) analyzed with GC-MS and the second one containing the metabolites analyzed with HPLC. For the SPE step, various types of sorbents (Environmental C18, tC18, Supelclean ENVI-carb, and LiChrolut EN) have been used, and their respective advantages and disadvantages are discussed. After the method optimization, average recovery values of all solutes were > 71% in the 50-500 microg/kg fortification range with RSD <10%. The LOQ and LOD were 10-50 and 5-10 microg/kg, respectively. The method was validated with two types of soils (1 and 2.4% organic matter) and in fresh (12 h aging), intermediate (1 wk aging), and aged (1 month aging) spiked samples. Moreover, residue levels determined after field application of alachlor or metolachlor were higher when soils were processed using this method than with a comparison method based on an overnight flask shaking (FS) of soil suspension. PMID- 17763507 TI - Ferromagnetic coupling in trinuclear, partial cubane Cu(II) complexes with a micro(3)-OH core: magnetostructural correlations. AB - Three new trinuclear copper(II) complexes, [(CuL(1))(3)(micro(3) OH)][ClO(4)](2).3 H(2)O (1), [(CuL(2))(3)(micro(3)-OH)][ClO(4)](2).H(2)O (2), and [(CuL(3))(3)(micro(3)-OH)][ClO(4)](2).7 H(2)O (3) have been synthesized from the three tridentate Schiff bases HL(1), HL(2), and HL(3) (HL(1)=6- aminomethyl-3 methyl-1-phenyl-4-azahex-2-en-1-one, HL(2)=6-aminoethyl-3-methyl-1-phenyl-4 azahex-2-en-1-one, and HL(3)=6-aminodimethyl-3-methyl-1-phenyl-4-azahex-2-en-1 one). They have been characterized by X-ray crystallography and IR and UV spectroscopy, and their magnetic properties have been investigated. All the compounds contain a partial cubane [Cu(3)O(4)] core consisting of the trinuclear unit [(CuL)(3)(micro(3)-OH)](2+), perchlorate ions, and water molecules. In each of the complexes, the copper atoms are five-coordinate with a distorted square pyramidal geometry except complex 1, in which one of the Cu(II) of the trinuclear unit is weakly coordinated to one of the perchlorate ions. Magnetic measurements performed in SQUID MPMS-XL7 using polycrystalline samples at an applied field of 2 kOe indicate a global intramolecular ferromagnetic coupling. Magnetostructural correlations have been calculated on the basis of theoretical models without symmetry restriction. Continuous shape measurements are an appropriate tool for establishing the degree of distortion of the Cu(II) from square-planar geometry. Structural, theoretical, and experimental magnetic data indicate that the higher the degree of distortion, the greater the ferromagnetic coupling. PMID- 17763509 TI - High-performance liquid chromatography with sequential injection for online precolumn derivatization of some heavy metals. AB - HPLC was coupled with sequential injection (SI) for simultaneous analyses of some heavy metals, including Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Fe(II). 2-(5-Nitro-2 pyridylazo)-5-[N-propyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)amino]phenol (nitro-PAPS) was employed as a derivatizing reagent for sensitive spectrophotometric detection by online precolumn derivatization. The SI system offers an automated handling of sample and reagent, online precolumn derivatization, and propulsion of derivatives to the HPLC injection loop. The metal-nitro-PAPS complexes were separated on a C(18) muBondapak column (3.9x300 mm(2)). Using the proposed SI-HPLC system, determination of four metal ions by means of nitro-PAPS complexes was achieved within 13 min in which the parallel of derivatization and separation were processed at the same time. Linear calibration graphs were obtained in the ranges of 0.005-0.250 mg/L for Cu(II), 0.007-1.000 mg/L for Co(II), 0.005-0.075 mg/L for Ni(II), and 0.005-0.100 mg/L for Fe(II). The system provides means for automation with good precision and minimizing error in solution handling with the RSD of less than 6%. The detection limits obtained were 2 microg/L for Cu(II) and Co(II), and 1 microg/L for Ni(II) and Fe(II). The method was successfully applied for the determination of metal ions in various samples, including milk powder for infant, mineral supplements, local wines, and drinking water. PMID- 17763511 TI - Two-dimensional helix-bundle formation of a dynamic helical poly(phenylacetylene) with achiral pendant groups on graphite. PMID- 17763510 TI - Quantitative analysis of phosphatidylcholine in rat liver tissue by nanoflow liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. AB - A quantitative method was developed for the determination of phosphatidylcholine (PC) species concentration using nanoflow LC-ESI-MS/MS. In this study, a calibration method is developed to determine the effect of PC carbon chain length on MS peak intensity. Using the multiple standard addition method, a relationship between the peak intensities of different PC species from nanoflow LC-MS and carbon chain length is established first using different injection amounts of PC standards. From this relationship, a calibration curve for each carbon chain length can be obtained for the concentration calculation. It was found that the MS peak area of PC species analyzed by nanoflow LC-MS linearly decreased with increased acyl carbon numbers, and that the effect of the degree of acyl chain unsaturation on MS peak intensity was minimized when the injection amount was maintained at less than 1 pmol. The method was applied for the quantitative calculation of 34 PC species from rat liver, which were identified from data dependent MS/MS analysis during nanoflow LC separation. PMID- 17763512 TI - Highly enantioselective reactions of alpha-sulfonyl carbanions of trifluoromethyl sulfones. PMID- 17763513 TI - Self-templated growth of carbon-nanotube walls at high temperatures. PMID- 17763514 TI - Confirmation and determination of carboxylic acids in root exudates using LC-ESI MS. AB - Reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV detection is of limited applicability in the separation and identification of carboxylic acids because of the column's poor separation efficiency and the non-selective nature of the UV detector. To address this issue, RP-LC with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry has been explored for the confirmation and determination of carboxylic acids in plant root exudates, with ESI-MS providing structural information, high selectivity, and high sensitivity. The separation of 10 carboxylic acids (pyruvic, lactic, malonic, maleic, fumaric, succinic, malic, tartaric, trans-aconitic, and citric acid) was performed on a C(18) column using an eluent containing 0.1% (v/v) acetic acid within 10 min, where the acidic eluent not only suppressed the ionization of the carboxylic acids to be retained on the column, but was also compatible with ESI-MS detection. In addition, an additional standard was used to overcome the matrix effect. The results showed that peak areas correlated linearly with the concentration of carboxylic acids over the range 0.05-10 mg/L. The detection limits of target acids (signal-to noise S/N ratio of 3) ranged from 20 to 30 microg/L. Finally, the proposed method was used for the confirmation and determination of low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids in plant root exudates, and provided a simple analytical procedure, including sample processing, fast separation, and high specificity and sensitivity. PMID- 17763515 TI - Rapid simultaneous determination of 14 sulfonamides in wastewater by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. AB - This paper describes a rapid method for the determination of 14 kinds of sulfonamides (SAs) in wastewater using SPE, and LC-MS/MS with positive ESI (ESI(+)) and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The SPE was performed on an Oasis hydrophilic-lipophilic-balanced (HLB) cartridge. Chromatographic separation on a C18 column was achieved using a binary eluent containing methanol and water with 0.2% formic acid. Typical recoveries of the analytes ranged from 22.3 to 87.0% at a fortification level of 100 ng/L. The LODs in wastewater except sulfathiazole (3 ng/L) could be detected and quantified at levels as low as 1 ng/L. Finally, the method was applied to water from the municipal outlet and the aquaculture wastewater effluent. Sulfamethazine (SM(2)), sulfamethoxypyridazine (SMP), and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) were most frequently found in wastewater in a concentration range between 1.2 and 31.7 ng/L. PMID- 17763516 TI - Quantitative analysis of methadone in human urine samples by microextraction in packed syringe-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (MEPS-GC-MS). AB - A method for the simultaneous analysis of methadone in urine samples by microextraction in a packed syringe online with GC-MS (MEPS-GC-MS) is described. The new method reduced the sample handling and the detection limit by two- to seven-fold compared to published methods. Using a quantitation method based on the calculation of analyte concentration by comparison to an internal standard, we were able to measure methadone levels consistent with values reported for healthy individuals. The intra-assay precisions (RSD) of the method using quality control (QC) samples at three different concentration levels were about 11-14% (n = 6). The interassay precisions (RSD) were 11-15% for methadone in urine samples (n = 18). The accuracy varied from 89 to 109% for intra-assay (n = 6), and 97 to 107% for inter-assay (n = 18). The regression correlation coefficients (r(2)) were over 0.99 in all experiments. PMID- 17763517 TI - Characterization of bixin by LC-MS and LC-NMR. AB - An overview upon modern analytical techniques for the isolation, separation, and structural identification of the essential bioactive carotenoid bixin is given. Isolation from biological matrices is performed by matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD). The extract is separated with shape-selective C(30 )columns. Structural assignment of the separated compounds is done by online LC-MS and capillary HPLC NMR. PMID- 17763518 TI - Comparison of continuous-flow microextraction and static liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of p-toluidine in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. AB - In this study, two microextraction methods, viz. continuous-flow microextraction (CFME) and static liquid-phase microextraction (s-LPME), were optimized and compared for the determination of p-toluidine in water and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii samples. The calibration curve for p-toluidine was linear in the concentration range of 0.01-5 microg/mL, and the squared regression coefficients (r(2)) for the lines were up to 0.999 for both CFME and s-LPME treatments. Detection limits in CFME and s-LPME were 8.2 ng/mL and 4.9 ng/mL, based on a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 3, respectively. The precision was tested, in five replicates, by analysis of a 100-ng/mL standard solution of p-toluidine and the relative standard deviations were 5.43 and 3.08% for CFME and s-LPME, respectively. The concentration factors were 5.5 and 14.4 for CFME and s-LPME, respectively. s-LPME has a higher extraction efficiency, lower detection limit, and higher concentration factor than that of CFME. Additionally, the s-LPME method is precise and reproducible, and requires only a 3.0-microL microdrop of extraction solvent. Therefore, this procedure is more convenient in use, and viable for qualitative and quantitative analysis of p-toluidine in water and biota samples. PMID- 17763519 TI - Optimization of the separation of chlorophenols with stepwise gradient elution in reversed phase liquid chromatography. AB - An optimization technique based on gradient elution was used to separate eleven chlorophenols by reversed phase liquid chromatography. The separation was based on gradient elution with a stepwise variation pattern of the volume fraction of organic modifier, phi, in the mobile phase. Initially, two-, three-, and four parameter equations which describe the dependence of ln k' upon phi, were examined for their ability to fit the experimental data. It was found that, among these equations, the four-parameter equation gave the best fit of the experimental data. In addition to separation optimization, a non-linear least squares program with a grid search for initial estimates was used to determine the best variation pattern. The best variation pattern was obtained with phi(1)= 0.27, phi(2)= 0.39, phi(3)= 0.62, t(1) = 33 min, and t(2) = 11 min. This pattern allowed the chromatographic separation of the chlorophenols with a good resolution and a total analysis time of 51 min. Good agreement was observed between predicted and experimental values of the retention times under optimal condition. PMID- 17763520 TI - Improved conditions for the application of solid phase microextraction prior to HPLC-FLD analysis of anatoxin-a. AB - Solid phase microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection has been optimized and evaluated for a simple, rapid, and selective analysis of anatoxin-a. Four kinds of fiber (100 microm polydimethylsiloxane, 60 microm polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene, 50 microm Carbowax/templated resin-100, and 85 microm polyacrylate) were evaluated for an efficient extraction of the toxin. Parameters relating to the desorption step, such as desorption mode, solvent composition, time for both static and dynamic desorption, as well as carryover, have been studied and optimized. The derivatization process was investigated using NBD-F as derivatizing reagent. Anatoxin-a derivative was formed when the anatoxin-a-loaded fiber was inserted in a vial containing 5 microL of NBD-F. Variables affecting extraction such us ionic strength, temperature, and time have been also optimized. The results obtained showed linearity in the range of 10-2000 ng and a limit of detection of 0.29 ng/mL in river water. The presented method has been applied to different environmental samples. PMID- 17763521 TI - An advanced solventless column test for capillary GC columns. AB - Manufacturing skills for capillary GC columns have improved to a point where the commonly used tests no longer distinguish between "adequate" and "excellent" columns. A more stringent test mixture, coupled with a more exacting procedure, was proposed for testing capillary columns in 2004. The solutes were less sterically hindered and less retained, permitting the test to be run isothermally at lower temperatures where sorptive forces are stronger. To avoid masking active sites by solvent flooding, the test used a higher boiling solvent that eluted last. This test mixture, used under the prescribed conditions, differentiated adequate from excellent columns, but removal of the late-eluting solvent prolonged run times to as long as 1 h. The new test uses the same probes proposed in 2004, but entirely eliminates the solvent. Injections utilize a plunger-in needle microvolume syringe, and the "gas saver" feature of a contemporary gas chromatograph. The latter serves as a dynamic diluter to deliver nanogram quantities of undiluted solutes to the column. The test can be conducted isothermally at a lower temperature in less than 15 min for most of the columns. This paper summarizes the analytical approach used, and presents method performance data and test results obtained on contemporary capillary columns from leading manufacturers. PMID- 17763522 TI - Validated liquid chromatographic method for quantitative determination of allicin in garlic powder and tablets. AB - In the present study, an RP high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the determination of allicin in garlic powder and tablets. Chromatographic separation was carried out on an RP-18(e )column (125 mm x 4 mm), using a mobile phase, consisting of methanol-water (50:50 v/v), at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min and UV detection at 220 nm. Ethylparaben was used as the internal standard. The assay was linear for allicin concentrations of 5.0-60.0 microg/mL. The RSD for precision was <6.14%. The accuracy was above 89.11%. The detection and quantification limits were 0.27 and 0.81 microg/mL, respectively. This method was used to quantify allicin in garlic powder samples. The results showed that the method described here is useful for the determination of allicin in garlic powder and tablets. PMID- 17763523 TI - Hollow-fibre supported liquid membrane extraction for determination of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine concentration at ultra trace level in sewage samples. AB - In this study, a method was developed for determining the concentration of the pharmaceutical fluoxetine and its metabolite, norfluoxetine, in sewage water samples. Sample preparation was performed by hollow-fibre supported liquid membrane (HF-SLM) extraction with final analysis using liquid chromatography with UV detection. Several parameters were studied including type of organic solvent, sample and acceptor pH, and salt and humic acid content. The optimised method allowed determination of the analyte at the ng/L level in sewage water. A linear plot gave a correlation coefficient better than 0.991 for both analytes and resulted in limits of detection in sewage water of 11 and 12 ng/L, for fluoxetine and norfluoxetine, respectively. The enrichment factor was over 1700 for both analytes in sewage water. The repeatability and reproducibility were better than 8% and 17%, respectively. The developed methodology was used to study daily variations of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine in municipal sewage streams. Norfluoxetine has been detected for the first time in sewage water and a preliminary analysis gave average concentrations of 150 and 225 ng/L for norfluoxetine and fluoxetine, respectively. PMID- 17763524 TI - Development and validation of an HPLC confirmatory method for residue analysis of ten quinolones in tissues of various food-producing animals, according to the European Union Decision 2002/657/EC. AB - The aim of this work was to develop an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of ten quinolones: enoxacin, ofloxacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin, oxolinic acid, nalidixic acid, and flumequine, in various tissues of food-producing animals. Separation was achieved on a PerfectSil Target column (250 mm x 4 mm, ODS-3, 5 microm), by MZ Analysentechnik (Germany), at room temperature. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% TFA-CH(3)OH-CH(3)CN and was delivered by a gradient program of 35 min. The detection and quantitation was performed on a photodiode array detector at 275 and 255 nm. Caffeine (7.5 ng/microL) was used as the internal standard (IS). Analytes were isolated from tissue samples by 0.1% methanolic TFA solution. SPE, using LiChrolut RP-18 cartridges, was applied for further purification. The extraction protocol was optimized and the final recoveries varied between 92.0 and 107.4%. The method was fully validated according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Limits of quantitation for the examined quinolones extracted from each tissue were much lower than the respective Maximum Residue Levels, ranging between 30 and 50 microg/kg for bovine tissue, between 30 and 55 microg/kg for ovine tissue, and between 40 and 50 microg/kg for porcine tissue. PMID- 17763525 TI - Speciation of alkyllead in aqueous samples with application of liquid membrane probe for extraction and preconcentration. AB - Lead is known to be toxic, especially in its organic forms (organolead, OL). In the environment tetraalkyllead species are rapidly degraded by sunlight and atmospheric constituents like ozone or hydroxyl radicals. Such breakdown yields the soluble forms such as trialkyllead and dialkyllead and finally ionic lead species. The liquid membrane extraction probe (LMP) device has been developed and used as an extraction and preconcentration tool for the speciation analysis of organolead compounds by GC/MS. It allows analysis of OL species at low concentrations in complicated matrices of environmental samples. The effect of pH, stirring rate, and time that influence the extraction efficiency of OL extraction by the LMP method were optimized. The transformation of tetramethyllead in aqueous media at different concentrations of major ions K(+), Na(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Cl(-), SO(4)(2-) and the application of LMP to environmental samples are presented. It was found that degradation of tetramethyllead takes between 24 and 37 days. The detection limit (LOD) of the method for all organolead species investigated is around 4.7 microg/L, with a limit of quantitation of 15 microg/L. PMID- 17763526 TI - Separation and evaluation of free radical-scavenging activity of phenol components of green, brown, and black leaves of Bergenia crassifolia by using HPTLC-DPPH* method. AB - A new procedure has been developed to separate and quantify the free radical scavenging activity of individual compounds from green, brown, and black leaves of Bergenia crassifolia based on the combination of high performance TLC (HPTLC) with a diode array detector (DAD) and postchromatographic 1,1-diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH(*)) derivatization. Free gallic and ellagic acids, arbutin, hydroquinone, and bergenin in the B. crassifolia leaves' extracts were separated by HPTLC and identified. All compounds of the extract excluding bergenin were capable of scavenging DPPH * radicals. From the estimated ID(50) values, it can be seen that the increasing order of activity was gallic acid > arbutin > ellagic acid > hydroquinone > ascorbic acid. The antiradical activity of leaves of B. crassifolia is probably associated to the presence of phenol. PMID- 17763527 TI - Analysis of adenosine by RP-HPLC method and its application to the study of adenosine kinase kinetics. AB - An RP-HPLC method for the analysis of adenosine (ADO) has been developed and validated. In the present study, we report an RP-HPLC-based method with modifications of mobile phase and shorter retention time that substantially improved the efficiency of ADO analysis. The HPLC separation of the ADO was achieved on a C18 column, using a mobile phase consisting of water, containing 7% v/v ACN, at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The column effluent was monitored by UV detection at 260 nm. A linear response was achieved over the concentration range of 0.25-100.00 micromol/L. The analytical method inter- and intra-run accuracy and precision were better than +/- 15%. The LOQ was 0.25 micromol/L, with ADO detection in the range of 6.25 pmol per sample. The method has been applied to the study of adenosine kinase (AK) kinetics. PMID- 17763528 TI - A Bayesian predictive two-stage design for phase II clinical trials. AB - In this paper, we propose a Bayesian two-stage design for phase II clinical trials, which represents a predictive version of the single threshold design (STD) recently introduced by Tan and Machin. The STD two-stage sample sizes are determined specifying a minimum threshold for the posterior probability that the true response rate exceeds a pre-specified target value and assuming that the observed response rate is slightly higher than the target. Unlike the STD, we do not refer to a fixed experimental outcome, but take into account the uncertainty about future data. In both stages, the design aims to control the probability of getting a large posterior probability that the true response rate exceeds the target value. Such a probability is expressed in terms of prior predictive distributions of the data. The performance of the design is based on the distinction between analysis and design priors, recently introduced in the literature. The properties of the method are studied when all the design parameters vary. PMID- 17763529 TI - IPMI 2007. Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Information Processing in Medical Imaging, Kerkrade, The Netherlands, July 2007. PMID- 17763530 TI - Selected papers from the 5th Computational Systems Bioinformatics Conference, August 2006, Stanford, California, USA. PMID- 17763531 TI - Cardiac output measurements during off-pump coronary surgery: comparison between partial rebreathing and pulmonary artery thermodilution. PMID- 17763532 TI - Amyloid precursor protein intracellular domain modulates cellular calcium homeostasis and ATP content. AB - Consecutive cleavages of amyloid precursor protein (APP) generate APP intracellular domain (AICD). Its cellular function is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the functional role of AICD in cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis. We could confirm previous observations that endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) stores contain less calcium in cells with reduced APP gamma-secretase cleavage products, increased AICD degradation, reduced AICD expression or in cells lacking APP. In addition, we observed an enhanced resting cytosolic calcium concentration under conditions where AICD is decreased or missing. In view of the reciprocal effects of Ca(2+) on mitochondria and of mitochondria on Ca(2+) homeostasis, we analysed further the cellular ATP content and the mitochondrial membrane potential. We observed a reduced ATP content and a mitochondrial hyperpolarisation in cells with reduced amounts of AICD. Blockade of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation chain in control cells lead to similar alterations as in cells lacking AICD. On the other hand, substrates of Complex II rescued the alteration in Ca(2+) homeostasis in cells lacking AICD. Based on these observations, our findings indicate that alterations observed in endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) storage in cells with reduced amounts of AICD are reciprocally linked to mitochondrial bioenergetic function. PMID- 17763534 TI - Acute bilateral submandibular gland swelling during rigid oesophagoscopy under anaesthesia. PMID- 17763533 TI - Transient hypothalamic dysfunction causing episodic cardiac dysrhythmias. PMID- 17763535 TI - Tourniquet-associated cardiac ischaemia in a healthy patient undergoing trauma hand surgery. PMID- 17763536 TI - Use of the Airtraq in the difficult airway. PMID- 17763537 TI - Subdural or subarachnoid catheter? PMID- 17763538 TI - Dr. Stewart A. Brown (PSNA phytochemistry pioneer). PMID- 17763539 TI - G.H. Neil Towers (1923-2004) phytochemistry pioneer--in memoriam. PMID- 17763540 TI - Klaus Fischer (PSNA phytochemistry pioneer). PMID- 17763542 TI - The destabilization of domestic psychiatry. PMID- 17763543 TI - Increasing numbers of older Americans are coping with HIV infection and stigma. Their number has more than tripled in recent decades. PMID- 17763544 TI - Older HIV patients deal with the double stigma of having the disease and being old. Big worry: 'Will I get to see grandkids if I tell?'. PMID- 17763545 TI - Genotype testing for all HIV patients, study suggests. Resistance is 18 percent overall. PMID- 17763546 TI - FDA notifications. Investigational drugs to be more readily available? PMID- 17763547 TI - TMC125 (etravirine), a second generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. PMID- 17763549 TI - Darunavir (TMC114) approved by the FDA. PMID- 17763548 TI - Antiretroviral for acute HIV infection--not ready for prime time. PMID- 17763550 TI - Black churches increasingly play role in HIV prevention, but problem remain. Stigma, indifference are often the response. PMID- 17763551 TI - Special series: meeting challenge of HIV epidemic in black community. Researchers adapt HIV prevention program from MSM to African American cohort. PMID- 17763552 TI - Special series: meeting challenge of HIV epidemic in black community. Prevention intervention focuses on African American boys and their fathers; dads are taught communication skills. PMID- 17763553 TI - FDA notifications. FDA approves generic AZT. PMID- 17763554 TI - Leprosy revealed with HIV treatment. PMID- 17763555 TI - First medication in new class of ARTs poised to be available for salvage therapy. Tropism testing helps determine best patients for drug. PMID- 17763556 TI - Herpes treatment can help co-infected HIV patients. Research suggests herpes infection increases risk of HIV infection. PMID- 17763557 TI - Simple pill box organizers improve HIV adherence. Pill boxes work for marginally housed, homeless. PMID- 17763558 TI - The new era of shorter hospital stays. Going home sooner after a heart attack may be healthier. Here's why. PMID- 17763559 TI - A painful gender gap persists. Research suggests why women don't get the help they need. PMID- 17763560 TI - A bumpy road to breakthroughs. The news: it's hard to beat today's cardiac treatments. PMID- 17763561 TI - Add more color to your diet. At the end of this rainbow, plates of heart-healthy foods. PMID- 17763562 TI - Ask the doctors. I went to the emergency room with mild chest pains. Some blood work was done, and the doctor on duty said I had a heart attack. This prompted a cardiac catheterization which revealed that I had no blockages. The cardiologist told me that I hadn't had a heart attack. Why the confusion? PMID- 17763563 TI - Protect your patients' rights with advance directives. PMID- 17763564 TI - Validation of neonatal tetanus elimination in Mali by lot quality-assurance cluster sampling. PMID- 17763565 TI - Onchocerciasis (river blindness). Report from the sixteenth InterAmerican Conference on Onchocerciasis, Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala. PMID- 17763566 TI - Neonatal and pediatric wound care: filling voids in knowledge and practice. PMID- 17763567 TI - Special consideration for patients in a wheelchair. PMID- 17763568 TI - Cambodia, or bust! Interview by Barbara Zeiger. PMID- 17763569 TI - Liquid chromatography problem solving and troubleshooting. PMID- 17763570 TI - Trial and intertrial durations in Pavlovian conditioning: issues of learning and performance. AB - Four experiments assessed the effects of trial (T) and intertrial (I) durations on magazine approach behavior in rats. In Experiments 1 and 2, different groups of animals were conditioned with various combinations of I and T durations. The rate of acquisition, in terms of the number of trials required to reach various acquisition criteria, generally was faster in groups trained with large I:T ratios. There also were differences in rate of acquisition and terminal response rates between groups trained with identical I:T ratios but with different absolute I and T durations. Differences evident at the end of conditioning persisted during a common test with various combinations of I and T durations. Experiments 3 and 4 provided a more specific test of the predictions of 2 general classes of theories and found results that were consistent with those theories that characterize group differences as indicative of differences in learning, rather than in performance. PMID- 17763571 TI - [Measurement of lamotrigine plasma concentration]. PMID- 17763572 TI - [Night work and breast cancer--current evidence]. PMID- 17763573 TI - [Antipsychotic agents and pregnancy]. PMID- 17763574 TI - [Quality or control?]. PMID- 17763575 TI - Sipuleucel-T (Provenge): active cellular immunotherapy for advanced prostate cancer. AB - (1) Sipuleucel-T (Provenge) is an active cellular immunotherapy (therapeutic vaccine) that is designed to stimulate the patient's T-cells to recognize and attack prostate cancer cells that express prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) antigen. (2) Sipuleucel-T demonstrated a survival benefit in men with advanced androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC), although this preliminary finding requires confirmation in larger trials. (3) Mild to moderate myalgia, chills, fever, and tremor are the most commonly reported adverse events for patients receiving sipuleucel-T. These events generally resolve quickly. (4) More studies are needed to evaluate sipuleucel-T in the earlier stages of prostate cancer and in combination with conventional therapies. PMID- 17763576 TI - Bibliography. Current world literature. The surgical patient. PMID- 17763577 TI - Elemental contents in organs and tissues of Chinese adult men. AB - OBJECTIVE: To provide basis of reference values for relevant parameters of Chinese Reference Man. METHODS: Eighteen kinds of major organ or tissue samples, including muscle, rib, liver, and so on, were obtained from 4 areas (Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangsu, and Sichuan provinces) with different dietary patterns in China in autopsy of 16 healthy adult men, who had just encountered sudden deaths. At the same time, whole blood samples were collected from 10 volunteers living in each of these areas. The concentrations of 56 elements in these samples were detected by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES), and Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (GF-AAS) techniques. Based on obtained concentrations and reference values of these organ or tissue weights for Chinese Reference Man, the relative elemental burdens in these organs or tissues as well whole body were also estimated. RESULTS: The concentrations of 56 elements in 18 main organs or tissues were determined all together and their elemental organ or tissue and whole body burdens were estimated. Furthermore, the distributions of important elements for radiation protection in these organs or tissues were emphatically discussed. CONCLUSION: By summing with past related results, the total results obtained from the series of research may provide more reliable and better representative basis of these reference values for Chinese Reference Man than before. PMID- 17763578 TI - Prevalence and risk factors of peripheral arterial disease in diabetic patients over 50 years old in China. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in China type 2 diabetic patients and to demonstrate the relationships between putative risk factors and PAD. METHODS: In total 1,397 type 2 diabetic patients aged 50 years and older were enrolled and determined ankle-brachial index (ABI) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in 15 Class III Grade A hospitals in 7 major cities of China. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 63.7 +/- 8.2 years and mean duration of diabetes mellitus was 9.39 +/- 7.4 years. Two hundreds and seventy-two (19.47%) patients were diagnosed as PAD by ABI < 0.9, 122 (18.37%) in male and 150 (20.46%) in female. PAD patients had a significantly longer duration of diabetes mellitus, higher hemoglobin A1c, and a significantly lower mean body mass index than non-PAD ones. Aging, smoking, and systolic blood pressure were found to be positively related with the prevalence of PAD. In terms of lipid profiles, no variable was found to relate with PAD. Notably, baPWV showed as the same significant guiding index for PAD, almost matched with ABI. CONCLUSIONS: PAD is a common complication in China type 2 diabetic patients. Therefore, PAD screening and treatment should be emphasized for diabetic patients with high risk factors. PMID- 17763579 TI - Use of pulse transit time as a measure of autonomic arousals in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of pulse transit time (PTT) arousals as an index of sleep fragmentation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). METHODS: Individuals referred for evaluation of possible OSAHS underwent overnight polysomnography (PSG). Three conventional indices of sleep fragmentation [electroencephalography (EEG) arousals, apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) , oxygen desaturation index (ODI)] , PTT arousals, and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) were compared. RESULTS: PTT arousals were positively correlated with EEG arousals (r = 0.746, P < 0.001), AHI (r = 0.786, P < 0.001), and ODI (r = 0.665, P < 0.001) , respectively. But, both PTT arousals and EEG arousals had no correlation with ESS (r = 0.432, P = 0.201; r = 0.196, P = 0.591, respectively). CONCLUSION: PTT arousals are correlated well with other standard measures estimating severity of OSAHS and potentially a non-invasive marker with which to measure the sleep fragmentation in patients with OSAHS. PMID- 17763580 TI - Paclitaxel plus carboplatin for women with advanced breast cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin for advanced breast cancer (ABC). METHODS: From January 2001 to March 2006, 45 patients with ABC were treated with combination chemotherapy of paclitaxel and carboplatin. Patients received infusion of paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 on day 1 every 3 weeks or 75 mg/m2 on day 1, 8, 15 every 4 weeks. Carboplatin was administrated on day 2 with a dose of area under the time concentration curve (AUC) being 5. RESULTS: The median number of cycles was 3 (range, 2-6). The overall response rate was 62.2%. Median time to progression was 7.0 months (95% CI: 5.1-8.9). Median overall survival was 29.0 months (95% CI: 20.1-37.9). One year survival rate was 73.3%. Response rate for first line and second line treatment were 62.1% and 62.5% , respectively. No significant difference in response existed between visceral metastasis and soft tissue metastasis. The main side effects included nausea/vomiting, neurotoxicity, and hematologic toxicities. Grade III to IV adverse events included nausea/vomiting in 2 cases (4.4%), leukopenia in 17 cases (37.8%) , and alopecia in 6 cases (13.3%). CONCLUSION: Combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin is active in treatment of ABC with an acceptable toxicity profile. PMID- 17763581 TI - Clinicopathological characteristics of advanced colorectal cancer 30 mm or smaller in diameter. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of advanced colorectal cancer which was 30 mm or smaller in diameter. METHODS: Retrospective analysis documented 80 patients with small advanced colorectal cancer from May 1985 to May 2002. According to the diameter of tumors, all patients were divided into three groups: Group A (10 mm or less), Group B (11-20 mm), Group C (21-30 mm). Considering the number of patients in Group A was smaller, we combined Group A with Group B as Group D. Then various clinicopathological characteristics were compared between Group C and Group D. RESULTS: The most common site of small advanced colorectal cancer was sigmoid colon and rectum that accounted for 36.2% and 35.0% of all cases. The average diameter of total tumors was 23.3 mm. Type 2 was the most common macroscopic type (63.7%) and the moderate differentiation was seen in 77.5% of cases. Thirty-eight (47.5%) cases had lymph node metastasis. Three (3.8%) cases had liver metastasis and three (3.8%) cases had peritoneal metastasis. The frequency of lymph node metastasis was found significantly different between Group C and Group D (54.2% vs. 28.6%, P < 0.05) , as well as between the groups with different depth of invasion (P < 0.05). Curability A resection was performed in 69 (86.2%) cases. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor size and depth of invasion are related to lymph node metastasis in small advanced colorectal cancer. However, the small size of tumor may not always be a reliable parameter for estimating the risk of lymph node metastasis. Small colorectal cancers also do not always mean the early stage. Surgeons should be aware of the features of small advanced colorectal cancers to select ideal management and perform perfect resection. PMID- 17763582 TI - Prospective comparison of endoscopic and open surgical methods for carpal tunnel syndrome. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes of patients undergoing either open or endoscopic carpal tunnel release for the treatment of idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS: A prospective, randomized study was performed on 70 hands in 62 patients with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome from April 2000 to April 2004. Either open (36 hands in 30 patients) or endoscopic (34 hands in 32 patients) carpal tunnel release was performed randomly. Symptom improvement, complications, and the time of operation, in-hospital stay, and return to work between the two groups were assessed with average 2 years of follow-up. The electromyography was tested pre- and 3 months post-operation. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two surgical groups with regard to postoperative improvements of symptom, electromyography tests, and the incidence of complications. But it was statistically less in the rate of scar tenderness, the time of operation, in hospital stay, and return to work in the endoscopic group compared with the open group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The endoscopic carpal tunnel release is a reliable method in the treatment of idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. And it has the advantages of slight scar tenderness, less operation time, less in-hospital stay, early functional recovery, safety, and high- satisfaction rate compared with open methods. PMID- 17763583 TI - Peripheral blood CD34+ cell mobilization in 42 patients with severe autoimmune disease. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of peripheral CD34+ cell mobilization in patients with severe autoimmune disease. METHODS: Forty-two patients underwent a total of 46 mobilizations by the regimen of cyclophosphamide 2-3 g/m2+ recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) 5 microg x kg(-1) x d(-1). The positive selection of CD34+ cell was performed through the CliniMACS. RESULTS: In 8.1 +/- 2. 3 days after administration of cyclophosphamide, the peripheral white blood cell and mononuclear cell (MNC) decreased to the lowest level. In 3.7 +/- 1.6 days after injection of rhG-CSF, the peripheral absolute MNC and CD34+ cell counts were 0.95 x 10(9)/L and 0.035 x 10(9)/L, respectively. After 2.4 +/- 0.6 times of leukapheresis, there gained 4.46 x 10(8)/kg of MNC and 5.26 x 10(6)/kg of CD34+, respectively. After mobilization, the underlying diseases were ameliorated more or less. In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) decreased from a median of 17 to 3 (P < 0.01). In rheumatic arthritis patients, an American College of Rheumatology criteria for 20% (ACR20) response was achieved in all five patients. Totally, 17.4% of patients whose absolute neutrophil count < 0.5 x 10(9)/L suffered infection, and 31.0% of patients had bone pain after the injection of rhG-CSF. Two patients suffered severe complications, one with acute renal failure and recovered by hemodialysis, the other died of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Failed mobilization occurred in three patients. CONCLUSIONS: Sufficient CD34+ cells can be mobilized by low dose of cyclophosphamide and rhG-CSF. CD34+ cell mobilization for treatment of severe autoimmune disease not only is appropriate in both effectiveness and safety but ameliorates disease also. PMID- 17763584 TI - Constructing adeno-associated virus-TGFbeta3 and comparing its biological effect on proteoglycan synthesis in dedifferentiated nucleus pulpous cells with adenovirus-TGFbeta1. AB - OBJECTIVE: To construct adeno-associated virus (AAV) expression system for transforming growth factor beta3 (TGFbeta3 ) and detect its biological effect on proteoglycan synthesis of the earlier and later dedifferentiated rabbit lumbar disc nucleus pulpous (NP) cells, which was compared with that of adenovirus (AV) expression system for TGFbeta1. METHODS: TGFbeta3 gene was obtained using PCR. Its upstream contained restriction enzyme site Kpn I, and its downstream contained restriction enzyme site Sal I. Using the restriction enzyme sites of PCR product of TGFbeta3 and the corresponding multiple cloning site (MCS) in plasmid AAV, TGFbeta3 was subcloned into AAV. The recombinant plasmid AAV TGFbeta3 was transfected into H293 cells with Lipofectamine 2000, and the expression of TGFbeta3 gene was detected using immunofluorescent analysis. After AAV-TGFbeta3 virus particle with infectious activity was packaged, TGFbeta3 expression in NP cells was detected by immunoblotting, and its biological effect on proteoglycan synthesis was detected by antonopulos method and compared with that of AV-TGFbeta1 in the earlier and later dedifferentiated NP cells. RESULTS: For the earlier dedifferentiated NP cells, AAV-TGFbeta3 slowly and stably enhanced proteoglycan synthesis, but AV-TGFbeta1 rapidly and transiently enhanced its synthesis. For the later dedifferentiated NP cells, AAV-TGFbeta3 stably enhanced proteoglycan synthesis, but AV-TGFbeta1 inhibited its synthesis. CONCLUSION: AAV expression system can mediate TGFbeta3 gene to be expressed stably, and AAV-TGFbeta3 can enhance proteoglycan synthesis of the earlier and later dedifferentiated NP cells. PMID- 17763585 TI - Gene transfer into porcine myocardium via pericardial cavity by homemade easy puncture device. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility and safety of gene transfer into porcine myocardium via the pericardial cavity by a homemade easy device. METHODS: Replication-deficient recombinant adenoviral vector carrying LacZ report gene (Ad LacZ) was constructed by the calcium phosphate precipitation method. Twelve healthy Chinese mini-swine were randomly divided into experimental group (n = 6) and control group (n = 6). Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) model was established by balloon occlusion of the distal part of D1 branch of left anterior descending (LAD) artery, at the same time the intrapericardial cavity injections were performed through the small incision of the abdominal wall below the xyphoid appendix using a homemade device. Then gene transfer was performed using a central venous catheter. The pericardium was pretreated with injection of a mixture of collagenase (1,200 U) and hyaluronidase (3,000 U) in both groups. Then 2.0 x 10(9) plaque formation unit (PFU) Ad-LacZ was injected into the pericardial cavity in experimental group, while 1 mL of normal saline was injected in the control group. The beta-galactosidase activity detection and X-gal staining of the ischemic myocardium were performed on the 3rd, 7th, and 28th day after injection. RESULTS: The LAD artery was occluded completely and infarction and ischemia were detected by histological assessment In experimental group, the X gal staining positive cells and beta-galactosidase activity quantification were detectable on the 3rd day after injection, increased markedly on the 7th day, and then declined on the 28th day. The transfer efficiencies indicated by the positive myocardial cells were 16.7%, 45.6% , 22.8% on the 3rd, 7th, 28th day, respectively. In control group, no positive cells and beta-galactosidase activity were observed. CONCLUSION: Adenovirus can be transferred into ischemic myocardium and express target gene in the AMI model for four weeks with the homemade easy device via pericardial cavity pretreated by collagenase and hyaluronidase. PMID- 17763586 TI - Ischemic preconditioning relieves ischemia/reperfusion injury of hippocampus neurons in rat by inhibiting p53 and bax expressions. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether ischemic preconditioning (IPC) can protect neuron against delayed death in CA1 subfield of hippocampus following reperfusion of a lethal ischemia in rats, and explore the role of p53 and bax in this process. METHODS: We examined the effect of IPC on delayed neuron death, neuron apoptosis, expressions of p53 and bax gene in the CA1 area of hippocampus in the rats using HE staining, flow cytometry, RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry technique. RESULTS: IPC enhanced the quantity of survival cells in the CA1 region of hippocampus (216 +/- 9 cells/0.72 mm2 vs. 30 +/- 5 cells/0.72 mm2, P < 0.01) , decreased the percentages of apoptotic neurons of hippocampus caused by ischemia/reperfusion (2.06% +/- 0.21% vs. 4.27% +/- 0.08%, P < 0.01 ), and weakened the expressions of p53 and bax gene of hippocampus compared with ischemia/reperfusion without IPC. CONCLUSION: IPC can protect the neurons in the CA1 region of hippocampus against apoptosis caused by ischemia/reperfusion, and this process may be related to the reduced expressions of p53 and bax. PMID- 17763587 TI - Subtypes of B lymphocytes in patients with autoimmune hemocytopenia. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the quantities of bone marrow CD5+ B lymphocytes in the patients with autoimmune hemocytopenia and the relationship between quantities of CD5+ B lymphocytes and clinical or laboratorial parameters. METHODS: Quantities of CD5+ B lymphocytes in the bone marrow of 14 patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) or Evans syndrome, 22 immunorelated pancytopenia (IRP) patients, and 10 normal controls were assayed by flow cytometry. The correlation between their clinical or laboratorial parameters and CD5+ B lymphocytes was analyzed. RESULTS: The quantity of CD5+ B lymphocytes of AIHA/Evans syndrome (34.64% +/- 19.81%) or IRP patients (35.81% +/- 16.83%) was significantly higher than that of normal controls (12.00% +/- 1.97%, P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between AIHA/Evans syndrome and IRP patients (P > 0.05). In all hemocytopenic patients, the quantity of bone marrow CD5+ B lymphocytes showed significantly negative correlation with serum complement C3 level (r = -0.416, P < 0.05). In the patients with AIHA/Evans syndrome, the quantity of bone marrow CD5+ B lymphocytes showed significantly positive correlation with serum indirect bilirubin level (r = 1.00, P < 0.05). In Evans syndrome patients, the quantity of CD5+ B lymphocytes in bone marrow showed significantly positive correlation with platelet-associated immunoglobulin G (r = 0.761, P < 0.05) and platelet associated immunoglobulin M ( r = 0.925, P < 0.05). The quantity of CD5+ B lymphocytes in bone marrow of all hemocytopenic patients showed significantly negative correlation with treatment response (tau-b = -0.289, P < 0.05) , but had no correlation with colony forming unit-erythroid (r = -0.205, P > 0.05) or colony forming unit-granulocyte-macrophage colonies (r = -0.214, P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The quantity of bone marrow CD5+ B lymphocytes in the patients with autoimmune hemocytopenia significantly increases and is correlated with disease severity and clinical response, which suggest that CD5+ B lymphocytes might play an important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune hemocytopenia. PMID- 17763588 TI - Blood pressure changes of elderly hypertensive patients during dental extraction under sedation with continuous intravenous infusion of midazolam. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the changes in blood pressure (BP) of elderly hypertensive patients having dental extraction under sedation with continuous intravenous infusion of midazolam. METHODS: One hundred elderly hypertensive patients undergoing dental extraction were recruited for this single-blind, randomized, controlled study. Patients in intervention group (n = 50) were given midazolam dissolved in glucose solution and patients in control group (n = 50) were given glucose solution only with communication technique. Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were recorded in five time points. RESULTS: Under basal conditions, intervention group did not show significant difference in BP compared with control group. Before sedation, mean values of SBP and DBP (especially SBP) significantly increased compared with basal conditions in both groups (P < 0.05). During dental extraction sessions, mean values of BP in intervention group significantly decreased than control group (P < 0.05), but coefficient of variation did show significant difference in both groups. CONCLUSION: Continuous intravenous infusion of midazolam has been proved to be very successful in controlling BP of elderly patients having dental extraction. PMID- 17763589 TI - A case of tricuspid endocarditis with subsequent lung abscess. PMID- 17763590 TI - Relationship between dysglycemia and carotid atherosclerosis in Tibetan population. PMID- 17763591 TI - A new approach to comparing efficacy results from clinical trials of topical acne vulgaris treatments. AB - Clinicians must evaluate a voluminous amount of information from clinical trials when choosing among the growing number of topical acne treatments. This article describes a simple way to evaluate and broadly compare the efficacy results of well-controlled phase III clinical trials of topical acne treatments by taking into account the placebo effect (or active control effect). Key efficacy results are drawn from the package inserts of 7 primary topical acne treatments. To account for placebo effect, the mean percent reduction with placebo was subtracted from that of the active treatment for each type of lesion and also calculated as an average of these differences for all lesions. Based upon the principles of research, this method accounts for within study variances and offers a quick assessment of product efficacy. Clinicians should be cautioned that this method only allows for broad comparisons and does not establish definitive differences between treatments. PMID- 17763592 TI - Repair of partial and complete earlobe clefts: a review of 21 methods. AB - BACKGROUND: Partially or completely spilt earlobes are a common reason for patient presentation to the cosmetic surgeon. METHODS: In this article, we review the different techniques of repairing both partial and complete cleft earlobes. RESULTS: We review and illustrate 4 methods to repair a partial cleft earlobe and 17 methods to correct a complete cleft earlobe. In addition, preoperative, intraoperative, and follow-up photographs are shown on several examples. CONCLUSIONS: Earlobe clefts may be repaired by various techniques. While advantages and disadvantages exist for each method, the surgeon should be familiar with categorizing the cleft, choosing a repair, and deciding whether to repierce the earlobe intra- or postoperatively. PMID- 17763593 TI - Neoplastic skin lesions in Iranian renal transplant recipients: the role of immunosuppressive therapy. AB - BACKGROUND: Immunosuppressive therapy is believed to be one of the most important risk factors in the development of skin cancer in renal transplant recipients. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the types of neoplastic skin lesions encountered in Iranian renal transplant recipients and their associations with immunosuppressive regimens. METHODS: The entire bodies of renal transplant recipients attending an outpatient transplantation department were examined. RESULTS: Neoplastic skin lesions were diagnosed in 13.1% of the renal transplant recipients. Actinic keratoses, squamous cell carcinomas, and basal cell carcinomas were the most common neoplastic skin lesions observed. Transplant recipients exposed to immunosuppressive therapy for more than 5 years have a significantly higher risk of developing skin cancers than recipients with less than 5 years of immunosuppressive therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed the relatively high prevalence of neoplastic skin lesions among renal transplant recipients in the Iranian population. PMID- 17763594 TI - Melanoma in situ with epidermal effacement: a compelling adjunctive finding. AB - Since many studies have shown the discordant diagnoses of melanocytic lesions among pathologists despite the existence of an established histologic criteria, we sought to refine the histologic criteria by finding an additional reliable and reproducible objective histopathologic feature to aid in the diagnosis of melanoma in situ. We performed a retrospective analysis of 100 cases histologically diagnosed as melanoma in situ and compared them to a study control group consisting of junctional benign melanocytic nevi. The epidermis of all the melanocytic lesions was examined for epidermal effacement. Examination of the epidermis in the study group revealed an absence of epidermal effacement in only 7 (10%) cases, whereas 93 (93%) cases showed an absence of rete ridges in some foci, making this an overwhelming majority finding in the cases examined. These results serve as a compelling adjunctive finding that can be used to increase the histologic diagnostic accuracy of melanoma in situ. PMID- 17763595 TI - A single-arm, open-label efficacy and tolerability study of diclofenac sodium 3% gel for the treatment of actinic keratosis of the upper and lower lip. AB - OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: This study is an evaluation of patients diagnosed with actinic keratosis (AK) lesions of the upper and lower lip (both cutaneous and mucosal surfaces), with at least one lesion on the vermilion (mucosal) lip. Patients were treated twice daily with a topical application of diclofenac sodium 3% gel (Solaraze Gel, Doak Dermatologics) for a period of 90 days with a follow up assessment at 30 days post-treatment. The presence or absence of target and new lesions was assessed and quantified at the initial baseline visit and at each follow-up visit. An investigator global improvement index score assessment and an evaluation of tolerability was also performed at each follow-up visit. CONCLUSION: The application of diclofenac sodium 3% gel provides an effective approach for the treatment of AK of the lip. The cure rate reported in this study for AK of the lip was similar to that of diclofenac sodium 3% gel for AK on skin elsewhere on the body, and has a low incidence of irritation and other adverse reactions, as well as a high rate of patient satisfaction. The unique safety and tolerability profile of diclofenac sodium 3% gel would appear to lend itself well to treatment of the mucosal lip and vermilion, particularly when treatment decisions involve cosmetic appearance during and subsequent to therapy. PMID- 17763596 TI - A novel hydrogel vehicle formulated for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. AB - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic cyclical inflammatory skin disease that is increasing in incidence. Twenty percent of those affected with AD are infants and young children. Despite the development of newer nonsteroidal topical therapies, such as calcineurin inhibitors, topical corticosteroids remain the gold standard for the treatment of active eczematous disease and management of exacerbation due to established efficacy and safety with appropriate use. The xerotic, sensitive skin of AD patients mandates the use of nonirritating and nondrying topical vehicles. Recently, phase III clinical studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of a novel aqueous hydrogel vehicle for desonide delivery in mild to moderate AD, which is free of fragrances and surfactants. Corneometry and transepidermal water loss studies have demonstrated that this patented hydrogel vehicle alone offers advantages including moisturization and skin barrier enhancement, both of which are significant when treating eczematous and xerotic skin. Patient and physician preference surveys suggest that the novel properties of this vehicle may aid in patient compliance with AD therapy. PMID- 17763597 TI - Novel eye cream containing a mixture of human growth factors and cytokines for periorbital skin rejuvenation. AB - Evidence of the signs associated with skin aging often first appears in the periorbital area and includes wrinkles, eyelid bags, circles around the eye, or a "tired" look. This multicenter study aimed to investigate a novel eye cream containing a proprietary mixture of human growth factors and cytokines in combination with caffeine, bisabolol, glycyrrhetinic acid, and sodium hyaluronate for periorbital rejuvenation. The study, which was completed by 37 female subjects between 36 to 65 years of age, revealed that clinical signs for wrinkles, lower eyelid bags or sagging, dark circles, and skin texture show significant improvement (average 14%-28%) after 6 weeks of twice-daily application. These clinical improvements were confirmed by a subject questionnaire. The subjects further reported that their tired look significantly improved by 32% in average. All subjects tolerated the eye cream well and liked the way it felt. The cream's efficacy, excellent tolerability in the delicate periorbital skin area, and pleasant sensory properties explain why a large majority (78%) would continue regular use. PMID- 17763598 TI - Successful adjuvant treatment of recalcitrant mucous membrane pemphigoid with anti-CD20 antibody rituximab. AB - Rituximab is a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against CD20-positive B cells and originally developed for the treatment of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. We report a case of severe mucous membrane pemphigoid responsive to rituximab infusions. The clinical presentation, etiology, and management options for mucous membrane pemphigoid are also discussed. PMID- 17763599 TI - Successful treatment of Hailey-Hailey disease with acitretin. AB - Hailey-Hailey disease is an autosomal dominant skin condition characterized by waxing and waning painful and pruritic vesicles and plaques affecting the intertriginous areas. Its pathogenesis involves inherited abnormalities in a cutaneous calcium pump. Most patients are managed conservatively with topical corticosteroids as well as topical and oral anti-infective agents. Scarce reports in the literature describe the use of oral retinoid therapy to manage refractory cases. We present a case of Hailey-Hailey disease in a 64-year-old man who was refractory to conservative management but improved dramatically over 6 months of oral therapy with 25 mg of acitretin daily. The mechanism by which such therapy improves disease manifestations is unknown. A potential mechanism is based on the influence of retinoids on epidermal differentiation and may involve cutaneous calcium homeostasis. Hailey-Hailey disease is discussed and the use of oral retinoid treatment for Hailey-Hailey disease is reviewed. PMID- 17763600 TI - Subacute annular generalized pustular psoriasis treated with etanercept and cyclosporine combination. AB - We present a case of a 36-year-old man with a 20-year history of stable plaque psoriasis admitted to our inpatient dermatology unit with subacute annular pustular psoriasis. Two weeks prior to admission the patient's dermatologist discontinued the use of 5 lbs (2.3 kg) of triamcinolone 0.1% cream, which the patient had been applying to his skin weekly over the last 8 years. The patient subsequently developed generalized erythematous annular and irregularly shaped, well-defined plaques and confluent pustules. Approximately 80% of his total body surface area was involved, sparing the face and the genitals. Initial therapy included cyclosporine 300 mg twice daily, topical hydrocortisone 1% ointment to affected areas, acetaminophen/oxycodone 10/325 mg every 4 hours for pain as needed, and subcutaneous etanercept 50 mg twice weekly. The patient was discharged on day 7 with significant improvement of skin lesions. On discharge the cyclosporine was increased to 400 mg twice daily. The patient continued etanercept 50 mg twice weekly. One month after discharge the patient was clear with only postinflammatory changes. PMID- 17763601 TI - Alopecia induced by lopinavir plus ritonavir therapy in an HIV patient. AB - The most commonly reported side effects related to lopinavir/ritonavir are diarrhea, vomiting, headache, nausea, and increased serum triglycerides and cholesterol levels. About 4% of the patients prescribed lopinavir/ritonavir stop taking it because of side effects. Alopecia, generally involving the scalp, has been reported in patients with HIV infection treated with indinavir but not with lopinavir/ritonavir. We present a 62-year-old man with HIV infection, stage B2, who experienced alopecia totalis of his scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes beginning 18 months after initiating antiretroviral treatment including lopinavir/ritonavir. No hair loss on the arms, legs, and pubic area was observed. Our patient's drug regimen consisted of lopinavir/ritonavir, efavirenz, and stavudine; in addition, the patient was receiving treatment for diabetes with glivenclamide and metformin for the last 3 years. These drugs have not been shown to cause alopecia. Alopecia reversed completely 2 months after substituting nelfinavir for lopinavir/ritonavir without any other change of treatment and his eyelashes and eyebrows grew back as well. To our knowledge, this is the second case of lopinavir/ritonavir-associated alopecia totalis reported in the international literature. PMID- 17763602 TI - Exacerbation of myasthenia gravis during imiquimod treatment. AB - Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular disease that can be exacerbated by interferon. We report a case of imiquimod-related exacerbation of myasthenia gravis. PMID- 17763604 TI - Fractional laser resurfacing. PMID- 17763603 TI - Serum sickness-like reaction to cefuroxime: a case report and review of the literature. AB - We report a case of a 34-year-old woman who received cefuroxime, a second generation cephalosporin, as treatment for mastitis. She subsequently developed a serum sickness-like reaction (SSLR) with a generalized pruritic rash, joint pains, and fever. She improved upon treatment with systemic steroids. SSLR is well-described to cefaclor, a second-generation cephalosporin. However, there is a paucity of reports of SSLR to other cephalosporins such as this case. PMID- 17763605 TI - A brief primer on treatments of cutaneous T cell lymphoma, newly approved or late in development. AB - Dermatologists use a variety of treatments for cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) or mycosis fungoides, in particular topical corticosteroids, psoralen and ultraviolet A phototherapy (PUVA) or ultraviolet B (UVB) phototherapy. Metastatic disease has been treated with radiotherapy, extracorporeal photophoresis, and old line chemotherapy agents such as methotrexate, chlorambucil, purine analogues, cyclophosphamide, hydroxydoxorubicin, oncovin, prednisone (CHOP), and interferon alpha-2a. This feature will review these new agents including zanolimumab, denileukin diftitox, bexarotene, and vorinostat. Zanolimumab is a human monoclonal antibody that acts as a CD4 antagonist and has been granted orphan drug status in the US and Europe. Vorinostat (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid) is a histone deacetylases inhibitor that has recently been approved by the FDA for the treatment of progressive, persistent, or recurrent CTCL on or after 2 systemic therapies have failed. Bexarotene is indicated in CTCL patients who are refractory to at least one prior systemic therapy. Denileukin diftitox is indicated for the treatment of patients with persistent or recurrent CTCL whose malignant cells express the CD25 component of the interleukin-2 receptor. PMID- 17763606 TI - The treatment of actinic keratoses with a combination of 5-fluorouracil and imiquimod creams. AB - BACKGROUND: 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and imiquimod creams are accepted topical therapies for actinic keratosis (AK). Both are associated with a prolonged course of treatment with an inflammatory response that may preclude the treatment process. OBJECTIVES: To describe the treatment regimen and the extent of side effects in the use of the combined application of 5-FU and imiquimod creams in patients presenting with AKs and to demonstrate the convenience and ease of the methodology of this regimen. METHODS: The patients applied 5-FU and imiquimod creams to their lesions daily for one week each month over the course of 3 months. The patients were seen after the completion of each one-week course to evaluate their progress and side effects. RESULTS: There were 64 patients in the study, 48 of whom completed the study and demonstrated a clearing of their AKs by the end of the third course of treatment. All of the patients developed an inflammatory response at the sites of their AKs as well as at subclinical sites with no apparent AKs. Nearly all of these inflammatory reactions were confined to localized sites without involvement of the surrounding skin. CONCLUSIONS: Therapy with the combined application of 5-FU and imiquimod creams is a relatively rapid and convenient form of therapy as compared to the separate use of each medication. PMID- 17763607 TI - Vitamins and minerals: their role in nail health and disease. AB - Nail health and appearance are global concerns. We investigated the use of biotin vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin A, retinoids, retinol, retinal, silicon, zinc, iron, copper, selenium, and vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) in nail health and disease. The evidence that we adduce in this paper suggests that: 1) proper nail care seems to help maintain nail health; 2) no evidence supports the use of vitamin supplementation with vitamin E, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin A, retinoids, retinol, retinal, silicon, zinc, iron, copper, selenium, or vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) for improving the nail health of well-nourished patients or improving the appearance of nails affected by pathologic disease; and 3) brittle nail syndrome appears to abate with supplementation with a 2.5-mg dose of biotin daily or a 10-mg dose of silicon daily, a useful form of which is choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid. PMID- 17763608 TI - Clinical evaluation of a handheld self-treatment device for hair removal. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Laser- and light-based methods for hair removal, though effective, are expensive and may be associated with adverse effects. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a thermal, handheld self treatment device (no!no! Thermicon, Radiancy Inc, Orangeburg, NY) for removing unwanted hair. METHODS: Twelve of the 20 enrolled subjects underwent 6 supervised and 6 unsupervised self-treatments of their lower legs and umbilicus-bikini areas at twice-weekly intervals for 6 weeks. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 2, 6, and 12 weeks after the final treatment. Results were evaluated by pretreatment, post-treatment, and follow-up hair counts. RESULTS: For legs, the median clearance percentages were 48% post-treatment and 43.5% at 12 weeks. For the umbilicus-bikini area, the median clearance percentage was 15% at 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy and safety of the no!no! Thermicon device for hair removal of the legs appear to be comparable to those of laser devices. PMID- 17763609 TI - Excimer laser for psoriasis: a review of theories regarding enhanced efficacy over traditional UVB phototherapy. AB - BACKGROUND: Fiber-optically targeted ultraviolet B (UVB) therapy has been shown to clear plaques of psoriasis in a significantly fewer number of treatments and reduce overall cumulative UVB dose than traditional UVB phototherapy. OBJECTIVE: This article reviews existing theories in the literature attempting to explain the superior efficacy of targeted UVB. METHODS: Medline was used to perform a comprehensive review of the literature from 1965 to present. Only information from the English language journals are reported in this study. RESULTS: The theories proposed to explain the higher efficacy of the excimer (XeCl) laser relative to traditional UVB include the ability to use higher intensities of ultraviolet (UV) light and a more efficient induction of T cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: The possible explanations for the superior efficacy of the excimer laser over traditional UVB therapy for psoriasis include: 1) a higher intensity UV light to plaques, which is more effective in clearing psoriasis; 2) penetration into the dermis where it may induce T cell apoptosis, potentially to a greater extent than the wavelength or given energy level predicts; and 3) the difference in the delivery of UVB light may result in cell death and skin immune system suppression more effectively than traditional UVB. PMID- 17763610 TI - A new combination technique of local anesthesia for full-face dermabrasion. AB - We present a safer, more efficient, and more effective technique for full-face dermabrasion utilizing a combination of regional nerve block anesthesia, refrigerant spray cryoanesthesia, and local infiltration anesthesia. This combination provides a pain-free procedure with little to no discomfort for the patient while avoiding the risks of intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. PMID- 17763611 TI - A novel method to inject hyaluronic acid: the Fern Pattern Technique. AB - Nonanimal Stabilized Hyaluronic Acid (NASHA) has proven itself as one of the safest, most versatile dermal fillers with a high patient and physician satisfaction. The authors describe a novel technique to inject Restylane (NASHA) in the dermis for optimal correction of dynamic facial lines. Mobile facial folds represent a greater challenge for correction using standard injection techniques. The injection technique described is named the Fern Pattern Technique. The purpose of the Fern Pattern Technique is to use Restylane in such a way that it becomes a skin stiffening agent, rather than a simple filler in order to provide optimal correction for lines that deepen with expressive facial movements. The Fern Pattern Technique also uses less material to provide a correction that is not visible at rest or during dynamic movement for lines that deepen during a smile, as well as the dynamic lower nasolabial fold. PMID- 17763612 TI - Pilot investigation of the hydrating effects of topical acne medications. AB - Topical therapies are effective in managing acne vulgaris but are associated with local adverse effects such as irritation and dryness. This 4-week pilot study compared skin hydration in 36 healthy adult women randomized to treatment with 1 of 4 topical therapies: 2 different (jar and tube) clindamycin 1%/benzoyl peroxide 5% gels, sodium sulfacetamide 10% lotion, or over-the-counter (OTC) moisturizing cream. Subjects treated with OTC moisturizer or sodium sulfacetamide exhibited decreased water loss, increased water retention, similar or improved levels of skin hydration, and decreased desorption rates. In contrast, subjects treated with jar or tube clindamycin/benzoyl peroxide had increased water loss, decreased water retention, decreased hydration, and increased desorption rates. Skin dryness decreased slightly in the moisturizer group. No serious adverse events occurred. Overall, the OTC moisturizer had the best skin hydration profile. Sodium sulfacetamide demonstrated some moisturizing characteristics, and no clinically relevant differences were noted between jar and tube clindamycin/benzoyl peroxide gels. PMID- 17763613 TI - Enhanced efficacy of photodynamic therapy after fractional resurfacing: fractional photodynamic rejuvenation. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Conventional ablative resurfacing is the gold standard for removing signs of cutaneous photodamage. Despite the excellent results one can achieve with this technique, it is accompanied with significant downtime and risks. Fractional resurfacing and photodynamic therapy (PDT) with aminolevulinic acid (ALA) have been used to improve the signs of photodamage with less downtime. However, independently they do not yield results as good as ablative resurfacing. This pilot study will examine the potential for synergistic effects of combining fractional resurfacing and ALA-PDT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four women with Fitzpatrick skin types II or III, mild to moderate rhytides and no actinic keratosis in the perioral area were treated. The perioral area was treated with 2 sessions of fractional resurfacing with the Fraxel SR (formerly Fraxel SR750, Reliant Technologies Inc, Palo Alto, CA) 3 weeks apart. Immediately after each fractional treatment we applied methyl 5-aminolevulinate (MAL or Metvix) on one half of the perioral area and 3 hours later we illuminated that area with a red light (Aktilite lamp, PhotoCure ASA, Oslo, Norway) in a dose of 37 J/cm2. Prior to treatment and at 4 and 12 weeks after the final treatment, a blinded investigator evaluated each side of the perioral area and rated the improvement from baseline as excellent, good, fair, or poor improvement of superficial wrinkles by comparing the results with pretreatment photographs. Patients also completed an evaluation form assessing their satisfaction with the treatment on each side of the perioral area while comparing the results with pretreatment photographs. RESULTS: The study showed increased improvement in superficial wrinkles in 3 out of 4 patients on the combined treatment side. In one patient, the investigator found no significant difference when comparing both sides. All the patients noted greater improvement in the combined fractional and PDT-treated side compared to the side only treated with fractional surfacing. CONCLUSION: This pilot study shows a potential for enhanced clinical results when using combined fractional resurfacing and ALA-PDT compared to fractional resurfacing alone. PMID- 17763614 TI - Allergic contact dermatitis to mafenide acetate: a case series and review of the literature. AB - Burn patients with extensive involvement of body surface area (BSA >30%) represent a challenge in wound treatment. Multiple topical agents may be used for cleansing, barrier protection, and antimicrobial control leading to complications of contact and/or irritant dermatitis, which may further complicate re epithelization and eventual wound healing. We present 4 patients who sustained extensive burns during Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom and later developed contact dermatitis to mafenide acetate, a common topical antimicrobial used in burn care treatment, also known as Sulfamylon (alpha-amino p-toluenesulfonamide monoacetate). All patients who were patch tested to mafenide acetate 7% solution were positive. A rechallenge with mafenide acetate resulted in recrudescence of the eruption in 2 out of the 4 patients. Though cutaneous reactions to mafenide acetate were reported by Yaffe and Dressler in 1969, the most recent case reports are from 1995. This paper presents more recent examples of cutaneous reactions to mafenide acetate, while also reviewing the literature. PMID- 17763615 TI - Treatment of locally metastatic melanoma: a novel approach. AB - We report a case of an 83-year-old female with locally metastatic melanoma treated with imiquimod and tazarotene. The patient originally presented to our dermatology clinic with local metastases of malignant melanoma after having undergone multiple surgical procedures and adjuvant radiation therapy for disease recurrence. At this juncture, she refused further surgical management but was interested in topical therapy. A 4-week course of topical imiquimod therapy was initiated. As no clinical response was noted at the end of the treatment period, tazarotene cream was introduced. The patient experienced complete clinical clearance of the treated area after a 6-week course of combination imiquimod and tazarotene therapy. The rationale for using both medications will be discussed. PMID- 17763616 TI - Mycosis fungoides in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis during infliximab therapy. AB - Immunosuppressive therapies, in particular cyclosporine, are known to induce the development of lymphoproliferative malignancies. In general, the lymphomas that occur in the setting of impaired immune function are B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, often large cell lymphomas. Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common form of cutaneous T cell lymphomas, which can require persistent antigen and superantigen stimulation by way of chronic immunosuppression and HIV. Tumor necrosis factor antagonists, which are novel immunomodulatory agents, might produce significant adverse effects, including an increased risk of malignancy. Currently available data do not show whether these agents were the proximate cause of the reported lymphomas. We present a 32-year-old male with ankylosing spondylitis treated with infliximab who developed MF during the second year of therapy. PMID- 17763617 TI - Combination of a new radiofrequency device and blue light for the treatment of acne vulgaris. AB - Acne vulgaris is the most common skin disease treated by physicians. Current topical and oral treatments may have short- and long-term negative consequences. Since radiofrequency (RF) energy has been shown to reduce sebum production and 410-nm blue light has been shown to kill Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) cells, these modalities in combination should be a highly effective treatment of acne vulgaris with little or no downtime or risk. This case report describes the efficacy and safety of RF energy (Accent, Alma Lasers Inc, Buffalo Grove, IL) and blue light (BLU-U, Dusa Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Wilmington, MA) used in combination to treat grade 4 cystic acne and acne scars in an Asian woman of skin type IV. The results were considered excellent by both investigators and the patient, with improvement in the skin tone as an added cosmetic benefit. PMID- 17763618 TI - Recalcitrant rosacea successfully treated with multiplexed pulsed dye laser. AB - There are few treatments that address both papulopustular and telangiectatic components of rosacea. We present a case of rosacea that was unresponsive to treatment with antibiotics. We report the novel use of a new laser technology, the multiplexed laser, for treatment of both papular and telangiectatic rosacea. PMID- 17763619 TI - Radiesse nodule of the lips from a distant injection site: report of a case and consideration of etiology and management. AB - Radiesse was approved for cosmetic use by the US FDA in December of 2006. Prior to this approval it had been widely used off-label for a variety of areas including lip augmentation. With increased use, complications including nodule formation were reported. The formation of nodules at a site distant from the area of injection has not been reported to date. This report documents such a case and discusses possible etiologies and treatments for these distant nodules. PMID- 17763620 TI - Fractional technology: a review and clinical approaches. AB - All of the FT devices that I have available to me work very well. Some may not be "true" FT devices and may be creating "holes" in the skin, but clinically the results seen with these devices have brought us pretty close to achieving the gold standard of ablative resurfacing. In the future, we may find FT will resurface the market of ablative resurfacing. PMID- 17763621 TI - Sexy and 17: TH17 effector T cells and psoriasis. PMID- 17763622 TI - [Subclinical rejection, a condition of an emergent interest]. PMID- 17763623 TI - [Post-renal transplantatation humoral acute rejection or anti-HLA antibodies mediated acute rejection]. PMID- 17763625 TI - Ongoing review: change of mindset is now needed. PMID- 17763624 TI - New medical staff standards aim to ID problems before sentinel events occur. PMID- 17763626 TI - How to obtain the data for medical staff standards. PMID- 17763627 TI - Meeting more explicit peer review imperatives. PMID- 17763628 TI - Patient handoffs across units need improvement. PMID- 17763629 TI - [Retrospective analysis of two phocine distemper epidemics in the North and Baltic Seas in 1988 and 2002]. AB - The relapse of the outbreak of the phocine distemper virus in the Danish island of Anholt this June, emphasizes the importance of the topic among experts. During the phocine distemper virus (PDV) epidemic in 1988, a total of 23,000 harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) died. In 2002 a second outbreak of PDV resulted in the death of more than 30,000 harbor seals. Both epidemics originated near the Danish island of Anholt and spread to adjacent colonies. Additional centres of infection were observed in the Dutch Wadden Sea far from the infected Danish seal populations. Arctic seals and grey seals were considered as vectors. Grey seal populations may serve as a reservoir for PDV or act as subclinically infected carriers of the virus between Arctic and North Sea seal populations. Mixed colonies of grey and harbour seals are widely distributed in the North and Baltic Seas. The role of environmental contaminants and their potential impact on immune function are discussed. The duration and geographical patterns of the two PDV epidemics are compared. PMID- 17763630 TI - A brief overview of food hygiene legislation. AB - Following several animal disease outbreaks and food contaminant scandals in Europe in recent years, the European Commission adopted the White Paper on Food Safety in 2000. This White Paper contains a number of recommendations aimed to increase food safety, improve the traceability of food products and regain consumer confidence in the food industry. To this effect a package of new European legislation on food and feed has been prepared with the following characteristics: responsibility of food safety lies with the food business operator, while the competent authority of the Member State verifies correct implementation of the new rules. Production should be based on good hygienic practice and HACCP principles and products are subject to microbiological criteria and temperature limits. The legislation deals with all food and covers the entire food chain ("from stable to table"). The general framework of the new food hygiene legislation is explained. The General Food Law (Regulation (EC) No 178/2002) is discussed in more detail as well as the Regulations concerning food hygiene. The characteristics and requirements of each one of the three Hygiene Regulations is presented (Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 and Regulation (EC) No 854/2004) with a particular emphasis on the changes in the new (horizontal) legislation as compared to the old (vertical) Directives. Implementing measures of the Hygiene Regulations have been published in the form of four Commission Regulations in December 2005. The implementing measures deal with technical issues often in great detail and became applicable at the same time as the Hygiene Regulations with effect of 1 January 2006. The major issues as laid down in the four Commission Regulations are presented. Finally, various guidance documents are mentioned. These documents are available on the Internet site (http//ec.europa. eu/food/food/biosafety/hygienelegislation/guide_en.htm) of DG SANCO and explain in plain language some of the topics of the Hygiene Regulations. PMID- 17763631 TI - Risk based meat hygiene--examples on food chain information and visual meat inspection. AB - The Regulation (EC) No. 854/2004 refers in particularly to a broad spectrum of official supervision of products of animal origin. The supervision should be based on the most current relevant information which is available. The proposal presented includes forms for implementation of Food Chain Information (FCI) as laid down in the Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 as well as suggestions for the implementation of the visual inspection and criteria for a practical approach to assist the competent authority and the business operator. These suggestions are summarised in two forms including the FCI and practical information from the farm of origin as well as from the slaughterhouse needed for the competent authority to permit the visual meat inspection of fattening pigs. The requested information from the farm level include i.e. an animal loss rate during the fattening period and diagnostic findings of carcasses and respectively on organs of the animals during meat inspection procedure. The evaluation of findings in liver and pleura at the slaughterhouse level indicate a correlation to the general health status of the fattening conditions at farm level. The criteria developed are in principle suited for a "gold standard" of the health status of fattening pigs and the criteria may serve as practical implementation of the term Good Farming Practice in relation to consumer protection. Only for fattening pigs deriving from farms fulfilling this "gold standard" the visual meat inspection shall be permitted. It is proposed to integrate the two forms for FCI and additional information for authorisation of visual meat inspection for fattening pigs in the working document of the DG SANCO titled "Commission regulation of laying down specific rules on official controls for the inspection of meat" (SANCO/2696/2006). PMID- 17763632 TI - [Results of the evaluation of food chain information for a risk-oriented meat inspection]. AB - In a scientific project 469 slaughter groups originating from 39 farmers with 37.222 pigs in total were investigated concerning the usefulness of the food chain information. A standard statement does not include enough relevant information for the official veterinarian in the slaughterhouse to do a risk based meat inspection. Even the food chain information for the visual meat inspection, which has certain limits, shows only farms, where the animals are of good health. Groups of fattened pigs with an extreme high rate of mortality and many abnormalities mean a potential risk for food safety. So for a risk-based meat inspection it is affordable to develop information-systems with real mortality and finding rates and the use of drugs on the farm. PMID- 17763633 TI - [Proposals for designing the food chain information for the implementation of the risk-oriented ante- and post-mortem meat inspection]. AB - The recent crises in the meat industry due to meat-associated risks such as salmonella, nitrofen and dioxin prove that the traditional ante- and post mortem inspection of slaughter animals and carcasses is not any longer able to recognise and prevent the risks of today. Therefore, the EU Commission has issued Reg. (EC) 853/2004 and Reg. (EC) 854/2004 that regulate the transition of the traditional meat inspection, which demands inspecting each individual carcass in the same way, to a risk-based meat inspection, which is using relevant pieces of information about the previous production stages for making risk-based decisions on the intensity of the inspection of slaughter pig batches. The new EU legislation is not any longer prescribing exactly the inspection procedure, but defines the food safety goals. The consequence is that there are still various ideas and opinions on how to implement a reasonable risk-based meat inspection, and, in particular, on how to design the "relevant food chain information". The present paper is describing the legal framework and the objectives of the risk based meat inspection, and proposals for designing the food chain information for the implementation of the risk-based ante- and post-mortem meat inspection are made and discussed. PMID- 17763634 TI - Innovative approaches to treating metastatic breast cancer. PMID- 17763635 TI - [Does continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration therapy reduce mortality due to acute renal failure as compared to intermittent hemodialysis?]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To estimate whether continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) is superior to intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) in terms of survival of adult patients with acute renal failure (ARF) admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. SELECTION OF STUDIES: Controlled clinical trials (CCT) and systematic reviews comparing CWHDF and IHD for managing ARF in adult patients (age > 19 years). Observational and case series were excluded. SEARCH SOURCES: The basic syntax <> was used to search Pub Med and Ovid System databases. A manual search was done by reviewing the references in the corresponding topic of UpToDate. ANALYSIS: Data were extracted by two author and their methodological quality was assessed according to the Cochrane Renal Group recommendations that include the procedure for assigning, blinding, intention to treat analysis, and follow-up. OUTCOMES VARIABLES: All data relating to mortality were extracted, specifying the time of collection, time and circumstances (mortality in the ICU or hospitalization). Values gathered are expressed as mortality rates in both the experimental group (CVVHDF) and the control group (IHD), indicating the absolute risk reduction (ARR) and its 95% confidence interval. OUTCOMES AGGREGATION: Studies meeting clinical and methodological homogeneity criteria were combined with the fix effect model by using the Review Manager tool from Cochrane Collaboration. Methodological heterogeneity was analyzed by using the chi-squared test for n-1 freedom degrees, with an alpha value of 0.05. A sensitivity analysis was done adjusting for methodological quality to confirm the results obtained. RESULTS: Seven clinical trials directly comparing the survival of severe ARF patients in a prospective, randomized, and controlled way were identifiec. Almost all published estudies have quality problems because of being too small to study survival rates, treatment allocation problems and high numbers of loss to follow-up, differences in initial severity levels, or to premature study closure. When combining the results, it was observed that mortality was 64% for IHD and 65% for CVVHDF, with a relative risk of 0.98 (95% CI 0.89-1.07), p = 0.65, with no statistically significant heterogeneity between studies included. When excluding from the analysis the most questionable study due to selection bias, high loss to follow-up (21%), and baseline differences in co-variables influencing the study outcomes, the results are not changed, the observed mortality was 67% for extra-renal intermittent depurative techniques versus 65% for continous ones, with a relative risk of 1.03 (95% CI 0.94-1.14), p = 0.54, again with no statistically significant heterogeneity between studies included. CONCLUSION: CVVHDF does not offer any benefit as compared to IHD in terms of survival and according to available data from the literature. However, continuous techniques bring other potential benefits such as hemodynamic stability, better tolerability of ultrafiltration, and depuration of solutes, which merit a systematic review to estimate and quantify their magnitude, and which would allow for better defining their place in the therapeutic armamentarium available for this high-mortality condition. PMID- 17763636 TI - [The clinical trial: the basic tool for research with human beings]. PMID- 17763637 TI - [Notes on critical appraisal of a clinical trial]. PMID- 17763638 TI - [Evidence-based peritoneal dialysis. Prescription and management of complications]. PMID- 17763639 TI - [Clinical practices appraisal in the second certification process of French healthcare organisations]. AB - Second certification process of healthcare organisations (V2) has a main challenge: clinical care improvement through strengthening of clinical practices appraisal (CPA). The approach is based on standards focused on CPA. Besides a specified policy devoted to clinical practices appraisal (Table 1 - standard 6c), CPA in V2 has 3 key objectives: appropriateness of hospitalization and acts, a priori and a posteriori management of healthcare-related risk and clinical practices related to specific diseases. First results show that issues the more evaluated by healthcare organisations are appropriateness of antibiotics and anti thrombosis orders (Table 1 - 44c), safety in medication management, urinary catheterization and seclusion (Table 1 - 45a), adverse events such as falls and bedsores (Table 1 - 45b). Regarding diseases (Table 1 - 46), cancer, coronary disease, stroke and diabetes are the more evaluated in medicine, cancer, antibiotic prophylaxis and hip prosthesis in surgery, delivery and cesarean section in obstetrics, suicide in psychiatry, pain and nutrition in long term care or readaptation. CPA in V2 is in tune with current French law context which makes mandatory individual CPA and continuous medical training, while physicians'accreditation of at-risk specialties is a voluntary process. PMID- 17763641 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763640 TI - [Evaluation of professional practice in nephrology]. PMID- 17763643 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763642 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763644 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763645 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763646 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763647 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763648 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763649 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763650 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763651 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763652 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763653 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763655 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763654 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763657 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763656 TI - [Not Available]. PMID- 17763658 TI - [Efficacy of computed tomography coronary angiography in cardiovascular surgery]. AB - The clinical efficacy of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) in aortic lesions has improved in leaps and bounds. Using 64-slice MSCT with ECG-gating, it is possible to obtain scans that simultaneously achieve ultra-high-speed scanning, wide area scanning, and high-resolution data acquisition, thereby facilitating the routinization of isotropic data acquisition and a reduction in cardiac motion artifacts. Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) using 64-slice MSCT is very useful for the preoperative and postoperative assessment of coronary arteries. PMID- 17763659 TI - [Diagnosis of thoracic aortic diseases by three-dimensional computed tomography]. AB - Accurate diagnosis is essential to achieve a good result in the treatment of aortic diseases. Preoperative three-dimensional image of thoracic aorta is important for the repair of aortic pathology. By the introduction of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and multiditector-row computed tomography (MDCT), precise 3-dimensional images of vascular structure can be achieved more rapidly and easily. The aortic surgeon should apply the 3-dimensional diagnosis in the most of surgical cases because the pre-operative useful information can be achieved such as precise and accurate pathological vascular structure. In the diagnosis of 3-dimensional images, axial images and multi planar images should be evaluated at the same time to prevent the wrong diagnosis. In the diagnosis of 3 dimensional images, thrombus formation is usually ignored. We should understand that 3-dimensional images are reconstructed by the low data or axial images. Progress of 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) diagnosis is a strong tool for the surgeon to get a better result in the treatment of aortic diseases. PMID- 17763660 TI - [Applications of multi-slice computed tomography imaging in children with congenital heart diseases]. AB - Recently-devised 3-dimensional (3D) diagnostic modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging and multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) allow visualization of the heart and great vessels from any angle of view and perspective. Among them, the MSCT examination provides highly contrasted 3D images of complicated congenital heart diseases (CHD) and is now widely used instead of cardiac angiography. Here we introduce several applications of the MSCT examination in children with CHD. The MSCT examinations were performed without electorocardiogram (ECG)-gating in order to minimize radiation exposure. The 3D images of CHDs were exhibited with color-coded reconstruction to visualize clearer images of arteries and veins. The tortuous arteries and veins in the hypoplastic left heart, total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect associated with major aortopulmonary collateral arteries are clearly visualized with non-ECG-gated MSCT, which were very informative for cardiac surgery. We are now trying to make plastic replicas of complicated CHDs by the use of laser stereolithography technique. These replicas can be used for simulations of each surgical operation and for development of novel surgical procedures. The MSCT is a promising tool for the precise diagnosis and planning of surgical operation in complicated CHDs. PMID- 17763661 TI - [Myocardial viability assessment and perioperative cardiovascular evaluation using single photon emission tomography and positron emission tomography]. AB - Nuclear cardiology including single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) can play important roles as myocardial viability assessment and perioperative cardiovascular evaluation for noncardiac surgery. Increasing prevalance of coronary artery disease (CAD) is associated with an increasing number of patients with heart failure secondary to CAD. Three main therapies, medical, revascularizations, and heart transplantation, are currently available. Appropriate revascularization can improve left ventricular function, and hence could also improve an outcome. However, patients with reduced left ventricle (LV) function have higher perioperative cardiac risks. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the extent of myocardial viability to assist in deciding patient managements. In nuclear imaging, thallium-201 (201T1) SPECT, technetium-99m (99mTc) sestamibi SPECT, and 18F fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) are applied for viability assessment. FDG is a glucose analogue and is used to measure myocardial glucose utilization. Among noninvasive imaging, FDG-PET is considered to be a standard measurement. Perioperative cardiovascular complications significantly deteriorate the outcome not only of the postoperative period but also over the subsequent 1 to 2 years. Intrathoracic noncardiac surgeries themselves are at intermediate or high perioperative risk. Thus, careful preoperative cardiac risk assessment is necessary for predicting cardiac complications. In the present review, we overview the present status of viability assessment and perioperative cardiovascular evaluation, and discuss some new approaches. PMID- 17763662 TI - [Cardiac magnetic resonace imaging]. AB - Cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been recognized as reliable means for accurate evaluation of cardiac anatomy and ventricular function. Late gadolinium enhanced MR imaging can clearly delineate subendocardial infarction, and the assessment of transmural extent of infarction on late enhanced MR imaging has proved to be useful in predicting functional recovery of dysfunctional myocardium in patients after myocardial infarction. Stress first-pass contrast enhanced myocardial perfusion MR imaging can detect subendocardial ischemia, and recent studies demonstrated the high diagnostic accuracy of stress myocardial perfusion MR imaging in detecting significant coronary artery diseases. By combining stress perfusion MR imaging and late gadolinium MR imaging, infarcted myocardium and ischemic but viable myocardium can be differentiated. Free breathing, whole heart coronary MR angiography has recently been introduced as a method that can detect coronary artery stenosis, with the diagnostic accuracy comparable to 16-slice computed tomography (CT). MR flow measurement is useful in quantifying valvular regurgitation volume, shunt volume in congenital heart diseases, and blood flow in coronary artery bypass grafts. Cardiac MR imaging can play a pivotal role in managing patients with ischemic heart diseases. PMID- 17763663 TI - [Magnetic resonance imaging of great vessels]. AB - While computed tomographic angiography using multidetector-row computed tomography has made a great innovation, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) may enable demonstration of more adequate diagnostic information on such as the artery of Adamkiewicz. The advent of time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) has permitted 3-dimensional contrast-enhanced MRA to obtain dynamic information. It is expected that the super high field magnetic resonance imagine equipment (ex. 3 tesla), new type acquisition coil and dedicated contrast media for MRA will play an important role in diagnosing great vessels. PMID- 17763664 TI - [Echocardiography is necessary to confirm the presence and severity of valvular heart disease]. AB - Cardiac auscultation remains the most important method of screening for valvular heart diseases. Echocardiography is recommended for symptomatic patients or even asymptomatic patients with heart murmurs. Echocardiography is one of the most important examinations for the diagnosis and assessment of severity of valvular heart diseases. The severity of the aortic or mitral stenosis can be defined with Doppler echocardiographic measurements of maximum jet velocity, mean transvalvular pressure gradient, which can be measured from the continuous-wave Doppler signal across the valve with the modified Bernoulli equation, and continuity equation valve area. Planimetry of the orifice area may be possible from the short-axis view. The mitral valve area can also be derived from Doppler echocardiography with the diastolic pressure half-time method. In addition to semiquantitative assessment of the severity of aortic or mitral regurgitation by color flow jet area by Doppler echocardiography, quantitative measurement of regurgitant volume, regurgitant fraction, and regurgitant orifice area can be performed. Indirect measures of severity of aortic regurgitation are helpful, using the rate of decline in regurgitant gradient measured by the slope of diastolic flow velocity, or using the degree of reversal in pulse wave velocity in the descending aorta PMID- 17763665 TI - [Assessment of coronary heart diseases by echocardiography]. AB - Echocardiography plays an important role in deciding the operative indication in patients with coronary artery diseases. On deciding the indication of coronary artery bypass graft, dobutamine stress echocardiography provides accurate information on presence or absence of myocardial ischemia and of myocardial viability in each coronary artery territory. Assessment of the coronary blood flow velocity using high-frequency Doppler enables us to examine the presence of coronary stenosis and the patency of bypass graft. Left ventricular remodeling is a cause of progressive heart failure after myocardial infarction, and echocardiography allows us to measure the left ventricular volume and ejection fraction. Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography has made this measurement process accurate and easy. Dyssynchrony is another mechanism that worsens ventricular contractile performance, and several echocardiographic indexes were proposed to diagnose it. Cardiac resynchronization therapy, if it is performed with cardiac surgery, can correct the dyssynchrony and enhance the functional improvement. Severity of diastolic dysfunction can predict the prognosis of patients with coronary artery diseases, and we can assess it from the mitral flow velocity pattern; normal, abnormal, pseudonormal and restrictive. Thus, echocariography provides a potential method to evaluate myocardial viability, myocardial ischemia, and pathophysiology of heart failure. PMID- 17763666 TI - [Echocardiography for aortic diseases]. AB - In proportion to the increase of the population at risk and to the expanding operative indication owing to improvement of operative outcome, the number of aortic surgeries has been steadily increasing. As multiple choices of treatment have been available, the demand level for diagnostic imaging technique is getting higher. Among several diagnostic imaging modalities for aortic diseases, echocardiography is essential as a real-time imaging device which can be performed easily at bed-side, non-invasively and repetitively. First, transcutaneous echocardiography covers the heart, the aortic root, the ascending aorta and the upper abdomen. Second, transesophageal echocardiography is good at close observation of the heart, the aortic root and the descending aorta. Third, intraoperative direct scan visualizes the whole area of the aorta exposed in the operation. Adequate combination of these 3 is quite useful for making diagnosis, understanding hemodynamics and building operative strategy for aortic diseases, especially acute aortic dissection. Cervical echocardiography and intra-vascular echocardiography play a supportive role. The amount of information obtained from echocardiography depends on the examiner's knowledge and ability. A cardiothoracic surgeon should, therefore, be proficient enough to work out as much data as one wants from this modality. PMID- 17763667 TI - [New diagnostic methods and modalities for congenital heart disease]. AB - Ultrasound imaging of cardiovascular structures has progressed rapidly from standard surface techniques to real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography and intracardiac echocardiography. Especially, 3-dimensional echocardiography is having a significant impact on the evaluation of congenital heart diseases (CHD). However, the present system of prenatal screening for CHD in Japan is not as efficient as it is in some Western countries. For this reason, the number of patient referrals for fetal echocardiography and the fetal diagnosis of CHD increased year after year. Gestational age at referral and at the diagnosis of CHD has increased rapidly in recent years. To improve the patient's prognosis, we should form more simple prenatal primary screening programs for CHD. In addition, we require the progression of the diagnostic modalities and familiarize these new diagnostic methods and modalities. PMID- 17763668 TI - [Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography]. AB - Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an essential tool for all the cardiovascular surgeries. It has many roles intraoperatively including confirmation of preoperative diagnosis, guiding cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass, monitoring myocardial contractility as well as loading conditions, helping the surgeon to evacuate residual intracardiac air after cardiotomy, and ensuring successful surgical results after coming off from cardiopulmonary bypass. Since TEE probe is placed very close to the left atrium, much more detailed images of the heart can be obtained by TEE than by transthoracic echocardiography. To fully utilize TEE, you need to be familiar with ultrasonography physics, common artifacts, and basic images. When performing TEE examination in anesthetized patients, you should be extremely careful to avoid TEE-related complications such as esophageal perforation, endotracheal tube displacement, and hemodynamic/ventilatory disturbance. It requires a lot of expertise to be able to make full use of TEE. The amount and quality of information which can be obtained from TEE are heavily operator-dependent. Therefore, continuous efforts to improve the skill and quality assurance are mandatory. An annual qualifying exam for TEE is available from the Japanese Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesia. PMID- 17763669 TI - [Electrophysiologic study in arrhythmia surgery]. AB - The traditional paradigm in surgery for cardiac arrhythmias has been the electrophysiological assessment of the arrhythmia followed by the determination of a specific lesion set for the ablation or a definitive procedure based on the results of the analysis in each patient. The maze procedure was developed as a definitive procedure for atrial fibrillation (AF) and was not guided by electrophysiologic findings in individual patients. The rationale behind the maze procedure is to create a line of conduction block to prevent the propagation of repetitive activations from the pulmonary veins toward the left atrium and to block the reentrant activations occurring on the atrial wall. The cut-and-sew technique is the most reliable method to accomplish conduction block. However, it extends the cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary times and increases the risk of bleeding. During the past decade, a number of ablation devices have been developed and tested in animals and humans for their ability to create complete conduction block. The use of ablation devices enables less invasive AF surgery. However, the non-transmural or non-contiguous necrosis caused by an incomplete ablation can permit conduction across the ablation line and impair the efficacy of the surgery. Intraoperative verification of conduction block is mandatory to assure the transmurality and contiguity of the lesions created by the ablation devices. PMID- 17763670 TI - [Diagnosis of rejection after heart transplantation]. AB - By the development of immunosuppressants since the clinical use of cyclosporine in 1980s, the combination of various immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine or tacrolimus, azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil, and steroid has been tried for the prevention of rejection. Acute rejection, however, has been still the second highest cause of death in the early stage post-tansplantation. Endomyocardial biopsy provides the diagnosis of acute cellular rejection, and its classification was recently revised; 0 (no rejection), 1R (mild rejection), 2R (moderate rejection), and 3R (severe rejection). Echocardiography has also provided helpful information not only for detecting acute rejection but also judgment of the recovery from it especially in pediatric patients. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy, that is, chronic rejection has been a main cause of death in the late stage post-tansplantation. As this involves entire coronary arteries from epicardial to distal portion in the myocardium, the diagnosis only by coronary angiogram is not sufficient, and the measurement of coronary flow reserve and/or intravascular ultrasound provide diagnostic information. m-TOR inhibitors such as sirolimus or everolimus are being used with increasing frequency following heart transplantation due to their potent immunosuppressive and antiproliferative effects. In clinical trials in de novo and maintenance heart transplant recipients, m-TOR inhibitors are associated with a reduced incidence of cardiac allograft vasculopathy when compared with alternative immunosuppressive regimens. PMID- 17763671 TI - [Clinical utility of thoracoscopy under local anesthesia]. AB - Thoracoscopy has been recently established as an indispensable technique for diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases. Although, thoracoscopy is usually applied under general anesthesia by a surgeon, it can also be applied by a chest physician under local anesthesia if the target is limited to pleural diseases. The main objective of medical thoracoscopy under local anesthesia is to establish a diagnosis of pleural effusions by means of observation and biopsy in the thoracic cavity. Our main target diseases are the pleuritis carcinomatosa, malignant mesothelioma and tuberculous pleuritis. These 3 diseases are the diseases with which medical thoracoscopy is most useful because they can be reliably diagnosed by biopsies and because early diagnosis and early treatment are essential. In case of the pneumothorax, treatment with bulla looping or cauterization may be possible, but we do not treat pneumothorax with medical thoracoscopy because it is impossible to approach and find air leaks of lesions located in or near blind spots such as the apex or mediastinal part In case of acute emphysema, it is important to release adhesions and perform effective drainage using thoracoscopy as soon as possible since deposition of fibrin tends to form quickly compartments that make drainage difficult. Scince medical thoracoscopy under local anesthesia is rapid, easy, safe, and well-tolerated procedure with an excellent diagnostic yield, it is recommended as a diagnostic procedure for cases with pleural diseases. PMID- 17763672 TI - [Combined video-assisted mediastinoscopy and video-assisted thoracoscopy in the staging of lung cancer]. AB - The application of combined video-mediastinoscopy and video-thoracoscopy in the staging of lung cancer has remained infrequent, despite preliminary demonstration of its technical feasibility. Cytopathological diagnoses should be carried out as well as possible in order to achieve the accurate diagnosis. Especially in a group of patients, 1- with lesions in both the mediasinum and a hemi thorax, 2 - with lung cancer which has high provability of up staging if using this combined technique before surgery and 3 - who underwent induction therapy. For this purpose, this technique is one of the most unfailing methods. This article reviews the rationales and the techniques of this method. PMID- 17763673 TI - [Autofluorescence bronchoscopy]. AB - Due to advances in interventional bronchoscopy, curative treatment has become possible for central type lung cancer if it is detected in the early stage. However, expertise is required to diagnose the intraepithelial lesions by conventional white light bronchoscopy alone, but judgement is still subjective. The combination of white light and autofluorescence bronchoscopy has been reported to show better sensitivity in detecting dysplasia and cancer of the bronchus than white light alone. Thus, abnormal sputum cytology findings are good indications for this examination. Autofluorescence bronchoscopy also can capture the extent of tumor precisely, therefore it is helpful to decide the bronchial resection line preoperatively or the area to treat before endoscopic therapy. However, discrimination between cancerous/precancerous lesions and inflammation is sometimes difficult by endoscopic images alone, and histological diagnosis is still the gold standard. Recently, videoendoscopy-based autofluorescence systems have been created and used clinically. These systems had significantly higher sensitivity for intraepithelial lesions as well as higher specificity than white light videoendoscopy alone. PMID- 17763674 TI - [Endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) for the evaluation of the mediastinum]. AB - Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a promising new modality first introduced in the early 1990s. The radial probe EBUS was initially developed seeking for high resolution imaging of processes within the airway wall and also outside the airways. The radial probe EBUS guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) has increased the yield of TBNA of mediastinal lymph nodes. However it was still not a real-time procedure with target visualization. To overcome these problems, a new convex probe EBUS (CP-EBUS) with ability to perform real-time EBUS guided TBNA (EBUS-TBNA) was developed in 2002. EBUS-TBNA can be used for 1 - lymph node staging in lung cancer patients, 2 - diagnosis of intrapulmonary tumors, 3 - diagnosis of unknown hilar and/or mediastinal lymphadenopathy, and 4 - diagnosis of mediastinal tumors. A total of 800 procedures have been performed at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Chiba University, using the CP-EBUS. The procedure is safe with minimal complications. It is especially useful for lymph node staging of lung cancer patients with a high diagnostic yield. EBUS-TBNA can also be used for the diagnosis of mediastinal tumors or mediastinal lymphadenopathy which may be very difficult to diagnose by other minimal-invasive modalities. EBUS-TBNA is a novel approach that is safe and has a good diagnostic yield. PMID- 17763675 TI - [Endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) for evaluation of the depth of invasion of central type early lung cancer]. AB - It may be essential for taking appropriate therapeutic decisions in cases with early central-type lung cancer, to know the depth of tumor invasion of the bronchial wall at the laminar level. When a tumor penetrates the cartilaginous layer, photodynamic therapy (PDT) may no longer effective. For optimal therapeutic outcome, the physicians should know accurately whether or not the lesion has invaded the cartilaginous layer. Endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) is the sole tool available currently for depicting the laminar structure of the bronchial wall in clinical use. But mastery is required for judging the extent of tumor invasion of the bronchial wall from the ultrasonogram. Even experienced interpreters have to depend on their subjective judgment. We employed image analysis software to digitize the EBUS image. This allowed us to draw a plot of the EBUS data from the bronchial wall and perform statistical analysis for an objective assessment. In this study, we examined the ultrasound images of the bronchial wall structure using 20 MHz and 30 MHz transducers. The results showed that the 30 MHz transducer was significantly more useful for delineating the bronchial wall layers than the 20 MHz probe. Our image analysis is an objective evaluation, and any examiner should arrive at the same results. PMID- 17763676 TI - [Endobronchial ultrasonography for diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions]. AB - Endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) with a radial scanning probe provides cross sectional images of peripheral pulmonary lesions. We devised a technique of EBUS for the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions. EBUS using a thick guide sheath (GS) [2.5 mm in diameter] covering a miniature probe, and 150 lesions were evaluated in a prospective open study. In the procedure of EBUS-GS, the probe covered by a GS is introduced into the lesion via the working channel of a bronchoscope. The probe is withdrawn, while the GS is left in situ. A brush or biopsy forceps is introduced through the GS into the lesion. EBUS visualized the image in 93% of the peripheral pulmonary lesions. One hundred sixteen (77%) of 150 EBUS-GS procedures were diagnostic. Cases in which the probe was located within the lesion, had a significantly higher diagnostic yield (105/121, 87%) than when the probe was located adjacent to it (8/19, 42%). Diagnostic yield from EBUS-GS in lesions < or = 10 mm (16/21, 76%), 10<, < or = 15 mm (19/25, 76%, p=0.99, chi2), 15<, < or = 20 mm (24/35, 69%, p=0.41, chi2), and 20<, < or = 30 mm (33/43, 77%, p=0.96, chi2) were similar, demonstrating the efficacy of EBUS-GS even in lesions < or = 20 mm in diameter. PMID- 17763677 TI - [Ultrathin bronchoscopy]. AB - To evaluate the clinical benefits of ultrathin bronchoscope in the pathological diagnosis of peripheral lung lesions, we routinely used a 2.8 mm outer diameter ultrathin for the peripheral lesions with fluoroscopic guidance. A retrospective analysis was performed on the pathological diagnoses, their accuracy, the optimal number of biopsy specimens. In the final diagnoses of 209 malignancies, 132 patients (63%) obtained their results at first examinations. The diagnostic rates were not different as to the size of the tumor of less than 2.0 cm or more. We have tried to obtain 10 biopsy specimens. The diagnostic rate was 46% at the first biopsy, and reached 90% cumulatively on the 6th attempt. In the final diagnoses of benign lesions 39% received pathological diagnosis at the first bronchoscopy. Pneumothorax was experienced in 6 patients (1.5%). All improved by observation only (4) or by tube drainage (2). In 2 patients, ultrathin scope penetrated visceral pleura. No major bleeding was observed. Ultrathin bronchoscopy is a safe and reliable method to obtain the pathological specimen in the diagnosis of peripheral lesions under fluoroscopic guidance. Pneumothorax was the only complication so far. Ultrathin bronchoscopy may be the procedure of choice for peripheral lesions. PMID- 17763678 TI - [Virtual bronchoscopy]. AB - Virtual bronchoscopy 3-dimensionally displays the bronchial lumen based on helical data. This method is non-invasive, but the image quality depends on the data collection conditions for original images, and the understanding of appropriate threshold setting and artifacts is important. In the central airway, virtual bronchoscopy is useful for the evaluation of airway stenosis, preoperative planning such as that of stent placement and postoperative evaluation, guidance during transbronchial needle biopsy, and educational purposes. For peripheral lesions, virtual bronchoscopic navigation in which virtual bronchoscopy is used as a navigator for the insertion of a bronchoscope was developed, facilitating examination in a short time. Due to technological advances such as multi-slice computed tomography (CT), virtual bronchoscopy can be readily performed, and its correct understanding for routine clinical application is important. PMID- 17763679 TI - [Quick cytological examinations in thoracic surgery]. AB - In departments of thoracic surgery, quick cytological examinations have been performed with various procedures and practices. The examinations are mainly bronchoscopical and computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsies, and used for intraoperative biopsies and pleural effusion cytology etc. To enhance the diagnostic accuracy and to reduce the burden patients must endure in bronchoscopy for evaluations of peripheral lung lesions, we have recently employed the quick cytological examination. In trans-bronchial lung biopsies (sampling) using bronchoscopy, we retrospectively analyzed and compared group A (without quick cytological examination; up to April 2005) with group B (with quick cytological examination; from May 2005) in diagnostic rates and in sampling numbers such as brushing, curet, washing and biopsy. In malignant lesions, the diagnostic rates of group A and group B were 61.9% (39 of 63 patients) and 88.5% (23 of 26 patients), respectively. The diagnostic rate was significantly greater in group B than in group A. There was little sampling numbers in group B compared with the sampling numbers in group A. Trans-bronchial lung biopsy with quick cytological examination by using bronchoscopy contributes to increasing diagnostic accuracy and as a result, reduces the burden patients must bear. For performance of quick cytological examinations, a clinician should have cooperation and exchange information with the department of clinical pathology. PMID- 17763680 TI - [Clinical significance of integrated PET/CT in the diagnosis of thoracic cancers]. AB - Integrated positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) [PET/CT] using F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) can visualize not only tumor viability but also anatomical structures of the tumor and surrounding normal tissues. In this article, usefulness and significances of FDG-PET/CT in the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancers were described. It is useful for differentiating benign from malignant pulmonary nodules and diagnostic accuracy for it by PET/CT was better than that by MDCT. It is also useful for pre-surgical staging of non-small cell lung cancers. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy by PET/CT were 77approximately 89%, 84 approximately 94%, 83 approximately 93%, respectively. While those by MDCT were 59 approximately 70%, 59 approximately 69%, and 60 approximately 69%, respectively. There are some limitations of PET/CT for cancer diagnosis. Because of limited spatial resolution (5 mm), the FDG uptake in small-sized pulmonary nodule was underestimated. FDG uptake in well differentiated adenocarcinoma is low because of low Glut-1 expression. These may cause false negative cases. FGD uptake in granulation tissues such as sarcoidosis, and in lesions with active inflammation are high so that results in false positive cases. In conclusion, FDG-PET/CT is very useful and indispensable for the management of lung cancers, although there are some limitations. PMID- 17763681 TI - [Simulation of thoracoscopic esophagectomy by three-dimensional computed tomography]. AB - The virtual operative field of thoracoscopic surgery for esophageal cancer was created by three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) imaging. Major vessels, bone, trachea, bronchi, lung, esophagus, lymph nodes and broncial arteries were constructed by a Zio M900 workstation from multidetector-row CT scanning data. The mediastinal lymph nodes and bilateral bronchial arteries were drawn by a free-hand tool. The static images and fry-through movies by a virtual endoscopy mode were useful for simulation of the endoscopic surgery, which is usually performed in very limited viewing. The location of lymph nodes and bronchial arteries in relation to the adjacent anatomical structures was realized by this virtual vision. The bronchial arteries should be preserved to avoid tracheobronchial ischemia, especially in case of salvage surgery after definitive chemoradiotherapy. The left bronchial arteries had many anatomical variations, so that 3D CT images were helpful to identify and to preserve the left bronchial arteries. In conclusion, the simulation of thoracoscopic esophagectomy by 3D CT is thought to contribute to safty and precise navigation for this kind of surgery. PMID- 17763682 TI - [Endoscopic diagnosis of tissue atypism (EA) in the pharyngeal and esophageal squamous epithelium; IPCL pattern classification and ECA classification]. AB - Standard magnifying endoscopy has around 100 fold magnifying power. Intra epithelial papillary capillary loop (IPCL) pattern is diagnosed with it. Narrow band imaging system (NBI) is extremely useful to recognize IPCL well as a brown spot. In IPCL type classification, type I mainly includes normal epithelium. Type Il corresponds to inflammatory change or non-neoplastic tissue and type Ill reflects border line lesions. Type IV strongly suggests carcinoma in situ. Type V 1 is definitely diagnosed as carcinoma in situ. Endocytoscopy has around 500 fold magnification, which enables observation of cell and nucleus. Endocytoscopic images are classified into 5 categories from normal epithelium to malignant tissue as endocytoscopic atypism classification (ECA classification). ECA IV and V are considered to be treated in clinical setting. PMID- 17763683 TI - [Sentinel node navigation for esophageal cancer]. AB - Recently we have established radio-guided method to detect sentinel nodes (SNs) in esophageal cancer. In esophageal cancer, SNs are multiple and widely spread from cervical to abdominal areas. In more than 80% of the cases, at least one SN is located in the 2nd or 3rd compartment of regional lymph nodes which have been considered to be "skip metastases". This characteristic distribution of SNs is attributed to the multi-directional lymphatic drainage routes from the esophagus. Clinical application of sentinel node navigation surgery will be expected to play a key role for individualized mutimodal therapy in patients with cT1N0 esophageal cancer. PMID- 17763684 TI - [Psychopathology on "as if" experience and statement]. AB - After an overview of the psychiatric literature on the psychopathology of "as if" or that is to say "Als ob Erlebnis", we made a study of one obsessive-compulsive patient from the view point of "as if". Through this approach, we identified a specific experience-field, namely the appearance, what seems to a person such and such. The psychopathology of "as if" could be linked closely to the appearance. Without the possibility of error, one cannot recognize the reality of being in the world and being accessible to anybody. In contrast to this, one escapes any errors with regard to the appearance because the appearance relates to nobody but the person to whom it appears. So, concerning the appearance that seems to a person such and such, he/she is subjectively certain and not to be corrected by others, just like a delusional patient. In daily life, we are often unaware that there are confusions between reality and appearance. The obsessive patient cannot permit themselves such customary confusions. The delusional patient cannot realize irrelevant confusions of reality and appearance in spite of encounters with other persons. To elucidate the delusion, we used a similar analytical way to that introduced by Spitzer. In spite of this, we arrived at a different consequence. We discussed such a discrepancy emerging and mentioned some problems associated with the delusion by investigating the uniqueness of the appearance. PMID- 17763685 TI - [Clinical features and treatment history of clarithromycin resistance in M. avium intracellulare complex pulmonary disease patients]. AB - Effective antimicrobial treatment of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) has not been established. Clarithromycin (CAM) is an extremely important drug in treatment regimens of MAC diseases. Except for monotherapy, the clinical features of CAM resistance are not clear. We investigated the clinical background of CAM resistance of pulmonary MAC disease patients. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of CAM to 283 strains of M. avium and 58 strains of M. intracellulare were determined by drug susceptibility test using BrothMIC NTM. All 243 M. avium isolates from untreated patients except one isolate were susceptible to CAM. We also examined CAM susceptibility of 40 pulmonary disease patients who received chemotherapy including CAM during a period of over 6 months. Seventeen patients (43%) were resistant to CAM. All (17/17) resistant patients were treated with CAM monotherapy. However 8 of the 23 (35%) susceptible patients were also treated with monotherapy. Many resistant patients were treated with high dose CAM monotherapy and were classified as the non-nodular bronchiectasis type. However 7 of 8 susceptible patients despite long-term monotherapy were the nodular bronchiectasis type. High dose CAM monotherapy and non-nodular bronchiectasis subtype were considered to be risk factors for CAM resistance. PMID- 17763686 TI - [The efficacy of low-dose helical CT screening as an option for health examination]. AB - We retrospectively evaluated the results of low-dose helical CT screening as an option for health examinations. From November 2002 to October 2005, CT screening was performed in 2,306 individuals (men 1,766, women 540, mean age 56.1 years). Among them, 71 individuals (3.1%) were diagnosed as having active thoracic diseases consisting of 14 neoplasms and 57 non-neoplastic diseases. Of 14 patients with neoplastic lesions, 13 had lung cancer, 1 of whom had double primary lung cancer, and 1 had atypical adenomatous hyperplasia. The mean diameter of the 14 lung cancers was 14.4 mm. The histology of these lesions was adenocarcinoma in 13 and squamous cell carcinoma in 1. The pathological stage was IA in 12 patients and IIA in 1. All patients underwent surgical resection. On the other hand, emphysema was diagnosed in 40 asymptomatic individuals based on CT and spirometry, and smoking cessation was strongly implemented for those who were current smokers. CT screening is useful for detecting not only early lung cancer but also non-neoplastic lung diseases. PMID- 17763687 TI - [Resected pulmonary sarcoidosis after corticosteroid treatment still showing pathological granulomatous inflammation]. AB - It is not well understood what kind of histologic resolution is obtained with corticosteroid medication in sarcoidosis, or how we are able to judge cure in that disease. We examined the cases of sarcoidosis who were under steroid medication and received lobectomy and lymphadenectomy for combined lung cancer. Steroid treatment had been introduced for the relief of visual disturbance, not for the pulmonary lesion. Administration of corticosteroid improves clinical, laboratory, bronchoalveolar lavage and radiological findings, but it is difficult to make histological granulomatous inflammation completely disappear. Improvement of radiological and clinical problems in sarcoidosis is not the same as complete cure in patients with steroid-treated sarcoidosis. PMID- 17763688 TI - [A case of multiple systemic atrophy (MSA) analyzed by acoustic sound for nocturnal inspiratory stridor]. AB - A 70-year old woman was admitted because of sleep maintenance insomnia with severe respiratory sounds during sleep. Polysomnography (PSG) revealed frequent respiratory events, particularly hypopneas, throughout the night associated with severe oxygen desaturation, and inspiratory stridor, which was shown to have a high-pitched frequency by acoustic sound analysis. She also presented fine finger tremor due to parkisonism, increased bilateral tendon responses, cerebellar ataxic gait, and dysautonomia. Therefore, we concluded that she suffered from multiple systemic atrophy (MSA). Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) treatment was successful. Characteristic PSG findings and analysing the snoring sound are important in the early diagnosis of sleep-related disordered breathing in MSA. PMID- 17763689 TI - [A possible case of drug-induced pneumonia due to L-carbocisteine]. AB - A 70-year-old man presented with a deteriorating fever and productive cough after the administration of drugs including L-carbocisteine against the common cold. Since chest radiograph revealed pulmonary infiltrates in the right lower lung field, he was admitted to our hospital, then L-carbocisteine was continued and antibiotics started. However, his symptoms, laboratory findings, and hypoxia worsened. Pulmonary infiltrates on his chest radiograph increased and chest CT demonstrated pulmonary consolidation with traction bronchiectasis and ground glass opacity with thickened of interlobular septae in the right lung field. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed elevated numbers of total cells, neutrophils and eosinophils, and the CD4/CD8 ratio was 5.65. Under a suspected diagnosis of drug-induced pneumonia, we halted L-carbocisteine administration stopped and began corticosteroid therapy. Subsequently his symptoms and findings markedly improved. The drug lymphocyte stimulation test for L-carbocisteine using peripheral blood lymphocytes showed positive results. On the basis of the clinical course, laboratory and radiographic findings, we considered this case to possibly be drug-induced pneumonia due to L-carbocisteine. To our knowledge, this is possibly the first case of L-carbocisteine-induced pneumonia to be reported. PMID- 17763690 TI - [A case of interstitial pneumonia preceding microscopic polyangiitis]. AB - We encountered a case of interstitial pneumonia preceding microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). A 64-year-old asymptomatic woman was found to have interstitial pneumonia on a chest radiograph taken during a work-up before an operation for cataract. Six months later she presented with non-productive cough, low grade fever and renal dysfunction. Interstitial pneumonia worsened with new lesions. The test for MPO-ANCA was positive, though it had been negative six months previously. The histopathology of the lung by video-assisted lung biopsy showed the usual interstitial pneumonitis pattern and small vessel pulmonary vasculitis. Renal biopsy showed necrotizing glomerulonephritis. She was given a diagnosis of MPA and was immediately treated with methylprednisolone pulse therapy and a combination of prednisolone and cyclophosphamide. She has remained stable for two years. This positive inversion of MPO-ANCA, while interstitial pneumonia advanced, was of interest concerning the etiology of MPA. We discuss the important topic of the mechanism of the development of MPA. PMID- 17763691 TI - [A case of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia showing reversed halo sign on computed tomography of the chest]. AB - A 56-year-old female non-smoker complained of general fatigue and pyrexia. Laboratory examination revealed elevation of white blood cells (WBC) 10200/microl and C-reactive protein (CRP) 13.3mg/dl. Chest radiograph showed bilateral patchy and ring-shaped consolidations in both lungs. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple round ground glass opacities fringed with consolidation, namely the "reversed halo sign". Transbronchial lung biopsy specimens showed polypoid granulation tissue in terminal air spaces, consistent with an organizing pneumonia pattern. Clinical findings suggesting collagen vascular diseases and drug induced lung diseases were not recognized, thus cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) was diagnosed. High dose methylprednisolone therapy improved her condition, and the ring-shaped opacities on chest CT resolved. She relapsed twice during approximately five years after the disease onset. Chest CT at the recurrences revealed subpleural patchy consolidations without formation of the "reversed halo sign". The sign was originally supposed to be specific for cryptogenic organizing pneumonia. However, other diseases like sarcoidosis and paracoccidioidomycosis have been reported to show this sign. The meaning of the "reversed halo sign" should be examined based on the accumulation of more cases. PMID- 17763692 TI - [A case of pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to lung abscess]. AB - A 53-year-old man visited his family doctor complaining of chest pain and cough in January 2006. He had a 5-year history of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. His illness was diagnosed as pneumonia of the left lingular division. Antibiotics were started but his pneumonia worsened repeatedly after insufficient antibiotics due to his poor compliance with medication. In addition to pneumonia, he began to have hemoptysis at the end of May and was admitted to our hospital. Contrast enhanced CT scan on admission showed a lung abscess on the left lingular division and formation of a pulmonary pseudoaneurysm inside the abscess. Treatment with SBT/ABPC rapidly improved his condition but massive hemoptysis recurred 9 days after admission. Embolization of the bronchial artery and pulmonary pseudoaneurysm successfully controlled airway bleeding. When hemoptysis occurs due to sustained inflammation such as a lung abscess, bleeding from the pulmonary artery should be considered and a precise evaluation including contrast-enhanced CT and pulmonary angiography made. PMID- 17763693 TI - [Two cases of lung abscesses successfully treated with percutaneous drainage]. AB - We report two cases of lung abscesses treated with percutaneous drainage. A 69-year-old man with diabetes mellitus was admitted to our hospital because of fever. Chest radiograph and chest CT scan demonstrated a lung abscess adjacent to the chest wall in right S10. Antibiotics did not achieve an adequate response. A drainage catheter was inserted percutaneously. We washed the abscess cavity daily using 1% povidone iodine saline. There was a clear improvement on the chest radiograph. A 74-year-old man with cerebral infarct was admitted to our hospital because of persistent cough and fever. Chest radiograph and chest CT scan demonstrated a lung abscess adjacent to the chest wall in left S10. Antibiotics did not achieve an adequate response. A drainage catheter was inserted percutaneously. We washed the abscess cavity daily using 1% povidone iodine saline. There was a clear improvement on the chest radiograph. We think that percutaneous drainage is a very useful method to treat lung abscesses in which antibiotics do not achieve an adequate response. PMID- 17763694 TI - [A fatal case of pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis with reactive AA amyloidosis]. AB - We report a very rare fatal case of reactive AA amyloidosis following pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis (PNTM). A 61-year-old woman with a history of PNTM since 1992, whose treatment was difficult because of liver dysfunction and drug eruption caused by antibiotics, had been hospitalized due to recurrent pulmonary bacterial infection. She complained of leg edema in January, 2000, and nephrotic syndrome was diagnosed in February. After diarrhea and abdominal pain appeared in March, she was admitted to our hospital with worsening edema, and dizziness on April 28. Despite treatment, she died on May 5, 2000. Autopsy revealed PNTM and diffuse systemic depositions of amyloid A protein in heart, kidney and gastrointestinal tract. PNTM, often resistance to antibacterial agents, is increasing recently. This case suggests that it is necessary to take care of amyloidosis when various systemic symptoms are observed in chronic inflammatory disease. PMID- 17763695 TI - [A case of pulmonary nocardiosis cured by early sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim therapy]. AB - A 46-year-old man had been given 40mg prednisolone daily for systemic lupus erythematosus. He complained of fever and general fatigue and chest computed tomography revealed wide-spread consolidation with multiple cavity formation in his left lung. Pulmonary nocardiosis was clinically suspected because we detected nocardia from Gram staining of sputum. He was cured by sulfamethoxazole trimethoprim, Imipenem/Cilastatin, although a cavity with a slightly thickened wall in the left lung remained. Nocardia asteroides was cultured from sputum and pulmonary nocardiosis was diagnosed. The present case was pulmonary nocardiosis that spread with multiple and extensive cavity formation. A good outcome was obtained by early treatment with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. PMID- 17763696 TI - [A case of prostatic adenocarcinoma clinically presenting as supraclavicular and mediastinal lymphadenopathy]. AB - We report a 70-year-old man with prostatic carcinoma presenting as supraclaviculer and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. He had no urinary tract symptoms, and computed tomography and FDG-PET showed no abnormality in the prostate or pelvic lymph nodes. Metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma was finally diagnosed from the results of immunohistochemical staining for PSA of a biopsy specimen of the mediastinal lymph node, and he was treated by hormonal therapy. There are fears that some other similar cases might be treated with chemotherapy as lung cancer without immunohistochemical staining. Prostatic carcinoma should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of elderly men with supraclaviculer or mediastinal lymph node metastases, since appropriate treatment will lead to a prolonged survival. PMID- 17763697 TI - [Biological role of actinin-4 for cancer invasion and metastasis]. PMID- 17763699 TI - [Secreted membrane vesicles: components and biological functions]. PMID- 17763700 TI - [Aberrant glycosylation of IgA and IgA nephropathy]. PMID- 17763698 TI - [2-Arachidonoylglycerol: an endogenous cannabinoid receptor ligand]. PMID- 17763701 TI - [Molecular pathogenesis and therapeutic targets of lysosomal diseases]. PMID- 17763702 TI - [Structural and functional analysis of the antitumor enzyme L-methionine gamma lyase]. PMID- 17763703 TI - [Citrullination, a novel post-translational modification of histone]. PMID- 17763704 TI - [Histone methylation and demethylation--focusing on demethylation--]. PMID- 17763705 TI - [Enigma of firefly glowing]. PMID- 17763706 TI - Influence of an educational videotape on attitudes toward participating in cohort studies--results of a randomized controlled trial. AB - OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to examine whether an educational videotape might change peoples' attitudes toward participating in future cohort studies by a prospective randomized controlled trial. METHODS: The participants were recruited from the residents of Kamogawa-city (139 at a health promotion festival, 54 from a nursery care study class, 53 from an elderly class, and 9 individuals who had not attended a health checkup for more than 10 years). All participants were randomized into a control group and an intervention group, and were asked to fill out a questionnaire designed to evaluate attitudes toward participating in future cohort studies. Those in the intervention group, however, were also asked to watch a videotape, produced by the authors to explain the objectives, significance, and security policies of a cohort study planned to be conducted in the same city, before completing the questionnaire. RESULTS: In the intervention group, 44% (54/123) showed a positive attitude to future participation, while the figure was only 25% (31/122) in the control group (Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel chi2: P=0.0025). CONCLUSION: The videotape proved to be a useful tool for informing the general public about the nature of cohort studies and to increasing probable participation. PMID- 17763707 TI - Correlates of loneliness among older Newar adults in Nepal. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify significant factors for loneliness in older adults METHODS: The subjects (N = 195) were members of the Newar caste/ethnicity, aged 60 years and above (mean(+/- SD) 68.81 (+/- 7.69) years and 52% male) and living in Katmandu City. Data were collected by face-to face interview using a three-item loneliness scale, developed based on the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale and prepared with a translation and back translation technique from English into Nepalese. The data were analyzed using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: More than two-thirds of Newar elderly experience some type of loneliness. A statistically significant correlation was found between feelings of loneliness and age, sex, household status, total family size, network size, social participation, self-reported health, chronic health problems, working status, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and perceived economic satisfaction. Results of logistic regression analyses showed age, network size, and perceived economic satisfaction to be significant factors for loneliness. CONCLUSION: Loneliness is an important public health issue, predicting low quality of life among older adults. The present results indicate many elderly Nepalese experience some form of loneliness, with age, network size and perceived economic satisfaction as significant factors. However, this result may not be generalized to the greater population of Nepalese older adults and the external validity of the UCLA Loneliness Scale is an important criterion to examine in future research. PMID- 17763708 TI - [Utility of QuantiFERON TB-2G for tuberculosis contact investigations in public health services]. AB - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to examine the utility of QuantiFERON TB-2G (QFT) in tuberculosis contact investigations performed by a public health center. METHODS: Adachi City Public Health Center, Tokyo, started using QFT in its laboratory service in June, 2005. The results of QFT, as well as tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) performed in tuberculosis contact investigations in the 10 month period since then were here analyzed. QFT was carried out for 67 contacts two months after their last contact with the index case. TST was given simultaneously. RESULTS: Of the total of 67 contacts investigated during the period, 9 were positive for QFT, 5 were doubtful positive, and the remaining 53 were negative. Among 48 subjects tested with TST, 22 had strong reactions with erythema > or = 30 mm, out of which 4 were positive for QFT. In addition, there were 5 QFT-positives among the remaining 26 with weak tuberculin reactions. These 9 subjects with positive QFT were indicated for chemoprophylaxis. CONCLUSIONS: Adachi City Public Health Center is pioneering the application of new technology for detection of latent tuberculosis infection in contact investigations of the inhabitants. As expected from trial findings, QFT was shown to be a useful tool in a practical setting for the purpose of detecting TB infection, with greater accuracy than with TST, independent of the history of BCG vaccination. This approach can help avoid both over-diagnosis and under-diagnosis. PMID- 17763709 TI - [Sleep of 4-month-old infants: bedtime, night waking and sleep problems]. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recently, Japanese infant's bedtime has become late and it is reported that this might have a bad influence on infant's growth. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the actual situation and interrelationships between night waking and other sleep problems in Japanese 4 month -old infant. METHODS: The subjects were 194 mothers and infants who participated in health checkups at four months after delivery in Fukuoka City. The questionnaire consisted of 3 components: 1) infant's and mother's sleep practices and sleep problems; 2) coping behavior for infant's sleep; 3) perceptions of child-care and maternal health. Their responses were linked to health checkup's results. The subjects were divided into two groups; Waking Group (n = 111) who was wakening one or more times from 0-6 a.m. and Sleeping Group (n = 83) who was sleeping throughout the night. The proportion of Waking Group was constituted 57.2% in all infants. Infant's growth, sleep, and sleep problems were compared between two groups. RESULTS: The mean infant's bedtime was 10:28 p.m., and the proportion of infants reported to go to bed at 10 p.m. or later was 69.4%. The proportion of infants with irregular bedtimes was 16.5%. Twenty-eight point six percent of infants had sleep problems like difficulty settling, severe night waking and were suspected to be high risk of sleep disorders. Infants in the Waking Group were found to have more numbers of sleep problems than in the Sleeping Group. The proportion with difficulty settling was higher in the Waking Group. Additionally, the proportion with irregular bedtimes was higher in the Waking Group. However, infant's height and weight did not significantly differ between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Late bedtime and high proportion of night waking in 4-month-old infants were found to be characteristic in Fukuoka city. There is a possibility that night waking reflects delayed development of circadian rhythms. PMID- 17763710 TI - [Quality evaluation of economic studies for medical safety management]. AB - BACKGROUND: In recent years, medical safety has become a great concern to Japanese citizens. Many healthcare programs have been introduced in consequence, and beneficial effects have been repeatedly confirmed. However, hospitals need to make considerable investments for such programs and it is often difficult for healthcare administrators to judge which program should be given priority under budgetary constraints. PURPOSES: The purposes of this study were to review original articles on economic evaluation of medical safety management, to evaluate their quality levels, and to offer information for judgment by decision makers. METHODS: Using criteria including full economic evaluation we searched for original articles in the following electronic databases: MEDLINE; the Cochrane Library; the NHS Economic Evaluation Database 2005; and the Ichushi website. Then, we evaluated the quality of the economic studies found using the check list established by Drummond and others (1997). RESULTS: Five papers met the inclusion criteria. Three covered infection control, one adverse drug events and one blood transfusions. CONCLUSION: Economic evaluation of medical safety management has not been fully demonstrated. Cost-effectiveness of medical safety management has not been fully elucidated. It is necessary to perform economic studies of medical safety management, evaluate quality, and provide information useful for medical decision making. PMID- 17763711 TI - [Mental health status and related factors among first generation Japanese returnees from China and Chinese spouses living in Japan for ten years or more]. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine mental health status and related factors among 1st generation Japanese returnees from China and Chinese spouses living in Japan for ten years or more. METHODS: The subjects were 99 individuals (mean age= 63.9 years), all 1st generation Japanese returnees and their Chinese spouses, living in the Kanto region of Japan. The subjects completed a questionnaire survey, which included items regarding demographics, state of social activity in Japan, self-care behavior, the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG) Index of Competence and physical health. The questionnaire survey also incorporated the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ12). The results of the survey were first analyzed by T- and chi2-tests. Logistic regression analysis was then performed in order to identify factors related to the GHQ12. RESULTS: The participants scored high scores on the GHQ12, with 72.7% showing a potential for mental health problems (GHQ12 more than 3). Major complaints were "cannot do useful things" 74.7%, "don't feel happy" 72.7%, "feeling under psychological strain" 59.6%, "unable to make decisions" 57.6%, "feeling depressed" 56.6%, "feeling worried and cannot sleep" 55.5%. The results of the logistic regression analysis revealed that those with potential mental health problems had a higher language barrier (OR: 5.48, 95%CI: 1.52-19.82), fewer providers of health care information (OR: 5.25, 95%CI: 1.32-20.95), fewer voluntary conversations with young people (OR: 3.51, 95%CI: 1.05-11.74), and lower self-rated health (OR: 15.49, 95%CI: 4.11-58.48). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, Japanese returnees and their Chinese spouses were found to have mental health problems, significantly associated with a high language barrier, limited information on health care, few conversations with young people, and low self rated health. Our findings suggest that this population requires immediate assistance to improve their mental health. Furthermore, comprehensive and culturally sensitive health care programs are necessary. PMID- 17763712 TI - [Photosynthetic characteristics of dominant plant species at different succession stages of vegetation on Loess Plateau]. AB - According to the succession sequence of vegetation on Ziwuling of Loess Plateau, the dominant species at different secondary succession stages, i. e., Bothriochloa ischaemum, Artemisia gmelinii, Hippophae rhamnoides, Sophara viciifolia, Populus davidiana and Quercus liaotungensis, were selected to measure the total N contents in their leaves and soil, and the parameters of leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence. The results showed that with the succession of vegetation, the total N content in 0-20 cm soil layer had an increasing trend, while the leaf total N and chlorophyll contents were increased first but decreased then. The leaf total N content of dominant species at shrub community stage (H. rhamnoides and S. viciifolia) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that at other succession stages, and the photosynthetic rate (P(n)) was higher at the stages of herbaceous and shrub communities than at the early and climax stages of forest community. Stomatal conductance (g(s)) and P(n) had the similar variation trends. The dominant species at the stages of herbaceous and shrub communities had a higher transpiration rate (T(r)), while those at the climax stage of forest community had the lowest one. With vegetation succession, the maximum photochemical efficiency (F(v)/F(m)) had a slow increase, while the actual photochemical efficiency of PS II (Phi(PSII)) was increased first but decreased then. Along the succession sequence, photochemical quenching coefficient (q(P)) presented an increasing trend, while non-photochemical quenching coefficient (q(NP)) showed a single-peaked curve. Therefore, the ecophysiological attributes and adaptation to microhabitats of early succession plant are different from the late succession plants. PMID- 17763713 TI - [Effects of canopy position and leaf age on photosynthesis and transpiration of Pinus koraiensis]. AB - The photosynthesis and transpiration of Pinus koraiensis needles at different canopy positions and of different leaf ages were measured in the field with a Li 6400 portable CO2/H2O infrared gas analyzer. The results showed that canopy position and leaf age had significant effects on the maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pmax), light saturation point (LSP), light compensation point (LCP), maximum apparent quantum efficiency (alpha), transpiration rate (T(r)), and specific leaf area (SLA), but no effects on water use efficiency (WUE). The Pmax decreased with the decrease of canopy position and the increase of leaf age, ranging in 6.55-9.05 micromol.m(-2).s(-1) on average. There were great variations in LSP and LCP among different canopy positions and leaf ages. The needles at middle canopy position had the greatest capacity of utilizing both weak and strong radiation. The T(r) decreased with canopy position decreasing, and varied from 1.37 to 1.59 mmol.m(-2).s(-1) across different leaf ages. There was a significant positive correlation between T(r) and photosynthetically active radiation (R2 = 0.967), and between WUE and net photosynthetic rate (R2 = 0.860). The SLA decreased with canopy position and leaf age increasing, ranging in 6.61 8.41 m2.kg(-1) and 6.65-8.38 m2.kg(-1), respectively. PMID- 17763714 TI - [Responses of mesophyllic conductance in leaves of 4 dominant subtropical forest tree species to moderate high temperature]. AB - By using CO2 exchange system and chlorophyll fluorescence method, the magnitude of mesophyllic conductance (g(m)), namely the CO2 transfer conductance from intercellular space to chloroplast, in the leaves of four dominant subtropical forest tree species under moderate high temperature (38 degrees C) was studied. The results revealed that sun or early-successional species Schima superba had a higher g(m) than mesophytic and shade-tolerant species, such as Castanopsis hystrix, C. fissa and Cryptocarya concinna, and the leaves under full direct light had a higher g(m) than those under shade. The average g(m) of the four test trees from 25 degrees C to 38 degrees C was 1.59 +/- 0.27, and the responses of g(m) to temperature were dependant on the tree species and their leaf type (sun or shade leaves). Because the diffusion of CO2 in water was only about 1.25, g(m) might be controlled by a protein-related process besides temperature. Moderate high temperature could increase the g(m) value, resulting in the increase of CO2 concentration and carboxylation rate in chloroplasts. Comparing with that of S. superba, the carboxylation rate of C. hystrix, C. fissa and C. concinna was significantly increased by moderate high temperature, regardless of under full direct light or shading, indicating that moderate high temperature would favor the succession of mid- and late-successional species. PMID- 17763715 TI - [Transpiration of Hedysarum scoparium in arid desert region of Shiyang River basin, Gansu Province]. AB - By using heat pulse technique, an investigation on the transpiration of Hedysarum scoparium was conducted in the arid desert region of Shiyang River basin, Gansu Province. The results indicated that with increasing inserted depth of probe, the sap flow velocity in H. scoparium xylem had a trend from high to low. In the taproot with smaller diameter, the average sap flow velocity at different positions was faster, and the change range was bigger. Among the taproots with different diameters, there existed a larger difference in the magnitude of sap flux, but the change trend was similar, i. e., smaller at nighttime and larger at daytime, and showing a multi-peak curve. A linear correlation was observed between the diurnal sap flux and the reference crop evapotranspiration, and the transpiration mainly occurred during the period from June to September, occupying 79.04% of the total annual transpiration. The diurnal sap flux of H. scoparium at its later growth period had significant correlation with the moisture content in 0-50 cm sand layer, but no correlations with that in other sand layers. The effects of main meteorological factors on the sap flux of H. scoparium were in the sequence of air temperature > vapor pressure difference > wind speed. PMID- 17763716 TI - [Effects of Cunninghamia lanceolata-broadleaved tree species mixed leaf litters on active soil organic matter]. AB - With incubation test, this paper studied the effects of Cunninghamia lanceolata leaf litter and its mixture with the litters of main broadleaved tree species in subtropical China, such as Alnus cremastogyne, Kalopanax septemlobus and Michelia macclurei on active soil organic matter. The results showed that adding leaf litters into soil could significantly increase soil microbial biomass C and N, respiration rate and dissolved organic C, and mixed leaf litters were more effective than C. lanceolata leaf litter in increasing soil dissolved organic C. By the end of the incubation, the increment of soil microbial biomass C and N, respiration rate, and dissolved organic C in treatments C. lanceolata leaf litter and C. lanceolata-broadleaved tree species mixed leaf litters was 49% and 63%, 35% and 75%, 65% and 100%, and 66% and 108%, respectively, compared with control. The addition of leaf litters had no significant effects on soil microbial quotient and microbial biomass C/N ratio. PMID- 17763717 TI - [Estimation of Shenyang urban forest green biomass]. AB - Based on ARC/GIS and by using the method of "planar biomass estimation", the green biomass (GB) of Shenyang urban forests was measured. The results demonstrated that the GB per unit area was the highest (3.86 m2.m(-2)) in landscape and relaxation forest, and the lowest (2.27 m2.m(-2)) in ecological and public welfare forest. The GB per unit area in urban forest distribution area was 2.99 m2.m(-2), and that of the whole Shenyang urban area was 0.25 m2.m(-2). The total GB of Shenyang urban forests was about 1.13 x 10(8) m2, among which, subordinated forest, ecological and public welfare forest, landscape and relaxation forest, road forest, and production and management forest accounted for 36.64% , 23.99% , 19.38% , 16.20% and 3.79%, with their GB being 4. 15 x 10(7), 2.72 x 10(7), 2.20 x 10(7), 1.84 x 10(7) and 0.43 x 10(7) m2, respectively. The precision of the method "planar biomass estimation" was 91.81% (alpha = 0.05) by credit test. PMID- 17763718 TI - [Characteristics of macropores in two forest soils on northern slope of Changbai Mountains]. AB - By using dye tracing and image analysis, the characteristics and distribution of macropores in brown coniferous forest soil and dark brown forest soil on northern slope of Changbai Mountains were studied, with the factors affecting the formation of the macropores discussed. The results showed that the vertical distribution pattern of soil macropores could be indirectly known by the variation of dyed area with soil depth. The dyed area of the two soils tended to decrease with increasing soil depth. In 24 hours, the macropore flow transferred 10-20 cm deeper in brown coniferous forest soil than in dark brown forest soil, and there were more macropore flow paths in brown coniferous forest soil. By unit area, brown coniferous forest soil had 6 paths, while dark brown forest soil only had 1 path. The existence of macropore flow could accelerate the infiltration speed by 2 or 3 times at least. Bio-factor was the key factor affecting the formation of macropores in the two kinds of forest soil. There were more macropores formed by soil animals, and the diameter was mostly between 2 and 4 mm. PMID- 17763719 TI - [The relationship between soil respiration and the temperature at different soil depths in subalpine coniferous forest of western Sichuan Province]. AB - By using closed chamber IRGA technique, a continuous measurement of soil respiration rate was conducted in the subalpine natural coniferous forest mainly composed of Abies faxoniana in the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with the temperature at different soil depths (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm) measured simultaneously. Base on the measurements, the quantitative relationships between soil respiration rate and the temperature at different soil depths were explored, and the results showed that the soil respiration rate in the forest had remarkable diurnal and seasonal changes, being the highest at 12:00-14:00 and in August, and the lowest at 8:00-10:00 and in November, which were accorded with the dynamics of soil temperature. Soil respiration rate had a significant exponential correlation with the temperature at different soil depths, and the highest correlation occurred at the soil depth of 15 cm (R2 =0.82, P <0.01). The Q10, value at soil depths of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm was 2. 36, 4.75, 4.90, 6.27 and 5.46, respectively, indicating that the Q10 value of soil respiration tended to be larger at high elevation with low temperature. PMID- 17763720 TI - [Responses of subalpine Betula albo-sinensis soil invertase activity to elevated atmospheric temperature and CO2 concentration in Western Sichuan]. AB - Taking the soil planted with subalpine Betula albo-sinensis seedlings in Western Sichuan as test object, this paper studied the responses of its invertase activity to elevated temperature (ET), elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration (EC), and their combination (ETC). The results indicated that ET increased the soil invertase activity to a certain extent, being significant in May, June, September and October. EC also had a significant positive effect on the enzyme activity from May to October (P < 0.05), which was higher in rhizosphere than in non-rhizosphere soil, and in those planted with high density B. albo-sinensis. The responses of soil invertase activity to ETC and shading differed with month, planting density of B. albo-sinensis, and distribution pattern of the enzyme. PMID- 17763721 TI - [Effects of Ca2+ on acid tolerance of Medicago sativa and Rhizobium meliloti]. AB - Soil acidity is an important environmental factor hampering the effective symbiotic nitrogen fixation of Rhizobium meliloti and its host plant Medicag sativa. The study on the effects of Ca2 + on the acid tolerance of M. sativa and R. meliloti showed that applying 5 and 10 mmol . L(-1) of Ca2+ could promote the growth of R. meliloti and advance its log growth phase. Under neutral pH condition, applying Ca2+ didn't have any significant effects on root hair deformation, while under low pH condition, Ca2+ demonstrated positive functions. The higher the Ca2+ concentration, the more significantly it affected, indicating that Ca2+ might play an important role in the recognition between R. meliloti and its host plant. Applying Ca2+ under low pH made the nodulation ahead of time and the nodulation rate enhanced. Definite concentration of Ca2+ could increase the number of nodules in the same period, which was more obvious at anaphase stage or under lower pH condition. PMID- 17763722 TI - [Responses of winter wheat growth to winter warming in Gansu Province]. AB - Based on the observation data of the air temperature at Tianshui and Xifeng in 1951-2005 and of the phenology of winter wheat at Tianshui and Xifeng in 1981 2003, the tendency of winter warming in past 50 years and the responses of winter wheat growth to climate warming in Gansu Province were analyzed. The results showed that the growth and development of winter wheat were seriously influenced by winter warming. In recent 20 years or more, the overwintering mortality of winter wheat dropped to <2% , overwintering days reduced by 7-8 days, whole growth period shorted by 8-10 days, and jointing-flowering period extended by 7 days, which would benefit the production of winter wheat and the utilization of climatic resource. However, the higher winter temperature and lesser precipitation also made the grain yield instable and the plant diseases and insect pests more frequent, resulting in more uncertain factors in winter wheat safe production. PMID- 17763723 TI - [Spatiotemporal distribution patterns of winter wheat and spring maize root systems under intercropping]. AB - In this paper, root samples of winter wheat and spring maize under intercropping were taken with large-bore soil auger, and the dynamics of their spatiotemporal distribution were studied. The results showed that both in vertical and in horizontal directions, the root mass of winter wheat decreased in power function, while that of spring maize decreased in exponent function. Multiple linear regression was made to establish the two-dimensional spatiotemporal distribution functions of intercropped winter wheat and spring maize root biomass, and the validation tests demonstrated that theses functions were available to describe the real growth status of test crops root systems. PMID- 17763724 TI - [Effects of planting date and density on population physiological indices of summer corn (Zea mays L.) in central Shaanxi irrigation area]. AB - By using D-saturation optimum design and the methods of crop population physiology, this paper studied the effects of planting date and density on the population physiological indices of summer maize Shandan 8806 and its yield in central Shaanxi irrigation area. The results showed that in the period from 13 June to 22 July, the delay of planting had negative effects on grain yield, dry matter accumulation (DMA), maximum leaf area index (LAImax), net assimilation rate (NAR), leaf area duration (LAD) and crop growth rate (CGR), with larger effects on LAD and CGR than on LAImax and NAR. Within the range of 45 000-65 918 plants . hm (-2), planting density had positive effects on grain yield, DMA, LAImax, LAD and CGR but negative effect on NAR, with larger effects on LAImax, LAD and CGR than on NAR. The effects of planting date were more significant than those of planting density, and thus, Shandan 8806 should be sowed as early as possible. The regressive model based on the population physiological indices indicated that for the high yield of summer maize Shandan 8806, the optimum planting date was from 10 to 20 June, and the optimum planting density was from 57 767 to 71 706 plants . hm(-2). PMID- 17763725 TI - [Biological characters of rice on P-deficient soils with different pH value]. AB - With pot culture, this paper studied the biological characters of four low-P tolerant rice genotypes 99011, 580, 508 and 99112 and two low-P sensitive rice genotypes 99012 and 99056 on three P-deficient soils with different pH. The results indicated that on test soils, 580, 508 and 99112 had similar low-P tolerant ability. 99011 had poor low-P tolerant ability on alkaline soil, with its relative grain yield being 11.9% and 10.4% less than that on acid and neutral soil, respectively. 99012 showed a relatively stronger low-P tolerant ability on alkaline soil, and its relative grain yield was 19.6% higher than that on acid soil and 22.2% higher than that on neutral soil. 99056 showed a stronger low-P tolerant ability on acid soil, and its relative grain yield was 25.0% and 19.6% higher than that on alkaline and neutral soil, respectively. The effects of soil P level and soil type on rice grain yield mainly manifestied on the number of available spike. The P concentration and its relative value in flag leaves of 99011, 580, 508 and 99112 were significantly higher than those of 99012 and 99056, which might be another factor resulting in the stronger low-P tolerant ability of 99011, 580, 508 and 99112 than 99012 and 99056. PMID- 17763726 TI - [Effects of shading on photosynthetic characteristics of different genotype maize]. AB - A pot experiment with 4 genotype maize varieties showed that light intensity had strong effects on their leaf light saturation point, diurnal variation of net photosynthetic rate (Pn), estimated electron transport rate (ETR), maximal photochemical efficiency of PS II (Fv/Fm), and actual photochemical efficiency of PSII (Phi(PS II)). Under shading, the light saturation point of test varieties decreased. For example, shading at seedling stage made the varieties Yuyu 2 and Danyu 13 get to light-saturated when the photon flux density (PFD) was 1400 micromol.m(-2).s(-1) and 1100 micromol.m(-2).s(-1), respectively. Shading also decreased the Pn, ETR, Fv/Fm and Phi(PS II), but the responses differed with the varieties. The decrement of these parameters was remarkably lesser for Yuyu 2 and Yedan 22 than for Danyu 13 and Yedan 6. PMID- 17763727 TI - [Absorption and utilization of different applied nitrogen forms by winter jujube]. AB - With pot experiment, this paper studied the absorption and utilization of applied urea N, Gly N and Glu N by two years old winter jujube. The results showed that all of the three N forms could be absorbed by the winter jujube, but the absorption rate of Gly N and Glu N was less than that of urea N. Taking the absorption rate of urea N as 100%, the relative absorption rate of Gly N and Glu N by jujube leaves was 28.88% and 11.73%, respectively, and the absorbed N was mainly allocated to the leaves and neonatal branches. Jujube roots could absorb 50.48% of Gly N and 42.72% of Glu N. The transaminase activity and soluble protein content in jujube leaves were increased after the application of these three N forms, but the leaf nitrate reductase activity was enhanced significantly by urea N, decreased by Gly N, and less affected by Glu N. Compared with urea N, amino acid N could significantly increase the number of colored fruits and their colored area, as well as the content of fruit soluble solid matter. PMID- 17763728 TI - [Effects of two microbial agents on high temperature composting of passion fruit marc]. AB - This paper studied the effects of microbial agents Faby (MF) and Rongfeng (MR) on the dynamic changes of temperature, C/N ratio, NH(4)+ -N and NO(3)- -N contents and compost quality in the composting process of passion fruit marc. The results showed that both MF and MR could accelerate the composting process. Compared with the control, these two agents extended the sustaining time of high temperature from 4 days to 11 and 12 days, promoted the decrease of C/N ratio, and the NO(3)- -N concentration increased by 58.0% and 64.2%, respectively. After the amendment of MF or MR, the total N, P and K contents, total porosity and water-holding porosity in the compost increased significantly, while the bulk density decreased. No significant difference was observed in the effects of MR and MF on the high temperature composting process of passionflower fruit marc, but MF was more beneficial to the improvement of compost quality. PMID- 17763729 TI - [Effects of different land management practices on black soil microbial biomass C and enzyme activities]. AB - In a long-term experimental plot at the Hailun Agricultural Ecology Station of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China, the effects of three land management practices including natural restoration, fallowing and cropping on black soil microbial biomass C and enzyme activities at the depths of 0-10, 20-30 and 40-50 cm were investigated. The results showed that at 0-10 cm, soil microbial biomass C and soil urease, phosphatase, catalase and invertase activities were in the sequence of natural restoration > cropping > fallowing, while at 20-30 cm and 40-50 cm, they had less significant differences as those at 0-10 cm. Under natural restoration and cropping, soil microbial biomass C and soil urease, phosphatase and catalase activities decreased with increasing soil depth, while under fallowing, they were higher at 20-30 cm. Correlation analysis showed that there existed significant positive correlations between soil total C and total N, soil total C and microbial biomass C, and soil microbial biomass C and test enzyme activities. The indices soil microbial biomass C and soil enzyme activities showed that black soil under long-term natural restoration had better soil quality. PMID- 17763730 TI - [Effects of land use type on soil organic C and total N in a small watershed in loess hilly-gully region]. AB - Based on field survey and laboratory analysis, this paper studied the storage of surface soil (0-20 cm) organic C (SOC) and total N (TSN) in farmland, orchard, woodland and grassland in the Yangou watershed of loess hilly-gully region. The results showed that in the test area, the mean contents of SOC and TSN were 7.56 and 0.71 g . kg(-1), respectively. On an average, farmland had 4.67 g . kg(-1) of SOC and 0.48 g . kg(-1) of TSN, and terrace farmland had lower storage of SOC and TSN than other types of farmland. Compared with farmland, the contents of SOC and TSN in orchard had a slight decrease, being 4. 33 g . kg(-1) and 0.46 g . kg(-1), respectively, while those in grassland were higher. The average contents of SOC and TSN in woodland were 117.7% and 89.4% higher than those in farmland. In this area, the variation coefficients of SOC and TSN contents were 69.7% and 58.4%, respectively, being the highest (62.8% and 54.5%) in woodland, the second in grassland and farmland, and the smallest (18.0% and 22.9%) in orchard. Soil C/N ratio was increased in the order of orchard, farmland, grassland, woodl and. Under these four landuse types, there was a significant positive correlation between SOC and TSN (r = 0.9791). The construction of farmland and orchard didn' t increase the contents of SOC and TSN significantly, while the conversion of farmland into woodland or grassland and the hill-closure forestry promoted the accumulation of SOC and TSN distinctly. PMID- 17763731 TI - [Stressed level of urban vegetation: its assessment based on Hyperion hyperspectral data]. AB - To quickly obtain the information of urban vegetation stressed level is of great significance in maintaining urban vegetation health and improving urban eco environment. Based on the analysis of stressed vegetations physiological and spectral characters, and by using Hyperion hyperspectral data, 14 hyperspectral vegetation indices related to stress were calculated, and a classifier of urban vegetation stressed level was developed based on this calculation and BP Neural network. The application of this classifier in identifying the vegetation stressed level in a case study area of Guangzhou City showed that the vegetations in commercial and residential districts were apparently experienced higher stress than those in suburban regions, and the stressed level showed a ringy distribution around large pieces of greenbelts. This classifier was able to quickly and accurately identify the vegetation stressed level, and thus, could be used as an effective tool in monitoring urban vegetation stressed condition. PMID- 17763732 TI - [Application of Citygreen model in benefit assessment of Nanjing urban greenbelt in carbon fixation and runoff reduction]. AB - Based on the analysis of the framework and calculation principles of Citygreen model in assessing the benefits of urban greenbelt in carbon fixation and runoff reduction, an approach was made to obtain appropriate parameters of this model to calculate the ecological benefits of different urban land use types in the main urban district of Nanjing. The results indicated that the main urban district of Nanjing had much lower carbon fixation benefit than natural forest on per unit area base, being about 5%-60% of the latter. The ecological value of carbon fixation and runoff reduction of Nanjing urban greenbelt was about 177 million RMB in total, and the ecological benefits of different land use types were in the order of green land > public facility > residential > road and square > industrial > municipal. This research could provide references for city planning and urban greenbelt establishment, and facilitate the popularization of quantitative assessment on greenbelt ecological benefits of Chinese cities. PMID- 17763733 TI - [Land use/land cover change and their ecological effect in small watershed on gully region of the Loess Plateau]. AB - Based on land use data of 1994 and 2004 in Wangdonggou watershed, through developing dynamic model of LUCC and indices of regional ecological environment, this paper quantified the characteristics of LUCC and its ecological effect. The results showed that from 1994 to 2004, farmland decreased while grassland and orchard increased greatly, forest and nonproductive land changed little. The speed of individual land use changes was in the order of grassland > orchard > nonproductive land > farmland > forest land. As to the spatial change, a total of 11 major land use change types were identified, among which the change from farmland to others and form others to forest were the most important land use change. The gravitational center of farmland and orchard moved to the northwest tableland, while those of forest land and grassland moved to the southeast gully land. From 1994 to 2004, owing to LUCC, the ecological environment was improved, but the type of land use and their change took effect differently with both improving and decreasing effect. The decrease of farmland affected ecological environment negatively, while the increase of forest and grassland and orchard improved the ecological environment and its ecosystem service values. Those improving the ecological environment were from other types of land use to forest and orchard, while those worsening the ecological environment were from forest to others and from farmland to nonproductive land. PMID- 17763734 TI - [Spatial autocorrelation analysis on soil organic carbon distribution in Henan Province]. AB - With spatial autocorrelation analysis, this paper studied the temporal and spatial variations of soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in Henan Province during the period from the 1st national soil survey (1958) to the 2nd national soil survey (1985). The results showed that spatial auto-correlation indices could better describe the spatiotemporal variation of the SOC storage between the two soil surveys. The total SOC storage was 54.93 x 10(8) t in 1958 and 69.65 x 10(8) t in 1985, with an annual increase of 1%, and the SOC density had a trend of higher in southeast and west Henan, followed by north and central Henan, and east Henan. The SOC storage per unit area decreased more quickly in southeast Henan, with the maximum of 1.57% per year, while increased greater in east Henan, with an average rate of 5.27% per year. The spatiotemporal variation of SOC storage had a close correlation with the original SOC content, i. e., the higher the original SOC content, the more greatly the SOC storage decreased. PMID- 17763735 TI - [Temporal and spatial variation of land degradation in alluvial oasis at northern slope of Tianshan Mountain]. AB - Taking the Fubei Farm, a farming oasis of Sangong River watershed at the northern slope of Tianshan Mountain as study area, and by the methods of geostatistics, GIS and RS, this paper studied the temporal and spatial variation of land degradation in topsoil (0-20 cm) and its relationship with landscape structure. The results showed that in this oasis, human activity was the key factor resulting in the increase of landscape fragmentation and diversity. From 1983 to 2005, the land degradation area decreased by 26.69%, and the degradation degree was higher in the regions adjacent to desert than in those further inside the oasis. Gray desert soil was degraded much more seriously than saline soil and aquic soil. The regions of poor land quality had an alleviated degradation, with 65.38% of land area improved, while those of good land quality had an aggravated degradation, with 33.38% of land area degraded. PMID- 17763736 TI - [Application of RAPD in identifying Phellinus baumii strains]. AB - In this paper, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was conducted with 20 random primers in 7 strains of Phellinus baumii collected from different localities. The results showed that 17 of the 20 random primers were polymorphic ones. The DNA bands derived from each primer amplifying in tested strains ranged from 10 to 33. The size of the amplified DNA fragments ranged from 250 to 2000 base pairs. Of each test primer, a wide variation in banding profiles was observed among the 7 strains of P. baumii. A total of 377 band positions were scored for all of the test strains, which differed significantly among the bands from different primers. UPGMA cluster analysis subdivided the test strains into two groups, which was helpful to find out the difference among the test strains and to distinguish them directly. PMID- 17763737 TI - [Sexual reproduction of Filinia longiseta in Jinghu Lake of Wuhu City]. AB - From May to November 2004, the sexual reproduction of Filinia longiseta in two areas of Jinghu Lake was studied, with its relations to the population density of F. longiseta and to the water temperature, Chl-a concentration, Secchi's disc reading, and total density of rotifers examined. The results showed that no mictic F. longiseta females were detected till the water temperature was up to 22 degrees C or the Secchi's disc reading was <95 cm in small area and <100 cm in large area. The sexual reproduction of F. longiseta occurred when its population density was > 122 ind . L(-1) and >113 ind . L(-1) in small and large areas, respectively. The density of mictic F. longiseta females was positively correlated to the population density of F. longiseta and the total density of rotifers (P <0. 01), but no significant relationships were observed between the mictic F. longiseta females density and the water temperature, Chl-a concentration and Secchi's disc reading. All the test affecting, factors had no significant effects on F. longiseta mictic and fertilization rates. The sexual reproduction of F. longiseta occurred in the early phase of population growth cycle, and the mictic F. longiseta females were produced in the patterns of punctuation and multi cycles. The maximal mictic rate occurred with the occurrence of maximal population density, while the maximal fertilization rate occurred by the end of population growth cycle. PMID- 17763738 TI - [Effects of long-term petroleum and heavy metals pollution on the diversity and community structure of Pesudomonas populations in agricultural soils]. AB - By using PCR-DGGE method, this paper studied the diversity and community structure of Pseudomonas populations in long-term petroleum- and heavy metals contaminated agricultural soils in Northeast China. The results showed that the Shannon diversity index of Pseudomonas was significantly higher in petroleum- than in heavy metals-contaminated soils. The diversity of Pseudomonas in petroleum-contaminated soil was approached to that in clean soil but lower than that in polluted lowland rice soil, suggesting that contaminant type and cultivation mode were the main factors affecting the diversity of Pseudomonas in agricultural soils. The sequences of V6/V7 regions in 16S rRNA gene indicated that P. mendocina, P. stutzeri and P. aeruginosa were the dominant species in both petroleum- and heavy metals-contaminated soils, demonstrating that these three species were enriched under the stress of long-term pollution, which might correlate with the natural degradation of petroleum and the resistance of Pseudomonas to heavy metals. PMID- 17763739 TI - [Contents of different soil fluorine forms in North Anhui and their affecting factors]. AB - By the method of consecutive extraction, this paper studied the contents and vertical distribution of soil fluorine (F) forms in North Anhui, with their relations to the soil physical and chemical properties analyzed. The results showed that the soil total F (T-F) content in North Anhui was ranged from 265.8 mg . kg(-1) to 612.8 mg . kg(-1), with an average of 423.7 mg . kg(-1), and decreased in the sequence of vegetable soil > fluvo-aquic soil > paddy soil > shajiang black soil > yellow brown soil. Among the T-F, residual F (Res-F) was the main form, occupying > 95% of total F, followed by water soluble F (Ws-F), being about 1.5% of the total, and organic-F (Or-F), Fe and Mn oxide-F (Fe/Mn-F) and exchangeable-F (Ex-F) only had very small amount. The Ws-F content in test soils ranged from 1.35 mg . kg(-1) to 17.98 mg . kg(-1), with a mean value of 6.62 mg . kg(-1). Vegetable soil, fluvo-aquic soil and shajiang black soil had a relatively higher content of Ws-F, while yellow brown soil was in adverse. Soil pH and the contents of soil organic matter, total and available phosphorus, and physical clay were the main factors affecting the contents of various F forms. Soil Ws-F was significantly positively correlated with soil pH and soil total and available phosphorus, soil Ex-F was significantly positively correlated with soil clay ( < 0.01 mm and <0.001 mm), soil Fe/Mn-F was significantly positively correlated with soil total phosphorus, and soil Or-F had a significant positive correlation with soil organic matter. Soil Ws-F content also had a close connection to the parent material. The soil developed from shallow lacustrine and marsh sediments usually had the highest Ws-F content, followed by those developed from Huang River alluvial deposit, Q3 loess, Huaihe River alluvial deposit, and light-texture yellow brown soil, with the mean Ws-F content being 9.05, 8.12, 2.97, 2.05 and 1.91 mg . kg(-1), respectively. The contents of soil Or-F and Fe/Mn-F decreased with increasing soil depth, and those of T-F and Ws-F in vegetable soil were higher in upper than in deeper soil layers. PMID- 17763740 TI - [Transformation of Cu forms in Cynodon dactylon rhizosphere soil of copper tailings yard]. AB - The study on the Cu forms in Cynodon dactylon rhizosphere soil of copper tailings yard in Tongling City, Anhui Province showed that among the test Cu forms, the amount of residual form occupied the majority, while that of exchangeable form was relatively low. Compared with non-rhizosphere soil, rhizosphere soil had a higher organic matter content but a lower pH. With the growth of C. dactylon, the contents of organically combined and exchangeable Cu in rhizosphere soil increased by 7.89% and 5%, respectively, while those of carbonate-combined and Fe Mn oxides-combined Cu decreased. The growth of C. dactylon accelerated the transformation of Cu forms in rhizosphere soil, and decreased the rhizosphere soil Cu content through its absorption. PMID- 17763741 TI - [Profile distribution and pollution assessment of heavy metals in soils under livestock feces composts]. AB - This paper studied the profile distribution of heavy metals in soils under different kind livestock feces composts. The results showed that in the process of livestock feces composting, the pH value and organic matter content of soil under feces compost increased significantly, and had a decreased distribution with soil depth. The contents of soil Zn and Cd also had an obvious increase, and decreased with increasing soil depth. Under the composts of chicken and pig feces, soil Cu content decreased with soil depth, while under cattle feces compost, it had little change. Soil Cd and Zn had a stronger mobility than soil Cu, and the Zn, Cd and Cu contents in some soil layers exceeded the first level of the environmental quality standard for soils in China. The geo-accumulation indices showed that only the 0-10 cm soil layer under chicken feces compost and the 0-40 cm soil layer under egg chicken feces compost were lightly polluted by Zn, while the soil profiles under other kinds of livestock feces compost were not polluted by Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd. PMID- 17763742 TI - [Attributes of forest infrastructure]. AB - This paper discussed the origin and evolution of the conception of ecological infrastructure, the understanding of international communities about the functions of forest, the important roles of forest in China' s economic development and ecological security, and the situations and challenges to the ongoing forestry ecological restoration programs. It was suggested that forest should be defined as an essential infrastructure for national economic and social development in a modern society. The critical functions of forest infrastructure played in the transition of forestry ecological development were emphasized. Based on the synthesis of forest ecosystem features, it was considered that the attributes of forest infrastructure are distinctive, due to the fact that it is constructed by living biological material and diversified in ownership. The forestry ecological restoration program should not only follow the basic principles of infrastructural construction, but also take the special characteristics of forests into consideration in studying the managerial system of the programs. Some suggestions for the ongoing programs were put forward: 1) developing a modern concept of ecosystem where man and nature in harmony is the core, 2) formulating long-term stable investments for forestry ecological restoration programs, 3) implementing forestry ecological restoration programs based on infrastructure construction principles, and 4) managing forests according to the principles of infrastructural construction management. PMID- 17763743 TI - [Physiological processes and major regulating factors of nitrogen uptake by plant roots]. AB - Soil nitrogen (N) is one of the mineral elements absorbed in large amount by plant roots, while global change could affect its availability, and furthermore, affect the carbon (C) allocation in terrestrial ecosystem. Therefore, the study of plant root N uptake and regulation becomes an important issue in predicting the structure and function of ecosystem. In the biosphere, plants are exposed to different N forms, and long-term biological evolution and environmental adaptation resulted in a significant distinction of plant root N uptake regions and metabolic processes, as well as the regulation of the N uptake. However, plant has formed different mechanisms and strategies for N uptake, because of their living in the soil with dominant sole N form for generations. In this paper, the research advances on how plant root absorbs N and which factors control the N absorption processes were reviewed, with the biological availability of different soil N forms (nitrate, ammonium and organic N), N uptake regions in root, N loading and transport in xylem, and uptake mechanisms of different N forms emphasized. The signal regulation of N uptake and the effects of environmental factors were also considered. Several issues about the present researches on plant root N uptake were discussed. PMID- 17763744 TI - [Evolvement of ecological footprint model representing ecological carrying capacity]. AB - Ecological footprint (EF) is an important index of ecological carrying capacity. The original EF model is excellent in simplicity, aggregation, comparability, and lifelikeness in presenting results, but short in predictability, configuration, and applicability. To overcome these shortcomings, many researches were conducted to modify and promote the EF model, and developed it from static with single time scale to diversified ones, which included: 1) time series EF model, 2) input output analysis based EF model, 3) integrated assessment incorporated EF model, 4) land disturbance degree based EF model, and 5) life cycle analysis based EF model, or component EF model. The function of EF as a measurement of ecological carrying capacity was significantly improved, but its accuracy and integrality still need to be advanced. PMID- 17763745 TI - [Research progress on the degradation mechanisms and restoration of riparian ecosystem]. AB - Restoration and reconstruction of degraded riparian ecosystem caused by natural and anthropogenic disturbances is one of the important issues in restoration ecology and watershed ecology. The disturbances on riparian ecosystem include flow regime alteration, direct modification and watershed disturbance, which have different affecting mechanisms. Flow regime alteration affects riparian ecosystem by changing riparian soil humidity, oxidation-reduction potential, biotaliving environment, and sediment transfer; direct modification affects riparian vegetation diversity through human activities and exotic plants invasion; and watershed disturbance mainly manifests in the channel degradation, aggradation or widening, the lowering of groundwater table, and the modification in fluvial process. The assessment objects of riparian restoration are riparian ecosystem components, and the assessment indicators are shifted from ecological to synthetic indices. Riparian restoration should be based on the detailed understanding of the biological and physical processes which affect riparian ecosystem, and implemented by vegetation restoration and hydrological adjustment at watershed or landscape scale. To extend the research scales and objects and to apply interdisciplinary approaches should be the key points in the further studies on the degradation mechanisms and restoration of riparian ecosystem. PMID- 17763746 TI - [Application of molecular marker techniques in invasion ecology]. AB - Alien invasive species can cause huge economic loss in agricultural and forestry production, and threaten biodiversity and human health. The research of invasion ecology is of significance in understanding the invasion mechanisms of alien invasive species and in developing corresponding sustainable control methods. Molecular marker is regarded as a useful tool in approaching some essential issues in the research of invasion ecology. In this paper, the applications of molecular marker techniques in the studies of identification, geographic distribution, invasive source, spread pattern, genetic variation, hybridization, and gene introgression of alien invasive species were reviewed, and the application prospects were discussed. PMID- 17763747 TI - [Landscape quality evaluation and vertical structure optimization of natural broadleaf forest]. AB - Taking the natural broadleaf forest in Wuyuan County of Jiangxi Province as study object, a total of 30 representative photos of near-view landscapes and related information were collected. The scenic beauty values were acquired by public judgment method, and the relationship models of scenic beauty values and landscape elements were established by using multiple mathematical model. The results showed that the main elements affecting the near-view landscape quality of natural broadleaf forest were the trunk form, stand density, undergrowth coverage and height, natural pruning, and color richness, with the partial correlation coefficients being 0.4482-0.7724, which were significant or very significant by t-test. The multiple correlation coefficient of the model reached 0.9508, showing very significant by F test (F = 36.11). Straight trunk, better natural pruning and rich color did well, while the super-high or low stand density and undergrowth coverage and height did harm to the scenic beauty. Several management measures for the vertical structure optimization of these landscape elements were put forward. PMID- 17763748 TI - [Effects of soil covering on solar greenhouse pepper water use efficiency and soil nitrate N and available phosphorus contents]. AB - A greenhouse study on the effects of soil covering on pepper (Capsicum anmuum L.) water use efficiency and soil nitrate and available phosphorus contents showed that straw mulch + plastic film mulch could get the highest pepper yield water use efficiency (33.04 kg . m(-3)) and economic water use efficiency (50.22 yuan . m(-3)), followed by plastic film mulch, with the two parameters being 18.81 kg . m(-3) and 28.57 yuan . m(-3), respectively. Significant differences of nitrate N content in 0-20 cm soil layer were observed among different treatments. The control had the highest nitrate N content (50.33 mg . kg(-1)), followed by straw mulch (31.98 mg . kg(-1)) and straw + plastic film mulch (31.96 mg . kg(-1)), and plastic film mulch and applying water preserving agent. Compared with the control, soil covering could increase the nitrate N use efficiency of pepper, and decrease the accumulation of nitrate N in plough layer. In 0-20 cm soil layer, treatment plastic film mulch had the lowest available phosphorus content (0.72 mg . kg(-3)), and the second (0. 92 mg . kg(-1)) was the treatment straw + plastic film mulch. Treatments straw + plastic film mulch and plastic film mulch could increase pepper fruit yield and fertilizer use efficiency, and decrease fertilizer loss. PMID- 17763749 TI - [Reproductive biology and artificial propagation of Acipenser sinensis below Gezhouba Dam]. AB - A total of 36 females and 21 males of Chinese sturgeon Acipenser sinensis were caught in 1998-2004 excluding 2002 to study the characteristics of their reproductive biology and the effect of their artificial propagation. The results showed that the body length (BL), body mass (BM) and age of the females were 240 320 cm, 140-432 kg, and 15-30 years, and those of the males were 153-284 cm, 70 244 kg and 12-26 years, respectively. The inducing rate was 93.1% for females and 100% for males, and the ova had 7 different colors. The absolute fecundity was 200,000-590,000 eggs, with an average of 358,000 eggs, and the relative fecundity to BM was 820-3,020 eggs per kg, with an average of 1,590 eggs per kg. The sperm had 4 different colors. The absolute sperm quantity obtained from one male was 1,000-5,952 ml, with an average of 2,597.8 ml, and the relative sperm quantity to BM was 1.25-31.24 ml . kg(-1), with an average of 13.3 ml . kg(-1). During the study period, the average fertilization rate in artificial propagation was 63.7%, and the hatching rate was 48.1%, with 4,762,000 fry obtained. Compared with the data in 1976, the natural reproductive capacity of the Chinese sturgeon broodstocks declined greatly. PMID- 17763750 TI - [Trapping techniques for Solenopsis invicta]. AB - A field study was made to investigate the trapping effects of different attractants, traps, and wind directions on Solenopsis invicta. The results showed that among the test attractants, TB1 (50 g fishmeal, 40 g peptone, 10 ml 10% sucrose water solution and 20 ml soybean oil) had the best effect, followed by TB2 (ham), TB6 (100 g cornmeal and 20 ml soybean oil) and TB4 (10 ml 10% sucrose water solution, 100 g sugarcane powder and 20 ml soybean oil), with a mean capture efficiency being 77.6, 58.7, 29 and 7.7 individuals per trap, respectively. No S. invicta was trapped with TB3 (10 ml 10% sucrose water solution, 100 g cornmeal and 20 ml soybean oil) and TB5 (honey). Tube trap was superior to dish trap, with a trapping efficiency of 75.2 and 35 individuals per trap, respectively. The attractants had better effects in leeward than in windward. PMID- 17763751 TI - [Spectral studies on liquid crystal photoalignment film of photosensitive monomer with fluorinated groups]. AB - 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4-hexafluoro-1,5-pentanediol dicinnamate ester, which could be crosslinked under irradiation of linearly polarized ultraviolet light, was synthesized in the present work. UV-Visible spectra and FTIR spectra revealed that [2+2] cycloaddition was the main reaction of the monomer, but there was no clear morphological anisotropy on the surface of the obtained photoalignment film through atomic force microscopic analysis. The photoalignment film could induce homogenous alignment of liquid crystal and the alignment is uniform. It was found that the pretilt angle of the photoalignment film is 1 degrees-2 degrees. PMID- 17763752 TI - [Energy transfer in Cs(6P) + (Ne, N2) collisions]. AB - The collisional energy transfer process Cs(6P(3/2)) + M, where M = Ne, N2, under gas cell conditions has been investigated. The Cs(6P(3/2)) state was excited by a diode laser. The direct 6P(3/2) --> 6S(1/2) fluorescence and the sensitized 6P(1/ 2) --> 6S(1/2) fluorescence as a function of quenching gas pressure were measured. For quenching by Ne only energy transfer from the electronic to translational is possible. However, in the N2 case, energy transfer from the electronic to vibrational or rotational is important. Using a two-state rate equation model, the quenching rate coefficients for Cs(6P(3/2)) were obtained. The fine structure energy transfer rate coefficient for Ne is 1.45 x 10(-12) cm3 x s(-1). By comparing the relative fluorescence intensities for Ne and N2 case, the authors estimate that the rate coefficient for 6P(3/2) --> 6P(1/2) transfer in collision with N2 is 1.64 x 10(-2) cm3 x s(-1). The quenching rate coefficient for the 6P state is 4. 88 x 10(-12) cm3 x s(-1). PMID- 17763753 TI - [Effects of argon atmosphere at high pressure on electron temperature of laser induced Cu plasmas]. AB - Copper plasma was induced with a high energy neodymium glass laser(0-25J) beam ablating the Cu target in argon atmosphere. It was observed that the line intensity of the emission spectra increases when the ambient pressure(0.1-0.5 MPa) rises. In order to study the enhancement mechanism, with the model of local thermodynamic equilibrium, the electron temperature was measured in argon atmosphere. The experimental results showed that electron temperature increases as the pressure rises. In addition, spatially resolved electron temperature was measured in Ar atmosphere at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 MPa. PMID- 17763754 TI - [High contrast organic light-emitting diodes using pb-LiF as cathode]. AB - A metal-insulator complex film made by co-evaporating metal Pb and transparent insulator LiF was tested as a low-reflecting cathode to realize high contrast organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). The optical reflectivity and electrical characteristic of the high contrast OLED were studied as compared with the device based on Al as the cathode. The reflectivity of the Pb-LiF complex cathode is 18% only, about 5 times lower than that of Al cathode. The experimental result shows that the high contrast and the conventional OLEDs are similar in terms of the electroluminescent property. PMID- 17763755 TI - [Effects of Zn2+ doping on the structural and luminescent properties of GdTaO4 : Eu3+ phosphors]. AB - GdTaO4 : Eu0.1 phosphors with different concentrations of Zn2+ dopant were synthesized by the solid-state reaction at high temperature. The present paper mainly focused on the effects of Zn2+ on the crystallization behavior, morphology and photoluminescence (PL) properties of GdTaO4 : Eu3+. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), PL excitation and emission spectra, decay time curves, etc. Results suggested that the co-doping of Zn2+ could remarkably improve the PL intensity of GdTaO4 : Eu0.1, and there were two maxima in the curve of Eu3+ PL intensity at 611 nm vs Zn2+ doping concentration x. When x = 0. 01 the intensity was improved up to 2.7 times that of pure GdTaO4 : Eu3+, which could be attributed to the creation of oxygen vacancies for the charge neutrality and the alternation of the local environment of activator Eu3+ ions resulting from the incorporation of Zn2+ ions; the other was enhanced up to 3.2 times at x = 0.13 which was due to the flux effect of Zn2+ ions. But ZnO and GdTa7O19 were observed in an excessive Zn2+ doping range (x > 0.13), which resulted in the decrease in the PL brightness and lengthening of decay time. Meanwhile, primary results indicated that the PL intensity of GdTaO4 : Eu0.1, Zn0.13 could be further strengthened by the co doping of Li+ and K+ ions. PMID- 17763756 TI - [Hydrothermal synthesis and luminescence of one-dimensional Mn(2+)-doped CdS nanocrystals]. AB - One-dimensional Mn(2+)-doped CdS nanocrystals were synthesized by the hydrothermal route. The products were characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD, TEM, HRTEM and PL, respectively. The results revealed that dopant Mn2+ completely substitutes Cd2+ in CdS nanocrystals, and the product was of good crystallite. Further more, a complete suppression of the emission from surface states at room temperature when doping with ions Mn2+ has been observed. PMID- 17763757 TI - [Rapid prediction of annual ring density of Paulownia elongate standing tress using near infrared spectroscopy]. AB - Rapid prediction of annual ring density of Paulownia elongate standing trees using near infrared spectroscopy was studied. It was non-destructive to collect the samples for trees, that is, the wood cores 5 mm in diameter were unthreaded at the breast height of standing trees instead of fallen trees. Then the spectra data were collected by autoscan method of NIR. The annual ring density was determined by mercury immersion. And the models were made and analyzed by the partial least square (PLS) and full cross validation in the 350-2 500 nm wavelength range. The results showed that high coefficients were obtained between the annual ring and the NIR fitted data. The correlation coefficient of prediction model was 0.88 and 0.91 in the middle diameter and bigger diameter, respectively. Moreover, high coefficients of correlation were also obtained between annual ring density laboratory-determined and the NIR fitted data in the middle diameter of Paulownia elongate standing trees, the correlation coefficient of calibration model and prediction model were 0.90 and 0.83, and the standard errors of calibration (SEC) and standard errors of prediction(SEP) were 0.012 and 0.016, respectively. The method can simply, rapidly and non-destructively estimate the annual ring density of the Paulownia elongate standing trees close to the cutting age. PMID- 17763758 TI - [Distribution of nitrogen and hydrogen in diamond and its significance to nucleation and growth of diamond]. AB - From the center to the rim of natural diamond there are differences in nitrogen and C-H bond contents, suggesting that diamond was formed under varying substance conditions. Both the nitrogen and C-H bond contents tend to decrease from the center to the rim as a whole, indicaing that nitrogen and hydrogen are expended little by little during the formation of diamond. But in the middle area of the sample both the nitrogen and C-H bond contents have a tendency to increase. This implies that nitrogen and hydrogen are added into the environment of diamond formation, meanwhile nitrogen is added earlier. So the procedure of diamond formation may be divided into three stages, namely nucleation and growth in the early stage, growth in the middle stage and in the late stage. In the early and late stages nitrogen and hydrogen are consumed in the environment of diamond formation. In the middle stage nitrogen and hydrogen must be replenished for the growth of diamond, and nitrogen should be replenished earlier than hydrogen. Hydrogen is useful to the nucleation and growth of diamond. During the formation of diamond the compounds of nitrogen and hydrogen do not exist. So we must avoid the formation of compounds of nitrogen and hydrogen for the nucleation and growth of diamond if we plan to introduce hydrogen to the synthesis of diamond at high temperature and high pressure (HPHT). Implanted hydrogen in graphite for the HPHT synthesis of diamond is a good choice. PMID- 17763759 TI - [Phase transitions of surface-stabilized liquid crystal studied by temperature dependent FTIR spectroscopy]. AB - The FTIR spectra were measured for liquid crystal molecules in CaF2 cell over a temperature range of 40-150 degrees C. The alkyl chain transformed from ordered zigzag-dominated conformation to disordered gaucheness-dominated conformation with increasing temperature. Meanwhile, the degree of freedom of the rotation of the carbonyl group increased, the co-plane interaction between the carbonyl group and the phenyl ring broke, and the conjugation between the C=O bond and the phenyl ring was reduced at the S(CA)* --> S(A) phase transition point, followed by the increase of the plane angle between the two phenyl rings. Due to the surface stability effect of the LC cell, there existed on the cell surface a layer whose structure was independent of the temperature and LC phase. Therefore, the molecules still retained its originally phase property even at temperatures near and above the transition point. PMID- 17763761 TI - [Processing of interferogram symmetrization in optical fiber Fourier spectrometer]. AB - The asymmetry of an interferogram is caused by off-center sampling or defects in the fiber interferometer, and the spectra from Fourier cosine transformations of one-sided interferogram have phase errors. A method was firstly applied to symmetrizing interferogram by using the convolution technique in optical fiber Fourier spectrometer (FFTS). The phase error can be derived from the central portion of the interferogram. Symmetrization function was obtained from the Fourier transform of the phase error. Thus in spatial domain the symmetrization function convolved with original interferogram, and the spectra with correction of phase errors resulted from the symmetrized interferogram. Experimental study shows that the method efficiently corrects the phase error in FFTS. The method not only overcomes the disadvantages of two-sided interferogram, but also has better accuracy of the results. PMID- 17763760 TI - [The analysis of vital reaction following skin injury close to death in mouse by FTIR]. AB - Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was applied to study the difference of vital reaction following skin injury close to death in mouse and provided the evidence for forensic practice. The results demonstrated that vital 5 min, postmortem and normal groups showed significant differences in the wave form and intensity: (1) The intensity at 3 007 and 1 745 cm(-1) related to lipid for the vital injury was higher than that for the postmortem; (2) The intensity at 1 160 cm(-1) related to carbohydrate for the vital injure increased more compared to the postmortem; (3) The intensity of the band at 1 640 cm(-1) related to amide I band for the injury groups was higher than the normal, but it was the lowest for the vital injury. These results show that it will be possible for FTIR to become an effective method to determine the vital reaction of injury close to death in forensic practice. PMID- 17763762 TI - [The rapid and nondestructive identification and infrared spectra visualization of Banlangen granule]. AB - Banlangen granule is the main medicament of Banlangen, and is widely used for the prevention and cure of flu and viral infection. In the present article, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used in the identification and analysis of the traditional Chinese medicine, Banlangen granule. The FTIR spectra of Banlangen granule samples coming from different companies and different batches of the same company were obtained. The curves of original absorbance and the second derivatives of the absorbance were analyzed for identification, and compared with those of indigowoad root and indigowoad leaf, which are their raw medicine materials. In addition, the infrared fingerprint spectra were visualized in the form of color bar figure. Results showed that characteristic fingerprint spectra of Banlangen Granule could be picked up effectively, and the products quality of different pharmaceutical factories and the spectra of different batch numbers from the same factory could be revealed directly by FTIR spectroscopy combined with the second derivative spectrum and fingerprint spectrum visualization of analytical data. Thus they were differentiated conveniently, accurately, quickly and directly with this method, providing a simple and effective technique in supervising and examining the quality of the traditional Chinese medicine. PMID- 17763763 TI - [Investigation of Amanitaceae mushrooms by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy]. AB - In the present paper, FTIR was used for obtaining vibrational spectra of untreated Amanitaceae mushrooms harvested in the mountains of Yunnan province, Southwest of China. The results show that the spectra of fruiting body and spore exhibit obvious differences. In the spectra of fruiting body, the strongest absorption band appears at about 1 655 cm(-1), which is described as amide I. There are two strong absorption bands at 1 077 and 1 042 cm(-1) which are assigned to C-O stretching in carbohydrate. The vibrational spectra indicate that the main compositions of the Amanitaceae mushrooms are protein and carbohydrate. The spectrum of spore of Amanita fritillaria shows strong bands at 2 926, 2 855 and 1 747 cm(-1), which can be assigned to the absorption of lipids. The spectra of fruiting body exhibit complicated patterns in the interval between 1 800 and 750 cm(-1), which may be used to discriminate different species of Amanitaceae mushrooms. In addition, FTIR spectral differences were observed between different parts of Amanita manginiana. The result suggests that the chemical constituents are various in different parts of fruiting bodies. It is showed that FTIR spectroscopic method is a valuable tool for rapid and nondestructive identification of Amanita mushrooms. PMID- 17763764 TI - [Study on infrared absorption spectra of high cholesterol blood sample]. AB - The research on the technology of infrared absorption spectrum and its application plays an important role in the development of technology of optical measurement. The analysis technology of blood infrared absorption spectrum is presented in the present paper. By comparison between and analyzing the infrared absorption spectra of the normal blood sample and the high cholesterol blood sample, the differences were obtained. The infrared absorption spectra of normal blood serum and high cholesterol blood serum were detected, and the differences between the spectra are presented. The analysis results indicate that the differences of the absorptivity, the absorption peak position and the absorptivity ratio between the normal blood sample and the high cholesterol blood sample can be taken as a criterion to check the normal and abnormal blood sample. This work, valuable for application, provides an important reference for the diagnosis of diseases. PMID- 17763765 TI - [Progress in application of infrared spectroscopy and comparative study of chromatographic fingerprints]. AB - The newest development of applications of IR techniques to the identification of Chinese herbs, the discrimination of folk medicine herbs, Chinese herbs processing and Chinese traditional injection, which involving enhancing computer analysis depth, intensifying the pre-treatment of Chinese herb and using 2D-IR correlation spectroscopy for processing control, was elaborated in the present paper. Meanwhile, the establishment of multi-component determination analysis system of chromatographic fingerprint diagram was shown. And the sameness and difference of the IR spectroscopy and chromatography fingerprint diagram techniques were analyzed, and a comparison was made in terms of quality control of Chinese herbal medicine. PMID- 17763766 TI - [Nondestructive quantitative analysis of Cofrel medicines by improved partial least squares-NIR spectroscopy]. AB - In the present paper, improved partial least squares (PLS) method was used to parse near infrared (NIR) reflectance spectrum of Cofrel medicine. The contents of benproperine phosphate, a availability pharmaceutical in Cofrel medicine, were accurately nondestructively quantitatively predicted. The best number of principal components (PC) was designed by scores plot of samples in PC. The effects of the wavelength range, conventional spectra, first-derivative spectra and second-derivative spectra on the results were discussed respectively. Comparing the results with those of HPLC, the relative errors(RE%) of benproperine phosphate were less than 0.42%. The analytical results were sufficient for practical manufacture of Cofrel medicine. PMID- 17763767 TI - [The surface adsorption and selective catalytic reaction of NO on Cu-ZSM-5 using in situ DRIFTS]. AB - The prepared Cu-ZSM-5 catalyst presents higher activity at low temperature during the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO, and the conversion from NO to N2 is 70.6% at 613 K. The in situ diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy (in situ DRIFTS) is an important method for studying surface adsorption of catalyst and mechanism of catalytic reaction, and was used to study the surface adsorbed species and the selective catalytic reduction reaction of NO on Cu-ZSM-5 catalyst in the presence of propene as reductant, with excess O2 and at 298-773 K. Based on the in-situ DRIFTS, a reaction mechanism is proposed that on Cu-ZSM-5, NO is first transformed to a series of NO(x) surface adsorbates, then these species react with the activating species of propene (C(x)H(y) or C(x)H(y)O(x)) to form organo-intermediates, including a process from organo-NH to organo-CN again to organo-NO(x) (organo-nitro or organo-nitrito), and finally these key intermediates react to form nitrogen. The role of Cu is to promote NO(x) content. Propene is easily activated on Cu-ZSM-5 with oxygen, and furthermore, the presence of oxygen is necessary to form organo-NO(x) intermediates. PMID- 17763768 TI - [Spectral analysis of the effect of different polymerization potential on electrosynthesized poly (5-nitroindole) films]. AB - High quality poly (5-nitroindole) (PNI) films can be synthesized electrochemically by direct anodic oxidation of 5-nitroindole (NI) in boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BFEE) at different polymerization potential in the range of 1.23-2.23 V (vs. SCE). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that high quality polymer films of nitro group substituted conducting polymers were electrodeposited. The oxidation onset potential of NI was only 1.04 V vs. SCE in this medium. Chronoamperometric response of NI, FTIR and 1H NMR indicated that the polymerization potential had a great effect on the quality of PNI films. Lower potential is helpful for the electrochemical polymerization of NI and the extension of the conjugation length of PNI. On the other hand, a higher potential led to side reactions and poor polymer film quality. The structural characterization of PNI films by FTIR and 1H NMR indicated that the electrochemical polymerization of NI occurred at C2 and C3 positions. PMID- 17763769 TI - [Identification of sulphur residue in chrysanthemum by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy]. AB - Qi and Huai chrysanthemum samples processed in different ways were discriminated by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. It was shown that different processing methods may result in the variation of relative content of effective components in chrysanthemum. The variation of chemical structure may also occur. And the variations can be reflected differently on the transform infrared spectra. The dry chrysanthemum smoked with sulphur had different characters in the vibration frequency and shape of IR from other samples at 1 600 and 1 060 cm(-1), and showed static characteristic absorptions at 922, 818 and 777 cm(-1), which were stronger than others. The chrysanthemum processed in different ways showed differences in the Fourier transform infrared spectra. The sulphur residue in chrysanthemum can be identified by FTIR without separation and abstraction. This method is not only quick and precise but also convenient and direct. Different sorts of chrysanthemum can be identified in this way. PMID- 17763770 TI - [Study on predicting firmness of watermelon by Vis/NIR diffuse transmittance technique]. AB - Watermelon is a popular fruit in the world and firmness (FM) is one of the major characteristics used for assessing watermelon quality. The objective of the present research was to study the potential of visible/near Infrared (Vis/NIR) diffuse transmittance spectroscopy as a way for the nondestructive measurement of FM of watermelon. Statistical models between the spectra and FM were developed using partial least square (PLS) and principle component regression (PCR) methods. Performance of different models was assessed in terms of correlation coefficients (r) of validation set of samples and root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP). Models for three kinds of mathematical treatments of spectra (original, first derivative and second derivative) were established. Savitsky Goaly filter smoothing method was used for spectra data smoothing. The PLS model of the second derivative spectra gave the best prediction of FM, with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0. 974 and root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) of 0. 589 N using Savitsky-Goaly filter smoothing method. The results of this study indicate that NIR diffuse transmittance spectroscopy can be used to predict the FM of watermelon. The Vis/NIR diffuse transmittance technique will be valuable for the nandestructive detection large shape and thick peel fruits'. PMID- 17763772 TI - [Determination of citric acid mono polyethyleneoxide nonyl phenyl ether amber diehylene glycoldinitrate diglycollic amide by IR]. AB - In the present paper, citric acid, acetic anhydride, polyethyleneoxide nonyl phenyl ether and diethanolamine were used as raw materials. The raw materials were purified, and the intermediate products were synthesized. Finally, the citric acid mono polyethyleneoxide nonyl phenyl ether amber diehylene glycol dinitrate diglycollic amide was made. The acidamide of the product synthesized was determined by IR. There is a characteristic peak of C=O in acidamide at 1 642.39 cm(-1). Using potassium rhodanate as a internal standard, and according to Lambert-Beer law, a method to determine the citric acid mono polyethyleneoxide nonyl phenyl ether amber diehylene glycol dinitrate diglycollic amide was developed. The linear regression equation is A = 0.007 6m+0.325 6 with a correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.998 9. The experimental results of the precisions and recoveries are satisfied. The method is very necessary for confirming the reaction extent and controlling quality of citric acid mono polyethyleneoxide nonyl phenyl ether amber diehylene glycol dinitrate diglycollic amide. So, the synthesis process conditions were right according to the IR data. PMID- 17763773 TI - [Application of pyroelectric infrared sensor to radio control alarm system]. AB - A radio control alarm system was developed, which is composed of a pyroelectric infrared detecting module, a radio receiving/transmitting module, a digital encoding/decoding IC, and a voice recoding/playing module. When somebody enters the surveillance area, the infrared sensor will receive and transform the radiant energy into electric signal, which is amplified by internal circuits, and then generates a control signal to start transmitting system. As the encoded pulse is modulated by the transmitting module, a radio control signal will be spread to space; When received, the signal will be demodulated, amplified, shaped and decoded to trigger the recoding/playing circuits, which play the recoded voice to awake watch people. The system mainly adopts the RDP-18 pyroelectric infrared detecting module, which has full function from signal receiving to output control. The whole device is a module configuration. It has the advantage of frequency stable, work reliable, no debugging, and a remote control distance of 1 000 m, and is suitable for use in many kinds of demands. PMID- 17763771 TI - [Influence of optical path length on NIR analysis results for trace metal determination in Chinese rice wine]. AB - The prediction performance of near infrared (NIR) spectra with different optical path-length for trace metal (potassium, calcium, magnesium, zincum, and iron) determination was investigated. NIR transmission spectra of Chinese rice wine were collected in rectangular quartz cuvette with different optical path lengths (1, 2, 5 and 10 mm) using Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectrometer in the wavelength range of 800-2 500 nm with air as the reference. The reference data for potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Calibration models were developed by partial least squares (PLS) regression. The PLS models of NIR spectra group with 5 mm path length gave the best calibration result. The determination coefficients (r2) for potassium, calcium, magnesium, zincum, and iron were 0.93, 0.85, 0.93, 0.72, and 0.66, respectively, and the root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) for the five elements were 26.5, 35.6, 4.63, 0.26, and 0.64 mg x L-(-1), respectively, whereas the models established by NIR spectra group of 10 mm path length was the worst. And the r2 values for potassium, calcium, magnesium, zincum, and iron were 0.61, 0.65, 0.63, 0.09, and 0.25, respectively. The results indicated that the optical path length has an influence on the NIR analysis results for trace metal determination in Chinese rice wine, and that the appropriate path length for the NIR analysis should be determined by comparison analysis. PMID- 17763774 TI - [Double-layer partial least squares method and its application to NIR spectroscopic quantitative analysis]. AB - Aiming at the near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) with local effect sensitivity, numerous predictor variables with serious multicollinearity and having nonlinear quantitative relationship with the chemical compositions from the spectral data, a double-layer partial least squares (DNPLS) algorithm was constructed based on the error feedback-weighting correction. The model based on this proposed algorithm was divided into two parts: the outer part that embedded the nonlinear mapping between each pair of partial least square components into the regression framework of the partial least squares (PLS) method and the inner part that estimated the increment of weight vector by linear PLS method. Subsequently, to increase PLS components interpretative capability, the error-based weights updating procedure in the PLS input outer model was deduced and implemented in the DNPLS regression framework, Finally, the application to the corn sample water content modeling of the proposed DNPLS method was presented with a comparison to some other methods. The DNPLS method not only held a fine learning ability but also improved the prediction performance and steady capability. PMID- 17763775 TI - [Application of near infrared spectroscopy technique to nondestructive measurement of vegetable quality]. AB - Nondestructive detection techniques of vegetable include electrical properties, optical reflectance and transmission, sonic vibration, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), machine vision, aromatic volatile emission, vibration characteristics and others. The most widely employed and successful technique is to use its optical property. Near infrared spectroscopy technique is extremely fast, highly efficient, cheap to implement, of good recurrence and no sample preparation, and is a rapid and non-destructive modern measuring technique that has been widely used in many fields. In the present paper, the application of near infrared spectroscopy technique to nondestructive measurement of vegetable quality was briefly introduced. Some considerable aspects existing in the application were also discussed, and it is pointed out that because of vegetable's diversity and rot-proneness, automation analysis machine should be developed to improve the speed of quality detection, and cooperating with several other nondestructive techniques, such as NMR and machine vision, is the research trend. PMID- 17763776 TI - [Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic studies on the thiophenol adsorbed on novel Ag-Au alloy nanoparticles]. AB - Ag-Au alloy seeds were prepared by the simultaneous reduction of Ag and Au salts. The seeds were grown via NH2OH x HCl-growth method to obtain novel Ag-Au alloy nanoparticles with diameters of 40-60 nm. The nanoseeds and novel nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy and TEM respectively. The observation of one surface plasma resonance absorption band, the redshift in their frequencies, and the uniform color of the nanoparticles shown in TEM images indicated the formation of alloy structure for both the nanoseeds and the novel nanoparticles. By using thiophenol (TP) as probe molecules, SERS studies were performed on the novel nanoparticles. The absorption bands of the nanoparticles red shifted with the addition of TP, and new bands were detected in the near infrared region, which were attributed to the aggregation of TP covered nanoparticles. With the excitation line of 632. 8 nm, the SERS intensity of TP on Au was most largely enhanced, and that on alloy nanoparticles were increased as X(Au) increased. PMID- 17763777 TI - [Surface-enhanced Raman spectra of oxidation damnification of fetal bovine serum by ozone]. AB - Fetal bovine serum was treated by ozone for 1 hour and 3 hours before getting its surface-enhanced Raman spectra from 200 to 1 800 cm(-1). Treated with ozone for 1 hour, it shows a significant decrease in band intensity. Treated with ozone for 3 hours, the band intensity has a further decrease but not so obviously, which means that oxidation of ozone is short lived. Treated with ozone, the orderly conformations of main chains in protein such as alpha-helix, beta-sheet and beta corner are damaged seriously. Aromatic side chains and C-S of Cys and Met also are damnified greatly. All this means that strong oxidation of ozone results in denaturation, conformational changes and even degradation in protein. PMID- 17763778 TI - [Ab initio calculation of hyperfine structure and Raman spectra of binary alkali metal silicates]. AB - Ab initio calculation method of quantum chemistry was used to optimize several typical binary alkali metals silicates model clusters under restricted Hartree Fock method with 6-31G(d) basis sets. The symmetric stretching vibrational frequency of non-bridging oxygen in the high frequency range, its Raman optical activity (ROA) and the influence of different cations of those model clusters were also calculated and evaluated with the concept of hyperfine micro-structure. It was shown that the symmetric stretching vibrational frequency of non-bridging oxygen in the high frequency range is related closely to the environmental hyperfine micro-structure, and ROA enhancement of Q3 species occurs as Q4 species is its nearest neighbor. It can be inferred that the Raman scattering properties of silicates might be predominantly determined by hyperfine micro-structure instead of crude SiO4 tetrahedron as primary micro-structure. It was found that large cation can enhance ROA of the symmetric stretching vibration of non bridging oxygen by charge transfer mechanism, while ROA weakening effect can be expected on small model clusters due to the excessive charge transfer. PMID- 17763779 TI - [Analysis of different methods for denoising of high temperature Raman spectra]. AB - Combined with time accumulated resolution and space resolution the SU-HTRS(T/S) set has been realized at Shanghai University. It is impossible to avoid noise at high temperature, so different mathematic methods, such as Savitzky-Golay method, FFT and wavelet methods have been adopted for denoising. For various noise levels, the effects of three methods on the peak location, intensity and covering area as well as the smoothing degree of the reduced spectra were analyzed. It can be concluded that Savitzky-Golay method is simple and quick, while wavelet method offers the best results in denoising process. PMID- 17763780 TI - [Spectroscopy and XPS studies on molecular recognition of a molecularly imprinted cotinine-specific polymer]. AB - In the present study, molecular imprinting technique was used to develop a method based on noncovalent interaction for the systhesis of a cotinine-specific polymer. The molecular recognition characteristics of the template polymer were evaluated by UV, IR, XPS and 1H NMR. The results indicated that the interactions should be cooperative hydrogen bonds produced by self-assembling of the template and the monomer. The stoichiometric mole ratio of COT-MAA complex is 1 : 2. Furthermore, nitrogen atom of the pyridine ring and oxygen atom of the lactam group in cotinine molecular are hydrogen-bond acceptors, being the predominant binding sites interacting with the functional monomer. PMID- 17763781 TI - [Investigation on the fluorescence spectroscopy of normal and malignant rectum tissues]. AB - In the present article the fluorescence characteristics of normal and malignant rectum organ tissues of 12 samples were investigated in vitro using UV (200-400 nm) fluorescence spectroscopy and compared with the results of the infrared spectra of normal and malignant rectum organ tissues. The results showed that the fluorescence intensity of normal rectal tissue was higher than that of rectal malignant tissue. The difference in fluorescence intensity at 492 and 544 nm between normal rectal tissue and malignant tissue may be considered as a detection criterion. PMID- 17763782 TI - [Fluorescence properties of C60-glucocorticoids]. AB - C60 and its derivatives have become a research hotspot because of their unique structures, physical and chemical properties. The fluorescence properties of C60 and its derivatives are an important research embranchment of the fullerene science field. In the present paper the fluorescence properties of C60 glucocorticoids were firstly investigated. When excited with the wavelength of 350 nm at room temperature, C60-glucocorticoids displayed the fluorescence emission in chloroform at 447 nm. The sixty carbon atoms of C60 molecule are equivalent, belonging to the Ih group, and presenting high symmetry. It is difficult to observe the fluorescence of C60 under the same condition because of the high symmetry of C60 molecule. The fluorescence emission of C60 glucocorticoids is probably due to the decrease in the high symmetry of C60 molecule. Moreover, the fluorescence emission at 447 nm of a series of concentrations (10-13 micromol x L(-1)) of C60-glucocorticoids chloroform solutions excited at 350 nm was determined, and the result indicated that the C60 glucocorticoids in chloroform could quench itself's fluorescence intensity. Within the concentration range of 10-64 micromol x L(-1), the fluorescence intensity increased along with the accretion of the concentration. When the concentration of C60-glucocorticoids was greater than 64 micromol x L(-1) the fluorescence intensity decreased gradually. PMID- 17763784 TI - [Study on the interaction of hemoglobin and Cu(II)-ARS complex]. AB - The reaction of hemoglobin (Hb) with copper(II)-Alizarin red S (ARS) complex was studied in H3PO4-KH2PO4 buffer solution (pH 4. 2) by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. The results show that the interaction of Hb and Cu(II)-ARS complex produces red ionic association complex with its maximum absorption peak at 537 nm. At the maximum absorption, the composition of the complex was determined to be n(Hb) : n(Cu(II)) : n(ARS) =1 : 4 : 8, and the apparent molar absorptivity was 1.52 x 10(5) L x mol(-1) x cm(-1). The concentration of Hb is linear with the absorbency in the range of 1.0 x 10(-7)-2.0 x 10(-6) mol x L(-1) and the regression equation was established as A = 0.026 9 + 151 675c (mol x L( 1)) with the coefficient r = 0.997 2. The effects of solution acidity, reagent amount, reaction time, temperature, ionic strength and the added surfactant were examined on the formation of the Hb-Cu(II)-ARS complex. A preliminary investigation was carried out to elucidate the reaction mechanism, and it could be concluded that the Hb and Cu(II)-ARS complex are combined mainly by electrostatic attraction. Further investigation was also undertaken to find out the effects of common amino acids and metallic ions on the formation of Hb-Cu(II) ARS complex. PMID- 17763783 TI - [Preparation of lomefloxacin-Tb3+ nanoparticles modified by PVP via microwave assistance and its properties of fluorescence]. AB - Polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)-modified LFLX-Tb3+ nanoparticles were prepared by microwave radiation method. The obtained products were characterized by means of SEM, FTIR and fluorescence spectra. The surface-modified LFLX-Tb3+ nanoparticles showed a narrow size distribution and enhanced luminescence property compared with that of the unmodified ones. These results were attibuted to the surface passivation of the LFLX-Tb3+ nanoparticles by the PVP molecules. It is confirmed that the addition dosage of PVP is an important factor in the preparation of the LFLX-Tb3+ nanoparticles. The reasons for luminescence enhancement were discussed. PMID- 17763785 TI - [Studies on the anion recognition of N-aryl-N'-(4-ethyloxybenzoyl) thioureas derivatives by spectroscopy]. AB - The interactions of N-aryl-N'-(4-ethyloxybenzoyl) thioureas derivatives and anions such as F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, CH3COO-, H2POT4-, HSO4- and NO3- in DMSO were investigated by UV-Vis and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The results showed that hydrogen- bonding complexes were formed between receptors and the three anions such as F-, CH3COO- and H2PO4-, and the solutions turned light yellow from colorlessness, but there had no evident binding with Cl-, Br-, I-, HSO4- and NO3-. It was regular that the two receptors had different binding ability with F-, CH3COO- and H2PO4-. For the same anion, the association constants followed the trend: receptor 1a > receptor 1b. The UV-Vis data indicated that a 1 : 1 stoichiometry complex was formed. PMID- 17763786 TI - [Synthesis and study on the interaction of rare earth complexes of N', N-bis(2 pyridinecarboxamide)-1, 2-ethane with DNA]. AB - Four rare earth complexes of N', N-bis(2-pyridinecarboxamide)-1, 2-ethane were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, conductivity measurement, thermal studies, IR and electronic spectra. The composition of the four complexes is [Ln(H2L)(NO3)2](NO3) x 3H2O (Ln=Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb). Results of spectral measurements indicate that the oxygen of carbonyl and the nitrogen of pyridyl coordinate with Ln(III) respectively, and the NO3- shows bidentate coordination. So the four complexes are 1 : 1 chelated complexes. The interaction between [Sm(H2L) (NO3)2](NO3) x 3H2O and DNA was studied by employing UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectra, fluorescence spectra and SERS spectra. Experimental results show that with the incremental addition of DNA, the bands at 265 nm show hypochromism accompanied by a small red shift and the binding constant Kb Obtained is 1.24 x 10(5). Meanwhile fluorescence spectra show that the addition of [Sm(H2L) (NO3)2] (NO3) x 3H2O to DNA pretreated with EB causes an appreciable reduction in fluorescence intensity, indicating that the complex competes with ethidium bromide in binding to DNA, and free ethidium bromide increases. The addition of DNA causes the SERS signals of the complex to weaken and the band at 1 282 cm(-1) to disappear, which suggests that the planar pyridine molecule of the ligand may partly be inserted into the double-stranded helix plane in DNA, making pi electronic density of aromatic rings in complex change. The above phenomena indicate that [Sm(H2L) (NO3)] (NO3) x 3H2O interacts intensively with DNA. PMID- 17763787 TI - [Studies on the interaction between RNA with neutral red and determination of RNA by spectrophotometry]. AB - An analytical method for the determination of ribonucleic acid by spectrophotometry was established. At the maximum absorption wavelength for neutral red in B-R buffer solution, and under the best conditions, the decrease in the absorbance was linear with the amount of ribonucleic acid. The linearity range was 0.0-9.0 microg x mL(-1), the detection limit was 0.52 microg x mL(-1), and the correlation coeffient was 0.999 8. This method was simple, rapid, and selective. So its application to the determination of ribonucleic acid was satisfactory. The reaction mechanism was that the electrostatic interaction leads to molecular association of RNA with neutral red, resulting in anti-ion permutation and bonding reaction. PMID- 17763788 TI - [Preparation and spectral analysis of coordination compounds of chitosan with Ce(III), Zr(IV), Pb(II) and Cd(II)]. AB - Coordination compounds of chistosan (CTS) with Ce(III), Zr(IV), Pb(II) and Cd(II) (M-CTS) were prepared, which were synthesized by the reaction of CTS with cerium nitrate, zirconium nitrate, cadmium sulfate, and lead nitrate in acid systems. The coordination compounds were characterized by infrared spectrum (IR), X-ray diffraction spectrum (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS). The results showed that the N atom in amidogen of CTS coordinates with Cd in the coordination compounds of Cd-CTS, while in the coordination compounds of Ce-CTS, Zr-CTS and Pb CTS, the N atom in amidogen and O atom in hydroxyl of CTS participate in the coordination reaction. It is suggested that the coordination bonds are different with the change of heavy metal ions. PMID- 17763789 TI - [Simultaneous determination of iron, copper and cobalt in food samples by diode array detection-flow injection analysis using partial least squares calibration model]. AB - A flow injection-CCD-diode array detection spectrophotometric method using partial least squares (PLS) algorithm for the simultaneous determination of iron, copper and cobalt in food samples has been established. The method was based on the chromogenic reaction between metallic ions and 5-Br-PADAP in the presence of acetic acid-acetic sodium buffer solution (pH 5) containing 30 g x L(-1) ascorbic acid and 2% (phi) Triton X-100. The overlapped spectra of these complexes were collected by CCD diode array detector and the multi-wavelength absorbance data were processed using partial least squares algorithm. The reaction conditions and analytical parameters of FIA were investigated. The food samples can be analyzed without any separation after digestion, and the sampling rate was 45 x h(-1). The linear ranges of Fe2+, Cu+ and Co2+ were 0.2-10.0 microg x mL(-1), 0.1-5.0 microg x mL(-1), and 0.01-1.0 microg x mL(-1) and the detection limits were 0.2, 0.1 and 0.01 microg x mL(-1), respectively. The average recoveries of spiked samples were 89.4%-110.8% for the three elements. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of samples was in the range of 1.1%-12.1%. Comparing the proposed method with ICP AES, the relative error was below 12.1%. Above all, this method is simple, quick, sensitive, selective, and easy to be apply and generalize. PMID- 17763790 TI - [Determination of trace impurities in high purity titanium dioxide by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry]. AB - An analytical method using high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS) for the rapid simultaneous determination of twenty six elements (Be, Na, Mg, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, Ce, Nd, Sm, Pt, Pb and Bi) in high purity titanium dioxide was described. Samples were decomposed by (NH4)2SO4 and H2SO4. Most of the spectral interferences could be avoided by measuring in the high-resolution mode. The matrix effects due to the presence of excess sulfuric acid and Ti were evaluated. The optimum conditions for the determination were tested and discussed. The standard addition method was employed for quantitative analysis. The detection limits are 0.004-0.63 microg x g(-1), the recovery ratio is 87.6%-106.4%, and the RSD is less than 3.5%. The method is accurate, quick and convenient. It has been applied to the determination of trace impurities in high purity titanium dioxide with satisfactory results. PMID- 17763791 TI - [Determination of trace heavy metal elements in cortex Phellodendron chinense by ICP-MS after microwave-assisted digestion]. AB - An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for determination of the contents of 8 trace heavy metal elements in cortex Phellodendron chinense after microwave-assisted digestion of the sample has been developed. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by the analysis of corresponding trace heavy metal elements in standard reference materials (GBW 07604 and GBW 07605). By applying the proposed method, the contents of 8 trace heavy metal elements in cortex Phellodendron chinense cultivated in different areas (in Bazhong, Yibin and Yingjing, respectively) of Sichuan and different growth period (6, 8 and 10 years of samples from Yingjing) were determined. The relative standard deviation (RSD) is in the range of 3.2%-17.8% and the recoveries of standard addition are in the range of 70%-120%. The results of the study indicate that the proposed method has the advantages of simplicity, speediness and sensitivity. It is suitable for the determination of the contents of 8 trace heavy metal elements in cortex Phellodendron chinense. The results also show that the concentrations of 4 harmful trace heavy metal elements As, Cd, Hg and Pb in cortex Phellodendron chinense are all lower than the limits of Chinese Pharmacopoeia and Green Trade Standard for Importing and Exporting Medicinal Plant and Preparation. Therefore, the cortex Phellodendron chinense is fit for use as medicine and export. PMID- 17763792 TI - [Application of ICP-MS to detection of heavy metals in soil from different cropping systems]. AB - With the rapid development of the society, more and more attention has been paid to the influence of human activity on environment and food pollution. Soils of different cropping systems, sampled from Daxing district of Beijing, were analyzed in terms of the contents of heavy metals (Ti, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) by the method of ICP-MS to determine the influence of cropping system on environment. The results showed that the contents of nine heavy metals in soils from the cropping systems (fruits and maize/wheat) were several times higher than those from vegetable system. Contents of Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Cd were the highest in soils from fruit system, while Ti and Pb the highest in soils from maize/wheat system. The causes of the above differences could be the different harvest organs for different crops. PMID- 17763793 TI - [Study on the determinations of Ni, Fe, Mo, Mn and B in Ti/TiC composite material by atomic emission spectrometry]. AB - The present paper describes the determination of trace Ni, Fe, Mo, Mn and B in Ti/TiC composite material using carbon powder, calcium carbonate, cupric oxide and beryllium oxide-as buffer by atomic emission spectrometry (ASE). Be 298.61 nm was selected as internal standard line. Sample separation and chemistry treatment were not requirel. The sample was directly loaded into ordinary electrode. The method is simple, rapid and accurate. The requirement of determination, and factors of influence were studied. A new method has developed for the determination of Ni, Fe, Mo, Mn and B. The analysis lines of Ni, Fe, Mo, Mn and B are 300.36, 248.33, 315.82, 260.57 and 249.68 nm respectively. The internal standard line of Be is 298.61 nm. The linear ranges of the determination of Ni, Fe, Mo, Mn and B are 0.003%-0.30%, 0.001%-0.20%, 0.003%-0.30%, 0.001%-0.20%, 0.001%-0.20% respectively. The detection limits of Ni, Fe, Mo, Mn and B are 0.003%; 0.001%, 0.003%, 0.001% and 0.001% respectively. The ranges of the recovery of Ni, Fe, Mo, Mn and B are 95.80%-104.8%, and the standard relative deviations (RSD) are less than 5.0% (n = 9). The method has been applied to the determination of Ni, Fe, Mo, Mn and B with satisfactory results. PMID- 17763794 TI - [Study on phase distribution and release of heavy metal in pyrite using sequential extraction procedure and ICP-MS]. AB - Heavy metal elements of V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sb, Ba and Pb were determined by ICP-MS. The linear ranges of determination for these elements were obtained, and the correlation coefficients were larger than 0.997. The detection limit ranges were from 0.005 to 0.01 microg x L(-1) and the RSDs were lower than 5%. Phase distributions of heavy metals in pyrite were analyzed by ICP-MS with sequential extraction procedure. The result showed that Pb was the main heavy metal in pyrite and its total content was 830 mg x kg(-1). Pb existed mostly in carbonate or galena (PbS) phase of pyrite and the proportion was 56.9%. Pb existed less in iron oxides with 29.7% in proportion, and least in sulfide and silicate with 3.5% and 9.9%, respectively. The release of Pb in pyrite was primary in natural environment, but the release of Cr and Cd was not be ignorable, too. PMID- 17763795 TI - [Determination of 27 elements in tobacco by ICP-MS using microwave digestion for sample preparation]. AB - While the organic and biologically active components in tobacco smoke are well characterized, it is also important to know which inorganic elements are contained in tobacco. In the present paper, the determination of Be, Na, Mg, K, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Cs, Ba, Hg, Tl, Pb, Th and U in tobacco leaves was studied by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Samples were digested in a mixture of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide by closed-vessel microwave digestion. The instrumental operating conditions were optimized for the measurement of above 17 elements. Ge, In and Bi were used as internal standard elements to compensate matrix effect and signal drift. The precision of measurement ranges from 1.28% to 9.18% in terms of relative standard deviation. The recoveries for spiking tobacco samples and the limits of detection are in the range of 93.64%-108.9% and 0.356 3 ng x L(-1) 1.725 microg x L(-1), respectively. The results of experiment show that the method can meet the requirements of trace analysis. PMID- 17763796 TI - [Determination of harmful elements in various fish tissues by ICP-AES]. AB - Twelve kinds of fish tissues were wetly decomposed and the harmful elements of Cd, As, Pb and Hg were determined by ICP-AES method in the present paper. The techniques for operating ICP instrument were optimized, spectral interference for elements in special wavelength range was studied, and the correction factor of IECs model was established. The results indicated that the signal to noise ratio and detection limit for elements with higher ionization potential energy may be improved by increasing the radio generator power properly and reducing the nebulizer pressure. There were Cr, Cu, As, Sn and Na elements that mainly disturbed the determined elements such as As (189.042 nm), Pb (220.353 nm), Cd (228.802 nm) and Hg (184.950 nm). The primary contaminating elements in tissues of freshwater fish and seawater fish were Pb and As respectively. PMID- 17763797 TI - [Determination of trace elements in radix ophiopogonis by HG-ICP-AES]. AB - In this paper, a method of microwave digestion technique for the contents determination of trace elements Ni, Zn, Mn, Cu, Mg, Fe, Ca and Pb in radix ophiopogonis by hydride generation inductively coupled plasma atomic emition spectrometry (HG-ICP-AES) was reported. Its recovery ratio obtained by standard addition method ranged between 97.8% and 102.5%, and its RSD was lower than 4.0%. The results of the determination show that radix ophiopogonis is rich in the inorganic elements such as Fe, and the content of Zn in radix ophiopogonis of Zhejiang is much higher in radix ophiopogonis of Sichun. The result will provide scientific data for the study on the elements in radix ophiopogonis and on their relativity of medicine efficacy. PMID- 17763798 TI - [Study on determination of metal elements in honeysuckle by carbon pick-up acid dissolvation digestion with ICP-AES]. AB - Honeysuckle is a lonicera plant, commonly used traditional precious raw material for medicine in China, and is a commonly used Chinese native medicine and an important material for cold drink. Honeysuckle has the effect of alleviating fever and disintoxicating, and is used mainly to treat the carbuncular swelling, and cure boils, throat rheumatism, erysipelas, painfully hot sun blood dysentery, cold, and various diseases accompanied by fever. The simultaneous determination of multi-metal elements in honeysuckle was studied by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrum (ICP-AES) after carbon pick-up acid dissolvation digestion. The average recovery of the method for Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Fe, Cr, Ca and Mg in honeysuckle was found to be 83.8%-115.6%, while RSD (n = 10) is 1.1%-4.9% for the multi-elements in honeysuckle. The method was applied to the analysis of some practical samples and the results obtained were satisfactory. Fe and Mn are rather rich in honeysuckle. It is of important significance to assess the value of the food cooked with medicinal herbs by the determination of multi-trace elements. PMID- 17763799 TI - [Filter coated with phenyl fluorone for enrichment and determination of indium by GFAAS]. AB - The filter fiber column coated with phenyl fluorone was extended to pre concentrate trace amount of indium determined by GFAAS. The optimized condition for filter fiber coated with phenyl fluorone was obtained. The enrichment condition was achieved when the pregnant solution at pH 5 flowed through the filter fiber column at the rate of less than 2.0 mL x min(-1), then 8mL HNO3 of 5.00 mol x L(-1) was used as an eluent. With a general graphite tube coated with tungsten and silver as matrix modifier, the sensitivity was enhanced with GFAAS. The method was validated by the determination of trace indium in water, artificial zinc, and aluminium samples. The detection limit of the method was 0.32 ng x mL(-1), the recovery was in the range of 95.0%-101%, and the RSD was between 1.8% and 7.0%. PMID- 17763800 TI - [Determination of inorganic elements in different parts of Sonchus oleraceus L by flame atomic absorption spectrometry]. AB - Flame atomic absorption spectrometry with air-acetylene flame was used for the determination of inorganic metal elements in different parts ( flower, leaf, stem and root) of Sonchus oleraceus L. The contents of Ca, Mg, K, Na, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cr, Co, Ni, Pb and Cd in the flower, leaf, stem and root of Sonchus oleraceus L were compared. The order from high to low of the additive weight (microg x g(-1)) for the 13 kinds of metal elements is as follows: leaf (77 213.72) > flower (47 927.15) > stem(42 280.99) > root (28 131.18). From the experimental results it was found that there were considerable differences in the contents of the metal elements in different parts, and there were richer contents of Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu in root and flower, which are necessary to human health, than in other parts. PMID- 17763801 TI - [Study on different digestion methods for determination of twelve metal elements in the plant Platycodon Grandi florum (Jacq.) A. DC. by FAAS]. AB - In the present paper the effects of different digestion methods on determining the amount of metal elements in the plant platycodon grandi florum (Jacq.) A. DC. by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry(FAAS) are reported. FAAS method was established for the determination of K, Mg, Ca, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cd and Cr and Pb in the plant platycodon grandi florum (Jacq.) A. DC. The samples were incinerated and followed by digestion with HNO3-HClO (phi, 4 : 1) at 90-95 degrees C and normal pressure. In the meantime, the optimum parameters of FAAS and effects of solution medium on the results were discussed. The analytical results of K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn were 13 226.32, 922.57, 1 710.72, 9.23, 336.66, 8.75 and 19.62 microg x g(-1) respectively, while Co, Ni, Cd, Cr and Pb were not checked out in the samples. The results showed that the recovery of standard addition was 95.45Y-105.50% and the relative standard deviation (n = 9) was 0.34%-5.78%. The method is quick, simple and convenient, and the results are satisfactory. PMID- 17763802 TI - [Determination of the amount of 13 metal elements in the rape pollen from different regions by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry]. AB - The objective of the present paper was to determine the amount of metal elements in the rape pollen from different regions by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS). FAAS method was established for the determination of K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cd, Cr and Pb in the rape pollen. The samples were incinerated and then digested with HNO3-HClO4 (V : V = 4 : 1) at 90-95 degrees C and under normal pressure. In the meantime, the optimum parameters of FAAS and the effects of solution medium on the results were studied. The analytical results of K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn rape pollen from different habitats respectively were 4 248.00, 75.77, 312.10, 856.61, 599.53, 8.78, 27.82, 22.54 microg x g(-1) and 7 585.75, 242.56, 287.88, 699.43, 1 020.65, 10.25, 40.44, 30.97 microg x g(-1), while Co, Ni, Cd, Cr and Pb were not checked out in the samples. The results showed that the recovery of standard addition was 95.22% 105.49%, and the RSD(n = 9) was 0.30%-5.00%. The characteristic method is quick, simple and convenient, and the results are satisfactory. PMID- 17763803 TI - [Spectral measurement system and laser therapy experiments for port wine stains]. AB - To measure and analyze the spectrum of a small skin region for laser therapy of port wine stain is very useful for clinical doctor to understand the optical characters of patient's pigmented skin, to adjust the output parameters of lasers and then to improve the therapy effects. Based on the analysis of the forming mechanism of port wine stains and clinical operation of the disease, the present paper presents an automatic spectral measurement and analysis system for port wine stain therapy. It can accomplish the spectral detection in the range from 380 to 780 nm, with a spectral resolution of 1 nm. Experiments were performed for patients with various age and pigment diseases; finally, some influencing factors and relevant solutions are enumerated and discussed. PMID- 17763804 TI - [Determination of lead with GFAAS using online flow injection]. AB - A cheap, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of trace amount of lead in water samples by graphite furnace absorption spectrometry coupled with online flow injection preconcentration with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarboxylate chelating cellulose (CC-APDC) was developed. There were six steps in the preconcentration of flow injection: first, 0.15 mL nitric acid was used for a complete elution, which exceeded the volume of the graphite tube, so the 40 mL solution was removed before eluting. Secondly, 40 mL maximum concentration elution solution was added to GFAAS by fixed volume sampling to improve the accuracy. In addition, traditional stopping gas measurement was substituted with small flow gas atomization (30 mL x min(-1), preconcention for 1 min) during the removal of high memory effect for ashing stage in graphite furnace, which develops tail-out phenomenon and makes blank value low and steady. Various parameters affecting the adsorption and elution, such as pH of the solution, eluent concentration, sample flow rate etc, were optimized. If miniflow in atomization step was used, the memory effect in the determination of lead by GFAAS could be removed. The CC-APDC was used for preparation and preconcentration. A good precision (RSD = 1.4%, n = 10), high enrichment factor (15) and sample throughput (50 h) with detection limit 0.12 microg x L(-1) were obtained. This method has been successfully applied to the water sample for lead determination with a recovery of 95%-105%. PMID- 17763805 TI - [An underestimated technique for the management of shoulder dystocia: the all fours manoeuvre]. AB - In two pregnant women, parturition was complicated by severe shoulder dystocia. Conventional techniques for the management of this complication of labour failed. By means of the all-fours manoeuvre in combination with conventional techniques it was possible to deliver the babies. Both mothers had received epidural anaesthesia, which did not cause any difficulty during the use of the all-fours procedure. Both newborn infants had low 1-minute Apgar scores and suffered from a brachial-plexus injury. No major maternal morbidity was associated with the use of this procedure. These cases emphasize the importance of keeping obstetrical ward personnel well-trained with multidisciplinary simulation sessions, as well as the importance of proper documentation of the management of this complication. PMID- 17763806 TI - [Measuring the blood pressure in both arms is subject to discussion]. AB - The recommendation to measure, at least once, the blood pressure in both arms is not without dispute. Several observations argue against such a recommendation. These include left-to-right asymmetry in cases of vascular rigidity and atherosclerotic lesions in both arms, and the variability of blood pressure. The latter may preclude any meaningful comparison between measurements taken in the left and right arm if these measurements are not obtained simultaneously. PMID- 17763807 TI - [Evaluating new tests for liver damage: still a long way to go]. AB - Because of its limitations and risks, alternatives are being developed for liver biopsy as the first-line method for evaluating liver injury. Many markers and several imaging methods have been developed as non-invasive alternatives. Although these methods have been evaluated in studies published in peer-reviewed journals, the methodological rigor of the design, execution and analysis of these studies leaves much to be desired. In addition, some of the inventors of these methods, who have become shareholders of the companies that market these tests, can be found frequently in the list of authors. The way in which new medical tests are evaluated can be improved, as well as the level of independence from conflicting interests. PMID- 17763808 TI - [Diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis]. AB - Liver biopsy is the gold standard in the diagnosis of liver diseases, despite its limitations, such as sampling error and its invasive nature. Given the increasing prevalence ofhepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis, new non-invasive methods are being developed as a substitute for liver biopsy. Transient elastography (Fibroscan), which measures the stiffness of the liver by means of ultrasound as a measure of fibrosis and cirrhosis, is simple to perform and the inter- and intra-observer variability is small. The accuracy, in relation to liver biopsy, is high in discriminating between cirrhosis and fibrosis, but lower for discriminating between the different stages offibrosis. The Fibrotest is the most investigated combination of serum markers for fibrosis. Its accuracy is lower than that ofa liver biopsy. In the years to come, more research by various independent research groups is needed with the Fibroscan method and the combination of serum markers in different groups of patients and with standardised cut-off points; these must be compared with liver biopsies of sufficient length. In this way, the value of these non-invasive methods can be evaluated. A possible future role for serum markers is to combine them with the Fibroscan, whereby a discrepancy between the different tests could be an indication for a liver biopsy. PMID- 17763809 TI - [Diagnostic image (331). A man with abdominal distension]. AB - A 70-year-old man had abdominal distension and pain without fever for two weeks, caused by a sigmoid perforation due to a chicken bone. PMID- 17763810 TI - [Measuring the blood pressure in both arms is of little use; longitudinal study into blood pressure differences between both arms and its reproducibility in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of inter-arm blood pressure differences > 10 mmHg in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) and to determine whether these differences are consistent over time. DESIGN: Descriptive. METHOD: In an evaluation study of 169 DM2 patients from 5 general practices in 2003 and 2004, different methods of oscillatory measurement were used to investigate inter-arm blood pressure differences > 10 mmHg systolic or diastolic. These methods were: one measurement in each arm non-simultaneously (method A), one measurement simultaneously (B) and the mean of two simultaneous measurements (C). RESULTS: With method A an inter-arm blood pressure difference was found in 33% of patients. This percentage diminished to 9 with method C. In 44% (n = 7) of the patients in whom method C detected a relevant blood pressure difference, this difference was not found with method A. In 79% of patients the inter-arm blood pressure difference was not reproduced after one year. CONCLUSION: In daily practice, one non-simultaneous blood pressure measurement in each arm (method A) was of little value for identification of patients with inter-arm blood pressure differences. The reproducibility was poor one year later. Bilateral blood pressure measurement is therefore of little value. PMID- 17763811 TI - [Increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding or ulcers when using spironolactone: a case-control study]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To study the association between the use of spironolactone and the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding or ulcers. DESIGN: Case-control study. METHOD: The study used the computerized 'integrated primary care information' (IPCI) database in the Netherlands. All persons, 18 years or older during the study period from January 1st 1996 through September 30th 2003 with at least one year of valid case history were included. Patients with a medical history of alcoholism or gastrointestinal cancer were excluded. For each case of gastroduodenal ulcer or upper gastrointestinal bleeding, 10 controls were sampled from the same database, matched on age (year of birth), gender and index date. The association between the use ofspironolactone, calculated from the number of general practitioners' prescriptions, and the occurrence of an upper gastrointestinal event (upper gastrointestinal bleeding or ulcers) was analysed by means of a conditional logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Within the source population of 306,645 patients, 523 cases with gastric or duodenal ulcers or upper gastrointestinal bleeding were identified and matched with 5,230 controls. Current use of spironolactone was associated with a 2.7-fold (adjusted odds ratio (OR); 95% CI: 1.2-6.0) increased risk of gastrointestinal events. This risk was higher in patients on high dosages and was the highest in patients using spironolactone in combination with an ulcerogenic drug (NSAIDs, platelet aggregation inhibitors, corticosteroids or vitamin K antagonist) (adjusted OR: 7.3; 95% CI: 2.9-18.7). CONCLUSION: The risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding or ulcer was increased 2.7 times when spironolactone was used. PMID- 17763812 TI - [Wegener's granulomatosis in 2 adolescents]. AB - Wegener's granulomatosis was diagnosed in 2 boys, aged 17 and 16 years. The first presented with pain in the right flank, without coughing or dyspnoea. He did have peaks of fever, night sweats, weight loss, headache, and epistaxis. The second presented with progressive dyspnoea, haemoptysis, malaise, and headache. Because an infection was suspected, both were given antibiotics, but without effect. Chest X-rays revealed infiltrative abnormalities. A lung biopsy in the first patient and a nasal biopsy in the second revealed a granulomatous inflammation, and both patients had an elevated titre of antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), with a cytoplasmic pattern, and an elevated result of the ELISA test for antiproteinase-3 (PR3). Both patients recovered after aggressive immunosuppressive treatment. Wegener's granulomatosis is a systemic necrotising vasculitis, mostly localised in airways and kidneys. The disease is very rare in children, but may be life-threatening. Therefore, in children with pulmonary problems resistant to antibiotics, it is important to consider a diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis and test for ANCA and PR3. PMID- 17763813 TI - [Congenital pain-insensitivity syndrome; a rare indication of the benefit of pain]. AB - A 34-year-old woman with a known congenital pain-insensitivity syndrome presented because of increasing weakness and sensory loss in her right leg. The cause was a rapidly progressive partial caudal compression syndrome in the absence ofknown prior trauma. Radiology revealed a lumbar Charcot spine, i.e. total destruction of the spine with compression of the dural sac. Emergency surgery included opening of the lumbar canal and spondylodesis. Postoperatively, there was almost full neurological recovery. In the pathogenesis the absence of protective pain sensation combined with trophic degeneration due to neurovascular dysregulation may play a role. PMID- 17763814 TI - [Manuel Straub, editor-in-chief of the Dutch Journal of Medicine 1896-1903]. AB - Manuel Straub (1858-1916) was a versatile researcher who was not allowed to take his doctoral degree as he had not studied classical languages, however he nonetheless obtained a chair in Ophthalmology. As fifth General Editor he developed the first bylaws for the Dutch Journal of Medicine Society thereby providing the periodical with a foundation for the new century. PMID- 17763815 TI - [Clinical practice is the most important environment to acquire clinical knowledge]. AB - The amount of learning devoted to clinical teaching in medical schools is under pressure from increased amounts of time devoted to so-called 'basic sciences' and recent emphasis on non-medical competencies. Clinical teaching, in direct contact with real patients and supervised by experienced clinical teachers, should remain the core of medical education. Competing subjects should be regarded as important, but limited, corollaries. PMID- 17763816 TI - [Clinical knowledge cannot only be acquired in practice]. AB - Methodological training is necessary in order to cope with the ever-growing volume of knowledge by clinical experience. This training involves ways of reasoning and collecting relevant evidence. This type of instruction should be given in concurrence with the first exercises in clinical reasoning. Such instruction should focus on acquisition of the ability to clearly substantiate decisions made during medical practice. PMID- 17763817 TI - [Electromagnetic fields: damage to health due to the nocebo effect]. PMID- 17763818 TI - [Electromagnetic fields: damage to health due to the nocebo effect]. PMID- 17763819 TI - A study of lower extremity amputation rates in older diabetic South Carolinians. AB - Several studies have shown that lower extremity non-traumatic amputations for diabetic patients disproportionately affect senior minorities. Our study uses population and Medicare data from the year 2000 to profile the magnitude of this disparity by county in South Carolina and its relation to race, gender, per capita income, and the number of primary care physicians. Data from 1998-2001 is used to investigate trends in amputation rates for the state as a whole and for individual counties. Lower extremity non-traumatic amputation (LEA) rates in black diabetic Medicare patients are more than twice that of White diabetic Medicare patients. In 2000, the three counties with the highest LEA rates for black males were Barnwell (5.06%), Allendale (4.87%), and Florence (4.50%). LEA rates are not related to the number of primary care physicians per 10,000 county residents or per capita income. All gender/race groups saw declines in LEA rates. Although our study could not explain the socioeconomic factors involved, it does mirror other prior studies that show a racial disparity in LEAs. Similarly, men have a greater risk of diabetic non-traumatic LEAs. Interestingly however, having more primary care physicians per 10,000 county residents does not decrease the rate of amputations. Policy makers and insurance brokers may utilize our findings to target the areas of most need for intervention and further studies. Improved adherence to guidelines by primary care physicians, decreasing barriers to health care access, educating patients about the severity of diabetes and its complications, and providing more culturally competent care may lessen the burden of this disability for our minority patients. In the era of "pay for performance", the rate of LEAs as a proxy of poor diabetic care management must clearly improve. Fortunately, the decrease in LEA rates over time as shown in our study is a step in the right direction. However, the decrease is not consistent across all counties in South Carolina. PMID- 17763820 TI - Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) in the upstate: effectiveness of surgical sperm removal techniques in conjunction with ICSI to promote the success of pregnancy. AB - With aspiration of sperm directly from the epididymis (MESA) or extracted from the testis (TESA) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, it is possible to provide men who are incapable of producing viable sperm in an ejaculate the ability to overcome this severe sperm defect and produce a successful pregnancy. In our practice, 10 of 26 ART cycles have had successful pregnancies with a total of 17 children being delivered. Thus, MESA/TESE techniques coupled with ICSI provide this population of patients with a viable option for producing offspring. PMID- 17763821 TI - Early dislodgement of percutaneous and endoscopic gastrostomy tube. AB - One of the most serious complications of PEG tube placement is the inadvertent removal of the gastrostomy tube. This case report describes an elderly patient with a severe mental disorder who inadvertently pulled her PEG tube only hours after insertion and the subsequent therapeutic maneuvers to save it. If this occurs within 14 days of insertion, a mature tract has not adequately developed and blind reinsertion should not be attemped. In review of the literature, endoscopic replacement is preferred over celiotomy in the absence of peritonitis and this can be attempted early after dislodgement. Septic complications are not increased and gastric leakage does not appear to be clinically significant in patients with premature dislodgement of the gastrostomy tube. Alternatively, careful observation can also be recommended for several days in the absence of peritonitis and reinsertion may occur endoscopically 5 to 7 days later. If peritonitis develops, then laparoscopic exploration is recommended. Dislodgment of the tube by the patient can be prevented by appropriate patient selection, and securing and protecting the tube after placement. Patients with a history of pulling tubes and intravenous lines should undergo PEG placement using T fastners. PMID- 17763822 TI - Health care disparities in racial and ethnic minority populations. PMID- 17763823 TI - Cancer epidemiology and outcomes for the State of South Carolina. PMID- 17763824 TI - Racial disparities in health care. PMID- 17763825 TI - The seven basic virtues in medicince: VI. Hope. PMID- 17763827 TI - Sumoylation regulates diverse biological processes. AB - Ten years after its discovery, the small ubiquitin-like protein modifier (SUMO) has emerged as a key regulator of proteins. While early studies indicated that sumoylation takes place mainly in the nucleus, an increasing number of non nuclear substrates have recently been identified, suggesting a wider stage for sumoylation in the cell. Unlike ubiquitylation, which primarily targets a substrate for degradation, sumoylation regulates a substrate's functions mainly by altering the intracellular localization, protein-protein interactions or other types of post-translational modifications. These changes in turn affect gene expression, genomic and chromosomal stability and integrity, and signal transduction. Sumoylation is counter-balanced by desumoylation, and well-balanced sumoylation is essential for normal cellular behaviors. Loss of the balance has been associated with a number of diseases. This paper reviews recent progress in the study of SUMO pathways, substrates, and cellular functions and highlights important findings that have accelerated advances in this study field and link sumoylation to human diseases. PMID- 17763826 TI - Custom-designed zinc finger nucleases: what is next? AB - Custom-designed zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs)--proteins designed to cut at specific DNA sequences--combine the non-specific cleavage domain (N) of Fok I restriction endonuclease with zinc finger proteins (ZFPs). Because the recognition specificities of the ZFPs can be easily manipulated experimentally, ZFNs offer a general way to deliver a targeted site-specific double-strand break (DSB) to the genome. They have become powerful tools for enhancing gene targeting -the process of replacing a gene within a genome of cells via homologous recombination (HR)--by several orders of magnitude. ZFN-mediated gene targeting thus confers molecular biologists with the ability to site-specifically and permanently alter not only plant and mammalian genomes but also many other organisms by stimulating HR via a targeted genomic DSB. Site-specific engineering of the plant and mammalian genome in cells so far has been hindered by the low frequency of HR. In ZFN-mediated gene targeting, this is circumvented by using designer ZFNs to cut at the desired chromosomal locus inside the cells. The DNA break is then patched up using the new investigator-provided genetic information and the cells' own repair machinery. The accuracy and high efficiency of the HR process combined with the ability to design ZFNs that target most DNA sequences (if not all) makes ZFN technology not only a powerful research tool for site specific manipulation of the plant and mammalian genomes, but also potentially for human therapeutics in the future, in particular for targeted engineering of the human genome of clinically transplantable stem cells. PMID- 17763828 TI - Higher-order aberrations and visual acuity after LASEK. AB - BACKGROUND: To determine ocular higher-order aberrations (HOAs) in eyes with supernormal vision after myopic astigmatic laser subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) and to compare the findings with those in eyes with natural supernormal vision. METHODS: Ocular HOAs were measured after LASEK in 20 eyes of 12 myopic astigmatic patients with postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) of >20/16 (group 1). Patients who were included in the study had no visual symptoms like glare, halo or double vision. The measurements were taken 8.3 +/- 3 months after LASEK surgery. In group 2 ocular HOAs were examined in 20 eyes of 10 subjects with natural UCVA of >20/16 as a control. Measurements were taken across a pupil with a diameter of 4.0 mm and 6.0 mm. Root-mean-square (RMS) values of HOAs, Z(3) 1, Z(3)1, Z(4)0, Z(5)-1, Z(5)1 and Z(6)0 were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean RMS values for each order were higher in group 1 when compared with group 2 at 4.0 mm and 6.0 mm pupil diameters. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in spherical and coma aberrations (P > 0.05). Mean RMS values for total HOAs were 0.187 +/- 0.09 microm at 4.0 mm and 0.438 +/- 0.178 microm at 6.0 mm pupil in group 1 and 0.120 +/- 0.049 microm at 4.0 mm and 0.344 +/- 0.083 microm at 6.0 mm pupil in group 2. The difference between groups in total HOAs was statistically significant at 4.0 mm and 6.0 mm pupil diameters (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Ocular HOAs exist in eyes with supernormal vision. After LASEK, the amount of HOAs of the eye increases under both mesopic and photopic conditions. However the amount of HOA increase does not seem to be consistent with visual symptoms. PMID- 17763829 TI - A learning strategy for predator preying on edible and inedible prey. AB - In this paper I propose a reinforcement learning model for a predator preying upon two types of prey, the unpalatable (noxious) models, and the palatable mimics. The latter type of prey resembles the models in appearance so as to derive some protection from the predator who must avoid the unpalatable models. Essentially the predator is treated as a learning automaton adopting a simple reinforcement learning strategy in order to increase its consumption of palatable prey and reduce the consumption of unpalatable ones. The populations of both mimics and models are assumed to grow logistically. PMID- 17763831 TI - Evaluation of the clearance of a sublingual buprenorphine spray in the beagle dog using gamma scintigraphy. AB - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate clearance from the buccal cavity and pharmacokinetic profiles of a sublingual spray formulation in the dog, to assist in interpretation of future pharmacokinetic studies. METHODS: Radiolabelled buprenorphine in a spray formulation (400 microg/100 microl in 30% ethanol) was administered sublingually to four beagle dogs, and the residence in the oral cavity was determined using gamma scintigraphy. Pharmacokinetic sampling was performed to facilitate correlation of location of dose with significant pharmacokinetic events. RESULTS: Scintigraphic imaging revealed that clearance of the formulation from the oral cavity was rapid, with a mean T 50% clearance of 0.86 +/- 0.46 min, and T 80% clearance of 2.75 +/- 1.52 min. In comparison, absorption of buprenorphine was relatively slow, with a T max of 0.56 +/- 0.13 h. Good buccal absorption despite short residence time can be explained by lipophilicity of buprenorphine enabling rapid sequestration into the oral mucosa, prior to diffusion and absorption directly into systemic circulation. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated rapid clearance of a sublingual solution from the canine oral cavity, with T 50% similar to results previously reported in man, providing initial confidence in using a conscious dog model to achieve representative residence times for a sublingual solution. PMID- 17763832 TI - Therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest: performance characteristics and safety of surface cooling with or without endovascular cooling. AB - INTRODUCTION: Various methods are available to induce and maintain therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest, but little data is available comparing device mediated cooling to simple surface methods in this setting. METHODS: To assess the performance characteristics of simple surface cooling with or without an endovascular cooling catheter system, we retrospectively reviewed all cases of hypothermia for comatose survivors of cardiac arrest treated at a single academically affiliated urban hospital. Forty two comatose survivors of cardiac arrest were treated over a 3.5-year period. Hypothermia was induced and maintained by simple surface methods (ice packs, cooling blankets) with or without placement of an endovascular cooling catheter system with automated temperature feedback regulation. RESULTS: Overall, the rate of active cooling was not different between patients treated with endovascular catheter-assisted hypothermia and patients treated with surface cooling alone. However, use of a larger (14 F) catheter was associated with faster cooling rates. Maintenance of goal temperature (33 degrees C) was far better controlled with the use of a cooling catheter. Use of surface cooling alone was associated with significant temperature overshoot. Patients treated with surface cooling alone spent more time bradycardic. CONCLUSION: Use of an endovascular cooling catheter as part of a treatment protocol for hypothermia after cardiac arrest provides better control during maintenance of hypothermia, preventing temperature overshoot. Active cooling rates may be enhanced by the use of a larger cooling catheter. PMID- 17763830 TI - Designer gene delivery vectors: molecular engineering and evolution of adeno associated viral vectors for enhanced gene transfer. AB - Gene delivery vectors based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) are highly promising due to several desirable features of this parent virus, including a lack of pathogenicity, efficient infection of dividing and non-dividing cells, and sustained maintenance of the viral genome. However, several problems should be addressed to enhance the utility of AAV vectors, particularly those based on AAV2, the best characterized AAV serotype. First, altering viral tropism would be advantageous for broadening its utility in various tissue or cell types. In response to this need, vector pseudotyping, mosaic capsids, and targeting ligand insertion into the capsid have shown promise for altering AAV specificity. In addition, library selection and directed evolution have recently emerged as promising approaches to modulate AAV tropism despite limited knowledge of viral structure-function relationships. Second, pre-existing immunity to AAV must be addressed for successful clinical application of AAV vectors. "Shielding" polymers, site-directed mutagenesis, and alternative AAV serotypes have shown success in avoiding immune neutralization. Furthermore, directed evolution of the AAV capsid is a high throughput approach that has yielded vectors with substantial resistance to neutralizing antibodies. Molecular engineering and directed evolution of AAV vectors therefore offer promise for generating 'designer' gene delivery vectors with enhanced properties. PMID- 17763833 TI - Determining intravenous rt-PA eligibility in the Emergency Department. AB - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement of Emergency Department (ED) attendings, ED residents, and neurology residents compared with stroke neurologists in the assessment of intravenous rt-PA eligibility. METHODS: A convenience sample of patients presenting with possible stroke symptoms to the University of Michigan Hospital ED from June 2003 to July 2004 was identified. A physician from each of four groups: ED attending, ED resident, neurology resident, and stroke neurology attending independently evaluated each patient for eligibility for intravenous (i.v.) rt-PA. Accuracy, sensitivity, and positive predictive value (PPV) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by physician type, compared with the stroke neurologist, for eligibility for i.v. rt PA. RESULTS: Exactly 36 (49%) out of the 73 evaluated patients were diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke and 11 were deemed eligible for treatment with i.v. tPA by the stroke neurologist. Agreement with the stroke neurologist for rt-PA eligibility was 93% [95% CI: 84%, 98%] (sensitivity = 82% [48%, 98%], PPV = 82% [48%, 99%]) for the ED attendings, 79% [65%, 90%] (sensitivity = 75% [35%, 97%], PPV = 43% [18% 71%]) for the ED residents, and 84% [73%, 92%] (sensitivity = 100% [74%, 100%], PPV = 52% [31%, 73%]) for the neurology residents. There were two false positive cases identified by ED attendings, eight, by ED residents, and 11 by neurology residents. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the agreement between ED attendings and stroke neurologists for determination of rt-PA eligibility is good. There is room for improvement, however, in the determination of acute stroke therapy eligibility in the ED setting especially among trainees. PMID- 17763834 TI - Use of prophylactic anticonvulsants in neurologic critical care: a critical appraisal. AB - Seizures are commonly encountered in the setting of brain injury in neurologic critical care. Though seizure prophylaxis with the use of antiepileptic drugs is frequently utilized in variety of brain injury paradigms, it is often not based on evidence and is controversial. Significant difficulties arise from interpretation of supporting literature due to lack of definitions for early-vs. late-seizures, variable end points with seizure prophylaxis, as well as methodologic inconsistencies for seizure detection. This descriptive review summarizes the existing literature on the use of prophylactic anticonvulsants in clinical paradigms commonly encountered in neurologic critical care and highlights the important controversies concerning their use. PMID- 17763835 TI - Intratympanic application of botulinum toxin: experiments in guinea pigs for excluding ototoxic effects. AB - The aim of the study was to exclude ototoxic side effects of intratympanally applied botulinum toxin. The background is that a transection of the tensor tympani tendon (tenotomy) may relieve symptoms of tinnitus due to myoclonic tensor contractions. Moreover, there are certain indications that in some cases tenotomy may influence the course of Meniere's disease positively. In such cases, a temporary (probatory) inactivation of the muscle with botulinum toxin might be better than a definitive surgical solution. Although in theory botulinum toxin should not have ototoxic side effects, a study on animals (guinea pigs) should prove this assumption. On eight guinea pigs (16 ears), the middle ear spaces (bullae) were opened and botulinum toxin was introduced. Hearing thresholds were measured via ABR recordings, prior to 1 and 3 weeks, respectively, after botulinum toxin application. Histological examinations of the middle ear mucosa were performed on each animal. In our series, the hearing thresholds remained essentially unchanged. Furthermore, no middle ear pathologies could be found in histology. No negative effects of botulinum toxin on hearing could be observed in our series. This is a precondition for the further development of the concept of intratympanical applications of the drug, to inactivate the tensor tympani muscle or for other options. PMID- 17763836 TI - Diet and lifestyle interventions in active surveillance patients with favorable risk prostate cancer. AB - Active Surveillance (AS) is a viable, alternative option for patients who are diagnosed with favorable prognostic risk prostate cancer, and who are willing to undergo conservative, expectant management until treatment is warranted due to progression of the disease. Lifestyle interventions in patients who choose AS is an emerging area of research, and several studies are ongoing with results pending. New intervention studies will increase our knowledge of the etiology of prostate cancer and help determine whether dietary factors can influence prostate carcinogenesis after diagnosis in AS patients. The considerable amount of epidemiologic and experimental data relating components of the diet with prostate cancer risk suggest that diet or lifestyle interventions could potentially lengthen the period of active surveillance before treatment management is necessary, and further research is warranted to study the direct effects on secondary clinical outcomes. PMID- 17763837 TI - [Why 37 degrees C? Evolutionary fundamentals of thermoregulation]. AB - Homeothermy is the result of an evolutionary process during which every increase in oxygen supply led to a consecutive increase in metabolic rate and, thus, to a new dependence on favorable ambient conditions. In response to the food scarcity of winter months, some inhabitants of temperate zones developed an ability to hibernate which is characterized by a fully thermocontrolled reduction in body temperature down to near zero values. Hibernation thus illustrates that in homeotherms, not only the body shell is poikilothermic, but also the core temperature is more variable than often assumed. However, in contrast to clinical hypothermia, natural torpidity does not consist of a cold-induced reduction in metabolic rate, but of an endogenous metabolic reduction with subsequent lowering of body temperature. As a factor of metabolic suppression, the pH has been suspected which, in hibernators, is kept constant at 7.4 by relative hypoventilation (pH-stat) which differs from its passive shift in the poikilothermic body shell (alpha-stat). In clinical hypothermia, temperature governs the metabolic rate in that, depending on the state of thermoregulation, either a cold defense reaction with an increased metabolic rate (accidental hypothermia) or a cold-induced reduction in metabolic rate (induced hypothermia) occurs. However, as can be learned from hibernators, the lower limit of hypothermia tolerance seems to be due to a uniform minimal metabolic rate rather than to the species-specific body temperature at which this metabolic limit is reached, depending on body size and basal metabolic rate. Accordingly, in judging the sequelae of hypothermia, the degree of cooling should be given less emphasis than the resulting effects on metabolic rate. PMID- 17763838 TI - [The interface between stationary and outpatient treatment. A statement from the DGU, DGCH, DGOOC, BDC and BVOU]. PMID- 17763839 TI - Fine mapping of a HvCBF gene cluster at the frost resistance locus Fr-H2 in barley. AB - Barley is an economically important model for the Triticeae tribe. We recently developed a new resource: the 'Nure' x 'Tremois' mapping population. Two low temperature QTLs were found to segregate on the long arm of chromosome 5H (Fr-H1, distal; Fr-H2, proximal). With the final aim of positional cloning of the genetic determinants of Fr-H1 and Fr-H2, a large segregating population of 1,849 F(2) plants between parents 'Nure' and 'Tremois' was prepared. These two QT loci were first validated by using a set of F(3) families, marker-selected to harbor pairs of reciprocal haplotypes, with one QTL fixed at homozygosity and the alternate one in heterozygous phase. The study was then focused towards the isolation of the determinant of Fr-H2. Subsequent recombinant screens and phenotypic evaluation of F(4) segregants allowed us to estimate (P < or = 0.01) a refined genomic interval of Fr-H2 (4.6 cM). Several barley genes with the CBF transcription factor signature had been already roughly mapped in cluster at Fr H2, and they represent likely candidate genes underlying this QTL. Using the large segregating population (3,698 gametes) a high-resolution genetic map of the HvCBF gene cluster was then constructed, and after fine mapping, six recombinations between the HvCBFs were observed. It was therefore possible to genetically divide seven HvCBF subclusters in barley, in a region spanning 0.81 cM, with distances among them varying from 0.03 to 0.32 cM. The few recombinants between the different HvCBF subclusters are being marker-selected and taken to homozygosity, to phenotypically separate the effects of the single HvCBF genes. PMID- 17763840 TI - Comparison of the effect of multiple short-duration with single long-duration exercise sessions on glucose homeostasis in type 2 diabetes mellitus. AB - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We evaluated and compared the effects on glycaemic control of two different exercise protocols in elderly men with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Eighteen patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus carried out home-based bicycle training for 5 weeks. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two training programmes at 60% of maximal oxygen uptake: three 10 min sessions per day (3 x 10) or one 30 min session per day (1 x 30). Plasma insulin, C-peptide and glucose concentrations were measured during a 3 h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Insulin sensitivity index (ISI(composite)), pre-hepatic insulin secretion rates (ISR) and change in insulin secretion per unit change in glucose concentrations (B(total)) were calculated. RESULTS: Cardiorespiratory fitness increased in response to training in both groups. In group 3 x 10 (n = 9) fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.01), 120 min glucose OGTT (p = 0.04) and plasma glucose concentration areas under the curve at 120 min (p < 0.04) and 180 min (p = 0.07) decreased. These parameters remained unchanged in group 1 x 30 (n = 9). No significant changes were found in ISI(composite), ISR and B(total) in either of the exercise groups. In a matched time-control group (n = 10), glycaemic control did not change. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Moderate to high-intensity training performed at 3 x 10 min/day is preferable to 1 x 30 min/day with regard to effects on glycaemic control. This is in spite of the fact that cardiorespiratory fitness increased similarly in both exercise groups. A possible explanation is that the energy expenditure associated with multiple short daily sessions may be greater than that in a single daily session. PMID- 17763841 TI - Pattern of inspiratory gas delivery affects CO2 elimination in health and after acute lung injury. AB - OBJECTIVE: To avoid ventilator induced lung injury, tidal volume should be low in acute lung injury (ALI). Reducing dead space may be useful, for example by using a pattern of inspiration that prolongs the time available for gas distribution and diffusion within the respiratory zone, the mean distribution time (MDT). A study was conducted to investigate how MDT affects CO2 elimination in pigs at health and after ALI. DESIGN AND SETTING: Randomised crossover study in the animal laboratory of Lund University Biomedical Center. SUBJECTS AND INTERVENTION: Healthy pigs and pigs with ALI, caused by surfactant perturbation and lung-damaging ventilation were ventilated with a computer-controlled ventilator. With this device each breath could be tailored with respect to insufflation time and pause time (TI and TP) as well as flow shape (square, increasing or decreasing flow). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The single-breath test for CO2 allowed analysis of the volume of expired CO2 and the volume of CO2 re inspired from Y-piece and tubes. With a long MDT caused by long TI or TP, the expired volume of CO2 increased markedly in accordance with the MDT concept in both healthy and ALI pigs. High initial inspiratory flow caused by a short TI or decreasing flow increased the re-inspired volume of CO2. Arterial CO2 increased during a longer period of short MDT and decreased again when MDT was prolonged. CONCLUSIONS: CO2 elimination can be enhanced by a pattern of ventilation that prolongs MDT. Positive effects of prolonged MDT caused by short TI and decreasing flow were attenuated by high initial inspiratory flow. PMID- 17763842 TI - Accuracy of bedside capillary blood glucose measurements in critically ill patients. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of fingerstick with laboratory venous plasma glucose measurements (laboratory glucose) in medical ICU patients and to determine the factors which interfere with the accuracy of fingerstick measurements. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 80 consecutive patients aged 58+/ 7 years, BMI 29.5+/-9.0, and APACHE II score 15+/-6 (277 simultaneous paired measurements). MEASUREMENTS: This prospective observational study compared fingerstick measurements to simultaneously sampled laboratory glucose once a day in patients in our medical ICU (twice daily if on an insulin infusion). Data recorded included patient demographics, admission diagnoses, APACHE II score, BMI, daily hematocrit, arterial blood gasses, chemistry results, concomitant medications (including vasopressors and corticosteroids), and upper extremity edema. Accuracy was defined as the percentage of paired values not in accord (>15 mg dl(-1)/ 0.83 mmol(-1)l(-1) difference for laboratory values <75 mg dl(-1)/4.12 mmol(-1)l(-1) and >20% difference for laboratory values >or=75 mg/dl). Outliers (blood glucose difference >100 mg dl(-1)/5.56 mmol(-1) l(-1)) were excluded from the correlation and distribution analyses. RESULTS: Mean fingerstick glucose was 129+/-45 mg/dl (7.2+/-2.5 mmol/l) and mean laboratory glucose 123+/-44 mg/dl (6.8+/-2.4 mmol/l). The correlation coefficient between the two values was 0.9110 (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute threshold 0.9751). The mean difference (bias) between the two methods was 8.6+/-18.6 mg/dl (0.48+/-1.0 mmol/l) and limits of agreement +45.8 and -28.6 mg/dl (+2.5 and -1.6 mmol/l). Fifty-three (19%) paired measurements in 22 patients were not in accord (CLSI threshold or=16 slices) and conventional CA until February 2007. After data extraction the analysis was performed according to a random-effects model. The analysis pooled the results from 15 studies with a total of 1,175 stents. A substantial number of unassessable stents (13%) were excluded from the analysis underscoring the shortcomings of MSCT. With this major limitation the diagnostic performance of MSCT for in-stent restenosis detection can be summarized as follows: the sensitivity and specificity were 84% [95% confidence interval (CI) 77-89%] and 91% (95% CI 89-93%), respectively, with positive and negative likelihood ratios of 12.2 (95% CI 6.6-22.6) and 0.23 (95% CI 0.17-0.31), respectively, and with a diagnostic odds ratio of 67.9 (95% CI 34.4-134.1). MSCT has shortcomings difficult to overcome in daily practice for in-stent restenosis detection and continues to have moderately high sensitivity and specificity. The diagnostic role of this emerging technology as an alternative to CA for in-stent restenosis detection remains limited. PMID- 17763855 TI - ECG-gated chest CT angiography with 64-MDCT and tri-phasic IV contrast administration regimen in patients with acute non-specific chest pain. AB - The purpose of this study was to evaluate chest CTA protocol using retrospective ECG-gating and triphasic IV contrast regimen for comprehensive evaluation of patients with acute non-specific chest pain. ECG-triggered dose modulation was used with a 64-MDCT scanner in 56 non-critically ill patients with acute nonspecific chest pain using triphasic IV regimen: 50 ml contrast followed by 50 ml 60% contrast/saline and 30 ml normal saline. Lungs, aorta, pulmonary and coronary arteries were graded on a 5-point scale (5, best). Aorta and pulmonary artery attenuation was measured and three coronary artery groups were evaluated. Comparison with invasive coronary angiography was obtained in nine patients on a per segment (16 total) basis. Dosimetry values were obtained. Studies were satisfactory in all patients (score >3). Aorta and pulmonary artery attenuation was >200 HU in 90.5%. Lung or pleura, non-cardiac vascular and coronary arteries disease were detected in 20, 11 and 16 patients, respectively. Median coronary angiography (grade 5) was significantly higher than acceptable for diagnosis grade 4 (p < 0.001). Per segment, weighted kappa statistic was 0.79 indicating substantial agreement with catheter angiography (p<0.001). Average DLP was 1,490 +/- 412 mGy-cm. Gated 64-MDCT angiography with triphasic IV contrast is a robust multipurpose technique for patients with acute non-specific chest pain. PMID- 17763856 TI - Pulmonary nodule detection on MDCT images: evaluation of diagnostic performance using thin axial images, maximum intensity projections, and computer-assisted detection. AB - This study aimed at evaluating the diagnostic benefits of maximum intensity projections (MIP) and a commercially available computed-assisted detection system (CAD) for the detection of pulmonary nodules on MDCT as compared with standard 1 mm images on lung cancer screening material. Thirty subjects were randomly selected from our database. Three radiologists independently reviewed three types of images: axial 1-mm images, axial MIP slabs, and CAD system detections. Two independent experienced chest radiologists decided which were true-positive nodules. Two hundred eighty-five nodules > or =1 mm were identified as true positive by consensus of two independent chest radiologists. The detection rates of the three independent observers with 1-mm axial images were 22 +/- 4.8%, 30 +/ 5.3%, and 47 +/- 2.8%; with MIP: 33 +/- 5.4%, 39 +/- 5.7%, and 45 +/- 5.8%; and with CAD: 35 +/- 5.6%, 36 +/- 5.6%, and 36 +/- 5.6%. There was a reading technique effect on the observers' sensitivity for nodule detection: sensitivities with MIP were higher than with 1-mm images or CAD for all nodules (F-values = 0.046). For nodules > or =3 mm, readers' sensitivities were higher with 1-mm images or MIP than with CAD (p < 0.0001). CAD was the most and MIP the less time-consuming technique (p < 0.0001). MIP and CAD reduced the number of overlooked small nodules. As MIP is more sensitive and less time consuming than the CAD we used, we recommend viewing MIP and 1-mm images for the detection of pulmonary nodules. PMID- 17763857 TI - Neuropathological and molecular comparison between clinical and asymptomatic bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases. AB - Interest in the proper neuropathological and molecular characterization of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has increased since asymptomatic and atypical cases were detected in the cattle population by active disease surveillance. In this respect we investigated a total of 95 confirmed BSE cases originating from different active and passive surveillance categories (clinical suspects, emergency-slaughter, fallen stock and routinely slaughter) in Switzerland for their neuropathological and molecular phenotype. We looked for measurable differences between these categories in lesion profile, severity of spongiform change, degree of astrocytosis as well as immunohistochemical and molecular patterns of the disease-associated isoform of the prion protein (PrPd) in the caudal brainstem. Our results indicate significantly higher intensities of spongiform change in clinically affected compared to asymptomatic BSE cases. Similar effects were in trend observed for the intensities of PrPd deposition and astrocytosis, whereas the frequencies of morphological PrPd types and the molecular patterns in Western immunoblot were not different. Importantly, none of the animals included in this study revealed features of atypical BSE. Taken together, this study suggests that both clinically affected as well as asymptomatic Swiss BSE cases in cattle share the neuropathological and molecular phenotype of classical BSE and that asymptomatic classical BSE cases are at a pre clinical stage of the disease rather than representing a true sub-clinical form of BSE. PMID- 17763858 TI - An experimental comparison of different devices for pulsatile high-pressure lavage and their relevance to cement intrusion into cancellous bone. AB - INTRODUCTION: Some of the systems marketed for pulsatile high-pressure lavage are clearly different in their mechanical pulse characteristics. To take the matter further we set up an experimental in vitro model to determine whether these different lavage systems might produce different cementation results because of their differing pulse characteristics, and whether the systems differed significantly in terms of cement depth penetration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 48 femoral heads were obtained at operation from patients who had undergone endoprosthetic hip replacement. The specimens were subjected to manual rinsing or semiautomatic cleansing procedures with five different pulsatile lavage devices. After the cleansing procedures, polymethylmetacrylate bone cement was intruded into the cancellous bone under standardised conditions. Determination of cement penetration was done by computed tomography using an image processing software. RESULTS: Irrespective of the nature of the lavage system tested, superficial cement penetration, both up to 2 mm and up to 3 mm, was significantly better after pulsatile high-pressure lavage than it was after manual rinsing of the specimens with a bladder syringe (P < 0.001 in each case). Whereas our experimental model did not show any significant differences between the lavage systems as regards the cementation results to a depth of up to 2 mm (P = 0.996), there were significant differences at a target depth of 3 mm (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: As compared with manual rinsing, pulsatile high-pressure lavage in vitro makes highly significant improvements in cement penetration into cancellous bone and should be regarded as an indispensable component of modern cementation techniques for endoprosthetic surgery. Up to the present we have not been able to ascertain what influence the different pulse characteristics of a pulsatile lavage system may have on the intended cementation result, whether it is impact force, pulse shape, pulse duration, flow rate or frequency. Appropriate investigations will be necessary. PMID- 17763859 TI - Polymorphisms of vitamin D receptor gene in Turkish familial psoriasis patients. AB - Psoriasis is characterized by hyperproliferation and abnormal differentiation of keratinocytes, and inflammation. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3, which is used for the treatment of psoriasis, binds to vitamin D receptor (VDR) and modulates gene transcription. We analyzed VDR gene FokI, ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms in 51 Turkish familial psoriasis patients (psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis) and 100 healthy subjects, and evaluated the correlation between VDR genotypes and calcipotriol response. We found that the TT genotype was significantly more frequent in the patients than in the controls (51 vs. 35%: P < or = 0.05). The frequency of the T allele in patients was also significantly higher than that in the controls (73.5 vs. 59.5%: P < or = 0.025). In psoriatic arthritis patients, T allele frequency was even higher (91.7%: P < or = 0.05). With regard to response to calcipotriol treatment, in nonresponsive patients TT genotype and T allele frequencies were higher than they were in the controls (63.6 vs. 35%: P < or = 0.025, 81.8 vs. 59.5%: P < or = 0.01, respectively). In conclusion, we show that VDR gene TaqI polymorphism is associated with familial psoriasis in the Turkish population. We also demonstrate that VDR gene polymorphisms may play a role in partial resistance to calcipotriol therapy. PMID- 17763860 TI - [Abstracts of the 20th Academic Meeting of German-speaking College Instructors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 28-29 September 2007, Lubeck]. PMID- 17763861 TI - Relationship between obstetric history and Rh(D) alloimmunization severity. AB - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the relationship between obstetric history and Rh(D) alloimmunization severity, employing the gestational age at the first intrauterine fetal transfusion (IUT) as an indicator of this severity. METHODS: From 1996 to 2006, Rh(D) alloimmunized pregnancies submitted to IUT had their data assessed. Gestational age at the first IUT was modeled as a linear outcome. The associations between obstetric history variables, anti-Rh(D) antibodies titer and gestational age at the first IUT were analyzed. Statistics are presented with 95% confidence intervals (P < 0.05). RESULTS: A total of 82 non-hydropic anemic fetuses, ensuing in 92.7% (n = 76) of perinatal survival, were submitted to IUT. Nineteen (23,2%) pregnant women did not present with any previous stillbirth, neonatal death, IUT, hydrops or neonatal exchange transfusion (group 1); and 63 (76.8%) reported at least one of these events (group 2). Gestational age at the first IUT differed significantly between the groups (P = 0.0001). For group 1, it ranged from 24 to 35 weeks (median 32.5 weeks), whereas for group 2 it ranged from 19 to 34 weeks (median 27 weeks). In the multivariated analysis, previous neonatal death (P = 0.040), previous IUT (P = 0.000) and previous neonatal exchange transfusion (P = 0.036) were independently associated with the gestational age at the first IUT. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of the obstetrical history is an important diagnostic tool for predicting Rh(D) alloimmunization severity. Alloimmunized pregnant women who reported previous neonatal death(s), neonatal exchange transfusion(s) or IUT(s) should receive a closer fetal surveillance due to the risk of a higher rate of fetal hemolysis and the need of an earlier IUT. PMID- 17763862 TI - Successful maternal and fetal outcome in a pregnancy with type V Takayasu's aortoarteritis. PMID- 17763863 TI - Influencing factors for regional lymph node recurrence of breast cancer. AB - INTRODUCTION: We investigated whether the risk of developing regional lymph node recurrence was dependant on the number of lymph nodes removed. OBJECT: We followed 2,961 patients of whom 50 (1.69%) developed regional recurrent disease during a median period of 73 months (4-192 months). RESULT: For those women who had involved lymph nodes at initial surgery we were able to establish an inverse correlation between the development of local recurrence and the number of lymph nodes removed in multivariate analysis. For women who had no affected lymph nodes, the number of lymph nodes removed did not influence the incidence of local recurrence. CONCLUSION: We conclude from these data that women who have negative nodal status at surgical staging do not benefit from further systematic axillary resection with regard to regional lymph node recurrence. For those women, however, who have confirmed axillary metastasis, systematic axillary resection lowers the risk of regional lymph node recurrence depending on the number of lymph nodes removed. PMID- 17763864 TI - Triplex configuration in the nick-free DNAs that constitute the chromosomal scaffolds in grasshopper spermatids. AB - After applying proper deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) probes, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) showed that the 8/9 centromeres-one per chromatid of the male haploid complement (X0) of Pyrgomorpha conica grasshopper-colocalized at the spermatid blunt end, where the spermatozoa flagellum inserts. A bundle of aligned 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole-positive chromatid scaffolds, which formed the central spermatid core, was observed after DNA breakage detection followed by FISH. Modular nature of scaffold DNA was occasionally evident. The technique also showed that in the early spermatid, the chromatid scaffolds lacked any DNA nick, whereas abundant breaks accumulated in the surrounding loops. Moreover, immunodetection showed that scaffold DNA participated in the formation of triplex DNA, while this configuration was absent from the loops. During spermatid maturation, triplex DNA disappeared from the scaffold in parallel with loop retraction, while protamines replace histones. Thus, the presence of triplex DNA in the chromatid scaffold correlates with the anchoring of expanded DNA loops to it. After loop retraction, the scaffolds of all chromatids coiled as a single unit in the spermatid head. This cooperative coiling produced enlargement and tilting of the distal telomeric signals, which were distributed along the spermatid head according to the length of each chromosome. We propose that specific DNA sequences dispersed throughout the whole chromatid fold forward and backward coaxially to chromatid length, forming individual scaffold modules whose linear assembly accounts for the minimum length of each individual chromatid. Finally, the core of the grasshopper male spermatid should be considered as a single chromosome in which the DNA scaffolds of the whole set of the nonhomologous chromosomes of the haploid complement are interconnected. This pattern of chromatin organization applies probably to other elongated spermatids. PMID- 17763865 TI - Y-27632, a Rho-associated protein kinase inhibitor, attenuates neuronal cell death after transient retinal ischemia. AB - PURPOSE: Transient retinal ischemia induces the death of retinal neuronal cells. Postischemic damage is associated with the infiltration of leukocytes into the neural tissue through vascular endothelia. The current study aimed to investigate whether this damage was attenuated by the inhibition of Rho/ROCK (Rho kinases) signaling, recently shown to play a critical role in the transendothelial migration of leukocytes. METHODS: Y-27632, a selective inhibitor of ROCK, was injected intravitreally into rat eyes with transient retinal ischemia. Cell loss of the ganglion cell layer (GCL) and thinning of the inner plexiform layer (IPL) with and without the administration of Y-27632 were evaluated by histological analysis, TUNEL assay and retrograde labeling of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). To examine the attenuation of leukocyte infiltration in postischemic retinas with the administration of Y-27632, silver nitrate staining and immunohistochemistry using an anti-LCA antibody were performed. RESULTS: Cell loss of the GCL and thinning of the IPL were significantly attenuated when 100 nmol Y-27632 was administered within three hours of the induction of ischemia. TUNEL assay and retrograde labeling of RGCs showed a decreased number of apoptotic cells and an increased number of RGCs in Y-27632-injected retinas. Moreover, silver nitrate staining and immunohistochemical analysis using an anti-LCA antibody showed that Y-27632 injection dramatically inhibited leukocyte infiltration and endothelial disarrangement. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that inhibition of Rho/ROCK signaling offers neuroprotective therapy against postischemic neural damage, by regulating leukocyte infiltration in the neural tissue. PMID- 17763866 TI - Sodium and chloride absorptive defects in the small intestine in Slc26a6 null mice. AB - PAT1 (Slc26a6) is located on the apical membrane of the small intestinal villi, but its role for salt absorption has not been studied. To ascertain the role of Slc26a6 in jejunal sodium and chloride absorption, and its interplay with NHE3, muscle-stripped jejuna from Slc26a6+/+ and -/- and NHE3 +/+ and -/- mice were mounted in Ussing chambers and electrical parameters, and (36)Cl(-) and (22)Na(+) fluxes were measured. In parallel studies, expression of the apical Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE3) was examined by immunofluorescence labeling and immunoblot analysis in brush border membrane (BBM). In the basal state, net Cl(-) and Na(+) fluxes were absorptive in Slc26a6-/- and +/+ jejuni, but significantly decreased in -/- animals. Upon forskolin addition, net Na(+) absorption decreased, Isc strongly increased, and net Cl(-) flux became secretory in Slc26a6-/- and +/+ jejuni. When luminal glucose was added to activate Na(+)/glucose cotransport, concomitant Cl(-) absorption was significantly reduced in Slc26a6 -/- jejuni, while Na(+) absorption increased to the same degree in Slc26a6 -/- and +/+ jejuni. Identical experiments in NHE3-deficient jejuni also showed reduced Na(+) and Cl(-) absorption. Results further demonstrated that the lack of NHE3 rendered Na(+) and Cl(-) absorption unresponsive to inhibition by cAMP, but did not affect glucose-driven Na(+) and Cl(-) absorption. Immunoblotting revealed comparable NHE3 abundance and distribution in apical membranes in Slc26a6-/- and +/+ mice. The data strongly suggests that Slc26a6 acts in concert with NHE3 in electroneutral salt absorption in the small intestine. Slc26a6 also serves to absorb Cl(-) during glucose-driven salt absorption. PMID- 17763867 TI - 1-Hydroxy-2-methyl-2-(E)-butenyl 4-diphosphate reductase (IDS) is encoded by multicopy genes in gymnosperms Ginkgo biloba and Pinus taeda. AB - Isoprenoids are synthesized through the condensation of five-carbon intermediates, isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), derived from two distinct biosynthetic routes: cytosolic mevalonate (MVA) and plastidial 2-C-methyl-D: -erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathways. 1 Hydroxy-2-methyl-2-(E)-butenyl 4-diphosphate reductase (IDS; EC 1.17.1.2), which catalyzes the last step of MEP pathway, was cloned as a multicopy gene from gymnosperms Ginkgo biloba (GbIDS1, GbIDS2, and GbIDS2-1) and Pinus taeda (PtIDS1 and PtIDS2), and characterized. Phylogenetic tree constructed with other plant IDSs demonstrated gymnosperm IDSs were distinctively different from angiosperm IDSs. The gymnosperm IDS clade contained two subclades, one composed of GbIDS1 and PtIDS1, and the other composed of GbIDS2, GbIDS2-1, and PtIDS2. G. biloba IDSs, except GbIDS2-1, successfully complemented Escherichia coli DLYT1, a lytB disruptant, confirming the in vivo competency of isozymes. During the 4 weeks study period, although transcript levels of GbIDS1s were similar both in roots and leaves of cultured G. biloba embryo, the transcripts of GbIDS2 predominantly occurred in the embryo roots, where diterpene ginkgolides are biosynthesized. Levels of PtIDS2 transcripts in the diterpenoid resin-producing wood were 4-5 times higher than those in other tissues. Higher levels of GbIDS1 transcripts were induced by light, whereas those of GbIDS2 were increased by methyl jasmonate treatment. These results strongly imply GbIDS2 and PtIDS2 have high correlation with secondary metabolism. In Arabidopsis transient expression system, N-terminal 100 amino acid residues of GbIDS1 delivered fused GFP protein into chloroplast as well as cytosol and nucleus, whereas those of GbIDS2, GbIDS2-1, and two PtIDSs delivered GFP only into chloroplast. PMID- 17763868 TI - Characterization of rice tryptophan decarboxylases and their direct involvement in serotonin biosynthesis in transgenic rice. AB - L-Tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC) and L-tyrosine decarboxylase (TYDC) belong to a family of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylases and catalyze the conversion of tryptophan and tyrosine into tryptamine and tyramine, respectively. The rice genome has been shown to contain seven TDC or TYDC-like genes. Three of these genes for which cDNA clones were available were characterized to assign their functions using heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and rice (Oryza sativa cv. Dongjin). The purified products of two of the genes were expressed in E. coli and exhibited TDC activity, whereas the remaining gene could not be expressed in E. coli. The recombinant TDC protein with the greatest TDC activity showed a K (m) of 0.69 mM for tryptophan, and its activity was not inhibited by phenylalanine or tyrosine, indicating a high level of substrate specificity toward tryptophan. The ectopic expression of the three cDNA clones in rice led to the abundant production of the products of the encoded enzymes, tyramine and tryptamine. The overproduction of TYDC resulted in stunted growth and a lack of seed production due to tyramine accumulation, which increased as the plant aged. In contrast, transgenic plants that produced TDC showed a normal phenotype and contained 25-fold and 11-fold higher serotonin in the leaves and seeds, respectively, than the wild-type plants. The overproduction of either tyramine or serotonin was not strongly related to the enhanced synthesis of tyramine or serotonin derivatives, such as feruloyltyramine and feruloylserotonin, which are secondary metabolites that act as phytoalexins in plants. PMID- 17763870 TI - In vitro antileishmanial activity of resveratrol and its hydroxylated analogues against Leishmania major promastigotes and amastigotes. AB - Resveratrol, a natural phytoalexin found mainly in grapes, possesses a variety of beneficial activities including anticancer, antimicrobial and antiviral. However, there is no information about its effects on kinetoplastid parasites such as Leishmania. Leishmania is a human pathogen responsible for a spectrum of diseases known as leishmaniases and a significant health problem in many parts of the world. In this study, we investigated effects of resveratrol and its hydroxylated analogues on Leishmania major, a causative agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Old World. Resveratrol showed antileishmanial activity against promastigotes in vitro and, more importantly, was effective against intracellular amastigotes, a parasite life stage infectious in humans, as detected in in vitro macrophage assay. The hydroxylated stilbenes tested in this study also showed antileishmanial activity against promastigotes, the most promising being 3,4,4',5'-tetrahydroxy-trans-stilbene. This compound showed excellent antileishmanial activity against extracellular promastigotes in vitro but not intracellular amastigotes. Our results suggest that resveratrol may be useful as a therapeutic agent to treat leishmaniasis and warrant its further assessment in animal models of disease. PMID- 17763869 TI - Delayed menarche in young German women with type 1 diabetes mellitus: recent results from the DPV diabetes documentation and quality management system. AB - BACKGROUND: Findings have been inconsistent regarding the effect of T1DM (type 1 diabetes) on age at menarche. OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to investigate in young German women with T1DM menarcheal age and factors potentially affecting menarche, including glycemic control, BMI (body mass index), relative T1DM duration (proportion of life with diabetes), insulin dose, and insulin therapy intensity. Initiated in 1990, the DPV program is an ongoing, prospective long-term longitudinal follow-up study to benchmark the quality of care provided to pediatric and, more recently, adult diabetes patients. Two hundered two German diabetes centers participated in nationwide data collection. Based on ethnicity and the availability of menarche and T1DM onset data as the main inclusion criteria, 643 young German women were selected from 11,629 female T1DM patients aged <20 years, recruited by referral, clinic or hospital ascertainment, or self report. Mean age at menarche (+/-SD) was 13.22 +/- 1.31 years, representing a delay of 0.52 years (p < 0.001) relative to the general population. Significant delay (p < 0.05) was also found for relative T1DM duration, BMI SD score, insulin dose, and HbA1c level, with a 1% increase in HbA1c resulting in a delay in menarche by 0.07 years. CONCLUSIONS: Age at menarche is delayed in type 1 diabetes mellitus. The delay increases with relative T1DM duration and poor quality of glycemic control. PMID- 17763871 TI - Influence of experimental Eimeria zuernii infection in calves on electrolyte concentrations, acid-base balance and blood gases. AB - Coccidiosis, often caused by Eimeria zuernii, is an important disease in calf rearing and is clinically mainly associated with diarrhoea (PR Fitzgerald in Adv Vet Sci Comp Med, 24:121-143, 1980). Calves were experimentally infected with E. zuernii oocysts to investigate the effects of artificial E. zuernii coccidiosis on electrolyte concentrations, acid-base balance and blood gases. Therefore, animals were assigned to three groups: group 1 (n = 14) served as uninfected control group, group 2 (n = 11) was infected with 150,000 sporulated E. zuernii oocysts per calf, and group 3 (n = 16) was infected with 250,000 sporulated E. zuernii oocysts per calf. Aberrances which were attributed to coccidiosis were observed in the following parameters: sodium and chloride concentrations, pH (only high-dose infected group 3), base excess, standard bicarbonate, total carbon dioxide and partial pressure of carbon dioxide. Alterations were most pronounced in the high-dose infected group 3. Anion gap and oxygen saturation did not show significant differences between the groups. Due to diarrhoea and malabsorption in coccidiosis-affected calves, there is a distinct loss not only of fluid and blood but also of electrolytes and alkaline buffer substances which provokes the development of an acidosis. This is counteracted by metabolism and respiration but cannot be compensated in severely affected and moribund calves. PMID- 17763872 TI - Distribution of prosaposin in the rat nervous system. AB - Prosaposin is the precursor of four sphingolipid activator proteins (saposins A, B, C, and D) for lysosomal hydrolases and is abundant in the nervous system and muscle. In addition to its role as a precursor of saposins in lysosomes, intact prosaposin has neurotrophic effects in vivo or in vitro when supplied exogenously. We examined the distribution of prosaposin in the central and peripheral nervous systems and its intracellular distribution. Using a monospecific antisaposin D antibody that crossreacts with prosaposin but not with saposins A, B, or C, immunoblot experiments showed that both the central and peripheral nervous systems express unprocessed prosaposin and little saposin D. Using the antisaposin D antibodies, we demonstrated that prosaposin is abundant in almost all neurons of both the central and peripheral nervous systems, including autonomic nerves, as well as motor and sensory nerves. Immunoelectron microscopy using double staining with antisaposin D and anticathepsin D antibodies showed strong prosaposin immunoreactivity mainly in the lysosomal granules in the neurons in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. The expression of prosaposin mRNA, examined using in situ hybridization, was observed in these same neurons. Our results suggest that prosaposin is synthesized ubiquitously in neurons of both the central and peripheral nervous systems. PMID- 17763873 TI - Predator diversity and density affect levels of predation upon strongly interactive species in temperate rocky reefs. AB - Indirect effects of predators in the classic trophic cascade theory involve the effects of basal species (e.g. primary producers) mediated by predation upon strongly interactive consumers (e.g. grazers). The diversity and density of predators, and the way in which they interact, determine whether and how the effects of different predators on prey combine. Intraguild predation, for instance, was observed to dampen the effects of predators on prey in many ecosystems. In marine systems, species at high trophic levels are particularly susceptible to extinction (at least functionally). The loss of such species, which is mainly attributed to human activities (mostly fishing), is presently decreasing the diversity of marine predators in many areas of the world. Experimental studies that manipulate predator diversity and investigate the effects of this on strongly interactive consumers (i.e. those potentially capable of causing community-wide effects) in marine systems are scant, especially in the rocky sublittoral. I established an experiment that utilised cage enclosures to test whether the diversity and density of fish predators (two sea breams and two wrasses) would affect predation upon juvenile and adult sea urchins, the most important grazers in Mediterranean sublittoral rocky reefs. Changes in species identity (with sea breams producing major effects) and density of predators affected predation upon sea urchins more than changes in species richness per se. Predation upon adult sea urchins decreased in the presence of multiple predators, probably due to interference competition between sea breams and wrasses. This study suggests that factors that influence both fish predator diversity and density in Mediterranean rocky reefs (e.g. fishing and climate change) may have the potential to affect the predators' ability to control sea urchin population density, with possible repercussions for the whole benthic community structure. PMID- 17763874 TI - PDGF, bFGF and IGF-I stimulate the proliferation of intervertebral disc cells in vitro via the activation of the ERK and Akt signaling pathways. AB - Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is frequently characterized by increased cell proliferation, probably as a tissue regenerative response. Although many growth factors and their receptors have been shown to be expressed normally in the disc, and generally to be over-expressed during degeneration, not all of them have been thoroughly studied concerning their effects on IVD cell proliferation. In the present report, three potent mitogens, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) are examined regarding their capacity to induce proliferation in vitro of bovine coccygeal nucleus pulposus (NP) and annulus fibrosus (AF) cells, as well as to activate major intracellular signal transduction pathways. PDGF, bFGF and IGF-I were found to induce DNA synthesis in quiescent IVD cells in a dose dependent manner. Maximum stimulation was induced by PDGF, while stimulation by all three factors simultaneously exceeded only slightly that caused by PDGF alone. All three growth factors were shown to phosphorylate immediately extracellular-signal regulated kinases (ERKs), while the stimulation by bFGF especially resulted in sustained ERK phosphorylation. Furthermore, all three growth factors induced phosphorylation of Akt in both Thr308 and Ser473 residues immediately after stimulation, although bFGF-induced phosphorylation was much weaker than that provoked by PDGF and IGF-I. In addition, the MEK inhibitor PD98059 and the PI 3-K inhibitor wortmannin were shown to block growth factor induced ERK- and Akt-phosphorylation, respectively, in IVD cells. Inhibition of the MEK/ERK or the PI 3-K/Akt pathways provoked a significant decline of the proliferative effects of PDGF, bFGF or IGF-I on IVD cell cultures, while the simultaneous inhibition of both signaling pathways abolished completely the mitogenicity of these growth factors. The above effects of the three growth factors were reproduced similarly in both NP and AF cell cultures. Overall, the above results indicate that PDGF, bFGF and IGF-I stimulate the proliferation of IVD cells via the ERK and Akt signaling pathways. PMID- 17763875 TI - Interactions of recombinant mouse erythrocyte transglutaminase with membrane skeletal proteins. AB - Transglutaminases (TGs) are a family of enzymes that catalyze the formation of covalent gamma-glutamyl-epsilon-lysine crosslinks between glutamine (Q) acyl donors and lysine (K) acyl-acceptors. Here, we report the cDNA cloning of a TG from mouse reticulocytes, its 4.6-kb message size and high-yield synthesis of recombinant TG in yeast cultures. Its activity was assayed by crosslinking the amine of monodansylcadaverine (DC) onto casein and inside-out vesicles of erythrocytes. The latter contain TG substrates including the anion ion exchanger (AE1) or band 3, and the crosslinking activity was the highest at physiological [GTP] and [ATP] of erythrocytes. To study individually how TG interacts with band 3 and what role P4.2, a pseudo-TG that is normally associated with band 3, may play in their interaction, recombinant cytoplasmic domain of band 3 (cdb3) and P4.2 were also cloned by polymerase chain reaction from mouse reticulocytes, expressed and affinity-purified from Escherichia coli. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis revealed that increasing [CaCl(2)] enhanced TG-mediated crosslinking of DC to cdb3 but decreased TG binding to cdb3. P4.2 inhibited the TG-mediated crosslinking of cdb3 but stabilized the binding of TG to cdb3 in the presence of calcium. This in vitro study suggests a relationship among TG, cdb3 and P4.2 in erythrocyte membrane during calcium influx. PMID- 17763876 TI - HERG1 currents in native K562 leukemic cells. AB - The human ether-a-go-go related gene (HERG1) K+ channel is expressed in neoplastic cells, in which it was proposed to play a role in proliferation, differentiation and/or apoptosis. K562 cells (a chronic myeloid leukemic human cell line) express both the full-length (herg1a) and the N-terminally truncated (herg1b) isoforms of the gene, and this was confirmed with Western blots and coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Whole-cell currents were studied with a tail protocol. Seventy-eight percent of cells showed a HERG1-like current: repolarization to voltages negative to -40 mV produced a transient peak inward tail current, characteristic of HERG1 channels. Cells were exposed to a HERG specific channel blocker, E4031. Half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the blocker was 4.69 nM: The kinetics of the HERG1 current in K562 cells resembled the rapid component of the native cardiac delayed rectifier current, known to be conducted by heterotetrameric HERG1 channels. Fast and slow deactivation time constants at -120 mV were 27.5 and 239.5 ms, respectively. Our results in K562 cells suggest the assembling of heterotetrameric channels, with some parameters being dominated by one of the isoforms and other parameters being intermediate. Hydrogen peroxide was shown to increase HERG1a K+ current in heterologous expression systems, which constitutes an apoptotic signal. However, we found that K562 HERG1 whole-cell currents were not activated by H2O2. PMID- 17763878 TI - Gene expression, intron density, and splice site strength in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis. AB - In this paper we investigate the relationships among intron density (number of introns per kilobase of coding sequence), gene expression level, and strength of splicing signals in two species: Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. We report a negative correlation between intron density and gene expression levels, opposite to the effect previously observed in human. An increase in splice site strength has been observed in long introns in D. melanogaster. We show this is also true of C. elegans. We also examine the relationship between intron density and splice site strength. There is an increase in splice site strength as the intron structure becomes less dense. This could suggest that introns are not recognized in isolation but could function in a cooperative manner to ensure proper splicing. This effect remains if we control for the effects of alternative splicing on splice site strength. PMID- 17763877 TI - Time-dependent molecular memory in single voltage-gated sodium channel. AB - Excitability in neurons is associated with firing of action potentials and requires the opening of voltage-gated sodium channels with membrane depolarization. Sustained membrane depolarization, as seen in pathophysiological conditions like epilepsy, can have profound implications on the biophysical properties of voltage-gated ion channels. Therefore, we sought to characterize the effect of sustained membrane depolarization on single voltage-gated Na+ channels. Single-channel activity was recorded in the cell-attached patch-clamp mode from the rNa(v)1.2 alpha channels expressed in CHO cells. Classical statistical analysis revealed complex nonlinear changes in channel dwell times and unitary conductance of single Na+ channels as a function of conditioning membrane depolarization. Signal processing tools like weighted wavelet Z (WWZ) and discrete Fourier transform analyses attributed a "pseudo-oscillatory" nature to the observed nonlinear variation in the kinetic parameters. Modeling studies using the hidden Markov model (HMM) illustrated significant changes in kinetic states and underlying state transition rate constants upon conditioning depolarization. Our results suggest that sustained membrane depolarization induces novel nonlinear properties in voltage-gated Na+ channels. Prolonged membrane depolarization also induced a "molecular memory" phenomenon, characterized by clusters of dwell time events and strong autocorrelation in the dwell time series similar to that reported recently for single enzyme molecules. The persistence of such molecular memory was found to be dependent on the duration of depolarization. Voltage-gated Na+ channel with the observed time dependent nonlinear properties and the molecular memory phenomenon may determine the functional state of the channel and, in turn, the excitability of a neuron. PMID- 17763879 TI - Switching between cooperation and competition in the use of extracellular glucose. AB - This paper addresses some questions related to the evolution of cooperative behaviors, in the context of energetic metabolism. Glycolysis can perform either under a dissipative working regime suitable for rapid proliferation or under an efficient regime that entails a good modus operandi under conditions of glucose shortage. A cellular mechanism allowing switching between these two regimes may represent an evolutionary achievement. Thus, we have explored the conditions that might have favored the emergence of such an accommodative mechanism. Because of an inevitable conflict for resources between individual interests and the common good, rapid and inefficient use of glucose is always favored by natural selection in spatially homogeneous environment, regardless of the external conditions. In contrast, when the space is structured, the behavior of the system is determined by its free energy content. If the fuel is abundant, the dissipative strategy dominates the space. However, under famine conditions the efficient regime represents an evolutionary stable strategy in a Harmony game. Between these two extreme situations, both metabolic regimes are engaged in a Prisoner's Dilemma game, where the output depends on the extracellular free energy. The energy transition values that lead from one domain to another have been calculated. We conclude that an accommodative mechanism permitting alternation between dissipative and efficient regimes might have evolved in heterogeneous and highly fluctuating environments. Overall, the current work shows how evolutionary optimization and game-theoretical approaches can be complementary in providing useful insights into biochemical systems. PMID- 17763880 TI - Effects of diazinon on mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) larvae produced from eggs differentially treated with PCB126. AB - During their formation, fish eggs receive a load of contaminants including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from their mother and then, after spawning, are exposed to pesticides present in water. This is the first study investigating the interaction between PCBs and organophosphorous pesticides in fish. The effect of diazinon was evaluated in mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) larvae produced from eggs differentially treated with 3,3',4,4',5 pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126). A few hours after fertilization, eggs were treated topically with a solution of PCB126 (100 pg/microl) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (Group P), DMSO (Group D), or not treated (Group N). Newly hatched larvae from Groups P and D were exposed to diazinon (125-12,900 ng/L) in saltwater and Group N larvae to saltwater alone. Diazinon caused a dose-responsive inhibition of cholinesterase (ChE) activity at environmentally realistic concentrations (> or =361 ng/L), with up to 85% inhibition at 12,900 ng/L. Body length was also inversely related to diazinon at concentrations > or =361 ng/L and was significantly reduced (by 4%) at 12,900 ng/L compared to controls. Mummichog larvae were highly sensitive to PCB126 with an eightfold induction of the activity of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase at a dose of 710 pg PCB126 or 3.6 pg TCDD-TEQ/g wet weight. Treatment with PCB126 also caused a slight reduction in body length but no effect on ChE activity. This study indicates that the effects of PCB126 and diazinon on body length are cumulative because no significant synergistic or antagonistic interactions were observed. Longer term studies with several doses of PCB126 are needed to fully assess the overall impact of joint exposure to diazinon and PCB126 on growth and survival of fish larvae. PMID- 17763881 TI - Effects of atrazine and metolachlor on the survivorship and infectivity of Echinostoma trivolvis trematode cercariae. AB - Parasites play important roles in ecosystems and can be impacted by chemical inputs. In a series of experiments, we examined the impact of two common herbicides, metolachlor and atrazine, on a host-parasite system consisting of the trematode, Echinostoma trivolvis and its two intermediate hosts, the snail Planorbella trivolvis and larval Rana spp. tadpoles. Metolachlor and atrazine are two widely used agricultural herbicides that inhibit the growth of pre-emergent vegetation. Residues of these pesticides are commonly found in water bodies near agricultural areas. In our first experiment in the laboratory, we examined changes in survivorship when free-living trematode cercariae were exposed to a low concentration (10 ppb: 15 ppb) and high concentration (85 ppb: 100 ppb) mixture of metolachlor and atrazine, respectively. These exposure levels were chosen to represent the higher end of levels that have been documented in aquatic systems. There was a significant decline in cercarial survivorship in the high concentration treatment at 14 hours. In our second experiment, we exposed the parasites, the second intermediate host tadpoles, or both the parasites and the tadpoles, to the pesticide mixtures for a maximum of 10 hours prior to infection and examined subsequent tadpole infection levels. The atrazine and metolachlor mixtures had no significant effects on parasite load, although newly shed cercariae were more likely than 10-hour-old cercariae to infect tadpoles. In our final experiment, we utilized outdoor mesocosms to expose parasites, infected snail hosts, and Rana sylvatica tadpoles to the pesticide mixtures for two weeks and examined differences in tadpole parasite loads. The pesticides had no significant effect on tadpole parasite loads in the mesocosms. Overall, our findings suggest that atrazine and metolachlor mixtures at the doses we examined do not significantly alter the short-term dynamics of Echinostoma trivolvis infection in aquatic systems. PMID- 17763882 TI - Occurrence and ordination of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and hexachlorocyclohexane in agricultural soils from Guangzhou, China. AB - On a global scale tropical regions in developing countries are thought to be significant source areas of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), owing to a long history of widespread use and only a recent production ban or restriction on the application of these pesticides. In the present study, 32 soil samples were collected in 2004 from agriculture lands around the urban area of Guangzhou, in southern China, and analyzed for residues of OCPs including p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDD, and alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-HCH. The dry weight concentrations of SigmaHCH (SigmaHCH = alpha-HCH + beta-HCH + gamma-HCH + delta-HCH) ranged from 0.2 to 103.9 ng/g, with a median of 4.4 ng/g. Residues of SigmaDDT (SigmaDDT = p,p'-DDT + p,p'-DDE + p,p'-DDD) ranged from 7.6 to 662.9 ng/g, with a median of 67.3 ng/g. The predominance of beta-HCH among HCHs in most soil samples suggested that they were from historical contamination rather than recent input. The mean HCH alpha/gamma-ratio of 2.72 was lower than that of technical HCHs, possibly due to more loss of alpha-HCH via evaporation from soil with time, conversion of gamma-HCH to alpha-HCH or recent application of lindane in the region. The mean ratio of (DDE + DDD)/SigmaDDT was 0.54, indicating that quite a portion of DDT in soils was degraded since its official ban in 1983. Higher DDT concentrations with lower (DDE + DDD)/SigmaDDT ratios at a few sites suggested possible local DDT sources via the application of Dicofol. A positive but weak correlation (r = 0.449, p < 0.01) between DDT residues and TOC contents implied that soil organic matter might enhance adsorption of DDT in soils in the tropical regions. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were also performed to study the distribution and compositional patterns of OCPs as well as their sources and environmental fates within the study area. PMID- 17763883 TI - Cadmium toxicity and bioaccumulation in freshwater biofilms. AB - A microcosm study was undertaken to examine the effects of dissolved cadmium at various concentrations (0, 10, and 100 microg . L(-1)) on biofilm accumulation and diatom assemblages. A natural biofilm sampled from the Riou-Mort River (Southwest France) was inoculated into three experimental systems, where biofilm settled on glass slides. Samples collected after 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks of colonization were analyzed for metal accumulation (total metal content and intracellular metal content in the biofilm), biomass (as measured through dry weight and ash-free dry matter), and quantitative as well as qualitative analysis of diatom assemblages. There was a positive correlation between cadmium accumulation and dissolved cadmium concentrations and duration of exposure: a linear relationship was found between concentration factors (CFs) of growing biofilms and time (CFs/day = 0.25 and 0.38 under contaminations of 10 and 100 microgCd . L(-1), respectively). Biofilm settlement, more than photosynthetic activity, was affected by high cadmium concentrations: we observed for all stages of settlement a drastic and significant (p < 0.05) reduction in biofilm biomass and in diatom densities in the highest cadmium contamination, compared to control and low cadmium concentration units. PMID- 17763884 TI - Chronic oral exposure to bunker C fuel oil causes adrenal insufficiency in ranch mink (Mustela vison). AB - Animals living in the near-shore marine environment are predisposed to contact with chemical contaminants through land- and ocean-based activities. The release of petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine environment is a stressor to this environment and its resident wildlife. The stress response to chemical threats is dependent on an intact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which also may be a target to the effects of these chemicals. Ranch mink (Mustela vison) were used as surrogates for sea otters (Enhydra lutris) to examine the development of adrenal hypertrophy after chronic, oral exposure to low concentrations of bunker C fuel oil. Animals were fed three different concentrations of fuel oil (48, 520, and 908 ppm) or mineral oil (control) for 60-62 days. At the end of the exposure, blood and fecal samples were collected and organs were weighed and examined microscopically. In all fuel oil groups, exposure resulted in adrenal hypertrophy, an adaptation suggestive of adrenal activation. However, concentrations of serum and fecal glucocorticoids and serum progesterone were not elevated over control values. Hematologic parameters and serum chemistries showed no changes consistent with increased adrenal activity. In addition, adrenal glands from animals fed the higher concentrations of fuel oil contained large numbers of heavily vacuolated cells. We conclude that petroleum hydrocarbons are inducing an adrenal insufficiency that leads to the adaptive enlargement of the gland. This would increase the susceptibility of fuel oil-exposed animals to the deleterious effects of other environmental stressors. PMID- 17763885 TI - Lead pellet ingestion and liver-lead concentrations in upland game birds from southern Ontario, Canada. AB - One-hundred twenty-three gizzards from upland game birds (chukar, Alectoris chukar; and common pheasant, Phasianus colchicus) harvested by hunters in southern Ontario, Canada, were examined for lead pellet ingestion by manual examination of gizzard contents and by radiography. Lead pellets were found to be ingested by chukars (6/76; 8%) and the common pheasant (16/47; 34%). Further, 13% (17/129) of the bird (wild turkey, Meleagris gallopavo; Hungarian partridge, Perdix perdix; chukar; and common pheasant) livers analyzed had elevated lead concentrations (> or =6 microg/g wet weight [ww]). Liver-lead concentrations above Health Canada's guideline for human consumption of fish protein (<0.5 microg/g ww) were found in 40% (51/129) of livers analyzed. Data indicate that the ingestion of lead pellets in upland game birds and the potential consumption of lead-contaminated meat by humans are concerns related to the continued use of lead shotshell for hunting. PMID- 17763886 TI - Acute and chronic toxicity of fluoxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) in western mosquitofish. AB - Fluoxetine is a biologically active pharmaceutical chemical that has been detected at parts-per-trillion levels in surface waters in North America and Europe. This has generated concern because negative effects in aquatic organisms are possible. Known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine (e.g., Prozac; Elli Lilly) is neurologically active and widely prescribed for clinical depression in humans. In the present investigation, acute and chronic toxicities of fluoxetine were evaluated in an environmentally relevant species, western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis. Acute toxicity (5 to 5340 ppb fluoxetine) was assessed in neonates (age 24 to 48 hours) exposed in glass aquaria for 7 days; chronic toxicity (0.05 to 5 ppb fluoxetine) was examined in fish exposed from age neonate to age 91 days; and effects of chronic exposure (100 days) on sexual maturation was investigated in mesocosm tanks (100 L) in fish exposed (7 to 71 ppb) from age 59 to 159 days. Acute toxicity of fluoxetine in neonate western mosquitofish was observed to have a 7-day median lethal concentration of 546 ppb. Chronic exposure did not affect survival, growth, or sex ratio; however, increased lethargy in fish exposed to > or =0.5 ppb fluoxetine was observed. In fish exposed from age 59 to 159 days (juvenile to adult life stages), delayed development of external adult sexual morphology was observed at 71 ppb fluoxetine, which consisted of delayed onset of the presence of the black spot in the posterior abdomen in female fish and delayed formation of the elongated anal fin (gonopodium) in male fish. The present study demonstrated that chronic exposure of western mosquitofish to fluoxetine can affect sexual development; however, it does so only at concentrations 3 to 4 orders of magnitude higher than those previously found in the environment. PMID- 17763887 TI - Blood levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in children of Lucknow, India. AB - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are compounds with two or more fused benzene rings produced by incomplete combustion of organic substances involved in natural and anthropogenic processes. Children are exposed to these compounds through inhalation, dietary ingestion, and, also, soil at the playground. It has been well established that PAHs have carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic effects. Considering possible health risks due to PAHs exposure among children, the present study was carried out in collaboration with the Pediatrics Department, King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, to determine its exposure in children by estimating blood PAHs levels. Due to the variable composition of PAHs mixtures emitted from different environmental sources, any single compound or metabolite may not be representative of all exposure conditions. For these reasons, the measurement of blood PAHs levels as a possible biomarker, especially of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency, USA) priority list, has been proposed. Acenaphthylene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, naphthalene, pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene were determined by HPLC-FD/UV. On the basis of the individual compound, the median (50th percentile) of naphthalene (19 ppb) was highest, however, benzo(a)pyrene (4.0 ppb) level was found to be lowest among all detected PAHs. The median level of total noncarcinogenic PAHs (113.55 ppb) was higher than the total carcinogenic PAHs (32.35 ppb) in blood samples of children. A significant correlation was found between period of time spent in the surrounding breathing zone of the cooking place and total noncarcinogenic PAHs (p < 0.05), while the blood carcinogenic PAHs level in children was found to be associated with lower status of their families (p < 0.05). It is speculated that there may be chances of health hazards through exposure to PAHs, those not yet declared hazardous and present at higher concentrations in the Indian environment. Further study with a larger sample size and accompanying environmental data is desired to validate the findings of this pilot study and strengthen the database of PAHs exposure in India. PMID- 17763888 TI - Change of abundance of arthropods in pine forests caused by aerial insecticide spray. AB - As pine wilt disease (PWD) spread rapidly throughout the Republic of Korea, pine stands were subjected to insecticide spraying that was gradually increased, which raised concerns regarding the negative impact of insecticides sprayed on nontarget organisms of pine forests. This study aims to estimate the changes in the abundance of arthropods caused by long-term insecticide spraying common in PWD-infected forests. Four pine stands were selected as sprayed and unsprayed sites in two locations in the southern regions of Busan and Gyongnam-do, showing the peaks of PWD epidemics. Beatings, sweepings, and pitfall trappings were used for collecting arthropods at the crown, undergrowth, and ground for 4 years, starting in May 2001. Long-term effects caused by yearly repeated insecticide treatments were not found to be related to changes in the abundance of arthropods, but short-term impacts within a year showed different influences according to habitats and functional groups. PMID- 17763889 TI - Concentrations of metals in blood and feathers of nestling ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. AB - In 2000, 2001, and 2002, blood and feather samples were collected from 40-45-day old nestling ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) from Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay and River. Concentrations of 18 metals, metalloids, and other elements were determined in these samples by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy, and Hg concentrations were measured by cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy. When compared to concurrent reference areas (South, West, and Rhode Rivers), mean As and Hg concentrations in blood were greater (p < 0.05) in two of three Chesapeake Bay regions of concern (Baltimore Harbor [As: 1.18 vs. 0.548 microg/g dw], Anacostia River [Hg: 0.305 vs. 0.178 microg/g dw], and Elizabeth River [As: 0.876 vs. 0.663 microg/g dw; Hg: 0.260 vs. 0.180 microg/g dw]). Lead was detected more frequently in blood of nestlings from the highly industrialized Elizabeth River compared to the rural reference area. When compared to the concurrent reference area, mean Al, Ba, Hg, Mn, and Pb concentrations in feathers were substantially greater (p < 0.05) in one or more Chesapeake regions of concern (Anacostia River [Al: 206 vs. 62.1 microg/g dw; Ba: 3.31 vs. 0.823 microg/g dw; Mn: 65.4 vs. 22.9 microg/g dw] and Elizabeth River [Al: 165 vs. 63.5 microg/g dw; Hg: 1.24 vs. 0.599 microg/g dw; Pb 1.47 vs. 0.543 microg/g dw]). When compared to the coastal Inland Bays reference area, feathers of nestlings from northern Delaware Bay and River had greater concentrations (p < 0.05) of Ba (1.90 vs. 0.660 microg/g dw), Fe (258 vs. 109 microg/g dw), Mn (18.5 vs. 4.66 microg/g dw), Mo (0.130 vs. 0.040 microg/g dw), Pb (1.96 vs. 0.624 microg/g dw), and V (0.671 vs. 0.325 microg/g dw), presumably due to extensive metal-working and petroleum refinery activities. Concentrations of Hg in nestling feathers from Delaware were frequently greater than in the Chesapeake. The present findings and those of related reproductive studies suggest that concentrations of several heavy metals (e.g., Cd, Hg, Pb) in nestling blood and feathers from Chesapeake and Delaware Bays were below toxicity thresholds and do not seem to be affecting chick survival during the nestling period. PMID- 17763890 TI - Kearns-Sayre syndrome presenting as complete heart block. AB - Kearns-Sayre syndrome (KSS) is a rare mitochondrial disorder characterized by large-scale deletions of mitochondrial DNA. Neuromuscular and cardiac conduction systems are most commonly involved in these patients. Here, we discuss a 10-year old patient with diabetes mellitus who presented in complete heart block leading to the diagnosis of KSS. The cardiovascular complications of this syndrome are reviewed and discussed. PMID- 17763891 TI - Toward optimal hemodynamics: computer modeling of the Fontan circuit. AB - The construction of efficient designs with minimal energy losses is especially important for cavopulmonary connections. The science of computational fluid dynamics has been increasingly used to study the hemodynamic performance of surgical operations. Three-dimensional computer models can be accurately constructed of typical cavopulmonary connections used in clinical practice based on anatomic data derived from magnetic resonance scans, angiocardiograms, and echocardiograms. Using these methods, the hydraulic performance of the hemi Fontan, bidirectional Glenn, and a variety of types of completion Fontan operations can be evaluated and compared. This methodology has resulted in improved understanding and design of these surgical operations. PMID- 17763892 TI - Medical management of the failing Fontan. AB - The Fontan operation accomplishes complete separation of systemic venous blood from pulmonary venous circulation in patients with single ventricle anatomy. Operative survival since the first description of the Fontan operation is excellent in the current era through modifications in surgical techniques, identification of patient-specific risk factors, and advances in postoperative care. Improved early outcomes have also resulted in a decline in late mortality for patients who have undergone staged palliation with the Fontan operation. As the number of late survivors from the Fontan operation increases, caregivers will be evermore faced with the challenge of recognizing and managing the patient with failing Fontan physiology. Even after excellent early results, patients with single ventricle lesions remain at risk of progressive ventricular dysfunction, dysrhythmias, progressive hypoxemia, elevated pulmonary vascular resistance, and protein-losing enteropathy, which can result in morbidities including but not limited to, myocardial failure, thromboembolism, and stroke. Consequently, continued long-term survival of patients who undergo the Fontan operation is dependent upon preservation of single ventricle function, avoidance of late complications, and, in the patient with a failing Fontan, recognition and treatment of the underlying pathophysiologic process that has resulted in Fontan failure. PMID- 17763893 TI - Three-dimensional nasal reconstruction using a prefabricated forehead flap: case report. AB - Surgical treatment is extremely difficult with the combined defects of skin, cartilage, and nasal mucosa. Besides efforts geared toward ascertaining the best aesthetic outcome, an important concern is restoring normal nasal function. This can be achieved only by providing sufficiently and anatomically adapted cartilage and bone support, followed by covering the inner part using tissue closely resembling mucosa and the outer part using skin compatible with the surrounding skin. The surgical technique for three-dimensional nasal reconstruction in the first session of this study involved placing a silicon sheet between the skin and galea, which allowed two separate flaps to be obtained for the next session without vascular damage. For the epithelialization of the defect on the nasal surface, the lower surface of the galea was prefabricated with a thin skin graft obtained from the thigh. In this way, nasal mucosa cover was ensured. The expander placed under all these structures thinned them down to a thickness close to that of nasal skin and mucosa and also enabled primary closure of the donor area. Thus, the defect that emerged during the second session in cartilage framework was repaired by cartilage grafts taken from the nasal septum. The mucosal surface and skin part then could be closed with two separate flaps. The forehead flap used in this technique enabled production of an aesthetically and functionally satisfactory outcome by providing an anatomically sufficient amount of nasal skin and nasal mucosa for whole-layer wide nasal defects in only three sessions without necessitating an additional flap. PMID- 17763895 TI - Complications of barbed sutures. PMID- 17763894 TI - Cell-assisted lipotransfer for cosmetic breast augmentation: supportive use of adipose-derived stem/stromal cells. AB - BACKGROUND: Lipoinjection is a promising treatment but has some problems, such as unpredictability and a low rate of graft survival due to partial necrosis. METHODS: To overcome the problems with lipoinjection, the authors developed a novel strategy known as cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL). In CAL, autologous adipose-derived stem (stromal) cells (ASCs) are used in combination with lipoinjection. A stromal vascular fraction (SVF) containing ASCs is freshly isolated from half of the aspirated fat and recombined with the other half. This process converts relatively ASC-poor aspirated fat to ASC-rich fat. This report presents the findings for 40 patients who underwent CAL for cosmetic breast augmentation. RESULTS: Final breast volume showed augmentation by 100 to 200 ml after a mean fat amount of 270 ml was injected. Postoperative atrophy of injected fat was minimal and did not change substantially after 2 months. Cyst formation or microcalcification was detected in four patients. Almost all the patients were satisfied with the soft and natural-appearing augmentation. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results suggest that CAL is effective and safe for soft tissue augmentation and superior to conventional lipoinjection. Additional study is necessary to evaluate the efficacy of this technique further. PMID- 17763896 TI - Nipple reconstruction using the free transfer of a previously reconstructed nipple. PMID- 17763897 TI - Conventional versus invaginated stripping of the great saphenous vein: a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial. AB - BACKGROUND: An invaginated strip of the great saphenous vein (GSV) may be associated with diminished blood loss and less discomfort compared to conventional stripping in patients with unilateral primary GSV varicosis. METHODS: Ninety-two patients were randomized for conventional (CON) or invaginated (INVAG) stripping and were followed for 26 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: Both groups (n = 46) were well balanced for age, gender distribution, and body mass index. The CON group lost twice as much blood compared to the INVAG group (CON: 28 +/- 4 g, INVAG: 15 +/- 2 g, p < 0.001). Infragenual incision length following a conventional strip was twice as long (CON: 16 +/- 1 mm, INVAG: 8 +/- 1 mm, p < 0.001). Pain as measured with a visual analog scale (minimal 0, max 10) decreased in both groups in a similar fashion from 3.2 +/- 0.3 preoperatively to 0.6 +/- 0.2 after 26 weeks (p < 0.001). Saphenous nerve damage after one month was observed in four CON patients compared to no patients following invagination. Return to work was not different (CON: 13 +/- 2 days, INVAG: 11 +/- 2 days). CONCLUSION: Invagination of the GSV in uncomplicated primary varicosis may be associated with less surgical trauma compared to a conventional stripping technique. PMID- 17763898 TI - Trends in neonatal intestinal obstruction in a developing country, 1996-2005. AB - BACKGROUND: Despite the advances in neonatal surgery, the outcome of neonatal intestinal obstruction (NIO) in many developing countries has been reported to be poor. This study describes the trends in NIO, including the contributory factors in southeast Nigeria. METHODS: We performed a comparative analysis of 128 consecutive NIO managed from January 1996 to December 2005 at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, in southeast Nigeria. RESULTS: Fifty-five (43.0%) neonates were managed in the first 5 years (group A) and 73 (57.0%) in the last 5 years (group B). Etiology of obstruction did not vary significantly in the two groups. Average duration of symptoms before presentation fell from 5.9 days (group A) to 4.7 days (group B). With exception of Hirschsprung's disease (HD), all other cases required operative treatment. In HD, colostomy rate declined from 44.4% (group A) to 26.7% (group B). More neonates in group B were managed with general anesthesia and perioperative third-generation cephalosporin antibiotics (p < 0.01). While complication rate did not vary significantly in the two groups (group A, 42%; group B, 40.3%), survival improved (group A, 61.8%; group B, 72.6%). Earlier presentation, improved manpower, and use of potent antibiotics may have contributed to the improved outcome. Challenges in the form of lack of neonatal intensive care facilities and dearth of qualified personnel persist. CONCLUSION: There is a trend toward earlier presentation and increased survival of babies with NIO in our setting. Improving the existing facilities and trained manpower, and establishing collaboration with centers that have excellent results may further encourage the trend. PMID- 17763899 TI - Hemoptysis complicating Scimitar Syndrome: from diagnosis to treatment. AB - We report the case of a 24-year-old patient with known scimitar syndrome presenting with hemoptysis. Multidetector CT angiography showed the scimitar vein draining the right lung to the inferior vena cava associated with right lower lobe bronchopulmonary sequestration. The presence of hemoptysis associated with scimitar syndrome is likely secondary to an anomalous systemic arterial blood supply. We treated this patient successfully with transcatheter occlusion of the anomalous feeding arterial vessels. PMID- 17763900 TI - Endovascular treatment of common iliac occlusion in the presence of persistent sciatic artery. AB - Persistent sciatic artery is a rare congenital anomaly. It is associated with increased incidence of aneurysmal dilatation, thrombosis, distal embolization, and atherosclerotic change. We describe the case of a patient with persistent sciatic artery who presented with a critically ischemic left leg as a result of an occluded left common iliac artery, which was treated by angioplasty and stenting, and discuss the endovascular iliac recanalization in the presence of a persistent sciatic artery. PMID- 17763901 TI - Long-term retrievability of IVC filters: should we abandon permanent devices? AB - Thromboembolic disease produces a considerable disease burden, with death from pulmonary embolism in the UK alone estimated at 30,000-40,000 per year. Whilst it is unproven whether filters actually improve longevity, the morbidity and mortality associated with thromboembolic disease in the presence of contraindications to anticoagulation is high. Thus complications associated with filter insertion, and whilst they remain in situ, must be balanced against the alternatives. Permanent filters remain in situ for the remainder of the patient's life and any complications from the filters are of significant concern. Filters that are not permanent are therefore attractive in these circumstances. Retrievable filters, to avoid or decrease long-term filter complications, appear to be a significant advance in the prevention of pulmonary embolism. In this review, we discuss the safety and effectiveness of both permanent and retrievable filters as well as the retrievability of retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, to explore whether the use of permanent IVC filters can be abandoned in favor of retrievable filters. Currently four types of retrievable filters are available: the Recovery filter (Bard Peripheral Vascular, Tempe, AZ, USA), the Gunther Tulip filter (Cook, Bloomington, IN, USA), the OptEase Filter (Cordis, Roden, The Netherlands), and the ALN filter (ALN Implants Chirurgicaux, Ghisonaccia, France). Efficacy and safety data for retrievable filters are as yet based on small series, with a total number of fewer than 1,000 insertions, and follow-up is mostly short term. Current long-term data are poor and insufficient to warrant the long-term implantation of these devices into humans. The case of fractured wire from a Recovery filter that migrated to the heart causing pericardial tamponade requiring open heart surgery is a reminder that any new endovascular device remaining in situ in the long term may produce unexpected problems. We should also bear in mind that the data on permanent filters are much more robust, with reports on over 9,500 cases with follow-up of up to 8 years. The original implantation time of 10-14 days has been extended to more than 100 days as the mean implantation time with some of the filter types. Follow-up (preferably prospective) is necessary for all retrievable filters, whether or not they are retrieved. Until these data become available we should restrict ourselves to the present indications of permanent and retrievable filters. If long-term follow-up data on larger numbers of cases confirm the initial data that retrievable filters are as safe and effective as permanent filters, the use of the retrievable filters is likely to expand. PMID- 17763902 TI - Percutaneous transgastric snaring for repositioning of a dislocated internal drain from a pancreatic pseudocyst. AB - Pancreatic pseudocysts may occur in up to 10% of patients with acute or chronic pancreatitis. Symptomatic, persistent, and infected pancreatic pseudocysts require interventional therapy. We present the case of a patient with complete dislocation of a double pigtail catheter into an infected pseudocyst and the repositioning of the drainage catheter using a transgastric snaring technique. The combination of CT-guided percutaneous puncture and fluoroscopic snaring permitted minimally invasive management of this rare complication. PMID- 17763904 TI - Fibrinolytic responses of human peritoneal fluid in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective clinical study. AB - BACKGROUND: The reduction in peritoneal fibrinolysis is believed to be the pathogenetic mechanism of adhesion formation. The general conclusion based on previous clinical and experimental studies is that laparoscopic procedures produce less adhesion formation. The association between this beneficial effect of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and peritoneal fibrinolytic changes is not clear. Therefore, the authors aimed to compare the effects of open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy on peritoneal fibrinolysis. For this purpose, fibrinolytic parameters in peritoneal fluid were investigated 24 h after laparoscopic and open cholecystectomies. METHODS: In a prospective clinical study, peritoneal fluid was sampled via a drain 24 h after laparoscopic (n = 10) and open (n = 9) cholecystectomies. Activities and concentrations of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), and tPA/PAI-1 complex were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. RESULTS: In peritoneal fluids, tPA and tPA/PAI-1 complex concentrations were higher in the open cholecystectomy group (p = 0.009 and p < 0.001, respectively), but tPA activity and PAI-1 concentrations did not differ between the groups (p = 0.514 and p = 0.716, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Fibrinolytic changes in peritoneal fluid have several similarities in open and laparoscopic cholecystectomies with regard to tPA activity and PAI-1 levels. However, higher tPA levels after the open procedure probably are secondary to more intense tissue handling leading to mesothelial release of tPA. PMID- 17763906 TI - Four percent of patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery may have synchronous appendiceal neoplasia. AB - PURPOSE: An individual with colorectal cancer has a 3 percent risk of synchronous colonic neoplasia and further 2 to 3 percent risk of metachronous cancer, a risk that has prompted colonic surveillance. The appendix has a similar mucosal pattern to the colon and it has been hypothesized that appendicular adenocarcinoma may account for 1 percent of all colorectal malignancies. A special interest of the senior author in appendiceal and rectal cancer has prompted routine removal of the appendix in all cases undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing left colectomy or anterior resection for colorectal cancer had coincidental appendectomy with the specimen pathologically analyzed. A retrospective review of the case notes and histopathology was performed. Data also were collected for patients who had right hemicolectomy for colonic carcinoma. RESULTS: In total, 169 patients under the care of a single surgeon had colorectal cancer resection between April 2002 and April 2005: 63 patients had right hemicolectomy, 29 had left hemicolectomy, and 77 had rectal cancer resection. Seven of 169 appendices had abnormalities: 3 mucinous cystadenomas, 2 cystadenocarcinomas, 1 carcinoid tumor, and 1 villous adenoma. CONCLUSIONS: Patients having colorectal cancer resection for adenocarcinoma should have appendicectomy performed. Synchronous pathology was found in 4.1 percent in this series. Metachronous neoplasia is a risk in the retained appendix in patients with colorectal cancer. Routine postoperative surveillance cannot assess the appendiceal mucosa, so there is little justification for not taking the opportunity to eliminate the possibility of future appendicitis or neoplasia. PMID- 17763905 TI - Medical effectiveness and safety of conventional compared to laparoscopic incisional hernia repair: a systematic review. AB - BACKGROUND: Incisional hernias are a common complication following abdominal surgery and represent about 80% of all ventral hernia. In uncomplicated postoperative follow-up they develop in about 11% of cases and in up to 23% of cases with wound infections or other forms of wound complications. While conventional mesh repair has been the standard of care in the past, the use of laparoscopic surgery is increasing. It therefore remains uncertain which technique should be recommended as the standard of care. OBJECTIVES: To compare the medical effectiveness and safety of conventional mesh and laparoscopic incisional hernia repair. METHODS: A structured literature search of databases accessed through the German Institute of Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI) was conducted. English and German literature published until August 2005 was included and their methodological quality assessed. RESULTS: The search identified 17 relevant publications and included 15 studies for final assessment. Among those were one meta-analysis, one randomized clinical trial (RCT) ,and 13 cohort studies. All studies suffered from significant methodological limitations, such as differences in baseline characteristics between treatment groups, small case numbers, and the lack of adjustment for relevant confounders. Overall, medical effectiveness and safety were similar for both surgical approaches. However, there was a trend towards lower recurrence rates, length of hospital stay, and postoperative pain as well as decreased complication rates for the laparoscopic repair in the majority of studies. The impact of the technique of mesh implantation and mesh fixation as well as the impact of certain patient related factors was not systematically assessed in any of the studies. CONCLUSION: No conclusive differences could be identified between the operative techniques. There was, however, some evidence for a trend towards similar or slightly improved outcomes associated with the laparoscopic procedure. There remains an urgent need for high-quality prospective studies to evaluate this question conclusively. PMID- 17763907 TI - Is early detection of anastomotic leakage possible by intraperitoneal microdialysis and intraperitoneal cytokines after anterior resection of the rectum for cancer? AB - PURPOSE: This prospective study assessed methods of detecting intraperitoneal ischemia and inflammatory response in patients with and without postoperative complications after anterior resection of the rectum. METHODS: In 23 patients operated on with anterior resection of the rectum for rectal carcinoma, intraperitoneal lactate, pyruvate, and glucose levels were monitored postoperatively for six days by using microdialysis with catheters applied in two locations: intraperitoneally near the anastomosis, and in the central abdominal cavity. A reference catheter was placed subcutaneously in the pectoral region. Cytokines, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, were measured in intraperitoneal fluid by means of a pelvic drain for two postoperative days. RESULTS: The intraperitoneal lactate/pyruvate ratio near the anastomosis was higher on postoperative Day 5 (P = 0.029) and Day 6 (P = 0.009) in patients with clinical anastomotic leakage (n = 7) compared with patients without leakage (n = 16). The intraperitoneal levels of IL-6 (P = 0.002; P = 0.012, respectively) and IL-10 (P = 0.002; P = 0.041, respectively) were higher on postoperative Days 1 and 2 in the leakage group, and TNF-alpha was higher in the leakage group on Day 1 (P = 0.011). In-hospital clinical anastomotic leakage was diagnosed on median Day 6, and leakage after hospital discharge on median Day 20. CONCLUSIONS: The intraperitoneal lactate/pyruvate ratio and cytokines, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-alpha, were increased in patients who developed symptomatic anastomotic leakage before clinical symptoms were evident. PMID- 17763908 TI - Postoperative urinary retention after primary colorectal cancer resection via laparotomy: a prospective study of 2,355 consecutive patients. AB - PURPOSE: The risk factors for postoperative urinary retention after colorectal carcinoma surgery can be clearly defined. This study was designed to determine risk factors for postoperative urinary retention after colorectal cancer surgery. METHODS: A total of 2,355 consecutive patients with colorectal cancer who underwent open resection for colorectal cancer during a four-year period were included. The association between dependent and independent variables (including 19 clinicopathologic and surgical factors) was analyzed by using the chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate. The significant variables in the univariate analyses were included in multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of postoperative urinary retention was 5.5 percent (colon cancer, 1.7 percent; rectal cancer, 9.1 percent, P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed an independent association between postoperative urinary retention and age, lung disease, tumor location, operation duration, and additional pelvic procedure. Of the 121 patients with postoperative urinary retention, urine catheterization was required in 42 patients one month postoperatively. Discriminate analysis showed that gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists' score, tumor location, presence of drainage, and pelvic infection were best able to discriminate between prolonged (>1 month) and transient urinary dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: Older patients, lung disease, rectal cancer, longer operation duration, and additional pelvic procedure were at greater risk. There is a time-dependent change in postoperative urinary dysfunction. Male gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists' score of 2 or 3, rectal tumor, surgical drain, and pelvic infection can identify patients at risk for prolonged urinary dysfunction. PMID- 17763909 TI - Long-term cure in surgery for extrarectal pelvic recurrence of rectal cancer. AB - PURPOSE: Survival benefit of radical surgery for locally recurrent rectal cancer depends on whether disease is cured rather than whether death is delayed. Cured patients gain decades of life and are spared from sufferings with recurrence. Unfortunately, the majority of patients undergoing surgery, particularly those with extrarectal pelvic recurrence, have poor outcomes with occult disseminated disease. This study was designed to identify which of these patients are curable. METHODS: Of 61 patients with pelvic recurrence treated by radical reexcision more than nine years before, 36 patients whose initial surgery was abdominoperineal resection were examined retrospectively. We used the logistic regression and Gamel-Boag regression models to estimate curability and identify predictors of cure. RESULTS: Ten patients survived five years and seven survived ten years. The cumulative disease-specific mortality curve leveled off 6.5 years after reexcision and remained at 74 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 60-89), indicating that the remaining 26 percent are curable. This value is comparable with the 23 percent curability estimated by the Gamel-Boag model, which also found that the disease-free interval from the initial surgery to the first recurrence is the best predictor of cure (P = 0.005). Of 11 patients with disease free interval three years or more, 6 survived ten years, whereas 8 of 9 patients with disease-free interval less than one year died of second recurrence within three years of reexcision. CONCLUSIONS: Even patients with extrarectal pelvic recurrence may have isolated disease that is amenable to complete eradication. As a biologic marker, the disease-free interval serves to predict curability and may distinguish isolated disease from occult disseminated disease. PMID- 17763910 TI - Lumpectomy or mastectomy: is quality of life the tie-breaker? PMID- 17763911 TI - Short-term outcomes after robotic-assisted total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer remains a difficult procedure with high conversion rates. We have sought to improve on some of the pitfalls of laparoscopy by using the DaVinci robotic system. Here we report our two-year experience with robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery for primary rectal cancer. METHODS: A prospectively maintained database of all rectal cancer cases starting in November 2004 was created. A series of 39 consecutive unselected patients with primary rectal cancer was analyzed. Clinical and pathologic outcomes were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: 22 patients had low anterior, 11 intersphincteric and six abdominoperineal resections. Postoperative mortality and morbidity were % and 12.8%, respectively. The median operative time was 285 minutes (range 180-540 mins). The conversion rate was 2.6%. A total mesorectal excision with negative circumferential and distal margins was accomplished in all patients, and a median of 13 (range 7-28) lymph nodes was removed. The anastomotic leak rate was 12.1%. The median hospital stay was 4 days. There have been no local recurrences at a median follow-up of 13 months. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic-assisted surgery for rectal cancer can be carried out safely and according to oncological principles. This approach shows promising short-term outcomes and may facilitate the adoption of minimally invasive rectal surgery. PMID- 17763912 TI - The association of abuse and symptoms suggestive of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: results from the Boston Area Community Health survey. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of reported sexual, physical, or emotional abuse on the symptoms suggestive of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and to determine the effect of race/ethnicity on these patterns. METHODS: The Boston Area Community Health (BACH) survey used a multi stage stratified cluster sample to randomly sample 5,506 adults aged 30-79 from the city of Boston. BACH recruited 2,301 men (700 Black, 766 Hispanic, and 835 White). Interviewers administered questions approximating the National Institutes of Health chronic prostatitis symptom index (CPSI), and symptoms suggestive of CP/CPPS were measured by the definition of perineal and/or ejaculatory pain and CPSI pain score of 4+. Questions about previous abuse were obtained from a validated self-administered questionnaire during the home visit. Logistic regression was used to determine the effect of abuse on the likelihood of a man having symptoms suggestive of CP/CPPS. RESULTS: The prevalence of symptoms suggestive of CP/CPPS was 6.5%. Men who reported having experienced sexual, physical, or emotional abuse had increased odds (1.7-3.3) for symptoms suggestive of CP/CPPS. Previous abuse increased both the pain and urinary scores from the CPSI. CONCLUSION: Symptoms suggestive of CP/CPPS are not uncommon in a community based population of men. For men presenting with symptoms suggestive of CP/CPPS, clinicians may wish to consider screening for abuse. PMID- 17763914 TI - Using stories to disseminate research: the attributes of representative stories. AB - When researchers communicate their findings to patients, clinicians, policy makers, or media, they may find it helpful to supplement quantitative data with stories about individuals who represent themes in their research. Whether such stories are gathered during the research itself or identified from other sources, researchers must develop strategies for assessing their representativeness. This paper proposes 5 attributes of representative stories: (1) expression of important themes in the research, (2) explicit location in the "distribution" of stories that exemplify the theme, (3) verifiability, (4) acknowledgment of uncertainty, and (5) compelling narration. This paper summarizes research on substance abuse among physicians, and uses these 5 attributes to assess the representativeness of a published case report and a fictional short story about addicted physicians. While neither story is fully representative of the research, the process of evaluating these stories illustrates an approach to identifying representative stories for use in disseminating research. PMID- 17763915 TI - Pancreaticoduodenectomy in a Latin American country: the transition to a high volume center. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze data in a single institution series of pancreaticoduodenectomies (PD) performed in a 7-year period after the transition to a high-volume center for pancreatic surgery. BACKGROUND: PD has developed dramatically in the last century. Mortality is minimal yet complications are still frequent (around 40%). There are very few reports of PD in Latin America. METHODS: Data on all PDs performed by a single surgeon from March 2000 to July 2006 in our institution were collected prospectively. RESULTS: During the study's time frame 122 PDs were performed; 84% were classical resections. Mean age was 57.9 years. Of the patients, 51% were female. Intraoperative mean values included blood loss 881 ml, operative time 5 h and 35 min, and vein resection in 14 cases. Both ampullary and pancreatic cancer accounted for 34% of cases (42 patients each), 5.7% were distal bile duct and 4% duodenal carcinomas. Benign pathology included chronic pancreatitis, neuroendocrine tumors, cystic lesions, and other miscellaneous tumors. Overall operative mortality was 6.5% in the 7-year period, 2.2% in the later 5 years. There was a total of 75 consecutive PDs without mortality. Of the patients, 41.8% had one or more complications. Mean survival for pancreatic cancer was 22.6 months and ampullary adenocarcinoma was 31.4 months. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the largest single surgeon series of PD performed in Latin America. It emphasizes the importance of experience and expertise at high-volume centers in developing countries. PMID- 17763913 TI - Racial differences in long-term self-monitoring practice among newly drug-treated diabetes patients in an HMO. AB - BACKGROUND: One approach to improving outcomes for minority diabetics may be through better self-care. However, minority patients may encounter barriers to better self-care even within settings where variations in quality of care and insurance are minimized. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate racial differences in long-term glucose self-monitoring and adherence rates in an HMO using evidence-based guidelines for self-monitoring. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using 10 years (1/1/1993-12/31/2002) of electronic medical record data was used. PATIENTS: Patients were 1,732 insured adult diabetics of black or white race newly initiated on hypoglycemic therapy in a large multi-specialty care group practice. MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes include incidence and prevalence of glucose self-monitoring, intensity of use, and rate of adherence to national recommended standards. RESULTS: We found no evidence of racial differences in adjusted initiation rates of glucose self-monitoring among insulin-treated patients, but found lower rates of initiation among black patients living in low income areas. Intensity of glucose self-monitoring remained lower among blacks than whites throughout follow-up [IRR for insulin = 0.41 (0.27-0.62); IRR for oral hypoglycemic = 0.75 (0.63, 0.90)], with both groups monitoring well below recommended standards. Among insulin-treated patients, <1% of blacks and <10% of whites were self-monitoring 3 times per day; 36% of whites and 10% of blacks were self-monitoring at least once per day. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to glucose self monitoring standards was low, particularly among blacks, and racial differences in self-monitoring persisted within a health system providing equal access to services for diabetes patients. Early and continued emphasis on adherence among black diabetics may be necessary to reduce racial differences in long-term glucose self-monitoring. PMID- 17763916 TI - Prospective evaluation and 7-year follow-up of Swedish adjustable gastric banding in adults with extreme obesity. AB - BACKGROUND: Swedish adjustable gastric banding (SAGB) is a widespread laparoscopic procedure in bariatric surgery. Few long-term data is available. AIM: To determine long-term outcome after SAGB in 196 patients studied prospectively. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 196 patients, 40 men, and 156 women have been operated from 1996 to 2005. Age was 38 +/- 1 (mean +/- sem) years. Mean follow-up was 63 +/- 2 months. RESULTS: Hospital morbidity was 3% (0.5% early reoperation); mortality was 0. Late complications were band migration (1%), leakage (5%), slipping (4%), or pouch dilatation (8%). Minor reoperations (tube replacement, port-related, and hernias) were needed in 7.5%. Cumulative major reoperation rate reached 32%. Eighteen percent had a band replacement; 14% had removal of band anatomy. Late mortality was 0.5%. Exactly 7 years after SAGB, BMI decreased from 45 +/- 1 kg/m2 to 33 +/- 1 kg/m2, and excess weight loss (EWL) was 61 +/- 4%. Sixty-eight percent of the patients reached > or = 50% EWL. CONCLUSION: In 14% of the patients, the band anatomy had to be removed. Seven years of intact band anatomy leads to a successful EWL of 61 +/- 4% and to EWL of > or = 50% in 68%. However, cumulative major reoperation rate of 32% in 7 years makes it mandatory to offer and discuss other bariatric procedures to the respective patients. PMID- 17763917 TI - Esophagectomy--it's not just about mortality anymore: standardized perioperative clinical pathways improve outcomes in patients with esophageal cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: Esophageal resection (ER) remains the standard therapy for early esophageal cancer; however, because of concerns regarding high levels of morbidity and mortality reported in analyses of national databases, many patients are relegated to less effective endoscopic or chemotherapeutic approaches. METHODS: All patients undergoing esophagectomy by a single surgeon for cancer or high-grade dysplasia between 05/91-05/06 were prospectively entered into an IRB approved database. All aspects of work-up and treatment were guided by an evolving standardized perioperative clinical pathway. RESULTS: Three hundred forty consecutive patients, mean age of 64 (33-90), underwent ER for Barrett's esophagus (17) or invasive cancer stages I-87, II-133, III-94, IV-9. One hundred thirty-nine (41%) had neoadjuvant therapy. Sixty-three percent were American Society of Anesthesiologists class III or IV, and five different operative approaches were used. Patient were managed intraoperatively with a "fluid restriction" protocol. Mean intraoperative blood loss was 230 cc. 99.5% of patients were extubated immediately, and mean ICU and hospital stays were 2.25 (1 30) and 11.5 (6-49) days, respectively. Postoperative analgesia was managed with patient-controlled epidural analgesia in 98.5%, and 86% were mobilized on day 1 after surgery. Complications occurred in 153 patients (45%), most commonly atrial dysrhythmia (13%), and postoperative delirium (11%). Anastomotic leaks occurred in 13 patients (3.8%). Mortality occurred in one patient (0.3%). No significant differences were seen in length of stay, operative time, blood loss, or complications in patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy. For stages I, II, and III, patients between 1998-2004 Kaplan-Meier 5-year cumulative survival was 92.4, 57.1, and 34.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment of esophageal cancer can be done with moderate morbidity and very low mortality, and the expectation of improved levels of survival, especially in early-stage patients. Standardized perioperative clinical pathways can provide the infrastructure for the treatment of these patients and should include increased efforts to minimize blood loss and transfusions, improve postoperative pain control and extubation rates, and facilitate early mobilization and discharge. ER, as sole therapy or in combination with radiation/chemotherapy, should remain the standard of care in patients with early and locoregional esophageal cancer. PMID- 17763919 TI - Culture, characteristics and chromosome complement of Siberian tiger fibroblasts for nuclear transfer. AB - Tiger (Panthera tigris Linnaeus, 1758) is a characteristic species of Asia, which is in severe danger. Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is the largest one of the five existent tiger subspecies. It is extremely endangered. One new way for tiger protection and rescue is to study interspecies cloning. But there is few research data about Siberian tiger. In this study, we cultured Siberian tiger fibroblasts in vitro, analyzed their biological characteristics, chromosomes, and cell cycles, to provide not only nuclear donors with good morphology, normal biological characteristics, and chromosome quantity for tiger interspecies cloning, but also reliable data for further studying Siberian tiger. The results indicated that Siberian tiger ear fibroblasts can be successfully obtained by tissue culture either with or without overnight cold digestion, the cultured cells were typical fibroblasts with normal morphology, growth curve, and chromosome quantity; G0/G1 percentage increased and S percentage decreased with the confluence of cells. G0/G1 and S stage rate was significantly different between 40-50% and 80-90%, 95-100% confluence; there is no distinct difference between 80-90% and 95-100% confluence. The cells at the same density (80-90% confluence) were treated with or without 0.5% serum starving, GO/G1 rate of the former was higher than the latter, but the difference was not significant. GO/G1 proportion of 95-100% confluence was slightly higher than serum starving (80-90% confluence), but no significant difference. Therefore, the Siberian tiger fibroblasts we cultured in vitro can be used as donor cells, and the donor cells do not need to be treated with normal serum starvation during nuclear transfer; if we will just consider the rate of the G0/G1 stage cells, serum starvation can be replaced by confluence inhibition when cultured cells were more than 80-90% confluence. PMID- 17763918 TI - Medical and surgical treatment of chronic anal fissure: a prospective study. AB - The aim of this prospective study was to assess the efficacy of different medical treatments and surgery in the treatment of chronic anal fissure (CAF). From 1/04 to 09/06, 156 patients with typical CAF completed the study. All patients were treated with 0.2% nitroglycerin ointment (GTN) or anal dilators (DIL) for 8 weeks. If no improvement was observed after 8 weeks, patient was assigned to the other treatment or a combination of the two. Persisting symptoms after 12 weeks or recurrence were indications for either botulinum toxin injection into the internal sphincter and fissurectomy or lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS). During the follow-up (19 +/- 8 months), healing rates, symptoms, incontinence scores, and therapy adverse effects were prospectively recorded. Overall healing rates were 65.3 and 96.3% after GTN/DIL or BTX/LIS. Healing rate after GTN or DIL were 39.8 and 46%, respectively. Thirty-six patients (23.1%) responded to further medical therapy. Fifty-four patients (34.6%) underwent BTX or LIS. Healing rate after BTX was 81.8%. LIS group showed a 100% healing rate with no morbidity and postoperative incontinence. In conclusion, although LIS is far more effective than medical treatments, BTX injection/fissurectomy as first line treatment may significantly increase the healing rate while avoiding any risk of incontinence. PMID- 17763920 TI - Multifocal avascular necrosis revealing antiphospholipid syndrome. AB - Osteonecrosis (ON) is a clinical entity characterized by death of bone marrow and trabecular bone as a result of disruption of blood supply to the bone. The antiphospholipid (APL) syndrome is characterized by arterial and/or venous thrombosis and pregnancy morbidity in association with APL antibodies. The involvement of multiple or atypical sites by ON has been reported, especially in association with APL antibodies. We described herein multiple and atypical infarcts which developed in a patient with primary APL syndrome. PMID- 17763921 TI - Rheumatoid arthritis, periodontal disease and coronary artery disease. AB - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), periodontal disease (PD), and coronary artery disease (CAD) are common chronic inflammatory diseases. RA is associated with accelerated vascular risk resulting in an increased prevalence of CAD with attendant early mortality and excess morbidity. RA and PD have a common pathobiology. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between RA, PD, and CAD and the influence of systemic inflammatory factors. A total of 100 active RA patients of which 50 had established CAD and 50 had no CAD were assessed for PD. All subjects underwent a clinical, cardiac, dental, laboratory, and radiological evaluation. Blood samples were obtained, and the level of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), total white blood counts (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fibrinogen and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, total cholesterol (TC), and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were assayed. The findings of this study demonstrated an association between RA, PD, and CAD. The RA patients with CAD had significantly more PD than RA patients without CAD. The inflammatory markers, hsCRP, ESR, WBC, fibrinogen, and TNF-alpha, were raised in all patients but were significantly higher in RA patients with CAD who also had PD. HDL levels were lower in RA patients with CAD when compared to RA patients without CAD. Evidence from this study shows an association between RA, PD, CAD, and systemic levels of the inflammatory mediators. The implication is that inflammation may be the central link between the chronic inflammatory, autoimmune disorders, and atherosclerosis. PMID- 17763922 TI - Structural basis of protein-protein interaction studied by NMR. AB - This paper describes efforts of the structural genomics project in the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) laboratory at the University of Science and Technology of China. This structural genomics project is biological-functional driven. Targets are mainly selected from two systems: proteins related with regulation of gene expression in humans and other eukaryotes, and proteins existing in the cell junction in humans. The majority of proteins selected from these two systems are related with human health and diseases, and some are potential drug targets. Twenty-five protein structures from Homo sapiens and other eukaryotes have been determined during last 5 years in this laboratory. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is highly suited to investigate molecular interactions at a close physiological condition and is particularly suited for the study of low affinity, transient complexes. It can provide information on protein surface interaction, their complex structure, and their dynamic properties during protein recognition. Several examples are given in this paper. PMID- 17763924 TI - Study of papain-cystatin interaction by intensity fading MALDI-TOF-MS. AB - Intensity fading (IF) matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS ) has become an alternative screening approach for the affinity-binding analysis of proteins and peptides with molecular ligands. In this investigation an attempt has been made to study the protein ligand interaction by intensity fading (IF) MALDI-MS using papain and cystatin as model system for protein-ligand interactions. The intensity fading of cystatin was monitored using various concentration of cystatin ranging from (1 to 8.6 microM) in presence of target protein, papain. The results indeed indicate that the intensity of cystatin decreases upon addition of papain. Furthermore, for the first time we have used IF-MALDI-MS for determining the number of binding sites for cystatin on papain by Scatchard analysis. PMID- 17763923 TI - Chemical linkage at allosteric activation of E. coli cAMP receptor protein. AB - Cyclic AMP Receptor protein (CRP) regulates transcription initiation in E. coli. The ligand and DNA binding data yields the following results: (1) There are two different types of cAMP binding sites; weak and strong. (2) CRP-DNA-cAMP is the active form of all CRP conformers and this complex prefers to form from CRP-DNA rather than CRP-cAMP form. (3) Binding of additional cAMP(s) to CRP-DNA-cAMP complex greatly reduces DNA binding affinity. (4) Variants showed that ribose moiety of cAMP is important to transmit the signal to the DNA binding domain to activate specific DNA binding. (5) Deconvolution of DNA binding data leads us to propose a model for cAMP's role in transcription initiation process. PMID- 17763925 TI - Characterization of his-tagged rat uroporphyrinogen III synthase wild-type and variant enzymes. AB - The structurally related tetrapyrrolic pigments are a group of natural products that participate in many of the fundamental biosynthetic and catabolic processes of living organisms. Urogen III synthase catalyzes a key step in the formation of urogen III, a common intermediate for tetrapyrrolic natural products. In the present study, we cloned, purified, and characterized His-tagged rat urogen III synthase. The mechanism of enzymatic reaction was studied through site-directed mutagenesis of eight highly conserved residues with functional side chains around the active site followed with activity tests. Lys10, Asp17, Glu68, Tyr97, Asn121, Lys147, and His173 have not been studied previously, which were found to be unessential for enzymatic reaction. Tyr168 was identified as an important residue for enzymatic reaction catalyzed by rat urogen III synthase. Molecular modeling suggests the hydroxyl group of Tyr168 side chain is 3.5 A away from the D ring, and is within hydrogen bond distance (1.9 A) with acetate side chain of the D ring. PMID- 17763926 TI - The role of Phe181 in the hexamerization of Helicobacter pylori quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase. AB - Quinolinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (QAPRTase; NadC) catalyzes an indispensable step in NAD biosynthesis, one that is essential for cell survival in prokaryotes, which makes it an attractive target for antibacterial drug therapy. We recently reported the crystal structures of Helicobacter pylori QAPRTase with bound quinolinic acid, nicotinamide mononucleotide, and phthalic acid. The enzyme exists as a hexamer organized as a trimer of dimers, which is essential for full enzymatic activity. The loop between helix alpha7 and strand beta8 contributes significantly to the hydrophobic dimer-dimer interactions. Phe181Pro mutation within the alpha7-beta8 loop disrupts the hexamerization of QAPRTase, and the resultant dimer shows dramatically reduced protein stability and no activity. Our findings thus suggest that compounds able to disrupt its proper oligomerization could potentially function as selective inhibitors of Helicobacter pylori QAPRTase and represent a novel set of antibacterial agents. PMID- 17763927 TI - Polyclonal antibodies from hen egg yolk (IgY) with hydrolysis activity. AB - Polyclonal catalytic antibodies (abzymes) play an important role in immunology research. In this study, we report polyclonal antibodies IgYs isolated from chicken egg yolk with hydrolysis activity for the first time. The IgYs were raised in hens using HNPBV [4-(hydroxy (naphthalen-2-yloxy) phosphoryl) butanoic acid] attached to BSA (Bovine serum albumin) as an immunogen. Anti-(HNPBV-BSA) IgYs were isolated from yolks of the eggs laid using a two-step salt precipitation and one-step gel filtration protocol. NA (naphthalen-2-yl acetate) was selected as the substrate and the hydrolysis reaction of the IgYs for it was examined. The result reveals that the rate of the hydrolysis reaction is higher (Kcat/K (uncat) approximately 2x10(4)). The purified IgYs were digested with pepsin and the smaller fragment (Fab') with specific antigen binding properties was produced. The research indicates that the enzymatic properties of Fab' are similar to IgYs. The catalytic activity of the IgYs was further determined by measuring the rate of hydrolysis of NA in the presence of inhibitor. These findings show that chicken egg is an excellent donor for polyclonal catalytic antibodies. PMID- 17763928 TI - Thermal-unfolding reaction of triosephosphate isomerase from Trypanosoma cruzi. AB - Thermal denaturation of triosephosphate isomerase from Trypanosoma cruzi was studied by circular dicrhoism and fluorescence spectroscopies. The unfolding transition was found to be highly irreversible even at the very early stages of the reaction. Kinetic studies, allowed us to identify consecutive reactions. Firstly, only the tryptophan environment is altered. Next, changes on the secondary structure and hydrophobic surface exposure measured by 1-anilino-8 naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) binding were observed. Further conformational changes imply additional modifications on the secondary and tertiary structures and release of the hydrophobic dye leading to the formation of the unfolded state that is prone to aggregate. PMID- 17763929 TI - Inner anti-inflammatory mechanisms of petroleum ether extract from Melilotus suaveolens Ledeb. AB - Melilotus suaveolens Ledeb is a species of traditional medical plant for treating inflammation-related disease. This study is to explore the inner anti inflammatory mechanism on petroleum ether extract from Melilotus suaveolens Ledeb. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Inflammatory cellular model was founded by intervention of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on RAW264.7 cell line. Secretion of TNF alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, NO and IL-10 in supernatant, mRNA expression of TNF-alpha, COX-2, iNOS and HO-1, protein expression of COX-2 and HO-1, activation of NF kappaB and ingredients in the extract were assayed. RESULTS: The extract could not only reduce production of pro-inflammatory mediators by blocking NF-kappaB activation but promote release of anti-inflammatory mediator HO-1 significantly. The only active ingredient in the extract was coumarin and the concentration of coumarin in each 1 g extract was 0.27822 mg. CONCLUSION: Compared to Dexamethasone, the extract not only has similar effects on antagonizing pro inflammatory mediators and cytokines but has effects on promoting production of anti-inflammatory mediators. PMID- 17763930 TI - Predictors of institutionalization in elderly people living at home: the impact of incontinence and commode use in rural Japan. AB - A 5-year cohort study was conducted to determine factors that predict the institutionalization of elderly people who reside at home in a geographically defined rural community in southern Japan. Among 766 (321 men and 445 women) residents living at home, 742 (97%) were followed-up for 5 years. During that period, 55 (25 men and 30 women) subjects were institutionalized. In univariate analysis, institutionalization of men was significantly associated with incontinence (either urinary or fecal), speech impairment, impairment in activities of daily living (ADLs: transferring, eating, dressing, bathing), being housebound, and the use of a commode. In women, it was associated with incontinence, visual impairment, ADLs impairment, being housebound, and the use of a commode. Using Cox regression hazard model analysis, incontinence was identified as a predictor for institutionalization in men, but not in women. In women, visual impairment was a predictor for institutionalization. The use of a commode and the other variables had no association with institutionalization in either sex. In conclusion, incontinence is a predictor for institutionalization in elderly men. Use of a commode, however, does not appear to have a preventive effect with respect to institutionalization in elderly men. PMID- 17763931 TI - A simple model of retina-LGN transmission. AB - To gain a deeper understanding of the transmission of visual signals from retina through the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), we have used a simple leaky integrate and-fire model to simulate a relay cell in the LGN. The simplicity of the model was motivated by two questions: (1) Can an LGN model that is driven by a retinal spike train recorded as synaptic ('S') potentials, but does not include a diverse array of ion channels, nor feedback inputs from the cortex, brainstem, and thalamic reticular nucleus, accurately simulate the LGN discharge on a spike for-spike basis? (2) Are any special synaptic mechanisms, beyond simple summation of currents, necessary to model experimental recordings? We recorded cat relay cell responses to spatially homogeneous small or large spots, with luminance that was rapidly modulated in a pseudo-random fashion. Model parameters for each cell were optimized with a Simplex algorithm using a short segment of the recording. The model was then tested on a much longer, distinct data set consisting of responses to numerous repetitions of the noisy stimulus. For LGN cells that spiked in response to a sufficiently large fraction of retinal inputs, we found that this simplified model accurately predicted the firing times of LGN discharges. This suggests that modulations of the efficacy of the retino geniculate synapse by pre-synaptic facilitation or depression are not necessary in order to account for the LGN responses generated by our stimuli, and that post synaptic summation is sufficient. PMID- 17763932 TI - Association of a satellite DNA beta molecule with mesta yellow vein mosaic disease. AB - The yellow vein mosaic disease infected mesta samples exhibited positive amplification with different primers specific for coat protein (CP) gene of DNA-A molecule of begomoviruses and full-length DNA beta molecule. The amplified product of a full-length DNA beta and the CP gene of two different isolates were cloned and sequenced. The DNA beta molecule was 1,354 nt in length having highest sequence identity (86.1%) with two reported DNA beta molecules of Indian isolates of begomovirus infecting cotton (accession number DQ191161 and AJ316038). Highest sequence identity (85.5%) of betaC1 gene product was found with that encoded by DNA beta associated with begomovirus infecting tomato (AJ316035), originating from Pakistan. The predicted betaC1 protein consisted of 118 amino acids. The nucleotide sequences of the CP genes from both was 771 nt in length and showed sequence identity with CP genes of begomoviruses infecting tomato (82.2-92.4%), tobacco (AY007616, 94.2%) and Croton (AJ507777, 93.9%). The highest percentage sequence identity (97.6%) of the CP gene product was found with that encoded by DNA-A of two isolates of begomovirus infecting tomato (AJ810364 and AJ810357). The predicted CP consisted of 256 amino acids. The results indicate for the first time that the begomovirus associated with mesta yellow vein mosaic disease contains DNA beta molecule along with DNA-A in its genome. The phylogenetic tree also indicated that the DNA beta molecule reported here is distinct from other known geminiviruses or nanovirus components. PMID- 17763933 TI - The vIL-10 gene of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is conserved in a stable manner except for a few point mutations in various EBV isolates. AB - A gene of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), BamHI-C fragment rightward reading frame 1 (BCRF1), codes viral interleukin-10 (vIL-10), which is a close homolog to human IL-10. EBV strain variations are known at EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), and the distinct forms of LMP1 have been identified. In order to further elucidate the variations of EBV strains, the BCRF1 (vIL-10) gene was analyzed using PCR-direct sequencing in African Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell lines Raji, P3HR-1, EB1 and Daudi, Japanese BL cell line Akata, lymphoblastoid cell line OB and 22 wild EBV isolates from eight gastric carcinoma tissues and 14 throat washes. We found only five variations of the vIL-10 gene in them with one silent mutation and three non-silent mutations. Raji had no mutation to the prototype gene of B95-8. EB1 and P3HR-1 had non-silent mutations in the sequences leading to the arginine/serine and threonine/proline interchanges at residues 4 and 166, respectively. The silent mutation was detected at valine 102 in Daudi and also in the Japanese cell lines Akata, OB and 20 (90.9%) of the wild EBV isolates. The type of variations in the vIL-10 gene had a common relationship with those in the LMP1 gene. All of the variants of valine 102 had China1-type LMP1 sequences except for Daudi with Med-type LMP1 and other minorities with B95-8 type LMP1. The conservativeness of vIL-10 with a few variations suggests the indispensability of the vIL-10 gene in EBV and that the variations of the vIL-10 gene may depend upon the geographical prevalence of the EBV strains. This is the first report regarding the variations of the vIL-10 gene in cell lines and other wild isolates. PMID- 17763935 TI - The possible role of hyperhomocysteinemia on IVF outcome. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of the hyperhomocysteinemia on pregnancy rate, implantation rate and abortion rate after IVF. METHOD: Data from a total of 48 infertile couples with hyperhomocysteinemia were prospectively collected for this study. All patients underwent a standard down regulation protocol for ovarian stimulation. Oocytes recovery was performed at 36 h after hCG administration. Embryo transfer took place at 48 h after insemination. The patients were matched in two groups that received or did not receive therapy (group A and B respectively) to normalize homocysteine plasma level. RESULTS: Pregnancy rate, implantation rate and abortion rate varied significantly (p 0.05). However, adding betaine to ethanol containing diet caused a significant decrease in MDA, protein carbonyl levels and adenosine deaminase activities (P < 0.05). These results indicate that betaine may appear as a protective nutritional agent against cytotoxic brain damage induced by chronic ethanol consumption. PMID- 17763943 TI - Metabolism of [U-13C]glutamine and [U-13C]glutamate in isolated rat brain mitochondria suggests functional phosphate-activated glutaminase activity in matrix. AB - One of the forms of phosphate activated glutaminase (PAG) is associated with the inner mitochondrial membrane. It has been debated whether glutamate formed from glutamine in the reaction catalyzed by PAG has direct access to mitochondrial or cytosolic metabolism. In this study, metabolism of [U-(13)C]glutamine (3 mM) or [U-(13)C]glutamate (10 mM) was investigated in isolated rat brain mitochondria. The presence of a functional tricarboxylic (TCA) cycle in the mitochondria was tested using [U-(13)C]succinate as substrate and extensive labeling in aspartate was seen. Accumulation of glutamine into the mitochondrial matrix was inhibited by histidine (15 mM). Extracts of mitochondria were analyzed for labeling in glutamine, glutamate and aspartate using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Formation of [U-(13)C]glutamate from exogenous [U-(13)C]glutamine was decreased about 50% (P<0.001) in the presence of histidine. In addition, the (13)C-labeled skeleton of [U-(13)C]glutamine was metabolized more vividly in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle than that from [U-(13)C]glutamate, even though glutamate was labeled to a higher extent in the latter condition. Collectively the results show that transport of glutamine into the mitochondrial matrix may be a prerequisite for deamidation by PAG. PMID- 17763944 TI - DARPP-32 and NCS-1 expression is not altered in brains of rats treated with typical or atypical antipsychotics. AB - Dopamine-mediated neurotransmission imbalances are associated with several psychiatry illnesses, such as schizophrenia. Recently it was demonstrated that two proteins involved in dopamine signaling are altered in prefrontal cortex (PFC) of schizophrenic patients. DARPP-32 is a key downstream effector of intracellular signaling pathway and is downregulated in PFC of schizophrenic subjects. NCS-1 is a neuronal calcium sensor that can inhibit dopamine receptor D2 internalization and is upregulated in PFC of schizophrenic subjects. It is well known that dopamine D2 receptor is the main target of antipsychotic. Therefore, our purpose was to study if chronic treatment with typical or atypical antipsychotics induced alterations in DARPP-32 and NCS-1 expression in five brain regions: prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum, cortex and cerebellum. We did not find any changes in DARPP-32 and NCS-1 protein expression in any brain region investigated. PMID- 17763945 TI - Effect of chronic N-acetyl cysteine administration on oxidative status in the presence and absence of induced oxidative stress in rat striatum. AB - Antioxidants have possible therapeutic value in neurodegenerative disorders, although they may have pro-oxidant effects under certain conditions. Glutathione (GSH) is a key free radical scavenger. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) bolsters GSH and intracellular cysteine and also has effective free radical scavenger properties. The effects of chronic NAC administration (50 mg/kg/day, 500 mg/kg/day, 1500 mg/kg/day x 21 days) on cellular markers of oxidative status was studied in striatum of healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats as well as in animals with apparent striatal oxidative stress following chronic haloperidol treatment (1.5 mg/kg/day x 3 weeks). In non-haloperidol treated animals, NAC 50 and 500 mg/kg did not affect oxidative status, although NAC 1,500 mg/kg significantly increased striatal superoxide levels, decreased lipid peroxidation and increased consumption of reduced glutathione (GSH). Haloperidol alone evoked a significant increase in superoxide and lipid peroxidation. All NAC doses blocked haloperidol induced increases in superoxide levels, while NAC 500 mg/kg and 1,500 mg/kg prevented haloperidol-associated lipid peroxidation levels and also increased the GSSG/GSH ratio. NAC may protect against conditions of striatal oxidative stress, although possible pro-oxidative actions at high doses in otherwise healthy individuals, e.g. to offset worsening of neurodegenerative illness, should be viewed with caution. PMID- 17763946 TI - Neuronal cyclooxygenase-2 activity and prostaglandins PGE2, PGD2, and PGF2 alpha exacerbate hypoxic neuronal injury in neuron-enriched primary culture. AB - Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia. To determine whether COX-2 activity within the neuron itself exacerbates hypoxic neuronal injury, neuron-enriched cultures were subjected to anoxia. Treatment with COX-2 selective antagonists decreased cell death. Neurons cultured from homozygous COX-2 gene disrupted mice were resistant to hypoxia compared to those of heterozygotes. Infection of primary neurons with AAV expressing COX-2 exacerbated cell death compared to neurons infected with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) control vector. Addition of PGE2, PGD2 or PGF2 alpha to the medium exacerbated injury, suggesting that the deleterious effects of COX-2 overexpression in hypoxia could be mediated by direct receptor mediated effects of prostaglandins. Overexpression of COX-2 did not increase expression of cyclin D1 or phosphoretinoblastoma protein (pRb), or cleavage of caspase 3 suggesting that this cell cycle mechanism does not mediate COX-2 toxicity in this model. PMID- 17763947 TI - Long-term exposure of variable dietary protein-to-carbohydrate ratio: effect on brain regional glutamatergic activity with age. AB - Glutamatergic activity of hypothalamus and hippocampus of young (3 months) male albino rats having normal diet [protein (20%)-carbohydrate (68%)] was increased with the increase of age. Long-term (60 consecutive days) feeding of low protein (8%)-high carbohydrate (80%) diet (LP-HC) increased glutamatergic activity in these brain regions of young rats and decreased that in aged (18 months). On the contrary, supplementation of high protein (50%)-low carbohydrate (38%) diet (HP LC) under similar condition decreased glutamatergic activity in those brain regions of young and increased that in aged brain regions. Thus, prolonged exposure of LP-HC diet may damage young brain; whereas, HP-LC diet under similar condition causes excitotoxicity to aged brain. Therefore, considering the present scenario in relation to metabolism and receptor activity of glutamatergic system, it may be suggested that long-term consumption of LP-HC and HP-LC diets modulate the brain regional glutamatergic activity reversibly with age. PMID- 17763948 TI - Physicochemical properties and oxidative inactivation of soluble lectin from water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) brain. AB - Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins present in a wide variety of plants and animals, which serve various important physiological functions. A soluble beta galactoside binding lectin has been isolated and purified to homogeneity from buffalo brain using ammonium sulphate precipitation (40-70%) and gel permeation chromatography on Sephadex G50-80 column. The molecular weight of buffalo brain lectin (BBL) as determined by SDS-PAGE under reducing and non-reducing conditions was 14.2 kDa, however, with gel filtration it was 28.5 kDa, revealing the dimeric form of protein. The neutral sugar content of the soluble lectin was estimated to be 3.3%. The BBL showed highest affinity for lactose and other sugar moieties in glycosidic form, suggesting it to be a beta-galactoside binding lectin. The association constant for lactose binding as evidenced by Scatchard analysis was 6.6 x 10(3) M(-1) showing two carbohydrate binding sites per lectin molecule. A total inhibition of lectin activity was observed by denaturants like guanidine HCl, thiourea and urea at 6 M concentration. The treatment of BBL with oxidizing agent destroyed its agglutination activity, abolished its fluorescence, and shifted its UV absorption maxima from 282 to 250 nm. The effect of H2O2 was greatly prevented by lactose indicating that BBL is more stable in the presence of its specific ligand. The purified lectin was investigated for its brain cell aggregation properties by testing its ability to agglutinate cells isolated from buffalo and goat brains. Rate of aggregation of buffalo brain cells by purified protein was more than the goat brain cells. The data from above study suggests that the isolated lectin may belong to the galectin-1 family but is glycosylated unlike those purified till date. PMID- 17763949 TI - Ginseng, the root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, protects ethanol-induced gastric damages in rat through the induction of cytoprotective heat-shock protein 27. AB - Ginseng, the root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, has been reported to exert preventive effects on gastropathy via anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory actions. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of ginseng against ethanol-induced gastric damages in rat. To examine the preventive effect of ginseng, rats received two different ginseng extracts, A and B, 1 h prior to the administration of ethanol. Pretreatment of rats with ginseng extract A and B attenuated the ethanol-induced gastric lesions by 111 +/- 48 and 142 +/- 47 mm(2) compared to control group (164 +/- 54 mm(2)). Significant induction of cytoprotective heat-shock proteins HSP27 and HSP70 was found in the ginseng administrated rats, suggesting that the restoration of the proteins might contribute to prevention of ethanol-induced gastric injuries. It is, therefore, suggested that ginseng has a protective effect against ethanol-induced gastric damages by induction of heat-shock proteins 70 and 27. PMID- 17763950 TI - Influence of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma Plo12Ala polymorphism as a shared risk marker for both gastric cancer and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in Japanese. AB - Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. A common polymorphism at codon 12 of this gene (Pro12Ala) has been shown to confer protection against diabetes and colorectal cancer. We investigated the influence of PPARgamma gene Plo12Ala polymorphism on the risk of gastric cancer and on the severity of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastritis as well as impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in Japanese. About 215 patients with gastric cancer (GC) and 201 patients without GC enrolled in this study. Plo12Ala polymorphism of PPARgamma was investigated by PCR-RFLP in all of the subjects. The gastritis score of noncancerous antral mucosa was calculated by the updated Sydney system. The diagnosis of IFG was based on repeated evidence of serum fasting glucose (SFG) concentration of greater than or equal to 110 mg/dl. The Plo12Ala genotype of PPARgamma showed a significantly higher frequency in GC patients than in controls (OR = 2.43; 95%CI = 1.04-5.67). In contrast, the Plo12Ala genotype held a lower risk of IFG (OR = 0.33; 95%CI = 0.13-0.83). The same genotype was associated with an increased risk of non-cardiac gastric cancer (OR = 2.39; 95%CI = 1.02-5.65), lower third gastric cancer (OR = 3.56; 95%CI = 1.31-9.71), advanced cancer (OR = 2.93; 95%CI = 1.13-7.58), and Lauren's intestinal cancer (OR = 2.94; 95%CI = 1.13 7.66). Among 151 gastric cancer subjects, the atrophy and metaplasia scores of the antral mucosa adjacent to cancer showed a tendency to be higher in those with the 12Ala allele. Our study suggests that the PPARgamma Pro12Ala polymorphism may be a shared risk marker of both IFG and gastric cancer in Japanese. PMID- 17763951 TI - Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on experimental hepatic fibrogenesis. AB - The renin-angiotensin system is suggested to be important in liver fibrogenesis. It induces hepatic stellate cell proliferation and up-regulates transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta1) expression. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is involved in extracellular matrix remodelling. Fibrosis, a consequence of most chronic liver diseases, may be the result of a disturbed balance between fibrogenesis and fibrolysis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of enalapril on liver fibrogenesis induced in rats by bile-duct ligation. Forty seven rats were divided into two groups: bile-duct ligated (BDL) (n = 24) and BDL + enalapril (n = 23). Fibrosis was evaluated by the Knodell scoring system, and TGF-beta1 and MMP-2 were assessed with immunohistochemistry at the second, fourth and sixth weeks after bile-duct ligation. In the BDL group, TGF-beta1 increased by the second week and this increase continued through weeks 4 and 6. In the BDL + enalapril group, TGF-beta1 was significantly lower than the other group (P < 0.05). MMP-2 progressively decreased after week 2 in the BDL group. In the BDL + enalapril group, MMP-2 was significantly higher than the BDL group at the fourth and sixth weeks. These results suggest that enalapril reduces the liver tissue TGF-beta1 and has an ameliorating effect on the fibrosis markers TGF-beta1 and MMP-2. PMID- 17763953 TI - Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 polymorphism in patients with HBV related chronic liver disease. AB - A common and important problem in patients with chronic hepatitis B is the progression of liver fibrosis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in the progression of liver fibrosis. Our aim of this study was to examine the association of MMP-3 polymorphism with liver cirrhosis in Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B. Genomic DNA was extracted from 127 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 92 patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver cirrhosis (HBV-LC), and 146 healthy subjects. MMP-3 polymorphism was determined by polymerase-chain reaction-based assays, and the association with the progression of liver cirrhosis was investigated. With regard to MMP-3 polymorphism, there was no statistical difference in genotype distributions among the three groups. However, the peripheral platelet count of the 5A carriers was significantly lower than that of the 6A homozygotes in the HBV-LV group (85.0 +/- 36.9 vs. 109.8 +/- 47.0 x 10(9)/l; P = 0.02). With MMP-3 promoter polymorphism (rs3025058), a lower peripheral blood platelet count, which was related to advanced liver cirrhosis, was observed in 5A carriers. Therefore, more studies of MMP-3 gene polymorphism with larger populations should be conducted to further understand its role in the progression of liver cirrhosis. PMID- 17763952 TI - Effects of cellulose supplementation on fecal consistency and fecal weight. AB - We investigated the effects of cellulose supplementation on fecal consistency and fecal weight. About 26 women were classified into two groups-normal defecation and constipation groups. All subjects ate the following meals during the experiment: ordinary meals (first week), experimental meals (second week), and experimental meals mixed with 4 g (third week) and 8 g (fourth week) cellulose. The experimental meal contained 16.7 g fiber. Fecal weights, fecal water content, fecal consistency, and defecation frequency were measured during the experimental period. As a result, in the normal defecation group, the mean fecal weight was 222.9 g day(-1) in the first week, and thereafter decreased. Although 20/24 g of fiber intake in the third/fourth week increased the fecal weight to over 150 g, the fecal consistency was still lower than the optimal consistency of around 300 g cm(-2). However, these changes were not observed in the constipated group. PMID- 17763955 TI - Rapid regression of multiple gastric carcinoid tumors with hypergastrinemia and atrophic gastritis after renal transplantation. PMID- 17763954 TI - Immunohistochemical expression of components of the Akt-mTORC1 pathway is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic liver disease. AB - Activation of the Akt-mTORC1 signaling pathway was evaluated in premalignant and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions by assessing the expression of pS6, an Akt effector, and PTEN, an Akt suppressor. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining for pS6 and PTEN was performed on liver tissue from 52 patients with cirrhosis, with and without HCC. Two pathologists independently evaluated pS6 staining on a semiquantitative scale and categorized PTEN staining as present or absent. RESULTS: In the HCC group, pS6 staining was greatest in HCC, followed by dysplasia, and benign cirrhotic tissue (P < 0.001). pS6 staining was greater in cirrhotic tissue from patients with HCC compared to cirrhosis in patients without HCC (P = 0.03). PTEN staining in tumor was absent in 8/33 (24%) cases. Loss of PTEN expression was more common in patients with higher tumor stage, compared to those with stage 1 tumors (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Immunohistochemical evidence of activation of the Akt-mTORC1 pathway is associated with HCC. PMID- 17763957 TI - Gastric emptying is altered with the presence of gastritis. AB - Helicobacter pylori infection and gastritis can cause symptoms suggestive of altered gastrointestinal function; however, it is unclear if H. pylori influences gastric motility. This study assessed gastric emptying rates in mouse models of gastritis. Gastritis was induced in C57BL/6 mice via ethanol treatment or via challenge with H. pylori or H. felis. Gastric emptying rates of nutrient and non nutrient liquids were assessed with the non-invasive (13)C-breath test, and the results were compared to healthy mice. Gastric emptying of the non-nutrient liquid was unaltered with the presence of gastritis; however, gastric emptying of the nutrient liquid was accelerated after a 4-week infection with H. pylori. H. felis infection and ethanol treatment caused a more severe gastritis and disruptions to the normal gastric emptying. Changes to gastric emptying in mouse models of gastritis are associated with the presence of nutrients. Altered gastric emptying may contribute to symptoms commonly reported in humans with gastritis. PMID- 17763956 TI - CV-11974, angiotensin II type I receptor antagonist, reduces the severity of indomethacin-induced rat enteritis. AB - The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of angiotensin II type I receptor antagonist, CV-11974, on indomethacin-induced small intestinal injury in rats. Single administration of indomethacin provoked severe inflammatory lesions in the small intestine. The levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1) in the intestinal mucosa significantly increased in the indomethacin-treated group compared with the sham group. In addition, the angiotensin II type I receptor was increased in the small intestine after the administration of indomethacin. The development of intestinal lesions in response to indomethacin was prevented by pretreatment with CV-11974 together with significant suppression of the increased level of TBARS, MPO activities and CINC 1. These results indicate that CV-11974 protected against the small intestinal damage elicited by indomethacin, which suggests that angiotensin II/AT1 receptor interaction is involved in the pathogenesis of the intestinal inflammation associated with oxidative stress. PMID- 17763958 TI - Parasites in patients with malabsorption syndrome: a clinical study in children and adults. AB - BACKGROUND: Intestinal parasites not only cause diarrheal diseases but also significant malabsorption. Literature on the role of parasites, such as intestinal coccidia and microsporidia in malabsorption syndrome is limited. METHODS: Three consecutive stool samples from 50 adult and 50 children patients with malabsorption syndrome and an equal number of healthy controls without diarrhea were examined for intestinal coccidia, microsporidia and other intestinal parasites by wet mount, Kinyoun's modified acid-fast staining and chromotrope 2R staining. RESULTS: Celiac disease was the commonest cause of malabsorption syndrome in both adults (52%) and children (74%). Forty (80%) and 41 (82%) adults and children, respectively, with malabsorption syndrome were infected with parasites. These results were significantly higher in comparison to those from the healthy adults and children controls (22% and 16%), respectively (P < 0.001). Of them, 48% and 46% of the adults and children, respectively, with malabsorption had pathogenic parasitic infections. The pathogenic parasites detected in adults were Giardia lamblia 12 (24%), E. histolytica / dispar 5 (10%), Ancylostoma duodenale 4 (8%), H. nana 2 (4%) and Cyclospora cayetanensis 1 (2%). The pathogenic parasites detected in children with malabsorption syndrome were Giardia lamblia 8 (16%), Cryptosporidium 7 (14%), E. histolytica / dispar 3 (6%), Ancylostoma duodenale 3 (6%), Isospora belli 1 (2%), and H. nana 1 (2%). None of the stool samples from healthy controls were positive for Cryptosporidium spp., Cyclospora and Isospora belli. All the patients infected with intestinal coccidia were HIV sero-negative. CONCLUSION: Celiac disease is the most common cause of malabsorption syndrome in both adults and children. These people harbor significantly more pathogenic parasites and are more frequently colonized with harmless commensals as compared to healthy controls. Intestinal coccidia are associated with malabsorption syndrome, particularly in malnourished children. PMID- 17763959 TI - Effect of adiponectin and ghrelin on apoptosis of Barrett adenocarcinoma cell line. AB - BACKGROUND: Obesity is an important risk factor for Barrett adenocarcinoma. However, the role of adiponectin (anti-inflammatory adipokine from adipose tissue) and ghrelin (orexigenic peptide gastric origin) on the progression of Barrett's carcinogenesis has not been investigated so far. The aim of the present study was: (1) to compare the expression of adiponectin and ghrelin receptors in Barrett's esophagus and in normal squamous epithelium; (2) to assess the effect of adiponectin and ghrelin on apoptosis in Barrett's adenocarcinoma cells in vitro; and (3) to investigate the effect of ghrelin on IL-1beta and COX-2 expression in OE-19 cells incubated with TNFalpha. METHODS: The expression of ghrelin and adiponectin receptors (GHS-R1a, Adipo-R1, Adipo R-2) in biopsies from Barrett's esophagus and in Barrett's adenocarcinoma cell line OE-19 was assessed by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). The OE-19 cells were also incubated with adiponectin (5-10 microg/ml), and the apoptosis and proliferation were assessed by FACS and MTT assays. Additionally, effects of adiponectin on the mRNA and protein expression of proapoptotic Bax and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 were assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. In two different in vitro models of esophagitis the OE-19 cells were incubated with ghrelin alone or in the presence of TNFalpha or bile acids in the normal or pulse acidified medium, and the expression of IL-1beta and COX-2 as markers for inflammation were assessed by FACS and qRT-PCR, respectively. RESULTS: Adiponectin caused a significant increase in apoptosis, and this affect was accompanied by increased Bax and decreased Bcl-2 expression. In contrast, ghrelin had no effect on apoptosis of OE 19 cells incubated in neutral or acidified medium with or without addition of deoxycholic acid. At the mRNA level, the expression of adiponectin receptors (Adipo-R1, Adipo-R2) was decreased, and the expression of ghrelin receptor (GHS R1a) was increased in Barrett's mucosa. Ghrelin caused a decrease in TNFalpha induced COX-2 and IL-1beta expression in OE-19 cells. CONCLUSION: Adiponectin and ghrelin have an inhibitory effect on Barrett's carcinogenesis by two different mechanisms: (1) by an increase in apoptosis by adiponectin, and (2) by anti inflammatory actions of ghrelin. The decrease in levels of these two peptides in obesity may explain the progression of Barrett's carcinoma in obese individuals. PMID- 17763961 TI - Increased proteolysis of collagen in an in vitro tensile overload tendon model. AB - Presently, there is a lack of fundamental understanding regarding changes in collagen's molecular state due to mechanical damage. The bovine tail tendon (BTT; steers approximately 30 months) was characterized and used as an in vitro model for investigating the effect of tensile mechanical overload on collagen susceptibility to proteolysis by acetyltrypsin and alpha-chymotrypsin. Two strain rates with a 1000-fold difference (0.01 and 10 s(-1)) were used, since molecular mechanisms that determine mechanical behavior were presumed to be strain rate dependent. First, it was determined that the BTTs were normal but immature tendons. Water content and collagen content (approx. 60% of wet weight and 80% of dry weight, respectively) and mechanical properties were all within the expected range. The collagen crosslinking was dominated by the intermediate crosslink hydroxylysinonorleucine. Second, tensile overload damage significantly enhanced proteolysis by acetyltrypsin and, to a lesser degree, by alpha-chymotrypsin. Interestingly, proteolysis by acetyltrypsin was greatest for specimens ruptured at 0.01 s(-1) and seemed to occur throughout the specimen. Understanding damage is important for insight into injuries (as in sports and trauma) and for better understanding of collagen fiber stability, durability, and damage mechanisms, aiding in the development of durable tissue-based products for mechanically demanding surgical applications. PMID- 17763960 TI - Community-based health preferences for proctocolectomy: a race comparison. AB - Our objective was to determine whether there are dominating racial differences in patient preferences for surgery that may explain the disparities in proctocolectomy utilization between African Americans (AA) and whites. We used the time trade-off technique to measure health preferences for undergoing ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) and ileostomy among a community sample of 23 white and 16 AA participants who were unaffected by colorectal disease. Our results show that African Americans were similar to whites with respect to baseline quality of life and comorbidities. There were no differences in health utility ratings for IPAA between AA and whites (0.49 +/- 0.34 vs 0.51 +/- 0.31, P = 0.95). The health preference for ileostomy among AA (0.52 +/- 0.32) was also similar to that in whites (0.54 +/- 0.32). We conclude that patient preferences for proctocolectomy are unlikely to be a dominant contributing factor to racial disparities in total proctocolectomy for diseases of the colon. PMID- 17763962 TI - An optimal cutting-plane algorithm for solving the non-unique probe selection problem. AB - The non-unique probe selection problem consists of selecting oligonucleotide probes for use in hybridization experiments in which target viruses or bacteria are to be identified in biological samples. The presence or absence of these targets is determined by observing whether selected probes bind to their corresponding sequences. The goal is to select a probe set that is able to uniquely identify targets while containing a minimal number of probes. This paper contributes the first exact method for finding optimal solutions to the non unique probe selection problem within practical computational limits, without the a priori elimination of candidate probes. Previously published methods have employed heuristics to find approximate solutions that are not probably optimal, and as a result, no knowledge has been obtained regarding the quality of those solutions relative to optimality. We demonstrate that our approach consistently finds an optimal solution to the non-unique probe selection problem within 10 min, and is capable of reducing the number of probes required over state-of-the art heuristic techniques by as much as 20%. PMID- 17763963 TI - Reliability of a store observation tool in measuring availability of alcohol and selected foods. AB - Alcohol and food items can compromise or contribute to health, depending on the quantity and frequency with which they are consumed. How much people consume may be influenced by product availability and promotion in local retail stores. We developed and tested an observational tool to objectively measure in-store availability and promotion of alcoholic beverages and selected food items that have an impact on health. Trained observers visited 51 alcohol outlets in Los Angeles and southeastern Louisiana. Using a standardized instrument, two independent observations were conducted documenting the type of outlet, the availability and shelf space for alcoholic beverages and selected food items, the purchase price of standard brands, the placement of beer and malt liquor, and the amount of in-store alcohol advertising. Reliability of the instrument was excellent for measures of item availability, shelf space, and placement of malt liquor. Reliability was lower for alcohol advertising, beer placement, and items that measured the "least price" of apples and oranges. The average kappa was 0.87 for categorical items and the average intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.83 for continuous items. Overall, systematic observation of the availability and promotion of alcoholic beverages and food items was feasible, acceptable, and reliable. Measurement tools such as the one we evaluated should be useful in studies of the impact of availability of food and beverages on consumption and on health outcomes. PMID- 17763965 TI - Transcatheter closure of a ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (RSVA) after aortic valve replacement using the Amplatzer muscular VSD Occluder. PMID- 17763966 TI - Is magnetic resonance imaging the 'reference standard' for cardiac functional assessment? Factors influencing measurement of left ventricular mass and volumes. AB - PURPOSE: MRI is considered reference standard for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) volume and mass measurements. There are few accepted guidelines for uniform assessment of cardiac function with MRI. We sought to investigate different confounding factors influencing LV measurement results. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 60 diabetic type-II patients (group A) we compared intra-/inter reader variability of MRI for cardiac function measured twice at a 3 month interval by one MRI trained reader and one untrained. In 20 patients (group B) two different techniques were compared for determining the epicardial and endocardial LV-borders. RESULTS: Bland Altman analysis showed excellent intra observer measurement agreement for the trained reader 1 for EDM (mean = -2.3 ( 23.6-19)), EDV (2.9(-9.2-15.0)), ESV (3.3(-5.8-12.4)) and EF (1.2(-3.3-5.7)). Untrained reader 2 measurement agreement was considerably less appropriate for EDM (mean = -8.2 (-25.8-9.5)), EDV (7.8(-5.1-20.7)), ESV (5.3(-8.0-18.6)). Only for EF (0.8 (-6.5-8.1)) results were comparable to reader 1. Inter-observer measurement in the beginning was poor for EDM (-13.5(-55.6-28.6)) and EDV (7.3( 61.9-76.6)), whereas agreement for ESV (2.1(-29.9-34.2)) and EF (-0.9(-11.6-9.9)) was good. After 3 months, measurement agreement for EDM (-5.3 (-46.4-35.8)) was considerably improved, for EDV (0.4(-67.0-66.2)) was excellent, whereas agreement for ESV (3.1(-34.4-28.1)) and EF (-1.7(-13.0-9.6)) was similar. Using different techniques for determining the epicardial and endocardial borders, only end diastolic volume was unchanged whereas all other parameters were significantly different using the two methods (p < or = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Intra- and inter reader variability, analyst experience as well as different techniques for determining the boundaries of the left ventricle significantly affect MRI parameters for cardiac function. These results suggest a need for developing commonly accepted standards for cardiac MRI evaluation. PMID- 17763968 TI - Pulmonary oedema following venous air embolism during transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. AB - Venous air embolism (VAE) is a well known complication in procedures where the operative field is above the level of the heart. Acute pulmonary oedema after a large air embolus occurring during neurosurgery is also a recognized phenomenon. However, pulmonary oedema following repeated episodes of VAE in sublabial transsphenoidal (SLTS) surgery for pituitary adenoma has never been reported. We describe a case of VAE in a 65 year old male undergoing SLTS surgery for pituitary adenoma. Following this, the patient had pulmonary oedema which resolved on supportive treatment. Pulmonary oedema as a result of VAE may go unrecognised intraoperatively but can lead to a significant postoperative morbidity. Early suspicion and recognition of VAE and institution of aggressive treatment will help to avoid fatal consequences. PMID- 17763970 TI - Force distributions and force chains in random stiff fiber networks. AB - We study the elasticity of random stiff fiber networks. The elastic response of the fibers is characterized by a central force stretching stiffness as well as a bending stiffness that acts transverse to the fiber contour. Previous studies have shown that this model displays an anomalous elastic regime where the stretching mode is fully frozen out and the elastic energy is completely dominated by the bending mode. We demonstrate by simulations and scaling arguments that, in contrast to the bending dominated elastic energy, the equally important elastic forces are to a large extent stretching dominated. By characterizing these forces on microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic scales we find two mechanisms of how forces are transmitted in the network. While forces smaller than a threshold Fc are effectively balanced by a homogeneous background medium, forces larger than Fc are found to be heterogeneously distributed throughout the sample, giving rise to highly localized force chains known from granular media. PMID- 17763972 TI - Norman Breslow, an architect of modern biostatistics. PMID- 17763971 TI - Cyclooxygenases, prostanoids, and tumor progression. AB - In response to various growth factors, hormones or cytokines, arachidonic acid can be mobilized from phospholipids pools and converted to bioactive eicosanoids through cyclooxygenase (COX), lipoxygenase (LOX) or P-450 epoxygenase pathway. The COX pathway generates five major prostanoids (prostaglandin D(2), prostaglandin E(2), prostaglandin F(2)alpha, prostaglandin I(2) and thromboxane A(2)) that play important roles in diverse biological processes. Studies suggest that different prostanoids and their own synthase can play distinct roles in tumor progression and cancer metastasis. COX-2 and PGE(2) synthase have been most well documented in the regulation of various aspects of tumor progression and metastasis. PGE(2), for example, can stimulate angiogenesis or other signaling pathways by binding to its receptors termed EPs. Therefore, targeting downstream prostanoids may provide a new avenue to impede tumor progression. In this review, aberrant expression and functions of several prostanoid synthetic enzymes in cancer will be discussed. The possible regulation of tumor progression by prostaglandins and their receptors will also be discussed. PMID- 17763967 TI - Is the fructose index more relevant with regards to cardiovascular disease than the glycemic index? AB - The glycemic index (G.I.) is a means for categorizing carbohydrates based on their ability to raise blood glucose, subsequently this index has been popularized as a way for selecting foods to reduce the risk for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. We suggest that the G.I. is better aimed at identifying foods that stimulate insulin secretion rather than foods that stimulate insulin resistance. In this regard, fructose has a low G.I. but may be causally linked with the obesity and cardiovascular disease epidemic. The reported association of high G.I. with cardiovascular disease may be due to the association of sugar intake which contains fructose, but which has a high G.I. due to its glucose content. We propose the use of a fructose index to categorize foods and propose studies to determine the effect of low fructose diets as a means to prevent obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in the population. PMID- 17763973 TI - A review of phase 2-3 clinical trial designs. AB - This article reviews phase 2-3 clinical trial designs, including their genesis and the potential role of such designs in treatment evaluation. The paper begins with a discussion of the many scientific flaws in the conventional phase 2 --> phase 3 treatment evaluation process that motivate phase 2-3 designs. This is followed by descriptions of some particular phase 2-3 designs that have been proposed, including two-stage designs to evaluate one experimental treatment, a design that accommodates both frontline and salvage therapy in oncology, two stage select-and-test designs that evaluate several experimental treatments, dose ranging designs, and a seamless phase 2-3 design based on both early response toxicity outcomes and later event times. A general conclusion is that, in many circumstances, a properly designed phase 2-3 trial utilizes resources much more efficiently and provides much more reliable inferences than conventional methods. PMID- 17763974 TI - What is the best myocardial perfusion protocol in diabetic patients? PMID- 17763975 TI - A significant correlation between nuclear CXCR4 expression and axillary lymph node metastasis in hormonal receptor negative breast cancer. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In breast cancer, the expression pattern of CXCR4 may be correlated with the degree of axillary lymph node involvement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contributing factors that contribute to the correlation between CXCR4 expression and axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer. METHODS: Between August 1997 and August 2002, sections of paraffin-embedded tissue were obtained from 107 patients who received optimal treatment for breast cancer. The expression of CXCR4 was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: A significant correlation was found in the expression of nuclear CXCR4 and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.03). We found a significant correlation between a high nuclear expression of CXCR4 and axillary lymphatic metastasis in estrogen and progesterone receptor negative breast cancer (P = 0.01 and P = 0.01). There was a significant correlation between the high expression of nuclear CXCR4 and axillary lymphatic metastasis in comparisons between positive estrogen and/or progesterone receptor expression and negative expression (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that high expression of nuclear CXCR4 was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis in breast cancer. The high expression of nuclear CXCR4 in hormone receptor negative breast cancer was associated with a high possibility of lymph node metastasis. PMID- 17763977 TI - On-line solid-phase extraction and multisyringe flow injection analysis of Al(III) and Fe(III) in drinking water. AB - A new analytical method was developed for on-line monitoring of residual coagulants (aluminium and iron salts) in potable water. The determination was based on a sequential procedure coupling an extraction/enrichment step of the analytes onto a modified resin and a spectrophotometric measurement of a surfactant-sensitized binary complex formed between eluted analytes and Chrome Azurol S. The optimization of the solid phase extraction was performed using factorial design and a Doehlert matrix considering six variables: sample percolation rate, sample metal concentration, flow-through sample volume (all three directly linked to the extraction step), elution flow rate, concentration and volume of eluent (all three directly linked to the elution step). A specific reagent was elaborated for sensitive and specific spectrophotometric determination of Al(III) and Fe(III), by optimizing surfactant and ligand concentrations and buffer composition. The whole procedure was automated by a multisyringe flow injection analysis (MSFIA) system. Detection limits of 4.9 and 5.6 microg L(-1) were obtained for Al(III) and Fe(III) determination , respectively, and the linear calibration graph up to 300 microg L(-1) (both for Al(III) and Fe(III)) was well adapted to the monitoring of drinking water quality. The system was successfully applied to the on-site determination of Al(III) and Fe(III) at the outlet of two water treatment units during two periods of the year (winter and summer conditions). PMID- 17763976 TI - [Combined analgesics for postoperative pain therapy. Review of effectivity and side-effects]. AB - BACKGROUND: The supplementation of an opioid by a non-opioid analgesic is a widely accepted technique for the treatment of postoperative pain. However, it is still unclear whether a combination of different non-opioids has an advantage in terms of an improved analgesia and/or a reduction of the opioid-related adverse effects. METHODOLOGY: A systematic analysis of the literature was performed searching for randomized, controlled trials studying the effects of a combination of two non-opioid analgesics in order to reduce postoperative opioid requirements and/or postoperative pain. Significant reduction of the postoperative opioid requirement and/or postoperative pain were defined as main rating criteria. To facilitate comparisons between the trials, the relative (proportional) reduction of postoperative opioid administration and the relative reduction of postoperative pain were calculated on defined pain scales. RESULTS: A total of 25 trials were identified, mainly studies comparing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with paracetamol. Only 3 trials found a statistically improved analgesic efficacy and 15 studies did not show any relevant improvement or the combination group was only significantly superior to one of the groups receiving monotherapy. A further seven studies could not be evaluated due to methodological issues. There was no evidence for a significant reduction of opioid-induced adverse effects. CONCLUSION: A combination of non-opioid analgesics, in particular NSAIDs with paracetamol, cannot be recommended at present due to the lack of data showing improved effectiveness. PMID- 17763978 TI - Non-invasive grading of brain tumours using dynamic amino acid PET imaging: does it work for 11C-methionine? AB - BACKGROUND: Static imaging of amino acids does not allow differentiation of low versus high grade brain tumours. It has been shown that dynamic imaging of the amino acid analogue (18)F-fluoroethyltyrosine (FET) can achieve this goal. In many centres, (11)C-methionine (MET) is used for tumour imaging, but no clinical studies on the use of dynamic scanning for grading have been performed. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with primary brain glioma and histopathological confirmation were retrospectively studied using 40 min dynamic MET-PET with 220 MBq 11C methionine. In relation to histopathological grading, various metabolic indices and temporal parameters as documented by Poepperl et al. (JNM 2006;47:393-403) were analyzed. RESULTS: None of the evaluated static or temporal parameters allowed discrimination between high and low grade tumours. On average, low grade tumours showed washout after the initial uptake maximum, while both increases and decreases were seen for high grade tumours. Only the relative early versus late uptake ratio showed a trend towards significance (-0.16 +/- 0.17 for low grade versus 0.01 +/- 0.25 for high grade; p = 0.07). CONCLUSION: Unlike FET-PET, the uptake characteristics of MET-PET do not allow classification of low and high grade tumours on an individual patient basis. Since literature data indicate that both tracers have a similar performance regarding biopsy location, tumour delineation, and detection of recurrence, FET-PET should be advocated over MET PET as its uptake mechanism also allows noninvasive grading in glioma. PMID- 17763979 TI - Displacement and re-accumulation of centromeric cohesin during transient pre anaphase centromere splitting. AB - The ring-shaped cohesin complex links sister chromatids until their timely segregation during mitosis. Cohesin is enriched at centromeres where it provides the cohesive counterforce to bipolar tension produced by the mitotic spindle. As a consequence of spindle tension, centromeric sequences transiently split in pre anaphase cells, in some organisms up to several micrometers. This 'centromere breathing' presents a paradox, how sister sequences separate where cohesin is most enriched. We now show that in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, cohesin binding diminishes over centromeric sequences that split during breathing. We see no evidence for cohesin translocation to surrounding sequences, suggesting that cohesin is removed from centromeres during breathing. Two pools of cohesin can be distinguished. Cohesin loaded before DNA replication, which has established sister chromatid cohesion, disappears during breathing. In contrast, cohesin loaded after DNA replication is partly retained. As sister centromeres re associate after transient separation, cohesin is reloaded in a manner independent of the canonical cohesin loader Scc2/Scc4. Efficient centromere re-association requires the cohesion establishment factor Eco1, suggesting that re-establishment of sister chromatid cohesion contributes to the dynamic behaviour of centromeres in mitosis. These findings provide new insights into cohesin behaviour at centromeres. PMID- 17763980 TI - Consecutive exposure to lamotrigine and citalopram during pregnancy. AB - We describe the case of a pregnancy healthy outcome after in utero consecutive exposure to lamotrigine and citalopram. PMID- 17763981 TI - Is thiosulfate sulfurtransferase the colonic sulfide oxidase? PMID- 17763982 TI - Reinstitutionalization following psychiatric discharge among VA patients with serious mental illness: a national longitudinal study. AB - Patterns of reinstitutionalization following psychiatric hospitalization for individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI) vary by medical and psychiatric health care settings. This report presents rates of reinstitutionalization across care settings for 35,527 patients following psychiatric discharge in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system, a national health care system. Over a 7-year follow-up period, 30,417 patients (86%) were reinstitutionalized. Among these patients, 73% were initially reinstitutionalized to inpatient psychiatric settings. Homelessness, medical morbidity, and substance use were associated with increased risks for reinstitutionalization. Despite the VA's increased emphasis on outpatient services delivery, the vast majority of patients experienced reinstitutionalization in the follow-up period. Study findings may inform efforts to refine psychiatric and medical assessment for service delivery for this vulnerable population. PMID- 17763983 TI - Interaction of dopamine system genes and cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia and their relatives and in healthy subjects from the general population. AB - Linkage between the DRD4 and COMT genes and cognitive measures characterizing verbal memory, executive functions, and associative processes was studied in 150 patients with schizophrenia, 83 of their relatives, and 118 mentally healthy subjects without any family history of psychoses, with the aim of detecting the main effects of the polymorphic markers -809G/A and -521C/T (DRD4) and Val158Met (COMT) when present individually and together. The group of patients showed a main effect for polymorphism -521C/T on verbal fluency and an effect of the interaction of this polymorphism and the COMT gene on this cognitive trait. The highest level of verbal fluency was seen among carriers of the Val/Val+CC and Met/Met+TT genotypes. In the combined group of unaffected individuals, the interaction of the COMT and DRD4 -521C/TT genotypes had an effect on the standardness of speech associations due to a decrease in the standardness of associations in carriers of the Met/Met+CC genotype. Finally, both patients and unaffected individuals showed an effect for the interaction between the COMT and DRD4 -809G/A genotypes on working memory. Patients and healthy subjects showed similar features: the highest values were seen in subjects homozygous for the Val and G alleles, while the lowest values were seen in homozygotes for the Met and A alleles. These data provide evidence for a relationship between the DRD4 and COMT genes and different aspects of executive functions and the absence of such a relationship in relation to verbal memory. PMID- 17763984 TI - Anticipatory postural adjustment before bimanual unloading reactions: the role of the motor cortex in motor learning. AB - The role of the motor cortex in forming a learned coordination (stabilization of the forearm on unloading) was studied in humans. Subjects maintained a 1-kg weight with the right (postural) forearm, the weight being attached via an electromagnet. Unloading of the postural arm was initiated by the subjects by lifting a similar load with the left arm. In control experiments, lifting of the load did not lead to unloading of the postural arm. Changes in motor cortex excitability were studied by transcranial magnetic stimulation applied to the representation area of the right biceps muscle in the motor cortex at the beginning and end of the experiments. Repeated unloading tests showed progressive decreases in the amplitude of the movement of the unloaded forearm, which were accompanied by increases in the anticipatory inhibition of the electromyogram of the biceps muscle of the unloaded arm (learning). Muscle responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation during the learning process showed no significant changes. Analysis of normalized muscle responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation (response/baseline) showed that these increased at the end of training and reached a significantly higher level than seen at the beginning of training. These results lead to the conclusion that the motor cortex plays a fundamental role in inhibiting synergies and coordinations which would interfere with the formation of the new coordination during motor learning. PMID- 17763985 TI - Transformation of the kinematic characteristics of a precise movement after a change in a spatial task. AB - The central mechanism of motor programming was studied using a model of precise horizontal flexion of the arm at the elbow joint. Training was performed in the dark to ensure that formation of the motor program was based predominantly on the use of proprioceptive afferentation. The target was not demonstrated before training: subjects determined the angle of arm flexion during training, the moment at which the target position was reached being identified by a brief LED flash. Subjects had to perform the movement as quickly and accurately as possible. The amplitude, speed, and accuracy of the movement were measured in real time. The ten subjects were divided into two groups for initial training to precise movements, using two different protocols: flexion of the elbow to 70 degrees and to 55 degrees . At the second stage of the experiment, each subject's initial target position was suddenly changed (from 70 degrees to 55 degrees and vice versa). Training was continued until a stable accuracy in the new conditions was achieved (with errors of no more than 5% of the specified amplitude). The nature of the transformation in the kinematics of the precise movement in response to the change in the single task parameter illuminated the fundamental principle of organization of the supraspinal motor command for movements of this type. For both specified flexion amplitudes, the ratio between the acceleration and deceleration phases of the movement were identical during the period of skill fixation. On average, 70% of the total amplitude of flexion was accounted for by the acceleration phase and 30% by the deceleration phase. Adaptation of the precise movement to changes in the specified horizontal elbow flexion angle (i.e., re-achievement of the required movement accuracy in the changed conditions) during rearrangement was completed by inversion of these values. According to the results of previous studies, the most informative measure for analysis of the dynamics of the controlling central command was the acceleration of the movement. In terms of current concepts of the mechanism of motor control, the acceleration plateau can be regarded as mirroring long-term depression--the voltage plateau in Purkinje cells and motoneurons. Data processing involved calculation of the integral acceleration in both phases of the movement in relation to the angle of flexion (phase plots). These data underlie our understanding of the mechanism of transformation of movement kinematics responsible for the formation of a new central command. PMID- 17763986 TI - Characteristics of differential inhibition during selection between food-related and aversive responses. AB - The same stimulus (a flash of light at a frequency of 6 Hz) was used in dogs to develop a food-related conditioned reflex reinforced by attractive food and an aversive conditioned reflex (avoidance/escape from paw stimulation) and differential inhibition to it (unavoidable series). This was followed by alternate experiments with selection of reinforcement and use of a differential stimulus (at a frequency of 0.6 Hz). In both series of experiments, dogs showed changes in food-related excitability (hunger, saturation). The numbers of investigative responses arising in response to the differential and positive conditioned stimuli and their latent periods were recorded. In conditions allowing selection (with electrodes on the paw and a pedal before the animal), dogs were found to differ in the extent to which one of these motivations dominated. Differential inhibition was less complete in those no-choice series in which the dominant motivation was used. In conditions allowing selection between the food-related and aversive reactions, responses to the differential stimulus depended on the balance between these motivations: the food-related motivation dominated after two days of starvation, while the aversive motivation dominated after satiation. PMID- 17763988 TI - Comparative roles of acetylcholine and noradrenaline in controlling the spontaneous activity of cortical neurons. AB - The effects of acetylcholine and noradrenaline on the spike activity of neurons recorded in guinea pig parietal cortex slices were studied. Iontophoretic application of these two neurotransmitters to cortical neurons induced similar responses consisting of slowly developing and prolonged increases in spike activity. Differences in the temperature sensitivity of responses to acetylcholine and noradrenaline were identified. When the incubation medium temperature was increased from 32-34 degrees C to 35-36 degrees C, the effects of acetylcholine on neuron spike activity increased sharply, with the result that neurons which showed no spontaneous activity at 32-34 degrees C became sensitive to acetylcholine. The temperature-dependent increases in the extent of responses to acetylcholine were accompanied by stable increases in the level of spontaneous activity. Responses to application of noradrenaline showed no significant change when the temperature increased from 32-34 degrees C to 35-36 degrees C. Since neuron responses to the iontophoretic application of glutamate, the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the cortex, remained constant over this range of temperatures, the data obtained here lead to the conclusion that acetylcholine is the main regulator of the level of spontaneous activity of cortical neurons. PMID- 17763987 TI - Interactions between neurons in the frontal cortex and hippocampus in cats trained to select reinforcements of different value in conditions of cholinergic deficiency. AB - An operant food-related conditioned reflex was developed in six cats by the "active choice" protocol: short-latency pedal presses were followed by presentation of low-quality reinforcement (bread-meat mix), while long-latency pedal presses were followed by presentation of high-quality reinforcement (meat). Animals differed in terms of their food-procuring strategies, displaying "self control," "ambivalence," or "impulsivity." Multineuron activity was recorded from the frontal cortex and hippocampus (field CA3). Cross-correlation analysis of interneuronal interactions within (local networks) and between (distributed networks) study structures showed that the numbers of interneuronal interactions in both local and distributed networks were maximal in animals with "self control." On the background of systemic administration of the muscarinic cholinoreceptor blockers scopolamine and trihexyphenidyl, the numbers of interneuronal interactions decreased, while "common source" influences increased. This correlated with impairment of the reproduction of the selected strategy, primarily affecting the animals' self-controlled behavior. These results show that the "self-control" strategy is determined by the organization of local and distributed networks in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. PMID- 17763989 TI - Regulation of c-Fos gene expression in the rat olfactory bulb during olfactory learning. AB - An immunohistochemical method was used to study the expression of transcription factor c-Fos in the mid part of the main olfactory bulbs in 18-day-old rats after training to seek their mothers using an olfactory orientation cue (propionic acid) in a Y-maze. On the next day, rat pups demonstrated a significant preference for the propionic acid odor in behavioral tests, as compared with control animals trained to the skill without the olfactory orientation cue and pups familiarized with the odor without forming any association between it and any kind of reinforcement. The propionic acid odor evoked an insignificant increase in c-Fos expression, predominantly in the granular layer of the dorsomedial area of the olfactory bulb. Training in a maze lacking the odor signal evoked diffuse activation of c-Fos, in both the mitral and granular layers of all areas of the olfactory bulb. Training with the olfactory orientation cue was also accompanied by an increase in c-Fos expression to a level significantly exceeding that seen after odor-free training, in the granular layer of the dorsomedial area, i.e., the area in which the unreinforced odor acting alone induced insignificant activation of expression. These data provide evidence that, at the level of the regulation of neuronal transcription, associative learning is manifest as summation of the effects of a new neutral stimulus and excitation initiated by the motivational state. In the olfactory bulb, this summation is seen in areas on which non-specific centrifugal excitation and specific afferentation from the signal odor converge. PMID- 17763990 TI - Studies of the molecular mechanisms of action of relaxin on the adenylyl cyclase signaling system using synthetic peptides derived from the LGR7 relaxin receptor. AB - The peptide hormone relaxin produces dose-dependent stimulation of adenylyl cyclase activity in rat tissues (striatum, cardiac and skeletal muscle) and the muscle tissues of invertebrates, i.e., the bivalve mollusk Anodonta cygnea and the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris, adenylyl cyclase stimulation being more marked in the rat striatum and cardiac muscle. Our studies of the type of relaxin receptor involved in mediating these actions of relaxin involved the first synthesis of peptides 619-629, 619-629-Lys(Palm), and 615-629, which are derivatives of the primary structure of the C-terminal part of the third cytoplasmic loop of the type 1 relaxin receptor (LGR7). Peptides 619-629 Lys(Palm) and 615-629 showed competitive inhibition of adenylyl cyclase stimulation by relaxin in rat striatum and cardiac muscle but had no effect on the action of relaxin in rat skeletal muscle or invertebrate muscle, which is evidence for the tissue and species specificity of their actions. On the one hand, this indicates involvement of the LGR7 receptor in mediating the adenylyl cyclase-stimulating action of relaxin in rat striatum and cardiac muscle and, on the other, demonstrates the existence of other adenylyl cyclase signal mechanisms for the actions of relaxin in rat skeletal muscle and invertebrate muscle, not involving LGR7 receptors. The adenylyl cyclase-stimulating effect of relaxin in the striatum and cardiac muscles was found to be decreased in the presence of C terminal peptide 385-394 of the alpha(s) subunit of the mammalian G protein and to be blocked by treatment of membranes with cholera toxin. These data provide evidence that in the striatum and cardiac muscle, relaxin stimulates adenylyl cyclase via the LGR7 receptor, this being functionally linked with G(s) protein. It is also demonstrated that linkage of relaxin-activated LGR7 receptor with the G(s) protein is mediated by interaction of the C-terminal half of the third cytoplasmic loop of the receptor with the C-terminal segment of the alpha(s) subunit of the G protein. PMID- 17763991 TI - Comparative analysis of the activation of MAP/ERK kinases in the CNS of animals with different learning abilities. AB - Western blot analysis was used to study the activation of MAP/ERK protein kinases responsible for controlling gene expression via phosphorylation of transcription factors CREB and ELK-1 in native common snails and animals with impaired abilities to form long-term types of conditioned aversive reflexes. Different periods of the formation of this reflex were found to be characterized by different levels of activation of MAP-ERK kinases. The extents of activation of MAP-ERK kinase cascade were different in ganglia (parietal-visceral, cerebral, and pedal) with different roles in the formation of this reflex. The dynamics of activation showed a wavelike nature, with peaks at 10 min and 4 h. Administration of the neurotoxin 5,7-DHT, which induces dysfunction of serotonin terminals and decreases the ability to acquire this type of learning, led to significant decreases in activation of the MAP-ERK kinase cascade at the early stages of learning, which is evidence for an important role for the serotoninergic system in inducing this cascade. Activation of the MAP/ERK kinase cascade 4 h after training was seen both in native and DHT-treated animals, which is probably evidence for activation of non-specific adaptive processes in response to the sensitizing unconditioned stimulus. Thus, the MAP/ERK kinase intracellular regulatory cascade, which plays an important role in the survival of neurons, the regeneration of neuron processes, and synaptic sprouting, also plays an important role in forming the serotonin-dependent food-aversive reflex in the common snail. PMID- 17763993 TI - Effects of activation and blockade of dopamine D(2) receptors on the immune response in mice with different types of behavior. AB - Activation of dopamine D(2) receptors by the selective agonist quinpirole was found to lead to immunostimulation in control (no experience of confrontations) C57BL/6J mice and in mice subjected to psychoemotional tension (aggression and submission). The most marked increase in the immune response was seen on formation of the aggressive and submissive behavioral strategies. The effects of blockade of D(2) dopamine receptors by haloperidol-immunosuppression-were seen only in control and aggressive animals, but were not seen in animals with submissive behavior. The question of the significance of the initial psychoemotional state, which is linked with particular neurotransmitter patterns in the brain (levels of dopamine, serotonin, their metabolites; dopamine receptor activity in subcortical structures), for the effects of agents altering the activity of dopamine D(2) receptors on the immune response is discussed. PMID- 17763992 TI - The differential contribution of dopamine D(1) and D (2) receptors to mu opioidergic immunomodulation. AB - Activation of mu-opioid receptors (mu-OR) by the highly selective agonist DAGO (100 microg/kg) significantly increased the immune response in CBA mice. This effect of the mu agonist was prevented by prior blockade of dopamine D(2) receptors with haloperidol (2 mg/kg). In contrast, the selective D(1) receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (1 mg/kg) had no effect on the nature of the immune reaction in response to antigen (sheep erythrocytes, 5 x 10(8) cells). However, blockade of both types of dopamine receptor led to the same effect--immunosuppression. These data lead to the suggestion that D(1) and D(2) receptors make different contributions to modulating immunogenesis on activation of mu-OR. PMID- 17763994 TI - Effects of single episodes of severe stress on the behavior of male and female CBA/Lac and C57BL/6J mice. AB - Experiments were performed to compare the behavior of male and female mice of the inbred strains CBA/Lac and C57BL/6J in the open field test after single episodes of severe stress imposed by forced swimming. Testing was performed 2 h (first test) and one day (second test) after stress. Control animals were intact males and females of these strains, and were also tested in the open field on two sequential days. Both male and female CBA/Lac mice showed increases in the latent period of excursions from the center of the field 2 h after stress. This change persisted to the second test in female CBA/Lac mice. In female C57BL/6J mice, there were changes in four of seven behavioral measures 2 h after stress, though at one day their behavior was as in control individuals. Stress had virtually no effect in males of this strain, only increasing the number of grooming acts in the first test. In addition, detailed analysis of the effects of repeat testing in control and stressed individuals of these mouse strains also revealed interstrain and gender-related differences in the effects of stress. The possible existence of increased basal (trait) and situational (state) anxiety in female C57BL/6J and CBA/Lac mice respectively is discussed. PMID- 17763995 TI - Effects of leucine-enkephalin on potassium currents in neurons in the rat respiratory center in vitro. AB - Experiments to identify the neuronal mechanisms underlying the respiratory activity of the opioid peptide leucine-enkephalin were performed on transverse slices of the rat brainstem in voltage-clamped conditions; studies addressed the effects of this peptide (10 nM-1 microM) on the potassium A current and the inward potassium current of neurons in two areas of the respiratory center: the ventrolateral area of the solitary tract nucleus and the pre-Botzinger complex. The parameters of the A current assessed in all respiratory center neurons studied showed no change in the presence of leucine-enkephalin. At the same time, leucine-enkephalin produced reversible increases in the amplitude of the inward potassium current. These results provide evidence that the inhibitory effect of leucine-enkephalin at the level of respiratory center neurons is at least in part explained by its stimulatory action on the inward potassium current but is not associated with modulation of the potassium A current. PMID- 17763996 TI - Systemic infection of stalks and ears of corn hybrids by Aspergillus parasiticus. AB - This study was conducted to explore systemic infection by the Aspergillus flavus group into corn ears via the stalk. An A. parasiticus mutant which produces norsolorinic (NOR) acid (a visible orange intermediate of the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway) was used in field studies to monitor systemic infection of corn stalk and ear tissues. Corn hybrids resistant and susceptible to aflatoxin contamination were grown in the field and inoculated prior to tasseling by inserting A. parasiticus infested toothpicks into stalks between the 5th and 6th node below the lowest ear shoot. Beginning 2 weeks after inoculation, systemic infection by the NOR mutant was assessed weekly by collecting ear shank tissue and stalk tissue from the nodes between the infection sites and the developing ears. Ears were collected at the end of the growing season to determine the level of kernel infection by the NOR mutant. In two separate studies, the A. parasiticus NOR mutant was isolated from stalk tissues at all of node positions and ear shank tissue from several susceptible corn hybrid plants at the first harvest date 2 weeks after inoculation. The NOR mutant was also isolated from stalk and ear tissue of a resistant hybrid. The NOR mutant was only isolated from kernels of susceptible hybrids in 2003 and 2004. Infection rates of kernels in infected ears were very low (<1%). In 2005, the fungus was found in only one kernel from an ear of the resistant hybrid. The NOR mutant was not isolated from stalks, ears, or kernels from control (uninoculated) plants grown in the plots with inoculated plants. Although infection levels of corn kernels were low, systemic movement of the A. parasiticus up the stalk appears to be another possible route to infection of developing corn ears. PMID- 17763998 TI - Clinical and genetic features of childhood-onset Type 2 diabetes in Japan. AB - We aimed to define the detailed clinical features of Japanese childhood-onset Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients who were followed-up, and to determine whether discernable characteristics were dissimilar or not from those of adult- and childhood-onset T2DM in other countries. Subjects were 22 patients (10 males and 12 females) under treatment without HNF-1alpha or mitochondrial gene mutations, and who were apparently diagnosed as diabetic when less than 15 years of age. Body mass indexes at onset in boys and girls were 25.8 +/- 6.3 and 24.7 +/- 3.6, respectively, with mean ages 13.3 +/- 1.7 and 12.8 +/- 2.0 years, respectively. Most patients had a short diabetic duration that required insulin treatment. One or both parents of 18 of the 22 T2DM subjects were diabetic and 7 subjects had a history of diabetes in their family across three generations. We demonstrated that a relatively large number of Japanese childhood-onset T2DM cases have a strong genetic factor, and are not necessarily related to excessive obesity. Furthermore, most required insulin therapy in the initial stages because of insufficient pancreatic beta-cell reserves. This suggests that malfunction of pancreatic beta-cells triggers hyperglycemia resulting in the requirement for insulin in Japanese some childhood-onset T2DM patients. PMID- 17763997 TI - Depression and osteoporosis: epidemiology and potential mediating pathways. AB - INTRODUCTION: There have been numerous studies examining the association between depression and bone mineral density (BMD), but the underlying nature of this relationship remains unclear. Independent of this association, there is a growing body of evidence that depression impacts the risk for fracture in older adults. This article reviews the current epidemiological evidence regarding comorbidity of depression, low bone mineral density, and fracture. METHODS: A review of the literature on depression, depressive symptoms, low BMD, osteoporosis, and fracture using electronic databases. RESULTS: We reviewed 20 studies of the association between depression and BMD and five reports of the relationship between depression and fractures. Potential mediating mechanisms (both physiological and behavioral) are discussed, as well as potential confounding influences (e.g., medication use). CONCLUSIONS: Most studies support the finding that depression is associated with increased risk for both low BMD and fractures, but variation in study design, sample composition, and exposure measurement make comparisons across studies difficult. Researchers should be aware of potential confounders, such as medication use, that may influence results. Future research should focus on identifying mediating pathways and targets for intervention in the relationships between depression, low BMD, and fracture. PMID- 17763999 TI - Down-regulation of the inhibitor of growth 1 (ING1) tumor suppressor sensitizes p53-deficient glioblastoma cells to cisplatin-induced cell death. AB - Impaired tumor suppressor functions, such as deficient p53, are characteristic for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and can cause resistance to DNA-damaging agents like cisplatin. We have recently shown that the INhibitor of Growth 1 (ING1) tumor suppressor is down-regulated in malignant gliomas and that the decrease of ING1 expression correlates with histological grade of malignancy, suggesting a role for ING1 in the pathogenesis and progression of malignant gliomas. Based on this background, the purpose of our current study was to examine the potential impact of ING1 protein levels on DNA-damage response in GBM. Using LN229 GBM cells, which express ING1 proteins and harbor mutant TP53, we are the first to show that DNA damage by cisplatin or ionizing radiation differentially induced the two major ING1 splicing isoforms. The p47 ING1a isoform, that promotes deacetylation of histones, thus formation of heterochromatic regions of DNA, which are less susceptible to DNA damage, was preferentially induced by >50-fold. This might represent a response to protect DNA from damage. Also, ING1 knockdown by siRNA accelerated transit of cells through G1 phase, consistent with ING1 serving a tumor suppressor function, and caused cells to enter apoptosis more rapidly in response to cisplatin. Our results indicate that malignant gliomas may down-regulate ING1 to allow more efficient tumor growth and progression. Also, ING1 down-regulation may sensitize GBM cells with deficient p53 to treatment with cisplatin. PMID- 17764000 TI - The lack of endothelization after drug-eluting stent implantation as a cause of fatal late stent thrombosis. AB - The authors present a fatal case of late thrombosis of paclitaxel-eluting stent implanted in the left main stem occurring 6 months after the procedure and 3 weeks after the cessation of clopidogrel. An autopsy has shown the lack of endothelization of deployed stent. PMID- 17764003 TI - [Intra-articular bupivacaine following hip joint arthroscopy. Effect on postoperative pain]. AB - The effect of intra-articular bupivacaine on postoperative pain following arthroscopy has been intensively studied for the knee joint but no data are currently available for the hip joint. The aim of the present prospective, randomized and double-blind study was to evaluate a possible effect of intra articular bupivacaine on postoperative pain intensity following hip arthroscopy. A total of 26 patients were included: 13 received 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine through the trocar at the end of surgery and 13 patients received 20 ml of 0.9% NaCl as placebo. Postoperative pain intensity was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) at 0.5 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 16 h and 20 h, at rest and during movement of the joint and on the basis of additional piritramide requirements. Furthermore, a mean VAS was calculated as the arithmetic mean of all VAS scores assessed over the whole study period. In the bupivacaine group, a significantly lower mean VAS was recorded at rest (17.5 vs 27.5, p=0.05) and during movement of the hip joint (23 vs. 46, p=0.001). The additional piritramide consumption tended to be higher in the placebo group. In conclusion, intra-articular bupivacaine following arthroscopic hip surgery reduces pain in the postoperative period mainly during movement and thus may possibly allow earlier mobilization. PMID- 17764004 TI - [Chronic tinnitus and craniomandibular disorders. Effectiveness of functional therapy on perceived tinnitus distress]. AB - BACKGROUND: Whether the co-occurrence of signs and symptoms of a craniomandibular disorder (CMD) and chronic tinnitus are coincidental or causal is controversial. Therefore, the effects of splint therapy and self-therapy on perceived tinnitus were evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-nine patients with chronic tinnitus were divided into three groups. In a cross-over design, two groups received the two different treatments and were compared with a control group. All patients received the initial basic tinnitus therapy. RESULTS: No significant correlation was established between the groups receiving treatment and the control group that would validate a link between tinnitus and CMD. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest a coincidental relationship between the two complexes of symptoms. PMID- 17764006 TI - Induction of micronuclei in V79 cells by the anabolic doping steroids tetrahydrogestrinone and trenbolone. AB - The synthetic steroid tetrahydrogestrinone is a new "designer drug" and was recently detected to be illegally used in sports. It is chemically closely related to trenbolone that is known as an animal growth promoter. The potencies of trenbolone, tetrahydrogestrinone and testosterone to induce micronuclei in V79 cells in vitro were determined. CREST analysis was employed to differentiate between aneugenic or clastogenic mechanisms. Cytotoxicity and an influence on the cell cycle were assessed in parallel. Incubations with testosterone, at concentrations between 3 and 300 microM, failed to induce micronuclei. By contrast, tetrahydrogestrinone and trenbolone increased the rate of micronuclei significantly, up to a doubling of the micronuclei rate of untreated controls. Tetrahydrogestrinone and trenbolone displayed a bell-shaped dose-response curve, with maximal effects observed at 3 and 30 microM, respectively. The micronuclei induced by tetrahydrogestrinone and trenbolone were predominantly kinetochor (CREST) positive, pointing to an aneugenic mode of action. This may be related to the specific structure of both molecules with a system of activated double bonds. As the genotoxic effect of tetrahydrogestrinone at a chromosomal level appears at a low concentration range, it cannot be ruled out that tetrahydrogestrinone presents a genotoxic hazard on a chromosomal level under conditions of its current misuse in sports. PMID- 17764005 TI - Metabolic and vascular determinants of impaired cognitive performance and abnormalities on brain magnetic resonance imaging in patients with type 2 diabetes. AB - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The determinants of cerebral complications of type 2 diabetes are unclear. The present study aimed to identify metabolic and vascular factors that are associated with impaired cognitive performance and abnormalities on brain MRI in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: The study included 122 patients and 56 controls. Neuropsychological test scores were divided into five cognitive domains and expressed as standardised z values. Brain MRI scans were rated for white matter lesions (WML), cortical and subcortical atrophy, and infarcts. Data on glucose metabolism, vascular risk factors and micro- and macrovascular disease were collected. RESULTS: Patients with type 2 diabetes had more cortical (p < 0.001) and subcortical (p < 0.01) atrophy and deep WML (p = 0.02) than the control group and their cognitive performance was worse. In multivariate regression analyses within the type 2 diabetes group, hypertension (p < 0.05) and a history of vascular events (p < 0.01) were associated with worse cognitive performance, while statin use was associated (p < 0.05) with better performance. Retinopathy and brain infarcts on MRI were associated with more severe cortical atrophy (both p < 0.01) and statin use with less atrophy (p < 0.05). Insulin level and brain infarcts were associated with more severe WML and statin use with less severe WML (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Type 2 diabetes is associated with modest impairments in cognition, as well as atrophy and vascular lesions on MRI. This 'diabetic encephalopathy' is a multifactorial condition, for which atherosclerotic (macroangiopathic) vascular disease is an important determinant. Chronic hyperglycaemia, hyperinsulinaemia and hypertension may play additional roles. PMID- 17764008 TI - Haemodialysis clearance of baclofen. AB - BACKGROUND: Baclofen is a centrally acting gamma-aminobutyric acid agonist used for spasticity of spinal origin and mainly excreted unchanged by the kidneys. We report haemodialysis clearance and the haemodialysis removal rate constant of baclofen in a comatose patient with baclofen overdose due to acute renal failure. CASE REPORT: A 60-year-old man with spastic tetraplegia on chronic baclofen therapy was admitted due to pneumonia and acute renal failure. The patient became comatose and, as a result of the baclofen dosage being left unchanged despite a deterioration leading to renal failure due to hypotension, the concentration of baclofen was determined to be in the toxic range (0.70 mg/L). During a 4-hour long bicarbonate haemodialysis the patient woke up and became completely orientated and cooperative. Baclofen therapy was subsequently stopped, and the patient remained conscious. The pharmacokinetics calculations revealed a baclofen haemodialysis removal rate constant of 0.152 h(-1) and a haemodialysis clearance of 2.14 mL/s. CONCLUSIONS: Patients on a stable baclofen regime can develop baclofen toxicity due to acute renal failure. Haemodialysis removes baclofen as effectively as normal kidneys, and it would appear that haemodialysis is a reasonable treatment modality in patients with accidental baclofen overdose due to acute renal failure. PMID- 17764007 TI - Acamprosate attenuates cocaine- and cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in rats. AB - RATIONALE: Acamprosate (calcium acetylhomotaurinate) is a glutamatergic neuromodulator used for the treatment of alcoholism, but its potential efficacy in the treatment of psychostimulant addiction has not been explored. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of acamprosate on cocaine stimulated locomotor activity, cocaine self-administration, and cue- and cocaine induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All experiments utilized once-daily treatment for 5 consecutive days. First, the effects of saline or acamprosate (100, 300, or 500 mg/kg intraperitoneally) on body weight were examined. On the last day of treatment, locomotor activity was assessed before and after drug treatment, after which all animals received an acute challenge of cocaine (10 mg/kg). Next, a separate group of rats were trained to intravenously (IV) self-administer cocaine (0.6 mg/kg per infusion), subjected to extinction procedures, and then tested for effects of acamprosate on cue- or cocaine-induced reinstatement. A third group of rats was trained to self administer cocaine as described above and were treated with saline or acamprosate before daily IV self-administration sessions. RESULTS: Repeated administration of 500 mg/kg acamprosate but not lower doses produced reductions in both body weight and spontaneous locomotor activity, and thus this dose was not tested further. Acamprosate at 300 mg/kg but not 100 mg/kg attenuated both cocaine- and cue induced reinstatement without altering baseline patterns of cocaine self administration or cocaine-stimulated hyperlocomotion. CONCLUSIONS: Acamprosate attenuates both drug- and cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior, suggesting that this compound may serve as a potential treatment for preventing relapse in cocaine-addicted humans. PMID- 17764009 TI - Ultrasound of ovarian sex-cord tumor with annular tubules. AB - Sex-cord tumors with annular tubules (SCTAT) have been extensively reported in the literature with great emphasis on the cytologic and histologic appearance. The association of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) with bilateral benign, typically multifocal, small, and sometimes calcified SCTAT has also been reported. We present and describe the sonographic findings of bilateral SCTAT in a patient with PJS. PMID- 17764010 TI - Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell-mediated recognition of human solid tumors. Potential for immunotherapy of hepatocellular and colorectal carcinomas. AB - INTRODUCTION: Vgamma9Vdelta2 T lymphocytes are reported to participate in the anti-tumor immune surveillance in human. They are known to recognize phosphoantigens and molecules expressed on cells undergoing neoplasic transformation. In this study, we investigated phenotype and anti-tumor cytotoxicity of ex vivo expanded Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells in view of adoptive immunotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experiments were performed with peripheral blood samples from eleven patients [six colorectal carcinoma (CRC), four hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one sarcoma] and sixteen healthy donors. RESULTS/DISCUSSION: Ex vivo expansion of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells could be achieved by a single dose of phosphoantigen, either bromohydrin pyrophosphate or zoledronate, and supported by exogenous IL-2. After 2 weeks, expanded Vgamma9Vdelta2 T lymphocytes acquired the effector memory phenotype CD45RA( )CD45RO(high)CD27(-). They expressed NKG2D and CD161 and the proinflammatory CXCR3 and CCR5 chemokine receptors. Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells displayed a strong lytic activity toward a broad panel of tumor cell lines or primary cultures. Interestingly, HCC and CRC primary cells could be lysed by autologous Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells whereas autologous normal cells were not sensitive to the lysis. mAbs blocking assays demonstrated that TCR was the most important receptor involved in the lysis of tumor cells. However, NKG2D receptor could deliver a costimulatory signal enhancing the lysis of HCC and CRC tumors expressing MICA/B. Treatment of tumor cells by the mevalonate pathway inhibitor, zoledronate, enhanced the killing of both HCC and CRC. Expansion index of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells was in similar levels in healthy donors or in cancer patients and total expansion was suitable for adoptive immunotherapy. CONCLUSION: These results provide a rationale for the clinical evaluation of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T lymphocytes in HCC and CRC. PMID- 17764011 TI - Successful treatment using tacrolimus plus corticosteroid in a patient with RA associated with MDS. AB - We report a case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) complicated by myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) successfully treated by tacrolimus. A 57-year-old woman had persistent pain and swelling in bilateral wrist and knee joints, in addition to severe anemia and leukopenia. She was diagnosed with MDS and RA based on the results of bone marrow aspiration and the criteria of RA. Combination therapy with tacrolimus (1.5 mg day(-1)) and prednisolone (10 mg day(-1)) improved her bicytopenia and polyarthralgia. PMID- 17764012 TI - Synchronous penile metastasis from a rectal carcinoma. PMID- 17764001 TI - Expression profiling of the lignin biosynthetic pathway in Norway spruce using EST sequencing and real-time RT-PCR. AB - Lignin biosynthesis is a major carbon sink in gymnosperms and woody angiosperms. Many of the enzymes involved are encoded for by several genes, some of which are also related to the biosynthesis of other phenylpropanoids. In this study, we aimed at the identification of those gene family members that are responsible for developmental lignification in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). Gene expression across the whole lignin biosynthetic pathway was profiled using EST sequencing and quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Stress-induced lignification during bending stress and Heterobasidion annosum infection was also studied. Altogether 7,189 ESTs were sequenced from a lignin forming tissue culture and developing xylem of spruce, and clustered into 3,831 unigenes. Several paralogous genes were found for both monolignol biosynthetic and polymerisation-related enzymes. Real time RT-PCR results highlighted the set of monolignol biosynthetic genes that are likely to be responsible for developmental lignification in Norway spruce. Potential genes for monolignol polymerisation were also identified. In compression wood, mostly the same monolignol biosynthetic gene set was expressed, but peroxidase expression differed from the vertically grown control. Pathogen infection in phloem resulted in a general up-regulation of the monolignol biosynthetic pathway, and in an induction of a few new gene family members. Based on the up-regulation under both pathogen attack and in compression wood, PaPAL2, PaPX2 and PaPX3 appeared to have a general stress-induced function. PMID- 17764013 TI - Boswellia serrata extract for the treatment of collagenous colitis. A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Boswellia serrata extract (BSE) on symptoms, quality of life, and histology in patients with collagenous colitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with chronic diarrhea and histologically proven collagenous colitis were randomized to receive either oral BSE 400 mg three times daily for 6 weeks or placebo. Complete colonoscopy and histology were performed before and after treatment. Clinical symptoms and quality of life were assessed by standardized questionnaires and SF 36. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with clinical remission after 6 weeks (stool frequency30) and negative LN count (>15) categories were associated with best OS and lowest 90-day mortality (p < 0.0001). The numeric LN effect on OS was independent from nodal status or histology. Greater total and negative LN counts are associated with longer EC survival. Although the mechanism remains uncertain, it does not appear to be limited to stage migration. ELND during potentially curative esophagectomy for EC can be supported by the data. PMID- 17764023 TI - Physician job satisfaction : Developing a model using qualitative data. AB - The purpose of this study was to develop a current and comprehensive model of physician job satisfaction. Information was gathered by (1) analysis of open ended responses from a large group practice physician survey in 1988, and (2) analysis of focus group data of diverse physician subgroups from 1995. Participants were 302 physicians from large-group practices and 26 participants in six focus groups of HMO, women, minority, and inner-city physicians. Data were used to develop a comprehensive model of physician job satisfaction. The large group practice survey data supported the key importance of day-to-day practice environment and relationships with patients and physician peers. Future concerns focused on the effect of managed care on the physician-patient relationship and the ability of physicians to provide quality care. Focus groups provided contemporary data on physician job satisfaction, reinforcing the centrality of relationships as well as special issues for diverse physician subgroups of practicing physicians. New variables that relate to physician job satisfaction have emerged from economic and organizational changes in medicine and from increasing heterogeneity of physicians with respect to gender, ethnicity, and type of practice. A more comprehensive model of physician job satisfaction may enable individual physicians and health care organizations to better understand and improve physician work life. PMID- 17764024 TI - Mr. McWilliams and the ingrown nail. PMID- 17764025 TI - Our puzzle. PMID- 17764027 TI - Young adult outcome of autism spectrum disorders. AB - To learn about the lives of young adults with ASD, families with children born 1974-1984, diagnosed as preschoolers and followed into adolescence were contacted by mail. Of 76 eligible, 48 (63%) participated in a telephone interview. Global outcome scores were assigned based on work, friendships and independence. At mean age 24, half had good to fair outcome and 46% poor. Co-morbid conditions, obesity and medication use were common. Families noted unmet needs particularly in social areas. Multilinear regression indicated a combination of IQ and CARS score at age 11 predicted outcome. Earlier studies reported more adults with ASD who had poor to very poor outcomes, however current young people had more opportunities, and thus better results were expected. PMID- 17764026 TI - Comparing the effects of root surface scaling with ultrasound instruments and Er,Cr:YSGG laser. AB - There are several studies done to show the comparability of laser scaling and root planing with routine methods. The most suitable wavelengths for such an application are reported as 2,940 and 2,780 nm. The superficial interactions of the current wavelength with root surface is investigated in this study to compare the crater and crack formation during the procedures between ultrasound and Er,Cr:yttrium-scandium-gallium garnet (YSGG; 2,780 nm) laser-treated teeth. Thirty human teeth with calculus on their root surface, which were extracted because of the severe periodontitis, were selected for this interventional in vitro study. Calculus area were divided into two equal parts: One of them was prepared for Er,Cr:YSGG (Biolase, Waterlase, USA) laser irradiation and the other one for ultrasound treatment (Dentsply cavitron, DENTSPLY International, USA). The Er,Cr:YSGG laser was specified as follows: pulse energy = 50 mJ, power = 1 W, wavelength = 2,780 nm, pulse repetition rate = 20 pulse per seconds, tip length = 6 mm, and tip diameter = 600 microm. Nineteen of the laser samples (95%) and eight of ultrasound ones (40%) out of 20 samples in each group had craters showing a statistical significant difference (p < 0.001). The number and depth of these craters are also evaluated. Thirteen samples of the laser cases (65%) and all samples of the ultrasound group showed cracks with significant differences (p = 0.008). In addition, the number and width of cracks in both groups are reported. As a general conclusion, the laser-treated samples show more craters but less cracks. PMID- 17764029 TI - An evaluation of vaginal symptoms in women with Crohn's disease. AB - There are limited data available that address the prevalence of vaginal complaints in women with Crohn's disease. This study assessed the frequency of vaginal involvement and types of vaginal symptoms in women with Crohn's disease managed at a university inflammatory bowel disease program. The charts of 50 women with Crohn's disease seen consecutively during a three-month period were reviewed for the presence of vaginal involvement. The intestinal distribution of Crohn's disease [colonic, small bowel (SB), colonic/SB] was determined, and the presence of vaginal symptoms and types of complaints were assessed. Eleven of the 50 women (22%) described vaginal symptoms. Vaginal complaints included ten patients with labial swelling and one patient with passage of stool through the vagina. Nine of the 11 women with vaginal complaints also had concurrent intestinal symptoms and perineal manifestations (P < 0.001). This study suggests that vaginal involvement in Crohn's disease may be a more frequent phenomenon than previously reported. PMID- 17764028 TI - S-sulfo-cysteine is an endogenous amino acid in neonatal rat brain but an unlikely mediator of cysteine neurotoxicity. AB - S-sulfo-cysteine (SSC) is an agonist of glutamate receptors which could be involved in cysteine-induced neurotoxicity. Here we analyzed SSC by HPLC and demonstrated that the concentration of SSC in cortex of cysteine-injected rats increased to 1.4 microM, about four times the value of control rats. The neurotoxic effect of SSC was evaluated in slice cultures of rat hippocampus and compared to NMDA and cysteine. The neurotoxicity threshold of SSC was well above the tissue concentration. Our results show that SSC increases in neonatal rat brain after cysteine injection but reaches a tissue concentration far below concentrations that induce neurotoxicity in vitro. Thus, even if all the tissue SSC after cysteine injection was extracellular it would be below the threshold for toxicity, indicating that SSC is not a main excitotoxin involved in cysteine toxicity. PMID- 17764030 TI - Leaching of nitrogen, phosphorus, TOC and COD from the biosolids of the municipal wastewater treatment plant of Thessaloniki. AB - Biosolids from the WWTP of Thessaloniki were examined for the leaching of phosphorus (as PO4(3-) -P), nitrogen (as NH4+ (-N) and NO3- (-N)), and organic matter (as TOC and COD), using two tests: (1) a pH static leaching test and (2) a characterization test, relating contaminant release to the liquid to solid (L/S) ratio. Moreover, a Microtox toxicity test was conducted, to examine the pH dependency of the toxicity of the sludge leachate on the Vibrio fischeri bacterium. Maximum phosphorus release was observed at pH < 3 and at pH > 10. Ammonium nitrogen exhibited maximum leachability at near neutral pH conditions, while nitrate nitrogen exhibited a mild increase in the leachate, as the leachant pH increased from 2 to 12. Both TOC and COD exhibited an increase in the leachate concentration, as the leachant pH was increased from 2 to 12. Ecotoxicological analysis showed that maximum toxicity occurred at very low and very high pH conditions. As liquid-to-solid ratio increased, the leachate concentration (in mg/l) of all parameters studied decreased. The results of the study were used to conduct a release assessment estimate for the case of Thessaloniki. PMID- 17764031 TI - Tissue specific expression of antifreeze protein and growth hormone transgenes driven by the ocean pout (Macrozoarces americanus) antifreeze protein OP5a gene promoter in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). AB - Previous research aimed at producing genetically improved salmon broodstock for aquaculture led to the creation of two lines of transgenic Atlantic salmon using gene constructs that were derived in part from the ocean pout OP5a antifreeze protein (AFP) gene. One of the lines was produced using an OP5a AFP gene in which the 5' region of the promoter was removed (termed t-OP5a-AFP), and the other line contains a growth hormone (GH) transgene (EO-1alpha) that consists of a chinook salmon GH cDNA driven by a truncated OP5a AFP promoter that is almost identical to that of the t-OP5a-AFP construct. The similarity of the promoter regions of these transgenes provided an opportunity to evaluate their tissue specific expression patterns. Expression of mRNA was evaluated using Northern blot and RT PCR techniques. The results demonstrate that the AFP and GH trangenes were expressed in almost all body tissues, suggesting that the promoter region of the OP5a AFP gene lacks tissue specific elements. Northern analysis revealed that expression of the t-OP5a-AFP gene was considerably greater than that of the EO 1alpha GH transgene. Only the spleen tissue of the GH transgenics showed a visible band of hybridization. In contrast clear bands of hybridization were evident in all tissues, except for blood cells, of the AFP transgenics with heart, liver and brain tissue showing the highest levels of mRNA expression. This higher level of expression could be attributable to the presence of introns in the t-OP5a-AFP transgene. Since the GH transgenic salmon grow considerably faster than non-transgenics the low levels of GH transgene expression in this line were clearly sufficient to produce the desired rapid growth phenotype. In contrast the levels of AFP expression were inadequate to impart any improvement in the freeze resistance of the AFP transgenic salmon. PMID- 17764034 TI - What should residents know about hypertension? PMID- 17764033 TI - Structure-based inference of molecular functions of proteins of unknown function from Berkeley Structural Genomics Center. AB - Advances in sequence genomics have resulted in an accumulation of a huge number of protein sequences derived from genome sequences. However, the functions of a large portion of them cannot be inferred based on the current methods of sequence homology detection to proteins of known functions. Three-dimensional structure can have an important impact in providing inference of molecular function (physical and chemical function) of a protein of unknown function. Structural genomics centers worldwide have been determining many 3-D structures of the proteins of unknown functions, and possible molecular functions of them have been inferred based on their structures. Combined with bioinformatics and enzymatic assay tools, the successful acceleration of the process of protein structure determination through high throughput pipelines enables the rapid functional annotation of a large fraction of hypothetical proteins. We present a brief summary of the process we used at the Berkeley Structural Genomics Center to infer molecular functions of proteins of unknown function. PMID- 17764032 TI - The effect of sildenafil citrate and pentoxifylline combined treatment in the management of erectile dysfunction. AB - INTRODUCTION: In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of sildenafil and pentoxifylline combined therapy in the treatment of vasculogenic erectile dysfunction. METHODS: Sixty-eight patients with various degrees and types of vasculogenic erectile dysfunction were included in the study. The patients were recommended to take oral sildenafil (minimum two 50-mg tablets/week) 1 h prior to sexual intercourse for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks of washout period, patients were recommended to take combined therapy (minimum two 50-mg tablets/week sildenafil 1 h prior to sexual intercourse and 1.2 g of pentoxifylline/day divided into three doses) for an additional 4-week period. Both treatment regimes were evaluated with the international index of erectile function (IIEF). RESULTS: Mean IIEF score was higher after sildenafil treatment when compared to pre-treatment score (14.2+/-4.3 and 8.6+/-4.2, respectively, P<0.05). Likewise after the combination treatment, mean IIEF score was higher when compared to pre-treatment score (18.1+/-5.2 and 8.6+/-3.8, respectively, P<0.05). The increase in the IIEF score was 5.62+/-2.08 in the sildenafil only group whereas increase in the IIEF score was 9.51+/-3.77 in the combination therapy group. There was a statistically significant increase in the combination group when compared to the sildenafil only group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that use of sildenafil citrate and pentoxifylline combined therapy could be effective in the management of patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction. PMID- 17764035 TI - More on the hypertension article. PMID- 17764036 TI - AHLTA: teaching medical students without falling behind (or, another take on the five microskills of precepting). PMID- 17764037 TI - Walking in Memphis. PMID- 17764038 TI - Assembling patient-centered medical homes--is this focus on patient care a distraction from STFM's primary mission? PMID- 17764040 TI - Entry of US medical school graduates into family medicine residencies: 2006-2007 and 3-year summary. AB - This is the 26th report prepared by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) on the percentage of each US medical school's graduates entering family medicine residency programs. Approximately 8.5% of the 16,110 graduates of US medical schools between July 2005 and June 2006 were first-year family medicine residents in 2006, compared with 8.4% in 2005 and 9.2% in 2004. Medical school graduates from publicly funded medical schools were more likely to be first-year family medicine residents in October 2006 than were residents from privately funded schools, 10.1% compared with 6.0%. The West North Central and the Mountain regions reported the highest percentage of medical school graduates who were first-year residents in family medicine programs in October 2006 at 12.4% and 10.7%, respectively; the New England and Middle Atlantic regions reported the lowest percentages at 5.7% and 5.6%, respectively. Nearly half of the medical school graduates (49.2%) entering a family medicine residency program as first year residents in October 2006 entered a program in the same state where they graduated from medical school. The percentages for each medical school have varied substantially from year to year since the AAFP began reporting this information. This article reports the average percentage for each medical school for the last 3 years. Also reported are the number and percentage of graduates from colleges of osteopathic medicine who entered Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited family medicine residency programs, based on estimates provided by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. PMID- 17764041 TI - Results of the 2007 National Resident Matching Program: family medicine. AB - The results of the 2007 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) reflect a currently stable level of student interest in family medicine residency training in the United States. Compared with the 2006 Match, five fewer positions (with 25 fewer US seniors) were filled in family medicine residency programs through the NRMP in 2007, at the same time as 20 fewer (two more US seniors) in primary care internal medicine, the same number of pediatrics-primary care (four fewer US seniors), and one more (19 fewer US seniors) in internal medicine-pediatrics programs. Multiple forces, including student perspectives of the demands, rewards, and prestige of the specialty; the turbulence and uncertainty of the health care environment; lifestyle issues; and the impact of faculty role models continue to influence medical student career choices. Eighty-four more positions (12 more US seniors) were filled in categorical internal medicine. Fifty-four more positions (22 more US seniors) were filled in categorical pediatrics programs. The 2007 NRMP results suggest that interest in family medicine and primary care careers continues to decline. With the needs of the nation calling for the roles and services of family physicians, family medicine matched too few graduates through the 2007 NRMP to meet the nation's needs for primary care physicians. PMID- 17764042 TI - Women's health content validity of the Family Medicine In-training Examination. AB - BACKGROUND: Women's health is the field of medicine that addresses the special health care needs of women. It includes conditions more common, different, or unique to women. The primary means of knowledge assessment for family medicine residents is the Family Medicine In-training Examination (FMITE). This study describes the degree to which the FMITE tests residents for knowledge of women's health. METHODS: This was a content validity study using item analysis to identify FMITE women's health questions. The curriculum standard was the 2004 American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Women's Health Curriculum Guidelines. Two independent reviewers verified the method of identifying women's health questions. The test sample included 3,460 questions (1996-2005 FMITEs). RESULTS: Women's health questions made up 23% of the sample. Content areas and topics from the AAFP curriculum were sampled unevenly. The exam emphasized reproductive health and failed to assess knowledge of older women's health. DISCUSSION: The FMITE does test resident knowledge of the traditional subjects of obstetrics and gynecology but does not provide an adequate assessment of the breadth of knowledge of women's health. PMID- 17764043 TI - Attitudes toward performance of endoscopic colon cancer screening by family physicians. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study's purpose was to examine attitudes of family physicians and gastroenterologists toward family physician performance of lower endoscopy in general practice. METHODS: A mailed survey was sent to 1,563 board-certified physicians in Georgia (1,303 family physicians, 260 gastroenterologists). Respondents were asked to describe their practice of lower endoscopy procedures and colorectal (CRC) screening preferences. RESULTS: Fifty one percent (801) of the surveys were returned. For CRC screening, family physicians recommend fecal occult blood testing most frequently (51.7%), while gastroenterologists recommended colonoscopy most frequently (89.5%). Most family physicians believe that family physicians should perform flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) (81.4%) and colonoscopy (CS) (71.3%). A total of 71.2% of surveyed gastroenterologists believe that family physicians should perform FS, but only a minority (4.5%) believe that family physicians should perform screening CSs. Approximately 28% (186) of family physicians report performing FS (mean=.8 FS per month). Only 3.7 % (25) of family physicians reported performing CS (mean=8.2 CSs per month). CONCLUSIONS: Although most family physicians believe that they should perform lower endoscopy, only a minority of gastroenterologists believe family physicians should perform CS. Our results show that family physician performance of lower endoscopic CRC screening is limited in general practice. Future research might consider exploring these issues from both the gastroenterologist and family physician perspective. PMID- 17764044 TI - Family medicine specialty selection: a proposed research agenda. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Our objectives were to provide an update on the status of selection by medical students of family medicine as a specialty, to summarize what is known about influences on this specialty choice, and to propose a research agenda for the future. METHODS: Data from the National Resident Matching Program and the American Academy of Family Physicians residency database were obtained. Past reviews of research on family medicine specialty selection were summarized, and recent research was reviewed. Gaps in the knowledge base and common research design weaknesses were listed. RESULTS: As a result of our analysis, a set of 12 research questions are posed and a set of 11 study design recommendations made. CONCLUSIONS: Family medicine specialty choice research must be planned and conducted with the most robust methodology possible, building on past research, to produce results that can assist in formulating effective policy. PMID- 17764045 TI - [Social phobia: fear of others]. PMID- 17764049 TI - [Section cell biology]. PMID- 17764050 TI - [Section report on pediatric pneumology]. PMID- 17764055 TI - Pulmonary pathology of the rheumatic diseases. AB - Thoracic manifestations of the rheumatic diseases (RDs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The five RDs most frequently associated with pleuropulmonary disease are (1) rheumatoid arthritis (RA), (2) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), (3) progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), (4) polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM), and (5) Sjogren syndrome (SS). The clinical presentation is highly variable, ranging from pleuritic pain alone to slowly progressive breathlessness accompanied by cough. On occasion RD may present acutely with overwhelming respiratory failure as the first pulmonary manifestation. In all of the RDs, the pathology is dominated by either or both inflammation and fibrosis, but the anatomical distribution in each varies somewhat. For example, airway-associated lymphoid hyperplasia is a common manifestation of SS, PM/DM preferentially involves the alveolar parenchyma, and pleural inflammation is most commonly seen in RA. Such changes may be detected radiologically as peribronchovascular disease in SS, ground-glass infiltrates in PM/DM, and pleural disease with effusion in RA. Some RDs are more commonly associated with distinctive histopathology, such as rheumatoid nodules in RA, or lymphoid hyperplasia in both RA and SS. Patients with PSS are at particular risk for pulmonary hypertension when the lung is involved. Also, statistically, acute lung injury occurs more commonly in some, such as SLE and PM/DM. The very common use of immunosuppressive agents in the treatment of RD creates additional diagnostic problems related to drug toxicity and infection. Finally, a major confounding factor occurs when preclinical RD presents first as pulmonary disease (particularly PM/DM), an occurrence that may invoke one of the so-called idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. The most common pleuropulmonary pathological manifestations of the five major RDs are presented and discussed with brief radiological correlations. PMID- 17764056 TI - Pulmonary function tests in connective tissue disease. AB - The interpretation of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in patients with connective tissue disease poses considerable difficulties in clinical practice. In established lung disease, several characteristic PFT profiles are recognized for individual complications, including pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary vascular disease, extrapulmonary restriction, and intrinsic airway disease. PFTs play a central role in the investigation of respiratory symptoms and are sensitive in the detection of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary vascular disease. The staging of disease severity using PFTs is an invaluable guide to prognosis. Maximal exercise testing has an ancillary role in selected patients and is most often useful in demonstrating that limited disease is not clinically significant. The interpretation of PFTs is most difficult when, as is commonly the case, two or more pulmonary complications coexist, each having separate functional effects. Finally, the use of PFTs in routine monitoring is discussed. PMID- 17764057 TI - Computed tomographic imaging in connective tissue diseases. AB - The connective tissue diseases are a group of autoimmune mediated disorders characterized by multiorgan damage. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) plays an important role in identifying patients with respiratory involvement. Although there is some overlap, typical HRCT appearances are increasingly recognized for each of the major connective tissue diseases and are described in detail in this review (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, Sjogren syndrome, polymyositis/dermatomyositis, mixed connective tissue disease). The clinical utility of HRCT is discussed with respect to the detection of disease, diagnosis, staging of disease severity, prognostic evaluation, and monitoring of disease progression. The difficult problem of establishing the clinical significance of CT abnormalities is also addressed. PMID- 17764058 TI - Advances in immunosuppressive therapy. AB - Despite the intense interest in biological agents, traditional immunosuppressive drugs remain the mainstays of treatment for systemic rheumatic diseases that involve the lung. Herewith, we review the mechanism of action, administration and clinical use of immunosuppressive drugs, including cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil, azathioprine, methotrexate, leflunomide, cyclosporine, and mycophenolate mofetil. Emphasis is placed on the use of sequential therapies, in which cyclophosphamide is used to induce a remission, and then drugs such as methotrexate or azathioprine are used to maintain the remission. In addition, new regimens that avoid the use of cyclophosphamide for severe forms of vasculitis such as Wegener's granulomatosis have been recently described. Finally, significant benefit has been found when interstitial lung disease due to scleroderma is treated with cyclophosphamide. This represents the first evidence that immunosuppressive drugs are efficacious in rheumatic disease-associated interstitial fibrosis and provides a rationale for developing therapeutic regimens that optimize efficacy and safety. PMID- 17764059 TI - The spectrum of scleroderma lung disease. AB - Pulmonary disease is the most common cause of death in patients with systemic sclerosis. This article discusses the variety of ways the lung is affected in systemic sclerosis. These include pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease and other restrictive disorders, obstructive disease, pleural disease, lung cancer, and aspiration. For each manifestation we outline the current knowledge of etiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. We also discuss the current state of lung transplantation in this population. PMID- 17764060 TI - Pulmonary manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis. AB - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disease, characterized by symmetric joint involvement, but it can also affect other organ systems, including the lungs. The better-known pulmonary manifestations of RA are interstitial lung disease, rheumatoid nodules, and pleural effusions. Less common manifestations include bronchiolitis obliterans and crycoarytenoid arthritis. Management of these conditions involves, by and large, supportive pulmonary care and control of the underlying articular process. Other pulmonary manifestations in RA patients can ensue as a result of the treatments used for it, mainly methotrexate. This article discusses the most common pulmonary manifestations of RA and their treatment. A discussion about the increasing impact that cigarette smoking is having on RA is also provided. PMID- 17764061 TI - Pulmonary manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. AB - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can affect the lung in multiple ways. All components of the respiratory system, including the pleura, pulmonary parenchyma, airways, vessels, and respiratory muscles can be involved in various degrees at some time in the disease course and contribute to its morbidity and mortality. This article reviews the clinical symptoms, imaging techniques, histopathology, prognosis, and treatment of pulmonary manifestations of SLE and the related disorder mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), from a historical perspective and with regard to new insights into pathogenesis and therapy. PMID- 17764062 TI - Pulmonary complications of polymyositis and dermatomyositis. AB - Polymyositis and dermatomyositis are systemic inflammatory diseases with unknown etiology and prognosis. Pulmonary involvement is increasingly recognized to be a major complication and a common cause of morbidity and mortality in these diseases. Thus a thorough pulmonary evaluation is necessary to permit appropriate management. There are three categories of pulmonary complications in myositis: aspiration pneumonia, hypoventilation, and interstitial lung disease (ILD). ILD is a frequent pulmonary complication in patients with myositis, and respiratory symptoms are not reliable signs for diagnosis. The strongest predictive factor for ILD in patients with myositis is the presence of antihistidyl transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetase antibodies (anti-Jo-1), but ILD may also be present in patients without these autoantibodies. Therefore, all patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis should be investigated with chest radiography, high-resolution computed tomography, and lung function tests. PMID- 17764063 TI - Sjogren's Syndrome. AB - Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic, slowly progressive, inflammatory, autoimmune disease characterized by (1) lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands leading to diminished or absent glandular secretion, and (2) marked B lymphocytic cell hyperreactivity manifested initially by a variety of serum autoantibodies, including those against the Ro(SSA) and La(SSB) ribonucleoproteins, ending in the development of B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a substantial number of patients. Most patients with SS present only with keratoconjunctivitis sicca and xerostomia. However, approximately 40% develop extraglandular manifestations that present in two ways: (1) the development of lymphoepithelial lesions in several extra-exocrine gland tissues (i.e., bronchi, renal tubules, or biliary ducts), and (2) vasculitis related to the deposition of immune complexes due to B cell hyperreactivity. Pulmonary manifestations develop in some patients and may present as (1) bronchitis sicca; (2) a wide spectrum of lymphoproliferative diseases, ranging from bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) hyperplasia, lymphoid interstitial pneumonia, and B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma mainly of the extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of BALT-type or rarely of higher-grade malignancy; and (3) other interstitial pneumonias. Pleuritis can be seen in SS patients with associated systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis. PMID- 17764064 TI - Alternatives to heart transplantation. Symposium of the "Treatment of End-stage Heart and Lung Failure" working group on October 22, 2005 in Munich. AB - Heart transplantation is currently the treatment of first choice in patients with end-stage refractory heart failure. But already the demand for donor organs cannot be met, and patients face long waiting times for transplantation. In the future waiting times will become even longer as life expectancy increases and the number of heart-failure patients requiring transplantation grows. Consequently, in view of the poor prognosis of the disease in its advanced stages, alternatives to heart transplantation are increasingly gaining importance. In recent years new innovative treatment methods and techniques have been developed which have already proved clinically successful in patients with end-stage heart failure, especially as bridging measures. Some of these techniques appear suitable for long-term use and could therefore serve as an alternative to heart transplantation in some patients. Interesting new avenues of research may even lead to cardiac cell replacement therapies in the future. These approaches are currently undergoing initial clinical trials. This report presents surgical and cardiologic treatments for end-stage heart failure that have already been clinically investigated as well as techniques that are still in the preclinical stage and discusses their potential as alternatives to heart transplantation. PMID- 17764065 TI - Anti-inflammatory ergostanes from the basidiomata of Antrodia salmonea. AB - Three new anti-oxidative ergostanes, methyl antcinate L (1), antcin M (2), and methyl antcinate K (3), together with nine additional known compounds, 3 ketodehydrosulphurenic acid, sulphurenic acid, dehydrosulphurenic acid, 3beta,15alpha-dihydroxylanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acid, zhankuic acid A, zhankuic acid B, zhankuic acid C, antcin C, and antcin K were isolated from the basidiomata of Antrodia salmonea, a newly identified species of Antrodia (Polyporaceae) in Taiwan. These three new compounds were identified as methyl 3alpha,7alpha,12alpha-trihydroxy-4alpha-methylergosta-8,24(29)-dien-11-on-26-oate (1), 3alpha,12alpha-dihydroxy-4alpha-methylergosta-8,24(29)-dien-11-on-26-oic acid (2), and methyl 3alpha,4beta,7beta-trihydroxy-4alpha-methylergosta-8,24(29) dien-11-on-26-oate (3) by spectroscopic analysis. We studied their antioxidative potential on the production of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide (NO) in neutrophils and microglial cells, respectively. Compounds 1-3 displayed potent antioxidative activity with IC50 values of around 2.0-8.8 microM that was partially due to inhibition (6-67%) of NADPH oxidase activity but not through direct radical-scavenging properties. Compounds 1-3 also inhibited NO production with IC50 values of around 1.7-16.5 microM and were more potent than a non specific NOS inhibitor. We conclude that these three new compounds 1, 2, and 3 exhibit anti-inflammatory activities in activated inflammatory cells. PMID- 17764066 TI - Induction of apoptosis and regulation of the MAPK pathway by ursolic acid in human leukemia K562 cells. AB - Ursolic acid (UA) is a pentacyclic triterpene acid naturally occurring in a number of foods and medicinal plants. It is one of the most promising chemopreventive agents and has been reported to induce apoptosis in many cancer cells. Here, we report that treatment with UA induces apoptosis in human leukemia K562 cells and down-regulates protein levels of bcl-xL. Treatment also increases phospho-JNK in a dose- and time-dependent manner but does not alter phospho Erk1/2 and phospho-P38. These results suggest that JNK may participate in UA induced apoptosis in K562 cells. PMID- 17764068 TI - Bioactive ent-clerodane diterpenoids from Scutellaria barbata. AB - Four new ENT-clerodane diterpenoids were isolated from the whole plant of Scutellaria barbata D. Don. (Labiatae). Their structures were elucidated by chemical methods and spectral analyses. in vitro, the four new compounds showed significant cytotoxic activities against three human cancer lines (HONE-1 nasopharyngeal, KB oral epidermoid carcinoma, and HT29 colorectal carcinoma cells), and gave IC50 values in the range 3.1-7.2 microM. PMID- 17764069 TI - Abstracts of the XXXIV Annual ESAO (European Society for Artificial Organs) Congress, Krems, Austria, 3-5 September 2007. PMID- 17764067 TI - Radioprotective properties of the phytochemically characterized extracts of Crataegus monogyna, Cornus mas and Gentianella austriaca on human lymphocytes in vitro. AB - The objective of the present study is to evaluate the radioprotective properties of extracts of Crataegus monogyna Jacq. (Rosaceae) fruit, Cornus mas L. (Cornaceae) leaves and Gentianella austriaca (A. Kern. & Jos. Kern.) Holub (Gentianaceae) aerial parts on cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro after irradiation with 2 Gy of 60Co gamma-rays. Plants were collected at Mt. Maljen in Serbia, air-dried and powdered, and the total phenolic content was analyzed. In C. mas leaves, ellagic and gallic acid were found to be the dominant compounds, whereas C. monogyna fruit was rich in procyanidins and flavonoids. The main constituents of G. austriaca aerial parts were gamma-pyrones and secoiridoids. Cell cultures were treated with four different doses of plant extracts (0.1 mg/mL to 0.4 mg/mL). Treatment with the lowest dose gave the best protective effect. Significant radiorecovery potentials of C. mas and C. monogyna were observed, seen as a reduced incidence of radiation-induced micronuclei (19.23% and 13.24%, respectively), reduced levels of lipid peroxidation products (50.04% and 13.18%, respectively) and two-fold enhanced apoptosis. Both extracts slowed down cell proliferation gradually, enabling more time for repair. G. austriaca possesses strong antioxidant properties, significantly reducing lipid peroxidation and the incidence of micronuclei (for 30.88% and 35.56%, respectively) while enhancing apoptosis with no perturbation of the cell cycle. This study may contribute to the search for novel radioprotective agents. PMID- 17764070 TI - Modulation of viability and maturation of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells by oncolytic adenoviruses. AB - Adenoviral oncolysis is a promising new modality for treatment of cancer based on selective viral replication in tumor cells. However, tumor cell killing by adenoviral oncolysis needs to be improved to achieve therapeutic benefit in the clinic. Towards this end, the activation of anti-tumor immunity by adenoviral oncolysis might constitute a potent mechanism for systemic killing of uninfected tumor cells, thereby effectively complementing direct tumor cell killing by the virus. Knowledge of anti-tumor immune induction by adenoviral oncolysis, however, is lacking mostly due to species-specificity of adenovirus replication, which has hampered studies of human oncolytic adenoviruses in animals. We suggest the analysis of interactions of oncolytic adenoviruses with human immune cells as rational basis for the implementation of adenoviral oncolysis-induced anti-tumor immune activation. The goal of our study was to investigate how oncolytic adenoviruses affect human dendritic cells (DCs), key regulators of innate and adoptive immunity that are widely investigated as tumor vaccines. We report that melanoma-directed oncolytic adenoviruses, like replication-deficient adenoviruses but unlike adenoviruses with unrestricted replication potential, are not toxic to monocyte-derived immature DCs and do not block DC maturation by external stimuli. Of note, this is in contrast to reports for other viruses/viral vectors and represents a prerequisite for anti-tumor immune activation by adenoviral oncolysis. Furthermore, we show that these oncolytic adenoviruses alone do not or only partially induce DC maturation. Thus additional signals are required for optimal immune activation. These could be delivered, for example, by inserting immunoregulatory transgenes into the oncolytic adenovirus genome. PMID- 17764071 TI - Identification of novel antiangiogenic anticancer activities of deguelin targeting hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha. AB - Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) plays an essential role in tumor angiogenesis and growth by regulating the transcription of several genes in response to hypoxic stress and changes in growth factors. This study was designed to investigate the effects of deguelin on tumor growth and angiogenesis, and the mechanisms underlying the antitumor activities of deguelin. We show here that orally administered deguelin inhibits tumor growth and blocks tumor angiogenesis in mice. Deguelin decreased expression of HIF-1alpha protein and its target genes, such as VEGF, in a subset of cancer cell lines, including H1299 lung cancer cells, and vascular endothelial cells in normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor by adenoviral vector infection abolished the antiangiogenic effects of deguelin on H1299 nonsmall cell lung cancer cells. Deguelin inhibited de novo synthesis of HIF-1alpha protein and reduced the half-life of the synthesized protein. MG132, a proteasome inhibitor, protected the hypoxia- or IGF-induced HIF-1alpha protein from deguelin-mediated degradation. Our findings suggest that deguelin is a promising antiangiogenic therapeutic agent in cancer targeting HIF-1alpha. Considering that HIF-1alpha is overexpressed in a majority of human cancers, deguelin could offer a potent therapeutic agent for cancer. PMID- 17764073 TI - Fetus with osteogenesis imperfecta presenting as increased nuchal translucency thickness in the first trimester. AB - Type II osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a perinatally lethal disorder due to type I collagen abnormalities that has been diagnosed successfully in the second trimester. We report a case of type II OI that was confirmed on postmortem histology and radiography presenting as increased nuchal translucency in the first trimester. PMID- 17764072 TI - Alcohol consumption and endometrial cancer risk: the multiethnic cohort. AB - The role of alcohol intake in the etiology of endometrial cancer is unclear. We examined the impact of alcohol intake on endometrial cancer risk among 41,574 postmenopausal African-American, Japanese-American, Latina, Native-Hawaiian and White women recruited to the prospective Multiethnic Cohort Study in 1993-1996. During an average of 8.3 years of follow-up, 324 incident invasive endometrial cancer cases were identified among these women. Data on alcohol intake and endometrial cancer risk factors were obtained from the baseline questionnaire. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for endometrial cancer associated with alcohol intake were estimated using log-linear (Cox) proportional hazard models stratified by age, year of recruitment, ethnicity and study center, and adjusted for several confounding factors. Increased alcohol consumption was associated with increased risk (p trend = 0.013). Compared to nondrinkers, women consuming >or=2 drinks/day had a multivariate RR of 2.01 (95% CI: 1.30, 3.11). There was no increase in risk associated with <1 drink/day (RR = 1.01; 95% CI: 0.77, 1.33) and 1 to <2 drinks/day (RR = 1.09; 95% CI: 0.62, 1.93). There was no clear effect modification by body mass index, postmenopausal hormone use, parity, oral contraceptive use or smoking status, though our power to detect such interactions was limited. Our results suggest that only alcohol consumption equivalent to 2 or more drinks per day increases risk of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women. PMID- 17764074 TI - Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy at single molecule level on the Tat-TAR complex and its inhibitors. AB - The TAR element of HIV and the viral protein Tat form a molecular switch regulating transcriptional efficiency in HIV. We show that fluorescence correlation spectroscopy at the single molecule level is a powerful method to study the association between a Tat-derived peptide and TAR fragments. We also investigated the inhibition of the peptide-RNA complex by different ligands. Utilizing cross correlation measurements, the dissociation constants (K(D)) were determined. To demonstrate the important role of the bulge for the binding of Tat, we compared wt-TAR with three RNA mutants, mainly differing in the bulge region. For the TAR mutants studied at equimolar concentration of RNA and peptide (25 nM), the K(D) values are 15-35 times larger than that of wt-TAR. This gives evidence that the bulge region is the most crucial part of the TAR RNA for specific Tat binding. The IC(50) values for different inhibitors of the Tat/TAR complex both with wt-TAR and mutants have been determined. Neamine conjugate proved to be the best inhibitor of the complex formation. Our results are in agreement with earlier published data on this system using alternative biophysical and biochemical methods, respectively. PMID- 17764075 TI - Reversible effect of X-irradiation on proliferation, neurogenesis, and cell death in the dentate gyrus of adult mice. AB - Therapeutic cranial X-irradiation causes cognitive deficits in adult and pediatric patients, in particular, when the exposed area includes the medial temporal lobes. Effects on adult neurogenesis within the hippocampus may be related to such deficits. To investigate this relation, we irradiated the brain of young adult C57Bl/6j mice with a single dose of 4 Gy at a dose-rate of 27.5 cGy/min. We observed an approximately 80% decrease in the number of cells immunoreactive for the proliferation marker Ki67, 16 and 48 h after exposure, which was restored to control values after 1 week. The number of doublecortin- and NeuroD-immunoreactive cells of neuronal lineage was reduced by 60-70% up to 1 week after irradiation, but not after 1 month. The number of pyknotic cells increased approximately 2.5 fold after 16 h, decreased to approximately 50% of control numbers after 48 h and 1 week, and was again at normal levels after 1 month. Granule cell number did not differ between different groups and time points. There was no apparent activation of microglia or astrocytes. Our findings consist of an acute and reversible effect of X-irradiation on proliferation, neurogenesis, and cell death. Transient changes of neurogenesis may play a role in transient impairments of cognitive performance of patients exposed to X irradiation. We present an experimental approach to temporarily alter adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AhN), allowing mechanistic investigations of AhN and its relevance to cognitive performances. The work also represents a step toward optimized radiotherapy schedules. PMID- 17764076 TI - Contingent valuation in health care: does it matter how the 'good' is described? AB - A general population sample of 104 Australian respondents completed an interviewer-administered contingent valuation (CV) survey that asked them to value five scenarios representing the same core improvement in health status. These scenarios varied only in the degree of narrative used to describe the condition causing the health problem being valued and labeling of this health problem. Results indicate no significant difference in willingness to pay (WTP) between expressing symptoms as a brief or moderate narrative, but a significantly lower WTP value when expressed in an extensive narrative. WTP also differed significantly according to condition 'labels'. Possible implications for CV research are outlined. PMID- 17764077 TI - Enhancement of thermal stability and inhibition of protein aggregation by osmolytic effect of hydroxyproline. AB - A combination of spectroscopic, calorimetric, and microscopic studies to understand the effect of hydroxyproline on the thermal stability, conformation, biological activity, and aggregation of proteins has been investigated. Significantly increased protein stability and suppression of aggregation is achieved in the presence of hydroxyproline. For example, exceptional increase in the thermal stability of lysozyme up to 26.4 degrees C and myoglobin up to 31.8 degrees C is obtained in the presence of hydroxyproline. The increased thermal stability of the proteins is observed to be accompanied with significant rise of the catalytic activity. Hydroxyproline is observed to prevent lysozyme fibril formation in vitro. Fluorescence and circular dichroism studies indicate induction of tertiary structures of the studied proteins in the presence of hydroxyproline. Preferential hydration of the native state is found to be crucial for the mechanism of protein stabilization by hydroxyproline. We compared the effect of hydroxyproline to that of proline and observed similar increase in the activity and suppression of protein aggregation. The results demonstrate the use of hydroxyproline as a protein stabilizer and in the prevention of protein aggregation and fibril formation. PMID- 17764078 TI - Weight for age charts for children with achondroplasia. AB - To develop accurate weight for age charts for individuals with achondroplasia. These novel weight for age, gender-specific growth curves for achondroplasia patients from birth through 16 years were constructed from a longitudinal, retrospective, single observer cohort study of 334 individuals with achondroplasia. Weight for age data from 301 subjects in this achondroplasia cohort, constituting 1,964 total weight measurements, are presented in these weight for age curves. Percentiles (5, 25, 50, 75, 95th) were estimated across the age continuum by gender, using a 1 month window (+/-0.5 months) around each time point of interest. Percentiles were smoothed using a quadratic, penalized smoother by a semi-parametric model approach. Raw weight data from the achondroplasia cohort are compared to that of average stature children presented in the current CDC growth curves, divided into 0-36 months and 2-16 years. There was overlap of birth weight between achondroplasia and average stature infants. This statistical modeling method can be applied to other anthropometric parameters collected from this achondroplasia cohort (e.g., length, BMI), other skeletal dysplasia diagnoses, and to syndromic, non-skeletal dysplasia diagnoses which may benefit from standardization of weight for age. PMID- 17764079 TI - Dominantly-inherited lop ears. AB - We describe a four-generation Chinese family that included five members who had an isolated bilateral lop ear anomaly. The presentation suggested a dominant mode of inheritance. The absence of male-to-male transmission does not exclude an X linked dominant mode of inheritance. Since the phenotypic anomaly of the male proband was no more severe than the affected female members, an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance is most likely. PMID- 17764080 TI - A novel multiple congenital anomaly-mental retardation syndrome with Pierre Robin sequence and cerebellar hypoplasia in two sisters. AB - We report on the similar phenotypes and clinical course of two sisters. Both patients had an enlarged cisterna magna suggestive of cerebellar hypoplasia, agenesis/hypoplasia of the corpus callosum, Pierre Robin sequence requiring tracheostomy, camptodactyly, microphthalmia, colobomas, seizures, a distinctive facial appearance, global developmental delay, and mental retardation. We propose that the distinct pattern in these sisters constitutes a previously undescribed syndrome of likely autosomal recessive inheritance. PMID- 17764081 TI - Diaphanospondylodysostosis: six new cases and exclusion of the candidate genes, PAX1 and MEOX1. AB - We report on six cases from four families with the newly described skeletal disorder diaphanospondylodysostosis (DSD). The characteristic radiographic findings included abnormal ossification of vertebral bodies, posterior rib gaps, missing ribs, and a downward tilt of the pubic rami, but normal long bones. The typical facial features of DSD cases were ocular hypertelorism, a short nose, depressed nasal bridge, and low set ears. Other distinctive findings included a short neck with bell-shaped thorax, and nephroblastomatosis. A history of consanguinity and affected siblings with unaffected parents supports autosomal recessive inheritance. Skeletal histology showed incomplete ossification of the ribs, vertebral bodies, and sacrum as well as incomplete formation of intervertebral discs. The posterior ribs were comprised of bone with intervening cartilage interrupted by dense fibrous tissue and skeletal muscle fascicles. These findings suggest abnormal development and differentiation of the paraxial mesoderm. Because of phenotypic similarities of DSD to Pax1 and Meox1 deficient mice, we sequenced genomic DNA from three unrelated DSD cases. No mutations were identified in the PAX1 and MEOX1 exons or flanking intronic sequences, excluding them as likely causative genes. PMID- 17764082 TI - Three-dose-cohort designs in cancer phase I trials. AB - Traditional designs for phase I clinical trials assign the same dose to patients in the same cohort. In this paper, we present a new class of designs for cancer phase I trials which initially rapidly escalate by allowing multiple doses (usually 3) to be assigned to each cohort of patients. The class of designs, called the LMH-CRM (an extension of the continual reassessment method (CRM) by administering different percentiles of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), denoted 'low', 'medium', 'high'), is proven to be consistent and coherent (a commonsense property of phase I trials for dose escalation and de-escalation). Three designs (slow, moderate and fast) are derived based on different dose-escalation restrictions. Simulation results show that moderate and fast LMH-CRM combine the advantages of the CRM with one patient per cohort and three patients per cohort: it accurately estimates the MTD; controls overall toxicity rates; and is time efficient. PMID- 17764083 TI - Network dynamics of hippocampal cell-assemblies resemble multiple spatial maps within single tasks. AB - The firing of place cells in the rodent hippocampus is reliable enough to infer the rodent's position to a high accuracy; however, hippocampal firing also reflects the stages of complex tasks. Theories have suggested that these task stage responses may reflect changes in reference frame related to task-related subgoals. If the hippocampus represents an environment in multiple ways depending on a task's demands, then switching between these cell assemblies should be detectable as a switch in spatial maps or reference frames. Place cells exhibit extreme temporal variability or "overdispersion," which Fenton et al. suggest reflects changes in active cell-assemblies. If reference-frame switching exists, investigating the relationship of the single cell variability described by Fenton and colleagues to network level processes provides an entry point to understanding the relationship between cell-assembly-like mechanisms and an animal's behavior. We tested the cell-assembly explanation for overdispersion by recording hippocampal neural ensembles from rats running three tasks of varying spatial complexity: linear track (LT), cylinder-foraging (CF), and cylinder-goal (CG). Consistent with the reports by Fenton and colleagues, hippocampal place cells showed high variance in their firing rates across place field passes on the CF and CG tasks. The directional firing of hippocampal place cells on LT provided a test of the reference-frame hypothesis: ignoring direction produced overdispersion similar to the CF and CG tasks; taking direction into account produced a significant decrease in overdispersion. To directly examine the possibility of a network modulation of cell-assemblies, we clustered the firing patterns within each pixel and chained them together to construct whole environment spatial firing maps. Maps were internally self-consistent, switching with mean rates of several hundred milliseconds. There were significant increases in map-switching rates following reward-related events on the LT and CG tasks, but not on the CF task. Our results link single cell variability with network level processes and imply that hippocampal spatial representations are made up of multiple, continuous sub-maps, the selection of which depends on the animal's goals when reward is tied to the animal's spatial behavior. PMID- 17764084 TI - Lysinuric protein intolerance: update and extended mutation analysis of the SLC7A7 gene. AB - Lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI) is an inherited aminoaciduria caused by defective cationic amino acid (CAA) transport at the basolateral membrane of epithelial cells in the intestine and kidney. LPI is caused by mutations in the SLC7A7 gene, which encodes the y(+)LAT-1 protein, the catalytic light chain subunit of a complex belonging to the heterodimeric amino acid transporter family. Coexpression of 4F2hc (the heavy chain subunit) and y(+)LAT-1 induces y(+)L activity (CAA transport). So far a total of 43 different mutations of the SLC7A7 gene, nine of which newly reported here, have been identified in a group of 130 patients belonging to at least 98 independent families. The mutations are distributed along the entire gene and include all different types of mutations. Five polymorphisms within the SLC7A7 coding region and two variants found in the 5'UTR have been identified. A genuine founder effect mutation has been demonstrated only in Finland, where LPI patients share the same homozygous mutation, c.895-2A>T. LPI patients show extreme variability in clinical presentation, and no genotype-phenotype correlations have been defined. This phenotypic variability and the lack of a specific clinical presentation have caused various misdiagnoses. At the biochemical level, the elucidation of SLC7A7 function will be necessary to understand precise disease mechanisms and develop more specific and effective therapies. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of SLC7A7 mutations and their role in LPI pathogenesis. PMID- 17764085 TI - Characterization of the interactions of human ZIC3 mutants with GLI3. AB - ZIC3, a GLI superfamily transcription factor, is involved in establishing normal embryonic left-right patterning. Multiple abnormalities in the central nervous system (CNS) and axial skeleton have also been observed in mice bearing a Zic3 null allele, mice with a Zic3 overexpression allele, and the majority of patients carrying ZIC3 mutations. Previous studies indicate that ZIC3 protein can bind to the GLI consensus binding site (GLIBS) and physically interact with GLI3, a transcription factor involved in multiple aspects of neural and skeletal development. We investigated in vitro interactions of ZIC3 with GLI3 and the effect of ZIC3 mutations identified in patients with either heterotaxy or isolated cardiovascular malformations. Electrophoresis mobility shift assay (EMSA) revealed that all five intact zinc finger (ZF) domains were necessary for binding of ZIC3 to GLIBS. Inclusion of GLIBS upstream of a basal TK promoter had no effect on the activation of the promoter by ZIC3 alone, but it enhanced the synergistic activation of ZIC3 and GLI3. Wild-type (WT) ZIC3 showed specific binding to GLI3 in GST-pull-down assays. Nonsense and frameshift ZIC3 mutants lacking one or more of the zinc finger domains did not physically interact with GST-GLI3; however, two missense mutants c.1213A>G (p.K405E, fifth ZF domain), and c.649C>G (p.P217A, conserved N-terminal domain) retained binding. Luciferase reporter assays indicated that both p.P217A and p.K405E mutants also retained coactivation with GLI3 of reporter gene expression activity, while all the GLI3 nonbinding ZIC3 mutants lacked this activity. Interestingly, no CNS or skeletal abnormalities were observed in patients bearing the p.P217A or p.K405E mutations. PMID- 17764086 TI - Craniofacial surgery for nonmelanoma skin malignancy: report of an international collaborative study. AB - BACKGROUND: This study examined the efficacy of craniofacial surgery (CFS) in treating locally advanced nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). METHODS: One hundred twenty patients who underwent CFS for NMSC were identified from 17 participating institutions. Patient, tumor, and treatment information was analyzed for prognostic impact on survival. RESULTS: Surgical margins were negative in 74%, close in 3%, and involved in 23% of patients. Complications occurred in 35% of patients, half of which were local wound problems. Operative mortality was 4%. Median follow-up interval after CFS was 27 months. The 5-year overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 64%, 75%, and 60%, respectively. Squamous cell histology, brain invasion, and positive resection margins independently predicted worse OS, DSS, and RFS. CONCLUSION: CFS is an effective treatment for patients with NMSC invading the skull base. Histology, extent of disease, and resection margins are the most significant predictors of outcome. PMID- 17764087 TI - Final report of RTOG 9610, a multi-institutional trial of reirradiation and chemotherapy for unresectable recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. AB - BACKGROUND: Our objectives were to determine the incidence of acute and late toxicities and to estimate the 2-year overall survival for patients treated with reirradiation and chemotherapy for unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). METHODS: Patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma or a second primary arising in a previously irradiated field were eligible. Four weekly cycles of 5-fluorouracil 300 mg/m2 IV bolus and hydroxyurea 1.5 g by mouth were used with 60 Gy at 1.5 Gy twice-daily fractions. Toxicity was scored according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (RTOG/EORTC) criteria. RESULTS: Seventy-nine of the 86 patients enrolled were analyzable. The worst acute toxicity was grade 4 in 17.7% and grade 5 in 7.6%. Grade 3 and 4 late toxicities were found in 19.4% and 3.0%, respectively. The estimated cumulative incidence of grade 3 to 4 late effects occurring at >1 year was 9.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0, 19.7) at 2 and 5 years. The 2- and 5-year cumulative incidence for grade 4 toxicity was 3.1% (95% CI: 0, 9.3). The estimated 2- and 5-year survival rates were 15.2% (95% CI: 7.3, 23.1) and 3.8% (95% CI: 0.8, 8.0), respectively. Patients who entered the study at >1 year from initial radiotherapy (RT) had better survival than did those who were <1 year from prior RT (median survival, 9.8 months vs 5.8 months; p = .036). No correlation was detected between dose received and overall survival. Three patients were alive at 5 years. CONCLUSION: This is the first prospective multi institutional trial testing reirradiation plus chemotherapy for recurrent or second SCCHN. The approach is feasible with acceptable acute and late effects. The results serve as a benchmark for ongoing RTOG trials. PMID- 17764088 TI - SMART (simultaneous modulated accelerated radiotherapy) for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinomas. AB - BACKGROUND: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is commonly used for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcomes of simultaneous modulated accelerated radiotherapy (SMART) with concurrent chemotherapy. METHODS: Between January 2003 and May 2005, 24 patients with stage IIB to IVB NPC underwent SMART encompassing 3 targets: gross tumor volume (GTV), high-risk subclinical disease (CTV1), and low-risk subclinical disease (CTV2). Daily fractions of 2.4, 2.15, and 1.9 Gy were delivered to GTV, CTV1, and CTV2 to a total dose of 64.8, 58.05, and 51.3 Gy in 27 fractions over 5.5 weeks, respectively. Fifteen patients received concurrent cisplatin (DDP group), and 9 received 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin (FP group). RESULTS: With a median follow up of 26 months (range, 17-45 months), 3-year overall and local-, regional-, and distant-progression-free survivals were 96% and 93%, 87%, and 88%, respectively. Grade 3 acute mucositis and pharyngitis were observed in 16 (67%) and 14 (59%) patients, respectively. Severe acute mucositis (100% vs 47%) and pharyngitis (100% vs 34%) were more frequently observed in the FP group than the DDP group (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Despite short follow-up with a small number of patients, our preliminary results demonstrated encouraging local-regional control and survival at the cost of modest increase in treatment related toxicities. The total dose and fractionation scheme of SMART used in our study is feasible with no life threatening or fatal complications. However, the administration of fluorouracil in addition to cisplatin during SMART was associated with increased acute and late toxicities, and it should be administered with caution. PMID- 17764089 TI - Development of prototype for navigated real-time sonography for the head and neck region. AB - BACKGROUND: To date, few imaging methods have been established for the head and neck region, in particular for soft tissues, that allow adequate visualization and simultaneously adequate real-time orientation. METHODS: We report a new method using a navigated ultrasound device and a navigated surgical instrument that allows--even in the absence of bony landmarks--appropriate visualization and reliable orientation in real time. RESULTS: The practical applicability of the system was tested. Good handling and acceptance of the system could be shown. The "3-dimensional error" derived from the deviations in all 3 dimensions lies at 0.64 mm. CONCLUSIONS: With this ultrasound-guided navigated procedure, an accurate approach of soft tissue structures with a surgical instrument is possible. Changes of the situs are represented in real time. PMID- 17764090 TI - Utility of toluidine blue in oral premalignant lesions and squamous cell carcinoma: continuing research and implications for clinical practice. AB - Toluidine blue (TB) has been shown to aid in the detection and diagnosis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oral premalignant lesions (OPLs). TB has been shown to enhance visualization of oral lesions and assist in identifying sites of increased risk of dysplastic/malignant change and promote biopsy. TB has been shown to identify lesions with molecular changes associated with risk of progression of OPLs to OSCC. A recent prospective longitudinal study showed TB retention in histologic benign lesions and lesions with mild dysplasia that are at increased risk of progression to cancer. Clinical trials show that TB is useful in identifying asymptomatic OSCC and premalignant lesions at risk of progressing to SCC, which might otherwise be undetected until lesions become more advanced. The data supports TB use in oral examination of patients at risk of OSCC. PMID- 17764091 TI - Preoperative measurement of tumor thickness of oral tongue carcinoma with intraoral ultrasonography. AB - BACKGROUND: Tumor thickness of oral tongue carcinoma is an important independent prognostic factor for local recurrence, subclinical nodal metastasis, and survival. An accurate preoperative assessment of tumor thickness is therefore essential in optimizing treatment algorithm. The present study aims at evaluating the accuracy of intraoral ultrasonography in preoperative measurement of tumor thickness. METHODS: Forty-five patients with oral tongue carcinoma had intraoral ultrasonography to document tumor thickness using a 7.5 MHz right angle probe. The ultrasonic tumor thickness was correlated with the fresh unpreserved surgical specimen pathologic tumor thickness. RESULTS: Ultrasonic tumor thickness had significant correlation with pathologic tumor thickness. The accuracies of ultrasonic measurement of tumor thickness in staging of tumor thickness at cutoff values between 3 and 15 mm were above 91%. CONCLUSION: Intraoral ultrasonography had satisfactory accuracy in the measurement of tumor thickness and is a useful adjunct in assisting pretreatment staging and prognosis evaluation of oral tongue carcinoma. PMID- 17764092 TI - The superficial inferior epigastric artery fascia flap in the rabbit. AB - In reconstructive surgery, fascial flaps provide thin, pliable tissue for mucosal closure or serve as a highly vascularized support for skin grafts. Their angiogenic potential is used for experimental neovascularization of avascular tissue grafts. However, most fascial flaps in animal surgery have random pattern design with short reach. As a pilot study for a femur revascularization project in rabbits, a new axial fascial flap is described based on the superficial inferior epigastric (SIE) vessels. They were used in this species previously only as ligated bundles or in fasciocutaneous flaps. The topographical anatomy of the SIE-vessels, lower abdominal fascia, and panniculus carnosus are outlined. The angiogenic capabilities are demonstrated microangiographically by abundant vessel formation in a femur allograft. Used in a pedicled fashion, this flap is an alternative to femoral and saphenous vessels for prefabrication or revascularization procedures in the lower abdomen, genital area, and thigh. Distant recipient sites seem possible with microsurgical transfer. PMID- 17764093 TI - Application of three-dimensional digitalized reconstruction of an anterolateral thigh flap and an arterial dorsalis pedis flap. AB - Developments in the field of digitalized technique and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction methods allowed a precise description of anatomy structures. With the development of Visible Human Project (1989) and Virtual Chinese Human (VCH) techniques, we could get more precise anatomic images. Digitized visible models of these structures can be a useful tool in clinical training. Combining modern radiology and VCH techniques, we designed a method to establish digitized visible models of anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap and arteria dorsalis pedis (ADP) flap from adult fresh cadaver specimens perfused with lead oxide-gelatine mixture and VCH Male III dataset. The 3D reconstructed visible models established from these datasets perfectly displayed the anatomic structures of ALT flap and ADP flap. This is the first report on the ACFL and ADP structures which were reconstructed digitally. PMID- 17764094 TI - Cost-effective public health guidance: asking questions from the decision-maker's viewpoint. AB - In February 2004, in his assessment of the long-term financial viability of the NHS, Derek Wanless recommended the use of 'a consistent framework, such as the methodology developed by NICE, to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of interventions and initiatives across health care and public health'. One year later public health was added to NICE's remit and the new National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was established, with amended statutory instruments to permit consideration of broader public sector costs when developing cost-effective guidance for public health. With the principle of 'a consistent framework' put forward by Wanless as the starting point, this paper provides an insight into the most challenging aspects of applying the principles of cost-effectiveness analysis in the public health context from the policymaker's perspective. It reflects on the long-term consequences of taking on responsibility for producing public health guidance on the Institute's overall approach to guidance development and describes the tension between striving for consistency and cross-evaluation comparability while ensuring that the methodological tools used are fit for the purpose of developing public health guidance. PMID- 17764095 TI - HPV triage testing or repeat Pap smear for the management of atypical squamous cells (ASCUS) on Pap smear: is there evidence of process utility? AB - A two-stage standard gamble was used to evaluate women's preferences for alternative managements of atypical squamous cells of undermined significance (ASCUS) on Pap smear (repeat Pap smear compared with immediate HPV test), and to test for the evidence of process utility. Women's utilities for the health state scenarios were clustered towards the upper end of the 0-1 scale with considerable variability in women's preferences. There was evidence of process utility, with immediate human papillomavirus (HPV) testing strategies having lower valuations than repeat Pap smear, where the clinical outcome was the same. Mean (95% CI) utilities for HPV testing (negative test) followed by resolution were 0.9967 (0.9957-0.9978) compared with repeat Pap smear followed by resolution: 0.9972 (0.9964-0.9980). Mean (95% CI) utilities for immediate HPV testing (positive test), followed by colposcopy, biopsy and treatment were 0.9354 (0.8544-1.0) compared with repeat Pap smear followed by colposcopy, biopsy and treatment: 0.9656 (0.9081-1.0). Our results add to the existing evidence that the impact of healthcare interventions on well-being is not limited to the effect of the intervention on the health outcomes expected from the intervention; process of care can have quality of life implications for the individual. A modelled application of trial-based data will allow characterisation of the true population costs, benefits, risks and harms of alternative triage strategies and subsequent policy implications thereof. PMID- 17764096 TI - Cost-effectiveness analysis of a multinational RCT with a binary measure of effectiveness and an interacting covariate. AB - In a recent multinational randomized clinical trial, 1356 patients from 14 countries were randomized between two arms. The primary measure of effectiveness was 30-day survival. Health care utilization was collected on all patients and was combined with a single country's price weights to provide patient-level cost data. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of the cost effectiveness analysis for the country that provided the cost weights, so as to provide a case study for illustrating recently proposed methodologies that account for skewed cost data, the between-country variation in treatment effects, possible interactions between treatment and baseline covariates, and the difficulty of estimated adjusted risk differences. A hierarchal model is used to account for the two sources of variation (between country and between patients, within a country). The model, which uses gamma distributions for cost data and recent methods for estimating adjusted risk differences, provides overall and country-specific estimates of treatment effects. Model estimation is facilitated by Markov chain Monte Carlo methods using the WinBUGS software. In addition, the theory of expected value of information is used to determine if the data provided by the trial are sufficient for decision making. PMID- 17764097 TI - Preparative isolation and purification of chemical components from Aconitum coreanum by high-speed counter-current chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering detection. AB - Aconitum coreanum (Levl.) Rapaics (Guanbaifu in Chinese) is a widely used, centuries-old Chinese herb. A preparative high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) coupled with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) method was employed for isolation and purification of alkaloids from the crude extract of Aconitum coreanum (Levl.) Rapaics using ethyl acetate-n-butanol methanol-0.2 m HCl (7:2:2:7, v/v) as a two-phase solvent system. Six alkaloids, including GFO, GFQ, GFZ, hetisinone, hetisine and GFAA, were obtained in one-step separation. The purity of these compounds was 97.6, 93.8, 91.8, 91.9, 96.2 and 91.1%, respectively. PMID- 17764098 TI - Economized large-scale production of high yield of rAAV for gene therapy applications exploiting baculovirus expression system. AB - BACKGROUND: The versatility of recombinant adeno-associated vector (rAAV) as a gene delivery system is due to the vector's ability to transduce different cell types as well as dividing and non-dividing cells. Large-scale production of rAAV remains one of the major challenges for continued development of pre-clinical and clinical studies, and for its potential commercialization. The baculovirus expression vectors (BEVS) and insect cells represent a potential method to produce rAAV economically at large scale. This technology uses three different BEVs (Bac-Rep, Bac-GFP, and Bac-VP) each at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 3. We reported previously the production of rAAV at 40 L scale using a stirred tank bioreactor (STB). However, production in larger volumes is limited by the stability of the BEVs and amount of BEVs needed to achieve the target MOI of 3 per BEV. Here, the production parameters were optimized and the baculovirus stability was determined. METHODS: The stability of the three types of baculovirus used to produce rAAV was determined for six expansion passages by protein expression analysis. To economize baculovirus, MOI and cell density at time of infection (TOI) were evaluated initially at small scale and then applied to the 10 L scale. RESULTS: An MOI = 0.03 and TOI cell density of 1 x 10(6) cells/mL produced high titer rAAV without comprising yield. To confirm the scalability of the process, rAAV was produced in a 10 L STB using the optimized parameters obtaining a 10x increase in yield ( approximately 1 x 10(14) rAAV DNAse-resistant particles per liter). CONCLUSION: These findings contribute to the process development for large-scale production of rAAV for gene therapy applications and its commercialization. PMID- 17764099 TI - RNA interference and HIV-1 infection. AB - Life-prolonging antiretroviral therapy remarkably reduces viral load, but it does not eradicate the virus. An important obstacle preventing virus clearance is the presence of latent virion reservoirs in the host. However, new promising antiviral approaches are emerging, and a number of host cell factors involved in the disease progression and control of HIV-1 replication have been recently discovered. For instance, the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism, besides many functions conserved throughout evolution, works as a defence mechanism against noxious transcripts which may provide a new tool to block viral replication. The recent definition of basic RNAi mechanisms, as well as the discovery of micro RNAs (microRNAs) encoded by the host cell genome and by HIV-1, also suggest that RNAi may be involved in the control of HIV replication. PMID- 17764100 TI - Miscibility and biodegradability of silk fibroin/carboxymethyl chitin blend films. AB - Blend films of silk fibroin and carboxymethyl chitin were prepared by solution casting using water as a cosolvent. The blend films were subjected to post treatment with an aqueous methanol solution to induce beta-sheet formation of silk fibroin. The miscibility of the blend films both before and after methanol treatments was investigated in terms of chemical interactions, morphologies, thermal properties, and crystal structures by using FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, DSC, and XRD. The results indicate that the blend between silk fibroin and CM-chitin was semi-miscible because only the amorphous parts of the polymers were compatible with each other. The enzymatic degradation showed that the incorporation of CM-chitin enhanced biodegradability and swelling ability of silk fibroin. PMID- 17764102 TI - A Qit-q-Tof mass spectrometer for two-dimensional tandem mass spectrometry. PMID- 17764103 TI - Quantitative comparison of a flared and a standard heated metal capillary inlet with a voltage-assisted air amplifier on an electrospray ionization linear ion trap mass spectrometer. AB - The performance characteristics (i.e., ion abundance and electrospray ion current) of a flared and blunt-ended heated metal capillary were evaluated with a voltage-assisted air amplifier on a linear ion trap mass spectrometer (LTQ-MS). The results demonstrated that a standard capillary afforded higher ion abundance than a flared capillary, thus further work is necessary to investigate conditions for which significant benefits with the flared capillary will be observed. The compatibility of a voltage-assisted air amplifier is explored for both types of capillaries and in all cases resulted in improved ion abundance and spray current. PMID- 17764104 TI - Analysis of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone from biological fluids as the oxime derivatives using high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. AB - A sensitive liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and testosterone (T) from biological fluids has been developed. Commercially available deuterated analogues were used as internal standards. Steroids were extracted from serum or testicular fluid with hexane/ethyl acetate, evaporated to dryness, and treated with hydroxylamine to form their oxime derivatives. Upon chromatographic separation, the compounds were quantified using selected reaction monitoring (SRM). For T, the [M+H](+) ion at m/z 304 and the fragment ion at m/z 124 were used as the precursor and product ions. For DHT the ion cluster [M+H+ACN](+) at m/z 347 and the dissociated ion [M+H](+) at m/z 306 were used as the precursor and product ions, respectively. The limits of detectability on-column were in the sub-femtomole range for both compounds and the intra-day coefficient of variation (CV) for analysis from serum was less than 7% for both compounds. Given its high reproducibility, sensitivity, and relative simplicity, this assay should be of use in determining androgen levels in biospecimens, particularly in settings where sample quantity or steroid concentration are low. PMID- 17764105 TI - Structural analysis of monoterpene glycosides extracted from Paeonia lactiflora Pall. using electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. AB - Paeoniflorin standard was first investigated by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS/MS) using a sustained off-resonance irradiation (SORI) collision-induced dissociation (CID) method at high mass resolution. The experimental results demonstrated that the unambiguous elemental composition of product ions can be obtained at high mass resolution. Comparing MS/MS spectra and the experimental methods of hydrogen and deuterium exchange, the logical fragmentation pathways of paeoniflorin have been proposed. Then, the extracts of the traditional Chinese medicine Paeonia lactiflora Pall. were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS). By comparison with the ESI-FTICR-MS/MS data of paeoniflorin, the isomers paeoniflorin and albiflorin in Paeonia lactiflora Pall. have been identified using HPLC/MS with CID in an ion trap and in-source CID. Furthermore, using the characteristic fragmentation pathways, the retention times (t(R)) in HPLC and MS/MS spectra, the structures of three other kinds of monoterpene glycoside compounds have been identified on-line without time-consuming isolation. Thus an HPLC/ESI-MS method for the analysis of constituents in Paeonia lactiflora Pall. has been established. PMID- 17764106 TI - Changes in left heart hemodynamics after technically successful in-utero aortic valvuloplasty. AB - OBJECTIVE: Severe aortic stenosis in the mid-gestation fetus can progress to hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). @ In-utero aortic valvuloplasty is an innovative therapy to promote left ventricular growth and function and potentially to prevent HLHS. This study evaluated the effects of mid-gestation fetal balloon aortic valvuloplasty on subsequent fetal left ventricular function and left heart Doppler characteristics. METHODS: We reviewed fetuses with aortic stenosis that underwent attempted in-utero aortic valvuloplasty between 2000 and 2006. Pre-intervention and the latest post-intervention fetal echocardiograms were analyzed to characterize changes in left heart function and Doppler characteristics in utero. RESULTS: Forty-two fetuses underwent attempted aortic valvuloplasty during the study period, 12 of which were excluded from analysis secondary to inadequate follow-up data, termination or fetal demise. Study fetuses (n = 30) underwent pre-intervention echocardiography at a median gestational age of 23 weeks, and were followed for a median of 66 +/- 23 days post-intervention. In 26 fetuses, aortic valvuloplasty was technically successful. Among these 26, left heart physiology was abnormal pre-intervention and improved or normalized after intervention in most cases: biphasic mitral inflow was present in 5/25 (20%) cases pre-intervention and in 21/23 (91%) post intervention (P < 0.001); moderate or severe mitral regurgitation was present in 14/26 (54%) cases pre-intervention and in 5/23 (22%) post-intervention (P = 0.02); bidirectional flow across the patent foramen ovale was present in 0/26 cases pre-intervention and in 6/25 (24%) post-intervention (P = 0.01); antegrade flow in the transverse arch was present in 0/25 cases pre-intervention and in 17/26 (65%) post-intervention (P < 0.001). The left ventricular ejection fraction increased from 19 +/- 10% pre-intervention to 39 +/- 14% post-intervention (P < 0.001). These changes were not observed in control fetuses (n = 18). CONCLUSION: Fetal aortic valvuloplasty, when technically successful, improves left ventricular systolic function and left heart Doppler characteristics. PMID- 17764107 TI - Wnt signaling controls radiosensitivity via cyclooxygenase-2-mediated Ku expression in head and neck cancer. AB - It has been proposed that Wnt signaling pathway may be a key radioprotective mechanism in irradiated cancer cells; however, the specific radioresistance mechanisms remain not to be fully clarified. Here we elucidate a novel signaling pathway of radioresistance in head and neck cancer (HNC) cell lines involving interactions among the Wnt signaling pathway, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and Ku expression. Activation of the Wnt signaling pathway by (2'Z,3'E)-6-bromoindirubin 3'-oxime (BIO) resulted in beta-catenin cytoplasmic accumulation and translocation to the nucleus, upregulated Ku expression and increased radioresistance in the COX-2-expressing HNC cell line. In contrast, Wnt singaling activation by BIO had no effects on Ku expression and radiosensitivity in a HNC cell line negative for COX-2. Interactions between Wnt singaling and Ku were indirectly regulated by COX-2. Blockage of COX-2 signaling led to the suppression of beta-catenin-induced Ku expression, and to consequent recovery of the radiosensitivity in HNC cells. Our results conclusively suggest that beta-catenin plays a pivotal role in the regulation of Ku expression via the proposed COX-2 intracellular pathway, thus supporting a novel radioresistance mechanism of HNC. PMID- 17764108 TI - Polymorphisms in DNA repair genes, ionizing radiation exposure and risk of breast cancer in U.S. Radiologic technologists. AB - High-dose ionizing radiation exposure to the breast and rare autosomal dominant genes have been linked with increased breast cancer risk, but the role of low-to moderate doses from protracted radiation exposure in breast cancer risk and its potential modification by polymorphisms in DNA repair genes has not been previously investigated among large numbers of radiation-exposed women with detailed exposure data. Using carefully reconstructed estimates of cumulative breast doses from occupational and personal diagnostic ionizing radiation, we investigated the potential modification of radiation-related breast cancer risk by 55 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms in 17 genes involved in base excision or DNA double-strand break repair among 859 cases and 1083 controls from the United States Radiologic Technologists (USRT) cohort. In multivariable analyses, WRN V114I (rs2230009) significantly modified the association between cumulative occupational breast dose and risk of breast cancer (adjusted for personal diagnostic exposure) (p = 0.04) and BRCA1 D652N (rs4986850), PRKDC IVS15 + 6C > T (rs1231202), PRKDC IVS34 + 39T > C (rs8178097) and PRKDC IVS31 - 634C > A (rs10109984) significantly altered the personal diagnostic radiation exposure response relationship (adjusted for occupational dose) (p < or = 0.05). None of the remaining 50 SNPs significantly modified breast cancer radiation dose response relationships. The USRT genetic study provided a unique opportunity to examine the joint effects of common genetic variation and ionizing radiation exposure on breast cancer risk using detailed occupational and personal diagnostic exposure data. The suggestive evidence found for modification of radiation-related breast cancer risk for 5 of the 55 SNPs evaluated requires confirmation in larger studies of women with quantified radiation breast doses in the low-to-moderate range. PMID- 17764109 TI - Nutrient dietary patterns and the risk of breast and ovarian cancers. AB - The issue of diet and breast and ovarian cancers has been considered in terms of foods and nutrients, but rarely in terms of dietary patterns. We examined the associations between dietary patterns and breast and ovarian cancers in 2 Italian multicentric case-control studies. Cases were 2,569 breast cancers and 1,031 ovarian cancers hospitalized in 4 Italian areas between 1991 and 1999. Controls were 3,413 women from the same hospital network. Dietary habits were investigated through a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were identified on a selected set of nutrients through principal component factor analysis. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for both cancers were estimated using unconditional multiple logistic regression models on quartiles of factor scores and continuous factor scores. We identified 4 major dietary patterns named Animal products, Vitamins and fiber, Unsaturated fats and Starch-rich. The animal products pattern and the unsaturated fats pattern were inversely associated with breast cancer (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.61-0.91 and OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.68-1.00, respectively, for the highest consumption quartile), whereas the starch-rich pattern was directly associated with it (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.10-1.65). The vitamins and fiber pattern was inversely associated with ovarian cancer (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.61-0.98), whereas the starch-rich pattern was directly associated with it (OR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.37-2.48). In conclusion, the starch-rich pattern is potentially an unfavorable indicator of risk for both breast and ovarian cancers, while the animal products and the vitamins and fiber patterns may be associated with a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers, respectively. PMID- 17764111 TI - Testicular cancer: marked birth cohort effects on incidence and a decline in mortality in southern Netherlands since 1970. AB - The aim of our study was to interpret the changing incidence, and to describe the mortality of patients with testicular cancer in the south of the Netherlands between 1970 and 2004. On the basis of data from the Eindhoven Cancer Registry and Statistics Netherlands, 5-year moving average standardised incidence and mortality rates were calculated. An age-period-cohort (APC) Poisson regression analysis was performed to disentangle time and birth cohort effects on incidence. The incidence rate remained stable for all ages at about 3 per 100,000 person years until 1989 but increased annually thereafter by 4% to 6 in 2004. This increase can almost completely be attributed to an increase in localised tumours. The largest increase was found for seminoma testicular cancer (TC) patients aged 35-39 and non-seminoma TC patients aged 20-24 years. Relatively more localised and tumours with lymph node metastases were detected in the later periods. APC analysis showed the best fit with an age-cohort model. An increase in incidence of TC was found for birth cohorts since 1950. The mortality rate dropped from 1.0 per 100,000 person-years in 1970 to 0.3 in 2005, with a steep annual decline of 12% in the period 1979-1986. In conclusion, the increase in incidence of TC was strongly correlated with birth cohorts since 1945. The increase in incidence is possibly caused by in utero or early life exposure to a yet unknown risk factor. There was a steep decline in mortality in the period 1979-1986. PMID- 17764110 TI - Human papillomavirus genotypes and HPV16 variants in penile carcinoma. AB - The causative role of human papillomaviruses (HPV) and HPV16 variants has been extensively studied in uterine cervix dysplastic lesions and invasive carcinoma; few such studies, however, have been performed in penile tumors. We have investigated HPV genotype and HPV16 variant distribution on 41 penile cancer biopsies from Italian patients. Cases were extracted from the respective pathology departments databases of National Cancer Institutes in Naples and Milan. HPV sequences were detected by PCR and characterized by direct sequence analysis. Among the 19 HPV-positive cases (46.3%) 2 viral genotypes were identified (HPV16 and 18) with HPV16 accounting for 94.7% (18 out of 19) of the infections. Sequence analysis of E6, E7 genes and long control region (LCR) of 18 HPV16 isolates allowed the identification of European (E-G-350) and non-European (AA and Af-1) variants in 44.4% and in 55.6% of the samples, respectively. The AA variant alone represented 44.4% of all HPV16 infections, a significantly higher frequency of that observed in cervical carcinoma from Italian women (Tornesello et al., J Med Virol 2004;74:117-26). Our results suggest that HPV16 has a very high prevalence among penile cancer patients in Italy and the increased frequency of HPV16 non-European classes, particularly the AA, suggests that they are more oncogenic than European variants in penile tissue. PMID- 17764112 TI - Dietary fiber intake and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer defined by estrogen and progesterone receptor status--a prospective cohort study among Swedish women. AB - There is few data on the association between dietary fiber intake and estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR)-defined breast cancer risk. We evaluated the association between dietary fiber and ER/PR-defined breast cancer risk stratified by postmenopausal hormone use, alcohol intake, and family history of breast cancer in the population-based Swedish Mammography Screening Cohort comprising 51,823 postmenopausal women. Fiber intake was measured by food frequency questionnaire collected in 1987 and 1997. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated by hazard ratio derived from Cox proportional hazard regression models. During an average of 8.3-year follow-up, 1,188 breast cancer cases with known ER/PR status were diagnosed. When comparing the highest to the lowest quintile, we observed non-significant inverse associations between total fiber intake and the risk of all tumor subtypes; the multivariate-adjusted RRs were 0.85 (95% CI: 0.69-1.05) for overall, 0.85 (0.64-1.13) for ER+PR+, 0.83 (0.52-1.31) for ER+PR- and 0.94 (0.49-1.80) for ER-PR-. For specific fiber, we observed statistically significant risk reductions for overall (34%) and for ER+PR+ (38%) for the highest versus lowest quintile of fruit fiber, and non-significant inverse associations for other subtypes of cancer and types of fiber. Among ever-users of postmenopausal hormone (PMH), total fiber intake and especially cereal fiber were statistically significantly associated with approximately 50% reduced risk for overall and ER+PR+ tumors when comparing the highest to the lowest quartile, but no association was observed among PMH never users. Our results suggest that dietary fiber intake from fruit and cereal may play a role in reducing breast cancer risk. PMID- 17764113 TI - Genetic variants and haplotype analyses of the ZBRK1/ZNF350 gene in high-risk non BRCA1/2 French Canadian breast and ovarian cancer families. AB - Our current understanding of breast cancer susceptibility involves mutations in the 2 major genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, found in about 25% of high-risk families, as well as few other low penetrance genes such as ATM and CHEK2. Approximately two thirds of the multiple cases families remain to be explained by mutations in still unknown genes. In a candidate gene approach to identify new genes potentially involved in breast cancer susceptibility, we analyzed genomic variants in the ZBRK1 gene, a co-repressor implicated in BRCA1-mediated repression of GADD45. Direct sequencing of ZBRK1 entire coding region in affected breast cancer individuals from 97 high-risk French Canadian breast/ovarian cancer families and 94 healthy controls led to the identification of 18 genomic variants. Haplotype analyses, using PHASE, COCAPHASE and HaploStats programs, put in evidence 3 specific haplotypes which could potentially modulate breast cancer risk, and among which 2 that are associated with a potential protective effect (p = 0.01135 and p = 0.00268), while another haplotype is over-represented in the case group (p = 0.00143). Further analyses of these haplotypes indicated that a strong component of the observed difference between both groups emerge from the first 5 variants (out of 12 used for haplotype determination). The present study also permitted to determine a set of tagging SNPs that could be useful for subsequent analyses in large scale association studies. Additional studies in large cohorts and other populations will however be needed to further evaluate if common and/or rare ZBRK1 sequence variants and haplotypes could be associated with a modest/intermediate breast cancer risk. PMID- 17764114 TI - Noncancerous PTGS2 DNA fragments of apoptotic origin in sera of prostate cancer patients qualify as diagnostic and prognostic indicators. AB - Our study was designed to evaluate Cell-Free DNA in sera of prostate cancer (PCA) patients as a useful biomarker. Real-time PCR was used to amplify a <200 bp PTGS2 DNA fragment that biochemically characterizes apoptosis and a larger >250 bp Reprimo DNA fragment that defines mostly other cell death entities. The apoptosis index (AI) expresses the ratio of PTGS2 to Reprimo DNA fragments. GSTP1 hypermethylation was assessed to evaluate the amount of tumor-derived DNA. We analyzed serum of 216 patients (168 PCA; 5 incidental PCA; 42 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); 11 healthy individuals). Distinctly elevated concentrations of PTGS2 fragments were detected in PCA compared to BPH and healthy individuals (median: 70.2, 10.5 and 7.1 ng/ml, respectively; p < 0.0001). The AI was significantly increased in PCA vs. BPH patients and healthy individuals (6.01 vs. 1.54 and 0.84 respectively; p = 0.002-0.0001). GSTP1 hypermethylation was only present in a small percentage (mean 1.92%) of circulating DNA. Concentrations of apoptotic PTGS2 fragments discriminated sensitively (88%) and specifically (64%) between BPH and PCA, whereas the AI was more specific (82%) but less sensitive (70%). The AI correlated with histological grading (p = 0.044). Kaplan-Meier analysis for a subset of 124 patients revealed a significant correlation between apoptotic PTGS2 fragments or the AI and PSA recurrence following radical prostatectomy (p = 0.0395-0.0482). In conclusion, circulating PTGS2 fragments of apoptotic origin and the AI are promising serum biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of PCA. We suggest that cancer-induced apoptosis of peripheral noncancerous tissues is relevant in many malignancies. PMID- 17764115 TI - Hepatitis C virus core protein induces spontaneous and persistent activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha in transgenic mice: implications for HCV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. AB - Persistent infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) can lead to a high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCV core protein plays important roles in HCV related hepatocarcinogenesis, because mice carrying the core protein exhibit multicentric HCCs without hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. However, the precise mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis in these transgenic mice remains unclear. To evaluate whether the core protein modulates hepatocyte proliferation and apoptosis in vivo, we examined these parameters in 9- and 22-month-old transgenic mice. Although the numbers of apoptotic hepatocytes and hepatic caspase 3 activities were similar between transgenic and nontransgenic mice, the numbers of proliferating hepatocytes and the levels of numerous proteins such as cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and c-Myc, were markedly increased in an age-dependent manner in the transgenic mice. This increase was correlated with the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha). In these transgenic mice, spontaneous and persistent PPARalpha activation occurred heterogeneously, which was different from that observed in mice treated with clofibrate, a potent peroxisome proliferator. We further demonstrated that stabilization of PPARalpha through a possible interaction with HCV core protein and an increase in nonesterified fatty acids, which may serve as endogenous PPARalpha ligands, in hepatocyte nuclei contributed to the core protein-specific PPARalpha activation. In conclusion, these results offer the first suggestion that HCV core protein induces spontaneous, persistent, age-dependent and heterogeneous activation of PPARalpha in transgenic mice, which may contribute to the age-dependent and multicentric hepatocarcinogenesis mediated by the core protein. PMID- 17764116 TI - Human papillomavirus types in women with invasive cervical carcinoma by HIV status in Kenya. AB - To evaluate the fraction of invasive cervical carcinoma (ICC) that could be prevented in HIV-infected women by vaccines currently available against human papillomavirus (HPV)16 and 18, we conducted a cross-sectional study in women with ICC in Nairobi, Kenya. Fifty-one HIV-positive women were frequency-matched by age to 153 HIV-negative women. Cervical cells were tested for HPV DNA using polymerase chain reaction-based assays (SPF10-INNO-LiPA). Comparisons were adjusted for multiplicity of HPV types. As expected, multiple-type infections were much more frequent in HIV-positive (37.2%) than in HIV-negative (13.7%) women, but the distribution of HPV types was similar. HPV16 was detected in 41.2% versus 43.8% and HPV16 and/or 18 in 64.7% versus 60.1% of HIV-positive versus HIV negative women, respectively. The only differences of borderline statistical significance were an excess of HPV52 (19.6% versus 5.2%) and a lack of HPV45 (7.8% versus 17.0%) in HIV-positive women compared to HIV-negative women, respectively. We have been able to assess an unprecedented number of ICCs in HIV positive women, but as we did not know the age of HIV acquisition, we cannot exclude that it had occurred too late in life to affect the type of HPV involved in cervical carcinogenesis. However, if our findings were confirmed, they would suggest that the efficacy of current vaccines against HPV16 and 18 to prevent ICC is similar in HIV-positive and HIV-negative women, provided vaccination is administered before sexual debut, as recommended. PMID- 17764117 TI - Herpes oncolytic therapy of salivary gland carcinomas. AB - Oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (HSV) have demonstrated potent antitumoral effects against a variety of human malignancies in preclinical studies and are in early clinical trials. We explored the activity of an attenuated, replication competent, oncolytic HSV (NV1023) for the treatment of human salivary gland carcinomas. NV1023 was able to successfully enter into 4 mucoepidermoid carcinoma (H292, H3118, HTB-41, UT-MUC-1) and 2 adenocarcinoma (HSY, HSG) cell lines, as measured by lacZ assays after exposure to 5 viral particles per cell (MOI 5). Viral plaque assays showed variation of viral replication within these cell lines, ranging from a 268-fold increase (H292) to a 3-fold increase (HSG) in viral titer. At MOI 5, all cell lines showed >95% cytotoxicity from NV1023 by Day 7, except for HSY (73%). At MOI 0.1, H3118 and UT-MUC-1 remained highly sensitive to NV1023, both showing >95% cytotoxicity by Day 7. The mucoepidermoid carcinomas were more sensitive to NV1023 at low viral concentrations compared with the adenocarcinomas. Flank tumors of H3118, HTB-41 and HSY in nude mice showed significant tumor volume reductions after a single intratumoral injection of NV1023 (2 x 10(7) plaque-forming units). These data suggest that oncolytic herpes viruses have significant efficacy entering, replicating within, and lysing human salivary gland carcinomas. These promising biologic agents should be further investigated as novel therapy for patients with salivary carcinomas failing conventional treatment. PMID- 17764118 TI - Chair's Rounds. PMID- 17764120 TI - Hormone therapy for younger women may not increase CHD risk during 5 to 7 years of follow-up, but stroke risk was increased independent of age. PMID- 17764119 TI - Stenting led to more stroke or death than did carotid endarterectomy in symptomatic carotid stenosis > 60%. PMID- 17764121 TI - Review: screening mammography reduces risk for breast cancer mortality but increases other risks in women 40 to 49 years of age. PMID- 17764122 TI - A once-yearly IV infusion of zoledronic acid prevented fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. PMID- 17764123 TI - Review: partner-notification interventions can reduce sexually transmitted infections. PMID- 17764124 TI - An escalating higher-energy regimen was better than a fixed lower-energy regimen for defibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. PMID- 17764126 TI - Same-day discharge after elective percutaneous coronary intervention was noninferior for safety to staying overnight in hospital. PMID- 17764125 TI - Transport to a PCI centre improved long-term outcome more than thrombolytic therapy at the community hospital in acute MI. PMID- 17764127 TI - Corticosteroids prevented atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery. PMID- 17764128 TI - 6 or 3 months of anticoagulant therapy did not differ for treatment failure in patients with DVT, PE, or both. PMID- 17764129 TI - Celecoxib combined with esomeprazole prevented recurrent ulcer bleeding in patients with previous NSAID-induced ulcer bleeding. PMID- 17764130 TI - Capsule endoscopy was superior to push enteroscopy for identifying sources of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. PMID- 17764131 TI - 10-day sequential therapy was more effective than 10-day triple-drug therapy for eradicating Helicobacter pylori infection. PMID- 17764132 TI - Surgical drainage was more effective than endoscopic drainage in obstruction of the pancreatic duct in chronic pancreatitis. PMID- 17764133 TI - Review: the addition of infliximab and etanercept to methotrexate was effective in the long term for rheumatoid arthritis. PMID- 17764134 TI - Review: moderate weight loss improves functional disability but does not reduce pain in obese patients with knee osteoarthritis. PMID- 17764135 TI - Review: based on evidence from higher-quality trials, chondroitin does not reduce pain in knee or hip osteoarthritis. PMID- 17764136 TI - Ambulatory titration of continuous positive airway pressure was as effective as polysomnography for obstructive sleep apnea. PMID- 17764137 TI - Review: long-acting insulin analogues reduce risk for hypoglycemia compared with NPH insulin in type 2 diabetes. PMID- 17764139 TI - Methylprednisolone reduced postextubation laryngeal edema in adults with tracheal intubation. PMID- 17764138 TI - Vildagliptin was effective as add-on therapy in type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with metformin monotherapy. PMID- 17764140 TI - Quadrivalent HPV vaccine prevented cervical neoplasia caused by HPV-16 and HPV 18. PMID- 17764141 TI - Intravenous immunoglobulin improved clinical outcomes in patients with myasthenia gravis and worsening weakness. PMID- 17764142 TI - Concomitant VTE increased risks for mortality and hemorrhage in older patients with cancer, with risk varying by cancer type. PMID- 17764143 TI - An intermediate body mass index (23 to 30 kg/m 2) was associated with the most favorable mortality in older women. PMID- 17764144 TI - Preendoscopic serologic test with duodenal biopsy in high-risk patients had high sensitivity and low specificity for celiac disease. PMID- 17764145 TI - Comparative study of virgin olive oil behavior under Rancimat accelerated oxidation conditions and long-term room temperature storage. AB - Oxidative stability should be one of the most important quality markers of edible oils; nevertheless, it is not recognized as a legal parameter. The results reported in this study highlight the differences in the olive oil oxidation process under Rancimat accelerated conditions with respect to long-term storage at room temperature and clearly show the lack of correlation between shelf life and the Rancimat induction period. A better correlation, although not yet satisfactory, was found when the same oxidation end-point was used in both assays. The parameter K 270, a marker of secondary oxidation products, was the first index to reach the established upper legal limit under Rancimat conditions, whereas at 25 degrees C it was an index of primary oxidation products ( K 232). Furthermore, the ratio of oxidation rate at Rancimat conditions to oxidation rate at 25 degrees C was more than double for secondary oxidation products compared with primary ones. Notable differences were also observed in degradation rates of the different unsaturated fatty acids and in rates of formation of polar oxidation compounds. Moreover, under the Rancimat conditions antioxidants such as o-diphenols and alpha-tocopherol rapidly depleted, and when they had practically disappeared, there was a sharp increase in oxidation indices, such as peroxide value, and in oxidation products. At 25 degrees C, on the other hand, the depletion was much lower. PMID- 17764146 TI - Encapsulation of olive leaf extract in beta-cyclodextrin. AB - Olive leaf extract, rich in oleuropein, formed an inclusion complex with beta cyclodextrin (beta-CD) upon mixing of the components in aqueous media and subsequent freeze-drying. Inclusion complex formation was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC thermograms indicated that the endothermic peaks of both the olive leaf extract and the physical mixture of olive leaf extract with beta-CD, attributed to the melting of crystals of the extract, were absent in DSC thermogram of inclusion complex. Moreover, DSC studies under oxidative conditions indicated that the complex of olive leaf extract with beta-CD was protected against oxidation, since it remained intact at temperatures where the free olive leaf extract was oxidized. Phase solubility studies afforded A L type diagrams, 1:1 complex stoichiometry, a moderate binding constant ( approximately 300 M (-1)), and an increase of the aqueous solubility by approximately 50%. The formation of the inclusion complex was also confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of beta-CD solutions in the presence of both pure oleuropein and olive leaf extract. The NMR data have established the formation of a 1:1 complex with beta-CD that involves deep insertion of the dihydroxyphenethyl moiety inside the cavity from its secondary side. PMID- 17764147 TI - A Polysaccharide from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) peels affects NF-kappaB activation in LPS-stimulated J774 macrophages. AB - We investigated the effect of PS ( 1) on nitrite and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in J774 macrophages stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 24 h. PS ( 1) inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner nitrite and ROS production as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression induced by LPS. Incubation of cells with PS ( 1) determined a significant decrease of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)/DNA binding activity which was correlated with a marked reduction of iNOS mRNA levels. These results show that PS ( 1) inhibits NF-kappaB activation and iNOS gene expression by preventing the reactive species production and suggest a role for this compound in controlling oxidative stress and/or inflammation. PMID- 17764149 TI - Separation and characterization of active flavonolignans of Silybum marianum by liquid chromatography connected with hybrid ion-trap and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-MS/IT-TOF). AB - Silychristins A (1) and B (2), silydianin (3), silybins A (4) and B (5), and isosilybins A (6) and B (7) are major bioactive flavonolignans in silymarin, a herbal remedy derived from the milk thistle Silybum marianum. In this study, the seven major active flavonolignans including the diastereomers 1/ 2, 4/ 5, and 6/ 7 were completely separated using semi-micro-high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a Nucleosil 100-3 C 18 HD column and a MeOH/water/formic acid mobile phase system. The collision-induced dissociation (CID) MS/MS and MS (3) spectra of these flavonolignans were studied systematically using hybrid ion-trap and time-of-flight (IT-TOF) mass spectrometry. Efficient differentiation between the seven flavonolignans (1- 7) was possible based on comparison of the resultant CID-MS/MS or MS (3) spectra. Each characteristic MS/MS or MS (3) fragmentation pattern was elucidated with high-resolution mass spectra by IT-TOF. The results with the present methodology show that liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry IT-TOF (LC-MS/IT-TOF) can be useful for general screening of active natural products from plant extracts and for the specific quality control of silymarin. PMID- 17764148 TI - Sesquiterpenoids from Bombax malabaricum. AB - Phytochemical investigation of the chemical constituents of the roots of Bombax malabaricum afforded nine cadinane sesquiterpenoids, including five new compounds (bombamalones A-D, 1-4; bombamaloside, 5), and four known compounds (isohemigossypol-1-methyl ester, 6; 2-O-methylisohemigossylic acid lactone, 7; bombaxquinone B, 8; and lacinilene C, 9). The structures of 1-5 were identified by spectroscopic methods and comparison with literature values. Compounds 1-9 were evaluated against the HGC-27 human gastrointestinal cancer cell line, but all were inactive (IC(50) >10 microM). PMID- 17764150 TI - Reactive sulfur species: kinetics and mechanism of the hydrolysis of cysteine thiosulfinate ester. AB - The kinetics and mechanisms of the hydrolysis of cysteine thiosulfinate ester (CyS(O)SCy ( x- ), x = 0-2) have been investigated by stopped-flow spectrophotometry between pH 6 and pH 14. The rate-limiting reaction of hydroxide is observed for pH < 13. More complicated kinetics are observed above pH 13, where the hydrolysis of CyS(O)SCy (2-) can be fast relative to subsequent reactions. The eventual products of hydrolysis are a 1:1 molar ratio of cystine (CySSCy) and cysteine sulfinic acid (CySO 2H) under all reaction conditions. The rate of hydrolysis is dependent upon the proton state of CyS(O)SCy ( x- ). Furthermore, cysteine thiosulfonate ester (CyS(O) 2SCy) was observed as an intermediate during the hydrolysis of CyS(O)SCy ( x- ) at lower pH. CyS(O) 2SCy eventually hydrolyzes to give stoichiometric amounts of CySSCy and CySO 2H. However, CySO 2H is observed under some conditions for which hydrolysis of CyS(O) 2SCy is relatively slow, thus suggesting multiple hydrolysis pathways for CyS(O)SCy ( x- ). The mechanism up to the rate-limiting step is proposed to be as follows: CyS(O)SCy (0) = H (+) + CyS(O)SCy (-), p K a3 = 7.32; CyS(O)SCy (-) = H (+) + CyS(O)SCy (2-), p K a4 = 7.92; CyS(O)SCy (0) + OH (-) --> products, P 0 k 0 = (5.0 +/- 0.01) x 10 (3) M (-1) s (-1); CyS(O)SCy (-) + OH (-) --> products, P 1 k 1 = 60 +/- 18 M (-1) s (-1); and CyS(O)SCy (2-) + OH (-) --> products, P 2 k 2 = 0.36 +/- 0.01 M (-1) s (-1), where P x is a constant (1 toluene (C(7)H(8)) > benzene (C(6)H(6)) > n octane (C(8)H(18)) > n-hexane (C(6)H(14)) approximately cyclohexane (C(6)H(12)). It was found that the amount of anhydrous PO methyl groups increases whereas the amount of hydrated PO methyl groups decreases upon the addition of oils. At low oil concentration, the oil molecules are entrapped by the micellar core, but as the oil concentration increases above a certain value, the micellar core swells significantly as a result of the penetrated oil molecules, and much larger aggregates are formed. Intermolecular rotating-frame nuclear Overhauser effect (ROE) measurements between P84 and benzene were performed at 10 and 40 degrees C. The specific interaction between benzene and the methyl groups of PPO was determined, and it was observed that the interaction site remained unchanged as the temperature was increased. PMID- 17764168 TI - 1H and 13C hyperfine coupling constants of the tryptophanyl cation radical in aqueous solution from microsecond time-resolved CIDNP. AB - Relative values of the 1H and 13C isotropic hyperfine couplings in the cationic oxidized tryptophan radical TrpH*+ in aqueous solution are determined. The data are obtained from the photo-CIDNP (chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization) enhancements observed in the microsecond time-resolved NMR spectra of the diamagnetic products of photochemical reactions in which TrpH*+ is a transient intermediate. The method is validated using the tyrosyl neutral radical Tyr*, whose 1H and 13C hyperfine couplings have previously been determined by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Good agreement is found with hyperfine coupling constants for TrpH*+ calculated using density functional theory methods but only if water molecules are explicitly included in the calculation. PMID- 17764169 TI - Intramolecular disulfide bridges as a phototrigger to monitor the dynamics of small cyclic peptides. AB - Two cyclic disulfide-bridged tetrapeptides [cyclo(Boc-Cys-Pro-Aib-Cys-OMe) (1) and cyclo(Boc-Cys-Pro-Phe-Cys-OMe) (2)] have been monitored by time-resolved mid IR spectroscopy in the C=O vibrational range. A conformational change is induced by cleavage of the intramolecular disulfide bridge upon UV excitation (lambda(exc) = 260 nm), giving rise to a pair of cysteinyl radicals (thiyl radicals), which diffuse apart allowing the peptide to change conformation before they undergo quenching. The amide I band reports on the dynamics of the peptide backbone, which evolves on a 100 ps time scale and then stays constant up to 10 micros at low enough concentrations ( approximately 100 mM). To probe specifically the lifetime of the free cysteinyl radicals, time-resolved UV laser flash photolysis has been applied. The concentration of the cysteinyl radical decays nonexponentially, but about 50% are still present after 1 ms. The photocleavable disulfide bridge hence may serve as an intrinsic, naturally occurring phototrigger to study peptide dynamics that opens a wide time-window from a few picoseconds to many hundreds of microseconds. PMID- 17764170 TI - Determination of line tension in lipid monolayers by Fourier analysis of capillary waves. AB - In the past decade, intense interest has focused on the phase separation and lateral organization of two-dimensional lipid systems. In this manuscript, we describe a method for extracting the interfacial line tension between coexisting monolayer phases through direct observations of thermal fluctuations using fluorescence microscopy and digital image processing. We demonstrate that the interfacial line tension calculated from the capillary wave spectrum is in good agreement with previous measurements employed using other experimental techniques. A distinct advantage of this method is that line tensions can be extracted directly from acquired images. In addition, small line tensions are measured, enabling characterization of phase separated membranes near critical points. Future applications of this method are briefly discussed. PMID- 17764171 TI - Spin-crossover behavior in cyanide-bridged iron(II)-silver(I) bimetallic 2D Hofmann-like metal-organic frameworks. AB - Two new series of compounds formulated {Fe(3-Xpyridine)2[Ag(CN)2]2} (X = F (1), Cl (2), Br (3), I (4)) and {Fe(3-Xpyridine)2[Ag(CN)2][Ag(3-Xpyridine)(CN)2]}.3 Xpy (X = Br (5), I (6)) have been synthesized and characterized. The six compounds are made up of stacking of slightly corrugated two-dimensional coordination polymers defined by sharing {Fe4[Ag(CN)2]4}n motifs. The stacking is different for the two families. In compounds 1-4 the layers are organized by pairs displaying argentophilic interactions; the Ag...Ag distance was found to be in the interval 3.0-3.3 A, while the Ag...Ag separation between two consecutive layers belonging to different pairs was found to be around 6 A. Compounds 5 and 6 are isostructural with a crystal packing defined by an almost homogeneous distribution of layers separated by around 8.3 A (referred to the Fe...Fe interlayer distance). Between the layers an uncoordinated 3-Xpyridine molecule is included. Another 3-Xpyridine molecule, which remains in the plane defined by the {Fe4[Ag(CN)2]4}n windows, coordinates one silver atom. Both series display quite different properties; at 300 K, 1-4 are pale-yellow and display similar distorted [FeN6] octahedron cores characteristic of the iron(II) ion in the high-spin state. 1 and 2 undergo a two-step (T(1)1/2 = 96 K and T(2)1/2 = 162 K) and a 50% spin transition (T1/2 = 106 K), respectively. Compounds 3 and 4 are high-spin compounds at ambient pressure. 5 and 6 are deep red in color at 300 K and undergo spin-crossover behavior at significantly higher temperatures T1/2 = 306 and 261 K, respectively. PMID- 17764172 TI - X-ray absorption spectroscopic studies of high-spin nonheme (alkylperoxo)iron(III) intermediates. AB - The reactions of iron(II) complexes [Fe(T(pt-Bu,i-Pr))(OH)] (1a, Tp(t-Bu,i-Pr) = hydrotris(3-tert-butyl-5-isopropyl-1-pyrazolyl)borate), [Fe(6-Me2BPMCN)(OTf)2] (1b, 6-Me2BPMCN = N,N'-bis((2-methylpyridin-6-yl)methyl)-N,N'-dimethyl-trans-1,2 diaminocyclohexane), and [Fe(L8Py2)(OTf)](OTf) (1c, L8Py2 = 1,5-bis(pyridin-2 ylmethyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane) with tert-BuOOH give rise to high-spin FeIII-OOR complexes. X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) of these high-spin species show characteristic features, distinct from those of low-spin Fe-OOR complexes (Rohde, J.-U.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 16750-16761). These include (1) an intense 1s --> 3d preedge feature, with an area around 20 units, (2) an edge energy, ranging from 7122 to 7126 eV, that is affected by the coordination environment, and (3) a 1.86-1.96 A Fe-OOR bond, compared to the 1.78 A Fe-OOR bond in low-spin complexes. These unique features likely arise from a flexible first coordination sphere in those complexes. The difference in Fe-OOR bond length may rationalize differences in reactivity between low-spin and high-spin FeIII-OOR species. PMID- 17764173 TI - Unpaired spin densities from NMR shifts and magnetic anisotropies of pseudotetrahedral cobalt(II) and nickel(II) vinamidine bis(chelates). AB - The distribution of unpaired electron spin over all regions of the organic ligands was extracted from the large positive and negative 1H and 13C NMR paramagnetic shifts of the title complexes. Owing to benevolent line broadening and to very high sensitivities of approximately 254,000 and approximately 201,000 ppm/(unpaired electron spin) for Co(II) and Ni(II), respectively, at 298 K in these pseudotetrahedral bis(N,N'-chelates), spin transmission through the sigma- (and orthogonal pi)-bonding system of the ligands could be traced from the chelate ring over five to nine sigma bonds. Most of those "experimental" spin densities DeltarhoN (situated at the observed nuclei) agree reasonably well with quantum chemical DeltarhoDFT (DFT = density functional theory) values and provide an unsurpassed number of benchmark values for the quality of certain types of modern density functionals. The extraction of DeltarhoN became possible through the unequivocal separation of the nuclear Fermi contact shift components from the metal-centered pseudocontact shifts, which are proportional to the anisotropy Deltachi of the magnetic susceptibility: Experimental Deltachi values were obtained in solution from measured deuterium quadrupole splittings in the 2H NMR spectra of two deuterated model complexes and were found to be nonlinear functions of the reciprocal temperature. This provided the reliable basis for predicting metal-centered pseudocontact shifts for any position of a topologically well-defined ligand at varying temperatures. The related ligand centered pseudocontact shifts were sought by using the criterion of their expected nonlinear dependence on the reciprocal temperature. However, their contributions could not be differentiated from other small effects close to the metal center; otherwise, they appeared to be smaller than the experimental uncertainties. The free activation energy of N-aryl rotation past a vicinal tert butyl substituent in the Ni(II) vinamidine bis(N,N'-chelates) is DeltaG++(+74 degrees C) approximately 17.0 kcal/mol and past a vicinal methyl group DeltaG++( 6 degrees C) approximately 13.1 kcal/mol. PMID- 17764174 TI - Seven-coordination versus six-coordination in divalent first-row transition-metal complexes derived from 1,10-diaza-15-crown-5. AB - The complexes of the heptadentate receptor N,N'-bis(benzimidazol-2-ylmethyl)-1,10 diaza-15-crown-5 (L2) with MnII, CoII, NiII, CuII, and ZnII are reported. The X ray crystal structures of the ZnII and NiII complexes show that whereas the ZnII ion is seven-coordinated in a (distorted) pentagonal-bipyramidal coordination environment, the NiII ion is only six-coordinated in a distorted octahedral coordination environment. Theoretical calculations on the [M(L2)]2+ systems (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, or Zn) performed at the density functional theory (DFT; B3LYP) level have been used to obtain information about the structure and electronic properties of these complexes, as well as to rationalize their preferences for a pentagonal-bipyramidal or an octahedral coordination. We have found that for the MnII, CoII, CuII, and ZnII complexes, geometry optimizations lead systematically to pentagonal-bipyramidal coordination environments around the metal ions. However, for the NiII complex, two minimum-energy conformations were obtained, with the metal ion being in octahedral (o-[Ni(L2)]2+) or pentagonal-bipyramidal (pb-[Ni(L2)]2+) coordination. The stabilization of the octahedral geometry in the NiII complex can be considered as the result of the Jahn-Teller effect operating in pentagonal-bipyramidal geometry, which in an extreme case leads to an octahedral coordination. Spectrophotometric titrations carried out in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and CH3CN/DMSO (9:1) solutions indicate the following stability sequence for the complexes of L2: CoII approximately NiII > ZnII > MnII. The variations in the geometry and stability of the complexes may be rationalized in terms of the different occupations of the frontier molecular orbitals along the first-row transition-metal series. Finally, a time-dependent DFT approach was used to investigate the absorption spectrum of the [Cu(L2)]2+ complex based on the optimized geometries at the B3LYP level, also confirming a pentagonal bipyramidal coordination in solution for this compound. PMID- 17764175 TI - DFT study of the systematic variations in metal-ligand bond lengths of coordination complexes: the crucial role of the condensed phase. AB - The experimental M-A and M-B distances in several series of [MAnBm-n]-type complexes have been studied by DFT. Many of the structural features of the series, such as trans influences and sterically induced bond elongations, are not reproduced correctly in gas-phase DFT calculations. However, the correct trends are recovered by explicitly including environmental effects via the COSMO solvation model. These observations imply that the condensed-phase environment plays a critical role in determining the geometric structure of coordination complexes. Thus, any apparently satisfactory reproduction of the condensed-phase structure by an in vacuo calculation may mask an incorrect treatment of the interplay between different ligands attached to the same metal center. PMID- 17764176 TI - Tripodal phenylamine-based ligands and their CoII complexes. AB - The syntheses of two phenylamine-based ligand systems, N(o-PhNH(2))(3) and N(o PhNHC(O)(i)Pr)(3), are reported. These ligands readily coordinate to Co(II) to form monomeric complexes. X-ray diffraction studies establish that the [N(o PhNC(O)(i)Pr)(3)](3-) ligand stabilizes the Co(II) ion in a trigonal monopyramidal coordination environment. The axial coordination site in this complex is accessible and, upon cyanide coordination, generates an electrochemically active species. PMID- 17764177 TI - Unprecedented examples of heterobimetallic cerium(IV) disiloxanediolates. AB - The first disiloxanediolate complexes of cerium(IV) are reported. Starting from the readily available precursor ((t)BuO)(3)Ce(IV)(NO(3))(THF)(2) (1), we prepared the novel heterobimetallic compounds [{(Ph(2)SiO)(2)O}{K(THF)(2)}](2)Ce(O(t)Bu)(2) (2) and [{(Ph(2)SiO)(2)O}(2){(DME) KO(t)Bu}{(Ph(2)SiO(2))K}Ce](2) (3) and structurally characterized them by X-ray diffraction. PMID- 17764178 TI - Long distance electron-transfer mechanism in peptidylglycine alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase: a perfect fitting for a water bridge. AB - The active sites of copper enzymes have been the subject of many theoretical and experimental investigations from a number of years. Such studies have embraced topics devoted to the modeling of the first coordination sphere at the metallic cations up to the development of biomimetic, or bioinspired, catalytic systems. At least from the theoretical viewpoint, fewer efforts have been dedicated to elucidate how the two copper cations act concertedly in noncoupled dicopper enzymes such as peptidylglycine alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM) and dopamine beta-monooxygenase (DbetaM). In these metalloenzymes, an electronic transfer is assumed between the two distant copper cations (11 A). Recent experimental results suggest that this transfer occurs through water molecules, a phenomenon which has been theoretically evidenced to be of high efficiency in the case of cytochrome b5 (Science, 2005, 310, 1311). In the present contribution dedicated to PHM, we overpass the common theoretical approaches dedicated to the electronic and geometrical structures of sites CuM or CuH restricted to their first coordination spheres and aim at directly comparing theoretical results to the experimentally measured activity of the PHM enzyme. To achieve this goal, molecular dynamics simulations were performed on wild-type and various mutants of PHM. More precisely, we provide an estimate of the electron-transfer efficiency between the CuM and CuH sites by means of such molecular dynamics simulations coupled to Marcus theory joined to the Beratan model to approximate the required coupling matrix elements. The theoretical results are compared to the kinetics measurements performed on wild and mutated PHM. The present work, the dynamic aspects of which are essential, accounts for the experimental results issued from mutagenesis. It supports the conclusion that an electronic transfer can occur between two copper(I) sites along a bridge involving a set of hydrogen and chemical bonds. Residue Gln170 is evidenced to be the keystone of this water mediated pathway. PMID- 17764179 TI - The hydrogen-bonding network in heme oxygenase also functions as a modulator of enzyme dynamics: chaotic motions upon disrupting the H-bond network in heme oxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. AB - Relaxation compensated Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (rc-CPMG) NMR experiments have been used to investigate micros-ms motions in heme oxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pa-HO) in its ferric state, inhibited by CN- (pa-HO-CN) and N3- (pa HO-N3), and in its ferrous state, inhibited by CO (pa-HO-CO). Comparative analysis of the data from the three forms indicates that the nature of the coordinated distal ligand affects the micros-ms conformational freedom of the polypeptide in regions of the enzyme far removed from the heme iron and distal ligand. Interpretation of the dynamical information in the context of the crystal structure of resting state pa-HO shows that residues involved in the network of structural hydrogen-bonded waters characteristic of HOs undergo micros-ms motions in pa-HO-CN, which was studied as a model of the highly paramagnetic S = 5/2 resting state form. In comparison, similar motions are suppressed in the pa-HO-CO and pa-HO-N3 complexes, which were studied as mimics of the obligatory oxyferrous and ferric hydroperoxide intermediates, respectively, in the catalytic cycle of heme degradation. These findings suggest that in addition to proton delivery to the nascent Fe(III)-OO(-) intermediate during catalysis, the hydrogen-bonding network serves two additional roles: (i) propagate the electronic state (reactive state) in each of the distinct steps of the catalytic cycle to key but remote sections of the polypeptide via small rearrangements in the network of hydrogen bonds and (ii) modulate the conformational freedom of the enzyme, thus allowing it to adapt to the demanding changes in axial coordination state and substrate transformations that take place during the catalytic cycle. This idea was probed by disrupting the hydrogen-bonding network in pa-HO by replacing R80 with L. NMR spectroscopic studies conducted with R80L-pa-HO-N3 and R80L-pa-HO-CO revealed that the mutant exhibits nearly global conformational disorder, which is absent in the equivalent complexes of the wild type enzyme. The "chaotic" disorder in the R80L mutant is likely related to its significantly lower efficiency to hydroxylate heme in the presence of H2O2, relative to the wild type enzyme. PMID- 17764180 TI - Effects of glycosylation of (2S,4R)-4-hydroxyproline on the conformation, kinetics, and thermodynamics of prolyl amide isomerization. PMID- 17764181 TI - Diketopiperazines as a tool for the study of transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and their potential use as BBB-shuttles. AB - Here we prepared and evaluated two libraries of mono-N-methylated and di-N methylated diketopiperazines (DKPs) by parallel artificial membrane permeability assay and immobilized artificial membrane chromatography in order to obtain information on the features that govern the passage of peptidic molecules across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by passive diffusion. On the basis of the results from these two libraries, we prepared and evaluated several DKP-baicalin and DKP dopamine constructs. The DKPs or cyclic dipeptide scaffolds can be considered a novel family of brain delivery systems (BBB-shuttles) to transport to the brain drugs and other cargos that cannot cross the BBB unaided. PMID- 17764182 TI - Conformation-specific spectroscopy and photodissociation of cold, protonated tyrosine and phenylalanine. AB - We present here ultraviolet and infrared spectra of protonated aromatic amino acids in a cold, 22-pole ion trap. Ultraviolet photofragmentation spectra of protonated tyrosine and phenylalanine show vibronically resolved bands corresponding to different stable conformers: two for PheH+ and four in the case of TyrH+. We subsequently use the resolved UV spectra to perform conformer specific infrared depletion spectroscopy. Comparison of the measured infrared spectra to density functional theory calculations helps assign the geometry of the various conformers, all of which exhibit NH...pi hydrogen bonds and NH...O=C interactions, with the COOH group oriented either anti or gauche to the aromatic ring. In both molecules the majority of the observed fragments result from dissociation on an excited electronic state. In TyrH+, different conformers excited with practically the same energy exhibit different fragmentation patterns, suggesting that the excited-state dynamics depend upon conformation. PMID- 17764183 TI - Electrical behavior of droplet interface bilayer networks: experimental analysis and modeling. AB - Aqueous droplets submerged in an oil-lipid mixture become enclosed by a lipid monolayer. The droplets can be connected to form robust networks of droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) with functions such as a biobattery and a light sensor. Such DIB networks might be used as model systems for the study of membrane-based biological phenomena. In this study, we develop and experimentally validate an electrical modeling approach for DIB networks by applying it to describe the current flow through a simple network containing protein pores and blocking molecules. We demonstrate the use of SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) for simulating the electrical behavior of DIB networks. The modular and scalable nature of DIB networks should enable a straightforward extension of the analysis presented in this paper to large, complex networks. PMID- 17764184 TI - Radical trifluoromethylation of Sc3N@C80. PMID- 17764185 TI - Inactivation of thiolase by 2-alkynoyl-CoA via its intrinsic isomerase activity. AB - Selective inactivation of cytosolic thiolase by 2-alkynoyl-CoA via its intrinsic isomerase activity was studied, which provides an example for rationally developing mechanism-based inhibitors based on a side activity of the enzyme, and may become a supplemental method for better treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer. PMID- 17764186 TI - Highly enantioselective carbonyl-ene reactions catalyzed by a hindered silyl salen-cobalt complex. AB - We report here the enantioselective carbonyl-ene reactions of various 1,1 disubstituted and trisubstituted alkenes with ethyl glyoxylate. The reactions are catalyzed by a new Co-salen complex, in which bulky triisobutylsilyl (TIBS) substituents occupy the positions ortho to the phenolic oxygens. This complex catalyzes the reactions under nearly ideal conditions - at room temperature and using catalyst loadings as low as 0.1 mol % - and provides the chiral, homoallylic alcohol products in excellent yields, enantioselectivities, and diastereoselectivities. PMID- 17764187 TI - Expedient, high-yielding synthesis of silyl-substituted salen ligands. AB - Described is an efficient synthesis of silyl-substituted salen ligands, used for the preparation of enantioselective catalysts. The salicylaldehyde precursors are synthesized from the silyl ethers of 2,6-dibromophenols via a one-pot double lithium halogen exchanges, to induce an intramolecular retro-Brook rearrangement and allow introduction of the aldehyde group. Condensation of the salicylaldehyde products with a chiral diamine affords the silyl-substituted salen ligands in high yields. The use of other electrophiles allows easy access to silyl substituted phenolic esters, ketones, and boronic acids. PMID- 17764188 TI - Practical stereoselective synthesis of beta-branched alpha-amino acids through efficient kinetic resolution in the phase-transfer-catalyzed asymmetric alkylations. AB - Phase-transfer-catalyzed alkylation of glycinate Schiff base with racemic secondary alkyl halides proceeded with excellent levels of syn- and enantioselectivities under the influence of chiral quaternary ammonium bromide 1d and 18-crown-6. The alkylation product can be selectively converted to the corresponding anti isomer, allowing the preparation of all the stereoisomers of beta-alkyl-alpha-amino acid derivatives, an extremely valuable chiral building block. PMID- 17764189 TI - Synthesis and solid-state photochromism of 1,3-diphenyl-4- (2-chlorobenzal)-5 hydroxypyrazole 4-methylthiosemicarbazone. AB - A new photochromic compound containing a pyrazole-ring unit, 1,3-diphenyl-4-(2 chlorobenzal)-5-hydroxypyrazole 4-methylthiosemicarbazone, was synthesized. Its structure, photochromic properties, and photochemical kinetics were characterized. The results show that the title compound exhibits reversible enol keto photoisomerization, excellent photostability, and high fatigue resistance. An intra- and intermolecular proton-transfer mechanism is proposed. PMID- 17764190 TI - Stereoselective synthesis of tetrahydrofuran lignans via BF(3) x OEt(2)-promoted reductive deoxygenation/epimerization of cyclic hemiketal: synthesis of (-) odoratisol C, (-)-futokadsurin A, (-)-veraguensin, (+)-fragransin A(2), (+) galbelgin, and (+)-talaumidin. AB - A versatile route to the synthesis of 2,5-diaryl-3,4-dimethyltetrahydrofuran lignans, (-)-odoratisol C (1), (-)-futokadsurin A (2), (-)-veraguensin (3), (+) fragransin A2 (4), (+)-galbelgin (5), and (+)-talaumidin (6), is described. Central to the synthesis of the lignans is BF(3) x OEt(2)-promoted deoxygenation/epimerization of the hemiketal 9a followed by stereoselective reduction of the oxocarbenium ion intermediates 8a,b. PMID- 17764191 TI - Simple, general, and efficient synthesis of meso-substituted borondipyrromethenes from a single platform. AB - An unprecedented synthesis of 8-substituted-borondipyrromethenes is described starting from 8-thiomethylbodipy 1. Aryl, heteroaryl, alkenyl, and organometallic boronic acids smoothly reacted with 1 in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd(0) and a stoichiometric amount of Cu(I)-2-thienylcarboxylate under neutral conditions to give the corresponding Bodipy analogues in good to quantitative yields (20 examples). A remarkable reactivity was observed in some cases, e.g., ferrocenylboronic acid gave the product in 98% isolated yield after only 10 min at 55 degrees C. PMID- 17764193 TI - Gold-catalyzed addition of carbon nucleophiles to propargyl carboxylates. AB - Propargyl carboxylates react with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and electron-rich arenes in the presence of Au(I) catalysts to give enol carboxylates via alpha,beta-unsaturated Au(I) carbenes or Au(I)-coordinated allenes formed by 1,2- or 1,3-acyl migration, respectively. PMID- 17764192 TI - Stereochemical control of both C-C and C-N axial chirality in the synthesis of chiral N,O-biaryls. AB - A Rh(I)-catalyzed asymmetric [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of achiral ynamides is described here. This work demonstrates a unique concept of stereochemical control of both the C-C and C-N axial chirality and provides an approach to the synthesis of chiral N,O-biaryls as well as chiral anilides. PMID- 17764194 TI - Catalytic activation of the leaving group in the S(N)2 reaction. AB - A novel catalytic activation of the leaving group in the S(N)2 reaction is achieved as an extension of our mercuric triflate-catalyzed reactions. Derivatives of anilinoethyl 4-pentynoate reacted smoothly with catalytic amounts of Hg(OTf)(2) to give indoline derivatives in excellent yield with efficient catalytic turnovers under very mild conditions. The reaction of optically pure secondary alcohol derivatives resulted in inversion of stereochemistry, which is a definitive feature of the S(N)2 reaction. The procedure is applicable for benzoazepine synthesis. PMID- 17764195 TI - The first synthesis of the ABC-ring system of 'upenamide. AB - The first synthetic route to the spirooxaquinolizidinone core (ABC core) of the macrocyclic marine alkaloid 'upenamide (1) has been developed. All five stereocenters were introduced with complete stereocontrol. The hydroxyl group at C-11 was introduced by a regio- and stereoselective SeO(2)-mediated allylic oxidation. The spirocyclic skeleton was formed by a stannous chloride induced deacetalization-bicyclization procedure. Further stereocenters were introduced by an enzymatic desymmetrization and by incorporation of an (S)-malic acid derived building block. PMID- 17764197 TI - Chlorofluorocarbene: first UV observation of a dihalocarbene in solution. AB - Chlorofluorocarbene (ClCF), generated by laser flash photolysis of chlorofluorodiazirine, absorbs at 368 nm in pentane. Absolute rate constants are reported for ClCF additions to several alkenes and pyridine. ClCF is less reactive toward alkenes than CCl(2), and it does not react rapidly with oxygen. Pertinent computational studies are included. PMID- 17764196 TI - Enantioselective synthesis of (-)-platensimycin oxatetracyclic core by using an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction. AB - An enantioselective route to the oxatetracyclic core of (-)-platensimycin (1) has been investigated by using an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction as the key step. The thermal reaction of E/Z mixture (1:1) provided oxatetracyclic core 2 from the E-diene and the Z-diene was recovered unchanged. The Diels-Alder substrate was conveniently assembled in optically active form with use of (S) carvone as the starting material. PMID- 17764199 TI - Phosphine adsorption on the In-rich InP(001) surface: evidence of surface dative bonds at room temperature. AB - Adsorption of phosphine on indium phosphide compound semiconductor surfaces is a key process during the chemical vapor deposition of this material. Recent experimental infrared studies of the In-rich InP surfaces exposed to phosphine show a complex vibrational pattern in the P-H stretch region, presumably due to overlapping contributions from several structural species. We have performed density functional calculations using finite-sized cluster models to investigate the dissociative adsorption of PH3 on the In-rich InP surface. We find that initially PH3 forms a dative bond with one of the surface In atoms with a binding energy of approximately 11 kcal mol-1 at 298 K. The In-PH3 bond length is 2.9 A, 0.3 A greater than the In-P covalent bond length computed for In-PH2 species produced by hydrogen migration to a neighboring atom. However, the dissociation process, though exothermic, involves a significant activation barrier of approximately 23 kcal mol-1, suggesting the possibility of metastable trapping of the dative bonded PH3 molecules. Indeed, a careful vibrational analysis of different P-H stretching modes of the surface-bound PH3 and PH2 units gives excellent agreement with the observed infrared frequencies and their relative intensities. Moreover, at higher temperatures the frequency modes associated with PH3 disappear either due to desorption or dissociation of this molecule, an observation also well supported from the computed thermochemical parameters at different temperatures. The computed energy parameters and infrared analysis provide direct evidence that PH3 is present as a dative bonded complex on the InP surface at room temperature. PMID- 17764198 TI - Synthetic, crystallographic, computational, and biological studies of 1,4 difluorobenzo[c]phenanthrene and its metabolites. AB - 1,4-Difluorobenzo[c]phenanthrene (1,4-DFBcPh) and its putative metabolites, the dihydrodiol and diol epoxides, have been synthesized and structurally characterized, and the extent of DNA binding by the metabolites has been assessed. 1,4-DFBcPh and 1,4-difluoro-10-methoxybenzo[c]phenanthrene were prepared by photochemical cyclization of appropriate naphthylphenylethylenes. The dihydrodiol was synthesized from 1,4-difluoro-10-methoxybenzo[c]phenanthrene, and the diol epoxides were diastereoselectively synthesized from the dihydrodiol. Interesting differences were noted in 1H NMR spectra of the series 1 (syn) diol epoxides of benzo[c]phenanthrene (BcPh) and 1,4-DFBcPh; the BcPh diol epoxide displays a quasi-diequatorial orientation of the hydroxyl groups, but in the 1,4 DFBcPh case these are diaxially disposed. This difference probably stems from the presence of the fjord-region fluorine atom in 1,4-DFBcPh. A through-space, fjord region H-F coupling has also been observed for 1,4-DFBcPh and its derivatives. Comparative X-ray crystallographic analyses of BcPh and 1,4-DFBcPh and their dihydrodiols show that introduction of fluorine increases the molecular distortion by about 6-7 degrees . As a guide to estimating the molecular distortion and its effects, and for comparison with the X-ray structures in known cases, optimized structures of BcPh, 1,4-DFBcPh, and 1,4-DMBcPh (the dimethyl analogue) as well as their dihydrodiols and diol epoxides were computed. Relative aromaticities of these compounds were assessed by nucleus-independent chemical shift calculations, and 13C NMR chemical shifts were computed by gauge-inducing atomic orbital calculations. 1,4-DFBcPh and its dihydrodiol were subjected to metabolism, and the amount of DNA binding in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells was assessed. The extent of DNA binding was then compared with that for BcPh and its dihydrodiol and the potent carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene. The 1,4-DFBcPh series 2 (anti) diol epoxide-derived DNA adducts were also compared with those arising from intracellular oxidation of the dihydrodiol with subsequent DNA binding. These experiments showed that increased molecular distortion decreased metabolic activation to the terminal metabolites but that diol epoxide metabolites that are formed are the DNA-damaging species. PMID- 17764200 TI - Structure-catalytic function relationship of SiO2-immobilized mononuclear Cu complexes: an EPR study. AB - Mononuclear CuL and Cu(2L) complexes, where L is propyl-thiazol-2-ylmethylene amine, covalently immobilized onto SiO2, can catalyze efficiently the oxidation of 3,5-di-t-butylcatechol (DTBC) to 3,5-di-t-butylquinone (DTBQ) by utilizing ambient O2 as oxidant. By increasing the loading of L on SiO2, the DTBQ formation can be improved up to 400% vs the homogeneous catalyst. Equally important is however that grafting per se at low loading is not adequate for an improved catalytic activity. Appropriate loadings have to be achieved, which then may result in significant catalytic performance. Based on EPR spectroscopy a theoretical method is developed, eq A12, for spin-spin distance estimation in heterogeneously dispersed surface complexes. Practical rules including error estimates are provided. By applying this method to the [SiO2-CuL] catalysts it is shown that mononuclear copper complexes fixed on SiO2 with Cu...Cu distances as short as 4.9 +/- 0.3 A are responsible for the improved catalytic activity. The present results demonstrate that mononuclear Cu complexes can have considerable catecholase activity, if the proper geometrical proximity can be fixed. Grafting on SiO2 may be an efficient method for engineering catalysts with improved performance. PMID- 17764201 TI - Controlled pore functionalization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) track-etched membranes via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. AB - A new method for surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) on the technical polymer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has been developed which allows controlling and estimating the layer thickness of the grafted polymer in the isocylindrical pores of track-etched membranes. After PET surface treatment by oxidative hydrolysis, the bromoalkyl initiator was immobilized on the PET surface in a two-step solid-phase reaction; the isoporous membrane structure was preserved, and the pore diameter was increased from 760 to 790 nm. Poly(N isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) was grafted under ATRP conditions from a methanol/water mixture at room temperature. Both monomer concentration and reaction time could be used as parameters to adjust the degree of grafting. Effective grafted layer thickness and its response to temperature were estimated from pure water permeability. All data, especially the high polymer densities (0.37 g/cm3) in the swollen layers at 25 degrees C, indicate that grafted PNIPAAm with a "brush" structure has been achieved. For dry PNIPAAm layer thicknesses on the PET pore walls of up to 80 nm, a temperature-induced swelling/deswelling ratio of approximately 3 had been observed. Reduction of the brush grafting density, via composition of the reaction mixture used in solid-phase synthesis for initiator immobilization, led to an increase of that swelling/deswelling ratio. Further, density and temperature response of the grafted PNIPAAm layers synthesized via ATRP were compared with those obtained in the same membranes by less controlled photografting, leading to lower grafting density and larger gradients in grafted layer density and, consequently, much higher swelling/deswelling ratios (>15). PMID- 17764202 TI - Growth dynamics of self-assembled colloidal crystal thin films. AB - A theoretical and experimental analysis of the growth dynamics of colloidal crystal films deposited by evaporation induced self-assembly is herein presented. We derive an expression for the film growth velocity from which we obtain an equation that describes the evolution of the forming crystal thickness with time. Its validity is confirmed by comparison to the experimental profiles of a large number of films grown under different conditions. We find that, on top of the already reported linear increase in film width over long distances in the growth direction, periodic variations of the friction force at the meniscus give rise to short-range thickness fluctuations that are the main source of spatial inhomogeneities observed in these lattices. The key parameters that determine the period and the intensity of these fluctuations are identified. PMID- 17764203 TI - Meditation practices for health: state of the research. AB - OBJECTIVES: To review and synthesize the state of research on a variety of meditation practices, including: the specific meditation practices examined; the research designs employed and the conditions and outcomes examined; the efficacy and effectiveness of different meditation practices for the three most studied conditions; the role of effect modifiers on outcomes; and the effects of meditation on physiological and neuropsychological outcomes. DATA SOURCES: Comprehensive searches were conducted in 17 electronic databases of medical and psychological literature up to September 2005. Other sources of potentially relevant studies included hand searches, reference tracking, contact with experts, and gray literature searches. REVIEW METHODS: A Delphi method was used to develop a set of parameters to describe meditation practices. Included studies were comparative, on any meditation practice, had more than 10 adult participants, provided quantitative data on health-related outcomes, and published in English. Two independent reviewers assessed study relevance, extracted the data and assessed the methodological quality of the studies. RESULTS: Five broad categories of meditation practices were identified (Mantra meditation, Mindfulness meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong). Characterization of the universal or supplemental components of meditation practices was precluded by the theoretical and terminological heterogeneity among practices. Evidence on the state of research in meditation practices was provided in 813 predominantly poor-quality studies. The three most studied conditions were hypertension, other cardiovascular diseases, and substance abuse. Sixty-five intervention studies examined the therapeutic effect of meditation practices for these conditions. Meta-analyses based on low-quality studies and small numbers of hypertensive participants showed that TM(R), Qi Gong and Zen Buddhist meditation significantly reduced blood pressure. Yoga helped reduce stress. Yoga was no better than Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction at reducing anxiety in patients with cardiovascular diseases. No results from substance abuse studies could be combined. The role of effect modifiers in meditation practices has been neglected in the scientific literature. The physiological and neuropsychological effects of meditation practices have been evaluated in 312 poor-quality studies. Meta analyses of results from 55 studies indicated that some meditation practices produced significant changes in healthy participants. CONCLUSIONS: Many uncertainties surround the practice of meditation. Scientific research on meditation practices does not appear to have a common theoretical perspective and is characterized by poor methodological quality. Firm conclusions on the effects of meditation practices in healthcare cannot be drawn based on the available evidence. Future research on meditation practices must be more rigorous in the design and execution of studies and in the analysis and reporting of results. PMID- 17764204 TI - Management of small cell lung cancer. AB - OBJECTIVES: This is a systematic review of evidence on issues in managing small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Key questions addressed are: the sequence, timing, and dosing characteristics of primary thoracic radiotherapy (TRTx) for limited-stage disease; primary TRTx for extensive-stage disease; effect of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI); positron emission tomography (PET) for staging; treatment of mixed histology tumors; surgery; and second- and subsequent-line treatment for relapsed/progressive disease. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Register REVIEW METHODS: The review methods were defined prospectively in a written protocol. We sought randomized controlled trials that compared the interventions of interest. Where randomized trials were limited or nonexistent, we sought additional studies. We performed meta-analysis of studies that compared early and late TRTx. RESULTS: The strongest evidence available for this report is a patient-level meta-analysis showing that PCI improves survival of SCLC patients who achieved complete response following primary therapy from 15.3 percent to 20.7 percent (p=0.01). No other question yielded evidence so robust. The case for concurrent over sequential radiation delivery rests largely on a single multicenter trial. Support for early concurrent therapy comes from one multicenter trial, but two other multicenter trials found no advantage. Our meta analysis did not find significant reductions in 2- and 3-year mortality for early TRTx. Favorable results from a single-center trial on TRTx for extensive stage disease need replication in a multicenter setting. For other questions (i.e., management of mixed histology disease; surgery for early limited SCLC), relevant comparative studies were nonexistent. PET may be more sensitive in detecting disease outside the brain than conventional staging modalities, but studies were of poor quality and reliable estimates of performance are not possible. CONCLUSIONS: PCI improves survival among those with a complete response to primary therapy. A research agenda is needed to optimize the effectiveness of TRTx and its components. PET for staging may be useful, but its role awaits clarification by rigorous studies. No relevant evidence was available to address management of mixed histology disease or surgery for early limited SCLC. PMID- 17764206 TI - Nurse staffing and quality of patient care. AB - OBJECTIVES: To assess how nurse to patient ratios and nurse work hours were associated with patient outcomes in acute care hospitals, factors that influence nurse staffing policies, and nurse staffing strategies that improved patient outcomes. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL, Cochrane Databases, EBSCO research database, BioMed Central, Federal reports, National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators, National Center for Workforce Analysis, American Nurses Association, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and Digital Dissertations. REVIEW METHODS: In the absence of randomized controlled trials, observational studies were reviewed to examine the relationship between nurse staffing and outcomes. Meta-analysis tested the consistency of the association between nurse staffing and patient outcomes; classes of patient and hospital characteristics were analyzed separately. RESULTS: Higher registered nurse staffing was associated with less hospital-related mortality, failure to rescue, cardiac arrest, hospital acquired pneumonia, and other adverse events. The effect of increased registered nurse staffing on patients safety was strong and consistent in intensive care units and in surgical patients. Greater registered nurse hours spent on direct patient care were associated with decreased risk of hospital related death and shorter lengths of stay. Limited evidence suggests that the higher proportion of registered nurses with BSN degrees was associated with lower mortality and failure to rescue. More overtime hours were associated with an increase in hospital related mortality, nosocomial infections, shock, and bloodstream infections. No studies directly examined the factors that influence nurse staffing policy. Few studies addressed the role of agency staff. No studies evaluated the role of internationally educated nurse staffing policies. CONCLUSIONS: Increased nursing staffing in hospitals was associated with lower hospital-related mortality, failure to rescue, and other patient outcomes, but the association is not necessarily causal. The effect size varied with the nurse staffing measure, the reduction in relative risk was greater and more consistent across the studies, corresponding to an increased registered nurse to patient ratio but not hours and skill mix. Estimates of the size of the nursing effect must be tempered by provider characteristics including hospital commitment to high quality care not considered in most of the studies. Greater nurse staffing was associated with better outcomes in intensive care units and in surgical patients. PMID- 17764205 TI - Multivitamin/mineral supplements and prevention of chronic disease. AB - OBJECTIVES: To review and synthesize published literature on the efficacy of multivitamin/mineral supplements and certain single nutrient supplements in the primary prevention of chronic disease in the general adult population, and on the safety of multivitamin/mineral supplements and certain single nutrient supplements, likely to be included in multivitamin/mineral supplements, in the general population of adults and children. DATA SOURCES: All articles published through February 28, 2006, on MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane databases. REVIEW METHODS: Each article underwent double reviews on title, abstract, and inclusion eligibility. Two reviewers performed data abstraction and quality assessment. Differences in opinion were resolved through consensus adjudication. RESULTS: Few trials have addressed the efficacy of multivitamin/mineral supplement use in chronic disease prevention in the general population of the United States. One trial on poorly nourished Chinese showed supplementation with combined Beta carotene, vitamin E and selenium reduced gastric cancer incidence and mortality, and overall cancer mortality. In a French trial, combined vitamin C, vitamin E, Beta-carotene, selenium, and zinc reduced cancer risk in men but not in women. No cardiovascular benefit was evident in both trials. Multivitamin/mineral supplement use had no benefit for preventing cataract. Zinc/antioxidants had benefits for preventing advanced age-related macular degeneration in persons at high risk for the disease. With few exceptions, neither Beta-carotene nor vitamin E had benefits for preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, cataract, and age related macular degeneration. Beta-carotene supplementation increased lung cancer risk in smokers and persons exposed to asbestos. Folic acid alone or combined with vitamin B12 and/or vitamin B6 had no significant effects on cognitive function. Selenium may confer benefit for cancer prevention but not cardiovascular disease prevention. Calcium may prevent bone mineral density loss in postmenopausal women, and may reduce vertebral fractures, but not non vertebral fractures. The evidence suggests dose-dependent benefits of vitamin D with/without calcium for retaining bone mineral density and preventing hip fracture, non-vertebral fracture and falls. We found no consistent pattern of increased adverse effects of multivitamin/mineral supplements except for skin yellowing by Beta-carotene. CONCLUSIONS: Multivitamin/mineral supplement use may prevent cancer in individuals with poor or suboptimal nutritional status. The heterogeneity in the study populations limits generalization to United States population. Multivitamin/mineral supplements conferred no benefit in preventing cardiovascular disease or cataract, and may prevent advanced age-related macular degeneration only in high-risk individuals. The overall quality and quantity of the literature on the safety of multivitamin/mineral supplements is limited. PMID- 17764207 TI - Genomic tests for ovarian cancer detection and management. AB - OBJECTIVES: To assess the evidence that the use of genomic tests for ovarian cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment leads to improved outcomes. DATA SOURCES: PubMed and reference lists of recent reviews. REVIEW METHODS: We evaluated tests for: (a) single gene products; (b) genetic variations affecting risk of ovarian cancer; (c) gene expression; and (d) proteomics. For tests covered in recent evidence reports (cancer antigen 125 [CA-125] and breast cancer genes 1 and 2 [BRCA1/2]), we added studies published subsequent to the reports. We sought evidence on: (a) the analytic performance of tests in clinical laboratories; (b) the sensitivity and specificity of tests in different patient populations; (c) the clinical impact of testing in asymptomatic women, women with suspected ovarian cancer, and women with diagnosed ovarian cancer; (d) the harms of genomic testing; and (e) the impact of direct-to-consumer and direct-to physician advertising on appropriate use of tests. We also constructed a computer simulation model to test the impact of different assumptions about ovarian cancer natural history on the relative effectiveness of different strategies. RESULTS: There are reasonable data on the clinical laboratory performance of most radioimmunoassays, but the majority of the data on other genomic tests comes from research laboratories. Genomic test sensitivity/specificity estimates are limited by small sample sizes, spectrum bias, and unrealistically large prevalences of ovarian cancer; in particular, estimates of positive predictive values derived from most of the studies are substantially higher than would be expected in most screening or diagnostic settings. We found no evidence relevant to the question of the impact of genomic tests on health outcomes in asymptomatic women. Although there is a relatively large literature on the association of test results and various clinical outcomes, the clinical utility of changing management based on these results has not been evaluated. We found no evidence that genomic tests for ovarian cancer have unique harms beyond those common to other tests for genetic susceptibility or other tests used in screening, diagnosis, and management of ovarian cancer. Studies of a direct-to-consumer campaign for BRCA1/2 testing suggest increased utilization, but the effect on "appropriateness" was unclear. Model simulations suggest that annual screening, even with a highly sensitive test, will not reduce ovarian cancer mortality by more than 50 percent; frequent screening has a very low positive predictive value, even with a highly specific test. CONCLUSIONS: Although research remains promising, adaptation of genomic tests into clinical practice must await appropriately designed and powered studies in relevant clinical settings. PMID- 17764208 TI - Pediatric anthrax: implications for bioterrorism preparedness. AB - OBJECTIVES: To systematically review the literature about children with anthrax to describe their clinical course, treatment responses, and the predictors of disease progression and mortality. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (1966-2005), 14 selected journal indexes (1900-1966) and bibliographies of all retrieved articles. REVIEW METHODS: We sought case reports of pediatric anthrax published between 1900 and 2005 meeting predefined criteria. We abstracted three types of data from the English-language reports: (1) Patient information (e.g., age, gender, nationality), (2) symptom and disease progression information (e.g., whether the patient developed meningitis); (3) treatment information (e.g., treatments received, year of treatment). We compared the clinical symptoms and disease progression variables for the pediatric cases with data on adult anthrax cases reviewed previously. RESULTS: We identified 246 titles of potentially relevant articles from our MEDLINE(R) search and 2253 additional references from our manual search of the bibliographies of retrieved articles and the indexes of the 14 selected journals. We included 62 case reports of pediatric anthrax including two inhalational cases, 20 gastrointestinal cases, 37 cutaneous cases, and three atypical cases. Anthrax is a relatively common and historically well-recognized disease and yet rarely reported among children, suggesting the possibility of significant under-diagnosis, underreporting, and/or publication bias. Children with anthrax present with a wide range of clinical signs and symptoms, which differ somewhat from the presenting features of adults with anthrax. Like adults, children with gastrointestinal anthrax have two distinct clinical presentations: Upper tract disease characterized by dysphagia and oropharyngeal findings and lower tract disease characterized by fever, abdominal pain, and nausea and vomiting. Additionally, children with inhalational disease may have "atypical" presentations including primary meningoencephalitis. Children with inhalational anthrax have abnormal chest roentgenograms; however, children with other forms of anthrax usually have normal roentgenograms. Nineteen of the 30 children (63%) who received penicillin-based antibiotics survived; whereas nine of 11 children (82%) who received anthrax antiserum survived. CONCLUSIONS: There is a broad spectrum of clinical signs and symptoms associated with pediatric anthrax. The limited data available regarding disease progression and treatment responses for children infected with anthrax suggest some differences from adult populations. Preparedness planning efforts should specifically address the needs of pediatric victims. PMID- 17764209 TI - Testing for cytochrome P450 polymorphisms in adults with non-psychotic depression treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine if testing for cytochrome P450 (CYP450) polymorphisms in adults entering selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment for non psychotic depression leads to improvement in outcomes, or if testing results are useful in medical, personal, or public health decisionmaking. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, PsychInfo, HealthSTAR, and CINAHL, and reviewed the reference lists of included articles and relevant review articles and meta-analyses for eligible studies. We also included documents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that could be publicly accessed. REVIEW METHODS: We developed an analytic framework and identified key questions to guide the review process. Project-specific inclusion/exclusion criteria were also developed and were used by paired researchers independently to review both abstracts and full-text articles; both researchers were required to agree on inclusion status at the full-text stage. Abstractors evaluated each included article for factors affecting internal and external validity. RESULTS: A review of 1,200 abstracts led to the final inclusion of 37 articles. The evidence indicates the existence of tests with high sensitivity and specificity for detecting only a few of the more common known polymorphisms of 2D6, 2C19, 2C8, 2C9, and 1A1. There is mixed evidence regarding the association between CYP450 genotypes and SSRI metabolism, efficacy, and tolerability in the treatment of depression, mainly from a series of heterogeneous studies in small samples. There are no data regarding: (a) if testing for CYP450 polymorphisms in adults entering SSRI treatment for non psychotic depression leads to improvement in outcomes versus not testing, or if testing results are useful in medical, personal, or public health decisionmaking; (b) if CYP450 testing influences depression management decisions by patients and providers in ways that could improve or worsen outcomes; or (c) if there are direct or indirect harms associated with testing for CYP450 polymorphisms or with subsequent management options. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of good-quality data addressing the questions of whether testing for CYP450 polymorphisms in adults entering SSRI treatment for non-psychotic depression leads to improvement in outcomes, or whether testing results are useful in medical, personal, or public health decisionmaking. PMID- 17764210 TI - Testing for BNP and NT-proBNP in the diagnosis and prognosis of heart failure. AB - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate BNP and NT proBNP to: (a) identify determinants, (b) establish their diagnostic performance in heart failure (HF) patients, (c) determine their predictive ability with respect to mortality and other cardiac endpoints, and (d) determine their value in monitoring HF treatment. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central, and AMED from 1989 to February 2005 were searched for primary studies. REVIEW METHODS: Standard systematic review methodology, including meta-analysis, was employed. All study designs were included. Eligibility criteria included English-only studies and restricted the number of test methods to maximize generalizability. Outcomes for prognosis were limited to mortality and specific cardiac events. Further specific criteria were developed for each research question. RESULTS: Determinants: There were 103 determinants identified including age, gender, disease, treatment, as well as biochemical and physiological measures. Few studies reported independent associations and of those that did age, female gender and creatinine levels were positively associated with BNP and NT-proBNP. DIAGNOSIS: Pooled sensitivity and specificity values were 94 and 66 percent for BNP and 92 and 65 percent for NT-proBNP; there was minimal difference among settings (emergency, specialized clinics, and primary care). B-type natriuretic peptides also added independent diagnostic information above traditional measures for HF. PROGNOSIS: Both BNP and NT-proBNP were found to be independent predictors of mortality and other cardiac composite endpoints in patients with risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) (risk estimate range = 1.10 to 5.40), diagnosed CAD (risk estimate range = 1.50 to 3.00), and diagnosed HF patients (risk estimate range = 2.11 to 9.35). With respect to screening, the AUC values (range = 0.57 to 0.88) suggested poor performance. Monitoring Treatment: Studies showed therapy reduced BNP and NT-proBNP, however, relationship to outcome was limited and not consistent. CONCLUSIONS: Determinants: The importance of the identified determinants for clinical use is not clear. DIAGNOSIS: In all settings both BNP and NT-proBNP show good diagnostic properties as a rule out test for HF. PROGNOSIS: BNP and NT-proBNP are consistent independent predictors of mortality and other cardiac composite endpoints for populations with risk of CAD, diagnosed CAD, and diagnosed HF. There is insufficient evidence to determine the value of B-type natriuretic peptides for screening of HF. Monitoring Treatment: There is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that BNP and NT-proBNP levels show change in response to therapies to manage stable chronic HF patients. PMID- 17764211 TI - Tobacco use: prevention, cessation, and control. AB - OBJECTIVES: The RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center (RTI-UNC EPC) systematically reviewed the evidence on (a) the effectiveness of community- and population-based interventions to prevent tobacco use and to increase consumer demand for and implementation of effective cessation interventions; (b) the impacts of smokeless tobacco marketing on smoking, use of those products, and population harm; and (c) the directions for future research. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Applied Health (CINAHL), Cochrane libraries, Cochrane Clinical Trials Register, Psychological Abstracts, and Sociological Abstracts from January 1980 through June 10, 2005. We included English-language randomized controlled trials, other trials, and observational studies, with sample size and follow-up restrictions. We used 13 Cochrane Collaboration systematic reviews, 5 prior systematic reviews, and 2 meta-analyses as the foundation for this report. REVIEW METHODS: Trained reviewers abstracted detailed data from included articles into evidence tables and completed quality assessments; other senior reviewers confirmed accuracy and resolved disagreements. RESULTS: We identified 1,288 unique abstracts; 642 did not meet inclusion criteria, 156 overlapped with prior reviews, and 2 were not published articles. Of 488 full-text articles retrieved and reviewed, we excluded 298 for several reasons, marked 88 as background, and retained 102. Evidence (consistent with previous reviews) showed that (a) school based prevention interventions have short-term (but not long-term) effects on adolescents; (b) multicomponent approaches, including telephone counseling, increase the number of users who attempt to quit; (c) self-help strategies alone are ineffective, but counseling and pharmacotherapy used either alone or in combination can improve success rates of quit attempts; and (d) provider training and academic detailing improve provider delivery of cessation treatments, but evidence is insufficient to show that these approaches yield higher quit rates. New evidence was insufficient to address the following: (a) effectiveness of population-based prevention interventions; (b) effectiveness of provider-based interventions to reduce tobacco initiation; (c) effectiveness of community- and provider-based interventions to increase use of proven cessation strategies; (d) effectiveness of marketing campaigns to switch tobacco users from smoking to smokeless tobacco products; and (e) effectiveness of interventions in populations with comorbidities and risk behaviors (e.g., depression, substance and alcohol abuse). No evidence was available on the way in which smokeless tobacco product marketing affects population harm. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence base has notable gaps and numerous study deficiencies. We found little information to address some of the issues that previous authoritative reviews had not covered, some information to substantiate earlier conclusions and recommendations from those reviews, and no evidence that would overturn any previous recommendations. PMID- 17764212 TI - The effectiveness of different methods of toilet training for bowel and bladder control. AB - OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this report are to determine the following: (1) the effectiveness of the toilet training methods, (2) which factors modify the effectiveness of toilet training, (3) if the toilet training methods are risk factor for adverse outcomes, and (4) the optimal toilet training method for achieving bowel and bladder control among patients with special needs. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid OLDMEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, EBM Reviews, HealthSTAR, AMED, Web of Science, Biological Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, OCLC ProceedingsFirst, OCLC PapersFirst, Dissertation Abstracts, Index to Theses, National Research Register's Projects Database, and trials registers. REVIEW METHODS: Two reviewers assessed the studies for inclusion. Studies were included if they met the following criteria: STUDY DESIGN: RCT, CCT, prospective or retrospective cohort, case-control, cross sectional or case-series; POPULATION: infants, toddlers, or children with or without co-morbidities, neuromuscular, cognitive, or behavioral handicaps disabilities; INTERVENTION: at least one toilet training method; and OUTCOME: bladder and/or bowel control, successes, failures, adverse outcomes. Methodological quality was assessed independently by two reviewers. Data were extracted by one reviewer and a second checked for accuracy and completeness. Due to substantial heterogeneity, meta-analysis was not possible. RESULTS: Twenty-six observational studies and eight controlled trials were included. Approximately half of the studies examined healthy children while the remaining studies assessed toilet training of mentally or physically handicapped children. For healthy children, the Azrin and Foxx method performed better than the Spock method, while child-oriented combined with negative term avoidance proved better than without. For mentally handicapped children, individual training was superior to group methods; relaxation techniques proved more efficacious than standard methods; operant conditioning was better than conventional treatment, and the Azrin and Foxx and a behavior modification method fared better than no training. The child-oriented approach was not assessed among mentally handicapped children. For children with Hirschsprung's disease or anal atresia, a multi-disciplinary behavior treatment was more efficacious than no treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Both the Azrin and Foxx method and the child-oriented approach resulted in quick, successful toilet training, but there was limited information about the sustainability of the training. The two methods were not directly compared, thus it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions regarding the superiority of one method over the other. In general, both programs may be used to teach toilet training to healthy children. The Azrin and Foxx method and operant conditioning methods were consistently effective for toilet training mentally handicapped children. Programs that were adapted to physically handicapped children also resulted in successful toilet training. A lack of data precluded conclusions regarding the development of adverse outcomes. PMID- 17764213 TI - Comparison of endovascular and open surgical repairs for abdominal aortic aneurysm. AB - OBJECTIVES: Evaluate treatment options for nonruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA); the relationship of hospital and physician volume to outcomes for endovascular repair (EVAR); affect of patient and AAA factors on outcomes; cost benefits of treatments. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Cochrane Library, FDA, and other electronic websites until May 2006. Reference lists and content experts were used to identify additional reports. REVIEW METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) of open surgical repair (OSR), EVAR, or active surveillance, systematic reviews, nonrandomized U.S. trials, and national registries were used to assess clinical outcomes. Volume-outcome articles published after 2000 were reviewed if they reported the relationship between U.S. hospital or physician volume and outcomes, were population-based, and the analysis was adjusted for risk factors. Cost studies included at least 50 EVAR and provided data on costs or charges, and cost-effectiveness analyses. RESULTS: Initial or attained diameter is the strongest known predictor of rupture. The annual risk of rupture is below 1 percent for AAA <5.5 cm in diameter. Among medically ill patients unfit for OSR with AAA >/=5.5 cm, the risk of rupture may be as high as 10 percent per year. Early/immediate OSR of AAA <5.5 cm (two trials n=2,226) did not reduce all-cause mortality compared with surveillance and delayed OSR. Results did not differ according to age, gender, baseline AAA diameter or creatinine concentration. Two RCT with followup of at least 2 years compared EVAR to OSR for AAA >/=5.5 cm. EVAR reduced postoperative 30-day mortality compared to OSR (1.6 percent EVAR vs. 4.7 percent OSR, RR = 0.34 [0.17 to 0.65]). Early reduction in all-cause mortality with EVAR disappeared before 2 years. Post-operative complications and reinterventions were higher with EVAR. Quality of life differences were small and disappeared after 3-6 months. One RCT of patients with AAA >/=5.5 cm judged medically unfit for OSR (n=338), reported no difference in all-cause mortality or AAA mortality between EVAR and no intervention (HR = 1.21; 95 percent CI 0.87 to 1.69). Forty-eight nonrandomized reports evaluated EVAR. Patient, AAA characteristics, and outcomes were similar to RCT comparing EVAR to OSR. A volume outcome relationship has been shown for OSR, but there are no data adequate to estimate the effect of hospital or physician volume on EVAR outcomes or to identify a volume threshold for policymakers. Immediate OSR for AAA <5.5 cm costs more and does not improve long-term survival compared to active surveillance and delayed OSR. The cost effectiveness of EVAR relative to OSR is difficult to determine. However, compared to OSR for AAA >/=5.5 cm, EVAR has greater in hospital costs primarily due to the cost of the prosthesis. EVAR has shorter length of stay, lower 30-day morbidity and mortality but does not improve quality of life beyond 3 months or survival beyond 2 years, and is associated with complications, need for reintervention, long-term monitoring, and higher long term costs. Compared to no intervention in patients medically unfit for OSR, EVAR costs more and does not improve survival or quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: For AAA <5.5 cm in diameter, active surveillance with delayed OSR results in equivalent mortality but lesser morbidity and operative costs due to fewer interventions compared to immediate OSR. For AAA >/=5.5 cm, EVAR has not been shown to improve long-term survival or health status over OSR though peri-operative outcomes are improved. EVAR does not improve survival in patients who are medically unfit for OSR. EVAR is associated with more complications, need for reintervention, monitoring, and costs compared to OSR or no intervention. U.S. RCT are needed using approved EVAR devices to evaluate patient outcomes. PMID- 17764214 TI - Breastfeeding and maternal and infant health outcomes in developed countries. AB - OBJECTIVES: We reviewed the evidence on the effects of breastfeeding on short- and long-term infant and maternal health outcomes in developed countries. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE(R), CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library in November of 2005. Supplemental searches on selected outcomes were searched through May of 2006. We also identified additional studies in bibliographies of selected reviews and by suggestions from technical experts. REVIEW METHODS: We included systematic reviews/meta-analyses, randomized and non-randomized comparative trials, prospective cohort, and case-control studies on the effects of breastfeeding and relevant outcomes published in the English language. Included studies must have a comparative arm of formula feeding or different durations of breastfeeding. Only studies conducted in developed countries were included in the updates of previous systematic reviews. The studies were graded for methodological quality. RESULTS: We screened over 9,000 abstracts. Forty-three primary studies on infant health outcomes, 43 primary studies on maternal health outcomes, and 29 systematic reviews or meta-analyses that covered approximately 400 individual studies were included in this review. We found that a history of breastfeeding was associated with a reduction in the risk of acute otitis media, non-specific gastroenteritis, severe lower respiratory tract infections, atopic dermatitis, asthma (young children), obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes, childhood leukemia, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and necrotizing enterocolitis. There was no relationship between breastfeeding in term infants and cognitive performance. The relationship between breastfeeding and cardiovascular diseases was unclear. Similarly, it was also unclear concerning the relationship between breastfeeding and infant mortality in developed countries. For maternal outcomes, a history of lactation was associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, breast, and ovarian cancer. Early cessation of breastfeeding or not breastfeeding was associated with an increased risk of maternal postpartum depression. There was no relationship between a history of lactation and the risk of osteoporosis. The effect of breastfeeding in mothers on return-to-pre-pregnancy weight was negligible, and the effect of breastfeeding on postpartum weight loss was unclear. CONCLUSIONS: A history of breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of many diseases in infants and mothers from developed countries. Because almost all the data in this review were gathered from observational studies, one should not infer causality based on these findings. Also, there is a wide range of quality of the body of evidence across different health outcomes. For future studies, clear subject selection criteria and definition of "exclusive breastfeeding," reliable collection of feeding data, controlling for important confounders including child specific factors, and blinded assessment of the outcome measures will help. Sibling analysis provides a method to control for hereditary and household factors that are important in certain outcomes. In addition, cluster randomized controlled studies on the effectiveness of various breastfeeding promotion interventions will provide further opportunity to investigate any disparity in health outcomes as a result of the intervention. PMID- 17764215 TI - Cancer care quality measures: diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer. AB - OBJECTIVES: To identify measures that are currently available to assess the quality of care provided to patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), and to assess the extent to which these measures have been developed and tested. DATA SOURCES: Published and unpublished measures identified through a computerized search of English-language citations in MEDLINE (1966-January 2005), the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the National Guideline Clearinghouse; through review of reference lists contained in seed articles, all included articles, and relevant review articles; and through searches of the grey literature (institutional or government reports, professional society documents, research papers, and other literature, in print or electronic format, not controlled by commercial publishing interests). Sources for grey literature included professional organization websites and the Internet. REVIEW METHODS: Measures were selected by reviewers according to standardized criteria relating to each question, and were then rated according to their importance and usability, scientific acceptability, and extent of testing; each domain was rated from 1 (poor) to 5 (ideal). RESULTS: We identified a number of well-developed and well tested CRC-related quality-of-care measures, both general process-of-care measures (on a broader scale) and technical measures (pertaining to specific details of a procedure). At least some process measures are available for diagnostic imaging, staging, surgical therapy, adjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant radiation therapy, and colonoscopic surveillance. Various technical measures were identified for quality of colonoscopy (e.g., cecal intubation rate, complications) and staging (adequate lymph node retrieval and evaluation). These technical measures were guideline-based and well developed, but less well tested, and the linkage between them and patient outcomes, although intuitive, was not always explicitly provided. For some elements of the care pathway, such as operative reports and chemotherapy reports, no technical measures were found. CONCLUSIONS: Some general process measures have a stronger evidence base than others. Those based on guidelines have the strongest evidence base; those derived from basic first principles supported by some research findings are relatively weaker, but are often sufficient for the task at hand. A consistent source of tension is the distinction between the clinically derived fine-tuning of the definition of a quality measure and the limitations of available data sources (which often do not contain sufficient information to act on such distinctions). Although some excellent technical measures were found, the overall development of technical measures seems less advanced than that of the general process measures. PMID- 17764216 TI - Cancer care quality measures: symptoms and end-of-life care. AB - OBJECTIVES: To systematically identify quality measures and the evidence for them to support quality assessment and improvement in the palliative care of patients with cancer in the areas of pain, dyspnea, depression, and advance care planning (ACP), and to identify important gaps in related research. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO in English 1995-2005. We also conducted an extensive Internet search of professional organizations seeking guidelines and other grey literature (i.e., not published in peer-reviewed journals) using similar terms and attempted to contact all measure developers. REVIEW METHODS: We searched using terms for each domain for patients (adults and children) with a cancer diagnosis throughout the continuum of care (e.g., diagnosis to death). Pain and depression searches were limited to cancer, but we searched broadly for dyspnea and ACP, because the evidence base for dyspnea is more limited and experts advised that ACP measures would be generalizable to cancer. Measures were included if they expressed a normative relationship to quality and included a measurable numerator and denominator. Citations and articles were each reviewed/abstracted by two of six palliative care researcher/clinicians who described populations, testing, and attributes for each measure. RESULTS: The literature search identified 5,187 titles, of which 4,650 were excluded at abstract review. Of 537 articles, only 25 contained measures: 21 on ACP, 4 on depression, 2 on dyspnea, and 12 on pain. Ten relevant measure sets were identified: ACOVE, QA Tools, Cancer Care Ontario, Cancer Care Nova Scotia, Dana Farber, Georgia Cancer Coalition, University Health Consortium, NHPCO, VHA, and ASCO. We identified a total of 40 operationalized and 19 non-operationalized measures. The most measures were available for pain (12) and ACP (21), compared with only 4 for depression and 2 for dyspnea. Few of the measures were published, and few had been specifically tested in a cancer population. CONCLUSIONS: A large number of measures are available for addressing palliative cancer care, but testing them in relevant populations is urgently needed. No measures or indicators were available to evaluate the quality of supportive pediatric cancer care. Basic research is urgently needed to address measurement in populations with impaired self-report. Funding field testing of highest quality measures should be an urgent patient and family-centered priority to meet the needs of patients with cancer. PMID- 17764217 TI - Effectiveness of continuing medical education. AB - OBJECTIVES: Despite the broad range of continuing medical education (CME) offerings aimed at educating practicing physicians through the provision of up-to date clinical information, physicians commonly overuse, under-use, and misuse therapeutic and diagnostic interventions. It has been suggested that the ineffective nature of CME either accounts for the discrepancy between evidence and practice or at a minimum contributes to this gap. Understanding what CME tools and techniques are most effective in disseminating and retaining medical knowledge is critical to improving CME and thus diminishing the gap between evidence and practice. The purpose of this review was to comprehensively and systematically synthesize evidence regarding the effectiveness of CME and differing instructional designs in terms of knowledge, attitudes, skills, practice behavior, and clinical practice outcomes. REVIEW METHODS: We formulated specific questions with input from external experts and representatives of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) which nominated this topic. We systematically searched the literature using specific eligibility criteria, hand searching of selected journals, and electronic databases including: MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Cochrane Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), PsycINFO, and the Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC). Two independent reviewers conducted title scans, abstract reviews, and then full article reviews to identify eligible articles. Each eligible article underwent double review for data abstraction and assessment of study quality. RESULTS: Of the 68,000 citations identified by literature searching, 136 articles and 9 systematic reviews ultimately met our eligibility criteria. The overall quality of the literature was low and consequently firm conclusions were not possible. Despite this, the literature overall supported the concept that CME was effective, at least to some degree, in achieving and maintaining the objectives studied, including knowledge (22 of 28 studies), attitudes (22 of 26), skills (12 of 15), practice behavior (61 of 105), and clinical practice outcomes (14 of 33). Common themes included that live media was more effective than print, multimedia was more effective than single media interventions, and multiple exposures were more effective than a single exposure. The number of articles that addressed internal and/or external characteristics of CME activities was too small and the studies too heterogeneous to determine if any of these are crucial for CME success. Evidence was limited on the reliability and validity of the tools that have been used to assess CME effectiveness. Based on previous reviews, the evidence indicates that simulation methods in medical education are effective in the dissemination of psychomotor and procedural skills. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the low quality of the evidence, CME appears to be effective at the acquisition and retention of knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviors and clinical outcomes. More research is needed to determine with any degree of certainty which types of media, techniques, and exposure volumes as well as what internal and external audience characteristics are associated with improvements in outcomes. PMID- 17764218 TI - Cardiac resynchronization therapy and implantable cardiac defibrillators in left ventricular systolic dysfunction. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and/or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). DATA SOURCES: A systematic and comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating efficacy and observational studies evaluating effectiveness or safety of CRT and/or ICD in patients with LVSD. REVIEW METHODS: Study selection, quality assessment, and data extraction were completed by several investigators in duplicate and independently. Random-effects models were used for analyses. RESULTS: From 11,340 citations, we identified 14 RCTs (4,420 patients) for the CRT efficacy review, 106 studies (9,209 patients) for the CRT effectiveness review, 89 studies (9,677 patients) for the CRT safety review, 12 RCTs (8,516 patients) for the ICD efficacy review, 48 studies (15,097 patients) for the ICD effectiveness review, and 49 studies (12,592 patients) for the ICD safety review-all studies enrolled only patients with LVSD. An additional 12 studies (68,848 patients) were included for an analysis of peri-implant outcomes for all patients with ICD (i.e., not only LVSD patients). All patients in the CRT studies had LVSD (mean LVEF from 21 to 30 percent) and prolonged QRS duration (mean from 155 to 209 msec), and 91 percent had New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV symptoms. In patients with LVSD and heart failure symptoms, CRT improved ejection fraction (weighted mean difference 3.0 percent [95% CI, 0.9 to 5.1]), quality of life (weighted mean reduction in Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire 8.0 points [95% CI, 5.6 to 10.4 points]), and function (59 percent of CRT recipients vs. 37 percent of controls improved by at least one NYHA class in the RCTs and between 63 percent and 82 percent of CRT recipients improved by at least one NYHA class in observational studies). The proportion of patients hospitalized for HF was reduced by 37 percent (95% CI, 7 to 57 percent) and all-cause mortality was reduced by 22 percent (95% CI, 9 to 33 percent; NNT=29 over 6 months). Implant success rate was 93 percent, 0.3 percent of patients with LVSD died during implantation. Over a median 11-month followup, 6.6 percent of CRT devices exhibited lead problems and 5 percent malfunctioned. In patients with LVSD, ICD reduced all-cause mortality by 20 percent (95% CI, 10 to 29 percent; NNT=20 over 35 months). ICD implant success rate was 99 percent and peri-implant deaths occurred in 1.2 percent of LVSD patients and 1.3 percent of all implantees. The frequency of post-implantation complications in LVSD patients per 100 patient years included 1.4 (95% CI, 1.2 to 1.6) device malfunctions, 1.5 (95% CI, 1.3 to 1.8) lead problems, 0.6 (95% CI, 0.5 to 0.8) implant site infections, and 19.1 (95% CI, 16.5 to 22.0) inappropriate discharges in RCT participants and 4.7 (95% CI, 4.3 to 5.1) inappropriate discharges in patients enrolled in observational studies. CONCLUSIONS: ICD and CRT reduce all-cause mortality in patients with LVSD meeting RCT entry criteria. The incremental benefit of CRT plus ICD over CRT alone in patients with LVSD remains uncertain. None of the trials reported differences in the efficacy of CRT or ICD across patient subgroups, nor did our meta-regression detect any subgroup effects; however, subgroup analyses and meta regression using aggregate trial data are post-hoc analyses and were underpowered to detect such effects. Examination of individual patient trial data is urgently needed to define which clinical subgroups are most likely to benefit from these devices. PMID- 17764219 TI - The uses of heparin to treat burn injury. AB - OBJECTIVES: To assess the evidence for using heparin in the treatment of burn injury or the complications of burn injury in adults and children. DATA SOURCES: The following databases were searched: MEDLINE (1966-current), EMBASE (1980 current), Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health (CINAHL) (1982-current), The Cochrane Central Database of Controlled Trials (1995-current), Web of Science (1976-current), and BIOSIS (1976-current). Additional data sources included the U.S. and European Patent Offices, technical experts, the partner organization, and reference lists. REVIEW METHODS: Studies identified from the data sources went through two levels of title and abstract screening. Passing studies advanced to full text screening. Studies that met the full text screening criteria were abstracted. Criteria for abstraction included publication in any language, human patients of any age, and burns of any type, grade, or total body surface area. All formulations of heparin, and all application methods (e.g., topical, subcutaneous), were eligible for inclusion in the report. Abstracted studies required a comparison group. Outcomes of interest included mortality, pain, length of stay in hospital, thrombosis and emboli, psychiatric adjustment, and adverse effects (e.g., bleeding). RESULTS: Nineteen articles from 18 unique studies were abstracted and included in this report. In these articles, there were multiple uses of heparin to treat burns (e.g., wound healing, inhalation injury, sepsis, pain). However, the overall quality of the articles was weak. Examples of weakness included unclear or inappropriate treatment allocation, no blinding, no control of confounding, poorly defined burn characteristics (e.g., thickness), unclear duration of treatment, incomplete description of heparin treatment, and use of inadequately described or invalid outcome measures. Overall, the evidence from these weak articles was insufficient to determine whether the effectiveness of heparin to treat burn injury was different from the effectiveness of other treatments, or whether treatment effectiveness varied according to (a) the method of applying heparin to (b) burn etiology. Four studies mentioned contraindications to using heparin to treat burns. These contraindications were bleeding diathesis, bleeding history, active bleeding or associated trauma with potential bleeding, active intestinal ulcer, thrombocytopenia, liver disease, renal disorders, or allergy to heparin. CONCLUSIONS: There is no strong evidence in the 19 abstracted articles to suggest that heparin should be used in the treatment of burn injury on account of its non anticoagulant properties. PMID- 17764220 TI - Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer: diagnostic strategies and their implications. AB - OBJECTIVES: Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) has been defined clinically and genetically. The disorder has traditionally been recognized in kindreds with a clustering of related cancers in association with mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes. HNPCC is associated with a substantially increased risk for several forms of malignancy but particularly colorectal and endometrial cancer. There were three main objectives of this report: (1) to assess the sensitivity, specificity, and reliability of laboratory and genetic tests commonly used in evaluating patients for HNPCC (analytic validity); (2) to summarize the accuracy of commonly used clinical and laboratory characteristics for predicting the presence of HNPCC in patients with colorectal cancer (clinical validity) and use these estimates to describe the efficiency of various strategies for identifying patients with a mismatch repair mutation; (3) to describe the benefits and harms related to screening and testing patients with colorectal cancer and their family members for HNPCC. DATA SOURCES: Published literature identified through an electronic search (through April 2006), review of relevant bibliographies, and suggestions from technical experts. REVIEW METHODS: We evaluated studies critically and summarized the data qualitatively or by meta-analysis when studies used similar methodology and endpoints. We used decision trees to describe the efficiency of various strategies for identifying patients with HNPCC from a hypothetical population of patients with colorectal cancer. RESULTS: We included a total of 104 studies of which 40 addressed issues related to clinical validity, 3 to analytic validity, and 61 to benefits and harms. We identified only three studies on analytic validity and thus there exists a major gap in the published literature with regard to the accuracy and reliability of specific tests used in the evaluation of HNPCC. Among unselected patients with colorectal cancer who fulfilled the Amsterdam I criteria, 44% (95% CI: 35, 52%) carried pathogenic mismatch repair mutations (mainly in the MLH1 and MSH2 genes). The proportion was somewhat higher (51% [95% CI: 35, 66%]) among studies that performed sequencing on all available samples. The prevalence of MMR mutation carriers may be higher when genetic testing includes evaluation for large genomic deletions/rearrangements and when testing is also performed on MSH6 and PMS2. Approximately 71% (95% CI 63, 78%) of colorectal cancers from patients who fulfilled the Amsterdam I criteria demonstrated microsatellite instability while 40% (95% CI: 28, 53%) demonstrated loss of protein expression by immunohistochemistry. Of nine clinical strategies considered for detecting the presence of mismatch repair mutations in patients with colorectal cancer, the combination of three clinical predictors (age less than 50 years old at diagnosis; or a history of colorectal or endometrial cancer in a first degree family member; or the presence of multiple, synchronous or metachronous colorectal or endometrial cancers in the proband) combined with either immunohistochemistry (IHC) or MSI testing of tumor tissue identified a similar number of patients with mismatch repair mutations as other more complex strategies. There was little published information regarding potential harms associated with screening individuals with HNPCC-related cancers using clinical criteria (e.g. the Amsterdam criteria), MSI or IHC testing. Limited data suggested that testing probands for MMR mutations was not associated with severe psychological impact following formal counseling. Pre-test genetic counseling had good efficacy in improving knowledge about HNPCC and resulted in a high likelihood of proceeding with genetic testing, satisfaction in the decision to undergo genetic testing, and decreasing depression and distress levels among family members of HNPCC probands with cancer and among asymptomatic individuals from HNPCC families. Identification of HNPCC mutations was associated with an increase in the likelihood that family members of probands with CRC would undergo cancer-screening procedures. HNPCC family members who underwent cancer-screening procedures had a lower risk of developing HNPCC-related cancers and lower mortality rates than those who did not take actions. However, all of the relevant studies suggesting these benefits had important limitations. Survival was increased among asymptomatic HNPCC family members who received colonoscopy screening, regardless of their mutation status. There was limited direct evidence related to harms of the cancer-screening procedures in family members of probands with HNPCC. However, complication rates associated with these procedures in other settings are probably similar. CONCLUSIONS: This report characterizes the accuracy of clinical and laboratory predictors of MMR mutations that can be used to identify patients with an increased risk of having MMR mutations. However, the sensitivity, specificity, and reliability of the tests used to evaluate individuals for suspected HNPCC is not known confidently. Data regarding the net benefits and harms associated with predictive genetic testing in patients with HNPCC-related cancers and their families members is incomplete but suggest that such testing improves compliance with screening procedures. At-risk family members who undergo screening colonoscopy have a reduced risk of developing HNPCC related cancers and lower mortality. However, all studies supporting these benefits had important limitations. PMID- 17764222 TI - Model for cage formation in colloidal suspension of laponite. AB - In this paper we investigate glass transition in aqueous suspension of synthetic hectorite clay, laponite. We believe that upon dispersing laponite clay in water, the system comprises of clusters (agglomerates) of laponite dispersed in the same. Subsequent osmotic swelling of these clusters leads to an increase in their volume fraction. We propose that this phenomenon is responsible for slowing down of the overall dynamics of the system. As clusters fill up the space, the system undergoes glass transition. Along with the mode coupling theory, the proposed mechanism rightly captures various characteristic features of the system in the ergodic regime as it approaches glass transition. PMID- 17764221 TI - Mode-specific tunneling dynamics in the ground electronic state of tropolone. AB - The mode specificity of proton-transfer dynamics in the ground electronic state (X (1)A(1)) of tropolone has been explored at near-rotational resolution by implementing a fully coherent variant of stimulated emission pumping within the framework of two-color resonant four-wave mixing spectroscopy. Three low-lying (E(vib) approximately 550-750 cm(-1)) vibrational features, assigned to nu(30)(a(1)), nu(32)(b(2)), and nu(31)nu(38)(a(1)), have been interrogated under ambient, bulk-gas conditions, with term energies determined for the symmetric and antisymmetric (tunneling) components of each enabling the attendant tunneling induced bifurcations of 1.070(9), 0.61(3), and 0.07(2) cm(-1) to be extracted. The dependence of tunneling rate (or hydron migration efficiency) on vibrational motion is discussed in terms of corresponding atomic displacements and permutation-inversion symmetries for the tropolone skeleton. PMID- 17764223 TI - On the calculation of Mossbauer isomer shift. AB - A quantum chemical computational scheme for the calculation of isomer shift in Mossbauer spectroscopy is suggested. Within the described scheme, the isomer shift is treated as a derivative of the total electronic energy with respect to the radius of a finite nucleus. The explicit use of a finite nucleus model in the calculations enables one to incorporate straightforwardly the effects of relativity and electron correlation. The results of benchmark calculations carried out for several iron complexes as well as for a number of atoms and atomic ions are presented and compared with the available experimental and theoretical data. PMID- 17764224 TI - Vibrational energy levels with arbitrary potentials using the Eckart-Watson Hamiltonians and the discrete variable representation. AB - An effective and general algorithm is suggested for variational vibrational calculations of N-atomic molecules using orthogonal, rectilinear internal coordinates. The protocol has three essential parts. First, it advocates the use of the Eckart-Watson Hamiltonians of nonlinear or linear reference configuration. Second, with the help of an exact expression of curvilinear internal coordinates (e.g., valence coordinates) in terms of orthogonal, rectilinear internal coordinates (e.g., normal coordinates), any high-accuracy potential or force field expressed in curvilinear internal coordinates can be used in the calculations. Third, the matrix representation of the appropriate Eckart-Watson Hamiltonian is constructed in a discrete variable representation, in which the matrix of the potential energy operator is always diagonal, whatever complicated form the potential function assumes, and the matrix of the kinetic energy operator is a sparse matrix of special structure. Details of the suggested algorithm as well as results obtained for linear and nonlinear test cases including H(2)O, H(3) (+), CO(2), HCNHNC, and CH(4) are presented. PMID- 17764225 TI - Assessment of time-dependent density functional schemes for computing the oscillator strengths of benzene, phenol, aniline, and fluorobenzene. AB - In present study the relevance of using the time-dependent density functional theory (DFT) within the adiabatic approximation for computing oscillator strengths (f) is assessed using different LDA, GGA, and hybrid exchange correlation (XC) functionals. In particular, we focus on the lowest-energy valence excitations, dominating the UV/visible absorption spectra and originating from benzenelike HOMO(pi)-->LUMO(pi(*)) transitions, of several aromatic molecules: benzene, phenol, aniline, and fluorobenzene. The TDDFT values are compared to both experimental results obtained from gas phase measurements and to results determined using several ab initio schemes: random phase approximation (RPA), configuration interaction single (CIS), and a series of linear response coupled-cluster calculations, CCS, CC2, and CCSD. In particular, the effect of the amount of Hartree-Fock (HF) exchange in the functional is highlighted, whereas a basis set investigation demonstrates the need of including diffuse functions. So, the hybrid XC functionals--and particularly BHandHLYP--provide f values in good agreement with the highly correlated CCSD scheme while these can be strongly underestimated using pure DFT functionals. These results also display systematic behaviors: (i) larger f and squares of the transition dipole moments (mid R:mumid R:(2)) are associated with larger excitation energies (DeltaE); (ii) these relationships present generally a linear character with R>0.9 in least squares fit procedures; (iii) larger amounts of HF exchange in the XC functional lead to larger f, R:mumid R:(2), as well as DeltaE values; (iv) these increases in f, mid R:mumid R:(2), and DeltaE are related to increased HOMO-LUMO character; and (v) these relationships are, however, not universal since the linear regression parameters (the slopes and the intercepts at the origin) depend on the system under investigation as well as on the nature of the excited state. PMID- 17764226 TI - Semiclassical initial value calculations of the collinear helium atom. AB - Semiclassical calculations using the Herman-Kluk initial value treatment are performed to determine energy eigenvalues of bound and resonance states of the collinear helium atom. Both the eZe configuration (where the classical motion is fully chaotic) and the Zee configuration (where the classical dynamics is nearly integrable) are treated. The classical motion is regularized to remove singularities that occur when the electrons collide with the nucleus. Very good agreement is obtained with quantum energies for bound and resonance states calculated by the complex rotation method. PMID- 17764228 TI - Acceleration of Monte Carlo simulations through spatial updating in the grand canonical ensemble. AB - A new grand canonical Monte Carlo algorithm for continuum fluid models is proposed. The method is based on a generalization of sequential Monte Carlo algorithms for lattice gas systems. The elementary moves, particle insertions and removals, are constructed by analogy with those of a lattice gas. The updating is implemented by selecting points in space (spatial updating) either at random or in a definitive order (sequential). The type of move, insertion or removal, is deduced based on the local environment of the selected points. Results on two dimensional square-well fluids indicate that the sequential version of the proposed algorithm converges faster than standard grand canonical algorithms for continuum fluids. Due to the nature of the updating, additional reduction of simulation time may be achieved by parallel implementation through domain decomposition. PMID- 17764227 TI - Extrapolation of electron correlation energies to finite and complete basis set targets. AB - The electron correlation energy of two-electron atoms is known to converge asymptotically as approximately (L+1)(-3) to the complete basis set limit, where L is the maximum angular momentum quantum number included in the basis set. Numerical evidence has established a similar asymptotic convergence approximately X(-3) with the cardinal number X of correlation-consistent basis sets cc-pVXZ for coupled cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) and second order perturbation theory (MP2) calculations of molecules. The main focus of this article is to probe for deviations from asymptotic convergence behavior for practical values of X by defining a trial function X(-beta) that for an effective exponent beta=beta(eff)(X,X+1,X+N) provides the correct energy E(X+N), when extrapolating from results for two smaller basis sets, E(X) and E(X+1). This analysis is first applied to "model" expansions available from analytical theory, and then to a large body of finite basis set results (X=D,T,Q,5,6) for 105 molecules containing H, C, N, O, and F, complemented by a smaller set of 14 molecules for which accurate complete basis set limits are available from MP2-R12 and CCSD-R12 calculations. beta(eff) is generally found to vary monotonically with the target of extrapolation, X+N, making results for large but finite basis sets a useful addition to the limited number of cases where complete basis set limits are available. Significant differences in effective convergence behavior are observed between MP2 and CCSD (valence) correlation energies, between hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-free molecules, and, for He, between partial-wave expansions and correlation-consistent basis sets. Deviations from asymptotic convergence behavior tend to get smaller as X increases, but not always monotonically, and are still quite noticeable even for X=5. Finally, correlation contributions to atomization energies (rather than total energies) exhibit a much larger variation of effective convergence behavior, and extrapolations from small basis sets are found to be particularly erratic for molecules containing several electronegative atoms. Observed effects are discussed in the light of results known from analytical theory. A carefully calibrated protocol for extrapolations to the complete basis set limit is presented, based on a single "optimal" exponent beta(opt)(X,X+1,infinity) for the entire set of molecules, and compared to similar approaches reported in the literature. PMID- 17764229 TI - Ab initio study of single-molecule rotation switch based on nonequilibrium Green's function theory. AB - The bistable molecular switches have been studied theoretically based on the first-principles calculation. The geometry structures of the switches studied in this paper can be triggered between two symmetrical structures by using an external applied electric field. I-V characteristic curves of the different molecule configurations have been calculated, and distinguishability of these characteristic curves indicates a switching behavior, the performance of which can be improved significantly by some suitable donors and acceptors. PMID- 17764230 TI - Evaluation of electronic correlation contributions for optical tensors of large systems using the incremental scheme. AB - A new method is developed to calculate the optical tensors of large systems based on available wave function correlation approaches (e.g., the coupled cluster ansatz) in the framework of the incremental scheme. The convergence behaviors of static first- and second-order polarizabilities with respect to the order of the incremental expansion are examined and discussed for the model system Ga(4)As(4)H(18). The many-body increments of optical tensors originate from the dipole-dipole coupling effects and the corresponding contributions to the incremental expansion are compared among local domains with different distances and orientations. The weight factors for increments of optical tensors are found to be tensorial in accordance with the structural symmetry as well as the polarization and the external electric field directions. The long-term goal of the proposed approach is to incorporate the sophisticated molecular correlation methods into the accurate wave function calculation of optical properties of large compounds or even crystals. PMID- 17764231 TI - Targeted excited state algorithms. AB - To overcome the limitations of the traditional state-averaging approaches in excited state calculations, where one solves and represents all states between the ground state and excited state of interest, we have investigated a number of new excited state algorithms. Building on the work of van der Vorst and Sleijpen [SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 17, 401 (1996)], we have implemented harmonic Davidson and state-averaged harmonic Davidson algorithms within the context of the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG). We have assessed their accuracy and stability of convergence in complete-active-space DMRG calculations on the low-lying excited states in the acenes ranging from naphthalene to pentacene. We find that both algorithms offer increased accuracy over the traditional state averaged Davidson approach, and, in particular, the state-averaged harmonic Davidson algorithm offers an optimal combination of accuracy and stability in convergence. PMID- 17764232 TI - Tensor product approximation with optimal rank in quantum chemistry. AB - Tensor product decompositions with optimal separation rank provide an interesting alternative to traditional Gaussian-type basis functions in electronic structure calculations. We discuss various applications for a new compression algorithm, based on the Newton method, which provides for a given tensor the optimal tensor product or so-called best separable approximation for fixed Kronecker rank. In combination with a stable quadrature scheme for the Coulomb interaction, tensor product formats enable an efficient evaluation of Coulomb integrals. This is demonstrated by means of best separable approximations for the electron density and Hartree potential of small molecules, where individual components of the tensor product can be efficiently represented in a wavelet basis. We present a fairly detailed numerical analysis, which provides the basis for further improvements of this novel approach. Our results suggest a broad range of applications within density fitting schemes, which have been recently successfully applied in quantum chemistry. PMID- 17764233 TI - Self-consistent field tight-binding model for neutral and (multi-) charged carbon clusters. AB - A semiempirical model for carbon clusters modeling is presented, along with structural and dynamical applications. The model is a tight-binding scheme with additional one- and two-center distance-dependent electrostatic interactions treated self-consistently. This approach, which explicitly accounts for charge relaxation, allows us to treat neutral and (multi-) charged clusters not only at equilibrium but also in dissociative regions. The equilibrium properties, geometries, harmonic spectra, and relative stabilities of the stable isomers of neutral and singly charged clusters in the range n=1-14, for C(20) and C(60), are found to reproduce the results of ab initio calculations. The model is also shown to be successful in describing the stability and fragmentation energies of dictations in the range n=2-10 and allows the determination of their Coulomb barriers, as examplified for the smallest sizes (C(2) (2+),C(3) (2+),C(4) (2+)). We also present time-dependent mean-field and linear response optical spectra for the C(8) and C(60) clusters and discuss their relevance with respect to existing calculations. PMID- 17764234 TI - Phase quantization of chaos in the semiclassical regime. AB - Since the early stage of the study of Hamilton chaos, semiclassical quantization based on the low-order Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin theory, the primitive semiclassical approximation to the Feynman path integrals (or the so-called Van Vleck propagator), and their variants have been suffering from difficulties such as divergence in the correlation function, nonconvergence in the trace formula, and so on. These difficulties have been hampering the progress of quantum chaos, and it is widely recognized that the essential drawback of these semiclassical theories commonly originates from the erroneous feature of the amplitude factors in their applications to classically chaotic systems. This forms a clear contrast to the success of the Einstein-Brillouin-Keller quantization condition for regular (integrable) systems. We show here that energy quantization of chaos in semiclassical regime is, in principle, possible in terms of constructive and destructive interference of phases alone, and the role of the semiclassical amplitude factor is indeed negligibly small, as long as it is not highly oscillatory. To do so, we first sketch the mechanism of semiclassical quantization of energy spectrum with the Fourier analysis of phase interference in a time correlation function, from which the amplitude factor is practically factored out due to its slowly varying nature. In this argument there is no distinction between integrability and nonintegrability of classical dynamics. Then we present numerical evidence that chaos can be indeed quantized by means of amplitude-free quasicorrelation functions and Heller's frozen Gaussian method. This is called phase quantization. Finally, we revisit the work of Yamashita and Takatsuka [Prog. Theor. Phys. Suppl. 161, 56 (2007)] who have shown explicitly that the semiclassical spectrum is quite insensitive to smooth modification (rescaling) of the amplitude factor. At the same time, we note that the phase quantization naturally breaks down when the oscillatory nature of the amplitude factor is comparable to that of the phases. Such a case generally appears when the Planck constant of a large magnitude pushes the dynamics out of the semiclassical regime. PMID- 17764235 TI - Self-consistent effective local potentials. AB - An effective local potential (ELP) is a multiplicative operator whose deviation from a given nonlocal potential has the smallest variance evaluated with a prescribed single-determinant wave function. ELPs are useful in density functional theory as alternatives to optimized effective potentials (OEPs) because they do not require special treatment in finite basis set calculations as OEPs do. We generalize the idea of variance-minimizing potentials by introducing the concept of a self-consistent ELP (SCELP), a local potential whose deviation from its nonlocal counterpart has the smallest variance in terms of its own Kohn Sham orbitals. A semi-analytical method for computing SCELPs is presented. The OEP, ELP, and SCELP techniques are applied to the exact-exchange-only Kohn-Sham problem and are found to produce similar results for many-electron atoms. PMID- 17764236 TI - Semiclassical description of electronically nonadiabatic dynamics via the initial value representation. AB - The initial value representation (IVR) of semiclassical (SC) theory is used in conjunction with the Meyer-Miller/Stock-Thoss description of electronic degrees of freedom in order to treat electronically nonadiabatic processes. It is emphasized that the classical equations of motion for the nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom that emerge in this description are precisely the Ehrenfest equations of motion (the force on the nuclei is the force averaged over the electronic wave function) but that the trajectories given by these equations of motion do not have the usual shortcomings of the traditional Ehrenfest model when they are used within the SC-IVR framework. For example, in the traditional Ehrenfest model (a mixed quantum-classical approach) the nuclear motion emerges from a nonadiabatic encounter on an average potential energy surface (a weighted average according to the population in the various electronic states), while the SC-IVR describes the correct correlation between electronic and nuclear dynamics, i.e., the nuclear motion is on one potential energy surface or the other depending on the electronic state. Calculations using forward-backward versions of SC-IVR theory are presented to illustrate this behavior. An even more approximate version of the SC-IVR, the linearized approximation (LSC-IVR), is slightly better than the traditional Ehrenfest model, but since it cannot describe quantum coherence effects, the LSC-IVR is also not able to describe the correct correlation between nuclear and electronic dynamics. PMID- 17764237 TI - Local control theory applied to molecular photoassociation. AB - Local control theory (LCT) is employed to achieve molecular photoassociation with shaped laser pulses. Within LCT, the control fields are constructed from the response of the system to the perturbation which makes them accessible to a straightforward interpretation. This is shown regarding the ground-state collision of H+F and H+I atoms. Different objectives are defined, which aim at the formation of vibrational cold or hot associated molecules, respectively. Results are presented for s-wave scattering, where the rotational degree of freedom is ignored and also for full scale calculations including rotations, in order to describe more realistic conditions. PMID- 17764238 TI - Cluster algorithm to perform parallel Monte Carlo simulation of atomistic systems. AB - We propose an efficient algorithm to perform Monte Carlo simulations of dense systems using multiple particle moves. The method is intended to be used in the atomistic simulation of complex systems, where the computing requirements for a single simulation run make advisable the use of parallel computing. The algorithm is based on the use of steps in which all the particle positions of the system are perturbed simultaneously. A division of the system in clusters of particles is performed, using a bonding criterion which makes feasible that the acceptance or rejection of the new particle coordinates can be carried out independently for each cluster. PMID- 17764239 TI - Decoupling of the Dirac equation correct to the third order for the magnetic perturbation. AB - A two-component relativistic theory accurately decoupling the positive and negative states of the Dirac Hamiltonian that includes magnetic perturbations is derived. The derived theory eliminates all of the odd terms originating from the nuclear attraction potential V and the first-order odd terms originating from the magnetic vector potential A, which connect the positive states to the negative states. The electronic energy obtained by the decoupling is correct to the third order with respect to A due to the (2n+1) rule. The decoupling is exact for the magnetic shielding calculation. However, the calculation of the diamagnetic property requires both the positive and negative states of the unperturbed (A=0) Hamiltonian. The derived theory is applied to the relativistic calculation of nuclear magnetic shielding tensors of HX (X=F,Cl,Br,I) systems at the Hartree Fock level. The results indicate that such a substantially exact decoupling calculation well reproduces the four-component Dirac-Hartree-Fock results. PMID- 17764240 TI - Variational calculation of static and dynamic vibrational nonlinear optical properties. AB - The vibrational configuration interaction method used to obtain static vibrational (hyper)polarizabilities is extended to dynamic nonlinear optical properties in the infinite optical frequency approximation. Illustrative calculations are carried out on H(2)O and NH(3). The former molecule is weakly anharmonic while the latter contains a strongly anharmonic umbrella mode. The effect on vibrational (hyper)polarizabilities due to various truncations of the potential energy and property surfaces involved in the calculation are examined. PMID- 17764241 TI - Hybrid Hamiltonian replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation method employing the Poisson-Boltzmann model. AB - A hybrid Hamiltonian replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation scheme based on explicit water model hybrided with Poisson-Boltzmann model is brought out. In this method the motions of atoms are governed by potential energy obtained from explicit water model. However, the exchanges between different replicas under different temperatures are controlled by the solvation energies of the solute calculated using the Poisson-Boltzmann model. In order to get the correct canonical ensembles, the van der Waals radii, which are used to define the dielectric boundary, have to be optimized. The conformational spaces of three distinct pentapeptides, Met-enkephalin, alanine 5, and glycine 5, are explored. We find that with the optimized radii the structural ensembles are nearly identical to those obtained by standard replica exchange simulations while the number of replica needed is reduced greatly. PMID- 17764242 TI - High resolution EPR spectroscopy of C(60)F and C(70)F in solid argon: reassignment of C(70)F regioisomers. AB - Free radicals C(60)F and C(70)F were generated in solid argon by means of chemical reaction of photogenerated fluorine atoms with isolated fullerene molecules (C(60) or C(70)). High resolution anisotropic electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of C(60)F and C(70)F at low temperature have been obtained for the first time. The spectrum of C(60)F is characterized by an axially symmetric hyperfine interaction on (19)F nucleus. The hyperfine coupling constants A(iso)=202.8 MHz (Fermi contact interaction) and A(dip)=51.8 MHz (electron-nuclear magnetic-dipole interaction) have been measured for C(60)F in solid argon. Quantum chemical calculations using hybrid density-functional models (either PBE0 or B3LYP) with high-quality basis sets give a theoretical estimate of the hyperfine coupling constants in good agreement with the measurements. The electron spin density distribution in C(60)F is theoretically characterized using the Hirshfeld atomic partitioning scheme. Unlike C(60), five isomers of C(70)F can in principle be produced by the attachment of a fluorine atom to one of the five distinct carbon atoms of the C(70) molecule (denoted A, B, C, D, and E, from pole to equator). The measured high resolution EPR spectrum of the C(70)+F reaction products is interpreted to show the presence of only three regioisomers of C(70)F. Based on the comparison of the measured hyperfine constants with those estimated by the quantum chemical calculation, an assignment of the spectra to the isomers (A, C, and D) is made, which differs strongly from the previous one [J. R. Morton, K. F. Preston, and F. Negri, Chem. Phys. Lett. 221, 59 (1994)]. The new assignment would allow the conclusion that the low-temperature attachment of F atom to the asymmetric C=C bonds of C(70) molecule, namely, C(A)[Double Bond]C(B) and C(D)=C(E), shows remarkably high selectivity, producing only one of the two isomers in each case, A and D, respectively. Theoretical investigation of the reaction mechanism is made, and it shows that the attachment reaction should have no barrier in the gas phase. The thermodynamic equilibration of the C(70)F isomers is excluded by the high activation energy ( approximately 30 kcal/mol) for the F atom shifts. The explanation of the high selectivity presents a challenge for theoretical modeling. PMID- 17764243 TI - Solvent resonance effect on the anisotropy of NO(-)(N(2)O)(n) cluster anion photodetachment. AB - Photodetachment from NO(-)(N(2)O)(n) cluster anions (n< or =7) is investigated using photoelectron imaging at 786, 532, and 355 nm. Compared to unsolvated NO( ), the photoelectron anisotropy with respect to the laser polarization direction diminishes drastically in the presence of the N(2)O solvent, especially in the 355 nm data. In contrast, a less significant anisotropy loss is observed for NO( )(H(2)O)(n). The effect is attributed to photoelectron scattering on the solvent, which in the N(2)O case is mediated by the (2)Pi anionic resonance. No anionic resonances exist for H(2)O in the applicable photoelectron energy range, in line with the observed difference between the photoelectron images obtained with the two solvents. The momentum-transfer cross section, rather than the total scattering cross section, is argued to be an appropriate physical parameter predicting the solvent effects on the photoelectron angular distributions in these cluster anions. PMID- 17764244 TI - Interaction potential and transport properties of NeO(+). AB - The results of both experimental and theoretical studies of the mobility of O(+) in Ne are reported. Errors in the experiments have been carefully assessed, allowing the obtained data to serve as stringent tests of the ab initio potentials. These potentials were calculated using the RCCSD(T) method, employing basis sets of quintuple-zeta quality. Curves were calculated for the lowest (4)Sigma(-) state [arising from O(+)((4)S) interacting with Ne] and for the (2)Pi state [arising from O(+)((2)D) interacting with Ne]. Then, the effects of spin orbit coupling were incorporated by using the Breit-Pauli operator. The resulting ground state (Omega=32) of NeO(+) gives mobility values in good agreement with experiment at all field strengths. Values of spectroscopic quantities for the ground electronic state of NeO(+) are also presented. PMID- 17764245 TI - Photodissociation dynamics of OCS at 248 nm: the S((1)D(2)) atomic angular momentum polarization. AB - The dissociation of OCS has been investigated subsequent to excitation at 248 nm. Speed distributions, speed dependent translational anisotropy parameters, angular momentum alignment, and orientation are reported for the channel leading to S((1)D(2)). In agreement with previous experiments, two product speed regimes have been identified, correlating with differing degrees of rotational excitation in the CO coproducts. The velocity dependence of the translational anisotropy is also shown to be in agreement with previous work. However, contrary to previous interpretations, the speed dependence is shown to primarily reflect the effects of nonaxial recoil and to be consistent with predominant excitation to the 2 (1)A(') electronic state. It is proposed that the associated electronic transition moment is polarized in the molecular plane, at an angle greater than approximately 60 degrees to the initial linear OCS axis. The atomic angular momentum polarization data are interpreted in terms of a simple long-range interaction model to help identify likely surfaces populated during dissociation. Although the model neglects coherence between surfaces, the polarization data are shown to be consistent with the proposed dissociation mechanisms for the two product speed regimes. Large values for the low and high rank in-plane orientation parameters are reported. These are believed to be the first example of a polyatomic system where these effects are found to be of the same order of magnitude as the angular momentum alignment. PMID- 17764246 TI - The photodissociation dynamics of OCS at 248 nm: the S((3)P(J)) atomic angular momentum polarization. AB - The dissociation of OCS has been investigated subsequent to excitation at 248 nm using velocity map ion imaging. Speed distributions, speed dependent translational anisotropy parameters, and the atomic angular momentum orientation and alignment are reported for the channel leading to S((3)P(J)). The speed distributions and beta parameters are in broad agreement with previous work and show behavior that is highly sensitive to the S-atom spin-orbit state. The data are shown to be consistent with the operation of at least two triplet production mechanisms. Interpretation of the angular momentum polarization data in terms of an adiabatic picture has been used to help identify a likely dissociation pathway for the majority of the S((3)P(J)) products, which strongly favors production of J=2 fragment atoms, correlated, it is proposed, with rotationally hot and vibrationally cold CO cofragments. For these fragments, optical excitation to the 2 (1)A(') surface is thought to constitute the first step, as for the singlet dissociation channel. This is followed by crossing, via a conical intersection, to the ground 1 (1)A(') state, from where intersystem crossing occurs, populating the 1 (3)A(')1 (3)A(")((3)Pi) states. The proposed mechanism provides a qualitative rationale for the observed spin-orbit populations, as well as the S((3)P(J)) quantum yield and angular momentum polarization. At least one other production mechanism, leading to a more statistical S-atom spin-orbit state distribution and rotationally cold, vibrationally hot CO cofragments, is thought to involve direct excitation to either the (3)Sigma(-) or (3)Pi states. PMID- 17764247 TI - Quantum chemical study and infrared spectroscopy of hydrogen-bonded CHCl(3)-NH(3) in the gas phase. AB - Molecular association of chloroform with ammonia is studied by high-level quantum chemical calculations including correlated MP2 and CCSD(T) calculations with basis sets up to6-311++G(d,p) and counterpoise corrected energies, geometries, and frequencies. The calculations predict an eclipsed hydrogen-bonded complex of C(3v) symmetry (DeltaE(0)=-15.07 kJ mol(-1)) with 225.4 pm intermolecular CHcdots, three dots, centeredN distance. Intermolecular interactions are analysed by Kitaura-Morokuma [Int. J. Quantum Chem. 10, 325 (1976)] interaction energy decomposition. Compared to the monomer, the C-H bond is elongated, and the CH stretching fundamental shifts to lower wave numbers and has a marked approximately 340-fold increase of its intensity. Based on these predictions, the complex is observed by infrared spectroscopy in the gas phase at room temperature. A subtraction procedure isolates its spectrum, and a dilution series confirms the presence of a 1:1 complex. The CHCl(3)cdots, three dots, centeredNH(3) complex has an experimental -17.5 cm(-1) shift of its CH-stretching vibration, and CDCl(3)cdots, three dots, centeredNH(3) a -12.5 cm(-1) shift of the CD-stretching vibration. After a deperturbation of the CH-stretching/bending mode Fermi resonance system, this indicates a "redshifting" or more appropriately, a "C-H elongating" hydrogen bond in agreement with the ab initio calculations. An estimate of the complex concentration gives the equilibrium constant K(p)=0.024 (p(theta)=10(5) Pa) at 295 K for the dimerization, providing one of the few examples where a hydrogen-bonded gas phase complex at room temperature could be quantitatively studied by infrared spectroscopy. PMID- 17764248 TI - Theoretical modeling of the O-H stretching IR bands of hydrogen-bonded dimers of benzoic acid in S(0) and S(1) electronic states. AB - Theoretical model for vibrational interactions in the hydrogen-bonded dimer of benzoic acid is presented. The model takes into account anharmonic-type couplings between the high-frequency O-H and the low-frequency O[cdots, three dots, centered]O stretching vibrations in two hydrogen bonds, resonance interactions (Davydov coupling) between two hydrogen bonds in the dimer, and Fermi resonance between the O-H stretching fundamental and the first overtone of the O-H in-plane bending vibrations. The vibrational Hamiltonians and selection rules for the C(2h) geometry in the S(0) state and for the C(s) in-plane bent geometry in the S(1) state of the dimer are derived. The model is used for theoretical simulation of the O-H stretching IR absorption bands of benzoic acid dimers in the gas phase in the electronic ground and first excited singlet states. Ab initio CIS and CIS(D)6-311++G(d,p) calculations have been performed to determine geometry, frequencies, and excited state energies of benzoic acid dimer in the S(1) state. PMID- 17764249 TI - Mean potential phase space theory of chemical reactions. AB - A nonconventional application of phase space theory to the insertion reactions A+H(2), with A=C((1)D) and S((1)D), is presented. Instead of approximating the potential energies of interaction between separated fragments by their isotropic long-range contributions, as in the original theory, the latter are replaced by the accurate potential energies averaged with respect to Jacobi angles. The integral and differential cross sections obtained from this mean potential phase space theory (MPPST) turn out to be in very satisfying agreement with the benchmark predictions of the time-independent and time-dependent statistical quantum methods. The formal and numerical simplicity of MPPST with respect to any approach combining statistical assumptions and dynamical calculations makes it a promising tool for studying indirect polyatomic reactions. PMID- 17764250 TI - Reaction pathways and excited states in H(2)O(2)+OH-->HO(2)+H(2)O: a new ab initio investigation. AB - The mechanism of the hydrogen abstraction reaction H(2)O(2)+OH-->HO(2)+H(2)O in gas phase was revisited using density functional theory and other highly correlated wave function theories. We located two pathways for the reaction, both going through the same intermediate complex OH-H(2)O(2), but via two distinct transition state structures that differ by the orientation of the hydroxyl hydrogen relative to the incipient hydroperoxy hydrogen. The first two excited states were calculated for selected points on the pathways. An avoided crossing between the two excited states was found on the product side of the barrier to H transfer on the ground state surface, near the transition states. We report on the calculation of the rate of the reaction in the gas phase for temperatures in the range of 250-500 K. The findings suggest that the strong temperature dependence of the rate at high temperatures is due to reaction on the low-lying excited state surface over a barrier that is much larger than on the ground state surface. PMID- 17764251 TI - Midinfrared polarization spectroscopy of OH and hot water in low pressure lean premixed flames. AB - The application of midinfrared polarization spectroscopy (mid-IRPS) is demonstrated for sensitive detection of minor molecular species in combustion environments by probing rovibrational transitions. High resolution mid-IRPS spectra of low pressure flames were obtained in the spectral range around 3 microm. Rotational lines of the fundamental vibrational band of the hydroxyl radical (OH) were fully resolved and properly assigned among the abundant hot water lines in the flame mid-IRPS spectra. The high signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded OH lines indicates the feasibility of sensitive mid-IRPS OH detection. This constitutes, to the best of our knowledge, the first reported OH flame detection in the midinfrared spectral range. A simulation of hot water mid-IRPS lines with molecular parameters extracted from the HITRAN/HITEMP database was performed and compared with the observed flame spectra. The proper prediction of the hot water lines may help to clarify the potential spectral interferences associated with minor species measurements. PMID- 17764252 TI - Highly accurate determinations of CO(2) line strengths using intensity-stabilized diode laser absorption spectrometry. AB - An intensity-stabilized laser absorption spectrometer, which incorporates a mirror-extended cavity diode laser, a temperature-stabilized gas cell, and a Michelson interferometer, was developed and applied to a highly accurate investigation of line intensity factors within the nu(1)+2nu(2) (0)+nu(3) combination band of carbon dioxide, around 2 microm wavelength, at a temperature of 296.0 K. This relatively complex apparatus enables one to observe the absorption line shape with high precision and accuracy in such a way that it is possible to retrieve the integrated absorbance with a relative uncertainty better than 0.1%. The absorption spectra were interpolated with the uncorrelated strong collision model of Rautian and Sobel'man in order to take into account Dicke narrowing effects, thus obtaining an agreement at a level of a few parts per 10( 5). We report line strength values for the R(2)-R(18) transitions with an unprecedented level of accuracy, in the range between 0.1% and 0.15%. Finally, we discuss the possibility of providing a first experimental test of the theoretical model for molecular line strengths based on the Herman-Wallis expansion. PMID- 17764253 TI - (129)Xe chemical shift by the perturbational relativistic method: xenon fluorides. AB - (129)Xe nuclear shielding tensor is calculated at the leading-order, one-electron Breit-Pauli perturbation theory (BPPT) level for the xenon fluorides XeF(+), XeF(2), XeF(3) (+), and XeF(4) that cover the large nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift range of this nucleus. BPPT is found to improve the shift range and relative shifts as compared to the nonrelativistic (NR) theory. While the full BPPT expansion consists of 16 relativistic terms, 5 of them are responsible for the entire chemical shift and shielding anisotropy. The remaining terms are practically isotropic, corelike contributions that are significant for the absolute shielding constant but cancel for the relative chemical shifts. The five principal terms are due to the spin-orbit-modified wave function allowing the Fermi contact and spin-dipole hyperfine interactions to be coupled to the orbital Zeeman interaction, as well as three distinct scalar relativistic modifications of the NR paramagnetic shielding: wave function change due to mass-velocity and Darwin interactions and the relativistic modification of the orbital hyperfine interaction. A very good agreement with the experimental shifts is obtained for XeF(2) and the particularly challenging XeF(+) species when both the NR and the five main relativistic terms are calculated at electron-correlated ab initio levels of theory. The performance of density-functional theory (DFT) with different pure and hybrid exchange-correlation functionals (with increasing exact exchange admixture) is tested against the ab initio data for each individual contribution. It is shown that DFT has difficulties in the description of paramagnetic shielding, already and especially in the NR contribution, which causes a large discrepancy of DFT results with experiment for xenon fluorides. In contrast, the DFT errors for the relativistic terms cancel out to the extent that a fairly good approximation of the total relativistic shift and anisotropy contributions may be obtained. A combination of high-level ab initio NR calculation with hybrid DFT estimates of the five main BPPT terms is proposed for reasonable estimates of xenon chemical shift in molecules. For the difficult cases such as the present XeF(+) and XeF(3) (+) cations, correlated ab initio calculations are unavoidable throughout. None of the other currently available relativistic methods, either at the fully relativistic or a variationally stable quasirelativistic levels of theory, surpasses the quality of the present approach for Xe shifts in these systems. PMID- 17764254 TI - Adsorption of polar molecules on krypton clusters. AB - The formation process of binary clusters has been studied using synchrotron based core level photoelectron spectroscopy. Free neutral krypton clusters have been produced by adiabatic expansion and doped with chloromethane molecules using the pickup technique. The comparison between the integrated intensities, linewidths, and level shifts of the cluster features of pure krypton and of chloromethane krypton clusters has been used to obtain information about the cluster geometry. We have shown that most of the chloromethane molecules remain on the surface of the clusters. PMID- 17764255 TI - Fluorescence excitation spectra of the b (1)Pi(u), b(') (1)Sigma(u) (+), c(n) (1)Pi(u), and c(n) (') (1)Sigma(u) (+) states of N(2) in the 80-100 nm region. AB - Fluorescence excitation spectra produced through photoexcitation of N(2) using synchrotron radiation in the spectral region between 80 and 100 nm have been studied. Two broadband detectors were employed to simultaneously monitor fluorescence in the 115-320 nm and 300-700 nm regions, respectively. The peaks in the vacuum ultraviolet fluorescence excitation spectra are found to correspond to excitation of absorption transitions from the ground electronic state to the b (1)Pi(u), b(') (1)Sigma(u) (+), c(n) (1)Pi(u) (with n=4-8), c(n) (') (1)Sigma(u) (+) (with n=5-9), and c(4) (')(v('))(1)Sigma(u) (+) (with v(')=0-8) states of N(2). The relative fluorescence production cross sections for the observed peaks are determined. No fluorescence has been produced through excitation of the most dominating absorption features of the b-X transition except for the (1,0), (5,0), (6,0), and (7,0) bands, in excellent agreement with recent lifetime measurements and theoretical calculations. Fluorescence peaks, which correlate with the long vibrational progressions of the c(4) (') (1)Sigma(u) (+) (with v(')=0-8) and the b(') (1)Sigma(u) (+) (with v(') up to 19), have been observed. The present results provide important information for further unraveling of complicated and intriguing interactions among the excited electronic states of N(2). Furthermore, solar photon excitation of N(2) leading to the production of c(4) (')(0) may provide useful data required for evaluating and analyzing dayglow models relevant to the interpretation of c(4) (')(0) in the atmospheres of Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Titan, and Triton. PMID- 17764256 TI - Quasielastic electron scattering from methane, methane-d4, methane-d2, ethylene, and 2-methylpropane. AB - Quasielastic electron scattering from gaseous species at high momentum transfer was recently reported for the first time [Cooper et al., J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom. 155, 28 (2007)]. The first results for CH(4) and CD(4) were well explained by a classical electron Compton scattering picture in which the electron scatters independently from each atom rather than the molecule as a whole. However, an alternative possible interpretation in terms of nondipole molecular vibrational excitation is suggested by previously published quantum mechanical calculations on high momentum transfer electron scattering from diatomic molecules [Bonham and de Souza, J. Chem. Phys. 79, 134 (1983)]. In order to determine which of these two interpretations best fits the experimental results, we have measured the quasielastic spectra of gaseous 2-methylpropane, ethylene, methane, and two isotopically substituted methanes, CH(2)D(2) and CD(4), at a momentum transfer of approximately 20 a.u. (2.25 keV impact energy and 100 degrees scattering angle). The experimental spectra are found to be composed of as many peaks as there are different atomic isotopes in the molecule (two for CH(4), C(2)H(4), 2-methylpropane, and CD(4) and three for CH(2)D(2)). The peak positions are predicted accurately by the independent atom electron Compton scattering model, and the relative intensities are in reasonable agreement. The experimental results thus support classical electron Compton scattering as the origin of the signal. PMID- 17764257 TI - Interaction of low-energy electrons with linear diphenylethynyl derivatives in the gas phase. AB - The gas phase electron impact spectroscopy has been used to study the relative efficiency of excitation into singlet states and energies of singlet-triplet transitions for two electroactive organic materials, anthracene and biphenyl containing diphenylethynyl derivatives. The probability of the lowest singlet triplet transition in anthracene-containing molecule was found to be much higher than that in anthracene which is connected with triple bonds. No noticeable contribution of the triple bonds into singlet spectra of the studied molecules was observed. There are a number of intense transitions in the range higher than 10 eV. The optical spectrum calculated using the density functional theory is in good agreement with experimental electron energy loss and optical absorption spectra. PMID- 17764258 TI - Rotationally resolved spectra of jet-cooled RuSi. AB - We report the first gas-phase spectroscopic investigation of diatomic ruthenium silicide (RuSi). The molecules were produced by laser ablation of a Ru disk into a flow of helium carrier gas containing 0.5% SiH(4), and were cooled in a supersonic expansion. The RuSi molecules were then studied using resonant two photon ionization spectroscopy. Investigations conducted in the spectral range from 18,800 to 23,800 cm(-1) show a large number of excited vibronic levels that cannot readily be grouped into electronic band systems. The ground state is been demonstrated to be of (3)Delta(3) symmetry, deriving from the 2delta(3)14sigma(1) electronic configuration. Correcting for the effects of the spin-uncoupling operator, the ground state bond length (r(0)) is determined to be 2.0921+/-0.0004 A (1sigma error limit). Diatomic RuSi is shown to have strong dpi-ppi bonds, unlike the isovalent AlCo molecule. PMID- 17764259 TI - Electronic and quantum dynamical insight into the ultrafast proton transfer of 1 hydroxy-2-acetonaphthone. AB - The ultrafast proton-transfer dynamics of 1-hydroxy-2-acetonaphthone has been theoretically analyzed in the ground and first singlet excited electronic states by density functional theory calculations and quantum dynamics. The potential energies obtained in the ground electronic state reveal that the proton-transfer process does not lead to a stable keto tautomer unless the transfer of the hydrogen from the enol form is accompanied by an internal rotation of the newly formed O-H bond. Calculations in the first singlet excited electronic state point to a very low barrier for the formation of the keto tautomer. The analysis of the calculated frequencies of the two tautomers in the excited state unveils a coupling of the skeletal motions (low frequency modes) with the proton-transfer process, as it has been stated from time-resolved experiments. The electronic energies obtained by the time-dependent density functional theory formalism have been fitted to a monodimensional potential energy surface in order to perform an exact quantum dynamics study of the process. Our results show that the proton transfer process is completed within 25.5 fs, in remarkable good agreement with experiments. PMID- 17764260 TI - Theoretical and infrared spectroscopic investigation of the O(2) (-).benzene and O(4) (-).benzene complexes. AB - The infrared spectra of the O(2) (-).benzene and O(4) (-).benzene complexes are determined by means of Ar predissociation spectroscopy. Several transitions due to CH stretch fundamentals and various combination bands are observed in the 2700 3100 cm(-1) region. The experimental results are interpreted with the aid of electronic structure calculations. A comparison of the calculated and experimental spectra reveals that the spectrum of O(2) (-).benzene most likely arises from an isomer where the superoxide molecule binds preferentially to one CH group of benzene. In contrast, the spectrum of O(4) (-).benzene yields a CH pattern remarkably similar to that displayed by the C(2nu) X(-).benzene (X=halogen) complexes, consistent with a structure with two CH groups equally involved in the bonding. The lower energy vibrational fundamental transitions of the O(4) (-) anion are recovered with a slight redshift in the O(4) (-).benzene spectrum, establishing that this charge-delocalized dimer ion retains its identity upon complexation. PMID- 17764261 TI - Experimental determination of the ionization potentials of the first five members of the nanodiamond series. AB - The ionization potentials of size- and isomer-selected diamondoids (nanodiamond containing one to five crystal cages) have been measured by means of total-ion yield spectroscopy. We find a monotonic decrease of the ionization potential with increasing diamondoid size. This experimental result is compared to recent theoretical predictions and comparable investigations on related carbon clusters, the fullerenes, which show isomer effects to be stronger than size dependence. PMID- 17764262 TI - Intrinsic electrophilic properties of nucleosides: photoelectron spectroscopy of their parent anions. AB - The nucleoside parent anions 2(')-deoxythymidine(-), 2(')-deoxycytidine(-), 2(') deoxyadenosine(-), uridine(-), cytidine(-), adenosine(-), and guanosine(-) were generated in a novel source, employing a combination of infrared desorption, electron photoemission, and a gas jet expansion. Once mass selected, the anion photoelectron spectrum of each of these was recorded. In the three cases in which comparisons were possible, the vertical detachment energies and likely adiabatic electron affinities extracted from these spectra agreed well with the values calculated both by Richardson et al. [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126, 4404 (2004)] and by Li et al. [Radiat. Res. 165, 721 (2006)]. Through the combination of our experimental results and their theoretical calculations, several implications emerge. (1) With the possible exception of dG(-), the parent anions of nucleosides exist, and they are stable. (2) These nucleoside anions are valence anions, and in most cases the negative charge is closely associated with the nucleobase moiety. (3) The nucleoside parent anions we have generated and studied are the negative ions of canonical, neutral nucleosides, similar to those found in DNA. PMID- 17764263 TI - Polarization dependent electrostrictive grating measurements. AB - The laser induced grating spectroscopy experiments were performed with different polarizations of 1064 nm laser pump beams. Thermal and electrostrictive gratings were observed in the mixture of nitrogen at high pressure with methanol vapor. Suppression of gratings by a continuous change of pump beam polarizations was verified both theoretically and experimentally. Odd and even peaks of the registered signal were found to be responsible, respectively, for electrostrictive and thermal gratings in gas media. PMID- 17764264 TI - Simulations of vibrational spectra from classical trajectories: calibration with ab initio force fields. AB - An algorithm allowing simulating vibrational spectra from classical time dependent trajectories was applied for infrared absorption, vibrational circular dichroism, Raman, and Raman optical activity of model harmonic systems. The implementation of the theory within the TINKER molecular dynamics (MD) program package was tested with ab initio harmonic force fields in order to determine the feasibility for more extended MD simulations. The results suggest that sufficiently accurate frequencies can be simulated with integration time steps shorter than about 0.5 fs. For a given integration time step, lower vibrational frequencies ( approximately 0-2000 cm(-1)) could be reproduced with a higher accuracy than higher-frequency vibrational modes (e.g., O-H and C-H stretching). In principle, the algorithm also provides correct intensities for ideal systems. In applied simulations, however, the intensity profiles are affected by an unrealistic energy distribution between normal modes and a slow energy relaxation. Additionally, the energy fluctuations may cause weakening of the intensities on average. For ab initio force fields, these obstacles could be overcome by an arbitrary normal mode energy correction. For general MD simulations, averaging of many shorter MD trajectories started with randomly distributed atomic velocities provided the best spectral shapes. alpha-pinene, D gluconic acid, formaldehyde dimer, and the acetylprolineamide molecule were used in the tests. PMID- 17764265 TI - Application of the level-set method to the implicit solvation of nonpolar molecules. AB - A level-set method is developed for numerically capturing the equilibrium solute solvent interface that is defined by the recently proposed variational implicit solvent model [Dzubiella, Swanson, and McCammon, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 527 (2006); J. Chem. Phys. 124, 084905 (2006)]. In the level-set method, a possible solute-solvent interface is represented by the zero level set (i.e., the zero level surface) of a level-set function and is eventually evolved into the equilibrium solute-solvent interface. The evolution law is determined by minimization of a solvation free energy functional that couples both the interfacial energy and the van der Waals type solute-solvent interaction energy. The surface evolution is thus an energy minimizing process, and the equilibrium solute-solvent interface is an output of this process. The method is implemented and applied to the solvation of nonpolar molecules such as two xenon atoms, two parallel paraffin plates, helical alkane chains, and a single fullerence C(60). The level-set solutions show good agreement for the solvation energies when compared to available molecular dynamics simulations. In particular, the method captures solvent dewetting (nanobubble formation) and quantitatively describes the interaction in the strongly hydrophobic plate system. PMID- 17764266 TI - Theoretical study of the two-photon absorption properties of several asymmetrically substituted stilbenoid molecules. AB - Two-photon absorption (TPA) properties of noncentrosymmetric pi-conjugated stilbenoid molecules with D-pi-A structures, TPA spectra of which have been reported [L. Antonov et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 5, 1193 (2003)], have been investigated theoretically by ab initio molecular orbital methods. The difference in the observed one-photon absorption and TPA spectra among compounds with the same donor (D) and acceptor (A) units is well reproduced by the present calculations, although the calculated excitation energies are overestimated by the configuration interaction with single excitation method used. It was found that the spectral differences among the compounds were mainly due to the deviation from the planar structure by intramolecular rotation around the N[Single Bond]C (phenyl) bond of the N-benzilideneanilines having the C[Double Bond]N linkage as the central pi bridge. Substitution of the end donor or acceptor groups with weaker ones leads to a decrease in the TPA intensity of the lowest pi-pi(*) TPA states, resulting mainly from the decrease in the dipole moment of the excited states. The total TPA cross section spectra have been separated into contributions of the dipolar term, which appear only in noncentrosymmetric systems, and the three-state term, which appear in any systems irrespective of symmetry. The dipolar term predominates only for the lowest pi pi(*) state, while for the higher excited states the three-state terms become predominant. An analysis employing the index R(f) defined with the transition polarizability shows that the TPA properties of the higher excited states are well described by the three-state approximation mediated by the lowest pi-pi(*) state. The differences found between the centrosymmetric and dipolar molecules in the enhancement mechanism of the TPA intensity by substituting the end groups with strong donors are discussed by comparison with the TPA properties of azobenzenes symmetrically substituted with the same donors. PMID- 17764267 TI - Effect of polydispersity on the crystallization kinetics of suspensions of colloidal hard spheres when approaching the glass transition. AB - We present a comprehensive study of the solidification scenario in suspensions of colloidal hard spheres for three polydispersities between 4.8% and 5.8%, over a range of volume fractions from near freezing to near the glass transition. From these results, we identify four stages in the crystallization process: (i) an induction stage where large numbers of precursor structures are observed, (ii) a conversion stage as precursors are converted to close packed structures, (iii) a nucleation stage, and (iv) a ripening stage. It is found that the behavior is qualitatively different for volume fractions below or above the melting volume fraction. The main effect of increasing polydispersity is to increase the duration of the induction stage, due to the requirement for local fractionation of particles of larger or smaller than average size. Near the glass transition, the nucleation process is entirely frustrated, and the sample is locked into a compressed crystal precursor structure. Interestingly, neither polydispersity nor volume fraction significantly influences the precursor stage, suggesting that the crystal precursors are present in all solidifying samples. We speculate that these precursors are related to the dynamical heterogeneities observed in a number of dynamical studies. PMID- 17764268 TI - Gadolinium (III) ion in liquid water: structure, dynamics, and magnetic interactions from first principles. AB - We applied first principles molecular dynamics (MD) technique to study structure, dynamics, and magnetic interactions of the Gd(3+) aqua ion dissolved in liquid water, a prototypical system for Gd-based complexes used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. The first coordination sphere contains eight water molecules with an average Gd-O distance of 2.37 A and an average geometric arrangement close to a square antiprism. The mean tilt angle of the electric dipole vector of these water molecules is theta=145 degrees . In our picosecond time scale simulation we observe no exchange event from the first coordination sphere but only fast "wagging" motions. The second coordination sphere is well pronounced though water molecules in this sphere are subjected to large amplitude dynamic motions. The isotropic hyperfine coupling constants for the inner sphere water molecules [A(iso)((17)O(I))=0.65+/-0.03 MHz, A(iso)((1)H(I))=0.085+/-0.005 MHz] are in good agreement with experimental data and with an earlier study using classical MD. Second sphere Fermi contact hyperfine coupling constants calculated are more than one order of magnitude smaller and of opposite sign as those of the first coordination sphere. The effect of spin polarization induced by the paramagnetic Gd(3+) ion on the dipolar hyperfine interaction was found to be sizable only for the (17)O nuclei of inner sphere water molecules and has a screening character. PMID- 17764269 TI - Ultrafast anisotropy dynamics of water molecules dissolved in acetonitrile. AB - Infrared pump-probe experiments are performed on isolated H(2)O molecules diluted in acetonitrile in the spectral region of the OH stretching vibration. The large separation between water molecules excludes intermolecular interactions, while acetonitrile as a solvent provides substantial hydrogen bonding. Intramolecular coupling between symmetric and asymmetric modes results in the anisotropy decay to the frequency-dependent values of approximately 0-0.2 with a 0.2 ps time constant. The experimental data are consistent with a theoretical model that includes intramolecular coupling, anharmonicity, and environmental fluctuations. Our results demonstrate that intramolecular processes are essential for the H(2)O stretching mode relaxation and therefore can compete with the intermolecular energy transfer in bulk water. PMID- 17764270 TI - High frequency dynamics and structural relaxation process in liquid ammonia. AB - The dynamic structure factor S(Q,omega) of liquid ammonia has been measured by inelastic x-ray scattering in the terahertz frequency region as a function of the temperature in the range of 220-298 K at a pressure P=85 bars. The data have been analyzed using the generalized hydrodynamic formalism with a three term memory function to take into account the thermal, the structural, (alpha) and the microscopic (mu) relaxation processes affecting the dynamics of the liquid. This allows to extract the temperature dependence of the structural relaxation time (tau(alpha)) and strength (Delta(alpha)). The former quantity follows an Arrhenius behavior with an activation energy E(a)=2.6+/-0.2 kcal/mol, while the latter is temperature independent suggesting that there are no changes in the interparticle potential and arrangement with T. The obtained results, compared with those already existing in liquid water and liquid hydrogen fluoride, suggest the strong influence of the connectivity of the molecular network on the structural relaxation. PMID- 17764271 TI - Resonance energy transfer: spectral overlap, efficiency, and direction. AB - The efficiency and directedness of resonance energy transfer, by means of which electronic excitation passes between molecular units or subunits, fundamentally depend on the spectral features of donor and acceptor components. In particular, the flow of energy between chromophores in complex energy harvesting materials is crucially dependent on a spectral overlap integral reflecting the relative positioning and shapes of the absorption and fluorescence bands. In this paper, analytical results for this integral are derived for bands of Gaussian and log normal line shape; the methods also prove applicable to double Gaussian curves under suitable conditions. Underlying principles have been ascertained through further development of theory, with physically reasonable assumptions. Consideration of the Gaussian case, widely applicable to spectra of symmetric form, reveals that the directional efficiency of energy transfer depends equally on a frequency shift characterizing the spectroscopic gradient and the Stokes shift. On application to tryptophan residues, calculations based on a minimal parameter set give excellent agreement with experiment. Finally, an illustrative application highlights the critical role that the spectroscopic gradient and Stokes shift can exercise in extended, multichromophore energy harvesting systems. PMID- 17764272 TI - Terrylene in hexadecane revisited: a hole burning study. AB - Holes burnt into the absorption spectrum of terrylene in hexadecane have quite unusual features: spectral diffusion behavior under thermal cycles shows a narrowing regime at very low temperatures (2-5 K) followed by a plateau region (up to about 13 K) and a broadening regime (T>13 K). Thermal line broadening (quasihomogeneous linewidth) shows a nonmonotonous behavior as a function of temperature: at around 4 K there is a maximum followed by a flat minimum and the onset of strong broadening at higher temperatures. Finally, the central hole shows one-sided narrowly spaced side features. This behavior is interpreted within the frame of a two-site model. One of the two sites can be well described by a standard two level system; the other, however, shows characteristic features of a multilevel system. The two sites are characterized by strongly different optical linewidths, phototransformation yields, and thermal stabilities. PMID- 17764273 TI - Brownian motion of an asymmetrical particle in a potential field. AB - It is well known that a free ellipsoidal Brownian particle exhibits anisotropic diffusion for short times which changes to isotropic at long times, and, that the long-time diffusion coefficient is an average of the translational diffusion coefficients along the different semiaxes of the particle. We show analytically that in the presence of external forces, the long-time diffusion coefficient is different from that of a free particle. The magnitude of the difference in the two diffusion coefficients is found to increase proportionately with the particle's asymmetry, being zero only for a perfectly spherical Brownian particle. It is also found that, for asymmetrical particles, the application of external forces can amplify the non-Gaussian character of the spatial probability distributions which consequently delays the transition to the classical behavior. We illustrate these phenomena by considering the quasi-two-dimensional Brownian motion of an ellipsoidal rigid particle in linear and harmonic potential fields. These two examples provide insight into the role played by particle asymmetry in electrophoresis and microconfinement due to a laser trap or due to intracellular macromolecular crowding. PMID- 17764274 TI - Solid phase thermodynamic perturbation theory: test and application to multiple solid phases. AB - A simple procedure for the determination of hard sphere (HS) solid phase radial distribution function (rdf) is proposed, which, thanks to its physical foundation, allows for extension to other crystal structures besides the fcc structure. The validity of the procedure is confirmed by comparing (1) the predicted HS solid phase rdf's with corresponding simulation data and (2) the predicted non-HS solid phase Helmholtz free energy by the present solid phase first-order thermodynamic perturbation theory (TPT) whose numerical implementation depends on the HS solid phase rdf's as input, with the corresponding predictions also by the first-order TPT but the required HS solid phase rdf is given by an "exact" empirical simulation-fitted formula. The present solid phase first-order TPT predicts isostructural fcc-fcc transition of a hard core attractive Yukawa fluid, in very satisfactory agreement with the corresponding simulation data and is far more accurate than a recent thermodynamically consistent density functional perturbation theory. The present solid phase first-order TPT is employed to investigate multiple solid phases. It is found that a short-ranged potential, even if it is continuous and differentiable or is superimposed over a long-ranged potential, is sufficient to induce the multiple solid phases. When the potential range is short enough, not only isostructural fcc-fcc transition but also isostructural bcc-bcc transition, simple cubic (sc)-sc transition, or even fcc-bcc, fcc-sc, and bcc-sc transitions can be induced. Even triple point involving three solid phases becomes possible. The multiple solid phases can be stable or metastable depending on the potential parameters. PMID- 17764275 TI - Molecular simulations of Hugoniots of detonation product mixtures at chemical equilibrium: microscopic calculation of the Chapman-Jouguet state. AB - In this work, we used simultaneously the reaction ensemble Monte Carlo (ReMC) method and the adaptive Erpenbeck equation of state (AE-EOS) method to directly calculate the thermodynamic and chemical equilibria of mixtures of detonation products on the Hugoniot curve. The ReMC method [W. R. Smith and B. Triska, J. Chem. Phys. 100, 3019 (1994)] allows us to reach the chemical equilibrium of a reacting mixture, and the AE-EOS method [J. J. Erpenbeck, Phys. Rev. A 46, 6406 (1992)] constrains the system to satisfy the Hugoniot relation. Once the Hugoniot curve of the detonation product mixture is established, the Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) state of the explosive can be determined. A NPT simulation at P(CJ) and T(CJ) is then performed in order to calculate direct thermodynamic properties and the following derivative properties of the system using a fluctuation method: calorific capacities, sound velocity, and Gruneisen coefficient. As the chemical composition fluctuates, and the number of particles is not necessarily constant in this ensemble, a fluctuation formula has been developed to take into account the fluctuations of mole number and composition. This type of calculation has been applied to several usual energetic materials: nitromethane, tetranitromethane, hexanitroethane, PETN, and RDX. PMID- 17764276 TI - Phase behavior of dipolar associating fluids from the SAFT-VR+D equation of state. AB - The statistical associating fluid theory for potentials of variable range plus dipole (SAFT-VR+D) is extended to study associating dipolar fluids. In the SAFT VR+D approach dipolar interactions are taken into account through the use of the generalized mean spherical approximation to describe a reference fluid of dipolar square-well segments. This enables the effect of the dipolar interactions on the thermodynamics and structure of fluids to be explicitly described. Predictions for the thermodynamic properties and phase behavior of dipolar associating square well monomers with one, two, and four association sites are considered and compared with new isothermal-isobaric and Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulation data. The results show that the SAFT-VR+D equation provides a good description of the phase behavior of dipolar associating fluids. Additionally we have applied the new theoretical approach to study the vapor pressure and saturated liquid density of water. PMID- 17764277 TI - Dynamics of interacting Brownian particles: a diagrammatic formulation. AB - We present a diagrammatic formulation of a theory for the time dependence of density fluctuations in equilibrium systems of interacting Brownian particles. To facilitate derivation of the diagrammatic expansion, we introduce a basis that consists of orthogonalized many-particle density fluctuations. We obtain an exact hierarchy of equations of motion for time-dependent correlations of orthogonalized density fluctuations. To simplify this hierarchy we neglect contributions to the vertices from higher-order cluster expansion terms. An iterative solution of the resulting equations can be represented by diagrams with three- and four-leg vertices. We analyze the structure of the diagrammatic series for the time-dependent density correlation function and obtain a diagrammatic interpretation of reducible and irreducible memory functions. The one-loop self consistent approximation for the latter function coincides with mode-coupling approximation for Brownian systems that was derived previously using a projection operator approach. PMID- 17764278 TI - Mechanistic study of proton transfer and HD exchange in ice films at low temperatures (100-140 K). AB - We have examined the elementary molecular processes responsible for proton transfer and HD exchange in thin ice films for the temperature range of 100-140 K. The ice films are made to have a structure of a bottom D(2)O layer and an upper H(2)O layer, with excess protons generated from HCl ionization trapped at the D(2)OH(2)O interface. The transport behavior of excess protons from the interfacial layer to the ice film surface and the progress of the HD exchange reaction in water molecules are examined with the techniques of low energy sputtering and Cs(+) reactive ion scattering. Three major processes are identified: the proton hopping relay, the hop-and-turn process, and molecular diffusion. The proton hopping relay can occur even at low temperatures (<120 K), and it transports a specific portion of embedded protons to the surface. The hop and-turn mechanism, which involves the coupling of proton hopping and molecule reorientation, increases the proton transfer rate and causes the HD exchange of water molecules. The hop-and-turn mechanism is activated at temperatures above 125 K in the surface region. Diffusional mixing of H(2)O and D(2)O molecules additionally contributes to the HD exchange reaction at temperatures above 130 K. The hop-and-turn and molecular diffusion processes are activated at higher temperatures in the deeper region of ice films. The relative speeds of these processes are in the following order: hopping relay>hop and turn>molecule diffusion. PMID- 17764279 TI - Nonlinear optical properties of polydiacetylene with donor-acceptor substitution block. AB - The elongation finite-field (elongation-FF) method is applied to donor/acceptor substituted polydiacetylenes (PDAs) for the estimation of substituent effects on nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The first hyperpolarizability (beta) and the second hyperpolarizability (gamma) of PDA with separated donor and acceptor substitution blocks have much larger values than those of the other substituted PDAs. For the PDAs with donor and acceptor substitution blocks, the relationship between the NLO properties and the block period is examined. It is shown, from the local density of states, that gamma of a system with a quantum well structure has a maximum value at a certain block size. This indicates that by tuning the size of proper block it is possible to achieve the largest gamma value in block polymers. Furthermore, the through-space/bond interaction analysis is performed to examine the pi-conjugation effects on the NLO properties for particular substituted PDA. It is demonstrated by our quantitative analysis that beta is affected by electron transfers in the molecule, and the quantum well structure is critical for gamma improvement. PMID- 17764280 TI - Designing synthetic vesicles that engulf nanoscopic particles. AB - We examine the interaction of a lipid bilayer membrane with a spherical particle in solution using dissipative particle dynamics, with the aim of controlling the passage of foreign objects into and out of vesicles. Parameters are chosen such that there is a favorable adhesive interaction between the membrane and the particle. Under these conditions, the membrane wraps the particle in a process resembling phagocytosis in biological cells. We find that, for a homogeneous membrane with a uniform attraction to the particle, the membrane is unable to fully wrap the particle when the adhesion strength is below a certain value. This is observed even in the limit of zero membrane tension. When the adhesion strength is increased above the threshold value, the membrane fully wraps the particle. However, the wrapped particle remains tethered to the larger membrane. We next consider an adhesive domain, or raft, in an otherwise nonadhesive membrane. We find that, when the particle is wrapped by the raft, the line tension at the raft interface promotes fission, allowing the wrapped particle to detach from the larger membrane. This mechanism could be used to allow particles to cross a vesicle membrane. PMID- 17764281 TI - Density functional study of the interaction between small Au clusters, Au(n) (n=1 7) and the rutile TiO(2) surface. I. Adsorption on the stoichiometric surface. AB - This is the first paper in a series of four dealing with the adsorption site, electronic structure, and chemistry of small Au clusters, Au(n) (n=1-7), supported on stoichiometric, partially reduced, or partially hydroxylated rutile TiO(2)(110) surfaces. Analysis of the electronic structure reveals that the main contribution to the binding energy is the overlap between the highest occupied molecular orbitals of Au clusters and the Kohn-Sham orbitals localized on the bridging and the in-plane oxygen of the rutile TiO(2)(110) surface. The structure of adsorbed Au(n) differs from that in the gas phase mostly because the cluster wants to maximize this orbital overlap and to increase the number of Au-O bonds. For example, the equilibrium structures of Au(5) and Au(7) are planar in the gas phase, while the adsorbed Au(5) has a distorted two-dimensional structure and the adsorbed Au(7) is three-dimensional. The dissociation of an adsorbed cluster into two adsorbed fragments is endothermic, for all clusters, by at least 0.8 eV. This does not mean that the gas-phase clusters hitting the surface with kinetic energy greater than 0.8 eV will fragment. To place enough energy in the reaction coordinate for fragmentation, the impact kinetic energy needs to be substantially higher than 0.8 eV. We have also calculated the interaction energy between all pairs of Au clusters. These interactions are small except when a Au monomer is coadsorbed with a Au(n) with odd n. In this case the interaction energy is of the order of 0.7 eV and the two clusters interact through the support even when they are fairly far apart. This happens because the adsorption of a Au(n) cluster places electrons in the states of the bottom of the conduction band and these electrons help the Au monomer to bind to the five-coordinated Ti atoms on the surface. PMID- 17764282 TI - Coupled molecular dynamics-Monte Carlo model to study the role of chemical processes during laser ablation of polymeric materials. AB - The coarse grained chemical reaction model is enhanced to build a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation framework with an embedded Monte Carlo (MC) based reaction scheme. The MC scheme utilizes predetermined reaction chemistry, energetics, and rate kinetics of materials to incorporate chemical reactions occurring in a substrate into the MD simulation. The kinetics information is utilized to set the probabilities for the types of reactions to perform based on radical survival times and reaction rates. Implementing a reaction involves changing the reactants species types which alters their interaction potentials and thus produces the required energy change. We discuss the application of this method to study the initiation of ultraviolet laser ablation in poly(methyl methacrylate). The use of this scheme enables the modeling of all possible photoexcitation pathways in the polymer. It also permits a direct study of the role of thermal, mechanical, and chemical processes that can set off ablation. We demonstrate that the role of laser induced heating, thermomechanical stresses, pressure wave formation and relaxation, and thermochemical decomposition of the polymer substrate can be investigated directly by suitably choosing the potential energy and chemical reaction energy landscape. The results highlight the usefulness of such a modeling approach by showing that various processes in polymer ablation are intricately linked leading to the transformation of the substrate and its ejection. The method, in principle, can be utilized to study systems where chemical reactions are expected to play a dominant role or interact strongly with other physical processes. PMID- 17764283 TI - Do coupling exciton and oscillation of electron-hole pair exist in neutral and charged pi-dimeric quinquethiophenes? AB - Optical physical properties of neutral and charged quinquethiophene monomer, and neutral and cationic pi-dimeric quinquethiophenes were investigated with density functional theory as well as the two dimensional (2D) site (transition density matrix) and three dimensional (3D) cube (transition density and charge difference density) representations, stimulated by the recent experimental report [T. Sakai et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127, 8082 (2005)]. Transition density shows the orientation and strength of the transition dipole moment of neutral and charged quinquethiophene monomer, and charge difference density reveals the orientation and result of the charge transfer in neutral and charged quinquethiophene monomer. To study if coupling exciton and oscillation of electron-hole pair exist in neutral and cationic pi-dimeric quinquethiophenes, the coupling constants J (coupling exciton of electron-hole pair) and K (coupling oscillation of electron hole pair) were introduced to the exciton coordinate and momentum operators, respectively, and the 2D and 3D analysis methods were further developed by extending our previous theoretical methods [M. T. Sun, J. Chem. Phys. 124, 054903 (2006)]. With the new developed 2D and 3D analysis methods, we investigated the excited state properties of neutral and cationic pi-dimeric quinquethiophenes, especially on the coupling exciton and oscillation of electron-hole pair between monomers. The 2D results show that there is neither coupling exciton (J=0) nor oscillation (K=0) of electron-hole pair in neutral pi-dimeric quinquethiophenes. For some excited states of cationic pi-dimeric quinquethiophenes, there is no coupling exciton (J=0), but there is coupling oscillation (K not equal0); while for some excited states, there are both coupling exciton and coupling oscillator simultaneously (J not equal0 and K not equal0). The strength of transition dipole moments of pi-dimeric quinquethiophenes were interpreted with 3D transition density, which reveals the orientations of their two subtransition dipole moments. The 3D charge transition density reveals the orientation and result of intermonomer and/or intramonomer charge transfer. The calculated results reveal that excited state properties of neutral pi-dimeric quinquethiophene are significantly different from those of the cationic pi-dimeric quinquethiophenes. PMID- 17764284 TI - Spectroscopy of ultrathin epitaxial rutile TiO(2)(110) films grown on W(100). AB - Epitaxial ultrathin titanium dioxide films of 0.3 to approximately 7 nm thickness on a metal single crystal substrate have been investigated by high resolution vibrational and electron spectroscopies. The data complement previous morphological data provided by scanned probe microscopy and low energy electron diffraction to provide very complete characterization of this system. The thicker films display electronic structure consistent with a stoichiometric TiO(2) phase. The thinner films appear nonstoichiometric due to band bending and charge transfer from the metal substrate, while work function measurements also show a marked thickness dependence. The vibrational spectroscopy shows three clear phonon bands at 368, 438, and 829 cm(-1) (at 273 K), which confirms a rutile structure. The phonon band intensity scales linearly with film thickness and shift slightly to lower frequencies with increasing temperature, in accord with results for single crystals. PMID- 17764285 TI - Molecular simulation studies of nanoscale friction between phosphorylcholine self assembled monolayer surfaces: correlation between surface hydration and friction. AB - We performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to study the friction between surfaces covered with two phosphorylcholine self-assembled monolayers (PC SAM) under shear. PC-SAM surfaces with a sqrt7 X sqrt7R19 degrees lattice structure and a parallel arrangement of the head groups were used as model zwitterionic surfaces. They provide a full representation of the zwitterionic nature of phospholipid surfaces, which are believed to play an important role in the lubrication of biological joints such as knees and hips. The surfaces were immersed in aqueous solutions and kept in contact with two regions of bulk water. Sodium chloride and potassium chloride solutions at various concentrations were employed to study the effects of the presence of ions on friction. The results show a strong relationship between surface hydration and friction. Higher ionic concentrations or ions with shorter Debye lengths cause a larger disruption to the hydration around the zwitterionic surfaces, leading to larger friction forces. In addition, the results show that under nanoscale confinement, the friction coefficients of PC-SAM surfaces in pure water are directly proportional to both shear velocity and surface separation distance. These results are comparable to previously published experimental studies. PMID- 17764286 TI - Charge transmission through a molecular wire: the role of terminal sites for the current-voltage behavior. AB - The current-voltage and the conductance-voltage characteristics are analyzed for a particular type of molecular wire embedded between two electrodes. The wire is characterized by internal molecular units where the lowest occupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels are positioned much above the Fermi energy of the electrodes, as well as above the LUMO levels of the terminal wire units. The latter act as specific intermediate donor and acceptor sites which in turn control the current formation via the superexchange and sequential electron transfer mechanisms. According to the chosen wire structure, intramolecular multiphonon processes may block the superexchange component of the interelectrode current, resulting in a negative differential resistance of the molecular wire. A pronounced current rectification appears if (i) the superexchange component dominates the electron transfer between the terminal sites and if (ii) the multiphonon suppression of distant superexchange charge hopping events between those sites is nonsymmetric. PMID- 17764287 TI - Negative differential resistance and switching behavior of redox-mediated tunnel contact. AB - Theoretical description of various properties of redox-mediated tunnel contacts is presented. The dependences of the current on the overpotential and bias voltage under the sweeping voltammetry conditions are addressed. The effect of switching between two redox states on the shape of current/voltage characteristics is discussed. The shot noise and telegraph noise of the bridged contacts involving redox group are considered. Functional properties of the contact as a means for the information processing are discussed. PMID- 17764289 TI - Vapor-liquid coexistence of patchy models: relevance to protein phase behavior. AB - The vapor-liquid coexistence boundaries of fluids composed of particles interacting with highly directional patchy interactions, in addition to an isotropic square well potential, are evaluated using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations combined with the histogram reweighting and finite size scaling methods. We are motivated to study this more complicated model for two reasons. First, it is established that the reduced widths of the metastable vapor-liquid coexistence curve predicted by a model with only isotropic interparticle interactions are much too narrow when compared to the experimental phase behavior of protein solutions. Second, interprotein interactions are well known to be "patchy." Our results show that at a constant total areal density of patches, the critical temperature and the critical density increase monotonically with an increasing number of uniformly spaced patches. The vapor-liquid coexistence curves plotted in reduced coordinates (i.e., the temperature and the density scaled by their respective critical values) are found to be effectively independent of the number of patches, but are much broader than those found for the isotropic models. Our findings for the reduced width of the coexistence curve are almost in quantitative agreement with the available experimental data for protein solutions, stressing the importance of patchiness in this context. PMID- 17764288 TI - Real-time rheology of shear-induced organoclay dispersion in isotactic polypropylene. AB - In this paper, rheological properties evolution of the simple mixed isotactic polypropylene/organoclay composites, impacted by intermediate- or large-amplitude oscillatory shear fields, was followed by dynamic melt rheometry. The physical meanings of such rheological evolution upon oscillatory shearing, which related closely to the dispersion and intercalation of organoclay in polymer, were discussed deeply. Especially, a structural recovery test was adopted to assess microstructure development induced by large-amplitude oscillatory shear and to better understand the intercalation mechanism. Based on the experimental results, a novel intercalation mechanism that was taken to account for the disentanglement of polymer chains was suggested to describe shear-induced dispersion behaviors of organoclay in polymer matrix. PMID- 17764290 TI - Dynamical integration of a Markovian web: a first passage time approach. AB - In this work we address the dynamics of Markovian systems by tracking the evolution of the probability distribution, utilizing mean first passage time theory to augment the set of states considered. The method is validated on a lattice system and is applied, in conjunction with landscape analysis (saddle point searches) and multidimensional transition-state theory, to an atomistic model of glassy atactic polystyrene, in order to follow its time evolution over more than ten orders of magnitude on the time scale, from less than 10(-15) up to 10(-5) s. Frequencies extracted from the eigenvalues of the rate constant matrix are in favorable agreement with experimental measurements of subglass relaxation transitions at 250 K. PMID- 17764291 TI - Compressible or incompressible blend of interacting monodisperse linear polymers near a surface. AB - We consider a lattice model of a mixture of repulsive, attractive, or neutral monodisperse linear polymers of two species, A and B, with a third monomeric species C, which may be taken to represent free volume. The mixture is confined between two hard, parallel plates of variable separation whose interactions with A and C may be attractive, repulsive, or neutral, and may be different from each other. The interactions with A and C are all that are required to completely specify the effect of each surface on all three components. We numerically study various density profiles as we move away from the surface, by using the recursive method of Gujrati and Chhajer [J. Chem. Phys. 106, 5599 (1997)] that has already been previously applied to study polydisperse solutions and blends next to surfaces. The resulting density profiles show the oscillations that are seen in Monte Carlo simulations and the enrichment of the smaller species at a neutral surface. The method is computationally ultrafast and can be carried out on a personal computer (PC), even in the incompressible case, when Monte Carlo simulations are not feasible. The calculations of density profiles usually take less than 20 min on a PC. PMID- 17764292 TI - Polymer brushes in solvents of variable quality: molecular dynamics simulations using explicit solvent. AB - The structure and thermodynamic properties of a system of end-grafted flexible polymer chains grafted to a flat substrate and exposed to a solvent of variable quality are studied by molecular dynamics methods. The macromolecules are described by a coarse-grained bead-spring model, and the solvent molecules by pointlike particles, assuming Lennard-Jones-type interactions between pairs of monomers (epsilon(pp)), solvent molecules (epsilon(ss)), and solvent monomer (epsilon(ps)), respectively. Varying the grafting density sigma(g) and some of these energy parameters, we obtain density profiles of solvent particles and monomers, study structural properties of the chain (gyration radius components, bond orientational parameters, etc.), and examine also the profile of the lateral pressure P( parallel)(z), keeping in the simulation the normal pressure P( perpendicular) constant. From these data, the reduction of the surface tension between solvent and wall as a function of the grafting density of the brush has been obtained. Further results include the stretching force on the monomer adjacent to the grafting site and its variation with solvent quality and grafting density, and dynamic characteristics such as mobility profiles and chain relaxation times. Possible phase transitions (vertical phase separation of the solvent versus lateral segregation of the polymers into "clusters," etc.) are discussed, and a comparison to previous work using implicit solvent models is made. The variation of the brush height and the interfacial width of the transition zone between the pure solvent and the brush agrees qualitatively very well with corresponding experiments. PMID- 17764293 TI - Theory of volume phase transitions of side-chain liquid crystalline gels. AB - We present a mean field theory to describe volume phase transitions of side-chain liquid crystalline gels. Three different uniaxial nematic phases (N(1), N(2), and N(3)) are defined by using orientational order parameter S(m) of side-chain liquid crystals (mesogens) and S(b) of backbone chains. We derive the free energy for the three nematic phases of side-chain liquid crystalline gels dissolved in isotropic solvents and calculate the swelling curve of the gel, the order parameters of a backbone chain and of side-chain liquid crystals, and the deformation of the gel as a function of temperature and an electric field. We find isotropic-nematic (N(1), N(2), and N(3)) and N(1)N(2) phase transitions of the gels, depending on the interaction between a backbone chain and a side-chain liquid crystal. PMID- 17764294 TI - Influence of the flow on the orientational dynamics induced by temperature gradient in nematic hybrid-oriented cells. AB - The numerical study of the system of hydrodynamic equations that include the director motion, fluid flow, and the temperature field redistribution across the hybrid-oriented liquid crystal (LC) cell under influence of the temperature gradient has been investigated. Calculations show that the horizontal LC layer being initially in the rest, if heated both from below or above, due to the temperature gradient, starts moving in the horizontal direction. It has been shown that the magnitude and direction of the hydrodynamic flow, excited by the temperature gradient, influence both the direction of the heat flow and the character of the preferred anchoring of the average molecular direction to the restricted surfaces. The role of the hydrodynamic flow in the relaxation processes, for a number of dynamic regime in 4-n-pentyl-4(')-cyanobiphenyl hybrid oriented LC cell, also has been investigated. PMID- 17764295 TI - Phase equilibria and interfacial tension of fluids confined in narrow pores. AB - Correlation between phase behaviors of a Lennard-Jones fluid in and outside a pore is examined over wide thermodynamic conditions by grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. A pressure tensor component of the confined fluid, a variable controllable in simulation but usually uncontrollable in experiment, is related with the pressure of a bulk homogeneous system in equilibrium with the confined system. Effects of the pore dimensionality, size, and attractive potential on the correlations between thermodynamic properties of the confined and bulk systems are clarified. A fluid-wall interfacial tension defined as an excess grand potential is evaluated as a function of the pore size. It is found that the tension decreases linearly with the inverse of the pore diameter or width. PMID- 17764296 TI - Structural relaxation of an unentangled polymer in terms of a simple phenomenological approach. AB - The enthalpy relaxation mechanism of a low molecular weight synthesis of polymethylmethacrylate was investigated by means of calorimetric experiments. The data were analyzed in terms of a kinetic approach treating nonlinearity in a different manner with respect to the Tool-Narayanaswamy-Moynihan model. The relaxation isotherms recorded at four different temperatures were well reproduced by this approach that, however, failed in describing the relaxation asymmetry towards the equilibrium after opposite temperature jumps. A modification of the model was proposed with an additional free parameter accounting for the stretching of the relaxation function. In this way all the experimental data were reproduced fairly well. PMID- 17764297 TI - A Langevin dynamics simulation study of the tribology of polymer loop brushes. AB - The tribology of surfaces modified with doubly bound polymer chains (loops) has been investigated in good solvent conditions using Langevin dynamics simulations. The density profiles, brush interpenetration, chain inclination, normal forces, and shear forces for two flat substrates modified by doubly bound bead-necklace polymers and equivalent singly bound polymers (twice as many polymer chains of 12 the molecular weight of the loop chains) were determined and compared as a function of surface separation, grafting density, and shear velocity. The doubly bound polymer layers showed less interpenetration with decreasing separation than the equivalent singly bound layers. Surprisingly, this difference in interpenetration between doubly bound polymer and singly bound polymer did not result in decreased friction at high shear velocity possibly due to the decreased ability of the doubly bound chains to deform in response to the applied shear. However, at lower shear velocity, where deformation of the chains in the flow direction is less pronounced and the difference in interpenetration is greater between the doubly bound and singly bound chains, some reduction in friction was observed. PMID- 17764298 TI - Deuteron and proton spin-lattice relaxation dispersion of polymer melts: intrasegment, intrachain, and interchain contributions. AB - Proton and deuteron field-cycling NMR relaxometry was applied to deuterated and undeuterated bulk polyethyleneoxide and polybutadiene melts and mixtures thereof with molecular weights above the critical value. Spin-lattice relaxation data due to intrasegment (quadrupolar) couplings and intra- and interchain (dipolar) interactions were evaluated. Diverse dynamic limits are identified both with the proton and deuteron frequency dispersion data. The comparison between the intrachain and the interchain contributions leads to the conclusion that only model theories based on largely isotropic chain dynamics can account for the experimental findings. The extremely anisotropic character of the well-known tube/reptation model is too restrictive in this respect. PMID- 17764299 TI - Metastable cluster intermediates in the condensation of charged macromolecule solutions. AB - The authors examine the possibility of a two-step nucleation to the bulk condensation transition that proceeds via a metastable liquid cluster intermediate having some preferred size. The metastable intermediate is stabilized by electrostatic repulsion, which becomes screened by small mobile ions at sufficiently large cluster sizes, thus allowing the eventual condensation to a bulk phase. Our calculation employs a capillary model for the cluster and the electrostatic interactions are treated using the Poisson-Boltzmann approach. Condensation via this metastable intermediate may be a very general phenomenon which applies not only to solutions of charged particles (e.g., proteins, colloidal particles, and polyelectrolytes) but to any system involving short range attraction and long-range repulsion undergoing macrophase separation in which a metastable microphase separation is also possible. PMID- 17764301 TI - Electronic circular dichroism of disulphide bridge: ab initio quantum-chemical calculations. AB - Electronic circular dichroism (ECD) parameters of the disulphide chromophore have been calculated for dihydrogen disulphide, dimethyl disulphide, and cystine using density-functional theory, coupled-cluster theory, and multiconfigurational self consistent field theory. The objective is twofold: first, to examine the performance of the Coulomb-attenuated CAM-B3LYP functional for the calculation of ECD spectra; second, to investigate the dependence of the ECD parameters on the conformation around the disulphide bridge. The CAM-B3LYP functional improves considerably on the B3LYP functional, giving results comparable to CCSD theory and to MCSCF theory in an extended active space. The conformational dependence of the ECD parameters does not change much upon substitution, which is promising for the application of ECD in structural investigations of proteins containing disulphide bridges. PMID- 17764300 TI - Water diffusion through a membrane protein channel: a first passage time approach. AB - Water diffusion through OmpF, a porin in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli, is studied by molecular dynamics simulation. A first passage time approach allows characterizing the diffusive properties of a well-defined region of this channel. A carbon nanotube, which is considerably more homogeneous, serves as a model to validate the methodology. Here we find, in addition to the expected regular behavior, a gradient of the diffusion coefficient at the channel ends, witness of the transition from confinement in the channel to bulk behavior in the connected reservoirs. Moreover, we observe the effect of a kinetic boundary layer, which is the counterpart of the initial ballistic regime in a mean square displacement analysis. The overall diffusive behavior of water in OmpF shows remarkable similarity with that in a homogeneous channel. However, a small fraction of the water molecules appears to be trapped by the protein wall for considerable lengths of time. The distribution of trapping times exhibits a broad power law distribution psi(tau) approximately tau (-2.4), up to tau=10 ns, a bound set by the length of the simulation run. We discuss the effect of this distribution on the dynamic properties of water in OmpF in terms of incomplete sampling of phase space. PMID- 17764303 TI - Binding energies of hydrogen-bonded complexes from extrapolation with localized basis sets. AB - By incorporating effective basis sets containing diffuse functions only in the interaction region of hydrogen-bonded complexes into the simple extrapolation scheme suitable for such basis sets, an accurate estimation of the MP2 basis set limit hydrogen-bonding energies of formic acid tetramer, formamide tetramer, alanine-water, phenol-water, and guanine-cytosine base pair is made with all estimates falling within 0.1-0.3 kcalmol of the reference basis set limits. The basis sets for extrapolation are composed of the cc-pVDZ and cc-pVDZ plus highest polarization functions from the cc-pVTZ set, or cc-pVDZ and cc-pVTZ set, all of which are augmented by the diffuse functions of the atoms in the interaction region of hydrogen bond. In contrast to the extrapolated estimates by this method, density functional theory binding energies with B3LYP, B971, and TPSS methods yield the differences from the reference values as large as 3.9 kcalmol with much higher computational cost in most cases, signifying the efficacy of the employed extrapolation scheme for study of large hydrogen-bonded complexes. PMID- 17764302 TI - Elucidation of conformational hysteresis on a giant DNA. AB - The conformational behavior of a giant DNA mediated by condensing agents in the bulk solution has been investigated through experimental and theoretical approaches. Experimentally, a pronounced conformational hysteresis is observed for folding and unfolding processes, by increasing and decreasing the concentration of condensing agent (polyethylene glycol) (PEG), respectively. To elucidate the observed hysteresis, a semiflexible chain model is studied by using Monte Carlo simulations for the coil-globule transition. In the simulations, the hysteresis loop emerges for stiff enough chains, indicating distinct pathways for folding and unfolding processes. Also, our results show that globular state is thermodynamically more stable than coiled state in the hysteresis loop. Our findings suggest that increasing chain stiffness may reduce the chain conformations relevant to the folding pathway, which impedes the folding process. PMID- 17764305 TI - Reversible self-assembly of patchy particles into monodisperse icosahedral clusters. AB - We systematically study the design of simple patchy sphere models that reversibly self-assemble into monodisperse icosahedral clusters. We find that the optimal patch width is a compromise between structural specificity (the patches must be narrow enough to energetically select the desired clusters) and kinetic accessibility (they must be sufficiently wide to avoid kinetic traps). Similarly, for good yields the temperature must be low enough for the clusters to be thermodynamically stable, but the clusters must also have enough thermal energy to allow incorrectly formed bonds to be broken. Ordered clusters can form through a number of different dynamic pathways, including direct nucleation and indirect pathways involving large disordered intermediates. The latter pathway is related to a reentrant liquid-to-gas transition that occurs for intermediate patch widths upon lowering the temperature. We also find that the assembly process is robust to inaccurate patch placement up to a certain threshold and that it is possible to replace the five discrete patches with a single ring patch with no significant loss in yield. PMID- 17764304 TI - Interaction of low-energy electrons with the pyrimidine bases and nucleosides of DNA. AB - We report computed cross sections for the elastic scattering of slow electrons by the pyrimidine bases of DNA, thymine and cytosine, and by the associated nucleosides, deoxythymidine and deoxycytidine. For the isolated bases, we carried out calculations both with and without the inclusion of polarization effects. For the nucleosides, we neglect polarization effects but estimate their influence on resonance positions by comparison with the results for the corresponding bases. Where possible, we compare our results with experiment and previous calculations. PMID- 17764306 TI - Invited review article: a review of techniques for attaching micro- and nanoparticles to a probe's tip for surface force and near-field optical measurements. AB - Cantilevers with single micro- or nanoparticle probes have been widely used for atomic force microscopy surface force measurements and apertureless scanning near field optical microscopy applications. In this article, I critically review the particle attachment and modification techniques currently available, to help researchers choose the appropriate techniques for specific applications. PMID- 17764307 TI - In situ microfluidic flow rate measurement based on near-field heterodyne grating method. AB - The near-field heterodyne grating (NF-HDG) method was applied to flow rate measurements in a microtube. The NF-HDG method is a newly developed optical technique based on photothermal effects. In this technique, pump light is shone on a transmission grating in front of a fluid channel and the inside liquid is heated with a pattern of the grating due to the Talbot effect. Another probe light is similarly shone on the same place as the pump light, and the diffraction by the transmission grating (reference) and the diffraction by the temporally generated thermal grating inside the fluid channel (signal) are mixed and detected (heterodyne detection). Theoretical analysis reveals that the dependence of the heterodyne signal intensity on the flow rate originates from the change in the heterodyne phase difference between the signal and reference, and the experimentally obtained calibration curves can be fitted with the theoretically predicted function. Furthermore, the optical setup was optimized based on the theoretical analysis of the Talbot effect. Flow rates of the order of nl/min were quantitatively measured, and the detection limit of the flow rate was 17 nl/min. PMID- 17764308 TI - Demonstration of high-performance compact magnetic shields for chip-scale atomic devices. AB - We have designed and tested a set of five miniature nested magnetic shields constructed of high-permeability material, with external volumes for the individual shielding layers ranging from 0.01 to 2.5 cm(3). We present measurements of the longitudinal and transverse shielding factors (the ratio of external to internal magnetic field) of both individual shields and combinations of up to three layers. The largest shielding factor measured was 6 x 10(6) for a nested set of three shields, and from our results we predict a shielding factor of up to 1 x 10(13) when all five shields are used. Two different techniques were used to measure the internal field: a chip-scale atomic magnetometer and a commercially available magnetoresistive sensor. Measurements with the two methods were in good agreement. PMID- 17764309 TI - Development of a stable source of atomic oxygen with a pulsed high-voltage discharge and its application to crossed-beam reactions. AB - To investigate the reactions of oxygen atoms with ethene and silane in a crossed beam condition, we developed a stable, highly intense, and short-pulsed source of atomic oxygen with a transient high-voltage discharge. Mixtures of O(2) and He served as discharge media. Utilizing a crossed molecular-beam apparatus and direct vacuum-ultraviolet ionization, we measured the temporal profiles of oxygen atoms and the time-of-flight spectra of reaction products. With O(2) 3% seeded in He as a discharge medium, oxygen atoms might have a full width as small as 13.5 micros at half maximum at a location 193 mm downstream from the discharge region. Most population of oxygen atoms is in the ground state (3)P but some in the first excited state (1)D, depending on the concentration of precursor O(2). This discharge device analogously generates carbon, nitrogen, and fluorine atoms from precursors CO, N(2), and F(2), respectively. PMID- 17764310 TI - Combining high mass resolution and velocity imaging in a time-of-flight ion spectrometer using pulsed fields and an electrostatic lens. AB - We describe a momentum resolving time-of-flight ion mass spectrometer that combines a high mass resolution, a velocity focusing condition for improved momentum resolution, and field-free conditions in the source region for high resolution electron detection. It is used in electron-ion coincidence experiments to record multiple ionic fragments produced in breakup reactions of small to medium sized molecules, such as F(3)SiCH(2)CH(2)Si(CH(3))(3). These breakup reactions are caused by soft x rays or intense laser fields. The ion spectrometer uses pulsed extraction fields, an electrostatic lens, and a delay line detector to resolve the position. Additionally, we describe a simple analytical method for calculating the momentum from the measured hit position and the time of flight of the ions. PMID- 17764311 TI - Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with a femtosecond high harmonic light source using a two-dimensional imaging electron analyzer. AB - An experimental setup for time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy using a femtosecond 1 kHz high harmonic light source and a two-dimensional electron analyzer for parallel energy and momentum detection is presented. A selection of the 27th harmonic (41.85 eV) from the harmonic spectrum of the light source is achieved with a multilayer MoSi double mirror monochromator. The extinction efficiency of the monochromator in selecting this harmonic is shown to be better than 7:1, while the transmitted bandwidth of the selected harmonic is capable of supporting temporal pulse widths as short as 3 fs. The recorded E(k) photoelectron spectrum from a Cu(111) surface demonstrates an angular resolution of better than 0.6 degrees (=0.03 A(-1) at E(kin,e)=36 eV). Used in a pump-probe configuration, the described experimental setup represents a powerful experimental tool for studying the femtosecond dynamics of ultrafast surface processes in real time. PMID- 17764312 TI - Piezoresistor-equipped fluorescence-based cantilever probe for near-field scanning. AB - Scanning near-field optical microscopes (SNOMs) with fluorescence-based probes are promising tools for evaluating the optical characteristics of nanoaperture devices used for biological investigations, and this article reports on the development of a microfabricated fluorescence-based SNOM probe with a piezoresistor. The piezoresistor was built into a two-legged root of a 160-microm long cantilever. To improve the displacement sensitivity of the cantilever, the piezoresistor's doped area was shallowly formed on the cantilever surface. A fluorescent bead, 500 nm in diameter, was attached to the bottom of the cantilever end as a light-intensity-sensitive material in the visible-light range. The surface of the scanned sample was simply detected by the probe's end being displaced by contact with the sample. Measuring displacements piezoresistively is advantageous because it eliminates the noise arising from the use of the optical-lever method and is free of any disturbance in the absorption or the emission spectrum of the fluorescent material at the probe tip. The displacement sensitivity was estimated to be 6.1 x 10(-6) nm(-1), and the minimum measurable displacement was small enough for near-field measurement. This probe enabled clear scanning images of the light field near a 300 x 300 nm(2) aperture to be obtained in the near-field region where the tip-sample distance is much shorter than the light wavelength. This scanning result indicates that the piezoresistive way of tip-sample distance regulation is effective for characterizing nanoaperture optical devices. PMID- 17764313 TI - Laser interferometric system for six-axis motion measurement. AB - This article presents the development of a precision laser interferometric system, which is designed to achieve six-axis motion measurement for real-time applications. By combining the advantage of the interferometer with a retroreflector and that of the interferometer with a plane mirror reflector, the system is capable of simultaneously measuring large transverse motions along and large rotational motions about three orthogonal axes. Based on optical path analysis along with the designed kinematics of the system, a closed form relationship between the six-axis motion parameters of the object being measured and the readings of the six laser interferometers is established. It can be employed as a real-time motion sensor for various six-axis motion control stages. A prototype is implemented and integrated with a six-axis magnetic levitation stage to illustrate its resolution and measurement range. PMID- 17764314 TI - Generation of high-power laser light with Gigahertz splitting. AB - We demonstrate the generation of two high-power laser beams whose frequencies are separated by the ground state hyperfine transition frequency in (87)Rb. The system uses a single master diode laser appropriately shifted by high frequency acousto-optic modulators and amplified by semiconductor tapered amplifiers. This produces two 1 W laser beams with a frequency spacing of 6.834 GHz and a relative frequency stability of 1 Hz. We discuss possible applications of this apparatus, including electromagnetically induced transparency-like effects and ultrafast qubit rotations. PMID- 17764315 TI - Commissioning and performance of the variable line spacing plane grating monochromator beamline at the Canadian Light Source. AB - The variable line spacing plane grating monochromator beamline at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) employs three grazing incidence variable line spacing gratings to cover a photon energy range of 5-250 eV. It uses a 185 mm period length planar permanent magnet insertion device as the photon source, sharing a straight section with another soft x-ray beamline at the CLS. The commissioning and performance of the beamline is reported. The high resolution photoabsorption spectra of Ar and PF(5) gases are reported. A resolving power of over 40,000 for photons in the low energy region and >10,000 for a wider energy range (8-200 eV) can be achieved. A photon flux of up to 2 x 10(12) photons/s per 100 mA with slit settings of 50 microm has been measured. PMID- 17764316 TI - System for in situ studies of atmospheric corrosion of metal films using soft x ray spectroscopy and quartz crystal microbalance. AB - We present a versatile chamber ("atmospheric corrosion cell") for soft x-ray absorption/emission spectroscopy of metal surfaces in a corrosive atmosphere allowing novel in situ electronic structure studies. Synchrotron x rays passing through a thin window separating the corrosion cell interior from a beamline vacuum chamber probe a metal film deposited on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) or on the inside of the window. We present some initial results on chloride induced corrosion of iron surfaces in humidified synthetic air. By simultaneous recording of QCM signal and soft x-ray emission from the corroding sample, correlation between mass changes and variations in spectral features is facilitated. PMID- 17764317 TI - Novel method for characterizing relativistic electron beams in a harsh laser plasma environment. AB - Particle pulses generated by laser-plasma interaction are characterized by ultrashort duration, high particle density, and sometimes a very strong accompanying electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Therefore, beam diagnostics different from those known from classical particle accelerators such as synchrotrons or linacs are required. Easy to use single-shot techniques are favored, which must be insensitive towards the EMP and associated stray light of all frequencies, taking into account the comparably low repetition rates and which, at the same time, allow for usage in very space-limited environments. Various measurement techniques are discussed here, and a space-saving method to determine several important properties of laser-generated electron bunches simultaneously is presented. The method is based on experimental results of electron-sensitive imaging plate stacks and combines these with Monte Carlo-type ray-tracing calculations, yielding a comprehensive picture of the properties of particle beams. The total charge, the energy spectrum, and the divergence can be derived simultaneously for a single bunch. PMID- 17764318 TI - Electrostatic ion trap and Fourier transform measurements for high-resolution mass spectrometry. AB - We report on the development of an electrostatic ion trap for high-resolution mass spectrometry. The trap works on purely electrostatic fields and hence trapping and storing of ions is not mass restrictive, unlike other techniques based on Penning, Paul, or radio frequency quadrupole ion traps. It allows simultaneous trapping and studying of multiple mass species over a large mass range. Mass spectra were recorded in "dispersive" and "self-bunching" modes of ions. Storage lifetimes of about 100 ms and mass resolving power of about 20,000 could be achieved from the fifth harmonic Fourier transform spectrum of Xe ions recorded in the self-bunching mode. PMID- 17764319 TI - Application of accelerators for the research and development of scintillators. AB - We introduce experimental systems which use accelerators to evaluate scintillation properties such as scintillation intensity, wavelength, and lifetime. A single crystal of good optical quality is often unavailable during early stages in the research and development (R&D) of new scintillator materials. Because of their beams' high excitation power and/or low penetration depth, accelerators facilitate estimation of the properties of early samples which may only be available as powders, thin films, and very small crystals. We constructed a scintillation spectrum measurement system that uses a Van de Graaff accelerator and an optical multichannel analyzer to estimate the relative scintillation intensity. In addition, we constructed a scintillation time profile measurement system that uses an electron linear accelerator and a femtosecond streak camera or a microchannel plate photomultiplier tube followed by a digital oscilloscope to determine the scintillation lifetimes. The time resolution is approximately 10 ps. The scintillation spectra or time profiles can be obtained in a significantly shorter acquisition time in comparison with that required by conventional measuring systems. The advantages of the systems described in this study can significantly promote the R&D of novel scintillator materials. PMID- 17764320 TI - Short pulse laser train for laser plasma interaction experiments. AB - A multiframe, high-time resolution pump-probe diagnostic consisting of a consecutive train of ultrashort laser pulses (approximately ps) has been developed for use with a chirped pulse amplification (CPA) system. A system of high quality windows is used to create a series of 1054 nm picosecond-laser pulses which are injected into the CPA system before the pulse stretcher and amplifiers. By adding or removing windows in the pulse train forming optics, the number of pulses can be varied. By varying the distance and thickness of the respective optical elements, the time in between the pulses, i.e., the time in between frames, can be set. In our example application, the CPA pulse train is converted to 527 nm using a KDP crystal and focused into a preformed plasma and the reflected laser light due to stimulated Raman scattering is measured. Each pulse samples different plasma conditions as the plasma evolves in time, producing more data on each laser shot than with a single short pulse probe. This novel technique could potentially be implemented to obtain multiple high-time resolution measurements of the dynamics of physical processes over hundreds of picoseconds or even nanoseconds with picosecond resolution on a single shot. PMID- 17764321 TI - Direct measurement of density oscillation induced by a radio-frequency wave. AB - An O-mode reflectometer at a frequency of 25.85 GHz was applied to plasmas heated by the high harmonic fast wave (21 MHz) in the TST-2 spherical tokamak. An oscillation in the phase of the reflected microwave in the rf range was observed directly for the first time. In TST-2, the rf (250 kW) induced density oscillation depends mainly on the poloidal rf electric field, which is estimated to be about 0.2 kV/m rms by the reflectometer measurement. Sideband peaks separated in frequency by ion cyclotron harmonics from 21 MHz, and peaks at ion cyclotron harmonics which are suggested to be quasimodes generated by parametric decay, were detected. PMID- 17764322 TI - Measurement of ion energy distributions using a combined energy and mass analyzer. AB - A method is described for measuring ion energy distributions using a commercially available, combined energy analyzer/mass spectrometer. The distributions were measured at an electrode located adjacent to pulsed, electron beam-generated plasmas produced in argon. The method uses energy-dependent tuning and was tested for various plasma conditions. The results indicate an improved collection efficiency of low-energy ions when compared to conventional approaches in measuring ion energy distributions. PMID- 17764323 TI - Unique laser-scanning optical microscope for low-temperature imaging and spectroscopy. AB - Low-temperature optical characterization of single quantum nanostructures can reveal detailed information on structure-dependent properties of these materials. We describe the development of a unique laser-scanning optical microscope capable of low-temperature single molecule/particle imaging and spectroscopy. Making use of the magnification of a microscope objective, the laser- scanning scheme of the present microscope allows for high-repeatability imaging over large sample areas. The microscope is utilized to measure the low-temperature Raman scattering spectra of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes and single molecule fluorescence spectra of conjugated polymers. The developed low-temperature microscope can be applied to study a wide array of nanomaterials at a single particle level. PMID- 17764324 TI - Tip-sample distance control using photothermal actuation of a small cantilever for high-speed atomic force microscopy. AB - We have applied photothermal bending of a cantilever induced by an intensity modulated infrared laser to control the tip-surface distance in atomic force microscopy. The slow response of the photothermal expansion effect is eliminated by inverse transfer function compensation. By regulating the laser power and regulating the cantilever deflection, the tip-sample distance is controlled; this enables much faster imaging than that in the conventional piezoactuator-based z scanners because of the considerably higher resonant frequency of small cantilevers. Using this control together with other devices optimized for high speed scanning, video-rate imaging of protein molecules in liquids is achieved. PMID- 17764325 TI - Characterization of pyrocarbon coated materials using laboratory based x-ray phase contrast imaging technique. AB - In-line x-ray phase contrast is an emerging x-ray imaging technique that promises to improve the contrast in x-ray imaging process. This technique is most suited for x-ray imaging of soft materials, low atomic number elements such as carbon composite fibers, very thin coatings, etc. We have used this new emerging technique for visualization and characterization of the pyrocarbon coated materials using a combination of microfocus x-ray source and x-ray charge coupled device detector. These studies are important for characterization of coating and optimization of various process parameters during deposition. These experiments will help us to exploit the potential of this technique for studies in other areas of material science such as characterization of carbon fibered structures and detection of cracks and flaws in materials. The characterization of the imaging system and optimization of some process parameters for carbon deposition are also described in detail. PMID- 17764326 TI - Iterative image-based modeling and control for higher scanning probe microscope performance. AB - In this article, we develop an image-based approach to model and control the dynamics of scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) during high-speed operations. SPMs are key enabling tools in the experimental investigation and manipulation of nano and subnanoscale phenomena; however, the speed at which the SPM probe can be positioned over the sample surface is limited due to adverse dynamic effects. It is noted that SPM speed can be increased using model-based control techniques. Modeling the SPM dynamics is, however, challenging because currently available sensing methods do not measure the SPM tip directly. Additionally, the resolution of currently available sensing methods is limited by noise at higher bandwidth. Our main contribution is an iterative image-based modeling method which overcomes these modeling difficulties (caused by sensing limitations). The method is applied to model an experimental scanning tunneling microscope (STM) system and to achieve high-speed imaging. Specifically, we model the STM up to a frequency of 2000 Hz (corresponds to approximately 23 of the resonance frequency of our system) and achieve approximately 1.2% error in 1 nm square images at that same frequency. PMID- 17764327 TI - Development of a parallel detection and processing system using a multidetector array for wave field restoration in scanning transmission electron microscopy. AB - A parallel image detection and image processing system for scanning transmission electron microscopy was developed using a multidetector array consisting of a multianode photomultiplier tube arranged in an 8 x 8 square array. The system enables the taking of 64 images simultaneously from different scattered directions with a scanning time of 2.6 s. Using the 64 images, phase and amplitude contrast images of gold particles on an amorphous carbon thin film could be separately reconstructed by applying respective 8 shaped bandpass Fourier filters for each image and multiplying the phase and amplitude reconstructing factors. PMID- 17764328 TI - Digital-signal-processor-based dynamic imaging system for optical tomography. AB - In this article, we introduce a dynamic optical tomography system that is, unlike currently available analog instrumentation, based on digital data acquisition and filtering techniques. At the core of this continuous wave instrument is a digital signal processor (DSP) that collects, collates, processes, and filters the digitized data set. The processor is also responsible for managing system timing and the imaging routines which can acquire real-time data at rates as high as 150 Hz. Many of the synchronously timed processes are controlled by a complex programmable logic device that is also used in conjunction with the DSP to orchestrate data flow. The operation of the system is implemented through a comprehensive graphical user interface designed with LABVIEW software which integrates automated calibration, data acquisition, data organization, and signal postprocessing. Performance analysis demonstrates very low system noise (approximately 1 pW rms noise equivalent power), excellent signal precision (<0.04%-0.2%) and long term system stability (<1% over 40 min). A large dynamic range (approximately 190 dB) accommodates a wide scope of measurement geometries and tissue types. First experiments on tissue phantoms show that dynamic behavior is accurately captured and spatial location can be correctly tracked using this system. PMID- 17764329 TI - Suspended heated silicon platform for rapid thermal control of surface reactions with application to carbon nanotube synthesis. AB - Rapid continuous thermal control of chemical reactions such as those for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of nanotubes and nanowires cannot be studied using traditional reactors such as tube furnaces, which have large thermal masses. We present the design, modeling, and verification of a simple, low-cost reactor based on resistive heating of a suspended silicon platform. This system achieves slew rates exceeding 100 degrees C/s, enabling studies of rapid heating and thermal cycling. Moreover, the reaction surface is available for optical monitoring. A first-generation CVD apparatus encapsulates the heated silicon platform inside a sealed quartz tube, and initial experiments demonstrate growth of films of tangled single-wall and aligned multiwall carbon nanotubes using this system. The reactor can be straightforwardly scaled to larger or smaller substrate sizes and may be extended for a wide variety of reactions, for performing in situ reaction diagnostics, for chip-scale growth of nanostructures, and for rapid thermal processing of microelectronic and micromechanical devices. PMID- 17764330 TI - New reactor dedicated to in operando studies of model catalysts by means of surface x-ray diffraction and grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering. AB - A new experimental setup has been developed to enable in situ studies of catalyst surfaces during chemical reactions by means of surface x-ray diffraction (SXRD) and grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering. The x-ray reactor chamber was designed for both ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) and reactive gas environments. A laser beam heating of the sample was implemented; the sample temperature reaches 1100 K in UHV and 600 K in the presence of reactive gases. The reactor equipment allows dynamical observations of the surface with various, perfectly mixed gases at controlled partial pressures. It can run in two modes: as a bath reactor in the pressure range of 1-1000 mbars and as a continuous flow cell for pressure lower than 10(-3) mbar. The reactor is connected to an UHV preparation chamber also equipped with low energy electron diffraction and Auger spectroscopy. This setup is thus perfectly well suited to extend in situ studies to more complex surfaces, such as epitaxial films or supported nanoparticles. It offers the possibility to follow the chemically induced changes of the morphology, the structure, the composition, and growth processes of the model catalyst surface during exposure to reactive gases. As an example the Pd(8)Ni(92)(110) surface structure was followed by SXRD under a few millibars of hydrogen and during butadiene hydrogenation while the reaction was monitored by quadrupole mass spectrometry. This experiment evidenced the great sensitivity of the diffracted intensity to the subtle interaction between the surface atoms and the gas molecules. PMID- 17764331 TI - Inverse photoemission with energy resolution better than 200 meV. AB - We present a spectrometer for inverse photoemission in the vacuum ultraviolet range with variable energy resolution between 400 and 165 meV full width at half maximum. The energy distribution of the electron beam used for excitation can be adjusted between 300 and 125 meV by the use of a toroidal 90 degrees electrostatic deflector combined with a slit aperture. The emitted photons are detected by Geiger-Muller counters filled with either acetone or iodine as counting gas. The optical bandpasses of the detectors can be tuned between 100 and 330 meV by varying the temperature of their entrance windows. The overall resolution of the spectrometer is determined by measuring the Fermi-level onset in inverse-photoemission data of polycrystalline gold. Furthermore, the resolution enhancement is demonstrated by spectra of image-potential-induced surface states at Cu(001). PMID- 17764333 TI - Thermoluminescence apparatus using PT100 resistors as the heating and sensing elements. AB - A novel apparatus for obtaining thermoluminescence glow curves is described. Two standard PT100 precision resistors, which have a well-known dependence of resistance on temperature, are connected back to back to provide a sensing and heating element. The resulting hot finger has very low thermal mass, is nonreactive, and is inexpensive. With dry nitrogen gas-flow cooling, an operational range of -50 to 450 degrees C is achievable. A tailored control circuit which is easily calibrated drives the heating element, and temperature ramps are implemented in software. The simple design permits the use of modularly interchangeable hot fingers for rapid measurement of many samples. PMID- 17764332 TI - Instrument for x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements at high pressures. AB - An instrument has been developed for x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements at high pressures and low temperatures. This instrument couples a nonmagnetic copper-beryllium diamond anvil cell featuring perforated diamonds with a helium flow cryostat and an electromagnet. The applied pressure can be controlled in situ using a gas membrane and calibrated using Cu K-edge x-ray absorption fine structure measurements. The performance of this instrument was tested by measuring the XMCD spectra of the Gd(5)Si(2)Ge(2) giant magnetocaloric material. PMID- 17764334 TI - Technique for anisotropic extension of organic crystals: application to temperature dependence of electrical resistance. AB - We have developed a technique for the anisotropic extension of fragile molecular crystals. The pressure medium and the instrument, which extends the pressure medium, are both made from epoxy resin. Since the thermal contraction of our instrument is identical to that of the pressure medium, the strain applied to the pressure medium has no temperature dependence down to 2 K. Therefore, the degree of extension applied to the single crystal at low temperatures is uniquely determined from the degree of extension in the pressure medium and thermal contractions of the epoxy resin and the single crystal at ambient pressure. Using this novel instrument, we have measured the temperature dependence of the electrical resistance of metallic, superconducting, and insulating materials. The experimental results are discussed from the viewpoint of the extension (compression) of the lattice constants along the parallel (perpendicular) direction. PMID- 17764335 TI - Evaluation of the mechanical spectrum of the deposited materials in a composite system in torsion pendulum. AB - Previously, an approximate way to subtract the mechanical spectra (complex Young's modulus) of deposited materials from a composite reed vibration was proposed [X. N. Ying, Physica B 387, 376 (2007)]. In this article, the way of subtraction of mechanical spectra of deposited materials was extended to the complex shear modulus by a composite torsion pendulum method. Previous approximate formulas to calculate the mechanical spectra of deposited materials were found still to be valid except that new parameters were used. This deduction shows that previous approximate formulas are very applicable in the mechanical spectrum measurement. At last, the experimental result of glycerol was shown in approximate formulas. PMID- 17764336 TI - Nanosecond x-ray diffraction from polycrystalline and amorphous materials in a pinhole camera geometry suitable for laser shock compression experiments. AB - Nanosecond pulses of quasimonochromatic x-rays emitted from the K shell of ions within a laser-produced plasma are of sufficient spectral brightness to allow single-shot recording of powder diffraction patterns from thin foils of order millimeter diameter. Strong diffraction signals have been observed in a cylindrical pinhole camera arrangement from both polycrystalline and amorphous foils, and the experimental arrangement and foil dimensions are such that they allow for laser shocking or quasi-isentropic loading of the foil during the diffraction process. PMID- 17764338 TI - Data acquisition schemes for continuous two-particle time-of-flight coincidence experiments. AB - Three data acquisition schemes for two-particle coincidence experiments with a continuous source are discussed. The single-start/single-stop technique, implemented with a time-to-pulse-height converter, results in a complicated spectrum and breaks down severely at high count rates. The single-start/multiple stop setup, based on a time-to-digital converter and the first choice in today's similar coincidence experiments, performs significantly better at high count rates, but its performance is still hampered if the time-of-flight range is large, and the false coincidence background is variable if the event frequency and the collection efficiency of the starts are both high. A straightforward, multistart/multistop setup is proposed for coincidence experiments. By collecting all detector data, it ensures the highest signal-to-noise ratio, constant background, and fast data acquisition and can now be easily constructed with commercially available time-to-digital converters. Analytical and numerically evaluated formulas are derived to characterize the performance of each setup in a variety of environments. Computer simulated spectra are presented to illustrate the analytically predicted features of the various raw time-of-flight distributions obtained with each technique. PMID- 17764337 TI - Tracking polymer diffusion in a wet latex film with fluorescence resonance energy transfer. AB - We describe an instrument to measure the polymer interdiffusion between donor labeled and acceptor-labeled latex polymers in a partially wet latex film with fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). It is possible to temporarily arrest the drying process of a wet latex film by sealing the film in an airtight chamber. In our approach, we measure donor fluorescence decays from 0.5 mm diameter spots at various positions across an arrested latex film with time correlated single photon counting. We interpret the resulting decays with a Monte Carlo simulation of the FRET process and extract information about the extent of polymer diffusion as a function of position on the film. These results enable us to determine the extent of polymer interdiffusion as a function of distance from the wet-dry edge in the latex film. To highlight this device's ability to capture the rapid early stages of latex interdiffusion, we report results from an acrylate copolymer latex. PMID- 17764339 TI - Multiwell micromechanical cantilever array reader for biotechnology. AB - We use a multiwell micromechanical cantilever sensor (MCS) device to measure surface stress changes induced by specific adsorption of molecules. A multiplexed assay format facilitates the monitoring of the bending of 16 MCSs in parallel. The 16 MCSs are grouped within four separate wells. Each well can be addressed independently by different analyte liquids. This enables functionalization of MCS separately by flowing different solutions through each well. In addition, each well contains a fixed reference mirror which allows measuring the absolute bending of MCS. In addition, the mirror can be used to follow refractive index changes upon mixing of different solutions. The effect of the flow rate on the MCS bending change was found to be dependent on the absolute bending value of MCS. Experiments and finite element simulations of solution exchange in wells were performed. Both revealed that one solution can be exchanged by another one after 200 microl volume has flown through. Using this device, the adsorption of thiolated DNA molecules and 6-mercapto-1-hexanol on gold surfaces was performed to test the nanomechanical response of MCS. PMID- 17764340 TI - Scanning mass spectrometer for quantitative reaction studies on catalytically active microstructures. AB - We describe an apparatus for spatially resolving scanning mass spectrometry which is able to measure the gas composition above catalytically active microstructures or arrays of these microstructures with a lateral resolution of better than 100 mum under reaction conditions and which allows us to quantitatively determine reaction rates on individual microstructures. Measurements of the three dimensional gas composition at different vertical distances and separations between active structures allow the evaluation of gas phase mass transport effects. The system is based on a piezoelectrically driven positioning substage for controlled lateral and vertical positioning of the sample under a rigidly mounted capillary probe connecting to a mass spectrometer. Measurements can be performed at pressures in the range of <10(-2)-10 mbars and temperatures between room temperature and 450 degrees C. The performance of the setup is demonstrated using the CO oxidation reaction on Pt microstructures on Si with sizes between 100 and 300 mum and distances in the same order of magnitude, evaluating CO(2) formation and CO consumption above the microstructures. The rapidly decaying lateral resolution with increasing distance between sample and probe underlines the effects of (lateral) gas transport in the room between sample and probe. The reaction rates and apparent activation energy obtained from such measurements agree with previous data on extended surfaces, demonstrating the feasibility of determining absolute reaction rates on individual microstructures. PMID- 17764341 TI - Nanosecond delay with subpicosecond uncertainty. AB - We have combined a commercially available, variable-length coaxial delay line (trombone line) with a high-resolution linear translation system. The result is better resolution and lower uncertainty in the achievable delays than previously available. The range of delay is 0 ps to approximately 1250 ps, the bidirectional resolution is 2.0 ps, the unidirectional resolution is 0.2 ps, and the uncertainty (95% confidence interval) in the measured delay is +/-0.09 ps. Drift, temperature dependence, repeatability, linearity, and hysteresis were also examined. PMID- 17764342 TI - Method for calibrating a Rogowski coil of fast time response. AB - A new method was designed for calibrating a Rogowski coil of fast time response. The method is based on the cable pulser method except that the voltage signal pick-off output was moved to a position with a distance l from the load. If 2l/v is longer than the time duration of the forward voltage pulse u(f)(t), the reflected voltage pulse u(r)(t) could be separated from u(f)(t) and directly measured. Using the formula i(t)=[u(f)(t)-u(r)(t)]/50 to calculate the primary current of the Rogowski coil, the coil could be more accurately calibrated. PMID- 17764344 TI - Mathematical model of a double-coil inductive transducer for measuring electrical conductivity. AB - A technique for the contactless measurement of the electrical conductivity of conducting materials using a double-coil inductive transducer is presented. A mathematical model of the transducer has been created and it consists of two cylindrical coils and a tested sample in the form of a cylinder coaxial with the coils. A processing function of the transducer is defined as the ratio of voltages between terminals of the measurement coil with and without the test sample. This processing function depends on the conductivity of the test sample, the dimensions of the sample and of both coils of the transducer (the measurement coil and the excitation coil), and the frequency of the current supplied to the excitation coil. An analytical formula for the processing function is derived; analysis of graphs of this function in different formats enables us to evaluate the influence of all the essential parameters of the transducer. This is a necessary step for both transducer optimization and carrying out of the conductivity measurement of the investigated materials. In order to verify the theoretical predictions, experimental investigations have been performed using a computerized data acquisition system. First, an experimental validation of the obtained analytical formula has been completed using an aluminum sample of known conductivity. Then, the conductivity measurements of a sample made of brass have been carried out. The obtained experimental results confirm the high accuracy of the theoretical analysis. PMID- 17764343 TI - Time-domain reconstruction using sensitivity coefficients for limited view ultrawide band tomography. AB - This article addresses time-domain ultrawide band (UWB) electromagnetic tomography for reconstructing the unknown spatial characteristic of an object from observations of the arrivals of short electromagnetic (EM) pulses. Here, the determination of the first peak arrival of the EM traces constitutes the forward problem, and the inverse problem aims to reconstruct the EM property distribution of the media. In this article, the finite-difference time-domain method implementing a perfectly matched layer is used to solve the forward problem from which the system sensitivity maps are determined. Image reconstruction is based on the combination of a linearized update and regularized Landweber minimization algorithm. Experimental data from a laboratory UWB system using targets of different contrasts, sizes, and shapes in an aqueous media are presented. The results show that this technique can accurately detect and locate unknown targets in spite of the presence of significant levels of noise in the data. PMID- 17764345 TI - Single-chip pulse programmer for magnetic resonance imaging using a 32-bit microcontroller. AB - A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pulse programmer has been developed using a single-chip microcontroller (ADmicroC7026). The microcontroller includes all the components required for the MRI pulse programmer: a 32-bit RISC CPU core, 62 kbytes of flash memory, 8 kbytes of SRAM, two 32-bit timers, four 12-bit DA converters, and 40 bits of general purpose I/O. An evaluation board for the microcontroller was connected to a host personal computer (PC), an MRI transceiver, and a gradient driver using interface circuitry. Target (embedded) and host PC programs were developed to enable MRI pulse sequence generation by the microcontroller. The pulse programmer achieved a (nominal) time resolution of approximately 100 ns and a minimum time delay between successive events of approximately 9 micros. Imaging experiments using the pulse programmer demonstrated the effectiveness of our approach. PMID- 17764346 TI - Optical cell with periodic resistive heating for the measurement of heat, mass, and thermal diffusions in liquid mixtures. AB - A new technique for the measurement of heat, mass, and thermal diffusions in liquids has been developed. Similar to laser induced dynamic gratings, a temperature grating is created in the sample. Thermal expansion transforms the temperature into a refractive-index grating, which is read by diffraction of a readout laser beam. In a multicomponent mixture an additional concentration grating is formed by thermal diffusion driven by the temperature gradients of the temperature grating. Differently to laser induced dynamic grating experiments we use Joule heating instead of optical heating. For that purpose we have built cuvettes which have a grating of transparent conducting strips on the inner side of one of their windows. If heated by an electric current a temperature grating will build up in the sample. Both the heat equation and the extended diffusion equation have been solved in two dimensions to allow for quantitative data analysis. Our apparatus and method of analysis have been validated by measurements of heat, mass, and thermal diffusions in pure and binary liquids. Heat diffusion can be correctly determined as was shown for pure toluene, pure dodecane, and the symmetric mixture of isobutylbenzene dodecane. Mass and thermal diffusions were studied in the three symmetric mixtures of dodecane, isobutylbenzene, and tetralin. The obtained diffusion and Soret coefficients agree with the literature values within the experimental errors. Uncompensated transient heating effects limit the resolution of the experimental technique. PMID- 17764347 TI - 3omega method to measure thermal properties of electrically conducting small volume liquid. AB - This work presents a method to measure the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of electrically conducting small-volume liquid samples using the 3omega technique. A mathematical model of heat transfer is derived to determine the thermal properties from the 3omega signal considering the device geometry. In order to validate the model, an experimental apparatus has been designed and set up to measure the thermal properties (thermal conductivity and heat capacity) of seven different liquid samples. The results show good agreement with other literature values, demonstrating that the suggested method is effective for measuring the thermal properties of electrically conducting liquids. More importantly, the result with a sample volume of 1 microl demonstrates the resolution of the thermal conductivity as precise as 0.01% which corresponds to a thermal-conductivity change of 10(-4) Wm K in the case of water-based solutions. PMID- 17764348 TI - Novel optical method for background reduction in resonant photoacoustics. AB - We report a new way of reducing the background originated by window absorption in resonant photoacoustics. The technique employs a secondary light source that is absorbed by the window but not by the gas sample. This auxiliary source is modulated 180 degrees apart from the one used to probe the gas. This way the window is heated almost uniformly during each cycle, thus lessening the associated background signal. We tested the scheme on a photoacoustic setup, conceived to measure NO(2), which is excited by an array of blue light-emitting diodes. Another array of near-infrared, light-emitting diodes served as the secondary light source. With the addition of this cancelling method, the detection limit was decreased to 4% of the previous reached without it. PMID- 17764349 TI - New Cs sputter ion source with polyatomic ion beams for secondary ion mass spectrometry applications. AB - A simple design for a cesium sputter ion source compatible with vacuum and ion optical systems as well as with electronics of the commercially available Cameca IMS-4f instrument is reported. This ion source has been tested with the cluster primary ions of Si(n)(-) and Cu(n)(-). Our experiments with surface characterization and depth profiling conducted to date demonstrate improvements of the analytical capabilities of the secondary ion mass spectrometry instrument due to the nonadditive enhancement of secondary ion emission and shorter ion ranges of polyatomic projectiles compared to atomic ones with the same impact energy. PMID- 17764350 TI - Apparatus for studies of high-temperature chemical reactions in single particle systems. AB - We report a compact microgravity flight apparatus for characterization of high temperature chemical reactions in single particle systems. The apparatus employs an infrared CO(2) laser to ignite 1-5 mm samples while video images, thermocouple measurements, laser on/off status, and XYZ accelerometer signals are synchronously recorded. Different operating modes permit preignition quenching, ignition, and combustion experiments to be performed. The apparatus was successfully utilized during microgravity experiments on board NASA research aircraft. PMID- 17764351 TI - Mass detection using capacitive resonant silicon resonator employing LC resonant circuit technique. AB - Capacitive resonant mass sensing using a single-crystalline silicon resonator with an electrical LC oscillator was demonstrated in ambient atmosphere. Using capacitive detection method, the detectable minimum mass of 1 x 10(-14) g was obtained in the self-oscillation of cantilever with a thickness of 250 nm. The noise amplitude of the sensor output corresponds to a vibration amplitude of 0.05 nm(Hz)(0.5) in the frequency domain compared with the actuation signal, which is equivalent to the detectable minimum capacitance variation of 2.4 x 10(-21) F. Using the capacitive detection method, mass/stress induced resonance frequency shift due to the adsorption of ethanol and moist vapor in a pure N(2) gas as a carrier is successfully demonstrated. These results show the high potential of capacitive silicon resonator for high mass/stress-sensitive sensor. PMID- 17764352 TI - Measurement of ultrasonic velocity with improved accuracy in pulse echo setup. AB - In the present work a personal computer based circuit adopted in pulseecho setup has been developed for the measurement of time-of-flight between the two successive echoes using a differential time measurement with a 16 bit counter and an external clock frequency of 32 MHz. A control program is developed in C to display the time of flight and wave propagation velocity on a user screen. The technique, so developed, minimizes the errors in time delay measurements due to the variation in threshold trigger points of echoes and improves the ultrasonic velocity measurement. PMID- 17764354 TI - Moving bed reactor setup to study complex gas-solid reactions. AB - A moving bed scale reactor setup for studying complex gas-solid reactions has been designed in order to obtain kinetic data for scale-up purpose. In this bench scale reactor setup, gas and solid reactants can be contacted in a cocurrent and countercurrent manner at high temperatures. Gas and solid sampling can be performed through the reactor bed with their composition profiles determined at steady state. The reactor setup can be used to evaluate and corroborate model parameters accounting for intrinsic reaction rates in both simple and complex gas solid reaction systems. The moving bed design allows experimentation over a variety of gas and solid compositions in a single experiment unlike differential bed reactors where the gas composition is usually fixed. The data obtained from the reactor can also be used for direct scale-up of designs for moving bed reactors. PMID- 17764353 TI - High-efficiency particulate air filter test stand and aerosol generator for particle loading studies. AB - This manuscript describes the design, characterization, and operational range of a test stand and high-output aerosol generator developed to evaluate the performance of 30 x 30 x 29 cm(3) nuclear grade high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters under variable, highly controlled conditions. The test stand system is operable at volumetric flow rates ranging from 1.5 to 12 standard m(3)/min. Relative humidity levels are controllable from 5%-90% and the temperature of the aerosol stream is variable from ambient to 150 degrees C. Test aerosols are produced through spray drying source material solutions that are introduced into a heated stainless steel evaporation chamber through an air atomizing nozzle. Regulation of the particle size distribution of the aerosol challenge is achieved by varying source solution concentrations and through the use of a postgeneration cyclone. The aerosol generation system is unique in that it facilitates the testing of standard HEPA filters at and beyond rated media velocities by consistently providing, into a nominal flow of 7 standard m(3)/min, high mass concentrations (approximately 25 mg/m(3)) of dry aerosol streams having count mean diameters centered near the most penetrating particle size for HEPA filters (120-160 nm). Aerosol streams that have been generated and characterized include those derived from various concentrations of KCl, NaCl, and sucrose solutions. Additionally, a water insoluble aerosol stream in which the solid component is predominantly iron (III) has been produced. Multiple ports are available on the test stand for making simultaneous aerosol measurements upstream and downstream of the test filter. Types of filter performance related studies that can be performed using this test stand system include filter lifetime studies, filtering efficiency testing, media velocity testing, evaluations under high mass loading and high humidity conditions, and determination of the downstream particle size distributions. PMID- 17764355 TI - Efficiency measurement and uncertainty discussion of an electric engine powered by a "self-breathing" and "self-humidified" proton exchange membrane fuel cell. AB - The efficiency of an automotive engine based on a "self-breathing" and "self humidified" proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack (PEM FC) connected to a dc brushless electrical motor was measured under variable power load conditions. Experiments have been carried out on a small scale 150 W engine model. After determining the fuel cell static polarization curve and the time response to power steps, the system was driven to copy on the test bench a "standard urban load cycle" and its instantaneous efficiencies were measured at an acquisition rate of 5 Hz. The integral system efficiency over the entire urban load cycle, comprising the losses of the unavoidable auxiliary components of the engine, was then calculated. The fuel cell stack was operated mainly in "partial" dead-end mode, with a periodic anode flow channel purging, and one test was carried out in "pure" dead-end mode, with no anode channel purging. An uncertainty analysis of the efficiencies was carried out, taking into account either type A and type B evaluation methods, strengthening the discussion about the outcomes obtained for a system based on this novel simplified FC type. For our small scale engine we measured over the standard urban cycle, on the basis of the H(2) high heating value (HHV), a tank-to-wheel integral efficiency of (18.2+/-0.8)%, when the fuel cell was operated with periodic flow channel purging, and of (21.5+/-1.3)% in complete dead-end operation mode. PMID- 17764356 TI - Novel method for mechanical characterization of polymeric nanofibers. AB - A novel method to perform nanoscale mechanical characterization of highly deformable nanofibers has been developed. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) test platform with an on-chip leaf-spring load cell that was tuned with the aid of a focused ion beam was built for fiber gripping and force measurement and it was actuated with an external piezoelectric transducer. Submicron scale tensile tests were performed in ambient conditions under an optical microscope. Engineering stresses and strains were obtained directly from images of the MEMS platform, by extracting the relative rigid body displacements of the device components by digital image correlation. The accuracy in determining displacements by this optical method was shown to be better than 50 nm. In the application of this method, the mechanical behavior of electrospun polyacrylonitrite nanofibers with diameters ranging from 300 to 600 nm was investigated. The stress-strain curves demonstrated an apparent elastic-perfectly plastic behavior with elastic modulus of 7.6+/-1.5 GPa and large irreversible strains that exceeded 220%. The large fiber stretch ratios were the result of a cascade of periodic necks that formed during cold drawing of the nanofibers. PMID- 17764357 TI - Measuring two-dimensional components of a flow velocity vector using a hot-wire probe. AB - The article presents a single-hot-wire probe adapted to detect the direction of flow velocity. The modification consists of the introduction of a third support which allows to measure voltage at the central point of the wire. The sign of voltage difference DeltaU between both parts of the wire is the measure of the direction of flow velocity in a system of coordinates associated with the probe. PMID- 17764358 TI - New delay-integration method for resolving individual components of a pair of composite signals. AB - Many scientific measurements are actually a composite of two or more indirectly measured values. A distance measurement, for example, is actually a measurement of the true distance and some amount of error added together. A new method for decomposing a pair of such composite signals into their individual components in certain situations is described. The method utilizes a delay time difference between the components in each of the two composite signals to provide information necessary to reconstruct the individual components. This decomposition would allow for the possible removal of one of the components, such as in the case of unwanted noise. The method is able to distinguish between two signals with similar frequencies and amplitudes, making it a viable solution in situations where simple low- or high-pass filtering would remove needed signal information. Three successful applications of the method are described, including measurement of lateral tape motion (LTM) in a magnetic data storage tape drive and removal of additive noise from both an electrical and a mechanical system. PMID- 17764360 TI - Sensitive ultrasonic vibrometer for very low frequency applications. AB - Ultrasonic measurement of distance is a well-known low cost method but only a few vibrometers have been developed because sensitivity, spatial resolution, and bandwidth are not high or wide enough for standard laboratory applications. Nevertheless, compared to optical vibrometers, two interesting properties should be considered: very low frequency noise (0.1 Hz to 1 kHz) is reduced and the long wavelength enables rough surfaces to be investigated. Moreover, the ultrasonic probe is a differential sensor, without being a mechanical load for the vibrating structure as usual accelerometers based on contacting transducers are. The main specificity of the presented probe is its ultralow noise electronics including a 3/2 order phase locked loop which extracts the phase modulation related to the amplitude of the detected vibration. This article presents the main useful physical aspects and details of the actual probe. The given application is the measurement of the vibration of an isolated optical bench excited at very low frequency with an electromagnetic transducer. PMID- 17764359 TI - Novel apparatus to measure hyperthermal heavy ion damage to DNA: strand breaks, base loss, and fragmentation. AB - We have developed a novel apparatus that allows us to irradiate nonvolatile organic films of high mass (1-100 microg range) spread out over a large surface area (42 cm(2)) with low energy (kT-100 eV) heavy ions and to quantitatively analyze the film substance via standard biochemical techniques afterwards. Here we discuss the details of the apparatus and method and show that it allows us to measure substantial damage to double stranded DNA molecules (plasmids) and its fundamental subunits induced by heavy ions with unprecedented low energies, i.e., 2.5 eV/amu; these energies correspond to track end energies of stopping ions or secondary ions created along primary ion tracks. We find that hyperthermal Ar(+) ions interacting with plasmid DNA will lead to the formation of single and double strand breaks, as well as fragmentation of nucleosides, which also involve chemical modifications and site specific rupture along the N1-C1 glycosidic bond, resulting in base release. In cells, such localized clustered damage will enhance the severity of DNA strand lesions, thus making them harder to repair. PMID- 17764361 TI - Precise atomic force microscope cantilever spring constant calibration using a reference cantilever array. AB - A method for calibrating the stiffness of atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers is demonstrated using an array of uniform microfabricated reference cantilevers. A series of force-displacement curves was obtained using a commercial AFM test cantilever on the reference cantilever array, and the data were analyzed using an implied Euler-Bernoulli model to extract the test cantilever spring constant from linear regression fitting. The method offers a factor of 5 improvement over the precision of the usual reference cantilever calibration method and, when combined with the Systeme International traceability potential of the cantilever array, can provide very accurate spring constant calibrations. PMID- 17764362 TI - Fabrication of ultrathin and highly uniform silicon on insulator by numerically controlled plasma chemical vaporization machining. AB - Metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors fabricated on a silicon-on insulator (SOI) wafer operate faster and at a lower power than those fabricated on a bulk silicon wafer. Scaling down, which improves their performances, demands thinner SOI wafers. In this article, improvement on the thinning of SOI wafers by numerically controlled plasma chemical vaporization machining (PCVM) is described. PCVM is a gas-phase chemical etching method in which reactive species generated in atmospheric-pressure plasma are used. Some factors affecting uniformity are investigated and methods for improvements are presented. As a result of thinning a commercial 8 in. SOI wafer, the initial SOI layer thickness of 97.5+/-4.7 nm was successfully thinned and made uniform at 7.5+/-1.5 nm. PMID- 17764363 TI - Small plasma source for materials application. AB - We describe a small hollow-cathode plasma source suitable for small-scale materials synthesis and modification application. The supporting electrical system is minimal. The gaseous plasma source delivers a plasma ion current of up to about 1 mA. Here we outline the source construction and operation, and present some of its basic performance characteristics. PMID- 17764364 TI - Design and construction of microclimate monitoring system. AB - A portable and user-friendly weather monitoring system based on the PIC16F876 microcontroller is described. This instrument measures three parameters: temperature in the range from -10 to +70 degrees C within +/-1 degrees C using an LM335 temperature sensor, wind speed from 0 to 10 m/s within +/-0.1 m/s using a heated bead thermistor, and solar radiation from 0 to 1000 W/m(2) within +/-10 W/m(2) using a solar cell. These variables are displayed digitally, one at a time, with a 5 s separation. The values are stored on EEPROM at 2 min intervals. The instrument is intended for use in agriculture and for educational purposes. PMID- 17764365 TI - Self-absorption correction for solid-state photoluminescence quantum yields obtained from integrating sphere measurements. AB - A new method is presented for analyzing the effects of self-absorption on photoluminescence integrating sphere quantum yield measurements. Both the observed quantum yield and luminescence spectrum are used to determine the self absorption probability, taking into account both the initial emission and subsequent absorption and reemission processes. The analysis is experimentally validated using the model system of the laser dye perylene red dispersed in a polymer film. This approach represents an improvement over previous methods that tend to overestimate the true quantum yield, especially in cases with high sample absorbance or quantum yield values. PMID- 17764366 TI - Strip-shaped samples in a microwave Corbino spectrometer. AB - The Corbino geometry, where a flat sample is pressed against an open end of a coaxial cable, is an established probe layout for broadband microwave spectroscopy. Here we show that besides the conventional case of the sample covering the complete Corbino probe, also strip-shaped samples can be studied with a Corbino spectrometer. This increases the sensitivity for highly conductive samples and furthermore opens the route for the study of anisotropic materials. PMID- 17764367 TI - High performance thyratron driver with low jitter. AB - We report the design and development of insulated gate bipolar junction transistor based high performance driver for operating thyratrons in grounded grid mode. With careful design, the driver meets the specification of trigger output pulse rise time less than 30 ns, jitter less than +/-1 ns, and time delay less than 160 ns. It produces a -600 V pulse of 500 ns duration (full width at half maximum) at repetition rate ranging from 1 Hz to 1.14 kHz. The developed module also facilitates heating and biasing units along with protection circuitry in one complete package. PMID- 17764368 TI - Time resolved measurements by the pulse height analysis soft x-ray diagnostic on TCV. AB - A single chord, single processing chain, hybrid (analog/digital) pulse height analysis diagnostic has been developed for the TCV tokamak, aiming to provide the evolution of the plasma electron temperature with a software selectable minimum temporal resolution of 100 ms. The high count rate (approximately 65 kHz) together with an energy resolution of 190 eV (at 5.9 keV) were achieved by encoding the data stream with an on-site developed interface amplifier and time generator. The diagnostic was also used to investigate the non-Maxwellian behavior of the electron energy distribution function with strong electron cyclotron resonance heating and to monitor the presence of intrinsic and injected impurities in the 700 eV-20 keV energy range. The conversion of this diagnostic into a real-time control tool is under development. PMID- 17764369 TI - Adaptive optics instrumentation in submillimeter/terahertz spectroscopy with a flexible polyvinylidene fluoride cladding hollow waveguide. AB - A simple instrument has been developed to carry out temperature dependent submillimeter/terahertz-wave spectroscopy using a polyvinylidene fluoride flexible hollow waveguide and an eggplant-shape launching lens. PMID- 17764370 TI - Acoustic intensity measurement in a narrow duct by a two-sensor method. AB - The use of two pressure sensors [Fusco et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 91, 2229 (1992)] makes it possible to determine the acoustic intensity of a gas column in a duct, but the application of this method was limited to wide ducts. In this letter, the formulation of the method is modified to include narrow ducts where the duct radius is as small as the viscous boundary layer thickness of the gas. The validity of this method is shown by comparison with the direct measurements of the pressure and velocity. PMID- 17764371 TI - Niobium direct detectors for fast and sensitive terahertz spectroscopy. AB - We report the performance of a niobium hot-electron bolometer designed for laboratory terahertz spectroscopy. The antenna-coupled detector can operate above 4.2 K and has fast (subnanosecond) response. Detailed microwave measurements of performance over a wide range of operating conditions were correlated with quantitative terahertz measurements. The maximum responsivity is 4 x 10(4) VW with a noise equivalent power at the detector of 2 x 10(-14) W/Hz(12), approaching the intrinsic thermal fluctuation limit for the device. This detector enables a variety of novel laboratory spectroscopy measurements. PMID- 17764372 TI - Self-suppression of reset induced triggering in picosecond SPAD timing circuits. AB - We present a new photon timing circuit that achieves a time resolution of 35 ps full width at half maximum with single photon avalanche diodes having active area diameters up to 200 microm. The timing circuit is based on a double avalanche current sensing network that makes it particularly suited to operation at high photon counting rates. Thanks to its self-adjusting capabilities, no trimming is needed even when changing the photodetector operating conditions over a wide range. PMID- 17764373 TI - Development of a universal serial bus interface circuit for ion beam current integrators. AB - A universal serial bus (USB) interface circuit has been developed to enable easy interfacing of commercial as well as custom-built ion beam current integrators to personal computer (PC) based automated experimental setups. Built using the popular PIC16F877A reduced instruction set computer and a USB-universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter/first in, first out controller, DLP2232, this USB interface circuit virtually emulates the ion beam current integrators on a host PC and uses USB 2.0 protocol to implement high speed bidirectional data transfer. Using this interface, many tedious and labor intensive ion beam irradiation and characterization experiments can be redesigned into PC based automated ones with advantages of improved accuracy, rapidity, and ease of use and control. This interface circuit was successfully used in carrying out online in situ resistivity measurement of 70 keV O(+) ion irradiated tin thin films using four probe method. In situ electrical resistance measurement showed the formation of SnO(2) phase during ion implantation. PMID- 17764374 TI - Signal conditioning for differential temperature measurement with thermistors using a generalized impedance converter. AB - In this article a differential temperature-to-time converter is presented using two thermistors in a generalized impedance converter, polarized in direct current. The voltage drop in one of the thermistors depends on the differential temperature at which both thermistors are exposed. Such voltage drop is compared to a signal which changes exponentially by obtaining a time interval which depends on the differential temperature. The results of the experimental tests support the theoretical analysis performed and at the same time offer a new possibility of application of the generalized impedance converter as a signal conditioning circuit. PMID- 17764376 TI - Analytical electric field and sensitivity analysis for two microfluidic impedance cytometer designs. AB - Microfabricated impedance cytometers have been developed to measure the electrical impedance of single biological particles at high speed. A general approach to analytically solve the electric field distributions for two different designs of cytometers: parallel facing electrodes and coplanar electrodes, using the Schwarz-Christoffel Mapping method is presented. Compared to previous analytical solutions, our derivations are more systematic and solutions are more straightforward. The solutions have been validated by comparison with numerical simulations performed using the finite element method. The influences on the electric field distribution due to the variations in the geometry of the devices have been discussed. A simple method is used to determine the impedance sensitivity of the system and to compare the two electrode designs. For identical geometrical parameters, we conclude that the parallel electrodes design is more sensitive than the coplanar electrodes. PMID- 17764378 TI - Treatment of bipolar disorder during pregnancy. AB - The treatment of bipolar disorder during pregnancy or in those women who wish to conceive poses a unique set of dilemmas with which clinicians should be familiar. Given the teratogenicity of some psychotropic medications used to treat bipolar disorder and incomplete reproductive safety data for agents frequently employed to manage the illness, patients and clinicians should collaborate as they weigh options regarding appropriate pharmacologic therapy during pregnancy. Ultimately, risk-benefit decisions are made that must factor in the risk of relapse of psychiatric illness during pregnancy and its attendant morbidity versus the risk of fetal exposure to these agents. No clinical decision is risk-free, and patients with comparable information about risks and benefits of treatment options may make different decisions. However, awareness of the latest reproductive safety data across the family of compounds used to treat bipolar disorder, including antipsychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and anticonvulsants, allows for the most informed decisions. This article (1) describes the treatment dilemmas faced by bipolar women who are either pregnant or who wish to conceive, (2) reviews the teratogenic risks associated with commonly used psychotropic medications used to treat the illness, and (3) provides some clinical guidelines for treating this population during pregnancy. PMID- 17764377 TI - Development of a miniaturised drug delivery system with wireless power transfer and communication. AB - The development of an implantable system designed to deliver drug doses in a controlled manner over an extended time period is reported. Key performance parameters are the physical size, the power consumption and also the ability to perform wireless communications to enable the system to be externally controlled and interrogated. The system has been designed to facilitate wireless power transfer, which is very important for miniaturisation as it removes the need for a battery. PMID- 17764379 TI - Reproductive biology and psychotropic treatments in premenopausal women with bipolar disorder. AB - Treating women with bipolar disorder during the reproductive years requires special consideration because of the reproductive risks associated with specific psychotropic drugs and drug interactions with hormonal contraceptives. Some psychotropic drugs can disrupt the menstrual cycle, alter pregnancy potential, and increase the risk for chronic conditions associated with hormone changes, such as prolactin elevation and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Valproate has been associated with an increased risk of PCOS features. Typical antipsychotics and risperidone can increase prolactin production, which may also disrupt the menstrual cycle. When the menstrual cycle is altered, fertility is reduced, and medical conditions such as osteoporosis and endometrial hyperplasia can result. This article advises establishing the regularity of menstrual cycles and discussing the potential reproductive impact of specific psychotropic medications before initiating treatment in women with bipolar disorder who are of reproductive age. PMID- 17764380 TI - Effects and management of the menopausal transition in women with depression and bipolar disorder. AB - Unipolar and bipolar disorders are major causes of disease burden for women in the United States. For some women, the menopausal transition can represent a time of increased vulnerability to depression, a greater risk of recurrence or instability of bipolar disorder, and an overall poorer quality of life (QOL). The physical and psychological changes of menopause and symptoms of depression may overlap, but QOL is affected doubly for women experiencing menopause-related complaints concomitantly with a unipolar or bipolar disorder. Treatments for the symptoms of menopause and for unipolar or bipolar disorder need to be chosen with careful consideration for the different stages of the menopausal transition, as well as safety, tolerability, and impact on QOL. Menopausal-related symptoms can be treated with hormonal therapies, antidepressants, and herbal supplements, but a critical window of opportunity may exist for these interventions. Bipolar disorder presents differently in women than in men and may require different medication. For instance, in women, lithium may be less effective for patients who have rapid cycling; adjuvant antidepressant medication may be required with valproate or carbamazepine; and lamotrigine may also be effective. Most of the medications that are standard treatment for bipolar disorder affect bone mineral density, and the risk for impaired QOL should be considered when choosing medication for women during this period. Insufficient information is available, however, to assess the best strategy to treat women with bipolar disorder and depression as they age. PMID- 17764381 TI - The use of mood stabilizers during breastfeeding. AB - The literature and majority of professional organizations endorse breastfeeding as a means to provide a number of health benefits to both mother and child. Notably, the postpartum period heralds an increased vulnerability for both new onset and symptom worsening of neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly bipolar disorder in women. While pharmacologic treatment is important for these patients, many physicians have been hesitant to prescribe medication for women who choose to breast-feed, despite the fact that a variety of medical illnesses are routinely treated in breastfeeding women (e.g., epilepsy, infection, allergies, and migraine) and that nursing infants may also directly receive medications for colic and reflux. To date, all psychotropic medications studied enter human breast milk, and many of these medications have undergone detailed investigations. While breastfeeding may complicate pharmacotherapy, it does not preclude it. There are limited scientifically derived guidelines in the treatment of women who choose to breast-feed. The pharmacokinetic properties and potential impact of infant exposure to mood stabilizers must be considered in the decision to breast-feed infants born to mothers receiving pharmacologic treatment for bipolar disorder. Past practices and methodologies for determining continuation of treatment are discussed in this article, as well as the current data for newer categories of drugs being used to treat bipolar disorder and their indications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Treating pregnant women with neuropsychiatric illnesses in their childbearing years who are breastfeeding involves a thorough risk:benefit analysis to determine the relative safety of pharmacologic therapy. Familiarity with the extant literature and its limitations and practical considerations will enable optimizing treatment plans that maintain maternal mental health, minimize nursing infant exposures, and provide infant monitoring. PMID- 17764382 TI - Teratogenicity and anticonvulsants: lessons from neurology to psychiatry. AB - Anticonvulsants are considered first-line treatments for epilepsy, and some also exert useful effects as mood stabilizers for the treatment of bipolar (manic depressive) disorder. Much of the research on anticonvulsant use during pregnancy has been done by neurologists studying women with epilepsy. Anticonvulsant use during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of fetal malformations, but withdrawing medication is highly risky for most women with epilepsy or bipolar disorder. Thus, careful clinical monitoring and coordinated care among patient, partner, obstetrician, and psychiatrist are necessary to limit both teratogenetic and neuropsychiatric risks. Several pregnancy registries have appeared. They include the International Registry of Antiepileptic Drugs and Pregnancy (EURAP), the North American Antiepileptic Pregnancy Registry, the International Lamotrigine Pregnancy Registry, the United Kingdom Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register, and the Australian Pregnancy Registry. Data from these registries are helping medical professionals in assessing risks associated with anticonvulsant use during pregnancy and communicating those risks to patients. PMID- 17764386 TI - Folate and ApoE DNA methylation induced by homocysteine in human monocytes. AB - Homocysteine (Hcy) is an important and independent risk factor for arteriosclerosis, and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is an important gene of anti atherosclerosis, but the characteristics and their key links that are involved in their pathogenic mechanisms are still poorly understood. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of Hcy and folate on ApoE as well as the underlying mechanism of ApoE expression induced by Hcy in monocytes. When clinically relevant concentrations of Hcy and folate were added to the cultured monocytes for 4 days, we found that clinically relevant Hcy (100 microM) may increase the levels of total cholesterol (TC), free cholesterol (FC), and cholesteryl ester (CE), and also decrease ApoE mRNA, protein expressions, leading to 34.28%, 45.00% in cultured primary human monocytes in comparison to the positive group. The effects of Hcy were primarily mediated by C-5 MTase, because Hcy could upregulate the activity of C-5 MTase and then accelerate DNA methylation of ApoE. However, folate decreased the levels of TC, FC, and CE (p < 0.001) and increased the ApoE expression; as to say, folate primarily repressed the effects of DNA methylation induced by Hcy and reduced anti atherosclerosis. In conclusion, these results suggested that ApoE DNA methylation that is induced by Hcy may play a potential role for ApoE expression in atherosclerosis. Folate has beneficial effects for anti atherosclerosis, and it may become a therapeutic target for preventing Hcy-induced atherosclerosis. PMID- 17764388 TI - The effectiveness of sentence cues in measuring the Big Three motives. AB - Despite the popularity of free response measures in the motivation literature, research geared toward the development of a standard battery of cues for measuring the Big Three motives (achievement, affiliation, power) has been lacking. The current research examined the effectiveness of sentence cues in eliciting motive imagery in two studies (students, entrepreneurs) comprising 242 men and women. Results indicated that sentence cues were effective in eliciting achievement and affiliation imagery, but not power imagery. In addition, an examination of the subcategories underlying each motive scoring system indicated that there were several infrequently scored subcategories in the achievement and power motive scoring systems that could be considered for removal. PMID- 17764387 TI - Personality assessment in today's health care environment: therapeutic alliance and patient satisfaction. AB - This article addresses the role of personality assessment-specifically the Rorschach (Exner, 2002)-]in the context of the health care industry's increased focus on patient satisfaction. When providing psychotherapy, a challenge to providing patient-centered care turns on understanding and acting on the key aspects of the patient's personality that are crucial to forming an effective alliance. This article includes a description and examples of how personality assessment can enhance therapists' understanding of the ideational, affective, and self-control aspects of complicated patients' problem-solving styles. This enhanced understanding in turn can lead to improved therapeutic alliance between therapists and patients and to increased patient satisfaction with their care. How to provide feedback to the therapist also is addressed. PMID- 17764389 TI - Validity of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-64) for predicting assertiveness in role-play situations. AB - The Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-64; Horowitz, Alden, Wiggins, & Pincus, 2000) is a self-report measure of maladaptive relationship behavior. Ninety-five adult female participants completed the IIP-64 and then interacted with a same-sex confederate in three diagnostic role plays, designed to evoke assertive responses. After each role play, both the participant and the confederate judged how assertive the participant had been, using two subscales from the Interpersonal Adjective Scales (IAS; Wiggins, 1995). The participants' general self-images, assessed with the IIP-64, were quite congruent with how they judged their own assertiveness in the role plays. But when role-play assertiveness was judged by the confederate, the match with the participants' general self-images was considerably lower. Our results indicate that self reported interpersonal problems do not converge well with external judgments of interpersonal behavior. PMID- 17764390 TI - Belief in an unjust world: when beliefs in a just world fail. AB - Belief in a just world, where people get what they deserve, has been hypothesized to underlie a variety of psychological phenomena (Lerner, 1965). Close inspection of individual difference measures of this belief, however, has indicated repeatedly that just world beliefs are not a unidimensional construct. The purpose of this investigation was to elaborate upon the conceptualization of unjust world beliefs as a related but separate construct from just world beliefs. In two studies, the Unjust World Views scale (UJVS) was developed and its reliability and validity examined. The UJVS demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity and accounted for more variability in related outcomes than just world beliefs. Further, belief in an unjust world was related to defensive coping, anger, and perceived future risk. These findings contribute to theory development and suggest that a belief in an unjust world may serve a self protective function. Clinical implications are discussed as unjust world views also were found to be potentially maladaptive. PMID- 17764391 TI - Being close and being social: peer ratings of distinct aspects of young adult social competence. AB - The present study had three main objectives: (1) to develop and validate scales of young adult social competence in two domains, close relationships and social groups, using peer ratings of California Q-sort (Block, 1974; Kremen & Block, 2002) items; (2) to test the hypothesis that social competence is associated with young adult well-being and ego development; (3) to test the hypothesis that close relationship competence aligns more closely than social group competence with young adult functioning. Psychometric data on peer ratings of social competence are presented. For 133 young adults, peer ratings of social competence were correlated in expected directions with indices of functioning (e.g., self-worth, education, psychological distress, criminal behavior, and ego development). Associations were generally stronger for competence in close relationships than in social groups. PMID- 17764392 TI - A method to optimize the response range while maintaining Rorschach Comprehensive System validity. AB - Brief and lengthy Rorschach records have been identified as common problems in protocol administration. Clinicians have debated how to prevent overly short and long records, but they have been reluctant to alter standardized administration for fear of introducing bias. The present study examines a nonintrusive method for constraining responses by prompting for an extra response when only one is offered per card and by removing the card after four responses are given. Among patients who typically produce brief records, consisting of a residential sample of civil and forensic patients with a range of disordered thinking, the alternative administration method demonstrated improved Comprehensive System validity in assessing thought disorder and eliminated the need to readminister the test due to fewer than 14 responses. The findings have clinical implications for protocol administration with thought-disordered populations that typically produce brief records. PMID- 17764393 TI - The Inventory of Children's Individual Differences: development and validation of a short version. AB - As more researchers utilize the Five-factor model (FFM) of personality with children and adolescents, the need for instruments designed specifically for use with children and adolescents increases. In the United States, the 108-item Inventory of Children's Individual Differences (ICID; Halverson et al., 2003), has provided researchers with an age and culture neutral instrument designed specifically to assess the FFM of personality in children and adolescents, ages 2 to 15, using parental, nonparental, or self-reports. This article presents a shorter, 50-item version of the ICID (the ICID-S) that maintains the levels of validity and reliability previously established for the full instrument. PMID- 17764394 TI - The comparative validity of 11 modern personality inventories: predictions of behavioral acts, informant reports, and clinical indicators. AB - In science, multiple measures of the same constructs can be useful, but they are unlikely to all be equally valid indicators. In psychological assessment, the many popular personality inventories available in the marketplace also may be useful, but their comparative validity has long remained unassessed. This is the first comprehensive comparison of 11 such multiscale instruments against each of three types of criteria: clusters of behavioral acts, descriptions by knowledgeable informants, and clinical indicators potentially associated with various types of psychopathology. Using 1,000 bootstrap resampling analyses from a sample of roughly 700 adult research participants, we assess the relative predictability of each criterion and the comparative validity of each inventory. Although there was a wide range of criterion predictability, most inventories exhibited quite similar cross-validities when averaged across all three types of criteria. On the other hand, there were important differences between inventories in their predictive capabilities for particular criteria. We discuss the factors that lead to differential validity across predictors and criteria. PMID- 17764395 TI - The cross-cultural generalizability of Zuckerman's alternative five-factor model of personality. AB - The aim of this study was to analyze the cross-cultural generalizability of the Alternative five-factor model (AFFM; Zuckerman, Kuhlman, & Camac, 1988). The total sample was made up of 9,152 subjects from six countries: China, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. The internal consistencies for all countries were generally similar to those found for the normative American sample. Factor analyses within cultures showed that the normative American structure was replicated in all cultures; however, the congruence coefficients were slightly lower in China and Italy. A similar analysis at the facet level confirmed the high cross-cultural replicability of the AFFM. Mean-level comparisons did not always show the hypothesized effects. The mean score differences across countries were very small. PMID- 17764396 TI - A memory-systems approach to the classification of personality tests: comment on Meyer and Kurtz (2006). AB - In response to Meyer and Kurtz's (2006) recommended discontinuation of the terms "objective" and "projective" as descriptors of personality tests, a new classification system for personality measures is sketched out that is based on memory research. Adopting a widely used model of the organization of human memory systems (e.g., Squire, Knowlton, & Musen, 1993), a distinction between declarative and nondeclarative personality tests is proposed based on whether tests assess facets of personality represented in consciously accessible memory systems or in nonconscious memory systems whose operation is reflected in performance. The declarative/nondeclarative classification can be further refined by specifying separable memory systems within each domain of memory (e.g., episodic, semantic, priming, skill learning). It is proposed that such a new classification would be conceptually meaningful, because it links personality tests to highly refined accounts of human cognition, and heuristically fruitful, because it provides new insights into the properties and limits of existing tests and helps identify hitherto largely untapped sources for the assessment of personality. PMID- 17764397 TI - Toward a process-based framework for classifying personality tests: comment on Meyer and Kurtz (2006). AB - Meyer and Kurtz (2006) argued that the longstanding psychological test labels "objective" and "projective" have outlived their usefulness, and invited further work focusing on alternative terms for these measures. This Comment describes a framework for classifying personality tests based on the psychological processes that occur as people respond to test stimuli. Because an attribution process is involved in responding to both types of measures, those instruments formerly called "objective" tests are labeled self-attribution tests, and those formerly classified as "projective" tests are labeled stimulus-attribution tests. The possibility of extending the process-based framework beyond personality, to psychological tests in general, is also discussed. Clinical and empirical implications of a process-based framework are considered. PMID- 17764400 TI - Development of a novel perfused rotary cell culture system. AB - A rotary cell culture system has been established. System quality was determined by observing the stability of the basic parameters of temperature, gas exchange, and pH, and mass transfer (time to equimolarity) between the medium circuit and the 2 cell-containing chambers was investigated. Mass transfer time for urea and several ions was approximately 30 min for the high-fiber-density chamber (HFC) and 50 min for the low-fiber-density chamber (LFC). Exchange of albumin was delayed in both chambers, highlighting the dependence of mass transfer on area of exchange and molecule size. Finally, the ability for cell growth and maintenance was tested. Densities of up to 1.2 x 10(7) immortalized cells per mL at a viability of up to 85% were obtained after 1 week of continuous, non-interfering culture of immortalized cells in the HFC. Human pancreatic islets were also cultivated in the LFC. Confocal analysis using fluorescent dyes showed that the 3 dimensional islet structure was maintained for 1 week. Promising results were obtained, which will further our ongoing efforts toward establishing a mobile cell culture system. PMID- 17764401 TI - Development of custom-built bone scaffolds using mesenchymal stem cells and apatite-wollastonite glass-ceramics. AB - There is a clinical need for new bone replacement materials that combine long implant life with complete integration and appropriate mechanical properties. We have used human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to populate porous apatite wollastonite (A-W) glass-ceramic scaffolds produced by the layer manufacturing technique, selective laser sintering, to create custom-built bone replacements. Confocal and scanning electron microscopy were used to determine optimal seeding densities and to demonstrate that MSCs adhered and retained viability on the surface of A-W scaffolds over a culture period of 21 days. We found a significant increase in the number of MSCs growing on the scaffolds over 7 days. Using bromodeoxyuridine incorporation we demonstrated that MSCs proliferated on the scaffolds. Using real-time PCR we analyzed the expression of the osteogenic markers alkaline phosphatase, collagen type-I, Cbfa-1, osteocalcin, osteonectin, and osteopontin by MSCs cultured in the absence of osteogenic supplements. The expression of the osteogenic markers by MSCs was equivalent to or significantly greater on A-W scaffolds than on tissue culture plastic. We also identified significantly higher alkaline phosphatase activity on A-W compared to a commercial calcium phosphate scaffold. These results indicate for the first time the biocompatibility and osteo-supportive capacity of A-W scaffolds and their potential as patient-specific bone replacement materials. PMID- 17764402 TI - Evaluation of a collagen-glycosaminoglycan dermal substitute in the dog palate. AB - Tissue shortage complicates surgery of cleft lip and palate. The healing of defects on the palate impairs growth of the dentoalveolar complex because of scar tissue formation. Implantation of a matrix into the wound might overcome this adverse effect. Integra with and without a silicone top layer was implanted into standardized full-thickness wounds (O 6 mm) in the palatal mucoperiosteum in beagle dogs. In some wounds, the silicone layer was removed after 14 days. Control wounds did not have an implant. At 2 and 4 weeks post-surgery, the wounds were assessed for epithelialization, inflammation (hematoxylin and eosin, leucocyte protein L1), number of myofibroblasts (alpha smooth muscle actin), and general histological characteristics. Wounds filled with Integra without the silicone layer showed fewer myofibroblasts and inflammatory cells than the sham wounds. Collagen fibers were more randomly orientated in these wounds than in the sham group. Wound closure was found to be retarded, and many inflammatory cells were present when Integra with silicone was implanted. The silicone layer was lost within 4 weeks in these wounds. We conclude that, in the moist oral environment, the silicone of Integra is not required. Re-epithelialization and tissue integration proceed more favorably without it. Further research in the dentoalveolar development with Integra will be conducted in a simulated cleft palate repair in the dog model. PMID- 17764403 TI - Fetal dermal fibroblasts retain a hyperactive migratory and contractile phenotype under 2-and 3-dimensional constraints compared to normal adult fibroblasts. AB - Fetal dermal fibroblasts participate in a dramatically different wound healing process compared to their adult counterparts, and it is thought that their intrinsic phenotype contributes to the unique properties of fetal repair. In particular, fibroblast migratory and contractile properties have been shown to be important in the development or lack of fibrosis/scarring. Despite extensive study to date, and multiple experimental techniques utilized by various laboratories, the precise differences between fetal and adult dermal fibroblasts remain unclear. We characterized the migratory and contractile dynamics of fetal dermal fibroblasts at the individual cell and population levels under both 2 dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) constraints. Data indicate that (1) individual fetal fibroblasts attach and locomote quicker than adult fibroblasts, resulting in faster migration at the population level; (2) use of a 2D bioactive matrix (collagen) dramatically speeds up the transition from attachment to locomotion; and (3) fetal fibroblasts compact 2D collagen matrices faster than adult fibroblasts. These characteristics are maintained inside of a novel 3D construct, which approximates some in vivo tissue repair dynamics. Specifically, fetal fibroblasts invade this construct faster than adult fibroblasts, likely through more dynamic interactions with surrounding collagen fibers. In conclusion, the hyperactive migratory and contractile dynamics of fetal fibroblasts are qualitatively and quantitatively conserved despite transitions from individual cells to whole populations and from 2D to 3D constraints. We conclude that fetal fibroblasts display a robust phenotype, which is only partially altered by changes in substrate and geometric constraints. This phenotype likely is important in dictating the dynamics of fetal tissue repair. PMID- 17764405 TI - Computed tomographic analysis of the effects of two inspired oxygen concentrations on pulmonary aeration in anesthetized and mechanically ventilated dogs. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of 2 concentrations of oxygen in inspired gas (fraction of inspired oxygen [FIO(2)] 1.0 or 0.4) on pulmonary aeration and gas exchange in dogs during inhalation anesthesia. ANIMALS: 20 healthy dogs. PROCEDURES: Following administration of acepromazine and morphine, anesthesia was induced in each dog with thiopental and maintained with isoflurane in 100% oxygen (100% group; n = 10) or a mixture of 40% oxygen and air (40% group; 10). Dogs were placed in dorsal recumbency and were mechanically ventilated. After surgery, spiral computed tomography (CT) of the thorax was performed and PaO(2), PaCO(2), and the alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference (P([A-a])O(2)) were assessed. The lung CT images were analyzed, and the extent of hyperinflated (-1,000 to -901 Hounsfield units [HUs]), normally aerated (-900 to -501 HUs), poorly aerated ( 500 to -101 HUs), or nonaerated (-100 to +100 HUs) areas was determined. RESULTS: Compared with the 100% oxygen group, the normally aerated lung area was significantly greater and the poorly aerated and nonaerated areas were significantly smaller in the 40% oxygen group. The time to CT (duration of surgery) was similar in both groups. Although PaCO(2) was similar in both groups, PaO(2) and P((A-a))O(2) were significantly higher in the 100% oxygen group. In both groups, pulmonary atelectasis developed preferentially in caudal lung fields. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In isoflurane-anesthetized dogs, mechanical ventilation with 40% oxygen appeared to maintain significantly better lung aeration and gas exchange than ventilation with 100% oxygen. PMID- 17764406 TI - Effects of remifentanil infusion regimens on cardiovascular function and responses to noxious stimulation in propofol-anesthetized cats. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of 2 remifentanil infusion regimens on cardiovascular function and responses to nociceptive stimulation in propofol anesthetized cats. ANIMALS: 8 adult cats. PROCEDURES: On 2 occasions, cats received acepromazine followed by propofol (6 mg/kg then 0.3 mg/kg/min, i.v.) and a constant rate infusion (CRI) of remifentanil (0.2 or 0.3 microg/kg/ min, i.v.) for 90 minutes and underwent mechanical ventilation (phase I). After recording physiologic variables, an electrical stimulus (50 V; 50 Hz; 10 milliseconds) was applied to a forelimb to assess motor responses to nociceptive stimulation. After an interval (> or = 10 days), the same cats were anesthetized via administration of acepromazine and a similar infusion regimen of propofol; the remifentanil infusion rate adjustments that were required to inhibit cardiovascular responses to ovariohysterectomy were recorded (phase II). RESULTS: In phase I, heart rate and arterial pressure did not differ between remifentanil-treated groups. From 30 to 90 minutes, cats receiving 0.3 microg of remifentanil/kg/min had no response to noxious stimulation. Purposeful movement was detected more frequently in cats receiving 0.2 microg of remifentanil/kg/min. In phase II, the highest dosage (mean +/- SEM) of remifentanil that prevented cardiovascular responses was 0.23 +/- 0.01 microg/kg/min. For all experiments, mean time from infusion cessation until standing ranged from 115 to 140 minutes. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although the lower infusion rate of remifentanil allowed ovariohysterectomy to be performed, a CRI of 0.3 microg/kg/min was necessary to prevent motor response to electrical stimulation in propofol-anesthetized cats. Recovery from anesthesia was prolonged with this technique. PMID- 17764408 TI - Dorsolateral approach for arthrocentesis of the centrodistal joint in horses. AB - OBJECTIVE: To develop a dorsolateral approach to the centrodistal (distal intertarsal) joint in horses and compare its success rate with that of the traditional medial approach in that joint. SAMPLE POPULATION: 25 cadaveric equine hind limbs, ultrasonographic images, and radiographic views of the tarsal region of 5 and 59 healthy horses, respectively, and 22 horses with a clinical indication for centrodistal joint centesis. PROCEDURES: The dorsolateral approach was established anatomically (3 cadaveric limbs), ultrasonographically (5 horses), and radiographically (59 horses). Centrodistal joint arthrocentesis was performed in 22 cadaveric hind limbs and 22 horses; the number of needle repositionings required for procedure completion via the medial (in vitro) and the dorsolateral approach (in vitro and in vivo) was determined. RESULTS: For the dorsolateral approach to the centrodistal joint, the injection site was 2 to 3 mm lateral to the long digital extensor tendon and 6 to 8 mm proximal to a line drawn perpendicular to the axis of the third metatarsal bone through the proximal end of the fourth metatarsal bone. The needle was directed plantaromedially (angle of approx 70 degrees from the sagittal plane). The number of needle repositionings required to complete centrodistal joint centesis via the dorsolateral and medial approaches was not significantly different. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In a clinical setting, the dorsolateral approach to the centrodistal joint in horses appears to have some advantages over the traditional medial approach. The success rate of arthrocentesis was similar via either approach, and palpation of the anatomic landmarks was easy. PMID- 17764407 TI - Effect of fibroblast growth factor-2 on equine mesenchymal stem cell monolayer expansion and chondrogenesis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) treatment of equine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) during monolayer expansion enhances subsequent chondrogenesis in a 3-dimensional culture system. ANIMALS: 6 healthy horses, 6 months to 5 years of age. PROCEDURES: Bone marrow-derived MSCs were obtained from 6 horses. First-passage MSCs were seeded as monolayers at 10,000 cells/cm(2) and in medium containing 0, 1, 10, or 100 ng of FGF-2/mL. After 6 days, MSCs were transferred to pellet cultures (200,000 cells/pellet) and maintained in chondrogenic medium. Pellets were collected after 15 days. Pellets were analyzed for collagen type II content by use of an ELISA, total glycosaminoglycan content by use of the dimethylmethylene blue dye-binding assay, and DNA content by use of fluorometric quantification. Semiquantitative PCR assay was performed to assess relative concentrations of collagen type II and aggrecan mRNAs. RESULTS: Use of 100 ng of FGF-2/mL significantly increased pellet DNA and glycosaminoglycan content. Collagen type II content of the pellet was also increased by use of 10 and 100 ng of FGF-2/mL. Collagen type II and aggrecan mRNA transcripts were increased by treatment with FGF-2. Some control samples had minimal evidence of collagen type II and aggrecan transcripts after 35 cycles of amplification. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: FGF-2 treatment of bone marrow derived MSC monolayers enhanced subsequent chondrogenic differentiation in a 3 dimensional culture. This result is important for tissue engineering strategies dependent on MSC expansion for cartilage repair. PMID- 17764409 TI - Cytokine mRNA expression in synovial fluid of affected and contralateral stifle joints and the left shoulder joint in dogs with unilateral disease of the stifle joint. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine mRNA expression of cytokines in synovial fluid (SF) cells from dogs with cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) rupture and medial patellar luxation (MPL) and determine mRNA expression for 3 joints (affected stifle, unaffected contralateral stifle, and left shoulder joints) in dogs with unilateral CrCL rupture. SAMPLE POPULATION: 29 stifle joints with CrCL rupture (29 dogs), 8 stifle joints with MPL (7 dogs), and 24 normal stifle joints (16 clinically normal dogs). PROCEDURES: Immediately before reconstructive surgery, SF was aspirated from the cruciate-deficient stifle joint or stifle joint with MPL. Fourteen of 29 dogs had unilateral CrCL rupture; SF was also aspirated from the unaffected contralateral stifle joint and left shoulder joint. Those 14 dogs were examined 6 and 12 months after reconstructive surgery. Total RNA was extracted from SF cells and reverse transcription-PCR assay was performed to obtain cDNA. Canine-specific cytokine mRNA expression was determined by use of a real-time PCR assay. RESULTS: Interleukin (IL)-8 and -10 and interferon-gamma expression differed significantly between dogs with arthropathies and dogs with normal stifle joints. For the 14 dogs with unilateral CrCL rupture, a significant difference was found for IL-8 expression. Before reconstructive surgery, IL-8 expression differed significantly between the affected stifle joint and left shoulder joint or contralateral stifle joint. Six months after surgery, IL-8 expression was significantly increased in the unaffected contralateral stifle joint, compared with the shoulder joint. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: No conclusions can be made regarding the role of the examined cytokines in initiation of CrCL disease. PMID- 17764410 TI - Time-frequency and complexity analyses for differentiation of physiologic murmurs from heart murmurs caused by aortic stenosis in Boxers. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether time-frequency and complexity analyses of heart murmurs can be used to differentiate physiologic murmurs from murmurs caused by aortic stenosis (AS) in Boxers. ANIMALS: 27 Boxers with murmurs. PROCEDURES: Dogs were evaluated via auscultation and echocardiography. Analyses of time-frequency properties (TFPs; ie, maximal murmur frequency and duration of murmur frequency > 200 Hz) and correlation dimension (T(2)) of murmurs were performed on phonocardiographic sound data. Time-frequency property and T(2) analyses of low intensity murmurs in 16 dogs without AS were performed at 7 weeks and 12 months of age. Additionally, TFP and T(2) analyses were performed on data obtained from 11 adult AS-affected dogs with murmurs. RESULTS: In dogs with low-intensity murmurs, TFP or T(2) values at 7 weeks and 12 months did not differ significantly. For differentiation of physiologic murmurs from murmurs caused by mild AS, duration of murmur frequency > 200 Hz was useful and the combination assessment of duration of frequency > 200 Hz and T(2) of the murmur had a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 82%. Maximal murmur frequency did not differentiate dogs with AS from those without AS. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that assessment of the duration of murmur frequency > 200 Hz can be used to distinguish physiologic heart murmurs from murmurs caused by mild AS in Boxers. Combination of this analysis with T(2) analysis may be a useful complementary method for diagnostic assessment of cardiovascular function in dogs. PMID- 17764411 TI - Dynamic computed tomographic quantitation of hepatic perfusion in dogs with and without portal vascular anomalies. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare hepatic, pancreatic, and gastric perfusion on dynamic computed tomography (CT) scans of clinically normal dogs with those of dogs with portal vascular anomalies. SAMPLE POPULATION: Dynamic computed tomography (CT) scans of 10 clinically normal dogs and 21 dogs with portal vascular anomalies. PROCEDURES: Retrospective analysis of dynamic CT scans. Hepatic arterial perfusion, hepatic portal perfusion, total hepatic perfusion, hepatic perfusion index, gastric perfusion, and pancreatic perfusion were calculated from time attenuation curves. RESULTS: Mean +/- hepatic arterial perfusion was significantly higher in affected dogs (0.57 +/- 0.27 mL/min x mL(-1)) than in clinically normal dogs (0.23 +/- 0.11 mL/min x mL(-1)), and hepatic portal perfusion was significantly lower in affected dogs (0.52 +/- 0.47 mL/min x mL( 1)) than in clinically normal dogs (1.08 +/- 0.45 mL/min x mL(-1)). This was reflected in the hepatic perfusion index, which was significantly higher in affected dogs (0.59 +/- 0.34), compared with clinically normal dogs (0.19 +/- 0.07). Gastric perfusion was significantly higher in dogs with portal vascular anomalies (0.72 +/- 0.44 mL/min x mL(-1)) than in clinically normal dogs (0.41 +/ 0.21 mL/min x mL(-1)), but total hepatic perfusion and pancreatic perfusion were not significantly different. Among subgroups, dogs with congenital intrahepatic portosystemic shunts and dogs with arterioportal fistulae had higher hepatic arterial perfusion than did clinically normal dogs. Dogs with congenital intrahepatic portosystemic shunts also had an increase in gastric perfusion and hepatic perfusion index. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Hepatic perfusion variables measured on CT scans revealed differences in hemodynamics between clinically normal dogs and those with portal vascular anomalies. PMID- 17764412 TI - Cell membrane receptors on bovine mononuclear phagocytes involved in phagocytosis of Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine cell membrane receptors involved in phagocytosis of Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) organisms. SAMPLE POPULATION: Monocytes were obtained from healthy adult Holstein dairy cows that were test negative for MAP infection on the basis of bacteriologic culture of feces and serologic test results. PROCEDURES: Monocytes or bovine macrophage cell line (BoMac) cells were incubated with MAP organisms for 30, 60, or 120 minutes with or without inhibitors of integrins, CD14, or mannose receptors. Phagocytosis was evaluated by light microscopy or by flow cytometry. CD11a/CD18, CD11b, and CD14 expression on monocytes and BoMac cells was evaluated by use of flow cytometry. RESULTS: Monocytes and BoMac cells rapidly phagocytized MAP organisms. However, compared with BoMac cells, monocytes had a greater total capacity to phagocytize MAP organisms. Addition of neutralizing anti-integrin antibodies (anti-CD11a/CD18 and anti-CD11b) substantially inhibited phagocytosis by monocytes during the first 60 minutes of incubation with MAP organisms, but were less effective at 120 minutes of incubation. Anti-CD11a/CD18 and anti-CD11b antibodies were less effective in inhibiting phagocytosis by BoMac cells. Addition of inhibitors of CD14 or mannose receptors also inhibited phagocytosis of MAP by monocytes. Addition of a combination of integrin and mannose inhibitors had an additive effect in reducing phagocytosis, but addition of integrin and CD14 inhibitors did not have an additive effect. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Multiple receptors are involved in phagocytosis of MAP organisms. Although CD11/CD18 receptors appear to be the major receptors used by MAP at early time points, mannose receptors and CD14 also contribute substantially to phagocytosis. PMID- 17764413 TI - Pharmacologic characterization of novel adenosine A2A receptor agonists in equine neutrophils. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate anti-inflammatory effects of several novel adenosine receptor agonists and to determine their specificity for various adenosine receptor subtypes on neutrophils, cells heterologously expressing equine adenosine receptors, or equine brain membranes. SAMPLE POPULATION: Neutrophils isolated from 8 healthy horses. PROCEDURES: Radioligand binding experiments were performed to compare binding affinities of adenosine receptor agonists to equine adenosine A(1), A(2A), and A(3) receptor subtypes. Effects of these agonists on endotoxin-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by equine neutrophils and roles of specific adenosine receptor subtypes and cAMP production in mediating these effects were determined. RESULTS: Radioligand binding experiments yielded a ranked order of affinity for the brain equine A(2A) receptor on the basis of 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)) of the agonists as follows: ATL307 (IC(50) = 1.9nM) and ATL313 > ATL309 and ATL310 > ATL202 > 2 ([p-2- carboxyethyl] phenylethylamino)-5'-N-ethylcarboxyamidoadenosine > 5'-N ethylcarboxamidoadenosine. Furthermore, ATL313 had approximately 100-fold greater selectivity for A(2A) over A(1) and A(3) receptors. In functional assays with equine neutrophils, the compounds inhibited endotoxin-induced ROS production and stimulated production of cAMP with the same ranked order of potency. Results of experiments performed with selective adenosine receptor antagonists indicated that functional effects of ATL313 were via stimulation of A(2A) receptors. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results indicated that activation of A(2A) receptors exerted anti-inflammatory effects on equine neutrophils and that stable, highly selective adenosine A(2A) receptor agonists may be developed for use in management of horses and other domestic animals with septic and nonseptic inflammatory diseases. PMID- 17764414 TI - Contribution of MX dynamin, oligoadenylate synthetase, and protein kinase R to anti-paramyxovirus activity of type 1 interferons in vitro. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the contribution of MX dynamin, oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS), and double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase R (PKR) to the antiviral effects of type 1 interferons (IFNs) against bovine parainfluenza-3 virus (PI-3V) infection of Vero cells. SAMPLE POPULATION: Vero cell cultures. PROCEDURES: PI-3V yield was first compared between control and transfected type 1 IFNs-incompetent Vero cells expressing recombinant OAS or MX proteins. Afterwards, phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2alpha) was used to scale the degree of PKR activation upon infection of Vero cells by PI-3V. RESULTS: Overexpression of OAS did not result in significantly decreased viral replication. Phosphorylated eIF2alpha forms, the hallmark of PKR activation, were not increased in IFNalpha-primed infected Vero cells. Although human MXA contributed to partial blockade of replication of bovine PI-3V, the antiviral effect was not as strong as that of IFNalpha. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The powerful anti-Paramyxovirus activity of type 1 IFNs is mediated by noncanonic pathways. PMID- 17764415 TI - Biochemical and enzymatic characterization of purified covalent complexes of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and haptoglobin released by bovine granulocytes in vitro. AB - OBJECTIVE: To characterize and purify covalent complexes of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and haptoglobin released by bovine granulocytes in vitro. SAMPLE POPULATION: Blood samples obtained from healthy cows and cows with acute and chronic inflammation to obtain WBCs and sera. PROCEDURES: WBCs were isolated by differential centrifugation, hypotonic lysis of RBCs, and degranulated by stimulation with phorbol ester (20 ng/mL). Cell-conditioned medium was subjected to affinity and gel chromatography and purified proteins subjected to SDS- PAGE gelatin zymography, western blot analysis, Coomassie blue staining, and peptide mass spectrometry for protein identification. Sera of cows hospitalized for acute and chronic septic conditions and of clinically normal cows were analyzed with similar methods. RESULTS: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 was released from neutrophils in vitro and migrated to a molecular mass of approximately 220 kd (prodimer), approximately 105 kd (promonomer), and > 220 kd (high-molecular mass complexes). These high-molecular mass complexes were composed of alpha- and beta-haptoglobin and MMP-9 (ratio13:13:1). Complexes of MMP-9 and haptoglobin had biochemical properties of both its protein constituents (i.e., enzymatic activity toward gelatin and hemoglobin binding). Complexes of MMP-9 and haptoglobin were also detected in sera of cows with acute inflammation, but not in clinically normal cows or cows with chronic disease. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A fraction of neutrophil MMP-9 is released in complex with haptoglobin. The complex is present in granules and retains biological activity of its components. Detection of the complex in serum may provide an indicator of acute inflammation. PMID- 17764416 TI - Evaluation of a turbidimetric immunoassay for measurement of plasma IgG concentration in foals. AB - OBJECTIVE: To validate a turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA) for measurement of plasma IgG concentrations in foals. ANIMALS: 36 foals. PROCEDURES: Blood samples were collected from foals before suckling and at 12 and 24 to 36 hours after birth. Plasma IgG concentrations were determined via a commercial single radial immunodiffusion (RID) assay. By use of goat anti-equine IgG antiserum and a spectrophotometer, a TIA was developed to measure plasma and serum IgG concentrations; the percentage light transmission was calibrated against RID assay-determined IgG concentrations. Assay repeatability and effects of serial dilution, sample type, and ambient temperature on assay results were evaluated. RESULTS: Serial dilution of plasma samples from foals 12 and 24 to 36 hours of age with presuckle plasma yielded percentage light transmission results that were highly inversely correlated (r = -0.95) with IgG concentrations determined via RID assay. Measurements of IgG in plasma and serum samples via TIA did not differ. When samples were assayed multiple times, the coefficient of variation was < 5.0%. Ambient temperature did not affect TIA results. At IgG concentrations of 400 and 800 mg/dL, TIA sensitivity was > 90%; specificity was 99.1% and 70.5%, respectively; and positive and negative predictive values were 98.1% and 71.5%, respectively, and 96.4% and 91.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Plasma IgG concentrations in foals determined via the TIA and RID assay were highly correlated. The TIA rapidly yielded quantitative results and would be useful in clinical situations where intervention decisions are time dependent. PMID- 17764417 TI - In vitro effects of the active metabolite of leflunomide, A77 1726, on feline herpesvirus-1. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the active metabolite of leflunomide, A77 1726 (A77), inhibits replication of feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) in cell culture. STUDY POPULATION: Crandell Rees feline kidney (CRFK) cell cultures. PROCEDURES: Cell cultures were inoculated with FHV-1 and treated simultaneously with concentrations of A77 ranging from 0 to 200microM. The antiviral effect of A77 was determined by use of conventional plaque reduction assays. The effect of A77 on viral load was determined via real-time PCR analysis, and transmission electron microscopy was used to evaluate the effect of A77 on viral morphology. To determine whether the antiviral effect was attributable to alterations in CRFK cell viability and number, CRFK cells were treated with various concentrations of A77 and stained with Annexin V and propidium iodide to assess apoptosis and a mitochondrial function assay was used to determine cell viability. RESULTS: Concentrations of A77 > or = 20microM were associated with substantial reduction in plaque number and viral load. Concentrations > or = 100microM were associated with complete suppression of plaque formation. At low concentrations of A77, clusters of intracytoplasmic virus particles that appeared to lack tegument and an external membrane were detected. Treatment of uninfected CRFK cell monolayers with A77 was associated with reduction in mitochondrial function with minimal evidence of apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Leflunomide may be an alternative to current calcineurin-based immunosuppressive protocols used in feline organ transplantation because of its antiherpesviral activity. PMID- 17764418 TI - Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of epsilon-aminocaproic acid in horses. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of epsilon aminocaproic acid (EACA), including the effects of EACA on coagulation and fibrinolysis in healthy horses. ANIMALS: 6 adult horses. PROCEDURES: Each horse received 3.5 mg of EACA/kg/min for 20 minutes, i.v. Plasma EACA concentration was measured before (time 0), during, and after infusion. Coagulation variables and plasma alpha(2)-antiplasmin activity were evaluated at time 0 and 4 hours after infusion; viscoelastic properties of clot formation were assessed at time 0 and 0.5, 1, and 4 hours after infusion. Plasma concentration versus time data were evaluated by use of a pharmacokinetic analysis computer program. RESULTS: Drug disposition was best described by a 2-compartment model with a rapid distribution phase, an elimination half-life of 2.3 hours, and mean residence time of 2.5 +/- 0.5 hours. Peak plasma EACA concentration was 462.9 +/- 70.1 microg/mL; after the end of the infusion, EACA concentration remained greater than the proposed therapeutic concentration (130 microg/mL) for 1 hour. Compared with findings at 0 minutes, EACA administration resulted in no significant change in plasma alpha(2) antiplasmin activity at 1 or 4 hours after infusion. Thirty minutes after infusion, platelet function was significantly different from that at time 0 and 1 and 4 hours after infusion. The continuous rate infusion that would maintain proposed therapeutic plasma concentrations of EACA was predicted (ie, 3.5 mg/kg/min for 15 minutes, then 0.25 mg/kg/min). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that EACA has potential clinical use in horses for which improved clot maintenance is desired. PMID- 17764419 TI - Endoscopic evaluation of bronchial morphology in rabbits. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate bronchial morphology endoscopically in rabbits and develop a valid nomenclature for the endobronchial branching pattern. ANIMALS: 10 mature New Zealand White rabbits. PROCEDURES: Flexible bronchoscopy was performed in rabbits anesthetized with isoflurane via nasal mask. Airways were systematically evaluated from the larynx to the terminal branches accessible with a 2.5-mm-outer diameter flexible endoscope. Airway branching patterns were identified and assessed for variation among subjects. RESULTS: Airways of all rabbits were readily examined with the 2.5-mm flexible endoscope. Laryngeal structure and function were normal in each rabbit, and airway branching patterns in all rabbits evaluated were identical. At the carina, branching into left and right principal bronchi was evident. The left principal bronchus divided immediately into the left cranial and left caudal lobar bronchi. The left cranial lobe bronchus further divided into dorsal and ventral segmental bronchi. The left caudal lobe bronchus gave rise to branches originating dorsally, ventrally, and medially before continuing caudally. The right principal bronchus divided into the right cranial, right middle, and accessory lobar bronchi and continued distally as the right caudal lobar bronchus. The right cranial lobe bronchus also divided into dorsal and ventral segmental bronchi, and the right caudal lobe bronchus had branches that originated dorsally, ventrally, and medially. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Definition of a standard nomenclature for airway branching in rabbits will allow precise localization of disease in clinical cases and accurate collection of airway samples in clinical and scientific evaluations. PMID- 17764422 TI - Questions reasons behind importing food. PMID- 17764423 TI - Psychologic first aid and veterinarians in rural communities undergoing livestock depopulation. PMID- 17764424 TI - What is your diagnosis? Nonneoplastic myelofibrosis of the medullary cavity. PMID- 17764425 TI - What is your diagnosis? Urolithiasis and bacterial cystitis. PMID- 17764426 TI - What is your neurologic diagnosis? Primary malignant glioma with secondary necrosis and mass effect. PMID- 17764428 TI - Animal behavior case of the month. Two cats were evaluated because of aggression towards each other and their owners. PMID- 17764427 TI - ECG of the month. Ventricular tachycardia in a horse. PMID- 17764429 TI - Oxidative stress, antioxidants, and assessment of oxidative stress in dogs and cats. PMID- 17764430 TI - Long-term palliation of tetralogy of Fallot in dogs by use of a modified Blalock Taussig shunt. AB - OBJECTIVE: To describe a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (mBT) procedure and assess its use in dogs with clinical signs associated with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). DESIGN: Descriptive report. ANIMALS: 6 dogs with severe TOF-associated clinical signs. PROCEDURES: Each dog had TOF (confirmed echocardiographically or angiographically) and underwent an mBT shunt procedure for surgical palliation of signs. The surgery was performed through a left fourth rib resection or a left fifth intercostal thoracotomy. The left subclavian artery was dissected free from surrounding mediastinal tissue. The main pulmonary artery trunk was exposed through an incision in the overlying pericardium. A shunt comprised of a 6-mm diameter tube of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (5 dogs) or a segment of carotid artery (1 dog) was sutured end to side between the left subclavian artery and pulmonary artery trunk. RESULTS: 5 of the 6 dogs survived the immediate postoperative period. The dog that died shortly after surgery was the smallest of the dogs (weight, 2.9 kg [6.38 lb]) and had received the carotid artery autograft. Three dogs survived long term and 2 dogs died of unknown causes 6 years after undergoing the mBT shunt procedure. In all dogs that survived the mBT procedure, shunt patency was confirmed and quality of life appeared improved. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings have suggested that the mBT shunt procedure safely provides long-term palliation of TOF-associated clinical signs in dogs. In addition, it may offer an effective low-risk and lower-cost alternative to open heart repair of TOF. PMID- 17764431 TI - Heterotopic implantation of a porcine bioprosthetic heart valve in a dog with aortic valve endocarditis. AB - CASE DESCRIPTION: A 5-year-old male German Shepherd Dog was evaluated because of a 5-month history of progressive lethargy, weight loss, and heart failure. CLINICAL FINDINGS: On physical examination, bounding femoral pulses and systolic and diastolic murmurs were detected. Echocardiography revealed severe aortic valve insufficiency (AVI) and a large vegetative lesion on the aortic valve consistent with aortic valve endocarditis. The AVI velocity profile half-time was 130 milliseconds; the calculated peak systolic pressure gradient across the aortic valve was 64 mm Hg. Left ventricular diameter during diastole was 63.6 mm (predicted range, 40.2 to 42 mm) and during systole was 42.9 mm (predicted range, 25.4 to 27 mm). Systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressures were 120, 43, and 65 mm Hg, respectively. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: To palliate severe AVI, the descending aorta was occluded (duration, 16.75 minutes) and heterotopic implantation of a porcine bioprosthetic heart valve in that vessel was performed. After surgery, systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressures were 115, 30, and 61 mm Hg, respectively, in the forelimb and 110, 62, and 77 mm Hg, respectively, in the hind limb. Within 6 months, the AVI velocity profile half time had increased to 210 milliseconds, indicating diminished severity of AVI. After 24 months, the dog was able to engage in vigorous exercise; no pulmonary edema had developed since surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Heterotopic bioprosthetic heart valve implantation into the descending aorta during brief aortic occlusion appears feasible in dogs and may provide substantial palliation for dogs with severe AVI. PMID- 17764432 TI - Acute pulmonary hemorrhage during isoflurane anesthesia in two cats exposed to toxic black mold (Stachybotrys chartarum). AB - CASE DESCRIPTION: Acute pulmonary hemorrhage developed during isoflurane anesthesia in 2 Himalayan cats undergoing routine dental cleaning and prophylaxis. CLINICAL FINDINGS: The cats were siblings and lived together. In both cats, results of pre-operative physical examinations and laboratory testing were unremarkable. Blood pressure and oxygen saturation were within reference ranges throughout the dental procedure. Approximately 15 to 20 minutes after administration of isoflurane was begun, frothy blood was noticed within the endotracheal tube. Blood was suctioned from the endotracheal tube, and the cats were allowed to recover from anesthesia. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: 1 cat initially responded to supportive care but developed a second episode of spontaneous pulmonary hemorrhage approximately 30 hours later and died. The other cat responded to supportive care and was discharged after 4 days, but its condition deteriorated, and the cat died 10 days later. Subsequently, it was discovered that the home was severely contaminated with mold as a result of storm damage that had occurred approximately 7 months previously. Retrospective analysis of banked serum from the cats revealed satratoxin G, a biomarker for Stachybotrys chartarum, commonly referred to as "toxic black mold." CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Findings highlight the potential risk of acute pulmonary hemorrhage in animals living in an environment contaminated with mold following flood damage. PMID- 17764434 TI - Evaluation of strontium Sr 90 for the treatment of superficial squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal planum in cats: 49 cases (1990-2006). AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine progression-free and overall survival times of cats with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the nasal planum following treatment with a single fraction of strontium Sr 90 ((90)Sr). DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 49 cats with SCC of the nasal planum. PROCEDURES: Information including FIV infection status, diagnosis of SCC vs SCC in situ (ie, evidence that the tumor did or did not penetrate the epidermal basement membrane, respectively), (90)Sr dose and number of probe applications, treatment-related response and complications, and recurrence of SCC and new lesion development was obtained from medical records. The relationships of these variables with calculated progression free and overall survival times were assessed. RESULTS: Of 49 cats that underwent (90)Sr plesiotherapy (median dose, 128 Gy), 48 (98%) had a response to treatment and 43 (88%) had a complete response. Median progression-free and overall survival times were 1,710 and 3,076 days, respectively. Treatment complications were infrequent (4 [8%] cats) and mild. Following treatment, the SCC recurrence rate was 20% (10/49 cats); 16 (33%) cats developed new lesions in other locations. Overall survival time was significantly longer for cats with a complete response to treatment than for those with a partial response. None of the other variables evaluated had a significant effect on progression-free or overall survival time. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Treatment of cats with SCC of the nasal planum with a single fraction of (90)Sr appeared to be effective and well tolerated. Initial response to treatment was predictive of overall survival time. PMID- 17764436 TI - Evaluation of radiotherapy alone or in combination with doxorubicin chemotherapy for the treatment of cats with incompletely excised soft tissue sarcomas: 71 cases (1989-1999). AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the addition of doxorubicin chemotherapy affected the outcome of cats with incompletely excised, nonvisceral soft tissue sarcomas undergoing postoperative radiotherapy. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 71 cats. PROCEDURES: Medical records were reviewed for clinically relevant data on cats that underwent postoperative radiotherapy for treatment of incompletely excised soft tissue sarcomas with or without concurrent doxorubicin chemotherapy. Radiotherapy was performed on an alternate-day schedule, with a total dose of 58.8 to 63 Gy delivered in 21 fractions. Doxorubicin was administered every 21 days for 3 to 5 cycles. Follow-up information was obtained by means of physical examination or through telephone conversations with refer ring veterinarians or owners. RESULTS: Median disease-free interval with concurrent radiotherapy and doxorubicin chemotherapy (15.4 months; range, 2.4 to 44.9 months) was significantly longer than median disease-free interval with radiotherapy alone (5.7 months; range, 1.0 to 50.8 months). However, survival time was not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that doxorubicin chemotherapy may play a role in extending the disease-free interval in cats undergoing radiotherapy for treatment of incompletely excised soft tissue sarcomas. PMID- 17764437 TI - Estimated prevalence of polysaccharide storage myopathy among overtly healthy Quarter Horses in the United States. AB - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) among Quarter Horses in the United States and evaluate possible relationships between muscle glycogen concentration, turnout time, and exercise level. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS: 164 overtly healthy Quarter Horses > 2 years old from 5 states. PROCEDURES: Horses with a history of exertional rhabdomyolysis or any other muscular disease were excluded. Muscle biopsy specimens were examined histologically for evidence of PSSM and were submitted for determination of muscle glycogen concentration. A diagnosis of PSSM was made if amylase-resistant inclusions that stained with periodic acid-Schiff stain were detected. RESULTS: Prevalences of PSSM on the 2 farms with a history of PSSM were 20% (1/5) and 40.7% (11/27); mean prevalence for the other 4 farms was 6.1% (8/132). Sex was not significantly associated with a diagnosis of PSSM, and age was not significantly different between horses with and without PSSM. Total histologic score, serum creatine kinase activity, and muscle glycogen concentration were significantly higher in horses with PSSM than in horses without. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that the prevalence of PSSM among overtly healthy Quarter Horses in the United States is likely to be between 6% and 12%. PMID- 17764438 TI - Persistent dorsal displacement of the soft palate attributable to a frenulum of the epiglottis in a racing Thoroughbred. AB - CASE DESCRIPTION: A 7-year-old sexually intact male Thoroughbred racehorse was evaluated because of exercise intolerance, respiratory tract noise, and coughing when eating. CLINICAL FINDINGS: A persistent dorsal displacement of the soft palate was identified during endoscopic examination of the upper portions of the respiratory tract. Radiography of the pharyngeal and laryngeal regions revealed a hypoplastic epiglottis that was ventral to, and not in contact with, the soft palate. The horse was anesthetized, and an oral endoscopic examination revealed a subepiglottic frenulum that had resulted in the dorsal displacement of the soft palate. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The frenulum was transected transendoscopically by use of a diode laser. Twenty-four hours following surgery, repeat endoscopic and radiographic examinations revealed that the epiglottis had returned to its correct anatomic position in relation to the soft palate. Four weeks after surgery, endoscopy of the upper portions of the airway revealed recurrence of the dorsal displacement of the soft palate. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A subepiglottic frenulum should be considered as a cause of persistent dorsal displacement of the soft palate in horses. An endoscopic examination of the oropharyngeal region should be performed in horses prior to undertaking any surgical interventions to treat persistent dorsal displacement of the soft palate. PMID- 17764439 TI - Gabapentin for the treatment of neuropathic pain in a pregnant horse. AB - CASE DESCRIPTION: A 24-year-old 732-kg (1,610-lb) pregnant Belgian draft horse mare developed neuropathy and signs of intractable pain following colic surgery. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Following recovery from colic surgery to treat compression of the small and large intestines because of a large fetus, the mare was noticed to have signs of femoral neuropathy involving the left hind limb. Within 36 hours after recovery, the mare developed signs of severe pain that were unresponsive to conventional treatment. No gastrointestinal tract or muscular abnormalities were found, and the discomfort was attributed to neuropathic pain. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The mare was treated with gabapentin (2.5 mg/kg [1.1 mg/lb], PO, q 12 h). Shortly after this treatment was initiated, the mare appeared comfortable and no longer had signs of pain. Treatment was continued for 6 days, during which the dosage was progressively decreased, and the mare was discharged. The mare subsequently delivered a healthy foal. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Gabapentin appeared to be a safe, effective, and economical treatment for neuropathic pain in this horse. PMID- 17764440 TI - The cyclohedron test for finding periodic genes in time course expression studies. AB - The problem of finding periodically expressed genes from time course microarray experiments is at the center of numerous efforts to identify the molecular components of biological clocks. We present a new approach to this problem based on the cyclohedron test, which is a rank test inspired by recent advances in algebraic combinatorics. The test has the advantage of being robust to measurement errors, and can be used to ascertain the significance of top-ranked genes. We apply the test to recently published measurements of gene expression during mouse somitogenesis and find 32 genes that collectively are significant. Among these are previously identified periodic genes involved in the Notch/FGF and Wnt signaling pathways, as well as novel candidate genes that may play a role in regulating the segmentation clock. These results confirm that there are an abundance of exceptionally periodic genes expressed during somitogenesis. The emphasis of this paper is on the statistics and combinatorics that underlie the cyclohedron test and its implementation within a multiple testing framework. PMID- 17764441 TI - H-tuple approach to evaluate statistical significance of biological sequence comparison with gaps. AB - We propose an approximate distribution for the gapped local score of a two sequence comparison. Our method stands on combining an adapted scoring scheme that includes the gaps and an approximate distribution of the ungapped local score of two independent sequences of i.i.d. random variables. The new scoring scheme is defined on h-tuples of the sequences, using the gapped global score. The influence of h and the accuracy of the p-value are numerically studied and compared with obtained p-value of BLAST. The numerical experiments emphasize that our approximate p-values outperform the BLAST ones, particularly for both simulated and real short sequences. PMID- 17764442 TI - Working with standardized patients: a primer. AB - This paper presents concepts and strategies for using standardized patients (SP) in teaching and evaluation of nursing students. SP encounters are an alternative to clinical experiences and a standardized criterion for student performance evaluation. Careful development of encounters, selection and training of SPs, support and debriefing of all participants are essential to a positive SP encounter. SP encounters should be developed based on objectives and competency criteria and relate to actual events. Encounter scripts incorporating any "traditional" language often associated with a specific medical condition are beneficial to standardizing the process. SP preparation involves providing background on medical conditions, feedback when practicing the role-play, and validation of performance consistency. Orientation of students and faculty to the SP experience ensures that participants stay in role. SPs can also be utilized to complete written evaluation tools and provide verbal feedback to students. All participants should evaluate the encounter process for future improvement. PMID- 17764443 TI - Adult learner centered processes in an online ADRN to BSN nursing program: independent evaluator and peer self-assessments. AB - A five year fully online RN to BSN program was assessed by faculty and a consultant using the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Partnerships for Training (PFT) learner-centered evaluation tool. Faculty were more critical of their expertise in learner-centered online course criteria than the consultant. The consultant identified minimal use of peer support, collaborative activities, faculty preference for visual learner activities, and a tendency toward faculty ownership of learning goals and creation of activity rules and guidelines. The need to bring online discussions to a higher level of thinking was also noted. The dual evaluation perspectives helped identify strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum. PMID- 17764444 TI - The far and distal enhancers in the CYP3A4 gene co-ordinate the proximal promoter in responding similarly to the pregnane X receptor but differentially to hepatocyte nuclear factor-4alpha. AB - CYP3A4 (cytochrome P450 3A4) is involved in the metabolism of more than 50% of drugs and other xenobiotics. The expression of CYP3A4 is induced by many structurally dissimilar compounds. The PXR (pregnane X receptor) is recognized as a key regulator for the induction, and the PXR-directed transactivation of the CYP3A4 gene is achieved through a co-ordinated mechanism of the distal module with the proximal promoter. Recently, a far module was found to support constitutive expression of CYP3A4. The far module, like the distal module, is structurally clustered by a PXR response element (F-ER6) and elements recognized by HNF-4alpha (hepatocyte nuclear receptor-4alpha). We hypothesized that the far module supports PXR transactivation of the CYP3A4 gene. Consistent with the hypothesis, fusion of the far module to the proximal promoter of CYP3A4 markedly increased rifampicin-induced reporter activity. The increase was synergistically enhanced when both the far and distal modules were fused to the proximal promoter. The increase, however, was significantly reduced when the F-ER6 was disrupted. Chromatin immunoprecipitation detected the presence of PXR in the far module. Interestingly, HNF-4alpha increased the activity of the distal-proximal fused promoter, but decreased the activity of the far-proximal fused promoter. Given the fact that induction of CYP3A4 represents an important detoxification mechanism, the functional redundancy and synergistic interaction in supporting PXR transactivation suggest that the far and distal modules ensure the induction of CYP3A4 during chemical insults. The difference in responding to HNF-4alpha suggests that the magnitude of the induction is under control through various transcriptional networks. PMID- 17764445 TI - Impairment of respiratory muscle function in pulmonary hypertension. AB - It has been suggested that impaired respiratory muscle function occurs in patients with PH (pulmonary hypertension); however, comprehensive investigations of respiratory muscle function, including the application of non-volitional tests, needed to verify impairment of respiratory muscle strength in patients with PH have not yet been performed. In the present study, respiratory muscle function was assessed in 31 patients with PH (20 females and 11 males; mean pulmonary artery pressure, 51+/-20 mmHg; median World Health Organization class 3.0+/-0.5; 25 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and six patients with chronic thromboembolic PH) and in 31 control subjects (20 females and 11 males) well-matched for gender, age and BMI (body mass index). A 6-min walking test was performed to determine exercise capacity. Volitionally assessed maximal inspiratory (7.5+/-2.1 compared with 6.2+/-2.8 kPa; P=0.04) and expiratory (13.3+/-4.2 compared with 9.9+/-3.4 kPa; P<0.001) mouth pressures, sniff nasal (8.3+/-1.9 compared with 6.6+/-2.2 kPa; P=0.002) and transdiaphragmatic (11.3+/ 2.5 compared with 8.7+/-2.5 kPa; P<0.001) pressures, non-volitionally assessed twitch mouth (1.46+/-0.43 compared with 0.97+/-0.41 kPa; P<0.001) and transdiaphragmatic (2.08+/-0.55 compared with 1.47+/-0.72 kPa; P=0.001) pressures during bilateral anterior magnetic phrenic nerve stimulation were markedly lower in patients with PH compared with control subjects. Maximal inspiratory mouth (r=0.58, P<0.001) and sniff transdiaphragmatic (r=0.43, P=0.02) pressures were correlated with the 6-min walking distance in patients with PH. In conclusion, the present study provides strong evidence that respiratory muscle strength is reduced in patients with PH compared with well-matched control subjects. Furthermore, the 6-min walking distance is significantly linked to parameters assessing inspiratory muscle strength. PMID- 17764446 TI - Reverse polarity pacing: the hemodynamic benefit of anodal currents at lead tips for cardiac resynchronization therapy. AB - BACKGROUND: Myocardial depolarization can be achieved with currents of either anodal or cathodal polarity. In contrast to conventional cathodal pacing, anodal pacing initially hyperpolarizes tissue and improves myocardial contractility in animal models. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 13 patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device implantation, we compared the mean left ventricular outflow velocity-time integral (LV-VTI) for anodal and cathodal polarities in three different pacing configurations. Intraoperative continuous wave Doppler measurements were taken at a fixed interrogation angle, while polarities were switched during unipolar left ventricular, unipolar biventricular, and shared-coil biventricular pacing. Comparisons used identical pacing rates, intervals, and stimulus strengths. Patients had a mean ejection fraction of 0.18 +/- 0.08 and a mean QRS duration of 140 +/- 34 ms. All capture thresholds were less than 4.5 volts at a pulse width of 0.4 ms. Data were suitable for analysis in 37 of the 39 pairs of Doppler measurements. Anodal polarity significantly increased average LV-VTI in 36 of these 37 comparisons. The mean increase in LV-VTI for each configuration with anodal versus cathodal polarity was 2.8 +/- 2.6 cm (P < 0.001). The combined mean LV-VTI for all configurations was similarly higher for anodal polarity (24.4 +/- 11.7 cm) versus cathodal polarity (21.7 +/- 10.9 cm; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Anodal pacing polarity significantly improves a measure of LV function compared to traditional cathodal currents. Anodal pacing, which can be achieved by a simple reversal of pacing circuit polarity, may represent an important therapeutic addition to future resynchronization devices. PMID- 17764447 TI - Significance of appropriate defibrillator shock 3 hours and 20 minutes following implantation in a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. AB - INTRODUCTION: Implantable defibrillators have proved effective in terminating potentially life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), although the timing of appropriate shocks may be exceedingly variable. METHODS AND RESULTS: We report an unusual occurrence in a 48-year-old woman with nonobstructive HCM who experienced an appropriate shock for ventricular fibrillation only 3 hours and 20 minutes after implantation. Careful review of the clinical circumstances failed to define a specific mechanism related to the implant procedure that could have triggered the potentially lethal arrhythmia. CONCLUSION: Early device interventions are not uncommon in HCM, but (as in this case) appear unrelated to mechanisms other than the unpredictable and underlying arrhythmogenic substrate in this disease. PMID- 17764448 TI - Biatrial substrate properties in patients with atrial fibrillation. AB - INTRODUCTION: The atrial substrate plays an important role in the maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF). Further investigation of the biatrial substrate may be helpful for understanding the mechanism of AF. The aim of this study was to investigate the properties of right and left atrial (RA and LA) substrate in AF patients and their impact on the catheter ablation. METHODS: Biatrial electroanatomic mapping using a three-dimensional mapping system (NavX) was performed in 117 consecutive patients with paroxysmal (n = 99) and persistent (n = 18) AF. The biatrial voltage and total activation time (TAT) were obtained during sinus rhythm. RESULTS: The LA had a lower voltage (1.6 +/- 0.5 vs 2.0 +/- 0.6 mV, P < 0.001) than the RA. The TAT correlated with the voltage (r = -0.65, P < 0.001). The patients with persistent AF had a lower atrial voltage, higher coefficient of variance for the LA voltage, longer LA TAT, and more extensive scar than those with paroxysmal. The patients with recurrent AF after catheter ablation had a lower LA voltage and higher incidence of LA scarring than those without recurrence. A scar located in the low anteroseptal or low posterior wall of LA was related to recurrence of AF. LA scarring was the independent predictor of AF recurrence after catheter ablation. CONCLUSION: The LA voltage was lower than the RA, and the atrial voltage correlated with the TAT. Electroanatomical remodeling of the atria could be crucial to the maintenance of AF. The LA substrate properties may play an important role in the recurrence of AF after catheter ablation of AF. PMID- 17764449 TI - Two different therapeutic strategies in ICD lead defects: additional combined lead versus replacement of the lead. AB - OBJECTIVES: Implantation of an additional HV-P/S lead versus extraction of the defective HV-P/S lead and implantation of a new one is one possible therapeutic approach in cases of a defective high-voltage pace/sense lead (HV-P/S). No information is available on potential differences in clinical outcome in these different approaches. METHODS: Between January 2000 and February 2006, 86 patients with HV-P/S lead defect received either an additional transvenous HV-P/S lead (n = 33, group 1) or the HV-P/S lead was replaced (n = 53, group 2). The duration of the initially implanted leads was significantly different in the two groups (7.4 +/- 2.9; group 1 and 4.1 +/- 3.4 years; group 2). The outcome of these two groups of patients was retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Seventy-three patients [85%] survived until the end of follow-up of 29 +/- 15 (group 1) and 33 +/- 21 (group 2) months (P = ns), respectively. Thirteen patients died: six in group 1 and seven in group 2 (P = ns). Fourteen patients experienced perioperative complications (group 1: six; group 2: eight; P = ns). ICD system related complications occurred in 22 patients (group 1: seven; group two: 15; P = ns). The event-free cumulative survival of patients with additional and replaced HV-P/S lead for postoperative events (including death) after 1, 2, and 3 years was 82%, 70%, 70%, and 86%, 81%, 66%, respectively (P = 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: Implantation of an additional HV-P/S lead or replacement of the HV-P/S lead in case of HV-P/S lead failure is statistically not different concerning mortality and morbidity. There are no predictors for further lead defects. Implantation of an additional HV-P/S lead should not be recommended in young patients or patients with greater likelihood of living many years. Predictors for death were an age over 70 years and renal insufficiency. PMID- 17764450 TI - Circulating CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells correlate with chronic hepatitis B infection. AB - Circulating CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been demonstrated to maintain immunotolerance and suppress the antigen-specific or antigen-non specific T-cell responses, but their role in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection in humans has not been well characterized. In this study, we analysed the frequency and phenotypic characteristics of CD4+ CD25+ Tregs in patients of different hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection status, and investigated the effect of Tregs on antiviral immune responses in CHB patients, and the mechanism of this effect. A total of 137 subjects, including 79 CHB patients, 26 asymptomatic HBV carriers (ASCs), 12 acute hepatitis B (AHB) patients and 20 healthy controls, were enrolled in the study. We found that the frequency of CD4+ CD25(high) Tregs in AHB patients was comparable to that in healthy controls, while it was significantly increased in CHB patients. CD4+ CD25+ Tregs produced interleukin (IL)-10 but little or no interferon (IFN)-gamma under anti-CD3 stimulation. In CHB patients, the frequency of CD4+ CD25(high) Tregs positively correlated with serum viral load, and the Tregs were capable of suppressing the proliferation and IFN-gamma production of autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) mediated by HBV antigen stimulation in vitro. However, combined administration of anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) and anti-cytotoxic lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) monoclonal antibody slightly enhanced the cellular proliferation and significantly increased the IFN-gamma production of PBMC cocultured with Tregs at a ratio of 2:1. Thus, the frequency of circulating CD4+ CD25+ Tregs is increased in patients with CHB, and this may play an important role in viral persistence by modulating virus-specific immune responses. PMID- 17764452 TI - Pelvic ganglioneuroma. AB - Ganglioneuroma is a rare benign neurogenic tumor originating from the sempathoadrenal nervous system and is considered the benign counterpart of neuroblastoma, lacking the immature neuroblastic cells. A case of pelvic ganglioneuroma is described. PMID- 17764451 TI - Separation of decay-accelerating and cofactor functional activities of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus complement control protein using monoclonal antibodies. AB - Complement is an essential part of the innate immune system, which clears pathogens without requirement for previous exposure, although it also greatly enhances the efficacy and response of the cellular and humoral immune systems. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the most recently identified human herpesvirus and the likely aetiological agent of Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman's disease. We previously reported that the KSHV complement control protein (KCP) was expressed on infected cells and virions, and could inhibit complement through decay-accelerating activity (DAA) of the classical C3 convertase and cofactor activity (CFA) for factor I (FI)-mediated degradation of C4b and C3b, as well as acting as an attachment factor for binding to heparan sulphate on permissive cells. Here, we determined the ability of a panel of monoclonal anti-KCP antibodies to block KCP functions relative to their recognized epitopes, as determined through binding to recombinant KCP containing large (entire domain) or small (2-3 amino acid residue) alterations. One antibody recognizing complement control protein (CCP) domain 1 blocked heparin binding, DAA and C4b CFA, but was poor at blocking C3b CFA, while a second antibody recognizing CCP4 blocked C3b CFA and 80% DAA, but not C4b CFA or heparan sulphate binding. Two antibodies recognizing CCP2 and CCP3 were capable of blocking C3b and C4b CFA and heparan sulphate binding, but only one could inhibit DAA. These results show that, while KCP is a multifunctional protein, these activities do not completely overlap and can be isolated through incubation with monoclonal antibodies. PMID- 17764454 TI - A randomised partially controlled trial to assess the impact of self-help vs. structured help from a continence nurse specialist in women with undiagnosed urinary problems in primary care. AB - AIMS: To identify women in primary care aged 45-64 years with urinary problems using the Female Urinary Symptom Score (FUSS) assessment tool, and to compare the effectiveness of a self-help leaflet with structured help from a continence nurse. METHODS: The women were sent a questionnaire and grouped according to FUSS score as mild moderate or severe. The mild group received no intervention. The moderate group was randomised into three: one received no intervention, one receiving a self-help leaflet and one receiving an offer of structured help. The severe group was randomised into two: structured help at a continence clinic or a self-help leaflet. The women were followed up on two occasions to assess effects of the interventions. RESULTS: A total of 1175 women participated in the study and were categorised at baseline into mild (n = 764), moderate (n = 325) or severe (n = 86). Response rates to initial follow-up varied from 50% to 86% across the study. Intervention groups reported significant reduction in mean FUSS score ranging from 1.2 points (moderate leaflet group) to 7.8 points (severe structured help group). The two non-intervention groups reported low levels of FUSS change (mild + 0.7 and moderate non-intervention -0.4). There was a strong association between quality of life (QoL) and FUSS score, with improvement in QoL when FUSS score fell. At follow-up improvement was sustained. CONCLUSION: The trial has shown that the FUSS questionnaire has potential for identifying women with bothersome urinary symptoms and can be utilised in primary care. Both leaflet and structured help were effective. PMID- 17764453 TI - Ultrasound-guided tru-cut biopsy in the management of advanced abdomino-pelvic tumors. AB - The goal of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and safety of ultrasound guided tru-cut biopsy in patients with either primarily inoperable pelvic tumor, advanced tumor and compromised performance status, or recurrent pelvic tumor. Altogether, 90 patients were enrolled and only 4 were not suitable for tru-cut biopsy. The biopsy was taken either from pelvic tumor (54.6%), peritoneal visceral or parietal metastases (31.4%), or omental cake (14%). Samples were obtained transvaginally (53.5%) or transabdominally (46.5%). A diagnosis consistent with primary ovarian malignancy was made in 62.8%, metastatic ovarian involvement was found in 10.5%, and extraovarian tumor in 26.7%. The obtained tissue was adequate for histologic diagnosis in 80 out of 86 cases. In four cases, repeated biopsy was required to obtain a sufficient tissue sample. False negative samples without tumor tissue were obtained in two cases, and those patients were referred for either laparoscopy or minilaparotomy. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound-guided tru-cut biopsy reached 97.7% (95% CI 91.85-99.72%). There was only one complication, a bleeding from tumor in a patient with mild thrombocytopenia, requiring laparotomy. In conclusion, ultrasound-guided tru-cut biopsy is safe, reliable, and cost-effective diagnostic method. It can be performed in an outpatient setting without the need for general anesthesia and provides an adequate specimen for histologic analysis, including immunohistochemical methods. It should, therefore, be considered as a method of choice for histologic verification of both advanced primary and recurrent abdomino-pelvic tumors. PMID- 17764455 TI - The design, characteristics and predictors of mortality in the North of England Cellulitis Treatment Assessment (NECTA). AB - AIMS: Cellulitis is a common cause of acute medical admissions in UK hospitals. The factors that determine susceptibility to an acute admission or to mortality following hospital admission are poorly defined. METHODS: We studied a retrospective cohort of 568 patients with a diagnosis of cellulitis between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2003 in the north-east of England to see whether we could determine these factors. We collected data on the factors that were associated with acute hospital admissions and survival. We used a primary end point of deaths within 1 year of admission for cellulitis. RESULTS: The characteristics that identified patients at high risk of mortality were present in 39.9% of the cohort studied. The four most common of these characteristics were lower limb oedema 30.1% (95% CI: -26.0 to 34.1), ulceration 24% (95% CI: 20.2 to 27.8), previous myocardial infarction (MI) 19.9% (95% CI: -16.3 to 23.4) and blunt injury 18.7% (95% CI: -15.3 to 22.2). Significant predictors of mortality were: patient's age (p < 0.001), presence of penetrating injury (p < 0.001), previous MI (p < 0.001), presence of liver disease (p = 0.003), presence of lower limb oedema (p = 0.01) and long-term use of drugs that caused sodium and water retention (p < 0.001). Treatment with i.v. flucloxacillin was found to be a significant predictor of survival (odds ratio = 3.43, z =3.42. p < 0.001) at 360 days. CONCLUSION: Our results show that cellulitis as a cause of an acute medical admission may present with a variety of clinical features. Some of these clinical features can be used to predict mortality within 360 days of an acute hospital admission. PMID- 17764456 TI - Accuracy in ECG lead placement among technicians, nurses, general physicians and cardiologists. AB - The objective of the study was to determine the reliability of ECG precordial electrode placement by doctors and nurses involved in the emergency care of patients admitted with suspected cardiac diseases. A total of 120 subjects were recruited within 2 days from six hospitals. They comprised physicians, nurses and cardiac technicians involved in the clinical assessment and care of patients with suspected cardiac disease. Subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire and marked on two diagrams of the chest wall the positions they would place precordial electrodes V1-V6. This study showed wide inter-individual and inter group variations in the placement of electrodes. Notably, V1 and V2 were frequently incorrectly positioned in the second intercostal space, especially by physicians. The correct position of V1 in the fourth right intercostal space was identified by 90% of cardiac technicians, 49% of nurses, 31% of physicians (excluding cardiologists) and--most disappointing of all--only 16% of cardiologists (p<0.001 for inter-group differences). V5 and V6 were also often mispositioned, too high on the lateral chest wall. Nurses and doctors (especially cardiologists) do not know the correct positions for ECG electrodes. Because incorrect positioning of the precordial electrodes changes the ECG significantly, patients are at risk of potentially harmful therapeutic procedures. Equally, doctors who are aware of the possibility of lead misplacement may be inclined to ignore some ECG changes that may be genuine evidence of ischaemia. The only safe solution is proper precordial electrode placement, which requires training and an environment supporting precision. PMID- 17764457 TI - A retrospective study of the clinical experience of the implantable loop recorder in a paediatric setting. AB - The implantable loop recorder (ILR) has proved highly efficacious in the management of syncope, presyncope and palpitations in selected populations. Limited information regarding patient selection and diagnostic yield exists in the paediatric setting. A retrospective evaluation of patients who underwent ILR implantation over a 66-month period, in a tertiary paediatric cardiology unit was conducted. Twenty-three patients (10 male, 13 female) following initial assessment and investigation, were referred for device implantation. The mean age at time of ILR insertion was 11.39 +/- 4.34 (range, 2.0-16.8) years. The indications for ILR were recurrent syncope (n = 11), presyncope (n = 3) or palpitations (n = 9). Four (17.4%) patients had structural heart disease, three (13%) had a positive family history of sudden cardiac death and one (4%) had perinatal arrhythmia. One patient required ILR repositioning, and pocket infection necessitated explantation in one further patient. Minimum follow-up was 7.8 months during which symptoms were reported in 15 (65.2%) patients post-ILR insertion. Eight (34.7%) remained asymptomatic. Of the 15 who experienced symptom recurrence, eight (53.3%) had an arrhythmia recorded. Tachycardias recorded were polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (n = 1) and supraventricular tachycardia (n = 5). Clinically significant bradycardias documented, included sinus arrest (n = 1) and Mobitz type II second degree atrioventricular block (n = 1). The ILR had a high diagnostic yield, enabling an arrhythmic or non-arrhythmic diagnosis in 65.2% of patients with recurrent syncope, presyncope or palpitations in a selected paediatric population. PMID- 17764458 TI - Penetration of dentinal tubules by endodontic sealer cements in extracted teeth and in vivo. AB - AIM: To compare the depth and consistency of penetration of three different root canal sealer cements into dentinal tubules in extracted teeth and to measure the penetration of an epoxy resin-based sealer cement in vivo. METHODOLOGY: Root canals of 50 extracted human pre-molar teeth were prepared and obturated using three different sealer cements based on epoxy resin (AH26), zinc oxide eugenol (Pulp Canal Sealer EWT) and methacrylate resin (EndoREZ). Five teeth filled without sealer were used as controls. Teeth were sectioned and prepared for observation using scanning electron microscopy. A further 12 teeth with a history of successful root filling and subsequent extraction were collected and sectioned. The depth of sealer penetration into dentinal tubules was measured and the consistency and appearance of the sealer within the tubules observed. RESULTS: AH26 demonstrated the deepest penetration (1337 microm), followed by EndoREZ (863 microm) and Pulp Canal Sealer EWT (71 microm). The difference in penetration between all sealer groups was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). The resin-based sealers appeared to penetrate tubules more consistently. In the clinical cases, all teeth demonstrated sealer penetration to varying depths (98-1490 microm). CONCLUSIONS: The depth and consistency of dentinal tubule penetration of sealer cements appears to be influenced by the chemical and physical characteristics of the materials. Resin-based sealers displayed deeper and more consistent penetration. Penetration depths observed for the epoxy resin-based sealer in vivo were consistent with that found in the experimental model. PMID- 17764459 TI - Maintaining a high level of suspicion for recurrent malignant disease: report of a case with periapical involvement. AB - AIM: To report the unusual endodontic presentation and radiographic features of a subgroup of pleomorphic adenoma called carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma and to stress the importance of maintaining a high level of suspicion in cases where primary or recurrent neoplasia is included in the differential diagnosis. SUMMARY: This paper describes a case in which a patient with a previous history of malignant neoplasm presented with signs and symptoms similar to a dental infection. The pathology report however confirmed recurrence of the previous tumour in a malignant fashion. The importance of maintaining a high level of suspicion in early management of such disease is highlighted. KEY LEARNING POINTS: *Pleomorphic adenomas, also known as benign mixed tumours, are common salivary gland tumours, which infrequently undergo malignant transformation, with potentially devastating consequences. *Malignant salivary gland tumours can present as dental swelling, dental pain and sudden loss of vitality of teeth so both general practitioners and specialists have the responsibility to evaluate such patients with a broad vision. *Radiographic differential diagnosis of periapical radiolucency should also include malignant salivary gland tumours. *This case highlights the need of vigilance at all times and emphasizes the benefits of biopsy and histological examination in the diagnosis of recurrent malignant salivary gland tumours. PMID- 17764460 TI - Octenidine in root canal and dentine disinfection ex vivo. AB - AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of octenidine on Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 in a dentine block model. METHODOLOGY: Fifty-six root segments of extracted human teeth were infected with E. faecalis for 4 weeks. Octenidine-phenoxyethanol gel (1 : 1) was applied for different timing: 1 min, 10 min, 7 days and in a different formula (1 : 3) for 10 min. Three samples were chosen for the group with placebo gel and for the group without infection (negative control). Dentine samples were collected, and the total count of bacteria and colony-forming units were determined. In addition, for controls and the 10 min group with 1 : 1 gel, the proportion of viable bacteria (PVB) was assessed. RESULTS: Octenidine was particularly effective after incubation periods of 10 min and 7 days. The mean PVB decreased significantly from 57.2% to 5.7% after 10 min application. After 7 days, only one of 10 samples showed positive culture. CONCLUSION: The present study showed the effectiveness of octenidine against E. faecalis in dentine disinfection. Further laboratory and clinical studies are required. PMID- 17764461 TI - The role of MRI of the brain and spinal cord, and CSF examination for the diagnosis of primary progressive multiple sclerosis. AB - The clinical applicability of the revised McDonald diagnostic criteria of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) was assessed in 17 patients with a longstanding PPMS diagnosis (mean 15 years). All patients were re-evaluated with clinical examinations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and the spinal cord, extensive laboratory tests, and 12 patients underwent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination. No diagnosis more likely than PPMS was disclosed. All patients had brain and spinal cord lesions on MRI. In 15 patients the brain lesions and in 14 the spinal cord lesions fulfilled the revised McDonald criteria for positive scans. No contrast-enhancing lesion was observed despite administration of triple doses of gadolinium. In total, 12 patients fulfilled the revised McDonald MRI criteria for PPMS. Of the remaining five patients who incompletely fulfilled the revised MRI criteria, all had CSF findings supporting the diagnosis PPMS. Thus, CSF analysis was required in addition to MRI in about one-third of the patients to establish the diagnosis of PPMS. PMID- 17764463 TI - Arteriogenesis: basic mechanisms and therapeutic stimulation. AB - Pharmacological attempts to stimulate the growth of collateral arteries (arteriogenesis) are evolving towards a new treatment option for patients with vascular occlusive diseases. This enlargement of small pre-existing anastomoses towards large conductance arteries takes place independent of local oxygen tension and is driven by changes in luminal shear stress and infiltration of circulating cells. With the increasing knowledge regarding the distinct differences between capillary sprouting (angiogenesis) and arteriogenesis, several cytokines and growth factors have been demonstrated to stimulate the growth of arterial blood vessels in preclinical models of vascular disease. However, the translation towards clinical practice remains difficult and first in man trials show limited success. Intensive research especially regarding new drug delivery platforms and the potentially serious side effects of pro-arteriogenic therapeutics is warranted before stimulation of arteriogenesis could become a significant treatment option for vascular occlusive diseases. This review focuses on the recent advances in the field of collateral artery growth. In addition, possible means to overcome the hurdles that have hampered the clinical implementation of pro-arteriogenic therapies will be discussed. PMID- 17764462 TI - Autoantibodies against M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor in myasthenic disorders. AB - The Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), often associated with small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), is a disorder of acetylcholine (ACh) release from motor nerve terminals. In most patients, it is caused by autoantibodies against the P/Q type voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC) that trigger ACh release. However, these antibodies are not detected in approximately 15% of clinically and electrophysiologically typical cases. The M1-type pre-synaptic muscarinic ACh receptor (M1 mAChR) modulates cholinergic neuromuscular transmission by linking to P/Q-type VGCC, and may partially compensate for the reduced calcium entry. Immunoblotting against solubilized human M1 mAChR, we detected autoantibodies in: (a) 14 of 20 (70%) anti-VGCC-positive LEMS patients; (b) all five anti-VGCC negative LEMS patients, one of whose serum had previously passively transferred LEMS-type electrophysiological defects to mice; (c) all five LEMS patients with autonomic symptoms; (d) seven of 25 (28%) myasthenia gravis (MG) patients in whom increased ACh release partially compensates for post-synaptic defects; (e) none of 10 SCLC patients without LEMS. Although not proving primary pathogenicity of anti-M1 mAChR antibodies, the present results highlight their potential to affect synaptic compensatory mechanisms, more in LEMS than MG. PMID- 17764464 TI - Acute phase proteins do not account for unmeasured anions in critical illness. AB - BACKGROUND: The increasingly recognized prognostic impact of the strong ion gap in critical illness is in contrast to its largely unknown chemical nature. Experimental and clinical evidence suggest that acute phase proteins might account for elevation of the strong ion gap. The hypothesis of this investigation was that acute phase proteins account for strong ion gap in critically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The charges of the two acute phase proteins C reactive protein and fibrinogen were estimated by a computer model. Additionally, 142 patients admitted to a medical intensive care unit of a university hospital were studied prospectively during a six month period. Serial daily observations were recorded and classified according to the systemic inflammatory state. The acute phase proteins C-reactive protein and fibrinogen were measured and the strong ion gap was calculated from the measured acid-base variables. RESULTS: The approximated mean charges of C-reactive protein and fibrinogen at a pH of 7.4 are -4.0 and -13.6 per molecule, respectively. Therefore, their negative charge is too small to explain the elevated strong ion gap even during a substantial increase of C-reactive protein and fibrinogen due to an acute-phase reaction. Moreover, C-reactive protein did not correlate with the strong ion gap when partialized for creatinine (R = 0.02, P = 0.567). Fibrinogen did not correlate with the strong ion gap. Creatinine correlated with the strong ion gap (R = 0.42, P < 0.001). Neither systemic inflammatory state nor increasing C-reactive protein levels were associated with an increasing strong ion gap. CONCLUSION: Acute phase proteins do not account for an elevated strong ion gap in critically ill patients. PMID- 17764465 TI - Insulin glulisine, insulin lispro and regular human insulin show comparable end organ metabolic effects: an exploratory study. AB - AIMS: To compare the end-organ metabolic effects of insulin glulisine (glulisine), insulin lispro (lispro) and regular human insulin (RHI) in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Eighteen patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (mean age 36.9 +/- 8.6 years, BMI 23.6 +/- 2.8 kg/m(2), haemoglobin A(1c) 7.4 +/- 0.9%) were randomized in this single-centre, double-blind, three period cross-over, standard Latin-square, euglycaemic glucose clamp trial. Patients received sequential, primed stepwise intravenous infusions of glulisine, lispro or RHI (infusion rates were increased in a stepwise manner from an initial rate of 0.33 [180 min] to 0.66 [180 min] and 1.00 [180 min] mU/kg/min). The primary variables were the suppression of endogenous glucose production (S(EGP)) and glucose uptake (GU). RESULTS: Mean basal endogenous glucose production (EGP) was 1.88, 2.12 and 2.12 mg/kg/min for glulisine, lispro and RHI respectively. Mean (+/-s.e.) maximum absolute S(EGP) (adjusted for basal EGP) was -1.64 +/- 0.06, -1.72 +/- 0.05 and -1.56 +/- 0.05 mg/kg/min respectively. Mean (+/-s.e.) maximum absolute increase in GU (adjusted for basal GU) was 6.46 +/- 0.26, 6.23 +/- 0.24 and 6.72 +/- 0.24 mg/kg/min respectively. There were no clinically relevant differences between the three insulin treatments with respect to serum insulin, free fatty acid (FFA), glycerol or lactate levels. No serious adverse events and no episodes of severe hypoglycaemia were reported. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that glulisine, lispro and RHI have similar effects on S(EGP), GU, FFA, glycerol and lactate levels, providing evidence for similar end-organ metabolic effects. PMID- 17764467 TI - Monitoring neutrophil engraftment in allogeneic stem cell transplantation by flow cytometric analysis of neutrophil-specific antigens NA1 and NA2. AB - Neutrophil-specific antigen (NA) expression on neutrophils was analysed in 18 Japanese children before and after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo SCT) with myeloablative regimen. Donor-recipient NA-incompatibility was present in one of eight NA1/NA2 heterozygous patients and eight of 10 NA1/NA1 or NA2/NA2 homozygous patients. After allo-SCTs from NA-incompatible donors, a neutrophil recipient-to-donor conversion was confirmed in all cases. Conversion to donor NA type was complete before the absolute neutrophil count reached 0.1 x 10(9)/l. These observations indicate that flow cytometric analysis of NA antigens is a simple and useful method for monitoring neutrophil engraftment in NA-incompatible allo-SCT. PMID- 17764466 TI - IFN-gamma amplifies NFkappaB-dependent Neisseria meningitidis invasion of epithelial cells via specific upregulation of CEA-related cell adhesion molecule 1. AB - Temporal relationship between viral and bacterial infections has been observed, and may arise via the action of virus-induced inflammatory cytokines. These, by upregulating epithelial receptors targeted by bacteria, may encourage greater bacterial infiltration. In this study, human epithelial cells exposed to interferon-gamma but not tumour necrosis factor-alpha or interleukin 1-beta supported increased meningococcal adhesion and invasion. The increase was related to Opa but not Opc or pili adhesin expression. De novo synthesis of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1), a major Opa receptor, occurred in epithelial cells exposed to the cytokine, or when infected with Opa-expressing bacteria. Cell line-dependent differences in invasion that were observed could be correlated with CEACAM expression levels. There was also evidence for Opa/pili synergism leading to high levels of monolayer infiltration by capsulate bacteria. The use of nuclear factor-kappa B (NFkappaB) inhibitors, diferuloylmethane (curcumin) and SN50, abrogated bacterial infiltration of both untreated and interferon-gamma-treated cells. The studies demonstrate the importance of CEACAMs as mediators of increased cellular invasion under conditions of inflammation and bring to light the potential role of NFkappaB pathway in Opa-mediated invasion by meningococci. The data imply that cell surface remodelling by virally induced cytokines could be one factor that increases host susceptibility to bacterial infection. PMID- 17764468 TI - Myelodysplastic syndrome with isolated deletion of chromosome 20q: an indolent disease with minimal morphological dysplasia and frequent thrombocytopenic presentation. AB - The present study analysed the clinicopathological features of nine myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients in which del(20q) was the sole cytogenetic abnormality and a control group of 17 adult patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Seven of nine del(20q) patients were thrombocytopenic and six of nine were mildly anaemic at presentation. There was no significant morphological dysplasia identified in the del(20q) group as compared with the ITP group. These results indicate that MDS with del(20q) commonly presents with thrombocytopenia and has minimal morphological dysplasia. Cytogenetic analysis on adult patients undergoing bone marrow sampling for thrombocytopenia may help avoid misdiagnosis of MDS with del(20q) as ITP. PMID- 17764469 TI - Thioridazine: resurrection as an antimicrobial agent? AB - The emergence of multiresistant bacterial strains and the continuing burden of infectious disease globally point to the urgent need for novel affordable antimicrobial drugs. Thioridazine is a phenothiazine antipsychotic drug with well recognized antimicrobial activity, but this property has not been harnessed for clinical use as a result of its central nervous system and cardiac side-effects. The cardiotoxicity of thioridazine has recently been shown to be structurally specific at a molecular level, whereas its antimicrobial properties are shared by a number of phenothiazine analogues. This raises the possibility that its enantiomers or its inactive metabolite, the ring sulphoxide, may act as a lead compound in the future development of antimicrobial drugs to face the new challenges in infectious disease. PMID- 17764470 TI - The use of nationwide on-line prescription records improves the drug history in hospitalized patients. AB - WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT: Structured medication interviews improve the medication history upon hospitalization. Pharmacy records are valid lists of the prescribed medications available to individual patients. In Denmark, treating doctors now have access to their patients' pharmacy records through a real-time online electronic database What this study adds: Omission errors are frequent among hospitalized patients despite structured drug interviews and home visits. Pharmacy records may be used to minimize patients' recall bias and improve the medication lists. BACKGROUND: Structured medication interviews improve the medication history in hospitalized patients. In Denmark, a nationwide electronic version of individual pharmacy records (PR) has recently been introduced. Use of these records could improve the medication lists in hospitalized patients. METHODS: We prospectively included 500 patients admitted to an acute medical department. In individual patients, the PR was compared with (i) the medication list written in the patient chart and (ii) drug information provided by the patient during a structured drug interview upon admission and during a home visit after discharge. RESULTS: Median patient age was 72 years. Upon admission, patients reported using 1958 prescription-only medications (POM) (median four drugs per patient, range 0-14), of which 114 (6%) were not registered in PR. In PR, 1153 POM (median one per patient, range 0-11) were registered during the month preceding admission. The patients did not report 309 (27%) of these upon admission. Home visits were performed in a subgroup of 115 patients. During home visits, 18% of POM registered in PR during the preceding month were not reported. Drug type was predictive of reporting irrespective of patient sex or age. Cardiovascular drugs were reported most and dermatological were reported less frequently. Underreporting might be due to recall bias, non adherence or discontinuation of drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Omission errors are frequent despite structured medication interviews. Pharmacy records or medication lists from all treating doctors must be included in medication reviews in order to reduce recall bias. PMID- 17764471 TI - An electronic prompt in dispensing software to promote clinical interventions by community pharmacists: a randomized controlled trial. AB - What is already known about this subject. Computerized prompts and reminders have been shown to be effective in changing the behaviour of health professionals in a variety of settings. There is little literature describing or evaluating electronic decision-support for pharmacists. What this study adds. An electronic prompt in dispensing software for a targeted clinical intervention has a significant effect on pharmacists' behaviour. A markedly increased rate of recording and performing the targeted clinical intervention was found. The effect of the prompt reduces markedly once the prompt is deactivated. AIM: To evaluate the effect of an electronic prompt in dispensing software on the frequency of clinical interventions recorded by community pharmacists. METHOD: An electronic decision-support prompt identifying patients for a targeted proactive clinical intervention was developed and implemented. Each time an oral antidiabetic agent was dispensed, a prompt was displayed reminding pharmacists to discuss the suitability of aspirin therapy in eligible patients with diabetes. The prompt was randomly assigned to 31 of 52 metropolitan pharmacies in Melbourne (Australia) for 6 weeks, with the remaining pharmacies as controls. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty pharmacists in 52 pharmacies recorded a total of 2396 clinical interventions at an intervention rate of 0.92 interventions per 100 patients [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58, 1.23]. Pharmacists recorded a total of 201 target interventions related to aspirin therapy in diabetes at an intervention rate of 2.55 interventions per 100 diabetic patients (95% CI 0.85, 4.24). All of the targeted clinical interventions were recorded in the prompt arm; no targeted interventions were recorded in the control group. The effect of the prompt decreased over the study period and was not maintained after prompt deactivation. CONCLUSION: An electronic prompt significantly increased pharmacists' recording of the targeted clinical intervention in diabetic patients. An electronic decision-support prompt has significant potential to promote community pharmacists' contribution to the quality use of medicines. PMID- 17764473 TI - The contribution of observational studies to the knowledge of drug effectiveness in heart failure. AB - AIMS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the golden standard for the assessment of drug efficacy. Little is known about the add-on value of observational studies in heart failure (HF). We aimed to assess the contribution of observational studies to actual knowledge regarding the effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), and beta-blockers (BB) in HF. METHODS: Observational studies that assessed the effectiveness of ACEI and BB in HF were identified by searching Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database (1990-2005) and the bibliographies of published articles. Cohort, case-control and time series analysis studies were considered for inclusion. Studies with <100 patients and those who did not perform a multivariate analysis were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 23 cohort studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies of ACEI and BB showed a decrease in mortality with drug use in elderly patients with a broad range of ejection fraction (EF), and in those with depressed EF. Additionally, they showed a decrease in mortality in patients with renal insufficiency. The effect of ACEI and BB in HF with preserved EF was not clear, although last evidence suggests a potential benefit. Low-dose ACEI and BB may have beneficial effects. Target doses of ACEI seemed superior to low doses, but there was no clear dose-response relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Observational studies in HF validate the effectiveness of ACEI and BB in populations underrepresented or excluded from RCTs. Observational studies of drug effectiveness provide relevant additional information for clinical practice. PMID- 17764475 TI - The effect of exercise on the absorption of inhaled human insulin in healthy volunteers. AB - WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT: Exercise is known to affect absorption of other inhaled substances, but so far there are no reports on the effect of exercise on the absorption of inhaled insulin in humans. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: This report is the first to investigate the effect of exercise on the absorption of inhaled insulin. In this study in healthy volunteers we found that exercise early after dosing increased absorption (15-20%) of inhaled insulin over the first 2 h after start of exercise, with an approximately 30% increase in maximal insulin concentration, and unchanged overall absorption. AIMS: To investigate the effect of moderate exercise on the absorption of inhaled insulin. METHODS: A single-centre, randomized, open-label, three-period cross-over trial was carried out in 12 nonsmoking healthy subjects. A dose of 3.5 mg inhaled human insulin was administered via a nebulizer and followed in random order by either 1) no exercise (NOEX), 2) 30 min exercise starting immediately after dosing (EX0), or 3) 30 min exercise starting 30 min after dosing (EX30). The study was carried out as a 10 h euglycaemic glucose clamp (90 mg dl(-1) (5.0 mmol l(-1))). RESULTS: The absorption of insulin over the first 2 h after start of exercise was 16% increased for EX0 (ratio (95%CI) 1.16 (1.04, 1.30), P = 0.01) and 20% increased for EX30 (1.20 (1.05, 1.36), P < 0.01), both compared with NOEX; the overall insulin absorption during 6 h and 10 h after dosing was not influenced by exercise. The maximum insulin concentration (C(max)) increased by 32% for EX0 and 35% for EX30 (both P < 0.01) compared with NOEX, while the time to C(max) was 31 min faster for EX0 (P < 0.01), but not significantly different after EX30, compared with NOEX. CONCLUSIONS: A significant and clinically relevant increase of insulin absorption over the first 2 h after the beginning of exercise was observed. Until data from studies using the specific insulin inhalers exists, patients using inhaled insulin should be made aware of a potential increased absorption and higher concentration of insulin in connection with exercise. PMID- 17764474 TI - Muscular exercise can cause highly pathological liver function tests in healthy men. AB - WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT: The occurrence of idiosyncratic drug hepatotoxicity is a major problem in all phases of clinical drug development and the leading cause of postmarketing warnings and withdrawals. Physical exercise can result in transient elevations of liver function tests. There is no consensus in the literature on which forms of exercise may cause changes in liver function tests and to what extent. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Weightlifting results in profound increases in liver function tests in healthy men used to moderate physical activity, not including weightlifting. Liver function tests are significantly increased for at least 7 days after weightlifting. It is important to impose relevant restrictions on heavy muscular exercise prior to and during clinical studies. AIM: To investigate the effect of intensive muscular exercise (weightlifting) on clinical chemistry parameters reflecting liver function in healthy men. METHODS: Fifteen healthy men, used to moderate physical activity not including weightlifting, performed an 1 h long weightlifting programme. Blood was sampled for clinical chemistry parameters [aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LD), gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma GT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bilirubin, creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin] at repeated intervals during 7 days postexercise and at a follow-up examination 10-12 days postexercise. RESULTS: Five out of eight studied clinical chemistry parameters (AST, ALT, LD, CK and myoglobin) increased significantly after exercise (P < 0.01) and remained increased for at least 7 days postexercise. Bilirubin, gamma GT and ALP remained within the normal range. CONCLUSION: The liver function parameters, AST and ALT, were significantly increased for at least 7 days after the exercise. In addition, LD and, in particular, CK and myoglobin showed highly elevated levels. These findings highlight the importance of imposing restrictions on weightlifting prior to and during clinical studies. Intensive muscular exercise, e.g. weightlifting, should also be considered as a cause of asymptomatic elevations of liver function tests in daily clinical practice. PMID- 17764476 TI - Effect of theophylline on the rate of moderate to severe exacerbations among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. AB - AIM: To determine the effectiveness of theophyllines in real clinical practice on moderate to severe exacerbations. METHODS: A cohort of 36,492 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients aged > or =50 years was reconstructed from the health administrative databases of the province of Quebec, Canada, between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2002 to compare users of theophyllines with users of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and users of long-acting beta(2)-agonists (LABA) on their rate of moderate to severe COPD exacerbations. RESULTS: Users of theophyllines were found to be less likely than users of LABA [crude rates 84 vs. 91 per 100 patient-years, adjusted rate ratio (RR) 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84, 0.95] and users of theophyllines plus ICS were found to be less likely than users of LABA plus ICS (crude rates 114 vs. 112 per 100 patient-years, adjusted RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.87, 0.92) to have moderate to severe COPD exacerbations. Users of theophyllines were found to be more likely than users of ICS to have a COPD exacerbation (crude rates 84 vs. 77 per 100 patient-years, adjusted RR 1.07, 95% CI 1.04, 1.10), and this association was even stronger among patients who had at least three exacerbations in the year prior to cohort entry (crude rates 273 vs. 213 per 100 patient-years, adjusted RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.19, 1.38). CONCLUSION: The use of theophyllines was found to be associated with a reduction in the rate of COPD exacerbations among all COPD patients, but to be less effective than ICS among patients with frequent exacerbations. PMID- 17764477 TI - Population pharmacokinetic analysis of carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations in adult cigarette smokers. AB - AIMS: To develop a population-based model to describe and predict the pharmacokinetics of carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) in adult smokers. METHODS: Data from smokers of different conventional cigarettes (CC) in three open-label, randomized studies were analysed using NONMEM (version V, Level 1.1). COHb concentrations were determined at baseline for two cigarettes [Federal Trade Commission (FTC) tar 11 mg; CC1, or FTC tar 6 mg; CC2]. On day 1, subjects were randomized to continue smoking their original cigarettes, switch to a different cigarette (FTC tar 1 mg; CC3), or stop smoking. COHb concentrations were measured at baseline and on days 3 and 8 after randomization. Each cigarette was treated as a unit dose assuming a linear relationship between the number of cigarettes smoked and measured COHb percent saturation. Model building used standard methods. Model performance was evaluated using nonparametric bootstrapping and predictive checks. RESULTS: The data were described by a two-compartment model with zero-order input and first-order elimination with endogenous COHb. Model parameters included elimination rate constant (k(10)), central volume of distribution (Vc/F), rate constants between central and peripheral compartments (k(12) and k(21)), baseline COHb concentrations (c0), and relative fraction of carbon monoxide absorbed (F1). The median (range) COHb half-lives were 1.6 h (0.680-2.76) and 30.9 h (7.13-367) (alpha and beta phases, respectively). F1 increased with increasing cigarette tar content and age, whereas k(12) increased with ideal body weight. CONCLUSION: A robust model was developed to predict COHb concentrations in adult smokers and to determine optimum COHb sampling times in future studies. PMID- 17764478 TI - Commentary on Dartois et al.--model building in population PK-PD analyses. A 2002 2004 literature survey. PMID- 17764479 TI - The CYP2D6 polymorphism in relation to the metabolism of amitriptyline and nortriptyline in the Faroese population. AB - AIM: To determine the frequency of CYP2D6 poor metabolizers (PMs) in a Faroese patient group medicated with amitriptyline (AT) and to investigate plasma concentrations of AT and metabolites in relation to CYP2D6. METHODS: CYP2D6 phenotype and genotype were determined in 23 Faroese patients treated with AT. Plasma concentrations of AT and metabolites were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and investigated in relation to CYP2D6 activity. RESULTS: Of the 23 patients phenotyped and genotyped, five (22%) (95% confidence interval 7.5, 43.7) were CYP2D6 PMs. No difference was found in AT daily dosage between PMs (median 25 mg day(-1); range 5-80) and extensive metabolizers (EMs) (median 27.5 mg day(-1); range 10-100). The (E)-10-OH-nortriptyline (NT)/dose concentrations were higher in EMs than in PMs and the NT/(E)-10-OH-NT and AT/(E) 10-OH-AT ratios were higher in PMs compared with EMs. The log sparteine metabolic ratio correlated positively with the NT/(E)-10-OH-NT ratio (r(s) = 0.821; P < 0.0005) and the AT/(E)-10-OH-AT ratio (r(s) = 0.605; P < 0.006). CONCLUSION: A high proportion of CYP2D6 PMs was found in a Faroese patient group medicated with AT. However, similar doses of AT and concentrations of AT and NT were noted in EMs and PMs, probably due to varying doses and indications for AT treatment. PMID- 17764480 TI - Quantifying the predictive performance of prognostic models for censored survival data with time-dependent covariates. AB - Prognostic models in survival analysis typically aim to describe the association between patient covariates and future outcomes. More recently, efforts have been made to include covariate information that is updated over time. However, there exists as yet no standard approach to assess the predictive accuracy of such updated predictions. In this article, proposals from the literature are discussed and a conditional loss function approach is suggested, illustrated by a publicly available data set. PMID- 17764481 TI - Determining the effective sample size of a parametric prior. AB - We present a definition for the effective sample size of a parametric prior distribution in a Bayesian model, and propose methods for computing the effective sample size in a variety of settings. Our approach first constructs a prior chosen to be vague in a suitable sense, and updates this prior to obtain a sequence of posteriors corresponding to each of a range of sample sizes. We then compute a distance between each posterior and the parametric prior, defined in terms of the curvature of the logarithm of each distribution, and the posterior minimizing the distance defines the effective sample size of the prior. For cases where the distance cannot be computed analytically, we provide a numerical approximation based on Monte Carlo simulation. We provide general guidelines for application, illustrate the method in several standard cases where the answer seems obvious, and then apply it to some nonstandard settings. PMID- 17764482 TI - A Bayesian approach to a logistic regression model with incomplete information. AB - We consider a set of independent Bernoulli trials with possibly different success probabilities that depend on covariate values. However, the available data consist only of aggregate numbers of successes among subsets of the trials along with all of the covariate values. We still wish to estimate the parameters of a modeled relationship between the covariates and the success probabilities, e.g., a logistic regression model. In this article, estimation of the parameters is made from a Bayesian perspective by using a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm based only on the available data. The proposed methodology is applied to both simulation studies and real data from a dose-response study of a toxic chemical, perchlorate. PMID- 17764483 TI - Modeling longitudinal biomarker data from multiple assays that have different known detection limits. AB - Assays to measure biomarkers are commonly subject to large amounts of measurement error and known detection limits. Studies with longitudinal biomarker measurements may use multiple assays in assessing outcome. I propose an approach for jointly modeling repeated measures of multiple assays when these assays are subject to measurement error and known lower detection limits. A commonly used approach is to perform an initial assay with a larger lower detection limit on all repeated samples, followed by only performing a second more expensive assay with a lower minimum level of detection when the initial assay value is below its lower limit of detection. I show how simply replacing the initial assay measurement with the second assay measurement may be a biased approach and investigate the performance of the proposed joint model in this situation. Additionally, I compare the performance of the joint model with an approach that only uses the initial assay measurements in analysis. Further, I consider alternative designs to only performing the second assay when the initial assay measurement is below its lower detection limit. Specifically, I show that one only needs to perform the second assay on a fraction of assays that are above the lower detection limit on the first assay to substantially increase the efficiency. Further, I show the efficiency advantages of performing the second assay at random without regard to the initial assay measurement over a design in which the second assay is only performed when the initial assay is below its lower limit of detection. The methodology is illustrated with a recent study examining the use of a vaccine in treating macaques with simian immunodeficiency virus. PMID- 17764484 TI - Nonparametric bayes testing of changes in a response distribution with an ordinal predictor. AB - In certain biomedical studies, one may anticipate changes in the shape of a response distribution across the levels of an ordinal predictor. For instance, in toxicology studies, skewness and modality might change as dose increases. To address this issue, we propose a Bayesian nonparametric method for testing for distribution changes across an ordinal predictor. Using a dynamic mixture of Dirichlet processes, we allow the response distribution to change flexibly at each level of the predictor. In addition, by assigning mixture priors to the hyperparameters, we can obtain posterior probabilities of no effect of the predictor and identify the lowest dose level for which there is an appreciable change in distribution. The method also provides a natural framework for performing tests across multiple outcomes. We apply our method to data from a genotoxicity experiment. PMID- 17764487 TI - Realities in organ donation. PMID- 17764488 TI - Renal allograft rejection: difficulties in biopsy diagnosis in low-income countries. PMID- 17764489 TI - ACG practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of neoplastic pancreatic cysts. AB - The diagnosis and management of pancreatic cystic lesions is a common problem. At least 1% of hospitalized patients at major medical centers will have a pancreatic cystic lesion on cross sectional imaging. Up to a quarter of all pancreata examined in an autopsy series contained a pancreatic cyst, 16% of which were lined by an "atypical" epithelium and 3% of which had progressed to carcinoma-in situ (high grade dysplasia). in the past, it was thought these cystic lesions were benign, but increasing evidence points to the cystic lesions as being the origin of some pancreatic malignancies. The most important clinical tools in the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cystic lesions are cross sectional imaging, endoscopic ultrasound, and cyst fluid analysis. The most important differential diagnosis is distinguishing mucinous (pre-malignant) and non mucinous cystic lesions. The findings of a macrocystic lesion containing viscous fluid rich in CEA are supportive of a diagnosis of a mucinous lesion. Serous lesion are the most common non-mucinous cyst and are characterized by a microcystic morphology, non-viscous fluid and a low concentration of CEA in the cyst fluid. The following document includes a description of neoplastic pancreatic cysts, a critical review of relevant diagnostic tests, and a discussion of treatment options. We have proposed a set of guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with neoplastic pancreatic cysts. The guidelines are based on published data backed by an analysis of the quality of the data and are designed to address the most frequent and important clinical scenarios. In addition to providing a summary of the diagnostic data, we offer diagnostic and management suggestions based on 13 common clinical problems. Although the field is rapidly evolving, a set of core principles is provided based on a balance between the risk of malignancy and the benefit of pancreatic resection. PMID- 17764490 TI - Hepatotoxicity of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) and Azathioprine (AZA) in adult IBD patients. AB - OBJECTIVE: 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) and azathioprine (AZA) are effective in the treatment of IBD; however, drug-induced hepatotoxicity has been reported in 10 15% of pediatric patients and has been associated with the 6-MP metabolite 6 methylmercaptopurine ribonucleotide (6-MMPR) at levels >5,700 pmol/8 x 10(8) RBC. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of 6-MP/AZA hepatotoxicity and its correlation with serum 6-MMPR levels in adult IBD patients. METHODS: Aminotransferases, bilirubin, and 6-MP metabolite levels were measured in 173 adult IBD patients treated with 6-MP or AZA from November 2002 to December 2003. Hepatotoxicity was defined as AST and/or ALT >2x upper limit of normal or cholestasis. RESULTS: Eight patients (4.6%) met criteria for a diagnosis of 6 MP/AZA-induced hepatotoxicity. The mean 6-MMPR level in these 8 patients was 10,537 pmol/8 x 10(8) RBC versus 3,452 pmol/8 x 10(8) RBC in the nonhepatotoxic group (P < 0.001). Risk of hepatotoxicity above the third quartile (6-MMPR > 5,300) was 5 times that below the third quartile (11.4%vs 2.3%, P < 0.05); however, nearly 90% of all patients with 6-MMPR > 5,300 pmol/8 x 10(8) RBC had no hepatotoxicity, while almost 40% of subjects with hepatotoxicity had 6-MMPR levels below this cutoff. CONCLUSIONS: 6-MP/AZA-induced hepatotoxicity is uncommon in the adult population. Although hepatotoxicity is associated with higher mean 6-MMPR levels, the sensitivity and specificity of 6-MMPR for drug induced hepatotoxicity was poor. Monitoring liver tests in patients on 6-MP/AZA is suggested, and dose reduction or cessation of 6-MP/AZA, even with high 6-MMPR levels, should be reserved for patients with elevated aminotransferases. PMID- 17764491 TI - Poor diagnostic accuracy of a single fasting plasma citrulline concentration to assess intestinal energy absorption capacity. AB - OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to explore the diagnostic value of fasting citrulline concentrations to detect decreased intestinal energy absorption in patients with recently diagnosed celiac disease (CeD), refractory celiac disease (RCeD), and short bowel syndrome (SBS). Decreased intestinal energy absorption is regarded a marker of intestinal failure. METHODS: Fasting plasma citrulline concentrations were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in a prospective study of 30 consecutive adult patients (15 CeD, 9 RCeD, and 16 SBS) and 21 healthy subjects. Intestinal energy absorption capacity using bomb calorimetry was determined in all patients and healthy subjects and was regarded as the gold standard for intestinal energy absorption function. RESULTS: The mean fasting plasma citrulline concentration was lower in RCeD patients than in healthy subjects (28.5+/-9.9 vs 38.1+/-8.0 micromol/L, P<0.05) and CeD patients (28.5+/ 9.9 vs 38.1+/-6.4 micromol/L, P<0.05), however, clearly within reference values. The mean intestinal energy absorption capacity was lower in SBS patients than in healthy subjects (64.3+/-18.2 vs 90.3+/-3.5%, P<0.001), CeD patients (64.3+/-18.2 vs 89.2+/-3.4%, P<0.001), and the RCeD group (64.3+/-18.2 vs 82.3+/-11.7%, P<0.01). No relation was observed between fasting plasma citrulline concentration and intestinal energy absorption capacity (Pearson r=0.09, P=0.56). The area under the ROC curve for fasting plasma citrulline to detect decreased intestinal energy absorption capacity (i.e., <85%) was 0.50. CONCLUSION: Fasting plasma citrulline concentrations have poor test characteristics for detection of decreased intestinal energy absorption capacity in patients with enterocyte damage. PMID- 17764492 TI - Prevalence and predictive factors of eosinophilic esophagitis in patients presenting with dysphagia: a prospective study. AB - OBJECTIVES: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is an increasingly recognized cause of dysphagia. We prospectively assessed the prevalence of EE using midesophageal biopsies in patients presenting with no endoscopically evident cause of dysphagia. We also aimed to determine the clinical and endoscopic factors predictive of EE in outpatients undergoing endoscopy for dysphagia. METHODS: Outpatients (18-60 yr of age) undergoing endoscopy for dysphagia at Mayo Clinic, Rochester between June 2005 and June 2006 were enrolled. Patients completed the validated Mayo Dysphagia Questionnaire (MDQ). Biopsies were obtained from the midesophagus if there was no endoscopically evident cause of dysphagia or there were endoscopic findings suggestive of EE. EE was defined as the presence of >20 eosinophils/high-power field. Logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of EE. RESULTS: Of 376 patients enrolled, 238 (63%) completed the MDQ and 222 (59%) had midesophageal biopsies; 33 (15%, 95% CI 6%-12%) had EE by biopsy. Ten of 102 (9.8%) patients who appeared endoscopically normal had EE by biopsy, while 8 of 21 (38%) patients with endoscopic changes suggestive of EE had EE on biopsy. Predictors of EE were younger age, endoscopic features suggestive of EE, absence of use of proton pump inhibitors, and a history of any food impaction for greater than 5 min. CONCLUSIONS: Midesophageal biopsies from normal appearing mucosa should be obtained in all patients with unexplained solid food dysphagia; this may diagnose EE in about one in 10 cases. PMID- 17764493 TI - Dose-dependent influence of 5-aminosalicylates on thiopurine metabolism. AB - INTRODUCTION: Studies indicated that 5-aminosalicylates (5-ASA) may influence the metabolism of thiopurines; however, conclusions were restricted as a result of number of patients or study design. AIM: To determine the influence of 5-ASA on thiopurine metabolism, we performed a prospective multicenter pharmacokinetic interaction study of two different 5-ASA dosages (2 g daily followed by 4 g daily) in 26 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients during steady-state AZA or 6-MP therapy. RESULTS: The 4-wk coadministration of 2 g 5-ASA daily, followed by a 4-wk period of 4 g 5-ASA daily, led to a statistical significant increase of 40% (absolute 84 pmol/8x10(8) RBC) and 70% (absolute 154 pmol/8x10(8) RBC) in 6 thioguaninenucleotide levels (6-TGN), respectively. A rise in 6-TGN levels was observed in 100% of patients after a 4-wk period of 4 g 5-ASA daily. The 6 methylmercaptopurine-ribonucleotide levels did not change. Signs of myelotoxicity were observed in 7.7% of patients (N=2). CONCLUSIONS: The level of the pharmacologically active 6-TGN significantly increases in a dose-dependent manner during 5-ASA coadministration. IBD patients who are unresponsive or refractory to standard thiopurine therapy may benefit from the coadministration of 5-ASA, leading to an increase in 6-TGN levels. PMID- 17764495 TI - Effects of esomeprazole on acid output in patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome or idiopathic gastric acid hypersecretion. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral esomeprazole in the control of gastric acid hypersecretion in patients with hypersecretory states. METHODS: In this 12-month, open-label, multicenter study, acid output (AO) was evaluated at baseline, day 10, and months 3, 6, and 12. The starting dose of esomeprazole was 40 mg or 80 mg twice daily. On day 10, patients with controlled AO were maintained on the same dose, while those with uncontrolled AO had their doses increased (maximum dose 240 mg/day) until control was attained. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was performed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. Safety and tolerability were assessed throughout the study by EGD, gastric analysis, and adverse events. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (19 with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome [ZES], 2 with idiopathic gastric acid hypersecretion [IGH]) completed the study. Of the 20 patients with controlled AO at day 10, 18 (90%) had sustained AO control for the rest of the study. At 12 months, AO was controlled in 14 of 16 patients receiving esomeprazole 40 mg twice daily, in all 4 patients receiving esomeprazole 80 mg twice daily, and in the 1 patient receiving esomeprazole 80 mg 3 times daily. At 6 and 12 months, no patient had endoscopic evidence of mucosal disease. Esomeprazole was well tolerated; 1 patient had a serious adverse event (hypomagnesemia) attributed to treatment that resolved with magnesium supplementation during continued treatment. CONCLUSION: Esomeprazole in appropriately titrated doses controls AO over 12 months in patients with hypersecretory states and is well tolerated. PMID- 17764496 TI - Isolated H. pylori duodenal colonization and idiopathic duodenal ulcers. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether some duodenal ulcers (DU) classified as idiopathic according to standard criteria may be causally related to isolated duodenal colonization by H. pylori. METHODS: We studied consecutive ambulatory patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in a secondary care setting. Gastric and duodenal biopsies for diagnosing H. pylori infection were taken from all patients. Independently from the findings of duodenal biopsies, DU patients without gastric infection were classified as having idiopathic ulcers, and underwent urea C13 breath test and subsequent eradication therapy. Endoscopy was repeated 6 months after eradication treatment. RESULTS: Among 608 DU patients, 42 (6.9%) were classified as idiopathic: 24 (3.9%) were free from gastric and duodenal infection (group A) and 18 (3.0%) (group B) had isolated duodenal colonization. Urea C13 breath test was positive in one (4.2%) group A patient and in 3 (16.7%) group B patients. After eradication therapy, DU were detected in 14 out of 20 group A patients (70%) (four patients did not perform control endoscopy) and in 2 group B patients (11.1%): OR 18.66, 95% CI 3.23-107.82, P= 0.002. The difference was still detectable after multivariate analysis taking into account possible confounding factors: OR 15.79, 95% CI 2.48-100.53, P= 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated duodenal colonization by H. pylori is detectable in a substantial proportion of patients with so-called idiopathic DU, and eradication therapy is effective in these patients. PMID- 17764494 TI - Risk factors for pancreatic cancer: case-control study. AB - OBJECTIVES: Although cigarette smoking is the most well-established environmental risk factor for pancreatic cancer, the interaction between smoking and other risk factors has not been assessed. We evaluated the independent effects of multiple risk factors for pancreatic cancer and determined whether the magnitude of cigarette smoking was modified by other risk factors in men and women. METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based case-control study involving 808 patients with pathologically diagnosed pancreatic cancer and 808 healthy frequency-matched controls. Information on risk factors was collected by personal interview, and unconditional logistic regression was used to determine adjusted odds ratios (AORs) by the maximum-likelihood method. RESULTS: Cigarette smoking, family history of pancreatic cancer, heavy alcohol consumption (>60 mL ethanol/day), diabetes mellitus, and history of pancreatitis were significant risk factors for pancreatic cancer. We found synergistic interactions between cigarette smoking and family history of pancreatic cancer (AOR 12.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-108.9) and diabetes mellitus (AOR 9.3, 95% CI 2.0-44.1) in women, according to an additive model. Approximately 23%, 9%, 3%, and 5% of pancreatic cancer cases in this study were related to cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, heavy alcohol consumption, and family history of pancreatic cancer, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The significant synergy between these risk factors suggests a common pathway for carcinogenesis of the pancreas. Determining the underlying mechanisms for such synergies may lead to the development of pancreatic cancer prevention strategies for high-risk individuals. PMID- 17764497 TI - Ultrathin esophagoscopy in screening for Barrett's esophagus at a Veterans Administration Hospital: easy access does not lead to referrals. AB - OBJECTIVE: Unsedated, ultrathin esophagoscopy has been shown to be tolerable, safe, and accurate. Survey data have suggested that accessibility of unsedated esophagoscopy would increase referrals for Barrett's esophagus (BE) screening. Our purpose was to evaluate primary-care physician referrals for BE screening when unsedated esophagoscopy is made available. METHODS: We studied primary-care referrals for unsedated esophagoscopy in a VA internal medicine clinic. Patients over age 45 with chronic heartburn for >5 yr or >3 times weekly and who had no previous EGD were eligible for screening with unsedated esophagoscopy. All primary providers received a 15-min education session on screening. Baseline referral rate was determined retrospectively. Longitudinal data were then collected during three phases of the study: (a) primary provider-initiated referrals, (b) primary provider-initiated referrals with weekly reminders from investigators, and (c) investigator recruitment. RESULTS: Baseline referral rate averaged 0.5 patients per month. Availability of unsedated esophagoscopy and an education session increased the rate of referral to 0.66 patients per month. Weekly reminders to primary physicians further increased the rate to 1.33 referrals per month. Investigator recruitment produced a rate of 2.67 referrals per month. Of the 77 patients offered screening, 25 (32%) declined. Of the 52 patients screened, three (5.8%) were diagnosed with BE. CONCLUSIONS: Accessibility of unsedated esophagoscopy itself does not lead to a large increase in the number of primary care referrals for BE screening. Factors that prevent primary care physicians from referring patients for screening need to be identified and effective interventions to change referral patterns need to be implemented for unsedated screening programs to be successful. PMID- 17764498 TI - Second-line rescue therapy with levofloxacin after H. pylori treatment failure: a Spanish multicenter study of 300 patients. AB - AIM: Quadruple therapy is generally recommended as second-line therapy after Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication failure. However, this regimen requires the administration of four drugs with a complex scheme, is associated with a relatively high incidence of adverse effects, and bismuth salts are not available worldwide anymore. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a triple second-line levofloxacin-based regimen in patients with H. pylori eradication failure. METHODS: DESIGN: Prospective multicenter study. PATIENTS: in whom a first treatment with proton pump inhibitor-clarithromycin amoxicillin had failed. INTERVENTION: A second eradication regimen with levofloxacin (500 mg b.i.d.), amoxicillin (1 g b.i.d.), and omeprazole (20 mg b.i.d.) was prescribed for 10 days. OUTCOME: Eradication was confirmed with (13)C urea breath test 4-8 wk after therapy. Compliance with therapy was determined from the interview and the recovery of empty envelopes of medications. Incidence of adverse effects was evaluated by means of a specific questionnaire. RESULTS: Three hundred consecutive patients were included. Mean age was 48 yr, 47% were male, 38% had peptic ulcer, and 62% functional dyspepsia. Almost all (97%) patients took all the medications correctly. Per-protocol and intention-to-treat eradication rates were 81% (95% CI 77-86%) and 77% (73-82%). Adverse effects were reported in 22% of the patients, mainly including nausea (8%), metallic taste (5%), abdominal pain (3%), and myalgias (3%); none of them were severe. CONCLUSION: Ten-day levofloxacin-based rescue therapy constitutes an encouraging second-line strategy, representing an alternative to quadruple therapy in patients with previous proton pump inhibitor-clarithromycin-amoxicillin failure, being simple and safe. PMID- 17764499 TI - Radioisotope ratios discriminate between competing pathways of cell wall polysaccharide and RNA biosynthesis in living plant cells. AB - Cell wall polysaccharides are synthesized from sugar-nucleotides, e.g. uridine 5' diphosphoglucose (UDP-Glc), but the metabolic pathways that produce sugar nucleotides in plants remain controversial. To help distinguish between potentially 'competing' pathways, we have developed a novel dual-radiolabelling strategy that generates a remarkably wide range of 3H:14C ratios among the various proposed precursors. Arabidopsis cell cultures were fed traces of D-[1 (3)H]galactose and a 14C-labelled hexose (e.g. D-[U-14C]fructose) in the presence of an approximately 10(4)-fold excess of non-radioactive carbon source. Six interconvertible 'core intermediates', galactose 1-phosphate <--> UDP-galactose < -> UDP-glucose <--> glucose 1-phosphate <--> glucose 6-phosphate <--> fructose 6 phosphate, showed a large decrease in 3H:14C ratio along this pathway from left to right. The isotope ratio of a polysaccharide-bound sugar residue indicates from which of the six core intermediates its sugar-nucleotide donor substrate stemmed. Polymer-bound galacturonate, xylose, arabinose and apiose residues (all produced via UDP-glucuronate) stemmed from UDP-glucose, not glucose 6-phosphate; therefore, UDP-glucuronate arose predominantly by the action of UDP-glucose dehydrogenase rather than through the postulated competing pathway leading from glucose 6-phosphate via myo-inositol. The data also indicate that UDP galacturonate was not formed by a hypothetical UDP-galactose dehydrogenase. Polymer-bound mannose and fucose residues stemmed from fructose 6-phosphate, not glucose 1-phosphate; therefore GDP-mannose (guanosine 5'-diphosphomannose) arose predominantly by a pathway involving phosphomannose isomerase (via mannose phosphates) rather than through a postulated competing pathway involving GDP glucose epimerization. Curiously, the ribose residues of RNA did not stem directly from hexose 6-phosphates, but predominantly from UDP-glucose; an alternative to the textbook pentose-phosphate pathway therefore predominates in plants. PMID- 17764500 TI - Temperature as a determinant factor for increased and reproducible in vitro pollen germination in Arabidopsis thaliana. AB - Despite much effort, a robust protocol for in vitro germination of Arabidopsis thaliana pollen has been elusive. Here we show that controlled temperatures, a largely disregarded factor in previous studies, and a simple optimized medium, solidified or liquid, yielded pollen germination rates above 80% and pollen tube lengths of hundreds of microns, with both Columbia and Landsberg erecta (Ler) ecotypes. We found that pollen germination and tube growth were dependent on pollen density in both liquid and solid medium. Pollen germination rates were not substantially affected by flower or plant age. The quartet1 mutation negatively affected pollen germination, especially in the Ler ecotype. This protocol will facilitate functional analyses of insertional mutants affecting male gametophyte function, and should allow detailed gene expression analyses during pollen tube growth. Arabidopsis thaliana can now be included on the list of plant species that are suitable models for physiological studies of pollen tube elongation and tip growth. PMID- 17764501 TI - Phosphorylation of threonine 161 in plant cyclin-dependent kinase A is required for cell division by activation of its associated kinase. AB - Although A-type cyclin-dependent kinase A (CDKA) is required for plant cell division, our understanding of how CDKA is activated before the onset of commitment to cell division is limited. Here we show that phosphorylation of threonine 161 (T161) in plant CDKA is required for activation of its associated kinase. Western blot analysis revealed that phosphorylation of CDKA T161 increased greatly, in parallel with activation of p13(suc1)-associated kinase activity, when stationary-phase tobacco BY-2 cells were subcultured into fresh medium. Although induced over-expression of a dominant-negative CDKA mutant (D146N) fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP) in BY-2 cells resulted in elongated cells after cell division was arrested, over-expression of this CDKA mutant with a non-phosphorylatable alanine in place of T161 (T161A) had no effect on cellular growth. However, immunoprecipitates of both GFP-fused CDKAs exhibited virtually no histone H1 kinase activity, suggesting that both mutants formed kinase-inactive complexes. In a baculovirus expression system, the recombinant CDKA(T161A)/cyclin D complex possessed no detectable kinase activity, indicating that phosphorylation of T161 is required for CDKA activation. To further elucidate the role of T161 phosphorylation, we used a loss-of-function mutation in the CDKA;1 gene, which encodes the only Arabidopsis CDKA. This mutant displays male gametophyte lethality, and produces bicellular pollen grains instead of the tricellular grains produced in wild-type plants. Introduction of CDKA;1(T161E) GFP, which mimics phosphorylated T161, resulted in successful complementation of the cdka-1 mutation, whereas no recovery was observed when CDKA;1(T161A)-GFP was introduced. Thus, phosphorylation of T161 in Arabidopsis CDKA;1 is essential for cell division during male gametogenesis. PMID- 17764503 TI - StGA2ox1 is induced prior to stolon swelling and controls GA levels during potato tuber development. AB - The formation and growth of a potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber is a complex process regulated by different environmental signals and plant hormones. In particular, the action of gibberellins (GAs) has been implicated in different aspects of potato tuber formation. Here we report on the isolation and functional analysis of a potato GA 2-oxidase gene (StGA2ox1) and its role in tuber formation. StGA2ox1 is upregulated during the early stages of potato tuber development prior to visible swelling and is predominantly expressed in the subapical region of the stolon and growing tuber. 35S-over-expression transformants exhibit a dwarf phenotype, reduced stolon growth and earlier in vitro tuberization. Transgenic plants with reduced expression levels of StGA2ox1 showed normal plant growth, an altered stolon swelling phenotype and delayed in vitro tuberization. Tubers of the StGA2ox1 suppression clones contain increased levels of GA20, indicating altered GA metabolism. We propose a role for StGA2ox1 in early tuber initiation by modifying GA levels in the subapical stolon region at the onset of tuberization, thereby facilitating normal tuber development and growth. PMID- 17764502 TI - Molecular analysis of three new receptor-like kinase genes from hexaploid wheat and evidence for their participation in the wheat hypersensitive response to stripe rust fungus infection. AB - Considerable progress has been made in understanding the function of receptor like kinase (RLK) genes in model plants. However, much less is known about these genes in crop species. Here we report the characterization of three new wheat RLK genes (TaRLK-R1, 2 and 3). The primary structure of the putative proteins TaRLK R1, 2 and 3 contained a signal peptide, a cysteine-rich extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain, and a predicted intracellular kinase domain. The fusions between TaRLK-R1, 2 or 3 and the green fluorescence protein (GFP) were targeted to the plasma membrane; such targeting required the signal peptide, extracellular domain and transmembrane domain. Transcription of TaRLK-R1, 2 and 3 was found mainly in the green organs, and was regulated by light. Transcript levels of TaRLK-R1, 2 and 3 increased during the hypersensitive reaction (HR) to stripe rust fungus. In addition, the TaRLK-R3 transcript level was also upregulated by abiotic stresses. Further experiments revealed that the recombinant kinase domain of TaRLK-R3 exhibited auto-phosphorylation activity in vitro. Knocking down the transcript levels of TaRLK-R1, 2 or 3 individually or all together by virus induced gene silencing compromised the wheat HR to stripe rust fungus. The demonstration of TaRLK-R1, 2 and 3 as positive contributors in the wheat HR to stripe rust fungus suggests a new direction for further functional studies of this important family of RLK genes, and may facilitate the breeding of wheat varieties resistant to stripe rust disease. PMID- 17764505 TI - Genetic interaction between glabra3-shapeshifter and siamese in Arabidopsis thaliana converts trichome precursors into cells with meristematic activity. AB - The identity of many genes required for trichome differentiation is known. This paper describes a novel interaction between mutant alleles of two such genes. One of the alleles, called gl3-sst, is derived from the GL3 locus, which encodes a basic helix-loop-helix type transcription factor. The mutation in the gl3-sst protein modifies its ability to form a complex with the GL1 protein (a MYB transcription factor required for trichome formation), leading to changes in gene expression compared with wild type during gl3-sst mutant trichome development. The other mutant allele, sim, is a likely loss of function allele derived from the SIM locus, which is predicted to encode a negative regulator of D-type cyclin activity. The gl3-sst sim double mutant exhibits mounds of cells derived from the proliferation of single trichome precursors. The ectopic expression of a D-type cyclin gene in gl3-sst mimics the double mutant phenotype. Thus, an interaction between altered trichome gene expression caused by the gl3-sst mutation and relaxed regulation of D-type cyclin activity in the double mutant converted a non dividing cell into a novel highly proliferating cell type. PMID- 17764504 TI - Global gene expression analysis of the shoot apical meristem of maize (Zea mays L.). AB - All above-ground plant organs are derived from shoot apical meristems (SAMs). Global analyses of gene expression were conducted on maize (Zea mays L.) SAMs to identify genes preferentially expressed in the SAM. The SAMs were collected from 14-day-old B73 seedlings via laser capture microdissection (LCM). The RNA samples extracted from LCM-collected SAMs and from seedlings were hybridized to microarrays spotted with 37 660 maize cDNAs. Approximately 30% (10 816) of these cDNAs were prepared as part of this study from manually dissected B73 maize apices. Over 5000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) (about 13% of the total) were differentially expressed (P < 0.0001) between SAMs and seedlings. Of these, 2783 and 2248 ESTs were up- and down-regulated in the SAM, respectively. The expression in the SAM of several of the differentially expressed ESTs was validated via quantitative RT-PCR and/or in situ hybridization. The up-regulated ESTs included many regulatory genes including transcription factors, chromatin remodeling factors and components of the gene-silencing machinery, as well as about 900 genes with unknown functions. Surprisingly, transcripts that hybridized to 62 retrotransposon-related cDNAs were also substantially up-regulated in the SAM. Complementary DNAs derived from the LCM-collected SAMs were sequenced to identify additional genes that are expressed in the SAM. This generated around 550 000 ESTs (454-SAM ESTs) from two genotypes. Consistent with the microarray results, approximately 14% of the 454-SAM ESTs from B73 were retrotransposon related. Possible roles of genes that are preferentially expressed in the SAM are discussed. PMID- 17764506 TI - Evolutionary dynamics of an ancient retrotransposon family provides insights into evolution of genome size in the genus Oryza. AB - Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons constitute a significant portion of most eukaryote genomes and can dramatically change genome size and organization. Although LTR retrotransposon content variation is well documented, the dynamics of genomic flux caused by their activity are poorly understood on an evolutionary time scale. This is primarily because of the lack of an experimental system composed of closely related species whose divergence times are within the limits of the ability to detect ancestrally related retrotransposons. The genus Oryza, with 24 species, ten genome types, different ploidy levels and over threefold genome size variation, constitutes an ideal experimental system to explore genus level transposon dynamics. Here we present data on the discovery and characterization of an LTR retrotransposon family named RWG in the genus Oryza. Comparative analysis of transposon content (approximately 20 to 27,000 copies) and transpositional history of this family across the genus revealed a broad spectrum of independent and lineage-specific changes that have implications for the evolution of genome size and organization. In particular, we provide evidence that the basal GG genome of Oryza (O. granulata) has expanded by nearly 25% by a burst of the RWG lineage Gran3 subsequent to speciation. Finally we describe the recent evolutionary origin of Dasheng, a large retrotransposon derivative of the RWG family, specifically found in the A, B and C genome lineages of Oryza. PMID- 17764507 TI - Weak blood group B phenotypes may be caused by variations in the CCAAT-binding factor/NF-Y enhancer region of the ABO gene. AB - BACKGROUND: Binding of CCAAT-binding factor NF-Y (CBF/NF-Y) to a 43-bp repeat unit in the minisatellite region in the 5' region of the ABO gene (CBF/NF-Y enhancer region) plays an important role in regulating the transcription of ABO genes. The common ABO alleles were found to have CBF/NF-Y enhancer regions with specific numbers of 43-bp minisatellite repeats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Blood samples from four healthy blood donors with weak B phenotypes were subjected to extensive ABO genotyping, including nucleotide sequencing of the 5' regulatory region containing the CBF/NF-Y enhancer. RESULTS: The coding region of the ABO genes exhibited common ABO*B101-heterozygous genotypes in all samples, but unexpected variations were observed in the CBF/NF-Y enhancer region. In two cases, the CBF/NF-Y enhancer motifs did not exhibit the expected ABO allele dependency. One, an AB(weak) sample was heterozygous for ABO*A101 and ABO*B101 but homozygous for the ABO*B101-specific CBF/NF-Y motif. The second had a common ABO*B101/ABO*O01 genotype but was heterozygous for ABO*A101- and ABO*O01-specific enhancer motifs. In the other two samples, novel CBF/NF-Y motifs were found. One contained a shortened version of an otherwise ABO*B101-specific CBF/NF-Y motif, and the other had a single-base substitution located 12 bp upstream from the beginning of the first 43-bp repeat of an ABO*B101-specific CBF/NF-Y enhancer sequence. CONCLUSION: The frequency of variations in the CBF/NF-Y region of the ABO gene in these samples with presumably common ABO*B101 alleles suggests that weak blood group B phenotypes may be caused by sequence variations in the CBF/NF Y regulatory region. PMID- 17764508 TI - In vitro assessment of recombinant, mutant immunoglobulin G anti-D devoid of hemolytic activity for treatment of ongoing hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. AB - BACKGROUND: A specific treatment for ongoing hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) due to anti-D would be very attractive. One approach could be administration to the mother of nonhemolytic anti-D, which by crossing the placenta can block the binding of hemolytic maternal anti-D. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Two anti-D immunoglobulin G3 (IgG3) heavy-chain mutants were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. To investigate whether these anti-D IgG3 mutants could inhibit the red blood cell-destructive activity of recombinant human (rHu)IgG1 with identical antigen-binding region as well as polyclonal anti-D having multiple D epitope specificities, two assays were used, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and a chemiluminescence (CL)-based method for detection of respiratory burst in peripheral blood monocytes. RESULTS: The two IgG3 anti-D heavy-chain mutants inhibited the ADCC and CL responses mediated by a rHuIgG1 anti-D with identical antigen-binding region as the mutant antibodies, as well as the destructive activity mediated by a polyclonal anti-D. CONCLUSION: The use of nonhemolytic anti-D may be an effective countermeasure against hemolysis in HDFN due to anti-D. PMID- 17764509 TI - Detection of Hpdel among Thais, a deleted allele of the haptoglobin gene that causes congenital haptoglobin deficiency. AB - BACKGROUND: Congenital haptoglobin deficiency is a risk factor for anaphylactic nonhemolytic transfusion reactions in Japan. The deleted allele of the haptoglobin gene, Hp(del), which causes congenital haptoglobin deficiency, has also been observed in other Northeast Asian populations, such as Korean and Chinese persons. It has not been reported in several African and European-African populations, however, or investigated in other countries. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To investigate the distribution of congenital haptoglobin deficiency in Southeast Asian countries, blood samples collected from 200 randomly selected healthy Thai volunteers were analyzed for serum haptoglobin and the haptoglobin gene. Plasma haptoglobin concentration was measured to identify haptoglobin deficiency. Haptoglobin phenotyping was performed with sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by Western blotting. The presence of the Hp(del) allele was determined with genomic DNA by an Hp(del)-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. RESULTS: There were no haptoglobin deficient subjects detected among the 200 Thais. Their haptoglobin phenotypes were as follows: Hp 1-1 in 10, Hp 2-1 in 81, and Hp 2-2 in 109. Six individuals heterozygous for Hp(del) were detected. The frequency of the Hp(del) allele was calculated to be 0.015. The prevalence of haptoglobin deficiency caused by Hp(del) homozygosity was estimated to be approximately 1 in 4000. CONCLUSION: Congenital haptoglobin deficiency caused by Hp(del) homozygosity is presumed to be present in Thailand as a risk factor for anaphylactic transfusion reactions with a frequency similar to that in Japan. The causative deleted allele of the haptoglobin gene, Hp(del), is distributed among Southeast Asian populations as well as among Northeast Asian populations. PMID- 17764510 TI - A sensitive quantitative single-platform flow cytometry protocol to measure human platelets in mouse peripheral blood. AB - BACKGROUND: The NOD/SCID mouse is a widely used model for human cord blood (CB) transplantation. Engraftment is generally estimated with semiquantitative methods, measuring the percentage of human cells among mouse cells. To compare protocols aiming to improve hematopoietic recovery, quantitative methods to enumerate human cells would be preferred. This study describes a single-platform protocol to count human platelets (hPLTs) after transfusion and CB transplantation in the peripheral blood (PB) of the mouse. METHODS: With an anti human CD41 antibody against hPLTs and counting beads, the sensitivity to detect hPLTs in mouse blood by flow cytometry was validated. PLT recovery after hPLT transfusions and PLT kinetics after transplantation with CB CD34+ cells was followed in time in NOD/SCID mice. RESULTS: hPLTs could be reliably detected to a level as low as 1 PLT per microL with this single-platform protocol, what appeared to be at least 10 times more sensitive than detection with the dual platform protocol. To verify the applicability for mouse studies, hPLTs were measured serially in transfusion and transplantation studies in NOD/SCID mice. The results showed that earlier detection of PLT recovery was feasible with the single-platform protocol. CONCLUSION: A single-platform flow cytometry method can repeatedly measure low numbers of circulating hPLTs in the PB of the same mouse. This method may be helpful in search of new protocols aiming at accelerating PLT recovery after CB transplantation, but also in a number of clinical settings, such as monitoring PLT reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. PMID- 17764511 TI - Automated CD14+ monocyte collection with the autoMNC program of the COM.TEC cell separator. AB - BACKGROUND: The standard mononuclear cell (MNC) program of the COM.TEC device (Fresenius HemoCare GmbH) showed excellent collection efficiency of CD14+ monocytes. A major disadvantage was high content of residual cells in MNC harvests, which could influence dendritic cell (DC) culture. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The autoMNC program (COM.TEC) was compared with the standard MNC program (n = 12). Additionally, two cycle volumes (300 mL vs. 450 mL, n = 19) were compared (standard MNC program). Samples were assayed for white blood cells (WBCs), red blood cells (RBCs), granulocytes (PMNs), hematocrit, and platelets (PLTs) on an automated blood cell counter (Sysmex K 4500, TAO Medical). CD14+ cells were analyzed by flow cytometry (FACSCalibur, BD). RESULTS: The autoMNC program produced 1.33 x 10(9) +/- 0.36 x 10(9) CD14+ cells, 5.60 x 10(11) +/- 0.97 x 10(11) PLTs, and 1.43 x 10(11) +/- 0.37 x 10(11) RBCs. Compared to the standard MNC program, significantly higher PLT yields but lower RBC yields and product volume were harvested. Increasing the CV from 300 to 450 mL dropped the product volume, residual PLTs, and RBCs significantly, whereas WBC and monocyte yields did not change. The WBC predonation counts of donors correlated significantly with monocyte yields. CONCLUSIONS: The autoMNC program reduced the buffy coat (BC) volume and RBC yields in products compared to the standard MNC program. Increasing the CV (standard MNC program) reduced residual PLTs, RBCs, and the BC volume of MNC harvests. The donor WBC predonation count was a good predictor for the monocyte yield of products. PMID- 17764512 TI - Monocyte enrichment from leukapheresis products by using the Elutra cell separator. AB - BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DCs), used in clinical trials for cancer immunotherapy, require processing on an expanded scale to conform to current good manufacturing practice guidelines. This study evaluated a large-scale monocyte enrichment procedure with a commercially available cell separator (Elutra, Gambro BCT) and analyzed the capacity of enriched monocytes to differentiate into DCs. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Mononuclear cells were collected in two patients with malignant melanoma and seven healthy donors by leukapheresis. Continuous counterflow elutriation with the Elutra was performed to enrich and purify monocytes from leukapheresis products. Purity and recovery of enriched monocytes were analyzed by flow cytometry. DCs were generated from the elutriated monocytes and characterized by phenotypic surface marker and stimulatory capacity in an allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction. RESULTS: In the leukapheresis products, the total MNC count was 7.3 x 10(9) +/- 0.7 x 10(9) and the mean percentage of CD14+ monocytes was 16.5 +/- 3.8 percent, which increased to 68.9 +/- 7.4 percent after elutriation with the Elutra. The mean monocyte recovery was 94.3 percent. Elutriated monocytes were successfully cultured into phenotypically and functionally mature DCs. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the Elutra cell separator allows for fast and easy enrichment of monocytes within a closed system. Furthermore, these monocytes can be differentiated into functionally mature DCs. Compared to plastic adherence and immunomagnetic selection methods, the elutriation procedure is inexpensive, efficient, and very effective. PMID- 17764513 TI - Photopheresis in pediatric graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic marrow transplantation: clinical practice guidelines based on field experience and review of the literature. AB - BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP) gives positive results in the management of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), but in children, specific difficulties can outweigh this benefit. These difficulties must be taken into consideration when establishing a standardized reproducible procedure for implementation under a quality management plan. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty seven children underwent ECP for severe acute GVHD (aGVHD) or chronic GVHD (cGVHD) after allogeneic marrow transplantation. Data were collected prospectively, with particular emphasis placed on technical, biologic, immunologic, clinical, and long-term follow-up issues. RESULTS: The 27 children underwent a total of 750 sessions. Mononuclear cells were collected on a commercially available apheresis system (COBE Spectra, Gambro BCT). Overall survival was 73 percent, and ECP led to significant improvement in 21 of the 27 patients (11 with complete response and 10 with partial response, i.e., >50% of organ involvement). Tolerance was good overall, the main limiting factors being vascular access and the psychological impact of repeated apheresis procedures. Children weighing less than 25 kg were not more susceptible to side effects. CONCLUSION: A specifically pediatric-dedicated and -experienced team faces only limited difficulties when treating children with GVHD by ECP. Overall, ECP is efficient and well tolerated. Our experience was therefore pooled together with available pediatric data to establish clinical practice guidelines. These guidelines consider ECP as a first-line therapy in Grade IV aGVHD (in association with conventional pharmacologic approaches) and limited cGVHD and as a second line therapy in steroid-resistant Grades II to III aGVHD and extensive cGVHD. PMID- 17764514 TI - Transfusion-induced autoantibodies and differential immunogenicity of blood group antigens: a novel hypothesis. AB - Blood bank serology has identified hundreds of red blood cell (RBC) antigens contained within numerous blood group systems. Although most blood group antigens are defined by amino acid polymorphisms in the extracellular domain of membrane proteins, it is also possible that additional nonexofacial polymorphisms (NEPs) may exist within cytoplasmic or transmembrane domains. To assess this possibility, we analyzed several blood group molecules by searching the SNPper database for nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We report the identification of a number of NEPs in the Kell, Kidd, and Duffy molecules. Because the identified NEPs are not exposed on the surface of intact RBCs and are, thus, not accessible to recipient antibodies, they would neither be detected by blood bank serology in vitro, nor would they be recognized targets in hemolytic transfusion reactions in vivo. The presentation of peptides containing NEPs by recipient MHC Class II molecules, however, would nevertheless produce helper T-cell epitopes. In addition to identifying NEPs in human blood group molecules, we explore a novel hypothesis that the presence of NEPs contributes to the immunogenicity of blood group antigens. We further hypothesize that NEPs provide a mechanism by which transfusion can lead to anti-RBC autoantibodies, which are known to occur in humans after transfusion. The scientific basis, existing evidence, approaches to testing, and predicted biology of this hypothesis are presented. PMID- 17764516 TI - TPK1, a Ca(2+)-regulated Arabidopsis vacuole two-pore K(+) channel is activated by 14-3-3 proteins. AB - The vacuole represents a pivotal plant organelle for management of ion homeostasis, storage of proteins and solutes, as well as deposition of cytotoxic compounds. Ion channels, pumps and carriers in the vacuolar membrane under control of cytosolic factors provide for ionic and metabolic homeostasis between this storage organelle and the cytoplasm. Here we show that AtTPK1 (KCO1), a vacuolar membrane localized K(+) channel of the TPK family, interacts with 14-3-3 proteins (general regulating factors, GRFs). Following in planta expression TPK1 and GRF6 co-localize at the vacuolar membrane. Co-localization of wild-type TPK1, but not the TPK1-S42A mutant, indicates that phosphorylation of the 14-3-3 binding motif of TPK1 represents a prerequisite for interaction. Pull-down assays and surface plasmon resonance measurements revealed GRF6 high-affinity interaction with TPK1. Following expression of TPK1 in yeast and isolation of vacuoles, patch-clamp studies identified TPK1 as a voltage-independent and Ca(2+) activated K(+) channel. Addition of 14-3-3 proteins strongly increased the TPK1 activity in a dose-dependent manner. However, an inverse effect of GRF6 on the activity of the slow-activating vacuolar (SV) channel was observed in mesophyll vacuoles from Arabidopsis thaliana. Thus, TPK1 seems to provide for a Ca(2+)- and 14-3-3-sensitive mechanism capable of controlling cytoplasmic potassium homeostasis in plants. PMID- 17764515 TI - The N-terminal region of Pseudomonas type III effector AvrPtoB elicits Pto dependent immunity and has two distinct virulence determinants. AB - Resistance to bacterial speck disease in tomato is activated by the physical interaction of the host Pto kinase with either of the sequence-dissimilar type III effector proteins AvrPto or AvrPtoB (HopAB2) from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Pto-mediated immunity requires Prf, a protein with a nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeats. The N-terminal 307 amino acids of AvrPtoB were previously reported to interact with the Pto kinase, and we show here that this region (AvrPtoB(1-307)) is sufficient for eliciting Pto/Prf-dependent immunity against P. s. pv. tomato. AvrPtoB(1-307) was also found to be sufficient for a virulence activity that enhances ethylene production and increases growth of P. s. pv. tomato and severity of speck disease on susceptible tomato lines lacking either Pto or Prf. Moreover, we found that residues 308-387 of AvrPtoB are required for the previously reported ability of AvrPtoB to suppress pathogen associated molecular patterns-induced basal defenses in Arabidopsis. Thus, the N terminal region of AvrPtoB has two structurally distinct domains involved in different virulence-promoting mechanisms. Random and targeted mutagenesis identified five tightly clustered residues in AvrPtoB(1-307) that are required for interaction with Pto and for elicitation of immunity to P. s. pv. tomato. Mutation of one of the five clustered residues abolished the ethylene-associated virulence activity of AvrPtoB(1-307). However, individual mutations of the other four residues, despite abolishing interaction with Pto and avirulence activity, had no effect on AvrPtoB(1-307) virulence activity. None of these mutations affected the basal defense-suppressing activity of AvrPtoB(1-387). Based on sequence alignments, estimates of helical propensity, and the previously reported structure of AvrPto, we hypothesize that the Pto-interacting domains of AvrPto and AvrPtoB(1-307) have structural similarity. Together, these data support a model in which AvrPtoB(1-307) promotes ethylene-associated virulence by interaction not with Pto but with another unknown host protein. PMID- 17764517 TI - Delivery of macromolecules to plant parasitic nematodes using a tobacco rattle virus vector. AB - Plant parasitic nematodes cause significant damage to crops on a worldwide scale. These nematodes are often soil dwelling but rely on plants for food and to sustain them during reproduction. Complex interactions occur between plants and nematodes during the nematode life cycle with plant roots developing specialized feeding structures through which nematodes withdraw nutrients. Here we describe a novel method for delivering macromolecules to feeding nematodes using a virus based vector [tobacco rattle virus (TRV)]. We show that the parasitic nematode Heterodera schachtii will ingest fluorescent proteins transiently expressed in plant roots infected with a TRV construct carrying the appropriate protein sequence. A prerequisite for this delivery is the presence of replicating virus in root tips prior to the formation of nematode-induced syncytia. We show also that TRV vectors expressing nematode gene sequences can be used to induce RNAi in the feeding nematodes. PMID- 17764518 TI - Engineering photosynthetic light capture: impacts on improved solar energy to biomass conversion. AB - The main function of the photosynthetic process is to capture solar energy and to store it in the form of chemical 'fuels'. Increasingly, the photosynthetic machinery is being used for the production of biofuels such as bio-ethanol, biodiesel and bio-H2. Fuel production efficiency is directly dependent on the solar photon capture and conversion efficiency of the system. Green algae (e.g. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) have evolved genetic strategies to assemble large light-harvesting antenna complexes (LHC) to maximize light capture under low light conditions, with the downside that under high solar irradiance, most of the absorbed photons are wasted as fluorescence and heat to protect against photodamage. This limits the production process efficiency of mass culture. We applied RNAi technology to down-regulate the entire LHC gene family simultaneously to reduce energy losses by fluorescence and heat. The mutant Stm3LR3 had significantly reduced levels of LHCI and LHCII mRNAs and proteins while chlorophyll and pigment synthesis was functional. The grana were markedly less tightly stacked, consistent with the role of LHCII. Stm3LR3 also exhibited reduced levels of fluorescence, a higher photosynthetic quantum yield and a reduced sensitivity to photoinhibition, resulting in an increased efficiency of cell cultivation under elevated light conditions. Collectively, these properties offer three advantages in terms of algal bioreactor efficiency under natural high light levels: (i) reduced fluorescence and LHC-dependent heat losses and thus increased photosynthetic efficiencies under high-light conditions; (ii) improved light penetration properties; and (iii) potentially reduced risk of oxidative photodamage of PSII. PMID- 17764519 TI - superwoman1-cleistogamy, a hopeful allele for gene containment in GM rice. AB - Cleistogamy is an efficient strategy for preventing gene flow from genetically modified (GM) crops. We identified a cleistogamous mutant of rice harbouring a missense mutation (the 45th residue isoleucine to threonine; I45T) in the class-B MADS-box gene SUPERWOMAN1 (SPW1), which specifies the identities of lodicules (equivalent to petals) and stamens. In the mutant, spw1-cls, the stamens are normal, but the lodicules are transformed homeotically to lodicule-glume mosaic organs, thereby engendering cleistogamy. Since this mutation does not affect other agronomic traits, it can be used in crosses to produce transgenic lines that do not cause environmental perturbation. Molecular analysis revealed that the reduced heterodimerization ability of SPW1(I45T) with its counterpart class-B proteins OsMADS2 and OsMADS4 caused altered lodicule identity. spw1-cls is the first useful mutant for practical gene containment in GM rice. Cleistogamy is possible in many cereals by engineering class-B floral homeotic genes and thereby inducing lodicule identity changes. PMID- 17764520 TI - Functional analysis of soybean genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis by virus induced gene silencing. AB - Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a powerful tool for functional analysis of genes in plants. A wide-host-range VIGS vector, which was developed based on the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), was tested for its ability to silence endogenous genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis in soybean. Symptomless infection was established using a pseudorecombinant virus, which enabled detection of specific changes in metabolite content by VIGS. It has been demonstrated that the yellow seed coat phenotype of various cultivated soybean lines that lack anthocyanin pigmentation is induced by natural degradation of chalcone synthase (CHS) mRNA. When soybean plants with brown seed coats were infected with a virus that contains the CHS gene sequence, the colour of the seed coats changed to yellow, which indicates that the naturally occurring RNA silencing is reproduced by VIGS. In addition, CHS VIGS consequently led to a decrease in isoflavone content in seeds. VIGS was also tested on the putative flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase (F3'H) gene in the pathway. This experiment resulted in a decrease in the content of quercetin relative to kaempferol in the upper leaves after viral infection, which suggests that the putative gene actually encodes the F3'H protein. In both experiments, a marked decrease in the target mRNA and accumulation of short interfering RNAs were detected, indicating that sequence-specific mRNA degradation was induced. The present report is a successful demonstration of the application of VIGS for genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis in plants; the CMV-based VIGS system provides an efficient tool for functional analysis of soybean genes. PMID- 17764521 TI - Stable expression of AtGA2ox1 in a low-input turfgrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) reduces bioactive gibberellin levels and improves turf quality under field conditions. AB - Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) is a prime candidate for molecular improvement of turf quality. Its persistence and low input characteristics made it the dominant utility turfgrass along highways in the south-eastern USA. However, the comparatively poor turf quality due to reduced turf density and prolific production of unsightly inflorescences currently limits the widespread use of bahiagrass as residential turf. Alteration of endogenous gibberellin (GA) levels by application of growth regulators or transgenic strategies has modified plant architecture in several crops. GA catabolizing AtGA2ox1 was subcloned under the control of the constitutive maize ubiquitin promoter and Nos 3'UTR. A minimal AtGA2ox1 expression cassette lacking vector backbone sequences was stably introduced into apomictic bahiagrass by biolistic gene transfer as confirmed by Southern blot analysis. Expression of AtGA2ox1 in bahiagrass as indicated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Northern blot analysis resulted in a significant reduction of endogenous bioactive GA(1) levels compared to wild type. Interestingly, transgenic plants displayed an increased number of vegetative tillers which correlated with the level of AtGA2ox1 expression and enhanced turf density under field conditions. This indicates that GAs contribute to signalling the outgrowth of axillary buds in this perennial grass. Transgenic plants also showed decreased stem length and delayed flowering under controlled environment and field conditions. Consequently, turf quality following weekly mowing was improved in transgenic bahiagrass. Transgene expression and phenotype were transmitted to seed progeny. Argentine bahiagrass produces seeds asexually by apomixis, which reduces the risk of unintended transgene dispersal by pollen and results in uniform progeny. PMID- 17764522 TI - Quality of clinical supervision as perceived by attending doctors in university and district teaching hospitals. AB - CONTEXT: Attending doctors (ADs) play important roles in the supervision of specialist registrars. Little is known, however, about how they perceive the quality of their supervision in different teaching settings. We decided to investigate whether there is any difference in how ADs perceive the quality of their supervision in university teaching hospital (UTH) and district teaching hospital (DTH) settings. METHODS: We used a standardised questionnaire to investigate the quality of supervision as perceived by ADs. Fifteen items reflecting good teaching ability were measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1-5: never-always). We investigated for factors that influenced the perceived quality of supervision using Likert scale items (1-5: totally disagree-totally agree) and open-ended questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 83 ADs (UTH: 51; DTH: 32) were eligible to participate in the survey. Of these, 43 (52%) returned the questionnaire (UTH: 25; DTH: 18). There was no difference in the overall mean of the 15 items between the UTH (3.67, standard deviation [SD] 0.35) and DTH (3.73, SD 0.31) ADs. Attending doctors in the DTH group rated themselves better at 'teaching technical skills' (mean 3.50, SD 0.70), compared with their UTH counterparts (mean 3.0, SD 0.76) (P = 0.03). Analysis of variance of the overall means revealed no significant difference between the different hospital settings. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that teaching hospital environments do not influence how ADs perceive the quality of their supervision. Lack of time for teaching was perceived as responsible for poor supervision. Other factors found to influence AD perceptions of good supervision included effective teaching skills, communication skills and provision of feedback. PMID- 17764523 TI - The effect of tibiofemoral loading on proximal tibiofibular joint motion. AB - The human proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) and its relationship to overall knee joint mechanics have been largely unexplored. This study describes force/displacement data from experiments done on four human cadaveric knee specimens and general conclusions obtained with the help of a statistical modeling technique. Specimens were rigidly affixed at the tibia to a force plate and the femur was attached to a custom made device allowing for manual load application. Motion of the fibular head was tracked relative to the tibial plateau by means of reflective markers and a high speed digital camera synchronized with the force plate data stream. Each specimen was subjected to a range of loading conditions and a quadratic regression model was created and then used to predict the specimen's response to standardized loading conditions and compare these across specimens. Statistical analysis was performed with a three factor analysis of variance with repeated measures. Proximal tibiofibular joint motion was largest in the anterior-posterior direction with translations of 1-3 mm observed during a range of physiological loading conditions. The applied internal-external rotation moment had a significant effect on proximal tibiofibular joint translation (P < 0.05). Effects of varus-valgus loading and flexion angle were seen in some specimens. This study demonstrates that substantial proximal tibiofibular joint motion can occur in physiologic loading states. Preservation of proximal tibiofibular joint function, and anatomical variations which affect this function, may need to be considered when designing surgical procedures for the knee joint. PMID- 17764524 TI - Human 2D (index) and 4D (ring) digit lengths: their variation and relationships during the menstrual cycle. AB - It is known that there are sexually dimorphic differences in relative and absolute lengths of the index (2nd) and ring (4th) fingers and that the sizes of laterally-paired soft tissues (e.g. ears and fingers) show changes across the menstrual cycle. The aim of the present study was to determine whether cyclical changes in the digit lengths of the index and ring fingers also occur and, if so, to what extent these are related to changing patterns of circulating sex steroids. Digit lengths were assessed over two cycles in groups of right-handed females (19-21 years of age) who were divided on the basis of whether or not they were taking oral contraceptive pills (n = 13 and n = 6 respectively). Using callipers, finger lengths were measured on photocopy images of both hands taken at 4-day intervals for a total of 56 days. We tested the following null hypotheses: (1) digit length measurements do not exhibit fluctuations across the menstrual cycle; (2) there is no evidence of lateral asymmetry between measurements made on both hands; (3) the lengths of digits 2 and 4 do not differ in either hand. Null hypotheses were tested using Page's L trends test for related samples (cyclical fluctuations) and paired Student's t tests (left-right asymmetries and within-hand digital differences). In those not taking oral contraceptives, finger lengths and 2D:4D digit ratios fluctuated across the cycle with values tending to increase in the pre-ovulatory period and decline thereafter. Left-right asymmetries varied in a similar fashion with lengths generally being larger, and lateral asymmetries smaller, in the dominant hand. Although sample sizes were smaller, some of these patterns were retained but others were perturbed in those practising oral contraception. We conclude that finger lengths are cycle-dependent and that account should be taken of this, and of oral contraceptive usage, in future studies on female digit lengths and their ratios. PMID- 17764525 TI - Reproduction in male swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor): puberty and the effects of season. AB - This study describes pubertal changes in testes and epididymides and seasonal changes in the adult male reproductive organs and plasma androgen concentrations of the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor). Pre-pubescent males had testes with solid seminiferous cords and spermatogenesis only to the stage of gonocytes. Their epididymides had empty lumina along their entire length. The testes of three males undergoing puberty had some lumen formation and mitotic activity. Their epididymides were similar in appearance to those of adult males but were entirely devoid of any cells within the lumen of the duct. Three other pubescent males showed full lumen formation in the testes and spermatogenesis up to the elongating spermatid stage. Their epididymides were similar in appearance to those of adult males but with no spermatozoa in the duct. However, cells of testicular origin were found in the lumen of the duct in all regions suggesting that testicular fluids and immature germ cells shed into the rete testes flow through the seminiferous tubules into the epididymis before the release of mature testicular spermatozoa. The weights of testes and epididymides of adult males showed no change throughout the year but prostate weight and plasma androgen concentrations varied significantly with season, with maximums in spring and summer and minimums in winter. The volume fraction of Leydig cells and seminiferous tubules was significantly lower in winter than in summer; but, despite this, maturing spermatozoa were found in the testes throughout the year. Females in the area conceived year-round, suggesting that seasonal changes in the male reproductive tract did not prevent at least some males from breeding throughout the year. PMID- 17764526 TI - Establishment, maintenance and modifications of the lower jaw dentition of wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) throughout its life cycle. AB - In this paper we elucidate the pattern of initiation of the first teeth and the pattern of tooth replacement on the dentary of wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), throughout nearly all stages of its life cycle, using serially sectioned heads and jaws, cleared and stained animals, and X-rays. The dentary teeth are set in one row. Tooth germs appear around hatching, first in odd positions, followed by even positions. From position 8 further backwards, teeth are added in adjacent positions. The first replacement teeth appear in animals of about 30 mm fork length. On the dentary of early life stages (alevins and fry), every position in the tooth row holds a functional (i.e. attached and erupted) tooth and a replacement tooth. The alternating pattern set up anteriorly in the dentary by the first-generation teeth changes in juveniles (parr) whereby teeth are in a similar functional (for the erupted teeth) or developmental stage (for the replacement teeth) every three positions. This pattern is also observed in marine animals during their marine life phase and in both sexes of adult animals prior to spawning (grilse and salmon), but every position now holds either a functional tooth or a mineralised replacement tooth. This is likely due to the fact that replacement tooth germs have to grow to a larger size before mineralisation starts. In the following spring, the dentary tooth pattern of animals that have survived spawning (kelts) is highly variable. The abundance of functional teeth in post-spawning animals nevertheless indicates that teeth are not lost over winter. We confirm the earlier reported lack of evidence for the existence of an edentulous life phase, preceding the appearance of so-called breeding teeth during upstream migration to the spawning grounds, and consider breeding teeth to be just another tooth generation in a regularly replacing dentition. This study shows how Atlantic salmon maintains a functional adaptive dentition throughout its complex life cycle. PMID- 17764527 TI - Oral administration of taurine improves experimental pancreatic fibrosis. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The mechanism of pancreatic fibrosis is unclear. Taurine is used in the clinical treatment of a wide variety of diseases, but its effect on improving pancreatic fibrosis is unknown. We examined whether a diet with added taurine improves pancreatic fibrosis induced by dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC) in an experimental chronic pancreatitis rat model. In addition, we examined the influence of taurine on pancreatic stellate cells. METHODS: Pancreatic fibrosis was induced by DBTC. Rats were fed a taurine-containing diet or a normal diet and were killed at 4 weeks. Pancreatic stellate cells were isolated from male Wistar rats. Cultured pancreatic stellate cells were incubated with or without taurine chloramine. Type I collagen and transforming growth factor-beta1 secretion was evaluated by ELISA, and matrix metalloproteinase activity was assessed by gelatin zymography. Interleukin-6, interleukin-2, and transforming growth factor-beta1 levels in the supernatants of pancreatic tissue homogenates were measured. RESULTS: Pancreatic fibrosis induced by DBTC was improved remarkably by the oral administration of the taurine-containing diet. Taurine chloramine decreased type I collagen, transforming growth factor-beta1, and matrix metalloproteinases 2 of the pancreatic stellate cell culture supernatant. Increased interleukin-6 and decreased interleukin-2 were found in the supernatants of the pancreatic tissue homogenates of DBTC-induced pancreatitis rats compared with other groups. CONCLUSION: The oral administration of taurine improves pancreatic fibrosis. Taurine chloramine inhibits transforming growth factor-beta1 produced from activated pancreatic stellate cells and improves pancreatic fibrosis. PMID- 17764528 TI - Vasopressin response and shunting modulation in cirrhotic rats by chronic nitric oxide inhibition. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Nitric oxide (NO) plays a significant role in the vascular hyposensitivity to vasoconstrictors in cirrhosis. Chronic NO inhibition improves the portal-systemic collateral responsiveness to arginine(8)-vasopressin (AVP) and ameliorates shunting degree in rats with prehepatic portal hypertension. This study investigated whether long-term NO inhibition by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) enhances the collateral vascular responsiveness to AVP and alleviates the severity of shunting in cirrhotic rats. METHODS: Bile duct-ligated (BDL) rats received L-NAME in tap water (25 mg/kg/day) or tap water only (control) for 1 week from the 36th day after BDL. On the 43rd day, the mean arterial pressure and portal pressure were measured. With an in situ perfusion model of portal-systemic collateral vasculature, different concentrations of AVP (10(-10)-10(-7) mol/L) with a constant flow rate (12 mL/min) were applied to assess the perfusion pressure changes of collaterals. In addition, flow pressure curves were obtained with different flow rates (6-18 mL/min): the slopes serve as indices of collateral vascular resistance and the higher resistance indicates less collateral. RESULTS: The mean arterial pressure was significantly increased after L-NAME treatment (P < 0.05), whereas the heart rate and portal pressure were not significantly modified. As compared with the controls, the L-NAME group exerted significantly higher perfusion pressure changes to AVP at the concentrations of 3 x 10(-8), 10(-7) and 3 x 10(-7) mol/L. In addition, chronic L NAME administration induced collateral vascular resistance elevation, suggesting the attenuation of portal-systemic shunting. CONCLUSION: Chronic NO inhibition improves the collateral vascular responsiveness to AVP and ameliorates portal systemic shunting in BDL cirrhotic rats. PMID- 17764530 TI - Reduction of fibrosis in a rat model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis by human HGF gene transfection using electroporation. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIM: To study the histological changes caused by transfection of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene using electroporation (EP) in a non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) cirrhotic liver model. METHODS: NASH cirrhotic livers were prepared by administering a choline-deficient diet to 5-week-old male Wister rats for 12 weeks. Three groups of rats were used: rats in the G(+) group were transfected with the GFP gene using EP, rats in the H(+) group were transfected with the HGF gene using EP, and rats in the H(-) group were only injected with the HGF gene. Rats were sacrificed 2 days after gene transfection, and the Azan positive rate (APR) and Sudan positive rate (SPR) were calculated to evaluate fibrosis and fatty changes. RESULTS: The APR of the NASH cirrhotic livers was significantly higher than that in the normal livers. The APR did not decrease in the G(+) group and the H(-) group, but decreased significantly in the nonelectroporated as well as electroporated areas of the H(+) group. For SPR, there were no significant differences between the G(+), H(-), and H(+) groups. CONCLUSION: The improvement of fibrosis was not significant when a direct injection of the HGF gene was used alone, but it was enhanced by the concomitant use of EP. However, no efficacy was observed in fat components. These findings suggest that transfection of the HGF gene by EP may lead to an improvement of irreversible cirrhotic livers to reversible fatty livers. PMID- 17764529 TI - Survival analysis of 904 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in a hepatitis B virus-endemic area. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIM: To investigate the clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of a large cohort of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated at a single institute in a hepatitis B virus (HBV)-endemic area. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2003, 904 patients with HCC treated at our institute were enrolled, and followed until 2005. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 56 years and 76.3% were HBV-positive. The 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-year survival rates were 53.8%, 40.0%, 31.4%, and 25.7%, respectively. The 4-year survival rates for Child-Pugh class A patients treated by resection or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) were 77.3% and 63.2% for those with modified International Union Against Cancer (UICC) stage I or II disease (P = 0.043), and 58.6% and 19.2% for those with modified UICC stage III disease (P < 0.001). In patients with Child-Pugh class A and stage IVa, the median survival times differed between TACE and chemotherapy treatments (6.9 vs 4.0 months, P = 0.003), whereas in patients with stage IVb there was no difference between treatments (8.5 vs 6.1 months, P = 0.173) Serum alpha fetoprotein level, presence of portal vein tumor thrombosis, Child-Pugh class, tumor, node, and metastasis stage, and the number and type of HCC were all related to prognosis. Significant differences in survival curves were observed among the Japanese Integrated Staging scores. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study will be helpful in determining the survival outcomes and treatment strategies for HCC patients in HBV-endemic areas. PMID- 17764531 TI - Elevation of pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure threshold in cholestatic mice: interaction between opioid and cannabinoid systems. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Several studies have reported that endogenous opioid and cannabinoid systems may be involved in some pathophysiological changes occurring in cholestatic liver disease. It is well known that endogenous opioids and cannabinoids alter the susceptibility of experimental animals to different models of seizure. METHODS: The alterations in pentylenetetrazole-induced clonic seizure thresholds were evaluated from 1 to 6 days after bile duct ligation in mice. Whether the pretreatment of cholestatic mice with different doses of opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone or cannabinoid CB(1) receptor antagonist AM251 (AM251) would have changed the clonic seizure threshold was also examined. RESULTS: Although the clonic seizure threshold was similar between sham-operated and unoperated mice, there was a time-dependent increase in the threshold in cholestatic mice, reaching a peak on day 3 after bile duct ligation and declining partially after day 4. Chronic pretreatment with naltrexone (2, 5, and 10 mg/kg) reversed the increased threshold in cholestatic mice on day 3 after operation in a dose-dependent manner with the highest doses used restoring the threshold to that of the control animals. A similar reversal of the increased threshold was observed after acute (0.5, 0.75, and 1 mg/kg) or chronic (0.5 mg/kg for 4 days) pretreatment with AM251. Moreover, concurrent administration of doses of AM251 and naltrexone that each separately induced a partial reversal of increased seizure threshold in cholestasis caused a complete restoring of the threshold to the control level. CONCLUSIONS: Both opioid and cannabinoid CB(1) receptors may be involved in the dramatic increase in pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure threshold in cholestasis. PMID- 17764532 TI - How do we manage early rectal cancer? A national questionnaire survey among members of the ACPGBI after the preliminary results of the MRC CR07/NCIC CO16 randomized trial. AB - OBJECTIVE: The role of neoadjuvant radiotherapy in the management of rectal cancers has not reached a consensus in colorectal surgical practice. In the light of the preliminary results of the CRO7 trial, we undertook a national questionnaire survey to assess the current pattern of practice in the UK. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between CRO7 trial results and current practice amongst consultant members of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI). METHOD: A 14-item questionnaire was designed to inquire into the current management strategy of operable rectal cancers and the possible role of neoadjuvant radiotherapy. The postal questionnaire survey was sent to all the 400 active consultant surgical members of the ACPGBI. RESULTS: Of 400 questionnaires, 200 (50%) were returned fully completed. One hundred and sixty-six (83%) of surgeons did not routinely use neoadjuvant short course radiotherapy (NASCRT) in clinically operable rectal cancers (T1/T2) <15 cm from anal verge with no metastases (The CR07 eligible cohort). Sixty-four (32%) used NASCRT for T3 cancers routinely whereas 76 (38%) used neoadjuvant long course radiotherapy instead. One hundred and fifty-sixty (78%) of the surgeons felt the height of the tumour from the anal verge influenced their decision on NASCRT, while 104 (52%) felt position was important (Anterior/Posterior). Positive anticipated margins of excision on magnetic resonance imaging was a deciding factor for 185 (92.5%) of surgeons in favour of neoadjuvant therapy. Postoperatively in patients who have not had preoperative radiotherapy, 154 (77%) recommended radiotherapy and 155 (77.5%) recommended chemotherapy if the circumferential resection margin was +ve on final pathology. Seventy-eight (39%) of the surgeons have changed their practice after the preliminary results of the CRO7 by adopting NASCRT for treating early rectal cancers. CONCLUSION: Despite the evidence of the CRO7 trial supporting the use of NASCRT for operable rectal cancer, approximately two-third of consultant surgeons in the UK have yet to implement this treatment regime routinely. A change in practice in 39% of surgeons following the early dissemination of trial results indicate that colorectal surgeons practice is guided by scientific evidence. Because the mature trial data have yet to be published, a further survey of practice is warranted after that publication to determine the ultimate impact of this trial. This survey measures the baseline practice to compare changes over the next 2 years. PMID- 17764533 TI - Retroperitoneal margin involvement by adenocarcinoma of the caecum and ascending colon: what does it mean? AB - OBJECTIVE: Circumferential margin involvement (CRM) is a powerful predictor of local recurrence, distant metastasis and patient survival in rectal cancer. In this study, we aimed to determine the frequency of retroperitoneal margin involvement in right colon cancer and describe its relationship to tumour stage and outcome of surgical treatment. METHOD: Two hundred and twenty-eight consecutive resections for adenocarcinoma of the ascending colon and caecum were identified between 1998 and 2006. Tumour involvement of the posterior retroperitoneal surgical resection margin (RSRM) was recorded and correlated with tumour stage, grade and clinical outcome. RSRM positive patients were compared with CRM positive rectal tumours resected in the same surgical unit. RESULTS: Nineteen of 228 right hemicolectomies (8.4%) showed tumour involvement of the RSRM (defined as < or = 1 mm). Approximately half of the RSRM positive patients underwent palliative resections because of synchronous distant metastases. Out of nine 'potentially curative' resections where the RSRM was involved, five patients subsequently developed metastatic recurrence and two isolated local recurrence. RSRM positivity was associated with advanced tumour stage and more extensive extramural spread than CRM positive rectal cancers. CONCLUSION: Retroperitoneal surgical resection margin involvement by caecal and ascending colon carcinoma is a marker of advanced tumour stage and associated with a high incidence of synchronous and metachronous distant metastasis. More aggressive surgery to obtain a clear margin or postoperative radiotherapy to the tumour bed is likely to benefit only a minority of patients. PMID- 17764534 TI - Referral of patients with iron deficiency anaemia under the lower gastrointestinal two-week wait rule. AB - OBJECTIVE: One of the 2-week wait (2WW) criteria for suspected lower gastrointestinal cancer states that patients should be referred who have iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) without obvious cause [Haemoglobin (Hb) <11 g/dl men, <10 g/dl postmenopausal women]. AIM: Our aim was to find the proportion of patients referred as a 2WW not meeting the criteria, and the cost accrued by unnecessary referral. METHOD: Patients referred over 1 year were identified using the hospitals cancer database. Haematology, haematinics, coeliac serology and cancer status were recorded for each patient. RESULTS: A total of 204 patients were referred. In total, only 22/204 patients (10.8%) met all the necessary criteria for diagnosis and investigation of IDA prior to referral. As only 43/204 (21.1%) had been assessed for coeliac serology, this accounted for the majority of incomplete referrals. Excluding coeliac serology, only 127 (62.3%) met 2WW criteria for IDA. Of the remaining 77 patients, 57 (74%) patients did not meet the 2WW criteria on Hb alone and 35/77 were referred with no evidence of IDA. 12/127 (9.4%) patients were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. No cancers were detected in patients without BSG evidence of IDA, although one patient did not meet the criteria on Hb level alone. CONCLUSION: Although iron deficiency is a good marker for gastrointestinal cancer, it is evident that 2WW referral guidelines are not being followed. 89.2% of referrals are inappropriate according to guidelines. This not only has considerable workload and financial implications but could be potentially detrimental to patient health. PMID- 17764535 TI - Quality of life after indefinite diversion/pouch excision in ileal pouch failure patients. AB - OBJECTIVE: Pouch failure occurs in up to 10% of patients over a 10-year period for a variety of reasons. One surgical option is pouch excision (PE) and form a permanent ileostomy. This is a major procedure with potential serious complications. An alternative is indefinite diversion (ID) of the pouch without excision. The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life and functional outcome in these two groups of patients. METHOD: Ninety-seven patients were identified from the database to have either PE or ID. Fifty-three patients (17 men) responded; comprising 31 patients after PE and 22 patients with ID in a case control study and completed the SF-36 general health survey and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) functional outcomes questionnaire. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the domains of SF-36 between the two groups (P > 0.18). All patients with PE had an end ileostomy whereas most patients with ID had a loop ileostomy (18 loop vs 4 end). There was no difference in stoma related complications except for stoma retraction in ID (7%vs 47%; P = 0.003). There was no significant difference in urinary symptoms between PE and ID groups (weak stream 26%vs 14%; P = 0.49, nocturia 22%vs 4%; P = 0.12, urgency 22%vs 9%; P = 0.28, urinary incontinence 22%vs 14%; P = 0.72 respectively). There was no difference in sexually active patients (73%vs 94%; P = 0.11). Of the seven male PE patients, five (71%) could achieve an erection and four (57%) could maintain an erection, compared with all 10 male patients in the ID group (P = 0.151 and 0.05 respectively). Thirty-three per cent of patients with PE and 62% of patients with ID reported that they would have pouch surgery again if indicated (P = 0.052) and 58% of patients with PE and 81% of patients with ID reported that they would recommend pouch surgery to others (P = 0.129). No case of dysplasia was seen in 18 of 22 ID patients in whom histology was available. CONCLUSION: Quality of life after PE or ID was no different and male sexual function was significantly better after ID. Retraction of the stoma was more common in this group. PMID- 17764537 TI - Gamma-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX) tagSNPs have limited utility for predicting warfarin maintenance dose. AB - BACKGROUND: The pharmacogenetic factors contributing to warfarin dosing are of great interest to clinicians, and may have utility in the management of at-risk patients prescribed warfarin. Gamma-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX), in its role as a key component of the vitamin K cycle, is a potential candidate gene associated with warfarin treatment. OBJECTIVE: To identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and correlated GGCX tagSNPs and test for association with warfarin maintenance dose. PATIENTS/METHODS: A small discovery population of European descent individuals (n = 23) were resequenced for GGCX SNPs. Polymorphisms identified with > 5% minor allele frequency (MAF) were genotyped in a larger clinical population of 186 European patients. Univariate, multivariate and haplotype-based linear regression were used to assess the impact of GGCX SNPs on warfarin dose. RESULTS: We identified 37 SNPs in GGCX, of which 21 were present at > 5% MAF. These SNPs were binned, based on linkage disequilibrium, and six informative tagSNPs were identified. A single polymorphism at position 12970 (rs11676382; C/G-11%/89%) was associated with a warfarin maintenance dose across all analysis methods. GGCX-12970 explained 2% of the total variance in warfarin dose, in contrast to 21 and 8%, respectively, for VKORC1 and CYP2C9. CONCLUSIONS: The GGCX-12970 SNP had a small, but significant effect, on warfarin maintenance dose. Other polymorphisms in GGCX previously associated with warfarin dose were not confirmed in this study, suggesting that the effects of GGCX are potentially population/treatment-dependent and will not have broad utility for determining warfarin dosing. PMID- 17764536 TI - Collagen promotes sustained glycoprotein VI signaling in platelets and cell lines. AB - BACKGROUND: Glycoprotein (GP)VI is the major signaling receptor for collagen on platelets and signals via the associated FcRgamma-chain, which has an immunoreceptor tyrosine-containing activation motif (ITAM). OBJECTIVE: To determine why GPVI-FcRgamma signals poorly, or not at all, in response to collagen in hematopoietic cell lines, despite robust responses to the GPVI reactive snake venom toxin convulxin. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) transcriptional reporter assay, a sensitive readout for sustained ITAM signaling, we demonstrate collagen-induced GPVI-FcRgamma signaling in hematopoietic cell lines. This is accompanied by relatively weak but sustained protein tyrosine phosphorylation, in contrast to the stronger but transient response to convulxin. Sustained signaling by collagen is also observed in platelets and is necessary for the maintenance of spreading on collagen. Finally, in cell lines, the inhibitory collagen receptor leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor-1 (LAIR-1), which is not expressed on platelets but is present on most hematopoietic cells, inhibits GPVI responses to collagen but not convulxin. CONCLUSION: The inability of previous studies to readily detect GPVI collagen signaling in cell lines is probably because of the weak but sustained nature of the signal and the presence of the inhibitory collagen receptor LAIR-1. In platelets, we propose that GPVI-FcRgamma has evolved to transmit sustained signals in order to maintain spreading over several hours, as well as facilitating rapid activation through release of feedback agonists and integrin activation. The establishment of a cell line NFAT assay will facilitate the molecular dissection of GPVI signaling and the identification of GPVI antagonists in drug discovery. PMID- 17764538 TI - ADAMTS-13, von Willebrand factor and related parameters in severe sepsis and septic shock. AB - BACKGROUND: Insufficient control of von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimer size as a result of severely deficient ADAMTS-13 activity results in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura associated with microvascluar thrombosis and platelet consumption, features not seldom seen in severe sepsis and septic shock. METHODS: ADAMTS-13 activity and VWF parameters of 40 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock were compared with those of 40 healthy controls of the same age and gender and correlated with clinical findings and sepsis outcome. RESULTS: ADAMTS-13 activity was significantly lower in patients than in healthy controls [median 60% (range 27-160%) vs. 110% (range 63-200%); P < 0.001]. VWF parameters behaved reciprocally and both VWF ristocetin cofactor activity (RCo) and VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in patients compared with controls. Neither ADAMTS-13 activity nor VWF parameters correlated with disease severity, organ dysfunction or outcome. However, a contribution of acute endothelial dysfunction to renal impairment in sepsis is suggested by the significantly higher VWF propeptide and soluble thrombomodulin levels in patients with increased creatinine values as well as by their strong positive correlations (creatinine and VWF propeptide r(s) = 0.484, P < 0.001; creatinine and soluble thrombomodulin r(s) = 0.596, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: VWF parameters are reciprocally correlated with ADAMTS-13 activity in severe sepsis and septic shock but have no prognostic value regarding outcome. PMID- 17764539 TI - Targeted inhibition of coagulation: oral agents show promise in phase III trials. PMID- 17764540 TI - Oral dabigatran etexilate vs. subcutaneous enoxaparin for the prevention of venous thromboembolism after total knee replacement: the RE-MODEL randomized trial. AB - BACKGROUND: Oral anticoagulants, such as dabigatran etexilate, an oral, direct thrombin inhibitor, that do not require monitoring or dose adjustment offer potential for prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism (VTE) after total knee replacement surgery. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind study, 2076 patients undergoing total knee replacement received dabigatran etexilate, 150 mg or 220 mg once-daily, starting with a half-dose 1-4 hours after surgery, or subcutaneous enoxaparin 40 mg once-daily, starting the evening before surgery, for 6-10 days. Patients were followed-up for 3 months. The primary efficacy outcome was a composite of total VTE (venographic or symptomatic) and mortality during treatment, and the primary safety outcome was the incidence of bleeding events. RESULTS: The primary efficacy outcome occurred in 37.7% (193 of 512) of the enoxaparin group versus 36.4% (183 of 503) of the dabigatran etexilate 220 mg group (absolute difference, -1.3%; 95% CI, -7.3 to 4.6) and 40.5% (213 of 526) of the 150 mg group (2.8%; 95% CI, -3.1 to 8.7). Both doses were noninferior to enoxaparin based on the pre-specified noninferiority criterion. The incidence of major bleeding did not differ significantly between the three groups (1.3% versus 1.5% and 1.3% respectively). No significant differences in the incidences of liver enzyme elevation and acute coronary events were observed during treatment or follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Dabigatran etexilate (220 mg or 150 mg) was at least as effective and with a similar safety profile as enoxaparin for prevention of VTE after total knee-replacement surgery. PMID- 17764541 TI - 'Personal Care' and General Practice Medicine in the UK: A qualitative interview study with patients and General Practitioners. AB - BACKGROUND: Recent policy and organisational changes within UK primary care have emphasised graduated access to care, speed of access to the first available general practitioner (GP) and care being provided by a range of healthcare professionals. These trends have been strengthened by the current GP contract and Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). Concern has been expressed that the potential for personal care is being diminished as a result and that this will reduce quality standards. This paper presents data from a study that explored with patients and GPs what personal care means and whether it has continuing importance to them. METHODS: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview participants and Framework Analysis supported analysis of emerging themes. Twenty-nine patients, mainly women with young children, and twenty-three GPs were interviewed from seven practices in Lothian, Scotland, ranged by practice size and relative deprivation score. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Personal care was defined mainly, though not exclusively, as care given within the context of a continuing relationship in which there is an interpersonal connection and the doctor adopts a particular consultation style. Defined in this way, it was reported to have benefits for both health outcomes and patients' experience of care. In particular, such care was thought to be beneficial in attending to the emotions that can be elicited when seeking and receiving health care and in enabling patients to be known by doctors as legitimate seekers of care from the health service. Its importance was described as being dependent upon the nature of the health problem and patients' wider familial and social circumstances. In particular, it was found to provide support to patients in their parenting and other familial caring roles. CONCLUSION: Personal care has continuing salience to patients and GPs in modern primary care in the UK. Patients equate the experience of care, not just outcomes, with high quality care. As it is mainly conceptualised and experienced as care within the context of a continuing relationship, policies and organisational arrangements that support and give incentives to this must be in place. These preferences are not strongly reflected in the QOF. Specific questions need to be addressed by future audit and research on the impact of the contract on these aspects of service. PMID- 17764542 TI - Design of an improved set of oligonucleotide primers for genotyping MeCP2tm1.1Bird KO mice by PCR. AB - BACKGROUND: The strain of MeCP2tm1.1Bird mice is a broadly used model for Rett syndrome. Because males carrying the invalidated MeCP2 locus are sterile, this strain has to be maintained in a heterozygous state. All animals therefore have to be genotyped at every generation to discriminate those carrying the invalidated allele (+/- females and y/- males) from those that do not. This is conveniently carried out by PCR on tail genomic DNA but because the primer pairs described initially for this purpose yield very similar size DNA bands on the WT and the KO alleles, this requires to carry out two independent PCR reactions on tail DNA preparations from all animals. RESULTS: After cloning and sequencing the PCR fragment amplified on the KO allele, we tested several sets of primers that were designed to yield PCR fragments of different sizes on the KO and WT alleles. CONCLUSION: We have thus identified a set of three primers that allows for efficient genotyping of the animals by a single PCR reaction. Furthermore, using of this set of primers also resolves a recurrent problem related to the tendency of one of the initial primers to give rise to a non specific band because of its capacity to anneal at both ends of a repeated genomic element which we have identified as MurvyLTR. PMID- 17764543 TI - Cytokine profiles of cord and adult blood leukocytes: differences in expression are due to differences in expression and activation of transcription factors. AB - BACKGROUND: Stem cell transplantation as therapy for hematological disorders is often hampered by severe graft-versus-host-disease. This may be reduced by umbilical cord blood transplantation, an effect that has been attributed to qualitative differences between neonatal and adult T cells. We compared levels of secreted proteins and cytokine mRNA induced in cord blood leukocytes (CBL) and adult blood leukocytes (ABL) by various stimuli. RESULTS: While interleukin-2 (IL 2) levels were similar in CBL and ABL, there was less induction of the Th1 cytokine interferon-gamma in CBL. Production of the Th2 cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 and the hematopoietic cytokine IL-3 was much lower in CBL versus ABL after T-cell receptor-mediated stimulation, whereas production of GM-CSF was comparable in the 2 cell types. The lower levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines were maintained in CBL during a 4-day time-course study, while after 12 hours IL-3 and GM-CSF reached in CBL levels similar to those in ABL. For all cytokines except IFN gamma, the IC50 values for inhibition by cyclosporin A were similar in ABL and CBL. In contrast, there was less expression and activation of transcription factors in CBL. Activation of NF-kappaB by TPA/ionomycin was detected in ABL but not CBL. Furthermore, there was less expression of the Th subset-specific transcription factors T-bet and c-maf in CBL versus ABL, whereas GATA-3 expression was similar. Expression of T-bet and c-maf correlated with expression of the Th1 and Th2 cytokines, respectively. Time course experiments revealed that T-bet expression was stimulated in both cell types, whereas c-maf and GATA-3 were induced only in ABL. CONCLUSION: The diminished capability of CBL to synthesize cytokines is probably due to decreased activation of NF-kappaB, whereas differences in Th subsets are due to differences in regulation of Th lineage specific transcriptions factors. We propose that the reduced incidence and severity of GvHD after allogeneic transplantation of umbilical CB cells is due to lesser activation of specific transcription factors and a subsequent reduction in production of certain cytokines. PMID- 17764544 TI - High resolution melting for mutation scanning of TP53 exons 5-8. AB - BACKGROUND: p53 is commonly inactivated by mutations in the DNA-binding domain in a wide range of cancers. As mutant p53 often influences response to therapy, effective and rapid methods to scan for mutations in TP53 are likely to be of clinical value. We therefore evaluated the use of high resolution melting (HRM) as a rapid mutation scanning tool for TP53 in tumour samples. METHODS: We designed PCR amplicons for HRM mutation scanning of TP53 exons 5 to 8 and tested them with DNA from cell lines hemizygous or homozygous for known mutations. We assessed the sensitivity of each PCR amplicon using dilutions of cell line DNA in normal wild-type DNA. We then performed a blinded assessment on ovarian tumour DNA samples that had been previously sequenced for mutations in TP53 to assess the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the HRM technique. We also performed HRM analysis on breast tumour DNA samples with unknown TP53 mutation status. RESULTS: One cell line mutation was not readily observed when exon 5 was amplified. As exon 5 contained multiple melting domains, we divided the exon into two amplicons for further screening. Sequence changes were also introduced into some of the primers to improve the melting characteristics of the amplicon. Aberrant HRM curves indicative of TP53 mutations were observed for each of the samples in the ovarian tumour DNA panel. Comparison of the HRM results with the sequencing results revealed that each mutation was detected by HRM in the correct exon. For the breast tumour panel, we detected seven aberrant melt profiles by HRM and subsequent sequencing confirmed the presence of these and no other mutations in the predicted exons. CONCLUSION: HRM is an effective technique for simple and rapid scanning of TP53 mutations that can markedly reduce the amount of sequencing required in mutational studies of TP53. PMID- 17764545 TI - Glycerate kinase of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermoproteus tenax: new insights into the phylogenetic distribution and physiological role of members of the three different glycerate kinase classes. AB - BACKGROUND: The presence of the branched Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway in two hyperthermophilic Crenarchaea, the anaerobe Thermoproteus tenax and the aerobe Sulfolobus solfataricus, was suggested. However, so far no enzymatic information of the non-phosphorylative ED branch and especially its key enzyme - glycerate kinase - was available. In the T. tenax genome, a gene homolog with similarity to putative hydroxypyruvate reductase/glycerate dehydrogenase and glycerate kinase was identified. RESULTS: The encoding gene was expressed in E. coli in a recombinant form, the gene product purified and the glycerate kinase activity was confirmed by enzymatic studies. The enzyme was active as a monomer and catalyzed the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of D-glycerate forming exclusively 2 phosphoglycerate. The enzyme was specific for glycerate and highest activity was observed with ATP as phosphoryl donor and Mg2+ as divalent cation. ATP could be partially replaced by GTP, CTP, TTP and UTP. The enzyme showed high affinity for D-glycerate (Km 0.02 +/- 0.01 mM, Vmax of 5.05 +/- 0.52 U/mg protein) as well as ATP (Km of 0.03 +/- 0.01 mM, Vmax of 4.41 +/- 0.04 U/mg protein), although at higher glycerate concentrations, substrate inhibition was observed. Furthermore, the enzyme was inhibited by its product ADP via competitive inhibition. Data bank searches revealed that archaeal glycerate kinases are members of the MOFRL (multi organism fragment with rich leucine) family, and homologs are found in all three domains of life. CONCLUSION: A re-evaluation of available genome sequence information as well as biochemical and phylogenetic studies revealed the presence of the branched ED pathway as common route for sugar degradation in Archaea that utilize the ED pathway. Detailed analyses including phylogenetic studies demonstrate the presence of three distinct glycerate kinase classes in extant organisms that share no common origin. The affiliation of characterized glycerate kinases with the different enzyme classes as well as their physiological/cellular function reveals no association with particular pathways but a separate phylogenetic distribution. This work highlights the diversity and complexity of the central carbohydrate metabolism. The data also support a key function of the conversion of glycerate to 2- or 3-phosphoglycerate via glycerate kinase in funneling various substrates into the common EMP pathway for catabolic and anabolic purposes. PMID- 17764546 TI - Are variations in rates of attending cultural activities associated with population health in the United States? AB - BACKGROUND: Population studies conducted in Sweden have revealed an association between attendance at cultural activities and health. Using data from US residents, we examined whether the association could be observed in the US. METHODS: Participants in the current study included 1,244 individuals who participated in the 1998 General Social Survey. RESULTS: A significant association between cultural activities and self-reported health (SRH) was observed, even after controlling for age, gender, marital status, race, number of children, subjective social class, employment status, household income, and educational attainment. Specifically, the more cultural activities people reported attending, the better was their SRH. CONCLUSION: The data confirm that an association between cultural activity and health is present in a US sample. The data do not mean that the association is causal, but they suggest that further longitudinal research is warranted. PMID- 17764547 TI - Epstein-Barr virus latency switch in human B-cells: a physico-chemical model. AB - BACKGROUND: The Epstein-Barr virus is widespread in all human populations and is strongly associated with human disease, ranging from infectious mononucleosis to cancer. In infected cells the virus can adopt several different latency programs, affecting the cells' behaviour. Experimental results indicate that a specific genetic switch between viral latency programs, reprograms human B-cells between proliferative and resting states. Each of these two latency programs makes use of a different viral promoter, Cp and Qp, respectively. The hypothesis tested in this study is that this genetic switch is controlled by both human and viral transcription factors; Oct-2 and EBNA-1. We build a physico-chemical model to investigate quantitatively the dynamical properties of the promoter regulation and experimentally examine protein level variations between the two latency programs. RESULTS: Our experimental results display significant differences in EBNA-1 and Oct-2 levels between resting and proliferating programs. With the model we identify two stable latency programs, corresponding to a resting and proliferating cell. The two programs differ in robustness and transcriptional activity. The proliferating state is markedly more stable, with a very high transcriptional activity from its viral promoter. We predict the promoter activities to be mutually exclusive in the two different programs, and our relative promoter activities correlate well with experimental data. Transitions between programs can be induced, by affecting the protein levels of our transcription factors. Simulated time scales are in line with experimental results. CONCLUSION: We show that fundamental properties of the Epstein-Barr virus involvement in latent infection, with implications for tumor biology, can be modelled and understood mathematically. We conclude that EBNA-1 and Oct-2 regulation of Cp and Qp is sufficient to establish mutually exclusive expression patterns. Moreover, the modelled genetic control predict both mono- and bistable behavior and a considerable difference in transition dynamics, based on program stability and promoter activities. Both these phenomena we hope can be further investigated experimentally, to increase the understanding of this important switch. Our results also stress the importance of the little known regulation of human transcription factor Oct-2. PMID- 17764548 TI - Reduced number and impaired function of circulating progenitor cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. AB - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with premature and accelerated atherosclerosis. Circulating progenitor cells (CPCs) are circulating bone-marrow derived cells that play an important role in the repair of vascular damage that underlies the development of atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to determine the number and functionality of CPCs in patients with SLE. The study included 44 female SLE patients in an inactive stage of disease and 35 age matched female controls. CPC numbers in the circulation were determined by FACS with monoclonals against CD14, CD34 and CD133. Peripheral blood-derived mononuclear cell (PBMNC) fractions were cultured in angiogenic medium. The endothelial-like phenotype was confirmed and the colony forming unit (CFU) capacity, migratory capacity and the potential to form clusters on Matrigel were determined. Expression of apoptosis inhibiting caspase 8L was analyzed in PBMNCs and CPCs by gene transcript and protein expression assays. The number of CD34 CD133 double-positive cells (P < 0.001) as well as the CFU capacity (P = 0.048) was reduced in SLE patients. Migratory activity on tumor necrosis factor-alpha tended to be reduced in patient CPCs (P = 0.08). Migration on vascular endothelial growth factor showed no significant differences, nor were differences observed in the potential to form clusters on Matrigel. The expression of caspase 8L was reduced at the transcriptional level (P = 0.049) and strongly increased at the protein level after culture (P = 0.003). We conclude that CPC numbers are reduced in SLE patients and functionality is partly impaired. We suggest these findings reflect increased susceptibility to apoptosis of CPCs from SLE patients. PMID- 17764549 TI - Development of a complex intervention to test the effectiveness of peer support in type 2 diabetes. AB - BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a chronic illness which requires the individual to assume responsibility for their own care with the aim of maintaining glucose and blood pressure levels as close to normal as possible. Traditionally self management training for diabetes has been delivered in a didactic setting. In recent times alternatives to the traditional delivery of diabetes care have been investigated, for example, the concept of peer support which emphasises patient rather than professional domination. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a complex intervention of peer support in type 2 diabetes for a randomised control trial in a primary care setting. METHODS: The Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for the development and evaluation of complex interventions for randomised control trials (RCT) was used as a theoretical guide to designing the intervention. The first three phases (Preclinical Phase, Phase 1, Phase 2) of this framework were examined in depth. The Preclinical Phase included a review of the literature relating to type 2 diabetes and peer support. In Phase 1 the theoretical background and qualitative data from 4 focus groups were combined to define the main components of the intervention. The preliminary intervention was conducted in Phase 2. This was a pilot study conducted in two general practices and amongst 24 patients and 4 peer supporters. Focus groups and semi structured interviews were conducted to collect additional qualitative data to inform the development of the intervention. RESULTS: The four components of the intervention were identified from the Preclinical Phase and Phase 1. They are: 1. Peer supporters; 2. Peer supporter training; 3. Retention and support for peer supporters; 4. Peer support meetings. The preliminary intervention was implemented in the Phase 2. Findings from this phase allowed further modeling of the intervention, to produce the definitive intervention. CONCLUSION: The MRC framework was instrumental in the development of a robust intervention of peer support of type 2 diabetes in primary care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN42541690. PMID- 17764551 TI - Pulpal sequelae after trauma to anterior teeth among adult Nigerian dental patients. AB - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies show that about 11.6% to 33.0% of all boys and about 3.6% to 19.3% of all girls suffer dental trauma of varying severity before the age of 12 years. Moderate injuries to the periodontium such as concussion and subluxation are usually associated with relatively minor symptoms and hence may go unnoticed by the patient or the dentist, if consulted. Patients with these kinds of injuries present years after a traumatic accident most of the time with a single discoloured tooth. This study sets out to document the incidence of various posttraumatic sequelae of discoloured anterior teeth among adult Nigerian dental patients. METHODS: One hundred and sixty eight (168) traumatized discoloured anterior teeth in 165 patients were studied. Teeth with root canal treatment were excluded from the study. Partial obliteration was recorded when the pulp chamber or root canal was not discernible or reduced in size on radiographs, total obliteration was recorded when pulp chamber and root canal were not discernible. A retrospective diagnosis of concussion was made from patient's history of trauma to the tooth without abnormal loosening, while subluxation was made from patient's history of trauma to the tooth with abnormal loosening. RESULTS: Of the 168 traumatized discoloured anterior teeth, 47.6% and 31.6% had partial and total obliteration of the pulp canal spaces respectively, 20.8% had pulpal necrosis. Concussion and subluxation injuries resulted more in obliteration of the pulp canal space, while fracture of the teeth resulted in more pulpal necrosis (p < 0.001). Injuries sustained during the 1st and 2nd decade of life resulted more in obliteration of the pulp canal space, while injuries sustained in the 3rd decade resulted in more pulpal necrosis. CONCLUSION: Calcific metamorphosis developed more in teeth with concussion and subluxation injuries. Pulpal necrosis occurred more often in traumatized teeth including fractures. PMID- 17764550 TI - The mitochondrial genome of Phallusia mammillata and Phallusia fumigata (Tunicata, Ascidiacea): high genome plasticity at intra-genus level. AB - BACKGROUND: Within Chordata, the subphyla Vertebrata and Cephalochordata (lancelets) are characterized by a remarkable stability of the mitochondrial (mt) genome, with constancy of gene content and almost invariant gene order, whereas the limited mitochondrial data on the subphylum Tunicata suggest frequent and extensive gene rearrangements, observed also within ascidians of the same genus. RESULTS: To confirm this evolutionary trend and to better understand the evolutionary dynamics of the mitochondrial genome in Tunicata Ascidiacea, we have sequenced and characterized the complete mt genome of two congeneric ascidian species, Phallusia mammillata and Phallusia fumigata (Phlebobranchiata, Ascidiidae). The two mtDNAs are surprisingly rearranged, both with respect to one another and relative to those of other tunicates and chordates, with gene rearrangements affecting both protein-coding and tRNA genes. The new data highlight the extraordinary variability of ascidian mt genome in base composition, tRNA secondary structure, tRNA gene content, and non-coding regions (number, size, sequence and location). Indeed, both Phallusia genomes lack the trnD gene, show loss/acquisition of DHU-arm in two tRNAs, and have a G+C content two-fold higher than other ascidians. Moreover, the mt genome of P. fumigata presents two identical copies of trnI, an extra tRNA gene with uncertain amino acid specificity, and four almost identical sequence regions. In addition, a truncated cytochrome b, lacking a C-terminal tail that commonly protrudes into the mt matrix, has been identified as a new mt feature probably shared by all tunicates. CONCLUSION: The frequent occurrence of major gene order rearrangements in ascidians both at high taxonomic level and within the same genus makes this taxon an excellent model to study the mechanisms of gene rearrangement, and renders the mt genome an invaluable phylogenetic marker to investigate molecular biodiversity and speciation events in this largely unexplored group of basal chordates. PMID- 17764552 TI - Mining and state-space modeling and verification of sub-networks from large-scale biomolecular networks. AB - BACKGROUND: Biomolecular networks dynamically respond to stimuli and implement cellular function. Understanding these dynamic changes is the key challenge for cell biologists. As biomolecular networks grow in size and complexity, the model of a biomolecular network must become more rigorous to keep track of all the components and their interactions. In general this presents the need for computer simulation to manipulate and understand the biomolecular network model. RESULTS: In this paper, we present a novel method to model the regulatory system which executes a cellular function and can be represented as a biomolecular network. Our method consists of two steps. First, a novel scale-free network clustering approach is applied to the large-scale biomolecular network to obtain various sub networks. Second, a state-space model is generated for the sub-networks and simulated to predict their behavior in the cellular context. The modeling results represent hypotheses that are tested against high-throughput data sets (microarrays and/or genetic screens) for both the natural system and perturbations. Notably, the dynamic modeling component of this method depends on the automated network structure generation of the first component and the sub network clustering, which are both essential to make the solution tractable. CONCLUSION: Experimental results on time series gene expression data for the human cell cycle indicate our approach is promising for sub-network mining and simulation from large-scale biomolecular network. PMID- 17764553 TI - Separate cortical stages in amodal completion revealed by functional magnetic resonance adaptation. AB - BACKGROUND: Objects in our environment are often partly occluded, yet we effortlessly perceive them as whole and complete. This phenomenon is called visual amodal completion. Psychophysical investigations suggest that the process of completion starts from a representation of the (visible) physical features of the stimulus and ends with a completed representation of the stimulus. The goal of our study was to investigate both stages of the completion process by localizing both brain regions involved in processing the physical features of the stimulus as well as brain regions representing the completed stimulus. RESULTS: Using fMRI adaptation we reveal clearly distinct regions in the visual cortex of humans involved in processing of amodal completion: early visual cortex - presumably V1 -processes the local contour information of the stimulus whereas regions in the inferior temporal cortex represent the completed shape. Furthermore, our data suggest that at the level of inferior temporal cortex information regarding the original local contour information is not preserved but replaced by the representation of the amodally completed percept. CONCLUSION: These findings provide neuroimaging evidence for a multiple step theory of amodal completion and further insights into the neuronal correlates of visual perception. PMID- 17764554 TI - Anteroposterior glide versus rotating platform low contact stress (LCS) knee arthroplasty: a randomised controlled trial. AB - BACKGROUND: Fifty thousand knee replacements are performed annually in the UK at an estimated cost of pound 150 million. Post-operative improvement depends on a number of factors including implant design and patient associated factors. To our knowledge there are no published study's comparing the results of AP glide and rotating platform designs of LCS knee arthroplasty. Therefore we feel that a study is required to investigate and compare the effects of two types of LCS total knee arthroplasty on joint proprioception and range of motion. METHODS/DESIGN: Patients will be randomised to receive either a LCS AP glide or Rotating platform prosthesis. Clinical scores (Oxford knee score, American knee society score, EuroQol), range of motion and proprioception will be assessed prior to and at 3,6, 12 and 24 months after the operation. Proprioception will be assessed in terms of absolute error angle (mean difference between the target angle and the response angle). Knee angles will be measured in degrees using an electromagnetic tracking device, Polhemus 3Space Fastrak that detects positions of sensors placed on the test limb. Student's t-test will be used to compare the mean of two groups. DISCUSSION: Evidence is lacking concerning the best prosthesis to use for patients undergoing total knee replacement. This pragmatic randomised trial will test the null hypothesis that anteroposterior glide LCS knee arthroplasty does not result in better post operative knee motion and proprioception as compared to rotating platform LCS knee. PMID- 17764555 TI - Socioeconomic status and hospitalization in the very old: a retrospective study. AB - BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic status could affect the demand for hospital care. The aim of the present study was to assess the role of age, socioeconomic status and comorbidity on acute hospital admissions among elderly. METHODS: We retrospectively examined the discharge abstracts data of acute care hospital admissions of residents in Rome aged 75 or more years in the period 1997-2000. We used the Hospital Information System of Rome, the Tax Register, and the Population Register of Rome for socio-economic data. The rate of hospitalization, modified Charlson's index of comorbidity, and level of income in the census tract of residence were obtained. Rate ratios and 95% confidence limits were computed to assess the relationship between income deciles and rate of hospitalization. Cross-tabulation was used to explore the distribution of the index of comorbidity by deciles of income. Analyses were repeated for patients grouped according to selected diseases. RESULTS: Age was associated with a marginal increase in the rate of hospitalization. However, the hospitalization rate was inversely related to income in both sexes. Higher income was associated with lower comorbidity. The same associations were observed in patients admitted with a principal diagnosis of chronic condition (diabetes mellitus, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or stroke, but not hip fracture. CONCLUSION: Lower social status and associated comorbidity, more than age per se, are associated with a higher rate of hospitalization in very old patients. PMID- 17764556 TI - Physicians' views on resource availability and equity in four European health care systems. AB - BACKGROUND: In response to limited resources, health care systems have adopted diverse cost-containment strategies and give priority to differing types of interventions. The perception of physicians, who witness the effects of these strategies, may provide useful insights regarding the impact of system-wide priority setting on access to care. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey to ascertain generalist physicians' perspectives on resources allocation and its consequences in Norway, Switzerland, Italy and the UK. RESULTS: Survey respondents (N = 656, response rate 43%) ranged in age from 28-82, and averaged 25 years in practice. Most respondents (87.7%) perceived some resources as scarce, with the most restrictive being: access to nursing home, mental health services, referral to a specialist, and rehabilitation for stroke. Respondents attributed adverse outcomes to scarcity, and some respondents had encountered severe adverse events such as death or permanent disability. Despite universal coverage, 45.6% of respondents reported instances of underinsurance. Most respondents (78.7%) also reported some patient groups as more likely than others to be denied beneficial care on the basis of cost. Almost all respondents (97.3%) found at least one cost-containment policy acceptable. The types of policies preferred suggest that respondents are willing to participate in cost containment, and do not want to be guided by administrative rules (11.2%) or restrictions on hospital beds (10.7%). CONCLUSION: Physician reports can provide an indication of how organizational factors may affect availability and equity of health care services. Physicians are willing to participate in cost-containment decisions, rather than be guided by administrative rules. Tools should be developed to enable physicians, who are in a unique position to observe unequal access or discrimination in their health care environment, to address these issues in a more targeted way. PMID- 17764557 TI - Reliability and validity study of Persian modified version of MUSIC (musculoskeletal intervention center) - Norrtalje questionnaire. AB - BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major health problem in the world. Self-reported questionnaires are a known method for estimating the prevalence of MSDs among the population. One of the studies concerning MSDs and their relation to work-related physical and psychosocial factors, as well as non work-related factors, is the MUSIC-Norrtalje study in Sweden. In this study, the research group developed a questionnaire, which has been validated during its development process and is now considered a well-known instrument. The aim of this study is to validate the Persian version of this questionnaire. METHODS: The first step was to establish two expert panel groups in Iran and Sweden. The Focus Group Discussion (FGD) method was used to detect questionnaire face and content validity. To detect questionnaire reliability, we used the test-retest method. RESULTS: Except for two items, all other questions that respondents had problems with in the focus group (20 of 297), had unclear translations; the ambiguity was related to the stem of the questions and the predicted answers were clear for the participants. The concepts of 'household/spare time' and 'physical activity in the workplace' were not understood by the participants of FGD; this has been solved by adding further descriptions to these phrases in the translation. In the test-retest study, the reliability coefficient was relatively high in most items (only 5 items out of 297 had an ICC or kappa below 0.7). CONCLUSION: The findings from the present study provide evidence that the Persian version of the MUSIC questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument. PMID- 17764559 TI - Anaphylactic reaction associated with Ranitidine in a patient with acute pancreatitis: a case report. AB - : Ranitidine is a widely used drug and is known to be well tolerated. This case report illustrates a severe anaphylactic reaction after a single intravenous dose of 50 mgs of ranitidine and highlights this unusual but life threatening adverse reaction. THE PATIENT: A 56 year old female with acute pancreatitis and a known allergy to metronidazole and buscopan developed an anaphylaxis few minutes following the injection of ranitidine for epigastric discomfort. She went on to develop anaphylactic shock and a cardiorespiratory arrest. MANAGEMENT: She was managed with adrenaline, hydrocortisone and ventilatory support following which she had a full recovery. CONCLUSION: Awareness of this rare but life threatening adverse reaction to a commonly used drug can avoid being caught unaware. PMID- 17764558 TI - Global analysis of host response to induction of a latent bacteriophage. AB - BACKGROUND: The transition from viral latency to lytic growth involves complex interactions among host and viral factors, and the extent to which host physiology is buffered from the virus during induction of lysis is not known. A reasonable hypothesis is that the virus should be evolutionarily selected to ensure host health throughout induction to minimize its chance of reproductive failure. To address this question, we collected transcriptional profiles of Escherichia coli and bacteriophage lambda throughout lysogenic induction by UV light. RESULTS: We observed a temporally coordinated program of phage gene expression, with distinct early, middle and late transcriptional classes. Our study confirmed known host-phage interactions of induction of the heat shock regulon, escape replication, and suppression of genes involved in cell division and initiation of replication. We identified 728 E. coli genes responsive to prophage induction, which included pleiotropic stress response pathways, the Arc and Cpx regulons, and global regulators crp and lrp. Several hundred genes involved in central metabolism, energy metabolism, translation and transport were down-regulated late in induction. Though statistically significant, most of the changes in these genes were mild, with only 140 genes showing greater than two fold change. CONCLUSION: Overall, we observe that prophage induction has a surprisingly low impact on host physiology. This study provides the first global dynamic picture of how host processes respond to lambda phage induction. PMID- 17764560 TI - Effect of a restrictive transfusion strategy on transfusion-attributable severe acute complications and costs in the US ICUs: a model simulation. AB - BACKGROUND: Nearly half of all patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) receive red blood cell (pRBC) transfusions (TFs), despite their associated complications. Restrictive transfusion strategy (Hemoglobin [Hb] < 7 g/dL) has been shown to reduce TF exposure. We estimated the potential annual reduction in transfusion attributable severe acute complications (TSACs) and costs across the US ICUs with the adoption of restrictive strategy. METHODS: A model, utilizing inputs from published studies, was constructed. Step 1 calculated potential number of patients appropriate for this strategy. In step 2, total number of pRBC units avoided with the restrictive trigger was extrapolated to the annual TFs in the US ICUs. Step 3 quantified excess acute complications and the number of pRBC units TF/1 TSAC in the TRICC trial. Step 4 transformed restrictive strategy-related avoidance of pRBC units to a reduction in TSACs, and step 5 quantified the associated cost savings. RESULTS: Of the 4.4 million annual ICU admissions, 1,020,800 comprised the at-risk population. The total of 1,295,126 units of pRBC ($643/unit) could be saved with the restrictive strategy. Based on the data from the TRICC trial, dividing the 49 excess complications in the liberal group into the calculated excess of pRBCs transfused (1,624 units) yielded the rate of 33 pRBC units per one complication. Thus, dividing 1,295,126 units saved by 33 units/1 TSAC, the base-case analysis showed that 39,246 TSACs could potentially be avoided annually in the US ICUs, with the cost savings of $821,109,826. CONCLUSION: This model demonstrates that a restrictive transfusion strategy in appropriate at risk ICU patients is dominant and could result in improved quality of care and cost savings. Given the potential savings of 40,000 TSACs and nearly $1 billion, it is incumbent upon the intensivist community to promote more ubiquitous adoption of a clinically appropriate restrictive transfusion strategy in the ICU. PMID- 17764561 TI - Rod-derived Cone Viability Factor-2 is a novel bifunctional-thioredoxin-like protein with therapeutic potential. AB - BACKGROUND: Cone degeneration is the hallmark of the inherited retinal disease retinitis pigmentosa. We have previously identified a trophic factor "Rod-derived Cone Viability Factor (RdCVF) that is secreted by rods and promote cone viability in a mouse model of the disease. RESULTS: Here we report the bioinformatic identification and the experimental analysis of RdCVF2, a second trophic factor belonging to the Rod-derived Cone Viability Factor family. The mouse RdCVF gene is known to be bifunctional, encoding both a long thioredoxin-like isoform (RdCVF L) and a short isoform with trophic cone photoreceptor viability activity (RdCVF S). RdCVF2 shares many similarities with RdCVF in terms of gene structure, expression in a rod-dependent manner and protein 3D structure. Furthermore, like RdCVF, the RdCVF2 short isoform exhibits cone rescue activity that is independent of its putative thiol-oxydoreductase activity. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these findings define a new family of bifunctional genes which are: expressed in vertebrate retina, encode trophic cone viability factors, and have major therapeutic potential for human retinal neurodegenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. PMID- 17764563 TI - Gene expression profiling reveals different pathways related to Abl and other genes that cooperate with c-Myc in a model of plasma cell neoplasia. AB - BACKGROUND: To elucidate the genes involved in the neoplastic transformation of B cells, global gene expression profiles were generated using Affymetrix U74Av2 microarrays, containing 12,488 genes, for four different groups of mouse B-cell lymphomas and six subtypes of pristane-induced mouse plasma cell tumors, three of which developed much earlier than the others. RESULTS: Unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis exhibited two main sub-clusters of samples: a B-cell lymphoma cluster and a plasma cell tumor cluster with subclusters reflecting mechanism of induction. This report represents the first step in using global gene expression to investigate molecular signatures related to the role of cooperating oncogenes in a model of Myc-induced carcinogenesis. Within a single subgroup, e.g., ABPCs, plasma cell tumors that contained typical T(12;15) chromosomal translocations did not display gene expression patterns distinct from those with variant T(6;15) translocations, in which the breakpoint was in the Pvt-1 locus, 230 kb 3' of c Myc, suggesting that c-Myc activation was the initiating factor in both. When integrated with previously published Affymetrix array data from human multiple myelomas, the IL-6-transgenic subset of mouse plasma cell tumors clustered more closely with MM1 subsets of human myelomas, slow-appearing plasma cell tumors clustered together with MM2, while plasma cell tumors accelerated by v-Abl clustered with the more aggressive MM3-MM4 myeloma subsets. Slow-appearing plasma cell tumors expressed Socs1 and Socs2 but v-Abl-accelerated plasma cell tumors expressed 4-5 times as much. Both v-Abl-accelerated and non-v-Abl-associated tumors exhibited phosphorylated STAT 1 and 3, but only v-Abl-accelerated plasma cell tumors lost viability and STAT 1 and 3 phosphorylation when cultured in the presence of the v-Abl kinase inhibitor, STI-571. These data suggest that the Jak/Stat pathway was critical in the transformation acceleration by v-Abl and that v-Abl activity remained essential throughout the life of the tumors, not just in their acceleration. A different pathway appears to predominate in the more slowly arising plasma cell tumors. CONCLUSION: Gene expression profiling differentiates not only B-cell lymphomas from plasma cell tumors but also distinguishes slow from accelerated plasma cell tumors. These data and those obtained from the sensitivity of v-Abl-accelerated plasma cell tumors and their phosphorylated STAT proteins indicate that these similar tumors utilize different signaling pathways but share a common initiating genetic lesion, a c-Myc activating chromosome translocation. PMID- 17764562 TI - 1,1-Bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-biphenyl)methane inhibits basal-like breast cancer growth in athymic nude mice. AB - INTRODUCTION: 1,1-Bis (3'-indolyl)-1-(p-biphenyl) methane (CDIM9) has been identified as a new peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma agonist that exhibits both receptor dependent and independent antitumor activities. CDIM9 has not previously been studied with respect to its effects against basal-like breast cancer. Our goal in the present study was to investigate the anti-basal-like breast tumor activity of CDIM9 in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: The effects of CDIM9 on cell protein and DNA syntheses were determined in basal-like breast cancer MDA-MB231 and BT549 cells in vitro. Maximum tolerated dose and dose-limited toxicity were determined in BalB/c mice, and antitumor growth activities were assessed in MDA-MB231 basal-like breast tumor xenografts in athymic nude mice. RESULTS: CDIM9 exhibited selective cell cytotoxicity and anti-proliferation effects on basal-like breast cancer lines. In MDA-MB231 cell, CDIM9 induced caveolin-1 and p27 expression, which was significantly downregulated by co-treatment with the PPAR-gamma antagonist GW9662. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-activated gene-1 and activating transcription factor-3 were upregulated by CDIM9 through a PPAR-gamma independent pathway. CDIM9 (40 mg/kg daily, intraperitoneally, for 35 days) inhibited the growth of subcutaneous MDA-MB231 tumor xenografts by 87%, and produced a corresponding decrease in proliferation index. Nearly half of the treated mice (46%) had complete durable remissions, confirmed by histology. The growth of an established tumor was inhibited by CDIM9 treatment (64 mg/kg daily, intraperitoneally, for 10 days), with a mean tumor growth inhibition of 67% as compared with controls. CDIM9 induced increases in tumor caveolin-1 and p27 in vivo, which may contribute to its antitumor activity in basal-like breast cancer. CONCLUSION: CDIM9 showed potent antiproliferative effects on basal-like breast cancer cell in tissue culture and dramatic growth inhibition in animal models at safe doses. These findings justify further development of this drug for treatment of basal-like breast cancer. PMID- 17764564 TI - Measuring participant rurality in Web-based interventions. AB - BACKGROUND: Web-based health behavior change programs can reach large groups of disparate participants and thus they provide promise of becoming important public health tools. Data on participant rurality can complement other demographic measures to deepen our understanding of the success of these programs. Specifically, analysis of participant rurality can inform recruitment and social marketing efforts, and facilitate the targeting and tailoring of program content. Rurality analysis can also help evaluate the effectiveness of interventions across population groupings. METHODS: We describe how the RUCAs (Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes) methodology can be used to examine results from two Randomized Controlled Trials of Web-based tobacco cessation programs: the ChewFree.com project for smokeless tobacco cessation and the Smokers' Health Improvement Program (SHIP) project for smoking cessation. RESULTS: Using RUCAs methodology helped to highlight the extent to which both Web-based interventions reached a substantial percentage of rural participants. The ChewFree program was found to have more rural participation which is consistent with the greater prevalence of smokeless tobacco use in rural settings as well as ChewFree's multifaceted recruitment program that specifically targeted rural settings. CONCLUSION: Researchers of Web-based health behavior change programs targeted to the US should routinely include RUCAs as a part of analyzing participant demographics. Researchers in other countries should examine rurality indices germane to their country. PMID- 17764565 TI - Correlation between CpG methylation profiles and hormone receptor status in breast cancers. AB - INTRODUCTION: Aberrant DNA methylation has been found frequently in human breast cancers, associated with the loss of expression of a number of regulatory genes for growth and correlated to clinical outcomes. The present study was undertaken to determine whether methylation of a set of growth-suppressor genes would correlate to the expression of estrogen receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PRs). METHODS: We used a pyrosequencing methylation analysis to study the methylation of 12 known growth-suppressor genes in 90 pairs of malignant/normal breast tissues. We also examined the expression of ERs and PRs in those specimens by immunohistochemistry. Mutations of p53 in tumor cells were detected by direct sequencing. RESULTS: Twelve tumor-suppressor genes: ARHI, RASSF1A, HIN-1, RARbeta2, hMLH1, 14-3-3 sigma, RIZ1, p16, E-cadherin, RIL, CDH13, and NKD2 were selected for this methylation study. Five of them (RIL, HIN-1, RASSF1A, CDH13, and RARbeta2) were frequently methylated in breast cancers (57%, 49%, 58%, 44%, and 17%, respectively) but not the normal breast (0-4%). Two panels of methylation profiles were defined. The methylation of the HIN-1/RASSFIA panel strongly correlated to the expression of ERs, PRs, and hormone receptors (HRs; which were defined as 'positive' if ERs and/or PRs were positive; p < 0.001). Conversely, the methylation of the RIL/CDH13 panel strongly correlated to negative ER, PR, and HR expression (p = 0.001, 0.025, and 0.001, respectively). The subset of triple-negative breast cancers (in other words, those with negative ER, PR, and HER-2/neu status) was positively associated with the methylation of the RIL/CDH13 panel and negatively associated with the HIN-1/RASSF1A panel. Mutations of p53 were found in nine breast tumors (11%), seven of which lacked methylation in both panels. CONCLUSION: We have defined two panels (HIN 1/RASSFIA, and RIL/CDH13) of methylation profiles, which correlated, either positively or negatively, to HR status. PMID- 17764566 TI - Serum PCB levels and congener profiles among US construction workers. AB - BACKGROUND: The presence of PCB in caulking (sealant) material found in masonry buildings has been well-documented in several countries. A recent investigation of 24 buildings in the greater Boston area found that 8 buildings had high PCB levels in caulking materials used around window frames and in joints between masonry blocks. Workers removing caulking material have been shown to have elevated serum PCB levels. METHODS: This project compared serum PCB levels among male workers who installed and/or removed PCB-containing caulking material from buildings in the greater Boston area with reference serum PCB levels from 358 men from the same area. Serum PCB levels were measured in the same laboratory by liquid-liquid extraction, column chromatography clean-up and dual capillary column GC/microECD analysis. RESULTS: When the congener profiles were compared between the reference population and the construction workers, the serum levels of the more volatile, lighter PCBs (di-, tri-and tetrachloro, sum of IUPAC# 6-74) were substantially higher among the construction workers. One of the youngest workers had the lowest total serum PCB levels (sum of 57 congeners) of all 6 workers, but the contribution of more volatile (less chlorinated) PCB congeners (#16, 26,28,33,74,66, and 60) was markedly higher than in other 5 workers and reference men. Only this worker was working on a job that involved removing PCB caulking at the time of the blood sampling. CONCLUSION: While the results of this pilot study are based upon small numbers (6 construction workers who handled PCB caulking), the serum PCB levels among the construction workers exceed the referents. Comparison of the congener profiles suggests that there are substantial differences between the construction workers and the general population samples. These differences, and the similarities of profiles among the construction workers strongly suggest that occupational contact with caulking material can be a major source of PCB exposure for construction workers. PMID- 17764567 TI - Occupation recorded on certificates of death compared with self-report: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. AB - BACKGROUND: Death certificates are a potential source of sociodemographic data for decedents in epidemiologic research. However, because this information is provided by the next-of-kin or other proxies, there are concerns about validity. Our objective was to assess the agreement of job titles and occupational categories derived from death certificates with that self-reported in mid and later life. METHODS: Occupation was abstracted from 431 death certificates from North Carolina Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study participants who died between 1987 and 2001. Occupations were coded according to 1980 Bureau of Census job titles and then grouped into six 1980 census occupational categories. This information was compared with the self-reported occupation at midlife as reported at the baseline examination (1987-89). We calculated percent agreement using standard methods. Chance-adjusted agreement was assessed by kappa coefficients, with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Agreement between death certificate and self-reported job titles was poor (32%), while 67% of occupational categories matched the two sources. Kappa coefficients ranged from 0.53 for technical/sales/administrative jobs to 0.68 for homemakers. Agreement was lower, albeit nonsignificant, for women (kappa = 0.54, 95% Confidence Interval, CI = 0.44-0.63) than men (kappa = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.54-0.69) and for African-Americans (kappa = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.34-0.61) than whites (kappa = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.57-0.69) but varied only slightly by educational attainment. CONCLUSION: While agreement between self- and death certificate reported job titles was poor, agreement between occupational categories was good. This suggests that while death certificates may not be a suitable source of occupational data where classification into specific job titles is essential, in the absence of other data, it is a reasonable source for constructing measures such as occupational SES that are based on grouped occupational data. PMID- 17764568 TI - Evaluation of antibody response to Plasmodium falciparum in children according to exposure of Anopheles gambiae s.l or Anopheles funestus vectors. AB - BACKGROUND: In sub-Saharan areas, malaria transmission was mainly ensured by Anopheles. gambiae s.l. and Anopheles. funestus vectors. The immune response status to Plasmodium falciparum was evaluated in children living in two villages where malaria transmission was ensured by dissimilar species of Anopheles vectors (An. funestus vs An. gambiae s.l.). METHODS: A multi-disciplinary study was performed in villages located in Northern Senegal. Two villages were selected: Mboula village where transmission is strictly ensured by An. gambiae s.l. and Gankette Balla village which is exposed to several Anopheles species but where An. funestus is the only infected vector found. In each village, a cohort of 150 children aged from one to nine years was followed during one year and IgG response directed to schizont extract was determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Similar results of specific IgG responses according to age and P. falciparum infection were observed in both villages. Specific IgG response increased progressively from one-year to 5-year old children and then stayed high in children from five to nine years old. The children with P. falciparum infection had higher specific antibody responses compared to negative infection children, suggesting a strong relationship between production of specific antibodies and malaria transmission, rather than protective immunity. In contrast, higher variation of antibody levels according to malaria transmission periods were found in Mboula compared to Gankette Balla. In Mboula, the peak of malaria transmission was followed by a considerable increase in antibody levels, whereas low and constant anti-malaria IgG response was observed throughout the year in Gankette Balla. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the development of anti-malaria antibody response was profoundly different according to areas where malaria exposure is dependent with different Anopheles species. These results are discussed according to i) the use of immunological tool for the evaluation of malaria transmission and ii) the influence of Anopheles vectors species on the regulation of antibody responses to P. falciparum. PMID- 17764569 TI - Previously described sequence variant in CDK5RAP2 gene in a Pakistani family with autosomal recessive primary microcephaly. AB - BACKGROUND: Autosomal Recessive Primary Microcephaly (MCPH) is a disorder of neurogenic mitosis. MCPH leads to reduced cerebral cortical volume and hence, reduced head circumference associated with mental retardation of variable degree. Genetic heterogeneity is well documented in patients with MCPH with six loci known, while pathogenic sequence variants in four respective genes have been identified so far. Mutations in CDK5RAP2 gene at MCPH3 locus have been least involved in causing MCPH phenotype. METHODS: All coding exons and exon/intron splice junctions of CDK5RAP2 gene were sequenced in affected and normal individuals of Pakistani MCPH family of Kashmiri origin, which showed linkage to MCPH3 locus on chromosome 9q33.2. RESULTS: A previously described nonsense mutation [243 T>A (S81X)] in exon 4 of CDK5RAP2 gene has been identified in the Pakistani family, presented here, with MCPH Phenotype. Genomic and cDNA sequence comparison revealed that the exact nomenclature for this mutation is 246 T>A (Y82X). CONCLUSION: Recurrent observation of Y82X mutation in CDK5RAP2 gene in this Pakistani family may be a sign of confinement of a rare ancestral haplotype carrying this pathogenic variant within Northern Pakistani population, as this has not been reported in any other population. PMID- 17764570 TI - BIOSMILE: a semantic role labeling system for biomedical verbs using a maximum entropy model with automatically generated template features. AB - BACKGROUND: Bioinformatics tools for automatic processing of biomedical literature are invaluable for both the design and interpretation of large-scale experiments. Many information extraction (IE) systems that incorporate natural language processing (NLP) techniques have thus been developed for use in the biomedical field. A key IE task in this field is the extraction of biomedical relations, such as protein-protein and gene-disease interactions. However, most biomedical relation extraction systems usually ignore adverbial and prepositional phrases and words identifying location, manner, timing, and condition, which are essential for describing biomedical relations. Semantic role labeling (SRL) is a natural language processing technique that identifies the semantic roles of these words or phrases in sentences and expresses them as predicate-argument structures. We construct a biomedical SRL system called BIOSMILE that uses a maximum entropy (ME) machine-learning model to extract biomedical relations. BIOSMILE is trained on BioProp, our semi-automatic, annotated biomedical proposition bank. Currently, we are focusing on 30 biomedical verbs that are frequently used or considered important for describing molecular events. RESULTS: To evaluate the performance of BIOSMILE, we conducted two experiments to (1) compare the performance of SRL systems trained on newswire and biomedical corpora; and (2) examine the effects of using biomedical-specific features. The experimental results show that using BioProp improves the F-score of the SRL system by 21.45% over an SRL system that uses a newswire corpus. It is noteworthy that adding automatically generated template features improves the overall F score by a further 0.52%. Specifically, ArgM-LOC, ArgM-MNR, and Arg2 achieve statistically significant performance improvements of 3.33%, 2.27%, and 1.44%, respectively. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate the necessity of using a biomedical proposition bank for training SRL systems in the biomedical domain. Besides the different characteristics of biomedical and newswire sentences, factors such as cross-domain framesets and verb usage variations also influence the performance of SRL systems. For argument classification, we find that NE (named entity) features indicating if the target node matches with NEs are not effective, since NEs may match with a node of the parsing tree that does not have semantic role labels in the training set. We therefore incorporate templates composed of specific words, NE types, and POS tags into the SRL system. As a result, the classification accuracy for adjunct arguments, which is especially important for biomedical SRL, is improved significantly. PMID- 17764571 TI - Meta-analysis of the literature on diagnostic accuracy of SPECT in parkinsonian syndromes. AB - BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. One of the most widely used techniques to diagnose PD is a Single Photon Emission Computer Tomography (SPECT) scan to visualise the integrity of the dopaminergic pathways in the brain. Despite this there remains some discussion on the value of SPECT in the differential diagnosis of PD. We did a meta-analysis of all the existing literature on the diagnostic accuracy of both pre- and post-synaptic SPECT imaging in the differential diagnosis of PD. METHODS: Relevant studies were searched in Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane databases with back-searching of their reference lists. We limited our analysis to studies with a clinically relevant methodology: i.e. when they assessed the ability of the SPECT to provide 1. diagnosis of PD in an early phase vs. normalcy; 2 diagnostic differentiation between PD and essential tremor (ET); 3. distinguishing between PD and vascular parkinsonism (VP); 4. delineation of PD from atypical parkinsonian syndromes (APS). Gold standard was, dependent on the study type, clinical examination at initial visit or follow-up, and/or response to dopaminergic agents. RESULTS: The search gave 185 hits, of which we deemed 32 suitable for our analysis. From these we recalculated the diagnostic odds ratio of SPECT for the clinical questions above. The pooled odds ratio (with 95%CI) for presynaptic SPECT scan's ability to distinguish between early PD and normalcy was 60 (13 - 277). For the ability to differentiate between PD and ET this ratio was 210 (79-562). The ratio for presynaptic SPECT's ability to delineate PD from VP was 105 (32 - 348). The mean odds ratio for the presynaptic SPECT scans to differentiate between PD and the two APS was 2 (1 - 4), and for the postsynaptic SPECT imaging this was 19 (9-36). CONCLUSION: SPECT with presynaptic radiotracers is relatively accurate to differentiate patients with PD in an early phase from normalcy, patients with PD from those with ET, and PD from VP. The accuracy of SPECT with both presynaptic and postsynaptic tracers to differentiate between PD and APS is relatively low. PMID- 17764573 TI - Transcriptional profiling of chickpea genes differentially regulated in response to high-salinity, cold and drought. AB - BACKGROUND: Cultivated chickpea (Cicer arietinum) has a narrow genetic base making it difficult for breeders to produce new elite cultivars with durable resistance to major biotic and abiotic stresses. As an alternative to genome mapping, microarrays have recently been applied in crop species to identify and assess the function of putative genes thought to be involved in plant abiotic stress and defence responses. In the present study, a cDNA microarray approach was taken in order to determine if the transcription of genes, from a set of previously identified putative stress-responsive genes from chickpea and its close relative Lathyrus sativus, were altered in chickpea by the three abiotic stresses; drought, cold and high-salinity. For this, chickpea genotypes known to be tolerant and susceptible to each abiotic stress were challenged and gene expression in the leaf, root and/or flower tissues was studied. The transcripts that were differentially expressed among stressed and unstressed plants in response to the particular stress were analysed in the context of tolerant/susceptible genotypes. RESULTS: The transcriptional change of more than two fold was observed for 109, 210 and 386 genes after drought, cold and high salinity treatments, respectively. Among these, two, 15 and 30 genes were consensually differentially expressed (DE) between tolerant and susceptible genotypes studied for drought, cold and high-salinity, respectively. The genes that were DE in tolerant and susceptible genotypes under abiotic stresses code for various functional and regulatory proteins. Significant differences in stress responses were observed within and between tolerant and susceptible genotypes highlighting the multiple gene control and complexity of abiotic stress response mechanism in chickpea. CONCLUSION: The annotation of these genes suggests that they may have a role in abiotic stress response and are potential candidates for tolerance/susceptibility. PMID- 17764574 TI - Outcome related to impact on daily living: preliminary validation of the ORIDL instrument. AB - BACKGROUND: The challenge of finding practical, patient-rated outcome measures is a key issue in the evaluation of health care systems and interventions. The ORIDL (Outcome in Relation to Impact on Daily Living) instrument (formerly referred to as the Glasgow Homoeopathic Hospital Outcomes Scale or GHHOS) has been developed to measure patient's views of the outcome of their care by asking about change, and relating this to impact on daily life. The aim of the present paper is to describe the background and potential uses of the ORIDL, and to report on its preliminary validation in a series of three studies in secondary and primary care. METHODS: In the first study, 105 patients attending the Glasgow Homoeopathic Hospital (GHH) were followed-up at 12 months and changes in health status were measured by the EuroQol (EQOL) and the ORIDL. In the second study, 187 new patients at the GHH were followed-up at 3, 12, and 33 months, using the ORIDL, the Short Form 12 (SF-12), and the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP). In study three, 323 patients in primary care were followed for 1 month post-consultation using the ORIDL and MYMOP. In all 3 studies the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) was also used as an outcome measure. RESULTS: Study 1 showed substantial improvements in main complaint and well-being over 12 months using the ORIDL, with two-thirds of patients reporting improvements in daily living. These improvements were not significantly correlated with changes in serial measures of the EQOL between baseline and 12 months, but were correlated with the EQOL transitions measure. Study 2 showed step-wise improvements in ORIDL scores between 3 and 33 months, which were only weakly associated with similar changes in SF-12 scores. However, MYMOP change scores correlated well with ORIDL scores at all time points. Study 3 showed similar high correlations between ORIDL scores and MYMOP scores. In all 3 studies, ORIDL scores were also significantly correlated with PEI-outcome scores. CONCLUSION: There is significant agreement between patient outcomes assessed by the ORIDL and the EQOL transition scale, the MYMOP, and the PEI-outcome instrument, suggesting that the ORIDL may be a valid and sensitive tool for measuring change in relation to impact on life. PMID- 17764572 TI - The role of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurones in feeding behaviour. AB - The precursor protein, proopiomelanocortin (POMC), produces many biologically active peptides via a series of enzymatic steps in a tissue-specific manner, yielding the melanocyte-stimulating hormones (MSHs), corticotrophin (ACTH) and beta-endorphin. The MSHs and ACTH bind to the extracellular G-protein coupled melanocortin receptors (MCRs) of which there are five subtypes. The MC3R and MC4R show widespread expression in the central nervous system (CNS), whilst there is low level expression of MC1R and MC5R. In the CNS, cell bodies for POMC are mainly located in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and the nucleus tractus solitarius of the brainstem. Both of these areas have well defined functions relating to appetite and food intake. Mouse knockouts (ko) for pomc, mc4r and mc3r all show an obese phenotype, as do humans expressing mutations of POMC and MC4R. Recently, human subjects with specific mutations in beta-MSH have been found to be obese too, as have mice with engineered beta-endorphin deficiency. The CNS POMC system has other functions, including regulation of sexual behaviour, lactation, the reproductive cycle and possibly central cardiovascular control. However, this review will focus on feeding behaviour and link it in with the neuroanatomy of the POMC neurones in the hypothalamus and brainstem. PMID- 17764575 TI - Over-expression of 14-3-3zeta is an early event in oral cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: The functional and clinical significance of 14-3-3 proteins in human cancers remain largely undetermined. Earlier, we have reported differential expression of 14-3-3zeta mRNA in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) by differential display. METHODS: The clinical relevance of 14-3-3zeta protein in oral tumorigenesis was determined by immunohistochemistry in paraffin embedded sections of oral pre-malignant lesions (OPLs), OSCCs and histologically normal oral tissues and corroborated by Western Blotting. Co-immunoprecipitation assays were carried out to determine its association with NFkappaB, beta-catenin and Bcl 2. RESULTS: Intense immunostaining of 14-3-3zeta protein was observed in 61/89 (69%) OPLs and 95/120 (79%) OSCCs. Immunohistochemistry showed significant increase in expression of 14-3-3zeta protein from normal mucosa to OPLs to OSCCs (ptrend < 0.001). Significant increase in expression of 14-3-3zeta protein was observed as early as in hyperplasia (p = 0.009), with further elevation in moderate and severe dysplasia, that was sustained in OSCCs. These findings were validated by Western blotting. Using Co-immunoprecipitation, we demonstrated that 14-3-3zeta protein binds to NFkappaB, beta-catenin and Bcl-2, suggesting its involvement in cellular signaling, leading to proliferation of oral cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that over-expression of 14-3-3zeta is an early event in oral tumorigenesis and may have an important role in its development and progression. Thus, 14-3-3zeta may serve as an important molecular target for designing novel therapy for oral cancer. PMID- 17764577 TI - Stratification bias in low signal microarray studies. AB - BACKGROUND: When analysing microarray and other small sample size biological datasets, care is needed to avoid various biases. We analyse a form of bias, stratification bias, that can substantially affect analyses using sample-reuse validation techniques and lead to inaccurate results. This bias is due to imperfect stratification of samples in the training and test sets and the dependency between these stratification errors, i.e. the variations in class proportions in the training and test sets are negatively correlated. RESULTS: We show that when estimating the performance of classifiers on low signal datasets (i.e. those which are difficult to classify), which are typical of many prognostic microarray studies, commonly used performance measures can suffer from a substantial negative bias. For error rate this bias is only severe in quite restricted situations, but can be much larger and more frequent when using ranking measures such as the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the ROC (AUC). Substantial biases are shown in simulations and on the van 't Veer breast cancer dataset. The classification error rate can have large negative biases for balanced datasets, whereas the AUC shows substantial pessimistic biases even for imbalanced datasets. In simulation studies using 10 fold cross-validation, AUC values of less than 0.3 can be observed on random datasets rather than the expected 0.5. Further experiments on the van 't Veer breast cancer dataset show these biases exist in practice. CONCLUSION: Stratification bias can substantially affect several performance measures. In computing the AUC, the strategy of pooling the test samples from the various folds of cross-validation can lead to large biases; computing it as the average of per-fold estimates avoids this bias and is thus the recommended approach. As a more general solution applicable to other performance measures, we show that stratified repeated holdout and a modified version of k-fold cross-validation, balanced, stratified cross-validation and balanced leave-one-out cross validation, avoids the bias. Therefore for model selection and evaluation of microarray and other small biological datasets, these methods should be used and unstratified versions avoided. In particular, the commonly used (unbalanced) leave-one-out cross-validation should not be used to estimate AUC for small datasets. PMID- 17764576 TI - Putative cold acclimation pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana identified by a combined analysis of mRNA co-expression patterns, promoter motifs and transcription factors. AB - BACKGROUND: With the advent of microarray technology, it has become feasible to identify virtually all genes in an organism that are induced by developmental or environmental changes. However, relying solely on gene expression data may be of limited value if the aim is to infer the underlying genetic networks. Development of computational methods to combine microarray data with other information sources is therefore necessary. Here we describe one such method. RESULTS: By means of our method, previously published Arabidopsis microarray data from cold acclimated plants at six different time points, promoter motif sequence data extracted from approximately 24,000 Arabidopsis promoters and known transcription factor binding sites were combined to construct a putative genetic regulatory interaction network. The inferred network includes both previously characterised and hitherto un-described regulatory interactions between transcription factor (TF) genes and genes that encode other TFs or other proteins. Part of the obtained transcription factor regulatory network is presented here. More detailed information is available in the additional files. CONCLUSION: The rule-based method described here can be used to infer genetic networks by combining data from microarrays, promoter sequences and known promoter binding sites. This method should in principle be applicable to any biological system. We tested the method on the cold acclimation process in Arabidopsis and could identify a more complex putative genetic regulatory network than previously described. However, it should be noted that information on specific binding sites for individual TFs were in most cases not available. Thus, gene targets for the entire TF gene families were predicted. In addition, the networks were built solely by a bioinformatics approach and experimental verifications will be necessary for their final validation. On the other hand, since our method highlights putative novel interactions, more directed experiments could now be performed. PMID- 17764578 TI - Measuring hospital-wide activity volume for patient safety and infection control: a multi-centre study in Japan. AB - BACKGROUND: In Japan, as in many other countries, several quality and safety assurance measures have been implemented since the 1990's. This has occurred in spite of cost containment efforts. Although government and hospital decision makers demand comprehensive analysis of these activities at the hospital-wide level, there have been few studies that actually quantify them. Therefore, the aims of this study were to measure hospital-wide activities for patient safety and infection control through a systematic framework, and to identify the incremental volume of these activities implemented over the last five years. METHODS: Using the conceptual framework of incremental activity corresponding to incremental cost, we defined the scope of patient safety and infection control activities. We then drafted a questionnaire to analyze these realms. After implementing the questionnaire, we conducted several in-person interviews with managers and other staff in charge of patient safety and infection control in seven acute care teaching hospitals in Japan. RESULTS: At most hospitals, nurses and clerical employees acted as the main figures in patient safety practices. The annual amount of activity ranged from 14,557 to 72,996 person-hours (per 100 beds: 6,240; per 100 staff: 3,323) across participant hospitals. Pharmacists performed more incremental activities than their proportional share. With respect to infection control activities, the annual volume ranged from 3,015 to 12,196 person-hours (per 100 beds: 1,141; per 100 staff: 613). For infection control, medical doctors and nurses tended to perform somewhat more of the duties relative to their share. CONCLUSION: We developed a systematic framework to quantify hospital-wide activities for patient safety and infection control. We also assessed the incremental volume of these activities in Japanese hospitals under the reimbursement containment policy. Government and hospital decision makers can benefit from this type of analytic framework and its empirical findings. PMID- 17764579 TI - ASMPKS: an analysis system for modular polyketide synthases. AB - BACKGROUND: Polyketides are secondary metabolites of microorganisms with diverse biological activities, including pharmacological functions such as antibiotic, antitumor and agrochemical properties. Polyketides are synthesized by serialized reactions of a set of enzymes called polyketide synthase(PKS)s, which coordinate the elongation of carbon skeletons by the stepwise condensation of short carbon precursors. Due to their importance as drugs, the volume of data on polyketides is rapidly increasing and creating a need for computational analysis methods for efficient polyketide research. Moreover, the increasing use of genetic engineering to research new kinds of polyketides requires genome wide analysis. RESULTS: We describe a system named ASMPKS (Analysis System for Modular Polyketide Synthesis) for computational analysis of PKSs against genome sequences. It also provides overall management of information on modular PKS, including polyketide database construction, new PKS assembly, and chain visualization. ASMPKS operates on a web interface to construct the database and to analyze PKSs, allowing polyketide researchers to add their data to this database and to use it easily. In addition, the ASMPKS can predict functional modules for a protein sequence submitted by users, estimate the chemical composition of a polyketide synthesized from the modules, and display the carbon chain structure on the web interface. CONCLUSION: ASMPKS has powerful computation features to aid modular PKS research. As various factors, such as starter units and post-processing, are related to polyketide biosynthesis, ASMPKS will be improved through further development for study of the factors. PMID- 17764581 TI - Why aren't we practising homogenized medicine? AB - Why is the practice of intensive care so heterogenous? Uncertainty as to 'best practice', conservatism, and complacency may all contribute to our divergent management strategies. The need for further generalisable research, anonymised audit, external peer review and open access databases is discussed. PMID- 17764580 TI - Genome-wide genetic aberrations of thymoma using cDNA microarray based comparative genomic hybridization. AB - BACKGROUND: Thymoma is a heterogeneous group of tumors in biology and clinical behavior. Even though thymoma is divided into five subgroups following the World Health Organization classification, the nature of the disease is mixed within the subgroups. RESULTS: We investigated the molecular characteristics of genetic changes variation of thymoma using cDNA microarray based-comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) with a 17 K cDNA microarray in an indirect, sex-matched design. Genomic DNA from the paraffin embedded 39 thymoma tissues (A 6, AB 11, B1 7, B2 7, B3 8) labeled with Cy-3 was co-hybridized with the reference placenta gDNA labeled with Cy-5. Using the CAMVS software, we investigated the deletions on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13 and 18 throughout the thymoma. Then, we evaluated the genetic variations of thymoma based on the subgroups and the clinical behavior. First, the 36 significant genes differentiating five subgroups were selected by Significance Analysis of Microarray. Based on these genes, type AB was suggested to be heterogeneous at the molecular level as well as histologically. Next, we observed that the thymoma was divided into A, B (1, 2) and B3 subgroups with 33 significant genes. In addition, we selected 70 genes differentiating types A and B3, which differ largely in clinical behaviors. Finally, the 11 heterogeneous AB subtypes were able to correctly assign into A and B (1, 2) types based on their genetic characteristics. CONCLUSION: In our study, we observed the genome-wide chromosomal aberrations of thymoma and identified significant gene sets with genetic variations related to thymoma subgroups, which might provide useful information for thymoma pathobiology. PMID- 17764583 TI - Activating and inhibitory Fc gamma receptors in rheumatoid arthritis: from treatment to targeted therapies. AB - Fc gamma receptors (Fc gammaRs) bind the constant Fc region of IgG molecules. IgG/antigen-containing immune complexes elicit a variety of effector functions in cells that express activating Fc gammaRs. Because activating Fc gammaRs are present on cells from the innate immune system, such as dendritic cells, monocytes/macrophages and granulocytes, these IgG receptors form a crucial link between the innate and the acquired immune systems. Recently, the ability to detect the inhibitory Fc gammaRIIb on cells has indicated an imbalance between activating and inhibitory Fc gammaRs in rheumatoid arthritis. This progress offers an opportunity to study modulation of Fc gammaR balance and could stimulate development of Fc gammaR-directed immunotherapy. PMID- 17764582 TI - Clinical review: Sleep measurement in critical care patients: research and clinical implications. AB - Sleep disturbances are common in critically ill patients and have been characterised by numerous studies using polysomnography. Issues regarding patient populations, monitoring duration and timing (nocturnal versus continuous), as well as practical problems encountered in critical care studies using polysomnography are considered with regard to future interventional studies on sleep. Polysomnography is the gold standard in objectively measuring the quality and quantity of sleep. However, it is difficult to undertake, particularly in patients recovering from critical illness in an acute-care area. Therefore, other objective (actigraphy and bispectral index) and subjective (nurse or patient assessment) methods have been used in other critical care studies. Each of these techniques has its own particular advantages and disadvantages. We use data from an interventional study to compare agreement between four of these alternative techniques in the measurement of nocturnal sleep quantity. Recommendations for further developments in sleep monitoring techniques for research and clinical application are made. Also, methodological problems in studies validating various sleep measurement techniques are explored. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN47578325. PMID- 17764584 TI - Year in review 2006: Critical Care--Multiple organ failure, sepsis, and shock. AB - In 2006, Critical Care provided important and clinically relevant research data in the field of multiple organ failure, sepsis, and shock. This review summarizes the results of the experimental studies and clinical trials and discusses them in the context of the relevant scientific and clinical background. PMID- 17764585 TI - Year in review 2006: Critical Care--Paediatrics. AB - In 2006, paediatric intensive care-related subjects were discussed in a number of papers published in various journals, including Critical Care. Because they focused on the cardiovascular system and its support, we summarize them here. In particular, these papers highlighted the management of refractory septic shock, extracorporeal support, outcome markers in sepsis, and outcome after cardiac arrest. PMID- 17764586 TI - Year in review 2006: Critical Care--Respirology. AB - The present article summarises and places in context original research articles from the respirology section published in Critical Care in 2006. Twenty papers were identified and were grouped by topic into those addressing acute lung injury and ventilator-induced lung injury, those examining high-frequency oscillation, those studying pulmonary physiology and mechanics, those assessing tracheostomy, and those exploring other topics. PMID- 17764587 TI - Year in review 2006: Critical Care--Cardiology. AB - This review summarizes key research papers published in the fields of cardiology and intensive care during 2006 in Critical Care and, where relevant, in other journals within the field. The papers have been grouped into categories: haemodynamic monitoring, vascular access in intensive care, microvascular assessment and manipulation, and impact of metabolic acidosis on outcome. PMID- 17764589 TI - Intranuclear changes in cancer cells. PMID- 17764588 TI - Deficient mitochondrial biogenesis in critical illness: cause, effect, or epiphenomenon? AB - Recent studies indicate that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a role in the pathogenesis of a number of disease states. The importance of these organelles in shock and multiple organ dysfunction is of particular interest to those caring for the critically ill. Mitochondria have their own unique DNA (mtDNA) that encodes 13 essential subunits of electron transport chain enzymes, two ribosomal RNAs and 22 transfer RNAs. Importantly, mtDNA is especially susceptible to deletions, rearrangements and mutations because it is not bound by histones and lacks the extensive repair machinery present in the nucleus. The study by Cote et al. in this issue of Critical Care examines changes in mtDNA in critically ill patients. The results support further investigation into the role of mtDNA in the critically ill. PMID- 17764590 TI - The rhythms of life. PMID- 17764591 TI - Antagonizing Methuselah to extend life span. AB - A recent report describes the identification through the use of in vitro selection of a peptide that antagonizes Methuselah signaling in Drosophila in vitro and extends fly life span in vivo. PMID- 17764592 TI - Year in review 2006: Critical Care--Resource management. AB - As health care resources become increasingly constrained, it is imperative that intensive care unit resources be optimized. In the years to come, a number of challenges to intensive care medicine will need to be addressed as society changes. Last year's Critical Care papers provided us with a number of interesting and highly accessed original papers dealing with health care resources. The information yielded by these studies can help us to deal with issues such as prognostication, early detection and treatment of delirium, prevention of medical errors and use of radiology resources in critically ill patients. Finally, several aspects of scientific research in critically ill patients were investigated, focusing on the possibility of obtaining informed consent and recall of having given informed consent. PMID- 17764593 TI - Mild induced hypothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: persisting doubts about patient safety. PMID- 17764594 TI - Autism: the quest for the genes. AB - Autism, at its most extreme, is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder, and recent studies have indicated that autism spectrum disorders are considerably more common than previously supposed. However, although one of the most heritable neuropsychiatric syndromes, autism has so far eluded attempts to discover its genetic origins in the majority of cases. Several whole-genome scans for autism susceptibility loci have identified specific chromosomal regions, but the results have been inconclusive and fine mapping and association studies have failed to identify the underlying genes. Recent advances in knowledge from the Human Genome and HapMap Projects, and progress in technology and bioinformatic resources, have aided study design and made data generation more efficient and cost-effective. Broadening horizons about the landscape of structural genetic variation and the field of epigenetics are indicating new possible mechanisms underlying autism aetiology, while endophenotypes are being used in an attempt to break down the complexity of the syndrome and refine genetic data. Although the genetic variants underlying idiopathic autism have proven elusive so far, the future for this field looks promising. PMID- 17764595 TI - Reproducibility and relative validity of dietary glycaemic index and load assessed with a self-administered diet-history questionnaire in Japanese adults. AB - Although many epidemiological studies have examined the association of dietary glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) with health outcomes, information on the reproducibility and relative validity of these variables estimated from dietary questionnaires is extremely limited. We examined the reproducibility and relative validity of dietary GI and GL assessed with a self-administered diet history questionnaire (DHQ) in adult Japanese. A total of ninety-two Japanese women and ninety-two Japanese men aged 31-76 years completed the DHQ (assessing diet during the preceding month) and 4 d dietary records (DR) in each season over a 1-year period (DHQ1-4 and DR1-4, respectively) and the DHQ at 1 year after completing DHQ1 (DHQ5). We used intraclass correlations between DHQ1 and DHQ5 to assess reproducibility, and Pearson correlations between the mean of DR1-4 and mean of DHQ1-4 and between the mean of DR1-4 and DHQ1 to assess relative validity. Reproducibility correlations for dietary GI and GL were 0.57 and 0.69 among women and 0.65 and 0.58 among men, respectively. Validity correlations for dietary GI and GL assessed by DHQ1-4 were 0.72 and 0.66 among women and 0.65 and 0.71 among men, respectively. Corresponding correlations for DHQ1 were 0.53 and 0.58 among women and 0.57 and 0.60 among men, respectively. White rice was the major contributor to GI and GL in both methods (49-64 %). These data indicate reasonable reproducibility and relative validity of dietary GI and GL assessed by a DHQ for Japanese adults, whose dietary GI and GL are primarily determined by the GI of white rice. PMID- 17764596 TI - Improvement of bone properties and enhancement of mineralization by ethanol extract of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi. AB - Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL), a kidney-tonifying Chinese herb, was shown to regulate Ca balance in ovariectomized (OVX) rats in our previous study. This study investigated whether it could improve bone properties in aged normal and OVX rats and increase osteoblastic differentiation in rat osteoblast-like UMR-106 cells. Ten-month-old aged rats underwent sham-operation or ovariectomy, were orally administered with FLL extracts or its vehicle and fed with diets containing different levels of Ca (LCD, 0.1 % Ca; MCD, 0.6 % Ca; HCD, 1.2 % Ca) for 12 weeks. Ovariectomy induced bone loss at multiple-sites of both tibia and femur in all rats being studied. FLL extract increased bone mineral density and bone mineral content at both tibial and femoral diaphysis as well as the lumbar vertebra (LV-2) in rats fed either LCD or MCD. In addition, FLL increased biomechanical strength of the tibial diaphysis in these rats. Combination of FLL and high-Ca diet significantly improved bone mass of cortical and trabecular bone at appendicular bones and LV-2 and decreased bone loss associated with ovarietomy and low-Ca feeding. Treatment of UMR-106 cells with FLL extracts accelerated the formation of calcified matrix and increased extracellular Ca and P depositions in time- and dose-dependent manner. The level of mineralization reached a maximum by 6 d incubation at the dosage of 10 mug FLL extract/ml. Our study indicated that FLL extract could improve bone properties in aged rats possibly via its direct action on osteoblastic cells by enhancement of the mineralization process. PMID- 17764597 TI - Viable, lyophilized lactobacilli do not increase iron absorption from a lactic acid-fermented meal in healthy young women, and no iron absorption occurs in the distal intestine. AB - Lactic acid-fermented foods have been shown to increase Fe absorption in human subjects, possibly by lowering pH, activation of phytases, production of organic acids, or by the viable lactic acid bacteria. In this study the effect of a heat inactivated lactic acid-fermented oat gruel with and without added viable, lyophilized Lactobacillus plantarum 299v on non-haem Fe absorption was investigated. Furthermore, Fe absorption in the distal intestine was determined. In a randomized, double-blinded crossover trial eighteen healthy young women aged 22 (SD 3) years with low Fe status (serum ferritin < 30 microg/l) were served the two test gruels, extrinsically labelled with 59Fe and served with two enterocoated capsules (containing 55Fe(II) and 55Fe(III), respectively) designed to disintegrate in the ileum. The meals were consumed on two consecutive days, e.g. in the order AA followed by BB in a second period. Non-haem Fe absorption was determined from 59Fe whole-body retention and isotope activities in blood samples. The concentrations of Fe, lactate, phytate, and polyphenols, and the pH were similar in the heat-inactivated lactic acid-fermented oat gruels with and without added L. plantarum 299v, and no difference in Fe absorption was observed between the test gruels (1.4 and 1.3%, respectively). Furthermore, no absorption of Fe in the distal intestine was observed. In conclusion, addition of viable, lyophilized lactobacillus to a heat-inactivated lactic acid-fermented oat gruel does not affect Fe absorption, and no absorption seems to occur in the distal part of the intestine from low Fe bioavailability meals in these women. PMID- 17764598 TI - Peptides reproducibly released by in vivo digestion of beef meat and trout flesh in pigs. AB - Characterisation and identification of peptides (800 to 5000 Da) generated by intestinal digestion of fish or meat were performed using MS analyses (matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation time of flight and nano-liquid chromatography electrospray-ionisation ion trap MS/MS). Four pigs fitted with cannulas at the duodenum and jejunum received a meal exclusively made of cooked Pectoralis profundus beef meat or cooked trout fillets. A protein-free meal, made of free amino acids, starch and fat, was used to identify peptides of endogenous origin. Peptides reproducibly detected in digesta (i.e. from at least three pigs) were evidenced predominantly in the first 3 h after the meal. In the duodenum, most of the fish- and meat-derived peptides were characteristic of a peptic digestion. In the jejunum, the majority of peptides appeared to result from digestion by chymotrypsin and trypsin. Despite slight differences in gastric emptying kinetics and overall peptide production, possibly in relation to food structure and texture, six and four similar peptides were released after ingestion of fish or meat in the duodenum and jejunum. A total of twenty-six different peptides were identified in digesta. All were fragments of major structural (actin, myosin) or sarcoplasmic (creatine kinase, glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate dehydrogenase and myoglobin) muscle proteins. Peptides were short ( < 2000 Da) and particularly rich in proline residues. Nineteen of them contained bioactive sequences corresponding mainly to an antihypertensive activity. The present work showed that after fish or meat ingestion, among the wide variety of peptides produced by enzymic digestion, some of them can be reproducibly observed in intestinal digesta. PMID- 17764599 TI - Dietary supplement use and mortality in a cohort of Swedish men. AB - The use of dietary supplements has increased substantially in most industrialized countries. The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the association between use of dietary supplements and all-cause mortality, cancer mortality and CVD mortality in men. We used the population-based prospective cohort of 38 994 men from central Sweden, 45-79 years of age, with no cancer or CVD at baseline and who completed a self-administered FFQ including questions on dietary supplement use and life-style factors in 1997. During average 7.7 years of follow up, 3403 deaths were ascertained; among them, 771 due to cancer and 930 due to CVD (during 5.9 years of follow-up). In multivariate adjusted models including all men there was no association observed between use of any dietary supplement or of multivitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E or fish oil specifically and all-cause mortality, cancer or CVD mortality. Among current smokers, regular use of any supplement was associated with statistically significant increased risk of cancer mortality: relative risk (RR) 1.46 (95 % CI 1.06, 1.99). Among men reporting an inadequate diet at baseline (assessed by Recommended Food Score), there was a statistically significant inverse association between use of any dietary supplement and CVD mortality (RR 0.72; 95 % CI 0.57, 0.91), no associations were observed among men with adequate diets. In conclusion, we cannot exclude that the use of dietary supplements is harmful for smokers. On the other hand, among men with an insufficient diet, the use of supplements might be beneficial in reducing CVD mortality. PMID- 17764600 TI - Dietary patterns in pregnancy and associations with nutrient intakes. AB - Despite the recent popularity in the use of dietary patterns to investigate diet disease associations, the associations between dietary patterns and nutrient intakes have not been fully explored. This paper determines the linear and non linear associations between estimated nutrient intake (considered as both absolute and relative intake) and distinct dietary patterns, obtained during the third trimester of pregnancy using principal components analysis (PCA). It also examines the proportion of variability explained by the patterns in food and nutrient intakes. Pregnant women were asked to record the frequency of consumption of a variety of food items as part of regular self-completion questionnaires, the primary source of data collection in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, 12 035 cases were available. Individual dietary components were identified using PCA and scores on these components were related to estimated nutrient intakes. Five individual dietary patterns were established to best describe the types of diet being consumed in pregnancy. Scores on the 'processed' and 'confectionery' patterns were negatively related to the estimated intake of most nutrients with the exception of energy, fats and sugars, which increased with higher scores. Scores on the 'health-conscious' and 'traditional' components showed positive linear relationships with all nutrients. The results presented here suggest that dietary patterns adequately characterize dietary intake. There is, therefore, potential for dietary patterns to be used as a valid tool in assessing the relationship between diet and health outcomes, and dietary pattern scores could be used as covariates in specific nutrient-disease studies. PMID- 17764601 TI - Folate and colo-rectal cancer risk. AB - The UK Food Standards Agency convened a group of expert scientists to review current research investigating folate and colo-rectal cancer risk. The workshop aimed to examine current research and establish research priorities. The timing of folate exposure with respect to carcinogenesis, as well as the dose and form of folate, were considered key issues for future research. Also, the need to study further the influence of genetically defined subgroups was highlighted for future research. PMID- 17764602 TI - Influence of Ramadan-type fasting on carbohydrate metabolism, brush border membrane enzymes and phosphate transport in rat kidney used as a model. AB - Ramadan fasting is a unique model of fasting in which Muslims the world over abstain from food and water from dawn to sunset for 1 month. We hypothesized that this model of prolonged intermittent fasting would result in specific adaptive alterations in rat kidney to keep a positive balance of metabolites and inorganic phosphate (Pi). The effect of Ramadan-type fasting was studied on enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism and brush border membrane (BBM) and BBM uptake of 32Pi in different renal tissue zones in the rat model. Rats were fasted (12 h) and then re-fed (12 h) daily for 30 d similar to human Ramadan fasting. Ramadan-type fasting resulted in increased serum Pi and phospholipids, whereas Pi clearance decreased. Serum creatinine and its clearance were not affected. Fasting caused a significant decrease in the activities of lactate and malate dehydrogenases, glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, both in the renal cortex and medulla. However, the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase profoundly increased but that of malic enzyme decreased. The activities of alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in BBM decreased, whereas transport of 32Pi significantly increased. The decrease in enzyme activities and increase in 32Pi transport were due to alterations of both maximal velocities and relative affinities. The results indicate that Ramadan-type fasting caused specific metabolic alterations with enhanced Pi conservation in different kidney tissues in a rat model used for Ramadan fasting in man. PMID- 17764603 TI - Adequacy of food spending is related to housing expenditures among lower-income Canadian households. AB - OBJECTIVES: A number of studies have pointed to the pressure that housing costs can exert on the resources available for food. The objectives of the present study were to characterise the relationship between the proportion of income absorbed by housing and the adequacy of household food expenditures across the Canadian population and within income quintiles; and to elucidate the impact of receipt of a housing subsidy on adequacy of food expenditures among low-income tenant households. DESIGN: The 2001 Survey of Household Spending, conducted by Statistics Canada, was a national cross-sectional survey that collected detailed information on expenditures on goods and services. The adequacy of food spending was assessed in relation to the cost of a basic nutritious diet. SETTING: Canada. SUBJECTS: The person with primary responsibility for financial maintenance from 15 535 households from all provinces and territories. RESULTS: As the proportion of income allocated to housing increased, food spending adequacy declined significantly among households in the three lowest income quintiles. After accounting for household income and composition, receipt of a housing subsidy was associated with an improvement in adequacy of food spending among low-income tenant households, but still mean food spending fell below the cost of a basic nutritious diet even among subsidised households. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that housing costs compromise the food access of some low-income households and speaks to the need to re-examine policies related to housing affordability and income adequacy. PMID- 17764604 TI - Dietary and non-dietary determinants of central adiposity among Tehrani women. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the correlates of central adiposity. DESIGN: Population based cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: A total of 926 women (aged 40-60 years) from all districts of Tehran. METHODS: Demographic data were collected and anthropometric indices were measured according to standard protocols. Dietary intakes were assessed by means of a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. The suggested cut-off point for waist-to-hip ratio (WHR>or=0.84) for Tehrani people, adjusted for their age group, was used to determine central adiposity. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the correlates of WHR, which were adjusted for age, taking medications and body mass index (BMI). The components of dietary intake were determined by factor analysis. Pearson correlation was used to determine the association between the dietary components and WHR. Analysis of covariance was employed to compare the mean values of WHR in different lifestyle groups, with adjustment for BMI and age. RESULTS: Mean WHR was 0.82 +/- 0.06. The possibility of being centrally obese was higher in women with light physical activity (odds ratio: 2.11; 95% confidence interval: 1.40 2.53), depressed women (1.36; 1.02-1.93), smokers (1.21; 1.02-1.56) and unemployed women (1.41; 1.13-1.72). Marriage (1.31; 1.10-1.82), menopause (1.22; 1.02-1.61), low vitamin C intake (2.31; 1.25-4.25) and low calcium intake (1.30; 1.07-3.78) were associated with central fat accumulation. Dairy consumption was inversely correlated with central fat accumulation (r = -0.2, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Central adiposity is associated with poor lifestyle factors including low physical activity, depression, smoking, low intake of vitamin C, low intake of calcium and dairy products and high fat consumption. Thus lifestyle modifications should be encouraged to achieve a healthier body shape. PMID- 17764605 TI - Gross for kids but good for parents: differing messages in advertisements for the same products. AB - OBJECTIVES: There has been surprisingly little research into the effects of food advertising on parents' perception of commonly consumed children's food items, although the available research suggests that parents may find nutritional claims in these advertisements confusing. The purpose of the present study was to investigate parents' perceptions of branded snack foods targeted at children, and the extent to which these perceptions are influenced by advertising messages. DESIGN: Using an intercept survey, participants were shown either adult-targeted or child-targeted advertisements for the same food products. SETTING: Central business district of a major Australian city. SUBJECTS: One hundred adults, mean age 40 years. RESULTS: The study results suggest that: (1) adults' perceptions of advertised food products and, most importantly, purchase intentions for those products differ according to the version of the advertisement seen (for three of the products, 42-54% would buy the product after seeing the child version compared with 82-84% after seeing the adult version); and (2) adults clearly perceive distinctly different messages in advertisements for the same products which are targeting parents vs. those targeting children (e.g. for three of the products, 74-92% perceived that the adult version of the advertisement suggested the food was nutritionally beneficial compared with 2-14% perceiving this for the child version). CONCLUSIONS: It is clear that the messages conveyed to children about specific foods are quite different to the messages conveyed to adults - and importantly parents - about the same foods. PMID- 17764607 TI - Silver Congress of the International Psychogeriatric Association, 14-18 October 2007, Osaka, Japan. Abstracts. PMID- 17764606 TI - Determinants of compliance with iron supplementation among pregnant women in Senegal. AB - BACKGROUND: Community iron supplementation programmes for pregnant women have lacked effectiveness, partly because of low compliance. OBJECTIVE: To determine factors that influence compliance among pregnant women in Senegal. DESIGN: Two hundred and twenty-one pregnant women, recruited from six health centres in Dakar during their first prenatal visit, were randomly assigned to receive either a prescription to purchase iron/folic acid tablets (control, n = 112) to be taken daily, according to official policy, or to receive free tablets (treatment, n = 109). Compliance was assessed 20 weeks after enrollment through interviews and pill count. Women with low or high compliance (<70% or >or=70%) were asked to explain what influenced their adherence to supplementation. RESULTS: Overall compliance was 69%; it was significantly higher in the treatment than in the control group (86% vs. 48%; P < 0.0001). Women with high compliance (58%) were motivated by: (1) the perception of improved health upon taking the tablets (treatment = 24%, control = 10%); (2) the insistence by midwives that they take the tablets; and (3) the mention that the tablets would improve health. Women with low compliance (42%) reported: (1) the experience of side-effects that they associated with the tablets (treatment = 13%, control = 14%); (2) misunderstanding that they needed to continue taking the tablets throughout pregnancy (treatment = 0%, control = 18%); and (3) forgetfulness. CONCLUSION: Compliance with iron/folic acid supplementation in Senegal can be increased by providing women with clear instructions about tablet intake and educating them on the health benefits of the tablets. PMID- 17764613 TI - Pharmacy discounts on generic medicines in France: is there room for further efficiency savings? AB - BACKGROUND: In France control of pharmaceutical expenditure has been a policy priority for many years and generic policies have featured prominently on the policy agenda. Measures including reference pricing, generic substitution and international non-proprietary name (INN) prescribing have been introduced in recent years. Generic manufacturers and wholesalers may offer discounts, rebates or promotions to pharmacies in order to gain an edge over their competitors, but their true extent is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To identify the amplitude of discounts on generic medicines, and whether wholesalers or generic manufacturers offer these beyond officially negotiated margins and allowable discounts, by conducting a pilot study. DATA AND METHODS: Data on net prices were acquired for all available presentations of 11 generic molecules selected across different therapeutic categories included in the 40 most selling generic products in 2005. Data were obtained via a questionnaire survey followed by interview with selected pharmacies (n = 4) and whole-salers (n = 2). Pharmacies and wholesalers participated in this study subject to confidentiality and anonymity. RESULTS: Pharmacies usually prefer to buy generic products directly from manufacturers rather than from wholesalers in order to avoid paying additional margins imposed by wholesalers. Discounts are mostly price-related and generally vary from 20 to 70% off the wholesaler selling price (WSP), on top of the officially allowed 10.74%. Discounts on the ex-factory price (EFP) are much lower, typically around 7.5%. Discounts are prohibited for branded products, beyond the officially allowed ceiling of 2.5%. While horizontal integration among pharmacies is disallowed, pharmacies may form purchasing groups allowing them to realise greater discounts from suppliers. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the evidence suggests that discounts occur in France beyond what may be allowable and their extent can be significant. If general discount levels for generic medicines are as high as this pilot study suggests, then this may imply that health insurance in France may be overpaying for commodity generic medicines. PMID- 17764614 TI - The roles of innate immune cells in liver injury and regeneration. AB - For predominant abundance with liver-specific Kupffer cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and natural killer T (NKT) cells and their rapid responses to several stimuli, the liver is considered as an organ with innate immune features. In contrast to their roles in the defense of many infectious agents like hepatitis viruses and parasites, hepatic innate immune cells are also involved in the immunopathogenesis of human clinical liver diseases and several murine hepatitis models such as concanavalin A (Con A), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or polyinosinic polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C)-induced liver injury. In this review, the destructive roles of NK cells, NKT cells and Kupffer cells in the processes of immune-mediated liver injury and regeneration will be discussed, and some putative mechanisms involving the impairment of liver regeneration caused by activated hepatic innate immune cells are also proposed. PMID- 17764615 TI - The role of the p38 pathway in adaptive immunity. AB - Since its discovery in 1993, the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase p38 has attracted much attention for its role in a wide range of cellular processes, many of which involve the immune system. Although p38 has been heavily implicated in the function of all type immune cells, research has tended focus on its role in innate immunity. In this review we attempt to highlight some of the major discoveries that have been made regarding p38's role in adaptive immunity, and also to discuss the possible future implications of these discoveries. PMID- 17764616 TI - Immunological effects of silica and asbestos. AB - Silicosis patients (SILs) and patients who have been exposed to asbestos develop not only respiratory diseases but also certain immunological disorders. In particular, SIL sometimes complicates autoimmune diseases such as systemic scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis (known as Caplan syndrome), and systemic lupus erythematoses. In addition, malignant complications such as lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma often occur in patients exposed to asbestos, and may be involved in the reduction of tumor immunity. Although silica-induced disorders of autoimmunity have been explained as adjuvant-type effects of silica, more precise analyses are needed and should reflect the recent progress in immunomolecular findings. A brief summary of our investigations related to the immunological effects of silica/asbestos is presented. Recent advances in immunomolecular studies led to detailed analyses of the immunological effects of asbestos and silica. Both affect immuno-competent cells and these effects may be associated with the pathophysiological development of complications in silicosis and asbestos-exposed patients such as the occurrence of autoimmune disorders and malignant tumors, respectively. In addition, immunological analyses may lead to the development of new clinical tools for the modification of the pathophysiological aspects of diseases such as the regulation of autoimmunity or tumor immunity using cell-mediated therapies, various cytokines, and molecule targeting therapies. In particular, as the incidence of asbestos-related malignancies is increasing and such malignancies have been a medical and social problem since the summer of 2005 in Japan, efforts should be focused on developing a cure for these diseases to eliminate nationwide anxiety. PMID- 17764617 TI - IL-10-producing type 1 regulatory T cells and allergy. AB - As an important subset of regulatory T (Treg) cells, IL-10-producing type 1 regulatory T cells (Tr1), have some different features to thymic-derived naturally occurring CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells(nTreg cells). Similar to nTreg cells, Tr1 also play important roles in the control of allergic inflammation in several ways. There is a fine balance between Tr1 and Th2 responses in healthy subjects. Skewing of allergic-specific effector T cells to a Tr1 phenotype appears to be a critical event in successful allergen-specific immunotherapy and glucocorticoids and beta2-agonists treatment. Tr1 suppress Th2 cells and effector cells of allergic inflammation, such as eosinophils, mast cells, basophils, through producing IL-10, and perhaps TGF-beta. Understanding of Tr1 may be helpful in developing new strategies for treatment of allergic diseases. PMID- 17764618 TI - Type 1 CD8+ T cells are superior to type 2 CD8+ T cells in tumor immunotherapy due to their efficient cytotoxicity, prolonged survival and type 1 immune modulation. AB - CD8+ cytotoxic T (Tc) cells play a crucial role in host immune responses to cancer, and in this context, adoptive CD8+ Tc cell therapy has been studied in numerous animal tumor models. Its antitumor efficacy is, to a large extent, determined by the ability of Tc cells to survive and infiltrate tumors. In clinical trials, such in vitro-activated T cells often die within hours to days, and this greatly limits their therapeutic efficacy. CD8+ Tc cells fall into two subpopulations based upon their differential cytokine secretion. In this study, we in vitro generated that ovalbumin (OVA)-pulsed dendritic cell (DCOVA) activated CD8+ type 1 Tc (Tc1) cells secreting IFN-gamma, and CD8+ type 2 Tc (Tc2) cells secreting IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10, which were derived from OVA-specific T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic OT I mice. We then systemically investigated the in vitro and in vivo effector function and survival of Tc1 and Tc2 cells, and then assessed their survival kinetics after adoptively transferred into C57BL/6 mice, respectively. We demonstrated that, when compared to CD8+ Tc2, Tc1 cells were significantly more effective in perforin-mediated cytotoxicity to tumor cells, had a significantly higher capacity for in vivo survival after the adoptive T cell transfer, and had a significantly stronger therapeutic effect on eradication of well-established tumors expressing OVA in animal models. In addition, CD8+ Tc1 and Tc2 cells skewed the phenotype of CD4+ T cells toward Th1 and Th2 type, respectively. Therefore, the information regarding the differential effector function, survival and immune modulation of CD8+ Tc1 and Tc2 cells may provide useful information when preparing in vitro DC-activated CD8+ T cells for adoptive T cell therapy of cancer. PMID- 17764619 TI - Anti-idiotypic regulatory responses induced by vaccination with DNA encoding murine TCR Valpha5 and Vbeta2. AB - There is evidence suggesting that anti-idiotypic regulation against T cells plays a role in maintaining homeostasis in the immune system, although its mechanism is not fully understood. By using DNA constructs encoding the TCR Valpha5.2 and Vbeta2.1 chains derived from an ovalbumin (OVA)-specific T cell clone (OVA-T), we herein demonstrated that vaccination with TCR-DNA effectively induced anti idiotypic cellular as well as humoral responses. Serum samples from the TCR-DNA vaccinated BALB/c mice were able to stain T cells in an idiotype-specific manner. CD4+ T cells from the TCR-DNA-vaccinated mice proliferated in response to stimulation with irradiated syngeneic OVA-T cells and secreted interferon-gamma but very little IL-4. Splenocytes from the TCR-DNA-vaccinated mice showed strong idiotype-specific CTL activity against the OVA-T cells. Furthermore, adoptive transfer of the CD4+ or CD8+ T cells from the TCR-DNA-vaccinated mice resulted in hyporesponsiveness of syngeneic recipients. These results demonstrated that vaccination with DNA encoding TCR can effectively activate anti-idiotypic regulatory responses in vivo and thus providing a useful way for immunological intervention. PMID- 17764620 TI - Enhancement of antitumor effect of tegafur/uracil (UFT) plus leucovorin by combined treatment with protein-bound polysaccharide, PSK, in mouse models. AB - We evaluated the antitumor effect of combined therapy with tegafur/uracil (UFT) plus leucovorin (LV) (UFT/LV) and protein-bound polysaccharide, PSK, in three mouse models of transplantable tumors. UFT/LV showed antitumor effect against Meth A sarcoma, and the antitumor effect was enhanced when PSK given concomitantly. UFT/LV showed antitumor effect to Lewis lung carcinoma and PSK alone also showed antitumor effect at high dose, but a combination of UFT/LV and PSK resulted in no enhanced antitumor effect. Colon 26 carcinoma was weakly responsive to UFT/LV, and no enhancement of antitumor effect was found even PSK was used in combination. In conclusion, while the effect of PSK varies depending on tumor, combined use of UFT/LV and PSK may be expected to augment the antitumor effect. PMID- 17764621 TI - High level expression of HLA-A*0203-BSP fusion protein in Escherichia coli and construction of soluble HLA-A*0203 monomer and tetramer loaded with Epstein-Barr virus peptide. AB - Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) tetramer technology is critical for characterization of antigen-specific T cells. In the present study we reported the successful generation of HLA-A*0203 tetramer loaded with Epstein-Barr virus EBNA3(596-604) peptide (SVRDRLARL, SVR). Prokaryotic expression vector for the ectodomain of the heavy chain of HLA-A*0203 fused with a BirA substrate peptide (HLA-A*0203-BSP) was constructed and the expression conditions of the fusion protein in Escherichia coli (E. coli) were optimized. The fusion protein was highly expressed in inclusion bodies within E. coli. It was then refolded in the presence of beta2-microglobulin and SVR peptide to form a soluble HLA-A*0203-SVR monomer. After biotinylation with BirA, the monomer was purified by anion exchange chromatography and its purity was up to 95%. The tetramer was then formulated by mixing the biotinylated monomer with streptavidin-PE at a ratio of 4:1. Flow cytometry showed that this tetramer could specifically react with antigen-specific CD8+ T cells, indicating that it was biologically functional. These results provide a foundation for further characterization of antigen specific CD8+ T cells from HLA-A*0203 subjects. PMID- 17764622 TI - STAT3-decoy ODN inhibits cytokine autocrine of murine tumor cells. AB - Tumor cells usually secrete soluble factors to improve their proliferation via autocrine network or to escape from immune surveillance by inhibiting antitumor immunity, among these factors IL-10 and IL-6 play more important roles. Since both cytokines' signal transductions are mediated through the STAT3 pathway, STAT3 becomes an attractive target for tumor therapy. In present study, STAT3 of murine tumor cell lines B16 and MCA-38 was constitutively activated. After treatment with STAT3-decoy ODN, the proliferation of these tumor cells was inhibited and the transcription of IL-10 or IL-6 in tumor cells was down regulated. These results suggested that STAT3 is a good target candidate, and STAT3-decoy ODN may possibly be used as a strategy for breaking both tumor autocrine network and tumor immunotolerance. PMID- 17764623 TI - Pertinacious prescription of practice paradigms: the ethical burden of coercive clinical guidelines. PMID- 17764624 TI - Effectiveness of atypical antipsychotic drugs in patients with Alzheimer's disease. PMID- 17764625 TI - Diet and Alzheimer's disease. AB - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing in prevalence. There are no known preventive or curative measures. There is evidence that oxidative stress, homo cysteine-related vitamins, fats, and alcohol have a role in the pathogenesis of AD. Some epidemiologic studies suggest that higher dietary intake of antioxidants, vitamins B(6), B(12), and folate, unsaturated fatty acids, and fish are related to a lower risk of AD, but reports are inconsistent. Modest to moderate alcohol intake, particularly wine, may be related to a lower risk of AD. The Mediterranean diet may also be related to lower AD risk. However, randomized clinical trials of supplements of vitamins E, B(12), B(6), and folate have shown no cognitive benefit, and randomized trials for other nutrients or diets in AD are not available. The existing evidence does not support the recommendation of specific supplements, foods, or diets for the prevention of AD. PMID- 17764627 TI - Laboratory biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease. AB - Diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease and the related dementias have long depended principally on clinical examination, especially cognitive testing. Establishment of biomarkers, which might assist in diagnosis or tracking of disease progression, would be a highly valuable addition to the care of patients. Such biomarkers are potentially available from body fluids and tissues as well as from brain imaging data. As specific disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease are developed, biomarkers may improve diagnostic accuracy and facilitate clinical trials, allowing a better gauge of treatment response. In this review, we focus on biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma, including measurements of the proteins tau and beta-amyloid. PMID- 17764626 TI - Type 2 diabetes and risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. AB - Diabetes is a major public health burden. Even a modest effect of diabetes on cognitive function has significant public health implications. Several lines of mechanistic evidence implicate a role of insulin and glucose metabolism on risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Population-based studies have shown that those with type 2 diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of cognitive impairment, dementia, and neurodegeneration. There are many mechanisms through which diabetes could increase risk of dementia, including glycemia, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, advanced glycation endproducts, inflammatory cytokines, and microvascular and macrovascular disease. This paper presents a review of the evidence on diabetes and increased risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, a discussion of different possible mechanisms, and remaining gaps in our knowledge. PMID- 17764629 TI - Memantine/Gabapentin for the treatment of congenital nystagmus. PMID- 17764628 TI - An update on primary progressive aphasia. AB - Primary progressive aphasia is a neurodegenerative syndrome characterized by a relentless dissolution of language but relative sparing of other cognitive domains during the initial stages of the disease. Substantial progress has been made in understanding the clinical characteristics, imaging, genetics, and neuropathology of this syndrome. This article reviews the clinical criteria for diagnosing primary progressive aphasia and some of the more recent research advances in this field. PMID- 17764631 TI - Disorders of saccades. AB - Saccades are rapid eye movements that assist vision by pointing the fovea of the retina, which contains the highest density of photoreceptors, at features of interest in the visual environment. A great deal is now known about the properties and neurobiology of saccades in both health and disease states. They have consequently become a valuable diagnostic and research tool. In this review, we describe the common saccadic disorders and their causes. We also highlight recent insights into the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying these disorders and discuss how these insights have helped increase our understanding of the saccadic system as a whole. PMID- 17764633 TI - Common neurodegenerative diseases: dissection by genome-wide association. AB - Genome-wide association studies have already yielded great results. The success of this method in several common diseases leaves little doubt that it will aid in deciphering the genetic bases of the most common and devastating neurodegenerative disorders. PMID- 17764632 TI - The dilated pupil: an update. AB - The dilated pupil can present a significant challenge to the clinician. Although in most cases a complete history and physical examination is sufficient to make an accurate diagnosis, selected patients will require further investigation, including pharmacologic testing and neuroimaging. This review outlines the physiology, clinical features, and diagnostic approach to the most important causes of the dilated pupil. Particular attention is given to recent publications on this topic. PMID- 17764630 TI - Horner's syndrome, Pseudo-Horner's syndrome, and simple anisocoria. AB - This discussion reviews the common causes of Horner's syndrome, with emphasis on case reports from the past several years. Much of the recent literature concerns the use of apraclonidine as a diagnostic test for Horner's syndrome, possibly as an alternative for the current gold standard of cocaine eye drops. This new literature is discussed in the context of the current standards for clinical diagnosis. PMID- 17764634 TI - Advances in lafora progressive myoclonus epilepsy. AB - Abstract Lafora progressive myoclonus epilepsy is an autosomal recessive, fatal, generalized polyglucosan storage disorder that occurs in childhood or adolescence with stimulus sensitive epilepsy (resting and action myoclonias, grand mal, and absence), dementia, ataxia and rapid neurologic deterioration. Mutations in EPM2A/laforin cause 58% of cases and mutations in EPM2B/malin cause 35% of cases. Accumulating evidence points to Lafora disease as primarily a disorder of cell death with impaired clearance of misfolded proteins, as shown by ubiquitin positive aggresomes in HeLa cells transfected with mutated laforin, ubiquitin positive polyglucosan inclusion bodies, and malin/E3 ubiquitin ligase polyubiquitination of laforin. How polyglucosan inclusion bodies accumulate is still a mystery. Polyglucosan accumulates hypothetically because of an overactive polyglucosan biosynthetic pathway or a breakdown in polyglucosan degradation. Five separate laboratories are looking for the biochemical pathways that connect laforin and malin to polyglucosan synthesis or degradation. A curative therapy for human Lafora disease with laforin replacement therapy using neutral pegylated immunoliposomes is being investigated. PMID- 17764641 TI - Confluent annular lesion on the dorsum of the hand. PMID- 17764640 TI - Rosiglitazone: failure of oversight or demons imagined? PMID- 17764636 TI - Autophagy and neurodegeneration. AB - All cellular components are subjected to continuous surveillance by intracellular quality control systems. The major players involved in this quality control are molecular chaperones, which detect the abnormal components, and proteases, which eliminate them from the cell. Malfunctioning of the cellular surveillance systems inexorably leads to cell toxicity, and often cell death, due to the accumulation of unwanted nonfunctional components inside cells. In this work, we review the contribution of the autophagic system to cellular quality control and the consequences that autophagy malfunction has on cellular function. Special emphasis is made on the recently identified role of this system in maintenance of neuronal homeostasis and in the links currently established between alterations in the autophagic system and major neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease. PMID- 17764642 TI - Managing CAP: are you up-to-date? PMID- 17764643 TI - Managing CAP: an evidence-based algorithm. AB - The 2007 guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society are a blend of level-of-evidence strength and consensus opinion- a unified, evidence-based document. These new recommendations address prior discrepancies between the 2 specialties. We developed a CAP treatment algorithm based on the new advisory. PMID- 17764635 TI - The genetics of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. AB - The clinical disorders associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are increasingly recognized as an important cause of early-onset dementia. Patients usually present with progressive changes in personality, behavior, or language, progressing to general cognitive impairment and ultimately death. In the past decade, improved clinical and histopathologic characterization uncovered extensive heterogeneity, and multiple clinical and pathologic FTLD subtypes were defined. Simultaneously, the discovery of four causal FTLD genes emphasized the genetic complexity associated with FTLD. More recently, the field of FTLD has gained increased attention as a result of two major findings. First, mutations in the progranulin gene (PGRN) were recognized as a major cause of FTLD with ubiquitin-positive and tau-negative inclusions (FTLD-U), and subsequently the TAR DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43) was identified as a key protein within the ubiquitinated inclusions in FTLD-U and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this report, we outline the progress made in the study of the genetic etiologies and neuropathologic substrates in FTLD. PMID- 17764644 TI - What we really need to do to reduce cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. PMID- 17764646 TI - Clinical inquiries. Which technique for removing nevi is least scarring? PMID- 17764645 TI - Using prandial insulin to achieve glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. PMID- 17764647 TI - Clinical inquiries. Does the age you introduce food to an infant affect allergies later? PMID- 17764648 TI - Clinical inquiries. Can infants/toddlers get enough fluoride through brushing? PMID- 17764650 TI - Clinical inquiries. Should we use SSRIs to treat adolescents with depression? PMID- 17764649 TI - Clinical inquiries. What's the best treatment for gestational diabetes? PMID- 17764651 TI - Clinical inquiries. Should we use appetite stimulants for malnourished elderly patients? PMID- 17764652 TI - Antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial isolates from bacterial keratitis cases in a university hospital in Taiwan. AB - PURPOSE: To analyze in vitro antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial isolates from patients with bacterial keratitis at the National Taiwan University Hospital over the past 12 years. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. METHODS: Medical records were reviewed for patients with culture-proven bacterial keratitis at the National Taiwan University Hospital from January 1994 to December 2005. Microbial isolation and in vitro antibiotic susceptibility were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 272 pathogens were isolated from 254 eyes. Pseudomonas species were the most commonly isolated organisms (46.7%), followed by Staphylococcus species (11%), Propionibacterium species (8.1%), Streptococcus species (7.6%), and nontuberculous Mycobacteria (6.6%). There was no significant change in antibiotic susceptibility in the strains of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, or nontuberculous Mycobacteria during the study period. From 1994 to 2005, 81.8% of the gram-negative organisms were susceptible to the combination of cefazolin and gentamicin, whereas 95.8% were susceptible to ciprofloxacin (P < .001). For all bacterial isolates, 83.7% and 89.7% were susceptible to the combination of cefazolin and gentamicin and the combination of cefazolin and ciprofloxacin, respectively (P < .001). CONCLUSION: There was no increase in drug resistance in strains of Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, or nontuberculous Mycobacteria from 1994 to 2005. Ciprofloxacin is a more efficacious choice than the combination of cefazolin and gentamicin for gram-negative bacterial keratitis in Taiwan. The combination of cefazolin and ciprofloxacin is an effective empirical therapeutic regimen for bacterial keratitis. PMID- 17764653 TI - Arginine methylation of Sam68 and SLM proteins negatively regulates their poly(U) RNA binding activity. AB - Sam68 (Src substrate associated during mitosis) and its homologues, SLM-1 and SLM 2 (Sam68-like mammalian proteins), are RNA binding proteins and contain the arg gly (RG) repeats, in which arginine residues are methylated by the protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1). However, it remains unclear whether the arginine methylation affects an RNA binding. Here, we report that methylation of Sam68 and SLM proteins markedly reduced their poly(U) binding ability in vitro. The RG repeats of Sam68 bound poly(U), but arginine methylation of the RG repeats abrogated its poly(U) binding ability in vitro. Overexpression of PRMT1 increased arginine methylation of Sam68 and SLM proteins in cells, which resulted in a decrease of their poly(U) binding ability. The results suggest that the RG repeats conserved in Sam68 and SLM proteins may function as an auxiliary RNA binding domain and arginine methylation may eliminate or reduce an RNA binding ability of the proteins. PMID- 17764656 TI - The geometry of the ionic channel lumen formed by alpha-latroinsectotoxin from black widow spider venom in the bilayer lipid membranes. AB - The dependence of single channel conductance formed by alpha-latroinsectotoxin (alpha-LIT) from black widow spider venom in the planar phospholipid membrane on the hydrodynamic radii of different nonelectrolytes allowed to determine the geometry of alpha-LIT water lumen. It was found that the cis- and trans-entrances of alpha-LIT channel had the same effective radii of 0.55-0.58 nm. Relatively small conductance of alpha-LIT channel (23.5+3.7 pS) in a symmetrical membrane bathing solution of 100 mM KCl (pH 7.4) may result from the constriction inside the channel with apparent radius of 0.37 nm located 32.5% of channel length away from the cis-entrance. PMID- 17764655 TI - Quantification of angiogenic growth factors released by human dental cells after injury. AB - OBJECTIVE: Angiogenesis is a key step in the dental pulp healing sequence which involves the dentine bridge formation. In a previous work, we showed that dental pulp cells secrete soluble factors which interact with endothelial cells and affect the process of angiogenesis. The objective of this work was to quantify the angiogenic growth factors released by mechanically injured human dental pulp cells and the effect of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) on this secretion. DESIGN: Pulp cells were prepared from immature third molars explants by the outgrowth method. Cell monolayers were either subjected to mechanical injuries or treated with increasing concentrations of HEMA. ELISA was used to quantify the secreted angiogenic growth factors in the culture media after different time periods of injury and after incubation with different concentrations of HEMA. RESULTS: Pulp cells secreted significant levels of PDGF-AB, VEGF and FGF-2. The concentration of these factors increased shortly (5h) after injury and returned to initial values after 1 day. HEMA treatment increased VEGF secretion but decreased that of FGF-2 in a dose-dependent manner while it did not affect PDGF AB level. CONCLUSIONS: Dental pulp cells secrete angiogenic growth factors which play a pivotal role in angiogenesis which precedes the reparative dentine formation. PDGF-AB seems to play a major role because its level showed the highest increase in mechanically injured cells. The presence of HEMA affects both FGF-2 and VEGF levels and may partially explain the lack of dentine bridging after direct pulp capping with an adhesive system. PMID- 17764654 TI - Similar enzymes, different structures: phthalate dioxygenase is an alpha3alpha3 stacked hexamer, not an alpha3beta3 trimer like "normal" Rieske oxygenases. AB - Phthalate dioxygenase (PDO) is a member of a class of bacterial oxygenases that contain both Rieske [2Fe-2S] and Fe(II) mononuclear centers. Recent crystal structures of several Rieske dioxygenases showed that they exist as alpha(3)beta(3) multimers with subunits arranged head-to-tail in alpha and beta stacked planar rings. The structure of PDO, which consists of only alpha subunits, remains to be solved. Although similar to other Rieske dioxygenases in many aspects, PDO was shown to differ in the mechanism of catalysis. Gel filtration and analytical centrifugation experiments, supplemented with mass spectrometric analysis (both ESI-MS and ESI-GEMMA), in this work showed a hexameric arrangement of subunits in the PDO multimer. Our proposed model for the subunit arrangement in PDO postulates two alpha(3) planar rings one on top the other, similar to the alpha(3)beta(3) arrangement in other Rieske dioxygenases. Unlike other Rieske dioxygenases, this arrangement brings two Rieske and two mononuclear centers, all on separate subunits, into proximity, allowing their cooperation for catalysis. Potential reasons necessitating this unusual structural arrangement are discussed. PMID- 17764657 TI - Down-regulation of MUC1 in cancer cells inhibits cell migration by promoting E cadherin/catenin complex formation. AB - MUC1, a tumor associated glycoprotein, is over-expressed in most cancers and can promote proliferation and metastasis. The objective of this research was to study the role of MUC1 in cancer metastasis and its potential mechanism. Pancreatic (PANC1) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cells with stable 'knockdown' of MUC1 expression were created using RNA interference. beta-Catenin and E-cadherin protein expression were upregulated in PANC1 and MCF-7 cells with decreased MUC1 expression. Downregulation of MUC1 expression also induced beta-catenin relocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, increased E-cadherin/beta-catenin complex formation and E-cadherin membrane localization in PANC1 cells. PANC1 cells with 'knockdown' MUC1 expression had decreased in vitro cell invasion. This study suggested that MUC1 may affect cancer cell migration by increasing E cadherin/beta-catenin complex formation and restoring E-cadherin membrane localization. PMID- 17764658 TI - Targeting the expression of functional murine CMP-sialic acid transporter to the E. coli inner membrane. AB - The heterologous expression of functional mammalian integral membrane proteins still represents a significant hurdle towards their crystallization and structure elucidation. We have therefore explored the use of the OmpA signal sequence to deliberately target the expression of the murine CMP-sialic acid transporter, a Golgi-resident protein with 10 putative transmembrane domains, to the Escherichia coli inner membrane. Here, we show that the expression of an OmpA signal sequence FLAG-CMP-sialic acid transporter fusion protein in E. coli results in the targeting and insertion of recombinant protein within the inner membrane. Significantly, functionality was confirmed by the ability of spheroplasted E. coli and mixed phosphatidylcholine-E. coli inner membrane proteoliposomes incorporating recombinant CMP-sialic acid transporter to accumulate CMP-sialic acid in vitro. PMID- 17764659 TI - Inactivation of the mouse Atxn3 (ataxin-3) gene increases protein ubiquitination. AB - Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 is a neurodegenerative disease caused by expansion of a polyglutamine domain in the protein ataxin-3 (ATXN3). Physiological functions of ATXN3 presumably include ubiquitin protease and transcriptional corepressor activity. To gain insight into the function of ATXN3 and to test the hypothesis that loss of ATXN3 contributes to the pathology in SCA3 we generated Atxn3 knockout (ko) mice by targeted mutagenesis. Loss of Atxn3 did not affect viability or fertility and Atxn3 ko mice displayed no overt abnormalities. On the accelerating Rotarod Atxn3 ko mice performed as well as wildtype (wt) animals, but reduced exploratory behavior in the open field suggested a sense of heightened anxiety. While no gross deficits were apparent upon morphological examination, we found increased levels of ubiquitinated proteins in Atxn3 ko tissues. Thus Atxn3 ko mice provide the first in vivo reference to the deubiquitinating activity of ATXN3. PMID- 17764660 TI - Expression profiles of BDNF splice variants in cultured DRG neurons stimulated with NGF. AB - Expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA is increased in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in response to peripheral inflammation. Nerve growth factor (NGF) from inflammatory tissue is thought to induce expression of BDNF. Recently, it was reported that the BDNF gene has eight non-coding exons that are transcribed independently into several splice variants. Expression of these splice variants in DRG neurons stimulated with NGF has not been studied. We examined changes in expression of BDNF splice variants in a rat model of peripheral inflammation and in cultured DRG neurons exposed to NGF. Total BDNF mRNA was increased by inflammation in vivo and by NGF in vitro. Among all splice variants, exon 1-9 showed the greatest increase in expression in both experiments. Our results indicate that exon 1-9 contributes to changes in total BDNF levels and may play an important role in the acute response of DRG to NGF. PMID- 17764661 TI - Schistosome dystrophin and dystrobrevin proteins contain large insertions. AB - Dystrophin and dystrobrevin are distantly related proteins that form a heterodimeric membrane-bound complex in all metazoa so far studied. The signature feature of the dystrophin/dystrobrevin/dystrotelin superfamily is a highly conserved cluster of domains whose integrity and size are maintained in all known members- more than 60 sequences so far reported. We were therefore surprised to find that the analogous regions of the Schistosoma mansoni proteins bear multiple large insertions amounting to 100% (dystrophin) and 35% (dystrobrevin) of their expected size. We isolated orthologous sequences from Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis, and found that the insertions have a 10-fold higher rate of change (Ka/Ks value) than their respective host sequences, suggesting a much lower degree of functional constraint. A survey of known S. mansoni protein sequences shows that only two other proteins (both acetylcholine receptors) share these properties. We discuss the implications of the positions and sizes of these insertions for the structure and function of the dystrophins and dystrobrevins. PMID- 17764663 TI - Neurobiology of addiction. An integrative review. AB - Evidence that psychoactive substance use disorders, bulimia nervosa, pathological gambling, and sexual addiction share an underlying biopsychological process is summarized. Definitions are offered for addiction and addictive process, the latter being the proposed designation for the underlying biopsychological process that addictive disorders are hypothesized to share. The addictive process is introduced as an interaction of impairments in three functional systems: motivation-reward, affect regulation, and behavioral inhibition. An integrative review of the literature that addresses the neurobiology of addiction is then presented, organized according to the three functional systems that constitute the addictive process. The review is directed toward identifying candidate neurochemical substrates for the impairments in motivation-reward, affect regulation, and behavioral inhibition that could contribute to an addictive process. PMID- 17764662 TI - "Higher order" addiction molecular genetics: convergent data from genome-wide association in humans and mice. AB - Family, adoption and twin data each support substantial heritability for addictions. Most of this heritable influence is not substance-specific. The overlapping genetic vulnerability for developing dependence on a variety of addictive substances suggests large roles for "higher order" pharamacogenomics in addiction molecular genetics. We and others have now completed genome-wide association (GWA) studies of DNAs from individuals with dependence on a variety of addictive substances versus appropriate controls. Recently reported replicated GWA observations identify a number of genes based on comparisons between controls and European-American and African-American polysubstance abusers. Here we review the convergence between these results and data that compares control samples and (a) alcohol-dependent European-Americans, (b) methamphetamine-dependent Asians and (c) nicotine dependent samples from European backgrounds. We also compare these human data to quantitative trait locus (QTL) results from studies of addiction-related phenotypes in mice that focus on alcohol, methamphetamine and barbiturates. These comparisons support a genetic architecture built from largely polygenic contributions of common allelic variants to dependence on a variety of legal and illegal substances. Many of the gene variants identified in this way are likely to alter specification and maintenance of neuronal connections. PMID- 17764665 TI - Time-dependent effects of amphetamine on feeding in rats. AB - Following administration of a moderate dose of amphetamine, rats appear to pass through a sequence of physiological/psychological states, including stimulant and depressant states. The present research evaluated whether these states could be inferred from time-dependent changes in feeding-related measures. Male rats were housed in individual stations (light-dark 12-12 h, free access to water) where, at 3-h intervals, they could respond for food for 1 h. The work requirement was fixed ratio 1, and each lever press produced six 94-mg food pellets. When the pattern of responding for food stabilized across the light-dark cycle, a series of 6 or 7 tests was run. During each test, rats received a saline treatment (1.0 ml/kg, subcutaneously) followed by a 48-h monitoring period, and then they received an amphetamine treatment (2.0 mg/kg, subcutaneously) followed by a 72-h monitoring period. Different groups were treated at either light onset or light offset. Lever presses and head-in-feeding-bin responses were monitored throughout these tests. Administration of amphetamine at light onset and at light offset produced cumulative food intake functions having four regions: post-treatment hours 1-6 (hypophagia), 7-12 (normal intake), 13-27 (hypophagia), and 28 and beyond (normal intake). The sequence, duration, and quality of the amphetamine induced changes in food intake resembled those formerly seen in cue state and activity, and provided further evidence of a transient withdrawal state 20-24 h post-amphetamine treatment. PMID- 17764666 TI - Estradiol modulates brainstem catecholaminergic cell groups and projections to the auditory forebrain in a female songbird. AB - In songbirds, hearing conspecific song induces robust expression of the immediate early gene zenk in the auditory forebrain. This genomic response to song is well characterized in males and females of many species, and is highly selective for behaviorally relevant song. In white-throated sparrows, the selectivity of the zenk response requires breeding levels of estradiol; we previously showed that in non-breeding females with low levels of plasma estradiol, the zenk response to hearing song is no different than the response to hearing frequency-matched tones. Here, we investigated the role of brainstem catecholaminergic cells groups, which project to the forebrain, in estradiol-dependent selectivity. First, we hypothesized that estradiol treatment affects catecholaminergic innervation of the auditory forebrain as well as its possible sources in the brainstem. Immunohistochemical staining of tyrosine hydroxylase revealed that estradiol treatment significantly increased the density of catecholaminergic innervation of the auditory forebrain as well as the number of catecholaminergic cells in the locus coeruleus (A6) and the ventral tegmental area (A10), both of which are known to contain estrogen receptors in songbirds. Second, we hypothesized that during song perception, catecholaminergic cell groups of the brainstem actively participate in auditory selectivity via estrogen-dependent changes in activity. We found that hearing songs did not induce the expression of zenk, a putative marker of activity, within catecholaminergic neurons in any of the cell groups quantified. Together, our results suggest that estradiol induces changes in brainstem catecholaminergic cell groups that may play a neuromodulatory role in behavioral and auditory selectivity. PMID- 17764664 TI - Brain mast cell relationship to neurovasculature during development. AB - Mast cells, derived from the hematopoietic stem cell, are present in the brain from birth. During development, mast cells occur in two locations, namely the pia and the brain parenchyma. The current hypothesis regarding their origin states that brain mast cells (or their precursors) enter the pia and access the thalamus by traveling along the abluminal wall of penetrating blood vessels. The population in the pia reaches a maximum at postnatal (PN) day 11, and declines rapidly thereafter. Chromatin fragmentation suggests that this cell loss is due to apoptosis. In contrast, the thalamic population expands from PN8 to reach adult levels at PN30. Stereological analysis demonstrates that mast cells home to blood vessels. More than 96% of mast cells are inside the blood-brain barrier, with ~90% contacting the blood vessel wall or its extracellular matrix. Mast cells express alpha4 integrins -- a potential mechanism for adhesion to the vascular wall. Despite the steady increase in the volume of microvasculature, at all ages studied, mast cells are preferentially located on large diameter vessels (>16 microm; possibly arteries), and contact only those maturing blood vessels that are ensheathed by astroglial processes. Mast cells not only home to large vessels but also maintain a preferential position at branch points, sites of vessel growth. This observation presents the possibility that mast cells participate in and/or regulate vasculature growth or differentiation. The biochemical and molecular signals that induce mast cell homing in the CNS is an area of active investigation. PMID- 17764667 TI - The emerging role of Ca2+ sensitivity regulation in promoting myogenic vasoconstriction. AB - Growing evidence suggests that mechanisms which regulate the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile apparatus in vascular smooth muscle cells form the backbone of pressure-induced myogenic vasoconstriction. The modulation of Ca2+ sensitivity is suited to partially uncouple intracellular Ca2+ from constriction, thereby allowing the maintenance of tone with fully conserved function of other Ca2+ dependent processes. Following a brief review of 'classical' Ca2+-dependent signalling pathways involved in the myogenic response, the present review describes the emerging mechanisms that promote myogenic vasoconstriction via modulation of Ca2+ sensitivity. For the purpose of this review, Ca2+ sensitivity reflects the dynamic equilibrium between myosin light-chain kinase and myosin light-chain phosphatase activities in terms of its impact on vascular tone. Several signalling pathways (PKC, RhoA/Rho kinase, ROS) which have been identified as prominent regulators of Ca2+ sensitivity will be discussed. Although Ca2+ sensitivity modulation is clearly an important component of the myogenic response, attempts to integrate it into existing mechanistic models resulted in a two-phase model, with a predominant Ca2+-dependent 'initiation/trigger' phase followed by a Ca2+-independent 'maintenance' phase. We propose that the two-phase model is rather simplistic, because the literature reviewed here demonstrates that Ca2+-dependent and -independent mechanisms do not operate in isolation and are important at all stages of the response. The regulation of Ca2+ sensitivity, as an equal and complimentary partner of Ca2+ dependent processes, significantly enhances our understanding of the complex array of signalling pathways, which ultimately mediate the myogenic response. PMID- 17764668 TI - Neuroprotective effects of purslane herb aquenous extracts against D-galactose induced neurotoxicity. AB - In order to evaluate mechanisms of natural plant purslane herb aquenous extracts (PHAS) for neuroprotective, we assessed neuroprotective effects of PHAS at doses of 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/(kg day) on SD mice injected daily with D-gal (50 mg/(kg day)) by behavioral tests. PHAS-fed mice showed higher activity upon induction by new environmental stimuli, lower anxiety and higher novelty-seeking behavior in the open field tasks, and significantly improved learning and memory ability in step-through compared with D-gal-treated mice. We further examined the mechanisms involved in neuroprotective effects of PHAS on mouse brain. PHAS significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Meanwhile, PHAS also could up-regulate telomere lengths and telomerase activity in PHAS-fed groups. Furthermore, we examined the expression of p21(waf1) and p53 mRNA and protein in mouse brain by western blot analysis and real-time RT-PCR. We found that p21(waf1)was down-regulated by PHAS without changing the expression of p53. The results of this study suggested that the PHAS might be a primary target of p21(waf1)and the neuroprotective effect of PHAS might be carried out through a p21(waf1)-dependent and p53-independent pathway. PMID- 17764669 TI - How many hindsight biases are there? AB - The answer is three: questioning a conceptual default assumption in hindsight bias research, we argue that the hindsight bias is not a unitary phenomenon but consists of three separable and partially independent subphenomena or components, namely, memory distortions, impressions of foreseeability and impressions of necessity. Following a detailed conceptual analysis including a systematic survey of hindsight characterizations in the published literature, we investigated these hindsight components in the context of political elections. We present evidence from three empirical studies that impressions of foreseeability and memory distortions (1) show hindsight effects that typically differ in magnitude and sometimes even in direction, (2) are essentially uncorrelated, and (3) are differentially influenced by extraneous variables. A fourth study found similar dissociations between memory distortions and impressions of necessity. All four studies thus provide support for a separate components view of the hindsight bias. An important consequence of such a view is that apparent contradictions in research findings as well as in theoretical explanations (e.g., cognitive vs. social-motivational) might be alleviated by taking differences between components into account. We also suggest conditions under which the components diverge or converge. PMID- 17764671 TI - The myocardial infarct size-limiting and antiarrhythmic effects of acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase inhibitor VULM 1457 protect the hearts of diabetic-hypercholesterolaemic rats against ischaemia/reperfusion injury both in vitro and in vivo. AB - The study was designed to characterise the influence of a novel acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase inhibitor, VULM 1457, on the severity of myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury in a model of diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolaemia induced by co-administration of streptozotocin and a high fat-cholesterol diet. We used Langendorff-perfused rat hearts to measure the size of myocardial infarction after 30 min of regional ischaemia, followed by a 2-h reperfusion period, and open-chest rats were exposed to 6 min of ischaemia and 10 min of reperfusion to analyse ventricular arrhythmias. In addition to the high fat-cholesterol diet, VULM 1457 was administered to the diabetic hypercholesterolaemic rats for 5 days. Decreased plasma and liver cholesterol levels and a significantly reduced occurrence of ventricular fibrillation (29% vs. 100%, P<0.01), determined via the mean number and duration of episodes (0.6+/ 0.4 and 2.1+/-1.4 s vs. 2.8+/-0.8 and 53.5+/-14.4 s in diabetic hypercholesterolaemic rats, both P<0.01), were observed in these animals. Lethal ventricular fibrillation was suppressed, and arrhythmia severity was also significantly decreased in these animals as compared to the non-treated animals (2.9+/-0.6 vs. 4.9+/-0.2; P<0.05). A smaller infarct size, normalised to the size of area at risk, was observed in the treated diabetic-hypercholesterolaemic group as compared to the non-treated group (16.3+/-1.9% vs. 37.3+/-3.1%; P<0.01). Aside from remarkable hypolipidaemic activity, VULM 1457 improved the overall myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury outcomes in the diabetic hypercholesterolaemic rats by suppressing arrhythmogenesis as well as by reducing myocardial necrosis. PMID- 17764670 TI - Hand transcription factors cooperatively regulate development of the distal midline mesenchyme. AB - Hand proteins are evolutionally conserved basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors implicated in development of neural crest-derived tissues, heart and limb. Hand1 is expressed in the distal (ventral) zone of the branchial arches, whereas the Hand2 expression domain extends ventrolaterally to occupy two thirds of the mandibular arch. To circumvent the early embryonic lethality of Hand1 or Hand2-null embryos and to examine their roles in neural crest development, we generated mice with neural crest-specific deletion of Hand1 and various combinations of mutant alleles of Hand2. Ablation of Hand1 alone in neural crest cells did not affect embryonic development, however, further removing one Hand2 allele or deleting the ventrolateral branchial arch expression of Hand2 led to a novel phenotype presumably due to impaired growth of the distal midline mesenchyme. Although we failed to detect changes in proliferation or apoptosis between the distal mandibular arch of wild-type and Hand1/Hand2 compound mutants at embryonic day (E)10.5, dysregulation of Pax9, Msx2 and Prx2 was observed in the distal mesenchyme at E12.5. In addition, the inter-dental mesenchyme and distal symphysis of Meckel's cartilage became hypoplastic, resulting in the formation of a single fused lower incisor within the hypoplastic fused mandible. These findings demonstrate the importance of Hand transcription factors in the transcriptional circuitry of craniofacial and tooth development. PMID- 17764673 TI - Piperine inhibits TNF-alpha induced adhesion of neutrophils to endothelial monolayer through suppression of NF-kappaB and IkappaB kinase activation. AB - Piperine displays antipyretic, analgesic, insecticidal and anti-inflammatory activities. It is the first amide to be isolated from Piper species. In the process of identifying non-steroidal anti-inflammatory small molecules from the natural sources, we demonstrate here that piperine inhibits adhesion of neutrophils to endothelial monolayer. The inhibition of neutrophils to endothelial monolayer by piperine is due to its ability to block the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) induced expression of cell adhesion molecules i.e. ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1), VCAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule-1) and E-selectin as analyzed by cell-ELISA and confirmed by flow cytometry. Further, we demonstrate that inhibition of ICAM-1 by piperine is reversible. As nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is known to control the transcriptional regulation of cell adhesion molecules hence, we measured the effect of piperine on NF-kappaB in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus of endothelial cells. We observed that pretreatment of endothelial cells with piperine blocks the nuclear translocation and activation of NF-kappaB via blocking the phosphorylation and degradation of its inhibitory protein, IkappaBalpha. Piperine blocks the phosphorylation and degradation of IkappaBalpha by attenuating TNF-alpha induced IkappaB kinase activity. These results suggest a possible mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity of piperine. Therefore, piperine or its structural analogues could be used for the development of new anti inflammatory molecules. PMID- 17764672 TI - Conserved lysin and arginin residues in the extracellular loop of P2X(3) receptors are involved in agonist binding. AB - Wild-type human (h) P2X(3) receptors expressed in HEK293 cells responded to the prototypic agonist alpha,beta-methylene ATP (alpha,beta-meATP) with rapidly desensitizing inward currents and an increase in the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. In contrast to electrophysiological recordings, Ca(2+) microfluorimetry showed a lower maximum of the concentration-response curve of alpha,beta-meATP in the transiently than in the permanently transfected HEK293 cells. However, the concentrations causing 50% of the maximum possible effect (EC(50) values) were identical, when measured with either method. In order to determine the role of certain conserved, positively charged amino acids in the nucleotide binding domains (NBD-1-4) of hP2X(3) receptors for agonist binding, the lysine-63, -65, -176 and -299 as well as the arginine-281 and -295 residues were substituted by the neutral amino acid alanine. We observed no effect of alpha,beta-meATP at the K63A, K176A, R295A, and K299A mutants, and a marked decrease of agonist potency at the K65A and R281A mutants. The P2X(3) receptor antagonist 2',3'-O-trinitrophenyl-ATP (TNP-ATP) blocked the effect of alpha,beta meATP at the wild-type hP2X(3) receptor with lower affinity than at the mutant K65A, indicating an interference of this mutation with the docking of the antagonist with its binding sites. The use of confocal fluorescence microscopy in conjunction with an antibody raised against the extracellular loop of the hP2X(3) receptor documented the expression of all mutants in the plasma membrane of HEK293 cells. Eventually, we modelled the possible agonist and antagonist binding sites NBD-1-4 of the hP2X(3) subunit by using structural bioinformatics. This model is in complete agreement with the available data and integrates results from mutagenesis studies with geometry optimization of the tertiary structure predictions of the receptor. PMID- 17764674 TI - Stem cell niches in mammals. AB - Stem cells safeguard tissue homeostasis and guarantee tissue repair throughout life. The decision between self-renewal and differentiation is influenced by a specialized microenvironment called stem cell niche. Physical and molecular interactions with niche cells and orientation of the cleavage plane during stem cell mitosis control the balance between symmetric and asymmetric division of stem cells. Here we highlight recent progress made on the anatomical and molecular characterization of mammalian stem cell niches, focusing particularly on bone marrow, tooth and hair follicle. The knowledge of the regulation of stem cells within their niches in health and disease will be instrumental to develop novel therapies that target stem cell niches to achieve tissue repair and re establish tissue homeostasis. PMID- 17764676 TI - Pregnancy outcomes in women with inflammatory bowel disease: a large community based study from Northern California. AB - BACKGROUND & AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine whether pregnancy outcomes differ between women with and without inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to determine what risk factors adversely affect outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study of all pregnant women within the Northern California Kaiser Permanente membership between the years 1995 and 2002. We abstracted the records of all pregnancies in women with IBD (exposed cohort) and a random sample of pregnancies from age-matched women without IBD (unexposed cohort) and evaluated risk factors for spontaneous abortion, complications of pregnancy, and adverse newborn events. RESULTS: A total of 461 pregnant women with IBD were matched to 493 unexposed pregnant women. Women with IBD were more likely to have an adverse conception outcome (odds ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.09 2.48), an adverse pregnancy outcome (odds ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-2.38), or a pregnancy complication (odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.81); however, the difference between the 2 groups in adverse newborn outcomes was not statistically significant (odds ratio, 1.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.98-3.69). Independent predictors of an adverse outcome included a diagnosis of IBD, a history of surgery for IBD, and non-Caucasian ethnicity. Severity of disease and medical treatments were not associated with an adverse outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Women with IBD are more likely to have an adverse outcome related to pregnancy. Disease activity and medical treatment did not predict adverse outcomes in a large, nonreferral population. PMID- 17764677 TI - Optimal discus trajectories. AB - A general 3-D dynamic model for men's and women's discus flight is presented including precession of spin angular momentum induced by aerodynamic pitching moment. Dependence of pitching moment coefficient on angle of attack alpha is estimated from experiment. Numerical integration of 11 equations of motion for nominal release speed v(0)=25 m/s and axial spin p(0)=42 rad/s also requires 3 other release conditions; initial discus flight path angle beta(0), pitch attitude theta(0), and roll angle phi(0). Optimal values for these release conditions are calculated iteratively to maximize range and are similar for both men and women. The optimal men's trajectory and range R=69.39 m is produced by the strategy beta(0)=38.4 degrees, theta(0)=30.7 degrees, and phi(0)=54.4 degrees. Initial angular velocities except spin are chosen to minimize wobble but an optimal initial spin rate p(0)=25.2 rad/s exists that also maximizes range. Optimal 3-D range exceeds that predicted by 2-D models because, although angle of attack and lift are negative initially, 3-D motion allows advantageous orientation of lift later in flight, with tilt of the axis of symmetry from vertical becoming much smaller at landing. Optimal strategies are discontinuous with wind speed, resulting in slicing and kiting strategies in large head and tail winds, respectively. Sensitivity of optimal range is largest to initial beta(0) and least to phi(0). Present calculations do not account for dependence of initial release angle or spin on release velocity or among other release conditions. PMID- 17764679 TI - Application of gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in the quantification-confirmation of pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in eggs at trace levels. AB - A new multiresidue method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of 57 compounds, including organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticide residues (OCPs and OPPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in eggs at trace levels by gas chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC QqQ-MS/MS). Egg samples were extracted by a simple and fast matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) procedure using C18 as sorbent, and ethyl acetate and acetonitrile saturated in n-hexane (85:15, v/v) as elution solvent with a simultaneous clean up with Florisil in-line. The QqQ analyzer acquired data in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode, permitting both quantification and confirmation in a single injection with a running time reduced up to 17.70 min. Recovery was in the range of 70-110% and 70-106% at 15 and 50 microg/kg, respectively. Precision values expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) were lower than 20%. Linearity in the range of 10-150 microg/kg provided determination coefficients (R(2)) higher than 0.98 for all compounds. Limits of detection (LODs) for pesticides were < or =2.25 microg/kg and limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.02 to 7.78 microg/kg. LODs for PCBs were < or =0.41 microg/kg and LOQ were < or =0.71 microg/kg. The method was applied to real samples. Endosulfan sulphate and p,p'-DDE were found in two samples at concentrations below the first calibration level. PMID- 17764680 TI - Kinetic determination of critical coagulation concentrations for sodium- and calcium-montmorillonite colloids in NaCl and CaCl2 aqueous solutions. AB - The stability of the sodium and calcium forms of montmorillonite was studied at different NaCl and CaCl2 concentrations. The aggregation kinetics was determined from the decrease in particle concentration with time at different electrolyte concentrations. The DLVO theory defines the critical coagulation concentration (CCC) value as the electrolyte concentration that balances the attractive and repulsive potential energies between the particles, making aggregation diffusion controlled. Therefore CCC values were obtained by extrapolation of the aggregation rate constants measured as a function of ionic strength to conditions where the rate constant value is determined by diffusion only. When the electrolyte was CaCl2, the CCC value was found to be approximately two orders of magnitude lower than the CCC values obtained using NaCl as electrolyte. PMID- 17764681 TI - Nonlinear rheology of aqueous solutions of hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose with nonionic surfactant. AB - Shear thickening and strain hardening behavior of hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose (HMHEC) aqueous solutions was experimentally examined. We focused on the effects of polymer concentration, temperature, and addition of nonionic surfactant. It is found that HMHEC shows stronger shear thickening at intermediate shear rates in a certain concentration range. In this range, the zero-shear viscosity scales with polymer concentration as eta(0) approximately c(5.7), showing a stronger concentration dependence than for more concentrated solutions. The critical shear stress for complete disruption of the transient network follows tau(c) approximately c(1.62) in the concentrated regime. Dynamic tests of the transient network on addition of surfactants show that the enhanced zero-shear viscosity is due to an increase in network junction strength, rather than their number, which in fact decreases. The reduction in the junction number could partly explain the weak variation of strain hardening extent for low surfactant concentrations, because of longer and looser bridging chain segments, and hence lesser nonlinear chain stretching. PMID- 17764682 TI - Inverse gas chromatography as a tool for investigation of nanomaterials. AB - Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) is presented as a representative tool for the investigation of nanomaterials: Aerosil200V and two iron oxides (nanohematite and nanogoethite). IGC was used for characterization of the surface properties of materials. Parameters describing their surface properties are calculated from the retention data of test solutes injected into a column filled with the solid of interest. It is possible to determine the surface activity and the Hamaker constants of different nanomaterials. PMID- 17764675 TI - Lymphocyte-dependent and Th2 cytokine-associated colitis in mice deficient in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein. AB - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Controversy exists as to whether patients with inflammatory bowel disease have an underlying immunodeficiency. We have focused on a murine model of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, an immunodeficiency in which autoimmunity can manifest in the form of an inflammatory bowel disease-like illness. Wiskott Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) deficiency in mice results in similar clinical features. Herein, we characterized the colitis in WASP-deficient mice. METHODS: WASP-deficient mice were followed clinically and histologically. Immunologic studies were performed to determine the pathogenic cell population(s), the predominant cytokine expression pattern, and the role of cytokine(s) in colitis pathogenesis. RESULTS: All WASP-deficient mice develop colitis by 6 months of age. Lymphocytes are required for disease induction, and CD4(+) T cells from WASP deficient mice are sufficient to induce disease in lymphocyte-deficient hosts. Lamina propria preparations from WASP-deficient mice demonstrated elevations in interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-4, and IL-13 levels but decreased IL-6 and no difference in IL-17 expression in comparison with wild-type controls. Treatment with neutralizing antibody to IL-4, but not to interferon-gamma, abrogated colitis development. However, mice deficient in both WASP and IL-4 showed no difference in histologic colitis scores at 24 weeks of age compared with WASP deficient mice. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate a critical role for lymphocytes and a relative T helper 2 cytokine predominance in the colitis associated with WASP-deficient mice. This is the only model of colitis with elevated T helper 2 cytokines and aberrant natural regulatory T cell function and is unique in having a human disease counterpart with similar defects. PMID- 17764683 TI - Use of the ternary phase diagram of a mixed cationic/glucopyranoside surfactant system to predict mesostructured silica synthesis. AB - Mixed surfactant systems have the potential to impart controlled combinations of functionality and pore structure to mesoporous metal oxides. Here, we combine a functional glucopyranoside surfactant with a cationic surfactant that readily forms liquid crystalline mesophases. The phase diagram for the ternary system CTAB/H(2)O/n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (C(8)G(1)) at 50 degrees C is measured using polarized optical microscopy. At this temperature, the binary C(8)G(1)/H(2)O system forms disordered micellar solutions up to 72 wt% C(8)G(1), and there is no hexagonal phase. With the addition of CTAB, we identify a large area of hexagonal phase, as well as cubic, lamellar and solid surfactant phases. The ternary phase diagram is used to predict the synthesis of thick mesoporous silica films via a direct liquid crystal templating technique. By changing the relative concentration of mixed surfactants as well as inorganic precursor species, surfactant/silica mesostructured thick films can be synthesized with variable glucopyranoside content, and with 2D hexagonal, cubic and lamellar structures. The domains over which different mesophases are prepared correspond well with those of the ternary phase diagram if the hydrophilic inorganic species is assumed to act as an equivalent volume of water. PMID- 17764684 TI - The Hamaker constant of anatase aqueous suspensions. AB - The linear relationship of the yield stress with the square zeta potential may be used to determine the Hamaker constants in suspensions. In this work we have obtained the Hamaker constant for the attractive forces between anatase particles in aqueous suspensions using this method and compared them with those obtained by contact angle measurement. The results show excellent agreement. PMID- 17764685 TI - Coalescence of a bubble at a fluid-fluid interface: comparison of theory and experiment. AB - Coalescence times for air bubbles rising through hexadecane to an air-hexadecane interface are measured and compared with an analysis based upon our previous extension of continuum mechanics to the nanoscale [J.C. Slattery, E.-S. Oh, K. Fu, Chem. Eng. Sci. 59 (2004) 4621-4635] with the assumption of retarded dispersion forces. The relation between the retarded and non-retarded Hamaker constants proposed by Gorner and Pich [J. Aerosol Sci. 20 (7) (1989) 735-747] is tested for the first time. PMID- 17764686 TI - Wet-chemical approach to three-dimensional gold nanocorallines: synthesis and application in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. AB - The shape-controlled synthesis of micrometer-sized gold nanocoralline was simply realized via a wet-chemical approach. The as-prepared hierarchical gold nanocorallines (HGNs) on the solid substrate were initially applied in SERS analysis with 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) as the probe molecule. The HGN-modified glass substrate exhibits a higher SERS effect (one order of magnitude higher) than the aggregated gold nanoparticle ( approximately 25 nm)-modified glass substrate. PMID- 17764687 TI - Laboratory studies on Australian isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae as a biopesticide for the cattle tick Boophilus microplus. AB - Thirty-one isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae were bioassayed against the cattle tick (Boophilus microplus). More than half of the isolates showed a high degree of virulence to ticks. Radial growth curves for growth between 20 degrees C and 40 degrees C were obtained for all isolates. This information together with information on virulence will be important for the selection of isolates suitable to kill ticks on the surface of cattle. A biopesticide for cattle ticks must kill ticks rapidly at temperatures within the upper end of most isolates' growth curves. It was also found that the time taken to achieve 100% tick mortality in vitro using a virulent isolate could be halved by applying conidia in a 10% oil emulsion. Scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy were used to investigate and compare the germination and penetration of conidia formulated in aqueous and oil formulations. It was found that conidia in both formulations were able to germinate and produce appressoria on the surface of ticks in less than 11h. Marked weakness within 26h, followed by extensive hyphal growth on the cuticle characterised the invasion of ticks by M. anisopliae. PMID- 17764688 TI - Heart mtNOS, a key mediator of oxidative injury in ischemia/reperfusion. PMID- 17764690 TI - Conformational dynamics of the molecular chaperone Hsp90 in complexes with a co chaperone and anticancer drugs. AB - The molecular chaperone Hsp90 is essential for the correct folding, maturation and activation of a diverse array of client proteins, including several key constituents of oncogenic processes. Hsp90 has become a focus of cancer research, since it represents a target for direct prophylaxis against multistep malignancy. Hydrogen-exchange mass spectrometry was used to study the structural and conformational changes undergone by full-length human Hsp90beta in solution upon binding of the kinase-specific co-chaperone Cdc37 and two Hsp90 ATPase inhibitors: Radicicol and the first-generation anticancer drug DMAG. Changes in hydrogen exchange pattern in the complexes in regions of Hsp90 remote to the ligand-binding site were observed indicating long-range effects. In particular, the interface between the N-terminal domain and middle domains exhibited significant differences between the apo and complexed forms. For the inhibitors, differences in the interface between the middle domain and the C-terminal domain were also observed. These data provide important insight into the structure of the biologically active form of the protein. PMID- 17764689 TI - Structural basis for light-dependent signaling in the dimeric LOV domain of the photosensor YtvA. AB - The photosensor YtvA binds flavin mononucleotide and regulates the general stress reaction in Bacillus subtilis in response to blue light illumination. It belongs to the family of light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) proteins that were first described in plant phototropins and form a subgroup of the Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) superfamily. Here, we report the three-dimensional structure of the LOV domain of YtvA in its dark and light states. The protein assumes the global fold common to all PAS domains and dimerizes via a hydrophobic interface. Directly C-terminal to the core of the LOV domain, an alpha-helix extends into the solvent. Light absorption causes formation of a covalent bond between a conserved cysteine residue and atom C(4a) of the FMN ring, which triggers rearrangements throughout the LOV domain. Concomitantly, in the dark and light structures, the two subunits of the dimeric protein rotate relative to each other by 5 degrees . This small quaternary structural change is presumably a component of the mechanism by which the activity of YtvA is regulated in response to light. In terms of both structure and signaling mechanism, YtvA differs from plant phototropins and more closely resembles prokaryotic heme-binding PAS domains. PMID- 17764691 TI - Identification of rare slipknots in proteins and their implications for stability and folding. AB - Among the thousands of known three-dimensional protein folds, only a few have been found whose backbones are in knotted configurations. The rarity of knotted proteins has important implications for how natural proteins reach their natively folded states. Proteins with such unusual features offer unique opportunities for studying the relationships between structure, folding, and stability. Here we report the identification of a unique slipknot feature in the fold of a well known thermostable protein, alkaline phosphatase. A slipknot is created when a knot is formed by part of a protein chain, after which the backbone doubles back so that the entire structure becomes unknotted in a mathematical sense. Slipknots are therefore not detected by computational tests that look for knots in complete protein structures. A computational survey looking specifically for slipknots in the Protein Data Bank reveals a few other instances in addition to alkaline phosphatase. Unexpected similarities are noted among some of the proteins identified. In addition, two transmembrane proteins are found to contain slipknots. Finally, mutagenesis experiments on alkaline phosphatase are used to probe the contribution the slipknot feature makes to thermal stability. The trends and conserved features observed in these proteins provide new insights into mechanisms of protein folding and stability. PMID- 17764692 TI - Growth hormone receptor expression is up-regulated during tumorigenesis of human colorectal cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to analyze the expression of growth hormone receptor (GHR) in the colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence to determine whether its expression correlates with the various stages of cancer transformation. METHODS: GHR distribution was assessed by immunohistochemistry and semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in normal, premalignant, and malignant colorectal lesions. RESULTS: Most of the normal mucous tissues and hyperplastic polyps showed no or weak immunoreactivity for GHR. In contrast, most of the adenoma and adenocarcinoma samples reacted strongly or moderately with monoclonal GHR antibodies. In RT-PCR, amplified fragments of the expected sizes (247bp) were detected in 90 of 90 samples examined, and the semiquantitative RT-PCR result showed an up-regulation of GHR mRNA expression during the polyp-adenoma-carcinoma sequence, which was consistent with the immunohistochemical results. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that growth hormone/GHR plays a role in the development of colorectal carcinoma. PMID- 17764693 TI - Development of beta-cells in the native pancreas after pancreas allo transplantation in the Spontaneously Diabetic Torii rat. AB - BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated the development of beta-cells in the native pancreas after syngeneic pancreas transplantation (PTx) in a model of type 2 diabetes, namely the Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT; RT1 a) rat. In this study, we evaluated the effect of fully allogeneic PTx (allo-PTx) under immunosuppression on the native pancreases in the recipients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diabetic 25-week-old SDT rats were divided into two groups: untreated controls and PTx-treated recipients. Dark Agouti (RT1 a) pancreases were then transplanted into the SDT rats. FK506 was administered daily postoperatively. Each group was examined for 15 weeks. RESULTS: Control SDT rats showed a disappearance of the pancreatic and duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1) expression of the pancreases with the development of diabetes. In addition, the islets were gradually replaced by fibrosis, thus resulting in a marked decrease in the beta cell mass at 40 weeks of age. On the other hand, in PTx recipients, islet-like cell clusters were found in the native pancreases. The beta-cell mass significantly increased in the native pancreases in the recipients at 10 and 15 weeks posttransplantation in comparison to the age-matched controls. Moreover, we observed the re-expression of PDX-1 in the islet-like cell clusters. Interestingly, insulin and glucagon double-positive stained cells in the mesenchyme and insulin single-positive cells in the ductal epithelium were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that the benefits of avoiding glucose toxicity by allo-PTx under immunosuppression could therefore induce the PDX-1 expression in the native pancreases, thus potentially resulting in the development of beta-cells in type 2 diabetic recipients. PMID- 17764694 TI - In vitro comparison of intra-abdominal hypertension development after different temporary abdominal closure techniques. AB - BACKGROUND: To compare volume reserve capacity (VRC) and development of intra abdominal hypertension after different in vitro temporary abdominal closure (TAC) techniques. METHODS: A model of the abdomen was designed. The abdominal wall was simulated with polychloroprene, a synthetic rubber compound. A lentil-shaped defect of 150 cm(2) was cut into the anterior aspect of the abdominal wall. TAC of this defect was performed by a zipper system (ZS), a bag silo closure (BSC), or a vacuum assisted closure (VAC) with subatmospheric pressures ranging from 0- to 200 mmHg. The model with intact abdominal wall served as reference. The model was filled with water to baseline level. The intra-abdominal pressure was increased in 2 mmHg steps from baseline level (6 mmHg) to 40 mmHg by adding volume to the system according to a standardized protocol. VRC with corresponding intra-abdominal pressure were analyzed and compared for the different TAC techniques. RESULTS: VRC was the highest after BSC at all pressure levels studied (P < 0.05). VAC and ZS resulted in significantly lower VRC compared with BSC and reference (P < 0.05). The magnitude of negative pressure on the VAC did not significantly influence the VRC. CONCLUSIONS: In the present in vitro model, BSC demonstrated the highest VRC of all evaluated TAC techniques. Different levels of subatmospheric pressures applied to the VAC did not affect VRC. The results for ZS and VAC indicate that these TAC techniques may increase the risk for recurrent intra-abdominal hypertension and should therefore not be used in high-risk patients during the initial phase after abdominal decompression. PMID- 17764695 TI - Increased rate of hair regrowth in mice with constitutive overexpression of Del1. AB - BACKGROUND: Developmental endothelial locus (Del)1 is a secreted extracellular matrix-associated protein that stimulates angiogenesis through integrin binding and is implicated in vasculogenesis. We hypothesized that increased expression of an angiogenic factor would lead to enhanced wound healing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transgenic mice had Del1 cloned behind a keratin 14 promoter (K14-Del1) to drive constitutive expression in basal keratinocytes. Transgenic animals and wild-type litter mates underwent excisional wounding or depilation, and tissues were harvested at various time points. Wound healing and hair regrowth were assessed by photography, histology, and immunohistochemistry. For injection experiments, purified Del1 protein was injected in the flanks of wild-type mice with carrier on the contralateral flank as a control. Del1 expression during hair development was performed using transgenic mice with a LacZ cassette introduced downstream from the native promoter. RESULTS: K14-Del1 animals appeared normal and healed excisional wounds normally but demonstrated an increased rate of hair regrowth after wound healing. Using depilation experiments to specifically address hair follicle growth, we found increased hair regrowth was independent of wounding. This was confirmed by injection of purified Del1 protein. During normal hair anagenesis, Del1 is expressed in the root of the hair follicle. CONCLUSIONS: Constitutive expression of Del1 in skin does not affect skin vascularity or improve wound healing. Surprisingly, we found the primary effect of constitutive Del1 expression in the basal keratinocytes was increased hair growth following induction of anagenesis. During normal hair anagenesis, we see expression of Del1 in the root of the hair follicle suggesting it may function there to stimulate hair growth. PMID- 17764696 TI - Review of various techniques of pancreas transplantation in rat model. AB - Pancreas transplantation (PTx) is being applied with increasing frequency in the treatment of diabetes mellitus Type 1 and selected cases of Type 2. It is known that PTx can consistently establish normoglycemic insulin-independent state. Due to the increased use of different PTx models in rats for studying the metabolic function of the transplanted pancreas, reviewing the various techniques in PTx seemed to be necessary. A review of the literature of PTx in rat models showed that different techniques or modifications have been described. Each modification is the result of a change or simplification of three main points: the arterial inflow, the venous outflow, and the management of the exocrine secretory part of the gland. The techniques of PTx vascularization in rats are based on two cardinal models, which include the microsuture and non-suture cuff techniques. In arterial inflow reconstruction, an aortic segment is used. Venous drainage is accomplished by systemic or portal drainage (porto-caval or porto-portal anastomosis). Management of the exocrine part has the most variations. Enteric and urinary diversion, as well as duct ligation or obstruction, are the most important techniques for the management of exocrine part. Regarding vascular anastomosis, the microsuture technique is more popular than the cuff technique. However the cuff technique seems to be simpler. Grafts with portal venous drainage show a lesser probability of hyperinsulinemia and a high level of lipoproteins. In the management of the exocrine part, enteric exocrine drainage is more similar to the physiological setting and is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of acidosis and dehydration. However, enteric diversion is more prone to intestinal bleeding and ileus as well as to bacterial contamination. The technique for PTx in rat varies according to surgeons' experiences and preferences as well as their research objectives. PMID- 17764697 TI - Permanent tracheostomy for long-term respiratory studies. AB - BACKGROUND: We describe a modified surgical technique for permanent, anterior tracheal-wall stoma for chronic, repeat respiratory studies in trained, conscious dogs. These cannula-free tracheostomies require minimal daily maintenance, permit repeat intubation with endotracheal tubes modified for airflow respiratory measurement, and facilitate up to 6 h continuous administration of aerosol agents during long-term or repeat respiratory studies. METHODS: In 20 dogs, during a 30 to 40 min procedure, portions of tracheal rings 2-4 were removed to create an oval stoma, approximately 2 x 1 cm. The dermis was secured to the transected cartilage and tracheal mucosa in such a manner that skin covered the sternohyoid muscles and grew-in flush with the tracheal mucosa at the stomal opening. Stomas were cleaned daily, and fur was clipped weekly around the stomal site. No other maintenance procedures or environmental modifications were needed. Animals breathed through both the stoma and the upper airway and barked normally. RESULTS: Stomas remained viable in long-term animals (n = 4) ongoing for 70.3 +/- 32.2 mo (mean +/- SEM), with an ongoing maximum of 126 mo. Postmortem examinations were performed on shorter-term animals (n = 16) sacrificed at 16.7 +/- 7.3 mo. Thirteen showed no appreciable tracheal stenosis and three showed <10% stenosis at the level of the stoma. Histopathological examination of the stomal opening and surrounding tissue revealed minimal chronic inflammation and no evidence of necrosis or infection. CONCLUSIONS: During long-term respiratory studies, this practical and dependable tracheal stoma provides a means for examining acute and chronic effects of environmental and pathophysiological influences on the respiratory system of conscious dogs. PMID- 17764698 TI - The allegory of a mountain: an environmental introduction to neurotoxicology. AB - Overall, the area of human neurotoxicity offers significant difficulties as well as challenges in our attempts to maintain or enhance human well being. Many of the substances to which humans are being exposed are relatively new to the environment, i.e., the products of a sophisticated industrial development. As a result humans are exposed to volatile organic compounds not previously present in our environment in significant amounts. It is important to maintain our industrial complex and the economic growth of our society. The use of volatile organic compounds is often important to the success of the industry. However, it is also important for us to determine what concentration of a given substance may produce short-term effects or chronic long-term effects. Human exposure to these potentially toxic levels could then be prevented. This is especially true because once irreversible damage occurs there is no medical treatment that can lead to improvement. Therefore, prevention of neurotoxic injury is essential. PMID- 17764699 TI - Quantitative analysis of brain perfusion SPECT in Alzheimer's disease using a fully automated regional cerebral blood flow quantification software, 3DSRT. AB - PURPOSE: The clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) show great diversity depending on the clinical stage. We investigated the correlation of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes and the clinical severity of AD patients. METHODS: Thirty-nine AD patients and 16 normal subjects participated in this study. AD patients were divided into three subgroups by clinical severity. Quantitative brain perfusion SPECT analyses were performed using a rCBF quantification software, 3DSRT. RESULTS: In mild AD, significant decreases of rCBF were detected in the bilateral parietal, angular gyrus, pericallosal, thalamus, right temporal and left hippocampal regions. Moderate AD patients showed significantly lower blood flow than those with mild AD only to the right hippocampus. Analysis of the severe AD group revealed a nearly diffuse decrease of rCBF throughout the cerebral cortex except for part of the frontal lobe compared with moderate patients. CONCLUSIONS: These results were consistent with previous findings demonstrated by qualitative analysis of CBF. The decreased thalamic blood flow was noteworthy as this finding has rarely been reported. In consideration of the structure and function of the Papez circuit, which connects the medial temporal lobe and thalamus, a remote metabolic effect might be the cause of lower rCBF in the thalamus. PMID- 17764700 TI - Antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activity of novel phenolic derivatives of resveratrol. AB - Gloriosaols A-C, isolated from Yucca gloriosa (Agavaceae), are novel phenolic compounds structurally related to resveratrol. In the present study, we show that gloriosaols possess antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activity on tumor cells of different histogenetic origin and that their cell growth inhibition potential is higher than that of resveratrol. Despite the close similarities in their structure, gloriosaols A-C exhibited different antiproliferative potency, as the EC(50) ascending order is: gloriosaol C, gloriosaol A, gloriosaol B. Further mechanisms of gloriosaol C cytotoxicity were elucidated in detail in U937 cells, the most sensitive of the cell lines tested. The effect of gloriosaol C on cell growth turned out to be strongly dependent upon the concentration. Gloriosaol C doses lower than the EC(50) value (8 mu-icroM) blocked the cell cycle in G(0)/G(1), with a concurrent decrease in the number of cells in the G(2)/M phases of the cell cycle. At higher doses, this arrest overlaps with the occurrence of apoptosis and necrosis. In the 10-25 microM range of doses, gloriosaol C caused cell death mainly by apoptosis, as measured by hypodiploidia induction, phosphatidyl serine externalization and disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential. A switch in the mode of death from apoptosis to necrosis occurred at doses of gloriosaol C higher than 30 microM. Gloriosaol C was found to induce production of reactive species dose-dependently, but also to counteract their elevation in stressed cells. Thus, the different fate of cells, that is cell cycle arrest or cell death, in response to different doses of gloriosaol C might be related to the extent of induced oxidative stress. PMID- 17764701 TI - Carboxylesterase in the liver and small intestine of experimental animals and human. AB - Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed carboxylesterase (CES) to be the most abundant hydrolase in the liver and small intestine of humans, monkeys, dogs, rabbits and rats. The liver contains both CES1 and CES2 enzymes in all these species. The small intestine contains only enzymes from the CES2 family in humans and rats, while in rabbits and monkeys, enzymes from both CES1 and CES2 families are present. Interestingly, no hydrolase activity at all was found in dog small intestine. Flurbiprofen derivatives were R-preferentially hydrolyzed in the liver microsomes of all species, but hardly hydrolyzed in the small intestine microsomes of any species except rabbit. Propranolol derivatives were hydrolyzed in the small intestine and liver microsomes of all species except dog small intestine. Monkeys and rabbits showed R-preferential and non-enantio-selective hydrolysis, respectively, for propranolol derivatives in both organs. Human and rat liver showed R- and S-preferential hydrolysis, respectively, in spite of non enantio-selective hydrolysis in their small intestines. The proximal-to-distal gradient of CES activity in human small intestine (1.1-1.5) was less steep than that of CYP 3A4 and 2C9 activity (three-fold difference). These findings indicate that human small intestine and liver show extensive hydrolase activity attributed to CES, which is different from that in species commonly used as experimental animals. PMID- 17764702 TI - Icaritin and its glycosides enhance osteoblastic, but suppress osteoclastic, differentiation and activity in vitro. AB - Icariin, a principal flavonoid glycoside in Herba Epimedii, is hypothesized to possess beneficial effects on bone mass. Icariin is metabolized to icariside II and then to icaritin in vivo. In the present study, we investigated the in vitro effects of icariin, icariside II and icaritin on both osteoblasts and osteoclasts. After treatment with these compounds at concentrations 10(-5)-10(-8) mol/l, osteoblasts were examined for proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin secretion and matrix mineralization, as well as expression levels of bone-related proteins. The formation of osteoclasts was assessed by counting the number of multinucleated TRAP-positive cells. The activity of isolated rat osteoclasts was evaluated by measuring pit area, actin rings and superoxide generation. Icariside II and icaritin increased the mRNA expression of ALP, OC, COL-1 and OPG, but suppressed that of RANKL. In addition, these compounds reduced the number of multinucleated TRAP-positive cells and the osteoclastic resorption area. Also decreases were observed in superoxide generation and actin ring formation that are required for osteoclast survival and bone resorption activity. These findings suggest that icaritin, which was more potent than icariin and icariside II, enhanced the differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts, and facilitated matrix calcification; meanwhile it inhibited osteoclastic differentiation in both osteoblast-preosteoclast coculture and osteoclast progenitor cell culture, and reduced the motility and bone resorption activity of isolated osteoclasts. PMID- 17764703 TI - Adenosine and TNF-alpha exert similar inotropic effect on heart cultures, suggesting a cardioprotective mechanism against hypoxia. AB - When cardiomyocytes were subjected to hypoxia, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha; 3-50 ng/ml) or adenosine (1-100 microM), decreased hypoxic damage as was detected by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, MTT (3-[4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2 yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) absorbance, ROS (reactive oxygen species) measurement or desmin immunostaining. This cardioprotection was not prevented in TNF-alpha-treated cultures by 5-hydroxydecanoic acid (5-HD). Our aim was to elucidate whether adenosine and TNF-alpha mediate a similar protective mechanism against hypoxia in primary heart cultures and in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Adenosine and TNF-alpha are known for their negative inotropic effects on the heart. We have suggested that deoxyglucose uptake reflects heart contractility in cell cultures; therefore, we assayed its accumulation under various conditions. Treatment for 20 min with adenosine, R-PIA [(-)-N(6)-phenylisopropyladenosine] (10 microM), or TNF-alpha reduced (3)H-deoxyglucose uptake in primary heart cultures and also in H9c2 cardiomyocytes by 30-50%. Isoproterenol accelerated (3)H-deoxyglucose uptake by 50%. Adenosine, R-PIA, or TNF-alpha attenuated the stimulatory effect of isoproterenol on (3)H-deoxyglucose uptake to control levels. Hypoxia reduced (3)H-deoxyglucose uptake by 50%, as in the treatment of the hypoxic cultures with TNF-alpha or adenosine. Glibenclamide (2 microM), 5-HD (300 microM), or diazoxide (50 microM) increased (3)H-deoxyglucose uptake by 50 80%. Adenosine (100 microM) and TNF-alpha (50 ng/ml) stimulated (86)Rb efflux. Glibenclamide attenuated this effect. We demonstrate that TNF-alpha, like adenosine, accelerated Ca(2+) uptake into the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) by 50 100% and therefore prevented cardiomyocyte Ca(2+) overload. Our findings further suggest that TNF-alpha, as well as adenosine, may mediate an adaptive effect in the heart by preventing Ca(2+) overload via activation of SR Ca-ATPase (SERCA(2)a). PMID- 17764704 TI - Nerve growth factor as an angiogenic factor. AB - Nerve growth factor (NGF), a neurotrophin that plays a crucial role in promoting neurotrophic and neurotropic effects in sympathetic neurons, has recently been identified as a novel angiogenic molecule, which exerts a variety of effects in the cardiovascular system and on endothelial cells. In fact, NGF may contribute to maintenance, survival, and function of endothelial cells by autocrine and/or paracrine mechanisms. This review summarizes the involvement of NGF in the regulation of angiogenesis in both normal and pathological conditions. PMID- 17764706 TI - Different variables predict anomia in different subjects: a longitudinal study of two Alzheimer's patients. AB - Two Alzheimer's patients participated in a longitudinal study of picture naming aimed at analysing the effect of lexical frequency, age of acquisition, stimulus familiarity, word length, name imageability, visual complexity and semantic category membership on naming success. The results were analysed with a new method [Capitani, E., & Laiacona, M. (2004). A method for studying the evolution of naming error types in the recovery of acute aphasia: A single-patient and single-stimulus approach. Neuropsychologia, 42, 613-623] that allows us to consider the consistency of responses to stimuli over repeated testing within clinical stages. The experiment was carried out as a longitudinal study of single cases, and the effect of each variable was estimated after removing the overlap with the other predictors. The semantic category of stimuli was not an influential factor for either patient. Other findings sharply distinguished between the two patients. In one case, disease-related decline consistently affected mainly late acquired names, whereas in the other case the decline affected names corresponding to low-familiarity items. To interpret this contrast, we further analysed the quality of the errors produced by each patient. This study shows that the psycholinguistic characteristics of a stimulus may exert varying influence in different patients, warranting further development of this line of inquiry. PMID- 17764705 TI - DNA damage in rats after a single oral exposure to diesel exhaust particles. AB - The gastrointestinal route of exposure to particulate matter is important because particles are ingested via contaminated foods and inhaled particles are swallowed when removed from the airways by the mucociliary clearance system. We investigated the effect of an intragastric administration by oral gavage of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) in terms of DNA damage, oxidative stress and DNA repair in colon epithelial cells, liver, and lung of rats. Eight rats per group were exposed to Standard Reference Material 2975 at 0.064 or 0.64 mg/kg bodyweight for 6 and 24 h. Increased levels of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2' deoxyguanosine lesions were observed at the highest dose after 6 and 24 h in all three organs. 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine is repaired by oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1 (OGG1); upregulation of this repair system was observed as elevated pulmonary OGG1 mRNA levels after 24 h at both doses of DEP, but not in the colon and liver. A general response of the antioxidant defence system is further indicated by elevated levels of heme oxygenase 1 mRNA in the liver and lung 24 h after administration. The level of bulky DNA adducts was increased in liver and lung at both doses after 6 and 24h (DNA adducts in colon epithelium were not investigated). In summary, DEP administered via the gastrointestinal tract at low doses relative to ambient exposure generates DNA damage and increase the expression of defence mechanisms in organs such as the lung and liver. The oral exposure route should be taken into account in risk assessment of particulate matter. PMID- 17764707 TI - Self administration of cocaine in monkeys receiving LAAM acutely or chronically. AB - Polydrug abuse remains a common problem among opioid abusers as well as patients in opioid maintenance programs. Although cocaine abuse has been reported in patients receiving methadone, the incidence of cocaine use in patients receiving l-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM) has not been well established. The goal of this study was to determine whether acute or chronic administration of LAAM modified the reinforcing effects of cocaine using a self-administration procedure in rhesus monkeys. Four monkeys responded under a fixed ratio (FR) 30 schedule to receive i.v. infusions of cocaine (0.0032-0.32 mg/kg/infusion) in the absence of other treatment, after acute LAAM administration (0.1-1.0 mg/kg, s.c.), and during daily administration of 1.0 mg/kg of LAAM. Cocaine maintained self administration responding that exceeded responding maintained by saline; acutely administered LAAM had small and variable effects on self administration of cocaine. Daily LAAM administration increased the number of infusions received of at least one dose of cocaine. These studies indicated that LAAM administration did not attenuate the reinforcing effects of cocaine, suggesting that LAAM would not likely alter cocaine abuse in patients undergoing treatment for opioid abuse. PMID- 17764709 TI - Conversion of major ginsenoside Rb1 to 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 by Microbacterium sp. GS514. AB - Ginseng saponin, the most important secondary metabolite in ginseng, has various pharmacological activities. Many studies have been directed towards converting major ginsenosides to the more active minor ginsenoside, Rg3. Due to the difficulty in preparing ginsenoside Rg3 enzymatically, the compound has been mainly produced by either acid treatment or heating. A microbial strain GS514 was isolated from soil around ginseng roots in a field and used for enzymatic preparation of the ginsenoside Rg3. Blast results of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of the strain GS514 established that the strain GS514 belonged to the genus Microbacterium. Its 16S rRNA gene sequence showed 98.7%, 98.4% and 96.1% identity with those of M. esteraromaticum, M. arabinogalactanolyticum and M. lacticum. Strain GS514 showed a strong ability to convert ginsenoside Rb1 or Rd into Rg3. Enzymatic production of Rg3 occurred by consecutive hydrolyses of the terminal and inner glucopyranosyl moieties at the C-20 carbon of ginsenoside Rb1 showing the biotransformation pathway: Rb1-->Rd-->Rg3. PMID- 17764708 TI - Amino acid and carbohydrate preferences in C57BL/6ByJ and 129P3/J mice. AB - Compared with mice from the 129P3/J (129) inbred strain, mice from the C57BL/6ByJ (B6) inbred strain have higher consumption of several sweet-tasting amino acids and carbohydrates. To examine the relative contribution of taste and nutritive properties in these strain differences, we measured responses of B6 and 129 mice to eight sweet and non-sweet amino acids and carbohydrates in two-bottle preference tests with water. Mice from the two strains did not differ in consumption of non-sweet l-valine and l-histidine. Compared with 129 mice, B6 mice had higher consumption and lower preference thresholds for sweet amino acids l-glutamine, l-alanine and l-threonine, monosaccharides glucose and fructose, and maltooligosaccharide. These data suggest that differences in gustatory responsiveness are an important factor underlying higher consumption of some amino acids and carbohydrates by B6 mice compared with 129 mice. It is likely that in B6 mice, higher sweet taste responsiveness results in increased consumption of sweet-tasting amino acids and sugars, and higher taste responsiveness to complex carbohydrates results in increased consumption of maltooligosaccharide. However, postingestive processes also influence nutrient consumption and may be responsible for higher intake of carbohydrates compared with sweet-tasting amino acids. Results of this study set the stage for genetic analysis of differences between B6 and 129 mice in taste responsiveness and macronutrient consumption. PMID- 17764710 TI - The burden of non-filarial elephantiasis in Ethiopia. AB - Although known for many years, non-filarial elephantiasis remains a public health problem in tropical Africa, including the farming community of Ethiopia. The problem may be exacerbated in women who shoulder most of the burden of agricultural labour in the countryside. The intention of this brief review is to emphasise the burden of the disease and to alert researchers and organisations concerned with health care and prevention. PMID- 17764711 TI - Field testing of the WHO dose pole for administration of praziquantel in the treatment of opisthorchiasis in Lao PDR. AB - In 2001, the WHO developed a dose pole that employs height measurements for estimation of the dose of praziquantel. In the present study, conducted in December 2005 during a mass treatment campaign for the control of opisthorchiasis in 232 individuals in Nala village, Keo Udom district, Lao PDR, performance of the dose pole in estimating dosages of praziquantel was compared with a bathroom scale; a digital scale was used as the gold standard. Results showed that the bathroom scale performed significantly better than the dose pole in delivering dosages of 40-50 mg/kg for opisthorchiasis treatment (70.7% vs. 44.8%). Furthermore, the dose pole performed significantly better for children than adults. The reason for the poor performance of the dose pole among adults is likely to be due to the high percentage (19.4%) of overweight individuals in the adult population of the village. It was concluded that the WHO dose pole is not recommended for distribution of praziquantel for the treatment of opisthorchiasis in populations where being overweight is common. PMID- 17764712 TI - Different clinical and laboratory manifestations between dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue fever with bleeding tendency. AB - The incidence of dengue fever (DF) is estimated to have increased 30-fold in the past 50 years. The incidence of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), a life threatening complication of DF, is also increasing. The need for better classification of the severity of dengue infections has been proposed in order to clarify different entities of dengue infections. We defined a class of patients with DF with bleeding tendency (DF w/B) to differentiate further the varying pathogenesis among DF, DF w/B and DHF. In a hospital-based study in Taiwan, we compared clinical features, biochemistry and immune mediators among patients with DHF, DF w/B and DF. Results showed that DF w/B patients, similar to DHF patients, had a higher rate of secondary dengue infection (P<0.001) as well as higher IL-10 (P=0.023) and lower IFNgamma (P=0.009) levels than DF patients. In contrast, DHF patients had significantly higher soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 levels than DF w/B patients (P=0.038) and DF patients (P<0.001). This study provides new insight into the different immune mechanisms of DF, DF w/B and DHF. DF involves a Th1 reaction and DF w/B involves an altered Th2 reaction, whereas DHF involves an altered Th2 reaction and augmented vascular insult. PMID- 17764713 TI - Developmental toxicity of low generation PAMAM dendrimers in zebrafish. AB - Biological molecules and intracellular structures operate at the nanoscale; therefore, development of nanomedicines shows great promise for the treatment of disease by using targeted drug delivery and gene therapies. PAMAM dendrimers, which are highly branched polymers with low polydispersity and high functionality, provide an ideal architecture for construction of effective drug carriers, gene transfer devices and imaging of biological systems. For example, dendrimers bioconjugated with selective ligands such as Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) would theoretically target cells that contain integrin receptors and show potential for use as drug delivery devices. While RGD-conjugated dendrimers are generally considered not to be cytotoxic, there currently exists little information on the risks that such materials pose to human health. In an effort to compliment and extend the knowledge gleaned from cell culture assays, we have used the zebrafish embryo as a rapid, medium throughput, cost-effective whole-animal model to provide a more comprehensive and predictive developmental toxicity screen for nanomaterials such as PAMAM dendrimers. Using the zebrafish embryo, we have assessed the developmental toxicity of low generation (G3.5 and G4) PAMAM dendrimers, as well as RGD-conjugated forms for comparison. Our results demonstrate that G4 dendrimers, which have amino functional groups, are toxic and attenuate growth and development of zebrafish embryos at sublethal concentrations; however, G3.5 dendrimers, with carboxylic acid terminal functional groups, are not toxic to zebrafish embryos. Furthermore, RGD conjugated G4 dendrimers are less potent in causing embryo toxicity than G4 dendrimers. RGD-conjugated G3.5 dendrimers do not elicit toxicity at the highest concentrations tested and warrant further study for use as a drug delivery device. PMID- 17764714 TI - Minimal physiological conditions for binocular rivalry and rivalry memory. AB - Binocular rivalry entails a perceptual alternation between incompatible stimuli presented to the two eyes. A minimal explanation for binocular rivalry involves strong competitive inhibition between neurons responding to different monocular stimuli to preclude simultaneous activity in the two groups. In addition, strong self-adaptation of dominant neurons is necessary to enable suppressed neurons to become dominant in turn. Here a minimal nonlinear neural model is developed incorporating inhibition, self-adaptation, and recurrent excitation. The model permits derivation of an equation for mean dominance duration as a function of the underlying physiological variables. The dominance duration equation incorporates an explicit representation of Levelt's second law. The same equation also shows that introduction of a simple compressive response nonlinearity can explain Levelt's fourth law. Finally, addition of brief, recurrent synaptic facilitation to the model generates properties of rivalry memory. PMID- 17764715 TI - Selection between alcohols and volatile fatty acids as external carbon sources for EBPR. AB - The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for selecting alcohols (i.e. ethanol and methanol) or short-chain volatile fatty acids (VFAs) (i.e. acetate and propionate) as the external carbon sources for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) from wastewaters in adapted or unadapted activated sludge. When ethanol is used in an unacclimated process, a period of adaptation is required by polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs). From 0 to 140 days of ethanol acclimatizing, the P release and uptake rates increased to 6.2 and 7.0 mgP PO(3)4(-)g(-1)VSSh(-1), respectively. PAOs in ethanol-enriched sludge produced poly-beta-hydroxyvalerate (PHV) (81.9%) as the main polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and reached an effluent phosphate concentration close to zero (0.10 mgP-PO(3)4( )L(-1)). On the other hand, methanol was not used by PAOs in 30-day ethanol acclimated sludge in short-term tests. If EBPR needs to be incidentally supported by substrate addition, VFAs are preferred; for long-term addition also ethanol can be considered. PMID- 17764716 TI - Behavior, distribution and variability of surface ozone at an arid region in the south of Iberian Peninsula (Seville, Spain). AB - In order to improve our knowledge of the surface ozone in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, annual, monthly, weekly and daily ozone concentrations have been closely monitored in the Seville metropolitan area highlighting those episodes that exceed the European Ozone Directive. A three-year period (2003 2005) and eight ozone stations were used; five of them located in the city's busiest areas and the rest in adjacent zones ( approximately 25km). In addition, the wind regime was also studied in order to understand the main characteristics of the surface atmospheric dynamics. The lowest ozone concentrations 17 33microgm(-3) took place in January while the highest 57-95microgm(-3) occurred in June. The ozone concentration week-weekend differences from May to September indicate that this phenomenon does not affect the ozone stations analysed. Daily cycles show minimum values between 7:00 and 8:00 UTC and maximum at noon, exceeding 90microgm(-3) during summer months. From March to October the ozone concentrations were above the target value for the protection of human health, especially during the summer months, with values up to 30% over the limit. The information threshold has been exceeded at all ozone stations studied but with greater frequency in the stations far from the city centre. In addition, at these latter stations the alert threshold was also exceeded on six occasions. This study in the city of Seville indicates that the high ozone levels are due to local atmospheric effects, mainly since the ozone air masses may undergo recirculation processes. The ozone is transported to the city from the S-SW, having a major impact in the NE areas. PMID- 17764718 TI - Evaluation of the in vitro biotransformation of fluoxetine with HPLC, mass spectrometry and ecotoxicological tests. AB - Fluoxetine (FLU) is potent and highly selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor used in the treatment of major depression. The FLU is apparently the most acute toxic pharmaceutical reported so far for aquatic organisms. Very little is known about possible toxicity of its metabolites. Ingested drugs are excreted to the environment in a biologically active form, either as the parent substance or as an active metabolite. This study was designated to assess the ecotoxicity of FLU and its metabolites. FLU and norfluoxetine (NFLU) were very toxic to applied bioassays with LC50 around 0.5 mg l(-1). The compounds affected only slightly stronger the protozoan Spirostomum ambiguum than the crustacean Thamnocephalus platyurus in the 24 h lethality tests. NFLU was 50% more toxic than FLU in both bioassays. FLU was metabolised in vitro with S9 rat liver fraction. The composition of the reaction mixtures was assessed with HPLC-PAD and MS, and their toxicity was evaluated with the bioassays. The chemical analysis showed besides FLU and NFLU the presence of 4-trifluoromethylphenol, which was much less toxic to the bioassays. Predicted toxicity values were calculated on the base of the FLU and NFLU concentrations in the samples and EC50, and LC50's of the pure compounds. The toxicity of the solutions received during the metabolism of FLU can be predicted based on the concept of concentration addition. The results give the strong indication on the importance of investigation not only parent drugs but also their metabolites. PMID- 17764717 TI - Placental transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls, their hydroxylated metabolites and pentachlorophenol in pregnant women from eastern Slovakia. AB - The aim of the present study was to understand the placental transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), specific hydroxylated PCB metabolites (OH PCBs), and pentachlorophenol (PCP) in blood serum, in a birth cohort from eastern Slovakia. During the period 2002-2004, cord blood specimens were collected in parallel with maternal specimens from women delivering in the two eastern Slovak districts of Michalovce and Svidnik/Stropkov. A total of 92 pairs of mother-cord specimens at delivery were selected for this study. 4-OH-CB107, 3-OH-CB153, 4-OH CB146, 3'-OH-CB138, 4-OH-CB187, and 4'-OH-CB172 were quantified. The median concentrations of Sigma(17)PCBs, Sigma(6)OH-PCBs, and PCP in cord serum were 0.92, 0.33, and 0.69 ng/g wet wt., respectively and highly correlated with the corresponding maternal serum levels (correlations were R(2)=0.61, 0.78, and 0.82, respectively). The median cord to mother ratios of the Sigma(17)PCBs, Sigma(6)OH PCBs, and PCP were 0.18, 0.75, and 1.10, respectively. The median ratio of the Sigma(6)OH-PCBs to the Sigma(17) PCBs in the cord serum was 0.38 from wet weight based concentrations, which was about four times higher than the ratio of these compounds in maternal serum (0.09). PCP was more abundant than any PCB or OH-PCB congener measured in cord serum. The higher cord to maternal ratios of OH-PCB metabolites as compared with the parent compounds suggests either a higher placental transfer rate or greater metabolism in the fetus as compared with the maternal compartment. These findings are consistent with their preferential binding to TTR that can cross the placenta. The cord to maternal ratio varies by congener (e.g., 4-OH-CB107=0.58, 4-OH-CB146=0.74, 3'-OH-CB138=1.01). PMID- 17764719 TI - Biochemical mechanisms of resistance in Daphnia magna exposed to the insecticide fenitrothion. AB - Resistance to fenitrothion and enzyme activities associated with the toxicity and metabolism of organophosphorus insecticides were measured in three genetically unique Daphnia magna clones collected from rice fields of Delta del Ebro (NE Spain) during the growing season and a lab sensitive clone. The studied clones showed up to sixfold differences in resistance to fenitrothion. The lack of correlation between in vitro sensitivity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) to fenitrooxon and resistance to fenitrothion indicated that insensitivity of AChE to the most active oxon metabolite was not involved in the observed differences in resistance. Inhibition of mixed- function oxidases (MFOs) by piperonyl butoxide (PBO) increased the tolerance to fenitrothion by almost 20-fold in all clones without altering their relative ranking of resistance. Conversely, when exposed to fenitrooxon, the studied clones showed similar levels of tolerance, thus indicating that clonal differences in the conversion of fenitrothion to fenitrooxon by MFOs were involved in the observed resistance patterns. Despite that resistant clones showed over 1.5 higher activities of carboxilesterase (CbE) than sensitive ones, toxicity tests with 2-(O-cresyl)-4H-1,3,2 benzodioxaphosphorin-2 oxide, which is a specific inhibitor of these enzymes, evidenced that this system only contributed marginally to the observed clonal differences in tolerance. Glutathione-S-transferases activity (GST) varied across clones but not under exposure to fenitrothion, and was only related with tolerance levels in the field clones. In summary, our results indicate that MFO mediated differences on the bio-activation of the phosphorotionate OP pesticide to its active oxon metabolite contributed mostly in explaining the observed moderate levels of resistance, whereas the activities of CbE and GST had only a marginal role. PMID- 17764720 TI - Heavy metal accumulation in Halimione portulacoides: intra- and extra-cellular metal binding sites. AB - Salt marsh plants can sequestrate and inherently tolerate high metal concentrations found in salt marsh sediments. This work intended to understand the Halimione portulacoides (L.) Aellen strategies to prevent metal toxicity, by investigating the metal location in different plant organs and in the cell. A sequential extraction was performed on leaves, stems and roots of H. portulacoides in order to determine and compare the metal (Zn, Pb, Co, Cd, Ni and Cu) concentration in several fractions of the plant material (ethanolic, aqueous, proteic, pectic, polissacaridic, lenhinic and cellulosic). This study shows that all plant organs of H. portulacoides mostly retain metals in the cell wall (65% is the average for all studied metals stored in the root cell wall, 55% in the stems and 53% in the leaves), and the metal content in the intracellular compartment is much lower (21% in roots, 25% in stems and 32% in leaves). High levels of heavy metal in the sedimentary environment do not cause toxicity to H. portulacoides, because H. portulacoides immobilizes them in different cell compartments (cell wall+proteic fraction+intracellular) outside key metabolic sites. PMID- 17764721 TI - Gene expression profiles in zebrafish (Danio rerio) liver cells exposed to a mixture of pharmaceuticals at environmentally relevant concentrations. AB - The effects of a mixture of pharmaceuticals at environmentally relevant concentrations were studied on growth and transcriptional regulation in zebrafish liver (ZFL) cells. The mixture of 13 ingredients was assembled to mimic the association and low concentration (ng/l) of drugs as detected in the environment, and decidedly inhibited ZFL cells proliferation in vitro over a 72 h exposure time. Using an oligonucleotide DNA-microarray targeting 14,000 zebrafish transcripts, we profiled gene expression in ZFL cells treated with ecologically relevant levels of the drug mixture. Compared to unexposed controls, ZFL cells challenged with pharmaceuticals were characterised by transcriptional repression involving primary metabolism and regulation of the cell cycle. On the other hand, we observed upregulation of genes identifying protein kinase signalling pathways and DNA-repair mechanisms. Part of the identified transcripts could be associated with general toxicity, while others were possibly linked to the effects of specific pharmaceuticals. Drugs also caused overexpression of oestrogen receptor beta and the oestrogen responsive protein GREB1. The context drawn by our data highlights a similarity in the response to the drug mixture in fish and previously employed human cells, and further prioritise studies targeting the potential risks associated with the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment. PMID- 17764722 TI - Effects of earthworm cast and powdered activated carbon on methane removal capacity of landfill cover soils. AB - Landfill gases could be vented through a layer of landfill cover soil that could serve as a biofilter to oxidize methane to carbon dioxide and water. Properly managed landfill cover soil layers may reduce atmospheric CH4 emissions from landfills. In the present study, the effects of earthworm cast and powdered activated carbon (PAC) on the CH4 removal capacity of the landfill cover soil was investigated. For this purpose, column and batch tests were conducted using three different materials: typical landfill cover soil, landfill cover soil amended with earthworm cast, and landfill cover soil amended with PAC. The maximum CH4 removal rate of the columns filled with landfill cover soil amended with earthworm cast was 14.6mol m(-2)d(-1), whereas that of the columns filled with typical landfill cover soil was 7.4mol m(-2)d(-1). This result shows that amendment with earthworm cast could stimulate the CH4-oxidizing capacity of landfill cover soil. The CH4 removal rate of the columns filled with landfill cover soil amended with PAC also showed the same removal rate, but the vertical profile of gas concentrations in the columns and the methanotrophic population measured in the microbial assay suggested that the decrease of CH4 concentration in the columns is mainly due to sorption. Based on the results from this study, amendment of landfill cover soil with earthworm cast and PAC could improve its CH4 removal capacity and thus achieve a major reduction in atmospheric CH4 emission as compared with the same landfill cover soil without any amendment. PMID- 17764723 TI - Cyclodextrins: a new efficient absorbent to treat waste gas streams. AB - Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the air provoke health and environmental concerns. This paper focuses on the absorption method to treat industrial polluted air loaded with VOCs. The key variable of this treatment being the choice of a suitable liquid absorbent, the aim of this research work is to investigate the effectiveness and the regeneration of a new potential family of absorbent: cyclodextrins (CDs). All CDs derivatives tested are able to decrease the Henry's law constant of toluene: a reduction of volatility up to 95% may be obtained, depending on CD nature and concentration. Moreover, absorption experiments show that beta-CD, which presents the highest absorption ability, is 250 time more efficient than water. The absorption efficiency is not totally correlated with static experiments, suggesting that, in addition to Henry's law constants and inclusion compounds stability, toluene diffusion into such solutions has to be taken into account. It is also to be noted that salt and pH variations seem to have little influence on the absorption capacity of CDs, which may be of great interest for industrial applications. Finally, since production of solid compounds was not observed during these experiments and since temperature decreases the capture ability in a drastic way, regeneration of the washing solution can be achieved by heating the solution in combination with air stripping. PMID- 17764724 TI - A case-control study on the relationship of hearing function and blood concentrations of lead, manganese, arsenic, and selenium. AB - Previous research has suggested that heavy metals may be ototoxic in humans, and further, that a reversal of this toxicity may occur when the trace element selenium is present, through formation of metals selenide complexes. This study investigates the relationship between hearing thresholds and blood concentrations of four elements (selenium, lead, manganese, and arsenic) in factory workers, Taiwan. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study with 294 individuals who received the periodic occupational health examination in the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital. All control subjects (n=173) had normal hearing. Case subjects (n=121) had average hearing threshold over 25 decibels (dB). In all individuals, blood concentrations of lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), arsenic (As), and selenium (Se) were determined by an ICP-MS and standard methods. Possible confounding factors were collected by a questionnaire and medical history reviews. Relationships were analyzed by multiple linear regressions and mixed model. Geometric means of Pb, Mn, As, and Se were determined for case subjects (107.2, 5.5, 17.8, and 229.1 microg/L) and controls (38.9, 5.4, 15.5, and 234.4 microg/L). In our regression models, age, lead and selenium concentrations (logarithmic transformed) were associated significantly with hearing thresholds. In addition, we found that the selenium was inversely associated with hearing thresholds, and may be an antagonist to lead ototoxicty. The present study demonstrated a dose-response relationship between blood lead and hearing thresholds, after adjusting other potential confounders in multiple regressions. In addition, we found that selenium may be a protection element on auditory function. However, additional studies will be needed to clarify the mechanisms of lead toxicity and selenium on the hearing function in molecular and genetic levels. PMID- 17764725 TI - Ionic treatment for removal of sulfonamide and tetracycline classes of antibiotic. AB - Self-decomposition and removal of antibiotics by ionic treatment was evaluated in this study. Seven sulfonamide classes (SA) and seven tetracycline classes (TA) of antibiotic were selected for this purpose. According to this study, self decomposition of SAs and TAs was slow, and a considerable amount of antibiotics still remained after 15 days. Ionic treatment was effective for removal of SAs and TAs, but organic interference was observed. When dissolved organic (DOC) was present in raw water, the removal performance of antibiotics generally deteriorated due to competition with organics. SAs and TAs, which were present in ionic form at neutral pH, were removed through ion exchange. Their removal efficiencies were closely related to their chemical structure. Antibiotics with stronger electronegativity were easier to remove by ionic treatment. Equilibrium equations for removal of SAs and TAs by ionic treatment were also presented. PMID- 17764726 TI - Concentration of uterine cancer surgical care among the elderly: a population based perspective. AB - OBJECTIVES: To characterize the primary surgical care and short-term outcomes for uterine cancer in women age > or = 80 years compared to younger women. METHODS: A statewide hospital discharge database was used to identify women that underwent primary surgery for uterine cancer from 1994 to 2005. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate for significant differences in demographic characteristics and short-term outcomes comparing women aged > or = 80 years with those aged < 80 years. RESULTS: A total of 6181 women were identified, women aged > or = 80 years comprised 10.6% (n=656) of cases. Elderly women were 1.3 times more likely to be managed by high volume surgeons (41% vs. 35%, p=0.00). The 30-day mortality rate was 4.3 fold higher for the elderly group (4.27% vs. 1.03%, p=0.00). Among the elderly group, there was a 62% reduction in the risk of 30-day mortality when they were managed at high volume hospitals (95% CI: 0.18-0.80, p=0.01), and a 44% reduction in the risk of 30-day mortality when management was performed by high volume surgeons (95% CI: 0.21-1.48, p=0.22). The cost of care among elderly women managed at high volume centers ($10,425 vs. $9454, p=0.02) and by high volume surgeons ($11,260 vs. $9400, p<0.00) was higher when compared to the low volume groups. CONCLUSIONS: Primary surgical care of elderly women with uterine cancer by high volume providers is associated with better short-term outcomes but increases healthcare expenditure compared to low volume providers. Increased efforts to concentrate the operative care of this patient population in experienced, high volume centers are warranted. PMID- 17764727 TI - Influence of platinum-based chemotherapy on disseminated tumor cells in blood and bone marrow of patients with ovarian cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated (1) the prevalence of disseminated tumor cells (DTC) before and after first-line chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel in the bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) of 57 patients with primary ovarian cancer and (2) the coexpression of the epithelial antigen EpCAM on DTC including the determination of apoptotic cells. METHODS: DTC were detected by immunocytochemistry applying the anti-cytokeratin (CK) antibody A45-B/B3. For double-labeling of DTCs, the antibodies M30 (apoptosis), HEA-125-FITC/Ber-EP4 FITC (EpCAM) were used. RESULTS: Before chemotherapy, we identified DTC in 12/57 PB samples (21%) with a median number of 2 cells/20 ml (range 1-8) and in 25/46 BM samples (54%) with a median number of 5 cells/9x10E6 BM cells (range 1-28). Analysis of DTC in PB and BM before and after therapy was performed in 30 patients. In this subgroup, we identified DTC in 5/30 PB samples (16%) and in 15/30 BM samples (50%) before chemotherapy. After chemotherapy, DTC in PB were only detected in one patient but in the BM of 15/30 patients (50%). After chemotherapy, BM analysis revealed evidence that no DTC were detectable any longer in 9 patients, no significant change in DTC was documented in 14 patients and a significant enhancement of DTC was shown in 10 patients, including 8 patients who had no DTC before chemotherapy. DTC, still present after chemotherapy, co-expressed EpCAM and were non-apoptotic. In a univariable analysis, patients with a marked increase of DTC showed a significantly reduced PFS (p=0.041). A corresponding multivariable Cox regression analysis was not feasible due to the limited number of events. No correlation of DTC in BM and PB was found with patient's and tumor characteristics. CONCLUSION: DTC were present in 50% of patients after first-line chemotherapy in ovarian cancer. It has to be considered whether patients with persisting EpCAM/CK-positive BM cells probably might benefit from an additive immunotherapy e.g. targeting EpCAM. PMID- 17764728 TI - HPV testing in the follow-up after treatment of women with CIN. PMID- 17764729 TI - Impairment of acquisition of cocaine self-administration in rats maintained on a high-fat diet. AB - Variations in dietary constituents such as carbohydrate are known to alter psychostimulant function in brain. Relatively few studies have examined the reinforcing effects of psychostimulants in subjects maintained on high-fat diets. The present experiment compared the rate of acquisition of an operant response for intravenous (i.v.) cocaine infusions (0.2 mg/kg) in rats fed either a chow pellet diet or a 35.9% (by weight) high-fat diet for 45 days prior to cocaine self-administration testing. Rats maintained on a high-fat diet for 45 days exhibited diminished acquisition of cocaine self-administration, and this effect was not a function of dietary-induced obesity. The results suggest that prolonged exposure to a high-fat diet diminishes the efficacy of cocaine reinforcement. PMID- 17764732 TI - Breast-feeding and atopic disease: a cohort study from childhood to middle age. AB - BACKGROUND: The literature regarding the association between breast-feeding and atopic diseases has been contradictory. OBJECTIVE: We have assessed the relationship between breast-feeding and atopic disorders in a cohort followed into middle age. METHODS: The Tasmanian Asthma Study is a population-based prospective cohort study that has followed participants from the age of 7 to 44 years. Exclusive breast-feeding in the first 3 months of life was examined as a risk factor for atopic diseases by using multiple logistic regression and generalized estimating equation analyses. RESULTS: At age 7 years, exclusively breast-fed children with a maternal history of atopy had a marginally lesser risk of current asthma than those not exclusively breast-fed (odds ratio [OR], 0.8; 95% CI, 0.6-1.0). However, after age 7 years, the risk reversed, and exclusively breast-fed children had an increased risk of current asthma at 14 (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.02-2.07), 32 (OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.06-3.3), and 44 (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.15 2.14) years. Exclusively breast-fed children also had a reduced risk of food allergy at age 7 years but an increased risk of food allergy (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.1-1.5) and allergic rhinitis (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.0-1.3) at 44 years. CONCLUSION: Exclusively breast-fed babies with a maternal history of atopy were less likely to develop asthma before the age of 7 years, but more likely to develop asthma after the age of 7 years. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The current recommendation to breast-feed high-risk infants for protection against early wheezing illness can be confirmed. However, the recommendation should be reconsidered for protection against allergic asthma and atopy in the longer term. PMID- 17764730 TI - Electrophysiological responses to affective stimuli in Mexican Americans: Relationship to alcohol dependence and personality traits. AB - The relationship between the P450 component elicited by affective stimuli and: a personal history of alcohol dependence, antisocial personality disorder/conduct disorder (ASPD/CD) or affective anxiety disorders (ANYAXAF) was examined in Mexican Americans, a group with high rates of heavy drinking. Data from two hundred and twenty two young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 were used in the analyses. ERPs were collected using a task that required discrimination between faces with neutral, sad and happy facial expressions. DSM-IIIR diagnoses were obtained using a structured interview and personality traits were indexed using the Maudsley personality inventory. Men had significantly diminished P450 responses, when compared to women which were further reduced in men with ASPD/CD; whereas, a significant increase in P450 amplitudes was seen in those participants with ANYAXAF. P450 amplitudes were also significantly increased in men with high extraversion scores and in women with high neuroticism scores. No significant associations were seen between the P450 amplitude and the diagnosis of alcohol dependence. These data suggest that interpretations of P450 responses in Mexican Americans need to take into account the interactions between gender, the affective valence of the eliciting stimuli, as well as psychiatric status. PMID- 17764731 TI - Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibition does not prevent the development or expression of tolerance to and dependence on morphine in the mouse. AB - The clinical use of opioids is limited by the development of tolerance and physical dependence. Opioid tolerance and dependence are believed to result from complex adaptations in the CNS, representing a form of neural plasticity. Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) are involved in many forms of neural plasticity, and therefore could also be involved in the development of opioid tolerance and dependence. In this study, we investigated the effect of a systemically bioavailable MEK (ERK kinase) inhibitor, SL327, upon the development and the expression of tolerance to and dependence on morphine in mice. In tolerance and dependence development studies, two strains of mice were treated daily for 8 or 9 days with 5mg/kg morphine s.c. Tolerance development was assessed by tail flick latency. Withdrawal was then precipitated by subcutaneous injection of 2mg/kg naloxone s.c. and signs recorded. Co-administration of 50mg/kg SL327 i.p. prior to morphine administration had no effect on the development of tolerance or withdrawal signs. To study possible effects of ERK inhibition on the expression of tolerance and dependence, mice were implanted with 75mg morphine pellets s.c. Tolerance and dependence were assessed as previously described. An acute i.p. injection of 50mg/kg SL327 after 4 days of morphine exposure had no effect on the expression of either morphine tolerance or physical dependence. To verify that this dose of SL327 inhibited morphine-induced ERK modulation, mice received an acute i.p. injection of 50mg/kg SL327 prior to morphine administration, and sacrificed 30min later. Western blots demonstrated that SL327 did inhibit morphine-induced ERK modulation. Taken together, these data suggest that unlike many other observed forms of neural plasticity, the ERK signaling cascade is not involved in the development or expression of opioid tolerance and dependence. PMID- 17764733 TI - The association between television-viewing behaviors and adolescent dating role attitudes and behaviors. AB - Two hundred and fifteen ninth grade students were surveyed to examine the relationship between television use and gender role attitudes and behavior in dating situations. Findings indicate the existence of a relationship between watching "romantic" television programming and having more traditional gender role attitudes in dating situations. However, watching non-romantic television dramas and thinking television was realistic, was related to having less traditional dating role attitudes. In addition, watching soap operas was related to a younger age of dating initiation and a greater number of dating partners. These results suggest that along with their own experiences in dating peers, adolescents may be learning from television programs that dating is a gendered process with prescribed roles for males and females, an attitude connected with greater sexual risk for young women. PMID- 17764734 TI - Roles of glycosylation on the antifungal activity and apoplast accumulation of StAPs (Solanum tuberosum aspartic proteases). AB - Specific roles of glycosylation appear to be protein-dependent. Plant aspartic proteases (APs) contain two or more consensus N-glycosylation sites; however, the importance of them is not well understood. StAPs (Solanum tuberosum aspartic proteases) are bifunctional proteins with both proteolytic and antimicrobial activities. These proteins are accumulated into the intercellular washing fluid of potato tubers and leaves after wounding or infection. In this paper we investigated the importance of glycosylation on the StAPs apoplast accumulation, biochemical parameters, and fungicidal activity. Assays to evaluate the importance of StAPs glycosylation groups by using glycosylation inhibitors demonstrate that carbohydrate portions are essential to StAPs accumulation into the apoplast of tubers and leaves after wounding or detachment, respectively. Bifunctional activity of StAPs is differentially affected by this post translational modification. Results obtained show that not significant changes were produced in the physicochemical properties after StAPs deglycosylation (pH and thermal-optimum activity and index of protein surface hydrophobicity). Otherwise, StAPs antifungal activity is affected by deglycosylation. Deglycosylated StAPs (dgStAPs) fungicidal activity is lower than native StAPs at all concentrations and times assayed. In summary, glycosylation has not a significant role on the StAPs conformational structure. However, it is involved in the StAPs subcellular accumulation and antifungal activity suggesting that it could be necessary for StAPs membrane and/or protein interactions and subsequently its biological function(s). PMID- 17764735 TI - A 3D collagen microsphere culture system for GDNF-secreting HEK293 cells with enhanced protein productivity. AB - Mammalian cell culture technology has been used for decades in mass production of therapeutic proteins. However, unrestricted cell proliferation usually results in low-protein productivity. Controlled proliferation technologies such as metabolism intervention and genetic manipulation are therefore applied to enhance the productivity. Nevertheless, these strategies induced growth arrest with reduced viability and increased apoptosis. In this study, we report a new controlled proliferation technology by encapsulating human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells over-expressing glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in 3D collagen microspheres for extended culture. We investigated the viability, proliferation, cell cycle and GDNF productivity of HEK293 cells in microspheres as compared to monolayer culture. This system provides a physiologically relevant tissue-like environment for cells to grow and exerts proliferation control throughout the culture period without compromising the viability. A significant increase in the production rate of GDNF was found in the 3D microsphere system comparing with the monolayer culture. GDNF productivity was also significantly affected by the initial cell number and the serum concentration. The secreted GDNF was still bioactive as it induced neurite extension in PC12 cells. In summary, the 3D collagen microsphere system presents a cost-effective controlled growth technology for protein production in pharmaceutical manufacturing. PMID- 17764736 TI - The self-assembly of biodegradable cationic polymer micelles as vectors for gene transfection. AB - Cationic micelles self-assembled from a biodegradable amphiphilic copolymer, poly{(N-methyldietheneamine sebacate)-co-[(cholesteryl oxocarbonylamido ethyl) methyl bis(ethylene) ammonium bromide] sebacate} (P(MDS-co-CES)) have recently been reported for efficient gene delivery and co-delivery of drug and nucleic acid. In this study, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of various molecular weights (Mn=550, 1100 and 2000) was conjugated to P(MDS-co-CES) having different cholesterol grafting degrees to improve the stability of micelle/DNA complexes in the blood for systemic in vivo gene delivery. DNA binding ability, gene transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity of P(MDS-co-CES), PMDS, PEGylated PMDS and PEGylated P(MDS-co-CES) micelles were studied and compared. As with P(MDS-co CES), PEG-P(MDS-co-CES) polymers could also self-assemble into stable micelles of small size. However, PMDS and PEG-PMDS without cholesterol could not form stable micelles but formed large particles. PEGylation of polymers significantly decreased their gene transfection efficiency in HEK293, HepG2, HeLa, MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells. However, increasing N/P ratio promoted gene transfection. An increased cholesterol grafting degree led to greater gene expression level possibly because of the more stable core-shell structure of the micelles. PEG550 P(MDS-co-CES) micelles induced high gene transfection level, comparable to that provided by P(MDS-co-CES) micelles. PEGylated polymers were much less cytotoxic than P(MDS-co-CES). PEGylated P(MDS-co-CES) micelles may provide a promising non viral vector for systemic in vivo gene delivery. PMID- 17764738 TI - Advancements in molecular epidemiology of implant infections and future perspectives. AB - Implant infection remains the major and often irreducible complication in clinical use of biomaterials, demanding new therapeutic and preventive strategies. Etio-pathogenesis of biomaterials-related infections is being more and more studied, and various virulence bacterial factors have progressively been identified, but little is still known about the weight of the distinct molecules in the context of specific peri-implant infection sites. Molecular epidemiology has become recently integrated into the research on implant infections. What distinguishes molecular epidemiology from the simple molecular biology is that the use of molecular techniques is applied to the study of the distribution and prevalence of virulence and resistance genes in collections of bacterial clinical isolates from implant infections. Here, the authors comment on the range of molecular techniques available, reviewing the various applications of molecular epidemiology to the study of implant infections and providing some experimental examples related to the field of orthopaedic implant infections. They highlight the new opportunities arising from molecular epidemiology of designing measures useful to prevent and treat implant infections. The knowledge of the relative weight of virulence factors and of their regulatory mechanisms at molecular level can open the way to new strategies also including gene therapies aimed at silencing or knocking out crucial genes responsible for the aggressive tools (adhesins, biofilm production, antibiotic resistance) of the aetiological agents of implant-related infections. PMID- 17764737 TI - An in vivo study of the host tissue response to subcutaneous implantation of PLGA and/or porcine small intestinal submucosa-based scaffolds. AB - An innate immune response is often found at the site of biomaterial implantation. Since the effective use of biomaterials in vivo requires good biocompatibility and biofunctionality, it is vital that we assess and compare the inflammatory reactions provoked by various implanted biomaterials in vivo. In the present study, we assessed the host tissue response to poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)- and small intestinal submucosa (SIS)-based scaffolds subcutaneously implanted in Fischer rats. Our results revealed that the PLGA-based scaffolds resulted in severe post-implantation inflammation, whereas the SIS-based scaffolds induced only a slight post-implantation inflammation and a PLGA/SIS based copolymer yielded intermediate results. PMID- 17764739 TI - Mitochondrial Ca2+ signalling in hippocampal neurons. AB - High-resolution fluorescent imaging of mitochondrial-targeted probes was used to examine the ability of mitochondria to decode complex spatial and temporal Ca2+ signals evoked in synaptically active networks of hippocampal neurons. Green-to red photoconversion of the mitochondrial-targeted probe, mito-Kaede, demonstrated that mitochondria were present as discrete organelles 2-6 microm in length. Real time imaging of mitochondrial-targeted ratiometric pericam (2 mtRP) visualised rapid, repetitive, transient mitochondrial Ca2+ fluxes in response to periods of synaptic activation. Mitochondrial Ca2+ fluxes within cellular compartments were dependent on the extent of synaptic recruitment, but independent of cross-talk with the endoplasmic reticulum or the presence of an interconnected mitochondrial network. Mitochondria in dendritic regions demonstrated a greater sensitivity to synaptic activation compared with somatic mitochondria. Temporal decoding of synaptic signals was rate-limited by the activity of the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger. Spatial regulation of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake was determined by the magnitude of the cytosolic Ca2+ rise in each cellular compartment. PMID- 17764740 TI - Bovine TB and the development of new vaccines. AB - Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is caused by Mycobacterium bovis. The incidence of bTB is increasing in cattle herds of developed countries that have a wild life reservoir of M. bovis, such as the UK, New Zealand and the USA. The increase in the incidence of bTB is thought to be due, at least in part, to a wildlife reservoir of M. bovis. M. bovis is also capable of infecting humans and on a worldwide basis, M. bovis is thought to account for up to 10% of cases of human TB [Cosivi O, Grange JM, Daborn CJ et al. Zoonotic tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in developing countries. Emerg Infect Dis 1998;4(1):59-70]. Thus, the increased incidence of bTB, besides being a major economic problem, poses an increased risk to human health. In the UK, the incidence of bTB continues to rise despite the use of the tuberculin test and slaughter control policy, highlighting the need for improved control strategies. Vaccination of cattle, in combination with more specific and sensitive diagnostic tests, is suggested as the most effective strategy for bovine TB control. The only vaccine currently available for human and bovine TB is the live attenuated Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG). BCG is thought to confer protection through the induction of Th1 responses against mycobacteria. However, protection against TB conferred by BCG is variable and to this date the reasons for the successes and failures of BCG are not clear. Therefore, there is a need to develop vaccines that confer greater and more consistent protection against bTB than that afforded by BCG. Given that BCG is currently the only licensed vaccine against human TB, it is likely that any new vaccine or vaccination strategy will be based around BCG. In this review we discuss immune responses elicited by mycobacteria in cattle and the novel approaches emerging for the control of bovine TB based on our increasing knowledge of protective immune responses. PMID- 17764742 TI - 'This just isn't sustainable': precarious employment, stress and workers' health. AB - This paper explores the impact of precarious employment relationships on health outcomes. It uses a novel framework, "Employment Strain" to describe the characteristics of different employment relationships and how they impact health outcomes. It uses interview data and comments provided on a survey to explore these issues. The paper begins by exploring if the health effects reported by mid career individuals in precarious employment are different from those of younger and older workers. Finding limited evidence to support this hypothesis, the paper goes on to explore in detail the conditions under which precarious employment does increase stress and tension and impact health outcomes. It concludes that a combination of an individual's desire for more permanent employment, the expectation that permanent employment will be found, and the support individuals receive from various sources are critical to understanding the health effects of precarious employment. PMID- 17764741 TI - Stress-induced changes in sleep in rodents: models and mechanisms. AB - Psychological stressors have a prominent effect on sleep in general, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in particular. Disruptions in sleep are a prominent feature, and potentially even the hallmark, of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Ross, R.J., Ball, W.A., Sullivan, K., Caroff, S., 1989. Sleep disturbance as the hallmark of posttraumatic stress disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 146, 697-707). Animal models are critical in understanding both the causes and potential treatments of psychiatric disorders. The current review describes a number of studies that have focused on the impact of stress on sleep in rodent models. The studies are also in Table 1, summarizing the effects of stress in 4-h blocks in both the light and dark phases. Although mild stress procedures have sometimes produced increases in REM sleep, more intense stressors appear to model the human condition by leading to disruptions in sleep, particularly REM sleep. We also discuss work conducted by our group and others looking at conditioning as a factor in the temporal extension of stress-related sleep disruptions. Finally, we attempt to describe the probable neural mechanisms of the sleep disruptions. A complete understanding of the neural correlates of stress-induced sleep alterations may lead to novel treatments for a variety of debilitating sleep disorders. PMID- 17764743 TI - Astronomical fire: Richard Carrington and the solar flare of 1859. AB - An explosion on the Sun in 1859, serendipitously witnessed by amateur astronomer Richard Carrington, plunged telegraphic communications into chaos and bathed two thirds of the Earth's skies in aurorae. Explaining what happened to the Sun and how it could affect Earth, 93 million miles away, helped change the direction of astronomy. From being concerned principally with charting the stars to aid navigation, astronomers became increasingly concerned with what the celestial objects were, how they behaved and how they might affect life on Earth. PMID- 17764745 TI - Reactivity of potential anti-diabetic molybdenum(VI) complexes in biological media: a XANES spectroscopic study. AB - The application of Mo(VI) complexes as anti-diabetic agents is a subject of considerable recent interest. The stability and speciation of [Mo(VI)O(4)](2-) and three analogs of known anti-diabetic V(IV) complexes ([Mo(VI)O(2)L(2)]; where LH=2,4-pentanedione, l-cysteine ethyl ester or N,N-diethyldithiocarbamic acid) in natural and simulated biological fluids (including blood and its components, cell culture media, and artificial digestion systems) were studied using MoK-edge XANES (X-ray absorption near-edge structure) spectroscopy of freeze-dried samples at 20K. All of the studied [MoO(2)L(2)] complexes decomposed extensively under simulated gastric and intestinal digestion conditions (3 h at 310 K), as well as in blood plasma or in cell culture medium (24 h at 310 K). The reaction products of [MoO(4)](2-) and [MoO(2)L(2)] with biological fluids could be satisfactorily modelled (using multiple linear regression analyses) as mixtures of tetrahedral and octahedral Mo(VI) species (with O-donor ligands) in various ratios, which were dependent on the nature of the medium rather than that of the initial Mo(VI) compounds. Red blood cells take up Mo(VI) predominantly in the form of [MoO(4)](2 ). Implications of these results to the development of Mo(VI)-based anti diabetics and to the mechanisms of natural uptake and metabolism of Mo(VI) are discussed. PMID- 17764744 TI - Neurotoxicity of HIV-1 Tat protein: involvement of D1 dopamine receptor. AB - Neurotoxic viral proteins released from HIV-infected cells are believed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of the dementia displayed in a significant number of AIDS patients. HIV-1 associated neuropathology severely affects dopaminergic regions of the brain. Growing evidence indicates that HIV-1 neurotoxic proteins, such as Tat may affect the function of the dopamine transmission system. In turn, molecular components of dopamine neurotransmission may participate in a complex network of Tat-induced cell responses which result in neurodegeneration. In this study we investigated whether D1 dopamine receptors are involved in the mechanism of Tat neurotoxicity in primary rat neuronal cell cultures. We found that in rat midbrain cell cultures, which express significant levels of D1 dopamine receptors, the specific D1 antagonist SCH 23390 attenuates the cell death caused by HIV-1 Tat. In rat hippocampal cell cultures, where the expression of D1 receptors is low, SCH 23390 did not change the toxicity of Tat. Thus, the protective effect of SCH 23390 in rat primary neuronal cell cultures is a function of the level of D1 receptor protein expression. Our results provide further evidence for the involvement of the dopaminergic transmission system in the mechanism of HIV-1 Tat neurotoxicity. PMID- 17764747 TI - Three-month-olds' detection of alliteration in syllables. AB - Using an auditory-preference procedure we found that 3-month-olds listened significantly longer to alliterative CVCs than to non-alliterative CVCs. This finding demonstrates that 3-month-olds are sensitive to syllable onsets and is discussed in relation to early speech perception and similar results found with 9 month-olds [Jusczyk, P. W., Goodman, M. B., & Baumann, A. (1999). Nine-month olds' attention to sound similarities in syllables. Journal of Memory & Language, 40, 62-82]. PMID- 17764746 TI - Utilization rate of carbapenems at intensive care units is not major determinant of gram-negative bacteria resistance to these antibiotics. PMID- 17764749 TI - Forebrain control of locomotor behaviors. AB - Activation of different areas in the forebrain evokes different types of goal directed adaptive behaviors. An important component of these different patterns of behavior is the locomotion that brings the animal to or away from a particular location. Here I review the role of projections from forebrain structures to the mesopontine tegmentum of the brainstem where neural mechanisms for initiation of locomotion and regulation of postural muscle tone are located that are activated during locomotor behavior. It is interesting is to understand how signals that converge from the forebrain structures to the mesopontine tegmentum control locomotor behavior, because the mesopontine tegmentum receives inhibitory efferents from the basal ganglia and excitatory efferents from the limbic hypothalamic system and the neocortex. Here I hypothesize that the mesopontine tegmentum has functional gating mechanisms that determine whether the subject will initiate and select volitionally guided or emotionally triggered locomotor behaviors, depending on the behavioral context. PMID- 17764750 TI - MHC class I expression and synaptic plasticity after nerve lesion. AB - An axon lesion to a bulbar or spinal motoneuron is followed by a typical retrograde response at the cell body level, including the removal or 'stripping' of synapses from the perikaryon and dendrites of affected cells. Both activated microglia and astrocytes have been attributed roles in this process. The signalling pathways for this 'synaptic stripping' have so far been unknown, but recently a classical set of immune recognition molecules, the MHC class I molecules, have been shown to have a strong influence on the strength and pattern of the synapse elimination response. Thus, when MHC class I signalling is severely impaired in mice lacking the MHC class I subunit beta2-microglobulin (beta2m) and transporter associated with antigen processing 1 (TAP 1) genes, both of which are necessary for surface expression of MHC class I, there is a stronger elimination of synapses from injured neurons, with the surplus elimination directed towards clusters of putatively inhibitory synapses. Moreover, the regenerative capacity of motoneurons in such mice is lower than in wild-type animals. The expression of MHC class I, as well as MHC class I-related receptors in both neurons and glia, lend support to a hypothesis that classical immune recognition signalling between neurons and glia underlie part of the 'stripping' response. PMID- 17764748 TI - Estrogen and adult neurogenesis in the amygdala and hypothalamus. AB - In mammals, adult neurogenesis has been extensively studied in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and subventricular zone. However, newly proliferated neurons have also been documented in other brain regions, including the amygdala and hypothalamus. In this review, we will examine the evidence for new neurons in the adult amygdala and hypothalamus and then discuss how environmental influences can alter cell proliferation. As some of these environmental effects may be attributed to changes in the levels of circulating hormones, we will provide evidence for estrogen-mediated cell proliferation among different species and between sexes. Finally, we will review recent data suggesting that new neurons may become functionally significant in adulthood. PMID- 17764751 TI - A method to fabricate mesoscopic freestanding polydimethylsiloxane membranes used to probe the rheology of an epithelial sheet. AB - Details are presented for the formulation, fabrication, and mechanical characterization of mesoscopic freestanding polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer membranes, 10.0 microm thick and 5.0 mm in diameter, used to probe the rheology of a living epithelial sheet. In what is described as a composite diaphragm inflation (CDI) experiment, freestanding PDMS membranes are utilized as substrates for the culture of a sheet of epithelial cells. Together, the cell layer and the PDMS elastomer form a composite diaphragm (CD) that is suitable for mechanical testing in an axisymmetric membrane inflation experiment. In order to distinguish the rheological behavior of the epithelial sheet from the mechanical response of the elastomer using inflation test data, freestanding PDMS membranes should exhibit a highly compliant yet mechanically invariant finite load deformation response when subjected to multiple inflation cycles following intermittent periods of cell culture. Given these considerations, we describe a method for preparing freestanding PDMS elastomer membrane specimens that are optically transparent, tensed, and wrinkle-free. Surface modifications intended to facilitate cell culture, namely water vapor plasma and ultraviolet light treatments, were shown to dramatically stiffen the mechanical response of the membranes, rendering them unusable as CD substrates. In this study, only PDMS membranes with physiosorbed collagen demonstrated the mechanical compliance, fatigue resistance, and environmental stability necessary for reliable use in CDI experiments. PMID- 17764752 TI - Risk of psychosis exacerbation by tricyclic antidepressants in unipolar Major Depressive Disorder with psychotic features. AB - BACKGROUND: We conducted a systematic review of the published trials in unipolar Major Depressive Disorder with psychotic features (MDDP) to examine the risk of psychosis exacerbation by antidepressants. METHODS: We searched Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsychINFO, and EMBASE for English language, controlled, open or retrospective acute antidepressant and/or antipsychotic treatment studies of unipolar MDDP. Studies without a clear delineation of treatment course or between bipolar disorder and unipolar MDDP were excluded. We evaluated studies for the number of subjects with psychosis exacerbation, and contacted the corresponding author for ambiguous cases. Studies in which we were unable to determine rates of psychosis exacerbation were excluded. Psychosis exacerbation was determined on a categorical basis, and analyzed with Fisher's exact test, a modified Wald confidence interval and odds ratio. RESULTS: 20 studies meeting criteria provided sufficient adverse event reporting for inclusion. 15 of 177 subjects (8.5%) on antidepressant monotherapy had a psychosis exacerbation, 8 of whom were on tricyclics. 2 of 129 subjects on either antipsychotic or combination treatment had a psychosis exacerbation. Tricyclic monotherapy was significantly more likely to be temporally associated with psychosis exacerbation (p=0.007). LIMITATIONS: Limitations include the small number of placebo-controlled trials, and numerous studies in which the relevant information was missing. Additionally, most trials were designed as treatment outcome studies, and not to determine the rate of psychosis exacerbation. CONCLUSIONS: Although rare, the present study indicates that tricyclic monotherapy may be temporally associated with an exacerbation of psychotic symptoms in patients with unipolar MDDP, potentially worsening prognosis. PMID- 17764753 TI - Developmental trajectories of anxiety disorders in offspring at high risk for panic disorder and major depression. AB - The objective of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal course of psychiatric disorders in children of parents with and without panic disorder and major depression as they transition through the period of risk from early to late childhood. Over a 5-year follow-up, we compared the course of psychiatric disorders in offspring of parents with panic disorder, major depression, or neither disorder. Subjects consisted of 233 offspring (from 151 families) with baseline and follow-up assessments. Subjects were comprehensively assessed with structured diagnostic interviews. Anxiety disorders at baseline were used to predict anxiety disorders and major depression at follow-up using stepwise logistic regression. Separation anxiety disorder significantly increased the risk for the subsequent development of specific phobia, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and major depression, even after parental panic and depression were covaried. Agoraphobia significantly increased the risk for subsequent generalized anxiety disorder. These findings suggest that separation anxiety disorder is a major antecedent disorder for the development of panic disorder and a wide range of other psychopathological outcomes, and that it increases the risk for subsequent psychopathology even among children already at high familial risk for anxiety or mood disorder. PMID- 17764754 TI - Generation and characterization of hybridoma antibodies for immunotherapy of tularemia. AB - Tularemia is caused by the Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis, which has been classified as a category A select agent-a likely bioweapon. The high virulence of F. tularensis and the threat of engineered antibiotic resistant variants warrant the development of new therapies to combat this disease. We have characterized 14 anti-Francisella hybridoma antibodies derived from mice infected with F. tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS) for potential use as immunotherapy of tularemia. All 14 antibodies cross reacted with virulent F. tularensis type A clinical isolates, 8 bound to a purified preparation of LVS LPS, and 6 bound to five protein antigens, identified by proteome microarray analysis. An IgG2a antibody, reactive with the LPS preparation, conferred full protection when administered either systemically or intranasally to BALB/c mice post challenge with a lethal dose of intranasal LVS; three other antibodies prolonged survival. These anti-Francisella hybridoma antibodies could be converted to chimeric versions with mouse V regions and human C regions to serve as components of a recombinant polyclonal antibody for clinical testing as immunotherapy of tularemia. The current study is the first to employ proteome microarrays to identify the target antigens of anti-Francisella monoclonal antibodies and the first to demonstrate the systemic and intranasal efficacy of monoclonal antibodies for post-exposure treatment of respiratory tularemia. PMID- 17764755 TI - Extracellular domains of the beta, gamma and epsilon subunits of the human acetylcholine receptor as immunoadsorbents for myasthenic autoantibodies: a combination of immunoadsorbents results in increased efficiency. AB - Myasthenia gravis (MG) is usually caused by autoantibodies against the human muscle acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Plasmapheresis offers a therapeutic option, but, as well as removing the pathogenic anti-AChR autoantibodies, it non specifically removes indispensable immunoglobulins. An attractive alternative to plasmapheresis would be the extracorporeal specific removal of the autoantibodies using AChR-based immunoadsorbents. Previously, we used the N-terminal extracellular domain (ECD) of the AChR alpha subunit to immunoadsorb anti-alpha subunit autoantibodies from MG sera. In this study, we immobilised the beta -, gamma- and epsilon-AChR ECDs on Sepharose and tested them as immunoadsorbents on 50 MG sera. A given ECD removed a different percentage of autoantibodies from different sera and different ECDs removed different percentages from the same serum; on average, the beta-, gamma- and epsilon-ECDs removed 22%, 20% and 15.5% of the autoantibodies, respectively. Immunoadsorption was completed in 3 min, 1 mug of ECD removed approximately 2 pmol of autoantibodies, and the immunoadsorbent could be recycled approximately 4 times. The combined use of two (alpha+gamma) or four (alpha+beta+gamma+epsilon) ECDs in a single immunoadsorbent resulted in much higher (often additive) immunoadsorption. These results show that MG sera have autoantibodies against several AChR subunits, and suggest that the combined use of all AChR ECDs could provide the basis for a novel, antigen specific therapy for MG. PMID- 17764757 TI - DiscrEET regulators of homeostasis: epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, cytochrome P450 epoxygenases and vascular inflammation. AB - Cytochrome P450 (CYP)-derived epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are lipid signalling molecules that elicit vasodilatation and modulate various intracellular signalling cascades. The generation of EETs by epoxygenases expressed in the vascular endothelium has been linked with endothelial cell proliferation, migration and angiogenesis. The EETs also possess anti inflammatory properties and can attenuate monocyte infiltration. Although an increase in CYP epoxygenase expression or activity should theoretically be beneficial, many of these enzymes generate reactive oxygen species which in themselves are pro-inflammatory and promote processes that functionally antagonize those of the EETs. There is potential for selecting the anti inflammatory actions of the EETs by preventing their metabolism by the soluble epoxide hydrolase. PMID- 17764756 TI - Novel therapeutic targets for enteric nervous system disorders. AB - There is a large unmet need for effective drugs for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, notably irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The market value for an effective irritable bowel syndrome therapeutic agent is estimated at over US10 billion dollars per annum. Each of these disorders seems to have a neural component, involving the intrinsic innervation of the gastrointestinal system, its extrinsic innervation or both. The substantially improved understanding of the transmitters, receptors and ion channels of enteric neurons that now exists has led to targeted therapy. The most promising targets so far have been 5 hydroxytryptamine receptors. Other targets include opioid, cholecystokinin, tachykinin, cannabinoid, corticotropin-releasing factor and protease-activated receptors. Ion channels are also potential targets. Although current knowledge has yet to be adequately translated into effective therapies, each of the targets holds promise for the future that might be realized as new compounds with appropriate receptor specificity and pharmacodynamic profiles are developed. PMID- 17764758 TI - Ozone exposure in the culture medium inhibits enterovirus 71 virus replication and modulates cytokine production in rhabdomyosarcoma cells. AB - In the present study, the effects of ozone exposure on enterovirus 71 (EV71) replication and related cytokine production were investigated. Rhabdomyosarcoma cells (RD) were exposed to 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 ppm ozone or filtered air under different exposure regimens before or after infection for 1 or 2 h. The results revealed that at a proper concentration of ozone, e.g., 1.5 or 2 ppm, ozone exposure restricted virus production, prolonged survival time of cells and modulated cytokine production related to EV71 infection. Upon exposure of non infected cells to ozone at 1.5 or 2 ppm for 1h, the production of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha was primed and boosted by the subsequent EV71 infection, generating an inhibitory effect on EV71 replication during the post-infection period of 48 h. While infected cells were exposed to ozone for 2 h at 1.5 or 2 ppm, ozone did not affect cytokine production by RD cells in response to EV71 infection. The data showed that ozone effect on induction of cytokine was only found in uninfected cells. The ozone-induced cytokines produced prior to the onset of EV71 infection generated antiviral effects, which proved beneficial in suppressing the subsequent EV71 infection. PMID- 17764759 TI - A 3D analysis of fore- and hindlimb motion during locomotion: comparison of overground and ladder walking in rats. AB - The locomotor pattern, generated by the central pattern generator, is under the dependence of descending and peripheral pathways. The afferent feedback from peripheral receptors allows the animal to correct for disturbances that occur during walking, while supraspinal structures are important for locomotion in demanding situations such as ladder walking. Such walking, by regards to the control needed for accuracy of movements, is now widely used for description of consequences of nervous system dysfunction on motor performance. It is important to have a good knowledge of the changes in kinematic parameters according to walking conditions, since it might reflect different neural mechanisms. The aim of this work was to perform a 3D kinematic analysis of both hind- and forelimb during overground and ladder walking, to study qualitative and quantitative locomotor characteristics in different modes of locomotion. The analysis was performed on 5 rats. Movements of the right hind- and forelimb were evaluated using a 3D optical analyser, and EMG of the soleus and tibialis anterior muscles was synchronously recorded. Results indicate that kinematic and electromyographic characteristics of locomotion are dependent on the type of support. Changes were more obvious for hindlimb than for forelimb. Velocity, stride length and tibialis anterior burst duration were lower on ladder than on runway. In addition, during ladder walking, a protraction was noticed, rats bring their feet more rostral at the end of the swing phase. All these changes constitute an adaptive strategy to allow a better tactile activity with forelimbs and to avoid foot misplacement. PMID- 17764760 TI - Successive negative contrast effect in instrumental runway behaviour: a study with Roman high- (RHA) and Roman low- (RLA) avoidance rats. AB - It has been recently shown that Roman high- (RHA) and low- (RLA) avoidance rats show behavioural divergence in successive negative contrast (SNC) induced in one way avoidance learning [Torres C, Candido A, Escarabajal MD, de la Torre L, Maldonado A, Tobena A, et al. Successive negative contrast effect in one-way avoidance learning in female roman rats. Physiol Behav 2005;85:377-82]. A 2 experiment study was conducted with the goal of analyzing whether these differences in SNC can also be extended to a different experimental paradigm. Food-deprived RHA and RLA female rats were exposed to a straight alley, recording the latency (DV) between leaving the start box and reaching the food available in the goal box at the end of the alley. To induce the SNC effect the amount of reinforcement received went from 12 pellets in the pre-shift phase to 1 pellet (Experiment 1) or 2 pellets (Experiment 2) in the postshift phase. The SNC effect appeared in both strains in Experiment 1, but only in RLA rats in Experiment 2. These results are discussed within the framework of SNC theories that account for this effect by using emotional mechanisms, as related to the differences in emotional reactivity seen between the RHA and RLA strains in a number of behavioural tests of fear/anxiety. PMID- 17764762 TI - Health behaviors and their determinants in multiethnic, active Israeli seniors. AB - To assess factors that affect the adoption of healthy lifestyles among a variety of active Israeli seniors, a survey was conducted in 2002 at the Peiluyada, a physical activity-oriented health fair for seniors held annually in Israel from 1995 to 2002. A multi-language, self-administered questionnaire, assessing predisposing factors, barriers and health-protective behaviors, was fielded to potential participants. Response rate at the event was 51%. Hebrew and Arabic speakers generally characterized their health as good to very good, while Russian speakers' health was rated only poor to fair. Over 80% engaged in regular physical activity, were satisfied with their diet, and conformed to international nutritional recommendations. Vaccination coverage against influenza (81%) and pneumocccocus (58%) was highest among Arabic speakers, and lowest among Russian speakers (33.5% and 12%, respectively). Higher age (> or =75 years) was significantly associated with receiving a vaccination against influenza. Major barriers to exercise included low motivation and poor physical health or disability. Health-related dietary restrictions were the leading nutritional barrier. Prominent barriers to vaccination included concerns about vaccine effectiveness (39%) and side effects (29%). Leading cues to action were a recommendation from one's doctor (67%) and from a healthcare worker (51%). PMID- 17764761 TI - Alteration of behavioural phenotype in mice by targeted disruption of the progranulin gene. AB - Sexual differentiation of the brain in rodents is achieved by estrogens, which are converted from androgens in the brain, during the perinatal period. We have identified the progranulin (PGRN) gene as one of the sex steroid-inducible genes that may be involved in masculinization of the rat brain. In the present study, we generated a line of mice with targeted disruption of the PGRN gene, and investigated male sexual behaviour, aggression and anxiety. PGRN-deficient mice exhibited a decrease in ejaculation incidence, while the latency and frequency of both mount and intromission were unchanged. For the aggressive behaviour test, the resident-intruder paradigm was used, and PGRN-deficient mice exhibited enhanced aggressiveness. In wild-type mice, males exhibited lower levels of anxiety than females by the open field test, while male PGRN-deficient mice exhibited an elevated level of anxiety and sex difference in anxiety was not observed. In addition, mRNA expression of the serotonergic receptor 5-HT1A, which could be related to the inhibition of aggression and anxiety, was significantly reduced in the hippocampus of PGRN-deficient mice after aggressive encounters. On the other hand, deficiency of the PGRN gene did not affect serum testosterone concentrations. These results suggest that PGRN gene plays a role in establishing sexual dimorphic behaviours at least partially by modulating the brain serotonergic system. PMID- 17764763 TI - Region-specific changes of cerebral white matter during normal aging: a diffusion tensor analysis. AB - With aging, the human brain tissue undergoes degeneration and a decline in cognitive function. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a sensitive method for detecting microstructural changes of the brain white matter (WM). We examined the age-dependent, region-specific, changing patterns in microstructures of the brain. This was preformed by DTI analysis of 58 healthy volunteers from Korea. The fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured for each region of interest (ROI) in 22 areas. The FA and ADC values of all 22 ROIs were, respectively, compared among the age groups, by linear regression analysis and analysis of variance. With aging, the ADC values tended to increase and the FA values tended to decrease. Patterns of regional changes of the FA were divided into three subgroups. The cingulum was affected earliest with aging and the age-related WM changes show an anterior to posterior gradient acceleration throughout the decades tested. This study suggests that DTI is sensitive enough a diagnostic tool to detect subtle microstructural changes. These results show that the WM has a region-specific vulnerability to the aging process. PMID- 17764765 TI - Hypernatremia in a patient with cyanotic congenital heart disease. PMID- 17764764 TI - Long-term transvenous AV-sequential pacing in a failing atriopulmonary Fontan patient. AB - We report on a 32-year-old man with tricuspid atresia, pulmonary stenosis and hypoplastic right ventricle. He had received a Fontan-Kreutzer procedure (anastomosis between the right atrial appendage and the pulmonary artery) at the age of 14 years. At the age of 2 years, an abdominal VVI-pacemaker with an epicardial ventricular lead had been implanted because of symptomatic third degree AV-block. The patient was now hospitalized with symptoms of severe congestive heart failure. A least invasive approach restoration of AV-synchrony by a dual chamber pacer was performed. Therefore a complete transvenous approach to avoid thoracotomy was attempted. A specially designed CS lead was advanced via the CS to a left lateral ventricular vein for ventricular stimulation. After institution of dual chamber pacing the patient recovered of his heart failure. During a follow-up time of 20 months the patient was clinically stable in the AV sequential pacing. CONCLUSION: Dual chamber pacing using a transvenously placed coronary sinus lead for ventricular stimulation may improve congestive heart failure in patients after the classic Fontan operation. The minimally invasive transvenous approach might be the best solution for patients who need a pacemaker and are not candidates for surgery or heart transplantation. PMID- 17764766 TI - HDL-C in post-menopausal women: An important therapeutic target. AB - Coronary heart disease is a major cause of mortality in women in Western industrialised countries, particularly after the age of 50 years, coinciding with the onset of the menopause and potentially adverse metabolic changes that occur during the transitional peri-menopausal and post-menopausal periods. Dyslipidaemia characterised by increases in plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides and lipoprotein(a) and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) together with the emergence of other diagnostic features of the metabolic syndrome are key factors that increase cardiovascular risk. Treatment beyond LDL-C with a combination of different lipid modifying therapies may therefore be of greater importance in women than men. Fibrates and nicotinic acid are two treatments that may be added to primary statin therapy. Fibrates are more effective in lowering elevated triglycerides, whereas nicotinic acid is more effective in raising HDL-C. Although there is clearly a need for clinical trials in women, the available data suggests that combination lipid-modifying therapy is a logical treatment strategy in this high risk patient group. PMID- 17764768 TI - Interleukin-6 activation in ischemic stroke caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C. AB - We report an unusual phenomenon in a patient with meningococcal meningitis who developed a brain infarct. Concentrations of interleukin-6 were notably elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid. We also discuss some clinical and pathophysiological features of cerebrovascular injury in meningococcal disease. PMID- 17764769 TI - Perventricular pulmonary valvuloplasty under echocardiographic guidance. AB - We report the case of a small neonate with a complex congenital heart disease who successfully underwent a perventricular pulmonary valvuloplasty during the early postoperative period, using echocardiographic guidance alone without fluoroscopy. We describe the technique and the advantages of this novel procedure. PMID- 17764767 TI - Three-, 6-, and 12-month results of autologous transplantation of mononuclear bone marrow cells in patients with acute myocardial infarction. AB - BACKGROUND: There are only few data on long-term effectiveness of the stem cell therapy. AIM: We studied the time course of global and regional left ventricular function in patients with acute myocardial infarction within 1 year after the autologous mononuclear bone marrow cell transplantation. METHODS: Sixty patients with a first acute myocardial infarction, who had been randomized into 3 groups, completed a 12-month protocol. Two groups were intracoronarily given bone marrow cells in either higher (10(8) cells, HD group, n=20) or lower (10(7) cells, LD group, n=20) doses. Twenty patients without cell transplantation served as a control (C) group. Doppler tissue imaging and the gated technetium-99m sestamibi single photon emission computed tomography were performed before cell transplantation and at 3, 6, and 12 months later. RESULTS: The baseline peak systolic velocities of longitudinal contraction of the infarcted wall (S(infarct)) of 5.2 cm/s, 4.6 cm/s, and 4.4 cm/s in C, LD, and HD groups increased by 0.0 cm/s, 0.3 cm/s (p=NS vs. C group), and by 0.7 cm/s (p<0.05 vs. C group), respectively, at 3 months. At 12 months, however, the corresponding changes from baseline values of 0.1 cm/s, 0.2 cm/s, and 0.6 cm/s did not differ significantly (all p=NS). In contrast, the post-transplant improvements in the left ventricular ejection fraction by 6%, 7%, and 7% at months 3, 6, and 12, respectively, were preserved in HD group patients during the whole 12-month follow-up and remained significantly better as compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the autologous mononuclear bone marrow cell transplantation provided sustained improvement in global left ventricular systolic function in patients with acute myocardial infarction. However, when evaluating regional systolic function of the infarcted wall, the short-term benefit was partially lost during the 12-month follow-up. PMID- 17764770 TI - Changes in heart rate variability during concentration meditation. AB - This study aims at investigating changes in heart rate variability (HRV) measured during meditation. The statistical and spectral measures of HRV from the RR intervals were analyzed. Results indicate that meditation may have different effects on health depending on frequency of the resonant peak that each meditator can achieve. The possible effects may concern resetting baroreflex sensitivity, increasing the parasympathetic tone, and improving efficiency of gas exchange in the lung. PMID- 17764772 TI - Temporal coordination between actions and sound during sequence production. AB - Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) causes asynchronies between perception and action that disrupt sequence production. Different delay lengths cause differing amounts of disruption that may reflect the phase location of feedback onsets relative to produced inter-response intervals, or the absolute temporal separation between actions and sounds. Two experiments addressed this issue by comparing the effects of traditional DAF, which uses a constant temporal separation, with delays that adjust temporal separation to maintain the phase location of feedback onsets within inter-response intervals. Participants played simple isochronous melodies on a keyboard, or tapped an isochronous beat, at three production rates. Disruption was best predicted by the phase location of feedback onsets, and diminished when feedback onsets formed harmonic phase ratios (phase synchrony). Both delay types led to similar effects. Different movement tasks (melody production versus tapping) led to slightly different patterns of disruption across phase that may relate to differing task demands. In general, these results support the view that perception and action are coordinated in relative rather than absolute time. PMID- 17764771 TI - Risk factors for BSE-infections in Lower Saxony, Germany. AB - In order to generate data on the cattle population and farm management in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany, a basic demographic survey was conducted. Afterwards these BSE-free farms as a reference population were compared with the population on BSE farms to identify risk factors for BSE infections. A variety of risk factors for BSE were reviewed, including the import of cattle from the United Kingdom, commercial foodstuff, dairy farming, herd size and cross contamination with foodstuff for other farm animals. For the basic demographic survey of the reference, a questionnaire was mailed to a representative sample of cattle farms in Lower Saxony where BSE cattle had not occurred before the sample was taken. Distribution of risk factors within this reference population (n=731) and the BSE population (n=49) were compared following the concept of indirect standardisation in stratified populations. The size of farms was used as the stratification variable, with three strata. Under the same rate as in the reference population, the portion of Red Holstein cattle breed was four fold higher than in the BSE population (SER=4.03; p=0.0003). Milk replacer was fed 1.41 times more often on BSE farms (p=0.0478). However, the use of concentrated foodstuff for pigs (SER=0.21) was significantly less frequent in the BSE population than expected (p=0.0001), whereas the husbandry of sheep, goats or game animals seemed to increase the risk of BSE 2.85 times (p=0.0413). There were no significant differences between the two populations concerning the purchase of cattle (p=0.1514) and the use of concentrated feed for calves during the 1990s (p=0.6212). This is an epidemiological indication of increased susceptibility of Red Holstein cattle to BSE. However, this study did not confirm the assumption that the use of commercial foodstuff other than milk replacer or the purchase of cattle increases the risk of BSE infection. It nevertheless remains likely that commercial foodstuffs such as concentrated feed for calves were risk factors in Germany as well. PMID- 17764773 TI - Post-harvest control strategies: minimizing mycotoxins in the food chain. AB - Contamination of cereal commodities by moulds and mycotoxins results in dry matter, quality, and nutritional losses and represents a significant hazard to the food chain. Most grain is harvested, dried and then stored on farm or in silos for medium/long term storage. Cereal quality is influenced by a range of interacting abiotic and biotic factors. In the so-called stored grain ecosystem, factors include grain and contaminant mould respiration, insect pests, rodents and the key environmental factors of temperature, water availability and intergranular gas composition, and preservatives which are added to conserve moist grain for animal feed. Thus knowledge of the key critical control points during harvesting, drying and storage stages in the cereal production chain are essential in developing effective prevention strategies post-harvest. Studies show that very small amounts of dry matter loss due to mould activity can be tolerated. With <0.5% dry matter loss visible moulding, mycotoxin contamination and downgrading of lots can occur. The key mycotoxigenic moulds in partially dried grain are Penicillium verrucosum (ochratoxin) in damp cool climates of Northern Europe, and Aspergillus flavus (aflatoxins), A. ochraceus (ochratoxin) and some Fusarium species (fumonisins, trichothecenes) on temperate and tropical cereals. Studies on the ecology of these species has resulted in modelling of germination, growth and mycotoxin minima and prediction of fungal contamination levels which may lead to mycotoxin contamination above the tolerable legislative limits (e.g. for ochratoxin). The effect of modified atmospheres and fumigation with sulphur dioxide and ammonia have been attempted to try and control mould spoilage in storage. Elevated CO2 of >75% are required to ensure that growth of mycotoxigenic moulds does not occur in partially dried grain. Sometimes, preservatives based on aliphatic acids have been used to prevent spoilage and mycotoxin contamination of stored commodities, especially feed. These are predominantly fungistats and attempts have been made to use alternatives such as essential oils and anti-oxidants to prevent growth and mycotoxin accumulation in partially dried grain. Interactions between spoilage and mycotoxigenic fungi and insect pests inevitably occurs in stored grain ecosystems and this can further influence contamination with mycotoxins. Effective post-harvest management of stored commodities requires clear monitoring criteria and effective implementation in relation to abiotic and biotic factors, hygiene and monitoring to ensure that mycotoxin contamination is minimised and that stored grain can proceed through the food chain for processing. PMID- 17764774 TI - Regulation of positive-strand RNA virus replication: the emerging role of phosphorylation. AB - Protein phosphorylation is a reversible post-translational modification that plays a fundamental role in the regulation of many cellular processes. Phosphorylation can modulate protein properties such as enzymatic activity, stability, subcellular localization or interaction with binding partners. The importance of phosphorylation of the replication proteins of negative-strand RNA viruses has previously been documented but recent evidence suggests that replication of positive-strand RNA viruses--the largest class of viruses, including significant human, animal and plant pathogens--may also be regulated by phosphorylation events. The objective of this review is to summarize current knowledge regarding the various regulatory roles played by phosphorylation of nonstructural viral proteins in the replication of positive-strand RNA viruses. PMID- 17764775 TI - Conserved characteristics of the rhabdovirus nucleoprotein. AB - Rhabdovirus is a negative strand RNA virus that packages a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex. The RNP is composed of a genome that is encapsidated completely by the nucleoprotein (N). Structural comparisons of the RNA-nucleoprotein complexes from two members, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and rabies virus (RABV), revealed highly conserved characteristics of folding, RNA binding, and assembly despite their lack of significant homology in amino acid sequence. The RNA binding cavity is located between two conserved domains formed by alpha-helices, but the positively charged residues that coordinate with the phosphate groups are at different sites. The intermolecular interactions among N molecules have a conserved pattern that is rendered, however, by different residues. The curvature of the RABV N-RNA complex in the crystal structure is larger than that of the VSV N-RNA complex. The more relaxed curvature allows the bases in the RNA to stack more tightly, and at the same time, the helices near the C-terminus move into the created space in order to cover the bound RNA. This may explain how the RNP can adopt different conformations from being packed as a superhelix in the virion to a relaxed linear structure once being delivered into the cytoplasm. PMID- 17764777 TI - Clinical and electrophysiological differences in male and female patients with diabetic foot. PMID- 17764776 TI - Probable NAFLD, by ALT levels, and diabetes among Filipino-American women. AB - BACKGROUND: Studies have shown alanine aminotransferase (ALT), a marker for non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), predicts type 2 diabetes (T2DM). OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between probable NAFLD and T2DM in non obese, non-alcoholic consuming Filipino-American women aged 48-73 years. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The UCSD Filipino Women's Health Study measured glucose, hepatic enzymes, adiponectin and visceral fat (VAT) during clinical visits (1995 2002). We defined T2DM by 1999 WHO criteria and probable NAFLD as ALT >31 U/L. RESULTS: Prevalence of T2DM was 34.4% and probable NAFLD was 17.2%. Women with T2DM (n=56) had higher VAT, total:HDL cholesterol, SBP, fasting glucose and insulin, postchallenge glucose, ALT (28.7 U/L versus 19.1 U/L, p<0.0001), GGT, AST, and probable NAFLD (32.1% versus 9.35%, p=0.0002) and lower adiponectin than those without T2DM (n=107). GGT (p=0.0008) and ALT (p=0.002) were associated with increasing VAT levels. Probable NAFLD was independently associated with T2DM (AOR 6.32, 95% CI 2.2-18.0), after adjusting for risk factors. CONCLUSION: Probable NAFLD was elevated and associated with T2DM, independent of VAT, adiponectin and other risk factors. ALT may serve as a useful marker for NAFLD or diabetes risk in Filipino women. PMID- 17764778 TI - The host defence peptide LL-37/hCAP-18 is a growth factor for lung cancer cells. AB - Cancer development can be viewed as dysregulated repair. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are effector molecules of the innate immune system with direct antimicrobial activity. Beside this host defence function several AMPs play a role in the regulation of inflammation and tissue repair. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the human cathelicidin AMP LL-37/hCAP-18 is involved in the biology of lung cancer. Human cancer cell lines were found to express the human cathelicidin LL-37/hCAP-18 mRNA and peptide at different levels. Immunohistochemistry of human lung cancers showed that the peptide is expressed mostly in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Application of exogenous LL-37 at low concentrations of 5ng/ml to cancer cell lines increased proliferation and growth of anchorage-independent colonies. At the molecular level, LL-37 induced phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and activation of downstream MAP kinase signalling pathways. Lung cancer cell lines that stably overexpress the peptide by means of a doxycycline regulated promoter system also showed a faster growth. When these cell lines were injected subcutaneously into nude mice, cathelicidin overexpression resulted in increased tumourigenicity and the formation of significantly larger tumours. In conclusion, cathelicidin is expressed in human lung cancers. The peptide activates tumour cells resulting in increased cell growth in vitro and in an animal model. The host defence peptide cathelicidin LL-37/hCAP-18 acts as growth factor for human lung cancer. PMID- 17764779 TI - Phase II randomized study of weekly docetaxel alone or plus UFUR treatment in non small cell lung cancer patients who failed previous chemotherapy. AB - PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of adding UFUR (UFT, tegafur/uracil) into weekly docetaxel treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who failed previous platinum-based chemotherapy. METHODS: Patients were randomized into two arms: docetaxel 40mg/m(2) intravenous infusion (IV) on days 1 and 8 of every 3 weeks (arm D), and docetaxel 35mg/m(2) IV on days 1 and 8 plus daily oral UFUR 150mg/m(2) of every 3 weeks (arm DU), with arm D as a control arm. Treatment was given to a maximum of 6 cycles and carried out in the outpatient clinic. RESULTS: From January 2005 to March 2006, 48 patients were enrolled and randomized into the study, with 24 patients in each arm. The mean number of cycles of treatment was 4 in the D arm and 3.5 in the DU arm. Objective response rates were 29.2% in the D arm and 8.3% in the DU arm (p=0.067). Toxicities were few and mild in degree in both arms. Median time to disease progression was 4.5 months in the D arm and 2.1 months in the DU arm (p=0.4682). Median survival time was 10.9 months in the D arm and 15.2 months in the DU arm (p=0.8442). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of UFUR to weekly docetaxel treatment did not improve response rate and time to disease progression in NSCLC patients who failed previous platinum-based chemotherapy. PMID- 17764780 TI - Predictors of skin cancer screening practice and attitudes in primary care. AB - BACKGROUND: Physician visits provide invaluable opportunities to screen patients for skin cancer, yielding earlier detection and improved survival. OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess frequency of skin cancer screening by full body skin examinations (FBSE) by primary care physicians, patient attitudes toward FBSE, and risk factors for cutaneous malignancy. METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed to patients at primary care and dermatology clinics. RESULTS: A total of 426 participants were surveyed. Overall, 20% of patients reported having undergone regular FBSE by their primary care physician. Sex, race, personal skin cancer history, and Fitzpatrick skin type were predictive of whether a FBSE was performed by a patient's primary care physician. Men were more likely to report having undergone a FBSE (22% vs 19%; P < .01); women were more likely to report feeling embarrassed by a FBSE (15% vs 4%; P < .01). LIMITATIONS: This study was conducted at a single site academic center. CONCLUSION: Although low rates of skin cancer screening are reported by patients, those at higher risk are being screened more frequently. Sex disparity exists, and as both male and female patients have a strong preference to undergo FBSE, unmet opportunities for skin cancer prevention should be maximized. PMID- 17764781 TI - Do emergency department patients with possible acute coronary syndrome have better outcomes when admitted to cardiology versus other services? AB - STUDY OBJECTIVE: Emergency physicians need to consider potential differences in quality of care across admitting services in their triage decisions. For emergency department (ED) patients with possible acute coronary syndrome who require hospitalization, there are relatively few data to guide emergency physicians in deciding whether admission to a cardiology service bed yields better outcomes than admission to a noncardiology service. METHODS: We enrolled 544 ED patients who were admitted for symptoms of possible acute coronary syndrome after a nondiagnostic initial evaluation during a quality improvement trial at 2 university hospitals. Adverse events, inhospital treatment, and follow up care were assessed by 30-day telephone interview and medical record review. We used a modified version of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 20 and the Duke Activity Status Index to assess functional status. To account for selection bias, we analyzed process and outcome variables after adjustment for the estimated propensity of being admitted to cardiology and predicted probability of acute cardiac ischemia. RESULTS: Overall, 34% of admitted patients had confirmed acute coronary syndrome. Patients admitted to a cardiology service were significantly more likely to undergo evaluation for ischemic heart disease than those admitted to a noncardiology service (adjusted odds ratio for noninvasive testing 2.7; 95% confidence interval 1.7 to 4.2) but were not more likely to receive recommended therapies. The incidence of ED revisits and rehospitalizations, functional status, and adverse cardiovascular events were similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: ED patients admitted for evaluation of possible acute coronary syndrome do not experience worsened short-term outcomes if admitted to a noncardiology service bed. PMID- 17764782 TI - Comparison of octreotide and standard therapy versus standard therapy alone for the treatment of sulfonylurea-induced hypoglycemia. AB - STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study is designed to test the hypothesis that the administration of octreotide acetate (Sandostatin; Novartis Pharmaceuticals) in addition to standard therapy will increase serum glucose level measured at serial intervals in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with sulfonylurea-induced hypoglycemia compared with standard therapy alone. METHODS: This study was a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. All adult patients who presented to the ED with hypoglycemia (serum glucose level < or = 60 mg/dL) and were found to be taking a sulfonylurea or a combination of insulin and sulfonylurea were screened for participation in the study. Study participants were randomized to receive standard treatment (1 ampule of 50% dextrose intravenously and carbohydrates orally) and placebo (1 mL of 0.9% normal saline solution subcutaneously) or standard treatment plus 1 dose of octreotide 75 microg subcutaneously. Subsequent treatment interventions were at the discretion of the inpatient internal medicine service. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients (18 placebo; 22 octreotide) were enrolled. The mean serum glucose measurement at presentation was placebo 35 mg/dL and octreotide 39 mg/dL. The mean glucose values for octreotide patients compared with placebo were consistently higher during the first 8 hours but showed no difference in subsequent hours. Mean glucose differences approached statistical significance from 1 to 3 hours and were significant from 4 to 8 hours after octreotide or placebo administration. CONCLUSION: The addition of octreotide to standard therapy in hypoglycemic patients receiving treatment with a sulfonylurea increased serum glucose values for the first 8 hours after administration in our patients. Recurrent hypoglycemic episodes occurred less frequently in patients who received octreotide compared with those who received placebo. PMID- 17764783 TI - Rapid fluid resuscitation in pediatrics: testing the American College of Critical Care Medicine guideline. AB - STUDY OBJECTIVE: The 2002 American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) guidelines for the resuscitation of pediatric septic shock suggest that 20 mL/kg of bolus intravenous fluid be given within 5 minutes. Of 3 commonly used, inexpensive methods of fluid delivery, we hypothesized that only use of a manual push-pull system will permit guideline adherence. METHODS: This prospective, interventional study was open to children in the Columbus Children's Hospital Emergency Department who were ordered a 20 mL/kg nonemergent fluid bolus by their treating physician. Subjects were randomized to receive the fluid for 5 minutes by a pressure bag maintained at 300 mm Hg, by a manual push-pull system, or by gravity. Volume of fluid delivered, absolute rates of fluid delivery, and adherence to the ACCM guideline were recorded. Statistical analysis was done with both parametric and nonparametric methods. RESULTS: Sixty children were enrolled, with 57 included in data analysis. Median volumes of fluid delivered in the study period were 20.9 mL/kg (pressure bag), 20.2 mL/kg (push-pull), and 6.2 mL/kg (gravity) (P<.0001). The ACCM guideline was met in 58% of the pressure bag group, 68% of the push-pull group, and none of the gravity group. No children weighing greater than 40 kg met the guideline in any of the groups. CONCLUSION: The ACCM guideline for rapid fluid resuscitation is feasible for many children, especially those weighing less than 40 kg. Contrary to our hypothesis, the use of a pressure bag and a manual push-pull system both appear to be acceptable methods of rapid fluid delivery. Administration of bolus fluid by gravity likely has a limited role in acute pediatric resuscitation. PMID- 17764784 TI - TelEmergency: a novel system for delivering emergency care to rural hospitals. AB - Providing rural emergency medical care is often difficult because of limited resources and a scarcity of medical providers, including physicians trained in emergency medicine. Telemedicine offers promise for improving the quality of care in rural areas, but previous models were not well designed to provide affordable care to unstable or potentially unstable patients. The TelEmergency program was developed to overcome these limitations by providing quality, affordable medical care to patients in rural emergency departments (EDs) using specially trained nurse practitioners linked in real time by telemedicine with their collaborating physicians at the University of Mississippi Medical Center Adult Emergency Department. Since its inception in October 2003, the TelEmergency program has evaluated and treated more than 40,000 patients in 11 rural EDs throughout Mississippi, with a high degree of satisfaction from patients and hospital administrators. This article details the development and implementation of this system and describes the patient population that has been evaluated. PMID- 17764785 TI - Continuous positive airway pressure versus bilevel noninvasive ventilation in acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema: a randomized multicenter trial. AB - STUDY OBJECTIVE: Patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema may develop respiratory failure. Noninvasive respiratory support should be initiated rapidly to avoid tracheal intubation. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) delivered by the Boussignac CPAP device and bilevel positive airway pressure (bilevel PAP) in patients with acute respiratory failure caused by acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema. METHODS: This prospective multicenter randomized study was conducted in 3 emergency departments. Patients were assigned to Boussignac CPAP through a facemask or to bilevel PAP, in addition to standard therapy. The main outcome was a combined criterion (tracheal intubation, death, or acute myocardial infarction). Complications, durations of ventilation, and hospitalization were also assessed. RESULTS: After 1 hour of ventilation and at the end of the ventilation period, clinical parameters of respiratory distress and blood gas exchange significantly improved in each treatment arm. No significant differences were observed between the Boussignac CPAP and bilevel PAP arms for the combined criterion (5% versus 12%, respectively; odds ratio [OR] 0.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.0 to 1.9) and also for severe complications (9% versus 6%; OR 1.5; 95% CI 0.3 to 9.9), duration of ventilation (median for both groups 2 hours; interquartile range [IQR] 1.2 to 3.0 hours), duration of hospitalization (CPAP 8.5 [IQR 6 to 14] days; bilevel PAP 10 [IQR 7 to 16] days), or intrahospital mortality (8% versus 14%; OR 1.8 [IQR 0.4 to 8.8]). Similar results were obtained among hypercapnic patients (PaCO2 >45 mm Hg). Whatever the ventilation support used, the combined criterion and severe complications were more frequently observed among hypercapnic patients. CONCLUSION: Both Boussignac CPAP and bilevel PAP appeared effective in rapidly improving respiratory distress even in hypercapnic patients, but they were not different in terms of patient outcome. PMID- 17764787 TI - The role of catecholamines in the prolactin release induced by salsolinol. AB - Salsolinol (1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dihydroxy-1-methylisoquinoline) is an endogenous prolactin releasing agent. Its action can be inhibited by another isoquinoline, 1-methyl-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline (1MeDIQ), which has a strong norepinephrine releasing activity. Salsolinol does not alter the dopamine release in median eminence in vitro, providing evidence for the lack of interaction with presynaptic D2 dopamine receptors. At the same time, lack of norepinephrine transporter abolishes salsolinol's action. Salsolinol decreases tissue level of dopamine and increases norepinephrine to dopamine ratio in organs innervated by the sympathetic nervous system indicating a possible decrease of norepinephrine release. Enzymes of catecholamine synthesis and metabolism are probably also not the site of action of salsolinol. In summary, based upon all of these observations a physiologically relevant interplay might exist between the sympatho-neuronal system and the regulation of prolactin release. PMID- 17764786 TI - A new family of antimicrobial peptides from skin secretions of Rana pleuraden. AB - While conducting experiments to investigate antimicrobial peptides of amphibians living in the Yunnan-Guizhou region of southwest China, a new family of antimicrobial peptides was identified from skin secretions of the Yunnan frog, Rana pleuraden. Members of the new peptide family named pleurain-As are composed of 26 amino acids with a unique N-terminal sequence (SIIT) and a disulfide bridged heptapeptide sequence (CRLYNTC). By BLAST search, pleurain-As had no significant similarity to any known peptides. Native and synthetic peptides showed antimicrobial activities against tested microorganisms including Gram negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Twenty different cDNAs encoding pleurain-As were cloned from the skin cDNA library of R. pleuraden. The precursors of pleurain-As are composed of 69 amino acid residues including predicted signal peptides, acidic propieces, and cationic mature antimicrobial peptides. The preproregion of pleurain-A precursor comprises a hydrophobic signal peptide of 22 residues followed by an 18 residue acidic propiece which terminates by a typical prohormone processing signal Lys-Arg. The preproregions of precursors are very similar to other amphibian antimicrobial peptide precursors but the mature pleurain-As are different from other antimicrobial peptide families. The remarkable similarity of preproregions of precursors that give rise to very different antimicrobial peptides in distantly related frog species suggests that the corresponding genes form a multigene family originating from a common ancestor. Furthermore, pleurain-As could exert antimicrobial capability against Helicobacter pylori. This is the first report of naturally occurring peptides with anti-H. pylori activity from Rana amphibians. PMID- 17764789 TI - Safety and efficacy of transcutaneous vaccination using a patch with the live attenuated measles vaccine in humans. AB - Transcutaneous immunisation (TCI) using a skin patch is a non-invasive vaccination route relevant to mass vaccination against infectious diseases. This phase I/II clinical study, documents that TCI of human adult volunteers with the live-attenuated measles vaccine ROUVAX((R)) is safe and poorly reactogenic. It promotes induction of measles-specific salivary IgA and a tendency to increased frequency of MV-specific IFNgamma-producing T cells. However, in contrast to the subcutaneous route, TCI failed to evoke neutralising MV-specific serum antibodies. Thus, alternative delivery methods and/or devices providing optimal uptake by skin DC should be considered for live-attenuated virus vaccines, such as the measles vaccine. PMID- 17764790 TI - The cost effectiveness of influenza vaccination for adults aged 50 to 64 years: a model-based analysis for Spain. AB - An economic evaluation of reducing the age threshold for routine influenza vaccination in Spain from 65 to 50 years was performed. A probabilistic model was used to compare a policy based on a recommendation to vaccinate all adults aged 50-64 with the existing vaccination policy for that age group, during interpandemic periods. Two perspectives were considered: third-party payer (TPP) and societal. Model inputs were obtained primarily from the published literature and validated through expert opinion. From TPP perspective, incremental cost effectiveness ratios were estimated at euro14,919 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained and euro9731 per life-year gained. From societal perspective, the corresponding results were euro4149 per QALY and euro2706 per life-year gained. Extending routine influenza vaccination to people over 50 years of age is likely to be cost-effective. PMID- 17764791 TI - On the occurrence of radioactive fallout over Norway as a result of the Windscale accident, October 1957. AB - A fire at the Windscale plant at Cumbria in the UK between the 10th and the 11th of October 1957 resulted in the first publicised release of radioactivity to the wider environment. The cloud of contamination passed to the southeast of England before travelling northwards on the 14th of October as a result of weather fronts in Europe. Monitoring of radioactive fallout in Norway was at the time conducted by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) using a network of air and precipitation monitoring stations. This article presents results from these monitoring activities which were originally contained in laboratory journals and a series of internal reports produced by FFI. Although mainly classified during the 1950s and 1960s, recent years have seen the incremental declassification of these reports and as the 50th anniversary of the accident approaches, a distillation and reanalysis of this information has been conducted. Results indicate that radioactivity from Windscale was first detected at Bergen and Sola in the south west of Norway and a little later at Vaernes, significant amounts of radioactivity being deposited at these locations during the second and third weeks of that month. Results relating to concentrations of activity in air and precipitation and fallout levels are presented for the relevant period and discussed in relation to fallout levels in Norway during the period 1957-1960. PMID- 17764792 TI - Modelling 3H and 14C transfer to farm animals and their products under steady state conditions. AB - The radionuclides (14)C and (3)H may both be released from nuclear facilities. These radionuclides are unusual, in that they are isotopes of macro-elements which form the basis of animal tissues, feed and, in the case of (3)H, water. There are few published values describing the transfer of (3)H and (14)C from feed to animal derived food products under steady state conditions. Approaches are described which enable the prediction of (14)C and (3)H transfer parameter values from readily available information on the stable H or C concentration of animal feeds, tissues and milk, water turnover rates, and feed intakes and digestibilities. We recommend that the concentration ratio between feed and animal product activity concentrations be used as it is less variable than the transfer coefficient (ratio between radionuclide activity concentration in animal milk or tissue to the daily intake of a radionuclide). PMID- 17764793 TI - Can activity within the external abdominal oblique be measured using real-time ultrasound imaging? AB - BACKGROUND: Differences in the function of the anterolateral abdominal muscles have been the subject of much investigation, but primarily using electromyography. Recently changes in thickness of transversus abdominis and internal oblique measured from real-time ultrasound images have been shown to represent activity within these muscles. However it is still unclear if such a change in thickness in external oblique similarly represents activity within that muscle. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between change in thickness and muscle activity in the external oblique using real-time ultrasound and surface electromyography. METHODS: Simultaneous measurements of electromyography and real-time ultrasound images of external oblique were studied in up to 24 subjects during two tasks compared to the muscle at rest (1) isometric trunk rotation and (2) drawing in the lower abdomen. FINDINGS: Changes in muscle thickness correlated significantly with electromyography during isometric trunk rotation in the majority of subjects but with a significant difference between subjects. In contrast, the relationship between change in thickness and electrical activity in the muscle when drawing in the lower abdomen was significant in less than 50% of subjects and the muscle often got thinner. INTERPRETATION: Thickness changes of external oblique can be used as a valid indicator of electromyography activity during isometric trunk rotation, though the relationship is not as good as previously published data for transversus abdominis. Thickness changes of external oblique measured during lower abdominal drawing in cannot be used to detect activity within this muscle. PMID- 17764794 TI - Particle fluxes above forests: observations, methodological considerations and method comparisons. AB - This paper reports a study designed to test, evaluate and compare micro meteorological methods for determining the particle number flux above forest canopies. Half-hour average particle number fluxes above a representative broad leaved forest in Denmark derived using eddy covariance range from -7x10(7) m(-2) s(-1) (1st percentile) to 5x10(7) m(-2) s(-1) (99th percentile), and have a median value of -1.6x10(6) m(-2) s(-1). The statistical uncertainties associated with the particle number flux estimates are larger than those for momentum fluxes and imply that in this data set approximately half of the particle number fluxes are not statistically different to zero. Particle number fluxes from relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) and eddy covariance are highly correlated and of almost identical magnitude. Flux estimates from the co-spectral and dissipation methods are also correlated with those from eddy covariance but exhibit higher absolute magnitude of fluxes. PMID- 17764795 TI - From macro to micro: the health of Swedish lone mothers during changing economic and social circumstances. AB - The deep recession in Sweden in the early 1990s led to high unemployment levels. In addition, policy changes and reductions in welfare benefits increased costs of living. These changes may have affected lone mothers to a greater extent than other groups. How have these changes in the social context and policy context impacted on the health of lone mothers in comparison with couple mothers in Sweden between 1983 and 2001? Survey data on 19,192 mothers over the period of 1983-2001 were used to study changes in individual economic and social circumstances and self-rated health (SRH) with multivariate logistic regression. In addition, all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality and severe morbidity were studied using registers for the whole population. Three cohorts of mothers aged 20-54 years (starting 1985, 1990 and 1996) were formed. Age-adjusted risk ratios were calculated using Poisson regression. The employment rate among lone mothers declined from 1983 to 2001. At the same time, prevalence of self-reported financial problems and exposure to violence increased. Lone mothers reported worse SRH and had higher risks of hospitalisation and mortality than couple mothers in all time periods. Despite changes in social context and policy context causing an increase of health detrimental exposures, and deteriorated levels of SRH 1980-2001 for lone mothers, there was no evidence of increased differentials over time between lone and couple mothers in less than good SRH, hospitalisation or mortality. Three alternative explanations are discussed: the Swedish welfare state still acts as a buffer for ill health; latency makes the follow-up time too short; and finally, the lack of increased differentials is due to methodological reasons. PMID- 17764796 TI - Low birthweight among US Hispanic/Latino subgroups: the effect of maternal foreign-born status and education. AB - We investigated whether maternal foreign-born status confers a protective effect against low birthweight (LBW) across US Hispanic/Latino subgroups (i.e., Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Central/South Americans) in the USA, and whether the association between maternal education and LBW varies by Hispanic/Latino subgroup and by foreign-born status. We conducted logistic regression analyses of the 2002 US Natality Detail Data (n=634,797). Overall, foreign-born Latino women are less likely to have LBW infants than US-born Latino women. The protective effect of foreign-born status is stronger among Latino women with less than high school education. The maternal education gradient is significantly flatter among foreign-born Latino women than among their US-born counterparts (p<0.001). Patterns among Mexican-origin women account for the overall trends among all Latinos.Foreign-born status (main effect) reduces the risk of LBW among Mexicans by about 21% but does not protect against LBW among other Latino subgroups (i.e., Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Central/South Americans). Among Mexicans and Central South Americans, the protective effect of foreign-born status is stronger among women with low education (i.e., 0-11 and 12 years) than among women with more education (i.e., 13-15 and 16+ years). The educational gradient in LBW is less pronounced among foreign-born Mexicans and Central/South Americans than among their US-born counterparts. As such, maternal foreign-born status and education are associated with LBW, though the direction and strength of these associations vary across Latino subgroups. A "health paradox" is apparent for foreign-born Mexican and Central/South American women among whom there is a weak maternal educational gradient in LBW. Future research may test hypotheses regarding the mechanisms underlying these variations in LBW among Latino subgroups, i.e., different gradients in sending countries, health selection of immigrants, cultural factors, and social support. PMID- 17764797 TI - Sex, money, and premarital partnerships in southern Malawi. AB - In this paper, I argue two main points. First, in premarital, sexual partnerships in rural Malawi, the purpose of money exchange extends beyond the alleviation of female partners' economic constraints, and, second, by clarifying this broader purpose, it becomes possible to recognize where women exert control over their own sexual selves. These findings come from field observations and a rich set of in-depth interviews (N=54), bolstered on occasion by survey data, conducted with young women and men, aged 15-24 years, in the Balaka district in the southern region of the country. This research demonstrates that, contrary to typical expectations, money and gift transfers in sexual partnerships are part and parcel of the courting practices of young Malawian women and men. Transfers are as much about the expression of love and commitment as they are about meeting the financial needs of women or the acquisition of sex for men. Using narrative information to shed light on the semiotics of the sex-money link, these findings from Malawi offer a new perspective that broadens usual interpretations of transactional sex, the understanding of which is critical in fighting AIDS. PMID- 17764798 TI - Propofol and erythropoietin antioxidant properties in rat brain injured tissue. AB - So far, several treatment modalities have been attempted to brain protection in cases such as brain trauma, stroke or brain hemorrhage. However, a treatment method that the effect begins immediately and definitely helpful has not been discovered yet. In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of propofol and erythropoietin (Epo) on brain injury caused by oxidative stress and antioxidant properties of these agents after closed head injury (CHI) in rats. For this study, female Wistar Albino rats were divided into five groups: non-traumatic control group, trauma performed group CHI, trauma with propofol (100 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (i.p.), trauma with Epo (5000 U/kg) i.p. and trauma with propofol and Epo performed study groups. Twenty-four hours after CHI, rats were sacrificed and the brains were removed. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), xanthine oxidase (XO), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured in brain tissue. MDA and NO levels were decreased significantly in Groups Epo, Propofol and Epo+Propofol than Group CHI (p<0.01). XO activity was significantly lower in Group Epo than Group CHI (p<0.05). Epo and propofol decreased oxidative stress by decreasing MDA and NO level in brain tissue after CHI. However, combination of Epo and propofol has no significant beneficial advantage than Epo or propofol alone. PMID- 17764799 TI - Abnormal prediction error is associated with negative and depressive symptoms in schizophrenia. AB - Prediction error in learning is where learning occurs to the degree to which an outcome consequent to a stimulus is surprising. It has been suggested that abnormal use of prediction error in schizophrenia may underlie the formation of inappropriate associations giving rise to psychotic symptoms. Kamin blocking is a phenomenon that demonstrates prediction error. Kamin blocking is shown where prior learning about a stimulus A paired with an outcome retards learning about a stimulus B when presented subsequently as part of a stimulus compound AB paired with the same outcome. Prior studies have indicated reduced Kamin blocking in schizophrenia specifically in non-paranoid patients. It is however unclear how reduced Kamin blocking is associated with specific symptoms in schizophrenia. The present study examined Kamin blocking performance in a high functioning community based sample of 34 people with schizophrenia and 48 controls closely matched for pre-morbid IQ. In these patients we measured Kamin blocking and symptoms using positive and negative symptom scales (PANSS) and Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS). Results confirmed that people with schizophrenia had significantly reduced Kamin blocking. Kamin blocking performance was associated with negative and depressive symptoms. These associations with symptoms were crucially not found with baseline associative learning or unblocking measures, confirming specificity to the Kamin blocking effect. These data demonstrate first that abnormal prediction error as assessed in the Kamin blocking task is associated with negative and depressive symptoms rather than positive symptoms in high functioning schizophrenia patients. Second this strongly suggests that reduced Kamin blocking may be useful as an animal model of specific relevance to negative and depressive symptoms in schizophrenia. PMID- 17764800 TI - Tone duration mismatch negativity deficits predict impairment of executive function in schizophrenia. AB - Impairment in mismatch negativity (MMN) potentials is a robust finding in schizophrenia. There are few studies which examined the correlation between MMN deficits and neuropsychological performances. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between deficits of tone duration MMN and various neuropsychological measures in schizophrenic patients (n=23). The results demonstrated a significant correlation between low MMN amplitude and poor performances of executive function in Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Test and Trail Making Test. Our finding suggests MMN deficits in schizophrenia predict deficits of executive function and might reflect ongoing functional abnormality of fronto-temporal interaction. PMID- 17764801 TI - Prooxidant activity of hydroxycinnamic acids on DNA damage in the presence of Cu(II) ions: mechanism and structure-activity relationship. AB - The prooxidant effect of hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs), i.e., caffeic acid (CaA), chlorogenic acid (ChA), sinapic acid (SA), ferulic acid (FA), 3-hydroxycinnamic acid (3-HCA) and 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (4-HCA) on supercoiled pBR322 plasmid DNA strand breakage and calf thymus DNA damage in the presence of Cu(II) ions has been studied. It was found that the compounds bearing ortho-dihydroxyl group (CaA and ChA) or bearing 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyl group (SA and FA) exhibited remarkably higher activity in the DNA damage than the ones bearing no such functionalities. The good correlation between the DNA damaging activity and the oxidative potential of the compounds indicates that the electron transfer between HCAs and Cu(II) plays a crucial role in the reaction. UV-Visible spectral changes demonstrated that CaA or ChA can chelate with Cu(II) as a bidentate ligand, hence facilitating intramolecular electron transfer between CaA or ChA and Cu(II). The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Cu(I) ions in the DNA damage were affirmed by the inhibition of DNA breakage using mannitol, glutathione (GSH), catalase and bathocuproinedisulfonic acid (BCDS). These results may have important implications regarding the proposed mechanism of apoptosis induced by phenol and endogenous metal ions. PMID- 17764802 TI - Protection against chromosome degradation at the telomeres. AB - Telomeres, the ends of linear chromosomes, contain repeated TG-rich sequences which, in dividing cells, must be constantly replenished in order to avoid chromosome erosion and, hence, genomic instability. Moreover, unprotected telomeres are prone to end-to-end fusions. Telomerase, a specialized reverse transcriptase with a built-in RNA template, or, in the absence of telomerase, alternative pathways of telomere maintenance are required for continuous cell proliferation in actively dividing cells as well as in cancerous cells emerging in deregulated somatic tissues. The challenge is to keep these free DNA ends masked from the nucleolytic attacks that will readily operate on any DNA double strand break in the cell, while also allowing the recruitment of telomerase at intervals. Specialized telomeric proteins, as well as DNA repair and checkpoint proteins with a dual role in telomere maintenance and DNA damage signaling/repair, protect the telomere ends from degradation and some of them also function in telomerase recruitment or other aspects of telomere length homeostasis. Phosphorylation of some telomeric proteins by checkpoint protein kinases appears to represent a mode of regulation of telomeric mechanisms. Finally, recent studies have allowed starting to understand the coupling between progression of the replication forks through telomeric regions and the subsequent telomere replication by telomerase, as well as retroaction of telomerase in cis on the firing of nearby replication origins. PMID- 17764803 TI - N-t-Butyl hydroxylamine regulates ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis in U937 cells. AB - Ionizing radiation induces the production of reactive oxygen species, which play an important causative role in apoptotic cell death. Therefore, compounds that scavenge reactive oxygen species may confer regulatory effects on apoptosis. Recently, it has been shown that the decomposition product of the spin-trapping agent alpha-phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone, N-t-butyl hydroxylamine (NtBHA), mimics alpha-phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone and is much more potent in delaying reactive oxygen species-associated senescence. We investigated the effects of NtBHA on ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis. Upon exposure to 2Gy of gamma-irradiation, there was a distinct difference between the control cells and the cells pre-treated with 0.1mM NtBHA for 2h in regard to apoptotic parameters, cellular redox status, mitochondria function, and oxidative damage to cells. NtBHA effectively suppressed morphological evidence of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in U937 cells exposed to ionizing radiation. The generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species was higher and the GSH level was lower in control cells compared to NtBHA-treated cells. The ionizing radiation-induced mitochondrial damage reflected by the altered mitochondrial permeability transition, the increase in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and the reduction of ATP production were significantly higher in control cells compared to NtBHA-treated cells. NtBHA pre-treated cells showed significant inhibition of apoptotic features such as activation of caspase-3, up-regulation of Bax and p53, and down-regulation of Bcl 2 compared to control cells upon exposure to ionizing radiation. This study indicates that NtBHA may play an important role in regulating the apoptosis induced by ionizing radiation presumably through scavenging of reactive oxygen species. PMID- 17764804 TI - A new model of cardiac arrest in rats? PMID- 17764806 TI - Rapid non-invasive external cooling to induce mild therapeutic hypothermia in adult human-sized swine. AB - AIM OF THE STUDY: Mild therapeutic hypothermia is a promising new therapy for patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest. Early and fast induction of hypothermia seems to be crucial for best results. The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility and safety of a new surface cooling method using cold metal plates. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twelve adult human-sized swine (79+/-9 kg) were cooled from 38 to 33 degrees C brain temperature. The skin surface was covered with -20 degrees C metal plates (M), as compared to ice packs, alcohol rubs, and fans used in a control group (C). Each method was tested during spontaneous circulation and, after re-warming, during cardiac arrest. Temperatures were recorded continuously. Data are given as mean+/-standard deviation or as median (interquartile range), if not normally distributed. Comparisons between the treatment groups were performed with the independent samples t-test, or the Mann-Whitney rank-sum test. RESULTS: During spontaneous circulation, cooling rates were 9.3+/-1.4 degrees C/h (M), and 6.1+/-1.4 degrees C/h (C) (p=0.003); no skin lesions were observed. During cardiac arrest, cooling rates were 4.1 degrees C/h (1.8-4.8) (M), and 3.7 degrees C/h (3.1-5.3) (C) (p=0.9); no skin lesions were observed. CONCLUSION: Cooling with cold metal plates was an effective method for rapid induction of mild therapeutic hypothermia in adult human-sized swine during spontaneous circulation, without any signs of skin damage. This new surface-cooling device, independent of energy supply during use, should be further investigated. PMID- 17764805 TI - beta-Blockers for the treatment of cardiac arrest from ventricular fibrillation? AB - More than 160,000 people suffer sudden cardiac death each year in the US. It is estimated that ventricular fibrillation (VF) is the initial rhythm in approximately 30% of these cases. Ventricular fibrillation that does not respond to the first few defibrillation attempts is associated with mortality rates of up to 97%. Currently, no pharmacological intervention has been shown to increase long-term survival in patients with shock-refractory VF. The purpose of this review article is to evaluate whether beta-blocker administration during the resuscitation of cardiac arrest from VF or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT) improves outcome. We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for human clinical trials, animal experimental trials, review articles, case reports and abstracts published between 1966 and September 2006. No human prospective randomized controlled trial has studied the effects of beta-blocker administration during VF directly. Prospective trials of anti-arrhythmics with beta-blocking properties have been published, as well as several case reports/case series and experimental animal studies. The evidence thus far suggests that beta-blockade during resuscitation from VF may be associated with increasing rates of resuscitation, greater post-resuscitation survival, and improved post-resuscitation myocardial function. These positive effects on outcome may be mediated by a decrease in the oxygen requirements of the fibrillating heart, thus improving the overall balance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand during resuscitation. While no significant detrimental effects directly related to low dose beta-blockade during VF have been reported in the studies reviewed, concerns relating to possible loss of myocardial contractility and hypotension remain. To this day, high quality human trials are lacking. Preliminary human studies are needed to assess the effects of beta-blockers in the treatment of cardiac arrest from ventricular fibrillation or pulseless VT further. PMID- 17764807 TI - Avian influenza--lessons from history. PMID- 17764808 TI - Supportive needs of people confronted with sudden unexpected death: a task for the psychologist. PMID- 17764809 TI - Modification of N170 by different emotional expression of schematic faces. AB - The N170 is widely regarded as a face sensitive potential, having its maximum at occipito-temporal sites, with right-hemisphere dominance. However, it is debatable whether the N170 is modulated by different emotional expressions of a face. The aim of this study was to analyze the N170 elicited by schematic happy and angry faces when the emotional expression is semantically processed. To investigate the influence of different emotional expressions of schematic faces, we used a Prime-Probe procedure with the N400 effect as an indicator for a semantic processing. Eighteen subjects were presented the German word "happiness" or "anger" followed by happy and angry faces. The word-face pair could be congruent or incongruent in emotional meaning. Subjects were instructed to compare the emotional meaning of the words and faces and to count the congruent trials. Event-related potentials were recorded from 124 sites. Congruent faces elicited a smaller negativity in the N400 time range than incongruent faces, indicating that the facial emotional expression was cognitively processed. The face sensitive N170 was most pronounced at posterior and occipital sites, and N170 amplitudes were larger following the angry as compared to the happy faces. It is concluded that different emotional expressions of schematic faces can modulate the N170. PMID- 17764810 TI - Anxiety and orienting of gaze to angry and fearful faces. AB - Neuroscience research indicates that individual differences in anxiety may be attributable to a neural system for threat-processing, involving the amygdala, which modulates attentional vigilance, and which is more sensitive to fearful than angry faces. Complementary cognitive studies indicate that high-anxious individuals show enhanced visuospatial orienting towards angry faces, but it is unclear whether fearful faces elicit a similar attentional bias. This study compared biases in initial orienting of gaze to fearful and angry faces, which varied in emotional intensity, in high- and low-anxious individuals. Gaze was monitored whilst participants viewed a series of face-pairs. Results showed that fearful and angry faces elicited similar attentional biases. High-anxious individuals were more likely to direct gaze at intense negative facial expressions, than low-anxious individuals, whereas the groups did not differ in orienting to mild negative expressions. Implications of the findings for research into the neural and cognitive bases of emotion processing are discussed. PMID- 17764811 TI - Characterization of a highly effective protein substrate for analysis of JAK2(V617F) Activity. AB - OBJECTIVE: Identification of JAK2V617F in myeloproliferative disorders makes JAK2 an important marker for disease diagnosis and a highly attractive target for therapeutic drug development. This study is intended to identify a sensitive and specific substrate for assays of the JAK2 enzymatic activity. METHODS: We expressed a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein designated GST-JAKS, which carries a peptide sequence derived from the autophosphorylation sites of human JAK2. The protein was purified from Escherichia coli cells and was used to analyze to tyrosine kinase activities of purified enzymes and crude cell extracts from cells, including mononuclear cells of JAK2V617F -positive polycythemia vera blood. It was also used to perform JAK2 kinase assays to screen inhibitors of JAK2. RESULTS: GST-JAKS is strongly phosphorylated by activated forms of JAK2 including JAK2V617F and recombinant protein containing its catalytic domain alone. It showed minimal responses to wild-type JAK2 and was not phosphorylated by the epidermal growth receptor and the insulin receptor tyrosine kinases. Kinase assays with GST-JAKS provide a sharp contrast between wild-type and mutant JAK2,V617F and are sensitive enough to detect minute amounts of JAK2V617F found in crude cell extracts. Assays can be scaled up to screen for inhibitors of JAK2 in a dot blot format. CONCLUSION: GST-JAKS is sensitive and specific protein substrate for JAK2 assays. It may have clinical applications in diagnosis of diseases related to abnormal JAK2 activity. It is also an excellent substrate for development of large scale assays to screen JAK2 inhibitors. PMID- 17764812 TI - A constitutively active SPTBN1-FLT3 fusion in atypical chronic myeloid leukemia is sensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immunotherapy. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the consequences and significance of an acquired 46XX,t(2;13;2;21)(p13;q12;q33;q11.2) in atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML). METHODS: Translocation breakpoints were identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization and a novel fusion gene identified by rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction. Functional analysis of the fusion was performed using the Ba/F3 transformation assay and specific inhibition demonstrated using small molecule inhibitors. RESULTS: Fluorescence in situ hybridization indicated that FLT3 at 13q12 was disrupted and 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction identified a novel in-frame mRNA fusion between exon 3 of SPTBN1 (spectrin, beta, nonerythrocytic 1) at chromosome 2p16 and exon 13 of FLT3. Expression of SPTBN1-FLT3 transformed Ba/F3 cells to growth factor independence and was accompanied by constitutive phosphorylation of the fusion protein and the downstream substrate extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2. The growth of transformed cells was inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion by SU11657, PKC412, and TKI258 (CHIR-258), but not by imatinib. To determine if FLT3 might be involved more widely in BCR-ABL-negative aCML, we analyzed 40 cases and found two were internal tandem duplication-positive, but D835 mutations were not observed. The t(2;13;2;21) patient was initially treated with hydroxyurea and subsequently underwent an unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation. She relapsed cytogenetically at 4 years, but responded to donor lymphocyte infusion, achieving sustained cytogenetic and molecular (nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) remission. CONCLUSION: Although FLT3 abnormalities are uncommon in aCML, SPTBN1-FLT3 is a novel constitutively active tyrosine kinase that appears to responsive to both targeted signal transduction therapy and immunotherapy. PMID- 17764813 TI - Factors affecting human T cell engraftment, trafficking, and associated xenogeneic graft-vs-host disease in NOD/SCID beta2mnull mice. AB - OBJECTIVE: Graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Models of immunodeficient mice that consistently and efficiently reconstitute with xenoreactive human T cells would be a valuable tool for the in vivo study of GVHD, as well as other human immune responses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed a consistent and sensitive model of human GVHD by retro-orbitally injecting purified human T cells into sublethally irradiated nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID)-beta2m(null) recipients. In addition, we characterized for the first time the trafficking patterns and expansion profiles of xenoreactive human T cells in NOD/SCID-beta2m(null) recipients using in vivo bioluminescence imaging. RESULTS: All NOD/SCID beta2m(null) mice conditioned with 300 cGy total body irradiation and injected with 1 x 10(7) human T cells exhibited human T-cell engraftment, activation, and expansion, with infiltration of multiple target tissues and a subsequent >20% loss of pretransplantation body weight. Importantly, histological examination of the GVHD target tissues revealed changes consistent with human GVHD. Furthermore, we also showed by in vivo bioluminescence imaging that development of lethal GVHD in the NOD/SCID-beta2m(null) recipients was dependent upon the initial retention and early expansion of human T cells in the retro-orbital sinus cavity. CONCLUSION: Our NOD/SCID-beta2m(null) mouse model provides a system to study the pathophysiology of acute GVHD induced by human T cells and aids in development of more effective therapies for human GVHD. PMID- 17764814 TI - JAK2V617F-negative ET patients do not display constitutively active JAK/STAT signaling. AB - OBJECTIVE: Presence of the JAK2V617F mutation in only 40% to 60% of patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) underscores the heterogeneity of this myeloproliferative disorder (MPD). Several distinct mutations, either in JAK2 (exon 12) or in c-Mpl (W515L) have been described in subsets of other MPDs, polycythemia vera, and idiopathic myelofibrosis. Analogous to JAK2,V617F these mutations cause constitutive JAK2 and signal transducer and activation of transcription (STAT) activation. It has therefore been proposed that constitutive activation of the JAK/STAT pathway underlies the molecular etiology of all MPDs. We investigated the alternative hypothesis that distinct alterations, separate from the JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway, underlie a subset of JAK2V617F negative ET. METHODS: cDNA microarrays and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions were used to compare gene expression in 40 ET patients with and without the JAK2V617F mutation. RESULTS: Unsupervised clustering of gene expression patterns in ET patients revealed two distinct subclasses of patients. These subclasses differed in presence or absence of the JAK2V617F mutation. Patients lacking the JAK2V617F mutation displayed significantly lower expression of the JAK/STAT target genes Pim-1 and suppressor of cytokine signaling-2. In addition, JAK2V617F-negative patients showed lower levels of STAT3 phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that a large proportion of JAK2V617F-negative ET patients do not display constitutive JAK/STAT signaling. Hence, we propose that alterations in different signal transduction pathways can lead to the clinical phenotype of ET. Elucidation of novel ET-inducing changes will facilitate both a molecular classification of ET and development of rationally designed therapies. PMID- 17764815 TI - Behavior of CD34+ cells isolated from patients with polycythemia vera in NOD/SCID mice. AB - OBJECTIVE: We investigated if polycythemia vera (PV) peripheral blood (PB) CD34+ cells contain cells capable of engrafting nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice and if the JAK2V617F mutational burden of these cells alters their behavior in NOD/SCID mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CD34+ cells isolated from patients with PV, idiopathic myelofibrosis (IM), or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-mobilized normal donors were transplanted into sublethally irradiated NOD/SCID mice. Cells engrafted into the NOD/SCID mice were analyzed flow cytometrically using lineage-specific antibodies. Genomic DNA was extracted from granulocytes, CD34+ cells, and sorted human CD45(+) cells purified from the bone marrow cells of these mice to examine their JAK2V617F mutational burdens. RESULTS: Multilineage human cell engraftment was observed in mice transplanted with CD34+ cells from mobilized normal volunteers, IM patients and PV patients with high JAK2V617F burden, but not in mice receiving grafts from PV patients with low JAK2V617F burden. The differentiation program of engrafting PV CD34+ cells with high JAK2V617F burden was remarkably different than that of IM CD34+ cells. The JAK2V617F allele frequency in the human CD45+ cells isolated from the mice receiving CD34+ cells was lower than that observed in the CD34+ cell grafts, indicating the persistence of a JAK2V617F negative compartment of stem cells. CONCLUSION: We conclude that PB CD34+ cells from PV patients with high JAK2V617F burden and patients with IM contain NOD/SCID repopulating cells, and that differentiation program of IM and PV CD34+ cells are dramatically different. PMID- 17764816 TI - Analysis of energy use in a sample of Chinese villages. AB - This paper summarises the methodology and results of work involved in the investigation of energy demand in six Chinese villages included in the SUCCESS Project. The procedures used to collect data associated with local energy demand are explained and the approach to data analysis is explained. Results are provided in terms for delivered energy consumption, as an indicator of energy demand; primary energy consumption, as an indicator of energy resource depletion; and carbon dioxide emissions, as an indicator of global climate change. Similarities and differences between results for this sample of villages are considered. The important causes of differences in results are investigated. PMID- 17764817 TI - The use of electrolyte redox potential to monitor the Ce(IV)/Ce(III) couple. AB - Mathematical modelling of the oxidation reduction redox potential (ORP) of an electrolyte has been carried out for a batch system comprising an electrochemical reactor and an electrolyte circuit containing a redox couple. The ORP can be useful to monitor the environmental impact of chemical species in solution that represent a risk to the environment. Considerations of four fundamental equations, namely, the Nernst equation, a mass balance, Faraday's laws of electrolysis and a first order kinetic equation, leads to an expression for the electrolyte redox potential as a function of the batch time, the electrical charge and the redox concentration. Such an expression facilitates graphical plots which can be used to estimate kinetic parameters, current efficiency and the relative redox concentration. The Ce(IV)/Ce(III) system has been chosen as a model reaction for electrolyte redox potential measurement in a batch recycle system consisting of a pumped flow through a divided FM01-LC parallel-plate electrochemical reactor (64 cm(2) projected electrode area) and a well mixed tank (3,600 cm(3)). The differences between experimental and model predictions are discussed. PMID- 17764818 TI - Impact of environmental production conditions on productivity and efficiency: a case study of wheat farmers in Bangladesh. AB - Environmental conditions significantly affect production, but are often ignored in studies analysing productivity and efficiency leading to biased results. In this study, we examine the influence of selected environmental factors on productivity and efficiency in wheat farming in Bangladesh. Results reveal that environmental production conditions significantly affect the parameters of the production function and technical efficiency, as well as correlates of inefficiency. Controlling for environmental production conditions improves technical efficiency by 4 points (p<0.01) from 86% to 90%. Large farms are more efficient relative to small and medium sized farms (p<0.01 and 0.05), with no variation among regions. Policy implications include soil fertility improvement through soil conservation and crop rotation, improvement in managerial practices through extension services and adoption of modern technologies, promotion of education, strengthening the research-extension link, and development of new varieties that have higher yield potential and are also suitable for marginal areas. PMID- 17764819 TI - Attenuation of divalent toxic metal ions using natural sericitic pyrophyllite. AB - The present study investigated the effectiveness of an inexpensive and ecofriendly alumino silicate clay mineral, sericitic pyrophyllite, as an adsorbent for the possible application in the removal of some divalent toxic metal cations such as Pb(2+), Cu(2+)and Zn(2+) from aqueous systems. Batch scale equilibrium adsorption studies were carried out for a wide range of initial concentration from 24.1 to 2,410 micromol L(-1) for lead, 78.65 to 7,865 micromol L(-1) for copper and 76.45 to 7,645 micromol L(-1) for zinc solutions. The removal of Pb(2+) was almost complete at low concentration (maximum lead removal capacity, LRC, 32 mg of lead/g of pyrophyllite) with 10 g L(-1) of adsorbent in a 30 min equilibration time. The effects of temperature on adsorption of heavy metal ions were studied. The applicability of the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption models in each case of lead, copper and zinc adsorption was examined separately at different temperatures. The adsorption process was found to be endothermic and the Freundlich adsorption model was found to represent the data at different temperatures more suitably. PMID- 17764820 TI - A two-agent dynamic model with an invasive weed diffusion externality: an application to Yellow Starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis L.) in New Mexico. AB - This paper presents a bioeconomic model for two agents, a cattle rancher and a non-rancher, with interdependencies between their individual effort of invasive weed management and profitability. Dynamic simulations allow us to find numerically the optimal effort of weed control over a 5-year time horizon under a variety of beginning infestation levels. In a base-case scenario without governmental cost-share of control costs, we find that efforts to control the weed are not profitable. The base-case scenarios also indicate that grazing contributes to giving the invasive weed a competitive edge. A second series of simulations include incentive payments for weed control which are set at the minimum level required to have a net positive impact on the rancher's profitability. From these simulations, we find that the level of infestation impacts the size of the incentive necessary to get the agent to control the weeds and that the incentive payments impact the level of effort of the rancher. In addition, results reveal that the higher incentive payments for lower levels of weed infestations reduce the total cumulative incentive payments over time. Efficient policies directed towards management of invasive weeds may need to be adjusted for each individual case. PMID- 17764821 TI - Creating and sustaining community capacity for ecosystem-based management: Is local government the key? AB - Recently, collaborative approaches to natural resource management have been widely promoted as ways to broaden participation and community involvement in furthering the goals of ecosystem management. The language of collaboration has even been incorporated into controversial legislation, such as the US Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003. This research examines collaboration and sharing management responsibility for federal public land with local communities through a case study of the Ashland Municipal Watershed in southern Oregon. A policy sciences approach is used to analyze community participation and institutional relationships between the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and local city government in the planning processes of five land management actions occurring over a 7-year period. The knowledge gained from examining differing approaches to planning and decision making in the Ashland watershed is used to suggest future planning processes to develop and sustain the community capacity necessary to support implementation of community-based ecosystem management. PMID- 17764822 TI - Climatic design of vernacular housing in different provinces of China. AB - For 2000 years, the inter-connexion between the specific structure of the Chinese eastern climates and the cultural background have produced remarkable vernacular housing types, both well adapted to the local conditions, and reflecting consistent values and knowledge. Stemming from a similar archetypal form, each house plan is translated through the specificity of the climate and resources of its site. One can think that the value and the diversity of this housing stock is due to the combination of the specific structure of the Chinese eastern climates, which creates the contrast of cold-dry winters and hot-humid summers, with the structure of the Ming t'ang, which contains the opposition of the yin and the yang. These two strong factors imprint a substantial cultural and conceptual unity upon all these housing types. Moreover, on the one hand, the geographical variations and, on the other hand, the local building materials generate a large diversity of housing types, of building techniques and of climatic devices which can be observed all around the country. These lessons could be valuable design guidelines from the past for the future. PMID- 17764823 TI - Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a surrogate end point for survival in prostate cancer clinical trials. PMID- 17764824 TI - Re: Francesco Montorsi. A plea for integrating laparoscopy and robotic surgery in everyday urology: the rules of the game. Eur urol 2007;52:307-9. PMID- 17764825 TI - Urine flow curve shapes in adults with earlier vesicoureteral reflux. AB - OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: Voiding problems related to childhood vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in a cohort of 120 patients (109 females, 11 males) were studied at early middle age (range, 33-50 yr). Forty-four patients had been operated on. The study included an interview by means of a symptom questionnaire, a urine flow measurement, a residual urine measurement, and a urine sample. RESULTS: The flow curve shape was abnormal in 40% (tower-shaped in 7%, weak in 18%, interrupted in 8%, and big bladder in 8% of patients). Forty-five percent of operated patients and 70% of nonoperated patients had a normal flow curve shape. Almost half of the operated patients (45%) had either an interrupted or a weak flow. Figures for stress incontinence and urgency incontinence among the female patients were twice those in the controls, 35% versus 16% (p=0.05) and 20% versus 11%, respectively. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) were diagnosed in 76% of the adult female VUR patients and in 57% of their controls (p=0.041). Twenty-five percent of the female VUR patients (none of the controls) reported suffering from UTI more often than once a year. CONCLUSIONS: Adult patients with childhood VUR have abnormal urine flow curve shapes and UTIs significantly more often than controls (p=0.00005 and p=0.04, respectively). Patients who were operated on for VUR especially seemed to have an interrupted or weak flow curve shape. A high percentage of these patients also suffered from urgency and stress incontinence and annual UTIs. PMID- 17764826 TI - Editorial comment on: urine flow curve shapes in adults with earlier vesicoureteral reflux. PMID- 17764827 TI - Re: Franclim R. Ribeiro, Rui Henrique, Ana T. Martins, Carmen Jeronimo and Manuel R. Teixeira. Relative copy number gain of MYC in diagnostic needle biopsies is an independent prognostic factor for prostate cancer patients. Eur Urol 2007;52:116 25. PMID- 17764828 TI - Is the open retropubic radical prostatectomy dead? PMID- 17764829 TI - Intraventricular meningioma with fatal haemorrhage: clinical and autopsy findings. AB - Only a few cases of intraventricular meningioma have been reported and the association with intracranial haemorrhage is even rarer. More than ever, autopsy findings are scarce. Here, we report a case of primary intraventricular meningioma with intraventricular haemorrhage in a 57-year-old woman. A CT scan of the head initially suggested a malignant brain tumour as the lesion was quite inhomogeneous with hyper- and hypodense sections accompanied by fresh haemorrhage. At autopsy, the tumour was histologically diagnosed as a fibroblastic meningioma WHO-Grade I. The source of haemorrhage was most likely the tumour itself as it contained focally rather large angiomatous and additionally small cavernous vessels and acute haemorrhage in various sections. The assumptive adherence of the tumour to the choroid plexus was probably disrupted by the haematoma. PMID- 17764830 TI - Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy (proximal dominant form, HMSN-P) among Brazilians of Japanese ancestry. AB - Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy (proximal dominant form, HMSN-P) has been reported exclusively from Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. We herein report three brothers with HMSN-P who are among Brazilians of Japanese ancestry. They showed the typical clinical manifestations and were compatible with HMSN-P. Okinawa Prefecture has been a site of emigration to other countries, mainly in South America, since 1908. Although this is the first reported familial case of HMSN-P occurring outside Japan, it is estimated that there are 19 or 20 individuals with HMSN-P among these emigrants. Since HMSN-P might be misdiagnosed as familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or spinal muscular atrophy, neurologists in countries where individuals of Okinawan extraction reside should be aware of this hereditary neuropathy. HMSN-P should no longer be regarded as an endemic condition limited to Okinawa. PMID- 17764831 TI - Intracranial arachnoid cysts: current concepts and treatment alternatives. AB - Arachnoid cysts are non-tumorous intra-arachnoid fluid collections that account for about 1% of all intracranial space-occupying lesions. In this article, we review the current concepts about these lesions and discuss the treatment alternatives. The aetiology of arachnoid cysts has been a controversial subject. They are regarded as developmental abnormality of the arachnoid, originating from a splitting or duplication of this membrane. The establishment of a single CSF space, by surgically communicating the cyst with the ventricular system or basal cisterns, appears to offer the best chance of a success in the treatment of arachnoid cysts. Long-term prognosis for patients with arachnoid cysts and well preserved neurological conditions is good, even in the case of subtotal excision. Clinical follow-up and MRI allow earlier diagnosis of recurrence. PMID- 17764833 TI - Determination of trace lead in water samples by continuous flow microextraction combined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. AB - A new method of continuous flow microextraction (CFME) combined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) was proposed for the determination of trace lead in water samples. A drop of 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-5 pyrazolone (PMBP) dissolved in benzene is injected into a glass chamber by a microsyringe and held at the outlet tip of a PTFE connecting tube, the sample solution flows right through the tube and the glass chamber, the solvent drop interacts continuously with the sample solution, and the analyte was extracted into the drop and concentrated. After extracting for a period of time, the drop was retracted into the microsyringe and directly injected into graphite furnace for determination of Pb. Several factors affecting the extraction efficiency, such as solution pH, sample flow rate, drop volume and extraction time, were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, a concentration factor of 45 was achieved, and the detection limits for Pb were 12 pg mL(-1). The relative standard deviation for six replicate analyses of 10 ng mL(-1) Pb was 6.8%. The proposed method was applied to determine of trace Pb in water samples with satisfactory results. PMID- 17764832 TI - Dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin (DHMEQ) therapy reduces tumor formation in mice inoculated with tax-deficient adult T-cell leukemia-derived cell lines. AB - Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is an aggressive neoplasm caused by human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I), which induces nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), a molecule central to the ensuing neoplasia. The NF-kappaB inhibitor dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin (DHMEQ) has been shown to inhibit NF-kappaB activation in Tax-expressing HTLV-I-infected cells. In this study, we used NOD/SCID beta2-microglobulin(null) mice to show that intraperitoneal inoculation with Tax-deficient ATL cell lines caused rapid death, whereas DHMEQ-treated mice survived. Furthermore, DHMEQ treatment after subcutaneous inoculation inhibited the growth of transplanted ATL cells. These results demonstrate that DHMEQ has therapeutic efficacy on ATL cells, regardless of Tax expression. PMID- 17764834 TI - Application of chitosan as flocculant for coprecipitation of Mn(II) and suspended solids from dual-alkali FGD regenerating process. AB - Heavy metals and suspended solid (SS) needed to be removed from the recirculation of dual-alkali flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system. The feasibility of coprecipitation of heavy metal and SS by water-soluble chitosan was studied in a lab scale experiment. The association between chitosan and metal ions was verified through DSC and FT-IR. The pH investigation revealed that at the pH ranged from 5 to 9, there were three stages for different actions: adsorption of chitosan for Mn(II), precipitation of manganese hydroxide and coprecipitation of manganese hydroxide and chitosan-Mn(II) complex. The ion selectivity experiments showed that the occurrence of Ca(II) in the solution had little influence on the adsorption of chitosan for Mn(II). The decrease rate of adsorption capacity was about 0.0023 mmol g(-1) per 1 mg L(-1) Ca(II). When adsorption and flocculation of chitosan occurred at the same time and at the sufficient addition of chitosan, chitosan not only made solids flocculate but also enhanced sorption capacity of chitosan. Application of chitosan for coprecipitation of Mn(II) and SS could remove Mn(II) efficiently and improve the settling characteristics of SS from dual-alkali FGD regenerating process. PMID- 17764835 TI - Reactive dyes remotion by porous TiO2-chitosan materials. AB - In this work, the aim was to evaluate the remotion (adsorption plus degradation) of two reactive dyes, Methylene Blue (MB) and Benzopurpurin (BP), from aqueous solutions by the utilization of TiO2-chitosan microporous materials. Two different TiO2-chitosan hybrid materials were synthesized: TiO2-Chit A with 280 mg chitosan/gTiO2 and TiO2-Chit B with 46.76 mg chitosan/g TiO2. Adsorption data obtained at different solution temperatures (25, 35, and 45 degrees C) revealed an irreversible adsorption that decrease with the increment of T. Langmuir, Freundlich and Sips isotherm equation were applied to the experimental data. The obtained parameters and correlation coefficient showed that the adsorption of both dyes on TiO2-Chit A at the three work temperatures was best predicted by the Langmuir isotherm, while Sips equation adjusted better to adsorption data on TiO2 Chit B. The adsorption enthalpy was relatively high and varied with T, indicating that interaction between adsorbent and adsorbate molecules was not only physical but chemical. There is a change in the adsorption heat capacity, (Delta(ads)C(p)<0), related with intense hydrophobic interactions. The kinetic adsorption data were processed by the application of Lagergren and Avrami models. It was found that adsorption of both dyes on both adsorbents under the operating conditions was best predicted by Avrami model. The variation of kinetic order, n, and k(av) with T are related to a pore followed by intra particle diffusion control of the adsorption rate. MB photodegradation on both TiO2-chitosan hybrid materials was of 91 (in A) and 41% (in B) and augmented with the chitosan content. For BP can be seen that the process in darkness resulted in a high remotion capacity than in UV light presence. PMID- 17764836 TI - Factors influencing the removal of divalent cations by hydroxyapatite. AB - The effect of pH, contact time, initial metal concentration and presence of common competing cations, on hydroxyapatite (HAP) sorption properties towards Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Zn(2+), and Sr(2+) ions was studied and compared using a batch technique. The results strongly indicated the difference between the sorption mechanism of Pb(2+) and other investigated cations: the removal of Pb(2+) was pH independent and almost complete in the entire pH range (3-12), while the sorption of Cd(2+), Zn(2+) and Sr(2+) generally increased with an increase of pH; the contact time required for attaining equilibrium was 30 min for Pb(2+) versus 24h needed for other cations; maximum sorption capacity of HAP sample was found to be an order of magnitude higher for Pb(2+) (3.263 mmol/g), than for Cd(2+) (0.601 mmol/g), Zn(2+) (0.574 mmol/g) and Sr(2+) (0.257 mmol/g); the selectivity of HAP was found to decrease in the order Pb(2+)>Cd(2+)>Zn(2+)>Sr(2+) while a decrease of pH(PZC), in respect to the value obtained in inert electrolyte, followed the order Cd(2+)>Zn(2+)>Pb(2+)>Sr(2+); neither of investigated competing cations (Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Na(+) and K(+)) influenced Pb(2+) immobilization whereas the sorption of other cations was reduced in the presence of Ca(2+), in the order Sr(2+)>Cd(2+)>or=Zn(2+). The pseudo-second order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm have been proposed for modeling kinetic and equilibrium data, respectively. The sorption of all examined metals was followed by Ca(2+) release from the HAP crystal lattice and pH decrease. The ion exchange and specific cation sorption mechanisms were anticipated for Cd(2+), Zn(2+) and Sr(2+), while dissolution of HAP followed by precipitation of hydroxypyromorphite (Pb(10)(PO(4))(6)(OH)(2)) was found to be the main operating mechanism for Pb(2+) immobilization by HAP, with the contribution of specific cation sorption. PMID- 17764837 TI - Assessing relationships among properties of demolished concrete, recycled aggregate and recycled aggregate concrete using regression analysis. AB - Recycled demolished concrete (DC) as recycled aggregate (RA) and recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is generally suitable for most construction applications. Low-grade applications, including sub-base and roadwork, have been implemented in many countries; however, higher-grade activities are rarely considered. This paper examines relationships among DC characteristics, properties of their RA and strength of their RAC using regression analysis. Ten samples collected from demolition sites are examined. The results show strong correlation among the DC samples, properties of RA and RAC. It should be highlighted that inferior quality of DC will lower the quality of RA and thus their RAC. Prediction of RAC strength is also formulated from the DC characteristics and the RA properties. From that, the RAC performance from DC and RA can be estimated. In addition, RAC design requirements can also be developed at the initial stage of concrete demolition. Recommendations are also given to improve the future concreting practice. PMID- 17764838 TI - Utilization of coal fly ash in the glass-ceramic production. AB - Manufacturing the glass-ceramic has been proposed as a useful choice to recycle coal fly ash from power plants. In this work, a glass-ceramic of SiO2-Al2O3-Fe2O3 CaO family was synthesized by mixing 90 wt% of coal fly ash, from a power plant in west of China, with Na2O, and then melted at 1350 degrees C. The ceramization of the obtained glass was carried out at 770 degrees C for 2h. Esseneite and nepheline were found present as major crystal phases. The produced glass-ceramic exhibited good chemical durability as well as good mechanical properties. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) method found that the glass ceramic was non-hazardous. PMID- 17764839 TI - Mevalonate sensitizes the nociceptive transmission in the mouse spinal cord. AB - Isoprenylation is crucial for the biological activation of small molecular G proteins. Activation of Rho/Rho kinase (ROCK) signaling has been reported to be involved in the initiation and maintenance of hyperalgesia caused by nerve injury and inflammation. The present study was then undertaken to examine whether the protein isoprenylation could affect thermal nociceptive threshold in the mouse spinal cord. Intrathecal administration of mevalonate (0.05-5.0 micromol) dose dependently decreased the paw-withdrawal latencies for the thermal stimulation, indicating that mevalonate induces thermal hyperalgesia. Intrathecal pretreatment with a geranylgeranyl transferase I inhibitor GGTI-2133 (0.001-1.0 nmol) or a ROCK inhibitor Y27632 (0.001-1.0 nmol) completely blocked the mevalonate-induced thermal hyperalgesia. On the other hand, mevalonate-induced thermal hyperalgesia was only slightly attenuated by a farnesyl transferase inhibitor FTI-277 (0.01 1.0 nmol). Intrathecal injection of mevalonate increased the amount of geranylgeranylated RhoA in the spinal cord, which was completely blocked by intrathecal pretreatment with GGTI-2133. Intrathecal injection of mevalonate also produced RhoA translocation from cytosol to plasma membrane. This mevalonate induced RhoA translocation was also blocked by intrathecal pretreatment with GGTI 2133, indicating that the RhoA translocation is triggered by RhoA geranylgeranylation. Moreover, inhibition of mevalonate synthesis by HMG-CoA reductase inhibition with simvastatin attenuated the second phase, but not the first phase, of nociceptive response to formalin. Our present results suggest that mevalonate sensitizes the spinal nociceptive transmission, which is mediated by the activation of ROCK following the RhoA geranylgeranylation. PMID- 17764840 TI - Inflammation-induced changes in rostral ventromedial medulla mu and kappa opioid receptor mediated antinociception. AB - Acute microinjection of mu-, delta-, or kappa-opioid receptor (MOPr, DOPr, KOPr) agonists into the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) produces antinociception. Thermal antinociception produced by MOPr and DOPr agonists is potentiated during inflammation [Hurley RW, Hammond DL. The analgesic effects of supraspinal mu and delta opioid receptor agonists are potentiated during persistent inflammation. J Neurosci 2000;20:1249-59]. Whether this potentiation extends to other stimulus modalities or to KOPr agonists is unknown. To examine these issues, rats received a unilateral intraplantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Antinociception produced by RVM infusion of the KOPr agonist, U69593, and the MOPr agonist, DAMGO, was tested 4h-2 weeks thereafter. Thermal paw withdrawal latencies (PWLs) were assessed using the Hargreaves method. Mechanical thresholds were determined with the Von Frey and Randall-Selitto method. PWLs of the inflamed paw were reduced 4h-2 weeks after CFA injection. Infusion of either U69593 or DAMGO increased PWLs in CFA treated rats. A bilateral enhancement of the response to both agonists was observed 2 weeks relative to 4h post-CFA injection. Mechanical thresholds of the inflamed paw were decreased for >2 weeks post-CFA injection. Infusion of either agonist elevated thresholds of the inflamed and non-inflamed paws of CFA-treated rats. The magnitude of these effects was greater 2 weeks post-CFA injection for DAMGO and increased progressively for U69593. These data demonstrate that RVM infusion of MOPr or KOPr agonists attenuates CFA-evoked thermal and tactile allodynia and that these effects increase during prolonged inflammation. The augmented response of the non inflamed paw to agonists suggests that inflammation induces centrally-mediated neuroplastic changes which enhance MOPr- and KOPr-mediated antinociception. PMID- 17764842 TI - Genetic analysis of neuropathic pain-like behavior following peripheral nerve injury suggests a role of the major histocompatibility complex in development of allodynia. AB - Neuropathic pain is a common consequence of damage to the nervous system. We here report a genetic analysis of development of neuropathic pain-like behaviors after unilateral photochemically-induced ischemic sciatic nerve injury in a panel of inbred rat strains known to display different susceptibility to autoimmune neuroinflammation. Pain behavior was initially characterized in Dark-Agouti (DA; RT1(av1)), Piebald Virol Glaxo (PVG; RT1(c)), and in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-congenic strain PVG-RT1(av1). All strains developed mechanical hypersensitivity (allodynia) following nerve injury. However, the extent and duration of allodynia varied significantly among the strains, with PVG displaying more severe allodynia compared to DA rats. Interestingly, the response of PVG RT1(avRT1) was similar to that of DA, suggesting regulation by the MHC locus. This notion was subsequently confirmed in an F2 cohort derived from crossing of the PVG and PVG-RT1(av1)strains, where allodynia was reduced in homozygous or heterozygous carriers of the RT1(av1) allele in comparison to rats homozygous for the RT1(c) allele. These results indicate that certain allelic variants of the MHC could influence susceptibility to develop and maintain neuropathic pain-like behavior following peripheral nerve injury in rats. PMID- 17764841 TI - Descending facilitatory pathways from the RVM initiate and maintain bilateral hyperalgesia after muscle insult. AB - The rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) is involved in facilitation of spinal nociceptive processing and generation of hyperalgesia in inflammatory and neuropathic pain models. We hypothesized that the bilateral hyperalgesia that develops after repeated intramuscular injections of acidic saline is initiated and maintained by activation of descending facilitatory pathways from the RVM. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with intracerebral guide cannulae into the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) or the nucleus gigantocellularis (Gi). Two injections of acidic saline into one gastrocnemius muscle 5 days apart lead to robust hyperalgesia after the second injection. Either ropivacaine (local anesthetic) or vehicle (control) was microinjected into the RVM prior to the first intramuscular acid injection, prior to the second injection, or 24h after the second injection. Mechanical withdrawal thresholds of the paw (von Frey filaments) and the muscle (tweezer) were measured before and 24h after induction of hyperalgesia. The withdrawal thresholds for both the paw (cutaneous secondary hyperalgesia) and muscle (primary hyperalgesia) were decreased 24h after the second intramuscular acid injection in the vehicle control groups. Administration of ropivacaine prior to the first intramuscular acid injection had no effect on development of either cutaneous or muscle hyperalgesia that develops after the second injection. However, neither cutaneous nor muscle hyperalgesia developed in the group treated with ropivacaine prior to the second intramuscular injection. Ropivacaine also significantly reversed the hyperalgesia in the group treated 24h after the second intramuscular acid injection. Thus, the RVM is critical for both the development and maintenance of hyperalgesia after muscle insult. PMID- 17764843 TI - Sudden amnesia resulting in pain relief: the relationship between memory and pain. AB - Nociceptive pain and its emotional component can result in the development of a "chronic pain memory". This report describes two patients who had long histories of chronic pain and opioid dependence. Both patients experienced sudden memory loss that was followed by significant pain reduction and an eradication of their need for opioid management. Neural centers involved in sensory pain, its affective component, opioid dependence, and memory overlap in the brain and share common pathways. The anterior cingulate cortex, the insular cortex, and the amygdala are examples of regions implicated in both pain and memory. One of the patients in the report experienced multiple seizure episodes, which may have contributed to memory loss and pain relief. The role of electroconvulsive therapy as it relates to amnesia and pain is reviewed. Questions are raised regarding whether therapies that address the memory component of pain may have a role in the treatment of long-term chronic pain patients. PMID- 17764845 TI - Influence of the overlap parameter on the convergence of the ptychographical iterative engine. AB - The ptychographical iterative engine (PIE) algorithm is examined with both simulated and experimental scanning coherent-diffraction microscopy data. The optimum overlap in terms of image quality, dose on the sample and time of measurements is determined using simulated diffraction data. The validity of the results is supported by experimental helium-neon laser light diffraction data. PMID- 17764846 TI - Toxoplasma gondii in sheep from the Campania region (Italy). AB - A cross-sectional serological survey was conducted in order to evaluate, irrespective of abortion, the Toxoplasma gondii infection in pastured sheep from the Campania region of southern Italy. A geographical information system was used in order to uniformly sample the ovine farms (n=117) throughout the entire region. Blood and milk samples were collected from 10 adult sheep (>18 months) on each farm (total number=1170 sheep). Serum samples were tested for the presence of IgG antibodies to T. gondii using a commercial indirect fluorescent antibody test. For each farm, the 10 milk samples collected were pooled in order to obtain a single milk sample per farm (total number=117 milk samples). The 77.8% (91/117) of the farms and the 28.5% (333/11,170) of the sheep resulted positive by serology. In addition, the presence of T. gondii DNA was detected by PCR in 4 milk samples out of the 117 examined (3.4%). PMID- 17764844 TI - Arthritis self-efficacy and self-efficacy for resisting eating: relationships to pain, disability, and eating behavior in overweight and obese individuals with osteoarthritic knee pain. AB - This study examined arthritis self-efficacy and self-efficacy for resisting eating as predictors of pain, disability, and eating behaviors in overweight or obese patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Patients (N=174) with a body mass index between 25 and 42 completed measures of arthritis-related self efficacy, weight-related self-efficacy, pain, physical disability, psychological disability, overeating, and demographic and medical information. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine whether arthritis self efficacy (efficacy for pain control, physical function, and other symptoms) and self-efficacy for resisting eating accounted for significant variance in pain, disability, and eating behaviors after controlling for demographic and medical characteristics. Analyses also tested whether the contributions of self-efficacy were domain specific. Results showed that self-efficacy for pain accounted for 14% (p=.01) of the variance in pain, compared to only 3% accounted for by self efficacy for physical function and other symptoms. Self-efficacy for physical function accounted for 10% (p=.001) of the variance in physical disability, while self-efficacy for pain and other symptoms accounted for 3%. Self-efficacy for other (emotional) symptoms and resisting eating accounted for 21% (p<.05) of the variance in psychological disability, while self-efficacy for pain control and physical function were not significant predictors. Self-efficacy for resisting eating accounted for 28% (p=.001) of the variance in eating behaviors. Findings indicate that self-efficacy is important in understanding pain and behavioral adjustment in overweight or obese OA patients. Moreover, the contributions of self-efficacy were domain specific. Interventions targeting both arthritis self efficacy and self-efficacy for resisting eating may be helpful in this population. PMID- 17764847 TI - Inhibitory effects of adenine nucleotides and related substances on UDP glucuronosyltransferase: structure-effect relationships and evidence for an allosteric mechanism. AB - The inhibitory effects of nucleotides and related substances on rat hepatic UDP glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) were studied. ATP and NADP+ markedly reduced 4 methylumbelliferone (4-MU) UGT activity only when detergent-treated rat liver microsomes were used as the enzyme source. The IC50 values of adenine, ATP, NAD+ and NADP+ were estimated to be below 20 microM, whereas AMP had no inhibitory effect. From the kinetic behavior observed, these adenine-related compounds were assumed to inhibit UGT activity non-competitively without competing with either 4 MU or UDP-glucuronic acid. Among guanine, cytosine and their related nucleotides, only triphosphate nucleotides (CTP and GTP) exhibited potent UGT inhibition, although the effect of GTP was weak. Estradiol 3- and 17-glucuronidation were also inhibited by the inhibitors of 4-MU UGT. The only exception was that estradiol 17-glucuronidation activity was inhibited by AMP (IC50=31 microM). In addition, AMP antagonized the inhibitory effects of adenine, ATP, and NADP+ on 4 MU and estradiol 3- glucuronidation activities. These results suggest that (1) a number of cellular nucleotides present within the endoplasmic reticulum regulate UGT function; and (2) these substances bind to a common allosteric site on UGT to reduce catalytic function. PMID- 17764848 TI - The use of Biobrane by burn units in the United Kingdom: a national study. AB - Biobrane is a biosynthetic wound dressing, first used by Woodruff in 1979, which has many of the ideal properties of a dressing as outlined by Pruitt and Levine [Pruitt Jr BA, Levine NS. Characteristics and uses of biologic dressings and skin substitutes. Arch Surg 1984;119(3):312-22]. It is becoming increasingly popular in the management of superficial and moderate depth partial thickness burns and a range of other conditions. When used appropriately, it has been shown to reduce pain levels, healing time, inpatient stay and nursing requirements when compared to traditional dressings. We present the results of a national study concerning the use of Biobrane in the United Kingdom, highlight variations in practice, discuss the pertinent issues, make suitable recommendations and highlight the versatility of Biobrane as a wound dressing. PMID- 17764849 TI - Assessment of tumor response in malignant pleural mesothelioma. AB - Most patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) are candidates for chemotherapy during the course of their disease. Assessment of the response with conventional criteria based on computed tomography (CT) measurements is challenging, due to the circumferential and axial pattern of growth of MPM. Such difficulties hinder an accurate evaluation of clinical study results and make the clinical management of patients critical. Several radiological response systems have been proposed, but neither WHO criteria nor the more recent RECIST unidimensional criteria nor hybrid uni- and bidimensional criteria seem to apply to tumor measurement in this disease. Recently, modified RECIST criteria for MPM have been published. Although they are already being used in current clinical trials, they have been criticized based on the high grade of inter-observer variability and on theoretical studies of mesothelioma growth according to non spherical models. Computer-assisted techniques for CT measurement are being developed. The use of FDG-PET for prediction of response and, more importantly, of survival outcomes of MPM patients is promising and warrants validation in large prospective series. New serum markers such as osteopontin and mesothelin related proteins are under evaluation and in the future might play a role in assessing the response of MPM to treatment. PMID- 17764850 TI - Cardiovascular effects of breast cancer radiotherapy. AB - Cardiac toxicity has been implicated as the primary reason for excess non-breast cancer mortality in early breast cancer radiotherapy studies. Refinements in radiotherapy techniques have allowed for a considerable reduction of this risk in the majority of breast cancer patients. Recent large population-based studies confirmed an increase of cardiovascular death risk in patients irradiated for cancer of the left breast and in individuals exposed to relatively low (hitherto believed to be of no cardiovascular disease risk) doses of radiation, such as atomic bomb survivors or patients treated for various benign conditions. The issue of potential radiation-related cardiac damage may also be assuming a new significance due to the widespread use of other cardiotoxic agents, such as anthracyclines, paclitaxel and trastuzumab. The aim of this review is to summarize and critically analyze the available evidence on the impact of ionizing radiation on the cardiovascular system, with special attention to recent data demonstrating previously unrecognized adverse effects. This review discusses the pathology of radiation-related cardiovascular disease, its clinical presentation, risk factors and methods of assessment, as well as technical developments minimizing cardiac exposure. Epidemiological data are presented on the incidence of radiation-induced heart disease and cardiovascular mortality in various populations of patients irradiated for breast cancer and in individuals exposed to low radiation doses. Additionally, non-cardiac radiation-related vascular morbidity and mortality in breast cancer patients are addressed. PMID- 17764851 TI - Quantitative measurement of postural sway in mouse models of human neurodegenerative disease. AB - Detection of motor dysfunction in genetic mouse models of neurodegenerative disease requires reproducible, standardized and sensitive behavioral assays. We have utilized a center of pressure (CoP) assay in mice to quantify postural sway produced by genetic mutations that affect motor control centers of the brain. As a positive control for postural instability, wild type mice were injected with harmaline, a tremorigenic agent, and the average areas of the 95% confidence ellipse, which measures 95% of the CoP trajectory values recorded in a single trial, were measured. Ellipse area significantly increased in mice treated with increasing doses of harmaline and returned to control values after recovery. We also examined postural sway in mice expressing mutations that mimic frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) (T 279, P301L or P301L-nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2)(-/-) mice) and that demonstrate motor symptoms. These mice were then compared with a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (APPSwDI mice) that demonstrates cognitive, but not motor deficits. T-279 and P301L-NOS2(-/-) mice demonstrated a significant increase in CoP ellipse area compared with appropriate wild type control mice or to mice expressing the P301L mutation alone. In contrast, postural instability was significantly reduced in APPSwDI mice that have cognitive deficits but do not have associated motor deficits. The CoP assay provides a simple, sensitive and quantitative tool to detect motor deficits resulting from postural abnormalities in mice and may be useful in understanding the underlying mechanisms of disease. PMID- 17764852 TI - Synaptic activity-induced global gene expression patterns in the dentate gyrus of adult behaving rats: induction of immunity-linked genes. AB - Gene expression in adult neuronal circuits is dynamically modulated in response to synaptic activity. Persistent changes in synaptic strength, as seen during high-frequency stimulation (HFS)-induced long-term potentiation (LTP), require new gene expression. While modulation of many individual genes has been shown, an understanding of LTP as a complex dynamical response requires elucidation of the global gene expression signature and its impact on biologically meaningful gene sets. In this study, we demonstrate that LTP induction in the dentate gyrus of awake freely moving rats was associated with changes in the expression of genes linked to signal transduction, protein trafficking, cell structure and motility, and other processes consistent with the induction of mechanisms of synaptic reorganization and growth. Interestingly, the most significantly over-represented gene sets were related to immunity and defense, including T-cell-mediated immunity and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-mediated immunity. Real-time PCR confirmed the upregulation of a panel of immune-linked genes including the rt1-a/ce family, and the MHC class II members cd74, rt1-Ba and rt1 Da. These genes were N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-independent and not induced following HFS-LTP induction in anesthetized rats, indicating a gene response specific to behaving rats. Our data support recent assumptions that immunity associated processes are functionally linked to adaptive neuronal responses in the brain, although the differential expression of immunity-linked genes could also be related to the HFS per se. PMID- 17764853 TI - Cochlear ablation in adult ferrets results in changes in insulin-like growth factor-1 and synaptophysin immunostaining in the cochlear nucleus. AB - Afferent activity modulates synaptic plasticity as well as the levels of activity dependent molecules such as growth factors. Disruption of this activity due to deafferentation has been shown to result in an altered trophic support and consequently in changes in neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission. In the present study, to test whether lack of cochlear integrity results in changes in insulin-growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and synaptophysin immunostaining in the cochlear nucleus, the first relay structure in the auditory pathway, unilateral cochlear ablations were performed in adult ferrets. Changes in IGF-1 and synaptophysin immunostaining were assessed in the anteroventral (AVCN), posteroventral (PVCN) and dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) at 1, 20 and 90 days after deafferentation. An increase in IGF-1 immunostaining within AVCN, PVCN and DCN was observed ipsilaterally at all survival times after cochlear ablation when compared with the contralateral side and unoperated animals. This increase was accompanied by a significant ipsilateral increase in the mean gray level of synaptophysin immunostaining as well as a decrease in the area of synaptophysin immunostaining at 1 and 20 days after the ablation in AVCN, PVCN and DCN compared with the contralateral side and control animals. These changes in synaptophysin immunostaining were no longer present 90 days after cochlear ablation. The present results provide evidence of a persistent upregulation in IGF-1 and a transitory upregulation in synaptophysin levels in the cochlear nucleus that may reflect neuroprotective mechanisms following the loss of trophic support from spiral ganglion neurons. PMID- 17764856 TI - Are impaired endothelial progenitor cells involved in the processes of late in stent thrombosis and re-endothelialization of drug-eluting stents? AB - Drug-eluting stent (DES) now is the default selection for most of the interventional cardiologists. However, its benefits compromised by the stent related thrombosis events. Given the catastrophic consequences, it is important to investigate possible mechanisms of stent thrombosis. The cause of stent thrombosis is multifactorial, and several stent-related and patient-related variables have been identified. The stent itself has components that may lead to thrombosis: the metal stent material, the polymer which houses the drug, and the actual cell-cycle inhibiting drugs. Most important the cell-cycle inhibitors (sirolimus and paclitaxel) reduce neointimal formation by impeding smooth muscle cells proliferation and migration, these drugs also impair the normal process of the injured arterial wall and cause delayed re-endothelialization [Tsimikas S. Drug-eluting stents and late adverse clinical outcomes. J Am Coll Cardiol 2006;47:2112-5; Colombo A, Drzewiecki J, Banning A, et al. Randomized study to assess the effectiveness of slow- and moderate-release polymer-based paclitaxel eluting stent for coronary artery lesions. Circulation 2003;108:788-94; Kedia Gautam, Lee Michael S. Stent thrombosis with drug-eluting stents: a re examination of the evidence. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2007;69:782-9] [1-3]. It has been proposed that bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells may also be involved in re-endothelialization [Urao N, Okigaki M, Yamada H, et al. Erythropoietin-mobilized endothelial progenitors enhance reendothelialization via Akt-endothelial nitric oxide synthase activation and prevent neointimal hyperplasia. Circ Res 2006;98:1405-13; Griese DP, Ehsan A, Melo LG, et al. Isolation and transplantation of autologous circulating endothelial cells into denuded vessels and prosthetic grafts: implications for cell-based vascular therapy. Circulation 2003;108:2710-15] [4-5]. Interestingly, rapamycin inhibits proliferation, migration, and differentiation of human endothelial progenitor cells in vitro [Butzal M, Loges S, Schweizer M, et al. Rapamycin inhibits proliferation and differentiation of human endothelial progenitor cells in vitro. Exp Cell Res 2004;300:65-71; Chen TG, Chen JZ, Wang XX. Effects of rapamycin on number activity and eNOS of endothelial progenitor cells from peripheral blood. Cell Proliferat 2006;39:117-25]. We hypothesis that drugs loaded on DES may affect the number as well as the homing and proliferation of endothelial progenitor cells, thus further preventing proper endothelial healing, increasing platelet aggregation, which could lead to stent thrombosis. PMID- 17764855 TI - Epigenetic abnormality: a possible mechanism underlying the fetal origin of polycystic ovary syndrome. AB - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common, yet heterogeneous and complex, endocrine disorders in women of reproductive age. Although the aetiology of PCOS remains uncertain, emerging evidence has indicated that exposure of the female fetus to the hyperandrogenism milieu in utero may result in PCOS phenotype after birth. Such a phenomenon has been formulated as the fetal origin of PCOS, which intends to give a possible explanation for PCOS aetiology. Given that the epigenetic modifications are usually involved in the development and inheritance of many adult diseases with fetal origin, we propose a hypothesis here referred to as "epigenetic abnormality underlying the fetal origin of PCOS". It states that in utero hyperandrogenism exposure may disturb the epigenetic reprogramming in fetal reproductive tissue, thereby resulting in postnatal POCS phenotype in women of reproductive age. Meanwhile, the incomplete erasure of such epigenetic abnormality in germ cells after fertilization may promote the transgenerational inherence of POCS. Thus, this epigenetic abnormality hypothesis has established a novel mechanism for PCOS development and inheritance. If verified, our hypothesis would open new avenues for the possible intervention at the critical period of prenatal life to prevent PCOS development and inheritance in adult women. Moreover, analysis of the epigenetic phenotypes and identification of specific epigenetic changes may help develop new tools for monitoring fetal development under an in utero hyperandrogenism environment. PMID- 17764854 TI - Methylmercuric chloride induces activation of neuronal stress circuitry and alters exploratory behavior in the mouse. AB - Methylmercury (MeHg) is a well-known neurotoxicant, responsible for neurological and cognitive alterations. However, there is very little information available on the effects of MeHg administration on activation of murine neuronal pathways involved in the stress response, and whether this is altered as a function of repeated exposure to MeHg. Moreover, interactions between MeHg and other psychogenic and inflammatory stressors have yet to be fully determined. Acute i.p. exposure of male C57BL/6J mice to MeHg (2-8 mg/kg) dose-dependently attenuated exploratory behavior in the open field in the presence and absence of a novel object. In addition, increased numbers of c-Fos immunoreactive cells appeared in response to acute i.p. and i.c.v. MeHg within thalamic (anterior paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVA)/posterior paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PV)), hypothalamic (paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN)), central amygdaloid nucleus (CeC), septal and hippocampal (dentate gyrus) nuclei, medial bed nucleus (BSTm) and the locus coeruleus (Lc). The increase in c Fos positive cells in response to acute i.p. and i.c.v. MeHg did not appear to be influenced further by open field exposure. Repeated administration of MeHg led to an attenuation of most parameters of open field behavior altered by acute MeHg. However, increased c-Fos was significant in the CeC, Dg, supracapsular bed nucleus (BSTs), and Lc. Moreover, open field exposure after repeated treatments resulted in significant c-Fos responses in similar areas. Interestingly, 3 days after the final repeated MeHg dose (2 or 4 mg/kg) c-Fos increases to an immunogenic stressor (LPS) were not affected by MeHg pretreatment. These results demonstrate that systemic exposure to acute and repeated MeHg serves to activate the brain's stress circuitry, and furthermore appears to engage normal neuronal habituation processes. PMID- 17764857 TI - The rise of non-adaptive intelligence in humans under pathogen pressure. AB - Cleverness made our species the most successful primate on Earth, thus claiming that human intelligence is adaptive sounds to be a triviality. Not surprisingly, when establishing long-lasting pair-bonds, humans exhibit mate preferences in favour of clever partners, apparently to increase the chance that their offspring will be as clever as possible. Contrary to this well-established view, here I argue that the adaptive nature of human intelligence has never been proven in a strict evolutionary sense. Furthermore, the exceptional rise of intelligence in our species (and the lack of comparable phenomena in other apes) is best explained within the context of the Hamilton-Zuk Hypothesis. Apparently, humans have been subjected to an exceptionally strong selection pressure exerted by pathogens and parasites, and the human brain is particularly vulnerable to infections, thus cleverness is an ideal character to signal heritable genetic resistance against infections. In this scenario, human preference for intelligent mates is to increase the offspring's resistance against pathogens. Among other phenomena, this hypothesis can explain why humans enjoy wasting most of their intellectual capabilities for totally useless purposes, why prehistoric humans developed brains that made them potentially far more intelligent than required by their physical environment, and why we experience a continuous increase of human intelligence even in modern societies. Briefly, I argue that (1) human sexual selection favours intelligence as a signal of genetic resistance against pathogens, and (2) that intelligence enabled the rise of our species (in terms of population size and distribution) as an accidental side-effect. PMID- 17764858 TI - The evolution of cooperative breeding; is there cheating? PMID- 17764859 TI - Isolation and identification of AIDA-I receptors in porcine intestinal mucus. AB - Porcine AIDA-I positive Escherichia coli causes diarrhea in neonatal piglets and AIDA-I adhesin is an important virulence factor involved in intestinal colonization with biofilm formation. This biofilm consists of AIDA-I(+)E. coli bacteria stratified within mucus layers covering the intestinal mucosa. Based on the intimate interaction between AIDA-I(+)E. coli and mucus within the intestinal biofilm, we hypothesized that porcine intestinal mucus contains receptor(s) for AIDA-I adhesin. Since porcine AIDA-I receptors have not been identified, we employed affinity chromatography and in vitro adhesion assays to investigate AIDA I binding proteins in porcine intestinal mucus that might serve as receptors for attachment of AIDA-I positive E. coli. We demonstrated that porcine mucus contains 65 and 120kDa proteins (p65 and p120) that bind with high affinity to purified AIDA-I adhesin and that AIDA-I positive E. coli binds to these proteins with higher affinity than do AIDA-I negative mutant. The identity of p65 was not determined based on LC-MS/MS data, whereas p120 was matched to two nuclear proteins (namely, DNA damage binding protein and splicing factor 3b) and one cytoplasmic protein, which is an IgG Fc binding protein. Based on similar amino acid homology, molecular weight, structural similarity to mucin and reported evidence of being secreted by goblet cells into the intestinal lumen, we think that the IgG Fc binding protein is most likely candidate to serve as a potential receptor in intestinal mucus for AIDA-I adhesin. PMID- 17764860 TI - SEM/EDS analysis and characterization of gunshot residues from Brazilian lead free ammunition. AB - The exposition to heavy metal-rich airborne due to fire practicing has forced to the development of heavy metal-free environmental ammunition primers all over the world. Here we characterize the GSR elements present in the Brazilian lead-free ammunition produced by Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos (CBC) and commercialized by MagTech in the U.S. and Europe under the name CleanRange centerfire cartridges. Both first and second generations of CleanRange in calibers 9 mm Luger, .40 S&W, .380 AUTO and .38 SPL were analyzed and compared to regular Brazilian CBC ammunition by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy. Differences in composition and morphology of GSR particles from the two generations of CleanRange were observed. The first generation ammunition (found in Europe) presented spherical particles, being strontium the only unique element detected. The second generation (found in the U.S.) produced irregular particles composed mostly by potassium, aluminum, silicon and calcium. We can conclude that identification of GSR derived from CBC second generation lead-free ammunition in suspects' hands may be impossible without the addition of a distinct metallic taggant in the primer composition by the manufacturer. PMID- 17764861 TI - Identification of cremains using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and a comparison to trace element analysis. AB - The ability to distinguish human cremains from filler materials can be important in a variety of situations, the most notorious recent example being the Tri-State Crematorium incident. However, the majority of the papers in the recent literature present methods that rely on trace or minor element analysis, usually followed by a statistical or variable cluster analysis, to determine attribution. This approach is inherently risky, as there is significant natural variation in the trace and minor element body burdens within the human population and no real baseline for comparison. Bones and teeth are a form of calcium phosphate that is part of the mineral group apatite, often referred to as bioapatite. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy is a technique that is used to identify minerals by their crystalline structures rather than their elemental composition. The members of the mineral group apatite have a highly flexible hexagonal (6/m) structure that is able to incorporate small amounts of a wide variety of elements. However, its structure, and therefore its X-ray diffraction pattern, is distinct from the crystalline structures of all of the commonly reported filler materials, most of which are composed of some combination of Portland cement, limestone aggregate and quartz sand. XRD has several advantages over other analytical techniques for the identification of cremains. It is non-destructive, requires relatively small amounts of material, is unaffected by the elemental variations found in bioapatite, and can be used to semi-quantify the components of a mixture, thus determining the relative level of contamination of a sample. This paper presents the results of X-ray diffraction spectroscopy analysis of human cremains and a variety of common filler materials. PMID- 17764862 TI - Cocaine-related deaths: an enigma still under investigation. AB - In recent years there has been an increase interest in cocaine-related death reflecting the rising trend in cocaine use in Europe. Nevertheless it is still now very difficult to attribute a death to cocaine. We can affirm that cocaine can be responsible for the cause of death only when there is a reasonably complete understanding of the circumstances or facts surrounding the death. Isolated blood cocaine levels are not enough to assess lethality, and should be always considered and evaluated in relation to concentrations of cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations in body tissue compartments, especially in brain and blood. We have reanalyzed all of our cocaine-related cases from 1990 to 2005, applying the methodology used by Spielher and Reed over 30 years ago. Our aim was to try to validate this model and verify its applicability and effectiveness after 20 years. PMID- 17764863 TI - Lower limits of detection of synchrotron radiation high-energy X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and its possibility for the forensic application for discrimination of glass fragments. AB - Synchrotron radiation high-energy X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) analysis utilizing 75.5keV X-ray radiation from beam-line BL37XU at Super Photon Ring 8GeV (SPring 8), a third-generation synchrotron facility, was found to have advantages for forensic discrimination of glass samples. The lower limits of detection (LLD) for calibration curves were at the picogram level for Ba, Ce, and Sm and at the 10pg level for Sr, Zr, Sn, and Hf. The spectrum of NIST SRM 612 glass reference material demonstrated K-line peaks of 31 elements including rare-earth elements, and the relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) of all the measured elements except Ca were less than 9.7%. Fragments of collected sheet glass were used as samples for investigating the application of this technique to forensic analysis. Several trace elements such as Pb, Rb, Sr, Zr, La, Ce, and Hf were detected in the spectra of the samples, and these elements could be used as indexes to characterize the glass samples. But the "lower limits of detection (LLD)" of each element were not examined enough. In this report, these limits by synchrotron radiation X-ray spectrometry were clarified. By these results, this technique should provide an effective approach to the nondestructive discrimination of small glass fragments in the field of forensic science. PMID- 17764864 TI - Philemon and Baucis Death? Two cases of double deaths of married couples. AB - When two human corpses are found in temporal and locational context the assumption of a non-natural cause of death is close at hand. Suicide, extended suicide, homicide or accident (particularly with carbon monoxide) come to mind. When, however, a natural cause of death emerges for both after autopsy and further examinations, this provokes the question whether this incidence is coincidental. In our two presented cases, a married couple each was found dead together. In both cases, the wife needed nursing and was being cared for by a husband who died of cardiac disease shortly before the wife died. In one case, the wife died of acute uncompensated chronic congestive heart failure. In the other case, the cause of death of the wife was hypovolemic shock due to acute gastrointestinal bleeding from recurrent gastric mucosal erosion. It is to be discussed for both cases whether, given the pre-existing illness, the acute stress of the situation in view to the husbands' death may at least have favored the occurrence of death and may, thus, have led to the criminologically conspicuous situation of finding. PMID- 17764865 TI - Neuroendocrine features in extreme longevity. AB - In order to evaluate the effects of some neuro-endocrine changes during aging we have studied adrenal, thyroid and pineal secretion in young, healthy old and centenarians. The number of subjects in each hormone group varied. The following parameters were evaluated: serum levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), free triiodothyronine (FT3), thyroxine (FT4), reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Urinary 6 hydroxymelatonin sulfate (aMT6s) and free cortisol were measured twice daily. Centenarians exhibited significantly lower TSH levels together with slightly higher rT3 levels than old controls. These changes could be due to reduced 5' deiodinase activity occurring also in absence of substantial changes of the nutritional pattern. Morning serum cortisol levels were found to be similar in the 3 age groups, whereas the decline of serum DHEAS levels was well evident also after the ninth decade of life. The cortisol/DHEAS molar ratio, which usually increases with age and considered to be an expression of a neurotoxic pattern of the steroidal milieu in the central nervous system, did not shown any further increase in centenarians. The urinary free cortisol and aMT6s excretion declined with age; however only in centenarians and in young controls aMT6s excretion was significantly higher at night than during the day. These findings suggest that the circadian rhythm of melatonin secretion is maintained in centenarians and, based on the limitations of this study, could be considered one factor in successful aging. PMID- 17764866 TI - Sexual dimorphism in rats: effects of early maternal separation and variable chronic stress on pituitary-adrenal axis and behavior. AB - The pituitary-adrenal axis response is gender-dependent, showing lower activity in male rats. Furthermore, males showed low emotional behavior and females high emotionality when exposed to such chronic stress situations. The gender of an animal is a relevant factor in the development of responses to stress. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of early maternal separation on the pituitary-adrenal activity and emotional behavior of adult male and female rats subjected to chronic variable stress. Male and female Wistar rats were isolated 4.5 h daily, during the three first weeks of life. At 48 days of age, the rats were exposed to variable chronic stress (five different stressors during 24 days). Non-maternally separated and maternally separated males showed lower levels of ACTH compared to females (p<0.01). In male rats exposed to variable chronic stress, the maternally separated animals showed a diminution in the levels of ACTH and Corticosterone (p<0.05) compared to non-maternally separated rats. In the Open Field test, the maternally separated and non-maternally separated-stressed males showed lower emotional reactivity compared with female rats. This was indicated by increase in ambulation (p<0.05) and decrease in defecation (p<0.05). Male rats subjected to variable chronic stress presented low emotional behavior seen in their lower defecation (p<0.05). Stressed females displayed decreased ambulation (p<0.05) and increased defecation (p<0.05), showing high emotional reactivity after exposure to chronic stress. Maternally separated males showed higher emotionality after the exposure to chronic variable stress. This was indicated by decrease in ambulation (p<0.05), decrease in rearing (p<0.05) and increase in defecation (p<0.05). Thus, maternal separation and variable chronic stress caused long-term gender-dependent alterations in pituitary-adrenal activity and emotional behavior. PMID- 17764867 TI - Effect of plasma from cyclic versus nutritionally induced anovulatory beef heifers on proliferation of granulosa cells in vitro. AB - The effect of plasma from cyclic versus nutritionally induced anovulatory beef heifers was evaluated on proliferation of bovine granulosa cells in vitro. Granulosa cells were obtained from small (1-5mm) follicles of cattle and cultured for 4 days. During the last 2 days of culture, cells were exposed to medium containing 0, 1 or 10% plasma from cyclic or anovulatory heifers in the presence or absence of IGF-I (100ng/ml). Cell numbers were determined. Regardless of source, increasing percentage of plasma to culture medium increased cell numbers. However, the plasma-induced increase was greater in granulosa cells exposed to cyclic heifer plasma versus anovulatory heifer plasma. In addition, concomitant treatment with IGF-I dramatically improved cell proliferation induced by anovulatory heifer plasma. These results indicate that plasma from cyclic heifers contain factors that are a greater stimulus to granulosa cell proliferation than plasma from anovulatory heifers. Systemic factors such as IGF-I may play a role in directly regulating granulosa cell proliferation in cattle. PMID- 17764868 TI - Anemia is associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) size and decreased long term survival after endovascular AAA repair. AB - OBJECTIVE: Anemia is a common comorbid condition in various inflammatory states and an established predictor of mortality in patients with chronic heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and end-stage renal disease. The present study of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) undergoing endovascular repair (EVAR) assessed the relationships between baseline hemoglobin concentration and AAA size, as well as anemia and long-term survival. METHODS: Between March 1994 and November 2006, 711 patients (65 women, mean age 75.8 +/- 7.8 years) underwent elective EVAR. Anemia was defined as a hemoglobin level <13 g/dL in men and <12 g/dL in women. Post-EVAR mean follow-up was 48.3 +/- 32.0 months. Association of hemoglobin level with AAA size was assessed with multiple linear regression. Mortality was determined with use of the internet-based Social Security Death Index and the electronic hospital record. Kaplan-Meier survival curves of anemic and nonanemic patient groups were compared by the log-rank method. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the influence of anemia on vital status after EVAR. RESULTS: A total of 218/711 (30.7%) of AAA patients undergoing EVAR had anemia at baseline. After adjustment for various risk factors, hemoglobin level was inversely related to maximum AAA diameter (beta: - .144, 95%-CI: -1.482 - .322, P = .002). Post-EVAR survival was 65.5% at 5 years and 44.4% at 10 years. In long-term follow-up, survival was significantly lower in patients with anemia as compared to patients without anemia (P < .0001 by log rank). Baseline hemoglobin levels were independently related to long-term mortality in multivariable Cox regression analysis adjusted for various risk factors (adjusted HR: 0.866, 95% CI: .783 to .958, P = .005). Within this model, statin use (adjusted HR: .517, 95% CI: .308 to .868, P = .013) was independently related to long-term survival, whereas baseline AAA diameter (adjusted HR: 1.022, 95% CI: 1.009 to 1.036, P = .001) was an independently associated with increased mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline hemoglobin concentration is independently associated with AAA size and reduced long-term survival following EVAR. Thus, the presence or absence of anemia offers a potential refinement of existing risk stratification instruments. PMID- 17764869 TI - Blunt thoracic aortic injury: a single institution comparison of open and endovascular management. AB - OBJECTIVE: To review the treatment of blunt thoracic aortic injuries (BAI) at a single institution over the past 12 years and compare pre-, peri-, and postoperative variables and outcomes of both open (OR) and thoracic endovascular (TEVAR) repair of these injuries. METHODS: All cases of confirmed BAI from 1994 to present were included in this retrospective review. Data collected included demographic data, injury severity score, Glasgow coma score, arrival hemodynamic variables, and associated injuries. Operative data included: type of procedure (OR or TEVAR), duration of procedure, need for and amount of blood transfused, use of anticoagulation, type of anesthesia, and service performing the procedure. Outcomes evaluated were: death, paraplegia, length of stay, days ventilated, and procedure related complications. Specific to EVAR; access, stent graft type and number, presence of endoleak and long-term clinical and radiologic follow-up were evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty cases of blunt thoracic aortic injury were identified. Two patients received no treatment and died, 28 patients were treated (OR 16, TEVAR 12) and included for comparison. There were no significant differences between groups with respect to preoperative variables with the exception of significantly more associated intra-abdominal injuries in the TEVAR group (P = .03). Five patients in the OR group (31.2%) died in the perioperative period. There were no deaths in the TEVAR group (P =.05). One OR patient (6.25%) suffered postoperative paraplegia. No paraplegia occurred in the TEVAR group. Intraoperative variables were similar between groups with the exception of mean units of blood transfused (OR 8.5 units, vs TEVAR 0.2 units, P = .002). Ten patients in the OR group either died or had a procedure related complication compared with none in the TEVAR group (P = .001). There was no difference in length of stay or length of mechanical ventilation between the groups. There were no procedure or device related complications in the TEVAR group during follow-up (mean 15.3 months, range 1 to 53.5 months). CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular repair of BAI results in significantly less combined mortality and morbidity when compared to OR. Significantly less blood is needed intraoperatively in the TEVAR group. No complications from stent graft insertion have been observed during follow-up. Endovascular repair is replacing open repair as the treatment of choice for BAI at our institution. PMID- 17764870 TI - Acute and chronic open conversion after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair: a 14 year review. AB - OBJECTIVE: This study reviewed outcomes of patients requiring surgical conversion after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. METHODS: Records for all patients undergoing open conversion after endovascular AAA repair were reviewed. RESULTS: From 1993 to 2006, 574 patients underwent endovascular repair for AAA. Seventeen patients, including three patients who underwent prior endovascular repair at other centers, required surgical conversion with complete (n = 9) or partial graft removal (n = 8). Five patients required immediate conversion (acute), and 12 underwent delayed conversion 4 to 72 months after endovascular repair. Indications for acute conversion were large type I endoleak (n = 3, 60%), including one patient with graft migration, and retroperitoneal bleeding (n = 2, 40%). Indications for chronic conversion were endoleak with increasing aneurysm size (n = 9, 75%), stent fracture without endoleak (n = 1, 8%), delayed retroperitoneal bleeding (n = 1, 8%), and infection (n = 1, 8%). Suprarenal aortic cross-clamping was required in two patients (12%), and endograft components were retained in eight (47%). An aortic occlusion balloon placed through the body of the existing endograft facilitated proximal control in three patients. There were two perioperative deaths in the acute conversion group (2/5; 40%) and none in the delayed conversion group (P = .04). Five-year actuarial survival was 71.9%. Mean follow-up was 41.6 +/- 32.2 months. Retained endovascular components in patients with partial graft removal remained stable during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical conversion after endovascular AAA repair can be performed without suprarenal clamping in most patients. Endovascular aortic control with a balloon avoids suprarenal exposure. Partial endograft removal in selected patients facilitates open conversion and appears durable. Acute conversion is associated with increased mortality. PMID- 17764871 TI - Renovascular disease among patients referred for renal duplex ultrasonography. AB - OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of renal artery stenosis (RAS) among patients referred to a vascular laboratory in a university hospital, to identify those who are possible candidates for revascularization, and to determine the prevalence of other pathologies incidentally detected. METHODS: Consecutive patients referred to our laboratory for exclusion of RAS were included. Color duplex ultrasound (DU) imaging of the abdominal aorta, renal vasculature, and kidney parenchyma was performed. The resistivity index of the kidney (RI) was measured, and 0.8 was used as a cutoff to identify those with severe kidney disease that could be excluded from an intervention. Incidental findings were also noted. RESULTS: A total of 324 patients were included from September 1998 to August 2003. Unilateral RAS was found in 14% and bilateral in 7%. Unilateral (1.5%) and bilateral (0.6%) renal artery occlusions were rare. The main reason for referral was uncontrolled (43%) and controlled hypertension (34%). Most patients (63%) were taking two or more antihypertensive drugs. The diagnostic yield was 22% among those using two drugs and 55% among those using three or more. In 46 patients (64%), the RI was <0.8. Seven cases of fibromuscular dysplasia were found (10% of RAS patients or 2% overall). Incidental findings were detected in 24% and were significant enough to alter management in 26% among those with such findings. CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified a RAS prevalence of 22% and a renal artery occlusion prevalence of 4%. There was a high yield for RAS in patients receiving three or more drugs; however, the yield was also significant among those receiving two or more. About two thirds of patients diagnosed with RAS were potential revascularization candidates, evidenced by a low RI. DU imaging is also very useful in detecting pathology that is significant to alter patients' management. PMID- 17764872 TI - Cutting balloon angioplasty of autogenous infrainguinal bypasses: short-term safety and efficacy. AB - PURPOSE: This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of cutting balloon angioplasty in the treatment of infrainguinal vein bypass graft stenosis. METHODS: Data from a prospective database, supplemented by chart review, were obtained on all patients who underwent cutting balloon angioplasty of lower extremity vein bypass grafts at a single institution during a 4-year period. Noninvasive duplex ultrasound imaging of grafts, along with measurement of ankle brachial indices and digital pressures, was performed on all patients before and after treatment with the cutting balloon. Efficacy of cutting balloon angioplasty and procedural complications were analyzed. Data from noninvasive vascular testing were compared using the two-tailed paired Student t test. Patency rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences in patency rates were compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS: From July 2002 to February 2006, 109 cutting balloon angioplasties were performed on 70 bypasses in 61 patients. There were 12 complications in 109 procedures (11%), only one of which required immediate operative intervention. Initial technical success was 96%. Noninvasive vascular testing indicators significantly improved immediately after intervention: peak systolic graft velocity decreased from 360 +/- 158 cm/s to 143 +/- 67 cm/s (P < .001), ankle-brachial index improved from 0.55 +/- 0.3 to 0.85 +/- 0.2 (P < .001), and digital pressure increased from 31 +/- 30 mm Hg to 62 +/- 32 mm Hg (P < .001). Patency rates at 6 months according to the Kaplan-Meier method were primary patency, 48% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.36 to 0.60); assisted primary patency, 72% (95% CI, 0.61 to 0.83); and secondary patency, 99% (95% CI, 0.97 to 1.00). At 6 months, cumulative limb salvage was 94% (95% CI, 0.89 to 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: Cutting balloon angioplasty of infrainguinal vein bypass graft stenosis is technically feasible but is associated with a relatively high complication rate and a relatively low short-term patency rate. PMID- 17764873 TI - Vascular surgery training and certification: an international perspective. AB - OBJECTIVE: Vascular surgery (VS) practice has expanded to incorporate interventional procedures, and this has stimulated changes in training. The purpose of this study was to review current VS training and certification in different countries. METHODS: A survey was completed by vascular surgeons involved with national certification in 34 countries. Results are expressed as the mean +/- SD, with comparisons by chi(2) and t tests. RESULTS: VS is currently an independent specialty in 15 surveyed countries, is a subspecialty of general surgery in 10 countries, and is not recognized as a specialty in nine countries. There has been a clear time trend toward independent certification. In countries with independent VS certification, the length of VS training is 3.7 +/- 0.9 years plus 2.3 +/- 0.7 years of associated core general surgery (GS), for a total training length of 5.9 +/- 1.0 years. In countries with VS subspecialty certification, the length of VS training is 2.4 +/- 0.5 years after 5.0 +/- 1.1 years of GS, for a total training length of 7.4 +/- 1.2 years (each P < .01 vs independent certification). The minimum required volume of major open VS operations during training is 151 +/- 78 in countries with independent VS certification vs 113 +/- 53 in countries with subspecialty certification. Endovascular requirements for training are established in 71% of countries with independent certification vs 37% of countries with subspecialty certification (P < .03). Countries with independent VS certification produce 5.4 +/- 2.8 VS trainees per year per million population 65 years of age or older, vs 3.0 +/- 1.8 in countries with subspecialty certification (P < .02). CONCLUSIONS: Considerable variation exists in VS training in different countries. There is an international movement toward independent VS certification, with longer VS specific training but shorter overall residency duration. Counties with independent VS certification produce more trainees per year to serve their elderly population. PMID- 17764874 TI - The role of tissue factor in patients undergoing open repair of ruptured and nonruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms. AB - BACKGROUND: Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is associated with the development of a procoagulant and hypofibrinolytic state. Tissue factor (TF) and its naturally occurring inhibitor, tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), play a central role in the initiation and progression of such a hypercoagulable state, but their role in patients undergoing open AAA repair has not previously been examined. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted of 17 patients undergoing elective AAA repair and 10 patients undergoing emergency AAA repair. Blood was taken before induction, and 5 minutes, 24 hours, and 48 hours after aortic cross clamp release and assayed for plasma TF, TFPI, tissue plasminogen activator (t PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI), and thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) activities. RESULTS: TF activity was significantly higher at all time points in patients with ruptured AAA compared with nonruptured AAA. The median (interquartile range, IRQ) TF activity (AU/mL) was 9.9 vs 3.2 (IRQ, 5.9 to 12.6 vs 2.0 to 7.6; P = .005) at preinduction; 10.7 vs 1.5 (IRQ, 9.2 to 18.3 vs 0.1 to 6.6; P = .003) at 5 minutes after clamp release; 9.5 vs 3.3 (IRQ, 7.0 to 13.5 vs 1.0 to 7.9; P = .013) at 24 hours, and 9.6 vs 3.9 (IRQ, 7.6 to 12.6 vs 2.4 to 8.7; P = .006) at 48 hours. TFPI levels were not significantly different between ruptured AAA and nonruptured AAA before or during operation but became significantly elevated at 24 and 48 hours in patients who had undergone repair of ruptured AAA. Ruptured AAA repair was associated with a hypofibrinolytic state compared with nonruptured AAA. CONCLUSIONS: The present study has demonstrated for the first time, to our knowledge, that ruptured AAA is associated with significantly higher perioperative levels of circulating TF compared with nonruptured AAA. Furthermore, in the immediate perioperative period, the high levels of TF are not associated with a corresponding rise in TFPI levels, indicating an unopposed prothrombotic state. Direct inhibition of TF by administration of anti-TF antibodies or recombinant TFPI remains to be evaluated in subjects presenting with hemorrhage due to ruptured AAA, but if given early enough, it may attenuate the early deleterious effects of unopposed TF expression and ultimately contribute to improved outcomes. PMID- 17764875 TI - Clinical outcome of endovascular therapeutic occlusion of the celiac artery. AB - OBJECTIVE: Endovascular occlusion of the celiac artery can be performed along with occlusion of a celiac trunk aneurysm or stenting of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm to prevent a type II endoleak. Because only a few individual cases have been previously available for study, the aim of this study was to examine the technical details, clinical course, and outcome of this procedure based on a group of patients. METHODS: This retrospective study included 10 patients who underwent endovascular occlusion of the celiac artery between 1998 and 2006 (female/male = 1:4, mean age, 62.5 +/- 9.8 years). There were five aneurysms of the celiac artery, two cases each of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms and dissecting thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms, and one mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the aorta. The mean follow-up period was 21.4 +/- 29.1 months. RESULTS: The celiac artery was successfully occluded in all cases, along with exclusion of the celiac artery aneurysm or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm, respectively. The pancreaticoduodenal arteries were the main collateral pathways, but other anastomoses and, especially, vascular variations of the celiac artery and its territory were also significant. In one patient, abdominal angina was treated by percutaneous angioplasty and stenting of the superior mesenteric artery. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular occlusion of the celiac artery is both safe and feasible. Some vascular variations may make occlusion of the celiac trunk impossible. Liver function disorder is a relative contraindication for this procedure. PMID- 17764876 TI - Polyphenols modulate calcium-independent mechanisms in human arterial tissue engineered vascular media. AB - BACKGROUND: In the present study, an arterial tissue-engineered vascular media (TEVM) was produced from cultured human smooth muscle cells of the umbilical artery and we took advantage of this model to evaluate the regulation of contraction and the signalling pathways of polyphenols in arteries. METHODS: Cultured human smooth muscle cells of the umbilical artery were used to produce arterial TEVMs. Contraction experiments were performed to determine intracellular targets involved in the modulation of contraction by polyphenols extract from red wine, Provinols (SEPPIC Groupe Air Liquide, Paris, France). RESULTS: Smooth muscle cells in arterial TEVM displayed a differentiated phenotype as demonstrated by the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin, a vascular smooth muscle-specific marker, and tissue contraction in response to vasoconstrictor and vasodilator agents. Contractions caused by histamine were associated with an increase in [Ca(2+)](i) and a Ca(2+)-independent signalling pathway. The latter pathway involved mechanisms sensitive to protein kinase C, myosin light chain kinase, and Rho-associated protein kinase inhibitors. The regulation of contraction induced by Provinols shows that treatment of arterial TEVM with this compound significantly decreased histamine-induced contraction. This effect was associated with the inhibition of the Rho-associated protein kinase pathway and the decrease in alpha-smooth muscle actin expression. CONCLUSION: The use of arterial TEVM, brings new insights into the mechanisms by which polyphenols regulate vascular contraction in the human artery. PMID- 17764877 TI - Assessment of three-dimensional stent-graft dynamics by using fluoroscopic roentgenographic stereophotogrammetric analysis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To validate the use of fluoroscopic roentgenographic stereophotogrammetric analysis (FRSA) for its feasibility and accuracy for measuring the three-dimensional dynamic motion of stent grafts. METHODS: A digital biplane fluoroscopy setup was calibrated (Siemens Axiom Artis dBc). Stereo images were acquired of a static aortic model with a stent graft in different axial positions, imposed by a micromanipulator. The three-dimensional measurement error of FRSA was determined by comparing FRSA measurements with the micromanipulator. An aortic model with a stent graft was constructed and connected to an artificial circulation with a physiological flow and pressure profile. Markers were added to the spine (tantalum spherical markers; diameter 1 mm) and stent (welding tin; diameter 1 mm). The three-dimensional measurement precision was determined by measuring the position of a single (stable) spine marker during two pulsatile cycles. Finally, three-dimensional stent marker motion was analyzed with a frame rate of 30 images per second, including three dimensional marker position (change), diameter change, and center of circle position change. RESULTS: The mean error of FRSA measurement of displacement was 0.003 mm (SD, 0.019 mm; maximum error, 0.058 mm). A very high precision of position measurement was found (SD, 0.009-0.015 mm). During pulsatile motion, the position (changes) of the markers could be assessed in the x, y, and z directions, as well as the stent diameter change and center of circle position change. CONCLUSIONS: FRSA has proven to be a method with very high accuracy and temporal resolution to measure three-dimensional stent-graft motion in a pulsatile environment. This technique has the potential to contribute significantly to the knowledge of stent-graft behavior after endovascular aneurysm repair and improvements in stent-graft design. The technique is ready for clinical testing. PMID- 17764878 TI - Lower extremity arterial revascularization in obese patients. AB - BACKGROUND: Obesity and associated comorbidities are associated with a high rate of complications and technical difficulties after a number of surgical procedures. We studied the role of obesity in outcomes in lower extremity arterial revascularization. METHODS: We reviewed all lower extremity arterial revascularizations performed at our institution in 2000. Body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m(2) defined obesity. Perioperative outcomes, long term survival, and graft patency were evaluated in obese and nonobese patients by using linear regression, the Fisher exact test, and Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 74 (26%) obese and 207 (74%) nonobese patients. Patient demographics of the obese and nonobese populations were similar. The mean BMI for obese patients was 35 +/- 5 kg/m(2) and in nonobese patients was 25 +/- 3 kg/m(2). The mean age of each group was 67 +/- 10 years (BMI > or =30 kg/m(2)) and 70 +/- 13 years (BMI <30 kg/m(2)). There were 45 (61%) obese men and 29 (39%) obese women. There were 128 (62%) nonobese men and 79 (38%) nonobese women. Diabetes was present in 76% of the obese and 70% of the nonobese patients. Perioperative myocardial infarction, 30-day mortality, and rate of reoperation within 30 days were not significantly different. Obese patients had higher increased postoperative wound infection rates (16% vs 7%; P = .04). Survival analysis showed 81% +/- 5% and 85% +/- 3% 1-year survival and 66% +/- 6% and 62% +/- 3% 3-year survival in obese and nonobese patients (P = .58), respectively. Kaplan-Meier estimates showed no effect of obesity on long-term graft patency, with 1-year graft patency rates of 82% +/- 6% and 81% +/- 4% in obese and nonobese patients, respectively (P = .79). CONCLUSIONS: Obese patients have similar limb salvage rates, perioperative cardiac morbidity, long-term survival rates, and long-term graft patency but have increased perioperative wound infections. PMID- 17764879 TI - A randomized trial of the Tubulcus multilayer bandaging system in the treatment of extensive venous ulcers. AB - BACKGROUND: Venous ulcers are a major health problem because of their high prevalence and associated high cost of care. Compression therapy is the most widely used treatment for this condition. The vast majority of published articles on compression therapy present the results in the treatment of venous ulcers usually up to 15 to 20 cm(2). However, there are no published data in English medical literature on the efficacy of compression therapy in the treatment of extensive venous ulcers (ulcers >20 cm(2) of more than 6 months' duration) with regard to healing rate, time to healing, and recurrence rate at 12 months after healing. METHODS: A total of 138 patients with extensive venous ulceration (ulceration surface, 20-210 cm(2); duration, 7 months to 28 years) were randomized into 2 groups: (1) a treatment group (72 patients who were treated by using a multilayer bandaging system with the Tubulcus (a heelless open-toed elastic compression device knitted in tubular form) and elastic bandages and (2) a control group (66 patients treated with a multilayer bandaging system with elastic bandages only). The patients were treated on an ambulatory basis; the primary end point of the study was complete ulcer healing at 500 days. The secondary end point was to assess the ulcer recurrence rate during continuation of below-knee compression of different degrees of compression. In the treatment group, patients were instructed to continue to wear the Tubulcus (35 mm Hg), and patients in the control group were instructed to wear compression stockings with compression of 20 to 25 mm Hg. The exclusion criteria from the study were heart insufficiency with an ejection fraction <35, an ankle-brachial pressure index less than 0.8, and pregnancy. RESULTS: The cumulative healing rate was 93% in the treatment group and was 51% in the control group (P < .001). The median healing time in the treatment group was 133 days (range, 28 to 464 days), and in the control group it was 211 days (range, 61 to 438 days). The recurrence rate at 12 months in the treatment group was 24% (16/67) and was 53% (18/34) in the control group (P < .05). After additional compression treatment with the same treatment protocol, all 16 recurrent ulcers in the treatment group healed. In the control group, the healing rate of recurrent ulcers was 89% (16/18). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that for extensive venous ulceration, multilayer compression therapy with the Tubulcus provides an extremely high healing rate. Compression of more than 30 mm Hg results in decreased ulcer recurrence. However, recurrence cannot be completely avoided. PMID- 17764880 TI - Isolated iliac artery aneurysms: endovascular versus open elective repair. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare endovascular and open repair of isolated or solitary iliac artery aneurysms (SIAAs). METHODS: We present the results of 55 patients with 58 SIAAs that were treated between January 1998 and December 2005 in two European university hospitals. In one center, the standard procedure, if not contraindicated, was endovascular repair, and 32 (58.2%) consecutive patients with 33 SIAAs were treated by using only endovascular techniques (endovascular iliac aneurysm repair; EVIAR). In the second center, 23 (41.8%) consecutive patients with 25 SIAAs were treated by conventional surgical techniques because advanced endovascular skills were not available before late 2005. EVIAR included coil embolization of the hypogastric artery in 13 of the 33 cases with aneurysmal involvement of the internal iliac artery. In the "open" group of patients, midline laparotomy and a transperitoneal approach with bifurcated aortoiliac graft replacement was performed in 4 cases, and a lower lateral abdominal incision with a retroperitoneal approach and iliac replacement was performed in 19 cases. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was similar in both groups (EVIAR, 35.3 +/- 21.3 months; open, 31.3 +/- 19.9 months). The two groups of patients had similar demographic and clinical characteristics compared with previous reported series, and data analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups only in hypertension. The early and mid-term outcomes and especially the 3-year primary patency rates were also similar between the two groups (EVIAR, 97%; open, 100%). In the EVIAR group, there was no evidence of endoleaks, kinking, or graft migration, and 26 aneurysms remained stable, whereas in 7 aneurysms a slight decrease in size (>10% in diameter) was observed. Comparison of operative time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative hospital stay revealed significant differences (P < .001) in favor of the endovascular group. Secondary intervention was not necessary in any patient in either group during the entire follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Elective management with endovascular or open techniques of isolated iliac aneurysms can be accomplished with very low morbidity and mortality rates. Better intraoperative and early postoperative outcomes, as well as the durable mid-term results in our EVIAR-treated patients, indicate that endovascular techniques could be offered as first-line therapy of SIAAs. PMID- 17764881 TI - Endovascular repair of para-anastomotic aortic aneurysms. AB - BACKGROUND: Para-anastomotic aneurysms involving the aorta and iliac arteries can occur years after aortic surgery and are at risk for rupture and erosion into surrounding structures. We report on our continued experience with patients who have been treated for these lesions with endovascular management as an alternative to traditional open repair. METHODS: Patients who underwent endovascular repair of para-anastomotic aneurysms involving the distal aortic arch, descending thoracic aorta, abdominal aorta, or iliac arteries were prospectively followed up in a database. Patient comorbidities, initial aortic pathology, initial graft configuration, aneurysm characteristics, evidence of infection, type and configuration of endograft used, and follow-up were analyzed. RESULTS: From 1997 to 2006, 53 patients with 65 para-anastomotic aneurysms were treated with endovascular stent grafts. Patients who were originally treated for aortoiliac occlusive disease presented significantly later than those treated for aneurysmal disease (15.8 vs 8.9 years, P < .01) The initial technical success rate was 98%. Endoleaks were identified in six patients (11%) < or =1 month of surgery, and three required reintervention, including open conversions. Endoleak complications were significantly associated with patients who had symptomatic para-anastomotic aneurysms (P = .01). Perioperative mortality after endovascular repair was 3.8%. Overall mortality within a mean follow-up of 18 months was 49% and was significantly associated with older age at the time of endovascular treatment (P = .03). CONCLUSION: Endovascular repair of para-anastomotic aneurysms involving the aorta and iliac arteries is technically feasible and is associated with a low perioperative morbidity and mortality. Close follow-up is required to identify endoleaks. Long-term survival is limited in older patients. We recommend endovascular stent graft repair for para-anastomotic aneurysms in anatomically suitable patients. PMID- 17764882 TI - Rheolytic thrombectomy, angioplasty, and selective stenting for subacute isolated popliteal artery occlusions. AB - OBJECTIVE: We have observed that some patients with isolated popliteal artery occlusions (PAOs) harbor varying degrees of organized clot, as suggested by the rapidity with which these occlusions are traversed with the Glidewire. We hypothesized that debulking such PAOs by using rheolytic thrombectomy without adjunctive thrombolysis before percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and selective stenting (PTA/S) is safe and enables single-session treatment with minimal risk of embolization. METHODS: Between February 2004 and January 2007, 16 male patients (mean age, 68.9 +/- 11.1 years; range, 54-84 years) presenting with disabling claudication (n = 1), rest pain (n = 5), and tissue loss (n = 10; mean duration, 11 +/- 8 weeks; range, 4-26 weeks) were prospectively followed up after rheolytic thrombectomy and angioplasty and selective stenting of their PAO. RESULTS: The mean occlusion length was 11.6 +/- 4.5 cm. After rheolytic thrombectomy, the occlusions were converted to long stenoses (mean length of 7.6 +/- 3.6 cm). Self-expanding stents were used in 10 of 16 (mean length of 8.3 +/- 4.4 cm). Additional recanalizations of occlusions of the iliac artery and proximal superficial femoral artery were performed before popliteal artery recanalizations in two patients. Ankle-brachial indexes increased from 0.27 +/- 0.22 to 0.94 +/- 0.13. No case of distal embolization was observed. Adjuvant thrombolysis was used in only one case to improve runoff. Inline flow to the foot was achieved in 15 of 16 cases. Three occlusions occurred at 3, 6, and 20 months after surgery (mean follow-up, 15.7 +/- 10.0 months), and two patients underwent successful thrombolysis. The third patient refused further intervention and remains a claudicant. One-year primary and secondary patency rates were 84% and 92%, respectively. Two limb losses occurred at 7 and 9 months as a result of recurrent foot infection in patients with diabetes, both with patent popliteal arteries (1-year limb salvage rate, 83%). CONCLUSIONS: We advocate debulking isolated subacute PAOs with rheolytic thrombectomy when they are easily crossed, because this enables recanalization of these lesions in a single setting, thus obviating the additional need for thrombolysis in most cases, with seemingly minimal risk of distal embolization. This simple approach is effective and widely available. PMID- 17764884 TI - Association of GSTP1 expression with resistance to docetaxel and paclitaxel in human breast cancers. AB - AIMS: It has been reported that glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) expression is implicated in resistance to taxanes (docetaxel and paclitaxel) in human breast cancer cells in vitro. In the study presented here, we examine whether GSTP1 expression is associated with resistance to docetaxel or paclitaxel in human breast cancers. We also investigated the relationship between GSTP1 methylation status and response to these taxanes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty two primary breast cancer patients were treated with docetaxel or paclitaxel as primary systemic treatment (PST). GSTP1 expression was detected immunohistochemically and the hypermethylation status GSTP1 gene was identified with a methylation specific primer assay. RESULTS: The mean tumor reduction rate for all patients (n=62) was significantly (p<0.001) higher in GSTP1 negative (0.73+/-0.04; mean+/-standard error) than GSTP1 positive (0.31+/-0.09) tumors. The subset analysis showed that the mean reduction rate was significantly (p=0.005) higher in GSTP1 negative (0.59+/-0.06) than GSTP1 positive (0.11+/-0.13) tumors in the docetaxel group as well as in the paclitaxel group (p=0.006; GSTP1 negative tumors: 0.84+/-0.05; GSTP1 positive tumors: 0.56+/-0.08). On the other hand, GSTP1 methylation showed no significant association with the reduction rate. CONCLUSION: Our present study has suggested that GSTP1 protein expression, but not GSTP1 methylation status, might be associated with response to docetaxel and paclitaxel. This suggests that GSTP1 immunohistochemical expression might be a potentially clinically useful predictive factor for response to docetaxel and paclitaxel. PMID- 17764885 TI - Diagnostic value and complications of fine needle aspiration for primary liver cancer and its influence on the treatment outcome-a study based on 3011 patients in China. AB - AIM: To determine the diagnostic value and major complications of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for primary liver cancer (PLC) and its influence on the treatment outcome and prognosis. METHODS: Information was gathered retrospectively for 3011 patients who presented with suspected PLC. Of which 2528 cases underwent ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA) biopsy. Patients were followed up through repeated office visits and imaging studies with a median follow-up of 7 months (range, 1-29 months). RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and overall accuracy of cytological diagnosis by FNA biopsy for detection of liver malignancy were 91.5%, 100.0%, 100.00%, 59.1% and 92.4% respectively. All patients with AFP> or = 400 microg/L were associated with malignancy. Of 1154 patients with AFP<400 microg/L who were finally proved PLC, 945 were detected by FNA alone. Major complications included bleeding in 11 cases (5 of them died later), occurred mainly in hepatocellular carcinoma with superficial location, large tumors and severe cirrhosis, and implantation metastases in 5 cases, which were recognized as a subcutaneous nodule at the previous biopsy site. Implantation metastases were treated with resection or radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: FNA biopsy is valuable for the diagnosis of PLC. However, complications of post-biopsy hemorrhage should not be ignored, as such bleeding may be fatal. Implantation seems to have little effect on the prognosis. PMID- 17764883 TI - Alcohol and airways function in health and disease. AB - The volatility of alcohol promotes the movement of alcohol from the bronchial circulation across the airway epithelium and into the conducting airways of the lung. The exposure of the airways through this route likely accounts for many of the biologic effects of alcohol on lung airway functions. The effect of alcohol on lung airway functions is dependent on the concentration, duration, and route of exposure. Brief exposure to mild concentrations of alcohol may enhance mucociliary clearance, stimulates bronchodilation, and probably attenuates the airway inflammation and injury observed in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Prolonged and heavy exposure to alcohol impairs mucociliary clearance, may complicate asthma management, and likely worsens outcomes including lung function and mortality in COPD patients. Nonalcohol congeners and alcohol metabolites act as triggers for airway disease exacerbations especially in atopic asthmatics and in Asian populations who have a reduced capacity to metabolize alcohol. Research focused on the mechanisms of alcohol-mediated changes in airway functions has identified specific mechanisms that mediate alcohol effects within the lung airways. These include prominent roles for the second messengers calcium and nitric oxide, regulatory kinases including PKG and PKA, alcohol- and acetaldehyde-metabolizing enzymes such as aldehyde dehydrogenase 2. The role alcohol may play in the pathobiology of airway mucus, bronchial blood flow, airway smooth muscle regulation, and the interaction with other airway exposure agents, such as cigarette smoke, represents opportunities for future investigation. PMID- 17764886 TI - The location of small tumor deposits in the SLN predicts Non-SLN macrometastases in breast cancer patients. AB - AIMS: The extent to which the location of micrometastases (MIC) or isolated tumor cells (ITC) in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) is correlated with the risk of downstream metastases is still unknown. This study examined this issue and compared the impact of MIC/ITC location with other established risk factors. METHODS: Paraffin slides of SLNs with MIC/ITC-involvement obtained from 68 breast cancer patients were evaluated for MIC/ITC location, lesion size, and various SLN morphologic features. These parameters, together with demographic data and primary tumor characteristics, were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis to determine their association with the presence of downstream macrometastases in Non-SLN. RESULTS: Eighteen of 68 patients with MIC (n=37) or ITC (n=31) had Non-SLN metastases. After multivariate analysis, the location of MIC/ITC in the SLN (parenchyma vs. sinus/vessel) had the strongest association with the presence of Non-SLN macrometastases (p<0.0001), followed by the pT category (p=0.008). Sixteen of 18 patients with parenchymal involvement but only 2 of 31 without parenchymal involvement had Non-SLN macrometastases. The metric size of the primary tumor and the estrogen receptor status were significantly associated only on univariate analysis (p=0.041, 0.034), whereas the correlation to the size classification for tumor cell deposits (MIC vs. ITC) was not significant (p=0.077). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that lesion location is an important predictor of Non-SLN-macrometastases. This finding may simplify the decision for axillary treatment in patients with small tumor deposits in the SLN. PMID- 17764887 TI - Hepatic complications following preoperative chemotherapy with oxaliplatin or irinotecan for hepatic colorectal metastases. AB - AIMS: The aim of this article is to review the current state of knowledge in relation to the development of chemotherapy associated steatohepatitis (CASH) and sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) occurring following the administration of irinotecan and oxaliplatin respectively to patients with colorectal liver metastases and also to highlight potential concerns relating to other new agents. METHODS: An electronic search was performed of the medical literature using the MEDLINE database to identify relevant articles related to the incidence, aetiology, pathology and effects of CASH and SOS outcome in patients undergoing hepatic resection. RESULTS: CASH and SOS are relatively common findings in liver resection specimens following the administration of irinotecan and oxaliplatin based regimes being reported in up to 50% and 20% of cases respectively. Whilst the aetiology and pathological changes are well-described, the relationship between the presence of these pathologies and outcomes is less well defined. The data in relation to SOS following oxaliplatin is limited but there may be an increased morbidity associated with the presence of SOS. There is significantly more evidence that the presence of CASH is associated with an increased morbidity and possibly mortality following hepatic resection as a result of the development of liver failure. Further studies are required to clarify these early observations. CONCLUSIONS: The frequent identification of distinct pathological entities in association with oxaliplatin and irinotecan chemotherapy means that patients undergoing liver resection following treatment with these agents should be carefully monitored to accurately determine the morbidity and mortality attributable to the use of these agents. Furthermore, additional studies are required to clarify risk factors for the development of CASH and SOS so that certain regimens can be avoided in at risk populations thus reducing hepatic damage and increasing the chances of cure and survival following liver resection. PMID- 17764888 TI - Clinical impact of false-negative sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer. AB - AIMS: To evaluate the incidence of false-negative (FN) sentinel lymph node (SLN) cases, their correlation with a series of clinico-pathologic parameters and their impact on adjuvant treatment indications and on clinical axillary relapse in the setting of a multicentric clinical trial comparing SLN biopsy with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). METHODS: A series of 697 patients with primary breast cancer < or = 3 cm were randomized to SLN biopsy associated with ALND (ALND arm) or to SLN biopsy followed by ALND only if the SLN was metastatic (SLN arm). The FN SLN rate was assessed in the ALND arm. A series of 11 clinico-pathological parameters were tested for a possible association with FN results. The indications for adjuvant treatments were evaluated by considering both the FN nodal stages, as indicated by the SLN, and the true positive axillary status, as indicated by completion ALND. The occurrence of clinically evident axillary recurrences was evaluated in the two arms. RESULTS: The FN rate was 16.7%. Of the clinico-pathologic parameters tested, only a tumour size < or = 2 cm and the presence of a single metastatic axillary node was significantly associated with a risk of FN (p = 0.033 and p = 0.018, respectively). The FN SLN would have led to different adjuvant therapy indications in 12/18 cases. At 56 months, no clinically evident axillary nodal recurrences were present in the ALND arm patients, whereas one case of axillary recurrence was detected in the SLN arm patients. CONCLUSIONS: FN SLN biopsy is not uncommon, especially in the presence of a small primary tumour with a single nodal metastasis. An FN finding can lead to less than optimal adjuvant treatment. However, the clinical impact of FN in terms of axillary recurrence at 56 months was minimal. PMID- 17764889 TI - Stimulation of anti-melanoma immune effectors via modified tumour cells exhibiting inhibited IGF-I and low CD9. AB - Modified melanoma cells (B16-F0.MOD) characterized by inhibited IGF-I, CD9 low but not their wild-type counterparts (B16-F0.WT), IGF-I positive, CD9 high, were shown to be immunogenic for syngeneic hosts. C57BL/6 syngeneic recipients vaccinated with B16-F0.MOD cells developed immune effectors that were observed at the humoral as well as cellular levels. These immune effectors were shown to be capable of controlling in vitro tumour growth and in vivo tumour progression. PMID- 17764890 TI - Biocompatibility of tetramethylpyrazine-eluting stents in normal porcine coronary arteries. AB - OBJECTIVE: Drug-eluting stents have been used to markedly decrease in-stent restenosis in 6 months, but they are noticed due to the late thrombogenicity. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the biocompatibility of Tetramethylpyrazine-eluting stents by investigating the intimal response and thrombogenicity in normal porcine coronary arteries by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and histomorphometry. METHODS: Bare metal stents (BMS) were uniformly spray-coated with Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP 200 microg) and prepared for TMP-eluting stents (TES). Fourteen coronary arteries in 14 pigs underwent stent implantation. Seven TES were implanted in 7 pigs and 7 BMS in other 7 pigs. The stents were deployed with a stent-to-artery ratio of 1.1 1.2/1.0 in order to induce vascular wall injury. QCA and IVUS were performed before and immediately after the implantations and at 28 days (end time point). The analysis on blood cell count, biochemical parameters, status of behavior of pigs were evaluated before the implantation and at the time of 1 and 28 days. Stented-coronary arteries, stented-coronary arteries related ventricular wall, lung, liver and kidney were harvested after euthanasia of animals at the endpoint. Histopathology and histomorphometry had been done to assess the local toxicity of TES to these organs. RESULTS: All the stents were successfully implanted, however, 4 pigs died of cardiac tamponade or anesthesia. No bone marrow depression and hemolysis was seen. No damage to the function and metabolism of liver and kidney was discovered. No thrombosis was found in control and test groups. Few inflammatory cells were found in the stented-coronary artery walls at each endpoint in both groups. No damage to stented-coronary arteries related ventricular wall, lung, liver and kidney was detected due to TES implantation. Compared with the control group, the neointimal area was significantly reduced in the TES group (60.2+/-23.5% vs 10.0+/-2.1%, P=0.01) by IVUS analysis, but the lumen area in the TES group was increased (4.34+/-0. 93 mm(2) vs 1.29+/-1.02 mm(2), P=0.011), the neointimal area was reduced markedly (1.51+/-0.45 mm(2) vs 4.60+/-1.39 mm(2), P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The biocompatibility of TES in porcine model at 28 days seems to be good and acceptable. Biocompatibility can be evaluated by IVUS and histopathology in a porcine restenosis model. PMID- 17764891 TI - Different viabilities and toxicity types after 6-OHDA and Ara-C exposure evaluated by four assays in five cell lines. AB - Cell viability studies are useful when screening novel drugs for the diseases that are related to either increased cell death or enhanced cell survival. There are numerous assays but the results that they produce are rarely unanimous. Here we compared the performance of (1) morphological microscopic assay with double DNA staining, (2) propidium iodide-digitonin assay, (3) MTT-assay, and (4) ATP assay in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y), rat glioma (C6), rabbit smooth muscle (SMC), Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and monkey fibroblast cells (CV1-P) exposed to cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). We found that neuronal SH-SY5Y cells were most sensitive to both toxins and the results in all viability tests correlated well. All the other cell lines were much more resistant, particularly to Ara-C but also to 6-OHDA. Toxicity of the compounds was best revealed by MTT and ATP assays, measuring the metabolic activity of the cells, and only occasionally by morphological observations or with the propidium iodide-digitonin assay which is based on the cell membrane integrity. In this research, Ara-C induced pure apoptosis whereas the toxicity type of 6-OHDA was dose-dependent. The use of several viability tests and cell lines is recommended when studying cell death, particularly apoptosis, and performance of antiapoptotic compounds. PMID- 17764893 TI - Vocal cord paralysis after surgery to the descending thoracic aorta via left posterolateral thoracotomy. AB - Vocal cord paralysis is one of the frequently encountered complications after aortic surgery. However, reports of vocal cord paralysis after aortic surgery have been limited. In a retrospective cohort study of vocal cord paralysis after aortic surgery at a general hospital, we sought factors related to its development after aortic surgery to the descending thoracic aorta via left posterolateral thoracotomy. We reviewed data for a total of 69 patients who, between 1989 and 1995, underwent aortic surgery to the descending thoracic aorta. We assessed factors associated with the development of vocal cord paralysis and postoperative complications. Postoperative vocal cord paralysis appeared in 19 patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed two risk factors for vocal cord paralysis: chronic dilatation of the aorta at the left subclavian artery (odds ratio = 8.67) and anastomosis proximal to the left subclavian artery (odds ratio = 17.7). The duration of mechanical ventilation was significantly prolonged for patients with vocal cord paralysis. Certain surgical factors associated with left subclavian artery increase the risk of vocal cord paralysis after surgery on the descending thoracic aorta. Vocal cord paralysis after aortic surgery did not increase aspiration pneumonia but was associated with pulmonary complications. PMID- 17764892 TI - Differential gene expression during terminal erythroid differentiation. AB - Terminal erythroid differentiation in mammals is the process whereby nucleated precursor cells accumulate erythroid-specific proteins such as hemoglobin, undergo extensive cellular and nuclear remodeling, and ultimately shed their nuclei to form reticulocytes, which then become mature erythrocytes in the circulation. Little is known about the mechanisms that enable erythroblasts to undergo such a transformation. We hypothesized that genes involved in these mechanisms were likely expressed at restricted times during the differentiation process and used differential display reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction as a first step in identifying such genes. We identified three differentially expressed cDNAs that we termed late erythroblast (LEB) 1-3. None of these cDNAs were previously identified as being expressed in erythroblasts and their patterns of expression indicated they are likely to be involved in the differentiation process. LEB-1 cDNA was derived from the gene A330102K04Rik (approved gene symbol Apoll1), and shares homology with members of the apolipoprotein L family in humans. LEB-3 cDNA was derived from the novel gene D930015E06Rik, that has no known function. LEB-2 cDNA was derived from the gene ranBP16 (approved gene symbol Xpo7), a nuclear exportin. D930015E06Rik mRNA is also strongly expressed in the testis and was localized to a region of the seminiferous tubule where secondary spermatocytes and early spermatids are found, suggesting a role for D930015E06Rik in spermatogenesis as well as terminal erythroid differentiation. We have thus identified three genes not previously described as being expressed in erythroblasts that could be relevant in elucidating mechanisms involved in terminal erythroid differentiation. PMID- 17764894 TI - Evaluation of developmental neurotoxicity of organotins via drinking water in rats: dimethyl tin. AB - Dimethyltin (DMT) is one of several organotins that are detected in domestic water supplies due to their use as plastic stabilizers for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and chlorinated PVC (CPVC) products. A limited number of in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that DMT may produce developmental neurotoxicity; therefore, we initiated studies to evaluate long-term neurobehavioral changes in offspring following perinatal exposure. In the first study, female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed via drinking water to DMT (0, 3, 15, 74 ppm) before mating and throughout gestation and lactation. Male offspring were tested for changes in: 1) preweaning learning in an associative runway task, 2) motor activity ontogeny, 3) spatial learning and retention in the Morris water maze as adults, 4) brain weight, 5) biochemical evidence of apoptosis, and 6) neuropathology. DMT toxicity was expressed as depressed maternal weight gain (74 ppm), and in the offspring, decreased brain weight (3, 74 ppm), decreased apoptosis (all concentrations), mild vacuolation in adult offspring (all concentrations), and slower learning in the water maze (15 ppm) due to altered spatial search patterns. In a second study, DMT exposure (same concentrations) occurred from gestational day 6 to weaning. Male and female offspring were tested. The high concentration again depressed maternal weight gain, decreased offspring birth weight and preweaning growth, and decreased brain weight. Increased and decreased apoptotic markers were measured, depending on age. Learning deficits were observed in the runway at postnatal day 11 (15, 74 ppm) and again in the adult offspring in the water maze (15 ppm). The results of both studies demonstrate a reproducible effect of 15 ppm perinatal DMT exposure on spatial learning. Changes in expression of apoptosis, brain weight, and the occurrence of neuropathological lesions also indicate potential neurotoxicity of DMT. These results were in contrast to earlier findings with monomethyl tin, for which only similar neuropathological lesions were observed. Thus, developmental neurotoxicity may be produced in offspring following gestational exposure to DMT in drinking water. PMID- 17764895 TI - Ultrasonic Doppler vibrometry: novel method for detection of left ventricular wall vibrations caused by poststenotic coronary flow. AB - BACKGROUND: A diastolic coronary flow murmur has been reported for patients with coronary stenoses, yet is rarely appreciated during routine auscultation. We hypothesized that an ultrasonic Doppler method can detect the epicardial vibrations associated with this murmur. Ultrasonic Doppler vibrometry is a pulsed wave echocardiography phase demodulation technique designed for detecting vibrations. We correlated the vibration characteristics measured using vibrometry with the angiographic severity of coronary artery stenosis. METHODS: In a prospective pilot study, 49 patients were recruited for an ultrasound examination before coronary arteriography. An ultrasound instrument was customized to acquire the raw pulsed wave Doppler echocardiographic data from a range gate placed on the left ventricular myocardium near the path of the epicardial coronary arteries. RESULTS: Patients with angiographically minor stenosis (tightest stenosis < 50% by quantitative coronary angiography, N = 25) had lower diastolic vibration energy (computed as the median spectral energy of myocardial wall velocity in the 100 approximately 1000-Hz frequency band normalized by a baseline diastolic value) compared with patients with moderate or severe stenosis (any stenosis > 50%, N = 24) (P < .001, area under the receiver operating characteristics curve = 0.84). The vibration energy increased with increasing stenosis severity for less severe narrowing (<70%) but decreased for severe narrowing (>70%) (R(2) = 0.21, P < .0002). CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary evidence indicates that diastolic left ventricular wall vibrations measured using ultrasonic Doppler vibrometry are related to the severity of coronary artery stenoses. With further refinement and validation, this noninvasive and low-cost method could lead to an early screening and monitoring test for coronary artery stenosis. PMID- 17764896 TI - Normal value of carotid intima-media thickness--a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis: quantitative assessment by B-mode carotid ultrasound. AB - BACKGROUND: Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis and imparts prognostic information independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Quantitative assessment of IMT using semiautomated border detection software is a new and easy technique that has been previously shown to be accurate, effective, and reproducible. The study is aimed to define the upper limit of carotid IMT at the common carotid artery (CCA) and its bifurcation among a healthy population in the United Kingdom. METHODS: Asymptomatic men and women aged 35 to 75 years, without evidence of clinical atherosclerosis, underwent B-mode carotid duplex ultrasound (Sonos 7500, Philips, Best, The Netherlands). Mean carotid IMT at the far wall of both left and right CCA were quantitatively determined using a semiautomated edge-detection algorithm (Q-lab 4, Philips). Healthy population was defined as participants with no cardiovascular disease and no evidence of diabetes mellitus or hypertension with a body mass index less than 30 kg/m2, serum cholesterol less than 6 mmol/L, and absence of carotid plaque on ultrasound. RESULTS: Of the 453 participants, 137 were found to be healthy. IMT measured at the bifurcation was found to be significantly higher compared with that at the CCA. Carotid IMT in both CCA and its bifurcation increased significantly with age. The upper limits (97.5 percentile) of IMT at CCA for participants age 35 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, and 60 years or older were 0.60, 0.64, 0.71, and 0.81 mm, respectively, whereas for that at bifurcation were 0.83, 0.77, 0.85, and 1.05 mm, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the value of IMT at CCA and its bifurcation in a healthy population in the United Kingdom using a semiautomated edge-detection software, which is easy to use and reproducible. PMID- 17764897 TI - Reduced right ventricular systolic function in constrictive pericarditis indicates myocardial involvement and persistent right ventricular dysfunction and symptoms after pericardiectomy. AB - We report four cases of patients with documented constrictive pericarditis who had evidence of reduced right ventricular (RV) systolic function. Assessment of RV systolic function was performed by pulsed tissue Doppler sampling of basal RV free wall velocity at the level of the tricuspid annulus in the four-chamber view. Velocity values and time velocity integral calculated from the velocity envelope were compared with values from controls. All four patients had evidence of epicardial RV injury at the time of pericardiectomy and persistent symptoms and RV systolic dysfunction after pericardiectomy. PMID- 17764898 TI - Pseudodyskinesis of the inferior left ventricular wall: recognizing an echocardiographic mimic of myocardial infarction. AB - INTRODUCTION: Dyskinesis is diagnosed by outward systolic bulging, but a similar inferior wall (IW) motion is sometimes observed in patients without infarction. Such diastolic flattening of the IW is followed by systolic rounding and outward bulging, consistent with extrinsic diastolic compression that is overcome by systolic contraction. HYPOTHESIS: Pseudodyskinesis (PD) (paradoxical IW motion) is associated with preserved systolic wall thickening and does not reflect ischemic dysfunction. METHODS: We compared 100 consecutive patients having a pattern of PD on transthoracic echocardiography with control groups of 50 patients with documented inferior myocardial infarction and 50 healthy individuals. Percent systolic thickening of the inferior, anterior, septal, and lateral left ventricular (LV) walls was measured in a midventricular short-axis view, and LV cross-sectional shape was evaluated by the ratio of two perpendicular diameters. Diaphragmatic position was evaluated on chest radiograph. RESULTS: Systolic IW thickening was not significantly different in PD from that of normal (58.2 +/- 6.2% vs 53.0 +/- 4.6%) and of non-IW in the same patients (50.4 +/- 6.8%). The LV was circular (diameter ratio = 1.0) in systole and diastole in healthy individuals; in PD, it was noncircular in diastole consistent with IW compression (P < .01), and circular in systole; in inferior myocardial infarction, it was circular in diastole and noncircular in systole (P < .01) consistent with decreased IW contraction. The left hemidiaphragm was more elevated in PD (78% vs 8.5%, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: In PD, the IW thickens normally to produce a circular LV cavity in systole. This motion, consistent with extrinsic compression, is important to distinguish from inferior myocardial infarction. PMID- 17764899 TI - Routine adjustment of Doppler echocardiographically derived aortic valve area using a previously derived equation to account for the effect of pressure recovery. PMID- 17764900 TI - Fetal and neonatal presentation of noncompacted ventricular myocardium: expanding the clinical spectrum. AB - BACKGROUND: Noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium (NCVM) is a rare cardiomyopathy characterized by varying degrees of ventricular dysfunction and numerous, prominent trabeculations with deep intertrabecular recesses caused by arrest in myocardial embryogenesis. NCVM is rarely described in fetal and neonatal patients, and only isolated reports exist to date. METHODS: We conducted a review of clinical and echocardiographic data from 6 neonates found to have NCVM to elucidate aspects of prenatal manifestations, initial presentations, and clinical course/outcome. RESULTS: Six neonates met criteria for diagnosis of NCVM. Five were initially evaluated during fetal life, whereas one patient presented for initial cardiology examination as a neonate. Three of the 5 fetuses had NCVM recognized at the initial examination. Both unrecognized fetuses also had severe prenatal left ventricular dilation and dysfunction. Left ventricular enlargement or increased wall thickness with decreased ejection fraction was evident in all patients at presentation. Mean ejection fraction at presentation was 36% and improved to 57% during an average follow-up of 2 years. Associated congenital cardiac anomalies were noted in 3 patients. After initial improvement, two patients had transient, late decreases in ejection fraction, which improved with medication adjustment. There have been no deaths. CONCLUSION: Fetuses with enlarged and poorly functioning left ventricles should be evaluated for NCVM, which may not be easily recognized on initial fetal studies. Unlike previous reports of neonatal NCVM, all 6 neonates, including the 3 requiring inotropic support, showed significant early recovery of cardiac function with aggressive therapy. PMID- 17764901 TI - Diastolic dysfunction after an acute myocardial infarction in patients with antecedent hypertension. AB - OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess changes in the left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in patients with antecedent hypertension and an acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: A group of 38 patients with antecedent hypertension and acute myocardial infarction were compared with an age-matched nonhypertensive control group. There was a 30-day follow-up. Outcome measures were left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction, systolic velocities, and strain. Diastolic function was assessed by mitral inflow combined with tissue velocities of the mitral ring. RESULTS: Patients with antecedent hypertension did not experience any regression in the E/E' ratio (16.5 +/- 7.5 vs 17.1 +/- 9.0, P = not significant) or increase in the E'/A' ratio (0.76 +/- 0.5 vs 0.84 +/- 0.6, P = not significant) compared with significant improvements in E/E' ratio (18.9 +/- 8.7 vs 12.8 +/- 7.4, P < .01) and E'/A' ratio (0.76 +/- 0.5 vs 1.1 +/- 0.7, P < .01) in the control group. This was found despite similar changes ejection fraction, volumes, and systolic strain. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with antecedent hypertension have incomplete improvement of the diastolic function compared with control subjects despite comparable left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction after an acute myocardial infarction. PMID- 17764902 TI - Assessment of left ventricular dyssynchrony with real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography: comparison with Doppler tissue imaging. AB - We studied the usefulness and reproducibility of real-time 3-dimensional (3D) echocardiography (RT3DE) for evaluating left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony, and compared its results with Doppler tissue image (DTI) indices. Full-volume RT3DE data sets and 2-dimensional DTI from apical window were obtained in 122 participants. Using fast 3D border detection software, time to minimum systolic volume (Tmsv) was semiautomatically calculated in each region from a 17-segment model. Several dyssynchrony indices were then calculated: Tmsv-16SD, the SD of Tmsv in 16 of 17 segments, excluding the apical cap; Tmsv-12SD, the SD of Tmsv of 6 basal and 6 middle segments; and Tmsv-6SD, the SD of Tmsv of 6 basal segments. These dyssynchrony indices of RT3DE were then compared with two dyssynchrony indices measured by DTI: time to peak systolic velocity (TTPV)-12SD, the SD of time to peak systolic velocity of 12 LV segments; and time to cross over point of temporal axis (TTCO)-12SD, the SD of time to crossover point of temporal axis. RT3DE data was quantitatively analyzed in 117 of 122 patients. Tmsv-16SD (35 +/- 34 milliseconds) was significantly longer compared with Tmsv-12SD (27 +/- 30 milliseconds, P < .001) or Tmsv-6SD (23 +/- 28 milliseconds, P < .001). Tmsv-16SD increased significantly with the severity of LV systolic dysfunction. Fair correlation was noted among TTPV-12SD, TTCO-12SD, and Tmsv-16SD (r = 0.71, r = 0.73) and between Tmsv-16SD and LV ejection fraction (r = 0.80). Concordance rate between TTPV-12SD and Tmsv-16SD for detecting LV dyssynchrony was 79%. The corresponding value between TTCO-12SD and Tmsv-16SD was 80%. In conclusion, Tmsv 16SD correlated well with DTI-derived LV dyssynchrony indices. In addition to LV remodeling, fast border detection RT3DE provides useful parameters for evaluating LV dyssynchrony. PMID- 17764903 TI - Left ventricular global performance and diastolic function in indeterminate and cardiac forms of Chagas' disease. AB - The majority of patients with Chagas' disease remain for 10 to 30 years in the indeterminate form (IF) of this disease. They have no symptoms, serologic positivity, normal electrocardiogram results and heart size, and normal left ventricular global and segmental systolic function on 2-dimensional echocardiography. To investigate whether this group of patients have any impairment of left ventricular global performance (Tei index) and diastolic function, we have studied 43 individuals (age 49 +/- 12 years) including 14 healthy volunteers and 29 patients with Chagas' disease divided as IF (n = 12) and cardiac form (n = 17). Echocardiographic measurements included ejection fraction, Tei index, left atrial volume index, transmitral (peak early transmitral flow velocity, late peak mitral velocity, tissue Doppler, late peak mitral velocity duration) and pulmonary (systolic pulmonary vein velocity, diastolic pulmonary vein velocity, retrograde pulmonary vein velocity, retrograde pulmonary vein velocity duration) flow velocities, and tissue Doppler velocities at lateral mitral annulus (peak early transmitral flow velocity, late peak mitral velocity, systolic pulmonary vein velocity). Although ejection fraction and S' velocity were significantly lower for patients with cardiac form compared with control and IF groups, Tei index was not able to differentiate patients with cardiac conditions from the other groups. Diastolic dysfunction was documented for patients with cardiac form by left atrial volume index, early transmitral peak velocity, early expansion wave by tissue Doppler, late expansion wave by tissue Doppler, and peak early transmitral flow velocity/early expansion wave by tissue Doppler. Patients with the IF of Chagas' disease did not show any abnormality of diastolic function. Thus, when the IF is further characterized on the basis of absence of any echocardiographic marker of regional systolic dysfunction, no impairment of diastolic function can be detected. PMID- 17764904 TI - Effect of preload augmentation on pulsed wave and tissue Doppler echocardiographic indices of diastolic function after a marathon. AB - BACKGROUND: The mechanisms underlying alterations in left ventricular diastolic function after a marathon are unknown and may be a consequence of a reduced preload. OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess the effect of preload augmentation through passive leg elevation (PLE) on echocardiographic indices of diastolic function after a marathon. METHODS: Fourteen trained participants (13 male) were echocardiographically assessed before and after a marathon in the supine position and during PLE. Diastolic function was measured via conventional Doppler, color M mode, and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Early and late transmitral filling velocities (E and A, respectively), flow propagation velocity of early filling, and basal early and late left ventricular wall velocities (E' and A', respectively) were obtained. RESULTS: The E/A ratio, flow propagation velocity of early filling, and the E'/A' ratio decreased by 31%, 24%, and 32%, respectively (P < .05), after marathon running. Postrace PLE returned E to baseline and increased E/A compared with postrace supine (P < .05). However, E/A remained depressed compared with baseline as a result of the persistent elevation in A. Postrace PLE caused Vp to return to baseline; mean E' also increased (9%, P < .05), but did not return to resting levels. Mean A' was unaffected by postrace PLE, therefore, E'/A' was unchanged postrace despite PLE. CONCLUSION: Postexercise alterations in Doppler indices of diastolic function can be partially explained by a reduction in preload. However, data from tissue Doppler echocardiography indicate that there is an intrinsic impairment in myocardial relaxation after marathon running. PMID- 17764905 TI - Obstetric conditions and risk of first admission with schizophrenia: a Danish national register based study. AB - A range of complications of pregnancy, abnormal fetal growth and development, and complications of delivery have been associated with increased risk of schizophrenia. Few studies have been able to adjust for a broad range of potential confounding factors. A national population nested case-control study based on Danish longitudinal registers was conducted to investigate the risk of schizophrenia associated with exposure to a range of obstetric events. The sample included 1039 first admissions to, or contacts with Danish psychiatric services with an ICD-8 or ICD-10 diagnosis of schizophrenia and 24, 826 individually matched controls. Adjusting for the other obstetric factors, family psychiatric history, and socio-economic and demographic factors, risk of schizophrenia was associated with maternal non-attendance at antenatal appointments (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) 2.08, 95% CI: 1.0, 4.4), gestational age of 37 weeks or below (IRR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.2), maternal influenza (IRR 8.2, 95% CI: 1.4, 48.8), preeclampsia (IRR 2.72, 95% CI: 1.0, 7.3), threatened premature delivery (IRR 2.39, 95% CI: 1.4, 4.1), haemorrhage during delivery (IRR 2.43, 95% CI: 1.1, 5.6), manual extraction of the baby (IRR 2.15, 95% CI: 1.1, 4.4), and maternal sepsis of childbirth and the puerperium (IRR 2.91, 95% CI: 1.1, 7.9). There was no significant interaction between the obstetric factors and either sex or family psychiatric history. The data suggest a modest association between prematurity, indicators of hypoxia, maternal infections, and maternal behaviours and risk of the later development of schizophrenia after adjusting for a number of possible confounding factors. PMID- 17764906 TI - Dysglycemia in a community sample of people treated for schizophrenia: the Diabetes in Schizophrenia in Central-South Ontario (DiSCO) study. AB - OBJECTIVE: Despite increasing recognition of schizophrenia as a risk factor for diabetes, the prevalence and correlates of dysglycemia in people with schizophrenia have not been adequately studied. Discerning the modifiable risk factors is crucial for developing diabetes prevention strategies in schizophrenia. METHODS: Socio-demographic, clinical and recent laboratory data were compiled from the case records and supplemental sources of 1123 people treated for schizophrenia who were living across five different communities in the region. RESULTS: Screening rates for fasting plasma glucose (FPG) varied between 63-100% across the five communities, while other metabolic indices were monitored less frequently. 39 subjects (3.5%) in the sample had an existing diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Among the others, 845 (78%) had FPG measured in the preceding 6 months, with the following results: FPG < or = 5.6 mmol/l in 474 (56%), 5.6-6.9 mmol/l in 268 (31%), and > or = 7 mmol/l in 103 (12.2%) subjects. Dysglycemia (FPG > or = 5.6 mmol/l) was significantly associated with older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.031), longer duration of schizophrenia (OR 1.062), self reported family history of diabetes (OR 8.87), body mass index (OR 1.081), excess weight (OR 1.014) and independent living status (OR 1.779), while European ethnicity (OR 0.706) and regular physical activity (OR 0.958) lowered the risk. No statistically significant correlations were noted with gender, level of education or functioning, or the type of antipsychotic drug prescribed. CONCLUSIONS: There was a two-fold increase in the prevalence of dysglycemia, while there was a substantial under-recognition of and intervention for, diabetes and pre-diabetes in this sample of people treated for schizophrenia. PMID- 17764907 TI - Editorial: the 90th anniversary of "bacteriophage". PMID- 17764908 TI - New therapeutic approaches to managing invasive fungal infections: report from the 17th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) and the 25th International Congress of Chemotherapy (ICC), 31 March-3 April 2007, Munich, Germany. PMID- 17764910 TI - Psychiatric diagnoses and personality traits associated with disadvantageous decision-making. AB - OBJECTIVE: Decision-making impairment is an important feature of psychiatric disorders. In a large comorbid psychiatric population, we explored the link between decision-making deficit and clinical variables. METHOD: We used the Iowa Gambling Task to measure decision-making in 317 patients. Psychiatric diagnoses were made according to the DSM-IV criteria. Self-questionnaires were used to assess several personality traits. The last and most severe suicidal acts were characterized. RESULTS: (1) After controlling for age and medication intake, a past history of suicide attempt (OR=2.0 [1.1-3.8]) and normothymic bipolar disorders (OR=3.4 [1.1-10.5]) were significantly and independently associated with impaired decision-making. (2) Decision-making performance was significantly correlated with affective lability. (3) No association was found between decision making skills and suicidal characteristics. DISCUSSION: A lack of statistical power may have masked associations with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anorexia nervosa. We did not control for other cognitive functions except attention. CONCLUSION: This study supports the independent association of decision-making impairment with vulnerability to suicidal behaviour but not with substance abuse. Normothymic bipolar disorders, but not unipolar disorders, were also linked to low performance. At the dimensional level, impulsivity and decision-making abilities may be distinct processes. Affective regulation skills appear to be a major influence on decision-making performance and following a relevant therapeutic target. PMID- 17764909 TI - Reviewing the diagnostic validity and utility of mixed depression (depressive mixed states). AB - OBJECTIVE: To review the diagnostic validity and utility of mixed depression, i.e. co-occurrence of depression and manic/hypomanic symptoms. METHODS: PubMed search of all English-language papers published between January 1966 and December 2006 using and cross-listing key words: bipolar disorder, mixed states, criteria, utility, validation, gender, temperament, depression-mixed states, mixed depression, depressive mixed state/s, dysphoric hypomania, mixed hypomania, mixed/dysphoric mania, agitated depression, anxiety disorders, neuroimaging, pathophysiology, and genetics. A manual review of paper reference lists was also conducted. RESULTS: By classic diagnostic validators, the diagnostic validity of categorically-defined mixed depression (i.e. at least 2-3 manic/hypomanic symptoms) is mainly supported by family history (the current strongest diagnostic validator). Its diagnostic utility is supported by treatment response (negative effects of antidepressants). A dimensionally-defined mixed depression is instead supported by a non-bi-modal distribution of its intradepression manic/hypomanic symptoms. DISCUSSION: Categorically-defined mixed depression may have some diagnostic validity (family history is the current strongest validator). Its diagnostic utility seems supported by treatment response. PMID- 17764911 TI - Findings of proton magnetic resonance spectometry in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in adolescents with first episodes of psychosis. AB - Knowledge of the neurobiology of early onset psychosis is limited. We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to investigate the possible existence of dorsolateral prefrontal brain biochemical abnormalities in adolescents with psychosis and to determine possible differential effects related to specific psychotic diagnoses. We measured the ratios of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), and creatine (Cr) to water in two groups of adolescents with a first episode of psychosis (schizophrenia n=8; non-schizophrenia n=15) and in 32 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and years of education. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 1.5 T was used to study two 6.75-cc voxels placed in the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal region. The schizophrenia patients presented statistically significant reductions in NAA/water levels in the left dorsolateral prefrontal voxel as compared with non-schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. No significant differences were detected between groups for NAA/water in the right dorsolateral prefrontal voxel or for Cho/water and Cr/water levels in any hemisphere. A reduction of the NAA/water level in the left dorsolateral prefrontal region may be selectively present at the onset of psychosis during adolescence in patients who later progress to schizophrenia, but not in those who later progress to other psychotic disorders. PMID- 17764912 TI - Biodegradable microspheres containing poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-Pluronic block copolymers for temperature-responsive release of proteins. AB - Temperature-responsive microspheres were fabricated for the purpose of releasing protein in responsive to surrounding temperature changes. Temperature-responsive polymer, Pluronic was synthesized into block copolymers of poly(epsilon caprolactone)-Pluronic with two different chain lengths of poly(epsilon caprolactone). Microspheres loaded with proteins were prepared by a W/O/W emulsion method. The surface morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy, showing that microspheres with diblock copolymers had porous structures due to hydrophilicity of Pluronic blocks. After incubating the microsphere at 37 degrees C for 7 days, temperature-responsive protein release was monitored with alternating temperature changes between 20 and 37 degrees C. The protein release was attenuated when the microsphere was incubated at 20 degrees C but the release rate was recovered at 37 degrees C, confirming variable release rate according to the temperature changes. The variable release rate of protein was dependent on the length of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) blocks attached to Pluronic. PMID- 17764914 TI - Ectobiotic spirochetes of flagellates from the termite Mastotermes darwiniensis: attachment and cyst formation. AB - The association of the gut flagellates Mixotricha paradoxa and Deltotrichonympha sp. from the termite Mastotermes darwiniensis with ectobiotic spirochetes and bacterial rods is investigated with light and electron microscopy. Treatment with different chemicals disturbing molecular interactions and use of the freeze fracture and freeze-etch technique show that hydrophobic interactions and integral membrane proteins seem to be involved in the firm attachment at the contact sites. Application of antibiotics reduces the number of ectobionts and leads to a disintegration of the cortical attachment systems. As a result Mixotricha becomes spherical and immotile. In both flagellates the antibiotics have a further effect: they lead to a transformation of some of the spirochetes into cystic bodies. Cyst formation of ectobiotic spirochetes is here reported for the first time. Starvation has a similar but less dramatic influence than antibiotics. The cysts contain protoplasmic cylinders in the periphery and sometimes larger central bodies. Production of dormant cystic forms may be a survival mechanism under hostile conditions. PMID- 17764913 TI - Effect of paclobutrazol on water stress amelioration through antioxidants and free radical scavenging enzymes in Arachis hypogaea L. AB - An investigation was carried out to find out the extent of changes occurred in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars in response to paclobutrazol (PBZ) treatment under water deficit stress. Two groundnut cultivars namely ICG 221 and ICG 476 were used for the study. Individual treatment with PBZ and drought stress showed an increase in ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol and reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT) activities. PBZ with drought stressed plants maintained higher levels of antioxidant and scavenging enzymes. Significant differences were observed between cultivars and treatments. These results suggests that the adverse effects of water stress can be minimized by the application of PBZ by increasing the antioxidant levels and activities of scavenging enzymes such as SOD, APX and CAT. The Cv. ICG 221 appears to be more tolerant to water stress than the ICG 476. PMID- 17764915 TI - Minimising carotid artery dose in the radiotherapy of early glottic cancer. PMID- 17764916 TI - Screening for rectal cancer: will it improve cure rates? AB - Here we give an overview of colorectal cancer screening strategies with an emphasis on the diagnosis and management of rectal cancer. We review the published studies on screening in the high-risk population, including patients with a history of colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and inherited conditions. In the average-risk population, the evidence base for a number of screening strategies is evaluated, including endoscopy, contrast studies and faecal occult blood testing. Screening guidelines in the high-risk population are predominantly based on case-control studies comparing the incidence of colorectal cancer in screened and control groups. Screening the average-risk population for colorectal cancer reduces cancer-specific mortality by 15% after biennial guaiac faecal occult blood testing and 50-80% after flexible sigmoidoscopy. All of the screening strategies outlined have a greater sensitivity for distal lesions than proximal lesions. PMID- 17764917 TI - Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity causes altered renal hemodynamics in Wistar Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats: role of augmented renal alpha adrenergic responsiveness. AB - The pathogenesis of cisplatin-induced renal failure is related to reduced renal blood flow due to severe tubular damage and enhanced renovascular resistance. It is also known that alpha(1)-adrenoceptors, the major subtype of alpha adrenoceptors in renal vasculature play the pivotal role in regulating renal hemodynamics. With this background, we have hypothesized that the altered renal hemodynamics and enhanced renovascular resistance in cisplatin-induced renal failure might be caused by the altered alpha-adrenergic responsiveness with a possible involvement of alpha(1)-adrenoceptors in the renal vasculature. In a unique experimental approach with anesthetized rats, this study has therefore examined if there is any shift in the renovascular responsiveness to renal nerve stimulation and a series of alpha-adrenergic agonists in Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats with cisplatin-induced renal failure in comparison with their body weight-matched normal controls. Thirty-two male rats of both WKY (n=16) and SHR (n=16) origin with body weight 236+/-7.9 g received cisplatin (5mg/kg i.p.). The renal failure was confirmed in terms of significantly reduced renal blood flow, reduced creatinine clearance, increased fractional excretion of sodium, increased kidney index (all P<0.05) and tubular damage. After 7 days of cisplatin, the overnight fasted rats were anesthetized (sodium pentobarbitone, 60 mg/kg i.p.) and renal vasoconstrictor experiments were done. The changes in the vasoconstrictor responses were determined in terms of reductions in renal blood flow caused by electrical renal nerve stimulation or intrarenal administration of noradrenaline, phenylephrine and methoxamine. It was observed that in the cisplatin-treated renal failure WKY and SHR rats there were significant (all P<0.05) reductions in the renal blood flow along with significantly (P<0.05) higher renal adrenergic responsiveness as compared with their non-renal failure controls. The data showed that in the renal failure WKY and SHR rats, the altered renal hemodynamics might be caused by an augmented renal adrenergic responsiveness. The results obtained further led us to suggest that the augmented renal adrenergic responsiveness in the cisplatin-induced renal failure rats were possibly mediated by the alpha(1)-adrenoceptors. PMID- 17764918 TI - Differential immunogenicity and protective efficacy of DNA vaccines expressing proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a mouse model. AB - BALB/c mice were vaccinated three times (2-week intervals) with plasmid DNA separately encoding antigen Ag85B, ESAT-6 or Ag85A from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The protective efficacy of these DNA vaccines against intravenous M. tuberculosis H37Rv challenge infection was measured by counting bacterial loads in spleen and lung and recording changes in lung pathology. The splenocyte proliferative response to the corresponding antigens and antigen-specific interferon (IFN)-gamma secreted by splenocytes of the vaccinated mice were also detected. We found a clear hierarchy of protective efficacies among the three DNA vaccines tested in this study. Plasmid DNA encoding Ag85A provided the strongest protection and showed the least change in lung pathology, followed by plasmid DNAs encoding Ag85B and ESAT-6. However, DNA-85B reduced comparative bacterial load in lung tissue, as did DNA-85A. Compared to the control group, protective efficacies conferred by different DNA vaccines were consistent with the lymphoproliferative responses to the corresponding antigens as well as the secretions of antigen-specific IFN-gamma. Our study demonstrates that both Ag85A and Ag85B are the most promising of the candidate antigens tested for future TB vaccine development. PMID- 17764919 TI - The safety of evening primrose oil in epilepsy. AB - The concern that evening primrose oil might cause epilepsy or seizures, or reduce the threshold for seizures, originated from two papers published in the early 1980s. These original reports are re-examined, and the association of evening primrose oil with seizures is shown to be spurious. Not only are linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid safe in epilepsy, with prolonged oral administration of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid (in a 4:1 mixture) protecting rats from having seizures in four different epilepsy models, but the evening primrose oil derived omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid inhibits sodium ion currents and synaptic transmission, while the evening primrose oil-derived eicosanoid prostaglandin E(1) appears to have anticonvulsant activity. In light of these findings, it is suggested that formularies should now remove seizures or epilepsy as a side-effect of evening primrose oil, and should remove a history of seizures or epilepsy as a contraindication to taking evening primrose oil. PMID- 17764920 TI - Graft-derived complement as a mediator of transplant injury. PMID- 17764921 TI - A new electro-optical approach to rapid assay of cell viability. AB - A new electro-optical (EO) approach was developed and applied to rapidly assay cell viability by using phage M13K07. Since phage M13K07 can replicate only in living bacteria and cannot replicate in the presence of inhibitors, the difference between the EO signals obtained in the presence and absence of the phage can be used as an important factor for evaluating cell viability. Variation in the electrophysical parameters of Escherichia coli XL-1 during its interaction with phage M13K07 was studied under exposure of the cells to various inhibitors of cellular metabolism. Significant changes in the EO signal were found during incubation of living E. coli cells with phage M13K07. At the same time, no changes were recorded during cell incubation with the phage after pretreatment of E. coli XL-1 cells with sodium azide, carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenyl hydrazone, chloramphenicol, and kanamycin. This finding can be explained by the decrease in the number of living cells in the culture after preliminary incubation with the chemical agents, and it was confirmed by colony counts by conventional plating onto solid LB medium before and after treatment of the cells with the inhibitors. The EO approach can be used as a rapid method for evaluation of the inhibitory effects of various chemical agents and drugs, and it has the potential for the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying cell death. PMID- 17764922 TI - Bienzymatic glucose biosensor based on co-immobilization of peroxidase and glucose oxidase on a carbon nanotubes electrode. AB - A bienzymatic glucose biosensor was proposed for selective and sensitive detection of glucose. This mediatorless biosensor was made by simultaneous immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOD) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in an electropolymerized pyrrole (PPy) film on a single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) coated electrode. The amperometric detection of glucose was assayed by potentiostating the bienzymatic electrode at -0.1 versus Ag/AgCl to reduce the enzymatically produced H(2)O(2) with minimal interference from the coexisting electroactive compounds. The single-wall carbon nanotubes, sandwiched between the enzyme loading polypyrrole (PPy) layer and the conducting substrate (gold electrode), could efficiently promote the direct electron transfer of HRP. Operational characteristics of the bienzymatic sensor, in terms of linear range, detection limit, sensitivity, selectivity and stability, were presented in detail. PMID- 17764923 TI - Conducting polymer based fluorescence quenching as a new approach to increase the selectivity of immunosensors. AB - Polypyrrole (Ppy) has been shown to be a superior matrix for fluorescence detection based immunosensors: (i) the fluorescence of polypyrrole and polypyrrole modified by entrapped proteins was almost not detectable when this polymer was excited by near UV 325 nm light; (ii) polypyrrole quenched the fluorescence of such fluorescence agents as fluoresceine 5(6)-isothiocyanate, rhodamine B and enzyme-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) by almost 100% if they were deposited in the solution as a drop at the Ppy surface followed by evaporation of the solvent. According to our knowledge, this work is first application of Ppy in the design of a fluorescence-based immunosensor, where low Ppy fluorescence background and Ppy induced fluorescence quenching were exploited. These sensors were devoted to the detection of antibodies against bovine leukemia virus (BLV) protein gp51 (anti-gp51-Ab). A biological recognition system of this fluorescence immunosensor model was based on polypyrrole with entrapped BLV proteins gp51 (gp51/Ppy). This gp51/Ppy layer was applied for the detection of anti-gp51-Ab. Secondary antibodies against anti-gp51-Ab labeled with HRP (Ab*) were applied as fluorescence-detectable labels that are able to recognize specifically and interact with the complex of gp51 proteins and anti-gp51-Ab antibodies (gp51/anti gp51-Ab). It was demonstrated that fluorescence of non-specifically adsorbed Ab* was almost completely quenched by the Ppy substrate. In addition, enzymatic activity of HRP was exploited as a traditional reference method for verification of the formation of the immune complex gp51/anti-gp51-Ab/Ab*. PMID- 17764924 TI - Design and performances of immunoassay based on SPR biosensor with magnetic microbeads. AB - A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor system was developed for immunoassay, based on the conjugates of magnetic microbeads coupling with antibody which could be trapped on the Au film firmly due to the magnetic force. The magnetic microbeads were used as the solid support for the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp 70) antibody and antibody immobilized magnetic microbeads were utilized instead of the single antibody for the determination of Hsp 70. Since the magnetic bead is coated with dextran, the antibodies and some specific biomolecular receptors can be immobilized using a variety of chemical reactions. Compared to traditional antibody immobilization on the sensing film, there is not a covalent link between the Au film and the antibody. There is a great advantage in that sensor can be stripped and reused, and the same chemistry used to derivative dextran-coated SPR sensors can be used for the magnetic bead-coated sensors. The sensing layer was formed well. Different dilution ratios (v/v) of the conjugates result in different detectable ranges. When the dilution ratios of the conjugate are 1:10 and 1:5, the lowest concentrations of Hsp 70 that can be detected are 1.50 and 0.30 microg ml(-1), respectively. PMID- 17764925 TI - Secretion machinery at the cell plasma membrane. AB - Secretion is a fundamental cellular process involving the regulated release of intracellular products from cells. Physiological functions such as neurotransmission, or the release of hormones and digestive enzymes, are all governed by cell secretion. Three critical activities occur at the cell plasma membrane to ensure secretion. Membrane-bound secretory vesicles dock, fuse, and expel their contents to the outside via specialized and permanent plasma membrane structures, called porosomes or fusion pores. In recent years, significant progress has been made in our understanding of these three key cellular activities required for cell secretion. The molecular machinery and mechanism involving them is summarized in this article. PMID- 17764927 TI - Risk of cancer following immunosuppression in organ transplant recipients and in HIV-positive individuals in southern Europe. AB - This investigation highlighted the risk of cancer in 8074 HIV-infected people and in 2875 transplant recipients in Italy and France. Observed and expected numbers of cancer were compared through sex- and age-standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). After 15 years of follow-up, the cumulative probability of cancer was 14.7% in transplant recipients and 13.3% in HIV positives. The SIRs for all cancers were 9.8 in HIV-positives and 2.2 in transplants. Kaposi's sarcoma (SIR=451 in HIV-positives, 125 in transplants) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SIR=62 and 11.1, respectively) were the most common cancers. A significantly increased SIR for liver cancer also emerged in both groups. The risk of lung cancer was significantly elevated in heart transplant recipients (SIR=2.8), and of borderline statistical significance in HIV-positive people (95% CI:0.9-2.8). Immune depression entails a two-fold increased overall risk of cancers, mainly related to cancers associated with a viral aetiology. PMID- 17764928 TI - Ageing or cancer: a review on the role of caretakers and gatekeepers. AB - Ageing is due to the accumulation of damage, which arises because of evolved limitations in mechanisms for maintenance and repair. Accumulated damage may cause genomic instability, which in organisms with renewable tissues may result in cancer. To keep cancer at bay, two different tumour suppression mechanisms evolved: caretakers and gatekeepers. Caretakers protect the genome against mutations, while gatekeepers induce cell death or cell cycle arrest of potentially tumourigenic cells. It has been hypothesised that decreased activity of a caretaker may reduce life span, by increasing cancer risk, while the effects of increased activity of a gatekeeper on cancer risk and life span may be antagonistically pleiotropic. Apoptosis and senescence will promote early-life survival by curtailing the development of cancer, but may eventually limit longevity. This article reviews the evidence for this hypothesis. We conclude that several different findings indeed hint at an important role for gatekeeper mediated processes in ageing and its related pathologies. The relative contribution of apoptosis and senescence in specific age-related pathologies remains to be established. PMID- 17764926 TI - Green tea catechin (-)-epicatechin gallate induces tumour suppressor protein ATF3 via EGR-1 activation. AB - Epicatechin gallate (ECG) is the third major catechin component in green tea, but it shows strong biological activity in some aspects, including apoptosis, cell growth inhibition, and membrane transport system in various cells. We previously reported that ECG induces activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), which is involved in pro-apoptosis in HCT-116 cells. In this report, we present a molecular mechanism by which ECG induces ATF3 expression at the transcriptional level. We found that Sp3 contributed to the basal expression of the ATF3 gene, whereas EGR-1 played an important role in ECG-induced ATF3 expression in HCT-116 cells, as assessed by EMSA and co-transfection experiments. These results suggested that EGR-1, a tumour suppressor protein, could substantiate ECG's role of ATF3 expression in human colorectal cancer cells. We also found that pro oxidant activity of ECG contributed to ECG-induced ATF3 expression. PMID- 17764929 TI - Optimization of conditions for protease production by Chryseobacterium taeanense TKU001. AB - A protease-producing bacterium was isolated and identified as Chryseobacterium taeanense TKU001. An extracellular metalloprotease with novel properties of solvent- and surfactant-stable was purified from the culture supernatant of C. taeanense TKU001 with shrimp shell wastes as the sole carbon/nitrogen source. The optimized condition for protease production was found when the culture was shaken at 37 degrees C for 3 days in 50 mL of medium containing 0.5% shrimp shell powder (SSP) (w/v), 0.1% K2HPO4, and 0.05% MgSO4.7H2O. Two extracellular proteases (FI and FII) were purified and characterized, and their molecular weights, pH and thermal stabilities were determined. The molecular masses of TKU001 protease FI and FII determined by SDS-PAGE and gel filtration were approximately 41 kDa and 75 kDa, respectively. The optimum pH, optimum temperature, pH stability, and thermal stability of TKU001 protease FI were 8, 60 degrees C, pH 6-9, and 60 degrees C, respectively. The optimum pH, optimum temperature, pH stability, and thermal stability of TKU001 protease FII were 7, 60 degrees C, pH 7-9, and 50 degrees C, respectively. TKU001 protease FI and FII were both inhibited completely by EDTA, indicating that the TKU001 protease FI and FII were metalloproteases. TKU001 protease FI and FII retained more than 75% of its original protease activity after preincubation for 10 days at 4 degrees C in the presence of 25% most tested organic solvents. Additionally, the TKU001 protease FI retained 79%, 80%, and 110% of its original activity in the presence of 2% Tween 20, 2% Tween 40, and 2% Triton X-100, respectively. However, at the same condition, the activity of TKU001 protease FII retained 100%, 100%, and 121% of its original activity, respectively. This is the first report of C. taeanense being able to use shrimp shell wastes as the sole carbon/nitrogen source for proteases production. The novelties of the TKU001 protease include its high stability to the solvents and surfactants. These unique properties make it an ideal choice for application in detergent formulations and enzymatic peptide synthesis. PMID- 17764930 TI - Epoxidation of cottonseed oil by aqueous hydrogen peroxide catalysed by liquid inorganic acids. AB - The kinetics of epoxidation of cottonseed oil by peroxyacetic acid generated in situ from hydrogen peroxide and glacial acetic acid in the presence of liquid inorganic acid catalysts were studied. It was possible to obtain up to 78% relative conversion to oxirane with very less oxirane cleavage by in situ technique. The rate constants for sulphuric acid catalysed epoxidation of cottonseed oil were in the range 0.39-5.4 x 10(-6)L mol(-1)s(-1) and the activation energy was found to be 11.7 kcal mol(-1). Some thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy, entropy, and free energy of activation were determined to be of 11.0 kcal mol(-1), -51.4 cal mol(-1)K(-1) and 28.1 kcal mol( 1), respectively. The order of effectiveness of catalysts was found to be sulphuric acid>phosphoric acid>nitric acid>hydrochloric acid. Acetic acid was found to be superior to formic acid for the in situ cottonseed oil epoxidation. PMID- 17764931 TI - PHA-rubber blends: synthesis, characterization and biodegradation. AB - Medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) and different rubbers; namely natural rubber, nitrile rubber and butadiene rubber were blended at room temperature using solution blending technique. Blends constituted 5%, 10% and 15% of mcl-PHA in different rubbers. Thermogravimetric analysis of mcl-PHA showed the melting temperature of the polymer around 50 degrees C. Thermal properties of the synthesized blend were studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry which confirmed effective blending between the polymers. Blending of mcl-PHA with natural rubber led to the synthesis of a different polymer having the melting point of 90 degrees C. Degradation studies of the blends were carried out using a soil isolate, Pseudomonas sp. 202 for 30 days. Extracellular protein concentration as well as OD660 due to the growth of Pseudomonas sp. 202 was studied. The degradation of blended plastic material, as evidenced by % weight loss after degradation and increase in the growth of organism correlated with the amount of mcl-PHA present in the sample. Growth of Pseudomonas sp. 202 resulted in 14.63%, 16.12% and 3.84% weight loss of PHA:rubber blends (natural, nitrile and butadiene rubber). Scanning electron microscopic studies after 30 days of incubation further confirmed biodegradation of the films. PMID- 17764932 TI - Selection and characterization of human monoclonal antibodies against Abrin by phage display. AB - Abrin is a highly potent and lethal type II ribosome inactivating toxin that may be used as a biological warfare agent. To date, no human anti-Abrin antibodies have yet to be reported. Herein, we describe the selection and characterization of two human monoclonal antibodies, termed E12 and RF12, which are capable of binding native Abrin with high affinity and specificity. Through surface plasmon resonance studies, we have determined the association and dissociation rate constants and the cross-reactivity for both antibodies. In our developed Biacore based Abrin detection system, the limit of detection of antibodies E12 and RF12 is 35 and 75 ng/mL, respectively. These concentrations are about 5 x 10(4)-fold lower than the extrapolated Abrin human LD(50). In sum, our data demonstrated the power of human antibody phage display libraries and the promise of these antibodies as detection devices for Abrin. PMID- 17764934 TI - Design and synthesis of 7-hydroxy-1H-benzoimidazole derivatives as novel inhibitors of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta. AB - A hydroxy functional group was introduced as the hydrogen bond donor and acceptor at the hinge region of protein kinase in order to develop novel ATP-competitive inhibitors. Several derivatives of 7-hydroxyl-1H-benzoimidazole were designed as inhibitors of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta with the help of ab initio calculations and a docking study. Enzymatic assay and an X-ray complex study showed that these designed compounds were highly potent ATP-competitive inhibitors. PMID- 17764933 TI - Design, synthesis and antitubercular activity of diarylmethylnaphthol derivatives. AB - A new series of diarylmethylnapthyloxy ethylamines were synthesized by aminoalkylation of diarylmethylnaphthols which were obtained by Friedel-Crafts alkylation on 1- and 2-naphthols using diarylcarbinols as the alkylating agents. The title compounds were evaluated for antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37)R(v) in vitro and showed MIC in the range of 3.12 25 microg/ml. PMID- 17764935 TI - Preparation of 4-aryl-2-trifluoromethylbenzonitrile derivatives as androgen receptor antagonists for topical suppression of sebum production. AB - A series of substituted 4-aryl-2-trifluoromethylbenzonitrile analogs were evaluated in the human androgen receptor binding and cellular functional assays. Analogs with sufficient in vitro binding and cellular potency (IC(50)<200 nM) were tested in the progesterone receptor binding assay for selectivity and in the Golden Syrian hamster ear model for in vivo efficacy. Within the series, compound 4 e was identified to be the most active analog in vivo (wax ester inhibition=86%). PMID- 17764936 TI - Pyrazole inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase: an attempt to dramatically reduce synthetic complexity through minimal analog re-design. AB - An extraordinarily potent and hepatoselective class of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors containing a pyrazole core was recently reported; however, its development was hampered by a long and difficult synthetic route. We attempted to circumvent this obstacle by preparing closely related analogs wherein the key dihydroxyheptanoic acid sidechain was tethered to the pyrazole core via an oxygen linker ('oxypyrazoles'). This minor change reduced the total number of synthetic steps from 14 to 7. Although the resulting analogs maintained much of the in vitro and cell activity of the pyrazoles, inferior in vivo activity precluded further development. Caco-2 cell permeability data suggest that enhanced cellular efflux of the oxypyrazoles relative to the pyrazoles may be responsible for the poor in vivo activity. PMID- 17764938 TI - Inflammation and cancer: breast cancer as a prototype. AB - Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) represent the major inflammatory component of the stroma of many tumors, able to affect different aspects of the neoplastic tissue. Many observations indicate that TAM express several M2-associated protumoral functions, including promotion of angiogenesis, matrix remodeling and suppression of adaptive immunity. The protumoral role of TAM in cancer is further supported by clinical studies that found a correlation between the high macrophage content of tumors and poor patient prognosis and by evidence showing that long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduces the risk of several cancers. Here, we discuss evidence supporting the view that TAM represent a unique and distinct M2-skewed myeloid population and a potential target of anti cancer therapy. PMID- 17764937 TI - Thiazole-diamides as potent gamma-secretase inhibitors. AB - The thiazole-diamide series (1) has been identified as highly potent gamma secretase inhibitors. Several representative compounds showed IC(50) values of <0.3 nM. The synthesis and SAR, as well as a radiolabeled synthesis of [(3)H]-2a, are described. PMID- 17764939 TI - The evolution of adjuvant endocrine therapy: developments since St Gallen 2005. AB - The most recent Oxford Overview analysis shows that tamoxifen remains a highly effective adjuvant endocrine therapy with continuing benefit for at least 15 years. The aromatase inhibitors (AIs) achieve a further small reduction in recurrence in postmenopausal women either as first-line treatment or sequentially after 2-3 years tamoxifen but so far usually without survival benefit. Differences in side effects are minor and specifically there is no evidence for significant differences in cardiovascular side effects. Extended adjuvant therapy with an AI after 5 years tamoxifen gives important additional protection to women with higher risk cancers. The relative benefits of first-line vs. sequential AIs after 2-3 years tamoxifen await the outcome of current trials. The major outstanding questions include duration of endocrine therapy, the value of ovarian suppression in premenopausal women in addition to other treatments, and the selection of patients who require endocrine therapy alone without additional chemotherapy. PMID- 17764940 TI - The evolution of treatment strategies: aiming at the target. AB - Historically, the selection of adjuvant systemic therapy in early breast cancer has relied on risk assessment embodied by the TNM classification. Since the 2005 International St. Gallen Consensus, treatment selection now involves firstly identifying critical targets and then using risk to assess the trade-off between anticipated toxicity and efficacy. This evolution in treatment strategies began with the identification of the estrogen receptor, and culminated with the HER2 receptor, with recent astounding success in several adjuvant trials. Newer technologies including gene expression profiles and micrometastases tracking bear exciting potential in refining the treatment strategies further. Alongside the progress in developing agents that target different molecules across the whole breast cancer population, these newer technologies aim to tailor adjuvant treatment further by identifying breast cancer subgroups that may benefit most from being targeted with specific therapy, by defining molecular subtypes, recognizing chemo-sensitivity and resistance, identifying at-risk gene signatures, and by detecting stem cells capable of generating metastases. This paper will review this evolution of treatment strategies, from the lessons learnt from the past, to the exciting promise of tailored therapy of the future. PMID- 17764941 TI - Performance of radiographers in mammogram interpretation: a systematic review. AB - Radiologists may be relieved from work that could be performed by radiographers. This systematic literature review focuses on the performance of radiographers (also referring to technologists and physician assistants) compared with radiologists in the interpretation of mammograms; the effect of training; and the question whether there are any studies evaluating the effects of involving radiographers in the interpretation of diagnostic mammograms in daily clinical practice on the sensitivity and specificity of cancer detection in breast imaging. Six studies met the inclusion criteria (primary aim of the study has to be the evaluation of the performance of radiographers, sensitivity and specificity have to be reported or calculable and there has to be a sufficient gold standard). The results showed that, in a screening setting, radiographers scored higher false positive rates with a similar sensitivity in the detection of malignancies, compared with radiologists. Furthermore, results suggested that training could improve their performance. No studies were reported assessing the performance of radiographers interpreting diagnostic mammograms in a consecutive patient population in a daily clinical setting. This indicates a need for a well designed diagnostic study using an adequate gold standard, in order to evaluate the feasibility of deploying radiographers in the interpretation of diagnostic mammograms in a clinical setting. PMID- 17764942 TI - TMS evidence for the involvement of the right occipital face area in early face processing. AB - Extensive research has demonstrated that several specialized cortical regions respond preferentially to faces. One such region, located in the inferior occipital gyrus, has been dubbed the occipital face area (OFA). The OFA is the first stage in two influential face-processing models, both of which suggest that it constructs an initial representation of a face, but how and when it does so remains unclear. The present study revealed that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeted at the right OFA (rOFA) disrupted accurate discrimination of face parts but had no effect on the discrimination of spacing between these parts. rTMS to left OFA had no effect. A matched part and spacing discrimination task that used house stimuli showed no impairment. In a second experiment, rTMS to rOFA replicated the face-part impairment but did not produce the same effect in an adjacent area, the lateral occipital cortex. A third experiment delivered double pulses of TMS separated by 40 ms at six periods after stimulus presentation during face-part discrimination. Accuracy dropped when pulses were delivered at 60 and 100 ms only. These findings indicate that the rOFA processes face-part information at an early stage in the face-processing stream. PMID- 17764943 TI - Wnt4 is a local repulsive cue that determines synaptic target specificity. AB - How synaptic specificity is molecularly coded in target cells is a long-standing question in neuroscience. Whereas essential roles of several target-derived attractive cues have been shown, less is known about the role of repulsion by nontarget cells. We conducted single-cell microarray analysis of two neighboring muscles (M12 and M13) in Drosophila, which are innervated by distinct motor neurons, by directly isolating them from dissected embryos. We identified a number of potential target cues that are differentially expressed between the two muscles, including M13-enriched Wnt4. When the functions of Wnt4, or putative receptors Frizzled 2 and Derailed-2 or Dishevelled were inhibited, motor neurons that normally innervate M12 (MN12s) formed smaller synapses on M12 but instead formed ectopic nerve endings on M13. Conversely, ectopic expression of Wnt4 in M12 inhibits synapse formation by MN12s. These results suggest that Wnt4, via Frizzled 2, Derailed-2, and Dishevelled, generates target specificity by preventing synapse formation on a nontarget muscle. Ectopic expression of five other M13-enriched genes, including beat-IIIc and Glutactin, also inhibits synapse formation by MN12s. These results demonstrate an important role for local repulsion in regulating cell-to-cell target specificity. PMID- 17764944 TI - Odor coding in the maxillary palp of the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae. AB - BACKGROUND: Many species of mosquitoes, including the major malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, utilize carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and 1-octen-3-ol as olfactory cues in host-seeking behaviors that underlie their vectorial capacity. However, the molecular and cellular basis of such olfactory responses remains largely unknown. RESULTS: Here, we use molecular and physiological approaches coupled with systematic functional analyses to define the complete olfactory sensory map of the An. gambiae maxillary palp, an olfactory appendage that mediates the detection of these compounds. In doing so, we identify three olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) that are organized in stereotyped triads within the maxillary-palp capitate-peg-sensillum population. One ORN is CO(2)-responsive and characterized by the coexpression of three receptors that confer CO(2) responses, whereas the other ORNs express characteristic odorant receptors (AgORs) that are responsible for their in vivo olfactory responses. CONCLUSIONS: Our results describe a complete and highly concordant map of both the molecular and cellular olfactory components on the maxillary palp of the adult female An. gambiae mosquito. These results also facilitate the understanding of how An. gambiae mosquitoes sense olfactory cues that might be exploited to compromise their ability to transmit malaria. PMID- 17764945 TI - HUA2 caused natural variation in shoot morphology of A. thaliana. AB - Differences in life-history strategy are thought to contribute to adaptation to specific environmental conditions. Among life-history traits in plants, flowering time and shoot morphology are particularly important for reproductive success. Even though flowering time and shoot morphology are linked, the evolutionary changes in the genetic circuitry that simultaneously affects both traits remain obscure. Here, we have identified changes in a putative pre-mRNA processing factor, HUA2, as being responsible for the distinct shoot morphology and flowering behavior in Sy-0, a natural strain of Arabidopsis. HUA2 has previously been shown to positively regulate two MADS box genes affecting flowering time (FLOWERING LOCUS C [FLC]) and floral patterning (AGAMOUS [AG]) [1, 2]. We demonstrate that natural changes in HUA2 activity have opposite effects on its known functions, thus having implications for the coordinate control of induction and maintenance of floral fate. The changes in Sy-0 lead to enhanced FLC expression, resulting in an enlarged basal rosette and aerial rosettes, whereas suppression of AG function favors a reversion of floral meristems from determinate to indeterminate development. Natural variation in HUA2 activity thus coordinates changes in two important life-history traits, flowering time and shoot morphology. PMID- 17764946 TI - Abnormal adaptive face-coding mechanisms in children with autism spectrum disorder. AB - In low-level vision, exquisite sensitivity to variation in luminance is achieved by adaptive mechanisms that adjust neural sensitivity to the prevailing luminance level. In high-level vision, adaptive mechanisms contribute to our remarkable ability to distinguish thousands of similar faces [1]. A clear example of this sort of adaptive coding is the face-identity aftereffect [2, 3, 4, 5], in which adaptation to a particular face biases perception toward the opposite identity. Here we investigated face adaptation in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by asking them to discriminate between two face identities, with and without prior adaptation to opposite-identity faces. The ASD group discriminated the identities with the same precision as did the age- and ability-matched control group, showing that face identification per se was unimpaired. However, children with ASD showed significantly less adaptation than did their typical peers, with the amount of adaptation correlating significantly with current symptomatology, and face aftereffects of children with elevated symptoms only one third those of controls. These results show that although children with ASD can learn a simple discrimination between two identities, adaptive face-coding mechanisms are severely compromised, offering a new explanation for previously reported face-perception difficulties [6, 7, 8] and possibly for some of the core social deficits in ASD [9, 10]. PMID- 17764947 TI - Perirhinal contributions to human visual perception. AB - Medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures including the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and perirhinal cortex are thought to be part of a unitary system dedicated to memory [1, 2], although recent studies suggest that at least one component-perirhinal cortex-might also contribute to perceptual processing [3, 4, 5, 6]. To date, the strongest evidence for this comes from animal lesion studies [7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]. In contrast, the findings from human patients with naturally occurring MTL lesions are less clear and suggest a possible functional difference between species [15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20]. Here, both these issues were addressed with functional neuroimaging in healthy volunteers performing a perceptual discrimination task originally developed for monkeys [7]. This revealed perirhinal activation when the task required the integration of visual features into a view-invariant representation but not when it could be accomplished on the basis of simple features (e.g., color and shape). This activation pattern matched lateral inferotemporal regions classically associated with visual processing but differed from entorhinal cortex associated with memory encoding. The results demonstrate a specific role for the perirhinal cortex in visual perception and establish a functional homology for perirhinal cortex between species, although we propose that in humans, the region contributes to a wider behavioral repertoire including mnemonic, perceptual, and linguistic processes. PMID- 17764948 TI - Detecting differences between asymptomatic and osteoarthritic gait is influenced by changing the knee adduction moment model. AB - INTRODUCTION: The adduction moment measured at the knee during gait is important to the study of osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of describing the knee adduction moment using three different biomechanical models, and furthermore, how the choice of model affects differences that are identified between asymptomatic and osteoarthritic gait. METHODS: Gait was measured for 44 asymptomatic subjects and 44 subjects with moderate osteoarthritis. The adduction moment was calculated and compared using three common biomechanical models: a 2D coordinate system, a 3D tibial coordinate system, and a 3D floating axis coordinate system. Several portions of the gait cycle waveform were compared between the two groups. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: It was found that the choice of biomechanical model changes the overall magnitude and shape of the adduction moment waveform (maximum value changed 8-14% and peak value changed 5-17%). Significant differences between the study groups were found for each model applied; but more importantly, the portions of the gait cycle exhibiting the differences depended on the model. CONCLUSION: These findings support the importance of specifying the knee model and waveform feature used to compare asymptomatic and osteoarthritic groups. The overall magnitude of the adduction moment throughout stance, and the mid-stance adduction moment value were found to differentiate between the two groups regardless of the adduction moment model. PMID- 17764949 TI - Actin and Rho GTPases in herpesvirus biology. AB - Viruses have evolved a variety of interactions with host cells to create an optimal niche for viral replication, persistence and spread. The actin cytoskeleton of the host cell and actin-regulating Rho GTPase signaling pathways can be involved in several of these interactions. This review focuses on recent findings on herpesvirus interactions with actin and Rho GTPases during viral entry, replication in the nucleus and egress. Unraveling these often fascinating interactions might also provide additional insights into sometimes poorly known aspects of actin biology (e.g. its role in the nucleus) and in the development of novel antiviral therapies. PMID- 17764950 TI - Offering surprises: TCA cycle regulation in Corynebacterium glutamicum. AB - Corynebacterium glutamicum, a Gram-positive soil bacterium, is used for the production of l-glutamate and l-lysine, both of which are derived from intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Recent studies have revealed that this amphibolic pathway is subject to complex regulation not only at the transcriptional level, but also at the post-transcriptional level. The latter involves serine/threonine protein kinase G and its target protein OdhI. Depending on its phosphorylation state, OdhI inhibits the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. This new type of TCA cycle control will be reviewed here together with regulation at the level of gene expression. PMID- 17764951 TI - The ABC of binding-protein-dependent transport in Archaea. AB - The recent solution of the crystal structure of an entire binding-protein dependent ABC transporter complex from the archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus by Locher and his colleagues marks a milestone in the understanding of the ABC transport mechanism. The structure elegantly demonstrates how the motor ATPase alternately opens and closes the inside and outside pores of the transporter and how the substrate-binding protein delivers its substrate. Binding-protein dependent sugar ABC transporters in the archaea and in bacteria have an additional feature that could connect ABC transporters to gene regulation and to the control of transport activity by cellular processes. PMID- 17764953 TI - Marking histone H3 variants: how, when and why? AB - DNA in eukaryotic cells is compacted into chromatin, a regular repeated structure in which the nucleosome represents the basic unit. The nucleosome not only serves to compact the genetic material but also provides information that affects nuclear functions including DNA replication, repair and transcription. This information is conveyed through numerous combinations of histone post translational modifications (PTMs) and histone variants. A recent challenge has been to understand how and when these combinations of PTMs are imposed and to what extent they are determined by the choice of a specific histone variant. Here we focus on histone H3 variants and the PTMs that they carry before and after their assembly into chromatin. We review and discuss recent knowledge about how the choice and initial modifications of a specific variant might affect PTM states and eventually the final epigenetic state of a chromosomal domain. PMID- 17764952 TI - Structural features of metabolite-sensing riboswitches. AB - Riboswitches, metabolite-sensing RNA elements that are present in untranslated regions of the transcripts that they regulate, possess extensive tertiary structure to couple metabolite binding to genetic control. Here we discuss recently published structures from four riboswitch classes and compare these natural RNA structures to those of in-vitro-selected RNA aptamers, which bind ligands similar to those of the riboswitches. In addition, we examine the glmS riboswitch - the first example of a ribozyme-based riboswitch. This RNA provides the latest twist in the riboswitch field and portends exciting advances in the coming years. Our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying genetic regulation by riboswitches has increased mightily in recent years and will continue to grow as new riboswitch classes and ligands are discovered and structurally characterized. PMID- 17764954 TI - The ribosome in focus: new structures bring new insights. AB - Recent all-atom crystal structures of 70S ribosome functional complexes provide a detailed description of how the ribosome interacts with its mRNA and tRNA substrates. The structures support the view that the fundamental steps of translation are based on RNA-RNA interactions, which in some cases underwent further refinement as a result of having recruited proteins. The structural basis of the discrimination of cognate tRNA, the high affinity for tRNA in the peptidyl tRNA site, the structure of the peptidyl transferase catalytic center, the specificity of the exit site for deacylated tRNA and other functional properties of the ribosome are now explained, confirmed or visualized for the first time in complexes containing full-length tRNAs and defined mRNAs. Clues to the structural dynamics of translation are suggested by conformational changes that occur in both tRNA and the ribosome upon complex formation. PMID- 17764955 TI - Fluorescent protein FRET: the good, the bad and the ugly. AB - Dynamic protein interactions play a significant part in many cellular processes. A technique that shows considerable promise in elucidating such interactions is Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET). When combined with multiple, colored fluorescent proteins, FRET permits high spatial resolution assays of protein protein interactions in living cells. Because FRET signals are usually small, however, their measurement requires careful interpretation and several control experiments. Nevertheless, the use of FRET in cell biological experiments has exploded over the past few years. Here we describe the physical basis of FRET and the fluorescent proteins appropriate for these experiments. We also review the approaches that can be used to measure FRET, with particular emphasis on the potential artifacts associated with each approach. PMID- 17764956 TI - Bioassay-guided fractionation of pterocarpans from roots of Harpalyce brasiliana Benth. AB - Pterocarpans, a special kind of isoflavonoids possessing two contiguous benzofuran and benzopyran rings, have been reported as possessing several biological activities. In order to isolate and identify the active principles possibly responsible for the stronger activity of the EtOH extract from roots of Harpalyce brasiliana on the antimitotic assay using sea urchin egg development, a bioassay-guided fractionation was performed. Six bioactive pterocarpan derivatives: 4'-dehydroxycabenegrin A-I, leiocarpin, medicarpin, cabenegrins A-I and A-II, and maackiain were isolated from the chloroform fraction of H. brasiliana extract. Leiocarpin was the most active on the sea urchin egg assay with IC(50) values ranging from 0.1 to 1.2 microg/mL, followed by 4' dehydroxycabenegrin A-I. The isolated compounds were also tested for cytotoxicity against tumor cell lines in cultures, where 4'-dehydroxycabenegrin A-I was the most active, followed by leiocarpin. Additionally, some studies on the structure activity relationship of these pterocarpans are suggested. PMID- 17764957 TI - Monooxime reactivators of acetylcholinesterase with (E)-but-2-ene linker: preparation and reactivation of tabun- and paraoxon-inhibited acetylcholinesterase. AB - Acetylcholinesterase reactivators are crucial antidotes for the treatment of organophosphate intoxication. Fifteen new monooxime reactivators of acetylcholinesterase with a (E)-but-2-ene linker were developed in an effort to extend the properties of K-oxime (E)-1-(4-carbamoylpyridinium)-4-(4 hydroxyiminomethylpyridinium)-but-2-ene dibromide (K203). The known reactivators (pralidoxime, HI-6, obidoxime, K075, K203) and the new compounds were tested in vitro on a model of tabun- and paraoxon-inhibited AChE. Monooxime reactivators were not able to exceed the best known compounds for tabun poisoning, but some of them did show reactivation comparable with known compounds for paraoxon poisoning. However, extensive differences were found by a SAR study for various substitutions on the non-oxime part of the reactivator molecule. PMID- 17764958 TI - Novel (E)-2-(aryl)-3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)acrylic ester prodrugs possessing a diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate moiety: design, synthesis, cyclooxygenase inhibition, and nitric oxide release studies. AB - A novel group of hybrid nitric oxide-releasing anti-inflammatory drugs (11) possessing a 1-(N,N-diethylamino)diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate, or 1-(pyrrolidin-1 yl)diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate, nitric oxide (.NO) donor moiety attached via a one carbon methylene spacer to the carboxylic acid group of (E)-3-(4 methanesulfonylphenyl)-2-(phenyl)acrylic acids were synthesized. These ester prodrugs (11) all exhibited in vitro inhibitory activity against the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) isozyme (IC(50)=0.94-31.6 microM range). All compounds released .NO upon incubation with phosphate buffer (PBS) at pH 7.4 (3.2-11.3% range). In comparison, the percentage of .NO released was significantly higher (48.6-75.3% range) when these hybrid ester prodrugs were incubated in the presence of rat serum. These incubation studies suggest that both .NO and the parent anti-inflammatory (E)-3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-2-(phenyl)acrylic acid would be released upon in vivo cleavage by non-specific serum esterases. O(2) [(E)-2-(4-Acetylaminophenyl)-3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)acryloyloxymethyl]-1 (pyrrolidin-1-yl)diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (11f) is a moderately potent (IC(50)=0.94 microM) and selective (SI>104) COX-2 inhibitor that released 73% of the theoretical maximal release of two molecules of .NO/molecule of the parent hybrid ester prodrug upon incubation with rat serum. Hybrid ester .NO-donor prodrugs offer a potential drug design concept for the development of anti inflammatory drugs that are devoid of adverse ulcerogenic and/or cardiovascular side effects. PMID- 17764960 TI - Structure-activity studies on diphenylpyrazine derivatives: a novel class of prostacyclin receptor agonists. AB - To develop nonprostanoid prostacyclin receptor agonists with a high degree of metabolic resistance and an extended duration of action, a novel series of diphenylpyrazine derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for their inhibition of ADP-induced human platelet aggregation. Structure-activity relationship studies on the side chain containing the carboxylic acid moiety of the lead compound 5c showed that the length of the linker and the presence of the concatenating nitrogen atom adjacent to the pyrazine ring are critical for the antiaggregatory activity. This study led to the discovery of 2-amino-5,6 diphenylpyrazine derivatives 8c, 15a, and 15b, which showed potent inhibition of platelet aggregation with IC(50) values of 0.2 microM. Among these compounds, 15b is an orally available and long-lasting prostacyclin receptor agonist which is promising for the treatment of various vascular diseases. PMID- 17764959 TI - Substrate specificity of prostate-specific membrane antigen. AB - A series of putative dipeptide substrates of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) was prepared that explored alpha- and beta/gamma-linked acidic residues at the P1 position and various chromophores at the P2 position, while keeping the P1' residue constant as L-Glu. Four chromophores were examined, including 4 phenylazobenzoyl, 1-pyrenebutyryl, 9-anthracenylcarboxyl-gamma-aminobutyryl, and 4-nitrophenylbutyryl. When evaluating these chromophores, it was found that a substrate containing 4-phenylazobenzoyl at the P2 position was consumed most efficiently. Substitution at the P1 position with acidic residues showed that only gamma-linked L-Glu and D-Glu were recognized by the enzyme, with the former being more readily proteolyzed. Lastly, binding modes of endogenous substrates and our best synthetic substrate (4-phenylazobenzoyl-Glu-gamma-Glu) were proposed by computational docking studies into an X-ray crystal structure of the PSMA extracellular domain. PMID- 17764961 TI - Development of samarium [32P] phosphate colloid for radiosynoviorthesis applications: preparation, biological and preliminary clinical studies experience. AB - A new therapeutic radio colloid for radiosynoviorthesis (RS) applications is reported. The method of preparation involves the reaction of SmCl3 carrier with carrier added [32P]H3PO4 in the presence of gelatin. The pure colloid was recovered by dialysis purification leading to radiochemical yield of around 90%. The radiochemical purity of the pure colloid formulated in isotonic saline was over 98%, for the usage period of 14 days, as assessed by paper chromatography. Ninety percent of colloid particles were in the size of 1-10 microm as evident from the laser diffraction particle size analysis, ideally suitable for the intended end use. Animal studies revealed complete retention of the radio colloid in the rabbit knee joint. The results of clinical trials in humans are satisfactory and encouraging, satisfactory retention of the colloid in the knee joint and negligible leakage into the systemic circulation. PMID- 17764963 TI - Osmoregulation in Dunaliella, Part II: Photosynthesis and starch contribute carbon for glycerol synthesis during a salt stress in Dunaliella tertiolecta. AB - In response to an osmotic stress, Dunaliella tertiolecta osmoregulates by metabolizing intracellular glycerol as compatible solute. Upon the application of a salt stress to 0.17 M or 0.7 M NaCl grown D. tertiolecta cells, rates of total glycerol synthesis were substantially higher than that arising from photosynthetic (14)CO(2) fixation into glycerol. The source of this extra carbon is the reserve starch pool. The contribution of carbon from the starch breakdown to glycerol synthesis was estimated from the difference between the total glycerol synthesized and that arising from (14)CO(2) fixation. The maximum observed flux of carbon from (14)CO(2) to glycerol from photosynthesis was of the order of 15-20 micromol(14)C-glycerol mg(-1) Chl h(-1), whereas the total glycerol synthesis reached about 70 micromol glycerol mg(-1) Chl h(-1). The contribution of products of starch breakdown to glycerol synthesis increased progressively with increasing salt stress. In light, contrary to prevailing assumptions, both the photosynthesis and the starch breakdown contribute carbon to glycerol biosynthesis. The relative contributions of these two processes in the light, while cells were actively photosynthesizing, depended on the magnitude of the salt stress. On application of dilution stress, the flux of carbon from newly photosynthetically fixed (14)CO(2) into glycerol was reduced progressively with increasing dilution stress that was also accompanied by a decline in total glycerol contents of the cell. The maximum observed rate of glycerol dissimilation was about 135 micromol glycerol mg(-1) Chl h(-1). PMID- 17764964 TI - Hydrolase and fructosyltransferase activities implicated in the accumulation of different chain size fructans in three Asteraceae species. AB - Fructans are widely distributed in Asteraceae from floras with seasonal growth and are thought to be involved in drought and freezing tolerance, in addition to storage function. Reserve organs of Vernonia herbacea and Viguiera discolor, from the cerrado, and of the perennial herb Smallanthus sonchifolius, endemic to Andean region, store over 80% inulin, with different DP (35, 150, and 15, respectively). The fructan pattern in Asteraceae species could be explained by characteristics of their respective 1-FFTs. Hydrolases and fructosyltransferases from S. sonchifolius, V. herbacea and V. discolor were analyzed in plants at the same environmental conditions. The higher 1-FEH activities found in the species with lower DP, S. sonchifolius and V. herbacea reinforce the hypothesis of the involvement of 1-FEH in fructan profile and suggest that the high DP fructan of V. discolor is a consequence of the low affinity of its 1-FEH to the native long chain inulin. Long term incubation with sucrose suggested that the affinity of 1 FFT of V. discolor for 1-kestose is low when compared to that of V. herbacea. Indeed 1-FFT from V. discolor was shown to be an hDP 1-FFT, preferring longer inulins as acceptors. Conversely, 1-FFT from V. herbacea seems to have a higher affinity for short fructo-oligosaccharides, including 1-kestose, as acceptor substrates. Differences in fructan enzymes of the three Asteraceae provide new information towards the understanding of fructan metabolism and control of carbon flow between low and high DP fructans. PMID- 17764965 TI - Capturing candidate drought tolerance traits in two native Andean potato clones by transcription profiling of field grown plants under water stress. AB - Candidate traits for drought tolerance were targeted by analyzing water stress responses in two moderately drought-tolerant native Andean potato clones, SA2563 and Sullu (Solanum tuberosum L. subsp, andigena (Juz, Bukasov) Hawkes) under field conditions. SA2563 exhibited increased root growth under drought, while Sullu retained a higher relative leaf water content. Gene expression profiling using the TIGR 10 K microarray revealed 1713 significantly differentially expressed genes, 186 of these genes were up-regulated in both clones. In addition to these commonly up-regulated genes, each clone induced a specific gene set in response to drought. Gene expression and metabolite analysis pinpointed candidate traits for drought tolerance present either in one or both of the clones under investigation. These traits included osmotic adjustment, changes in carbohydrate metabolism, membrane modifications, strengthening of cuticle and cell rescue mechanisms, such as detoxification of oxygen radicals and protein stabilization. Many of the up-regulated genes have been identified previously in laboratory studies on model plants using shock treatments, and the present study confirms the importance of these factors under field conditions. PMID- 17764966 TI - Osmoregulation in Dunaliella, Part I: Effects of osmotic stress on photosynthesis, dark respiration and glycerol metabolism in Dunaliella tertiolecta and its salt-sensitive mutant (HL 25/8). AB - The photosynthetic oxygen evolution increased by about 30% over control when Dunaliella tertiolecta and its salt-sensitive mutant (HL 25/8) were stressed by raising NaCl concentration from 0.17 to 0.4M, however, during the dilution stress the photosynthetic oxygen evolution was progressively decreased with increasing dilution (decreasing the salinity). The photosynthetic oxygen evolution is affected by the water potential of the medium rather than by the ionic strength. Mitochondrial dark respiration was unaffected by salt stress, however, it was increased by about 50% (parent strain) and 35% (the mutant) upon dilution as if reduced pyridine nucleotide generated during glycerol dissimilation reaction were continuously oxidized by the mitochondria. The salt stress-induced changes in photosynthetic (14)CO(2) fixation were consistent with the observed rates of photosynthetic oxygen evolution. The mutant strain showed about one-half the capability for photosynthesis, and glycerol synthesis compared to the parent strain. However, the proportion of photosynthetically newly fixed carbon during salt stress in glycerol was similar in both strains. The glycerol dissimilation capabilities of both strains were also similar. It is suggested that the salt sensitivity of the mutant is probably due to its reduced dissolved inorganic carbon transport, photosynthetic and starch metabolism capabilities to provide carbon for glycerol synthesis in the time frame of adaptation process. PMID- 17764962 TI - Reduced CXCL12/CXCR4 results in impaired learning and is downregulated in a mouse model of Alzheimer disease. AB - Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of plaques and tangles in parallel with progressive cognitive decline. The underlying cause of the cognitive decline is unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that could affect learning and memory using the Tg2576 mouse model of AD. Un biased GeneChip analysis at the time-point coinciding with the onset of behavioral deficits but prior to plaque deposition revealed that Tg2576 show altered gene expression for a number of molecules including the chemokine CXCL12. We show that this chemokine's mRNA, protein and receptor are downregulated in this mouse model coinciding with cognitive deficits. Furthermore, we demonstrate that CXCL12 levels are decreased in AD patients as compared to controls. To determine if CXCL12 might be related to impaired learning and memory, we chronically treated young non-transgenic mice with an antagonist to the CXCL12 receptor to simulate the reduction seen in transgenic animals. Treated animals showed selectively impaired learning and memory suggesting a potential role for this chemokine in cognitive functioning. PMID- 17764967 TI - Cloning and expression of GDP-D-mannose pyrophosphorylase gene and ascorbic acid content of acerola (Malpighia glabra L.) fruit at ripening stages. AB - Acerola (Malpighia glabra L.) is one of the richest natural sources of L-ascorbic acid (AsA; vitamin C). GDP-D-mannose pyrophosphorylase (GMP; EC 2.7.7.13) was found to play a major role in the proposed AsA biosynthetic pathway in plants, considering that Arabidopsis vtc1-1 mutant with point mutation in this gene has a highly reduced AsA content. GMP cDNA was isolated from acerola fruits, designated MgGMP, using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), and its expression was monitored during fruit ripening. The full-length cDNA was found to have an ORF of 1083bp encoding a polypeptide of 361 amino acids. In silico analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence showed a pI of 6.45 and molecular mass of 39.7kD. MgGMP showed over 80% amino acid sequence identity with other plant GMP homologues. The phylogenetic tree shows the close relation of MgGMP to the GMP of other plants as against those from parasite, yeasts and mammals. Southern analysis indicated that M. glabra contains not less than two copies of GMP genes. Northern blot analysis showed the transcript abundance of MgGMP in all the organs of acerola examined, with the fruit having the highest expression. The relative transcript abundance of MgGMP mRNA levels in the fruits changes as the ripening process progresses, with the unripe green fruits having the highest relative mRNA level, and the lowest was found in the fruits at advanced ripening stage. A strong correlation was also observed between the relative MgGMP mRNA levels and the AsA contents of acerola during fruit ripening. PMID- 17764968 TI - Characterization of nucleoprotein complexes in plants with human-type telomere motifs. AB - A conserved feature of telomeres is the 3'-overhang of their G-rich strand. These G-overhangs function as substrates for telomerase-mediated strand extension, and are critical for end-protection of telomeres. These functions and their regulations are mediated by specific G-overhang binding proteins. In species of the plant order Asparagales, telomere motifs have diverged from a type typical of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana (TTTAGGG)(n) to a type typical of human (TTAGGG)(n). Presumably, this change in motif had an impact on the structure of the telomere and/or the binding of telomeric proteins, including the G-overhang binding proteins. Therefore, we analyse here nucleoprotein complexes formed by protein extracts from plants possessing human-type telomeres (Muscari armeniacum and Scilla peruviana). Proteins were characterized that bind to the G-rich strand of both telomere motifs, or to the ancestral Arabidopsis-type motif alone, but none bound to double-stranded or C-rich complementary strand telomere motifs. We demonstrate the size, sequence-specificity and thermostability of these DNA binding proteins. We also analysed the formation of complexes from renatured protein fractions after SDS-PAGE (sodium-dodecyl-sulphate polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis). We discuss the evolutionary consequences of protein binding flexibility, to act on both ancestral and present telomeric sequences. Of particular interest is that the ancestral repeat, which is thought not to form the telomere, binds the proteins most strongly. These data are discussed in line with other known plant telomere-binding proteins and with the complex nature of the telomere in Asparagales carrying a human-type motif. PMID- 17764969 TI - Characterization of alpha-amylase inhibitor from Palo Fierro seeds. AB - Alpha amylase inhibitor from Palo Fierro seeds (alphaAI-PF) was purified using affinity chromatography on a fetuin-fractogel column followed by anionic exchange chromatography. AlphaAI-PF has a molecular mass of 77kDa with two subunits (15.8 and 17.4 kDa), it is nonglycosylated and has pI of 4.7. AlphaAI-PF inhibited porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase (PPA) (1,4-alpha-D-glucan glucanohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.1), but was almost devoid of inhibitory activity on alpha-amylase extracts from Zabrotes subfasciatus (ZSA). Analysis of alphaAI-PF peptides showed a high homology to alphaAI-1 from Phaseolus vulgaris that also inhibits PPA. PMID- 17764970 TI - Hormones and postpartum cardiomyopathy. AB - Prolactin, a hormone fundamental for lactation, was recently shown to mediate postpartum cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening disease in late-term and lactating mothers. The detrimental effect of prolactin results from myocardial upregulation of cathepsin-D, which in turn cleaves prolactin to a 16 kDa fragment (vasoinhibin) with anti-angiogenic and pro-apoptotic properties that impair developing cardiac vasculature. PMID- 17764972 TI - MAP1B coordinates microtubule and actin filament remodeling in adult mouse Schwann cell tips and DRG neuron growth cones. AB - We previously described the function of MAP1B in both turning and branching of regenerating neurites. Our results suggested implication of MAP1B in coupling of actin and microtubule movements, a hypothesis investigated here using DRG neurons and Schwann cells (SCs), which also transiently express MAP1B. Cell motility and cytoskeletal rearrangements were assessed before and after addition of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), an extracellular signaling phospholipid triggering changes in actin distribution and cell morphology. First, we show that MAP1B is required for SC migration in vitro, extending our previous work on its function in growth cone motility. Second, LPA stimulation induces drastic retraction of processes from MAP1B-expressing cells in a two-step process: actin contraction, which is followed by microtubule backfolding. More importantly, we provide evidence that MAP1B is required for microtubule backfolding, thereby unravelling an important molecular mechanism implicated in coupling the movements of actin and microtubules during process retraction of neural cells. PMID- 17764973 TI - The relation between hip impact velocity and hip impact force differs between sideways fall techniques. AB - Fall techniques that reduce fall severity may decrease the risk of hip fractures. A fundamental variable for fall severity is impact force, but impact velocity is also used. The purpose of the study was to determine whether impact velocity is valid to determine differences in fall severity between different techniques. Five young adults with martial arts (MA) experience performed sideways falls from kneeling height using three techniques: Block with arm (Block) and MA techniques with and without use of the arm to break the fall. In addition, one subject also performed MA falls from standing height. Linear regression analysis showed a moderate relation between hip impact velocity and force, which was depended on technique. In falls with comparable impact velocities, forces in MA falls were lower than forces in Block falls. Hence, differences in impact force could not be predicted by velocity. In conclusion, hip impact velocity may be useful to make an approximate prediction of impact force within fall techniques. However, to determine differences between techniques it was not always a valid predictor. When direct impact force measurements are not possible, methods combining impact velocity with energy estimates before and after impact might be more valid. PMID- 17764971 TI - It's all about sex: gender, lung development and lung disease. AB - Accumulating evidence suggests that gender affects the incidence, susceptibility and severity of several lung diseases. Gender also influences lung development and physiology. Data from both human and animal studies indicate that sex hormones might contribute to disease pathogenesis or serve as protective factors, depending on the disease involved. In this review, the influence of gender and sex hormones on lung development and pathology will be discussed, with specific emphasis on pulmonary fibrosis, asthma and cancer. PMID- 17764974 TI - Muscular activation patterns during active prone hip extension exercises. AB - BACKGROUND: Changes in activation patterns of hip extensors and pelvic stabilizing muscles are recognized as factors that cause low back disorders and these disturbances could have an impact on the physiological loading and alter the direction and magnitude of joint reaction forces. OBJECTIVE: To investigate activation patterns of the gluteus maximus, semitendinosus and erector spinae muscles with healthy young individuals during four different modalities of therapeutic exercise. METHODS: Thirty-one volunteers were selected: (16 men and 15 women), age (24.5+/-3.47years), body mass of 66.89+/-11.89kg and a height of 1.70+/-0.09m). They performed four modalities of therapeutic exercise while the electromyographic activity of the investigated muscles was recorded to determine muscle pattern activation for each exercise. RESULTS: Repeated measure ANOVA revealed that muscle activation patterns were similar for the four analyzed exercises, starting with the semitendinosus, followed by the erector spinae, and then, the gluteus maximus. The gluteus maximus was the last activated muscle during hip extension associated with knee flexion (p<0.0001), knee extension (p<0.0001), and with lateral rotation and knee flexion (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Findings of the present study suggested that despite individual variability, the muscle firing order was similar for the four therapeutic exercises. PMID- 17764975 TI - Martial arts fall techniques reduce hip impact forces in naive subjects after a brief period of training. AB - Hip fractures are among the most serious consequences of falls in the elderly. Martial arts (MA) fall techniques may reduce hip fracture risk, as they are known to reduce hip impact forces by approximately 30% in experienced fallers. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether hip impact forces and velocities in MA falls would be smaller than in a 'natural' fall arrest strategy (Block) in young adults (without any prior experience) after a 30-min training session in sideways MA fall techniques. Ten subjects fell sideways from kneeling height. In order to identify experience-related differences, additional EMG data of both fall types were collected in inexperienced (n=10) and experienced fallers (n=5). Compared to Block falls, MA falls had significantly smaller hip impact forces ( 17%) and velocities (-7%). EMG results revealed experience-related differences in the execution of the MA fall, indicative of less pronounced trunk rotation in the inexperienced fallers. This may explain their smaller reduction of impact forces compared to experienced fallers. In conclusion, the finding that a substantial reduction in impact forces can be achieved after a short training in MA techniques is very promising with respect to their use in interventions to prevent fall injuries. PMID- 17764976 TI - Anticipation of novelty recruits reward system and hippocampus while promoting recollection. AB - The dopaminergic midbrain, which comprises the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), plays a central role in reward processing. This region is also activated by novel stimuli, raising the possibility that novelty and reward have shared functional properties. It is currently unclear whether functional aspects of reward processing in the SN/VTA, namely, activation by unexpected rewards and cues that predict reward, also characterize novelty processing. To address this question, we conducted an fMRI experiment during which subjects viewed symbolic cues that predicted either novel or familiar images of scenes with 75% validity. We show that SN/VTA was activated by cues predicting novel images as well as by unexpected novel images that followed familiarity-predictive cues, an 'unexpected novelty' response. The hippocampus, a region implicated in detecting and encoding novel stimuli, showed an anticipatory novelty response but differed from the response profile of SN/VTA in responding at outcome to expected and 'unexpected' novelty. In a behavioral extension of the experiment, recollection increased relative to familiarity when comparing delayed recognition memory for anticipated novel stimuli with unexpected novel stimuli. These data reveal commonalities in SN/VTA responses to anticipating reward and anticipating novel stimuli. We suggest that this anticipatory response codes a motivational exploratory novelty signal that, together with anticipatory activation of the hippocampus, leads to enhanced encoding of novel events. In more general terms, the data suggest that dopaminergic processing of novelty might be important in driving exploration of new environments. PMID- 17764977 TI - Balancing bias, reliability, noise properties and the need for parametric maps in quantitative ligand PET: [(11)C]diprenorphine test-retest data. AB - [(11)C]diprenorphine (DPN) is a non-subtype selective opioid receptor PET ligand with slow kinetics and no region devoid of specific binding. Parametric maps are desirable but have to overcome high noise at the voxel level. We obtained parameter values, parametric map image quality, test-retest reproducibility and reliability (using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs)) for conventional spectral analysis and a derived method (rank shaping), compared them with values obtained through sampling of volumes of interest (VOIs) on the dynamic data sets and tested whether smaller amounts of radioactivity injected maintained reliability. Ten subjects were injected twice with either approximately 185 MBq or approximately 135 MBq of [(11)C]DPN, followed by dynamic PET for 90 min. Data were movement corrected with a frame-to-frame co-registration method. Arterial plasma input functions corrected for radiolabelled metabolites were created. There was no overall effect of movement correction except for one subject with substantial movement whose test-retest differences decreased by approximately 50%. Actual parametric values depended heavily on the cutoff for slow frequencies (between 0.0008 s(-1) and 0.00063 s(-1)). Image quality was satisfactory for restricted base ranges when using conventional spectral analysis. The rank shaping method allowed maximising of this range but had similar bias. VOI-based methods had the widest dynamic range between regions. Average percentage test retest differences were smallest for the parametric maps with restricted base ranges; similarly ICCs were highest for these (up to 0.86) but unacceptably low for VOI-derived VD estimates at the low doses of injected radioactivity (0.24/0.04). Our data can inform the choice of methodology for a given biological problem. PMID- 17764978 TI - The complete mitochondrial genome of Scutigerella causeyae (Myriapoda: Symphyla) and the phylogenetic position of Symphyla. AB - The first complete mitochondrial genome of a representative of the Symphyla, Scutigerella causeyae (Arthropoda: Myriapoda), was sequenced using a PCR-based approach. Its gene order shows different positions for three tRNA genes compared to the ancestral arthropod pattern. Presence of a pseudogene with partial sequence similarity to rrnS favours the duplication-random loss model as an explanation for at least one of the translocations. None of the genome rearrangements hypothesized for S. causeyae are shared by any of the other four myriapod mitochondrial genomes sequenced so far (two from Chilopoda and two from Diplopoda). Different rearrangement events must have occurred independently in the lineages leading to S. causeyae, Lithobius forficatus, Scutigera coleoptrata and Diplopoda. Phylogenetic analyses could not unequivocally elucidate the position of Symphyla among myriapods. While the nucleotide dataset of eleven protein-coding genes gives weak support for an affinity to Chilopoda, this is not recovered with the corresponding amino acid dataset. PMID- 17764979 TI - Epileptic seizures triggered by the use of a powered toothbrush. AB - BACKGROUND: Reflex epilepsy is characterized by seizures that are triggered in response to a specific stimulus and tooth-brushing epilepsy is an extremely rare form of reflex epilepsy in which the seizures are mainly induced by the act of tooth brushing. In this report, we describe an epilepsy patient whose seizures were exclusively triggered by the use of a powered toothbrush. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 31-year old female had been treated for partial epilepsy of left temporal or frontal lobe for 20 years and she did not have seizures for the last 3 years. However, she experienced periods of auras, partial complex seizures, and nocturnal generalized seizures after she started using a powered toothbrush. The interictal electroencephalography revealed slow wave paroxysm over the left temporal or frontal lobe. CONCLUSIONS: This case report is, to our knowledge, the first report of reflex epilepsy in which the seizures were triggered by the use of a powered toothbrush. Possible mechanisms to explain the novel type of this rare disorder are discussed. PMID- 17764980 TI - Rhinal cortex asymmetries in patients with mesial temporal sclerosis. AB - PURPOSE: The rhinal cortex, comprising the entorhinal (ErC) and perirhinal (PrC) cortices, is one component of the limbic system that may be affected in patients with epilepsy and other temporal lobe pathologies. This study extended quantitative examination of the limbic system through development and validation of volumetric protocols to measure the ErC and PrC. METHODS: Volumes were calculated from MRI studies using ANALYZE 7.5 and based on detailed anatomical definitions developed for the study. Subjects were 61 temporal lobe epilepsy patients with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS: 33 left, 28 right) and 20 neurologically normal controls. Inter-rater reliabilities for the ErC and PrC volume protocols were found to be high (range 0.86-0.92). RESULTS: Ipsilateral hippocampal volume was reduced in patients with MTS, while contralateral volume did not differ significantly from controls. In the patients, rhinal cortex volumes were reduced as a function of laterality of disease. The pattern of correlations between ErC and PrC differed between disease groups. Hippocampal and rhinal cortex volumes were not significantly correlated. A significant four-way interaction was found between side of MTS, hemisphere, structure and handedness. CONCLUSIONS: This quantitative study demonstrates reliable in vivo evidence of morphometric changes in ErC and PrC in a substantial number of patients with unilateral MTS. The relationship observed between handedness, structure and disease status may suggest a role for cerebral dominance in modulating the expression of MTS. PMID- 17764981 TI - Peripheral desmoplastic ameloblastoma: report of a case and literature review. AB - The desmoplastic variant of ameloblastoma is a rare, locally invasive, benign tumor of the jaws, typically found in the anterior regions of the maxilla and mandible. This ameloblastoma variant has been described as an intraosseous tumor; to our knowledge, there have been no published cases of a peripheral desmoplastic ameloblastoma. The purpose of this case report is to describe a patient with a desmoplastic ameloblastoma localized to the soft tissue of the palate with no osseous involvement. PMID- 17764982 TI - Population-based study of treatment outcomes in squamous cell carcinoma of the retromolar trigone. AB - BACKGROUND: Carcinoma of the retromolar trigone is relatively uncommon. High rates of local recurrence account for a relatively poor prognosis. STUDY DESIGN: A population-based historical cohort of 76 cases with biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinoma of the retromolar trigone were studied as a case series. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log rank test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The mean age was 67.2 years. Fifty-six patients were male, 45% had T1 or T2 tumors, and 61% were staged as N0. Treatment included radiotherapy in 35%, surgery alone in 26%, surgery and radiotherapy in 23%, and 16% received palliative treatment. The absolute and disease-specific survivals at 5 years were 51.4% and 67.7%, respectively. In patients treated with surgery, the resection margin status predicted the overall 5-year survival (P = .027), with 75% of patients with negative margins surviving 5 years versus a survival of 0% of patients with involved margins. CONCLUSIONS: Squamous cell carcinoma of the retromolar trigone has a poor survival rate for early-stage disease. Adequate surgical margins can improve survival. PMID- 17764983 TI - Radiopacity of a new root canal sealer, Epiphany. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiopacity of a new root canal sealer, Epiphany, relative to 3 other root canal sealing materials, AH 26, Sealapex, and Ketac-Endo. STUDY DESIGN: Radiographs were taken of 1-mm-thick specimens of 4 root canal sealers and dentine slides, as well as a range of aluminum thicknesses, by using a step-wedge. The radiographic density of each specimen was measured and correlated with the equivalent thickness of aluminum. RESULTS: All sealers were found to be more radiopaque than dentine (1.05 +/- 0.2 mm aluminum) and to possess radiopacity of greater than 3-mm aluminum. The radiopacity values reported in this study were 11.27 +/- 0.18-mm, 10.88 +/- 0.16 mm, 10.35 +/- 0.15-mm, and 9.78 +/- 0.21-mm aluminum for Sealapex, Ketac-Endo, Epiphany, and AH 26, respectively, which were significantly different from each other (P < .01). CONCLUSION: Radiopacity measurements for Epiphany, Ketac-Endo, Sealapex, and AH 26 exceeded the minimum standard for root canal sealers. Epiphany has higher radiopacity than dentine. Therefore, this sealer is suitable for endodontic usage in terms of radiographic assessment. PMID- 17764984 TI - Peri-implant bone reactions at delayed and immediately loaded implants: an experimental study. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the peri-implant bone reactions of implants subjected to immediate loading with those subjected to delayed loading. STUDY DESIGN: In 6 mongrel dogs, bilateral edentulated flat alveolar ridges were created in the mandible. After 3 months of healing, 1 implant was placed in each side. On one side of the mandible, the implant was loaded immediately with a force of 20 N that was applied at a 120 degrees angle from the tooth's longitudinal axis at the labial surface of the crown for 1800 cycles per day for 10 weeks. On the opposite side, after a delay of 3 months to allow osseointegration to take place, the implant was loaded with the same force used for the immediately loaded implant. Ten weeks after loading, microscopic computerized tomography at the implantation site was performed. Osseointegration was calculated as the percentage of implant surface in contact with bone. Bone height was measured in the peri-implant bone. RESULTS: The mean osseointegration was greater (65.5%) for the delayed-loading implants than for the immediately loaded implants (60.9%; P < .05). The mean peri-implant bone height was greater (10.6 mm) for the delayed-loading implants than for the immediately loaded implants (9.6 mm; P < .05). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that when implants are immediately loaded, the immediate loading may decrease both osseointegration of dental implants and bone height. PMID- 17764985 TI - Childhood maxillary myxoma: case report and review of management. AB - Myxomas are benign neoplasms of uncertain origin and etiology. First described by Virchow in 1863, they are derived from primitive mesenchymal structures and feature components of the umbilical cord. More recently, in 1995, Takahashi et al., through extensive research confirmed the fibroblastic and histiocytic origin of the tumor. We present a case in a female infant whose outcome and follow-up are discussed as well as a literature review in order to discuss many features of this rare pathology. PMID- 17764986 TI - The long-term effect of craniotomy on temporalis muscle function. AB - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate jaw movements and the masticatory muscle in patients who underwent craniotomy for treatment of cerebral aneurysm. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study. RESULTS: There were 71 patients evaluated between 4 and 6 months after craniotomy, by means of a systematized approach. Their mean age was 45.3 years. Thirty-four (47.9%) patients complained of headache during dental evaluation. Twenty (28.2%) patients reported pain during normal jaw movements. There was a correlation between pain complaints and jaw movements during dental examinations (P = .03). Patients with postcraniotomy headache had more masticatory muscle tenderness on palpation than those without post-craniotomy headache (P < .02). Jaw protrusion was worse than the reference values (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Headache was the complaint in 47.9% of the sample. Jaw movement was statistically a pain-precipitating factor. Patients who suffered from postcraniotomy headache had more masticatory muscle tenderness. There were functional jaw limitations. PMID- 17764987 TI - Ectopic mandibular third molar in the ramus region: report of a case and literature review. AB - OBJECTIVES: Ectopic mandibular third molar is a rare condition, and information is limited about its causes and characteristics. This article reports a case of ectopic mandibular third molar and reviews the literature on the clinical signs and symptoms and management of this condition. STUDY DESIGN: We report a case of an impacted mandibular third molar dislocated high on the right side of the mandibular ramus. Thirteen cases of ectopic mandibular third molars reported in the English-language literature over the past 25 years, identified from Pubmed and Medline databases are also reviewed. RESULTS: Among the 13 case reports identified, 10 occurred in women. Pain and swelling on the ispilateral side of the mandible or the preauricular region were the most common symptoms. Seven cases involved an ectopic mandibular third molar in the condylar or subcondylar region. Eight of the 11 cases included the description of a radiolucent image around the ectopic molar on the radiograph and described diagnosis of a dentigerous cyst. Seven of the ectopic third molars were extracted through intraoral access, and 3 were extracted through extraoral access. CONCLUSIONS: The etiology of ectopic mandibular third molars has not yet been completely clarified. Annual follow-up visits with panoramic radiographs are required for patients with symptom-free highly aberrant wisdom teeth. Treatment should be carefully planned according to the position of the ectopic tooth and the potential for trauma caused by the surgery. PMID- 17764988 TI - The relationship of cigarette smoking to postoperative complications from dental extractions among female inmates. AB - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to assess the contribution of smoking to postoperative complications, including alveolar osteitis (dry socket), after dental extractions. In addition, it attempts to determine the effect of the ban imposed on tobacco use in the prison on postoperative complications. STUDY DESIGN: All inmates having dental extractions at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, CT, during the period January 2004 to April 2005, were included in this study (N = 219; mean age = 37.7 years). Data on postextraction complications were analyzed for association with smoking by using the chi-square test. Significance was set at P < .05. RESULTS: The incidences of overall complications and alveolar osteitis were 19.6% and 5.0%, respectively. It was found that (1) there was a significant difference in overall complications between smokers and nonsmokers (P = .02), (2) there was a significant difference in the incidence of alveolar osteitis between mandibular third molar and other extractions, regardless of smoking status (P = .02), (3) surgical trauma contributed significantly to both an increase in total complications (P = .05) and alveolar osteitis (P = .01), and (4) smoking appeared to be a contributing factor to increased complications among multiple extractions (P = .03). CONCLUSION: In this study, smoking, mandibular third molars, and surgical trauma were significantly associated with the increased incidence of overall complications including alveolar osteitis. PMID- 17764989 TI - Ranula successfully treated by botulinum toxin type A: report of 3 cases. AB - The conventional treatment of ranula is surgical procedure. We report an innovative method for ranula by using botulinum toxin type A on 3 patients. All 3 cases of ranula resolved after this minimally invasive therapy. The treatment complication was minimal. PMID- 17764990 TI - Relationship between recovery period of lower lip hypoesthesia and sagittal split area or plate screw position after sagittal split ramus osteotomy. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to objectively evaluate the relationship between recovery of hypoesthesia of the lower lip after sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) with trigeminal somatosensory evoked potential (TSEP) and sagittal split area or plate screw position, using postoperative computerized tomography (CT). STUDY DESIGN: The subjects consisted of 58 patients (116 sides) with mandibular prognathism who underwent SSRO. The patients were divided into 2 groups. The Ob group, consisting of 62 sides, underwent the Obwegeser method. The OD group, consisting of 54 sides, underwent the Obwegeser-Dal Pont method. Trigeminal nerve hypoesthesia at the region of the lower lip was assessed bilaterally by the TSEP method. An electroencephalograph recording system (Neuropack Sigma; Nihon Koden, Tokyo, Japan) was used to analyze the potentials. Each patient was evaluated preoperatively and then postoperatively at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. Postoperative CT was performed in all cases to measure the sagittal split area (SSA) as well as the distance between the plate (the most medial point of screw) and the mental foramen (PM). Then comparisons between the 2 groups in recovery period of the lower lip, SSA, and PM were performed. Furthermore, the relationships between recovery period of hypoesthesia of the lower lip and SSA or PM were evaluated statistically. RESULTS: The average measurable period and standard deviation of TSEP of the lower lip was 3.4 +/- 5.5 weeks in the Ob group and 11.3 +/- 13.7 weeks in the OD group. There were significant differences between the Ob group and the OD group (P < .0001). The OD group showed significantly greater SSA and PM than the Ob group (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study suggested that recovery period of hypoesthesia of the lower lip after SSRO was strongly associated with SSA and PM. PMID- 17764991 TI - Relationship of the maxillary artery and lateral pterygoid muscle in a caucasian sample. AB - OBJECTIVE: Several studies have investigated the relationship between the maxillary artery and the lateral pterygoid muscle, yet controversy still exists regarding this relationship. The purpose of this study was to re-examine this relationship in a sample of caucasian cadavers in Canada. STUDY DESIGN: All soft tissues were removed from the mandibles of 44 caucasian cadavers. Mandibular osteotomies were performed to expose the infratemporal fossa and to dissect the maxillary artery bilaterally. Once accomplished, the relationship of the second part of the maxillary artery to the lower head of the lateral pterygoid muscle, and any variation in symmetry, was recorded. RESULTS: In the majority of cases (30/44), the artery was found lateral to the lower head of the lateral pterygoid muscle (71% in men and 65% in women). The maxillary artery was found medial to the lower head of the lateral pterygoid muscle in only 14 of the cases (29% in men and 35% in women). No variations in the course of the maxillary artery were noted between the 2 sides and between both genders. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the lateral or superficial course of the maxillary artery relative to the lower head of the lateral pterygoid muscle is more prevalent than the medial or deep course. This is in agreement with the majority of previously published results. There were no variations in the course of the artery between the 2 sides of the same cadaver or between cadavers of both genders. PMID- 17764994 TI - The thermophysiological cascade leading to sleep initiation in relation to phase of entrainment. AB - This article reviews circadian thermoregulation in relation to sleep induction and phase of entrainment in the light of the comprehensive thermophysiological and chronobiological concepts of Jurgen Aschoff. The idea that temperature and sleep are interrelated is based on evolutionary history. Mammalian sleep developed in association with endothermy, and all species, independent of temporal niche, usually sleep during the circadian trough of their core body temperature (CBT) rhythm. The circadian pattern of CBT results from the balance between heat production and heat loss, the latter being relevant for sleep induction. Sleep under entrained conditions is typically initiated on the declining portion of the CBT curve when its rate of change and body heat loss is maximal. Body heat loss before lights off, via selective vasodilatation of distal skin regions, promotes sleepiness and the rapid onset of sleep. This thermophysiological effect represents the cement between the circadian clock and the sleep-wake cycle, and in turn determines phase of entrainment (Psi) and sleep onset latency (SOL). These interrelationships have been recently studied in a particular subset of the general population, mainly women, who suffer from cold hands and feet (the so-called vasospastic syndrome, VS). Women with VS exhibit not only a lower capacity to lose heat during the daytime but also a prolonged SOL, a disturbed Psi of the circadian clock with respect to the sleep-wake cycle and psychologically, a disposition to turn experienced anger inwards. This naturalistic model leads us to a more general conclusion that regulation of distal skin blood flow may have clinical relevance for insomnia, in particular sleep onset insomnia. PMID- 17764995 TI - Molecular, physiological and clinical aspects of the iron storage protein ferritin. AB - Oxidative stress is a major factor in inflammatory, malignant and metabolic diseases in domestic and farm animals. Oxidative stress-mediated damage depends on the level of cellular and total body iron status because an excess iron (Fe(2+)) pool produces the most harmful free radicals (hydroxyls) through the Fenton reaction. Ferritin is a ubiquitous and conserved iron storage protein that plays a central role in iron metabolism and has the dual function of storing iron in bioavailable and non-toxic forms. Intracellular ferritin synthesis is controlled at translational and transcriptional levels in both an iron-dependent and an iron-independent manner. Ferritin is also found in extracellular fluids such as serum, synovial fluids and milk. Although serum ferritin is a sensitive indicator of body iron stores, the extracellular ferritins are elevated in inflammatory or malignant disease. Circulating ferritin interacts with ferritin binding protein to form a complex, which is rapidly cleared from the body. This review describes recent research of physiological and clinical significance of ferritin and its application to future veterinary medicine. PMID- 17764993 TI - Lipid rafts, fluid/fluid phase separation, and their relevance to plasma membrane structure and function. AB - Novel biophysical approaches combined with modeling and new biochemical data have helped to recharge the lipid raft field and have contributed to the generation of a refined model of plasma membrane organization. In this review, we summarize new information in the context of previous literature to provide new insights into the spatial organization and dynamics of lipids and proteins in the plasma membrane of live cells. Recent findings of large-scale separation of liquid ordered and liquid-disordered phases in plasma membrane vesicles demonstrate this capacity within the complex milieu of plasma membrane proteins and lipids. Roles for membrane heterogeneity and reorganization in immune cell activation are discussed in light of this new information. PMID- 17764996 TI - Magnetic resonance force microscopy combined with surface topography. AB - A new method of surface microscopy is proposed, which combines three-dimensional electron spin resonance imaging by magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) and topographic imaging of the sample surface by scanning force microscopy (SFM). In order to demonstrate its potential for the identification of microscale objects, the individual and combined images are used to provide the locations, shapes and spin density distributions of target phantom objects. We report spatial resolution in MRFM of 2.8 x 2.8 x 2.0 microm(3). This could be improved to the theoretical limit of 0.08 x 0.08 x 0.04 microm(3) through reduction of the thermal noise by cooling to cryogenic temperatures approximately 0.5K. We believe that this type of microscopy will become a very useful tool for the investigation of anomalies induced in surfaces by materials buried below the surface. PMID- 17764997 TI - Analysis of CYP2D6 substrate interactions by computational methods. AB - Cytochrome P450 CYP2D6 is involved in the oxidation of well over 150 drugs and, in general, those which contain a basic nitrogen atom in the molecule. To clarify how the residues of CYP2D6 are utilized for orientating a wide range of its specific substrates and distinguishing them from a variety of other organic compounds, docking studies by AutoDock and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted. Specific ligands were docked to both the homology model and crystal structures optimally to estimate the site of reaction on the ligand molecule and the binding energy for the complex, which were generally in good agreement with the experimental data. MD simulation for the CYP2D6-propranolol complex was then carried out to reveal the amino acid residues interacting with the substrate at the active site. Phe-120, Glu-216, Asp-301, and Phe-483 are identified as the substrate-binding residues in agreement with previously reported site-directed mutagenesis data and the crystal structure reported recently (PDB code: 2F9Q). As well as these residues, our theoretical prediction suggests that Phe-219 and Glu-222 are also important residues for mediating oxidation of substrates, especially propranolol. PMID- 17764998 TI - The PrfA virulence regulon. AB - The PrfA protein, a member of the Crp/Cap-Fnr family of bacterial transcription factors, controls the expression of key virulence determinants of the facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Each of the steps of the listerial intracellular infection cycle-host cell invasion, phagosomal escape, cytosolic replication, and direct cell-to-cell spread-is mediated by products of the PrfA regulon. Only 10 of the 2853 genes of the L. monocytogenes EGDe genome have been confirmed as bona fide (directly regulated) members of this regulon, a number surprisingly small given the apparent complexity of listerial intracellular parasitism. PrfA activates transcription by binding as a dimer to a palindromic promoter element of canonical sequence tTAACanntGTtAa, with seven invariant nucleotides (in capitals) and a two-mismatch tolerance. PrfA integrates a number of environmental and bacteria-derived signals to ensure the correct spatio temporal and niche-adapted expression of the regulon, with maximum induction in the host cell cytosol and repression in the environmental habitat. Regulation operates through changes in PrfA activity-presumably by cofactor-mediated allosteric shift-and concentration, and involves transcriptional, translational and post-translational control mechanisms. There is evidence that PrfA exerts a more global influence on L. monocytogenes physiology via indirect mechanisms. PMID- 17765000 TI - [Research on embryonic cells. Legal aspects]. AB - Whilst maintaining the principle of a ban on embryo research, the bioethics law of August 6th 2004, updating the first bioethics laws passed in 1994, authorises French research teams to carry out studies and research on embryos or embryonic cells generated as part of an assisted reproduction programme, under special dispensation and for a maximum of five years from the date of publication of the decree of application of this text (Decree n(o) 2006-126, February 6th 2006, JO of 07/02/06). It also permits the importation and exportation of embryonic tissues and cells for such research and the storage of stem cells for scientific purposes. This highly supervised disposition is subject to control by the Biomedicine Agency, which is responsible for delivering and controlling authorisations for embryo research. PMID- 17764999 TI - Internalins: a complex family of leucine-rich repeat-containing proteins in Listeria monocytogenes. AB - The Listeria monocytogenes genome includes a large family of proteins harbouring leucine-rich repeats known as internalins (Inl). The generation of novel mutants and comparative analysis of Inl variability among Listeria and other bacterial genomes suggest that beyond the extensively-studied invasins, InlA and InlB, additional internalins also play important functions in the infectious process. PMID- 17765001 TI - [Cytological history of cases of invasive cervical cancer diagnosed in France in 2006]. AB - OBJECTIVE: After a significant decrease of the incidence of invasive cervical cancer with the practice of cytologic screening, the numbers remain the same nowadays. To explain the reasons for that, we performed a survey of the cases of invasive cervical cancer observed in France in 2006. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A questionnaire about screening practice was sent to every member of the French Society of Colposcopy (SFCPCV) to fill out for every invasive cancer diagnosed in 2006. RESULTS: Five hundred and twenty-four cases were collected: 2/3 of them never had a pap smear or were under screened. Indeed 27% had a labelled normal smear in the last three years. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: As many others, this study shows that the first risk factor remains the lack of screening. But, 27% are false negative pap smears and it is even 45% under 45 years. The first thing to do is an organized mass screening but the increasing number of false negatives raises the question of the quality control of the cytology, or else to turn to a new test. PMID- 17765002 TI - An efficient and practical synthesis of 2,3-epoxyl-1,3-diaryl-1-propanone by combination of phase transfer catalyst and ultrasound irradiation. AB - Synthesis of 2,3-epoxyl-1,3-diaryl-1-propanone via epoxidation of chalcone with aqueous sodium hypochlorite was carried out in 62-92% yields using benzyldimethyltetradecyl ammonium chloride as phase transfer catalyst under ultrasound irradiation. Compared to the classical method, the advantages of this method are a safer oxidant, mild conditions, no toxic solvent and shorter reaction time. PMID- 17765003 TI - Atlas stratification. AB - The process of constructing an atlas typically involves selecting one individual from a sample on which to base or root the atlas. If the individual selected is far from the population mean, then the resulting atlas is biased towards this individual. This, in turn, may bias any inferences made with the atlas. Unbiased atlas construction addresses this issue by either basing the atlas on the individual which is the median of the sample or by an iterative technique whereby the atlas converges to the unknown population mean. In this paper, we explore the question of whether a single atlas is appropriate for a given sample or whether there is sufficient image based evidence from which we can infer multiple atlases, each constructed from a subset of the data. We refer to this process as atlas stratification. Essentially, we determine whether the sample, and hence the population, is multi-modal and is best represented by an atlas per mode. In this preliminary work, we use the mean shift algorithm to identify the modes of the sample and multidimensional scaling to visualize the clustering process on clinical MRI neurological image datasets. PMID- 17765004 TI - Superbugs in the coming new decade; multidrug resistance and prospects for treatment of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 2010. AB - New resistance problems have emerged recently among hospital and community acquired pathogens such as in Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Hospital-acquired and now community-acquired methicillin resistant S. aureus are emerging worldwide whereas vancomycin-resistant S. aureus remain extremely rare. Hospital-acquired outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant enterococci and multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections are increasingly reported worldwide. Whereas novel molecules are being developed for treating Gram-positive infections, difficult to non possible-to-treat pandrug resistant P. aeruginosa infections may become a therapeutic challenge soon. PMID- 17765005 TI - An investigation of the feasibility of applying Raman microscopy for exploring stained glass. AB - Raman microscopy (RM) is widely used in archaeometrical studies of pigments, geomaterials and biomaterials in the Cultural Heritage, but one domain has received relatively less attention: the colouring of stained glass. This feasibility study investigates the advantages and disadvantages of employing RM alone in this field by means of a study of modern commercial glasses, modern commercial pigments, and a few archaeological stained glasses, but especially by an experimental project whereby the authors created stained glass. The different kinds of possible unreacted or reacted material are rigorously established. The distinction between Na, K, Ca glasses was explored, as well as the red colouring of an industrial glass which was proved to be due to the presence of (Zn, Cd)S(x)Se(1-x). Yellow, green, blue and maroon pigments were studied before and after an initial firing and then after heating on glass. The quality of the Raman spectra varied enormously and was sometimes disappointing. Nevertheless RM successfully identified various coloured products such as bindheimite, crocoite, cobalt aluminate, haematite; relict reactants such as corundum, eskolaite and oxides of Co or Pb; and provided indications of other phases such as maghemite or Co-olivine. One conclusion is that the amount of chemical reaction between the pigments and the glass is small compared to the amount in between the pigments. Comments are made on the potential for dating archaeological glass from the known age of synthesis of the pigments, and of the dangers of this approach. Overall it has been shown that RM can be useful for studying stained glass, especially for remote in situ analytical operations with mobile RM, but one must expect some problems either with fluorescence or weak spectra. PMID- 17765006 TI - Energy transfer studies in binary dye solution mixtures: Acriflavine+Rhodamine 6G and Acriflavine+Rhodamine B. AB - The effect of acceptor concentration on the energy transfer in Acriflavine (donar) plus Rhodamine 6G (Rh 6G) and Acriflavine plus Rhodamine B (Rh B) binary solution mixtures has been studied. The theoretical calculations are done to determine their lifetimes. Effect of these values on the total transfer efficiency at various acceptor concentrations have been studied to identify the appropriate energy transfer mechanism responsible for photon emissions, enhancement in lasing efficiency and dreading of the tenability of such mixed solutions. The energy transfer rate constants and critical transfer radius (R(0)) are calculated using Stern-Volmer plots and concentration dependence of radiative and non-radiative transfer efficiencies have also been determined. The experimental results indicate that dominant mechanism responsible for the efficient energy transfer in the binary mixtures is of non-radiative kind and is due to long-range dipole-dipole interaction. PMID- 17765007 TI - Viremia in human Cowpox virus infection. AB - BACKGROUND: Several poxviruses can infect humans and cause diseases of varying severity. Besides the eradicated Variola virus that induced high mortality rates, numerous further human pathogenic orthopoxviruses are potentially fatal but generally cause less severe infections. While infection-related viremia was described for Variola virus and seems to be rare for Monkeypox virus, it is still debated for Vaccinia virus. So far, viremia in Cowpox virus-infected humans has not been reported. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the potential risk of Cowpox virus to disseminate and develop severe infections, two Cowpox virus patients were examined for viremia. STUDY DESIGN: Whole blood, serum and fluid from virus induced lesions were analyzed by serology or quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: Real-time PCR and sequence analysis of the hemagglutinin gene confirmed Cowpox virus in the lesions of both patients. Serology performed on serum obtained at the same time as the lesion specimens demonstrated orthopoxvirus-specific IgG and IgM antibodies, indicating a recent orthopoxvirus infection. In addition, Cowpox virus DNA was detectable in whole blood, but not in serum, as late as week 4 post infection. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to observations following vaccination with Vaccinia virus, DNAemia in patients with localized symptoms of a Cowpox virus infection does not seem to be a rare event. However, its relevance for Cowpox virus pathogenicity has to be elucidated. PMID- 17765008 TI - High prevalence of an active human cytomegalovirus infection in patients with colonic diverticulitis. AB - BACKGROUND: Diverticulitis affects 10% of the western population and is characterized by microscopic inflammation of the colon. Increasing evidence suggests that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an important pathogen in various inflammatory diseases. We hypothesized that HCMV contributes to the progression of diverticulitis, especially in immunocompromised patients in whom HCMV is a significant pathogen. OBJECTIVES: To determine if HCMV is associated with diverticulitis and with an increased frequency of diverticulitis complications. STUDY DESIGN: We examined the prevalence of an active HCMV infection in 23 patients with diverticulitis. Serum samples were analyzed for the presence of HCMV-IgG and HCMV-IgM antibodies in 11 of these patients. Immunohistochemistry was used for detection of HCMV early antigens in intestinal paraffin tissue sections obtained from the diverticulitis patients. RESULTS: HCMV-early proteins could be detected in intestinal cells in 16/23 (69.6%) patients with diverticulitis. All of the 11 patients with serum samples were HCMV-IgG positive and 2 of these were also HCMV-IgM positive. CONCLUSION: Active HCMV infection is frequently associated with diverticulitis and could contribute to the inflammatory process characteristic of diverticulitis. PMID- 17765010 TI - Increasing glucose levels and BMI predict future heart failure experience from the Reykjavik Study. AB - BACKGROUND: Heart failure is common in diabetes and ischaemic heart disease is the most likely link. Still, it has been suggested that the relation extends beyond such disease. METHODS: 7060 subjects with two or more visits in the Reykjavik Study were followed--during 30 years from 1967. All underwent oral glucose tolerance tests. Disease status was defined according to the glycaemic level and presence of heart failure. The incidence and predictive factors for these diseases were determined. FINDINGS: Age and sex standardized incidence of heart failure was 5.3/1000/year, of diabetes 4.6/1000/year and abnormal glucose regulation 12.6/1000/year. Body mass index (BMI) and fasting glucose predicted the development of these conditions (p<0.001). Increasing fasting glucose by 1 mmol/l increased the risk for heart failure by 14% (p=0.04) after adjusting for IHD, BMI and other risk factors for CVD. There was a strong association between diabetes and heart failure, OR 3.0 (2.3-4.0), and abnormal glucose regulation and heart failure, OR 1.8 (1.5-2.3). Diabetes and heart failure were, however, not independent predictors of each other. INTERPRETATION: There was an independent relationship between increases in fasting glucose and development of heart failure. BMI was a strong predictor of heart failure. Although fasting glucose and BMI were significant risk factors for glucose disturbances and heart failure the conditions themselves did not independently predict each other. PMID- 17765009 TI - A role for diacylglycerol in annexin A7-mediated fusion of lung lamellar bodies. AB - Lung surfactant secretion in alveolar type II cells occurs following lamellar body fusion with plasma membrane. Annexin A7 is a Ca2+-dependent membrane-binding protein that is postulated to promote membrane fusion during exocytosis in some cell types including type II cells. Since annexin A7 preferably binds to lamellar body membranes, we postulated that specific lipids could modify the mode of annexin A7 interaction with membranes and its membrane fusion activity. Initial studies with phospholipid vesicles containing phosphatidylserine and other lipids showed that certain lipids affected protein interaction with vesicle membranes as determined by change in protein tryptophan fluorescence, protein interaction with trans membranes, and by protein sensitivity to limited proteolysis. The presence of signaling lipids, diacylglycerol or phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate, as minor components also modified the lipid vesicle effect on these characteristics and membrane fusion activity of annexin A7. In vitro incubation of lamellar bodies with diacylglycerol or phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate caused their enrichment with either lipid, and increased the annexin A7 and Ca2+-mediated fusion of lamellar bodies. Treatment of isolated lung lamellar bodies with phosphatidylinositol- or phosphatidylcholine phospholipase C to increase diacylglycerol, without or with preincubation with phosphatidylinositol-4,5 bisphosphate, augmented the fusion activity of annexin A7. Thus, increased diacylglycerol in lamellar bodies following cell stimulation with secretagogues may enhance membrane fusion activity of annexin A7. PMID- 17765011 TI - Sleep deprivation reduces perceived emotional intelligence and constructive thinking skills. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Insufficient sleep can adversely affect a variety of cognitive abilities, ranging from simple alertness to higher-order executive functions. Although the effects of sleep loss on mood and cognition are well documented, there have been no controlled studies examining its effects on perceived emotional intelligence (EQ) and constructive thinking, abilities that require the integration of affect and cognition and are central to adaptive functioning. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-six healthy volunteers completed the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQi) and the Constructive Thinking Inventory (CTI) at rested baseline and again after 55.5 and 58 h of continuous wakefulness, respectively. RESULTS: Relative to baseline, sleep deprivation was associated with lower scores on Total EQ (decreased global emotional intelligence), Intrapersonal functioning (reduced self-regard, assertiveness, sense of independence, and self-actualization), Interpersonal functioning (reduced empathy toward others and quality of interpersonal relationships), Stress Management skills (reduced impulse control and difficulty with delay of gratification), and Behavioral Coping (reduced positive thinking and action orientation). Esoteric Thinking (greater reliance on formal superstitions and magical thinking processes) was increased. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with the neurobehavioral model suggesting that sleep loss produces temporary changes in cerebral metabolism, cognition, emotion, and behavior consistent with mild prefrontal lobe dysfunction. PMID- 17765012 TI - Physically active elderly women sleep more and better than sedentary women. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aging process leads to changes in sleep with a negative impact on the quality of life. Sleep is an important marker of quality of life and the relationship between physical exercise and sleep conditions has been the subject of various scientific studies, suggesting that the elderly who practice physical exercise present fewer sleeping problems. The purpose of this study was to compare the sleep of physically active and sedentary elderly women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included 101 elderly women, 53 practicing physical activity (PAG) and 48 sedentary (SG), matched for age, weight and height. All kept a sleep log and were asked to rate their sleep quality on a visual analog scale (VAS) daily for 30 days. RESULTS: Mean total sleep time (TST) was 7 h 12 min for PAG and 6 h 24 min for SG (p<.01). There were no differences for mean total nap time (TNT) and amount of naps (AN) between PAG and SG. Mean wake up after sleep onset (WASO) was 1h in the PAG and 2 h in the SG (p<.05). The mean perception of sleep quality was 8.3 for PAG and 5.8 for SG (p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that physically active women sleep more and better than sedentary women. PMID- 17765013 TI - Efficacy of the selective extrasynaptic GABA A agonist, gaboxadol, in a model of transient insomnia: a randomized, controlled clinical trial. AB - OBJECTIVE: The hypnotic efficacy of gaboxadol, a selective extrasynaptic GABA A agonist (SEGA), was evaluated in a phase-advance model of transient insomnia. METHODS: Healthy subjects (18-64 years) completed a randomized, double-blind, parallel group study in which the sleep period was advanced 4h from habitual sleep time. Polysomnographic (PSG) and self-reported sleep measures were used to compare gaboxadol 10mg (N =271) and 15 mg (N =274) versus placebo (N =277). RESULTS: In the placebo group, the phase-advance procedure disrupted sleep maintenance as measured by PSG wakefulness after sleep onset (WASO) and self reported WASO (sWASO), and also, to a lesser extent, disrupted sleep onset as measured by PSG latency to persistent sleep (LPS) and self-reported time to sleep onset (sTSO). Both doses of gaboxadol decreased WASO and sWASO versus placebo (p 20% in Caucasians and other populations. This allele is found at much lower frequency in parts of West Africa where malarial and intestinal helminth infections are endemic. Here, we investigate whether there is a significant association between chitotriosidase genotype and the intensity of hookworm infection in 693 individuals from five villages in Papua New Guinea. Individuals were genotyped for chitotriosidase using a PCR-based assay. There was no association between CHIT1 genotype and the intensity of hookworm infection as determined by faecal egg counts. The frequency of the mutant allele was 0.251, very similar to that found in non-endemic countries. The extent of geographical variation in allele frequencies across worldwide populations was not high (F(st)=0.11), and does not provide evidence for directional selection at this locus between different geographical areas. We conclude that the CHIT1 genotype does not play a crucial role in protection against hookworm infection. This does not correlate with a previous study that linked the mutant CHIT1 genotype to filariasis susceptibility. The possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. PMID- 17765021 TI - Long-term trends in body mass index of children in Jena, Eastern Germany. AB - The body mass index (BMI) is widely used as an indicator of nutritional status of individuals and groups, changes in this measure reflecting changes in living conditions. The purpose of this paper is to present long-term BMI trends of schoolchildren from Jena/Eastern Germany over 125 years. The analysis is based on 10 anthropological investigations carried out between 1880 and 2005/2006 and belongs to the longest running, continuous investigation of schoolchildren in a single community worldwide. The average BMI of the 7- to 14-year-old probands generally increases between the first investigation in 1880 and the last study in 2005/2006 by 1.8 kg/m(2) in boys and by 2.1 kg/m(2) in girls. However, this long term increase of the BMI does not occur continuously. The trend was interrupted for example by declining average BMI values between 1932 and 1944. In contrast, the time after German reunification is characterised by a marked increase in this measure. The changes in BMI of Jena schoolchildren are also analysed in relation to energy intake in different years. There is an association between changes in energy intake and changes in BMI, which weakens after 1985. This indicates that the recent dramatic increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity is not only due to an increased energy intake but also reflects a more inactive lifestyle of children and adolescents. The continuing change in the BMI pattern of Jena children and adolescents is discussed in regard to programmes of prevention of overweight and obesity. PMID- 17765020 TI - Homologous recombination and the yKu70/80 complex exert opposite roles in resistance against the killer toxin from Pichia acaciae. AB - The linear plasmid (pPac1-2) encoded killer toxin (PaT) of the yeast Pichia acaciae arrests sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells in the S-phase of the cell cycle and induces mutations. Here we provide evidence for opposite effects in PaT resistance of homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), the two alternative repair mechanisms acting on DNA double strand breaks (DSB). As mutants defective in genes of the RAD52 epistasis group react hypersensitive and cells lacking YKU70 or YKU80 are partially resistant, the yKu70/80 complex facilitates PaT toxicity, whereas HR is antagonistic. In contrast to yku70 and yku80, lif1 mutants, the latter being defective in the ligation step of NHEJ, are PaT sensitive, confining toxicity promoting effects of NHEJ to the DSB end binding Ku proteins. Since rad52 yku80 double mutants display strong hypersensitivity, yku80 mediated resistance depends on HR. Opposite effects of the yKu70/80 complex and HR are consistent with the occurrence of replication dependent (one sided) DSBs in PaT treated cells. Concordantly, two cellular markers signaling DSBs are induced during PaT mediated S-phase arrest, i.e. histone H2A phosphorylation and formation of subnuclear repair foci by GFP tagged recombination protein Rad52. As only moderate chromosome fragmentation could be detected by PFGE, transient occurrence and efficient in vivo repair of PaT induced DSBs is assumed. Consistent with replication dependent DSB formation induced by PaT, we demonstrate a protective function of the RecQ helicase Sgs1 and the structure specific endonuclease Mus81, both of which are considered to be involved in processing and restart of stalled replication forks. PMID- 17765022 TI - Proteomic analysis of cathepsin B- and L-deficient mouse brain lysosomes. AB - Cathepsins B and L are lysosomal cysteine proteases which have been implicated in a variety of pathological processes such as cancer, tumor angiogenesis, and neurodegeneration. However, only a few protein substrates have thus far been described and the mechanisms by which cathepsins B and L regulate cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis are poorly understood. Combined deficiency of both cathepsins results in early-onset neurodegeneration in mice reminiscent of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses in humans. Therefore, we intended to quantify accumulated proteins in brain lysosomes of double deficient mice. A combination of subcellular fractionation and LC-MS/MS using isobaric tagging for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) allowed us to simultaneously assess wildtype and cathepsin B(-/-)L(-/-) cerebral lysosomes. Altogether, 19 different proteins were significantly increased in cathepsin B(-/-)L(-/-) lysosomes. Most elevated proteins had previously been localized to neuronal biosynthetic, recycling/endocytic or lysosomal compartments. A more than 10-fold increase was observed for Rab14, the Delta/Notch-like epidermal growth factor-related receptor (DNER), calcyon, and carboxypeptidase E. Intriguingly, immunohistochemistry demonstrated that Rab14 and DNER specifically stain swollen axons in double deficient brains. Since dense accumulations of expanded axons are the earliest phenotypic and pathognomonic feature of cathepsin B(-/-)L(-/-) brains, our data suggest a role for cathepsins B and L in recycling processes during axon outgrowth and synapse formation in the developing postnatal central nervous system. PMID- 17765024 TI - Cranial defect after sliding of bone flap: a preventable complication. PMID- 17765025 TI - A mechanical and computational investigation on the effects of conduit orientation on the strength of massive bone allografts. AB - Structural bone allografts are used to reconstruct large skeletal defects resulting from trauma, tumor resection, or revision arthroplasty. Though used for over a century, bone allografts suffer from a high rate of mechanical failure due to limited graft revitalization even after extended periods in vivo. The current study evaluated the mechanical properties of longitudinally perforated cortical bone allografts (LAP) that have been shown to promote accelerated graft incorporation in a large animal model. The compressive and tensile properties of longitudinally perforated allograft specimens, as determined through uniaxial compression and diametral compression tests, respectively, were not significantly affected by the presence of the conduit. However, transversely perforated grafts (TAP) demonstrated a marked decrease in tensile capacity (p=0.04). Finite element analysis demonstrated moderate increases in the maximum principal stresses in LAP specimens while TAP models indicated an 83.4% increase in maximum principle stress near the conduit on the endosteal surface of the graft. This research and the previous in vivo study suggest that LAP adequately serves as an internal template within the cortical bone allograft for osseous apposition and revitalization without adversely affecting the structural or mechanical integrity of the graft. PMID- 17765023 TI - Benign pancreatic hyperenzymemia: the diagnostic puzzle. PMID- 17765027 TI - Rapidly reversible cardiogenic shock as a pheochromocytoma presentation. PMID- 17765026 TI - Proteolytic processing and polarized secretion of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase is altered in a subpopulation of metaphyseal osteoclasts in cathepsin K-deficient mice. AB - Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) is an enzyme highly expressed in osteoclasts and thought to participate in osteoclast-mediated bone turnover. Cathepsin K (Ctsk) is the major collagenolytic cysteine proteinase expressed in osteoclasts and has recently been shown to be able to proteolytically process and activate TRAP in vitro. In this study, 4-week-old Ctsk(-/-) mice were analysed for TRAP expression at the mRNA, protein and enzyme activity levels to delineate a role of cathepsin K in TRAP processing in osteoclasts in vivo. The absence of cathepsin K in osteoclasts was associated with increased expression of TRAP mRNA, monomeric TRAP protein and total TRAP activity. Proteolytic processing of TRAP was not abolished but prematurely arrested at an intermediate stage without changing enzyme activity, a finding confirmed with RANKL-differentiated osteoclast-like cell line RAW264.7 treated with the cysteine proteinase inhibitor E-64. Thus, the increase in total TRAP activity was mainly due to increased cellular content of monomeric TRAP. The increase in monomeric TRAP expression was more pronounced in osteoclasts of the distal compared to the proximal part of the metaphyseal trabecular bone, suggesting a site-dependent role for cathepsin K in TRAP processing. Moreover, intracellular localization of monomeric TRAP was altered in distal metaphyseal osteoclasts from Ctsk(-/-) mice. Additionally, TRAP was secreted into the ruffled border as the processed form in osteoclasts of Ctsk(-/-) mice, unlike in osteoclasts from wild-type mice which secreted TRAP to the resorption lacuna as the monomeric form. The results demonstrate that cathepsin K is not only involved in proteolytic processing but also affects the intracellular trafficking of TRAP, particularly in osteoclasts of the distal metaphysis. However, contribution by other yet unidentified protease(s) to TRAP processing must also be invoked since proteolytic cleavage of TRAP is not abolished in Ctsk(-/-) mice. Importantly, this study highlights functional differences between bone-resorbing clasts within the trabecular metaphyseal bone, suggesting potentially important differences in the regulation of differentiation and activation depending on the precise anatomical localization of the clast population. PMID- 17765028 TI - Q fever in US military returning from Iraq. PMID- 17765029 TI - Treatment of depression in patients with coronary heart disease. PMID- 17765032 TI - Opioid agreement or patient-centric action plan? PMID- 17765031 TI - Spinal cord stimulation: a new form of pain modulatory treatment in cardiac syndrome X. PMID- 17765033 TI - Opioid-induced androgen deficiency discussion in opioid contracts. PMID- 17765035 TI - Unexplained isolated elevation in serum aspartate aminotransferase: think macro! PMID- 17765034 TI - Cold water-induced pulmonary edema. PMID- 17765036 TI - Cinacalcet-associated graft dysfunction and nephrocalcinosis in a kidney transplant recipient. PMID- 17765037 TI - Screening for prostate cancer: current status and future prospects. PMID- 17765038 TI - A new approach to primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. PMID- 17765039 TI - Frailty: an emerging geriatric syndrome. AB - Frailty is a new and emerging syndrome in the field of geriatrics. The study of frailty may provide an explanation for the downward spiral of many elderly patients after an acute illness and hospitalization. The fact that frailty is not present in all elderly persons suggests that it is associated with aging but not an inevitable process of aging and may be prevented or treated. The purpose of this article is to review what is known about frailty, including the definition, epidemiology, and pathophysiology, and to examine potential areas of future research. PMID- 17765040 TI - Prerenal success in chronic kidney disease. AB - Renin-angiotensin system inhibitors and diuretics are commonly prescribed to patients with chronic kidney disease to reduce systemic blood pressure. The renin angiotensin inhibitors also reduce intraglomerular pressure. The lower pressures may result in initial increases in the serum creatinine. The long-term renoprotection provided by these therapies establishes the basis for tolerating the initial increases. However, physicians are sometimes reluctant to continue these treatments when the serum creatinine increases. Several reasons for this reluctance are discussed, including the failure to distinguish between hemodynamic- and parenchymal-mediated changes in kidney function. In addition, the lack of a formal term and place in our diagnostic algorithm for increases in serum creatinine that derive from ultimately beneficial hemodynamic alterations may be a hindrance. The term "prerenal success" is proposed to describe hemodynamic alterations associated with improved prognosis and is placed in a new algorithm. Finally, recent literature describing harmful effects of increases in serum creatinine in other cohorts is reviewed; these cohorts are sufficiently different from the stable chronic kidney disease patient that the results ought not to be extrapolated. PMID- 17765041 TI - Difficult-to-control asthma in adults. AB - Difficult-to-control asthma in adults is under-diagnosed and under-treated in the United States, particularly in those 40 years of age or older. Increasing attention has been focused on the subset of adult patients with poorly controlled asthma because they consume up to 85% of all health care dollars spent on asthma, while representing 20% of all asthma patients. In this article, we define difficult-to-control asthma and discuss the problem of misdiagnosis. We present an algorithm for confirming the diagnosis in these patients and highlight the importance of patient self-assessment. PMID- 17765042 TI - Evaluation of the adult with suspected immunodeficiency. AB - Several primary immunodeficiencies may have their initial presentation in adulthood. Although recurrent infections are the hallmark of an underlying immunodeficiency, they need not be the presenting manifestation. This review highlights aspects of infections, as well as noninfectious diseases, that should prompt a high index of suspicion for an underlying immune disorder. The office tests that can be obtained for initial screening and their interpretation are detailed. PMID- 17765043 TI - A vast differential. PMID- 17765045 TI - A pickled plum of a problem. PMID- 17765044 TI - A rolling stone. PMID- 17765046 TI - Can't catch a breath. PMID- 17765047 TI - Narrowing in on a diagnosis. PMID- 17765048 TI - Efficacy of short-course antibiotic regimens for community-acquired pneumonia: a meta-analysis. AB - PURPOSE: There is little consensus on the most appropriate duration of antibiotic treatment for community-acquired pneumonia. The goal of this study is to systematically review randomized controlled trials comparing short-course and extended-course antibiotic regimens for community-acquired pneumonia. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL, and reviewed reference lists from 1980 through June 2006. Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials that compared short-course (7 days or less) versus extended-course (>7 days) antibiotic monotherapy for community-acquired pneumonia in adults. The primary outcome measure was failure to achieve clinical improvement. RESULTS: We found 15 randomized controlled trials matching our inclusion and exclusion criteria comprising 2796 total subjects. Short-course regimens primarily studied the use of azithromycin (n=10), but trials examining beta-lactams (n=2), fluoroquinolones (n=2), and ketolides (n=1) were found as well. Of the extended course regimens, 3 studies utilized the same antibiotic, whereas 9 involved an antibiotic of the same class. Overall, there was no difference in the risk of clinical failure between the short-course and extended-course regimens (0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-1.02). In addition, there were no differences in the risk of mortality (0.81, 95% CI, 0.46-1.43) or bacteriologic eradication (1.11, 95% CI, 0.76-1.62). In subgroup analyses, there was a trend toward favorable clinical efficacy for the short-course regimens in all antibiotic classes (range of relative risk, 0.88-0.94). CONCLUSIONS: The available studies suggest that adults with mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia can be safely and effectively treated with an antibiotic regimen of 7 days or less. Reduction in patient exposure to antibiotics may limit the increasing rates of antimicrobial drug resistance, decrease cost, and improve patient adherence and tolerability. PMID- 17765049 TI - The safety of oral antifungal treatments for superficial dermatophytosis and onychomycosis: a meta-analysis. AB - PURPOSE: We estimated the absolute risks of treatment termination and incidence of adverse liver outcomes among all commonly used oral antifungal treatments for superficial dermatophytosis and onychomycosis. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched to identify randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials, case series, and cohort studies published before December 31, 2005. Two reviewers independently applied selection criteria, performed quality assessment, and extracted data. Treatment arms with the same regimen in terms of drug, type (continuous or intermittent), and dosage were combined to estimate the risk of an outcome of interest. RESULTS: We identified 122 studies with approximately 20,000 enrolled patients for planned comparison. The pooled risks (95% confidence intervals) of treatment discontinuation resulting from adverse reactions for continuous therapy were 3.44% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.28% 4.61%) for terbinafine 250 mg/day; 1.96% (95% CI, 0.35%-3.57%) for itraconazole 100 mg/day; 4.21% (95% CI, 2.33%-6.09%) for itraconazole 200 mg/day; and 1.51% (95% CI, 0%-4.01%) for fluconazole 50 mg/day. For intermittent therapy, the pooled risks were as follows: pulse terbinafine: 2.09% (95% CI, 0%-4.42%); pulse itraconazole: 2.58% (95% CI, 1.15%-4.01%); intermittent fluconazole 150 mg/week: 1.98% (95% CI, 0.05%-3.92%); and intermittent fluconazole 300 to 450 mg/week: 5.76% (95% CI, 2.42%-9.10%). The risk of liver injury requiring termination of treatment ranged from 0.11% (continuous itraconazole 100 mg/day) to 1.22% (continuous fluconazole 50 mg/day). The risk of having asymptomatic elevation of serum transaminase but not requiring treatment discontinuation was less than 2.0% for all treatment regimens evaluated. CONCLUSION: Oral antifungal therapy against superficial dermatophytosis and onychomycosis, including intermittent and continuous terbinafine, itraconazole, and fluconazole, was associated with a low incidence of adverse events in an immunocompetent population. PMID- 17765052 TI - Criteria for the electrocardiographic diagnosis of atrial flutter improve diagnostic accuracy. AB - PURPOSE: We previously developed and validated diagnostic criteria for the differentiation of atrial flutter from atrial fibrillation. In this study we examine if the criteria (F waves in the frontal plane and a partially or completely regular ventricular response) can improve the diagnostic accuracy of internists. METHODS: Two groups of 10 internists (1 group given the criteria and 1 not) read a set of electrocardiograms (ECGs) selected from the hospital database with cardiologist-confirmed diagnoses of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, or "atrial fibrillation-flutter" (100 each). The final diagnoses of all ECGs were provided by a consensus of electrophysiologists. The criteria also were used to establish the criteria-based diagnoses. RESULTS: Of the 298 ECGs analyzed, the electrophysiologist diagnosis was atrial fibrillation in 71% and atrial flutter in 29%. The concordance of the internists' diagnoses with the electrophysiologist consensus diagnoses was 66+/-12% for those not given the criteria and 81+/-4% (P <.01) for those given the criteria. The concordance of the internists' diagnoses with the criteria based diagnoses was 66+/-12% for those not given the criteria and 83+/-4% (P <.01) for those given the criteria. CONCLUSIONS: The simple criteria of F waves in the frontal plane and a partially or completely regular ventricular response can be used to improve the differentiation of atrial flutter from atrial fibrillation based on the ECG. PMID- 17765050 TI - Impact of cardiac rehabilitation on depression and its associated mortality. AB - PURPOSE: Depression following major cardiac events is associated with higher mortality, but little is known about whether this can be reduced through treatment including cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training. We evaluated the impact of cardiac rehabilitation on depression and its associated mortality in coronary patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated 522 consecutive coronary patients (381 men, 141 women; aged 64+/-10 years) enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation from January 2000 to July 2005 and a control group of 179 patients not completing rehabilitation. Depressive symptoms were assessed by questionnaire at baseline and following rehabilitation, and mortality was evaluated after a mean follow-up of 1296+/-551 days. RESULTS: Prevalence of depressive symptoms decreased 63% following rehabilitation, from 17% to 6% (P <.0001). Depressed patients following rehabilitation had an over 4-fold higher mortality than nondepressed patients (22% vs 5%, P=.0004). Depressed patients who completed rehabilitation had a 73% lower mortality (8% vs 30%; P=.0005) compared with control depressed subjects who did not complete rehabilitation. Reductions in depressive symptoms and its associated mortality were related to improvements in fitness; however, similar reductions were noted in those with either modest or marked increases in exercise capacity. CONCLUSION: In patients following major coronary events, cardiac rehabilitation is associated with both reductions in depressive symptoms and the excess mortality associated with it. Moreover, only mild improvements in levels of fitness appear to be needed to produce these benefits on depressive symptoms and its associated mortality. PMID- 17765051 TI - Independent vascular and cognitive risk factors for postoperative delirium. AB - BACKGROUND: Delirium is a common, morbid, and costly syndrome that occurs frequently after surgery for atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that vascular risk factors and mildly impaired cognitive performance would independently predispose nondemented patients to develop delirium after noncardiac surgery. METHODS: The International Study of Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction recruited patients undergoing noncardiac surgery from 8 countries. Subjects provided detailed medical history and underwent preoperative testing of multiple cognitive domains with a neuropsychologic battery. Postoperatively, subjects (n=1161) were assessed daily for delirium. RESULTS: Ninety-nine subjects (8%) developed delirium. In bivariable analysis, several vascular risk factors were significantly associated with the likelihood of delirium, including male sex, exposure to tobacco, previous myocardial infarction, and vascular surgery. After adjustment for age, tobacco exposure and vascular surgery were independent vascular risk factors for delirium (adjusted relative risk [RR] 3.2, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1 4.9). In addition, mildly impaired cognitive performance, defined as performance 1.5 standard deviation below the mean on either of 2 neuropsychologic tests, was independently associated with delirium (adjusted RR 2.2, 95% CI, 1.4-3.6). Subjects with both vascular risk factors and mildly impaired cognitive performance were at double the risk of delirium (RR 2.2, 95% CI, 1.2-4.2) compared with those with either of these risk factors alone. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular risk and mildly impaired cognitive performance independently predispose patients to delirium after noncardiac surgery. These factors will help to identify high-risk patients for delirium and to design and target future intervention strategies. PMID- 17765053 TI - Characteristics of hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation in Taiwan: a nationwide observation. AB - PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to describe the nationwide epidemiological data for hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation in Taiwan. METHODS: We collected information on hospitalized patients with discharge-diagnosed atrial fibrillation from 1997 through 2002 from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database. Patients were examined for temporal trends in the frequency of the disease, clinical characteristics, and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Of 162,340 patients (mean age, 73.8 years), 55.3% were men and 38.6% had a primary diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. The mean annual frequency of diagnosed atrial fibrillation was 127 per 100,000 persons. The frequency of atrial fibrillation rose from 91 (1997) to 150 (2002) per 100,000 persons (P <.001); it significantly increased directly with age from 4 per 100,000 in patients <50 years to 1571 per 100,000 in patients > or =80 years. The frequency was significantly higher in men than in women (137 vs 116 per 100,000; P <.001). The average in-hospital mortality rate was 9.3%. In-hospital mortality rate showed a decreasing trend (9.9% vs 7.6%; P = .003). Comorbidities of ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease, hypertension, ischemic stroke, and congestive heart failure were predictors of higher mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This Taiwanese study showed a 1.65 fold increase in the frequency of diagnosed atrial fibrillation during the study period. The in-hospital mortality rate, however, declined. The frequency of atrial fibrillation was higher in men and the elderly. We should be more concerned about negative outcomes in hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation and other coexisting cardiovascular conditions. PMID- 17765054 TI - Troponin I levels in patients with preeclampsia. AB - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia involves a diffuse inflammatory state and elevated levels of troponins in patients with preeclampsia have been anecdotally reported. It is, however, unknown whether it is attributable to the preeclampsia. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the troponin I levels at the time of delivery in pregnant women with and without preeclampsia. METHODS: Plasma samples were obtained at the time of delivery and serum troponin I was measured by ELISA method. RESULTS: Thirty-nine women were included (20 with preeclampsia and 19 without). Mean troponin I level was 0.008 ng/mL in patients with preeclampsia and 0.01 ng/mL in controls (P =.59). The highest troponin I level was 0.04 ng/mL for both patients with and without preeclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: Preeclampsia was not associated with a rise in troponin I levels in our study. Patients with preeclampsia and elevated troponin levels should have further cardiac investigations. PMID- 17765056 TI - Clinical simulation: importance to the internal medicine educational mission. PMID- 17765055 TI - Medical errors arising from outsourcing laboratory and radiology services. AB - OBJECTIVE: Document errors and the nuisance factor inherent in the informational exchange that occurs with the outsourcing of laboratory and radiology examinations. METHODS: Three infectious diseases physicians at a tertiary care hospital recorded problems involving data transmitted by telephone or fax from outsource providers for 4 months. This included in- and outpatients, and those in transition from one status to another. RESULTS: Outsourcing laboratory and radiology examinations of insured outpatients is a common practice. Insurance companies determine which healthcare facility performs these tests based on contractual agreements with outsource providers. This leads to confusion and frustration for the doctor and patient alike, and occasionally, to medical error. CONCLUSIONS: The exchange of patient data involved in outsourcing is subject to systemic errors that do not allow of easy solution. PMID- 17765058 TI - Recent developments in potentiometric biosensors for biomedical analysis. AB - A large variety of potentiometric biosensors is developed using biocatalytic and bioaffinity-based biosensing schemes. However, only few of them could be applied for the biomedical analysis. The most promising are those for the detection of main products of protein metabolism, namely urea and creatinine. A novel group of potentiometric biosensors is constituted by bioaffinity-based devices that could be used for immunoassays or genoanalysis. This paper reviews the recent trends in these fields as well as discusses advantages, limitations and pitfalls of the developed biosensors. Some potentiometric biosensors useful for real biomedical analysis are reported in detail. PMID- 17765057 TI - A new LC-ESI-MS/MS method to measure long-chain acylcarnitine levels in cultured cells. AB - The quantitative evaluation of long-chain acylcarnitines in lipid extracts from cultured cells or tissues is a prerequisite to study carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) activity. There is thus a need for the accurate measurement of the concentration of long-chain acylcarnitines at the lowest concentration present in lipid extracts. Here we report a fast and reliable quantitative method based on the use of weak acid extraction and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) to quantify acylcarnitines through hydrophilic interaction chromatography. The method was validated using isotopic dilution and the results allow the analysis of a large number of samples at low concentration levels (down to 0.35 nmol L(-1) for palmitoylcarnitine) with good inter- and intra-day precision. The method was used for the quantitative study of changes in concentration of palmitoylcarnitine and other acylcarnitines in PC-12 cells over-expressing CPT1a gene. It was also used to measure CPT1 activity in mitochondria isolated from transfected cells, giving similar results to the more common radiometric method, but with higher sensitivity. PMID- 17765059 TI - Production date determination of uranium-oxide materials by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. AB - The paper describes analytical methods developed for the production date determination of uranium-based nuclear materials by the measurement of 230Th/234U isotope ratio. An improved sample preparation method for the destructive analysis involving extraction chromatographic separation with TEVA resin was applied prior to the measurement by isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS). The results obtained were compared with the direct, quasi-non-destructive measurement using laser ablation ICP-SFMS technique for age determination. The advantages and limitations of both methods are discussed. PMID- 17765060 TI - Variable interaction network based variable selection for multivariate calibration. AB - Multivariate calibration problems often involve the identification of a meaningful subset of variables, from a vast number of variables for better prediction of output variables. A new graph theoretic method based on partial correlations (variable interaction network-VIN) is proposed. Many well studied representative calibration datasets spanning different application domains are selected for investigating the performance. Partial least squares (PLS) regression models combined with variable selection techniques are employed for benchmarking the performance. Subsets of variables with different number of variables are retained for the final analysis after VIN selection and progressive prediction accuracies are used for comparison. VIN-PLS results show significant improvement in prediction efficiencies and variable subset optimization. Improvement of up to 45% over existing methods with significantly fewer variables is achieved using the new method. Advantages of VIN based variable selection are highlighted. PMID- 17765062 TI - A comparison between the determination of free Pb(II) by two techniques: absence of gradients and Nernstian equilibrium stripping and resin titration. AB - Absence of gradients and Nernstian equilibrium stripping (AGNES) is an emerging electroanalytical technique designed to measure free metal ion concentration. The practical implementation of AGNES requires a critical selection of the deposition time, which can be drastically reduced if the contribution of the complexes is properly taken into account. The resin titration (RT) is a competition method based on the sorption of metal ions on a complexing resin. The competitor here considered is the resin Chelex 100 whose sorbing properties towards Pb(II) are well known. The RT is a consolidated technique especially suitable to perform an intercomparison with AGNES, due to its independent physicochemical nature. Two different ligands for Pb(II) complexation have been analyzed here: nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PDCA). The complex PbNTA is practically inert in the diffusion layer, so, for ordinary deposition potentials, its contribution is almost negligible; however, at potentials more negative than -0.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl the complex dissociates on the electrodic surface giving rise to a second wave in techniques such as normal pulse polarography. The complex Pb-PDCA is partially labile, so that its contribution can be estimated from an expression of the lability degree of the complex. These new strategies allow us to reduce the deposition time. The free Pb(II) concentrations obtained by AGNES and by RT are in full agreement for both systems here considered. The main advantage of the use of AGNES in these systems lies in the reduction of the time of the experiment, while RT can be applied to non amalgamating elements and offers the possibility of simultaneous determinations. PMID- 17765063 TI - Assembly of polyoxometalates on carbon nanotubes paste electrode and its catalytic behaviors. AB - Carbon nanotubes paste (CNTP) electrode was prepared with multi-walled carbon nanotubes and methyl silicone oil. Polyoxometalates (POMs) were assembled on the electrode surface with different methods, and investigated by cyclic voltammetry and Raman spectroscopy. Experiments showed that POMs/CNTP electrode prepared by direct method had better performance. K6P2Mo18O62 x 14 H2O (P2Mo18) assembled CNTP electrode (P2Mo18/CNTP) electrode possessed good reversibility and could catalyze the reduction of bromate and iodate in 0.1 M H2SO4 solution. Further, the multilayer films of P2Mo18 assembled CNTP electrodes were fabricated by layer by-layer technique, which showed higher electrocatalytic activities. All these POMs assembled CNTP electrodes prepared exhibited good stability. PMID- 17765061 TI - Optimization of a glucose biosensor setup based on a Ni/Al HT matrix. AB - An amperometric glucose biosensor was developed using an anionic clay matrix of hydrotalcitic nature (Ni/Al-NO3 HT) as enzyme support, which was electrochemically synthesized at -0.90 V versus SCE, using a rotating disk Pt electrode to assure homogeneity of the electrodeposition suspension. The biorecognition element was glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilized on HT during the electrosynthesis, which was followed by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde vapours to avoid the enzyme release. The performances of the biosensor, in terms of sensitivity to glucose calculated from the slope of the calibration curve, are dependent on parameters related to the electrodeposition. An experimental design was applied to detect the optimal conditions of electrosynthesis in order to optimize the glucose biosensor performance. The factors taken into account were enzyme concentration and Ni/Al molar ratio. A full factorial design was performed to study linear interactions between factors and their quadratic effects and the optimal setup was evaluated by the isoresponse curves. The significant factors were enzyme concentration (linear and quadratic terms) and the interaction between enzyme concentration and Ni/Al molar ratio. Under the optimized electrodeposition conditions, the reproducibility of the biosensor fabrication was very good, being the RSD of the sensitivity about 5%. PMID- 17765064 TI - Determination of humic substances in natural waters by cathodic stripping voltammetry of their complexes with iron. AB - A new voltammetric method is presented for the measurement of humic substances (HS) in natural waters. The method is based on catalytic cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) and makes use of adsorptive properties of iron-HS complexes on the mercury drop electrode at natural pH. A fulvic acid standard (IHSS) was used to confirm the voltammetric response (peak potential and sensitivity) for the HS for natural water samples. Optimized conditions included the linear-sweep mode, deposition at -0.1 V, pH buffered at 8 and a scan rate of 50 mV s(-1). At a deposition time of 240 s in the presence of 10 nM iron and 30 mM bromate, the detection limit was 5 microg L(-1) HS in seawater, which could be lowered further by an increase in the bromate concentration, or in the adsorption time. The method was used to determine HS in the Irish Sea which were found to occur at levels between 60 and 600 microg L(-1). The new method is sufficiently sensitive to detect the low HS content in oceanic samples and has implications to the study of iron speciation. PMID- 17765065 TI - Complexing capacity profiles of naturally occurring ligands in Tempranillo wines for Cu and Zn: an electroanalytical approach for cupric casse. AB - Complexing capacity of naturally occurring ligands in Vitis vinifera (Tempranillo variety) wines has been studied with respect to two target metals (Cu and Zn) by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). Eight commercial wines of two certified brands of origin (CBO) and a young wine along its vinification process were monitored. Conditional stability constants and total complexing ligand(s) concentration(s) have been calculated for both metals. Discussion of the particular electrochemical responses for Cu and Zn for all samples is presented. A follow-up of the Cu stripping response allowed differentiating a commercial wine from one under processing related to the cupric casse phenomenon. Interaction of Cu with two molecular forms of cyanidin has been theoretically modeled at natural wine pH. PMID- 17765066 TI - Theoretical analysis and experimental evaluation of headspace in-drop derivatisation single-drop microextraction using aldehydes as model analytes. AB - In-drop derivatisation single-drop microextraction approach can constitute, to a certain degree, a low-cost reasonable alternative to the well-known on-fibre solid-phase microextraction. The headspace mode integrates extraction, preconcentration and derivatisation into a single step from the headspace of a sample. In this study, two low-molecular-weight aldehydes are derivatised in a hanging drop containing 2,4,6-trichlorophenylhydrazine, in a headspace single drop microextraction configuration system. The single organic drop, dispersed in gas phase, is well covered in this study as a locale of the main reaction. The measurement of diffusion and kinetic parameters and their relationship were designed to reveal, for the first time, inherent mechanistic aspects in such an analytical system. The two-film theory of mass transfer is used to discuss the mechanism along with the calculation of characteristic times and specific rates of absorption. All these, together with certain experimental data may ascertain whether the overall process is reaction rate dependent or limited by mass transfer in the gas phase, at the air-water and air-organic interface or in the organic phase. The descriptors of mass transfer and chemical reaction in a single drop are critically reviewed and reconsidered and the practical aspects for the analysis of volatile organic compounds are highlighted. Relative standard deviations for both aldehydes were 3.4% (n=5) and 4.9% (n=5) for 1 microM of hexanal and 0.3 microM of formaldehyde, respectively. Detection limits for aqueous samples were 0.1 and 0.03 microM for formaldehyde and hexanal, respectively. PMID- 17765067 TI - Alternative sorptive extraction method for gas chromatography determination of halogenated anisoles in water and wine samples. AB - An alternative sorptive microextraction method for the determination of five halogenated anisoles in water and wine matrices is proposed. Analytes were concentrated in an inexpensive and disposable piece of bulk polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), desorbed with a small volume of organic solvent, and determined by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC-ECD) or tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The influence of several factors on the efficiency of extraction and desorption steps was investigated in detail and the observed behaviour justified on the basis of thermodynamics and kinetics of the solid phase microextraction technique. Under optimised conditions, analytes were first extracted in the headspace (HS) mode, at room temperature, for 2.5 h and then desorbed with 1 mL of n-pentane. This extract was further evaporated to 50 microL. The overall extraction yield of the procedure ranged from 40 to 55% and the limits of quantification remained between 0.5 and 20 ng L(-1), depending on the compound considered and the detection technique. Precision and linearity of the method were excellent for all species with both GC-ECD and GC-MS/MS detection. Matrix effects were evaluated with different water and wine samples; moreover, the suitability of the PDMS sorbent for storage of analytes, under different conditions, was demonstrated. PMID- 17765068 TI - Optimization and validation of a new method for analysis of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates in sewage sludge by liquid chromatography after microwave-assisted extraction. AB - A new approach has been developed for the monitoring of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) (C10-C13) in sewage sludge. It is based on microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) prior to high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array (HPLC-DAD) and fluorescence (HPLC-FL) detectors. Column Zorbax XDB C8, 150 mm x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 microm particle size was used as well as acetonitrile water containing 0.1 M NaClO4 (65:35) and isocratic elution. Compounds were isocratically eluted over 6 min runtime at a flow rate of 1 mL min(-1). Since polar interferences are eluted between 0 and 2 min, they do not interfere in the analysis. The column was thermostated at a temperature of 25 degrees C. For the determination of LAS, DAD-UV (lambda(ex) = 225 nm) and fluorescence (lambda(ex) = 225 nm, lambda(em) = 295 nm) detectors were employed. The main factors affecting the extraction efficiency (extractant volume, microwave power and irradiation time) were optimized using a compost sludge. The detection limit for total LAS in the sludge was < 5 mg kg(-1). The extraction of C10-C13 homologues is carried out by using an extraction time of 10 min and 5 mL of methanol; whereas Soxhlet needs a 12 h extraction. The method did not require clean-up or preconcentration steps. Concentration levels of LAS were between 13,037 mg kg(-1) for digested sludge and 2492 mg kg(-1) for compost sludge. PMID- 17765069 TI - Characterization of steroidal saponins in crude extract from Dioscorea nipponica Makino by liquid chromatography tandem multi-stage mass spectrometry. AB - The liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem multi-stage mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS(n)) method was developed for the analyses and characterization of steroidal saponins in plant extract from the rhizome of Dioscorea nipponica Makino. The HPLC experiments were performed by means of a reversed-phase C18 column and a binary mobile phase system consisting of water and acetonitrile under gradient elution conditions. Pseudoprotodioscin, methyl protodioscin and dioscin were identified by comparing the retention times, UV spectra and the fragmentation properties of [M-H]- ions with the authentic standards. Four groups of steroidal saponin isomers possessed the [M-H]- ions at m/z 1063, 1045, 901 and 1047, respectively, were observed during the LC-ESI(-)-MS analysis, and three groups of them except the pair of isomers with the [M-H]- ions at m/z 1047 could be differentiated by LC-ESI(-)-MS3. Furthermore, the ESI MS(n) fragmentation behaviors of the [M+Li]+ ions of pseudoprotodioscin and methyl protodioscin have been investigated, and the observed information helped the structural elucidation of the more abundant isomer with the [M-H]- ion at m/z 1047. As the result, a special sugar sequence of the saccharide chains was observed that not glucose but rhamnose might be connected with the hydroxyl group at C-3 position of the steroidal aglycone. PMID- 17765070 TI - Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopic mapping for the characterisation of paint cross-sections. AB - Paint cross-sections have been analysed using the attenuated total reflection technique combined with FTIR mapping microspectroscopy in order to characterise the nature of the compounds present and map their localisation in the stratigraphy. The study reveals the possibilities offered by micro-ATR devices for obtaining informations about the organic substances employed in painting techniques and in particular their distribution in the different layers, showing a real improvement over traditional analytical investigations in use for the detection of organic substances. Limitations, such as the contamination of the embedding resin and the typical spectral resolution (20 microm) are presented and alternative methods were proposed to obtain better results. In particular, the use of an infrared transparent salt (KBr) as embedding material for the cross sections is evaluated and seems to be very promising. Furthermore, ATR mapping represent a useful non-destructive analytical technique complementary to others molecular and elemental analyses to be performed afterwards such as SEM-EDX. PMID- 17765071 TI - Dependence of the signal amplification potential of colloidal gold nanoparticles on resonance wavelength in surface plasmon resonance-based detection. AB - We demonstrate the resonance wavelength-dependent signal of colloidal gold nanoparticles adsorbed to a planar gold surface in surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based detection. Experimental measurements of the SPR signal as a function of particle surface coverage are presented for three different resonance wavelengths. The SPR signal due to the colloidal gold nanoparticles varies across the resonance wavelengths of 650 nm, 770 nm, and 920 nm. The experimental SPR curves show good agreement with the results of a Lorentz absorbance model at the lower particle surface coverages investigated. The results demonstrate an almost twofold signal difference for a subset of the experimental conditions explored. PMID- 17765072 TI - Polymerized Nile Blue derivatives for plasticizer-free fluorescent ion optode microsphere sensors. AB - Lipophilic H+-selective fluorophores such as Nile Blue derivatives are widely used in ISE-based pH sensors and bulk optodes, and are commonly dissolved in a plasticized matrix such as PVC. Unfortunately, leaching of the active sensing ingredients and plasticizer from the matrix dictates the lifetime of the sensors and hampers their applications in vivo, especially with miniaturized particle based sensors. We find that classical copolymerization of Nile Blue derivatives containing an acrylic side group gives rise to multiple reaction products with different spectral and H+-binding properties, making this approach unsuitable for the development of reliable sensor materials. This limitation was overcome by grafting Nile Blue to a self-plasticized poly(n-butyl acrylate) matrix via an urea or amide linkage between the Nile Blue base structure and the polymer. Optode leaching experiments into methanol confirmed the successful covalent attachment of the two chromoionophores to the polymer matrix. Both polymerized Nile Blue derivatives have satisfactory pH response and appropriate optical properties that are suitable for use in ion-selective electrodes and optodes. Plasticizer-free Na+-selective microsphere sensors using the polymerized chromoionophores were fabricated under mild conditions with an in-house sonic microparticle generator for the measurement of sodium activities at physiological pH. The measuring range for sodium was found as 10(-1)-10(-4) M and 1-10(-3) M, for Nile Blue derivatives linked via urea and amide functionalities, respectively, at physiological pH. The observed ion-exchange constants of the plasticizer-free microsphere were log K(exch) = -5.6 and log K(exch) = -6.5 for the same two systems, respectively. Compared with earlier Na+-selective bulk optodes, the fabricated optical sensing microbeads reported here have agreeable selectivity patterns, reasonably fast response times, and more appropriate measuring ranges for determination of Na+ activity at physiological pH in undiluted blood samples. PMID- 17765073 TI - A functionalized gold nanoparticles and Rhodamine 6G based fluorescent sensor for high sensitive and selective detection of mercury(II) in environmental water samples. AB - A gold-nanoparticles (Au NPs)-Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) based fluorescent sensor for detecting Hg(II) in aqueous solution has been developed. Water-soluble and monodisperse gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) has been prepared facilely and further modified with thioglycolic acid (TGA). Free Rh6G dye was strongly fluorescent in bulk solution. The sensor system composing of Rh6G and Au NPs fluoresce weakly as result of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and collision. The fluorescence of Rh6G and Au NPs based sensor was gradually recovered due to Rh6G units departed from the surface of functionalized Au NPs in the presence of Hg(II). Based on the modulation of fluorescence quenching efficiency of Rh6G-Au NPs by Hg(II) at pH 9.0 of teraborate buffer solution, a simple, rapid, reliable and specific turn-on fluorescent assay for Hg(II) was proposed. Under the optimum conditions, the fluorescence intensity of sensor is proportional to the concentration of Hg(II). The calibration graphs are linear over the range of 5.0x10(-10) to 3.55x10(-8) mol L(-1), and the corresponding limit of detection (LOD) is low as 6.0x10(-11) mol L(-1). The relative standard deviation of 10 replicate measurements is 1.5% for 2.0x10(-9) mol L(-1) Hg(II). In comparison with conventional fluorimetric methods for detection of mercury ion, the present nanosensor endowed with higher sensitivity and selectivity for Hg(II) in aqueous solution. Mercury(II) of real environmental water samples was determined by our proposed method with satisfactory results that were obtained by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). PMID- 17765074 TI - Determination of nateglinide in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with pre-column derivatization using a coumarin-type fluorescent reagent. AB - A sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the determination of nateglinide in human plasma. Nateglinide and the internal standard, undecylenic acid, were extracted from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction using a mixture of ethyl acetate-diethyl ether, 50:50 (v/v). Pre-column derivatization reaction was performed using a coumarin-type fluorescent reagent, N-(7-methoxy-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-6-chromenyl)-2 bromoacetamide. The derivatization proceeded in acetone in the presence of potassium carbonate and catalyzed by 18-crown-6 ether. The fluorescent derivatives were separated under isocratic conditions on a Hypersil BDS-C8 analytical column (250.0 mm x 2.1 mm i.d., particle size 5 microm) with a mobile phase that consisted of 65% acetonitrile in water and pumped at a flow rate of 0.50 mL min(-1). The excitation and emission wavelengths were set at 345 and 435 nm, respectively. The assay was linear over a concentration range of 0.05-16.00 microg mL(-1) for nateglinide with a limit of quantitation of 0.05 microg mL(-1). Quality control samples (0.05, 4.50 and 16.00 microg mL(-1)) in five replicates from five different runs of analysis demonstrated intra-assay precision (%coefficient of variation <6.8%), inter-assay precision (%coefficient of variation <1.6%) and an overall accuracy (%relative error) less than -3.4%. The method can be used to quantify nateglinide in human plasma covering a variety of pharmacokinetic or bioequivalence studies. PMID- 17765075 TI - Prediction of the separation number of capillary columns in programmed temperature gas chromatographic analysis. AB - The efficiency of capillary columns in programmed temperature analysis can be evaluated by calculation of the separation number ("Trennzahl"). A procedure for the prediction of this parameter at various initial temperatures, carrier gas pressures and heating rates, by using as the starting data the retention times and the peak widths obtained in some isobaric and isothermal runs is described. An equation is proposed that permits to obtain the values of the peak width at half height in any isothermal and linearly programmed temperature gas chromatographic run and therefore to calculate the separation number value. The effect on this parameter of the column polarity was investigated by using polar and non-polar compounds (n-alkanes and 1-alcohols). PMID- 17765080 TI - Information overload. Use the right information to polish your crews' rough edges. PMID- 17765076 TI - The early repolarization syndrome is a variation of normal. PMID- 17765078 TI - Allergen immunotherapy: a practice parameter second update. PMID- 17765085 TI - Table manners. PMID- 17765087 TI - Experience is king. Assessing learning and competency in volunteer organizations. PMID- 17765088 TI - Mentor state of mind. Coaching the newly promoted. PMID- 17765089 TI - Flying bikers. What's under your stretcher? PMID- 17765090 TI - Not-so-temporary TIA. PMID- 17765091 TI - Acres of QA. Challenges of monitoring a large EMS system. PMID- 17765092 TI - Unconventional practices. How many providers serve in 'non-traditional' roles? PMID- 17765094 TI - Safety A.S.A.P. The Ambulance Safety Awareness Program at Baldwin EMS. PMID- 17765093 TI - Safety or marketing? Why we decorate our vehicles the way that we do. PMID- 17765095 TI - Beyond EMS. Community paramedics make house calls. PMID- 17765098 TI - Life's hard ... (sigh). A great bundle of big things. PMID- 17765101 TI - Three-dimensional echocardiography: an historical perspective. AB - Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) has made a dramatic transition from predominantly a research tool to a technology useful in everyday clinical practice. This article outlines the history of 3DE from its beginnings to the most current technology. PMID- 17765097 TI - Constant fear of rejection. Treating emergencies in transplant patients. PMID- 17765102 TI - Three-dimensional echocardiographic technology. AB - This article addresses the current state of the art of technology in three dimensional echocardiography as it applies to transducer design, beam forming, display, and quantification. Because three-dimensional echocardiography encompasses many technical and clinical areas, this article reviews its strengths and limitations and concludes with an analysis of what to use when. PMID- 17765103 TI - Three-dimensional echocardiographic evaluation of the heart chambers: size, function, and mass. AB - The major advantage of three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging of the heart is the improvement in the accuracy of the echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac chamber volumes, which is achieved by eliminating the need for geometric modeling and the errors caused by foreshortened 2D views. In this article, we review the literature that has provided the scientific basis for the clinical use of 3D ultrasound imaging of the heart in the assessment of cardiac chamber size, function, and mass, and discuss its potential future applications. PMID- 17765104 TI - Intraventricular dyssynchrony assessment by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography. AB - Heart failure is exceedingly prevalent in the United States and in other developed countries. Treatment regimens are complex and now include electrical therapy. Methods for evaluating left ventricular dyssynchrony using echocardiography rather than QRS duration have been developed, with tissue Doppler velocity parameters being the most popular. Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography is another novel method for dyssynchrony evaluation that has potential advantages over existing techniques. The authors describe their experience with three-dimensional echocardiography dyssynchrony evaluation and offer insights into the direction that this technology must move to improve results. PMID- 17765105 TI - Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography in stress testing: bi- and triplane imaging for enhanced image acquisition. AB - Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography with its methodological advantage of rapid scanning of the complete left ventricle may be the optimal modality to overcome some limitations of conventional two-dimensional stress echocardiography. Matrix array transducers allow bi- or triplane scanning or full volume three-dimensional acquisition. Both techniques have been shown to significantly reduce scanning time without losing sensitivity and test accuracy, although here the emphasis is on bi- and triplane imaging. Several advantages of real-time three-dimensional stress testing during acquisition but also in the analysis and interpretation of echo data have been demonstrated over the last few years. PMID- 17765106 TI - Three-dimensional stress testing: volumetric acquisitions. AB - Two-dimensional stress echocardiography is an established technique for detecting the presence and severity of coronary artery disease. It also provides myocardial viability data, prognostic information, and risk stratification before major cardiovascular and noncardiac surgery. The current limitation of two-dimensional stress echocardiography includes the difficulty in obtaining the same imaging plane at rest and during stress, which may result in over- or underestimation of wall motion assessment, particularly in patients who have resting wall motion abnormalities. The accurate assessment of the extent and severity of stress induced wall motion abnormalities is often difficult, and wall motion abnormalities may be missed by visual inspection of wall motion from the standard two-dimensional views. Recent technological development and engineering refinements have allowed the application of real-time three-dimensional (RT3D) echocardiography in the routine clinical setting. Because full-volume datasets obtained with RT3D echocardiography incorporate information on the entire left ventricle in four volumetric datasets, RT3D stress echocardiography has the potential to overcome many of the limitations encountered with two-dimensional stress echocardiography. Two different types of imaging modes, full-volume and multiplane mode, can be used to acquire and analyze stress echocardiography. Both modes have their particular benefits and limitations. This article reviews the literature describing the clinical utility of RT3D stress echocardiography, with particular emphasis on full-volume datasets. PMID- 17765107 TI - Three-dimensional echocardiographic evaluation of myocardial perfusion. AB - One of the most intriguing developments in ultrasound imaging of the heart was the use of contrast media to assess myocardial perfusion, which sparked tremendous interest and over the years generated a significant body of research. Although most published work has been based on the use of contrast for 2D perfusion imaging, there are a few recent studies aimed at exploring the idea of 3D assessment of myocardial perfusion, which has the potential to overcome many of the limitations of the 2D methodology. We provide a brief overview of the 2D work that provided the scientific basis for the emerging 3D methodology and discuss the unique features and promises as well as the challenges posed by this novel approach. PMID- 17765108 TI - Three-dimensional echo for the assessment of valvular heart disease. AB - Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is a valuable tool to be used in addition to and not instead of two-dimensional echocardiography by providing complementary information and improved quantitative accuracy and reproducibility compared with two-dimensional techniques. 3DE has the potential to become the standard echocardiographic examination procedure for the assessment of valvular disease. This article describes applications of 3DE. PMID- 17765109 TI - Current status of three-dimensional color flow Doppler. AB - Three-dimensional (3D) color Doppler echocardiography is a relatively new noninvasive tool that displays and quantitates regurgitant flow and also enables estimation of cardiac output, stroke volume, pulmonary outflow, and shunt calculations. This article provides an overview of the current methodology of 3D color flow, and its advantages and limitations. PMID- 17765110 TI - Three-dimensional echocardiography: an alternative imaging choice for evaluation of tricuspid valve disorders. AB - This article presents an approach to real-time three-dimensional imaging of the tricuspid valve from three different views. This is followed by some representative cases that illustrate these views and some unique tricuspid valve abnormalities, including one case of corrected transposition. PMID- 17765111 TI - The use of three-dimensional echocardiography for the evaluation of and treatment of mitral stenosis. AB - To date, mitral stenosis has been evaluated by both hemodynamic data derived from catheterization as well as 2D and Doppler echocardiography. However, the advent of real-time 3D echocardiography has allowed more precise measurement of the mitral valve orifice by planimetry. In addition, evaluation of the mitral commissures prior to and after percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty is greatly aided by 3D echocardiography. Here we discuss these subjects as well as provide specific clinical trials that support the use of real-time 3D echocardiography for the evaluation and treatment of mitral stenosis. PMID- 17765112 TI - Live/real-time three-dimensional transthoracic assessment of mitral regurgitation and mitral valve prolapse. AB - Evaluation of the mitral valve requires appreciation of its complex geometry. To accurately guide surgical interventions and describe pathology, three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is an immense improvement over the cumbersome mental reconstruction required by two-dimensional approaches. Here we describe real-time, three-dimensional transthoracic techniques for assessing mitral regurgitation and mitral valve prolapse. PMID- 17765113 TI - Three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic assessment of aortic stenosis and regurgitation. AB - Color-guided continuous-wave Doppler has important limitations in the assessment of aortic stenosis (AS) and aortic regurgitation (AR). This article outlines the limitations of conventional echocardiographic methods and describes the three dimensional echocardiographic assessment of AS and AR. PMID- 17765114 TI - Interventional three-dimensional echocardiography: using real-time three dimensional echocardiography to guide and evaluate intracardiac therapies. AB - Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) already has demonstrated its utility in guiding intracardiac procedures. This article discusses the advantages RT3DE has over the previous standard of 2D echocardiography. PMID- 17765116 TI - Three-dimensional echocardiography in congenital heart disease. AB - Matrix array technology has brought three-dimensional echocardiography into the clinical practice of cardiology. Arguably, this advancement is most notable in the field of pediatric cardiology. Full-volume acquisitions now can be undertaken in the youngest of infants with excellent image quality. This article illustrates the clinical application of three-dimensional echocardiography in congenital heart disease. PMID- 17765115 TI - Three-dimensional echocardiography for studies of the fetal heart: present status and future perspectives. AB - Three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound of the fetal heart is increasingly being used in prenatal diagnosis. While very detailed fetal cardiac studies can be performed using the various 3D ultrasound modalities, their utility for screening for fetal heart disease is yet to be proven. With the emergence of even newer technologies such as quantification techniques and two-dimensional matrix arrays, further improvements are imminent. PMID- 17765117 TI - Reperfusion strategies in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a comprehensive review of contemporary management options. AB - There are an estimated 500,000 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) events in the U.S. annually. Despite improvements in care, up to one-third of patients presenting with STEMI within 12 h of symptom onset still receive no reperfusion therapy acutely. Clinical studies indicate that speed of reperfusion after infarct onset may be more important than whether pharmacologic or mechanical intervention is used. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), when performed rapidly at high-volume centers, generally has superior efficacy to fibrinolysis, although fibrinolysis may be more suitable for many patients as an initial reperfusion strategy. Because up to 70% of STEMI patients present to hospitals without on-site PCI facilities, and prolonged door-to balloon times due to inevitable transport delays commonly limit the benefit of PCI, the continued role and importance of the prompt, early use of fibrinolytic therapy may be underappreciated. Logistical complexities such as triage or transportation delays must be considered when a reperfusion strategy is selected, because prompt fibrinolysis may achieve greater benefit, especially if the fibrinolytic-to-PCI time delay associated with transfer exceeds approximately 1 h. Selection of a fibrinolytic requires consideration of several factors, including ease of dosing and combination with adjunctive therapies. Careful attention to these variables is critical to ensuring safe and rapid reperfusion, particularly in the prehospital setting. The emerging modality of pharmacoinvasive therapy, although controversial, seeks to combine the benefits of mechanical and pharmacologic reperfusion. Results from ongoing clinical trials will provide guidance regarding the utility of this strategy. PMID- 17765118 TI - Taking cardiovascular genetic association studies to the next level. AB - Genetic information is beginning to have a direct impact on patient care and it is important that cardiologists appreciate the value and approaches to associating genetic variation and health outcomes. Genetic associations should be based on compelling genetic and biological hypotheses and should be statistically sound so as to reduce the possibility of "false discovery" in the setting of testing multiple hypotheses. Study designs should clearly define cases and controls and measurement of phenotypes. Finally, findings should be replicated in at least 1 independent cohort. Consideration of these principles should provide insight into disease biology based on genetic findings and encourage their meaningful adoption into clinical practice. PMID- 17765119 TI - Assessment of culprit lesion morphology in acute myocardial infarction: ability of optical coherence tomography compared with intravascular ultrasound and coronary angioscopy. AB - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ability of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for assessment of the culprit lesion morphology in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in comparison with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and coronary angioscopy (CAS). BACKGROUND: Optical coherence tomography is a new intravascular imaging method with a high resolution of approximately 10 microm. This may allow us to assess the vulnerable plaques in detail in vivo. METHODS: We enrolled 30 patients with AMI, and analyzed the culprit lesion by OCT, CAS, and IVUS. RESULTS: The average duration from the onset of symptom to OCT imaging was 3.8 +/- 1.0 h. The incidence of plaque rupture observed by OCT was 73%, and it was significantly higher than that by CAS (47%, p = 0.035) and IVUS (40%, p = 0.009). Furthermore, OCT (23%) was superior to CAS (3%, p = 0.022) and IVUS (0%, p = 0.005) in the detection of fibrous cap erosion. The intracoronary thrombus was observed in all cases by OCT and CAS, but it was identified in 33% by IVUS (vs. OCT, p < 0.001). Only OCT could estimate the fibrous cap thickness, and it was 49 +/- 21 microm. The incidence of thin cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) was 83% in this population by OCT. CONCLUSIONS: Optical coherence tomography is a feasible imaging modality in patients with AMI and allows us to identify not only plaque rupture, but also fibrous cap erosion, intracoronary thrombus, and TCFA in vivo more frequently compared with conventional imaging techniques. PMID- 17765121 TI - From postmortem characterization to the in vivo detection of thin-capped fibroatheromas: the missing link toward percutaneous treatment: what if Diogenes would have found what he was looking for? PMID- 17765120 TI - Frequency and distribution of thin-cap fibroatheroma and ruptured plaques in human coronary arteries: a pathologic study. AB - OBJECTIVES: Our purpose was to quantify the frequency and distribution of suspected vulnerable lesions, defined as thin-capped fibroatheroma (TCFA) and ruptured plaque, in human coronary artery autopsy specimens. BACKGROUND: Most acute coronary events and sudden death are believed to arise from rupture of a TCFA followed by thrombosis. Although there is general agreement that clinical events are usually caused by focal lesions, there is considerable debate over the relative importance of focal versus systemic factors in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. METHODS: We longitudinally sectioned coronary arteries from 50 whole hearts taken from patients (mean age 73 years, 64% men) dying of cardiovascular (n = 33), noncardiovascular (n = 13), and unknown (n = 4) causes. A total of 3,639 longitudinal segments of length 3 mm were sectioned from 148 arteries, accounting for 10.9 m of total tissue length. Specimens were classified on the basis of histology and computer-aided morphometry. RESULTS: Twenty-three TCFA and 19 ruptured plaques were found (mean +/- SD: 0.46 +/- 0.95 and 0.38 +/- 0.70 per heart, respectively), and these lesions accounted for only 1.6% and 1.2%, respectively, of the total length of the coronary tree examined in patients dying of cardiovascular causes. The majority of TCFA and ruptured plaque localized in the proximal third of the major coronary arteries, and in 92% of cases these lesions clustered within 2 or fewer nonoverlapping 20-mm segments. CONCLUSIONS: The suspected precursors of rupture-mediated thrombosis occur in a limited, focal distribution in the coronary arteries. PMID- 17765123 TI - The ethnic Rosetta stone: translating risk factors, plaque scores, and mortality. PMID- 17765122 TI - Ethnic differences in the prognostic value of coronary artery calcification for all-cause mortality. AB - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of coronary artery calcium (CAC), a known marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, in a large, ethnically diverse cohort of 14,812 patients for the prediction of all cause mortality. BACKGROUND: Disparities in case fatality rates for heart disease among ethnic groups are well known. In 2001, rates of death from heart disease were 30% higher among African Americans (AA) than non-Hispanic whites (NHW). Some of this variability may be due to differing pathophysiological mechanisms and effects of underlying atherosclerosis. METHODS: Ten-year death rates from all causes (total deaths = 505) were compared using risk-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models in AA (n = 637), Hispanic (HS, n = 1,334), Asian (AS, n = 1,065), and NHW (n = 11,776) populations. RESULTS: Ethnic minority patients were generally younger (0.3 to 4 years), more often persons with diabetes (p < 0.0001), hypertensive (p < 0.0001), and female (p < 0.0001). The prevalence of CAC scores > or =100 was highest in NHW (31%) and lowest for HS (18%) (p < 0.0001). Overall survival was 96%, 93%, and 92% for AS, NHW, and HS, respectively, as compared with 83% for AA (p < 0.0001). When comparing prognosis by CAC scores in ethnic minorities as compared with NHW, relative risk ratios were highest for AA with CAC scores > or =400 exceeding 16.1 (p < 0.0001). Hispanics with CAC scores > or =400 had relative risk ratios from 7.9 to 9.0, whereas AS with CAC scores > or =1,000 had relative risk ratios 6.6-fold higher than NHW (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with population evidence, AA with increasing burden of subclinical coronary artery disease were the highest-risk ethnic minority population. These data support a growing body of evidence noting substantial differences in cardiovascular risk by ethnicity. PMID- 17765126 TI - Meeting highlights of the 10th annual scientific sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and 6th annual meeting of the Working Group for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance of the European Society of Cardiology: Rome, Italy, February 2-4, 2007. PMID- 17765124 TI - The role of left atrial muscular bundles in catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. AB - OBJECTIVES: We sought to investigate the imaging of the left atrial (LA) muscular bundle and the relationship between the bundle and inducibility of tachyarrhythmia after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). BACKGROUND: Noninducibility is used as a clinical end point of atrial substrate ablation after PVI. However, little is known about the role of the LA muscular bundles in tachyarrhythmia after PVI. METHODS: Forty-three consecutive patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation who underwent catheter ablation were included. Bi-atrial isochronal mapping was performed with the NavX system (St. Jude Medical Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota) during sinus rhythm. After 4 PVI, inducible organized LA flutter with or without transforming to atrial fibrillation (AF) (LA flutter/AF) was ablated with additional lines at the roof and/or mitral isthmus. RESULTS: The existence of bilateral muscular bundles was an independent predictor of LA flutter/AF after PVI (p = 0.02). Patients with LA flutter/AF after PVI had a greater index of the double potentials (5.4 +/- 3.4% vs. 2.8 +/- 1.8%, p = 0.006) and interpotential interval (33 +/- 5 ms vs. 29 +/- 4 ms, p = 0.02) than without LA flutter/AF. The muscular bundles were identified in 28% patients using 16-slice multidetector computed tomography, which were identical to the isochrone map. Patients with noninducible LA flutter/AF after PVI plus the additional linear ablation had a lower recurrence rate as compared with the patients without it (19% vs. 75%, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Left atrial muscular bundles may provide a conduction block line and barrier, which is important for the formation of LA flutter/AF after PVI. The noninducibility of LA flutter/AF achieved after additional linear ablation may contribute to a better outcome in RF ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. PMID- 17765128 TI - President's page: considering the health care world as flat. PMID- 17765127 TI - The year in cardiac imaging. PMID- 17765125 TI - Baseline functional performance predicts the rate of mobility loss in persons with peripheral arterial disease. AB - OBJECTIVES: We compared rates of mobility loss among persons with versus without peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Associations between baseline functional performance and mobility loss in persons with and without PAD were studied. BACKGROUND: Persons with PAD have poorer functional performance than persons without PAD. The prognostic value of poorer performance in persons with PAD is unknown. METHODS: Participants were 398 persons with and 240 without PAD who were free of mobility impairment at baseline. Participants were followed for a median of 50 months. Baseline measures included the 6-min walk and the Short Physical Performance Battery score. Mobility status, assessed annually, was defined as the self-reported loss of the ability to walk one-quarter mile or walk up and down one flight of stairs without assistance. RESULTS: Adjusting for age and gender, we found that PAD participants had a greater rate of mobility loss than persons without PAD (hazard ratio [HR] 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03 to 2.56). This difference was not statistically significant after additional adjustment for baseline performance. Among PAD participants, risk of mobility loss in the lowest versus the 2 highest quartiles of baseline performance were as follows: HR 9.65 (95% CI 3.35 to 27.77, p < 0.001) for the 6-min walk and HR 12.84 (95% CI 4.64 to 35.55, p < 0.001) for the Short Physical Performance Battery when adjusting for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Persons with PAD experience greater mobility loss than persons without PAD. This association was explained by poorer baseline functional performance among participants with PAD. Poorer lower extremity performance predicts increased mobility loss in persons with and without PAD. PMID- 17765130 TI - Effect on obstruction on longitudinal left ventricular shortening in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. PMID- 17765132 TI - Use of statins and blood pressure. AB - BACKGROUND: Markers of inflammation such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) were shown to be elevated in patients with hypertension. Small trials using statin therapy showed blood-pressure (BP) reductions, but it is unknown whether this association extends to larger populations. The objective of this study was to determine whether statin use was associated with better blood-pressure control in adults with hypertension and whether inflammation levels mediated this relationship. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 2584 hypertensive adults aged >or=40 years with no known cardiovascular disease from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002. Logistic regression models were calculated to determine whether there was an association between statin use and blood-pressure control. C-reactive protein was added to the full model to determine its impact on the association. RESULTS: Compared with people not using statin medication, significantly more statin users had their blood pressure under control (52.2% v 38.0%). After adjustment for demographic factors, statin users were two times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46 to 2.72) more likely to have their blood pressure under control (<140/90 mm Hg) than nonusers. After further adjustment for body mass index, diabetes, smoking, exercise, low-salt diet, and antihypertensive medications, the likelihood of having blood pressure under control remained more likely among statin users (odds ratio, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.05). The association between statin use and lower BP was most evident among participants who used antihypertensive medication as well as statins and was unchanged with the addition of CRP to the model. CONCLUSIONS: Statin use was associated with a BP level <140/90 mm Hg in a representative sample of US adults with hypertension. Levels of CRP did not attenuate the association. Further studies are needed to explore the effects of statin use on blood pressure and to determine how best to apply this knowledge in clinical care. PMID- 17765131 TI - Risk of progression to hypertension in a low-income Mexican population with prehypertension and normal blood pressure. AB - BACKGROUND: Blood pressure (BP) levels below the prehypertensive category may be associated with the risk of developing hypertension. We estimated the incidence rates of hypertension in a low-income Mexican population according to several subcategories of baseline BP within normal and prehypertensive categories. METHODS: In total, 1572 nonhypertensive men (n = 632) and nonpregnant women (n = 940), aged 35 to 64 years at baseline, were followed for a median of 5.8 years. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) >or=140 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) >or=90 mm Hg, or a self-reported physician's diagnosis with antihypertensive medications. RESULTS: During follow-up, 267 subjects developed hypertension, of whom 83 were men and 184 were women. The age adjusted incidence rate was higher in women (37.1 per 1000 person-years) than in men (23.7 per 1000 person-years). There was a significant association between BP levels at baseline and incidence of hypertension, even within the normal category. For the upper levels of normal SBP (110 to 119 mm Hg), the hazards ratio (HR) was 2.43 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50 to 3.93) in women and 2.44 (95% CI, 1.05 to 5.69) in men, compared with SBP <110 mm Hg. For the upper levels of normal DBP (70 to 79 mm Hg), the HR was 2.33 (95% CI, 1.65 to 3.31) in women and 1.80 (95% CI, 0.92 to 3.52) in men, compared with DBP <70 mm Hg, after adjustment for recognized predictors. CONCLUSIONS: A high risk for the incidence of hypertension was associated with levels of BP, even within the normal category. This information could help define a population at high risk of progression to hypertension, to establish preventive measures. PMID- 17765134 TI - Improving blood pressure control in the community: can new technologies help us? PMID- 17765133 TI - Mobile phone-based remote patient monitoring system for management of hypertension in diabetic patients. AB - BACKGROUND: Rising concern over the poor level of blood-pressure (BP) control among hypertensive patients has prompted searches for novel ways of managing hypertension. The objectives of this study were to develop and pilot-test a home BP tele-management system that actively engages patients in the process of care. METHODS: Phase 1 involved a series of focus-group meetings with patients and primary care providers to guide the system's development. In Phase 2, 33 diabetic patients with uncontrolled ambulatory hypertension were enrolled in a 4-month pilot study, using a before-and-after design to assess its effectiveness in lowering BP, its acceptability to users, and the reliability of home BP measurements. RESULTS: The system, developed using commodity hardware, comprised a Bluetooth-enabled home BP monitor, a mobile phone to receive and transmit data, a central server for data processing, a fax-back system to send physicians' reports, and a BP alerting system. In the pilot study, 24-h ambulatory BP fell by 11/5 (+/-13/7 SD) mm Hg (both P < .001), and BP control improved significantly. Substantially more home readings were received by the server than expected, based on the preset monitoring schedule. Of 42 BP alerts sent to patients, almost half (n = 20) were due to low BP. Physicians received no critical BP alerts. Patients perceived the system as acceptable and effective. CONCLUSIONS: The encouraging results of this study provide a strong rationale for a long-term, randomized, clinical trial to determine whether this home BP tele-management system improves BP control in the community among patients with uncontrolled hypertension. PMID- 17765135 TI - Autocrine TGF-beta1 mediates angiotensin II-induced proliferative response of cerebral vessels in vivo. AB - BACKGROUND: Angiotensin II (Ang) has been shown to induce expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) in cardiovascular cells in vitro, but the regulation of TGF-beta1 by Ang has not been shown in cerebral vessels in vivo. Here, we tested the hypothesis that Ang promotes proliferative and fibrogenic responses in cerebral vessels through autocrine production and signaling of TGF-beta1 by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). METHODS: Rats were implanted with miniosmotic pumps that delivered a low dose of Ang (9 microg/kg/h subcutaneously for 4 to 28 days). To test for autocrine production and signaling of TGF-beta1 by VSMC, we suppressed TGF-beta1 gene expression in VSMC by infusing antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (AS-ODN) versus sense oligodeoxynucleotide (S-ODN) into the cisterna magna. RESULTS: Systemic infusion of Ang for 28 days caused upregulation of proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and of collagen type I in endothelium and VSMC of basilar arteries, with these changes observed as early as day 4, before the onset of hypertension. Also by day 4, significant increases in expression of TGF-beta1, TGF-beta receptors I and II, and phospho-Smad3 were observed in endothelial and VSMC layers, but plasma levels of TGF-beta1 were unchanged. With AS-ODN, but not S-ODN, TGF-beta1 was significantly reduced in VSMC but not in endothelial layers of the basilar artery, and PCNA and collagen upregulation in VSMC were essentially eliminated. CONCLUSIONS: Autocrine TGF beta1 signaling in VSMC is required for Ang-induced proliferative and fibrogenic responses in cerebral vessels in vivo. PMID- 17765137 TI - Endothelial microparticles and arterial stiffness: casual coincidence or causative culprit? PMID- 17765136 TI - Increased circulating CD31+/CD42- microparticles are associated with impaired systemic artery elasticity in healthy subjects. AB - BACKGROUND: Impaired artery elasticity has been found in various pathological conditions related to endothelial dysfunction. Recently, CD31+/CD42- microparticles (MPs) emerged as a marker of endothelial injury. Whether CD31+/CD42- MPs, generated under physiological conditions, are correlated with artery properties has not been reported. METHODS: We evaluated brachia-ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV) (n = 76) and C1 large-artery and C2 small-artery elasticity indices (n = 56), using noninvasive devices for pulse-wave analysis in a group of healthy persons. The number of circulating CD31+/CD427- MPs (n = 76) was measured by flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS: Circulating CD31+/CD42- MPs were positively correlated with values of baPWV (r = 0.371, P = .008) and with C1 large-artery and C2 small-artery elasticity indices (r = -0.294, P = .037; and r = -0.310, P = .027, respectively). Multivariate analysis identified CD31+/CD42- MPs as potent contributors to the development of impaired systemic artery elasticity. CONCLUSIONS: The level of circulating CD31+/CD42- MPs, an important biomarker of dysfunctional endothelium and vascular injury, is closely associated with impaired systemic artery elasticity in healthy subjects. The present study suggests that CD31+/CD42- MPs may be a novel surrogate marker for the clinical evaluation of vascular damage. PMID- 17765138 TI - Relationship between arterial stiffness and athletic training programs in young adult men. AB - BACKGROUND: We examined the relationships of endurance and strength exercise training and the adolescent duration of training to arterial stiffness in young adult men. We hypothesized that young adults participating in endurance sports would have decreased arterial stiffness, whereas those in strength-based sports would have increased arterial stiffness. In addition, we predicted that these trends would be more pronounced with an increase in the duration of sport participation. METHODS: Subjects were male endurance-trained men with short (current age, 20 years; age at beginning of competitive sport, 15 years; sport careers, 5 years; n = 7, S-ET) and long (current age, 20 years; age at beginning of competitive sport, 12 years; sport careers, 8 years; n = 7, L-ET) competitive sport careers, strength-trained men with short (current age, 20 years; age at beginning of competitive sport, 16 years; sport careers, 4 years; n = 7, S-ST) and long (current age, 22 years; age at beginning of competitive sport, 15 years; sport careers, 7 years; n = 7, L-ST) careers, and sedentary control men (aged, 20 years; n = 7, C). RESULTS: The exercise training was associated with aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), a traditional index of arterial stiffness, and the associations were statistically independent of blood pressure (BP). Aortic PWV was lower in L-ET than C and ST. Aortic PWV in L-ST was greater than that of C. The associations of exercise training with systemic arterial compliance (SAC), which inversely correlates with arterial stiffness, were also positive and BP independent. The SAC was greater in the ET groups compared with C and ST groups. The SAC in L-ST was lower than in C. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that changes in arterial stiffness associated with different training programs appear in young adults as well as in older humans, and these changes may begin in adolescence. PMID- 17765139 TI - Left-ventricular structure and function are influenced by angiotensinogen gene polymorphism (-20 A/C) in young male patients. AB - BACKGROUND: The activity of the renin-angiotensin system influences blood pressure (BP) and cardiovascular structure in humans. Therefore, we questioned whether left-ventricular (LV) structure and function are influenced by the -20 A/C variant of the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene in young normotensive or mildly hypertensive patients. METHODS: A homogenous cohort of young, male, white subjects (n = 214) with normal or mildly elevated BP never treated in the past, or on current cardiovascular medication, were recruited. All subjects were genotyped by single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing for the -20 A/C polymorphism of the AGT gene. Ambulatory BP was assessed over 24 h by an automatic portable device. Left-ventricular structure and function were determined by two-dimensional guided M-mode echocardiography. RESULTS: The frequency of subjects homozygous for the -20 A allele was 73.4%, and the frequency for those with at least one copy of the -20 C allele was 26.6%. In hypertensive subjects with at least one copy of the -20 C allele, posterior (P = .027) and septal (P = .021) wall thickness, as well as LV mass (P = .027), were greater than in hypertensive subjects homozygous for the -20 A allele. Moreover, LV functional parameters such as midwall fractional fiber shortenings (P = .021) and the velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (P = .013) were decreased in hypertensive subjects with at least one copy of the -20 C allele, compared with subjects homozygous for the -20 A allele. Confounding factors of LV structure and systolic function, such as age, height, body mass index, physical activity, ambulatory 24-h BP, and sodium intake, were similar between the -20 A/C variants of the AGT gene in both normotensive and hypertensive subjects. CONCLUSIONS: In young, mildly hypertensive subjects, cardiac structure and function are modulated by the -20 A/C gene variant of the AGT. PMID- 17765141 TI - Regression of left-ventricular hypertrophy in children and adolescents with hypertension during ramipril monotherapy. AB - BACKGROUND: Left-ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity. Antihypertensive treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) is able to induce the regression of LVH in adults. However, there has been no study of the ability of ACEI to induce the regression of LVH in children. Our aim was to investigate the effect of ramipril on left ventricular mass and blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive children. METHODS: Twenty-one children (median age, 15 years) with renal (76%) or primary (24%) hypertension were prospectively treated with ramipril monotherapy for 6 months. Blood pressure was evaluated using ambulatory BP monitoring, with hypertension defined as mean BP >or=95th percentile. Left-ventricular hypertrophy was defined either as left-ventricular mass index (LVMI) >38.6 g/m(2.7) (pediatric definition) or as LVMI >51.0 g/m(2.7) (adult definition). RESULTS: Nineteen children completed the study. The median LVMI decreased from 36.8 g/m(2.7) (range, 18.9 to 55.8 g/m(2.7)) to 32.6 g/m(2.7) (range, 19.0 to 52.1 g/m(2.7); P < .05) after 6 months. The prevalence of LVH decreased from 42% to 11% using the pediatric definition (P < .05) and did not change using the adult definition (ie, it remained at 5%). The median ambulatory BP decreased by 11, 7, 8, and 7 mm Hg for daytime systolic, daytime diastolic, nighttime systolic, and nighttime diastolic BP (P < .05), respectively. A positive correlation was found between LVMI and nighttime systolic BP at the start of the study (r = 0.46, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Ramipril is an effective drug in children with hypertension, for its ability to reduce not only BP but also left-ventricular mass and induce regression of LVH. PMID- 17765140 TI - Association between adducin-1 G460W variant and blood pressure in Swedes is dependent on interaction with body mass index and gender. AB - BACKGROUND: The W allele of the G460W polymorphism in the adducin-1 gene has been occasionally associated with increased blood pressure (BP). The aim of this study was to test whether the G460W variant is associated with BP levels and BP progression rate and whether G460W associations with BP are affected by sex, body mass index (BMI), or age. METHODS: The G460W polymorphism was genotyped in the population-based Malmo Diet and Cancer-cardiovascular arm (MDC-CVA; n = 6103), of whom 53% had also been examined 11 +/- 4.4 years earlier in the Malmo Preventive Project (MPP). RESULTS: Among subjects without antihypertensive treatment (AHT) in the MDC-CVA (n = 5009), there was no difference between carriers (38%) and noncarriers (62%) of the W allele in systolic BP (139.2 +/- 18.2 v 139.2 +/- 18.5 mm Hg; P = .99) or diastolic BP (85.9 +/- 9.1 v 86.1 +/- 9.2 mm Hg; P = .49). In subjects free from AHT in the MPP and MDC (n = 2637) there was no difference between carriers (38%) and noncarriers (62%) in progression of systolic BP (2.0 +/- 2.5 v 2.0 +/- 2.7 mm Hg/year; P = .45) or diastolic BP (0.59 +/- 1.6 v 0.56 +/- 1.5 mm Hg/year; P = .66) from MPP to MDC. At MDC-CVA BP was influenced by interaction between the G460W and BMI (P = .02 for systolic BP and P = .002 for diastolic BP) and by interaction between G460W and sex (P = .03 for systolic BP and P = .02 for diastolic BP), a result further confirmed by stratified analysis showing that female carriers of the W allele belonging to the upper tertile of BMI had increased systolic BP (146.1 +/- 18.6 v 141.2 +/- 18.6 mm Hg; P < .001), diastolic BP (88.7 +/- 8.7 v 86.1 +/- 8.7 mm Hg; P < .001), and prevalence of hypertension (72.5% v 61.8 %; P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the G460W polymorphism influences BP when BMI and sex are taken into account. PMID- 17765142 TI - Prognostic value of serial electrocardiographic voltage and repolarization changes in essential hypertension: the HEART Survey study. AB - BACKGROUND: The interpretation of serial electrocardiographic (ECG) changes in hypertensive subjects is uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that serial changes in repolarization and voltage are independent determinants of outcome. METHODS: The Hypertrophy at ECG And its Regression during Treatment (HEART) Survey was a prospective observational study performed at 61 centers. We studied 711 subjects with hypertension and ECG left-ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) at entry. Tracings from 496 subjects at entry and one or more visits during follow-up were available for central reading. RESULTS: The prevalence of ECG LVH progressively decreased by 49.6% at 3 years. The crude rate of a prespecified primary composite end point of cardiovascular events was 4.17 per 100 subjects per year (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.27 to 5.33). We used Cox regression models of ECG LVH indexes as time-varying covariates at baseline and at follow-up. Time-varying LVH, defined as an absence of ST-T alterations ("strain"), was associated with a lower event rate hazard ratio (HR), 0.47; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.78; P = .0035), whereas the LVH changes defined in terms of ECG voltages did not achieve significance (HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.13; P = .39). The crude event rate in subjects with versus without in-treatment ST-T alterations on the last available ECG before the event or before censoring was 8.38 versus 3.17 per 100 subjects per year (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: In this study of subjects with hypertension and ECG LVH at entry, serial changes in repolarization significantly predicted the prognosis, independent of voltage change (which was not significantly predictive in this study). The persistence or new development of ST-T alterations identifies subjects at very high risk of cardiovascular events. PMID- 17765143 TI - Electrocardiographic strain pattern and cardiovascular prognosis in hypertension. PMID- 17765144 TI - Renal versus extrarenal activation of vitamin D in relation to atherosclerosis, arterial stiffening, and hypertension. AB - Low dietary intake of calcium stimulates the activation of vitamin D3 precursors to calcitriol in the kidney. This circulating hormone raises blood and urinary calcium by increasing both gastrointestinal absorption of calcium and bone resorption. Renal activation of vitamin D3 is under tight feedback control. Macrophages also activate vitamin D3, but, unlike renal tubular cells, they lack feedback suppression of the activating 1alpha-hydroxylase. In large-scale epidemiologic studies, blood pressure correlated positively with serum and urinary calcium but inversely with the dietary intake of calcium. Several population-based reports, including the Framingham Study, noticed an association of carotid plaques, arterial calcification, and increased arterial stiffness with lower bone-mineral content. Randomized clinical trials of calcium supplementation did not demonstrate a consistent effect on blood pressure. Macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions can locally activate vitamin D3 to calcitriol, which might contribute to arterial stiffening and hypertension. Calcitriol acts as a vasoactive and pro-oxidative substance on vascular smooth muscle cells. In animal models, active vitamin D3 promotes arterial stiffening and the pathogenesis of systolic hypertension and perpetuates a self-sustaining cycle leading to arterial damage and calcification. On the other hand, active vitamin D3 inhibits renin activity, thereby decreasing blood pressure in short-term, randomized trials. This article assesses the potential role of active vitamin D3 in causing cardiovascular complications via its effects on the structure of the arterial wall and the pathogenesis of hypertension. To set the stage and open up new perspectives, our article also summarizes the pathways leading to the renal and extrarenal activation and metabolism of vitamin D3 and will propose some directions for further research in this complex field. PMID- 17765147 TI - Is increased brachial pulse pressure a reliable predictor of cardiovascular risk in old hypertensive subjects with metabolic syndrome? PMID- 17765146 TI - Alpha 1-microglobulin: a further insight into inflammation in hypertension? PMID- 17765145 TI - Alpha-1 microglobulin as a new inflammatory marker in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients. AB - BACKGROUND: The alpha-1 microglobulin (A1M) is considered to be a marker of renal insufficiency, suggesting disturbed tubular function. In the present study we examined the ability of urinary A1M excretion to reflect the overall inflammatory status in patients with newly diagnosed essential hypertension and normal renal function. METHODS: The study population consisted of 1445 nondiabetic patients with newly diagnosed arterial hypertension and no evidence of renal insufficiency. Serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid alpha (SAA), and plasma fibrinogen, as well as urinary A1M excretion, were estimated. Multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate the associations between hypertension; A1M urinary excretion; and circulating levels of CRP, SAA, and fibrinogen. RESULTS: Patients with systolic hypertension had higher CRP, SAA, fibrinogen, and A1M compared with patients with isolated diastolic hypertension (P < .0001 for all). In multivariate analysis, systolic (but not diastolic) blood pressure (BP) was independently associated with A1M, CRP, and SAA (P < .0001 for all), whereas urinary A1M was also independently correlated with inflammatory markers such as CRP (P = .0001) and SAA (P = .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary A1M is independently associated with circulating acute phase proteins in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension, whereas it is closely associated with systolic but not diastolic BP. Our findings suggest that urinary alpha-1 microglobulin may reflect the overall inflammatory status in patients with newly diagnosed essential hypertension, beyond its value as a marker of renal function. PMID- 17765149 TI - Endothelial dysfunction and preeclampsia. PMID- 17765155 TI - Is informed consent in trauma a lost cause? A prospective evaluation of acutely injured patients' ability to give consent. AB - BACKGROUND: Obtaining informed consent in acute trauma patients is often impossible, forcing investigators to abandon important projects. To better understand the likelihood of -- and barriers to -- informed consent in trauma patients, we evaluated when and how consent is possible in acutely injured patients. STUDY DESIGN: Over a 7-month period, at a large, urban, adult Level I trauma center, we prospectively assessed each patient's ability to give hypothetical informed consent. Patients were considered consentable when they were alert, unintoxicated, and stable, with no prohibitive language barrier, or when a proxy (first-degree relative) was available. When consent was not feasible on arrival, we documented the reason and the time at which consent became possible, either by the patient or proxy. RESULTS: Of 1,328 consecutive trauma patients, 1,020 (77%) were candidates for consent (personal or proxy) within 30 minutes of arrival. Twenty-five percent of patients with hypotension in the resuscitation area were consentable, as were 31% of severely injured (Injury Severity Score>24) patients. Eight hours after injury, 88% of all patients were consentable, as were 60% of severely injured patients and 36% of patients with initial hypotension. Primary barriers to consent included brain injury or unspecified alteration in awareness (41%), intoxication (28%), shock (26%), language barrier (2%), or medication (3%). CONCLUSIONS: Although an overall majority of trauma patients are candidates for early informed consent, the likelihood of early consent is substantially lower in patients with severe injury or shock. Alternatives to individual informed consent may be necessary to advance the early care of acutely, severely injured patients. PMID- 17765154 TI - Implementation and evaluation of a new surgical residency model. AB - BACKGROUND: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) duty hour requirements prompted program directors to rethink the organizational structure of their residency programs. Many surgical educators have expressed concerns that duty-hour restrictions would negatively affect quality of resident education. This article summarizes evaluation research results collected to study the impact of our reengineered residency program designed to preserve important educational activities while meeting duty-hour accreditation requirements. STUDY DESIGN: The traditional residency structure was redesigned to include a mixture of apprenticeship, small team, and night-float models. Impact evaluation data were collected using operative case logs, standardized test scores, quality assurance data, resident perception surveys, a faculty survey, and process evaluation measures. RESULTS: PGY1s and PGY2s enjoyed a substantial increase in operative cases. Operative cases increased overall and no resident has failed to meet ACGME volume or distribution requirements. American Board of Surgery In Training Examination performance improved for PGY1s and PGY2s. Patient outcomes measures, including monthly mortality and number of and charges for admissions, showed no changes. Anonymously completed rotation evaluation forms showed stable or improved resident perceptions of case load, continuity, operating room teaching, appropriate level of faculty involvement and supervision, encouragement to attend conferences, and general assessment of the learning environment. A quality-of-life survey completed by residents before and after implementation of the new program structure showed substantial improvements. Faculty surveys showed perceived increases in work hours and job dissatisfaction. New physician assistant and nurse positions directly attributed to duty-hour restrictions amounted to about 0.2 full-time equivalent per resident. CONCLUSIONS: Duty-hour restrictions produce new challenges and might require additional resources but need not cause a deterioration of surgical residents' educational experience. PMID- 17765157 TI - Economic evaluation of carotid artery stenting versus carotid endarterectomy for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis. AB - BACKGROUND: The clinical effectiveness of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is well established. But the economic impact of CEA and carotid artery stenting (CAS) is still uncertain. The objective of this study was to compare hospital costs and reimbursement for CAS and CEA. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective database analysis on pair-matched patients who underwent CEA (n = 31) and CAS (n = 31) at the Richard M Ross Heart Hospital in Columbus, OH. The hospital's clinical and financial databases were used to obtain patient-specific information and procedural charges. Cost data were generated by applying the hospital's ratio of cost to charges for all DRG charges. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to examine the differences between costs of these procedures. RESULTS: Data are reported as mean +/- SD. The mean age of patients in CAS group was 70.14 years (+/- 1.60 years) versus 68.64 years (+/- 1.75 years) for CEA patients (p < 0.05). The total direct cost associated with CEA ($3,765.12+/-$2,170.82) was significantly lower than the CAS cost ($8,219.71+/-$2,958.55, p < 0.001). The mean procedural cost for CAS ($7,543.61+/-$2,886.54) was significantly higher than that for CEA ($2,720.00+/-$926.38, p < 0.001). The hospital experienced cost savings of $9,690.87 for CEA versus $4,804.79 for CAS from private insurance. Similarly, savings obtained by Medicare-enrolled CEA patients were higher than those for CAS patients ($1,497.79). CONCLUSIONS: CAS is significantly more expensive than CEA, with a major portion of cost attributed to the total procedural cost. The hospital experienced significant savings from CEA procedures compared with CAS under all DRG classifications and insurers. Hospitals must develop new financial strategies and improve the efficiency of infrastructure to make CAS financially viable. PMID- 17765158 TI - Early results after staged hybrid repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. AB - BACKGROUND: The morbidity and mortality rates associated with open thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair are substantial. This study was designed to review our early experience with the hybrid endovascular and, or open approach for TAAA repair. STUDY DESIGN: Patients undergoing elective hybrid repair of their TAAAs were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (mean age 69+/-15 years, male, 76%) underwent visceral and renal revascularization as the first stage of their hybrid repair. The Crawford extent included: II, 2; III, 8; and IV, 7. Perioperative mortality and complication rates after the first stage were 24% and 25%, respectively; the mean intensive care unit stay and total length of stay were 7+/-12 days (range 1 to 45 days) and 22+/-33 days (range 3 to 100 days), respectively. The endovascular aneurysm repair or second stage procedure was performed in 12 of 13 (92%) of the surviving patients, with a mean of 27+/-27 days (range 6 to 99 days) between the procedures. Two patients experienced intraoperative complications during the second stage, but there were no deaths or additional postoperative complications. Patients did not require the intensive care unit, and the overall mean length of stay after the second stage was 2+/-2 days (range 1 to 5 days). The mean postoperative followup among the 11 patients completing both stages was 8+/-12 months (range 1 to 15 months). The primary patency rate for the visceral and renal bypasses was 96% (54 of 56). CONCLUSIONS: The hybrid approach for patients with TAAAs may reduce complications in the average, low-risk patient and may extend the indications for repair to patients considered higher risk based on age, comorbidities, or anatomic considerations. PMID- 17765156 TI - Does delay of hernia repair in minimally symptomatic men burden the patient's family? AB - BACKGROUND: Although inguinal hernia repair is a common and safe procedure, a significant portion of patients who undergo surgical repair experience postoperative chronic pain. We conducted a clinical trial to determine if delay of repair is a safe and acceptable alternative for men with minimally symptomatic inguinal hernias. Here we report on the effects of delay on the patient's family. STUDY DESIGN: Data are from a randomized trial in which men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic inguinal hernia were randomly assigned to either open tension-free repair (TFR) or watchful waiting (WW). Patients indicated a person who could assist them if necessary because of their hernia or hernia operation, and these persons (mostly spouses) answered a questionnaire at baseline and followup addressing concern about the patient's ability to perform home, social, and recreational activities and time spent assisting the patient with chores because of his hernia condition. RESULTS: In both intention-to-treat and as treated analyses, at 2 years after enrollment, family members of patients assigned to WW were more likely to report concern about the patient's ability to perform the four types of activities. But a majority of respondents in both the WW and TFR groups indicated no concern about performance of any of the activities. In the as-treated analysis, family members of patients assigned to TFR who did not receive repair reported more time assisting the patient than those of TFR patients who received the assigned treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The results favor repair, but the low level of concern about the patient's functioning reported for both TFR and WW patients suggests that this is not a major issue in delaying repair of inguinal hernias in minimally symptomatic men. PMID- 17765159 TI - Efficacy of protocol implementation on incidence of wound infection in colorectal operations. AB - BACKGROUND: We reported previously a 26% incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) in patients undergoing elective colorectal resection. Multiple risk factors have been identified, including obesity, improper administration of prophylactic antibiotics, hypothermia, and poor glycemic control. We hypothesized that implementation of a multidisciplinary wound management protocol targeting these risk factors would reduce the incidence of SSI. STUDY DESIGN: Previously reported baseline data were collected from February 2000 to January 2002. Beginning September 2004, the protocol was implemented, including appropriate administration of prophylactic antibiotics 0 to 60 minutes before incision, continued antibiotic administration for < or = 24 hours postoperatively, maintenance of intraoperative normothermia (> 36 degrees C), improved glycemic control (goal <200 mg/dL 48 hours postoperatively) in diabetic patients, and placement of penrose drains in the subcutaneous space of patients with a body mass index > or = 25. Data were collected on patients undergoing elective colorectal resection from January 2005 to August 2005 and compared with baseline. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-five and 132 patients during the baseline and study periods, respectively, met criteria for inclusion. Compliance with administration of prophylactic antibiotics increased from 68% to 91% (p < or = 0.0001), and compliance with cessation within 24 hours increased from 71% to 93% (p < or = 0.0001). Compliance with normothermia increased from 64% to 71% (p = 0.25). Incidence of SSI fell from 25.6% to 15.9% (p < or = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: After implementation of a multidisciplinary wound-management protocol, incidence of SSI improved 39%. These results demonstrate that compliance with a prospectively designed protocol for perioperative care can effectively reduce operative morbidity in patients undergoing colorectal operations. PMID- 17765161 TI - Insurance status, but not race, predicts perforation in adult patients with acute appendicitis. AB - BACKGROUND: Delay in treatment is a strong risk factor for perforation during acute appendicitis. In addition, lower socioeconomic status has been linked to impaired access to surgical care. We sought to examine the relationships among race, insurance status, and perforation in a recent, adult population with acute appendicitis. STUDY DESIGN: Data on adult patients with acute appendicitis were abstracted from the New York State Statewide Planning and Cooperative Systems Database for the years 2003 and 2004. A multiple logistic regression model, which adjusted for patient, community, and hospital factors, was used to examine the independent effects of both race and insurance status on likelihood of perforation. RESULTS: A total of 29,637 patients had acute appendicitis; 7,969 (26.9%) of these were perforated. Although Caucasian patients were more likely to perforate compared with minority patients, by univariate analysis, adjustment for age alone eliminated this disparity. In addition, by multivariable analysis, no difference existed in odds of perforation for Caucasian patients compared with African-American (odds ratio [OR]=1.03, 95% CI [0.93, 1.15], p=0.52), Hispanic (OR=0.99, 95% CI [0.90, 1.08], p=0.82), or Asian patients (OR=0.85, 95% CI [0.73, 1.00], p=0.05). But compared with privately insured patients, uninsured patients (OR 1.18, 95% CI [1.07 to 1.30], p=0.0005), Medicaid patients (OR=1.22, 95% CI [1.12 to 1.33], p < 0.0001), and Medicare patients (OR=1.14, 95% CI [1.03, 1.25], p=0.01) were significantly more likely to have perforation. CONCLUSIONS: Race does not appear to be an important variable in predicting perforation in adult patients with acute appendicitis, but the likelihood of perforation varies significantly according to insurance status. Future research is necessary to both understand and have an impact on this socioeconomic disparity. PMID- 17765160 TI - Risk factors for wound complication in pilonidal sinus procedures. AB - BACKGROUND: Pilonidal disease is a common condition among young people. Complicated pilonidal surgical wounds are associated with considerable morbidity, including chronic sacral wound, loss of work time, and lifestyle limitation. The aim of our study is to report our experience with Karydakis procedure and explore the risk factors associated with infection and poor healing in pilonidal operation. STUDY DESIGN: A 3-year experience of a Joint-Commission International accredited tertiary center in patients with pilonidal sinus operations is reported. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of unselected patients with pilonidal sinus who underwent excision and primary closure on elective basis in terms of wound healing, surgical site infection, and return to work. Variables predictive of surgical site infection and disruption were assessed by multiple logistic analyses. RESULTS: From January 2004 to December 2006, 94 patients with pilonidal disease underwent excision and primary closure on elective basis. Incidence of surgical site infection was 12.8%. No recurrence was observed after median followup of 6 months, with interquartile range of 4 to 9 months. Smoking (p = 0.027) and obesity (p = 0.047) were independent risk factors for wound infections. CONCLUSIONS: Excision and primary closure is an acceptable modality of treatment in nonobese and nonsmoker patients with pilonidal sinus disease. Infection rate in obese patients and smokers is unacceptably high, and active preoperative weight loss and smoking cessation or simple laid open procedure is recommended in these patients. PMID- 17765164 TI - Update for surgeons: recent and noteworthy changes in therapeutic regimens for cancer of the colon and rectum. PMID- 17765162 TI - Large hepatocellular carcinoma: time to stop preoperative biopsy. AB - BACKGROUND: In Western countries, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) often presents at a large size, which is seen as a contraindication to transplantation and often resection. Although diagnosis by imaging and alpha-fetoprotein is usually straightforward, nonspecialist units continue to use biopsy to prove the diagnosis before transfer for specialist surgical opinion. We have looked at the impact of this on our practice. STUDY DESIGN: We retrospectively analyzed all large HCCs resected in our unit during the last 12 years. Survival data were calculated according to size and univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to determine impact of preoperative, operative, and histologic factors affecting outcomes. RESULTS: We identified 85 large HCCs (> 3 cm) and classified 42 as giant (> 10 cm). Overall survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 76%, 54%, and 51%. Size did not influence survival, although more complex surgical techniques were required for giant tumors. Predictors of poorer disease-free survival were positive resection margin (p < 0.001), multiple tumors (p = 0.003), macroscopic vascular invasion (p = 0.015), and preoperative lesion biopsy (p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Our data shows excellent outcomes after resection for large HCC. This supports the management of such patients in large-volume units that are fully equipped and experienced in the management of these patients. Preoperative biopsy should be avoided, as this unnecessary maneuver appears to have worsened our longterm results. PMID- 17765163 TI - Incidence of complications in outpatient mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. AB - BACKGROUND: Although breast surgery, including mastectomy, is increasingly being performed on an outpatient basis, skepticism remains about the safety of outpatient mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction. Studies have demonstrated a psychologic benefit to outpatient breast surgery in addition to the clear financial benefit. We sought to determine whether or not the postoperative complication rate after outpatient mastectomy with immediate reconstruction is low enough to consider the procedure safe and effective. STUDY DESIGN: Charts were retrospectively reviewed for all patients who underwent outpatient mastectomies with immediate breast reconstruction at St Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center between December 2000 and June 2004. The presence or absence of postoperative complications was determined from records during the postoperative period and subsequent office visit. RESULTS: Of 29 outpatient mastectomies with immediate reconstruction performed on 28 patients (one had independent procedures on each breast), only one procedure (3%) required subsequent admission to the hospital (for bleeding). Other complications included three seromas, two cases of cellulitis requiring antibiotics, and one hematoma. The overall complication rate was 24% (7 of 29), with only 14% (1 of 7) of the complications requiring hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that outpatient mastectomy with immediate reconstruction is a safe and effective procedure for carefully selected patients. The complication rates for our patient population are similar to those in other published reports on outpatient operations, most notably, those of outpatient mastectomy without immediate reconstruction. PMID- 17765165 TI - Optimizing diagnosis, staging, and management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors. PMID- 17765166 TI - A theory-based curriculum for enhancing surgical skillfulness. AB - BACKGROUND: Curricula for surgical technical skills laboratories have traditionally been designed to accommodate the clinical activities of residents, so they typically consist of individual, episodic training sessions. We believe that the skills laboratory offers an opportunity to design a surgical skills curriculum based on the fundamental elements known to be important for motor skill instruction. We hypothesized that training novices with such a curriculum for a 1-month period would yield skills performance levels equivalent to those of second year surgery residents who had trained in a traditional program. STUDY DESIGN: Fourth-year medical students served as study subjects (novice group) during a 4-week senior elective. They were taught each skill during a 1-week period. Subjects received instruction by a content expert followed by a 1-week period of deliberate practice with feedback. The novice performances were videotaped both before and after the intervention, and each videotape was evaluated in a blinded fashion by experts using a validated evaluation instrument. These results were compared with skill performance ratings of first- and second-year surgery residents that had been accumulated over the previous 3 years. RESULTS: Average performance ratings for the novices substantially improved for all four skills after training. There was no marked difference between average performance ratings of postintervention novice scores when compared with the average scores in the resident group. Inter-rater agreement in scoring for the videotaped novice performances exceeded 0.87 (intraclass correlation) for all ratings of pre- and posttraining. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate the effectiveness of a laboratory-based training program that includes fundamentals of motor skills acquisition. PMID- 17765167 TI - Ira A Ferguson Sr, MD, FACS and the other Tuskegee experiment. PMID- 17765168 TI - Invited commentary: Ira A Ferguson Sr, MD, FACS and the other Tuskegee experiment. PMID- 17765169 TI - Cavernous hemangioma: uncommon cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. PMID- 17765171 TI - Supraclavicular approach for central venous catheterization: "safer, simpler, speedier". PMID- 17765170 TI - Late and complete removal of a greenfield filter. PMID- 17765174 TI - Re: complications of central venous catheterization. PMID- 17765175 TI - Treatment of Mirizzi syndrome. PMID- 17765176 TI - Foreign-trained physicians and US residencies. PMID- 17765178 TI - Spinal cord trauma. PMID- 17765180 TI - Surgical knots. PMID- 17765183 TI - Rebuilding trust. PMID- 17765184 TI - Paying for modern cancer care--a global perspective. PMID- 17765185 TI - PET-guided induction chemotherapy. PMID- 17765186 TI - Defining the highway of lymphatic patterns for melanoma. PMID- 17765187 TI - Causes of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. PMID- 17765188 TI - Primary radiotherapy for childhood ependymoma? PMID- 17765190 TI - Management of asymptomatic patients on follow-up for ovarian cancer with rising CA-125 concentrations. AB - In most women who have been treated for ovarian cancer, serum concentrations of the tumour marker cancer antigen (CA)-125 will serially rise on average 4 months before they develop symptoms or signs of relapse. Whether or not early reintroduction of treatment produces a survival advantage is unclear. Although a high chance exists that tumour response can be achieved with chemotherapy, complete cure of these patients is rarely possible. Potential advantages of early treatment of relapse include delaying cancer-related symptoms; psychological reassurance; and, possibly, improved survival. Potential disadvantages include loss of time without treatment and the associated toxic effects. Patients should be counselled on these advantages and disadvantages before deciding whether to have their CA-125 concentrations routinely measured during follow-up. In this review, we make suggestions, on the basis of the extent and duration of response to previous treatment, as to how to manage patients once their CA-125 concentrations start rising. Our suggestions range from close observation if scans are clear to various chemotherapy regimens, hormonal treatment, and surgery. Asymptomatic patients with rising CA-125 concentrations provide an ideal group in which to test new investigational agents that might have potential as maintenance treatment. PMID- 17765193 TI - Part II: Treatment of primary malignant non-Wilms' renal tumours in children. AB - Renal-cell carcinoma, clear-cell sarcoma, (congenital) mesoblastic nephroma, rhabdoid tumour, and renal medullary carcinoma form a heterogeneous group of childhood renal malignancies known as non-Wilms' tumours. Progress has been slow in improving the management of these tumours to decrease morbidity and increase survival. However, greater cooperation between national and international centres should engender specialisation, and an increased knowledge of the molecular biology of these tumours will inevitably lead to substantial progress over the next decade. This review is the second of two parts: the first part provided an updated review of the clinical presentation, imaging, and pathology of non-Wilms' tumours and this second part provides an updated review of the treatment of these tumours. PMID- 17765192 TI - Role of complete lymphadenectomy in endometrioid uterine cancer. AB - Although surgical pathological staging is the standard of care for uterine carcinoma, the benefits of a complete lymphadenectomy remain controversial. Evidence suggests that this procedure provides prognostic information and directs the use of appropriate adjuvant treatment in patients who are node-positive. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for adjuvant treatment in low-risk patients with negative nodes and no extrauterine spread of disease. Although the complications associated with this procedure raise the question as to whether all low-risk patients need a complete lymphadenectomy, the limitations of preoperative and intraoperative pathological analyses mean that lymphadenectomy in low-risk patients might still have merit. Future advances are warranted to enhance preoperative radiological and intraoperative pathological assessment to establish the risk of nodal disease. In this review, we assess the evidence on the prognostic and therapeutic benefits of a complete versus selective lymphadenectomy. Moreover, we discuss the complications associated with lymphadenectomy and identify subsets of low-risk patients who might not need to undergo this procedure. PMID- 17765191 TI - Non-[18F]FDG PET in clinical oncology. AB - PET is an exquisitely sensitive molecular imaging technique using positron emitting radioisotopes coupled to specific ligands. Many biological targets of great interest can be imaged with these radiolabelled ligands. This review describes the current status of non-18-fluorodeoxyglucose PET tracers that have a potential clinical effect in oncology. With the help of these tracers, knowledge is being acquired on the molecular characterisation of specific tumours, their biological signature, and postinterventional response. The potential role of these imaging probes for tumour detection and monitoring is progressively being recognised by clinical oncologists, biologists, and pharmacologists. PMID- 17765194 TI - Retreatment with 90Y-labelled ibritumomab tiuxetan in a patient with follicular lymphoma who had previously responded to treatment. PMID- 17765195 TI - Microbial metabolomics: toward a platform with full metabolome coverage. AB - Achieving metabolome data with satisfactory coverage is a formidable challenge in metabolomics because metabolites are a chemically highly diverse group of compounds. Here we present a strategy for the development of an advanced analytical platform that allows the comprehensive analysis of microbial metabolomes. Our approach started with in silico metabolome information from three microorganisms-Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae-and resulted in a list of 905 different metabolites. Subsequently, these metabolites were classified based on their physicochemical properties, followed by the development of complementary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods, each of which analyzes different metabolite classes. This metabolomics platform, consisting of six different analytical methods, was applied for the analysis of the metabolites for which commercial standards could be purchased (399 compounds). Of these 399 metabolites, 380 could be analyzed with the platform. To demonstrate the potential of this metabolomics platform, we report on its application to the analysis of the metabolome composition of mid-logarithmic E. coli cells grown on a mineral salts medium using glucose as the carbon source. Of the 431 peaks detected, 235 (=176 unique metabolites) could be identified. These include 61 metabolites that were not previously identified or annotated in existing E. coli databases. PMID- 17765196 TI - Overexpression of cardiac actin with baculovirus is promoter dependent. AB - The influence of the promoter and an N-terminal hexahistidine tag on human cardiac actin (ACTC) expression and function was investigated using four baculovirus constructs. It was found that both non-tagged ACTC and hisACTC expression from the p10 promoter was higher than from the polh promoter. Characterization showed that an N-terminal hexahistidine tag has a negative effect on ACTC. Recombinant ACTC inhibits DNase-I and binds myosin S1, indicative of proper folding. Our data support the hypothesis that the actin protein down regulates the polh promoter. PMID- 17765197 TI - Reversible inactivation of serpins at acidic pH. AB - The inhibitory activity of the serpins alpha(1)-proteinase inhibitor, alpha(1) antichymotrypsin, alpha(2)-antiplasmin, antithrombin and C(1)-esterase inactivator is rapidly lost at pH 3 but slowly recovers at pH 7.4 with variable first-order rates (t(1/2)=1.4-19.2 min). All except alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin undergo a variation in intrinsic fluorescence intensity upon acidification (midpoint ca. 4.5) with a slow bi-exponential return to the initial intensity at pH 7.4 (mean t(1/2)=2.3-23 min). No correlation was found between the time of fluorescence recovery and that of reactivation. The acid-treated serpins are proteolyzed at neutral pH by their target proteinases. alpha(1)-Proteinase inhibitor was studied in more detail. Its acidification at pH 3 has a mild effect on its secondary structure, strongly disorders its tertiary structure, changes the microenvironment of Cys(232) and causes a very fast change in ellipticity at 225 nm (t(1/2)=1.6s). Neutralization of the acid-treated alpha(1)-proteinase inhibitor is an exothermic phenomenon. It leads to a much faster recovery of activity (t(1/2)=4+/-1 min) than of fluorescence intensity (t(1/2)=23+/-19 min), ellipticity (t(1/2)=32+/-4 min) and change in total energy, indicating that the inhibitory activity of alpha(1)-proteinase inhibitor does not require a fully native structure. PMID- 17765198 TI - Effects of masticatory muscle force on temporomandibular joint disc growth in rats. AB - Biomechanical factors in masticatory function are related to the development of the mandible and the condyle. Previous studies have reported that reduced masticatory muscle force influences mandibular bone formation and chondroblastic proliferation. We examined the importance of compressive force in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc growth by reducing the masticatory load. Thirty 3-week-old male Wistar rats were used in this study. In the experimental group, the masseter muscles were bilaterally resected to evaluate the influence of masticatory muscle force on morphology and composition of TMJ disc during growth. No surgery was performed in the control group. The thickness of the TMJ disc was measured to evaluate the morphological changes. The localization of type I collagen and decorin was performed by immunostaining to examine compositional change. Cell proliferation in the disc was identified by insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1r) immunostaining. The disc thickness at each region in the experimental group was reduced compared to the control group. While in the control group, type I collagen and decorin were identified throughout the disc, it was concentrated on the superior portion of the disc at the anterior and posterior bands in the experimental group. The expression of IGF-1r immunopositive cells in the experimental group was also significantly lower than in the control. We conclude that masticatory muscle force is closely related to TMJ disc morphology and composition during growth. PMID- 17765199 TI - The thylakoid proton motive force in vivo. Quantitative, non-invasive probes, energetics, and regulatory consequences of light-induced pmf. AB - Endogenous probes of light-induced transthylakoid proton motive force (pmf), membrane potential (Deltapsi) and DeltapH were used in vivo to assess in Arabidopsis the lumen pH responses of regulatory components of photosynthesis. The accumulation of zeaxanthin and protonation of PsbS were found to have similar pK(a) values, but quite distinct Hill coefficients, a feature allowing high antenna efficiency at low pmf and fine adjustment at higher pmf. The onset of "energy-dependent' exciton quenching (q(E)) occurred at higher lumen pH than slowing of plastoquinol oxidation at the cytochrome b(6)f complex, presumably to prevent buildup of reduced electron carriers that can lead to photodamage. Quantitative comparison of intrinsic probes with the electrochromic shift signal in situ allowed quantitative estimates of pmf and lumen pH. Within a degree of uncertainly of approximately 0.5 pH units, the lumen pH was estimated to range from approximately 7.5 (under weak light at ambient CO(2)) to approximately 5.7 (under 50 ppm CO(2) and saturating light), consistent with a 'moderate pH' model, allowing antenna regulation but preventing acid-induced photodamage. The apparent pK(a) values for accumulation of zeaxanthin and PsbS protonation were found to be approximately 6.8, with Hill coefficients of about 4 and 1 respectively. The apparent shift between in vitro violaxanthin deepoxidase protonation and zeaxanthin accumulation in vivo is explained by steady-state competition between zeaxanthin formation and its subsequent epoxidation by zeaxanthin epoxidase. In contrast to tobacco, Arabidopsis showed substantial variations in the fraction of pmf (0.1-0.7) stored as Deltapsi, allowing a more sensitive qE response, possible as an adaptation to life at lower light levels. PMID- 17765200 TI - Epithelial Na+ channel and ion transport in human nasal polyp and paranasal sinus mucosa. AB - The purpose of the present study is to characterize the ENaC-mediated Na+ absorption in human upper airway epithelia, nasal cavity, and paranasal sinus. To perform the purpose, we obtained epithelial cells from human nasal polyp (NP) and paranasal sinus mucosa (PSM) by endoscopic surgery. We measured the short-circuit current (I(sc)) sensitive to benzamil (a specific ENaC blocker). The benzamil sensitive I(sc) (Na+ absorption) in NP was larger than that in PSM. The mRNA expression of three subunits of ENaC was as follows: alpha>beta>gamma in both tissue, NP and MS. The mRNA expression of gamma subunit of ENaC in NP was larger than that in PSM, but no difference of mRNA expression of alpha or beta ENaC subunit between NP and PSM was detected. We found correlation of the Na+ absorption to mRNA expression of gamma ENaC in NP and PSM. Forskolin diminished the Na+ absorption associated with an increase in Cl- secretion. These observations suggest that: (1) human NP absorbs more ENaC-mediated Na+ than PSM, (2) expression of gamma ENaC in plays a key role in the ENaC-mediated Na+ absorption in NP and PSM, and (3) cAMP diminishes the ENaC-mediated Na+ absorption by stimulating Cl- secretion (diminution of driving force for Na+ absorption) in NP and PSM. PMID- 17765201 TI - Saxifragifolin B from Androsace umbellata induced apoptosis on human hepatoma cells. AB - Bioassay-guided phytochemical study of Androsace umbellata led to the successful isolation of saxifragifolin B (SB) for the first time. The anti-tumor effect of SB was firstly reported that it was shown to have potent cytotoxicity on human hepatoma HepG2 cells with IC50 value of 11.9 microM at 24 h. Mechanistic studies were conducted, the accumulation of sub-G1 population and the externalization of phosphatidylserine suggested that SB exerted its cytotoxic effect by induction of programmed cell death, which was confirmed by activation of PARP and caspase-3. Furthermore, SB-induced apoptosis on HepG2 cells was mediated by activation of caspase-8 and -9, mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsim) collapse and the leakage of cytochrome c. In summary, this study provided evidence that SB isolated from A. umbellata could induce apoptosis on human hepatoma HepG2 cells and described the molecular mechanism. Our finding revealed the potential of SB as new chemotherapeutic agent for human hepatoma. PMID- 17765203 TI - Two osteoclastic markers expressed in multinucleate osteoclasts of goldfish scales. AB - Complementary DNAs encoding two major osteoclastic markers, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cathepsin K (Cath K) were cloned from the scales of a teleost, the goldfish. This is the first report of the full coding sequence of TRAP and Cath K molecules in fish. In the goldfish scale both TRAP and Cath K mRNAs were expressed in the multinucleate osteoclasts, which showed large numbers of mitochondria and lysosomes, and a well developed ruffled border. These characteristic features of osteoclasts in the scales are similar to those in mammals. Most teleosts use the scale as an internal calcium reservoir during the reproductive season. The expression of TRAP and Cath K mRNAs in the scale significantly increased in April, which is a reproductive season, compared with that in October, a non-reproductive season. Thus, both of these molecular markers should be useful for the study of osteoclasts in the teleost scale. PMID- 17765202 TI - Inducing rigid local structure around the zinc-binding region by hydrophobic interactions enhances the homotrimerization and apoptotic activity of zinc-free TRAIL. AB - Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), existing as homotrimer in solution, contains a unique zinc-binding site coordinated by three Cys230 residues at the tip of trimeric interface. TRAIL mutant with replacements of Cys230 with Ala (TRAIL(C230A)) negligibly formed trimeric structure and showed no apoptotic activity. Here, to elucidate the relationship between the trimeric stability and the apoptotic activity of TRAIL(C230A), we rationally designed mutations to induce homotrimerization of TRAIL(C230A) by substituting for the three residues involved in hydrogen bonding (Tyr183 and Tyr243) and putative repulsive electrostatic (Arg227) interactions at the buried trimeric interface into hydrophobic residues, like Y183F, Y243F, and R227I. The TRAIL(C230A)-derived mutants exhibited enhanced homotrimerization, but only the mutants containing R227I exhibited significant apoptosis-inducing activity in cancer cells. These results, together with the induction of rigid local structure around the zinc binding region by R227I in TRAIL(C230A), suggest that ordered, rigid structure around the zinc-binding region is critical for the homotrimerization and apoptotic activity of TRAIL. PMID- 17765205 TI - Fear conditioning and affective modulation of the startle reflex in male adolescents with early-onset or adolescence-onset conduct disorder and healthy control subjects. AB - BACKGROUND: Impairments in emotional processing may play an etiological role in the development of aggressive or antisocial behavior such as is seen in conduct disorder (CD). These findings may be developmentally sensitive, with neuropsychological impairments confined to those with the early-onset form of CD, which emerges in childhood. We investigated whether adolescents with early- or adolescence-onset CD would acquire fear conditioned responses to a visual conditioned stimulus and show a normal pattern of affective modulation of the startle reflex. METHODS: Electrodermal activity was measured during the fear conditioning process, and electromyographic recording methods were used to assess blink magnitudes elicited by acoustic startle probes during the viewing of emotionally valenced pictures. Forty-one early-onset CD, 28 adolescence-onset CD, and 54 healthy control adolescents participated in the study. RESULTS: Both CD groups showed impaired differential fear conditioning relative to control subjects, while retaining the ability to generate normal skin conductance responses to the aversive unconditioned stimulus. There was a similar relationship between emotional valence of the slides and startle magnitude in CD and control adolescents, but startle-elicited blinks were lower across all emotion categories in both CD subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: Fear conditioning deficits and reduced startle amplitudes were observed in participants with early- and adolescence-onset forms of CD. These findings are consistent with impairments in neural systems subserving emotion and involving the amygdala in CD, regardless of age of onset. PMID- 17765207 TI - A multilevel and cross-modal approach towards neuronal mechanisms of auditory streaming. AB - We report first results of a multilevel, cross-modal study on the neuronal mechanisms underlying auditory sequential streaming, with the focus on the impact of visual sequences on perceptually ambiguous tone sequences which can either be perceived as two separate streams or one alternating stream. We combined two psychophysical experiments performed on humans and monkeys with two human brain imaging experiments which allow to obtain complementary information on brain activation with high spatial (fMRI) and high temporal (MEG) resolution. The same acoustic paradigm based on the pairing of tone sequences with visual stimuli was used in all human studies and, in an adapted version, in the psychophysical study on monkeys. Our multilevel approach provides experimental evidence that the pairing of auditory and visual stimuli can reliably introduce a bias towards either an integrated or a segregated perception of ambiguous sequences. Thus, comparable to an explicit instruction, this approach can be used to control the subject's perceptual organization of an ambiguous sound sequence without the need for the subject to directly report it. This finding is of particular importance for animal studies because it allows to compare electrophysiological responses of auditory cortex neurons to the same acoustic stimulus sequence eliciting either a segregated or integrated percept. PMID- 17765208 TI - Improvement of visual contrast detection by a simultaneous sound. AB - Combining input from multiple senses is essential for successfully mastering many real-world situations. While several studies demonstrate that the presentation of a simultaneous sound can enhance visual detection performance or increase the perceived luminance of a dim light, the origin of these effect remains disputed. The suggestions range from early multisensory integration to changes in response bias and cognitive influences-implying that these effects could either result from relatively low-level, hard-wired connections of early sensory areas or from associations formed higher in the processing stream. To address this question, we quantified the effect of a simultaneous sound in various contrast detection tasks. A completely redundant sound did not alter detection rates, but only speeded reaction times. An informative sound, which reduced the uncertainty about the timing of the visual display, significantly improved detection rates, which manifested as a significant shift of the contrast detection curve. Surprisingly, this improvement occurred only in a paradigm were there was a consistent timing relation between sound and target and disappeared when subjects were not aware of the fact that the sound offered information about the visual stimulus. Altogether our findings suggest that cross-modal influences in such simple detection tasks are not exclusively mediated by hard-wired sensory integration but rather point to a prominent role for cognitive and attention-like effects. PMID- 17765206 TI - Glutamate receptor subunit expression in the rhesus macaque locus coeruleus. AB - The locus coeruleus (LC) is a major noradrenergic brain nucleus that regulates states of arousal, optimizes task-oriented decision making, and may also play an important role in modulating the activity of the reproductive neuroendocrine axis. Rodent studies have shown that the LC is responsive to glutamate receptor agonists, and that it expresses various glutamate receptor subunits. However, glutamate receptor subunit expression has not been extensively examined in the primate LC. We previously demonstrated expression of the NR1 NMDA glutamate receptor subunit in the rhesus macaque LC and now extend this work by also examining the expression of non-NMDA (AMPA and kainate) ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits. Using in situ hybridization histochemistry and immunohistochemistry, we confirmed the presence of the obligatory NR1 subunit in the LC. In addition, we demonstrated expression of the AMPA glutamate receptor subunits GluR1, GluR2, and GluR3. More extensive receptor profiling, using rhesus monkey gene microarrays (Affymetrix GeneChip), further corroborated the histological findings and showed expression of mRNA encoding ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits NR2A, NR2D, GluR4, and GluR6, as well as the metabotropic glutamate receptor subunits mGluR1, mGluR3, mGluR4, mGluR5, and mGluR7. These data provide a foundation for future examination of how changes in glutamate receptor composition contribute to the control of primate physiology. PMID- 17765209 TI - Distribution and origin of TRPV1 receptor-containing nerve fibers in the dura mater of rat. AB - We examined the distribution and origin of the nerve fibers innervating the dura mater of the rat that show immunoreactivity for the TRPV1 receptor (TRPV1-IR). Nearly 70% of the nerve fibers showing TRPV1-IR in the dura mater also exhibited CGRP-IR. Using a combination of immunohistochemistry and a retrograde tracer technique, we detected tracer accumulation in 0.6% of the neurons in the trigeminal ganglion and a few neurons in the dorsal root ganglion; half of the neurons in the trigeminal ganglion were small- and medium-sized ( or =10 microM, kaempferol exposure is predominantly characterised by cell cycle alterations, notably a significant increase in S-phase and a progressive accumulation in G2-M with 10 and > or =20 microM kaempferol, respectively. However, a limited but consistent membrane damage is observed across the 1-100 microM exposure and at 1 microM occurs devoid from indices of apoptosis which are only consistently observed with > or =10 microM kaempferol treatment. At the most cytotoxic exposures, multiparametric flow cytometric analysis revealed distinct sub populations of cells. Cells with decreased size, typical of apoptosis and necrosis, possessed heightened caspase-3 activity, decreased anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression and changes to membrane asymmetry and integrity. The remaining population had elevated active caspase-3 but no change or a moderate increase in Bcl-2 expression and no plasma membrane alterations. Differentiation was not a significant factor in HL-60 growth inhibition. In conclusion, kaempferol-induced growth inhibition is dominated by cell cycle changes but involves a limited cytotoxicity, which we propose results from a membrane damage centred as well as an apoptotic process. This heterogeneity of response may confound the disease preventative role and pharmacological application of this flavonoid. PMID- 17765210 TI - A novel approach to screening for new neuroprotective compounds for the treatment of stroke. AB - Despite the significant advances that have been made in understanding the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia on the cellular and molecular level, only one drug, the thrombolytic tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA), is approved by the FDA for use in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Therefore, there is a critical need for additional safe and effective treatments for stroke. In order to identify novel compounds that might be effective, we have developed a cell culture-based assay with death being an endpoint as a screening tool. We have performed an initial screening for potential neuroprotective drugs among a group of flavonoids by using the mouse hippocampal cell line, HT22, in combination with chemical ischemia. Further screens were provided by biochemical assays for ATP and glutathione, the major intracellular antioxidant, as well as for long-term induction of antioxidant proteins. Based upon the results of these screens, we tested the best flavonoid, fisetin, in the small clot embolism model of cerebral ischemia in rabbits. Fisetin significantly reduced the behavioral deficits following a stroke, providing proof of principle for this novel approach to identifying new compounds for the treatment of stroke. PMID- 17765214 TI - The role of control functions in mentalizing: dual-task studies of theory of mind and executive function. AB - Conflicting evidence has arisen from correlational studies regarding the role of executive control functions in Theory of Mind. The current study used dual-task manipulations of executive functions (inhibition, updating and switching) to investigate the role of these control functions in mental state and non-mental state tasks. The 'Eyes' pictorial test of Theory of Mind showed specific dual task costs when concurrently performed with an inhibitory secondary task. In contrast, interference effects on a verbal 'Stories' task were general, occurring on both mental state and non-mental state tasks, and across all types of executive function. These findings from healthy functioning adults should help to guide decisions about appropriate methods of assessing ToM in clinical populations, and interpreting deficits in performance in such tasks in the context of more general cognitive dysfunction. PMID- 17765215 TI - Word order and information status in child language. AB - In expressing rich, multi-dimensional thought in language, speakers are influenced by a range of factors that influence the ordering of utterance constituents. A fundamental principle that guides constituent ordering in adults has to do with information status, the accessibility of referents in discourse. Typically, adults order previously mentioned referents ("old" or accessible information) first, before they introduce referents that have not yet been mentioned in the discourse ("new" or inaccessible information) at both sentential and phrasal levels. Here we ask whether a similar principle influences ordering patterns at the phrasal level in children who are in the early stages of combining words productively. Prior research shows that when conveying semantic relations, children reproduce language-specific ordering patterns in the input, suggesting that they do not have a bias for any particular order to describe "who did what to whom". But our findings show that when they label "old" versus "new" referents, 3- to 5-year-old children prefer an ordering pattern opposite to that of adults (Study 1). Children's ordering preference is not derived from input patterns, as "old-before-new" is also the preferred order in caregivers' speech directed to young children (Study 2). Our findings demonstrate that a key principle governing ordering preferences in adults does not originate in early childhood, but develops: from new-to-old to old-to-new. PMID- 17765216 TI - Preschool children's use of cues to generic meaning. AB - Sentences that refer to categories - generic sentences (e.g., "Dogs are friendly") - are frequent in speech addressed to young children and constitute an important means of knowledge transmission. However, detecting generic meaning may be challenging for young children, since it requires attention to a multitude of morphosyntactic, semantic, and pragmatic cues. The first three experiments tested whether 3- and 4-year-olds use (a) the immediate linguistic context, (b) their previous knowledge, and (c) the social context to determine whether an utterance with ambiguous scope (e.g., "They are afraid of mice", spoken while pointing to 2 birds) is generic. Four-year-olds were able to take advantage of all the cues provided, but 3-year-olds were sensitive only to the first two. In Experiment 4, we tested the relative strength of linguistic-context cues and previous-knowledge cues by putting them in conflict; in this task, 4-year-olds, but not 3-year-olds, preferred to base their interpretations on the explicit noun phrase cues from the linguistic context. These studies indicate that, from early on, children can use contextual and semantic information to construe sentences as generic, thus taking advantage of the category knowledge conveyed in these sentences. PMID- 17765218 TI - Characterization of fine particulate matter in Ohio: indoor, outdoor, and personal exposures. AB - Ambient, indoor, and personal PM2.5 concentrations were assessed based on an exhaustive study of PM2.5 performed in Ohio from 1999 to 2000. Locations in Columbus, one in an urban corridor and the other in a suburban area were involved. A third rural location in Athens, Ohio, was also established. At all three locations, elementary schools were utilized to determine outdoor, indoor, and personal PM2.5 concentrations for fourth and fifth grade students using filter-based measurements. Three groups of 30 students each were used for personal sampling at each school. Continuous ambient PM2.5 mass concentrations were also measured with tapered element oscillating microbalances (TEOMs). At all three sites, personal and indoor PM2.5 concentrations exceeded outdoor levels. This trend is consistent on all week days and most evident in the spring as compared to fall and winter. The ambient PM2.5 concentrations were similar among the three sites, suggesting the existence of a common regional source influence. At all the three sites, larger variations were found in personal and indoor PM2.5 than ambient levels. The strongest correlations were found between indoor and personal concentrations, indicating that personal PM2.5 exposures were significantly affected by indoor PM2.5 than by ambient PM2.5. This was further confirmed by the indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratios of PM2.5 concentrations, which were greater when school was in session than non-school days when the students were absent. PMID- 17765217 TI - Wise retained in the endoplasmic reticulum inhibits Wnt signaling by reducing cell surface LRP6. AB - The Wnt signaling pathway is tightly regulated by extracellular and intracellular modulators. Wise was isolated as a secreted protein capable of interacting with the Wnt co-receptor LRP6. Studies in Xenopus embryos revealed that Wise either enhances or inhibits the Wnt pathway depending on the cellular context. Here we show that the cellular localization of Wise has distinct effects on the Wnt pathway readout. While secreted Wise either synergizes or inhibits the Wnt signals depending on the partner ligand, ER-retained Wise consistently blocks the Wnt pathway. ER-retained Wise reduces LRP6 on the cell surface, making cells less susceptible to the Wnt signal. This study provides a cellular mechanism for the action of Wise and introduces the modulation of cellular susceptibility to Wnt signals as a novel mechanism of the regulation of the Wnt pathway. PMID- 17765219 TI - Altered hippocampal long-term potentiation after peripheral nerve injury in mice. AB - It has been clinically reported that patients with chronic pain often have accompanying cognitive deficiency, which hampers efficient medical treatment. In the present study, we investigated whether hippocampal synaptic plasticity, which has been considered to be a cellular model of learning and memory, could be influenced by chronic pain conditions using a murine model of neuropathic pain prepared by partial ligation of the sciatic nerve (the Seltzer model). In slices obtained from neuropathic animals, tetanus-induced long-term potentiation of CA1 hippocampal synaptic transmission was impaired, whereas long-term depression induced by low-frequency stimulation was similar in neuropathic and sham-treated (control) animals. Bath application of the beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol or the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol diminished the difference of synaptic plasticity between neuropathic and control mice. In the presence of isoproterenol, long-term potentiation was successfully induced in neuropathic mice. By contrast, long-term potentiation in sham-treated mice was impaired by propranolol which did not alter the already impaired long-term potentiation after peripheral nerve injury. These results suggest that beta adrenergic functions are changed in chronic pain conditions, which may underlie the deficiency of long-term potentiation. PMID- 17765220 TI - Differential behavioral effect of the TRPM8/TRPA1 channel agonist icilin (AG-3 5). AB - Molecular identification of two new transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, TRPM8 and TRPA1, has prompted an intense interest in their functional roles. We report that an acute exposure to the TRPM8/TRPA1 agonist icilin (0.01-100 microM), but not TRPV1 agonist capsaicin (10 microM), causes an atypical dose related increase in planarian motility. This is the first demonstration of a TRPM8/TRPA1 channel subtype agonist-induced differential pharmacological effect in invertebrates and provides a novel sensitive, quantifiable end-point for studying TRP channel pharmacology. PMID- 17765222 TI - Nucleation and growth of cadherin adhesions. AB - Cell-cell contact formation relies on the recruitment of cadherin molecules and their anchoring to actin. However, the precise chronology of events from initial cadherin trans-interactions to adhesion strengthening is unclear, in part due to the lack of access to the distribution of cadherins within adhesion zones. Using N-cadherin expressing cells interacting with N-cadherin coated surfaces, we characterized the formation of cadherin adhesions at the ventral cell surface. TIRF and RIC microscopies revealed streak-like accumulations of cadherin along actin fibers. FRAP analysis indicated that engaged cadherins display a slow turnover at equilibrium, compatible with a continuous addition and removal of cadherin molecules within the adhesive contact. Association of cadherin cytoplasmic tail to actin as well as actin cables and myosin II activity are required for the formation and maintenance of cadherin adhesions. Using time lapse microscopy we deciphered how cadherin adhesions form and grow. As lamellipodia protrude, cadherin foci stochastically formed a few microns away from the cell margin. Neo-formed foci coalesced aligned and coalesced with preformed foci either by rearward sliding or gap filling to form cadherin adhesions. Foci experienced collapse at the rear of cadherin adhesions. Based on these results, we present a model for the nucleation, directional growth and shrinkage of cadherin adhesions. PMID- 17765221 TI - Pharmacological characterization of JNJ-28583867, a histamine H(3) receptor antagonist and serotonin reuptake inhibitor. AB - Wake-promoting agents such as modafinil are used in the clinic as adjuncts to antidepressant therapy in order to alleviate lethargy. The wake-promoting action of histamine H(3) receptor antagonists has been evidenced in numerous animal studies. They may therefore be a viable strategy for use as an antidepressant therapy in conjunction with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. JNJ-28583867 (2-Methyl-4-(4-methylsulfanyl-phenyl)-7-(3-morpholin-4-yl-propoxy)-1,2,3,4 tetrahydro-isoquinoline) is a selective and potent histamine H(3) receptor antagonist (K(i)=10.6 nM) and inhibitor of the serotonin transporter (SERT) (K(i)=3.7 nM), with 30-fold selectivity for SERT over the dopamine and norepinephrine transporters. After subcutaneous administration, JNJ-28583867 occupied both the histamine H(3) receptor and the SERT in rat brain at low doses (<1 mg/kg). JNJ-28583867 blocked imetit-induced drinking (3-10 mg/kg i.p.), confirming in vivo functional activity at the histamine H(3) receptor and also significantly increased cortical extracellular levels of serotonin at doses of 0.3 mg/kg (s.c.) and higher. Smaller increases in cortical extracellular levels of norepinephrine and dopamine were also observed. JNJ-28583867 (3-30 mg/kg p.o.) showed antidepressant-like activity in the mouse tail suspension test. JNJ 28583867 (1-3 mg/kg s.c.) caused a dose-dependent increase in the time spent awake mirrored by a decrease in NREM. Concomitantly, JNJ-28583867 produced a potent suppression of REM sleep from the dose of 1 mg/kg onwards. JNJ-28583867 has good oral bioavailability in the rat (32%), a half-life of 6.9 h and a C(max) of 260 ng/ml after 10 mg/kg p.o. In summary, JNJ-28583867 is a combined histamine H(3) receptor antagonist-SERT inhibitor with in vivo efficacy in biochemical and behavioral models of depression and wakefulness. PMID- 17765223 TI - Novel vectors for homologous recombination strategies in mouse embryonic stem cells: an ES cell line expressing EGFP under control of the 5T4 promoter. AB - The use of gene mutation/knock-out strategies in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells has revolutionized the study of gene function in ES cells and embryonic development. However, the construction of vectors for homologous recombination strategies requires considerable expertise and time. We describe two novel vectors that can generate site specific knock-out or EGFP knock-in ES cells within 6 weeks from construct design to identification of positive ES cell clones. As proof-of-principle, we have utilized the knock-out targeting vector to modify the NEIL2 locus in ES cells. In addition, using the knock-in vector, we have inserted EGFP downstream of the 5T4 oncofetal antigen promoter in ES cells (5T4-GFP ES cells). Undifferentiated 5T4-GFP ES cells lack EGFP and maintain expression of the pluripotent markers OCT-4 and NANOG. Upon differentiation, EGFP expression is increased in 5T4-GFP ES cells and this correlates with 5T4 transcript expression of the unmodified allele, loss of Nanog and Oct-4 transcripts and upregulation of differentiation-associated transcripts. Furthermore, we demonstrate that fluorescent activated cell sorting of 5T4-GFP ES cells allows isolation of pluripotent or differentiated cells from a heterogeneous population. These vectors provide researchers with a rapid method of modifying specific ES cell genes to study cellular differentiation and embryonic development. PMID- 17765226 TI - Activation of Candida rugosa lipase at alkane-aqueous interfaces: a molecular dynamics study. AB - The effect of solvent hydrophobicity on activation of Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) was investigated by performing molecular dynamics simulations for four nano seconds (ns). The closed/inactive conformer of CRL (PDB code 1TRH) was solvated in three alkane-aqueous environments. The alkanes aggregated in a predominantly aqueous environment and by 1 ns a stable spherical alkane-aqueous interface had formed. This led to the interfacial activation of CRL. On analyzing the simulated conformers with the closed conformer of CRL, the flap was found to have opened from a closed state by 7.7 A, 10.2 A, 13.1 A at hexane-aqueous, octane-aqueous, and decane-aqueous interfaces. Further, essential dynamics analysis revealed that major anharmonic fluctuations were confined to residues 64-81, the flap of CRL. PMID- 17765225 TI - Evidence for fast conformational change upon ligand dissociation in the HemAT class of bacterial oxygen sensors. AB - Here we report the results of transient absorption and photoacoustic calorimetry studies of CO photodissociation from the heme domain of the bacterial oxygen sensor HemAT-Bs. The results indicate that CO photolysis is accompanied by an overall DeltaH of -19 kcal mol(-1) and DeltaV of +4 ml mol(-1) as well as a red shifted kinetic difference spectrum all occurring in <50 ns. Analysis of the DeltaH/DeltaV reveals that a conformational change takes place with a DeltaH(conf) of -40 kcal mol(-1) and DeltaV(conf) of -22 ml mol(-1). These thermodynamic changes are consistent with an increase in the solvent accessible surface area of the protein upon ligand dissociation, as observed in the X-ray structure of the ferric CN-bound and CN free forms of HemAT-Bs. PMID- 17765227 TI - Revival of apoptotic cells that display early-stage dynamic membrane blebbing. AB - The critical point at which apoptosis becomes irreversible and how cells attain an anti-apoptotic state remain unknown. Here, we report that apoptotic cells undergoing early-stage dynamic membrane blebbing revive. We examined this phenomenon in cell lines that stably express 2DED2DD, a modified FADD produced by fusing the tandem death effector domains (DEDs) and tandem death domains (DDs). Induction of apoptosis caused rapid blebbing. Eight hours later, most cells shrunk while some detached from the flask. Twenty-four hours later, when activated caspase 3 decreased, more than half the cells revived and appeared normal, probably due to the induction of unidentified anti-apoptotic proteins. PMID- 17765224 TI - Pro-inflammatory cytokines increase reactive oxygen species through mitochondria and NADPH oxidase in cultured RPE cells. AB - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during inflammation are believed to play critical roles in various ocular diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We investigated if pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), induce ROS in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. TNF alpha, IL-1 beta and IFN-gamma increased both intracellular and extracellular ROS production in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTFA), an inhibitor of mitochondrial respiratory chain, blocked TNF-alpha- and IFN-gamma , but not IL-1 beta-induced ROS, whereas other two mitochondrial respiratory chain inhibitors, rotenone and antimycin A, had no effect. NADPH oxidase inhibitor (diphenylene iodinium) abolished the ROS production induced by IL-1 beta or IFN-gamma, but not by TNF-alpha, whereas 6-aminonicotinamide (6AN), an inhibitor of the hexose monophosphate shunt (HMS), had no significant effects on the ROS induced by all three cytokines. ROS scavengers, pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) and N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), reduced the levels of ROS induced by TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IFN-gamma (P<0.05). Collectively, these results demonstrate that TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IFN-gamma increase mitochondrial- and NADPH oxidase-generated ROS in human RPE cells. PMID- 17765228 TI - Role of 3-O-sulfated heparan sulfate in virus-induced polykaryocyte formation. AB - One way herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) spreads in vivo is by polykaryocytes formation. Here we demonstrate that polykaryocyte production during HSV-1 spread in cultured human corneal fibroblasts (CF) required heparan sulfate (HS) and more specifically 3-O sulfated HS (3-OS HS). The polykaryocyte formation heavily depended on the expression of HS on target (CF) cells but not on glycoprotein expressing effector cells. Furthermore, we provide the first visual evidence of 3 OS HS and HSV-1 gD colocalization during the membrane fusion process. Taken together our results provide novel insight into the significance of HS in polykaryocyte formation. PMID- 17765229 TI - Rev-erb alpha gives a time cue to metabolism. AB - Normal physiological processes are under control of circadian rhythms. Moreover, certain pathological events, such as cardiovascular accidents (myocardial infarction, stroke) occur more frequently at specific times of the day. Recent observations demonstrate a causal relationship between alterations in circadian rhythmicity and metabolic disorders. Disruption of clock genes results in dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and obesity, all predisposing to atherosclerosis. The nuclear receptor Rev-erb alpha is part of the clock circuitry and plays an important role in keeping proper timing of the clock. Rev erb alpha also regulates lipid metabolism, adipogenesis and vascular inflammation. Interestingly, Rev-erb alpha also cross-talks with several other nuclear receptors involved in energy homeostasis. Therefore Rev-erb alpha may serve to couple metabolic and circadian signals. PMID- 17765231 TI - The relation between urinary metabolite of pyrethroid insecticides and semen quality in humans. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the possible association between internal exposure levels of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), an urinary metabolite of pyrethroids, and altered semen quality in Chinese men. DESIGN: A retrospective case-control study. SETTING: Center of clinical reproductive medicine. PATIENT(S): Three hundred seventy-six men with nonobstructive infertility. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Urinary 3-PBA concentration, semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm number per ejaculum, sperm motility, sperm progression, and motion parameters. RESULT(S): The median 3-PBA concentration was 0.879 microg/g of creatinine. There was suggestive association between increased creatinine-adjusted 3-PBA quartiles and sperm concentration (odd ratios for the first, second, third, and fourth quartiles were 1.00, 1.31, 1.73, and 2.04, respectively), whereas sperm volume, sperm number per ejaculum, and sperm motility were weakly or nonsignificantly associated with 3-PBA quartiles. The sperm progression and motion parameters associated with creatinine-adjusted 3-PBA levels were straight line velocity (VSL) and curvilinear velocity (VCL). CONCLUSION(S): These observed associations between 3-PBA levels and some altered semen quality indicated the reproductive effects of pyrethroid exposure on adult men. PMID- 17765230 TI - A polymorphism of the CYP17 gene related to sex steroid metabolism is associated with female-to-male but not male-to-female transsexualism. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between transsexualism and allele and genotype frequencies of the common cytochrome P450 (CYP) 17 -34 T>C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Academic research institution. PATIENT(S): 102 male-to-female (MtF) and 49 female-to-male (FtM) transsexuals, 756 male controls, and 915 female controls. INTERVENTION(S): Buccal swabs and multiplex polymerase chain reaction on a microarray system. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Analysis of the CYP17 -34 T>C SNP. RESULT(S): CYP17 -34 T>C SNP allele frequencies were statistically significantly different between FtM transsexuals and female controls (CYP17 T: 55/98 [56%] and CYP17 C: 43/98 [44%] versus CYP17 T: 1253/1826 [69%] and CYP17 C: 573/1826 [31%], respectively). In accordance, genotype distributions were also different between FtM transsexuals and female controls using a recessive genotype model (CYP17 T/T+T/C: 39/49 [80%] and C/C 10/49 [20%] vs. CYP17 T/T+T/C: 821/913 [90%] and C/C 92/913 [10%], respectively). The CYP17 -34 T>C allele and genotype distributions were not statistically significantly different between MtF transsexuals and male controls. Of note, the CYP17 -34 T>C allele distribution was gender-specific among controls (CYP17 C: males; 604 of 1512 [40%] vs. females; 573 of 1826 [31%]). The MtF transsexuals had an allele distribution equivalent to male controls, whereas FtM transsexuals did not follow the gender-specific allele distribution of female controls but rather had an allele distribution equivalent to MtF transsexuals and male controls. CONCLUSION(S): These data support CYP17 as a candidate gene of FtM transsexualism and indicate that loss of a female-specific CYP17 T -34C allele distribution pattern is associated with FtM transsexualism. PMID- 17765233 TI - Impact of EmbryoGlue as the embryo transfer medium. AB - Routine use of EmbryoGlue did not significantly improve pregnancy or implantation rates in nonselected patients receiving either a day 3 or day 5 embryo transfer compared with standard culture media. Future prospective randomized studies need to be performed to determine whether EmbryoGlue is beneficial in a selected patient population. PMID- 17765232 TI - Differential expression of microRNA species in human uterine leiomyoma versus normal myometrium. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether microRNAs (miRNAs) are differentially expressed in human leiomyoma versus matched myometrial tissue. DESIGN: Microarray with real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) validation. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENT(S): Premenopausal subjects (n = 15), who were undergoing hysterectomies for leiomyoma-related symptoms. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Statistically differential expression of miRNAs in leiomyoma versus myometrium. RESULT(S): Forty-six miRNA species were differentially expressed in leiomyoma versus normal myometrium. Of these, 19 were overexpressed and 27 were underexpressed in leiomyomas. The changes ranged from 1.2-fold to 11.8-fold. These findings were confirmed using real-time reverse transcriptase PCR for selected miRNAs (miRNAs 21, 34a, 125b, 139, and 323). CONCLUSION(S): Our findings indicate that miRNAs are differentially expressed between human leiomyoma and matched myometrium. Given this differential expression, miRNAs may play a role in the pathogenesis of uterine leiomyoma and may serve as future therapeutic targets for the treatment of these tumors. PMID- 17765234 TI - Variations in L-selectin ligand expression in the luteal-phase endometrium after final oocyte maturation with human chorionic gonadotropin compared with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist. AB - Final oocyte maturation was achieved by using hCG or two doses of leuprolide acetate in 16 oocyte donors after a GnRH antagonist protocol. Administration of hCG was associated with a statistical trend toward increased L-selectin ligand expression in the endometrium on postretrieval day 5, compared with the leuprolide acetate group. PMID- 17765235 TI - Male age negatively impacts embryo development and reproductive outcome in donor oocyte assisted reproductive technology cycles. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether male age influences embryo development and reproductive potential in assisted reproductive technology cycles. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis. SETTING: Private IVF center. PATIENT(S): One thousand twenty-three male partners participating in anonymous oocyte donation cycles. INTERVENTION(S): Infertile couples undergoing 1,023 anonymous oocyte donation cycles. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Live birth rate. RESULT(S): A significant increase in pregnancy loss, decrease in live birth rate, and decrease in blastocyst formation rate were noted in men >50 years of age. There was no significant difference in implantation rate, pregnancy rate, or early embryo development through the cleavage stage (demonstrated by fertilization rate, embryo cleavage rate, percentage of nonfertilized or polyspermic embryos, rate of embryo arrest, or seven or more cell embryo development on day 3). Men < or =45 years of age had significantly more semen volume and more motile sperm than men >45 years of age. There was no significant change in sperm morphology or concentration. CONCLUSION(S): After controlling for female age with use of the donor oocyte model, male age >50 years significantly affected pregnancy outcomes and blastocyst formation rates. Semen volume and total motility decreased with increasing male age. Initial embryo morphology through the cleavage stage was not affected. PMID- 17765240 TI - Challenges in measuring obstetric fistula. AB - Obstetric fistula is gaining visibility within national and international public health agencies. With increased attention to this dire condition comes the demand for better epidemiologic data. This article assesses the current state of knowledge regarding population-based estimates of the incidence and prevalence of obstetric fistulas; proposes a method for better estimating these rates; and discusses the feasibility of this method. We show that there are no solid population-based estimates of the numbers of obstetric fistulas anywhere (the estimate from the most rigorous study being based on only 2 reported fistula cases); and for advocacy purposes, we recommend using the estimates from the 1990 Global Burden of Disease report. To estimate the incidence and prevalence of obstetric fistula, we propose an adaptation of the sibling-based method for direct estimation of maternal mortality. A series of questions are proposed for this use and sample size calculations are provided. The questions may require refinement, however, and we invite research groups to consider testing them. PMID- 17765239 TI - Dead women walking: neglected millions with obstetric fistula. PMID- 17765236 TI - Effects of anti-TNF-mAb treatment on pregnancy in baboons with induced endometriosis. AB - OBJECTIVE: Hormonal suppressive therapy is not effective for endometriosis associated subfertility and can even prevent conception. Medical inhibition of TNFalpha, which has been shown to improve conception, is effective in the prevention and treatment of endometriosis in baboons. DESIGN: Prospective, placebo-controlled fertility trial. SETTING: Animal research and laboratory facility. ANIMAL(S): Sixteen adult female baboons with induced endometriosis. INTERVENTION(S): All animals received a single IV dose of the anti-TNFalpha monoclonal antibody c5N (n = 9) or placebo (n = 7) at four different time points. The animals were then exposed to timed mating up to nine completed cycles or until pregnancy was achieved. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Pregnancy rate (PR), cycle fecundity rate (CFR), time to pregnancy (TTP), and cumulative pregnancy rate (CPR). RESULT(S): Inhibition of TNFalpha did not result in a significant improvement in PR (100% c5N vs. 86% placebo), CFR (18% c5N vs. 30% placebo), median TTP (5 cycles c5N vs. 2 cycles placebo), or CPR (100% c5N vs. 80% placebo). The duration of the menstrual cycle was unchanged in both groups before and after the study. Two nonpregnant baboons in the c5N-group died during the study. CONCLUSION(S): Medical inhibition of TNFalpha allowed for normal conception but did not improve fecundity in baboons with induced endometriosis when compared with placebo. Larger studies with clinically available TNFalpha blockers in baboons with moderate to severe endometriosis are needed to further test the potential of these agents in the prevention or treatment of endometriosis-associated subfertility. PMID- 17765241 TI - Complex obstetric fistulas. AB - Obstetric fistulas are rarely simple. Most patients in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia are carriers of complex fistulas or complicated fistulas requiring expert skills for evaluation and management. A fistula is predictably complex when it is greater than 4 cm and involves the continence mechanism (the urethra is partially absent, the bladder capacity is reduced, or both); is associated with moderately severe scarring of the trigone and urethrovesical junction; and/or has multiple openings. A fistula is even more complicated when it is more than 6 cm in its largest dimension, particularly when it is associated with severe scarring and the absence of the urethra, and/or when it is combined with a recto-vaginal fistula. The present article reviews the evaluation methods and main surgical techniques used in the management of complex fistulas. The severity of the neurovascular alterations associated with these lesions, as well as inescapable limitations in staff, health facilities, and supplies, make their optimal management very challenging. PMID- 17765237 TI - Vascular density and distribution of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor VEGFR-2 (Flk-1) are significantly higher in patients with deeply infiltrating endometriosis affecting the rectum. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze vascular density and immunolocalization of angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor Flk-1 in the proliferative and secretory eutopic human endometrium and in three different sites of endometriosis: the ovary, bladder, and rectum. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): Thirty women with endometriosis (10 ovarian, 10 bladder, 10 rectal) and 32 control women (10 proliferative endometrium, 10 secretory endometrium, 4 normal ovary, 4 normal bladder, 4 normal rectum). INTERVENTION(S): Normal endometrial samples were obtained from women during laparoscopic ablation of subserous myoma, and biopsy specimens of endometriosis were obtained from patients undergoing surgery for the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis. Normal tissues of ovary, bladder, and rectum were obtained from these organs beside the lesions of endometriosis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Blood vessels were quantified according to the number of von Willebrand factor-positive endothelial cells. The VEGF and Flk-1 distribution were evaluated semiquantitatively by immunohistochemical staining. RESULT(S): More blood vessels were found in cases of endometriosis, particularly rectal endometriosis, compared with the respective control samples and with the eutopic endometrium, and they were localized in endometrial stroma around the glands. The VEGF and Flk-1 expression levels were also higher in cases of endometriosis, especially rectal endometriosis. CONCLUSION(S): Vascularization and VEGF and Flk 1 expression are significantly higher in deeply infiltrating endometriosis affecting the rectum, reinforcing the hypothesis that antiangiogenesis therapy may constitute a new modality of treatment, especially in cases of deep endometriosis involving the rectum. PMID- 17765238 TI - Inflammation and inflammatory agents activate protein kinase C epsilon translocation and excite guinea-pig submucosal neurons. AB - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Properties of enteric neurons are transformed by inflammation and protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms are involved both in long-term changes in enteric neurons, and in transducing the effects of substances released during inflammation. We investigated roles of PKCepsilon in submucosal neurons by studying translocation in response to inflammatory mediators, effects on neuron excitability, and the changes in PKCepsilon distribution in a trinitrobenzene sulphonate model of ileitis. METHODS: Immunohistochemical detection and analysis of association with membrane and cytosolic fractions, and Western blot analysis of cytosolic and particulate fractions were used to quantify translocation. Electrophysiology methods were used to measure effects on neuron excitability. RESULTS: All submucosal neurons were immunoreactive for the novel PKC, PKCepsilon, and direct PKC activators, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, ingenol 3,20 dibenzoate, and the PKCepsilon-specific activator, transactivator of transduction Psiepsilon receptor for activated C kinase, all caused PKCepsilon translocation from cytoplasm to surfaces of the neurons. Electrophysiologic studies showed that the stimulant of novel PKCs, ingenol (1 micromol/L), increased excitability of all neurons. Stimulation of protease-activated receptors caused PKCepsilon translocation selectively in vasoactive intestinal peptide secretomotor neurons, whereas a neurokinin 3 tachykinin receptor agonist caused translocation in neuropeptide Y and calretinin neurons. In all cases translocation was reduced significantly by a PKCepsilon-specific translocation inhibitor peptide. Increased PKCepsilon at the plasma membrane occurred in all neurons 6-7 days after an inflammatory stimulus. CONCLUSIONS: Major targets for PKCepsilon include ion channels near the plasma membrane. PKCepsilon is likely to have a significant role in controlling the excitability of submucosal neurons and is probably an intermediate in causing hyperexcitability after inflammation. PMID- 17765243 TI - Ethical issues in vesico-vaginal fistula care and research. AB - The plight of women in poor nonindustrialized countries who have incurred catastrophic childbirth injuries, such as vesico-vaginal and recto-vaginal fistulas, from prolonged obstructed labor is receiving increased attention from the world medical community. While the good intentions that have prompted this greater concern are not in doubt, intentions by themselves are insufficient guarantees of ethical conduct in programs developed to repair these injuries. Clinical proposals put forward to deal with the problem of fistula must undergo critical analysis to insure that basic ethical requirements are met. This article emphasizes the vulnerability to exploitation of women with obstetric fistulas and reviews the basic principles of medical ethics relevant to fistula care. PMID- 17765242 TI - A review of postoperative care for obstetric fistulas in Nigeria. AB - Nigeria harbors an estimated 40% of all the women affected with obstetric fistulas today, and at the current rate of treatment in this country, it would take about 300 years to treat them if no new fistulas occurred. This situation obviously runs contrary to the ideals of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and needs to be reversed. We reviewed the literature on fistula treatment in Nigeria to identify strategies and practices that, if adopted, would likely accelerate the pace of fistula repair and improve postoperative fistula care in this country. A comprehensive nationwide survey, a stronger political will and commitment of resources, a systematic postoperative care and follow-up, more fistula centers, and more fistula campaigns are necessary. Technically, the involvement of all surgeons trained in fistula repair and an experience-based postoperative management protocol will relieve the disease burden carried by women living with fistulas in Nigeria. PMID- 17765244 TI - Identification and characterization of two non-secreted PCSK9 mutants associated with familial hypercholesterolemia in cohorts from New Zealand and South Africa. AB - We analysed the Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin Kexin type 9 (PCSK9) exons and intronic junctions of 71 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in whom LDL receptor (LDLR) or apolipoprotein B100 mutations were excluded. The previously reported S127R and R237W mutations were found in South African families, whereas new missense mutations D129G and A168E were found in families from New Zealand. Only, the S127R and D129G mutations modify a highly conserved residue and segregate with the FH phenotype. We overexpressed those mutants in hepatoma cells and found that both S127R and D129G have reduced autocatalytic activity compared with wild-type PCSK9, whereas the A168E mutant is processed normally. The S127R and D129G mutants were not secreted from cells, unlike the A168E mutant and wild-type PCSK9. By immunoblot, we showed that the expression of the LDLR was reduced by 40% in cells overexpressing wild-type or A168E PCSK9 and further reduced by 30% when the S127R or D129G mutants were used. Paralleling the LDLR levels, LDL cellular binding decreased by 25% upon wild-type PCSK9 or A168E overexpression, and by 45% with both S127R and D129G mutants. Our study therefore indicates that PCSK9 mediated inhibition of the LDLR does not require PCSK9 autocatalytic cleavage or secretion, suggesting that PCSK9 may also function intracellularly. PMID- 17765245 TI - Rosiglitazone produces a greater reduction in circulating platelet activity compared with gliclazide in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus--an effect probably mediated by direct platelet PPARgamma activation. AB - AIMS: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with enhanced platelet activation. We conducted a randomised double-blind study to compare the effects of combination metformin and rosiglitazone or metformin and gliclazide therapy on platelet function in persons with T2DM. METHODS: Fifty subjects on metformin monotherapy received either rosiglitazone 4 mg or gliclazide 80 mg. HbA1c, HOMA R, markers of platelet activation, inflammation, endothelial activation and oxidative stress were measured at baseline and after 24 weeks of treatment. Separate in vitro platelet function studies were conducted on platelets pre incubated with rosiglitazone and gliclazide. RESULTS: A significantly greater reduction in platelet aggregation was observed in the rosiglitazone treated group compared to gliclazide. HbA1c and markers of endothelial activation were reduced to a similar extent in both groups. A significant reduction in HOMA-R, markers of inflammation and oxidative stress was only observed with rosiglitazone. Reduction in platelet aggregation with rosiglitazone correlated with reduction in oxidative stress. In the in vitro study, rosiglitazone produced significantly greater reduction in platelet aggregation compared with gliclazide. CONCLUSION: Greater reduction in platelet activity observed with rosiglitazone may be related to reduced oxidative stress and a possible direct PPARgamma mediated effect on platelet function. PMID- 17765246 TI - Familial hypercholesterolaemia in Portugal. AB - Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is characterised clinically by an increased level of circulating LDL cholesterol that leads to lipid accumulation in tendons and arteries, premature atherosclerosis and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Although Portugal should have about 20,000 cases, this disease is severely under-diagnosed in our country, this being the first presentation of Portuguese data on FH. A total of 602 blood samples were collected from 184 index patients and 418 relatives from several centres throughout Portugal. Fifty-three different mutations were found in 83 index patients, 79 heterozygous and 4 with two defective LDLR alleles. Additionally, 4 putative alterations were found in 8 patients but were not considered mutations causing disease, mainly because they did not co-segregate with hypercholesterolaemia in the families. Three unrelated patients were found to be heterozygous for the APOB(3500) mutation and two unrelated patients were found to be heterozygous for a novel mutation in PCSK9, predicted to cause a single amino acid substitution, D374H. Cascade screening increased the number of FH patients identified genetically to 204. The newly identified FH patients are now receiving counselling and treatment based on the genetic diagnosis. The early identification of FH patients can increase their life expectancy and quality of life by preventing the development of premature CHD if patients receive appropriate pharmacological treatment. PMID- 17765247 TI - Human endothelial impairment in sepsis. AB - The onset of sepsis is often non-specific, and its severity is cryptic. The pathophysiological mechanism of sepsis development involves vascular alteration and, in particular, the impairment of endothelial function. Aim of the study was to evaluate the potential implications of brachial endothelial function assessment in patients affected by Gram-negative sepsis. Forty-five young patients (mean age 41+/-8 years, 18 males) with Gram-negative sepsis were included; at admission time (T0) signs and symptoms, clinical and laboratory data were collected; the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was assessed at the time of the access along with the evaluation of brachial flow-mediated vasodilation (FMV). The same parameters were repeated 3 days after hospitalization (T1). Study population at the hospitalization time was divided on the basis of a brachial FMV cut off: at the T0 subjects with FMV<7.5% had lower white blood cell count in comparison to subjects with FMV> or =7.5% (6693+/-1559 mmc versus 14,270+/-2399 mmc); subjects with FMV<7.5% had a significant increase in SOFA score at T1 (4+/-1 versus 6+/-1) and a significant reduction of brachial FMV at T1 (4.8+/-2.7% versus 3.7+/-2.6%) (all p<0.05). FMV at the admission time was predicted by white blood cells (beta=0.65; p<0.001) and brachial diameter (beta=-0.292; p<0.05); Delta changes in FMV were predicted by changes in SOFA score (beta=-0.41; p<0.05). In conclusion, the present study indicates that in the initial phase of sepsis an impairment of brachial FMV anticipated the progression in organ failures; these considerations support the potential utility of brachial FMV in clinical practice in acute pathologies as septic state. PMID- 17765248 TI - Interleukin-18 promoter polymorphism associates with the occurrence of sudden cardiac death among Caucasian males: the Helsinki Sudden Death Study. AB - OBJECTIVE: The increased plasma concentrations of pro-atherogenic and cardiomyocyte hypertrophic cytokine interleukin 18 (IL-18) predict mortality in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in addition to predicting the outcome of heart failure. The IL-18 gene has a functional -137G/C polymorphism (rs187238) in the promoter region. The C allele carriage is associated with attenuated IL-18 production. The effect of IL-18 genotype on SCD is unknown. We studied the association of the IL-18 gene -137G/C polymorphism with the occurrence of sudden cardiac death (SCD). METHODS: Using the TaqMan 5' nuclease assay, we genotyped two independent consecutive and prospective autopsy series which were included in the Helsinki Sudden Death Study. RESULTS: Of the 663 men, 359 (54.1%) had the wild-type GG-genotype, 261 (39.4%) were heterozygotes (CG) and 43 (6.5%) were CC homozygotes. Compared to the GG homozygotes, the C allele carriers (i.e. subjects having CC or CG genotypes) had a lower adjusted risk for SCD from any cause (odds ratio [OR] 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.31-0.77, p=0.002), for SCD due to CHD (OR 0.51; 95% CI, 0.32-0.82, p=0.005), and for SCD caused by non-coronary heart diseases (OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.13-0.90, p=0.030). CONCLUSION: IL-18 promoter 137G/C polymorphism, which regulates the expression of IL-18, is an important predictor of SCD from any cause as well as SCD in patients with and without underlying CHD. PMID- 17765249 TI - Development of a novel ultrasound-assisted headspace liquid-phase microextraction and its application to the analysis of chlorophenols in real aqueous samples. AB - A new sample pretreatment technique, ultrasound-assisted headspace liquid-phase microextraction was developed as mentioned in this paper. In the technique, the volatile analytes were headspace extracted into a small drop of solvent, which suspended on the bottom of a cone-shaped PCR tube instead of the needle tip of a microsyringe. More solvent could be suspended in the PCR tube than microsyringe due to the larger interfacial tension, thus the analysis sensitivity was significantly improved with the increase of the extractant volume. Moreover, ultrasound-assisted extraction and independent controlling temperature of the extractant and the sample were performed to enhance the extraction efficiency. Following the extraction, the solvent-loaded sample was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Chlorophenols (2-chlorophenol, 2,4 dichlorophenol and 2,6-dichlorophenol) were chosen as model analytes to investigate the feasibility of the method. The experimental conditions related to the extraction efficiency were systematically studied. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the detection limit (S/N=3), intra- and inter-day RSD were 6 ng mL(-1), 4.6%, 3.9% for 2-chlorophenol, 12 ng mL(-1), 2.4%, 8.8% for 2,4 dichlorophenol and 23 ng mL(-1), 3.3%, 5.3% for 2,6-dichlorophenol, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine chlorophenols in real aqueous samples. Good recoveries ranging from 84.6% to 100.7% were obtained. In addition, the extraction efficiency of our method and the conventional headspace liquid-phase microextraction were compared; the extraction efficiency of the former was about 21 times higher than that of the latter. The results demonstrated that the proposed method is a promising sample pretreatment approach, its advantages over the conventional headspace liquid-phase microextraction include simple setup, ease of operation, rapidness, sensitivity, precision and no cross-contamination. The method is very suitable for the analysis of trace volatile and semivolatile pollutants in real aqueous sample. PMID- 17765251 TI - Determination of N,N'-ethylenebisstearamide additive in polymer by normal phase liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection. AB - A new method for N,N'-ethylenebisstearamide (EBS) analysis was developed and validated in normal phase-HP liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC) with diol column at 50 degrees C with 100% CHCl(3) at 1 mL min(-1) and evaporative light scattering detection with elution time at 3.0 min. EBS solubility was the best at 0.80 gL( 1) in CHCl(3)/methanol 90:10. The molecular structure of commercial samples of EBS was determined by GC-MS which ascertained that the main structure is C18/C18 at approximately 45%. The remaining part was constituted by molecules with different alkyl chain length. The HPLC quantification method was proved linear (r=0.9983), accurate (99.6%) and precise (1.95%). Limit of quantification (LOQ) and limit of detection (LOD) were equal to 2.0 and 0.8 microg mL(-1), respectively. The suitability of this method was assessed with a dissolution/precipitation extraction procedure of EBS from ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) polymer which showed that other additives and polymer do not interfere with EBS analysis. The intra-day and day-to-day precisions of extraction method were equal to 9.1% and 9.9%, respectively. PMID- 17765252 TI - Online concentration of aristolochic acid I and II in Chinese medicine preparations by micellar electrokinetic chromatography. AB - In this study, an online concentration method in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) applying field-enhanced sample injection (FESI) mode was developed for the detection of aristolochic acids (AAs) in Chinese medicine preparations. AA-I and AA-II were baseline separated with high separation efficiency, and 100-fold enhancement of the detection sensitivity was achieved compared with those obtained from normal capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) or simple MEKC method. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of AAs in Chinese medicine preparations. PMID- 17765253 TI - Development of an automatic multiple dynamic hollow fibre liquid-phase microextraction procedure for specific migration analysis of new active food packagings containing essential oils. AB - A two-phase based hollow fibre liquid-phase microextraction (HFLPME) with a high automatization degree and able to process up to six samples simultaneously by means of a multiple channel syringe pump has been successfully developed. The experimental set-up allows to carry out dynamic extractions with a considerable reduction of sample handling. The system has been applied for the first time to the determination in aqueous food simulant of migrants from prototypes of active packagings to assess their safety before marketing, showing detection limits in the ng g(-1) range, relative standard deviations below 13% and concentration factors ranging from 83 to 338. PMID- 17765250 TI - Improvement of an overloaded, multi-component, solvent gradient bioseparation through multiobjective optimization. AB - Solvent gradient chromatography is quite often used in analytical studies for decreasing the analysis time of samples having components with widely different retention behaviour. Several studies, both theoretical and experimental, have been reported on the optimization of gradient profiles in improving analytical separation performance, suggesting various linear and non-linear gradients. In preparative chromatography, on the other hand, though solvent gradient is being increasingly used (especially in bioseparation) to improve the product yield and productivity, there is a dearth of literature and clearer understanding of the effect(s) of modifier gradients on the separation performance. For this, the gradients used in applications are of relatively simple profiles like step or linear gradients, obtained through hand optimization based on experience and intuition. Significant improvements, however, can be expected using the state-of the art modelling of chromatographic processes and optimization routines running on widely available hi-speed desktop computers. In this work we are reporting such an optimization procedure to improve the purification of an industrial multi component mixture, containing 65.8% of Calcitonin as the main product, in an overloaded reversed-phase column. The work comprises both theoretical simulations and their experimental validation using multilinear gradients as optimization variable. The study produced interesting insights for modifier gradient design, like using peak deformation of the target peptide to increase yield and productivity, and improved our understanding of the effect of modifier gradients in non-linear separations. PMID- 17765257 TI - Enhancement of gemcitabine affinity for biomembranes by conjugation with squalene: differential scanning calorimetry and Langmuir-Blodgett studies using biomembrane models. AB - Molecular interactions between gemcitabine, alone or conjugated with squalene to form the gem-squalene prodrug, with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and Langmuir film balance techniques to gain information about the interaction of gemcitabine and its prodrug with mammalian cell membranes and to evaluate the potential of liposomes as a delivery system for gemcitabine prodrugs. Phospholipids assembled as multilamellar vesicles or monolayers (at the air water interface) have been used as biomembrane models. Different interactions of gemcitabine, its prodrug, and squalene with the lipid were detected by dispersing the compounds in the MLV and were compared with kinetic experiments carried out to consider the ability of the examined compounds to dissolve in an aqueous medium, to migrate through it, and to be captured by multilamellar vesicles. Their ability to be released from drug loaded liposomes and be taken up by empty vesicles mimicking biomembranes was also considered. Analysis of the differential scanning calorimetry curves reveals that gemcitabine has very little interaction with multilamellar vesicles whereas the gem-squalene prodrug strongly interacts with multilamellar vesicles. The kinetic experiments suggest that an aqueous medium does not permit the prodrug uptake by the biomembrane models, whereas it is allowed when gem-squalene is gradually released by the liposomes. The molecular area/surface pressure isotherms of the gemcitabine/lipid, gem-squalene/lipid, and pure compound monolayers, in agreement with the calorimetric results, indicate that gem squalene interacts with the phospholipid monolayer with the squalene moiety in contact with the phospholipid chains and gemcitabine protruding in the aqueous medium. PMID- 17765258 TI - Instability of confined thin liquid film trilayers. AB - The instability of a system in which three stratified thin liquid films are confined in a channel with parallel walls and the interior film is subject to van der Waals-driven breakup is examined in this work. We derive a model based on lubrication theory and consisting of a pair of nonlinear partial differential equations describing the position of the two liquid interfaces. A linear stability analysis is carried out to show that the effects of varying the boundary film thicknesses can be understood in terms of several known limits, including a supported monolayer, confined bilayer, and supported bilayer. Variation of the boundary film viscosities is shown in many cases to eliminate the supported-bilayer limit. The parameter regimes in which squeezing and bending modes dominate the initial growth are determined, and nonlinear simulations are used to show that the mode always switches to squeezing near rupture. It is also found that a multi-modal dispersion relation may be created by asymmetries in thickness ratio, but not viscosity ratio, even in the absence of asymmetric interfacial tensions. The results of this study are expected to be relevant to multiphase microfluidic systems and the lithographic printing process. PMID- 17765255 TI - High throughput liquid chromatography with sub-2 microm particles at high pressure and high temperature. AB - In this study, ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) using pressures up to 1,000 bar and columns packed with sub-2 microm particles has been combined with high temperature mobile phase conditions (up to 90 degrees C). By using high temperature ultra performance liquid chromatography (HT-UPLC), it is possible to drastically decrease the analysis time without loss in efficiency. The stability and chromatographic behavior of sub-2 microm particles were evaluated at high temperature and high pressure. The chromatographic support remained stable after 500 injections (equivalent to 7,500 column volumes) and plate height curves demonstrated the capability of HT-UPLC to obtain fast separations. For example, a separation of nine doping agents was performed in less than 1 min with sub-2 microm particles at 90 degrees C. Furthermore, a shorter column (30 mm length) was used and allowed a separation of eight pharmaceutical compounds in only 40s. PMID- 17765254 TI - Urinary analysis of 8-oxoguanine, 8-oxoguanosine, fapy-guanine and 8-oxo-2' deoxyguanosine by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry as a measure of oxidative stress. AB - A sensitive and specific assay aimed at measuring the oxidized nucleic acids, 8 oxoguanine (8-oxoGua), fapy-guanine (Fapy-Gua), 8-oxoguanosine (8-oxoGuo), 8-oxo 2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) has been developed by coupling reversed phase liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry detection (MS/MS) and isotope dilution. The HPLC-MS/MS approach with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) allowed for the sensitive determination of 8-oxoGua, Fapy-Gua, 8 oxoGuo, and 8-oxodG in human urine samples. There is no sample preparation needed except for the addition of buffer and (13)C- and (15)N-labeled internal standards to the urine prior to sample injection into the HPLC-MS/MS system. This method was tested in urine samples from non-smokers, smokers, non-smokers with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and smokers with CKD, to assess the level of oxidative damage to nucleic acids. Markers of both RNA and DNA damage were significantly increased in the smokers with and without CKD compared to their respective control subjects. These findings suggest that a highly specific and sensitive analytical method such as isotope dilution HPLC-MS/MS may represent a valuable tool for the measurement of oxidative stress in human subjects. PMID- 17765259 TI - A photoluminescent switch based on the hybrid organized molecular films of decatungsteuropate and some amphiphiles. AB - Hybrid organized molecular films composed of a polyoxometalate, decatungsteuropate (EuW(10)), and amphiphiles such as hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), n-octadecylamine (ODA) and 4-hexadecylaniline (HDA) were fabricated by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique and their photoluminescent properties were investigated. The hybrid films, which were formed through in situ complex formation at the air/water interface and subsequently transferred onto the solid substrate, were characterized by UV-vis, FT-IR, fluorescence, and AFM measurements. The transferred hybrid films showed red emission characteristic of the Eu(III) ion upon UV irradiation. The photoluminescence of the hybrid films was sensitive to the acid and base gases. When ODA/EuW(10) and HDA/EuW(10) hybrid films were exposed to HCl gas, their photoluminescence disappeared completely. Interestingly, the photoluminescence was recovered upon subsequent exposing the same film to NH(3) gas. Such process could be repeated many times and a switch based on these hybrid films was proposed. On the other hand, the photoluminescent intensity of CTAB/EuW(10) film decreased but never disappeared upon exposing to HCl gas. Similarly, the photoluminescence could also be partially recovered upon exposing to NH(3) gas. Detailed investigation on the spectral changes of the films revealed that the interaction between EuW(10) and CTAB and was different from EuW(10) with ODA or HDA, and protonation of amine group in ODA or HDA induced by HCl gas played an important role in realizing the "on" and "off" photoluminescence switch of the hybrid films. PMID- 17765260 TI - Synthesis and characterisation of clay-supported titania photocatalysts. AB - This study examines the use of laponite, a synthetic smectite, which forms exfoliated silicate layers when dispersed in water, as an inorganic support for titania nanocrystals. Titania nanocrystals are prepared prior to addition to the clay dispersion, by a sol-gel synthesis incorporating a microwave hydrothermal step. The characteristics of the resultant structure such as titania phase, crystallite size, and particulate size are examined via X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM), and infrared spectroscopy. PMID- 17765262 TI - The crystal structure of the bifunctional deaminase/reductase RibD of the riboflavin biosynthetic pathway in Escherichia coli: implications for the reductive mechanism. AB - We have determined the crystal structure of the bi-functional deaminase/reductase enzyme from Escherichia coli (EcRibD) that catalyzes two consecutive reactions during riboflavin biosynthesis. The polypeptide chain of EcRibD is folded into two domains where the 3D structure of the N-terminal domain (1-145) is similar to cytosine deaminase and the C-terminal domain (146-367) is similar to dihydrofolate reductase. We showed that EcRibD is dimeric and compared our structure to tetrameric RibG, an ortholog from Bacillus subtilis (BsRibG). We have also determined the structure of EcRibD in two binary complexes with the oxidized cofactor (NADP(+)) and with the substrate analogue ribose-5-phosphate (RP5) and superposed these two in order to mimic the ternary complex. Based on this superposition we propose that the invariant Asp200 initiates the reductive reaction by abstracting a proton from the bound substrate and that the pro-R proton from C4 of the cofactor is transferred to C1 of the substrate. A highly flexible loop is found in the reductase active site (159-173) that appears to control cofactor and substrate binding to the reductase active site and was therefore compared to the corresponding Met20 loop of E. coli dihydrofolate reductase (EcDHFR). Lys152, identified by comparing substrate analogue (RP5) coordination in the reductase active site of EcRibD with the homologous reductase from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (MjaRED), is invariant among bacterial RibD enzymes and could contribute to the various pathways taken during riboflavin biosynthesis in bacteria and yeast. PMID- 17765261 TI - Mice lacking sulfonylurea receptor 2 (SUR2) ATP-sensitive potassium channels are resistant to acute cardiovascular stress. AB - Adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels are thought to mediate the stress response by sensing intracellular ATP concentration. Cardiomyocyte K(ATP) channels are composed of the pore-forming Kir6.2 subunit and the regulatory sulfonylurea receptor 2 (SUR2). We studied the response to acute isoproterenol in SUR2 null mice as a model of acute adrenergic stress and found that the episodic coronary vasospasm observed at baseline in SUR2 null mice was alleviated. Similar results were observed following administration of a nitric oxide donor consistent with a vasodilatory role. Langendorff-perfused hearts were subjected to global ischemia, and hearts from SUR2 null mice exhibited significantly reduced infarct size (54+/-4 versus 30+/-3%) and improved cardiac function compared to control mice. SUR2 null mice have hypertension and develop cardiac hypertrophy. However, despite longstanding hypertension, fibrosis was absent in SUR2 null mice. SUR2 null mice were administered nifedipine to block baseline coronary vasospasm, and hearts from nifedipine-treated SUR2 null mice exhibited increased infarct size compared to untreated SUR2 null mice (42+/-3% versus 54+/-3%). We conclude that conventional sarcolemmal cardiomyocyte K(ATP) channels containing full-length SUR2 are not required for mediating the response to acute cardiovascular stress. PMID- 17765263 TI - Nucleation of an allosteric response via ligand-induced loop folding. AB - The Escherichia coli biotin repressor BirA is an allosteric transcription regulatory protein to which binding of the small ligand corepressor biotinyl-5' AMP promotes homodimerization and subsequent DNA binding. Structural data indicate that the apo or unliganded repressor is characterized by four partially disordered loops that are ordered in the ligand-bound dimer. While three of these loops participate directly in the dimerization, the fourth, consisting of residues 212-234 is distal to the interface. This loop, which is ordered around the adenine ring of the adenylate moiety in the BirA.adenylate structure, is referred to as the adenylate-binding loop (ABL). Although residues in the loop do not interact directly with the ligand, a hydrophobic cluster consisting of a tryptophan and two valine side-chains assembles over the adenine base. Results of previous measurements suggest that folding of the ABL is integral to the allosteric response. This idea and the role of the hydrophobic cluster in the process were investigated by systematic replacement of each side-chain in the cluster with alanine and analysis of the mutant proteins for small ligand binding and dimerization. Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements indicate defects in adenylate binding for all ABL variants. Additionally, sedimentation equilibrium measurements reveal that coupling between adenylate binding and dimerization is compromised in each mutant. Partial proteolysis measurements indicate that the mutants are defective in ligand-linked folding of the ABL. These results indicate that the hydrophobic cluster is critical to the ligand induced disorder-to-order transition in the ABL and that this transition is integral to the allosteric response in the biotin repressor. PMID- 17765264 TI - Structure and action of the N-oxygenase AurF from Streptomyces thioluteus. AB - Nitro groups are found in a number of bioactive compounds. Most of them arise by a stepwise mono-oxygenation of amino groups. One of the involved enzymes is AurF participating in the biosynthesis of aureothin. Its structure was established at 2.1 A resolution showing a homodimer with a binuclear manganese cluster. The enzyme preparation, which yielded the analyzed crystals, showed activity using in vitro and in vivo assays. Chain fold and cluster are homologous with ribonucleotide reductase subunit R2 and related enzymes. The two manganese ions and an iron content of about 15% were established by anomalous X-ray diffraction. A comparison of the cluster with more common di-iron clusters suggested an additional histidine in the coordination sphere to cause the preference for manganese over iron. There is no oxo-bridge. The substrate p-amino-benzoate was modeled into the active center. The model is supported by mutant activity measurements. It shows the geometry of the reaction and explains the established substrate spectrum. PMID- 17765267 TI - Prevention of oil spill from shipping by modelling of dynamic risk. AB - This paper presents a new dynamic environmental risk model, with intended use within a new, dynamical approach for risk based ship traffic prioritisation. The philosophy behind this newly developed approach is that shipping risk can be reduced by directing efforts towards ships and areas that have been identified as high priority (high risk), prior to a potential accident. The risk model proposed in this paper separates itself from previous models by drawing on available information on dynamic factors and by focusing on the ship's surroundings. The model estimates the environmental risk of drift grounding accidents for oil tankers in real time and in forecast mode, combining the probability of grounding with oil spill impact on the coastline. Results show that the inherent dynamic risk introduced by an oil tanker sailing along the North Norwegian coast depends, not surprisingly, significantly upon wind and ocean currents, as well as tug position and cargo oil type. Results of this study indicate that the risk model is well suited for real time risk assessment, and effectively separates low risk and high risk situations. The model is well suited as a tool to prioritise oil tankers and coastal segments. This enables dynamic risk based positioning of tugs, using both real-time and projected risk, for effective support in case of a drifting ship situation. PMID- 17765265 TI - Structure and function of the Escherichia coli protein YmgB: a protein critical for biofilm formation and acid-resistance. AB - The Escherichia coli gene cluster ymgABC was identified in transcriptome studies to have a role in biofilm development and stability. In this study, we showed that YmgB represses biofilm formation in rich medium containing glucose, decreases cellular motility, and protects the cell from acid indicating that YmgB has a major role in acid-resistance in E. coli. Our data show that these phenotypes are potentially mediated through interactions with the important cell signal indole. In addition, gel mobility-shift assays suggest that YmgB may be a non-specific DNA-binding protein. Using nickel-enrichment DNA microarrays, we showed that YmgB binds, either directly or indirectly, via a probable ligand, genes important for biofilm formation. To advance our understanding of the function of YmgB, we used X-ray crystallography to solve the structure of the protein to 1.8 A resolution. YmgB is a biological dimer that is structurally homologous to the E. coli gene regulatory protein Hha, despite having only 5% sequence identity. This supports our DNA microarray data showing that YmgB is a gene regulatory protein. Therefore, this protein, which clearly has a critical role in acid-resistance in E. coli, has been renamed as AriR for regulator of acid resistance influenced by indole. PMID- 17765266 TI - Externalizing disorders in the offspring from the San Diego prospective study of alcoholism. AB - OBJECT: Conduct disorder (CD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be more prevalent in relatives of alcoholics and may predict alcohol and drug problems, but not all studies agree. This paper evaluates these questions in well educated families of alcoholics and controls. METHODS: Data from 165, 14-25-year old offspring in the San Diego Prospective Study were used to create Group 1 (n=17) with CD or ADHD and Group 2 (n=148) with no such diagnoses. Correlations and hierarchical logistic regressions evaluated characteristics associated with these disorders, comparing the impact of CD and ADHD. RESULTS: The rates of CD (6.1%) and of ADHD (4.8%) were not strikingly elevated, and did not relate to the family history of alcohol or drug use disorders. Group 1 offspring were more likely to have divorced parents, a relative with bipolar disorder, a higher intake of alcohol and illicit substances, and associated problems. PMID- 17765268 TI - Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and hearing impairment: infection of fibroblast cells with HCMV induces chromosome breaks at 1q23.3, between loci DFNA7 and DFNA49 -- both involved in dominantly inherited, sensorineural, hearing impairment. AB - Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is the most common congenital infection in developed countries and is responsible for a substantial fraction of sensorineural hearing impairment (SNHI) in children. The risk of hearing impairment is associated with viral load in urine and blood collected during the first postnatal month. However, although inner ear abnormalities are observed in some children with HCMV-induced SNHI, the exact mechanism whereby congenital HCMV infection causes hearing impairment is unknown. Earlier studies using standard cytogenetic mapping techniques showed that infection of S-phase human fibroblast cells with HCMV resulted in two specific, site-directed, chromosome breaks at band positions 1q21 and 1q42 which include loci involved in dominantly and recessively inherited hearing impairment, respectively. These findings suggested that cells infected with HCMV might provide a reservoir for genetic damage and, in a clinical perspective, a scenario could be envisioned whereby hearing impairment could result from early DNA damage of dividing fetal cells rather than viral replication and cell lysis. In this work we demonstrate, using fine mapping techniques, that HCMV infection in S-phase fibroblast cells induces genetic damage at 1q23.3, within a maximal region of 37 kb, containing five low copy repeat (LCR) elements. The breakpoint is situated between two hearing impairment (HI) loci, DFNA49 and DFNA7, and in close proximity to the MPZ gene previously shown to be involved in autosomal dominant Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome (CMT1B) with auditory neuropathy. PMID- 17765270 TI - DNA damage and repair in children with Down's syndrome. AB - Down's syndrome (DS) is associated with the presence of a third 21 chromosome and is generally considered as a non-cancer-prone genetic disease. However, leukaemias occur more frequently in children with the syndrome than in general population and there is an open question, whether the presence of an additional chromosome may contribute to genomic instability, which, in turn, may play a role in a higher susceptibility to cancer and leukaemias in particular. In order to assess genomic instability associated with the presence of a third 21 chromosome, we determined the level of endogenous DNA damage and susceptibility to a genotoxic stress-inducing factor, hydrogen peroxide and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N nitrosoguanidyne (MNNG) as well as the ability to remove DNA damage in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of children with DS and healthy kids. The level of DNA damage and the kinetics of DNA repair were evaluated by alkaline comet assay. Oxidative DNA damage was assayed with DNA repair enzymes: endonuclease III-like NTH1 and formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase. The cells taken from children with DS did not display an effective DNA repair after treatment with 10 mM hydrogen peroxide. No difference in the sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents and the efficacy of DNA repair due to age and gender in DS children was observed. These results suggest that children with DS may be characterized by the increased sensitivity to the DNA-damaging agents impaired cellular reaction to DNA damage, which, in turn, may increase the probability of cancers in these children. Therefore, a special care to avoid exposure to potential mutagenic factor my be considered in these children. PMID- 17765269 TI - Escherichia coli mismatch repair protein MutL interacts with the clamp loader subunits of DNA polymerase III. AB - It has been hypothesized that DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is coupled with DNA replication; however, the involvement of DNA polymerase III subunits in bacterial DNA MMR has not been clearly elucidated. In an effort to better understand the relationship between these 2 systems, the potential interactions between the Escherichia coli MMR protein and the clamp loader subunits of E. coli DNA polymerase III were analyzed by far western blotting and then confirmed and characterized by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging. The results showed that the MMR key protein MutL could directly interact with both the individual subunits delta, delta', and gamma and the complex of these subunits (clamp loader). Kinetic parameters revealed that the interactions are strong and stable, suggesting that MutL might be involved in the recruitment of the clamp loader during the resynthesis step in MMR. The interactions between MutL, the delta and gamma subunits, and the clamp loader were observed to be modulated by ATP. Deletion analysis demonstrated that both the N-terminal residues (1-293) and C terminal residues (556-613) of MutL are required for interacting with the subunits delta and delta'. Based on these findings and the available information, the network of interactions between the MMR components and the DNA polymerase III subunits was established; this network provides strong evidence to support the notion that DNA replication and MMR are highly associated with each other. PMID- 17765271 TI - Selective feeding in birds depends on combined processing in the left and right brain hemisphere. AB - During visually guided foraging birds tend to select certain types of food from a mixed diet. This selectivity is ecologically relevant. During scanning for food birds spot the surroundings mainly with the monocular lateral visual field of the one or other eye and then control pecking with their small binocular frontal visual field. As the visual systems of the avian left and right brain hemisphere are supposed to work largely independently in the short term, the problem arises of how the avian brain handles a task that requires coordinated activity of the left and right brain hemisphere for efficient processing. Here we report that chicks exhibit strong selective feeding when both of the brain hemispheres are involved. With the left or right hemisphere alone selectivity is reduced or completely absent. Our findings reveal a marked qualitative difference between unilateral and bilateral processing. They highlight an important but so far unexplored selection pressure for the evolution of hemispheric cooperation. PMID- 17765272 TI - Apomorphine effects on episodic memory in young healthy volunteers. AB - RATIONALE: Dopamine (DA) modulates working memory. However, the relation between DA systems and episodic (declarative) memory is less established. Frontal lobe DA function may be involved. We were interested in assessing whether apomorphine (Apo), a drug used extensively in clinical research as a probe of DA function, has an effect on episodic memory test performance in healthy volunteers. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of a presynaptic dose of Apo on episodic memory tests and on other tests thought to be sensitive to frontal lobe functions. METHODS: Twenty healthy subjects were treated with Apo HCl (5 microg/kg sc) or placebo (10 subjects/group) in a randomized, double blind parallel group design and performance on a battery of cognitive tests was assessed. RESULTS: Apomorphine significantly impaired performance on tests of source recognition (d.f.=19, p=0.05) and item recognition memory (d.f.=19, p<0.05), and memory interference (d.f.=19, p<0.010). No significant change was found on other tests (Go/no-Go Test, Categorized Words, Stroop, Trail Making Test, and verbal fluency). CONCLUSION: Findings in this small sample of subjects suggest that dopaminergic transmission affects episodic memory functions. PMID- 17765274 TI - Sleep deprivation in the pigeon using the Disk-Over-Water method. AB - A well-defined sleep deprivation (SD) syndrome has been observed in studies with rats under conditions of severe sleep loss on the Disk-Over-Water (DOW) apparatus. Observation of the sleep deprivation syndrome across taxa would assist in the elucidation of the function of sleep. In the present study, the effects of total sleep deprivation were assessed in pigeons, a biologically relevant choice given that birds are the only non-mammalian taxon known to exhibit unequivocal rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. Pigeons were deprived of sleep for 24-29 days on the DOW by rotating the disk and requiring them to walk whenever sleep was initiated. Control (C) birds were also housed on the DOW and required to walk only when the deprived (D) birds were required to walk due to sleep initiation. NREM and REM sleep amounts were reduced from baseline during the deprivation for both D and C birds, although D birds obtained less NREM sleep than controls. Across the deprivation, D birds had their total sleep reduced by 54% of baseline (scored in 4 s epochs), whereas previous studies in rats on the DOW reported total sleep reduction of as much as 91% (scored in 30 s epochs). Pigeons proved to be more resistant to sleep deprivation by the DOW method and were much more difficult to deprive over the course of the experiment. Overall, the pigeons showed recovery sleep patterns similar to those seen in rats; i.e., rebound sleep during recovery was disproportionately composed of REM sleep. They did not, however, show the obvious external physical signs of the SD syndrome nor the large metabolic and thermoregulatory changes associated with the syndrome. The DOW method was thus effective in producing sleep loss in the pigeon, but was not as effective as it is in rats. The absence of the full SD syndrome is discussed in the context of limitations of the DOW apparatus and the possibility of species-specific adaptations that birds may possess to withstand or adapt to conditions of limited sleep opportunity. PMID- 17765273 TI - The origins of insight in resting-state brain activity. AB - People can solve problems in more than one way. Two general strategies involve (A) methodical, conscious, search of problem-state transformations, and (B) sudden insight, with abrupt emergence of the solution into consciousness. This study elucidated the influence of initial resting brain-state on subjects' subsequent strategy choices. High-density electroencephalograms (EEGs) were recorded from subjects at rest who were subsequently directed to solve a series of anagrams. Subjects were divided into two groups based on the proportion of anagram solutions derived with self-reported insight versus search. Reaction time and accuracy results were consistent with different cognitive problem-solving strategies used for solving anagrams with versus without insight. Spectral analyses yielded group differences in resting-state EEG supporting hypotheses concerning insight-related attentional diffusion and right-lateralized hemispheric asymmetry. These results reveal a relationship between resting-state brain activity and problem-solving strategy, and, more generally, a dependence of event-related neural computations on the preceding resting state. PMID- 17765275 TI - Water handling, sanitation and defecation practices in rural southern India: a knowledge, attitudes and practices study. AB - Diarrhoea and water-borne diseases are leading causes of mortality in developing countries. To understand the socio-cultural factors impacting on water safety, we documented knowledge, attitudes and practices of water handling and usage, sanitation and defecation in rural Tamilnadu, India, using questionnaires and focus group discussions, in a village divided into an upper caste Main village and a lower caste Harijan colony. Our survey showed that all households stored drinking water in wide-mouthed containers. The quantity of water supplied was less in the Harijan colony, than in the Main village (P<0.001). Residents did not associate unsafe water with diarrhoea, attributing it to 'heat', spicy food, ingesting hair, mud or mosquitoes. Among 97 households interviewed, 30 (30.9%) had toilets but only 25 (83.3%) used them. Seventy-two (74.2%) of respondents defecated in fields, and there was no stigma associated with this traditional practice. Hand washing with soap after defecation and before meals was common only in children under 15 years (86.4%). After adjusting for other factors, perception of quantity of water received (P<0.001), stated causation of diarrhoea (P=0.02) and low socio-economic status (P<0.001) were significantly different between the Main village and the Harijan colony. Traditional practices may pose a significant challenge to programmes aimed at toilet usage and better sanitation. PMID- 17765276 TI - Studies on neurosteroids XXIII. Analysis of tetrahydrocorticosterone isomers in the brain of rats exposed to immobilization using LC-MS. AB - The identification and quantification of tetrahydrocorticosterone isomers (THBs; 3alpha,5alpha-, 3beta,5alpha-, 3alpha,5beta- and 3beta,5beta-THB) in rat brains using liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) are described. For the identification, the THBs were converted to the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)-active derivatives, i.e., the dinitrobezoyl esters and 2-nitro 4-trifluoromethylphenyl hydrazones, and detected in the negative-ion mode. These derivatives showed 60- and 40-fold higher sensitivities, respectively, than intact steroids measured in the positive-APCI-MS. The derivatized THBs were satisfactorily separated from the others during the reversed-phase LC. The THBs were not detected at all in the brains of the unstressed rats. When the rats were exposed to the immobilization for 20 min, 3alpha,5alpha- and 3beta,5alpha-THB were detected as the major metabolites together with small amounts of 3alpha,5beta- and 3beta,5beta-THB in the male rat brain, while only 3alpha,5alpha THB was detected in the female rats. Thus, the steroid variety found in the brains was different between the sexes. In the next step, 3alpha,5alpha-THB, a major metabolite found in the brains of the stressed rats, was quantified as its dinitrobezoyl ester. This method was accurate and reproducible, and the limit of quantitation was 1.0 ng/g tissue when a 50 mg tissue sample was used. There was also a sex difference in the brain 3alpha,5alpha-THB level; it was significantly higher in the female rats than in the male rats (P<0.05), although the brain corticosterone level was not higher in the stressed female rats than in the male rats (no statistical difference). PMID- 17765277 TI - Effects of public health educational campaigns and the role of sex workers on the spread of HIV/AIDS among heterosexuals. AB - This paper presents a sex-structured model for heterosexual transmission of HIV/AIDS in which the population is divided into three subgroups: susceptibles, infectives and AIDS cases. The subgroups are further divided into two classes, consisting of individuals involved in high-risk sexual activities and individuals involved in low-risk sexual activities. The model considers the movement of individuals from high to low sexual activity groups as a result of public health educational campaigns. Thus, in this case public health educational campaigns are resulting in the split of the population into risk groups. The equilibrium and epidemic threshold, which is known as the basic reproductive number (R0), are obtained, and stability (local and global) of the disease-free equilibrium is investigated. The model is extended to incorporate sex workers, and their role in the spread of HIV/AIDS in settings with heterosexual transmission is explored. Comprehensive analytic and numerical techniques are employed in assessing the possible community benefits of public health educational campaigns in controlling HIV/AIDS. From the study, we conclude that the presence of sex workers enlarges the epidemic threshold R0, thus fuels the epidemic among the heterosexuals, and that public health educational campaigns among the high-risk heterosexual population reduces R0, thus can help slow or eradicate the epidemic. PMID- 17765278 TI - Ultrastructural features of Glisson's capsule and the overlying mesothelium in rat, monkey and pike liver. AB - Samples from the liver of a male rat (Sprague-Dawley), a monkey (Macacus rhesus), and a longnose gar pike (Lepisosteus osseus) were studied in a transmission electron microscope to provide cytological and histological information about structures previously poorly documented in the literature. Glisson's capsule consisted of dense, irregular connective tissue of typical Type-I collagen fibrils. The capsule was formed by a single stratum of fibroblasts in the rat and in the pike, but by one or two strata of fibroblasts in the monkey. In the rat, but not in the monkey or pike, fibroblast processes interdigitated with processes from the hepatocytes. In the pike, fibroblast processes extended toward both mesothelium and hepatocytes. In some areas of the rat and pike, mesothelial cells had desmosomal connections and microvillous projections into the peritoneal cavity. Marginated heterochromatin was more abundant in the rat and monkey. The mesothelium was discontinuous in the rat and monkey but, in areas of discontinuity, the capsular surface was covered by a basal lamina, often barely perceptible beneath mesothelial cells of the rat and monkey, but prominent in the pike. In the pike, the mesothelium had numerous pinocytotic vesicles on both peritoneal and capsular surfaces. PMID- 17765280 TI - The complete nucleotide sequence of a New World simian foamy virus. AB - We determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the New World simian foamy virus (FV) from spider monkey (SFVspm). Starting from a conserved region in the integrase (IN) domain of the pol gene we cloned fragments of the genome up to the 5' end of the long terminal repeat (LTR) into plasmid vectors and elucidated their nucleotide sequence. The 3' end of the genome was determined by direct nucleotide sequencing of PCR products. Each nucleotide of the genome was determined at least two times from both strands. All protein motifs described to be conserved among primate FVs were found in SFVspm. At both the nucleotide and protein levels SFVspm is the most divergent primate FV described to date, reflecting the long-term phylogenetic separation between Old World and New World primate host species (Catarrhini and Platyrrhini, respectively). The molecular probes developed for SFVspm will allow the investigation of trans-species transmissions of this New World foamy virus to humans by serological assays. PMID- 17765281 TI - Contrast sensitivity during the initiation of smooth pursuit eye movements. AB - Eye movements challenge the perception of a stable world by inducing retinal image displacement. During saccadic eye movements visual stability is accompanied by a remapping of visual receptive fields, a compression of visual space and perceptual suppression. Here we explore whether a similar suppression changes the perception of briefly presented low contrast targets during the initiation of smooth pursuit eye movements. In a 2AFC design we investigated the contrast sensitivity for threshold-level stimuli during the initiation of smooth pursuit and during saccades. Pursuit was elicited by horizontal step-ramp and ramp stimuli. At any time from 200 ms before to 500 ms after pursuit stimulus onset, a blurred 0.3 deg wide horizontal line with low contrast just above detection threshold appeared for 10 ms either 2 deg above or below the pursuit trajectory. Observers had to pursue the moving stimulus and to indicate whether the target line appeared above or below the pursuit trajectory. In contrast to perceptual suppression effects during saccades, no pronounced suppression was found at pursuit onset for step-ramp motion. When pursuit was elicited by a ramp stimulus, pursuit initiation was accompanied by catch-up saccades, which caused saccadic suppression. Additionally, contrast sensitivity was attenuated at the time of pursuit or saccade stimulus onset. This attenuation might be due to an attentional deficit, because the stimulus required the focus of attention during the programming of the following eye movement. PMID- 17765282 TI - Retinal degeneration in children: dark adapted visual threshold and arteriolar diameter. AB - To assess the condition of the retina in children with retinal degeneration due to Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS, n=41), Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA, n=31), or Usher syndrome (USH, n=13), the dark adapted visual threshold (DAT) and arteriolar diameters were measured. Compared to controls, the initial DATs of nearly all (83/85) were significantly elevated, and in 26/62 with serial DATs, significant progressive elevation occurred. Arteriolar diameters were significantly attenuated and narrowed with age in BBS and USH, but not LCA. Higher DATs were associated with narrower arterioles. Such non-invasive procedures can document the natural history of these retinal diseases and have the potential to assess response to future treatment. PMID- 17765279 TI - Nrf2 protects human bladder urothelial cells from arsenite and monomethylarsonous acid toxicity. AB - Arsenic is widely spread in our living environment and imposes a big challenge on human health worldwide. Arsenic damages biological systems through multiple mechanisms including the generation of reactive oxygen species. The transcription factor Nrf2 regulates the cellular antioxidant response that protects cells from various insults. In this study, the protective role of Nrf2 in arsenic toxicity was investigated in a human bladder urothelial cell line, UROtsa. Using a UROtsa cell line stably infected with Nrf2-siRNA, we clearly demonstrate that compromised Nrf2 expression sensitized the cells to As(III)- and MMA(III)-induced toxicity. On the other hand, the activation of the Nrf2 pathway by tert butylhydroquinone (tBHQ) and sulforaphane (SF), the known Nrf2-inducers, rendered UROtsa cells more resistant to As(III) and MMA(III). Furthermore, the wild-type mouse embryo fibroblast (WT-MEF) cells were protected from As(III)- and MMA(III) induced toxicity following Nrf2 activation by tBHQ or SF, whereas neither tBHQ nor SF conferred protection in the Nrf2(-/-)MEF cells, demonstrating that tBHQ- or SF-mediated protection against As(III)- and MMA(III)-induced toxicity depends on Nrf2 activation. These results, obtained by both loss of function and gain of function analyses, clearly demonstrate the protective role of Nrf2 in arsenic induced toxicity. The current work lays the groundwork for using Nrf2 activators for therapeutic and dietary interventions against adverse effects of arsenic. PMID- 17765283 TI - Removal of natural organic matter and THM formation potential by ultra- and nanofiltration of surface water. AB - Natural organic matter (NOM) and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) removal were evaluated by ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF). Ten different raw water sources in Alicante province (SE Spain) were analysed. Five types of membranes of different materials were tested with a dead-end-type stirred UF cell. Additional measurements, such as dissolved organic carbon, ultraviolet absorbance (254nm), THMFP, ion concentration, pH, conductivity, etc. were made on raw water, permeates and concentrates. The SUVA value was used to determine the hydrophobicity of the water analysed. The elimination of NOM and THMFP is correlated with the molecular weight (MW) of NOM determined by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The flux decline trends were correlated with cation concentration. NOM removal by UF is low, which correlates with the average MW determined by SEC with an average value of 922g/mol (between 833 and 1031g/mol). However, the NOM removal obtained with the NF90 and NF270 NF membranes for all water sources is almost complete (90%). THMFP removal is related to hydrophobicity and permeability of membrane. The NFT50 membrane removes almost 100% of the THMFP of more hydrophobic waters. PMID- 17765284 TI - Experimental evidence for in situ natural attenuation of 2,4- and 2,6 dinitrotoluene in marine sediment. AB - Dinitrotoluenes (DNTs) are widely used in the manufacturing of explosives and propellants hence causing contamination of several terrestrial and aquatic environments. The present study describes biotransformation of 2,4-DNT and 2,6 DNT in marine sediment sampled from a shipwreck site near Halifax Harbour. Incubation of either 2,4-DNT or 2,6-DNT in anaerobic sediment slurries (10% w/v) at 10 degrees C led to the reduction of both DNTs to their corresponding diaminotoluene (2,4-DAT and 2,6-DAT) via the intermediary formation of their monoamine derivatives (ANTs). The production of diaminotoluene was enhanced in the presence of lactate for both DNT isomers. Using [(14)C]-2,4-DNT less than 1% mineralization was observed as determined by liberated (14)CO(2). Sorption of DNTs, ANTs, and DATs was thus investigated to learn of their fate in marine sediments. Under anaerobic conditions, sorption followed the order: DNTs (K(d)=8.3-11.7lkg(-1))>ANTs (K(d)=4.5-7.0lkg(-1))>DATs (K(d)=3.8-4.5lkg(-1)). Incubation of 2,4-DAT in aerobic sediment led to rapid disappearance from the aqueous phase. LC/MS analysis of the aqueous phase and the acetone sediment extract showed the formation of azo- and hydrazo-dimers and trimers, as well as unidentified polymers. Experiments with radiolabelled 2,4-DAT showed a mass balance distributed as follows: 22% in the aqueous phase, 24% in acetone extracts, and 50% irreversibly bound to sediment. We concluded that DNT in anoxic marine sediment can undergo in situ natural attenuation by reduction to DAT followed by oxidative coupling to hydrazo-oligomers or irreversible binding to sediment. PMID- 17765285 TI - European risk assessment of LAS in agricultural soil revisited: species sensitivity distribution and risk estimates. AB - Linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) is used at a rate of approximately 430,000 tons/y in Western Europe, mainly in laundry detergents. It is present in sewage sludge (70-5,600 mg/kg; 5-95th percentile) because of its high usage per capita, its sorption and precipitation in primary settlers, and its lack of degradation in anaerobic digesters. Immediately after amendment, calculated and measured concentrations are <1 to 60 mg LAS/kg soil. LAS biodegrades rapidly in soil with primary and ultimate half-lives of up to 7 and 30 days, respectively. Calculated residual concentrations after the averaging time (30 days) are 0.24-18 mg LAS/kg soil. The long-term ecotoxicity to soil microbiota is relatively low (EC10 >or=26 mg sludge-associated LAS/kg soil). An extensive review of the invertebrate and plant ecotoxicological data, combined with a probabilistic assessment approach, led to a PNEC value of 35 mg LAS/kg soil, i.e. the 5th percentile (HC5) of the species sensitivity distribution (lognormal distribution of the EC10 and NOEC values). Risk ratios were identified to fall within a range of 0.01 (median LAS concentration in sludge) to 0.1 (95th percentile) and always below 0.5 (maximum LAS concentration measured in sludge) according to various scenarios covering different factors such as local sewage influent concentration, water hardness, and sewage sludge stabilisation process. Based on the present information, it can be concluded that LAS does not represent an ecological risk in Western Europe when applied via normal sludge amendment to agricultural soil. PMID- 17765286 TI - A mechanistical model for the uptake of sulfonamides by bacteria. AB - The uptake of sulfonamides into bacterial cells was simulated by a dynamic model to estimate bioavailability and steady-state accumulation of sulfonamides in the cells. Uptake of sulfonamides is modeled as diffusion-like transport of the neutral molecule and the ionic species. Speciation outside and inside the cell depends on the extra- and intracellular pH and the pK(a)-value of the antibiotic active SO(2)NH moiety. The ratio between intra- and extracellular sulfonamide concentration is used as a measure for potential sulfonamide accumulation in bacterial cells. Simulated ratios are in good agreement with experimental data for various sulfonamides with pK(a2) values ranging from 5.0 up to 11.8. Sensitivity analyses indicate that intracellular sulfonamide concentration depend significantly on the degree of ionization in the cytoplasm and the surrounding medium. No accumulation in the cell occurs, if the external pH exceeds the intracellular pH. For sulfonamides with large pK(a)-values the internal activity equals the activity in the extracellular solution. Highest accumulation is reached if the pH gradient from inside to outside the cell is large, which depends on the bacterial pH-regulation mechanisms. The pH-dependent intracellular accumulation of various sulfonamides correlates well with their observed antibiotic effect on selected bacteria. PMID- 17765287 TI - QSTR with extended topochemical atom (ETA) indices. 9. Comparative QSAR for the toxicity of diverse functional organic compounds to Chlorella vulgaris using chemometric tools. AB - Quantitative structure-toxicity relationship (QSTR) studies on toxicity of 91 organic compounds to Chlorella vulgaris have been performed using extended topochemical atom (ETA) indices using different statistical tools like stepwise regression analysis, multiple linear regression with factor analysis (FA-MLR) as the preprocessing step, partial least squares (PLS) regression and principal component regression analysis (PCRA). The ETA models have been compared with the non-ETA ones derived from different topological and physicochemical parameters The results show that the QSTR models using ETA descriptors (FA-MLR: Q(2)=0.832, PLS: Q(2)=0.891, stepwise: Q(2)=0.867, PCRA: Q(2)=0.741) are comparable to the non-ETA models (FA-MLR: Q(2)=0.794, PLS: Q(2)=0.897, stepwise: Q(2)=0.907, PCRA: Q(2)=0.772). Improved results are obtained (except in case of PCRA) when we considered ETA and non-ETA descriptors in combination (FA-MLR: Q(2)=0.850, PLS: Q(2)=0.913, stepwise: Q(2)=0.909, PCRA: Q(2)=0.671). The best two models are obtained using combined ETA and non-ETA descriptors applying stepwise regression [Q(2)=0.909] and PLS [Q(2)=0.913] techniques. The statistical quality of the best models is better than that of the previously published models. The results suggest that the ETA descriptors are sufficiently rich in chemical information and have ability to encode the structural features contributing significantly to the toxicity of organic chemicals to C. vulgaris. PMID- 17765288 TI - Investigation of carbonyl compounds in air from various industrial emission sources. AB - The emission concentrations of carbonyl compounds in air were quantified from a total of 195 man-made source units within 77 individual companies at a large industrial complex in Korea. The measurement data were evaluated both by absolute magnitude of concentration and by their relative contribution to malodor formation such as malodor degree (MD) derived from empirical formula. It was found that formaldehyde exhibited the highest mean concentration of 323ppb with a median value of 28.2ppb, while butyraldehyde recorded the highest contribution to odor formation with an MD value of 3.5 (186 (mean) and 9.8ppb (median)). The relative intensity of carbonyl emission, when compared by the sum of MD, showed the highest source strength from the food and beverage (industry sector) and scrubber (source unit). A comprehensive evaluation of the carbonyl data from diverse industrial facilities thus allowed us to describe the fundamental patterns of their emission. PMID- 17765289 TI - Calibration and validation of a dynamic water model in agricultural scenarios. AB - A dynamic aquatic model (DynA model) was previously developed to predict the fate of a chemical in aquatic scenarios characterized by daily or periodic changes in several input parameters. DynA model is here calibrated with data obtained from the literature in specific unsteady state scenarios, such as those of rice fields. The results obtained for two herbicides (cinosulfuron and pretilachlor) in rice paddy scenarios revealed the capability of the model to accurately predict water and sediment concentrations, as shown by some statistical indicators. Modelling efficiency (EF) values of 0.86-0.99 for the water compartment and of 0.77-0.84 for sediment show the good agreement between predicted and measured concentrations. An "external validation" was performed using measured data for a different herbicide (molinate) applied in a Portuguese paddy rice scenario. A sensitivity analysis for this volatile chemical revealed the influence of some climatic parameters (e.g. temperature) to the model outcomes, such as water and sediment concentrations. This confirmed the capability of DynA model as an efficient tool for the pesticide risk assessment in dynamic scenarios. PMID- 17765290 TI - CRP gene is involved in the regulation of human longevity: a follow-up study in Finnish nonagenarians. AB - Chronic low-grade inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of many disease conditions in humans and it is frequently quantified by measuring the blood concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP). Here we show that the CRP concentration in old people (nonagenarians) is, at least partially, genetically determined, and that the high producer genotype is associated with a shorter life expectancy during follow-up. Thus, the data imply that the CRP gene may be a longevity gene in humans. PMID- 17765292 TI - Mercury, arsenic, cadmium, chromium lead, and selenium in feathers of pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba) from Prince William Sound and the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. AB - Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury and selenium were analyzed in the feathers of pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba) from breeding colonies in Prince William Sound and in the Aleutian Islands (Amchitka, Kiska) to test the null hypothesis that there were no differences in metal levels as a function of location, gender, or whether the birds were from oiled or unoiled areas in Prince William Sound. Birds from locations with oil from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in the environment had higher levels of cadmium and lead than those from unoiled places in Prince William Sound, but otherwise there were no differences in metal levels in feathers. The feathers of pigeon guillemots from Prince William Sound had significantly higher levels of cadmium and manganese, but significantly lower levels of mercury than those from Amchitka or Kiska in the Aleutians. Amchitka had the lowest levels of chromium, and Kiska had the highest levels of selenium. There were few gender-related differences, although females had higher levels of mercury and selenium in their feathers than did males. The levels of most metals are below the known effects levels, except for mercury and selenium, which are high enough to potentially pose a risk to pigeon guillemots and to their predators. PMID- 17765291 TI - Trace element concentrations in skin of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the southeast Atlantic coast. AB - Concentrations of trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Tl, U, V, Zn) and total mercury (THg) were determined in skin samples collected from free-ranging bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) populations. Dolphins were captured in the estuarine waters of Charleston (CHS), South Carolina (n=74) and the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida (n=75) during 2003, 2004 and 2005. A subset of the skin tissue samples were used to determine methylmercury (MeHg) levels in CHS (n=17) and IRL (n=8) bottlenose dolphins. Distributions of trace element concentrations by age (adult vs. juvenile), gender (male vs. female) and study area (CHS vs. IRL) were examined. In general, higher elemental skin concentrations were found in CHS adult males than those of IRL adult males, except for THg and MeHg. For CHS dolphins, adult females showed significantly higher THg levels than juvenile females while higher Mn levels were found in juvenile females. For IRL dolphins, adult males showed significantly higher As concentrations than that in juvenile males and females while higher Co and V levels were found in juvenile males than adult males. Of all elements measured in this study, significantly higher levels of Fe, Se and Zn concentrations in skin tissue of both dolphin populations were similar to other studies reported previously. Percentage of MeHg/THg in skin tissue of CHS and IRL dolphin was about 72% and 73%, respectively. Dietary levels of trace elements may play an important role in contributing to concentration differences for As, Co, Mn, Sb, Se, THg and Tl between CHS and IRL dolphins. Total Hg concentrations were significantly correlated with the age of CHS dolphins, while an inverse relationship was detected for Cu, Mn, Pb, U and Zn. The only significant correlation found between trace element concentration and IRL dolphins' age was Mn. Geographic differences in several trace element concentrations (As, Co, Mn, Sb, Se, THg and Tl) in skin tissue may be potentially useful to discriminate between dolphin populations and is a possibility that warrants further investigation. PMID- 17765293 TI - Sensitivity of marine microalgae to copper: the effect of biotic factors on copper adsorption and toxicity. AB - Microalgae are sensitive indicators of environmental change and, as the basis of most freshwater and marine ecosystems, are widely used in the assessment of risk and development of environmental regulations for metals. However, interspecies differences in sensitivity to metals are not well understood. The relationship between metal-algal cell binding and copper sensitivity of marine microalgae was investigated using a series of 72-h growth-rate inhibition bioassays and short term (1-h) uptake studies. A range of marine algae from different taxonomic groups were screened to determine whether copper adsorption to the cell membrane was influenced by biotic factors, such as the ultrastructure of cell walls and cell size. Minutocellus polymorphus was the most sensitive species to copper and Dunaliella tertiolecta the least sensitive, with 72-h IC50 values (concentration to inhibit growth-rate by 50%) of 0.6 and 530 microg Cu/L, respectively. Copper solution-cell partition coefficients at equilibrium (K(d)) were calculated for six species of algae on a per cell and surface area basis. The largest and smallest cells had the lowest and highest K(d) values, respectively (on a surface area basis), with a general (non-linear) trend of decreasing K(d) with increasing cell surface area (p=0.026), however, no relationship was found between K(d) and copper sensitivity, nor cell size and copper sensitivity. Interspecies differences in copper sensitivity were not related to cell size, cell wall type, taxonomic group or K(d) values. The differences in sensitivity may be due to differences in uptake rates across the plasma membrane, in internal binding mechanisms and/or detoxification mechanisms between the different microalgal species. PMID- 17765294 TI - Altered detection of molecules associated with leukocyte traffic in HUVECs derived from newborns with a strong family history of myocardial infarction. AB - Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease. As such, recruitment of immune cells is a significant event. Tightly controlled signaling molecules regulate leukocyte adhesion and migration to the tissues. The aim of this study was to determine if human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) derived from healthy newborns with a strong family history of myocardial infarction (FHMI) showed variations in the presence of molecules related with leukocyte traffic and migration, in comparison to control healthy newborns. For this purpose, we evaluated the labeling of sialic acid containing glycoproteins, tight junction claudins and the cytoskeleton, using lectin- and immunocytochemistry in HUVECs from individuals with and without a strong FHMI. Our results show important differences in the labeling of alpha-2,3 or alpha-2,6 sialic acid-containing glycoconjugates, a disarrangement of actin filaments secondary to the absence of cytoplasmic claudin-5 immunopositivity and an increase in the binding of FHMI HUVECs to CD3+ Jurkat cells. It is possible that these differences relate to a predisposition for early appearance of atherosclerotic lesions. PMID- 17765295 TI - Postoperative whole abdominal radiotherapy in clear cell adenocarcinoma of the ovary. AB - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to clarify the efficacy of postoperative whole abdominal radiotherapy (WAR) for ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma (OCCA). METHODS: Between 1996 and 2004, 16 patients with OCCA underwent initial debulking surgery and received postoperative WAR. Indications for WAR were as follows: OCCA, International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage Ic-III, no macroscopic residual disease in the upper abdomen and residual disease in the pelvic cavity < or = 2 cm. The planned WAR comprised external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to the entire abdominal cavity with 22.0-24.0 Gy/22-24 fractions followed by EBRT to the pelvis with 23.4-21.6 Gy/12-13 fractions. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared with 12 historical control (HC) patients treated with initial debulking surgery followed by platinum-based chemotherapy. RESULTS: The FIGO stage in the WAR group was stage Ic in 11 patients, stage II in 3, and stage III in 2. Fifteen of the 16 patients (94%) completed the planned WAR. Two patients developed radiation enterocolitis and required bowel surgery. Five-year OS and DFS in the WAR/HC group were 81.8%/33.3% and 81.2%/25.0% (p=0.031 and p=0.006), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that postoperative WAR may be effective in selected patients with OCCA. Prospective randomized trials should be considered to assess postoperative WAR for OCCA. PMID- 17765296 TI - Peritoneal dissemination of non-carcinoid primary appendiceal cancer. PMID- 17765297 TI - Predictors of extended intensive care unit resource utilization following surgery for ovarian cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE: To identify perioperative variables associated with length of stay in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU), and overall cost of hospitalization in order to optimize resource utilization among patients undergoing surgery for ovarian cancer. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the SICU immediately after surgery for ovarian cancer between 1/1/94 and 6/30/04 was performed. Patients admitted to the SICU were categorized in two groups. Those admitted for < 48 h were compared patients requiring a SICU stay > or = 48 h. Perioperative variables were compared across the two groups by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 95 patients were admitted to the SICU immediately after surgical management for ovarian cancer, with 57% requiring a stay > or = 48 h. Patient age = 63 years was associated with an increase risk of admission to the SICU for > or = 48 h (OR: 5.9, 95% CI: 1.72 20.50, p=0.005). Patients with administration of > or = 5 l of crystalloid solution during surgery were 8 times more likely to have prolonged admission to the SICU (95% CI: 2.34-27.57, p=0.001). Furthermore, a preoperative serum albumin level > or = 3.5 g/dl was associated with a reduction in the risk of prolonged admission to the SICU (OR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.07-0.77, p=0.02). The average cost of hospitalization per patient was $33,086. Cost of hospital care was strongly associated with SICU length of stay (p=0.005). CONCLUSION: Extensive fluid resuscitation during surgery, poor nutritional status, and > or = 63 years are associated with a prolonged postoperative SICU stay. These data may facilitate a reduction in unnecessary ICU admissions for patients without these risk factors and thereby optimize resource utilization following surgery for ovarian cancer. PMID- 17765298 TI - Early stage cervical cancer: adjuvant treatment in negative lymph node cases. AB - OBJECTIVES: In early stage cervical carcinoma, most studies of the literature show that adjuvant radiotherapy significantly reduced local relapse; its impact on survival improvement is controversial. In this retrospective study, we analyze the role of adjuvant radiotherapy in negative node patients and the possibility of this treatment to improve survival in selected groups. METHODS: Four hundred fifty-four patients with stage IB-IIA carcinoma of the uterine cervix were treated with primary radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. The patients with negative nodes but with pathologic prognostic factors predictive of a poor outcome, underwent adjuvant radiation therapy, according to personalized indications. RESULTS: Disease-free actuarial 5-year survival (DFS) was 80%: 88% and 57% in patients with negative and positive nodes, respectively. The population of negative node patients was stratified in three risk categories according to the number of worsening prognostic factors: parametrial invasion, depth of stromal invasion (SI) >1/3 and presence of lymph vascular space involvement (LVSI). In the medium risk category (1 or 2 unfavorable prognostic factors), DFS showed significant advantage for patients submitted to post operative external beam radiation. In the subset of cases without parametrial extension (pT1B) with one or two risk factors on the surgical specimen (LVSI and/or SI >1/3), there was no difference in DFS between the two groups treated or not with adjuvant radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Post-operative radiotherapy is controversial in node-negative pathologic stage IB cervical cancer; radical surgery alone has low morbidity, enable more accurate prediction of prognosis and may be sufficient therapy in the majority of patients with lymph node-negative early stage cervical cancer. PMID- 17765299 TI - How accurately could we screen for individual risk? Using summary data to examine discriminatory accuracy of a risk marker. AB - OBJECTIVE: While much has been written on the methodology of screening for presence of preclinical disease, correspondingly less has been written on screening for future risk of disease. Given the increasing attention paid to the concept of individualized prevention within the discipline of public health, this other type of screening warrants attention. Our aim is to demonstrate one way in which the potential accuracy of risk screening can be assessed. METHOD: In this paper, we derive a simple computational formula for the concordance statistic, a measure of the ability to separate individuals into two groups (will get disease, will not get disease), based on the presence or absence of a dichotomous risk factor. This computational formula is based on summary data (prevalence, absolute risk) pertaining to the risk factor alone. We also present simple computational formulas for the true positive fraction (the sensitivity of the "high risk" label to actual disease development) and the false positive fraction (1-specificity of the "high risk" label.). CONCLUSION: The above quantities are rarely presented when scientists make statements about the potential usefulness of a risk factor or genetic marker in screening for future disease risk. With the simple formulas offered here, readers will be better able to evaluate the accuracy of such statements. PMID- 17765300 TI - Assessment of polymerization contraction stress of three composite resins. AB - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to measure the development of contraction stress of three composite resin restorative materials during photo polymerization: a micro-hybrid composite (Filtek Z250, 3M ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA); a nano-filled composite (Filtek Supreme, 3M ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA); and a low-shrinkage composite (AElite LS, Bisco Inc., Schaumburg, IL, USA). METHODS: Curing shrinkage stress was measured using a stress-analyzer. Composites were polymerized with a halogen-curing unit (VIP, Bisco Inc., Schaumburg, IL, USA) for 40 s. The contraction force (N) generated during polymerization was continuously recorded for 150 s after photo-initiation. Contraction stress (MPa) was calculated at 20, 40, 60 and 150 s. Data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The low-shrinkage composite AElite LS exhibited the lowest stress values compared to other materials (p<0.05). Statistical analysis did not show significant differences between Filtek Z250 and Filtek Supreme. SIGNIFICANCE: The low shrinkage composite showed lower contraction stress than micro-hybrid and nano filled composite. Ideally, non-shrinking resins would represent the ultimate solution to overcome polymerization contraction and stress-related problems. PMID- 17765301 TI - Strength influencing variables on CAD/CAM zirconia frameworks. AB - PURPOSE: Many studies in the dental literature look at the effect of different surface treatment methods on the flexure strength of zirconia where polished zirconia has been used as control. However, zirconia is subjected to different types of surface damage as a result of the CAD/CAM milling procedure and also to damage produced by other laboratory procedures in use daily. AIM OF THE WORK: The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of different surface treatment methods and in particular the effect of the CAD/CAM milling procedure on the flexure strength of zirconia frameworks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At least 20 zirconia bars (17 mmx2 mmx1 mm) for each group were prepared by either cutting and polishing zirconia milling blocks or by using a CAD/CAM device (Cercon) which left behind characteristic surface features related to the milling process. The fully sintered bars received either of the following surface treatments: air borne particle abrasion (with 50 and 120 microm aluminum oxide particles, or both). Some bars received a heat treatment commonly used in baking veneer ceramics before or after particle abrasion. The surface roughness was measured for all bars, which were finally loaded in a three-point device. The fractured bars were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and survivability was estimated using Weibull analysis (alpha<0.05). RESULTS: There were significant differences in the flexure strength (in MPa) between the tested groups subjected to different surface treatments which can be categorized into four strength levels: (1074-1166 MPa) for polished zirconia and the CAD/CAM bars that were particle abraded (50 microm Al2O3) whether with or without heat treatment (936 MPa) for the ground bars that were particle abraded (50 microm Al2O3), (708-794 MPa) for CAD/CAM bars and for the polished bars that were particle abraded (120 microm Al2O3), and (546 MPa) for the ground bars that were particle abraded (120 microm Al2O3) being the weakest. There was a strong correlation between flexure strength and the severity of surface damage as indicated by surface roughness (R2=0.912). Scanning electron microscopy revealed different types of surface and subsurface damage produced by the different surface treatments. CONCLUSIONS: The surface damage produced by the CAD/CAM milling procedure significantly reduced the strength of zirconia which could be further weakened by different surface treatment methods resulting in unexpected failures at stresses much lower than the ideal strength of the material. It is advised to consider the effect of the CAD/CAM procedure on the characteristic strength when designing zirconia-based fixed partial dentures. PMID- 17765302 TI - A fibrinogen-based precision microporous scaffold for tissue engineering. AB - Fibrin has been long used as an effective scaffolding material to grow a variety of cells and tissue constructs. It has been utilized mainly as a hydrogel in varying concentrations to provide an environment in which suspended cells work to rearrange the fibers and lay down their own extracellular matrix. For these fibrin hydrogels to be useful in many tissue-engineering applications, the gels must be cultured for long periods of time in order to increase their mechanical strength to the levels of native tissues. High concentrations of fibrinogen increase the mechanical strength of fibrin hydrogels, but at the same time reduce the ability of cells within the scaffold to spread and survive. We present a method to create a microporous, nanofibriliar fibrin scaffold that has controllable pore size, porosity, and microstructure for applications in tissue engineering. Fibrin has numerous advantages as a scaffolding material as it is normally used by the body as temporary scaffolding for tissue regeneration and healing, and can be autologously sourced. We present here a scaffolding process which enhances the mechanical properties of the fibrin hydrogel by forming it surrounding poly(methyl-methacrylate) beads, then removing the beads with acetone to form an interconnected microporous network. The acetone serves the dual purpose of precipitating and fixing the fibrinogen-based scaffolds as well as adding strength to the network during polymer bead removal. Effects of fibrinogen concentration and time in acetone were examined as well as polymerization with thrombin. A natural crosslinker, genipin, was also used to add strength to the scaffolds, producing a Young's modulus of up to 184+/-5 kPa after 36 h of reaction. Using these methods we were able to produce microporous fibrin scaffolds that support cell growth and have mechanical properties similar to many native tissues. PMID- 17765303 TI - Engineering adipose-like tissue in vitro and in vivo utilizing human bone marrow and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells with silk fibroin 3D scaffolds. AB - Biomaterials derived from silk fibroin prepared by aqueous (AB) and organic (HFIP) solvent-based processes, along with collagen (COL) and poly-lactic acid (PLA)-based scaffolds were studied in vitro and in vivo for their utility in adipose tissue engineering strategies. For in vitro studies, human bone marrow and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs and hASCs) were seeded on the various biomaterials and cultured for 21 days in the presence of adipogenic stimulants (AD) or maintained as noninduced controls. Alamar Blue analysis revealed each biomaterial supported initial attachment of hMSCs and hASCs to similar levels for all matrices except COL in which higher levels were observed. hASCs and hMSCs cultured on all biomaterials in the presence of AD showed significant upregulation of adipogenic mRNA transcript levels (LPL, GLUT4, FABP4, PPARgamma, adipsin, ACS) to similar extents when compared to noninduced controls. Similarly Oil-Red O analysis of hASC or hMSC-seeded scaffolds displayed substantial amounts of lipid accumulating adipocytes following cultivation with AD. The data revealed AB and HFIP scaffolds supported similar extents of lipid accumulating cells while PLA and COL scaffolds qualitatively displayed lower and higher extents by comparison, respectively. Following a 4-week implantation period in a rat muscle pouch defect model, both AB and HFIP scaffolds supported in vivo adipogenesis either alone or seeded with hASCs or hMSCs as assessed by Oil-Red O analysis, however the presence of exogenous cell sources substantially increased the extent and frequency of adipogenesis observed. In contrast, COL and PLA scaffolds underwent rapid scaffold degradation and were irretrievable following the implantation period. The results suggest that macroporous 3D AB and HFIP silk fibroin scaffolds offer an important platform for cell-based adipose tissue engineering applications, and in particular, provide longer-term structural integrity to promote the maintenance of soft tissue in vivo. PMID- 17765304 TI - A peroxiredoxin from kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus, inhibited by peptidoglycan. AB - Crustaceans rely on both the cellular and humoral responses of their innate immune system for protection against invading pathogens. Peroxiredoxins (Prx) are a family of anti-oxidant proteins that protect aerobic organisms against oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although it is ubiquitously found in all organisms, it has not been studied thoroughly in crustaceans. Here, we report a Prx from the crustacean kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus (mjPrx). This crustacean Prx has a full-length cDNA of 659 bp encoding for 198 putative amino acids. It has no signal peptide and is composed of 4 cysteine residues. Based on the conservation of these residues, particularly the N- and C terminal cysteines, conserved protein domains and on phylogenetic analysis, mjPrx was found to belong to the 2-Cys Prx subgroup. The mjPrx gene is constitutively expressed in heart, hemocyte and lymphoid tissues, and is down-regulated in heart and lymphoid tissues by peptidoglycan (PG) treatment. PMID- 17765305 TI - Vaccines against bluetongue in Europe. AB - After the incursion of bluetongue virus (BTV) into European Mediterranean countries in 1998, vaccination was used in an effort to minimize direct economic losses to animal production, reduce virus circulation and allow safe movements of animals from endemic areas. Vaccination strategies in different countries were developed according to their individual policies, the geographic distribution of the incurring serotypes of BTV and the availability of appropriate vaccines. Four monovalent modified live virus (MLV) vaccines were imported from South Africa and subsequently used extensively in both cattle and sheep. MLVs were found to be immunogenic and capable of generating strong protective immunity in vaccinated ruminants. Adverse side effects were principally evident in sheep. Specifically, some vaccinated sheep developed signs of clinical bluetongue with fever, facial oedema and lameness. Lactating sheep that developed fever also had reduced milk production. More severe clinical signs occurred in large numbers of sheep that were vaccinated with vaccine combinations containing the BTV-16 MLV, and the use of the monovalent BTV-16 MLV was discontinued as a consequence. Abortion occurred in <0.5% of vaccinated animals. The length of viraemia in sheep and cattle that received MLVs did not exceed 35 days, with the single notable exception of a cow vaccinated with a multivalent BTV-2, -4, -9 and -16 vaccine in which viraemia persisted at least 78 days. Viraemia of sufficient titre to infect Culicoides insects was observed transiently in MLV-vaccinated ruminants, and natural transmission of MLV strains has been confirmed. An inactivated vaccine was first developed against BTV-2 and used in the field. An inactivated vaccine against BTV 4 as well as a bivalent vaccine against serotypes 2 and 4 were subsequently developed and used in Corsica, Spain, Portugal and Italy. These inactivated vaccines were generally safe although on few occasions reactions occurred at the site of inoculation. Two doses of these BTV inactivated vaccines provided complete, long-lasting immunity against both clinical signs and viraemia, whereas a single immunization with the BTV-4 inactivated vaccine gave only partial reduction of viraemia in vaccinated cattle when challenged with the homologous BTV serotype. Additional BTV inactivated vaccines are currently under development, as well as new generation vaccines including recombinant vaccines. PMID- 17765306 TI - Endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms as the first therapeutic option. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate the results of endovascular treatment (EVT) of intracranial aneurysms when it is considered as first intention treatment. METHODS: From April 2004-October 2006, 167 consecutive patients with 202 aneurysms were treated in our institution. Five patients with a ruptured aneurysm with an associated haematoma were excluded. In 162 patients with 197 aneurysms, EVT was considered as first-intention treatment. RESULTS: Surgical clipping was performed in 25 aneurysms (25/197=12.7%) including 22 aneurysms excluded from EVT and three EVT failures. EVT was thus attempted in 144 patients with 175 aneurysms and successfully performed in 141 patients with 172 aneurysms (172/197=87.3%). EVT failure rate was 1.7%. Clinical outcome according to the modified Glasgow Outcome Scale was: Excellent, 81.5%; Good, 7%; Poor or Fair, 3.5%; Death, 8%. Procedural complications occurred in 17 cases (10%). Balloon- or stent-assisted techniques were used in 60 cases (34.9%) and were not associated with higher complication rate. Overall procedural morbidity and mortality rates were 4.2 and 2.1%. Initially, complete occlusion was obtained in 68%, neck remnant in 23%, and incomplete occlusion in 9% of aneurysms. Follow-up (mean 11 months) was obtained in 119 aneurysms and showed major recanalisation- that required re-treatment--in 13 cases (11%) and minor recanalisation in 17 cases (14.3%). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that new endovascular techniques allow proposing EVT as first-intention treatment in 87.3% of patients with intracranial aneurysms. This therapeutic strategy is associated with good clinical results. However, anatomical results are not improved and remain the EVT limiting factor. PMID- 17765307 TI - [Double localization of a cerebral germinoma. Case report]. AB - A germinoma located in both the pineal and suprasellar regions remains rare. The clinical expression can be polymorphic, although brain imaging reveals specific signs. We report the case of a 16-year-old boy who presented with diabetes insipidus of six months' standing, associated with visual loss and Parinaud's syndrome. Brain MRI showed a tumor in both the pineal and suprasellar regions. A stereotaxic biopsy targeting the infundibular growth confirmed the diagnosis of ectopic germinoma, which was successfully treated by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The incidence of bifocal germinoma, its clinical and radiological characteristics as well as the therapeutic strategies to adopt are discussed. PMID- 17765309 TI - Characterization of Bruton's tyrosine kinase mutations in Mexican patients with X linked agammaglobulinemia. AB - X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is a humoral primary immunodeficiency in which affected patients have very low levels of peripheral B cells and a profound deficiency of all immunoglobulin isotypes. Mutations in the gene encoding for Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) are responsible for most of the agammaglobulinemia. In this work, 14 Btk mutations responsible of causing XLA are described; eight of which are novel and six are mutations previously reported. Seven of the mutations were due to deletions and insertions of exons and introns, respectively, which suggest splicing defects. The others were missense mutations, five of which affect arginine residues and have been described, and two new which affect leucine and glutamine residues (L111P and E605G). Most of these mutations were located at the kinase domain of Btk and, less frequently, they were found in PH and SH2 domains. Protein expression was also affected since most of the patients did not express or express very low Btk. PMID- 17765308 TI - The internal exposure of Taiwanese to phthalate--an evidence of intensive use of plastic materials. AB - Phthalates are widely used in industry and consumer products. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-butylphthalate (DBP) show the greatest potency of reproductive toxicants among phthalates. The purposes of this study are to examine the migration level of phthalate from PVC films by simulating food handling and to reveal the body burden of phthalate for Taiwanese. In order to estimate a worst-case of phthalate migration, food was covered with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) films and then microwave heated. Results show that DEHP level in food increased significantly after heating for 3 min. Under the heating condition, the calculated intake of phthalate and the percentage of the tolerable daily intake (TDI, based on body weight of 60 kg) from eating one 400-g meal were 1705.6 microg and 92.2% for DEHP. Determination of urinary metabolites from 60 subjects reveals more than 90% of samples were detectable for mono-methyl phthalate (MMP), mono-butyl phthalate (MBP) and mono-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP). Notably, the median value of estimated daily intake of DEHP had reached 91.6% of TDI established by the European Union Scientific Committee for Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (CSTEE) (1998). Thirty-seven percent of the study population exceeded the TDI and 85% exceeded the reference dose (RfD) of the US EPA. We conclude that the body burden of DEHP for Taiwanese reflects the intensives use of plastic materials in the region. The regulation of PVC for food preparation is necessary. PMID- 17765310 TI - Potential impact of seatbelt use on the spectrum of ocular injuries and visual acuity outcomes after motor vehicle accidents with airbag deployment. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate the association between seatbelt use and (1) the spectrum of ocular injuries and (2) visual acuity outcomes after motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) with airbag deployment. DESIGN: Single-center retrospective observational case series. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-seven patients involved in MVAs with airbag deployment. METHODS: Medical record review of all patients evaluated after an MVA with airbag deployment between January, 1997, and August, 2005, at a single level 1 trauma center. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Type of ocular injury and visual acuity at 3 months after an MVA. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of patients who did not wear seatbelts experienced type III ocular injuries compared with 31% who wore seatbelts (P<0.0002). Posterior segment injuries occurred only in patients who did not wear seatbelts. At the 3-month follow-up, 76% of patients who did not wear seatbelts achieved a visual acuity of 20/40 or better compared with 96% of patients who wore seatbelts (P>0.10); a visual acuity worse than 20/200 was measured in 14% and 0% of patients in the 2 groups, respectively (P<0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, the use of seatbelts was associated with less severe ocular injuries and better visual outcomes. PMID- 17765311 TI - Optical coherence tomography of the anterior segment in eyes with phakic refractive lenses. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the dynamics of the phakic refractive lens (PRL) in myopic and hyperopic eyes in the nonaccommodated state and during subjective accommodation with Visante optical coherence tomography (OCT). DESIGN: Cross sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-one myopic eyes and 11 hyperopic eyes of 52 patients (mean age, 34 years; range, 24-49) were examined at least 1 year after PRL implantation using Visante OCT. Thirty-one myopic eyes had the PRL model 101 and 10 eyes had the smaller PRL model 100 implanted. The hyperopic model, PRL 200, is available in only one size. METHODS: Noninvasive high-resolution anterior OCT was used to measure distance changes between the PRL and adjacent intraocular structures in the nonaccommodative state (baseline) and during accommodation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean distance changes from the anterior lens surface (ALS) to the PRL and from the corneal posterior surface to the ALS and the PRL, and changes in the pupil diameter. RESULTS: At baseline, the mean distances between the PRL and crystalline lens were 0.38, 0.30, and 0.32 mm for the PRL 101, PRL 100, and PRL 200, respectively. The PRLs were significantly closer to the crystalline lens with increasing patient age. Three PRLs were in contact with the crystalline lens (6%), and there were lens opacities in 2 of these eyes. During accommodation, the ALS of all PRL models showed significant forward movement (P<0.05), whereas the distance between the PRL and crystalline lens decreased significantly with the PRL 101 and PRL 200 (P<0.05). The distance between the PRL 100 and crystalline lens remained unchanged during accommodation. CONCLUSION: The PRL moved forward during accommodation in all eyes, with the distance preserved between the PRL and the ALS with the PRL 100. The distance decreased with the other 2 models. In 85% of cases, there was no mechanical contact with the ALS during accommodation. PMID- 17765312 TI - Visual acuity and mortality in a chinese population. The Tanjong Pagar Study. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between visual acuity and mortality in a Chinese population. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Chinese persons in Singapore ages 40 to 79 years at baseline examination. METHODS: The Tanjong Pagar Study in Singapore examined 1232 persons (response rate, 71.8%) at the baseline examination in 1997 and 1998. Participants had measurements of presenting and best-corrected visual acuity (VA) using standardized protocols. Mortality data were obtained from the National Death Registry, which linked subjects who had died since the baseline examination. Cause of death was determined from the International Classification of Diseases 9 codes. Analysis was performed on 1225 (99.4%) participants with VA data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause mortality. RESULTS: By December 31, 2004 (median follow-up, 6.8 years), 126 persons had died. Participants with presenting VA in the better eye worse than 20/40 (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR] score, 0.3) had a significantly higher mortality rate (hazard ratio [HR], 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-6.3, adjusting for age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, heart attack, stroke, and income) as compared with participants with VA of 20/20 (logMAR, 0.0). Associations were similar for best-corrected VA in the better eye (HR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.4-5.5). Among clinic participants with logMAR VA measurements, each 1-line difference in presenting VA (logMAR gain, 0.10) was associated with a 4-fold increased risk of mortality (HR, 4.4; 95% CI, 1.9-10.2). CONCLUSIONS: In this Chinese population in Singapore, visual impairment was associated independently with an increased risk of mortality. PMID- 17765313 TI - Synthesis, characterization, and spectroscopy of model molybdopterin complexes. AB - The preparation and characterization of new model complexes for the molybdenum cofactor are reported. The new models are distinctive for the inclusion of pterin substituted dithiolene chelates and have the formulation Tp(*)MoX(pterin-R dithiolene) (Tp(*)=tris(3,5,-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate), X=O, S, R=aryl. Syntheses of Mo(4+) and (5+) complexes of two pterin-dithiolene derivatives as both oxo and sulfido compounds, and improved syntheses for pterinyl alkynes and [Et(4)N][Tp(*)Mo(IV)(S)S(4)] reagents are described. Characterization methods include electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, electrochemistry, infrared spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance and magnetic circular dichroism. Cyclic voltammetry reveals that the Mo(5+/4+) reduction potential is intermediate between that for dithiolenes with electron-withdrawing substituents and simple dithiolates chelates. Electron paramagnetic resonance and magnetic circular dichroism of Mo(5+) complexes where X=O, R=aryl indicates that the molybdenum environment in the new models is electronically similar to that in Tp(*)MoO(benzenedithiolate). PMID- 17765314 TI - Peroxidase activity of de novo heme proteins immobilized on electrodes. AB - De novo proteins from designed combinatorial libraries were bound to heme terminated gold electrodes. The novel heme proteins were shown to possess peroxidase activity, and this activity was compared to that of horseradish peroxidase and bovine serum albumin when immobilized in a similar fashion. The various designed proteins from the libraries displayed distinctly different levels of peroxidase activity, thereby demonstrating that the sequence and structure of a designed protein can exert a substantial effect on the peroxidase activity of immobilized heme. PMID- 17765315 TI - Shewanella putrefaciens produces an Fe(III)-solubilizing organic ligand during anaerobic respiration on insoluble Fe(III) oxides. AB - The mechanism of Fe(III) reduction was investigated using voltammetric techniques in anaerobic incubations of Shewanella putrefaciens strain 200 supplemented with Fe(III) citrate or a suite of Fe(III) oxides as terminal electron acceptor. Results indicate that organic complexes of Fe(III) are produced during the reduction of Fe(III) at rates that correlate with the reactivity of the Fe(III) phase and bacterial cell density. Anaerobic Fe(III) solubilization activity is detected with either Fe(III) oxides or Fe(III) citrate, suggesting that the organic ligand produced is strong enough to destabilize Fe(III) from soluble or solid Fe(III) substrates. Results also demonstrate that Fe(III) oxide dissolution is not controlled by the intrinsic chemical reactivity of the Fe(III) oxides. Instead, the chemical reaction between the endogenous organic ligand is only affected by the number of reactive surface sites available to S. putrefaciens. This report describes the first application of voltammetric techniques to demonstrate production of soluble organic-Fe(III) complexes by any Fe(III) reducing microorganism and is the first report of a Fe(III)-solubilizing ligand generated by a metal-reducing member of the genus Shewanella. PMID- 17765316 TI - Potential of p38-MAPK inhibitors in the treatment of ischaemic heart disease. AB - Chronic heart failure is debilitating, often fatal, expensive to treat and common. In most patients it is a late consequence of myocardial infarction (MI). The intracellular signals following infarction that lead to diminished contractility, apoptosis, fibrosis and ultimately heart failure are not fully understood but probably involve p38-mitogen activated protein kinases (p38), a family of serine/threonine kinases which, when activated, cause cardiomyocyte contractile dysfunction and death. Pharmacological inhibitors of p38 suppress inflammation and are undergoing clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis, Chrohn's disease, psoriasis and surgery-induced tissue injury. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms, circumstances and consequences of p38 activation in the heart. The purpose is to evaluate p38 inhibition as a potential therapy for ischaemic heart disease. PMID- 17765317 TI - Role of the neural crest in face and brain development. AB - Since the time of Ramon y Cajal, very significant progress has been accomplished in our knowledge of the fate of the early neural primordium. The origin of the peripheral nervous system from the transient and pluripotent embryonic structure, the neural crest has been fully deciphered using appropriate cell marking techniques. Most of the pioneer work in this field was carried out in lower vertebrates up to 1950 and later on in the avian embryo. New techniques which allow the genetic labelling of embryonic cells by transgenesis are now applied in mammals and fish. One of the highlights of neural crest studies was its paramount role in head and face morphogenesis. Work pursued in our laboratory for the last fifteen years or so has analysed at both cellular and molecular levels the contribution of the NCCs to the construction of the facial and cranial structures. Recently, we have found that the cephalic neural crest plays also a key role in the formation of the fore- and mid-brain. PMID- 17765318 TI - An efficient cloning of DNA fragments by a method based on uracil-DNA glycosylase and endonuclease IV. AB - We introduced a novel method to clone random DNA fragments independent of ligation reaction. The method involves the generation of long protruding ends on PCR amplification DNA. Both oligonucleotides used for the amplification of the vector DNA carried one uracil residue at the tenth position from the 5' end and this made the creation of the 3' protruding ends of linearized vector possible by uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG) and endonuclease IV (Endo IV). 76 groups of annealed oligonucleotides that had ten-nucleotides protruding at 3'-end, which were complementary to those at 3'-end of the linearized vector, were designed. The linearized vector and the annealed oligonucleotide were mixed together to transform E.coli directly without ligation reaction. The number of the clone that grew on the plates had been demonstrated to reach 1x10(5) transformants/microg and 96.1% of transformants harbored the cloned fragments. From the results of transformation, we can confirm that the efficiency of the creation of 3' protruding ends in our method is high and our cloning method is benefit to produce recombinants easily and efficiently. PMID- 17765320 TI - Detection of changes in grip forces on a sliding object. AB - Holding a slipping object in hand requires adjustment of grip forces. The aim of the study was to develop a method for measuring the temporal and spatial distribution of grip forces during the holding of a slipping object in the hand. A special grip rod with a measuring film containing 200 resistor-based pressure sensors equally distributed over 50 cm(2) was developed, providing a system that has a spatial resolution of 5 mm, a temporal resolution of 1/150 Hz and a force resolution 0.05 N. A force-change-detection algorithm was constructed to detect and separate pressure and position of individual fingers. The algorithm is a modification of a classical Gaussian random field theory algorithm for detecting significant data [Rogerson PA. Change detection thresholds for remotely sensed images. J Geog Syst 2002;4:85-97]. The modification takes the signal strength into account to reduce false positive detection in low grip force situations. The grip force measuring system and the force-change-detection algorithm allow measurement of the forces exerted by any number of fingers simultaneously without any constraints on finger position and are suitable for basic and clinical research in human and animal physiology as well as for psychophysics studies. PMID- 17765321 TI - Integrated digital image and accelerometer measurements of rat locomotor and vibratory behaviour. AB - This study developed a combined IC-type accelerometer and video camera system to simultaneously measure vibration and locomotion activities in rats. A personal computer, adopted as an image frame grabber, was combined with a digital image processing algorithm to measure the precise location of an animal in an experimental cage. An accelerometer-based vibration subsystem, based on an 89C51 single-chip microprocessor, was designed. The acceleration sensor module was attached directly to the shaved back of the rat's body to directly measure the animal's vibration. This module can detect a wide range of vibrations from movements of the entire body to micro-tremors. Along with hardware, this study also proposes novel software for video enhancement and data analysis to calculate the behaviour parameters from recorded movements. In normal mode, three vibration activities (locomotor activity, tremor and twitch) are auto-analyzed every 10 min. The results are saved, and various display, statistical and data organization options are available. The primary merits of this system are the ability to simultaneously record locomotion and vibrational data, the rapid set up and operation, the low cost, the reduced illumination requirements, the reduction of environmental noise and the high precision. The proposed method will be of interest to researchers in various behavioural, biological and medical fields. PMID- 17765322 TI - A new comprehensive evolutionary model of depression and anxiety. AB - Difference amplification was the process whereby the difference in fitness between two competing individuals in early man was magnified by the results of the competition. It arises from adaptive and maladaptive cycles (characterized by depression and anxiety) that are initiated by winning and losing agonistic encounters. Those who were most successful were likely to find mates that were also successful and vice versa. This would have contributed to well-endowed progeny and accelerated phylogenetic evolution. The adaptive and maladaptive cycles of the difference amplification model are also a feature of the social rank and attachment models. Ineffective operation of social rank and attachment systems is associated with anxiety and depression. This paper introduces the notion that the efficient operation of these two systems in hierarchical encounters accelerates the phylogenetic adaptation of the individual's genetic line. This suggests an adaptive function of attachment and social rank mechanisms that has not been previously described. Social rank, attachment and difference amplification should be viewed as different aspects of a comprehensive evolutionary model of depression and anxiety. This new model has psychotherapeutic implications. PMID- 17765319 TI - Whole isolated neocortical and hippocampal preparations and their use in imaging studies. AB - This study shows that two whole isolated preparations from the young mouse, the neocortical 'slab' and the hippocampal formation, are useful for imaging studies requiring both global monitoring using light transmittance (LT) imaging and high resolution cellular monitoring using 2-photon laser scanning microscopy (2PLSM). These preparations share advantages with brain slices such as maintaining intrinsic neuronal properties and avoiding cardiac or respiratory movement. Important additional advantages include the maintenance of all local input and output pathways, the absence of surfaces injured by slicing and the preservation of three-dimensional tissue structure. Using evoked extracellular field recording, we demonstrate long-term (hours) viability of both whole preparations. We then show that propagating cortical events such as anoxic depolarization (AD) and spreading depression (SD) can be imaged in both preparations, yielding results comparable to those in brain slices but retaining the tissue's three dimensional structure. Using transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) in pyramidal and granule cell neurons, 2PLSM confirms that these preparations are free of the surface damage observed in sliced brain tissue. Moreover the neurons undergo swelling with accompanying dendritic beading following AD induced by simulated ischemia, similar to cortical damage described in vivo. PMID- 17765323 TI - Detection of genes with moderate effects on disease resistance using ovine mhc and resistance to nematodes as an example. AB - Detecting some of the genes that influence disease resistance would improve our understanding of the processes that cause disease and also simplify disease control. Genes within the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) are strong candidates for disease resistance and they have been intensely studied for the last 30 years. Recently, several groups working independently have reported the existence of alleles within the mhc that are associated with enhanced resistance to nematode infection. This article uses hindsight to describe some of the potential pitfalls that hinder the search for valid disease resistance genes. The search requires a good understanding of disease biology, molecular genetics, statistical genetics and especially, the design and analysis of experiments. The power to detect mhc effects is quite low and is quite sensitive to the frequency of the putative resistance alleles. PMID- 17765324 TI - Microsatellites and genome scans-- a GAMES postscript. PMID- 17765325 TI - Outcome of thyroglossal duct cyst excision is independent of presenting age or symptomatology. AB - BACKGROUND: Thyroglossal duct cysts (TGDCs) are the most common form of congenital neck cyst, accounting for up to 70% of such lesions. There has been no consensus on which factors predict outcome of thyroglossal duct cyst excision. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the relevance of symptomatology and age at presentation with outcome of TGDCs. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients with TGDC at a tertiary care children's hospital. Data collected included patient's age, gender, clinical presentation, presence or absence of preoperative infection, imaging modality, type of procedure performed, size and location of the lesion, postoperative infection, complications, and recurrence of disease. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients were identified (59% female, 41% male). Age of presentation was bimodal and ranged from 18 months to 14 years. The most common presenting symptom was the presence of an asymptomatic midline neck mass (76%). A history of preoperative TGDC infection was present in 22% of patients /=5 years of age. Recurrence rate after the Sistrunk procedure was 3.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of a midline neck mass is the most common presentation of TGDCs in toddlers, whereas infection is the most common presenting symptoms in school-aged children. The incidence of preoperative infection was 41% in our series, much higher than previously reported. Independent of presenting age and symptomatology, recurrence of TGDC remains low when the Sistrunk procedure is employed. PMID- 17765326 TI - Comprehension of abstract words among hearing impaired children. AB - INTRODUCTION: This study examines the ability and development in the comprehension of abstract words with hearing impaired children. The ability to understand abstract words is quite important for their academic learning and adaptation in their school life. Here, we qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed the development of abstract vocabulary in hearing impaired children using The Standardized Comprehension Test for Abstract Words (SCTAW). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We examined 75 hearing impaired children (hearing aid users, 61; cochlear implant users, 14; 1st to 10th grade) and 188 children with normal hearing (1st to 6th grade) using the Picture Vocabulary Test (PVT) and SCTAW. RESULTS: The PVT and SCTAW results closely correlated (r=0.87). The SCTAW scores of the hearing impaired group were lower than those of their peers with normal hearing, but the scores improved as their school grade advanced. In particular, their abstract ability began to catch up from the fifth grade. The error trends of abstract vocabulary in the two groups did not significantly differ. CONCLUSIONS: The SCTAW was useful as an abstract lexical evaluation of hearing impaired children. The development of an abstract vocabulary did not qualitatively differ between children with or without a hearing impairment. PMID- 17765327 TI - Cajal's contributions to glia research. AB - In 1906, Santiago Ramon y Cajal was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in recognition of his work on the structure of neurons and their connections. What is less well known is that he also had a keen interest in glia and developed specific staining methods for their study. In addition to describing their morphology, he speculated on a role for glia in sleep and wakefulness and even in executive brain functions such as attention. In this article, we focus on Cajal's histological research into glial cells; this research includes original drawings of astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia and radial glia, as well as his scientific writings. We aim to show that, concerning glia as well as neurons, Cajal was far ahead of his time. PMID- 17765328 TI - The debate on the kiss-and-run fusion at synapses. AB - It has long been proposed that following vesicle fusion, a small pore might open and close rapidly without full dilation. Such 'kiss-and-run' vesicle fusion can in principle result in rapid vesicle recycling and influence the size and the kinetics of the resulting synaptic current. However, the existence of kiss-and run remains highly controversial, as revealed by recent imaging and electrophysiological studies at several synapses, including hippocampal synapses, neuromuscular junctions and retinal bipolar synapses. Only a minor fraction of fusion events has been shown to be kiss-and-run, as determined using cell attached capacitance recordings in endocrine cells, pituitary nerve terminals and calyx-type synapses. Further work is needed to determine whether kiss-and-run is a major mode of fusion and has a major role in controlling synaptic strength at synapses. PMID- 17765329 TI - Exercise builds brain health: key roles of growth factor cascades and inflammation. AB - Human and other animal studies demonstrate that exercise targets many aspects of brain function and has broad effects on overall brain health. The benefits of exercise have been best defined for learning and memory, protection from neurodegeneration and alleviation of depression, particularly in elderly populations. Exercise increases synaptic plasticity by directly affecting synaptic structure and potentiating synaptic strength, and by strengthening the underlying systems that support plasticity including neurogenesis, metabolism and vascular function. Such exercise-induced structural and functional change has been documented in various brain regions but has been best-studied in the hippocampus - the focus of this review. A key mechanism mediating these broad benefits of exercise on the brain is induction of central and peripheral growth factors and growth factor cascades, which instruct downstream structural and functional change. In addition, exercise reduces peripheral risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, which converge to cause brain dysfunction and neurodegeneration. A common mechanism underlying the central and peripheral effects of exercise might be related to inflammation, which can impair growth factor signaling both systemically and in the brain. Thus, through regulation of growth factors and reduction of peripheral and central risk factors, exercise ensures successful brain function. PMID- 17765330 TI - Dendritic mechanisms controlling spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity. AB - The ability of neurons to modulate the strength of their synaptic connections has been shown to depend on the relative timing of pre- and postsynaptic action potentials. This form of synaptic plasticity, called spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), has become an attractive model for learning at the single-cell level. Yet, despite its popularity in experimental and theoretical neuroscience, the influence of dendritic mechanisms in the induction of STDP has been largely overlooked. Several recent studies have investigated how active dendritic properties and synapse location within the dendritic tree influence STDP. These studies suggest the existence of learning rules that depend on firing mode and subcellular input location, adding unanticipated complexity to STDP. Here, we propose a new look at STDP that is focused on processing at the postsynaptic site in the dendrites, rather than on spike-timing at the cell body. PMID- 17765331 TI - Neuronal damage accompanies perinatal white-matter damage. AB - Extremely low-gestational-age newborns have a prominently increased risk of brain dysfunctions attributed to white-matter damage, which is thought to result from the vulnerability of the oligodendrocyte. This white-matter damage now appears to be accompanied by cerebral-cortex and deep-gray-matter abnormalities, including excess apoptosis without replacement and the impairment of surviving neurons and resulting interference with synaptogenesis and connectivity. Recent advances in corticogenesis suggest that neurons migrate from the germinative zones through the white matter to the cortex when the white matter is most vulnerable and perhaps is being injured. Advances in developmental neuroscience also suggest that the excitotoxic and inflammatory processes that probably contribute to white matter damage are also able to damage developing neurons. Together, these advances support the untested hypothesis that white-matter damage in the preterm newborn is accompanied by the death of neurons as they migrate through the dangerous minefield of white matter undergoing injury. PMID- 17765332 TI - How can we improve the pre-clinical development of drugs for stroke? AB - The development of stroke drugs has been characterized by success in animal studies and subsequent failure in clinical trials. Animal studies might have overstated efficacy, or clinical trials might have understated efficacy; in either case we need to better understand the reasons for failure. Techniques borrowed from clinical trials have recently allowed the impact of publication and study-quality biases on published estimates of efficacy in animal experiments to be described. On the basis of these data, we propose minimum standards for the range and quality of pre-clinical animal data. We believe the adoption of these standards will lead to improved effectiveness and efficiency in the selection of drugs for clinical trials in stroke and in the design of those trials. PMID- 17765333 TI - Discovery and development of antiviral drugs for biodefense: experience of a small biotechnology company. AB - The unmet need for effective antivirals against potential agents of bioterrorism and emerging infections is obvious; however, the challenges to develop such drugs are daunting. Even with the passage of Project BioShield and more recently the BARDA legislation, there is still not a clear market for these types of drugs and limited federal funding available to support expensive drug development studies. SIGA Technologies, Inc. is a small biotech company committed to developing novel products for the prevention and treatment of severe infectious diseases, with an emphasis on products for diseases that could result from bioterrorism. Through trials and error SIGA has developed an approach to this problem in order to establish the infrastructure necessary to successfully advance new antiviral drugs from the discovery stage on through to licensure. The approach that we have taken to drug development is biology driven and dependent on a dispersive development model utilizing essential collaborations with academic, federal, and private sector partners. This consortium approach requires success in acquiring grants and contracts as well as iterative communication with the government and regulatory agencies. However, it can work as evidenced by the rapid progress of our lead antiviral against smallpox, ST-246, and should serve as the template for development of new antivirals against important biological pathogens. PMID- 17765334 TI - Unilateral implantation of dopamine-loaded biodegradable hydrogel in the striatum attenuates motor abnormalities in the 6-hydroxydopamine model of hemi parkinsonism. AB - Dopaminergic functional recovery following controlled release of dopamine from biodegradable polymer matrices implanted in the lesioned striatum was investigated in a hemiparkinsonian animal model. Significant dopamine depletion in the striatum ipsilateral to the side of infusion was observed in animals unilaterally infused with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in the substatia nigra. These animals displayed apomorphine-induced contralateral rotational behavior, when examined on the 16th day. Implantation of a controlled release delivery system (hydrogel obtained by mixing dextran dialdehyde cross-linked with gelatin) containing dopamine in the denervated striatum on the 1st day or the 18th day significantly abolished the apomorphine-induced contralateral rotational behavior in these animals. The recovery was visible for about 17 days, thereafter the behavioral bias reappeared. The present results indicate that dopamine released from the polymer matrices alleviates behavioral bias in experimental parkinsonism, implying use of such technologies as an alternative method for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. This approach is useful in reducing the oral dose of drugs that are with severe systemic effects, and that develop tolerance. PMID- 17765335 TI - Pre- but not post-menopausal female CBA/CaJ mice show less prepulse inhibition than male mice of the same age. AB - Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reflex (ASR) has been reported to be weaker in females than males for both humans and rats. Although there are exceptions, on balance these data suggest that PPI is sensitive to sex-specific neurosteroids; in contrast, most studies with mice have not replicated this effect. We compared PPI for noise decrement prepulses (quiet gaps) in female CBA/CaJ mice at 3-8 months (pre-menopausal: n = 55) and 17-25 months of age (post menopausal, n = 33) with similarly aged groups of males (n = 48, 35). Both PPI and ASR levels were significantly reduced in pre-menopausal females compared to young males, but did not differ between post-menopausal females and old males. The observed PPI decrement in young female mice compared to young males agrees with one previous report in young C57BL/6J mice as well as the majority of studies with human subjects and some strains of rats. The absence of a sex difference in PPI for old mice is consistent with the hypothesis that PPI is affected by reproductive hormones present at high levels only in pre-menopausal females. We note that this effect size for PPI is small, perhaps consistent with reports that the PPI decrement in females is restricted to certain times within the menstrual cycle in women and the estrous cycle in rats. The negative findings previously reported in the mouse can be attributed to the small effect size and to procedural differences, including stimulus conditions, and the different strains and ages of mice. PMID- 17765337 TI - Cognitive and behavioral assessment in the early stages of neurodegenerative extrapyramidal syndromes. AB - Parkinson's disease (PD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Corticobasal Degeneration Syndrome (CBDS) are the most common neurodegenerative extrapyramidal syndromes. Beyond motor symptoms, cognitive dysfunctions and behavioral disturbances are reported. Neuropsychological and neuropsychiatry features in the early stages, however, are under-investigated, and few comparison studies are available yet. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cognitive and behavioral profile in the early stages of neurodegenerative extrapyramidal syndromes. Thirty-nine PD, 27 DLB, 16 CBDS, and 24 PSP were recruited. Groups were matched for global cognitive and motor impairment. The overall sample showed a common neuropsychological core characterized by visuospatial deficits. Although in the early stage of the disease, a high presence of behavioral disturbances was detected, depression and anxiety were the most common disorders, followed by apathy and sleep disturbances. The observation of overlapping clinical entities points the attention on the need of adjunctive diagnostic markers for early differential diagnosis. PMID- 17765336 TI - Sex differences in asymmetry of the planum parietale in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). AB - Magnetic resonance images were collected in 76 chimpanzees and the sylvian fissure was examined for the presence of a posterior bifurcation. A bilateral bifurcation of the sylvian fissure into an ascending and descending ramus was identified in 58 of the subjects. The posterior ascending ramus was measured in both hemispheres in order to evaluate the presence, magnitude, and direction of a planum parietale asymmetry. Statistical analysis revealed a main effect for sex. Specifically, females showed a significant rightward bias, whereas males did not. Moreover, an examination of posterior bifurcation patterns of the sylvian fissure revealed differences between the left and right hemispheres. In humans, subject handedness and sex have been found to have an effect on planum parietale asymmetry. To determine if this was also the case in our chimpanzee subjects, we evaluated whether or not planum parietale asymmetry was related to subject handedness. Although subject handedness was not directly related to planum parietale asymmetry quotients, whether or not the sylvian fissure bifurcated bilaterally at its posterior end was influenced by the handedness of the subjects. These results support the view that asymmetries in the perisylvian language areas were present in the common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees. PMID- 17765338 TI - Change to a primary PCI program increases number of patients offered reperfusion therapy and significantly reduces mortality: a real life experience evaluating the initiation of a primary PCI service at a single center without on site heart surgery in Western Norway. AB - INTRODUCTION: After changing our treatment regimen from thrombolytic therapy to primary percutaneous intervention (PCI), we decided to perform a real-life retrospective comparison of the results obtained by thrombolytic therapy in 2000 with the results obtained by primary PCI in 2004 at our center which has no on site cardiac surgery. METHODS: All patients admitted with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during 2000 and 2004 were included in our study. The charts were scrutinized by one of the authors to ensure accurate information on diagnostics and timing. Relevant data, which were predefined, were noted and compared in patients treated during the two time-periods. RESULTS: During the year of 2000, 197 patients were admitted with STEMI. Thrombolytics were administered to 138 of these patients. During 2004, 175 patients were admitted with STEMI and PCI was performed in 173 of these patients. Door-to-needle time was 28min and door-to-balloon time 80min, respectively. In-hospital mortality was significantly reduced from 2000 to 2004 (19.3% vs 8.6%, p=0.003). 30 day mortality was likewise reduced from 21.3% to 8.6%, (p=0.0001), and this difference remained significant after excluding patients not receiving thrombolytics in the year 2000. In-hospital stay was reduced from 9.4 to 6.4 days, (p<0.001). None of the patients required transfer to a tertiary center for acute coronary artery bypass grafting. CONCLUSION: Initiation of a primary PCI program at a center without on site cardiac surgery is associated with a substantial increase in number of patients offered reperfusion therapy and a significant reduction in morbidity and mortality. PMID- 17765339 TI - Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography in transient left apical ballooning syndrome. PMID- 17765340 TI - Prognostic importance of elevated troponin T and creatine kinase after elective angioplasty. PMID- 17765342 TI - Does Rene Leriche merit eponymous distinction? AB - Rene Leriche accepted the position of President of the Conseil Superieur de l'Ordre National des medecins, representative institution for the French medical community created by the Vichy government on October 7th 1940. As president of the Conseil Superieur de l'Ordre National des Medecins until the 28th December 1942, he was responsible for all of the institution's actions of exclusion, repression, spoliation and denunciation of Jewish physicians in France. The question which is now being posed is whether the name Leriche should be dissociated from the two syndromes first described by Rene Leriche: Leriche's syndrome caused by thrombotic obliteration above or at the bifurcation of the aorta and Sudek-Leriche syndrome due to aseptic necrosis of bone following injury. Actually the Rene Leriche Prize of the International Society of Surgery is named after him. As Leriche violated principles of confraternity which constitutes a major lack of medical ethical precepts, the question concerning the use of the eponym Leriche's syndrome should be discussed within the scientific community. PMID- 17765341 TI - Serum blood urea nitrogen and long-term mortality in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. AB - INTRODUCTION: Renal dysfunction is associated with increased mortality in acute coronary syndromes and other cardiovascular diseases. The prognostic value of kidney dysfunction has been investigated using creatinine-based measures of renal function. Few data are available on the prognostic significance of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), a sensitive marker of hemodynamic alterations and renal perfusion. METHODS: The relationship between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), BUN on admission and changes in BUN during hospital course and long-term mortality was evaluated in 1507 patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 27 months (range, 12 to 44 months), 281 patients (18.6%) died. In multivariable Cox regression models, elevated BUN (>or=25 mg/dL) at admission was an independent predictor of mortality after adjustments for clinical variables and eGFR (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-2.3, P=0.0015). Similar results were obtained for elevated BUN/creatinine ratio (>or=25) at admission (adjusted HR 2.0; 95% CI 1.4-2.8; P<0.0001). An increase in BUN 50% above admission value occurred in 260 of patients (17.3%) during hospital course, and was associated with increased risk of mortality after adjustments of clinical variables, eGFR and BUN on admission (HR, 1.7 95% CI 1.3-2.2; P<0.0001). DISCUSSION: Elevated BUN and BUN/creatinine ratio on admission are independent predictors of long-term mortality in patients with STEMI. An increase in BUN level during hospital course portends adverse outcome independent of eGFR and BUN on admission. PMID- 17765343 TI - Severe, obstructive biventricular hypertrophy in a patient with Costello syndrome: Clinical impact and management. AB - We report a severe, biventricular obstructive cardiomyopathy in a young female with Costello syndrome, who underwent a right ventricular myectomy for symptoms relief. We discuss potential clinical implications and management of severe hypertrophy in Costello syndrome. PMID- 17765344 TI - Phage immobilized magnetoelastic sensor for the detection of Salmonella typhimurium. AB - In this article, a phage-based magnetoelastic sensor for the detection of Salmonella typhimurium is reported. Filamentous bacteriophage specific to S. typhimurium was used as a biorecognition element in order to ensure specific and selective binding of bacteria onto the sensor surface. Phage was immobilized onto the surface of the sensors by physical adsorption. The phage immobilized magnetoelastic sensors were exposed to S. typhimurium cultures with different concentrations ranging from 5x10(1) to 5x10(8) cfu/ml, and the corresponding changes in resonance frequency response of the sensor were studied. It was experimentally established that the sensitivity of the magnetoelastic sensors was higher for sensors with smaller physical dimensions. An increase in sensitivity from 159 Hz/decade for a 2 mm sensor to 770 Hz/decade for a 1 mm sensor was observed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of previously assayed biosensors provided visual verification of frequency changes that were caused by S. typhimurium binding to phage immobilized on the sensor surface. The detection limit on the order of 10(3) cfu/ml was obtained for a sensor with dimensions 1x0.2x0.015 mm. PMID- 17765345 TI - Rocking together: dynamics of intentional and unintentional interpersonal coordination. AB - The current study investigated the interpersonal coordination that occurred between two people when sitting side-by-side in rocking chairs. In two experiments participant pairs rocked in chairs that had the same or different natural periods. By instructing pairs to coordinate their movements inphase or antiphase, Experiment 1 investigated whether the stable patterns of intentional interpersonal coordination were consistent with the dynamics of within person interlimb coordination. By instructing the participants to rock at their own preferred tempo, Experiment 2 investigated whether the rocking chair movements of visually coupled individuals would become unintentionally coordinated. The degree to which the participants fixated on the movements of their co-actor was also manipulated to examine whether visual focus modulates the strength of interpersonal coordination. As expected, the patterns of coordination observed in both experiments demonstrated that the intentional and unintentional interpersonal coordination of rocking chair movements is constrained by the self organizing dynamics of a coupled oscillator system. The results of the visual focus manipulations indicate that the stability of a visual interpersonal coupling is mediated by attention and the degree to which an individual is able to detect information about a co-actor's movements. PMID- 17765346 TI - A model of serial order problems in fluent, stuttered and agrammatic speech. AB - Many models of speech production have attempted to explain dysfluent speech. Most models assume that the disruptions that occur when speech is dysfluent arise because the speakers make errors while planning an utterance. In this contribution, a model of the serial order of speech is described that does not make this assumption. It involves the coordination or 'interlocking' of linguistic planning and execution stages at the language-speech interface. The model is examined to determine whether it can distinguish two forms of dysfluent speech (stuttered and agrammatic speech) that are characterized by iteration and omission of whole words and parts of words. PMID- 17765347 TI - Distribution and immunohistochemical localization of GDNF protein in selected neural and non-neural tissues of rats during development and changes in unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions. AB - The tissue distribution of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) during development and changes in GDNF levels by unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions were investigated in rats using a newly established enzyme immunoassay system and by immunohistochemistry. The detection limit of the assay was 0.3 pg/0.2 ml and the system recognized glycosylated mature GDNF. Concentrations of GDNF were relatively high in the kidney and testis during the embryonic and neonatal periods, respectively, and decreased with age. In the striatum, hippocampus and brain stem, GDNF reached a maximal level at around postnatal day 14. However, brain levels were generally lower than those in non-neural tissues. In the CNS, GDNF immunoreactivity was observed in striatal neurons, pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus and the Vth layer of the cortex, large neurons in the diagonal band and brain stem, and spinal motor neurons. It was also evident in several non-neural, tissue-specific cells, such as cells in the renal collecting ducts and distal tubules, and testicular Sertoli cells. Destruction of nigral dopaminergic neurons by 6-hydroxydopamine enhanced the levels of striatal GDNF protein, with apparent involvement of astrocytes. These results suggest that GDNF is normally synthesized in neurons, but may also be produced by astroglial cells in damaged brains. PMID- 17765348 TI - Composition of the bacterial population of refrigerated beef, identified with direct 16S rRNA gene analysis and pure culture technique. AB - The composition of the dominating population of freshly cut beef, and beef stored at 4 degrees C for 8 d, was studied by direct analysis of the 16S rRNA gene (PCR amplification, cloning and sequencing) and compared with pure culture technique where the isolates picked from the viable plate count were identified by sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The composition of the bacterial population was recorded at two different time points, at the start when the viable plate count of the meat was 4 x 10(2) colony forming unit (cfu) per cm(2) and when it was 5 x 10(7) cfu per cm(2). Direct gene analysis by PCR amplification generated 30 clones, and 79 isolates were picked from the plate count, and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. At the low initial bacterial load of the beef, the two sampling strategies showed variations in the composition of species. Direct 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed a domination of Bacillus-like sequences while no such sequences were found in isolates from the viable plate count. Instead the population of the plate count was dominated by Chryseobacterium spp. In contrast, the two sampling strategies matched on the multiplying beef population, where both methods indicated Pseudomonas spp. as the dominating group (99% of the population-sequences), irrespectively of sampling strategy. Pseudomonas panacis/Pseudomons brennerii was the dominating taxon (99% similarity to type strain), but sequences with highest similarity to Pseudomonas lundensis (99%), Pseudomonas beteli (99%) and Pseudomonas koreensis (100%) were also found. PMID- 17765349 TI - Recovery of succinic acid produced by fermentation of a metabolically engineered Mannheimia succiniciproducens strain. AB - There have recently been much advances in the production of succinic acid, an important four-carbon dicarboxylic acid for many industrial applications, by fermentation of several natural and engineered bacterial strains. Mannheimia succiniciproducens MBEL55E isolated from bovine rumen is able to produce succinic acid with high efficiency, but also produces acetic, formic and lactic acids just like other anaerobic succinic acid producers. We recently reported the development of an engineered M. succiniciproducens LPK7 strain which produces succinic acid as a major fermentation product while producing much reduced by products. Having an improved succinic acid producer developed, it is equally important to develop a cost-effective downstream process for the recovery of succinic acid. In this paper, we report the development of a simpler and more efficient method for the recovery of succinic acid. For the recovery of succinic acid from the fermentation broth of LPK7 strain, a simple process composed of a single reactive extraction, vacuum distillation, and crystallization yielded highly purified succinic acid (greater than 99.5% purity, wt%) with a high yield of 67.05wt%. When the same recovery process or even multiple reactive extraction steps were applied to the fermentation broth of MBEL55E, lower purity and yield of succinic acid were obtained. These results suggest that succinic acid can be purified in a cost-effective manner by using the fermentation broth of engineered LPK7 strain, showing the importance of integrating the strain development, fermentation and downstream process for optimizing the whole processes for succinic acid production. PMID- 17765350 TI - Liphophilic complexation of heparin based on bile acid for oral delivery. AB - Oral delivery of heparin will offer great advantages over injectable heparin therapy in the treatment of patients with deep vein thrombosis. Since heparin absorption in the intestine is restricted due to its physicochemical properties, we designed a bile acid derivative, cationic deoxycholylethylamine (DCEA), to be complexed with anionic low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). Complexation between LMWH and DCEA was saturated above 1:10 molar ratio and improved lipophilicity of LMWH. The LMWH/DCEA complex was completely solubilized in 80% propylene glycol solution. The oral absorption of LMWH in rats was proportional to the molar ratio of DCEA and the administered dose of complex. The C(max) values to the complex molar ratios of 1:0, 1:3, 1:5 and 1:10 were about 0.07, 0.27, 0.83, and 0.47 IU/ml, respectively, and the C(max) values to the doses of 10, 25, 50 mg/kg were 0.16, 0.44, and 0.83 IU/ml, respectively. The LMWH/DCEA complex was found to be absorbable through all regions of the small intestine of rats without causing tissue damage. This study demonstrates the feasibility of oral heparin delivery using the cationic DCEA for chronic administration in clinical trials as an effective therapy. PMID- 17765351 TI - Glucosylated heparin derivatives as non-toxic anti-cancer drugs. AB - Heparin, which has been widely used as an anti-coagulant agent, has potential anti-tumor effects; in particular, low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) may inhibit tumor angiogenesis and/or metastasis with reduced toxicity. For decades, it has been known that malignant cancer cells display abnormally enhanced glucose uptake rates and overexpress glucose transporters (GLUTs) compared to normal cells. With these findings in mind, we introduced a glucose moiety to heparin for the purpose of increasing the concentration of heparin at the tumor site by targeting GLUTs. Three glucosylated heparin (GH) derivatives were prepared by conjugation of glucosamine and heparin in different mole ratios. To evaluate the potential of GH derivatives as anti-cancer drugs, their anti-coagulant activities, inhibitory effects on glucose analog uptake, cellular interactions, tumor growth inhibitory effects and sub-acute toxicities were investigated. The anti-coagulant activities of GH derivatives decreased proportionally to the degree of glucosylation. In vitro, GH derivatives inhibited HUVEC proliferation to a greater extent than heparin. GH derivatives mainly existed outside of cells and interacted with GLUTs on the cell surface, thereby inhibiting glucose uptake into cells. In vivo, GH derivatives significantly suppressed tumor growth compared to control, without systemic toxicity. Therefore, GH derivatives are proposed as potent non-toxic anti-cancer drugs. PMID- 17765352 TI - [Standardization of the Children's Orientation and Amnesia Test, French version, to evaluate post-traumatic amnesia in children]. AB - INTRODUCTION: The duration of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA), the period of altered memory that often follows traumatic brain injury (TBI), is a useful index of severity of TBI and a predictor of outcome after TBI. Yet, evaluating PTA in French-speaking brain-injured children is not standardized. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to translate into the French language and standardize the Children's Orientation and Amnesia Test (COAT), inspired by the Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test (GOAT), which estimates PTA duration in adults. METHOD: Development of a French version of the COAT (COAT-VF) with 16 items: 7 of general orientation, 5 temporal orientation and 4 memory. Normative data were collected for 137 children aged 4, 6, 8 and 10 years who were attending school. RESULTS: Performance on the COAT-VF was influenced by age and sociocultural factors but not sex. CONCLUSION: The COAT VF, short and simple to administer, allows for an accurate evaluation of PTA duration in French children. PMID- 17765354 TI - Docetaxel versus docetaxel plus gemcitabine as front-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized, multicenter phase III trial. AB - To compare the overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced non-small cell lung (NSCLC) treated with either docetaxel plus gemcitabine or single-agent docetaxel. Chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC were randomly assigned to receive either DG [n=157; gemcitabine 1100mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8], docetaxel 75mg/m(2) on day 8 or D [n=155; docetaxel 100mg/m(2) on day 1] every 3 weeks. A total of 312 patients were evaluable for toxicity and response. A predefined interim intention-to-treat analysis showed significantly longer median OS (p=0.037) in favor of the DG regimen (9.4 months versus 8.3 months for DG and D regimens, respectively), resulting in the premature termination of the study. The DG regimen was also associated with a significantly higher response rate compared to D (26.8% versus 11.6%, p<0.001). TTP were 3.5 and 2.3 months for the DG and D regimen, respectively (p=0.054). Although there were two treatment related deaths in the DG arm, the toxicity profiles of the two regimens were comparable. The DG regimen was associated with a significantly better quality of life. The efficacy of the docetaxel plus gemcitabine combination is superior to single-agent docetaxel in chemonaive patients with advanced NSCLC. PMID- 17765353 TI - Sleep and quality of life in long-term lung cancer survivors. AB - BACKGROUND: Sleep problems are common in lung cancer survivors, yet little is known about the prevalence, determinants, and effects on quality of life (QoL) of these sleep problems in long-term lung cancer survivors. METHODS: A case-control study design comparing 76 elderly lung cancer survivors (LCS, >5 years post diagnosis with mean survival time of 8 years+/-2.1 years) and 78 elderly non cancer controls (NCC). Measurements included a standardized questionnaire for sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-PSQI), and analogue scales for dyspnea, pain, and other comorbid symptoms, as well as demographic factors and cancer history. RESULTS: Overall, 56.6% of LCS had poor sleep (PSQI global score >5) as compared to only 29.5% of NCC (p<0.001), and 49.2% of LCS who did not have sleep difficulties prior to their lung cancer diagnosis ultimately developed them. There was also evidence of significant impairments in sleep efficiency in LCS (78.3%) relative to NCC (89.6%, p<0.001), predominantly due to increased nocturnal awakenings. A single-item analogue scale for sleep quality was not as effective in identifying sleep problems as more specific questions about sleep duration and sleep efficiency. Poor sleep quality was significantly correlated with impairments in quality of life, even when controlling for other factors, such as dyspnea. CONCLUSIONS: Even 8 years after diagnosis, LCS continue to have significant sleep difficulties. By asking specific questions about sleep medication use, nocturnal awakenings and sleep efficiency, health care providers can identify sleep problems that could be treated and potentially improve the quality of life of their patients. PMID- 17765355 TI - Elevated serum level of sialylated glycoprotein KL-6 predicts a poor prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with gefitinib. AB - PURPOSE: The factors affecting survival after gefitinib treatment in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain to be fully elucidated, although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation is a substantial prognostic factor. KL-6 has been studied as a useful indicator for interstitial lung diseases; however, it was first discovered as a lung cancer-related antigen. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the serum KL-6 levels in advanced NSCLC patients treated with gefitinib and thus determine its association with the EGFR mutation status. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between September 2002 and September 2005, 41 patients with NSCLC were treated with gefitinib after having their serum KL-6 levels measured at Okayama University Hospital. EGFR mutations were analyzed by direct sequence methods. RESULTS: The serum KL-6 levels ranged from 199 to 9080U/ml (median, 550U/ml), and 54% of 41 patients showed a level higher than the cut-off level of 500U/ml. The median progression-free survival (PFS) time and the median overall survival (OS) time were 4.7 months and 13.9 months, respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that the elevated KL-6 level was an independent adverse prognostic factor for PFS (hazard ratio: 2.278, p=0.040) as well as OS (hazard ratio: 4.858, p=0.002) in NSCLC patients treated with gefitinib. The EGFR mutation status was analyzed in 22 patients (54%). Among those with wild-type EGFR, the patients with high serum KL-6 levels also had a worse survival than those within normal serum KL-6 levels (6.5 months versus 13.3 months, p=0.0194). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that NSCLC patients with high serum KL-6 levels tended to have a poor clinical outcome when treated with gefitinib. PMID- 17765356 TI - Story-telling: an essential part of science. PMID- 17765357 TI - The hemibiotrophic lifestyle of Colletotrichum species. AB - Colletotrichum species infect several economically important crop plants. To establish a compatible parasitic interaction, a specialized infection cell, the melanized appressorium, is differentiated on the cuticle of the host. After penetration, an infection vesicle and primary hyphae are formed. These structures do not kill the host cell and show some similarities with haustoria formed by powdery mildews and rust fungi. Therefore, this stage of infection is called biotrophic. Later in the infection process, necrotrophic secondary hyphae spread within and kill the host tissue. The lifestyle of Colletotrichum species is called hemibiotrophic, as biotrophic and necrotrophic developmental stages are sequentially established. As most Colletotrichum species are accessible to molecular techniques, genes can be identified and functionally characterized. Here we demonstrate that Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation is a well-suited method for tagging of genes mediating compatibility in the Colletotrichum graminicola-maize interaction. PMID- 17765358 TI - In situ localization of glucose and sucrose in dehydrating leaves of Sporobolus stapfianus. AB - Accumulation of soluble carbohydrates during dehydration stress is thought to be a very important mechanism for the acquisition of desiccation tolerance. Despite the proposed importance of soluble carbohydrate accumulation (especially sucrose), nothing is known about the cellular localization of carbohydrates in desiccation-tolerant plants. The present study proposes a novel and selective method for the in situ localization of sucrose and glucose in the desiccation tolerant plant Sporobolus stapfianus. The detection of sucrose and glucose is based on a series of coupled enzymatic reactions leading to the formation of NADH. Iodonitrotetrazolium (INT) reacts with NADH, thereby providing the red colored insoluble INT-formazan. Stained tissue sections were immediately visualized using light microscopy. Localization of the respective sugars was site specific. Sucrose was visualized in all leaf cell types during dehydration: vascular bundles, bundle sheath cells, mesophyll cells and epidermal cells. Similarly, glucose was shown to be localized in the same leaf compartments as reported for sucrose. This is the first report that describes sucrose localization in dehydrating leaf tissues of a "resurrection" plant. We conclude that, during dehydration stress, sucrose accumulates in all viable tissues; these results are in agreement with the previously proposed theories about its function as a cellular protectant. PMID- 17765359 TI - Cutin monomer induces expression of the rice OsLTP5 lipid transfer protein gene. AB - Treatment with the cutin monomer 16-hydroxypalmitic acid (HPA), a major component of cutin, elicited the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in rice leaves and induced the expression of the lipid transfer protein gene OsLTP5. Treatment with HPA also induced expression of OsLTP1, OsLTP2, and the pathogen-related PR-10 genes to a lesser extent. The OsLTP5 transcript was expressed prominently in stems and flowers, but was barely detectable in leaves. Expression of OsLTP5 was induced in shoots in response to ABA and salicylic acid. It is proposed that HPA is perceived by rice as a signal, inducing defense reactions. PMID- 17765360 TI - Salicylic acid induces H2O2 production and endochitinase gene expression but not ethylene biosynthesis in Castanea sativa in vitro model system. AB - Salicylic acid (SA), ethylene (ET), and wounding are all known to influence plant defense response. Experiments attempting to determine SA's relation to ET biosynthesis and defense gene expression have shown conflicting results. To confront this, we developed an in vitro model system to investigate how SA affects ET biosynthesis, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) production and endochitinase gene expression in the European chestnut. ET measurements of in vitro shoots indicated a critical time point for SA exogenous application, enabling us to study its effects independent of ET. In addition, ET measurements demonstrated that its own increased biosynthesis was a response to wounding but not to SA treatment. Application of the ET biosynthesis inhibitor, aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), on wounded and SA-treated shoots blocked wounding induced ET production. Interestingly, SA inhibited ET production, but to a lesser extent than AVG. Additionally, SA also induced the accumulation of endochitinase transcript level. Likewise, a sensitive tissue-print assay showed that SA further increased the level of H(2)O(2). Yet, SA-induced endochitinase gene expression and SA-enhanced H(2)O(2) production levels were independent of ET. The cumulative results indicate that SA acts as an inducer of endochitinase PR gene expression and of H(2)O(2) oxidative burst. This suggests that SA is a component of the signal transduction pathway leading to defense against pathogens in chestnut. Further, the model system developed for this experiment should facilitate the deciphering of defense signaling pathways and their cross-talk. Moreover, it should also benefit the study of trees of long generation time that are known to be recalcitrant to in vitro studies. PMID- 17765361 TI - Oxidative metabolism-related changes in cryogenically stored neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) seeds. AB - The seeds of Azadirachta indica were successfully cryopreserved for 12 months with 45% survival following drying to 0.16 g H(2)O g(-1) dry mass (DM). Highest survival (94-96%) was recorded during the first month of cryostorage. Subsequent cryopreservation up to 12 months resulted in decreasing germination. Post-thawing pre-heat treatment enhanced the recovery marginally in seeds cryopreserved from 3 to 12 months. Viability of cryostored seeds was negatively correlated with leachate conductivity and accumulation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBRS) estimated in cotyledons and axes. Leachate conductivity of imbibed seeds was low during the first month of cryostorage but increased gradually with the duration of cryostorage to a maximum after 12 months. TBRS accumulation was gradual throughout cryostorage. Relatively low amounts of active oxygen species (AOS) detected during the first month of cryostorage were closely associated with very high activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in seeds (cotyledons and axes). Marked accumulation of AOS from 3 to 12 months was associated with decrease in antioxidant enzyme activity. PMID- 17765363 TI - The gastric effects of UFP-112, a new nociceptin/orphanin receptor agonist, in physiological and pathological conditions. AB - Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ), the endogenous NOP receptor ligand, centrally modulates gastric motor and secretory functions and prevents ethanol-induced gastric lesions in rats. A recently synthesized N/OFQ analog, [(pF)Phe(4)Aib(7)Arg(14)Lys(15)]N/OFQ-NH(2) (UFP-112), acts as a highly potent and selective peptide agonist for NOP receptors and produces longer-lasting in vitro and in vivo effects in mice than the natural ligand N/OFQ. In this study, we evaluated the effects of centrally (intracerebroventricularly/icv) and peripherally (intraperitoneally/ip) injected UFP-112 on gastric emptying and gastric acid secretion, and on the development of gastric mucosal lesions induced by 50% ethanol in the rat. When injected icv, it dose-dependently delayed gastric emptying of a phenol red meal (by up to 70%), decreased gastric secretion in water-loaded rats after 90 pylorus ligature, and reduced ethanol-induced gastric lesions (by up to 87%). In all three assays, UFP-112 was more effective than N/OFQ. The highly selective NOP receptor antagonist, UFP-101, decreased the efficacy of UFP-112, thus confirming that central NOP receptors mediate inhibitory control on these functional and pathological conditions in rats. Ip injected N/OFQ and UFP-112 induced non-dose-related gastric hypersecretory and antiulcer effects, which UFP-101 partially abolished. Ip N/OFQ appeared equiactive but about 30-100 times less potent than ip UFP-112 in stimulating gastric acid secretion and preventing lesion formation. When ip injected, both UFP-112 and N/OFQ left gastric emptying in rats unchanged, suggesting that peripheral NOP receptors have a role in mediating gastric hypersecretory and antiulcer effects but are not involved in regulating gastric motility. In addition, the inhibitory effects induced by this novel NOP receptor agonist lasted longer than those induced by N/OFQ. In conclusion, UFP-112 is a promising new pharmacological tool for studying the functional roles of the central and peripheral N/OFQ receptor system. PMID- 17765362 TI - Differential changes in cell wall matrix polysaccharides and glycoside hydrolyzing enzymes in developing wheat seedlings differing in drought tolerance. AB - The growth kinetics and variations in cell wall matrix polysaccharides and glycoside hydrolases during seedling development of the drought-tolerant wheat cultivar (cv. Hong Mang Mai) were compared with the drought-sensitive cultivar (cv. Shirasagikomugi). After 15 d of culture in water at 22 degrees C under constant irradiance of 98 micromol m(-2) s(-1), the length of the coleoptile and leaf sheath of Hong Mang Mai seedlings was 1.7 times longer than those of Shirasagikomugi seedlings. In the cell walls isolated from coleoptiles and leaf sheaths of the seedling of the two cultivars, the contents of arabinose, xylose, and glucose changed during development. The cell walls were fractionated progressively with 50 mM CDTA, 50 mM Na(2)CO(3), 1 M KOH and 4 M KOH, and sugar composition was determined. The amount of CDTA-soluble fraction from the Hong Mang Mai cell walls was 2.4-fold higher than that from the Shirasagikomugi cell walls at 6 d of culture, and a considerable decrease was observed during development. The ratio of arabinose to xylose in 1 M KOH-soluble fraction from the two cultivars decreased. The amount of 4 M KOH-soluble fraction from the Shirasagikomugi cell walls was affected much more than those of the Hong Mang Mai cell walls. Many glycoside hydrolase activities were detected in the protein fractions from coleoptiles and leaf sheaths of the two cultivars, and the activities of licheninase, 1,3-1,4-beta-glucanase, and 1,3-beta-glucanase in the LiCl-soluble protein fraction increased drastically during development of the Shirasagikomugi seedlings. These findings suggest that the metabolism of the cell wall matrix polysaccharides of the drought-tolerant wheat cultivar is far different from that of the drought-sensitive wheat cultivar during seedling development. PMID- 17765364 TI - Effects of monounsaturated vs. saturated fat on postprandial lipemia and adipose tissue lipases in type 2 diabetes. AB - BACKGROUND: The effects of different dietary fatty acids on postprandial lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetic patients are still debated. AIM: To evaluate the effects of monounsaturated (MUFA) vs. saturated fat (SAFA)-rich diets on postprandial lipemia and adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) in type 2 diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven type 2 diabetic patients followed, in random order, a diet rich in MUFA (SAFA 8%, MUFA 23%) and another rich in SAFA (SAFA 17%, MUFA 15%) for a period of 3 weeks each. At the end of the two diets, a standard fat-rich meal was administered and subcutaneous fat biopsies were performed at fasting and 6h after the test meal. RESULTS: Neither diet induced significant changes in meal lipid tolerance, except for a faster (at 2h) increase in chylomicron triglycerides and a significant decrease in small VLDL triglyceride incremental area after the MUFA diet (-13.6+/ 4.7 mg/dl*6h vs. -2.2+/-3.7 mg/dl*6h, p<0.005) (M+/-SEM). LPL and HSL activities were significantly increased after the MUFA diet. CONCLUSIONS: A MUFA-rich diet reduces postprandial small VLDL triglycerides in type 2 diabetic patients compared to a SAFA-rich diet, and modifies lipolytic enzymes in adipose tissue. PMID- 17765365 TI - Immunisation with anthrolysin O or a genetic toxoid protects against challenge with the toxin but not against Bacillus anthracis. AB - Anthrolysin O (ALO) is a toxin produced by Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. It is a member of the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC) group of toxins, many of which are potential vaccine candidates that protect against their producing organisms. Pore formation by ALO was studied by transmission electron microscopy and pores were found to be consistent with those formed by other members of this toxin family. We constructed and characterised a novel genetic toxoid of anthrolysin O, Delta6mALO, which was able to bind to cells but was incapable of pore-formation or haemolysis. The capacity of the haemolytic and non-haemolytic forms of ALO to protect against challenge with the toxin or B. anthracis was determined. Immunisation with both active and non haemolytic forms of ALO elicited protection against lethal i.v. challenge with ALO but neither was protective against B. anthracis in a murine i.p. challenge model. Immunisation with another CDC, pneumolysin, did not confer cross protection against challenge with ALO. Histopathological investigation following lethal i.v. challenge with ALO revealed acute pathology in the lungs with occlusion of alveolar vessels by fibrin deposits. PMID- 17765366 TI - Kinetics of radiocesium released from contaminated soil by fertilizer solutions. AB - (137)Cs is one of the major artificial radionuclides found in environments; but the mechanisms behind fertilizer-induced (137)Cs desorption from soil remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate the kinetics and mechanisms underlying the various cations and anions that cause Cs release from soil under acidic conditions. NH(4)H(2)PO(4) (1M), 0.5M (NH(4))(2)SO(4), 1M NH(4)Cl, 1M KCl or 1M NaCl solutions were added to (137)Cs-contaminated soil. The power function model well described the short term (137)Cs desorption with the solutions. The rate coefficients for (137)Cs release from soil in NH(4)H(2)PO(4), (NH(4))(2)SO(4), NH(4)Cl, and KCl solutions were 7.7, 7.3, 6.8, and 6.1 times higher than the rate observed in a NaCl solution, respectively. The NH(4)H(2)PO(4) and (NH(4))(2)SO(4) solutions induced significantly greater (137)Cs release from the contaminated soil than the NH(4)Cl, KCl and NaCl solutions. After four times repeated extractions with the fertilizer solutions, the total amount of (137)Cs extracted by (NH(4))(2)SO(4) and NH(4)Cl solutions reached equilibrium, while that extracted using an NH(4)H(2)PO(4) solution continued to increase. The combined effect of phosphate and protons was the major mechanism behind (137)Cs release from contaminated soils, when an NH(4)H(2)PO(4) solution was used. PMID- 17765367 TI - The transfer of radiocaesium to ewes through a breeding cycle--an illustration of the pitfalls of the transfer coefficient. AB - A study to measure the transfer of radiocaesium to adult female sheep through a breeding cycle is described. The transfer of radiocaesium from the diet to muscle (estimated as the equilibrium transfer coefficient) was significantly lower to pregnant, and especially lactating, animals compared to non-lactating and barren animals. High dry matter intake rates were also associated with significantly lower transfer coefficients. Known relationships between dry matter intake rates and protein turnover could credibly explain some of these differences. However, when described as the concentration ratio, radiocaesium transfer to meat was apparently highest during lactation. The apparent difference in results obtained by the two approaches of determining transfer is the consequence of daily dry matter intake being a denominator within the estimation of transfer coefficient. A wider discussion of transfer coefficients and concentration ratios leads us to suggest that the concentration ratio is the more robust and potentially generic parameter. PMID- 17765368 TI - The transfer of radionuclides from saltmarsh vegetation to sheep tissues and milk. AB - Radionuclides released into the Irish Sea by the Sellafield reprocessing plant are deposited onto tide-washed pastures along the western coast of the United Kingdom. Many of these pastures are grazed by sheep or cattle. This paper describes a controlled feeding study, in which saltmarsh vegetation harvested from close to the Sellafield plant, was fed to lambs and adult female sheep for a period of 8 weeks. Activity concentrations of (60)Co, (95)Nb, (106)Ru, (134)Cs, (137)Cs, (238)Pu, (239,240)Pu and (241)Am were determined in edible tissues and transfer parameters estimated. The activity concentrations of some of the radionuclides will not have been in equilibrium with those in the diet. Nevertheless, the study was reasonably realistic in terms of agricultural management as the period of the study was similar to that for which lambs graze on the saltmarshes. A field study to determine the activity concentrations of (137)Cs and (239,240)Pu in the milk of ewes grazing a saltmarsh close to Sellafield is also described. PMID- 17765369 TI - Study on biosorption kinetics and thermodynamics of uranium by Citrobacter freudii. AB - Biosorption has been developed as an effective and economic method to treat wastewater containing low concentrations of metal pollutants. In this study, a bacterium, Citrobacter freudii, was used as a biosorbent to adsorb uranium ions. The thermodynamics and kinetics of this adsorption, as well as its mechanism, were investigated. The results indicated that the biosorption rate could be better described by a pseudo 2nd-order model than a pseudo 1st-order model. The adsorption of U (VI) proceeded very rapidly in the first 30min and subsequently slowed down continuously for a long period. The biosorption isotherm of uranium by C. freudii could be described well by the Langmuir or Freundlich isotherm, and the latter was better. The thermodynamics parameters, DeltaH degrees , DeltaG degrees , and DeltaS degrees were calculated according to the results of the experiment, which showed this biosorption as being endothermic and spontaneous. The authors investigated the active sites of bacteria for biosorption and the results proved that carboxyl in the cell wall played an important role in biosorption. PMID- 17765370 TI - Levels of dioxins and furans in urban surface soil in Trondheim, Norway. AB - A study was conducted on polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in surface soil in order to determine the concentration levels and possibly distinguishing between known and potential sources. The concentration levels are low (0.16-14 ng I-TEQ kg(-1)). The results show a clear pattern where the highest concentration levels were found in the oldest parts of the city. A number of sources were recognised in the soil samples through congener profiles, not all of them active, although similar congener profiles make it extremely difficult to distinguish between different sources. Estimations show that the municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) and domestic wood burning are the largest PCDD/F pollution sources within the area. PMID- 17765371 TI - Neighborhood economic disadvantage, violent crime, group density, and pregnancy outcomes in a diverse, urban population. AB - Prior research has established associations between pregnancy outcomes and specific neighborhood characteristics, including economic disadvantage, violent crime, and racial/ethnic segregation. Recently, associations have also been found between various health outcomes and group density, the degree to which an individual is a racial or ethnic majority in his or her local community. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which census tract economic disadvantage, violent crime rate, and group density are associated with pregnancy outcomes among White, Black, and Hispanic infants in a large metropolitan setting. This cross-sectional study utilized 1990 census data, 1991 crime data, and 1991 birth certificate information for singleton live births in Chicago, Illinois. Results show substantial racial segregation in Chicago, with 35% of census tracts having more than 90% Black residents and 45% of census tracts having fewer than 10% Black residents. After stratifying by maternal race/ethnicity, we used multilevel analyses to model pregnancy outcomes as a function of individual and census tract characteristics. Among all racial/ethnic groups, violent crime rate accounted for most of the negative association between tract economic disadvantage and birth weight. Group density was also associated with birth weight but this association was stronger among Whites and Hispanics than among Blacks. Further analysis revealed that group density was more strongly associated with preterm birth while violent crime rate was more strongly associated with small for gestational age. These results suggest that group density and violent crime may impact birth weight via different mechanisms. PMID- 17765372 TI - The determinants of the willingness to donate an organ among young adults: evidence from the United States and the European Union. AB - The total value of life lost due to death because of waiting for an organ transplant was close to $5 billion in 2006 in the United States, and the excess demand for organs has been increasing over time. To shed light on the factors that impact the willingness to donate an organ, we analyze individual-level data from the United States and the European Union collected in 2001-2002. The rate of willingness to donate an organ is 38% among young adults in the US, and it is 42% in Europe. Interesting similarities emerge between the US and Europe regarding the impact of gender, political views and education on the willingness to donate an organ. In the US, Blacks, Hispanics and Catholics are less likely to donate. In Europe, individuals who reveal that they are familiar with the rules and regulations governing the donation and transplantation of human organs are more likely to donate. In both data sets, individuals who had some encounter with the health care sector-either through a recent emergency room visit (in the US), or perhaps because of a long-standing illness (in the EU), are more likely to become organ donors. Mother's education has a separate positive impact. These results point to some avenues through which organ donation propensities can be enhanced and organ shortages can be alleviated. PMID- 17765373 TI - A panel multinomial logit analysis of elderly living arrangements: evidence from Aging In Manitoba longitudinal data, Canada. AB - Utilizing a unique longitudinal survey linked with home care use data, this paper analyzes the determinants of elderly living arrangements in Manitoba, Canada using a random effects multinomial logit model that accounts for unobserved individual heterogeneity. Because current home ownership is potentially endogenous in a living arrangements choice model, we use prior home ownership as an instrument. We also use prior home care use as an instrument for home care and use a random coefficient framework to account for unobserved health status. After controlling for relevant socio-demographic factors and accounting for unobserved individual heterogeneity, we find that home care and home ownership reduce the probability of living in a nursing home. Consistent with previous studies, we find that age is a strong predictor of nursing home entry. We also find that married people, those who have lived longer in the same community, and those who are healthy are more likely to live independently and less likely to be institutionalized or to cohabit with individuals other than their spouse. PMID- 17765374 TI - A qualitative study of the duty to care in communicable disease outbreaks. AB - Health care providers' (HCPs') duty to care during communicable disease outbreaks has resurfaced as an important and contentious topic. This renewed interest follows the re-emergence of communicable diseases, largely thought to have disappeared and therefore irrelevant to modern day practitioners. The 2003 SARS outbreak particularly presented propitious circumstances for reconsidering this issue. This study seeks to characterize the views of individuals on the nature and limits of this duty. The authors employed qualitative methods to gather lay and expert perspectives. Individual interviews were conducted with 67 participants consisting of HCPs, spiritual leaders, regulators, and members of the public from the greater Toronto area. Participants' views were analyzed and organized according to three main themes, constituting a framework that combines micro-, meso-, and macro-level structures and processes: the scope of obligations of HCPs, the roles of health care institutions, and the broader social context, respectively. Our data suggest that the duty to care must be placed in a wider context to include considerations that transcend individual provider obligations. It thus follows, based on our data, that the duty to care cannot be left to personal choice or an appeal to morality based on an ethic derived entirely from individual obligations. The micro-meso-macro analytical framework that we have developed can guide the articulation of accepted norms of duty to care during epidemics and the development of policy for public health crises. It can also enhance the focus of our current expectations of HCPs' duty during epidemics. This can be achieved by informing regulatory bodies, collaborating with policy makers and engaging the public. PMID- 17765375 TI - Socioeconomic status and age trajectories of health. AB - The cumulative advantage hypothesis suggests diverging socioeconomic status (SES) based gaps in health with age. However, previous studies yield inconsistent findings regarding the association between SES and health across the adult life span. Dealing with the issue of mortality selection bias, this study utilizes latent growth-curve modeling to comprehensively examine age trajectories of both physical and mental health by SES using panel data based on a national probability sample of 3617 US adults. We find that education- and income-based gaps in physical impairment and the education-based gap in depression diverge over time for all adult age groups, supporting the hypothesis of cumulative advantage. In contrast, we find that the income-based gap in depression converges in older age, supporting the hypothesis of age-as-leveler. Mortality selection bias is unlikely to be a major part of the explanation for the convergence. These results indicate that age-related patterns in health trajectories may differ by various dimensions of SES and health. Finally, we take into account persistence or change in income over time to examine the relationship between trajectories of income and health across adulthood, highlighting the importance of considering the temporal patterns of income in understanding age trajectories of health. PMID- 17765376 TI - Doing participant observation in a psychiatric hospital-- research ethics resumed. AB - Social scientists who employ participant observation methods in medical settings are often held accountable for their research methods, specifically in regard to medical research ethics. However, the medical research ethics tradition rubs uneasily against participant observation and the anthropological understanding of the research process. The underlying premise for considering research ethics in the current case is the notion of the vulnerability of psychiatric patients as a participant group. Based on this notion of vulnerability among psychiatric patients, this article discusses the epistemological grounds for vulnerability in anthropological and medical research ethics. The authors draw on their experience with the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics in Norway, and the consequences of the guidelines used for participant observation as a research method in a psychiatric hospital. Social science researchers are required to follow medical ethical guidelines, such as informed consent, the principle of voluntariness, and estimation of risks and benefits. Ethnographers have found these guidelines to be obstructive when doing social science research in a psychiatric hospital. The article suggests the need for reformulation of research guidelines for participant observation in medical settings. PMID- 17765377 TI - Topiramate monotherapy in the maintenance treatment of juvenile bipolar disorder. PMID- 17765378 TI - Yi-gan san for the treatment of borderline personality disorder: an open-label study. AB - BACKGROUND: Numerous medications have been tested on patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Although many of these medications have been demonstrated to be useful, no clear main treatment for BPD has emerged. Despite the efficacy of some of the medicines, acceptability and side effects have proven to be barriers to their use. Recent studies indicate that the traditional Chinese herbal medicine yi-gan san (YGS, yokukan-san in Japanese) may be safe and useful in treating behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia patients. We aimed at evaluating both efficacy and safety of yi-gan san in patients with well defined BPD. METHODS: Twenty female outpatients diagnosed with BPD according to DSM-IV criteria and the revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines completed a 12-week open-label study with yi-gan san at an average daily dosage of 6.4+/-1.9 g (2.5-7.5 g). Psychometric instruments to assess efficacy included the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression (HAM-D), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), and Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). RESULTS: Most psychometric scale scores exhibited a highly significant improvement (total BPRS; BPRS somatic concern, anxiety, tension, depressive mood, hostility, suspiciousness, motor retardation, uncooperativeness, and excitement subscale; CGI; GAF; AQ) over time. CONCLUSIONS: In this open-label pilot study, patients treated with YGS showed statistically significant reduction on self-rated and clinician-rated scales. The present findings suggest that yi-gan san might be effective for the treatment of a number of BPD symptoms, including low mood, impulsivity, and aggression. PMID- 17765380 TI - Modafinil as a treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in children and adolescents: a double blind, randomized clinical trial. AB - Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder currently afflicting children and is among the most common chronic conditions affecting school-age children. Modafinil is structurally different from the psychostimulants that are typically used to treat ADHD and has been reported to be effective in improving the symptoms of ADHD. The aim of the present study was to further evaluate, under double blind and controlled conditions, the efficacy of modafinil for ADHD in children and adolescents as compared to methylphenidate. Patients included 60 outpatients, children (47 boys and 13 girls) between the ages of 6-15 who clearly met the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for ADHD. Subjects were recruited from an outpatient child and adolescent clinic for a 6 week double blind, randomized clinical trial. All study subjects were randomly assigned to receive either treatment with modafinil film coated tablet (in doses of 200-300 mg/day) depending on weight (200 mg/day for <30 kg and 300 mg/day for >30 kg) (group 1) or methylphenidate (in doses of 20-30 mg/day) depending on weight (20 mg/day for <30 kg and 30 mg/day for >30 kg) (group 2). The principal measure of outcome was the Teacher and Parent ADHD Rating Scale-IV. Patients were assessed at baseline and at 21 and 42 days after the medication started. No significant differences were observed between the two groups on the Parent and Teacher Rating Scale scores. Side effects of decreased appetite and difficulty falling asleep were observed more in the methylphenidate group. The results of this study indicate that modafinil significantly improved symptoms of ADHD and was well tolerated and it is beneficial in the treatment of children with ADHD. PMID- 17765381 TI - Dimenhydrinate effect on cerebral oxygen status and salivary chromogranin-A during cognitive tasks. AB - To investigate the effects of dimenhydrinate on cerebral oxygen status (COS; cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin concentration changes) and salivary chromogranin-A (CgA) during a cognitive test battery, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover protocol was used to examine the effect of 50 mg of dimenhydrinate or placebo in 12 subjects. This test battery includes tests of both reaction time and fundamental cognitive ability and was used in the assessment of pilots. Poor cognitive performance was observed in the subjects taking dimenhydrinate. We used two-channel near-infrared spectroscopy to investigate the effects of dimenhydrinate on the COS. With the one exception of shifting attention task in the left forehead, no significant difference was found between dimenhydrinate and placebo during the tasks of the test battery. Under placebo treatment, on the other hand, CgA levels were significantly elevated during cognitive testing when compared with baseline. However, CgA levels were not significantly elevated above baseline following dimenhydrinate. The present study is one of the first to demonstrate that the first-generation antihistamine drugs altered the responses of salivary CgA during cognitive tasks. The changes in salivary CgA secretion, as a result of dimenhydrinate administration, may serve as a sensitive biomarker of a psychological status such as a drug-induced sedation during the performance of a cognitive test battery. Further studies, however, are required to examine the usefulness of this sensitive biomarker in investigation of psychological agents during cognitive tasks. PMID- 17765379 TI - Panic, suffocation false alarms, separation anxiety and endogenous opioids. AB - This review paper presents an amplification of the suffocation false alarm theory (SFA) of spontaneous panic [Klein DF (1993). False suffocation alarms, spontaneous panics, and related conditions. An integrative hypothesis. Arch Gen Psychiatry; 50:306-17.]. SFA postulates the existence of an evolved physiologic suffocation alarm system that monitors information about potential suffocation. Panic attacks maladaptively occur when the alarm is erroneously triggered. That panic is distinct from Cannon's emergency fear response and Selye's General Alarm Syndrome is shown by the prominence of intense air hunger during these attacks. Further, panic sufferers have chronic sighing abnormalities outside of the acute attack. Another basic physiologic distinction between fear and panic is the counter-intuitive lack of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activation in panic. Understanding panic as provoked by indicators of potential suffocation, such as fluctuations in pCO(2) and brain lactate, as well as environmental circumstances fits the observed respiratory abnormalities. However, that sudden loss, bereavement and childhood separation anxiety are also antecedents of "spontaneous" panic requires an integrative explanation. Because of the opioid system's central regulatory role in both disordered breathing and separation distress, we detail the role of opioidergic dysfunction in decreasing the suffocation alarm threshold. We present results from our laboratory where the naloxone-lactate challenge in normals produces supportive evidence for the endorphinergic defect hypothesis in the form of a distress episode of specific tidal volume hyperventilation paralleling challenge-produced and clinical panic. PMID- 17765382 TI - A 90-day subchronic toxicity study of nivalenol, a trichothecene mycotoxin, in F344 rats. AB - A subchronic toxicity study of nivalenol (NIV), a trichothecene mycotoxin, was conducted in male and female F344 rats fed diet containing 0, 6.25, 25 or 100 ppm concentration for 90 days. Decrease of body weight and loose stools were observed at 100 ppm in both sexes from the start of the experiment, and body weight reduction was also observed at 25 ppm in males from week 6. At necropsy, many organs demonstrated reduced absolute weights at 100 ppm in both sexes, mostly due to the reduction in the body growth, with reduction of relative thymus weight also being evident in females. Hematologically, decrease of the white blood cell count was found at 100 ppm in males and from 6.25 ppm in females. In addition, decreased platelet counts in both sexes, red blood cell counts in males, and the hemoglobin concentration in females were detected at 100 ppm. Histopathologically, treatment-related changes were predominantly observed in the hematopoietic and immune organs and the anterior pituitary in both sexes and female reproductive organs at 100 ppm, such as thymic atrophy, hypocellularity in the bone marrow, diffuse hypertrophy of basophilic cells with increase of castration cells in the anterior pituitary, and increase of ovarian atretic follicles. Based on the hematological data, the no-observed-adverse-effect level of NIV was determined to be less than 6.25 ppm (0.4 mg/kg body weight/day for both males and females). PMID- 17765383 TI - Therapeutic hypothermia induced during cardiopulmonary resuscitation using large volume, ice-cold intravenous fluid. AB - INTRODUCTION: Therapeutic hypothermia after resuscitation improves outcome following prolonged out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Laboratory studies suggest that this therapy may improve outcome further when induced during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We report a case where therapeutic hypothermia was induced during cardiopulmonary resuscitation using large-volume (40 mL/kg), ice-cold (4 degrees C) intravenous fluid. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: A tertiary level hospital in Victoria, Australia. CASE REPORT: The patient suffered a cardiac arrest secondary to pericardial tamponade following right ventricular perforation during cardiac catheterisation. Percutaneous needle drainage was unsuccessful and open drainage via a left emergency thoracotomy was performed. Therapeutic hypothermia during cardiopulmonary resuscitation was induced using of a rapid infusion of large volume (40 mL/kg), ice-cold (4 degrees C) crystalloid fluid. A spontaneous circulation was restored after 37 min of cardiac arrest. The patient made a satisfactory neurological recovery. CONCLUSION: Treatment with a rapid intravenous infusion of large-volume (40 mL/kg), ice-cold (4 degrees C) fluid during cardiopulmonary resuscitation induces mild hypothermia and may provide neurological protection. Further clinical studies of this approach are warranted. PMID- 17765384 TI - Sensitivity and specificity of an automated external defibrillator algorithm designed for pediatric patients. AB - OBJECTIVE: Electrocardiographic (ECG) rhythm analysis algorithms for cardiac rhythm analysis in automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been tested against pediatric patient rhythms (patients < or = 8 years old) using adult ECG algorithm criteria. However these adult algorithms may fail to detect non shockable pediatric tachycardias because they do not account for the difference in the rates of normal sinus rhythm and typical tachyarrhythmias in childhood. METHODS: This study was designed to define shockable and non-shockable rhythm detection criteria specific to pediatric patients to create a pediatric rhythm database of annotated rhythms, to develop a pediatric-based AED rhythm analysis algorithm, and to test the algorithm's accuracy. Pediatric rhythm detection criteria were defined for coarse ventricular fibrillation, rapid ventricular tachycardia, and non-shockable rhythms, including pediatric supraventricular tachycardia. Pediatric rhythms were collected as sustained, classifiable, rhythms > or = 9 s in length, and were annotated by pediatric electrophysiologists as clinically shockable or non-shockable based on pediatric criteria. Rhythms were placed into a pediatric rhythm database; each rhythm was converted to digitally accessible, public-domain, MIT rhythm data format. The database was used to evaluate a pediatric-based AED rhythm analysis algorithm. RESULTS: Electrocardiographic rhythms from 198 children were recorded. There were 120 shockable rhythms from 49 patients (sensitivity; coarse ventricular fibrillation: 42 rhythms, 100%; rapid ventricular tachycardia: 78 rhythms, 94%), for combined sensitivity of 96.0% (115/120). There were 585 non-shockable rhythms from 155 patients (specificity normal sinus: 208 rhythms, 100%; asystole: 29 rhythms, 100%; supraventricular tachycardia: 161 rhythms, 99%; other arrhythmias: 187 rhythms, 100%), for combined specificity of 99.7% (583/585). Overall accuracy for shockable and non-shockable rhythms was 99.0% (702/709). CONCLUSIONS: New pediatric rhythm detection criteria were defined and analysis based on these criteria demonstrated both high sensitivity (coarse ventricular fibrillation, rapid ventricular tachycardia) and high specificity (non-shockable rhythms, including supraventricular tachycardia). A pediatric-based AED can detect shockable rhythms correctly, making it safe and exceptionally effective for children. PMID- 17765385 TI - Pericardial effusion and electrical alternans. PMID- 17765387 TI - Vagally mediated heart rate variability and heart rate entropy as predictors of treatment outcome in flight phobia. AB - In the present study a computer-assisted exposure-based treatment was applied to 54 flight phobics and the predictive role of vagally mediated heart rate (HR) variability (high frequency, 0.15-0.4 Hz band power) and heart rate entropy (HR time series sample entropy) on treatment outcome was investigated. Both physiological measures were taken under controlled breathing at 0.2 Hz and during exposure to a fearful sequence of audiovisual stimuli. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to assess the predictive power of these variables in these conditions on treatment self-report measures at the end of treatment and at 6 months follow-up, as well as on the behavioral treatment outcome (i.e. flying at the end of treatment). Regression models predicting significant amounts of outcome variance could be built only when HR entropy was added to the HR variability measure in a second step of the regression analyses. HR variability alone was not found to be a good predictor of neither self-reported nor behavioral treatment outcomes. PMID- 17765388 TI - A biome-scale assessment of the impact of invasive alien plants on ecosystem services in South Africa. AB - This paper reports an assessment of the current and potential impacts of invasive alien plants on selected ecosystem services in South Africa. We used data on the current and potential future distribution of 56 invasive alien plant species to estimate their impact on four services (surface water runoff, groundwater recharge, livestock production and biodiversity) in five terrestrial biomes. The estimated reductions in surface water runoff as a result of current invasions were >3000 million m(3) (about 7% of the national total), most of which is from the fynbos (shrubland) and grassland biomes; the potential reductions would be more than eight times greater if invasive alien plants were to occupy the full extent of their potential range. Impacts on groundwater recharge would be less severe, potentially amounting to approximately 1.5% of the estimated maximum reductions in surface water runoff. Reductions in grazing capacity as a result of current levels of invasion amounted to just over 1% of the potential number of livestock that could be supported. However, future impacts could increase to 71%. A 'biodiversity intactness index' (the remaining proportion of pre-modern populations) ranged from 89% to 71% for the five biomes. With the exception of the fynbos biome, current invasions have almost no impact on biodiversity intactness. Under future levels of invasion, however, these intactness values decrease to around 30% for the savanna, fynbos and grassland biomes, but to even lower values (13% and 4%) for the two karoo biomes. Thus, while the current impacts of invasive alien plants are relatively low (with the exception of those on surface water runoff), the future impacts could be very high. While the errors in these estimates are likely to be substantial, the predicted impacts are sufficiently large to suggest that there is serious cause for concern. PMID- 17765386 TI - Resuscitation with 100%, compared with 21%, oxygen following brief, repeated periods of apnea can protect vulnerable neonatal brain regions from apoptotic injury. AB - PURPOSE: To determine the effect of repeated intermittent apnea and resuscitation with 100% vs. 21% oxygen enriched gas on levels of key regulatory proteins contributing to cell death (Bax, Caspase-3) or protecting neurons from hypoxic/ischemic injury (Bcl-2, p-Akt, p-CREB). METHODS: The anaesthetized, mechanically ventilated newborn piglets underwent 10 episodes of apnea with resuscitation either with 100% or with 21% oxygen. Following 6h recovery the animals were sacrificed painlessly, the brain dissected out and used to determine levels of Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3, p-Akt and p-CREB in the striatum, frontal cortex, midbrain and hippocampus were studied. RESULTS: In hippocampus and striatum, Bcl-2 expression was higher with 100% vs. 21% group (173+/-29% vs. 121+/-31%, p<0.05 and 189+/-10% vs. 117+/-47%, p<0.01, respectively) whereas the Bax expression was lower (88+/-3% vs. 100+/-9%, p<0.05 and 117+/-5% vs. 133+/ 10%, p<0.05, respectively). Expression of Caspase-3 in the striatum, was lower with 100% vs. 21% group (197+/-35% vs. 263+/-33%, p<0.05, respectively) but not different in the hippocampus. p-Akt expression was higher with 100% vs. 21% oxygen in the hippocampus and striatum (225+/-44% vs. 108+/-35%, p<0.01 and 215+/ 12% vs. 164+/-16%, p<0.01, respectively). The p-CREB expression was higher with 100% vs. 21% oxygen resuscitation in the hippocampus (217+/-41% vs. 132+/-30%, p<0.01) with no changes in striatum. Much smaller or insignificant differences between 100% vs. 21% oxygen groups were observed in the frontal cortex and midbrain, respectively. CONCLUSION: In neonatal piglet model of intermittent apnea, selectively vulnerable regions of brain (striatum and hippocampus) are better protected from apoptotic injury when resuscitation was conducted with 100%, rather than 21%, oxygen. PMID- 17765390 TI - Effects of bed materials on the performance of an anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor treating domestic sewage. AB - The objective of this study was to determine the best performance of an anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor (AnSBBR) based on the use of four different bed materials as support for biomass immobilization. The bed materials utilized were polyurethane foam (PU), vegetal carbon (VC), synthetic pumice (SP), and recycled low-density polyethylene (PE). The AnSBBR, with a total volume of 7.2L, was operated in 8-h batch cycles over 10 months, and fed with domestic sewage with an average influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 358+/-110 mg/L. The average effluent COD values were 121+/-31, 208+/-54, 233+/-52, and 227+/-51 mg/L, for PU, VC, SP, and PE, respectively. A modified first-order kinetic model was adjusted to temporal profiles of COD during a batch cycle, and the apparent kinetic constants were 0.52+/-0.05, 0.37+/-0.05, 0.80+/-0.04, and 0.30+/-0.02 h(-1) for PU, VC, SP, and PE, respectively. Specific substrate utilization rates of 1.08, 0.11, and 0.86 mg COD/mg VS day were obtained for PU, VC, and PE, respectively. Although SP yielded the highest kinetic coefficient, PU was considered the best support, since SP presented loss of chemical constituents during the reactor's operational phase. In addition, findings on the microbial community were associated with the reactor's performance data. Although PE did not show a satisfactory performance, an interesting microbial diversity was found on its surface. Based on the morphology and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) results, PE showed the best capacity for promoting the attachment of methanogenic organisms, and is therefore a material that merits further analysis. PU was considered the most suitable material showing the best performance in terms of efficiency of solids and COD removal. PMID- 17765389 TI - Analysis of the nitrifying bacterial community in BioCube sponge media using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and microelectrodes. AB - There is growing interest in the development of more cost-effective and retrofit technologies for the upgrade and expansion of existing wastewater treatment plants with extreme space constraints. A free-floating sponge media (BioCube) process, using a 24 L lab scale reactor, was operated to study the nitrification profiles and microbial community. The COD removal efficiencies were maintained, at an average of 95%, with the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) inside the BioCube sponge media maintained at 12,688 mg/L. The nitrification removal efficiencies were between 92% and 100%, with an average value of 99%. From the results of microelectrode measurements, the ammonium ion concentration was found to rapidly decrease from the surface of the BioCube sponge media to a depth of 2mm due to chemical reactions carried out by ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) species. Multi-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has been used to investigate the spatial distributions of various microbial activities within reactors. Microbial communities were targeted using different oligonucleotide probes specific to AOB and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB). There were a large number of AOB populations, but these were not uniformly distributed in the biofilm compared to the NOB populations. PMID- 17765391 TI - From a homeostatic to a homeodynamic self. AB - Life as an autonomous homeostatic system is discussed. A mechanism that drives a homeostatic state to an autonomous self-moving state is examined with two computational cell models. The mechanism is met with Ashby's ultrastability, where random parameter searching is activated when a system breaks a viability constraint. Such a random search process is replaced by the membrane shape in the first model and by chaotic population dynamics in the second model. Emergence of sensors, motors and the recursive coupling between them is shown to be a natural outcome of an autonomous homeostatic system. PMID- 17765392 TI - Multiple cerebral hydatid cysts. Report of a case with 24 pieces. AB - A case of 19 years old female patient with 24 large primary cerebral hydatid cysts, in different localisations is presented. Cysts were removed unruptured by five separate operations in 6 months. The patient was observed to be in good health 1 year after the last operation. This case is the first case presented that contains such high number of cysts to our knowledge. The importance of MRI examination in localizing the cysts and designing the operative plan is emphasized. Interestingly, albendazole, which is an antiparasitic drug, was reported to be ineffective by infectious disease department of our hospital, because of large diameter of the cysts, in this case. PMID- 17765393 TI - Effect of N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen upon DNA adduct formation by tamoxifen and alpha-hydroxytamoxifen. AB - Tamoxifen undergoes sequential metabolism to N-desmethyltamoxifen and N,N didesmethyltamoxifen. Whereas N-desmethyltamoxifen is a major metabolite in humans, nonhuman primates, and rats, appreciable concentrations of N,N didesmethyltamoxifen are formed in humans and nonhuman primates but not in rats. This difference in the extent of N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen formation may be important because it has been proposed that N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen inhibits the cytochrome P450 (CYP)-catalyzed alpha-hydroxylation of tamoxifen and resultant tamoxifen-DNA adduct formation. To test this hypothesis directly, we compared the extent of tamoxifen-DNA adduct formation in rats co-administered 27micromol N,N didesmethyltamoxifen per kg body weight and either 27micromol tamoxifen per kg body weight or 27micromol alpha-hydroxytamoxifen per kg body weight daily for 7days. Female Sprague-Dawley rats treated with N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen had a 44% decrease (p >0.05) in CYP 3A2 content (the CYP isoform responsible for tamoxifen alpha-hydroxylation), an 18% decrease (p =0.010) in CYP 3A activity, and higher blood levels of tamoxifen and N-desmethyltamoxifen compared to rats treated with solvent. Total tamoxifen-DNA adduct levels were 4.1-fold higher (p <0.001) in rats given alpha-hydroxytamoxifen as compared to tamoxifen. N,N Didesmethyltamoxifen treatment caused a 1.2-fold increase in total tamoxifen-DNA adduct levels with both tamoxifen and alpha-hydroxytamoxifen, a difference that was not significant. These results indicate that, with this experimental model, N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen does not impair the metabolism of tamoxifen to a reactive electrophile. PMID- 17765394 TI - Adsorption of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn on Sphagnum peat from solutions with low metal concentrations. AB - This work investigates adsorption of metal ions on Sphagnum peat from solutions with environmentally relevant concentrations of metals. The peat moss is intended as an alternative, low-cost filter material for contaminated waters. Adsorption of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn was studied in batch tests, and adsorption isotherms were determined. The kinetics of adsorption was analyzed using a second-order model and rate constants were calculated. An empirical model for predicting adsorption of metal ions at a given time was derived from these constants. Metal ions were removed in the descending order Pb>Cu>Ni>Cd>Zn. Relationship between the affinities of the metals to the peat active sites with chemical properties for the metals were indicated by the results. In addition, equilibration studies were performed at constant pH and ionic strength. The experimental data fitted the Freundlich equation. Both the uptake of metals and the Freundlich constants increased in line with increasing pH. The Freundlich exponent declined with higher initial concentrations, suggesting adsorption to sites with lower activity. PMID- 17765395 TI - Heats of sublimation of nitramines based on simple parameters. AB - In this work, a simple procedure is introduced to determine heats of sublimation of nitramines as an important class of explosives. Molecular weight and one structural parameter of nitramines would be needed in the new method. Calculated heats of sublimation for well-known explosives such as HMX [1,3,5,7-tetranitro 1,3,5,7-tetraazacyclooctane], RDX [1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazacyclohexane] and TETRYL [1-(methylnitramino)-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene] as well as new nitramines CL 20 [2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane] and TNAZ [1,3,3 trinitroazatidine] show good agreement with experimental data. R-squared value or the coefficient of determination of new correlation is 0.945. The root-mean square deviation (RMS) from experiment for the predicted heats of sublimation by new method is 10.10 kJ/mol. PMID- 17765396 TI - Hybrid surfactant-templated mesoporous silica formed in ethanol and its application for heavy metal removal. AB - With cetyltrimethylammonium (CTAB) and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH) as hybrid surfactant templates, a mesoporous adsorbent (adsorbent C) was synthesized in ethanol via the integration of "One-step" procedure and "Evaporation-Induced Self-Assembly" procedure. During the synthesis, TMAOH served as the subsidiary structure-directing agent. Adsorbent C exhibited higher pore diameter (centered at 6.1 nm), BET surface area (421.9 m(2)/g) and pore volume (0.556 cm(3)/g) than the other two adsorbents only using P123 (adsorbent A) or CTAB (adsorbent B) as the surfactant. The adsorbents were also characterized by XRD and FTIR spectroscopy. The adsorption of copper, zinc, lead, iron, silver and manganese ions on adsorbent C was investigated by contrast tests with adsorbent A and B. The experimental data showed that adsorbent C possessed better adsorption properties than the counterparts. The order of adsorption capacity for six metal ions was Mn(2+)phenol, methyl being electron-drawing group) and solubility (phenol>cresol, methyl being hydrophobic group). Macropore polymers (NDA-1800 and XAD-4), hypercrosslinked polymers (NDA-100), and chemically modified adsorbents (NDA-150 and NDA-99), were comparatively used to investigate the adsorption properties including equilibria, thermodynamics and kinetics. First, all of the results about equilibria show that the adsorption data fit well to the Freundlich model. The adsorption capacity of NDA-99 and NDA-150 especially for phenol is larger in a certain extent than other three types of polymers. The hydrophobic interaction from large specific surface was mainly occurred, while the polar groups containing oxygen and amine markedly enhance the adsorption process via hydrogen interaction. Furthermore, the adsorption amount for NDA-99 and XAD-4 decrease linearly with the solubility of solutes tested. Then, the negative values of enthalpy demonstrate the predominantly exothermic and physical solid extraction processes. Finally, the relatively more rapid adsorption process could be found onto NDA-150 than NDA-99, with the reason of the double larger pore size of the former. In conclusion, solubility of solute, together with surface area, pore size and modified groups, extremely exerts influences to the adsorption performances. PMID- 17765399 TI - Anion effects on the electrochemical regeneration of Ce(IV) in nitric acid used for etching chromium. AB - The anion impurities such as SO4(2-), Cl(-), and Cr2O7(2-) commonly present in the spent (hazardous) Cr-etch solutions from color filter manufacturing processes may influence the solutions' regeneration by the electrooxidation of Ce(III) to Ce(IV). This study, therefore, investigated the effects of these anions on Ce(III)/Ce(IV) redox reactions at glassy carbon in HNO3. In cyclic voltammetric tests, the presence of SO4(2-) decreased the formal potential but increased the peak potential separation (Delta Ep) of Ce(III)/Ce(IV) couple, and lowered the peak current for Ce(IV) reduction whereas Cl(-) did not change the formal potential and Delta Ep, but the peaks for Cl(-) and Ce(III) oxidation partially overlapped. Cr2O7(2-) slightly lowered the peak current for Ce(III) oxidation but significantly decreased that for Ce(IV) reduction. The Tafel slope for Ce(III) oxidation was approximately 65mVdecade(-1) in the absence of anion impurities. Increasing SO4(2-), Cl(-), or Cr2O7(2-) in solution raised the Tafel slope. The Ce(III)/Ce(IV) equilibrium potential decreased with the increase of SO4(2-) or Cl(-) but was hardly influenced by Cr2O7(2-) addition. These observations from individual anion species together well explained the anions' co-effect (kinetic hindrance) on the Ce(III) oxidation in HNO3, revealing that these anions are unfavorable for the electrooxidation of Ce(III) in the spent Cr-etch solutions. PMID- 17765400 TI - Abnormal processing of the nociceptive input in Parkinson's disease: a study with CO2 laser evoked potentials. AB - Since a number of patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) complain of painful sensations, we studied whether the central processing of nociceptive inputs is abnormal in PD. To test this hypothesis, we recorded scalp CO(2) laser evoked potentials (LEPs) to hand skin stimulation in 18 pain-free PD patients with unilateral bradykinetic-rigid syndrome (hemiparkinson) during the off state and in 18 healthy subjects. This technique allows us to explore non-invasively the functional status of some cerebral structures involved in nociceptive input processing. In both PD patients and control subjects, CO(2) laser stimulation gave rise to a main negative N2 potential followed by a positive P2 response at vertex peaking at a latency of about 200 and 300ms, respectively. These potentials are thought to originate from several brain structures devoted to nociceptive input processing, including the cingulate gyrus and insula. PD patients and normal subjects showed comparable N2 and P2 latencies, whereas the N2/P2 peak-to-peak amplitude was significantly lower in PD patients (regardless of the clinically affected body side) than in controls. LEPs were even recorded after acute L-dopa administration in 7 additional PD patients. L-dopa administration yielded no significant change in N2/P2 amplitude as compared to the off state. These results suggest an abnormal nociceptive input processing in pain-free PD patients which appears to be independent of clinical expression of parkinsonian motor signs and is not affected by dopaminergic stimulation. PMID- 17765401 TI - MR guided cancer treatment system for an elevated therapeutic index - a macroscopic approach. AB - Adjuvant therapy for cancer usually refers to surgery followed by chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment to decrease the risk of recurrence. But still, the absolute benefit for survival obtained with adjuvant therapy compared with control is only approximately 6%. The objective of this analysis is to formulate a non-invasive multimodal cancer treatment system related to cancer stem cells and hypoxic fractions of solid tumors, emphasizing MRI monitoring and guidance, to elevate the therapeutic index. Tumor hypoxia is a therapeutic concern since it can reduce the effectiveness of drugs and radiotherapy, where well oxygenated cells requiring one third of the dose of hypoxic cells to achieve a given level of cell killing. Cancer stem cells might be the cause of tumor recurrence, sometimes many years after the appearance of the successful treatment of a primary tumor. Thus, the primary objective of such a treatment system will be to provide sufficient selective toxicity to both kill cancer stem cells and cells of hypoxic fractions of the tumor. Active tumor targeting with the use of liposomally encapsulated drugs is the starting point of the treatment procedure. The system facilitates quality assurance means by MR monitoring of drug accumulation and drug release, in real time. Cavitation involves the nucleation, growth and oscillation of gaseous cavities. Selective drug release and/or hyperthermia are achieved by ultrasound induced cavitation well defined to the tumor region. Hyperthermic effects, increased vascularization and subsequent increase in pO2 levels to hypoxic regions, can be monitored by MRI. MRI monitoring of key physiological parameters facilitates optimization related to approximate real time concomitant treatments, including correct timing and various combinations of drug therapy, hyperthermia, ionizing radiation, ablation, other treatment options, before or after surgery. The likelihood of an improved therapeutic index with the use of such a system seems compelling. Further research related to optimal timing, combinations of responses between liposomally encapsulated drug dosage, ultrasound exposure, hyperthermia, pO2 response time, ionizing radiation fractionation and treatment time, have to be conducted. PMID- 17765402 TI - For others: epistasis and the evolutionary survival of an extreme tail of the quantitative distribution of autistic assets. AB - The ongoing paradigm shift from the traditional qualitative dichotomy concept to the quantitative framework increases the necessity of an evolutionary implication and interpretation of the presence of a hypo-reproductive behavioral extreme (autism) with strong genetic contribution. As a theoretical challenge to explain the survival of the dimensional distribution of autistic traits, an epistasis associated oscillation of fitness outcomes is proposed. In this hypothesis, an allele could contribute to the existence of both phenotypic extreme tails and the hypothesized genetic machinery (quantitative trait loci) for autism would necessarily be common in the entire human population. The postulated autism genes would allow autistics to enjoy autistic traits and assets and all of the residual non-autistic individuals could owe their social skills and reproductive advantages to the same autism genes. Importantly, the reported modest correlations between core autistic dimensions can be illustrated using unsynchronized epistatic pleiotropy. PMID- 17765403 TI - A disorder of sympathomimetic amines leading to increased vascular permeability may be the etiologic factor in various treatment refractory health problems in women. AB - There is an evidence that increased capillary permeability in the standing position is related to a deficit in the sympathetic nervous system. The leakage of this fluid leads to various clinical conditions which frequently puzzle the consulting physician because despite the frequency of this condition intelligent physicians and patients are unaware of the cause of their condition. One of the most common manifestations is the inability to lose weight despite proper dieting. A randomized study comparing the efficacy of a diuretic, a converting enzyme inhibitor, spironolactone and a sympathomimetic amine on weight loss in diet refractory women found that only the latter in the form of dextroamphetamine sulfate demonstrated significant weight reduction over a six month time span. In fact, the dextroamphetamine sulfate proved effective when given in the next 6 months to the three groups failing to respond for the first 6 months. The diagnosis of a deficit in sympathomimetic amines is established by demonstrating an abnormal clearance of a water load in the erect position and exclusion of other conditions that are associated with an abnormal free water clearance, e.g., hypothyroidism, renal or liver disease or congestive heart failure. The original definition of an abnormal water load test was excretion of <55% of a 1500 ml water load in 6h but we found that <75% defines a greater population who suffer from this problem. There are several conditions that have proven refractory to conventional theory that respond quickly and effectively to sympathomimetic amines. There have been many anecdotal reports of relieving interactable pain syndromes quickly and efficiently with sympathomimetic amine theory, despite failure with a multitude of other therapies. These include interstitial cystitis and pelvic pain that was attributed to endometriosis, gastrointestinal pain including esophagitis and gastroparesis, headaches, joint pain, fibromyalgia, and carpal tunnel syndrome. It is not clear if the improvement in pain is related to a decrease in fluid retention or a direct effect of the sympathomimetic amines on the sympathetic nervous system. Sympathomimetic amine theory has helped other conditions besides pain, e.g., chronic fatigue, vasomotor symptoms in young women not associated with decreased ovarian egg reserve, and chronic urticaria resistant to all other therapies. Thus, these studies strongly suggest that physicians be aware of this condition involving a deficit in the sympathetic nervous system when faced with various enigmatic complaints especially if standard therapy has not proven effective. PMID- 17765404 TI - Offering a treatment choice in the irradiation of prostate cancer leads to better informed and more active patients, without harm to well-being. AB - PURPOSE: To examine, in prostate cancer patients, the effect of (1) being offered a choice between radiation doses in three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, and of (2) accepting or declining the possibility to choose. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 150 patients with localized prostate cancer (T1-3N0M0) were offered a choice with a decision aid between two radiation doses (70 and 74 Gy). A control group of 144 patients received a fixed radiation dose without being offered a choice. Data were collected at baseline (before choice), before treatment (after choice), and 2 weeks and 6 months after treatment completion. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the involvement group, receiving the decision aid, showed increased participation in decision making (p < 0.001), increased knowledge (p < 0.001), and improved risk perception (p < 0.001); they were more satisfied with the quality of information (p = 0.002) and considered their treatment a more appropriate treatment (p = 0.01). No group differences were found in well-being (e.g., general health, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life, anxiety). Within the involvement group, accepting or declining the option to choose did not affect well-being either. CONCLUSIONS: Offering a choice of radiation dose, with a decision aid, increased involvement in decision making and led to a better-informed patient. In contrast to earlier suggestions, a strong increase in involvement did not result in improved well-being; and in contrast to clinical concerns, well-being was not negatively affected either, not even in those patients who preferred to leave the decision to their physician. This study shows that older patients, such as prostate cancer patients, can be informed and involved in decision making. PMID- 17765405 TI - Physical distress, emotional status, and quality of life in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer complicated by post-radiotherapy endocrinopathy. AB - PURPOSE: To explore factors affecting quality of life (QOL) among patients with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) complicated by post-radiotherapy endocrinopathy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary medical center and involved a total of 43 post-radiotherapy, recurrence-free NPC patients with endocrinopathy. They performed self-assessment of their emotional status using the Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory-II, and their QoL with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) questionnaire and the H&N35 cancer module. RESULTS: Emotional and cognitive functioning of EORTC QLQ-C30 were the most affected. Fatigue, insomnia, and pain were the main concerns. Of the patients, 22 (51.2%) had anxiety and 19 (44.2%) had depression. Both depression and anxiety were negatively correlated with functional scales and global QoL but positively correlated with symptom scales. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that physical distress symptoms of QLQ-C30 and physical functioning were the significant predictors of global QoL. Emotional and social functioning could predict depression, whereas emotional and physical functioning were significant predictors of anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: NPC patients with post-radiotherapy endocrinopathy exhibit impaired cognitive function and negative emotions. Symptoms of physical distress play an important role in QoL perception. Measurement of EORTC QLQ-C30 can be a useful instrument for the early detection of patients' impaired cognitive function and psychological morbidity. The high psychological distress related to the endocrine disturbances or the impact of NPC itself needs further study. PMID- 17765406 TI - Long-term results of the M. D. Anderson randomized dose-escalation trial for prostate cancer. AB - PURPOSE: To report the long-term results of a randomized radiotherapy dose escalation trial for prostate cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: From 1993 to 1998, a total of 301 patients with stage T1b to T3 prostate cancer were accrued to a randomized external beam dose escalation trial using 70 Gy versus 78 Gy. The median follow-up is now 8.7 years. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compute rates of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure (nadir + 2), clinical failure, distant metastasis, disease-specific, and overall survival as well as complication rates at 8 years post-treatment. RESULTS: For all patients, freedom from biochemical or clinical failure (FFF) was superior for the 78-Gy arm, 78%, as compared with 59% for the 70-Gy arm (p = 0.004, and an even greater benefit was seen in patients with initial PSA >10 ng/ml (78% vs. 39%, p = 0.001). The clinical failure rate was significantly reduced in the 78-Gy arm as well (7% vs. 15%, p = 0.014). Twice as many patients either died of prostate cancer or are currently alive with cancer in the 70-Gy arm. Gastrointestinal toxicity of grade 2 or greater occurred twice as often in the high dose patients (26% vs. 13%), although genitourinary toxicity of grade 2 or greater was less (13% vs. 8%) and not statistically significantly different. Dose-volume histogram analysis showed that the complication rate could be significantly decreased by reducing the amount of treated rectum. CONCLUSIONS: Modest escalation in radiotherapy dose improved freedom from biochemical and clinical progression with the largest benefit in prostate cancer patients with PSA >10 ng/ml. PMID- 17765407 TI - Phytoremediation of chromium using Salix species: cloning ESTs and candidate genes involved in the Cr response. AB - In this research a differential display based on the detection of cDNA-AFLP markers was used to identify candidate genes potentially involved in the regulation of the response to chromium in four different willow species (Salix alba, Salix eleagnos, Salix fragilis and Salix matsudana) chosen on the basis of their suitability in phytoremediation techniques. Our approach enabled the assay of a large set of mRNA-related fragments and increased the reliability of amplification-based transcriptome analysis. The vast majority of transcript derived fragments were shared among samples within species and thus attributable to constitutively expressed genes. However, a number of differentially expressed mRNAs were scored in each species and a total of 68 transcripts displaying an altered expression in response to Cr were isolated and sequenced. Public database querying revealed that 44.1% and 4.4% of the cloned ESTs score significant similarity with genes encoding proteins having known or putative function, or with genes coding for unknown proteins, respectively, whereas the remaining 51.5% did not retrieve any homology. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of seven candidate genes fully confirmed the expression patterns obtained by cDNA-AFLP. Our results indicate the existence of common mechanisms of gene regulation in response to Cr, pathogen attack and senescence-mediated programmed cell death, and suggest a role for the genes isolated in the cross-talk of the signaling pathways governing the adaptation to biotic and abiotic stresses. PMID- 17765408 TI - Four transthyretin-like genes of the migratory plant-parasitic nematode Radopholus similis: members of an extensive nematode-specific family. AB - Screening 1154 ESTs from the plant-parasitic nematode Radopholus similis resulted in seven tags coding for proteins holding a transthyretin-like domain (PF01060). The seven ESTs corresponded to four different genes which were cloned from a cDNA library (accession numbers AM691117, AM691118, AM691119, AM691120). Transthyretin like genes belong to a large family, different from the transthyretin and the transthyretin-related genes with whom they share some sequence similarity at the protein level. This similarity has caused an inconsistent use of different names and abbreviations in the past. To avoid further confusion, we introduce a standardized nomenclature for this gene family, and chose to name this barely characterized gene family ttl (as for transthyretin-like). Further examination of the identified genes, named Rs-ttl-1 to -4, showed that they are expressed in both juveniles and adults, but not in young embryos. Whole mount in situ hybridization revealed a distinct spatial expression pattern for two of the genes: Rs-ttl-1 is expressed in the tissues surrounding the vulva, whereas Rs-ttl 2 is expressed in the ventral nerve cord. The deduced protein sequences contain a putative signal peptide for secretion, pointing to an extracellular function of the mature proteins. Database screens showed that the ttl family is restricted to nematodes. Moreover, a HMMER search revealed that ESTs derived from ttl genes are more abundant in parasitic nematode libraries, with a bias towards the parasitic stages. Despite their abundance in nematodes, including the extensively studied model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, the function of TTL proteins remains obscure. Our data suggest a role in the nervous system. Even without insight into their biological function, the nematode-specific nature of this gene family makes it a promising target for nematicides or RNAi mediated control strategies against parasitic nematodes. PMID- 17765409 TI - Transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains between different kinds of pig farms. AB - The main objective of the present study was to investigate if different kinds of pig farms, like farrowing farms and rearing farms, play a role in the transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to Dutch finishing farms. Twelve farrowing farms, 11 finishing farms, 6 farrow-to finish farms, 1 rearing farm and 1 centre for artificial insemination were included. Screening of 310 pigs from these 31 farms showed 35 pigs (11%) to carry MRSA in their nares. On 7 of the 31 (23%) investigated farms colonized pigs were found, including 3 finishing farms, 3 farrowing farms and 1 farrow-to-finish farm. The use of standard antimicrobial medication of the pigs seemed to be a risk factor for MRSA carriage. Screening of the pigs on six farms supplying pigs for the MRSA positive farms revealed that the pigs on all but one farm were MRSA positive. Genotyping revealed that all MRSA strains were non-typeable by PFGE using the SmaI restriction enzyme and had multilocus sequence type (MLST) ST398. Different spa-types were found including t011, t108, t567, t899 and t1939, but the spa types on epidemiologically related farms were identical indicating that MRSA are transmitted between farms through the purchase of colonized pigs. Two SCCmec types were found among the MRSA: type IV and type V. SCCmec type V was predominant. On two farms MRSA isolates with ST398, the same spa-type but with different SCCmec types (IV and V) were found, suggesting that different SCCmec elements have been inserted into MSSA with the same genotype. All MRSA strains were resistant to tetracycline, but additional resistances to erythromycin, lincomycin, kanamycin and gentamicin were also found. All MRSA isolates were negative for the exfoliative toxin genes (eta and etb), PVL toxin genes (lukF and lukS), toxic shock syndrome gene (tst-1), and the leukotoxin genes (lukE, lukD, lukM, lukF'). PMID- 17765410 TI - No evidence of genotoxic effect in vivo of the phytosterol oxidation products triols and epoxides. AB - Phytosterols (PS) are naturally occurring compounds present in food products of plant origin. Due to reported positive health effects, some food products are also enriched with PS. In the same way as cholesterol is oxidised, PS also oxidise to a variety of oxidation products (POPs). The biological effects and safety aspects of POPs are still unclear. This study investigated whether POPs are genotoxic in vivo, using a flow cytometer-based micronucleus assay in mice. The highest dose of oxidation products administered was 67mg/kg b.w. for epoxides and 9.4mg/kg b.w. for triols. Synthesised and separated triols and epoxides from a mixture of sitosterol and campesterol were investigated. The frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (fMNPCE) in POP-exposed mice did not significantly differ from the control values in either of two experiments performed. The flow cytometer-based method also allows for restriction of the analysis to micronuclei with a high DNA content, indicating an aneugenic potency. Even with this approach, there was no significant increase in the frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes among POP-treated mice compared with control mice. Furthermore, no significant deviation in cell proliferation rate (%PCE) was observed. PMID- 17765411 TI - Melatonin alleviates lung damage induced by the chemical warfare agent nitrogen mustard. AB - The cytotoxic mechanism of mustards has not been fully elucidated; recently, we reported that reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide [produced by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)] and peroxynitrite are involved in the pathogenesis and responsible for mustard-induced toxicity. Melatonin, a potent antioxidant molecule, acts as an iNOS inhibitor and a peroxynitrite scavenger. Using the prototypic nitrogen mustard (mechlorethamine/HN2) as a model and based on its known cytotoxic mechanisms, the present study was performed to test melatonin for its capability in protecting the lungs of injured male Wistar rats. Lung mustard toxicity was induced via an intratracheally injection of HN2 (0.5mg/kg) dissolved in saline (100microl). Control animals were injected the same amount of saline only. Melatonin was administered intraperitoneally with two different doses (20mg/kg or 40mg/kg) beginning 1h before HN2 application and continued every 12h for six replications. Forty-eight hours after the last melatonin injection, the animals were sacrificed and their lungs were taken for further assay, i.e., malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and iNOS activity. Additionally their urine was collected for nitrite-nitrate (NO(x)) analysis. HN2 injection caused increased iNOS activity and MDA levels in lung tissue and NO(x) values in urine; lung GPx activity was significantly depressed. Melatonin restored all of these oxidative and nitrosative stress markers in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, the results of study provide evidence that melatonin may have the ability to reduce mustard induced toxicity in the lungs. PMID- 17765412 TI - Response to the Huang et al. publication [Toxicol. Lett. 170 (2) 116-123]. In vitro test system of immortalized human uroepithelial cells (SV-40) was treated with para-phenylenediamine (PPD) solutions. PMID- 17765413 TI - Simplified hypoosmotic swelling testing (HOST) of fresh and frozen-thawed canine spermatozoa. AB - The clinical use of the hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST) to identify spermatozoa with a functional intact membrane has been reported for humans and domestic species, including the dog. Currently, it is recommended that canine spermatozoa be incubated with the hypoosmotic solution for periods that range from 30 to 60 min. In an attempt to simplify the test, it was hypothesized that the degree of the hypoosmotic response at 1 min of incubation would not be different from the response documented at 60 min after incubation in the hypoosmotic solution at 37 degrees C. The hypoosmotic response of spermatozoa from 50 fresh and 16 frozen thawed semen samples obtained from 22 adult dogs was recorded at 1 and 60 min of incubation. There were no significant differences between the hypoosmotic response recorded at 1 and 60 min for all evaluated semen samples (P>0.10). The hypoosmotic response recorded for canine spermatozoa from fresh semen samples were greater than that recorded for spermatozoa from frozen-thawed semen, both at 1 min (86.2% compared with 65.2%; P<0.001) and 60 min (85.6% compared with 61.8%; P<0.001). Based on the results of this study, it is recommended to decrease the incubation time of the HOST for canine spermatozoa to as short a period as 1 min. This incubation time should encourage the application of this relatively simple and inexpensive test of canine sperm membrane function in a clinical setting. PMID- 17765414 TI - Spherical crystallization of benzoic acid. AB - This paper deals with the development of a method for spherical crystallization of benzoic acid. Benzoic acid is dissolved in ethanol, water is used as anti solvent and chloroform is used as bridging liquid. After an introductory screening of different methods, the influence of the amount of the bridging liquid, the solute concentration and the stirring rate is investigated. The product particle characterization includes the particle size distribution, morphology and strength. The mechanical strength of single agglomerates has been determined by compression in a materials testing machine, using a 10N load cell. It is found that favourable properties are obtained if the bridging liquid is added during the crystallization. Larger and stronger well-shaped agglomerates are formed. The stress-strain curves are J-shaped with no clear fracturing of the particles, and are well correlated by an exponential-polynomial equation. PMID- 17765415 TI - Analysis of hepatic metabolism affecting pharmacokinetics of propranolol in humans. AB - We examined the metabolic kinetics of propranolol, constructed from saturable and non-saturable components, using liver microsomes. The metabolic activity in rat microsomes was much higher than that in human microsomes within the clinically observed plasma range. Using the physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model incorporating the obtained metabolic parameters, the plasma kinetics of propranolol was well correlated with reported values, and then used to analyze the effect of hepatic first-pass metabolism on propranolol plasma pharmacokinetics in clinical doses. The simulated plasma concentrations and AUC values of propranolol increased proportionally to its dose; these levels were almost equivalent to intrinsic clearance (CLint1), presumed to be non-saturable. When Michaelis-Menten parameters were decreased to one twentieth, plasma concentrations slightly increased after 160 mg dosing. A similar result was obtained with steady-state plasma levels after repeated administration. On the other hand, the first-order absorption rate constant of propranolol did not affect AUC values. The dose-normalized AUC value started to increase about 10(3)mg dosing. When the dose exceed 10(6)mg dose, the CLint1 component hardly contributed to propranolol pharmacokinetics. Accordingly, under the conditions of the PBPK model, propranolol pharmacokinetics was considered to be dose independent within the clinical dose range. PMID- 17765416 TI - Granule fraction inhomogeneity of calcium carbonate/sorbitol in roller compacted granules. AB - The granule fraction inhomogeneity of roller compacted granules was examined on mixtures of three different morphologic forms of calcium carbonate and three particle sizes of sorbitol. The granule fraction inhomogeneity was determined by the distribution of the calcium carbonate in each of the 10 size fractions between 0 and 2000 microm and by calculating the demixing potential. Significant inhomogeneous occurrence of calcium carbonate in the size fractions was demonstrated, depending mostly on the particles sizes of sorbitol but also on the morphological forms of calcium carbonate. The heterogeneous distribution of calcium carbonate was related to the decrease in compactibility of roller compacted granules in comparison to the ungranulated materials. This phenomenon was explained by a mechanism where fracturing of the ribbon during granulation occurred at the weakest interparticulate bonds (the calcium carbonate: calcium carbonate bonds) and consequently exposed the weakest areas of bond formation on the surface of the granules. Accordingly, the non-uniform allocation of the interparticulate attractive forces in a tablet would cause a lowering of the compactibility. Furthermore, the ability of the powder to agglomerate in the roller compactor was demonstrated to be related to the ability of the powder to be compacted into a tablet, thus the most compactable calcium carbonate and the smallest sized sorbitol improved the homogeneity by decreasing the demixing potential. PMID- 17765417 TI - Radiosterilization of drugs in aqueous solutions may be achieved by the use of radioprotective excipients. AB - The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of radiosterilization of drugs aqueous solutions and to evaluate the effects of some additives, such as mannitol, nicotinamide and pyridoxine, which might protect the drug from degradation. Metoclopramide was selected as a model drug. The structures of the degradation products were determined to gain insight on the radiolysis mechanisms in aqueous solution in order to design strategies to lower the drug degradation. Metoclopramide hydrochloride aqueous solutions with and without excipients were irradiated either with gamma rays or high-energy electrons. HPLC-DAD was used to measure the loss of chemical potency and to quantify the degradation products which were also characterized by LC-APCI-MS-MS. Metoclopramide recovery for gamma and electron beam-irradiated solutions containing either mannitol, pyridoxine or nicotinamide meets the pharmacopoeial specifications for metoclopramide content up to a 15 kGy irradiation so that metoclopramide solutions containing these excipients might be radiosterilized at 15 kGy either with gamma rays or high energy electrons. Structures are proposed for the majority of radiolysis products. Similar radiolysis products were detected for gamma and electron beam irradiations but the chromatographic profiles were different (differences in the distribution of radiolysis products). PMID- 17765418 TI - Effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa on obesity in MSG mice. AB - The aim of the present investigation was determine whether a standardized Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces aqueous extract has an effect on body weight in an obese animal model induced by the administration of monosodium glutamate. Hibiscus sabdariffa aqueous extract, containing 33.64 mg of total anthocyanins per each 120 mg of extract, was orally administered (120 mg/kg/day) for 60 days to healthy and obese mice, and body weight gain, food and liquid intake, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), cholesterol, and triglycerides levels were measured. Hibiscus sabdariffa administration significantly reduced body weight gain in obese mice and increased liquid intake in healthy and obese mice. ALT levels were significantly increased on the 15th and 45th days in obese mice, but AST levels did not show significant changes. Mortality was not observed in the Hibiscus sabdariffa treated groups. Triglycerides and cholesterol levels showed non-significant reductions in animals treated with Hibiscus sabdariffa. Our data confirm the anti-obesity effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa reported by the Mexican population. PMID- 17765420 TI - Isolation and identification of unique marker compounds from the Tasmanian poppy Papaver somniferum N. Implications for the identification of illicit heroin of Tasmanian origin. AB - Tasmanian opium accounts for 25% of the world's legal supply of opium straw, and in 1998-99 sufficient numbers of flower pods (66,013) to manufacture ca 500 kg of heroin were stolen. Whilst the heroin signature program has been developed to determine the origin of heroin from other key producers, no such signature currently exists for Tasmanian derived heroin. Tasmanian poppies contain a unique alkaloid, oripavine, which is the source of 'marker' impurities in illicit heroin produced from Tasmanian poppy straw. Treatment of oripavine (500mg) under Thiboumery and Mohr heroin processing conditions, followed by simple evaporative workup afforded 613 mg of a dark orange residue, which upon extensive chromatographic purification yielded oripavine 3-acetate (2) 22 mg; 3-acetyl-N acetyldesthebaine (3) 35 mg; 3-acetyl-6-methoxy-4,5-epoxyphenanthrene (4) 5.8 mg; 3,4-diacetyl-6-methoxyphenanthrene (5) 27 mg; and 3,4,6-methoxy-5-[2(N methylacetamido)]ethylphenanthrene (6) 52 mg. Compounds (2-6) are derived from oripavine and are unique to heroin derived from the Tasmanian poppy Papaver somniferum N. Analysis of illicit heroin samples seized from Turkey, Pakistan, Columbia and Myanmar did not reveal any of the aforementioned marker compounds. We have, however, identified four of these marker compounds (3-6) in seized heroin samples from Australia suggesting that they are of Tasmanian origin. Complete details of the isolation and identification of these compounds are provided. PMID- 17765419 TI - Bioassay-guided isolation of kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-galactoside with anti inflammatory and antinociceptive activity from the aerial part of Calluna vulgaris L. AB - Calluna vulgaris L. (Ericaceae) is used for the treatment of various inflammatory ailments in traditional medicines. In order to evaluate this ethnobotanical information, its anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities were studied using in vivo experimental models in mice. The ethanolic extract of the plant was first fractionated into five extracts; namely, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol, and water fractions. Among them, the EtOAc Fr. was found to be the most effective and was further subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation procedures. After successive column chromatography applications, on Sephadex LH-20 and silica gel, a component, which is responsible for the above-mentioned activities of this species of Turkish origin, was isolated and its structure was elucidated as kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-galactoside, a common flavonol derivative by means of spectral techniques. PMID- 17765421 TI - Radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma: long-term outcome and prognostic factors. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the prognostic factors for post-RFA survival rate. METHODS: From 1999 to 2006, 266 patients with 392 HCCs underwent ultrasound guided RFA treatment. They were 216 males and 50 females, average age 59.4+/-15.4 years (24-87 years). The HCC were 1.2-6.7 cm in diameters (average 3.9+1.3 cm). There were 158 patients with single tumor, and the rest had multiple (2-5) tumors. Univariate and multivariate analysis with 19 potential variables were examined to identify prognostic factors for post-RFA survival rate. RESULTS: The overall post-RFA survival rates at 1st, 3rd, and 5th year were 82.9%, 57.9% and 42.9%, respectively. In the 60 patients with stage I HCC (AJCC staging), the 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rate were 94.8%, 76.4% and 71.6%, significantly higher than the 148 patients with stage II-IV tumors (81.8%, 57.6% and 41.2%, P=0.006). For the 58 patients with post-surgery recurrent HCC, the survival rates were 73.2%, 41.9% and 38.2% at the 1st, 3rd, and 5th year, which were significantly lower than those of stage I HCC (P=0.005). Nine potential factors were found with significant effects on survival rate, and they were number of tumors, location of tumors, pre-RFA liver function enzymes, Child-Pugh classification, AJCC staging, primary or recurrent HCC, tumor pathological grading, using mathematical protocol in RFA procedure and tumor necrosis 1 month after RFA. After multivariate analysis, three factors were identified as independent prognostic factors for survival rate, and they were Child-Pugh classification, AJCC staging and using mathematical protocol. CONCLUSION: Identifying prognostic factors provides important information for HCC patient management before, during and after RFA. This long-term follow-up study on a large group of HCC patients confirmed that RFA could not only achieve favorable outcome on stage I HCC, but also be an effective therapy for stage II-IV or recurrent HCC. PMID- 17765422 TI - Effect of dose-reduced scan protocols on cardiac coronary image quality with 64 row MDCT: a cardiac phantom study. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of using relative low-dose scan protocols in coronary imaging with 64-row MDCT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A pulsating cardiac phantom was used to simulate coronary arteries of two sizes (3 and 5mm in diameter) with three stenosis degrees (25, 50 and 75%) at 55bpm heart rate. Cardiac scans were performed on a 64-row MDCT scanner (GE LightSpeed VCT) with rotation time of 350ms and pitch of 0.2 under six different scan protocols: 120kV/650mA, 1137.5mAs (effective) (CTDI(vol) 121.69mGy), 120kV/550mA, 962.5mAs (CTDI(vol) 102.96mGy), 120kV/450mA, 787.5mAs (CTDI(vol) 84.24mGy), 120kV/350mA, 612.5mAs (CTDI(vol) 65.52mGy), 100kV/590mA, 1032.5mAs (CTDI(vol) 65.17mGy) and 140kV/390mA, 682.5mAs (CTDI(vol) 102.22mGy). The simulative coronary arteries were filled with contrast media to reach 300HU in the lumen. Background noise was measured to describe the basic image quality accordingly. CNR, SNR and contour sharpness represented in slope of CT density curve was calculated as well. Measured stenosis area and rates, described by the percentage area of stenosis on the cross-section images were also calculated. RESULTS: The corresponding image noise levels described in standard deviation of background signals varied with radiation dose, CNR and SNR mainly varied with tube current. The contour sharpness, which can reflect actual spatial resolution, is affected mainly by tube voltage. The first five protocols depicted obviously steeper curves than the sixth one (P<0.05). As for 25% stenosis, there was no significant difference among the stenosis rates of the six protocols (P>0.05). As for evaluation on 50 and 75% stenosis, there was no significant difference between the first two protocols, and between the second two protocols as well. However, significant difference presented between these two groups (P>0.05). When comparing the groups with similar radiation dose, protocols with lower tube voltage gain more accuracy in representing stenosis area and rate. CONCLUSION: Dose level and corresponding image quality is relevant to the accuracy of stenosis evaluation on simulated coronary arteries with 64-row MDCT. In this study, we find relative low-dose protocols with acceptable image quality showed a tendency of overestimating stenosis. Furthermore, using a lower tube voltage and higher tube current to gain accurate imaging result is more applicable than other protocols with the same radiation dose level. PMID- 17765423 TI - Magnetic resonance imaging of popliteal artery pathologies. AB - This paper illustrates examples of popliteal artery pathologies imaged with contrast enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at a single tertiary referral centre. Popliteal artery pathologies were identified in 1710 patients referred over a 6-year period with symptoms suggesting lower limb arterial occlusive disease. Common pathologies such as atherosclerotic occlusive disease, thromboemboli and aneurysm disease are discussed as well as unusual pathologies such as cystic adventitial disease, mycotic aneurysm and arterial entrapment. The combination of CE-MRA and the excellent soft tissue resolution of MRI allow detailed evaluation of arterial and peri-arterial pathologies, and facilitate appropriate management decisions. PMID- 17765424 TI - Management of retained lens fragments: can we improve? PMID- 17765425 TI - The riddle of fuchs heterochromic uveitis. PMID- 17765426 TI - Intravitreal bevacizumab for the treatment of retinal angiomatous proliferation. AB - PURPOSE: To verify the potential efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injections for the treatment of retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP). DESIGN: Retrospective interventional case series. METHODS: Four consecutive patients affected by RAP at different stages and refractory to photodynamic therapy (PDT). All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fluorescein and indocyanine green angiographies, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) at baseline, and after one, three, six, nine, and 12 months. All patients received IVB injections (1.25 mg/0.05 ml). RESULTS: The best functional response has been achieved in patients with RAP at stages 1 and 2; whereas in stage 3, a detectable recovery of visual acuity was not observed. This improvement was stable over the follow-up period with a concomitant reduction of macular thickness. CONCLUSIONS: The use of IVB in patients affected by RAP seems to exert morphologic benefits at all RAP stages that does not always correspond a functional improvement. PMID- 17765427 TI - Safety of intravitreal injections in patients receiving warfarin anticoagulation. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety of intravitreal Macugen (OSI/Eyetech, New York, New York, USA) injections among patients receiving warfarin anticoagulation. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: A search was conducted for patients treated with intravitreal Macugen for choroidal neovascularization resulting from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Inclusion criteria included patients receiving warfarin anticoagulation in whom therapy was maintained. RESULTS: The review identified 31 patients (32 eyes) who underwent 102 intravitreal Macugen injections while receiving warfarin anticoagulation. The mean and median number of Macugen injections per patient was three. No intraoperative or immediate postoperative hemorrhagic complications were noted. One patient experienced an acute submacular hemorrhage 35 days after the third Macugen injection. There were no other hemorrhagic events among the remaining patients. CONCLUSIONS: The retrospective chart review of patients treated with intravitreal Macugen for choroidal neovascularization resulting from AMD while receiving warfarin therapy suggests that patients may undergo intravitreal injections safely without cessation of anticoagulation therapy. PMID- 17765428 TI - Evaluation of patient age as a risk factor for intraocular pressure elevation after intravitreal triamcinolone. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of patient age on intraocular pressure (IOP) response after intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA). DESIGN: Interventional case series. METHODS: A total of 164 outpatients (164 eyes) aged 21 to 80 years (mean, 56.8 years), presenting with exudative age-related maculopathy (51) or macular edema of various etiologies (113), received IVTA (4 mg/0.1 ml). The primary outcome measure was IOP elevation >21 mm Hg. Patients were re-evaluated at one week, and one, three, and six months. RESULTS: The mean baseline IOP was 15.07 mm Hg; the mean rise was 6.6 mm Hg. IOP >21 mm Hg was observed in 42 (25.6%) patients. In the age group or = 10 mm. Wilcoxon's signed rank test was used to assess the difference between the numbers of lesion detected by the two protocols. RESULTS: The CT dose index (CTDI) for the standard-dose and low-dose CT protocols was 10.4 mGy and 1.4 mGy, respectively. One thousand, six hundred, and eighty-two metastases were detected by standard-dose CT, and 1460 lesions by the low-dose protocol. The numbers detected by low-dose CT were significantly less than those detected by standard-dose CT (Z=-3.776, p<0.001), especially for nodules smaller than 5mm (Z=-4.167, p<0.001). However, the disease staging and risk score of the patients were not affected by use of the low-dose protocol. CONCLUSION: Low-dose chest CT can be used as a staging and follow-up procedure for patients with GTT. PMID- 17765468 TI - Findings on (18)FDG-PET imaging in statin-induced rhabdomyolysis. PMID- 17765470 TI - RE: the testes: the unusual, the rare and the bizarre. PMID- 17765469 TI - Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma presenting as a pulmonary artery mass. PMID- 17765471 TI - Convergence analysis of a simple minor component analysis algorithm. AB - Minor component analysis (MCA) is a powerful statistical tool for signal processing and data analysis. Convergence of MCA learning algorithms is an important issue in practical applications. In this paper, we will propose a simple MCA learning algorithm to extract minor component from input signals. Dynamics of the proposed MCA learning algorithm are analysed using a corresponding deterministic discrete time (DDT) system. It is proved that almost all trajectories of the DDT system will converge to minor component if the learning rate satisfies some mild conditions and the trajectories start from points in an invariant set. Simulation results will be furnished to illustrate the theoretical results achieved. PMID- 17765472 TI - The electrocardiogram as a prognostic tool for predicting major cardiac events. AB - Among patients with cardiac disease, the identification of those who are at low risk and those who are at high risk for major cardiac events is crucial for a rational clinical management of individual patients. A correct noninvasive risk stratification of cardiac patients, in particular, has relevant clinical implications because it would avoid unnecessary exposure to potentially risky invasive diagnostic or interventional procedures in low-risk patients, whereas it would allow an appropriate aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic approach in high risk patients. Furthermore, the appropriate identification of low- and high-risk patients would also have social and economic implications by favoring optimization of resource distribution and costs. A large number of studies in previous decades provided evidence that several methods and variables derived from the analysis of the electrocardiogram (ECG) are powerful predictors of major cardiac events in several clinical conditions. Despite that, there has been limited attention about how several of these findings can be used in clinical practice. Furthermore, in recent years, most studies about risk stratification of cardiac patients have mainly been focused on the use of a number of serum/plasma biomarkers with reduced attention to ECG variables. Surprisingly, however, there have been few attempts to establish whether the various proposed risk markers add any significant information to that obtainable from ECG methods. In this article, the evidence for the prognostic value of variables derived from the assessment of the ECG signal by several methods and techniques will be briefly reviewed. Because of the largeness of the topic, this review will be necessarily incomplete. Because most of the clinical research in this field concerned risk stratification of patients with coronary artery disease, the article will be largely focused on this population of patients. The role of ECG methods in specific cardiac diseases and, in particular, in the general population of asymptomatic subjects will be briefly discussed when believed appropriate and helpful. Furthermore, only major clinical events (ie, cardiac death, arrhythmic events, acute myocardial infarction) will be taken into account as end points in this article. Minor clinical events (eg, coronary revascularization procedures, coronary artery restenosis, recurrences of symptoms) are indeed less robust as end points because they are widely biased by subjective judgments. PMID- 17765473 TI - Large and small vessels atherosclerosis: similarities and differences. AB - Atherosclerosis is a systemic, multifocal disease leading to a various symptoms and clinical events. Beyond disparities related to the organs involved, some differences might exist according to whether the lesions occur in the large (proximal) or small (distal) arteries. Atherosclerotic lesions occur predominantly in the large vessels first, and more distal lesions occur with aging. Proximal lesions are usually more evolving, especially with higher rates of unstable plaques in the proximal segments of coronary arteries. Racial differences regarding lesion distribution exist, with higher rates of distal lesions observed in races other than caucaians. Despite conflicting results found in each vascular territory, there is a suggestion of a stronger association between large vessel disease and smoking and dyslipidemia, whereas diabetes appears more specific for small vessel disease. Hypertension is more frequently reported in intracranial than in extracranial cerebrovascular disease. Preliminary studies report inflammatory markers preferably associated to large vessel atherosclerosis. Proximal lesions in 1 territory are more frequently associated with concomitant lesions in other territories. Geometric, hemodynamic, and histologic particularities in large and small vessels may at least partially explain these differences, and some recent data point out different biologic properties of the endothelium according to its location. PMID- 17765474 TI - The cardiovascular complications of pregnancy. PMID- 17765475 TI - Catheter-based therapy for atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis. AB - The prevalence of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (RAS) is more common than was previously thought, particularly in patients with known coronary, cerebrovascular, or peripheral vascular atherosclerosis. Clinical subsets in which RAS is more common include patients with uncontrolled hypertension, renal insufficiency, and/or sudden onset ("flash") pulmonary edema. Renal artery atherosclerosis progresses over time and is associated with loss of renal function regardless of medical therapy. Patients with symptomatic (hypertension, renal insufficiency, or flash pulmonary edema) and hemodynamically significant RAS are potential candidates for revascularization. The current standard of care is stent placement for aorto-ostial atherosclerotic lesions. Procedure success rates are very high (> or =95%), with infrequent major complication rates. Five year primary patency rates are 80% to 85%, and secondary patency rates exceed 90%. The key element in managing patients with RAS is selecting those most likely to benefit, that is, those with blood pressure control, preservation or improvement of renal function, and control of flash pulmonary edema from renal revascularization. This article will highlight the anatomical features, physiologic parameters, and biomarkers that may be helpful in optimally selecting patients for renal artery revascularization. PMID- 17765476 TI - Use and misuse of cardiac troponins in clinical practice. AB - Cardiac troponins are very sensitive and specific markers of myocardial injury. Elevated troponin levels in the setting of acute coronary syndrome are diagnostic of acute myocardial infarction and provide guidance to clinicians with regard to appropriate use of intensive medical and revascularization therapies. However, elevated troponin levels are commonly seen in several noncoronary ischemia presentations and create considerable confusion among clinicians in these settings. In this review article, we discuss the utility of troponins in various clinical settings and present a "common sense" approach to interpreting troponin elevation outside the setting of acute coronary syndrome. PMID- 17765478 TI - Familial liability and schizophrenia phenotypes: a polydiagnostic approach. AB - BACKGROUND: There are conflicting results about the correspondence between the diagnostic phenotype of schizophrenia and genetic factors. Using a polydiagnostic approach we examined the relationship between familial liability and alternative schizophrenia phenotypes. METHODS: The sample comprised of 660 psychotic probands and their 2987 first-degree relatives. Probands were assessed for 23 diagnostic systems of schizophrenia, 2 criteria for broadness of phenotype, 4 subtyping criteria and 16 clinical features, while relatives were assessed for familial morbid risk of schizophrenia. To quantify the predictive validity of familial liability against the alternative phenotypes we used the receiver operator characteristic curve analysis yielding an area under the curve (AUC) measure and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Although familial liability significantly predicted some diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, their diagnostic performance was generally very poor (AUC .55 to .61 and OR 1.64 to 2.85). Overall, the most inclusive criteria performed better than the most restrictive ones. Subtyping schizophrenia according to both DSM-IV and negative or deficit subtypes was unrelated to familial liability. The best predictive ability of familial liability (AUC=.71, OR=4.54) was achieved against empirically-derived criteria consisting of (a) early onset or lack of a major mood syndrome and (b) presence of inappropriate affect, affective flattening or bizarre delusions. CONCLUSION: Familial liability does have poor predictive validity regarding diagnostic systems of schizophrenia, although some differences existed among systems. Liability to schizophrenia performed better in predicting broad than restrictive phenotypes of the disorder. PMID- 17765477 TI - In vitro and in vivo demonstration of risperidone implants in mice. AB - BACKGROUND: Non-adherence with medication is a critical limitation in current long-term treatment of schizophrenia and a primary factor in poor quality-of-life outcomes. However, few treatments have addressed this shortcoming using an implantable drug delivery approach. The goal of this study was to provide in vitro and in vivo proof of concept for a long-term implantable risperidone delivery system in mice. METHODS: Implantable formulations of risperidone were created using the biodegradable polymer Poly Lactic co Glycolic Acid (PLGA) combined with various drug loads. Implant bioactivity was tested using in vitro release and stability studies, as well as in vivo pharmacokinetic and behavioral studies in mice. RESULTS: The pattern of risperidone release is influenced by various parameters, including polymer composition and drug load. In vitro measures demonstrate that risperidone is stable in implants under physiological conditions. Behavioral measures demonstrate the bioactivity of risperidone implants delivering 3 mg/kg/day in mice, while pharmacokinetic analyses indicate that reversibility is maintained throughout the delivery interval. CONCLUSIONS: The current report suggests that implantable formulations are a viable approach to providing long-term delivery of antipsychotic medications based on in vivo animal studies and pharmacokinetics. Implantable medications demonstrated here can last two months or longer while maintaining coherence and removability past full release, suggesting a potential paradigm shift in the long-term treatment of schizophrenia. PMID- 17765479 TI - In-vivo topography of structural alterations of the anterior cingulate in patients with schizophrenia: new findings and comparison with the literature. AB - The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is part of the rostral limbic system and is involved in cognitive and affective processes that have been reported to be disturbed in schizophrenia. Despite the evidence for ACC abnormalities in schizophrenia indicated by functional imaging studies, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of this region of interest (ROI) have been relatively few and the results inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that different subregions of the ACC are differentially affected by the disease process of schizophrenia, a circumstance that might contribute to contradictory results of earlier structural ACC studies. We investigated ACC volumes in 50 male and right-handed patients with schizophrenia according to ICD-10 and DSM-IV. The patients were individually matched for age, sex, handedness and education with 50 control subjects. ACC was subdivided into four parts: precallosal, subgenual, precommissural and postcommissural regions. Measurements were performed with a 1.5 T magnetom vision apparatus. Regions of interest were defined on consecutive coronal MRI-slices. The software program BRAINS was used for volumetry and segmentation into gray and white matter. We detected that ACC gray matter volume of the right precallosal region and right total ACC was significantly reduced in schizophrenic patients compared with control subjects. In addition, left ACC gray matter was selectively reduced in the subgenual region. These results confirmed our hypothesis that different ACC regions are differentially affected by structural alterations in schizophrenia, a circumstance that might explain in part the discrepant findings of former structural imaging studies of the ACC. PMID- 17765480 TI - Remission in schizophrenia: applying recent consensus criteria to refine the concept. AB - Although the concept of remission has been widely accepted and utilized in depression and anxiety disorders, there has been much less emphasis on defining remission in schizophrenia. Recently, an expert consensus definition of remission in schizophrenia was proposed along specific operational criteria for the attainment of remission focusing on the three core dimensions of psychopathology identified within schizophrenia: psychoticism, disorganization and negative symptoms. To date, the criteria have been applied retrospectively to several clinical studies, and these have demonstrated that the proposed definition of remission correlates significantly with established measures of symptom severity, functioning and quality of life, and appears achievable for a significant proportion of patients receiving at least 3 months of pharmacotherapy. In this article we extend the notion of remission to include an examination of the possible association of several modifiable and unmodifiable factors and co morbidities on remission status. We also propose an investigation into the likelihood of different patient populations in achieving remission as well as assessing the impact of remission on health care costs and family burden. Since cognitive dysfunction and negative symptoms may be strongly correlated with a lower likelihood of achieving remission, we recommend retrospective and/or prospective studies to determine the relationship between neurocognitive status and the predominance of negative symptoms at treatment start and the probability of achieving remission. Taken together, these studies should help identify key predictors of remission, further define the remitted state, reduce therapeutic pessimism, raise treatment expectations and chart a strategy for further research in this important area. PMID- 17765481 TI - Possible psychotropic effects of Aripiprazole. PMID- 17765482 TI - Cutaneous gene delivery. AB - Over the past decade, many approaches to transferring genes into the skin have been investigated. However, most such approaches have been specifically aimed against genodermatosis, and have not produced sufficient results. The goal of such research is to develop a method in which genes are transferred easily, efficiently and stably into keratinocytes, especially into keratinocyte stem cells, and in which the transgene expression persists without a reaction from the host immune response. Although accidental development of cancer has occurred in trials of gene therapy for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID), resulting in slowing of the progress of this research, the lessons of these setbacks have been applied to further research. Moreover, combined with the techniques acquired from tissue engineering, recent developments in our knowledge about stem cells will lead to new treatments for genodermatoses. The present review summarizes the methods by which therapeutic genes can be transferred into keratinocytes, with discussion of how gene transfer efficiency can be improved, with particular emphasis on disruption of the skin barrier function. It concludes with discussion of the challenges and prospects of keratinocyte gene therapy, in terms of achieving efficient and long-lasting therapeutic effects. PMID- 17765483 TI - A well-being programme in severe mental illness. Reducing risk for physical ill health: a post-programme service evaluation at 2 years. AB - INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease is more prevalent in patients with severe mental illness (SMI) than in the general population. METHOD: Seven geographically diverse centres were assigned a nurse to monitor the physical health of SMI patients in secondary care over a 2-year period in the "Well-being Support Programme" (WSP). A physical health screen was performed and patients were given individual weight and lifestyle advice including smoking cessation to reduce cardiovascular risk. RESULTS: Nine hundred and sixty-six outpatients with SMI >2 years were enrolled. The completion rate at 2 years was 80%. Significant improvements were observed in levels of physical activity (p<0.0001), smoking (p<0.05) and diet (p<0.0001). There were no changes in mean BMI although 42% lost weight over 2 years. Self-esteem improved significantly. Low self-esteem decreased from 43% at baseline to 15% at 2 years (p<0.0001). At the end of the programme significant cardiovascular risk factors remained, 46% of subjects smoked, 26% had hypertension and 81% had BMI >25. CONCLUSION: Physical health problems are common in SMI subjects. Many patients completed 2 years follow up suggesting that this format of programme is an acceptable option for SMI patients. Cardiovascular risk factors were significantly improved. Interventions such as the Well-being Support Programme should be made widely available to people with SMI. PMID- 17765484 TI - Caregiver psychoeducation for schizophrenia: is gender important? Comments on the study by McWilliams et al., 2007. PMID- 17765485 TI - Towards a neuroanatomy of autism: a systematic review and meta-analysis of structural magnetic resonance imaging studies. AB - BACKGROUND: Structural brain abnormalities have been described in autism but studies are often small and contradictory. We aimed to identify which brain regions can reliably be regarded as different in autism compared to healthy controls. METHOD: A systematic search was conducted for magnetic resonance imaging studies of regional brain size in autism. Data were extracted and combined using random effects meta-analysis. The modifying effects of age and IQ were investigated using meta-regression. RESULTS: The total brain, cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum and caudate nucleus were increased in volume, whereas the corpus callosum area was reduced. There was evidence for a modifying effect of age and IQ on the cerebellar vermal lobules VI-VII and for age on the amygdala. CONCLUSIONS: Autism may result from abnormalities in specific brain regions and a global lack of integration due to brain enlargement. Inconsistencies in the literature partly relate to differences in the age and IQ of study populations. Some regions may show abnormal growth trajectories. PMID- 17765486 TI - The relationship between impulsivity and Internet addiction in a sample of Chinese adolescents. AB - OBJECTIVE: Previous studies regarding Internet addiction have investigated associated psychological variables such as shyness, loneliness, self consciousness, anxiety, depression and interpersonal relations. Few studies about the relationship between Internet Addiction and impulsivity have been done. This study aimed to assess whether Internet addiction is related to impulsivity among Chinese adolescents. METHOD: This study was performed in two stages. We screened for the presence of Internet Addiction among 2620 high school students(age ranging from 12years to 18years) from four high schools of Changsha City using Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction (YDQ). According to the modified YDQ criteria by Beard, 64 students were diagnosed as Internet addiction. Excluding current psychiatric comorbidity, 50 students who were diagnosed as Internet Addiction (mean age, 14.8+/-1.4years) and 50 normal students in Internet usage(mean age, 14.5+/-1.8years) were included in a case control study. The two groups were assessed using Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11 (BIS-11) and behavioral measure of impulsivity (GoStop Impulsivity Paradigm). RESULTS: Sixty-four students met the modified YDQ criteria by Beard, of whom 14 students suffered from comorbid psychiatric disorders, especially comorbid ADHD. The Internet Addiction group had significantly higher scores on the BIS-11 subscales of Attentional key, Motor key, and Total scores than the control group (P<0.05). The Internet Addiction group scored higher than the control group on the failure to inhibit responses of GoStop Impulsivity Paradigm (P<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between YDQ scores and BIS-11subscales and the number of failure to inhibit responses of GoStop Impulsivity Paradigm. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that adolescents with Internet addiction exhibit more impulsivity than controls and have various comorbid psychiatric disorders, which could be associated with the psychopathology of Internet addiction. PMID- 17765488 TI - Shoulder dystocia. AB - Using an evidence-based, medical approach, the strengths and pitfalls of the causation- and standard-of-care-based arguments proffered by plaintiff and defense counsel in shoulder dystocia- associated birth injury litigation are reviewed based on medical plausibility. The role of the expert witness as arbiter of the relationship between medical care rendered and the untoward outcome of such care is distinguished from that of other court members. Proposed solutions to the medical malpractice litigation crisis are also examined in light of relevant differences in the pathogenetic bases for birth injuries of various types. PMID- 17765489 TI - Group B streptococcus infection in pregnancy. AB - Group B streptococcus (streptococcus agalactiae), a gram-positive coccus, is one of the major causes of maternal or neonatal severe infection and sepsis. Maternal infection associated with GBS includes acute chorioamnionitis, endometritis, and urinary tract infection. PMID- 17765490 TI - The placenta as witness. AB - The placenta not only "records" and reflects the intrauterine environment, it also provides valuable information on the cause and timing of many adverse events and conditions. The placenta may be useful in several ways. It may be the cause of injury due to an inherent abnormality, it may "malfunction" because of disease processes that are not primarily placental in origin, or it may merely reflect an abnormal intrauterine environment. Not only may the etiology of the injury be ascertained from placental examination, but also a time frame during which the abnormal condition has been operating. Acute lesions may be associated with sudden catastrophic events, whereas other, more chronic lesions lead to decreased placental reserves. Markedly depleted reserves will render the infant susceptible to other, sometimes more acute, events and thus are also associated with significant injury or even death. PMID- 17765491 TI - Causation--fetal brain injury and uterine rupture. AB - The purpose of this article is to familiarize the reader with the concept of causation and the role of the concept of foreseeability of harm in obstetric malpractice lawsuits. These concepts are incorporated into several hypothetical fetal brain injury and uterine rupture cases. The discussion involves an overview of available scientific evidence used to substantiate or refute whether a child's brain damage or a maternal uterine rupture was in fact related to the obstetric care in question. In the event of the delivery of a depressed newborn, a checklist of scientific evidence to be gathered at the time of delivery is also provided. PMID- 17765492 TI - Neonatal aspects of the relationship between intrapartum events and cerebral palsy. AB - Recent years have witnessed an international, multisource effort to define and progressively improve evidence-based criteria for defining the relationship between perinatal events and the subsequent development of cerebral palsy. The neonatal components of these criteria include neonatal encephalopathy, Apgar score, multisystem organ dysfunction, and currently available neuroimaging methods. This review focuses on current knowledge and unresolved issues regarding these criteria. PMID- 17765493 TI - Umbilical cord blood gases. AB - The intrapartum acid-base status of the fetus is an important component in establishing the link between intrapartum events and neonatal condition. The analysis of cord blood gases from the umbilical artery is believed to be the best representation of the fetal acid-base status immediately before birth. Blood gas analysis is able to objectively confirm or exclude the presence of damaging acidemia. Although measurements may be affected by several factors related to the method of sampling, storage, and assessment, a wide margin of accuracy exists when prompt assessment is unavailable. Because a substantial deviation from the standard procedure is required before a sample is alleged to be imprecise, it is unlikely that standard sampling methods would be ineligible in litigation. PMID- 17765494 TI - Professional misconduct and ethics. AB - Quality medical care focuses on achieving the greatest benefit while minimizing the risk of patient harm. This standard can become clouded in the case of a parturient and her fetus. The maternal-fetal relationship is unlike any other faced by physicians due to the fetus' complete physiologic dependence on the mother and because both the fetus and mother are considered patients of the obstetrician. This article reviews the ethical principles in obstetrics and gynecology and the laws and regulations that define professional misconduct. Although professional misconduct and ethics are separate entities, there are times when a physician's conduct must be examined from the standpoint of statutory misconduct and ethical uncertainties. PMID- 17765495 TI - Expert witness testimony. AB - One of the most important interfaces between medicine and law occurs in the courtroom. When medical issues are litigated, physicians have potential to make excellent witnesses. This article reviews the proper role, qualifications, and ethical requirements of expert witnesses, the law of professional negligence, and the regulation of unprofessional testimony. Expert witness reform is also briefly discussed. PMID- 17765496 TI - Error reduction and quality assurance in obstetrics. AB - This article outlines an approach to improve patient safety in obstetrics and gynecology, with the goal to reduce errors in labor and delivery. Every institution should create guidelines and provide education and training to address potential safety issues such as fetal heart rate pattern interpretation, induction and stimulation of labor, vaginal birth after cesarean, magnesium sulfate, shoulder dystocia, hemorrhage, forceps/vacuum, and thromboembolic disease. This article discusses the patient safety objectives published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Quality Improvement and Patient Safety; the National Patient Safety Goals, which are regularly established by the Joint Committee on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; and patient safety indicators developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. PMID- 17765497 TI - Responding professionally to the liability crisis in obstetrics and gynecology. AB - The obstetrics-gynecology profession is in the midst of a professional liability crisis. Solutions must come from both individual practitioners and managers/policymakers. The purpose of this article is to provide readers with preventive ethics tools to respond professionally in their own practices to neglected ethical dimensions of the professional liability crisis. The authors' analysis and proposals are based on previous work. PMID- 17765498 TI - Conservative alternatives to extirpative surgery for rectal cancer. AB - Selected cases of favourable rectal cancer can be treated with less than radical surgery. Published studies show that excellent local control can be achieved using either local excision or carefully confined high-dose radiation to treat the primary tumour site. For many patients treated conservatively there is also a role for external beam radiation to the pelvis -- this treats subclinical disease in regional nodes and around the tumour bed. The locoregional control for T1 lesions is excellent. There are recent data that indicate that the overall no evidence of disease survival may exceed 95% for T1 lesions treated with external and endocavitary radiotherapy combined with a limited local excision. For T2 lesions, about 25% of patients can experience recurrence after conservative treatment. This risk may be substantially less if external beam radiation, local excision and endocavitary radiation are combined. Close follow-up of these patients is important, as local failures after conservative treatment are more amenable to salvage surgery than failures after standard radical surgery. Careful selection of cases, combining physical findings with endorectal ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging is important. PMID- 17765499 TI - Ability of DNA content and DGGE analysis to reflect the performance condition of an anaerobic biowaste fermenter. AB - Molecular-microbiological techniques have delivered insight into microbial populations present in anaerobic fermenters, although much information still remains to be elucidated. In this study, the ability of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to throw light on microbial community composition was investigated and latter data were compared with the gas production of a 750,000l anaerobic biogas fermenter. During 1 year, samples were taken from two different sites of the reactor and additionally from the substrate material. After DNA extraction and PCR with archaeal and bacterial primers, PCR products were run on denaturing gradient gels to compare band patterns. Using gel-imaging software (GelComparII), two major clusters could be identified. Dominant bands were excised from the gels, reamplified and sequenced. Most sequences were closely related to Lactobacilli and yet uncultured microorganisms. DNA content of all samples was significantly correlated with the gas production measured online. We concluded that PCR and subsequent DGGE are useful to monitor community shifts in anaerobic fermenter sludge. However, as these changes are not readily detectable via DGGE-pattern analysis, alternative factors influencing the fermenter functioning should be found and investigated. So far DNA-content measurement seems to be a good parameter to quickly determine anaerobic fermenter condition. PMID- 17765501 TI - WHO fails to address health security. PMID- 17765500 TI - Beyond the lungs--a new view of COPD. PMID- 17765502 TI - USAID hunts for terrorists...under the duvet. PMID- 17765503 TI - COPD: a chronic and overlooked pulmonary disease. PMID- 17765504 TI - Role of passive smoking on COPD risk in non-smokers. PMID- 17765505 TI - Early lung development and COPD. PMID- 17765506 TI - Cochlear implantation: one or two? PMID- 17765507 TI - Prevention of cardiovascular disease in developing countries. PMID- 17765508 TI - Clinical update: childhood convulsive status epilepticus. PMID- 17765509 TI - Sonia Buist: expanding our knowledge of COPD. PMID- 17765510 TI - Prevention of venous thromboembolism after acute ischaemic stroke. PMID- 17765511 TI - Prevention of venous thromboembolism after acute ischaemic stroke. PMID- 17765513 TI - Prevention of venous thromboembolism after acute ischaemic stroke. PMID- 17765514 TI - Female sexual dysfunction in hypopituitarism. PMID- 17765516 TI - Heparin in sepsis treatment. PMID- 17765517 TI - Whipple's disease and sarcoidosis. PMID- 17765519 TI - Medical interventions, social science, and resource-poor countries. PMID- 17765521 TI - High-dose vitamin A. PMID- 17765522 TI - Guidelines on guidelines. PMID- 17765523 TI - International variation in the prevalence of COPD (the BOLD Study): a population based prevalence study. AB - BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a growing cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and accurate estimates of the prevalence of this disease are needed to anticipate the future burden of COPD, target key risk factors, and plan for providing COPD-related health services. We aimed to measure the prevalence of COPD and its risk factors and investigate variation across countries by age, sex, and smoking status. METHODS: Participants from 12 sites (n=9425) completed postbronchodilator spirometry testing plus questionnaires about respiratory symptoms, health status, and exposure to COPD risk factors. COPD prevalence estimates based on the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease staging criteria were adjusted for the target population. Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for COPD associated with 10-year age increments and 10-pack-year (defined as the number of cigarettes smoked per day divided by 20 and multiplied by the number of years that the participant smoked) increments. Meta-analyses provided pooled estimates for these risk factors. FINDINGS: The prevalence of stage II or higher COPD was 10.1% (SE 4.8) overall, 11.8% (7.9) for men, and 8.5% (5.8) for women. The ORs for 10-year age increments were much the same across sites and for women and men. The overall pooled estimate was 1.94 (95% CI 1.80-2.10) per 10-year increment. Site-specific pack-year ORs varied significantly in women (pooled OR=1.28, 95% CI 1.15-1.42, p=0.012), but not in men (1.16, 1.12-1.21, p=0.743). INTERPRETATION: This worldwide study showed higher levels and more advanced staging of spirometrically confirmed COPD than have typically been reported. However, although age and smoking are strong contributors to COPD, they do not fully explain variations in disease prevalence-other factors also seem to be important. Although smoking cessation is becoming an increasingly urgent objective for an ageing worldwide population, a better understanding of other factors that contribute to COPD is crucial to assist local public-health officials in developing the best possible primary and secondary prevention policies for their regions. PMID- 17765524 TI - Passive smoking exposure and risk of COPD among adults in China: the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study. AB - BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of mortality in China, where the population is also exposed to high levels of passive smoking, yet little information exists on the effects of such exposure on COPD. We examined the relation between passive smoking and COPD and respiratory symptoms in an adult Chinese population. METHODS: We used baseline data from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study. Of 20 430 men and women over the age of 50 recruited in 2003-06, 15,379 never smokers (6497 with valid spirometry) were included in this cross-sectional analysis. We measured passive smoking exposure at home and work by two self-reported measures (density and duration of exposure). Diagnosis of COPD was based on spirometry and defined according to the GOLD guidelines. FINDINGS: There was an association between risk of COPD and self reported exposure to passive smoking at home and work (adjusted odds ratio 1.48, 95% CI 1.18-1.85 for high level exposure; equivalent to 40 h a week for more than 5 years). There were significant associations between reported respiratory symptoms and increasing passive smoking exposure (1.16, 1.07-1.25 for any symptom). INTERPRETATION: Exposure to passive smoking is associated with an increased prevalence of COPD and respiratory symptoms. If this association is causal, we estimate that 1.9 million excess deaths from COPD among never smokers could be attributable to passive smoking in the current population in China. Our findings provide strong evidence for urgent measures against passive smoking in China. PMID- 17765525 TI - Poor airway function in early infancy and lung function by age 22 years: a non selective longitudinal cohort study. AB - BACKGROUND: Together with smoking, the lung function attained in early adulthood is one of the strongest predictors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We aimed to investigate whether lung function in early adulthood is, in turn, affected by airway function measured shortly after birth. METHODS: Non-selected infants were enrolled at birth in the Tucson Children's Respiratory Study between 1980 and 1984. We measured maximal expiratory flows at functional residual capacity (Vmax(FRC)) in 169 of these infants by the chest compression technique at a mean of 2.3 months (SD 1.9). We also obtained measurements of lung function for 123 of these participants at least once at ages 11, 16, and 22 years. Indices were forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of FVC (FEF25-75), both before and after treatment with a bronchodilator (180 microg of albuterol). FINDINGS: Participants who had infant Vmax(FRC) in the lowest quartile also had lower values for the FEV1/FVC ratio (-5.2%, p<0.0001), FEF25-75 (-663 mL/s, p<0.0001), and FEV1 (-233 mL, p=0.001) up to age 22, after adjustment for height, weight, age, and sex, than those in the upper three quartiles combined. The magnitude and significance of this effect did not change after additional adjustment for wheeze, smoking, atopy, or parental asthma. INTERPRETATION: Poor airway function shortly after birth should be recognised as a risk factor for airflow obstruction in young adults. Prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease might need to start in fetal life. PMID- 17765526 TI - Global burden of COPD: risk factors, prevalence, and future trends. AB - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continues to be an important cause of morbidity, mortality, and health-care costs worldwide. It is a global health issue, with cigarette smoking being an important risk factor universally; other factors, such as exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution, occupational hazards, and infections, are also important. As the global population ages, the burden of COPD will increase in years to come. Prevalence estimates of the disorder show considerable variability across populations, suggesting that risk factors can affect populations differently. Other advances in our understanding of COPD are increased recognition of the importance of comorbid disease, identification of different COPD phenotypes, and understanding how factors other than lung function affect outcome in our patients. The challenge we will all face in the next few years will be implementation of cost-effective prevention and management strategies to stem the tide of this disease and its cost. PMID- 17765527 TI - What have we learned from large drug treatment trials in COPD? AB - Although the development of effective treatments for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not been seen as a high priority, the past decade has seen a substantial increase in the number of clinical studies examining different treatments for this disease. Large studies are needed to adequately assess the effectiveness of treatment because of the chronic nature of the disease and the intermittent occurrence of some key outcomes such as exacerbations. Data from randomised controlled trials show that treatment improves exercise performance by increasing lung volume rather than changing expiratory flow. Although assessment of lung function remains the cornerstone of drug assessment, improvements in health status, the number of exacerbations and admissions to hospital are now recognised as important treatment outcomes. Randomised controlled trial data provide the best evidence for treatment efficacy, but results of these studies can be affected by differences in inclusion criteria and patient dropout during the study. Bronchodilator reversibility testing does not reliably define subgroups that will respond to a particular treatment. Carefully done and adequately powered clinical trials continue to inform, not only our views about treatment, but also our understanding of COPD and how it is best assessed and managed. Ensuring that these expensive studies are done objectively to the highest standard is an important goal for the next decade. PMID- 17765528 TI - COPD exacerbations: defining their cause and prevention. AB - Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are episodes of worsening of symptoms, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. COPD exacerbations are associated with increased airway and systemic inflammation and physiological changes, especially the development of hyperinflation. They are triggered mainly by respiratory viruses and bacteria, which infect the lower airway and increase airway inflammation. Some patients are particularly susceptible to exacerbations, and show worse health status and faster disease progression than those who have infrequent exacerbations. Several pharmacological interventions are effective for the reduction of exacerbation frequency and severity in COPD such as inhaled steroids, long-acting bronchodilators, and their combinations. Non-pharmacological therapies such as pulmonary rehabilitation, self-management, and home ventilatory support are becoming increasingly important, but still need to be studied in controlled trials. The future of exacerbation prevention is in assessment of optimum combinations of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies that will result in improvement of health status, and reduction of hospital admission and mortality associated with COPD. PMID- 17765529 TI - From COPD to chronic systemic inflammatory syndrome? PMID- 17765530 TI - All that wheezes is not asthma. PMID- 17765531 TI - Negative correlation between cerebral inorganic phosphate and the volumetric niacin response in male patients with schizophrenia who have seriously and dangerously violently offended: a (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. AB - The aim of the study was to examine the association of arachidonic acid-related signal transduction with cerebral metabolism in patients with schizophrenia who have violently and dangerously offended while psychotic. Cerebral 31-phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy was carried out in 11 male patients with schizophrenia who had violently offended (homicide, attempted murder, or wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm) while psychotic. Spectra were obtained from 70 x 70 x 70 mm(3) voxels using an image-selected in vivo spectroscopy pulse sequence. Niacin flush testing results were quantified as the volumetric niacin response. There was a strong, and negative, correlation between the volumetric niacin response and the metabolite concentration of inorganic phosphate expressed as a ratio of the total 31-phosphorus signal (p<0.005). Our results suggest that patients with schizophrenia who have violently offended and have poor phospholipid-related signal transduction may have higher levels of cerebral energy metabolism. PMID- 17765532 TI - Extra-pulmonary features in COPD patients entering rehabilitation after stratification for MRC dyspnea grade. AB - Experts have stated that referral for rehabilitation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) becomes appropriate when these patients become aware of their disability (e.g. usually grade 3 to 5 on the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale). However, patients with MRC dyspnea grade 1/2 may also suffer from extra-pulmonary features, such as abnormal body composition, exercise intolerance and reduced disease-specific health status. In the present study, we have studied whether and to what extent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with MRC dyspnea grade 1/2 have extra-pulmonary features compared to patients with grade 3, 4 or 5? Pulmonary function, body composition, 6-min walking distance, peak exercise capacity, anxiety, depression and disease-specific health status have been assessed in 333 outpatients who had been referred for pulmonary rehabilitation. On average, patients with MRC dyspnea grade 1/2 had a better exercise tolerance and disease-specific health status compared to patients with grade 4 or 5. Nevertheless, grade 1/2 patients had a higher prevalence of muscle mass depletion. In addition, these patients did still have aberrant values in one or more of the aforementioned outcomes. On average, patients with MRC dyspnea grade 1/2 may clearly suffer from extra-pulmonary features, indicating the necessity to refer these patients for rehabilitation. Therefore, MRC dyspnea scale alone does not appear to be a suitable measure to identify most patients with COPD who have to be referred for rehabilitation. PMID- 17765533 TI - Methylation-associated PHOX2B gene silencing is a rare event in human neuroblastoma. AB - Neuroblastoma (NB), an embryonic tumour originating from neural crest cells, is one of the most common solid tumours in childhood. Although NB is characterised by numerous recurrent, large-scale chromosome rearrangements, the genes targeted by these imbalances have remained elusive. We recently identified the paired-like homeobox 2B (PHOX2B, MIM 603851) gene as disease-causing in dysautonomic disorders including Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS), Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) and NB in various combinations. Most patients with NB due to a germline heterozygous PHOX2B gene mutation are familial and/or syndromic. PHOX2B, at chromosome 4p12, does not lie in a commonly rearranged locus in NB. To evaluate the role of PHOX2B in sporadic, isolated NB, we analysed 13 NB cell lines and 45 tumours for expression, mutations of coding and promoter sequences, loss of heterozygosity (LOH), or aberrant hypermethylation of PHOX2B (13 cell lines and 18 tumours). We didn't identify any mutation but LOH in about 10% of the cases and aberrant CpG dinucleotide methylation of the 500 bp PHOX2B promoter region in 4/31 tumours and cell lines (12.9%). Altogether, both germinal and somatic anomalies at the PHOX2B locus are found in NB. PMID- 17765534 TI - Ammonia-nitrogen and orthophosphate removal by immobilized Scenedesmus sp. isolated from municipal wastewater for potential use in tertiary treatment. AB - Scendesmus sp. isolated from municipal wastewater, entrapped in calcium alginate as algal sheets was employed to remove inorganic nutrients (N and P) from artificial and real domestic secondary effluents in parallel-plate bioreactor after starvation. The key factors affecting the removal efficiency (NH4+-N and PO4(3-)-P), system stability and reuse efficiency of screens were studied and discussed. It has been shown that cell density in the mixture of algal gel was the key factor compared with the thickness of the gel and the cell density of the reactor. A complete removal of NH4+-N and PO4(3-)-P was achieved within 4h of treatment in parallel bioreactors with the optimal cell density in the mixture of algal (2 x 10(8) algae mL(-1)) and 3mm gel sheets after second cycle. Nine cycles of wastewater treatment in 21 days were accomplished, holding higher removal efficiency. NH(4)(+)-N removal efficiency was 99.1% after 105 min, 100% after 135 min, PO4(3-)-P removal efficiency was 100% after 15 min in domestic secondary effluents. Immobilized Scendesmus sp. is shown to have great potentialities for removal of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus from treated effluents. PMID- 17765535 TI - Anaerobic treatment of distillery spent wash - a study on upflow anaerobic fixed film bioreactor. AB - Anaerobic digestion of wastewater from a distillery industry having very high COD (1,10,000-1,90,000 mg/L) and BOD (50,000-60,000 mg/L) was studied in a continuously fed, up flow fixed film column reactor using different support materials such as charcoal, coconut coir and nylon fibers under varying hydraulic retention time and organic loading rates. The seed consortium was prepared by enrichment with distillery spent wash in a conventional type reactor having working capacity of 3 L and was used for charging the anaerobic column reactor. Amongst the various support materials studied the reactor having coconut coir could treat distillery spent wash at 8d hydraulic retention time with organic loading rate of 23.25 kg COD m(-3)d(-1) leading to 64% COD reduction with biogas production of 7.2 m3 m(-3)d(-1) having high methane yield without any pretreatment or neutralization of the distillery spent wash. This study indicates fixed film biomethanation of distillery spent wash using coconut coir as the support material appears to be a cost effective and promising technology for mitigating the problems caused by distillery effluent. PMID- 17765536 TI - Development of an eco-friendly agar extraction technique from the red seaweed Gracilaria lemaneiformis. AB - The red seaweed, Gracilaria lemaneiformis growing as an aquaculture bioremediator along the coasts of Liaodong Peninsula, China, was investigated for the agar production. An eco-friendly method called agar photobleaching extraction process was developed for the benefit of workers' health and safety of the environment. The native agar (NA), alkali-modified agar (AA), chemical-bleached agar (CA) and photobleached agar (PA), which were extracted using different processes, were evaluated for their physical and chemical properties. The PA showed most desirable performances in terms of gel strength, gelling temperature, sulfate content and 3,6-anhydro-l-galactose content. Among the different processed agars, PA gel strength was 1913 g/cm2, the highest among the different processed agars, which increased 8.6% on the basis of the AA. Further we applied this new technique to extract agars from Gracilaria asiatica, and similar results were obtained with that of G. lemaneiformis. This indicates that the agar photobleaching extraction process is a feasible method for Gracilaria species and has a potential application. During the whole agar photobleaching extraction process the pigment content of G. lemaneiformis declined gradually and the TOC concentration in photobleaching solution increased along with the increase in the irradiation time. The mechanism of agar photobleaching could be elucidated by the photolysis theory. PMID- 17765537 TI - Excision of Anabaena PCC 7120 nifD element in Escherichia coli: Growth kinetics and RecA regulated xisA expression and DNA rearrangement. AB - Anabaena PCC 7120 nifHDK operon is interrupted by an 11 kb DNA element which is excised during the development of heterocysts by Excisase A, encoded by the xisA gene residing on the element. The excision is a site-specific recombination event that occurs at the 11 base pair direct repeats flanking the element. Earlier work showed the excision of the 11 kb element in Escherichia coli at a frequency 0.3%. We report here the excision of this element at 1.1% and 1.98% in E. coli DH5alpha, and 1.9% and 10.9% in E. coli JM 101 when grown on Luria broth and minimal media, respectively. Excision of nifD element in isogenic recA(-) (RK1) and recA+ (RK2) E. coli JM101 P1 transductants, showed similar results to that of E. coli JM101 and DH5alpha, respectively. A plasmid pMX32, carrying a xisA defective 11kb element, showed no excision in E. coli RK2 strain. In contrast to Anabaena PCC 7120, excision of nifD element did not increase in E. coli DH5alpha grown in iron-deficient conditions. A PxisA::lacZ transcriptional fusion, used to detect the expression of elusive xisA gene, showed maximal beta-galactosidase activity in the stationary phase. The results suggest that the excision event in E. coli may involve additional factors, such as RecA and that the physiological status can influence the excision of nifD element. PMID- 17765538 TI - Novel coaggregating microbial consortium: testing strength for field applications. AB - Acinetobacter johnsonii S35 has an ability to coaggregate with Oligotropha carboxidovorans S23 when grown with favorable carbon substrate and nutrient-rich growth media. However, nutrient-deficient situations or poorly accessible carbon substrates in waste streams could trigger changes in the cell surface properties and thus modify the coaggregation behavior. Thus, in the present study, we test the stability of these novel interactions under various stresses that might transpire in the waste streams. The effect of mineral-component deficiency and shortage of substrate on the growth, cell surface hydrophobicity and coaggregation ability of S35 and O. carboxidovorans S23 has been investigated. As compared to the control, growth of S35 was adversely affected in mineral deficient medium; the cells had lower hydrophobicity but displayed only slightly lower aggregation index (AI, 75-84%) as compared to control (92%). S35 grown on marginally supplemented Sterile Filtrate of Activated Sludge (SFAS) could also grow well and form larger stable coaggregates with S23. S35 grown with mineral deficient medium and with the supplemented SFAS still posses the ability to coaggregate with S23. Hence the coaggregation ability of S35 strain is constitutive and is not significantly affected by environmental factors. It would be desirable to work out suitable formulations of such robust and environmentally relevant microbes. PMID- 17765539 TI - Effect of inducers and process parameters on laccase production by Streptomyces psammoticus and its application in dye decolourization. AB - The process parameters influencing the production of extracellular laccases by Streptomyces psammoticus MTCC 7334 were optimized in submerged fermentation. Coffee pulp and yeast extract were the best substrate and nitrogen source respectively for laccase production by this strain. The optimization studies revealed that the laccase yield was maximum at pH 7.5 and temperature 32 degrees C. Salinity of the medium was also observed to be influencing the enzyme production. An agitation rate of 175 rpm and 15% inoculum were the other optimized conditions for maximum laccase yield (5.9 U/mL). Pyrogallol and para anisidine proved to be the best inducers for laccase production by this strain and the enzyme yield was enhanced by 50% with these inducers. S. psammoticus was able to decolourize various industrial dyes at different rates and 80% decolourization of Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) was observed after 10 days of incubation in dye based medium. PMID- 17765540 TI - Seasonal variations in composting process of dead poultry birds. AB - Composting of dead birds with caged layer manure (CLM) and farm yard manure (FYM) was carried out to study the feasibility of composting as an alternative for disposal in Tamil Nadu State, India. The dead birds were sequentially layered with manure substrate and carbon source as per recipes formulated in mini-compost bins (4 x 4 x 4 feet). The temperature profile of both CLM and FYM group reached the peak by second week of composting and started declining steadily. The temperature profile was better during summer and monsoon and bins were able to maintain temperature above 60 degrees C (thermophilic) for 3-4 weeks. Season had no influence on attainment of peak temperature and it ranged between 51.8 and 70.4 degrees C. The persistency of thermophilic temperature (above 55 degrees C) was prolonged during summer (17.5-65 days) followed by monsoon (24-39 days) and winter (15.5-21.5 days). No putrefied or obnoxious odour or fly menace was observed during all the seasons of composting. The composting process took 107 127.5 days to finish during summer, 84.5-91 days in monsoon and 61.5-73.5 days in winter. The FYM was able to retain moisture higher (41-54% at the end of primary stage and 27.5-48.2% at the end of secondary stage) than CLM group (17.5-39.3% at primary stage and 20.4-33.5% in secondary stage). Weight reduction was more in FYM group (31.8-58.7%) than CLM group (19.3-48.6%). The volume reduction was uniform in all the seasons, it ranged between 39% and 59.3%. PMID- 17765541 TI - Biodegradation of reactive textile dye Red BLI by an isolated bacterium Pseudomonas sp. SUK1. AB - A novel bacterial strain capable of decolorizing reactive textile dye Red BLI is isolated from the soil sample collected from contaminated sites of textile industry from Solapur, India. The bacterial isolate was identified as Pseudomonas sp. SUK1 on the basis of 16S rDNA analysis. The Pseudomonas sp. SUK1 decolorized Red BLI (50 mg l(-1)) 99.28% within 1h under static anoxic condition at pH range from 6.5 to 7.0 and 30 degrees C. This strain has ability to decolorize various reactive textile dyes. UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR and TLC analysis of samples before and after dye decolorization in culture medium confirmed decolorization of Red BLI. A significant increase in the activities of aminopyrine N-demethylase and NADH-DCIP reductase in cells obtained after decolorization indicates involvement of these enzymes in the decolorization process. Phytotoxicity testing with the seeds of Sorghum vulgare and Phaseolus mungo, showed more sensitivity towards the dye, while the products obtained after dye decolorization does not have any inhibitory effects. PMID- 17765542 TI - A refined agonist pharmacophore for protease activated receptor 2. AB - Protease activated receptor 2 (PAR(2)) is a G protein-coupled receptor implicated in inflammation and cancer. Only a few peptide agonists are known with greater potency than the native agonist SLIGRL-NH(2). Here we report 52 peptide agonists of PAR(2), 26 with activity at sub-micromolar concentrations, and one being iodinated for radioligand experiments. Potency was highest when the N- or C termini of SLIGRL-NH(2) were modified, pointing to a new ligand pharmacophore model that may aid development of drug-like PAR(2) modulators. PMID- 17765543 TI - Dual serotonin transporter inhibitor/histamine H3 antagonists: development of rigidified H3 pharmacophores. AB - A series of tetrahydroisoquinolines acting as dual serotonin transporter inhibitor/histamine H(3) antagonists is described. The introduction of polar aromatic spacers as part of the histamine H(3) pharmacophore was explored. A convergent synthesis of the final products allowing late stage introduction of the aromatic side chain was developed. In vitro and in vivo data are discussed. PMID- 17765545 TI - Synthesis and evaluation of antifungal properties of a series of the novel 2 amino-5-oxo-4-phenyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoline-3-carbonitrile and its analogues. AB - A series of 2-amino-5-oxo-4-phenyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoline-3-carbonitrile and various analogues have been synthesized in excellent isolated yields starting from various arylidenemalononitrile and 3-amino-2-cyclohexen-1-one in 1-propanol as solvent at reflux temperature in the absence of any added catalyst. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antifungal activity. The relationship between functional group variation and biological activity of the evaluated compounds is discussed in the article. PMID- 17765546 TI - In vitro affinities of various halogenated benzamide derivatives as potential radioligands for non-invasive quantification of D(2)-like dopamine receptors. AB - Benzamide derivatives as radiotracers have played an important role in diagnosing malfunction in dopaminergic neurotransmission. A variety of halogenated and two unsubstituted benzamide derivatives were synthesised and their in vitro affinities to dopaminergic, serotonergic and adrenergic receptors and their lipophilicities were determined. As references IBZM (3), raclopride (4) and FLB457 (5) were tested as well. The two iodinated compounds NAE (27) and NADE (28) displayed K(i) values of 0.68 and 14 nM for the D(2) receptor. The well established radiotracers FP (1) and DMFP (2) showed affinities in the same range as did the brominated compounds NABrE (29) and NABrDE (30). The log D(7.4) values of 2.91 for NAE (27) and of 2.81 for NADE (28) are in the range of those found for IBZM (3), FP (1) and DMFP (2). These facts allow to expect good properties for the two iodinated compounds NAE (27) and NADE (28) regarding in vivo imaging with SPECT. PMID- 17765544 TI - GEF what? Dock180 and related proteins help Rac to polarize cells in new ways. AB - Rho GTPase activation, which is mediated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), is tightly regulated in time and space. Although Rho GTPases have a significant role in many biological events, they are best known for their ability to restructure the actin cytoskeleton profoundly through the activation of specific downstream effectors. Two distinct families of GEFs for Rho GTPases have been reported so far, based on the features of their catalytic domains: firstly, the classical GEFs, which contain a Dbl homology-pleckstrin homology domain module with GEF activity, and secondly, the Dock180-related GEFs, which contain a Dock homology region-2 domain that catalyzes guanine nucleotide exchange on Rho GTPases. Recent exciting data suggest key roles for the DHR-2 domain-containing GEFs in a wide variety of fundamentally important biological functions, including cell migration, phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, myoblast fusion and neuronal polarization. PMID- 17765547 TI - Marine natural products from the Turkish sponge Agelas oroides that inhibit the enoyl reductases from Plasmodium falciparum, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Escherichia coli. AB - The type II fatty acid pathway (FAS-II) is a validated target for antimicrobial drug discovery. An activity-guided isolation procedure based on Plasmodium falciparum enoyl-ACP reductase (PfFabI) enzyme inhibition assay on the n-hexane-, the CHCl(3-) and the aq MeOH extracts of the Turkish marine sponge Agelas oroides yielded six pure metabolites [24-ethyl-cholest-5alpha-7-en-3-beta-ol (1), 4,5 dibromopyrrole-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester (2), 4,5-dibromopyrrole-2 carboxylic acid (3), (E)-oroidin (4), 3-amino-1-(2-aminoimidazoyl)-prop-1-ene (5), taurine (6)] and some minor, complex fatty acid mixtures (FAMA-FAMG). FAMA, consisting of a 1:2 mixture of (5Z,9Z)-5,9-tricosadienoic (7) and (5Z,9Z)-5,9 tetracosadienoic (8) acids, and FAMB composed of 8, (5Z,9Z)-5,9-pentacosadienoic (9) and (5Z,9Z)-5,9-hexacosadienoic (10) acids in approximately 3:3:2 ratio were the most active PfFabI inhibitory principles of the hexane extract (IC(50) values 0.35 microg/ml). (E)-Oroidin isolated as free base (4a) was identified as the active component of the CHCl(3) extract. Compound 4a was a more potent PfFabI inhibitor (IC(50) 0.30 microg/ml=0.77 microM) than the (E)-oroidin TFA salt (4b), the active and major component of the aq MeOH extract (IC(50) 5.0 microg/ml). Enzyme kinetic studies showed 4a to be an uncompetitive PfFabI inhibitor (K(i): 0.4+/-0.2 and 0.8+/-0.2 microM with respect to substrate and cofactor). In addition, FAMA and FAMD (mainly consisting of methyl-branched fatty acids) inhibited FabI of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtFabI, IC(50)s 9.4 and 8.2 microg/ml, respectively) and Escherichia coli (EcFabI, IC(50)s 0.5 and 0.07 microg/ml, respectively). The majority of the compounds exhibited in vitro antiplasmodial, as well as trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activities without cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells. This study represents the first marine metabolites that inhibit FabI, a clinically relevant enzyme target from the FAS II pathway of several pathogenic microorganisms. PMID- 17765548 TI - Synthesis of disulfide esters of dialkylaminocarbothioic acid as potent, non detergent spermicidal agents. AB - S,S'-[disulfanediylbis(dialkylaminopropane-2,1-diyl)]bis- (dialkylaminothiocarbamate) (14-31) were prepared and evaluated for the spermicidal activity and antifungal activity. Dialkyldithiocarbamates (1-5) were reacted with epichlorohydrin to give 1-dialkylaminocarbothioic acid S-[(2,3 epithio)propyl]ester (7-11), these on further reaction with a secondary amine gave S,S'-[disulfanediylbis(dialkylaminopropane-2,1-diyl)]bis- (dialkylaminothiocarbamate) (14-31). Some of these compounds (16, 19-21, 23, 30, 31) were found to be very potent spermicidal agents with marginal antifungal activity. Two compounds (20, 21) were 25 times more active than nonoxynol-9 (N 9), the spermicide currently in the market. PMID- 17765549 TI - Synthesis, anticancer, and cytotoxic activities of some mononuclear Ru(II) compounds. AB - The synthesis and characterization of ruthenium compounds (Ru1-Ru12) of the type [Ru(S)(2)(K)], (where S=1,10-phenanthroline/2,2'-bipyridine and K=itsz, MeO-btsz, 4-Cl-btsz, 2-Cl-btsz, 2-F-btsz, hfc and itsz=isatin-3-thiosemicarbazone, MeO btsz=1-(4'-methoxy-benzyl)-thiosemicarbazone, hfc=2-{[3-chloro-4-fluoro phenylimino]methyl}phenol, 4-Cl-btsz=1-(4'-chlorobenzyl)-thiosemicarbazone, 2-Cl btsz=1-(2'-chloro benzyl)-thiosemicarbazone, 2-F-btsz=1-(2'-fluorobenzyl) thiosemicarbazone) are described. These ligands form bidentate octahedral ruthenium compounds. The title compounds were subjected to in vivo anticancer activity against a transplantable murine tumor cell line Ehrlich's Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) and in vitro cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell line Molt 4/C8, CEM and murine tumor cell line L1210. Ruthenium compounds (Ru1-Ru12) showed promising biological activity especially in decreasing tumor volume and viable ascites cell counts. Treatment with these compounds prolonged the life span of mice bearing EAC tumor by 10-43%. In vitro evaluation of these ruthenium compounds revealed cytotoxic activity from 0.24 to 27 microM against Molt 4/C8, 0.27 to 48 microM against CEM, and 0.94 to 248 microM against L1210. Their ligands alone failed to show cytotoxic activity at the concentrations tested (68 405 microM). PMID- 17765550 TI - Structure-activity relationship and biological property of cortistatins, anti angiogenic spongean steroidal alkaloids. AB - Previously, bioassay-guided separation led us to isolate eleven novel steroidal alkaloids named cortistatins from the marine sponge Corticium simplex. These cortistatins were classified into three types based on the chemical structure of the side chain part, that is, isoquinoline, N-methyl piperidine or 3 methylpyridine units. From the structure-activity relationship study, the isoquinoline unit in the side chain was found to be crucial for the anti angiogenic activity of cortistatins. Cortistatin A (1) showed cytostatic growth inhibitory activity against human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Cortistatin A (1) also inhibited VEGF-induced migration of HUVECs and bFGF induced tubular formation. Although cortistatin A (1) showed no effect on VEGF induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38, which are one of the signaling pathways for migration and tubular formation, the phosphorylation of the unidentified 110kDa protein in HUVECs was inhibited by the treatment with cortistatin A. PMID- 17765551 TI - Natural bromophenols from the marine red alga Polysiphonia urceolata (Rhodomelaceae): structural elucidation and DPPH radical-scavenging activity. AB - Three new natural occurring bromophenols, 3-(3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-(3,5 dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid (1), (E)-4-(3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxyphenyl) but-3-en-2-one (2), and (3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl) acetic acid butyl ester (3), together with one known bromophenol, 1,2-bis(3-bromo-4,5 dihydroxyphenyl)ethane (4), were isolated and identified from the marine red alga Polysiphonia urceolata. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by extensive analysis of 1D and 2D NMR and IR spectra and MS data. Each of the isolated compounds was evaluated for scavenging alpha, alpha-diphenyl-beta picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical activity and all of them exhibited significant activity with IC(50) values ranging from 9.67 to 21.90 microM, compared to the positive control, a well-known antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), with IC(50) 83.84 microM. PMID- 17765552 TI - Replacement of the lactone moiety on podophyllotoxin and steganacin analogues with a 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole via ruthenium-catalyzed click chemistry. AB - Steganacin and podophyllotoxin are two naturally occurring lignans first isolated from plant sources, which share the capability to disrupt tubulin assembly. Although not strictly essential for its activity, the lactone ring on both structures represents Achilles' heel, as it is a potential site of metabolic degradation and epimerization on its C2 carbon brings about a significant loss in potency. In the present manuscript, we have used the ruthenium-catalyzed [3+2] azide-alkyne cycloaddition, a click-chemistry reaction, to replace the lactone ring with a 1,5-disubstituted triazole in few synthetic steps. The compounds were cytotoxic, although to a lesser degree compared to podophyllotoxin, while retaining antitubulin activity. The present structures might therefore represent a good platform for the fast generation of metabolically stable compounds with few stereogenic centers that might be of value from a medicinal chemistry point of view. PMID- 17765553 TI - The synthesis and biological activity of pentafluorosulfanyl analogs of fluoxetine, fenfluramine, and norfenfluramine. AB - The trifluoromethyl group of fluoxetine 1 and fenfluramine and norfenfluramine, 2 and 3, was substituted by the pentafluorosulfanyl group. On examination of the efficacy of the pentafluorosulfanyl containing compounds as inhibitors of 5 hydroxytryptamine receptors, it was found that substitution could lead to enhanced selectivity and in the case of the pentafluorosulfanyl analog of fenfluramine, 18, it significantly enhanced potency against the 5-HT(2b), 5 HT(2c), and 5-HT(6) receptors. PMID- 17765554 TI - Recommended practices for surveillance: Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), Inc. PMID- 17765555 TI - Influenza vaccination of health care workers: policies and practices of hospitals in a community setting. AB - BACKGROUND: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has long recommended that health care workers receive annual influenza vaccinations to prevent transmission of disease to vulnerable patients, but HCW vaccination rates remain low, and there is little information about hospital policies promoting employee vaccination. METHODS: Our objective was to collect information about and compare hospital influenza vaccination policies and practices regarding health care workers in the metropolitan Atlanta community and identify relationships between policies and practices and employee coverage rates. Senior staff of infection control and of employee health programs at 12 hospitals in the metropolitan Atlanta community completed an in-person interview using a structured guide. RESULTS: All study hospitals provided vaccine free of charge to employees in on site clinics. Seven of the 9 hospitals clustered between 34% and 47% of their employees vaccinated, with an average of 41%. The hospitals that included flexibility and better accessibility, such as providing vaccination carts and adding more hours of vaccine availability, had somewhat higher hospital employee vaccination rates. Personal contact in the form of educational presentations appears to have more influence on employee decisions than distributing printed educational materials. CONCLUSION: Hospitals in the Atlanta community had several similar policies and practices to improve immunization coverage of their staff. Human interactions with employees as well as ease of vaccine access may be more successful at increasing coverage rates than mass approaches such as posters or flyers. PMID- 17765556 TI - Working with symptoms of a respiratory infection: staff who care for high-risk individuals. AB - BACKGROUND: While many health care workers (HCWs) who have respiratory infections take sick leave, others work following illness onset. Little is known about attendance practices of HCWs caring for persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI), a group at high risk for respiratory complications. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of HCWs. Logistic regression identified factors associated with having a respiratory infection and examined if awareness of facility level institutional control measures and/or individual level factors influenced working while symptomatic. RESULTS: Response rate was 53% (n = 820). Respiratory infections were reported by 36%; of those, 86% attended work while symptomatic. HCWs aged 50 and above were less likely (odds ratio [OR] 0.58, P = 0.003) and those with a chronic condition were more likely (OR 2.24, P < 0.000) to have had a respiratory infection. HCWs who indicated that their facility institutes droplet precautions (OR 0.42, P = 0.034), restricts staff movement between wards, (OR 0.26, P = 0.002), and restricts contact between patients (OR 0.32, P = 0.009) were significantly less likely to work while symptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: It is alarming that 86% of HCWs attended work while symptomatic, given the consequences that respiratory infection can have on persons with SCI. HCW awareness of outbreak control measures within their facilities appeared to influence their attendance decisions, suggesting the importance of policy placement and information dissemination. PMID- 17765557 TI - A survey of Alberta physicians' use of and attitudes toward face masks and face shields in the operating room setting. AB - BACKGROUND: There is little evidence that surgical mask use by physicians in the operating room (OR) reduces surgical site infections (SSIs), but masks do protect the wearer from potentially infectious splashes. Face shields offer even more protection because they cover the eyes, but they may be perceived as offering less protection to the patient than do masks. The objectives of this study were to ascertain if there were predictors to determine which OR physicians are continuing to use masks and what their reasons are for doing so, and which OR physicians would accept face shields and their reasons for doing so. METHODS: We surveyed the province of Alberta's surgeons, general practice (GP) surgeons, anesthesiologists, and GP anesthetists to determine how many physicians in the OR wear surgical masks, their reasons for wearing surgical masks (ethical, legal, protection of the patient, protection of the wearer), and if they believe that face shields offer more protection to the patient or to the wearer. We also sought to examine which demographic factors affected their responses. The data were examined with chi(2) analysis to assess the relationships of age and practitioner type, and for various outcome variables. A significance level of P < .05 was accepted as statistically significant. RESULTS: The sex of the physician did not affect his/her responses. Older physicians believe that the OR team has an ethical and legal responsibility to wear surgical masks; masks are worn to prevent the spread of disease, not because it is tradition to do so; masks protect the wearer more than do face shields; and wearing face shields alone will subject the patient to higher rates of SSIs. Surgeons are more likely than are anesthesiologists to wear surgical masks in the OR and wear a surgical mask and a face shield if the patient has risk factors for a blood borne infection. CONCLUSIONS: According to our survey, age and profession were the most important variables that affected the potential use of surgical masks and face shields. Younger OR physicians likely would be amenable to using face shields in addition to masks in the OR to protect themselves from exposure to blood or bodily fluids. PMID- 17765558 TI - Evaluation of a new mobile system for protecting immune-suppressed patients against airborne contamination. AB - BACKGROUND: Invasive aspergillosis is one of the most lethal airborne dangers for immune-suppressed subjects. Providing patient protection from such airborne threats requires costly and high-maintenance facilities. We herein evaluate a new self-contained mobile unit as an alternative for creating a patient protective environment. METHODS: Airborne contamination levels were monitored for different simulated scenarios and under actual clinical conditions. Functional tests were used to challenge the unit under adverse conditions, and a preliminary clinical study with patients and staff present was performed at 2 different French hospitals. RESULTS: Functional tests demonstrated that the unit can rapidly decontaminate air in the protected zone created by the unit and in the surrounding room. In addition, the protected zone is not sensitive to large disturbances that occur in the room. The clinical study included 4 patients with 150 accumulated days of testing. The protected zone created by the unit systematically provided an environment with undetectable airborne fungal levels (ie, <1 CFU/m(3)) regardless of the levels in the room or corridor (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: These tests show that the unit can be used to create a mobile protective environment for immune-suppressed patients in a standard hospital setting. PMID- 17765559 TI - A survey of human cases of H5N1 avian influenza reported by the WHO before June 2006 for infection control. AB - H5N1 avian influenza has been widely spreading in fowl in the Eastern Hemisphere and has caused hundreds of severe human cases. Here, information regarding the 224 human cases of H5N1 avian influenza reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) before June 2006 were surveyed and analyzed. The results suggested that human infections escalated in the past 3 years and that control of animal H5N1 influenza, avoidance of high-risk behaviors, and proper disposal of diseased or dead fowl are vital for the prevention of human infections. Age distribution of the human cases demonstrated that older people are more immune to the infection, possibly because of the cross protectivity induced by their previous infection with human influenza A viruses. This survey also suggested that live vaccines against human influenza may be of utility in the prevention of avian influenza virus infection in humans and that new preventive measures should be considered for the control of animal H5N1 influenza epidemics, which are likely more numerous than indicated by official reports. PMID- 17765560 TI - Isolation status and voice prompts improve hand hygiene. AB - BACKGROUND: Barrier precautions (gowns and gloves) prevent horizontal transmission of pathogens. Nosocomial infections have been linked to poor hand hygiene. Isolation rooms for infection control improve hand hygiene and decrease nosocomial infections. We hypothesized that both patient isolation and electronic hand hygiene prompts incrementally improve hand hygiene of health care workers compared with nonisolation rooms. METHODS: A prospective, 14.5-month, 3-phase electronic surveillance study of hand hygiene behavior on an intermediate care unit with 9 patient rooms (3 isolation rooms, 6 nonisolation rooms) was conducted. (phase I: electronic observation, phase II: electronic observation with automated voice messages urging hand hygiene, phase III: electronic observation). Electronic sensors monitored room entries and exits and use of all sinks and all soap dispensers. Phases compared by 2 x 3 Tables, and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported. RESULTS: Phase I (1616 patient-days) health care workers were 49% more likely to wash their hands in isolation rooms versus nonisolation rooms (OR, 1.49; 95% CI: 1.17-1.88). Phase II (1390 patient-days) and phase III (543 patient-days) health care workers were 59% more likely to wash their hands in isolation versus nonisolation rooms (OR, 1.59; 95% CI: 1.17-2.14), P = .001. CONCLUSION: Health care workers improve hand hygiene when constrained by isolation rooms. Electronic voice prompts further improve hand hygiene behavior. Both physical and auditory reminders improve hand hygiene. PMID- 17765561 TI - Tattooing in prisons--not such a pretty picture. AB - BACKGROUND: Tattooing in prison represents a unique combination of risk factors for blood borne virus (BBV) transmission because it is illicitly performed by untrained operators with homemade, unsterile, and frequently-shared equipment. It occurs in a setting where a high proportion of people are already infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and other BBVs. OBJECTIVES: This study measured the frequency of tattoo acquisition by prisoners inside and outside prison, and the associations between tattooing, injecting drug use, and HCV infection risk. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in correctional facilities in Victoria, Australia. Participants completed a questionnaire that asked about injecting drug use and tattooing and provided a finger-prick blood sample that was tested for HCV antibody. RESULTS: Six hundred and forty-two prisoners participated in the study; 449 had ever been tattooed, of whom 182 (41%) had been tattooed in adult or juvenile prison. Of the participants who were not tattooed professionally, 27% reported someone using the same needle, and 42% reported someone had used the ink before them. Prisoners with a history of drug injection were more likely to have a tattoo and to have acquired a tattoo in prison (OR 3.0; CI 1.7-5.4). The HCV antibody-positive prisoners were more likely to have acquired a tattoo in prison compared with HCV antibody-negative prisoners. CONCLUSIONS: Acquiring a tattoo in prison was common and the reports of sharing the tattooing needle and ink was high, placing prisoners at risk of acquiring HCV through tattooing in prison. Trials need to be undertaken that evaluate the risk and benefits of legal tattoos in prison. PMID- 17765562 TI - On-site influenza vaccination arrangements improved influenza vaccination rate of employees of a tertiary hospital in Singapore. AB - BACKGROUND: On-site vaccination arrangements were introduced in 2005 to improve influenza vaccination rate among employees of a 1500-bed tertiary hospital in Singapore. METHODS: On-site arrangements include mobile teams to 3 distant departments and same-service area vaccination for employees at 4 service areas. RESULTS: Influenza vaccination rate in 2005 was 66.4% (versus 56.8% in 2004, odds ratio 1.50, 95% confidence interval 1.39-1.62). Employees who attended on-site arrangements had higher influenza vaccination rate (97.0%). CONCLUSION: On-site vaccination arrangements improved influenza vaccination rate among hospital employees. PMID- 17765563 TI - Pandemic influenza preparedness: a survey of businesses. AB - Several Omaha businesses were surveyed on pandemic influenza preparedness and general disaster preparedness. Most businesses had started pandemic influenza planning, but few had exercised the plan or used it to educate employees. Responses provided insight into the status of business planning. The survey uncovered a need for providing assistance to businesses in pandemic preparedness as well as training in infection control in the workplace, which should be a niche for infection control professionals. PMID- 17765564 TI - Absence of pharyngeal shedding of vaccinia following smallpox vaccination. AB - To examine oral shedding of vaccinia in volunteers who were recently vaccinated against smallpox, pharyngeal swabs were collected for viral culture between days 3 and 5 and days 6 and 8 after vaccination with diluted Sanofi Pasteur smallpox vaccine. From 102 adult volunteers (48 vaccinia-naive, 54 vaccinia-experienced), vaccinia was not detected in any specimen (0/201, 95% confidence interval, 0 1.8), which suggests a lack of oral shedding of vaccinia after immunization. This supports recommendations that individuals who were recently vaccinated against smallpox do not require placement in airborne or droplet precautions. PMID- 17765565 TI - A modified "cover your cough" campaign prevents exposures of employees to pertussis at a children's hospital. AB - BACKGROUND: In the 4th quarter of 2004, there was an increase in patients seeking medical care for pertussis symptoms at the Children's Hospital, Omaha, NE. The Hospital Epidemiology service noted a sharp rise in exposures of Children's Hospital employees to these patients, requiring employee testing, prophylactic antibiotic prescriptions, and relief from duty. METHODS: Initial efforts at employee education failed to prevent the exposures. An exposure-control plan was then initiated by placing "Cover Your Cough" posters (in English and Spanish) describing appropriate cough etiquette at entrances to the emergency room, outpatient clinics, and hospital lobby. In addition, personal protective equipment (PPE) including child- and adult-sized masks, hand sanitizers, and tissues were provided at these stations for patients and their attendants. RESULTS: Prior to the initiation of the above exposure control measures, there were 166 reports of employee exposure to patients and other employees with pertussis symptoms during a 4-week period. Of these, 140 were given prophylactic antibiotics, and 31 underwent diagnostic testing for pertussis and required paid time off from work. The cost of antibiotics and diagnostic testing was $17,407.00. After the introduction of the modified "Cover Your Cough" campaign, the number of employee exposures declined significantly to 37 in the next 4-week period. Notably, the number of patients tested for pertussis during the second 4 week period was 290 compared to 162 in the first 4-week period, indicating continuation of the epidemic. CONCLUSIONS: Availability of PPE along with posters regarding cough etiquette at entry points of the hospital interrupted employee exposure to patients/personnel with pertussis symptoms significantly, when an employee educational initiative alone was unable to achieve this outcome. PMID- 17765566 TI - Multislice spiral computed tomography of a malignant single coronary artery. PMID- 17765567 TI - Elastomeric surgical sealant for hemostasis of cardiovascular anastomosis under full heparinization. AB - PURPOSE: We developed a novel surgical sealant, a viscous diisocyanated prepolymer, applicable to arterial hemostasis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate hemostatic effect of this surgical sealant under heparinized conditions. METHODS: The effectiveness of this sealant was verified by applying it to the end to-end anastomosis of canine carotid arteries. Five mongrel dogs were used. After a complete heparinization, the carotid arteries were clamped, divided, and end-to end anastomoses were performed with four simple interrupted sutures. The sealant was coated on the anastomosis. After 5 min the clamps were removed and the hemostatic effect was evaluated. Three dogs were immediately subjected to macroscopic evaluation. Two dogs were subjected to angiography after 3 months and 16 months, respectively. RESULTS: No bleeding occurred in any of the anastomoses immediately after the removal of the clamp. Macroscopic finding revealed no leakage of the sealant into the lumen. Carotid angiography revealed patent anastomoses without stenosis. CONCLUSION: A novel surgical sealant exhibited rapid and potent hemostatic effect on a moisturized tissue under full heparinization. PMID- 17765568 TI - The impact of acute myeloid leukemia and its treatment on quality of life and functional status in older adults. AB - Although intensive chemotherapy (IC) may modestly improve survival compared to supportive care in older people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), treatment may worsen quality of life (QOL) and functional status. We assessed QOL and functional status at baseline, 1 month, 4 months, and 6 months in 65 consecutive, English-speaking, patients age 60 or older with newly diagnosed AML. At baseline, functional status was high but QOL was negatively affected in global health and most QOL domains. Over time, QOL remained stable or improved in most patients and was generally similar between IC and non-IC groups. Basic activities of daily living (ADL) scores did not change over time, whereas instrumental ADL scores declined slightly regardless of treatment. Receiving IC does not appear to lead to worse QOL or functional status than more palliative approaches. This information may aid treatment discussions in older patients with AML. PMID- 17765569 TI - Region-specific reduction of Gbeta4 expression and induction of the phosphorylation of PKB/Akt and ERK1/2 by aging in rat brain. AB - This study was designed to investigate the change of expression level of G protein beta(4) subunit (Gbeta(4)) and the activity of PKB/Akt and ERK1/2 during aging process. Both mRNA and protein levels of Gbeta(4) and the induction of phosphorylation of PKB/Akt and ERK1/2 were examined in nine regions of brain (frontal cortex, striatum, hypothalamus, hippocampus, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, thalamic area, brainstem, and amygdala-septum-preoptic area) from weanling (3-week-old), young (12-week-old), adult (24-week-old), and aged (80- or 96-week-old) rats. Aging process (defined as the comparison of 12-week-old young rats with 96-week-old aged rats in this study) significantly reduced Gbeta(4) mRNA (in all testing regions except striatum and thalamic area) and protein expression (except hypothalamus and hippocampus). Aging process also caused a significant increase in the phosphorylation of both PKB/Akt in striatum, hippocampus, cerebellum and thalamic area, and ERK1/2 in all testing regions. Although the precise relationship between increased activities of PKB/Akt and ERK1/2 by aging and decreased expression of Gbeta(4) remains unknown, current data represent the first demonstration of a change in Gbeta(4) expression with age in rat brain and suggest that an age-related alteration in expression level of Gbeta(4) may, at least in part, play an important role in aging processes. PMID- 17765571 TI - Discrimination of 16 structural isomers of fucosyl galactoside based on energy resolved mass spectrometry. AB - Glycans, a family of compounds often attached to proteins and ceramides, are diverse molecules involved in a wide range of biological functions. Their structural analysis is necessary and is often carried out at the microscale level. Methods based on mass spectrometry are therefore used, although they do not provide information regarding isomeric structures often found in glycan structures. If one finds "factors" characteristic of a certain isomer, this information can be used to elucidate an unknown oligosaccharide sequence. One potential technique is to use energy-resolved mass spectrometry (ERMS) that has been used to distinguish a pair of isomeric compounds. Thus, compounds in a combinatorial library might be effectively used for this purpose. We analyzed a set of 16 isomeric disaccharides, the structures of which consisted of all possible combinations of anomeric configurations and interglycosidic linkage positions. All of the compounds were distinguished based on ERMS where normal collision-induced dissociation could distinguish only seven compounds. Furthermore, it was shown that alpha-glycosidic linkages of fucose were more reactive than the beta-isomers and the secondary glycosides were more reactive than the primary glycosides. PMID- 17765572 TI - Tit-for-tat: the neural basis of reactive aggression. AB - Aggressive behavior is a basic form of human social interaction, yet little is known about its neural substrates. We used a laboratory task to investigate the neural correlates of reactive aggression using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The task is disguised as a reaction-time competition between the subject and two opponents and entitles the winner to punish the loser. It seeks to elicit aggression by provocation of the subject. As each single trial in this task is separated into a decision phase, during which the severity of the prospective punishment of the opponent is set, and an outcome phase, during which the actual punishment is applied or received, the paradigm enables us to analyze the neural events during each of these phases. Specific neural responses in areas related to negative affect, cognitive control and reward processing provide additional information about the cognitive, emotional and motivational processes underlying reactive aggressive behavior and afford us with the possibility to test and expand theories on aggression such as the General Aggression Model. PMID- 17765573 TI - Different analysis solutions for different spatial resolutions? Moving towards a mesoscopic mapping of functional architecture in the human brain. AB - This comment challenges the dichtotomy that Kriegeskorte and Bandettini (this issue) propose to exist between "activation-based" and "information-based" approaches to fMRI analyses and argues that multi-variate analyses are just a special case within the overall repertoire of methods for analyzing paradigm related BOLD signal variations. Moreover, this comment argues that using multi variate approaches comes at a price, trading-off spatial resolution for sensitivity, and thus partially cancels potential benefits from high-field fMRI. Paradoxically, this comment thus concludes that pattern analyses provide a powerful complement to existing methods but not the complement that will actually permit to map functional architecture at mesoscopic resolution, i.e., one of the most interesting applications of high-field fMRI. PMID- 17765574 TI - Isoflurane anesthesia effect in functional imaging studies. PMID- 17765575 TI - Phylogenetic study of Eleutherodactylus coqui (Anura: Leptodactylidae) reveals deep genetic fragmentation in Puerto Rico and pinpoints origins of Hawaiian populations. PMID- 17765576 TI - Contextual learning induces an increase in the number of hippocampal CA1 neurons expressing high levels of BDNF. AB - We examined behaviorally induced expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in area CA1 of the hippocampus. Sprague-Dawley rats were trained in a contextual fear conditioning (CFC) task, sacrificed 4h later, and their brains were processed for immunohistochemistry. We found distinctively high levels of BDNF immunoreactivity in a small number ( approximately 1%) of CA1 neurons in untrained animals. The number of these exceptional neurons, which are identified as BDNF(++) in this study, was increased by up to approximately 3% after CFC. This increase was blocked in the presence of a memory-impairing dose of a NMDA receptor antagonist (MK801 0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) given 30 min prior to training. The BDNF signal intensity in BDNF(++) neurons correlated with that of surrounding glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 65. This correlation between GAD65 and BDNF signal intensities suggests that BDNF upregulation was associated with increased signaling via inhibitory GABAergic synapses that would lessen further intervening neuronal activity. Our observation that neurons which upregulate BDNF expression following a learning experience are rich in GAD65-enriched afferent synapses suggests that these neurons may have distinct roles in memory consolidation. PMID- 17765577 TI - A cysteine endopeptidase from tick (Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus) larvae with vitellin digestion activity. AB - The hard tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is a blood-sucking ectoparasite. R. microplus free-living stage comprises egg development, hatching, and subsequent larval development until encountering a host. In order to complete the embryological development, this tick relies on yolk reserve substances, mainly vitellin (Vt), which is still present in the larval stage. The present study demonstrates presence and digestion of Vt in unfed R. microplus larvae. An increasing proteolytic activity is observed in larval development, as well as a decrease in total protein and in Vt content. Partial purification and characterization of a R. microplus larval cysteine endopeptidase (RmLCE) with Vt degrading activity is also described. RmLCE has optimal activity at 37 degrees C at pH 5.0, being unstable at pH > or =7.5. This enzyme is active upon fluorogenic peptide substrates and is able to degrade Vt, its putative natural substrate. These results indicate that RmLCE has a role in supporting the nutritional needs of unfed R. microplus larva through Vt proteolysis, allowing survival until the first blood meal. PMID- 17765578 TI - Carotenoids in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus: occurrence of 9'-cis echinenone as the dominant carotenoid in gonad colour determination. AB - Regular sampling of wild Paracentrotus lividus was carried out over a 12-month period to examine seasonal effects on the pigment profile and content of the gonads, especially in comparison to gonad colour. The major pigments detected in the gut wall were breakdown products of fucoxanthin, namely fucoxanthinol and amarouciaxanthin A. Lower levels of other dietary carotenoids (lutein and beta carotene) together with some carotenoids not found in the diet, namely isozeaxanthin and echinenone ( approximately 20% total carotenoid) were also detected in the gut wall. The presence of echinenone in the gut wall demonstrates that this organ acts as a major site of carotenoid metabolism. Echinenone is the dominant carotenoid in the gonads, accounting for approx. 50-60% of the total pigment. Both all-trans and 9'-cis forms of echinenone were detected in both the gut wall and in the gonad, with levels of the 9'-cis form typically 10-fold greater than the all-trans form in the gonad. The detection of large levels of 9' cis-echinenone in wild sea urchins is unexpected due to the absence of 9- or 9' cis forms of carotenoids in the natural, algal, diet. Whilst echinenone clearly contributes towards gonad pigmentation, levels of this carotenoid, cannot be directly linked to a qualitative assessment of gonad colour in terms of market acceptability. Indeed, unacceptable gonad colouration can be seen with both very low and high levels of echinenone and total carotenoid. The presence of 9'-cis echinenone as the major carotenoid contributing to the pigmentation/colour of the gonad is an important observation in terms of developing artificial diets for urchin cultivation. PMID- 17765580 TI - Ulnar nerve anatomy. AB - The anatomy of the ulnar nerve is described from its origin at the brachial plexus to its termination in the hand and digits. The critical anatomy surrounding the cubital tunnel and Guyon canal is emphasized, and clinically relevant anatomic variations, muscle anomalies, and peripheral nerve anastomoses are described. PMID- 17765581 TI - Ulnar nerve laceration and repair. AB - Patient age, the site and extent of the injury, and the delay of treatment significantly influence the outcome after repair of ulnar nerve injuries. Ulnar nerve repairs in older patients, high-level injury, and delayed cases may result in a poor prognosis. High-level lesions and lesions that are close to the elbow can also benefit from nerve transposition. Splinting in wrist flexion and/or elbow extension with carpal tunnel and Guyon's canal releases are necessary for lesions that are closer to the wrist. Arterial repairs combined with nerve repairs especially in low-level injury can provide superior outcomes. PMID- 17765582 TI - Ulnar tunnel syndrome. AB - As our understanding of the anatomy of the ulnar tunnel has increased, so too has our ability to clinically predict the specific sites of compression in ulnar tunnel syndrome. Anatomic studies have described in detail the course of the ulnar nerve as it passes through the ulnar tunnel and have helped correlate symptoms with anatomic location. Although the most common cause of compression is from a ganglion, other space-occupying lesions, such as tumors, anomalous muscles, or a thrombosed ulnar artery, are important to consider in the initial evaluation of the patient. While conservative management can sometimes be successful, the mainstay of treatment of this condition remains meticulous surgical exploration and decompression. PMID- 17765583 TI - Natural history and conservative management of cubital tunnel syndrome. AB - Successful treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome requires obtaining a history of the physical and environmental factors involved for each patient, conducting a thorough physical examination, and staging and implementing an individually tailored treatment plan. Rest and avoiding pressure on the nerve by activity modification might be sufficient. If symptoms persist, splint immobilization of the elbow is warranted. Keep in mind that the natural history of untreated cubital tunnel syndrome includes spontaneous improvement in approximately half of patients. PMID- 17765584 TI - In situ decompression of the ulnar nerve at the cubital tunnel. AB - Cubital tunnel syndrome is a clinical entity that has been described for more than a century. Numerous conservative and surgical treatments have evolved to address this condition, but a consensus has yet to emerge regarding optimal treatment. Evidence suggests a limited but potentially valuable role for in situ decompression of the ulnar nerve at the cubital tunnel. Future research will undoubtedly clarify this role and contribute to the development of a standard treatment protocol. PMID- 17765585 TI - Medial epicondylectomy. AB - Cubital tunnel syndrome is a common but complicated ulnar neuropathy that needs to be carefully evaluated and classified before developing a cohesive plan of attack. In situ decompression/with medial epicondylectomy (ISD/ME) can be a viable treatment option for all preoperative grades of cubital tunnel syndrome, but may not necessarily be the treatment of choice, based on information gathered from the patient's preoperative evaluation. We outline a comprehensive list of indications for treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome by ISD/ME. If one adheres to these indications, and abides by the technique of a partial medial epicondylar excision, as advocated by O'Driscoll, Amako, and others, the results indicate that patients should have an acceptable outcome. PMID- 17765586 TI - Anterior subcutaneous transposition of the ulnar nerve. AB - Anterior, subcutaneous ulnar nerve transposition decompresses the ulnar nerve and, by transposing anterior to the medial epicondyle, eliminates longitudinal traction forces applied to the nerve during elbow flexion. This article reviews the indications and contraindications of the technique and describes the surgical technique in detail. PMID- 17765587 TI - Anterior submuscular transposition. AB - The article begins with the history of the development of anterior submuscular transposition. The technique for musculofascial lengthening and correction of the pathophysiology of ulnar nerve compression are described along with results and complications. Also described is an approach to the patient for whom ulnar nerve surgery has failed. PMID- 17765588 TI - Failed surgery for ulnar nerve compression at the elbow. AB - Surgical procedures for the treatment of ulnar nerve compression at the elbow are well described. Studies have reported clinical outcomes after decompression of the nerve without transposition and decompression with transposition. Numerous preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors contribute to failure of the surgical procedures. Although the techniques available for revision decompression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow are similar to those used in the primary setting, the results after repeat surgical intervention are less predictable. PMID- 17765589 TI - Late reconstruction for ulnar nerve palsy. AB - Long term paralysis of the ulnar nerve is associated with an array of specific deficits and deformities. The numerous options for reconstruction are reviewed, as well as the specific patient considerations in selecting a strategy. An approach to late reconstruction for late ulnar nerve palsy is presented based upon the authors' experience and the available literature. PMID- 17765590 TI - Antinociceptive effects of tramadol and acepromazine in cats. AB - Effects of tramadol and acepromazine on pressure and thermal thresholds were examined in eight cats. After baseline measurements, subcutaneous (SC) tramadol 1 mg/kg, acepromazine 0.1 mg/kg, tramadol 1 mg/kg with acepromazine 0.1 mg/kg, or saline 0.3 ml were given. Serial measurements were made for 24 h. Mean thermal thresholds did not change significantly [analysis of variance (ANOVA)] from baseline. The maximum thermal threshold increase above baseline was 2.8+/-2.8 degrees C at 6 h (P>0.05) after tramadol; it was above the 95% confidence interval (CI) at 0.75, 3 and 6 h. Pressure thresholds increased above baseline from 0.25 to 2 h after acepromazine (P<0.05) and from 0.5 to 3 h after the combination (P<0.05), with a maximum increase of 132+/-156 mmHg 0.25 h after acepromazine and 197+/-129 mmHg 0.5 h after the combination. Pressure thresholds were above the 95% CI from 0.25 to 2 h after acepromazine and from 0.5 to 3 h after the combination. SC tramadol at 1 mg/kg in cats had limited effect on thermal and pressure nociception, but this was enhanced by acepromazine. Acepromazine alone had pressure antinociceptive effects. PMID- 17765591 TI - Retrospective analysis of seizures associated with feline infectious peritonitis in cats. AB - Seizures have been reported frequently in feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) but have not been studied in detail in association with this disease. The purpose of this study was to perform a retrospective analysis of neurological signs in a population of 55 cats with a histopathologically confirmed neurological form of FIP. Seizure patterns were determined and it was attempted to relate occurrence of seizures with age, breed, sex and neuropathological features. Fourteen cats had seizure(s), while 41 cats had no history of seizure(s). Generalised tonic clonic seizures were seen in nine cats; and complex focal seizures were observed in four patients. The exact type of seizure could not be determined in one cat. Status epilepticus was observed in one patient but seizure clusters were not encountered. Occurrence of seizures was not related to age, sex, breed or intensity of the inflammation in the central nervous system. However, seizures were significantly more frequent in animals with marked extension of the inflammatory lesions to the forebrain (P=0.038). Thus, the occurrence of seizures in FIP indicates extensive brain damage and can, therefore, be considered to be an unfavourable prognostic sign. PMID- 17765592 TI - Bradyarrhythmia in an anaesthetised, elderly, hypertensive cat. AB - A 14-year-old neutered male domestic shorthaired cat was presented to the University Veterinary Centre Sydney for evaluation and treatment of dental disease. This cat developed an unusual bradyarrhythmia under anaesthesia. The possible causes and treatment of the dysrythmia are discussed. PMID- 17765593 TI - [Physiology of implantation]. AB - This article explains why we have had to come to a central role for innate immunity rather than the threat of maternal rejection of the foetal allograft. We encompass briefly the role of inflammation in implantation, not only for invasion adhesion, but also to prepare future "tolerance". In this context, we envisage the role of TWEAK and complement. PMID- 17765594 TI - [Obstetrics and patient's information: between the fairy tale and the fool's game, where do our routine practice and its evaluation stand?]. PMID- 17765596 TI - Flavin-containing monooxygenases in plants: looking beyond detox. AB - Flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) are known in bacteria, yeast and mammals where they catalyze the transfer of one atom of molecular O(2) to low molecular weight substrates. The predominant physiological function of animal FMOs appears to be detoxification of a vast spectrum of xenobiotics but until recently very little was known about the function of FMOs in plants. In the last two to three years, genetic and biochemical characterization has shown that plant FMOs can catalyze specific steps in the biosynthesis of auxin or in the metabolism of glucosinolates, and, furthermore, have a role in pathogen defence. Thus, plant FMOs hint that further FMO functions might be identified also in non-plant organisms and could stimulate novel research in this area. PMID- 17765595 TI - Canalization without flux sensors: a traveling-wave hypothesis. AB - In 1969, Tsvi Sachs published his seminal hypothesis of vascular development in plants: the canalization hypothesis. A positive feedback loop between the flux of the phytohormone auxin and the cells' auxin transport capacity would canalize auxin progressively into discrete channels, which would then differentiate into vascular tissues. Recent experimental studies confirm the central role of polar auxin flux in plant vasculogenesis, but it is unclear if and by which mechanism plant cells could respond to auxin flux. In this Opinion article, we review auxin perception mechanisms and argue that these respond more likely to auxin concentrations than to auxin flux. We propose an alternative mechanism for polar auxin channeling, which is more consistent with recent molecular observations. PMID- 17765597 TI - Cortical division zone establishment in plant cells. AB - Plant cell division is spatially organized to maintain a critical cell volume and to control growth directionality. The correct orientation of the separating cell wall is secured by means of specialized cytoskeletal structures that guide the newly formed cell plate toward a predefined cortical position. A ring of microtubules called preprophase band defines a cortical zone that corresponds to the future division plane. Coincident with the disappearance of the preprophase band microtubules, cortical actin is removed at the corresponding position, leaving an actin-depleted zone that persists throughout mitosis. Here, we review the spatial and structural organization of the cortical division zone and discuss evidence that implicate the plasma membrane in division plane establishment. PMID- 17765598 TI - The missing link: inter-organellar connections in mitochondria and peroxisomes? PMID- 17765599 TI - Using phosphoproteomics to reveal signalling dynamics in plants. AB - To ensure appropriate responses to stimuli, organisms have evolved signalling networks that rely on post-translational modifications of their components. Among these, protein phosphorylation has a prominent role and much research in plants has focused on protein kinases and phosphatases, which, respectively, catalyse phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of specific substrates. Technical limitations, however, have hampered the identification of these substrates. As reviewed here, novel mass spectrometry-based techniques have enabled the large scale mapping of in vivo phosphorylation sites. Alternatively, methods based on peptide and protein microarrays have revealed protein kinase activities in cell extracts, in addition to kinase substrates. A combined phosphoproteomic approach of mass spectrometry and microarray technology could enhance the construction of dynamic plant signalling networks that underlie plant biology. PMID- 17765600 TI - Immunoglobulin-like domains on bacteriophage: weapons of modest damage? AB - Recent work has shown that Immunoglobulin-like (Ig-like) domains occur frequently on the surface of tailed dsDNA bacteriophages. Several of these Ig-like domains are added to bacteriophage structural proteins via programmed ribosomal frameshifts, and their evolutionary patterns suggest that they can be exchanged by horizontal transfer, independently of the protein to which they are attached. We propose that Ig-like domains on phages interact with carbohydrates on the cell surface and facilitate phage adsorption. Furthermore, Ig-like domains appear to be one of a number of conserved domains displayed on phage surfaces that serve to increase infectivity by binding to or degrading polysaccharides. PMID- 17765601 TI - FT-IR, FT-Raman spectra and quantum chemical calculations of 3,4 dimethoxyaniline. AB - In this work, we will report a combined experimental and theoretical study on molecular and vibrational structure of 3,4-dimethoxyaniline (3,4-DMA). The Fourier transform infrared and Fourier transform Raman spectra of 3,4-DMA was recorded in the solid phase. The optimized geometry was calculated by HF and B3LYP methods using 6-31G(d,p) and 6-311++G(d,p) basis sets. The harmonic vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities, Raman scattering activities and the thermodynamic functions of the title compound were performed at and HF/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theories. The scaled theoretical wavenumber showed very good agreement with the experimental values. A detailed interpretation of the infrared and Raman spectra of 3,4-DMA was reported. The theoretical spectrograms for IR and Raman spectra of the title molecule have been constructed. PMID- 17765602 TI - Crystal growth of phase matchable new organic nonlinear optical material for UV laser generation. AB - L-histidinium tetrafluorosuccinate (L-HFS), an organic nonlinear optical material has been synthesized and characterized by the elemental analysis, FT-IR, FT-NMR and X-ray diffraction studies. Solubility of L-HFS was found to be higher in water than ethanol. Single crystals with dimensions 10 mm x 6 mm x 3 mm were grown in an aqueous solution by the slow evaporation technique at 30 degrees C. The thermal stability of L-HFS has been analyzed by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses (TGA and DTA). The UV-vis spectral study reveals that the material has a wide optical transparency in the entire visible region with the lower cutoff wavelength at 235 nm. The phase matching condition was obtained by Kurtz powder second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency test. The laser damage threshold of the grown crystal was measured using a Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm). PMID- 17765603 TI - Absorption spectroscopic and FTIR studies on EDA complexes between TNT (2,4,6 trinitrotoluene) with amines in DMSO and determination of the vertical electron affinity of TNT. AB - TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) formed deep red 1:1 CT complexes with chromogenic agents like isopropylamine, ethylenediamine, bis(3-aminopropyl)amine and tetraethylenepentamine in DMSO. The complexes were also observed in solvents like methanol, acetone, etc. when the amines were present in large excess. The isopropylamine, complex showed three absorption peaks (at 378, 532 and 629 nm) whereas higher amines showed four peaks (at 370, 463, 532 and 629 nm). The peak at 463 nm vanished rapidly. The peak of the complexes near 530 nm required about 8-10 min to develop and the complexes were stable for about an hour but the peak slowly shifted towards 500 nm and the complexes were found to be stable for more than 24 h. The evidence of complex formation was obtained from distinct spots in HPTLC plates and from the shifts in frequencies and formation of new peaks in FTIR spectra. The peaks near 460 nm (transient) and 530 nm may be due to Janovsky reaction but could not be established. The extinction coefficients of the complexes were determined directly which enabled the accurate determination of the association constants KDA with TNT and amines in stoichiometric ratios. The results were verified using iterative method. The quantification of TNT was made using epsilon value of the complex with ethylenediamine. The vertical electron affinity (EA) of TNT was calculated using the method suggested by Mulliken. PMID- 17765604 TI - Reliability of quantitative EEG features. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability of several well-known quantitative EEG (qEEG) features in the elderly in the resting, eyes closed condition and study the effects of epoch length and channel derivations on reliability. METHODS: Fifteen healthy adults, over 50 years of age, underwent 10 EEG recordings over a 2-month period. Various qEEG features derived from power spectral, coherence, entropy and complexity analysis of the EEG were computed. Reliability was quantified using an intraclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The highest reliability was obtained with the average montage, reliability increased with epoch length up to 40s, longer epochs gave only marginal improvement. The reliability of the qEEG features was highest for power spectral parameters, followed by regularity measures based on entropy and complexity, coherence being least reliable. CONCLUSIONS: Montage and epoch length had considerable effects on reliability. Several apparently unrelated regularity measures had similar stability. Reliability of coherence measures was strongly dependent on channel location and frequency bands. SIGNIFICANCE: The reliability of regularity measures has until now received limited attention. Low reliability of coherence measures in general may limit their usefulness in the clinical setting. PMID- 17765605 TI - The role of intra-operative motor evoked potentials in the optimization of chronic cortical stimulation for the treatment of neuropathic pain. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the significance of intra-operative motor evoked potentials (MEPs) obtained by monopolar and bipolar stimulation in determining the location of the electrode(s) giving most pain relief in chronic motor cortex stimulation (MCS). METHODS: Eight patients with chronic refractory neuropathic pain were implanted epidurally with two parallel leads of four electrodes each and placed normal to the central sulcus (CS). We measured the peak-peak amplitude (V(p-p)) of the MEPs recorded intra-operatively at the contralateral hand with the same stimulus delivered by each single electrode used as an anode or a cathode. Those electrodes giving the largest MEPs in monopolar stimulation were also tested in bipolar stimulation with an adjacent electrode located on the same or the other lead. It was analyzed whether a relation was present between the electrode providing the largest V(p-p) in the monopolar condition and the bipolar combination selected for chronic stimulation. RESULTS: In monopolar stimulation the median amplitude of MEPs evoked with an anode was 59% larger than with a cathode. The mean amplitude of the bipolarly evoked MEPs was only 21% and 37%, respectively, of the corresponding monopoles when the anode and cathode were separated by 6mm and by more than 8mm. A significant pain relief was obtained in 5 out of 8 patients post-operatively. In all these patients, one of the cathodes used in chronic stimulation was one of the anodes producing the largest MEP intra operatively. Conversely, in the 3 patients who did not benefit from MCS, one of the cathodes used in chronic stimulation was one of the cathodes producing the largest MEPs intra-operatively. CONCLUSIONS: Monopolar stimulation should be applied in intra-operative neurophysiological testing because, contrary to bipolar stimulation, the corresponding MEPs are unambiguously related to a single stimulating electrode and their amplitude is not affected by the anode-cathode distance. The anode providing the largest MEPs intra-operatively should be selected as the cathode in chronic stimulation. However, implantable pulse generators allowing monopolar (cathodal and anodal) stimulation for MCS should become available to compare the respective analgesic efficacy of monopolar and bipolar chronic cortical stimulation. SIGNIFICANCE: Intra-operative MEP recordings can predict which electrode should be used as the cathode to obtain the best analgesic effect with chronic MCS. PMID- 17765606 TI - Differences in after-effect between monophasic and biphasic high-frequency rTMS of the human motor cortex. AB - OBJECTIVE: To study differences in the long-term after-effect between high frequency, monophasic and biphasic repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). METHODS: Ten hertz rTMS was delivered over the left primary motor cortex and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the right first dorsal interosseous muscle. To probe motor cortex excitability we recorded MEPs at several timings before, during and after several types of conditioning rTMSs. We also recorded F-waves to probe spinal excitability changes. Thousand pulses were given in total, with a train of 10 Hz, 100 pulses delivered every minute (ten trains for 10min). The intensity was fixed at 90% active motor threshold (AMT) or 90% resting motor threshold (RMT) for both monophasic and biphasic rTMS. In addition, we performed a monophasic rTMS experiment using a fixed intensity of 90% RMT for biphasic pulses. RESULTS: At 90% AMT, MEPs were enhanced for a few minutes after both monophasic and biphasic rTMS. On the other hand, at 90% RMT, a larger and longer enhancement of MEPs was evoked after monophasic rTMS than after biphasic rTMS. Monophasic rTMS at an intensity adjusted to biphasic 90% RMT elicited a great enhancement similar to that after monophasic rTMS at monophasic 90% RMT. Neither F-wave amplitude nor its occurrence rate was significantly altered by 90% RMT monophasic rTMS. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that enhancement after rTMS occurs at the motor cortex. Monophasic rTMS has a stronger after-effect on motor cortical excitability than biphasic rTMS. This is probably because monophasic pulses preferentially activate a relatively uniform population of neurons oriented in the same direction and their effects summate more readily than biphasic rTMS activating differently oriented neurons at slight different timings altogether. SIGNIFICANCE: The present results suggest that when using rTMS as a therapeutic tool or in research fields, the waveforms of magnetic pulses may affect the results profoundly. PMID- 17765607 TI - Characterization of neonatal seizures by conventional EEG and single-channel EEG. AB - OBJECTIVE: To perform a detailed, contemporary temporal-spatial characterization of neonatal seizures (NS) and to compare conventional EEG (CEEG) to single channel EEG for NS detection. METHODS: Digitally recorded CEEGs were reviewed for NS characteristics (quantity, duration, location of onset, peak-to-peak amplitude). The presence and characteristics of each NS were simultaneously noted in a single, derived EEG channel (C3-->C4). RESULTS: Eight hundred fifty-one seizures from 125 CEEGs recorded were analyzed. Mean seizure rate was 7.0 NS/h (range: 0.5-21). Mean seizure burden (percent time CEEG showed NS at any location) was 24.8% (range: 0.7-86.9). Seizure rate was only moderately correlated with seizure burden (Spearman coefficient=0.58). Eighty-one percent of NS originated from central-temporal or midline vertex electrodes. Seventy-eight percent of NS appeared in the C3-->C4 channel. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate measurement of NS burden requires detailed temporal-spatial characterization. The theoretical ceiling of sensitivity for NS detection in the single EEG channel C3-->C4 is high. However, further processing the raw EEG in limited electrode arrays may reduce the sensitivity of NS detection. SIGNIFICANCE: CEEG is the gold standard for NS detection. However, reduced montage EEG techniques are increasingly available. This detailed contemporary temporal-spatial characterization of NS evaluates the potential limitations of reduced montage techniques. PMID- 17765608 TI - Impact of rate-modulated pacing on quality of life and exercise capacity- evidence from the Advanced Elements of Pacing Randomized Controlled Trial (ADEPT). AB - BACKGROUND: Ninety-nine percent of pacemakers implanted in the United States include an option for rate modulation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether dual-chamber rate-modulated pacing, when compared with dual chamber pacing alone, improved quality of life. METHODS: This was a single-blind randomized controlled trial comparing dual-chamber with rate-modulated dual chamber pacing. Patients were enrolled between January 12, 2000, and January 10, 2002, with 1-year follow-up ending December 19, 2002. The study was a U.S. multicenter trial, with 95 sites participating. All patients received a rate modulation-capable dual-chamber pacemaker for standard indications. Patients were screened with an exercise test (Chronotropic Assessment Exercise Protocol) 1 month later. One thousand two hundred seventy-three patients were enrolled; 401 proved ineligible, and 872 (68%) made up the randomized patient cohort. Randomized patients had a mean age of 71 years, 64% were men, and 64% had sinus node dysfunction. Randomization was in a factorial design to (1) dual-chamber rate-modulated pacing versus dual-chamber pacing and (2) automatic mode switching versus no automatic mode switching. The present report is limited to the comparison of rate modulation with no rate modulation (DDDR vs. DDD). The primary endpoint was the score on the Specific Activity Scale, an activity-based cardiovascular disease-specific instrument at 1 year. Secondary endpoints included 6-month treadmill time and additional cardiovascular disease-specific, and generic health-related quality-of-life instruments at 1 year. RESULTS: At 6 months, patients with rate modulation had a higher peak exercise heart rate (rate modulation 113.3 +/- 19.6, no rate modulation 101.1 +/- 21.1; P <.0001). Total exercise time was not different between groups. At 1 year, there were no significant differences between groups with respect to Specific Activity Scale or the secondary quality-of-life endpoints. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that rate modulation is ineffective in improving the functional status or quality of life of patients with a bradycardia indication for dual-chamber pacing. PMID- 17765609 TI - Rate-modulated pacing: are we adept at determining what is physiologic? PMID- 17765610 TI - Surface electrocardiogram characteristics of atrial tachycardias occurring after pulmonary vein isolation. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the surface electrocardiogram (ECG) morphology of common atrial tachycardias (ATs) that occur after pulmonary vein (PV) isolation. BACKGROUND: Focal ATs from reconnected PVs and macroreentrant mitral annular (MA) flutter are the most common form of ATs occurring after PV isolation. METHODS: Patients with persistent AT after PV isolation underwent mapping and ablation. Tachycardia origin and mechanism were determined using electroanatomic mapping and entrainment techniques. Patients with typical right atrial flutter occurring after PV isolation were also included for comparison. RESULTS: Thirty-nine tachycardias were identified in 36 patients, either focal left AT (n = 24) or MA flutter (n = 15). Focal ATs originated from reconnected segments of the right PVs (n = 14) and left PVs (n = 10). MA flutters were counterclockwise (CCL; n = 9) or clockwise (CL; n = 6). Patients with MA flutter had a shorter tachycardia cycle length (239 +/- 7 vs. 259 +/- 34 s; P <.05) than those with focal ATs. CCL MA flutter was positive in the inferior and precordial leads and had a significant negative component in leads I and aVL. CL MA flutter demonstrated the converse limb lead morphology with a significant negative F wave in the inferior leads and positive F wave in leads I and aVL. A negative component in lead I, when present, was best at differentiating CCL MA flutter from left PV ATs, while a positive F wave in lead I was best at differentiating CL MA flutter from CCL right atrial flutter. CONCLUSIONS: There are unique surface ECG characteristics for CL and CCL MA flutter and AT due to reconnected PVs; knowledge of these characteristics may help when planning an ablation strategy. PMID- 17765611 TI - Does left ventricular dyssynchrony immediately after acute myocardial infarction result in left ventricular dilatation? AB - BACKGROUND: Reverse remodeling of the left ventricle (LV) is one of the advantageous mechanisms of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Substantial LV dyssynchrony seems mandatory for echocardiographic response to CRT. Conversely, LV dyssynchrony early after acute myocardial infarction may result in LV dilatation during follow-up. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation between LV dyssynchrony early after acute myocardial infarction and the occurrence of long-term LV dilatation. METHODS: A total of 124 consecutive patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention were included. Within 48 hours of intervention, two-dimensional echocardiography was performed to assess LV volumes, LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and wall motion score index (WMSI). LV dyssynchrony was quantified using color-coded tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). At 6 month follow-up, LV volumes and LVEF were reassessed. RESULTS: Patients with substantial LV dyssynchrony (> or =65 ms) at baseline (18%) had comparable baseline characteristics to patients without substantial LV dyssynchrony (82%), except for a higher prevalence of multivessel coronary artery disease (P = .019), higher WMSI (P = .042), and higher peak levels of creatine phosphokinase (P = .021). During 6 months of follow-up, 91% of the patients with substantial LV dyssynchrony at baseline developed LV remodeling, compared with 2% in the patients without substantial LV dyssynchrony. LV dyssynchrony at baseline was strongly related to the extent of long-term LV dilatation at 6 months of follow up. CONCLUSION: Most patients with substantial LV dyssynchrony immediately after acute myocardial infarction develop LV dilatation during 6 months of follow-up. PMID- 17765612 TI - Calcium channel blockers and beta-blockers versus beta-blockers alone for preventing exercise-induced arrhythmias in catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. AB - BACKGROUND: The mainstay of therapy for catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is maximal doses of beta-blockers. However, although beta blockers prevent exercise-induced ventricular tachycardia (VT), most patients continue to have ventricular ectopy during exercise, and some studies report high mortality rates despite beta-blockade. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether combining a calcium channel blocker with beta-blockers would prevent ventricular arrhythmias during exercise better than beta-blockers alone since the mutations causing CPVT lead to intracellular calcium overload. METHODS: Five patients with CPVT and one with polymorphic VT (PVT) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who had exercise-induced ventricular ectopy despite beta-blocker therapy were studied. Symptom-limited exercise was first performed during maximal beta-blocker therapy and repeated after addition of oral verapamil. RESULTS: When comparing exercise during beta-blockers with exercise during beta-blockers + verapamil, exercise-induced arrhythmias were reduced: (1) Three patients had nonsustained VT on beta-blockers, and none of them had VT on combination therapy. (2) The number of ventricular ectopics during the whole exercise test went down from 78 +/- 59 beats to 6 +/- 8 beats; the ratio of ventricular ectopic to sinus beats during the 10-second period recorded at the time of the worst ventricular arrhythmia went down from 0.9 +/- 0.4 to 0.2 +/- 0.2. One patient with recurrent spontaneous VT leading to multiple shocks from her implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) despite maximal beta-blocker therapy (14 ICD shocks over 6 months while on beta-blockers) has remained free of arrhythmias (for 7 months) since the addition of verapamil therapy. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary evidence suggests that beta-blockers and calcium blockers could be better than beta-blockers alone for preventing exercise-induced arrhythmias in CPVT. PMID- 17765613 TI - Variability of coronary venous anatomy in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy: a high-speed rotational venography study. AB - BACKGROUND: Imaging the coronary venous (CV) tree to delineate the coronary sinus and its tributaries can facilitate electrophysiological procedures, such as cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and catheter ablation. Venography also allows visualization of the left atrial (LA) veins, which may be a potential conduit for ablative or pacing strategies given their proximity to foci that can trigger atrial fibrillation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to provide a detailed description of CV anatomy using rotational venography in patients undergoing CRT. METHODS: Coronary sinus (CS) size and the presence, size, and angulation of its tributaries were determined from the analysis of rotational CV angiograms from 51 patients (age 68 +/- 11 years; n = 12 women) undergoing CRT. RESULTS: The CS, posterior veins, and lateral veins were identified in 100%, 76%, and 91% of patients. Lateral veins were less prevalent in patients with a history of lateral myocardial infarction than in patients without such a history (33% vs. 96%; P = .014). The diameters of the CS and its tributaries were fairly variable (7.3-18.9 mm for CS, 1.3-10.5 mm for CS tributaries). The CS was larger in men than in women and in cases of ischemic than in cases of nonischemic cardiomyopathy (all P <.05). The vein of Marshall, the most constant LA vein, was identified in 37 patients; its diameter is 1.7 +/- 0.5 mm, and its takeoff angle is 154 degrees +/- 15 degrees , making the vein potentially accessible for cannulation. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in CV anatomy that are related to either gender or coronary artery disease could have important practical implications during the left ventricular lead implantation. The anatomical features of the vein of Marshall make it a feasible potential conduit for epicardial LA pacing. PMID- 17765614 TI - Left ventricular lead placement for cardiac resynchronization therapy: what you get is what you see! PMID- 17765615 TI - Endocardial catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia in patients with ventricular assist devices. AB - BACKGROUND: The outcomes of patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs) who undergo catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT) have not been reported. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of endocardial VT ablation in patients with VADs. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed three cases at our institution where endocardial catheter ablation was performed in patients with VADs and incessant VT. RESULTS: Three patients with underlying cardiomyopathies and VADs underwent VT ablation for incessant VT refractory to multiple antiarrhythmic medications. In each case, VT was either eliminated or significantly ameliorated by catheter ablation. No procedure-related complications occurred. The hemodynamic stability afforded by the VAD played an important role in facilitating ablation in two of the cases. CONCLUSION: Catheter ablation for VT in VAD patients appears to be feasible, safe, and effective based on our initial experience. Several technical issues, such as decreases in ventricular volumes that can limit maneuverability of the ablation catheter and potential entrapment of the mapping catheter in the inflow cannula, need to be considered at the time of ablation. PMID- 17765617 TI - Adrenergic blockade for management of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery: is it important to go beyond the beta1-receptor? PMID- 17765616 TI - Optimal beta-blocker for prevention of atrial fibrillation after on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery: carvedilol versus metoprolol. AB - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. It has been shown that prophylactic oral beta blocker administration reduces the incidence of post-CABG AF. However, the optimal beta-blocker has not been identified. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine whether oral carvedilol (with its unique anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties) is more effective than oral metoprolol for prevention of AF after CABG surgery. METHODS: Between April 2006 and December 2006, 120 patients (63 men, mean age 61 +/- 9.4 years) who were scheduled to undergo their first on-pump CABG were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomized in a prospective 1:1 manner to receive either oral carvedilol (n = 60) or oral metoprolol (n = 60). The end point of the study was the occurrence of the new onset AF during the first 5 days after CABG. RESULTS: AF occurred in 29 of 120 patients (24.0%). The incidence of postoperative AF was 15.0% (9 of 60) in the carvedilol group and 33% (20 of 60) in the metoprolol group (P = .022). The carvedilol group was treated with mean daily dose of 46 +/- 9 mg and metoprolol group with mean daily dose of 93 +/- 11 mg. There were no differences between the study groups regarding any known preoperative, perioperative, or postoperative characteristics (all values were P >.05). No significant adverse effect was observed in either group. CONCLUSION: This prospective study suggested that oral carvedilol is more effective than oral metoprolol in the prevention of AF after on-pump CABG. It is well tolerated when started before and continued after the surgery. However, further prospective studies are needed to clarify this issue. PMID- 17765618 TI - Vagal responses induced by endocardial left atrial autonomic ganglion stimulation before and after pulmonary vein antrum isolation for atrial fibrillation. AB - BACKGROUND: Elimination of vagal inputs into the left atrium (LA) may be necessary for successful catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). These vagal inputs are clustered in autonomic ganglia (AG) that are close to the pulmonary vein antrum (PVA) borders, but whether standard intracardiac echocardiography (ICE)-guided PVA isolation (PVAI) affects these inputs is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess whether standard ICE guided PVAI affects vagal responses induced by endocardial AG stimulation in the LA. METHODS: Twenty consecutive patients undergoing first-time PVAI (group 1) and 20 consecutive patients undergoing repeat PVAI for AF recurrence (group 2) were enrolled in the study. Before ablation, electrical stimulation (20 Hz, pulse duration 10 ms, voltage range 12-20 V) was performed through an 8-mm-tip ablation catheter. Based on prior data, regions around all four PVA borders were carefully mapped and stimulated to localize AG inputs. A positive stimulated vagal response was defined as atrioventricular (AV) block, asystole, or increase in mean RR interval by >50%. Locations of positive vagal responses were recorded wth biplane fluoroscopy and CARTO. All patients then underwent standard ICE-guided PVAI by an operator blinded to the locations of vagal responses. Stimulation of the AG locations was then repeated postablation. RESULTS: Patients (age 54 +/- 11 years, 30% female, ejection fraction 54% +/- 7%) had a history of paroxysmal (75%) and persistent (25%) AF. In group 1, vagal responses were induced in all 20 patients around a mean of 3.8 +/- 0.4 PVAs per patient. The most common response was asystole (53%), mean RR slowing >50% (28%), and AV block (20%). Postablation, vagal responses could no longer be induced in all 20 patients. A diminished response was induced (RR slowing <50%) in 2/20 patients around one PVA each. In group 2, vagal responses were not induced in any of the 20 repeat patients. Stimulation capture postablation was confirmed because transient, nonsustained (<30 seconds) AF or atrial flutter was induced in all 40 patients with stimulation, whether vagal responses were induced or not. CONCLUSIONS: Standard ICE-guided PVAI eliminates vagal responses induced by AG stimulation. Responses are not seen in patients presenting for repeat PVAI, despite clinical recurrence of AF. PMID- 17765620 TI - Protein kinase C, connexin43, and ischemic preconditioning: complex interactions of potential importance for controlling arrhythmias. PMID- 17765619 TI - Protein kinase Cepsilon mediates salutary effects on electrical coupling induced by ischemic preconditioning. AB - BACKGROUND: Ischemic preconditioning delays the onset of electrical uncoupling and prevents loss of the primary ventricular gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) from gap junctions during subsequent ischemia. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that these effects are mediated by protein kinase C epsilon (PKCepsilon), we studied isolated Langendorff-perfused hearts from mice with homozygous germline deletion of PKCepsilon (PKCepsilon-KO). METHODS: Cx43 phosphorylation and distribution were measured by quantitative immunoblotting and confocal microscopy. Changes in electrical coupling were monitored using the 4 electrode technique to measure whole-tissue resistivity. RESULTS: The amount of Cx43 located in gap junctions, measured by confocal microscopy under basal conditions, was significantly greater in PKCepsilon-KO hearts compared with wild type, but total Cx43 content measured by immunoblotting was not different. These unanticipated results indicate that PKCepsilon regulates subcellular distribution of Cx43 under normal conditions. Preconditioning prevented loss of Cx43 from gap junctions during ischemia in wild-type but not PKCepsilon-KO hearts. Specific activation of PKCepsilon, but not PKCdelta, also prevented ischemia-induced loss of Cx43 from gap junctions. Preconditioning delayed the onset of uncoupling in wild-type but hastened uncoupling in PKCepsilon-KO hearts. Cx43 phosphorylation at the PKC site Ser368 increased 5-fold after ischemia in wild-type hearts, and surprisingly, by nearly 10-fold in PKCepsilon-KO hearts. Preconditioning prevented phosphorylation of Cx43 in gap junction plaques at Ser368 in wild-type but not PKCepsilon-KO hearts. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results indicate that PKCepsilon plays a critical role in preconditioning to preserve Cx43 signal in gap junctions and delay electrical uncoupling during ischemia. PMID- 17765622 TI - Cardiac cell-to-cell junctions as an origin of inherited arrhythmogenic disorders. PMID- 17765621 TI - Molecular composition of the intercalated disc in a spontaneous canine animal model of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy. AB - BACKGROUND: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is characterized by ventricular arrhythmias, sudden death, and fatty or fibrofatty replacement of right ventricular myocytes. Recent studies have noted an association between human ARVD/C and molecular remodeling of intercalated disc structures. However, progress has been constrained by limitations inherent to human studies. OBJECTIVE: We studied the molecular composition of the intercalated disc structure in a naturally occurring animal model of ARVD/C (Boxer dogs). METHODS: We studied hearts from 12 Boxers with confirmed ARVD/C and 2 controls. Ventricular sections from 4 animals were examined by immunofluorescent microscopy. Frozen tissue samples were used for Western blot analysis. Proteins investigated were N-cadherin, plakophilin 2, desmoplakin, plakoglobin, desmin, and connexin 43 (Cx43). RESULTS: In control dogs, all proteins tested by immunofluorescence analysis yielded intense localized signals at sites of end-to-end cell apposition. In contrast, myocardial tissues from ARVD/C-afflicted Boxers showed preservation of N-cadherin staining but loss of detectable signal for Cx43 at the intercalated disc location. Western blots indicated that the Cx43 protein was still present in the samples. Gene sequencing analysis showed no mutations in desmoplakin, plakoglobin, Cx43, or plakophilin 2. CONCLUSION: Mutation(s) responsible for ARVD/C in Boxers lead, directly or indirectly, to severe modifications of mechanical and electrical cell-cell interactions. Furthermore, significant reduction in gap junction formation may promote a substrate for malignant ventricular arrhythmias. This model may help to advance our understanding of the molecular basis, pathophysiology, and potential therapeutic approach to patients with ARVD/C. PMID- 17765623 TI - Clinical validation of fiberoptic immunobiosensor for point-of-care analysis of plasma nerve growth factor. AB - BACKGROUND: Upregulation of plasma nerve growth factor (NGF) is indicative of cardiac nerve sprouting that is underlying the mechanisms for cardiac arrhythmias. A conventional assay method (e.g., enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]) is usually time consuming and technically complicated for NGF analysis for potential arrhythmia prognosis. OBJECTIVE: This study is to develop a rapid and and reliable assay method for point-of-care (POC) testing of plasma NGF. METHODS: We recently developed a fiberoptic immunobiosensor for point-of-care testing of human plasma NGF. Physiological concentrations of NGF (1 to 200 ng/ml) could be quantified in both buffer and human blood plasma samples (100 microl) within 5 min. The intra-assay coefficient of variation was 5%, and the interassay coefficient of variation was 8%. The clinical utility of the NGF biosensor was evaluated using clinical blood samples from atrial fibrillation patients (n = 21). Peripheral venous blood was sampled before and immediately after radiofrequency ablation and again at postoperative day 1. RESULTS: The NGF level did not change significantly between before (15.73 +/- 16.67 ng/ml) and immediately after radiofrequency ablation (13.58 +/- 11.45 ng/ml, P = NS); however, there was a significant elevation to 28.41 +/- 19.52 ng/ml in postoperative day 1 (P <.01). In a follow-up study (11 +/- 1 months), the increased magnitude in patients with atrial fibrillation recurrence (4.1-fold +/- 1.96-fold) was significantly higher than those without (1.72-fold +/- 0.53-fold; P <.001). The results were highly comparable to those of the ELISA analysis. CONCLUSION: Because of the comparable data accuracy and much faster assay time as compared with ELISA, the fiberoptic biosensor is promising as a clinical POC assay method for plasma NGF analysis at patient bedsides for potential cardiac disease diagnosis and prognosis. PMID- 17765624 TI - Beyond beta-blockade: nerve growth factor and arrhythmia. PMID- 17765625 TI - Image integration for atrial fibrillation ablation--pearls and pitfalls. PMID- 17765626 TI - Patient-specific surgical strategy for atrial fibrillation: promises and challenges. PMID- 17765627 TI - Quantifying activation frequency in atrial fibrillation to establish underlying mechanisms and ablation guidance. PMID- 17765628 TI - Change in atrial activation sequence during orthodromic reciprocating tachycardia: what is the mechanism? PMID- 17765629 TI - Lead extraction. PMID- 17765630 TI - Common trunk of the right and left inferior pulmonary veins: previously unreported anatomic variant with implications for catheter ablation. PMID- 17765631 TI - EP practice in Korea. PMID- 17765632 TI - Increased incidence of subacute perforation noted with one manufacturer of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator lead. PMID- 17765633 TI - Lead perforation with a small body diameter implantable defibrillator lead. PMID- 17765636 TI - A practical guide for clinicians who treat patients with amiodarone: 2007. AB - Amiodarone is commonly used to treat supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias in various inpatient and outpatient settings. Over- and under-use of amiodarone is common, and data regarding patterns of use are sparse and largely anecdotal. Because of adverse drug reactions, proper use is essential to deriving optimal benefits from the drug with the least risk. This guide updates an earlier version published in 2000, reviews indications for use of amiodarone and recommends strategies to minimize adverse effects. The recommendations included herein are based on the best available data and the collective experience of the member of the writing committee. PMID- 17765637 TI - Review of the registry's first year, data collected, and future plans. PMID- 17765638 TI - Promoter polymorphism of the matrix metalloproteinase 3 gene is associated with regurgitation and left ventricular remodelling in mitral valve prolapse patients. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is common and highly variable in its severity, but the factors underlying this variability are unclear. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that polymorphic variations in Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP) genes might be predictors of left ventricular (LV) remodelling and severity of regurgitation in MVP. METHODS AND RESULTS: 70 MVP patients and 75 normal subjects were studied. We performed comprehensive echocardiography and analyzed promoter polymorphisms in the MMP-1 and MMP-3 genes. The MMP-3 -1612 5A/6A polymorphism showed strong associations with indices of mitral regurgitation and LV remodelling: Patients with 5A/5A allele had more pronounced remodelling and more severe mitral regurgitation than patients with the 6A/6A or 5A/6A alleles. We then cloned and sequenced 2 kb fragments of MMP-3 promoter from patients with 5A/5A and 6A/6A genotypes and found 4 different sets of promoter haplotypes. Promoter analysis showed that higher promoter activity was related to a more severe phenotype and that the haplotype variants had a more dominant role in determining the activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our data identifies the MMP-3 promoter haplotype as a novel marker of an adverse disease course in MVP, suggesting the presence of genetic determinants for the severity of MVP. PMID- 17765639 TI - Characteristics of DEAE-dextran-MMA graft copolymer as a nonviral gene carrier. AB - A stable and soapless latex of diethylaminoethyl-dextran-methyl methacrylate (DEAE-dextran-MMA) graft copolymer (DDMC) has been developed for nonviral gene delivery vectors that are possible to autoclave. DDMC relatively easily formed a polyion complex between DNA and DDMC by the hydrophobic force of graft poly(MMA) depending on its large positive entropy change (DeltaS). DDMC has been confirmed as having a high protection facility for DNase by DNase degradation test.Transfection activity was determined using the beta-galactosidase assay, and a higher value of 16 times or more was confirmed for the DDMC samples in comparison with one of the starting DEAE-dextran hydrochloride samples. The resulting DDMC, having an amphiphilic domain so as to form a polymer micelle, should become a stable latex with a hydrophilic-hydrophobic microseparated domain. The complex of DDMC and plasmid DNA may be formed on the spherical structure of the amphiphilic microseparated domain of DDMC and have a good affinity to the cell membrane. The infrared absorption spectrum shift to a high energy direction at around 3450 cm(-1), because of the complexes between DNA and DDMC, may cause the formation of more compact structures, not only by a coulomb force between the phosphoric acid of DNA and the DEAE group of DEAE-dextran copolymer but also by a force from the multi-intermolecule hydrogen bond in the backbone polymer DEAE-dextran and a hydrophobic force from the graft poly(MMA) in DDMC. It is thus concluded that DNA condensation may possibly have a high transfection efficiency via DDMC. The high efficiency of this graft copolymer, which is sterilized by an autoclave, may thus make it a valuable tool for safe gene delivery. PMID- 17765640 TI - Are there distinctive sleep problems in Angelman syndrome? AB - Angelman syndrome is a neurogenetic condition characterized by developmental delay, absence of speech, motor impairment, epilepsy and a peculiar behavioral phenotype that includes sleep problems. It is caused by lack of expression of the UBE3A gene on the maternal chromosome 15q11-q13. Although part of the diagnostic description, 'sleep problems' are not well characterized. A pattern emerges from the available reports. It includes reduced total sleep time, increased sleep onset latency, disrupted sleep architecture with frequent nocturnal awakenings, reduced rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and periodic leg movements. Poor sleep does not significantly interfere with daytime alertness and sleep problems commonly diminish by late childhood, with continuing improvement through adolescence and adulthood. Sleep problems in Angelman syndrome reflect abnormal neurodevelopmental functioning presumably involving dysregulation of GABA mediated inhibitory influences in thalamocortical interactions. Management may be difficult, particularly in young children; it primarily involves behavioral approaches, though pharmacological treatment may be required. The relationship between sleep and seizure disorder, and between sleep and learning raises critical questions, but more studies are needed to address these relationships adequately. PMID- 17765641 TI - Medico-legal implications of sleep apnoea syndrome: driving license regulations in Europe. AB - BACKGROUND: Sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS), one of the main medical causes of excessive daytime sleepiness, has been shown to be a risk factor for traffic accidents. Treating SAS results in a normalized rate of traffic accidents. As part of the COST Action B-26, we looked at driving license regulations, and especially at its medical aspects in the European region. METHODS: We obtained data from Transport Authorities in 25 countries (Austria, AT; Belgium, BE; Czech Republic, CZ; Denmark, DK; Estonia, EE; Finland, FI; France, FR; Germany, DE; Greece, GR; Hungary, HU; Ireland, IE; Italy, IT; Lithuania, LT; Luxembourg, LU; Malta, MT; Netherlands, NL; Norway, EC; Poland, PL; Portugal, PT; Slovakia, SK; Slovenia, SI; Spain, ES; Sweden, SE; Switzerland, CH; United Kingdom, UK). RESULTS: Driving license regulations date from 1997 onwards. Excessive daytime sleepiness is mentioned in nine, whereas sleep apnoea syndrome is mentioned in 10 countries. A patient with untreated sleep apnoea is always considered unfit to drive. To recover the driving capacity, seven countries rely on a physician's medical certificate based on symptom control and compliance with therapy, whereas in two countries it is up to the patient to decide (on his doctor's advice) to drive again. Only FR requires a normalized electroencephalography (EEG)-based Maintenance of Wakefulness Test for professional drivers. Rare conditions (e.g., narcolepsy) are considered a driving safety risk more frequently than sleep apnoea syndrome. CONCLUSION: Despite the available scientific evidence, most countries in Europe do not include sleep apnoea syndrome or excessive daytime sleepiness among the specific medical conditions to be considered when judging whether or not a person is fit to drive. A unified European Directive seems desirable. PMID- 17765643 TI - Predictive value of preintervention C-reactive protein on clinical outcome after directional coronary atherectomy followed by stent implantation. AB - BACKGROUND: Preprocedural C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels have been shown to predict the recurrence of angina or major adverse cardiac events after percutaneous coronary intervention. Directional coronary atherectomy (DCA), by reducing residual plaque burden and restenosis, has been shown to improve clinical outcome after coronary stenting. Thus, we assessed the influence of preprocedural CRP serum levels on the recurrence of cardiac events after DCA followed by bare metal stent implantation. METHODS: We enrolled 40 consecutive patients (34 males; 61+/-10 years old) with single-vessel disease who were undergoing DCA. In all patients, preprocedural CRP serum levels were measured by an ultrasensitive nephelometric method. The endpoint of the study was defined as the composite incidence of death, myocardial infarction, and recurrence of angina requiring repeat revascularization at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: CRP serum levels were a significant independent predictor of the composite endpoint at multiple regression analysis [odds ratio=1.69; 95% confidence interval (95% CI)=1.04-2.75; P=.033]. Patients with recurrence of cardiac events had CRP serum levels higher than those of patients not having events on follow-up [3.95 (2.2 5.7) vs. 2 (1.3-3.3); P=.05]. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our study shows that baseline CRP serum levels predict cardiac events after coronary bare metal stenting despite plaque debulking with directional atherectomy. PMID- 17765644 TI - Residual high-grade angina after enhanced external counterpulsation therapy. AB - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the degree of residual angina on the outcomes of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) therapy for chronic stable angina. BACKGROUND: Angina refractory to medical therapy is common in the pool of patients who are not completely revascularized by angioplasty or bypass surgery. METHODS: We examined 902 patients enrolled from 1998 to 2001 in the Second International Enhanced External Counterpulsation Patient Registry. Baseline and outcome variables were stratified by the last recorded Canadian Cardiovascular Society class. RESULTS: Residual Class 3 (12.1%) or 4 (2.3%) angina was uncommon among patients with severe coronary artery disease after treatment with EECP. Prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and heart failure was similar among the anginal post-EECP anginal classes. Multivessel coronary disease was more common in those with higher-grade angina at completion. More frequent and severe angina at entry was more common in those with the higher anginal classes at EECP (P<.001). There were no differences in the rates of chronic medications utilized or prior revascularization. At 3-year follow-up, rates of death, myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, and coronary artery bypass surgery tended to be higher across increasing residual angina classes. The composite cardiac event rates were 34%, 33%, and 44% for those with Class 0, Class 1/2, and Class 3/4 angina at EECP completion (P=.01), respectively. Multivariate analysis for the composite endpoint found residual Class 3/4 angina (OR=1.59, 95% CI=1.19-2.17, P=.002), diabetes (OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.23-2.01, P=.0003), age (per decile OR=1.17, 95% CI=1.04-1.31, P=.007), and greater EECP augmentation (OR=0.79, 95% CI=0.65-0.96, P=.02) as significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Residual high-grade angina after EECP occurs in those with more severe angina and multivessel disease at baseline and is associated with cardiac events over the next 3 years. These data suggest that close clinical observation and intensive management of those with high-grade angina post-EECP are warranted. PMID- 17765645 TI - Influence of patient-related and surgery-related risk factors on cognitive performance, emotional state, and convalescence after cardiac surgery. AB - BACKGROUND: Cardiac surgery may account for complications such as cognitive impairment, depression, and delay of convalescence. This study investigated the influence of different risk factors on cognitive performance, emotional state, and convalescence. METHODS: We included 83 patients undergoing cardiac surgery who had no indication of postoperative delirium. Psychometric testing was performed 1 day before and 7 days after surgery. Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels were measured 1 day before and 36 h after surgery. RESULTS: Depression score increased after surgery, but patients showed no clinically significant depression. Postoperative cognitive performance correlated with postoperative depression level and preoperative cognitive performance. Forty-three percent of patients showed postoperative decline. Older patients exhibited a higher postoperative increase in NSE concentrations. Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafts or combined procedures exhibited more medical risk factors than those undergoing valve surgery alone. The number of bypass grafts was associated with time of hospitalization, and the number of patient-related risk factors correlated with stay in intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: For elderly patients undergoing cardiac surgery, older age, total preexisting medical risk factors, and surgery duration seem to be the most important factors influencing cognitive outcome and convalescence. Results show that, also for patients without postoperative delirium, medical risk factors and intraoperative parameters can result in delay of convalescence. PMID- 17765646 TI - Four-year results after brachytherapy for diffuse coronary in-stent restenosis: will coronary radiation therapy survive? AB - BACKGROUND: Prior to the introduction of drug-eluting stents (DES), diffuse coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR) was mainly treated by brachytherapy (BT), with good short-term and mid-term results. However, there exist limited data on the long-term effects of BT that justify its continuous use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred patients with diffuse ISR treated with intravascular BT were retrospectively followed over 4 years. Group A (n=134) was treated with the noncentered (90)Sr/Y BetaCath radiation system, whereas Group B (n=66) was treated with the centered 32P Galileo source wire system. Primary endpoints after 4 years were target lesion restenosis (TLS) and target lesion revascularization (TLR). Secondary endpoints were target vessel revascularization (TVR) and nontarget vessel revascularization (NTVR), as well as major adverse cardiac events (MACE). RESULTS: Follow-up at 4 years yielded a TLS rate of 37.6% (Group A, 40.8%; Group B, 31.1%; P=.48). TLR was performed in 34.8% of patients (37.5% in Group A vs. 29.5% in Group B; P=.55). Ten percent of patients underwent coronary bypass surgery. Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed more often in Group A (27.5%) than in Group B (19.7%), while TVR was less frequent in Group A (10.0%) than in Group B (18.0%). NTVR was undertaken in 25.0% of Group A patients versus 21.3% of Group B patients, and MACE occurred in 1.7% of Group A patients versus 3.3% of Group B patients. These differences were not statistically significant (P>.05). CONCLUSIONS: While excellent short-term and mid-term results after coronary BT are widely accepted, a high TLS rate can be observed after 4 years. The potential superiority of DES to BT will depend on the availability of long-term clinical data. PMID- 17765648 TI - Prolonged application of clopidogrel reduces inflammation after percutaneous coronary intervention in the porcine model. AB - OBJECTIVE: We determined the effect of prolonged treatment with clopidogrel on C reactive protein (CRP) concentrations and blood thrombogenicity after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty followed by intracoronary brachytherapy in the porcine model. ANIMAL MODEL: All 48 pigs received antiplatelet therapy, including aspirin (325 mg, daily) and clopidogrel (300 mg, loading dose) 1 day before PCI, followed by a daily dose of clopidogrel (75 mg/day) in addition to aspirin. During PCI, one of two balloon-injured arteries was randomly assigned to receive immediate radiation treatment. Animals were sacrificed after 24 h, 1 month, and 3 months post-PCI. The pigs, which were sacrificed 3 months post-PCI, were divided into two groups. The first group received clopidogrel in addition to aspirin for 3 months, and the second group received clopidogrel in addition to aspirin for only 1 month after PCI and then aspirin alone. METHODS: Blood was taken from all pigs before intervention, immediately after intervention, and before sacrifice. Serum CRP was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To analyze the procoagulant effects of PCI on blood thrombogenicity, a one-stage clotting assay was performed. RESULTS: Clopidogrel treatment for 3 months reduced CRP levels more than did clopidogrel therapy for 1 month only at 3 months post-PCI (27.9+/-3.9 vs. 56.6+/-11.3 microg/ml; P=.019). Baseline CRP levels were found to be 50.4+/-4.8 microg/ml. Plasma clotting was not affected by prolonged clopidogrel therapy (322.8+/-59.3 s vs. 295.2+/-52.5 s; P=ns). CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged treatment with clopidogrel reduced CRP levels post-PCI. PMID- 17765647 TI - Abciximab offers greater benefits to insulin-dependent diabetic patients undergoing coronary stent implantation. AB - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Abciximab use does not exceed 25% in most of the studies on diabetic patients undergoing stent implantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether abciximab could be more beneficial in different subgroups such as insulin-dependent (ID) patients and whether its use could provide additional benefits to those afforded by drug-eluting stents in these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 373 consecutive diabetics [223 non-insulin dependent (NID) and 150 ID patients] who had undergone stent implantation were examined with a follow-up of 25.6+/-16.2 months. Abciximab was used in 21.7%. RESULTS: The abciximab-treated group had a lower rate of revascularization (26.8% vs. 15.8%. P=.02). The results by subgroups were as follows: NID nonabciximab, 23.5%; NID abciximab, 19% (P=NS); ID nonabciximab, 32.7%; ID abciximab, 12.2% (P=.05). In multivariate analysis, the restenosis predictors were insulin dependency (OR, 2.7), abciximab use (OR, 0.18), stent diameter (OR, 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: Abciximab use in diabetics with stent implantation has a favorable effect by reducing the need for new revascularization. This benefit is more evident in ID patients; the negative prognosis effect of being insulin-dependent is eliminated, and the percentage of events in this population over a long follow up period is equal to those in NID patients. PMID- 17765650 TI - Endovascular ligature of splenic artery aneurysm with Amplatzer Vascular Plug: a case report. AB - Splenic artery aneurysm (SAA) is a rare disease that is asymptomatic for a long time and is often only incidentally discovered during imaging performed for other reasons. The natural history of SAA is a progressive increase in size until rupture. Therefore, treatment is recommended in symptomatic patients and for aneurysms larger than 2 cm in diameter. Using different techniques, endovascular treatment is feasible in nearly all SAAs. In this report, we describe a technique using Amplatzer Vascular Plug in endovascular ligature to exclude an SAA of the middle tract of the splenic artery. PMID- 17765649 TI - Mobilization of human CD34+ CD133+ and CD34+ CD133(-) stem cells in vivo by consumption of an extract from Aphanizomenon flos-aquae--related to modulation of CXCR4 expression by an L-selectin ligand? AB - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to evaluate effects on human stem cells in vitro and in vivo of an extract from the edible cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon flos aquae (AFA) enriched for a novel ligand for human CD62L (L-selectin). EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Ligands for CD62L provide a mechanism for stem cell mobilization in conjunction with down-regulation of the CXCR4 chemokine receptor for stromal derived factor 1. Affinity immunoprecipitation was used to identify a novel ligand for CD62L from a water extract from AFA. The effects of AFA water extract on CD62L binding and CXCR4 expression was tested in vitro using human bone marrow CD34+ cells and the two progenitor cell lines, KG1a and K562. A double-blind randomized crossover study involving 12 healthy subjects evaluated the effects of consumption on stem cell mobilization in vivo. RESULTS: An AFA extract rich in the CD62L ligand reduced the fucoidan-mediated externalization of the CXCR4 chemokine receptor on bone marrow CD34+ cells by 30% and the CD62L+ CD34+ cell line KG1A by 50% but did not alter the CXCR4 expression levels on the CD34(-) cell line K562. A transient, 18% increase in numbers of circulating CD34+ stem cells maximized 1 hour after consumption (P<.0003). When 3 noncompliant volunteers were removed from analysis, the increase in CD34+ cells was 25% (P<.0001). CONCLUSION: AFA water extract contains a novel ligand for CD62L. It modulates CXCR4 expression on CD34+ bone marrow cells in vitro and triggers the mobilization of CD34+ CD133+ and CD34+ CD133(-) cells in vivo. PMID- 17765651 TI - Depiction of a new pulmonary vein variant using multidetector-row computed tomography. PMID- 17765652 TI - Utility of cardiac MRI in guiding revascularization therapy in unprotected left main stenosis: a case report. AB - Decision to select unprotected left main (ULM) stenting versus coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) depends on a multiplicity of factors, one of the most critical of which is myocardial viability. Delayed enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has emerged as a useful means of comprehensively evaluating viable myocardium in postmyocardial infarct patients who require further revascularization. We present a patient with ULM stenosis in whom CMR imaging assisted in the decision to perform percutaneous coronary intervention over CABG. PMID- 17765653 TI - Multiple carotid stenting for extended thoracic aorta dissection after initial aortic surgical repair. AB - Acute aortic dissection is one of the most common catastrophes affecting the aorta. Aortic branch occlusion occurs in up to one third of patients with aortic dissection and is associated with increased risk for early death and serious complications. A 67-year-old man without history of cardiovascular disease was referred to our center for acute aortic type A dissection and was treated with a 28-mm Vasculteck prosthesis. During the early postoperative period, he felt left hemiparesis, and an angio-computed tomography showed a progression of the dissection to the right common carotid artery and left brachiocephalic trunk: the abdominal aorta with the celiac trunk. We felt that the patient should receive conservative management, except for the carotid involvement, for which an endovascular approach was planned. After carefully engaging the carotid ostia with a modified no-touch technique, a self-expandable stent and a balloon expandable stent were deployed to seal the left common and internal carotid artery dissection, whereas two self-expandable stents were implanted within the right internal carotid artery. Angiographic control demonstrated complete sealing of the carotid dissections. The patient recovered quickly after the intervention and was discharged after 2 days without any neurologic or vascular complication. The patient did extremely well at two 3-month follow-ups, and coverage of the descending thoracic aorta dissection was scheduled to be performed in the next 2 months. This case suggests that endovascular techniques may offer a reliable and effective answer to extended dissections, helping decrease the risk for neurologic or visceral complications and reducing the operative risk for further complete surgical or endovascular aortic repair. PMID- 17765654 TI - Percutaneous devices for stroke prevention. AB - The most important approaches to prevent cerebral ischemia by catheter technique are patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure in patients with a history of cryptogenic stroke and left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Over the past years, several new devices have been developed for these procedures. Results of randomized trials comparing device therapy, antiplatelet, or anticoagulation therapy are still not available. However, several nonrandomized studies have shown promising results. This article gives a review on the current results and techniques of the most commonly used devices as well as on new developments and approaches to catheter-based stroke prevention. PMID- 17765655 TI - Iliac stent graft for common carotid artery rupture. PMID- 17765656 TI - Phenotypic analysis of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis 32777 response regulator mutants: new insights into two-component system regulon plasticity in bacteria. AB - Two-component regulatory systems (2CSs) typically comprise a sensor kinase and a response regulator that, in concert, monitor the concentration of particular extracellular factors and mediate the transcription of specific genes accordingly. As such, 2CSs play an important role in the regulation of bacterial pathogenesis. On the basis of genome-wide in silico analysis, the Gram-negative enteropathogenic bacterium Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is thought to encode 24 complete 2CSs. In the present work, we mutated the corresponding 2CS response regulator-encoding genes in Y. pseudotuberculosis strain 32777 and assessed the in vitro resistance of each mutant to the various types of stress encountered by Yersinia cells in the digestive tract. Eight of the generated regulatory mutants (phoP, ompR, pmrA, ntrC-, arcA-, rstA-, rcsB-, and yfhA-like mutants) showed significant changes in tolerance towards at least one type of stress, when compared with the wild-type strain. Of these eight, four (ompR, phoP, rstA-, and yfhA-like mutants) were found to be less virulent than the wild type in the BALB/c mouse model. Although some mutant phenotypes were consistent with those (when known) of the corresponding, putative ortholog mutants in other pathogenic species, several response regulators behaved differently in Y. pseudotuberculosis; these included the PmrA, PhoP, and ArcA-like response regulators, which were found to control bile salt resistance in a manner different from that observed in Salmonella. Hence, in addition to genome evolution, transcriptional network remodeling may be a major cause of phenotypic adaptation (and thus species divergence) in Y. pseudotuberculosis. PMID- 17765658 TI - Characterisation of subtype- and variant-specific antigen regions of the P1 adhesin of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. AB - Distinct sequence differences within the repetitive elements (RepMP) of the Mycoplasma pneumoniae P1 adhesin are the only targets to discriminate patient isolates with molecular approaches into subtypes and variants. Since the P1 protein is also one of the most immunodominant proteins of the bacterium, the antigenic regions of the differing repetitive sequences might be of epidemiological significance for the observation of time-dependent outbreaks due to defined subtypes and variants of M. pneumoniae in the human population. By establishing a set of four subtype- and variant 2-specific recombinant proteins, we investigated the antigenicity of the variable P1 protein regions with sera of subtype- and variant-specific immunised animals and sera of M. pneumoniae positive pneumonia patients. The results of the ELISA experiments confirmed the immunogenic character of the differing parts of the P1 adhesin and the occurrence of a specific immune response of the immunised animals. The detection of subtype- and variant-specific antibodies in the investigated sera strongly support the hypothesis of a selective immune response. It might be indicative for the partial protection of the host to a defined endemic or epidemic strain and therefore also the reason for a reduced protection against secondary infections with a differing subtype and variant of M. pneumoniae strains compared to the first contact. PMID- 17765657 TI - Bacteria induce CTGF and CYR61 expression in epithelial cells in a lysophosphatidic acid receptor-dependent manner. AB - Cysteine-rich protein 61 (Cyr61/CCN1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) are members of the CCN (CYR61, CTGF, nephroblastoma overexpressed gene) family and exert pleiotropic functions such as regulation of adhesion, migration, extracellular matrix deposition, or cell differentiation, and play an important role in wound healing. This study focused on the nature of the so far unknown CTGF and CYR61 mRNA expression of epithelial cells after infection with bacteria. We demonstrate that infection of epithelial cells with attenuated Yersinia enterocolitica lacking the virulence plasmid pYV leads to the expression of CYR61 and CTGF. Virulent Y. enterocolitica bearing the pYV virulence plasmid suppressed the mRNA expression of these genes. Yersinia-mediated inhibition of CTGF and CYR61 mRNA expression is partially mediated by the cysteine protease YopT. Further characterization of the Yersinia factors, which trigger CTGF and CYR61 mRNA expression, demonstrated that these factors were secreted and could be enriched in lipid extracts. Beside Yersinia, several other bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, or Staphylococcus aureus, as well as supernatants of these bacteria induced CTGF and CYR61 expression. Blocking experiments with the lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor-specific inhibitor Ki16425 suggest a general involvement of LPA receptors in bacteria-triggered CTGF and CYR61 expression. These data suggest that LPA receptor-dependent expression of CTGF and CYR61 represents a common host response after interaction with bacteria. PMID- 17765659 TI - Recommendations for study design and sampling strategies for airborne microorganisms, MVOC and odours in the surrounding of composting facilities. AB - Microorganisms and odour emissions from composting plants often lead to complaints by residents, especially by people living close to such plants. Both parameters were studied in a systematic approach under specific local meteorological conditions at nine different composting plants in Germany with emphasis on dispersal of microorganisms. Measurements were done at emission points and at sampling sites in the downwind and upwind directions of the facilities under 'normal case' (i.e. weather conditions typical for the location in combination with working activities at the plants) and 'real worst case' conditions (dispersal of bioaerosols into the surroundings expected to occur with high probability). Airborne microorganisms were sampled using filtration and impingement. Subsequent cultivation on four different culture media allowed quantification and identification of the culturable microflora. It turned out that a general assessment of emissions and dispersal of bioaerosols from composting plants is not possible because of the coherences of various factors influencing the dispersal. The site-specific meteorological situations must be considered carefully, whenever sampling locations are selected and need to be recorded in any sampling protocol. Air inversions in particular can lead to high concentrations of microorganisms (>10(4)-10(5)cfu m(-3) of thermophilic actinomycetes and thermotolerant fungi) in the surroundings of composting plants. Finally, it was shown that both thermotolerant fungi and thermophilic actinomycetes can serve as indicator organisms. PMID- 17765660 TI - Electromagnetic fields (EMF): do they play a role in children's environmental health (CEH)? AB - Possible adverse health effects of exposure to electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields (EMF), and especially the question of whether there exists a special vulnerability of children, have been a much discussed topic during the last two decades. Static fields produce health effects only in very rare and exceptional circumstances at extremely high field intensities. As for low frequency EMF, the results of epidemiological research with respect to childhood leukaemia prompted the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2001 to classify these fields as "possibly carcinogenic to humans". Current hypotheses on the mechanism of such action are presented. The effect, if existent, appears to be not very important in relation to established other causes of childhood leukaemia. High-frequency EMF, as used in mobile and wireless communication (mobile telephony according to the GSM and UMTS standard, cordless DECT phones, wireless local area networks (WLAN), Bluetooth) and since many decades also in radio and television technology, are practically omnipresent. At high intensities, the generation of heat is the principal effect. Current guidelines, limits and regulations prevent any such effect. Mobile phone calls may, in certain circumstances, lead to local exposures close to limit values. Base stations typically produce exposures lower by 2-5 magnitudes. The discussion centres on the so-called non-thermal effects, which are supposedly occurring at field intensities, which are by orders of magnitude lower than those responsible for thermal effects. The reproducibility of these effects is usually poor, and no physiologic or pathogenic mechanism, so far, has been found to explain the alleged effects. Equally, epidemiologic studies have not furnished clear and reproducible data as arguments for negative health effects. Final results of the INTERPHONE study on the risk of brain tumours, acoustic neurinoma and parotid gland tumours associated with the use of mobile phones will be soon available. Preliminary results do not seem to indicate a substantial increase in risk. There are presently no scientific data supporting the concept of a special vulnerability of children and adolescents to high-frequency EMF, even if the usual caveats (developing organisms and structures may be more vulnerable, decades of life to come) are considered. The concept of precautionary measures adapted to such concerns is critically discussed. PMID- 17765661 TI - Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT)--its history and its limitations. AB - Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is nowadays the most widely used index of heat stress, yet many users appear to be unaware of its history and its limitations. HISTORY OF WBGT: WBGT was invented and first used during the 1950s as one element in a successful campaign to control serious outbreaks of heat illness in training camps of the United States Army and Marine Corps. Control measures based on air temperature and humidity, and applied to all trainees alike, had proved effective but had entailed excessive compliance costs in the form of lost training time. New control measures introduced in 1956 further reduced heat illness and also lost fewer training hours. Crucial innovations were (1) replacing the temperature and humidity measurements with WBGT, which additionally responds to sun and wind, (2) using epidemiologic analyses of casualty records to identify hazardous levels of WBGT and vulnerable trainees, and (3) protecting the most vulnerable trainees by suspending drill at lower levels of WBGT, and by improving their heat tolerance in special conditioning platoons. This campaign has considerable relevance to the prevention of heat illness in sport. LIMITATIONS OF WBGT: WBGT's most serious limitation is that environments at a given level of the index are more stressful when the evaporation of sweat is restricted (by high humidity or low air movement) than when evaporation is free. As with all indices that integrate elements of the thermal environment, interpretation of the observed levels of WBGT requires careful evaluation of people's activity, clothing, and many other factors, all of which can introduce large errors into any predictions of adverse effects. Moreover, the accuracy of WBGT is being eroded by measurement errors associated with the omission of the globe temperature, with non-standard instrumentation, and with unsatisfactory calibration procedures. Because of the above limitations WBGT can provide only a general guide to the likelihood of adverse effects of heat. A much clearer assessment can be obtained by measuring the individual elements of the thermal environment, and using those measurements to estimate the requirement for evaporative cooling, the likelihood of achieving it, and more accurate and comprehensive indices of heat stress. PMID- 17765662 TI - Human splenic macrophages as a model for in vitro infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. AB - Macrophages play an important role during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. In humans most of the studies on MTB-macrophage interactions have been performed using circulating monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages. However, little research has been performed on this interaction using tissue macrophages. Herein, we used human splenic macrophages to characterize particular responses to MTB infection. Based on morphological, biochemical, and immunological markers, splenic adherent cells exhibit characteristics of tissue macrophages. They were able to efficiently phagocytose both live and heat-killed (h-k) MTB H37Rv. Upon infection with live, but not h-k MTB, an increase in secreted TNF-alpha was elicited. Splenic macrophages produced high basal levels of IL-10; however, infection with live or h-k MTB resulted in decrease IL-10 secretion. Both IL 12p40 and IL-12p70 basal levels were also decreased upon infection with live or h k MTB; however, while the reduction for IL-12p40 levels was observed at earlier time points (4h) for both live and h-k MTB, infection with live MTB, but not h-k MTB, resulted in a time-dependent secretion of IL-12p40 at 24 and 48h after infection. IL-12p70 levels were completely reduced upon infection by either live or h-k MTB. These results support that human splenic macrophages may represent a potential useful model to study MTB-macrophage interactions in vitro. PMID- 17765663 TI - Intravenous immunoglobulin in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases: more than mere transfer of antibodies. AB - Initially used for the treatment of immunodeficiencies, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has increasingly been used as an immunomodulatory agent in immune thrombocytopenic purpura, autoimmune neuropathies, systemic lupus erythematosus, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and Kawasaki disease. Although IVIg benefits have been reported in many autoimmune and systemic inflammatory diseases, its mechanisms of immunomodulation are not fully understood and probably involve Fc-dependent and/or F(ab')(2)-dependent mutually non-exclusive effects. These mechanisms of action of IVIg reflect the importance of natural antibodies in the maintenance of immune homeostasis. We discuss here the recent advances in the understanding of immunoregulatory effects of IVIg. PMID- 17765664 TI - A step-by-step tutorial to use HierFstat to analyse populations hierarchically structured at multiple levels. AB - The populations of parasites and infectious agents are most of the time structured in complex hierarchy that lies beyond the classical nested design described by Wright's F-statistics (F(IS), F(ST) and F(IT)). In this note we propose a user-friendly step-by-step notice for using recent software (HierFstat) that computes and test fixation indices for any hierarchical structure. We add some tricks and tips for some special data kind (haploid, single locus), some other procedure (bootstrap over loci) and how to handle crossed factors. PMID- 17765665 TI - Rapid and prolonged stalling of human DNA topoisomerase I in UVA-irradiated genomic areas. AB - DNA topoisomerase I appears to be involved in DNA damage and repair in a complex manner. The enzyme is required for DNA maintenance and repair, but it may also damage DNA through its covalently DNA-bound, catalytic intermediate. The latter mechanism plays a role in tumor cell killing by camptothecins, but seems also involved in oxidative cell killing and certain stages of apoptosis. Stalling and/or suicidal DNA cleavage of topoisomerase I adjacent to nicks and modified DNA bases has been demonstrated in vitro. Here, we investigate the enzyme's interactions with UVA-induced DNA lesions inside living cells. We irradiated cells expressing GFP-tagged topoisomerase I with an UVA laser focused through a confocal microscope at confined areas of the nuclei. At irradiated sites, topoisomerase I accumulated within seconds, and accumulation lasted for more than 90 min. This effect was apparently due to reduced mobility, although the enzyme was not immobilized at the irradiated nuclear sites. Similar observations were made with mutant versions of topoisomerase I lacking the active site tyrosine or the N-terminal domain, but not with the N-terminal domain alone. Thus, accumulation of topoisomerase I at UVA-modified DNA sites is most likely due to non-covalent binding to damaged DNA, and not suicidal cleavage of such lesions. The rapid onset of accumulation suggests that topoisomerase I functions in this context as a component of DNA damage recognition and/or a cofactor of fast DNA repair processes. However, the prolonged duration of accumulation suggests that it is also involved in more long-termed processes. PMID- 17765666 TI - A critical role for the C-terminus of Nej1 protein in Lif1p association, DNA binding and non-homologous end-joining. AB - A predominant pathway implicated in repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is the evolutionarily conserved non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway. Among the major constituents of this pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is Nej1p, for which a biochemical function has yet to be determined. In this work we demonstrate that Nej1p exhibits a DNA binding activity (KD approximately 1.8 microM) comparable to Lif1p. Although binding is enhanced with larger substrates (>300 bp), short approximately 20 bp substrates can suffice. This DNA binding activity is the first biochemical evidence supporting the idea that Nej1p plays a direct role in the repair of double-strand breaks. The C-terminus of Nej1p is required for interaction with Lif1p and is sufficient for DNA binding. Structural characterization reveals that Nej1p exists as a dimer, and that residues 1-244 are sufficient for dimer formation. Nej1p (aa 1-244) is shown to be defective in end-joining in vivo. Preliminary functional and structural studies on the Nej1p Lif1p complex suggest that the proteins stably co-purify and the complex binds DNA with a higher affinity than each independent component. The significance of these results is discussed with reference to current literature on Nej1p and other end-joining factors (mammalian and yeast), specifically the recently identified putative mammalian homologue of Nej1p, XLF/Cernunnos. PMID- 17765667 TI - Xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group A protein is driven to nucleotide excision repair sites by the electrostatic potential of distorted DNA. AB - The presumed DNA-binding cleft of xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XPA) protein, a key regulatory subunit of the eukaryotic nucleotide excision repair complex, displays a distinctive array of 6 positively charged amino acid side chains. Here, the molecular function of these closely spaced electropositive residues has been tested by systematic site-directed mutagenesis. After the introduction of single amino acid substitutions, the mutants were probed for protein-DNA interactions in electrophoretic mobility shift and photochemical crosslinking assays. This analysis led to the identification of a critical hot-spot for DNA substrate recognition composed of two neighboring lysines at codons 141 and 179 of the human XPA sequence. The replacement of other basic side chains in the DNA interaction domain conferred more moderate defects of substrate binding. When the function of XPA was tested as a fusion product with either mCherry or green fluorescent protein, a glutamate substitution of one of the positively charged residues at positions 141 and 179 was sufficient to decrease DNA repair activity in human fibroblasts. Thus, the removal of a single cationic side chain abolished DNA-binding activity and significant excision repair defects could be induced by single charge inversions on the XPA surface, indicating that this molecular sensor participates in substrate recognition by monitoring the electrostatic potential of distorted DNA repair sites. PMID- 17765669 TI - Prediction and perinatal outcomes of fetal growth restriction. AB - Assessment of fetal growth and wellbeing is one of the major purposes of antenatal care. Some fetuses have smaller than expected growth in utero and while some of these fetuses are constitutionally small, others have failed to meet their growth potential, that is they are growth restricted. While severe growth restriction is uncommon, the consequences of it being undetected may include perinatal death or severe morbidity. It is, therefore, important to have strategies in place to detect the fetus at risk of growth restriction. These would include an assessment of 'prior risk' from maternal history and examination combined with the results of biochemical and ultrasound investigations, the most promising of which are uterine artery Doppler and biochemistry. We discuss some of the factors to consider when stratifying the obstetric population into degrees of likelihood for growth restriction, and discuss aspects of the management and outcome of pregnancies complicated by growth restriction. PMID- 17765668 TI - Determination of derivatized amino acids in human embryo culture media by gas chromatography. AB - An adequate analytical method for determination of amino acids can provide a better insight in the metabolism of in vitro human embryo cultures, increasing the success rate of embryo implantation. Since individual amino acid amounts per embryo occur in the nanogram range, GC was the technique of choice, due to its inherent sensitivity and high sample throughput. Amino acids were analyzed as alkyl formate derivatives. The limits of detection (LOD) of all amino acids involved were in the sub-nmol range. The high risk of sample contamination proved to be the major analytical issue, but it could be overcome. For an extended method sensitivity, a simple preconcentration step could also be used. PMID- 17765670 TI - Surgical management of chronic actinic dermatitis. AB - SUMMARY: Chronic actinic dermatitis (CAD) is a persistent, ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced eczema by either UVA, UVB or visible light. We present the case of a 48-year-old woman suffering from severe CAD. Various therapeutic approaches, including topical and local corticosteroids and other systemic immunosuppressives, were used without success, making surgical treatment the only option. Two sessions of manual dermabrasion were necessary to improve the cutaneous disorder. We document the successful treatment of a severe case of CAD with dermabrasion. Chronic actinic dermatitis (CAD) describes a serious and persistent photoinduced skin disorder. It is usually characterised by a perennial, chronic dermatitis that predominantly affects sun-exposed sites, but may also affect shaded sites or even present as erythroderma. Daily application of sun protection has to be combined with topical and local corticosteroids and other systemic immunosuppressives. However, these various therapeutic regimens are often limited by severe side-effects and consecutive failure of therapy. [Dawe RS, Ferguson J. Diagnosis and treatment of chronic actinic dermatitis. Dermatol Ther 2003;16:45-51 [review], Hawk JL, Magnus IA. Chronic actinic dermatitis: an idiopathic photosensitivity syndrome including actinic reticuloid and photosensitive eczema [proceedings]. Br J Dermatol 1979;101(Suppl. 17):24.]. PMID- 17765671 TI - Re: A novel technique for vacuum assisted closure device application in non contiguous wounds, by A. Culliford IV, J. Spector, J. Levine, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, 2007;60:99-100. PMID- 17765672 TI - Morphogenesis of a human fungal pathogen requires septin phosphorylation. AB - In this issue of Developmental Cell, Sinha et al. describe a posttranscriptional mechanism necessary for hyphal development of the human pathogen, Candida albicans. In this context, the kinase Gin4 phosphorylates the septin Cdc11 in uninduced yeast cells to prime them for fast action by the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc28/Ccn1 at the time of hyphal induction. Joint phosphorylation of Cdc11 by these two kinases is essential for stable polarization of hyphal growth. PMID- 17765673 TI - Tensins: a new switch in cell migration. AB - Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) is an important regulator of normal epithelial and carcinoma cell migration. The mechanism by which EGF induces cell migration is not fully understood. A recent report in Nature Cell Biology (Katz et al., 2007) demonstrates that EGF regulates migration through a switch in the expression of two tensin isoforms, weakening the association of beta1 integrin with the actin cytoskeleton in focal adhesions. PMID- 17765674 TI - Centrioles want to move out and make cilia. AB - Cilia formation in mammalian cells requires basal bodies that are either derived from centrioles that transition from their cytoplasmic role in centrosome organization or that form en masse in multiciliated cells. Several recent studies have begun to uncover the links between centriole duplication and their transformation to basal bodies. PMID- 17765675 TI - Self-renewal in the fly kidney. AB - Tissue stem cells are typically rare and located in niches that prescribe low rates of cell division and survival. In the latest issue of Cell Stem Cell, Singh et al. (2007) demonstrate that, in the adult fly, epithelial cells exist that are neither in niches nor in small numbers, divide at high rates, and are multipotent. PMID- 17765676 TI - Coping with stress: ATF6alpha takes the stage. AB - In this issue of Developmental Cell, two groups, Yamamoto et al. and Wu et al., describe the generation of mice with targeted deletion of the ATF6alpha gene. While ATF6alpha is nonessential for embryonic and postnatal development, deletion has a profound effect on the transcriptional program elicited by endoplasmic reticulum stress, revealing a broader than anticipated role for ATF6 in this signaling network. PMID- 17765677 TI - Estrogen-related receptor beta/NR3B2 controls epithelial cell fate and endolymph production by the stria vascularis. AB - In the mammalian inner ear, endolymph is produced and resorbed by a complex series of epithelia. We show here that estrogen-related receptor beta (ERR-beta; NR3B2), an orphan nuclear receptor, is specifically expressed in and controls the development of the endolymph-producing cells of the inner ear: the strial marginal cells in the cochlea and the vestibular dark cells in the ampulla and utricle. Nr3b2(-/-) strial marginal cells fail to express multiple ion channel and transporter genes, and they show a partial transformation toward the fate of the immediately adjacent Pendrin-expressing epithelial cells. In genetically mosaic mice, Nr3b2(-/-) strial marginal cells produce secondary alterations in gene expression in the underlying intermediate cells and a local loss of strial capillaries. A systematic comparison of transcripts in the WT versus Nr3b2(-/-) stria vascularis has identified a set of genes that is likely to play a role in the development and/or function of endolymph-producing epithelia. PMID- 17765678 TI - Failure of epithelial tube maintenance causes hydrocephalus and renal cysts in Dlg5-/- mice. AB - Epithelial tubes represent fundamental building blocks of metazoan organisms; however, the mechanisms responsible for their formation and maintenance are not well understood. Here, we show that the evolutionarily conserved coiled-coil MAGUK protein Dlg5 is required for epithelial tube maintenance in mammalian brain and kidneys. We demonstrate that Dlg5(-/-) mice develop fully penetrant hydrocephalus and kidney cysts caused by a deficiency in membrane delivery of cadherin-catenin adhesion complexes and loss of cell polarity. Dlg5 travels with cadherin-containing vesicles and binds to syntaxin 4, a t-SNARE protein that regulates fusion of transport vesicles with the lateral membrane domain. We propose that Dlg5 functions in plasma membrane delivery of cadherins by linking cadherin-containing transport vesicles with the t-SNARE targeting complex. These findings show that Dlg5 is causally involved in hydrocephalus and renal cysts and reveal that targeted membrane delivery of cadherin-catenin adhesion complexes is critical for cell polarity and epithelial tube maintenance. PMID- 17765679 TI - ATF6alpha optimizes long-term endoplasmic reticulum function to protect cells from chronic stress. AB - In vertebrates, three proteins--PERK, IRE1alpha, and ATF6alpha--sense protein misfolding stress in the ER and initiate ER-to-nucleus signaling cascades to improve cellular function. The mechanism by which this unfolded protein response (UPR) protects ER function during stress is not clear. To address this issue, we have deleted Atf6alpha in the mouse. ATF6alpha is neither essential for basal expression of ER protein chaperones nor for embryonic or postnatal development. However, ATF6alpha is required in both cells and tissues to optimize protein folding, secretion, and degradation during ER stress and thus to facilitate recovery from acute stress and tolerance to chronic stress. Challenge of Atf6alpha null animals in vivo compromises organ function and survival despite functional overlap between UPR sensors. These results suggest that the vertebrate ATF6alpha pathway evolved to maintain ER function when cells are challenged with chronic stress and provide a rationale for the overlap among the three UPR pathways. PMID- 17765680 TI - Transcriptional induction of mammalian ER quality control proteins is mediated by single or combined action of ATF6alpha and XBP1. AB - Metazoans express three unfolded protein response transducers (IRE1, PERK, and ATF6) ubiquitously to cope with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. ATF6 is an ER membrane-bound transcription factor activated by ER stress-induced proteolysis and has been duplicated in mammals. Here, we generated ATF6alpha- and ATF6beta knockout mice, which developed normally, and then found that their double knockout caused embryonic lethality. Analysis of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) deficient in ATF6alpha or ATF6beta revealed that ATF6alpha is solely responsible for transcriptional induction of ER chaperones and that ATF6alpha heterodimerizes with XBP1 for the induction of ER-associated degradation components. ATF6alpha(-/-) MEFs are sensitive to ER stress. Unaltered responses observed in ATF6beta(-/-) MEFs indicate that ATF6beta is not a negative regulator of ATF6alpha. These results demonstrate that ATF6alpha functions as a critical regulator of ER quality control proteins in mammalian cells, in marked contrast to worm and fly cells in which IRE1 is responsible. PMID- 17765682 TI - Activation of RalA is required for insulin-stimulated Glut4 trafficking to the plasma membrane via the exocyst and the motor protein Myo1c. AB - Insulin stimulates glucose transport in muscle and adipose tissue by producing translocation of the glucose transporter Glut4. The exocyst, an evolutionarily conserved vesicle tethering complex, is crucial for targeting Glut4 to the plasma membrane. Here we report that insulin regulates this process via the G protein RalA, which is present in Glut4 vesicles and interacts with the exocyst in adipocytes. Insulin stimulates the activity of RalA in a PI 3-kinase-dependent manner. Disruption of RalA function by dominant-negative mutants or siRNA mediated knockdown attenuates insulin-stimulated glucose transport. RalA also interacts with Myo1c, a molecular motor implicated in Glut4 trafficking. This interaction is modulated by Calmodulin, which functions as the light chain for Myo1c during insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Thus, RalA serves two functions in insulin action: as a cargo receptor for the Myo1c motor, and as a signal for the unification of the exocyst to target Glut4 vesicles to the plasma membrane. PMID- 17765683 TI - Ancient evolutionary origin of the neural crest gene regulatory network. AB - The vertebrate neural crest migrates from its origin, the neural plate border, to form diverse derivatives. We previously hypothesized that a neural crest gene regulatory network (NC-GRN) guides neural crest formation. Here, we investigate when during evolution this hypothetical network emerged by analyzing neural crest formation in lamprey, a basal extant vertebrate. We identify 50 NC-GRN homologs and use morpholinos to demonstrate a critical role for eight transcriptional regulators. The results reveal conservation in deployment of upstream factors, suggesting that proximal portions of the network arose early in vertebrate evolution and have been conserved for >500 million years. We found biphasic expression of neural crest specifiers and differences in deployment of some specifiers and effectors expected to confer species-specific properties. By testing the collective expression and function of neural crest genes in a single, basal vertebrate, we reveal the ground state of the NC-GRN and resolve ambiguities between model organisms. PMID- 17765681 TI - A role of the Lowe syndrome protein OCRL in early steps of the endocytic pathway. AB - Mutations in the inositol 5-phosphatase OCRL are responsible for Lowe syndrome, whose manifestations include mental retardation and renal Fanconi syndrome. OCRL has been implicated in membrane trafficking, but disease mechanisms remain unclear. We show that OCRL visits late-stage, endocytic clathrin-coated pits and binds the Rab5 effector APPL1 on peripheral early endosomes. The interaction with APPL1, which is mediated by the ASH-RhoGAP-like domains of OCRL and is abolished by disease mutations, provides a link to protein networks implicated in the reabsorptive function of the kidney and in the trafficking and signaling of growth factor receptors in the brain. Crystallographic studies reveal a role of the ASH-RhoGAP-like domains in positioning the phosphatase domain at the membrane interface and a clathrin box protruding from the RhoGAP-like domain. Our results support a role of OCRL in the early endocytic pathway, consistent with the predominant localization of its preferred substrates, PI(4,5)P(2) and PI(3,4,5)P(3), at the cell surface. PMID- 17765684 TI - Cyclin-dependent kinases control septin phosphorylation in Candida albicans hyphal development. AB - Cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) control cytoskeleton polarization in yeast morphogenesis. However, the target and mechanism remain unclear. Here, we show that the Candida albicans Cdk Cdc28, through temporally controlled association with two cyclins Ccn1 and Hgc1, rapidly establishes and persistently maintains phosphorylation of the septin cytoskeleton protein Cdc11 for hyphal development. Upon hyphal induction, Cdc28-Ccn1 binds to septin complexes and phosphorylates Cdc11 on Ser394, a nonconsensus Cdk target. This phosphorylation requires prior phosphorylation on Ser395 by the septin-associated kinase Gin4. Mutating Ser394 or Ser395 blocked Cdc11 phosphorylation on Ser394 and impaired hyphal morphogenesis. Reconstitution experiments using purified Cdc28-Ccn1, Gin4, and septins reproduced phosphorylations on the same residues. Transient septin-Cdc28 associations were also detected prior to bud and mating-projection emergence in S. cerevisiae. Our study uncovers a direct link between the cell-cycle engine and the septin cytoskeleton that may be part of a conserved mechanism underlying polarized morphogenesis. PMID- 17765688 TI - Clinical anatomy and physiology of the voice. AB - The anatomy and physiology of voice include not only the larynx but also all body systems. The larynx consists of a skeleton, mucosa, intrinsic muscles, and extrinsic muscles. The vocal folds form the oscillator of the vocal tract, the subglottic vocal tract acts as a power source, and the supraglottic vocal tract functions as a resonator. Complex interactions are responsible for voice production. PMID- 17765686 TI - Tumor suppressor CYLD regulates JNK-induced cell death in Drosophila. AB - CYLD encodes a tumor suppressor that is mutated in familial cylindromatosis. Despite biochemical and cell culture studies, the physiological functions of CYLD in animal development and tumorigenesis remain poorly understood. To address these questions, we generated Drosophila CYLD (dCYLD) mutant and transgenic flies expressing wild-type and mutant dCYLD proteins. Here we show that dCYLD is essential for JNK-dependent oxidative stress resistance and normal lifespan. Furthermore, dCYLD regulates TNF-induced JNK activation and cell death through dTRAF2, which acts downstream of the TNF receptor Wengen and upstream of the JNKK kinase dTAK1. We show that dCYLD encodes a deubiquitinating enzyme that deubiquitinates dTRAF2 and prevents dTRAF2 from ubiquitin-mediated proteolytic degradation. These data provide a molecular mechanism for the tumor suppressor function of this evolutionary conserved molecule by indicating that dCYLD plays a critical role in modulating TNF-JNK-mediated cell death. PMID- 17765685 TI - A pathway containing the Ipl1/aurora protein kinase and the spindle midzone protein Ase1 regulates yeast spindle assembly. AB - It is critical to elucidate the pathways that mediate spindle assembly and therefore ensure accurate chromosome segregation during cell division. Our studies of a unique allele of the budding yeast Ipl1/Aurora protein kinase revealed that it is required for centrosome-mediated spindle assembly in the absence of the BimC motor protein Cin8. In addition, we found that the Ase1 spindle midzone-associated protein is required for bipolar spindle assembly. The cin8 ipl1 and cin8 ase1 double mutant cells exhibit similar defects, and Ase1 overexpression completely restores spindle assembly in cin8 ipl1 strains. Consistent with the possibility that Ipl1 regulates Ase1, an ase1 mutant lacking the Ipl1 consensus phosphorylation sites cannot assemble spindles in the absence of Cin8. In addition, Ase1 phosphorylation and localization were altered in an ipl1 mutant. We therefore propose that Ipl1/Aurora and Ase1 constitute a previously unidentified spindle assembly pathway that becomes essential in the absence of Cin8. PMID- 17765689 TI - Medical history in voice professionals. AB - A careful and thoughtful history is extremely important in helping to elucidate the cause of a patient's voice complaints. An understanding of the patient's performance and rehearsal environment and demands is also important in guiding the treatment process. A thorough history helps the clinician understand the vocal problem and how to interpret findings on physical examination that may be contributing to the pathophysiology of the vocal complaint. PMID- 17765690 TI - Physical examination of voice professionals. AB - Comprehensive physical examination is essential when evaluating patients. Often it includes objective voice assessment and measures along with strobovideolaryngoscopy. In all cases physical examination involves a thorough examination of the ears, nose, throat, neck, posture, cranial nerve function (usually), and assessment of the patient's general (systemic) physical condition. Performance assessment usually should be included for professional voice. PMID- 17765692 TI - Strobovideolaryngoscopy and laboratory voice evaluation. AB - A complete and thorough vocal history and physical examination is the cornerstone of the evaluation of any patient who has a vocal complaint. Continued scientific progress in the understanding of vocal fold vibration and sound production combined with advances in technology have resulted in the availability of numerous supplemental diagnostic laboratory tools for an optimal voice evaluation. This article presents additional clinical tools accessible to the otolaryngologist that may aid in diagnosis and help elucidate difficult vocal tract pathology. PMID- 17765691 TI - Neurolaryngologic evaluation of the performer. AB - Numerous neurologic diseases affect voice production either through direct effects on the larynx or by affecting muscles involved with support or resonation of the voice. Voice changes can be the initial presenting symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders, especially in patients who have increased awareness of their vocal quality. Some patients present to the otolaryngologist before the neurologist. The otolaryngologist must have an understanding and familiarity with laryngeal manifestations of neurodegenerative diseases to make the appropriate diagnosis in a timely fashion. Moreover, the otolaryngologist can play a significant role in the care of patients who have neurodegenerative disease. Video procedures for neurolaryngologic evaluation accompany this content online. PMID- 17765693 TI - Laryngeal electromyography. AB - Laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) evaluates the integrity of the neuromuscular system in the larynx by recording action potentials generated in the laryngeal muscles during voluntary and involuntary contraction. LEMG is particularly useful for helping to differentiate between disorders involving upper motor neurons, lower motor neurons, peripheral nerves, the neuromuscular junction, muscle fibers, and the laryngeal cartilages and joints. LEMG should be considered to be an extension of the physical examination, not an isolated laboratory procedure. A careful history and laryngeal evaluation determine the indication for LEMG and which muscles or muscle groups, in particular, are to be studied. Abnormalities detected by LEMG are always interpreted within the context of the clinical picture. PMID- 17765694 TI - Common diagnoses and treatments in professional voice users. AB - Common problems among all patients seen by the laryngologist are also common among professional voice users. These include laryngopharyngeal reflux, muscle tension dysphonia, fibrovascular vocal fold lesions (eg, nodules and polyps), cysts, vocal fold scarring, changes in vocal fold mobility, and age-related changes. Microvascular lesions and their associated sequelae of vocal fold hemorrhage and laryngitis due to voice overuse are more common among professional voice users. Much more common among professional voice users is the negative impact that voice problems have on their ability to work, on their overall sense of well-being, and sometimes on their very sense of self. This article reviews the diagnosis and treatment options for these and other problems among professional voice users, describing the relevant roles of medical treatment, voice therapy, and surgery. The common scenario of multiple concomitant entities contributing to a symptom complex is underscored. Emphasis is placed on gaining insight into the "whole" patient so that individualized management plans can be developed. Videos of select diagnoses accompany this content online. PMID- 17765695 TI - Vocal emergencies. AB - Acute management of vocal emergencies can be a difficult and stressful element in otolaryngology. A thoughtful history coupled with appropriate diagnostic instrumentation is the cornerstone of evaluating a patient with a vocal emergency. This article explores the differential diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of vocal emergencies in the performer. Understanding the various causes of acute dysphonia in the performing artist as well as awareness of the additional pressures placed upon performing artists empowers the otolaryngologist to help patients in this interesting and unusual niche of the specialty. PMID- 17765696 TI - Effects of medications on the voice. AB - Professional singers often present a difficult diagnostic dilemma concerning their medication use. Most drugs are never formally evaluated for effects on the voice and finding details of rare side effects can be time consuming for the practitioner. Common use of over-the-counter medication and herbal remedies, combined with the interaction of prescription medications used to treat other medical conditions, can cause many physical and psychologic interactions in patients that may not intuitively relate to medication use. Some side effects and interactions may be managed easily, whereas others may be much more severe. An open communication with the patient and knowledge of these issues can be helpful in the management of professional voice users. PMID- 17765697 TI - Vocal fold masses. AB - Vocal fold masses are often complex in nature and can have a devastating result on the professional voice. These lesions are usually multifactorial with synergistic contributions over time from voice use demands and technique, medical conditions, medications, and the environment. General categories of benign vocal fold masses in professional voice include nodules, polyps, and cysts, but other pathology should be considered, such as reactive lesions, intracordal scarring, feeding varices, and reparative granuloma. A perspective on these issues is essential for proper diagnosis and management. Video procedures for nodule and polyp surgery accompany this content online. PMID- 17765698 TI - Vocal fold paresis and paralysis. AB - Diagnosis and treatment of the immobile or hypomobile vocal fold are challenging for the otolaryngologist. True paralysis and paresis result from vocal fold denervation secondary to injury to the laryngeal or vagus nerve. Vocal fold paresis or paralysis may be unilateral or bilateral, central or peripheral, and it may involve the recurrent laryngeal nerve, superior laryngeal nerve, or both. The physician's first responsibility in any case of vocal fold paresis or paralysis is to confirm the diagnosis and be certain that the laryngeal motion impairment is not caused by arytenoid cartilage dislocation or subluxation, cricoarytenoid arthritis or ankylosis, neoplasm, or other mechanical causes. Strobovideolaryngoscopy, endoscopy, radiologic and laboratory studies, and electromyography are all useful diagnostic tools. PMID- 17765699 TI - Voice therapy for the professional voice. AB - Behavioral evaluation and treatment of dysphonia in the professional voice user are the responsibility of the speech-language pathologist. As a clinician, treating the professional voice user requires expert listening and management skills. Interdisciplinary team relationships are crucial for thorough care of this population. When treating the professional voice user additional information should be included while gathering the history because of differences in vocal demand and expectations when compared with the non-professional voice user. Voice therapy is patient-specific and when treating professional voice users it is necessary to consider previous training and use or rework current skills to enhance the therapy outcomes. PMID- 17765700 TI - Voice surgery. AB - There have been many advances in microsurgery for voice professionals over the last three decades. Driven by a greater understanding of the anatomy and physiology of phonation, most of the advances provide greater surgical precision through improved exposure and more delicate instrumentation. Laryngologists who perform laryngoscopic surgery should be familiar with the current state-of-the art and should use the latest techniques and technology for all voice patients and particularly for voice professionals. Video procedures for surgical management of voice disorders accompany this content online. PMID- 17765702 TI - Viruses, vectors, and vegetation: an autobiography. PMID- 17765703 TI - Honey bee viruses. AB - Viruses are significant threats to the health and well-being of the honey bee, Apis mellifera. To alleviate the threats posed by these invasive organisms, a better understanding of bee viral infections will be of crucial importance in developing effective and environmentally benign disease control strategies. Although knowledge of honey bee viruses has been accumulated considerably in the past three decades, a comprehensive review to compile the various aspects of bee viruses at the molecular level has not been reported. This chapter summarizes recent progress in the understanding of the morphology, genome organization, transmission, epidemiology, and pathogenesis of honey bee viruses as well as their interactions with their honey bee hosts. The future prospects of research of honey bee viruses are also discussed in detail. The chapter has been designed to provide researchers in the field with updated information about honey bee viruses and to serve as a starting point for future research. PMID- 17765704 TI - Use of functional genomics to understand influenza-host interactions. AB - Infection with influenza typically results in mild-to-moderate illness in healthy individuals; however, it is responsible for 30,000-40,000 deaths each year in the United States. In extreme cases, such as the influenza pandemic of 1918, tens of millions of people have died from the infection. To prepare for future influenza outbreaks, it is necessary to understand how the virus interacts with the host and to determine what makes certain strains of influenza highly pathogenic. Functional genomics provides a unique approach to this effort by allowing researchers to examine the effect of influenza infection on global host mRNA levels. Researchers are making increasing use of this approach to study virus host interactions using a variety of model systems. For example, data obtained using microarray technology, in combination with mouse and macaque infection models, is providing exciting new insights into the pathogenicity of the 1918 virus. These studies suggest that the lethality associated with this virus is in part due to an aberrant and unchecked immune response. Progress is also being made toward using functional genomics in the diagnosis and prognosis of acute lung infections and in the development of more effective influenza vaccines and antivirals. PMID- 17765705 TI - A guide to viral inclusions, membrane rearrangements, factories, and viroplasm produced during virus replication. AB - Virus replication can cause extensive rearrangement of host cell cytoskeletal and membrane compartments leading to the "cytopathic effect" that has been the hallmark of virus infection in tissue culture for many years. Recent studies are beginning to redefine these signs of viral infection in terms of specific effects of viruses on cellular processes. In this chapter, these concepts have been illustrated by describing the replication sites produced by many different viruses. In many cases, the cellular rearrangements caused during virus infection lead to the construction of sophisticated platforms in the cell that concentrate replicase proteins, virus genomes, and host proteins required for replication, and thereby increase the efficiency of replication. Interestingly, these same structures, called virus factories, virus inclusions, or virosomes, can recruit host components that are associated with cellular defences against infection and cell stress. It is possible that cellular defence pathways can be subverted by viruses to generate sites of replication. The recruitment of cellular membranes and cytoskeleton to generate virus replication sites can also benefit viruses in other ways. Disruption of cellular membranes can, for example, slow the transport of immunomodulatory proteins to the surface of infected cells and protect against innate and acquired immune responses, and rearrangements to cytoskeleton can facilitate virus release. PMID- 17765706 TI - Parvoviral host range and cell entry mechanisms. AB - Parvoviruses elaborate rugged nonenveloped icosahedral capsids of approximately 260 A in diameter that comprise just 60 copies of a common core structural polypeptide. While serving as exceptionally durable shells, capable of protecting the single-stranded DNA genome from environmental extremes, the capsid also undergoes sequential conformational changes that allow it to translocate the genome from its initial host cell nucleus all the way into the nucleus of its subsequent host. Lacking a duplex transcription template, the virus must then wait for its host to enter S-phase before it can initiate transcription and usurp the cell's synthetic pathways. Here we review cell entry mechanisms used by parvoviruses. We explore two apparently distinct modes of host cell specificity, first that used by Minute virus of mice, where subtle glycan-specific interactions between host receptors and residues surrounding twofold symmetry axes on the virion surface mediate differentiated cell type target specificity, while the second involves novel protein interactions with the canine transferrin receptor that allow a mutant of the feline leukopenia serotype, Canine parvovirus, to bind to and infect dog cells. We then discuss conformational shifts in the virion that accompany cell entry, causing exposure of a capsid tethered phospholipase A2 enzymatic core that acts as an endosomolytic agent to mediate virion translocation across the lipid bilayer into the cell cytoplasm. Finally, we discuss virion delivery into the nucleus, and consider the nature of transcriptionally silent DNA species that, escaping detection by the cell, might allow unhampered progress into S-phase and hence unleash the parvoviral Trojan horse. PMID- 17765707 TI - Viral stress-inducible genes. AB - Virus-infection of mammalian cells causes transcriptional induction of many cellular genes, collectively called as "viral stress-inducible genes." The proteins encoded by these genes are essential to maintain cell-virus homeostasis, which is required for both virus replication and host survival. Many viral products, including RNA, DNA, and proteins, can induce these genes by using distinct, but partially overlapping, signaling pathways. Type I interferons, direct products of virus infection, can also induce many of these genes, thus providing a positive feedback loop. Double-stranded RNA, a common by-product of virus replication, can induce them by multiple signaling pathways initiated by Toll-like receptor 3 or RIG-I/Mda-5. Several viral stress-inducible proteins inhibit protein synthesis. Proteins of the P56 family bind to the translation initiation factor, eIF-3, and block translation initiation. PKR, a protein kinase, phosphorylates a different initiation factor, eIF-2, and inhibits translation initiation. However, unlike P56, PKR needs to be first activated by dsRNA or PACT, another cellular protein. Another family of enzymes, the 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetases, synthesizes 2'-5' linked oligoadenylates [2-5(A)] in the presence of dsRNA; 2-5(A) activates the latent ribonuclease, RNase L, which degrades mRNA. Many viruses have evolved mechanisms to evade these genes by blocking their induction or actions; often more than one strategy is used by the same virus to achieve this goal. Thus, in an infected cell, equilibrium is reached between the virus and the cell with regards to the viral stress-inducible genes. PMID- 17765710 TI - Comparative anatomy of the hippocampal dentate gyrus in adult and developing rodents, non-human primates and humans. AB - There has been substantial progress in our understanding of the hippocampus in the past 70 years. During this time, it has become clear that the hippocampus is not an olfactory-related structure alone, but plays critical roles in other functions that do not necessarily depend on olfaction, such as learning and memory. In addition, it has become clear how important the hippocampus is to a wide variety of neurological disorders and psychiatric illness. Animal models have provided a great resource in such studies, but a frequent question is whether the data from laboratory animals is relevant to man. PMID- 17765709 TI - The dentate gyrus: fundamental neuroanatomical organization (dentate gyrus for dummies). AB - The dentate gyrus is a simple cortical region that is an integral portion of the larger functional brain system called the hippocampal formation. In this review, the fundamental neuroanatomical organization of the dentate gyrus is described, including principal cell types and their connectivity, and a summary of the major extrinsic inputs of the dentate gyrus is provided. Together, this information provides essential information that can serve as an introduction to the dentate gyrus--a "dentate gyrus for dummies." PMID- 17765711 TI - The perforant path: projections from the entorhinal cortex to the dentate gyrus. AB - This paper provides a comprehensive description of the organization of projections from the entorhinal cortex to the dentate gyrus, which together with projections to other subfields of the hippocampal formation form the so-called perforant pathway. To this end, data that are primarily from anatomical studies in the rat will be summarized, complimented with comparative data from other species. The analysis of the organization of any of the connections of the hippocampus, including that of the entorhinal cortex to the dentate gyrus, is severely hampered because of the complex three-dimensional shape of the hippocampus. In particular in rodents, but to a lesser extent also in primates, all traditional planes of sectioning will result in sections that at some point or another do not cut through the hippocampus at an angle that is perpendicular to its long axis. To amend this, we will describe own unpublished tracing data obtained in the rat with the use of the so-called extended preparation. A number of issues will be addressed. First, data will be summarized which will clarify the laminar origin of the perforant pathway within the entorhinal cortex. Second, we will discuss whether or not a radial organization, along the proximo-distal dendritic axis of granule cells, characterizes the entorhinal-dentate projection. Third, we will discuss whether this projection is governed by any transverse organization, and fourth, we will focus on the organization along the longitudinal axis. Finally, the synaptic organization and the contralateral entorhinal-dentate projection will be described briefly. Taken together, the available data suggest that the projection from the entorhinal cortex to the dentate gyrus is a fairly well conserved connection, present in all species studied, exhibiting a grossly similar organization. PMID- 17765713 TI - The dentate mossy fibers: structural organization, development and plasticity. AB - Hippocampal mossy fibers are the axons of the dentate granule cells and project to hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cells and mossy cells of the dentate hilus (CA4) as well as a number of interneurons in the two areas. Besides their role in hippocampal function, studies of which are still evolving and taking interesting turns, the mossy fibers display a number of unique features with regard to axonal projections, terminal structures and synaptic contacts, development and variations among species and strains, as well as to normal occurring and lesion induced plasticity and neural transplantation. These features are the topic of this review, which will use the mossy fiber system of the rat as basis and reference in its aim to provide an up-to-date, yet historically based guide to students in the field. PMID- 17765714 TI - Mossy fiber synaptic transmission: communication from the dentate gyrus to area CA3. AB - Communication between the dentate gyrus (DG) and area CA3 of the hippocampus proper is transmitted via axons of granule cells--the mossy fiber (MF) pathway. In this review we discuss and compare the properties of transmitter release from the MFs onto pyramidal neurons and interneurons. An examination of the anatomical connectivity from DG to CA3 reveals a surprising interplay between excitation and inhibition for this circuit. In this respect it is particularly relevant that the major targets of the MFs are interneurons and that the consequence of MF input into CA3 may be inhibitory or excitatory, conditionally dependent on the frequency of input and modulatory regulation. This is further complicated by the properties of transmitter release from the MFs where a large number of co localized transmitters, including GABAergic inhibitory transmitter release, and the effects of presynaptic modulation finely tune transmitter release. A picture emerges that extends beyond the hypothesis that the MFs are simply "detonators" of CA3 pyramidal neurons; the properties of synaptic information flow from the DG have more subtle and complex influences on the CA3 network. PMID- 17765712 TI - Extrinsic afferent systems to the dentate gyrus. AB - The dentate gyrus is the first stage of the intrahippocampal, excitatory, trisynaptic loop, and a primary target of the majority of entorhinal afferents that terminate in a laminar fashion on granule cell dendrites and carry sensory information of multiple modalities about the external world. The electric activity of the trisynaptic pathway is controlled mainly by different types of local, GABAergic interneurons, and subcortical and commissural afferents. In this chapter we will outline the origin and postsynaptic targets in the dentate gyrus of chemically identified subcortical inputs. These systems are afferents originating from the medial septum/diagonal band of Broca GABAergic and cholinergic neurons, neurochemically distinct types of neurons located in the supramammillary area, serotonergic fibers from the median raphe, noradrenergic afferents from the pontine nucleus, locus ceruleus, dopamine axons originating in the ventral tegmental area, and the commissural projection system. Because of the physiological implications, these afferents are discussed in the context of the glutamatergic innervation of the dentate gyrus. One common feature of the extrinsic dentate afferent systems is that they originate from a relatively small number of neurons. However, the majority of these afferents are able to exert a powerful control over the electrical activity of the hippocampus. This strong influence is due to the fact that the majority of the extrinsic afferents terminate on a relatively small, but specific, populations of neurons that are able to control large areas of the hippocampal formation. PMID- 17765715 TI - Development of cell and fiber layers in the dentate gyrus. AB - This chapter deals with the laminated organization of the dentate gyrus, particularly with the molecular signals controlling its development. First, sites of granule cell generation, their modes and routes of migration are described. This is followed by an analysis of the molecular determinants governing the formation of a tightly packed granule cell layer that is normal in rodents and primates. Reelin, a protein of the extracellular matrix, plays an important role for the proper migration and lamination of the granule cells during development and for the maintenance of a laminated dentate gyrus in adulthood. Granule cell positioning is crucial for the laminated termination of commissural/associational fibers to the dentate gyrus, suggesting that the granule cells carry positional signals for these fibers. In contrast, not signals of the target cells but molecules of the extracellular matrix, such as hyaluronan, underlie the layer specific termination of fibers from the entorhinal cortex. The molecular determinants controlling axonal pathfinding and target recognition of the profusely terminating cholinergic and GABAergic subcortical afferents still need to be elucidated. PMID- 17765716 TI - Genetic regulation of dentate gyrus morphogenesis. AB - The dentate gyrus is one of the small number of forebrain areas that have continued adult neurogenesis. During development the dentate gyrus acquires the capacity for neurogenesis by generating a new neurogenic stem cell niche at the border between the hilus and dentate granule cell layer. This is in distinction to the other prominent zone of continued neurogenesis in the subventricular zone where neurons are born in a structure directly descended from the mid-gestation subventricular zone. The ability to generate this newly formed dentate neurogenic niche is controlled by the action of a number of genes during prenatal and early postnatal development that regulate the fate, survival, migration, expansion, and differentiation of the cellular components of the dentate neurogenic niche. In this review, we provide an updated framework discussing the molecular steps and genes involved in these early stages of dentate gyrus formation. We previously described a molecular framework for dentate gyrus morphogenesis that can be associated with specific gene defects (Li, G., Pleasure, S.J. (2005). Dev. Neurosci., 27, 93-99), and here we add additional recently described molecular players and discuss this framework. PMID- 17765717 TI - Ultrastructure and synaptic connectivity of cell types in the adult rat dentate gyrus. AB - The rat hippocampal dentate gyrus is an extensively studied structural component of the limbic system. It is the first station in the classical tri-synaptic circuit of the hippocampus in that its major input arises from the entorhinal cortex via the perforant pathway. The second part of this circuit arises from the projection cells of the dentate gyrus, the granule cells, which send their axons to the pyramidal cells of CA3. Within the dentate gyrus, there also is an extensive inhibitory network of cells that are involved in synchronizing the rhythmic firing of the granule cells. This chapter provides a review of the ultrastructural features and synaptic connectivity of both projection cells and local circuit neurons in the dentate gyrus. PMID- 17765718 TI - Morphological development and maturation of granule neuron dendrites in the rat dentate gyrus. AB - The first granule neurons in the dentate gyrus are born during late embryogenesis in the rodent, and the primary period of granule cell neurogenesis continues into the second postnatal week. On the day of birth in the rat, the oldest granule neurons are visible in the suprapyramidal blade and exhibit rudimentary dendrites extending into the molecular layer. Here we describe the morphological development of the dendritic trees between birth and day 14, and we then review the process of dendritic remodeling that occurs after the end of the second week. Data indicate that the first adult-like granule neurons are present on day 7, and, furthermore, physiological recordings demonstrate that some granule neurons are functional at this time. Taken together, these results suggest that the dentate gyrus may be incorporated into the hippocampal circuit as early as the end of the first week. The dendritic trees of the granule neurons, however, continue to increase in size until day 14. After that time, the dendritic trees of the oldest granule neurons are sculpted and refined. Some dendrites elongate while others are lost, resulting in a conservation of total dendritic length. We end this chapter with a review of the quantitative aspects of granule cell dendrites in the adult rat and a discussion of the relationship between the morphology of a granule neuron and the location of its cell body within stratum granulosum and along the transverse axis of the dentate gyrus. PMID- 17765719 TI - Physiological studies of human dentate granule cells. AB - The availability of human hippocampi obtained through surgery (usually for treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy) has allowed us to investigate the properties of the human dentate in a way that cannot be done with other brain regions. The dentate has been the primary focus of these studies because of its relative preservation in all patient specimens. Moreover, there is extensive synaptic reorganization of numerous neurotransmitter systems in this the fascia dentate (dentate gyrus and the hilus) in humans with specific forms of TLE. These changes are not evident in tissue from patients with seizure that begin outside the hippocampus, and, as a result, this tissue provides an invaluable resource for comparisons. Physiological data using both slices and acutely dissociated cells demonstrate that the granule cells have membrane properties similar to those of rodents although there are specific changes that appear to be associated with seizures. Similarly, in the non-sclerotic hippocampi, the synaptic properties are similar to those reported in rodents. There are also a number of parallels between the findings in humans and in status animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy. This review will cover analyses of membrane properties as well as of glutamatergic, GABAergic, and neuromodulatory systems. Thus, while there are a number of issues that invariably arise with studies of pathological human tissue, this tissue is ideally suited to verify and refine animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy. In addition, one can argue that human tissue provides the only resource to evaluate the ways that granule cells recorded from laboratory animals approximate human granule cell physiology. PMID- 17765720 TI - Hilar mossy cells: functional identification and activity in vivo. AB - Network oscillations are proposed to provide the framework for the ongoing neural computations of the brain. Thus, an important aspect of understanding the functional roles of various cell classes in the brain is to understand the relationship of cellular activity to the ongoing oscillations. While many studies have characterized the firing properties of cells in the hippocampal network including granule cells, pyramidal cells and interneurons, information about the activity of dentate mossy cells in the intact brain is scant. Here we review the currently available information and describe biophysical properties and network related firing patterns of mossy cells in vivo. These new observations will assist in the extracellular identification of this unique cell type and help elucidate their functional role in behaving animals. PMID- 17765721 TI - Interneurons of the dentate gyrus: an overview of cell types, terminal fields and neurochemical identity. AB - Interneurons of the dentate gyrus are a diverse group of neurons that use GABA as their primary neurotransmitter. Morphological studies of these neurons have been challenging since no single neuroanatomical method provides a complete view of these interneurons. However, through the integration of findings obtained from multiple methods, an interesting picture of this complex group of neurons is emerging, and this review focuses on studies in rats and mice. In situ hybridization of mRNAs for the two isoforms of the GABA synthesizing enzyme, glutamate decarboxylase (GAD65 and GAD67), demonstrates the abundance of GABA neurons in the dentate gyrus and their high concentration in the hilus and along the base of the granule cell layer. Likewise, immunohistochemical studies, particularly of GAD65, demonstrate the rich fields of GABA terminals not only around the somata of granule cells but also in the dendritic regions of the molecular layer. This broad group of GABA neurons and their terminals can be subdivided according to their morphological characteristics, including the distribution of their axonal plexus, and their neurochemical identity. Intracellular labeling of single interneurons has been instrumental in demonstrating the extensiveness of their axonal plexus and the relatively specific spatial distribution of their axonal fields. These findings have led to the broad classification of interneurons into those that terminate primarily at perisomatic regions and those that innervate the dendrites of granule cells. The interneurons also can be classified according to their neuropeptide and calcium binding protein content. These and other molecules contribute to the rich diversity of dentate interneurons and may provide opportunities for selectively regulating specific groups of GABA neurons in the dentate gyrus in order to enhance their function or protect vulnerable neurons from damage. PMID- 17765722 TI - Functional regulation of the dentate gyrus by GABA-mediated inhibition. AB - Dentate granule cells are characterized by their low levels of excitability, an important aspect of hippocampal function, which distinguishes them from other principal cells of the hippocampus. This low excitability derives in large part from the degree and nature of GABAergic inhibition evident in the dentate gyrus. Granule cells express a unique and complex assortment of GABA(A) receptor subunits, found in few areas of the brain. Associated with this receptor complexity, granule cells are endowed with both synaptic and extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors with distinctive properties. In particular, extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors in granule cells exhibit high affinity for GABA and do not desensitize. This results in activation of a tonic current by ambient levels of GABA present in the extracellular space. This tonic current contributes significantly to the circuit properties of the dentate gyrus. Both synaptic and extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors exhibit profound dysregulation in animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy, which may contribute to the hippocampal hyperexcitability that defines this disorder. PMID- 17765723 TI - Opioid systems in the dentate gyrus. AB - Opiate drugs alter cognitive performance and influence hippocampal excitability, including long-term potentiation (LTP) and seizure activity. The dentate gyrus (DG) contains two major opioid peptides, enkephalins and dynorphins, which have opposing effects on excitability. Enkephalins preferentially bind to delta- and mu-opioid receptors (DORs and MORs) while dynorphins preferentially bind to kappa opioid receptors (KORs). Opioid receptors can also be activated by exogenous opiate drugs such as the MOR agonist morphine. Enkephalins are contained in the mossy fiber pathway, in the lateral perforant path (PP) and in scattered GABAergic interneurons. MORs and DORs are predominantly in distinct subpopulations of GABAergic interneurons known to inhibit granule cells, and are present at low levels within granule cells. MOR and DOR agonists increase excitability and facilitate LTP in the molecular layer. Anatomical and physiological evidence is consistent with somatodendritic and axon terminal targeting of both MORs and DORs. Dynorphins are in the granule cells, most abundantly in mossy fibers but also in dendrites. KORs have been localized to granule cell mossy fibers, supramammillary afferents to granule cells, and PP terminals. KOR agonists, including endogenous dynorphins, diminish the induction of LTP. Recent evidence indicates that opiates and opioids also modulate other processes in the hippocampal formation, including adult neurogenesis, the actions of gonadal hormones, and development of neonatal transmitter systems. PMID- 17765724 TI - Somatostatin in the dentate gyrus. AB - The neuropeptide somatostatin (SST) is expressed in a discrete population of interneurons in the dentate gyrus. These interneurons have their soma in the hilus and project to the outer molecular layer onto dendrites of dentate granule cells, adjacent to perforant path input. SST-containing interneurons are very sensitive to excitotoxicty, and thus are vulnerable to a variety of neurological diseases and insults, including epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, and ischemia. The SST gene contains a prototypical cyclic AMP response element (CRE) site. Such a regulatory site confers activity-dependence to the gene, such that it is turned on when neuronal activity is high. Thus SST expression is increased by pathological conditions such as seizures and by natural stimulation such as environmental enrichment. SST may play an important role in cognition by modulating the response of neurons to synaptic input. In the dentate, SST and the related peptide cortistatin (CST) reduce the likelihood of generating long-term potentiation, a cellular process involved in learning and memory. Thus these neuropeptides would increase the threshold of input required for acquisition of new memories, increasing "signal to noise" to filter out irrelevant environmental cues. The major mechanism through which SST inhibits LTP is likely through inhibition of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels on dentate granule cell dendrites. Transgenic overexpression of CST in the dentate leads to profound deficits in spatial learning and memory, validating its role in cognitive processing. A reduction of synaptic potentiation by SST and CST in dentate may also contribute to the well-characterized antiepileptic properties of these neuropeptides. Thus SST and CST are important neuromodulators in the dentate gyrus, and disruption of this signaling system may have major impact on hippocampal function. PMID- 17765725 TI - Neuropeptide Y in the dentate gyrus. AB - Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is contained in at least four types of GABAergic interneurons in the dentate gyrus, many of which also contain somatostatin and give rise to the dense NPY innervation of the dentate outer molecular layer. In humans but not rats, minute amounts of NPY are also normally expressed in dentate granule cells, while seizure activity in rats induces robust NPY expression in granule cells. Y1 and Y2 receptors are the most abundant NPY receptors expressed in the dentate gyrus. Y1 receptors are postsynaptic receptors, primarily located on granule cell dendrites in the molecular layer and some interneurons, while Y2 receptors are presynaptic receptors mediating inhibition of glutamate release, and potentially that of NPY and GABA depending on their presynaptic localization, and may also be expressed on some hilar interneurons. In humans, monkeys and mice, Y2 receptors are also present on mossy fibers, but not in most rat species, though functional evidence suggests their presence. Hilar interneurons containing NPY degenerate in temporal lobe epilepsy and in Alzheimer's disease and reduced levels of NPY in dentate hilus are associated with depression. By activating Y1 receptors, NPY also exerts powerful neuroproliferative effects on subgranular zone progenitor cells, increasing the number of newly born granule cells in the adult dentate gyrus. Functionally, NPY exerts anticonvulsive actions mediated by Y2 receptors at mossy fiber terminals, but there are no presynaptic responses to NPY at perforant path inputs to dentate granule cells in rats or mice. NPY also has potentially complicated actions on NPY-containing interneurons. Elevated expression of NPY in mossy fibers of the rat, sprouting of NPY interneurons in the human dentate, and over-expression of Y2 receptors in mossy fibers indicate an anticonvulsive role of endogenous NPY in epilepsy. However, the physiological role of NPY in the healthy dentate gyrus remains unclear. PMID- 17765726 TI - Norepinephrine and the dentate gyrus. AB - Norepinephrine's role in the dentate gyrus is assessed based on a review of what is known about its innervation and receptor patterns and its functional effects at both cellular and behavioral levels. The data support seven hypotheses: (1) Norepinephrine's functional actions are primarily mediated by beta adrenoceptors and include electrophysiological enhancement of responses to excitatory input and glycogenolytic metabolic support of excitatory synaptic activity. (2) At the cellular level, locus coeruleus burst release of norepinephrine transiently inhibits feedforward interneurons and either excites or inhibits subpopulations of feedback interneurons. Consistent with reduced feedforward inhibition, granule cell firing is transiently increased. Concomitant EEG effects include transient increases in theta power and decreases in beta and gamma power. (3) Norepinephrine selectively promotes the processing of medial perforant path spatial input. This effect is mediated both through short- and long-term potentiation of cell excitability and through delayed potentiation of synaptic input. A critical level of norepinephrine release is required for long-term effects to norepinephrine alone. Norepinephrine release switches early phase frequency-induced long-term potentiation of perforant path input to an enduring late phase form and can reinstate decayed long-term potentiation. Norepinephrine also promotes frequency-induced potentiation of granule cell output at the mossy fiber to CA3 connection. (4) Local increases in norepinephrine accompany glutamate release and release of other neurotransmitters providing a mechanism for norepinephrine enhancement effects independent of locus coeruleus firing. (5) Stimuli, such as novelty and reward and punishment, which activate locus coeruleus neurons, enhance responses to medial perforant path input and engage late phase frequency-induced long-term potentiation through beta adrenoceptor activation. (6) Behavioral studies are consistent with the mechanistic evidence for a norepinephrine role in promoting learning and memory and assisting retrieval. (7) The overall profile suggests lower levels of norepinephrine may facilitate pattern completion or memory retrieval while higher levels would recruit global remapping and promote long-term episodic memory. PMID- 17765728 TI - Pro-inflammatory cytokines and their effects in the dentate gyrus. AB - The older notion of a central nervous system existing in essential isolation from the immune system has changed dramatically in recent years as the body of evidence relating to the interactions between these two systems has grown. Here we address the role of a particular subset of immune modulatory molecules, the pro-inflammatory cytokines, in regulating neuronal function and viability in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. These inflammatory mediators are known to be elevated in many neuropathological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and ischaemic injury that follows stroke. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 1-beta (IL-1beta) and interleukin 18 (IL-18), have been shown to regulate neurotoxicity; although, due to the complexity of the cytokine action in neurons and glia, the effect may be either facilitatory or protective, depending on the circumstances. As well as their role in neurotoxicity and neuroprotection, the pro-inflammatory cytokines have also been shown to be potent regulators of synaptic function. In particular, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-18 have all been shown to inhibit long term potentiation, a form of neuronal plasticity widely believed to underlie learning and memory, both in the early p38 mitogen activated protein kinase dependant phase and the later protein synthesis-dependant phase. In this article we address the mechanisms underlying these cytokine effects in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. PMID- 17765729 TI - Role of corticosteroid hormones in the dentate gyrus. AB - Dentate granule cells are enriched with receptors for the stress hormone corticosterone, i.e., the high-affinity mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), which is already extensively occupied with low levels of the hormone, and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which is particularly activated after stress. More than any other cell type in the brain studied so far, dentate granule cells require hormone levels to be within the physiological range. In the absence of corticosteroids, proliferation and apoptotic cell death are dramatically enhanced. Dendritic morphology and synaptic transmission are compromised. Conversely, prolonged exposure of animals to a high level of corticosterone suppresses neurogenesis and presumably makes dentate granule cells more vulnerable to delayed cell death. These corticosteroid effects on dentate cell and network function are translated into behavioral consequences, in health and disease. PMID- 17765730 TI - Neurotrophins in the dentate gyrus. AB - Since the discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the 1950s and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the 1980s, a great deal of evidence has mounted for the roles of neurotrophins (NGF; BDNF; neurotrophin-3, NT-3; and neurotrophin 4/5, NT-4/5) in development, physiology, and pathology. BDNF in particular has important roles in neural development and cell survival, as well as appearing essential to molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and larger scale structural rearrangements of axons and dendrites. Basic activity-related changes in the central nervous system (CNS) are thought to depend on BDNF modulation of synaptic transmission. Pathologic levels of BDNF-dependent synaptic plasticity may contribute to conditions such as epilepsy and chronic pain sensitization, whereas application of the trophic properties of BDNF may lead to novel therapeutic options in neurodegenerative diseases and perhaps even in neuropsychiatric disorders. In this chapter, I review neurotrophin structure, signal transduction mechanisms, localization and regulation within the nervous system, and various potential roles in disease. Modulation of neurotrophin action holds significant potential for novel therapies for a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. PMID- 17765727 TI - Endocannabinoids in the dentate gyrus. AB - Recent years have produced rapid and enormous growth in our understanding of endocannabinoid-mediated signaling in the CNS. While much of the recent progress has focused on other areas of the brain, a significant body of evidence has developed that indicates the presence of a robust system for endocannabinoid mediated signaling in the dentate gyrus. This chapter will provide an overview of our current understanding of that system based on available anatomical and physiological data. PMID- 17765732 TI - Plastic processes in the dentate gyrus: a computational perspective. AB - The dentate gyrus has the capacity for numerous types of synaptic plasticity that use diverse mechanisms and are thought essential for the storage of information in the hippocampus. Here we review the various forms of synaptic plasticity that involve afferents and efferents of the dentate gyrus, and, from a computational perspective, relate how these plastic processes might contribute to sparse, orthogonal encoding, and the selective recall of information within the hippocampus. PMID- 17765733 TI - Control of synaptic consolidation in the dentate gyrus: mechanisms, functions, and therapeutic implications. AB - Synaptic consolidation refers to the development and stabilization of protein synthesis-dependent modifications of synaptic strength as observed during long term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). Activity-dependent changes in synaptic strength are thought to underlie memory storage and other adaptive responses of the nervous systems of importance in mood stability, reward behavior, and pain control. This chapter focuses on the mechanisms and functions of synaptic consolidation in the dentate gyrus, a critical structure not only in hippocampal memory function, but also in regulation of stress responses and cognitive aspects of depression. Recent evidence suggests that synaptic consolidation at excitatory medial perforant path-granule cell synapses requires brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling and induction of the immediate early gene activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc). Arc mRNA is strongly induced and transported to dendritic processes following high-frequency stimulation (HFS) that induces LTP in the rat dentate gyrus in vivo. Sustained synthesis of Arc during a surprisingly protracted time-window is required for hyperphosphorylation of actin depolymerizing factor/cofilin and local expansion of the actin cytoskeleton in vivo. Furthermore, this process of Arc-dependent synaptic consolidation is activated in response to brief infusion of BDNF. Microarray expression profiling has revealed a panel of BDNF-regulated genes that may cooperate with Arc during synaptic consolidation. In addition to regulating gene expression, BDNF signaling modulates the fine localization and biochemical activation of the translation machinery. By modulating the spatial and temporal translation of newly induced (Arc) and constitutively-expressed mRNA in dendrites, BDNF may effectively control the window of synaptic consolidation. Dysregulation of BDNF synthesis and Arc function, specifically within the dentate gyrus, is linked to behavioral symptoms and cognitive deficits in animal models of depression and Alzheimer's disease. Therapeutics strategies targeting synaptic consolidation hold promise for the future. PMID- 17765734 TI - Comparison of cellular mechanisms of long-term depression of synaptic strength at perforant path-granule cell and Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses. AB - This chapter compares the cellular mechanisms that have been implicated in the induction and expression of long-term depression (LTD) at Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses to perforant path-dentate gyrus (DG) synapses. In general, Schaffer collateral LTD and long-term potentiation (LTP) both appear to be a complex combination of many alterations in synaptic transmission that occur at both presynaptic and postsynaptic sites, while at perforant path synapses, most evidence has focused on postsynaptic long-term alterations. Within the DG, the medial perforant path is far more studied than lateral perforant path synapses, where most evidence relates to the induction of heterosynaptic LTD at lateral perforant path synapses when LTP is induced in the medial perforant path. Of course, there remain many other classes of synapses in the DG where synaptic plasticity, including LTD, have been largely neglected. It is clear that a better understanding of the range of DG loci where long-lasting activity-dependent plasticity, both LTD and LTP, are expressed will be essential to improve our understanding of the cognitive roles of such DG plasticity. PMID- 17765731 TI - Sex steroids and the dentate gyrus. AB - In the late 1980s, the finding that the dentate gyrus contains more granule cells in the male than in the female of certain mouse strains provided the first indication that the dentate gyrus is a significant target for the effects of sex steroids during development. Gonadal hormones also play a crucial role in shaping the function and morphology of the adult brain. Besides reproduction-related processes, sex steroids participate in higher brain operations such as cognition and mood, in which the hippocampus is a critical mediator. Being part of the hippocampal formation, the dentate gyrus is naturally involved in these mechanisms and as such, this structure is also a critical target for the activational effects of sex steroids. These activational effects are the results of three major types of steroid-mediated actions. Sex steroids modulate the function of dentate neurons under normal conditions. In addition, recent research suggests that hormone-induced cellular plasticity may play a larger role than previously thought, particularly in the dentate gyrus. Specifically, the regulation of dentate gyrus neurogenesis and synaptic remodeling by sex steroids received increasing attention lately. Finally, the dentate gyrus is influenced by gonadal hormones in the context of cellular injury, and the work in this area demonstrates that gonadal hormones have neuroprotective potential. The expression of estrogen, progestin, and androgen receptors in the dentate gyrus suggests that sex steroids, which could be of gonadal origin and/or synthesized locally in the dentate gyrus, may act directly on dentate cells. In addition, gonadal hormones could also influence the dentate gyrus indirectly, by subcortical hormone sensitive structures such as the cholinergic septohippocampal system. Importantly, these three sex steroid-related themes, functional effects in the normal dentate gyrus, mechanisms involving neurogenesis and synaptic remodeling, as well as neuroprotection, have substantial implications for understanding normal cognitive function, with clinical importance for epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and mental disorders. PMID- 17765735 TI - Structural reorganization of the dentate gyrus following entorhinal denervation: species differences between rat and mouse. AB - Deafferentation of the dentate gyrus by unilateral entorhinal cortex lesion or unilateral perforant pathway transection is a classical model to study the response of the central nervous system (CNS) to denervation. This model has been extensively characterized in the rat to clarify mechanisms underlying denervation induced gliosis, transneuronal degeneration of denervated neurons, and collateral sprouting of surviving axons. As a result, candidate molecules have been identified which could regulate these changes, but a causal link between these molecules and the postlesional changes has not yet been demonstrated. To this end, mutant mice are currently studied by many groups. A tacit assumption is that data from the rat can be generalized to the mouse, and fundamental species differences in hippocampal architecture and the fiber systems involved in sprouting are often ignored. In this review, we will (1) provide an overview of some of the basics and technical aspects of the entorhinal denervation model, (2) identify anatomical species differences between rats and mice and will point out their relevance for the axonal reorganization process, (3) describe glial and local inflammatory changes, (4) consider transneuronal changes of denervated dentate neurons and the potential role of reactive glia in this context, and (5) summarize the differences in the reorganization of the dentate gyrus between the two species. Finally, we will discuss the use of the entorhinal denervation model in mutant mice. PMID- 17765736 TI - Adult neurogenesis in the intact and epileptic dentate gyrus. AB - Neurogenesis persists throughout life in the adult mammalian dentate gyrus. Adult born dentate granule cells integrate into existing hippocampal circuitry and may provide network plasticity necessary for certain forms of hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Neural stem cells and neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus are regulated by a variety of environmental, physiological, and molecular factors. These include aging, stress, exercise, neurovascular components of the stem cell niche, growth factors, neurotransmitters, and hormones. Seizure activity also influences dentate granule cell neurogenesis. Production of adult born neurons increases in rodent models of temporal lobe epilepsy, and both newborn and pre-existing granule neurons contribute to aberrant axonal reorganization in the epileptic hippocampus. Prolonged seizures also disrupt the migration of dentate granule cell progenitors and lead to hilar-ectopic granule cells. The ectopic granule neurons appear to integrate abnormally and contribute to network hyperexcitability. Similar findings of granule cell layer dispersion and ectopic granule neurons in human TLE suggest that aberrant neurogenesis contributes to epileptogenesis or learning and memory disturbances in this epilepsy syndrome. PMID- 17765737 TI - Unmasking recurrent excitation generated by mossy fiber sprouting in the epileptic dentate gyrus: an emergent property of a complex system. AB - Seizure-induced sprouting of the mossy fiber pathway in the dentate gyrus has been observed nearly universally in experimental models of limbic epilepsy and in the epileptic human hippocampus. The observation of progressive mossy fiber sprouting induced by kindling demonstrated that even a few repeated seizures are sufficient to alter synaptic connectivity and circuit organization. As it is now recognized that seizures induce synaptic reorganization in hippocampal and cortical pathways, the implications of seizure-induced synaptic reorganization for circuit properties and function have been subjects of intense interest. Detailed anatomical characterization of the sprouted mossy fiber pathway has revealed that the overwhelming majority of sprouted synapses in the inner molecular layer of the dentate gyrus form recurrent excitatory connections, and are thus likely to contribute to recurrent excitation and potentially to enhanced susceptibility to seizures. Nevertheless, difficulties in detecting functional abnormalities in circuits reorganized by mossy fiber sprouting and the fact that some sprouted axons appear to form synapses with inhibitory interneurons have been cited as evidence that sprouting may not contribute to seizure susceptibility, but could form recurrent inhibitory circuits and be a compensatory response to prevent seizures. Quantitative analysis of the synaptic connections of the sprouted mossy fiber pathway, assessment of the functional features of sprouted circuitry using reliable physiological measures, and the perspective of complex systems analysis of neural circuits strongly support the view that the functional effects of the recurrent excitatory circuits formed by mossy fiber sprouting after seizures or injury emerge only conditionally and intermittently, as observed with spontaneous seizures in human epilepsy. The recognition that mossy fiber sprouting is induced after hippocampal injury and seizures and contributes conditionally to emergence of recurrent excitation has provided a conceptual framework for understanding how injury and seizure-induced circuit reorganization may contribute to paroxysmal network synchronization, epileptogenesis, and the consequences of repeated seizures, and thus has had a major influence on understanding of fundamental aspects of the epilepsies. PMID- 17765738 TI - A behavioral analysis of dentate gyrus function. AB - Computational models of the dentate gyrus (DG) have suggested based on anatomical, electrophysiological, and computer simulation data that the DG plays an important role in learning and memory by processing and representing spatial information on the basis of conjunctive encoding, pattern separation, and encoding of spatial information in conjunction with the CA3. Behavioral evidence supports a role for the DG in mnemonic processing of spatial information based on the operation of conjunctive encoding of multiple sensory inputs, pattern separation of spatial (especially metric) information, and subsequent encoding in cooperation with CA3. A potential role of the DG in mediating processes, such as recall of sequential information and short-term memory as well as temporal order for remote memory, are also discussed. PMID- 17765739 TI - Models, structure, function: the transformation of cortical signals in the dentate gyrus. AB - Our central question is why the hippocampal CA3 region is the only cortical area capable of forming interference-free representations of complex environmental events (episodes), given that apparently all cortical regions have recurrent excitatory circuits with modifiable synapses, the basic substrate for autoassociative memory networks. We review evidence for the radical (but classic) view that a unique transformation of incoming cortical signals by the dentate gyrus and the subsequent faithful transfer of the resulting code by the mossy fibers are absolutely critical for the appropriate association of memory items by CA3 and, in general, for hippocampal function. In particular, at the gate of the hippocampal formation, the dentate gyrus possesses a set of unusual properties, which selectively evolved for the task of code transformation between cortical afferents and the hippocampus. These evolutionarily conserved anatomical features enable the dentate gyrus to translate the noisy signal of the upstream cortical areas into the sparse and specific code of hippocampal formation, which is indispensable for the efficient storage and recall of multiple, multidimensional memory items. To achieve this goal the mossy fiber pathway maximally utilizes the opportunity to differentially regulate its postsynaptic partners. Selective innervation of CA3 pyramidal cells and interneurons by distinct terminal types creates a favorable condition to differentially regulate the short-term and long term plasticity and the motility of various mossy terminal types. The utility of this highly dynamic system appears to be the frequency-dependent fine-tuning the excitation and inhibition evoked by the large and the small mossy terminals respectively. This will determine exactly which CA3 cell population is active and induces permanent modification in the autoassociational network of the CA3 region. PMID- 17765740 TI - The dentate gyrus as a filter or gate: a look back and a look ahead. AB - The idea of the dentate gyrus as a gate or filter at the entrance to the hippocampus, blocking or filtering incoming excitation from the entorhinal cortex, has been an intriguing one. Here we review the historical development of the idea, and discuss whether it may be possible to be more specific in defining this gate. We propose that dentate function can be understood within a context of Hebbian association and competition: hilar mossy cells help the dentate granule cells to recognize incoming entorhinal patterns of activity (Hebbian association), after which patterns that are consistently and repetitively presented to the dentate gyrus are passed through, while random, more transient patterns are blocked (non-associative Hebbian competition). Translamellar inhibition as well as translamellar potentiation can be understood in this context. The dentate-hilar complex thus plays the role of a "pattern excluder", not a pattern completer. The unique role of pattern exclusion may explain the peculiar qualities of dentate granule cells and hilar mossy cells. PMID- 17765741 TI - Role of the dual entorhinal inputs to hippocampus: a hypothesis based on cue/action (non-self/self) couplets. AB - The hippocampus sits at the highest level of memory processing circuits and receives two major inputs, one coming from the lateral entorhinal cortex and one coming from the medial entorhinal cortex. This duality must be of fundamental importance, but its functional meaning remains unclear. A computational model used for robot navigation (Verschure, P.F., et al. (2003). Nature, 425: 620-624) has a dual information structure that may provide insight. In this model, information is stored as couplets consisting of information about the current sensory cues and information about the current action of the robot. Sequences of such couplets are stored in a short-term memory buffer and transferred to a long term memory store whenever a goal is found. The overall system enhances the ability of the robot to find reward sites because stored sequences enable the robot to retrace the path to a goal site whenever any of the cues along the path to a goal is subsequently encountered. A review of the literature suggests that the idea of cue/action couplets can be usefully mapped onto the function of the entorhinal cortex. Cue information may be supplied by the lateral entorhinal cortex whereas action (motor) information may be supplied by the medial entorhinal cortex. However, given that self-position information is prominent in the medial pathway and that this is not directly related to action, a modified formulation of the duality is proposed in which the fundamental distinction is between information about non-self vs. information about self. According to this view, the lateral entorhinal pathway carries information about external (non self) cues and their positions (in egocentric coordinates) whereas the medial entorhinal pathway carries information about the organism itself, including its position (in allocentric coordinates), motor actions and goals. PMID- 17765743 TI - Modeling the dentate gyrus. AB - Computational modeling has become an increasingly useful tool for studying complex neuronal circuits such as the dentate gyrus. In order to effectively apply computational techniques and theories to answer pressing biological questions, however, it is necessary to develop detailed, data-driven models. Development of such models is a complicated process, akin to putting together a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces being such things as cell types, cell numbers, and specific connectivity. This chapter provides a walkthrough for the development of a very large-scale, biophysically realistic model of the dentate gyrus. Subsequently, it demonstrates the utility of a modeling approach in asking and answering questions about both healthy and pathological states involving the modeled brain region. Finally, this chapter discusses some predictions that come directly from the model that can be tested in future experimental approaches. PMID- 17765742 TI - The CA3 "backprojection" to the dentate gyrus. AB - The hippocampus is typically described in the context of the trisynaptic circuit, a pathway that relays information from the perforant path to the dentate gyrus, dentate to area CA3, and CA3 to area CA1. Associated with this concept is the assumption that most hippocampal information processing occurs along the trisynaptic circuit. However, the entorhinal cortex may not be the only major extrinsic input to consider, and the trisynaptic circuit may not be the only way information is processed in hippocampus. Area CA3 receives input from a variety of sources, and may be as much of an "entry point" to hippocampus as the dentate gyrus. The axon of CA3 pyramidal cells targets diverse cell types, and has commissural projections, which together make it able to send information to much more of the hippocampus than granule cells. Therefore, CA3 pyramidal cells seem better designed to spread information through hippocampus than the granule cells. From this perspective, CA3 may be a point of entry that receives information which needs to be "broadcasted," whereas the dentate gyrus may be a point of entry that receives information with more selective needs for hippocampal processing. One aspect of the argument that CA3 pyramidal cells have a widespread projection is based on a part of its axonal arbor that has received relatively little attention, the collaterals that project in the opposite direction to the trisynaptic circuit, "back" to the dentate gyrus. The evidence for this "backprojection" to the dentate gyrus is strong, particularly in area CA3c, the region closest to the dentate gyrus, and in temporal hippocampus. The influence on granule cells is indirect, through hilar mossy cells and GABAergic neurons of the dentate gyrus, and appears to include direct projections in the case of CA3c pyramidal cells of ventral hippocampus. Physiological studies suggest that normally area CA3 does not have a robust excitatory influence on granule cells, but serves instead to inhibit it by activating dentate gyrus GABAergic neurons. Thus, GABAergic inhibition normally controls the backprojection to dentate granule cells, analogous to the way GABAergic inhibition appears to control the perforant path input to granule cells. From this perspective, the dentate gyrus has two robust glutamatergic inputs, entorhinal cortex and CA3, and two "gates," or inhibitory filters that reduce the efficacy of both inputs, keeping granule cells relatively quiescent. When GABAergic inhibition is reduced experimentally, or under pathological conditions, CA3 pyramidal cells activate granule cells reliably, and do so primarily by disynaptic excitation that is mediated by mossy cells. We suggest that the backprojection has important functions normally that are dynamically regulated by nonprincipal cells of the dentate gyrus. Slightly reduced GABAergic input would lead to increased polysynaptic associative processing between CA3 and the dentate gyrus. Under pathological conditions associated with loss of GABAergic interneurons, the backprojection may support reverberatory excitatory activity between CA3, mossy cells, and granule cells, possibly enhanced by mossy fiber sprouting. In this case, the backprojection could be important to seizure activity originating in hippocampus, and help explain the seizure susceptibility of ventral hippocampus. PMID- 17765744 TI - Hippocampal granule cells in normal aging: insights from electrophysiological and functional imaging experiments. AB - Normal aging, in the absence of neurodegenerative disease, can provide important insights into the mechanisms by which the brain can maintain cognitive abilities across the lifespan. Hippocampal-dependent memory processes can become vulnerable as age advances. The focus of this chapter is the contribution of hippocampal granule cells to cognitive impairments that are observed during aging. A number of alterations in structure, function, and gene expression have been observed in aged granule cells, any of which may lead to adaptive, compensatory or detrimental consequences to hippocampal function. As the average life span of humans continues to increase, those who reach 100 years or beyond is more common. Individuals that have aged successfully, and exhibit high levels of cognitive ability can provide useful clues into the enormous potential possessed by the mammalian brain. PMID- 17765745 TI - The effects of aging on dentate circuitry and function. AB - The central nervous system (CNS) undergoes a variety of anatomic, physiologic, and behavioral changes during aging. One region that has received a great deal of attention is the hippocampal formation due to the increased incidence of impaired spatial learning and memory with age. The hippocampal formation is also highly susceptible to Alzheimer's disease, ischemia/hypoxia, and seizure generation, the three most common aging-related neurological disorders. While data reveal that the dentate gyrus plays a key role in hippocampal function and dysfunction, the majority of electrophysiological studies that have examined the effects of age on the hippocampal formation have focused on CA3 and CA1. We perceive this to be an oversight and consequently will highlight data in this review which demonstrate an age-related disruption in dentate circuitry and function, and propose that these changes contribute to the decline in hippocampal-dependent behavior seen with "normal" aging. PMID- 17765746 TI - Dentate gyrus neurogenesis and depression. AB - Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating and complex psychiatric disorder that involves multiple neural circuits and genetic and non-genetic risk factors. In the quest for elucidating the neurobiological basis of MDD, hippocampal neurogenesis has emerged as a candidate substrate, both for the etiology as well as treatment of MDD. This chapter critiques the advances made in the study of hippocampal neurogenesis as they relate to the neurogenic hypothesis of MDD. While an involvement of neurogenesis in the etiology of depression remains highly speculative, preclinical studies have revealed a novel and previously unrecognized role for hippocampal neurogenesis in mediating some of the behavioral effects of antidepressants. The implications of these findings are discussed to reevaluate the role of hippocampal neurogenesis in MDD. PMID- 17765747 TI - The dentate gyrus in Alzheimer's disease. AB - As part of the hippocampus, the dentate gyrus is considered to play a crucial role in associative memory. The reviewed data suggest that the dentate gyrus withstands the formation of plaques, tangles and neuronal death until late stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, changes related to a disconnecting process, and more subtle intrinsic alterations, may contribute to disturbances in memory and learning observed in early stages of AD. PMID- 17765748 TI - Hippocampal atrophy and disconnection in incipient and mild Alzheimer's disease. AB - Quantitative imaging techniques allow the in vivo investigation of age and disease related changes in the brain and their relation to cognitive function. In this chapter we review imaging evidence indicating that the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus show atrophy very early in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in individuals who are at risk of developing AD compared to age appropriate controls. Furthermore, the extent and rate of atrophy of the entorhinal cortex, a brain region pathologically involved very early in the disease process, can predict who among the elderly will develop AD. Techniques that assess the integrity of white matter further demonstrate that alterations in the parahippocampal white matter in the region that includes the perforant path could partially disconnect the dentate gyrus and other hippocampal subfields from incoming sensory information. Such partial disconnection and degradation in transmission of sensory information in people at risk of AD and in patients with very mild AD could contribute to the memory dysfunction associated with the early stages of the disease. PMID- 17765749 TI - Epileptogenesis in the dentate gyrus: a critical perspective. AB - The dentate gyrus has long been a focal point for studies on the molecular, cellular, and network mechanisms responsible for epileptogenesis in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Although several hypothetical mechanisms are considered in this chapter, two that have garnered particular interest and experimental support are: (1) the selective loss of vulnerable interneurons in the region of the hilus and (2) the formation of new recurrent excitatory circuits after mossy fiber sprouting. Histopathological data show that specific GABAergic interneurons in the hilus are lost in animal models of TLE, and several lines of electrophysiological evidence, including intracellular analyses of postsynaptic currents, support this hypothesis. In particular, whole-cell recordings have demonstrated a reduction in the frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents in the dentate gyrus and other areas (e.g., CA1 pyramidal cells), which provides relatively specific evidence for a reduction in GABAergic input to granule cells. These studies support the viewpoint that modest alterations in GABAergic inhibition can have significant functional impact in the dentate gyrus, and suggest that dynamic activity-dependent mechanisms of GABAergic regulation add complexity to this local synaptic circuitry and to analyses of epileptogenesis. In regard to mossy fiber sprouting, a wide variety of experiments involving intracellular or whole-cell recordings during electrical stimulation of the hilus, glutamate microstimulation, and dual recordings from granule cells support the hypothesis that mossy fiber sprouting forms new recurrent excitatory circuits in the dentate gyrus in animal models of TLE. Similar to previous studies on recurrent excitation in the CA3 area, GABA mediated inhibition and the intrinsic high threshold of granule cells in the dentate gyrus tends to mask the presence of the new recurrent excitatory circuits and reduce the likelihood that reorganized circuits will generate seizure-like activity. How cellular alterations such as neuron loss in the hilus and mossy fiber sprouting influence functional properties is potentially important for understanding fundamental aspects of epileptogenesis, such as the consequences of primary initial injuries, mechanisms underlying network synchronization, and progression of intractability. The continuous nature of the axonal sprouting and formation of recurrent excitation could account for aspects of the latent period and the progressive nature of the epileptogenesis. Future studies will need to identify precisely how these hypothetical mechanisms and others contribute to the process whereby epileptic seizures are initiated or propagated through an area such as the dentate gyrus. Finally, in addition to its unique features and potential importance in epileptogenesis, the dentate gyrus may also serve as a model for other cortical structures in acquired epilepsy. PMID- 17765751 TI - Anaphylaxis: lessons from mouse models. AB - Studies with mouse models demonstrate 2 pathways of systemic anaphylaxis: a classic pathway mediated by IgE, FcepsilonRI, mast cells, histamine, and platelet activating factor (PAF) and an alternative pathway mediated by IgG, FcgammaRIII, macrophages, and PAF. The former pathway requires much less antigen and antibody than the latter. This is modified, however, by IgG antibodies that prevent IgE mediated anaphylaxis by intercepting antigen before it binds to mast cell associated IgE. Consequently, IgG antibodies block systemic anaphylaxis induced by small quantities of antigen but mediate systemic anaphylaxis induced by larger quantities. The importance of the alternative pathway in human subjects is unknown, but human IgG, IgG receptors, macrophages, mediators, and mediator receptors have appropriate properties to support this pathway if sufficient IgG and antigen are present. The severity of systemic anaphylaxis is increased by nitric oxide produced by the enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase and by the cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 and decreased by endogenous beta-adrenergic stimulation and receptors that contain ITIM that bind tyrosine phosphatases. Anaphylaxis is also suppressed by other receptors and ion channels that function through distinct mechanisms. Unlike systemic anaphylaxis, intestinal anaphylaxis (allergic diarrhea) is almost totally IgE and mast cell dependent and is mediated predominantly by PAF and serotonin. Some potent food allergens, including peanuts and tree nuts, can directly enhance anaphylaxis by stimulating an anaphylactoid response through the innate immune system. Results of these studies suggest novel prophylactic agents, including nonstimulatory anti-IgE mAbs, IL-4 receptor antagonists, PAF antagonists, and agents that cross-link FcepsilonRI or FcgammaRIII to an ITIM-containing inhibitory receptor. PMID- 17765752 TI - It's blowing in the wind: new insights into thunderstorm-related asthma. PMID- 17765753 TI - How does sublingual immunotherapy work? PMID- 17765754 TI - Anaphylaxis in infants: can recognition and management be improved? PMID- 17765755 TI - Diagnosis of a symptomatic tracheal pouch by means of bronchoscopy after neonatal repair of a tracheoesophageal fistula. PMID- 17765757 TI - Hereditary angioedema: Safety of long-term stanozolol therapy. AB - BACKGROUND: Attenuated androgens control attacks of hereditary angioedema. Short term studies of such patients treated at our institution with attenuated androgens demonstrated no adverse effects. However, the side-effect frequencies in patients receiving long-term treatment are relatively less well characterized. OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequencies of various side effects of the attenuated androgen stanozolol in a population of patients with hereditary angioedema treated for 20 to 40 years. METHODS: Data on side effects in patients who continued stanozolol therapy since 1987 were obtained by means of questionnaire. Patients were evaluated by physical examination; biochemical assays of hepatic function, serum lipids, and prostate specific antigen; and liver ultrasound. RESULTS: The minimal initial effective dosage of stanozolol was 0.5 to 2.0 mg daily, although most patients achieved symptomatic control and decreased the dose and frequency as the frequency of attacks decreased. Treatment-related symptoms developed in 10 of 21 patients. No interruption in stanozolol therapy was required because symptoms subsided with a reduction in the stanozolol dosage. Adverse side effects included hirsutism, weight gain, menstrual irregularities or postmenopausal bleeding, acne, and mood changes. Liver enzyme assays revealed no persistent abnormalities. Liver ultrasounds in 8 patients revealed 3 abnormalities deemed unrelated to therapy. Five patients had a reduced high density lipoprotein, and 2 patients had elevated triglycerides. CONCLUSION: Stanozolol is a safe and effective drug for the long-term management of hereditary angioedema. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Stanozolol may be used in the long term treatment of patients with hereditary angioedema provided such patients are closely supervised with routine clinical, biochemical, and radiologic assessments. PMID- 17765758 TI - The natural history of peanut allergy: Extending our knowledge beyond childhood. PMID- 17765756 TI - Anti-IgE treatment of eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorders. AB - BACKGROUND: Eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs) are commonly associated with atopy and are being recognized with increasing frequency. Current therapy for EGIDs is inadequate. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the efficacy of anti-IgE therapy in EGIDs and investigate the role of IgE in disease pathogenesis. METHODS: Nine subjects with EGIDs received omalizumab every 2 weeks for 16 weeks while other therapy was held constant. Blood absolute eosinophil counts, tissue eosinophil counts, symptom scores, and free IgE levels were serially measured. Allergen skin testing and flow cytometry for basophil activation and FcepsilonRI were determined at baseline and at week 16. RESULTS: Omalizumab was associated with a decrease in absolute eosinophil count at both the week 16 (34%, P = .004) and combined weeks 12 to 16 (42%, P = .012) time points. Tissue eosinophils decreased in the duodenum (59%) and gastric antrum (69%) but did not reach statistical significance (P = .074 and .098, respectively). Esophageal eosinophil counts remained unchanged. Basophil and dendritic cell FcepsilonRI expression and free IgE levels were all significantly decreased (P < .005). Omalizumab increased the concentration of allergen required to trigger half-maximal basophil activation by 170-fold. Allergen skin test wheal and erythema responses decreased by 78% and 82%, respectively. Symptom scores were decreased at both the midstudy (63%) and end of study (70%) time points (P < .005 for both). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that IgE-mediated processes contribute to the generation of eosinophilic inflammation in EGIDs and suggest that anti-IgE therapy might be effective in these disorders. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Anti-IgE might be a potential therapy for EGIDs. PMID- 17765760 TI - Clinical practice guideline on adult sinusitis. AB - This executive summary will alert clinicians to key evidence-based statements in a multidisciplinary, clinical practice guideline on adult sinusitis developed by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. Included in the guideline are 17 boldfaced action statements: 3 on viral rhinosinusitis, 7 on acute bacterial rhinosinusitis, and 7 on chronic rhinosinusitis and recurrent acute rhinosinusitis. Evidence profiles that accompany each statement are summarized to show why it was made and how it can be implemented. Guideline statements regarding acute rhinosinusitis focus on diagnosing presumed bacterial illness and using antibiotics appropriately. Guideline statements regarding chronic rhinosinusitis or recurrent acute rhinosinusitis focus on appropriate use of diagnostic tests. Surgical therapy is not discussed. PMID- 17765761 TI - Harmonic scalpel tonsillectomy: a systematic review of evidence for postoperative hemorrhage. AB - OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the literature on harmonic scalpel tonsillectomy with a view of comparing its postoperative hemorrhagic rate with the conventional methods for tonsillectomy. DATA SOURCES: Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, INAHTA, CRD (Centre for Review and Dissemination, York, UK), and related databases. The date of the last search was September 19, 2006; papers were considered irrespective of language of publication. REVIEW METHODS: Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied independently by two reviewers with a third reviewer available for adjudication. The papers were quality assessed using Chalmers' criteria. Eleven randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included in the final review with five RCTs comparing harmonic scalpel tonsillectomy with "cold steel" tonsillectomy and six RCTs comparing harmonic scalpel with "hot" tonsillectomy techniques. RESULTS: All studies were underpowered to detect a significant difference in the postoperative hemorrhagic complication between harmonic scalpel and the comparator tonsillectomy techniques. The heterogeneity of studies made quantitative combination of results impossible. CONCLUSION: The evidence reviewed is of low quality and does not support any significant difference in postoperative hemorrhage rates when harmonic scalpel is compared with other tonsillectomy techniques. As studies have numerous methodological flaws and incorporate biases and confounding factors, these results need to be interpreted with caution. Larger and better-conducted studies would be needed in order to compare the safety of harmonic against conventional tonsillectomy methods. The need for a large sample size might make an RCT impractical; therefore a large, well-controlled cohort study could be more suitable. PMID- 17765762 TI - Comparison of LigaSure vessel sealing system, harmonic scalpel, and cold knife tonsillectomy. AB - OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare LigaSure Vessel Sealing System tonsillectomy (LT), Harmonic Scalpel tonsillectomy (HST), and cold knife tonsillectomy (CKT). STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a prospective study on 161 adult patients undergoing tonsillectomy. Subjects were randomized to LT, HST, or CKT groups, and intraoperative bleeding, operative time, postoperative pain, and complication rates were assessed. RESULTS: The LT, HST, and CKT groups consisted of 50, 43, and 37 individuals, respectively. Intraoperative bleeding was significantly lower in the LT group, whereas bleeding in the HST group was significantly lower than that in the CKT group. Operative time and postoperative pain were significantly lower in the LT and HST groups. One primary hemorrhage occurred in the HST group, and one occurred in he CKT group. Secondary hemorrhage occurred in one, two, and one patients in the LT, HST, and CKT groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: LT and HST have shown comparable results regarding intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hemorrhage, and pain. Compared with CKT, both were associated with less intraoperative blood loss and pain. PMID- 17765763 TI - Prospective clinical study of bleeding sites in idiopathic adult posterior epistaxis. AB - OBJECTIVES: The precise identification of the bleeding point is important to the efficient management of epistaxis. Our hypothesis was that the septum was the commonest bleeding site. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a prospective clinical study of 50 consecutive adult idiopathic posterior epistaxis patients carried out in a busy teaching hospital. METHODS: The nasal cavity was inspected with endoscopy to identify the site of bleeding before any intervention. The location of bleeding sites was recorded on a proforma. RESULTS: Of bleeding sites posterior to the piriform fossa, 94 percent were identifiable, with 70 percent arising from the septum. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: This is the largest prospective study of the bleeding site in adult patients with posterior epistaxis and the only one with a well-defined population. The vast majority of posterior bleeding sites can be identified by endoscopy without general anesthesia. The septum should be examined closely in cases of idiopathic bleeding. PMID- 17765764 TI - Incidence of and risk factors for airway complications following endotracheal intubation for bronchiolitis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors predisposing to postextubation complications and the incidence of subglottic stenosis following endotracheal intubation for bronchiolitis. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A review of 144 consecutive infants and children intubated for bronchiolitis between 2000 and 2005 at a regional children's hospital. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 6.4 months. Follow-up data were available in 93 patients (64.6%), and average length of follow-up was 9.3 months. One hundred and three patients (71.5%) had positive RSV detection. Average duration of intubation was 5.5 days. Twenty-six patients (18.1%) required reintubation during the same admission. Children intubated for less than 3 days and those greater than 12 months of age were more likely to experience postextubation difficulties. Approximately 40% of patients experienced postextubation difficulties. Subglottic pathology was found on endoscopy in 6 patients (4%). There were no cases of long-term subglottic stenosis. CONCLUSION: Immediate postextubation complications are common after bronchiolitis, especially in patients intubated for less than 3 days and greater than 12 months of age. We found no evidence of long-term subglottic stenosis in this population. PMID- 17765765 TI - Incidence of thyroid carcinoma in fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography positive thyroid incidentalomas. AB - OBJECTIVE: Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) whole body positron emission tomography (PET) scan may show clinically occult second lesions. Such lesions in the thyroid are increasingly common. There are several recent reports of a high probability of malignancy in these lesions ranging from 14% to 63%. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This is a retrospective review of 15,711 PET scans at a multi-disciplinary thyroid clinic at a tertiary care university medical center. Twenty-two patients were referred with thyroid PET "incidentalomas." The review included 18 FDG-PET scans, ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsies, and thyroid surgery pathology. Aspiration cytology or pathology were the main outcome measures. RESULTS: Three patients had malignancy of the PET-positive thyroid lesions. Papillary thyroid micro carcinomas were detected in four of the specimens that showed a benign pathology of the dominant nodule. CONCLUSION: Our experience shows a 14% malignancy rate for the dominant (imaged) nodule and a total malignancy rate of 32% when the incidental micro carcinomas are included. Both of these rates are significantly lower than results published previously. PMID- 17765766 TI - Evaluation of undifferentiated carcinoma of nasopharyngeal type with thallium-201 and technetium-99m MIBI SPECT. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the value of 201-thallium (201-Tl) and technetium-99m sestamibi (Tc-99m MIBI) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for detecting primary undifferentiated carcinoma of nasopharyngeal type (UCNT), residual/recurrent tissue, and lymph node involvement. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: SPECT of head and neck was prospectively performed in 46 patients with a history of UCNT (201-Tl in 24 patients, Tc-99m MIBI in 22). CT/MRI findings, clinical follow-up, and pathohistological verification served as a gold standard for calculating sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of each scintigraphic technique. Tumor-to-background index (T/Bg) was derived when SPECT findings were positive. RESULTS: Sensitivity of 201-Tl SPECT was 87 percent, with 78 percent specificity, 83 percent accuracy, and T/Bg of 4.05 +/- 1.50. Tc-99m MIBI SPECT had 85 percent sensitivity, 78 percent specificity, 82 percent accuracy, and T/Bg of 4.45 +/- 1.27. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: 201-Tl SPECT and Tc-99m MIBI SPECT are useful for detecting primary UCNT, residual/recurrent disease, and lymph node involvement. This use is particularly valuable after chemoradiotherapy when CT/MRI may be ambiguous. PMID- 17765767 TI - The sensitivity of preoperative scanning in regional recurrence of papillary thyroid cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: The treatment of patients with regionally recurrent papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is a matter of controversy. Radioactive nodal picking was proposed as an alternative to neck dissection in these patients. METHODS: We analyzed neck dissection specimens in 20 patients with PTC and compared the results to preoperative total-body scan (TBS) following a therapeutic dose of I(131)and ultrasonographic findings. RESULTS: Eighteen patients underwent paratracheal neck dissection and 10 patients had a lateral neck dissection. Preoperative TBS detected the correct number of positive nodes in only 1 patient (5%) and the correct number of patients with positive nodes in 6/20 (30%) of the patients. US detected 32/98 positive nodes (36%) and 20/20 (100%) of the patients. Prediction of the number of positive nodes for both TBS and US was low (5% and 10%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative TBS and/or US cannot satisfactorily predict metastatic lymph node involvement and cannot safely delineate limited surgery to replace formal neck dissection in patients with regionally recurrent PTC. PMID- 17765768 TI - Neck dissection followed by chemoradiotherapy for stage IV (N+) oropharynx cancer. AB - PURPOSE: This study evaluated the strategy of performing neck dissection (ND) without primary tumor resection prior to definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for N2+ oropharynx cancer. METHODS: We analyzed records of 25 patients who underwent ND before concurrent CRT with weekly low-dose concurrent paclitaxel and a platinum compound. The extent of ND was highly customized (1 to 39 nodes) and median radiotherapy dose was 70 Gy. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 36 months. Two year and 3-year actuarial locoregional control rates were 95% and 88%. No patient had regional neck nodal failure. Two-year rate of freedom from distant metastases was 91%. The 2- and 3-year event-free survival rates were 88% and 75%. Fifteen percent had Grade 3+ late toxicity; none had permanent gastrostomy tube dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Neck dissection without primary tumor resection before definitive chemoradiotherapy for oropharynx cancer is a safe and effective management program and warrants further exploration. PMID- 17765769 TI - Planned neck dissection after definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiation for base of tongue cancers. AB - OBJECTIVES: The study goal was to analyze the role of planned neck dissection for squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue treated with definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiation. STUDY DESIGN, SETTING: We conducted a retrospective study of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue undergoing planned neck dissection after definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiation. RESULTS: Twenty-two of 41 (53.7%) patients had one to six positive residual lymph nodes after receiving definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiation. Neck control rates were 92.3% and 88.3% at two and five years, respectively. Three of 22 (13.6%) patients with pathological residual nodal disease had regional or locoregional failures, compared with 1 of 19 (5.3%) patients with a pathologically complete response (P = 0.39). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a high incidence of pathologically residual lymph nodes after definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiation. SIGNIFICANCE: Planned neck dissection following definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiation is highly effective in achieving regional control of squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue. PMID- 17765770 TI - Comparison of approaches for oral cavity cancer resection: lip-split versus visor flap. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare lip-split and visor flap approaches to the oral cavity in terms of morbidity, margins, and locoregional recurrence. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective case series at the University of Washington, Seattle. METHODS: Seventy patients undergoing resection of advanced (T4) anterior oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma requiring fibula reconstruction were grouped according to surgical access procedure performed (lip-split [LS] or visor flap [VF]). Data on surgical morbidity, margin status, and outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Recurrence rates and positive margins were similar for both groups. Rates of postoperative fistulae were 6.8% (LS) vs 0% (VF) and for oral incompetence 14.6% (LS) vs 6.9% (VF). Most of the fistulas (37.5%) were in irradiated patients. Neither group had any malunions. CONCLUSIONS: There is no significant difference in pathological margins or rates of local recurrence when using either the lip split or the visor approach. The lip-split approach has a higher rate of postoperative fistula formation than the visor flap approach; fistula formation may be associated with previous irradiation. PMID- 17765771 TI - Obliteration of the persistently discharging mastoid cavity using the middle temporal artery flap. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the surgical outcome of patients undergoing obliteration of a persistently discharging mastoid cavity with specific soft tissue vascular flaps for chronic otitis media or cholesteatoma. STUDY DESIGN: A five-year retrospective consecutive case review in a tertiary care referral center. Following mastoidectomy obliteration with a superiorly based middle temporal artery, axial periosteal flap and inferiorly based random pedicled musculoperiosteal flap was performed. The primary outcome was control of suppuration and the creation of a dry, low-maintenance cavity as assessed by a semi-quantitative scale. RESULTS: A total of 51 consecutive patients undergoing revision mastoidectomy with obliteration were identified with a minimum follow-up of 12 months; 43 (84%) had a small dry healthy mastoid cavity; three ears (6%) had occasional otorrhea that was relatively easily managed by topical therapy. CONCLUSION: Obliteration using the middle temporal artery and inferior random flaps is an effective method to manage patients with pre-existing cavities and also those not previously operated upon. PMID- 17765772 TI - Hearing loss in Behcet syndrome. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of hearing loss in Behcet syndrome. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This study included 27 patients with Behcet syndrome and 35 sex-and age-matched controls. A complete audiological evaluation was performed. RESULTS: The average pure-tone audiograms from both groups showed a statistically significant hearing loss in the Behcet group. Sixteen patients (59.26%) showed some degrees of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), with the high-frequency type (4, 8, 10, and 12 kHz) being the most common pattern (93.75%). Hearing loss was the fourth most common manifestation. Although the patient's age, sex, and the duration of the disease were not related to hearing loss, there was a significant correlation between a negative pathergy test and hearing loss in patients with Behcet syndrome. CONCLUSION: We should consider audiovestibular involvement in Behcet syndrome as a common finding. PMID- 17765773 TI - Quality of perceived sound after stapedotomy. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of perceived sound in relation to the audiometric result after stapedotomy. STUDY DESIGN: Ninety-eight patients with otosclerosis, who underwent stapedotomy between 2004 and 2005, participated in this retrospective study. Audiometric data were obtained before and after stapedotomy. Patients filled out two questionnaires: the Amsterdam Post Operative Sound Evaluation and the Operation Benefit Profile, which is based on the Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile. RESULTS: There were 83 responders and 15 nonresponders; 83% indicated that their hearing was now better compared to preoperatively. The sounds that gave the highest percentage of distortion were "high pitched sound" (15%) and "loud sound" (13%). The groups with an air-bone gap of 0 to 10 dB and 10 to 20 dB report a relatively high number of patients who experience distortion. The audiometric data correlate well with the Operation Benefit Score. CONCLUSIONS: Audiometric improvement does not necessarily mean an improvement in perceived sound and vice versa. But the audiometric outcome is significantly related to the patient's experienced handicap, benefit of the operation, residual difficulty, and overall satisfaction. PMID- 17765774 TI - Comparison of cytokine levels in bilateral ear effusions in patients with otitis media secretoria. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to clarify the site of primary pathology in otitis media with effusion. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: The levels of the inflammatory mediators TNF-alpha, TNF-beta, IL-1beta, IL-8, IL-6, IL-4, IL-2, IL 5, IL-10, and IFN-gamma were measured in 54 pairs (108 samples) using specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). RESULTS: The levels of pro inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, TNF-beta, IL-1beta, IL-8, anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-5, IL-4, IL-10, IL-6, and cytokines with immunoregulatory potential IFN-gamma, IL-2 were different between both ears of the same patient. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that in one individual both ears have different immunological processes or rates and this has implications on using the opposite ear as a control in clinical trials. SIGNIFICANCE: Profiles of interlink of examined cytokines within the samples of both ear effusions were significantly different. A significant bilateral difference was found in the levels of IFN-gamma. PMID- 17765775 TI - Prospective, randomized, controlled trial of a hemostatic sealant in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of Floseal as a hemostatic sealant compared to traditional electrocautery hemostasis after cold knife adenotonsillectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial of 68 consecutive patients undergoing cold steel adenotonsillectomy. Patients were randomized to receive either Floseal (FS) or electrocautery (EC) for hemostasis. RESULTS: FS patients had shorter operative times than EC patients (16 min vs 31.2 min, P < 0.0001) and less blood loss (49.2 mL vs 70.8 mL, P < 0.05). Four EC patients were crossed over to Floseal when adequate hemostasis could not be achieved in the adenoid bed. No Floseal patients were crossed over. FS patients had significantly less pain on postoperative days two through 11 (P < 0.05) and less use of narcotic pain medications over the first 10 postoperative days (P < 0.05). FS patients also had a faster return to regular diet (5.5 days vs 7.9 days, P < 0.01) and activity (5.3 days vs 7.8 days, P < 0.01) as compared to the EC patients. There were no significant complications in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Floseal is safe and efficacious, and decreases postoperative morbidity as compared to electrocautery hemostasis after cold steel adenotonsillectomy. SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of Floseal as a hemostatic method in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy. PMID- 17765776 TI - The rising incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in pediatric neck abscesses. AB - OBJECTIVES: To examine the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in pediatric neck abscesses and compare these with abscesses caused by methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and other organisms (non SA). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of 245 children who underwent incision and drainage of neck abscesses from January 1, 2001, to December 1, 2005. RESULTS: The yearly incidence of MRSA increased from 9 percent to 40 percent during the study period. Abscesses in medial locations were less common in the MRSA group (P < 0.01) and MSSA group (P < 0.001) compared with the non-SA group. Average patient ages were MRSA 18.9 months, MSSA 18.7 months, and non-SA 47.6 months. Complication rates were MRSA 8 percent, MSSA 5 percent, and non-SA 5 percent. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of MRSA in pediatric neck abscesses is increasing dramatically. MRSA and MSSA usually infect younger patients in the lateral locations. Clinical courses were similar in all groups. PMID- 17765777 TI - Effect of vascular endothelial growth factor on laryngeal wound healing in rabbits. AB - OBJECTIVE: Study the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on laryngeal wound healing in a rabbit model. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, blinded. METHODS: The anterior cricoid cartilage of 10 rabbits was split and a VEGF-soaked collagen sponge was sewn between the cut edges. In 10 control animals, the collagen sponge was soaked with phosphate-buffered saline solution. The larynx was harvested on day 10. The degree of epithelial closure, the degree of soft tissue closure, and the presence of inflammatory cells was graded. RESULTS: There was complete epithelial closure in the control group. There was a slightly higher, but not statistically significant, grade of soft tissue closure in the experimental group. The experimental group had a lower but not statistically significant acute inflammatory response score. CONCLUSIONS: The topical application of VEGF through an implanted collagen sponge to an anterior, subglottic incision in a rabbit has no significant effect on tracheal luminal epithelial closure, acute inflammatory response, or soft tissue repair at postsurgical day 10. PMID- 17765778 TI - Wireless upper esophageal monitoring for laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). AB - OBJECTIVES: To confirm feasibility of transnasal placement of a wireless pH monitoring capsule in the upper esophagus, and to determine the positive predictive value of LPR and GERD signs and symptoms for diagnosis of LPR in patients with OSAHS. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized, IRB-approved study of 89 OSAHS patients with and without symptoms and signs of LPR. METHODS: After complete history including QOL survey and fiberoptic laryngoscopy, patients underwent transnasal placement of the pH-monitoring capsule and wireless data collection for 24 hours. RESULTS: 77 of 89 consecutive patients underwent successful placement of wireless pH-monitoring capsule (86.5% success rate) and completed the study. 55 (71.4%) OSAHS patients had positive pH studies. 10.4% of these patients reported no symptoms or signs of LPR, indicating occult disease. CONCLUSION: Success rates of placement, tolerability, morbidity, and complications are excellent. Wireless upper esophageal pH monitoring is safe and effective for diagnosing LPR in patients with OSAHS. PMID- 17765779 TI - In-office laryngeal surgery with the 585nm pulsed dye laser (PDL). AB - OBJECTIVES: The 585nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) is a promising tool for in-office laryngeal surgery. Data with respect to the safety and efficacy of the PDL for office laryngeal use is sparse. The purpose of this study is to review our experience with unsedated office PDL surgery. METHODS: Records of individuals undergoing in-office PDL between September 1, 2004, and September 1, 2006 were abstracted from a clinical database. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients underwent 117 treatments. The most common indications were recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), Reinke's edema, and vocal fold polyps. One hundred and four of 117 procedures were felt to be a success ablating all disease. Thirteen treatments required early termination. The most common factor responsible for termination was an inability to achieve a comfortable level of anesthesia. One patient with Reinke's edema developed postprocedure stridor that required a 3-day hospital admission for observation and corticosteroids. There was no incidence of any vocal fold scarring, web formation, or other complications. CONCLUSIONS: The 585nm PDL is a promising tool for in-office treatment of various laryngeal disorders. Complications are rare. PMID- 17765780 TI - Transoral laser microsurgery for untreated glottic carcinoma. AB - OBJECTIVES: To report the oncology and functional outcomes of transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) for untreated glottic carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: A 2 center prospective case series analysis. SETTING: Academic, tertiary referral centers. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients underwent TLM. Pathologic T stages were: T1, 45 (59%); T2, 21 (28%); T3, 5 (7%); and T4, 5 (7%). Five (7%) patients had neck dissections. Five (7%) patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. Mean follow-up was 42 months. Respective T1 and T2 5-year Kaplan-Meier estimates were: local control, 90% and 93%; loco-regional control, 90% and 93%; disease specific survival, 90% and 93%; and overall survival, 94% and 93%. The average hospital stay was 2 days. Two (3%) patients experienced major complications. The overall laryngeal preservation rate was 95% (72 of 76). CONCLUSIONS: TLM is a safe and effective treatment in select carcinoma of the glottic larynx. Low morbidity and mortality and short periods of hospitalization make TLM an attractive therapeutic option. SIGNIFICANCE: TLM is an emerging strategy in the treatment of laryngeal cancer. PMID- 17765781 TI - Pretherapeutic staging of recurrent laryngeal carcinoma: clinical findings and imaging studies compared with histopathology. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of preoperative imaging studies and clinical and endoscopic examinations for recurrent laryngeal carcinoma evaluation. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective comparative study was performed at a university department on 42 recurrent laryngeal carcinomas. Surgical specimens were cut into whole-organ slices. Histologic findings were compared with the findings of the different preoperative diagnostic modalities. RESULTS: The craniocaudal tumor spread was correctly evaluated by endoscopy and imaging studies in 52% and 24%, respectively, and the contralateral tumor spread in 50% and 52%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for detection of tumor infiltration of the thyroid was 48%, 88%, and 64% and of the cricoid 47%, 80%, and 67%. The accuracy of recurrent tumor classification (crT) was 50%; most tumors were underclassified. CONCLUSION: The inadequately evaluated tumor spread and the inadequately classified recurrent tumors were underestimated and underclassified in most cases, respectively. PMID- 17765782 TI - Exclusively endoscopic surgery for juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma. AB - OBJECTIVE: To present the indications of nasal endoscopic surgery for treating juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA). STUDY DESIGN: Chart review. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve patients underwent nasal endoscopic surgery exclusively to resect JNA from January 2001 to June 2004. According to the classification of Andrews et al, eight patients were stage I and four patients were stage II. RESULTS: The follow-up was between five and 42 months, and no patient has shown a residual tumor or recurrence to date. CONCLUSION: In JNA stages I and II, the endoscopic approach was effective without preoperative arterial embolization. There were no residual tumors or recurrence in this study. SIGNIFICANCE: It seems to be appropriate to reevaluate the surgical limits of endoscopic surgery for resecting JNA. PMID- 17765783 TI - Endoscopic revision of external dacryocystorhinostomy. AB - OBJECTIVES: To observe the benefit of endoscopic surgery for the treatment of lacrimal duct obstruction in revisional surgeries after external dacryocystorhinostomy. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective nonrandomized study. Eleven cases of recurrent lacrimal duct obstruction after external dacryocystorhinostomy were submitted to endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. RESULTS: The rate of success after revisional surgery was 90.9%. The major causes of failure of the external approach were the presence of granulation tissue, septal deviations and synechiae near the opening of the fistula, inadequate removal of the bony wall adjuvant the lacrimal sac, technical error in the localization of the lacrimal sac, and excessive perioperative bleeding that impaired the surgical field. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy in revisional cases proved to be a safe technique of low morbidity, permitting effective resolution of the lacrimal obstructions. SIGNIFICANCE: Endoscopic surgery allows greater visibility of the lacrimal sac and its neighbor anatomic alterations and leads to better results. PMID- 17765785 TI - Lactobacilli: important in biofilm formation on voice prostheses. AB - OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify bacterial strains responsible for biofilm formation on silicone rubber voice prostheses. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted an analysis of the bacterial population in biofilms on used silicone rubber voice prostheses by using new microbiological methods. METHODS: Two microbiological methods were used: polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Twenty-six Provox2 and eight Groningen Ultra Low Resistance voice prostheses that were removed because of leakage through the prosthesis or because of increased airflow resistance were used in this study. RESULTS: The results showed that 33 of the 34 explanted voice prosthetic biofilms contained lactobacilli in close association with the Candida sp. present. CONCLUSION: Lactobacilli are general colonizers of tracheoesophageal voice prostheses in vivo, growing intertwined with Candida. This knowledge may be important in the development of new pathways directed to prevent or to influence biofilm formation on tracheoesophageal voice prostheses and elongate their lifespan. PMID- 17765784 TI - Eight cases of nasal tuberculosis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the clinical characteristics of nasal tuberculosis and to discuss its diagnostic difficulties. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective clinical analysis. RESULTS: A total of eight patients presented with nasal tuberculosis during the study period (from January 1989 through December 2006). Six were female and two were male. The patient age varied from 17 to 51 years, with a mean of 31 years. The most commonly involved site was the nasal septum (7 of 8). Perforation of the nasal septum was observed in three cases. Sinus invasion was observed in two cases and required sinus surgery. Six of the cases were a result of primary infections, while two were secondary disease manifestations. All patients were treated with anti-tuberculosis medications, with subsequent improvement with regard to clinical symptoms and physical signs. CONCLUSIONS: We present the largest number of nasal tuberculosis cases reported in the medical literature from a single institute. Diagnosing nasal tuberculosis requires a high index of suspicion and occasionally the use of experimental drug treatment options. PMID- 17765786 TI - Extended maxillary sinusotomy in isolated refractory maxillary sinus disease. PMID- 17765787 TI - Middle ear schwannoma extending from the cerebellopontine angle in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 2. PMID- 17765788 TI - Pseudobifurcation of the vertical facial nerve in a temporal bone laboratory. PMID- 17765789 TI - Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the frontal sinus mimicking Pott's puffy tumor in a child. PMID- 17765790 TI - Complete congenital third branchial fistula on right side. PMID- 17765791 TI - An unusual case of bronchogenic cyst mimicking thyroid cystic tumor. PMID- 17765792 TI - Use of a bone-anchored hearing aid for functional single-sided deafness. PMID- 17765793 TI - Atypical pseudotumoral osteomyelitis of the skull base. PMID- 17765795 TI - Fatigue fails to improve after radical sinus surgery. PMID- 17765796 TI - Response to: "adenotonsillectomy and obstructive sleep apnea in children: a prospective survey". PMID- 17765798 TI - Extramedullary intradural spinal tumors: a pictorial review. AB - Defining the location of tumors and mass lesions of the spine in relation to the spinal cord and the dura is of the utmost importance as certain types of lesions tend to occur in certain locations. The differential diagnostic considerations will vary according to location of the mass lesion as will the treatment and prognosis of these various lesions. The category of extramedullary intradural masses includes a variety of lesions from meningiomas and nerve sheath tumors (neurofibromas, schwannomas) to less common tumors (hemangiopericytoma), metastases, benign tumors (lipoma, dermoid, epidermoid), inflammatory disorders (arachnoid adhesions, sarcoidosis), vascular lesions (spinal-dural arteriovenous fistula), and cystic lesions (perineural or Tarlov cysts). Characteristic magnetic resonance imaging findings are helpful for localization and characterization of these lesions before treatment, as well as for follow-up after treatment. We present a pictorial review of the various extramedullary intradural lesions of the spine, with pathologic correlation. We discuss imaging features that are typical for the various entities and describe various therapeutic options that are important considerations for surgical treatment of these lesions. PMID- 17765799 TI - The spectrum of cystic masses of the pancreas: imaging features and diagnostic difficulties. AB - Cystic masses of the pancreas comprise a diverse group of pathologic entities ranging from pseudocysts to cystic tumors. Although their presentations may be similar, the appropriate treatment and patient management can differ greatly. There is an overlap in radiologic features, but the clinical context and some imaging findings are useful in differentiating among these entities; the differential diagnosis could be considerably reduced and it is generally possible to reach the correct diagnosis. In this article, we review imaging characteristics and radiologic patterns of both common and uncommon cystic masses of the pancreas. An algorithmic approach for the management of cystic pancreatic lesions is proposed. PMID- 17765800 TI - Imaging spectrum of cystic pancreatic lesions: learn from atypical cases. AB - The classic radiologic findings of cystic pancreatic masses have been well recognized; however, diagnosing those lesions is still challenging since many cases show unusual radiologic findings. We reviewed the computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography findings of many pathologically proven cystic pancreatic masses and selected various atypical but instructive cases as well as rare pathologic cases from the past 10 years in our institution. This article presents atypical as well as rare pathologic cases of cystic pancreatic masses and correlates them with pathologic findings to obtain diagnostic clues to perform a correct diagnosis. PMID- 17765802 TI - Genetic polymorphisms and idiopathic generalized epilepsies. AB - In recent years, progress in understanding the genetic basis of idiopathic generalized epilepsies has proven challenging because of their complex inheritance patterns and genetic heterogeneity. Genetic polymorphisms offer a convenient avenue for a better understanding of the genetic basis of idiopathic generalized epilepsy by providing evidence for the involvement of a given gene in these disorders, and by clarifying its pathogenetic mechanisms. Many of these genes encode for some important central nervous system ion channels (KCNJ10, KCNJ3, KCNQ2/KCNQ3, CLCN2, GABRG2, GABRA1, SCN1B, and SCN1A), while many others encode for ubiquitary enzymes that play crucial roles in various metabolic pathways (HP, ACP1, ME2, LGI4, OPRM1, GRIK1, BRD2, EFHC1, and EFHC2). We review the main genetic polymorphisms reported in idiopathic generalized epilepsy, and discusses their possible functional significance in the pathogenesis of seizures. PMID- 17765803 TI - Nonconvulsive status epilepticus in a pediatric intensive care unit. AB - We aimed to describe nonconvulsive status epilepticus in terms of patient age, etiology, initial presentation, and electroencephalogram and neuroimaging findings. Twenty children with nonconvulsive status epilepticus were identified by a retrospective review of children who underwent long-term electroencephalogram monitoring in a pediatric intensive care unit. Age ranged from 2 months to 18 years, and in 30% of patients, the age was <1 year. Nonconvulsive status epilepticus occurred most commonly in children with prior epilepsy (35%) or congenital heart disease (25%). Prior to nonconvulsive status epilepticus, most had experienced isolated seizures (55%) or convulsive status epilepticus (20%), but some had only preceding mental-status change (25%). The most common etiologies were exacerbation of epilepsy (35%) and ischemic stroke (25%). No children aged <1 year had preexisting epilepsy. Electroencephalograms confirmed nonconvulsive status epilepticus immediately in 65%. Nonconvulsive status epilepticus lasted up to 8 days, and neuroimaging was abnormal in 82% of patients. Nonconvulsive status epilepticus occurs in a heterogeneous group of children, results from acute symptomatic etiologies in children aged <1 year, most frequently follows isolated convulsions but can occur with only preceding mental status change, and is often prolonged. These findings suggest that a high level of suspicion for nonconvulsive status epilepticus must be maintained, and long-term electroencephalogram monitoring may be indicated in a large number of patients. PMID- 17765804 TI - Age-related variation in presenting signs of childhood arterial ischemic stroke. AB - The objective of this study was to determine whether there are age-related variations in the clinical presentation of cerebral arterial ischemic stroke in children after the perinatal period. We performed a retrospective record review of 76 children with cerebral arterial ischemic stroke occurring between 44 weeks of conceptional age and age 19 years. These children were seen by our pediatric stroke group between September 1, 1989 and August 1, 2005. We examined the following clinical presentations: epileptic seizures, focal weakness, and altered mental status. We compared the frequency of each presentation in children with arterial ischemic stroke up to and after age 1 year. Children aged <1 year were significantly more likely than older children to present with epileptic seizures (45.5% vs 10.8%, P = 0.01) and altered mental status (36.4% vs 7.7%, P = 0.02), and there was a trend for them to be less likely than older children to present with focal weakness (45.5% vs 76.9%, P = 0.06). Children aged <1 year with cerebral arterial ischemic stroke were more likely to present with epileptic seizures and altered mental status than children aged >or=1 year, and may be less likely to present with focal weakness. These findings may aid in the recognition of stroke in young children. PMID- 17765805 TI - Frontal lobe dysfunction in children with temporal lobe epilepsy. AB - There is evidence that adults with temporal lobe epilepsy present executive impairments. However, there is limited information in children, especially when using a comprehensive neuropsychologic battery. We aimed to: 1) investigate the presence and severity of executive dysfunctions in children with temporal lobe epilepsy, and 2) determine the implications of clinical variables (including etiology) in the occurrence and severity of executive dysfunction, using eight paradigms. Thirty-one children with temporal lobe epilepsy were evaluated and compared with 21 age-matched controls. Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy had significantly worse performance than controls. Intragroup analysis indicated that patients with symptomatic epilepsy were more impaired than those with cryptogenic epilepsy. In the former group, patients with mesial lesions performed worse than those with lateral lesions. Regarding the severity of executive dysfunction, 83.87% manifested severe to moderate executive impairment. Early age of onset, longer duration of epilepsy, and use of polytherapy were correlated with worse executive dysfunction. These findings indicated the presence of frontal lobe dysfunction in children with temporal lobe epilepsy, with worse performance in those with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, early onset, longer duration of disease, and use of polytherapy. Our study corroborates the hypothesis that temporal lobe epileptogenic activity affects the extratemporal regions that mediate attentional and executive functions. PMID- 17765806 TI - Primary human herpesvirus-6 infection in the central nervous system can cause severe disease. AB - Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) infection is common in infancy, and symptoms are usually mild. However, encephalitis and other neurologic complications have been reported. Primary HHV-6 infection has been rarely confirmed in the central nervous system. We studied 21 children with suspected HHV-6 infection, drawn from a prospective, large-scale study of neurologic infections in Finland. Human herpesvirus-6 polymerase chain reaction was performed on cerebrospinal fluid samples, and antibody tests were performed on serum and cerebrospinal fluid. We identified nine children, aged 3 to 24 months, who had HHV-6-specific nucleic acid in cerebrospinal fluid. Primary infection was confirmed by seroconversion of specific antibodies in six, whereas one had a fourfold increase, and one had a fourfold decrease, in the antibody titer supporting recent infection. Generalized and prolonged seizures appeared in six children, four had a rash, four had ataxia, and four had gastroenteritis. All but two had a high fever. At follow-up, four children had evident neurologic sequelae, ataxia, and developmental disability, and needed special education. Primary HHV-6 infection may invade the central nervous system, and can cause neurologic symptoms and potentially permanent disability in children aged 150 mM) were directly assayed using LC/MS/MS without additional sample cleanup. The sensitivity (with lower level of quantitation at 0.1 ng/mL) and selectivity of this assay allowed detection of the enzyme reactants at physiologically relevant levels. The interconversion from M+4 cortisone to M+4 cortisol was detected in dog, human, and monkey liver microsomes. Results show species-specific reaction profiles, with a five times higher conversion rate in dog liver microsomes than in human and monkey liver microsomes. Based on M+4 cortisol production rate obtained using a microdialysis infusion of M+4 cortisone to the microsomes coincubated with a proprietary 11beta-HSD1 inhibitor of different concentrations, the degrees of enzyme inhibition were found to be 40 and 85%, consistent with values obtained by a traditional in vitro incubation method. The microdialysis sampling methodology with LC/MS/MS provided extensive information about 11beta-HSD1 activities in microsomes from different mammalian species. PMID- 17765863 TI - Protein thermal stability: the role of protein structure and aqueous environment. AB - A comprehensive bioinformatic analysis was performed on all protein homologous pairs from mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms present in the RCSB Protein Data Bank in order to yield a clue on the role of protein structure and aqueous environment. Subsequently self-assembly and LB studies were carried out at increasing temperature by nanogravimetry with thermostable thioredoxin (Trx) from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius (BacTrx) versus the mesophilic Escherichia coli counterpart (EcTrx). The comparison with earlier 3D atomic structure determined on the same proteins by X-ray crystallographic diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance confirm the role inner bound water in determining protein thermostability, as suggested by the bioinformatic and nanogravimetric analysis. The above comparative characterizations in protein solution, thin film and crystal allow to draw a possible coherent explanation for the origin and the molecular mechanisms of both heat stability and radiation resistance in proteins. PMID- 17765864 TI - Photolyses of mammalian oxy-hemoglobin studied by nanosecond photoacoustic calorimetry. AB - Enthalpy and conformational volume changes in photolyses of oxy-hemoglobin (HbO(2)) of human, bovine, pig, horse and rabbit are investigated by photoacoustic calorimetry. In the experiment, a pulsed Nd:YAG laser is used as an exciting source, and a PVDF film transducer and a PZT transducer are used to detect the photoacoustic signals. Based on the time scales of the excitation and detection systems as well as the photolysis processes of HbO(2), it can be indicated that the measured enthalpy and conformational volume changes are related to slow geminate recombination and tertiary relaxation in photolyses of HbO(2), which are with the time scale of 30-40 ns and 100-150 ns, respectively. The results show that the enthalpy and conformational volume changes are different for both photolysis processes of HbO(2) and also for various mammals. The different results among the five mammals are analyzed and discussed briefly. PMID- 17765865 TI - When the present visits the past: updating traumatic memories in social phobia. AB - Research suggests that distorted images of the self are common in social phobia and play a role in maintaining the disorder. The images are often linked in thematic and sensory detail to distressing memories that are clustered around the onset or worsening of the disorder. This has led to speculation about the likely benefit of working directly with these memories to improve symptoms of social phobia. In this exploratory study, we describe a process of cognitive restructuring followed by imagery rescripting to update the meanings of distressing memories and images in social phobia. We first present illustrative clinical examples and then data of 14 patients with social phobia, on whom we developed this approach. Patients attended an imagery rescripting session in which a semi-structured interview was used to identify their recurrent images, the associated memories and their meanings. Next the identified memory was evoked and elaborated. We updated the meaning of the memory by first using cognitive restructuring to arrive at new perspectives and then linking these perspectives with the memory using imagery techniques. The procedure resulted in significant within session change in beliefs, and in image and memory distress and vividness. One week later significant change was seen in social phobia cognitions and a self report measure of social anxiety. Rescripting distressing memories in social phobia appears to be an effective way of modifying maladaptive beliefs linked to recurrent negative imagery. This paper presents our exploratory investigation of how to work with the memories and encourages more rigorous investigation in this area. PMID- 17765866 TI - Vulnerability to mental contamination. AB - Mental contamination refers to feelings of contamination that arise without physical contact with a contaminant. Mental contamination has been documented among sexual assault victims, some of whom report feeling dirty and wanting to wash in response to memories of the assault. This study examined variables associated with increased vulnerability to mental contamination. Female undergraduates (n=100) filled out a series of questionnaires and listened to an audiotape that instructed them to imagine experiencing a forced kiss by an undesirable male. Controls (n=20) imagined a consensual kiss by a desirable male. Women in the non-consensual condition reported stronger feelings of dirtiness and urge to wash than those in the consensual condition. Twenty-seven women in the non-consensual condition spontaneously rinsed in order to alleviate physical sensations evoked by the tape. Regression analyses revealed that significant predictors of dirtiness included contact contamination fear and disgust sensitivity, and there was a trend for anxiety sensitivity to predict dirtiness. Contact contamination fear was also a significant predictor of urge to wash. Prior experience with unwanted sexual contact was a significant predictor of rinsing, and there was a trend for fear of negative evaluation to predict rinsing. Discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for our understanding of mental contamination. PMID- 17765868 TI - Is body checking in the eating disorders more closely related to diagnosis or to symptom presentation? AB - Body checking behaviours and cognitions are seen as underlying the core pathology of eating disorders-the over-evaluation of eating, shape and weight. While it has been demonstrated that levels of behaviours and cognitions differentiate eating disordered women from non-eating-disordered women, little is known with regard to how these findings relate to diagnostic group. This study aimed to determine whether body checking cognitions and behaviours are best understood with regard to diagnostic category or symptom presentation. Eighty-four eating-disordered women (with diagnoses of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder or other Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified) completed measures of body checking behaviours and cognitions and eating psychopathology. Results showed that different aspects of body checking were more closely associated with diagnosis and with symptom presentation. Anorexia nervosa and binge-eating disorder patients had particularly low levels of body checking behaviours and some related cognitions. However, the belief that body checking allows one to be accurate in knowing one's weight was associated with binging and vomiting behaviours, rather than diagnosis. Future directions for research include understanding the links between body checking phenomena and neurological features. Clinical implications are discussed. PMID- 17765867 TI - Sudden gains in interpersonal psychotherapy for depression. AB - Sudden, precipitous improvements in depressive symptom severity have been identified as occurring among unipolar depressed individuals. These "sudden gains" have been associated with superior acute treatment outcome in several treatment modalities, including cognitive therapy. A better understanding of sudden gains may provide insight into the mechanisms of action in these and other psychotherapies. One efficacious therapy that has been overlooked in sudden gains research is interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT; Weissman, M. M., Markowitz, J. C., & Klerman, G. L. (2000). Comprehensive guide to interpersonal psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books). The present research examined the rates and concomitant features of sudden, precipitous improvements in depressive symptomotology among 185 women receiving IPT for recurrent depression. Sudden gains, defined using extant criteria for the Beck Depression Inventory, were assessed over 12 weeks of acute IPT treatment for depression and occurred for 33.5% of the sample. Sudden gains were not associated with diagnostic and demographic characteristics or with differential likelihood of achieving depression remission with IPT monotherapy during active treatment. Further, those with sudden gains were no more likely to maintain their recovery through maintenance treatment. The lack of impact of sudden gains on eventual outcome is discussed in terms of potentially disparate emphases and mechanisms of change between IPT and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). PMID- 17765869 TI - Augmentation of drug-induced cell death by ER protein BRI3BP. AB - To determine the contribution of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to cell fate decision, we focused on BRI3-binding protein (BRI3BP) residing in this organelle. BRI3BP, when overexpressed, augmented the apoptosis of human embryonic kidney 293T cells challenged with drugs including the anti-cancer agent etoposide. In contrast, the knockdown of BRI3BP reduced the drug-triggered apoptosis. BRI3BP overexpression enhanced both mitochondrial cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activity in etoposide-treated cells. In response to etoposide, the ER reorganized into irregularly shaped lamellae in mock-transfected cells, whereas in BRI3BP overexpressing cells, such reorganization was not observed. These observations suggest that BRI3BP is involved in the structural dynamics of the ER and affects mitochondrial viability. Taken together, BRI3BP, widely expressed in animal cell types, seems to possess a pro-apoptotic property and can potentiate drug-induced apoptosis. PMID- 17765870 TI - TopBP1 associates with NBS1 and is involved in homologous recombination repair. AB - TopBP1 is involved in DNA replication and DNA damage checkpoint. Recent studies have demonstrated that TopBP1 is a direct positive effecter of ATR. However, it is not known how TopBP1 recognizes damaged DNA. Here, we show that TopBP1 formed nuclear foci after exposure to ionizing radiation, but such TopBP1 foci were abolished in Nijmegen breakage syndrome cells. We also show that TopBP1 physically associated with NBS1 in vivo. These results suggested that NBS1 might regulate TopBP1 recruitment to the sites of DNA damage. TopBP1-depleted cells showed hypersensitivity to Mitomycin C and ionizing radiation, an increased frequency of sister-chromatid exchange level, and a reduced frequency of DNA double-strand break induced homologous recombination repair. Together, these results suggested that TopBP1 might be a mediator of DNA damage signaling from NBS1 to ATR and promote homologous recombination repair. PMID- 17765871 TI - Identification of GPR55 as a lysophosphatidylinositol receptor. AB - GPR55 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor. In this study, we explored a possible endogenous ligand for GPR55 using HEK293 cells which expressed GPR55. We found that lysophosphatidylinositol induced rapid phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase in transiently or stably GPR55-expressing cells. On the other hand, lysophosphatidylinositol did not induce phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase in vector-transfected cells. Lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosine 1-phosphate also induced phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase in GPR55-expressing cells. However, these lipid phosphoric acids elicited similar responses in vector-transfected cells. Various types of other lysolipids as well as the cannabinoid receptor ligands did not induce phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase. We also found that lysophosphatidylinositol elicited a rapid Ca2+ transient in GPR55-expressing cells. Lysophosphatidylinositol also stimulated the binding of GTPgammaS to the GPR55-expressing cell membranes. These results strongly suggest that GPR55 is a specific and functional receptor for lysophosphatidylinositol. PMID- 17765872 TI - Measurement of interaction force between nanoarrayed integrin alphavbeta3 and immobilized vitronectin on the cantilever tip. AB - Protein nanoarrays containing integrin alphavbeta3 or BSA were fabricated on ProLinker-coated Au surface by dip-pen nanolithography (DPN). An atomic force microscope (AFM) tip coated with ProLinker was modified by vitronectin. We measured the interaction force between nanoarrayed integrin alphavbeta3 or BSA and immobilized vitronectin on the cantilever tip by employing tethering unbinding method. The unbinding force between integrin alphavbeta3 and vitronectin (1087+/-62 pN) was much higher than that of between BSA and vitronectin (643+/-74 pN). These results demonstrate that one can distinguish a specific protein interaction from non-specific interactions by means of force measurement on the molecular interactions between the nanoarrayed protein and its interacting protein on the AFM tip. PMID- 17765873 TI - MicroRNAs and regeneration: Let-7 members as potential regulators of dedifferentiation in lens and inner ear hair cell regeneration of the adult newt. AB - MicroRNAs are known to regulate the expression of many mRNAs by binding to complementary target sequences at the 3'UTRs. Because of such properties, miRNAs may regulate tissue-specific mRNAs as a cell undergoes transdifferentiation during regeneration. We have tested this hypothesis during lens and hair cell regeneration in newts using microarray analysis. We found that distinct sets of miRNAs are associated with lens and hair cell regeneration. Members of the let-7 family are expressed in both events and they are regulated in a similar fashion. All the let-7 members are down regulated during the initiation of regeneration, which is characterized by dedifferentiation of terminally differentiated cells. This is the first report to correlate expression of miRNAs as novel regulators of vertebrate regeneration, alluding to a novel mechanism whereby transdifferentiation occurs. PMID- 17765874 TI - c-Myc interacts with TRF1/PIN2 and regulates telomere length. AB - Telomere, the end of linear chromosome, is protected by DNA-protein complexes. These complexes cap the linear chromosome and play an important role in the maintenance of genomic stability. TRF1/PIN2, a double-stranded DNA-binding protein is known to regulate telomere length by not only protecting telomere but also blocking the access of telomerase to telomere in cis. To better understand the mechanism through which TRF1/PIN2 regulates telomere length, we performed the yeast two-hybrid screening and identified the transcriptional activator c-Myc as a TRF1/PIN2-binding protein. The c-Myc-TRF1/PIN2 interaction was observed both in vitro and in vivo. This interaction is mediated by the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain of c-Myc. Importantly, overexpression of this TRF1/PIN2-interacting domain of c-Myc leads to telomere elongation in vivo. Together, these results suggest that c-Myc may be involved in the regulation of telomere length through its direct binding with TRF1/PIN2. PMID- 17765875 TI - DNA-binding activity of TNF-alpha inducing protein from Helicobacter pylori. AB - Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inducing protein (Tipalpha) is a carcinogenic factor secreted from Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), mediated through both enhanced expression of TNF-alpha and chemokine genes and activation of nuclear factor-kappaB. Since Tipalpha enters gastric cancer cells, the Tipalpha binding molecules in the cells should be investigated. The direct DNA binding activity of Tipalpha was observed by pull down assay using single- and double-stranded genomic DNA cellulose. The surface plasmon resonance assay, indicating an association between Tipalpha and DNA, revealed that the affinity of Tipalpha for (dGdC)10 is 2400 times stronger than that of del-Tipalpha, an inactive Tipalpha. This suggests a strong correlation between DNA-binding activity and carcinogenic activity of Tipalpha. And the DNA-binding activity of Tipalpha was first demonstrated with a molecule secreted from H. pylori. PMID- 17765876 TI - The anticancer agent prodigiosin induces p21WAF1/CIP1 expression via transforming growth factor-beta receptor pathway. AB - The anticancer agent prodigiosin has been shown to act as an efficient immunosuppressant, eliciting cell cycle arrest at non-cytotoxic concentrations, and potent proapoptotic and antimetastatic effects at higher concentrations. Gene expression profiling of MCF-7 cells after treatment with a non-cytotoxic concentration of prodigiosin showed that expression of the p21WAF1/CIP1 gene, a negative cell cycle regulator was induced. In this study, we show that prodigiosin induces p21 expression leading to cell cycle blockade. Subsequently, we attempted to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in prodigiosin mediated p21 gene expression. We demonstrate that prodigiosin induces p21 in a p53-independent manner as prodigiosin induced p21 in cells with both mutated and dominant negative p53. Conversely, the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) pathway has been found to be necessary for p21 induction. Prodigiosin-mediated p21 expression was blocked by SB431542, a TGF-beta receptor inhibitor. Nevertheless, this pathway alone is not enough to induce p21 expression. The TGF beta family member (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug)-activated gene 1/growth differentiation factor 15 (NAG-1) may activate this pathway, as it has previously been suggested to signal through the TGF-beta pathway and is overexpressed in response to prodigiosin treatment. We show that NAG-1 colocalizes with TGF-beta receptor type I, suggesting a possible interaction between them. Taken together, these results suggest the TGF-beta pathway is required for induction of p21 expression after prodigiosin treatment of MCF-7 cells. PMID- 17765877 TI - Widespread disruption in brain activation patterns to a working memory task during cocaine abstinence. AB - Cocaine abstinence is associated with impaired performance in cognitive functions including attention, vigilance and executive function. Here we test the hypothesis that cognitive dysfunction during cocaine abstinence reflects in part impairment of cortical and subcortical regions modulated by dopamine. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain activation to a verbal working memory task in cocaine abusers (n=16) and healthy controls (n=16). Compared to controls, cocaine abusers showed: (1) hypoactivation in the mesencephalon, where dopamine neurons are located, as well as the thalamus, a brain region involved in arousal; (2) larger deactivation in dopamine projection regions (putamen, anterior cingulate, parahippocampal gyrus, and amygdala); and (3) hyperactivation in cortical regions involved with attention (prefrontal and parietal cortices), which probably reflects increased attention and control processes as compensatory mechanisms. Furthermore, the working memory load activation was lower in the prefrontal and parietal cortices in cocaine abusers when compared with controls, which might reflect limited network capacity. These abnormalities were accentuated in the cocaine abusers with positive urines for cocaine at time of study (as compared to cocaine abusers with negative urines) suggesting that the deficits may reflect in part early cocaine abstinence. These findings provide evidence of impaired function of regions involved with executive control, attention and vigilance in cocaine abusers. This widespread neurofunctional disruption is likely to underlie the cognitive deficits during early cocaine abstinence and to reflect involvement of dopamine as well as other neurotransmitters. PMID- 17765878 TI - Transforming growth factor-beta in the brain enhances fat oxidation via noradrenergic neurons in the ventromedial and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus. AB - We have previously reported that intracisternal administration of TGF-beta induces an increase in fat oxidation and that intracisternal administration of anti-TGF-beta antibody partially inhibits an increase in fat oxidation during treadmill running in rats. These results indicate a regulatory role of that TGF beta in the brain on fat oxidation during exercise. However, it is not clear how TGF-beta in the brain enhance fat oxidation. We hypothesized that TGF-beta in the brain elicits its regulatory effects on fat oxidation via hypothalamic noradrenergic neurons, because some reports have demonstrated the important role of hypothalamic noradrenergic neurons in the regulation of fat oxidation during and after exercise. To examine this hypothesis, we measured the extracellular noradrenaline (NA) levels in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH), ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) and lateral hypothalamic area, which are especially important in the regulation of energy metabolism, after intracisternal administration of TGF-beta by using an in vivo brain microdialysis. Microdialysis study revealed that intracisternal administration of TGF-beta3 caused increases in the NA levels in the PVH and VMH. Then, we investigated the impact of impairment of noradrenergic neurons in the PVH and VMH by neurotoxin 6 hydroxydopamine microinjection (NA-lesion) on the action of intracisternal administration of TGF-beta. The NA lesion completely abolished the regulatory effect of TGF-beta on fat oxidation. These results suggest that TGF-beta in the brain enhances fat oxidation via noradrenergic neurons in the PVH and VMH. PMID- 17765879 TI - A kinetic model for production of glucose by hydrolysis of levoglucosan and cellobiosan from pyrolysis oil. AB - Anhydro sugars, produced during wood pyrolysis, can by hydrolyzed to sugars under acidic conditions. The acid hydrolysis of two common anhydro sugars in wood pyrolysis oils, levoglucosan (1,6-anhydro-beta-D-glucopyranose) and cellobiosan (beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-1,6-anhydro-D-glucopyranose), was investigated. Levoglucosan hydrolysis to glucose follows a first-order reaction, with an activation energy of 114 kJ mol(-1). For cellobiosan hydrolysis, 44% of the cellobiosan is hydrolyzed initially via the beta-(1-->4) glycosidic bond to form levoglucosan and glucose. The remaining cellobiosan is hydrolyzed initially at the 1,6 anhydro bond to form cellobiose. Both reactions are first order with respect to cellobiosan, with an activation energy of 99 kJ mol(-1). The intermediate levoglucosan and cellobiose are hydrolyzed to glucose. PMID- 17765880 TI - Mutation of the maize sbe1a and ae genes alters morphology and physical behavior of wx-type endosperm starch granules. AB - In maize, three isoforms of starch-branching enzyme, SBEI, SBEIIa, and SBEIIb, are encoded by the Sbe1a, Sbe2a, and Amylose extender (Ae) genes, respectively. The objective of this research was to explore the effects of null mutations in the Sbe1a and Ae genes alone and in combination in wx background on kernel characteristics and on the morphology and physical behavior of endosperm starch granules. Differences in kernel morphology and weight, starch accumulation, starch granule size and size distribution, starch microstructure, and thermal properties were observed between the ae wx and sbe1a ae wx plants but not between the sbe1a wx mutants when compared to wx. Starch from sbe1a ae wx plants exhibited a larger granule size with a wider gelatinization temperature range and a lower endotherm enthalpy than ae wx. Microscopy shows weaker iodine staining in sbe1a ae wx starch granules. X-ray diffraction revealed A-type crystallinity in wx and sbe1a wx starches and B-type in sbe1a ae wx and ae wx. This study suggests that, while the SBEIIb isoform plays a dominant role in maize endosperm starch synthesis, SBEI also plays a role, which is only observable in the presence of the ae mutation. PMID- 17765881 TI - Synthesis and antifungal properties of sulfanilamide derivatives of chitosan. AB - Sulfanilamide derivatives of chitosan (2-(4-acetamido-2-sulfanimide)-chitosan (HSACS, LSACS), 2-(4-acetamido-2-sulfanimide)-6-sulfo-chitosan (HSACSS, LSACSS) and 2-(4-acetamido-2-sulfanimide)-6-carboxymethyl-chitosan (HSACMCS, LSACMCS)) were prepared using different molecular weights of chitosan (CS), carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) and chitosan sulfates (CSS) reacted with 4-acetamidobenzene sulfonyl chloride in dimethylsulfoxide solution. The structures of the derivatives were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis, which showed that the substitution degree of sulfanilamide group of HSACS, HSACSS, HSACMCS, LSACS, LSACSS and LSACMCS were 0.623, 0.492, 0.515, 0.576, 0.463 and 0.477, respectively. The solubility of the derivatives (pH<7.5) was higher than that of chitosan (pH<6.5). The antifungal activities of the derivatives against Aiternaria solani and Phomopsis asparagi were evaluated based on the method of Jasso et al. in the experiment. The results indicated that all the prepared sulfanilamide derivatives had a significant inhibiting effect on the investigated fungi in the polymer concentration range from 50 to 500 microg mL( 1). The antifungal activities of the derivatives increased with increasing the molecular weight, concentration or the substitution degree. The sulfanilamide derivatives of CS, CMCS and CSS show stronger antifungal activities than CS, CMCS and CSS. PMID- 17765882 TI - The trans-sialidase from Trypanosoma cruzi efficiently transfers alpha-(2-->3) linked N-glycolylneuraminic acid to terminal beta-galactosyl units. AB - The trans-sialidase from Trypanosoma cruzi (TcTS), the agent of Chagas' disease, is a unique enzyme involved in mammalian host-cell invasion. Since T. cruzi is unable to synthesize sialic acids de novo, TcTS catalyzes the transfer of alpha (2-->3)-sialyl residues from the glycoconjugates of the host to terminal beta galactopyranosyl units present on the surface of the parasite. TcTS also plays a key role in the immunomodulation of the infected host. Chronic Chagas' disease patients elicit TcTS-neutralizing antibodies that are able to inhibit the enzyme. N-Glycolylneuraminic acid has been detected in T. cruzi, and the trans-sialidase was pointed out as the enzyme involved in its incorporation from host glycoconjugates. However, N-glycolylneuraminic acid alpha-(2-->3)-linked containing oligosaccharides have not been analyzed as donors in the T. cruzi trans-sialidase reaction. In this paper we studied the ability of TcTS to transfer N-glycolylneuraminic acid from Neu5Gc(alpha2-->3)Gal(beta1- >4)GlcbetaOCH(2)CH(2)N(3) (1) and Neu5Gc(alpha2-->3)Gal(beta1- >3)GlcNAcbetaOCH(2)CH(2)N(3) (2) to lactitol, N-acetyllactosamine and lactose as acceptor substrates. Transfer from 1 was more efficient (50-65%) than from 2 (20 30%) for the three acceptors. The reactions were inhibited when the enzyme was preincubated with a neutralizing antibody. K(m) values were calculated for 1 and 2 and compared with 3'-sialyllactose using lactitol as acceptor substrate. Analysis was performed by high-performance anion-exchange (HPAEC) chromatography. A competitive transfer reaction of compound 1 in the presence of 3'-sialyllactose and N-acetyllactosamine showed a better transfer of Neu5Gc than of Neu5Ac. PMID- 17765883 TI - Separation of floridoside and isofloridosides by HPLC and complete (1)H and (13)C NMR spectral assignments for D-isofloridoside. AB - Isofloridosides (1-O-alpha-D-galactopyranosylglycerol) and floridoside (2-O-alpha D-galactopyranosylglycerol) were extracted from the red alga Porphyra umbilicalis (Linne) Kutzing (Bangiales, Rhodophyta). Their separation was achieved by HPLC (NH(2) P50 column) after successive purification of the crude extract by ion exchange chromatography and HPLC (Sugar-Pak TM1 column). 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy experiments allowed to completely assign the (1)H and (13)C spectra of D-isofloridoside. PMID- 17765884 TI - The relationship between p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and AMP-activated protein kinase during myocardial ischemia. AB - OBJECTIVE: p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) are activated by, and influence sensitivity to, myocardial ischemia. Recently a number of studies have suggested that AMPK may participate in the activation of p38 MAPK. We therefore examined whether AMPK may be the principal "ischemia sensor" responsible for p38 MAPK activation during myocardial ischemia. METHODS: We used a variety of approaches to alter AMPK activity during ischemia and studied the repercussions on p38 MAPK activation. RESULTS: The activities of AMPK and p38 MAPK were temporally related in adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVM) subjected to simulated ischemia and in isolated mouse hearts subjected to no-flow ischemia. However p38 MAPK activation was unaltered in mouse hearts lacking the predominant or minor myocardial isoforms, AMPKalpha2 or AMPKalpha1 respectively. Likewise, in ARVM, adenoviral-driven expression of the minor myocardial isoform AMPKalpha1, in a constitutively active or dominant negative form reducing AMPK activity, did not alter p38 MAPK activation under basal conditions or during simulated ischemia. Finally, pharmacological inhibition of AMPK during ischemia with compound C did not attenuate the coincident activation of p38 MAPK. CONCLUSIONS: Although AMPK and p38 MAPK are both activated during myocardial ischemia, the activation of p38 MAPK occurs independently of AMPK. PMID- 17765885 TI - Free radical scavenging and radioprotective activity of dehydrozingerone against whole body gamma irradiation in Swiss albino mice. AB - Dehydrozingerone (DZ) was explored for in vitro-in vivo antioxidant potential and in vivo radioprotective activity against whole body gamma irradiation in Swiss albino mice. DZ scavenged the ABTS (2, 2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6 sulfonic acid) and DPPH (1, 1-dipehnyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) free radicals at room temp. DZ reduced Fe (III) to Fe (II) at pH 7.4 and scavenged the NADH/phenazine methosulfate generated superoxide radical in cell free system. DZ also scavenged the nitric oxide radical generated by sodium nitroprusside. To evaluate the radioprotective activity, mice were exposed to whole body gamma irradiation 30 min after the drug treatment at a dose rate of 1.66 Gy/min. Pretreatment with DZ 75, 100 and 125 mg/kg, i.p. reduced the radiation induced mortality and increased the mean survival times (MSTs). An i.p. dose of DZ 100 mg/kg was found the most effective dose in preventing radiation sickness and increasing the MST. Pretreatment DZ100 mg/kg maintained the spleen index (spleen weight/body weight x 100) and stimulates the endogenous spleen colony forming units (CFU). Pretreatment with DZ100 mg/kg maintained the villus height close to normal, prevents mucosal erosion and basement membrane damage in irradiated mice jejunum. However, no significant reductions in dead, inflammatory and mitotic cells were observed in DZ pretreated mice, but there was an increased in crypt cells proliferation and regeneration. Pretreatment with DZ100 mg/kg significantly elevated the endogenous antioxidant enzymes (GSH, GST and SOD) in mice at 2, 4 and 8 h post sham irradiation. Radiation induced fall in endogenous antioxidant enzymes was significantly prevented by DZ pretreatment. Pretreatment with DZ 75 and 100 mg/kg reduced the radiation induced micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MPCE) and normochromatic erythrocytes (MNCE) in mice bone marrow. DZ also maintained the polychromatic erythrocytes (PCE) and normochromatic erythrocytes (NCE) ratio (P/N ratio) in irradiated mice. Dose modifying factor (DMF) was calculated by using the graded radiation dose (8.0, 9.0, 9.5 and 10 Gy). DZ 100 mg/kg elevated radiation LD(50) from 9.1 to 10.0 Gy, indicating the DMF of 1.09. PMID- 17765886 TI - Determination of antibiotic drug concentrations in circulating human blood by means of solid phase micro-extraction. AB - BACKGROUND: Promising results in animals have shown the diagnostic potential of polypyrrole coated SPME fibres introduced directly into the blood stream. This study was intended to extend this technique to a clinically relevant antibiotic drug under close to physiological conditions in human blood. METHODS: An artificial vein system was built up from heart and lung machine components. Determination of Linezolid (0-15 mug/mL) was performed by SPME from the flowing system ("online", flow velocities 2-50 cm/s), from blood withdrawn from the system ("offline") and by means of a SPE/HPLC method. SPME was done using new fibres ("new") for each analysis, and in the way that one fibre was reused ("re") for one series of measurements. RESULTS: Drug SPME did not depend on blood flow velocities. Linear regression of data (concentration vs. amount extracted) yielded R(2)=0.998 for SPE/HPLC, R(2)=0.955 for SPME(online_new), 0.929 for SPME(online_re), 0.929 SPME(offline_new), 0.973 for SPME(offline_re), RSD were 52% (SPME(online_new)), 10% (SPME(online_re)), 47% (SPME(offline_new)), 18% (SPME(offline_re)), 8% (SPE/HPLC). CONCLUSIONS: In-vein SPME has the potential to minimize blood requirement for diagnostic purposes and to speed up analysis of clinically relevant drugs, if inter-fibre variation can be reduced through standardized manufacturing. PMID- 17765887 TI - Being forward not backward: lexical limits to masked priming. AB - This study investigated whether masked priming is mediated by existing memory representations by determining whether nonwords targets would show repetition priming. To avoid the potential confound that nonword repetition priming would be obscured by a familiarity response bias, the standard lexical decision and naming tasks were modified to make targets unfamiliar. Participants were required to read a target string from right to left (i.e., "ECAF" should be read as "FACE") and then make a response. To examine if priming was based on lexical representations, repetition primes consisted of words when read forwards or backwards (e.g., "face", "ecaf") and nonwords (e.g., "pame", "emap"). Forward and backward primes were used to test if task instruction affected prime encoding. The lexical decision and naming tasks showed the same pattern of results: priming only occurred for forward primes with word targets (e.g., "face-ECAF"). Additional experiments to test if response priming affected the LDT indicated that the lexical status of the prime per se did not affect target responses. These results showed that the encoding of masked primes was unaffected by the novel task instruction and support the view that masked priming is due to the automatic triggering of pre-established computational processes based on stored information. PMID- 17765888 TI - Two T-box genes play independent and cooperative roles to regulate morphogenesis of ciliated Kupffer's vesicle in zebrafish. AB - The brain, heart and gastro-intestinal tract develop distinct left-right (LR) asymmetries. Asymmetric cilia-dependent fluid flow in the embryonic node in mouse, Kupffer's vesicle in zebrafish, notochordal plate in rabbit and gastrocoel roof plate in frog appears to be a conserved mechanism that directs LR asymmetric gene expression and establishes the orientation of organ asymmetry. However, the cellular processes and genetic pathways that control the formation of these essential ciliated structures are unknown. In zebrafish, migratory dorsal forerunner cells (DFCs) give rise to Kupffer's vesicle (KV), a ciliated epithelial sheet that forms a lumen and generates fluid flow. Using the epithelial marker atypical Protein Kinase C (aPKC) and other markers to analyze DFCs and KV cells, we describe a multi-step process by which DFCs form a functional KV. Using mutants and morpholinos, we show that two T-box transcription factors-No tail (Ntl)/Brachyury and Tbx16/Spadetail-cooperatively regulate an early step of DFC mesenchyme to epithelial transition (MET) and KV cell specification. Subsequently, each transcription factor independently controls a distinct step in KV formation: Tbx16 regulates apical clustering of KV cells and Ntl is necessary for KV lumen formation. By targeting morpholinos to DFCs, we show that these cell autonomous functions in KV morphogenesis are necessary for LR patterning throughout the embryo. PMID- 17765890 TI - Pharmacological nature of nicotine-induced contraction in the rat basilar artery: involvement of arachidonic acid metabolites. AB - The pharmacological nature of nicotine-induced contraction in the rat basilar artery is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the endothelium dependency and involvement of arachidonic acid metabolites in nicotine-induced contraction in the rat basilar artery. The rat basilar artery was removed from the brain and cut into a spiral preparation. Nicotine (3x10(-5) to 10(-2) M) induced the concentration-dependent contraction in the rat basilar artery, and the maximal contraction was obtained at 3x10(-3) M. The contraction induced by nicotine (3x10(-3) M) was significantly attenuated by the presence of saponin (0.05 mg/ml, 15 min). Phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitors (NCDC and U 73122), calcium-independent phospholipase A(2) (iPLA(2)) inhibitor (BEL), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors (nimesulide, L-745,337 and celecoxib), and a 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) inhibitor (ZM-230487) concentration-dependently attenuated the nicotine-induced contraction. A cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) inhibitor (AACOCF3), secretory phospholipase A(2) (sPLA(2)) inhibitor (indoxam), and cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) inhibitors (flurbiprofen and ketoprofen) did not affect the nicotine-induced contraction. From these results, it was suggested that nicotine-induced contraction in the rat basilar artery is endothelium dependent and is due to arachidonic acid metabolites. PMID- 17765889 TI - Transgenic over-expression of the microRNA miR-17-92 cluster promotes proliferation and inhibits differentiation of lung epithelial progenitor cells. AB - The miR-17-92 locus encodes a cluster of 7 microRNAs transcribed as a single primary transcript. It can accelerate c-Myc induced B cell lymphoma development and is highly expressed in many tumors, including lung tumors. However, the role of miR-17-92 in development has not been well studied. From analysis of microRNAs during lung development, expression of the miR-17-92 cluster is high at early stages, but declines as development proceeds. We used the mouse surfactant protein C (Sftpc) promoter to over-express the cluster in embryonic lung epithelium. Transgenic lungs have a very abnormal lethal phenotype. They contain numerous proliferative epithelial cells that retain high levels of Sox9, a marker of distal progenitors. The differentiation of proximal epithelial cells was also inhibited. Furthermore, a significant increase in the number of neuroendocrine cell clusters was observed in the lungs of dead transgenic pups. We identify a tumor suppressor, Rbl2 which belongs to the Rb family, as a new target for miR-17 5p. Together, these studies suggest that mir-17-92 normally promotes the high proliferation and undifferentiated phenotype of lung epithelial progenitor cells. PMID- 17765891 TI - Nucleolar localization of DGCR8 and identification of eleven DGCR8-associated proteins. AB - We identified 11 proteins that are associated with DGCR8 by immunoprecipitation assay and mass spectrometry. These proteins included Nucleolin, ILF3 and others, most of which appeared to be involved in the RNA processing or RNA transportation. We detected at least four kinds of protein complex, such as DROSHA/DGCR8, DGCR8/Nucleolin, DGCR8/ILF3 and ILF3/XPO5, by co immunoprecipitation. The complex formation of DGCR8 with Nucleolin was dependent on RNA. Subcellular localization analysis by the immunofluorescent microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy indicated that DGCR8 locates at the nucleolus and small foci adjacent to splicing speckles in the nucleoplasm. Furthermore, the localization of DGCR8 at the nucleolus was changed by the inhibition of RNA transcription. Thus, our studies provided additional new evidence for the involvement of various protein complexes in the molecular mechanisms of apparently complex innate RNA interference machinery. PMID- 17765892 TI - IL-10 confers protection from mast cell degranulation in a mouse model of allergic conjunctivitis. AB - IL-10 is a regulatory cytokine known to inhibit allergic and inflammatory events. Mast cells (MC) are effector cells which when stimulated release histamine, chemokines and cytokines that initiate the allergic inflammatory response. Recent studies have shown that IL-10 regulates MC function by affecting cytokine production and expression of FcvarepsilonR1 in in vitro assays. Using IL-10 knockout (IL10KO) mice, we examined the effect of its absence on MC susceptibility to degranulation by the basic secretagogue, Compound 48/80 (C48/80). C48/80 is a receptor mimetic that directly activates G proteins and stimulates vigorous MC degranulation. For these studies we stimulated conjunctival MC with C48/80 and found that conjunctival MC of IL10KO mice exhibit increased degranulation compared with wild type mice. Reconstitution of IL10KO mice by adding rIL-10 24h prior to challenge with C48/80 conferred increased resistance of MC to the degranulatory effects of C48/80. The protective effect therefore appears to be due to the presence of IL-10. This is the first in vivo rodent study which reports a novel role of IL-10 in stabilizing mast cells from degranulation by a secretagogue, by as of yet an unknown mechanism. PMID- 17765893 TI - Enhanced stability of cis Pro-Pro peptide bond in Pro-Pro-Phe sequence motif. AB - Identification of sequence motifs that favor cis peptide bonds in proteins is important for understanding and designing proteins containing turns mediated by cis peptide conformations. From (1)H NMR solution studies on short peptides, we show that the Pro-Pro peptide bond in Pro-Pro-Phe almost equally populates the cis and trans isomers, with the cis isomer stabilized by a CHc...pi interaction involving the terminal Pro and Phe. We also show that Phe is over-represented at sequence positions immediately following cis Pro-Pro motifs in known protein structures. Our results demonstrate that the Pro-Pro cis conformer in Pro-Pro-Phe sequence motifs is as important as the trans conformer, both in short peptides as well as in natively folded proteins. PMID- 17765894 TI - Utilization of a chloroplast membrane sulfolipid as a major internal sulfur source for protein synthesis in the early phase of sulfur starvation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. AB - Information is limited on sulfur (S)-sources inside plant cells for synthesis of the proteins for acclimation to S-starvation. We found that a green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, when transferred to S-starved conditions, degrades 85% of a chloroplast membrane lipid, sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG), to redistribute its S to a large part of protein fraction as early as by 6h. Furthermore, the degradation of SQDG preceded that of proteins such as ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, the candidates of internal S-sources. SQDG was thus demonstrated to yield a major internal S-source for protein synthesis during the early phase of acclimation process to S-starvation. PMID- 17765895 TI - The crystal structure of Ebp1 reveals a methionine aminopeptidase fold as binding platform for multiple interactions. AB - The ErbB-3 receptor binding protein (Ebp1) is a member of the proliferation associated 2G4 (PA2G4) family implicated in regulation of cell growth and differentiation. Here, we report the crystal structure of the human Ebp1 at 1.6 A resolution. The protein has the conserved pita bread fold of methionine aminopeptidases, but without the characteristic enzymatic activity. Moreover, Ebp1 is known to interact with a number of proteins and RNAs involved in either transcription regulation or translation control. The structure provides insights in how Ebp1 discriminates between its different interaction partners. PMID- 17765896 TI - Use of multicellular tumor spheroids to dissect endothelial cell-tumor cell interactions: a role for T-cadherin in tumor angiogenesis. AB - This study addresses establishment of an "in vitro" melanoma angiogenesis model using multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) of differentiated (HBL) or undifferentiated (NA8) melanoma cell lines. DNA microarray assay and qRT-PCR indicated upregulation of pro-angiogenic factors IL-8, VEGF, Ephrin A1 and ANGPTL4 in NA8-MCTSs (vs. monolayers) whereas these were absent in MCTS and monolayer cultures of HBL. Upon co-culture with endothelial cell line HMEC-1 NA8 MCTS attract, whereas HBL-MCTS repulse, HMEC-1. Overexpression of T-cadherin in HMEC-1 leads to their increased invasion and network formation within NA8-MCTS. Given an appropriate angiogenic tumor microenvironment, T-cadherin upregulation on endothelial cells may potentiate intratumoral angiogenesis. PMID- 17765897 TI - Upstream stimulating factor-1 mediates the E-box-dependent transcriptional repression of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene in human mast cells. AB - Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 promotes development of asthma. PAI-1 mRNA and protein are markedly induced in activated mast cells (MCs), a major effector cell type in asthma. However, regulatory mechanisms of PAI-1 transcription in MCs are unknown. We present first evidence that PAI-1 is transcriptionally regulated in human MCs (hMCs). In addition to three enhancer regions, we demonstrated that the E-box at -566 bp to -561 bp is the negative regulatory element, and the specific and constitutive binding of the upstream stimulating factor-1 to this E-box is the key mechanism of the negative regulation of PAI-1 expression in hMCs. PMID- 17765898 TI - Zinc up-regulates NF-kappaB activation via phosphorylation of IkappaB in HUT-78 (Th0) cells. AB - Nuclear factor of kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a major transcription factor regulating the expression of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-2 receptor-alpha (IL 2Ralpha) in Th(1) cells. We previously demonstrated that zinc increased IL-2 and IL-2Ralpha production via NF-kappaB activation in HUT-78 (Th(0)) cells. However, the molecular mechanism is not well understood. In this study, we found that zinc increased phosphorylated IkappaB-alpha, NF-kappaB translocation and activation, as well as the production of IL-2 and IL-2Ralpha in wild type IkappaB gene transfected zinc-sufficient HUT-78 cells, compared to zinc-deficient HUT-78 cells. However, dominant negative IkappaB gene expression decreased these parameters in zinc-sufficient cells, suggesting that zinc increased NF-kappaB activation via IkappaB pathway. PMID- 17765899 TI - Reflections on the knowledge base for obstetric fistula. AB - This article presents the reflections of an experienced fistula surgeon and an epidemiologist on the current knowledge base for obstetric fistula. The incidence, prevention, and management of vesico-vaginal and recto-vaginal fistula are discussed. The authors call for more randomized controlled trials to determine the effectiveness of surgical interventions for fistula repair. PMID- 17765900 TI - Obstetric fistula: clinical considerations in the creation of a new urethra and the management of a subsequent pregnancy. AB - The paper presents two case studies to illustrate the complexity of repairing obstetric fistula (OF) with neourethral construction when complete circumferential destruction occurred. Using fictitious names, the author describes the personal story and contexts leading to OF development and depression, surgical options, and the prognosis of repair. These cases were documented at the Barhirdar Hamlin Fistula Center in Northern Ethiopia. PMID- 17765901 TI - Suppression of host Th1-type granulomatous inflammation by Taenia solium metacestodes is related to down-regulation of osteopontin gene expression. AB - Inflammation and granuloma formation in human neurocysticercosis has been attributed to Th1-type immune responses of the host. In the present murine model, over 94% of Taenia solium metacestodes were viable and elicited no granulomatous inflammation, whereas parasites killed by praziquantel treatment elicited rapid granuloma formation that calcified within 2weeks. Osteopontin (OPN) is a Th1 related cytokine that is up-stream of IL-12 and which may play an essential role in granuloma formation and calcification. OPN mRNA expression was down-regulated in tissues surrounding viable cysticerci, but was up-regulated in inflammatory tissues surrounding degenerating cysticerci. Moreover, co-culture with a viable cysticercus or ES products from these metacestodes led to a decrease in OPN, IFN gamma and IL-12 expression, whereas co-culture with somatic proteins enhanced OPN expression by leukocytes. Addition of recombinant mouse OPN (rmOPN) counteracted the down-regulation of IL-12 and IFN-gamma mRNA expression, but not OPN mRNA expression, in leukocyte cultures. Furthermore, injection of rmOPN into the tissues surrounding implanted cysticerci enhanced inflammatory responses while a similar injection of an anti-rmOPN antibody reduced inflammation. These findings suggest that the suppression of host Th1-type granulomatous inflammation by ES products from T. solium metacestodes is related to down-regulation of OPN gene expression. PMID- 17765902 TI - Purine nucleobase transport in the intraerythrocytic malaria parasite. AB - Hypoxanthine, a nucleobase, serves as the major source of the essential purine group for the intraerythrocytic malaria parasite. In this study we have measured the uptake of hypoxanthine, and that of the related purine nucleobase adenine, by mature blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum parasites isolated from their host cells by saponin-permeabilisation of the erythrocyte and parasitophorous vacuole membranes. The uptake of both [3H]hypoxanthine and [3H]adenine was comprised of at least two components; in each case there was a rapid equilibration of the radiolabel between the intra- and extracellular solutions via a low-affinity transport mechanism, and an accumulation of radiolabel (such that the estimated intracellular concentration exceeded the extracellular concentration) via a higher-affinity process. The uptake of [3H]adenine was studied in more detail. The rapid, low-affinity equilibration of [3H]adenine between the intra-and extracellular solution was independent of the energy status of the parasite whereas the higher-affinity accumulation of the radiolabel was ATP-dependent. A kinetic analysis of adenine uptake revealed that the low-affinity (equilibrative) process had a Km of approximately 1.2mM, similar to the value of 0.82 mM estimated here (using the Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system) for the Km for the transport of adenine by PfENT1, a parasite-encoded member of the 'equilibrative nucleoside/nucleobase transporter' family. The results indicate that nucleobases enter the intraerythrocytic parasite via a rapid, equilibrative process that has kinetic characteristics similar to those of PfENT1. PMID- 17765903 TI - Implications of increased weight and waist circumference on vascular risk in an older Chinese population: the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study. AB - BACKGROUND: The relationships between weight and waist on vascular risk are well described, but the long-term impact of these parameters is less clearly defined, particularly in Chinese populations. METHODS: Ten thousand four hundred and ten older subjects (50-85 years) were recruited and blood pressure, anthropometric, and fasting vascular risk factors measured. Socioeconomic and demographic data, including self-reported weight and waist gain since 18 years. The association of weight and waist gain with these vascular risk factors was analysed. RESULTS: Weight, and particularly waist gain were associated with a more adverse vascular risk factor profile, with the most adverse profile associated with gains in both weight and waist. Anthropometric gains were associated with increased risk even in non-obese subjects (p<0.05). Even after adjustment for a range of demographic and socioeconomic factors, waist gain was associated with additional risk of having the metabolic syndrome and its components and self-reported vascular disease in those centrally obese subjects (p<0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: Increased weight and waist increased the level of vascular risk factors and self-reported disease in both non-obese and obese subjects. The high prevalence of vascular risk factors in this population forewarns of a major developing health burden in the rapidly modernising 1.2 billion Chinese population. PMID- 17765904 TI - Orally administered eicosapentaenoic acid reduces and stabilizes atherosclerotic lesions in ApoE-deficient mice. AB - Accumulating evidence demonstrates that dietary intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is associated with reduced incidence of cardiovascular events. However, the molecular mechanisms by which n-3 PUFAs prevent atherosclerosis are not fully understood. Here, we examined the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a major n-3 PUFA, on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient mice. Five-week-old ApoE-deficient male mice were fed on western-type diet supplemented with 5% (w/w) EPA (EPA group, n=7) or not (control group, n=5) for 13 weeks. An analysis of the fatty acid composition of liver homogenates revealed a marked increase of the n-3 PUFA content in the EPA group (n-3/n-6 ratio: 0.20+/-0.01 vs. 2.5+/-0.2, p<0.01). En face Sudan IV staining of the aorta and oil red O-staining of the aortic sinus revealed that EPA significantly suppressed the development of atherosclerotic lesions. We also observed anti-atherosclerotic effects of EPA in LDL-receptor-deficient mice. The lesions of the EPA group contained more collagen (19.6+/-2.4% vs. 32.9+/-3.9%, p<0.05) and smooth muscle cells (1.3+/-0.2% vs. 3.6+/-0.8%, p<0.05) and less macrophages (32.7+/-4.1% vs. 14.7+/-2.0%, p<0.05). Pretreatment with EPA attenuated the up-regulation of VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and MCP-1 in HUVECs as well as the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in macrophage-like cells induced by TNF-alpha. The anti-inflammatory effects of EPA were abrogated when the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) was suppressed. EPA may potentially reduce and stabilize atherosclerotic lesions through its anti inflammatory effects. PMID- 17765905 TI - Treatment potential for cholesterol management in patients with coronary heart disease in 15 European countries: findings from the EUROASPIRE II survey. AB - BACKGROUND: During the last decade, the evidence of beneficial effects of cholesterol lowering in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) has been proven in several clinical trials. This has prompted international guidelines on prevention of CHD to include recommendations on dietary and pharmacological treatment of hyperlipidaemia with set goals on total- and LDL-cholesterol. METHODS: The first EUROASPIRE survey performed in 1995/1996 showed poor adherence to the European recommendations on lipid-lowering in patients with CHD. The second survey was carried out in 1999/2000 in 15 European countries and enrolled 8181 patients with CHD. Medical records were assessed and clinical examinations of risk factors including serum lipids were performed. The aim of this survey is to describe the treatment of hyperlipidaemia among CHD patients in Europe. RESULTS: The proportion of patients not reaching the target of 5.0mmol/l was 58.3% with significant variations between countries. The use of lipid-lowering drugs was relatively high (60.9%). However, the most frequently used doses of lipid-lowering agents were much lower than the doses of proven effect used in clinical trials. CONCLUSIONS: Although the treatment of hyperlipidaemia in CHD patients seems to be improving as compared to the first survey, a significant number of patients do not reach treatment goals. If the full potential of lipid lowering therapy was utilised with all eligible patients treated and doses titrated correctly, more patients would benefit in terms of reduced morbidity and mortality of CHD. PMID- 17765906 TI - The impact of adding trunk motion to the interpretation of the role of joint moments during normal walking. AB - Biomechanical model assumptions affect the interpretation of the role of the muscle or joint moments to the segmental power estimated by induced acceleration analysis (IAA). We evaluated the effect of modeling the pelvis and trunk segments as two separate segments (8 SM) versus as a single segment (7 SM) on the segmental power, support of the body, knee and hip extension acceleration produced by the joint moments during the stance phase of normal walking. Significant differences were observed in the contribution of the stance hip abductor and extensor moments to support, ipsilateral knee and hip acceleration, and ipsilateral thigh and upper body power. The primary finding was that the role of the stance hip moment in generating ipsilateral thigh and upper body power differed based on degrees of freedom in the model. Secondarily, the magnitude of contributions also differed. For example, the hip abductor and extensor moments showed greater contribution to support, hip and knee acceleration in the 8 SM. IAA and segment power analysis are sensitive to the degrees of freedom between the pelvis and trunk. There is currently no gold standard by which to evaluate the accuracy of IAA predictions. However, modeling the pelvis and trunk as separate segments is closer to the anatomical architecture of the body. An 8 SM appears to be more appropriate for estimating the role of joint moments, particularly to motion of more proximal segments during normal walking. PMID- 17765907 TI - Analysis of trace amounts of carbon dioxide, oxygen and carbon monoxide in nitrogen using dual capillary columns and a pulsed discharge helium ionisation detector. AB - Gas mixtures of trace amounts of carbon dioxide (CO(2)), dioxygen (O(2)), and carbon monoxide (CO) in dinitrogen (N(2)) were separated and quantified using parallel dual capillary columns and pulsed discharge helium ionisation detection (PDHID). The detection limits (9 x 10(-9) mol mol(-1) for CO(2), 7 x 10(-9) mol mol(-1) for O(2) and 37 x 10(-9) mol mol(-1) for CO) were lower than those reported previously for similar methods. Uncertainties were calculated and results were validated by comparison of the CO and CO(2) results with those obtained using conventional methods. The method was also used to analyse nitrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in oxygen. PMID- 17765908 TI - Enantioseparations by using capillary electrophoretic techniques. The story of 20 and a few more years. AB - This paper provides the author's insight on the past, present and future of performing enantioseparations using capillary electrophoretic (CE) techniques. These techniques are discussed from the historical point of view, as well as based on their potential as the separation techniques of today and the future. The overview covers mechanistic as well as practical aspects of CE techniques. PMID- 17765909 TI - Room temperature ionic liquid as matrix medium for the determination of residual solvents in pharmaceuticals by static headspace gas chromatography. AB - Using new solvent room temperature ionic liquid (IL) matrix media, testing of residual solvents in pharmaceutical preparations with static headspace gas chromatographic (SH-GC), is described. The purpose of this work was to demonstrate the feasibility of IL as diluent, six solvents utilized in synthesis of Adefovir Dipivoxil: acetonitrile, dichloromethane, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), toluene, dimethylformamide (DMF), n-butyl ether were dissolved in IL: 1 butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([bmim]BF(4)). The method of external standard was used for quantitative analysis. Its performance was evaluated and validated: all the RSD were lower than 10%, the limits of detection were all of the ppm level and the method was both accurate and linear. And better sensitivities for the six solvents were gained with [bmim]BF(4) as diluent comparing with DMSO. PMID- 17765911 TI - Investigation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid from a new surface-enhanced Raman scattering system. AB - In this paper, we developed a new kind of substrate, silver-coated indium tin oxide (ITO), to investigate the character of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA). Homogeneous Ag-coated ITO substrate was obtained by decomposing AgNO(3) on the surface of ITO. A SERS spectrum of very good quality of "silver nanoparticles/PHBA/silver-coated ITO" was reported by adding PHBA aqueous solution and silver colloid onto the surface of silver-coated ITO repeatedly. PHBA molecules absorbed onto the surface of the silver nanoparticles through ionized carboxyl, and the PHBA molecules tended to tilt on the surface in this system. The rich information obtained from the silver nanoparticles/PHBA/silver-coated ITO system indicates that this is a highly SERS active system. Not only was the number of the vibrational modes increased, but also were the frequencies of Raman bands shifted. The two SERS mechanisms, the "electromagnetic" and "chemical" mechanism, were mainly responsible for the experimental results. Furthermore, the silver nanoparticles modified on the silver-coated ITO surface play an important role in magnifying the surface local electric field near the silver film surface through resonant surface plasmon excitation. PMID- 17765910 TI - Determination of photoirradiated tetracyclines in water by high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection based reaction of rhodamine B with cerium (IV). AB - A simple, selective and sensitive method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlorotetracycline, demeclocycline, doxycycline and meclocycline based on reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection. The procedure was based on the chemiluminescent enhancement by photoirradiated tetracyclines of the cerium (IV)-rhodamine B system in sulphuric acid medium. The six tetracyclines were separated on an Aquasil-C18 column with a gradient elution using a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.1 mol L(-1) phosphate buffer as mobile phase, photoderivatized using a photoreactor consisting of a tube reactor coil of PFA and a 8W Xenon lamp. Under the optimized conditions, the method was validated with respect to linearity, precision, limits of detection and quantification and accuracy. The relative standard deviation (RSD) on intra-day precision was below 10% and detection limits ranged between 0.12 and 0.34 microg L(-1). The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of tetracyclines in surface water samples. A possible mechanism of the chemiluminescence in the system is discussed. PMID- 17765912 TI - Effects of sodium content and calcination temperature on the morphology, structure and photocatalytic activity of nanotubular titanates. AB - Titanate nanotubes (TNT) were prepared via a hydrothermal treatment of TiO(2) powders (P25) in a 10 M NaOH solution at 150 degrees C for 24 h and subsequently washed with HCl aqueous solution of different concentrations (0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 N). Samples with different contents of remnant sodium in nanotubes were characterized, as synthesized and after heat-treatment, by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. The photocatalytic activity of TNT was evaluated by photocatalytic oxidation of basic dye (basic violet 10 (BV10)) in water solution. It was found that if the sodium was not completely exchanged with proton, the removal of sodium increased the specific surface area (and pore volume), while the thermal stability was reduced. When the sodium content of TNT was approximately 0 wt% (nearly complete proton exchange), the nanotubular structure of titanates might be destroyed. The effects of the alterations of microstructures induced by the exchange of sodium and heat treatment on the photocatalytic activity of TNT were discussed with the variations of specific surface area, pore volume, and the amounts of anatase phase in TNT. PMID- 17765913 TI - Microgel particles containing methacrylic acid: pH-triggered swelling behaviour and potential for biomaterial application. AB - pH-responsive microgels are crosslinked polymer particles that swell when the pH approaches the pK(a) of the ionic monomer incorporated within the particles. In recent work from our group it was demonstrated that the mechanical properties of degenerated intervertebral discs (IVDs) could be restored to normal values by injection of poly(EA/MAA/BDDA) (ethylacrylate, methacrylic acid and butanediol diacrylate) microgel dispersions [J.M. Saunders, T. Tong, C.L. Le Maitre, T.J. Freemont, B.R. Saunders, Soft Matter 3 (2007) 486]. In this work we report the pH dependent swelling and rheological properties of poly(MMA/MAA/EGDMA) (methylmethacrylate and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate) microgel dispersions. This system was investigated because it contains monomers that are already used as biomaterials. The poly(MMA/MAA/EGDMA) particles exhibit pH-triggered volume swelling ratios of up to ca. 250. The swelling onset for these particles occurs at pH values greater than ca. 6.0. A pK(a) for these particles of ca. 6.7 is consistent with titration and swelling data. Fluid-to-gel phase diagrams for concentrated poly(MMA/MAA/EGDMA) dispersions were determined as a function of polymer volume fraction and pH using tube-inversion measurements. The rheological properties for the gelled microgel dispersions were investigated using dynamic rheology measurements. The elastic modulus data for the poly(MMA/MAA/EGDMA) gelled dispersions were compared to data for poly(EA/MAA/BDDA) microgels. A similar pH-dependence for the elastic modulus was apparent. The maximum elastic modulus was achieved at a pH of about 7.0. The elastic modulus is an exponentially increasing function of polymer volume fraction at pH 7.0. Preliminary cell challenge experimental data are reported that indicate that gelled poly(MMA/MAA/EGDMA) microgel dispersions are biocompatible with cells from human intervertebral discs. However, the duration over which these experiments could be performed was limited by gradual redispersion of the gelled microgel dispersions. Based on the results presented it is suggested that poly(MMA/MAA/EGDMA) microgel would be a good candidate as a biomaterial for structural support of soft connective tissues. PMID- 17765914 TI - Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) study on nonionic fluorinated micelles in aqueous system. AB - We have investigated the self-organization structures of perfluoroalkyl sulfonamide ethoxylate, C(8)F(17)SO(2)N(C(3)H(7))(CH(2)CH(2)O)(10)H, a nonionic fluorinated surfactant in aqueous system by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique. Structural modulation of the nonionic fluorinated micelle induced by temperature change, surfactant concentration, and the added fluorinated oils have been systematically studied. The SAXS data were analyzed by the indirect Fourier transformation (IFT), and the generalized indirect Fourier transformation (GIFT) depending on the volume fraction of the surfactant. Various plausible classical model calculations have been performed to confirm the consistency of the GIFT analysis of the SAXS data. Upon successive increase in temperature, the cylindrical micelles formed at lower temperatures undergo a continuous one dimensional growth and ultimately near the cloud point an indication of flat planar like structural pattern is observed. The evolution in structure of particle near the demixing temperature may be due to onset of attractive interactions. The shape and size of the micelle is apparently unaffected by changing the surfactant concentration from 1 to 5 wt% at 25 degrees C. Nevertheless, addition of small amount of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) oil, of structure F(CF(2)CF(2)CF(2)O)(n)CF(2)CF(2)COOH (n approximately 21) modulate the micellar shape and size. Long cylindrical micelles eventually transform into globular like particles. The onset cylinder-to-sphere transition in the structure of micelles in the surfactant/water/oil system is probably due to amphiphilic nature of the oil, which tends to increase the spontaneous curvature. The lipophilic part of the oil tends to reside in the micellar core, whereas, the hydrophilic part goes close to the polar head group of the surfactant so that effective cross-sectional area per surfactant molecules increases and as a result spherical micelles tend to form. Perfluorodecalin (PFD) also decreases size of the micelles but its effect is poor compared to the PFPE oil. PMID- 17765915 TI - Thermal and colloidal behavior of amine-treated clays: the role of amphiphilic organic cation concentration. AB - The modification of sodium montmorillonite (NaMMT) through the insertion of amphiphilic hexadecylammonium cations into the clay's interlayer spaces has been studied. Alkylammonium concentrations equivalent to 0.15-3.00 times the cation exchange capacity of the clay were used. The conformation of the surfactant cations in the confined space of the silicate galleries was investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy, while the organoclay's thermal stability was examined by thermogravimetric analysis. The clay's surface properties induced by the ion-exchange process were followed by measurements of the mineral's zeta potential as a function of pH and surfactant concentration, while the coagulation rates of organoclay suspensions in water and in chloroform were examined using dynamic light scattering. All the results are consistent with showing that the overall characteristics and thus the behavior of the modified MMT particles strongly depend on the alkylammonium surfactant concentration used in the modification process. This, however, has very important implications for any attempt to incorporate the organomodified MMT particles into different media for various applications such as polymer nanocomposite preparation. PMID- 17765917 TI - Validation of peptide epitope microarray experiments and extraction of quality data. AB - INTRODUCTION: Within the last decade, the development of antigen microarray slides has enabled the simultaneous measurement of serum reactivity to hundreds of peptides in a single biological sample. Despite this considerable scientific progress, many issues remain regarding the quality, analysis and interpretation of the data these slides produce. There is currently no accepted approach to guide data analysis, and researchers use a wide variety of statistical methods and software tools. We designed and implemented a laboratory experiment to assess the reliability and range of measurement of peptide microarray data, and present graphical and statistical procedures for pre-processing so that quality data can be extracted for addressing biological hypotheses. METHODS: Synthetic peptides spanning the proteins Ag85A, Ag85B, CFP10, MPT51/MPB51, TB10.4 and ESAT-6 were chosen as a paradigm to screen for serum reactivity to Mycobacteria tuberculosis (MTB). We explored various quantitative and graphical methods for presenting the responses from a slide. We replicated assays of samples from five TB-positive individuals to examine reproducibility, and used linear mixed models to investigate the various sources of variability, and to assess the range of measurement. We use our methods to extract data from the five TB-positive individuals and five healthy controls, and analyse the "normalized" responses using the freely available SAM package. RESULTS: The ratio of foreground to background signal (on a log scale) provides an appropriate response index. A two dimensional graphical display clearly illustrates the responses from the control and peptide features on a slide. Mixed model analysis of the replicated slides found a high reproducibility of the assay between operators, days and experiments. The range of measurement was also satisfactory. Our analysis of the normalized responses from the five TB-positive patients and five healthy controls suggested that 10 of the 363 peptides assessed had significantly higher responses in the TB-positive group. CONCLUSIONS: Carefully designed laboratory experiments and rigorous statistical analysis can enable the removal of technical artefacts to produce quality peptide array data for addressing biological hypotheses. These instruments, which enable valid comparisons across slides and/or batches of slides, will escort future comparative analyses targeting high content serum reactivity profiling against a broad array of B-cell epitopes. PMID- 17765916 TI - Phonological working memory in Spanish-English bilingual children with and without specific language impairment. AB - We examined the performance of sequential bilingual children with and without Specific Language Impairment (SLI), who had Spanish as an L1 and English as their L2, on an auditory non-word repetition task using Spanish phonotactic patterns. We also analyzed the accuracy with which this task distinguished these children (according to children's and mothers' performance). Eleven Hispanic children with SLI (M=8;10), 11 age-matched children with Typical Language Development (TLD, M=9;1), and 12 mothers, participated. They were living in New York City. The participants' repetition of 20 non-words (four at each of five syllable lengths) was scored for item and segmental accuracy, and error type. We examined the relations among children's non-word repetition performance, language scores, and, for a subset of the children, their mothers' non-word repetition performance. The percentage of correct non-words was significantly lower in children with SLI than in children with TLD. A length effect was found in 3-4-5 syllable non-words. Consonant substitutions and consonant omissions were significantly higher in children with SLI than with TLD. Both groups showed a similar relative pattern of more consonant than vowel errors. The children's non-word repetition performance correlated strongly with three of the four Spanish ITPA subtests we administered. The mothers of children with SLI performed more poorly than the mothers of the children with TLD, for the 20 non-words and the subset of 3-4-5 syllable non words. Non-word repetition performance is an accurate identifier of language status in these groups (likelihood ratios are reported). The potential clinical application of this task in identifying SLI in bilingual Spanish-speaking children (on the basis of children's and mothers' performance) is discussed. LEARNING OUTCOMES: In the future, with a set of norms, this task could be used as a screening test to help detecting children with SLI or at risk for SLI. PMID- 17765918 TI - Categorization of hemocytes of three gastropod species Trachea vittata (Muller), Pila globosa (Swainson) and Indoplanorbis exustus (Dehays). AB - Light microscopic observations were made on the hemocytes of three gastropod species namely Trachea vittata, Indoplanorbis exustus and Pila globosa. It revealed two basic types of hemocytes. They are agranulocytes and granulocytes. Agranulocytes are hyalinocytes which are round, unspread hemocytes and have a large nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio. Granulocytes are spreading hemocytes, forming numerous pseudopodia. For the purpose of differential counting, we present a categorization of the granulocytes into three sub-categories based on cell dimensions, nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio, distribution of granules in the cytoplasm and position of the nucleus. The smaller granulocytes are younger cells, and are termed Granulocytes I (Progranulocytes). The larger ones are fully developed cells that have been differentiated into Granulocyte II (basophilic) and Granulocyte III (eosinophilic). PMID- 17765920 TI - Structural basis for ubiquitin recognition by SH3 domains. AB - The SH3 domain is a protein-protein interaction module commonly found in intracellular signaling and adaptor proteins. The SH3 domains of multiple endocytic proteins have been recently implicated in binding ubiquitin, which serves as a signal for diverse cellular processes including gene regulation, endosomal sorting, and protein destruction. Here we describe the solution NMR structure of ubiquitin in complex with an SH3 domain belonging to the yeast endocytic protein Sla1. The ubiquitin binding surface of the Sla1 SH3 domain overlaps substantially with the canonical binding surface for proline-rich ligands. Like many other ubiquitin-binding motifs, the SH3 domain engages the Ile44 hydrophobic patch of ubiquitin. A phenylalanine residue located at the heart of the ubiquitin-binding surface of the SH3 domain serves as a key specificity determinant. The structure of the SH3-ubiquitin complex explains how a subset of SH3 domains has acquired this non-traditional function. PMID- 17765919 TI - Nitrite confers protection against myocardial infarction: role of xanthine oxidoreductase, NADPH oxidase and K(ATP) channels. AB - Reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide during ischemia protects the heart against injury from ischemia/reperfusion. However the optimal dose of nitrite and the mechanisms underlying nitrite-induced cardioprotection are not known. We determined the ability of nitrite and nitrate to confer protection against myocardial infarction in two rat models of ischemia/reperfusion injury and the role of xanthine oxidoreductase, NADPH oxidase, nitric oxide synthase and K(ATP) channels in mediating nitrite-induced cardioprotection. In vivo and in vitro rat models of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury were used to cause infarction. Hearts (n=6/group) were treated with nitrite or nitrate for 15 min prior to 30 min regional ischemia and 180 min reperfusion. Xanthine oxidoreductase activity was measured after 15 min aerobic perfusion and 30 min ischemia. Nitrite reduced myocardial necrosis and decline in ventricular function following ischemia/reperfusion in the intact and isolated rat heart in a dose- or concentration-dependent manner with an optimal dose of 4 mg/kg in vivo and concentration of 10 microM in vitro. Nitrate had no effect on protection. Reduction in infarction by nitrite was abolished by the inhibition of flavoprotein reductases and the molybdenum site of xanthine oxidoreductase and was associated with an increase in activity of xanthine dehydrogenase and xanthine oxidase during ischemia. Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase had no effect on nitrite-induced cardioprotection. Inhibition of NADPH oxidase and K(ATP) channels abolished nitrite-induced cardioprotection. Nitrite but not nitrate protects against infarction by a mechanism involving xanthine oxidoreductase, NADPH oxidase and K(ATP) channels. PMID- 17765921 TI - Interactions of the DNA polymerase X of African swine fever virus with double stranded DNA. Functional structure of the complex. AB - Interactions of the polymerase X of African swine fever virus with the double stranded DNA (dsDNA) have been studied with fluorescent dsDNA oligomers, using quantitative fluorescence titrations, analytical ultracentrifugation, and fluorescence energy transfer techniques. Studies with unmodified dsDNAs were performed, using competition titration method. ASV pol X binds the dsDNA with a site-size of n=10(+/-2) base-pairs, which is significantly shorter than the total site-size of 16(+/-2) nucleotides of the enzyme-ssDNA complex. The small site size indicates that the enzyme binds the dsDNA exclusively using the proper DNA binding subsite. Fluorescence energy transfer studies between the tryptophan residue W92 and the acceptor, located at the 5' or 3' end of the dsDNA, suggest strongly that the proper DNA-binding subsite is located on the non-catalytic C terminal domain. Moreover, intrinsic interactions with the dsDNA 10-mer or 20-mer are accompanied by the same net number of ions released, independent of the length of the DNA, indicating the same length of the DNA engaged in the complex. The dsDNA intrinsic affinity is about two orders of magnitude higher than the ssDNA affinity, indicating that the proper DNA-binding subsite is, in fact, the specific dsDNA-binding site. Surprisingly, ASFV pol X binds the dsDNA with significant positive cooperativity, which results from protein-protein interactions. Cooperative interactions are accompanied by the net ion release, with anions participating in the ion-exchange process. The significance of these results for ASFV pol X activity in the recognition of damaged DNA is discussed. PMID- 17765922 TI - Increasing protein conformational stability by optimizing beta-turn sequence. AB - Protein conformational stability is an important concern in many fields. Here, we describe a strategy for significantly increasing conformational stability by optimizing beta-turn sequence. Proline and glycine residues are statistically preferred at several beta-turn positions, presumably because their unique side chains contribute favorably to conformational stability in certain beta-turn positions. However, beta-turn sequences often deviate from preferred proline or preferred glycine. Therefore, our strategy involves replacing non-proline and non glycine beta-turn residues with preferred proline or preferred glycine residues. Here, we develop guidelines for selecting appropriate mutations, and present results for five mutations (S31P, S42G, S48P, T76P, and Q77G) that significantly increase the conformational stability of RNase Sa. The increases in stability ranged from 0.7 kcal/mol to 1.3 kcal/mol. The strategy was successful in overlapping or isolated beta-turns, at buried (up to 50%) or completely exposed sites, and at relatively flexible or inflexible sites. Considering the significant number of beta-turn residues in every globular protein and the frequent deviation of beta-turn sequences from preferred proline and preferred glycine residues, this simple, efficient strategy will be useful for increasing the conformational stability of proteins. PMID- 17765923 TI - RPA mediates recombination repair during replication stress and is displaced from DNA by checkpoint signalling in human cells. AB - The replication protein A (RPA) is involved in most, if not all, nuclear metabolism involving single-stranded DNA. Here, we show that RPA is involved in genome maintenance at stalled replication forks by the homologous recombination repair system in humans. Depletion of the RPA protein inhibited the formation of RAD51 nuclear foci after hydroxyurea-induced replication stalling leading to persistent unrepaired DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). We demonstrate a direct role of RPA in homology directed recombination repair. We find that RPA is dispensable for checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) activation and that RPA directly binds RAD52 upon replication stress, suggesting a direct role in recombination repair. In addition we show that inhibition of Chk1 with UCN-01 decreases dissociation of RPA from the chromatin and inhibits association of RAD51 and RAD52 with DNA. Altogether, our data suggest a direct role of RPA in homologous recombination in assembly of the RAD51 and RAD52 proteins. Furthermore, our data suggest that replacement of RPA with the RAD51 and RAD52 proteins is affected by checkpoint signalling. PMID- 17765925 TI - Nerve and conduction tissue injury caused by contact with BioGlue. AB - BACKGROUND: BioGlue-a surgical adhesive composed of bovine albumin and glutaraldehyde-is commonly used in cardiovascular operations. The objectives of this study were to determine whether BioGlue injures nerves and cardiac conduction tissues, and whether a water-soluble gel barrier protects against such injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 18 pigs, diaphragmatic excursion during direct phrenic nerve stimulation was measured at baseline and at 3 and 30 min after nerve exposure to albumin (n = 3), glutaraldehyde (n = 3), BioGlue (n = 6), or water-soluble gel followed by BioGlue (n = 6). Additionally, BioGlue was applied to the cavoatrial junction overlying the sinoatrial node (SAN), either alone (n = 12) or after application of gel (n = 6). RESULTS: Mean diaphragmatic excursions in the BioGlue and glutaraldehyde groups were lower at 3 min and 30 min than in the albumin group (P < 0.05). Mean excursions in the gel group were similar to those of the albumin group (P = 0.9). Five BioGlue pigs (83%) and one gel pig (17%) had diaphragmatic paralysis by 30 min (P < 0.05 and P = 0.3 versus albumin, respectively). Coagulation necrosis extended into the myocardium at the cavoatrial junction in all 12 BioGlue pigs but only two gel pigs (33%, P < 0.01). Two BioGlue pigs (17%), but no gel pigs, had focal SAN degeneration and persistent bradycardia (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: BioGlue causes acute nerve injury and myocardial necrosis that can lead to SAN damage. A water-soluble gel barrier is protective. PMID- 17765926 TI - Functional characterization of a novel mutation in TITF-1 in a patient with benign hereditary chorea. AB - Benign hereditary chorea (BHC) is an autosomal dominant disorder of early onset characterised by non progressive choreic movements with normal cognitive function occasionally associated with hypothyroidism and respiratory problems. Numerous pieces of evidence link BHC with TITF-1/NKX2.1 gene mutations. We studied a patient with a familial benign hereditary chorea and normal thyroid and respiratory function. Sequence analysis of TITF-1 revealed the presence of a heterozygous C>T substitution at nucleotide 532, predicted to change an arginine (CGA) with a stop codon (TGA) at position 178 (R178X). A functional analysis shows that the mutated TTF-1 is not binding DNA, nor activating the canonical thyroid target gene promoter or interfering with the ability of wild type TTF-1 to activate transcription. In addition, the mutated protein is predominantly cytoplasmic, rather than nuclear as in the case of the wild type TTF-1. Thus, we have identified a new mutation in the TTF-1 coding gene in a patient with benign hereditary chorea. The results show that the mutation leads to a haploinsufficiency of TITF-1 and opens the question of genotype/phenotype correlation. PMID- 17765927 TI - Withdrawal of penicillamine from zinc sulphate-penicillamine maintenance therapy in Wilson's disease: promising, safe and cheap. AB - BACKGROUND: Penicillamine, once considered the cornerstone of treatment for Wilson disease (WD), is rather expensive and toxic, and often causes neurological worsening. Zinc sulphate, aiming at the treatment of free-copper toxicosis, has emerged as effective, safe and cheap alternative. AIM: To assess the effect of withdrawal of penicillamine from maintenance treatment with penicillamine and zinc sulphate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 45 patients of WD (M:F: 28:17; age at diagnosis: 13.5+/-63 years), on both penicillamine (P) and zinc sulphate (Zn), couldn't continue penicillamine due to financial constraints. Their clinical data, disability and impairment scores (Schwab and England (S&E) score, Neurological Symptom Score (NSS), and Chu staging) and follow-up data of patients maintained only on zinc sulphate were recorded. RESULTS: Majority of patients (84.4%) had neuropsychiatric manifestations. The mean duration of treatment with penicillamine (P) and zinc sulphate (P+Zn), before stopping penicillamine, was 107.4+/-67.3 months. 40 patients improved variably, while the rest didn't. They received only zinc sulphate for 27.2+/-8.5 months (range: 12 to 34) and 44 patients (97.7%) remained status quo or improved marginally. Only one patient reported worsening in dysarthria. Their disability and impairment scores during combination (penicillamine and zinc sulphate) and Zn alone were: Chu (1.3+/-0.5 vs. 1.5+/-1.9; p=0.4), NSS (1.8+/-3.1 vs. 1.5+/-2.3; p=0.03) and S&E (96.4+/-5.6 vs. 98.6+/-3.5; p=0.03). There were no adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Withdrawal of penicillamine from zinc sulphate/penicillamine maintenance therapy for patients with Wilson's disease was effective, safe and economic, for almost all patients. This retrospective study reiterates that zinc sulphate may be used as a preferred mode of treatment for patients with Wilson's disease. PMID- 17765924 TI - Communication between RNA folding domains revealed by folding of circularly permuted ribozymes. AB - To study the role of sequence and topology in RNA folding, we determined the kinetic folding pathways of two circularly permuted variants of the Tetrahymena group I ribozyme, using time-resolved hydroxyl radical footprinting. Circular permutation changes the distance between interacting residues in the primary sequence, without changing the native structure of the RNA. In the natural ribozyme, tertiary interactions in the P4-P6 domain form in 1 s, while interactions in the P3-P9 form in 1-3 min at 42 degrees C. Permutation of the 5' end to G111 in the P4 helix allowed the stable P4-P6 domain to fold in 200 ms at 30 degrees C, five times faster than in the wild-type RNA, while the other domains folded five times more slowly (5-8 min). By contrast, circular permutation of the 5' end to G303 in J8/7 decreased the folding rate of the P4-P6 domain. In this permuted RNA, regions joining P2, P3 and P4 were protected in 500 ms, while the P3-P9 domain was 60-80% folded within 30 s. RNase T(1) digestion and FMN photocleavage showed that circular permutation of the RNA sequence alters the initial ensemble of secondary structures, thereby changing the tertiary folding pathways. Our results show that the natural 5'-to-3' order of the structural domains in group I ribozymes optimizes structural communication between tertiary domains and promotes self-assembly of the catalytic center. PMID- 17765928 TI - Catalase alleviates cardiomyocyte dysfunction in diabetes: role of Akt, Forkhead transcriptional factor and silent information regulator 2. AB - Oxidative stress has been speculated to play an essential role in diabetic cardiomyopathy. This study was designed to examine the effect of the antioxidant catalase on diabetes-induced cardiomyocyte dysfunction and the cellular mechanisms involved. Adult wild-type (FVB) and transgenic mice with cardiac specific overexpression of catalase were made diabetic by a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 220 mg/kg; i.p., maintained for two weeks). Cardiomyocyte contractile properties were evaluated including peak shortening (PS), time-to-PS (TPS), time-to-relengthening (TR(90)), maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening (+/-dL/dt), intracellular Ca(2+) level and decay rate. STZ depressed -dL/dt, prolonged TPS and TR(90), elevated resting intracellular Ca(2+) level and reduced intracellular Ca(2+) decay in FVB myocytes. While catalase exhibited little effect on contractile and intracellular Ca(2+) properties in control myocytes, it negated diabetes-induced cardiomyocyte mechanical abnormalities. Diabetic myocytes exhibited enhanced levels of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis, which were alleviated by catalase. Western blot analysis revealed that diabetes reduced Akt phosphorylation, enhanced the silent information regulator 2 (Sirt2), and upregulated Forkhead transcriptional factor Foxo3a as well as glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) and pGSK-3beta. While catalase itself exhibited little effect on these proteins or their phosphorylation (with the exception of Sirt2), it significantly attenuated diabetes-induced alteration in pAkt, Foxo3a and Sirt2 without affecting GSK 3beta. Inhibition of Sirt2 using splitomicin impaired cardiomyocyte contractile function (reduced PS, +/-dL/dt, prolonged TPS and TR(90)). In summary, our data suggest potential roles of Akt, Foxo3a and Sirt2 in the onset of diabetic cardiomyopathy and the therapeutic potential of catalase. PMID- 17765929 TI - Quantification of PPAR-gamma protein in monocyte/macrophages from healthy smokers and non-smokers: a possible direct effect of nicotine. AB - Previous observations demonstrated that Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), a key regulator of adipocyte differentiation, is expressed in a large variety of cells, including cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. This study was aimed to quantify both the constitutive and ligand induced PPAR-gamma expression in monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) isolated from healthy smokers and non-smokers, and to evaluate the possible direct effect of nicotine. PPAR-gamma protein was detected by Western blot and quantification was performed by calculating the ratio between PPAR-gamma and beta actin protein expression. Cytokine release was measured with enzyme-linked immunoassay kits. Constitutive PPAR-gamma protein was detected in human monocytes and its expression was up-regulated along with differentiation to MDM. The endogenous ligand 15-deoxy-delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2) and the synthetic agonist ciglitazone enhanced PPAR-gamma expression, the former being effective also at low micromolar concentrations. Both agonists significantly inhibited the basal secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-alpha, IL-6), ciglitazone being more potent. Monocytes and MDM from healthy smokers presented a significantly enhanced (4-fold and 2.5-fold, respectively) constitutive PPAR gamma expression, as compared to those from healthy non-smokers. However, ligand induced PPAR-gamma expression and inhibition of cytokine secretion were similar in healthy smokers and non-smokers. Nicotine dose-dependently enhanced PPAR-gamma expression with a maximum at 10 muM, and inhibited release of pro-inflammatory cytokines; these effects were reversed by alpha-bungarotoxin. Nicotine and PPAR gamma agonists did not exert synergistic effects. In conclusion, monocytes and MDM from healthy smokers present a constitutively enhanced PPAR-gamma expression; this effect is reproduced, to some extent, by nicotine in vitro. PMID- 17765930 TI - Receptor mediation of exaggerated responses to serotonin-enhancing drugs in serotonin transporter (SERT)-deficient mice. AB - Administration of serotonin-enhancing drugs induces a distinctive behavioral syndrome in rodents. We previously reported that mice with a targeted disruption of the serotonin transporter (SERT) display some of these behaviors spontaneously, in the absence of drug. In the current studies, we assessed the drug-induced serotonin syndrome in SERT wildtype (+/+), heterozygous (+/-) and knockout (-/-) mice. In SERT -/- mice, the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) tranylcypromine (1mg/kg) or the serotonin precursor 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5 HTP; 80 mg/kg) led to markedly exaggerated serotonin syndrome behaviors relative to SERT +/+ mice, with an intermediate phenotype in SERT +/- mice. SERT +/+ mice developed significant serotonin syndrome behaviors only with the combination of the MAO-A/B inhibitor tranylcypromine (0.5 or 1 mg/kg) or the MAO-A-selective inhibitor clorgyline (1.2 mg/kg) plus 5-HTP. In evaluations of underlying mechanisms, pretreatment with the Htr1a receptor antagonist WAY 100635 (1 mg/kg), but not the Htr7 antagonist SB 269970 (3 mg/kg) or the Htr2a antagonist MDL 11,939 (5 mg/kg), markedly decreased the exaggerated 5-HTP-induced behaviors in SERT -/- mice. Subsequent experiments showed that the Htr1a agonist 8-OH-DPAT (1 or 2 mg/kg) elicited serotonin syndrome behaviors in a dose-dependent manner, blocked by WAY 100635 (1 mg/kg), in mice of all three genotypes, confirming the role of Htr1a receptors. The current data document markedly enhanced behavioral sensitivity to serotonin-enhancing drugs in SERT-deficient mice. These studies also show that the exaggerated behavioral responses observed in SERT +/- and -/- mice are mediated by postsynaptic Htr1a receptors, and suggest intact postsynaptic Htr1a function in SERT -/- mice. PMID- 17765931 TI - A spinal muscarinic M2 receptor-GABAergic disinhibition pathway that modulates peripheral inflammation in mice. AB - Previous data from our laboratories using the mouse air pouch model demonstrated that intrathecal injection of the cholinomimetic drug, neostigmine, produces a significant peripheral anti-inflammatory effect through activation of spinal muscarinic type 2 receptors. This anti-inflammatory effect is mediated by activation of sympathetic preganglionic neurons and subsequent release of adrenomedullary catecholamines. It has been established that adrenomedullary catecholamine release is controlled by sympathetic preganglionic neurons and that these neurons are modulated by GABAergic inhibitory input. To further establish the neurochemical circuitry underlying spinally mediated anti-inflammation, the present study examined whether spinal muscarinic type 2 receptors are associated with this spinal GABAergic pathway. Intrathecal injection of the M(2) receptor agonist, arecaidine but-2-ynyl ester tosylate (ABET) dose-dependently suppressed zymosan-induced leukocyte migration into the air pouch and increased Fos (neuronal activation marker) expression in sympathetic preganglionic neurons of the T7-T11 spinal cord segments (which mainly project to the adrenal medulla), but not in sympathetic preganglionic neurons of the T1-T6 or T12-L2 segments. These effects of arecaidine but-2-ynyl ester tosylate were completely blocked by intrathecal pretreatment with baclofen (a GABA(B)R agonist) but not muscimol (a GABA(A)R agonist). Intrathecal saclofen (a GABA(B)R antagonist), but not bicuculline (a GABA(A)R antagonist), significantly reduced leukocyte migration and increased Fos expression in T7-T11 sympathetic preganglionic neurons. More importantly, this intrathecal saclofen-induced anti-inflammatory effect was completely blocked by adrenalectomy or systemic pretreatment with propranonol (a beta-adrenoceptor antagonist). Collectively, these novel findings suggest that activation of spinal muscarinic type 2 receptors suppress spinal GABA(B) receptor input and that this disinhibition mechanism ultimately leads to the release of adrenal catecholamines and a subsequent reduction in peripheral inflammation. PMID- 17765932 TI - Is Alzheimer's disease a disconnection syndrome? Evidence from a crossmodal audio visual illusory experiment. AB - In Alzheimer's disease (AD), loss of connectivity in the patient's brain has been evidenced by a range of electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies. However, few neuropsychological research projects have sought to interpret the cognitive modifications following the appearance of AD in terms of a disconnection syndrome. In this paper, we sought to investigate brain connectivity in AD via the study of a crossmodal effect. More precisely, we examined the integration of auditory and visual speech information (the McGurk effect) in AD patients and matched control subjects. Our results revealed impaired crossmodal integration during speech perception in AD, which was not associated with disturbances in the separate processing of auditory and visual speech stimuli. In conclusion, our data suggest the occurrence of a specific, audio-visual integration deficit in AD, which might be the consequence of a connectivity breakdown and corroborate the observation from other studies of crossmodal deficits between the auditory and visual modalities in this population. PMID- 17765933 TI - Opposing influences of emotional and non-emotional distracters upon sustained prefrontal cortex activity during a delayed-response working memory task. AB - Performance in delayed-response working memory (WM) tasks is typically associated with sustained activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) that spans the delay between the memoranda and the memory probe. Recent studies have demonstrated that novel distracters presented during the delay interval both affect sustained activation and impair WM performance. However, the effect of the performance-impairing distracters upon sustained dlPFC delay activity was related to the characteristics of the distracters: memoranda-confusable distracters increased delay activity, whereas memoranda-nonconfusable emotional distracters decreased delay activity. Because these different effects were observed in different studies, it is possible that different dlPFC regions were involved and the paradox is more apparent than real. To investigate this possibility, event related fMRI data were recorded while subjects performed a WM task for faces with memoranda-confusable (novel faces) and memoranda-nonconfusable emotional (novel scenes) distracters presented during the delay interval. Consistent with previous findings, confusable face distracters increased dlPFC delay activity, while nonconfusable emotional distracters decreased dlPFC delay activity, and these opposing effects modulated activity in the same dlPFC regions. These results provide direct evidence that specific regions of the dlPFC are generally involved in mediating the effects of distraction, while showing sensitivity to the nature of distraction. These findings are relevant for understanding alterations in the neural mechanisms associated with both general impairment of cognitive control and with specific impairment in the ability to control emotional distraction, such as those observed in aging and affective disorders, respectively. PMID- 17765934 TI - Vulnerability to freshman weight gain as a function of dietary restraint and residence. AB - Although many studies have found that students gain weight during their first year at college, many others have not. Participants in the present study were classified according to their scores on the Herman/Polivy Restraint Scale and their place of residence-at home or on campus. Body weight was assessed early in the academic year and five months later. At the same sessions participants completed a questionnaire pertaining to their eating habits prior to beginning college (first session) and since coming to college (second session). Overall weight gain was 1.5 kg; those most likely to gain weight were restrained eaters living on campus, who gained an average of 4.1 kg. In addition, changes in eating habits were a significant independent predictor of weight gain. PMID- 17765935 TI - LC-MS and GC-MS metabolite profiling of nickel(II) complexes in the latex of the nickel-hyperaccumulating tree Sebertia acuminata and identification of methylated aldaric acid as a new nickel(II) ligand. AB - Targeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technology using size exclusion chromatography and metabolite profiling based on gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to study the nickel-rich latex of the hyperaccumulating tree Sebertia acuminata. More than 120 compounds were detected, 57 of these were subsequently identified. A methylated aldaric acid (2,4,5 trihydroxy-3-methoxy-1,6-hexan-dioic acid) was identified for the first time in biological extracts and its structure was confirmed by 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. After citric acid, it appears to be one of the most abundant small organic molecules present in the latex studied. Nickel(II) complexes of stoichiometry NiII:acid=1:2 were detected for these two acids as well as for malic, itaconic, erythronic, galacturonic, tartaric, aconitic and saccharic acids. These results provide further evidence that organic acids may play an important role in the transport and possibly in the storage of metal ions in hyperaccumulating plants. PMID- 17765936 TI - The evolution of chemosystematics. AB - Chemosystematics has been used to distinguish plants and other organisms that are useful for food and those best avoided. Originally unwritten, this knowledge has been progressively formalized with useful, harmful and inactive chemical constituents from relevant taxa now identified and recorded. This knowledge has led to insights into taxonomy of these plants, animals and micro-organisms. Advances in analytical instrumentation, in particular chromatography, followed by electronic detection methods, have speeded these studies, culminating in metabolic profiling, ("metabolomics"). The huge array of chemical constituents isolated from plants combined with morphological and cytological data take their place as part of the overall Natural History of the organism in its environment. The study of, DNA (genomics) and to a certain extent m-RNA (transcriptomics) and proteins (proteomics), has led to the immense subject of molecular biology which relates the phenotype of a taxon to its genome. This type of chemosystematics on its own does not of course describe the small molecules in plants, often called, perhaps misguidedly, "secondary compounds", or how they relate to each other, to the plant containing them or to the environment. Economic uses flow from this knowledge, such as the topic of non-protein amino acids and amines, which from 1958 to the present has produced information from the chemotaxonomic to the severely practical. Literature on the subject from 1909 to the present charts developments in the discovery of new compounds and their use in systematics. Often a mere catalogue, a list of plant constituents is nevertheless part of the overall description of a plant. PMID- 17765937 TI - Critical appraisal for public health: a new checklist. AB - OBJECTIVES: There have been a number of attempts to develop critical appraisal tools, but few have had a public health focus. This paper describes a new checklist with public health aspects. STUDY DESIGN: Review of previous appraisal instruments and pilot test of new checklist. METHODS: Criteria of particular reference to public health practice were added to well-established appraisal criteria. The checklist was piloted with 21 public health professionals, research staff or postgraduate students. RESULTS: The checklist is organized using the 'ask', 'collect', 'understand' and 'use' categories of the Population Health Evidence Cycle. Readers are asked to assess validity, completeness and transferability of the data as they relate to: the study question; key aspects of the methodology; possible public health implications of the key results; and the implications for implementation in their own public health practice. Of the 21 public health professionals that piloted the checklist, 20 said that they found the checklist useful and 18 would use it or recommend it in the future. Participants were prepared to commit to the majority of the questions, and there was good agreement with a consensus of 'correct' answers. CONCLUSIONS: The public health critical appraisal checklist adds public health aspects that were missing from previous critical appraisal tools. PMID- 17765938 TI - Pharmacokinetic parameters of ceftriaxone after single intravenous and intramuscular administration in camels (Camelus Dromedarius). AB - The purpose of this study was to investigate the plasma disposition kinetics of ceftriaxone in female camels (n=5) following a single intravenous (i.v.) bolus or intramuscular (i.m.) injections at a dosage of 10mg kg(-1) body weight in all animals. A crossover design was carried out in two phases separated by 15 days. Jugular blood samples were collected serially for 48h and the plasma was analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Following single i.v. injections the plasma concentration time curves of ceftriaxone were best fitted to a two-compartment model. The drug was rapidly distributed with half-life of distribution t(1/2alpha) of 0.24+/-0.01h and moderately eliminated with elimination rate constant and elimination half-life of 0.27+/-0.13h(-1) and 2.57+/-0.52h, respectively. The volume of distribution at steady state (V(dss)) was 0.32+/-0.01lkg(-1) and the total body clearance (Cl(tot)) was 0.11+/-0.01lkg( 1)h(-1), respectively. Following i.m. administration, the mean T(max), C(max), t(1/2el) and AUC values for plasma data were 1.03+/-0.23h, 21.54+/-2.61microg ml( 1), 1.76+/-0.03h and 85.82+/-11.21microg ml(-1)h(-1), respectively. The i.m. bioavailability was 93.42+/-21.4% and the binding percentage of ceftriaxone to plasma protein was moderate, ranging from 33% to 42% with an average of 34.5%. PMID- 17765939 TI - Fumaric and sorbic acid as additives in broiler feed. AB - The aim of the experiment was to study the effect of dietary organic acids, fumaric and sorbic, on nitrogen corrected apparent metabolisable energy (AME(N)), metabolisability of nutrients, endogenous losses and performance on young broiler chickens. A total of 56 male Ross broilers were used in a growing experiment from 14 to 30d age. Seven experimental wheat-based (655g/kg) diets were formulated. The control diet did not contain organic acids. The other six diets were produced with the addition of fumaric or sorbic acids, replacing 0.5% , 1.0% or 1.5% of the wheat. The organic acid supplemented diets contained higher levels of AME(N) compared to the control diet. Overall, birds offered organic acids had lower feed intake. Dietary organic acids did not significantly affect weight gain or feed efficiency, however, birds offered supplemented diets had lower numbers of Lactic acid bacteria and Coliforms in the ileum and caeca. Birds offered organic acids had lower levels of endogenous losses compared to control fed birds. There was a negative relationship between AME(N) of the diets and excreted endogenous losses, measured as sialic acid. It can be concluded that the decrease in secretions from the gastrointestinal tract in the presence of fumaric and sorbic acids may be a mechanism involved in the mode of action of dietary organic acids. PMID- 17765941 TI - Progesterone metabolism in bovine endometrial cells and the effect of metabolites on the responsiveness of the cells to OT-stimulation of PGF2alpha. AB - Oxytocin receptor (OTR) expression is suppressed by progesterone (P4) during the luteal phase of the estrous cycle and then it increases at the time of luteolysis, but its regulation is still not completely understood. The objective of this work was to characterize P4 metabolism by endometrial cells in vitro and determine if metabolites were able to modify prostaglandin secretion in response to oxytocin (OT). Endometrial epithelial and stromal cells were incubated with 3H P4 or 3H-pregnenolone (P5) for 6 or 24 h. Metabolites in the medium were separated by HPLC. The results showed that P4 and P5 were converted to two major polar metabolites and a less polar metabolite that was identified as 5alpha- or 5beta-pregnanedione by LC/MS. Progesterone metabolism was similar in both stromal and epithelial cells. To determine if 5alpha- or 5beta-pregnanedione were able to modify PGF(2)alpha synthesis, cells were cultured with P4, 5alpha- or 5beta pregnanedione (100 ng ml(-1)) for 48 h and then each group of cells was incubated for a further 4-6 h with or without OT (200 ng ml(-1)). Results showed that only P4 caused significant (P<0.001) increase in basal, but not OT-stimulated, PGF(2)alpha synthesis. OT binding assays showed no significant effect of progesterone or its metabolites on OTR concentration. In conclusion, bovine endometrial cells are able to metabolize pregnenolone and progesterone but neither 5alpha- nor 5beta-pregnanedione altered prostaglandin synthesis or OTR number in endometrial epithelial cells. These data suggest that 5-pregnanediones do not play a role in the regulation OT-stimulated PGF(2)alpha secretion during the bovine estrous cycle. PMID- 17765943 TI - Up-regulation of hepatitis C virus replication by human T cell leukemia virus type I-encoded Tax protein. AB - Co-infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with other blood-borne pathogens such as human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV) is common in highly endemic areas. Clinical evidence showing a correlation between HTLV-I co-infection and rapid progression of HCV-associated liver disease promoted us to investigate the effect of HTLV-I encoded Tax protein on HCV replication. Reporter assay showed that HCV replicon encoded luciferase expression was significantly augmented by co-transfection of the Tax-expressing plasmid. Further, HCV RNA replication in replicon cells was increased either by co-culture with cells stably expressing Tax protein (Huhtax) or by culture in the presence of Huhtax-conditioned medium, indicating that Tax could also modulate HCV replication of adjacent cells in a paracrine manner. Additionally, HCV replication in Huhtax exhibited a reduced responsiveness to interferon-alpha-induced antiviral activity. This study demonstrates the facilitation of HCV replication by Tax protein, which may partially account for severer clinical consequences of HCV-related disease in HCV/HTLV co-infected individuals. PMID- 17765940 TI - New insights into the metabolism of tamoxifen and its role in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. AB - The metabolism of tamoxifen is being redefined in the light of several important pharmacological observations. Recent studies have identified 4-hydroxy N desmethyltamoxifen (endoxifen) as an important metabolite of tamoxifen necessary for antitumor actions. The metabolite is formed through the enzymatic product of CYP2D6 which also interacts with specific selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used to prevent the hot flashes observed in up to 45% of patients taking tamoxifen. Additionally, the finding that enzyme variants of CYP2D6 do not promote the metabolism of tamoxifen to endoxifen means that significant numbers of women might not receive optimal benefit from tamoxifen treatment. Clearly these are particularly important issues not only for breast cancer treatment but also for selecting premenopausal women, at high risk for breast cancer, as candidates for chemoprevention using tamoxifen. PMID- 17765942 TI - Antigen stimulation induces HIV envelope gp120-specific CD4(+) T cells to secrete CCR5 ligands and suppress HIV infection. AB - CD4(+) T cells are critical for effective immune responses against HIV, but they are also the main cell type targeted by the virus. To investigate the key factors that could protect these cells from infection, we evaluated the capacity of HIV gp120-specific human CD4(+) T cells to produce chemokines that inhibit HIV and determined their contribution in suppressing infection in the cells. Antigen stimulation of the CD4(+) T cells elicited production of high amounts of CCR5 chemokines MIP-1alpha (CCL3), MIP-1beta (CCL4), and RANTES (CCL5). Production of these CCR5 ligands was more readily and reproducibly detected than that of IFN gamma or IL-2. Importantly, in association with secretion of the CCR5 ligands, antigen stimulation made these CD4(+) T cells more resistant to CCR5-tropic HIV 1. Conversely, in the absence of antigen stimulation, the cells were readily infected by the virus, and after infection, their capacity to produce MIP-1beta and IFN-gamma rapidly declined. Thus, vaccines that trigger HIV-specific CD4(+) T cells to elicit robust and rapid production of anti-viral chemokines would be advantageous. Such responses would protect virus-specific CD4(+) T cells from HIV infection and preserve their critical functions in mounting and maintaining long lasting immunity against the virus. PMID- 17765945 TI - Past and present vegetation ecology of Laetoli, Tanzania. AB - We are attempting to set up a new protocol for palaeoecological reconstruction in relation to the fossil hominin site Laetoli, Tanzania. This is based on the premise that habitat variability in the past was at least as great as at present; that this variability at the landscape level is a function of variations in geology, soils, and topography rather than climate; and that vegetation type at the landscape level can be reconstructed from these environmental variables. Measurable variation in climate in tropical Africa today occurs over distances of at least 100 km, so that ranges of habitat variation within the limited area of Laetoli today can be reconstructed in relation to soils and topography, and the effects of climate changes are then estimated in relation to these other factors. In order to document the modern vegetation, we have made voucher collections of plants in the Laetoli region, recorded distributions of plants by habitat, climate, soil, and topography, and mapped the vegetation distributions. Results show that areas of low relief have soils with impeded drainage and dense Acacia drepanolobium woodland, having low canopies when disturbed by human action, higher when not; shallow brown soils on volcanic lavas have four woodland associations, two dominated by Acacia species, two by Combretum-Albizia species; shallow volcanic soils to the east have a woodland association with Croton Dombeya-Albizia species; elevated land to the east on volcanic soils has two associations of montane-edge species, one with Croton-Celtis-Lepidotrichilia, and the other with Acacia lahai; the eastern highlands above 2,750 m have montane forest; seasonal water channels flowing from east to west have three Acacia riverine woodland associations; three deep valleys to the north of the area have dense riverine woodland with Celtis, Albizia, Euclea, Combretum, Acacia spp.; emergence of springs at Endulen feed a perennial stream with closed gallery forest with Ficus-Croton-Lepidotrichilia; and, finally, recent ash falls have produced immature alkaline soils with calcrete formation and short grass vegetation. All of these vegetation associations have been modified by human disturbance to greater or lesser degrees, and we have attempted to allow for this both by basing the associations on the least modified areas and by predicting how the associations, or parts of associations, have been altered by human action. Past land forms at Laetoli have been based on the geology and geomorphology of the area. Past vegetation patterns were estimated by superimposing present distributions of plant associations on equivalent landforms in the past, assuming similar climate to the present. This indicates the overall pattern of vegetation at Laetoli to have been a mosaic of low and tall deciduous woodlands and with riverine woodland and forest associations along water courses. Low woodlands would have been dominated by Acacia species, and tall woodlands by Combretum Albizia species, with increasing increments of montane species, such as Croton species, to the east of the area. Riverine woodlands would have been dominated by Acacia-Euclea species, with wetter associations (downriver or linked with spring activity) supporting gallery forest with Ficus, Celtis, and Croton species. These are all species associations common in the area today, and with landforms little changed in the past, and assuming similar climate, there is every reason to predict that they would have been present in the past. Moreover, Pliocene environments lack the human disturbance that has destroyed much of the present day vegetation. Presence of woodlands is supported by fossil wood attributed to several of the tree species present in the area today and by similarities in the mammalian community structure between past and present. Having established the pattern for Pliocene vegetation based on climatic variables existing today, we then predict the effects of past variations in climate. PMID- 17765944 TI - The effects of pH on fluoxetine in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes): acute toxicity in fish larvae and bioaccumulation in juvenile fish. AB - Recent detection of fluoxetine in the aquatic environment and fish suggests a possibly high accumulation of fluoxetine; however, no report is available on the bioaccumulation of fluoxetine in aquatic organisms. Since bioaccumulation of fluoxetine was probably dependent on pH near the pK(a) value of 10.1, experiments were conducted approximately at pH 7, 8, and 9. Distribution coefficients between 1-octanol and water (D(ow)), and those between synthetic membrane vesicles (liposomes) and water (D(lip-wat)) were determined at pH 7, 8, and 9. The D(ow) and D(lip-wat) values increased significantly with increasing pH. Acute toxicity tests were performed using Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) prior to the bioaccumulation test, and 96-h LC(50) values were 5.5, 1.3, and 0.20mgl(-1) at pH 7, 8, and 9, respectively. In the bioaccumulation test, concentrations of fluoxetine and its major metabolite, norfluoxetine, in the fish body and liver were measured. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) of fluoxetine for Japanese medaka were 8.8, 3.0x10, and 2.6x10(2) in the body and 3.3x10(2), 5.8x10(2), and 3.1x10(3) in the liver at pH 7, 8, and 9, respectively. The BCF values were lower at pH 7 and higher at pH 9 mainly because of the increase in nonionized species with significantly higher hydrophobicity than the ionized species at pH values closer to pK(a). A similar trend was obtained for the concentration of norfluoxetine in the fish but the pseudo-BCF values (the ratio of the norfluoxetine concentration in the fish and the fluoxetine concentration in test water) were higher than the BCF value of fluoxetine at all pH conditions. PMID- 17765946 TI - A modified technique for field measurements of dry deposition fluxes of polychlorinated biphenyls in tropical regions. AB - This report focused on the development of a technique to measure dry deposition fluxes of PCBs in tropical environments. Temperature resistant double-adhesive tape has been used as a new surrogate surface for collection of deposited PCBs. The new technique includes the measurement of field blanks for the entire sampling period. A sonication-assisted extraction procedure has been validated for the extraction of PCBs from the tape. The new technique has been used in the field for a period of 4 months in the tropical region of Singapore. The average dry deposition flux measured for total PCBs was 15.3 ng m(-2) day(-1) and, on a global scale, this can be considered to be low. PMID- 17765948 TI - Population health risk due to dietary intake of heavy metals in the industrial area of Huludao City, China. AB - For most people, diet is the main route of exposure to trace metals, so the assessment risks of these elements to human via dietary intake is important. The non-carcinogenic health risk of Hg, Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu to the adults and children via dietary intake in the industrial area of Huludao city, northeast of China was estimated. The industrial area of Huludao has been contaminated seriously by heavy metals due to heavy metals smelting. The target hazard quotients (THQs) and hazard index (HI) were calculated to evaluate the non-carcinogenic health risk from individual heavy metal and combined heavy metals due to dietary intake. Target hazard quotients for individual heavy metal from consuming individual foodstuff in the industrial area of Huludao were all less than one, indicating that health risk associated with the intake of a single heavy metal through consumption of only one kind of foodstuffs (e.g. vegetable) was the relative absent. However, consumption of the entire foodstuff would lead to potential health risks for children and adults, since hazard indexes (HIs) for heavy metals due dietary intake were higher than one. The relative contributions of Hg, Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu to the HIs were 1.7%, 11.7%, 24.0%, 23.4%, and 39.6% for adults, and 1.5%, 11.7%, 21.8%, 26.1%, and 38.8% for children. Cereal, sea product, and vegetable were the main sources of heavy metal intake from foodstuff for adults and children, but fruit, milk, bean, and egg were secondary contributors. PMID- 17765949 TI - Toxicity of four antifouling biocides and their mixtures on the brine shrimp Artemia salina. AB - Zinc pyrithione (ZPT), Copper pyrihione (CPT), Chlorothalonil and Diuron are four of the most widely used as alternative to tributlytin (TBT) antifouling biocides in boat paints. As most previous laboratory bioassays for these biocides have been conducted solely based on acute tests with a single compound, information on the possible combined toxicity of these common biocides to marine organisms are limited. In this study, the toxicity of binary (in several proportions), ternary and quaternary mixtures were evaluated using the brine shrimp Artemia salina as test organism. Mixture toxicities were studied using the concentration addition model (isobolograms and toxic unit summation), and the mixture toxicity index (MTI). The ZPT-CPT combination had a strictly synergistic effect which requires attention because the coexistence of ZPT and CPT in the marine environment, due to transchelation of ZPT, may occur. The binary mixtures of Diuron with the metal pyrithiones exhibited various interactive effects (synergistic, antagonistic or additive) depending on concentration ratios, whereas all binary mixtures that contained Chlorothalonil exhibited antagonistic effects. The different types of combined effects subsequent to proportion variation of binary mixtures underline the importance of the combined toxicity characterization for various ratios of concentrations. The four ternary mixtures tested, also exhibited various interactive effects, and the quaternary mixture exhibited synergism. The models applied were in agreement in most cases. The observed synergistic interactions underline the requirement to review water quality guidelines, which are likely underestimating the adverse combined effects of these chemicals. PMID- 17765951 TI - Orbital inflammatory disease. AB - OBJECTIVES: To familiarize rheumatologists and internists with the signs, symptoms, and management of orbital inflammatory disease (OID). METHODS: A comprehensive literature review related to OID was performed and reported from the perspectives of rheumatology, ophthalmology, and radiology. RESULTS: OID is a general term encompassing inflammatory diseases that affect some or all of the structures contained within the orbit external to the globe. Orbital involvement as a part of the initial symptom complex is not uncommon for systemic diseases such as Graves' disease, Wegener's granulomatosis, and sarcoidosis. The management of these and other causes of OID, such as idiopathic orbital inflammation (formerly known as "orbital pseudotumor"), orbital myositis, and Tolosa-Hunt syndrome frequently involves systemic immunosuppression. Before immunosuppression is considered, however, infectious and malignant causes of inflammation must be ruled out. DISCUSSION: Rheumatologists should be familiar with the differential diagnosis of OID and often need to assist colleagues in ophthalmology and internal medicine with the management of this group of diseases. PMID- 17765952 TI - Role of decompressive craniectomy in the management of severe head injury with refractory cerebral edema and intractable intracranial pressure. Our experience with 48 cases. AB - BACKGROUND: The effects of decompressive craniectomy in the treatment of severe head injury remain unclear. Only very few randomized studies relating to this topic exist in the literature, including a very small number of patients with no class I evidence. METHODS: We rretrospectively reviewed a series of 221 patients operated on for a head injury during a 25-month period. Of these, 48 patients underwent a decompressive craniectomy. All data available on patients' Glasgow Coma Scale score, pupil size and reaction, and intracranial pressure were collected and analyzed. The patients' outcome was evaluated by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) and the results compared with the data available in the Traumatic Coma Data Bank. Furthermore, the results were analyzed in respect of the time of surgical intervention (early or late), age, and the preoperative Glasgow Coma Score. RESULTS: Decompressive craniectomy reduced the midline shift in all patients with monolateral diffuse brain edema and contusions having a median value of 7 mm; in the remaining, it ameliorated the basal cisterns effacement. At a mean follow-up of 14 months, 6 (12.5%) patients died, 7 (15%) were discharged home with a GOS of 5, 18 (40%) showed a favorable outcome after rehabilitation with a GOS of 4 and 5, 6 (12.5%) had a severe disability (GOS 3), 9 (20%) were in a vegetative state (GOS 2), and 2 were lost to follow-up. The younger age, earlier surgery, and higher preoperative Glasgow Coma Scale score were related to better outcome (P < .001, P < .05, and P < .034, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our results seem to support the idea that decompressive craniectomy coupled with neurointensive care may be an effective way to reduce intractable raised intracranial pressure, and probably to improve patients outcome. However, it should be obvious that our results and those available in the literature can not be considered conclusive. PMID- 17765953 TI - Ancient schwannoma presenting as a thoracic mass. AB - BACKGROUND: Ancient schwannoma is a rare variant of schwannoma, histologically showing atypical features that may result in erroneous diagnosis of a malignant tumor. There are only few reported cases in literature. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a case of a 34-year-old man who was found to have giant mediastinal tumor. He underwent thoracotomy to remove the mass, which was proven to be ancient schwannoma on histopathology. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and radiological findings are important aids for further consideration of surgical removal of these potentially respectable tumors with good outcome. PMID- 17765954 TI - Concomitant cervical and lumbar intradural intramedullary lipoma. AB - BACKGROUND: Lipomas of the spinal cord are often a component of spinal dysraphic states. Nondysraphic intramedullary spinal cord lipomas are rare, and concomitant isolated cervical and lumbar intradural intramedullary lipomata are very rare. One patient with concomitant isolated nondysraphic cervical and lumbar spinal cord lipomata has been reported and management options discussed. CASE DESCRIPTION: A young girl presented with insidious-onset diffuse neck pain and early myelopathic signs. Conventional radiographs were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging of the whole neuraxis revealed concomitant cervical and lumbar intradural intramedullary lipoma. Subtotal resection of the lesion was performed at both levels, after which the patient improved symptomatically and was ambulant independently. CONCLUSION: Concomitant intradural lipomas at 2 different locations unassociated with a dysraphic state is very rare. Magnetic resonance imaging with fat suppression study is the investigation of choice. Adequate decompression with subtotal removal is the treatment of choice. PMID- 17765955 TI - Intradural cervical inflammatory pseudotumor mimicking epidural hematoma in a pregnant woman: case report and review of the literature. AB - BACKGROUND: Inflammatory pseudotumors usually affect the lung and the orbit. They occur extremely rarely in the spine. We encountered a case of intradural extramedullary IPT of the cervical spine in a pregnant woman that initially presented as an epidural hematoma in MRI. CASE DESCRIPTION: This is a case of a 30-year-old, HIV-negative, full-term pregnant lady presenting with 2-month history of progressive quadriparesis with rapid worsening of power in all 4 limbs for 3 days. Magnetic resonance imaging scanning revealed cervical extramedullary compressive lesion likely to be epidural bleed from its imaging characteristics. Intraoperatively, intradural extramedullary granulomatous lesion was found with dural thickening. Gross total excision was accomplished; histopathologic study assessed an IPT. The patient improved after surgery excision and is doing well at 6-month follow-up with remarkable neurological recovery. CONCLUSION: Cervical intradural IPT is a very rare issue in the spine. Diagnosis can be confused with a neoplastic lesion like an "en plaque meningioma" or as epidural bleed like in the present case. PMID- 17765957 TI - Brainstem astroblastoma: a case report and review of the literature. AB - BACKGROUND: Astroblastoma is a rare glial tumor that occurs mainly in the cerebral hemispheres of young adults. Our purpose in writing this article is to report one case of astroblastoma located within the medulla and review the literature on this infrequent tumor. METHODS: One case of astroblastoma was retrospectively reviewed. Presenting complaints, radiographic images, operative procedure, and histopathologic findings were recorded. RESULTS: Contrast-enhanced MRI scan revealed a well-defined, well-circumscribed, contrast-enhanced cystic lesion approximately 16 mm in diameter within the medulla oblongata. Light microscopy demonstrated a papillary neoplasm composed of mildly pleomorphic cells with indistinct cytoplasmic borders. The nuclei were generally round to oval in shape. Occasional rosettes of tumor cells were seen around blood vessels. Mitoses were not seen within the submitted specimen. One small area of necrosis was present. The tumor exhibited thickened but not hyalinized blood vessel walls. The tumor cells exhibited strong staining for EMA and vimentin throughout the tissue section. Neurofilament, CAM 5.2, and CK immunostains were negative, except for rare positive staining of CK between cells and within rare tumor cells. Ki-67 was positive in small numbers of tumor nuclei, with an overall reactivity of 7%. By electron microscopy, the tumor nuclei had irregularly round to oval nuclei with moderate clumping of the chromatin, especially at the nuclear margins. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of the radiologic and histopathologic characteristics of this tumor is necessary for making the diagnosis of astroblastoma. This article serves to summarize these characteristics as well as to report of an unusual location for this mainly hemispheric tumor. PMID- 17765958 TI - Are the destructive neurosurgical techniques as effective as microvascular decompression in the management of trigeminal neuralgia? AB - BACKGROUND: There are no randomized controlled trials comparing TC, PTGC, and MVD for idiopathic TN at a single institution using quality criteria. The aim of the study was to assess the long-term outcome (efficiency and morbidity) of treated patients with one of these techniques in the same institution. METHODS: The authors present a retrospective study of 165 consecutive patients from 1983 to 2004. The inclusion criteria were drug-resistant idiopathic TN and intolerance to medical treatment. Three groups were set up according to the techniques used: group I (n = 73), treated by TC; group II (n = 41), treated by PTGC; group III (n = 51), treated by MVD. The main judgment criterion was pain relief. The second judgment criterion was morbidity. chi(2) or Fisher exact test, Kaplan-Meier, and log-rank were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The 3 groups were homogeneous according to age, duration of evolution, and pain topography. Concerning sex, groups I and II were different (women, 58%; vs. 37%; P = .021). The immediate efficiency for the 3 groups was, respectively, 96%, 94%, and 95% (NS). At 6 years follow-up, 70%, 77%, and 72% of the patients, respectively, remained pain-free (NS). As determined by the Kaplan-Meier survival curve, there was no difference between the 3 groups (log-rank, P = .867). Hypoesthesia was more frequent for PTGC (89%). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, we did not find MVD to be more effective than the other techniques. However, it had the lowest long-term complication rate, which is a strong argument in choosing this technique as the initial procedure for young and healthy patients. Percutaneous techniques, however, are still recommended in specific circumstances. PMID- 17765959 TI - Radiation-enhanced hepatocyte growth factor secretion in malignant glioma cell lines. AB - BACKGROUND: Postoperative radiotherapy is the standard treatment for patients with a malignant glioma. However, a malignant glioma is radioresistant and almost always recurs, even after a high dose of radiation. A malignant glioma is characterized by its proliferation, invasion and neoangiogenesis, which can be attributed to the high levels of HGF. The scope of this study is to investigate HGF secretion by malignant glioma cells with different radiosensitivity after irradiation. METHODS: Three human malignant glioma cell lines (U251, U251-NG2, and BT325) were irradiated with single doses of 0, 5, 10, and 20 grays of gamma rays from a (137)Cs source. Hepatocyte growth factor levels in medium were measured by ELISA at 24, 48, and 72 hours after radiation. Cell survival was measured by the proliferation-based assay (XTT assay) 7 days after irradiation. RESULTS: After a single dose radiation, the HGF levels showed a dose-dependent increase in U251, U251-NG2, and BT325 glioma cells. Both baseline and radiation enhanced HGF levels were about 10-fold higher in BT325 compared to U251 and U251 NG2 cells. In addition, in the XTT assay, the BT325 was more radioresistant than both U251 and U251-NG2 cell lines (dose modifying factor = 1.5 and 1.6, respectively). CONCLUSION: Irradiation-enhanced HGF secretion in all 3 tested glioma cell lines (up to 7 times basal levels). It is tempting to associate the radiation-enhanced HGF secretion with an increased angiogenic potential of the tumor, which may be a factor in radioresistance. PMID- 17765960 TI - Monozygotic co-twin analyses of body composition measurements and serum lipids. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate BMI and direct measures of body fat (BF) and lean body mass (LBM) in relation to fasting serum lipid profiles in a large Chinese population based twin sample using a monozygotic (MZ) co-twin analysis. METHODS: Adiposity measures collected 1998-2000 on 987 MZ female 20-60 year old twin pairs (n=1974) included BMI, waist circumference (WC), waist/hip ratio (WHR), LBM, trunk fat (TF), %TF, total BF, and % total BF (measured by DEXA). Serum lipids included total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), LDL, and HDL. Co-twin analyses and conventional regression analyses were used to assess the association between individual adiposity and LBM measures, and serum lipids. RESULTS: In this lean population with a mean BMI 21.8 (2.8), we observed considerable variability in adiposity measures and serum lipids. A positive linear association between all adiposity measures with LDL, TC, and TG, and a negative linear association with HDL was observed. A 1-unit z-score increase of adiposity measures, reflecting fat distribution, was associated with increases in (mmol/L) TC (0.063 to 0.164), LDL (0.064 to 0.131), TG (0.049 to 0.164), and a decrease in HDL (0.021 to 0.038) while controlling for matched factors within twin pairs (i.e., age and unmeasured confounders). However, similar associations were not observed for LBM. CONCLUSION: It is the BF (not LBM) that appears to be associated with serum lipid profiles. This study underscores that in populations where BMI is highly correlated with BF, BMI can be used as a surrogate for BF in evaluating risk of dyslipidemia. Otherwise, direct measures of BF are needed. PMID- 17765961 TI - alpha-Tocopherol modifies tyrosine phosphorylation and capacitation-like state of cryopreserved porcine sperm. AB - Sperm cryopreservation is associated with the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to membrane destabilization, which induces capacitation like changes, increases protein tyrosine phosphorylation, and decreases their fertilizing ability. alpha-Tocopherol, a lipid peroxidation inhibitor, preserves the functionality of cryopreserved porcine sperm. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of alpha-tocopherol on sperm quality parameters as well as capacitation like changes and modifications in protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Boar sperm frozen with or without 200 microg/mL of alpha-tocopherol were thawed and maintained at 37 degrees C for 10 min in BTS. Routine parameters of semen quality were evaluated by optical microscopy and membrane changes were determined by the epifluorescence chlortetracycline technique. Changes in protein tyrosine phosphorylation were examined using a specific anti-phosphotyrosine monoclonal antibody. Motility was higher (18%, P<0.05) in semen with alpha-tocopherol. Viability did not differ (P>0.05) between treatments. However, there was less (P<0.05) capacitation-like changes in semen with alpha-tocopherol compared to control samples. A MW 32 kDa tyrosine-phosphorylated protein was detected in extracts of cryopreserved sperm; the intensity of immunostaining was lower in semen containing alpha-tocopherol compared to the control (0.211+/-0.030 versus 0.441+/-0.034 arbitrary units). Additionally, this band was not detected in fresh sperm. The addition of alpha-tocopherol to the extender prior to cryopreservation of boar semen protected sperm membranes against oxidative damage and reduced both tyrosine phosphorylation and the capacitation-like state. PMID- 17765962 TI - Vascular outcome in type 2 diabetes: an ADVANCE? PMID- 17765963 TI - Effects of a fixed combination of perindopril and indapamide on macrovascular and microvascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (the ADVANCE trial): a randomised controlled trial. AB - BACKGROUND: Blood pressure is an important determinant of the risks of macrovascular and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes, and guidelines recommend intensive lowering of blood pressure for diabetic patients with hypertension. We assessed the effects of the routine administration of an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor-diuretic combination on serious vascular events in patients with diabetes, irrespective of initial blood pressure levels or the use of other blood pressure lowering drugs. METHODS: The trial was done by 215 collaborating centres in 20 countries. After a 6-week active run-in period, 11 140 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomised to treatment with a fixed combination of perindopril and indapamide or matching placebo, in addition to current therapy. The primary endpoints were composites of major macrovascular and microvascular events, defined as death from cardiovascular disease, non-fatal stroke or non-fatal myocardial infarction, and new or worsening renal or diabetic eye disease, and analysis was by intention-to-treat. The macrovascular and microvascular composites were analysed jointly and separately. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00145925. FINDINGS: After a mean of 4.3 years of follow-up, 73% of those assigned active treatment and 74% of those assigned control remained on randomised treatment. Compared with patients assigned placebo, those assigned active therapy had a mean reduction in systolic blood pressure of 5.6 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure of 2.2 mm Hg. The relative risk of a major macrovascular or microvascular event was reduced by 9% (861 [15.5%] active vs 938 [16.8%] placebo; hazard ratio 0.91, 95% CI 0.83-1.00, p=0.04). The separate reductions in macrovascular and microvascular events were similar but were not independently significant (macrovascular 0.92; 0.81-1.04, p=0.16; microvascular 0.91; 0.80-1.04, p=0.16). The relative risk of death from cardiovascular disease was reduced by 18% (211 [3.8%] active vs 257 [4.6%] placebo; 0.82, 0.68-0.98, p=0.03) and death from any cause was reduced by 14% (408 [7.3%] active vs 471 [8.5%] placebo; 0.86, 0.75-0.98, p=0.03). There was no evidence that the effects of the study treatment differed by initial blood pressure level or concomitant use of other treatments at baseline. INTERPRETATION: Routine administration of a fixed combination of perindopril and indapamide to patients with type 2 diabetes was well tolerated and reduced the risks of major vascular events, including death. Although the confidence limits were wide, the results suggest that over 5 years, one death due to any cause would be averted among every 79 patients assigned active therapy. PMID- 17765964 TI - Chemical modification studies on arginine kinase: essential cysteine and arginine residues at the active site. AB - Chemical modification was used to elucidate the essential amino acids in the catalytic activity of arginine kinase (AK) from Migratoria manilensis. Among six cysteine (Cys) residues only one Cys residue was determined to be essential in the active site by Tsou's method. Furthermore, the AK modified by DTNB can be fully reactivated by dithiothreitol (DTT) in a monophasic kinetic course. At the same time, this reactivation can be slowed down in the presence of ATP, suggesting that the essential Cys is located near the ATP binding site. The ionizing groups at the AK active site were studied and the standard dissociation enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ) was 12.38kcal/mol, showing that the dissociation group may be the guanidino of arginine (Arg). Using the specific chemical modifier phenylglyoxal (PG) demonstrated that only one Arg, located near the ATP binding site, is essential for the activity of AK. PMID- 17765965 TI - Cyperus rotundus suppresses AGE formation and protein oxidation in a model of fructose-mediated protein glycoxidation. AB - Non-enzymatic glycation, as the chain reaction between reducing sugars and the free amino groups of proteins, has been shown to correlate with severity of diabetes and its complications. Cyperus rotundus (Cyperaceae) is used both as a food to promote health and as a drug to treat certain diseases. In this study, considering the antioxidative effects of C. rotundus, we examined whether C. rotundus also protects against protein oxidation and glycoxidation. The protein glycation inhibitory activity of hydroalcoholic extract of C. rotundus was evaluated in vitro using a model of fructose-mediated protein glycoxidation. The C. rotundus extract with glycation inhibitory activity also demonstrated antioxidant activity when a ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays as well as metal chelating activity were applied. Fructose (100mM) increased fluorescence intensity of glycated bovine serum albumin (BSA) in terms of total AGEs during 14 days of exposure. Moreover, fructose caused more protein carbonyl (PCO) formation and also oxidized thiol groups more in glycated than in native BSA. The extract of C. rotundus at different concentrations (25-250microg/ml) has significantly decreased the formation of AGEs in term of the fluorescence intensity of glycated BSA. Furthermore, we demonstrated the significant effect of C. rotundus extract on preventing oxidative protein damages including effect on PCO formation and thiol oxidation which are believed to form under the glycoxidation process. Our results highlight the protein glycation inhibitory and antioxidant activity of C. rotundus. These results might lead to the possibility of using the plant extract or its purified active components for targeting diabetic complications. PMID- 17765966 TI - Repetitive DNA hypomethylation in the advanced phase of chronic myeloid leukemia. AB - Repetitive elements are heavily methylated in normal tissues, but hypomethylated in malignant tissues, driving the global genomic hypomethylation found in cancer. This hypomethylation results in chromosomal instability, a well-characterized feature of the advanced phases of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). We investigated methylation changes of DNA repetitive elements (LINE1, Alu, Satellite-alpha and Satellite-2) during the progression of CML from chronic phase (CP) to blast crisis (BC). CP-CML samples were significantly more hypomethylated for all repetitive sequences compared with normal samples. Furthermore, a more profound level of hypomethylation was observed among BC samples compared with CP samples. Our data suggest that repetitive DNA hypomethylation are closely associated with CML progression. PMID- 17765967 TI - Effect of azadirachtin on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and histology of the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (Stal). AB - The effect of azadirachtin (AZA), a tetranortriterpene from neem, on the mortality, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and the development of the ovaries of female brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stal) was tested in laboratory experiments. The lethal concentrations were determined and applied topically to the adult female BPH (LC(50)=0.47 ppm and LC(90)=0.96 ppm). The treated insects exhibited toxic symptoms with a dose-dependent mortality. The LC(50) concentrations were tested against AChE activity of the BPH. The results indicate that AZA significantly inhibits the activity of AChE only at the high dose (P<.0001) compared with control. Adult females that were exposed to AZA showed a significant reduction in weight (23%, 40%, and 64% for 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 ppm, respectively). Fecundity was also significantly reduced in AZA treatments compared to the control. Histological study of ovary sections revealed abnormalities in follicular epithelial cells due to AZA treatment. PMID- 17765968 TI - [Clinical findings, electroneuromyography and MRI in trauma of the brachial plexus]. AB - OBJECTIVES: Management of traumatic lesions of the brachial plexus mainly depends on whether the injury is pre- (nerve root avulsion) or postganglionic (trunks and cords). The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of MRI in such lesions, and to determine any correlations among radiological, clinical and electroneuromyographical (EMG) data from both the initial and follow up studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nine patients with acute traumatic lesions of the brachial plexus were investigated by MRI and EMG. Five further patients served as controls. The MRI protocol included fast spin-echo (FSE) T2-weighted and STIR sequencing. These scans were independently interpreted by two senior radiologists. Their findings were then validated during consensus meetings of surgeons, radiologists and neurologists to identify the exact localization and mechanism of each lesion, and to determine the advantages and drawbacks of each technique. RESULTS: Among the nine patients, MRI scans were judged as normal in three whereas EMG showed distal lesions in two of them. In a further three patients, STIR MRI sequences demonstrated high signal intensities from the trunks and cords of C5 to T1. Among these three patients, MRI at three months showed persistence of these signal anomalies in one patient, and partial regression in the two others. In the remaining three patients, three-dimensional T2-weighted sequences showed nerve root avulsion, consistent with the initial EMG findings. CONCLUSION: MRI is the best technique to demonstrate nerve root avulsion. However, unlike EMG, MRI does not allow visualization of distal lesions of the brachial plexus. Differentiation between edema (reversible) and demyelination (irreversible) of trunk and cord lesions remains difficult, and requires EMG or late MRI. PMID- 17765969 TI - The effect of suspended particles coated by humic acid on the toxicity of pharmaceuticals, estrogens, and phenolic compounds. AB - The sorption characteristics of 10 organic chemicals, categorized as pharmaceuticals, estrogens and phenols, onto synthetic suspended particle (i.e., alumina) coated with humic acid were investigated according to their octanol water partition coefficient (K(ow)). Chemical analyses were performed with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The effects of particles on the toxicity reduction were evaluated using bioassay tests, using Daphnia magna and Vibrio fisheri for phenols and pharmaceuticals, and the human breast cancer cell MCF-7 for estrogens. Sorption studies revealed that 22 and 38% of octylphenol and pentachlorophenol, respectively, were removed by suspended particle, whereas 2,4 dichlorophenol was not removed, which was directly proportional to the logK(ow) value. Similar to the sorption tests, suspended particles significantly reduced the acute toxicities of octylphenol and pentachlorophenol to D. magna and V. fisheri (p<0.01), but there was no significant difference in the toxicity of 2,4 dichlorophenol to D. magna (p=0.8374). Pharmaceuticals, such as ibuprofen, gemfibrozil and tolfenamic acid, showed no discernible sorption to the suspended particle, with the exception of diclofenac, which revealed 11% sorption. For estrogens, such as estrone, 17beta-estradiol and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol, the results indicated no reduction in the sorption test. This may be attributed to the polar interaction by functional groups in sorption between pharmaceuticals and estrogens and suspended particles. In the bioassays, presence of suspended particles did not significantly modify the toxicity of pharmaceuticals (regardless of their K(ow) values) to D. magna, V. fisheri or E-screen. PMID- 17765971 TI - Pesticides exposure in Pakistan: a review. AB - This is the first systematic review of studies done since 1960, and to give an integrated picture of pesticides exposure to humans, animals, plants, waters, soils/sediments, atmosphere etc. in Pakistan. Authors have extracted data from different departments, published literature in research journals and National reports. Although the wide-spread usage of pesticides in Pakistan has controlled the pests, but like other countries, it has started causing environmental problems in the area. In some areas of Punjab and Sindh groundwater has been found contaminated and is constantly being under the process of contamination due to pesticide use. There is considerable evidence that farmers have overused and misused pesticides especially in cotton-growing areas. It is evident from the biological monitoring studies that farmers are at higher risk for acute and chronic health effects associated with pesticides due to occupational exposure. Furthermore, the intensive use of pesticides (higher sprays more than the recommended dose) in cotton areas involves a special risk for the field workers, pickers, and of an unacceptable residue concentration in cottonseed oil and cakes. The authors have also discussed the merits and demerits of different studies. The review will set the future course of action of different studies on pesticide exposure in Pakistan. Data limitations are still the major obstacle towards establishing clear environmental trends in Pakistan. The authors suggest that a reliable monitoring, assessment and reporting procedures shall be implemented in accordance with appropriate environmental policies, laws and regulations in order to minimize the pesticides exposure. PMID- 17765970 TI - Variation, levels and profiles of organochlorines and brominated flame retardants in great tit (Parus major) eggs from different types of sampling locations in Flanders (Belgium). AB - Small-scale geographical variation in the occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) was investigated using the eggs of a terrestrial residential songbird species, the great tit (Parus major). In addition, we investigated the influence of the type of sampling location on the presence of these pollutants. To achieve this, 10 different sampling locations in Flanders (Belgium) were classified into 3 groups based on the extent of urbanisation, industrialisation and agriculture. The higher variance among sampling locations for the levels and profiles of PCBs and OCPs, suggests that local contamination sources are more important for the PCBs and OCPs compared to the PBDEs. Levels of PCBs and PBDEs were significantly higher in the industrialised sampling locations compared to the other locations. Sum PCB and sum PBDE levels reached up to 6050 and 79 ng/g lipid weight, respectively. PCBs and PBDEs were highly positively correlated for all groups, suggesting similar exposure pathways and/or mechanisms of accumulation. Significantly higher levels of OCPs (sum OCPs up to 2683 ng/g lipid weight) were detected in the rural sampling locations situated in a residential area. This suggests that local historical usage of OCPs by inhabitants may be an important source of contamination in Flanders. Contamination profiles differed also among the sampling locations. The rural sampling locations had a higher contribution of lower brominated BDE congeners, whereas the industrialised locations had a higher contribution of higher brominated congeners. The differences in contamination profiles among the sampling locations are probably due to differences in exposure. In conclusion, our results showed that the characteristics of a sampling location influence both the levels and profiles of PCBs, OCPs and PBDEs. PMID- 17765972 TI - Eozoon: debunking the dawn animal. AB - Discovered in the nineteenth century by the Canadian Geological Survey, the Eozoon canadense fossil, or 'dawn animal of Canada', created a sensation in the geological community. Only a few initially challenged its status as a fossil organism, including two professors in the remote Irish town of Galway. These men claimed that Eozoon was nothing more than a mineral formation and did not represent the discovery of the primordial organism. Supporters of Eozoon closed ranks and a heated debate soon broke out in a range of periodicals. The story of Eozoon lays bare the construction of scientific credibility, a process that was threatened in the second half of the nineteenth century by the proliferation of popular science. PMID- 17765973 TI - Keyhole limpet hemocyanin induces the activation and maturation of human dendritic cells through the involvement of mannose receptor. AB - Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) is a xenoantigen largely used in vitro as an immunogen to study primary antigen-specific T cell responses and in vivo as a vaccine component with optimal carrier qualities. So far, the mechanisms by which KLH exerts its immunostimulatory properties are still largely unknown. In particular, although dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in the initiation and activation of immune responses, the effects of KLH on these cells have been poorly explored. In the present study we investigated the effects of KLH on DCs differentiated in vitro from human monocytes. We observed that KLH promotes the activation and maturation of DCs, as assessed by up-regulation of the surface expression of CD80, CD86, CD40, HLA-DR and CD83. Moreover, even if KLH stimulated the production of IL-12 and IL-10 by DCs, the final balance was clearly in favour of IL-12. According to these stimulatory effects, KLH significantly increased the allostimulatory activity of DCs. To verify whether these effects of KLH may be related to the binding of this highly glycosilated molecule to mannose receptor (MR), we performed inhibition experiments with anti-MR antibody. Results showed that the stimulatory activity of KLH is indeed partially mediated by its interaction with MR. Taken together, our results seem to indicate that KLH does promote the maturation of DCs endowed with the ability to stimulate cell-mediated immune responses. We suggest that this property of KLH may represent a novel further mechanism by which this molecule may exert its efficacy when co administered with others antigens in immunotherapeutic protocols. PMID- 17765974 TI - Granzyme H induces apoptosis of target tumor cells characterized by DNA fragmentation and Bid-dependent mitochondrial damage. AB - Natural killer (NK) cells are the effectors of innate immunity to act as the first line of defense against viruses and tumors. Granzyme H (GzmH) is predicted to evolve from GzmB and constitutively expressed at a high level in human NK cells. It indicates GzmH plays a pivotal role in NK cell mediated cytolysis. However GzmH is defined as an orphan granzyme and its function has less been defined. Here we demonstrate GzmH can induce rapid apoptosis of target cells, which is dependent on caspase activation and mitochondrial damage. GzmH-induced death is characterized by phophatidylserine externalization, nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation, caspase activation and cytochrome c release that are hallmarks of typical apoptosis. GzmH can directly cleave ICAD to unleash CAD for DNA fragmentation. Moreover, GzmH directly processes Bid to produce the active form tBid leading to cytochrome c release. Therefore, GzmH may play an essential role in caspase-dependent pathogen clearance in the innate immunity that may complement the proapoptotic function of GzmB in human NK cells. PMID- 17765975 TI - Impaired tissue responsiveness to organic nitrates and nitric oxide: a new therapeutic frontier? AB - Nitric oxide (NO) is a physiologically important modulator of both vasomotor tone and platelet aggregability. These effects of NO are predominantly mediated by cyclic guanosine-3,'5'-monophosphate (cGMP) via activation of soluble guanylate cyclase. However, in patients with ischemic heart disease, platelets and coronary/peripheral arteries are hyporesponsive to the antiaggregatory and vasodilator effects of NO donors. NO resistance is also associated with a number of coronary risk factors and presents in different disease states. It correlates with conventional measures of "endothelial dysfunction," and represents a multifaceted disorder, in which smooth muscle and platelet NO resistance are equally important, as sites of abnormal NO-driven physiology. NO resistance results largely from a combination of "scavenging" of NO by superoxide anion radical (O(2)(-)) and of (reversible) inactivation of soluble guanylate cyclase. It constitutes an impaired physiological response to endogenous NO (endothelium derived relaxing factor, EDRF) and, as such, may contribute to the increased risk of ischemic events. Impairment in responsiveness to NO in ischemic patients implies a potential problem that those patients, in greatest need of nitrate therapy, may be least likely to respond. The prognostic impact of NO resistance at vascular and platelet levels has been demonstrated in patients with ischemic heart disease, and it has been shown that a number of agents (angiotensin converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors, perhexiline, insulin, and possibly statins) ameliorate this anomaly. The current review examines different aspects of the "NO resistance" phenomenon and discusses some related methodological issues. PMID- 17765976 TI - Allenic and cumulenic lipids. AB - Nowadays, about 200 natural allenic metabolites, more than 2700 synthetic allenic compounds, and about 1300 cumulenic structures are known. The present review describes research on natural as well as some biological active allenic and cumulenic lipids and related compounds isolated from different sources. Intensive searches for new classes of pharmacologically potent agents produced by living organisms have resulted in the discovery of dozens of such compounds possessing high anticancer, cytotoxic, antibacterial, antiviral, and other activities. Known allenic and cumulenic compounds can be subdivided on several structural classes: fatty acids, hydrocarbons, terpenes, steroids, carotenoids, marine bromoallenes, peptides, aromatic, cumulenic, and miscellaneous compounds. This review emphasizes the role of natural and synthetic allenic and cumulenic lipids and other related compounds as an important source of leads for drug discovery. PMID- 17765977 TI - Reactivity of histidine and lysine side-chains with diethylpyrocarbonate -- a method to identify surface exposed residues in proteins. AB - The chemical modification of amino acid side-chains followed by mass spectrometric detection can reveal at least partial information about the 3-D structure of proteins. In this work we tested diethylpyrocarbonate, as a common histidyl modification agent, for this purpose. Appropriate conditions for the reaction and detection of modified amino acids were developed using angiotensin II as a model peptide. We studied the modification of several model proteins with a known spatial arrangement (insulin, cytochrome c, lysozyme and human serum albumin). Our results revealed that the surface accessibility of residues is a necessary, although in itself insufficient, condition for their reactivity; the microenvironment of side-chains and the dynamics of protein structure also affect the ability of residues to react. However the detection of modified residues can be taken as proof of their surface accessibility, and of direct contact with solvent molecules. PMID- 17765978 TI - Neuronal sandwiches: a method for rapid and controlled initiation of synapses. AB - Synapse formation is a fast, dynamic process that involves the assembly of many molecules following axodendritic contact. Neuronal cultures are often used to study the insertion of fluorescently tagged pre- and postsynaptic molecules in vitro. However, this task still remains challenging, since the time-point and location of newly forming synapses are largely unpredictable and rely on random contact events. We developed a technique that controls the time-point of interaction between axons and dendrites, and thus the onset of synapse formation. Dissociated hippocampal neurons were cultivated on two different coverslips, allowing for the separate outgrowth of axonal networks and of neurons with sparsely innervated dendrites. Pre- and postsynaptic partners were brought in contact as coverslips were merged. Time-lapse imaging showed clustering of GFP/PSD-95 in postsynaptic neurons within 1-3h, indicating the rapid formation of new synaptic sites. Localization of DsRed, as a control protein, remained unchanged. Imaging of neuronal activity using calcium sensitive dyes revealed that in a number of cases neurons of the pre- and postsynaptic layer were synchronously active, suggesting the functionality of newly formed synapses across layers. Therefore, our new method is a valuable tool to control synapse formation and for investigating the temporal role of signaling molecules during this process. PMID- 17765979 TI - The allergic cascade: review of the most important molecules in the asthmatic lung. AB - Asthma is the most common chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways among children. It is a complex clinical disease characterized by airway obstruction, airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness to a variety of stimuli. The development of allergic asthma exists of three phases, namely the induction phase, the early-phase asthmatic reaction (EAR) and the late-phase asthmatic reaction (LAR). Each phase is characterized by the production and interplay of various cell-derived mediators. In the induction phase, T helper cytokines are important in the development of asthma. Most important mediators in the EAR are preformed mediators, newly synthesized lipid mediators and cytokines that are produced by mast cells. During the LAR, inflammatory molecules are produced by various cell types, such as eosinophils, neutrophils, T cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, and structural cells. Chronical inflammation leads to structural changes of the airway architecture. In this review, the most important mediators involved in the induction phase, the early-phase and late-phase asthmatic reaction are discussed. PMID- 17765981 TI - Lateralized response of chicks to magnetic cues. AB - Previous research has shown that the ability to orient with the use of directional cues from the geomagnetic field is lateralized in three avian species: orientation is possible when the birds are restricted to use of their right eye, but not when they have to use their left eye. This has been interpreted as possible lateralization of the perception mechanisms for magnetic cues in favour of the right eye. Recent discovery of magnetic compass orientation in domestic chicks, a species in which lateralization has been well studied, has made available a model system in which to explore these lateralized processes more fully. Hence we tested chicks monocularly in the same test conditions as used previously to demonstrate the chick's use of a magnetic compass. In a magnetic field with North shifted by 90 degrees , chicks using their right eye oriented according to magnetic cues, whereas chicks using the left eye did not, but continued to prefer the original direction. Analysis of the times taken to respond indicated longer latencies in the chicks using their left eye, suggesting a possible conflict between cues. The different behaviour of the chicks using their left eye might not be a matter of a right eye-left hemisphere specialization for detecting magnetic directions, but of hemispheric specialization for attending to specific types of cues. PMID- 17765980 TI - Increased calpain correlates with Th1 cytokine profile in PBMCs from MS patients. AB - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). This study investigated whether expression and activity of the calcium-activated protease calpain correlated with Th1/Th2 dysregulation in MS patients during states of relapse and remission. Calpain expression and activity were significantly increased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from MS patients, compared to controls, with the highest expression and activity noted during relapse. Th1 cytokines were highest and Th2 cytokines were lowest in MS patients during relapse. Treatment with calpain inhibitor, calpeptin, decreased Th1 cytokines in PBMCs from MS patients. Calpain inhibitor also reduced degradation of myelin basic protein (MBP) by inhibiting the calpain secreted from MBP-specific T cells. Taken together, these results suggested calpain involvement in Th1/Th2 dysregulation in MS patients. PMID- 17765982 TI - Sex- and age-dependent effects of early postnatal sibling deprivation on spatial learning and memory in adult rats. AB - In this study, we investigated the effects of early postnatal sibling deprivation (EPSD) on spatial learning and memory in adult rats. Litters were culled to one pup with its mother on postnatal day (PN) 1 or 7 and their spatial learning and memory ability were examined with Morris water maze in adult. EPSD on PN1 improved, but on PN7 impaired performance of the spatial learning task in adult female rats. However, EPSD did not have any effect on the spatial learning ability in adult male rats. PMID- 17765983 TI - Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in trypanosomes and leishmanias. AB - Gene expression in Kinetoplastids is very unusual in that the open reading frames are arranged in long polycistronic arrays, monocistronic mRNAs being created by post-transcriptional processing. Thus the regulation of gene expression is post transcriptional. We here discuss recent results concerning the enzymes required for mRNA degradation, and components of the translation initiation machinery, and how both are regulated. PMID- 17765984 TI - Neomycin and puromycin affect gene expression in Giardia lamblia stable transfection. AB - Two systems for stable transfection of Giardia have been established using selection either by neomycin or by puromycin. We asked if these selection systems themselves influenced expression of endogenous giardial genes. Northern blot analysis showed a approximately 1.4 to approximately 7-fold increase in the encystation-induced cyst wall protein 1 (cwp1), cwp2, and gmyb2 gene transcripts in the drug selected cell lines during vegetative growth, compared with untransfected cells. However, the levels of the constitutive ran, lrp3, or alpha2 tubulin gene transcripts decreased slightly or did not change in these stably transfected cell lines. Part of the effect could be due to drug selection, since treatment of untransfected cells with G418 or puromycin also had similar effects. Nuclear run-on assays showed that part of the effect comes from an increase in transcription initiation rate. The levels of CWP and cyst formation during vegetative growth also increased in the transfected cell lines. Using proteomic technologies, we identified eight genes whose expression is upregulated in neomycin selected cell lines, including phosphoglycerate kinase, glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate dehydrogenase, ornithine carbamoyltransferase, carbamate kinase, orf 16424, cyclophilin, co-chaperone-like p21, and bip. Six of these are also upregulated in puromycin selected cell lines. Our results indicate that transfection and drug selection, per se, can alter expression of genes involved in metabolism, protein folding, and differentiation status in Giardia. PMID- 17765985 TI - Statin use in chronic heart failure: waiting for the results of large prospective outcome trials. PMID- 17765986 TI - [3H]Leucine incorporation method as a tool to measure secondary production by periphytic bacteria associated to the roots of floating aquatic macrophyte. AB - The present study assessed the application of [(3)H]Leucine incorporation into protein by periphytic bacteria associated with the roots of the floating aquatic macrophyte Eichornia crassipes. Basic assumptions underlying the method, such as linearity of leucine incorporation, saturation level of incorporation rates, incorporation into other macromolecules, specificity of incorporation for bacterial assemblages and [(3)H]Leucine degradation during samples storage were tested, and two procedures for extracting the incorporated leucine were compared. Both methods gave the same results, however, the hot TCA extraction method was less time consuming than the alkaline extraction method. Incorporation of [(3)H]Leucine was linear for up to 40 min. Saturation concentration of [(3)H]Leucine incorporation into protein was 1500 nM. An experiment with prokaryotic and eukaryotic inhibitors showed no significant [(3)H]Leucine incorporation into eukaryotes even in high leucine concentrations. No significant amounts of radiolabel were incorporated into other macromolecules. The maximum time of sample storage after the incubation is 15 days. The leucine incorporation method can be a reliable tool to measure bacterial production in the periphyton root-associated bacteria. PMID- 17765987 TI - A new methodology providing evidence of two distinct processes in the production of hand/foot simultaneous responses. AB - To get simultaneous responses of the hand and the foot, it is mandatory to compensate for the longer peripheral motor conduction delay of the foot. According to the reactive-projective model [Paillard, J. (1948). Quelques donnees psychophysiologiques relatives au declenchement de la commande motrice (Some psychophysiological data in relation to the releasing of the motor commands). Annee Psychologique, 28-47; Paillard, J. (1990). Reactif et predictif: deux modes de gestion du geste de la motricite. In V. Nougier, & J. Blanchi (Eds.), Pratiques sportives et modelisation du geste (Sport activity and gesture modeling) (pp. 13-56). Grenoble: Universite Joseph-Fourier.] no compensation occurs in a reaction time situation; the hand responds before the foot, which indicates a single motor command released for both effectors. However, in a self initiated condition, the foot tends to precede the hand suggesting that two distinct motor commands are issued, with the foot command first. Fully self initiated movements are not usual. It is more usual to prepare a response in anticipation of the time occurrence of a stimulus (e.g., a musician following a conductor, synchronized swimmers emerging together with the music). Therefore, we developed a methodology to test whether the model holds in an anticipation coincidence task. In Experiment 1, the participants were asked to initiate a synchronized hand/foot response when the continuous visual stimulus (constant speed) reaches a target. The results fitted the model. In Experiment 2, anticipation coincidence tasks were performed in three conditions: using the foot (1) or the hand (2) alone, and using the hand and the foot simultaneously (3). Following a constant stimulus protocol, short tones were randomly produced, prior the stimulus, to indicate the participants to inhibit their response. As expected, the frequencies of correct inhibition in each preset period followed a sigmoid curve. The command release is assumed to occur at the biserial point (50% of inhibition). The results confirmed that the motor command of the foot is released sooner than the command of the hand. The hand/foot delay is lower in the simultaneous condition, because the command of the hand is released 40 ms earlier; while the foot command is 10 ms earlier. These data confirm and extend the projective-reactive model to a new category of coordination behavior. PMID- 17765988 TI - Visuomotor contribution to force variability in the plantarflexor and dorsiflexor muscles. AB - The visual correction employed during isometric contractions of large proximal muscles contributes variability to the descending command and alters fluctuations in muscle force. This study explored the contribution of visuomotor correction to isometric force fluctuations for the more distal dorsiflexor (DF) and plantarflexor (PF) muscles of the ankle. Twenty-one healthy adults performed steady isometric contractions with the DF and PF muscles both with (VIS) and without (NOVIS) visual feedback of the force. The target forces exerted ranged from 2.5% to 80% MVC. The standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) of force was measured from the detrended (drift removed) VIS and NOVIS steadiness trials. Removal of VIS reduced the CV of force by 19% overall. The reduction in fluctuations without VIS was significant across a large range of target forces and was more consistent for the PF than the DF muscles. Thus, visuomotor correction contributes to the variability of force during isometric contractions of the ankle dorsiflexors and plantarflexors. PMID- 17765989 TI - Fungi and mycotoxins in vineyards and grape products. AB - Many fungi may occur on grapes during growth in the vineyard, but the main concern from the viewpoint of mycotoxin contamination is the black Aspergilli, Aspergillus carbonarius and A. niger. These fungi are capable of producing ochratoxin A (OA) which may contaminate grapes and grape products such as wine, grape juice and dried vine fruit. Understanding the ecology and physiology of the black Aspergilli can provide tools for management of OA at all stages of grape production and processing. In the vineyard, careful management of cultivation, irrigation and pruning can assist in minimising the levels of black Aspergilli in the soil, which in turn, can minimise contamination of grapes by these fungi. Minimising damage to grapes on the vine by the use of open vine canopies, grape varieties with resistance to rain damage and by the management of insect pests and fungal diseases (e.g., mildew, Botrytis bunch rot) can reduce the incidence of Aspergillus rot in mature berries. The risk of OA in table grapes can be minimised by careful visual inspection to avoid damaged and discoloured berries. In wine, harvesting grapes with minimal damage, rapid processing and good sanitation practices in the winery assist in minimising OA. During vinification, pressing of grapes, and clarification steps which remove grape solids, grape proteins and spent yeast can also remove a significant proportion of OA. For dried vine fruit production, avoiding berry damage, rapid drying, and final cleaning and sorting to remove dark berries can reduce overall OA levels in finished products. PMID- 17765990 TI - In vitro inhibition of postharvest pathogens of fruit and control of gray mold of strawberry and green mold of citrus by aureobasidin A. AB - Aureobasidin A (AbA), an antifungal cyclic depsipeptide antibiotic produced by Aureobasidium pullulans R106, has previously been shown to be effective against a wide range of fungi and protozoa. Here we report the inhibitory effects of AbA on spore germination, germ tuber elongation and hyphal growth of five pathogenic fungi including Penicillium digitatum, P. italicum, P. expansum, Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia fructicola, which are major pathogens causing postharvest diseases of a variety of fruits. AbA inhibited five pathogenic fungi by reducing conidial germination rates, delaying conidial germination initiation, restricting elongation of germ tuber and mycelium, as well as inducing abnormal alternations of morphology of germ tubes and hyphae of these fungi. The sensitivity of these fungi to AbA was pathogen species-dependent. P. digitatum was the most sensitive and M. fructicola the least. Importantly, AbA at 50 microg/ml was effective in controlling the citrus green mold and in reducing the strawberry gray mold incidence and severity, caused by P. digitatum and B. cinerea, respectively, after artificial inoculation. AbA and/or its analogs, therefore, hold promise as relatively safe and promising fungicide candidates to control postharvest decays of fruits, because AbA targets the inositol phosphorylceramide (IPC) synthase, an enzyme essential for fungi but absent from mammals. PMID- 17765991 TI - Effect of carbendazim and physicochemical factors on the growth and ochratoxin A production of Aspergillus carbonarius isolated from grapes. AB - Carbendazim is a systemic fungicide that is commonly used on several crops (tobacco, fruit, vegetables, cereals, etc.). This fungicide is used to control fungal infections in vineyards. It is indicated against Botrytis cinerea, Uncinula necator, Plasmopara viticola and other fungi and can be used either alone or coupled with other fungicides. However, there is a lack of in-depth studies to evaluate its effectiveness against growth of Aspergillus carbonarius isolated from grapes and OTA production. A medium based on red grape juice was used in this study. Preliminary studies were performed at 0.98 a(w) and 25 degrees C using carbendazim concentrations over a wide range (1-2000 ng/ml medium) to control both growth of a strain of A. carbonarius isolated from grape and its ability to produce OTA. As the lag phase increased considerably at levels > 1000 ng/ml of medium, detailed studies were carried out in the range 50-450 ng/ml of medium at 0.98-0.94 a(w) and 20-28 degrees C. Statistical analysis (multifactor ANOVA) of the data revealed that the three factors assayed and the interactions a(w)-carbendazim concentration and a(w)-temperature had significant effects on lag phase duration. The highest lag-times were observed at 0.94 a(w,) 20 degrees C, and with 450 ng carbendazim/ml. The three factors also had significant effects of the growth rate and there was an interaction between a(w) and temperature. The growth rate of A. carbonarius in these cultures is favoured by high water availability and relatively high temperatures. However, addition of carbendazim at the assayed levels did not significantly influenced fungal growth rate. Accumulation of OTA was studied as a function of four factors (the three previously considered, and time). All factors had significant effects on the accumulation of OTA. There were also two significant interactions (a(w) temperature and temperature-time). On the basis of the results obtained, carbendazim does not increase the lag phase of A. carbonarius except at relatively low a(w) and temperatures. It does not substantially decrease fungal growth rate once growth is apparent but it appears to cause an increase in OTA accumulation in the medium at the doses assayed. Carbendazim, which is widely used against fungal infections in grape, can positively influence OTA production by A. carbonarius in field, which can increase OTA content in grape juices and wines. PMID- 17765992 TI - Biodiversity of complexes of mycotoxigenic fungal species associated with Fusarium ear rot of maize and Aspergillus rot of grape. AB - Fusarium ear rot of maize and Aspergillus rot of grape are two examples of important plant diseases caused by complexes of species of mycotoxigenic fungi. These complexes of species tend to be closely related, produce different classes of mycotoxins, and can induce disease under different environmental conditions. The infection of maize and grape with multiple fungal species and the resulting production of large classes of mycotoxins is an example of mutual aggressiveness of microorganisms toward host species as well as to humans and animals that eat feed or food derived from the infected and contaminated plants. Infection of crop plant with a complex of microbial species certainly represents a greater threat to a crop plant and to human and animal health than infection of the plant with a single fungal species. PMID- 17765993 TI - Impact of adsorbents selection on capture efficiency of cell culture derived human influenza viruses. AB - The study aims on affinity matrix selection for a cell culture derived influenza virus capture step in downstream processing. Euonymus europaeus lectin (EEL) was used as an affinity ligand. Human influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1) virus produced in MDCK cells was chosen as a model strain. The chromatographic separation characteristics of reinforced cellulose membranes and different matrices such as agarose, cellulose, polymer and glass particles with immobilized EEL have been determined. Results obtained were compared to affinity matrices, which are currently used in large-scale vaccine manufacturing. Mass balances for the viral membrane protein hemagglutinin showed that EEL affinity chromatography results in higher recoveries than conventional processes using Cellufine sulphate and heparinized agarose. The most efficient media, a polymer and a cellulose membrane, have been further characterized by protein and host cell DNA measurements. Separations based on the polymer matrix and the cellulose membrane removed contaminating DNA to 0.2 and 1%, respectively. Total protein contents were decreased to 50 and 31%, respectively. The EEL-membrane showed the highest influenza virus binding capacity. These characteristics demonstrate that EEL affinity chromatography is a promising candidate for capturing influenza viruses from MDCK cell culture broths in addition to currently applied chromatographic media. PMID- 17765994 TI - Optimization of polyhydroxybutyrate production from a wild type and two mutant strains of Rhodobacter sphaeroides using statistical method. AB - Interaction studies using central composite design (CCD) gave the optimum concentrations of acetate at 4 g l(-1) and (NH4)2SO4 at 0.01 g l(-1) with an optimum temperature of 35 degrees C. Rhodobacter sphaeroides N20 gave the highest PHB (7.8 g l(-1)) and biomass (DCW) (8.2 g l(-1)) values compared to the wild type strain and the mutant strain U7. The CCD results predicted that the optimum medium for the mutant strain N20 consisted of 3.90 g l(-1) acetate, 0.01 g l(-1) (NH4)2SO4 at 33.5 degrees C (R2=0.985). Validation of this model by culturing the mutant strain in this optimum medium exhibited similar values of PHB (7.76 g l( 1)), biomass (8.32 g l(-1)) and the PHB content in the cell 93.2% of DCW. Similar amounts of PHB were also obtained in batch fermentations using a 5-l bioreactor. The effect of pH and aeration rate was also studied and the optimum values were found to be pH 7.0 with an aeration rate of 1.0 vvm. Under these optimal conditions, strain N20 produced the highest amount of PHB production (8.76 g l( 1)), PHB content (95.4% of DCW) as well as the product yield (Yp/x) (0.72). These results are the highest values ever obtained from photosynthetic bacteria reported so far. PMID- 17765995 TI - Expression of thermostable microbial cellulases in the chloroplasts of nicotine free tobacco. AB - An inexpensive source of active cellulases is critical to efficient and cost effective conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol. Transgenic plants expressing foreign cellulases are potential sources of cellulases for biomass conversion. A number of foreign proteins have been reported to accumulate to high levels when the transgene is incorporated into the chloroplast genome rather than into the nuclear genome. We developed plastid transformation vectors carrying two Thermobifida fusca thermostable cellulases, Cel6A and Cel6B, and expressed them in nicotine-free or nicotine-containing tobacco varieties following chloroplast transformation. We obtained homoplasmic tobacco plants expressing Cel6A or Cel6B. Maximum estimates of expression levels ranged from 2 to 4% of total soluble protein. Enzyme assays indicated that both Cel6A and Cel6B expressed in transplastomic tobacco were active in hydrolyzing crystalline cellulose. With further optimization, it may be feasible to produce bacterial cellulases in tobacco chloroplasts in large quantities. PMID- 17765996 TI - Characterization of human H1N1 influenza virus variants selected in vitro with zanamivir in the presence of sialic acid-containing molecules. AB - Understanding the molecular mechanisms of influenza virus resistance to neuraminidase inhibitors is a main concern for their clinical use. In an attempt to reproduce in vivo selective conditions where influenza virus resistance to neuraminidase inhibitors can occur the zanamivir selection of an A/H1N1 influenza virus strain was carried out in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells performed in the presence or absence of sialic acid-containing inhibitor analogues that act as virus decoy receptors. The zanamivir-selected variants passaged in the presence of sialic acid-containing molecules resembling the human-like virus receptor lost the ability to bind red blood cells. Furthermore, whereas all zanamivir-selected variants exhibited a robust reduction in susceptibility to zanamivir in plaque assays only those obtained after extensive passages acquired a powerful neuraminidase enzyme resistance to zanamivir and oseltamivir. Evidence that balanced neuraminidase and hemagglutinin activities mediated by mutations induced during selection could play a role in the decrease of virus replication susceptibility to zanamivir is reported. PMID- 17765997 TI - An unusual complication of intra-articular injections of corticosteroids: Tachon syndrome. Two case reports. AB - Local injections of corticosteroids can, in very rare cases, be complicated by Tachon syndrome-intense lumbar and/or dorsal and/or thoracic pain a few minutes after the injection, with rapid regression of the pain. Passing the drug into a vein through a nick made during the procedure could explain the pathophysiology of this disorder. We report two good cases illustrating the typical symptoms of this distressful syndrome. Diagnosis of Tachon syndrome is made by elimination of the usual medical and surgical causes, and physicians performing local injections should be aware of this phenomenon. The patient needs to be reassured of the temporal nature of the syndrome. PMID- 17765999 TI - [Neuromuscular and architectural alterations of the vastus lateralis muscle in elderly patients with unilateral knee osteoarthritis]. AB - AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms involved in muscle weakness in elderly patients with unilateral knee osteoarthritis. SUBJECTS: We investigated 7 patients with unilateral knee osteoarthritis. METHOD: We measured knee position sense and isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the knee extensors. Electromyographic (EMG) measurement of biceps femoris (BF), rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis (VM) involved different levels of contraction (25, 50, 75 and 100% MVC). Neuromuscular efficiency of quadriceps was also calculated (MVC/EMG). Ultrasonography was used to investigate the VL architectural parameters at the median part of the VL for different levels of contraction (25, 50, and 75% MVC). All tests were performed on the osteoarthritic and healthy knees. RESULTS: The quadriceps MVC of the affected knee was reduced by 30%. The VL thickness of the affected knee was 10% smaller than that of the unaffected knee. VL activity seen on EMG did not differ between knees, but RF, VM and BF activity was greater in the unaffected than affected knee. Neuromuscular efficiency was higher (26%) in the unaffected knee. Knee position sense was reduced by 33% in the affected knee. CONCLUSION: Quadriceps weakness associated with knee osteoarthritis seems to be related to changes in muscle rather than pennation angle and changes in fascicule length. PMID- 17766000 TI - Circulating cholesterol as a modulator of risk for renal injury in patients with type 2 diabetes. AB - Amelioration of albuminuria may be related to specific constellations of risk factors including race and dyslipidaemia. Circulating cholesterol could mitigate the beneficial effect of antihypertensive therapy. We assessed whether cholesterol affected the remission of urinary albumin in patients with type 2 diabetes of white, Caucasian and non-white origin. We studied 100 patients (African and Asian: n=57 and Caucasian: n=43) with type 2 diabetes and newly diagnosed microalbuminuria who received intensified and structured care for a median (IQ range) of 41 (32-48) months. Microalbuminuria remitted in 20% and progressed in 12% of patients. In those with uncontrolled systolic hypertension (>140 mmHg) systolic blood pressure fell by a mean (95% CI) of -9.4 (-3.8 to 15.11)mmHg; p=0.002. The change in urinary albumin excretion with time varied inversely with baseline systolic blood pressure (r=-0.25; p=0.04). At 3 years follow-up the decrement in blood pressure was significant for those patients in the regression group (-19.6[16.8]mmHg; p=0.005). In patients of African origin, systolic blood pressure was higher than in the other groups and correlated with cholesterol concentrations (r=0.44; p=0.04). Baseline systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol (odds ratio [95%CI]) were independent determinants of remission and progression of microalbuminuria (1.04[1.006-1.064]; p=0.02 and 1.75[1.03 2.95]; p=0.04). Patients with higher total cholesterol and baseline urinary albumin excretion were less likely to go into remission. Blood pressure correlated with cholesterol concentrations in patients of African origin. Specific cholesterol lowering strategies may benefit certain patients groups at high risk of renal disease. PMID- 17766001 TI - Effect of a hypocaloric diet in transaminases in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and obese patients, relation with insulin resistance. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to examine the changes in hypertransaminasemia after weight reduction in obese patients with and without nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the relation with insulin resistance. RESEARCH METHODS: A population of 142 obesity nondiabetic was treated with a hypocaloric diet (1520 kcal) during 3 months. Patients were classified as group I (control, n=112) when serum (alanine aminotransferase) ALT activity was normal or group II (NAFLD, n=30) when serum ALT activity was greater than the upper limit of normal reference laboratory (>or=43 UI/L). RESULTS: In control group, body mass index (BMI) (35.3+/-5.6 vs. 33.5+/-5.5: p<0.05), weight (89.6+/ 17.2 kg vs. 85.6+/-16.5 kg: p<0.05) and insulin (15+/-7.9 mUI/L vs. 13.1+/-7.4 mUI/L: p<0.05) levels decreased. In NAFLD group, BMI (37.1+/-4.2 vs. 35.1+/-4.6: p<0.05), weight (101+/-22 kg vs. 96.4+/-11.6 kg: p<0.05), insulin (26.8+/-8.9 mUI/L vs. 12.7+/-8.4 mUI/L: p<0.05) and HOMA (3.1+/-1.6 vs. 1.9+/-1.7: p<0.05) decreased. Liver function improved in both groups (ALT; group I 19.9+/-4.6 UI/L vs. 18.3+/-3.9 UI/L: p<0.05 and group II 37.8+/-4.2 UI/L vs. 27.1+/-7.8 UI/L: p<0.05), (aspartate aminotransferase activity, AST) group I 22.1+/-8.2 UI/L vs. 19.9+/-7.1 UI/L: p<0.05 and group II 73.3+/-11.3 UI/L vs. 38.1+/-11.6UI/L: p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We showed that weight reduction secondary to a hypocaloric diet were associated with improvement in hypertransaminasemia and insulin resistance in NAFLD patients. PMID- 17766002 TI - Influence of the organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1) polymorphisms on irinotecan-pharmacokinetics and clinical outcome of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. AB - To investigate whether the OATP1B1 polymorphisms affect irinotecan pharmacokinetics and subsequent toxicity and tumor response of patients with advanced NSCLC. A total of 81 Korean NSCLC patients enrolled in a phase II study of irinotecan and cisplatin chemotherapy were genotyped for OATP1B1 -11187G>A, 388A>G and 521T>C variants. The 521TC or CC and -11187AA genotypes were associated with higher AUC(SN-38) (p=0.016 and 0.030, respectively). When haplotypes were assigned, patients with *15 haplotype showed significantly higher AUC(SN-38) than *1a or *1b haplotypes (p=0.006). Grade 4 neutropenia was associated with the 521TC or CC genotypes, whereas, grade 3 diarrhea was associated with 388GG genotype (p=0.046). Of the 81 patients enrolled, 77 were assessable for response and 36 (47%) patients achieved partial responses (PR). However, no statistical significance was observed between genotype and response. These findings suggest that OATP1B1 variants are involved in SN-38 disposition and highly predictive for severe toxicity of NSCLC patients treated with irinotecan-based chemotherapy. PMID- 17766003 TI - Mitochondrial alternative pathway is associated with development of freezing tolerance in common wheat. AB - Cold acclimation is an adaptive process for acquiring cold/freezing tolerance in wheat. To clarify the cultivar difference of freezing tolerance, we compared mitochondrial respiration activity and the expression profile of alternative oxidase (AOX) genes under low-temperature conditions using two common wheat cultivars differing in freezing tolerance. During cold acclimation, the respiration capacity of the alternative pathway significantly increased in a freezing-tolerant cultivar compared with a freezing-sensitive cultivar. More abundant accumulation of the AOX and uncoupling protein gene transcripts was also observed under the low-temperature conditions in the tolerant cultivar than in the sensitive cultivar. These results suggest that the mitochondrial alternative pathway might be partly associated with the cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in wheat. PMID- 17766004 TI - Expression analysis of anthocyanin regulatory genes in response to different light qualities in Arabidopsis thaliana. AB - In this work we analysed, at the transcript level, the response of Arabidopsis anthocyanin regulatory genes of the MYB (PAP1 and PAP2), bHLH (TT8, EGL3 and GL3) and WD40 (TTG1) families to white light in seedlings and to different light qualities in rosette leaves. Our experiments showed strong light induction of the MYB genes PAP1 and PAP2. In particular, the kinetics of PAP1 expression preceded those of PAP2 and all of the structural genes (CHS, DFR, F3H, LDOX), consistent with the hypothesis that it has a key role in light induction of anthocyanin biosynthesis. All bHLH genes analysed showed light induction, and in seedlings their expression preceded that of the late structural genes, suggesting their possible role in light regulation of these structural genes. TTG1 expression is essentially constitutive in both systems. Experiments with transgenic lines over expressing the MYB factors show that PAP1, but not PAP2, strongly stimulates expression of the anthocyanin structural gene encoding dihydroflavonol reductase, but neither factor affected expression of the early flavonoid biosynthesis gene encoding chalcone synthase. Consistent with these findings, PAP1, but not PAP2, stimulated light induction of anthocyanin biosynthesis in seedlings. We conclude that specific members of the MYB and bHLH families play important roles in regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis in response to different light qualities in Arabidopsis. PMID- 17766005 TI - Chloroplast protein synthesis elongation factor, EF-Tu, reduces thermal aggregation of rubisco activase. AB - Chloroplast protein synthesis elongation factor, EF-Tu, has been implicated in heat tolerance in maize. The recombinant precursor of this protein, pre-EF-Tu, has been found to exhibit chaperone activity and protect heat-labile proteins, such as citrate synthase and malate dehydrogenase, from thermal aggregation. Chloroplast EF-Tu is highly conserved and it is possible that the chaperone activity of this protein is not species-specific. In this study, we investigated the effect of native wheat pre-EF-Tu on thermal aggregation of rubisco activase. Additionally, we investigated the effect of native and recombinant maize pre-EF Tu on activase aggregation. Activase was chosen because it displays an exceptional sensitivity to thermal aggregation and constrains photosynthesis at high temperature. The native precursors of both wheat and maize EF-Tu displayed chaperone activity, as shown by the capacity of both proteins to reduce thermal aggregation of rubisco activase in vitro. Similarly, the recombinant maize pre-EF Tu protected activase from thermal aggregation. This is the first report on chaperone activity of native pre-EF-Tu and the first evidence for thermal protection of a photosynthetic enzyme by this putative chaperone. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that chloroplast EF-Tu plays a functional role in heat tolerance by acting as a molecular chaperone. PMID- 17766006 TI - Strategies of attack and defense in plant-oomycete interactions, accentuated for Phytophthora parasitica Dastur (syn. P. Nicotianae Breda de Haan). AB - Oomycetes from the genus Phytophthora are fungus-like plant pathogens that are devastating for agriculture and natural ecosystems. Due to their particular physiological characteristics, no efficient treatments against diseases caused by these microorganisms are presently available. To develop such treatments, it appears essential to dissect the molecular mechanisms that determine the interaction between Phytophthora species and host plants. Available data are scarce, and genomic approaches were mainly developed for the two species, Phytophthora infestans and Phytophthora sojae. However, these two species are exceptions from, rather than representative species for, the genus. P. infestans is a foliar pathogen, and P. sojae infects a narrow range of host plants, while the majority of Phytophthora species are quite unselective, root-infecting pathogens. To represent this majority, Phytophthora parasitica emerges as a model for the genus, and genomic resources for analyzing its interaction with plants are developing. The aim of this review is to assemble current knowledge on cytological and molecular processes that are underlying plant-pathogen interactions involving Phytophthora species and in particular P. parasitica, and to place them into the context of a hypothetical scheme of co-evolution between the pathogen and the host. PMID- 17766007 TI - Psychosocial correlates of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) ratings in a birth cohort. AB - This study investigated the relation between ratings of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and two psychosocial constructs, socioeconomic status and IQ, which are related to health outcomes. A 3.2mM solution of PROP was rated by 922 32-year-old members of a birth cohort (450 women) relative to the strongest imaginable sensation of any kind using the generalised Labelled Magnitude Scale. Women had higher PROP ratings than men. Following normalisation of PROP ratings, multiple linear regression showed that higher ratings were independently associated with lower childhood socioeconomic status, lower childhood IQ scores and ratings of an imagined stimulus made on the same scale (r(2)=0.12). Results suggest that psychosocial variables, sex and scale use, in addition to established genetic determinants, may help explain variability in ratings of supra-threshold concentrations of PROP. PMID- 17766008 TI - The Tuscan Emergency Medicine Initiative. AB - Italy lacks standardized specialty training in emergency medicine. There is no system of national or regional accreditation of the knowledge base or skill set of physicians working in regional emergency departments (ED), which results in variability of emergency medical care delivery not only between hospital EDs but also within individual EDs. To address this need, the Tuscan Minister of Health chose to develop a partnership with emergency medicine specialists from the United States to help expedite the growth of the specialty in Tuscany. The collaboration called the Tuscan Emergency Medicine Initiative consists of the regional health care service, the Tuscan university system, Harvard Medical International, and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine. We describe that effort and process, with an expectation of more than 625 physicians completing the program by June 2008. PMID- 17766009 TI - Use of lipid emulsion in the resuscitation of a patient with prolonged cardiovascular collapse after overdose of bupropion and lamotrigine. AB - Animal studies show efficacy of intravenous lipid emulsion in the treatment of severe cardiotoxicity associated with local anesthetics, clomipramine, and verapamil, possibly by trapping such lipophilic drugs in an expanded plasma lipid compartment ("lipid sink"). Recent case reports describe lipid infusion for the successful treatment of refractory cardiac arrest caused by parenteral administration of local anesthetics, but clinical evidence has been lacking for lipid's antidotal efficacy on toxicity caused by ingested medications. A 17-year old girl developed seizure activity and cardiovascular collapse after intentional ingestion of up to 7.95 g of bupropion and 4 g of lamotrigine. Standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 70 minutes was unsuccessful in restoring sustained circulation. A 100-mL intravenous bolus of 20% lipid emulsion was then administered, and after 1 minute an effective sustained pulse was observed. The patient subsequently manifested significant acute lung injury but had rapid improvement in cardiovascular status and recovered, with near-normal neurologic function. Serum bupropion levels before and after lipid infusion paralleled triglyceride levels. This patient developed cardiovascular collapse because of intentional, oral overdose of bupropion and lamotrigine that was initially refractory to standard resuscitation measures. An infusion of lipid emulsion was followed rapidly by restoration of effective circulation. Toxicologic studies are consistent with the lipid sink theory of antidotal efficacy. PMID- 17766011 TI - MIF-1 and its peptidomimetic analogs attenuate haloperidol-induced vacuous chewing movements and modulate apomorphine-induced rotational behavior in 6 hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats. AB - Two melanocyte-stimulating hormone release inhibiting factor-1 (MIF-1) also known as L-prolyl-L-leucyl-glycinamide (PLG) peptidomimetic analogs, 3(R)-[[[2(S) pyrrolidinyl]carbonyl]-amino]-3-(butyl)-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide trifluoroacetate (A) and 3(R)-[[[2(S)-pyrrolidinyl]carbonyl]amino]-3-(benzyl)-2 oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide trifluoroacetate (B), were evaluated for their ability to modulate dopaminergic activity by measuring apomorphine-induced rotations in 6 hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats, and haloperidol (HP)-induced vacuous chewing movements (VCMs) in rats; animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) and human tardive dyskinesia (TD), respectively. In the 6-OHDA model, both analogs were found to potentiate the contralateral rotational behavior induced by apomorphine dose-dependently and with approximately the same potency. Furthermore, each analog was able to significantly attenuate HP-induced VCMs with almost equal efficacy. The potency and efficacy of these analogs were significantly greater than their parent compound, PLG. These results suggest that both analogs can modulate dopaminergic activity in vivo, likely by the same mechanisms recruited by PLG previously reported. PMID- 17766010 TI - Structure-activity relationship of CART (cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript) peptide fragments. AB - CART (cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript) peptides are neuropeptides abundant in the central nervous system and periphery found to be involved in the regulation of food intake behavior and other physiological processes. Recently, we reported specific binding of (125)I-CART(61-102) to the rat adrenal pheochromocytoma cell line PC12, both intact cells and cell membranes. In this study, several fragments of CART(61-102) corresponding to its structural loops were synthesized and tested for their potency in binding experiments using PC12 intact cells and cell membranes and in feeding test with fasted mice. From all shorter peptides tested, only CART(74-86) and CART(62-86) containing disulfide bridges kept partial binding potency of the original molecule with K(i) in 10(-5) and 10(-4)M range. However, these fragments were not able to inhibit food intake after their central administration up to a dose of 4 nmol/mouse. The results showed that a compact structure containing three disulfide bridges is necessary for preservation of full biological activity of CART peptides. PMID- 17766012 TI - Rubiscolin-6, a delta opioid peptide derived from spinach Rubisco, has anxiolytic effect via activating sigma1 and dopamine D1 receptors. AB - Rubiscolin-6 (Tyr-Pro-Leu-Asp-Leu-Phe) is a delta opioid peptide derived from the large subunit of spinach d-ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). We previously reported that rubiscolin-6 had an analgesic effect and stimulated memory consolidation. Here we show that intraperitoneally (i.p.) or orally administered rubiscolin-6 has an anxiolytic effect at a dose of 10 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg, respectively, in the elevated plus-maze test in mice. The anxiolytic effects of rubscolin-6 after i.p. (10 mg/kg) and oral (100 mg/kg) administration were blocked by a delta opioid receptor antagonist, naltrindole (1 mg/kg, s.c.), suggesting that the anxiolytic activity of rubiscolin-6 is mediated by delta opioid receptor. The anxiolytic effect of rubiscolin-6 (10 mg/kg, i.p.) was also blocked by a dopamine D(1) antagonist, SCH23390 (30 microg/kg, i.p.), but not by a dopamine D(2) antagonist, raclopride (15 microg/kg, i.p.). The anxiolytic effect of rubiscolin-6 (10 mg/kg, i.p.) was blocked by sigma(1) receptor antagonist, BMY14802 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) or BD1047 (10 mg/kg, i.p.). Taken together, the anxiolytic effect of rubiscolin-6 is mediated by sigma(1) and dopamine D(1) receptors downstream of delta opioid receptor. PMID- 17766014 TI - A new and versatile virosomal antigen delivery system to induce cellular and humoral immune responses. AB - The purpose of a vaccine is the induction of effective cellular and/or humoral immune responses against antigens. Because defined antigens are often poor immunogens when administered alone, an adjuvant is required to potentiate the immune response. Most of these adjuvants are designed to induce humoral immune responses, including immunopotentiating reconstituted influenza virosomes (IRIVs). IRIVs are one of the few adjuvants currently licensed for human use with the advantage of an excellent safety profile. To induce a potent cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) immune response CTL epitopes have to be encapsulated into IRIVs. However, the existing encapsulation methods are inefficient or rather laborious. We have developed and characterised a new generation of influenza virosomes (TIRIVs) that induced both, strong CTL and antibody responses against specific antigens of choice. In addition, these virosomes were stabilised and offer the possibility of lyophilisation while retaining all their structural, functional and immunogenic properties after reconstitution. TIRIVs induce strong cellular and humoral immune responses and are a versatile and efficient carrier system with adjuvant properties for a variety of antigens. TIRIVs are not only stabilised but also allow easy formulation of new and/or labile T cell and B cell antigens. Considering their immunogenic properties, their flexibility and their superior storage characteristics TIRIVs provide a versatile technology platform for any vaccination strategy. PMID- 17766013 TI - Brain tissue volumes and small vessel disease in relation to the risk of mortality. AB - Brain atrophy and small vessel disease increase the risk of dementia and stroke. In a population-based cohort study (n=490; 60-90 years) we investigated how volumetric measures of atrophy and small vessel disease were related to mortality and whether this was independent of incident dementia or stroke. Brain volume and hippocampal volume were considered as measures of atrophy, whereas white matter lesions (WML) and lacunar infarcts reflected small vessel disease. We first investigated all-cause mortality in the whole cohort. In subsequent analyses we censored persons at incident dementia or incident stroke. Finally, we separately investigated cardiovascular mortality. The average follow-up was 8.4 years, during which 191 persons died. Brain atrophy and hippocampal atrophy, as well as WML increased the risk of death. The risks associated with hippocampal atrophy attenuated when censoring persons at incident dementia, but not at incident stroke. Censoring at either incident dementia or stroke did not change the risk associated with brain atrophy and WML. Moreover, WML were particularly associated with cardiovascular mortality. PMID- 17766015 TI - Phenotypic and functional characterization of ex vivo T cell responses to the live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine. AB - To define the phenotypic characteristics and kinetics of T cell responses to a shingles vaccine in elderly individuals, 20 subjects > or =60 years of age received two doses of vaccine or placebo 6 weeks apart. VZV-specific T cell phenotypes and intracellular cytokines were determined by flow cytometry on blood mononuclear cells obtained pre-vaccination and up to 6 months after the second immunization. Results were compared with responses of five unvaccinated young adults. Pre-vaccination, elderly individuals had significantly lower VZV-specific effectors and cytokine-producing T cells compared with young adults. The vaccine significantly increased VZV-specific Th1, memory, early effector, and cutaneous homing receptor-bearing T cells. PMID- 17766016 TI - Prevalence and correlates of hepatitis A among adult drug users: the significance of incarceration and race/ethnicity. AB - This report examines associations between hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection prevalence and a history of incarceration in jail or a correctional facility among a population of drug users in Baltimore stratified by African American and white racial/ethnic status. The study sample consisted of 509 non-injection and injection drug users recruited from inner-city neighborhoods of the Baltimore metropolitan region. The baseline prevalence of HAV infection was 36.9% (N=188). One-fourth (25.5%) of the sample reported no lifetime history of incarceration, 44.6% reported incarceration in a local jail in their lifetime, and 29.9% reported incarceration in a correctional facility in their lifetime. In the multivariate logistic analysis, HAV infection prevalence was higher for whites (44.3%) [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.3, 95% CI=1.5-3.5] when compared to African Americans (30.5%) adjusting for gender, age, and education. In the analysis stratified by race/ethnicity, as anticipated, jail incarceration and correctional facility incarceration were each independently associated with elevated HAV prevalence among white drug users. African American drug users with a high school diploma had significantly lower HAV infection prevalence when compared to African American drug users who did not graduate from high school. Heightened HAV prevalence among white drug users compared to African American drug users is noteworthy given the opposite association of HAV infection prevalence and these two racial/ethnic groups in the general population. Since millions of incarcerated drug users in the US return to society each year, the results suggest that incorporating systematic HAV screening, prevention, and treatment programs within correctional systems represents a vital yet underutilized strategy to reduce HAV transmission in society as a whole. PMID- 17766017 TI - Review of Russian language studies on radionuclide behaviour in agricultural animals: part 2. Transfer to milk. AB - An overview of original information available from Russian language papers on radionuclide transfer to milk is provided. Most of the data presented have not been taken into account in international reviews. The transfer coefficient (F(m)) values for radioactive isotopes of strontium, caesium and iodine are in good agreement with those previously published. The Russian language data, often based on experiments with many animals, constitute a considerable increase to the available data for many less well-studied radionuclides. In some instances, the Russian language data suggest changes in recommended values (e.g. Zr and Ru). The information presented here substantially increases the amount of available data on radionuclide transfer to milk and will be included in the current revision of the IAEA TRS Handbook of parameter values for radionuclide transfer. PMID- 17766018 TI - Application and test of a simple tool for operational footprint evaluations. AB - We present a user-friendly tool for footprint calculations of flux measurements in the surface layer. The calculations are based on the analytical footprint model by Kormann, R. and Meixner, F.X. [2001. An analytical footprint model for Non-neutral Stratification. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 99, 207-224]. The footprint density function of a flux sensor is determined using readily available data from standard eddy covariance measurements. This footprint density function is integrated over defined surface areas given as quadrangular polygons representing e.g. agricultural fields. We illustrate the use and performance of the tool by applying it to CO2 flux measurements with three eddy covariance system at the Swiss CarboEurope grassland site. Two flux towers were positioned in the centre of two neighbouring fields, respectively, that showed a very different CO2 flux during the study period. The third tower was located near the border of the two fields and was frequently influenced by both fields to a similar degree. The calculated footprint fractions were used to simulate the latter flux from the other two systems. The measured and simulated fluxes showed a good agreement and thus support the reliability of the footprint calculation. The presented simple footprint tool can be used as a routine quality check for flux monitoring stations influenced by surface areas with varying vegetation covers and/or land-use. PMID- 17766019 TI - British Asian families and the use of child and adolescent mental health services: a qualitative study of a hard to reach group. AB - We explored attitudes to and experiences of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) among families of South Asian origin who are underrepresented as service-users in an area of a Scottish city with a high concentration of people of South Asian origin. Six community focus groups were conducted, followed by semi-structured interviews with families who had used CAMHS and with CAMHS professionals involved in those families' cases. Lastly, parents of children who had problems usually referred to CAMHS but who had not used the service were interviewed. Qualitative analysis of transcripts and notes was undertaken using thematic and logical methods. Participants consisted of 35 adults who identified themselves as Asian and had children; 7 parents and/or the young service users him-herself; 7 health care professionals involved in the young person's care plus 5 carers of 6 young people who had not been referred to CAMHS, despite having suitable problems. Focus groups identified the stigma of mental illness and the fear of gossip as strong disincentives to use CAMHS. Families who had been in contact with CAMHS sought to minimise the stigma they suffered by emphasising that mental illness was not madness and could be cured. Families whose children had complex emotional and behavioural problems said that discrimination by health, education and social care professionals exacerbated their child's difficulties. Families of children with severe and enduring mental illness described tolerating culturally inappropriate services. Fear of gossip about children's 'madness' constituted a major barrier to service use for Asian families in this city. Given the widespread nature of the concern over the stigma of children's mental illness, it should be considered in designing culturally competent services for children's mental health. PMID- 17766020 TI - Precision and power grip priming by observed grasping. AB - The coupling of hand grasping stimuli and the subsequent grasp execution was explored in normal participants. Participants were asked to respond with their right- or left-hand to the accuracy of an observed (dynamic) grasp while they were holding precision or power grasp response devices in their hands (e.g., precision device/right-hand; power device/left-hand). The observed hand was making either accurate or inaccurate precision or power grasps and participants signalled the accuracy of the observed grip by making one or other response depending on instructions. Responses were made faster when they matched the observed grip type. The two grasp types differed in their sensitivity to the end state (i.e., accuracy) of the observed grip. The end-state influenced the power grasp congruency effect more than the precision grasp effect when the observed hand was performing the grasp without any goal object (Experiments 1 and 2). However, the end-state also influenced the precision grip congruency effect (Experiment 3) when the action was object-directed. The data are interpreted as behavioural evidence of the automatic imitation coding of the observed actions. The study suggests that, in goal-oriented imitation coding, the context of an action (e.g., being object-directed) is more important factor in coding precision grips than power grips. PMID- 17766021 TI - Intestinal bacteria metabolize the dietary carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6 phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine following consumption of a single cooked chicken meal in humans. AB - 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is a carcinogenic heterocyclic amine formed in meats during cooking. Although the formation of PhIP metabolites by mammalian enzymes has been extensively reported, the involvement of the intestinal bacteria remains unclear. This study examined the urinary and fecal excretion of a newly identified microbial PhIP metabolite 7-hydroxy-5 methyl-3-phenyl-6,7,8,9-tetrahydropyrido[3',2':4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidin-5-ium chloride (PhIP-M1) in humans. The subjects were fed 150 g of cooked chicken containing 0.88-4.7 microg PhIP, and urine and feces collections were obtained during 72 h after the meal. PhIP-M1 and its trideuterated derivate were synthesized and a LC/MS/MS method was developed for their quantification. The mutagenic activity of PhIP-M1, as analyzed using the Salmonella strains TA98, TA100 and TA102, yielded no significant response. Of the ingested PhIP dose, volunteers excreted 12-21% as PhIP and 1.2-15% as PhIP-M1 in urine, and 26-42% as PhIP and 0.9-11% as PhIP-M1 in feces. The rate of PhIP-M1 excretion varied among the subjects. Yet, an increase in urinary excretion was observed for successive time increments, whereas for PhIP the majority was excreted in the first 24h. These findings suggest that besides differences in digestion, metabolism and diet, the microbial composition of the gastrointestinal tract also strongly influences individual disposition and carcinogenic risk from PhIP. PMID- 17766022 TI - Toxicological potential of 2-alkylcyclobutanones--specific radiolytic products in irradiated fat-containing food--in bacteria and human cell lines. AB - Food irradiation has been considered as a safe processing technology to improve food safety and preservation, eliminating efficiently bacterial pathogens, parasites and insects. This study aims to characterize the toxicological potential of 2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACBs), radiolytic derivatives of triglycerides, formed uniquely upon irradiation of fat-containing food. In irradiated food they are generated proportionally to fat content and absorbed radiation dose. The cyto- and genotoxic potentials of various highly pure synthetic 2-ACBs were studied in bacteria and human cell lines. While pronounced cytotoxicity was evident in bacteria, no mutagenic activity has been revealed by the Ames test in Salmonella strains TA 97, TA 98 and TA 100. In mammalian cells genotoxicity was demonstrated mainly by the induction of DNA base lesions recognized by the Fpg protein as determined by both the Comet Assay and the Alkaline Unwinding procedure. Formation of DNA strand breaks was observed by the Alkaline Unwinding procedure but not by the Comet Assay. The extent of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity were dependent on chain length and degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid chain. Further studies will have to clarify mechanisms of action and potential relevance for human exposure situation. PMID- 17766023 TI - [Past and future of human laryngeal allotransplantation]. AB - Laryngeal stenosis or amputation for tumor definitely impairs laryngeal functions with negative impact on quality of life. Experimental laryngeal transplantation has been carried out for nearly 40 years hoping that human transplantation would become feasible in the near future. Nearly 10 years ago, a 40 years old man with a long-standing history of recalcitrant laryngeal stenosis, benefited from a vascularized laryngeal allotransplantation. Speech and deglutition resumed quickly making of this first attempt a success. Although a tracheostomy canula and immunosuppressive regimen are still necessary, this man enjoyed a tremendous improvement in this quality of life. Cumulated experiences tend to demonstrate that laryngeal transplantation in human is not only feasible, but may represents the only chance for rehabilitation of number of laryngeal cripple. Induction of a functional tolerance may allow the necessary evaluation of laryngeal allotransplantation in humans. PMID- 17766024 TI - [State of affairs in the thoracic outlet syndrome. Lille-Lesquin, March 30, 2007]. PMID- 17766025 TI - [Composite tissues allotransplantation (CTA). Conclusions]. AB - The author proves conclusions of that report on composite tissues allotransplantation (CTA). Cadaveric, functionnal and surgical anatomy has allowed the progress of reconstructive surgery since 30 years. It is an inventive, but always altruistic and emotional, reconstructive surgery which has allowed the progressiveness and expansion of CTA which is no more illusion but reality. The indications are and will remain exceptional. CTA's expansion remain dependent on progress of immunosuppressive drugs, and the actual research is turning towards immunologic allowance, induced chimerism and genetic mosaicism. In French, CTA is also Ethics and it is the only one case in the world, according to the lawful activity of the Ethics' advisory board. PMID- 17766026 TI - Laboratory assessment of the retentive potential of adhesive posts: a review. AB - OBJECTIVES: This review aimed at summarizing the laboratory evidence collected on the retentive ability of adhesive posts since their introduction in dentistry. DATA: Data were searched in articles published or in press in peer-review journals listed in MEDLINE. SOURCES: Papers were retrieved through PubMed. STUDY SELECTION: To collect the evidence of interest, the following search terms were used: bond* AND fiber post AND in vitro; lut* AND fiber post AND in vitro; push out AND fiber post; pull-out AND fiber post; microtensile AND fiber post. "Related Links" were also considered and articles cited in the initially retrieved papers were included if relevant. No time limit was given to the query. CONCLUSIONS: Seventy relevant papers were reviewed. The retentive ability of adhesive posts has been tested with the microtensile technique, post-pull-out and push-out tests. If small-sized specimens are obtained, such as in microtensile and thin-slice push-out, stress uniformity is favoured, local differences in bonding conditions can be discerned, and the number of teeth needed for the test can be reduced. Although adhesion to intraradicular dentin is more challenging to achieve than bonding to crown tissues, the post-retention achieved with current luting systems and techniques is adequate to ensure the clinical success of adhesive post-retained restorations. To enhance the bond at the post-core and post-cement interfaces, several chemical pre-treatments of the post-surface have been tested with positive results. Self-adhesive resin cements, recently proposed to simplify the post-luting procedure, should be investigated further with regard to durability. PMID- 17766028 TI - Scenario-visualization for the assessment of perceived green space qualities at the urban-rural fringe. AB - The provision of green space is increasingly being perceived as an important factor for quality of life. However, green spaces often face high developmental pressure. The main objective of this study is to investigate a prospective approach to green space planning by combining three-dimensional (3D) visualization of green space scenarios and survey techniques to facilitate improved participation of the public. Aside from the 'Status quo', scenarios 'Agriculture', 'Recreation', 'Nature conservation' and 'Wind turbines' are visualized in three dimensions. In order to test responses, a survey was conducted both in print format and on the Internet. Overall, 49 different visualizations that belong to one of the scenarios were available in the survey and were rated according to the perceived esthetic, recreational and ecological values. The highest rated scenes include vegetation elements such as meadows with orchards, single trees, shrubs or forest. The least attractive scenes are those where buildings are highly dominant or where there are no vegetation elements. Based on the ratings for the individual images and on the corresponding scenarios, our study shows that there is high potential for improving the existing landscape. All suggested changes are either rated about equal to or considerably higher than the status quo, with the scenario 'Nature conservation' receiving the highest scores. PMID- 17766027 TI - Gene expression signature in peripheral blood cells from medical students exposed to chronic psychological stress. AB - To assess response to chronic psychological stress, gene expression profiles in peripheral blood from 18 medical students confronting license examination were analyzed using an original microarray. Total RNA was collected from each subject 9 months before the examination and mixed to be used as a universal control. At that time, most students had normal scores on the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI). However, STAI scores were significantly elevated at 2 months and at 2 days before the examination. Pattern of the gene expression profile was more uniform 2 days before than 2 months before the examination. We identified 24 genes that significantly and uniformly changed from the universal control 2 days before the examination. Of the 24 genes, real-time PCR validated changes in mRNA levels of 10 (PLCB2, CSF3R, ARHGEF1, DPYD, CTNNB1, PPP3CA, POLM, IRF3, TP53, and CCNI). The identified genes may be useful to assess chronic psychological stress response. PMID- 17766029 TI - Optimal renewable resource management in the presence of endogenous risk of invasion. AB - In this paper we examine the optimal management of a renewable resource that is at risk from alien species invasion. The objective of this paper is to derive implications for optimal management of a resource when options exist for both preventing the arrival of an invasive species and mitigating the impact of that arrival. Uncertainty about the timing and nature of an invasion can have important implications for the choice of management strategy, and a key feature of this analysis is an explicit treatment of that uncertainty. PMID- 17766030 TI - Evaluating the prospects for sustainable energy development in a sample of Chinese villages. AB - This paper describes the methods used to evaluate the potential for achieving sustainable energy development in six Chinese villages included in the Sustainable Users' Concepts for China Engaging Scientific Scenarios (SUCCESS) Project by examining energy efficiency potential and local renewable energy prospects. The approaches needed to obtain and analyse information on possible energy efficiency measures and renewable energy resources are summarised. Results are presented in terms of cumulative net savings in primary energy consumption, as an indicator of energy resource depletion, and associated carbon dioxide emissions, as an indicator of global climate change. Options for sustainable energy development are ranked in order of likely implementation and practical actions which could be considered in each village are identified. PMID- 17766031 TI - Thoughts concerning the economic valuation of landscapes. AB - The incorporation of economic thinking into the valuation of landscapes is still relatively new. It is an approach that yields valuable new insights and can help with prioritizing the use of scarce resources to improve and/or preserve landscapes. This paper explores and discusses the uses and limitations of economic valuation of landscapes from market failure, policy process, and theoretical and philosophical perspectives. PMID- 17766032 TI - Environmental and economic performance assessment of the integrated urban wastewater system. AB - In order to comply with the Water Framework Directive's requirement to reveal the major pressures and impacts on the receiving water at river basin level, the merits of a methodology that combines substance flow analysis and mass balances were evaluated with the aid of a case study. The river basin analysis consisted of the analysis of all individual municipal sewer catchments constituting the basin on a yearly time scale, and included the description of the main sewers and waste water treatment plants and their performance in environmental and economical terms. A wide set of indicators was evaluated. Uncertainties and information gaps arising from the study are described. The choice of the geographic scale seems a key factor in the evaluation. The case study indicates that such an evaluation is of great value for decision-makers in the perspective of the Water Framework Directive implementation, to highlight situations of weak or strong performance and to pinpoint information gaps requiring further research in order to take more informed decisions, to identify the main pressures on the environment and to plan more cost-effective measures. PMID- 17766033 TI - A travel cost study to estimate recreational value for a bird refuge at Lake Manyas, Turkey. AB - This paper investigates the recreational economic value of bird watching in the Kuscenneti National Park (KNP) at Lake Manyas, one of the Ramsar sites of Turkey and an important endangered species habitat. The lake and KNP provide considerable benefits for the region, although they have faced many environmental conflicts due to diverse stakeholders' needs. An economic valuation for the benefits provided by the KNP is important data for stakeholders and local authorities. The travel cost method is used to estimate recreational demand for the KNP. The recreational value of the KNP is 103,320,074 USD annually. Results shed light on important policy issues and help to resolve conflicts among stakeholders. This calculated value is considerably higher than the annual investment and operation expenditures of the KNP. Sustainability of the important species around the lake could be achieved if the region's inhabitants are compensated by KNP visitors. PMID- 17766034 TI - Chinese villages and their sustainable future. PMID- 17766035 TI - Place as a social space: fields of encounter relating to the local sustainability process. AB - The paper shows how sustainability questions relate to the local space. The local place is not a static entity, but a dynamic one, undergoing constant changes, and it is the rapid social and material processes within the given local situation that is a challenge for the Chinese villages and their integrity. The following article considers the cohesion between the dwellers' emotional co-ownership of their local space and the sustainability process as a driving force in social, economic and ecological development. We bring together the classification of the seven fields of encounter, which were developed out of the empirical data of the Chinese case study villages, and sustainability oriented management considerations for all levels of this concept. We do not pretend to know the solutions, but describe a set of interrelated fields that can be anchor points for placing the solutions and show in which fields action and intervention is possible. In our concept of sustainability, every spatial field has its special meaning, needs special measures and policies and has different connotations to concepts like responsibility, family values or communication systems. We see the social sustainability process as a support for the empowerment of the local dwellers, and the SUCCESS research has encouraged the villages to find suitable sustainability oriented solutions for their natural and societal situation. Before entering the discussion about the chances and potential of a sustainability approach for the Chinese villages, it is first necessary to accept the fact that rural villages play a primordial role in Chinese society and that their potential can strengthen future pathways for China. PMID- 17766036 TI - Epidemiology of multiple sclerosis in western Herzegovina. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine epidemiological rates of multiple sclerosis (MS) in western Herzegovina. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analysed data from 81 MS patients (49 females, 32 males) on the prevalence day, 31 December 2003. Patient information was obtained from a search of all available medical records from the period 1994-2003 in the investigated area. RESULTS: Crude prevalence of MS was 27/100,000 (95% confidence interval (CI) 20-34). Prevalence was highest in the mountainous municipality of Posusje (56/100,000) and lowest in the coastal municipality of Neum (0 incidence). The annual incidence of MS was 1.6/100,000 (95% CI 0-3.3). The female/male ratio of MS was 1.5. The mean age of the patients on prevalence day was 40.0+/-11.6 years, and the mean age at disease onset was 31.0+/-7.1 years. Eight (10%) of the patients had a first-degree relative with MS. The primary progressive (PP) disease course was observed only in females. Visual symptoms were the initial symptom of MS in 6 (7%) of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Western Herzegovina is an area of moderate risk for MS, and the distribution of MS in western Herzegovina is heterogeneous. PP-MS occurred only in females, and involvement of the visual pathways as the initial symptom of MS was low. PMID- 17766037 TI - Spinal myoclonus associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. AB - We report a 85-year-old female patient with involuntary and regular movements restricted to abdominal muscles, resembling belly dance, with additional clinical features; ataxia, impaired cognition, neuropathy and glossitis. We initially excluded the possible cortical and spinal structural abnormalities with magnetic resonance imagings and performed routine blood analysis which revealed that serum vitamin B12 (vB12) level was under normal ranges. The relation of low serum vB12 level and myoclonus is speculative and very few studies have demonstrated such patients. In this case report, serum vB12 deficiency is discussed in the context of its probable role in the generation of spinal myoclonus. PMID- 17766038 TI - Predictive factors for ambulation in stroke patients in the rehabilitation setting: a multivariate analysis. AB - OBJECT: The purpose of this study was to investigate predictive factors for ambulatory recovery in stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation. METHODS: One hundred and eight-five first-stroke hemiplegics, admitted to an inpatient stroke rehabilitation program, were consecutively recruited to the study. Functional status at admission and discharge was evaluated by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and its motor component (motFIM), the upper and lower Motricity Index (upMI and lowMI), and the Trunk Control Test (TCT). The outcome variable was the Functional Ambulation Classification (FAC) score, assessed at discharge from rehabilitation. Multivariate analysis was used to assess the relationships between functional outcome (FAC), and the predictive variables. RESULTS: Up- and lowMI, FIM and motFIM, TCT and age at admission were significantly related to ambulatory recovery at discharge. Logistic regression analysis showed that the independent variables related to FAC were age, TCT and FIM: the model correctly allocated 86 out of 100 cases in the construction set and 76% of cases in the validation set. The ROC curve with logistic function output as the risk factor afforded very good accuracy (ROC area=0.94), sensitivity=86.5% and specificity=85.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that age and level of motor and functional impairment measured at baseline are significant predictors of ambulatory outcome. These findings promise to be of interest in goal optimization in the rehabilitation setting. PMID- 17766039 TI - Elevated insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) levels in primary breast tumors associated with BRCA1 mutations. AB - The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) play a pivotal role in breast cancer. Inherited predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer is associated with germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations. To evaluate the impact of BRCA1 mutations on IGF-IR gene expression, we performed an immunohistochemical analysis of IGF-IR in primary breast tumors from BRCA1 mutation carriers and non-carriers. Results obtained revealed a significant elevation in IGF-IR levels in tumors from BRCA1 mutation carriers compared with non-carriers. To assess the potential inhibitory role of BRCA1 on IGF-IR levels, we infected the BRCA1-deficient HCC1937 cell line with a BRCA1-encoding adenoviral vector. Results of Western blots showed that BRCA1 induced a large reduction in endogenous IGF-IR levels. Furthermore, results of chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicated that the mechanism of action of BRCA1 involves interaction with Sp1, a potent transactivator of the IGF-IR gene. In conclusion, our data suggests that the IGF-IR gene is a physiologically relevant downstream target for BRCA1 action. PMID- 17766040 TI - Effect of water quenching and SiO2 addition during vitrification of fly ash Part 1: on the crystalline characteristics of slags. AB - The objective of this study is to investigate how cooling rate and basicity in a vitrification process govern the crystalline characteristics of slags. In this experiment, the incineration fly ash mixtures with various SiO2 addition ratios were vitrified at 1450 degrees C and cooled down separately by air or water. Different thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis with an internal standard addition were applied to investigate the crystalline characteristics of slags. The microanalytical mapping images showed that water quenching and the addition of SiO2, both enhanced the glassy amorphous phase to distribute more uniformly in slags. Addition of SiO2 would lower the melting temperature of fly ash mixtures and retard the formation of crystalline phases in slags. When the basicity (mass ratio of CaO to SiO2 before vitrification) was >0.990, the profiles of crystalline phases in slags with equal basicity were similar no matter how they were cooled. However, when the basicity <0.674, water quenching greatly enhanced the formation of the glassy amorphous phase in slags. For air cooled slags, an even lower basicity (<0.511) is required to vitrify fly ash well. PMID- 17766041 TI - Preparation and characterization of sodium iron titanate ion exchanger and its application in heavy metal removal from waste waters. AB - The ion exchange properties of sodium iron titanates, namely, NaFeTiO(4), Na(2)Fe(2)Ti(6)O(16) and iron-doped sodium nonatitanate were investigated. Conventional solid state and sol-gel methods were used in the synthesis of the sodium iron titanates. Structural characterization of the materials was performed with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Based on TG analyses, the novel iron-doped sodium nonatitanate was proven to be a member of the layered titanate family. The different sodium iron titanates were compared based on the efficiency in separating Ni from aqueous streams by conducting batch experiments with a batch factor of 1000 ml/g. Iron-doped sodium nonatitanate exhibited the best ion exchange performance compared to the other sodium iron titanates studied. It was found to be selective for nickel over potassium and showed 99% removal efficiency for Ni. PMID- 17766044 TI - Comment on Blyth et al. The contribution of psychosocial factors to the development of chronic pain: the key to better outcomes for patients? Pain 2007;129:8-11. PMID- 17766042 TI - The roles of sodium channels in nociception: Implications for mechanisms of pain. AB - Understanding the role of voltage-gated sodium channels in nociception may provide important insights into pain mechanisms. Voltage-gated sodium channels are critically important for electrogenesis and nerve impulse conduction, and a target for important clinically relevant analgesics such as lidocaine. Furthermore, within the last decade studies have shown that certain sodium channel isoforms are predominantly expressed in peripheral sensory neurons associated with pain sensation, and that the expression and functional properties of voltage-gated sodium channels in peripheral sensory neurons can be dynamically regulated following axonal injury or peripheral inflammation. These data suggest that specific voltage-gated sodium channels may play crucial roles in nociception. Experiments with transgenic mice lines have clearly implicated Na(v)1.7, Na(v)1.8 and Na(v)1.9 in inflammatory, and possibly neuropathic, pain. However the most convincing and perhaps most exciting results regarding the role of voltage-gated sodium channels have come out recently from studies on human inherited disorders of nociception. Point mutations in Na(v)1.7 have been identified in patients with two distinct autosomal dominant severe chronic pain syndromes. Electrophysiological experiments indicate that these pain-associated mutations cause small yet significant changes in the gating properties of voltage gated sodium channels that are likely to contribute substantially to the development of chronic pain. Equally exciting, recent studies indicate that recessive mutations in Na(v)1.7 that eliminate functional current can result in an apparent complete, and possibly specific, indifference to pain in humans, suggesting that isoform specific blockers could be very effective in treating pain. In this review we will examine what is known about the roles of voltage gated sodium channels in nociception. PMID- 17766043 TI - Analysis of nociception, sex and peripheral nerve innervation in the TMEV animal model of multiple sclerosis. AB - Although pain was previously not considered an important element of multiple sclerosis (MS), recent evidence indicates that over 50% of MS patients suffer from chronic pain. In the present study, we utilized the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) model of MS to examine whether changes in nociception occur during disease progression and to investigate whether sex influences the development of nociception or disease-associated neurological symptoms. Using the rotarod assay, TMEV infected male mice displayed increased neurological deficits when compared to TMEV infected female mice, which mimics what is observed in human MS. While both male and female TMEV infected mice exhibited thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia, female mice developed mechanical allodynia at a faster rate and displayed significantly more mechanical allodynia than male mice. Since neuropathic symptoms have been described in MS patients, we quantified sensory nerve fibers in the epidermis of TMEV-infected and non-infected mice to determine if there were alterations in epidermal nerve density. There was a significantly higher density of PGP9.5 and CGRP immunoreactive axons in the epidermis of TMEV-infected mice versus controls. Collectively these results indicate that the TMEV model is well suited to study the mechanisms of MS-induced nociception and suggest that alterations in peripheral nerve innervation may contribute to MS pain. PMID- 17766047 TI - Reconsolidation of a long-term spatial memory is impaired by cycloheximide when reactivated with a contextual latent learning trial in male and female rats. AB - Reconsolidation of long-term memory has become a topic of great interest in recent years, and has the potential to provide important information regarding memory processes and the treatment of memory-related disorders. The present study examined the role of systemic protein synthesis inhibition in reconsolidation of a long-term spatial memory reactivated by a contextual latent learning trial in male and female rats. Using the Morris water maze, we demonstrate that: 1) a contextual latent reactivation treatment enhances memory, 2) systemic protein synthesis inhibition selectively impairs test performance when administered in conjunction with a memory reactivation treatment, and 3) that these effects are more pronounced in female rats. These findings indicate a role for protein synthesis in the reconsolidation of a contextually reactivated long-term spatial memory using the water maze, and a potential differential effect of sex in this apparatus. The role of the strength of the memory trace is discussed and the relevance of these findings to theories of reconsolidation and therapeutic treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder is discussed. PMID- 17766046 TI - Architectonic distribution of the serotonin transporter within the orbitofrontal cortex of the vervet monkey. AB - To elucidate the organization of the serotoninergic innervation within the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), serotonin transporter (SERT) density was quantified by autoradiography using [(3)H]cyanoimipramine binding. In six adult vervet monkeys, 15 architectonic areas were delineated according to cytoarchitectonic (Nissl), myeloarchitectonic (Gallyas) and chemoarchitectonic (acetylcholinesterase) criteria to assess SERT distribution at two levels of organization: cortical area and cortical type. For cortical type, the 15 areas were evenly divided into three different categories primarily based upon the degree of granularization of layer IV: agranular, dysgranular, and granular. Within agranular and dysgranular, but not granular cortical types, SERT density was area-specific and progressively decreased in a medial to lateral gradient. Across cortical types, SERT density decreased in a caudal to rostral gradient: agranular>dysgranular>granular. A similar caudal to rostral gradient was seen when serotonin content was measured (using high performance liquid chromatography) in areas representative of each cortical type. Collectively, these results suggest that the serotoninergic innervation is organized according to both cortical type and area, and is thus structured to differentially modulate information processing within the OFC. PMID- 17766048 TI - Crick's gossip test and Watson's boredom principle: A pseudo-mathematical analysis of effort in scientific research. AB - Crick and Watson gave complementary advice to the aspiring scientist based on the insight that to do your best work you need to make your greatest possible effort. Crick made the positive suggestion to work on the subject which most deeply interests you, the thing about which you spontaneously gossip - Crick termed this 'the gossip test'. Watson made the negative suggestion of avoiding topics and activities that bore you - which I have termed 'the boredom principle'. This is good advice because science is tough and the easy things have already been done. Solving the harder problems that remain requires a lot of effort. But in modern biomedical science individual effort does not necessarily correlate with career success as measured by salary, status, job security, etc. This is because Crick and Watson are talking about revolutionary science - using Thomas Kuhn's distinction between paradigm-shifting 'revolutionary' science and incremental 'normal' science. There are two main problems with pursuing a career in revolutionary science. The first is that revolutionary science is intrinsically riskier than normal science, the second that even revolutionary success in a scientific backwater may be less career-enhancing than mundane work in a trendy field. So, if you pick your scientific problem using the gossip test and the boredom principle, you might also be committing career suicide. This may explain why so few people follow Crick and Watson's advice. The best hope for future biomedical science is that it will evolve towards a greater convergence between individual effort and career success. PMID- 17766050 TI - Off-label use of MESNA in Dupuytren's disease. PMID- 17766049 TI - Cancer as robust intrinsic state of endogenous molecular-cellular network shaped by evolution. AB - An endogenous molecular--cellular network for both normal and abnormal functions is assumed to exist. This endogenous network forms a nonlinear stochastic dynamical system, with many stable attractors in its functional landscape. Normal or abnormal robust states can be decided by this network in a manner similar to the neural network. In this context cancer is hypothesized as one of its robust intrinsic states. This hypothesis implies that a nonlinear stochastic mathematical cancer model is constructible based on available experimental data and its quantitative prediction is directly testable. Within such model the genesis and progression of cancer may be viewed as stochastic transitions between different attractors. Thus it further suggests that progressions are not arbitrary. Other important issues on cancer, such as genetic vs epigenetics, double-edge effect, dormancy, are discussed in the light of present hypothesis. A different set of strategies for cancer prevention, cure, and care, is therefore suggested. PMID- 17766051 TI - Nasogastric versus trigemino-cardiac reflex: Two sides of a coin. PMID- 17766052 TI - Transesophageal high intensity focused ultrasound ablation of left atrium posterior wall: new method for treating atrial fibrillation. AB - The percutaneous invention of the catheter tip into heart chambers through an artery or vein is invasive and poses potential risks of infection and damaging blood vessels or normal heart tissue. The anterior aspect of the esophagus is always in direct contact with the posterior wall of the left atrium. A recent study found that high intensity focused ultrasound could create precise defects in different cardiac tissues without damage to the surrounding tissue. So we hypothesize transesophageal high intensity focused ultrasound ablation of left atrium posterior wall is a good noninvasive method for treating atrial fibrillation. PMID- 17766053 TI - Elevated basal hepcidin levels in the liver may inhibit the development of malaria infection: another piece towards solving the malaria puzzle? AB - BACKGROUND: Inflammatory cytokines play a crucial role in the human immune response to infection by malaria. During the initial sporozoite infection of the liver the presence of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) can be determinant. IL-6 controls systemic iron homeostasis through hepcidin, which is produced mainly by hepatocytes. An elevated basal hepcidin level in the liver can be induced by chronic inflammatory disease. Hepcidin is also a peptide with antimicrobial properties. PRESENTATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesize that elevated basal hepcidin levels in the liver inhibit the development of malaria infection. When hepcidin is abundant, hepatocytes sequester iron, and this inhibits sporozoite development in liver-stage malaria infection. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS: The validity of our hypothesis can be proven by observing sporozoite growth in hepcidin-treated hepatocytes, or in hepatocytes, stimulated with IL-6 to increase hepcidin levels before incubation with malaria sporozoites and observing the effect the hepcidin knockout function has on the infection. IMPLICATIONS OF THE HYPOTHESIS: Confirmation of our hypothesis could help to understand the complexity of the malaria infection. PMID- 17766054 TI - Intramyocellular lipids: maker vs. marker of insulin resistance. AB - Intramyocellular triglyceride (imcTG) content in skeletal muscle is abnormally high in lipid oversupply models in obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and other metabolically diseased conditions. The imcTG abnormality was also found to be significantly correlated with muscle insulin resistance (MIR). As skeletal muscle is the main site for insulin-mediated glucose utilization, the research on this topic has been active since. However, to date the pathways responsible for the imcTG excess and the mechanisms underlying the imcTG-MIR correlation have not been identified. A current view is focused on a backward mechanism that fatty acid oxidation by muscle is impaired causing imcTG to accumulate and, therefore, an enlarged imcTG pool is merely a marker of MIR. However, based on kinetic studies, it is more likely that imcTG is a source of MIR. On one hand, an enlarged and fast turning over imcTG pool interferes with insulin signaling by producing excess amounts of signaling molecules that activate PKC pathways. On the other hand, it may promote mitochondrial beta-oxidation that suppresses glucose metabolism via substrate competition. Therefore, it is hypothesized that imcTG is a source of MIR. PMID- 17766055 TI - Significance of intraepithelial lymphocytes in appendix. AB - The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of the increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) in the mucosa of the appendix. One hundred and four retrospective appendectomy specimens were examined to evaluate the IELs. Intraepithelial lymphocytosis was identified in 11.5% (12 cases) of the specimens. Of these 12 cases, 6 cases with intraepithelial lymphocytosis were associated with parasitic infection. No increase in IELs was found in the 36 appendices that were removed in other primary operations. A wide range of immunologic stimuli can raise IELs in the gastrointestinal system. However, in appendectomies with clinical signs of acute appendicitis, an increase in IELs is more likely to be related to parasitic infection. This increase should be considered for the diagnosis of parasitic infections. PMID- 17766056 TI - The effects of linear perspective on relative size discrimination in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and humans (Homo sapiens). AB - In this study, we tested the corridor illusion in three chimpanzees and five humans, applying a relative size discrimination task to assess pictorial depth perception using linear perspective. The subjects were required to choose the physically larger cylinder of two on a background containing drawn linear perspective cues. We manipulated both background and cylinder size in each trial. Our findings suggest that chimpanzees, like humans, exhibit the corridor illusion. PMID- 17766057 TI - Resource influence on the form of fur rubbing behaviour in white-faced capuchins. AB - Self-medicative behaviours have been largely documented in vertebrates and, in particular, the use of plants for pharmacological purposes has been mainly reported in primates. White-faced capuchins are known to rub specifically chosen plants and other substances on their fur. To better understand the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and investigate the influence of different plant resources on the form of fur rubbing activity, we conducted experiments using different randomly selected plant items: oranges and onions. We found that (1) capuchins showed different degrees of interest in the materials used to fur rub; (2) the mean group dynamics differ drastically according to the resource supplied; and (3) individuals present strong differences in their social behaviour, i.e. they spent more or less time fur rubbing in spatial proximity of conspecifics according to the material used for fur rubbing. We propose hypotheses on possible proximal causes for these differences and highlight that some precautions have to be taken in behavioural studies including only one resource type. PMID- 17766058 TI - Pavlovian backward conditioned inhibition in humans: summation and retardation tests. AB - Two experiments using human participants investigated whether a Pavlovian backward inhibitory treatment (nonreinforced trials in phase 1 followed by reinforced trials in phase 2; i.e., AX- followed by A+) produces a stimulus which can pass summation and retardation tests for inhibition. The rationale for conducting these experiments was that previous demonstrations of Pavlovian backward inhibition informed participants about the nature of the outcome before starting the experiment. According to some theoretical views, this is a potential confound. In the present experiments we used a predictive task in which participants had no knowledge about the outcome until phase 2, when reinforcement occurred. The results of Experiment 1 (summation test) and Experiment 2 (retardation test) provide a clear demonstration of backward conditioned inhibition. PMID- 17766059 TI - Use, function, and subjective experiences of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). AB - Self-reported use of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) among clubbers has increased over the last decade, and is often reported in the scientific literature in association with negative events such as amnesia, overdose, and use in drug facilitated sexual assault. However, there has been relatively little work investigating the phenomenology of GHB intoxication, and the reasons underlying use. In this study, 189 individuals reporting at least one lifetime use of GHB completed an online questionnaire recording GHB use behaviours, GHB use function, and subjective GHB effects. The most frequently reported primary GHB use functions were for recreation (but not in nightclubs) (18.3%); to enhance sex (18.3%); to be sociable (13.1%); and to explore altered states of consciousness (13.1%). GHB was more commonly used within the home (67%) compared to nightlife environments (26.1%) such as clubs, although this differed on the basis of respondent's sexuality. Principle components analysis of GHB user responses to the subjective questionnaire revealed six components: general intoxication effects, positive intoxication effects, negative intoxication effects, negative physiological effects, positive sexual effects and negative sexual effects. Component scores predicted function of use. PMID- 17766061 TI - Genetic relationship between porcine rotavirus strains bearing a new P-type. PMID- 17766062 TI - A comparison of the general movements assessment with traditional approaches to newborn and infant assessment: concurrent validity. AB - BACKGROUND: Assessment of the quality of general movements (GMs) is an early clinical marker for prediction of cerebral palsy. AIMS: To explore how the General Movements Assessment (GMsA) relates to traditional newborn and infant measures currently in use. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cohort design was used to examine concurrent validity of the GMsA in Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) survivors (n=100) at three age points: preterm (34 weeks gestational age GA), term (38-40 weeks GA), and post term (12 weeks adjusted age [AA]) with traditional assessments (see below). Correlation analysis was used to determine the strength of the associations between tests at each age point. SUBJECTS: Preterm infants born at /=1000 microg/g creatinine was significantly higher than that of the Japanese population for death from causes other than cancer, but not for cancers (177 at the 95% confidence interval [CI] 94-303). From analysis within the Cd-polluted area, the age-adjusted rate ratio of cancer deaths associated with increased U-beta2M was 2.58 (95% CI 1.25-5.36). The incidence rate of cancer among those with U beta2M>/=1000 microg/g creatinine was 1.38 (95% CI 0.69-2.47) times that of the regional reference rate. Within the Cd-polluted area, the age-adjusted rate ratio of developing cancer associated with high U-beta2M was 1.79 (95% CI 0.84-3.82). In summary, there was a significant association between U-beta2M excretion and cancer mortality. However, there was neither a significantly increased standardized incidence ratio of cancer, nor significant relationship between U beta2M and cancer incidence rate, though the point estimates were higher than unity. Continued follow-up and investigation of a larger cohort may be required before drawing a conclusion for the association between exposure to environmental Cd and cancer risk. PMID- 17766067 TI - S-propranolol imprinted polymer nanoparticle-on-microsphere composite porous cellulose membrane for the enantioselectively controlled delivery of racemic propranolol. AB - Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanoparticle-on-microspheres (NOM) selective for S-propranolol were successfully prepared using suspension polymerization involving agitation of the reaction mixture at high speed. The integration of the MIP-NOM into a self-assembled porous cellulose membrane allowed a controlled distribution and availability of the molecule recognition sites within a porous structure. The nature of the membrane-included microparticles determined the degree of porosity whilst the adherent nanoparticles provided an increased surface area enabling the composite membrane to be employed efficiently for the trans-membrane transport of the imprinted molecule. The MIP-NOM within the membrane were easily accessible for binding of the imprinted molecule and appeared to maintain high selectivity, indicating that the composite membranes may potentially provide valuable affinity matrices. In this study, the application for MIP-NOM composite cellulose membranes were investigated for their potential to act as transdermal drug delivery systems for the S-enantiomers from racemic propranolol, its ester prodrugs (cyclopropanoyl- and valeryl-propranolol) or other beta-blockers (pindolol and oxprenolol). The enantioselective release of the fluorescently active 1-pyrene-butyryl ester prodrug of S-propranolol from MIP NOM composite membranes and its diffusion and transit across excised rat skin was monitored by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The mechanism underlying the release of S-propranolol from the MIP-NOM composite membrane was found to involve specific adsorption and mobility of this enantiomer at the binding site in the MIP-NOM as the latter undergo a transition from the dry to wet state. The proposed MIP-NOM composite membrane controlled release system may be applicable for fabrication of novel membranes with self-controllable permeability responding to the presence of target solutes. PMID- 17766068 TI - Transdermal delivery of capsaicin derivative-sodium nonivamide acetate using microemulsions as vehicles. AB - The objective of this study was to prepare sodium nonivamide acetate (SNA) microemulsion for topical administration. Microemulsions consisted of a mixed surfactant of Tween 80 and Span 20 as surfactant, ethanol as cosurfactant, isopropyl myristate (IPM) as an oil phase and water as an external phase. The effect of composition of microemulsion including the ratio of oil phase/surfactant/aqueous phase, various cosurfactant and polymer on the character and permeability of microemulsion were evaluated. The mean droplet size of SNA microemulsions ranged from 64 to 208 nm. Microemulsions showed potent enhancement effect for SNA transdermal delivery by a 3.7-7.1-fold increase when compared with the control group. Microemulsion containing ethanol as cosurfactant had the highest enhancement effect. With incorporated polymer, the viscosity of microemulsions increased resulting in the decrease in penetration rate of SNA. However, the permeability of SNA delivered from microemulsion was higher than SNA from volatile vehicles (pH 4.2 buffer containing 25% ethanol) reported in an earlier study, therefore microemulsions could be an effective vehicle for topical delivery of SNA. PMID- 17766070 TI - Antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extract, fractions and compounds from the stem bark of Irvingia gabonensis (Ixonanthaceae). AB - The antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extract from the stem bark of Irvingia gabonensis (IGM), fractions and compounds isolated from IGM [3 friedelanone (1), betulinic acid (2), oleanolic acid (3), 3,3',4'-tri-O methylellagic acid (4), 3,4-di-O-methylellagic acid (5) and hardwickiic acid (6)] was evaluated against Gram-positive bacteria (6 species), Gram-negative bacteria (13 species) and three Candida species using dilution methods for the determination of the minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) and the minimal microbicidal concentration (MMC). From the obtained results, IGM prevented the growth of all the species of microorganisms tested at a concentration limit of 312.50 microg/ml. Compounds 4-6 also inhibited the growth of all the tested microbial species while compounds 1-3 showed selective activities. The lowest MIC values (78.12 microg/ml) were obtained with IGM on 13 of the 22 microorganisms tested. The corresponding value of 1.22 microg/ml (4.26 microM) for compounds was recorded with compound 6 on Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The obtained results confirmed the use of Irvingia gabonensis in the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections. PMID- 17766069 TI - Anti-inflammatory and free radical scavenging activities of ethanol extracts of three seeds used as "Bolengguazi". AB - The seeds of Herpetospermum pedunculosun (Ser.) C.B.Clarke. (HPD), Mormodica cochinchinensis (Lour.) Spreng. (MCC) and Mormodica charantia L. (MCR) share the same common name ("Bolengguazi") in the Tibetan medicine. The anti-inflammatory activities of the three "Bolengguazi" were evaluated using egg album-induced paw edema and cotton-pellet granuloma tests. Among them, HPD is the most active one in both models. Results showed that oral administration of ethanol extract of HPD seed (200 and 400mg/kg) significantly suppressed the development of egg albumin induced paw edema (P<0.01). In the chronic test, the ethanol extract of HPD seed (200 and 400mg/kg) showed significant reduction in granuloma weight of rats (P<0.05). The anti-inflammatory effect of the ethanol HPD seed was similar to that of indomethacin (10mg/kg). Moreover, the free radical scavenging activities of "Bolengguazi" were investigated using the DPPH test. Only the ethanol extract of HPD seed showed a moderate free radical scavenging effect on DPPH (IC50, 198.69 microg/ml) when compared with the positive control, V(E), (IC50, 44.91 microg/ml). The HPD seeds showed more significant anti-inflammatory activities in additional to higher free radical scavenging activities than that of the MCC and MCR seeds. The results of the present study provide a scientific basis to explain, in part, the popular use of HPD seed in Tibetan folk medicine as "Bolengguazi". The present study also supports the claims by the traditional Tibetan medicine practitioners about the use of HPD seeds in inflammatory diseases, such as "Chiba". PMID- 17766072 TI - [Physicians and occupational health: a qualitative study in south-eastern France]. AB - BACKGROUND: Occupational health is a major public health problem in France. However, the level of investment of general practitioners and specialist physicians in this field is not well documented. We aimed at studying elements moving closer or differentiating groups of professionals (notably physicians) in the field of occupational health in terms of conceptions of their roles (prevention and care) and of practices (in particular detection and notification of occupational diseases and perceived barriers). METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study in south-eastern France which consisted of in-depth interviews of physicians and actors involved in the prevention of occupational hazards or in their indemnification. Then discourse analysis was carried out on the corpus collected. Content analysis grouped the data into themes. RESULTS: Several reasons could explain the low investment of physicians in the field of occupational health: insufficient detection of occupational causes of diseases, complexity of administrative procedures of declaration and bias of causal interpretation for the patients exposed to other risk factors such as smoking. The fear that notifying an occupational disease might have repercussions on patients' socio-professional situations places physicians in a situation of ethical dilemma: inducing a social risk on one side, ignoring his rights on the other. Physicians are not sufficiently prepared to deal with these situations, because they lack appropriate knowledge and support from specialists in the field, due to an important bulk-heading of actors and their practices. CONCLUSION: To sensitize and train physicians to occupational health and to support multi-field practices are essential. PMID- 17766071 TI - The evaluation of oxidative DNA damage in children with brain damage using 8 hydroxydeoxyguanosine levels. AB - Urinary and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were examined to estimate the relevance of oxidative stress in children with brain damage. Urinary 8-OHdG levels were measured in 51 children with various forms of central nervous system (CNS) disorders (status epilepticus [SE], hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy [HIE], CNS infections and chronic epilepsy) and these levels were compared with those in 51 healthy children. CSF 8-OHdG levels were measured in 25 children with brain damage and in 19 control subjects. In addition, urinary and CSF levels of 8-OHdG were compared between the children with brain damage and healthy children. Finally, the relationship between urinary and CSF levels of 8-OHdG was determined in 12 children that provided both urinary and CSF samples. Our results showed that urinary 8-OHdG levels in children with HIE and CNS infections were higher than those of controls (Steel test; p < 0.05 and p < 0.05, respectively) and that CSF 8-OHdG levels were higher in children with SE, HIE, and CNS infections than in control subjects (Steel test; p < 0.01, 0.05 and 0.05, respectively). In addition, a positive correlation between the levels of urinary and CSF 8-OHdG was noted in the 12 children that provided both CSF and urinary samples (Spearman's rank correlation; rho = 0.82, p < 0.01). Further, we observed changes in the urinary 8-OHdG in a patient with HHV-6 encephalopathy, and found that the changes correlated well with the patient's clinical condition. These results suggest that oxidative stress is strongly related to acute brain damage in children, and that 8-OHdG is a useful marker of brain damage. Therefore, repeated measurements of urinary 8-OHdG may be helpful in estimating the extent of brain damage. PMID- 17766073 TI - Diagnostic value of 64-slice CT angiography in coronary artery disease: a systematic review. AB - PURPOSE: To perform a systematic review of the diagnostic value of 64-multislice CT (MSCT) angiography in the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) when compared to conventional coronary angiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search of PUBMED and MEDLINE databases for English literature was performed. Only studies with at least 10 patients comparing 64-slice MSCT angiography with conventional coronary angiography in the detection of CAD were included. Diagnostic value of MSCT angiography compared to coronary angiography was compared and analysed at segment-, vessel- and patient-based assessment. RESULTS: Fifteen studies met selection criteria and were included for analysis. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value as well as 95% confidence interval (CI) were 97% (94 and 99%), 88% (79 and 97%), 94% (91 and 97%), and 95% (90 and 99%) for patient-based assessment; 92% (85 and 99%), 92% (85 and 99%), 78% (66 and 91%) and 98% (96 and 99%) for vessel-based assessment; 90% (85 and 94%), 96% (95 and 97%), 75%(68 and 82%) and 98% (98 and 99%) for segment-based assessment, respectively. No significant difference was found in the diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice CT in the detection of CAD when comparison was performed either among four main coronary arteries, or between proximal and middle or distal segments (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results showed that 64-slice CT angiography has a high-diagnostic value in the detection of CAD. Severe coronary artery calcification seems to be the major factor affecting the visualisation and assessment. PMID- 17766074 TI - CT coronary angiography: influence of different cardiac reconstruction intervals on image quality and diagnostic accuracy. AB - PURPOSE: To prospectively analyze image quality and diagnostic accuracy of different reconstruction intervals of coronary angiography using multislice computed tomography (MSCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: For each of 47 patients, 10 ECG-gated MSCT reconstructions were generated throughout the RR interval from 0 to 90%, resulting in altogether 470 datasets. These datasets were randomly analyzed for image quality and accuracy and compared with conventional angiography. Statistical comparison of intervals was performed using nonparametric analysis for repeated measurements to account for clustering of arteries within patients. RESULTS: Image reconstruction intervals centered at 80, 70, and 40% of the RR interval resulted (in that order) in the best overall image quality for all four main coronary vessels. Eighty percent reconstructions also yielded the highest diagnostic accuracy of all intervals. The combination of the three best intervals (80, 70, and 40%) significantly reduced the nondiagnostic rate as compared with 80% alone (p=0.005). However, the optimal reconstruction interval combination achieved significantly improved specificities and nondiagnostic rates (p<0.05). The optimal combination consisted of 1.7+/-0.9 reconstruction intervals on average. In approximately half of the patients (49%, 23/47) a single reconstruction was optimal. In 18 (38%), 3 (6%), and 3 (6%) patients one, two, and three additional reconstruction intervals were required, respectively, to achieve optimal quality. In 28% of the patients the optimal combination consisted of reconstructions other than the three best intervals (80, 70, and 40%). CONCLUSION: Multiple image reconstruction intervals are essential to ensure high image quality and accuracy of CT coronary angiography. PMID- 17766075 TI - Diffuse pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: characteristic imaging features. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate imaging findings of diffuse pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 14 patients (4 men and 10 women; mean age, 64.5 years) with diffuse pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma on the basis of retrospective radiological review. Two radiologists retrospectively reviewed 14 CT scans in consensus with respect to the following: tumor site, peripheral capsule-like structure, dilatation of intratumoral pancreatic duct, parenchymal atrophy, and ancillary findings. Eight magnetic resonance (MR) examinations with MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and seven endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) were also reviewed, focusing on peripheral capsule-like structure and dilatation of intratumoral pancreatic duct. RESULTS: CT revealed tumor localization to the body and tail in 11 (79%) patients and peripheral capsule-like structure in 13 (93%). The intratumoral pancreatic duct was not visible in 13 (93%). Pancreatic parenchymal atrophy was not present in all 14 patients. Tumor invasion of vessels was observed in all 14 patients and of neighbor organs in 8 (57%). On contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR images, peripheral capsule-like structure showed higher signal intensity in five patients (71%). In all 11 patients with MRCP and/or ERCP, the intratumoral pancreatic duct was not dilated. CONCLUSION: Diffuse pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma has characteristic imaging findings, including peripheral capsule-like structure, local invasiveness, and absence of both dilatation of intratumoral pancreatic duct and parenchymal atrophy. PMID- 17766076 TI - Alternative and improved method for the simultaneous determination of fexofenadine and pseudoephedrine in their combined tablet formulation. AB - An alternative method for the determination of fexofenadine (FEX) and pseudoephedrine (PSE) in their combined tablet formulation has been developed, employing the partial least squares (PLS) analysis of spectral data of the analytes in their pharmaceutical association. A full-factorially designed set of 16 synthetic samples was employed for calibration purposes. The calibration models were constructed with wavelengths selection, in the ultraviolet region, according to their predictive ability. These were validated internally by the leave-one-out procedure and externally, employing appropriate sets of validation samples. The described method was linear for both analytes, over the range 160.6 301.2 mg L(-1) for FEX (R(2)=0.9993) and between 325.6 and 610.5 mg L(-1) for PSE (R(2)=0.9992). It was accurate, exhibiting 99.8% and 99.9% drug recoveries for FEX and PSE, respectively (N=9), while in the intermediate precision experiment relative standard deviations were 1.4% for FEX and 1.2% for PSE. The contents of both analytes were assayed in commercial tablets employing this method and the results were compared with those furnished by HPLC, being in good statistical agreement. The method represents an improvement over the first derivative of spectral ratio (DSR) technique and allows high sample throughput with minimum reagent consumption and waste generation. The obtained results confirm that the method is highly suitable for its intended purpose. PMID- 17766077 TI - Analysis of volatile compounds in fresh healthy and diseased peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) using solvent free solid injection coupled with gas chromatography flame ionization detector and confirmation with mass spectrometry. AB - The characteristic volatile flavor compounds in healthy peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) were evaluated using a solvent-free solid injector coupled with a-gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (SFSI-GC-FID) and the results of evaluation were confirmed using GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). These compounds were compared with those obtained from peppers that were naturally infected or artificially inoculated with Colletotrichum spp. Parameters influencing the vaporization efficiency, including the injector temperature, pre-heating time and holding time, were optimized to improve the analytical efficiency. A total of 96 compounds (excluding eight capillary compounds), 17 of which were identified in healthy peppers, 49 of which were found in naturally infected peppers, and 61 of which were identified in artificially inoculated peppers, were separated and identified under the optimal conditions of an injector temperature of 250 degrees C and 7-min preheating and holding times. Acetic acid and 2-furanmethanol were the major compounds detected in the volatiles of the healthy and diseased peppers. The major compound detected in both the healthy and naturally infected peppers was 3-hydroxypyridine, while hexadecanoic acid was the primary compound identified in the artificially inoculated peppers. Indole derivatives (1H-indole, 4-methylindole and 1-ethylindole) were suggested to be the key factors contributing to the pepper infection caused by Colletotrichum spp. We conclude that SFSI in combination with GC is a suitable approach for distinguishing between healthy and diseased peppers by the investigation of their volatile compounds. It does not require the use of solvents and complicated equipment. PMID- 17766079 TI - [Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome associated to a Morganella morganii and Enterococcus faecium peritonitis]. AB - About fifty to sixty percent of patients with septic shock acquire acute adrenal insufficiency. This insufficiency is most often relative, but can sometimes be absolute. Bilateral adrenal haemorrhage is a rare aetiology of absolute acute adrenal insufficiency. It is classically described in patients with severe meningococcemia (purpura fulminans), who commonly present many of the risk factors associated with bilateral adrenal haemorrhage (shock, coagulation disorders, sepsis). We report a case of bilateral adrenal haemorrhage during a peritonitis complicated by a septic shock, with no coagulation disorder. This observation shows up that this bilateral adrenal haemorrhage can complicate severe sepsis of various origins, and not only severe meningococcemia. It can be suspected in face of a septic shock with an unfavourable evolution despite adequate treatment. PMID- 17766080 TI - [Cerebral salt wasting syndrome: experimental study in rats]. AB - INTRODUCTION: The cerebral salt wasting syndrome (CSWS) is characterized by hyponatraemia secondary to excessive natriuesis with osmotic duiresis. This syndrome, frequently, occurs after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), but may occur after any acute cerebral aggression. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the frequency of the CSWS in animal models with, SAH, cerebral ischemia (CI), and cranial trauma (CT), and its correlation with the secretion of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). METHOD: Four groups of rats were selected: group SAH (n=7) consisted of SAH induced by perforation of the carotid artery in its intracerebral part; group CI (n=7) consisted of CI induced by ligature of the carotid artery; group CT (n=7) consisted of induced CT; and a control group Sham (n=7). Weight, serum sodium, BNP, and urinary sodium, were measured at baseline and 24 hours after. RESULTS: Rats with SAH had significant natriuresis and diuresis with negative sodium balance (-95.9+/-447.4 mumol) with a significant difference (P<0.05) compared to the rats of the CI and the Sham groups. There was no difference in the 24 hours level of BNP between the four different groups. CONCLUSION: We conclude that SAH, in animal models, induced high diuresis with negative sodium balance in the first 24 hours. These findings were absents in the others groups. This was independent of the BNP secretion and may correspond to the early occurrence of a CSWS. PMID- 17766078 TI - The influence of age on perceptions of anticipated financial inadequacy by palliative radiation outpatients. AB - OBJECTIVE: A consistent body of knowledge suggests that with advancing age, adults tend to report lower financial strain from their current economic condition. But are more negative perceptions shifted onto their expectations about their future economic condition? This study of seriously ill outpatients investigates whether advancing age is related to more negative expectations of future health-related financial strain, in which illness progression would necessitate greater health care consumption. METHODS: Ordinal probit multivariate regression was conducted on survey findings from 268 outpatients initiating palliative radiation for recurrent cancer. Half were retirees age>/=65. Age comparisons are reported when there was no recent work transition. RESULTS: As age advances (from 40 to 84), outpatients incurring low objective financial stress were more likely to reveal that their health insurance and finances would be less adequate to meet future health needs. CONCLUSION: Previously, these outpatients were reported to minimize perceptions of current financial strain as age advances. Therefore, older outpatients may cope with current circumstances by displacing perceptions of financial inadequacy onto plausible future situations of cancer progression demanding greater healthcare consumption. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Financial strain may be hidden in older outpatients initiating palliative radiation. These outpatients appear at risk of foregoing appropriate healthcare. Targeted screening and advocacy are warranted. PMID- 17766081 TI - [Prehospital management by EMS of a potential non-heart-beating donor]. AB - After their prehospital management by EMS system and on-scene declaration of death, some patients are potential non-heart-beating donors. We report the case of refractory cardiac arrest, transferred to the hospital assisted by chest compression device. Time factor might be an important brake on prehospital recruitment. Future networks should attempt to shorten the time intervals. PMID- 17766082 TI - The relationship between parenting factors and trait anxiety: mediating role of cognitive errors and metacognition. AB - Research examining parenting factors in the development of anxiety has focused largely on the concepts of parental warmth and overcontrolling or intrusive parenting, This study investigated the relationship between these factors, and also parental discipline style and anxiety using self-report methodology with a sample of 16-18 year olds. In order to try to explain the relationship between parenting and anxiety, measures of cognition were also included. A multiple regression was conducted including all parenting factors as predictors of trait anxiety. The regression was a modest fit (R(2)=22%) and the model was significant (F(4, 141)=9.90, p<0.0001). Only the effect of Over-reactivity was significant, (t=3.72, p<0.0001). Furthermore, Over-reactive discipline was significantly associated with increased cognitive distortions (r=0.361 p<0.0001) and metacognition (r=0.396 p<0.0001). Both cognitive distortions and metacognition were found to partially mediate the relationship between discipline style and trait anxiety. The implications of these findings and areas for future research are discussed. PMID- 17766083 TI - Satisfaction with treatment outcome in bilateral cleft lip and palate patients. AB - The aim of this case-controlled study was to assess satisfaction with facial appearance and function, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in bilateral cleft lip and palate patients (BCLP). The study sample was composed of adult BCLP subjects and controls matched for age, gender and socioeconomic status. Outcome measures included a self-administered questionnaire evaluating satisfaction with facial appearance, function and HRQL. Bivariate statistics were computed to analyse the association between BCLP status and outcome measures. Forty-three treated adult BCLP patients (mean age 28.2 years, SD 7.8) were compared to 43 controls without clefts (mean age 28.5 years, SD 8.0). Quantitative and qualitative assessment revealed that BCLP patients were significantly less satisfied with the appearance of the upper lip, the nose and nasal breathing. Additionally, satisfaction with facial appearance correlated positively with HRQL. For speech, hearing and drinking, quantitative scores did not differ between BCLP and controls, while qualitative assessment revealed that BCLP patients had considerable problems and concerns with these functions. This study underlines the importance of qualitative assessment of patient satisfaction with treatment outcome to identify individual problems and concerns not revealed by quantitative measures alone. PMID- 17766084 TI - Prosthodontic rehabilitation of oral function in head-neck cancer patients with dental implants placed simultaneously during ablative tumour surgery: an assessment of treatment outcomes and quality of life. AB - The aim of this prospective study was to assess treatment outcome and impact on quality of life of prosthodontic rehabilitation with implant-retained prostheses in head-neck cancer patients. Fifty patients were evaluated by standardized questionnaires and clinical assessment. All received the implants during ablative tumour surgery in native bone in the interforaminal area. About two-thirds of the patients (n=31) needed radiotherapy post-surgery. Both in irradiated and non irradiated bone two implants were lost 18-24 months after installation. Peri implant tissues had a healthy appearance. No cases of osteoradionecrosis occurred. In 15 patients no functional implant-retained lower dentures could be made for various reasons. The other 35 patients all functioned well, with an improvement in quality of life. Major improvement was observed in the non irradiated patients. In the irradiated patients, less improvement in many functional items was observed, while items related to the oral sequelae of radiotherapy did not improve. Similar to the quality-of-life assessments, denture satisfaction was improved and tended to be higher in non-irradiated than irradiated patients. Implant-retained lower dentures can substantially improve the quality of life related to oral functioning and denture satisfaction in head neck cancer patients. This effect is greater in non-irradiated than irradiated cancer patients. PMID- 17766085 TI - Lingual nerve injury II. Observations on sensory recovery after micro neurosurgical reconstruction. AB - The aim of this study was to report on neurosensory recovery after micro-surgical lingual nerve repair, and to evaluate the effect on recovery of age, delay in repair and gender of the patient. Seventy-four patients entered the study. The micro-surgical repair performed was direct nerve suture (n=71), external neurolysis (n=2) and excision of neuroma without nerve coaptation (n=1). A standardized neurosensory examination was employed in all patients before surgery and during follow up. Recovery was significant for perception of all tested stimuli: feather light touch, pin prick, pointed/dull discrimination, warm, cold, location of touch, and brush stroke direction, pain perception and two-point discrimination. The rate of recovery was highest during the first 6 months. Females were more often affected than males, but recovery was not influenced by gender. The distribution of neurogenic discomfort (paraesthesia, etc.) remained essentially unchanged. Disregarding cases with poor recovery, delay of surgery had a small but significant influence on the regain of neurosensory function of the lingual nerve whereas age had no such effect. None of the patients recovered to normal. Lingual nerve injury seriously affects the quality of life of patients, and micro-surgical repair is beneficial in the absence of spontaneous recovery. PMID- 17766086 TI - Lingual nerve injury in third molar surgery I. Observations on recovery of sensation with spontaneous healing. AB - The aim of this study was to investigate the healing potential of damaged lingual nerves with some remaining function at least 3 months post injury. Forty-six patients were monitored at different time intervals after injury. A simple neurosensory examination included the perception of tactile, thermal stimuli and location of stimulus, as well as two-point discrimination, pain and the presence of a neuroma at the lesion site. Neurogenic signs and symptoms related to the injury and their variation over time were registered. Females were more often referred than males. Most lingual nerve injuries exhibited a significant potential for recovery, but only a few patients made a full recovery with absence of neurogenic symptoms. The recovery rate was highest during the first 6 months. Recovery was not influenced by gender, and only slightly by age. The presence of a neuroma was associated with a more severe injury. Patients should be monitored repeatedly for at least 3 months, and not operated on until neurosensory function no longer improves, and is less than what might be rendered by microsurgical repair. Through proper training and mastery of the surgical approach, every effort should be focused on sparing the lingual nerve, considering its proximity to the field of surgery. PMID- 17766087 TI - Pathological changes after the surgical creation of a vertical intracapsular condylar fracture. AB - The aim of this study was to create in a sheep model an intracapsular oblique vertical split fracture, and observe the histopathological changes in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) condylar head. In 10 sheep, the right TMJ was operated through the preauricular region. The anterior and posterior attachments of the disc were cut; an oblique vertical osteotomy was made from the lateral pole of the condyle to the medial side of condylar neck. The condylar fragment was pushed anteriorly, inferiorly and medially together with the disc. The non operated left TMJ served as control. Two sheep were killed at 1 week and four at both 4 and 12 weeks. Computed tomography scans were taken and histopathological changes of the joint observed. There was severe bone erosion and a new bony outgrowth on the lateral side of the condylar stump and temporal bone. The joint spaces were filled with fibrous tissue, cartilage tissue and bone in the 4 and 12 weeks operated groups. These results show that an oblique vertical intracapsular fracture through the lateral condylar pole, combined with an anteriorly and medially displaced condylar fragment and disc and damaged lateral capsule, are likely to result in the pathological changes of osteoarthritis, and the progressive development of ankylosis in a sheep TMJ. PMID- 17766088 TI - Stertorous breathing is a reliably identified sign that helps in the differentiation of epileptic from psychogenic non-epileptic convulsions: an audit. AB - Stertorous breathing may occur after epileptic convulsions, but does not typically occur after psychogenic non-epileptic convulsions. During an 18-month audit at a tertiary referral centre in the United Kingdom, we analysed 75 convulsions arising in 45 patients and found that nursing and ancillary staff can be easily trained to reliably identify the presence or absence of stertorous breathing after a convulsion. No patient with a final diagnosis of purely psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (17 out of 45 patients) was judged to have stertorous respiration. Stertorous breathing was present in 41 out of 44 interpretable video recordings from patients with epileptic convulsions proven on videotelemetry. We suggest that a history or evidence (e.g. video) of stertorous breathing may help in distinguishing epileptic from psychogenic non-epileptic convulsive seizures. PMID- 17766089 TI - Impaired recognition and expression of emotional prosody in schizophrenia: review and meta-analysis. AB - BACKGROUND: Deficits in emotion processing may be one of the most pervasive disturbances in schizophrenia that may contribute to social isolation. In this report we focus on vocal emotion processing. This function bears upon two corner stones of social functioning, language and emotion, which have both been found to be impaired in schizophrenia. METHODS: We used meta-analysis to integrate findings of studies published between 1980 and June 2007 on perception of emotional prosody in schizophrenia. 17 studies provided sufficient information to be included. A mean weighted effect size was computed in the random effects model. Publication bias was tested using funnel plots and fail-safe number of studies. Seven studies were included in an analysis on the expression (i.e. production) of emotional prosody in schizophrenia. RESULTS: A significant and stable mean weighted effect size was found for the perception of emotional prosody, d=-1.24, 95% CI=-1.55 to -0.93. The effect was also found in the early stages of the illness. Expression of emotional prosody was also significantly impaired, d=-1.11, 95% CI=-1.78 to -0.43. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that individuals with schizophrenia are impaired in the perception and expression of emotional prosody, with a large effect size. As a growing body of evidence shows that impaired social cognition in schizophrenia may be an important predictor of social outcome, training programs that aim at the recognition of emotional prosody should be developed. PMID- 17766090 TI - Cognitive predictors of symptom change for participants in vocational rehabilitation. AB - BACKGROUND: This study explored the relationship between cognitive impairments and their impact on rate of symptom improvement in a 26 week work therapy program. METHOD: Data were abstracted from the archives of 157 outpatients with SCID confirmed DSM-IV diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who participated in at least 13 weeks of our 6-month rehabilitation research program. A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment was performed at intake. Symptoms were assessed using the PANSS at intake and at 6 months. Work performance on the job was evaluated biweekly using the Work Behavior Inventory. RESULTS: With initial PANSS score and number of weeks of participation treated as covariates, logical memory was the only significant predictor of the slope of symptom change as measured by PANSS total score. The predictive power of logical memory remained when the model included improvement in work performance. Discriminant analysis showed that logical memory correctly classified 79.8% of participants as improvers or non-improvers. IMPLICATIONS: We conclude that participants with better logical memory may have been better able to integrate their positive work experience into a self-narrative of recovery that favorably influenced their symptoms. Implications for further research are discussed. PMID- 17766091 TI - Association of synapsin 2 with schizophrenia in families of Northern European ancestry. AB - The synapsin 2 (Syn2) gene (3p25) is implicated in synaptogenesis, neurotransmitter release, and the localization of nitric oxide synthase to the proximity of its targets. In this study we investigated linkage and association between the Syn2 locus and schizophrenia. 37 pedigrees of Northern European ancestry from the NIMH Human Genetics Initiative collection were used. Four microsatellites and twenty SNPs were genotyped. Linkage (FASTLINK) and association (TRANSMIT, PDTPHASE) between markers and schizophrenia were evaluated. A maximum heterogeneity LOD of 1.93 was observed at marker D3S3434 with a recessive mode of inheritance. Significant results were obtained for association with schizophrenia using TRANSMIT (minimum nominal p=0.0000005) and PDTPHASE (minimum nominal p=0.014) using single marker analyses. Haplotype analysis using markers in introns 5 and 6 of Syn2 provided a single haplotype that is significantly associated with schizophrenia using TRANSMIT (nominal p<0.00000001) and PDTPHASE (nominal p=0.02). Simulation studies confirm the global significance of these results, but demonstrate that the small p-values generated by the bootstrap routine of TRANSMIT can be consistently anticonservative. Review of the literature suggests that Syn2 is likely to be involved in the etiology or pathogenesis of schizophrenia. PMID- 17766092 TI - Anemonin is a natural bioactive compound that can regulate tyrosinase-related proteins and mRNA in human melanocytes. AB - BACKGROUND: Melanin is the pigment responsible for skin color. Melanin synthesis occurs with the participation of the tyrosinase (TYR) family of proteins including TYR, tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP1), and tyrosinase-related protein 2(TRP2/DCT). OBJECTIVE: The effect of a newly isolated natural compound that inhibits hyperpigmentation on the regulation of the TYR family of proteins was examined. METHODS: The natural compound, anemonin, was isolated from Clematis crassifolia Benth and was used to inhibit cellular TYR activity; it was found to have a low cytotoxicity (cell viability > 80%) in human melanocytes. RESULTS: In human melanocytes, anemonin showed both time- and dose-dependent inhibition (IC(50) 43.5 microM) of TYR. Western blot analysis and immunocytochemical staining revealed that expression of TYR, TRP1, and TRP2 was decreased in anemonin-treated melanocytes. Additionally, reverse transcription and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed that expression of mRNAs for MITF, TYR, TYRP1, and TYRP2 was also suppressed by anemonin. CONCLUSION: The natural compound, anemonin, an active compound of C. crassifolia, inhibits pigmentation synthesis in human melanocytes. Anemonin inhibits melanin synthesis by inhibiting the transcription of the genes encoding MITF, TYR, TRP1, and TRP2. This natural compound may be a candidate for cosmetic use. PMID- 17766093 TI - Impact of levetiracetam on mood and cognition during prednisone therapy. AB - PURPOSE: Corticosteroid excess is associated with impairment in declarative memory and hippocampal changes. In animals, phenytoin blocks the effects of stress on memory and hippocampal histology. Levetiracetam also shows neuroprotective properties in some animal models. This report examines whether levetiracetam prevents mood or cognitive changes secondary to prescription corticosteroids. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty outpatients given systemic corticosteroid therapy for asthma were randomized to either levetiracetam (1500 mg/day) or placebo given concurrently with the corticosteroids. Mood was assessed with the Hamilton rating scale for depression (HRSD), Young mania rating scale (YMRS) and activation (ACT) subscale of the internal state scale, declarative memory with the Rey auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT), and attention and executive functioning with the Stroop color and word test at baseline and after approximately 7 days of corticosteroid plus levetiracetam or placebo therapy. RESULTS: Levetiracetam and placebo groups showed significant improvement from baseline to exit on RAVLT total words recalled with a non-significant change on other outcomes. No significant between-group differences were found. Initial prednisone dose showed a significant correlation with change in some cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS: Levetiracetam was well tolerated when combined with prednisone. Significant between-group differences in mood and cognition were not found. PMID- 17766094 TI - [Evolution of feeding behavior in mothers of infants and young children from 1 to 36 months old in France]. AB - The SFAE conducts every eight years since 1981 a national survey on feeding behavior and consumption in children under 3 years old. In 2005, the authors noticed a great improvement of milk feeding behaviour in infants compared to 1982, 1989, and 1997. Infant formulas get more importance compared to cow milk before the age of 1 year, and growth milk takes more and more cow milk's place since 13-18 months old. Feeding diversification is postponed between 5 and 6 months old. PMID- 17766095 TI - A comparative fine structural and phylogenetic analysis of resting cysts in oligotrich and hypotrich Spirotrichea (Ciliophora). AB - So far, neither morphology nor gene sequences have provided a reliable classification of halteriid and hypotrichid spirotrichs. Thus, we performed a comparative study on the fine structure of the resting cysts in some representative species, viz., the oligotrichs Halteria grandinella and Pelagostrombidium fallax and the oxytrichid hypotrichs Laurentiella strenua, Steinia sphagnicola, and Oxytricha granulifera. Main results include: (i) there are three different, very likely non-homologous cyst surface ornamentations, viz., spines (generated by the ectocyst), thorns (generated by the mesocyst), and lepidosomes (produced in the cytoplasm); (ii) Halteria has a perilemma; (iii) Halteria, Meseres and Pelagostrombidium have fibrous lepidosomes, while those of Oxytricha are tubular; (iv) the cyst wall structure of Pelagostrombidium and Strombidium is distinctly different from that of halteriids and oxytrichids, which are rather similar in this respect; (v) cyst ornamentation does not provide a reliable phylogenetic signal in oxytrichid hypotrichs because ectocyst spines occur in both flexible and rigid genera. The new observations and literature data were used to investigate the phylogeny of the core Spirotrichea. The Hennigian argumentation scheme and computer algorithms showed that the spirotrichs are bound together by the macronuclear reorganization band, the subepiplasmic microtubule basket, and the apokinetal stomatogenesis. The Hypotrichida and Oligotrichida are united by a very strong synapomorphy, viz., the perilemma, not found in any other member of the phylum. Halteriid and oligotrichid spirotrichs form a sister group supported by as many as 13 apomorphies. Thus, the molecular data, which classify the halteriids within the core hypotrichs, need to be reconsidered. PMID- 17766096 TI - Local excision after radio(chemo)therapy for rectal cancer: is it safe? AB - According to current opinion, local excision in rectal cancer should be limited to selected T1N0 tumours. Preoperative radio(chemo)therapy provides an opportunity for expanding the use of local excision for more advanced tumours. The key rationale of this approach is the correlation between the radiosensitivity and inherited low aggressiveness of rectal cancer and the correlation between the radiosensitivity of the primary tumour and the radiosensitivity of mesorectal nodal disease. This allows for a selection of local excision for radiosensitive tumours or conversion to abdominal surgery in radioresistant cases. Eleven reports including a total of 311 patients treated with preoperative radio(chemo)therapy and local excision have been published. In some series, the tumours were initially large and unresectable by the transanal approach. Pathological data suggest that local excision must involve all tissue invaded on pre-treatment examination with a margin, even in patients with a clinical complete response. The pooled analysis has shown a local recurrence rate of 1% (1/83) for patients achieving a pathological complete response, 8% (3/40) for ypT1, 11% (4/37) for ypT2 and 3/9 for ypT3. In conclusion, the results of preoperative radio(chemo)therapy and local excision are encouraging and warrant a population-based, multicentre controlled study. PMID- 17766097 TI - In-silico model of skin penetration based on experimentally determined input parameters. Part II: mathematical modelling of in-vitro diffusion experiments. Identification of critical input parameters. AB - This work describes a framework for in-silico modelling of in-vitro diffusion experiments illustrated in an accompanying paper [S. Hansen, A. Henning, A. Naegel, M. Heisig, G. Wittum, D. Neumann, K.-H. Kostka, J. Zbytovska, C.M. Lehr, U.F. Schaefer, In-silico model of skin penetration based on experimentally determined input parameters. Part I: experimental determination of partition and diffusion coefficients, Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. 68 (2008) 352-367 [corrected] A mathematical model of drug permeation through stratum corneum (SC) and viable epidermis/dermis is presented. The underlying geometry for the SC is of brick-and mortar character, meaning that the corneocytes are completely embedded in the lipid phase. The geometry is extended by an additional compartment for the deeper skin layers (DSL). All phases are modelled with homogeneous diffusivity. Lipid donor and SC-DSL partition coefficients are determined experimentally, while corneocyte-lipid and DSL-lipid partition coefficients are derived consistently with the model. Together with experimentally determined apparent lipid- and DSL diffusion coefficients, these data serve as direct input for computational modelling of drug transport through the skin. The apparent corneocyte diffusivity is estimated based on an approximation, which uses the apparent SC- and lipid diffusion coefficients as well as corneocyte-lipid partition coefficients. The quality of the model is evaluated by a comparison of concentration-SC-depth profiles of the experiment with those of the simulation. Good agreements are obtained, and by an analysis of the underlying model, critical parameters of the models can be identified more easily. PMID- 17766099 TI - Factors affecting the occurrence and distribution of entomopathogenic fungi in natural and cultivated soils. AB - Factors affecting the occurrence and distribution of entomopathogenic fungi in 244 soil samples collected from natural and cultivated areas in Spain were studied using an integrated approach based on univariate and multivariate analyses. Entomopathogenic fungi were isolated from 175 of the 244 (71.7%) soil samples, with only two species found, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae. Of the 244 soil samples, 104 yielded B. bassiana (42.6%), 18 yielded M. anisopliae (7.3%), and 53 soil samples (21.7%) harboured both fungi. Log linear models indicated no significant effect of habitat on the occurrence of B. bassiana, but a strong association between M. anisopliae and soils from cultivated habitats, particularly field crops. Also, irrespective of habitat type, B. bassiana predominated over M. anisopliae in soils with a higher clay content, higher pH, and lower organic matter content. Logistic regression analyses showed that pH and clay content were predictive variables for the occurrence of B. bassiana, whereas organic matter content was the predictive variable for M. anisopliae. Also, latitude and longitude predicted the occurrence of these same species, but in opposite directions. Altitude was found to be predictive for the occurrence of B. bassiana. Using principal component analysis, four factors (1 to 4) accounted for 86% of the total variance; 32.8, 22.9, 19.6 and 10.4% of the cumulative variance explained, respectively. Factor 1 was associated with high positive weights for soil clay and silt content and high negative weights for soil sand content. Factor 2 was associated with high positive weights for soil organic matter content and high negative weights for soil pH. Factor 3 was associated with high positive weights for latitude and longitude of the sampled localities and factor 4, had high positive weights only for the altitude. Bi-plot displays representing soil samples were developed for different factor combinations and indicated that, irrespective of geographical location, absence of both fungal species was determined by alkaline sandy soils with low organic matter content, whereas heaviness of soil texture, acidity and increasing organic matter content led to progressively higher percentages of samples harbouring entomopathogenic fungi. These results could aid decision making as to whether or not a particular cultivated or natural soil is suitable for using entomopathogenic fungi as a pest control measure and for selecting the fungal species best suited to a particular soil. PMID- 17766100 TI - The effectiveness and safety of syringe vending machines as a component of needle syringe programmes in community settings. AB - Syringe vending machines (SVMs) have been introduced in Europe and Australasia as part of the effort to increase the availability of sterile needles and syringes to injecting drug users (IDUs). This qualitative review of 14 published and grey literature studies examines whether community-based SVMs as a component of a comprehensive needle syringe programme (NSP) assist to reduce the spread of HIV and other blood-borne viruses amongst IDUs. The available evidence suggests that SVMs increase access to sterile injecting equipment, reduce needle and syringe sharing, and are likely to be cost efficient. SVMs also complement other modes of NSP delivery as they are used by IDUs who are less likely to attend staffed NSPs or pharmacies. If installed and properly maintained in a well-chosen location and with the local community well prepared, SVMs can enhance the temporal and geographical availability of sterile injecting equipment. PMID- 17766098 TI - Th17: the third member of the effector T cell trilogy. AB - T helper responses have now grown to include three T cell subsets: Th1, Th2 and Th17. Th17 cells have recently emerged as a third independent T cell subset that may play an essential role in protection against certain extracellular pathogens. However, Th17 cells with specificity for self-antigens are highly pathogenic and lead to the development of inflammation and severe autoimmunity. A combination of TGF-beta plus IL-6 and the transcription factors STAT3 and RORgammat were recently described to be essential for initial differentiation of Th17 cells and IL-23 for the later stabilization of the Th17 cell subset. Here, we introduce another player IL-21 produced by Th17 themselves, which plays an important role in the amplification of Th17 cells. Thus, Th17 cells may undergo three distinct steps of development: differentiation, amplification and stabilization in which distinct cytokines play a role. PMID- 17766101 TI - Anodic porous alumina as mechanical stability enhancer for LDL-cholesterol sensitive electrodes. AB - In this work, to improve the mechanical stability of electrodes based on P450scc for LDL-cholesterol detection and measure, anodic porous alumina (APA) was used. This inorganic matrix, which pores can be tuned in diameter modifying the synthesis parameters, was realized with cavities 275 nm wide and 160 microm deep (as demonstrated with AFM and SEM measurement), to allow the immobilization of P450scc macromolecules preserving their electronic sensitivity to its native substrate, cholesterol. Even if the sensitivity of the APA+P450scc system was slightly reduced with respect to the pure P450scc system, the readout was stable for a much longer period of time, and the measures remained reproducible inside a proper confidentiality band, as demonstrated with several cyclic voltammetry measures. To optimize the adhesion of P450scc to APA, a layer of poly-L-lysine, a poly-cathion, was successfully implemented as intermediate organic structure. PMID- 17766102 TI - Surface renewable sol-gel composite electrode derived from 3-aminopropyl trimethoxy silane with covalently immobilized thionin. AB - Sol-gel technique has been used for the covalent immobilization of the water soluble mediator, thionin to construct a bulk modified, leak free composite electrode. This renewable composite electrode provides stable immobilization matrix for thionin via glutaraldehyde crosslinking. In the electrode composition the sol-gel precursor 3-aminopropyltrimethoxy silane serves as the host for immobilization of thionin, thereby preventing its leakage. An additional precursor methyl trimethoxy silane endows hydrophobicity and limits the wetting section of the modified electrode. Cyclic voltammetric characterization of the modified electrode in the potential range of 0.2 to -0.6 V exhibited stable redox peaks with a formal potential of -0.273 V, corresponding to immobilized thionin. This chemically modified electrode exhibits good electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of H(2)O(2) at a lower potential of -0.35 V. The reduction current of the modified electrode increases linearly in the range of 3.44 x 10(-6)M to 3.07 x 10(-3)M H(2)O(2) with a detection limit of 1.38 x 10(-6)M. The stable and quick response (5s) during chronoamperometry shows the potential application of the modified electrode for flow system analysis. The low potential operation ( 0.35 V) favoured selective determination of H(2)O(2). The composite electrode exhibits distinct advantages of polishing in the event of surface fouling as well as simple preparation, good chemical and mechanical stability, economical and remarkable long-term stability (more than 1 year). The applicability of the present sensor for H(2)O(2) determination proposes a method for the detection of other biologically significant analytes. PMID- 17766103 TI - AlGaN/GaN heterostructures for non-invasive cell electrophysiological measurements. AB - Recently, the ability to create bio-semiconductor hybrid devices has gained much interest for cell activity analysis. AlGaN material system has been demonstrated to be a promising cell-based biosensing platform due to a combination of unique properties, such as chemical inertness, optical transparency and low signal to noise ratios. To investigate the potential application of hybrid cell-AlGaN/GaN field effect transistor for cell electrophysiological monitoring, saos-2 human osteoblast-like cells were cultured in high density in non-metallized gate area of a transparent AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistor. We implemented and characterized the transistor recording of extracellular voltage in the cell-chip junction using the FET chip. The effect of ion channel blocker TEA on transistor signal was explored in order to test the capability of this hybrid chip for in vitro drug screening bioassay. Finally, the effect of cell adhesion on transistor signal was also studied by applying the protein kinase inhibitor H-7. PMID- 17766104 TI - Does chemotherapy prior to liver resection increase the potential for cure in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer? A report from the European Colorectal Metastases Treatment Group. AB - Liver resection offers the only chance of cure for patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). Typically, the 5-year survival rates following liver resection range from 25% to 40%. Unfortunately, approximately 85% of patients with stage IV CRC have liver disease which is considered unresectable at presentation. However, the rapid expansion in the use of improved combination therapy regimens has increased the percentage of patients eligible for potentially curative surgery. Despite this, the selection criteria for patients potentially suitable for resection are not well documented and patient management by multidisciplinary teams, although essential, is still evolving. The goal of the European Colorectal Metastases Treatment Group is to establish pan-European guidelines for the treatment of patients with CRC liver metastases that can be adopted more widely by established treatment centres and to develop more accurate staging systems and evaluation criteria. PMID- 17766105 TI - Immobilization of Candida rugosa lipase on poly(allyl glycidyl ether-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) macroporous polymer particles. AB - Macroporous polymer particles containing surface epoxy groups were synthesized for immobilization of Candida rugosa lipase (CRL). The effect of incorporation of two different sets of monomers [allyl glycidyl ether (AGE) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)] and the effect of crosslinking density on immobilization of lipase were studied. AGE-co-EGDM polymers gave higher binding and expression of lipase than GMA-co-EGDM polymers. Optimization of immobilization parameters was done with respect to immobilization time and enzyme loading. Amongst AGE-co-EGDM polymer series, AGE-150 polymer found to give maximum lipase activity yield and therefore evaluated for temperature, pH and storage stability. Under optimum conditions, AGE-150 polymer gave 78.40% of activity yield. Immobilized lipase on AGE-150 showed a broader pH, higher temperature and excellent storage stability. PMID- 17766106 TI - Discovery of (-)-6-[2-[4-(3-fluorophenyl)-4-hydroxy-1-piperidinyl]-1 hydroxyethyl]-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolinone--a potent NR2B-selective N-methyl D aspartate (NMDA) antagonist for the treatment of pain. AB - (-)-6-[2-[4-(3-Fluorophenyl)-4-hydroxy-1-piperidinyl]-1-hydroxyethyl]-3,4-dihydro 2(1H)-quinolinone was identified as an orally active NR2B-subunit selective N methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist. It has very high selectivity for NR2B subunits containing NMDA receptors versus the HERG-channel inhibition (therapeutic index=4200 vs NR2B binding IC(50)). This compound has improved pharmacokinetic properties compared to the prototype CP-101,606. PMID- 17766107 TI - Structure-activity relationship study of novel NR2B-selective antagonists with arylamides to avoid reactive metabolites formation. AB - A novel potent NMDA-NR2B selective antagonist without the reactive metabolites formation issue was identified. Through this study, a close correlation between reactive metabolites formation and calculated HOMO energies of parent compounds was found. PMID- 17766108 TI - Antinociceptive activity of furan-containing congeners of improgan and ranitidine. AB - Furan-containing congeners of the histamine H(2) receptor antagonist ranitidine were synthesized and tested for improgan-like antinociceptive activity. The most potent ligand of the series, VUF5498, is the most potent improgan-like agent described to date (ED(50)=25 nmol, icv). This compound is approximately equal in potency with morphine. These non-imidazole, improgan-like pain relievers further define the structural requirements for analgesics of this class and are important tools for ongoing mechanism-based studies. PMID- 17766110 TI - Synthesis and biological evaluation of a C5-biphenyl thiolactomycin library. AB - Fifteen novel C5 analogues of thiolactomycin (13 biphenyl analogues and two biphenyl mimics) have been synthesised and assessed for their in vitro mtFabH and whole cell Mycobacterium bovis BCG activity, respectively. Analysis of the 15 compounds revealed that six possessed enhanced in vitro activity in a direct mtFabH assay. Encouragingly analogues 11, 12 and 13 gave a significant enhancement in in vitro activity against mtFabH. Analogue 13 (5-(4 methoxycarbonyl-biphenyl-4-ylmethyl)-4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethyl-5H-thiophen-2-one) gave an IC(50) value of 3 microM compared to the parent drug thiolactomycin (75 microM) against mtFabH. The biological analysis of this library reaffirms the requirement for a linear pi-rich system containing hydrogen bond accepting substituents attached to the para-position of the C5 biphenyl analogue to generate compounds with enhanced activity. PMID- 17766109 TI - Novel anti-infection agents: small-molecule inhibitors of bacterial transcription factors. AB - Structure-based drug design was utilized to identify potent small-molecule inhibitors of proteins within the AraC family of bacterial transcription factors, which control virulence in medically important microbes. These agents represent a novel approach to fight infectious disease and may be less likely to promote resistance development. These compounds lack intrinsic antibacterial activity in vitro and were able to limit a bacterial infection in a mouse model of urinary tract infection. PMID- 17766111 TI - Kinesin spindle protein (KSP) inhibitors. Part 8: Design and synthesis of 1,4 diaryl-4,5-dihydropyrazoles as potent inhibitors of the mitotic kinesin KSP. AB - Inspired by previous efforts in the pyrazolobenzoxazine class of KSP inhibitors, the design and synthesis of 1,4-diaryl-4,5-dihydropyrazole inhibitors of KSP are described. Crystallographic evidence of binding mode and in vivo potency data is also highlighted. PMID- 17766112 TI - Synthesis and biological evaluation of amino-pyridines as androgen receptor antagonists for stimulating hair growth and reducing sebum production. AB - A series of amino-pyridines were synthesized and evaluated for androgen antagonist activities. Among these compounds, (R)-(+)-6-[methyl-(1-phenyl-ethyl) amino]-4-trifluoromethyl-nicotinonitrile was the most active example of this class. This compound displayed potent androgen receptor antagonist activity as well as favorable pharmacokinetic characteristics for a potential topical agent. It also demonstrated remarkable potency for stimulating hair growth in a male C3H mouse model as well as reducing sebum production in the male Syrian hamster ear model. PMID- 17766113 TI - Conformationally restricted homotryptamines. Part 4: Heterocyclic and naphthyl analogs of a potent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. AB - A series of hybrid molecules containing the cyclopropylmethylamino side chain found in homotryptamine (1S,2S)-2c and an isosteric heteroaryl or naphthyl core were prepared and their binding affinities for the human serotonin transporter determined. The most potent isosteres were CN-substituted naphthalenes. These results demonstrate that isosteric aromatic cores which lack an H-bond donor site may be substituted for the indole nucleus without substantial loss in hSERT binding. PMID- 17766114 TI - Synthesis and characterization of a pegylated derivative of 3-(1,2,3,6-tetrahydro pyridin-4yl)-1H-indole (IDT199): a high affinity SERT ligand for conjugation to quantum dots. AB - Quantum dots consisting of a cadmium selenide core encapsulated in a shell of cadmium doped zinc sulfide have the potential to revolutionize fluorescent imaging of live cell cultures. In order to utilize these fluorescent probes it is necessary to functionalize them with biologically active ligands. In this paper we report the design and synthesis of a ligand that has a high affinity for the serotonin transporter (SERT) that may be conjugated to quantum dots. PMID- 17766115 TI - Adjuvant therapy of the very young woman. AB - Women under 35 or 40 with primary breast cancer have a poor prognosis independent of other factors [Albain K, Allred C, Clark G. Breast cancer outcome and predictors of outcome: are there age differentials? J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 1994;35-42]. In some recent studies, however, age is not independent in multivariate analyses, which include gene signatures [Van De Vijver M, He YD, Van'T Veer L, et al. A gene-expression signature as a predictor of survival in breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2002;347:1999-2009.(132)]. Dissection of such molecular signatures may identify mechanisms, which can be targeted. Today, positive estrogen receptors identify women who require endocrine therapy, and HER2/neu positivity those who require herceptin and also benefit most from anthracyclines. Locoregional recurrences are also more common in younger women. Radiation boost therapy can reduce in-breast recurrence [Bartelink H, Horiot JC, Poortmans PM, Struikmans H, et al. Impact of radiation dose on local control, fibrosis and survival after breast conserving treatment: 10 year results of the EORTC trial 22881-10882. Br Cancer Res Treat 2006;100:S8-10]. There are also particular quality of life issues in young women, for whom fertility concerns and symptoms of premature menopause loom large. Some young women with lower risk may be candidates for endocrine therapy alone but it may be difficult to identify these with current prognostic and predictive factors. In the future more sophisticated molecular factors may identify those who require hormones alone, chemotherapy alone, newer biologic therapies, or combinations of these approaches. PMID- 17766117 TI - Proteins under new management: lipid droplets deliver. AB - Lipid droplets are ubiquitous organelles that store neutral lipids and have crucial roles in lipid metabolism. Recent studies have uncovered many examples of lipid droplets recruiting proteins from other cellular compartments, in a cell type-specific and regulated manner. Some droplet-recruited proteins are destined for destruction, whereas others are released and reused when conditions change. Droplets might therefore have a general role in managing the availability of proteins, and they have been proposed to serve as generic sites of protein sequestration. The implications of this emerging role of lipid droplets include regulated inactivation of proteins, prevention of toxic protein aggregates and localized delivery of signaling molecules. PMID- 17766116 TI - The SPFH domain-containing proteins: more than lipid raft markers. AB - Membrane microdomains with distinct lipid compositions, called lipid rafts, represent a potential mechanism for compartmentalizing cellular functions within the plane of biological membranes. SPFH domain-containing proteins are found in lipid raft microdomains in diverse cellular membranes. The functions of these proteins are just beginning to be elucidated. Recent advances in the understanding of structural features and their roles within lipid rafts include a potential function for SPFH proteins in the formation of membrane microdomains and lipid raft-associated processes, such as endocytosis and mechanosensation. PMID- 17766118 TI - Rings, bracelets, sleeves, and chevrons: new structures of kinetochore proteins. AB - Electron microscopy has recently revealed striking structural orderliness in kinetochore proteins and protein complexes that associate with microtubules. In addition to their astonishing appearance and intrinsic beauty, the structures are functionally informative. The Dam1 and Ndc80 complexes bind to the microtubule lattice as rings and chevrons, respectively. These structures give insight into how the kinetochore couples to dynamic microtubules, a process crucial to the accurate segregation of chromosomes. HURP and kinesin-13 arrange tubulin into sleeves and bracelets surrounding the microtubule lattice. These structures might reflect the ability of these proteins to modulate microtubule dynamics by interacting with specialized tubulin configurations. In this review, we compare and contrast the structure of these proteins and their interactions with microtubules to illustrate how they attach to and modulate the dynamics of microtubules. PMID- 17766119 TI - GW182 family proteins are crucial for microRNA-mediated gene silencing. AB - microRNAs (miRNAs) are a conserved class of small RNAs approximately 22 nucleotides in length. They regulate the expression of a large number of mRNAs in animals and plants through the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC). The conserved GW182 family of proteins has recently been identified, and its members have been shown to be associated with miRISC and to be required for miRNA mediated gene silencing. These proteins have also been localized to processing bodies that are cytoplasmic messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) aggregates containing mRNA decay factors, translational repressors and untranslated mRNAs. Therefore, these properties of GW182 family proteins support the hypothesis that the formation of untranslatable messenger ribonuclear protein particles is one important mechanism of miRNA-mediated gene silencing. PMID- 17766121 TI - Meniscal ossicle: a case report. AB - Meniscal ossicle is a cortical or cancellous tissue with central viable marrow surrounded by meniscal cartilage. We present a case of medial meniscal ossicle at its posterior horn. A 21-year-old male military recruit visited our clinic due to left knee discomfort. He had not undergone any notable injury on the knee, but complained of intermittent catching or giving way without locking. Simple radiographs showed a small round bony fragment at posteromedial side of knee joint. The magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intra-substance lesion of meniscus, whose signal is identical to bone. On arthroscopy, the articular cartilage of medial femoral condyle and tibial plateau appeared degenerative with a groove-like scar. The medial meniscus seemed swollen at the posterior horn, but there was no discernible tear in the adjacent meniscus. After piecemeal removal of meniscal substance, a small osseous fragment was identified, which was evacuated via posteromedial portal. The resection of meniscus amounted to a subtotal meniscectomy. The activities of daily living were possible without any trouble even after 9 months of follow-up. This entity should be distinguished from intra-articular loose body, and included in the differential diagnosis of the incidental findings of small ossified density around knee joint. PMID- 17766120 TI - Connecting the paths in plant stem cell regulation. AB - Stem cell niches are specialized microenvironments where pluripotent cells are maintained to provide undifferentiated cells for the formation of new tissues and organs. The balance between stem cell maintenance within the niche and differentiation of cells that exit it is regulated by local cell-cell communication, together with external cues. Recent findings have shown connections between key developmental pathways and added significant insights into the central principles of stem cell maintenance in plant meristems. These insights include the convergence of important stem cell transcriptional regulators with cytokinin signaling in the shoot meristem, the biochemical dissection of peptide signaling in the shoot niche and the identification of conserved regulators in shoot and root niches. PMID- 17766122 TI - Walking ability following knee arthroplasty: a prospective pilot study of factors affecting the maximal walking distance in 18 patients before and 6 months after total knee arthroplasty. AB - Functional assessment of patients before and after prosthetic knee arthroplasty is based on clinical examination, which is usually summarized in various knee scores. The present study proposes a different and more subject orientated assessment for functional grading of these patients by measuring their maximal distance of walking ability, which is not apparent from the conventional outcome scores. Eighteen consecutive patients with knee osteoarthritis were evaluated for their knee and knee functional scores (The Knee Society clinical rating system) and for the maximal distance of their walking ability before and 6 months after knee arthroplasty. Specially designed walking ability grading was used for evaluation of walking on walkway. The pre- and post-operative knee scores and maximal walking distance and grading were statistically compared. A significant improvement in the knee and functional scores following surgery was observed. But the maximal walking ability grades and distances did not change significantly following surgery, showing a high relation between pre- and post-operative values. The limitation in post-operative walking was due to the revealed additional health disabilities, not related to the affected knee. Therefore we suggest that pre-operative evaluation of walking abilities should be taken into consideration both for patients' selection and timing of surgery and also for matching of patients' expectation from outcome of prosthetic knee arthroplasty. PMID- 17766123 TI - How accurate are lockable orthotic knee braces? An objective gait analysis study. AB - There has been an increasing use of orthotic knee braces in the management of knee injuries but, to our knowledge, there is no gait analysis study assessing the accuracy of these braces. Eight healthy male subjects were studied to determine the accuracy of immobilisation or splintage provided by a lockable orthotic knee brace using gait analysis. Six types of immobilisation were studied: locked at 0, 10, 20, 30 degrees and unlocked in an orthotic knee brace, and without a brace. The knee flexion angles measured using the kinematic instruments at 0 and 10 degrees were significantly greater than those set at the knee brace. The knee flexion angle measured using the unlocked knee brace was significantly greater than that measured in the absence of a brace. This study highlights inaccuracies in a knee brace at low knee flexion angles. The higher actual angles alter the biomechanics of the knee joint and result in greater forces across the knee joint and especially the extensor mechanism. PMID- 17766124 TI - 5'-O-masked 2'-deoxyadenosine analogues as lead compounds for hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapeutic agents. AB - On the basis of our previous study on antiviral agents against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, a series of nucleoside analogues whose 5'-hydroxyl groups are masked by various protective groups such as carboxylate, sulfonate, and ether were synthesized and evaluated to develop novel anti hepatitis C virus (HCV) agents. Among these, several 5'-O-masked analogues of 6 chloropurine-2'-deoxyriboside (e.g., 5'-O-benzoyl, 5'-O-p-methoxybenzoyl, and 5' O-benzyl analogues) were found to exhibit effective anti-HCV activity. In particular, the 5'-O-benzoyl analogue exhibited the highest potency with an EC(50) of 6.1 microM in a cell-based HCV replicon assay. Since the 5'-O-unmasked analogue (i.e., 6-chloropurine-2'-deoxyriboside) was not sufficiently potent (EC(50)=47.2 microM), masking of the 5'-hydroxyl group seems to be an effective method for the development of anti-HCV agents. Presently, we hypothesize two roles for the 5'-O-masked analogues: One is the role as an anti-HCV agent by itself, and the other is as a prodrug of its 5'-O-demasked (deprotected) derivative. PMID- 17766125 TI - A liquid-scintillation-based primary standardization of 210Pb. AB - A new radioactivity solution standard of 210Pb has been developed and will be disseminated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as standard reference material (SRM) 4337. This new 210Pb solution standard is contained in a 5 mL flame-sealed borosilicate glass ampoule, consists of (5.133+/ 0.002)g of a nominal 1mol L(-1) nitric acid solution, has a density of (1.028+/ 0.002)g mL(-1) at 20 degrees C, has carrier ion concentrations of about 11 microg Pb2+ and 21 microg Bi3+ per gram of solution, and is certified to contain a massic activity (9.037+/-0.22)kBq g(-1) as of the reference time 1200 EST, 15 June 2006. All of the uncertainties cited above correspond to standard uncertainties multiplied by a coverage factor k=2. The standardization for the (210)Pb content of the solution was based on 4pialphabeta liquid scintillation (LS) measurements using CIEMAT/NIST (3)H-standard efficiency tracing (CNET). Confirmatory determinations were also performed by high-resolution HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry, by 2pialpha spectrometry with a Si surface barrier detector of separated 210Po, and by 4pibeta(LS)-gamma(NaI) anticoincidence counting. PMID- 17766126 TI - Measurement of neutron capture cross sections for 141Pr from 0.5 to 1.6 MeV. AB - Cross sections of 141Pr(n,gamma) 142Pr reaction are measured at neutron energies of 0.54, 1.09 and 1.59 MeV using the activation method. The activities of the products are counted with a high resolution HPGe detector gamma-ray spectrometer. The neutron fluence is determined by 197Au(n,gamma)198 Au reaction cross sections. The errors of the measured results are +/-6-7%. The neutron capture cross sections for this reaction are also calculated with the NUNF code. Our results are compared with those of other authors. Recommendations for inclusion of data in the energy region 0.05-3.90 MeV are made, these being in good agreement with the ENDF/B-VI data. PMID- 17766127 TI - 63Ni, its half-life and standardization: revisited. AB - Recent liquid scintillation (LS) measurements at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and at the Laboratoire National Henri Becquerel (LNHB) on a standardized (63)Ni solution that has been tracked for nearly 40 years have resulted in several important findings: (i) a (63)Ni half-life value of 101.2 +/- 1.5 a has been determined with the present decay data. This value is consistent with a previous specific activity determination and with an earlier value from decay measurements; and it appears to be more satisfactory than a recent data evaluator's recommended value of 98.7 a. (ii) All solution standards of (63)Ni as disseminated by NIST for the past 38(+) years are internally consistent with past and recent standardizations. (iii) Primary LS standardizations of (63)Ni by the triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) method and by CIEMAT/NIST (3)H-standard efficiency tracing (CNET) appear to be comparable, although the latter methodology is believed to be inherently inferior. (iv) There is excellent measurement agreement between NIST and LNHB for (63)Ni primary standardizations. PMID- 17766128 TI - Time course of preferential motor unit loss in the SOD1 G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. AB - Electromyographical analyses of pre-symptomatic motor unit loss in the SOD1 G93A transgenic mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have yielded contradictory findings as to the onset and time course. We recorded hindlimb muscle and motor unit isometric forces to determine motor unit number and size throughout the life span of the mice. Motor unit numbers in fast-twitch tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus and medial gastrocnemius muscles declined from 40 days of age, 50 days before reported overt symptoms and motoneuron loss. Motor unit numbers fell after overt symptoms in the slow-twitch soleus muscle. Muscle forces declined in parallel with motor unit numbers, indicating little or no functional compensation by sprouting. Early muscle-specific decline was due to selective preferential vulnerability of large, fast motor units, innervated by large motoneurons. Large motoneurons are hence the most vulnerable in ALS with die-back occurring prior to overt symptoms. We conclude that size of motoneurons, their axons, and their motor unit size are important determinants of motoneuron susceptibility in ALS. PMID- 17766129 TI - Re: Injury to the circumflex coronary artery following mitral valve repair. PMID- 17766132 TI - Video-assisted trans-mitral left ventricular false aneurysm repair with a septal occluder. PMID- 17766130 TI - The right upper lobe pulmonary resection performed through the transcervical approach. AB - OBJECTIVE: Preliminary report: presentation of the new technique of transcervical right upper lobectomy with transcervical extended mediastinal lymphadenectomy (TEMLA) for NSCLC. METHODS: Two patients underwent the operation that was performed through the collar incision, with elevation of the sternal manubrium with the mechanical sternal retractor. TEMLA and bilateral mediastinal lymph node excision (stations 1, 2R, 4R, 2L, 4L, 3A, 3P, 7 and 8) and bilateral supraclavicular lymph node excision were performed (frozen section analysis: all nodes negative). The mediastinal pleura was opened and the following structures were dissected in the open fashion with standard surgical instruments and divided with the use of endostaplers: the azygos vein, the upper trunk of the right pulmonary artery, the branch of the superior pulmonary vein to the upper lobe, the upper lobe bronchus, the segment 2 artery, the posterior part of the oblique fissure and the horizontal fissure. The operation was performed with the use of one videothoracoscopic (VTS) port for insertion of 5mm, 30 degree VTS camera for intraoperative control and for single thoracic drain for the postoperative period. RESULTS: The operative times were 250 and 270 min, respectively; intraoperative blood loss was 110 and 100ml, respectively. There were no intraoperative complications. The postoperative course was remarkably smooth. The final pathologic report: large cell carcinoma pT2N0M0 and squamous cell carcinoma pT2N0M0, no metastatic changes of 51 and 41 mediastinal and intrapulmonary (stations 10, 11 and 12) and supraclavicular nodes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary report indicates possible advantages of the transcervical right upper lobe pulmonary resection including: (1) extremely radical, minimal invasive procedure with no need for utility thoracotomy; (2) dissection performed with standard surgical instruments in the open fashion. PMID- 17766133 TI - A model to predict the immediate postoperative FEV1 following major lung resections. AB - OBJECTIVE: FEV1 measured on the first postoperative day has shown to be a better predictor of complications than traditional ppoFEV1. Therefore, its estimation before operation may enhance risk stratification. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a model to predict FEV1 on the first postoperative day after major lung resection. METHODS: FEV1 was prospectively measured on the first postoperative day in 272 patients submitted for lobectomy or pneumonectomy at two centers. A random sample of 136 patients was used to develop a model estimating the first day FEV1 by using multiple regression analysis including several preoperative and operative factors. The model was then validated by bootstrap analysis and tested on the other sample of 136 patients. RESULTS: Factors reliably associated with postoperative first day FEV1 were age (p=0.002), preoperative FEV1 (p<0.0001), the presence of epidural analgesia (p<0.0001), and the percentage of non-obstructed segments removed during operation (p=0.001). The following model estimating the first day postoperative FEV1 was derived: 2.648+0.295 x age+0.371 x FEV1+8.216 x epidural analgesia - 0.338 x percentage of non-obstructed segments removed during operation. In the validation set, the mean predicted first day postoperative FEV1 value did not differ from the observed one (42.6 vs 42.0, respectively; p=0.3) and the plot of the observed versus the predicted first day FEV1 showed a satisfactory calibration. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a model predicting the first day postoperative FEV1. If future analyses will prove its role in stratifying the early postoperative risk, it may be integrated in preoperative evaluation algorithms to refine risk stratification. PMID- 17766134 TI - Intra-thoracic fibrous tissue induction by polylactic acid and epsilon caprolactone copolymer cubes, with or without slow release of basic fibroblast growth factor. AB - OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether implantation of polylactic acid and epsilon caprolactone copolymer (PLAC) cubes with or without basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) released slowly from gelatin microspheres was able to induce fibrous tissue in the dead space remaining after pneumonectomy in the thoracic cavity. METHODS: Left pneumonectomy was performed in Japanese white rabbits. In the control group (n=6), the left thoracic cavity was closed without any treatment. In the FGF group (n=6), gelatin microspheres that released 100 microg of b-FGF were implanted into the left thoracic cavity. In the PLAC group (n=6), PLAC cubes were implanted into the left thoracic cavity. In the PLAC/FGF group (n=6), both PLAC cubes and gelatin microspheres releasing 100 microg of b-FGF were implanted into the left thoracic cavity. RESULTS: In the control and FGF groups, herniation of the heart, mediastinal shift, and overinflation of the right lung were observed. No granular tissue formation was observed. In the PLAC and PLAC/FGF groups, a dense area of newly formed soft tissue was observed, and only a mild mediastinal shift was observed during the 3-month follow-up period. Pathological examination revealed induction of fibrous and granular tissue in the left thoracic cavity. The foreign-body reaction induced by PLAC was very mild. CONCLUSIONS: Implantation of PLAC cubes with or without gelatin microspheres releasing 100 microg of b-FGF is able to induce fibrous tissue in the post pneumonectomy dead space. PMID- 17766135 TI - Subpleural injection of tracer improves detection of mediastinal sentinel lymph nodes in non-small cell lung cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: The advantages and disadvantages of various tracer injection protocols for sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping have been extensively discussed in relation to breast and gastric cancer. But no such discussion has taken place in relation to SLN mapping in non-small cell lung cancer. We therefore studied the effect of two tracer injection protocols on SLN mapping in patients with non small cell lung cancer; of particular interest was the relationship between subpleural tracer injection and identification of mediastinal SLNs. METHODS: A quadrant injection group (n=49) received 1.6 ml of ferucarbotran by peritumoral quadrant injection after thoracotomy. In the subpleural injection group, the same amount of ferucarbotran was injected into the peritumoral quadrants plus the subpleural region (n=27). SLNs were then detected intraoperatively by measuring the magnetic force within lymph nodes using a hand-held magnetometer. After completing the SLN mapping, lobectomy and hilar and mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed. RESULTS: The incidence of mediastinal SLNs was significantly higher in the subpleural injection group (45.4%) than in the quadrant injection group (14.6%) (p=0.007). Moreover, nominal logistic regression analysis revealed subpleural injection to be a significant independent factor contributing to detection of mediastinal SLNs (p=0.024, odds ratio 5.26). In the quadrant injection group, mediastinal lymph node metastasis was detected in two patients thought to have nonmetastatic parenchymal SLNs. By contrast, there were no false-negative cases in the subpleural injection group. CONCLUSION: Subpleural tracer injection significantly improves detection of mediastinal SLNs in non small cell lung cancer. PMID- 17766136 TI - Unusual evolution of a pneumonectomy cavity. PMID- 17766137 TI - Modified transmanubrial osteomuscular sparing approach for resection of T1 vertebral tumor. AB - We report a technical modification of the classic transmanubrial osteomuscular sparing approach described by Grunenwald and Spaggiari for the treatment of a T1 vertebral tumor. The goal of the surgical treatment for spinal tumors of the cervico-thoracic area is to excise the vertebral tumor, reconstruct the spinal column, and place an internal fixation device to achieve immediate stabilization. The procedure was necessary for treating a patient who presented with an invasion of T1 vertebral body by multiple myeloma with initial neurological symptoms of epidural spinal cord compression. This approach requires a multidisciplinary team, essentially composed by the thoracic surgeon, who performs the anatomical dissection of the cervico-thoracic area, and the neurosurgeon, who performs the vertebrectomy and placement of a titanium prosthesis (Harm's cage). The operation was successful; the follow-up 6 months after the surgical procedure is normal. PMID- 17766138 TI - Modified Bentall operation: the double sewing ring technique. AB - The Bentall-DeBono operation is the technique of choice for aortic root replacement. As more patients do not accept or have contraindications to lifelong anticoagulation, the biological Bentall operation is a good option for these patients, even though complex reoperations would then be required for bioprosthesis degeneration. We studied a modified technique to simplify the reoperations in patients undergoing biological Bentall procedure. A bioprosthetic valved conduit was obtained creating two separate sewing rings at different levels of the vascular graft. One ring was used to sew the bioprosthesis on the vascular graft. The second ring was used to fix the vascular graft on the native aortic annulus. In case of reoperation, the bioprosthesis could be removed cutting only the suture on the first ring. Then the same ring could be used to fix the new prosthesis. Since 2006, we have performed 12 biological Bentall operations with our modification. The mean age was 63.2 years (range 43-77 years), the mean cardiopulmonary time was 79+/-12 min and the mean aortic cross clamping time was 68+/-10 min. We had no in-hospital mortality; the postoperative period was uneventful in all patients. In our experience this modification seems to be simple and reproducible, without increasing the operative risk and postoperative morbidity. PMID- 17766139 TI - The effect of costal cartilage resection on the chest wall development: a morphometric evaluation. AB - OBJECTIVE: In repair of thoracic wall deformities, there is a debate in the literature regarding the optimal age and the type and number of costal cartilage resections. We evaluated the effect of costal cartilage resections on the chest wall development in young rabbits. METHODS: Fifty apparently healthy, 6 weeks of age, male New Zealand white rabbits were evaluated in five groups, each including 10 subjects. Group 1 served as control for the observation of normal thoracic development. Rabbits in group 2 underwent partial and rabbits in group 3 underwent total resections of the right third and fourth costal cartilages; those in group 4 underwent partial and rabbits in group 5 underwent total resections of the right third to sixth costal cartilages. Anteroposterior, horizontal and vertical diameters of the chest were measured before operation and repeated at 24 weeks of age. RESULTS: Upper and lower anteroposterior diameters of the thoracic wall and horizontal diameters of the left hemithorax differed significantly among groups (p=0.011, p=0.004, and p=0.002, respectively). Upper anteroposterior diameter was 49 mm in group 1 and 44 mm in group 3 (p=0.009). Lower anteroposterior diameter in group 5 (66 mm) was significantly less than that in group 1 (70 mm) (p=0.039) and there was also a statistically significant difference between group 4 (71 mm) and group 5 (66 mm) (p=0.002). Horizontal diameters of the left hemithorax in group 3 (32 mm; p=0.005) and 5 (32 mm; p=0.008) were significantly different when compared to group 1 (26 mm). Growth in right hemithorax was statistically less than that in left side in all operated groups except in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracic resections in young rabbits have demonstrated that the costal cartilage resection is not an innocent procedure as it severely affects the chest wall development especially in anteroposterior direction and the thoracic growth is markedly retarded when growth centers of the ribs are not preserved and/or four or more ribs are resected. PMID- 17766140 TI - Usnea barbata extract prevents ultraviolet-B induced prostaglandin E2 synthesis and COX-2 expression in HaCaT keratinocytes. AB - Usnea barbata and its major constituent usnic acid are potent antimicrobial agents. Here, we have investigated anti-inflammatory properties of an U. barbata extract (UBE) containing 4% usnic acid in an ultraviolet-B (UVB) model with HaCaT keratinocytes. UVB irradiation induced PGE(2) production and COX-2 expression in a time and dose-dependent manner. UBE inhibited PGE(2) production at a half maximal concentration of 60 microg/ml (2.4 microg/ml usnic acid) that did not affect the UVB-induced upregulation of COX-2, suggesting an effect on enzyme activity rather than on protein expression. The inhibition of PGE(2) production by UBE was not due to cytotoxicity. Besides its known antimicrobial properties, UBE displays specific UVB protective effects that might be useful in the topical treatment of UVB-mediated inflammatory skin conditions. PMID- 17766141 TI - Towards environmentally and human friendly insect pest control technologies: photosensitization of leafminer flies Liriomyza bryoniae. AB - Development of new, ecologically safe technologies to control insect pest populations is of great importance. Photoactive compounds usually used for photosensitization might be effective as pesticide agents, with low impact on the environment, being non-toxic and not mutagenic. Phosensitizer accumulates within the insect body and, following exposure to visible light, induces lethal photochemical reactions and death. The aim of this study is to evaluate the possible usage of several photosensitizers (acridine orange, aminolevulinic acid, hematoporphyrin dimethyl ether, methylene blue) as photopesticides to control population of polyphagous plant pest Liriomyza bryoniae (Kaltenbach, 1858) (Diptera, Agromyzidae). Fluorescence measurements of intact cooled insects indicate that insect feeding with bait containing HPde and sugar induces remarkable accumulation of this compound in the body of insect. This accumulation is strongly dependent on sex and feeding duration. The highest HPde amount in the body of insect was detected 16 h after feeding, whereas no significant photosensitizer amount was detected in the same insect following 48 h. Following irradiation with visible light results in fast death of L. bryoniae. Of importance to note that survival of insects after feeding and irradiation depends on sex: female insect died much faster than males. PMID- 17766142 TI - Dynamics of short-term acclimation to UV radiation in marine diatoms. AB - In order to investigate the dynamics of the acclimation of marine diatoms to ultraviolet radiation (UVR), Amphora coffeaeformis, Odontella aurita and Skeletonema costatum were exposed for 5 h per day to a combination of UVA and UVB (UVBR/UVAR ratio 4.5%) with a total UVR daily dose of 110 kJ m(-2), which is equivalent to that observed in the natural environment. This treatment was applied in the middle of the photoperiod and was repeated on five successive days. During the UVR treatment, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were monitored, damage and repair constants were calculated from effective quantum yield values (phi(PSII)), and rapid light curves (electron transport rate versus irradiance curves using short light steps of different intensity) were plotted to determine the maximum relative electron transport rate (rETR(max)) and maximum light use efficiency (alpha). In all species the growth rate was lower than control from day 1-3, but increased thereafter, except for S. costatum. The cellular chlorophyll a content increased significantly with repeated daily exposure to UVR for A. coffeaeformis only. In all species, the fluorescence parameters (F(m), the maximum fluorescence level measured in the dark, phi(PSII), rETR(max) and alpha) decreased during UVR exposure, in contrast to F(0) (the minimum fluorescence level measured in the dark). The response to UVR stress was species-specific. S. costatum was very sensitive, and failed to survive for more than three days, whereas A. coffeaeformis and O. aurita were able to acclimate to UVR stress. These two species used different strategies. In A. coffeaeformis, the repair constant was lower than the damage constant, but phi(PSII) values returned to baseline values at the beginning of each experimental day, indicating that an effective active recovery process occurred after stress. In O. aurita, the repair processes took place during the stress, and could account for the UVR tolerance of this species. PMID- 17766143 TI - Integrating trastuzumab in the neoadjuvant treatment of primary breast cancer: accumulating evidence of efficacy, synergy and safety. AB - Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is used in non-metastatic breast cancer in order to eradicate micrometastatic deposits early during disease course, as well as in order to decrease tumour bulk and render surgery feasible or breast-conserving. Moreover, it offers promise to serve as an in vivo chemosensitivity assay and as a powerful predictive factor for outcome. Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting an epitope in the extracellular domain of the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 (HER2/erbB-2), was found to be active in HER2-overexpressing metastatic as well as in resected breast cancer when given post-operatively. In this review, we summarise the evidence on the activity and safety of trastuzumab containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the management of women with localised, irresectable or resectable breast cancer. Twenty-three published studies enrolling a total of 585 patients reported pathologic complete responses (pCR) ranging from 7 to 78% with a favourable adverse event profile, data that are presented and discussed in this review. The impact of trastuzumab on long-term outcome, the identification of surrogate biomarkers for sensitivity or resistance to antineoplastic therapy, the optimal schedule of trastuzumab administration and the more active chemotherapeutic regimen for synergism are only a few of the key points needing elucidation so as to rationalise trastuzumab-based approaches. PMID- 17766144 TI - Response normalized liquid chromatography nanospray ionization mass spectrometry. AB - The widely different LC-MS response observed for many structurally different compounds limits the use of LC-MS in full scan detection mode for quantitative determination of drugs and metabolites without using reference standard. The recently introduced nanospray ionization (NSI) technique shows comparable MS response for some compounds under non-LC-MS conditions. However, in the presence of numerous endogenous compounds commonly associated with biological samples such as urine, plasma, and bile, LC-MS is required to separate, detect, identify, and measure individual analytes. An LC-NSI-MS system was devised and the MS response obtained in this system for a variety of pharmaceutical drugs and their metabolites. The set-up involves two high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems, a chip-based NSI source and a quadrupole-time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer. Herein this is referred to as the response normalized-liquid chromatography NSI-MS (RNLC-NSI-MS) system. One HPLC unit performs the analytical separation, while the other unit adds solvent post-column with an exact reverse of the mobile phase composition such that the final composition entering the NSI source is isocratic throughout the entire HPLC run. The data obtained from four different structural classes of compounds [vicriviroc (VCV), desloratadine (DL), tolbutamide, and cocaine] and their metabolites indicate that by maintaining the solvent composition unchanged across the HPLC run, the influence of the solvent environment on the ionization efficiency is minimized. In comparison to responses obtained from radiochromatograms, responses from conventional LC-ESI-MS overestimated the VCV and DL responses, respectively, by 6- and 20-fold. Although VCV and DL responses obtained using LC-NSI-MS are within 2- to 6-fold from the respective radiochromatographic responses, the response normalization modification results in nearly uniform LC-NSI-MS response for all compounds evaluated. PMID- 17766145 TI - Immune stimulation and improved infection resistance in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fed mannan oligosaccharides. AB - The objective of this study was to determine the effect of two levels of inclusion of mannan oligosaccharides derived from the outer cell wall of a select strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Bio-Mos, Alltech Inc, USA) on growth, feed utilization, immune status and disease resistance of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Specimens of 35 g at initial density of 3 kg/m3 were fed during 67 days at 0 per thousand, 2 per thousand and 4 per thousand dietary MOS level of inclusion in a commercial sea bass diet. Food conversion rate, specific growth rate, whole body biochemical composition, phagocyctic index of head kidney macrophages, NBT index, lysozyme and alternative complement pathway (ACP) activities as well as gut and liver histological structure were evaluated. Growth significantly increased at both MOS dietary inclusion levels. Histological features of the liver showed lower lipid vacuolization and regular-shaped morphology of hepatocytes around the sinusoidal spaces denoting a better utilization of dietary nutrients. No differences were found on gut histological evaluation. Statistical differences (P<0.05) on the phagocytic index were denoted with the inclusion of 4 per thousand Bio-Mos group. A positive correlation was found between the levels of lysozyme and alternative complement pathway activities in blood and the level of inclusion of MOS in diets. After the feeding trial, a cohabitation challenge test and direct gut inoculation were also performed with the pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus in a ratio 3:1. Twenty-one days post-challenge the number of cohabitant fish infected in the control group reached 33% comparing with none on the 0.4 per thousand MOS group. Finally, new fish were infected with V. alginolyticus by gut canalisation. After 24h post infection no significant difference was denoted between groups and 48 h post infection total infected fish in the control group was twice that of the 2 per thousand and 4 per thousand MOS groups. PMID- 17766146 TI - Preventing falls in older adults: new interventions to promote more effective change-in-support balance reactions. AB - "Change-in-support" (CIS) balance-recovery reactions that involve rapid stepping or reaching movements play a critical role in preventing falls; however, age related deficits in the neuro-musculoskeletal systems may impede ability to execute these reactions effectively. This review describes four new interventions aimed at reducing fall risk in older adults by promoting more effective CIS reactions: (1) balance training, (2) balance-enhancing footwear, (3) safer mobility aids, and (4) handrail cueing systems. The training program uses unpredictable support-surface perturbations to counter specific CIS control problems associated with aging and fall risk. Pilot testing has demonstrated that the program is well-tolerated by balance-impaired older adults, and a randomized controlled trial is now in progress. The balance-enhancing footwear insole improves control of stepping reactions by compensating for age-related loss of plantar cutaneous sensation. In a clinical trial, subjects wore the insole for 12 weeks with no serious problems and no habituation of the balance-enhancing benefits. The mobility-aid intervention involves changes to the design of pickup walkers so as to reduce impediments to lateral stepping. Finally, work is underway to investigate the effectiveness of handrail cueing in attracting attention to the rail and ensuring that the brain registers its location, thereby facilitating more rapid and accurate grasping. PMID- 17766148 TI - On navigating the human cerebral cortex: response to 'in praise of tedious anatomy'. AB - Individual variability of the human cerebral cortex is a source of both fascination and frustration. The fascination arises because variability in cortical structure and function may account for many aspects of our unique personalities and cognitive capabilities. For neuroimagers, the frustration arises because variability presents serious obstacles when attempting to assign particular functional activation patterns to specific cortical areas. Devlin and Poldrack cogently summarize many of the key issues, and they make useful suggestions for linking function to anatomy using a standardized stereotaxic space. This commentary provides a broader perspective on the nature of individual variability that has implications for the choice of strategies used to compensate for variability. It also includes information about the actual differences between various registration strategies and introduces a new strategy for converting neuroimaging data to a standard stereotaxic space. PMID- 17766149 TI - A comparative study of different artefact removal algorithms for EEG signals acquired during functional MRI. AB - In electroencephalographic (EEG) measurements performed during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), imaging and cardiac artefacts strongly contaminate the EEG signal. Several algorithms have been proposed to suppress these artefacts and most of them have shown important improvements with respect to uncorrected signals. However, the relative performances of these algorithms have not been properly assessed. In particular, it is not known to what extent such algorithms deteriorate the EEG signal of interest. In this study, we propose to cross-validate different methods proposed for artefact correction, using a forward model to generate EEG and MR-related artefacts. The methods are assessed under various experimental conditions (described in terms of EEG sampling rate, artefacts amplitude, frequency band of interest, etc.). Using experimental data, we also tested the performance of the correction methods for alpha rhythm imaging and for epileptic spike reconstruction. Results show that most of the methods allow the observation of the modulation of alpha rhythms and the identification of spikes, despite subtle differences between algorithms. They also show that over-filtering the data may degrade the EEG. Our results indicate that the optimal artefact removal technique should be chosen according to whether one is interested in fast (>10 Hz) vs. slow (<10 Hz) oscillations or in evoked vs. ongoing activity. PMID- 17766151 TI - Diffusive diffraction measurements in porous media: effect of structural disorder and internal magnetic field gradients. AB - Pulsed Field Gradient NMR (PFG-NMR) method used to measure the self-diffusion coefficient of liquids can also be exploited to probe the local geometry of porous media. In most practical cases, the measured diffusion attenuation is generally Gaussian and can be interpreted in terms of an apparent diffusion coefficient. Using well chosen experimental conditions, a so called "diffusive diffraction" phenomenon can be observed in the diffusion curve with a specific shape and maxima location characteristic of the system local dimensions. In this paper we investigate this phenomenon by presenting new experimental results obtained on several porous model systems of packed sphere particles. Using different experimental approaches, the diffusion pattern could be finely observed and interpreted in the context of the pore hopping model formalism. Different calibrated systems of polystyrene and glass spheres with known mean diameter and polydispersity were used to investigate specifically the influence of structural heterogeneity and local internal gradients. Structural data obtained in that way were found in close agreement with laser diffraction granulometry measurement and Scanning Emission Microscopy. PMID- 17766150 TI - Heparan sulfate proteoglycans and their binding proteins in embryo implantation and placentation. AB - Complex interactions occur among embryonic, placental and maternal tissues during embryo implantation. Many of these interactions are controlled by growth factors, extracellular matrix and cell surface components that share the ability to bind heparan sulfate (HS) polysaccharides. HS is carried by several classes of cell surface and secreted proteins called HS proteoglycan that are expressed in restricted patterns during implantation and placentation. This review will discuss the expression of HS proteoglycans and various HS binding growth factors as well as extracellular matrix components and HS-modifying enzymes that can release HS-bound proteins in the context of implantation and placentation. PMID- 17766152 TI - Clinical characteristics of multiple sclerosis and associated optic neuritis in Korean children. AB - PURPOSE: To study the clinical characteristics of multiple sclerosis and associated optic neuritis in Korean children. METHOD: A retrospective analysis was performed on 10 patients with an onset of multiple sclerosis before age 16. Information on sex, age of onset, clinical course, laboratory findings, and clinical characteristics of optic neuritis was obtained. RESULT: The mean age at presentation was 7.31 +/- 2.99 years, and the mean duration of observation was 36.2 +/- 26.1 months. No female predilection (50%) was observed. The disease presented as relapsing-remitting type multiple sclerosis in all patients and transited to secondary progressive type in two cases (20%). No oligoclonal bands were found in any patient. Optic neuritis occurred in eight patients (80%); five (62.5%) of these had optic neuritis at the first multiple sclerosis attack, with all five manifesting bilateral simultaneous optic neuritis. Visual acuity recovered to > or =20/40 in 8 of 15 eyes (53.3%), but in 2 eyes (13.3%) visual acuity remained at < or =20/200. In the patients with optic neuritis, the patients who showed optic neuritis at initial presentation had a worse visual prognosis (p = 0.030, Mann-Whitney U-test). CONCLUSIONS: In Korean children with multiple sclerosis, age of onset was younger than reported in other countries, and there was no female predominance. The prognosis for good visual acuity was worse in patients who initially presented with optic neuritis. PMID- 17766153 TI - Toward the atomistic simulation of T cell epitopes automated construction of MHC: peptide structures for free energy calculations. AB - Epitopes mediated by T cells lie at the heart of the adaptive immune response and form the essential nucleus of anti-tumour peptide or epitope-based vaccines. Antigenic T cell epitopes are mediated by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, which present them to T cell receptors. Calculating the affinity between a given MHC molecule and an antigenic peptide using experimental approaches is both difficult and time consuming, thus various computational methods have been developed for this purpose. A server has been developed to allow a structural approach to the problem by generating specific MHC:peptide complex structures and providing configuration files to run molecular modelling simulations upon them. A system has been produced which allows the automated construction of MHC:peptide structure files and the corresponding configuration files required to execute a molecular dynamics simulation using NAMD. The system has been made available through a web-based front end and stand-alone scripts. Previous attempts at structural prediction of MHC:peptide affinity have been limited due to the paucity of structures and the computational expense in running large scale molecular dynamics simulations. The MHCsim server (http://igrid ext.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/MHCsim) allows the user to rapidly generate any desired MHC:peptide complex and will facilitate molecular modelling simulation of MHC complexes on an unprecedented scale. PMID- 17766155 TI - Diagnosis of adult GH deficiency. AB - The current guidelines for the diagnosis of adult GHD are mainly based on the statements from the GH Research Society Consensus from Port Stevens in 1997. It is stated that diagnosis of adult GHD must be shown biochemically by provocative tests within the appropriate clinical context. The insulin tolerance test (ITT) was indicated as that of choice and severe GHD defined by a GH peak lower than 3 microg/L. The need to rely on provocative tests is based on evidence that that the measurement of IGF-I as well as of IGFBP-3 levels does not distinguish between normal and GHD subjects. Hypoglycemia may be contraindicated; thus, alternative provocative tests were considered, provided they are used with appropriate cut-off limits. Among classical provocative tests, arginine and glucagon alone were indicated as alternative tests, although less discriminatory than ITT. Testing with the combined administration of GHRH plus arginine was recommended as an alternative to ITT, mostly taking into account its marked specificity. Based on data in the literature in the last decade, the GRS Consensus Statements should be appropriately amended. Regarding the appropriate clinical context for the suspicion of adult GHD, one should evaluate patients with hypothalamic or pituitary disease or a history of cranial irradiation, as well as those with childhood-onset GHD are at obvious risk as adults for severe GHD. Brain injuries (trauma, subarachnoid hemorrage, tumours of the central nervous system) very often cause acquired hypopituitarism, including severe GHD. Given the epidemiology of brain injuries, the important role of the endocrinologist in providing major clinical benefit to brain injured patients who are still undiagnosed should be underscored. From the biochemical point of view, although normal IGF-I levels do not rule out severe GHD, very low IGF-I levels in patients highly suspected for GHD (i.e. patients with childhood-onset, severe GHD or with multiple hypopituitarism acquired in adulthood) can be considered as definitive evidence for severe GHD; thus, these patients would skip provocative tests. Patients suspected for adult GHD with normal IGF-I levels must be investigated by provocative tests. ITT remains a test of reference but it should be recognized that other tests are as reliable as ITT. Glucagon as classical test and, particularly, new maximal tests such as GHRH in combination with arginine or GH secretagogues (GHS) (i.e. GHRP-6) have well defined cut-off limits, are reproducible, able to distinguish between normal and GHD subjects. Overweight and obesity have confounding effect on the interpretation of the GH response to provocative tests. In adults cut-off levels of GH response below which severe GHD is demonstrated must be appropriate to lean, overweight and obese subjects to avoid false positive diagnosis in obese adults and false negative diagnosis in lean GHD patients. Finally, normative values of GH response to provocative tests may depend on age, particularly in the transitional age; the normative cut-off levels of GH response to ITT in this phase of life are now available. PMID- 17766154 TI - Cloning of a pig homologue of the human lactoferrin receptor: expression and localization during intestinal maturation in piglets. AB - The presence of a small intestinal lactoferrin receptor (SI-LfR) has been suggested in the pig, but remains to be identified. LfR has been suggested to play a key role in the internalization of lactoferrin (Lf) and to facilitate absorption of iron bound to Lf. The aim of this study was to identify the pig SI LfR cDNA, determine its mRNA and protein expression during different stages of intestinal development. The coding region of the pig LfR cDNA was cloned by PCR using conserved sequences among species. LfR mRNA expression and protein abundance were measured in proximal small intestine from piglets at 1 week (pre weaning), 3 weeks (weaning) and 6 months (post-weaning) of age by quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) and Western blot, respectively. Intestinal brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) were also isolated to examine LfR abundance on the apical membrane. We determined the pig SI-LfR open reading frame (ORF) consists of 972 bp, resulting in a protein with a molecular mass approximately 135 kD and approximately 35 kD under non-reducing and reducing conditions, respectively. Using Q-PCR, we determined LfR expression significantly increased with age in the duodenum and reciprocally decreased in the jejunum. Intestinal LfR protein expression was maintained at all timepoints in the jejunum; however, in the duodenum LfR abundance reached maximum levels at 6 months. In BBMV fractions, LfR abundance significantly increased with age. Taken together our findings demonstrate the presence of a human SI-LfR homologue in pig, with mRNA and protein expression concomitantly regulated in the duodenum and inversely regulated in the jejunum. These findings suggest a mechanism by which pig Lf can be internalized in the intestine. PMID- 17766156 TI - Evaluation of the association of Bartonella species, feline herpesvirus 1, feline calicivirus, feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus with chronic feline gingivostomatitis. AB - Gingivostomatitis (GS) is a significant condition in cats because of oral discomfort and associated periodontal disease. Several infectious agents have been associated with the presence of GS, but a causal relationship is unclear. The cats in this study were housed together, had a history of flea exposure, and were vaccinated with a modified live FVRCP product. There were nine cats with active GS and 36 unaffected cats at the time of sample collection. Serum was tested for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) antigen and antibodies against feline immunodeficiency virus, feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1), and Bartonella species (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot immunoassay). PCR assays for Bartonella species and FHV-1 and a reverse transcriptase PCR assay for FCV were performed on blood and throat swabs. All cats were negative for FeLV. Assay results failed to correlate to the presence of GS in the group of cats studied. PMID- 17766157 TI - Radiographic measurement of vertebral heart size in healthy stray cats. AB - The aims of this study were to determine vertebral heart size (VHS) in stray cats and to compare different radiographic views. This study was performed on 50 adult stray cats. All cats were short-haired and non-obese and were considered to be healthy based on physical examination and electrocardiography. Left and right lateral, dorsoventral and ventrodorsal radiographs were taken. The long and short axes of the heart were measured in millimetres. The thoracic vertebral length spanned by each dimension was measured caudally from the fourth thoracic vertebra. Mean+/-SD and the correlation coefficient between the measurements were calculated with standard statistical software. The sum of the long and short axes of the heart expressed as VHS was 7.3+/-0.49 vertebrae in right lateral, 7.3+/ 0.55 vertebrae in left lateral, 7.5+/-0.68 vertebrae in dorsoventral and 7.5+/ 0.53 vertebrae in ventrodorsal. The differences between right and left lateral as well as dorsoventral and ventrodorsal views were not significant (P>0.05). Absolute measurements and vertebral heart scale values were slightly smaller than those reported in the literature for mixed population of cats. It is, therefore, important to take the breed in to account. PMID- 17766158 TI - Immunohistochemical features of proliferative marker and basement membrane components of two feline inductive odontogenic tumours. AB - Feline inductive odontogenic tumour (FIOT) is a rare and interesting odontogenic neoplasm in which the odontogenic epithelium has inductive potential to form aggregated foci of dental pulp-like mesenchymal cells. Two male cats aged 11 and 10 months presented with nasal swelling and a left maxillary mass. Histopathologically, the masses consisted of non-encapsulated invasive neoplasms exhibiting proliferation of epithelial and mesenchymal components with local infiltration into the maxillary bone in both cases. The epithelial component formed islands, anastomosing strands, and solid sheets of polygonal epithelial cells. Occasionally, these cells formed circular aggregates, resembling the cap stage of odontogenesis. Type IV collagen and laminin were constantly positive around the foci of epithelial cells, and Ki-67 positive indices were extremely low; therefore, these findings consistent with the benign clinical presentation of FIOT. PMID- 17766159 TI - Antagonistic effects of atipamezole, flumazenil and 4-aminopyridine against anaesthesia with medetomidine, midazolam and ketamine combination in cats. AB - Antagonistic effects of atipamezole (ATI), flumazenil (FLU) and 4-aminopyridine (4AP) alone and in various combinations after administration of medetomidine midazolam-ketamine (MED-MID-KET) were evaluated in cats. Animals were anaesthetised with MED (50 microg/kg), MID (0.5 mg/kg) and KET (10 mg/kg) given intramuscularly. Twenty minutes later, physiological saline, ATI (200 microg/kg), FLU (0.1 mg/kg), 4AP (0.5 mg/kg), ATI-FLU, FLU-4AP, ATI-4AP or ATI-FLU-4AP was administered intravenously. FLU, 4AP alone, or FLU-4AP did not effectively antagonise the anaesthesia, hypothermia, bradycardia, and bradypnoea induced by MED-MID-KET. ATI alone was effective. ATI-FLU, ATI-4AP and ATI-FLU-4AP combinations produced an immediate and effective recovery from anaesthesia. The combination of ATI-FLU-4AP was the most effective in antagonising the anaesthetic effects, but was associated with tachycardia, tachypnoea, excitement, and muscle tremors. Combinations with ATI are more effective for antagonising anaesthesia, but ATI-FLU-4AP is not suitable. PMID- 17766160 TI - [Concerning the recommendations for good practice by the Afssaps. Medicines that induce ovulation: gonadotrophins (update, April 2007)]. PMID- 17766161 TI - [Should the age of the male be a limiting factor in the assisted reproductive process of a couple? Gynecol Obstet Fertil 2007;35:495-7]. PMID- 17766162 TI - [Adult stem cells: their scientific interest and therapeutic future]. AB - Fascinating and provocative findings have shaken the stem cell field during these past years, which may be exploited in the future in cell replacement therapies. Continuous renewal of blood, skin, and gut cells, has long be attributed to stem cells, but it was more unexpected to identify cells that fulfil the requirements for stem-progenitor cells in many tissues with a slow turnover such as heart, kidney, muscle and brain. However, despite their lack of risk and immunological barrier, adult stem cells are yet of poor therapeutic value in many diseases, because they are available in scarce number, are poorly amplified, and loose potential with ageing, among many obstacles. Thus, the identification in adult, and more recently fetal tissues, of cells with a high proliferative capacity and multi-lineage differentiation potential has been wellcome, although their existence is still a matter of controversy. An alternative would be to activate stem cells in situ, by acting on components of the niche as recently exemplified in the hematopoetic system. Finally, as fiction meets reality, it may become possible to reprogram human adult cells in pluripotent ES cells-like, as recently demonstrated in mice. PMID- 17766163 TI - [Uterine anomalies and assisted reproductive techniques: preventing implantation failure?]. AB - The infertility in women with an abnormal uterus seems a subject of controversy. The prognosis of in vitro fertilization among these patients with such an anomaly is even less founded. The results of in vitro fertilization have been only studied with few patients and recently. Through the literature, we will focus step by step, on the impact of uterine anomalies on natural reproduction, then the impact of metroplasty on natural reproduction, the role of anomalies on the endometrium quality and lastly, the results of Assisted Rerpoductive Techniques with women with such an anomaly. It seems that the main risk is obstetric complications such as spontaneous abortion or premature delivery, not implantation failure. However, when infertility exists, surgical treatment tends to improve the pregnancy rate for some. PMID- 17766164 TI - [Vulvar invasive squamous cell carcinoma and hidradenoma papilliferum. Case report]. AB - We report a case of a vulvar invasive squamous cell carcinoma associated to a benign tumor with apocrine differenciation, the hidradenoma papilliferum, infiltrated by the carcinoma. Diagnosis was established by clinical and histopathological examination, first on biopsy and then on local vulvar excision. Classical association between hidradenoma papilliferum and Paget's disease is described, but to the best of our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of such case in published literature. A common physiopathological etiology cannot be completely excluded. PMID- 17766166 TI - [Diethylstilbestrol exposure in utero. Polemics about metroplasty. The pros]. AB - The diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic estrogen which was prescribed from 1941 onwards for the prevention of miscarriage. As well as a possible risk of cancer, another side effect of this treatment was the possible abnormality of the genitalia in the female issue of the prescribed user. Apart from possibly having a hypoplasic uterus, the patient is also prone, in the case where she has an undersized uterus, to having a much narrower than normal cavity. Consequently, there is a tendency for an excess of muscle tissue on the uterus walls. This can be observed on a RMN. The most significant characteristics of this abnormality are: constriction rings around the proximal uterine segment, a T shaped uterus, uterus with an arched base. The idea of the plastic enlargement operation (metroplasty) is to widen the cavity by making careful incisions of the excess muscle tissue located on the uterus wall. The objective of this is to obtain a triangular shaped cavity taking care though to weaken the walls themselves. 61 patients were treated. We observed 37 pregnancies after 16 months with 30 ongoing pregnancies. Generally, the anatomic results are excellent but it is difficult to measure the functional results of the success rate in future pregnancies. The reason for this is the enlarging of the cavity alone does not guarantee successful fertility. There are other problems to take into account e.g. implantation, miscarriage and premature labor. There are risks with this operation, such as placenta percreta, a possible rupture of the uterus, though this can happen at any time with DES patients. This operation can only be recommended once a thorough examination of the patient has been made. PMID- 17766167 TI - Synthesis of N-alkoxyphthalimides under ultrasound irradiation. AB - The alkylation of N-hydroxyphthalimide with alkyl halides in the presence of potassium carbonate results N-alkoxyphthalimides in 64-99% yields in DMSO under ultrasound irradiation. Compared with conventional methods, the main advantages of the present procedure are milder conditions, shorter reaction time and higher yields. PMID- 17766168 TI - A test method to monitor in vitro storage and degradation effects on a skin substitute. AB - We have investigated a potential test method to monitor changes through possible degradation of a collagen/glycosaminoglycan tissue engineering scaffold in vitro. The method used cyclic voltammetry where the degradation process was measured by determining changes in the apparent diffusion coefficients of thermodynamically reversible couples, ferrocyanide and 1,4-benzoquinone, through the scaffold before and after degradation at low pH and at different temperatures. Scaffold samples were degraded in vitro by exposure to pH 3 for 44 days and also stored in pH 7.4 phosphate saline buffer for one week. Sample temperatures used were 21 degrees C, 37 degrees C and 40 degrees C. The greatest apparent degradation was observed for scaffolds stored at 40 degrees C. Prior to storage, effective diffusion coefficients were 4.4x10(-6) cm2 s(-1) and 2.6x10(-10) cm2 s(-1) for ferrocyanide and 1,4-benzoquinone, respectively. For these respective compounds values changed to 1.2x10(-6) cm2 s(-1) and 1.0x10(-6) cm2 s(-1) after 37 degrees C degradation and 2.6x10(-6) cm2 s(-1) and 5.5x10(-8) cm2 s(-1) after pH 3 degradation. PMID- 17766169 TI - Angiogenic response of endothelial cells to heparin-binding domain of fibronectin. AB - Interaction of endothelial cells with cell-binding domain of fibronectin through integrin receptors is important in the process of angiogenesis. The present study was designed to examine the role of heparin-binding domain of fibronectin in angiogenesis using human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Attachment of endothelial cells in vitro to heparin-binding domain of fibronectin was inhibited by heparin. Chick chorioallantoic membrane assay revealed the proangiogenic nature of heparin-binding domain. Analysis by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed an increase in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptor mRNA. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed a significant increase in the level of vascular endothelial growth factor secreted by cells maintained on heparin-binding domain. Treatment with calphostin C, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, decreased the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2. Chick chorioallantoic membrane assay showed that the vascular endothelial growth factor secreted by cells maintained on heparin binding domain was biologically more active, which appeared to be due to a decrease in its poly-adenosine diphosphate ribosylation. Binding assays showed that heparin-binding domain preferably binds unmodified vascular endothelial growth factor as compared to intact fibronectin. It is concluded that the heparin binding domain of fibronectin by itself can promote angiogenesis in endothelial cells possibly by interaction with cell surface heparan sulphate proteoglycans involving protein kinase C dependent signaling and making available more active form of vascular endothelial growth factor to the cells. PMID- 17766170 TI - Differential expression of Rac1 identifies its target genes and its contribution to progression of colorectal cancer. AB - The small GTPase Rac1 is involved in the regulation of critical cellular functions, such as transcription control, cell cycle, and organization of actin cytoskeleton. Rac1 signalling modulates cancer progression since its overexpression leads to an increased tumour growth of xenografts of human colorectal tumour cells, while a drastic reduction of Rac1 expression by siRNA interferes with cancer progression (Espina et al., unpublished results). We aimed to study the molecular basis for the specific contribution of Rac1 in the progression of colorectal cancer. Comparative microarray analysis of a human colorectal carcinoma cell line genetically engineered to display different levels of Rac1 identified novel target genes for this GTPase. These results suggest that Rac1 plays a critical role in signalling transduction pathways relevant to human colorectal tumour progression, such as activation of Wnt signalling, inhibition of TGF-beta signalling, and enhancement of metastasis-inducing genes. PMID- 17766171 TI - Histochemical analysis of bandage contact lens precipitates. AB - Contact lens deposits have been reported previously with extended wear of soft contact lenses, with proteins, lipids, mucous, and various salts such as chloride, potassium and calcium being deposited on the lens surface [1]. We report an unusual case of precipitates on the surface of a bandage contact lens (BCL) following intensive treatment with topical preservative free artificial tears. Evaluation included microscopic and histochemical analysis of the BCL. We have also reviewed the literature for previous reports of contact lens precipitates. PMID- 17766172 TI - FTIR, magnetic, 1H NMR spectral and thermal studies of some chelates of caproic acid: inhibitory effect on different kinds of bacteria. AB - A convenient method for the preparation of complexes of the Cr3+, Mn2+, Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, ZrO2+, UO2(2+), Zr4+ and Th4+ ions with caproic acid (Hcap) is reported and this has enabled 10 complexes of caproate anion to be formulated: [Cr(cap)3].5H2O, [Mn(cap)2(H2O)2], [Fe(cap)3].12H2O, [Co(cap)2(H2O)2].4H2O, [Ni(cap)2(H2O)2].3H2O, [Zn(cap)2], [ZrO(cap)2].3H2O, [UO2(cap)(NO3)], [Zr(cap)2(Cl)2] and [Th(cap)4]. These new complexes were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductivity, magnetic measurements, spectral methods (mid infrared, 1H NMR and UV-vis spectra) and simultaneous thermal analysis (TG and DTG) techniques. It has been found from the elemental analysis as well as thermal studies that the caproate ligand behaves as bidentate ligand and forming chelates with 1:1 (metal:ligand) stoichiometry for UO2(2+), 1:2 for (Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, ZrO2+ and Zr4+), 1:3 stoichiometry for (Cr3+ and Fe3+) and 1:4 for Th4+ caproate complexes, respectively, as bidentate chelating. The molar conductance measurements proved that the caproate complexes are non electrolytes. The kinetic thermodynamic parameters such as: E*, DeltaH*, DeltaS* and DeltaG* are estimated from the DTG curves. The antibacterial activity of the caproic acid and their complexes was evaluated against some gram positive/negative bacteria. PMID- 17766173 TI - Synthesis, infrared spectra and thermal studies of Zn(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) complexes with 2-aminobenzaldehyde phenylhydrazone "nitrin" ligand. AB - The, nitrin, 2-aminobenzaldehyde phenylhydrazone (2ABPH) was synthesis by refluxing 2-nitrobenzaldehyde with phenylhydrazine in ethanolic solvent. Three transition metal (II) complexes of 2ABPH have been prepared. Elemental analysis, molar conductivity, IR, UV, 1H NMR, and mass spectra, as well as TG/DTG have been used to characterize these complexes. The complexes have the general formula [M(2ABPH)2]Cl2.nH2O, where M=Zn, Cd, and Hg and n=4, 2 and 0 for Zn(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II), respectively. The ligand and its complexes have been studied for their possible biological activity including antibacterial and antifungal activity. PMID- 17766174 TI - Verification and validation of diagnostic laboratory tests in clinical virology. AB - This review summarizes major issues of verification and validation procedures and describes minimum requirements for verification and validation of diagnostic assays in clinical virology including instructions for CE/IVD-labeled as well as for self-developed ("home-brewed") tests or test systems. It covers techniques useful for detection of virus specific antibodies, for detection of viral antigens, for detection of viral nucleic acids, and for isolation of viruses on cell cultures in the routine virology laboratory. PMID- 17766175 TI - Rapid cerebral hemodynamic modulation during mental planning and movement execution: evidence of time-locked relationship with complex behavior. AB - OBJECTIVE: Although there is evidence of specific associations between neuronal activity and early cerebral blood flow (CBF), little is known on a logical furtherance of this linkage, namely the association between early measures of cerebral hemodynamics and complex behavior. The present study examined the linkage between hemodynamic modulation in basal cerebral arteries and performance in a non-routine planning task by means of functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD). METHODS: The Stockings of Cambridge (SOC) was employed as planning paradigm. The middle and anterior cerebral arteries (MCA/ACA) were bilaterally insonated. Statistical methods comprised uni- and multivariate analyses of variance and multiple linear regression analyses. RESULTS: Taking advantage of the excellent temporal resolution of fTCD, early cerebral hemodynamic modulation of the left MCA markedly predicted task accuracy. Pronounced early blood flow increase during planning and early decrease during movement execution were associated with better performance. No such blood flow modulations were observed in worse performers. CONCLUSIONS: Early cerebral hemodynamic modulation in the left MCA proved to be a valuable neurophysiological marker that showed a great overlap with task accuracy during non-routine planning. SIGNIFICANCE: These results support the notion that a high temporal resolution in functional monitoring is a favorable strategy to disentangle relevant neurophysiological correlates of higher cognitive functioning. PMID- 17766176 TI - Neonatal seizures in the EEG: to see or not to see? PMID- 17766177 TI - Plasma level of cardiotrophin-1 as a prognostic predictor in patients with chronic heart failure. AB - BACKGROUND: Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) is a member of the interleukin (IL-6) family of cytokines and is increased in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). AIMS: To evaluate the prognostic role of CT-1 in patients with CHF. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured the plasma levels of CT-1, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and IL-6 in 125 patients with CHF. Patients were monitored for a mean follow-up period of 2.9 years. Plasma levels of CT-1 increased with severity of CHF. There was a significant negative correlation between plasma CT-1 and left ventricular ejection fraction. There was a significant correlation between plasma CT-1 and log IL-6. During the follow-up period, 37 patients died. High plasma levels of CT 1, BNP, and IL-6 were independent predictors of mortality on stepwise multivariate analysis. The hazard ratio for mortality in patients with plasma BNP>170 pg/mL and CT-1>658 fmol/mL was 2.48 (95% confidence interval, 1.217 5.060) compared to those with plasma BNP>170 pg/mL and CT-1<658 fmol/mL (p=0.0124). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that plasma CT-1 measurement provides additional prognostic information and that combined levels of CT-1 and BNP are more accurate at predicting mortality in patients with CHF than either marker alone. PMID- 17766179 TI - Sleep quality in a family with hereditary parkinsonism (PARK6). AB - OBJECTIVES: The autosomal recessive disorder PARK6 manifests as early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD) with a particularly mild progression. PARK6 is of particular scientific interest, since it is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the mitochondrial protein kinase PINK1 and may thus serve as a model for oxidative damage in PD and in other basal ganglia disorders. Sleep disturbances are very common in PD but have not yet been reported for PARK6 patients. The present study reports on sleep of a Spanish family with PARK6. Of the 5 siblings, 3 were homozygous and severely affected, and 2 were heterozygous and clinically asymptomatic. Research questions concerned possible differences in sleep recordings between homozygote and heterozygote siblings and similarities between PARK6 and sporadic PD sleep profiles. METHOD: The data from detailed clinical interviews of the patients and their bedpartners are reported and compared with polysomnographic data from second-night recordings. CONCLUSIONS: All siblings had good subjective and objective sleep quality. Restless legs syndrome and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) were not observed, suggesting that sleep disturbances are not commonly found in PARK6 patients. Good sleep quality and the absence of RBD might be a useful diagnostic guide in the differential diagnosis of sporadic PD versus PARK6. PMID- 17766178 TI - Cognitive performance in REM sleep behaviour disorder: a possible early marker of neurodegenerative disease? AB - BACKGROUND: Rapid eye movement [REM] sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) may herald neurodegenerative diseases. Neurobiological deficits similar to those identified in neurodegenerative diseases have been reported in idiopathic RBD. Researchers are looking for early markers supporting a possible role of RBD as a harbinger of impending neurodegenerative disease. OBJECTIVE: To examine the neuropsychological functions in idiopathic RBD subjects. Should they be found to present a neuropsychological dysfunction that overlaps that reported in neurodegenerative diseases, it would be possible to consider cognitive deficits as possible early markers of an underlying degenerative process. METHODS: Twenty-three subjects with idiopathic RBD (21 males, mean age 67.0+/-7.0 years) and a group of healthy controls matched for sex, age and education underwent a neuropsychological battery evaluating different cognitive domains. FINDINGS: Considering mean values, poorer performances were observed in the Word Span (p<.001), Rey Osterrieth's complex figure recall (p=.003), Digit Span (p=.003) and Logic Memory (p=.003) tests. On the basis of equivalent scores, the RBD subjects performed significantly more poorly on tests of visuo-constructional learning abilities (p<.001). INTERPRETATION: Our data show the possible presence of cognitive deficits in RBD defined as idiopathic, sharing common features in particular with Lewy body disease. Neuropsychological evaluation in RBD could lead to presymptomatic identification of neurodegenerative disease, but until more prolonged long-term follow-up data are available, the true neurobiological significance of cognitive deficits in RBD will remain unknown. PMID- 17766180 TI - Findings of a Berlin Questionnaire survey: comparison between patients seen in an asthma clinic versus internal medicine clinic. AB - BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and asthma are common and share similar nocturnal symptoms. We hypothesized that the prevalence of OSA symptoms would be greater in asthmatics compared to a general internal medicine population. METHODS: Patients in the Asthma Clinics (n=177) and Internal Medicine Clinics (n=328) at MetroHealth Medical Center, an urban academic institution, were surveyed for OSA risk. Patients completed the Berlin Questionnaire, a validated questionnaire with a positive predictive value (ppv) of 0.89 for determining the presence of OSA in primary care populations. All asthmatics had spirometry performed. RESULTS: The asthma group had more females (p=0.01) and a higher mean body mass index (33.2 vs. 31.2 kg/m(2), p=0.02). However, the percentage with a body mass index >30 kg/m(2) was not different between the groups (p=0.19). The internal medicine group had a much higher rate of hypertension (p=0.002) and diabetes (p<0.001). Asthmatics were more likely to report frequent snoring (18.5% vs. 8.0%, p<0.001) and chronic sleepiness (46.1% vs. 34.3%, p=0.01). OSA risk, as determined by the Berlin Questionnaire, was higher in the asthma group than in the internal medicine group (39.5% vs. 27.2%, p=0.004). In the asthma group, risk for OSA did not correlate with asthma severity (p=0.183). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests a possible association between asthma and OSA. There is a higher prevalence of OSA symptoms in an asthmatic population when compared to a primary care population, independent of the severity of the asthma. PMID- 17766181 TI - Fine particles, a major threat to children. AB - BACKGROUND: There is a growing body of evidence for serious health consequences of exposure to ambient air pollution. The general question of who is susceptible is one of the most important gaps in current knowledge regarding particulate matter (PM)-related health effects. Who is susceptible depends on the specific health endpoint being evaluated and the level and length of exposure. Here, we restrict the review on the impact of fine particle exposure on children's health to the following outcomes: infant death, lung function, respiratory symptoms and reproductive outcomes. METHODS: This is a strategic review of children's susceptibility to ambient fine particles and characteristics of infant and children which underlie their increased susceptibility to PM. RESULTS: Ambient fine PM is associated with intra-uterine growth retardation, infant mortality; it is associated with impaired lung function and increased respiratory symptoms, particularly in asthmatics. Concerning infant mortality, exposure to PM is strongly and consistently associated with postneonatal respiratory mortality and less consistently with sudden infant death syndrome. Although most of the studies reported adverse effects for this health outcome, the evidence is weaker than for infant death. Exposure to fine PM has been associated with impaired lung function and lung function growth. Most of the studies reported increased prevalence of symptom with increased exposure to fine PM. CONCLUSION: Fine PM is a major threat to children, because of their higher exposure to PM compared to adults, the immature state of the lung in childhood and also of the immune function at birth. The first months of life might be a period of particular sensitivity. Although the mechanisms of air pollution effects have not yet been completely understood, pregnant women, infants and children need specific protection against exposure to fine particles. PMID- 17766182 TI - H is for helper: granzyme H helps granzyme B kill adenovirus-infected cells. AB - It is commonly held that the various granzymes (lethal proteases produced by cytotoxic lymphocytes) utilize their different substrate preferences to bring about various forms of target cell death. Although a considerable body of evidence supports this view, it has now become clear that human granzyme H could have evolved a proteolytic specificity that both interferes directly with adenovirus replication and prevents the virus from blocking the potent pro apoptotic activity of granzyme B. PMID- 17766183 TI - Nephrin--a unique structural and signaling protein of the kidney filter. AB - Since the discovery of nephrin, the first integral component of the slit diaphragm to be identified, the podocyte slit pore has become a major focus in research concerning the glomerular filtration barrier. Nephrin is a central component of the glomerular ultrafilter, with both structural and signaling functions. The extracellular domain of nephrin and other components of the slit diaphragm seem to form a porous molecular sieve. The intracellular domain of nephrin is associated with linker proteins, such as CD2-associated protein and Nck proteins that can connect nephrin to the actin cytoskeleton. Alterations in nephrin interactions with other proteins during development or injury can lead to complex signaling reactions aimed at establishing or restoring the filter function. PMID- 17766184 TI - Telomeres and telomerase in leukaemia and lymphoma. AB - Telomeres are DNA structures which serve to stabilize chromosomes. In human cells telomeres progressively shorten with each cell division leading to eventual chromosome instability and cell death. Telomerase is a DNA polymerase which is required for the maintenance of telomeres. Therefore, telomeres and telomerase play a role in the regulation of the life span of the cell. Human cells express low levels of telomerase, however when telomere length reaches a critical level abnormal activation of telomerase can lead to immortalization and uncontrolled proliferation. This process has been associated with the development of many leukaemias and lymphomas. Understanding these processes in normal and malignant cells could lead to therapies which target the telomere/telomerase complex. PMID- 17766185 TI - Supplementation with RD antigens enhances the protective efficacy of BCG in tuberculous mice. AB - Different combinations of ESAT-6, CFP-10, CFP-21, MPT-64, encoded by RD1 and RD2 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were evaluated on the basis of antigenicity in PPD positive TB contacts and immunogenicity in C57BL/6J mice immunized with the combination of all four RD antigens. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells of TB contacts showed maximum recognition in response to the combination of ESAT-6+MPT 64 in terms of predominant lymphoproliferation, IFN-gamma levels and the number of responders. On the contrary, the combination of ESAT-6+CFP-21+MPT-64 was found to be most immunogenic based on both T-cell and antibody responses in immunized mice. Prophylactic potential of the selected combinations was assessed as supplementation vaccines to BCG against intravenous challenge with M. tuberculosis in mice. BCG supplementation with the selected combinations resulted in significantly greater protection as compared to BCG alone against experimental tuberculosis and thus appears to be a promising approach to enhance the protective efficacy of the existing vaccine. PMID- 17766186 TI - Management of fetal tumors. AB - OBJECTIVE: To review the diagnosis, management, and treatment options of tumors presenting during fetal development. METHODS: Recognized textbooks and peer reviewed literature (from the years 1985-2006) were summarized for the most common information on fetal tumors. RESULTS: Fetal tumors are rare, with a usual prevalence of less than 1 in 10,000 live births. The list of fetal tumors reviewed includes tumors involving multiple sites, such as teratoma, lymphangioma, and hemangioma, and tumors located specifically in organs such the liver, adrenal gland, kidney, and placenta. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal diagnosis, surveillance, and treatment of fetal tumors is limited to case reports, small series, and single-institution experience. PMID- 17766187 TI - Recognizing osteoporosis and its consequences in Quebec (ROCQ): background, rationale, and methods of an anti-fracture patient health-management programme. AB - Recognizing Osteoporosis and its Consequences in Quebec (ROCQ) is an ongoing patient health-management programme aimed at evaluating the diagnostic and treatment care gaps for osteoporosis following a fragility fracture, and subsequently initiating and measuring interventions to decrease these gaps in women 50 years of age and over. Hospitals servicing approximately half of the population of the Province of Quebec (Canada) are participating in the ROCQ programme. Women with fragility and traumatic fractures are approached during their visit to a cast or outpatient clinic and are subsequently contacted by telephone 0 to 16 weeks after their fracture (phase 1). During the first phone contact, they are invited to answer a questionnaire aimed at identifying the specific circumstances of their fracture and asked to participate in an observational study that could last up to 18 months. Based on this initial questionnaire, patients are classified as having either experienced a fragility or traumatic fracture. During the first phone contact, there is no reference about the possible association between the fracture and osteoporosis and no investigation or intervention is proposed. Six to eight months after the fracture event (phase 2), women are again contacted by phone to complete a questionnaire that evaluates the diagnostic and treatment rates for osteoporosis. At this phase of the programme, women with fragility fractures are randomized to one of the three following intervention groups: 1) Educational Video Group, 2) Documentation Group and 3) Control Group. Participants are contacted 12 to 14 months after the intervention (phase 3) to evaluate the efficacy of the interventions on the diagnosis and treatment rates of osteoporosis. All participants with fragility or traumatic fractures who consent will be followed for 20 years using data from the Quebec Ministry of Health database to measure the association between the index fracture and future fracture risk. PMID- 17766188 TI - The use of the name Mycobacterium w for the leprosy immunotherapeutic bacillus creates confusion with M. tuberculosis-W (Beijing strain): a suggestion. PMID- 17766189 TI - Tyrosine side chains as an electrochemical probe of stacked beta-sheet protein conformations. AB - The in vivo formation of beta-pleated protein aggregates underlies a number of fatal neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer disease. Since molecular mechanisms of protein misfolding and aggregation remain poorly understood, this has been calling for many diverse biophysical tools capable of addressing different dynamic and conformational aspects of the phenomenon. The two model polypeptides used in this study are poly(l-tyrosine) and insulin. According to FT IR spectra, poly(l-tyrosine) produced two distinct types of films with dominant either disordered or antiparallel beta-sheet conformations depending on carrier solvent used for film's deposition. Electrochemical analysis of both the types of polypeptide films by the means of cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry proved that different electrochemical behaviour of the tyrosine residues is determined by the conformation of polypeptide chains. We have rationalized this difference in terms of varying electrochemical accessibility of Tyr residues in each structure. We have also carried out spectral and electrochemical characterization of insulin beta-sheet-rich amyloid fibrils. It appears that the detectable electrochemical response of the protein stems from the presence of four tyrosine residues per insulin monomer. Since hydrophobic residues, among them tyrosines play an important role in the formation of protein amyloid fibrils, but, on a molecular level, may be also critical in explaining neurotoxic properties of aggregates, their electrochemical properties may become a very valuable complementary tool in biophysical studies on protein misfolding. PMID- 17766190 TI - Efficacy and safety of intravenous meropenem and tobramycin versus ceftazidime and tobramycin in cystic fibrosis. AB - BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by chronic bacterial broncho pulmonary infection. Although intravenous (i.v.) antibiotic therapy is regarded as standard treatment in CF, only few randomised trials comparing different antibiotic compounds exist. METHODS: We report on a prospective multicenter interventional trial of i.v. meropenem (120 mg/kg/day) or i.v. ceftazidime (200 400 mg/kg/day), each administered together with i.v. tobramycin (9-12 mg/kg/day). Outcome measures were changes in lung function, microbiological sputum burden and blood inflammatory marker. Liver and renal function values were measured to assess safety. RESULTS: One hundred eighteen patients (59/59) were included into the study with the following indications: first infection of P. aeruginosa (n=6), acute pulmonary exacerbation (n=34) and suppression therapy of chronic P. aeruginosa colonization (n=78). Both treatments improved lung function measures, bacterial sputum burden and CRP levels with no differences between treatment groups observed. A significant higher elevation for alkaline phosphatase (p<0.0001) was observed for patients in the meropenem/tobramycin group. CONCLUSIONS: i.v. antibiotic therapy in CF patients with meropenem/tobramycin is as effective as with ceftazidime/tobramycin regarding lung function, microbiological sputum burden and systemic inflammatory status. Hepato-biliary function should be monitored carefully during i.v. treatment, possibly important in CF patients with pre-existing liver disease. PMID- 17766191 TI - The risk of gastrointestinal malignancies in cystic fibrosis: case report of a patient with a near obstructing villous adenoma found on colon cancer screening and Barrett's esophagus. AB - The life expectancy for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients has increased dramatically over the last 30 years. Although the overall cancer risk for CF patients does not appear to be increased there is a marked increased risk of gastrointestinal malignancies especially in the post lung transplant population. CF patients that do develop gastrointestinal malignancies do so at an earlier age and there is often a lag in the diagnosis and management of these individuals. We present a 39 year old male CF patient that underwent a colonoscopy for colon cancer screening and a large, near obstructing, villous adenoma of his ileum was found. The polyp was removed successfully via endoscopy without incident and there was no evidence of malignancy. An upper endoscopy revealed a long segment of Barrett's esophagus with no evidence of dysplasia. We present this case as well as a detailed review of the literature on cancer risk in CF and a discussion of the mechanisms that may be involved. We also present the risk of GI malignancies in non-CF patients as a guide on how to assess and manage the risk of GI malignancies in this ever changing patient population. PMID- 17766193 TI - Upregulated expression of ENaC in human CF nasal epithelium. AB - Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterised by the absence of CFTR function resulting in a reduced Cl(-) secretion and an increase in Na+ absorption. This Na+ hyperabsorption is mediated by the human amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), but the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. After demonstrating functional differences of the Na+ absorption in CF and non-CF epithelia in Ussing chamber experiments with human primary cultures, we compared ENaC sequences from CF and non-CF human nasal tissue (hnENaC), investigated the mRNA transcription levels via real-time PCR and studied the protein expression in Western blot analyses. We found no differences in the sequences of CF and non-CF hnENaC, but identified some polymorphisms. The real-time experiments revealed an enhanced mRNA amount of all three hnENaC subunits in CF tissue. By comparing the two groups on the protein level, we observed differences in the abundance of the Na+ channel. While the alpha- and beta-hnENaC protein amount was increased in CF tissue the gamma-hnENaC was decreased. We conclude that the Na+ hyperabsorption in CF is not caused by mutations in hnENaC, but by an increase in the transcription of the hnENaC subunits. This could be induced by a disturbed regulation of the channel in CF. PMID- 17766192 TI - Stimulation of salivary secretion in vivo by CFTR potentiators in Cftr+/+ and Cftr-/- mice. AB - BACKGROUND: Physiologically, salivary secretion is controlled by cholinergic and adrenergic pathways but the role of ionic channels in this process is not yet clearly understood. In cystic fibrosis (CF), most exocrine glands failed to response to beta-adrenergic agonists. METHODS: To determine the implication of CFTR in this process, we measured in vivo the salivary secretion of Cftr(+/+) and Cftr(-/-) mice in the presence of 2 water-soluble benzo[c]quinolizinium derivatives; MPB-07 a potentiator of CFTR Cl(-) channel and MPB-05 an inactive analogue. We also used genistein and its vehicle ethanol to confirm the implication of CFTR in salivary secretion. RESULTS: We showed that subcutaneous injection of MPB-07 in the mice cheek enhanced in a dose dependent manner the isoprenaline-induced salivary secretion in Cftr(+/+) but not in Cftr(-/-) mice. By contrast, MPB-05 did not activate the salivary secretion in Cftr(+/+) mice. The CFTR activator genistein (50 microM) significantly potentiated the secretory response of Cftr(+/+) mice whereas its vehicle, ethanol, had no effect. CONCLUSIONS: These results show for the first time in vivo pharmacological stimulation of salivary secretion by a water-soluble CFTR potentiator, MPB-07 and by the isoflavone, ethanol-soluble genistein and suggest that this chloride channel plays an important role in salivary gland physiology. PMID- 17766195 TI - Response to commentaries on homeostasis of exercise hyperpnea and optimal sensorimotor integration: the internal model paradigm". PMID- 17766194 TI - Vitamin A intake and elevated serum retinol levels in children and young adults with cystic fibrosis. AB - BACKGROUND: Individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) and pancreatic insufficiency (PI) are at risk for fat-soluble vitamin deficiency, including vitamin A. Recent evidence suggests current practices of vitamin A intake results in elevated serum retinol. METHODS: Serum retinol was assessed in 78 subjects (8 to 25 years old) with CF and PI by high performance liquid chromatography, and compared to the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data of subjects of similar age and gender. Vitamin A intake, anthropometry and FEV(1) were measured, and their relationship to serum retinol status was assessed. RESULTS: Median (range) serum retinol was 80 microg/dL (33 to 208) in subjects with CF; 58% were above the NHANES reference range (30 to 72 microg/dL). Total vitamin A intake from diet and supplements was high (608+431% Recommended Dietary Allowance). Serum retinol was not correlated with vitamin A intake, age or gender, and was inversely correlated with weight and height z scores (r=-0.28, p<0.05) in the subjects with CF. CONCLUSIONS: Both vitamin A intake and serum retinol were elevated in subjects with CF and PI, corroborating recent evidence of elevated serum retinol in preadolescent children with CF. These findings indicate the need for further study of dosing and monitoring care practices of vitamin A, to ensure adequacy and to avoid toxicity. PMID- 17766196 TI - Determinant factors of the decrease in aerobic performance in moderate acute hypoxia in women endurance athletes. AB - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the limiting factors of maximal aerobic performance in endurance trained (TW) and sedentary (UW) women. Subjects performed four incremental tests on a cycle ergometer at sea level and in normobaric hypoxia corresponding to 1000, 2500 and 4500 m. Maximal oxygen uptake decrement (Delta VO2 max) was larger in TW at each altitude. Maximal heart rate and ventilation decreased at 4500 m in TW. Maximal cardiac output remained unchanged. In both groups, arterialized oxygen saturation (Sa'O2 max) decreased at and above 2500 m and maximal O2 transport (QaO2 max) decreased from 1000 m. At 4500 m, there was no more difference in QaO2 max between TW and UW. Mixed venous O2 pressure (PvO2 max) was lower and O2 extraction (O2ERmax) greater in TW at each altitude. The primary determinant factor of VO2 max decrement in moderate acute hypoxia in trained and untrained women is a reduced maximal O2 transport that cannot be compensate by tissue O2 extraction. PMID- 17766197 TI - Pharmacokinetic study of three cardiovascular drugs by high-performance liquid chromatography using pre-column derivatization with 9,10-anthraquinone-2-sulfonyl chloride. AB - A new method was developed to analyze three cardiovascular drugs in rat plasma, Mexiletine hydrochloride (MXL), Methoxamine hydrochloride (MTX), and Metaraminol bitartrate (MTR), by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using 9,10 anthraquinone-2-sulfonyl chloride (ASC) as the derivatization reagent. The derivatization modes and conditions for this method were optimized. The quantitative analysis was achieved using a C18 column at room temperature (25 degrees C), with various volume ratios of methanol-water as the mobile phase and a detection wavelength at 256 nm. Analytical linearity was obtained for the method over the concentration range of 0.04-8.0 microg mL(-1) for all the three drugs. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.04 microg mL(-1). This method was successfully applied to the analysis of the three drugs in rat plasma and their pharmacokinetic studies. The t1/2 values of the three drugs in rats were found to be 5.38+/-0.61, 4.49+/-0.53, and 3.70+/-0.19 h for MXL, MTX, and MTR, respectively. PMID- 17766198 TI - Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry for simultaneous analysis of chlorogenic acids and their metabolites in human plasma. AB - A method using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous analysis of nine chlorogenic acids (CGAs), three isomers each of caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs), feruloylquinic acids (FQAs) and dicaffeoylquinic acids (dCQAs), and their two metabolites, caffeic acid (CA) and ferulic acid (FA), in human plasma. In simultaneous multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) measurements using ESI-MS/MS with a negative ion mode, a deprotonated molecular ion derived from each of the 11 molecules was used as a precursor ion while three diagnostic product ions characteristic for each were selected for the qualitative analysis. To obtain maximal intensities for all diagnostic product ions, the collision energy was optimized for each one. LC separation was achieved under conditions of a reversed phase Inertsil ODS-2 column combined with a gradient elution system using 50mM acetic acid with 3% acetonitrile aqueous solution and 50 mM acetic acid with 100% acetonitrile. In the quantitative analysis, one of the three diagnostic product ions for each of the 11 molecules was selected. Application of simultaneous LC ESI-MS/MS MRM measurements to analyze the 11 standards spiked into blank human plasma indicated that all diagnostic product ions were detected without any interference, and that the sensitivity, linearity and recovery of this method were acceptable. When using this method to analyze those 11 molecules in the plasma after oral ingestion of 250 ml of a drink containing a green coffee bean extract (300 mg CGAs), all 11 molecules were identified and CQAs, FQAs and FA were quantified. CQAs, FQAs and dCQAs in human plasma were detected for the first time. This method should be useful to understand the biological and pharmacological effects of CGAs, such as improvement of human hypertension. PMID- 17766199 TI - Determination of serum lysophosphatidic acid as a potential biomarker for ovarian cancer. AB - A fast and selective analytical method, used to determine the different lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) species in serum, has been developed and validated. LPA species were quantitatively extracted from serum using methanol-chloroform (2:1, v/v). The proteins were precipitated by this solvent mixture and separated by centrifugation in one step. LPA levels were determined in clear extracts using the HPLC-MS/MS method. The linearity of this method was established in the concentration range between 0.1 and 16 microM for all LPA species with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.99. Recovery of all LPA species determined by the serum, fortified at approximately 1 microM and 2-3 microM, was between 93% and 111% with an average R.S.D. of less than 8%. This method was used to determine LPA in numerous sera of healthy controls, patients with benign ovarian tumours and ovarian cancer at different stages. Significantly higher total LPA levels were determined in the sera of patients with different types of tumours (benign and malignant). PMID- 17766200 TI - Alkaline saponification results in decomposition of tocopherols in milk and ovine blood plasma. AB - Alkaline saponification of entire sample matrixes for quantification of alpha-, gamma-, delta-tocopherols (alpha-T, gamma-T, delta-T) and alpha-tocopherol acetate (alpha-TAc) was examined. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to measure alpha-T, gamma-T, delta-T and alpha-TAc in tocopherol standard solutions, milk and ovine blood plasma. Saponification in the presence of vitamin C decreases the concentration of tocopherols, especially alpha-T and gamma-T. The poor recovery of tocopherols is due to the decomposition of tocopherols in saponified standard solutions, milk or plasma. Saponification of samples in the presence of 2,[6]-ditertbutyl-p-cresol or flushed only with a stream of Ar resulted in a major decrease in the concentrations of alpha-T, gamma-T, delta-T and alpha-TAc in comparison with saponification in the presence of vitamin C. PMID- 17766201 TI - The place of adsorption and biochromatography in extracorporeal liver support systems. AB - Artificial and bioartificial liver devices aim at replacing some or all liver functions in the cases of end stage or fulminant disorders. Among all of its function, liver plays a key role in detoxification of substances that are hydrosoluble or bound to albumin. In this paper, the authors first reviewed the requirements for temporary liver support, then the adsorption-based systems that can be found on the market and finally propose new applications of biochromatography using perfusion-based bioartificial systems. PMID- 17766203 TI - Long-term changes in body weight, BMI, and adiposity rebound among children and adolescents in the Czech Republic. AB - The Czech Republic has undergone rapid political, social, and economic transformation since the late 1980s. While obesity rates among children and adolescents in the Czech Republic have been previously relatively low, this has changed in recent years. Across the past 50 years, body weight, body mass index (BMI)-for-age, and adiposity rebound (AR) (the time when a child reaches the lowest BMI before their BMI gradually begins to increase until adulthood) occurs earlier. The most dramatic changes have been observed among school-aged children, where BMI values have increased at the 50th, 90th, and 97th percentiles. In contrast, adolescent girls appear to be thinner than in the past. The analyses of weight-for-height percentiles indicated that the 50th percentile of the body weight among boys and girls remained similar in nearly all age categories across the past 50 years. Although the growth pattern of children at the 50th percentile has not changed, the 10th and 90th percentiles have expanded. Our findings suggest that the secular trend of increased height, accelerated growth, and earlier maturation is responsible for Czech children experiencing adiposity rebound at earlier ages compared to the past. PMID- 17766204 TI - The need to understand perinatal outcomes. PMID- 17766202 TI - Sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of olanzapine, risperidone, 9-hydroxyrisperidone, clozapine, haloperidol and ziprasidone in rat brain tissue. AB - One prerequisite for therapeutic effects of psychiatric drugs is the ability to pass the blood brain barrier. Hence, it is important to know the concentration of antipsychotic drugs in brain tissue. In general, determinations of lipophilic compounds from lipophilic matricies such as the brain are a challenge. Here we have adapted a plasma assay for antipsychotics for the target organ the brain. Using modified sample preparation and chromatographic strategies, the analytes were extracted from rat brain homogenate and analyzed by LC-MS/MS. The method used a Waters Atlantis dC-18 (30 mm x 2.1 mm i.d., 3 microm) column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile/5 mM ammonium formate (pH 6.1 adjusted with formic acid) and gradient elution. All analytes were detected in positive ion mode using multiple-reaction monitoring. The method was validated and the linearity, lower limit of quantitation, precision, accuracy, recoveries, specificity and stability were determined. This method was then successfully used to quantify the rat brain tissue concentration of the analytes after chronic treatment with these antipsychotic drugs. PMID- 17766205 TI - Anatomy of the alar lobule in the Asian nose. AB - OBJECTIVE: To provide details of the unique anatomical features on the alar lobule region in the Asian nose. METHODS: We hypothesized that the shape of the alar lobule is dependent on its anatomy. The alar lobules were classified into flared type and straight type depending on their gross prominence and roundness. A total of 20 fresh cadaver noses (10 of each type) were dissected. Anatomical differences between the flared and straight types were investigated by gross and histologic studies. RESULTS: The alar lobule consisted of three layers; external skin, muscle, and vestibular skin. The dilator naris anterior and dilator naris posterior muscles were well developed in the flared type alar lobules, whereas they were poorly developed in the straight type. The insertion of the dilator naris posterior muscle in the flared type was found to extend more anteriorly to the middle of alar lobule as well as to the alar base, whereas in the straight type the insertion was limited to the alar base only. External skin at the lateral end of the flared type was thicker than of the straight type. No significant differences were seen in other structures of the alar lobule region. CONCLUSIONS: The gross appearance of the alar lobule is mainly affected by the volume of the dilator naris anterior muscle, the insertion of the dilator naris posterior muscle, and the thickness of the external skin at the lateral end of the alar circumference. PMID- 17766206 TI - Extramammary Paget's disease--occupational exposure to used engine oil and a new skin grafting technique. AB - SUMMARY: Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a rare intraepithelial adenocarcinoma, affecting mainly 50-70-year-olds with a female preponderance of 3:1. Exposure to polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is associated with a substantial risk of skin cancer. We report a case of 64-year-old male with longstanding occupational exposure to used engine oil presenting with EMPD of the left scrotum and groin. PMID- 17766208 TI - Staging work-up of patients with esophageal cancer. AB - Accurate staging of disease in patients with newly diagnosed esophageal cancer is necessary in order to instigate appropriate curative or palliative therapy. The guidelines presented in this paper are suggested for the initial work-up of patients with newly diagnosed esophageal cancer, yet may be varied according to local preferences and availability of imaging technologies. PMID- 17766207 TI - A study of the personal use of digital photography within plastic surgery. AB - The advent of digital photography has greatly increased the use of medical illustration within specialties dealing with visible pathologies. It offers improved communication between medical professionals, education and counselling of their patients and forms an important aspect of their medical records. With the increased availability of digital cameras there is an increased tendency for clinicians to take digital photographs of patients themselves. In doing so, clinicians take on the responsibility to act in accordance with the regulations governing this practice issued by the UK Department of Health. This study sought to investigate the prevalence of this practice by way of an anonymous questionnaire distributed to three representative plastic surgery units within the UK. It looked at the awareness of and compliance with the present governing regulations. The results showed that of the 60 distributed questionnaires, 30 of 42 respondents took digital photographs of patients themselves. Photographs were taken for the purposes of inclusion in the medical records, education, development of personal libraries and publication. Consent was usually taken but was often only in a verbal form. Processing, storage and security measures highlighted potential risks for breaches in confidentiality. Knowledge relating to the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice, the Data Protection Act and the need for registration with the Data Commissioner when acting in a private capacity were often not known. This small study highlights a number of important points surgeons need to be aware of when taking photographs of patients themselves and makes recommendations for its practice within a plastic surgery department. PMID- 17766209 TI - Diffusion-weighted MRI in head and neck cancer. AB - Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging technique showing molecular diffusion. Cell size, density and integrity influence the signal intensity seen on diffusion-weighted images. This technique is a helpful complementary tool to distinguish tumoral from non-tumoral tissue, and has several interesting applications in the evaluation of head and neck cancer. PMID- 17766211 TI - Transesophageal echocardiography and laryngeal mask airway for placement of permanent central venous catheter in cancer patients with radiographically unidentifiable SVC-RA junction: effectiveness and safety. AB - In patients who require a permanent central venous catheter (PCVC), the usual aim is to put the catheter tip at the superior vena cava and right atrium (SVC-RA) junction. However, there is no study regarding how to guide the positioning of the catheter tip when the SVC-RA junction cannot be identified on chest radiograph. The objectives of this prospective study were: (1) to investigate the incidence and etiologies of radiographically undetermined SVC-RA junctions in cancer patients undergoing PCVC implantation; and (2) to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness and safety of combined transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and laryngeal mask airway (LMA) to guide the positioning of catheters during implantations in patients without this radiographic landmark. Over a 1-year study period, 83 consecutive patients with oncologic diseases who required implantation of a PCVC in a tertiary center were screened. Their preoperative chest radiographs were examined by radiologists to identify the presence of the SVC-RA junction. Patients without a radiographically identifiable SVC-RA junction were classified as cancer-related or cancer-unrelated in terms of etiology. For patients without this landmark, we used TEE with a pediatric biplane transducer and a LMA under intravenous general anesthesia during PCVC implantation to guide the positioning of the catheter tip at the SVC-RA junction. We found that in 16% (13/83) of patients, the SVC-RA junction could not be identified on radiograph. Among the 13 patients, only three (23%) had cancer related etiologies. In all of the 13 patients, the LMA was successfully placed after the TEE transducer was inserted. No episode of air leak from the LMA was found during surgery. All had the catheter tip positioned in the anatomic SVC-RA junction under TEE guidance. In conclusion, 16% of cancer patients requiring PCVC implantation had no identifiable SVC-RA junction on chest radiograph and most causes were cancer-unrelated. In patients without a radiographically identifiable SVC-RA junction, guidance by TEE under LMA general anesthesia is a feasible, safe and effective management to position a PCVC at the SVC-RA junction. PMID- 17766210 TI - Overview of early response assessment in lymphoma with FDG-PET. AB - Early assessment of response to chemotherapy with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is becoming a routine part of management in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and histologically aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Changes in FDG uptake can occur soon after the initiation of therapy and they precede changes in tumour volume. Recent studies in uniform populations of aggressive lymphomas (predominantly diffuse large B cell lymphomas) and HL have clarified the value of early response assessment with PET. These trials show that PET imaging after 2-3 chemotherapy cycles is far superior to CT-based imaging in predicting progression-free survival and can be at least as reliable as definitive response assessment at the end of therapy. This information is of great potential value to patients, but oncologists should be cautious in the use of early PET response in determining choice of therapy until some critical questions are answered. These include: When is the best time to use PET for response assessment? What is the best methodology, visual or quantitative? (For HL at least, visual reading appears superior to an SUV-based assessment). Can early responders be cured with less intensive therapy? Will survival be better for patients treated more intensively because they have a poor interim metabolic response? In the future, early PET will be crucial in developing response-adapted therapy but without further carefully designed clinical trials, oncologists will remain uncertain how best to use this new information. PMID- 17766212 TI - Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the liver in hepatitis B patients with Child-Pugh a cirrhosis. AB - The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that cirrhotic change of liver in hepatitis B patients observed in Child-Pugh classification based on clinical assessment would be reflected in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values calculated from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Twenty-seven patients with hepatitis B Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis and 10 control subjects were referred for measurement values of the liver on a 3.0-T MR unit. The results revealed that ADCs were significantly lower in hepatitis B patients with Child-Pugh class A compared with control subjects (p < 0.01). In conclusion, our preliminary study showed that hepatitis B patients with Child Pugh class A had reduced ADC values in liver vis-a-vis normal subjects. PMID- 17766213 TI - Endoscopic removal of foreign bodies in children. AB - The ingestion of foreign bodies such as coins, fish bones, plastic toy parts, batteries, and needles is common in children. Although the majority of ingested foreign bodies pass through the gastrointestinal tract unaided, some children require either nonsurgical or surgical intervention. The medical records of children who presented to the pediatric emergency department of a single tertiary referral center between December 2001 and May 2006 were reviewed. A total of 87 patients underwent an endoscopic procedure because of suspected foreign body ingestion and foreign bodies were identified by endoscopy in 74 patients (85.1%). The mean age of these 74 patients was 3.4 years (range, 6 months to 13 years). The most common site of foreign body lodgement was the esophagus (n = 38, 51.4%); other sites included the stomach (n = 33, 44.6%) and duodenum (n = 3, 4.0%). The types of foreign bodies included coins (n = 42, 56.8%), button batteries (n = 16, 21.6%), sharp objects (n = 9, 12.2%), chicken bones (n = 2, 2.7%) and others (n = 5, 6.7%). Only two foreign bodies (button batteries) in the duodenum could not be removed successfully by endoscopy. Instead, they were moved into the intestine and then eliminated spontaneously the following day. There were no major complications caused by foreign body ingestion or endoscopic procedures. The outcome of all patients was uneventful without morbidity or mortality. In our experience, endoscopic removal of foreign bodies under general anesthesia is an effective and safe method in children; the method also prevents erosion and perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. PMID- 17766214 TI - Effects of zinc compound on body weight and recovery of bone marrow in mice treated with total body irradiation. AB - This study aimed to investigate if zinc compound would have effects on body weight loss and bone marrow suppression induced by total body irradiation (TBI). ICR mice were divided randomly into two groups and treated with test or control compounds. The test compound contained zinc (amino acid chelated with bovine prostate extract), and the control was reverse osmosis pure water (RO water). One week after receiving the treatment, mice were unirradiated, or irradiated with 6 or 3 Gy by 6 MV photon beams to the total body. Body weight changes were examined at regular intervals. Three and 5 weeks after the radiation, animals were sacrificed to examine the histologic changes in the bone marrow. Lower body weight in the period of 1-5 weeks after radiation and poor survival rate were found after the 6 Gy TBI, as compared with the 3 Gy groups. The median survival time after 6 Gy and 3 Gy TBI for mice given the test compound were 26 and 76 days, respectively, and the corresponding figures were 14 and 70 days, respectively, for mice given the control compound (p < 0.00001). With zinc supplement, the mean body weight in mice which received the same dose of radiation was 7-8 g heavier than in the water-supplement groups during the second and third weeks (p < 0.05). Hence, there was no statistically significant difference in survival rate between zinc and water supplement in mice given the same dose of irradiation. Histopathologically, there was less recovery of bone marrow cells in the 6 Gy groups compared with the 3 Gy groups. In the 3 Gy water supplement group, the nucleated cells and megakaryocytes were recovered in the fifth week when recovery was still not seen in the 6 Gy group. With zinc supplement, these cells were recovered in the third week. In this study, we found that zinc is beneficial to body weight in mice treated with TBI. Histologic examination of bone marrow showed better recovery of bone marrow cells in groups of mice fed with zinc. This study suggests that zinc can be used as supplements in cancer patients receiving radiotherapy to reduce radiation-induced complications. PMID- 17766215 TI - Epidemiologic study on work-related eye injuries in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. AB - To describe the epidemiologic features of work-related eye injuries in Kaohsiung, a hospital-based study was performed. Four hundred and eighty-six patients who were treated at emergency service or were admitted to the ophthalmology ward over a 4-year period were reviewed. Among these, 38.9% of eye injuries in the study were work-related. Male workers had a 3.99 higher odds ratio (OR) than females to suffer from eye injuries (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.99-8.04). Most of the work-related eye injuries occurred in subjects who were 30-49 years old (OR, 3.02, and 95% CI, 1.56-5.82, when compared with those aged < or = 29 years). The most common type of eye injury in the occupational exposure group was foreign body injury (31.2%), followed by blunt injuries (20.6%), chemical burn (19.6%), UV light radiation (12.7%), and corneal abrasions (11.6%). On the other hand, in the non-occupational exposure group, the most common types of eye injury were blunt injuries (43.4%), corneal abrasions (28.3%), and foreign body injury (20.2%). Our study found that foreign body injury and blunt injuries were the two highest priority injuries for which prevention strategies should be developed in Kaohsiung city. Furthermore, after advanced examination of types of media that caused eye injuries, we found that being hit by wooden objects around the eye, by flying objects in the eye, and by welding flashes are important risk factors for workers to avoid. In conclusion, most of the occupational eye injuries occurred among male workers aged 30-49 years. Due to the lack of an occupational eye injury surveillance system to monitor the incidence of eye injuries and to undertake risk assessment, preventable occupational eye injuries have not been properly controlled. We hope to provide information for further development of preventive strategies. PMID- 17766216 TI - Biloma following transcatheter arterial chemoembolization with microspheres: a case report. AB - We report a case of intrahepatic biloma following transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with microspheres in a 44-year-old male patient. He was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma with satellite nodules and intrahepatic duct invasion in August 2004. TACE was performed with a mixture of lipiodol, epirubicin hydrochloride, and mitomycin followed by microspheres as devascularizing material. Local external irradiation was performed on the area of intrahepatic duct invasion after the first TACE. Owing to local tumor progression and growth of new tumor nodules, a series of TACEs were performed. However, fever and diarrhea developed 2 weeks after the third TACE. Biloma with infection was diagnosed and was then treated successfully with percutaneous drainage and antibiotics. Embolization using microspheres at the proximal right hepatic artery was considered to have been the jeopardizing etiologic factor of biloma formation. PMID- 17766217 TI - Renal cell carcinoma presenting with skull metastasis: a case report and literature review. AB - The occurrence of metastasis to the head and neck region in renal cell carcinoma is extremely rare. An 80-year-old man presented with a soft nodule in the left parietal calvarium and was admitted to our hospital. Biopsy of the nodule showed nests of clear tumor cells, suggesting metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a well-defined hypervascular tumor, measuring around 7 x 7 x 8 cm, exophytic from the lower pole of the right kidney. Since there were no other systemic metastases, right nephrectomy and complete resection of the skull lesion were performed. No adjunctive therapy was given postoperatively. After 22 months of follow-up, the patient was well and without evidence of disease. PMID- 17766218 TI - Exacerbation of symptoms of lumbar disc herniation complicated by a schwannoma: a case report. AB - Herniation of the lumbar disc is a common cause of low back pain. Conservative management with physiotherapy, such as lumbar spine traction, is usually effective. Although a schwannoma of the lumbar spine is relatively uncommon, the clinical manifestations are similar to those of lumbar disc herniation, making the diagnosis difficult. This case report describes a 51-year-old male who had suffered from low back pain for 3 years and who was diagnosed with L2/L3 lumbar disc herniation. The low back pain was well-controlled by conservative treatment and the symptoms improved progressively. Two months prior to our evaluation, however, the symptoms worsened acutely, and were accompanied by the onset of symptoms of cauda equina syndrome. A small tumor at the site of the L2/L3 disc herniation, observed incidentally during magnetic resonance imaging, was responsible for the symptoms of spinal stenosis at the lumbar region. The patient underwent laminectomy, tumor resection, and discectomy with near-complete resolution of symptoms. In patients with lumbar disc herniation that improves with conservative treatment, the recurrence of symptoms should prompt a thorough review of the medical history, physical examination, and imaging studies to establish the diagnosis and prevent delay in treatment. PMID- 17766219 TI - [Role of fibroblasts in physiologic, reparative and pathologic processes]. AB - Fibroblast is counted as one of the important cell of the connective tissue. At the present time many phenotypes are known taking part in normal, repair and pathological processes, meanwhile cellular and molecular events occur, where fibroblasts play essential role. Among molecular factors, first of all integrins, growth factors, cytokines and matrix molecules are discussed. The aim of this work is to summarize the morphological, biochemical and functional role of fibroblasts in addition to the physiological process, wound repair and in such pathological processes as Dupuytren's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Graves' ophthalmopathy and carcinogenesis. It becomes known that fibroblasts participate in dynamic interplay with other cells and with the extracellular matrix. The results of the new investigations clarify better the physiological and pathological processes of the tissue, at the same time give potential help to the therapy of some illnesses. The authors summarise the important data of the subject on the basis of international literature and of their own investigations. PMID- 17766220 TI - [Disorders of hemostatic system in patients with malignant disease, especially in view of venous thromboembolism]. AB - INTRODUCTION: An increased susceptibility to thrombosis demonstrated in laboratory analysis of solid malignant diseases develops as a result of the activating effect of malignant cells on the hemostatic system. The development of this activating effect is a consequence of interactions between malignant cells and the various components of the coagulation system (coagulation factors, platelets, endothelial cells, fibrinolytic system) which leads from a prothrombotic state to clinically identifiable disorders of the hemostatic system. AIMS: In a retrospective analysis, authors sought to answer what characteristics and frequency of hemostatic disorders developed in a great number of cases with malignant diseases. METHOD: Between 1996 and 2004, solid malignant diseases were diagnosed in 1381 patients by histological and/or cytological examinations. Most of the patients suffered from primary bronchopulmonary carcinoma ( n = 1140). In the rest of the cases, malignant processes were located in breast, colorectal system, kidney, bladder, thyroid gland and pancreas. Mesothelioma was diagnosed in six patients by histological analysis. Based on the examinations of clinical stage-definition, the malignant disease was in an advanced stage. The authors examined the characteristics and frequency of hemostatic disorders showed with special regard to the incidents of venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer. The role of existing non-malignant associative diseases concerning the development of hemostatic disorders was also given a special attention. RESULT: Out of the 1381 patients with malignant disease, clinically identifiable hemostatic disorders were found in 397 cases (28.7%). Venous thrombosis and acute pulmonary embolism happened to be the most frequent ones ( n = 305, 22%). Migrating superficial thrombophlebitis, septic thrombosis, acute diffuse intravascular coagulation, and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia developed in 71 patients (6.7%). CONCLUSION: Active cancer is often associated with hypercoagulable state, which perturbs the hemostatic balance between anticoagulant and procoagulant forces, creating a prothrombotic state. The interaction between tumor cells and host cells involves direct cell cell interaction or indirect mechanism by cytokine release. Hypercoagulable state in patients with malignant disease may result in the occurrence of various clinically identifiable hemostatic system disorders: the most frequent one is venous thromboembolism (so-called secondary thrombosis). In cases of idiopathic venous thromboembolism, it is recommended to carry out specific clinical check-up to prove or to preclude asymptomatic malignant diseases. PMID- 17766221 TI - [Heme-iron in the human body]. AB - Iron is essential for all living organism, although in excess amount it is dangerous via catalyzing the formation of reactive oxygen species. Absorption of iron is strictly controlled resulting in a fine balance of iron-loss and iron uptake. In countries where the ingestion of heme-iron is significant by meal, great part of iron content in the body originates from heme. Heme derived from food is absorbed by a receptor-mediated manner by enterocytes of small intestine then it is degraded in a reaction catalyzed by heme oxygenase. Iron released from the porphyrin ring leaves enterocytes as transferrin associated iron. Prosthetic group of several proteins contains heme, therefore, it is synthesized by all cells. One of the most significant heme proteins is hemoglobin which transports oxygen in the erythrocytes. Hemoglobin released from erythrocyte during intravascular hemolysis binds to haptoglobin and is taken up by cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. Oxidation of hemoglobin (ferro) to methemoglobin (ferri) is inhibited by the structure of hemoglobin although it is not hindered. Superoxide anion is also formed in the reaction that initiates further free radical reactions. In contrast to ferrohemoglobin, methemoglobin readily releases heme, therefore, oxidation of hemoglobin drives the formation of free heme in plasma. Heme binds to a plasma protein, hemopexin, and is internalized by cells of monocyte-macrophage lineage in a receptor-mediated manner, then degraded in reaction catalysed by heme oxygenase. Heme is also taken up by plasma lipoproteins and endothelial cells leading to oxidation of LDL and subsequent endothelial cell damage. The purpose of this work was to summarize the processes related to heme. PMID- 17766223 TI - [Dilemmas associated with the surgical treatment of cutaneous B cell lymphomas]. AB - INTRODUCTION: Cutaneous lymphomas belong to the group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. However, in case of an in-time diagnose and adequate treatment the prognosis of the disease is fairly good. Nevertheless, a thorny path leads to the correct diagnosis as several dermatological diseases cause problems in differential diagnostics. CASE REPORT: The authors describe the case history of a 53-year-old woman patient, who had a dermatological check-up due to a dermatitis in the shoulder region. A conservative treatment was started because of a suspected mycosis. Following its inefficiency an operative excision was carried out. The postoperative biopsy verified cutaneous B-cell lymphoma. DISCUSSION: The cutaneous B-cell lymphomas are such forms of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, where the malignant proliferation appears primarily in the skin, and in 6 months after the diagnosis extracutaneous manifestation cannot be detected. Several cases can be found in the literature, which show long interval between the manifestation of the symptoms and the setting of the diagnosis. This calls the attention to the significance of difficulties in the differential diagnosis. During the treatment of cutaneous lymphomas the type, the cutaneous extension, and the extracutaneous manifestation of the disease must be defined. The therapeutic plan can be made up by analysing these findings. On the basis of findings in this case and in the literature, a surgical treatment--beyond determining the correct diagnosis--could be a therapeutic alternative in the treatment of cutaneous B-cell lymphomas. PMID- 17766222 TI - [The undesirable, psychologically adverse effects of screening]. AB - The psychological adverse effects might play an important role in the non compliance with the offered screening examination. The possible sources of them are three-fold: 1. The general human attitude, such as the rejection of health interventions, particularly those aiming at the prevention of eventual future health problems instead of handling existing complaints and symptoms at present; the screening can be seen as a "future-oriented" intervention. 2. The cultural image of cancer and the disbelief of its curability. 3. The subjective experiences in relation to the screening process. The providers have to do their best to eliminate these causes: by means of a) health education addressing people of various ages, social classes and cultural levels, promoting the understanding of the importance of disease prevention, and, changing their negative, defeatist attitude towards cancer; b) minimizing the psychological adverse effects of all kinds. This can be done by proper organisation of the screening process; optimizing the quality of work, and, provision of good quality of information and advice to the screenees before, during and after the screening. PMID- 17766224 TI - [Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita--case report]. AB - Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita is a rare, usually congenital, localized or generalized cutaneous vascular abnormality characterized by a persistent cutis marmorata pattern, spider naevus-like telangiectasia and ulceration or atrophy of the involved skin, which frequently improves with age. Approximately 300 cases have been reported worldwide. The authors present a case of cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita with typical clinical findings: phlebectasia of the scalp with ulceration, almost generalized persistent cutis marmorata, telangiectasia. No associated anomalies were detected. The relevant literature is also reviewed. PMID- 17766225 TI - [From coffee to today's drugs: review of an uncommon book]. PMID- 17766228 TI - ["Always did what I loved doing . . . " Interview with Dr. Eva Olah by Gyongyi B.Kiraly]. PMID- 17766236 TI - Opportunities and challenges of sustainable agricultural development in China. AB - This paper introduces the concepts and aims of sustainable agriculture in China. Sustainable agricultural development comprises sustainability of agricultural production, sustainability of the rural economy, ecological and environmental sustainability within agricultural systems and sustainability of rural society. China's prime aim is to ensure current and future food security. Based on projections of China's population, its economy, societal factors and agricultural resources and inputs between 2000 and 2050, total grain supply and demand has been predicted and the state of food security analysed. Total and per capita demand for grain will increase continuously. Total demand will reach 648 Mt in 2020 and 700 Mt in 2050, while total grain yield of cultivated land will reach 470 Mt in 2010, 585 Mt in 2030 and 656 Mt in 2050. The per capita grain production will be around 360kg in the period 2000-2030 and reach 470kg in 2050. When productivities of cultivated land and other agricultural resources are all taken into consideration, China's food self-sufficiency ratio will increase from 94.4% in 2000 to 101.3% in 2030, suggesting that China will meet its future demand for food and need for food security. Despite this positive assessment, the country's sustainable agricultural development has encountered many obstacles. These include: agricultural water-use shortage; cultivated land loss; inappropriate usage of fertilizers and pesticides, and environmental degradation. PMID- 17766237 TI - Developing sustainable food supply chains. AB - This paper reviews the opportunities available for food businesses to encourage consumers to eat healthier and more nutritious diets, to invest in more sustainable manufacturing and distribution systems and to develop procurement systems based on more sustainable forms of agriculture. The important factors in developing more sustainable supply chains are identified as the type of supply chain involved and the individual business attitude to extending responsibility for product quality into social and environmental performance within their own supply chains. Interpersonal trust and working to standards are both important to build more sustainable local and many conserved food supply chains, but inadequate to transform mainstream agriculture and raw material supplies to the manufactured and commodity food markets. Cooperation among food manufacturers, retailers, NGOs, governmental and farmers' organizations is vital in order to raise standards for some supply chains and to enable farmers to adopt more sustainable agricultural practices. PMID- 17766238 TI - Urban birds have broader environmental tolerance. AB - Urbanization dramatically changes the composition and diversity of biotic communities. The characteristics distinguishing species that persist in urban environments, however, are poorly understood. Here we test the hypothesis that broadly adapted organisms are better able to tolerate urbanization, using a phylogenetically controlled, global comparison of birds. We compared elevational and latitudinal distributions of 217 urban birds found in 73 of the world's largest cities with distributions of 247 rural congeners to test the hypothesis that urban birds possess broader environmental tolerance. Urban birds had markedly broader environmental tolerance than rural congeners, as estimated by elevational and latitudinal distributions. Our results suggest that broad environmental tolerance may predispose some birds to thrive in urban habitats. The mechanisms mediating such environmental tolerance warrant further investigation, but probably include greater behavioural, physiological and ecological flexibility. PMID- 17766239 TI - Role of the asymmetry of the homodimeric b2 stator stalk in the interaction with the F1 sector of Escherichia coli ATP synthase. AB - The b subunit dimer in the peripheral stator stalk of Escherichia coli ATP synthase is essential for enzyme assembly and the rotational catalytic mechanism. Recent protein chemical evidence revealed the dimerization domain of b to contain a novel two-stranded right-handed coiled coil with offset helices. Here, the existence of this structure in more complete constructs of b containing the C terminal domain, and therefore capable of binding to the peripheral F1-ATPase, was supported by the more efficient formation of intersubunit disulfide bonds between cysteine residues that are proximal only in the offset arrangement and by the greater thermal stabilities of cross-linked heterodimers trapped in the offset configuration as opposed to homodimers with the helices trapped in register. F1-ATPase binding analyses revealed the offset heterodimers to bind F1 more tightly than in-register homodimers. Mutations near the C terminus of b were incorporated specifically into either the N-terminally or the C-terminally shifted polypeptide, bN or bC, respectively, to determine the contribution of each position to F1 binding. Deletion of the last four residues of bN substantially weakened F1 binding, whereas the effect of the deletion in bC was modest. Similarly, benzophenone maleimide introduced at the C terminus of bN, but not bC, mediated cross-linking to the delta subunit of F1. These results imply that the polypeptide in the bN position is more important for F1 binding than the one in the bC position and illustrate the significance of the asymmetry of the b dimer in the enzyme. PMID- 17766240 TI - RsmA is an anti-sigma factor that modulates its activity through a [2Fe-2S] cluster cofactor. AB - The rsmA gene of Streptomyces coelicolor lies directly upstream of the gene encoding the group 3 sigma factor sigma(M). The RsmA protein is a putative member of the HATPase_c family of anti-sigma factors but is unusual in that it contains seven cysteine residues. Bacterial two-hybrid studies demonstrate that it interacts specifically with sigma(M), and in vitro studies of the purified proteins by native PAGE and transcription assays confirmed that they form a complex. Characterization of RsmA revealed that it binds ATP and that, as isolated, it contains significant quantities of iron and inorganic sulfide, in equal proportion, with spectroscopic properties characteristic of a [2Fe-2S] cluster-containing protein. Importantly, the interaction between RsmA and sigma(M) is dependent on the presence of the iron-sulfur cluster. We propose a model in which RsmA regulates the activity of sigma(M). Loss of the cluster, in response to an as yet unidentified signal, activates sigma(M) by abolishing its interaction with the anti-sigma factor. This represents a major extension of the functional diversity of iron-sulfur cluster proteins. PMID- 17766241 TI - Novel role for the liver X nuclear receptor in the suppression of lung inflammatory responses. AB - The liver X receptors (LXRalpha/beta) are part of the nuclear receptor family and are believed to regulate cholesterol and lipid homeostasis. It has also been suggested that LXR agonists possess anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of LXR agonists on the innate immune response in human primary lung macrophages and a pre-clinical rodent model of lung inflammation. Before profiling the impact of the agonist, we established that both the human macrophages and the rodent lungs expressed LXRalpha/beta. We then used two structurally distinct LXR agonists to demonstrate that activation of this transcription factor reduces cytokine production in THP-1 cells and lung macrophages. Then, using the expression profile of ATP binding cassettes A1 (ABCA 1; a gene directly linked to LXR activation) as a biomarker for lung exposure of the compound, we demonstrated an LXR-dependent reduction in lung neutrophilia rodents in vivo. This inhibition was not associated with a suppression of c-Fos/c Jun mRNA expression or NF-kappaB/AP-1 DNA binding, suggesting that any anti inflammatory activity of LXR agonists is not via inhibition of NF-kappaB/AP-1 transcriptional activity. These data do not completely rule out an impact of these agonists on these two prominent transcription factors. In summary, this study is the first to demonstrate anti-inflammatory actions of LXRs in the lung. Chronic innate inflammatory responses observed in some airway diseases is thought to be central to disease pathogenesis. Therefore, data suggest that LXR ligands have utility in the treatment of lung diseases that involves chronic inflammation mediated by macrophages and neutrophils. PMID- 17766242 TI - The lipocalin alpha1-microglobulin has radical scavenging activity. AB - The lipocalin alpha(1)-microglobulin (alpha(1)m) is a 26-kDa glycoprotein present in plasma and in interstitial fluids of all tissues. The protein was recently shown to have reductase properties, reducing heme-proteins and other substrates, and was also reported to be involved in binding and scavenging of heme and tryptophan metabolites. To investigate its possible role as a reductant of organic radicals, we have studied the interaction of alpha(1)m with the synthetic radical, 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS radical). The lipocalin readily reacted with the ABTS radical forming reduced ABTS. The apparent rate constant for this reaction was 6.3 +/- 2.5 x 10(3) M(-1) s(-1). A second reaction product with an intense purple color and an absorbance maximum at 550 nm was formed at a similar rate. This was shown by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to be derived from covalent attachment of a portion of ABTS radical to tyrosine residues on alpha(1)m. The relative yields of reduced ABTS and the purple ABTS derivative bound to alpha(1)m were approximately 2:1. Both reactions were dependent on the thiolate group of the cysteine residue in position 34 of the alpha(1)m polypeptide. Our results indicate that alpha(1)m is involved in a sequential reduction of ABTS radicals followed by trapping of these radicals by covalent attachment. In combination with the reported physiological properties of the protein, our results suggest that alpha(1)m may be a radical reductant and scavenger in vivo. PMID- 17766244 TI - Characterization of the amino acids from Neisseria meningitidis methionine sulfoxide reductase B involved in the chemical catalysis and substrate specificity of the reductase step. AB - Methionine sulfoxide reductases (Msrs) are antioxidant repair enzymes that catalyze the thioredoxin-dependent reduction of methionine sulfoxide back to methionine. The Msr family is composed of two structurally unrelated classes of enzymes named MsrA and MsrB, which display opposite stereoselectivities toward the S and R isomers of the sulfoxide function, respectively. Both classes of Msr share a similar three-step chemical mechanism involving first a reductase step that leads to the formation of a sulfenic acid intermediate. In this study, the invariant amino acids of Neisseria meningitidis MsrB involved in the reductase step catalysis and in substrate binding have been characterized by the structure function relationship approach. Altogether the results show the following: 1) formation of the MsrB-substrate complex leads to an activation of the catalytic Cys-117 characterized by a decreased pKapp of approximately 2.7 pH units; 2) the catalytic active MsrB form is the Cys-117-/His-103+ species with a pKapp of 6.6 and 8.3, respectively; 3) His-103 and to a lesser extent His-100, Asn-119, and Thr-26 (via a water molecule) participate in the stabilization of the polarized form of the sulfoxide function and of the transition state; and 4) Trp-65 is essential for the catalytic efficiency of the reductase step by optimizing the position of the substrate in the active site. A scenario for the reductase step is proposed and discussed in comparison with that of MsrA. PMID- 17766243 TI - Menin-mediated caspase 8 expression in suppressing multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. AB - Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a familial tumor syndrome linked to mutation of the MEN1 gene, which encodes a tumor suppressor, menin. We previously reported that menin up-regulates the caspase 8 expression and promotes TNF-alpha induced apoptosis. However, it remains unclear how menin up-regulates caspase 8 expression and whether menin-mediated caspase 8 expression plays a role in repressing MEN1 development. Here we show that menin binds the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the Caspase 8 locus in vivo and activates transcription of a reporter gene through the 5'-UTR. Menin directly binds the 5'-UTR in a sequence independent manner in vitro. Moreover, Men1 ablation in cells reduces acetylation of histones H3 and H4 at the 5'-UTR of the caspase 8 locus bound by menin in vivo. Notably, the MEN1-derived menin point mutants lose their ability to bind the caspase 8 locus and fail to induce caspase 8 expression and TNF-alpha mediated apoptosis. Consistent with these observations, the expression level of caspase 8 is markedly reduced in insulinomas from Men1(+/-) mice. Together, our results indicate that menin enhances the caspase 8 expression by binding the caspase 8 locus, and suggest that menin suppresses MEN1 tumorigenesis, at least in part, by up-regulating caspase 8 expression. PMID- 17766245 TI - Identification and biochemical characterization of unique secretory nucleases of the human enteric pathogen, Entamoeba histolytica. AB - The ancient eukaryotic human pathogen, Entamoeba histolytica, is a nucleo-base auxotroph (i.e. lacks the ability to synthesize purines or pyrimidines de novo) and therefore is totally dependent upon its host for the supply of these essential nutrients. In this study, we identified two unique 28-kDa, dithiothreitol-sensitive nucleases and showed that they are constitutively released/secreted by parasites during axenic culture. Using several different molecular approaches, we identified and characterized the structure of EhNucI and EhNucII, genes that encode ribonuclease T2 family proteins. Homologous episomal expression of epitope-tagged EhNucI and EhNucII chimeric constructs was used to define the functional and biochemical properties of these released/secreted enzymes. Results of coupled immunoprecipitation-enzyme activity analyses demonstrated that these "secretory" enzymes could hydrolyze a variety of synthetic polynucleotides, as well as the natural nucleic acid substrate RNA. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that sera from acutely infected amebiasis patients recognized and immunoprecipitated these parasite secretory enzymes. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that within its host, these secretory nucleases could function, at a distance away from the parasite, to harness (i.e. hydrolyze/access) host-derived nucleic acids to satisfy the essential purine and pyrimidine requirements of these organisms. Thus, these enzymes might play an important role in facilitating the survival, growth, and development of this important human pathogen. PMID- 17766246 TI - The bacteroides NBU1 integrase performs a homology-independent strand exchange to form a holliday junction intermediate. AB - The Bacteroides mobilizable transposon NBU1 uses an integrase (IntN1) that is a tyrosine recombinase for its integration and excision from the host chromosome. Previously we showed that IntN1 makes 7-bp staggered cuts within the NBU1 att sites, and certain mismatches within the crossover region of the attN1 site (G( 2)C attN1) or the chromosomal target site (C(-3)G attBT1-1) enhanced the in vivo integration efficiency. Here we describe an in vitro integration system for NBU1. We used nicked substrates and a Holliday junction trapping peptide to show that NBU1 integration proceeds via formation of a Holliday junction intermediate that is formed by exchange of bottom strands. Some mismatches next to the first strand exchange site (in reactions with C(-3)G attBT1-1 or G(-2)C attN1 with their wild type partner site) not only allowed formation of the Holliday junction intermediate but also increased the rate of recombinant formation. The second strand exchange appears to be homology-dependent. IntN1 is the only tyrosine recombinase known to catalyze a reaction that is more efficient in the presence of mismatches and where the first strand exchange is homology-independent. The possible mechanisms by which the mismatches stimulate recombination are discussed. PMID- 17766247 TI - Engineering the rRNA decoding site of eukaryotic cytosolic ribosomes in bacteria. AB - Structural and genetic studies on prokaryotic ribosomes have provided important insights into fundamental aspects of protein synthesis and translational control and its interaction with ribosomal drugs. Comparable mechanistic studies in eukaryotes are mainly hampered by the absence of both high-resolution crystal structures and efficient genetic models. To study the interaction of aminoglycoside antibiotics with selected eukaryotic ribosomes, we replaced the bacterial drug binding site in 16S rRNA with its eukaryotic counterpart, resulting in bacterial hybrid ribosomes with a fully functional eukaryotic rRNA decoding site. Cell-free translation assays demonstrated that hybrid ribosomes carrying the rRNA decoding site of higher eukaryotes show pronounced resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics, equivalent to that of rabbit reticulocyte ribosomes, while the decoding sites of parasitic protozoa show distinctive drug susceptibility. Our findings suggest that phylogenetically variable components of the ribosome, other than the rRNA-binding site, do not affect aminoglycoside susceptibility of the protein-synthesis machinery. The activities of the hybrid ribosomes indicate that helix 44 of the rRNA decoding site behaves as an autonomous domain, which can be exchanged between ribosomes of different phylogenetic domains for study of function. PMID- 17766248 TI - Hot-spot consensus of fluoroquinolone-mediated DNA cleavage by Gram-negative and Gram-positive type II DNA topoisomerases. AB - Bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV are selective targets of fluoroquinolones. Topoisomerase IV versus gyrase and Gram-positive versus Gram negative behavior was studied based on the different recognition of DNA sequences by topoisomerase-quinolone complexes. A careful statistical analysis of preferred bases was performed on a large number (>400) of cleavage sites. We found discrete preferred sequences that were similar when using different enzymes (i.e. gyrase and topoisomerase IV) from the same bacterial source, but in part diverse when employing enzymes from different origins (i.e. Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pneumoniae). Subsequent analysis on the wild-type and mutated consensus sequences showed that: (i) Gn/Cn-rich sequences at and around the cleavage site are hot spots for quinolone-mediated strand breaks, especially for E. coli topoisomerases: we elucidated positions required for quinolone and enzyme recognition; (ii) for S. pneumoniae enzymes only, A and T at positions -2 and +6 are discriminating cleavage determinants; (iii) symmetry of the target sequence is a key trait to promote cleavage and (iv) the consensus sequence adopts a heteronomous A/B conformation, which may trigger DNA processing by the enzyme drug complex. PMID- 17766249 TI - Sequence-dependent DNA deformability studied using molecular dynamics simulations. AB - Proteins recognize specific DNA sequences not only through direct contact between amino acids and bases, but also indirectly based on the sequence-dependent conformation and deformability of the DNA (indirect readout). We used molecular dynamics simulations to analyze the sequence-dependent DNA conformations of all 136 possible tetrameric sequences sandwiched between CGCG sequences. The deformability of dimeric steps obtained by the simulations is consistent with that by the crystal structures. The simulation results further showed that the conformation and deformability of the tetramers can highly depend on the flanking base pairs. The conformations of xATx tetramers show the most rigidity and are not affected by the flanking base pairs and the xYRx show by contrast the greatest flexibility and change their conformations depending on the base pairs at both ends, suggesting tetramers with the same central dimer can show different deformabilities. These results suggest that analysis of dimeric steps alone may overlook some conformational features of DNA and provide insight into the mechanism of indirect readout during protein-DNA recognition. Moreover, the sequence dependence of DNA conformation and deformability may be used to estimate the contribution of indirect readout to the specificity of protein-DNA recognition as well as nucleosome positioning and large-scale behavior of nucleic acids. PMID- 17766250 TI - Fluorescence of 2-aminopurine reveals rapid conformational changes in the RB69 DNA polymerase-primer/template complexes upon binding and incorporation of matched deoxynucleoside triphosphates. AB - We have used 2-aminopurine (2AP) as a fluorescent probe in the template strand of a 13/20mer primer/template (D) to detect deoxynucleoside triphosphates (N) dependent conformational changes exhibited by RB69 DNA polymerase (ED) complexes. The rates and amplitudes of fluorescence quenching depend hyperbolically on the [dTTP] when a dideoxy-primer/template (ddP/T) with 2AP as the templating base (n position) is used. No detectable fluorescence changes occur when a ddP/T with 2AP positioned 5' to the templating base (n + 1 position) is used. With a deoxy primer/template (dP/T) with 2AP in the n position, a rapid fluorescence quenching occurs within 2 ms, followed by a second, slower fluorescence quenching with a rate constant similar to base incorporation as determined by chemical quench. With a dP/T having 2AP in the n + 1 position, there is a [dNTP]-dependent fluorescence enhancement that occurs at a rate comparable to dNMP incorporation. Collectively, the results favor a minimal kinetic scheme in which population of two distinct biochemical states of the ternary EDN complex precedes the nucleotidyl transfer reaction. Observed differences between dP/T and ddP/T ternary complexes indicate that the 3' hydroxyl group of the primer plays a critical role in determining the rate constants of transitions that lead to strong deoxynucleoside triphosphate binding prior to chemistry. PMID- 17766251 TI - An archaeal orthologue of the universal protein Kae1 is an iron metalloprotein which exhibits atypical DNA-binding properties and apurinic-endonuclease activity in vitro. AB - The Kae1 (Kinase-associated endopeptidase 1) protein is a member of the recently identified transcription complex EKC and telomeres maintenance complex KEOPS in yeast. Kae1 homologues are encoded by all sequenced genomes in the three domains of life. Although annotated as putative endopeptidases, the actual functions of these universal proteins are unknown. Here we show that the purified Kae1 protein (Pa-Kae1) from Pyrococcus abyssi is an iron-protein with a novel type of ATP binding site. Surprisingly, this protein did not exhibit endopeptidase activity in vitro but binds cooperatively to single and double-stranded DNA and induces unusual DNA conformational change. Furthermore, Pa-Kae1 exhibits a class I apurinic (AP)-endonuclease activity (AP-lyase). Both DNA binding and AP endonuclease activity are inhibited by ATP. Kae1 is thus a novel and atypical universal DNA interacting protein whose importance could rival those of RecA (RadA/Rad51) in the maintenance of genome integrity in all living cells. PMID- 17766252 TI - The arginine finger of the Bloom syndrome protein: its structural organization and its role in energy coupling. AB - RecQ family helicases are essential in maintaining chromosomal DNA stability and integrity. Despite extensive studies, the mechanisms of these enzymes are still poorly understood. Crystal structures of many helicases reveal a highly conserved arginine residue located near the gamma-phosphate of ATP. This residue is widely recognized as an arginine finger, and may sense ATP binding and hydrolysis, and transmit conformational changes. We investigated the existence and role of the arginine finger in the Bloom syndrome protein (BLM), a RecQ family helicase, in ATP hydrolysis and energy coupling. Our studies by combination of structural modelling, site-directed mutagenesis and biochemical and biophysical approaches, demonstrate that mutations of residues interacting with the gamma-phosphate of ATP or surrounding the ATP-binding sites result in severe impairment in the ATPase activity of BLM. These mutations also impair BLM's DNA-unwinding activities, but do not affect its ATP and DNA-binding abilities. These data allow us to identify R982 as the residue that functions as a BLM arginine finger. Our findings further indicate how the arginine finger is precisely positioned by the conserved motifs with respect to the gamma-phosphate. PMID- 17766255 TI - Dose conversion coefficients calculated using tomographic phantom, KTMAN-2, for X ray examination of cardiac catheterisation. AB - In this study, organ-absorbed doses and effective doses to patient during interventional radiological procedures were estimated using tomographic phantom, Korean Typical Man-2 (KTMAN-2). Four projections of cardiac catheterisation were simulated for dose calculation by Monte Carlo technique. The parameters of X-ray source and exposure conditions were obtained from literature data. Particle transport was simulated using general purposed Monte Carlo code, MCNPX 2.5.0. Organ-absorbed doses and effective doses were normalised to dose area product (DAP). The effective doses per DAP were between 0.1 and 0.5 mSv Gy(-1) per cm2. The results were compared with those derived from adult stylised phantom. KTMAN-2 received up to 105% higher effective doses than stylised phantom. The dose differences were mainly caused by more realistic internal topology of KTMAN-2 compared to stylised phantom that are closely positioned organs near the heart and shift of abdominal organs to the thoracic region due to supine position. The results of this study showed that tomographic phantoms are more suitable for dose assessment of supine patients undergoing the interventional radiology. The results derived from KTMAN-2 were the first radiation dose data based on non Caucasian individuals for interventional procedures. PMID- 17766256 TI - The internal dosimetry code PLEIADES. AB - The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has published dose coefficients for the ingestion or inhalation of radionuclides in a series of reports covering intakes by workers and members of the public, including children and pregnant or lactating women. The calculation of these coefficients divides naturally into two distinct parts-the biokinetic and dosimetric. This paper describes in detail the methods used to solve the biokinetic problem in the generation of dose coefficients on behalf of the ICRP, as implemented in the Health Protection Agency's internal dosimetry code PLEIADES. A summary of the dosimetric treatment is included. PMID- 17766253 TI - A specific role for the C-terminal region of the Poly(A)-binding protein in mRNA decay. AB - mRNA poly(A) tails affect translation, mRNA export and mRNA stability, with translation initiation involving a direct interaction between eIF4G and the poly(A)-binding protein Pab1. The latter factor contains four RNA recognition motifs followed by a C-terminal region composed of a linker and a PABC domain. We show here that yeast mutants lacking the C-terminal domains of Pab1 display specific synthetic interactions with mutants in the 5'-3' mRNA decay pathway. Moreover, these mutations impair mRNA decay in vivo without significantly affecting mRNA export or translation. Inhibition of mRNA decay occurs through slowed deadenylation. In vitro analyses demonstrate that removal of the Pab1 linker domain directly interferes with the ability of the Pop2-Ccr4 complex to deadenylate the Pab1-bound poly(A). Binding assays demonstrate that this results from a modulation of poly(A) packaging by the Pab1 linker region. Overall, our results demonstrate a direct involvement of Pab1 in mRNA decay and reveal the modular nature of this factor, with different domains affecting various cellular processes. These data suggest new models involving the modulation of poly(A) packaging by Pab1 to control mRNA decay. PMID- 17766257 TI - Technical basis for using nose swab bioassay data for early internal dose assessment. AB - One of the challenges to the dose assessment team in response to an inhalation incident in the workplace is to provide the occupational physicians, operational radiation protection personnel and line managers with early estimates of radionuclide intakes so that appropriate consequence management and mitigation can be done. For radionuclides such as Pu, where in vivo counting is not adequately sensitive, other techniques such as the measurement of removable radionuclide from the nasal airway passages can be used. At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), nose swabs of the ET1 region have been used routinely as a first response to airborne Pu releases in the workplace, as well as for other radionuclides. This paper presents the results of analysing over 15 years of nose swab data, comparing these with dose assessments performed using the Bayesian methods developed at LANL. The results provide empirical support for using nose swab data for early dose assessments. For Pu, a rule of thumb is a dose factor of 0.8 mSv Bq(-1), assuming a linear relationship between nasal swab activity and committed effective dose equivalent. However, this value is specific to the methods and models used at LANL, and should not be applied directly without considering possible differences in measurement and calculation methods. PMID- 17766258 TI - Neutron dosimetry with TL albedo dosemeters at high energy accelerators. AB - The GSF-Personal Monitoring Service uses the TLD albedo dosemeter as standard neutron personal dosemeter. Due to its low sensitivity for fast neutrons however, it is generally not recommended for workplaces at high-energy accelerators. Test measurements with the albedo dosemeter were performed at the accelerator laboratories of GSI in Darmstadt and DESY in Hamburg to reconsider this hypothesis. It revealed that the albedo dosemeter can also be used as personal dosemeter at these workplaces, because at all measurement locations a significant part of neutrons with lower energies could be found, which were produced by scattering at walls or the ground. PMID- 17766259 TI - A methodology for auto-monitoring of internal contamination by 131I in nuclear medicine workers. AB - The manipulation of 131I in Nuclear Medicine involves significant risks of internal contamination of the staff. In the event of an accidental contamination, or when the Radiological Protection Program includes routine individual monitoring of internal contamination, it is necessary to implement internal dose estimation through in vivo and in vitro bioassay techniques. Due to the huge extension of the Brazilian country, this type of monitoring becomes unfeasible if all measurements have to be performed at the institutes of the CNEN. Thus, if the Nuclear Medicine Centres (NMC) become able to conduct the monitoring of their employees, this skill would be of great significance. The methodology proposed in this work consists in a simple and inexpensive protocol for auto-monitoring the internal contamination by 131I, using the resources available at the NMC. In order to verify the influence of the phantom in the calibration factor for the measurement of 131I in thyroid, it was performed a comparison among a variety of phantoms commercially available, including the Neck-Thyroid Phantom developed in IRD. A protocol for performing in vivo and in vitro measurements by the NMC was established. The applicability of the individual monitoring techniques was also evaluated by comparing the detection limits with the derived limits associated with the annual dose limits for workers. PMID- 17766260 TI - An improved method for Organic Bound Tritium (OBT) determination in urine samples. AB - The Organic Bound Tritium (OBT) amount in the body may induce changes in the evaluation of the internal exposure to tritium, due to its different retention time relative to HTO. OBT measurements for urine are not performed routinely, mainly because of the lengthy work needed in preparation of the samples, when using the standard oxygen combustion method. A simpler and more rapid method based on liquid scintillation counting (LSC) was employed, and an evaluation was performed to check its suitability for urine samples. The principle of the proposed method is based on subtracting the LSC counts of the water phase sample (HTO) from the total activity of the urine sample (OBT+HTO). A good correlation was found between the results obtained when applying the proposed direct method and the Gold standard method. The minimum detectable activity when using this method was determined. PMID- 17766261 TI - Dose assessment for inhalation intakes in complex, energetic environments: experience from the US Capstone study. AB - Because of the lack of existing information needed to evaluate the risks from inhalation exposures to depleted uranium (DU) aerosols of US soldiers during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the US Department of Defense funded an experimental study to measure the characteristics of DU aerosols created when Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles are struck with large-caliber DU penetrators, and a dose and risk assessment for individuals present in such vehicles. This paper describes some of the difficulties experienced in dose assessment modelling of the very complex DU aerosols created in the Capstone studies, e.g. high concentrations, heterogeneous aerosol properties, non-lognormal particle size distributions, triphasic in vitro dissolution and rapid time-varying functions of both DU air concentration and particle size. The approaches used to solve these problems along with example results are presented. PMID- 17766262 TI - The NCRP wound model: development and application. AB - The US National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, in collaboration with the International Commission on Radiological Protection, has been developing a biokinetic and dosimetric model for radionuclide-contaminated wounds. The finalised model is described briefly in this paper, together with the scientific basis and application. The multicompartment model uses first-order linear biokinetics to describe the retention and clearance of a radionuclide deposited in a wound site using seven default retention categories. Examples using plutonium nitrate in colloidal form and uranium in metal fragments show the behaviour of the less soluble forms of radionuclides in wounds, in which long term retention is predicted. Using uranium as an example, the wound model is coupled to a uranium International Commission on Radiological Protection systemic model to predict urinary excretion patterns for different physicochemical forms of uranium. The latter application is needed for bioassay interpretation. PMID- 17766263 TI - Microscopic dose to lung from inhaled alpha emitters in humans. AB - Because of the short range of alpha particles in tissue, the degree of uniformity of irradiation of the lung varies greatly depending on the form of the inhaled material. Animal studies have shown that the degree of dose uniformity influences the risk of lung cancer. This study investigates the radiation dose distribution of plutonium in human lung. Numerical maps of tissue configuration and target cell locations are obtained from histological sections of human lung tissue stained to enhance the identification of putative cell types for parenchymal lung cancers, i.e. alveolar type II cells and Clara cells. Monte Carlo simulations are used to obtain dose distribution around individual particles, and these distributions are used to compute dose distribution in volumes of lung tissue. Lung dose is characterised both by the degree of non-uniformity of irradiation and the relative degree of irradiation of all tissue versus the special cells of interest. PMID- 17766264 TI - Uncertainties beyond statistics in Monte Carlo simulations. AB - The Monte Carlo method has become an essential tool for the simulation of radiation and particle transport problems. The combination of its ease of use and the power of the method can create a temptation to use Monte Carlo as a 'black box' tool. In this paper, we shall mention a number of important issues that any user of a Monte Carlo computer code should keep firmly in mind when attempting a transport simulation, and we shall present a recent practical example to show the potential significance of such issues. PMID- 17766266 TI - Rationalizing medicine and the social ambitions of physicians in classical Greece. AB - Political and social circumstances in the late Classical period increased upward social mobility in Greece and provided some doctors with an opportunity to improve their social status. By adopting rational medical theories and prescribing an upper-class oriented regimen, these doctors appealed to the elites who favored the teachings of natural philosophers and sophists at that time. These doctors' goal was to be accepted into circles of the social elite as intellectual companions. Their ambitions contributed to the fact that rational medicine in the Classical period did not become an empirical science. Instead, speculative theories were selectively used to explain the causes of health and disease and to guide these doctors' practices, because natural philosophical speculation was considered a "superior" form of knowledge by the Greek elites. Eryximachus provided an illustrative example of this strategy by attaining acceptance into the highest social circle of a Classical Greek city. PMID- 17766265 TI - Health indicators in the European regions--ISARE II. AB - BACKGROUND: Most comparisons of health data in Europe take place at the national level. However, there is increased interest in looking at health data at a sub national level. This is because of the increased importance in many European countries, of regions and devolved powers to them. This study aimed to establish the availability of health data at a regional level and to construct an experimental database. METHODS: Using a network of country correspondents, data were collected on a series of topics from all the regions of that country. In addition, a supplementary list of data was collected from one region of each country. RESULTS: Out of the then 15 Member States of the European Union (EU), 14 countries participated in the study. Thirteen countries were able to supply data. Where data were available, using the criteria we developed, these were of relatively good quality. Data on mortality was most readily available, but data on the important public health topics such as obesity was much more difficult to obtain, and absent in many cases. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to construct a database and a resultant set of indicators for relevant sub-national areas of Member States in the EU. This is not likely to be achieved through current routine data collection systems unless significant changes are made to the data collection processes such as those undertaken by Eurostat. There is, also, an urgent need to introduce comprehensive sub-national data collections on important public health topics such as obesity and smoking. PMID- 17766267 TI - Variants of the beta 1,3-galactosyltransferase CgtB from the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni have distinct acceptor specificities. AB - The gene clusters encoding the lipooligosaccharide biosynthesis glycosyltransferases from Campylobacter jejuni have previously been divided in eight classes based on their genetic organization. Here, three variants of the beta1,3-galactosyltransferase CgtB from two classes were purified as fusions with the maltose-binding protein (MalE) from Escherichia coli and their acceptor preference was determined. The acceptor preference of each CgtB variant was directly related to the presence or absence of sialic acid in the acceptor, which correlated with the core oligosaccharide structure in vivo. The three variants were evaluated for their ability to use a derivitized monosaccharide, a GM2 ganglioside mimic, a GA2 ganglioside mimic as well as a peptide containing alpha linked GalNAc. This characterization shows the flexibility of these galactosyltransferases for diverse acceptors. The CgtB variants were engineered via carboxy-terminal deletions and inversion of the gene fusion order. The combination of a 20 to 30 aa deletion in CgtB followed by MalE at its carboxy terminus significantly improved the glycosyltransferase activity (up to a 51.8 fold increase of activity compared to the full length enzyme) in all cases regardless of the acceptor tested. The improved enzyme CgtB(OH4384)DeltaC-MalE was used to galactosylate a glyco-peptide acceptor based on the interferon alpha2b protein O-linked glycosylation site as confirmed by the CE-MS analysis of the reaction products. This improved enzyme was also used successfully to galactosylate the human therapeutic protein IFNalpha2b[GalNAcalpha]. This constitutes the first report of the in vitro synthesis of the O-linked T-antigen glycan on a human protein by a bacterial glycosyltransferase and illustrates the potential of bacterial glycosyltransferases as tools for in vitro glycosylation of human proteins of therapeutic value. PMID- 17766268 TI - Intersession reproducibility of mass spectrometry profiles and its effect on accuracy of multivariate classification models. AB - MOTIVATION: The 'reproducibility' of mass spectrometry proteomic profiling has become an intensely controversial topic. The mere mention of concern over the 'reproducibility' of data generated from any particular platform can lead to the anxiety over the generalizability of its results and its role in the future of discovery proteomics. In this study, we examine the reproducibility of proteomic profiles generated by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) across multiple data-generation sessions. We analyze the problem in terms of the reproducibility of signals, reproducibility of discriminative features and reproducibility of multivariate classification models on profiles for serum samples from early lung cancer and healthy control subjects. RESULTS: Proteomic profiles in individual data-generation sessions experience within-session variability. We show that combining data from multiple sessions introduces additional (inter-session) noise. While additional noise can affect the discriminative analysis, we show that its average effect on profiles in our study is relatively small. Moreover, for the purposes of prediction on future (previously unseen) data, classifiers trained on multi-session data are able to adapt to inter-session noise and improve their classification accuracy. PMID- 17766269 TI - Mining biological networks for unknown pathways. AB - MOTIVATION: Biological pathways provide significant insights on the interaction mechanisms of molecules. Presently, many essential pathways still remain unknown or incomplete for newly sequenced organisms. Moreover, experimental validation of enormous numbers of possible pathway candidates in a wet-lab environment is time- and effort-extensive. Thus, there is a need for comparative genomics tools that help scientists predict pathways in an organism's biological network. RESULTS: In this article, we propose a technique to discover unknown pathways in organisms. Our approach makes in-depth use of Gene Ontology (GO)-based functionalities of enzymes involved in metabolic pathways as follows: i. Model each pathway as a biological functionality graph of enzyme GO functions, which we call pathway functionality template. ii. Locate frequent pathway functionality patterns so as to infer previously unknown pathways through pattern matching in metabolic networks of organisms. We have experimentally evaluated the accuracy of the presented technique for 30 bacterial organisms to predict around 1500 organism specific versions of 50 reference pathways. Using cross-validation strategy on known pathways, we have been able to infer pathways with 86% precision and 72% recall for enzymes (i.e. nodes). The accuracy of the predicted enzyme relationships has been measured at 85% precision with 64% recall. AVAILABILITY: Code upon request. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID- 17766270 TI - Optimization of primer design for the detection of variable genomic lesions in cancer. AB - Primer approximation multiplex PCR (PAMP) is a new experimental protocol for efficiently assaying structural variation in genomes. PAMP is particularly suited to cancer genomes where the precise breakpoints of alterations such as deletions or translocations vary between patients. The design of PCR primer sets for PAMP is challenging because a large number of primer pairs are required to detect alterations in the hundreds of kilobases range that can occur in cancer. These sets of primers must achieve high coverage of the region of interest, while avoiding primer dimers and satisfying the physico-chemical constraints of good PCR primers. We describe a natural formulation of these constraints as a combinatorial optimization problem. We show that the PAMP primer design problem is NP-hard, and design algorithms based on simulated annealing and integer programming, that provide good solutions to this problem in practice. The algorithms are applied to a test region around the known CDKN2A deletion, which show excellent results even in a 1:49 mixture of mutated:wild-type cells. We use these test results to help set design parameters for larger problems. We can achieve near-optimal designs for regions close to 1 Mb. PMID- 17766271 TI - AWTY (are we there yet?): a system for graphical exploration of MCMC convergence in Bayesian phylogenetics. AB - A key element to a successful Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) inference is the programming and run performance of the Markov chain. However, the explicit use of quality assessments of the MCMC simulations-convergence diagnostics-in phylogenetics is still uncommon. Here, we present a simple tool that uses the output from MCMC simulations and visualizes a number of properties of primary interest in a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis, such as convergence rates of posterior split probabilities and branch lengths. Graphical exploration of the output from phylogenetic MCMC simulations gives intuitive and often crucial information on the success and reliability of the analysis. The tool presented here complements convergence diagnostics already available in other software packages primarily designed for other applications of MCMC. Importantly, the common practice of using trace-plots of a single parameter or summary statistic, such as the likelihood score of sampled trees, can be misleading for assessing the success of a phylogenetic MCMC simulation. AVAILABILITY: The program is available as source under the GNU General Public License and as a web application at http://ceb.scs.fsu.edu/awty. PMID- 17766272 TI - Systemic inflammatory response after endoluminal stenting of the descending thoracic aorta. AB - The effect of the underlying pathology on postoperative inflammation after stenting of the thoracic aorta has not been described. A retrospective review of patients undergoing thoracic aortic stents was performed. Patients with large degenerative aneurysms developed pyrexia and significantly raised CRP in the first 5 days after the procedure compared with the rest of the cohort. Endoluminal stenting of large degenerative descending thoracic aortic aneurysms is associated with post-implantation systemic inflammatory response. PMID- 17766273 TI - Decision-making in unoperated adults with congenital heart disease: a difficult task. AB - The authors present a 32-year-old lady with a diagnosis of VSD, pulmonary atresia and multiple aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs), who was palliated successfully by stent implantation. This interventional procedure is discussed as well as the decision-making process in adult patients with unoperated congenital heart disease. PMID- 17766274 TI - Drug eluting stents - a nightmare? AB - As a contribution to the controversial discussion for the use of drug-eluting stents, the European Heart Institute of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts is emphasizing important factors: a) drug eluting stents (DES) should be used only in accordance with their on-label indications for use; b) to avoid off-label use of DES and to assure that patients are apprized of all their revascularization options, patients should have informed consent between the patient, interventionist and a cardiac surgeon; c) without informed consent, off label use of DES may be considered a legal offence against the interventionist; d) at onset of new symptoms, patients must be informed that surgery is a viable and recommended option. PMID- 17766275 TI - Surgical treatment of complete atrioventricular septal defect with the two-patch technique: early-to-mid follow-up. AB - We report our results on surgical treatment of complete atrioventricular septal defects using the two-patch technique. Forty patients with complete atrioventricular septal defects were operated on in the period from November 1995 to January 2004 and retrospectively analyzed. The age at the time of surgery ranged from 4 months to 20 years (average=18.8+/-37 months). Their weights ranged from 3 to 39 kg (average=7.6+/-5.8 kg). Associated tetralogy of Fallot was present in 20% of the cases (8 patients). Monitoring was complete until January 2007, corresponding to a follow-up ranging from 36 to 135 months (average=74+/ 33.7 months). The surgical mortality rate was 2.5% and the hospital mortality rate was 5%. A third patient died from a brain abscess two years after surgery. Over the long-term, two patients needed further operations: one was submitted to mitral plasty due to severe residual mitral insufficiency, one year later; the other underwent a resection of a sub-aortic membrane after three years. Differences were evaluated using the Student-t or Mann-Whitney tests. Surgical treatment of complete atrioventricular septal defect using the two-patch technique results in low morbidity and mortality in early-to-mid term follow-up. PMID- 17766276 TI - Tricuspid valve annuloplasty with a flexible prosthetic band. AB - This study evaluates the application to the tricuspid valve of a flexible prosthetic band originally devised for mitral repair. Between March 2001 and May 2005, 53 consecutive patients (age 66.2+/-8.5 years) with significant tricuspid regurgitation and dilatation of the right-sided cardiac chambers underwent tricuspid valve annuloplasty with the band and concomitant mitral repair or replacement. Thirty-one patients (58.5%) were in NYHA class III or IV, and 33 (62.3%) had a history of right heart failure. Follow-up was 19.2+/-14.0 months. Three patients (5.7%) died before discharge, and one during follow-up. One late reoperation was required for mitral endocarditis. NYHA class decreased in survivors from 2.7+/-0.8 to 1.4+/-0.6 (P<0.0001), and the symptoms of right heart failure improved significantly after surgery. Tricuspid regurgitation was mild or absent in 44 survivors (89.8%) and moderate in 5 (10.2%). Regurgitation significantly decreased even in patients with risk factors for tricuspid repair failure or with persistent left ventricular dysfunction. The 4-year actuarial freedom from tricuspid regurgitation grade >1 was 88.7%. By univariable analysis, preoperative tricuspid regurgitation grade >2, right ventricular shortening fraction <35%, and permanent pacemaker were associated with the risk of recurrent moderate regurgitation, though only probably so (P=0.077, 0.061, and 0.097, respectively). PMID- 17766277 TI - Factors predicting early postoperative liver cirrhosis-related complications after lung cancer surgery in patients with liver cirrhosis. AB - We aimed to determine the factors predicting liver cirrhosis-related complications in the early postoperative period after lung cancer surgery in patients with liver cirrhosis. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent curative surgery for primary lung cancer in our institute from January 1990 to March 2007, finding 37 cases with comorbid liver cirrhosis. These patients were divided into two groups, according to whether liver failure, bleeding, and critical infection had occurred postoperatively. Various clinical parameters were analyzed statistically between the bigeminal groups. Liver cirrhosis-related complications occurred in seven of the 37 patients (18.9%). Transient liver failure occurred in two patients (5.4%) after pulmonary resection. Acute intrathoracic bleeding occurred in four cases (10.8%). Two patients died (5.4%) in both cases due to sepsis. Preoperative total bilirubin (P<0.05), and indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min (P<0.05) were significantly higher in patients with liver failure. Only serum value of total bilirubin was an independent risk factor (P<0.05) by multivariate analysis. In predicting death from infection, only preoperative nutritional status was a significant risk factor (P<0.05). To avoid postoperative cirrhosis-related complications, preoperative preparation to improve their liver function and nutrition status is essential. PMID- 17766278 TI - Serial imaging and histology illustrating the degradation of a bioabsorbable magnesium stent in a porcine coronary artery. PMID- 17766279 TI - Upregulation of myocardial Annexin A5 in hypertensive heart disease: association with systolic dysfunction. AB - AIMS: To investigate whether Annexin A5 (AnxA5) is related to hypertensive heart disease (HHD) and whether this relation is dependent of apoptosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Hypertensives without cardiac abnormalities (stage A), with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) (stage B), and with LVH and clinical manifestations of chronic HF (stage C), were studied. AnxA5 was quantified in endomyocardial biopsies by real time RT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry, and apoptosis by DNA fragmentation, caspase-3 activation, and PARP and Bax/Bcl-2 ratios. Plasma AnxA5 was measured by ELISA in samples from the coronary sinus and the antecubital vein. Although AnxA5 mRNA did not change, myocardial and plasma AnxA5 were increased in hypertensives stages B and C compared with normotensives and hypertensives stage A. Myocardial AnxA5 was inversely correlated with parameters assessing systolic function in all hypertensives, this association being independent of apoptosis. Myocardial AnxA5 was directly correlated with plasma AnxA5. Plasma AnxA5 was inversely correlated with systolic function in all hypertensives. CONCLUSION: This cross-sectional study shows that myocardial AnxA5 upregulation is associated with HHD and impairment of systolic function in hypertensive patients, this association being independent of apoptosis. Plasma AnxA5 can be a marker of myocardial AnxA5 upregulation and systolic dysfunction in patients with HHD. PMID- 17766280 TI - Predictive value of high sensitivity C-reactive protein in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction treated with percutaneous coronary intervention. AB - AIMS: To evaluate the predictive value of high sensitivity (hs) C-reactive protein levels on long-term survival in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 758 STEMI patients (from January 2003 to December 2005), with STEMI onset <12 h and hs-C-reactive protein determination on admission. Patients were classified into four groups [I (hs-C-reactive protein < 0.48 mg/dL), II (hs-C-reactive protein > or = 0.48 to <1.2 mg/dL), III (hs-C reactive protein > or = 1.2 to <3.1 mg/dL), IV (hs-C-reactive protein > or = 3.1 mg/dL)] according to quartiles of hs-C-reactive protein serum level. The IV quartile hs-C-reactive protein group had a higher incidence of in-hospital mortality and cumulative adverse events. At a mean follow-up of 724 +/- 376 days (range 0-1393), the IV quartile hs-C-reactive protein group showed lower estimated survival, lower estimated myocardial infarction-free survival and lower estimated event-free survival. At multivariable analysis hs-C-reactive protein appeared to be an independent predictor of long-term mortality (HR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.07, P = 0.003), long-term mortality and re-infarction (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.06, P = 0.008) and adverse events (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Evaluation of hs-C-reactive protein on admission in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI allows reliable risk stratification of these patients. PMID- 17766281 TI - Comment on the 'pilot' GRACIA-2 randomized trial. PMID- 17766282 TI - Elevated plasma free fatty acids predict sudden cardiac death: a 6.85-year follow up of 3315 patients after coronary angiography. AB - AIMS: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the most common fatal cardiovascular event. Free fatty acids (FFAs) exert several harmful effects on the myocardium and may therefore contribute to SCD. We examined whether fasting FFA predict SCD in patients who had undergone coronary angiography. METHODS AND RESULTS: FFAs were measured at baseline (1997-2000) in 3315 patients scheduled for coronary angiography. Angiographic coronary artery disease was found in 2231 study participants. After a median time of follow-up of 6.85 years, 165 SCD occurred in the entire study population. In a Cox proportional hazards model, the unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) for SCD in the fourth when compared with the first FFA quartile was 2.95 (95% CI 1.84-4.73; P < 0.001). After adjustment for common and emerging cardiovascular risk factors, the HR remained significant at 1.76 (1.03-3.00; P = 0.038). High FFA levels were also significantly associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, even after exclusion of patients with SCD. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that elevated plasma FFAs are an independent risk factor for future SCD in patients referred to coronary angiography. These results may suggest that modulation of myocardial fatty acid uptake and/or metabolism are a possible target of treatment, but it still remains to be clarified whether high FFA levels are a cause or a consequence of pathological processes that underlie the association between FFA and SCD. PMID- 17766283 TI - Arterial remodelling: an independent pathophysiological component of atherosclerotic disease progression and regression. Insights from serial pharmacological intervention trials. PMID- 17766287 TI - Abstracts of the ESC (European Society of Cardiology) Congress 2007. September 1 5, 2007. Vienna, Austria. PMID- 17766284 TI - Effect of perindopril on coronary remodelling: insights from a multicentre, randomized study. AB - AIMS: This study sought to evaluate the effect of perindopril in coronary remodelling. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this sub-study of a double-blind, multicentre trial, patients without clinical evidence of heart failure were randomized to perindopril 8 mg/day or placebo for at least 3 years and IVUS investigation was performed at both time-points. Positive and negative remodelling were defined as a relative increase (positive remodelling) or decrease (negative remodelling) of the mean vessel cross-sectional area (CSA)>2 SD of the mean intra-observer difference. A total of 118 matched evaluable IVUS (711 matched 5 mm segments) were available at follow-up. After a median follow-up of 3.0 (inter-quartile range 1.9, 4.1) years, there was no significant difference in the change of plaque CSA between perindopril (360 segments) and placebo (351 segments) groups, P=0.27. Conversely, the change in vessel CSA was significantly different between groups (perindopril -0.18+/-2.4 mm2 vs. placebo 0.19+/-2.4, P = 0.04). Negative remodelling occurred more frequently in the perindopril than in the placebo group (34 vs. 25%, P=0.01). In addition, the placebo group showed a larger, although not significant, mean remodelling index (RI) than the perindopril group (1.03+/-0.2 vs. 1.00+/-0.2, P=0.06). The temporal change in vessel dimensions assessed by the RI was significantly correlated with the change in plaque dimensions (r=0.48, P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: In this sub-analysis of a multicentre, controlled study, long-term administration of perindopril was associated with a constrictive remodelling pattern without affecting the lumen. PMID- 17766289 TI - The control of metamorphosis in the kissing bug. PMID- 17766290 TI - Biomechanics of bird flight. AB - Power output is a unifying theme for bird flight and considerable progress has been accomplished recently in measuring muscular, metabolic and aerodynamic power in birds. The primary flight muscles of birds, the pectoralis and supracoracoideus, are designed for work and power output, with large stress (force per unit cross-sectional area) and strain (relative length change) per contraction. U-shaped curves describe how mechanical power output varies with flight speed, but the specific shapes and characteristic speeds of these curves differ according to morphology and flight style. New measures of induced, profile and parasite power should help to update existing mathematical models of flight. In turn, these improved models may serve to test behavioral and ecological processes. Unlike terrestrial locomotion that is generally characterized by discrete gaits, changes in wing kinematics and aerodynamics across flight speeds are gradual. Take-off flight performance scales with body size, but fully revealing the mechanisms responsible for this pattern awaits new study. Intermittent flight appears to reduce the power cost for flight, as some species flap-glide at slow speeds and flap-bound at fast speeds. It is vital to test the metabolic costs of intermittent flight to understand why some birds use intermittent bounds during slow flight. Maneuvering and stability are critical for flying birds, and design for maneuvering may impinge upon other aspects of flight performance. The tail contributes to lift and drag; it is also integral to maneuvering and stability. Recent studies have revealed that maneuvers are typically initiated during downstroke and involve bilateral asymmetry of force production in the pectoralis. Future study of maneuvering and stability should measure inertial and aerodynamic forces. It is critical for continued progress into the biomechanics of bird flight that experimental designs are developed in an ecological and evolutionary context. PMID- 17766291 TI - Modulation of in vivo muscle power output during swimming in the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). AB - The goal of this study is to explore how swimming animals produce the wide range of performance that is seen across their natural behaviors. In vivo recordings of plantaris longus muscle length change were obtained by sonomicrometry. Simultaneous with muscle length data, force measurements were obtained using a novel tendon buckle force transducer placed on the Achilles tendon of Xenopus laevis frogs during brief accelerating bursts of swimming. In vivo work loops revealed that the plantaris generates a variable amount of positive muscle work over a range of swimming cycle durations (from 0.23 to 0.76 s), resulting in a large range of cycle power output (from 2.32 to 74.17 W kg(-1) muscle). Cycle duration correlated negatively with cycle power, and cycle work correlated positively (varying as a function of peak cycle stress and, to a much lesser extent, fascicle strain amplitude). However, variation in cycle duration only contributed to 12% of variation in power, with cycle work accounting for the remaining 88%. Peak cycle stress and strain amplitude were also highly variable, yet peak stress was a much stronger predictor of cycle work than strain amplitude. Additionally, EMG intensity correlated positively with peak muscle stress (r(2)=0.53). Although the timing of muscle recruitment (EMG phase and EMG duty cycle) varied considerably within and among frogs, neither parameter correlated strongly with cycle power, cycle work, peak cycle stress or strain amplitude. These results suggest that relatively few parameters (cycle duration, peak cycle stress and strain amplitude) vary to permit a wide range of muscle power output, which allows anurans to swim over a large range of velocities and accelerations. PMID- 17766292 TI - Flight and hearing: ultrasound sensitivity differs between flight-capable and flight-incapable morphs of a wing-dimorphic cricket species. AB - We studied frequency sensitivity of flight-capable and flight-incapable forms of the wing-dimorphic cricket Gryllus texensis, using both behavioral and neurophysiological measurements. Behavioral thresholds for negative phonotaxis in response to ultrasound stimuli are lower for long-winged (i.e. flight-capable) crickets than for short-winged (flight-incapable) individuals, whereas thresholds for positive phonotaxis in response to a calling-song model do not differ. Similarly, thresholds of the identified interneurons ON1 and AN2 differ between flight morphs for high sound frequencies but not for the frequency of calling song. Our results show that sensitivity to ultrasound is closely linked to flight ability, and thus to the risk of predation from aerially hawking bats. We suggest that sensitivity to ultrasound is one of a suite of flight-associated characteristics, the development of which may be under common hormonal regulation. PMID- 17766293 TI - Escape performance decreases during ontogeny in wild crickets. AB - Increasing the ecological relevance of studies relating to the performance of organisms has been a central issue for functional biologists over the last few years. Of particular concern are changes in performance throughout the life cycle as selective forces act differently on various life stages. We addressed this issue experimentally by following ontogenic variations in the escape performance of crickets threatened by artificial predatory signals. We measured their performance under natural settings, which is a necessary approach yet one that is undocumented in insects. We analysed numeric film sequences obtained using a high speed video camera at 1000 frames s(-1) to quantify wild cricket performance and behaviour in the field. We detected significant differences in cricket escape performance throughout ontogeny. Escape performances were higher in juvenile crickets than older instars. Complementary behavioural measurements for escaping crickets suggest that these variations may be related to the lower predatory risk perceived by large adults than by juveniles. We expect that our analysis of size refuge will also improve our understanding in the development of performance, given its importance in community and population ecology theories. PMID- 17766294 TI - Light-dependent magnetoreception: quantum catches and opponency mechanisms of possible photosensitive molecules. AB - Dozens of experiments on magnetosensitive, migratory birds have shown that their magnetic orientation behavior depends on the spectrum of light under which they are tested. However, it is not certain whether this is due to a direct effect on the magnetoreceptive system and which photosensitive molecules may be involved. We examined 62 experiments of light-dependent magnetoreception in three crepuscular and nocturnal migrants (48 for the European robin Erithacus rubecula, ten for the silvereye Zosterops lateralis, and four on the garden warbler Sylvia borin). For each experiment, we calculated the relative quantum catches of seven of the eight known photosensitive molecules found in the eyes of passerine birds: a short- (SW), medium- (MW) and long-wavelength (LW) cone pigment, rhodopsin, melanopsin, and cryptochrome in its fully-oxidized and semiquinone state. The following five opponency processes were also calculated: LW-SW, LW-MW, MW-SW, LW (MW+SW), and cryptochrome-semiquinone. While the results do not clearly show which receptor system may be responsible for magnetoreception, it suggests several candidates that may inhibit the process. The two significant inhibitors of magnetoreceptive behavior were overall irradiances (from 400 to 700 nm) higher than those found at sunset and high quantum catch by the LW receptor. The results were also consistent with the hypothesis that high quantum catch by the semiquinone form of cryptochrome inhibits magnetoreception. The opponency mechanism that best separated oriented from non-oriented behavior was LW-MW, where a difference above a certain level inhibited orientation. Certain regions of experimental spectral space have been over-sampled, while large regions have not been sampled at all, including: (1) from 440 to 500 nm at all irradiance levels, (2) for wavelengths longer than 570 nm from 10(12) to 3x10(12) photons s( 1) cm(-2) and (3) for wavelengths less than 560 nm from 10(12) to 3x10(12) photons s(-1) cm(-2) and below 5x10(11) photons s(-1) cm(-2). Experiments under these conditions are needed to draw further conclusions. PMID- 17766295 TI - Serotonin and nitric oxide interaction in the control of bioluminescence in northern krill, Meganyctiphanes norvegica (M. Sars). AB - The role of nitric oxide (NO) in the control of bioluminescence (light production) in the crustacean Meganyctiphanes norvegica (krill) was investigated using pharmacological and immunohistochemical methods. All nitrergic drugs tested failed to induce bioluminescence per se but modulated light production stimulated by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). NO donors [sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and S nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP)] injected in live specimens significantly reduced light production stimulated by 5-HT, whereas inhibition of the enzyme NO synthase (NOS) with l-NAME (N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester) resulted in an enhancement of the 5-HT response. The effects of NO do not seem to be mediated via production of cGMP as injections of a cGMP analogue (8-Bromoguanosine 3',5' cyclic monophosphate) gave inconclusive effects on the 5-HT-stimulated light response. Inhibition of cGMP production with ODQ (1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3 a]quinoxalin-1-one) did not affect the light response. Moreover, a few individuals showed a considerably higher response to 5-HT in April and June compared with specimens collected in the autumn and winter. Furthermore, both NOS like and 5-HT-like materials were detected by immunohistochemistry inside the light organs. NOS-like immunoreactivity was primarily observed in structures associated with vessels inside the light organs, whereas 5-HT-like material was abundant in nerve fibres throughout the whole light organ. The results suggest that NO has a modulatory role at several levels in the control of light production in M. norvegica and that NO and 5-HT interact in this regulation. PMID- 17766296 TI - Molecular and expression analysis of a family of the Amblyomma americanum tick Lospins. AB - Serine proteinase inhibitors (serpins) are a family of structurally similar but functionally diverse proteins that regulate several important proteolytic cascades in most branches of life. We have characterized 17 Amblyomma americanum serpin cDNAs here named as ;Lospins' (L; an acronym for Lone Star tick serpin) that possess three beta-sheets, eight alpha-helices and a reactive center loop consistent with the consensus serpin superfamily secondary structures. Visual inspection of deduced amino acid sequences revealed two patterns of basic residues: (i) (86)DKSRVLKAYKRL(97) in L5 and L13-16 and (ii) (158)VRDKTRGKI(166) in all Lospins, which are similar to consensus glycosaminoglycan (GAG) binding sites (XBnXmBX, where X and B are non-basic and basic residues, n=1 or 2 and m=1, 2 or 3). On three-dimensional models, the two putative GAG binding sites mapped onto alpha-helices D and F, respectively, with calculation of electrostatic surface potentials revealing basic patches on L5 and L13-16 models that are comparable to the heparin-binding site on antithrombin. RT-PCR expression analysis of 15 selected genes showed that the majority (11/15) of the Lospins were ubiquitously expressed in the midgut, ovary and salivary glands. On a neighbor-joining phylogeny guide tree, 15 serpins from other ticks and 17 Lospins from this study, a total of 32 tick serpin sequences, segregated into five groups with Lospins in groups A and D being conserved across tick species. The discovery of Lospins in this study sets the framework for future studies to understand the role of serpins in tick physiology. PMID- 17766297 TI - Fast-scale adaptive changes of directional tuning in fly tangential cells are explained by a static nonlinearity. AB - The response of vertebrate motion-sensitive neurons to a directional stimulus is affected by the direction of the stimulus that immediately preceded it. These nonlinear effects are also observed for orientation tuning and are typically interpreted as fast-scale adaptive changes. We verified that similar effects are observed for spiking tangential cells in the fly lobula plate. We also investigated the spatial selectivity of these effects by presenting multiple patches at different positions within the receptive field, and found that the effects are strictly local. We modelled the data using elementary operators (linear filters and threshold nonlinearities). A satisfactory account of the results is obtained when an early static nonlinearity acts on the outputs of multiple front-end filters that are subsequently pooled in a spatially restricted manner by the tangential cell. In line with recent studies, these findings emphasize the importance of testing simple nonlinear models before attempting more elaborate interpretations of fast-scale adaptive phenomena in single neurons. We discuss a potential neural implementation of the model based on medullar projections to the lobula plate. PMID- 17766298 TI - An isolated insect leg's passive recovery from dorso-ventral perturbations. AB - Cockroaches recover rapidly from perturbations during high-speed running that allows them to cross unstructured terrains with no change in gait. Characterization of the exoskeletal material properties of the legs suggests that passive mechanical feedback could contribute to the self-stabilizing behavior. We imposed large, dorsal-ventrally directed impulsive perturbations to isolated hind legs having both a fixed and free body-coxa joint and measured their recovery. We tested a frequency-independent hysteretic damping model that effectively predicted the behavior of sinusoidal oscillations of isolated legs. Leg position reached its peak amplitude within 4-6 ms following an impulse. Position was 99% recovered within 16+/-3.3 ms for the stiffest possible leg configuration and within 46+/-6.6 ms for the most compliant leg configuration. The rapid recovery supports the hypothesis that passive musculo-skeletal properties play an important role in simplifying the control of high-speed locomotion. PMID- 17766299 TI - The spatial, temporal and contrast properties of expansion and rotation flight optomotor responses in Drosophila. AB - Fruit flies respond to panoramic retinal patterns of visual expansion with robust steering maneuvers directed away from the focus of expansion to avoid collisions and maintain an upwind flight posture. Panoramic rotation elicits comparatively weak syndirectional steering maneuvers, which also maintain visual stability. Full-field optic flow patterns like expansion and rotation are elicited by distinct flight maneuvers such as body translation during straight flight or body rotation during hovering, respectively. Recent analyses suggest that under some experimental conditions the rotation optomotor response reflects the linear sum of different expansion response components. Are expansion and rotation-mediated visual stabilization responses part of a single optomotor response subserved by a neural circuit that is differentially stimulated by the two flow fields, or rather do the two behavioral responses reflect two distinct control systems? Guided by the principle that the properties of neural circuits are revealed in the behaviors they mediate, we systematically varied the spatial, temporal and contrast properties of expansion and rotation stimuli, and quantified the time course and amplitude of optomotor responses during tethered flight. Our results support the conclusion that expansion and rotation optomotor responses are indeed two separate reflexes, which draw from the same system of elementary motion detectors, but are likely mediated by separate pre-motor circuits having different spatial integration properties, low-pass characteristics and contrast sensitivity. PMID- 17766300 TI - Larval desperation and histamine: how simple responses can lead to complex changes in larval behaviour. AB - Some marine invertebrate larvae expand the range of settlement cues to which they will respond as they age. How do relatively simple larvae achieve such complex changes in behaviour? Larvae of the Australian sea urchin Holopneustes purpurascens settle and metamorphose specifically in response to a settlement cue, dissolved histamine, produced by the host alga Delisea pulchra. Older H. purpurascens larvae appear to accept a wider range of host algae, which contain far less histamine than D. pulchra, than newly competent larvae. We tested the hypothesis that older H. purpurascens larvae accept a greater range of host algae by metamorphosing in response to lower concentrations of histamine. We compared the response of newly competent and older larvae to a range of histamine concentrations in settlement assays. Larval age strongly affected the minimum concentration of histamine that induced metamorphosis in H. purpurascens, with older larvae responding to lower concentrations of histamine than newly competent larvae. Older larvae were more sensitive to lower concentrations of histamine yet still maintained a stringent requirement for exposure to histamine in order to metamorphose. In addition, older larvae metamorphosed after shorter exposure periods to histamine than did younger larvae. By using histamine concentration as a proxy for specific habitat cues, H. purpurascens larvae appear to expand their range of settlement preferences with age by simply changing their sensitivity to a single settlement cue. Overall, our results show that marine invertebrate larvae can exhibit surprisingly complex changes in behaviour via simple changes in their response to a single cue. PMID- 17766301 TI - The interactive effects of protein quality and macronutrient imbalance on nutrient balancing in an insect herbivore. AB - The present study evaluates the interactive effects of protein quality and the ratio of protein to digestible carbohydrate on herbivore performance, various aspects of nutritional homeostasis (feeding and post-ingestive regulation) and food choice. In the first experiment, final-instar caterpillars of generalist feeding African cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were confined to one of 20 diets varying in protein:carbohydrate (P:C) ratio (35:7, 28:14, 21:21, 14:28 and 7:35) and in the quality of dietary protein (0%, 20%, 50% and 80% replacement of casein-based protein mix with the low quality plant protein, zein). Results indicated that the negative impact of low quality protein on survival, development and growth was amplified as the P:C ratio of the diet fell. Consumption differences were the main underlying cause of this response. The effect of low protein quality was to reduce the efficiency of nitrogen utilization and to increase the conversion rate of ingested nutrient to lipid growth, irrespective of P:C ratio. In the second experiment, caterpillars were allowed to self-compose their preferred diet, selecting between one of four high-protein diets (all 35:7, but containing 0%, 20%, 50% or 80% zein) and one of four equal-P:C-ratio diets (21:21, again containing 0%, 20%, 50% or 80% zein). Caterpillars showed a compensatory increase in their self-selected P:C intake in response to the moderate decline in protein quality of the 35:7 food. No such response was demonstrated for the insects presented with 35:7 food with the lowest protein quality. The significance of these findings is discussed within the context of herbivore food selection. PMID- 17766302 TI - Effects of elevated ecdysteroid on tissue expression of three guanylyl cyclases in the tropical land crab Gecarcinus lateralis: possible roles of neuropeptide signaling in the molting gland. AB - Two eyestalk (ES) neuropeptides, molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH) and crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH), increase intracellular cGMP levels in target tissues. Both MIH and CHH inhibit ecdysteroid secretion by the molting gland or Y organ (YO), but apparently through different guanylyl cyclase (GC)-dependent pathways. MIH signaling may be mediated by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and NO sensitive GC. CHH binds to a membrane receptor GC. As molting affects neuropeptide signaling, the effects of ecdysteroid on the expression of the land crab Gecarcinus lateralis beta subunit of a NO-sensitive GC (Gl-GC-Ibeta), a membrane receptor GC (Gl-GC-II) and a NO-insensitive soluble GC (Gl-GC-III) were determined. Gl-GC-Ibeta isoforms differing in the absence or presence of an N terminal 32-amino acid sequence and Gl-GC-III were expressed at higher mRNA levels in ES ganglia, gill, hepatopancreas, ovary and testis, and at lower levels in YO, heart and skeletal muscle. Three Gl-GC-II isoforms, which vary in the length of insertions (+18, +9 and +0 amino acids) within the N-terminal ligand binding domain, differed in tissue distribution. Gl-GC-II(+18) was expressed highly in striated muscle (skeletal and cardiac muscles); Gl-GC-II(+9) was expressed in all tissues examined (ES ganglia, YO, gill, hepatopancreas, striated muscles and gonads); and Gl-GC-II(+0) was expressed in most tissues and was the dominant isoform in ES and thoracic ganglia. ES ablation, which increased hemolymph ecdysteroid, increased Gl-GC-II(+18) mRNA level in claw muscle. Using real-time RT-PCR, ES ablation increased Gl-GC-Ibeta, Gl-GC-III and ecdysone receptor mRNA levels in the YOs approximately ten-, approximately four- and approximately twofold, respectively, whereas Gl-GC-II mRNA level was unchanged. A single injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone into intact animals transiently lowered Gl GC-Ibeta in hepatopancreas, testis and skeletal muscle, and certain Gl-GC-II isoforms in some of the tissues. These data suggest that YO and other tissues can modulate responses to neuropeptides by altering GC expression. PMID- 17766303 TI - Mechanical power and efficiency of level walking with different stride rates. AB - Walking humans prefer to use the stride rate that results in the lowest rate of metabolic energy expenditure. Mechanical power requirements have been suggested to underlie the metabolic response, but mechanical power is consistently reported to be minimal at stride rates 20-30% lower than preferred. This may be due to limitations in how total mechanical power has been computed, as well as a failure to account for the efficiency with which muscular work is done. We investigated how mechanical power and efficiency depend on stride rate in walking, with both quantities computed from the work done by the hip, knee and ankle joint moments. Our hypotheses were that mechanical power and efficiency are both optimized at the preferred stride rate, which would explain why metabolic energy expenditure is minimized at this rate. Contrary to our hypotheses, mechanical power curves exhibited plateaus that spanned stride rates lower than preferred (predicted optima: 11-12% below preferred), while net mechanical efficiency exhibited a plateau that spanned stride rates higher than preferred (predicted optimum: 8% above preferred). As expected, preferred stride rate (54.3 strides min(-1)) was not different from the stride rate that minimized net metabolic energy expenditure (predicted optimum: 0.2% above preferred). Given that mechanical power and mechanical efficiency exhibited plateaus on opposite sides of the preferred stride rate, the preferred rate in walking likely represents a compromise between these two factors. This may also explain the relative flatness of the curve for metabolic rate in the vicinity of the preferred stride rate. PMID- 17766304 TI - Haze, clouds and limited sky visibility: polarotactic orientation of crickets under difficult stimulus conditions. AB - Field crickets (Gryllus campestris L.) are able to detect the orientation of the electric vector (e-vector) of linearly polarized light. They presumably use this sense to exploit the celestial polarization pattern for course control or navigation. Polarization vision in crickets can be tested by eliciting a spontaneous polarotactic response. Previously, wide and 100% polarized stimuli were employed to induce this behavior. However, field crickets live on meadows where the observation of the sky is strongly limited by surrounding vegetation. Moreover, degrees of polarization (d) in the natural sky are much lower than 100%. We have therefore investigated thresholds for the behavioral response to polarized light under conditions mimicking those experienced by the insects in the field. We show that crickets are able to rely on polarized stimuli of just 1 degrees diameter. We also provide evidence that they exploit polarization down to an (average) polarization level of less than 7%, irrespective of whether the stimulus is homogeneous, such as under haze, or patched, such as a sky spotted by clouds. Our data demonstrate that crickets can rely on skylight polarization even under unfavorable celestial conditions, emphasizing the significance of polarized skylight orientation for insects. PMID- 17766305 TI - Neural mechanisms underlying target detection in a dragonfly centrifugal neuron. AB - Visual identification of targets is an important task for many animals searching for prey or conspecifics. Dragonflies utilize specialized optics in the dorsal acute zone, accompanied by higher-order visual neurons in the lobula complex, and descending neural pathways tuned to the motion of small targets. While recent studies describe the physiology of insect small target motion detector (STMD) neurons, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie their exquisite sensitivity to target motion. Lobula plate tangential cells (LPTCs), a group of neurons in dipteran flies selective for wide-field motion, have been shown to take input from local motion detectors consistent with the classic correlation model developed by Hassenstein and Reichardt in the 1950s. We have tested the hypothesis that similar mechanisms underlie the response of dragonfly STMDs. We show that an anatomically characterized centrifugal STMD neuron (CSTMD1) gives responses that depend strongly on target contrast, a clear prediction of the correlation model. Target stimuli are more complex in spatiotemporal terms than the sinusoidal grating patterns used to study LPTCs, so we used a correlation based computer model to predict response tuning to velocity and width of moving targets. We show that increasing target width in the direction of travel causes a shift in response tuning to higher velocities, consistent with our model. Finally, we show how the morphology of CSTMD1 allows for impressive spatial interactions when more than one target is present in the visual field. PMID- 17766306 TI - How fast does a seal swim? Variations in swimming behaviour under differing foraging conditions. AB - The duration of breath-hold dives and the available time for foraging in submerged prey patches is ultimately constrained by oxygen balance. There is a close relationship between swim speed and oxygen utilisation, so it is likely that breath-holding divers optimise their speeds to and from the feeding patch to maximise time spent feeding at depth. Optimal foraging models suggest that transit swim speed should decrease to minimum cost of transport (MCT) speed in deeper and longer duration dives. Observations also suggest that descent and ascent swimming mode and speed may vary in response to changes in buoyancy. We measured the swimming behaviour during simulated foraging of seven captive female grey seals (two adults and five pups). Seals had to swim horizontally underwater from a breathing box to a submerged automatic feeder. The distance to the feeder and the rate of prey food delivery could be varied to simulate different feeding conditions. Diving durations and distances travelled in dives recorded during these experiments were similar to those recorded in the wild. Mean swim speed decreased significantly with increasing distance to the patch, indicating that seals adjusted their speed in response to travel distance, consistent with optimality model predictions. There was, however, no significant relationship between the transit swim speeds and prey density at the patch. Interestingly, all seals swam 10-20% faster on their way to the prey patch compared to the return to the breathing box, despite the fact that any effect of buoyancy on swimming speed should be the same in both directions. These results suggest that the swimming behaviour exhibited by foraging grey seals might be a combination of having to overcome the forces of buoyancy during vertical swimming and also of behavioural choices made by the seals. PMID- 17766307 TI - p38 MAPK is a likely component of the signal transduction pathway triggering rapid cold hardening in the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis. AB - Rapid cold hardening (RCH) is an adaptation enabling insects to quickly respond to low temperature, but little is known about the molecular events that trigger this response. In this study of the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis, we explore a possible role for mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in the low temperature signaling that elicits RCH. We report that p38 MAPK from S. crassipalpis, which shows high cDNA sequence homology to p38 MAPKs from other insects and mammals, is rapidly activated at temperatures around 0 degrees C, temperatures that are most effective for inducing RCH. By contrast, low temperature does not activate either extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) or Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). An increase in phospho-p38 MAPK was observed within 10 min following exposure to 0 degrees C and reached its maximum level in 2 h. When flies were transferred from 0 to 25 degrees C, the level of phospho-p38 MAPK decreased immediately and reached trace levels by 3 h. Nondiapausing flies were much more responsive to p38 MAPK activation than cold-hardy diapausing pupae. Thus, p38 MAPK activation and RCH both show the same narrow ranges of temperature sensitivity, temporal profiles of activation and decay, and developmental specificity. These correlations suggest that p38 MAPK plays a potential role in regulating the induction of RCH. The p38 MAPK response was not dependent upon the brain, as evidenced by high activation in isolated abdomens exposed to low temperature. PMID- 17766308 TI - Ventilatory and cardiovascular actions of centrally administered trout tachykinins in the unanesthetized trout. AB - The brains of teleost fish contain members of the tachykinin family that are the products of orthologous genes expressed in mammalian nervous tissues, but little is known regarding the physiological effects of these peptides in their species of origin. The present study compares the central actions of trout neuropeptide gamma (NPgamma), substance P (SP) and neurokinin A (NKA) (5-250 pmol) on ventilatory and cardiovascular parameters in the unanesthetized rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of NPgamma evoked a dose-dependent elevation of the ventilation rate (f(V)) but a reduction of the ventilation amplitude (V(AMP)) that was caused by a reduction of the magnitude of the adduction phase of the ventilatory signal. The net effect of NPgamma was to produce an hypoventilatory response since the total ventilation (V(TOT)) was significantly reduced. The minimum effective dose for a significant effect of NPgamma on f(V) and V(AMP) was 50 pmol. SP evoked a significant elevation of f(V), a concomitant depression of V(AMP), and a resultant decrease in V(TOT) but only at the highest dose (250 pmol). NKA was without action on f(V) but significantly decreased V(AMP) at only the highest dose tested. In this case also, the net effect of NKA was to reduce V(TOT). When injected centrally, none of the three peptides, at any dose tested, produced changes in heart rate or mean dorsal aortic blood pressure (P(DA)). Intra-arterial injection of the three tachykinins (250 pmol) produced a significant (P<0.05) increase in P(DA), but only SP and NKA induced concomitant bradycardia. None of the three peptides produced any change in f(V) or V(AMP). In conclusion, our results demonstrate that centrally injected tachykinins, particularly NPgamma, produce a strong hypoventilatory response in a teleost fish and so suggest that endogenous tachykinins may be differentially implicated in neuroregulatory control of ventilation. PMID- 17766309 TI - Jumping behaviour in a Gondwanan relict insect (Hemiptera: Coleorrhyncha: Peloridiidae). AB - Jumping by a relict insect, Hackeriella veitchi (Hacker 1932), belonging to the ancient Coleorrhynchan line that diverged from other Hemiptera in the late Permian, was analysed from high-speed images captured at rates of 2000 s(-1) and from its anatomy. This 3 mm long, flightless insect weighs up to 1.4 mg and can jump by rapid movements of the hind legs that accelerate the body in 1.5 ms to a take-off velocity of 1.5 m s(-1). This performance requires an energy expenditure of 1.1 microJ and a power output 0.74 mW, and exerts a force of 1.24 mN. It achieves this with a body design that shows few specialisations for jumping compared with those of other groups of Hemipterans such as the froghoppers or leafhoppers. The hind legs are only 10% longer than the front and middle legs by virtue of longer tibiae and tarsi, and are only 65% the length of the body. The main thrust for a jump is provided by the rapid rotation of the fused trochanter and femur about the coxa of a hind leg, in a movement that forces the hind tarsus against the ground and raises the body to take off. In some jumps the two hind legs move together, but in others the movements may not be closely synchronised, thereby imparting a rotation on the body that is maintained once airborne. When the time difference is larger, the rapid movement of just one hind leg results in the insect falling from its perch in an adaptive escape response. PMID- 17766310 TI - AmapSim: a structural whole-plant simulator based on botanical knowledge and designed to host external functional models. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: AmapSim is a tool that implements a structural plant growth model based on a botanical theory and simulates plant morphogenesis to produce accurate, complex and detailed plant architectures. This software is the result of more than a decade of research and development devoted to plant architecture. New advances in the software development have yielded plug-in external functions that open up the simulator to functional processes. METHODS: The simulation of plant topology is based on the growth of a set of virtual buds whose activity is modelled using stochastic processes. The geometry of the resulting axes is modelled by simple descriptive functions. The potential growth of each bud is represented by means of a numerical value called physiological age, which controls the value for each parameter in the model. The set of possible values for physiological ages is called the reference axis. In order to mimic morphological and architectural metamorphosis, the value allocated for the physiological age of buds evolves along this reference axis according to an oriented finite state automaton whose occupation and transition law follows a semi-Markovian function. KEY RESULTS: Simulations were performed on tomato plants to demonstrate how the AmapSim simulator can interface external modules, e.g. a GREENLAB growth model and a radiosity model. CONCLUSIONS: The algorithmic ability provided by AmapSim, e.g. the reference axis, enables unified control to be exercised over plant development parameter values, depending on the biological process target: how to affect the local pertinent process, i.e. the pertinent parameter(s), while keeping the rest unchanged. This opening up to external functions also offers a broadened field of applications and thus allows feedback between plant growth and the physical environment. PMID- 17766311 TI - A rule-based model of barley morphogenesis, with special respect to shading and gibberellic acid signal transduction. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Functional-structural plant models (FSPM) constitute a paradigm in plant modelling that combines 3D structural and graphical modelling with the simulation of plant processes. While structural aspects of plant development could so far be represented using rule-based formalisms such as Lindenmayer systems, process models were traditionally written using a procedural code. The faithful representation of structures interacting with functions across scales, however, requires a new modelling formalism. Therefore relational growth grammars (RGG) were developed on the basis of Lindenmayer systems. METHODS: In order to implement and test RGG, a new modelling language, the eXtended L-system language (XL) was created. Models using XL are interpreted by the interactive, Java-based modelling platform GroIMP. Three models, a semi-quantitative gibberellic acid (GA) signal transduction model, and a phytochrome-based shade detection and object avoidance model, both coupled to an existing morphogenetic structural model of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), serve as examples to demonstrate the versatility and suitability of RGG and XL to represent the interaction of diverse biological processes across hierarchical scales. KEY RESULTS: The dynamics of the concentrations in the signal transduction network could be modelled qualitatively and the phenotypes of GA-response mutants faithfully reproduced. The light model used here was simple to use yet effective enough to carry out local measurement of red:far-red ratios. Suppression of tillering at low red:far-red ratios could be simulated. CONCLUSIONS: The RGG formalism is suitable for implementation of multi-scaled FSPM of plants interacting with their environment via hormonal control. However, their ensuing complexity requires careful design. On the positive side, such an FSPM displays knowledge gaps better thereby guiding future experimental design. PMID- 17766312 TI - Domestication, genomics and the future for banana. AB - BACKGROUND: Cultivated bananas and plantains are giant herbaceous plants within the genus Musa. They are both sterile and parthenocarpic so the fruit develops without seed. The cultivated hybrids and species are mostly triploid (2n = 3x = 33; a few are diploid or tetraploid), and most have been propagated from mutants found in the wild. With a production of 100 million tons annually, banana is a staple food across the Asian, African and American tropics, with the 15 % that is exported being important to many economies. SCOPE: There are well over a thousand domesticated Musa cultivars and their genetic diversity is high, indicating multiple origins from different wild hybrids between two principle ancestral species. However, the difficulty of genetics and sterility of the crop has meant that the development of new varieties through hybridization, mutation or transformation was not very successful in the 20th century. Knowledge of structural and functional genomics and genes, reproductive physiology, cytogenetics, and comparative genomics with rice, Arabidopsis and other model species has increased our understanding of Musa and its diversity enormously. CONCLUSIONS: There are major challenges to banana production from virulent diseases, abiotic stresses and new demands for sustainability, quality, transport and yield. Within the genepool of cultivars and wild species there are genetic resistances to many stresses. Genomic approaches are now rapidly advancing in Musa and have the prospect of helping enable banana to maintain and increase its importance as a staple food and cash crop through integration of genetical, evolutionary and structural data, allowing targeted breeding, transformation and efficient use of Musa biodiversity in the future. PMID- 17766313 TI - Alcohol use disorders, and at-risk drinking in patients affected by a mood disorder, in Cagliari, Italy: sensitivity and specificity of different questionnaires. AB - AIMS: (i) To evaluate the prevalence of alcohol use disorders, and at risk drinking among outpatients admitted to the Division of Psychiatry, University of Cagliari, Italy, for mood disorders, and (ii) to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the questionnaires used. METHODS: Fifty-six patients affected by mood disorders answered to the questions of (i) The NIAAA Guide for identification of at-risk drinking, (ii) AUDIT questionnaire, (iii) The CAGE questionnaire and, (iv) SCID-I application forms for mood and alcohol use disorders. RESULTS: Fourteen subjects (25%) met the criteria for alcohol use disorders according to SCID-I; 17 (30.4%) achieved a score > or = 1 in CAGE questionnaire; 12 (21.4%) reached AUDIT scores of > or =8 and 4 for men and women, respectively; 12 (21.4%) provided positive answers to NIAAA Guide. Despite these prevalence rates, no diagnosis of alcohol use disorders had previously been registered in their medical records. The CAGE questionnaire achieved the highest values of sensitivity and specificity in detecting alcohol use disorders tested against that of the SCID-I. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol use disorders and at-risk drinking are frequent in patients affected by mood disorders, although often underestimated; this underestimation was virtually absolute in the sample of patients investigated. Combination of the CAGE questionnaire plus the first questions in the NIAAA Guide may be an effective tool for use in the identification of psychiatric patients with possible alcohol use disorders or at risk drinking. PMID- 17766314 TI - Nicotine and alcohol dependence in patients with comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). AB - AIMS: Several studies have shown that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) represents a significant risk factor for the onset and development of an addiction. Thirty-five per cent of adult ADHD patients are known to be addicted to alcohol. Many ADHD patients also have an increased nicotine consumption, which typically, leads to an improvement of attention, ability to concentrate and control of impulses. There may be pathophysiological connections here. On the other hand, it can also be assumed that there is a high prevalence of addicted patients with undiagnosed ADHD. METHODS: Ninety-one adult alcohol-dependent patients were examined for ADHD in this study, using the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS-k), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) symptom check-list for ADHD and the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS, Long Version). The patients were divided into diagnostic sub-groups according to DSM IV (inattentive type, impulsive type, combined type). Nicotine consumption was investigated using the Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and then graded as 'minimal', 'average' or 'high' nicotine dependence. RESULTS: There were 20.9% (WURS-k) or 23.1% (DSM-IV diagnostic criteria) of the patients addicted to alcohol, who showed evidence of ADHD in childhood. With the help of CAARS, it could be demonstrated that 33.3% of the patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of ADHD, according to DSM-IV, had persisting ADHD in adulthood. The FTND showed a statistically significant difference in nicotine dependence between alcohol-dependent patients with and without ADHD in childhood. Patients numbering 76.2% with ADHD, demonstrated an 'average to high' level of nicotine dependence compared to 45.7% of those patients without ADHD. Furthermore, the number of patients not addicted to nicotine (19%) was significantly lower than among those without ADHD (36.6%) (P = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this investigation reveal that a large number of ADHD patients suffer from alcohol dependence, and an even greater number from excessive nicotine dependence. The outcome indicates that there are most likely pathophysiological connections with alcohol and nicotine dependence, and that this substance abuse is probably a form of 'self medication'. The results clearly underline the great importance of early and adequate diagnosis and therapy of ADHD, in order to prevent exacerbation of addictive illness. PMID- 17766315 TI - How do quantities drunk per drinking day and the frequencies of drinking those quantities contribute to self-reported harm and positive consequences? AB - AIMS: This article examines how quantities drunk per drinking day (dose) and the frequency of drinking those quantities affect self-reported harm and positive consequences at the individual and population level. METHODS: Participants were drinkers in a general population survey among Finns aged 15-69 years, conducted in 2000 (N = 1760, response rate 78%). Types of harm examined were self-reported worries over drinking control, negative consequences of individual drinking occasions, and external reactions to drinking. RESULTS: Respondents who reported frequent drinking at very high doses (13 drinks and above for men, 8 and above for women) were in a league of their own with respect to the risk of harm. At the population level, the dose of 8-12 drinks accounted for most problems among men, and doses of 5-7 and 3-4 drinks among women. No gain in positive consequences was attached to drinking beyond the dose of 5-7 drinks among men and 3-4 drinks among women. CONCLUSIONS: The dose level at which the population-level risk was the highest was lower than the level at which the individual-level risk was the highest, due to a greater prevalence of drinking the lesser quantities. Future studies should pay more attention to the separate effects of dose as well as the frequency of drinking the particular doses per occasion at the individual level, and also, as to how the prevalence of these drinking patterns contributes to the population-level risk. PMID- 17766316 TI - Stress increases attentional bias for alcohol cues in social drinkers who drink to cope. AB - AIMS: To investigate the effects of stress on alcohol craving and attentional bias for alcohol-related cues in a group of heavy social drinkers. METHOD: Forty four heavy social drinkers were exposed to either a laboratory stressor task or a control manipulation before completing a questionnaire measure of alcohol craving and a visual probe task which measured attentional bias for alcohol-related cues. Participants were subdivided into those with high and low levels of coping motives for drinking. RESULTS: Compared to a control manipulation, the laboratory stressor task produced increases in alcohol craving (P < 0.01). The laboratory stressor task also produced a significant attentional bias for alcohol-related cues, but only among participants who had high levels of coping motives (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Findings are broadly consistent with contemporary negative reinforcement models of substance abuse, and with models of subjective craving and attentional biases for substance-related cues. PMID- 17766318 TI - Tachyarrhythmias in Koch's triangle: to be burned out or to be cool? PMID- 17766317 TI - Comorbidity of alcohol dependence and personality disorders: a comparative study. AB - AIMS: To describe the frequency and profile of personality disorders related to alcohol dependence, and to compare them with non-addictive disorders and with normal population. METHODS: In this cross-sectional clinical-epidemiological study, using the International Personality Disorder Examination and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II for personality disorders, 158 consecutively recruited alcohol-dependent patients attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic were compared with 120 consecutively recruited psychiatric patients with non addictive disorders, and 103 subjects from the general population chosen to match the patient samples for age, gender and socioeconomic level. RESULTS: Of the alcohol-dependent patients, 44.3%, and of the general clinical sample, 21.7% (vs 6.8% of the normative sample) showed at least one personality disorder. Obsessive compulsive personality disorders were most prevalent (12%), followed by antisocial, paranoid and dependent personality disorders (7% each). Most of them showed only one personality disorder. PMID- 17766319 TI - On the relationship among QT interval, atrial fibrillation, and torsade de pointes. PMID- 17766320 TI - Drug-induced QT prolongation and proarrhythmia: an inevitable link? AB - One of the most feared potential adverse effects of many drugs is life threatening or fatal arrhythmia--particularly torsade de pointes (TdP) ventricular tachycardia in conjunction with QT prolongation. To fully understand the implications of QT prolongation, it is essential to have an understanding of the ion currents that comprise repolarization and their relation to electrophysiological abnormalities associated with TdP. Also, the QT interval is subject to patient-specific and sometimes idiosyncratic variability. The following questions are addressed: How close is the relationship between QT prolongation and proarrhythmia? How accurately do QT-interval measurements reflect cardiac repolarization? How representative is a single QT measurement with respect to the QT response to a drug? The presumed relationship between the QT interval and myocardial repolarization will be deconstructed, demonstrating that most of the important aspects of repolarization, and subsequent arrhythmogenesis, cannot be understood only through the simple numerical measurement of the QT interval. Repolarization reserve is also discussed. Suggestions for refining the understanding of drug-induced QT prolongation, TdP, and shortcomings of some current definitions are outlined. We speculate on possible future developments in understanding this relationship. PMID- 17766321 TI - Detection and reporting of drug-induced proarrhythmias: room for improvement. AB - Recently adopted guidelines mandate the inclusion of detailed non-clinical and clinical QT data in future drug labels. As a result of increasing recognition of drug-induced proarrhythmias, and the bias introduced by the prescribing physician's awareness of these events, it is likely that the number of adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death, allegedly caused by the drug, will increase. To illustrate how different approaches have been used to assess proarrhythmic liability and validate ADR reports on serious ventricular arrhythmias, this overview assesses pharmacoepidemiology studies on terfenadine and cisapride, the quality of ADR reports and the effect of label changes on prescribing patterns and other information to prescribing physicians. Clinical and pharmacoepidemiology studies, which in most cases did not demonstrate an increased risk for proarrhythmias with these two drugs, are discussed with emphasis on limitations, studied endpoints, and populations. Recommendations are made on how to improve the effectiveness of labelled precautions and contraindications, which may include the implementation of more effective alert systems. Given the low incidence of drug-induced proarrhythmias, 'signal' generation through ADR reports will continue to have a key role for early identification of proarrhythmic liability of newly marketed drugs. The quality of these reports varies widely, and can be improved through implementation of procedures by which complementary information is captured and events are adjudicated and classified into confidence categories using a consistent scheme across different classes of drugs. PMID- 17766322 TI - Drug-induced QT-interval prolongation and proarrhythmic risk in the treatment of atrial arrhythmias. AB - Despite the large number of available antiarrhythmic agents, significant QT interval prolongation and risk of severe proarrhythmia, including torsade de pointes, limit pharmacological opportunities in the management of atrial arrhythmias. The risk of proarrhythmia has been demonstrated in class I and class III drugs, but significant variability has been observed between agents of the same class. Electrophysiological drug effects found to be important in the etiology of proarrhythmia include QT-interval prolongation through selective blockade of the delayed rectifying potassium current (I(Kr)), early afterdepolarizations, transmural dispersion of repolarization, and a reverse rate dependence. Interestingly, less proarrhythmic potential is seen or anticipated with agents that are able to block multiple ion channels and those with atrial selectivity, despite moderate QT prolongation. This observation has helped steer the development of newer drugs, with some promising preliminary results. PMID- 17766324 TI - Nuclear protein-induced bending and flexing of the hypoxic response element of the rat vascular endothelial growth factor promoter. AB - Bending and flexing of DNA may contribute to transcriptional regulation. Because hypoxia and other physiological signals induce formation of an abasic site at a key base within the hypoxic response element (HRE) of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene (FASEB J. 19, 387-394, 2005) and because abasic sites can introduce flexibility in model DNA sequences, in the present study we used a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based reporter system to assess topological changes in a wild-type (WT) sequence of the HRE of the rat VEGF gene and in a sequence harboring a single abasic site mimicking the effect of hypoxia. Binding of the hypoxia-inducible transcriptional complex present in hypoxic pulmonary artery endothelial cell nuclear extract to the WT sequence failed to alter sequence topology whereas nuclear protein binding to the modified HRE engendered considerable sequence flexibility. Topological effects of nuclear proteins on the modified VEGF HRE were dependent on the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 and on formation of a single-strand break at the abasic site mediated by the coactivator, Ref-1/Ape1. These observations suggest that oxidative base modifications in the VEGF HRE evoked by physiological signals could be a precursor to single-strand break formation that has an impact on gene expression by modulating sequence flexibility. PMID- 17766325 TI - The experimental pathology of stress: Hans Selye to Paris Hilton. PMID- 17766323 TI - Ionic, molecular, and cellular bases of QT-interval prolongation and torsade de pointes. AB - Torsade de pointes (TdP) is a life-threatening arrhythmia that develops as a consequence of a reduction in the repolarization reserve of cardiac cells leading to amplification of electrical heterogeneities in the ventricular myocardium as well as to the development of early after depolarization-induced triggered activity. Electrical heterogeneities within the ventricles are due to differences in the time course of repolarization of the three predominant cell types that make up the ventricular myocardium, giving rise to transmural voltage gradients and a dispersion of repolarization that contributes to the inscription of the electrocardiographic T wave. A number of non-antiarrhythmic drugs and antiarrhythmic agents with class III actions and/or the various mutations and cardiomyopathies associated with the long QT syndrome reduce net repolarizing current and amplify spatial dispersion of repolarization, thus creating the substrate for re-entry. This results in a prolongation of the QT interval, abnormal T waves, and development of TdP. Agents that prolong the QT interval but do not cause an increase in transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR) do not induce TdP, suggesting that QT prolongation is not the sole or optimal determinant for arrhythmogenesis. This article reviews recent advances in our understanding of these mechanisms, particularly the role of TDR in the genesis of drug-induced TdP, and examines how these may guide us towards development of safer drugs. PMID- 17766326 TI - Cobalt protoporphyrin as a potential therapeutic agent? PMID- 17766328 TI - Comment on "Evo-Devo and the lungfish: the last gasp of intelligent design". PMID- 17766331 TI - On the effects of PufX on the absorption properties of the light-harvesting complexes of Rhodobacter sphaeroides. AB - Some species of purple bacteria as, e.g., Rhodobacter sphaeroides contain the protein PufX. Concurrently, the light harvesting complexes 1 (LH1) form dimers of open rings. In mutants without PufX, the LH1s are closed rings and photosynthesis breaks down, because the ubiquinone exchange at the reaction center is blocked. However, the main purpose of the LH1 is light harvesting. We therefore investigate the effects that the PufX-induced dimerization has on the absorption properties of the core complexes. Calculations with a dipole model, which compare the photosynthetic efficiency of various configurations of monomeric and dimeric core complexes, show that the dimer can absorb photons directly into the reaction centers more efficiently, but that the performance of the more sophisticated dimeric LH1 antenna degrades faster with structural perturbations. The calculations predict an optimal orientation of the reaction centers relative to the LH1 dimer, which agrees well with the experimentally found configuration. Based on experimental observations indicating that the dimeric core complexes are indeed rather rigid, we hypothesize that in PufX(+) species the association between the LH1 and the reaction centers is enhanced. This mechanical stabilization of the core complexes would lead to the observed quinone blockage, when PufX is missing. PMID- 17766330 TI - Prognostic utility of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 for cardiovascular outcomes in patients with stable coronary artery disease. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prognostic utility of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) for specific adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), independent of traditional risk factors and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured Lp-PLA2 in 3766 patients with stable CAD from the PEACE trial. Patients were followed for a median of 4.8 years for adverse cardiovascular events including death, myocardial infarction (MI), coronary revascularization, hospitalization for unstable angina (UA), and stroke. Multivariable Cox regression was used to adjust for traditional cardiovascular risk factors and to conduct multimarker analyses that included hs-CRP. After adjustment for baseline characteristics, patients in higher quartiles of Lp-PLA2 remained at significantly greater risk for the composite of cardiovascular death, MI, coronary revascularization, UA, or stroke (P<0.001 for trend, adj HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.70, for patients in 4th versus 1st quartile). The association was consistent regardless of a patient's sex, cholesterol levels, or use of lipid lowering therapy. When analyzed together, both hs-CRP and Lp-PLA2 were highly significant predictors of acute coronary syndromes (cardiovascular death, MI, or UA) (P for trend <0.001 for hs-CRP and 0.005 for Lp-PLA2), whereas only Lp-PLA2 was a significant predictor of coronary revascularization (P=0.01 for trend). CONCLUSIONS: In stable CAD, an elevated level of Lp-PLA2 was a significant predictor of nonfatal adverse cardiovascular outcomes independent of traditional clinical risk factors and hs-CRP. Further investigation will be needed to establish whether therapies that lower Lp-PLA2 reduce cardiovascular risk. PMID- 17766332 TI - Phase fluctuations on the micron-submicron scale in GUVs composed of a binary lipid mixture. AB - We used a combination of imaging and fluctuation techniques to investigate the temporal evolution of gel phase domains at the onset of phase separation, as well as the correlation between domain topology and local lipid ordering in GUVs composed of a binary mixture of DPPC/DLPC 1:1. The data acquired at temperatures immediately above the transition temperature of the two lipids suggest fluctuations in the lipid organization with a lifetime <0.1 s and a characteristic length of 1.2 microm. As the temperature is decreased below the transition temperature of one of the lipids, coupling between the two leaflets of the bilayer is observed to begin within the first five minutes after the onset of phase separation. However, domains confined to only one leaflet can be found during the first 45-50 min after the onset of phase separation. Our analysis using a two-state model (liquid and gel) indicates that for the first 45-50 min from the onset of phase separation the two lipid phases do not strongly influence the phase behavior of each other on the micron-length scale. At longer times, behavior that deviates from the two-state model is observed and appears to be correlated to domain morphology. PMID- 17766333 TI - Cell shape dynamics in Escherichia coli. AB - Bacteria are the simplest living organisms. In particular, Escherichia coli has been extensively studied and it has become one of the standard model systems in microbiology. However, optical microscopy studies of single E. coli have been limited by its small size, approximately 1 x 3 microm, not much larger than the optical resolution, approximately 0.25 microm. As a result, not enough quantitative dynamical information on the life cycle of single E. coli is presently available. We suggest that, by careful analysis of images from phase contrast and fluorescence time-lapse microscopy, this limitation can be bypassed. For example, we show that applying this approach to monitoring morphogenesis in individual E. coli leads to a simple, quantitative description of this process. First, we find the time when the formation of the septum starts, tau(c). It occurs much earlier than the time when the constriction can be directly observed by phase contrast. Second, we find that the growth law of single cells is more likely bilinear/trilinear than exponential. This is further supported by the relations that hold between the corresponding growth rates. These methods could be further extended to study the dynamics of cell components, e.g., the nucleoid and the Z-ring. PMID- 17766335 TI - The role of cavitation in liposome formation. AB - Liposome size is a vital parameter of many quantitative biophysical studies. Sonication, or exposure to ultrasound, is used widely to manufacture artificial liposomes, yet little is known about the mechanism by which liposomes are affected by ultrasound. Cavitation, or the oscillation of small gas bubbles in a pressure-varying field, has been shown to be responsible for many biophysical effects of ultrasound on cells. In this study, we correlate the presence and type of cavitation with a decrease in liposome size. Aqueous lipid suspensions surrounding a hydrophone were exposed to various intensities of ultrasound and hydrostatic pressures before measuring their size distribution with dynamic light scattering. As expected, increasing ultrasound intensity at atmospheric pressure decreased the average liposome diameter. The presence of collapse cavitation was manifested in the acoustic spectrum at high ultrasonic intensities. Increasing hydrostatic pressure was shown to inhibit the presence of collapse cavitation. Collapse cavitation, however, did not correlate with decreases in liposome size, as changes in size still occurred when collapse cavitation was inhibited either by lowering ultrasound intensity or by increasing static pressure. We propose a mechanism whereby stable cavitation, another type of cavitation present in sound fields, causes fluid shearing of liposomes and reduction of liposome size. A mathematical model was developed based on the Rayleigh-Plesset equation of bubble dynamics and principles of acoustic microstreaming to estimate the shear field magnitude around an oscillating bubble. This model predicts the ultrasound intensities and pressures needed to create shear fields sufficient to cause liposome size change, and correlates well with our experimental data. PMID- 17766334 TI - The C-terminal transmembrane domain of Bcl-xL mediates changes in mitochondrial morphology. AB - We investigate the effect of mitochondrial localization and the Bcl-x(L) C terminal transmembrane (TM) domain on mitochondrial morphology and subcellular light scattering. CSM 14.1 cell lines stably expressed yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), YFP-Bcl-x(L,) YFP-Bcl-x(L)-DeltaTM, containing the remainder of Bcl-x(L) after deletion of the last 21 amino acids corresponding to the TM domain, or YFP TM, consisting of YFP fused at its C-terminal to the last 21 amino acids of Bcl x(L). YFP-Bcl-x(L) and YFP-TM localized to the mitochondria. Their expression decreased the intensity ratio of wide-to-narrow angle forward scatter by subcellular organelles, and correlated with an increase in the proportion of mitochondria with an expanded matrix having greatly reduced intracristal spaces as observed by electron microscopy. Cells expressing YFP-TM also exhibited significant autophagy. In contrast, YFP-Bcl-x(L)-DeltaTM was diffusely distributed in the cells, and its expression did not alter light scattering or mitochondrial morphology compared with parental cells. Expression of YFP-Bcl-x(L) or YFP-Bcl-x(L)-DeltaTM provided significant resistance to staurosporine-induced apoptosis. Surprisingly however, YFP-TM expression also conferred a moderate level of cell death resistance in response to staurosporine. Taken together, our results suggest the existence of a secondary Bcl-x(L) function that is mediated by the transmembrane domain, alters mitochondrial morphology, and is distinct from BH3 domain sequestration. PMID- 17766336 TI - Mechanisms of laser-induced dissection and transport of histologic specimens. AB - Rapid contact- and contamination-free procurement of histologic material for proteomic and genomic analysis can be achieved by laser microdissection of the sample of interest followed by laser-induced transport (laser pressure catapulting). The dynamics of laser microdissection and laser pressure catapulting of histologic samples of 80 mum diameter was investigated by means of time-resolved photography. The working mechanism of microdissection was found to be plasma-mediated ablation initiated by linear absorption. Catapulting was driven by plasma formation when tightly focused pulses were used, and by photothermal ablation at the bottom of the sample when defocused pulses producing laser spot diameters larger than 35 microm were used. With focused pulses, driving pressures of several hundred MPa accelerated the specimen to initial velocities of 100-300 m/s before they were rapidly slowed down by air friction. When the laser spot was increased to a size comparable to or larger than the sample diameter, both driving pressure and flight velocity decreased considerably. Based on a characterization of the thermal and optical properties of the histologic specimens and supporting materials used, we calculated the evolution of the heat distribution in the sample. Selected catapulted samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy or analyzed by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. We found that catapulting of dissected samples results in little collateral damage when the laser pulses are either tightly focused or when the laser spot size is comparable to the specimen size. By contrast, moderate defocusing with spot sizes up to one-third of the specimen diameter may involve significant heat and ultraviolet exposure. Potential side effects are maximal when samples are catapulted directly from a glass slide without a supporting polymer foil. PMID- 17766337 TI - Mechanical properties of spider dragline silk: humidity, hysteresis, and relaxation. AB - Spider silk is well-known for its outstanding mechanical properties. However, there is a significant variation of these properties in literature and studies analyzing large numbers of silk samples to explain these variations are still lacking. To fill this gap, the following work examines the mechanical properties of major ampullate silk based on a large ensemble of threads from Nephila clavipes and Nephila senegalensis. In addition, the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the mechanical properties was quantified. The large effect of RH on the mechanical properties makes it plausible that the variation in the literature values can to a large extent be attributed to changes in RH. Spider silk's most remarkable property-its high tenacity-remains unchanged. In addition, this work also includes hysteresis as well as relaxation measurements. It is found that the relaxation process is well described by a stretched exponential decay. PMID- 17766338 TI - Changes of the membrane lipid organization characterized by means of a new cholesterol-pyrene probe. AB - We synthesized 3beta-hydroxy-pregn-5-ene-21-(1-methylpyrenyl)-20-methylidene (Py met-chol), consisting of cholesterol steroid rings connected to a pyrene group via a linker without polar atoms. This compound has interesting spectroscopic properties when probing membranes: 1), The pyrene has hypochromic properties resulting from probe self-association processes in membranes. Using liposomes of various lipid compositions, we determined the association constants of the probe (K): K(DOPC) >> K(POPC) >> K(DMPC) > K(DMPC/15 mol % Chol) > K(DMPC/30 mol % Chol). This indicates a better probe solvation in saturated than in unsaturated lipids, and this effect is enhanced as the cholesterol concentration increases. 2), The pyrene fluorophore is characterized by monomer (I(1)-I(5)) and excimer (I(E)) emission bands. In model membranes, I(1)/I(3) and I(E)/I(3) ratios revealed a correlation between the polarity of the lipid core of the membrane and the amount of cholesterol. 3), Using this probe, we monitored the first steps of the signaling pathway of the mouse delta-opioid receptor, a G-protein-coupled receptor. The thickness of the membrane around this receptor is known to change after agonist binding. Fluorescence spectra of living Chinese hamster ovary cells overexpressing mouse delta-opioid receptor specifically revealed the agonist binding. These results indicate that Py-met-chol may be useful for screening ligands of this family of receptors. PMID- 17766339 TI - Sum frequency vibrational spectroscopy: the molecular origins of the optical second-order nonlinearity of collagen. AB - The molecular origins of second-order nonlinear effects in type I collagen fibrils have been identified with sum-frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy. The dominant contributing molecular groups are: 1), the methylene groups associated with a Fermi resonance between the fundamental symmetric stretch and the bending overtone of methylene; and 2), the carbonyl and peptide groups associated with the amide I band. The noncentrosymmetrically aligned methylene groups are characterized by a distinctive tilt relative to the axis perpendicular to the main axis of the collagen fiber, a conformation producing a strong achiral contribution to the second-order nonlinear effect. In contrast, the stretching vibration of the carbonyl groups associated with the amide I band results in a strong chiral contribution to the optical second-order nonlinear effect. The length scale of these chiral effects ranges from the molecular to the supramolecular. PMID- 17766340 TI - Investigation of the adsorption of PEG1500-12-acyloxystearate surfactants onto phospholipid bilayers: an ellipsometry and cryo-TEM study. AB - In this article we present a study of a new class of surfactants denoted as PEG1500-12-acyloxystearates, which have potential use as pharmaceutical solubilizers. These amphiphilic molecules present interesting properties with regard to cell damage effects. PEG1500-12-acyloxystearates with C(14) to C(16) acyloxy chains cause little or no damage to red blood and intestinal cells, whereas the surfactants with shorter chains, from C(8) to C(12), induce measurable damage. To start unraveling the reason why there is this rather marked dependence of the cell damage effect on surfactant chain length, we have carried out systematic studies of adsorption properties of the surfactants onto phospholipid bilayers by means of ellipsometry. The rate of incorporation of the surfactants in the lipid membrane decreases with increasing length of the acyloxy chain. Cryo-TEM images strengthen the ellipsometry results by showing that the dissolution of the phospholipid bilayer is slower for the surfactants of the series having longer chains. PMID- 17766341 TI - Mechanism of auxin interaction with Auxin Binding Protein (ABP1): a molecular dynamics simulation study. AB - Auxin Binding Protein 1 (ABP1) is ubiquitous in green plants. It binds the phytohormone auxin with high specificity and affinity, but its role in auxin induced processes is unknown. To understand the proposed receptor function of ABP1 we carried out a detailed molecular modeling study. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that ABP1 can adopt two conformations differing primarily in the position of the C-terminus and that one of them is stabilized by auxin binding. This is in agreement with experimental evidence that auxin induces changes at the ABP1 C-terminus. Simulations of ligand egress from ABP1 revealed three main routes by which an auxin molecule can enter or leave the ABP1 binding site. Assuming the previously proposed orientation of ABP1 to plant cell membranes, one of the routes leads to the membrane and the other two to ABP1's aqueous surroundings. A network of hydrogen-bonded water molecules leading from the bulk water to the zinc-coordinated ligands in the ABP1 binding site was formed in all simulations. Water entrance into the zinc coordination sphere occurred simultaneously with auxin egress. These results suggest that the hydrogen-bonded water molecules may assist in protonation and deprotonation of auxin molecules and their egress from the ABP1 binding site. PMID- 17766342 TI - A water-explicit lattice model of heat-, cold-, and pressure-induced protein unfolding. AB - We investigate the effect of temperature and pressure on polypeptide conformational stability using a two-dimensional square lattice model in which water is represented explicitly. The model captures many aspects of water thermodynamics, including the existence of density anomalies, and we consider here the simplest representation of a protein: a hydrophobic homopolymer. We show that an explicit treatment of hydrophobic hydration is sufficient to produce cold, pressure, and thermal denaturation. We investigate the effects of the enthalpic and entropic components of the water-protein interactions on the overall folding phase diagram, and show that even a schematic model such as the one we consider yields reasonable values for the temperature and pressure ranges within which highly compact homopolymer configurations are thermodynamically stable. PMID- 17766343 TI - Folding and misfolding of the collagen triple helix: Markov analysis of molecular dynamics simulations. AB - Folding and misfolding of the collagen triple helix are studied through molecular dynamics simulations of two collagenlike peptides, [(POG)(10)](3) and [(POG)(4)POA(POG)(5)](3), which are models for wild-type and mutant collagen, respectively. To extract long time dynamics from short trajectories, we employ Markov state models. By analyzing thermodynamic and kinetic quantities calculated from the Markov state models, we examine folding mechanisms of the collagen triple helix and consequences of glycine mutations. We find that the C-to-N zipping of the collagen triple helix must be initiated by a nucleation event consisting of formation of three stable hydrogen bonds, and that zipping through a glycine mutation site requires a renucleation event which also consists of formation of three stable hydrogen bonds. Our results also suggest that slow kinetics, rather than free energy differences, is mainly responsible for the stability of the collagen triple helix. PMID- 17766344 TI - Aggregation and adsorption at the air-water interface of bacteriophage phiX174 single-stranded DNA. AB - We study the phase behavior of phage phiX174 single-stranded DNA in very dilute solutions in the presence of monovalent and multivalent salts, in both water (H(2)O) and heavy water (D(2)O). DNA solubility depends on the nature of the salts, their concentrations, and the nature of the solvent. The appearance of attractive interactions between the monomers of the DNA chains in the bulk of the solution is correlated with an adsorption of the chains at the air-water interface. We characterize this correlation in two types of aggregation processes: the condensation of DNA induced by the trivalent cation spermidine and its salting out in the presence of high concentrations (molar and above) of monovalent (sodium) cations, both in water and in heavy water. The overall solubility of single-stranded DNA is decreased in D(2)O compared to H(2)O, pointing to a role of DNA hydration in addition to electrostatic factors in the observed phase separations. DNA adsorption involves attractive van der Waals forces, and these forces are also operating in the bulk aggregation process. PMID- 17766345 TI - Singlet oxygen photosensitization by EGFP and its chromophore HBDI. AB - The photosensitization of reactive oxygen species and, in particular, singlet oxygen by proteins from the green fluorescent protein (GFP) family influences important processes such as photobleaching and genetically targeted chromophore assisted light inactivation. In this article, we report an investigation of singlet oxygen photoproduction by GFPs using time-resolved detection of the NIR phosphorescence of singlet oxygen at 1275 nm. We have detected singlet oxygen generated by enhanced (E)GFP, and measured a lifetime of 4 micros in deuterated solution. By comparison with the model compound of the EGFP fluorophore 4 hydroxybenzylidene-1,2-dimethylimidazoline (HBDI), our results confirm that the beta-can of EGFP provides shielding of the fluorophore and reduces the production of this reactive oxygen species. In addition, our results yield new information about the triplet state of these proteins. The quantum yield for singlet oxygen photosensitization by the model chromophore HBDI is 0.004. PMID- 17766346 TI - In vivo measurement of intramolecular distances using genetically encoded reporters. AB - The function of membrane proteins occurs in the context of the cell membrane in living cells acting in concert with various cell components such as other proteins, cofactors, etc. The understanding of the function at the molecular level requires structural techniques, but high resolution structural studies are normally obtained in vitro and in artificial membranes or detergent. Ideally the correlation of structure and function should be carried out in the native environment but most of the techniques applicable in vivo lack the high resolution necessary to track conformational changes on a molecular level. Here we report on the successful application of an improved variant of lanthanide based resonance energy transfer a fluorescent based technique, to Shaker potassium channels expressed in live Xenopus oocytes. Lanthanide-based resonance energy transfer is particularly suitable to measure intramolecular distances with high resolution. The improvements reported in this work are mainly based on the use of two different small genetically encoded tags (the Lanthanide Binding Tag and the hexa-histidine tag), which due to their small size can be encoded at will in many positions of interest without distorting the protein's function. The technique reported here has the additional improvement that the two tags can be placed independently in contrast to previously described techniques that rely on chemical labeling procedures of thiols. PMID- 17766347 TI - Zwitterionic phospholipids and sterols modulate antimicrobial peptide-induced membrane destabilization. AB - Cationic amphipathic alpha-helical peptides preferentially disrupt anionic lipids in mixed model membranes, potentially causing a catastrophic release of the cell contents or attenuation of the membrane potential. The effective role of such peptides requires considerable discrimination between target and host cells, which is likely to occur at the level of the cell membrane. Here, we explore the roles of a variety of common membrane constituents in mediating the interaction between the antimicrobial peptide pleurocidin and model membranes. We employ intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence and circular dichroism to observe the effect of increasing concentrations of sterol in the membrane on peptide binding, using (2)H solid-state NMR of chain deuterated lipids simultaneously to probe the effective chain disruption of the anionic phospholipid component of the membrane. We show that the degree of ordering of the lipid acyl chains in the membrane is dependent on the nature of the zwitterionic phospholipid headgroup in mixed anionic membranes. Furthermore, the presence of cholesterol and ergosterol increases acyl chain order in the liquid crystalline model membranes, but to differing degrees. Our results show how sterols can protect even negatively charged membranes from the disruptive effects of antimicrobial peptides, thereby providing a molecular view of the differences in sensitivity of various target membranes to linear cationic antibiotic peptides where bacteria (no sterols) are most susceptible, lower eukaryotes including fungi (containing ergosterol) exhibit an intermediate degree of sensitivity, and higher organisms (containing cholesterol) are largely resistant to antimicrobial peptides. PMID- 17766348 TI - An activation gating switch in Kv1.2 is localized to a threonine residue in the S2-S3 linker. AB - The activation properties of Kv1.2 channels are highly variable, with reported half-activation (V((1/2))) values ranging from approximately -40 mV to approximately +30 mV. Here we show that this arises because Kv1.2 channels occupy two distinct gating modes ("fast" and "slow"). "Slow" gating (tau(act) = 90 +/- 6 ms at +35 mV) was associated with a V((1/2)) of activation of +16.6 +/- 1.1 mV, whereas "fast" gating (tau(act) = 4.5 +/- 1.7 ms at +35 mV) was associated with a V((1/2)) of activation of -18.8 +/- 2.3 mV. It was possible to switch between gating modes by applying a prepulse, which suggested that channels activate to a single open state along separate "fast" and "slow" activation pathways. Using chimeras and point mutants between Kv1.2 and Kv1.5 channels, we determined that introduction of a positive charge at or around threonine 252 in the S2-S3 linker of Kv1.2 abolished "slow" activation gating. Furthermore, dialysis of the cytoplasm or excision of cell-attached patches from cells expressing Kv1.2 channels switched gating from "slow" to "fast", suggesting involvement of cytoplasmic regulators. Collectively, these results demonstrate two modes of activation gating in Kv1.2 and specific residues in the S2-S3 linker that act as a switch between these modes. PMID- 17766349 TI - Influence of monolayer-monolayer coupling on the phase behavior of a fluid lipid bilayer. AB - We suggest a minimal model for the coupling of the lateral phase behavior in an asymmetric lipid membrane across its two monolayers. Our model employs one single order parameter for each monolayer leaflet, namely its composition. Regular solution theory on the mean-field level is used to describe the free energy in each individual leaflet. Coupling between monolayers entails an energy penalty for any local compositional differences across the membrane. We calculate and analyze the phase behavior of this model. It predicts a range of possible scenarios. A monolayer with a propensity for phase separation is able to induce phase separation in the apposed monolayer. Conversely, a monolayer without this propensity is able to prevent phase separation in the apposed monolayer. If there is phase separation in the membrane, it may lead to either complete or partial registration of the monolayer domains across the membrane. The latter case which corresponds to a three-phase coexistence is only found below a critical coupling strength. We calculate that critical coupling strength. Above the critical coupling strength, the membrane adopts a uniform compositional difference between its two monolayers everywhere in the membrane, implying phase coexistence between only two phases and thus perfect spatial registration of all domains on the apposed membrane leafs. We use the lattice Boltzmann simulation method to also study the morphologies that form during phase separation within the three-phase coexistence region. Generally, domains in one monolayer diffuse but remain fully enclosed within domains in the other monolayer. PMID- 17766350 TI - Effect of the structure of lipids favoring disordered domain formation on the stability of cholesterol-containing ordered domains (lipid rafts): identification of multiple raft-stabilization mechanisms. AB - Despite the importance of lipid rafts, commonly defined as liquid-ordered domains rich in cholesterol and in lipids with high gel-to-fluid melting temperatures (T(m)), the rules for raft formation in membranes are not completely understood. Here, a fluorescence-quenching strategy was used to define how lipids with low T(m), which tend to form disordered fluid domains at physiological temperatures, can stabilize ordered domain formation by cholesterol and high-T(m) lipids (either sphingomyelin or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine). In bilayers containing mixtures of low-T(m) phosphatidylcholines, cholesterol, and high-T(m) lipid, the thermal stability of ordered domains decreased with the acyl-chain structure of low-T(m) lipids in the following order: diarachadonyl > diphytanoyl > 1-palmitoyl 2-docosahexenoyl = 1,2 dioleoyl = dimyristoleoyl = 1-palmitoyl, 2-oleoyl (PO). This shows that low-T(m) lipids with two acyl chains having very poor tight packing propensities can stabilize ordered domain formation by high-T(m) lipids and cholesterol. The effect of headgroup structure was also studied. We found that even in the absence of high-T(m) lipids, mixtures of cholesterol with PO phosphatidylethanolamine (POPE) and PO phosphatidylserine (POPS) or with brain PE and brain PS showed a (borderline) tendency to form ordered domains. Because these lipids are abundant in the inner (cytofacial) leaflet of mammalian membranes, this raises the possibility that PE and PS could participate in inner leaflet raft formation or stabilization. In bilayers containing ternary mixtures of PO lipids, cholesterol, and high-T(m) lipids, the thermal stability of ordered domains decreased with the polar headgroup structure of PO lipids in the order PE > PS > phosphatidylcholine (PC). Analogous experiments using diphytanoyl acyl chain lipids in place of PO acyl chain lipids showed that the stabilization of ordered lipid domains by acyl chain and headgroup structure was not additive. This implies that it is likely that there are two largely mutually exclusive mechanisms by which low-T(m) lipids can stabilize ordered domain formation by high-T(m) lipids and cholesterol: 1), by having structures resulting in immiscibility of low-T(m) and high-T(m) lipids, and 2), by having structures allowing them to pack tightly within ordered domains to a significant degree. PMID- 17766352 TI - A mining minima approach to exploring the docking pathways of p-nitrocatechol sulfate to YopH. AB - Using the docking of p-nitrocatechol sulfate to Yersinia protein tyrosine phosphatase YopH as an example, we showed that an approach based on mining minima followed by cluster and similarity analysis could generate useful insights into docking pathways. Our simulation treated both the ligand and the protein as flexible molecules so that the coupling between their motion could be properly accounted for. Our simulation identified three docking poses; the one with the lowest energy agreed well with experimental structure. The model also predicted the side-chain conformations of the amino acids lying in the binding pocket correctly with the exception of three residues that appeared to be stabilized by two structural water molecules in the crystal structure. The implicit solvent model employed in the simulation could not capture such effects well. We also found four major pathways leading to these docking poses after the ligand entered the mouth of the binding pocket. In addition, the sulfate group of p nitrocatechol sulfate was found to be important both in binding the ligand to the pocket and in guiding the ligand to dock into the pocket. The coupling of the motion between the protein and the ligand also played an important role in facilitating ligand loading and unloading. PMID- 17766351 TI - Low frequency spectral density of ferrous heme: perturbations induced by axial ligation and protein insertion. AB - Femtosecond coherence spectroscopy is used to probe low frequency (20-400 cm(-1)) modes of the ferrous heme group in solution, with and without 2-methyl imidazole (2MeIm) as an axial ligand. The results are compared to heme proteins (CPO, P450(cam), HRP, Mb) where insertion of the heme into the protein results in redistribution of the low frequency spectral density and in (approximately 60%) longer damping times for the coherent signals. The major effect of imidazole ligation to the ferrous heme is the "softening" of the low frequency force constants by a factor of approximately 0.6 +/- 0.1. The functional consequences of imidazole ligation are assessed and it is found that the enthalpic CO rebinding barrier is increased significantly when imidazole is bound. The force constant softening analysis, combined with the kinetics results, indicates that the iron is displaced by only approximately 0.2 A from the heme plane in the absence of the imidazole ligand, whereas it is displaced by approximately 0.4 A when imidazole (histidine) is present. This suggests that binding of imidazole (histidine) as an axial ligand, and the concomitant softening of the force constants, leads to an anharmonic distortion of the heme group that has significant functional consequences. PMID- 17766353 TI - Kinetics and thermodynamics of the association of dehydroergosterol with lipid bilayer membranes. AB - We have examined the detailed kinetics and thermodynamics of the association of Ergosta-5,7,9(11),22-tetraen-3beta-ol (dehydroergosterol, DHE) with lipid bilayers prepared from 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC), a 1:1 binary mixture of POPC and cholesterol (Chol), and a 6:4 binary mixture of egg sphingomyelin (SpM) and Chol. Association of DHE with all three membranes was shown to be entropically driven, most so in the case of SpM-Chol bilayers. Equilibrium partition coefficients for partitioning of DHE between the lipid phase and the aqueous phase were shown to be similar for POPC and POPC-Chol bilayers between 15 and 35 degrees C. Partitioning into the SpM-Chol bilayer is favored at higher temperatures and there is a crossover in solubility preference at approximately 25 degrees C. Insertion (k(+)) and desorption (k(-)) rate constants were shown to be very similar for POPC and POPC-Chol bilayer membranes, but were lower for SpM-Chol bilayers. Similar results were previously reported by us for the association of other amphiphiles with these membranes. We propose a model for the microscopic structure of a POPC-Chol (1:1) bilayer membrane that is consistent with these observations. PMID- 17766354 TI - Effect of lipid peroxidation on the properties of lipid bilayers: a molecular dynamics study. AB - Lipid peroxidation plays an important role in cell membrane damage. We investigated the effect of lipid peroxidation on the properties of 1-palmitoyl-2 linoleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (PLPC) lipid bilayers using molecular dynamics simulations. We focused on four main oxidation products of linoleic acid with either a hydroperoxide or an aldehyde group: 9-trans, cis-hydroperoxide linoleic acid, 13-trans, cis-hydroperoxide linoleic acid, 9-oxo-nonanoic acid, and 12-oxo-9-dodecenoic acid. These oxidized chains replaced the sn-2 linoleate chain. The properties of PLPC lipid bilayers were characterized as a function of the concentration of oxidized lipids, with concentrations from 2.8% to 50% for each oxidation product. The introduction of oxidized functional groups in the lipid tail leads to an important conformational change in the lipids: the oxidized tails bend toward the water phase and the oxygen atoms form hydrogen bonds with water and the polar lipid headgroup. This conformational change leads to an increase in the average area per lipid and, correspondingly, to a decrease of the bilayer thickness and the deuterium order parameters for the lipid tails, especially evident at high concentrations of oxidized lipid. Water defects are observed in the bilayers more frequently as the concentration of the oxidized lipids is increased. The changes in the structural properties of the bilayer and the water permeability are associated with the tendency of the oxidized lipid tails to bend toward the water interface. Our results suggest that one mechanism of cell membrane damage is the increase in membrane permeability due to the presence of oxidized lipids. PMID- 17766355 TI - Intrinsic curvature of DNA influences LacR-mediated looping. AB - Protein-mediated DNA looping is a common mechanism for regulating gene expression. Loops occur when a protein binds to two operators on the same DNA molecule. The probability of looping is controlled, in part, by the basepair sequence of inter-operator DNA, which influences its structural properties. One structural property is the intrinsic or stress-free curvature. In this article, we explore the influence of sequence-dependent intrinsic curvature by exercising a computational rod model for the inter-operator DNA as applied to looping of the LacR-DNA complex. Starting with known sequences for the inter-operator DNA, we first compute the intrinsic curvature of the helical axis as input to the rod model. The crystal structure of the LacR (with bound operators) then defines the requisite boundary conditions needed for the dynamic rod model that predicts the energetics and topology of the intervening DNA loop. A major contribution of this model is its ability to predict a broad range of published experimental data for highly bent (designed) sequences. The model successfully predicts the loop topologies known from fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements, the linking number distribution known from cyclization assays with the LacR-DNA complex, the relative loop stability known from competition assays, and the relative loop size known from gel mobility assays. In addition, the computations reveal that highly curved sequences tend to lower the energetic cost of loop formation, widen the energy distribution among stable and meta-stable looped states, and substantially alter loop topology. The inclusion of sequence dependent intrinsic curvature also leads to nonuniform twist and necessitates consideration of eight distinct binding topologies from the known crystal structure of the LacR-DNA complex. PMID- 17766356 TI - A theory of protein dynamics to predict NMR relaxation. AB - We present a theoretical, site-specific, approach to predict protein subunit correlation times, as measured by NMR experiments of (1)H-(15)N nuclear Overhauser effect, spin-lattice relaxation, and spin-spin relaxation. Molecular dynamics simulations are input to our equation of motion for protein dynamics, which is solved analytically to produce the eigenvalues and the eigenvectors that specify the NMR parameters. We directly compare our theoretical predictions to experiments and to simulation data for the signal transduction chemotaxis protein Y (CheY), which regulates the swimming response of motile bacteria. Our theoretical results are in good agreement with both simulations and experiments, without recourse to adjustable parameters. The theory is general, since it allows calculations of any dynamical property of interest. As an example, we present theoretical calculations of NMR order parameters and x-ray Debye-Waller temperature factors; both quantities show good agreement with experimental data. PMID- 17766357 TI - Two gears of pumping by the sodium pump. AB - The kinetics of the phosphorylation and subsequent conformational change of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase was investigated via the stopped-flow technique using the fluorescent label RH421 (pH 7.4, 24 degrees C). The enzyme was preequilibrated in buffer containing 130 mM NaCl to stabilize the E1(Na(+))(3) state. On mixing with ATP in the presence of Mg(2+), a fluorescence increase occurred, due to enzyme conversion into the E2P state. The fluorescence change accelerated with increasing ATP concentration until a saturating limit in the hundreds of micromolar range. The amplitude of the fluorescence change (DeltaF/F(0)) increased to 0.98 at 50 microM ATP. DeltaF/F(0) then decreased to 0.82 at 500 microM. The decrease was attributed to an ATP-induced allosteric acceleration of the dephosphorylation reaction. The ATP concentration dependence of the time course and the amplitude of the fluorescence change could not be explained by either a one-site monomeric enzyme model or by a two-pool model. All of the data could be explained by an (alphabeta)(2) dimeric model, in which the enzyme cycles at a low rate with ATP hydrolysis by one alpha-subunit or at a high rate with ATP hydrolysis by both alpha-subunits. Thus, we propose a two-gear bicyclic model to replace the classical monomeric Albers-Post model for kidney Na(+),K(+)-ATPase. PMID- 17766358 TI - The distribution of residues in a polypeptide sequence is a determinant of aggregation optimized by evolution. AB - It has been shown that the propensity of a protein to form amyloid-like fibrils can be predicted with high accuracy from the knowledge of its amino acid sequence. It has also been suggested, however, that some regions of the sequences are more important than others in determining the aggregation process. Here, we have addressed this issue by constructing a set of "sequence scrambled" variants of the first 29 residues of horse heart apomyoglobin (apoMb(1-29)), in which the sequence was modified while maintaining the same amino acid composition. The clustering of the most amyloidogenic residues in one region of the sequence was found to cause a marked increase of the elongation rate (k(agg)) and a remarkable shortening of the lag phase (t(lag)) of the fibril growth, as determined by far UV circular dichroism and thioflavin T fluorescence. We also show that taking explicitly into consideration the presence of aggregation-promoting regions in the predictive methods results in a quantitative agreement between the theoretical and observed k(agg) and t(lag) values of the apoMb(1-29) variants. These results, together with a comparison between homologous segments from the family of globins, indicate the existence of a negative selection against the clustering of highly amyloidogenic residues in one or few regions of polypeptide sequences. PMID- 17766360 TI - Mechanisms of the Frank-Starling law of the heart: the beat goes on. PMID- 17766359 TI - Dynamics of learning in cultured neuronal networks with antagonists of glutamate receptors. AB - Cognitive dysfunction may result from abnormality of ionotropic glutamate receptors. Although various forms of synaptic plasticity in learning that rely on altering of glutamate receptors have been considered, the evidence is insufficient from an informatics view. Dynamics could reflect neuroinformatics encoding, including temporal pattern encoding, spatial pattern encoding, and energy distribution. Discovering informatics encoding is fundamental and crucial to understanding the working principle of the neural system. In this article, we analyzed the dynamic characteristics of response activities during learning training in cultured hippocampal networks under normal and abnormal conditions of ionotropic glutamate receptors, respectively. The rate, which is one of the temporal configurations, was decreased markedly by inhibition of alpha-amino-3 hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-proprionic acid (AMPA) receptors. Moreover, the energy distribution in different characteristic frequencies was changed markedly by inhibition of AMPA receptors. Spatial configurations, including regularization, correlation, and synchrony, were changed significantly by inhibition of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. These results suggest that temporal pattern encoding and energy distribution of response activities in cultured hippocampal neuronal networks during learning training are modulated by AMPA receptors, whereas spatial pattern encoding of response activities is modulated by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. PMID- 17766361 TI - Effects of sustained length-dependent activation on in situ cross-bridge dynamics in rat hearts. AB - The cellular basis of the length-dependent increases in contractile force in the beating heart has remained unclear. Our aim was to investigate whether length dependent mediated increases in contractile force are correlated with myosin head proximity to actin filaments, and presumably the number of cross-bridges activated during a contraction. We therefore employed x-ray diffraction analyses of beat-to-beat contractions in spontaneously beating rat hearts under open-chest conditions simultaneous with recordings of left ventricle (LV) pressure-volume. Regional x-ray diffraction patterns were recorded from the anterior LV free wall under steady-state contractions and during acute volume loading (intravenous lactate Ringers infusion at 60 ml/h, <5 min duration) to determine the change in intensity ratio (I(1,0)/I(1,1)) and myosin interfilament spacing (d(1,0)). We found no significant change in end-diastolic (ED) intensity ratio, indicating that the proportion of myosin heads in proximity to actin was unchanged by fiber stretching. Intensity ratio decreased significantly more during the isovolumetric contraction phase during volume loading than under baseline contractions. A significant systolic increase in myosin head proximity to actin filaments correlated with the maximum rate of pressure increase. Hence, a reduction in interfilament spacing at end-diastole ( approximately 0.5 nm) during stretch increased the proportion of cross-bridges activated. Furthermore, our recordings suggest that d(1,0) expansion was inversely related to LV volume but was restricted during contraction and sarcomere shortening to values smaller than the maximum during isovolumetric relaxation. Since ventricular volume, and presumably sarcomere length, was found to be directly related to interfilament spacing, these findings support a role for interfilament spacing in modulating cross bridge formation and force developed before shortening. PMID- 17766362 TI - The great hunt for extra compliance. PMID- 17766363 TI - Elasticity of short DNA molecules: theory and experiment for contour lengths of 0.6-7 microm. AB - The wormlike chain (WLC) model currently provides the best description of double stranded DNA elasticity for micron-sized molecules. This theory requires two intrinsic material parameters-the contour length L and the persistence length p. We measured and then analyzed the elasticity of double-stranded DNA as a function of L (632 nm-7.03 microm) using the classic solution to the WLC model. When the elasticity data were analyzed using this solution, the resulting fitted value for the persistence length p(wlc) depended on L; even for moderately long DNA molecules (L = 1300 nm), this apparent persistence length was 10% smaller than its limiting value for long DNA. Because p is a material parameter, and cannot depend on length, we sought a new solution to the WLC model, which we call the "finite wormlike chain (FWLC)," to account for effects not considered in the classic solution. Specifically we accounted for the finite chain length, the chain-end boundary conditions, and the bead rotational fluctuations inherent in optical trapping assays where beads are used to apply the force. After incorporating these corrections, we used our FWLC solution to generate force extension curves, and then fit those curves with the classic WLC solution, as done in the standard experimental analysis. These results qualitatively reproduced the apparent dependence of p(wlc) on L seen in experimental data when analyzed with the classic WLC solution. Directly fitting experimental data to the FWLC solution reduces the apparent dependence of p(fwlc) on L by a factor of 3. Thus, the FWLC solution provides a significantly improved theoretical framework in which to analyze single-molecule experiments over a broad range of experimentally accessible DNA lengths, including both short (a few hundred nanometers in contour length) and very long (microns in contour length) molecules. PMID- 17766365 TI - Rare heterozygous parkin variants in French early-onset Parkinson disease patients and controls. AB - BACKGROUND: Mutations in the parkin gene cause autosomal recessive early-onset parkinsonism. The effect of single heterozygous mutations in parkin is still unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of exonic parkin variants in a case-control study. METHODS: The parkin gene was screened for both point mutations and exon rearrangements in 172 French patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and 170 controls from the same population. Patients with single parkin variants were also screened for PINK1, DJ-1 and LRRK2 exon 41 mutations. RESULTS: 10 exonic sequence variations were identified, including 3 known polymorphisms and 7 rare heterozygous variants, 2 of which were novel. There were significantly more rare heterozygous variants in patients (n = 10) with early onset PD than in controls (n = 2). Screening of PINK1, DJ-1 and LRRK2 exon 41 in the 10 patients heterozygous for parkin failed to identify a second causative mutation. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that single parkin mutations increase the risk of early-onset PD, but the possibility of a second parkin mutation cannot be excluded. PMID- 17766364 TI - Cryptic deletions are a common finding in "balanced" reciprocal and complex chromosome rearrangements: a study of 59 patients. AB - Using array comparative genome hybridisation (CGH) 41 de novo reciprocal translocations and 18 de novo complex chromosome rearrangements (CCRs) were screened. All cases had been interpreted as "balanced" by conventional cytogenetics. In all, 27 cases of reciprocal translocations were detected in patients with an abnormal phenotype, and after array CGH analysis, 11 were found to be unbalanced. Thus 40% (11 of 27) of patients with a "chromosomal phenotype" and an apparently balanced translocation were in fact unbalanced, and 18% (5 of 27) of the reciprocal translocations were instead complex rearrangements with >3 breakpoints. Fourteen fetuses with de novo, apparently balanced translocations, all but two with normal ultrasound findings, were also analysed and all were found to be normal using array CGH. Thirteen CCRs were detected in patients with abnormal phenotypes, two in women who had experienced repeated spontaneous abortions and three in fetuses. Sixteen patients were found to have unbalanced mutations, with up to 4 deletions. These results suggest that genome-wide array CGH may be advisable in all carriers of "balanced" CCRs. The parental origin of the deletions was investigated in 5 reciprocal translocations and 11 CCRs; all were found to be paternal. Using customized platforms in seven cases of CCRs, the deletion breakpoints were narrowed down to regions of a few hundred base pairs in length. No susceptibility motifs were associated with the imbalances. These results show that the phenotypic abnormalities of apparently balanced de novo CCRs are mainly due to cryptic deletions and that spermatogenesis is more prone to generate multiple chaotic chromosome imbalances and reciprocal translocations than oogenesis. PMID- 17766366 TI - Genetic risk for metabolic syndrome: examination of candidate gene polymorphisms related to lipid metabolism in Japanese people. AB - BACKGROUND: The aetiology of metabolic syndrome is complex, being determined by the interplay of both genetic and environmental factors. The aim of this study was to identify genetic polymorphisms that confer susceptibility to metabolic syndrome, to allow prediction of genetic risk for this condition. METHODS: The study population comprised 2417 unrelated Japanese subjects (1522 with metabolic syndrome and 895 controls). The genotypes for 44 polymorphisms of 31 candidate genes related to lipid metabolism were determined using a combination of PCR and sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes with suspension array technology. RESULTS: The chi(2) test and subsequent multivariate logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, sex and smoking status found that the-3A-->G and 553G- >T (Gly185Cys) polymorphisms of APOA5, the 2052T-->C (Val653Val) and 1866C-->T (Asn591Asn) polymorphisms of LDLR, the 13989A-->G (Ile118Val) polymorphism of CYP3A4 and the 1014T-->A polymorphism of C1QTNF5 were significantly (false discovery rate <0.05) associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, with the variant alleles of APOA5 and C1QTNF5 representing risk factors for and those of LDLR and CYP3A4 being protective against this condition. Serum levels of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol differed significantly (p<0.05) among APOA5 genotypes; the serum level of HDL cholesterol differed among LDLR genotypes; and the fasting plasma glucose level and body mass index differed between CYP3A4 and C1QTNF5 genotypes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: APOA5, LDLR, CYP3A4 and C1QTNF5 are susceptibility loci for metabolic syndrome in Japanese people. Genotypes for these polymorphisms may prove informative for prediction of genetic risk for metabolic syndrome. PMID- 17766367 TI - New PPARG mutation leads to lipodystrophy and loss of protein function that is partially restored by a synthetic ligand. AB - PURPOSE: Familial partial lipodystrophy caused by mutations in the PPARG gene is characterised by altered distribution of subcutaneous fat, muscular hypertrophy and symptoms of metabolic syndrome. PPARG encodes peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)gamma, a nuclear hormone receptor playing a crucial role in lipid and glucose metabolism and in several other cellular regulatory processes. METHODS: PPARG was screened for mutations by direct sequencing in two patients with lipodystrophy, one unaffected family member and 124 controls. Body composition was examined in affected patients, and they were investigated for abnormalities in laboratory results. Functional analysis of the mutant protein was assessed by determining transcriptional activity and possible interference with the wild-type protein. RESULTS: In two patients with familial partial lipodystrophy, we identified a nucleotide substitution in the PPARG gene. This mutation results in the substitution of aspartate by asparagine at residue 424 (D424N) in the ligand-binding domain of PPARgamma. The unaffected family member and all 124 controls did not carry this mutation. D424N PPARgamma had a significantly lower ability than wild-type PPARgamma to activate a PPARgamma stimulated reporter gene, but did not exert a negative effect on the wild-type protein. Partial activation of D424N PPARgamma was achieved in the presence of the agonist rosiglitazone. CONCLUSION: We report a new PPARG mutation, D424N, which is located in the ligand-binding domain of the protein and leads to familial partial lipodystrophy. D424N PPARgamma exhibited a loss of function, which was partially restored by adding the PPARgamma agonist rosiglitazone, suggesting possible treatment potential of this agent. PMID- 17766368 TI - Conformational changes induced by a single amino acid substitution in the trans membrane domain of Vpu: implications for HIV-1 susceptibility to channel blocking drugs. AB - The channel-forming trans-membrane domain of Vpu (Vpu TM) from HIV-1 is known to enhance virion release from the infected cells and is a potential target for ion channel blockers. The substitution of alanine at position 18 by a histidine (A18H) has been shown to render HIV-1 infections susceptible to rimantadine, a channel blocker of M2 protein from the influenza virus. In order to describe the influence of the mutation on the structure and rimantadine susceptibility of Vpu, we determined the structure of A18H Vpu TM, and compared it to those of wild-type Vpu TM and M2 TM. Both isotropic and orientationally dependent NMR frequencies of the backbone amide resonance of His18 were perturbed by rimantadine, and those of Ile15 and Trp22 were also affected, suggesting that His18 is the key residue for rimantadine binding and that residues located on the same face of the TM helix are also involved. A18H Vpu TM has an ideal, straight alpha-helix spanning residues 6-27 with an average tilt angle of 41 degrees in C14 phospholipid bicelles, indicating that the tilt angle is increased by 11 degrees compared to that of wild-type Vpu TM. The longer helix formed by the A18H mutation has a larger tilt angle to compensate for the hydrophobic mismatch with the length of the phospholipids in the bilayer. These results demonstrate that the local change of the primary structure plays an important role in secondary and tertiary structures of Vpu TM in lipid bilayers and affects its ability to interact with channel blockers. PMID- 17766369 TI - Crystal Structure of human pyridoxal kinase: structural basis of M(+) and M(2+) activation. AB - Pyridoxal kinase catalyzes the transfer of a phosphate group from ATP to the 5' alcohol of pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxal. In this work, kinetic studies were conducted to examine monovalent cation dependence of human pyridoxal kinase kinetic parameters. The results show that hPLK affinity for ATP and PL is increased manyfold in the presence of K(+) when compared to Na(+); however, the maximal activity of the Na(+) form of the enzyme is more than double the activity in the presence of K(+). Other monovalent cations, Li(+), Cs(+), and Rb(+) do not show significant activity. We have determined the crystal structure of hPLK in the unliganded form, and in complex with MgATP to 2.0 and 2.2 A resolution, respectively. Overall, the two structures show similar open conformation, and likely represent the catalytically idle state. The crystal structure of the MgATP complex also reveals Mg(2+) and Na(+) acting in tandem to anchor the ATP at the active site. Interestingly, the active site of hPLK acts as a sink to bind several molecules of MPD. The features of monovalent and divalent metal cation binding, active site structure, and vitamin B6 specificity are discussed in terms of the kinetic and structural studies, and are compared with those of the sheep and Escherichia coli enzymes. PMID- 17766371 TI - Models of S/pi interactions in protein structures: comparison of the H2S benzene complex with PDB data. AB - S/pi interactions are prevalent in biochemistry and play an important role in protein folding and stabilization. Geometries of cysteine/aromatic interactions found in crystal structures from the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank (PDB) are analyzed and compared with the equilibrium configurations predicted by high-level quantum mechanical results for the H(2)S-benzene complex. A correlation is observed between the energetically favorable configurations on the quantum mechanical potential energy surface of the H(2)S-benzene model and the cysteine/aromatic configurations most frequently found in crystal structures of the PDB. In contrast to some previous PDB analyses, configurations with the sulfur over the aromatic ring are found to be the most important. Our results suggest that accurate quantum computations on models of noncovalent interactions may be helpful in understanding the structures of proteins and other complex systems. PMID- 17766370 TI - The role of the turn in beta-hairpin formation during WW domain folding. AB - The folding of WW domains is rate limited by formation of a beta-hairpin comprising residues from strands 1 and 2. Residues in the turn of this hairpin have reported Phi-values for folding close to 1 and have been proposed to nucleate folding. High Phi-values do not necessarily imply that the energetics of formation are a driving force for initiating folding. We demonstrate by NMR studies and molecular dynamics simulations that the first turn of the hYAP, FBP28, and PIN1 WW domains is structurally dynamic and solvent exposed in the native and folding transition states. It is, therefore, unlikely that the formation of the beta-turn per se provides the energetic driving force for hairpin folding. It is more likely that the turn acts as an easily formed hinge that facilitates the formation of the hairpin; it is a nucleus as defined by the nucleation-condensation mechanism whereby a diffuse nucleus is stabilized by associated interactions. PMID- 17766372 TI - Pre-structured motifs in the natively unstructured preS1 surface antigen of hepatitis B virus. AB - The preS1 surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is known to play an important role in the initial attachment of HBV to hepatocytes. We have characterized structural features of the full-length preS1 using heteronuclear NMR methods and discovered that this 119-residue protein is inherently unstructured without a unique tertiary structure under a nondenaturing condition. Yet, combination of various NMR parameters shows that the preS1 contains "pre structured" domains broadly covering its functional domains. The most prominent domain is formed by residues 27-45 and overlaps with the putative hepatocyte binding domain (HBD) encompassing residues 21-47, within which two well-defined pre-structured motifs, formed by Pro(32)-Ala(36) and Pro(41)-Phe(45) are found. Additional, somewhat less prominent, pre-structured motifs are also formed by residues 11-18, 22-25, 37-40, and 46-50. Overall results suggest that the preS1 is a natively unstructured protein (NUP) whose N-terminal 50 residues, populated with multiple pre-structured motifs, contribute critically to hepatocyte binding. PMID- 17766374 TI - Interactions between homopolymeric amino acids (HPAAs). AB - Many human proteins contain consecutive amino acid repeats, known as homopolymeric amino acid (HPAA) tracts. Some inherited diseases are caused by proteins in which HPAAs are expanded to an excessive length. To this day, nine polyglutamine-related diseases and nine polyalanine-related diseases have been reported, including Huntington's disease and oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. In this study, potential HPAA-HPAA interactions were examined by yeast two-hybrid assays using HPAAs of approximately 30 residues in length. The results indicate that hydrophobic HPAAs interact with themselves and with other hydrophobic HPAAs. Previously, we reported that hydrophobic HPAAs formed large aggregates in COS-7 cells. Here, those HPAAs were shown to have significant interactions with each other, suggesting that hydrophobicity plays an important role in aggregation. Among the observed HPAA-HPAA interactions, the Ala28-Ala29 interaction was notable because polyalanine tracts of these lengths have been established to be pathogenic in several polyalanine-related diseases. By testing several constructs of different lengths, we clarified that polyalanine self-interacts at longer lengths (>23 residues) but not at shorter lengths (six to approximately 23 residues) in a yeast two-hybrid assay and a GST pulldown assay. This self interaction was found to be SDS sensitive in SDS-PAGE and native-PAGE assays. Moreover, the intracellular localization of these long polyalanine tracts was also observed to be disturbed. Our results suggest that long tracts of polyalanine acquire SDS-sensitive self-association properties, which may be a prerequisite event for their abnormal folding. The misfolding of these tracts is thought to be a common molecular aspect underlying the pathogenesis of polyalanine-related diseases. PMID- 17766375 TI - The dominant-negative effect of the Q218K variant of the prion protein does not require protein X. AB - Previous studies identified several single-point mutants of the prion protein that displayed dominant-negative effects on prion replication. The dominant negative effect was assumed to be mediated by protein X, an as-yet-unknown cellular cofactor that is believed to be essential for prion replication. To gain insight into the mechanism that underlies the dominant-negative phenomena, we evaluated the effect of the Q218K variant of full-length recombinant prion protein (Q218K rPrP), one of the dominant-negative mutants, on cell-free polymerization of wild-type rPrP into amyloid fibrils. We found that both Q218K and wild-type (WT) rPrPs were incorporated into fibrils when incubated as a mixture; however, the yield of polymerization was substantially decreased in the presence of Q218K rPrP. Furthermore, in contrast to fibrils produced from WT rPrP, the fibrils generated in the mixture of WT and Q218K rPrPs did not acquire the proteinase K-resistant core of 16 kDa that was shown previously to encompass residues 97-230 and was similar to that of PrP(Sc). Our studies demonstrate that the Q218K variant exhibits the dominant-negative effect in cell-free conversion in the absence of protein X, and that this effect is, presumably, mediated by physical interaction between Q218K and WT rPrP during the polymerization process. PMID- 17766373 TI - Structure-based design of robust glucose biosensors using a Thermotoga maritima periplasmic glucose-binding protein. AB - We report the design and engineering of a robust, reagentless fluorescent glucose biosensor based on the periplasmic glucose-binding protein obtained from Thermotoga maritima (tmGBP). The gene for this protein was cloned from genomic DNA and overexpressed in Escherichia coli, the identity of its cognate sugar was confirmed, ligand binding was studied, and the structure of its glucose complex was solved to 1.7 Angstrom resolution by X-ray crystallography. TmGBP is specific for glucose and exhibits high thermostability (midpoint of thermal denaturation is 119 +/- 1 degrees C and 144 +/- 2 degrees C in the absence and presence of 1 mM glucose, respectively). A series of fluorescent conjugates was constructed by coupling single, environmentally sensitive fluorophores to unique cysteines introduced by site-specific mutagenesis at positions predicted to be responsive to ligand-induced conformational changes based on the structure. These conjugates were screened to identify engineered tmGBPs that function as reagentless fluorescent glucose biosensors. The Y13C*Cy5 conjugate is bright, gives a large response to glucose over concentration ranges appropriate for in vivo monitoring of blood glucose levels (1-30 mM), and can be immobilized in an orientation specific manner in microtiter plates to give a reversible response to glucose. The immobilized protein retains its response after long-term storage at room temperature. PMID- 17766376 TI - A cross-strand Trp Trp pair stabilizes the hPin1 WW domain at the expense of function. AB - Using the human Pin1 WW domain (hPin1 WW), we show that replacement of two nearest neighbor non-hydrogen-bonded residues on adjacent beta-strands with tryptophan (Trp) residues increases beta-sheet thermodynamic stability by 4.8 kJ mol(-1) at physiological temperature. One-dimensional NMR studies confirmed that introduction of the Trp-Trp pair does not globally perturb the structure of the triple-stranded beta-sheet, while circular dichroism studies suggest that the engineered cross-strand Trp-Trp pair adopts a side-chain conformation similar to that first reported for a designed "Trp-zipper" beta-hairpin peptide, wherein the indole side chains stack perpendicular to each other. Even though the mutated side chains in wild-type hPin1 WW are not conserved among WW domains and compose the beta-sheet surface opposite to that responsible for ligand binding, introduction of the cross-strand Trp-Trp pair effectively eliminates hPin1 WW function as assessed by the loss of binding affinity toward a natural peptide ligand. Maximizing both thermodynamic stability and the domain function of hPin1 WW by the above mentioned approach appears to be difficult, analogous to the situation with loop 1 optimization explored previously. That introduction of a non-hydrogen-bonded cross-strand Trp-Trp pair within the hPin1 WW domain eliminates function may provide a rationale for why this energetically favorable pairwise interaction has not yet been identified in WW domains or any other biologically evolved protein with known three-dimensional structure. PMID- 17766377 TI - Solution structure of the hypothetical protein TA0095 from Thermoplasma acidophilum: a novel superfamily with a two-layer sandwich architecture. AB - TA0095 is a 96-residue hypothetical protein from Thermoplasma acidophilum that exhibits no sequence similarity to any protein of known structure. Also, TA0095 is a member of the COG4004 orthologous group of unknown function found in Archaea bacteria. We determined its three-dimensional structure by NMR methods. The structure displays an alpha/beta two-layer sandwich architecture formed by three alpha-helices and five beta-strands following the order beta1-alpha1-beta2-beta3 beta4-beta5-alpha2-alpha3. Searches for structural homologs indicate that the TA0095 structure belongs to the TBP-like fold, constituting a novel superfamily characterized by an additional C-terminal helix. The TA0095 structure provides a fold common to the COG4004 proteins that will obviously belong to this new superfamily. Most hydrophobic residues conserved in the COG4004 proteins are buried in the structure determined herein, thus underlying their importance for structure stability. Considering that the TA0095 surface shows a large positively charged patch with a high degree of residue conservation within the COG4004 domain, the biological function of TA0095 and the rest of COG4004 proteins might occur through binding a negatively charged molecule. Like other TBP-like fold proteins, the COG4004 proteins might be DNA-binding proteins. The fact that TA0095 is shown to interact with large DNA fragments is in favor of this hypothesis, although nonspecific DNA binding cannot be ruled out. PMID- 17766379 TI - The rigid connecting loop stabilizes hairpin folding of the two helices of the ATP synthase subunit c. AB - We have tested the role of the polar loop of subunit c of the Escherichia coli ATP synthase in stabilizing the hairpin structure of this protein. The structure of the c(32-52) peptide corresponding to the cytoplasmic region of subunit c bound to the dodecylphosphocholine micelles was solved by high-resolution NMR. The region comprising residues 41-47 forms a well-ordered structure rather similar to the conformation of the polar loop region in the solution structure of the full-length subunit c and is flanked by short alpha-helical segments. This result suggests that the rigidity of the polar loop significantly contributes to the stability of the hairpin formed by the two helices of subunit c. This experimental system may be useful for NMR studies of interactions between subunit c and subunits gamma and epsilon, which together form the rotor of the ATP synthase. PMID- 17766378 TI - The crystal structure of the ligand-binding module of human TAG-1 suggests a new mode of homophilic interaction. AB - Human TAG-1 is a neural cell adhesion molecule that is crucial for the development of the nervous system during embryogenesis. It consists of six immunoglobulin-like and four fibronectin III-like domains and is anchored to the membrane by glycosylphosphatidylinositol. Herein we present the crystal structure of the four N-terminal immunoglobulin-like domains of TAG-1 (TAG-1(Ig1-4)), known to be important in heterophilic and homophilic macromolecular interactions. The contacts of neighboring molecules within the crystal were investigated. A comparison with the structure of the chicken ortholog resulted in an alternative mode for the molecular mechanism of homophilic TAG-1 interaction. This mode of TAG-1 homophilic interaction is based on dimer formation rather than formation of a molecular zipper as proposed for the chicken ortholog. PMID- 17766380 TI - Structure of a designed, right-handed coiled-coil tetramer containing all biological amino acids. AB - The previous design of an unprecedented family of two-, three-, and four-helical, right-handed coiled coils utilized nonbiological amino acids to efficiently pack spaces in the oligomer cores. Here we show that a stable, right-handed parallel tetrameric coiled coil, called RH4B, can be designed entirely using biological amino acids. The X-ray crystal structure of RH4B was determined to 1.1 Angstrom resolution using a designed metal binding site to coordinate a single Yb(2+) ion per 33-amino acid polypeptide chain. The resulting experimental phases were particularly accurate, and the experimental electron density map provided an especially clear, unbiased view of the molecule. The RH4B structure closely matched the design, with equivalent core rotamers and an overall root-mean-square deviation for the N-terminal repeat of the tetramer of 0.24 Angstrom. The clarity and resolution of the electron density map, however, revealed alternate rotamers and structural differences between the three sequence repeats in the molecule. These results suggest that the RH4B structure populates an unanticipated variety of structures. PMID- 17766381 TI - The structural and functional diversity of Hsp70 proteins from Plasmodium falciparum. AB - It is becoming increasingly apparent that heat shock proteins play an important role in the survival of Plasmodium falciparum against temperature changes associated with its passage from the cold-blooded mosquito vector to the warm blooded human host. Interest in understanding the possible role of P. falciparum Hsp70s in the life cycle of the parasite has led to the identification of six HSP70 genes. Although most research attention has focused primarily on one of the cytosolic Hsp70s (PfHsp70-1) and its endoplasmic reticulum homolog (PfHsp70-2), further functional insights could be inferred from the structural motifs exhibited by the rest of the Hsp70 family members of P. falciparum. There is increasing evidence that suggests that PfHsp70-1 could play an important role in the life cycle of P. falciparum both as a chaperone and immunogen. In addition, P. falciparum Hsp70s and Hsp40 partners are implicated in the intracellular and extracellular trafficking of proteins. This review summarizes data emerging from studies on the chaperone role of P. falciparum Hsp70s, taking advantage of inferences gleaned from their structures and information on their cellular localization. The possible associations between P. falciparum Hsp70s with their cochaperone partners as well as other chaperones and proteins are discussed. PMID- 17766382 TI - How similar are enzyme active site geometries derived from quantum mechanical theozymes to crystal structures of enzyme-inhibitor complexes? Implications for enzyme design. AB - Quantum mechanical optimizations of theoretical enzymes (theozymes), which are predicted catalytic arrays of biological functionalities stabilizing a transition state, have been carried out for a set of nine diverse enzyme active sites. For each enzyme, the theozyme for the rate-determining transition state plus the catalytic groups modeled by side-chain mimics was optimized using B3LYP/6-31G(d) or, in one case, HF/3-21G(d) quantum mechanical calculations. To determine if the theozyme can reproduce the natural evolutionary catalytic geometry, the positions of optimized catalytic atoms, i.e., covalent, partial covalent, or stabilizing interactions with transition state atoms, are compared to the positions of the atoms in the X-ray crystal structure with a bound inhibitor. These structure comparisons are contrasted to computed substrate-active site structures surrounded by the same theozyme residues. The theozyme/transition structure is shown to predict geometries of active sites with an average RMSD of 0.64 A from the crystal structure, while the RMSD for the bound intermediate complexes are significantly higher at 1.42 A. The implications for computational enzyme design are discussed. PMID- 17766383 TI - Patterns of protein protein interactions in salt solutions and implications for protein crystallization. AB - The second osmotic virial coefficients of seven proteins-ovalbumin, ribonuclease A, bovine serum albumin, alpha-lactalbumin, myoglobin, cytochrome c, and catalase were measured in salt solutions. Comparison of the interaction trends in terms of the dimensionless second virial coefficient b(2) shows that, at low salt concentrations, protein-protein interactions can be either attractive or repulsive, possibly due to the anisotropy of the protein charge distribution. At high salt concentrations, the behavior depends on the salt: In sodium chloride, protein interactions generally show little salt dependence up to very high salt concentrations, whereas in ammonium sulfate, proteins show a sharp drop in b(2) with increasing salt concentration beyond a particular threshold. The experimental phase behavior of the proteins corroborates these observations in that precipitation always follows the drop in b(2). When the proteins crystallize, they do so at slightly lower salt concentrations than seen for precipitation. The b(2) measurements were extended to other salts for ovalbumin and catalase. The trends follow the Hofmeister series, and the effect of the salt can be interpreted as a water-mediated effect between the protein and salt molecules. The b(2) trends quantify protein-protein interactions and provide some understanding of the corresponding phase behavior. The results explain both why ammonium sulfate is among the best crystallization agents, as well as some of the difficulties that can be encountered in protein crystallization. PMID- 17766384 TI - The structures of transcription factor CGL2947 from Corynebacterium glutamicum in two crystal forms: a novel homodimer assembling and the implication for effector binding mode. AB - Among the transcription factors, the helix-turn-helix (HTH) GntR family comprised of FadR, HutC, MocR, YtrA, AraR, and PlmA subfamilies regulates the most varied biological processes. Generally, proteins belonging to this family contain an N terminal DNA-binding domain and a C-terminal effector-binding/oligomerization domain. The members of the YtrA subfamily are much shorter than other members of this family, with chain lengths of 120-130 residues with about 50 residues located in the C-terminal domain. Because of this length, the mode of dimerization and the ability to bind effectors by the C-terminal domain are puzzling. Here, we first report the structure of the transcription factor CGL2947 from Corynebacterium glutamicum, which belongs to the YtrA family. The monomer is composed of a DNA-binding domain containing a winged HTH motif in the N terminus and two helices (alpha4 and alpha5) with a fishhook-shaped arrangement in the C terminus. Helices alpha4 and alpha5 of two monomers intertwine together to form a novel homodimer assembly. The effector-accommodating pocket with 2-methyl-2,4 pentanediol (MPD) docked was located, and it was suggested to represent a novel mode of effector binding. The structures in two crystal forms (MPD-free and bound in the proposed effector-binding pocket) were solved. The structural variations have implications regarding how the effector-induced conformational change modulates DNA affinity for YtrA family members. PMID- 17766385 TI - Amino-acid interactions in psychrophiles, mesophiles, thermophiles, and hyperthermophiles: insights from the quasi-chemical approximation. AB - We investigate the mechanisms used by proteins to maintain thermostability throughout a wide range of temperatures. We use the quasi-chemical approximation to estimate interaction strengths for psychrophiles, mesophiles, thermophiles, and hyperthermophiles. Our results highlight the importance of core packing in thermophilic stability. Although we observed an increase in the number of charged residues, the contribution of salt bridges appears to be relatively modest by comparison. We observed results consistent with a gradual loosening of structure in psychrophiles, including a weakening of almost all types of interactions. PMID- 17766388 TI - The mutability of enzyme active-site shape determinants. AB - Investigations of enzyme action typically focus on elucidating the catalytic roles of hydrogen bonding interactions between polar active-site residues and substrate molecules. Less clear is the importance of non-hydrogen bonding contacts to enzymatic rate accelerations. To investigate the importance of such interactions in a model system, six residues that participate in van der Waals contacts with substrate glucose within the active site of Escherichia coli glucokinase were individually randomized via site-directed mutagenesis. In vivo selection in a glucokinase-deficient bacterium was employed to identify amino acid substitutions that were complicit with enzyme activity. The results suggest that small residues, such as alanine and glycine, are largely immutable, whereas larger amino acids are more tolerant of diverse substitution patterns. Surprisingly, a glucokinase variant that contains glycine in place of six non hydrogen bonding contacts retains approximately 1% of the wild-type activity. These findings establish non-hydrogen bonding shape determinants as highly appealing targets for widespread substitution during efforts to redesign the catalytic properties of natural enzymes. PMID- 17766386 TI - Solution structure of Ca2+-free rat beta-parvalbumin (oncomodulin). AB - Relative to other parvalbumin isoforms, the mammalian beta-parvalbumin (oncomodulin) displays attenuated divalent ion affinity. High-resolution structural data for the Ca(2+)-bound protein have provided little insight into the physical basis for this behavior, prompting an examination of the unliganded state. This article describes the solution structure and peptide backbone dynamics of Ca(2+)-free rat beta-parvalbumin (beta-PV). Ca(2+) removal evidently provokes significant structural alterations. Interaction between the D helix and the AB domain in the Ca(2+)-bound protein is greatly diminished in the apo-form, permitting the D helix to straighten. There is also a significant reorganization of the hydrophobic core and a concomitant remodeling of the interface between the AB and CD-EF domains. These modifications perturb the orientation of the C and D helices, and the energetic penalty associated with their reversal could contribute to the low-affinity signature of the CD site. By contrast, Ca(2+) removal causes a comparatively minor perturbation of the E and F helices, consistent with the more typical divalent ion affinity observed for the EF site. Ca(2+)-free rat beta-PV retains structural rigidity on the picosecond-nanosecond timescale. At 20 degrees C, the majority of amide vectors show no evidence for motion on timescales above 20 ps, and the average order parameter for the entire molecule is 0.92. PMID- 17766387 TI - Solution structure of recombinant somatomedin B domain from vitronectin produced in Pichia pastoris. AB - The cysteine-rich somatomedin B domain (SMB) of the matrix protein vitronectin is involved in several important biological processes. First, it stabilizes the active conformation of the plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1); second, it provides the recognition motif for cell adhesion via the cognate integrins (alpha(v)beta(3), alpha(v)beta(5), and alpha(IIb)beta(3)); and third, it binds the complex between urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its glycolipid anchored receptor (uPAR). Previous structural studies on SMB have used recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli or SMB released from plasma derived vitronectin by CNBr cleavage. However, different disulfide patterns and three-dimensional structures for SMB were reported. In the present study, we have expressed recombinant human SMB by two different eukaryotic expression systems, Pichia pastoris and Drosophila melanogaster S2-cells, both yielding structurally and functionally homogeneous protein preparations. Importantly, the entire population of our purified, recombinant SMB has a solvent exposure, both as a free domain and in complex with PAI-1, which is indistinguishable from that of plasma-derived SMB as assessed by amide hydrogen ((1)H/(2)H) exchange. This solvent exposure was only reproduced by one of three synthetic SMB products with predefined disulfide connectivities corresponding to those published previously. Furthermore, this connectivity was also the only one to yield a folded and functional domain. The NMR structure was determined for free SMB produced by Pichia and is largely consistent with that solved by X-ray crystallography for SMB in complex with PAI-1. PMID- 17766389 TI - Structure--activity study of the antibacterial peptide fallaxin. AB - Fallaxin is a 25-mer antibacterial peptide amide, which was recently isolated from the West Indian mountain chicken frog Leptodactylus fallax. Fallaxin has been shown to inhibit the growth of several Gram-negative bacteria including Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, we report a structure-activity study of fallaxin based on 65 analogs, including a complete alanine scan and a full set of N- and C-terminal truncated analogs. The fallaxin analogs were tested for hemolytic activity and antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-intermediate resistant S. aureus, (VISA), methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa. We identified several analogs, which showed improved antibacterial activity compared to fallaxin. Our best candidate was FA12, which displayed MIC values of 3.12, 25, 25, and 50 muM against E. coli, K. pneumoniae, MSSA, and VISA, respectively. Furthermore, we correlated the antibacterial activity with various structural parameters such as charge, hydrophobicity H, mean hydrophobic moment mu(H), and alpha-helicity. We were able to group the active and inactive analogs according to mean hydrophobicity H and mean hydrophobic moment mu(H). Far-UV CD spectroscopy experiments on fallaxin and several analogs in buffer, in TFE, and in membrane mimetic environments (small unilamellar vesicles) indicated that a coiled-coil conformation could be an important structural trait for antibacterial activity. This study provides data that support fallaxin analogs as promising lead structures in the development of new antibacterial agents. PMID- 17766390 TI - Comparing the structure and dynamics of phospholamban pentamer in its unphosphorylated and pseudo-phosphorylated states. AB - Human phospholamban (PLN), a 30 kDa homopentamer in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membrane, controls the magnitude of heart muscle contraction and relaxation by regulating the calcium pumping activity of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA). When PLN is not phosphorylated, it binds and inhibits SERCA. Phosphorylation of PLN at S16 or T17 releases such inhibitory effect. It remains a matter of debate whether phosphorylation perturbs the structure of PLN, which in turn affects its interaction with SERCA. Here we examine by NMR spectroscopy the structure and dynamics of PLN pentamer with a physiologically relevant, phosphorylation mimicking mutation, S16E. Based on extensive NMR data, including NOEs, dipolar couplings, and solvent exchange of backbone amides, we conclude that the phosphorylation-mimicking mutation does not perturb the pentamer structure. However, (15)N R(1) and R(2) relaxation rates and (15)N((1)H) NOEs suggest subtle differences in the dynamics of the extramembrane portion of the protein. PMID- 17766391 TI - Inhibition of NF-kappaB activation with designed ankyrin-repeat proteins targeting the ubiquitin-binding/oligomerization domain of NEMO. AB - The link between the NF-kappaB signal transduction pathway and cancer is now well established. Inhibiting this pathway is therefore a promising approach in the treatment of certain cancers through a pro-apoptotic effect in malignant cells. Owing to its central role in the pathway, the IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex is a privileged target for designing inhibitors. Previously, we showed that oligomerization of NEMO is necessary for IKK activation and defined a minimal oligomerization domain (CC2-LZ) for NEMO, and we developed NEMO peptides inhibiting NF-kappaB activation at the level of the IKK complex. To improve the low-affinity inhibitors, we used ribosome display to select small and stable proteins with high affinity against the individual CC2-LZ because the entire NEMO protein is poorly soluble. Several binders with affinities in the low nanomolar range were obtained. When expressed in human cells, some of the selected molecules, despite their partial degradation, inhibited TNF-alpha-mediated NF kappaB activation while having no effect on the basal activity. Controls with a naive library member or null plasmid had no effect. Furthermore, we could show that this NF-kappaB inhibition occurs through a specific interaction between the binders and the endogenous NEMO, resulting in decreased IKK activation. These results indicate that in vitro selections with the NEMO subdomain alone as a target may be sufficient to lead to interesting compounds that are able to inhibit NF-kappaB activation. PMID- 17766392 TI - Modeling mutations in protein structures. AB - We describe an automated method for the modeling of point mutations in protein structures. The protein is represented by all non-hydrogen atoms. The scoring function consists of several types of physical potential energy terms and homology-derived restraints. The optimization method implements a combination of conjugate gradient minimization and molecular dynamics with simulated annealing. The testing set consists of 717 pairs of known protein structures differing by a single mutation. Twelve variations of the scoring function were tested in three different environments of the mutated residue. The best-performing protocol optimizes all the atoms of the mutated residue, with respect to a scoring function that includes molecular mechanics energy terms for bond distances, angles, dihedral angles, peptide bond planarity, and non-bonded atomic contacts represented by Lennard-Jones potential, dihedral angle restraints derived from the aligned homologous structure, and a statistical potential for non-bonded atomic interactions extracted from a large set of known protein structures. The current method compares favorably with other tested approaches, especially when predicting long and flexible side-chains. In addition to the thoroughness of the conformational search, sampled degrees of freedom, and the scoring function type, the accuracy of the method was also evaluated as a function of the flexibility of the mutated side-chain, the relative volume change of the mutated residue, and its residue type. The results suggest that further improvement is likely to be achieved by concentrating on the improvement of the scoring function, in addition to or instead of increasing the variety of sampled conformations. PMID- 17766393 TI - Conductance and amantadine binding of a pore formed by a lysine-flanked transmembrane domain of SARS coronavirus envelope protein. AB - The coronavirus responsible for the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) contains a small envelope protein, E, with putative involvement in host cell apoptosis and virus morphogenesis. It has been suggested that E protein can form a membrane destabilizing transmembrane (TM) hairpin, or homooligomerize to form a regular TM alpha-helical bundle. We have shown previously that the topology of the alpha-helical putative TM domain of E protein (ETM), flanked by two lysine residues at C and N termini to improve solubility, is consistent with a regular TM alpha-helix, with orientational parameters in lipid bilayers that are consistent with a homopentameric model. Herein, we show that this peptide, reconstituted in lipid bilayers, shows sodium conductance. Channel activity is inhibited by the anti-influenza drug amantadine, which was found to bind our preparation with moderate affinity. Results obtained from single or double mutants indicate that the organization of the transmembrane pore is consistent with our previously reported pentameric alpha-helical bundle model. PMID- 17766394 TI - The solution structure of the ZnF UBP domain of USP33/VDU1. AB - USP33/VDU1 is a deubiquitinating enzyme that binds to the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein. It also regulates thyroid hormone activation by deubiquitinating type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase. USP33/VDU1 contains a ZF UBP domain, a protein module found in many proteins in the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Several ZF UBP domains have been shown to bind ubiquitin, and a structure of a complex of the ZF UBP domain of isoT/USP5 and ubiquitin is available. In the present work, the solution structure of the ZF UBP domain of USP33/VDU1 has been determined by NMR spectroscopy. The structure differs from that of the USP5 domain, which contains only one of the three Zn ions present in the USP33/VDU1 structure. The USP33/VDU1 ZnF UBP domain does not bind to ubiquitin. PMID- 17766395 TI - Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of pericycle cells of the maize primary root. AB - Each plant cell type expresses a unique transcriptome and proteome at different stages of differentiation dependent on its developmental fate. This study compared gene expression and protein accumulation in cell-cycle-competent primary root pericycle cells of maize (Zea mays) prior to their first division and lateral root initiation. These are the only root cells that maintain the competence to divide after they leave the meristematic zone. Pericycle cells of the inbred line B73 were isolated via laser capture microdissection. Microarray experiments identified 32 genes preferentially expressed in pericycle versus all other root cells that have left the apical meristem; selective subtractive hybridization identified seven genes preferentially expressed in pericycle versus central cylinder cells of the same root region. Transcription and protein synthesis represented the most abundant functional categories among these pericycle-specific genes. Moreover, 701 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated from pericycle and central cylinder cells. Among those, transcripts related to protein synthesis and cell fate were significantly enriched in pericycle versus nonpericycle cells. In addition, 77 EST clusters not previously identified in maize ESTs or genomic databases were identified. Finally, among the most abundant soluble pericycle proteins separated via two-dimensional electrophoresis, 20 proteins were identified via electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry, thus defining a reference dataset of the maize pericycle proteome. Among those, two proteins were preferentially expressed in the pericycle. In summary, these pericycle-specific gene expression experiments define the distinct molecular events during the specification of cell-cycle competent pericycle cells prior to their first division and demonstrate that pericycle specification and lateral root initiation might be controlled by a different set of genes. PMID- 17766396 TI - pSAT RNA interference vectors: a modular series for multiple gene down-regulation in plants. AB - RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool for functional gene analysis, which has been successfully used to down-regulate the levels of specific target genes, enabling loss-of-function studies in living cells. Hairpin (hp) RNA expression cassettes are typically constructed on binary plasmids and delivered into plant cells by Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Realizing the importance of RNAi for basic plant research, various vectors have been developed for RNAi mediated gene silencing, allowing the silencing of single target genes in plant cells. To further expand the collection of available tools for functional genomics in plant species, we constructed a set of modular vectors suitable for hpRNA expression under various constitutive promoters. Our system allows simple cloning of the target gene sequences into two distinct multicloning sites and its modular design provides a straightforward route for replacement of the expression cassette's regulatory elements. More importantly, our system was designed to facilitate the assembly of several hpRNA expression cassettes on a single plasmid, thereby enabling the simultaneous suppression of several target genes from a single vector. We tested the functionality of our new vector system by silencing overexpressed marker genes (green fluorescent protein, DsRed2, and nptII) in transgenic plants. Various combinations of hpRNA expression cassettes were assembled in binary plasmids; all showed strong down-regulation of the reporter genes in transgenic plants. Furthermore, assembly of all three hpRNA expression cassettes, combined with a fourth cassette for the expression of a selectable marker, resulted in down-regulation of all three different marker genes in transgenic plants. This vector system provides an important addition to the plant molecular biologist's toolbox, which will significantly facilitate the use of RNAi technology for analyses of multiple gene function in plant cells. PMID- 17766397 TI - The import of S-adenosylmethionine into the Golgi apparatus is required for the methylation of homogalacturonan. AB - S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is the substrate used in the methylation of homogalacturonan (HGA) in the Golgi apparatus. SAM is synthesized in the cytosol, but it is not currently known how it is then transported into the Golgi. In this study, we find that HGA methyltransferase is present in Golgi-enriched fractions and that its catalytic domain faces the lumen of this organelle. This suggests that SAM must be imported into the Golgi. We performed uptake experiments using [methyl-(14)C]SAM and found that SAM is incorporated into the Golgi vesicles, resulting in the methylation of polymers that are sensitive to pectinase and pectin methylesterase but not to proteases. To avoid detecting the transfer reaction, we also used [carboxyl-(14)C]SAM, the uptake of which into Golgi vesicles was found to be sensitive to temperature, detergents, and osmotic changes, and to be saturable with a K(m) of 33 microm. Double-label uptake experiments using [methyl-(3)H]SAM and [carboxyl-(14)C]SAM also revealed a time dependent increase in the (3)H to (14)C ratio, suggesting that upon transfer of the methyl group, the resulting S-adenosylhomocysteine is not accumulated in the Golgi. SAM incorporation was also found to be inhibited by S adenosylhomocysteine, whereas UDP-GalA, UDP-GlcA, and acetyl-CoA had no effect. DIDS, a compound that inhibits nucleotide sugar transporters, also had little effect upon SAM incorporation. Interestingly, the combination of UDP-GalA + acetyl-CoA or UDP-GlcA + acetyl-CoA produced a slight increase in the uptake of SAM. These results support the idea that a SAM transporter is required for HGA biosynthesis. PMID- 17766398 TI - Low-affinity Na+ uptake in the halophyte Suaeda maritima. AB - Na(+) uptake by plant roots has largely been explored using species that accumulate little Na(+) into their shoots. By way of contrast, the halophyte Suaeda maritima accumulates, without injury, concentrations of the order of 400 mM NaCl in its leaves. Here we report that cAMP and Ca(2+) (blockers of nonselective cation channels) and Li(+) (a competitive inhibitor of Na(+) uptake) did not have any significant effect on the uptake of Na(+) by the halophyte S. maritima when plants were in 25 or 150 mM NaCl (150 mM NaCl is near optimal for growth). However, the inhibitors of K(+) channels, TEA(+) (10 mM), Cs(+) (3 mM), and Ba(2+) (5 mM), significantly reduced the net uptake of Na(+) from 150 mM NaCl over 48 h, by 54%, 24%, and 29%, respectively. TEA(+) (10 mM), Cs(+) (3 mM), and Ba(2+) (1 mm) also significantly reduced (22)Na(+) influx (measured over 2 min in 150 mM external NaCl) by 47%, 30%, and 31%, respectively. In contrast to the situation in 150 mm NaCl, neither TEA(+) (1-10 mM) nor Cs(+) (0.5-10 mM) significantly reduced net Na(+) uptake or (22)Na(+) influx in 25 mM NaCl. Ba(2+) (at 5 mm) did significantly decrease net Na(+) uptake (by 47%) and (22)Na(+) influx (by 36% with 1 mM Ba(2+)) in 25 mM NaCl. K(+) (10 or 50 mM) had no effect on (22)Na(+) influx at concentrations below 75 mM NaCl, but the influx of (22)Na(+) was inhibited by 50 mM K(+) when the external concentration of NaCl was above 75 mM. The data suggest that neither nonselective cation channels nor a low affinity cation transporter are major pathways for Na(+) entry into root cells. We propose that two distinct low-affinity Na(+) uptake pathways exist in S. maritima: Pathway 1 is insensitive to TEA(+) or Cs(+), but sensitive to Ba(2+) and mediates Na(+) uptake under low salinities (25 mM NaCl); pathway 2 is sensitive to TEA(+), Cs(+), and Ba(2+) and mediates Na(+) uptake under higher external salt concentrations (150 mM NaCl). Pathway 1 might be mediated by a high affinity K transporter-type transporter and pathway 2 by an AKT1-type channel. PMID- 17766399 TI - Expression of aberrant forms of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR8 stimulates parthenocarpy in Arabidopsis and tomato. AB - Fruit initiation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is generally repressed until fertilization occurs. However, mutations in AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR8 (ARF8) uncouple fruit initiation from fertilization, resulting in the formation of seedless, parthenocarpic fruit. Here we induced parthenocarpy in wild-type Arabidopsis by introducing either the mutant genomic (g) Atarf8-4 sequence or gAtARF8:beta-glucuronidase translational fusion constructs by plant transformation. Silencing of endogenous AtARF8 transcription was not observed, indicating that the introduced, aberrant ARF8 transcripts were compromising the function of endogenous ARF8 and/or associated factors involved in suppressing fruit initiation. To analyze the role of ARF8 in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) we initially emasculated 23 tomato cultivars to test for background parthenocarpy. Surprisingly, all had a predisposition to initiate fertilization-independent fruit growth. Expression of gAtarf8-4 in transgenic tomato ('Monalbo') resulted in a significant increase in the number and size of parthenocarpic fruit. Isolation of tomato ARF8 cDNA indicated significant sequence conservation with AtARF8. SlARF8 may therefore control tomato fruit initiation in a similar manner as AtARF8 does in Arabidopsis. Two SlARF8 cDNAs differing in size by 5 bp were found, both arising from the same gene. The smaller cDNA is a splice variant and is also present in Arabidopsis. We propose that low endogenous levels of the splice variant products might interfere with efficient formation/function of a complex repressing fruit initiation, thereby providing an explanation for the observed ovary expansion in tomato and also Arabidopsis after emasculation. Increasing the levels of aberrant Atarf8-4 transcripts may further destabilize formation/function of the complex in a dosage-dependent manner enhancing tomato parthenocarpic fruit initiation frequency and size and mimicking the parthenocarpic dehiscent silique phenotype found in homozygous Atarf8-4 mutants. Collectively these data suggest that similar mechanisms involving auxin signaling exist to inhibit parthenocarpic fruit set in tomato and Arabidopsis. PMID- 17766400 TI - Nonadditive expression and parent-of-origin effects identified by microarray and allele-specific expression profiling of maize endosperm. AB - Plant endosperm cells have a nuclear ratio of two maternal genomes to one paternal genome. This 2 to 1 dosage relationship provides a unique system for studying the additivity of gene expression levels in reciprocal hybrids. A combination of microarray profiling and allele-specific expression analysis was performed using RNA isolated from endosperm tissues of maize (Zea mays) inbred lines B73 and Mo17 and their reciprocal hybrids at two developmental stages, 13 and 19 d after pollination. The majority of genes exhibited additive expression in reciprocal hybrids based on microarray analyses. However, a substantial number of genes exhibited nonadditive expression patterns, including maternal like, paternal like, high parent like, low parent like, and expression patterns outside the range of the parental inbreds. The frequency of hybrid expression patterns outside of the parental range in maize endosperm tissue is much higher than that observed for vegetative tissues. For a set of 90 genes, allele-specific expression assays were employed to monitor allelic bias and regulatory variation. Eight of these genes exhibited evidence for maternally or paternally biased expression at multiple stages of endosperm development and are potential examples of differential imprinting. Our data indicate that parental effects on gene expression are much stronger in endosperm than in vegetative tissues. PMID- 17766401 TI - Arabidopsis TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA2 is directly regulated by R2R3 MYB transcription factors and is involved in regulation of GLABRA2 transcription in epidermal differentiation. AB - Arabidopsis thaliana TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA2 (TTG2) encodes a WRKY transcription factor and is expressed in young leaves, trichomes, seed coats, and root hairless cells. An examination of several trichome and root hair mutants indicates that MYB and bHLH genes regulate TTG2 expression. Two MYB binding sites in the TTG2 5' regulatory region act as cis regulatory elements and as direct targets of R2R3 MYB transcription factors such as WEREWOLF, GLABRA1, and TRANSPARENT TESTA2. Mutations in TTG2 cause phenotypic defects in trichome development and seed color pigmentation. Transgenic plants expressing a chimeric repressor version of the TTG2 protein (TTG2:SRDX) showed defects in trichome formation, anthocyanin accumulation, seed color pigmentation, and differentiation of root hairless cells. GLABRA2 (GL2) expression was markedly reduced in roots of ProTTG2:TTG2:SRDX transgenic plants, suggesting that TTG2 is involved in the regulation of GL2 expression, although GL2 expression in the ttg2 mutant was similar to that in the wild type. Our analysis suggests a new step in a regulatory cascade of epidermal differentiation, in which complexes containing R2R3 MYB and bHLH transcription factors regulate the expression of TTG2, which then regulates GL2 expression with complexes containing R2R3 MYB and bHLH in the differentiation of trichomes and root hairless cells. PMID- 17766402 TI - N-Acylethanolamine metabolism interacts with abscisic acid signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. AB - N-Acylethanolamines (NAEs) are bioactive acylamides that are present in a wide range of organisms. In plants, NAEs are generally elevated in desiccated seeds, suggesting that they may play a role in seed physiology. NAE and abscisic acid (ABA) levels were depleted during seed germination, and both metabolites inhibited the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings within a similar developmental window. Combined application of low levels of ABA and NAE produced a more dramatic reduction in germination and growth than either compound alone. Transcript profiling and gene expression studies in NAE-treated seedlings revealed elevated transcripts for a number of ABA-responsive genes and genes typically enriched in desiccated seeds. The levels of ABI3 transcripts were inversely associated with NAE-modulated growth. Overexpression of the Arabidopsis NAE degrading enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase resulted in seedlings that were hypersensitive to ABA, whereas the ABA-insensitive mutants, abi1-1, abi2-1, and abi3-1, exhibited reduced sensitivity to NAE. Collectively, our data indicate that an intact ABA signaling pathway is required for NAE action and that NAE may intersect the ABA pathway downstream from ABA. We propose that NAE metabolism interacts with ABA in the negative regulation of seedling development and that normal seedling establishment depends on the reduction of the endogenous levels of both metabolites. PMID- 17766406 TI - Sowing the seeds of dialogue: public engagement through plant science. PMID- 17766403 TI - The SnRK1A protein kinase plays a key role in sugar signaling during germination and seedling growth of rice. AB - Sugars repress alpha-amylase expression in germinating embryos and cell cultures of rice (Oryza sativa) through a sugar response complex (SRC) in alpha-amylase gene promoters and its interacting transcription factor MYBS1. The Snf1 protein kinase is required for the derepression of glucose-repressible genes in yeast. In this study, we explored the role of the yeast Snf1 ortholog in rice, SnRK1, in sugar signaling and plant growth. Rice embryo transient expression assays indicated that SnRK1A and SnRK1B act upstream and relieve glucose repression of MYBS1 and alphaAmy3 SRC promoters. Both SnRK1s contain N-terminal kinase domains serving as activators and C-terminal regulatory domains as dominant negative regulators of SRC. The accumulation and activity of SnRK1A was regulated by sugars posttranscriptionally, and SnRK1A relieved glucose repression specifically through the TA box in SRC. A transgenic RNA interference approach indicated that SnRK1A is also necessary for the activation of MYBS1 and alphaAmy3 expression under glucose starvation. Two mutants of SnRK1s, snrk1a and snrk1b, were obtained, and the functions of both SnRK1s were further studied. Our studies demonstrated that SnRK1A is an important intermediate in the sugar signaling cascade, functioning upstream from the interaction between MYBS1 and alphaAmy3 SRC and playing a key role in regulating seed germination and seedling growth in rice. PMID- 17766407 TI - Thiol-based regulation of redox-active glutamate-cysteine ligase from Arabidopsis thaliana. AB - Glutathione biosynthesis is a key component in the network of plant stress responses that counteract oxidative damage and maintain intracellular redox environment. Using a combination of mass spectrometry and site-directed mutagenesis, we examined the response of Arabidopsis thaliana glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL) to changes in redox environment. Mass spectrometry identified two disulfide bonds (Cys186-Cys406 and Cys349-Cys364) in GCL. Mutation of either Cys 349 or Cys-364 to a Ser reduced reaction rate by twofold, but substitution of a Ser for either Cys-186 or Cys-406 decreased activity by 20-fold and abrogated the response to changes in redox environment. Redox titrations show that the regulatory disulfide bond has a midpoint potential comparable with other known redox-responsive plant proteins. Mutation of Cys-102, Cys-251, Cys-349, or Cys 364 did not alter the response to redox environment, indicating that modulation of activity depends on the Cys186-Cys406 disulfide bond. In vivo analysis of GCL in Arabidopsis root extracts revealed that multiple oxidative stresses altered the distribution of oxidized (active) and reduced (inactive) enzyme and that this change correlated with increased GCL activity. The thiol-based regulation of GCL provides a posttranslational mechanism for modulating enzyme activity in response to in vivo redox environment and suggests a role for oxidative signaling in the maintenance of glutathione homeostasis in plants. PMID- 17766408 TI - Peptide signals encode protein localization. AB - Many bacterial proteins are localized to precise intracellular locations, but in most cases the mechanism for encoding localization information is not known. Screening libraries of peptides fused to green fluorescent protein identified sequences that directed the protein to helical structures or to midcell. These peptides indicate that protein localization can be encoded in 20-amino-acid peptides instead of complex protein-protein interactions and raise the possibility that the location of a protein within the cell could be predicted from bioinformatic data. PMID- 17766409 TI - Motility and chemotaxis in Agrobacterium tumefaciens surface attachment and biofilm formation. AB - Bacterial motility mechanisms, including swimming, swarming, and twitching, are known to have important roles in biofilm formation, including colonization and the subsequent expansion into mature structured surface communities. Directed motility requires chemotaxis functions that are conserved among many bacterial species. The biofilm-forming plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens drives swimming motility by utilizing a small group of flagella localized to a single pole or the subpolar region of the cell. There is no evidence for twitching or swarming motility in A. tumefaciens. Site-specific deletion mutations that resulted in either aflagellate, flagellated but nonmotile, or flagellated but nonchemotactic A. tumefaciens derivatives were examined for biofilm formation under static and flowing conditions. Nonmotile mutants were significantly deficient in biofilm formation under static conditions. Under flowing conditions, however, the aflagellate mutant rapidly formed aberrantly dense, tall biofilms. In contrast, a nonmotile mutant with unpowered flagella was clearly debilitated for biofilm formation relative to the wild type. A nontumbling chemotaxis mutant was only weakly affected with regard to biofilm formation under nonflowing conditions but was notably compromised in flow, generating less adherent biomass than the wild type, with a more dispersed cellular arrangement. Extragenic suppressor mutants of the chemotaxis-impaired, straight-swimming phenotype were readily isolated from motility agar plates. These mutants regained tumbling at a frequency similar to that of the wild type. Despite this phenotype, biofilm formation by the suppressor mutants in static cultures was significantly deficient. Under flowing conditions, a representative suppressor mutant manifested a phenotype similar to yet distinct from that of its nonchemotactic parent. PMID- 17766410 TI - Role of SufI (FtsP) in cell division of Escherichia coli: evidence for its involvement in stabilizing the assembly of the divisome. AB - The function of SufI, a well-studied substrate of the TatABC translocase in Escherichia coli, is not known. It was earlier implicated in cell division, based on the finding that multiple copies of sufI suppressed the phenotypes of cells with mutations in ftsI (ftsI23), which encodes a divisomal transpeptidase. Recently, sufI was identified as both a multicopy suppressor gene and a synthetic lethal mutant of ftsEX, which codes for a division-specific putative ABC transporter. In this study, we show that sufI is essential for the viability of E. coli cells subjected to various forms of stress, including oxidative stress and DNA damage. The sufI mutant also exhibits sulA-independent filamentation, indicating a role in cell division. The phenotypes of the sufI mutant are suppressed by factors that stabilize FtsZ ring assembly, such as increased expression of cell division proteins FtsQAZ or FtsN or the presence of the gain of-function ftsA* (FtsA R286W) mutation, suggesting that SufI is a divisomal protein required during stress conditions. In support of this, multicopy sufI suppressed the divisional defects of mutants carrying the ftsA12, ftsQ1, or ftsK44 allele but not those of mutants carrying ftsZ84. Most of the division defective mutants, in particular those carrying a DeltaftsEX or ftsI23 allele, exhibited sensitivity to oxidative stress or DNA damage, and this sensitivity was also abolished by multiple copies of SufI. All of these data suggest that SufI is a division component involved in protecting or stabilizing the divisomal assembly under conditions of stress. Since sufI fulfils the requirements to be designated an fts gene, we propose that it be renamed ftsP. PMID- 17766411 TI - Antigen 84, an effector of pleiomorphism in Mycobacterium smegmatis. AB - While in most rod-shaped bacteria, morphology is based on MreB-like proteins that form an actin-like cytoskeletal scaffold for cell wall biosynthesis, the factors that determine the more flexible rod-like shape in actinobacteria such as Mycobacterium species are unknown. Here we show that a Mycobacterium smegmatis protein homologous to eubacterial DivIVA-like proteins, including M. tuberculosis antigen 84 (Ag84), localized symmetrically to centers of peptidoglycan biosynthesis at the poles and septa. Controlled gene disruption experiments indicated that the gene encoding Ag84, wag31, was essential; when overexpressed, cells became longer and wider, with Ag84 asymmetrically distributed at one pole. Many became grossly enlarged, bowling-pin-shaped cells having up to 80-fold increased volume. In these cells, Ag84 accumulated predominantly at a bulbous pole that was apparently generated by uncontrolled cell wall expansion. In some cells, Ag84 was associated with exceptional sites of cell wall expansion (buds) that evolved into branches. M. bovis BCG Ag84 was able to form oligomers in vitro, perhaps reflecting its superstructure in vivo. These data suggested a role for Ag84 in cell division and modulating cell shape in pleiomorphic actinobacteria. PMID- 17766412 TI - Strain-ecotype specificity in Sinorhizobium meliloti-Medicago truncatula symbiosis is correlated to succinoglycan oligosaccharide structure. AB - Molecular signals, including Nod factors and succinoglycan, are necessary for the establishment of nitrogen-fixing nodules (Fix+) in Medicago truncatula Sinorhizobium meliloti symbiosis. This report shows that M. truncatula-S. meliloti interactions involve ecotype-strain specificity, as S. meliloti Rm41 and NRG247 are Fix+ (compatible) on M. truncatula A20 and Fix- (incompatible) on M. truncatula A17, the Fix phenotypes are reversed with S. meliloti NRG185 and NRG34, and there is a correlation between the host specificity and succinoglycan oligosaccharide structure. S. meliloti NRG185 produces oligosaccharides that are almost fully succinylated, with two succinate groups per subunit, whereas the oligosaccharides produced by S. meliloti Rm41 include many nonsuccinylated subunits, as well as subunits with a single succinate group and others with malate. The results of this study demonstrated the following: (i) incompatibility is not a consequence of an avirulence factor or lack of Nod factor activity; (ii) the Fix+ phenotypes are succinoglycan dependent; (iii) there is structural variability in the succinoglycan oligosaccharide populations between S. meliloti strains; (iv) the structural nature of the succinoglycan oligosaccharides is correlated to compatibility; most importantly, (v) an S. meliloti Rm41 derivative, carrying exo genes from an M. truncatula A17-compatible strain, produced a modified population of succinoglycan oligosaccharides (similar to the donor strain) and was Fix+ on A17. PMID- 17766413 TI - Virulence and prodigiosin antibiotic biosynthesis in Serratia are regulated pleiotropically by the GGDEF/EAL domain protein, PigX. AB - Gram-negative bacteria of the genus Serratia are opportunistic human, plant, and insect pathogens. Serratia sp. strain ATCC 39006 secretes pectinases and cellulases and produces the secondary metabolites carbapenem and prodigiosin. Mutation of a gene (pigX) resulted in an extremely pleiotropic phenotype: prodigiosin antibiotic biosynthesis, plant virulence, and pectinase production were all elevated. PigX controlled secondary metabolism by repressing the transcription of the target prodigiosin biosynthetic operon (pigA-pigO). The transcriptional start site of pigX was determined, and pigX expression occurred in parallel with Pig production. Detailed quantitative intracellular proteome analyses enabled the identification of numerous downstream targets of PigX, including OpgG, mutation of which reduced the production of the plant cell wall degrading enzymes and virulence. The highly pleiotropic PigX regulator contains GGDEF and EAL domains with noncanonical motifs and is predicted to be membrane associated. Genetic evidence suggests that PigX might function as a cyclic dimeric GMP phosphodiesterase. This is the first characterization of a GGDEF and EAL domain protein in Serratia and the first example of the regulation of antibiotic production by a GGDEF/EAL domain protein. PMID- 17766414 TI - Effect of a small, acid-soluble spore protein from Clostridium perfringens on the resistance properties of Bacillus subtilis spores. AB - Alpha/beta-type small, acid-soluble spore proteins (SASP) are essential for the resistance of DNA in spores of Bacillus species to damage. An alpha/beta-type SASP, Ssp2, from Clostridium perfringens was expressed at significant levels in B. subtilis spores lacking one or both major alpha/beta-type SASP (alpha- and alpha- beta- strains, respectively). Ssp2 restored some of the resistance of alpha- beta- spores to UV and nitrous acid and of alpha- spores to dry heat. Ssp2 also restored much of the resistance of alpha- spores to nitrous acid and restored full resistance of alpha- spores to UV and moist heat. These results further indicate the interchangeability of alpha/beta-type SASP in DNA protection in spores. PMID- 17766415 TI - Proteins associated with the Myxococcus xanthus extracellular matrix. AB - Fruiting body formation of Myxococcus xanthus, like biofilm formation of many other organisms, involves the production of an extracellular matrix (ECM). While the polysaccharide component has been studied, the protein component has been largely unexplored. Proteins associated with the ECM were solubilized from purified ECM by boiling with sodium dodecyl sulfate and were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry of tryptic fragments. The ECM is enriched in proteins of novel function; putative functions were assigned for only 5 of the 21 proteins. Thirteen putative ECM proteins had lipoprotein secretion signals. The genes for many ECM proteins were disrupted in the wild-type (WT), fibA, and pilA backgrounds. Disruption of the MXAN4860 gene had no effect in the WT or fibA background but in the pilA background resulted in a 24-h delay in aggregation and sporulation compared to its parent. The results of this study show that the M. xanthus ECM proteome is diverse and novel. PMID- 17766416 TI - RelA-dependent (p)ppGpp production controls exoenzyme synthesis in Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica. AB - In this report, we investigate the link between nutrient limitation, RelA mediated (p)ppGpp production, and virulence in the phytopathogen Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica. A relA null mutant (JWC7) was constructed by allelic exchange, and we confirmed that, unlike the wild-type progenitor, this mutant did not produce elevated levels of (p)ppGpp upon nutrient downshift. However, (p)ppGpp production could be restored in strain JWC7 during nutrient limitation by supplying relA in trans. During growth on exoenzyme-inducing minimal medium, the relA mutant showed a diminution in secreted pectate lyase and protease activities and a severe defect in motility. The relA mutant was also impaired in its ability to cause rot in potato tubers. In the presence of serine hydroxamate (a competitive inhibitor of seryl tRNA synthase and a potent inducer of the stringent response in wild-type E. carotovora subsp. atroseptica), exoenzyme production was essentially abolished in JWC7 but could be restored in the presence of plasmid-borne relA. The inhibition of exoenzyme production in JWC7 caused by serine hydroxamate could not be overcome by addition of the quorum sensing signal molecule, N-3-oxohexanoyl-l-homoserine lactone. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis of selected RNA species confirmed that the effects of relA on secreted pectate lyase activity and motility could be attributed to a reduction in transcription of the corresponding genes. We conclude that nutrient limitation is a potent environmental cue that triggers (p)ppGpp-dependent exoenzyme production in E. carotovora subsp. atroseptica. Furthermore, our data suggest that nutrient limitation [or rather, (p)ppGpp accumulation] is a prerequisite for effective quorum-sensing-dependent activation of exoenzyme production. PMID- 17766418 TI - Characterization of phenylpyruvate decarboxylase, involved in auxin production of Azospirillum brasilense. AB - Azospirillum brasilense belongs to the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria with direct growth promotion through the production of the phytohormone indole-3 acetic acid (IAA). A key gene in the production of IAA, annotated as indole-3 pyruvate decarboxylase (ipdC), has been isolated from A. brasilense, and its regulation was reported previously (A. Vande Broek, P. Gysegom, O. Ona, N. Hendrickx, E. Prinsen, J. Van Impe, and J. Vanderleyden, Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 18:311-323, 2005). An ipdC-knockout mutant was found to produce only 10% (wt/vol) of the wild-type IAA production level. In this study, the encoded enzyme is characterized via a biochemical and phylogenetic analysis. Therefore, the recombinant enzyme was expressed and purified via heterologous overexpression in Escherichia coli and subsequent affinity chromatography. The molecular mass of the holoenzyme was determined by size-exclusion chromatography, suggesting a tetrameric structure, which is typical for 2-keto acid decarboxylases. The enzyme shows the highest kcat value for phenylpyruvate. Comparing values for the specificity constant kcat/Km, indole-3-pyruvate is converted 10-fold less efficiently, while no activity could be detected with benzoylformate. The enzyme shows pronounced substrate activation with indole-3-pyruvate and some other aromatic substrates, while for phenylpyruvate it appears to obey classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Based on these data, we propose a reclassification of the ipdC gene product of A. brasilense as a phenylpyruvate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.43). PMID- 17766419 TI - Chlamydophila pneumoniae PknD exhibits dual amino acid specificity and phosphorylates Cpn0712, a putative type III secretion YscD homolog. AB - Chlamydophila pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes bronchitis, pharyngitis, and pneumonia and may be involved in atherogenesis and Alzheimer's disease. Genome sequencing has identified three eukaryote-type serine/threonine protein kinases, Pkn1, Pkn5, and PknD, that may be important signaling molecules in Chlamydia. Full-length PknD was cloned and expressed as a histidine-tagged protein in Escherichia coli. Differential centrifugation followed by sodium carbonate treatment of E. coli membranes demonstrated that His PknD is an integral membrane protein. Fusions of overlapping PknD fragments to alkaline phosphatase revealed that PknD contains a single transmembrane domain and that the kinase domain is in the cytoplasm. To facilitate solubility, the kinase domain was cloned and expressed as a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein in E. coli. Purified GST-PknD kinase domain autophosphorylated, and catalytic mutants (K33G, D156G, and K33G-D156G mutants) and activation loop mutants (T185A and T193A) were inactive. PknD phosphorylated recombinant Cpn0712, a type III secretion YscD homolog that has two forkhead-associated domains. Thin layer chromatography revealed that the PknD kinase domain autophosphorylated on threonine and tyrosine and phosphorylated the FHA-2 domain of Cpn0712 on serine and tyrosine. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a bacterial protein kinase with amino acid specificity for both serine/threonine and tyrosine residues and this is the first study to show phosphorylation of a predicted type III secretion structural protein. PMID- 17766417 TI - Pseudomonas aeruginosa AlgR represses the Rhl quorum-sensing system in a biofilm specific manner. AB - AlgR controls numerous virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including alginate, hydrogen cyanide production, and type IV pilus-mediated twitching motility. In this study, the role of AlgR in biofilms was examined in continuous flow and static biofilm assays. Strain PSL317 (DeltaalgR) produced one-third the biofilm biomass of wild-type strain PAO1. Complementation with algR, but not fimTU-pilVWXY1Y2E, restored PSL317 to the wild-type biofilm phenotype. Comparisons of the transcriptional profiles of biofilm-grown PAO1 and PSL317 revealed that a number of quorum-sensing genes were upregulated in the algR deletion strain. Measurement of rhlA::lacZ and rhlI::lacZ promoter fusions confirmed the transcriptional profiling data when PSL317 was grown as a biofilm, but not planktonically. Increased amounts of rhamnolipids and N-butyryl homoserine lactone were detected in the biofilm effluent but not the planktonic supernatants of the algR mutant. Additionally, AlgR specifically bound to the rhlA and rhlI promoters in mobility shift assays. Moreover, PAO1 containing a chromosomal mutated AlgR binding site in its rhlI promoter formed biofilms and produced increased amounts of rhamnolipids similarly to the algR deletion strain. These observations indicate that AlgR specifically represses the Rhl quorum sensing system during biofilm growth and that such repression is necessary for normal biofilm development. These data also suggest that AlgR may control transcription in a contact-dependent or biofilm-specific manner. PMID- 17766420 TI - Predicted functions and linkage specificities of the products of the Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular biosynthetic loci. AB - The sequences of the capsular biosynthetic (cps) loci of 90 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae have recently been determined. Bioinformatic procedures were used to predict the general functions of 1,973 of the 1,999 gene products and to identify proteins within the same homology group, Pfam family, and CAZy glycosyltransferase family. Correlating cps gene content with the 54 known capsular polysaccharide (CPS) structures provided tentative assignments of the specific functions of the different homology groups of each functional class (regulatory proteins, enzymes for synthesis of CPS constituents, polymerases, flippases, initial sugar transferases, glycosyltransferases [GTs], phosphotransferases, acetyltransferases, and pyruvyltransferases). Assignment of the glycosidic linkages catalyzed by the 342 GTs (92 homology groups) is problematic, but tentative assignments could be made by using this large set of cps loci and CPS structures to correlate the presence of particular GTs with specific glycosidic linkages, by correlating inverting or retaining linkages in CPS repeat units with the inverting or retaining mechanisms of the GTs predicted from their CAZy family membership, and by comparing the CPS structures of serotypes that have very similar cps gene contents. These large-scale comparisons between structure and gene content assigned the linkages catalyzed by 72% of the GTs, and all linkages were assigned in 32 of the serotypes with known repeat unit structures. Clear examples where very similar initial sugar transferases or glycosyltransferases catalyze different linkages in different serotypes were also identified. These assignments should provide a stimulus for biochemical studies to evaluate the reactions that are proposed. PMID- 17766421 TI - Biofilms 2007: broadened horizons and new emphases. PMID- 17766422 TI - Identification of novel surface proteins of Anaplasma phagocytophilum by affinity purification and proteomics. AB - Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the etiologic agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), one of the major tick-borne zoonoses in the United States. The surface of A. phagocytophilum plays a crucial role in subverting the hostile host cell environment. However, except for the P44/Msp2 outer membrane protein family, the surface components of A. phagocytophilum are largely unknown. To identify the major surface proteins of A. phagocytophilum, a membrane impermeable, cleavable biotin reagent, sulfosuccinimidyl-2-[biotinamido]ethyl-1,3 dithiopropionate (Sulfo-NHS-SS-Biotin), was used to label intact bacteria. The biotinylated bacterial surface proteins were isolated by streptavidin agarose affinity purification and then separated by electrophoresis, followed by capillary liquid chromatography-nanospray tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Among the major proteins captured by affinity purification were five A. phagocytophilum proteins, Omp85, hypothetical proteins APH_0404 (designated Asp62) and APH_0405 (designated Asp55), P44 family proteins, and Omp-1A. The surface exposure of Asp62 and Asp55 was verified by immunofluorescence microscopy. Recombinant Asp62 and Asp55 proteins were recognized by an HGA patient serum. Anti-Asp62 and anti-Asp55 peptide sera partially neutralized A. phagocytophilum infection of HL-60 cells in vitro. We found that the Asp62 and Asp55 genes were cotranscribed and conserved among members of the family Anaplasmataceae. With the exception of P44-18, all of the proteins were newly revealed major surface-exposed proteins whose study should facilitate understanding the interaction between A. phagocytophilum and the host. These proteins may serve as targets for development of chemotherapy, diagnostics, and vaccines. PMID- 17766423 TI - Analysis of promoter targets for Escherichia coli transcription elongation factor GreA in vivo and in vitro. AB - Transcription elongation factor GreA induces nucleolytic activity of bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP). In vitro, transcript cleavage by GreA contributes to transcription efficiency by (i) suppressing pauses and arrests, (ii) stimulating RNAP promoter escape, and (iii) enhancing transcription fidelity. However, it is unclear which of these functions is (are) most relevant in vivo. By comparing global gene expression profiles of Escherichia coli strains lacking Gre factors and strains expressing either the wild type (wt) or a functionally inactive GreA mutant, we identified genes that are potential targets of GreA action. Data analysis revealed that in the presence of chromosomally expressed GreA, 19 genes are upregulated; an additional 105 genes are activated upon overexpression of the wt but not the mutant GreA. Primer extension reactions with selected transcription units confirmed the gene array data. The most prominent stimulatory effect (threefold to about sixfold) of GreA was observed for genes of ribosomal protein operons and the tna operon, suggesting that transcript cleavage by GreA contributes to optimal expression levels of these genes in vivo. In vitro transcription assays indicated that the stimulatory effect of GreA upon the transcription of these genes is mostly due to increased RNAP recycling due to facilitated promoter escape. We propose that transcript cleavage during early stages of initiation is thus the main in vivo function of GreA. Surprisingly, the presence of the wt GreA also led to the decreased transcription of many genes. The mechanism of this effect is unknown and may be indirect. PMID- 17766424 TI - Genetic relatedness of the Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular biosynthetic loci. AB - Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) produces 1 of 91 capsular polysaccharides (CPS) that define the serotype. The cps loci of 88 pneumococcal serotypes whose CPS is synthesized by the Wzy-dependent pathway were compared with each other and with additional streptococcal polysaccharide biosynthetic loci and were clustered according to the proportion of shared homology groups (HGs), weighted for the sequence similarities between the genes encoding the shared HGs. The cps loci of the 88 pneumococcal serotypes were distributed into eight major clusters and 21 subclusters. All serotypes within the same serogroup fell into the same major cluster, but in six cases, serotypes within the same serogroup were in different subclusters and, conversely, nine subclusters included completely different serotypes. The closely related cps loci within a subcluster were compared to the known CPS structures to relate gene content to structure. The Streptococcus oralis and Streptococcus mitis polysaccharide biosynthetic loci clustered within the pneumococcal cps loci and were in a subcluster that also included the cps locus of pneumococcal serotype 21, whereas the Streptococcus agalactiae cps loci formed a single cluster that was not closely related to any of the pneumococcal cps clusters. PMID- 17766425 TI - Differential roles of individual domains in selection of secretion route of a Streptococcus parasanguinis serine-rich adhesin, Fap1. AB - Fimbria-associated protein 1 (Fap1) is a high-molecular-mass glycosylated surface adhesin required for fimbria biogenesis and biofilm formation in Streptococcus parasanguinis. The secretion of mature Fap1 is dependent on the presence of SecA2, a protein with some homology to, but with a different role from, SecA. The signals that direct the secretion of Fap1 to the SecA2-dependent secretion pathway rather than the SecA-dependent secretion pathway have not yet been identified. In this study, Fap1 variants containing different domains were expressed in both secA2 wild-type and mutant backgrounds and were tested for their ability to be secreted by the SecA- or SecA2-dependent pathway. The presence or absence of the cell wall anchor domain (residues 2531 to 2570) at the C terminus did not alter the selection of the Fap1 secretion route. The Fap1 signal peptide (residues 1 to 68) was sufficient to support the secretion of a heterologous protein via the SecA-dependent pathway, suggesting that the signal peptide was sufficient for recognition by the SecA-dependent pathway. The minimal sequences of Fap1 required for the SecA2-dependent pathway included the N terminal signal peptide, nonrepetitive region I (residues 69 to 102), and part of nonrepetitive region II (residues 169 to 342). The two serine-rich repeat regions (residues 103 to 168 and 505 to 2530) were not required for Fap1 secretion. However, they were both involved in the specific inhibition of Fap1 secretion via the SecA-dependent pathway. PMID- 17766426 TI - Do workers with self-reported symptoms have an elevated risk of developing upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders three years later? AB - OBJECTIVES: Few prospective studies have evaluated outcomes of workers with self reported symptoms of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (UEMSD). The objective was to study the three-year outcomes of workers with self-reported symptoms, with or without a positive physical examination. METHODS: In 1993-4, 598 subjects highly exposed to repetitive work filled out a Nordic-style questionnaire. They underwent a standardised physical examination at that time and again in 1996-7 by the same occupational physician. The three-year outcomes (based on physical examination) of workers with a self-administered questionnaire positive at baseline for UEMSD, with or without a positive physical examination, were studied. RESULTS: The three-year incidence rate was 44.1%; one third of these incident cases had self-reported symptoms in 1993-4. Workers with a positive questionnaire had a significantly higher risk of UEMSD at physical examination three years later (80.1% UEMSD cases with positive questionnaires n = 354, vs 44.2% cases without positive questionnaires n = 69, p<0.001). Moreover, workers with positive questionnaires but without UEMSD diagnosed in 1993-4 (n = 177) also had a significantly higher risk of UEMSD at physical examination three years later (60.5% cases with positive questionnaires n = 26, vs 38.8% cases without positive questionnaires n = 52, p = 0.01). Results were similar when gender and age were taken into account. CONCLUSION: Workers highly exposed to repetitive movements have a high risk of developing UEMSD and should be followed closely in surveillance programmes. Workers with self-reported symptoms without UEMSD diagnosed in physical examination represented only one third of new cases three years later. However, their risk of developing UEMSD was significantly increased, compared with those without symptoms. PMID- 17766427 TI - Effects of subthalamic deep brain stimulation on dysarthrophonia in Parkinson's disease. AB - BACKGROUND: Motor deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD) are reduced by deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN), but the impact of this therapy on dysarthrophonic problems in PD remains controversial. We therefore aimed to disentangle the effects of STN DBS on the speech skills of long-term treated patients. METHODS: Under continued medication, speech and motor functions of 19 patients with PD with bilateral STN DBS were studied when their therapeutic stimulation was active (STIM-ON) versus switched off (STIM-OFF). Per condition, perceptual speech ratings were given by: (i) the patients themselves, (ii) the treating physician, and (iii) professional speech therapists. Furthermore, single speech parameters were measured with a battery of technical exams in both STIM-ON and STIM-OFF. RESULTS: STN DBS significantly worsened speech performance according to all perceptual rating methods applied. In contrast, technical measures showed DBS-induced improvements of single speech dimensions affected by the PD-specific motor disorder. These changes occurred independently of the reduction of motor impairment, which was consistently effectuated by STN DBS. CONCLUSION: In parallel to the beneficial effects on the motor symptoms of PD, STN DBS reduces designated disease-inherent dysarthrophonic symptoms, such as glottic tremor. However, these actions on speech are predominantly outweighed by the general dysarthrogenic effects of STN DBS, probably based on a decline of complex (eg, prosodic) functions. Thus, stimulation-induced speech impairment should be considered a likely problem in the course of this treatment. PMID- 17766428 TI - Ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in superior canal dehiscence. AB - OBJECTIVE: Patients with superior canal dehiscence (SCD) have large sound-evoked vestibular reflexes with pathologically low threshold. We wished to determine whether a recently discovered measure of the vestibulo-ocular reflex-the ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (OVEMP)-produced similar high-amplitude, low threshold responses in SCD, and could differentiate patients with SCD from normal control patients. METHODS: Nine patients with CT-confirmed SCD and 10 normal controls were stimulated with 500 Hz, 2 ms tone bursts and 0.1 ms clicks at intensities up to 142 dB peak SPL. Conventional VEMPs were recorded from the ipsilateral sternocleidomastoid muscle to determine threshold, and OVEMPs were recorded from electrode pairs placed superior and inferior to the eyes. Three dimensional eye movements were measured with scleral dual-search coils. RESULTS: In patients with SCD, OVEMP amplitudes were significantly larger than normal (p<0.001) and thresholds were pathologically low. The n10 OVEMP in the contralateral inferior electrode became particularly large with increasing stimulus intensity (up to 25 microV) and with up-gaze (up to 40 microV). Sound evoked (slow-phase) eye movements were present in all patients with SCD (vertical: upward; torsional: upper pole away from the affected side; and horizontal: towards or away from the affected side), but began only as the OVEMP response became maximal, which is consistent with the surface potentials being produced by activation of the extraocular muscles that generated the eye movements. CONCLUSIONS: OVEMP amplitude and threshold (particularly the contralateral inferior n10 response) differentiated patients with SCD from normal controls. Our findings suggest that both the OVEMPs and induced eye movements in SCD are a result of intense saccular activation in addition to superior canal stimulation. PMID- 17766430 TI - Atypical and anaplastic meningiomas: prognostic implications of clinicopathological features. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate patient outcome and investigate the prognostic factors of high-grade meningiomas by adopting the 2000 World Health Organization (WHO) classification system. METHODS: Between 1986 and 2004, 74 patients were diagnosed with high-grade meningioma: 33 with atypical and 41 with anaplastic meningioma. The mean follow-up was 58.5 months. We reclassified all surgical specimens, according to the 2000 WHO classification system, using two expert neuropathologists. RESULTS: Forty of 74 meningiomas were reclassified as atypical meningioma and 24 as anaplastic meningioma. Overall and recurrence-free survivals were significantly longer in patients with atypical than in those with anaplastic meningioma: 142.5 versus 39.8 months and 138.5 versus 32.2 months, respectively (p<0.001). In patients with atypical meningiomas, brain invasion and adjuvant radiotherapy were not associated with survival; however, in the brain invasion subgroup, adjuvant radiotherapy improved patients' survival. In patients with anaplastic meningioma, the prognostic factors were brain invasion, adjuvant radiotherapy, malignant progression, p53 overexpression and extent of resection. The p53 overexpression was the only factor associated with malignant progression (p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The 2000 WHO classification has identified the truly aggressive meningiomas better than did the previous criteria. A precise meningioma grading system may help to avoid over-treatment of patients with an atypical meningioma as, once the tumour has "declared itself" by recurrence and histological features, it becomes a tumour that is poorly amenable to current therapies. PMID- 17766431 TI - Painful neuropathy with skin denervation after prolonged use of linezolid. AB - The prolonged use of linezolid, a new antibiotic against drug-resistant gram positive pathogens, might cause painful neuropathy. This finding raises the possibility that small-diameter sensory nerves in the skin, which are responsible for transmitting nociceptive information, might be affected. We report a 53-year old female who developed pure small-fibre painful neuropathy (visual analogue scale, VAS = 82 on 0-100 scale) with marked skin denervation in the leg (epidermal nerve density, END = 2.32 fibres/mm, norm <5.88 fibres/mm) and significant elevation of the warm threshold in the foot (40.0 degrees C, norm <39.4 degrees C) after the use of linezolid for 6 months. Eight months after the discontinuation of linezolid, the skin became fully reinnervated (END = 9.04 fibres/mm), with disappearance of neuropathic pain (VAS = 0) and normalisation of the warm threshold (36.3 degrees C). Nerve conduction studies for large-diameter motor and sensory nerves were normal. This report documents a pure small-fibre sensory neuropathy after prolonged use of linezolid, and the relationship between skin innervation and corresponding neuropathic pain. PMID- 17766432 TI - Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob [corrected] disease: the second case in Portugal and in the same geographical region. AB - We present the second variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob patient in the same district of northwest Portugal as was previously reported. A 14-year-old previously healthy girl had unexplained pain in the left leg, as well as psychiatric disturbances. This was shortly followed by progressive cognitive impairment, ataxia and generalised choreoatethosis. Neuropsychological assessment revealed severe frontal and medial temporal dysfunction, the posterior cortices being spared. An electroencephalogram was normal. CSF 14.3.3 protein was slightly positive. Magnetic resonance imaging showed the "hockey stick sign" and hyperintensities in the periaquedutal grey matter and in the right parietal cortex, the last with restriction to water molecule movement. SPECT revealed perfusion defects in the left frontotemporal and right parietal regions. PRNP gene sequencing showed no mutations, the patient being homozygous to methionine in codon 129. Five months after onset, immunocytochemical and immunoblotting analysis confirmed deposition of prion protein and a PrP4t electrophoretic pattern. The patient never travelled outside Portugal or received blood transfusions. She had surgical herniorrhaphy in 1998 (when catgut was used) and 2003. This is the second case in Portugal in a 2-year period and 20 km apart from each other, with no known common exposure apart from ingestion of cow meat. We discuss these case peculiarities and underline its epidemiological significance. PMID- 17766433 TI - Early predictors of unfavourable outcome in subjects with moderate head injury in the emergency department. AB - BACKGROUND: Subjects with moderate head injury are a particular challenge for the emergency physician. They represent a heterogeneous population of subjects with large variability in injury severity, clinical course and outcome. We aimed to determine the early predictors of outcome of subjects with moderate head injury admitted to an Emergency Department (ED) of a general hospital linked via telemedicine to the Regional Neurosurgical Centre. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed, prospectively, 12,675 subjects attending the ED of a General Hospital between 1999 and 2005 for head injury. A total of 309 cases (2.4%) with an admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 9-13 were identified as having moderate head injury. The main outcome measure was an unfavourable outcome at 6 months after injury. The predictive value of a model based on main entry variables was evaluated by logistic regression analysis. FINDINGS: 64.7% of subjects had a computed tomographic scan that was positive for intracranial injury, 16.5% needed a neurosurgical intervention, 14.6% had an unfavourable outcome at 6 months (death, permanent vegetative state, permanent severe disability). Six variables (basal skull fracture, subarachnoid haemorrhage, coagulopathy, subdural haematoma, modified Marshall category and GCS) predicted an unfavourable outcome at 6 months. This combination of variables predicts the 6-month outcome with high sensitivity (95.6%) and specificity (86.0%). INTERPRETATION: A group of selected variables proves highly accurate in the prediction of unfavourable outcome at 6 months, when applied to subjects admitted to an ED of a General Hospital with moderate head injury. PMID- 17766434 TI - Altered sensitivities to morphine and cocaine in scaffold protein tamalin knockout mice. AB - Tamalin is a scaffold protein that interacts with metabotropic glutamate receptors and the kinase-deficient neurotrophin TrkCT1 receptor and forms a protein complex with multiple protein-trafficking and intracellular signaling molecules. In culture, tamalin promotes intracellular trafficking of group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors through its interaction with guanine nucleotide exchange factor cytohesins and causes actin reorganization and membrane ruffling via the TrkCT1/cytohesin-2 signaling mechanism. However, how tamalin serves its physiological function in vivo has remained elusive. In this study, we generated tamalin knockout (Tam(-/-) KO) mice and investigated behavioral alterations resulting from their deficiency in functional tamalin. Targeted deletion of functional tamalin altered neither the overall brain architecture nor the general behavior of the mice under ordinary conditions. However, Tam(-/-) KO mice showed a decrease in sensitivity to acute morphine-induced hyperlocomotion and morphine analgesic effects in the hot-plate test. Furthermore, tamalin deficiency impaired the ability of the animals to show conditioned place preference after repeated morphine administration and to display locomotor sensitization by chronic cocaine treatment. Upon in vivo microdialysis analysis of the nucleus accumbens, Tam(-/-) KO and wild-type mice showed no genotypic differences in their response patterns of extracellular dopamine and glutamate before or after morphine administration. These results demonstrate that the tamalin scaffold protein plays a unique role in both acute and adaptive behavioral responses to morphine and cocaine and could regulate common neural substrates implicated in drugs of abuse. PMID- 17766429 TI - Predicting outcome in hyper-acute stroke: validation of a prognostic model in the Third International Stroke Trial (IST3). AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Models are used to adjust for case mix and to stratify treatment allocation in clinical trials and can, if accurate enough, be used to aid decision-making in individual patients. We aimed to validate, in patients assessed within 6 hours of onset, a previously described six simple variable (SSV) model that was developed in stroke patients who were assessed sub-acutely. The explanatory variables in the model are age, living alone, independent pre stroke, Glasgow Coma Scale verbal score, ability to lift arms and ability to walk. METHODS: The six variables were collected at randomisation in the Third International Stroke Trial (IST3) trial of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in ischaemic stroke. We assessed survival to 30 days and functional status at 6 months using the Oxford Handicap Scale. We constructed receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves to establish the model's discriminatory performance and tested its calibration by charting predicted versus actual outcomes. RESULTS: 537 patients (mean age, 74 years) were included, of whom 422 (79%) survived 30 days and 179 (33%) were alive and independent at 6 months. The SSV model had an area under the ROC curve of 0.73 for 30-day survival and 0.82 for independent survival at 6 months. Calibration was satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the external validity of the SSV model in an ischaemic stroke population assessed within 6 hours of symptom onset. The SSV model comprising easily collected variables can therefore be used to stratify patients in hyper acute stroke trials, but probably is not accurate enough for decision-making in individual patients. PMID- 17766436 TI - Suppression of oncogenic properties of c-Myc by LKB1-controlled epithelial organization. AB - Cellular organization into epithelial architecture maintains structural integrity and homeostasis by suppressing cell proliferation and apoptosis. However, it is unclear whether the epithelial organization is sufficient to block induction of cell-autonomous cell cycle progression and apoptotic sensitivity by activated oncogenes. We show that chronic activation of oncogenic c-Myc, starting in the developing 3D organotypic mammary acinar structures, results in hyperproliferation and transformed acinar morphology. Surprisingly, acute c-Myc activation in mature quiescent acini with established epithelial architecture fails to reinitiate the cell cycle or transform these structures. c-Myc does reinitiate the cell cycle in quiescent, but structurally unorganized, acini, which demonstrates that proper epithelial architecture is needed for the proliferation blockade. The capability of c-Myc to reinitiate the cell cycle in acinar structures is also restored by the loss of LKB1, a human homologue of the cell polarity protein PAR4. The epithelial architecture also restrains the apoptotic activity of c-Myc, but coactivation of c-Myc and a complementary TNF related apoptosis-inducing ligand death receptor pathway can induce a strong Bim and Bid-mediated apoptotic response in the established acini. The results together expose surprising proliferation and apoptosis resistance of organized epithelial structures and identify a role for the polarity regulator LKB1 in the development of c-Myc-resistant cell organization. PMID- 17766435 TI - T helper 1 cells stimulated with ovalbumin and IL-18 induce airway hyperresponsiveness and lung fibrosis by IFN-gamma and IL-13 production. AB - We previously reported that ovalbumin (OVA) and IL-18 nasally administered act on memory type T helper (Th)1 cells to induce airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and inflammation, which is characterized by peribronchial infiltration with neutrophils and eosinophils. Here, we report this administration also induces lung fibrosis in an IL-13-dependent manner. Th1 cells secrete several cytokines, including IFN-gamma and bronchogenic cytokine IL-13, when stimulated with antigen (Ag) and IL-18. However, IL-13 blockade failed to attenuate AHR, although this treatment inhibited eosinophilic infiltration. To understand the mechanism by which Th1 cells induce AHR after Ag plus IL-18 challenge, we established "passive" and "active" Th1 mice by transferring OVA-specific Th1 cells into naive BALB/c mice or by immunizing naive BALB/c mice with OVA/complete Freund's adjuvant, respectively. Administration of Ag and IL-18 induced both types of Th1 mice to develop AHR, airway inflammation, and lung fibrosis. Furthermore, this treatment induced deposition of periostin, a novel component of lung fibrosis. Neutralization of IL-13 or IFN-gamma during Ag plus IL-18 challenges inhibited the combination of eosinophilic infiltration, lung fibrosis, and periostin deposition or the combination of neutrophilic infiltration and AHR, respectively. We also found that coadministration of OVA and LPS into Th1 mice induced AHR and airway inflammation via endogenous IL-18. Thus, IL-18 becomes a key target molecule for the development of a therapeutic regimen for the treatment of Th1 cell-induced bronchial asthma. PMID- 17766437 TI - The evolutionary emergence of cell type-specific genes inferred from the gene expression analysis of Hydra. AB - Cell lineages of cnidarians including Hydra represent the fundamental cell types of metazoans and provides us a unique opportunity to study the evolutionary diversification of cell type in the animal kingdom. Hydra contains epithelial cells as well as a multipotent interstitial cell (I-cell) that gives rise to nematocytes, nerve cells, gland cells, and germ-line cells. We used cDNA microarrays to identify cell type-specific genes by comparing gene expression in normal Hydra with animals lacking the I-cell lineage, so-called epithelial Hydra. We then performed in situ hybridization to localize expression to specific cell types. Eighty-six genes were shown to be expressed in specific cell types of the I-cell lineage. An additional 29 genes were expressed in epithelial cells and were down-regulated in epithelial animals lacking I-cells. Based on the above information, we constructed a database (http://hydra.lab.nig.ac.jp/hydra/), which describes the expression patterns of cell type-specific genes in Hydra. Most genes expressed specifically in either I-cells or epithelial cells have homologues in higher metazoans. By comparison, most nematocyte-specific genes and approximately half of the gland cell- and nerve cell-specific genes are unique to the cnidarian lineage. Because nematocytes, gland cells, and nerve cells appeared along with the emergence of cnidarians, this suggests that lineage-specific genes arose in cnidarians in conjunction with the evolution of new cell types required by the cnidarians. PMID- 17766439 TI - Crystal structure of human mitoNEET reveals distinct groups of iron sulfur proteins. AB - MitoNEET is a protein of unknown function present in the mitochondrial membrane that was recently shown to bind specifically the antidiabetic drug pioglizatone. Here, we report the crystal structure of the soluble domain (residues 32-108) of human mitoNEET at 1.8-A resolution. The structure reveals an intertwined homodimer, and each subunit was observed to bind a [2Fe-2S] cluster. The [2Fe-2S] ligation pattern of three cysteines and one histidine differs from the known pattern of four cysteines in most cases or two cysteines and two histidines as observed in Rieske proteins. The [2Fe-2S] cluster is packed in a modular structure formed by 17 consecutive residues. The cluster-binding motif is conserved in at least seven distinct groups of proteins from bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, which show a consensus sequence of (hb)-C-X(1)-C-X(2)-(S/T)-X(3) P-(hb)-C-D-X(2)-H, where hb represents a hydrophobic residue; we term this a CCCH type [2Fe-2S] binding motif. The nine conserved residues in the motif contribute to iron ligation and structure stabilization. UV-visible absorption spectra indicated that mitoNEET can exist in oxidized and reduced states. Our study suggests an electron transfer function for mitoNEET and for other proteins containing the CCCH motif. PMID- 17766438 TI - DJ-1 gene deletion reveals that DJ-1 is an atypical peroxiredoxin-like peroxidase. AB - Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative movement disorder. Whereas the majority of PD cases are sporadic, rare genetic defects have been linked to this prevalent movement disorder. Mutations in DJ-1 are associated with autosomal recessive early-onset PD. The exact biochemical function of DJ-1 has remained elusive. Here we report the generation of DJ-1 knockout (KO) mice by targeted deletion of exon 2 and exon 3. There is no observable degeneration of the central dopaminergic pathways, and the mice are anatomically and behaviorally similar to WT mice. Fluorescent Amplex red measurements of H(2)O(2) indicate that isolated mitochondria from young and old DJ-1 KO mice have a 2-fold increase in H(2)O(2). DJ-1 KO mice of 2-3 months of age have a 60% reduction in mitochondrial aconitase activity without compromising other mitochondrial processes. At an early age there are no differences in antioxidant enzymes, but in older mice there is an up regulation of mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and a 2-fold increase in mitochondrial glutathione peroxidase activity. Mutational analysis and mass spectrometry reveal that DJ-1 is an atypical peroxiredoxin-like peroxidase that scavenges H(2)O(2) through oxidation of Cys-106. In vivo there is an increase of DJ-1 oxidized at Cys-106 after 1 methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine intoxication of WT mice. Taken together these data indicate that the DJ-1 KO mice have a deficit in scavenging mitochondrial H(2)O(2) due to the physiological function of DJ-1 as an atypical peroxiredoxin-like peroxidase. PMID- 17766440 TI - MitoNEET is a uniquely folded 2Fe 2S outer mitochondrial membrane protein stabilized by pioglitazone. AB - Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) proteins are key players in vital processes involving energy homeostasis and metabolism from the simplest to most complex organisms. We report a 1.5 A x-ray crystal structure of the first identified outer mitochondrial membrane Fe-S protein, mitoNEET. Two protomers intertwine to form a unique dimeric structure that constitutes a new fold to not only the approximately 650 reported Fe-S protein structures but also to all known proteins. We name this motif the NEET fold. The protomers form a two-domain structure: a beta-cap domain and a cluster-binding domain that coordinates two acid-labile 2Fe-2S clusters. Binding of pioglitazone, an insulin-sensitizing thiazolidinedione used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, stabilizes the protein against 2Fe-2S cluster release. The biophysical properties of mitoNEET suggest that it may participate in a redox-sensitive signaling and/or in Fe-S cluster transfer. PMID- 17766441 TI - Respiratory succession and community succession of bacterioplankton in seasonally anoxic estuarine waters. AB - Anoxia occurs in bottom waters of stratified estuaries when respiratory consumption of oxygen, primarily by bacteria, outpaces atmospheric and photosynthetic reoxygenation. Once water becomes anoxic, bacterioplankton must change their metabolism to some form of anaerobic respiration. Analysis of redox chemistry in water samples spanning the oxycline of Chesapeake Bay during the summer of 2004 suggested that there was a succession of respiratory metabolism following the loss of oxygen. Bacterial community doubling time, calculated from bacterial abundance (direct counts) and production (anaerobic leucine incorporation), ranged from 0.36 to 0.75 day and was always much shorter than estimates of the time that the bottom water was anoxic (18 to 44 days), indicating that there was adequate time for bacterial community composition to shift in response to changing redox conditions. However, community composition (as determined by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of 16S rRNA genes) in anoxic waters was very similar to that in surface waters in June when nitrate respiration was apparent in the water column and only partially shifted away from the composition of the surface community after nitrate was depleted. Anoxic water communities did not change dramatically until August, when sulfate respiration appeared to dominate. Surface water populations that remained dominant in anoxic waters were Synechococcus sp., Gammaproteobacteria in the SAR86 clade, and Alphaproteobacteria relatives of Pelagibacter ubique, including a putative estuarine-specific Pelagibacter cluster. Populations that developed in anoxic water were most similar (<92% similarity) to uncultivated Firmicutes, uncultivated Bacteroidetes, Gammaproteobacteria in the genus Thioalcalovibrio, and the uncultivated SAR406 cluster. These results indicate that typical estuarine bacterioplankton switch to anaerobic metabolism under anoxic conditions but are ultimately replaced by different organisms under sulfidic conditions. PMID- 17766442 TI - Impact of plant functional group, plant species, and sampling time on the composition of nirK-type denitrifier communities in soil. AB - We studied the influence of eight nonleguminous grassland plant species belonging to two functional groups (grasses and forbs) on the composition of soil denitrifier communities in experimental microcosms over two consecutive years. Denitrifier community composition was analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) of PCR-amplified nirK gene fragments coding for the copper-containing nitrite reductase. The impact of experimental factors (plant functional group, plant species, sampling time, and interactions between them) on the structure of soil denitrifier communities (i.e., T-RFLP patterns) was analyzed by canonical correspondence analysis. While the functional group of a plant did not affect nirK-type denitrifier communities, plant species identity did influence their composition. This effect changed with sampling time, indicating community changes due to seasonal conditions and a development of the plants in the microcosms. Differences in total soil nitrogen and carbon, soil pH, and root biomass were observed at the end of the experiment. However, statistical analysis revealed that the plants affected the nirK-type denitrifier community composition directly, e.g., through root exudates. Assignment of abundant T-RFs to cloned nirK sequences from the soil and subsequent phylogenetic analysis indicated a dominance of yet-unknown nirK genotypes and of genes related to nirK from denitrifiers of the order Rhizobiales. In conclusion, individual species of nonleguminous plants directly influenced the composition of denitrifier communities in soil, but environmental conditions had additional significant effects. PMID- 17766443 TI - Low-load compression testing: a novel way of measuring biofilm thickness. AB - Biofilms are complex and dynamic communities of microorganisms that are studied in many fields due to their abundance and economic impact. Biofilm thickness is an important parameter in biofilm characterization. Current methods of measuring biofilm thicknesses have several limitations, including application, availability, and costs. Here, we present low-load compression testing (LLCT) as a new method for measuring biofilm thickness. With LLCT, biofilm thicknesses are measured during compression by inducing small loads, up to 5 Pa, corresponding to 0.1% deformation, making LLCT essentially a nondestructive technique. Comparison of the thicknesses of various bacterial and yeasts biofilms obtained by LLCT and by using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) resulted in the conclusion that CLSM underestimates the biofilm thickness due to poor penetration of different fluorescent dyes, especially through the thicker biofilms, whereas LLCT does not suffer from this thickness limitation. PMID- 17766444 TI - Large variabilities in host strain susceptibility and phage host range govern interactions between lytic marine phages and their Flavobacterium hosts. AB - Phages are a main mortality factor for marine bacterioplankton and are thought to regulate bacterial community composition through host-specific infection and lysis. In the present study we demonstrate for a marine phage-host assemblage that interactions are complex and that specificity and efficiency of infection and lysis are highly variable among phages infectious to strains of the same bacterial species. Twenty-three Bacteroidetes strains and 46 phages from Swedish and Danish coastal waters were analyzed. Based on genotypic and phenotypic analyses, 21 of the isolates could be considered strains of Cellulophaga baltica (Flavobacteriaceae). Nevertheless, all bacterial strains showed unique phage susceptibility patterns and differed by up to 6 orders of magnitude in sensitivity to the same titer of phage. The isolated phages showed pronounced variations in genome size (8 to >242 kb) and host range (infecting 1 to 20 bacterial strains). Our data indicate that marine bacterioplankton are susceptible to multiple co-occurring phages and that sensitivity towards phage infection is strain specific and exists as a continuum between highly sensitive and resistant, implying an extremely complex web of phage-host interactions. Hence, effects of phages on bacterioplankton community composition and dynamics may go undetected in studies where strain identity is not resolvable, i.e., in studies based on the phylogenetic resolution provided by 16S rRNA gene or internal transcribed spacer sequences. PMID- 17766445 TI - Construction of p16Slux, a novel vector for improved bioluminescent labeling of gram-negative bacteria. AB - A novel vector has been constructed for the constitutive luminescent tagging of gram-negative bacteria by site-specific integration into the 16S locus of the bacterial chromosome. A number of gram-negative pathogens were successfully tagged using this vector, and the system was validated during murine infections of living animals. PMID- 17766446 TI - New and fast method to quantify respiration rates of bacterial and plankton communities in freshwater ecosystems by using optical oxygen sensor spots. AB - A new method of respiration rate measurement based on oxygen luminescence quenching in sensor spots was evaluated for the first time for aquatic bacterial communities. The commonly used Winkler and Clark electrode methods to quantify oxygen concentration both require long incubation times, and the latter additionally causes signal drift due to oxygen consumption at the cathode. The sensor spots proved to be advantageous over those methods in terms of precise and quick oxygen measurements in natural bacterial communities, guaranteeing a respiration rate estimate during a time interval short enough to neglect variations in organism composition, abundance, and activity. Furthermore, no signal drift occurs during measurements, and respiration rate measurements are reliable even at low temperatures and low oxygen consumption rates. Both a natural bacterioplankton sample and a bacterial isolate from a eutrophic river were evaluated in order to optimize the new method for aquatic microorganisms. A minimum abundance of 2.2 x 10(6) respiring cells ml(-1) of a bacterial isolate was sufficient to obtain a distinct oxygen depletion signal within 20 min at 20 degrees C with the new oxygen sensor spot method. Thus, a culture of a bacterial isolate from a eutrophic river (OW 144; 20 x 10(6) respiring bacteria ml(-1)) decreased the oxygen saturation about 8% within 20 min. The natural bacterioplankton sample respired 2.8% from initially 94% oxygen-saturated water in 30 min. During the growth season in 2005, the planktonic community of a eutrophic river consumed between 0.7 and 15.6 micromol O(2) liter(-1) h(-1). The contribution of bacterial respiration to the total plankton community oxygen consumption varied seasonally between 11 and 100%. PMID- 17766447 TI - Substrate degradation kinetics, microbial diversity, and current efficiency of microbial fuel cells supplied with marine plankton. AB - The decomposition of marine plankton in two-chamber, seawater-filled microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has been investigated and related to resulting chemical changes, electrode potentials, current efficiencies, and microbial diversity. Six experiments were run at various discharge potentials, and a seventh served as an open-circuit control. The plankton consisted of a mixture of freshly captured phytoplankton and zooplankton (0.21 to 1 mm) added at an initial batch concentration of 27.5 mmol liter(-1) particulate organic carbon (OC). After 56.7 days, between 19.6 and 22.2% of the initial OC remained, sulfate reduction coupled to OC oxidation accounted for the majority of the OC that was degraded, and current efficiencies (of the active MFCs) were between 11.3 and 15.5%. In the open-circuit control cell, anaerobic plankton decomposition (as quantified by the decrease in total OC) could be modeled by three terms: two first-order reaction rate expressions (0.79 day(-1) and 0.037 day(-1), at 15 degrees C) and one constant, no-reaction term (representing 10.6% of the initial OC). However, in each active MFC, decomposition rates increased during the third week, lagging just behind periods of peak electricity generation. We interpret these decomposition rate changes to have been due primarily to the metabolic activity of sulfur-reducing microorganisms at the anode, a finding consistent with the electrochemical oxidization of sulfide to elemental sulfur and the elimination of inhibitory effects of dissolved sulfide. Representative phylotypes, found to be associated with anodes, were allied with Delta-, Epsilon-, and Gammaproteobacteria as well as the Flavobacterium-Cytophaga-Bacteroides and Fusobacteria. Based upon these results, we posit that higher current efficiencies can be achieved by optimizing plankton-fed MFCs for direct electron transfer from organic matter to electrodes, including microbial precolonization of high-surface area electrodes and pulsed flowthrough additions of biomass. PMID- 17766448 TI - Physiological adaptation of a nitrate-storing Beggiatoa sp. to diel cycling in a phototrophic hypersaline mat. AB - The aim of this study was to investigate the supposed vertical diel migration and the accompanying physiology of Beggiatoa bacteria from hypersaline microbial mats. We combined microsensor, stable-isotope, and molecular techniques to clarify the phylogeny and physiology of the most dominant species inhabiting mats of the natural hypersaline Lake Chiprana, Spain. The most dominant morphotype had a filament diameter of 6 to 8 microm and a length varying from 1 to >10 mm. Phylogenetic analysis by 16S rRNA gene comparison revealed that this type appeared to be most closely related (91% sequence identity) to the narrow (4 microm diameter) nonvacuolated marine strain MS-81-6. Stable-isotope analysis showed that the Lake Chiprana species could store nitrate intracellularly to 40 mM. The presence of large intracellular vacuoles was confirmed by fluorescein isothiocyanate staining and subsequent confocal microscopy. In illuminated mats, their highest abundance was found at a depth of 8 mm, where oxygen and sulfide co occurred. However, in the dark, the highest Beggiatoa densities occurred at 7 mm, and the whole population was present in the anoxic zone of the mat. Our findings suggest that hypersaline Beggiatoa bacteria oxidize sulfide with oxygen under light conditions and with internally stored nitrate under dark conditions. It was concluded that nitrate storage by Beggiatoa is an optimal strategy to both occupy the suboxic zones in sulfidic sediments and survive the dark periods in phototrophic mats. PMID- 17766449 TI - Influx of enterococci and associated antibiotic resistance and virulence genes from ready-to-eat food to the human digestive tract. AB - The influx of enterococcal antibiotic resistance (AR) and virulence genes from ready-to-eat food (RTEF) to the human digestive tract was assessed. Three RTEFs (chicken salad, chicken burger, and carrot cake) were sampled from five fast-food restaurants five times in summer (SU) and winter (WI). The prevalence of enterococci was significantly higher in SU (92.0% of salad samples and 64.0% of burger samples) than in WI (64.0% of salad samples and 24.0% of burger samples). The overall concentrations of enterococci during the two seasons were similar ( approximately 10(3) CFU/g); the most prevalent were Enterococcus casseliflavus (41.5% of isolates) and Enterococcus hirae (41.5%) in WI and Enterococcus faecium (36.8%), E. casseliflavus (27.6%), and Enterococcus faecalis (22.4%) in SU. Resistance in WI was detected primarily to tetracycline (50.8%), ciprofloxacin (13.8%), and erythromycin (4.6%). SU isolates were resistant mainly to tetracycline (22.8%), erythromycin (22.1%), and kanamycin (13.0%). The most common tet gene was tet(M) (35.4% of WI isolates and 11.9% of SU isolates). The prevalence of virulence genes (gelE, asa1, cylA, and esp) and marker genes for clinical isolates (EF_0573, EF_0592, EF_0605, EF_1420, EF_2144, and pathogenicity island EF_0050) was low (< or =12.3%). Genotyping of E. faecalis and E. faecium using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed that the food contamination likely originated from various sources and that it was not clonal. Our conservative estimate (single AR gene copy per cell) for the influx of tet genes alone to the human digestive tract is 3.8 x 10(5) per meal (chicken salad). This AR gene influx is frequent because RTEFs are commonly consumed and that may play a role in the acquisition of AR determinants in the human digestive tract. PMID- 17766450 TI - Impact of pH on lactate formation and utilization by human fecal microbial communities. AB - The human intestine harbors both lactate-producing and lactate-utilizing bacteria. Lactate is normally present at <3 mmol liter(-1) in stool samples from healthy adults, but concentrations up to 100 mmol liter(-1) have been reported in gut disorders such as ulcerative colitis. The effect of different initial pH values (5.2, 5.9, and 6.4) upon lactate metabolism was studied with fecal inocula from healthy volunteers, in incubations performed with the addition of dl lactate, a mixture of polysaccharides (mainly starch), or both. Propionate and butyrate formation occurred at pH 6.4; both were curtailed at pH 5.2, while propionate but not butyrate formation was inhibited at pH 5.9. With the polysaccharide mix, lactate accumulation occurred only at pH 5.2, but lactate production, estimated using l-[U-(13)C]lactate, occurred at all three pH values. Lactate was completely utilized within 24 h at pH 5.9 and 6.4 but not at pH 5.2. At pH 5.9, more butyrate than propionate was formed from l-[U-(13)C]lactate in the presence of polysaccharides, but propionate, formed mostly by the acrylate pathway, was the predominant product with lactate alone. Fluorescent in situ hybridization demonstrated that populations of Bifidobacterium spp., major lactate producers, increased approximately 10-fold in incubations with polysaccharides. Populations of Eubacterium hallii, a lactate-utilizing butyrate producing bacterium, increased 100-fold at pH 5.9 and 6.4. These experiments suggest that lactate is rapidly converted to acetate, butyrate, and propionate by the human intestinal microbiota at pH values as low as 5.9, but at pH 5.2 reduced utilization occurs while production is maintained, resulting in lactate accumulation. PMID- 17766452 TI - Propagation of arthropod-borne Rickettsia spp. in two mosquito cell lines. AB - Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular alphaproteobacteria that include pathogenic species in the spotted fever, typhus, and transitional groups. The development of a standardized cell line in which diverse rickettsiae can be grown and compared would be highly advantageous to investigate the differences among and between pathogenic and nonpathogenic species of rickettsiae. Although several rickettsial species have been grown in tick cells, tick cells are more difficult to maintain and they grow more slowly than insect cells. Rickettsia-permissive arthropod cell lines that can be passaged rapidly are highly desirable for studies on arthropod-Rickettsia interactions. We used two cell lines (Aedes albopictus cell line Aa23 and Anopheles gambiae cell line Sua5B) that have not been used previously for the purpose of rickettsial propagation. We optimized the culture conditions to propagate one transitional-group rickettsial species (Rickettsia felis) and two spotted-fever-group rickettsial species (R. montanensis and R. peacockii) in each cell line. Both cell lines allowed the stable propagation of rickettsiae by weekly passaging regimens. Stable infections were confirmed by PCR, restriction digestion of rompA, sequencing, and the direct observation of bacteria by fluorescence in situ hybridization. These cell lines not only supported rickettsial growth but were also permissive toward the most fastidious species of the three, R. peacockii. The permissive nature of these cell lines suggests that they may potentially be used to isolate novel rickettsiae or other intracellular bacteria. Our results have important implications for the in vitro maintenance of uncultured rickettsiae, as well as providing insights into Rickettsia-arthropod interactions. PMID- 17766451 TI - Decarboxylation of sorbic acid by spoilage yeasts is associated with the PAD1 gene. AB - The spoilage yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae degraded the food preservative sorbic acid (2,4-hexadienoic acid) to a volatile hydrocarbon, identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry as 1,3-pentadiene. The gene responsible was identified as PAD1, previously associated with the decarboxylation of the aromatic carboxylic acids cinnamic acid, ferulic acid, and coumaric acid to styrene, 4-vinylguaiacol, and 4-vinylphenol, respectively. The loss of PAD1 resulted in the simultaneous loss of decarboxylation activity against both sorbic and cinnamic acids. Pad1p is therefore an unusual decarboxylase capable of accepting both aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acids as substrates. All members of the Saccharomyces genus (sensu stricto) were found to decarboxylate both sorbic and cinnamic acids. PAD1 homologues and decarboxylation activity were found also in Candida albicans, Candida dubliniensis, Debaryomyces hansenii, and Pichia anomala. The decarboxylation of sorbic acid was assessed as a possible mechanism of resistance in spoilage yeasts. The decarboxylation of either sorbic or cinnamic acid was not detected for Zygosaccharomyces, Kazachstania (Saccharomyces sensu lato), Zygotorulaspora, or Torulaspora, the genera containing the most notorious spoilage yeasts. Scatter plots showed no correlation between the extent of sorbic acid decarboxylation and resistance to sorbic acid in spoilage yeasts. Inhibitory concentrations of sorbic acid were almost identical for S. cerevisiae wild-type and Deltapad1 strains. We concluded that Pad1p-mediated sorbic acid decarboxylation did not constitute a significant mechanism of resistance to weak-acid preservatives by spoilage yeasts, even if the decarboxylation contributed to spoilage through the generation of unpleasant odors. PMID- 17766453 TI - Yeast community structures and dynamics in healthy and Botrytis-affected grape must fermentations. AB - Indigenous yeast population dynamics during the fermentation of healthy and Botrytis-affected grape juice samples from two regions in Greece, Attica and Arcadia, were surveyed. Species diversity was evaluated by using restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analyses of the 5.8S internal transcribed spacer and the D1/D2 ribosomal DNA (rDNA) regions of cultivable yeasts. Community-level profiles were also obtained by direct analysis of fermenting samples through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of 26S rDNA amplicons. Both approaches revealed structural divergences in yeast communities between samples of different sanitary states or geographical origins. In all cases, Botrytis infection severely perturbed the bioprocess of fermentation by dramatically altering species heterogeneity and succession during the time course. At the beginning and middle of fermentations, Botrytis-affected samples possessed higher levels of biodiversity than their healthy counterparts, being enriched with fermentative and/or spoilage species, such as Zygosaccharomyces bailii and Issatchenkia spp. or Kluyveromyces dobzhanskii and Kazachstania sp. populations that have not been reported before for wine fermentations. Importantly, Botrytis-affected samples exposed discrete final species dominance. Selection was not species specific, and two different populations, i.e., Saccharomyces cerevisiae in samples from Arcadia and Z. bailii in samples from Attica, could be recovered at the end of Botrytis-affected fermentations. The governing of wine fermentations by Z. bailii is reported for the first time and could elucidate the origins and role of this particular spoilage microbe for the wine industry. This is the first survey to compare healthy and Botrytis-affected spontaneous fermentations by using both culture-based and -independent molecular methods in an attempt to further illuminate the complex yeast ecology of grape must fermentations. PMID- 17766454 TI - Damage in Escherichia coli cells treated with a combination of high hydrostatic pressure and subzero temperature. AB - The relationship between membrane permeability, changes in ultrastructure, and inactivation in Escherichia coli strain K-12TG1 cells subjected to high hydrostatic pressure treatment at room and subzero temperatures was studied. Propidium iodide staining performed before and after pressure treatment made it possible to distinguish between reversible and irreversible pressure-mediated cell membrane permeabilization. Changes in cell ultrastructure were studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which showed noticeable condensation of nucleoids and aggregation of cytosolic proteins in cells fixed after decompression. A novel technique used to mix fixation reagents with the cell suspension in situ under high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and subzero-temperature conditions made it possible to show the partial reversibility of pressure-induced nucleoid condensation. However, based on visual examination of TEM micrographs, protein aggregation did not seem to be reversible. Reversible cell membrane permeabilization was noticeable, particularly for HHP treatments at subzero temperature. A correlation between membrane permeabilization and cell inactivation was established, suggesting different mechanisms at room and subzero temperatures. We propose that the inactivation of E. coli cells under combined HHP and subzero temperature occurs mainly during their transiently permeabilized state, whereas HHP inactivation at room temperature is related to a balance of transient and permanent permeabilization. The correlation between TEM results and cell inactivation was not absolute. Further work is required to elucidate the effects of pressure-induced damage on nucleoids and proteins during cell inactivation. PMID- 17766455 TI - Detection of Salmonella spp. in retail raw food samples from Vietnam and characterization of their antibiotic resistance. AB - A study was conducted to examine the levels of Salmonella spp. contamination in raw food samples, including chicken, beef, pork, and shellfish, from Vietnam and to determine their antibiotic resistance characteristics. A total of 180 samples were collected and examined for the presence of Salmonella spp., yielding 91 Salmonella isolates. Sixty-one percent of meat and 18% of shellfish samples were contaminated with Salmonella spp. Susceptibility of all isolates to a variety of antimicrobial agents was tested, and resistance to tetracycline, ampicillin/amoxicillin, nalidixic acid, sulfafurazole, and streptomycin was found in 40.7%, 22.0%, 18.7%, 16.5%, and 14.3% of the isolates, respectively. Resistance to enrofloxacin, trimethoprim, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, and gentamicin was also detected (8.8 to 2.2%). About half (50.5%) of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and multiresistant Salmonella isolates, resistant to at least three different classes of antibiotics, were isolated from all food types. One isolate from chicken (serovar Albany) contained a variant of the Salmonella genomic island 1 antibiotic resistance gene cluster. The results show that antibiotic resistance in Salmonella spp. in raw food samples from Vietnam is significant. PMID- 17766456 TI - Direct evidence for production of microcystins by Anabaena strains from the Baltic Sea. AB - Anabaena is a filamentous, N(2)-fixing, and morphologically diverse genus of cyanobacteria found in freshwater and brackish water environments worldwide. It contributes to the formation of toxic blooms in freshwater bodies through the production of a range of hepatotoxins or neurotoxins. In the Baltic Sea, Anabaena spp. form late summer blooms, together with Nodularia spumigena and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. It has been long suspected that Baltic Sea Anabaena may produce microcystins. The presence of microcystins has been reported for the coastal regions of the Baltic proper, and a recent report also indicated the presence of the toxin in the open Gulf of Finland. However, at present there is no direct evidence linking Baltic Sea Anabaena spp. to microcystin production. Here we report on the isolation of microcystin-producing strains of the genus Anabaena in the open Gulf of Finland. The dominant microcystin variants produced by these strains included the highly toxic MCYST-LR as well as [d-Asp(3)]MCYST-LR, [d Asp(3)]MCYST-HtyR, MCYST-HtyR, [d-Asp(3),Dha(7)]MCYST-HtyR, and [Dha(7)]MCYST HtyR variants. Toxic strains were isolated from the coastal Gulf of Finland as well as from the easternmost open-sea sampling station, where there were lower salinities than at other stations. This result suggests that lower salinity may favor microcystin-producing Anabaena strains. Furthermore, we sequenced 16S rRNA genes and found evidence for pronounced genetic heterogeneity of the microcystin producing Anabaena strains. Future studies should take into account the potential presence of microcystin-producing Anabaena sp. in the Gulf of Finland. PMID- 17766457 TI - New insights into the ligninolytic capability of a wood decay ascomycete. AB - Wood-grown cultures of Daldinia concentrica oxidized a permethylated beta-(14)C labeled synthetic lignin to (14)CO(2) and also cleaved a permethylated alpha (13)C-labeled synthetic lignin to give C(alpha)-C(beta) cleavage products that were detected by (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. Therefore, this ascomycete resembles white-rot basidiomycetes in attacking the recalcitrant nonphenolic structures that predominate in lignin. PMID- 17766458 TI - Bacterial endosymbiont of the slender pigeon louse, Columbicola columbae, allied to endosymbionts of grain weevils and tsetse flies. AB - The current study focuses on a symbiotic bacterium found in the slender pigeon louse, Columbicola columbae (Insecta: Phthiraptera). Molecular phylogenetic analyses indicated that the symbiont belongs to the gamma subdivision of the class Proteobacteria and is allied to Sodalis glossinidius, the secondary symbiont of tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) and also to the primary symbiont of grain weevils (Sitophilus spp.). Relative-rate tests revealed that the symbiont of C. columbae exhibits accelerated molecular evolution in comparison with the tsetse fly symbiont and the weevil symbiont. Whole-mount in situ hybridization was used to localize the symbiont and determine infection dynamics during host development. In first- and second-instar nymphs, the symbionts were localized in the cytoplasm of oval bacteriocytes that formed small aggregates on both sides of the body cavity. In third-instar nymphs, the bacteriocytes migrated to the central body and were finally located in the anterior region of the lateral oviducts, forming conspicuous tissue formations called ovarial ampullae. In adult females, the symbionts were transmitted from the ovarial ampullae to developing oocytes in the ovarioles. In adult males, the bacteriocytes often disappeared without migration. A diagnostic PCR survey of insects collected from Japan, the United States, Australia, and Argentina detected 96.5% (109/113) infection, with a few uninfected male insects. This study provides the first microbial characterization of a bacteriocyte-associated symbiont from a chewing louse. Possible biological roles of the symbiont are discussed in relation to the host nutritional physiology associated with the feather-feeding lifestyle. PMID- 17766459 TI - Fate of the two-component lantibiotic lacticin 3147 in the gastrointestinal tract. AB - The component peptides of lacticin 3147 were degraded by alpha-chymotrypsin in vitro with a resultant loss of antimicrobial activity. Activity was also lost in ileum digesta. Following oral ingestion, neither of the lacticin 3147 peptides was detected in the gastric, jejunum, or ileum digesta of pigs, and no lacticin 3147 activity was found in the feces. These observations suggest that lacticin 3147 ingestion is unlikely to have adverse effects, since it is probably inactivated during intestinal transit. PMID- 17766460 TI - Transcriptomics-based identification of novel factors enhancing heterologous protein secretion in yeasts. AB - Efficient production of heterologous proteins with yeasts and other eukaryotic hosts is often hampered by inefficient secretion of the product. Limitation of protein secretion has been attributed to a low folding rate, and a rational solution is the overexpression of proteins supporting folding, like protein disulfide isomerase (Pdi), or the unfolded protein response transcription factor Hac1. Assuming that other protein factors which are not directly involved in protein folding may also support secretion of heterologous proteins, we set out to analyze the differential transcriptome of a Pichia pastoris strain overexpressing human trypsinogen versus that of a nonexpressing strain. Five hundred twenty-four genes were identified to be significantly regulated. Excluding those genes with totally divergent functions (like, e.g., core metabolism), we reduced this number to 13 genes which were upregulated in the expression strain having potential function in the secretion machinery and in stress regulation. The respective Saccharomyces cerevisiae homologs of these genes, including the previously characterized secretion helpers PDI1, ERO1, SSO2, KAR2/BiP, and HAC1 as positive controls, were cloned and overexpressed in a P. pastoris strain expressing a human antibody Fab fragment. All genes except one showed a positive effect on Fab fragment secretion, as did the controls. Six out of these novel secretion helper factors, more precisely Bfr2 and Bmh2 (involved in protein transport), the chaperones Ssa4 and Sse1, the vacuolar ATPase subunit Cup5, and Kin2 (a protein kinase connected to exocytosis), proved their benefits for practical application in laboratory-scale production processes by increasing both specific production rates and the volumetric productivity of an antibody fragment up to 2.5-fold in fed-batch fermentations of P. pastoris. PMID- 17766461 TI - Fully codon-optimized luciferase uncovers novel temperature characteristics of the Neurospora clock. AB - We report the complete reconstruction of the firefly luciferase gene, fully codon optimized for expression in Neurospora crassa. This reporter enhances light output by approximately 4 log orders over that with previously available versions, now producing light that is visible to the naked eye and sufficient for monitoring the activities of many poorly expressed genes. Time lapse photography of strains growing in race tubes, in which the frq or eas/ccg-2 promoter is used to drive luciferase, shows the highest levels of luciferase activity near the growth front and newly formed conidial bands. Further, we have established a sorbose medium colony assay that will facilitate luciferase-based screens. The signals from sorbose-grown colonies of strains in which the frq promoter drives luciferase exhibit the properties of circadian rhythms and can be tracked for many days to weeks. This reporter now makes it possible to follow the clock in real time, even in strains or under conditions in which the circadian rhythm in conidial banding is not expressed. This property has been used to discover short, ca. 15-h period rhythms at high temperatures, at which banding becomes difficult to observe in race tubes, and to generate a high-resolution temperature phase response curve. PMID- 17766462 TI - Transcriptional gene silencing reveals two distinct groups of Entamoeba histolytica Gal/GalNAc-lectin light subunits. AB - The Entamoeba histolytica cell surface Gal/GalNAc-inhibitable lectin is a heterodimer between a heavy (170 kDa) subunit linked via a disulfide bond to a light (31 to 35 kDa) subunit. Five light subunit genes with high homology have been identified (Ehlgl1 to -5). We have previously shown that silencing of the expression of Ehlgl1, in the G3 trophozoites which had already been silenced in the amoebapore gene (Ehap-a), also suppressed the transcription of Ehlgl2 and -3 (strain RBV). The total absence of the lgl1 to -3 subunits in the RBV trophozoites affected their ability to cap the surface Gal-lectin molecules to the uroid region. We have now found that in the RBV trophozoites, the lgl4 and -5 subunits (31 kDa) are overexpressed and appear to compensate for the missing lgl1 to -3 in the heterodimer complex. Transcriptional silencing of Ehlgl5 was achieved by transfection of G3 trophozoites with a plasmid containing the open reading frame of Ehlgl5 ligated to the 5' promoter region of the Ehap-a gene. The transfected trophozoites (strain L5) were silenced in Ehlgl5 and the closely related Ehlgl4, while the expression of the larger lgl1 to -3 subunits was upregulated. L5 trophozoites retained their ability to cap the Gal-lectin molecules. Attempts to simultaneously silence all of the Ehlgl genes have failed so far, possibly due to their crucial importance to the Gal-lectin functions. Our ability to silence part of the genes belonging to the same family can serve as a tool to study the relationships and functions of the members of other gene families. PMID- 17766464 TI - Candida albicans Sfl1 suppresses flocculation and filamentation. AB - Hyphal morphogenesis in Candida albicans is regulated by multiple pathways which act by either inducing or repressing filamentation. Most notably, Tup1, Nrg1, and Rfg1 are transcriptional repressors, while Efg1, Flo8, Cph1, and Czf1 can induce filamentation. Here, we present the functional analysis of CaSFL1, which encodes the C. albicans homolog of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SFL1 (suppressor of flocculation) gene. Deletion of CaSFL1 results in flocculation (i.e., the formation of clumps) of yeast cells, which is most pronounced in minimal medium. The flocs contained hyphae already under noninducing conditions, and filamentation could be enhanced with hypha-inducing cues at 37 degrees C. Expression of SFL1 in a heterozygous mutant under the control of the CaMET3 promoter was shown to complement these defects and allowed switching between wild type and mutant phenotypes. Interestingly, increased expression of SFL1 using a MET3prom-SFL1 construct prior to the induction of filamentation completely blocked germ tube formation. To localize Sfl1 in vivo, we generated a SFL1-GFP fusion. Sfl1-green fluorescent protein was found in the nucleus in both yeast cells and, to a lesser extent, hyphal cells. Using reverse transcription-PCR, we find an increased expression of ALS1, ALS3, HWP1, ECE1, and also FLO8. Our results suggest that Sfl1 functions in the repression of flocculation and filamentation and thus represents a novel negative regulator of C. albicans morphogenesis. PMID- 17766463 TI - Artemisinin induces calcium-dependent protein secretion in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. AB - Intracellular calcium controls several crucial cellular events in apicomplexan parasites, including protein secretion, motility, and invasion into and egress from host cells. The plant compound thapsigargin inhibits the sarcoplasmic endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA), resulting in elevated calcium and induction of protein secretion in Toxoplasma gondii. Artemisinins are natural products that show potent and selective activity against parasites, making them useful for the treatment of malaria. While the mechanism of action is uncertain, previous studies have suggested that artemisinin may inhibit SERCA, thus disrupting calcium homeostasis. We cloned the single-copy gene encoding SERCA in T. gondii (TgSERCA) and demonstrate that the protein localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum in the parasite. In extracellular parasites, TgSERCA partially relocalized to the apical pole, a highly active site for regulated secretion of micronemes. TgSERCA complemented a calcium ATPase-defective yeast mutant, and this activity was inhibited by either thapsigargin or artemisinin. Treatment of T. gondii with artemisinin triggered calcium-dependent secretion of microneme proteins, similar to the SERCA inhibitor thapsigargin. Artemisinin treatment also altered intracellular calcium in parasites by increasing the periodicity of calcium oscillations and inducing recurrent, strong calcium spikes, as imaged using Fluo-4 labeling. Collectively, these results demonstrate that artemisinin perturbs calcium homeostasis in T. gondii, supporting the idea that Ca2+-ATPases are potential drug targets in parasites. PMID- 17766465 TI - Hydrogen production by termite gut protists: characterization of iron hydrogenases of Parabasalian symbionts of the termite Coptotermes formosanus. AB - Cellulolytic flagellated protists in the guts of termites produce molecular hydrogen (H(2)) that is emitted by the termites; however, little is known about the physiology and biochemistry of H(2) production from cellulose in the gut symbiotic protists due to their formidable unculturability. In order to understand the molecular basis for H(2) production, we here identified two genes encoding proteins homologous to iron-only hydrogenases (Fe hydrogenases) in Pseudotrichonympha grassii, a large cellulolytic symbiont in the phylum Parabasalia, in the gut of the termite Coptotermes formosanus. The two Fe hydrogenases were phylogenetically distinct and had different N-terminal accessory domains. The long-form protein represented a phylogenetic lineage unique among eukaryotic Fe hydrogenases, whereas the short form was monophyletic with those of other parabasalids. Active recombinant enzyme forms of these two Fe hydrogenases were successfully obtained without the specific auxiliary maturases. Although they differed in their extent of specific activity and optimal pH, both enzymes preferentially catalyzed H(2) evolution rather than H(2) uptake. H(2) evolution, at least that associated with the short-form enzyme, was still active even under high hydrogen partial pressure. H(2) evolution activity was detected in the hydrogenosomal fraction of P. grassii cells; however, the vigorous H(2) uptake activity of the endosymbiotic bacteria compensated for the strong H(2) evolution activity of the host protists. The results suggest that termite gut symbionts are a rich reservoir of novel Fe hydrogenases whose properties are adapted to the gut environment and that the potential of H(2) production in termite guts has been largely underestimated. PMID- 17766467 TI - Atrial myocardium is the predominant inotropic target of adrenomedullin in the human heart. AB - Adrenomedullin (ADM) is an endogenous peptide with favorable hemodynamic effects in vivo. In this study, we characterized the direct functional effects of ADM in isolated preparations from human atria and ventricles. In electrically stimulated human nonfailing right atrial trabeculae, ADM (0.0001-1 micromol/l) increased force of contraction in a concentration-dependent manner, with a maximal increase by 35 +/- 8% (at 1 micromol/l; P < 0.05). The positive inotropic effect was accompanied by a disproportionate increase in calcium transients assessed by aequorin light emission [by 76 +/- 20%; force/light ratio (DeltaF/DeltaL) 0.58 +/ 0.15]. In contrast, elevation of extracellular calcium (from 2.5 to 3.2 mmol/l) proportionally increased force and aequorin light emission (DeltaF/DeltaL 1.0 +/- 0.1; P < 0.05 vs. ADM). Consistent with a cAMP-dependent mechanism, ADM (1 micromol/l) increased atrial cAMP levels by 90 +/- 12%, and its inotropic effects could be blocked by the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor H-89. ADM also exerted positive inotropic effects in failing atrial myocardium and in nonfailing and failing ventricular myocardium. The inotropic response was significantly weaker in ventricular vs. atrial myocardium and in failing vs. nonfailing myocardium. In conclusion, ADM exerts Ca(2+)-dependent positive inotropic effects in human atrial and less-pronounced effects in ventricular myocardium. The inotropic effects are related to increased cAMP levels and stimulation of PKA. In heart failure, the responsiveness to ADM is reduced in atria and ventricles. PMID- 17766466 TI - Kinesin-13 regulates flagellar, interphase, and mitotic microtubule dynamics in Giardia intestinalis. AB - Microtubule depolymerization dynamics in the spindle are regulated by kinesin-13, a nonprocessive kinesin motor protein that depolymerizes microtubules at the plus and minus ends. Here we show that a single kinesin-13 homolog regulates flagellar length dynamics, as well as other interphase and mitotic dynamics in Giardia intestinalis, a widespread parasitic diplomonad protist. Both green fluorescent protein-tagged kinesin-13 and EB1 (a plus-end tracking protein) localize to the plus ends of mitotic and interphase microtubules, including a novel localization to the eight flagellar tips, cytoplasmic anterior axonemes, and the median body. The ectopic expression of a kinesin-13 (S280N) rigor mutant construct caused significant elongation of the eight flagella with significant decreases in the median body volume and resulted in mitotic defects. Notably, drugs that disrupt normal interphase and mitotic microtubule dynamics also affected flagellar length in Giardia. Our study extends recent work on interphase and mitotic kinesin-13 functioning in metazoans to include a role in regulating flagellar length dynamics. We suggest that kinesin-13 universally regulates both mitotic and interphase microtubule dynamics in diverse microbial eukaryotes and propose that axonemal microtubules are subject to the same regulation of microtubule dynamics as other dynamic microtubule arrays. Finally, the present study represents the first use of a dominant-negative strategy to disrupt normal protein function in Giardia and provides important insights into giardial microtubule dynamics with relevance to the development of antigiardial compounds that target critical functions of kinesins in the giardial life cycle. PMID- 17766468 TI - Profound biopterin oxidation and protein tyrosine nitration in tissues of ApoE null mice on an atherogenic diet: contribution of inducible nitric oxide synthase. AB - Diminished nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity and enhanced peroxynitrite formation have been implicated as major contributors to atherosclerotic vascular dysfunctions. Hallmark reactions of peroxynitrite include the accumulation of 3 nitrotyrosine (3-NT) in proteins and oxidation of the NO synthase (NOS) cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)). The present study sought to 1) quantify the extent to which 3-NT accumulates and BH(4) becomes oxidized in organs of apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) atherosclerotic mice and 2) determine the specific contribution of inducible NOS (iNOS) to these processes. Whereas protein 3-NT and oxidized BH(4) were undetected or near the detection limit in heart, lung, and kidney of 3-wk-old ApoE(-/-) mice or ApoE(-/-) mice fed a regular chow diet for 24 wk, robust accumulation was evident after 24 wk on a Western (atherogenic) diet. Since 3-NT accumulation was diminished 3- to 20-fold in heart, lung, and liver in ApoE(-/-) mice missing iNOS, iNOS-derived species are involved in this reaction. In contrast, iNOS-derived species did not contribute to elevated protein 3-NT formation in kidney or brain. iNOS deletion also afforded marked protection against BH(4) oxidation in heart, lung, and kidney of atherogenic ApoE(-/-) mice but not in brain or liver. These findings demonstrate that iNOS derived species are increased during atherogenesis in ApoE(-/-) mice and that these species differentially contribute to protein 3-NT accumulation and BH(4) oxidation in a tissue-selective manner. Since BH(4) oxidation can switch the predominant NOS product from NO to superoxide, we predict that progressive NOS uncoupling is likely to drive atherogenic vascular dysfunctions. PMID- 17766469 TI - S-allylcysteine mediates cardioprotection in an acute myocardial infarction rat model via a hydrogen sulfide-mediated pathway. AB - S-allylcysteine (SAC) is an organosulfur-containing compound derived from garlic. Studies have shown that garlic is beneficial in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to elucidate if SAC is responsible for this cardioprotection using acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rat models. In addition, we hypothesized that SAC may mediate cardioprotection via a hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S)-related pathway. Rats were pretreated with saline, SAC (50 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)), SAC + propagylglycine (PAG; 50 mg + 10 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)) or PAG (10 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)) for 7 days before AMI induction and killed 48 h after. Our results showed that SAC significantly lowered mortality (12.5% vs. 33.3%, P < 0.05) and reduced infarct size. SAC + PAG- and PAG-treated rats had larger infarct sizes than controls (60.9 +/- 0.01 and 62.0 +/- 0.03%, respectively, vs. 50.0 +/- 0.03%; P < 0.05). Pretreatment with SAC did not affect BP, but BP was significantly elevated in SAC + PAG and PAG-treated groups (P < 0.05). In addition, plasma H(2)S levels and left ventricular cystathionine-gamma-lyase (CSE) activities were analyzed to investigate the involvement of H(2)S. CSE is the enzyme responsible for H(2)S production in the heart. SAC increased left ventricular CSE activity in AMI rats (2.75 +/- 0.34 vs. 1.23 +/- 0.16 micromol x g protein(-1) x h(-1); P < 0.01). SAC + PAG-treated rats had significantly lower CSE activity compared with the SAC-treated group (1.22 +/- 0.27 vs. 2.75 +/- 0.34 micromol x g protein(-1) x h(-1); P < 0.05). Similarly, SAC-treated rats had higher plasma H(2)S concentration compared with controls and the SAC + PAG treated group. Protein expression studies revealed that SAC upregulated CSE expression (1.1-fold of control; P < 0.05), whereas SAC + PAG and PAG downregulated its expression (0.88-fold of control in both groups; P < 0.005). In conclusion, our study provides novel evidence that SAC is protective in myocardial infarction via an H(2)S-related pathway. PMID- 17766471 TI - Heat shock treatment results in increased recruitment of labeled PMN following myocardial infarction. AB - One of the proposed mechanisms for the myocardial protective effects of heat shock (HS) treatment has been a reduction in the inflammatory response. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of HS treatment in an established model of polymorphonuclear cell (PMN) migration following myocardial infarction (MI). Isolated purified PMNs (10 x 10(6) cells) labeled with (51)Cr were injected into Lewis rats following a left thoracotomy and ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery causing MI. Two experimental groups of animals were created: MI group (n = 11) and HS+MI group (n = 7). HS treatment consisted of an elevation in core temperature to 42 degrees C for 15 min 24 h prior to MI. An additional group of control animals underwent sham thoracotomy (n = 5). All animals were euthanized at 24 h after MI, and gamma counts were obtained to estimate PMN migration. Myocardial injury was confirmed in all experimental animals (histology and echocardiography). The serum troponin I and infarct size (triphenyltetrazolium chloride) were similar in both groups. Labeled PMN migration was significantly higher in HS+MI animals (14.3 x 10(4) +/- 3.7 x 10(4) PMN) compared with MI group (9.5 x 10(4) +/- 3.6 x 10(4); P = 0.01), suggesting increased PMN migration as a result of HS treatment. HS treatment did not affect PMN migration to positive skin control sites (LPS). ICAM-1 myocardial expression was not significantly increased in HS+MI compared with MI group. In summary, HS treatment results in increased PMN migration into myocardium following MI independent of ICAM-1. These findings suggest that the proposed cardioprotective effect of HS may not be entirely due to a downregulation of myocardial inflammation as previously proposed. PMID- 17766470 TI - Loss of mXinalpha, an intercalated disk protein, results in cardiac hypertrophy and cardiomyopathy with conduction defects. AB - The intercalated disk protein Xin was originally discovered in chicken striated muscle and implicated in cardiac morphogenesis. In the mouse, there are two homologous genes, mXinalpha and mXinbeta. The human homolog of mXinalpha, Cmya1, maps to chromosomal region 3p21.2-21.3, near a dilated cardiomyopathy with conduction defect-2 locus. Here we report that mXinalpha-null mouse hearts are hypertrophied and exhibit fibrosis, indicative of cardiomyopathy. A significant upregulation of mXinbeta likely provides partial compensation and accounts for the viability of the mXinalpha-null mice. Ultrastructural studies of mXinalpha null mouse hearts reveal intercalated disk disruption and myofilament disarray. In mXinalpha-null mice, there is a significant decrease in the expression level of p120-catenin, beta-catenin, N-cadherin, and desmoplakin, which could compromise the integrity of the intercalated disks and functionally weaken adhesion, leading to cardiac defects. Additionally, altered localization and decreased expression of connexin 43 are observed in the mXinalpha-null mouse heart, which, together with previously observed abnormal electrophysiological properties of mXinalpha-deficient mouse ventricular myocytes, could potentially lead to conduction defects. Indeed, ECG recordings on isolated, perfused hearts (Langendorff preparations) show a significantly prolonged QT interval in mXinalpha-deficient hearts. Thus mXinalpha functions in regulating the hypertrophic response and maintaining the structural integrity of the intercalated disk in normal mice, likely through its association with adherens junctional components and actin cytoskeleton. The mXinalpha-knockout mouse line provides a novel model of cardiac hypertrophy and cardiomyopathy with conduction defects. PMID- 17766472 TI - Hemoglobin oxygen fractional saturation regulates nitrite-dependent vasodilation of aortic ring bioassays. AB - Nitrite reacts with deoxyhemoglobin to generate nitric oxide (NO). This reaction has been proposed to contribute to nitrite-dependent vasodilation in vivo and potentially regulate physiological hypoxic vasodilation. Paradoxically, while deoxyhemoglobin can generate NO via nitrite reduction, both oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin potently scavenge NO. Furthermore, at the very low O(2) tensions required to deoxygenate cell-free hemoglobin solutions in aortic ring bioassays, surprisingly low doses of nitrite can be reduced to NO directly by the blood vessel, independent of the presence of hemoglobin; this makes assessments of the role of hemoglobin in the bioactivation of nitrite difficult to characterize in these systems. Therefore, to study the O(2) dependence and ability of deoxhemoglobin to generate vasodilatory NO from nitrite, we performed full factorial experiments of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and nitrite and found a highly significant interaction between hemoglobin deoxygenation and nitrite dependent vasodilation (P < or = 0.0002). Furthermore, we compared the effect of hemoglobin oxygenation on authentic NO-dependent vasodilation using a NONOate NO donor and found that there was no such interaction, i.e., both oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin inhibited NO-mediated vasodilation. Finally, we showed that another NO scavenger, 2-carboxyphenyl-4,4-5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3 oxide, inhibits nitrite-dependent vasodilation under normoxia and hypoxia, illustrating the uniqueness of the interaction of nitrite with deoxyhemoglobin. While both oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin potently inhibit NO, deoxyhemoglobin exhibits unique functional duality as an NO scavenger and nitrite-dependent NO generator, suggesting a model in which intravascular NO homeostasis is regulated by a balance between NO scavenging and NO generation that is dynamically regulated by hemoglobin's O(2) fractional saturation and allosteric nitrite reductase activity. PMID- 17766473 TI - Roles of vasoconstrictor prostaglandins, COX-1 and -2, and AT1, AT2, and TP receptors in a rat model of early 2K,1C hypertension. AB - Angiotensin (ANG) II activating type 1 receptors (AT(1)Rs) enhances superoxide anion (O(2)*(-)) and arachidonate (AA) formation. AA is metabolized by cyclooxygenases (COXs) to PGH(2), which is metabolized by thromboxane (Tx)A(2) synthase to TxA(2) or oxidized to 8-isoprostane PGF(2alpha) (8-Iso) by O(2)*(-). PGH(2), TxA(2), and 8-Iso activate thromboxane-prostanoid receptors (TPRs). We investigated whether blood pressure in a rat model of early (3 wk) two-kidney, one-clip (2K,1C) Goldblatt hypertension is maintained by AT(1)Rs or AT(2)Rs, driving COX-1 or -2-dependent products that activate TPRs. Compared with sham operated rats, 2K,1C Goldblatt rats had increased mean arterial pressure (MAP; 120 +/- 4 vs. 155 +/- 3 mmHg; P < 0.001), plasma renin activity (PRA; 22 +/- 7 vs. 48 +/- 5 ng x ml(-1) x h(-1); P < 0.01), plasma malondialdehyde (1.07 +/- 0.05 vs. 1.58 +/- 0.16 nmol/l; P < 0.01), and TxB(2) excretion (26 +/- 4 vs. 51 +/- 7 ng/24 h; P < 0.01). Acute graded intravenous doses of benazeprilat (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor) reduced MAP at 20 min (-36 +/- 5 mmHg; P < 0.001) and excretion of TxA(2) metabolites. Indomethacin (nonselective COX antagonist) or SC-560 (COX-1 antagonist) reduced MAP at 20 min (-25 +/- 5 and -28 +/- 7 mmHg; P < 0.001), whereas valdecoxib (COX-2 antagonist) was ineffective (-9 +/- 5 mmHg; not significant). Losartan (AT(1)R antagonist) or SQ-29548 (TPR antagonist) reduced MAP at 150 min (-24 +/- 6 and -22 +/- 3 mmHg; P < 0.001), whereas PD-123319 (AT(2)R antagonist) was ineffective. Acute blockade of TPRs, COX-1, or COX-2 did not change PRA, but TxB(2) generation by the clipped kidney was reduced by blockade of COX-1 and increased by blockade of COX-2. 2K,1C hypertension in rats activates renin, O(2)*(-), and vasoconstrictor PGs. Hypertension is maintained by AT(1)Rs and by COX-1, but not COX-2, products that activate TPRs. PMID- 17766474 TI - Blockade of purinergic 2 receptors attenuates the mechanoreceptor component of the exercise pressor reflex. AB - The finding that pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2,4-disulfonic acid (PPADS), a P2 antagonist, attenuated the pressor response to calcaneal tendon stretch, a purely mechanical stimulus, raises the possibility that P2 receptors sensitize mechanoreceptors to static contraction of the triceps surae muscles. The mechanical component of the exercise pressor reflex, which is evoked by static contraction, can be assessed by measuring renal sympathetic nerve activity during the first 2-5 s of this maneuver. During this period of time, group III mechanoreceptors often discharge explosively in response to the sudden tension developed at the onset of contraction. In decerebrated cats, we, therefore, examined the effect of PPADS (10 mg/kg) injected into the popliteal artery on the renal sympathetic and pressor responses to contraction and stretch. We found that PPADS significantly attenuated the renal sympathetic response to contraction, with the effect starting 2 s after its onset and continuing throughout its 60-s period. PPADS also significantly attenuated the renal sympathetic nerve response to stretch, but did so after a latency of 10 s. Our findings lead us to conclude that P2 receptors sensitize group III muscle afferents to contraction. The difference in the onset latency between the PPADS-induced attenuation of the renal sympathetic response to contraction and the renal sympathetic response to stretch is probably due to the sensitivities of different populations of group III afferents to ATP released during contraction and stretch. PMID- 17766475 TI - WISE 2005: chronic bed rest impairs microcirculatory endothelium in women. AB - Sedentary behavior has deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system, including reduced endothelial functions. A 2-mo bed rest study in healthy women [women international space simulation for exploration (WISE) 2005 program] presented a unique opportunity to analyze the specific effects of prolonged inactivity without other vascular risk factors on the endothelium. We investigated endothelial properties before and after 56 days of bed rest in 8 subjects who performed no exercise (control group: No-EX) and in 8 subjects who regularly performed treadmill exercise in a lower body negative pressure chamber as well as resistance exercise (countermeasure group, EX). A functional evaluation of the microcirculation in the skin was assessed with laser Doppler. We studied endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation using iontophoresis of acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside, respectively. We also measured circulating endothelial cells (CECs), an index of endothelial damage. In the No-EX group, endothelium-dependent vasodilation was significantly reduced (35.4 +/- 4.8% vs. 24.1 +/- 3.8%, P < 0.05) by bed rest with a significant increase in the number of CECs (3.6 +/- 1.4 vs. 10.6 +/- 2.7 ml(-1), P < 0.05). In the EX group, endothelium-dependent vasodilation and number of CECs were preserved. Our study shows that in humans prolonged bed rest causes impairment of endothelium-dependent function at the microcirculatory level, along with an increase in circulating endothelial cells. Microcirculatory endothelial dysfunction might participate in cardiovascular deconditioning, as well as in several bed rest-induced pathologies. We therefore conclude that the endothelium should be a target for countermeasures during periods of prolonged deconditioning. PMID- 17766476 TI - Signals from type 1 sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors enhance adult mouse cardiac myocyte survival during hypoxia. AB - Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a biologically active lysophospholipid that serves as a key regulator of cellular differentiation and survival. Immune stimuli increase S1P synthesis and secretion by mast cells and platelets, implicating this molecule in tissue responses to injury and inflammation. Binding of S1P to G(i) protein-coupled receptors activates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Akt in a variety of tissues. To elucidate the mechanisms by which S1P enhances adult cardiac myocyte survival during hypoxia, we used a mouse cell culture system in which S1P(1) receptors were observed to transduce signals from exogenous S1P, an S1P(1) receptor antibody with agonist properties, and the pharmacological agents FTY720 and SEW2871. S1P(1) receptor mRNA and protein were abundantly expressed by adult mouse cardiac myocytes. S1P-S1P(1) receptor axis enhancement of myocyte survival during hypoxia was abolished by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibition. S1P(1) receptor function was closely associated with activation of Akt, inactivation of GSK-3beta, and reduction of cytochrome c release from heart mitochondria. These observations highlight the importance of S1P(1) receptors on ventricular myocytes as mediators of inducible resistance against cellular injury during severe hypoxic stress. PMID- 17766477 TI - Proteinase-activated receptor-2 activating peptides: distinct canine coronary artery receptor systems. AB - In canine coronary artery preparations, the proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR(2)) activating peptides (PAR(2)-APs) SLIGRL-NH(2) and 2-furoyl-LIGRLO-NH(2) caused both an endothelium-dependent relaxation and an endothelium-independent contraction. Relaxation was caused at peptide concentrations 10-fold lower than those causing a contractile response. Although trans-cinnamoyl-LIGRLO-NH(2), like other PAR(2)-APs, caused relaxation, it was inactive as a contractile agonist and instead antagonized the contractile response to SLIGRL-NH(2). RT-PCR-based sequencing of canine PAR(2) revealed a cleavage/activation (indicated by underlines) sequence (SKGR/SLIGKTDSSLQITGKG) that is very similar to the human PAR(2) sequence (R/SLIGKV). As a synthetic peptide, the canine PAR-AP (SLIGKT NH(2)) was a much less potent agonist than either SLIGRL-NH(2) or 2-furoyl-LIGRLO NH(2), either in the coronary contractile assay or in a Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell PAR(2) calcium signaling assay. In the MDCK signaling assay, the order of potencies was as follows: 2-furoyl-LIGRLO-NH(2) >> SLIGRL-NH(2) = trans cinnamoyl-LIGRLO-NH(2) >> SLIGKT-NH(2), as expected for PAR(2) responses. In the coronary contractile assay, however, the order of potencies was very different: SLIGRL-NH(2) >> 2-furoyl-LIGRLO-NH(2) >> SLIGKT-NH(2), trans-cinnamoyl-LIGRLO NH(2) = antagonist. Because of 1) the distinct agonist (relaxant) and antagonist (contractile) activity of trans-cinnamoyl-LIGRLO-NH(2) in the canine coronary contractile assays, 2) the different concentration ranges over which the peptides caused either relaxation or contraction in the same coronary preparation, and 3) the markedly distinct structure-activity profiles for the PAR-APs in the coronary contractile assay, compared with those for PAR(2)-mediated MDCK cell calcium signaling, we suggest that the canine coronary tissue possesses a receptor system for the PAR-APs that is distinct from PAR(2) itself. PMID- 17766478 TI - Lysozyme, a mediator of sepsis, impairs the cardiac neural adrenergic response by nonendothelial release of NO and inhibitory G protein signaling. AB - We previously showed that lysozyme (Lzm-S), derived from leukocytes, caused myocardial depression in canine sepsis by binding to the endocardial endothelium to release nitric oxide (NO). NO then diffuses to adjacent myocytes to activate the cGMP pathway. In a canine right ventricular trabecular (RVT) preparation, Lzm S also decreased the inotropic response to field stimulation (FSR) during which the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves were simulated to measure the adrenergic response. In the present study, we determined whether the pathway by which Lzm-S decreased FSR was different from the pathway by which Lzm-S reduced steady-state (SS) contraction. Furthermore, we determined whether the decrease in FSR was due to a decrease in sympathetic stimulation or enhanced parasympathetic signaling. In the RVT preparation, we found that the inhibitory effect of Lzm-S on FSR was prevented by NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors. A cGMP inhibitor also blocked the depressant activity of Lzm-S. However, in contrast to the Lzm-S induced decline in SS contraction, chemical removal of the endocardial endothelium by Triton X-100 to eliminate endothelial NO release did not prevent the decrease in FSR. An inhibitory G protein was involved in the effect of Lzm-S, since FSR could be restored by treatment with pertussis toxin. Atropine prevented the Lzm-S-induced decline in FSR, whereas beta(1)- and beta(2)-adrenoceptor function was not impaired by Lzm-S. These results indicate that the Lzm-S-induced decrease in FSR results from a nonendothelial release of NO. NO then acts through inhibitory G protein to enhance parasympathetic signaling. PMID- 17766479 TI - Simulated ischemia enhances L-type calcium current in pacemaker cells isolated from the rabbit sinoatrial node. AB - Ischemic-like conditions (a glucose-free, pH 6.6 Tyrode solution bubbled with 100% N(2)) enhance L-type Ca current (I(Ca,L)) in single pacemaker cells (PCs) isolated from the rabbit sinoatrial node (SAN). In contrast, studies of ventricular myocytes have shown that acidic extracellular pH, as employed in our "ischemic" Tyrode, reduces I(Ca,L). Therefore, our goal was to explain why I(Ca,L) is increased by "ischemia" in SAN PCs. The major findings were the following: 1) blockade of Ca-induced Ca release with ryanodine, exposure of PCs to BAPTA-AM, or replacement of extracellular Ca(2+) with Ba(2+) failed to prevent the ischemia-induced enhancement of I(Ca,L); 2) inhibition of protein kinase A with H-89, or calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II with KN-93, reduced I(Ca,L) but did not prevent its augmentation by ischemia; 3) ischemic Tyrode or pH 6.6 Tyrode shifted the steady-state inactivation curve in the positive direction, thereby reducing inactivation; 4) ischemic Tyrode increased the maximum conductance but did not affect the activation curve; 5) in rabbit atrial myocytes isolated and studied with exactly the same techniques used for SAN PCs, ischemic Tyrode reduced the maximum conductance and shifted the activation curve in the positive direction; pH 6.6 Tyrode also shifted the steady-state inactivation curve in the positive direction. We conclude that the acidic pH of ischemic Tyrode enhances I(Ca,L) in SAN PCs, because it increases the maximum conductance and reduces inactivation. Furthermore, the opposite results obtained with rabbit atrial myocytes cannot be explained by differences in cell isolation or patch-clamp techniques. PMID- 17766480 TI - Proinflammatory and vasodilator effects of nociceptin/orphanin FQ in the rat mesenteric microcirculation are mediated by histamine. AB - Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) is the endogenous ligand for the N/OFQ peptide receptor (NOP). N/OFQ causes hypotension and vasodilation, and we aimed to determine the role of histamine in inflammatory microvascular responses to N/OFQ. Male Wistar rats (220-300 g, n = 72) were anesthetized with thiopental (30 mg/kg bolus, 40-90 mg x kg(-1) x h(-1) iv), and the mesentery was prepared for fluorescent intravital microscopy using fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated BSA (FITC-BSA, 0.25 ml/100 g iv) or 1 microm fluorescently labeled microspheres. N/OFQ (0.6-60 nmol/kg iv) caused hypotension (SAP, baseline: 154 +/- 11 mmHg, 15 nmol/kg N/OFQ: 112 +/- 10 mmHg, P = 0.009), vasodilation (venules: 23.9 +/- 1.2 microm, 26.7 +/- 1.2 microm, P = 0.006), macromolecular leak (interstitial gray level FITC-BSA: 103.7 +/- 3.4, 123.5 +/- 11.8, P = 0.009), and leukocyte adhesion (2.0 +/- 0.9, 15.2 +/- 0.9/100 microm, P = 0.036). Microsphere velocity also decreased (venules: 1,230 +/- 370 microm/s, P = 0.037), but there were no significant changes in blood flow. Flow cytometry measured a concurrent increase in neutrophil expression of cd11b with N/OFQ vs. controls (Geo mean fluorescence: 4.19 +/- 0.13 vs. 2.06 +/- 0.38, P < 0.05). The NOP antagonist [Nphe(1),Arg(14),Lys(15)]N/OFQ-NH(2) (UFP-101; 60 and 150 nmol/kg iv), H(1) and H(2)antagonists pyrilamine (mepyramine, 1 mg/kg iv) and ranitidine (1 mg/kg iv), and mast cell stabilizer cromolyn (1 mg x kg(-1) x min(-1)) also abolished vasodilation and macromolecular leak to N/OFQ in vivo (P < 0.05), but did not affect hypotension. Isolated mesenteric arteries (approximately 200 microm, n = 25) preconstricted with U-46619 were also mounted on a pressure myograph (60 mmHg), and both intraluminally and extraluminally administered N/OFQ (10(-5) M) caused dilation, inhibited by pyrilamine in the extraluminal but not the intraluminal (control: -6.9 +/- 3.8%; N/OFQ: 32.6 +/- 8.4%; pyrilamine: 31.5 +/- 6.8%, n = 18, P < 0.05) experiments. We conclude that, in vivo, mesenteric microvascular dilation and macromolecular leak occur via N/OFQ-NOP-mediated release of histamine from mast cells. Therefore, N/OFQ-NOP has an important role in microvascular inflammation, and this may be targeted during disease, particularly as we have proven that UFP-101 is an effective antagonist of microvascular responses in vivo. PMID- 17766481 TI - Hypertrophy signaling during peripartum cardiac remodeling. AB - Molecular signaling pathways that regulate peripartum cardiac remodeling are not well understood. Our objectives were to study the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), protein kinase B (Akt), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in mediating pregnancy and postpartum (PP) cardiac remodeling. METHODS: Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into nonpregnant (n = 5), 18 days pregnant (n = 5), 0 days PP (n = 7), and 14 days PP (n = 8). Rats underwent echocardiography under sedation to measure left ventricle (LV) size and function, and Western blots were performed to measure myocardial protein expression of MAPKs (p38, JNK, ERK), Akt, and eNOS. RESULTS: 1) During pregnancy, there was an increase in LV mass (0.62 +/- 0.03 to 1.1 +/- 0.04 g, P < 0.001), mass/volume ratio (0.7 +/- 0.02 to 1.28 +/- 0.02 g/ml, P < 0.0001), and ejection fraction (EF) (64 +/- 3 to 74 +/- 2%). Whereas LV mass and mass/volume ratio returned to prepregnancy values in the PP period, EF remained below normal range (53 +/- 3%, P < 0.05). 2) The expression of anti-hypertrophic factors (p38, JNK, Akt) decreased during pregnancy and normalized PP, except JNK, which increased to higher than normal levels. eNOS also increased to higher than baseline levels PP. 3) Activation of p38 and JNK was directly correlated with lower LV mass/volume ratio (r = -0.81 and -0.71, respectively; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Pregnancy is associated with physiological cardiac hypertrophy. There is rapid reversal of hypertrophy in the PP period while recovery of cardiac function is delayed, possibly related to PP upregulation of JNK. A dysregulation of MAPK signaling may be an important determinant of PP cardiac dysfunction. PMID- 17766482 TI - The effect of adrenomedullin on the L-type calcium current in myocytes from septic shock rats: signaling pathway. AB - Adrenomedullin (ADM) is upregulated in cardiac tissue under various pathophysiological conditions, particularly in septic shock. The intracellular mechanisms involved in the effect of ADM on adult rat ventricular myocytes are still to be elucidated. Ventricular myocytes were isolated from adult rats 4 h after an intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 mg/kg). Membrane potential and L-type calcium current (I(Ca,L)) were determined using whole cell patch-clamp methods. APD in LPS group was significantly shorter than control values (time to 50% repolarization: LPS, 169 +/- 2 ms; control, 257 +/- 2 ms, P < 0.05; time to 90% repolarization: LPS, 220 +/- 2 ms; control, 305 +/- 2 ms, P < 0.05). I(Ca,L) density was significantly reduced in myocytes from the LPS group (-3.2 +/- 0.8 pA/pF) compared with that of control myocytes (-6.7 +/- 0.3 pA/pF, P < 0.05). The ADM antagonist ADM-(22-52) reversed the shortened APD and abolished the reduction of I(Ca,L) in shock myocytes. In myocytes from control rats, incubating with ADM for 1 h induced a marked decrease in peak I(Ca,L) density. This effect was reversed by ADM-(22-52). The G(i) protein inhibitor, pertussis toxin (PTX), the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor, KT-5720, and the specific cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor, nimesulide, reversed the LPS-induced reduction in peak I(Ca,L). The results suggest a COX-2-involved PKA-dependent switch from G(s) coupled to PTX-sensitive G(i) coupling by ADM in adult rat ventricular myocytes. The present study delineates the intracellular pathways involved in ADM-mediated effects on I(Ca,L) in adult rat ventricular myocytes and also suggests a role of ADM in sepsis. PMID- 17766484 TI - Individual and combined effects of shear stress magnitude and spatial gradient on endothelial cell gene expression. AB - The apparent tendency of atherosclerotic lesions to form in complex blood flow environments has led to many theories regarding the importance of hemodynamic forces in endothelium-mediated atherosusceptibility. The effects of shear stress magnitude and spatial shear stress gradient on endothelial cell gene expression in vitro were examined in this study. Converging-width flow channels were designed to impose physiological ranges of shear stress gradient and magnitude on porcine aortic endothelial cells, and real-time quantitative PCR was performed to evaluate their expression of five genes of interest. Although vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression was insensitive to either variable, each of the remaining genes exhibited a unique dependence on shear stress magnitude and gradient. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase showed a strong positive dependence on magnitude but was insensitive to gradient. The expression of c-jun was weakly correlated with magnitude and gradient, without an interaction effect. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression varied inversely with gradient and also depended on the interaction of gradient with magnitude. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression also exhibited an interaction effect, and increased with shear magnitude. These results support the notion that vascular endothelial cells are able to sense shear gradient and magnitude independently. PMID- 17766483 TI - Carbon monoxide and Ca2+-activated K+ channels in cerebral arteriolar responses to glutamate and hypoxia in newborn pigs. AB - Large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (K(Ca)) channels regulate the physiological functions of many tissues, including cerebrovascular smooth muscle. l-Glutamic acid (glutamate) is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, and oxygen tension is a dominant local regulator of vascular tone. In vivo, glutamate and hypoxia dilate newborn pig cerebral arterioles, and both dilations are blocked by inhibition of carbon monoxide (CO) production. CO dilates cerebral arterioles by activating K(Ca) channels. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of glutamate and hypoxia on cerebral CO production and the role of K(Ca) channels in the cerebral arteriolar dilations to glutamate and hypoxia. In the presence of iberiotoxin or paxilline that block dilation to the K(Ca) channel opener, NS 1619, neither CO nor glutamate dilated pial arterioles. Conversely, neither paxilline nor iberiotoxin inhibited dilation to acute severe or moderate prolonged hypoxia. Both glutamate and hypoxia increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) CO concentration. Iberiotoxin that blocked dilation to glutamate did not attenuate the increase in CSF CO. The guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, 1H (1,2,4)oxadiazolo(4,3-a)quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), which blocked dilation to sodium nitroprusside, did not inhibit dilation to hypoxia. These data suggest that dilation of newborn pig pial arterioles to glutamate is mediated by activation of K(Ca) channels, consistent with the intermediary signal being CO. Surprisingly, although 1) heme oxygenase (HO) inhibition attenuates dilation to hypoxia, 2) hypoxia increases CSF CO concentration, and 3) K(Ca) channel antagonists block dilation to CO, neither K(Ca) channel blockers nor ODQ altered dilation to hypoxia, suggesting the contribution of the HO/CO system to hypoxia-induced dilation is not by stimulating vascular smooth muscle K(Ca) channels or guanylyl cyclase. PMID- 17766485 TI - Reactive oxygen species contribute to sleep apnea-induced hypertension in rats. AB - In clinical studies, sleep apnea is associated with hypertension, oxidative stress, and increased circulating endothelin-1 (ET-1). We previously developed a model of sleep apnea by exposing rats to eucapnic intermittent hypoxia (IH-C) during sleep, which increases both blood pressure and plasma levels of ET-1. Because similar protocols in mice increase tissue and plasma markers of oxidative stress, we hypothesized that IH-C generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to the development of ET-1-dependent hypertension in IH-C rats. To test this, male Sprague-Dawley rats were instrumented with indwelling blood pressure telemeters and drank either plain water or water containing the superoxide dismutase mimetic, Tempol (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1 oxyl, 1 mM). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded for 3 control days and 14 treatment days with rats exposed 7 h/day to IH-C or air/air cycling (Sham). On day 14, MAP in IH-C rats treated with Tempol (107 +/- 2.29 mmHg) was significantly lower than in untreated IH-C rats (118 +/- 9 mmHg, P < 0.05). Tempol did not affect blood pressure in sham-operated rats (Tempol = 101 +/- 3, water = 101 +/- 2 mmHg). Immunoreactive ET-1 was greater in plasma from IH C rats compared with plasma from sham-operated rats but was not different from Sham in Tempol-treated IH-C rats. Small mesenteric arteries from IH-C rats but not Tempol-treated IH-C rats had increased superoxide levels as measured by ferric cytochrome c reduction, lucigenin signaling, and dihydroethidium fluorescence. The data show that IH-C increases ET-1 production and vascular ROS levels and that scavenging superoxide prevents both. Thus oxidative stress appears to contribute to increases in ET-1 production and elevated arterial pressure in this rat model of sleep apnea-induced hypertension. PMID- 17766486 TI - Effects of acute exercise, exercise training, and diabetes on the expression of lymphangiogenic growth factors and lymphatic vessels in skeletal muscle. AB - Blood and lymphatic vessels together form the circulatory system, allowing the passage of fluids and molecules within the body. Recently we showed that lymphatic capillaries are also found in the capillary bed of skeletal muscle. Exercise is known to induce angiogenesis in skeletal muscle, but it is not known whether exercise has effects on lymphangiogenesis or lymphangiogenic growth factors. We studied lymphatic vessel density and expression of the main lymphangiogenic growth factors VEGF-C and VEGF-D and their receptor VEGFR-3 in response to acute running exercise and endurance exercise training in the skeletal muscle of healthy and diabetic mice. VEGF-C mRNA expression increased after the acute exercise bout (P < 0.05) in healthy muscles, but there was no change in diabetic muscles. VEGF-C levels were not changed either in healthy or in diabetic muscle after the exercise training. Neither acute exercise nor exercise training had an effect on the mRNA expression of VEGF-D or VEGFR-3 in healthy or diabetic muscles. Lymphatic vessel density was similar in sedentary and trained mice and was >10-fold smaller than blood capillary density. Diabetes increased the mRNA expression of VEGF-D (P < 0.01). Increased immunohistochemical staining of VEGF-D was found in degenerative muscle fibers in the diabetic mice. In conclusion, the results suggest that acute exercise or exercise training does not significantly affect lymphangiogenesis in skeletal muscle. Diabetes increased the expression of VEGF-D in skeletal muscle, and this increase may be related to muscle fiber damage. PMID- 17766487 TI - Hexarelin suppresses cardiac fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis in rat. AB - Abnormal growth of cardiac fibroblasts is critically involved in the pathophysiology of cardiac hypertrophy/remodeling. Hexarelin is a synthetic growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), which possesses a variety of cardiovascular protective activities mediated via the GHS receptor (GHSR), including improving cardiac dysfunction and remodeling. The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of GHS on cardiac fibrosis are, however, not clear. In this report, cultured cardiac fibroblasts from 8-day-old rats were stimulated with ANG II or FCS to induce proliferation. The fibroblast proliferation and DNA and collagen synthesis were evaluated utilizing 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, (3)H-thymidine incorporation, and (3)H proline incorporation. The level of mRNA of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta was evaluated by RT-PCR, and the active TGF-beta1 release from cardiac fibroblasts was evaluated by ELISA. The level of cellular cAMP was measured by radioimmunoassay. In addition, the effects of 3,7-dimethyl-l-propargylxanthine (DMPX; a specific adenosine receptor A(2)R antagonist) and 8-cyclopentyl-1,3 dipropylxanthine (DPCPX; a specific A(1)R antagonist) were tested. It was found that incubation with 10(-7) mol/l hexarelin for 24 h 1) inhibited the ANG II induced proliferation and collagen synthesis and the 5% FCS- and TGF-beta-induced increase of DNA synthesis in cardiac fibroblast and 2) reduced ANG II-induced upregulation of TGF-beta mRNA expression and active TGF-beta1 release from fibroblasts. Hexarelin increased the cellular level of cAMP in cardiac fibroblasts. DMPX (10(-8) mol/l) but not DPCPX abolished the effect of hexarelin on cardiac fibroblast DNA synthesis. It is concluded that hexarelin inhibits DNA and collagen synthesis and proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts through activation of both GHSR and A(2)R and diminishment of ANG II-induced increase in TGF-beta expression and release. PMID- 17766488 TI - "Masculinizing" effect on respiratory morbidity in girls from unlike-sex preterm twins: a possible transchorionic paracrine effect. AB - OBJECTIVES: Preterm male infants are at a disadvantage when compared with female infants regarding the incidence of respiratory and neurologic morbidity and mortality. At term, female infants from unlike-sex twin pairs have birth weights that are closer to their male co-twins than to girls from like-sex twin pairs. We hypothesized that if the male disadvantage is mediated via factors that affect fetal lung development, there may be a potential effect on the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome and its complications in female infants from unlike sex pairs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this population-based study we used data from the Israel Neonatal Network, which included data from 8858 very low birth weight (500-1500 g) infants of 24 to 34 weeks' gestation. The incidence of morbidity and mortality was compared in male and female infants from singletons and like-sex and unlike-sex twin pairs. Multivariable analyses were used, accounting for relevant confounding variables. RESULTS: Male singletons and like-sex twins were at increased risk for mortality, respiratory distress syndrome, pneumothorax, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage, and periventricular leukomalacia. However, in unlike-sex twin pairs, no difference was seen in the incidence of respiratory morbidity between male and female twins. The male disadvantage was maintained for mortality and periventricular intraventricular hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the difference in morbidity and mortality between male and female premature infants represents a male disadvantage as opposed to a female advantage and that this disadvantage may be transferred from boys to girls in unlike-sex twin pairs, perhaps via an intrauterine paracrine effect. PMID- 17766489 TI - Clinical manifestations and predictors of severe malaria in Indian children. AB - OBJECTIVE: Although the greatest morbidity and mortality attributable to malaria occurs among children in Africa, up to one third of the world's malaria burden is borne by non-African countries, where levels of endemicity are lower. Because there are few published criteria for managing life-threatening malaria in children in these countries, we conducted a study of major syndromes and predictors of death among critically ill Indian children to identify factors that could be used to improve the approach to their treatment. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted at the pediatric ward of SCB Medical College in eastern India (Orissa). Baseline demographic data were collected on all of the patients with confirmed slide-positive falciparum malaria. Patients satisfying any 1 of the 2000 World Health Organization criteria for severe malaria were included in the analysis. Prevalence of and mortality as a result of major symptoms were calculated followed by multiple regression modeling to identify major predictors of death. RESULTS: Of 1682 confirmed cases of malaria during a 32-month period, 374 subjects met the World Health Organization criteria for severe malaria. The case fatality rate was 12% in this series. Multiple regression analysis identified respiratory distress, coma, multiple organ dysfunctions, and hyperparasitemia as major predictors of death. Anemia and jaundice did not emerge as important markers of mortality. Many patients presented with multiple major complications, and the mortality rate was consistently high when >1 major predictor was present in a patient. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical features in Indian children differed from those reported in most studies that involved an African population. Multiple organ dysfunctions emerged as an important presenting feature and a new predictor of death in childhood malaria. PMID- 17766490 TI - Effect of age and sedative agent on the accuracy of bispectral index in detecting depth of sedation in children. AB - OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated age- and sedative agent-related differences in bispectral index across observed sedation levels in a large sample of children < 18 years of age. PATIENTS AND METHODS: With institutional review board approval and waiver of consent, data from 4 independently conducted studies were combined in a secondary analysis of 3373 observations from 248 children aged 1 month to 18 years. In these studies, bispectral index values of sedated children were recorded in a blinded fashion, and sedation depth was scored using the University of Michigan Sedation Scale (UMSS). Bispectral index was evaluated across UMSS scores for several age groups and during use of each sedative agent (with/without opioids). RESULTS: There was a moderate inverse correlation between bispectral index and UMSS for all age groups. There were significant differences in bispectral index across UMSS and between each sedation level except UMSS 3 to 4 in all the age groups and UMSS 0 to 1 in infants. The mean bispectral index and the cutoff values on the receiver-operating-characteristic curve for mild, moderate, and deep sedation were significantly lower in infants < or = 6 months compared with older children at each sedation level. Bispectral index was reasonably sensitive and specific in differentiating mild (UMSS 0-1) from deeper (UMSS 3-4) levels of sedation but poorly differentiated between moderate and deep levels of sedation in all age groups. There was a moderate correlation between bispectral index and UMSS during the use of chloral hydrate, pentobarbital, propofol, and midazolam but poor correlation during ketamine or opioid use. Bispectral index values were significantly lower during deep sedation with propofol and pentobarbital compared with midazolam and chloral hydrate. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that, although bispectral index may differentiate light from deep sedation in most children, bispectral index must be interpreted cautiously in sedated children, with particular consideration given to patient age and use of sedative agents. PMID- 17766491 TI - Neurocognitive, functional, and health outcomes at 5 years of age for children after complex cardiac surgery at 6 weeks of age or younger. AB - OBJECTIVE: This work provides neurocognitive, functional, and health outcomes for 5-year survivors of early infant complex cardiac surgery, including those with chromosomal abnormalities. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of 85 children (22.4% mortality), 61 received multidisciplinary, individual evaluation and parental questionnaires at 5 years. Full-scale, verbal, and performance IQ scores were compared by using analysis of variance among children who received different surgeries (arterial switch, 20; Norwood for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, 14; simple total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, 6; miscellaneous, 21; and chromosomal abnormalities, 8). Predictions from mental scores at 2 years for IQ scores at 5 years were determined. RESULTS: Children with chromosomal abnormalities had lower full-scale and verbal IQs at 5 years than other survivors, with no differences found among the remaining groups. For children post-Norwood, performance IQ scores remained lower than for children after the arterial-switch operation. Prediction of full-scale IQ (<70) from 2-year mental scores for all 61 children were as follows: sensitivity, 87.5%; specificity, 88.1%; positive predictive value, 53.8%; and negative predictive value, 97.9%. For full-scale IQ of <85, predictions were 90.0%, 87.8%, 78.3%, and 94.7%, respectively. For those 53 without chromosomal abnormalities, full-scale IQ <70, respective predictions were 86.7%, 90.0%, 28.6%, and 97.8%, and for full-scale IQ <85, respective predictions were 85.7%, 89.7%, 75.0%, and 94.6%. Parental report indicated good health in 80% and adequate function in 67% to 88% of the children, although health-utilization numbers suggest that these reports are optimistic. CONCLUSIONS: Five-year full-scale and verbal IQs were similar among groups, excluding those with chromosomal abnormalities. Children with chromosomal abnormalities had the lowest scores. Excluding those with chromosomal abnormalities, the mean mental scores for the children as a group tended to increase from 2 to 5 years of age, with an overall high percentage of correct classifications at 2 years. PMID- 17766492 TI - Group B streptococcal infections in a northern region of Italy. AB - BACKGROUND: Group B streptococcus is a leading cause of neonatal bacterial infections. Despite adoption of preventive strategies, cases of infection continue to occur and there is concern that widespread antimicrobial prophylaxis might delay rather than prevent disease onset, increasing the rates of late-onset diseases. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and clinical features of early- and late-onset group B streptococcus disease in a northern region of Italy where a screening-based approach had been proposed. METHODS: A population-based study was prospectively conducted in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Infections that occurred during 2003-2005 in infants aged <3 months were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 112,933 live births, 56 cases of invasive disease (30 early- and 26 late-onset disease) were observed, giving an annual group B streptococcus disease incidence of 0.50 per 1000 live births. Eleven infants with early-onset disease showed no signs of illness or were mildly ill, whereas 19 had moderate-to-severe symptoms, and culture-proven meningitis was found in 2. Risk factors were detected in 12 women. Twenty-two mothers had antenatal screening; 5 were group B streptococcus colonized, but 17 were culture-negative. Prophylaxis was administered in 3 women. Three infants with late-onset diseases were mildly ill, whereas 23 had moderate-to-severe symptoms. Risk factors were found in 7 mothers. Late-onset diseases were clinically more severe than early-onset diseases; meningitis was diagnosed in 12 infants, and 4 of 26 died. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of early-onset disease was low. Some early infections were still observed because of negative screening results or missed opportunity for prevention. Late-onset diseases accounted for most meningitis cases and deaths. Strict adherence to protocols and adoption of optimal culture methods would further improve prevention of early-onset disease, but the aim of future strategies should be the prevention of all invasive diseases. PMID- 17766493 TI - Children of HIV-infected parents: custody status in a nationally representative sample. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work was to determine the rates and predictors of custody status for children of HIV-infected parents. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Data came from interviews of 538 parents with 1017 children (0-17 years old) from a nationally representative sample of HIV-infected adults receiving health care in the United States. Outcomes were collected at 2 survey waves and included child custody status and who, other than the HIV-infected parent, had custody of the child. Child custody status was categorized as (1) in custody of HIV-infected parent at both survey waves, (2) infected parent had custody at first survey wave but not second survey wave, (3) not in custody of infected parent at either survey wave, and (4) infected parent gained custody between survey waves. Potential custodians included (1) other biological parent, (2) state, foster, or adoptive parent, (3) grandparent, and (4) relative, friend, nonbiological parent, or other. Multinomial logistic regression modeled both outcomes. RESULTS: Forty seven percent of the children were in the custody of their HIV-infected parent at both survey waves, 4% were in the parent's custody at the first but not second survey wave, 42% were not in custody at either survey wave, and the parent of 7% gained custody between survey waves. Parents cited drug use (62%) and financial hardship (27%) as reasons for losing custody. Children of HIV-infected fathers, older parents, parents living without other adults, parents with low CD4 counts, drug-using parents, and parents with > or = 1 hospital stay were less likely to be in their parent's custody at either survey wave. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the children were not in custody of their HIV-infected parent at some time during the study period. Pediatricians and others taking care of children with HIV-infected parents may be able to offer counseling or referrals to assist parents with child custody issues. PMID- 17766494 TI - Interference by carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine with serum- and urine-screening assays for tricyclic antidepressants. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the potential cross reactivity of 2 antiepileptic medications containing 3-ringed structures, namely, carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine, with screening assays for tricyclic antidepressants. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 52 patients between 3 and 19 years of age who had been prescribed either carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine was conducted. A serum fluorescence-polarized immunoassay and a urine enzyme-linked immunoassay were used. The serum carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine level was measured. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, a confirmatory test for tricyclic antidepressant detection, was subsequently performed on the serum specimen. RESULTS: A linear dependency on medication level was observed with the serum fluorescence-polarized immunoassay assay. This relationship was stronger for carbamazepine (4.2 microg/L tricyclic antidepressant detected per microgram/liter of carbamazepine) than for oxcarbazepine (0.7 microg/L tricyclic antidepressant detected per milligram/liter). At higher carbamazepine levels (8.0-11.6 mg/L), 12 of 13 patients had a positive serum fluorescence-polarized immunoassay result; at lower levels (0.1-7.9 mg/L), only 1 of 20 had a positive result. None of the patients who were receiving oxcarbazepine showed significant tricyclic antidepressant activity on either assay. CONCLUSIONS: Carbamazepine interferes at a statistically significant level with serum fluorescence-polarized immunoassay assay and in a dose-dependent fashion. Neither carbamazepine nor oxcarbazepine exhibit significant tricyclic antidepressant activity on urine enzyme-linked immunoassay assay. PMID- 17766495 TI - Influences on children's oral health: a conceptual model. AB - OBJECTIVES: Despite marked improvements over the past century, oral health in America is a significant problem: caries is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Much oral health research examines influences primarily in the oral cavity or focuses on a limited number of individual-level factors. The purpose of this article was to present a more encompassing conceptual model of the influences on children's oral health. METHODS: The conceptual model presented here was derived from the population health and social epidemiology fields, which have moved toward multilevel, holistic approaches to analyze the complex and interactive causes of children's health problems. It is based on a comprehensive review of major population and oral health literatures. RESULTS: A multilevel conceptual model is described, with the individual, family, and community levels of influence on oral health outcomes. This model incorporates the 5 key domains of determinants of health as identified in the population health literature: genetic and biological factors, the social environment, the physical environment, health behaviors, and dental and medical care. The model recognizes the presence of a complex interplay of causal factors. Last, the model incorporates the aspect of time, recognizing the evolution of oral health diseases (eg, caries) and influences on the child-host over time. CONCLUSIONS: This conceptual model represents a starting point for thinking about children's oral health. The model incorporates many of the important breakthroughs by social epidemiologists over the past 25 years by including a broad range of genetic, social, and environmental risk factors; multiple pathways by which they operate; a time dimension; the notion of differential susceptibility and resilience; and a multilevel approach. The study of children's oral health from a global perspective remains largely in its infancy and is poised for additional development. This work can help inform how best to approach and improve children's oral health. PMID- 17766496 TI - The impact of parents' medication beliefs on asthma management. AB - BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest a relationship between parental beliefs about asthma medications and medication adherence. It is not clear how parents' positive and negative feelings about medications interact to influence medication adherence. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to describe parents' perceived need for and concerns about their child's asthma medications and to assess the weighted impact of these positive and negative beliefs on parent reported adherence. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of parents of children with asthma in southeast Michigan; response rate was 71%. Children with reported use of a preventive asthma medication were included (n = 622). We used a validated Beliefs About Medications Questionnaire (2 subscales: necessity and concern) to assess parents' positive and negative attitudes about their child's medications. To measure how parents weigh these beliefs, we also calculated a necessity-concern differential score (difference between necessity and concern subscales). We used a 4-item parent-report scale to measure medication adherence. RESULTS: The majority of children were nonminority. Overall, 72% of parents felt that their child's asthma medications were necessary, and 30% had strong concerns about the medications. For 77% of parents, necessity scores were higher than concern scores, and for 17%, concern exceeded necessity. Nonminority parents were more likely to have necessity scores exceed concern scores compared with minority parents (79% vs 68%). Mean adherence scores increased as the necessity-concern differential increased. In a multivariate mixed-model regression, a greater necessity-concern differential score and being nonminority predicted better adherence. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm a relationship between medication beliefs and adherence among parents of children with asthma. A better understanding of parents' medication beliefs and their impact on adherence may help clinicians counsel effectively to promote adherence. PMID- 17766498 TI - Family presence during pediatric trauma team activation: an assessment of a structured program. AB - OBJECTIVE: When a child presents to a trauma center with a serious injury, family members are often excluded from the initial trauma team evaluation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of a structured program of family presence during pediatric trauma team activations by measuring (1) the need for termination of family presence, (2) times to completion of key parts of the trauma evaluation, and (3) the opinions of staff surveyed immediately after conclusion of family presence. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that combined prospectively obtained data and surveys from trauma team evaluations in which family presence occurred, with retrospective chart review of all trauma activations during an 18-month study period. The study was conducted at a level 1 pediatric trauma center with a preestablished family presence program that assigns a staff member to screen family members for family presence, provide support, and record events. Times to completion of key components of the trauma evaluation were calculated and compared for cases with and without family presence. Cross-sectional surveys were performed immediately after each trauma team evaluation. RESULTS: A total of 197 family members participated in family presence. There were no cases of interference with medical care by family members. Seven family members were asked to leave the trauma area by staff after initiation of family presence for various reasons. Times to completion of key components of the trauma evaluation did not differ significantly between enrolled patients with family presence and those without family presence. Surveys were completed for 136 cases, and the majority of providers reported that family presence either had no effect on or improved medical decision-making (97%), institution of patient care (94%), communication among providers (92%), and communication with family members (98%). CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study suggests that there is an overall low prevalence of negative outcomes associated with family presence during pediatric trauma team evaluation after implementation of a structured family presence program. Excluding family members as a routine because of provider concerns about negative impact on clinical care does not seem to be indicated. PMID- 17766497 TI - Atopic dermatitis in children in the United States, 1997-2004: visit trends, patient and provider characteristics, and prescribing patterns. AB - OBJECTIVE: Atopic dermatitis is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease of childhood and is increasing in prevalence throughout the world. Morbidity and resource use for atopic dermatitis are comparable to other chronic diseases. Topical corticosteroids are first-line therapeutic agents for atopic dermatitis; topical calcineurin inhibitors are considered second-line agents for patients who are older than 2 years. The aims of this study were to examine trends in visits for atopic dermatitis in children in the United States between 1997 and 2004, identify factors that were associated with a pediatric visit for atopic dermatitis, and assess changes in the treatment of atopic dermatitis over time. METHODS: Visits for atopic dermatitis by children (0-18 years) to office-based physicians and hospital outpatient departments using 1997-2004 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey databases were analyzed. Medication prescribing rates during 2 time periods (1997 2000 and 2001-2004) were also analyzed. RESULTS: There were an estimated 7.4 million visits for atopic dermatitis. Statistically significant differences in patients with atopic dermatitis included age 2 to 5 years, black race, Asian race, and specialist or hospital outpatient clinic evaluation. The increase in atopic dermatitis visits per year was statistically significant. No statistical differences in prescribing rates were identified between the 2 time periods. Between 1997 and 2000, topical corticosteroids were prescribed in 34% of visits, decreasing to 25% between 2001 and 2004. Between 2001 and 2004, topical calcineurin inhibitors were prescribed in 23% of visits. In the same period, topical corticosteroids were prescribed in 24% of visits by children who were younger than 2 years; topical calcineurin inhibitors were prescribed in 22% of visits. CONCLUSIONS: Visits for atopic dermatitis in children are increasing. A recommended first-line treatment was prescribed in a minority of the visits. PMID- 17766499 TI - Functional outcomes and participation in young adulthood for very preterm and very low birth weight infants: the Dutch Project on Preterm and Small for Gestational Age Infants at 19 years of age. AB - OBJECTIVE: Young adults who were born very preterm or with a very low birth weight remain at risk for physical and neurodevelopmental problems and lower academic achievement scores. Data, however, are scarce, hospital based, mostly done in small populations, and need additional confirmation. METHODS: Infants who were born at < 32 weeks of gestation and/or with a birth weight of < 1500 g in The Netherlands in 1983 (Project on Preterm and Small for Gestational Age Infants) were reexamined at age 19. Outcomes were adjusted for nonrespondents using multiple imputation and categorized into none, mild, moderate, or severe problems. RESULTS: Of 959 surviving young adults, 74% were assessed and/or completed the questionnaires. Moderate or severe problems were present in 4.3% for cognition, 1.8% for hearing, 1.9% for vision, and 8.1% for neuromotor functioning. Using the Health Utility Index and the London Handicap Scale, we found 2.0% and 4.5%, respectively, of the young adults to have > or = 3 affected areas in activities and participation. Special education or lesser level was completed by 24%, and 7.6% neither had a paid job nor followed any education. Overall, 31.7% had > or = 1 moderate or severe problems in the assessed areas. CONCLUSIONS: A total of 12.6% of young adults who were born very preterm and/or with a very low birth weight had moderate or severe problems in cognitive or neurosensory functioning. Compared with the general Dutch population, twice as many young adults who were born very preterm and/or with a very low birth weight were poorly educated, and 3 times as many were neither employed nor in school at age 19. PMID- 17766500 TI - Healthy Steps for Young Children program in pediatric residency training: impact on primary care outcomes. AB - OBJECTIVE: Incorporating Healthy Steps for Young Children into pediatric practice has been shown to have positive effects for children and families. Although this model of care has also been integrated into several pediatric and family medicine training programs, published reports to date have focused only on residents' perceptions of their interactions with the model of care. In this study, we report the impact on primary care outcomes after integrating Healthy Steps for Young Children into residency training. METHODS: Continuity of care, longitudinal care in the practice, quality of primary care services, and rates of behavioral, developmental, and psychosocial diagnoses were measured for 3 cohorts: (1) Healthy Steps-enrolled children, (2) non-Healthy Steps-enrolled children who were followed at the same site of care, and (3) non-Healthy Steps-enrolled children who were receiving primary care at a similar residency training site within the same training program. All data were extracted from patient charts at the 2 practice sites. RESULTS: Continuity of care was significantly better for Healthy Steps-enrolled children compared with non-Healthy Steps-enrolled children at the Healthy Steps site for both total visits and health maintenance visits. Longitudinal care and quality of primary care services did not differ within or between sites. The rates of documentation of behavioral, developmental, or psychosocial diagnoses did not differ between Healthy Steps-enrolled and non Healthy Steps-enrolled children at the Healthy Steps for Young Children site but were significantly different between the Healthy Steps and the non-Healthy Steps for Young Children sites; the effect was driven wholly by differences in psychosocial diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple indices that measure health service outcomes suggest benefits of incorporating Healthy Steps for Young Children into pediatric residency training. Most important, continuity of care in residents' practices significantly improved, as did the residents' documentation of psychosocial issues in children. PMID- 17766501 TI - Predictors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in international adoptees. AB - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to measure the factors that are associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in international adoptees. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 880 international adoptees who presented to the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota between 1986 and 2001. Five tuberculin units of purified protein derivative were placed intradermally on the left forearm. The largest diameter of induration was measured in millimeters between 48 and 72 hours. Nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric measures at initial screening. Data on age, birth country, and year of adoption were assessed. RESULTS: Adoptees (mean age: 26 months; range: 1-200 months; 62% female) came from 33 birth countries. Twenty-eight percent and 5% had evidence of chronic and acute malnutrition, respectively. Twelve percent had evidence of M. tuberculosis infection. The odds of M. tuberculosis infection increased 7% for each subsequent year during the period studied, increased 142% with each additional year of age for children < or = 24 months of age at baseline screening, and increased 15% with each additional year of age for children > 24 months of age at the time of evaluation. Tuberculin skin test induration response was not associated with nutritional status or birth region. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated a high prevalence of M. tuberculosis infection and malnutrition in internationally adopted children, placing them at considerable risk for progression to tuberculosis disease. These findings also support current guidelines recommending completion of tuberculin screening immediately after adoption. PMID- 17766502 TI - Administration of inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine to parents of high-risk infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. AB - OBJECTIVE: Infants who are younger than 6 months and have influenza demonstrate significant morbidity and mortality. Trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine is indicated for parents and household contacts of these infants; however, the influenza vaccination rate in this population is estimated at 30%. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine administration to parents in a tertiary-care, level III NICU and measure the effect of this program on vaccination rates among parents of this high-risk population. METHODS: For a 4-month period during influenza season, all parents of admitted patients were informed of the risks and benefits of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine by placing an information letter at their infant's bedside. All staff were educated about the dangers of influenza and instructed to reinforce the need to obtain vaccination. Parents were screened, provided medical consent, and, when eligible, were immunized at their infant's bedside. RESULTS: During the study period, 158 children (273 parents) were admitted to the NICU with gestational ages ranging from 24 to 41 weeks; 220 parents (130 infants) were offered the vaccine, and 40 parents received the vaccine from their obstetrician. Overall vaccination rate was 95% (209 parents). A total of 23% of the parent population had never received trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine, despite having previous indications for immunization (smoking, asthma, or other children younger than 23 months, the indicated age for parental vaccination at the time of this study); 75% of the population received trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine for the first time. The 28 infants whose parents were not offered vaccine spent <72 hours in the NICU. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in the NICU is an effective means of increasing vaccination rates in parents of this population. In addition, the improved access and convenience allow for an increase in first-time vaccination of parents who were previously eligible to receive trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine but were never immunized. PMID- 17766503 TI - Routine immunization practices: use of topical anesthetics and oral analgesics. AB - BACKGROUND: Immunization pain is a global public health issue. Despite an abundance of data that demonstrate the efficacy of local anesthetics for decreasing immunization pain, their adoption in practice has not been determined. Our objective was to evaluate analgesic use during childhood immunization. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used a cluster-sampling survey of pediatricians in the greater Toronto area (who administer immunizations) and multiparous women. By using a self-administered survey, pediatricians reported frequency of analgesic use in their practice for 2 phases of immunization: injection (needle puncture and vaccine administration) and postinjection (hours to days postvaccination). By using an interviewer-administered face-to-face survey, mothers reported analgesic practices for their children. RESULTS: Of 195 eligible pediatricians, 140 (72%) responded. During the injection phase, 58% rarely or never used analgesics compared with 11% for the postinjection phase. During injection, the local anesthetics lidocaine-prilocaine and tetracaine were used at least sometimes in 12% and 2% of the practices, respectively, whereas acetaminophen and ibuprofen were used in 81% and 46%, respectively. Postinjection, acetaminophen and ibuprofen were used in 89% and 56% of practices. Of 257 eligible mothers, 200 (78%) participated. During injection, analgesics were used in 25% of immunizations (acetaminophen [87%], ibuprofen [7%], and lidocaine-prilocaine [6%]). Postinjection, analgesics were used in 33% of immunizations (acetaminophen [86%] and ibuprofen [14%]). CONCLUSIONS: A minority of pediatricians and mothers use topical local anesthetics during childhood immunization despite evidence to support their use. Oral analgesics are used more commonly, but this practice is not consistent with scientific evidence. Knowledge-translation strategies are needed to increase the use of local anesthesia. PMID- 17766504 TI - Effectiveness of a practice-based, multimodal quality improvement intervention for gastroenteritis within a Medicaid managed care network. AB - OBJECTIVE: Acute gastroenteritis results in 220,000 hospitalizations yearly in the United States. The substantial geographic variation in gastroenteritis care, coupled with the evidence of effective treatment of dehydration in nonhospital settings, suggests that the majority of these hospitalizations are avoidable. We sought to decrease hospitalizations for gastroenteritis by using practice-based, multimodal quality improvement methods that target multiple care processes to make them consistent with evidence-based guidelines. METHODS: We used a controlled before/after study design to evaluate a quality improvement intervention in a 20-practice Medicaid network. All 20 practices participated in continuing education sessions; received free oral rehydration solution, patient education materials, and performance feedback; and participated in a follow-up conference call. Three practices were chosen to develop and pilot office-process changes. These practices formed interdisciplinary teams to develop and test changes and collaborated with project faculty and each other. They shared their learning with the other 17 practices via a conference call and toolkit. We compared before/after gastroenteritis hospital admissions for children <5 years old covered by Medicaid in the intervention practices with all other Medicaid recipients in North Carolina using claims data from 2000-2002. RESULTS: The 3 high-intensity practices all made numerous changes to care processes. Most of the 17 low-intensity practices reported changes in their gastroenteritis care processes. Gastroenteritis admission rates declined 45% in high-intensity practices and 44% in low-intensity practices during the study compared with 11% in the control practices. CONCLUSIONS: A practice-based, multimodal quality improvement intervention that targets multiple care processes on the basis of evidence-based guidelines lowered rates of gastroenteritis hospitalization in a Medicaid network. This approach could lower costs attributable to gastroenteritis for Medicaid programs. PMID- 17766505 TI - Defect size determines survival in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. AB - OBJECTIVES: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a significant cause of neonatal mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical factors associated with death in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia by using a large multicenter data set. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of all liveborn infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia who were cared for at tertiary referral centers belonging to the Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Study Group between 1995 and 2004. Factors thought to influence death included birth weight, Apgar scores, size of defect, and associated anomalies. Survival to hospital discharge, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of hospital stay were evaluated as end points. RESULTS: A total of 51 centers in 8 countries contributed data on 3062 liveborn infants. The overall survival rate was 69%. Five hundred thirty-eight (18%) patients did not undergo an operation and died. The defect size was the most significant factor that affected outcome; infants with a near absence of the diaphragm had a survival rate of 57% compared with infants having a primary repair with a survival rate of 95%. Infants without agenesis but who required a patch for repair had a survival rate of 79% compared with primary repair. CONCLUSIONS: The size of the diaphragmatic defect seems to be the major factor influencing outcome in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. It is likely that the defect size is a surrogate marker for the degree of pulmonary hypoplasia. Future research efforts should be directed to accurately quantitate the degree of pulmonary hypoplasia or defect size antenatally. Experimental therapies can then be targeted to prospectively identify high-risk patients who are more likely to benefit. PMID- 17766506 TI - Healthy Steps for Young Children: sustained results at 5.5 years. AB - OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether Healthy Steps for Young Children has sustained treatment effects at 5.5 years, given early findings demonstrating enhanced quality of care and improvements in selected parenting practices. METHODS: Healthy Steps was a clinical trial that incorporated developmental specialists and enhanced developmental services into pediatric care in the first 3 years of life. A total of 5565 children were enrolled at birth and followed through 5.5 years. Healthy Steps was evaluated at 6 randomization and 9 quasi experimental sites. Computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted with mothers when Healthy Steps children were 5.5 years of age. Outcomes included experiences seeking care, parent response to child misbehavior, perception of child's behavior, and parenting practices to promote development and safety. Logistic regression was used to estimate overall effects of Healthy Steps, adjusting for site and baseline demographic characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 3165 (56.9%) families responded to interviews (usual care: n = 1441; Healthy Steps: n = 1724). Families that had received Healthy Steps services were more satisfied with care (agreed that pediatrician/nurse practitioner provided support, 82.0% vs 79.0%; odds ratio: 1.25 [95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.53]) and more likely to receive needed anticipatory guidance (54.9% vs 49.2%; odds ratio: 1.33 [95% confidence interval: 1.13-1.57]) (all P < .05). They also had increased odds of remaining at the original practice (65.1% vs 61.4%; odds ratio: 1.19 [95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.39]). Healthy Steps families reported reduced odds of using severe discipline (slap in face/spank with object, 10.1% vs 14.1%; odds ratio: 0.68 [95% confidence interval: 0.54-0.86]) and increased odds of often/almost always negotiating with their child (59.8% vs 56.3%; odds ratio: 1.20 [95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.39]). They had greater odds of reporting a clinical or borderline concern regarding their child's behavior (18.1% vs 14.8%; odds ratio: 1.35 [95% confidence interval: 1.10-1.64]) and their child reading books (59.4% vs 53.6%; odds ratio: 1.16 [95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.35]). There were no effects on safety practices. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained treatment effects, albeit modest, are consistent with early findings. Universal, practice based interventions can enhance quality of care for families with young children and can improve selected parenting practices beyond the duration of the intervention. PMID- 17766507 TI - Perceived milk intolerance is related to bone mineral content in 10- to 13-year old female adolescents. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine associations among lactose maldigestion status, perceived milk intolerance, dietary calcium intake, and bone mineral content in early adolescent girls. METHODS: Subjects were 291 girls who participated in a substudy of the multiple-site project Adequate Calcium Today. Lactose maldigestion status was determined with hydrogen breath testing, and questionnaires were used to assess perceived milk intolerance. Dietary calcium intake was estimated from a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometric measurements (total body, spine L2-L4, total hip, and hip femoral neck) were standardized across sites. RESULTS: Of the 230 girls who completed breath hydrogen testing, 65 were Asian, 76 were Hispanic, and 89 were non-Hispanic white. A total of 100 girls experienced increases in breath hydrogen levels of >20 ppm and were classified as lactose maldigesters. Of the 246 participants who completed useable perceived milk intolerance questionnaires, 47 considered themselves to be milk intolerant. Of the 47 girls self-reporting perceived milk intolerance, 40 completed breath hydrogen testing and 22 were not maldigesters. Girls with perceived milk intolerance consumed an average of 212 mg of total food calcium per day less than girls without perceived milk intolerance. Spinal bone mineral content was significantly lower in the girls with perceived milk intolerance, compared with the girls without perceived milk intolerance. When girls with lactose maldigestion were compared with girls without lactose maldigestion, there were no significant differences in calcium intake or bone measures. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that, starting as early as 10 years of age, self-imposed restriction of dairy foods because of perceived milk intolerance is associated with lower spinal bone mineral content values. The long-term influence of these behaviors may contribute to later risk for osteoporosis. PMID- 17766508 TI - Socioemotional effects of fathers' incarceration on low-income, urban, school aged children. AB - OBJECTIVE: The goal was to evaluate whether children of incarcerated fathers are more likely to report or exhibit behavioral symptoms than their equally disadvantaged peers without an incarcerated father. METHODS: During an ongoing longitudinal study of intrauterine cocaine exposure involving 102 children (50% male and 89% black) from urban, low-income homes, questions regarding incarceration of the child's father were asked of the child's primary caregiver at each visit during school age. Children were administered the Children's Depression Inventory between the ages of 6 and 11 years, and their primary caregivers completed the Child Behavior Checklist. In addition, the children's teachers completed the Teacher Report Form. Children's Depression Inventory, Child Behavior Checklist, and Teacher Report Form data obtained at the oldest available age after the first report of paternal incarceration were analyzed. RESULTS: In bivariate analyses, children whose fathers were in jail had higher Children's Depression Inventory total scores compared with children without incarcerated fathers, indicating more depressive symptoms. This finding was robust in multivariate analyses after adjustment for children's age, gender, prenatal cocaine and alcohol exposure, and school-age violence exposure. Teachers reported higher Teacher Report Form externalizing scores for children whose fathers were in jail, after adjustment for age, gender, prenatal cocaine and marijuana exposure, and school-age violence exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Children of incarcerated fathers reported more depressive symptoms and their teachers noted more externalizing behaviors, after controlling for other biopsychosocial risks. Interventions targeted to ameliorate the distress of children with incarcerated fathers should be considered. PMID- 17766509 TI - The mechanisms of low birth weight in infants of mothers with homozygous sickle cell disease. AB - OBJECTIVE: A low mean birth weight is a constant finding in pregnancies of women with homozygous sickle cell disease. The factors responsible are largely unknown and have now been investigated in an 11-year retrospective analysis. METHODS: Records for 126 pregnancies of mothers with homozygous sickle cell disease and 126 pregnancies of control women with an AA phenotype, matched according to age and date of delivery, were examined. Events during pregnancy and outcomes of pregnancy were recorded. RESULTS: Pregnancy outcomes for mothers with homozygous sickle cell disease confirmed the lower birth weight, gestational age, and placental weight. A low birth weight in infants of mothers with homozygous sickle cell disease was strongly related to gestational age and placental weight and weakly related to reticulocyte counts and a history of preeclampsia in univariate analyses, but only gestational age and placental weight remained significant in multivariate analyses. No relationships were seen with maternal age, parity, anthropometric features, other hematologic features (hemoglobin levels, fetal hemoglobin levels, mean cell volume, and alpha-thalassemia), pregnancy-induced hypertension, or prepartum hospital admissions (expressed as number or total days). Compared with Jamaican standards, birth weight was affected more than head circumference or length in infants of mothers with homozygous sickle cell disease, indicating asymmetric growth retardation, which occurred for 27% of boys and 38% of girls (compared with 4% and 9%, respectively, among infants of control mothers). CONCLUSIONS: A chronic condition such as homozygous sickle cell disease might have been expected to cause symmetric growth retardation throughout pregnancy. The finding of asymmetric retardation might indicate adverse factors emerging late in pregnancy and might have relevance for the poor pregnancy outcomes in such mothers. PMID- 17766510 TI - Language ability in children with permanent hearing impairment: the influence of early management and family participation. AB - OBJECTIVE: The goal was to examine the relationships between management after confirmation, family participation, and speech and language outcomes in the same group of children with permanent childhood hearing impairment. METHODS: Speech, oral language, and nonverbal abilities, expressed as z scores and adjusted in a regression model, and Family Participation Rating Scale scores were assessed at a mean age of 7.9 years for 120 children with bilateral permanent childhood hearing impairment from a 1992-1997 United Kingdom birth cohort. Ages at institution of management and hearing aid fitting were obtained retrospectively from case notes. RESULTS: Compared with children managed later (> 9 months), those managed early (< or = 9 months) had higher adjusted mean z scores for both receptive and expressive language, relative to nonverbal ability, but not for speech. Compared with children aided later, a smaller group of more-impaired children aided early did not have significantly higher scores for these outcomes. Family Participation Rating Scale scores showed significant positive correlations with language and speech intelligibility scores only for those with confirmation after 9 months and were highest for those with late confirmed, severe/profound, permanent childhood hearing impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Early management of permanent childhood hearing impairment results in improved language. Family participation is also an important factor in cases that are confirmed late, especially for children with severe or profound permanent childhood hearing impairment. PMID- 17766512 TI - Practice-based care coordination: a medical home essential. AB - Families who raise children and youth with special health care needs deserve a medical home. They expect a team approach to health care, with coordination across multiple services and settings. Children, youth, and families benefit from the organization of critical information into written care summaries and action plans. If primary care pediatricians, family physicians, and internists are to achieve optimal health care quality and improvement of existing health care delivery, care coordination will be an essential contributing process to their team approach. Several national health policy recommendations identify care coordination as a cross-cutting intervention to fill the gap between what exists and what is needed in health care today. A practice-based care-coordination model, including a definition and vision for care, a framework of structures and processes, and a position description with specific competencies, is needed. Improvement methodology provides an effective means for health care teams to implement and evaluate practice-based care coordination within their medical home. The improvement approach and model must be flexibly applied to have utility across diverse health care organizations. A medical home team approach, with fully developed practice-based care-coordination services, will enhance health and cost outcomes for children, youth, and families and heighten the professional satisfaction of those delivering health care. PMID- 17766511 TI - Attenuation of the September epidemic of asthma exacerbations in children: a randomized, controlled trial of montelukast added to usual therapy. AB - BACKGROUND: A recurring epidemic of asthma exacerbations in children occurs annually in September in North America when school resumes after summer vacation. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to determine whether montelukast, added to usual asthma therapy, would reduce days with worse asthma symptoms and unscheduled physician visits of children during the September epidemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 194 asthmatic children aged 2 to 14 years, stratified according to age group (2-5, 6-9, and 10-14 years) and gender, participated in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the addition of montelukast to usual asthma therapy between September 1 and October 15, 2005. RESULTS: Children randomly assigned to receive montelukast experienced a 53% reduction in days with worse asthma symptoms compared with placebo (3.9% vs 8.3%) and a 78% reduction in unscheduled physician visits for asthma (4 [montelukast] vs 18 [placebo] visits). The benefit of montelukast was seen both in those using and not using regular inhaled corticosteroids and among those reporting and not reporting colds during the trial. There were differences in efficacy according to age and gender. Boys aged 2 to 5 years showed greater benefit from montelukast (0.4% vs 8.8% days with worse asthma symptoms) than did older boys, whereas among girls the treatment effect was most evident in 10- to 14-year-olds (4.6% [montelukast] vs 17.0% [placebo]), with nonsignificant effects in younger girls. CONCLUSIONS: Montelukast added to usual treatment reduced the risk of worsened asthma symptoms and unscheduled physician visits during the predictable annual September asthma epidemic. Treatment-effect differences observed between age and gender groups require additional investigation. PMID- 17766513 TI - Revisiting the social history for child health. PMID- 17766514 TI - Severe anaphylactic reaction to ibuprofen in a child with recurrent urticaria. AB - An acute anaphylactic reaction after a conventional antipyretic dose of ibuprofen was diagnosed in a child with allergic rhinitis, recurrent idiopathic urticaria, and nonimmunologic cross-reactive hypersensitivity to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and acetaminophen. The patient reported several previous, mild (isolated cutaneous) hypersensitivity reactions after exposure to acetaminophen or ibuprofen. There was no evidence of an underlying inflammatory disease except as described above. Patients with chronic or recurrent idiopathic urticaria and those with atopic disease represent groups at increased risk of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug hypersensitivity. Mild hypersensitivity reactions to acetaminophen and/or ibuprofen may precede subsequent, more-severe adverse reactions. Risks and benefits of continued use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in these children should be carefully considered. PMID- 17766515 TI - Clinical malaria and sickle cell disease among multiple family members in Chicago, Illinois. AB - Malaria is a disease of global importance and accounts for up to 500 million cases per year. Nearly all malaria cases in the United States occur among persons who have traveled to areas with ongoing malaria transmission. Among the cases of malaria reported in the United States in 2000-2005, 695 were in US residents under the age of 18 years. The association of malaria with the sickle cell hemoglobin is well described in Africa but is a rare occurrence in the United States. Here we report 5 cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in siblings of a family who had traveled to Africa without taking chemoprophylaxis. Two of the children had sickle cell anemia, and 1 of them developed severe life-threatening malaria and hemolysis. The 3 other siblings had sickle cell trait, 2 of whom had complicated malaria. Patients who have sickle cell disease and are infected with malaria are prone to hyperhemolytic crisis; therefore, this complication should be anticipated. The patients we describe emphasize the significance of prompt recognition of malaria and comorbidities and institution of appropriate treatment. The importance of antimalarial prophylaxis should be communicated to parents of children who are traveling to endemic areas as part of routine child care. PMID- 17766516 TI - Additional health care visits needed among adolescents for human papillomavirus vaccine delivery within medical homes: a national study. AB - OBJECTIVE: We estimated the additional number of primary care visits needed to deliver 3 doses of human papillomavirus vaccine to all US adolescents in medical homes. We determined adolescent and family factors associated with needing the greatest number of additional visits for full human papillomavirus vaccination. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of adolescents 11 to 21 years of age included in the 2002 and 2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (n = 2900) to measure existing primary care visits to pediatricians, family physicians, obstetrician/gynecologists, and internists. We then estimated additional visits needed for human papillomavirus vaccination. We determined the number of additional visits needed within a 6-, 12-, 18-, or 24-month vaccination window. RESULTS: Within a 12-month period, 72% of female adolescents would need 3 visits for human papillomavirus vaccination if the vaccine was introduced at a preventive visit; 9% and 16% would need 1 and 2 more visits, respectively. Similarly, 79% of male patients would need 3 visits; 7% and 12% would need 1 and 2 more visits, respectively. If all opportunities to vaccinate were used, then 41% of female patients and 52% of male patients would need 3 additional visits within 12 months. With expansion of the window to 24 months and vaccination at every possible visit, 23% of female patients and 37% of male patients would need 3 additional visits. Factors that predicted needing more visits (2 or 3 vs 0 or 1 in 24 months) included being older, male, black, Hispanic, uninsured, and near poor. CONCLUSIONS: Most adolescents would require 2 or 3 additional primary care visits to receive 3 vaccines for human papillomavirus in the medical home. Strategies to minimize additional visits include vaccinating patients at all primary care visits and encouraging annual preventive visits. PMID- 17766517 TI - Childhood influenza: number needed to vaccinate to prevent 1 hospitalization or outpatient visit. AB - OBJECTIVE: The goal was to assess the potential benefits of the influenza vaccine recommendations for children 6 to 59 months of age by estimating the number of children needed to be vaccinated to prevent 1 hospitalization or 1 outpatient visit attributable to influenza. METHODS: The influenza burden was obtained from published studies in which rates for children 6 to 23 months and 24 to 59 months of age could be ascertained. We assumed a range of influenza vaccine efficacies of 25% to 75%, consistent with the literature. We estimated the number of children who needed to be vaccinated to prevent 1 influenza-attributable hospitalization or 1 outpatient visit for each age group. RESULTS: As both vaccine efficacy and severity of the influenza season increased, the number of children who needed to be vaccinated to prevent 1 hospitalization or 1 outpatient visit decreased. The numbers of children who needed to be vaccinated to prevent 1 hospitalization in a year with 50% vaccine efficacy ranged from 1031 to 3050 for children 6 to 23 months of age and from 4255 to 6897 for children 24 to 59 months of age. For every 12 to 42 children 6 to 59 months of age vaccinated in a year with 50% vaccine efficacy, we estimated that 1 influenza-attributable outpatient visit would be prevented. CONCLUSIONS: With 1 outpatient visit being prevented through vaccination of <50 children, influenza vaccination can reduce influenza attributable medical visits in children significantly, even in years with modest vaccine efficacy. PMID- 17766518 TI - Three-year surveillance of intussusception in children in Switzerland. AB - OBJECTIVE: We attempted to obtain baseline data on the incidence of intussusception and its association with gastroenteritis in a cross-sectional observational study in children. METHODS: Admissions to all 38 pediatric units in Switzerland because of intussusception were reported to the Swiss Pediatric Surveillance Unit from April 2003 to March 2006. Patient and disease characteristics were assessed prospectively with the use of a standardized questionnaire based on the case definition for intussusception developed by the Brighton Collaboration. Completeness of reporting was verified through capture recapture analysis. RESULTS: There were 294 patients with reported intussusception; 35 cases were excluded for various reasons, and 29 additional patients were identified through International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, codes. After capture-recapture analysis, we estimated underreporting to the Swiss Pediatric Surveillance Unit to be 32% and we calculated a true number of 381 intussusception episodes. The highest level of diagnostic certainty was reached by 248 patients, and 20 fulfilled level 2 criteria; for the remaining 20 patients, available information was insufficient. The mean age of the patients was 2.7 years. The yearly mean incidence of intussusception was 38, 31, and 26 cases per 100,000 live births in the first, second, and third year of life, respectively, with no apparent seasonality. Seventy patients had a history of coinciding gastroenteritis, and 5 of 61 tested positive for rotavirus. Spontaneous devagination was observed for 38 patients; enemas reduced intussusception successfully in 183 cases, whereas surgical treatment was required in 67. All patients recovered without sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first prospective nationwide surveillance of intussusception in childhood using a standardized case definition. Most cases occurred beyond infancy, and association with rotavirus gastroenteritis was rare. PMID- 17766519 TI - Improving newborn preventive services at the birth hospitalization: a collaborative, hospital-based quality-improvement project. AB - OBJECTIVE: The goal was to test the effectiveness of a statewide, collaborative, hospital-based quality-improvement project targeting preventive services delivered to healthy newborns during the birth hospitalization. METHODS: All Vermont hospitals with obstetric services participated. The quality-improvement collaborative (intervention) was based on the Breakthrough Series Collaborative model. Targeted preventive services included hepatitis B immunization; assessment of breastfeeding; assessment of risk of hyperbilirubinemia; performance of metabolic and hearing screens; assessment of and counseling on tobacco smoke exposure, infant sleep position, car safety seat fit, and exposure to domestic violence; and planning for outpatient follow-up care. The effect of the intervention was assessed at the end of an 18-month period. Preintervention and postintervention chart audits were conducted by using a random sample of 30 newborn medical charts per audit for each participating hospital. RESULTS: Documented rates of assessment improved for breastfeeding adequacy (49% vs 81%), risk for hyperbilirubinemia (14% vs 23%), infant sleep position (13% vs 56%), and car safety seat fit (42% vs 71%). Documented rates of counseling improved for tobacco smoke exposure (23% vs 53%) and car safety seat fit (38% vs 75%). Performance of hearing screens also improved (74% vs 97%). No significant changes were noted in performance of hepatitis B immunization (45% vs 30%) or metabolic screens (98% vs 98%), assessment of tobacco smoke exposure (53% vs 67%), counseling on sleep position (46% vs 68%), assessment of exposure to domestic violence (27% vs 36%), or planning for outpatient follow-up care (80% vs 71%). All hospitals demonstrated preintervention versus postintervention improvement of > or = 20% in > or = 1 newborn preventive service. CONCLUSIONS: A statewide, hospital-based quality-improvement project targeting hospital staff members and community physicians was effective in improving documented newborn preventive services during the birth hospitalization. PMID- 17766520 TI - Routine cerebrospinal fluid enterovirus polymerase chain reaction testing reduces hospitalization and antibiotic use for infants 90 days of age or younger. AB - OBJECTIVE: The goal was to evaluate the impact of cerebrospinal fluid enterovirus polymerase chain reaction testing on the length of hospitalization and the duration of antibiotic use for infants < or = 90 days of age with suspected aseptic meningitis. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at an urban, tertiary-care children's hospital. Data were collected for 478 patients < or = 90 days of age for whom cerebrospinal fluid enterovirus polymerase chain reaction testing was performed during the enteroviral seasons of 2000 to 2006. The length of hospitalization and the duration of antibiotic use were assessed. RESULTS: Cerebrospinal fluid enterovirus polymerase chain reaction test results were positive for 154 patients (34.8%). The mean length of stay was 3.65 days. The median polymerase chain reaction turnaround time was 23 hours. In multivariate analysis, having a positive cerebrospinal fluid enterovirus polymerase chain reaction result was associated with a 1.54-day decrease in the length of stay and a 33.7% shorter duration of antibiotic use. When patients were stratified according to the presence or absence of pleocytosis, both groups demonstrated significant reductions in the length of stay with positive cerebrospinal fluid enterovirus polymerase chain reaction results (1.32 and 1.38 days, respectively). Furthermore, increasing the polymerase chain reaction turnaround time by 24 hours increased the length of stay by 13.6% for patients with positive cerebrospinal fluid enterovirus polymerase chain reaction results. CONCLUSIONS: Having positive cerebrospinal fluid enterovirus polymerase chain reaction results decreases the length of hospitalization and the duration of antibiotic use for young infants. These results support the routine use of this test during periods of peak enterovirus prevalence. PMID- 17766521 TI - Breastfeeding and smoking: short-term effects on infant feeding and sleep. AB - OBJECTIVE: The present experimental study was designed to determine how breastfeeding from a mother who smokes affects infants in the short-term. METHODS: Fifteen mother-infant dyads were tested on 2 days separated by 1 week. Mothers smoked (not in the presence of their infants) on one test day and refrained from smoking on the other. For the next 3.5 hours, infants breastfed on demand. Sleep and activity patterns were monitored by placing an actigraph on the infants' leg, and milk intake was determined by weighing the infants before and after each feeding. The nicotine content of the milk was measured to determine the dose of nicotine delivered to the infants. RESULTS: Although there was no significant difference in breast milk intake, despite the taste changes in the milk, infants spent significantly less time sleeping during the hours immediately after their mothers smoked (53.4 minutes), compared with the session when their mothers abstained from smoking (84.5 minutes). This reduction was attributable to shortening of the longest sleep bout and reductions in the amounts of time spent in both active sleep and quiet sleep. With greater doses of nicotine delivered to the infant, less time was spent in active sleep. CONCLUSIONS: An acute episode of smoking by lactating mothers altered infants' sleep/wake patterning. Perhaps concerns that their milk would taste like cigarettes and their infants' sleep patterning would be disrupted would motivate lactating mothers to abstain from smoking and to breastfeed longer. PMID- 17766522 TI - Characteristics of children discharged from hospitals in the United States in 2000 with the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever. AB - OBJECTIVE: The goal was to describe characteristics of children discharged from hospitals in the United States in 2000 with the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever. METHODS: We explored characteristics of children <21 years of age who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever by using the 2000 Kids' Inpatient Database, weighted to estimate the number and rate of acute rheumatic fever-associated hospitalizations in the United States. RESULTS: In 2000, an estimated 503 acute rheumatic fever hospitalizations occurred among children <21 years of age, at a rate of 14.8 cases per 100,000 hospitalized children, with a mean age of 10 years. In comparison with all Kids' Inpatient Database admissions, acute rheumatic fever hospitalizations were more common in the age group of 6 to 11 years and among male patients. Chorea was more common in female patients (61.7%). White patients were significantly underrepresented, whereas Asian/Pacific Islander patients and patients of other races were overrepresented. Hospitalizations of patients with acute rheumatic fever were significantly more common in the Northeast and less common in the South. The highest rates of acute rheumatic fever hospitalizations occurred in Utah, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and New York. Significantly more acute rheumatic fever admissions occurred in March. The expected payor was more likely to be private insurance and less likely to be Medicaid. Acute rheumatic fever hospitalizations were more likely to occur in teaching hospitals, freestanding children's hospitals, and children's units in general hospitals and in urban locations. The median length of stay for acute rheumatic fever hospitalizations was 3 days, and the median total charges were $6349. The in-hospital mortality rate was 0.6%. CONCLUSIONS: In 2000, we found that hospitalizations for acute rheumatic fever were infrequent and varied according to race, season, location, and type of hospital. PMID- 17766524 TI - Resuscitation in the "gray zone" of viability: determining physician preferences and predicting infant outcomes. AB - OBJECTIVE: We assessed physician preferences and physician prognostic abilities regarding delivery room management of exceedingly low birth weight/short gestation infants. METHODS: We surveyed US neonatologists to assess their behavior in the delivery room when confronted with infants with gestational ages of 22 to 26 weeks. We identified 102 infants in our NICU with birth weights/gestational ages of 400 g/23 weeks to 750 g/26 weeks, whose follow-up care was ensured because of their participation in ongoing clinical trials. We determined 4 proxy measures for "how the infant looked" in the delivery room (Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes and heart rates at 1 and 5 minutes) and assessed the predictive value of each marker for subsequent death or neurologic morbidity. RESULTS: For infants with birth weights of < 500 g and gestational ages of 23 weeks, only 4% of 666 responding neonatologists would provide full resuscitation. In contrast, for infants with birth weights of > 600 g and gestational ages of 25 weeks, > 90% of neonatologists considered resuscitation obligatory. For infants with birth weights of 500 to 600 g and gestational ages of 23 to 24 weeks, only one third of neonatologists responded that parental preference would determine whether they resuscitated the infant in the delivery room. The majority wanted "to see what the infant looked like." For 102 infants with birth weights of < or = 750 g, Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes and heart rates at 1 and 5 minutes were neither sensitive nor predictive for death before discharge, survival with a neurologic abnormality, or intact neurologic survival. CONCLUSIONS: The "gray zone" for delivery room resuscitation seems to be between 500 and 600 g and 23 and 24 weeks. For infants born in that zone, neonatologists' reliance on accurate prediction of death or morbidity in the delivery room may be misplaced. PMID- 17766523 TI - Continuous positive airway pressure therapy for infants with respiratory distress in non tertiary care centers: a randomized, controlled trial. AB - OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine whether continuous positive airway pressure therapy would safely reduce the need for up-transfer of infants with respiratory distress from nontertiary centers. METHODS: We randomly assigned 300 infants at >30 weeks of gestation with respiratory distress to receive either Hudson prong bubble continuous positive airway pressure therapy or headbox oxygen treatment (standard care). The primary end point was "up-transfer or treatment failure." Secondary end points included death, length of nursery stay, time receiving oxygen therapy, cost of care, and other measures of morbidity. RESULTS: Of 151 infants who received continuous positive airway pressure therapy, 35 either were up-transferred or experienced treatment failure, as did 60 of the 149 infants given headbox oxygen treatment. There was no difference in the length of stay or the duration of oxygen treatment. For every 6 infants treated with continuous positive airway pressure therapy, there was an estimated cost saving of $10,000. Pneumothorax was identified for 14 infants in the continuous positive airway pressure group and 5 in the headbox group. There was no difference in any other measure of morbidity or death. CONCLUSIONS: Hudson prong bubble continuous positive airway pressure therapy reduces the need for up-transfer of infants with respiratory distress in nontertiary centers. There is a clinically relevant but not statistically significant increase in the risk of pneumothorax. There are significant benefits associated with continuous positive airway pressure use in larger nontertiary centers. PMID- 17766525 TI - Neonatologists' practices and experiences in arranging retinopathy of prematurity screening services. AB - BACKGROUND: Neonatologists play a central role in identifying infants who require screening for retinopathy of prematurity and in coordinating screening and treatment when necessary. No previous study has evaluated neonatologists' practices or experiences related to these activities. METHODS: A national mail survey of a random sample of 300 neonatologists was conducted from September to November 2006. RESULTS: The response rate was 62%. Nearly all (98%) of the respondents considered gestational age to identify infants for retinopathy of prematurity screening. However, only 19% used the currently recommended gestational age criterion of 30 weeks; instead, 6% used a lower, more-restrictive criterion, and 74% used a higher, more-inclusive criterion. Fewer respondents (77%) considered birth weight to identify infants for retinopathy of prematurity screening, most of whom (86%) used the current criterion of < or = 1500 g. Although more than one half (67%) of the respondents reported that pediatric ophthalmologists usually screen infants for retinopathy of prematurity in their NICU, nearly one half (46%) reported that retinal specialists provide treatment. Some (36%) reported that they have been unable to transfer a child to a NICU of lower acuity or closer to the child's home because there are no specialists available there for retinopathy of prematurity screening. Some (34%) also reported that they have needed to delay discharge because outpatient follow-up for either screening or treatment of retinopathy of prematurity is not available near the family's home. CONCLUSIONS: We found variations in how children are identified for retinopathy of prematurity screening and how screening and treatment are provided. Future research is needed to understand how these variations affect visual outcomes and costs of care. Such work must also consider the impact of regional pediatric eye care workforce shortages on retinopathy of prematurity screening and treatment strategies. PMID- 17766526 TI - Does childhood television viewing lead to attention problems in adolescence? Results from a prospective longitudinal study. AB - CONTEXT: There is controversy over whether childhood television viewing causes attention problems. The findings from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have been mixed. To our knowledge, no longitudinal studies have assessed the impact of children's television viewing on attention problems in adolescence. The objective of this study was to assess this association. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND SETTING: Study members were a general population birth cohort of 1037 participants (502 female) born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between April 1972 and March 1973. Parental estimates of children's television-viewing time were obtained at ages 5, 7, 9, and 11 years. Self-, parent-, and teacher-reported attention problems in adolescence were obtained at ages 13 and 15 years. RESULTS: The mean of hours of television viewing during childhood was associated with symptoms of attention problems in adolescence. These associations remained significant after controlling for gender, attention problems in early childhood, cognitive ability at 5 years of age, and childhood socioeconomic status. This association was also independent of adolescent television viewing. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood television viewing was associated with attention problems in adolescence, independent of early attention problems and other confounders. These results support the hypothesis that childhood television viewing may contribute to the development of attention problems and suggest that the effects may be long lasting. PMID- 17766527 TI - Randomized trial of early versus late enteral iron supplementation in infants with a birth weight of less than 1301 grams: neurocognitive development at 5.3 years' corrected age. AB - BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency in early childhood may impair neurodevelopment. In a masked, randomized, controlled trial of early versus late enteral iron supplementation in preterm infants with birth weights of <1301 g, early iron supplementation reduced the incidence of iron deficiency and the number of blood transfusions. OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine whether early enteral iron supplementation improves neurocognitive and motor development in these infants. METHODS: Children who participated in the above mentioned trial were evaluated by applying the Kaufmann Assessment Battery for Children and the Gross Motor Function Classification Scale at the age of school entry. RESULTS: Of the 204 infants initially randomized, 10 died and 30 were lost to follow-up. A total of 164 (85% of the survivors) were evaluated at a median corrected age of 5.3 years. In this population (n = 164), the mean (+/-SD) mental processing composite in the early iron group was 92 (+/-17) versus 89 (+/-16) in the late iron group. An abnormal neurologic examination was found in 17 of 90 versus 26 of 74, and a Gross Motor Function Classification Scale score of >1 was found in 2 of 90 versus 5 of 74, respectively. Fifty-nine of 90 children in the early iron group were without disability, compared with 40 of 74 in the late iron group. Severe disability was found in 5 of 90 versus 6 of 74 children and 67 of 90 versus 49 of 74 qualified for regular schooling, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Early enteral iron supplementation showed a trend toward a beneficial effect on long-term neurocognitive and psychomotor development and showed no evidence for any adverse effect. Because the initial study was not designed to evaluate effects on neurocognitive development, the power was insufficient to detect small but potentially clinically relevant improvements. Additional studies are required to confirm the trend towards a better outcome observed in the early iron group. PMID- 17766528 TI - Improving the management of family psychosocial problems at low-income children's well-child care visits: the WE CARE Project. AB - OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to evaluate the feasibility and impact of an intervention on the management of family psychosocial topics at well-child care visits at a medical home for low-income children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A randomized, controlled trial of a 10-item self-report psychosocial screening instrument was conducted at an urban hospital-based pediatric clinic. Pediatric residents and parents were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. During a 12-week period, parents of children aged 2 months to 10 years presenting for a well-child care visit were enrolled. The intervention components included provider training, administration of the family psychosocial screening tool to parents before the visit, and provider access to a resource book that contained community resources. Parent outcomes were obtained from postvisit and 1-month interviews, and from medical chart review. Provider outcomes were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire collected after the study. RESULTS: Two hundred parents and 45 residents were enrolled. Compared with the control group, parents in the intervention group discussed a significantly greater number of family psychosocial topics (2.9 vs 1.8) with their resident provider and had fewer unmet desires for discussion (0.46 vs 1.41). More parents in the intervention group received at least 1 referral (51.0% vs 11.6%), most often for employment (21.9%), graduate equivalent degree programs (15.3%), and smoking-cessation classes (14.6%). After controlling for child age, Medicaid status, race, educational status, and food stamps, intervention parents at 1 month had greater odds of having contacted a community resource. The majority of residents in the intervention group reported that the survey instrument did not slow the visit; 54% reported that it added <2 minutes to the visit. CONCLUSIONS: Brief family psychosocial screening is feasible in pediatric practice. Screening and provider training may lead to greater discussion of topics and contact of community family support resources by parents. PMID- 17766529 TI - Fetal alcohol exposure, iron-deficiency anemia, and infant growth. AB - OBJECTIVES: Our goals were to determine whether prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with an increased incidence of iron-deficiency anemia in infancy and to compare effects of fetal alcohol exposure and iron-deficiency anemia on infant growth. We also tested whether effects of fetal alcohol exposure on growth are mediated or moderated by iron-deficiency anemia. METHODS: A total of 96 infants born to mothers from the Coloured (mixed ancestry) community in Cape Town, South Africa, were recruited prenatally; 42 mothers drank heavily during pregnancy, and 54 abstained or drank small amounts of alcohol. Growth was assessed at birth and 6.5 and 12 months, and iron-deficiency anemia was assessed at 6.5 or 12 months. RESULTS: Infants whose mothers binge drank during pregnancy (> or = 4 drinks per occasion) were 3.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia at 12 months than were infants whose mothers did not binge drink. Prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with reduced weight at birth, 6.5 months, and 12 months and with shorter length at 6.5 and 12 months. Iron-deficiency anemia was related to reduced 12-month weight and head circumference and to slower growth velocity between 6 and 12 months. The effects of prenatal alcohol on weight were not mediated by iron-deficiency anemia; however, they were seen primarily in infants with iron-deficiency anemia. CONCLUSIONS: The association of maternal binge drinking with an increased incidence of iron-deficiency anemia may reflect disruption of accumulation of fetal iron stores or postnatal deficiencies in iron uptake, absorption, or intake. Moreover, iron deficiency seems to exacerbate the prenatal alcohol effects on growth. PMID- 17766530 TI - Iron deficiency in early childhood in the United States: risk factors and racial/ethnic disparities. AB - BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency affects 2.4 million US children, and childhood iron deficiency anemia is associated with behavioral and cognitive delays. Given the detrimental long-term effects and high prevalence of iron deficiency, its prevention in early childhood is an important public health issue. OBJECTIVES: The study objectives were to (1) identify risk factors for iron deficiency in US children 1 to 3 years old, using data from the most recent waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV (1999-2002) and (2) examine risk factors for iron deficiency among Hispanic toddlers, the largest minority group of US children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Analyses of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV were performed for a nationally representative sample of US children 1 to 3 years old. Iron-status measures were transferrin saturation, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin, and serum ferritin. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed to identify factors associated with iron deficiency. RESULTS: Among 1641 toddlers, 42% were Hispanic, 28% were white, and 25% were black. The iron deficiency prevalence was 12% among Hispanics versus 6% in whites and 6% in blacks. Iron deficiency prevalence was 20% among those with overweight, 8% for those at risk for overweight, and 7% for normal-weight toddlers. Fourteen percent of toddlers with parents interviewed in a non-English language had iron deficiency versus 7% of toddlers with parents interviewed in English. Five percent of toddlers in day care and 10% of the toddlers not in day care had iron deficiency. Hispanic toddlers were significantly more likely than white and black toddlers to be overweight (16% vs 5% vs 4%) and not in day care (70% vs 50% vs 43%). In multivariable analyses, overweight toddlers and those not in day care had higher odds of iron deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Toddlers who are overweight and not in day care are at high risk for iron deficiency. Hispanic toddlers are more likely than white and black toddlers to be overweight and not in day care. The higher prevalence of these risk factors among Hispanic toddlers may account for their increased prevalence of iron deficiency. PMID- 17766531 TI - Nutritional content of television food advertisements seen by children and adolescents in the United States. AB - OBJECTIVE: In light of the high rates of child and adolescent obesity, we examined the nutritional content of food advertising seen by American children and adolescents. METHODS: We drew samples of top-rated television shows by using ratings data to examine the nutritional content for fat, saturated fat, sugar, sodium, and fiber of food-product advertisements seen on television by both children and adolescents. Food products were examined in aggregate and by 5 separate categories that included cereal, sweets, snacks, drinks, and other food products. For 2- to 11-year-olds and 12- to 17-year-olds, respectively, a sample of 50,351 and 47,955 30-second-equivalent food-product advertisements and their related nutritional content were weighted by television ratings data to provide actual exposure measures of the nutritional content of food advertising seen by children and adolescents. RESULTS: Study results showed that 97.8% and 89.4% of food-product advertisements viewed by children 2 to 11 years old and adolescents 12 to 17 years old, respectively, were high in fat, sugar, or sodium. On average, 46.1% and 49.1% of total calories among the products advertised came from sugar in the advertisements seen by these respective age groups. A total of 97.6% of cereal advertisements seen by children 2 to 11 years old were for high-sugar cereals. No substantial differences were found in the nutritional content of advertisements seen by black and white children 2 to 11 years old. However, a slightly higher proportion of food advertisements in general and across all food product categories seen by black versus white adolescents were for high-sugar products. CONCLUSION: The overwhelming majority of food-product advertisements seen on television by American children and adolescents are of poor nutritional content. PMID- 17766532 TI - Does cerebellar injury in premature infants contribute to the high prevalence of long-term cognitive, learning, and behavioral disability in survivors? AB - OBJECTIVE: Although cerebellar hemorrhagic injury is increasingly diagnosed in infants who survive premature birth, its long-term neurodevelopmental impact is poorly defined. We sought to delineate the potential role of cerebellar hemorrhagic injury in the long-term disabilities of survivors of prematurity. DESIGN: We compared neurodevelopmental outcome in 3 groups of premature infants (N = 86; 35 isolated cerebellar hemorrhagic injury, 35 age-matched controls, 16 cerebellar hemorrhagic injury plus supratentorial parenchymal injury). Subjects underwent formal neurologic examinations and a battery of standardized developmental, functional, and behavioral evaluations (mean age: 32.1 +/- 11.1 months). Autism-screening questionnaires were completed. RESULTS: Neurologic abnormalities were present in 66% of the isolated cerebellar hemorrhagic injury cases compared with 5% of the infants in the control group. Infants with isolated cerebellar hemorrhagic injury versus controls had significantly lower mean scores on all tested measures, including severe motor disabilities (48% vs 0%), expressive language (42% vs 0%), delayed receptive language (37% vs 0%), and cognitive deficits (40% vs 0%). Isolated cerebellar hemorrhagic injury was significantly associated with severe functional limitations in day-to-day activities. Significant differences were noted between cases of cerebellar hemorrhagic injury versus controls on autism screeners (37% vs 0%) and internalizing behavioral problems (34% vs 9%). Global developmental, functional, and social-behavioral deficits were more common and profound in preterm infants with injury to the vermis. Preterm infants with cerebellar hemorrhagic injury and supratentorial parenchymal injury were not at overall greater risk for neurodevelopmental disabilities, although neuromotor impairment was more severe. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebellar hemorrhagic injury in preterm infants is associated with a high prevalence of long-term pervasive neurodevelopment disabilities and may play an important and underrecognized role in the cognitive, learning, and behavioral dysfunction known to affect survivors. PMID- 17766533 TI - Follow-up of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of dexamethasone to decrease the duration of ventilator dependency in very low birth weight infants: neurodevelopmental outcomes at 4 to 11 years of age. AB - OBJECTIVE: High doses of dexamethasone reduce the risk of chronic lung disease among premature infants but may increase the risk of developmental impairments. The objective of this study was to compare developmental outcomes beyond infancy for children who, as neonates, participated in a randomized trial of dexamethasone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred eighteen children with birth weights <1500 g were randomly assigned at 15 to 25 days of life to a 42-day tapering course of dexamethasone or placebo. All 95 survivors were assessed by using standardized measures of developmental outcome at least once at or beyond 1 year of age, and 84 were examined at 4 to 11 years. For this follow-up study, the outcome of primary interest was death or major neurodevelopmental impairment, which was defined as cerebral palsy, cognitive impairment, or blindness. RESULTS: On the basis of each child's most recent follow-up, the rates of major neurodevelopmental impairments were 40% for the dexamethasone group and 20% for the placebo group. The higher impairment rate for the dexamethasone group was mainly attributed to a higher prevalence of cerebral palsy. Rates of the composite outcome of death or major neurodevelopmental impairment were 47% and 41%, respectively. CONCLUSION: A 42-day tapering course of dexamethasone, which was shown previously to decrease the risk of chronic lung disease in very low birth weight infants, does not increase the risk of the composite outcome of death or major neurodevelopmental impairment. PMID- 17766534 TI - Diagnosis of pediatric cholesteatoma. AB - Cholesteatomas are abnormal collections of squamous epithelium and keratin debris that usually involve the middle ear and mastoid. Although histologically benign, they have the ability to expand and destroy bone. Cholesteatomas are treated surgically. The success of such surgery is highly dependent on the extent of the lesion. This article presents information and images to aid the general pediatrician in the early recognition of cholesteatomas, both congenital and acquired, in hopes of improving the outcome for children with this treatable disorder. PMID- 17766535 TI - Ischemic perinatal stroke: summary of a workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. AB - Ischemic perinatal stroke is a disorder associated with significant long-term neurologic morbidity. With an estimated incidence of 1 in 2300 to 5000 births, stroke is more likely to occur in the perinatal period than at any time in childhood. The incidence of ischemic perinatal stroke ranks second only to that of strokes in the elderly population. Although ischemic perinatal stroke is a well-recognized disorder, many aspects remain to be studied. There is no consensus on its terminology, definition, or classification. Several risk factors have been identified, but their precise roles in causing stroke are not well understood. There are no reliable predictors of ischemic perinatal stroke on which to base prevention or treatment strategies. To review these important issues and propose a research agenda, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke convened a workshop in August 2006. This article provides a summary of the workshop. PMID- 17766536 TI - Beware of the weaker sex: don't get too close to your twin brother. PMID- 17766537 TI - Prevention of sexual abuse through educational programs directed toward children. PMID- 17766538 TI - Surgeons say no to surgery for perianal abscesses in infants. PMID- 17766540 TI - Infection prevention and control in pediatric ambulatory settings. AB - Since the American Academy of Pediatrics published a statement titled "Infection Control in Physicians' Offices" (Pediatrics. 2000;105[6]:1361-1369), there have been significant changes that prompted this updated statement. Infection prevention and control is an integral part of pediatric practice in ambulatory medical settings as well as in hospitals. Infection prevention and control practices should begin at the time the ambulatory visit is scheduled. All health care personnel should be educated regarding the routes of transmission and techniques used to prevent transmission of infectious agents. Policies for infection prevention and control should be written, readily available, updated annually, and enforced. The standard precautions for hospitalized patients from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with a modification from the American Academy of Pediatrics exempting the use of gloves for routine diaper changes and wiping a well child's nose or tears, are appropriate for most patient encounters. As employers, pediatricians are required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to take precautions to identify and protect employees who are likely to be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials while on the job. Key principles of standard precautions include hand hygiene (ie, use of alcohol-based hand rub or hand-washing with soap [plain or antimicrobial] and water) before and after every patient contact; implementation of respiratory hygiene and cough-etiquette strategies for patients with suspected influenza or infection with another respiratory tract pathogen to the extent feasible; separation of infected, contagious children from uninfected children when feasible; safe handling and disposal of needles and other sharp medical devices and evaluation and implementation of needle-safety devices; appropriate use of personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection; and appropriate sterilization, disinfection, and antisepsis. PMID- 17766541 TI - Prevention of human papillomavirus infection: provisional recommendations for immunization of girls and women with quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine. AB - This policy statement contains provisional recommendations for use of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine in girls and women. A full policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics is forthcoming. PMID- 17766542 TI - Suicide and suicide attempts in adolescents. AB - Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for adolescents 15 to 19 years old. Pediatricians can take steps to help reduce the incidence of adolescent suicide by screening for depression and suicidal ideation and behavior. This report updates the previous statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is intended to assist the pediatrician in the identification and management of the adolescent at risk of suicide. The extent to which pediatricians provide appropriate care for suicidal adolescents depends on their knowledge, skill, comfort with the topic, and ready access to appropriate community resources. All teenagers with suicidal thoughts or behaviors should know that their pleas for assistance are heard and that pediatricians are willing to serve as advocates to help resolve the crisis. PMID- 17766543 TI - Radiation risk to children from computed tomography. AB - Imaging studies that use ionizing radiation are an essential tool for the evaluation of many disorders of childhood. Ionizing radiation is used in radiography, fluoroscopy, angiography, and computed tomography scanning. Computed tomography is of particular interest because of its relatively high radiation dose and wide use. Consensus statements on radiation risk suggest that it is reasonable to act on the assumption that low-level radiation may have a small risk of causing cancer. The medical community should seek ways to decrease radiation exposure by using radiation doses as low as reasonably achievable and by performing these studies only when necessary. There is wide agreement that the benefits of an indicated computed tomography scan far outweigh the risks. Pediatric health care professionals' roles in the use of computed tomography on children include deciding when a computed tomography scan is necessary and discussing the risk with patients and families. Radiologists should be a source of consultation when forming imaging strategies and should create specific protocols with scanning techniques optimized for pediatric patients. Families and patients should be encouraged to ask questions about the risks and benefits of computed tomography scanning. The information in this report is provided to aid in decision-making and discussions with the health care team, patients, and families. PMID- 17766545 TI - Adolescents' descriptions of hazards in the workplace. PMID- 17766546 TI - Oxygen therapy for bronchiolitis. PMID- 17766547 TI - Therapy for head lice. PMID- 17766548 TI - The DART study of low-dose dexamethasone therapy. PMID- 17766549 TI - Timing of dose-finding studies: before or after completion of a randomized clinical trial? PMID- 17766550 TI - Impact of newborn skin-cleansing with chlorhexidine on neonatal mortality in southern Nepal. PMID- 17766551 TI - Primum non nocere. PMID- 17766552 TI - Primum non nocere. PMID- 17766553 TI - Clarity in juice classification. PMID- 17766554 TI - P less than .05: what does it really mean? PMID- 17766555 TI - The need for "community cultural competence". PMID- 17766556 TI - State mental health policy: critical priorities confronting state mental health agencies. AB - The authors of this column report on an environmental scan conducted via intensive interviews of the 55 state and territorial state mental health agency (SMHA) directors who collectively oversee a $28 billion budget and serve nearly six million Americans who have a serious mental illness. Currently, a dynamic set of forces are substantively reshaping the role, resources, and capacities of the SMHA within the larger fabric of state government. As such, SMHA directors developed year 2007 priorities. These priorities include integrating health and mental health care, enhancing consumer empowerment, addressing mental health workforce crises (for example, training and recruitment), and ensuring financial stewardship. PMID- 17766557 TI - Best practices: surveillance and management of diabetes in a CMHC population. AB - To improve detection and management of diabetes at a community mental health center, a cross-sectional study of the prevalence and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus was conducted among patients receiving maintenance antipsychotic medication (N=494). Diabetes was more than two-and-a-half times as prevalent among participants (17.4%) as in the general population. Fourteen percent of patients classified as diabetic had previously undiagnosed disease, compared with national sample rates of over 30%. Impaired fasting glucose was found for 26% of the sample. Glucose dysregulation was common. The known poor cardiovascular profile of persons with serious mental illness, reflected in the high rates of tobacco use and obesity in the sample, requires contextualizing efforts to screen and monitor for diabetes within overall efforts to monitor cardiovascular health. PMID- 17766558 TI - Personal accounts: sanity, psychosis, and September 11, 2001. PMID- 17766559 TI - Consistency of psychiatric crisis care with advance directive instructions. AB - OBJECTIVES: Psychiatric advance directives document clients' treatment preferences in advance of periods of diminished capacity for decision making. This article presents the first empirical data regarding rates and predictors of whether crisis care is consistent with psychiatric advance directives. METHODS: Participants were 106 community mental health outpatients who had completed a directive. Participants' mental health services were examined over a two-year period with interviews and chart reviews to determine whether clinical interventions were consistent with directive instructions. RESULTS: Across 90 crisis events in which an advance directive was accessed, the average rate of care consistent with directive instructions was 67%. Instructions regarding medications, preemergency interventions, nonhospital alternatives, and most nontreatment personal care issues were consistent with care in nearly all cases. Somewhat less consistent with care were instructions to contact a surrogate decision maker and preferences among hospitals; between hospitals and hospital alternatives; and among seclusion, restraint, and sedating medication. Clients with fewer prior outpatient commitment orders and who had a surrogate decision maker who accessed the directive were more likely to have care consistent with directive instructions. The most commonly reported reason for overriding directive instructions was clinical need. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, crisis care was largely consistent with directive instructions. To increase the likelihood of consistency, clients would be well advised to appoint a surrogate decision maker, particularly one who could be actively involved during crises. Encouraging creation and use of directives could be viewed as a positive step in the process of recovery and as an additional method of communicating client preferences during psychiatric crises. PMID- 17766560 TI - Commentary: psychiatric advance directives and recovery-oriented care. PMID- 17766562 TI - Incarceration rates of persons with first-admission psychosis. AB - OBJECTIVE: This prospective study examined jail stay in a cohort of persons with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders who experienced their first hospital admission and who were participating in the Suffolk County Mental Health Project. Demographic and clinical risk factors for jail placement were investigated over a four-year period after hospital discharge. METHODS: The sample included 538 first admission respondents diagnosed as meeting DSM-IV criteria for having schizophrenia, psychotic mood disorder, or other psychotic disorders. Initial interviews occurred in the hospital; face-to-face follow-ups occurred at the six , 24-, and 48-month points, and telephone contact was maintained every three to six months. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the demographic and clinical risk factors. RESULTS: Forty-seven respondents (9%) were incarcerated over the follow-up period. Among them, 20 were incarcerated multiple times. The prevalence, incidence, reasons for incarceration, and time served did not vary significantly by diagnosis. The most significant predictors of jail stay and time to incarceration during the follow-up were being male or black and having been incarcerated before admission. Predictive effects of other risk factors (for example, symptom severity or substance abuse) were smaller or statistically insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a need for mental health care professionals to routinely evaluate, document, and collaboratively address incarceration history, especially when working with black males, in an effort to avert future incarceration. PMID- 17766561 TI - Understanding associations between serious mental illness and HIV among patients in the VA Health System. AB - OBJECTIVE: This study compared the recorded prevalence of HIV among veterans with and without serious mental illness. METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined data from a national sample of veterans who received a diagnosis of serious mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other, nonorganic psychoses) in fiscal year 2002 (FY2002) (N=191,625) and from a national random sample of veterans in FY2002 who did not receive serious mental illness diagnoses (N=67,965). Logistic regression was used to evaluate the recorded prevalence and predictors of HIV. RESULTS: HIV diagnoses were recorded for 1.0% of patients with serious mental illness and .5% of patients without serious mental illness. Multivariate analyses indicated that individuals with bipolar disorder were no more likely than those without serious mental illness to have a recorded HIV diagnosis (OR=1.08, CI=.93-1.24), whereas those with other psychoses were more likely to have one (OR=1.18, CI=1.01-1.38). An interaction was observed between schizophrenia and substance use disorder. Compared with patients who had neither schizophrenia nor a substance use disorder, those with schizophrenia without a substance use disorder were less likely to have a recorded HIV diagnosis (OR=.49, CI=.42-.58), whereas those with a substance use disorder were more likely to have a recorded HIV diagnosis (OR=1.22, CI=1.04-1.43). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the elevated crude recorded prevalence of HIV, multivariate analyses suggested that HIV-related risk factors underlie the associations between HIV and the serious mental illness diagnoses. For patients with schizophrenia, this study is the first to demonstrate reduced HIV risk in the absence of a substance use disorder. PMID- 17766563 TI - Needs for and barriers to correctional mental health services: inmate perceptions. AB - OBJECTIVES: Because of increasing numbers of mentally ill offenders without concomitant increases in mental health staffing, issues of service utilization and priority populations have become paramount. The aim of this study was to expand upon previous studies of correctional mental health service utilization by examining the underlying factor structure of problems for which inmates may seek services and by examining the barriers hindering inmates' willingness to seek services. Additionally, this study investigated whether previous treatment experiences had an impact on inmates' willingness to seek services or barriers to seeking services. METHODS: Participants consisted of 418 incarcerated adult males who voluntarily participated in this study and were from three security levels (that is, reception and diagnostic unit, minimum security, and maximum security). Participants completed a three-page survey inquiring about use of mental health services before and during incarceration. RESULTS: Factor analysis indicated five types of problems for which inmates may request mental health services (behavioral dyscontrol, physical health concerns, negative affect, interpersonal relationships, and institutional relations) and four types of potential barriers to service utilization (self-preservation concerns, procedural concerns, self reliance, and professional service provider concerns). Inmates with no prior history of mental health service use were more likely to present with self preservation concerns about services and present as self-reliant. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study provide an overarching conceptualization of barriers hindering inmates' willingness to seek services, as well as the types of problems for which they are likely to seek services. Also, inmates' mental health treatment history affected their current perceptions of services. PMID- 17766564 TI - Relationships among subjective and objective measures of adherence to oral antipsychotic medications. AB - OBJECTIVE: The most common ways of assessing adherence to oral antipsychotic medications in research and in clinical practice are self-report and physician report. This prospective study examined the agreement among measures of adherence to oral antipsychotic medications among 52 outpatients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Participants were assessed at baseline during a visit to their outpatient clinic and followed for 12 weeks. Adherence was assessed by using subjective measures (self-report and physician report) and objective measures (pill counts conducted in the home, electronic monitoring, and blood plasma concentrations). Electronic monitoring was used as an imperfect standard against which other methods were judged. RESULTS: Data from pill counts and from electronic monitoring were strongly correlated (r(k)=.61). Self-report and physicians' ratings of compliance were weakly correlated with pill count and electronic monitoring when compliance scores were examined with rank-order correlations (r(k)=.18-.32). When the sample was dichotomized into adherent and nonadherent groups on the basis of electronic monitoring or pill count (at least 80% adherent), neither physicians nor patients identified adherent behavior (kappa35 ppb) baseline F(eNO) (n = 32), from 59.7 to 49.2 ppb. The corresponding changes in the control group were 25.6 versus 27.7 ppb and 49.5 versus 48.1 ppb. Spirometric results were unaltered in the two groups. Thus exhaled nitric oxide fraction, a marker of allergic airway inflammation, indicated a beneficial effect of a short-term educational intervention in farmers with occupational asthma. This suggests a potential for exhaled nitric oxide fraction in assessing the efficacy of preventive measures within a short time with higher sensitivity than spirometry. PMID- 17766634 TI - Nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventions to prevent or reduce airway remodelling. AB - In the present review of airway remodelling and its response to therapies, clinical observations about airway physiological abnormalities, assumed to be caused by remodelling processes, are related to what is known about the components of structural changes from airway sampling and histopathological analysis. The review focuses on three important diseases: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), which occurs commonly after lung transplantation as a manifestation of chronic rejection. The present authors chose to use BOS as an issue, because with routine bronchoscopic surveillance after lung transplantation there has been more opportunity to directly study airway pathology longitudinally than in more everyday conditions. In addition, the present authors have reviewed animal models of induced airway remodelling, where most information is available on the potential of therapeutic intervention. Finally, the limited information that can be gained from the literature on the effects of commonly used airway medications on remodelling components is reviewed. In conclusion, the present authors have detailed some of the gaps in knowledge surrounding the potential to improve or modulate remodelling processes in human disease. The areas where it is believed urgent research needs to be focused have also been highlighted. PMID- 17766633 TI - Biomarkers in respiratory tract infections: diagnostic guides to antibiotic prescription, prognostic markers and mediators. AB - Used appropriately, biomarkers improve the assessment of respiratory tract infections and sepsis. Most prominently, circulating procalcitonin levels increase by a factor of several tens of thousands during sepsis. Using a sensitive assay, procalcitonin safely and markedly reduces antibiotic usage in respiratory tract infections and nonbacterial meningitis. Procalcitonin is the protopye of hormokine mediators. The term "hormokine" encompasses the cytokine like behaviour of hormones during inflammation and infections. The concept is based on a ubiquitous expression of calcitonin peptides during sepsis. Adrenomedullin, another member of the calcitonin peptide superfamily, was shown to complement and improve the current prognostic assessment in lower respiratory tract infections. Other peptides share some features of hormokines, e.g. natriuretic peptide and copeptin. Hormokines are not only biomarkers of infection but are also pivotal inflammatory mediators. Like all mediators, their role during systemic infections is basically beneficial, possibly to combat invading microbes. However, at increased levels they can become harmful for their host. Multiple mechanisms of action were proposed. In several animal models the modulation and neutralisation of hormokines during infection was shown to improve survival, and thus might open new treatment options for severe infections, especially of the respiratory tract. PMID- 17766635 TI - Unusual cystic presentation of pulmonary nodular amyloidosis associated with MALT type lymphoma. AB - The case reported herein consists of nodular pulmonary amyloidosis presenting with unusual cystic radiological features which reveal a pulmonary localisation of an extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma). The present case is the first to report a radiological presentation of nodular pulmonary amyloidosis in the absence of Sjogren's syndrome. Although transthoracic fine-needle biopsy was helpful for the diagnostic of amyloidosis, final diagnosis of associated MALT-type lymphoma required an open lung biopsy. This emphasises the importance of performing surgical investigations in pulmonary nodular amyloidosis in order to depict the presence of underlying lung tumours or lymphoproliferative disorders. PMID- 17766636 TI - A common presentation with a rare cause. PMID- 17766637 TI - Long-term follow-up of thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis for primary spontaneous pneumothorax. PMID- 17766638 TI - Long-term follow-up of thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis for primary spontaneous pneumothorax. PMID- 17766639 TI - Mitochondrial dysfunction in COPD patients with low body mass index. PMID- 17766640 TI - Is endobronchial ultrasound additive to routine bronchoscopy in diagnosing sarcoidosis? PMID- 17766643 TI - Estrogen action on the prostate gland: a critical mix of endocrine and paracrine signaling. AB - Although modern biotechnology has provided us with a greater understanding of the molecular events in endocrine-related diseases, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer, these conditions continue to be a significant healthcare problem world-wide. As the number of men afflicted by these diseases will only continue to grow with the aging population, finding new strategies and new therapeutic options for the treatment of both of these diseases is crucial. A better knowledge of the mechanisms of hormone action is pivotal to making progress in the development of new hormone-based therapies. This is fundamental to increasing our understanding of the endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine signaling mechanisms in the prostate and in prostate disease, distinguishing the effects and role of each, and identifying where and how this communication goes wrong. PMID- 17766642 TI - Identification of the substrate binding region of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT-2) using iodoaminoflisopolol as a novel photoprobe. AB - Monoamines, such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, are sequestered into synaptic vesicles by specific transporters (vesicular monoamine transporter-2; VMAT2) using energy from an electrochemical proton gradient across the vesicle membranes. Based on our previous studies using photoaffinity-labeling techniques in characterizing the VMAT2-specific ligands ketanserin and tetrabenazine, this study describes the synthesis and characterization of a fluorenone-based compound, iodoaminoflisopolol (IAmF), as a photoprobe to identify the substrate binding site(s) of VMAT2. Using vesicles prepared from rat VMAT2 containing recombinant baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells, we show the inhibition of [3H]5 hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) uptake and [3H]dihydrotetrabenazine (TBZOH) binding by aminoflisopolol and iodoaminoflisopolol. The interaction of [125I]IAmF with VMAT2 is highly dependent on the presence of ATP and an intact proton gradient. We report a simple and novel method to distinguish between a ligand and substrate using classic compounds such as [3H]5-HT and [3H]TBZOH by incubating the compound with the vesicles followed by washes with isotonic and hypotonic solutions. Using this method, we confirm the characterization of IAmF as a novel VMAT2 substrate. Sf9 vesicles expressing VMAT2 show reserpine- and tetrabenazine-protectable photolabeling by [125I]IAmF. [125I]IAmF photolabeling of recombinant VMAT2, expressed in SH-SY5Y cells with an engineered thrombin site between transmembranes 6 and 7, followed by thrombin digestion, retained photolabel in a 22-kDa fragment, indicating that iodoaminoflisopolol binds to the C-terminal half of the VMAT2 molecule. Thus, IAmF possesses a unique combination of VMAT2 substrate properties and a photoprobe and is, therefore, useful to identify the substrate binding site of the vesicular transporter. PMID- 17766644 TI - Identification of a novel mammalian post-translational modification, phosphocholine, on placental secretory polypeptides. AB - Placental neurokinin B appears to be post-translationally modified by phosphocholine (PC) attached to the aspartyl side chain at residue 4 of the mature peptide. Corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) was found to be expressed by the rat placenta with the main secreted forms being phosphocholinated proCRF+/ one or two polysaccharide moieties. A combination of high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and two-site immunometric analysis suggested that PC was also attached to the placental precursors of adrenocorticotrophin, hemokinin, activin and follistatin. However, the fully processed forms of rat placental activin and CRF were free of PC. Formerly, the parasitic filarial nematodes have used PC as a post-translational modification, attached via the polysaccharide moiety of certain secretory glycoproteins to attenuate the host immune system allowing parasite survival, but it is the PC group itself which endows the carrier with the biological activity. The fact that treatment of proCRF peptides with phospholipase C but not endoglycosidase destroyed PC immunoreactivity suggested a simpler mode of attachment of PC to placental peptides than that used by nematodes. Thus, it is possible that by analogy the placenta uses its secreted phosphocholinated hormones to modulate the mother's immune system and help protect the placenta from rejection. PMID- 17766645 TI - Expression of neuromedin B in adipose tissue and its regulation by changes in energy balance. AB - Bombesin is one of the most powerful substances showing anorexic effects in the hypothalamus (Moody TW & Merali Z 2004 Bombesin-like peptides and associated receptors within the brain: distribution and behavioral implications. Peptides 25 511-520). In mammals, neuromedin B (NMB) is one member of a family of bombesin like peptides, which have been shown to reduce food intake when administered systemically. Using Taqman real-time PCR with specific primers, we report the expression of NMB mRNA in both human and rodent adipose tissue. Expression of NMB in rodent epididymal adipose tissue was higher than in other tissues studied. Expression of NMB in adipose tissue appears to be regulated by changes in energy balance and leptin. It is decreased fourfold in the epididymal fat depot of ob/ob mice when compared with the same fat depot in lean mice. It is further decreased with the intra-peritoneally (i.p.) administration of leptin in both lean and obese ob/ob mice. This may relate to its function in food intake regulation or to changes in energy expenditure. We demonstrate that NMB expression in rodent adipose tissue is decreased in cold exposed animals. However, when we investigated the effects of NMB on resting metabolic rate by i.p. injection, there was no effect on oxygen consumption, RQ or physical activity when compared with saline-treated controls. In conclusion, NMB is expressed in both human and rodent adipose tissue and appears to be regulated by changes in energy balance. Given its anorexic effects centrally, it may form part of a new adipose tissue- hypothalamic axis regulating food intake. PMID- 17766646 TI - Obesity and the central nervous system. PMID- 17766647 TI - Reducing health disparities in depressive disorders outcomes between non-Hispanic Whites and ethnic minorities: a call for pragmatic strategies over the life course. AB - There are significant disparities in treatment process and symptomatic and functional outcomes in depressive disorders for racial and ethnic minority patients. Using a life-course perspective, the authors conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify modifiable mechanisms and effective interventions for prevention and treatment at specific points -- system, community, provider, and individual patient -- in health care settings. Multicomponent chronic disease management interventions have produced improvements in depression outcomes for ethnic minority populations. Case management appears to be a key component of effective interventions. Socioculturally tailored treatment and prevention interventions may be more efficacious than standard treatment programs. Future research should focus on identifying key components of case management and sociocultural tailoring that are essential for effective interventions and developing new low-cost dissemination mechanisms for treatment and preventive programs that could be tailored to racial and ethnic minorities. PMID- 17766648 TI - Orange alert for oncologists. PMID- 17766649 TI - Trends for inflammatory breast cancer: is survival improving? AB - The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the survival of women with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) treated at our institution has improved over the past 30 years. Three-hundred ninety-eight patients with IBC were treated between 1974 and 2005. Patient characteristics and outcomes were tabulated and compared among decades of diagnosis. Survival outcomes were estimated with the Kaplan Meier product limit method and compared among groups with the log-rank statistic. Cox proportional hazards models were fit to determine the association between year of diagnosis and survival outcomes after adjustment for patient and disease characteristics and treatments received. The median follow-up was 5.8 years (range, 0.3-23.8 years). There were 238 recurrences and 236 deaths. The median recurrence-free survival (RFS) duration was 2.3 years and the median overall survival (OS) time was 4.2 years. In the models for RFS and OS, after adjustment for patient and disease characteristics, increasing year of diagnosis was not associated with a decrease in the risk for recurrence (hazard ratio, [HR], 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97-1.04) or death (HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.94-1.01). Our data show that there has not been an important change in the prognosis of patients with IBC in the last 30 years. Clinical trials focusing on the management of this aggressive disease are warranted. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766650 TI - Flat-fixed dosing versus body surface area based dosing of anticancer drugs in adults: does it make a difference? AB - The current practice of using body-surface area (BSA) in dosing anticancer agents was implemented in clinical oncology half a century ago. By correcting for BSA, it was generally assumed that cancer patients would receive a dose of a particular cytotoxic drug associated with an acceptable degree of toxicities without reducing the agent's therapeutic effect. More recently, doubt has arisen to this hypothesis, and for many drugs, the effects of BSA on the pharmacokinetics of these agents have therefore been studied retrospectively. In (by far) most cases, use of BSA does not reduce the interindividual variation in the pharmacokinetics of adults, and thus, a logical rationale for further use of this tool in dosing adults is lacking. As a result, alternative dosing strategies have been proposed in order to replace BSA-based dosing. Flat-fixed dosing regimens have been suggested, thereby avoiding potential dose calculation mistakes. As flat-fixed dosing does not typically lead to greater pharmacokinetic variability, it does not seem worse than using BSA-based dosing. While it provides a simplification, it can, however, be questioned whether to call this an improvement or not. The implementation of so-called genotyping and phenotyping strategies, and therapeutic drug monitoring, may probably be of more clinical value. In the end, the nonscientifically based BSA-based dosing strategy should be replaced by alternative strategies. Despite the lack of basic fundamentals, BSA-based dosing still seems "untouchable" in clinical oncology. Even when alternatives will be shown to be indisputably better, many hurdles will probably have to be overcome before physicians will be willing to ban BSA-based dosing. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766651 TI - Flat-fixed dosing versus body surface area based dosing of anticancer drugs: there is a difference. PMID- 17766652 TI - Concise review: Clinical relevance of drug drug and herb drug interactions mediated by the ABC transporter ABCB1 (MDR1, P-glycoprotein). AB - The importance of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in drug-drug interactions is increasingly being identified. P-gp has been reported to affect the pharmacokinetics of numerous structurally and pharmacologically diverse substrate drugs. Furthermore, genetic variability in the multidrug resistance 1 gene influences absorption and tissue distribution of drugs transported. Inhibition or induction of P-gp by coadministered drugs or food as well as herbal constituents may result in pharmacokinetic interactions leading to unexpected toxicities or undertreatment. On the other hand, modulation of P-gp expression and/or activity may be a useful strategy to improve the pharmacological profile of anticancer P-gp substrate drugs. In recent years, the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), like herbs, food, and vitamins, by cancer patients has increased significantly. CAM use substantially increases the risk for interactions with anticancer drugs, especially because of the narrow therapeutic window of these compounds. However, for most CAMs, it is unknown whether they affect metabolizing enzymes and/or drug transporter activity. Clinically relevant interactions are reported between St John's wort or grapefruit juice and anticancer as well as nonanticancer drugs. CAM-drug interactions could explain, at least in part, the large interindividual variation in efficacy and toxicity associated with drug therapy in both cancer and noncancer patients. The study of drug-drug, food-drug, and herb-drug interactions and of genetic factors affecting pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is expected to improve drug safety and will enable individualized drug therapy. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766653 TI - Valproic acid activates notch-1 signaling and regulates the neuroendocrine phenotype in carcinoid cancer cells. AB - Carcinoid tumors are neuroendocrine malignancies that frequently metastasize and secrete hormones that cause debilitating symptoms in patients. In this study we report the effects of valproic acid (VPA), a drug long used for the treatment of epilepsy, on the growth and neuroendocrine phenotype of human carcinoid cancer cells. VPA treatment of gastrointestinal and pulmonary carcinoid cells resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cancer cell growth. Western blot analysis revealed degradation of cyclin D1 and an increase in cyclin-dependent kinases p21 and p27 with VPA treatment. Flow cytometry confirmed that the mechanism of VPA induced growth inhibition is G(1) phase cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, VPA suppressed expression of the neuroendocrine tumor marker chromogranin A. In addition to these effects, VPA also increased levels of full-length Notch-1 and the active Notch-1 intracellular domain. Luciferase reporter assays incorporating the centromere-binding factor 1 (CBF-1) binding site and the achaete-scute complex-like 1 (ASCL-1) promoter confirmed the functional activity of VPA-induced Notch-1. Transfection of Notch-1 small-interfering RNA into carcinoid tumor cells blocked the effects of VPA on Notch-1 activation, ASCL-1 suppression, p21 induction, and cell growth inhibition. VPA also suppressed growth of carcinoid tumors in vivo in a mouse tumor xenograft experiment. These findings confirm the important role of Notch-1 in regulating the growth and neuroendocrine phenotype of carcinoid tumor cells. On the basis of this study, a clinical trial of VPA for patients with advanced carcinoid cancer will be conducted. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766654 TI - New criteria for selecting elderly patients for breast cancer adjuvant treatment studies. AB - About 50% of breast cancers occur in women aged 65 years and older, and both the incidence and prevalence of breast cancer among older women are expected to increase in the future. Aging implies a reduction in life expectancy and tolerance to treatments that should be considered in elderly patients with early breast cancer. In fact, treatment options often carry short-term risks and toxicities that might be tempered by long-term survival gains. The choice of adjuvant treatment for elderly patients should be based on the same criteria that are currently used for younger patients: endocrine responsiveness and assessment of risk of relapse. Adjuvant endocrine therapy should be considered for women with endocrine-responsive disease, regardless of age. The value of adjuvant chemotherapy is controversial. Older women are frequently undertreated with adjuvant chemotherapy and are underrepresented in clinical trials. In particular, no convincing data are available on the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in endocrine nonresponsive tumors, partly because most of the time these tumors represent a relatively small subset in adjuvant studies focusing on the elderly population. Several phase III trials are currently ongoing in elderly patients with early breast cancer to evaluate different options of adjuvant treatments. Only one trial, coordinated by the International Breast Cancer Study Group, is investigating the role of adjuvant chemotherapy for postmenopausal women of advanced age with endocrine nonresponsive early breast cancer. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766655 TI - Profiling studies in ovarian cancer: a review. AB - Ovarian cancer is a heterogeneous disease with respect to histopathology, molecular biology, and clinical outcome. In advanced stages, surgery and chemotherapy result in an approximately 25% overall 5-year survival rate, pointing to a strong need to identify subgroups of patients that may benefit from targeted innovative molecular therapy. This review summarizes: (a) microarray research identifying gene-expression profiles in ovarian cancer; (b) the methodological flaws in the available microarray studies; and (c) applications of pathway analysis to define new molecular subgroups. Microarray technology now permits the analysis of expression levels of thousands of genes. So far seven studies have aimed to identify a genetic profile that can predict survival/clinical outcome and/or response to platinum-based therapy. To date, the clinical evidence of prognostic microarray studies has only reached the level of small retrospective studies, and there are other issues that may explain the nonreproducibility among the reported prognostic profiles, such as overfitting, technical platform differences, and accuracy of measurements. We consider pathway analysis a promising new strategy. The accumulation of small differential expressions within a meaningful molecular regulatory network might lead to a critical threshold level, resulting in ovarian cancer. Microarray technologies have already provided valuable expression data for classifying ovarian cancer and the first clues about which molecular changes in ovarian cancer could be exploited in new treatment strategies. Further improvements in technology as well as in study design, combined with pathway analysis, will allow us to detect even more subtle tumor expression differences among subgroups of ovarian cancer patients. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766656 TI - Evolving strategies for combined-modality therapy for locally advanced head and neck cancer. AB - Despite continual advances in the treatment of head and neck cancer, disease-free survival, functional outcome, toxicity of therapy, and overall survival remain less than optimal. While traditional treatment has focused on surgical resection with or without radiation and chemoradiotherapy, newer combined-modality regimens may offer patients a better prognosis, organ preservation, and less morbidity. In this paper, single agents and doublet therapy are reviewed, as are emerging data on the utility of induction therapy, chemoradiotherapy, and surgery as a sequential treatment regimen. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766657 TI - Commentary: induction chemotherapy for head and neck cancer: hypothesis-based rather than evidence-based medicine. PMID- 17766658 TI - Clinical impact of bortezomib in frontline regimens for patients with multiple myeloma. AB - Standard frontline therapy for multiple myeloma comprises cytoreductive therapy with or without consolidative high-dose therapy plus stem cell transplantation (HDT-SCT). Despite therapeutic advances, the disease remains incurable; most patients relapse following frontline treatment and die within 5 years of diagnosis. New options are required to enhance and prolong response, and improve survival, particularly for elderly patients and those with renal dysfunction. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the ability of bortezomib to enhance the activity of commonly used myeloma agents, an observation validated through clinical studies in both the relapsed and frontline settings. This review focuses on the growing body of clinical evidence showing the effectiveness of bortezomib and bortezomib-based combinations in newly diagnosed patients, characterized by high overall response rates and consistently high rates of complete response. A number of studies incorporating bortezomib as part of induction therapy have demonstrated no adverse impact of bortezomib on stem cell harvest and engraftment in patients proceeding to transplantation. The higher rates of complete response typically associated with bortezomib treatment may potentially improve clinical outcomes in this setting. Final results from ongoing phase III studies of bortezomib-based combinations versus standard regimens will help define the optimal use of bortezomib as a standard component of frontline therapy for multiple myeloma. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766659 TI - FDA drug approval summary: pegaspargase (oncaspar) for the first-line treatment of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). AB - On July 24, 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted approval to pegaspargase (Oncaspar; Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bridgewater, NJ; hereafter, O) for the first-line treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as a component of a multiagent chemotherapy regimen. O was previously approved in February 1994 for the treatment of patients with ALL who were hypersensitive to native forms of L-asparaginase. The trial supporting this new indication was an open label, randomized, multicenter clinical trial that enrolled 118 children (age, 1-9 years) with previously untreated, standard risk ALL. Patients received either native Escherichia coli asparaginase (Elspar; Merck, Whitehouse Station, NJ; hereafter, E) or O along with multiagent chemotherapy during remission induction and delayed intensification (DI) phases of treatment. O, at a dose of 2,500 IU/m(2), was administered i.m. on day 3 of the 4-week induction phase and on day 3 of each of two 8-week DI phases. E, at a dose of 6,000 IU/m(2), was administered i.m. three times weekly for nine doses during induction and for six doses during each DI phase. This study allowed direct comparison of O and E for asparagine depletion, asparaginase activity, and development of asparaginase antibodies. An unplanned comparison of event-free survival (EFS) was conducted to rule out a deleterious O efficacy effect. Following induction and DI treatment there was complete (0.03 IU/ml in O-treated subjects was greater than the number of days in E-treated subjects during both the induction and DI phases of treatment. There was no correlation, however, between asparaginase activity and serum asparagine levels, making the former determination less clinically relevant. Using the protocol-prespecified threshold for a positive result of >2.5 times the control, 7 of 56 (12%) O subjects tested at any time during the study demonstrated antiasparaginase antibodies and 16 of 57 (28%) E subjects tested at any time during the study had antiasparaginase antibodies. In both study arms EFS was in the range of 80% at 3 years. The most serious, sometimes fatal, O toxicities were anaphylaxis, other serious allergic reactions, thrombosis (including sagittal sinus thrombosis), pancreatitis, glucose intolerance, and coagulopathy. The most common adverse events were allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis), hyperglycemia, pancreatitis, central nervous system thrombosis, coagulopathy, hyperbilirubinemia, and elevated transaminases. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766660 TI - Gemcitabine and docetaxel in metastatic sarcoma: past, present, and future. AB - Objective. In the era of oral molecular kinase inhibitors, cytotoxic chemotherapy agents are somewhat overlooked, but remain the backbone of treatment for most cancers. Patients with non-gastrointestinal stromal tumor sarcomas, such as leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, and undifferentiated high-grade pleomorphic sarcoma (formerly called malignant fibrous histiocytoma), have received doxorubicin and ifosfamide as the backbone of their treatment for over 15 years or more. The goal of this article is to review the data that have led to the use of gemcitabine and docetaxel as a useful combination for patients with metastatic sarcomas, and to comment on possible synergy of the combination. Methods and results. The literature regarding the use of gemcitabine, docetaxel, or both, is reviewed, with emphasis on patients with metastatic sarcoma. Results. Activity of gemcitabine and docetaxel is observed in leiomyosarcoma and undifferentiated high grade pleomorphic sarcoma. There is apparent schedule dependence of the combination in other cancers; it is unclear if schedule matters in patients with sarcomas. The dose and schedule of gemcitabine and docetaxel examined in phase II studies are probably too high for routine practice. Conclusions. The combination of gemcitabine and docetaxel is an effective option for patients with metastatic sarcoma, increasing the armamentarium for the practicing oncologist in treating this heterogeneous group of diseases. Given the low response rate to docetaxel as a single agent, it is likely that there is true clinical synergy of the combination. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766661 TI - The biology behind mTOR inhibition in sarcoma. AB - Dysregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway has been found in many human tumors and implicated in the promotion of cancer cell growth and survival. Hence, the mTOR pathway is considered an important target for anticancer drug development. Currently, the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and its derivatives CCI-779, RAD001, and AP23573 are being evaluated in cancer clinical trials. To date, clinical results have shown good tolerability of treatment with mTOR inhibitors in most reports and varying effectiveness of mTOR inhibitors in a variety of tumors in a subset of patients. For the targeted treatment of sarcomas, AP23573 has shown promising clinical efficacy and low toxicity profiles in patients. Further studies should define the optimal dose/schedule, patient selection, and combination strategies with other biological agents, especially those targeting signaling pathways crucial for cell survival. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766663 TI - Response to "Warning flags for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and cancer associated anemia". PMID- 17766662 TI - Cancer-associated neutropenic fever: clinical outcome and economic costs of emergency department care. AB - Purpose. Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a common, costly, and potentially fatal complication in oncology. While FN in the inpatient setting has been extensively studied, only one study has evaluated emergency department (ED) care for FN cancer patients. That study found that 96% of patients survived the complication. We evaluated clinical and economic outcomes for cancer patients with chemotherapy associated FN treated in an ED. Methods. ED records for consecutive oncology patients with FN were reviewed for information on death, intensive care unit (ICU) use, blood cultures, and costs. Results. Forty-eight patients (n = 57 visits) were evaluated. Six patients died from FN (12%) and four received ICU care within 2 weeks and survived (8%). Blood cultures were positive for 37% of the ED visits. The median ED time was 3.3 hours. In 91% of visits, i.v. antibiotics were administered in the ED, ordered at a median of 1.7 hours from triage (interquartile range [IQR], 1.2-2.8 hours). All patients with death or ICU in 2 weeks and all but one patient with positive blood cultures received antibiotics. The median per patient ED costs were $1,455 (IQR, $1,300-$1,579) 42.4% for hospital/nursing, 23.5% for radiology, 20.8% for physician services, 10.9% for diagnostic tests, and 2.4% for antibiotics. Conclusions. Cancer patients with FN in this sample presenting to the ED frequently had no identified source of infection. One third of the patients had positive ED blood cultures and one fifth died or required ICU care within 2 weeks. Costs of ED care were similar to the cost of a single day of inpatient care. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. PMID- 17766664 TI - Burden of common multiple-morbidity constellations on out-of-pocket medical expenditures among older adults. AB - PURPOSE: On average, adults aged 60 years or older have 2.2 chronic diseases, contributing to the over 60 million Americans with multiple morbidities. We aimed to understand the financial implications of the most frequent multiple morbidities among older adults. DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed Health and Retirement Study data, determining out-of-pocket medical expenses from 1998 and 2002 separately and examining differences in the impact of multiple-morbidity constellations on these expenses. We paid particular attention to the most common disease constellations - hypertension, arthritis, and heart disease. RESULTS: An increasing prevalence of multiple morbidity (58% compared with 70% of adults had two or more chronic conditions in 1998 and 2002, respectively) was accompanied by escalating out-of-pocket expenditures (2,164 dollars in 1998, increasing by 104% to 3,748 dollars in 2002). Individuals with two, three, and four chronic conditions had health care expenditure increases of 41%, 85%, and 100%, respectively, over 4 years. Such patterns were particularly noticeable among the oldest old, those with higher educational attainment, and women, although having supplementary health insurance or Medicaid mitigated these expenses. Finally, there were significant differences in out-of-pocket expenditure levels among the multiple-morbidity combinations. IMPLICATIONS: Increasing rates of multiple morbidities in conjunction with escalating health care costs and stable or declining incomes among elders warrant creative attention from providers, researchers, and policy makers. Further understanding how specific multiple morbidity constellations impact out-of-pocket spending moves us closer to effective interventions to support vulnerable elders. PMID- 17766665 TI - Agency ownership, patient payment source, and length of service in home care, 1992 2000. AB - PURPOSE: Little is known about whether an association exists between agency ownership and length of service among home care patients with different payment sources. This study investigated how for-profit and not-for-profit agencies responded to policy changes in the 1990s with respect to length of service. DESIGN AND METHODS: We examined length of service among 37,364 home care patients using the 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000 National Home and Hospice Care Surveys. We used Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression models. RESULTS: After we adjusted for patient and agency characteristics, our results revealed that agency ownership was not associated with length of service for patients with private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare plus Medicaid, or Medicare plus private insurance. This finding was consistent from 1992 through 2000. Length of service among patients with Medicare decreased significantly from 1998 through 2000, but length of service among patients with Medicaid did not change significantly from 1992 through 2000. IMPLICATIONS: Agency ownership is not associated with patient length of service in home care. Regardless of the policy changes in the home care arena in the 1990s, for-profit and not-for-profit home health agencies behaved similarly with regard to length of service among patients within differently structured payment systems. PMID- 17766666 TI - Hospitalization of nursing home residents with cognitive impairments: the influence of organizational features and state policies. AB - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of specific nursing home features and state Medicaid policies on the risk of hospitalization among cognitively impaired nursing home residents. DESIGN AND METHODS: We used multilevel logistic regression to estimate the odds of hospitalization among long stay (>90 days) nursing home residents against the odds of remaining in the nursing home over a 5-month period, controlling for covariates at the resident, nursing home, and county level. We stratified analyses by resident diagnosis of dementia. RESULTS: Of 359,474 cognitively impaired residents, 49% had a diagnosis of dementia. Of those, 16% were hospitalized. The probability of hospitalization was negatively associated with the presence of a dementia special care unit (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.86-0.94) and with a high prevalence of dementia in the nursing home (AOR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.88 1.03). Higher Medicaid payment rates were associated with reduced likelihood of hospitalization (AOR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.90-1.00), whereas any bed-hold policy substantially increased that likelihood (AOR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.12-1.86). We observed similar results for residents without a dementia diagnosis. IMPLICATIONS: Directed management of chronic conditions, as indicated by facilities' investment in special care units, reduces the risk of hospitalization, but the effect of bed-hold policies illustrates how fragmentation in the financing system impedes these efforts. PMID- 17766667 TI - Completion of a durable power of attorney for health care: what does cognition have to do with it? AB - PURPOSE: This study examined the association between cognitive functioning and completion of a durable power of attorney for health care. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were from the Second Longitudinal Study on Aging (LSOA II), a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling persons who were at least 70 years of age at the time of participation. The sample included 325 older adult respondents (144 men, 181 women) with a mean age of 80.7 years (SE = 0.36) and a mean educational attainment of 11.6 years (SE = 0.18). Researchers measured each respondent's cognitive functioning during follow-up by using an adapted Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status, and a proxy informant indicated whether the respondent completed a durable power of attorney for health care. RESULTS: A durable power of attorney for health care was completed by 60.8% (SE = 2.51) of respondents prior to their death. Logistic regression demonstrated that respondents with the first quartile of global cognitive functioning were 76% less likely to have completed a durable power of attorney (adjusted odds ratio = 0.24, 95% confidence interval = 0.09-0.60) than those with the fourth quartile of cognitive functioning. IMPLICATIONS: The factors associated with completion of durable power of attorney for health care by older adults with lower levels of cognitive functioning should be investigated further. Such data could be used to inform interventions to increase the completion rates of durable power of attorney for health care among this particular group of older adults. PMID- 17766668 TI - Knowledge and attitudes of nursing home staff and surveyors about the revised federal guidance for incontinence care. AB - PURPOSE: We assessed nursing home staff and state nursing home surveyors regarding their knowledge and attitudes about urinary incontinence, its management, and the revised federal Tag F315 guidance for urinary incontinence. DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey of a convenience sample of nursing home staff and state nursing home surveyors from a midwestern state attending two statewide workshops on the revised guidance. RESULTS: Of 558 attendees, 500 (85%) responded, including 39% of the state's directors of nursing and 57% of state nursing home surveyors. There were striking deficiencies in knowledge regarding urinary incontinence and catheter care, with significant discrepancies by type of respondent, particularly between state surveyors and nursing home staff. Staff cited documentation and staffing levels as the most frequent concerns about implementation. Open-ended responses reflected the divergence of concerns and antagonism among the stakeholders, and staff nurses' feeling that F315 violated residents' rights. IMPLICATIONS: The revised Tag F315 guidance will be unlikely to improve the quality of urinary incontinence care in nursing homes because of significant knowledge and attitudinal discrepancies between nursing home staff and state surveyors, facility staff's focus on documentation and staffing, and reliance on implementation strategies known to be ineffective. Federal, state, and other urinary incontinence guideline efforts should focus on managerial structures and methods to improve quality nursing home care. Research is needed to address how nursing home residents and families define and value "quality" urinary incontinence management and to incorporate these in quality-improvement strategies and measures. PMID- 17766669 TI - Comparing staffing levels in the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) system with the Medicaid Cost Report data: are differences systematic? AB - PURPOSE: This study had two goals: (a) to assess the validity of the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) staffing data by comparing them to staffing measures from audited Medicaid Cost Reports and (b) to identify systematic differences between facilities that over-report or underreport staffing in the OSCAR. DESIGN AND METHODS: We merged the 2002 Texas Nursing Facility Cost Report, the OSCAR for Texas facilities surveyed in 2002, and the 2003 Area Resource File. We eliminated outliers in the OSCAR using three decision rules, resulting in a final sample size of 941 of the total of 1,017 non-hospital based facilities. We compared OSCAR and Medicaid Cost Report staffing measures for three staff types. We examined differences between facilities that over reported or underreported staffing levels in the OSCAR by using logistic regression. RESULTS: Average staffing levels were higher in the OSCAR than in the Medicaid Cost Report data. The two sets of measures exhibited correlations ranging between 0.5 and 0.6. For-profit and larger facilities consistently over reported registered nurse staffing levels. Factors associated with increased odds of over-reporting licensed vocational nursing or certified nursing assistant staffing were lower Medicare or Medicaid censuses and less market competition. Facility characteristics associated with over-reporting were consistent across different levels of over-reporting. Underreporting was much less prevalent. IMPLICATIONS: Certain types of facilities consistently over-report staffing levels. These reporting errors will affect the validity of consumer information systems, regulatory activities, and health services research results, particularly research using OSCAR data to examine the relationship between staffing and quality. Results call for a more accurate reporting system. PMID- 17766670 TI - Coming out to care: caregivers of gay and lesbian seniors in Canada. AB - PURPOSE: This article reports on the findings of a study whose purpose was to explore the experiences of caregivers of gay and lesbian seniors living in the community and to identify issues that emerged from an exploration of access to and equity in health care services for these populations. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study used a qualitative methodology based upon principles of grounded theory in which open-ended interviews were undertaken with 17 caregivers living in three different cities across Canada. RESULTS: Findings indicated several critical themes, including the impact of felt and anticipated discrimination, complex processes of coming out, the role of caregivers, self-identification as a caregiver, and support. IMPLICATIONS: We consider several recommendations for change in light of emerging themes, including expanding the definition of caregivers to be more inclusive of gay and lesbian realities, developing specialized services, and advocating to eliminate discrimination faced by these populations. PMID- 17766671 TI - Partners in caregiving in a special care environment: cooperative communication between staff and families on dementia units. AB - PURPOSE: This article reports the results of a randomized, controlled evaluation of Partners in Caregiving in a Special Care Environment, an intervention designed to improve communication and cooperation between staff and families of residents in nursing home dementia programs. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants included 388 family members and 384 nursing staff members recruited from 20 nursing homes, randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. Project staff conducted training sessions on communication and conflict-resolution techniques with two groups at the intervention sites: staff and residents' family members, followed by a joint meeting with facility administrators. RESULTS: Families, staff, residents, and facility programs in the intervention facilities all demonstrated positive outcomes from program participation. Families experienced significant improvement in communicating with staff and in staff behaviors toward them, and spouses of residents increased their care involvement. Staff reported reduced conflict with families and reduced depression; burnout for nurses increased for individuals in the control group but not those in the treatment group. Behavioral symptoms decreased for residents, and facilities implemented more family-focused programs. IMPLICATIONS: Effective staff and family partnerships are critical in caring for residents with dementia. The Partners in Caregiving in a Special Care Environment program is an evidence-based intervention that enables these partnerships to develop and thrive, translating into improved experiences for residents, families, and staff. PMID- 17766672 TI - Taking 'women's work' 'like a man': husbands' experiences of care work. AB - PURPOSE: We adopted a feminist, structural approach to husbands' experiences of caring for wives with Alzheimer's disease. This framework posited that men and women draw upon gender repertoires-situational ideals of behavior based upon their respective structural locations-that create gendered experiences of stress and coping strategies. DESIGN AND METHODS: We used a qualitative, constructivist approach to analyze in-depth interviews with 22 spousal caregivers and observations within support groups. Our analysis focused on the nine husbands, the strategies these men reported using to deal with problems that arose in their care work, and the extent to which these are congruent with the masculinities of White men in the United States. RESULTS: We found that these husbands' approaches to caregiving and their strategies for dealing with the work and feelings involved were rooted in their sense of selves as men. We outline their overall approaches to caregiving, identify six strategies husbands used to deal with problems stemming from care work-exerting force, focusing on tasks, blocking emotions, minimizing disruption, distracting attention, and self-medicating-and tie these to their structural positions as working-, middle-, and professional class men. IMPLICATIONS: Theories of gender differences in the performance or quality of care work should tie these to structural arrangements. Unless the gendered bases upon which different styles or experiences are removed (i.e., structural inequality), designers of interventions cannot and should not expect to use the experience of one group to inform appropriate strategies for the other. PMID- 17766674 TI - Determinants of remaining in the community after discharge: results from New Jersey's Nursing Home Transition Program. AB - PURPOSE: To inform states with nursing home transition programs, we determine what risk factors are associated with participants' long-term readmission to nursing homes within 1 year after discharge. DESIGN AND METHODS: We obtained administrative data for all 1,354 nursing home residents who were discharged, and we interviewed 628 transitioning through New Jersey's nursing home transition program in 2000. We used the Andersen behavioral model to select predictors of long-term nursing home readmission, and we used Cox proportional hazards regressions to examine the relative risk of experiencing such readmissions. RESULTS: Overall, 72.6% of the 1,354 individuals remained in the community, with 8.6% readmitted to a nursing home for long stays (>90 days) and 18.8% dying during the study year. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that being male, single, and dissatisfied with one's living situation; living with others; and falling within 8 to 10 weeks after discharge were significant predictors of long-term nursing home readmission during the first year after discharge. IMPLICATIONS: Most of the factors predicting long-term readmission were predisposing, not need, factors. This fact points to the limits of formulaic approaches to assessing candidates for discharge and the importance of working with clients to understand and address their particular vulnerabilities. Consumers, state policy makers, nursing home transition staff, discharge planners, and caregivers can use these findings to understand and help clients understand their particular risks and options, and to identify those individuals needing the greatest attention during the transition period as well as risk specific services such as fall-prevention programs that should be made available to them. PMID- 17766673 TI - Mental health status of home care elders in Michigan. AB - PURPOSE: This study describes the mental health status of community-living frail elders in Michigan and identifies subgroups of individuals who are vulnerable to mental health problems. DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed the baseline assessment data collected from older adults who were admitted to two community-based long term-care programs in Michigan (N = 18,939). RESULTS: Results show that 40.5% of the individuals in the sample have recognized mental disorders, 39.6% use psychotropic medications, 24.5% have probable depression, and 1.4% have self injury thoughts or attempts. Frail elders who are White, younger, and female - as well as those who experience more pain, disease burden, cognitive impairment, and limitations in instrumental activities of daily living - are more prone to psychological distress. IMPLICATIONS: Mental health care is greatly needed by community-living frail elders. PMID- 17766675 TI - Step by step: integrating evidence-based fall-risk management into senior centers. AB - PURPOSE: Our purpose in this project was to conceptualize and implement evidence based fall-prevention programming into senior centers. We present challenges to this process and strategies to overcome them. DESIGN AND METHODS: We carried out a dissemination project in nine diverse senior centers in Connecticut. Participants included investigators from the Connecticut Collaboration for Fall Prevention (CCFP), senior center administrators, and trained staff interventionists implementing a program of fall prevention based on the Yale Frailty and Injury Cooperative Studies of Intervention Trials (known as the Yale FICSIT). Using CCFP materials that were based on the stages of change, senior center staff developed methods to integrate fall-prevention programming into their centers. We extracted implementation challenges, and the strategies that senior center staff developed to overcome them, from the minutes of monthly work group meetings. Monthly counts of individual assessments were also a source of data. RESULTS: Challenges included staffing and the delineation of authority, structural issues, engaging senior center membership, cultural issues, and the modification of existing practices. Each senior center devised site-specific methods to overcome these challenges when CCFP investigators convened work-group meetings. We developed creative strategies to inform senior center membership about fall prevention, and in the first 18 months, 4% of members scheduled individual assessments. IMPLICATIONS: The challenges of integrating evidence based fall-prevention programming into existing senior center services can be negotiated by collaboration among senior center administrators, health providers, the center membership, and researchers. This experience suggests that senior centers may be important venues to reach older adults with fall-prevention programming. PMID- 17766676 TI - Funding services from the bottom up: an overview of Senior Services Levy Programs in Ohio. AB - PURPOSE: Since the 1980s, Ohio counties have pursued a somewhat unique strategy for funding services for the 60-and-older population. Using local property-tax levies, Ohio counties bring in more than $100 million yearly to support a range of services for older people. In this article we report on information from the 2005 Ohio Senior Service Levy Survey, including information for states or counties that may be interested in implementing senior-service levies of their own. DESIGN AND METHODS: A survey was completed by 56 of 59 Ohio counties that operated senior-service levies in 2004. We pilot tested the survey instrument with input from three counties (urban, rural, and a mix of both). RESULTS: Overall, the survey responses provided information on a range of components, including size of levy, types of services provided, number of older citizens served, quality and evaluation efforts, and advice on initiating successful levy campaigns. IMPLICATIONS: Ohio is one of only five states raising money for senior services through countywide, property-tax levies. Although there is some debate about the appropriateness of property-tax levies as a means of funding senior services, these levies are being met very favorably at the polls in Ohio. Because funding from the Older Americans Act has not kept pace with inflation or with the increasing number of older people, other states may look at Ohio's experience with senior-service levies with increasing interest. PMID- 17766677 TI - Comparative protection against liver inflammation and fibrosis by a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor and a nonredox-type 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor. AB - In this study, we examined the relative contribution of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO), two major proinflammatory pathways up-regulated in liver disease, to the progression of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. Separate administration of 4-[5-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazol-1 yl]benzenesulfonamide (SC-236), a selective COX-2 inhibitor, and CJ-13,610, a 5 LO inhibitor, to carbon tetrachloride-treated mice significantly reduced fibrosis as revealed by the analysis of Sirius Red-stained liver sections without affecting necroinflammation. Conversely, combined administration of SC-236 and 4 [3-[4-(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)-phenylthio]]phenyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4 carboxamide (CJ-13,610) reduced both necroinflammation and fibrosis. These findings were confirmed in 5-LO-deficient mice receiving SC-236, which also showed reduced hepatic monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 expression. Interestingly, SC-236 and CJ-13,610 significantly increased the number of nonparenchymal liver cells with apoptotic nuclei (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling-positive). Additional pharmacological profiling of SC-236 and CJ-13,610 was performed in macrophages, the primary hepatic inflammatory cell type. In these cells, SC-236 inhibited prostaglandin (PG) E2 formation in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas CJ-13,610 blocked leukotriene B4 biosynthesis. Of note, the simultaneous addition of SC-236 and CJ 13,610 resulted in a higher inhibitory profile on PGE2 biosynthesis than the dual COX/5-LO inhibitor licofelone. These drugs differentially regulated interleukin-6 mRNA expression in macrophages. Taken together, these findings indicate that both COX-2 and 5-LO pathways are contributing factors to hepatic inflammation and fibrosis and that these two pathways of the arachidonic acid cascade represent potential targets for therapy. PMID- 17766678 TI - Effect of arylhydroxylamine metabolites of sulfamethoxazole and dapsone on stress signal expression in human keratinocytes. AB - The initiation of an immune response to small molecules is believed to require the release of stress/danger signals that activate resident dendritic cells, presumably secondary to the formation of reactive metabolites. We hypothesized that exposure to arylhydroxylamine metabolites of dapsone and sulfamethoxazole lead to the expression/release of numerous stress signals in the skin. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of these metabolites on the expression of selected heat shock proteins, uric acid, cytokines, adhesion molecules, and costimulatory molecules in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs). NHEKs showed a time-dependent up-regulation of heat shock protein 70 and translocation of heat shock protein 27 when exposed to the arylhydroxylamine metabolites. In addition, the secretion of several proinflammatory cytokines was increased upon incubation of these cells with metabolite. In contrast, the uric acid concentration was not altered. Moreover, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, CD80, and CD86 expressions did not change when NHEKs were exposed to these reactive metabolites. Our data suggest that NHEKs selectively up-regulate certain danger signals when exposed to arylhydroxylamine metabolites. These signals may subsequently activate dendritic cells and initiate an immune response within skin. PMID- 17766679 TI - The persistent elimination of B cells responding to blood group A carbohydrates by synthetic group A carbohydrates and B-1 cell differentiation blockade: novel concept in preventing antibody-mediated rejection in ABO-incompatible transplantation. AB - We demonstrated a novel strategy for specific and persistent inhibition of antibody (Ab) production against blood group A or B carbohydrate determinants necessary for successful ABO-incompatible transplantation. Similar to human blood group O or B individuals, mice have naturally occurring Abs against human blood group A carbohydrates in their sera. B cells with receptors for A carbohydrates in mice belonging to the CD5(+)CD11b(+)B-1a subset have phenotypic properties similar to those of human B cells. These cells could be temporarily eliminated by injecting synthetic A carbohydrates (GalNAcalpha1-3, Fucalpha1-2Gal) conjugated to bovine serum albumin (A-BSA) and anti-BSA Abs. In mice that received the injection of A-BSA/anti-BSA Abs, the serum levels of anti-A IgM were reduced, but immunization with human A erythrocytes resulted in increased serum levels of anti A Abs. When combined with cyclosporin A (CsA) treatment, which blocks B-1a cell differentiation, and treatment with A-BSA/anti-BSA Abs, the serum levels of anti A Abs were persistently undetectable in the mice even after the immunization. B cells with receptors for A carbohydrates were markedly reduced in these mice. These results are consistent with the hypotheses that treatment with A-BSA/anti BSA Abs temporarily depletes B cells responding to A determinants, and CsA treatment prevents the replenishment of these cells. PMID- 17766681 TI - Concentrations of monosaccharides and their amino and alcohol derivatives in human preovulatory follicular fluid. AB - The study purpose was to compare sugar and polyol concentrations in preovulatory ovarian follicular fluid (FF) with those in the circulation. Samples of FF and peripheral venous blood were obtained after an overnight fast from 14 women attending an IVF program. High performance liquid chromatography measurements of seven polyols, two aminohexoses and four hexoses were the main outcome measures. Glucose concentrations in FF and plasma were 2781.26 +/- 205.64 and 4431.25 +/- 65.17 microM, respectively (P < 0.001). Mannose concentration in FF was 38.99 +/- 3.33 microM, significantly lower than plasma concentration (55.38 +/- 2.29 microM; P < 0.001). A concentration gradient from plasma to FF was also significant for glycerol (99.41 +/- 8.47 versus 74.32 +/- 6.54 microM; P < 0.002), galactose (31.69 +/- 1.58 versus 26.73 +/- 1.93 microM; P < 0.01) and galactosamine (11.49 +/- 0.69 versus 6.38 +/- 0.59 microM; P < 0.001). The plasma to-FF concentration difference was greatest for glucose (1649.99 +/- 204.09 microM). There was a significant correlation between plasma and FF concentrations for galactose and glycerol. This study supports a substantial utilization of glucose by the oocyte/granulosa cells complex, and documents a significant concentration gradient from plasma to FF for glycerol, mannose, galactose and galactosamine. These plasma-FF differences may reflect both utilization of these carbohydrates by the cells of the preovulatory ovarian follicle and/or transport characteristics of these cells. PMID- 17766680 TI - CXCL10-CXCR3 interactions play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute graft-versus-host disease in the skin following allogeneic stem-cell transplantation. AB - Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) remains a serious complication following allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (SCT), and is mediated by infiltration of alloreactive donor T cells into recipient tissue. Chemokines and their receptors play a central role in controlling the recruitment of T cells into discrete tissue sites, and determine the clinical features of GVHD in murine models. In this study, we have analyzed the serum concentration of molecules that control leukocyte migration in serial samples from 34 patients following allogeneic SCT. The chemokine CXCL10 (IP-10) was significantly elevated (> 2-fold) in serum at the time of aGVHD. Because the ligand for CXCL10 is CXCR3, the number of CXCR3(+) T cells was determined in peripheral blood, but was not increased during episodes of GVHD. To investigate the role of chemokines in the recruitment of T cells to the anatomic site of GVHD, skin biopsies were stained for CXCL10 and CXCR3 expression. CXCL10 expression was observed in the basal keratinocytes of the epidermis in patients with GVHD together with positive staining for CXCR3 on cells in dermal infiltrates. These findings indicate that CXCL10 plays a central role in the pathogenesis of skin aGVHD by the recruitment of CXCR3(+) T cells to the sites of inflammation. PMID- 17766682 TI - Administration of high-dose intact immunoglobulin has an anti-resorption effect in a mouse model of reproductive failure. AB - Administration of high-dose intact human immunoglobulin (IH-Ig) has been applied to treat a variety of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and is expected to have beneficial effects on human fecundity. In the present study, we investigated whether Ig had anti-resorption effects using polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid sodium salt [poly (I:C)]-induced enhancement of fetal resorption in the mating of CBA/J x DBA/2J resorption-prone mouse model. Furthermore, we investigated the mechanism of the effect by examining the mRNA expression of interferon (IFN) gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-10, IL-4 and TGF-beta(1) in spleens and placentas from the resorption-prone model treated with IH-Ig, by reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Administration of high-dose IH-Ig significantly reduced the fetal resorption rate from 55% to 10%. This anti resorption effect, however, was not detected in mice administered with Fab fragments of human Ig. We then performed adoptive transfer experiments to examine whether cellular components could transfer the effect. A remarkable anti resorption effect was seen in poly (I:C)-injected pregnant recipients transferred with spleen cells from IH-Ig-treated donor mice. The RT-PCR study showed that IH Ig reduced the expression of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha mRNA in placentas of poly (I:C)-injected pregnant mice. The present findings demonstrate that intact Ig, particularly its Fc portion, possesses anti-resorption activity. The effect might be attributed to the suppressed production of pro-inflammatory cytokines at the maternofetal interface. PMID- 17766683 TI - Differential contribution of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 and -2 (PARP-1 and -2) to the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation reaction in rat primary spermatocytes. AB - Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerases (PARP-1 and -2) are activated by DNA strand breaks to synthesize protein-bound ADP-ribose polymers from NAD+. The two enzymes are overexpressed in rat spermatocytes and are likely to play a role in meiosis. Indeed parp-2-/- mice, but not parp-1 knockouts, show hypofertility. Aside, PARP 1 and PARP-2 are both involved in DNA damage repair and signalling, but their relative contributions to such processes remain as yet unknown, largely because of the lack of PARP isoform-specific inhibitors that has precluded in vivo studies. Here, we used permeabilized rat primary spermatocytes or isolated spermatocyte nuclei and radiolabelled NAD+ to investigate potential isoform specific effects on basic features of the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation reaction, including size of ADP-ribose polymers at different NAD+ concentrations, extent of auto- versus etheromodification, and modulation of such reactions by the PARP inhibitor, PJ34. We found that PARP-1 automodification prevailed over PARP-2 modification. In addition, over 50% of cellular poly(ADP-ribose) was covalently bound to histones H1 and H2. The inhibitory effect of PJ34 appeared to be targeted mainly to the elongation step of the reaction. We propose that a different propensity of PARP-1 and PARP-2 to undergo automodification and/or catalyze etheromodification, both in terms of number of enzyme molecules being involved and amount of bound poly(ADP-ribose), may underlie distinct roles in the regulation of spermatocyte functions. PMID- 17766684 TI - The expression profile of micro-RNA in endometrium and endometriosis and the influence of ovarian steroids on their expression. AB - MicroRNAs (miRNAs), through mRNA degradation or repression, act as key regulator of gene expression. Our aim was to identify specific miRNAs that are expressed in endometrium of women with and without endometriosis. We profiled the expression of 287 miRNAs in paired eutopic and ectopic endometrium and isolated endometrial cells using microarray and validated the expression of selected miRNAs using real time PCR. On the basis of global normalization, 65 of these miRNAs were identified to be expressed above the threshold levels set during the analysis in the endometrium of women without endometriosis with a progressive decline in expression in paired eutopic and ectopic endometrium. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) identified 48 of these miRNAs as differentially expressed among these tissues and 32 miRNAs between isolated endometrial stromal cell (ESC) and glandular epithelial cell (GEC) (P < 0.05). The expression of hsa-miR20a, hsa miR21, hsa-miR26a, hsa-miR18a, hsa-miR206, hsa-miR181a and hsa-miR142-5p, predicted to target many genes, including TGF-betaR2, ERalpha, ERbeta and PR, respectively, was validated in these tissues and cells using real-time PCR. Treatment of ESC and GEC with 17beta-estradiol and medroxyprogesterone acetate (10(-8) M) differentially regulated the expression of hsa-miR20a, hsa-miR21 and hsa-miR26a, which in part reversed following co-treatment with ICI-182780 and RU 486 (10(-6) M), respectively (P < 0.05). In conclusion, we provided evidence for the expression of a number of differentially expressed miRNAs in eutopic/ectopic endometrium and isolated endometrial cells, opening up the possibility that aberrant/altered expression of some miRNAs whose expression is regulated by the ovarian steroids may influence the expression of specific target genes with central roles in normal endometrial cellular activities and pathogenesis of endometriosis. PMID- 17766686 TI - Heritability of type-D personality. AB - OBJECTIVE: To quantify the influence of genes and environment on individual differences in type-D status, and the type-D subcomponents negative affectivity and social inhibition. Type-D personality independently predicts poor prognosis in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, no previous study has determined the heritability of type-D personality. METHODS: This study determined type-D personality by applying the "combination of scales" method to survey data collected by the Netherlands Twin Register in 3331 healthy, young adult twins. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the relative contributions of additive genetic, nonadditive genetic, and nonshared environmental factors to the variance in type-D and its subcomponents were determined. RESULTS: SEM indicated that type D personality was substantially heritable (52%). The subcomponents negative affectivity and social inhibition were equally heritable, with broad heritability estimates of 46% and 50%. Although negative affectivity was determined by additive genetic effects and nonshared environment, individual differences in social inhibition were predominantly determined by nonadditive genetic effects and nonshared environment. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides strong evidence that genes are important in determining individual differences in type-D personality and the type-D subcomponents negative affectivity and social inhibition. PMID- 17766685 TI - Sleep quality varies as a function of 5-HTTLPR genotype and stress. AB - OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that allelic variation in 5HTT gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) genotype was associated with sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) as a main effect and as moderated by the chronic stress of caregiving. Serotonin (5HT) is involved in sleep regulation and the 5HT transporter (5HTT) regulates 5HT function. A common 44-base pair deletion (s allele) polymorphism in the 5-HTTLPR is associated with reduced 5HTT transcription efficiency and 5HT uptake in vitro. METHODS: Subjects were 142 adult primary caregivers for a spouse or parent with dementia and 146 noncaregiver controls. Subjects underwent genotyping and completed the PSQI. RESULTS: Variation in 5-HTTLPR genotype was not related to sleep quality as a main effect (p > .36). However, there was a caregiver X 5-HTTLPR interaction (p < .009), such that the s allele was associated with poorer sleep quality in caregivers as compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the s allele may moderate sleep disturbance in response to chronic stress. PMID- 17766687 TI - Depressive symptoms predict mucosal wound healing. AB - OBJECTIVE: There is mounting evidence that psychosocial stress can delay wound healing, but this literature almost exclusively pertains to dermal wound healing. Many surgical procedures involve damage to mucosal tissues and the time course and the role of repair processes, such as inflammation, in the healing of these tissues are markedly different from those in dermal healing. Feelings of depression and social isolation are common among surgical patients, and the present study therefore investigated if these factors predict the rate of mucosal wound healing. METHODS: Undergraduate students were invited to participate in the study if they reported high or low levels of loneliness or depressive symptoms, corresponding to the upper or lower quintile of their peer group. The UCLA loneliness scale and the Beck Depression Inventory [short form] were used for this screening. A sample of 193 healthy young adults (age range 18-31 years) received a 3.5-mm circular wound on the oral hard palate, under local anesthesia. Healing was monitored by daily videographs of the wound. RESULTS: The median healing rate was 7 days. High dysphoric participants were, however, more likely to heal slower than this median healing rate (odds ratio 3.57 (1.58-8.07); p < .001). This association remained robust after correction for a broad range of demographic and behavioral variables, including gender, age, ethnicity, and health behaviors. High dysphoric individuals also exhibited significantly larger average wound sizes from day 2 post wounding onward. Loneliness and diurnal cortisol secretion (measured over 5 days) were unrelated to healing. CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms predict the rate of mucosal wound healing in healthy young adults. We discuss potential pathways that warrant further investigation. PMID- 17766688 TI - Predicting continued dizziness after an acute peripheral vestibular disorder. AB - OBJECTIVE: To identify individuals at risk of developing ongoing dizziness 3 months after an acute peripheral vestibular disorder episode, which is usually functionally compensated or even healed within a few weeks. METHODS: In a prospective longitudinal study, we assessed fear of bodily sensations and cognitions related to anxiety at the time of hospital admission and 3 months later in 43 patients with an episode of vestibular neuritis (VN) or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). All participants were assessed for mental disorders using a structured clinical interview. RESULTS: Only the interaction between fear of bodily sensations within the first 2 weeks after admission and the type of vestibular disorder predicted the extent of dizzy complaints 3 months later; this accounts for 21% of the variance in a multiple regression analysis. Specifically, the prediction was valid only in patients with VN but not in patients with BPPV. Further analysis demonstrated that the interaction was not due to the peripheral vestibular disorder per se but rather determined by the initial severity of dizziness, which was significantly different in BPPV and VN patients. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that, for the development of persistent psychogenic dizziness after a peripheral vestibular disorder, the fear of bodily sensations is only relevant in interaction with the initial severity of dizziness experienced during the acute organic episode. To prevent development of persistent psychogenic dizziness, we feel that our results indicate the need to screen patients with vestibular disorders for at-risk status and offer them psychological support to deal with their symptoms. PMID- 17766689 TI - An interactive model of pain and myocardial ischemia. AB - The biopsychosocial model has been used to describe the intertwined factors that may act as mechanisms in cardiovascular disease, as well as those found in pain conditions. This model may also prove useful in understanding a diagnosis that overlaps these two areas, angina. This article reviews the literature related to biological, psychological, and social mechanisms of painful ischemic episodes and discusses the interactions of those variables. We propose an integrated model that incorporates the biopsychosocial mechanisms that may be responsible for the variability in pain reporting with ischemic episodes. We show how sex differences manifested in various biopsychosocial factors may interact to influence the presence of painful versus silent myocardial ischemia. We present a plan for future research to elucidate this interaction. PMID- 17766690 TI - Is cancer risk associated with anger control and negative affect? Findings from a prospective cohort study. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between anger control and negative affect and the risk of five common cancers and total cancers. Possible associations between emotional states and the risk of cancer have long been postulated. METHODS: Prospective cohort study with average follow-up of 9 years. A total of 19,730 adults (99% aged between 40 and 69 years) answered questions on negative affect and anger control at baseline. A total of 1952 cancers were diagnosed, including 352 breast cancers, 318 prostate cancers, 88 lung cancers, 280 colorectal cancers, and 261 melanomas. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounders, there was no significant association between anger control or negative affect and risk of breast cancer, melanoma, or total cancers. Weak associations were identified between anger control and prostate cancer, hazards ratio (HR) 1.17 (1.04-1.30) for a 1-unit increase in the standardized scale, negative affect, and lung cancer, HR 1.24 (1.01-1.52) and colorectal cancer, HR 1.14 (1.01-1.28). There was no evidence of an interaction effect between anger control and negative affect. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that anger control and negative affect are not associated with breast cancer, melanoma, or total cancer risk, although they may have a small role in risk of prostate, colorectal, and lung cancer. Although more research is needed to confirm these latter associations, the results suggest that if affective states are associated with cancer development, the association may differ for different cancers and argue against the use of total cancer as an outcome measure for studies in this area. PMID- 17766691 TI - The long and the short of it: associations between 5-HTT genotypes and coping with stress. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the strategies people use to cope with stress were associated with differing serotonin transporter (5-HTT) genotypes. The short (s) variant of the 5-HTT promoter polymorphism has been associated with an increased likelihood of depression after significant life stress and greater emotional reactivity to fear-invoking stimuli. METHODS: Coping strategies were assessed within a longitudinal study in 1993. Ten years later, genomic DNA was obtained for 127 participants and genotypes for the 5-HTT promoter polymorphism were determined. Coping strategies were grouped into coping scales and also using an exploratory factor analysis. Using ordinal regression, associations were then examined between the coping scales and the 5-HTT genotype and gender. RESULTS: The short variant of the 5-HTT promoter polymorphism was associated with the use of fewer problem-solving strategies. This genotype effect differed significantly between the sexes and was greatest for males. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that coping is influenced by 5-HTT genotype, gender, and their interaction. We raise the possibility that a gene-related disposition to greater emotional reactivity may preclude those with the short variant of the 5-HTT promoter polymorphism from drawing on problem-solving strategies to deal with stress. PMID- 17766692 TI - Socioeconomic status predicts objective and subjective sleep quality in aging women. AB - OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that socioeconomic status (SES) would be associated with sleep quality measured objectively, even after controlling for related covariates (health status, psychosocial characteristics). Epidemiological studies linking SES and sleep quality have traditionally relied on self-reported assessments of sleep. METHODS: Ninety-four women, 61 to 90 years of age, participated in this study. SES was determined by pretax household income and years of education. Objective and subjective assessments of sleep quality were obtained using the NightCap sleep system and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. Health status was determined by subjective health ratings and objective measures of recent and chronic illnesses. Depressive symptoms and neuroticism were quantified using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the Neuroticism subscale of the NEO Personality Inventory, respectively. RESULTS: Household income significantly predicted sleep latency and sleep efficiency even after adjusting for demographic factors, health status, and psychosocial characteristics. Income also predicted PSQI scores, although this association was significantly attenuated by inclusion of neuroticism in multivariate analyses. Education predicted both sleep latency and sleep efficiency, but the latter association was partially reduced after health status and psychosocial measures were included in analyses. Education predicted PSQI sleep efficiency component scores, but not global scores. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that SES is robustly linked to both subjective and objective sleep quality, and that health status and psychosocial characteristics partially explain these associations. PMID- 17766694 TI - Human Proteome Organization Proteomics Standards Initiative: data standardization, a view on developments and policy. PMID- 17766693 TI - Area under the curve and other summary indicators of repeated waking cortisol measurements. AB - OBJECTIVE: To derive the area under the curve and related summary measures of stress from saliva samples collected over time and to provide insight into the interpretation of the derived parameters. In research designed to assess the health consequences of stress these samples are often used as a physiologic indicator of the responsiveness of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. To make these repeated measurements of salivary cortisol more useful in defining the relationships between stress and health there is a need to derive two forms of area under the curve that summarize the measurements: area under the curve with respect to ground (AUC(G)) and area under the curve with respect to increase (AUC(I)). The latter parameters, AUC(I), however, is seldom used by research scientists. METHODS: In this study, interpretation and generic definition of the area under the curve was provided through graphical analyses and examination of its association with other summary measures using data from the Buffalo Cardio Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) Pilot Study. In generic form, AUC(I) is derived as the area under the curve above the baseline value minus the area above the curve below the baseline value. RESULTS: The sign and magnitude of AUC(I) are related to the profile and the rate of change of the measurements over time. The parameter showed significant associations with other summary indicators that measure pattern or rate of change of the measurements over time. CONCLUSION: Principal components analyses revealed that summary parameters derived from repeated cortisol measurements can be grouped into two meaningful general categories: measures of the magnitude of response and measures of the pattern of response over time. PMID- 17766695 TI - Commentary on "use of demographic and quantitative admissions data ...". PMID- 17766696 TI - ACCF/AHA 2007 clinical competence statement on vascular imaging with computed tomography and magnetic resonance: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association/American College of Physicians Task Force on Clinical Competence and Training: developed in collaboration with the Society of Atherosclerosis Imaging and Prevention, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, and the Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology. PMID- 17766697 TI - Importance and challenges of studying marketed drugs: what is a phase IV study? Common clinical research designs, registries, and self-reporting systems. AB - The new drug application database submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration for drug approval (phases I-III or phases 1-3) is limited both in scope and size. Although randomized controlled trials, the hallmark of phase III trials, are the gold standard for the drug-approval process, they invariably have a number of limitations, including relatively small sample sizes, selective populations, short follow-up, the use of intermediate (surrogate) endpoints (almost always), and limited generalizability. The challenges of monitoring drugs once approved are also numerous. After approval by the Food and Drug Administration, marketed drugs undergo continued scrutiny, and this scrutiny is increasing because of problems that have surfaced with some drugs after their approval. Postmarketing research includes a variety of study designs and the use of registries and self-reporting of drug side effects. Along with this has come great confusion about what postmarketing research is and what a phase IV study is. Among the important strengths of phase IV research are the exposure of a broader range of patients to the drug under study, resulting in more "real-world" information about the drug's safety and efficacy, and consideration of a broader range of clinical endpoints. As a result, phase IV, or postmarketing research, has become an integral part of the drug evaluation process for a wide range of agents. The authors discuss the different types of study designs that are common under the phase IV terminology and provide some examples. They also discuss the use of registries and self-reporting of adverse events using the MedWatch System. PMID- 17766698 TI - Pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction potentials for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies: reality check. AB - A formal assessment of the drug-drug interaction potential of any investigational drug product often requires multiple metabolic and pharmacokinetic evaluations. In contrast to a small-molecule drug, investigating the drug-drug interaction potential of a monoclonal antibody is inherently complicated. High molecular weight monoclonal antibodies are often genetically engineered to demonstrate strong specificity for a particular human antigen target. Consequently, monoclonal antibodies usually have few clinically relevant animal models--other than nonhuman primates--in which to conduct appropriate nonclinical studies. Likewise, clinical drug-drug interaction studies of monoclonal antibodies with long elimination half-lives pose definite operational challenges as conventional crossover studies with adequate washout periods are difficult to conduct. Furthermore, the current regulatory guidance on the design and conduct of in vitro and in vivo drug-drug interaction studies applies more readily to small molecule drugs than protein-based biologics. Nevertheless, a certain amount of clinically useful information has begun to emerge from the published literature on drug-drug interaction potentials of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. This article provides a systematic review of the current literature and offers some practical considerations for the design and conduct of pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction assessments involving novel monoclonal antibodies. Ideally, these evaluations should be performed throughout all stages of drug development. In particular, pharmacokinetic interaction studies with any marketed drugs that are likely to be coadministered with the monoclonal antibody will yield the most clinically useful information for practitioners and patients alike. PMID- 17766699 TI - Rituximab pharmacokinetics in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: B-cell levels do not correlate with clinical response. AB - This study characterized the relationship between clinical response, serum rituximab concentrations, and peripheral B-cell levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with rituximab. Data were analyzed from a double blind, phase IIa trial in which 161 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis despite continuing methotrexate were randomized to methotrexate alone (10-25 mg/wk), rituximab alone (single course: 1000 mg administered intravenously on days 1 and 15), rituximab plus cyclophosphamide (750 mg administered intravenously on days 3 and 17), or rituximab plus methotrexate. Serum samples for pharmacokinetic analysis were collected through 24 weeks, and peripheral circulating CD19+ B-cell levels were measured through 48 weeks. All treatments were generally well tolerated, with no clinically relevant excess of adverse events leading to withdrawal among patients who received rituximab compared with those who received methotrexate alone. The proportions of patients who achieved an American College of Rheumatology score of 50 at week 24 were 13% (methotrexate alone), 33% (rituximab alone), 41% (rituximab plus cyclophosphamide), and 43% (rituximab plus methotrexate). Peripheral B-cell depletion occurred by day 15 in all patients treated with rituximab. There was no relationship between B-cell depletion and clinical response. Recovery of peripheral B cells was variable and showed no relationship with return of disease activity in patients who responded to rituximab. The mean terminal half-life of rituximab was 19 to 22 days; pharmacokinetic parameters were similar whether rituximab was administered alone or with methotrexate or cyclophosphamide. Because the level of peripherally circulating B cells does not appear to correlate with a maintained clinical response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the timing of rituximab retreatment should be based on clinical symptoms rather than peripheral B-cell levels. PMID- 17766700 TI - Safety, tolerability, QTc evaluation, and pharmacokinetics of single and multiple doses of enzastaurin HCl (LY317615), a protein kinase C-beta inhibitor, in healthy subjects. AB - The safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of orally administered enzastaurin were evaluated in 2 placebo-controlled, dose escalation studies in healthy subjects. In the first human dose study, single doses (2-400 mg) were evaluated, with 22 subjects receiving enzastaurin. The mean half-lives of enzastaurin and its metabolites ranged from approximately 12 to 40 hours. The longer half-life of the major circulating and pharmacologically active metabolite allowed once-a-day dosing and predicted that steady state would be achieved within 2 weeks of daily oral dosing in all subjects. In the multiple-dose study, daily doses (25-400 mg) were examined, with 24 subjects receiving at least 1 dose. The most common adverse events related to enzastaurin were headache, sleepiness, diarrhea, and nausea. No clinically significant changes in QTc intervals were observed. Overall, enzastaurin was well tolerated in healthy subjects, and the planned maximum dose was achieved in both studies. PMID- 17766702 TI - Comments on "Dual effects of rifampin on the pharmacokinetics of atrasentan". PMID- 17766701 TI - An integrated model for glucose and insulin regulation in healthy volunteers and type 2 diabetic patients following intravenous glucose provocations. AB - An integrated model for the regulation of glucose and insulin concentrations following intravenous glucose provocations in healthy volunteers and type 2 diabetic patients was developed. Data from 72 individuals were included. Total glucose, labeled glucose, and insulin concentrations were determined. Simultaneous analysis of all data by nonlinear mixed effect modeling was performed in NONMEM. Integrated models for glucose, labeled glucose, and insulin were developed. Control mechanisms for regulation of glucose production, insulin secretion, and glucose uptake were incorporated. Physiologically relevant differences between healthy volunteers and patients were identified in the regulation of glucose production, elimination rate of glucose, and secretion of insulin. The model was able to describe the insulin and glucose profiles well and also showed a good ability to simulate data. The features of the present model are likely to be of interest for analysis of data collected in antidiabetic drug development and for optimization of study design. PMID- 17766705 TI - Cyclic Cushing's syndrome: a clinical challenge. AB - Cyclic Cushing's syndrome (CS) is a rare disorder, characterized by repeated episodes of cortisol excess interspersed by periods of normal cortisol secretion. The so-called cycles of hypercortisolism can occur regularly or irregularly with intercyclic phases ranging from days to years. To formally diagnose cyclic CS, three peaks and two troughs of cortisol production should be demonstrated. Our review of 65 reported cases demonstrates that cyclic CS originates in 54% of cases from a pituitary corticotroph adenoma, in 26% from an ectopic ACTH producing tumour and in about 11% from an adrenal tumour, the remainder being unclassified. The pathophysiology of cyclic CS is largely unknown. The majority of patients with cyclic CS have clinical signs of CS, which can be either fluctuating or permanent. In a minority of patients, clinical signs of CS are absent. The fluctuating clinical picture and discrepant biochemical findings make cyclic CS extremely hard to diagnose. Clinicians should therefore be aware of this clinical entity and actively search for it in all patients with suspected CS but normal biochemistry or vice versa. Frequent measurements of urinary cortisol or salivary cortisol levels are a reliable and convenient screening tool for suspected cyclic CS. Cortisol stimulation or suppression tests may give spurious results owing to spontaneous falls or rises in serum cortisol at the time of testing. When cyclic CS is biochemically confirmed, further imaging and laboratory studies are guided by the presence or absence of ACTH dependency. In cases of suspected ectopic ACTH production, specific biochemical testing for carcinoids or neuroendocrine tumours is required, including measurements of serotonin in platelets and/or urine, chromogranin A and calcitonin. PMID- 17766704 TI - Genetic variants in the leukemia-associated Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (ARHGEF12) gene are not associated with T2DM and related parameters in Caucasians (KORA study). AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to determine the variant pattern of the leukemia-associated Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (LARG, or ARHGEF12) gene and investigate whether LARG variants are associated with diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM), the metabolic syndrome (MetS), or related parameters such as insulin sensitivity in German Caucasians. DESIGN: We analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the LARG gene in the 55-74-year-old individuals of the population-based German Caucasian Cooperative Health Research in the region of Augsberg (KORA) survey 4 (S4). METHODS: Sequencing of Tyr1306Cys, which was of functional relevance in Pima Indians, in 48 randomly selected individuals and genotyping of 11 additional LARG SNPs in 1653 subjects were performed. Four linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks (r(2)> or =0.8) were established and each block was statistically analyzed for association with metabolic traits. The association with T2DM and the MetS was analyzed by logistic regression in 1462 subjects, and HOMA-IR (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance) as a measure of insulin sensitivity was analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test in 1346 fasting subjects. RESULTS: The polymorphism Tyr1306Cys, which was significantly associated with insulin sensitivity in Pima Indians, was not found in the KORA S4 population. Statistical analysis yielded no significant associations (P>0.05) between the analyzed LARG variants and T2DM, the MetS, or related parameters such as insulin sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Caucasian individuals and Pima Indians differ in their genetic variance pattern in the LARG gene region. There is no evidence in the Caucasian KORA study that variants of the LARG gene confer susceptibility for T2DM, insulin sensitivity, or the MetS. PMID- 17766706 TI - Gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery for acromegaly. AB - BACKGROUND: Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKR) is an adjuvant treatment for acromegaly if surgery fails to normalize GH hypersecretion. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of GKR on tumor growth and hypersecretion, and to characterize the adverse effect of this treatment. DESIGN: Cross-sectional follow-up study. First, retrospective data pre- and post-GKR were collected. PATIENTS then underwent a predefined survey including radiological, endocrinological, ophthalmological, and neurosurgical evaluation. SETTING: Norwegian National Center for gamma knife treatment. PATIENTS: Sixty-one patients treated with GKR for acromegaly. Out of 55, 53 living patients underwent a detailed survey. The mean follow-up was 5.5 years. No patient was lost to follow-up. RESULTS: Tumor growth was stopped in all patients. At 3, 5, and 10 years after GKR, 45, 58, and 86% of patients had normal IGF-I levels. Consecutive hormone value analysis showed that patients receiving GH-suppressive medication had a more rapid decline in hypersecretion than those who did not receive such medication. Evaluated by survey baseline values alone, non-elevated IGF-I and GH levels below 5 mIU/l were found in 38%. GH-suppressive medication was terminated in 16 out of 40 patients following GKR. Nine out of 53 surveyed patients (17%) had normal IGF-I and GH nadir below 2.6 mIU/l at glucose tolerance tests, while not on hormone-suppressive medication. Two patients developed minor visual field defects. Eight patients started hormone substitution therapy during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: GKR is an effective adjuvant treatment for residual acromegaly, carrying few side effects. PMID- 17766707 TI - Reduced epinephrine reserve in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in patients with pituitary adenoma. AB - OBJECTIVE: Hypoglycemia induces rapid secretion of counterregulatory hormones such as catecholamine, glucagon, cortisol, and GH. Insulin-induced hypoglycemia is used for evaluating GH-IGF-I and ACTH-adrenal axes in patients with pituitary disorders. The aim of this study was to determine whether the response of catecholamine secretion to hypoglycemia is disrupted in patients with pituitary adenoma. METHODS: The study population comprised 23 patients with pituitary adenoma (non-functioning adenoma or prolactinoma). An insulin tolerance test was performed and serum catecholamines as well as plasma GH and serum cortisol were measured. RESULTS: The study patients showed diminished response of plasma epinephrine to insulin-induced hypoglycemia. With the cutoff level of peak epinephrine for defining severe impairment set at 400 pg/ml, more patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency showed severe impairment of the epinephrine response than did those without it. Peak epinephrine levels to insulin-induced hypoglycemia were significantly correlated with peak cortisol levels. In patients with secondary hypothyroidism, secondary hypogonadism, GH deficiency, or diabetes insipidus, the prevalence of severe impairment of the epinephrine response was similar to that in patients without these deficiencies. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired epinephrine secretion in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia was frequently observed in patients with pituitary adenoma. This disorder was especially severe in patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency. PMID- 17766708 TI - Desmopressin test during petrosal sinus sampling: a valuable tool to discriminate pituitary or ectopic ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome. AB - Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-stimulated petrosal sinus sampling is currently the gold standard method for the differential diagnosis between pituitary and ectopic ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome. Our objective was to determine sensitivity and specificity of desmopressin test during petrosal sinus sampling. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-three patients had petrosal sinus sampling because of the lack of visible adenoma on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or because of discordant cortisol response to high-dose dexamethasone suppression test. ACTH sampling was performed in an antecubital vein, right and left petrosal sinuses, then at each location 5 and 10 min after injection of desmopressin. Diagnosis was based on the ACTH ratio between petrosal sinus and humeral vein ACTH after desmopressin test. Diagnosis was confirmed after surgery. A receiver operating characteristics curve was used to determine optimal sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients had Cushing's disease (CD) and seven had ectopic ACTH secretion. A ratio > 2 after desmopressin was found in 35 of the 36 cases of CD (sensitivity: 95%). A ratio < or = 2 was found in the seven patients with ectopic ACTH secretion (specificity: 100%). Sinus sampling was ineffective in determining the left or right localization of the adenoma (sensitivity = 50%). No major adverse effects were observed during or after the procedure. CONCLUSION: Desmopressin test during petrosal sinus sampling is a safe and effective diagnostic procedure in ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome. It thus represents a valuable alternative to CRH. PMID- 17766709 TI - Maternal plasma corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and CRF-binding protein (CRF BP) levels in post-term pregnancy: effect of prostaglandin administration. AB - OBJECTIVE: Placental corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) affects myometrial contractility and the secretion of several uterotonins such as prostaglandins (PGs); however, the activity of CRF is counteracted by CRF-binding protein (CRF BP). At term and pre-term labor, CRF levels in maternal plasma are highest whereas those of CRF-BP are falling, and the cause of this fall is unknown. Thus, in this study, we investigated the effect of PG administration for labor induction on maternal plasma CRF and CRF-BP concentrations. DESIGN: Maternal plasma CRF and CRF-BP levels were assayed before and after (2 h later) induction of labor by intracervical administration of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), and at delivery in a group of healthy post-term pregnancies (n=18). Controls were women at term out of labor (n=22), who subsequently progressed to deliver a healthy singleton baby. METHODS: CRF was measured by two-site immunoradiometric assay, and CRF-BP was assayed by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Maternal plasma CRF levels were significantly (P<0.0001) lower and CRF-BP significantly (P<0.0005) higher in post-term than in term pregnancies. With respect to induction of labor, 2 mg PGE(2) were sufficient to increase maternal plasma CRF levels at delivery (P<0.005). While 0.5 mg PGE(2) significantly decreased maternal plasma CRF-BP levels at delivery (P<0.001), 2.0 mg PGE(2) significantly reduced CRF-BP concentrations both after 2 h (P<0.05) and at delivery (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In the light of the well-known stimulation of prostaglandin release by CRF, these data suggest a positive feedback effect of PGE(2) on maternal CRF release during induced labor. PMID- 17766710 TI - Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 in Northern Finland; clinical features and genotype phenotype correlation. AB - OBJECTIVE: The existence of genotype-phenotype correlation in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is controversial. Two founder mutations of the MEN1 gene in Northern Finland gave us an opportunity to compare clinical features among heterozygotes of different mutations. DESIGN AND METHODS: Study cohort included 82 MEN1 heterozygotes who were tested for MEN1 during the years 1982-2001. Medical records were reviewed for manifestations of MEN1, other tumours and cause of death by the end of August 2003. Logistic regression analysis was used in evaluating the impact of age, gender and mutational status of affected heterozygotes on the likelihood of developing manifestations of MEN1. RESULTS: Founder mutations 1466del12 and 1657insC were found in 39 and 29 individuals, and D418N, G156R and R527X mutations in 9, 3 and 2 individuals respectively. Except for pituitary adenoma and nonfunctional pancreatic tumour (NFPT), age was a risk factor for all the disease manifestations. For NFPT, frameshift/nonsense mutations (1657insC, R527X) gave an odds ratio (OR) of 3.26 (95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.27-8.33; P = 0.014) compared with in-frame/missense mutations (1466del12, D418N, G156R); including the founder mutation carriers (n = 68) only, the 1657insC mutation gave an OR of 3.56 (CI, 1.29-9.83; P = 0.015). For gastrinoma, in-frame/missense mutations predicted the risk with an OR of 6.77 (CI, 1.31-35.0; P = 0.022), and in the founder mutations group the 1466del12 mutation gave an OR of 15.09 (CI, 1.73-131.9, P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: In this study population, NFPT was more common in the frameshift/nonsense or 1657insC mutation carriers, whereas gastrinoma was more common in the in-frame/missense or 1466del12 mutation carriers. PMID- 17766711 TI - Circulating obestatin levels and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio in obese women. AB - OBJECTIVE: We measured blood levels of obestatin, total ghrelin, and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio and their relationship with anthropometric and metabolic parameters, adiponectin and insulin resistance, in overweight/obese and normal weight women. DESIGN: Outpatients Unit of Endocrinology of the S Orsola-Malpighi Hospital of Bologna, Italy. METHODS: Fasting obestatin, ghrelin, adiponectin and lipid levels, fasting and glucose-stimulated oral glucose tolerance test insulin, and glucose levels were measured in 20 overweight/obese and 12 controls. The fasting ghrelin/obestatin ratio was calculated; the homeostasis model assessment IR (HOMA-IR) and insulin sensitivity index (ISI(composite)) were calculated as indices of insulin resistance. RESULTS: Obese women had higher obestatin and lower ghrelin blood levels, and a lower ghrelin/obestatin ratio compared with controls. In all subjects, obestatin was significantly and positively correlated with total cholesterol and triglycerides, but not with ghrelin, anthropometric, and metabolic parameters. In the obese women, however, obestatin and ghrelin concentrations were positively correlated. By contrast, the ghrelin/obestatin ratio was significantly and negatively correlated with body mass index, waist, waist-to-hip ratio, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR, and positively with ISI(composite) but not with adiponectin. None of these parameters were correlated with the ghrelin/obestatin ratio in the obese. CONCLUSIONS: Increased obestatin, decreased ghrelin levels, and a decreased ghrelin/obestatin ratio characterize obesity in women. This supports the hypothesis that the imbalance of ghrelin and obestatin may have a role in the pathophysiology of obesity. On the other hand, some relevant differences between our data on circulating levels of obestatin and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio in obese subjects and those reported in the few studies published so far imply that further research is needed. PMID- 17766712 TI - Circulating nerve growth factor levels in relation to obesity and the metabolic syndrome in women. AB - OBJECTIVE: Neurotrophins (NTs) could be involved in the development and progression of inflammatory and immune diseases. Because obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) are related to a low-grade systemic inflammation, plasma NT levels (neurotrophinemia) could play an important role in the ethiopathogenic mechanisms underlying these metabolic derangements. This is the first study evaluating the plasma NT levels in a group of women with obesity and MetSyn, and also the adipose tissue nerve growth factor (NGF) expression in a small group of them. METHODS: Included were 146 adult women with different degrees of adiposity, with or without MetSyn. Plasma NT levels were measured. NGF expression was analyzed in s.c. adipose tissue of a subgroup of morbidly obese and normal-weight females. RESULTS: NGF plasma levels were 1.4-fold higher in overweight and obese subjects. Plasma NGF was, however, lower in a group of morbidly obese subjects than in overweight or obesity, but it remained elevated relative to the normal-weight group. Plasma NGF was significantly correlated with body mass index (BMI), percentage body fat, and waist circumference in non morbidly obese subjects. NGF was positively related to inflammatory markers. NT3 and brain-derived neurotrophin factor seem to be more related to lipid profile than to BMI, adipose tissue distribution, or peripheral inflammatory markers. Subjects with type 2 diabetes, abdominal fat distribution, or the MetSyn showed significantly higher levels of NGF. The MetSyn was the only independent predictor of the variability observed in the NGF plasma values. CONCLUSION: NGF is upregulated in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and the MetSyn. Whether this NT may contribute to inflammation and the metabolic derangements associated with body weight gain remains to be elucidated. PMID- 17766713 TI - Correlations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and atherosclerosis in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients. AB - BACKGROUND: The elevated level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HSCRP) and aortic stiffness are associated with high mortality in type 2 diabetic patients. We tested the hypothesis that the HSCRP correlates with aortic stiffness and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study consisted of 46 Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes and high HSCRP group (0.3 1.0 mg/dl, age: 57+/-5 years, mean+/-s.d.) and a control group of 55 age-matched patients with low HSCRP group (<0.3 mg/dl, 57+/-6 years). Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (BaPWV) was measured by automatic oscillometric method and was used as an index of atherosclerosis. RESULTS: The body mass index (BMI) values (P<0.05) and waist circumferences (P<0.0005) and the waist-to-hip ratios (P<0.05) were higher in the high HSCRP group than in the low HSCRP group. The BaPWV was higher in the high HSCRP group than in the low HSCRP group (P<0.0001). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG; P<0.005) and insulin concentrations (P<0.0001), and the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index (P<0.0001), were higher in the high HSCRP group than in the low HSCRP group. Multiple regression analysis showed that HSCRP levels were independently predicted by BaPWV and HOMA index. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the elevated level of HSCRP in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes is characterized by increased aortic stiffness and insulin resistance, and that the BaPWV and HOMA index are independent predictors of HSCRP. PMID- 17766714 TI - Reduced 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity in obese boys. AB - OBJECTIVE: The incidence of childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. Glucocorticoid excess causes central obesity and diabetes mellitus as seen in Cushing's syndrome. The 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 enzyme (11beta-HSD1) regenerates active cortisol from inactive cortisone. Altered 11beta-HSD1 may cause tissue-specific Cushing's syndrome with central obesity and impaired glucose homeostasis. DESIGN, PATIENTS, AND METHODS: Clinical and laboratory characteristics, and anthropometric measurements were determined in 15 male and 6 female obese pubertal children (aged 12-18 years, Tanner stages 2-5). In addition, analyses of 24-h excretion rates of glucocorticoids were also performed in 21 age-, sex-, and pubertal stage-matched non-obese children using gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis. RESULTS: 11beta-HSD1 activity (urinary tetrahydrocortisol (THF) + 5alpha-THF/tetrahydrocortisone (THE) ratio) was lower in obese when compared with non-obese boys. In addition, obese children had a higher total cortisol metabolite excretion than non-obese children. 11beta-HSD1 activity was significantly related to age in lean and obese children. Standard deviation score (SDS)-body mass index did not correlate with 11beta-HSD1 activity, or with total cortisol metabolite excretion within each group. In obese children, 11beta-HSD1 activity and total cortisol metabolite excretion showed no correlation to waist-to-hip ratio, fat mass (percentage of body mass), or the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our findings strongly suggest that 11beta-HSD1 activity increases with age, and is reduced in obese boys. In addition, obese children have a higher total cortisol metabolites excretion suggesting a stimulated hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. PMID- 17766715 TI - Recent outcome of Graves' disease patients with papillary thyroid cancer. AB - OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the clinical behavior and outcome of 202 papillary thyroid cancers in Graves' disease patients during the period 1994 2004. DESIGN: This was a retrospective, non-randomized case-control study. METHODS: Since 1994, we have included an ultrasonogram of the neck in the initial examination of thyroid disease patients who consult our outpatient clinic. We evaluated the tumor status and long-term outcome of Graves' disease patients with thyroid cancer and of age- and tumor size-matched euthyroid papillary thyroid cancer patients as controls. Serum TSH receptor antibody (TRAb) was measured in the Graves' disease group. RESULTS: A total of 154 papillary thyroid cancers were diagnosed in the Graves' disease patients and were treated surgically. At surgery, no significant differences in multifocality, lymph node metastasis, or distant metastasis were found between the Graves' disease group and the euthyroid group. On the whole, the clinical course of the cancers in both the Graves' disease group and euthyroid group was relatively good. No significant correlations were found between the TRAb levels in the Graves' disease group and multifocality or the presence of lymph node metastasis. Papillary thyroid cancer was discovered as an incidental finding in 2% of the 2356 surgically treated Graves' disease patients, but none of them developed metastasis during the follow up period. CONCLUSION: The results in this series of patients do not support the claim that thyroid cancer is more aggressive in Graves' disease patients than in euthyroid patients. PMID- 17766716 TI - High phenotypic intrafamilial variability in patients with Pendred syndrome and a novel duplication in the SLC26A4 gene: clinical characterization and functional studies of the mutated SLC26A4 protein. AB - OBJECTIVE: Pendred syndrome (PS) is characterized by the association of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and a partial iodide organification defect at the thyroid level. It is caused by mutations in the SLC26A4 gene. The encoded transmembrane protein, called pendrin, has been found to be able to transport chloride and other anions. DESIGN: The aim of the present study was to characterize a family with PS, which shows a strong intrafamilial phenotypic variability, including kidney atrophy in one member. The age of disease-onset was significantly different in all three affected siblings, ranging from 2 to 21 years for thyroid alterations and from 1.5 to 11 years for SNHL. METHODS: Clinical and genetic studies were carried out in affected siblings. The functional activity of the novel duplication found was studied by a fluorimetric method in a human renal cell line (HEK293 Phoenix) in which the protein was overexpressed. RESULTS: All three siblings were found to be compound heterozygotes for the missense mutation (1226G>A, R409H) and for a novel 11 bp duplication (1561_1571CTTGGAATGGC, S523fsX548). The latter mutation creates a frame shift leading to the loss of the entire carboxy-terminus domain. Functional studies of this mutant demonstrated impaired transport of chloride and iodide when expressed in HEK 293 Phoenix cells, when compared with wild type pendrin. CONCLUSIONS: A novel 11 bp duplication was found in a family with Pendred syndrome, showing a high intrafamilial phenotypic variability. An impaired transmembrane anionic transport of the mutated SLC26A4 protein was demonstrated in functional studies using a heterologous cell system. PMID- 17766717 TI - Prevalence of testicular adrenal rest tumours in male children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency. AB - OBJECTIVE: Testicular adrenal rest tumours (TART) are a well-known complication in adult male patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), with a reported prevalence of up to 94%. In adulthood, the tumours are associated with gonadal dysfunction most probably due to longstanding obstruction of the seminiferous tubules. The aim of our study was to determine the presence of TART and their influence on gonadal function in childhood. DESIGN: Retrospective study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Scrotal ultrasound was performed in 34 children with CAH due to 21 hydroxylase deficiency who were between 2 and 18 years old. FSH, LH, testosterone and inhibin B concentrations were measured in serum of 27 patients. RESULTS: TART were detected by ultrasound in 8 out of 34 (24%) children. In two of them, bilateral tumours were found. All lesions were located in the rete testis. Seven patients had the salt-wasting type of CAH; one patient had the simple virilising type of CAH. Mean tumour size was 4.1 mm (range 2-8 mm). In none of the patients were the tumours palpable. Two children with TART were between 5 and 10 years old, the other six children were above 10 years old. In all children with TART, LH, FSH, testosterone and inhibin B levels were similar to the patients without TART. CONCLUSION: TART can be found in CAH children before the age of 10 years. The absence of gonadal dysfunction in our group of children suggests that gonadal dysfunction as frequently reported in adult CAH patients with TART develops after childhood. PMID- 17766718 TI - High normal testosterone levels in infants with non-mosaic Klinefelter's syndrome. AB - OBJECTIVE: Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) is associated with hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism in adulthood. However, limited information exists about the age at which hypogonadism occurs. The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is transiently activated during the first months of life, offering the opportunity to study testicular function by spontaneous, basal hormone levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the HPG axis in KS infants. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Ten KS infants aged 3.1 months (range 1.8-3.8) and 613 healthy controls aged 3.0 months (range 2.0-4.5). Serum levels of total and free testosterone (T), LH, FSH, inhibin B and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were determined. RESULTS: KS infants had significantly higher concentrations of total T (5.0 (2.2-11.2) vs 3.4 (0.7-8.3) nmol/l, P = 0.02), free T (31.6 (18.2-61.8) vs 22.1 (4.3-48.4) pmol/l, P = 0.01), LH (3.3 (1.3-4.6) vs 1.7 (0.6-4.3) IU/l, P = 0.005) and FSH (1.7 (1.1-4.1) vs 1.2 (0.4-3.0) IU/l, P = 0.007) than controls. SHBG and inhibin B did not differ from controls. LH/T and LH/free T ratios were normal, whereas the FSH/inhibin B ratio was elevated (6.5 (2.7-16.9) vs 3.0 (0.78 11.4), P = 0.005) when compared to controls. The majority of KS infants had normal bivariate hormonal combinations. CONCLUSION: We found increased FSH/inhibin B ratio as a possible sign of Sertoli cell dysfunction. However, serum levels of T were high normal suggesting an altered pituitary-gonadal set point. PMID- 17766719 TI - Evaluation of a standardized short-time calcium suppression test in healthy subjects: interest for the diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism. AB - OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) can be difficult in patients with normal plasma calcium or parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. We perfected a standardized short-time i.v. calcium loading test in healthy controls (HC) and compared the results with those of patients with PHP. METHODS: Sixteen HC received 0.33 mmol/kg calcium gluconate intravenously for 3 h. Plasma calcium and serum PTH levels (assayed with immunoluminescent sandwich methods) were measured before, at the end of the infusion and 3 h later. Results were compared with those of 16 PHP patients. RESULTS: In HC, basal total plasma calcium (mean +/- s.e.m.) was 2.33 +/- 0.02 mmol/l. At the end of calcium loading, calcemia reached 3.21 +/- 0.05 mmol/l and decreased to 2.94 +/- 0.08 mmol/l 3 h later. In PHP patients, basal plasma calcium was 2.54 +/- 0.03 mmol/l and reached similar values as in HC during the testing. Basal serum PTH levels were 32.5 +/- 3.3 ng/l in HC and 86.9 +/- 6.3 ng/l in PHP. At the end of calcium loading, they dropped to 8.8 +/- 0.6 ng/l (HC) and to 31.4 +/- 4.2 ng/l (PHP). Three hours later, they were 11.6 +/- 0.8 and 39.8 +/- 4.0 ng/l respectively. There was a cut-off in serum PTH values between the two groups at the end of calcium loading and 3 h later. CONCLUSION: The standardized short-time PTH suppression test appears reliable to differentiate healthy subjects from PHP whose serum PTH levels remain >14 and >23 ng/ml respectively at the end of loading and 3 h later. This well tolerated and easily performed test could be used for the diagnosis of PHP in patients suspected for the disease despite the normality of some basal biological markers. PMID- 17766721 TI - Recombinant human TSH acutely impairs endothelium-dependent vasodilation. PMID- 17766720 TI - Effects of sex steroids on bone in women with subclinical or overt endogenous hypercortisolism. AB - OBJECTIVE: Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis is the most frequent cause of secondary osteoporosis. Nevertheless, limited data are available on bone status in patients with endogenous cortisol excess. This study is aimed at investigating the role of sex steroids and severity of hypercortisolism on bone mineral density (BMD) and prevalence of vertebral fractures in female patients. DESIGN: Cross sectional, case-control study. PATIENTS: Seventy-one consecutive women were enrolled: 36 with overt hypercortisolism (26 with ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma and 10 with cortisol-secreting adrenal tumor) and 35 with subclinical hypercortisolism due to adrenal incidentalomas. They were compared with 71 matched controls. METHODS: At diagnosis, we measured serum cortisol, FSH, LH, estradiol, testosterone, androstenedione and DHEAS, and urinary cortisol excretion. BMD was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine and femoral neck. Vertebral fractures were investigated by a semiquantitative scoring method. RESULTS: Between women with overt and subclinical hypercortisolism BMD values and prevalence of any vertebral (69 vs 57%, P = 0.56), clinical (28 vs 11.4%, P = 0.22), and multiple vertebral fractures (36 vs 31%, P = 0.92) did not differ. Among patients with subclinical hypercortisolism, amenorrhoic women had a lower BMD (P = 0.035) and more frequent vertebral fractures (80 vs 40%; P = 0.043) when compared with the eumenorrhoic ones. Among women with overt hypercortisolism, there was no difference in lumbar BMD (P = 0.37) and prevalence of fractures (81 vs 60%; P = 0.26) between those amenorrhoic and eumenorrhoic. By logistic regression analysis, lumbar spine BMD values and cortisol-to-DHEAS ratio were the best predictors of vertebral fractures (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Vertebral fractures are very common in women with endogenous cortisol excess, regardless of its severity. The deleterious effects of hypercortisolism on the spine may be partly counterbalanced by DHEAS increase at any degree of cortisol excess, and by preserved menstrual cycles in women with subclinical but not in those with overt hypercortisolism. PMID- 17766722 TI - 'Increased incidence of secondary tumours in thyroid cancer patients': a fact or a sophism? PMID- 17766724 TI - Maternal depression and adolescent behavior problems: an examination of mediation among immigrant Latino mothers and their adolescent children exposed to community violence. AB - This study examines the psychological and behavioral effects of exposure to community violence of 47 Latino mothers and their young adolescent children. Using data gathered from multiple sources, this study tests the associations between lifetime exposure to community violence, maternal depression, and child behavior problems. More than 80% of the youngsters ranging from age 11 to 14 years and 68% of the mothers reported being exposed to at least one act of community violence either as a victim or as a witness. Analyses reveal that maternal depression is a mediator of child behavior problems, reducing the direct effect of community violence exposure by more than 50%. Findings suggest that maternal depression is a factor more important than child's community violence exposure in contributing to young adolescents' behavioral problems. PMID- 17766723 TI - Recurrence-free survival after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma. A registry report of the impact of risk factors on outcome. AB - BACKGROUND: Despite the high complete necrosis rate of radiofrequency ablation (RFA), tumor recurrence, either local tumor recurrence or new tumor formation, remains a significant problem. Purpose of this study is to evaluate the pattern and risk factors for intrahepatic recurrence after percutaneous RFA for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We studied 40 patients with 48 HCCs (< or = 3.5 cm) who were treated with percutaneous RFA. The mean follow-up period was 24.1 +/- 15.7 months. We evaluated the cumulative disease-free survival of overall intrahepatic recurrence, local tumor progression (LTP) and intrahepatic distant recurrence (IDR). Thirty host, tumoral and therapeutic risk factors were reviewed for significant tie-in correlation with recurrence: age; gender; whether RFA was the initial treatment for HCC or not; severity of liver disease; cause of liver cirrhosis; contact of tumor to major hepatic vessels and liver capsule; degree of approximation of tumor to the liver hilum; ablation time; degree of benign pre-ablational enhancement; sufficient safety margin; tumor multinodularity; tumor histological differentiation; tumor segmental location; maximum tumor diameter; degree of tumor pre-ablational enhancement at arterial phase CT, MRI or CT-angiography; and laboratory markers pre- and post-ablation (AFP, PIVKA II, TP, AST, ALT, ALP and TB). RESULTS: The incidence of overall recurrence, LTP and IDR was 65, 23 and 52.5%, respectively. The cumulative disease-free survival rates were 54.6, 74.8 and 78.3% at 1 year, 27.3, 71.9 and 46.3% at 2 years and 20, 71.9 and 29.4 at 3 years, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that the significant risk factors for LTP were: tumor size > or = 2.3 cm, insufficient safety margin, multinodular tumor, tumors located at segments 8 and 5, and patient's age > 65 years (P < 0.05). No significant risk factor relationship for IDR could be detected. CONCLUSION: Our results would have clinical implications for advance warning and appropriate management of patients scheduled for RFA. Patients at risk of LTP should be closely monitored in the first year. Furthermore, regular long-term surveillance is essential for early detection and eradication of IDR. PMID- 17766725 TI - Methodological review of intimate partner violence prevention research. AB - The authors present a methodological review of empirical program evaluation research in the area of intimate partner violence prevention. The authors adapted and utilized criterion-based rating forms to standardize the evaluation of the methodological strengths and weaknesses of each study. The findings indicate that the limited amount of empirical research related to intimate partner violence prevention demonstrates some consistent methodological strengths and limitations. The authors conclude with a presentation of recommendations for further research in the area of intimate partner violence prevention. PMID- 17766726 TI - Adult perspectives on growing up following uxoricide. AB - The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the state of the science on uxoricide, including qualitative findings on 47 survivors. Two qualitative interviews were conducted between January 2004 and January 2005 with 47 convenience sample adult survivors of uxoricide. Data were analyzed using hermeneutic analysis. A number of themes emerge, such as later experiences with violence, including sexual abuse as a child; family difficulties in speaking about the death; the need to learn about the homicide as an adult as well as a need to reconnect with and forgive the assailant; and the importance of a caring adult to provide stability. PMID- 17766727 TI - Predictors of adult attitudes toward corporal punishment of children. AB - This study identifies predictors of favorable attitudes toward spanking. Analyses were performed with survey data collected from a representative sample of 1,000 adults from Quebec, Canada. According to this survey, a majority of respondents endorsed spanking, despite their recognition of potential harm associated with corporal punishment (CP) of children. The prediction model of attitudes toward spanking included demographics, experiencing or witnessing various forms of family violence and abuse in childhood, and perceived frequency of physical injuries resulting from CP. Spanking was the most reported childhood experience (66.4%), and most violence and abuse predictors were significantly and positively correlated. Older respondents who were spanked in childhood and who believed that spanking never or seldom results in physical injuries were the most in favor of spanking. On the other hand, respondents who reported more severe physical violence or psychological abuse in childhood were less in favor of spanking. Findings are discussed in terms of prevention of CP and family coercion cycle. PMID- 17766728 TI - Intimate partner violence, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder as additional predictors of low birth weight infants among low-income mothers. AB - Estimates of intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy vary by population being studied, measures, and other methodological limitations, hindering the ability to gauge the relationship between IPV and negative birth outcomes. The authors report aggregated data from a subsample (n = 148) of the first three waves of the Women's Employment Study. The authors compared groups of women who did and did not give birth to low birth weight infants on demographic, material deprivation, risk behavior, mental health, and IPV factors. The prevalence of domestic violence was more than twice as high for women with low birth weight infants as those women who had a normal weight infant. When considering additional risk factors, including food insufficiency, substance dependence, and depression and/or posttraumatic stress disorder, IPV remained a significant indicator, but it was most strongly associated with low birth weight among women also experiencing depression and/or posttraumatic stress disorder. PMID- 17766729 TI - The relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult mental health among undergraduates: victim gender doesn't matter. AB - A large body of research has documented the harmful effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on adult mental health among females, but less work has examined this issue among males. This study examined whether gender moderated the relationship between CSA and adult mental health among a mixed-gender sample of 406 undergraduates. A Pearson chi-square test indicated that a significantly greater proportion of females (41.6%) than males (30.7%) reported a history of CSA. ANCOVAs tested whether gender, CSA status, and their interaction were related to adult mental health symptomatology as measured by Brief Symptom Inventory gender normed t scores. Participants with a history of CSA reported significantly higher levels of global mental health problems, hostility, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism. The gender by CSA status interaction was not significant for any scale, indicating that the harmful effects of CSA on adult mental health did not vary by gender. PMID- 17766730 TI - The influence of length of marriage and fidelity status on perception of marital rape. AB - To what extent does the length of the marriage or the wife's faithfulness to the husband influence the perception of responsibility or trauma in marital rape? In the current study, each participant was presented with one of four marital rape vignettes. The vignettes varied only in the length of the marriage (3 years or 15 years) and the fidelity status of the wife (continuously faithful or involved in an ongoing sexual affair with another man). Results indicate that both length of marriage and fidelity status significantly influence perceptions of marital rape. Specifically, participants assigned greater responsibility for the rape to unfaithful wives than to faithful wives. This finding is particularly salient for wives in long-term marriages as compared to wives in short-term marriages. Additionally, participants perceived rapes within long-term marriages as more traumatic than rapes within short-term marriages. PMID- 17766731 TI - Criminal profiles of violent juvenile sex and violent juvenile non sex offenders: an explorative longitudinal study. AB - Few studies have longitudinally investigated the criminal profiles of violent juvenile sex and violent juvenile non-sex offenders. To make up for this lack, this study used police records of juveniles to determine the nature of the criminal profiles of violent sex offenders (n = 226) and violent non-sex offenders (n = 4,130). All offenders committed their first offense in 1996 and were followed for 7 years. Results showed that violent sex offenders and violent non-sex offenders cannot be considered a homogeneous group because of different background characteristics and criminal profiles. Sex and violent offenses often constitute a small part of a broader criminal pattern. Further research is necessary to reveal in more detail the developmental and criminological patterns of violent and sexual delinquency. Treatment and intervention programs may benefit from this. PMID- 17766732 TI - Uncompleted emergency department care: patients who leave against medical advice. AB - OBJECTIVES: To compare the patient characteristics, clinical conditions, and short-term recidivism rates of emergency department (ED) patients who leave against medical advice (AMA) with those who leave without being seen (LWBS) or complete their ED care. METHODS: All eligible patients who visited the ED between July 1, 2004, and June 30, 2005 (N = 31,252) were classified into one of four groups: 1) AMA (n = 857), 2) LWBS (n = 2,767), 3) admitted (n = 8,894), or 4) discharged (n = 18,734). The patient characteristics, primary diagnosis, and 30 day rates of emergent hospitalizations, nonemergent hospitalizations, and ED discharge visits were compared between patients who left AMA and each of the other study groups. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the influence of study group status on the risk of emergent hospitalization, adjusted for patient characteristics. RESULTS: Patients who left AMA were significantly more likely to be uninsured or covered by Medicaid compared with those admitted or discharged (p < 0.001). The AMA visit rates were highest for nausea and vomiting (9.7%), abdominal pain (7.9%), and nonspecific chest pain (7.6%). During the 30-day follow-up period, patients who left AMA had significantly higher emergent hospitalization and ED discharge visit rates compared with each of the other study groups (p < 0.001). Insurance status, male gender, and higher acuity level were also associated with a significantly higher emergent hospitalization rate. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who leave AMA may do so prematurely, as evidenced by higher emergent hospitalization rates compared with those who LWBS or complete their care. PMID- 17766733 TI - Decision support technology in knowledge translation. AB - Information technologies, and specifically clinical decision support systems (CDSSs), are tools that can support the process of knowledge translation in the delivery of emergency department (ED) care. It is essential that during the implementation process, careful consideration be given to the workflow and culture of the ED environment where the system is to be utilized. Despite significant literature addressing factors contributing to successful deployment of these systems, the process is frequently problematic. Careful research and analysis are essential to evaluate the impact of the CDSS on the delivery of ED care, its influence on the health care providers, and the impact of the CDSS on clinical decision-making processes and information behaviors. The logistical and educational implications of CDSSs in the ED must also be considered. The specialty of emergency medicine must actively collaborate with other stakeholders in the design, implementation, and evaluation of CDSSs that will be utilized during the delivery of care to our patients. PMID- 17766734 TI - The use of health care policy to facilitate evidence-based knowledge translation in emergency medicine. AB - Health care policy can facilitate emergency medicine knowledge translation (KT). Because of this, the 2007 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference on KT identified a specific theme regarding issues of health care policy and KT. Six months before the Consensus Conference, international experts in the area were invited to communicate on health care policies regarding all areas of KT via e mail and "Google groups." From this communication, and using available evidence, specific recommendations and research questions were developed. At the Consensus Conference, additional comments were incorporated. This report summarizes the results of this collaborative effort and provides a set of recommendations and accompanying research questions to guide development, implementation, and evaluation of health care policies intended to promote KT in emergency medicine. The recommendations are to 1a) involve appropriate stakeholders in the health care policy process; 1b) collaborate with policy makers when health care policy focus areas are being developed; 2) use previously validated clinical practice guideline development tools; 3) address implementation issues during the development of health care policies; 4) monitor outcomes with performance measures appropriate to different practice environments; and 5) plan periodic reviews to uncover new clinical evidence, new methods to improve KT, and new technologies. To advance the further development of these recommendations, a research agenda is proposed. PMID- 17766735 TI - Chronobiology of postoperative pain: it's time to wake up! PMID- 17766736 TI - Sugammadex: an opportunity for more thinking or more cookbook medicine? PMID- 17766737 TI - Chronobiological characteristics of postoperative pain: diurnal variation of both static and dynamic pain and effects of analgesic therapy. AB - BACKGROUND: Previous postoperative investigations report morning peaks in analgesic administration. However, few studies have examined diurnal variation of both pain and analgesic consumption and little is known about dynamic pain in this context. METHODS: The diurnal pattern of postoperative pain is described using pain intensity and analgesic consumption data from a recently published hysterectomy trial. RESULTS: In the presence of patient-controlled analgesia with morphine, pain at 8 a.m. was significantly higher (P<0.05) than at noon, 4 p.m. or 8 p.m. on postoperative day one (for rest pain and pain evoked by sitting, forced expiration and cough) and on postoperative day two (for pain evoked by forced expiration and cough only). This temporal pattern was observed both with and without the co-administration of non-opioid analgesics (gabapentin and/or rofecoxib). Morphine use during the four hours preceding 8 a.m. on either postoperative day was not significantly lower than any of the other corresponding time intervals. CONCLUSIONS: Based on data from our post-hysterectomy analgesic clinical trial, static and dynamic pain in the morning appears to be more intense than pain later in the day. This pattern was observed in the presence of substantial nocturnal morphine use. Based on these and other previous observations, specifically designed investigations are needed to better characterize the clinical, neurohormonal and neurophysiological features of postoperative circadian pain variation - including pain during sleeping hours. If the above observations are replicated, future study of nocturnal sustained release opioids as well as time-shifting the administration of non-opioid co analgesic drugs to the very early morning may be warranted. PMID- 17766739 TI - Effect of intravenous nitroglycerin on cerebral saturation in high-risk cardiac surgery. AB - PURPOSE: To determine whether or not intravenous nitroglycerin (IV NTG) can prevent a decrease in near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) values during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). METHODS: We conducted a randomized double-blinded study in a tertiary academic center including 30 patients with a Parsonnet score>or=15 scheduled for a high-risk cardiac surgery. The patients were randomized to receive either IV NTG (initial dose of 0.05 microg.kg(-1).min(-1), followed by 0.1 microg.kg(-1).min(-1)) or placebo after anesthetic induction until the end of CPB. The primary outcome was a decrease of 10% in NIRS values during CPB. RESULTS: Despite the absence of between-group difference in the mean cerebral oxygen saturation during CPB, there was a significant decrease in NIRS values during CPB in the placebo group, whereas mean NIRS values were maintained in the IV NTG group (-16.7% vs 2.3% in the NTG, P=0.019). Major hemodynamic variables were similar at corresponding time periods in both groups, while patients in the IV NTG group had higher CK-MB values and experienced greater blood loss during the first 24 hr postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Intravenous nitroglycerin administration before and during CPB may prevent a decrease in NIRS values associated with CPB in high-risk cardiac surgery. Further studies are warranted to determine the efficacy and the risks associated with IV NTG infusion for this indication during CPB in high-risk patients. PMID- 17766738 TI - The effects of prophylactic coronary revascularization or medical management on patient outcomes after noncardiac surgery--a meta-analysis. AB - PURPOSE: The benefits of prophylactic coronary revascularization for patients undergoing noncardiac surgery are uncertain. The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the effect of coronary revascularization and medical management on short- and long-term outcomes after noncardiac surgery. METHOD: Ten electronic databases including MEDLINE and EMBASE (1980 to February 2006), and bibliographies of included articles were searched without language restrictions. Studies comparing effects of coronary revascularization and medical management before noncardiac surgery were included. Patient outcome data including perioperative mortality, myocardial infarction, long-term mortality, or late adverse cardiac events were extracted and entered into a meta-analysis. RESULTS: The quality of published evidence was modest, comprising one randomized controlled trial and six retrospective studies. A total of 3,949 patients undergoing high-risk noncardiac surgery were included in the quantitative analysis. There was no significant difference between coronary revascularization and medical management groups with regards to postoperative mortality and myocardial infarction; the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.85 (0.48 1.50) and 0.95 (0.44-2.08), respectively. There were no long-term outcome benefits associated with prophylactic coronary revascularization; the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.81 (0.40-1.63) and 1.65 (0.70-3.86) for long term mortality and late adverse cardiac events, respectively. CONCLUSION: In patients with stable coronary artery disease, prophylactic coronary revascularization before high-risk noncardiac surgery does not confer any beneficial effects, when compared with optimized medical management, in terms of perioperative mortality, myocardial infarction, long-term mortality, or adverse cardiac events. PMID- 17766740 TI - Clinical practice guidelines in the intensive care unit: a survey of Canadian clinicians' attitudes. AB - PURPOSE: To understand clinicians' perceptions regarding practice guidelines in Canadian intensive care units (ICUs) to inform guideline development and implementation strategies. METHODS: We developed a self-administered survey instrument and assessed its clinical sensibility and reliability. The survey was mailed to ICU physicians and nurses in Canada to determine local ICU guideline development and use, and to compare physicians' and nurses' attitudes and preferences towards guidelines. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 51.6% (565/1095) of potential respondents. Although less than half reported a formal guideline development committee in their ICU, 81.0% reported that guidelines were developed at their institutions. Of clinicians who used guidelines in the ICU, 70.2% of nurses and 42.6% of physicians reported using them frequently or always. Professional society guidelines (with or without local modification) were reportedly used in most ICUs, but physicians were more confident than nurses of their validity (P<0.001). Physicians considered endorsement of guidelines by a colleague more relevant for enhancing guideline use than did nurses (P<0.001). Nurses considered low risk of the guideline and whether the guideline is consistent with their practice (P<0.001) to be more relevant to guideline uptake than did physicians (P<0.001). Lack of agreement with recommendations was a more important barrier to use of guidelines for physicians than for nurses (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Many Canadian institutions locally develop guidelines, and many ICU physicians and nurses report using them. Planning implementation strategies according to clinician preferences may increase guideline use. The nature of the differences in attitudes towards guidelines between nurses and physicians, and their impact on clinician adherence to guidelines requires further exploration. PMID- 17766741 TI - Impact of the opening of a specialized cardiac surgery recovery unit on postoperative outcomes in an academic health sciences centre. AB - PURPOSE: It is controversial as to whether cardiac surgery patients are optimally managed in a mixed medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) or in a specialized postoperative unit. We conducted a prospective cohort study in an academic health sciences centre to compare outcomes before and following the opening of a specialized cardiac surgery recovery unit (CSRU) in April 2005. METHODS: The study cohort included 2,599 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), valve and combined CABG-valve procedures from April 2004 to March 2006. From April 2004 to March 2005 (year 1) all patients received postoperative care in mixed medical-surgical ICUs at two different sites staffed by critical care consultants, fellows and residents. From April 2005 until March 2006 (year 2) patients were cared for in a newly-established CSRU on one site staffed by cardiac anesthesiology fellows, a nurse practitioner and consultants in critical care, cardiac anesthesiology and cardiac surgery. The effect of this change on in-hospital mortality, the incidence of ten major postoperative complications, postoperative ventilation hours, readmission rates and case cancellations due to a lack of capacity was assessed using Chi-square or Wilcoxon tests, where appropriate. RESULTS: Coronary artery bypass grafting, valve and combined CABG-valve mortality rates were similar in years 1 and 2. There was a significant reduction in the composite major complication rate (16.3% to 13.0%, P=0.02) and in median postoperative ventilation hours (8.8 vs 8.0 hr, P=0.005) from year 1 to 2. On multivariable logistic regression analysis, the pre-merger interval (year 1) was a significant independent predictor of the occurrence of death or major complications. CONCLUSION: A specialized CSRU with a multi disciplinary consultant model was associated with stable or improved outcomes postoperatively, when compared to a mixed medical- surgical ICU model of cardiac surgical care. PMID- 17766742 TI - Noninvasive bilevel positive airway pressure for preoxygenation of the critically ill morbidly obese patient. AB - PURPOSE: We describe the use of noninvasive bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) in a critically ill, hypoxemic and morbidly obese patient for preoxygenation prior to rapid sequence induction of anesthesia. CLINICAL FEATURES: A critically ill morbidly obese patient (body mass index: 49 kg.m(-2)) was scheduled for urgent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Preoxygenation with 5 L.min(-1) oxygen flow resulted in a moderate increase in oxygen saturation (SpO2) from 79% to 90%. Prior to rapid sequence induction of anesthesia, a trial of noninvasive BiPAP with oxygen delivery at 5 L.min(-1) increased his SpO2 to 95% initially, with full saturation of 99% achieved when oxygen flow was increased to 10 L.min(-1). Bilevel positive airway pressure with an inspiratory and expiratory pressures of 17 cm H2O and 7 cm H2O, respectively, was applied using a full face mask to achieve a tidal volume of 8 mL.kg(-1). Rapid sequence induction proceeded uneventfully. CONCLUSIONS: Prior to rapid sequence induction of anesthesia in patients with respiratory compromise secondary to factors which reduce FRC, noninvasive BiPAP in combination with supplemental oxygen may be indicated whenever traditional preoxygenation does not provide adequate oxyhemoglobin saturation. Improved oxygenation is most likely attributable to improved ventilation and alveolar recruitment. PMID- 17766743 TI - No evidence for decreased incidence of aspiration after rapid sequence induction. AB - PURPOSE: The purpose of this structured, evidence-based, clinical update was to determine if rapid sequence induction is a safe or effective technique to decrease the risk of aspiration or other complications of airway management. SOURCE: In June 2006 a structured search of MEDLINE from 1966 to present using OVID software was undertaken with the assistance of a reference librarian. Medical subject headings and text words describing rapid sequence induction or intubation (RSI), crash induction or intubation, cricoid pressure and emergency airway intubation were employed. OVID's therapy (sensitivity) algorithm was used to maximize the detection of randomized trials while excluding non-randomized research. The bibliographies of eligible publications were hand-searched to identify trials not identified in the electronic search. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A total of 184 clinical trials were identified of which 163 were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Of these clinical trials, 126 evaluated different drug regimens with 114 being RCTs. Only 21 clinical trials evaluated non-pharmacologic aspects of the RSI with 18 RCTs identified. A parallel search found 52 trials evaluating cricoid pressure (outside of the context of an RSI technique) with 44 classified as RCTs. Definitive outcomes such as prevention of aspiration and mortality benefit could not be evaluated from the trials. Likewise, the impact on adverse outcomes of the different components of RSI could not be ascertained. CONCLUSION: An absence of evidence from RCTs suggests that the decision to use RSI during management can neither be supported nor discouraged on the basis of quality evidence. PMID- 17766744 TI - Steroids in fibroproliferative acute respiratory distress syndrome: approach with care. PMID- 17766745 TI - Pneumomediastinum due to hypopharyngeal injury during orotracheal intubation. PMID- 17766746 TI - Patients who experience a perioperative anaphylactic reaction should not be skin tested too early. PMID- 17766747 TI - Evaluating effectiveness of medical emergency teams. PMID- 17766749 TI - [Propofol to facilitate mobilization of patients with a hip fracture]. PMID- 17766751 TI - Pentax-AWS and tube selection. PMID- 17766750 TI - Electroconvulsive therapy-induced asystole: occurrence after 39 previous uneventful treatments. PMID- 17766752 TI - Failure of the Airway Scope to reach the larynx. PMID- 17766753 TI - In-line head and neck positioning facilitates tracheal intubation with the Airway Scope. PMID- 17766754 TI - Tracheal intubation through a single use laryngeal mask airway using a guidewire technique. PMID- 17766755 TI - What is the heartland of psychiatry? AB - Psychiatry has long identified schizophrenia as its defining disorder, its heartland as it has been called. In the past 20 years, this has had a number of negative consequences for psychiatry as a medical specialty, which result from the uncertainty of diagnosis and an increasing emphasis on demedicalising services in an attempt to provide social care outside hospital. These changes have probably increased the stigma attached to psychiatric practice and threaten to deskill doctors. They have also meant that services for other disorders do not meet the needs of patients. To continue to allow schizophrenia to be the paradigm condition is against the interests of psychiatrists and their patients. PMID- 17766756 TI - Affective neuroscience and psychiatry. AB - Affective neuroscience addresses the brain mechanisms underlying emotional behaviour. In psychiatry, affective neuroscience finds application not only in understanding the neurobiology of mood disorders, but also by providing a framework for understanding the neural control of interpersonal and social behaviour and processes that underlie psychopathology. By providing a coherent conceptual framework, affective neuroscience is increasingly able to provide a mechanistic explanatory understanding of current therapies and is driving the development of novel therapeutic approaches. PMID- 17766757 TI - Management of insomnia: treatments and mechanismsi. AB - Management of insomnia is an interesting subject at present. New drug treatments are now becoming available after a relatively static period since the development of the Z-drugs in the 1990s. Moreover, more evidence is coming to light about the length of drug treatment and the effectiveness of psychological therapies. This article briefly describes current treatments, both evidence-based and common practice, and goes on to describe some emerging approaches. PMID- 17766758 TI - Antipsychotic treatment of primary delusional parasitosis: systematic review. AB - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the treatment of delusional parasitosis with typical and atypical antipsychotics. AIMS: To evaluate the effectiveness of typical and atypical antipsychotics in primary delusional parasitosis (delusional disorder, somatic type). METHOD: A systematic review was conducted. RESULTS: No randomised trials were found and hence we collected the best evidence from 16 other trials and case reports, separating primary from other forms of delusional parasitosis. Studies using typical antipsychotics showed partial or full remission in between 60 and 100% of patients. Analysis of selected patients with primary delusional parasitosis showed that typical and atypical antipsychotics were effective in the majority, but that remission rates did not differ significantly between typical and atypical antipsychotics. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of controlled trials there is limited evidence that antipsychotics are effective in primary delusional parasitosis. Rigorous studies are needed to evaluate their effectiveness and to compare typical and atypical antipsychotics directly. PMID- 17766759 TI - Guided self-help in primary care mental health: meta-synthesis of qualitative studies of patient experience. AB - BACKGROUND: There is a gap between the supply of trained cognitive-behavioural therapists to treat depression and demand for care in the community. There is interest in the potential of self-help interventions, which require less input from a therapist. However, the design of effective self-help interventions is complex. Qualitative research can help to explore some of this complexity. AIMS: The study aimed to identify qualitative studies of patient experience of depression management in primary care, synthesise these studies to develop an explanatory framework, and then apply this framework to the development of a guided self-help intervention for depression. METHOD: A meta-synthesis was conducted of published qualitative research. RESULTS: The synthesis revealed a number of themes, including the nature of personal experience in depression; help seeking in primary care; control and helplessness in engagement with treatment; stigma associated with treatment; and patients' understandings of self-help interventions. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-synthesis of qualitative studies provided a useful explanatory framework for the development of effective and acceptable guided self-help interventions for depression. PMID- 17766760 TI - White matter changes and late-life depressive symptoms: longitudinal study. AB - BACKGROUND: Evidence from cross-sectional studies suggests a link between cerebral age-related white matter changes and depressive symptoms in older people, although the temporal association remains unclear. AIMS: To investigate age-related white matter changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an independent predictor of depressive symptoms at 1 year after controlling for known confounders. METHOD: In a pan-European multicentre study of 639 older adults without significant disability, MRI white matter changes and demographic and clinical variables, including cognitive scores, quality of life, disability and depressive symptoms, were assessed at baseline. Clinical assessments were repeated at 1 year. RESULTS: Using logistic regression analysis, severity of white matter changes was shown to independently and significantly predict depressive symptoms at 1 year after controlling for baseline depressive symptoms, quality of life and worsening disability (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: White matter changes pre-date and are associated with the development of depressive symptoms. This has implications for treatment and prevention of depression in later life. PMID- 17766761 TI - Genetic risk of depression and stress-induced negative affect in daily life. AB - BACKGROUND: A bias to develop negative affect in response to daily life stressors may be an important depression endophenotype, but remains difficult to assess. AIMS: To assess this mood bias endophenotype, uncontaminated by current mood, in the course of daily life. METHOD: The experience sampling method was used to collect multiple appraisals of daily life event-related stress and negative affect in 279 female twin pairs. Cross-twin, cross-trait associations between dailylife mood bias and DSM-IV depression were conducted. RESULTS: Probands whose co-twins were diagnosed with lifetime depression showed a stronger mood bias to stress than those with co-twins without such a diagnosis, independent of probands' current depressive symptoms and to a greater extent in monozygotic twins than in dizygotic twins. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic liability to depression is in part expressed as the tendency to display negative affect in response to minor stressors in daily life. This trait may represent a true depression endophenotype. PMID- 17766762 TI - Women with autistic-spectrum disorder: magnetic resonance imaging study of brain anatomy. AB - BACKGROUND: Our understanding of anatomical differences in people with autistic spectrum disorder, is based on mixed-gender or male samples. AIMS: To study regional grey-matter and white-matter differences in the brains of women with autistic-spectrum disorder. METHOD: We compared the brain anatomy of 14 adult women with autistic-spectrum disorder with 19 controls using volumetric magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometry. RESULTS: Women with autistic spectrum disorder had a smaller density bilaterally of grey matter in the fronto temporal cortices and limbic system, and of white matter in the temporallobes (anterior) and pons. In contrast, they had a larger white-matter density bilaterally in regions of the association and projection fibres of the frontal, parietal, posterior temporal and occipital lobes, in the commissural fibres of the corpus callosum (splenium) and cerebellum (anterior lobe). Further, we found a negative relationship between reduced grey-matter density in right limbic regions and social communication ability. CONCLUSIONS: Women with autistic spectrum disorder have significant differences in brain anatomy from controls, in brain regions previously reported as abnormal in adult men with the disorder. Some anatomical differences may be related to clinical symptoms. PMID- 17766763 TI - Sulcal thickness as a vulnerability indicator for schizophrenia. AB - BACKGROUND: People with schizophrenia may demonstrate cortical abnormalities, with gyri and sulci potentially being differentially affected. AIMS: To measure frontal and temporal sulcal cortical thickness, surface area and volume in the non-psychotic relatives of patients with schizophrenia as a potential vulnerability indicator for the disorder. METHOD: An automated parcellation method was used to measure the superior frontal, inferior frontal, cingulate, superior temporal and inferior temporal sulci in the relatives of patients (n=19) and controls (n=22). RESULTS: Compared with controls, relatives had reversed hemispheric asymmetry in their cingulate sulcal thickness and a bilateral reduction in their superior temporal sulcal thickness. CONCLUSIONS: Cingulate and superior temporal sulcal thickness abnormalities may reflect neural abnormalities associated with the genetic liability to schizophrenia. Cortical thinning in these regions suggests that liability genes affect the dendrites, synapses or myelination process during the neurodevelopment of the cortical mantle. PMID- 17766764 TI - Insight in psychosis: influence of cognitive ability and self-esteem. AB - BACKGROUND: Insight in psychosis has previously been associated with both depression and cognitive ability. Some studies have found a curvilinear relationship between insight and cognitive ability, but the roles of self-esteem and depression have not been taken into account. AIMS: To investigate the relationships between insight and IQ, depression, and self-esteem. METHOD: Correlations between self-reported and observer-rated insight, and measures of IQ, depression and self-esteem were examined in 67 people with psychosis. RESULTS: Better self-reported insight was associated with higher IQ and poorer self-esteem, but not depression. There was some evidence for a curvilinear relationship between IQ and self-reported insight, specifically the ;awareness of illness' dimension, which survived correction for symptom variables. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between insight and IQ might reflect both the basis of insight in intellectual ability and the influence of a psychological mechanism that preserves self-esteem. PMID- 17766765 TI - Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of reduced tardive dyskinesia with second generation antipsychotics. AB - BACKGROUND: Second-generation antipsychotics may have few advantages over older, cheaper drugs, except for possibly reduced risk of tardive dyskinesia. AIMS: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of second-generation antipsychotics with regard to reducing tardive dyskinesia. METHOD: Literature was reviewed on risk of tardive dyskinesia with second-generation antipsychotics; on severity, duration and impairment of tardive dyskinesia; and on the relationship of this disorder to quality of life and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Diverse cost and benefit assumptions and of 1-year and 5-year planning horizons were examined in a deterministic sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Estimating 0.143 QALYs lost per case of severe tardive dyskinesia, 1-year cost-effectiveness cumulative estimates ranged from pounds 74,000 (dollars 149,000) to pounds 342,000 (dollars 683,000) per QALY, all above the conventional policy threshold of pounds 25,000 (dollars 50,000). CONCLUSIONS: Reduction of tardive dyskinesia with second-generation antipsychotics appears unlikely to meet standards for cost-effectiveness. PMID- 17766766 TI - Treatment of social phobia through pure self-help and therapist-augmented self help. AB - BACKGROUND: Self-help for social phobia has not received controlled empirical evaluation. AIMS: To evaluate the efficacy of pure self-help through written materials for severe social phobia and self-help augmented by five group sessions with a therapist. These conditions were compared with a waiting-list control and standard, therapist-led group therapy. METHOD: Participants with severe generalised social phobia (n=224) were randomised to one of four conditions. Assessment included diagnoses, symptoms and life interference at pretreatment, 12 weeks and at 24 weeks. RESULTS: A larger percentage of patients no longer had a diagnosis of social phobia at post-intervention in the pure self-help group than in the waiting-list group, although this percentage decreased slightly over the next 3 months. Symptoms of social anxiety and life interference did not differ significantly between these groups. Augmented self-help was better than waiting list on all measures and did not differ significantly from group treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Self-help augmented by therapist assistance shows promise as a less resource-intensive method for the management of social phobia. Pure self-help shows limited efficacy for this disorder. PMID- 17766767 TI - Firearm legislation reform in the European Union: impact on firearm availability, firearm suicide and homicide rates in Austria. AB - BACKGROUND: The availability of firearms in homes and at aggregate levels is a risk factor for suicide and homicide. One method of reducing access to suicidal means is the restriction of firearm availability through more stringent legislation. AIMS: To evaluate the impact of firearm legislation reform on firearm suicides and homicides as well as on the availability of firearms in Austria. METHOD: Official statistics on suicides, firearm homicides and firearm licences issued from 1985 to 2005 were examined. To assess the effect of the new firearm law, enacted in 1997, linear regression and Poisson regressions were performed using data from before and after the law reform. RESULTS: The rate of firearm suicides among some age groups, percentage of firearm suicides, as well as the rate of firearm homicides and the rate of firearm licences, significantly decreased after a more stringent firearm law had been implemented. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide evidence that the introduction of restrictive firearmlegislation effectively reduced the rates of firearm suicide and homicide. The decline in firearm-related deaths seems to have been mediated by the legal restriction of firearm availability. Restrictive firearm legislation should be an integral part of national suicide prevention programmes in countries with high firearm suicide rates. PMID- 17766768 TI - Caudate volume in offspring of patients with schizophrenia. AB - Caudate nuclei are smaller in drug-naive people with schizophrenia but larger in antipsychotic-treated patients. In this magnetic resonance imaging study we found volume reduction of right and left caudate by 8.9 and 8.1% respectively in 50 offspring without psychosis of patients with schizophrenia compared with 53 age- and gender-matched controls, providing new evidence that caudate volume reduction may be a trait-related abnormality in schizophrenia. PMID- 17766769 TI - Familial liability to schizophrenia and premorbid adjustment. AB - We assessed premorbid functioning during childhood and adolescence in 50 people with schizophrenia from multiply affected families, 39 of their unaffected siblings, 69 people with schizophrenia with no family history of psychosis, 67 of their unaffected siblings and 83 controls. People with schizophrenia had poorer premorbid social and academic adjustment and exhibited a decline between childhood and adolescence compared with controls. Unaffected siblings from multiply affected families also had poor academic functioning in adolescence, with a decline between childhood and adolescence. This may represent a familial (presumed genetic) effect. PMID- 17766770 TI - Insight, psychopathology and global functioning in schizophrenia in urban Malawi. AB - Insight, psychopathology and functioning are related in schizophrenia, but it is unclear whether insight relates independently to functioning after controlling for psychopathology. Equally, any such relationship may vary culturally. We investigated the relationship between insight, psychopathology and functioning in 60 patients with schizophrenia in Mzuzu, a town in Malawi. After controlling for psychopathology, functioning was associated with the ;symptom relabelling' dimension of insight (P=0.01). This preliminary finding suggests that symptom focused psychoeducation might be appropriate for African patients with schizophrenia. PMID- 17766772 TI - Omega-3 fatty acid for recurrent self-harm: unanswered questions. PMID- 17766774 TI - Diagnostic stability: clinical v. research. PMID- 17766776 TI - Callous unemotional traits and autistic psychopathy. PMID- 17766778 TI - Limitations of cognitive behavioural therapy for sleep disorders in older adults. PMID- 17766779 TI - Peripheral Neuropathy Induced by Lopinavir-Saquinavir-Ritonavir Combination Therapy in an HIV-Infected Patient. PMID- 17766780 TI - Improving diversity among health professionals in the United States: a brief history. PMID- 17766781 TI - The role of genetic and sociopolitical definitions of race in clinical trials. AB - Although the concept of race has been disputed for decades, race continues to be used as a variable in biomedical research. Public Law 103-43 calls on the National Institutes of Health to develop guidelines for defining "minority group" and "their subpopulations" for the purposes of ensuring that they are included in clinical trials. Current guidelines use census racial categories, even though these categories are labeled as not scientific by their creator, the Office of Management and Budget. Three policy options exist for improving the National Institutes of Health Policy on Reporting Race and Ethnicity: (1) using genetic ancestry instead of census racial categories;(2) developing a standardized definition of race using current science; and(3) redefining minority group populations and subpopulations using social environment variables rather than census racial categories. PMID- 17766783 TI - Disparities in orthopaedic surgical intervention. AB - Race- and ethnicity-based health disparities have been identified both in health care generally and in orthopaedics specifically. Despite this body of research, it remains unclear why these disparities exist. Research has been done on disparities in patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as well as in patients who are candidates for hip or knee arthroplasty. With regard to disparities in orthopaedics, differences in the rates of total hip and knee replacement surgery have been studied the most extensively. To better understand health disparities in orthopaedics and in health care as a whole, patient-, provider-, and health care-related factors must be examined more fully. PMID- 17766784 TI - From earth to Mars: sex differences and their implications for musculoskeletal health. AB - Historically, most diagnostic and treatment modalities have been based on a male model. Osteoporosis is one of the few diseases in which there has been sex-based research and treatment bias in favor of women. As such, it is not known whether treatments developed for women will be efficacious for men. Similarly, scientists are just beginning to research whether sex-based differences in musculoskeletal health exist with extended space travel. Both women and men lose muscle and bone with extended space travel, but the low numbers of female astronauts combined with a lack of discrete data make it challenging to accurately pinpoint sex-based differences. More data collection is needed to ensure that the musculoskeletal health of astronauts is better managed both on earth and in space. PMID- 17766785 TI - Sex differences in osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. AB - The prevalence, incidence, and severity of osteoarthritis are different in women than in men. Women are more likely than men to suffer from osteoarthritis,and women experience more severe arthritis in the knee. Genetics, anatomy,and prior knee injury are risk factors for developing osteoarthritis. Although the presentation of osteoarthritis does not differ between men and women,symptom severity does. Additionally, women are three times less likely than men to undergo hip or knee arthroplasty. Patient education, particularly for women, must be improved so that women with osteoarthritis who are candidates for hip and knee arthroplasty not only receive treatment but also receive it in a timely manner. PMID- 17766786 TI - Racial and ethnic differences in osteoporosis. AB - Osteoporosis is a significant public health issue in the United States. This common and costly disease is a major cause of disability in elderly women. Although advances have been made in awareness, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, osteoporosis remains a silent and underdiagnosed disease for many women. However, osteoporosis is particularly underdiagnosed in women in racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States. Even though the opportunity for prevention is great, disparities in incidence, awareness, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes exist across racial and ethnic lines. PMID- 17766787 TI - The female knee: anatomic variations. AB - Traditional knee implants have been designed "down the middle,"based on the combined average size and shape of male and female knee anatomy.Sex-based research in the field of orthopaedics has led to new understanding of the anatomic differences between the sexes and the associated implications for women undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Through the use of a comprehensive bone morphology atlas that utilizes novel three-dimensional computed tomography analysis technology, significant anatomic differences have been documented in the shape and size of female knees compared with male knees. This research identifies three notable anatomic differences in the female population: a less prominent anterior condyle, an increased Q angle, and a reduced medial-lateral:anterior posterior aspect ratio. PMID- 17766788 TI - Women and minorities in orthopaedic residency programs. AB - Women and underrepresented minorities make up smaller proportions of orthopaedic residency programs than their numbers in medical school would predict, according to our evaluation of self-reported orthopaedic residency data from 1998 and 2001, as well as information on medical students published in 2002. Based on race, ethnicity, and sex, comparisons were made between students entering and graduating from medical school and those in orthopaedic residency programs. With few exceptions, the percentages of women and underrepresented minorities were statistically significantly lower among those training in orthopaedic residency programs compared with those same groups entering and graduating from medical school. The percentage of women and minorities in orthopaedic residency programs remained constant between 1998 and 2001. Further study is necessary to determine whether fewer students of color and women apply to orthopaedic residency programs because of lack of interest, lack of appropriate mentoring and role models, or other factors. PMID- 17766790 TI - Improving diversity in orthopaedic residency programs. AB - Achieving a balanced diversity in orthopaedic residency programs is a critical component in improving the quality of orthopaedic care delivered to all patients. Compared with the demographics of medical school classes, women are notably underrepresented in orthopaedic residency programs, and racial and ethnic minority groups are unevenly represented. Diversifying residency programs positively affects all residents and their ability to deliver care and create positive physician-patient relationships. PMID- 17766789 TI - Utilization of joint arthroplasty: racial and ethnic disparities in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. AB - Studies within the Veterans Administration health care system have been very useful in identifying the existence of racial and ethnic disparities with regard to patient utilization of hip and knee joint arthroplasty. Existing studies have focused on three factors: estimates of joint arthroplasty utilization,postoperative outcomes, and patient-related variables (eg, expectations of and familiarity with the procedure, religious beliefs). Although Veterans Administration-based studies have produced helpful data, these data are limited because the populations studied are not representative of the larger US population. Specifically, studies from the Veterans Administration health care system are composed of a predominantly male patient demographic;in addition, patients are more likely to have lower income and education levels than the US population as a whole. PMID- 17766791 TI - Perspectives on health disparities in orthopaedic oncology. AB - A few studies indicate that race- and culture-related differences exist among patients with bone tumors. However, there is little information regarding sarcomas. Existing studies indicate that, in the United States, race and cultural background may not significantly affect the survival rate of patients with sarcoma. As we learn more, however, orthopaedic oncologists should look to areas of oncology in which race-based disparity has been reported-specifically, among patients with prostate or breast cancer. These patient populations have been more widely studied, and physicians have pinpointed measures to reduce or eliminate gaps in patient care and prognosis. In particular, oncologists have called for culture-specific patient education. Further research is required to identify disparities, if any, and to ensure equitable patient prognoses. PMID- 17766792 TI - Cultural diversity, health care disparities, and cultural competency in American medicine. AB - A 2003 report by the Institute of Medicine identified several areas of disparity in health care due to discrimination (whether unintentional or intentional), bias, and prejudice. Given that most minority patients are treated by physicians from the majority group, the principles of cultural competency are extremely important. A health care provider is culturally competent when the patient is satisfied that a collaborative partnership has been established that facilitates successful and satisfactory delivery of care. To accomplish this, the physician makes an effort to overcome language barriers and learns to appreciate cultural differences. Taking the step to increase communication and awareness will enhance the quality of medical care delivered to minorities, leading to greater racial and ethnic harmony and understanding in the health care professions. PMID- 17766793 TI - Cobb Institute strategies for the elimination of health disparities. AB - The mission of the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute, which was founded in December 2004, is to study and provide solutions for the elimination of health disparities affecting African Americans as well as other underserved populations. The vision of the Cobb Institute is to become the repository of information regarding the health of African Americans, with holdings in statistics, solutions to health disparities, and best practices to prove the efficacy of these solutions. The major diseases on which the Cobb Institute is particularly focused include heart disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, HIV/AIDS, and cancer (prostate, breast, colorectal). The scientific sections of the National Medical Association form the basis of the research capabilities of the Cobb Institute. Clinical trials performed by these research physicians and their institutions will provide cutting-edge data for the Cobb Institute to review, validate, and publicize in scientific journals and other communication vehicles. PMID- 17766794 TI - The role of the department chair in promoting diversity. AB - The department chair has a broad sphere of influence in which to promote diversity. The most immediate sphere of influence is on the department physicians(faculty, residents, and fellows) as well as administrators and support staff. The chair also can potentially influence this same group of individuals throughout the medical school as well as throughout the hospital. In addition, the chair can be extremely influential in her or his interactions with the community. Effectively promoting diversity can be accomplished by terminating the employment of individuals who discourage or minimize diversity, educating those who ignore diversity, and cultivating and encouraging constituents who value and manage diversity. If our goal as orthopaedic surgeons is to provide the most effective care to our diverse patient base, we must expand our level of care beyond the "three A's" that have for so long determined clinical success affability, availability, and ability-to the "four A's:"affability, availability, ability, and awareness. PMID- 17766795 TI - Why winners win: decision making in medical malpractice cases. AB - A high percentage of physicians will, at some time in their careers, face a lawsuit, possibly finding themselves in the courtroom even when they have not made a medical mistake. Despite the presumption that juries are biased in favor of injured plaintiffs, physicians win most of their trials. Why this occurs and how juries make their decisions are topics of ongoing interest. Research has been done on jury decision making, including what, if any, the roles of race and sex play in the process. It is essential that those who enter the courtroom understand both the power they have to influence the outcome of their own trials and why it is that issues of character continue to be so important to juries. PMID- 17766796 TI - Current activities in orthopaedic culturally competent care education. AB - Culturally competent care education, which involves educating physicians on being sensitive to the diverse characteristics and traits of each patient (eg, race, ethnicity, sex, faith background), is vital for the well-being of all patients. All medical disciplines are grappling with the best way to provide culturally competent care education. The Diversity Advisory Board of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is charged with advancing diversity in the field of orthopaedic surgery. Diversity symposia were presented at the 2005 and 2006 Annual Meetings. In 2006, the AAOS developed the Cultural Competency Challenge CD ROM, followed in 2007 by the Culturally Competent Care Guidebook, a companion to the CD-ROM. Culturally competent care legislation has been enacted in California and New Jersey, and legislation is pending in Arizona, Illinois, New York, and Texas, making these resources even more timely. To best care for all patients, each physician must be aware of his or her own identity and be sensitive to the unique realities of each patient with whom the physician comes into contact. PMID- 17766797 TI - Ethnic and racial disparities in diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. AB - Studies from four areas of musculoskeletal health care disparities were reviewed to determine the root causes of the disparities and gain insight into measurable interventions. The areas of musculoskeletal health were total joint arthroplasty, amputation for patients with diabetes, rehabilitation of and impairment in patients with stroke, and morbidity associated with unintentional injuries. The Jenkins Model on Health Disparities was used to investigate and rank the contributing causes (socioeconomic status, sociocultural beliefs, racism, biology) of the health care disparities. No single root cause was found for any of the conditions. Thus, all contributing factors must be considered when planning meaningful interventions. PMID- 17766798 TI - Culturally competent care education: overview and perspectives. AB - Health care disparities are a serious problem in the United States, for which an immediate and multifaceted response is required. A critical component in addressing these disparities is culturally competent care education. To that end, Harvard Medical School has established a Culturally Competent Care Education Committee, which drives key efforts in curriculum and faculty development. Although Harvard Medical School has substantial ongoing culturally competent care education practices, pedagogic methods for achieving the formidable objectives of culturally competent care education are not yet fully defined or developed. It is hoped that this report of current Harvard Medical School practices,perspectives, and experiences will help others institute or continue to develop culturally competent care education-related plans and activities. With time and study, the best and most efficient practices will emerge. PMID- 17766799 TI - Racial and ethnic disparities in hip and knee joint replacement: a review of research in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. AB - Elective total joint arthroplasty is an effective treatment option for end-stage osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. The demand for arthroplasty is anticipated to increase as the proportion of older patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis continues to rise in the United States and worldwide. Studies have documented marked racial and ethnic differences in the utilization rates of hip and knee arthroplasty in the United States. The reasons for these differences are complex and include patient-level factors, such as treatment preference; provider-level factors, such as physician-patient communication style; and system-level factors, such as access to specialist care. Most of the studies on racial and ethnic disparities in joint arthroplasty utilization have been based on data from the Medicare database. However, Veterans Administration-based studies have recently confirmed these findings and have indicated potential patient-level factors, such as patient perception of and familiarity with joint arthroplasty, that may play a role in this disparity. PMID- 17766800 TI - Genetic and social environment interactions and their impact on health policy. AB - Genetic and social factors are not as separate as once thought. Researchers within the social sciences are beginning to realize that genetics and the social environment interact synergistically to affect health behaviors and outcomes. This way of thinking is leading to new research models and is influencing the development of research initiatives. The importance of this gene-social environment paradigm is evident in current and proposed health policies, and future research likely will spur further questions related to various areas of public policy. PMID- 17766802 TI - World Rabies Day: focusing attention on a neglected disease. AB - Rabies kills 55,000 people every year mainly in Africa and Asia, despite being entirely preventable through vaccination and prompt medical treatment. Spurred on by this statistic, the first ever World Rabies Day will be held on September 8 in order to raise global awareness of rabies prevention and control. The driving force behind the initiative is the Alliance for Rabies Control, a charity formed in 2006 by a group of researchers and professionals committed to eradicating rabies. To mark the event, The Veterinary Record has commissioned experts in the field of rabies control to discuss what veterinary surgeons have done and can do to tackle this devastating disease. The message that emerges is that veterinary surgeons, in close collaboration with the medical profession, have a vital role to play. In the first article, Deborah Briggs from Kansas State University and Cathleen Hanlon from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA describe the impetus behind the day, who is supporting it and what it hopes to achieve. Articles on the following pages describe other veterinary contributions to this field. PMID- 17766803 TI - Rabies - the need for a 'one medicine' approach. PMID- 17766804 TI - Veterinary responsibility in management of 'the incurable wound'. PMID- 17766805 TI - Rabies in India: an ABC approach to combating the disease in street dogs. PMID- 17766806 TI - Living with rabies in Africa. PMID- 17766807 TI - Efficacy of a live bovine herpesvirus type 1 marker vaccine under field conditions in three countries. AB - The performance of a live marker vaccine for bovine herpesvirus type 1 (bhv-1) was studied in the field in three European Union countries with different farming conditions. The progress in the eradication of the virus was followed in a large herd in Germany and one in Italy, and a major serological survey involving 147 farms was conducted in Hungary. Commercial batches of the same vaccine were used in all three studies. The herds were vaccinated according to agreed protocols and the animals' bhv-1 antibody status was determined at local institutes by using commercial glycoprotein B (gB)- and glycoprotein E (gE)-elisas. In all three studies, the seroprevalence of bhv-1 gE decreased progressively. Given the starting conditions and the long duration of the studies, reactivation events and virus circulation would have been more likely to have occurred if the herds had not been vaccinated. PMID- 17766808 TI - Thirteen cases of tetanus in dogs. AB - The records of 13 dogs with tetanus were reviewed, 12 of the dogs survived and were discharged, but the other died as a result of the acute onset of hyperthermia. Long-term follow up was available for 10 of the survivors of which nine were reported to be normal. One case was euthanased after a cervical spine fracture four months after it was discharged. Complications encountered during management included aspiration pneumonia in three cases, urinary tract infection in two cases, and upper respiratory tract obstruction, hiatal hernia, coxofemoral luxation, seizures and respiratory arrest in one case each. None of the dogs required ventilatory support, and the complications were managed successfully. The dogs were nursed intensively and monitored carefully. PMID- 17766809 TI - Outbreak of Mycobacterium bovis infection in a wild animal park. AB - An outbreak of tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis occurred in a wild animal park. Three pot-bellied pigs (Sus scrofa vittatus), one red deer (Cervus elaphus), one buffalo (Bison bonasus) and two European lynxes (Lynx lynx) were affected and showed clinical signs including weight loss, enlarged lymph nodes and paralysis of the hindlimbs. Postmortem examinations revealed multifocal granulomatous lesions in various organs, including the lymph nodes, lungs, intestines, kidneys and the central nervous system. Acid-fast organisms were demonstrated in various organs histologically and bacteriologically. Spoligotyping of 17 isolates from various organs of the affected animals confirmed an infection by M bovis and revealed an identical pattern indicating a common origin. The spoligotype was different from the pattern of M bovis recorded in the cattle population in Germany between 2000 and 2006. Investigations of sentinel animals such as an aged silver fox (Vulpes vulpes), a badger (Meles meles), a ferret (Mustela putorius) and rodents, and tuberculin skin tests of the animal attendants and randomly collected faecal samples from the enclosures were all negative for M bovis. PMID- 17766810 TI - Outbreak of intestinal and lingual Clostridium chauvoei infection in two-year-old Friesian heifers. PMID- 17766811 TI - Splenic hamartomas in a dog. PMID- 17766812 TI - Molecular detection of Leptospira species in aborted fetuses of water buffalo. PMID- 17766814 TI - Central vestibular syndrome due to a squamous cell carcinoma in a horse. PMID- 17766813 TI - Photosensitisation in sheep grazing alfalfa infested with aphids and ladybirds. PMID- 17766816 TI - One world, one medicine. PMID- 17766815 TI - Suspected adverse reactions to human medicines in animals. PMID- 17766817 TI - Experiences of vets with disabilities. PMID- 17766818 TI - Effects of initial solute distribution on contaminant availability, desorption modeling, and subsurface remediation. AB - Low permeability regions in which solute movement is governed by diffusion reduce the availability of pollutants for remediation and can function as long-term sources of groundwater contamination. The inherent difficulty in understanding mass transfer from these regions of sequestered contamination is further complicated by unknown solute distributions within the low-permeability regions (sequestering regions). When models are calibrated to reproduce temporal histories of solute release from a sequestering region (desorption), the fitted parameter values are used to infer the physical or chemical characteristics of the media; however, the calibrated parameters also reflect the case-specific initial conditions (i.e., the solute distribution within the sequestering region domain at the onset of desorption). This phenomenon is demonstrated using model simulations of solute diffusion from hypothetical solids with characteristics similar to those of the well studied Borden, Ontario aquifer system. Solute release from the solids is simulated using a batch diffusion model under different initial solute distributions within the solids. The results of these model simulations are used to calibrate parameters of a multiple first-order rate desorption model (MRM) to illustrate how the fitted MRM parameters increase or decrease depending on the initial "aging" of the solids. Further numerical simulations are conducted for a one-dimensional flow system under steady-state and variable-rate hydraulic flushing. These simulations show that although aging reduces desorptive mass flux during early stages of flushing, aged sites have greater desorptive mass flux (greater solute availability) than "freshly" contaminated media during the later stages of remediation. Overall, the results demonstrate why the physicochemical meaning of observed desorption rates cannot be accurately deduced without first understanding the initial solute distribution within the media. PMID- 17766819 TI - Differential responses of eubacterial, Mycobacterium, and Sphingomonas communities in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soil to artificially induced changes in PAH profile. AB - Recent reports suggest that Mycobacterium is better adapted to soils containing poorly bioavailable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) compared to Sphingomonas. To study this hypothesis, artificial conditions regarding PAH profile and PAH bioavailability were induced in two PAH-contaminated soils and the response of the eubacterial, Mycobacterium, and Sphingomonas communities to these changed conditions was monitored during laboratory incubation. Soil K3663 with a relatively high proportion of high molecular weight PAHs was amended with phenanthrene or pyrene to artificially change the soil into a soil with a relatively increased bioavailable PAH contamination. Soil AndE with a relatively high proportion of bioavailable low molecular weight PAHs was treated by a single step Tenax extraction to remove the largest part of the easily bioavailable PAH contamination. In soil K3663, the added phenanthrene or pyrene compounds were rapidly degraded, concomitant with a significant increase in the number of phenanthrene and pyrene degraders, and minor and no changes in the Mycobacterium community and Sphingomonas community, respectively. However, a transient change in the eubacterial community related to the proliferation of several gamma proteobacteria was noted in the phenanthrene-amended soil. In the extracted AndE soil, the Sphingomonas community initially developed into a more diverse community but finally decreased in size below the detection limit. Mycobacterium in that soil never increased to a detectable size, while the eubacterial community became dominated by a gamma-proteobacterial population. The results suggest that the relative bioavailability of PAH contamination in soil affects bacterial community structure but that the behavior of Mycobacterium and Sphingomonas in soil is more complex than prospected from studies on their ecology and physiology. PMID- 17766820 TI - Direct link between fluoranthene biodegradation and the mobility and sequestration of its residues during aging. AB - The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)-degrading activity in the fate of fluoranthene in soils. Three soil samples with different degrading activities (an industrial soil, the same industrial soil after biostimulation, and an agricultural soil) were spiked with 14C-fluoranthene and incubated for 6 mo with monitoring of biodegradation and mineralization. To follow the distribution of the 14C-fluoranthene residues (i.e., 14C-fluoranthene and its degradation products) among the soil compartments, we performed successively leaching, centrifugation (to collect intra-aggregate pore water), solvent extraction, and combustion of the soil columns. In the industrial soil, no mineralization of 14C-fluoranthene was observed, and only 3% of the initial 14C-activity was non-extractable (with acetone:dichloromethane) after 165 d of incubation. The biostimulation (addition of unlabeled polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) increased the degrading activity in this soil (59% of 14C-fluoranthene was mineralized) and increased the residues sequestration (13% of 14C-activity was non-extractable). The microflora of the agricultural soil mineralized 14C-fluoranthene more slowly and to a lesser extent (25%) than the biostimulated soil, but a higher amount of 14C-activity was sequestered (41%). Thus, the rate and extent of 14C-fluoranthene mineralization seemed to be related to the 14C-activity sequestration by controlling the accumulation of degradation products in the soil. 14C-Fluoranthene biodegradation enhanced the concentration of 14C-polar compounds in the intra-aggregate pore water. Our results point out the close link between fluoranthene biodegradation and two key aging processes, diffusion and sequestration, in soils. Biodegradation controls the mobility and sequestration of residues by transforming fluoranthene into more polar molecules that can diffuse into the intra-aggregate pore water and then might become bound to the matrix or entrapped in the microporosity. PMID- 17766821 TI - Measuring bioavailability: from a scientific approach to standard methods. AB - Biological effects are not related to the total concentration of a contaminant in the soil and soil-like materials. Organisms respond only to the fraction that is biologically available. The bioavailable fractions of contaminants are dependent on soil properties and various processes varying with time and on the behavior or the target organism. Bioavailability may be assessed in two complementary ways: (i) by chemical methods (e.g., extraction methods), which determine a defined available fraction of a well defined class of contaminants; and (ii) by biological methods, which expose organisms to soil or soil eluates to monitor effects. Although there is scientific discussion on the concept of bioavailability, the literature gives enough evidence to recognize bioavailability as a promising tool in risk assessment. A large number of methods are available. Under regulatory aspects of soil protection, a risk assessment should be based on the same common concept of determination and assessment of exposure and measuring and assessment of effects. A harmonized framework on bioavailability is necessary to promote the development and introduction of workable (international) standard methods to be used in soil and site assessment. The working group 'Bioavailability' of ISO/TC190-Soil Quality has developed a guidance document for development and selection of methods to assess bioavailability for different target species with regard to several classes of contaminants. The way to this standard, on the border of science and regulation, is described in this article. PMID- 17766822 TI - Improved understanding of hyperaccumulation yields commercial phytoextraction and phytomining technologies. AB - This paper reviews progress in phytoextraction of soil elements and illustrates the key role of hyperaccumulator plant species in useful phytoextraction technologies. Much research has focused on elements which are not practically phytoextracted (Pb); on addition of chelating agents which cause unacceptable contaminant leaching and are cost prohibitive; and on plant species which offer no useful phytoextraction capability (e.g., Brassica juncea Czern). Nickel phytoextraction by Alyssum hyperaccumulator species, which have been developed into a commercial phytomining technology, is discussed in more detail. Nickel is ultimately accumulated in vacuoles of leaf epidermal cells which prevents metal toxicity and provides defense against some insect predators and plant diseases. Constitutive up-regulation of trans-membrane element transporters appears to be the key process that allows these plants to achieve hyperaccumulation. Cadmium phytoextraction is needed for rice soils contaminated by mine wastes and smelter emissions with 100-fold more soil Zn than Cd. Although many plant species can accumulate high levels of Cd in the absence of Zn, when Cd/Zn>100, only Thlaspi caerulescens from southern France has demonstrated the ability to phytoextract useful amounts of Cd. Production of element-enriched biomass with value as ore or fertilizer or improved food (Se) or feed supplement may offset costs of phytoextraction crop production. Transgenic phytoextraction plants have been achieved for Hg, but not for other elements. Although several researchers have been attempting to clone all genes required for effective hyperaccumulation of several elements, success appears years away; such demonstrations will be needed to prove we have identified all necessary processes in hyperaccumulation. PMID- 17766823 TI - Integrating biodegradation and electroosmosis for the enhanced removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from creosote-polluted soils. AB - This paper presents a hybrid technology of soil remediation based on the integration of biodegradation and electroosmosis. We employed soils with different texture (clay soil and loamy sand) containing a mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) present in creosote, and inoculation with a representative soil bacterium able to degrade fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, anthracene, and benzo[a]pyrene. Two different modes of treatment were prospected: (i) inducing in soil the simultaneous occurrence of biodegradation and electroosmosis in the presence of a biodegradable surfactant, and (ii) treating the soils sequentially with electrokinetics and bioremediation. Losses of PAH due to simultaneous biodegradation and electroosmosis (induced by a continuous electric field) were significantly higher than in control cells that contained the surfactant but no biological activity or no current. The method was especially successful with loamy sand. For example, benzo[a]pyrene decreased its concentration by 50% after 7 d, whereas 22 and 17% of the compound had disappeared as a result of electrokinetic flushing and bioremediation alone, respectively. The use of periodical changes in polarity and current pulses increased by 16% in the removal of total PAH and in up to 30% of specific compounds, including benzo[a]pyrene. With the aim of reaching lower residual levels through bioremediation, an electrokinetic pretreatment was also evaluated as a way to mobilize the less bioaccessible fraction of PAH. Residual concentrations of total biodegradable PAH, remaining after bioremediation in soil slurries, were twofold lower in electrokinetically pretreated soils than in untreated soils. The results indicate that biodegradation and electroosmosis can be successfully integrated to promote the removal of PAH from soil. PMID- 17766824 TI - Increase in phosphorus losses from grassland in response to Olsen-P accumulation. AB - The Olsen-P status of grazed grassland (Lolium perenne L.) swards in Northern Ireland was increased over a 5-yr period (March 2000 to February 2005) by applying different rates of P fertilizer (0, 10, 20, 40, or 80 kg P ha(-1) yr( 1)) to assess the relationship between soil P status and P losses in land drainage water and overland flow. Plots (0.2 ha) were hydrologically isolated and artificially drained to v-notch weirs, with flow proportional monitoring of drainage water and overland flow. Annually, the collectors for overland flow intercepted between 11 and 35% of the surplus rainfall. Single flow events accounted for up to 52% of the annual dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) load. The Olsen-P status of the soil influenced DRP and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in land drainage water and overland flow. Annual TP loss was highly variable and ranged from 0.19 to 1.55 kg P ha(-1) yr(-1) for the plot receiving no P fertilizer and from 0.35 to 2.94 kg P ha(-1) yr(-1) for the plot receiving 80 kg P ha(-1) yr(-1). Despite the Olsen-P status in the soils ranging from 22 to 99 mg P kg(-1), after 5 yr of fertilizer P applications it was difficult to identify a clear Olsen-P concentration at which P losses increased. Any relationship was confounded by annual variability of hydrologic events and flows and by hydrologic differences between plots. Withholding P fertilizer for over 5 yr was not long enough to lower P losses or to have an adverse effect on herbage P concentrations. PMID- 17766825 TI - Comparison of plant families in a greenhouse phytoremediation study on an aged polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. AB - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous, recalcitrant, and potentially carcinogenic pollutants. Plants and their associated rhizosphere microbes can promote PAH dissipation, offering an economic and ecologically attractive remediation technique. This study focused on the effects of different types of vegetation on PAH removal and on the interaction between the plants and their associated microorganisms. Aged PAH-polluted soil with a total PAH level of 753 mg kg(-1) soil dry weight was planted with 18 plant species representing eight families. The levels of 17 soil PAHs were monitored over 14 mo. The size of soil microbial populations of PAH degraders was also monitored. Planting significantly enhanced the dissipation rates of all PAHs within the first 7 mo, but this effect was not significant after 14 mo. Although the extent of removal of lower-molecular-weight PAHs was similar for planted and unplanted control soils after 14 mo, the total mass of five- and six-ring PAHs removed was significantly greater in planted soils at the 7- and 14-mo sampling points. Poaceae (grasses) were the most effective of the families tested, and perennial ryegrass was the most effective species; after 14 mo, soils planted with perennial ryegrass contained 30% of the initial total PAH concentration (compared with 51% of the initial concentrations in unplanted control soil). Although the presence of some plant species led to higher populations of PAH degraders, there was no correlation across plant species between PAH dissipation and the size of the PAH-degrading population. Research is needed to understand differences among plant families for stimulating PAH dissipation. PMID- 17766827 TI - Factors affecting the spatial pattern of nitrate contamination in shallow groundwater. AB - The elevated level of nitrate in groundwater is a serious problem in Korean agricultural areas. To control and manage groundwater quality, the characterization of groundwater contamination and identification of the factors affecting the nitrate concentration of groundwater are significant. The characterization of groundwater contamination at a hydrologically complex agricultural site in Yupori, Chuncheon (Korea) was undertaken by analyzing the hydrochemical data of groundwater within a statistical framework. Multivariate statistical tools such as cluster analyses and Tobit regression were applied to investigate the spatial variation of nitrate contamination and to analyze the factors affecting the NO3-N concentration in a shallow groundwater system. The groundwater groups from the cluster analysis were consistent with the land use pattern of the study area. The clustered group of a gentle-slope area with lower elevations showed higher NO3-N contamination of groundwater than groups on a hillside with higher elevations. Tobit regression results indicated that the agricultural activity in the vegetable fields and barns were the major factors affecting the elevated NO3-N concentration while the land slopes and elevations were negatively correlated with the NO3-N concentration. This shows that topographic characteristics such as land slopes and elevations should be considered to evaluate the land use impact on shallow groundwater quality. PMID- 17766826 TI - Nitrogen mineralization and microbial activity in oil sands reclaimed boreal forest soils. AB - Organic materials including a peat-mineral mix (PM), a forest floor-mineral mix (L/S), and a combination of the two (L/PM) were used to cap mineral soil materials at surface mine reclamation sites in the Athabasca oil sands region of northeastern Alberta, Canada. The objective of this study was to test whether LFH provided an advantage over peat by stimulating microbial activity and providing more available nitrogen for plant growth. Net nitrification, ammonification, and N mineralization rates were estimated from field incubations using buried bags. In situ gross nitrification and ammonification rates were determined using the 15N isotope pool dilution technique, and microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN) were measured by the chloroform fumigation-extraction method. All reclaimed sites had lower MBC and MBN, and lower net ammonification and net mineralization rates than a natural forest site (NLFH) used as a control, but the reclamation treatment using LFH material by itself had higher gross and net nitrification rates. A positive correlation between in situ moisture content, dissolved organic N, MBC, and MBN was observed, which led us to conduct a moisture manipulation experiment in the laboratory. With the exception of the MBN for the L/S treatment, none of the reclamation treatments ever reached the levels of the natural site during this experiment. However, materials from reclamation treatments that incorporated LFH showed higher respiration rates, MBC, and MBN than the PM treatment, indicating that the addition of LFH as an organic amendment may stimulate microbial activity as compared to the use of peat alone. PMID- 17766828 TI - Dendrochemical record of historical lead contamination sources, Wells G&H Superfund site, Woburn, Massachusetts. AB - Laser-ablation inductively coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry analysis of red oak (Quercus rubra) from a well documented heavy metal contaminated United States Environmental Protection Agency superfund site in Woburn, Massachusetts reveals decade-long trends in Pb contaminant sources. Lead isotope ratios (207Pb/206Pb and 208Pb/206Pb) in tree rings plot along a linear trend bracketed by several local and regional contamination sources. Statistically significant interannual variations in 207Pb/206Pb suggest that atmospheric Pb is rapidly incorporated into wood, with minimal mobility subsequent to deposition in annual growth rings. We interpret the decadal trends in our record as a changing mixture of local pollution sources and gasoline-derived Pb. Between 1940 and 1970, Pb was predominantly derived from remobilization of local industrial Pb sources. An abrupt shift in 207Pb/206Pb may indicate that local Pb sources were overwhelmed by gasoline-derived Pb during the peak of leaded gasoline emissions in the late 1960s and early 1970s. PMID- 17766829 TI - Variable rainfall intensity and tillage effects on runoff, sediment, and carbon losses from a loamy sand under simulated rainfall. AB - The low-carbon, intensively cropped Coastal Plain soils of Georgia are susceptible to runoff, soil loss, and drought. Reduced tillage systems offer the best management tool for sustained row crop production. Understanding runoff, sediment, and chemical losses from conventional and reduced tillage systems is expected to improve if the effect of a variable rainfall intensity storm was quantified. Our objective was to quantify and compare effects of a constant (Ic) intensity pattern and a more realistic, observed, variable (Iv) rainfall intensity pattern on runoff (R), sediment (E), and carbon losses (C) from a Tifton loamy sand cropped to conventional-till (CT) and strip-till (ST) cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Four treatments were evaluated: CT-Ic, CT-Iv, ST-Ic, and ST-Iv, each replicated three times. Field plots (n=12), each 2 by 3 m, were established on each treatment. Each 6-m2 field plot received simulated rainfall at a constant (57 mm h(-1)) or variable rainfall intensity pattern for 70 min (12 run ave.=1402 mL; CV=3%). The Iv pattern represented the most frequent occurring intensity pattern for spring storms in the region. Compared with CT, ST decreased R by 2.5-fold, E by 3.5-fold, and C by 7-fold. Maximum runoff values for Iv events were 1.6-fold higher than those for Ic events and occurred 38 min earlier. Values for Etot and Ctot for Iv events were 19-36% and 1.5-fold higher than corresponding values for Ic events. Values for Emax and Cmax for Iv events were 3 fold and 4-fold higher than corresponding values for Ic events. Carbon enrichment ratios (CER) were or=1.0 for CT plots (except for first 20 min). Maximum CER for CT-Ic, CT-Iv, ST-Ic, and ST-Iv were 2.0, 2.2, 1.0, and 1.2, respectively. Transport of sediment, carbon, and agrichemicals would be better understood if variable rainfall intensity patterns derived from natural rainfall were used in rainfall simulations to evaluate their fate and transport from CT and ST systems. PMID- 17766830 TI - Rye cover crop and gamagrass strip effects on NO3 concentration and load in tile drainage. AB - A significant portion of the NO3 from agricultural fields that contaminates surface waters in the Midwest Corn Belt is transported to streams or rivers by subsurface drainage systems or "tiles." Previous research has shown that N fertilizer management alone is not sufficient for reducing NO3 concentrations in subsurface drainage to acceptable levels; therefore, additional approaches need to be devised. We compared two cropping system modifications for NO3 concentration and load in subsurface drainage water for a no-till corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) management system. In one treatment, eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides L.) was grown in permanent 3.05-m-wide strips above the tiles. For the second treatment, a rye (Secale cereale L.) winter cover crop was seeded over the entire plot area each year near harvest and chemically killed before planting the following spring. Twelve 30.5x42.7-m subsurface drained field plots were established in 1999 with an automated system for measuring tile flow and collecting flow-weighted samples. Both treatments and a control were initiated in 2000 and replicated four times. Full establishment of both treatments did not occur until fall 2001 because of dry conditions. Treatment comparisons were conducted from 2002 through 2005. The rye cover crop treatment significantly reduced subsurface drainage water flow-weighted NO3 concentrations and NO3 loads in all 4 yr. The rye cover crop treatment did not significantly reduce cumulative annual drainage. Averaged over 4 yr, the rye cover crop reduced flow-weighted NO3 concentrations by 59% and loads by 61%. The gamagrass strips did not significantly reduce cumulative drainage, the average annual flow-weighted NO3 concentrations, or cumulative NO3 loads averaged over the 4 yr. Rye winter cover crops grown after corn and soybean have the potential to reduce the NO3 concentrations and loads delivered to surface waters by subsurface drainage systems. PMID- 17766832 TI - Residual effects of compost and plowing on phosphorus and sediment in runoff. AB - Manure application can lead to excessive soil test P levels in surface soil, which can contribute to increased P concentration in runoff. However, manure application often results in reduced runoff and sediment loss. Research was conducted to determine the residual effects of previously applied compost, plowing of soil with excessive soil test P, and application of additional compost after plowing on volume of runoff and loss of sediment and P in runoff. The research was conducted in 2004 and 2005 under natural rainfall events with plots of 11-m length where low-P and high-P compost had been applied during April 1998 to January 2001. During this initial application period, Bray-P1 in the surface 5 cm of depth was increased from 14 to 553 mg kg(-1) for the high-P compost. Inversion plowing in the spring of 2004 greatly decreased P levels in the surface soil and over the following year reduced runoff by 35% and total P losses by 51% compared with the unplowed compost treatments. Sediment loss was increased with plowing compared with the unplowed compost applied treatments but less than with the no-compost treatment. The application of additional compost after plowing increased surface soil P and dissolved reactive P (DRP) in runoff but did not increase particulate P in runoff. Unplowed compost-amended soil continued to reduce sediment loss but exhibited increased DRP loss even 5 yr after the last application. Plowing to invert excessively high-P surface soil was effective in reducing runoff and DRP loss. PMID- 17766833 TI - Inactivation of Ascaris suum in a biodrying compost system. AB - Pathogen contamination of waterways is a serious concern in dairy farming areas where livestock waste is applied to agricultural fields. As an alternative, a biodrying composting system dries collected livestock waste, reduces the strong odors, and has been proposed as a means of reducing, and even eliminating pathogens present in the waste. Therefore, the survival of pathogens in a biodrying composting system was investigated. Dairy farm livestock waste was piled in a biodrying storage shed where forced aeration and natural decomposition processes heated a major portion of the waste pile to temperatures exceeding 55 degrees C. Ascaris suum eggs were used as the surrogate species and inoculated into special chambers and placed at three different elevations at different intervals along the length of the pile. Control chambers were stored in water at 4 degrees C in the laboratory. Both compost and control chambers were removed at Day 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20. The eggs were extracted from the chamber medium and analyzed for viability. No viable eggs were recovered from any of the chambers removed from the compost pile, while >or=90% viability was observed in the control chambers. High temperatures and continued drying were the major contributing factors to the inactivation of the helminth eggs. The complete inactivation of A. suum eggs by the biodrying process encourages the storage and treatment of manure to high temperatures and reduced moisture conditions before field spreading to reduce the risk of harmful pathogens contaminating waterways and potential drinking water supplies. PMID- 17766831 TI - Carbon turnover and ammonia emissions during composting of biowaste at different temperatures. AB - The effects of different process temperatures (40, 55, and 67 degrees C) during composting of source-separated household waste were studied in a 200 L compost reactor at an oxygen concentration of 16%. The overall decomposition measured as carbon mineralization, decomposition of different carbon constituents, and the dynamics of nitrogen mineralization and the microbial community, are reported. Ammonia emissions at 67 degrees C were more than double those at lower temperatures, and they were lowest at 40 degrees C. The decomposition rate, measured as CO2 emission, was highest at 55 degrees C. Decomposition of crude fat was slower at 40 degrees C than at 55 and 67 degrees C. The peak in microbial biomass was largest in the run at 40 degrees C, where substantial differences were seen in the microbial community structure and succession compared to thermophilic temperatures. Biowaste composting can be optimized to obtain both a high decomposition rate and low ammonia emissions by controlling the process at about 55 degrees C in the initial, high-rate stage. To reduce ammonia emissions it seems worthwhile to reduce the temperature after an initial high-temperature stage. PMID- 17766834 TI - The release of phosphorus to porewater and surface water from river riparian sediments. AB - Sediments can be both a source and a sink of dissolved phosphorus (P) in surface water and shallow groundwater. Using laboratory mesocosms, we studied the influence of flooding with deionized water and simulated river water on P release to solution using sediment columns taken from a riparian wetland. The mesocosm incubation results showed that rather than retaining nutrients, sediments in the riparian zone may be a significant source of P. Concentrations of dissolved P in porewater reached more than 3 mg L(-1) and in surface water over 0.8 mg L(-1) within a month of sediment inundation. The reductive dissolution of P-bearing iron (Fe) oxides was the likely mechanism responsible for P release. Dissolved P to Fe molar ratios in anaerobic samples were approximately 0.45 when columns were flooded with water that simulated the chemistry of the adjacent river. This suggests there was insufficient Fe in the anaerobic samples to precipitate all P if the solutions were oxygenated or transported to an aerobic environment. If the anaerobic wetland solutions were delivered to oxygenated rivers and streams adjacent to the riparian zone, the equilibrium concentration of P in these systems could rise. The timing of P release was inversely related to the nitrate (NO3-) concentration in floodwater. This indicates that in riparian zones receiving low nitrate loads, or where NO3- loads are being progressively reduced, the risk of dissolved P release may increase. These findings present particular challenges for restoration and management in riparian areas. PMID- 17766835 TI - Cutaneous castleman's disease responds to anti interleukin-6 treatment. AB - Castleman's disease is uncommon, and cutaneous involvement is even rarer. We report a 42-year-old Asian woman with the multicentric plasma cell variant of Castleman's disease limited to her skin. The literature suggests that Castleman's disease is driven by interleukin-6 (IL-6). Based on these data, we hypothesized that suppression of IL-6 would have a salutary effect. Therefore, our patient was treated with CNTO328, a chimeric murine anti-human IL-6 antibody. She has shown a remarkable, ongoing response to this treatment, with almost complete clearing of her skin lesions after six doses. PMID- 17766836 TI - Synthesis and biological activity of stable branched neurotensin peptides for tumor targeting. AB - Receptors for endogenous regulatory peptides, like the neuropeptide neurotensin, are overexpressed in several human cancers and can be targets for peptide mediated tumor-selective therapy. Peptides, however, have the main drawback of an extremely short half-life in vivo. We showed that neurotensin and other endogenous peptides, when synthesized as dendrimers, retain biological activity and become resistant to proteolysis. Here, we synthesized the neurotensin functional fragment NT(8-13) in a tetrabranched form linked to different units for tumor therapy or diagnosis. Fluorescent molecules were used to monitor receptor binding and internalization in HT29 human adenocarcinoma cells and receptor binding in HT29 tumor xenografts in nude mice. Linking of chemotherapic molecules like chlorin e6 and methotrexate to dendrimers resulted in a dramatic increase in drug selectivity, uptake of which by target cells became dependent on peptide receptor binding. When nude mice carrying human tumor xenografts were treated with branched NT(8-13)-methotrexate, a 60% reduction in tumor growth was observed with respect to mice treated with the free drug. PMID- 17766838 TI - A platelet biomarker for assessing phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibition during cancer chemotherapy. AB - Thrombin cleavages of selective proteinase-activated receptors (PAR) as well as PAR-activating peptide ligands can initiate the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling cascade in platelets. Downstream to this event, fibrinogen receptors on platelets undergo conformational changes that enhance fibrinogen binding. In our study, we used this phenomenon as a surrogate biomarker for assessing effects on PI3K activity. Our method, using flow cytometric measurement of fluorescent ligand and antibody binding, uncovered a 16- to 45-fold signal window after PAR induced platelet activation. Pretreatment (in vitro) with the PI3K inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002 resulted in concentration-dependent inhibition at predicted potencies. In addition, platelets taken from mice treated with wortmannin were blocked from PAR-induced ex vivo activation concomitantly with a decrease in phosphorylation of AKT from excised tumor xenografts. This surrogate biomarker assay was successfully tested (in vitro) on blood specimens received from volunteer cancer patients. Our results indicate that measurement of platelet activation could serve as an effective drug activity biomarker during clinical evaluation of putative PI3K inhibitors. PMID- 17766837 TI - The combination of novel low molecular weight inhibitors of RAF (LBT613) and target of rapamycin (RAD001) decreases glioma proliferation and invasion. AB - Monotherapies have proven largely ineffective for the treatment of glioblastomas, suggesting that increased patient benefit may be achieved by combining therapies. Two protumorigenic pathways known to be active in glioblastoma include RAS/RAF/mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/AKT/target of rapamycin (TOR). We investigated the efficacy of a combination of novel low molecular weight inhibitors LBT613 and RAD001 (everolimus), which were designed to target RAF and TOR, respectively. LBT613 decreased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2, downstream effectors of RAF, in a human glioma cell line. RAD001 resulted in decreased phosphorylation of the TOR effector S6. To determine if targeting RAF and TOR activities could result in decreased protumorigenic glioma cellular behaviors, we evaluated the abilities of LBT613 and RAD001 to affect the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human glioma cells. Treatment with either LBT613 or RAD001 alone significantly decreased the proliferation of multiple human glioma cell lines. Furthermore, LBT613 and RAD001 in combination synergized to decrease glioma cell proliferation in association with G(1) cell cycle arrest. Glioma invasion is a critical contributor to tumor malignancy. The combination of LBT613 and RAD001 inhibited the invasion of human glioma cells through Matrigel to a greater degree than treatment with either drug alone. These data suggest that the combination of LBT613 and RAD001 reduces glioma cell proliferation and invasion and support examination of the combination of RAF and TOR inhibitors for the treatment of human glioblastoma patients. PMID- 17766839 TI - The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, PX-866, is a potent inhibitor of cancer cell motility and growth in three-dimensional cultures. AB - The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is activated in many human tumors and mediates processes such as cell proliferation, survival, adhesion, and motility. The natural product, wortmannin, has been widely used to study the functional consequences of PI3K inhibition in both normal and transformed cells in culture but is not a suitable cancer chemotherapeutic agent due to stability and toxicity issues. PX-866, an improved wortmannin analogue, displays significant antitumor activity in xenograft models. Here, we directly compare PX 866 and wortmannin in human cancer cell lines cultured in monolayer or as three dimensional spheroids. Both PI3K inhibitors failed to inhibit monolayer cell growth at concentrations up to 100 nmol/L but strongly suppressed spheroid growth at low nanomolar concentrations, with PX-866 showing greater potency than wortmannin. Relative to wortmannin, PX-866 treatment results in a more sustained loss of Akt phosphorylation, suggesting that the increased potency of PX-866 is related to a more durable inhibition of PI3K signaling. PX-866 and wortmannin both inhibit spheroid growth without causing cytotoxicity, similar to known cytostatic agents, such as rapamycin. PX-866 also inhibits cancer cell motility at subnanomolar concentrations. These findings suggest that the antitumor activities of PX-866 stem from prolonged inhibition of the PI3K pathway and inhibition of cell motility. In addition, we propose that the use of three dimensional tumor models is more predictive of in vivo growth inhibition by PI3K inhibitors in cancer cell lines lacking phosphatase and tensin homologue activity or expression. PMID- 17766840 TI - Outbreak of rotaviral diarrhoea in a relief camp for tsunami victims at Car Nicobar Island, India. PMID- 17766841 TI - Open disclosure: appropriate timing is crucial. PMID- 17766843 TI - Segregation for sexual seed production in Paspalum as directed by male gametes of apomictic triploid plants. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Gametophytic apomixis is regularly associated with polyploidy. It has been hypothesized that apomixis is not present in diploid plants because of a pleiotropic lethal effect associated with monoploid gametes. Rare apomictic triploid plants for Paspalum notatum and P. simplex, which usually have sexual diploid and apomictic tetraploid races, were acquired. These triploids normally produce male gametes through meiosis with a range of chromosome numbers from monoploid (n = 10) to diploid (n = 20). The patterns of apomixis transmission in Paspalum were investigated in relation to the ploidy levels of gametes. METHODS: Intraspecific crosses were made between sexual diploid, triploid and tetraploid plants as female parents and apomictic triploid plants as male parents. Apomictic progeny were identified by using molecular markers completely linked to apomixis and the analysis of mature embryo sacs. The chromosome number of the male gamete was inferred from chromosome counts of each progeny. KEY RESULTS: The chromosome numbers of the progeny indicated that the chromosome input of male gametes depended on the chromosome number of the female gamete. The apomictic trait was not transmitted through monoploid gametes, at least when the progeny was diploid. Diploid or near-diploid gametes transmitted apomixis at very low rates. CONCLUSIONS: Since male monoploid gametes usually failed to form polyploid progenies, for example triploids after 4x x 3x crosses, it was not possible to determine whether apomixis could segregate in polyploid progenies by means of monoploid gametes. PMID- 17766842 TI - Domestication to crop improvement: genetic resources for Sorghum and Saccharum (Andropogoneae). AB - BACKGROUND: Both sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) are members of the Andropogoneae tribe in the Poaceae and are each other's closest relatives amongst cultivated plants. Both are relatively recent domesticates and comparatively little of the genetic potential of these taxa and their wild relatives has been captured by breeding programmes to date. This review assesses the genetic gains made by plant breeders since domestication and the progress in the characterization of genetic resources and their utilization in crop improvement for these two related species. GENETIC RESOURCES: The genome of sorghum has recently been sequenced providing a great boost to our knowledge of the evolution of grass genomes and the wealth of diversity within S. bicolor taxa. Molecular analysis of the Sorghum genus has identified close relatives of S. bicolor with novel traits, endosperm structure and composition that may be used to expand the cultivated gene pool. Mutant populations (including TILLING populations) provide a useful addition to genetic resources for this species. Sugarcane is a complex polyploid with a large and variable number of copies of each gene. The wild relatives of sugarcane represent a reservoir of genetic diversity for use in sugarcane improvement. Techniques for quantitative molecular analysis of gene or allele copy number in this genetically complex crop have been developed. SNP discovery and mapping in sugarcane has been advanced by the development of high-throughput techniques for ecoTILLING in sugarcane. Genetic linkage maps of the sugarcane genome are being improved for use in breeding selection. The improvement of both sorghum and sugarcane will be accelerated by the incorporation of more diverse germplasm into the domesticated gene pools using molecular tools and the improved knowledge of these genomes. PMID- 17766844 TI - Quantitative genetics and functional-structural plant growth models: simulation of quantitative trait loci detection for model parameters and application to potential yield optimization. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Prediction of phenotypic traits from new genotypes under untested environmental conditions is crucial to build simulations of breeding strategies to improve target traits. Although the plant response to environmental stresses is characterized by both architectural and functional plasticity, recent attempts to integrate biological knowledge into genetics models have mainly concerned specific physiological processes or crop models without architecture, and thus may prove limited when studying genotype x environment interactions. Consequently, this paper presents a simulation study introducing genetics into a functional-structural growth model, which gives access to more fundamental traits for quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection and thus to promising tools for yield optimization. METHODS: The GREENLAB model was selected as a reasonable choice to link growth model parameters to QTL. Virtual genes and virtual chromosomes were defined to build a simple genetic model that drove the settings of the species specific parameters of the model. The QTL Cartographer software was used to study QTL detection of simulated plant traits. A genetic algorithm was implemented to define the ideotype for yield maximization based on the model parameters and the associated allelic combination. KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: By keeping the environmental factors constant and using a virtual population with a large number of individuals generated by a Mendelian genetic model, results for an ideal case could be simulated. Virtual QTL detection was compared in the case of phenotypic traits--such as cob weight--and when traits were model parameters, and was found to be more accurate in the latter case. The practical interest of this approach is illustrated by calculating the parameters (and the corresponding genotype) associated with yield optimization of a GREENLAB maize model. The paper discusses the potentials of GREENLAB to represent environment x genotype interactions, in particular through its main state variable, the ratio of biomass supply over demand. PMID- 17766845 TI - Using three-dimensional plant root architecture in models of shallow-slope stability. AB - BACKGROUND: The contribution of vegetation to shallow-slope stability is of major importance in landslide-prone regions. However, existing slope stability models use only limited plant root architectural parameters. This study aims to provide a chain of tools useful for determining the contribution of tree roots to soil reinforcement. METHODS: Three-dimensional digitizing in situ was used to obtain accurate root system architecture data for mature Quercus alba in two forest stands. These data were used as input to tools developed, which analyse the spatial position of roots, topology and geometry. The contribution of roots to soil reinforcement was determined by calculating additional soil cohesion using the limit equilibrium model, and the factor of safety (FOS) using an existing slope stability model, Slip4Ex. KEY RESULTS: Existing models may incorrectly estimate the additional soil cohesion provided by roots, as the spatial position of roots crossing the potential slip surface is usually not taken into account. However, most soil reinforcement by roots occurs close to the tree stem and is negligible at a distance >1.0 m from the tree, and therefore global values of FOS for a slope do not take into account local slippage along the slope. CONCLUSIONS: Within a forest stand on a landslide-prone slope, soil fixation by roots can be minimal between uniform rows of trees, leading to local soil slippage. Therefore, staggered rows of trees would improve overall slope stability, as trees would arrest the downward movement of soil. The chain of tools consisting of both software (free for non-commercial use) and functions available from the first author will enable a more accurate description and use of root architectural parameters in standard slope stability analyses. PMID- 17766846 TI - Dissecting meiosis of rye using translational proteomics. AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Much of our understanding of the genetic control of meiosis has come from recent studies of model organisms, which have given us valuable insights into processes such as recombination and the synapsis of chromosomes. The challenge now is to determine to what extent these models are representative of other groups of organisms, and to what extent generalisations can be made as to how meiosis works. Through a comparative proteomic approach with Arabidopsis thaliana, this study describes the spatial and temporal expression of key structural and recombinogenic proteins of cereal rye (Secale cereale). METHODS: Antibodies to two synaptonemal complex-associated proteins (Asy1 and Zyp1) and two recombination-related proteins (Spo11 and Rad51) of A. thaliana were bound to meiocytes throughout meiotic prophase of rye, and visualized using conventional fluorescence microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Western analysis was performed on proteins extracted from pooled prophase I anthers, as a prelude to more advanced proteomic investigations. KEY RESULTS: The four antibodies of A. thaliana reliably detected their epitopes in rye. The expression profile of Rad51 is consistent with its role in recombination. Asy1 protein is shown for the first time to cap the ends of bivalents. Western analysis reveals structural variants of the transverse filament protein Zyp1. CONCLUSIONS: Asy1 cores are assembled by elongation of early foci. The persistence of foci of Spo11 to late prophase does not fit the current model of molecular recombination. The putative structural variants of Zyp1 may indicate modification of the protein as bivalents are assembled. PMID- 17766848 TI - Validation List no. 117. List of new names and new combinations previously effectively, but not validly, published. AB - The purpose of this announcement is to effect the valid publication of the following effectively published new names and new combinations under the procedure described in the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision). Authors and other individuals wishing to have new names and/or combinations included in future lists should send three copies of the pertinent reprint or photocopies thereof, or an electronic copy of the published paper, to the IJSEM Editorial Office for confirmation that all of the other requirements for valid publication have been met. It is also a requirement of IJSEM and the ICSP that authors of new species, new subspecies and new combinations provide evidence that types are deposited in two recognized culture collections in two different countries (i.e. documents certifying deposition and availability of type strains). It should be noted that the date of valid publication of these new names and combinations is the date of publication of this list, not the date of the original publication of the names and combinations. The authors of the new names and combinations are as given below, and these authors' names will be included in the author index of the present issue and in the volume author index. Inclusion of a name on these lists validates the publication of the name and thereby makes it available in bacteriological nomenclature. The inclusion of a name on this list is not to be construed as taxonomic acceptance of the taxon to which the name is applied. Indeed, some of these names may, in time, be shown to be synonyms, or the organisms may be transferred to another genus, thus necessitating the creation of a new combination. PMID- 17766847 TI - Domestication of plants in the Americas: insights from Mendelian and molecular genetics. AB - BACKGROUND: Plant domestication occurred independently in four different regions of the Americas. In general, different species were domesticated in each area, though a few species were domesticated independently in more than one area. The changes resulting from human selection conform to the familiar domestication syndrome, though different traits making up this syndrome, for example loss of dispersal, are achieved by different routes in crops belonging to different families. GENETIC AND MOLECULAR ANALYSES OF DOMESTICATION: Understanding of the genetic control of elements of the domestication syndrome is improving as a result of the development of saturated linkage maps for major crops, identification and mapping of quantitative trait loci, cloning and sequencing of genes or parts of genes, and discoveries of widespread orthologies in genes and linkage groups within and between families. As the modes of action of the genes involved in domestication and the metabolic pathways leading to particular phenotypes become better understood, it should be possible to determine whether similar phenotypes have similar underlying genetic controls, or whether human selection in genetically related but independently domesticated taxa has fixed different mutants with similar phenotypic effects. CONCLUSIONS: Such studies will permit more critical analysis of possible examples of multiple domestications and of the origin(s) and spread of distinctive variants within crops. They also offer the possibility of improving existing crops, not only major food staples but also minor crops that are potential export crops for developing countries or alternative crops for marginal areas. PMID- 17766849 TI - Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 57, part 6, of the IJSEM. AB - This listing of names published in a previous issue of the IJSEM is provided as a service to bacteriology to assist in the recognition of new names and new combinations. This procedure was proposed by the Judicial Commission [Minute 11(ii), Int J Syst Bacteriol 41 (1991), p. 185]. The names given herein are listed according to the Rules of priority (i.e. page number and order of valid publication of names in the original articles). Taxonomic opinions included in this List (i.e. the creation of synonyms or the emendation of circumscriptions) cannot be considered as validly published nor, in any other way, approved by the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes and its Judicial Commission. PMID- 17766850 TI - Pelobacter seleniigenes sp. nov., a selenate-respiring bacterium. AB - Strain KM(T) is a novel bacterium with the unique metabolic abilities of being able to respire selenate as the electron acceptor using acetate as the carbon substrate and possessing the ability to grow fermentatively on short-chain organic acids such as lactate, citrate and pyruvate. Strain KM(T) was isolated from a sediment enrichment culture of a highly impacted wetland system in New Jersey, USA. Strain KM(T) is able to reduce selenate as well as selenite to elemental selenium. The unique metabolic capabilities of strain KM(T) include the respiration of nitrate, poorly crystalline Fe(III) and anthraquinone disulfonate. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene of the novel isolate indicates that strain KM(T) groups within the family Geobacteraceae in the class Deltaproteobacteria with approximately 96-97 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the closest known organisms Malonomonas rubra Gra Mal 1(T), Pelobacter acidigallici Ma Gal 2(T) and species of the genus Desulfuromusa. Recognized species of the genera Malonomonas and Pelobacter cannot use any inorganic electron acceptors, while strains of the genus Desulfuromusa do not ferment organic substrates. This contrasts with the ability of strain KM(T) to ferment organic compounds as well as to couple selenate reduction to acetate utilization. Based on 16S rRNA gene phylogeny and metabolic properties, strain KM(T) represents a novel species for which the name Pelobacter seleniigenes sp. nov. (type strain KM(T)=DSM 18267(T)=ATCC BAA-1388(T)) is proposed. Based on the phylogenetic grouping of species of the genus Pelobacter within the Desulfuromusa cluster, it is suggested that Malonomonas rubra Gra Mal 1(T) should also be included in this group. PMID- 17766851 TI - Kribbella aluminosa sp. nov., isolated from a medieval alum slate mine. AB - Three actinomycetes (strains HKI 0478(T), HKI 0479 and HKI 0480) isolated from the surfaces of rocks in the Feengrotten medieval alum slate mine (Thuringia, Germany) were examined in a polyphasic taxonomic study. The following morphological and chemotaxonomic features supported their classification as members of the genus Kribbella: the presence of ll-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan; glucose together with minor amounts of mannose and ribose as the whole-cell sugars; polar lipids comprising phosphatidylcholine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and unknown phospho- and glycolipids; fatty acid profiles characterized by the predominance of anteiso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(16 : 0) and C(16 : 0) 9-methyl; and the presence of MK-9(H(4)) as the main menaquinone. The isolates had almost identical 16S rRNA gene sequences (99.9-100 %) and were most closely related to the type strains of Kribbella jejuensis (98.9 % sequence similarity), Kribbella swartbergensis and Kribbella solani (both 98.8 %). A wide range of genotypic and phenotypic markers as well as the low levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain HKI 0478(T) and the type strains of K. jejuensis (41.3 %), K. swartbergensis (18.6 %) and K. solani (14.2 %) distinguished the novel strains from their closest phylogenetic neighbours. On the basis of these results, strain HKI 0478(T) represents a novel member of the genus Kribbella, for which the name Kribbella aluminosa sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HKI 0478(T) (=DSM 18824(T) =JCM 14599(T)). PMID- 17766852 TI - Aureispira maritima sp. nov., isolated from marine barnacle debris. AB - A novel gliding marine bacterium (strain 59SA(T)) was isolated from marine barnacle debris. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolate formed a distinct lineage within the genus Aureispira in the family 'Saprospiraceae'. The DNA G+C content of strain 59SA(T) was 38.7 mol%, the major respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the predominant cellular fatty acids were 20 : 4omega6c and 16 : 0. On the basis of the data from DNA-DNA hybridization, physiological and chemotaxonomic analyses and 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, strain 59SA(T) represents a novel species of the genus Aureispira, for which the name Aureispira maritima sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 59SA(T) (=IAM 15439(T)=TISTR 1726(T)). PMID- 17766853 TI - Pseudovibrio japonicus sp. nov., isolated from coastal seawater in Japan. AB - A Gram-negative, motile, rod-shaped bacterium (WSF2(T)) was isolated from coastal seawater of the Boso Peninsula in Japan. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain WSF2(T) represented a separate lineage within the genus Pseudovibrio. The DNA G+C content of strain WSF2(T) was 51.7 mol%. DNA DNA hybridization values between strain WSF2(T) and the type strains of Pseudovibrio species were significantly lower than those accepted as the phylogenetic definition of a species. Furthermore, some biochemical characteristics indicated that strain WSF2(T) differed from other Pseudovibrio species. Based on these characteristics, it is proposed that the isolate represents a novel species, Pseudovibrio japonicus sp. nov. The type strain is WSF2(T) (=IAM 15442(T)=NCIMB 14279(T)=KCTC 12861(T)). PMID- 17766854 TI - Rhodococcus kyotonensis sp. nov., a novel actinomycete isolated from soil. AB - A polyphasic study was undertaken to establish the taxonomic position of an isolate, strain DS472(T), from soil in Kyoto, Japan. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed that this strain constitutes a new subline within the genus Rhodococcus, with Rhodococcus yunnanensis YIM 70056(T) and Rhodococcus fascians DSM 20669(T) as its nearest phylogenetic neighbours (98.2 and 97.8 % sequence similarity, respectively). DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed 36 and 29 % relatedness between the isolate and its phylogenetic relatives, R. yunnanensis and R. fascians, respectively. Chemotaxonomic characteristics, including the major quinone MK-8(H(2)), predominant fatty acids C(16 : 0), C(18 : 1)omega9c and 10-methyl C(18 : 0), the presence of cell-wall chemotype IV and mycolic acids, were consistent with the properties of members of the genus Rhodococcus. The DNA G+C content was 64.5 mol%. On the basis of both phenotypic and genotypic evidence, strain DS472(T) represents a novel species of the genus Rhodococcus, for which the name Rhodococcus kyotonensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain DS472(T) (=IAM 15415(T)=CCTCC AB206088(T)). PMID- 17766855 TI - Francisella philomiragia subsp. noatunensis subsp. nov., isolated from farmed Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.). AB - Seven bacterial isolates from farmed Atlantic cod displaying chronic granulomatous disease were characterized by phenotypic and molecular taxonomic methods. The isolates were Gram-negative, facultatively intracellular, non motile, strictly aerobic coccobacilli which produced H(2)S from cysteine supplemented media and are therefore phenotypically consistent with members of the genus Francisella. Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences and six partial housekeeping gene sequences (groEL, shdA, rpoB, rpoA, pgm and atpA) confirmed the organism as a member of the genus Francisella, with Francisella philomiragia as its closest relative (99.3 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, 92.2-99.0 % housekeeping gene sequence similarity). Despite the close relationship with F. philomiragia, isolates from Atlantic cod could be readily distinguished phenotypically and genetically from F. philomiragia ATCC 25015(T). DNA-DNA hybridization studies revealed a mean reassociation value of 68 %. Thus, on the basis of phenotypic and molecular genetic evidence, we propose that the strains isolated from Atlantic cod should be recognized as Francisella philomiragia subsp. noatunensis subsp. nov. with the type strain 2005/50/F292-6C(T) (=NCIMB 14265(T)=LMG 23800(T)). Francisella philomiragia ATCC 25015(T) (=DSM 735(T)) is reclassified as Francisella philomiragia subsp. philomiragia subsp. nov. PMID- 17766856 TI - Loktanella atrilutea sp. nov., isolated from seawater in Japan. AB - A Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium, IG8(T), was isolated from seawater off the Sanriku coast, Japan. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain IG8(T) represented a separate lineage within the genus Loktanella; the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values were found with the type strains of Loktanella salsilacus (98.6 %) and Loktanella fryxellensis (98.4 %). DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain IG8(T) and the type strains of L. salsilacus (27.9-36.1 %) and L. fryxellensis (11.3-31.0 %) were clearly below 70 %, the generally accepted limit for species delineation. The DNA G+C content of strain IG8(T) was 66.3 mol%. On the basis of DNA-DNA hybridization, some biochemical characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison, it is proposed that the isolate represents a novel species, Loktanella atrilutea sp. nov. The type strain is IG8(T) (=IAM 15450(T)=NCIMB 14280(T)). PMID- 17766857 TI - Marinobacter segnicrescens sp. nov., a moderate halophile isolated from benthic sediment of the South China Sea. AB - A Gram-negative, motile, non-spore-forming and moderately halophilic ellipsoid shaped marine coccobacillus, designated strain SS011B1-4(T), was isolated from benthic sediment of the South China Sea. Optimum growth occurred at 30-37 degrees C, pH 7.5-8.0 and 4-8 % (w/v) NaCl. Strain SS011B1-4(T) utilized a variety of organic substrates as sole carbon sources, but did not utilize toluene, n tetradecane or crude oil. Strain SS011B1-4(T) had ubiquinone-9 as the major respiratory quinone and C(18 : 1)omega9c, C(16 : 0) and C(12 : 0) 3-OH as the predominant fatty acids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 62.2 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain SS011B1-4(T) belonged to the genus Marinobacter of the Gammaproteobacteria. The results of the phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic analyses revealed that strain SS011B1-4(T) represents a novel species of the genus Marinobacter. The name Marinobacter segnicrescens sp. nov. is therefore proposed, with strain SS011B1-4(T) (=LMG 23928(T)=CGMCC 1.6489(T)) as the type strain. PMID- 17766859 TI - Rhodobacter vinaykumarii sp. nov., a marine phototrophic alphaproteobacterium from tidal waters, and emended description of the genus Rhodobacter. AB - A rod-shaped, phototrophic, purple non-sulfur bacterium was isolated in pure culture from seawater collected from the seashore of Visakhapatnam, on the east coast of India, in a medium that contained 2 % NaCl (w/v). Strain JA123(T) was Gram-negative and non-motile and had a requirement for NaCl. Photo organoheterotrophic and chemo-organoheterotrophic growth occurred with organic compounds as carbon sources and electron donors. Photolithoautotrophic, chemolithoautotrophic and fermentative growth could not be demonstrated. Strain JA123(T) contained vesicular intracellular photosynthetic membrane structures. Bacteriochlorophyll a and probably carotenoids of the spheroidene series were present as photosynthetic pigments. Biotin was required for growth. Phylogenetic analysis on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain JA123(T) clustered with species of the genus Rhodobacter. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and morphological and physiological characteristics, strain JA123(T) is sufficiently different from other Rhodobacter species to propose a novel species, Rhodobacter vinaykumarii sp. nov., to accommodate this strain; the type strain is JA123(T) (=DSM 18714(T) =JCM 14544(T) =CCUG 54311(T)). PMID- 17766858 TI - Halotalea alkalilenta gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel osmotolerant and alkalitolerant bacterium from alkaline olive mill wastes, and emended description of the family Halomonadaceae Franzmann et al. 1989, emend. Dobson and Franzmann 1996. AB - A novel Gram-negative, motile, nonsporulating, rod-shaped bacterium isolated from alkaline sludge-like wastes ('alpeorujo' or 'alperujo') of two-phase olive oil extraction is described. The strain, designated AW-7(T), is an obligate aerobe that is halotolerant (tolerating up to 15 % w/v NaCl), sugar-tolerant (tolerating up to 45 % and 60 % w/v (+)-d-glucose and maltose respectively; these are the highest concentrations tolerated by any known members of the Bacteria domain) and alkalitolerant (growing at a broad pH range of 5-11). Strain AW-7(T) is chemo organotrophic. Ubiquinone-9 was detected in the respiratory chain of strain AW 7(T). The major fatty acids present are C(18 : 1)omega7c, C(16 : 0), C(19 : 0) cyclo omega8c, C(12 : 0) 3-OH and C(16 : 1)omega7c/iso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain AW-7(T) showed almost equal phylogenetic distances from Zymobacter palmae (95.6 % similarity) and Carnimonas nigrificans (95.4 % similarity). In addition, low DNA-DNA relatedness values were found for strain AW-7(T) against Carnimonas nigrificans CECT 4437(T) (22.5-25.4 %) and Z. palmae DSM 10491(T) (11.9-14.4 %). The DNA G+C content of strain AW-7(T) is 64.4 mol%. Physiological and chemotaxonomic data further confirmed the differentiation of strain AW-7(T) from the genera Zymobacter and Carnimonas. Thus, strain AW-7(T) represents a novel bacterial genus within the family Halomonadaceae, for which the name Halotalea gen. nov. is proposed. Halotalea alkalilenta sp. nov. (type strain AW-7(T)=DSM 17697(T)=CECT 7134(T)) is proposed as the type species of the genus Halotalea gen. nov. A reassignment of the descriptive 16S rRNA signature characteristics of the family Halomonadaceae permitted the placement of the novel genus Halotalea into the family; in contrast, the genus Halovibrio possessed only 12 out of the 18 signature characteristics proposed, and hence it was excluded from the family Halomonadaceae. PMID- 17766861 TI - Glycomyces sambucus sp. nov., an endophytic actinomycete isolated from the stem of Sambucus adnata Wall. AB - An actinomycete, designated strain E71(T), was isolated from the stem of Sambucus adnata Wall, a Chinese medicinal plant, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the organism was a member of the genus Glycomyces, and formed a distinct phyletic line distantly related to recognized species of the genus Glycomyces. Morphological and chemotaxonomic data supported the affiliation of strain E71(T) to the genus Glycomyces. A number of physiological properties and a unique menaquinone profile allowed differentiation of the strain from related Glycomyces species. It is therefore proposed that strain E71(T) represents a novel species of the genus Glycomyces, for which the name Glycomyces sambucus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is E71(T) (=CGMCC 4.3147(T)=DSM 45047(T)). PMID- 17766860 TI - Proposal of Algoriphagus vanfongensis sp. nov., transfer of members of the genera Hongiella Yi and Chun 2004 emend. Nedashkovskaya et al. 2004 and Chimaereicella Tiago et al. 2006 to the genus Algoriphagus, and emended description of the genus Algoriphagus Bowman et al. 2003 emend. Nedashkovskaya et al. 2004. AB - A taxonomic study of a novel marine, heterotrophic, non-gliding, halotolerant and light-pink-pigmented bacterium was carried out using a polyphasic approach. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain KMM 6241(T) is a member of the phylum Bacteroidetes. Strain KMM 6241(T) formed a cluster with the genera Algoriphagus, Chimaereicella and Hongiella with sequence similarities of 94.0 98.2 %. Hongiella ornithinivorans was the closest relative of the novel isolate. Comparative analysis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic characteristics of strain KMM 6241(T) and representatives of the genera Algoriphagus, Chimaereicella and Hongiella revealed many similar features. Consequently, phylogenetic evidence supported by phenotypic and genotypic similarities support the transfer of members of the genera Chimaereicella and Hongiella to the genus Algoriphagus and the establishment of a novel species, Algoriphagus vanfongensis sp. nov., with strain KMM 6241(T) (=DSM 17529(T)=KCTC 12716(T)) as the type strain. PMID- 17766862 TI - Pedobacter insulae sp. nov., isolated from soil. AB - A Gram-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium, DS-139(T), was isolated from a soil sample collected from Dokdo, Korea, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic analysis. Strain DS-139(T) grew optimally at 25 degrees C and pH 6.5-7.5 in the presence of 0-0.5 % (w/v) NaCl. It contained MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C(15 : 0), C(16 : 1)omega7c and/or iso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH and iso-C(17 : 0) 3 OH as the major fatty acids. The DNA G+C content was 39.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain DS-39(T) belongs to the genus Pedobacter in the family Sphingobacteriaceae. The similarity values between the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain DS-139(T) and those of the type strains of recognized Pedobacter species, except Pedobacter saltans, were in the range 93.9-96.7 %. The differential phenotypic properties, together with the phylogenetic distinctiveness, were sufficient to assign strain DS-139(T) to a species that is separate from recognized Pedobacter species. On the basis of the phenotypic and phylogenetic data, therefore, strain DS-139(T) represents a novel species of the genus Pedobacter, for which the name Pedobacter insulae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DS-139(T) (=KCTC 12820(T) =DSM 18684(T)). PMID- 17766863 TI - Salinicoccus siamensis sp. nov., isolated from fermented shrimp paste in Thailand. AB - Fifteen strains of moderately halophilic, Gram-positive cocci were isolated from a traditional fermented shrimp paste ('ka-pi') produced in Thailand. These bacteria were strictly aerobic, non-motile, non-sporulating and catalase- and oxidase-positive. They produced orange pigment and grew in the presence of 1.5-25 % (w/v) NaCl. They grew optimally in 10 % (w/v) NaCl, at pH 8.5 and at 37 degrees C. The cell-wall peptidoglycan was of l-Lys type. Menaquinone with six isoprene units (MK-6) was a major component. The dominant cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C(15 : 0) and iso-C(15 : 0). DNA G+C contents were in the range 44.5-47.5 mol%. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses indicated that representative strain PN1-2(T) was related most closely to Salinicoccus roseus JCM 14630(T), with 97.3 % similarity. The other novel strains were included in the same species based on their levels of DNA-DNA relatedness to strain PN1-2(T) (> or =76.6 %) but showed low DNA-DNA relatedness to S. roseus JCM 14630(T) (21.7 %). On the basis of the phenotypic and molecular data presented, the 15 novel strains are suggested to represent a single novel species of the genus Salinicoccus, for which the name Salinicoccus siamensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is PN1-2(T) (=JCM 12822(T) =PCU 242(T) =TISTR 1562(T)). PMID- 17766864 TI - Streptomyces synnematoformans sp. nov., a novel actinomycete isolated from a sand dune soil in Egypt. AB - A polyphasic taxonomic study was undertaken to establish the status of a novel actinomycete, strain S155(T), isolated from a sand dune soil in Egypt. The organism formed characteristic synnemata-like structures and exhibited chemical and morphological features consistent with its classification in the genus Streptomyces. An almost-complete 16S rRNA gene sequence of the isolate was compared with corresponding sequences of representative streptomycetes. The 16S rRNA gene sequence data supported the assignment of the strain to the genus Streptomyces and showed that it formed a distinct phyletic line; the organism was most similar to the type strains of Streptomyces ruber (97.0 %), Streptomyces rubiginosus (97.0 %), Streptomyces roseiscleroticus (96.9 %) and Streptomyces thermoalcalitolerans (97.1 %). It was readily distinguished from the type strains of these species using a combination of phenotypic properties. On the basis of these results, strain S155(T) (=CGMCC 4.2055(T) =DSM 41902(T)) is proposed as the type strain of the novel species Streptomyces synnematoformans sp. nov. PMID- 17766865 TI - Modestobacter versicolor sp. nov., an actinobacterium from biological soil crusts that produces melanins under oligotrophy, with emended descriptions of the genus Modestobacter and Modestobacter multiseptatus Mevs et al. 2000. AB - A novel isolate, CP153-2(T), was obtained from topsoil biological crusts in the Colorado Plateau (USA). Colonies were black in colour due to melanin-like pigments when grown on oligotrophic medium, but not when grown on copiotrophic medium. Induction of melanogenesis was independent of growth phase or illumination conditions, including exposure to UVB and UVA radiation, but exposure to UVB could enhance total pigment production and growth under low nitrogen prevented its synthesis. This mode of regulation was previously unknown among melanin-producing bacteria. Polyphasic characterization of the strain revealed that cells were short, straight to curved or irregular rods that developed into pairs and formed multiseptate short filaments, with rare bud-like cells. Short rods were typically motile by means of flagella; multicellular structures tended to be sessile. Cells stained Gram-positive, grew at 4-30 degrees C and had a narrow range of pH tolerance (pH 5-9). The major fatty acids were iso-C(15:0) iso-C(16 : 0), anteiso-C(15 : 0) and C(18 : 1); MK-9(H(4)) was the major respiratory quinone. Its peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity data, its closest relative (98.1 % similarity) was Modestobacter multiseptatus DSM 44406(T), which is similar morphologically. Based on the above characteristics, strain CP153-2(T) was also assigned to the genus Modestobacter. However, CP153-2(T) had a relatedness of only 49.9 % in whole-genome reassociation comparisons with the type strain of M. multiseptatus and thus formally represents a novel species, for which the name Modestobacter versicolor sp. nov. is proposed. Additional evidence in support of a novel species comes from phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics. Strain CP153-2(T) (=ATCC BAA-1040(T) =DSM 16678(T)) is the type strain of M. versicolor. PMID- 17766866 TI - Halobacillus campisalis sp. nov., containing meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall peptidoglycan, and emended description of the genus Halobacillus. AB - A Gram-positive or variable, motile and coccoid or oval-shaped bacterial strain, ASL-17(T), was isolated from a marine solar saltern of the Yellow Sea in Korea and its exact taxonomic position was investigated by a polyphasic approach. Strain ASL-17(T) grew optimally at pH 7.0-8.0 and 37 degrees C. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain ASL-17(T) is most closely affiliated phylogenetically to the genus Halobacillus. Strain ASL-17(T) exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 97.7-98.6 % to the type strains of recognized Halobacillus species. Interestingly, strain ASL-17(T) had cell-wall peptidoglycan based on meso-diaminopimelic acid, unlike other Halobacillus species. It contained MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C(15 : 0), anteiso-C(17 : 0) and iso-C(16 : 0). The DNA G+C content was 42.1 mol%. DNA-DNA relatedness data and differential phenotypic properties demonstrated that strain ASL-17(T) can be differentiated from recognized Halobacillus species. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and genetic data, strain ASL-17(T) represents a novel species of the genus Halobacillus, for which the name Halobacillus campisalis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ASL-17(T) (=KCTC 13144(T) =CCUG 54360(T)). PMID- 17766867 TI - Flavobacterium filum sp. nov., isolated from a wastewater treatment plant in Korea. AB - A Gram-negative bacterium, designated strain EMB34(T), was isolated from a wastewater treatment plant in Korea. Growth was observed between 10 and 40 degrees C (optimum, 25-35 degrees C) and between pH 6.0 and 9.5 (optimum, pH 7.5 8.0). The cells were non-motile rods, linked with extracellular fibrils. The predominant fatty acids of strain EMB34(T) were iso-C(15 : 0), C(15 : 0), iso C(15 : 1) G, iso-C(16 : 0) 3-OH and iso-C(15 : 0) 3-OH and the strain contained phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol as the polar lipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 34.2 mol% and the major quinone was menaquinone-6. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses showed that strain EMB34(T) formed a distinct phyletic line within the genus Flavobacterium. The levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with other Flavobacterium species were less than 94.5 %. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular data, it is clear that strain EMB34(T) represents a novel species within the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium filum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is EMB34(T) (=KCTC 12610(T)=DSM 17961(T)). PMID- 17766868 TI - Bacillus acidiceler sp. nov., isolated from a forensic specimen, containing Bacillus anthracis pX02 genes. AB - Research at the Center for Biological Defense identified plasmid-borne forms of Bacillus anthracis pXO2 genes in a Gram-positive, endospore-forming rod, isolated from a forensic specimen considered a credible threat of harbouring anthrax. Conventional, commercial and molecular-based methods indicated that the isolate (CBD 119(T)) was not B. anthracis and considered not to be a member of the Bacillus cereus group. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, strain CBD 119(T) was most closely related to Bacillus luciferensis LMG 18422(T) (99.3 %). Phenotyping and fatty acid methyl ester analysis of the isolate were conducted alongside B. luciferensis JCM 12212(T). The major cellular fatty acids (anteiso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0), and >7 iso or anteiso forms) supported inclusion of the isolate in the genus Bacillus. Strain CBD 119(T) was inconsistent with B. luciferensis JCM 12212(T) for 18 of 96 traits evaluated including motility, degree of endospore-driven swelling and pH optimum; the two were linked by fatty acid methyl ester analysis as separate but closely related species. DNA-DNA relatedness between strain CBD 119(T) and B. luciferensis JCM 12212(T) resulted in less than 20 % hybridization. The results of biochemical and physiological characterization, chemotaxonomic analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization differentiated strain CBD 119(T) both phenotypically and genotypically from the only species with validly published name with greater than 97 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. The isolate has an accelerated doubling time when grown in aerated broth at pH 5.9 relative to that at pH 7.1. Therefore, it is proposed that strain CBD 119(T) represents a novel species, Bacillus acidiceler sp. nov. The type strain is strain CBD 119(T) (=NRRL B-41736(T)=DSM 18954(T)). PMID- 17766869 TI - Ribosomal protein gene-based phylogeny for finer differentiation and classification of phytoplasmas. AB - Extensive phylogenetic analyses were performed based on sequences of the 16S rRNA gene and two ribosomal protein (rp) genes, rplV (rpl22) and rpsC (rps3), from 46 phytoplasma strains representing 12 phytoplasma 16Sr groups, 16 other mollicutes and 28 Gram-positive walled bacteria. The phylogenetic tree inferred from rp genes had a similar overall topology to that inferred from the 16S rRNA gene. However, the rp gene-based tree gave a more defined phylogenetic interrelationship among mollicutes and Gram-positive walled bacteria. Both phylogenies indicated that mollicutes formed a monophyletic group. Phytoplasmas clustered with Acholeplasma species and formed one clade paraphyletic with a clade consisting of the remaining mollicutes. The closest relatives of mollicutes were low-G+C-content Gram-positive bacteria. Comparative phylogenetic analyses using the 16S rRNA gene and rp genes were performed to evaluate their efficacy in resolving distinct phytoplasma strains. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on analysis of rp gene sequences from 87 phytoplasma strains belonging to 12 16Sr phytoplasma groups. The phylogenetic relationships among phytoplasmas were generally in agreement with those obtained on the basis of the 16S rRNA gene in the present and previous works. However, the rp gene-based phylogeny allowed for finer resolution of distinct lineages within the phytoplasma 16Sr groups. RFLP analysis of rp gene sequences permitted finer differentiation of phytoplasma strains in a given 16Sr group. In this study, we also designed several semi universal and 16Sr group-specific rp gene-based primers that allow for the amplification of 11 16Sr group phytoplasmas. PMID- 17766870 TI - Classification of 'Sarraceniospora aurea' Furihata et al. 1989 as Actinocorallia aurea sp. nov. AB - Phylogenetic analysis of 'Sarraceniospora aurea' NBRC 14752 and strain NBRC 15120, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed that these organisms are related to members of the genus Actinocorallia. These organisms contained glutamic acid, alanine and meso-diaminopimelic acid as cell-wall amino acids and the menaquinones MK-9(H(4)), MK-9(H(6)) and MK-9(H(8)). The chemotaxonomic characteristics of the strains were consistent with those of the genus Actinocorallia. However, DNA-DNA hybridization and phenotypic characteristics revealed that the strains differed from the recognized species of the genus Actinocorallia. Therefore, we propose that 'Sarraceniospora aurea' NBRC 14752 and strain NBRC 15120 be reclassified in the genus Actinocorallia as a novel species, Actinocorallia aurea sp. nov. (type strain NBRC 14752(T)=DSM 44434(T)). PMID- 17766871 TI - Stenotrophomonas terrae sp. nov. and Stenotrophomonas humi sp. nov., two nitrate reducing bacteria isolated from soil. AB - Three Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming, nitrate-reducing isolates (R 32746, R-32768(T) and R-32729(T)) were obtained from soil. Analysis of repetitive sequence-based PCR showed that the three isolates represented two different strains. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization placed them within the genus Stenotrophomonas and revealed that they were genotypically different from each other and from all recognized Stenotrophomonas species. Analysis of the fatty acid composition and physiological and biochemical tests allowed differentiation from their closest phylogenetic neighbours. They are therefore considered to represent two novel species, for which the names Stenotrophomonas terrae sp. nov. and Stenotrophomonas humi sp. nov. are proposed, with strains R-32768(T) (=LMG 23958(T)=DSM 18941(T)) and R-32729(T) (=LMG 23959(T)=DSM 18929(T)), respectively, as the type strains. PMID- 17766872 TI - Methylibium fulvum sp. nov., a member of the Betaproteobacteria isolated from ginseng field soil, and emended description of the genus Methylibium. AB - Two bacterial strains, designated Gsoil 322(T) and Gsoil 328, were isolated from soil of a ginseng field in Pocheon province (Republic of Korea). The strains were Gram-negative, motile, aerobic rods that showed nearly identical physiological profiles and similar chemotaxonomic profiles. The two strains were oxidase positive but catalase-negative, reduced nitrate to nitrite and had fatty acid profiles in which C(16 : 0), C(17 : 0) cyclo and C(16 : 1)omega7c/iso-C(15 : 0) 2 OH were predominant. The DNA G+C contents of Gsoil 322(T) and Gsoil 328 were 66.6 and 66.7 mol%, respectively. Q-8 was observed as the major quinone. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain Gsoil 322(T) belongs to the class Betaproteobacteria and was most closely related to Methylibium petroleiphilum ATCC BAA-1232(T) (97.5 % sequence similarity). On the basis of its phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain Gsoil 322(T) (=KCTC 12591(T) =LMG 23394(T)) was classified in the genus Methylibium as the type strain of a novel species, for which the name Methylibium fulvum sp. nov. is proposed. PMID- 17766873 TI - Cerasicoccus arenae gen. nov., sp. nov., a carotenoid-producing marine representative of the family Puniceicoccaceae within the phylum 'Verrucomicrobia', isolated from marine sand. AB - A polyphasic taxonomic study was performed on strain YM26-026(T), which was isolated from acid-treated sediment in Kamaishi, Japan. The bacterial cells were pale-pink-pigmented, Gram-negative, obligately aerobic, non-spore-forming, spherical and non-motile. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the novel isolate was a member of the phylum 'Verrucomicrobia' and shared approximately 84-87 % sequence similarity with strains of the class Opitutae that have been cultivated to date. Strain YM26-026(T) produced pale-pink pigments of carotenoid. beta-Lactam antibiotic susceptibility tests and amino acid analysis of cell-wall hydrolysates indicated that the novel isolate did not contain muramic acid or diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall, suggesting that the strain lacks peptidoglycan. The G+C content of the DNA of strain YM26-026(T) was 54.0 mol%. Menaquinone-7 was the major quinone and C(14 : 0) and C(18 : 1)omega9c were the major fatty acids. On the basis of polyphasic taxonomic studies, it was concluded that strain YM26-026(T) represents a new genus of the family Puniceicoccaceae within the phylum 'Verrucomicrobia', for which the name Cerasicoccus arenae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YM26 026(T) (=MBIC08280(T)=KCTC 12870(T)). PMID- 17766875 TI - Pedobacter koreensis sp. nov., isolated from fresh water. AB - A motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain WPCB189(T), was isolated from fresh water collected from the Woopo wetland (Republic of Korea). The cells were found to be Gram-negative, aerobic and catalase- and oxidase-positive. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that this isolate forms a lineage within the genus Pedobacter, showing sequence similarities of 89.7-96.4 % with respect to recognized species of the genus, and represents a novel member of this genus. The major fatty acids were iso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH and/or C(16 : 1)omega7c (summed feature 3, 29.7 %), iso-C(15 : 0) (26.4 %) and iso-C(17 : 1) 3-OH (10.1 %). The DNA G+C content was 38.0 mol%. On the basis of data obtained from this polyphasic taxonomic study, strain WPCB189(T) represents a novel species of the genus Pedobacter, for which the name Pedobacter koreensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is WPCB189(T) (=KCTC 12536(T)=NBRC 101153(T)). PMID- 17766874 TI - Photobacterium kishitanii sp. nov., a luminous marine bacterium symbiotic with deep-sea fishes. AB - Six representatives of a luminous bacterium commonly found in association with deep, cold-dwelling marine fishes were isolated from the light organs and skin of different fish species. These bacteria were Gram-negative, catalase-positive, and weakly oxidase-positive or oxidase-negative. Morphologically, cells of these strains were coccoid or coccoid-rods, occurring singly or in pairs, and motile by means of polar flagellation. After growth on seawater-based agar medium at 22 degrees C for 18 h, colonies were small, round and white, with an intense cerulean blue luminescence. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity placed these bacteria in the genus Photobacterium. Phylogenetic analysis based on seven housekeeping gene sequences (16S rRNA gene, gapA, gyrB, pyrH, recA, rpoA and rpoD), seven gene sequences of the lux operon (luxC, luxD, luxA, luxB, luxF, luxE and luxG) and four gene sequences of the rib operon (ribE, ribB, ribH and ribA), resolved the six strains as members of the genus Photobacterium and as a clade distinct from other species of Photobacterium. These strains were most closely related to Photobacterium phosphoreum and Photobacterium iliopiscarium. DNA-DNA hybridization values between the designated type strain, Photobacterium kishitanii pjapo.1.1(T), and P. phosphoreum LMG 4233(T), P. iliopiscarium LMG 19543(T) and Photobacterium indicum LMG 22857(T) were 51, 43 and 19 %, respectively. In AFLP analysis, the six strains clustered together, forming a group distinct from other analysed species. The fatty acid C(17 : 0) cyclo was present in these bacteria, but not in P. phosphoreum, P. iliopiscarium or P. indicum. A combination of biochemical tests (arginine dihydrolase and lysine decarboxylase) differentiates these strains from P. phosphoreum and P. indicum. The DNA G+C content of P. kishitanii pjapo.1.1(T) is 40.2 %, and the genome size is approximately 4.2 Mbp, in the form of two circular chromosomes. These strains represent a novel species, for which the name Photobacterium kishitanii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain, pjapo.1.1(T) (=ATCC BAA-1194(T)=LMG 23890(T)), is a luminous symbiont isolated from the light organ of the deep-water fish Physiculus japonicus. PMID- 17766876 TI - Bacillus chagannorensis sp. nov., a moderate halophile from a soda lake in Inner Mongolia, China. AB - A Gram-positive, moderately halophilic, spore-forming bacterium, designated strain CG-15(T), was isolated from a soda lake, Lake Chagannor, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. The cells were found to be motile short rods with ellipsoidal, terminal and deforming endospores. Strain CG-15(T), a facultatively anaerobic bacterium, grew at pH 5.8-11.0 (optimally at pH 8.5), at 6-40 degrees C (optimally at 37 degrees C) and at salinities of 3-20 % (w/v) total salts (optimally at 7 % w/v). On the basis of the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain CG-15(T) was shown to belong to the genus Bacillus (phylum Firmicutes), showing the greatest phylogenetic similarity with respect to Bacillus saliphilus (96.0 %). The DNA G+C content of the novel isolate was found to be 53.8 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids of strain CG-15(T) were anteiso C(15 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0) and anteiso-C(17 : 0), and its polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and three different unidentified phospholipids. The analysis of the quinones showed that MK 7 was the major menaquinone. The peptidoglycan type was A1gamma, with meso diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid. On the basis of the data from this polyphasic study, strain CG-15(T) represents a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus chagannorensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CG-15(T) (=CCM 7371(T)=CECT 7153(T)=CGMCC 1.6292(T)=DSM 18086(T)). PMID- 17766877 TI - Pedobacter lentus sp. nov. and Pedobacter terricola sp. nov., isolated from soil. AB - Two Gram-negative, non-motile, pleomorphic bacterial strains, DS-40(T) and DS 45(T), were isolated from a soil sample collected from Dokdo, Korea, and their exact taxonomic positions were investigated by using a polyphasic approach. Strains DS-40(T) and DS-45(T) grew optimally at 25 degrees C and pH 6.5-7.5 in the presence of 0-1.0 % (w/v) NaCl. They contained MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone and possessed iso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(17 : 0) 3-OH and summed feature 3 (C(16 : 1)omega7c and/or iso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH) as the major fatty acids. The DNA G+C contents of strains DS-40(T) and DS-45(T) were 36.0 and 36.8 mol%, respectively. Strains DS-40(T) and DS-45(T) shared a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 96.7 % and demonstrated a mean DNA-DNA relatedness level of 12 %. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strains DS 40(T) and DS-45(T) were most closely phylogenetically affiliated with the genus Pedobacter of the family Sphingobacteriaceae. Strains DS-40(T) and DS-45(T) exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 91.4-93.7 and 89.9-91.6 % with respect to the type strains of Pedobacter and Sphingobacterium species, respectively. Phenotypic and chemotaxonomic properties, together with the phylogenetic data, support the assignment of strains DS-40(T) and DS-45(T) as two distinct species within the genus Pedobacter. On the basis of phenotypic, phylogenetic and genetic data, strains DS-40(T) and DS-45(T) represent two novel species of the genus Pedobacter, for which the names Pedobacter lentus sp. nov. and Pedobacter terricola sp. nov. are proposed, respectively. The respective type strains are DS-40(T) (=KCTC 12875(T)=JCM 14593(T)) and DS-45(T) (=KCTC 12876(T)=JCM 14594(T)). PMID- 17766878 TI - Methylophaga aminisulfidivorans sp. nov., a restricted facultatively methylotrophic marine bacterium. AB - A novel restricted facultatively methylotrophic marine strain, MP(T), possessing the ribulose monophosphate pathway of C(1)-carbon compound assimilation was isolated from a seawater sample obtained from Mokpo, South Korea. The novel isolate is aerobic, Gram-negative, asporogenous and a non-motile short rod. It grows well on methanol, methylated amines, dimethylsulfide and DMSO. Optimal growth occurs with 3 % NaCl at 30 degrees C and pH 7.0. Fructose is utilized as a multicarbon source. Growth factors are not required and vitamin B(12) does not stimulate growth. The cellular fatty acid profile of the novel strain consists primarily of straight-chain saturated C(16 : 0) and unsaturated C(16 : 1) acids. The major ubiquinone is Q-8. The dominant phospholipids are phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. The DNA G+C content is 44.9 mol% (T(m)). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and DNA-DNA relatedness (25 41 %) with the type strains of marine methylotrophs belonging to the genus Methylophaga, it is suggested that isolate MP(T) represents a novel species, Methylophaga aminisulfidivorans sp. nov. (type strain MP(T)=KCTC 12909(T)=VKM B 2441(T)=JCM 14647(T)). PMID- 17766879 TI - Marinobacter salicampi sp. nov., isolated from a marine solar saltern in Korea. AB - A Gram-negative, motile, rod-shaped, Marinobacter-like bacterial strain, ISL 40(T), was isolated from a marine solar saltern of the Yellow Sea in Korea. The taxonomic position of the novel strain was investigated using a polyphasic approach. Strain ISL-40(T) grew optimally at pH 7.0-8.0 and at 30 degrees C. It contained Q-9 as the predominant ubiquinone. The major fatty acids were C(16 : 0), C(16 : 1)omega7c and/or iso-C(15 : 0) 2-OH and 10-methyl C(16 : 0). The DNA G+C content was 58.1 mol%. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain ISL-40(T) belongs to the genus Marinobacter. Strain ISL-40(T) exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 93.5-96.4 % to the type strains of recognized Marinobacter species. The differential phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness of strain ISL-40(T) revealed that it is separate from recognized Marinobacter species. On the basis of phenotypic, phylogenetic and genetic data, therefore, strain ISL-40(T) represents a novel species of the genus Marinobacter, for which the name Marinobacter salicampi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ISL-40(T) (=KCTC 12972(T)=CCUG 54357(T)). PMID- 17766880 TI - Terrabacter aerolatus sp. nov., isolated from an air sample. AB - A Gram-positive, strictly aerobic, motile, rod- or coccoid-shaped bacterium, strain 5516J-36(T), was isolated from an air sample from Jeju region, Korea, and its taxonomic position was investigated by a polyphasic approach. The organism grew optimally at 30 degrees C and pH 7.0-8.0. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies demonstrated that this strain was highly related phylogenetically to Terrabacter terrae PPLB(T) and Terrabacter tumescens DSM 20308(T), showing 98.9 % sequence similarity to both strains. However, the DNA DNA reassociation values between 5516J-36(T) and the type strains of Terrabacter terrae and Terrabacter tumescens were low (51 and 48 %, respectively). The peptidoglycan type was A3gamma, the predominant menaquinone was MK-8(H(4)), the polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and an unidentified phosphoglycolipid and the whole-cell sugars were glucose, ribose, rhamnose, xylose and galactose. Mycolic acids were absent. The major fatty acids (>5 % of total fatty acids) were iso-C(15 : 0), iso C(16 : 0), iso-C(14 : 0), iso-C(17 : 0) and anteiso-C(15 : 0). The DNA G+C content was 71.7 mol%. On the basis of the above data, it is proposed that strain 5516J-36(T) represents a novel species, Terrabacter aerolatus sp. nov. The type strain of Terrabacter aerolatus is 5516J-36(T) (=KACC 20556(T) =DSM 18562(T)). PMID- 17766881 TI - Halochromatium roseum sp. nov., a non-motile phototrophic gammaproteobacterium with gas vesicles, and emended description of the genus Halochromatium. AB - A rod-shaped, marine, phototrophic, purple sulfur bacterium containing gas vesicles was isolated from a marine solar saltern at Kakinada, India. Cells of strain JA134(T) are Gram-negative, non-motile rods, with vesicular intracytoplasmic membranes, and the strain has an absolute requirement for NaCl for growth. Bacteriochlorophyll a and the carotenoid okenone are present as photosynthetic pigments. Phylogenetic analysis on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain JA134(T) clusters with members of the genus Halochromatium, but is distinctly separated from the species reported so far. The morphological and physiological differences of strain JA134(T) from other Halochromatium species support the description of strain JA134(T) (=ATCC BAA 1363(T) =DSM 18859(T) =JCM 14151(T)) as the type strain of a novel species, Halochromatium roseum sp. nov. PMID- 17766882 TI - Aestuariimicrobium kwangyangense gen. nov., sp. nov., an LL-diaminopimelic acid containing bacterium isolated from tidal flat sediment. AB - Four Gram-positive, catalase-positive, short rod- or coccoid-shaped bacterial strains, R27(T), R44, R45 and R47, were isolated from an enrichment culture with diesel oil-degradation activity and their taxonomic positions were investigated using a polyphasic approach. Phenotypic, phylogenetic and genetic similarities indicated that strains R27(T), R44, R45 and R47 belong to the same species. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the four strains form a distinct evolutionary lineage within the family Propionibacteriaceae. The novel four strains had cell-wall peptidoglycan based on LL-diaminopimelic acid, MK-9(H(4)) as the predominant menaquinone and anteiso C(15 : 0) as the major cellular fatty acid. The DNA G+C contents were 68.8-69.2 mol%. These chemotaxonomic properties, together with phylogenetic distinctiveness, distinguish the four novel strains from recognized members of the family Propionibacteriaceae. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and genetic data, strains R27(T), R44, R45 and R47 are classified as representatives of a new genus and novel species, Aestuariimicrobium kwangyangense gen. nov., sp. nov., within the family Propionibacteriaceae. The type strain of Aestuariimicrobium kwangyangense sp. nov. is R27(T) (=KCTC 19182(T)=JCM 14204(T)). PMID- 17766884 TI - Methylibium aquaticum sp. nov., a betaproteobacterium isolated from a eutrophic freshwater pond. AB - A freshwater bacterium, designated IMCC1728(T), was isolated from a eutrophic pond. The strain was Gram-negative, chemoheterotrophic and facultatively aerobic, forming non-motile rods that contained poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate granules. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, the most closely related species to strain IMCC1728(T) was Methylibium petroleiphilum (97.0 % similarity). Phylogenetic trees generated using 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that this isolate formed an independent phyletic line of the genus Methylibium clade of the class Betaproteobacteria. The DNA G+C content of the strain was 66.2+/-0.4 mol%. The predominant cellular fatty acid constituents were C(16 : 1)omega7c and/or iso C(15 : 0) 2-OH (43.1 %), C(16 : 0) (20.3 %), C(12 : 0) (13.4 %) and C(10 : 0) 3 OH (7.3 %). The strain contained Q-8 as the predominant ubiquinone. Several phenotypic characteristics, including flagellation, temperature range for growth and carbon source utilization patterns, differentiated strain IMCC1728(T) from species of the genus Methylibium. Therefore, it is proposed that strain IMCC1728(T) represents a novel species, Methylibium aquaticum sp. nov. The type strain is IMCC1728(T) (=KCCM 42364(T)=NBRC 102349(T)). PMID- 17766883 TI - Streptomyces durmitorensis sp. nov., a producer of an FK506-like immunosuppressant. AB - Screening of soil samples from the Durmitor National Park, Serbia and Montenegro, for strains producing immunosuppressants with a similar mechanism of action to FK506 resulted in the isolation of the actinomycete strain MS405(T). Isolate MS405(T) was found to have morphological and phenotypic properties that were consistent with its classification as a Streptomyces strain. The DNA G+C content of strain MS405(T) was 72 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence data confirmed the taxonomic position of the strain, following the generation of phylogenetic trees by using various treeing algorithms. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain MS405(T) was shown to belong to the Streptomyces albidoflavus 'supercluster', being related to Streptomyces aureus DSM 41785(T) (99.59 % similarity) and Streptomyces kanamyceticus DSM 40500(T) (99.32 %). The 16S-23S rRNA internally transcribed spacer (ITS) region exhibited variations in length and sequence composition, showing limited usefulness in phylogenetic analyses. However, DNA relatedness values support the classification of this isolate within a novel species. A number of physiological and biochemical tests distinguished strain MS405(T) from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Therefore, strain MS405(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Streptomyces durmitorensis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain MS405(T) (=DSM 41863(T) =CIP 108995(T)). PMID- 17766885 TI - Natronococcus jeotgali sp. nov., a halophilic archaeon isolated from shrimp jeotgal, a traditional fermented seafood from Korea. AB - A novel halophilic archaeon (strain B1(T)) belonging to the genus Natronococcus was isolated from shrimp jeotgal, a traditional fermented food from Korea. Colonies of this strain were orange-red and cells were non-motile cocci that stained Gram-variable. Strain B1(T) grew in 7.5-30.0 % (w/v) NaCl and at 21-50 degrees C and pH 7.0-9.5, with optimal growth occurring in 23-25 % (w/v) NaCl and at 37-45 degrees C and pH 7.5. Strain B1(T) was most closely related to the type strain of Natronococcus occultus, with which it shared 97.91 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Within the phylogenetic tree, this novel strain shared a branching point with N. occultus and occupied a phylogenetic position that was distinct from the main Natronococcus branch. The degree of DNA-DNA hybridization with the type strain of N. occultus, the most closely related species phylogenetically, was 16.4 %. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that strain B1(T) represents a novel species of the genus Natronococcus, for which the name Natronococcus jeotgali is proposed. The type strain is B1(T) (=KCTC 4018(T)=DSM 18795(T)=JCM 14583(T)=CECT 7216(T)). PMID- 17766886 TI - Jannaschia donghaensis sp. nov., isolated from seawater of the East Sea, Korea. AB - A Gram-negative, non-motile and rod-, oval- or coccoid-shaped strain, DSW-17(T), was isolated from seawater of the East Sea, Korea, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Strain DSW-17(T) grew optimally at pH 7.0-8.0 and 25 degrees C. It contained Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone and C(18 : 1)omega7c as the major fatty acid. Major polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified glycolipid. The DNA G+C content was 65.2 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain DSW-17(T) was phylogenetically most closely affiliated to the genus Jannaschia. Strain DSW-17(T) exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 96.5 % with the type strains of three recognized species of the genus Jannaschia. DNA-DNA relatedness data and differential phenotypic properties, together with the phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain DSW 17(T) is distinguishable from the recognized species of the genus Jannaschia. On the basis of phenotypic, phylogenetic and genetic data, strain DSW-17(T) was classified in the genus Jannaschia as a member of a novel species, for which the name Jannaschia donghaensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DSW-17(T) (=KCTC 12862(T)=JCM 14563(T)). PMID- 17766887 TI - Syntrophomonas palmitatica sp. nov., an anaerobic, syntrophic, long-chain fatty acid-oxidizing bacterium isolated from methanogenic sludge. AB - A mesophilic, syntrophic, fatty-acid-oxidizing anaerobic strain, designated MPA(T), was isolated from granular sludge in a mesophilic upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor used to treat palm oil mill effluent. Cells were slightly curved, non-motile rods. Spore formation was not observed. The optimal temperature for growth was around 37 degrees C and optimal pH for growth was 7.0. Strain MPA(T) was able to grow on crotonate or pentenoate plus butyrate in pure culture. In co culture with the hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanospirillum hungatei, strain MPA(T) was able to oxidize straight-chain saturated fatty acids with carbon chain lengths of C4-C18. The strain was unable to utilize sulfate, sulfite, thiosulfate, nitrate, fumarate, iron(III) or DMSO as an electron acceptor. The G+C content of the DNA was 45.0 mol%. Based on comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain MPA(T) was found to be a member of the genus Syntrophomonas and was most closely related to the type strains of Syntrophomonas curvata and Syntrophomonas sapovorans (sequence similarities of 94 %). Genetic and phenotypic characteristics demonstrated that strain MPA(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Syntrophomonas palmitatica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MPA(T) (=JCM 14374(T)=NBRC 102128(T)=DSM 18709(T)). PMID- 17766888 TI - Nocardioides panacihumi sp. nov., isolated from soil of a ginseng field. AB - A novel bacterial strain designated Gsoil 616(T) was isolated from a soil sample of a ginseng field in Pocheon province (South Korea) and was characterized taxonomically by using a polyphasic approach. The isolate was Gram-positive, strictly aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming and rod- or coccoid-shaped. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the isolate belongs to the genus Nocardioides in the family Nocardioidaceae but was clearly separated from established species of this genus. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between strain Gsoil 616(T) and the type strains of Nocardioides species with validly published names ranged from 91.8 to 96.1 %. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 73 mol%. Phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data [major menaquinone MK-8(H(4)) and major fatty acid iso-C(16 : 0)] supported the affiliation of strain Gsoil 616(T) to the genus Nocardioides. However, the results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed phenotypic differentiation of the isolate from other Nocardioides species. Therefore, strain Gsoil 616(T) represented a novel species within the genus Nocardioides, for which the name Nocardioides panacihumi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Gsoil 616(T) (=KCTC 19187(T) =DSM 18660(T)). PMID- 17766890 TI - Enterococcus camelliae sp. nov., isolated from fermented tea leaves in Thailand. AB - A Gram-positive and catalase-negative coccus that formed chains, strain FP15 1(T), isolated from fermented tea leaves ('miang'), was studied systematically. The strain was facultatively anaerobic and produced l-lactic acid from glucose. Demethylmenaquinone (DMK-7) was the major menaquinone. Straight-chain unsaturated fatty acids C(16 : 1) and C(18 : 1) were the dominant components. The DNA G+C content was 37.8 mol%. On the basis of 16S rRNA and RNA polymerase alpha subunit (rpoA) gene sequence analysis, strain FP15-1(T) was closely related to Enterococcus italicus KCTC 5373(T), with 99.2 and 93.8 % similarity, respectively. The strain could be clearly distinguished from E. italicus ATCC 5373(T) by low DNA-DNA relatedness (< or =33.8 %) and phenotypic characteristics. Therefore, this strain represent a novel species of the genus Enterococcus, for which the name Enterococcus camelliae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is FP15-1(T) (=KCTC 13133(T) =NBRC 101868(T) =NRIC 0105(T) =TISTR 932(T) =PCU 277(T)). PMID- 17766889 TI - Algibacter mikhailovii sp. nov., a novel marine bacterium of the family Flavobacteriaceae, and emended description of the genus Algibacter. AB - A novel marine bacterium, designated strain KMM 6171(T), was subjected to taxonomic analysis by using a polyphasic approach. Colonies were yellow-pigmented and cells were Gram-negative, heterotrophic rods displaying slow gliding motility. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain KMM 6171(T) was closely related to the genus Algibacter, a member of the family Flavobacteriaceae, with sequence similarity of 96.7-96.8 %. The predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 1, iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, C15 : 0, iso C15 : 0 3-OH, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 3, comprising C16 : 1omega7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH. The DNA G+C content was 35.1 mol%. On the basis of the phenotypic, genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data, strain KMM 6171(T) represents a novel species of the genus Algibacter, for which the name Algibacter mikhailovii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KMM 6171(T) (=KCTC 12710(T)=LMG 23988(T)). An emended description of the genus Algibacter based on the new data is also given. PMID- 17766891 TI - Shewanella canadensis sp. nov. and Shewanella atlantica sp. nov., manganese dioxide- and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine-reducing, psychrophilic marine bacteria. AB - Two strains belonging to the genus Shewanella, HAW-EB2(T) and HAW-EB5(T), were isolated previously from marine sediment sampled from the Atlantic Ocean, near Halifax harbour in Canada, for their potential to degrade explosive hexahydro 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX). In the present study, strains HAW-EB2(T) and HAW-EB5(T) were found to display high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (90-99.5 %) to species of Shewanella, but their gyrB sequences were significantly different from each other and from species of Shewanella (79-87.6 %). Furthermore, DNA-DNA hybridization showed that the genomic DNA of the two strains was only 22 % related and showed less than 41 % relatedness to closely related species of Shewanella. In comparison to other species of Shewanella, strains HAW EB2(T) and HAW-EB5(T) were also unique in some phenotypic properties such as activities of beta-galactosidase and tyrosine arylamidase and the ability to metabolize certain organic acids and sugars. Both strains HAW-EB2(T) and HAW EB5(T) utilize malate, valerate, peptone and yeast extract as sole carbon and energy sources. The major membrane fatty acids of the two strains were C(14 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0), C(16 : 0), C(16 : 1)omega7, C(18 : 1)omega7 and C(20 : 5)omega3 and their major quinones were Q-7, Q-8 and MK-7. On the basis of these results, strain HAW-EB2(T) (=NCIMB 14238(T) =CCUG 54553(T)) is proposed as the type strain of Shewanella canadensis sp. nov. and strain HAW-EB5(T) (=NCIMB 14239(T) =CCUG 54554(T)) is proposed as the type strain of Shewanella atlantica sp. nov. PMID- 17766892 TI - Humihabitans oryzae gen. nov., sp. nov. AB - Strain KV-657(T) was isolated from a paddy field soil sample collected in Japan using GPM agar plates supplemented with catalase. The strain was a Gram-positive, aerobic organism that formed branching hyphae with ll-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic peptidoglycan diamino acid. The major menaquinone was MK-8(H(4)). Mycolic acids were not detected. The G+C content of the DNA was 70 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that this strain is closely related to Intrasporangium calvum DSM 43043(T), with a similarity of 97.6 %. Based on the morphological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic properties of this strain and phylogenetic analysis, it was concluded that this isolate represents a new genus and species in the family Intrasporangiaceae, for which the name Humihabitans oryzae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Humihabitans oryzae is KV-657(T) (=NRRL B-24470(T) =NBRC 101802(T)). PMID- 17766893 TI - Desulfovibrio marinus sp. nov., a moderately halophilic sulfate-reducing bacterium isolated from marine sediments in Tunisia. AB - Two novel sulfate-reducing bacterial strains, designated E-2(T) and IMP-2, were isolated from geographically distinct locations. Strain E-2(T) was recovered from marine sediments near Sfax (Tunisia), whereas strain IMP-2 originated from oilfield production fluids in the Gulf of Mexico. Cells were Gram-negative, non sporulated, motile, vibrio-shaped or sigmoid. They were strictly anaerobic, mesophilic and moderately halophilic. Sulfate, sulfite, thiosulfate and elemental sulfur served as electron acceptors, but not nitrate or nitrite. H(2) (with acetate as carbon source), formate, fumarate, lactate, malate, pyruvate, succinate and fructose were used as electron donors in the presence of sulfate as terminal electron acceptor. Lactate was oxidized incompletely to acetate. Fumarate and pyruvate were fermented. Desulfoviridin and c-type cytochromes were present. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of the two strains showed that they were phylogenetically similar (99.0 % similarity) and belonged to the genus Desulfovibrio, with Desulfovibrio indonesiensis and Desulfovibrio gabonensis as their closest phylogenetic relatives. The G+C content of the DNA was respectively 60.4 and 62.7 mol% for strains E-2(T) and IMP-2. DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed that the novel strains had a high genomic relatedness, suggesting that they belong to the same species. We therefore propose that the two isolates be affiliated to a novel species of the genus Desulfovibrio, Desulfovibrio marinus sp. nov. The type strain is strain E-2(T) (=DSM 18311(T) =JCM 14040(T)). PMID- 17766895 TI - Rhodotorula psychrophila sp. nov., Rhodotorula psychrophenolica sp. nov. and Rhodotorula glacialis sp. nov., novel psychrophilic basidiomycetous yeast species isolated from alpine environments. AB - Three novel psychrophilic species of the genus Rhodotorula are described. Rhodotorula psychrophila sp. nov. (type strain PB19(T)=CBS 10440(T)=DSM 18768(T)), Rhodotorula psychrophenolica sp. nov. (type strain AG21(T)=CBS 10438(T)=DSM 18767(T)) and Rhodotorula glacialis sp. nov. (type strain A19(T)=CBS 10436(T)=DSM 18766(T)) were isolated from soil collected from an alpine railway area, from mud in the thawing zone of a glacier foot and from glacier cryoconite, respectively. All three species have been assigned to the genus Rhodotorula on the basis of molecular sequence data and physiological and morphological properties. Rhodotorula psychrophila is not able to grow at temperatures above 15 degrees C. Rhodotorula psychrophenolica and Rhodotorula glacialis degrade high concentrations of phenol (up to 12.5 and 5 mM, respectively) as the sole carbon source at 10 degrees C. Sequence analyses of the 26S rDNA D1/D2 regions indicated that the novel species are phylogenetically related and belong to a clade that includes other psychrophilic yeasts. PMID- 17766896 TI - On species descriptions based on a single strain: proposal to introduce the status species proponenda (sp. pr.). AB - A survey of the descriptions of novel bacterial species published in the period 1996-2006 revealed that a large number of taxonomic descriptions are still based on one or a few strains. This situation determines that not only species descriptions, but also proposals to create higher ranks, are actually based on very few strains, which could produce a highly biased scenario. The encouragement to include a reasonable number of strains in species descriptions has been largely disregarded after its proposal, since acceptance of such descriptions relies mainly on editors' and reviewers' opinions. This observation and other considerations lead us to propose the creation of the status species proponenda (sp. pr.), as a compromise between the need for scientific description of biodiversity and exchange of data and the good taxonomic practice of including a sufficient number of strains in descriptions of species and higher taxonomic ranks. PMID- 17766894 TI - Reclassification of Graphium tectonae as Parascedosporium tectonae gen. nov., comb. nov., Pseudallescheria africana as Petriellopsis africana gen. nov., comb. nov. and Pseudallescheria fimeti as Lophotrichus fimeti comb. nov. AB - During a biodiversity survey of Argentinian soil fungi, we recovered a rare Scedosporium-like fungus which was proven to be genetically and morphologically different from known species of Scedosporium (anamorph of Pseudallescheria) and relatives and is proposed here as representing a new genus. This genus is mainly characterized by producing sympodial conidia from denticulate conidiogenous cells. This isolate was morphologically identical to Graphium tectonae and thus the new combination Parascedosporium tectonae gen. nov., comb. nov. is proposed. Sequence analysis of four regions of three genes, i.e. beta-tubulin (two loci), calmodulin and the internal transcribed spacer region of the 5.8S rRNA, confirmed our proposal. Both the phylogenetic analysis and morphological studies excluded Pseudallescheria africana and Pseudallescheria fimeti from the genus Pseudallescheria. The former is proposed as a member of the new genus Petriellopsis, and the latter has been accommodated in Lophotrichus. The type strains of Parascedosporium tectonae gen. nov., comb. nov., Petriellopsis africana gen. nov., comb. nov. and Lophotrichus fimeti comb. nov. are respectively CBS 127.84(T), CBS 311.72(T) and CBS 129.78(T). PMID- 17766898 TI - While adults battle, children suffer: future problems for Iraq. PMID- 17766899 TI - Cost to the NHS of Roche oncology treatments. PMID- 17766900 TI - Resources could be spent better than on saving children. PMID- 17766901 TI - The permissible use of placebo. PMID- 17766902 TI - Convictions in sexual assault cases. PMID- 17766903 TI - Patient-reported outcome measures. PMID- 17766904 TI - The royal college of surgeons. PMID- 17766905 TI - Connections with death. PMID- 17766906 TI - Fleiss, Freud and the nose. PMID- 17766907 TI - Climate change, poverty and war. PMID- 17766908 TI - Drivers of violent conflict. PMID- 17766909 TI - The recognition of childhood thyroid cancer as a consequence of the Chernobyl accident: an allegorical tale of our time? PMID- 17766910 TI - Comments on 'Performance management of the Royal Colleges of Medicine and Surgery'. PMID- 17766911 TI - Formula One and global road safety: response by the FIA Foundation. PMID- 17766912 TI - Sexually transmitted infections: where are we now? PMID- 17766914 TI - Minimally invasive surgery for pneumothorax: the evidence, changing practice and current opinion. AB - Spontaneous pneumothorax is a common problem and in patients at risk of recurrence, excision of the source of the air leak and pleurodesis is very effective in reducing further episodes. In the 15 years since the introduction of video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), practice has changed towards this much less invasive procedure and away from thoracotomy. The evidence from randomized trials, non-randomized comparative studies, the consensus of surgeons and the documented change in practice from registry data are concordant. Unless there are specific clinical indications for more invasive surgery, it would seem reasonable for VATS to become the recommended approach. PMID- 17766915 TI - Schizophrenia, an illness and a metaphor: analysis of the use of the term 'schizophrenia' in the UK national newspapers. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether schizophrenia is a commonly used 'illness as metaphor', to compare the use of schizophrenia and cancer as illnesses as metaphor, and to determine if there is a difference in such usage between the UK and USA. DESIGN: An examination of articles published in the British press. SETTING: 600 articles from six British newspapers: the Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Mirror, the Sun and the Daily Mail. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Use of schizophrenia and cancer as metaphors. RESULTS: Schizophrenia was more likely to be metaphorized than cancer (P<0.001) in the UK press, but was less likely to be used as metaphor in the UK press than in the US press (P<0.001). 11% of articles containing the term schizophrenia used the word as a metaphor. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians need to be aware that patients, carers and the public might have a different understanding of the word we use as a diagnosis. PMID- 17766916 TI - Hypertophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy: a striking association with a malignant solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura. PMID- 17766918 TI - Capitalizing on Mendelian randomization to assess the effects of treatments. PMID- 17766921 TI - Patient attitudes towards twin pregnancies and single embryo transfer - a questionnaire study. AB - BACKGROUND: The present trend towards selective single embryo transfer (SET) calls for evaluation of patient attitudes towards twins and how the patients balance advantages and disadvantages of one or two embryos in IVF/ICSI treatment. METHODS: The study was conducted in a Danish public fertility clinic, where the common practice was double embryo transfer (DET), and the number of reimbursed treatments was limited to three. Referred patients were given oral and written information about the IVF/ICSI treatment including twin probability following DET and the risk of preterm delivery and neonatal complications associated with twins. In order to evaluate patients and partners attitudes towards twins and SET, an anonymous survey was conducted, and 588 couples were invited to participate. RESULTS: Four hundred and fourteen women (70.4%) and 404 men (68.7%) answered the questionnaire adequately for analysis. About 58.7% preferred having twins to having one child at a time (37.9%). Primary reasons for preferring twins were desire for siblings (23.3%), a positive attitude towards twins (22.5%), and a wish to minimize physical and psychological stress through having as few IVF treatments as possible (19.3%). Economic considerations were not important. CONCLUSIONS: Obligatory single embryo policy would be in conflict with patient interests and wishes. More carefully prepared information seems to be needed. The challenge consists in balancing clinical considerations with unbiased information on twin pregnancy, respecting patient autonomy and enabling informed decision making. PMID- 17766920 TI - Heat shock transcription factor 1 opens chromatin structure of interleukin-6 promoter to facilitate binding of an activator or a repressor. AB - Heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) not only regulates expression of heat shock genes in response to elevated temperature, but is also involved in developmental processes by regulating genes such as cytokine genes. However, we did not know how HSF1 regulates non-heat shock genes. Here, we show that constitutive HSF1 binding to the interleukin (IL)-6 promoter is necessary for its maximal induction by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in mouse embryo fibroblasts and peritoneal macrophages. Lack of HSF1 inhibited LPS-induced in vivo binding of an activator NF-kappaB and a repressor ATF3 to IL-6 promoter. Neither NF-kappaB nor ATF3 binds to the IL-6 promoter in unstimulated HSF1-null cells even if they were overexpressed. Treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitor or a DNA methylation inhibitor restored LPS-induced IL-6 expression in HSF1-null cells, and histone modification enzymes were recruited on the IL-6 promoter in the presence of HSF1. Consistently, chromatin structure of the IL-6 promoter in the presence of HSF1 was more open than that in its absence. These results indicate that HSF1 partially opens the chromatin structure of the IL-6 promoter for an activator or a repressor to bind to it, and provides a novel mechanism of gene regulation by HSF1. PMID- 17766922 TI - Phagocytosis of human post-capacitated spermatozoa by macrophages. AB - BACKGROUND: Earlier studies demonstrated that macrophages phagocytize spermatozoa in the female genital tract of mammals. In spite of this phagocytosis, fecundity is not affected, raising questions of how the resulting decrease in the number of spermatozoa does not reduce the fertilization rate and of the role of this phagocytosis. We hypothesized that its role is to rid the female genital tract of spermatozoa past their fertilizing stage (post-capacitated spermatozoa). Here we examined whether, indeed, phagocytosis is restricted to post-capacitated spermatozoa. METHODS: Spermatozoa were incubated for 22 h either in a medium that allows them to become capacitated and then post-capacitated, or in a medium that prevents them from acquiring these states. These sperm populations were compared for their susceptibilities to macrophage phagocytosis. RESULTS: Phagocytosis was significantly higher (P << 0.001) in the sperm population containing post capacitated spermatozoa. Vitality, motility, the acrosomal status and the proportion of capacitated cells did not affect phagocytosis. CONCLUSION: Post capacitated spermatozoa are, probably, preferentially phagocytized by macrophages. PMID- 17766924 TI - The choice of gender: is elective gender selection, indeed, sexist? AB - BACKGROUND: Like a number of international organizations before them, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently issued an ethics opinion, which condemned all indications of elective gender selection as devaluatory to women and sexist and, therefore, given the choice, assumed automatic preference for male gender selection in all populations. This study intended to investigate this notion for accuracy. METHODS: We investigated the desired gender in 92 couples who had undergone between January 2004 and December 2006 first in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles in attempts at gender selection for family balancing purposes. Their choices were then also investigated stratified for the ethnicity of the couple. RESULTS: Among 92 cycles, 36 cycles were selected for female and 56 for male (P = 0.037). An analysis based on the couples' ethnicities revealed, however, considerable differences in gender selection patterns. Especially Chinese (21 out of 22), Arab/Muslim (5 out of 6) and Asian-Indian (5 out of 5) couples primarily selected for males. Other ethnicities, however, actually preferentially selected for female gender (34 female, 25 male selections in 59 cycles). Gender choices thus varied in a statistically significant way between ethnicities (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In an ethnically mixed patient population, elective gender selection for family balancing purposes in most ethnic groups does not represent a discriminatory procedure against female equality. However, cultural biases against females are, indeed, still maintained in some minority populations. Ethics opinions should be considerate of minority opinions, but should be based on prevalent sentiments in a majority of the population. PMID- 17766923 TI - Efficacy of metformin in obese and non-obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled cross-over trial. AB - BACKGROUND: Our aim was to assess the effects of metformin on menstrual frequency, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), insulin resistance assessed as HOMA index, weight, waist/hip ratio, blood pressure (BP), serum lipids, and testosterone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) METHODS: In a randomized, controlled, double-blinded setup, 56 women aged 18-45 with PCOS were treated with either metformin 850 mg or placebo twice daily for 6 months. After a wash-out period of 3 months participants received the alternate treatment for 6 months. The changes in the measured parameters were analysed by intention-to treat and per protocol. RESULTS: There were no changes in menstrual frequency. In the intention-to-treat analysis, weight and systolic BP were reduced on metformin treatment (p=0.009 and 0.047, respectively), while high-density lipoprotein (HDL) increased (p=0.001). On placebo, weight and FPG increased (p<0.05). Post-hoc subgrouping according to BMI revealed reductions in testosterone (p=0.013), FPG (p=0.018), insulin (p=0.045) and HOMA-index (p=0.022) in obese women. Per protocol analysis showed the following differences between the changes on placebo and metformin (mean (5 - 95 % percentiles): weight (-4.2 (-7.0, -1.9) kg, p<0.001), FPG (-0.23 (-0.44, -0.01) mmol/l, p=0.041), insulin (-4.17 (-8.10, 0.23) mIU/l, p=0.039) and HOMA index (-1.50 (-2.53, -0.47) mIU/l*mmol/l, p=0.006). Weight, FPG and HOMA index were lower after metformin than after placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Metformin treatment lowered weight and systolic blood pressure and increased HDL in women with PCOS. In post-hoc analysis it increased insulin sensitivity and lowered testosterone in obese women. Non-obese women did not benefit from metformin. PMID- 17766926 TI - Weight gain from common drugs. PMID- 17766927 TI - ApoB/apoA-I ratio: an independent predictor of insulin resistance in US non diabetic subjects. AB - BACKGROUND: Recently, the apoB/apoAI ratio has been associated with the metabolic syndrome; however, is unclear if its association with insulin resistance is mediated through traditional risk factors or if it adds an independent risk by itself. The aim of this study was to assess the independent association between apoB/apoAI ratio and insulin resistance in the US non-diabetic population. METHODS: We examined the association between high apoB/apoAI ratio and insulin resistance among 2955 adults (mean age 47 years; 1457 women) without diabetes (fasting glucose < or =7 mmol/L and not taking diabetes medication), who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Insulin resistance was estimated using the computer homeostatic model assessment (HOMA2) and defined as the upper quartile. The updated ATP-III definition of the metabolic syndrome was used. First, logistic regression was applied to estimate the cross-sectional association between apoB/apoAI (highest quartile vs. lowest quartile) and insulin resistance adjusting for metabolic syndrome components excluding glucose. Finally, multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationships between apoB/apoAI and insulin sensitivity. RESULTS: Overall, median of apoB/apoAI ratio was significantly higher in subject with insulin resistance than without (0.85, IQR 0.69-0.99 vs. 0.69, IQR 0.56-0.85; P < 0.0001). High apoB/apoAI ratio was independently associated with insulin resistance after adjustment for age and race, and remained significant after further adjustment for metabolic syndrome components, traditional and inflammatory risk factors (in men: OR, 4.12-95% CI, 1.97-8.81; in women: OR, 3.69 95% CI, 1.94-7.27). When apoB/apoAI was considered as a quantitative trait rather than dichotomized, use of the ratio improved the prediction of HOMA2 independently of metabolic syndrome components, traditional and inflammatory risk factors (in men: additional R(2) = 0.09, P < 0.001; in women: additional R(2) = 0.05, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In the US population, apoB/apoAI ratio is significantly associated with insulin resistance in non-diabetic subjects, independently of the traditional risk factors, metabolic syndrome components, and inflammatory risk factors. Important clinical risk information provided by apoB/apoAI ratio should be recognized and implemented in future clinical guidelines. PMID- 17766928 TI - Diabetes-specific cardiomyopathy in type 1 diabetes mellitus: no evidence for its occurrence in the era of intensive insulin therapy. AB - Aims The incidence of diabetic cardiomyopathy, independent of arterial hypertension (AH) and coronary heart disease (CHD), remains controversial. The present study aimed to determine the influence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) of long duration (>10 years) on myocardial function estimated by echocardiography (ECHO) and serum level of N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients without CHD and AH. We also retrospectively investigated the relationship between the structural changes in the hearts of other deceased T1DM patients, and had their myocardial function echocardiographically assessed before death. Methods and results In 185 patients (96 males) with T1DM (mean duration 22.8 years) and 105 non-diabetic control subjects (57 males), detailed ECHO parameters and NT-proBNP were assessed. No significant differences were found between the respective groups. Histological studies of 17 hearts of deceased T1DM patients were carried out and retrospectively compared with their ECHO performed before death. Histological changes were identified, although without the signs of myocardial dysfunction on ECHO prior to death. Conclusion Even the application of echocardiographic, biochemical and morphologic techniques hardly gives sufficient grounds to believe that type 1 diabetes alone may actually precipitate myocardial dysfunction, despite long-term course of the disease and typical histological changes in the myocardium. PMID- 17766931 TI - Abstracts of the XLIV Congress of the European Renal Association European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA). June 21-24, 2007. Barcelona, Spain. PMID- 17766929 TI - An aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase:elongation factor complex for substrate channeling in archaeal translation. AB - Translation requires the specific attachment of amino acids to tRNAs by aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) and the subsequent delivery of aminoacyl-tRNAs to the ribosome by elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1alpha). Interactions between EF-1alpha and various aaRSs have been described in eukaryotes, but the role of these complexes remains unclear. To investigate possible interactions between EF-1alpha and other cellular components, a yeast two-hybrid screen was performed for the archaeon Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus. EF-1alpha was found to form a stable complex with leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LeuRS; K(D) = 0.7 microM). Complex formation had little effect on EF-1alpha activity, but increased the k(cat) for Leu-tRNA(Leu) synthesis approximately 8-fold. In addition, EF-1alpha co-purified with the archaeal multi-synthetase complex (MSC) comprised of LeuRS, LysRS and ProRS, suggesting the existence of a larger aaRS:EF-1alpha complex in archaea. These interactions between EF-1alpha and the archaeal MSC contribute to translational fidelity both by enhancing the aminoacylation efficiencies of the three aaRSs in the complex and by coupling two stages of translation: aminoacylation of cognate tRNAs and their subsequent channeling to the ribosome. PMID- 17766995 TI - Increased work-load associated with faecal incontinence among home care patients in 11 European countries. AB - The plurality of definition of faecal incontinence (FI) complicates the cross national comparisons between studies conducted in the area. The aim of the study was to investigate work-load and subjective care-giver burden associated with FI, among home-care patients, in Europe. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional retrospective study, a random sample of 4010 RAI-HC assessments were collected during 2001-02 from home care patients aged 65 years and over (74% females; age 82.8 +/- 7.2 years) in Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and United Kingdom. RESULTS: Of the 4010 individuals, 411 (10.3%) suffered from FI (range 1.1-30.8% from site to site). The factors significantly associated with faecal incontinence were diarrhoea [odds ratio (OR) 10.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.590-15.96], urinary incontinence (OR 3.99, 95% CI 2.991-5.309) and pressure ulcers (OR 3.15, 95% CI 2.196-4.512) together with severe impairments in physical (OR 4.25, 95% CI 2.872-6.295) and cognitive (OR 3.76, 95% CI 2.663-5.304) functions. High use of working hours of the visiting nurses (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.221-3.414) and home health carers (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.289-4.470) were additionally associated with faecal incontinence. Use of five or more medications was an inversely associated with FI (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.473-0.820). CONCLUSIONS: The additional work load associated with faecal incontinence comprises considerable numbers of formal health care hours and should be taken into account when planning home health services for the older in home care patients. PMID- 17766996 TI - Relative and combined performance of mammography and ultrasonography for breast cancer screening in the general population: a pilot study in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. AB - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer screening by mammography is thought to be effective in reducing breast cancer mortality while ultrasonography is not accepted as a population screening modality, although the latter has been suggested to be useful in detection of cancer in the dense breast, relatively more typical for a younger woman. METHODS: Mammography with medio-lateral oblique view was offered on trial in 1999-2000 for 3453 female residents in Tochigi prefecture who also underwent clinical breast examination and ultrasonography. The municipalities that provided cancer screening were informed of the final diagnosis for women with positive findings in the screening trial by doctors who performed the diagnostic evaluation. Linkage was also made between the list of participants in the trial and registrations at Tochigi Cancer Registry for breast cancer cases diagnosed during 1999-2001. RESULTS: Thirteen cases with breast cancer were identified during a 2-year follow-up period: 10 were diagnosed subsequent to positive finding in the trial; two were negative in the trial and diagnosed 23 and 24 months after, respectively; and one had a positive finding at the trial but was undiagnosed at first and then diagnosed 18 months after the trial. Among the 11 cases judged as positive in the trial, four were judged only by mammography while three were judged only by ultrasonography. Those mammography alone-detected cases were relatively young, at 36, 40, 47 and 54 years of age, respectively, while the ultrasonography alone-detected cases were aged 50, 55 and 68, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Combined screening with mammography and ultrasonography may be feasible. A larger study is required to evaluate relative performance of mammography and ultrasonography in detail by characteristics of examinees and their breasts. PMID- 17766997 TI - Skin cancer in psoriatic arthritis treated with anti-TNF therapy. PMID- 17766998 TI - Time to abandon the rheumatoid factor? Is it not time to rename it? PMID- 17766999 TI - Comment on: a case of Raynaud's phenomenon in mixed connective tissue disease responding to Rituximab therapy response. PMID- 17767000 TI - Somaesthetic disturbances in fibromyalgia are exaggerated by sensory motor conflict: implications for chronicity of the disease? AB - OBJECTIVES: Conflict between sensory-motor central nervous processing generates somaesthetic disturbances, including pain, in healthy volunteers (HVs). Such conflict has been proposed as a potential cause of pain that occurs in the absence of injury or when the pain response is disproportionate to the injury. Fibromyalgia (FMS) exemplifies the former state. We hypothesized that the artificial generation of such conflict would exacerbate somaesthetic perceptions including pain in FMS greater than in HVs. METHODS: Twenty-nine adults with FMS took part in an established task that generates varied degrees of sensory-motor conflict during congruent/incongruent limb movements. A qualitative methodology recorded any changes in sensory experience. Data generated were compared with age and gender-matched HV data. RESULTS: Twenty-six subjects (89.7%) with FMS reported changes in sensory perception at some stage in the protocol in addition to, or worse than, baseline compared with 14 (48%) of HVs. All stages of the protocol generated a higher frequency of report in the FMS population than that of the maximum report in the HVs population. New perceptions included disorientation, pain, perceived changes in temperature, limb weight or body image. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the hypothesis that motor-sensory conflict can exacerbate pain and sensory perceptions in those with FMS to a greater extent than in HVs. PMID- 17767002 TI - Patient education in rheumatoid arthritis: the effectiveness of the ARC booklet and the mind map. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of a pictorial 'mind map' together with the Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC) booklet for imparting knowledge to participants with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Also, we wished to relate this to their reading ability. METHODS: We studied 363 participants with RA. Reading ability was assessed using the REALM, and knowledge was assessed using the Knowledge Scale Questionnaire (KSQ). Information on educational attainment, disease state and levels of anxiety and depression was also collected. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the ARC booklet alone or the booklet and the mind map together. RESULTS: A significant minority (15%) of participants were functionally illiterate. There was a statistically significant increase in knowledge across both groups from baseline to reassessment after they were given the literature, but there was no difference in attainment between the groups. The more literate participants gained more knowledge regardless of the information they were given. They were also significantly less anxious and less depressed. CONCLUSIONS: The ARC booklet with or without the mind map was associated with a significant increase in knowledge. Poor readers had poor educational attainment and poor knowledge acquisition. The information on the mind map was not more accessible to them. Different educational strategies will be necessary to educate these patients. PMID- 17767003 TI - The role of metformin in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review. AB - This meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of metformin in subfertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Only randomized trials investigating the effectiveness of metformin and PCOS definition consistent with the Rotterdam consensus criteria, were eligible. Primary outcome was live birth rate. A literature search identified 27 trials. In therapy naive women, we found no evidence of a difference in live birth rate when comparing metformin with clomifene citrate (CC) [relative risks (RR) 0.73; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51-1.1] or comparing metformin plus CC with CC (RR 1.0; 95% CI 0.82-1.3). In CC resistant women, metformin plus CC led to higher live birth rates than CC alone (RR 6.4; 95% CI 1.2-35); metformin also led to higher live birth rates than laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) (RR 1.6; 95% CI 1.1-2.5). We found no evidence for a positive effect of metformin on live birth when added to LOD (RR 1.3; 95% CI 0.39-4.0) or FSH (RR 1.6; 95% CI 0.95-2.9), or when co-administered in IVF (RR 1.5; 95% CI 0.92-2.5). In IVF, metformin led to fewer cases of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) (RR 0.33; 95% CI 0.13-0.80). This meta-analysis demonstrates that CC is still first choice therapy for women with therapy naive PCOS. In CC-resistant women, the combination of CC plus metformin is the preferred treatment option before starting with LOD or FSH. At present, there is no evidence of an improvement in live birth when adding metformin to LOD or FSH. In IVF, metformin leads to a reduced risk of OHSS. PMID- 17767005 TI - Role of family medical history information in pediatric primary care and public health: introduction. AB - In February 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsored a workgroup meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, on the use of family medical history information in pediatric primary care and public health. The meeting focused on pediatric topics as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Family History Public Health Initiative. One outcome of the meeting was a series of published articles that summarized the proceedings and explored 4 topics that emerged as leading issues from the meeting: (1) optimizing use of family history in primary care; (2) linking obstetric and pediatric clinicians through preconception health care; (3) assessing potential campaigns to prevent chronic disease, starting with family history assessment in childhood; and (4) using birth defect family histories for prevention efforts. In this introduction we highlight each article and preview existing efforts in preconception health care and birth defects prevention that use family history. PMID- 17767006 TI - Family history in pediatric primary care. AB - The family history is a critical element in pediatric medicine and represents the gateway to the molecular age of medicine for both pediatric clinicians and their patients. The pediatric clinician has several opportunities to obtain a family history and multiple clinical and educational uses for that information. Available methods include paper and digital forms, classical pedigrees, online programs, and focused family history at the time of a new diagnosis or problem. Numerous barriers impede the application of family history information to primary pediatric practice. The most common barrier is the limited amount of time the typical primary care encounter allows for its collection. The family history can be used in many facets of pediatric practice: (1) as a diagnostic tool and guide to testing and evaluation; (2) to identify patterns of inheritance; and (3) as a patient-education tool. The most exciting future use of family history is as a tool for public health and preventive medicine. More accurately identifying children at risk for common chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular disease could change the primary care clinician's approach to pediatric medicine. PMID- 17767004 TI - Four independent mutations in the feline fibroblast growth factor 5 gene determine the long-haired phenotype in domestic cats. AB - To determine the genetic regulation of "hair length" in the domestic cat, a whole genome scan was performed in a multigenerational pedigree in which the "long haired" phenotype was segregating. The 2 markers that demonstrated the greatest linkage to the long-haired trait (log of the odds > or = 6) flanked an estimated 10-Mb region on cat chromosome B1 containing the Fibroblast Growth Factor 5 (FGF5) gene, a candidate gene implicated in regulating hair follicle growth cycle in other species. Sequence analyses of FGF5 in 26 cat breeds and 2 pedigrees of nonbreed cats revealed 4 separate mutations predicted to disrupt the biological activity of the FGF5 protein. Pedigree analyses demonstrated that different combinations of paired mutant FGF5 alleles segregated with the long-haired phenotype in an autosomal recessive manner. Association analyses of more than 380 genotyped breed and nonbreed cats were consistent with mutations in the FGF5 gene causing the long-haired phenotype in an autosomal recessive manner. In combination, these genomic approaches demonstrated that FGF5 is the major genetic determinant of hair length in the domestic cat. PMID- 17767007 TI - Linking family history in obstetric and pediatric care: assessing risk for genetic disease and birth defects. AB - Family history captures the collective influence of shared genetic susceptibility, shared environmental factors, and common behaviors within families. Throughout the reproductive continuum, pediatricians, obstetricians, family practitioners, genetic counselors, and other clinicians can work with families to elicit relevant family history information and factor it into risk assessment calculations and, when appropriate, decision-making. Current screening tools have focused on understanding the risk for single-gene disorders, chromosomal conditions, and teratogen exposures during the preconception, prenatal, and interconception periods. More research and data are needed to understand how family history influences risk for a wide variety of complex birth outcomes such as preterm birth, stillbirth, and many birth defects. With a better understanding of the impact of family history on many adverse birth outcomes, tools for the collection of a broader set of pertinent family history information must be developed. PMID- 17767008 TI - Utility of family history reports of major birth defects as a public health strategy. AB - A major birth defect is an abnormality that can affect the structure or function of an organ. In the United States, major birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality and contribute substantially to childhood disability and morbidity. Globally, these conditions lead to the death of millions of infants and children annually. Patients with 1 or more affected family members may be at increased risk for having a child with a major birth defect; thus, accurate knowledge of these conditions among family members of their patients gives the clinician the ability to provide improved risk assessment and reproductive planning. Such knowledge can also serve as motivation for patients to adhere to healthy behaviors such as folic acid use or smoking cessation. To evaluate the utility of collecting family history reports of major birth defects as a public health strategy, 6 key criteria were examined by reviewing the relevant published literature. Overall, the review showed that major birth defects satisfied several of the criteria. Additional research is needed, however, regarding the awareness of parent reports of the occurrence of these conditions among relatives and how knowledge of birth defect diagnoses and related risk factors are transmitted among relatives. Such research needs to encompass not only immediate family members but also other first-degree and second-degree relatives. In summary, routine collection of family history reports of birth defects in pediatric practice holds promise as a public health strategy to reduce the burden of morbidity, mortality, and disability associated with major birth defects. PMID- 17767009 TI - Is family history a useful tool for detecting children at risk for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases? A public health perspective. AB - Several studies indicate that the risk for type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease is detectable in childhood, although these disorders may not emerge until adulthood. In addition, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease seem to share risk factors, including obesity and dyslipidemia, and might even share etiology, which has important implications for screening and prevention strategies for both diseases. Primary prevention, in particular, has gained importance because the results of major randomized, controlled trials strongly suggest that, at least in high-risk adult groups, type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed. Furthermore, some intervention studies indicate that the risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be reduced in children. A simple way to detect risk for either diabetes or cardiovascular disease is to examine the family history. Numerous studies have shown that adults who have 1 or more first- or second degree relatives affected with diabetes or cardiovascular disease are at high risk of having or developing these diseases. Currently, there are no overall screening strategies recommended for either diabetes or cardiovascular disease among children and adolescents. The evidence is strong, however, that youth with a positive family history already show signs of increased risk for these conditions. Family history can be part of the approach to screening for children at risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and should be part of prevention campaigns aimed at reducing the burden of these diseases and their risk factors in children. PMID- 17767010 TI - Summary of workgroup meeting on use of family history information in pediatric primary care and public health. AB - A workgroup meeting on the use of family history information in pediatric primary care and public health sponsored by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was held February 24 to 25, 2006. The workgroup participants met to discuss how to improve the use of family history information in pediatric settings. Topics addressed at the meeting included current practices, needs, and barriers for use of family history information in pediatric primary care and public health. Other considerations included how available family history tools might be applicable to pediatric settings and which areas require additional research. Specific model conditions were presented that illustrated issues involved in the use of family history information in pediatric settings, including cystic fibrosis, fragile X syndrome, polycystic kidney disease, hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease, and birth defects. Ethical, economic, and technologic concerns involved in integration of family history information into pediatric settings were discussed also. PMID- 17767012 TI - Dendritic cells and their role in cancer immunotherapy. AB - Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen presenting cells with unique capability to take up and process antigens in the peripheral blood and tissues. They subsequently migrate to draining lymph nodes where they present these antigens and stimulate naive T lymphocytes. During their life cycle, DCs go through two maturation stages and are referred to as immature and mature cells, respectively. While immature DCs are very good at capturing antigens, mature DCs are suitably equipped to present antigens to T cells and to initiate an immune response. DCs with different phenotypes serve as sentinels in nearly all tissues including the peripheral blood, where they are continuously exposed to antigens. Very small numbers of activated DCs are extremely efficient at generating immune response against viruses, other pathogens and in experimental models of tumors. Protection against infectious microorganisms and probably against tumors is provided by complex interactions of the innate and adaptive immune systems. For the initiation to occur, pathogens must first be recognized as a "danger". DC possesses specific receptors to detect such danger signals. The unique immune stimulating properties of DC and the feasibility of manipulating their function arouse much enthusiasm and hold great promise for the treatment of cancer. Early clinical trials showed that DC can induce immune responses in cancer patients. Nonetheless, cancer treatments based on DC administration require further studies that will optimize this promising treatment modality. PMID- 17767011 TI - Involvement of prostaglandin E2 in production of amyloid-beta peptides both in vitro and in vivo. AB - Amyloid-beta peptides (Abeta), generated by proteolysis of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta- and gamma-secretases, play an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD). Inflammation is also believed to be integral to the pathogenesis of AD. Here we show that prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), a strong inducer of inflammation, stimulates the production of Abeta in cultured human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 or human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells, both of which express a mutant type of APP. We have demonstrated using subtype specific agonists that, of the four main subtypes of PGE(2) receptors (EP(1-4)), EP(4) receptors alone or EP(2) and EP(4) receptors together are responsible for this PGE(2)-stimulated production of Abeta in HEK293 or SH-SY5Y cells, respectively. An EP(4) receptor antagonist suppressed the PGE(2)-stimulated production of Abeta in HEK293 cells. This stimulation was accompanied by an increase in cellular cAMP levels, and an analogue of cAMP stimulated the production of Abeta, demonstrating that increases in the cellular level of cAMP are responsible for the PGE(2)-stimulated production of Abeta. Immunoblotting experiments and direct measurement of gamma-secretase activity suggested that PGE(2)-stimulated production of Abeta is mediated by activation ofgamma-secretase but not of beta-secretase. Transgenic mice expressing the mutant type of APP showed lower levels of Abeta in the brain, when they were crossed with mice lacking either EP(2) or EP(4) receptors, suggesting that PGE(2)-mediated activation of EP(2) and EP(4) receptors is involved in the production of Abeta in vivo and in the pathogenesis of AD. PMID- 17767013 TI - Expression profile of Wnt molecules in leukemic cells from Iranian patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. AB - BACKGROUND: Wnt molecules play a key role in growth, proliferation and development of some embryonic and adult organs as well as hematopoietic stem cells. Wnt signaling pathways are aberrantly activated in many tumor types, including solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression profile of a large number of Wnt genes in leukemic cells from Iranian patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. METHODS: RT-PCR method was used to determine the Wnt genes expression in bone marrow (BM) and/or peripheral blood (PB) samples from 16 patients with AML and PB samples of 36 normal subjects. RESULTS: Among 14 Wnt molecules included in this study, Wnt-7A and Wnt 10A were significantly down-regulated (p = 0.002 and p < 0.0001, respectively) and Wnt-3 was significantly over-expressed (p < 0.02) in AML patients compared to normal subjects. No significant association was found between Wnt expression and FAB classification of the patients. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated for the first time aberrant expression of Wnt-7A, Wnt-10A and Wnt-3 genes in Iranian AML patients. This may be of relevance to the tumorigenesis process in this malignancy. PMID- 17767014 TI - Association of myeloperoxidase -463 G/A polymorphism with clinical outcome of Helicobacter pylori infection in Iranian patients with gastrointestinal diseases. AB - BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in the immune related genes are important in the clinical outcome of Helicobacter pylori infection. Myeloperoxidase -463 G/A polymorphism has been shown to reduce enzyme expression and activity. OBJECTIVE: the aim of the present study is to investigate the association of myeloperoxidase G-463A polymorphism with clinical outcome of Helicobacter pylori infection. METHODS: two hundred and eighty five patients with positive culture of Helicobacter pylori from their gastric biopsies are included in this study. Human leukocyte DNA was extracted using salting out method and myeloperoxidase G-463A polymorphism was investigated by PCR-RFLP. All clinicopathological data were collected from individual records. RESULTS: When the patients were categorized according to the high (GG) and low + intermediate (AG+AA) genotypes of myeloperoxidase producers, there was a significant association between myeloperoxidase G-463A genotypes and clinical outcome of Helicobacter pylori infection (p=0.006). In search for combined effect of cagA status and myeloperoxidase genotypes on clinical presentations, only in cagA- Helicobacter pylori infected patients a significant association between myeloperoxidase genotypes and clinical outcome was found (p=0.0001). Also this association was found only in patients infected with vacA s1m1 genotype (p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the myeloperoxidase G-463A polymorphism is a host genetic factor which determines the clinical outcome of Helicobacter pylori infection. Moreover, the combination of host and bacterial genetics could provide a better understanding of clinical outcome after infection with Helicobacter pylori. PMID- 17767015 TI - Anticardiolipin and antibeta2glycoproteinI antibodies in patients with hepatitis B and C infections. AB - BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and some other viral infections is controversial. OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of anticardiolipin antibody (ACLA) and antibeta2glycoproteinI antibody (antibeta2GPI antibody) in HCV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patients and its association with liver clinical parameters. METHODS: Serum levels of ACLA, antibeta2GPI antibody as well as platelet count, ALT (alanine transaminase), PT (prothrombine time), disease duration and liver histologic findings of 38 patients with HBV and 15 patients with HCV infections were compared with those of 58 healthy controls. RESULTS: Serum titres of ACLA in HCV and HBV patients (13.4 +/-7.1 GPL units/ml), and in each of the HCV (15.18+/-9.91 GPL units/ml) and HBV (12.7 +/- 5.7 GPL units/ml) patients were significantly higher than that of the control group (3.4+/-2.3GPL units/ml). However, there was no significant difference in serum levels of antibeta2GPI antibody from patients with HCV and HBV (3.3 +/- 1.3 GPL units/ml) or HCV alone (2.79 +/- 1.01 GPL units/ml) or HBV alone (3.4+/-1.3GPL units/ml) and that of the control group (3.3+/-1.1GPL units/ml). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the presence of ACLA has no pathologic significance in patients with HBV and HCV infections. PMID- 17767016 TI - Evaluation of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, utilizing native antigen B for serodiagnosis of human hydatidosis. AB - BACKGROUND: Hydatidosis is one of the cosmopolitan parasitic zoonoses caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. Diagnosis of hydatidosis is still an unresolved problem. Serological tests using crude antigens for diagnosis of E. granulosus are sensitive, however their specificity are not satisfactory. Therefore, WHO recommended specific serological methods using specific antigens, specially native AgB for proper diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to evaluate the ELISA and counter current immunoelectrophresis (CCIEP) method using native antigen B (Ag B) for serodiagnosis of human hydatidosis in Fars Province, Iran, an endemic area for this parasitic disease. METHODS: Native AgB was purified from sheep hydatid fluid. Serum samples obtained from 40 pathologically confirmed cases of hydatidosis along with samples from patients with fascioliasis, toxocariasis, taeniasis and cancer patients and sera from healthy individuals were tested by ELISA using native antigen B or tested by countercurrent immunoelectrophresis (CCIEP) using crude sheep hydatid cyst fluid. RESULTS: Sensitivity of the ELISA system was determined to be 92.5% and the specificity was found to be 97.3%. Positive and negative predictive values of the system were 92.5% and 97.3%, respectively. For countercurrent immunoelectrophresis the sensitivity of the assay was 97.5% and its specificity was 58.18%. This ELISA system is much more specific in detecting anti hydatid cyst antibody than CCIEP, while CCIEP is more sensitive in detecting anti hydatid cyst antibody. CONCLUSION: The new ELISA system using native antigen B is a suitable method and preferable to CCIEP for immunodiagnosis of human hydatidosis. PMID- 17767017 TI - Effectiveness of leukocyte immunotherapy in primary recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). AB - BACKGROUND: Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is defined as three or more sequential abortions before the twentieth week of gestation. There are evidences to support an allo-immunologic mechanism for RSA. One of the methods for treatment of RSA is leukocyte therapy; however there is still controversy about effectiveness of this method. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of leukocyte therapy for treatment of RSA. METHODS: Ninety two non-pregnant women with at least three sequential abortions (60 primary & 32 secondary aborters) recognized as RSA were referred to our Laboratory for immunotherapy. All the cases were immunized by isolated lymphocytes from their husbands. Fifty to 100 million washed and resuspended mononuclear cells were injected by I.V., S.C., and I.D. route. The result of each injection was checked by WBC cross matching between couples after four weeks of injections. Immunization was repeated in fifth week to a maximum of 3 times if needed. Eighty one age-matched non-pregnant RSA women (52 primary and 29 secondary aborters) with at least three sequential abortions were also included in this study as controls. The control group was not immunized. RESULTS: 67 out of 92 (72.8%) immunized cases and 44 out of 81 controls (54.3%) showed a successful outcome of pregnancy (p<0.02). Comparison of primary and secondary aborters indicated a significantly better outcome only in primary (75% vs. 42.3%. p<0.001) but not in secondary aborters (68.8% vs. 75.9%, p = 0.7). CONCLUSION: The present investigation showed the effectiveness of leukocyte therapy in primary but not in secondary RSA patients. Despite the current controversy and limitation of leukocyte therapy in RSA, the results of our investigation provide evidence supporting the use of allo-immunization in improving the outcome of pregnancy in primary RSA patients. PMID- 17767018 TI - Serum cytokines profiles in Iranian patients with preeclampsia. AB - BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a major cause of mortality and morbidity and is also a leading cause of preterm birth and intrauterine growth retardation. Several studies have reported abnormal levels of cytokines in women with preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: To detect serum levels of various cytokines in pregnant women with and without preeclampsia in the third trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: Thirty patients with preeclampsia and thirty normal pregnant women were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were taken and serum levels of IFN gamma, IL-12p70, IL-18, IL-15, IL-4 and IL-10 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Preeclamptic women had significantly increased levels of circulating IL 12p70 (p < 0.05), IL-18 (p < 0.001), IL-4 (p < 0.001), IL-15 (p < 0.05) and IFN gamma (p < 0.001). By contrast, circulating levels of IL-10 were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The present study supports the hypothesis of altered immune response in preeclampsia and suggests that dysregulation of cytokine expression occurs in preeclampsia with increased levels of IFN gamma, IL-12p70, IL-15, IL-18 and IL-4. PMID- 17767019 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Menopause in women and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Indications for HRT in postmenopausal women]. AB - It has been generally accepted that it is quite sensible to administer hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women to compensate for the estrogen deficiency that occurs as they approach menopause and that, given its broad-ranging efficacy, it has a huge benefit to offer to these women. However, it has been demonstrated in 2002 in the NIH-initiated Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial that HRT may be associated with risk depending on whom it is used for. Thus, HRT has had a high profile in recent years. While the findings from the WHI trial are compelling in their own right, on closer examination, it has become clear that they do not necessarily translate into local practice here in Japan. Again, a further examination of HRT as a treatment modality reveals that the benefit and risk profile of HRT varies greatly depending on the timing for its initiation,the kind of estrogen or progesterone used and their route of administration and dosing. Therefore, in deciding to go for HRT, it needs to be weighed carefully for its benefit and risk in individual patients, and informed consent obtained for its administration, in view of the risk associated with its use versus its enormous benefit. PMID- 17767020 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. LOH and testosterone replacement therapy: clinical application]. AB - Promoting health and preventing disease requires a thorough understanding of the complexity of social and behavioral factors that affect the health of individuals and condition of communities. The concept of age-related androgen deficiency in men, also termed late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) has opened up public awareness of the significance of men's health. Low testosterone levels affect physical, mental and sexual activities, manifesting a loss of muscle mass and bone strength, increased body fat, decreased energy, less interest in sex, erectile dysfunction, irritability and depression. Although testosterone replacement therapy is needed for LOH, holistic approach including changing herbal medicine, lifestyle, proper diet, regular exercise, good relationship with the partner should be considered. PMID- 17767021 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Adrenopause and DHEA replacement therapy]. AB - It is well known that serum levels of DHEA and its sulfate form DHEA-S decline along with aging. This phenomenon is called adrenopause in contrast to menopause. Experimental studies show that DHEA has many beneficial effects such as anti diabetic, anti-atherosclerosis, and anti-osteoporosis effects. Therefore, DHEA replacement has been performed as anti-aging therapy. Several clinical trials of DHEA replacement demonstrated the improvement of sense of well-being, lipid metabolism, and bone metabolism. We recently reported on the result of short-term administration of DHEA in healthy Japanese volunteer men. It is thought that further accumulation of original data is necessary to promote DHEA replacement therapy in Japan. PMID- 17767022 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Effect of estrogen therapy (EP) and estrogen progestogen therapy (EPT) on the bone metabolism]. AB - Estrogen depletion after menopause become involved with postmenopausal bone loss, therefore ET (estrogen therapy) and EPT (estrogen-progestogen therapy) have been considered as first-line therapy for postmenopausal osteopenia and osteoporosis. However, after WHI (Women's Health Initiative) reports, use of estrogen for treatment of osteopenia and osteoporosis is limited. Because estrogen plays indispensable roles in maintaining female physiological functions including bone metabolism, use of estrogens would elicit much benefits when administered properly. PMID- 17767023 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Hormone replacement therapy and brain function]. AB - Estrogen has its receptor in the brain and affects the nervous system in various ways. To date, it has been paid attention whether the cognitive function and the risk of depression change due to estrogen deficiency and also whether these changes respond to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The increase in female life expectancy accelerates the prevalence of dementia like Alzheimer Disease, so the efficacy of HRT in the cognitive function got the public attention. On the contrary, a series of large-scale randomized controlled trials (Women's Health Initiative Memory Study: WHIMS) in aged 65 years or older women showed HRT increases the risk of dementia. However, certain studies indicate HRT may have beneficial effect on dementia when being started earlier. Therefore direct application of the result of WHIMS for the climacteric women is still controversial. PMID- 17767024 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. The effect of estrogen on vascular function and atherosclerosis]. AB - Not only life span but also life expectancy in all ages are longer in female than male. The incidence of ischemic coronary diseases are drastically increased after menopause and reached almost same severity with that of male after 75 years old. An abundance of epidemiological data confirms this atheroprotective effect of estradiol. The antiatherosclerotic effects of estradiol were thought to be partly attributable to changes in plasma lipid levels (ie, the increase in HDL cholesterol and decrease in LDL cholesterol). However, the contribution of these changes to the total antiatherosclerotic effect of estrogen is only 50%, based on multiple regression analyses. Recently, estrogen receptors have been found in the vascular endothelium and smooth muscle cells, as well as in blood cells such as monocytes. Interest has focused on the role of nitric oxide (NO), because NO has antiatherosclerotic effects. Direct evidence was shown that NO mediates the antiatherosclerotic effect of estrogen. We have found that estrogen acts via an NO-mediated system in vivo and in vitro. However, adverse effects such as thrombosis were reported in estrogen/progesterone replacement therapy in mega clinical trials such as WHI study. We would like to explain and discuss these biphasic effects of estrogen on atherosclerotic diseases including their risk factors such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. PMID- 17767025 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Effects of estrogen replacement therapy on lipid metabolism]. AB - Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has favorable effects on lipids and decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Since Women's Health Initiative (WHI) has demonstrated that HRT increases the risk of CVD, indications of HRT use have been limited. Oral estrogen has several adverse effects on the risk of CVD. Oral estrogen increases the plasma triglyceride concentrations that decrease the size of LDL particles. Synthetic progestagens such as medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) decreases the plasma concentrations of high density lipoprotein cholesterol. In contrast, recent studies demonstrated that transdermal estrogen or low dose oral estrogen administration, and the use of natural progestagen can protect against adverse effects of oral estrogen. Further studies are needed to investigate whether transdermal or low dose of estrogen administration and the use of natural progestagens can decrease the risk of CVD. PMID- 17767026 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. The effect of androgen replacement therapy on bone metabolism]. AB - The effect of androgen on bone metabolism still remains unknown. However the efficacy of androgen replacement therapy for bone health in patient with late onset hypogonadism (andropause) has been elucidated to date. Gain in lumber bone mineral density by androgen replacement therapy has been presented but not in femoral neck bone mineral density. No trial measured or reported the effect of androgen on fractures. Progression of osteoporosis and bone fracture in aging male populations is a serious concern not only as medical aspect but also as administrative issue in the developed nations where aging peoples has been increasing. A well-controlled larger clinical study to test androgen replacement therapy for aging male is expected also in Japan. PMID- 17767027 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. The effects of androgen replacement therapy on brain function]. AB - The effects of androgen replacement therapy on brain function were reviewed focusing on cognitive function and depressive state. Testosterone replacement improved spatial cognition aside from estradiol converted from testosterone in the brain in elderly men, and also improved spatial memory of the patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Testosterone supplementation improved depressive state induced by hypogonadism as well as depressive disorder. Furthermore, two recent studies showed that testosterone activated ventral stream related to the processing of form and color and midbrain, superior frontal gyrus and dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus along with the improvement of cognitive and sexual function, which can have a positive effect on depressive state. PMID- 17767028 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Effects of androgen replacement therapy on vascular function and atherosclerosis]. AB - It has been postulated that testosterone is atherogenic in contrast to vasoprotective action of estrogen. Recent studies, however, have shown that partial androgen deficiency is associated with cardiovascular disease in the aging male. Although the results of some small-scale studies support the cardioprotective effects of androgen replacement therapy, clinical trials and investigations on the mechanism of action will be required to elucidate the application of androgen replacement therapy. This article illustrates the current concept on the role of testosterone in the cardiovascular system and disease in men. PMID- 17767029 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Ghrelin, growth hormone and somatopause]. AB - Age-related decreases in energy expenditure and physical activity have been associated with the loss of skeletal muscle and decline of food intake, possibly through a mechanism involving changes of growth hormone secretion and feeding behavior. Age-related declines of growth hormone secretion and food intake have been termed the somatopause and anorexia of aging, respectively. Ghrelin was isolated from human and rat stomachs as an endogenous ligand of growth hormone secretagogue receptor. Ghrelin stimulates growth hormone release and food intake when peripherally administered to humans. Plasma ghrelin concentration is decreased with age. Therefore, age-related decline of ghrelin secretion may cause the somatopause and anorexia of aging. Ghrelin replacement may suppress these aging processes. PMID- 17767030 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Hormone replacement therapy in anti-aging medicine]. AB - The purpose of anti-aging medicine is to raise quality of life (QOL) and to aim at healthy longevity. Melatonin, DHEA(-s) (dehydroepiandrosterone [sulfate]), somatotropin/IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor-I), male and female hormone decrease with aging, that can be prevented by hormone replacement therapy. This therapy has two sides of supplement of the deficit and a healthy increase. Hormone age is "the function age that expressed whether you are equivalent to a hormone secretion state of how old average" and 30 years old or 70-80% of chronological age regard the targeted value of hormone age. We do not decide quantity of hormone replacement uniformly. The reasonable quantity should be determined based on each figure, active mass, life level, and/or blood levels of hormones. Data accumulation for a long term in multiple institutions is important. PMID- 17767031 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Practical tips for hormone replacement therapy in women]. AB - It appears that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has gone through a major turnabout from the mainstay of therapy in the last half century to a rather obscure treatment modality associated with an array of risks after the publication of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial results that called HRT into question, which has led to clinicians unnecessarily shying away from it despite the benefits it offers. As a matter of course, HRT as a drug therapy must not be used uncritically, and the reason for its use needs to be clarified. While clinicians need to know that there is an adequate consensus on the validity of HRT to support its use for the treatment of hot flashes and vaginal/urethral atrophy as well as for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis, they also need to be fully aware of the absolute and relative contraindications that do exist for HRT. I believe that HRT has still much to offer as a therapeutic option when it is prescribed appropriately as illustrated in this article, and hope I have brought the current consensus on HRT to bear on clinical practice in this article, to help clinicians, who may be tempted to overestimate its risks, to get their bearings on HRT. PMID- 17767032 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Clinical practice of androgen replacement therapy]. AB - Androgen replacement therapy (ART) should be considered for initial treatment of late-onset hypogonadism. Intramuscular injection of testosterone enanthate is frequently used for ART in Japan. Prior to ART, it is necessary to measure prostate specific antigen (PSA) in order to rule out prostate cancer, and hematological examination should be performed periodically during treatment to monitor for polycythemia. PMID- 17767033 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) for the treatment of osteoporosis]. AB - Raloxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) which is used for the treatment of osteoporosis. The major mechanism of action is the suppression of bone resorption. Evidences for the increase of bone mineral density and the decrease of vertebral fractures have been confirmed, while the effects on non vertebral fractures may need more evidences. There is no doubt for that this drug is one of the major medicines for osteoporosis. On the other hand, extra-skeletal effects including those on cardiovascular systems should be studied further. PMID- 17767034 TI - [Hormone replacement Up-to-date. Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). Current status and their future]. AB - Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) with tissue or organ-specificity are expected for their development. Indeed, they will be widely applied for patients with late onset of hypodonadism and those with prostate cancer who have hormone treatment-induced osteoporosis. SARMs having anabolic action on the bone or muscle but no or weak androgenic action on the prostate will be welcomed in the clinical setting. PMID- 17767035 TI - [Secondary osteoporosis. Fractures in patients with rheumatoid arthritis]. AB - Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk for developing osteoporosis and fractures compared to controls. This risk is further increased since a majority of patients with RA also receive concomitant corticosteroids, which have been shown to induce osteoporosis and increase the risk of fractures. Currently, low bone mineral density, older age, corticosteroid use, history of prior fracture, and high disease activity are recognized as important risk factors for fractures in patients with RA. Recently, we reported results from a prospective observational cohort study that showed that high health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) disability scores and history of prior orthopedic surgery for RA are also significant risk factors for this patient population developing fractures. This article reviews the epidemiology and associated risk factors with the development of fractures in patients with RA. PMID- 17767036 TI - [Bone diseases with pain. Primary bone tumors of the spine]. AB - Primary bone tumors of the spine and sacrum are unusual, both benign and malignant. A histological diagnosis must be obtained from biopsy specimen, after thorough imaging studies, using X-ray, CT (computed tomography), and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). The treatment of both benign and malignant osseous spinal tumors is basically surgical. Simple curettage or resection is appropriate for the management of benign tumors. Although a curative wide resection is optimal for the malignant tumor, it is not unusual that only the marginal or intralesional resection is indicated because of the highly progressed stage of the tumor. In the last few years clinical data has been published demonstrating that proton radiation therapy offers an effective treatment option for sacral or skull base chordomas. PMID- 17767037 TI - Biochemistry and pharmacology of the human multidrug resistance gene product, ABCG2. AB - ABCG2 is a half ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter that facilitates efflux of a wide variety of substrates ranging from natural products to synthetic anticancer drugs. Over-expression of ABCG2 has been shown to cause multidrug resistance in both laboratory model cell lines and in clinical settings. The polymorphism in ABCG2 has also been suggested to affect the function and clinical outcome in cancer patients. More recently, ABCG2 has been suggested to play a protective role for cancer and normal stem cells. Thus, ABCG2 is an ideal target for therapeutic development to chemo-sensitize drug resistant cancers. In this paper, the recent progress on understanding the structure, function, and pharmacology of ABCG2 and its role in drug resistance and cancer stem cells will be reviewed. PMID- 17767038 TI - Surgical treatment of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. AB - OBJECTIVE: To summarize the surgical treatment of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 49 patients with TAPVC as follows: 37 patients with supra-cardiac type in which 35 received anastomoses between the rear wall of the left atrium and the common pulmonary vein and the other 2 received anastomoses between the rear edge of the left atrium roof and the common pulmonary vein; another 12 patients with cardiac type who were incised the upper edge of coronary sinus, connected the common junction of pulmonary veins with the left atrium to form a new left atrium, and repaired the atrial septal defect with a pericardial patch. RESULTS: Forty-six patients recovered and 3 patients died. Thirty-eight patients were followed-up from 3 months to 8 years. The rest patients got fluent pulmonary vein drainage and their heart function resumed to NYHA I. CONCLUSION: TAPVC patients should be operated on immediately at definite diagnosis. The fluency of the common pulmonary vein left atrium anastomoses and proper postoperative care can ensure a satisfactory outcome. PMID- 17767039 TI - [Novel mutation of Y271H in EXT1 gene causes multiple exostoses]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the disease associated gene mutation of multiple exostoses by family analysis. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing were used to detect the mutation hot spot regions of EXT1 and EXT2 gene, while restriction fragment length polymorphism was performed to screen the mutation. RESULTS: We found a novel heterozygous mutation c.811T ->C in EXT1 gene of patients, which resulted in the substitution of histidine for tyrosine at codon 271 in this hereditary multiple exostoses family. The mutation was not found in the unaffected family members, nor in the 100 unrelated normal individual, which was unreported before. CONCLUSION: The novel mutation Y271H is the disease causing mutation in the hereditary multiple exostoses family. PMID- 17767040 TI - [Temporal expression of HCMV IE1 and pp65 in human glioma U(251) cells]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether U(251) cells are permissive for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and to investigate the characteristics of temporal expression of proteins IE1 and pp65. METHODS: U(251) cells were infected with HCMV, and then the cells were observed under the transmission electronic microscope, and the viral nucleic acid was detected by PCR, and the expression levels of IE1 and pp65 were analyzed by immunohistochemical assay with anti-IE1 monoclonal antibody and anti-pp65 monoclonal antibody at various time spost infection. RESULTS: Morphological changes of the infected cells appeared under the transmission electron microscope. The viral nucleic acid was detected successfully by PCR. The expression of IE1 was detected firstly at 4h post infection, and reached a peak within 14h, and then decreased. The incoming pp65 was detected at 1h, the low expression levels of pp65 were detected firstly at 4h, and they could remain relatively constant through 96 h, but the maximum expression occurred at 120 h. CONCLUSION: Human glioma U(251) cells are permissive for HCMV, the temporal cascade of HCMV gene expression can be observed in the infected U(251) cells, but it is delayed obviously in the human fibroblast. PMID- 17767041 TI - [Differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells into neural cells induced by hypoxic-ischemic brain tissue extracts in neonate rats]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of brain tissue extracts in neonate rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) on the differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) into neural cells. METHODS: Fifteen 7-day-old neonate rats were induced HIBD by left carotid artery ligation and hypoxia exposure, and another 15-day-old neonate rats were served as normal rats. The left and right brain tissue extracts of the normal and HIBD rats were prepared 24 h after the HIBD (8-day old), 72 h after the HIBD (10-day old), and 7 d after the HIBD (14 day old), respectively (n=5). The rat BMSCs of passage 3-5 were cultured in the medium with or without previous brain tissue extracts. The expressions of neuron specific enolase (NSE), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and O(4) marked oligodendrocyte were detected after 3 days by immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: The expressions of NSE, GFAP and O(4) of BMSCs cultured in the medium with left or right brain tissue extracts of different day old normal rats were higher than those of BMSCs cultured without the extracts, respectively (P<0.01), and the expressions of NSE, GFAP and O(4) of BMSCs cultured in the medium with left brain tissue extracts of 8 day old and 10 day old HIBD rats were higher than those of BMSCs cultured with right brain tissue extracts of the same day HIBD rats and BMSCs cultured with left or right brain tissue extracts of the same day normal rats (P<0.01 or P<0.05). The expressions of NSE, GFAP and O(4) of BMSCs cultured in the medium with left brain tissue extracts of 8-day-old HIBD rats were higher than those of BMSCs cultured with left brain tissue extracts of 10-day-old and 14 day-old HIBD rats (P<0.01 or P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The brain tissue extracts of normal and HIBD rats can induce BMSCS into neural cells, and the damaged brain tissue extracts of 8-day-old HIBD rats is the best inductor. PMID- 17767042 TI - [Protective effect of NT-3 gene mediated by hydroxyapatite nanoparticle on the cochlea of guinea pigs injured by excitotoxicity]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To transfect the recombinant plasmid enhancement type green fluorescent protein C2- neurotrophic factor-3 (pEGFPC2-NT3) into the spinal ganglion cells(SGCs) of guinea pigs' cochlea injured by the excitotoxicity of hydroxyapatite particle (HAT), to inject the recombinant plasmid pEGFPC2-NT3 into the guinea pigs' cochlea, and to observe the expression of pEGFPC2-NT3 and the protective effect of pEGFPC2-NT3 on SGCs of the cochlea in guinea pigs. METHODS: The recombinant plasmid pEGFPC2-NT3 with gene-green fluorescent protein was established. Kanic acid (KA) was injected into guinea pigs'cochleae and the excitotoxicity model was established. After a week the recombinant plasmid was transferred into SGCs of guinea pigs'cochlea treated with HAT. The following week the expression of NT-3 was examined by the immunohistochemical method, and the morphology of SGNs was observed under the electronic microscope after 4 weeks, in the mean time the changes of auditory brain-stem response (ABR) were examined. RESULTS: The excitotoxicity models were established successfully. NT-3 expression in the intracytoplasm of SGNs was observed by the immunohistochemical method 1 week after the injection, the morphologic damages of SGNs lessened under the electronic microscope after 4 weeks. ABR was partly restored, compared with ABR after the injury of the excitotoxicity. CONCLUSION: On the 7th day, NT3 gene transferred by HAT through the scala tympani can lessen the excitotoxicity of SGCs after KA was injected into the guinea pigs cochlea. PMID- 17767043 TI - [Chemoresistance of CD133(+) tumor stem cells from human brain glioma]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanism of ABC superfamily transporters in the tumor stem cells(TSC) from human brain glioma tissues. METHODS: Samples of glioma were obtained from 30 patients undergoing microsurgical tumor resection. The CD133(+) cells and CD133(-) cells from these tumor specimens were isolated by magnetic activated cell sorting(MACS). These cells were cultured, proliferated and passaged. The protein and activity expression of multidrug-resistance protein 1(MDR1) and multidrug-resistance associated protein 1(MRP1) were analyzed between CD133(+) and CD133(-) cells by immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR respectively. RESULTS: CD133(+) cells generated free floating neurosphere like brain tumor spheres(BTS) and abnormal proliferating capacity in the serum-free medium(SFM) in vitro. Three cases from glioblastoma stem cells could form BTS in the complete medium, and could be cultured for 1-3 passages. The range of positive cell proportion for MDR1 and MRP1 expression in CD133(+) cells was 18%-67% and 23%-73% respectively. The expression levels of MDR1 and MRP1 mRNA were higher in CD133(+) glioma stem cells than those in the differentiated tumor cells(TC), the protein activity was increased to 16.1 and 19.6 times respectively compared with that of TC. The protein and activity expression were positively related to the pathological grades of tumors. MDR1 or MRP1 drug resistance was not expressed in all the tumors and there was obvious correlation between MDR1 and MRP1. CONCLUSION: Only a small proportion of cells in the heterogeneous glioma is CD133(+) brain tumor stem cells which display the strong capacity of self-renewing, abnormal proliferation and intrinsic multidrug resistance to traditional chemotherapy. The high expression of MDR1 and MRP1 by the CD133(+) brain tumor stem cells is one of the main mechanisms in the chemoresistance of tumors. CD133(+) brain tumor stem cells can be served as the root of multidrug resistance and key therapeutic target for glioma chemotherapy. PMID- 17767044 TI - [Expression of cardiotrophin-1 and effects of irbesartan in adriamycin induced cardiomyopathy in rats]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate cardiotrophin-1(CT-1) expression in the ventricle and the effects of angiotensin II type I receptor antagonist (AT(1)RA) irbesartan on the ventricular remodeling in adriamycin myocardiopathy. METHODS: Thirty male SD rats were randomized into 2 groups: a control group (n=10) and a model group (n=20). The model group was administered adriamycin and 18 rats survived. And theses rats were randomized again into 2 groups. One was treated with irbesartan [50 mg/(kg x d), with stomach-tube], and the other received equal saline, so did the control group. After 12 weeks, the protein level of CT-1 was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Ventricular CT-1 in the model control group and the treatment group was higher than that in the control group and the correlation analysis showed that ventricular CT-1 of the model control group was positively correlated with the left ventricular weight index, and CT-1 of the treatment group was lower than that of the model control group. CONCLUSION: CT-1 was assumed to take part in the ventricular remodeling. The mechanism of irbesartan on the ventricular remodeling may be related to the downregulation of CT-1 expression. PMID- 17767045 TI - [Scanning of drug targets related to uterus contraction from the uterine smooth muscles by cDNA microarray]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To screen the differentially expressed gene profile from the smooth muscles in the fundus uterus at the active stage of labor, and to provide candidate genes for picking out the drug targets related to uterine contraction. METHODS: Differentially expressed genes of uterine smooth muscles in the corpus from pro and post spontaneous parturition and those induced by oxytocin,as well as those from the corpus and the lower portion spontaneous parturition,were scanned respectively by human full-length genetic cDNA microarray with 8064 probe sets. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was applied to testify the expression of voltage dependent calcium channel-L subtype (CACNA). The differentially expressed genes in the structure and function of the drug targets were picked out by bio informatics to serve as candidate drug targets related to uterine contraction. RESULTS: The expressions of 29 genes were upregulated in fundus smooth muscles from the pro and post natural parturition, the pro and post inductive parturition of oxytocin, and the natural parturition. The expression of CACNA gene in RT-PCR was in accordance with that in the microarray. Among the 29 genes, neuromedin B receptor (NMBR) gene and neuropeptide Y (NPY) gene were the genes which not only had the targets of uterine contracted medicine, but also could contract the uterine. The differential expression ratios of NMBR in the above 3 types of uterine myometrium were 6.9,11.3, and 9.0, respectively while those of NPY were 6.0,29.8, and 2.9 respectively. CONCLUSION: NMBR, whose expression in the uterine smooth muscles is always up-regulated at different parturition conditions, is likely to be an ideal candidate target of uterotonic drugs. PMID- 17767046 TI - [3 polymorphisms of gene GP IIb and the function of GP IIb T13959 G in the platelet transfusion refractoriness]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship among 3 polymorphisms of GP IIb and the function of GP IIb T13959 G in the platelet transfusion refractoriness(PTR). METHODS: The 26th exon, the 30th exon and the 21st intron of gene GP IIb in 110 individuals were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the PCR products were analyzed with single-strand conformation polymorphism(SSCP) and sequenced to investigate whether there was linkage among the polymorphisms of the gene. Human platelet antigen-3 (HPA-3) gene frequency was detected by Fok I enzyme in 147 patients with hematologic diseases, and was compared with that in 110 normal individuals. Forty-four patients who received apheresis platelet transfusion repeatedly were randomly divided into the HPA-3 homotype group and the control group. The antibodies of the platelet were detected after 3 times of platelet transfusion. RESULTS: There were polymorphisms of gene GP IIb in the 26th, 30th exon and the 21st intron, and the mutations were: T changed into G in 13,959 th of the 26th exon; C changed into T in 16,997 th of the 30th exon; the 9 bps deletion occurred in 11,996-12,004 th of the 21st intron. The 3 polymorphisms had synchronization in the individuals. The results of Fok I enzyme indicated that the frequency of HPA-3a was 83.6% (92/110)and 81.9%(119/147), and that of HPA-3b was 16.4%(18/110) and 19.1%(28/147) in the normal individuals and the patients respectively. There was no significant difference between the patients and normal individuals (P>0.05). After the platelet transfusion, the antibodies of all the cases of the homotype platelet transfusion were negative, but the antibodies in 2 cases of the control group were positive, and there was antibody to HPA-3a in one of the antibodies positive cases. CONCLUSION: (1)There is close linkage among the polymorphisms of gene GP IIb, which is T->G in 13 959 th of the 26th exon, C->T in 16,997 th of the 30th exon, and the 9 bps deletion in 11,996 12,004 th in the 21st intron. (2)The gene frequency of HPA-3a/3b is similar in the normal individuals and patients with hematologic diseases. (3) HPA-3 system may be one of the reasons for PTR in Chinese. PMID- 17767047 TI - [Effect of lidocaine precondition on hepatocytes calcium overload and apoptosis induced by cell hypoxia-reoxygenation]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and possible mechanism of lidocaine precondition on calcium overload and apoptosis of the hepatocytes induced by cell hypoxia-reoxygenation. METHODS: The cultured L02 hepatocytes were randomly divided into 3 groups: a hypoxia-reoxygenation group (Group I), a lidocaine precondition group (Group II), and a normal control group (Group III). After 4 hours of cell hypoxia and 10 hours of reoxygenation, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations in the nutritive medium were detected. The cytoplasm ionic calcium concentration was measured by fluoro spectrophotometer. The apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry and fluorescent microscope. The appearance and ultra-microstructure changes of hepatocytes were observed by inverted microscope and electronic microscope. RESULTS: Cytoplasm ionic calcium concentration and apoptosis was positively correlated (r=0.7652, R(2)=0.5855, P< 0.05). The ALT concentration in the nutritive medium, AST concentration in the nutritive medium, cytoplasm ionic calcium concentration and the ratio of apoptosis of Group I and II were significantly higher than those of Group III(P< 0.05).The appearance and ultra-microstructure changes of Group I and II were worse than those of Group III. The ALT concentration in the nutritive medium, AST concentration in the nutritive medium, cytoplasm ionic calcium concentration and the ratio of apoptosis of Group II were significantly lower than those of Group I (P< 0.05). The ultra-microstructure injury of hepatocytes of Group II were less serious than those of Group I. CONCLUSION: Precondition with lidocaine can attenuate calcium overload of hepatocytes induced by hypoxia reoxygenation in vitro,and decrease the ratio of apoptosis. PMID- 17767048 TI - [Short- and long-term therapeutic effects of combination therapy with perindopril and irbesartan in a rat model of dilated cardiomyopathy]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short-term, and long-term therapeutic effects of combination therapy with perindopril and irbesartan in a rat model of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were administered adriamycin intraperitoneally to develop DCM. Grouping of rats: Group A contained normal rats, and Group B contained DCM rats. Both Group A and B were not given drug treatment. Group C and D contained DCM rats, however, Group C was administered perindopril 2mg/(kg x d) while Group D was administered perindopril 1mg/(kg x d) and irbesartan 25mg/(kg x d). Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; plasma potassium and creatinine were measured; the pathological lesions of cardiac muscle tissues were evaluated after HE staining; and the survival time of each rat during the intervention was recorded. RESULTS: After the three-week intervention, the plasma concentrations of BNP in Group D were lower than those in Group C (P<0.05). In each group, plasma concentrations of potassium and creatinine showed no significant differences between pre-intervention and post-intervention (P>0.05); pathological lesions of cardiac muscle tissues in both Group C and D were attenuated compared with those in Group B (P<0.01), but pathological lesions of cardiac muscle tissues showed no significant differences between Group C and Group D (P>0.05). Log-rank test showed that the life span of Group C was shorter than that of Group D (P<0.05); Cox regression analysis showed that both combination therapy and monotherapy with perindopril could prolong the survival time, but the effect of combination therapy was more obvious. CONCLUSION: Combination therapy with perindopril and irbesartan in a rat model of DCM can more effectively improve the cardiac function and long-term prognosis than those monotherapy with perindopril. Both these two treatment plans can attenuate the pathological lesions of cardiac muscle tissues, without elevating the concentrations of plasma potassium and creatinine. PMID- 17767049 TI - [Structural and hemodynamic study of right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction with valved bovine jugular vein conduit in the canine model by color Doppler echocardiography]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To observe the structural and hemodynamic changes after the reconstruction of right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) with valved bovine jugular vein conduit (BJVC) in the canine model by color Doppler echocardiography (UCG). METHODS: BJVC was used in the reconstruction of RVOT of 32 canines. UCG was used to observe the structure of the right ventricle and RVOT. The structure and hemodynamics were observed, and the diameter, width, blood velocity and pressure gradient (PG) were measured between the right ventricle and the conduits. RESULTS: In the first stage, UCG showed that PG between the right ventricle and BJVC was high in 5 canines, and a few anastomosis in BJVCs with main pulmonary artery was small. Blood velocity quickened and PG increased, and color Doppler showed that the bloodstream was very bright. In the second stage, 7 canines survived for 1 year after the implantation. One year after the operation, UCG showed that the valve closed well, no graft kinking or obvious regurgitation of the valve was observed. The PG of the valve was low. The BJVCs were unobstructed and there was no thrombus.All the valves of BJVC opened well except one. In the third stage, 20 canines survived for 1 year after the implantation. UCG showed that the valve motion was good, no graft kinking or obvious regurgitation of the valve was observed. No neoplasm was observed. CONCLUSION: UCG is one of the most useful measurements in the structural and hemodynamic study of RVOT reconstruction by BJVC in the canine model. The good evaluation of UCG implies that it is important for the study and clinical practice. PMID- 17767050 TI - [Lymphoplasmapheresis for Guillain-Barre syndrome]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical therapeutic effect and security of lymphoplasmapheresis (LPE) for Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). METHODS: Sixty-six GBS patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: the therapy group (33 patients) were treated with LPE in addition to the medical treatment; the control group (33 patients) only accepted the medical treatment. The therapeutic effect was evaluated with the initial recovery time of myodynamia and the myodynamia score difference, and the side effect of the therapy group was observed. RESULTS: The therapy group were treated with LPE for 48 times,1.5 times per person. The average initial recovery time was quicker in the therapy group compared with that in the control group [(6.45+/-3.01) vs (8.36+/-3.83) days]. The difference of limb myodynamia score between pre-treatment and post-treatment in the therapy group was more than that in the control group. The improved number in the therapy group was more than that in the control group, but the ineffective number in the therapy group was not as many as that in the control group. The total effective rate in the therapy group was higher than that in the control group (51.5% vs 27.7%); the average hospital day in the therapy group was shorter than that in the control group [(19.42+/-7.25) vs (24.00+/-8.64) days]; and the difference had statistical significance(P<0.05). The average myodynamia score after the first LPE increased, but the difference had no statistical significance (P>0.05). After the second and the third LPE, the average myodynamia score continued to rise, and the difference had statistical significance (P<0.05). The incidence rate of side effects in the therapy group was 12.5%. Urticaria and hypotension were the major side effects, but they were light and could be relieved by symptomatic treatment. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic effect of LPE is definite, and the side effect is scarce. LPE is safe and effective, and it is worth of generalization and applying in clinical practice. PMID- 17767051 TI - [Changes of endothelium-dependent vasodilation in patients with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and its influencing factors. METHODS: The patients with IGT and T2DM were divided into IGT group (n=36), T2DM without vascular complication group (DM1;n=57), and T2DM with vascular complication group (DM2;n=31). And 25 normal subjects served as controls (NC group). The FMD was measured by high resolution ultrasound.The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were detected with ELISA, and nitric oxide (NO) with Griess Reaction. The serum glucose, lipids, and other indexes were also detected. RESULTS: Compared with the NC group, the serum levels of triglyceride (TG) total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), hs-CRP, and TNF-alpha significantly increased (P<0.05), but the serum levels of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), the NO, and FMD significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the IGT, DM1, and DM2 group. With the progress of diabetes, FMD level descended. Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between FMD and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin resistant index (HOMA-IR),TG,TC,hs CRP, and TNF-alpha (P<0.01), but a positive correlation between FMD and NO,HDL-C (P<0.01) in IGT and T2DM patients. In multiple linear stepwise regression with FMD as dependent variable, NO,HbA(1)c,HDL-C,HOMA-IR, TNF-alpha, and hs-CRP showed a significant association with FMD (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Endothelium-dependent vasodilation is impaired in patients with IGT and T2DM,which is associated with hyperglycaemia, insulin-resistance, hyperlipemia, and inflammation. PMID- 17767052 TI - [Oral administration of insulin inhibits islet beta cell apoptosis and prevents diabetes in NOD mice]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of oral administration of insulin on insulitis beta cell apoptosis and diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, and to explore the mechanism of immune tolerance induced by insulin. METHODS: Eighty six female NOD mice were randomly divided into an insulin group (n=43) and a phosphate buffered saline (PBS) group (n=43). From 4 weeks of age, the recombinant human insulin (Humulin R) 1 mg (70 microL) was administrated in the oral insulin group and 70 microL PBS in the control group respectively, twice per week before 12 weeks of age and then once weekly until 30 weeks. Insulitis and beta cell apoptosis of islets were observed at 12 weeks. IL-4 and IFN-gamma in the sera were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression levels of I-Abeta(g7), IL-4, IFN-gamma, IL-1beta, Fas and TGF-beta mRNA of islets, and IL-4, IFN-gamma, TGF-beta mRNA of Peyer's patch were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at 12 weeks. RESULTS: The incidences in the insulin group were significantly lower than those in the PBS group (55.6% vs 85.7% at 30 weeks, 70.4% vs 96.4% at 52 weeks, P<0.05). The insulitis scores in the insulin group were lower than those in the PBS group, but there was no statistical significance. Fas expression on islets and apoptotic beta cell rates in the insulin group were lower than those in the PBS group (P<0.05). In the insulin group, serum IL-4 levels were higher, and IFN-gamma levels were lower than those in the PBS group (P<0.05). The levels of I Abeta(g7), IFN-gamma, IL-1beta and Fas mRNA transcription in islets and IFN-gamma mRNA transcription in Peyer's patch were both lower in the insulin group, and IL 4, TGF-beta mRNA levels were higher than those in the PBS group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The specific autoantigen insulin may induce the immune tolerance and prevent the diabetes in NOD mice, but it cannot block the progression of insulitis. Oral administration of insulin can induce the regulatory T cells, and make Th1 to Th2 cytokine shifts in the system and islets, thus preventing the Fas mediated beta-cell apoptosis and diabetes. PMID- 17767053 TI - [Changes of podocyte ultrastructure and expression of podocyte-associated molecules in rats with diabetic nephropathy]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of podocyte ultrastructure and changes of nephrin and the podocin expression on the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) in rats. METHODS: Twenty Wistar rats were divided into 2 groups: a normal control group and a DN model group.We determined the 24h proteinuria and other biochemical indexes, measured the ultrastructures of podocytes with electronic microscope, and detected the expression of nephrin and podocin with immunohistochemical technique and RT-PCR at the 4th and 8th weeks. RESULTS: The 24h proteinuria increased in the DN group; the number of podocytes was significantly lower; and the foot process width (FPW) obviously increased in the DN group compared with the normal group (P<0.01). The protein and mRNA expressions of nephrin and podocin reduced in the DN group.There was a negative correlation between the proteinuria and the protein expression of nephrin and podocin (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The reduction in glomerular podocyte number,the increased FPW, and the down-regulated expression of nephrin and podocin appear at the early stage of DN and become more serious with the disease progression.The podocyte lesion not only is associated with the degree of proteinuria,but also correlates with the development of glomerulosclerosis and damage of renal function. PMID- 17767054 TI - [Effect of estrogen replacement therapy in the early phase on atherosclerosis and PAI-1 in ovariectomized cholesterol-fed rabbit]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in the early phase on the atherosclerosis and the level of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1(PAI-1). METHODS: Twenty-eight rabbits were randomly assigned to 4 groups: Group A, sham operation (n=7); Group B, ovariectomized without estradiol (n=7); Group C, ovariectomized with low-dose estradiol (n=7); and Group D, ovariectomized with high-dose estradiol (n=7). All rabbits were given 1% cholesterol diet for 12 weeks. Levels of blood lipid, estradiol, and PAI-1 were measured before the operation and at the end of the 4th and 12th weeks. Twelve weeks later, we took the aortas for pathological analysis and calculated the areas of atherosclerotic plaque. RESULTS: After 12 weeks, the estradiol level of Group B was significantly lower than that of Group A, and that of Group D was obviously higher than Group A. There was no significant difference between Group C and A. The concentrations of total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in Group B significantly increased compared with Group A (P<0.01). The levels of TC and LDL-C of Group C and D were significantly lower than those of Group A. Whereas the concentrations of triglyceride (TG) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in Group B were lower than those of Groups A, C and D (P<0.01). In contrast to Groups A, C and D, the level of PAI-1 was significantly higher in the Group B (P<0.01), without significant differences among Groups A, C and D. The area of atherosclerotic lesion of aorta in Group B was significantly bigger than that of Group A, C and D. The areas of aortic atherosclerotic plaque in Group C and D were obviously smaller than those of Group A (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Transdermal estrogen replacement therapy in the early phase can improve the metabolism of the serum lipids, reduce the level of PAI-1, and probably provide the protective effect on the atheroma formation. PMID- 17767055 TI - [Effects of oxidized low-density lipoprotein on cholesterol efflux in 3T3-L1 cells]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore whether oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) can stimulate the cholesterol efflux in fully differentiated 3T3-L1 cells and the possible mechanism. METHODS: Fully differentiated 3T3-L1 cells were incubated in the medium containing various concentrations of ox-LDL ( 0 to 50 microg/mL) for 8 or 24 hours. 22(R)-Hydroxycholesterol (10 micromol/L) was exposed to preconditioned adipocytes with 25 microg/mL ox-LDL for 24 hours. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to evaluate ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI), and liver X receptor alpha (LXRalpha) mRNA expression. Cholesterol efflux mediated by apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) was determined using liquid scintillator. RESULTS: Low levels (12.5-25 microg/mL) of ox-LDL could increase cholesterol efflux via the enhancement of ABCA1 pathway and SR-BI expression, whereas the higher concentration (50 microg/mL) could not. In adipocytes preincubated with 25 microg/mL ox-LDL for 24 hours, 22(R)-hydroxycholesterol could increase ABCA1 and LXRalpha mRNA and apoA-I-mediated cholesterol efflux, but had no effect on the SR BI mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: Low levels of ox-LDL may enhance the LXRalpha ABCA1-apoA-I pathway in adipocytes, up-regulate SR-BI mRNA expression, and then increase the cholesterol efflux. This new effect of ox-LDL will not only make contribution to cholesterol homeostasis in adipocytes, but also be potentially atheroprotective. PMID- 17767056 TI - [Mechanism and protective effect of glossy ganoderma decoction on the activities of RNA polymerase in hepatocyte of rabbits with Amanita mushroom poisoning]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of glossy ganoderma decoction in Amanita mushroom poisoning. METHODS: Twenty male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups, including a normal control, a model poison group, and 2 treatment groups (different doses of glossy ganoderma decoction). The activities of hepatocyte RNA polymerase were measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometry and liver function were measured. RESULTS: The activities of hepatocyte RNA polymerase of the model group significantly decreased, and those of the 2 treatment groups were significantly higher than those of the model group. There was a dose-dependent manner between the 2 treatment groups ( all Ps<0.01), and the differences of liver function test including total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DB), total bile acid (TBA), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the 4 groups were significant (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Glossy ganoderma decoction may protect the liver from Amanita mushroom poisoning. Its mechanism may be related to the increase of the activities of hepatocyte RNA polymerase. PMID- 17767057 TI - [Culture of chondrocytes using nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen in vitro]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of the nano-hydroxyapatite/ collagen (nHAC) as a scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering. METHODS: The normal cartilage from patients after total hip arthroplasty of osteoarthritis was selected, and then chondrocytes were digested, separated, and amplificate in vitro. The chondrocytes were seeded onto the nHAC scaffold and were cultured in a 3-dimensional environment for 5 and 10 days. The effects of the composite scaffold on the cell adhesion, proliferation, morphological changes, and synthesis of the extracellular matrix were observed by scanning electronic microscopy and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The chondrocytes could adhere to the surface of the scaffolds, proliferate, and migrate into the scaffolds. They maintained round and could secrete extracellular matrix on the porous scaffold. CONCLUSION: The nHAC can be used as the cartilage cell carrier. PMID- 17767058 TI - [In vitro observation of ciliary activity of the tracheal membrane under a common light microscope]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To establish a new method for in vitro observation of ciliary activity of the tracheal membrane in rabbit under a common light microscope. METHODS: Nine healthy adult rabbits were used. Two equal sized cervical trachea flaps were removed after the rabbits were anesthetized by urethane (4 mg/kg). The removed trachea flap was randomly assigned to the ephedrine (Eph) and DMEM control group, respectively. The observed trachea flap was placed in a small flat-bottomed glass container with its membranous side upward in DMEM culture medium solution (DMEM control group) or in 0.5% ephedrine solution prepared with DMEM (Eph group). One drop of 1% methylthioninium stained autologous blood cells was added into the glass container as the tracer, and the trachea flap was observed under a common light microscope (400 x). The latter was attached with a digital camera linking to an image manipulation system, the computed dynamic image analyser. The velocity of the tracer cell movement worked as the indicator for ciliary activity and was automatically determined by the digital image manipulation system. The variation coefficient (VC) was used as the indicator of the cell movement velocity. RESULTS: There was no significant difference among the VC at different time points in the DMEM control group. VC of the Eph group decreased regularly with the time point. CONCLUSION: A thin layer of flowing fluid was found on the surface of the tracheal mucociliary blanket which is driven by the activity of the mucociliary system. The new method of using the tracer to evaluate the ciliary activity of mammalia tracheal membrane in vitro is reliable and stable. It is practical and valuable in the in vitro observation and evaluation of ciliary activity of the tracheal membrane. PMID- 17767059 TI - [Effect of heat shock protein 47 on the expression of collagen I induced by TGF beta(1) in hepatic stellate cell-T6 cells]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) on the expression of collagen I induced by transforming growth factor beta(1) (TGF beta(1)) in hepatic stellate cell-T6 (HSC-T6) cells. METHODS: We used 1 ng/mL and 10 ng/mL recombinant human TGF-beta(1) to stimulate the cultured HSC-T6 cells. Heat shock response (HSR) and antisense oligonucleotides of HSP47 were used to induce and block the expression of HSP47, respectively. The expressions of HSP47 and collagen I were detected by Western blot and the cell viability was observed by MTT assay. RESULTS: Both HSP47 and collagen I were expressed in normal HSC-T6 cells. Collagen I and HSP47 expression could be induced by both 1 ng/mL and 10 ng/mL TGF-beta(1) and collagen I was expressed the most after the treatment with 10 ng/mL TGF-beta(1). Although HSR could not affect the synthesis of collagen I as it induced the HSP47 expression, HSR could promote the expression of collagen I induced by TGF-beta(1). With no effect on the cell viability, antisense oligonucleotides could significantly inhibit HSR-mediated HSP47 expression and TGF-beta(1)-induced collagen I synthesis. CONCLUSION: Over-expression of HSP47 enhances TGF-beta(1)-induced expression of collagen I in HSC-T6 cells, and HSP47 may play important roles in the process of hepatic fibrosis. PMID- 17767060 TI - [Effect of gene polymorphism of TNF-beta on the concentration of TNF in serum of patient with endometriosis]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the polymorphism in +252 site of tumor necrosis factor beta(TNF-beta) gene in patients with or without endometriosis, to evaluate the levels of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta in the serum with or without endometriosis, to explore the relation between polymorphism of TNF-beta gene and the genetic susceptibility of endometriosis, and to explore the pathogenic mechanism of endometriosis at gene level. METHODS: By polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method, polymorphism on +252 site of TNF beta gene was measured in 82 patients with endometriosis (the endometriosis group) and 80 patients without endometriosis (the control group). With the sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the levels of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta in the serum of the two groups were determined. RESULTS: The TNF-beta level in the serum in the endometriosis group with TNF-beta gene +252 site AA genotype significantly increased, compared with GG genotype (t=2.029, P<0.05); while TNF-alpha and TNF-beta level in the serum had no statistical significance in patients with other genotypes in TNF-beta gene +252 site in the endometriosis group and the control group. CONCLUSION: TNF-beta gene +252 site AA genotype might be enhance TNF-beta level in the serum of patients with endometriosis. PMID- 17767061 TI - [Expression profile of heat shock proteins in tissues and cells of lung adenocarcinoma]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression profile of heat shock proteins (HSPs) including HSP70, inducible HSP90 (HSP86) and aB-crystallin in cells and tissues of lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Western blotting and reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were performed to detect the expression of HSP70, HSP86 and aB-crystallin both in the protein and mRNA level respectively. RESULTS: Compared with normal lung tissue and human bronchial epithelium (HBE) cells, RT-PCR and Western blotting showed that the expression of HSP70, HSP86 and alphaB crystallin increased significantly in both the mRNA and protein level in the cancer tissue and A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Among the 3 sub families of HSPs, the expression of HSP70 mRNA and protein increased most in both the lung tissue of cancer and A549 human adenocarcinoma cell lines. CONCLUSION: The expression of HSPs is higher in the lung adenocarcinoma and A549 cells than that in the normal lung tissues and HBE cells. Among the HSP family, HSP70 is the most up-regulated member in the tissue and cells of lung adenocarcinoma. PMID- 17767062 TI - [Effect of chemokine interleukin-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 on the angiogenesis of non-small cell lung cancer]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To detect the expressions of chemokines interleukin-8 (IL-8), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1) mRNA in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues, to analyze their relationship with microvessel counts (MVC), and their significance in clinic pathologic features of NSCLC. METHODS: In situ hybridization was used to measure the expressions of chemokine IL-8, MCP-1, and MIP-1 mRNA in 40 NSCLC tissues and 10 normal pulmonary tissues, and immunohistochemical staining was carried out to measure the MVC in the above tissues. RESULTS: The positive ratios of IL-8, MCP 1, and MIP-1 mRNA in the 40 NSCLC tissues were apparently higher than those in the 10 normal contrast tissues and the difference was statistically significant. The numbers varied accordingly with the different clinic pathologic features of NSCLC, showing that Group T(3) > Group T(2) or Group T(1), Group III stage> Group II stage> Group I stage Group lymph node and remote transferred > Group non transferred, and Group of survival time no more than 3 years > Group of survival time more than 3 years. The positive expressions among IL-8, MCP-1,and MIP-1 mRNA and between these and the MVC all had mutually positive correlation. CONCLUSION: Chemokine IL-8, MIP-1, and MIP-1 in NSCLC tissues might cooperate with one another to promote the tumor angiogenesis and affect the progression, metastasis and prognosis of the tumor. PMID- 17767063 TI - [Effect of diet control combined with aerobic exercise on the metabolic syndrome]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy of diet control and aerobic exercises on the patients with metabolic syndrome(MS). METHODS: Sixty sedentary patients with MS were randomly divided into a diet control group, an aerobic exercise group, and a diet control combined with aerobic exercise group, each group with 20 persons. Patients in the simple diet control group ate a low-salt, low-cholesterol, low calorie and high-cellulose diet; patients in the simple aerobic exercises group performed aerobic exercise 30 minutes every time, 3-5 times per week for 12 weeks; while patients in the combination therapy group performed aerobic exercises and diet control. Fasting serum insulin and free fatty acid (FFA) were measured by radio immunity and enzyme-colorimetric method. Serum leptin concentration was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) insulin resistance index was calculated using the homeostasis model assessment equation. Twenty healthy subjects were selected as the control group. RESULTS: Serum concentration of FFA, blood pressure, and leptin and insulin resistance index (IRI)of patients with MS significantly increased compared with those of the controls. After 12 weeks, IRI and body mass index (BMI)significantly decreased but blood fat and leptin did not change significantly in the diet control group. IRI and BMI significantly decreased, and triglyceride, FFA and leptin also significantly decreased in the combination therapy group. CONCLUSION: Simple diet control and aerobic exercises are beneficial for patients with MS. It could significantly improve the effect of diet control combined with aerobic exercises on patients with metabolic syndrome. PMID- 17767064 TI - [Effect of ulinastain on the expression of hemeoxygenase-1 in oleic acid-induced acute lung injury in rats]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of ulinastain on the expression of hemeoxy genase-1 (HO-1) in oil acid-induced acute lung injury in rats. METHODS: The animal model of acute lung injury was established by oil acid. Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: the blank control group (A), the acute lung injury group (B) and the acute lung injury group (C) followed by injecting 100 mL/kg ulinastatin. Each group consisted of 10 rats. Group A were given 0.2 mL/kg natural solution through the trial vein; Group B and C were given 0.2 mL/kg oil acid through trial vein, while group C were injected 100mL/kg ulinastatin by the peritoneal cavity after injecting oil acid. After 4 hours, the rates of respiration were counted and blood samples were cramped out through the heart puncture for blood gas analysis. The expressions of hemeoxygenase-1 and the pathologic construction changes were determined by HE staining in the lower right lung of rats in the 3 groups. RESULTS: The respiration dysfunction caused by oil acid could be prominently improved by ulinastain. There was only a little expression of hemeoxygenase-1 in the lung of Group A, but the expression increased in Group B and significatively increased in Group C. CONCLUSION: Ulinastatin may protect the rats from acute lung injury through increasing the expression of HO-1. PMID- 17767065 TI - [Effect of EphA2 protein on the expression of VEGF and MMP9 proteins in HCT116 cells]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of EphA2 protein on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) proteins in HCT116 cells. METHODS: High expression of EphA2 protein in HCT116 cells was confirmed by Western blot. HCT116 cells were transfected with EphA2 antisense oligonucleotide. The expression of the transfection efficiency was analyzed by Western blot. VEGF proteins in the cell supernatants were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and the expressions of MMP9 in cell supernatants were examined by gelatin zymography. RESULTS: EphA2 antisense oligonucleotide suppressed the expression of VEGF and MMP9 proteins in HCT116 cells. CONCLUSION: EphA2 could decrease the invasion and metastasis of HCT116 cells by suppressing the expression of VEGF and MMP9. PMID- 17767066 TI - [Herceptin plus adjuvant chemotherapy for the prognosis of patients with human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 positive early-stage breast cancer: a meta analysis]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of herceptin(trastuzumab) plus adjuvant chemotherapy on the prognosis of patients with human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive early-stage breast cancer by Meta-analysis. METHODS: Search all of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on herceptin plus adjuvant chemotherapy for HER2 positive early-stage breast cancer in MEDLINE, EMBase, Cochrane library, Clinical Trails, ASCO Conference data, CHKD, Wanfang Database, VIP information, scholar.google.com and SIGLE. A Meta-analysis was carried out by collecting information based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria from all papers available. RESULTS: The Meta-analysis included 4 trials. A total of 9116 patients were included in the analysis(4555 in the study group and 4561 in the control group). There were statistical differences between the study group(herceptin plus adjuvant chemotherapy) and the control group(adjuvant chemotherapy) in the disease-free survival rate [relative risk(RR)=1.08, 95% CI, 1.06-1.09, P<0.001], the overall survival rate(RR=1.01, 95% CI, 1.01-1.02, P=0.0003), the distant recurrence rate(RR=0.49, 95% CI, 0.42-0.57, P<0.001), and the cardiac events rate (RR=3.93,95% CI, 1.03-15.06, P=0.05). CONCLUSION: Herceptin plus adjuvant chemotherapy can improve the disease-free survival rate and the overall survival rate, decrease distant recurrence rate of patients with HER2 positive early-stage breast cancer, but may cause heart toxicity, especially when combined with anthracycline (doxorubicin). PMID- 17767067 TI - [Comparison of treatment response in primary hepatocellular carcinomas with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced helical CT]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of contrast-enhanced ultra sonography for non surgical treatment response in hepatocellular carcinomas. METHODS: Non-surgical therapies were performed on 56 patients (64 liver neoplasms) who were diagnosed by ultrasonography-guided biopsy before the therapy. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography(CEUS) and contrast-enhanced helical CT were performed to assess the treatment response. RESULTS: Forty-six of the 64 lesions were not enhanced with CEUS.Partial enhancement was demonstrated in the other 18 lesions. Forty eight of the 64 lesions were not enhanced with contrast-enhanced helical CT. Partial enhancement were demonstrated in the other 16 lesions.The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 94.4%, 97.8%, and 96.9% for CEUS and 83.3%, 97.8%, and 93.8% for contrast-enhanced helical CT (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: CEUS is a good method in assessing the non-surgical treatment response in hepatocellular carcinomas and is more sensitive and useful than contrast-enhanced helical CT in assessing the treatment response of transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization. PMID- 17767068 TI - [Treatment of fractures of extremities with expandable intramedullary nails]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the method and clinical effect of the expandable intramedullary nails on fractures of extremities. METHODS: Nineteen cases of extremities long tubular bone fractures were treated with Fixion expandable intramedullary nails. RESULTS: Nineteen cases were followed up for 4-18 months,all cases healed without any complications. CONCLUSION: The application of expandable intramedullary nails in the treatment of extremity fractures has the advantages of little trauma, simple operation, rigid fixation and high healing rate. It is a good treatment for fractures of extremities. PMID- 17767069 TI - [Integrity of lumbar facet joint and curative effect after a lumbar intervertebral disc operation]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relation between the clinical outcome and the integrity of the facets after a lumbar operation,and to provide a reference for choosing operative method and clinical prognosis. METHODS: Forty-three patients with complete data underwent uni-segment discectomy were enrolled. There were 3 surgical interventions: open-window discectomy, full or semi-laminectomy. Groups were divided based on the integrity of the facets after the operation, and the clinical symptoms and signs were evaluated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back (JOA) scores at 24-month follow-up. RESULTS: Preoperative JOA scores were not significantly different among the groups (P>0.05). Compared with the facet intact group at 24-month follow-up,JOA scores were descended statistically in total uni-facetectomy group and total uni-facetectomy plus partial opposite facetectomy group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Keeping facets integrated plays an important role in achieving good clinical results,and the damage of facet should be avoided in the lumbar operation. PMID- 17767070 TI - [Intrathecal injection of ketamine and clonidine for chronic neuropathic pain model in rats]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of intrathecal injection of ketamine and clonidine for chronic constriction injury (CCI) in rats. METHODS: Thirty-two SD male rats weighing 220-280 g were anesthetized with intraperitoneal chloral hydrate 300 mg/kg. A catheter was implanted in the subarachnoid space at the lumbal region and CCI rat models were made successfully. On the 4th day after the surgery, the rats were randomly divided into 4 group: a control group,injecting 0.9%NS 20 microL intrathecally; a ketamine group, injecting ketamine 1 mg/kg(20 microL) intrathecally; a clonidine group (CL), injecting clonidine 20 microg/kg (20 microL) intrathecally; a combined ketamine and clonidine group, injecting ketamine 0.5mg/kg and clonidine 10 g/kg (20 microL) intrathecally, once a day for 1 week. BME-410A Plantar Analgesia Tester was used to measured pain threshold before the administration and 30 min after the administration. The rats were killed after the test was finished. And then we detected the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and the NO production in the spinal cord. RESULTS: The combined injection of ketamine (0.5mg/kg)and clonidine(10 g/kg) produced significantly more potent analgesia than the injection of ketamine (1 mg/ kg) or clonidine (20 microg/ kg)alone. The NOS activity and the production of NO in the combined injection group were significantly lower than those of the single injection group (P<0.05). The weight of rats post-administration increased obviously in the 4 groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The combined injection of ketamine and clonidine can produce synergistic ab-irritation without obvious side effects. PMID- 17767071 TI - [Effect of mechanical ventilation with different tidal volumes on the respiratory function during general anesthesia]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of mechanical ventilation with different tidal volumes on the respiratory function during general anesthesia and to seek optimum way and parameters of mechanical ventilation during general anesthesia. METHODS: Forty ASA I-II patients scheduled for elective craniotomies in the supine position were included in this study. According to latin square design, the patients were randomly divided into 4 groups. Every group has its own tidal volume sequence. Each patient used 4 tidal volumes in turn. Every tidal volume maintained 30 minutes. The rate of mechanical ventilation was 15. But ECG, blood pressure, heart rate, SPO2, ETCO2, airway pressure, lung compliance, and blood gas analysis were continuously monitored. RESULTS: A-aDO2, P(a-ET)CO2, P(PEAK), P(MEAN), P(PLAT), C(DYN), and C(STAT) significantly increased as the tidal volume increased (P<0.05). But ETCO2 and PaCO2 decreased as the tidal volume increased (P<0.05). PaO2, SPO2, MAP and HR had no significant difference between the 4 tidal volume groups(P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The optimum tidal volume of mechanical ventilation is not 4 mL/kg at the rate of 15 respiratory rate during general anesthesia in the supine position because of a high arterial carbon dioxide tension. Yet 6-8 mL/kg is better for neurosurgical anesthesia. Increasing the tidal volume alone may not improve the respiratory function impairment during general anesthesia. PMID- 17767072 TI - [Repair of skin and soft tissue defect around the malleolus by superior regressive island fasciocutaneous skin flap graft]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To discuss the repairing procedure of skin and soft tissue defect around the malleolus, achilles tendon exposure, or calcaneus tendon exposure by superior regressive island fasciocutaneous skin flap graft. METHODS: We used the superior regressive island fasciocutaneous skin flaps to repair 13 cases of skin and soft tissue defect or achilles tendon exposure around malleolus after trauma, scar ulcer, tumor, or other occasions. The maximal size of skin and soft tissue defect was 6 cm x 14 cm. The maximal size of calcaneus exposure was 5 cm x 10 cm. RESULTS: Twelve cases obtained complete success with satisfactory results, and 1 case of necrosis delayed wound healing by latissimus dorsal myocutaneous flap graft. The follow-up lasted from 6 months to 4 years with satisfactory results. CONCLUSION: The superior regressive island fasciocutaneous skin flap graft is an effective and convenient method to repair skin and soft tissue defect around the malleolus, achilles tendon exposure, or calcaneus tendon exposure. PMID- 17767073 TI - [Clinical and pathologic features of melanocytic lesion of the central nervous system]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical and pathologic features of melanocytic lesion of the central nervous system. METHODS: We analyzed the clinical features, neuroimages, and operational and neuropathological findings of 2 patients of neurocutaneous melanosis and 4 patients of primary leptomeningeal melanoma. RESULTS: All the 6 patients had the common clinical features of intracranial hypertension and epilepsy. Brain CT and MRI showed abnormal signals. More melanin pigment nevi were found on the skin of the 2 patients subjected to neurocutaneous melanosis. The other 4 patients subjected to primary leptomeningeal melanoma had no melanin pigment nevus on the skin, but the brain section displayed positive meningeal melanoma. CONCLUSION: Intracranial hypertension and epilepsy are the main clinical manifestations of melanocytic lesion of the central nervous system, and cutaneous lesion and radiological findings are very important for the diagnosis. PMID- 17767074 TI - [Mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the treatment of un-hydronephrotic cata staghorn renal calculi]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the surgical techniques and clinical effects of mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL) in the treatment of un-hydronephrotic cata-staghorn renal calculi. METHODS: The clinical data of 46 cases (31 males and 15 females) treated by mini-PCNL were retrospectively analyzed. There were mono renal calculi in 38 patients (3 patients were the isolated renal calculi) while the other 8 combined opposite side upper urinary tract calculi. The diameter of calculi ranged from 4.2 to 6.4 (mean=5.2) cm. Puncturation was guided by B-type ultrasound. Lithotripsy by air pressure path lithotripter and/or holmium laser was done when the pervium was established. RESULTS: The pervium in the 46 patients was successfully established by one-session puncturation with B-type ultrasonography guidance. The operative time ranged from 140 to 280 (mean=190) min. The amount of blood ranged from 50 to 200 (mean=100) mL and no one needed blood transfusion. Calculus was completely removed in 18 patients (39.1%). Calculi in 10 patients (21.7%) were completely removed among the 20 patients who underwent second-look mini-PCNL. Calculi in 1 of the 3 cases were completely removed by third-look mini-PCNL. Left-over calculi in 17 patients (8 patients after the first time mini-PCNL, 7 patients after second-look, and 2 patients after third-look) were treated by extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and 8 were removed completely. All the 46 patients were followed up for 4 to 48 months. None of them had nephro-hydrops or stenosis. Renal function re investigation showed that 8 patients recovered and 2 improved in the 10 patients who had azotemia before. Two (5.4%, 2/37) had calculus recurrence in 37 cases which calculi were completely removed before. The size and amount of left-over calculi in 3 patients (33.3%, 3/9) were increasing. CONCLUSION: Mini-PCNL is effective and causes less trauma for un-hydronephrotic cata-staghorn renal calculi. Mini-PCNL combined ESWL may substitute the open operation and is the preferred method for un-hydronephrotic renal cata-staghorn calculi. PMID- 17767075 TI - Randomized study of aprotinin effect on transfusions and blood loss in primary THA. AB - A projected increase in total hip arthroplasties, shortfalls in blood availability, and awareness of complications of transfusion make blood management in orthopaedic surgery important. In a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we hypothesized use of aprotinin would reduce blood transfusions (any and allogeneic) and blood loss in total hip arthroplasty. Using an intent-to-treat approach, we recruited 393 patients stratified by preoperative autologous blood donation or none and then randomized them to receive aprotinin (176 patients receiving a 10,000 kallikrein inhibitor units [KIU] test dose, 2 million KIU load, 0.5 million KIU per hour) or placebo (177 patients). We assessed patients at baseline; postoperative days 1, 2, 3, and 7 (or discharge); and 6 +/- 2 weeks. Primary efficacy was percentage of patients having blood transfusion through day 7 or discharge. We based safety on reported adverse events. Aprotinin reduced transfusions by 46% (30 of 176 versus 56 of 177 patients). Aprotinin reduced the total number of any blood units and the number of allogeneic blood units transfused relative to placebo (48 versus 109 units and 30 versus 72 units, respectively). Serious complications were similar in the two groups (placebo, 11%; aprotinin, 10%). Our data suggest full-dose aprotinin is safe and effective in decreasing blood transfusion in total hip arthroplasty. PMID- 17767076 TI - Clinical outcome of a fibermetal taper stem: minimum 5-year followup. AB - Tapered femoral components were designed to provide a cementless alternative in patients with narrow femoral canals. Major concerns with this stem include perioperative fracture and thigh pain. To ascertain the frequency of these concerns, we retrospectively reviewed 100 consecutive hips in 97 patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty with a tapered fibermetal femoral component. Patients were evaluated postoperatively using Harris hip scores and sequential radiographs. The average age of the patients was 56.5 years (range, 33.7-73.5 years). Minimum followup was 5 years (average, 6.2 years; range, 5-9 years). One patient died at 1.3 years and was excluded from the study. Six patients had incomplete perioperative fractures of the calcar without extension below the lesser trochanter. All fractures were recognized perioperatively and fixed with cerclage wires without further problems. Four patients underwent revision surgery, two for recurrent dislocation secondary to malpositioning of the acetabular cup, one for a greater trochanteric fracture after a fall, and one for a fractured zirconium femoral head. At last followup, the mean Harris hip score was 98 (range, 86-100); two patients had mild anterior thigh pain. All femoral stems appeared to have bony integration radio-graphically. Tapered femoral stems provide a cementless alternative in patients with a narrow femoral canal without undue risk of perioperative fracture or thigh pain. PMID- 17767078 TI - Subtrochanteric osteotomy effectively treats femoroacetabular impingement after slipped capital femoral epiphysis. AB - Femoroacetabular impingement causing pain and deformity often follows in situ pinning for severe, stable (Grade III) slipped capital femoral epiphysis. We asked whether a transverse percutaneous subtrochanteric osteotomy using external fixation could decrease pain, restore function and motion, and improve radiographic outcome. We performed a transverse subtrochanteric osteotomy with external fixation in 13 patients who had prior in situ pinning for severe slipped capital femoral epiphysis. All patients had decreased function, limited range of motion, pain with ambulation, and a limp after in situ pinning. We evaluated the patients using Southwick's categorical classification. The patients' ages ranged from 11 to 17 years; there were five boys and eight girls. The minimum followup was 32 months (average, 43 months; range, 32-92 months). Considering pain as a criterion, 11 patients had good or excellent results (two fair). Twelve patients had good results (one fair) for function, 11 had good results (two fair) for limping, and 11 had good or excellent results (two fair) for motion. Radiographic parameters showed nine good results and four fair results. Subtrochanteric three dimensional correction using a percutaneous transverse osteotomy and external fixation effectively improved symptoms of femoroacetabular impingement after pinning of a severe slipped capital femoral epiphysis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. PMID- 17767079 TI - Does lumbar facet arthrosis precede disc degeneration? A postmortem study. AB - It is believed lumbar degeneration begins in the disc, where desiccation and collapse lead to instability and compensatory facet arthrosis. We explored the contrary contention that facet degeneration precedes disc degeneration by examining 647 skeletal lumbar spines. Using facet osteophytosis as a measure of facet degeneration and vertebral rim osteophytosis as a measure of disc degeneration, we assumed bone degeneration in both locations equally reflected the progression of those in the soft tissues. We graded arthrosis Grade 0 to 4 on a continuum from no arthritis to ankylosis. The data were analyzed for different age groups to examine patterns of degeneration with age. Specimens younger than 30 years of age had a higher prevalence of facet osteophytosis compared with vertebral rim osteophotosis at L1-L2 and L2-L3. Specimens aged 30 to 39 years showed more facet osteophytosis than vertebral rim osteophytosis at L4-L5. Specimens older than 40 years, however, showed more vertebral rim osteophytosis compared with facet osteophytosis at all levels except L4-L5 and L5-S1. This skeletal study suggests facet osteophytosis appears early in the degenerative process, preceding vertebral rim osteophytosis of degenerating intervertebral discs. However, once facets begin deteriorating with age, vertebral rim osteophytosis overtakes continued facet osteophytosis. These data challenge the belief that facet osteophytosis follows vertebral rim osteophytosis; rather, it appears vertebral rim osteophytosis progresses more rapidly in later years, but facet osteophotosis occurs early, predominating in younger individuals. PMID- 17767080 TI - The use of pasteurized autologous grafts for periacetabular reconstruction. AB - Reconstruction after periacetabular resection is a challenge. We asked whether the use of pasteurized autologous grafts would provide satisfactory results regarding patient survival, local recurrence, and metastasis, and graft union and functional outcome. We retrospectively reviewed 11 patients having such grafts with a minimum followup of 12 months (mean, 40 months; range, 12-116 months). All patients underwent periacetabular (Type II) resection of malignant periacetabular tumors. The resected bone was treated in saline at 65 degrees C for 30 minutes and reimplanted into the host bone with internal fixation. Total hip arthroplasty was performed in all patients. Local recurrence occurred in two of nine patients with primary sarcoma. Ten grafts survived at the last followup. Union of the resected bone with the host bone was achieved in eight of the 11 patients at an average of 12 months. The overall functional rating was 61% according to the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society System, with better results in the patients with primary tumors. Graft fracture (one patient) and infection (one patient) were the major complications. Our data suggest the use of pasteurization may be a reasonable option for reconstruction after resection of malignant periacetabular tumors. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. PMID- 17767081 TI - Definition of the target sign and its use for the diagnosis of schwannomas. AB - The target sign is one of the characteristic imaging findings in schwannomas that distinguishes it from other soft tissue tumors, but its definition has varied in past studies. We defined the characteristic target sign on MRI and clarified its sensitivity and specificity based on histology. Of the 199 schwannomas reviewed, 162 (81%) showed biphasic macroscopic and microscopic patterns of central Antoni A and peripheral Antoni B cells; 118 (59%) also showed a biphasic pattern on MRI. Gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images showed central high intensity and peripheral low intensity, whereas T2-weighted images showed peripheral high intensity and central low intensity. Seventy-eight cases had cystic, hemorrhagic, or necrotic degeneration, which corresponded to high intensity on T2-weighted images and low intensity on gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images. Nine cases in which the degenerative area was only in the central portion of Antoni A showed a triphasic pattern. We defined the target sign as the biphasic or triphasic pattern on MRI, and the sign correlated with macroscopic and microscopic findings. The specificity of the target sign in schwannoma was 100% and the sensitivity was 59%; therefore, the target sign was characteristic of and helpful for the diagnosis of schwannomas. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, diagnostic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. PMID- 17767082 TI - Variances in sagittal femoral shaft bowing in patients undergoing TKA. AB - We asked, "What are the quantitative variances in sagittal femoral bowing in patients who were indicated for total knee arthroplasty?" We retrospectively evaluated 145 consecutive patients who underwent 166 primary total knee arthroplasties with adequate preoperative nonrotated sagittal plane full-leg lateral radiographs. Digital radiographs were processed such that each femoral shaft was divided into three segments. A purpose-written program determined the flexion/extension of the femoral component using the Knee Society method of focusing on the distal femur and a second method using the whole femur. The median angle of curvature of the proximal, middle, and distal thirds of the femora were 5.4 degrees, 0.2 degree, and 3.1 degrees, respectively, with the largest bow occurring in the proximal segment followed by the distal segment and with the least bow in the middle segment. The median angles for femoral component flexion were considerably different with the whole femur angle showing more flexion (4 degrees) than that of the Knee Society angle (1.421 degrees). We found an inverse relationship between distal angle of curvature and height as well as weight. Men had greater proximal bowing and less distal bowing than women. The effects of these variances may have implications in development of osteoarthritis and total knee arthroplasty component survival. PMID- 17767083 TI - Single-bone forearm reconstruction for malignant and aggressive tumors. AB - Limb-salvage surgery for malignant and aggressive forearm tumors presents a unique surgical challenge. We performed single-bone forearm reconstructions after extensive resections of the radius and ulna in four patients for such tumors. Radiocarpal arthrodesis was performed in three patients. We recorded the presence of metastases or local recurrences, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society upper extremity scores, and complications. One patient had local recurrence and one died of metastases. The average Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score at the last followup was 26 of 30 (88%; range, 24-28). Complications included wound infection/necrosis, delayed union, nonunion, and acute carpal tunnel syndrome. Single-bone forearm reconstructive surgery provided satisfactory functional outcomes in these four patients, and we believe it is a reasonable treatment option for individuals with malignant or aggressive tumors of the forearm requiring massive bone resection. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. PMID- 17767084 TI - Value of the promontory stimulation test in predicting speech perception after cochlear implantation. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of the promontory stimulation test (PST) in cochlear implantation (CI), we evaluated the correlations between PST parameters and the results of speech perception tests after CI. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: With use of a retrospective review of the medical records of 58 patients, the GAP50, GAP100, TDL50, and TDL100 parameters of the PST were compared with the results of speech perception tests at fixed time points after CI. Spearman's rank order correlation coefficient was used in statistical analyses. RESULTS: GAP100 scores were correlated with all results of speech perception tests at all time points after CI (r = 0.309-0.509, P = .001-0.010), and TDL100 scores were correlated with the results of open set one- and two-syllabic word tests at 1 month after CI (r = 0.288, P = .028); no other significant correlations were found. The GAP100 scores for postlingually deaf patients, especially for gap intervals up to 100 ms, were correlated with all results of speech perception tests after CI. A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the GAP100 score is the only variable that was significantly correlated with the results of speech perception tests. The duration and onset age of deafness did not significantly affect the results. CONCLUSION: The PST may be a useful tool for predicting the prognosis of CI. The GAP100 score, especially for gap intervals up to 100 ms, might be useful in predicting the results of speech perception tests after CI as well as in determining the optimal site for CI in postlingually deaf patients without residual hearing. PMID- 17767085 TI - Comparison of pullout strength of resorbable screws and titanium screws in human cadaveric laryngeal cartilage. AB - OBJECTIVES: To compare the pullout strength of titanium screws and resorbable screws from human fresh-frozen cadaveric laryngeal cartilage. The importance of drill hole diameter, screw diameter, and whether the drill hole was tapped (resorbable screws only) was also determined. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective. METHODS: Sixteen cartilage specimens were tested after debridement of connective tissue and perichondrium. Linear pullout strength of screws was measured using a load cell. Titanium and resorbable screw sizes of 1.5 and 2.0 mm were tested using drill hole diameters of 1.1 and 1.5 mm. For the resorbable-tapped group, screw diameters of 1.5 and 2.0 mm were tapped with 1.5 and 2.0 mm taps, respectively. All tested screws were 6 mm in length. RESULTS: We found a uniformly constant difference between the three screw types (P < .001). Post hoc analysis indicated a significant difference between the resorbable-untapped screw and both the resorbable-tapped screw and the titanium screw. We failed to find a significant difference, however, between the resorbable-tapped screw and the titanium screw. We also found a significant effect in regard to screw size (P = .0133), with post hoc analysis demonstrating the 1.1/1.5 mm combination to be inferior to the 1.1/2.0 and 1.5/2.0 mm combinations. There was no significant difference between the 1.1/2.0- and 1.5/2.0-mm combinations. CONCLUSIONS: Resorbable screws with untapped drill holes result in higher resistance to linear loads than both titanium screws and resorbable screws with tapped drill holes. The 1.1/2.0- and 1.5/2.0-mm drill/screw combinations are superior to the 1.1/1.5-mm combination when considering untapped resorbable screws. PMID- 17767086 TI - Cochlear implant outcomes and quality of life in adults with prelingual deafness. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate sound and speech perception and quality of life in prelingually deafened adults implanted with state of the art devices. To investigate which patient factors influence postoperative performance. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective intervention study. METHODS: Eight prelingually deafened subjects (with onset of severe hearing impairment before the age of 4 years and functioning in an oral-aural setting) participated in this study. Subjects were implanted at a mean age of 36 (range, 21-55) years with a CII or 90 K cochlear implant (Advanced Bionics Corp.). All subjects completed standard speech perception tests as well as quality of life measures (Health Utility Index Mark II, Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire, visual analogue scale for subject's hearing and health) at different points in time. Postoperative scores were compared with each other and with the baseline preoperative scores. The relationship between nine patient variables and the postoperative consonant-vowel consonant (CVC) phoneme score was also investigated. RESULTS: Significant improvement was measured for CVC word and phoneme scores and several quality of life measures. Postoperative speech perception correlated with a new and promising factor named quality of a patient's own speech production (QoSP). CONCLUSION: With state of the art implants, speech perception and quality of life do improve in prelingually deafened adults. More importantly, the prognostic value of QoSP should be investigated further. PMID- 17767087 TI - Coronoidectomy for the treatment of trismus in head and neck cancer patients. AB - OBJECTIVES: Trismus is a common adverse effect of tumor extension or treatment for those with head and neck malignancy. Physical therapy is the mainstay of treatment, but many patients still fail to maintain adequate mouth opening. Coronoidectomy is a treatment option for those with trismus, and the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of coronoidectomy in treating trismus refractory to physical therapy. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective case series. METHODS: Eighteen head and neck cancer patients with interincisal distances less than or equal to 20 mm underwent coronoidectomy after failing physical therapy for at least 3 months. All patients had undergone maximal radiation therapy, half after tumor resection. RESULTS: Postcoronoidectomy, mean interincisal distances improved 22.1 mm and 21.8 mm at 6 and 12 months, respectively, with all patients maintaining an interincisal distance greater than or equal to 35 mm. Tumor location, tumor histology, or the addition of surgical resection had no impact on outcome. CONCLUSION: Coronoidectomy is effective at improving trismus refractory to physical therapy in head and neck cancer patients. PMID- 17767088 TI - When to cut? Using an objective structured clinical examination to evaluate surgical decision-making. AB - OBJECTIVES: To create an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) tailored to surgical residents that uses surgical case scenarios appropriate for the experience level of the resident to evaluate whether residents understand the indications for a specific surgery, identify when indications are met, and make the appropriate decision to proceed with an operation. METHODS: The surgical OSCE consisted of two case scenarios: a junior case created for postgraduate year (PGY) 2 to 3 level residents and a senior case created for PGY 4 to 5 level residents. Four senior residents and four junior residents in the otolaryngology department participated. Residents were instructed to proceed as if they had all the capabilities of the otolaryngology clinic. Recordings were made of each encounter and were reviewed by two separate faculty member with expertise in each case. Faculty evaluated whether surgical indications were elicited by history, whether certain physical examination or radiographic findings were recognized, whether residents made the correct diagnosis, and whether residents not only made the decision to proceed with surgery but also indicated the correct surgery. RESULTS: Seniors (100%) were better at obtaining needed surgical information and indications than juniors (25%). Seniors were more willing to make the decision to proceed with surgery (100%), whereas no juniors actually scheduled surgery. The reasons for this ranged from failure to elicit surgical indications to lack of surety in proceeding with surgery. All seniors recommended the appropriate surgery, but only 75% correctly identified the need for emergent intervention. Results of evaluations were reviewed with each resident individually. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical OSCE was successful in evaluating resident surgical decision-making. Juniors were not as capable as seniors in eliciting surgical indications and in "making the jump" to proceed with surgery. These results were used by our faculty to work with juniors on surgical history-taking and decision making. These results were also useful in identifying seniors who could recognize an emergency situation. PMID- 17767089 TI - Gold laser versus curettage adenoidectomy: incidence of complications and otorrhea after concurrent pressure-equalization tube placement. AB - OBJECTIVES: To measure the incidence of postoperative complications and otorrhea in patients undergoing Gold laser or curettage adenoidectomy with pressure equalization (PE) tube placement. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study of 100 patients, ages 8 to 48 months, undergoing Gold laser (n = 50) or curettage adenoidectomy (n = 50) and PE tube placement in a pediatric outpatient setting. METHODS: Pediatric patients with chronic otitis media with effusion and adenoid hypertrophy after failure of medical management were included in the study. Adenoid size and middle ear status were recorded at surgery. The total adenoidectomy procedure time was recorded. All patients were evaluated at 1 week, 1 month, and 4 months postoperatively. The incidence of nasal complications and otorrhea was recorded. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in age, race, sex, adenoid size, or middle ear status between groups. The laser group had a shorter procedure time (P = .001) and a lower incidence of otorrhea (P = .024). There was no difference in nasal complications between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The Gold laser adenoidectomy technique can be safely performed with PE tube placement and may offer advantages over the traditional curettage adenoidectomy technique. PMID- 17767090 TI - Nasal mucosa expression of lactoferrin in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. AB - OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: Antimicrobial peptides, such as lactoferrin, are an important component of the innate immune system. They offer the body a first line defense against a wide range of invading pathogens. The diverse antipathogenic action of lactoferrin has been well characterized; however, the role that this peptide plays in chronic conditions such as rhinosinusitis remains largely unknown. This study aims to examine the level of lactoferrin expression in the nasal mucosa of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: Nasal biopsies of 85 chronic rhinosinusitis patients, subclassified into allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS), nonallergic fungal eosinophilic sinusitis (NAFES), nonallergic, nonfungal eosinophilic sinusitis (NANFES), and CRS were studied by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for their expression of lactoferrin at an mRNA and protein level, respectively. RESULTS: All groups of patients with CRS showed a decrease in lactoferrin mRNA expression relative to controls (median fold-change of CRS relative to controls, 0.1550; AFS, 0.1800; NANFES, 0.1900; and NAFES, 0.2100). All groups also showed a decreased expression of lactoferrin protein (controls, 163.3 ng/mL; CRS, 82.19 ng/mL; AFS, 104.1 ng/mL; NANFES, 118.9 ng/mL; and NAFES, 74.33 ng/mL). The most significant reduction was evident in the CRS subgroup as well as in patients with nasal polyposis at the time of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study of its kind to objectively examine lactoferrin expression in the nasal mucosa of CRS patients. We report a reduction in the expression of this important antimicrobial peptide at both the mRNA and protein level. Such a defect in the innate immune system may explain the predisposition of certain individuals to develop CRS and nasal polyposis, providing further insight into the pathogenesis of such conditions. PMID- 17767091 TI - Eosinophilic bacterial chronic rhinosinusitis. AB - BACKGROUND: A subset of Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients are those with eosinophilic CRS (ECRS). These patients remain the most refractory to medical and surgical intervention, and are thought to reflect an inflammatory process arising from a variety of causes. Recently the role of fungus in ECRS, defined as the presence of fungi in the eosinophilic mucin of CRS, has been proposed as causal in many cases. Other proposed causes of ECRS include bacterial superantigen induction of inflammation and aspirin sensitivity. DESIGN: Retrospective review. METHODS: Histopathology from patients with previously diagnosed ECRS was prospectively re-reviewed for bacterial and fungal presence and correlated with patients' demographic data. The study population was comprised of 55 specimens with ECRS from 34 patients, over a 3-year period from a single investigator at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. RESULTS: Histologic presence of bacteria was shown in 34 of 55 (62%) of all ECRS specimens. Specimens with fungal colonization were more often associated with bacterial presence than without bacteria (17 of 22 [77%] vs. 5 of 22 [23%], P < .02). CONCLUSION: Bacteria were present in almost two-thirds of all specimens, and most cases of fungal presence were accompanied by bacterial presence, potentially providing support for bacteria as a source of superantigen. Other possible reasons for the high rate of bacterial and fungal colonization of ECRS include increased pathogen exposure, or failure to eliminate pathogens. PMID- 17767092 TI - Multifrequency tympanometry: experimental application after implantation of ossicular replacement prosthesis in rabbits. AB - HYPOTHESIS: We used multiple-frequency tympanometry (MFT) to evaluate the influence of a newly developed ossicular replacement prosthesis on transmission characteristics of middle ear. BACKGROUND: Multiple-frequency tympanometry is a technique for evaluating the emittance of the middle ear over a wide frequency range. It has been shown to be sensitive to certain middle ear conditions that are not detected by conventional 226-Hz tympanometry. In the field of experimental evaluation, MFT has been shown in certain animal studies to be useful in monitoring diseases. METHODS: Thirty-six prostheses composed of titanium dioxide ceramic were implanted into the right middle ear of female rabbits. Bilateral measurements using conventional 226-Hz and MFT were performed before implantation and after 28, 84, and 300 days postoperatively. The results of the preoperative examinations yielded reference values for physiological resonance frequency. After dissecting the temporal bone, we opened the middle ear and analyzed both the surrounding tissue and the position of the prosthesis. RESULTS: The constant values for compliance revealed by both preoperative and postoperative measurements indicate good reproducibility of 226-Hz tympanometry. Postoperatively, resonance frequency increased continuously up to the 300th day. The observation supports the assumption that the higher stiffness level of connective tissue influenced resonance frequency. CONCLUSION: The reference values in this study can serve as guidelines for further experimental trials. PMID- 17767094 TI - The digastric muscle's anterior accessory belly: case report. AB - Digastric muscle is characterized by presenting occasional variations. The suprahyoid region of an 83 year-old male cadaver was dissected and an anatomic variation of the digastric muscle was observed in its anterior belly. It consisted of an accessory bilateral anterior belly originating in the intermediate tendon and inserted into the mylohyoid raphe. The implications of this variation are discussed from a diagnostic and functional perspective. PMID- 17767093 TI - Acceptability of hypothetical microbicides among women in sex establishments in rural areas in Southern China. AB - OBJECTIVES AND GOAL: The objectives of this study were to measure the potential acceptability of a hypothetical microbicide among women in sex establishments in rural areas of Southern China and demographic, behavioral, and social context factors likely to affect microbicide acceptability. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional survey, using a quota sampling, among 300 women from sex establishments in 3 rural towns. An interviewer-administered standardized questionnaire was used to measure the acceptability score of hypothetical microbicides' characteristics, as well as sexual relationships and behaviors and other contextual factors. RESULTS: Findings showed a generally positive response to microbicides, indicated by an acceptability index score of 2.89 (SD, 0.56, scale of 1-4) in the overall sample. Multivariate analysis shows that the acceptability score varied significantly by study sites, type of sex-work establishments, marital status, sex partner type, vaginal product experience, locus of control by partners, and locus of control by chance. CONCLUSIONS: Microbicides may be acceptable among sex workers in rural settings in China; however, contextual factors should be carefully considered in education and promotion of microbicides in the future. PMID- 17767095 TI - Maxillary lesion presenting as a first sign of multiple myeloma: case report. AB - Plasma cell neoplasia is a lymphoid neoplastic proliferation of B cells. This denomination encloses multiple myeloma (MM), solitary bone plasmacytoma and extramedullary plasmacytoma. MM consists of a clonal proliferation of plasma cells based in the bone marrow, with various degrees of differentiation. Neoplastic cells usually produce great amounts of monoclonal light or heavy chains of immunoglobulin that can be detected in serum or urine. The disease is more frequently in men and the average age at diagnosis is about 60 years. The diagnosis is established by blood and urine exams and medullary biopsy. Patients may present renal failure, bone pain, fatigue, recurrent infections and nervous system dysfunction. Oral manifestations may be the first sign of MM, highlighting the importance of the dentist in the early diagnosis of the disease. Treatment involves mainly irradiation and chemotherapy and the prognosis is generally poor. This paper reports a case of a 65 years old black female who had a complaint of a painful mass in the maxilla that prompted a MM diagnosis. PMID- 17767096 TI - Florid cemento-osseous dysplasia: a case report. AB - Cemento-osseous dysplasias are a group of disorders known to originate from periodontal ligament tissues and involve, essentially, the same pathological process. They are usually classified, depending on their extent and radiographic appearances, into three main groups: periapical (surrounds the periapical region of teeth and are bilateral), florid (sclerotic symmetrical masses) and focal (single lesion) cemental dysplasias. Florid cemento-osseous dysplasia clearly appears to be a form of bone and cemental dysplasia that is limited to jaws. Patients do not have laboratory or radiologic evidence of bone disease in other parts of the skeleton. For the asymptomatic patient, the best management consists of regular recall examinations with prophylaxis and reinforcement of good home hygiene care to control periodontal disease and prevent tooth lose. Management of the symptomatic patient is more difficult. At this stage, there is an inflammatory component to the disease and the process is basically a chronic osteomyelitis involving dysplastic bone and cementum. Antibiotics may be indicated but may not be effective. A case of florid cemento-osseous dysplasia occurring in a 47-year-old Caucasian female is reported which was rare in regard to race and sex. PMID- 17767097 TI - Osteonecrosis of the jaw as an adverse bisphosphonate event: three cases of bone metastatic prostate cancer patients treated with zoledronic acid. AB - Bisphosphonates offer a significant improvement in the quality of life for cancer patients; these potent inhibitors of bone resorption have been shown to markedly reduce the morbidity frequently resulting from bone metastases. Despite the success of bisphosphonates as therapeutic agents, however, toxicity in the form of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is a rare complication whose incidence rate has climbed in recent years. ONJ is defined as an unexpected development of necrotic bone in the oral cavity, and is commonly associated with administration of the bisphosphonates Pamidronate and Zoledronate. Clinical features include local pain, soft-tissue swelling, and/or loose teeth; ONJ is also often correlated with previous dental procedures, such as tooth extractions, during biphosphonate therapy. Although additional risk factors-such as corticosteroids, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, trauma or infection-exhibit etiological associations with ONJ, the real pathobiology has not yet been fully elucidated. Here we report our findings on all 2005 OJN cases presented at our institution resulting from bone metastatic prostate cancer treated with zoledronic acid. The incidence of ONJ is nearly 3% (3 out of 104) in these patients. PMID- 17767098 TI - A boy with oral hair: case report. AB - In personal communication we have never seen or heard of hair being detected in the oral cavity. Even Julia Pastrana, the famous "Bearded Lady" of the 1800's, had no record of oral hair, although her entire body was covered with hair. Extensive records of her oral condition, including plaster models of her teeth have been preserved in the Odontological Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in London city. She suffered from excessive gingival hyperplasia, but apparently no hair existed within the mouth. Some rodents have oral hair as a normal occurrence, but the condition is apparently limited in the animal kingdom. A case of hair occurring naturally in the mouth has been reported only twice previously. A third case of this rare anomaly is reported here. In this case, multiple hairs were found at the gingival sulcus in the labial, buccal, lingual and palatal tooth surfaces in an 11-year-old boy. PMID- 17767099 TI - Maxillary necrosis by mucormycosis. a case report and literature review. AB - The maxilla rarely undergoes necrosis due to its rich vascularity. Maxillary necrosis can occur due to bacterial infections such as osteomyelitis, viral infections such as herpes zoster or fungal infections such as mucormycosis, aspergillosis etc. Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fulminant fungal infection, which mainly infects immunocompromised patients. The infection begins in the nose and paranasal sinuses due to inhalation of fungal spores. The infection can spread to orbital and intracranial structures either by direct invasion or through the blood vessels. The fungus invades the arteries leading to thrombosis that subsequently causes necrosis of hard and soft tissues. We report a case of maxillary necrosis by mucormycosis in an uncontrolled diabetic patient to emphasize early diagnosis of this potentially fatal fungal infection. We briefly discuss different diseases which can lead to maxillary necrosis and review the current concepts in management of mucormycosis. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment can reduce the mortality and morbidity of this lethal fungal infection. PMID- 17767100 TI - Classic Kaposi's sarcoma presenting in the oral cavity of two HIV-negative Quechua patients. AB - Traditionally, classic KS lesions have a general distribution, often involving the skin of the feet and legs, and to a lesser extent, that of the hands, arms, and trunk. Oral involvement is a rare manifestation. Initial oral involvement is an even rarer occurrence. We report two unusual cases of classic KS presenting in the oral cavity of two patients from indigenous origin; the first patient with primary oral KS lesion on the hard palate, with no other signs of the condition in any other region of the body; the second patient with generalized dermal KS lesions with lymph node and lower lip involvement. In conclusion, clinicians and pathologists should be aware of the typical clinical, gross, and histologic features of KS. Moreover, we would like to emphasize that oral KS may affect patients without AIDS or exposure to immunosuppression. The awareness of oral classic KS as a diagnostic possibility is important in the work-up of vascular lesions in the oral cavity of non-immunosuppressed individuals. PMID- 17767101 TI - Dyskeratosis congenita. Report of a case with literature review. AB - Leukoplakic lesion is not uncommon in clinical practice but its occurrence as a component of a syndrome is rare. Dyskeratosis congenita is a rare genodermatosis, which is characterized by triad of skin pigmentation, nail dystrophy and leukoplakic lesion in the oral cavity. It is important for dentists to now about Dyskeratosis Congenita because these leukoplakic lesions can spontaneously undergo malignant transformation. Majority of cases have been reported in dermatology or pediatrics literature whereas only few reports have appeared in dental literature. The purpose of reporting this case with review of recent literature is to create better awareness among dentists about the multisystem manifestations and oro-dental abnormalities of this fatal condition that can aid clinicians in early diagnosis. A case of 26 year old male is reported with details of differential diagnosis, importance of hematological investigations, periodic biopsies and current concepts in management of such patients are briefly reviewed. PMID- 17767102 TI - Oral melanoacanthoma and oral melanotic macule: a report of 8 cases, review of the literature, and immunohistochemical analysis. AB - Oral melanoacanthoma (MA) is a rare, benign pigmented lesion, similar to cutaneous MA, characterized by hyperplasia of spinous keratinocytes and dendritic melanocytes. The pathogenesis of oral MA remains uncertain, although its clinical behavior is suggestive of a reactive origin. The most common intraoral sites are the buccal mucosa, lip, palate and gingiva. The average age of presentation is 28 years, mainly in blacks, with a strong female predilection. The oral melanotic macule (MM) is a small, well-circumscribed brown-to-black macule that occurs on the lips and mucous membranes. The etiology is not clear and it may represent a physiologic or reactive process. The average age of presentation is 43 years, with a female predilection. A biopsy is recommended to distinguish these lesions from each other and from other oral melanocytic lesions. We depict four cases each of oral MA and MM, affecting Caucasian and Latin American mestizo patients. The clinicopathological features of these cases reflect its ample spectrum, and to the best of our knowledge, it is the first example of oral MA affecting a Caucasian boy reported in the English literature. Therefore oral MA and MM should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pigmented lesions in the oral mucosa in these populations. PMID- 17767103 TI - Dental treatment of patients with coagulation factor alterations: an update. AB - Hemostasia is a defense mechanism that protects vascular integrity, avoids blood loss, and maintains blood fluidity throughout the circulatory system. The biochemical processes leading to blood clot formation are complex, and alterations can appear at any point within the chain of events. While a range of alterations can affect the coagulation factors, some are more common than others in the general population, including congenital (hemophilia A and B, Von Willebrand's disease) and acquired disorders (anticoagulant drugs). Such diseases require special consideration in the context of dental treatment, and therefore must be known to dental professionals. Interconsultation with the hematologist will provide orientation on the characteristics of the disease and on the best approach to treatment, including the need for replacement therapy, the application of local hemostatic measures, the modification of anticoagulant therapy, etc. In any case, the most important concern is the prevention of bleeding complications by compiling a detailed clinical history, with adequate planning of treatment, and taking special care to avoid soft tissue damage during the dental treatment of such patients. The dental surgeon must enhance awareness among patients and their relatives of the importance of correct oral hygiene, which will help avoid the need for invasive dental treatments and will reduce the number of visits to the dentist. PMID- 17767104 TI - Inferior alveolar nerve paresthesia caused by a dentigerous cyst associated with three teeth. AB - The dentigerous cyst is a common pathologic entity associated with an impacted tooth, usually third molars. They generally are asymptomatic, being found on routine dental radiographic examination. This report describes the case of a 43 year old male with a large dentigerous cyst associated with mandibular canine, first and second premolar teeth that caused paresthesia of the inferior alveolar nerve. PMID- 17767105 TI - Sporadic oral angiomyolipoma. Case report. AB - Angiomyolipoma (AML) is a rare, benign tumour composed of a variable proportion of lipocytes, smooth muscle and thick-walled blood vessels. AML is part of a family of tumours arising from perivascular epithelioid cells (PEComas), and many cases are associated with tuberous sclerosis, with the kidney being the most frequent site involved. We report a case of sporadic AML in the hard palate of a 52-year-old male, an extremely unusual location for this tumour. Differentiation from other benign and malignant oral mesenchymal lesions depends on recognition of the three histologic components, and immunohistochemical techniques may be helpful. AML occurring in the head and neck do not express HMB-45, an antibody that identifies immature melanosomes, conversely to the usual immunopositivity shown in AMLs from kidney and liver, suggesting that there are differences among them. A wide surgical excision is considered curative, as this tumour usually behaves in a benign fashion. PMID- 17767106 TI - Lemierre Syndrome associated with dental infections. Report of one case and review of the literature. AB - The first publication on Lemierre Syndrome appears in 1936 by Lemierre. It is defined as an "oropharynx bacterial infection characterized by the thrombophlebitis in the internal jugular vein, derived in a systemic septic embolism". In 81% of the cases, the Fusobacterium necrophorum is the most frequent etiologic agent. Fever is the most common symptom, but it can depending on the primary infection, tonsillitis, mastoiditis or odontogenic infection. According to the literature the mortality is very low, but with a significant morbidity, that is why the diagnosis and early treatment is very important. The diagnosis it's clinical, even though the CT scan and other diagnosis methods (echography, MRI) help to determine the extent of the infection. It's necessary to administer the antibiotics endovenous at high dose, (keeping in mind that the most frequent micro organism is anaerobic), and vital support measures if necessary. We present a case report of Lemierre Syndrome associated to an odonthogenic infection caused by the 4.8 molar. PMID- 17767107 TI - Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea: diagnosis and management. AB - A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhoea occurs when there is a fistula between the dura and the skull base and discharge of CSF from the nose. CSF rhinorrhea or liquorrhoea commonly occurs following head trauma (fronto-basal skull fractures), as a result of intracranial surgery, or destruction lesions. A spinal fluid leak from the intracranial space to the nasal respiratory tract is potentially very serious because of the risk of an ascending infection which could produce fulminant meningitis. This article reviewed the causes, diagnosis and treatment of CSF leakage. A PUBMED search of the National Library of Medicine was conducted. CSF leak most commonly occurs following trauma and the majority of cases presenting within the first three months. CSF rhinorrhoea have significantly greater incidence of periorbital haematoma. This suggests that patients with head injuries and features of periorbital haematoma are at greater risk of unobserved dural tear and delayed CSF leakage. In the presence of a skull base fracture on computed tomography and a clinical CSF leak, there is no need for a further confirmatory test. In cases where a confirmatory test is needed, the beta-2 transferrin assay is the test of choice because of its high sensitivity and specificity. A greater proportion of the CSF leaks in the patients resolved spontaneously. CSF fistulae persisting for > 7 days had a significantly increased risk of developing meningitis. Treatment decisions should be dictated by the severity of neurological decline during the emergency period and the presence/absence of associated intracranial lesions. The timing for surgery and CSF drainage procedures must be decided with great care and with a clear strategy. PMID- 17767108 TI - Aneurysmal bone cyst of the mandible: case presentation and review of the literature. AB - The aneurysmatic osseus cyst is a very infrequent bone lesion which in some occasions can be found at the craniofacial skeleton. Among all the cystic lesions that can be found at the mandible or the maxilla it is very rare. On the other side it is at the same time very interesting in terms of its differential diagnose with other types of maxillary bone lesions We present the case of a Caucasian male with an aneurysmatic cyst located at the right angle of the mandible and a review of the literature concerning the case. We have focused on the differential diagnose, mainly with the malignancies that can be found at this location. We also comment the therapeutic options classically described for these kind of pathologies. In our patient, the surgical excision allowed a complete removal of the lesion and a posterior bone healing which made possible a implant supported rehabilitation of the edentulous segment. PMID- 17767109 TI - In vivo evaluation of the effects of 10% carbamide peroxide and 3.5% hydrogen peroxide on the enamel surface. AB - OBJECTIVES: Bleaching of vital teeth performed at home by the patient under the dentist's supervision, using low-concentration peroxides and custom-fitted trays specifically designed for this purpose, is one of several options for this type of dental treatment, whether alone or in combination with another in-office bleaching technique. The objective of this study is to analyse the effect on the enamel surface of two bleaching products recommended for this technique. MATERIALS & METHODS: Two bleaching products were used: VivaStyle (Vivadent), a 10% carbamide peroxide, and FKD (Kin), a 3.5% hydrogen peroxide. They were applied in trays to the anterior teeth of 20 patients (10 in each group). The application times were 2 and 3 hours a day respectively for 28-33 days. Replicas of the tooth surfaces before and after treatment were obtained. These were observed with a scanning electron microscope. RESULTS: The images obtained showed that the tooth surfaces remained entire and the enamel surface structures remained normal. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that neither of the products affects the enamel surface: no post-operatory changes were observed. PMID- 17767110 TI - Impact of public preventive programmes on oral quality of life of 11 to 12-yr-old school students. AB - OBJECTIVES: The objective was to analyze the impact of preventive programmes on oral quality of life in school students aged 11-12 yrs. STUDY DESIGN: In the school year 1996/97, a quasi-experimental study was initiated in Granada province with four groups of students aged 6-7 yrs: Sealant + Fluoride (sealants on first permanent molars applied in the health centre for a 3-yr active programme, and fluoride varnish applied every four months for 3 yrs, n=65), Sealant (only sealants, n=80), Fluoride (only fluoride varnish, n=107) and Control group (n=59). All students were examined every 6 months at school during the 3-yr active programme and received an oral health report after each examination. At 5.5 yrs (school year 2002/03), after 2.5 yrs with no programme, students were again examined and completed a questionnaire on oral quality of life scored from 6 (minimum) to +6 (maximum). RESULTS: Oral quality of life values (+/- standard deviation) were: 3.31+/-0.30 (Sealant + Fluoride), 3.11+/-0.27 (Sealant), 3.18+/ 0.23 (Fluoride) and 2.95+/-0.32 (Control), with no statistically significant differences among them. CONCLUSIONS: Fissure sealant and fluoride varnish programmes had no significant influence on oral quality of life after a 5.5- yr follow-up (3 yrs of active programme plus 2.5 yrs of discontinuation). PMID- 17767111 TI - Evaluation of caries risk in a young adult population. AB - INTRODUCTION: Various caries risk prediction models have been developed in recent years. Cariogram, a software program that evaluates an individual's caries risk profile and illustrates it in graphic form, appears to classify patients more correctly than other risk prediction methods. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the caries risk of a population by means of the Cariogram software and examine the relationships between the different variables used by the Cariogram and the risk of caries determined by this program. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected from a sample of 48 young individuals by clinical and radiological examination, saliva sampling and a dietary questionnaire. The caries risk of each individual was then obtained by drawing up the Cariogram. RESULTS: Past caries experience, Streptococcus mutans counts, Fluoridation programme and Buffer capacity of the saliva are the factors included in the Cariogram that showed significant correlation with the caries risk determined by the program. Other factors that the Cariogram does not include directly, such as DMFT, DMFS and the plaque index, also showed high correlation with risk. CONCLUSIONS: Linear regression analysis makes it possible to draw up more simplified models from the predictive variables with the highest correlation to caries risk. The predictive variable which makes the greatest contribution to the model is Streptococcus mutans count, followed by the DMFT index and the Buffer capacity of the saliva. PMID- 17767112 TI - Isometric behavior of the reconstructed medial patellofemoral ligament using two different femoral pulleys: a cadaveric study. AB - BACKGROUND: Several techniques have been described for reconstructing the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL). However, the anatomy of the medial patellar retinaculum and the isometry of both intact and reconstructed MPFL remain controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the isometric behavior of the reconstructed MPFL when two different pulleys are used for the reconstruction. MATERIAL/METHODS: Eight anatomical knees were dissected and the medial patellar retinaculum and MPFL were studied. A pilot technique for the reconstruction of the MPFL using a semitendinosus autograft was developed. A "dynamic" femoral fixation was chosen which utilized two different pulleys: the medial intermuscular septum (MIS) at the adductor's tendon insertion and the posterior third of the medial collateral ligament (MCL). The isometric behavior of the reconstructed MPFL and the stability of both pulleys were investigated. RESULTS: The MPFL was a thickened, band-like condensation of the superficial MPR layer extending from the MFE to the medial border of the patella. The reconstructed MPFL demonstrated the most isometric behavior when the MCL was used as a pulley. The average difference in graft length during knee flexion from 0 degrees to 90 degrees when the MCL or MIS were used as a pulley was 1 mm and 4 mm, respectively. The MIS pulley was more stable but less isometric than the MCL pulley. CONCLUSIONS: "Dynamic" MPFL reconstruction with a semitendinosus tendon autograft can restore patellofemoral stability without excessive soft-tissue dissection or implantation of hardware at the medial epicondyle, which can lead to symptoms of its own. PMID- 17767113 TI - Can autologous vascular endothelial cell seeding increase the patency rate of small-diameter No-React-treated bovine internal mammary arteries? An in vivo study in juvenile sheep. AB - BACKGROUND: This study was performed to evaluate the possibility of seeding No React-treated bovine small-diameter internal mammary arteries (SIMAs) and to record any improvement in patency rate. MATERIAL/METHODS: During the in vitro study, 12 seeded SIMAs were divided into two groups; group I (n=6) was endothelial cell (EC) seeded and group II (n=6) EC seeded after pre-coating with fibrin glue to evaluate the binding capacity. During the in vivo part of the study, eight juvenile sheep received either a seeded or a non-seeded SIMA. In the seeded group (n=3), a piece of jugular vein was harvested to culture autologous ECs. SIMA grafts were coated and seeded in a special bioreactor. In the control group (n=5), non-seeded SIMA grafts were implanted. No anti-coagulation was administered. Explantation was performed at three and six months post implantation. Grafts were evaluated by gross examination, histology, and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: By inserting two million ECs in the in vitro study, the seeding density in group I was 1.29+/-0.09 x 10(5) cells/cm(2) and 2.27+/-0.17 x 10(5) cells/cm(2) in group II (p<0.003). In the in vivo study the mean EC density of the implanted seeded grafts was 2.35+/-0.04 x 10(5) cells/cm(2). At explantation, the seeded grafts showed less inflammatory reaction and a higher patency rate compared with the non-seeded grafts. Histology showed a monolayer of ECs on the inner surface of seeded SIMAs at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Seeding of No-React-treated SIMA arterial grafts with autologous ECs increases the patency rate. PMID- 17767114 TI - The effect of paraoxon on GABA uptake in rat cerebellar synaptosomes. AB - BACKGROUND: The compounds used to treat organophosphate (OP) poisoning are not able to fully alleviate long-lasting effects. They are mainly used to antagonize the cholinergic effects of OPs; however, non-cholinergic effects such as interference with different neurotransmitter systems, especially GABA release and uptake, are now attracting more attention. MATERIAL/METHODS: Cerebellar synaptosomes were used to investigate any potential interaction between paraoxon and GABA uptake. The cerebella of 250- to 280-g Wistar rats were rapidly dissected out, homogenized, centrifuged, and incubated with 0.004 microM [(3)H]GABA in the presence of different doses of paraoxon for 15 minutes at 37 degrees C. At the end of the incubation period, the synaptosomes were layered in chambers of a superfusion system (UGO). To assay the amount of [(3)H]GABA uptake, radioactivity was measured using a beta-counter (Winspectrul). RESULTS: Mean GABA uptake was 111, 95, 71, 73, and 75 percent of the control values in the presence of paraoxon concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 microM, respectively. Accordingly, GABA uptake was significantly reduced at doses 1, 10, and 100 microM of paraoxon (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Paraoxon may interfere with GABA uptake by cerebellar synaptosomes at micromolar concentrations or higher. PMID- 17767115 TI - Comparison of an adenosine deaminase assay with ELISA for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis infection. AB - BACKGROUND: Diagnosing tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains problematic despite many new advanced diagnostic methods. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) assays have emerged as novel alternatives to other costly and time-consuming methods for TBM diagnosis. In the present study the usefulness of the ADA method was assessed for the diagnosis of TBM and compared with an in-house developed ELISA method for detecting the antigen 85 (Ag 85) complex of M. tuberculosis in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of suspected and culture-confirmed TBM patients. MATERIAL/METHODS: ADA activity in CSF was determined at 37 degrees C according to the method of Guisti and Galanti. ELISA, employing monoclonal antibodies against the purified Ag 85 complex, was used to demonstrate Ag 85 complex in CSF from TBM patients. CSF samples were obtained from 153 patients in three different groups: confirmed TBM (n=27), clinically suspected TBM (n=39), and non-TBM (n=87). RESULTS: The ADA method yielded sensitivity and specificity of 83% and 86%, which are similar to those of the ELISA method (89% and 90%). The correlation between the Ag 85 complex activity in absorbance by ELISA and the ADA activity obtained in units per liter per minute (U/l/min) was also positive and significant. (Pearson's correlation coefficient r=0.3234, 95%CI: 0.1621-0.4679, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the ADA method can be performed for TBM diagnosis in low-income TB-affected regions where more sophisticated facilities are generally not available. PMID- 17767116 TI - Coordination of the upper-limb segments in physiological tremor with various external loads. AB - BACKGROUND: This study investigates coordination of the upper-limb segments with various external loads by frequency-domain analysis of physiological tremor during the maintenance of limb posture. Physiological tremor is an involuntary oscillation in every segment of a healthy human. MATERIAL/METHODS: A subject raised his right upper limb forward while extending his hand and fingers. Physiological tremor was measured by acceleration sensors attached to four segments: the index finger, hand, forearm, and upper arm. A balloon filled with helium gas was attached to the forearm as a minus-load condition. A weight band was attached as a plus-load condition. The measured signals were evaluated by frequency-domain analysis: power spectrum and coherence spectrum. RESULTS: The amplitude of upper-limb tremor measured from the four segments decreased with the minus-load and increased with the plus-load. However, the degree of the variation depended on the segment. The amplitude of upper-limb tremor measured from the forearm and the hand decreased remarkably with the minus-load, while the amplitude from the upper arm increased with the plus-load. Although adjacent segments were well coordinated, coordination between the segments varied depending on the external load. The minus-load at the forearm led to a lack of coordination between the upper arm and the forearm. To compensate for this, the movements of the forearm and the hand became coordinated. CONCLUSIONS: The experimental protocol of this study allowed implementing a method to estimate the physiological modification of the neuromuscular system under a hypo-gravitational environment. PMID- 17767117 TI - Does cardiac SPECT using attenuation and scatter correction accurately predict coronary artery disease in a minority women population? AB - BACKGROUND: Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is a well-established diagnostic method for evaluation and risk stratification of coronary artery disease (CAD). We undertook this study to validate both the positive predictive value (when compared to cardiac catheterization) and the prognosis afforded by MPI in a group of minority women patients. MATERIAL/METHODS: The database of our Nuclear Imaging and Catheterization Laboratory was retrospectively queried for consecutive minority (African-American, Hispanic and Asian) women patients who underwent MPI and cardiac catheterization within 90 days of each other. Patients with recent revascularization were excluded. Attenuation/scatter correction was utilized in the final interpretation of the study. RESULTS: Of the 54 women patients who underwent MPI, 7 underwent exercise stress testing, 26 had stress testing with adenosine, 18 with dipyridamole and 3 with dobutamine. Eighteen patients (53%) had same number of vessels predicted by MPI and coronary angiography (7 patients with triple vessel disease, 7 with 2-vessel disease and 4 with single vessel disease). Five (3 with intermediate and 2 with high risk scans) out of the 54 patients (9.3%) were dead at 2 years. The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of MPI as compared to angiography were 87.2%, 26.7%, 75.6% and 44.4% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity of MPI in this group of patients is comparable to the general population though the specificity is lower in spite of using attenuation and scatter correction. Low risk perfusion scan signifies favorable prognosis at 2 years with regards to mortality. PMID- 17767118 TI - The interrelationships between electrical stimulation, the environment surrounding the vascular endothelial cells of the skin, and the role of nitric oxide in mediating the blood flow response to electrical stimulation. AB - BACKGROUND: Electrical stimulation (ES) is a commonly used modality in physical therapy for treating wounds such as diabetic ulcers and pressure sores but the mechanism of its effect on skin blood flow (BF) has not been determined. MATERIAL/METHODS: Ten subjects were examined during ES of the skin above the quadriceps muscle with biphasic sine wave stimulation at a frequency of 30 Hertz, pulse width 250 microseconds. BF was measured between the electrodes with a Laser Doppler Flow meter. In one series of experiments, N-Nitro-L-Arginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME) was infused to determine the effect of blocking nitric oxide production on the blood flow response to ES. In another series, acetylcholine and epinephrine were infused to determine the effects of the initial blood flow prior to stimulation on the magnitude of the BF response to ES. RESULTS: The apparent mechanism of the increase in blood flow during electrical stimulation seems to be mediated by nitric oxide since the increase in blood flow as a result of stimulation was blocked by L-NAME. Modulation of the vasoconstrictor or vasodilator tone of the skin blood vessels altered the magnitude of the BF response to electrical stimulation; epinephrine blocked the response and acetylcholine increased the response. CONCLUSIONS: The BF response to ES is caused by NO and can be modulated by changing the environment of the vascular endothelial cell. PMID- 17767119 TI - Predictors of clinical outcome in MCI. AB - BACKGROUND: It remains an open issue in old age psychiatry whether or not persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at increased risk for developing a dementia syndrome, and if so, to what extent and under what circumstances. The purpose of the present study was to examine a population of older patients 5 years after a diagnosis of MCI. MATERIAL/METHODS: From an initial group of 158 older patients from our clinic who had been tested neuropsychologically and diagnosed with MCI between 1994 and 1996, and who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 52 were available for follow-up five years later. RESULTS: Of the 52 subjects we successfully recruited, 12 had developed dementia within the five-year follow-up period, including 8 with DAT, 3 with mixed dementia, and 1 with vascular dementia. The rate of cognitive decline is a good predictor of later dementia. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MCI are at some risk of developing a dementia syndrome, most commonly DAT. Evaluating both the cognitive and neuropsychological functioning of individuals affected with MCI, as well as their global functioning, can be useful in terms of predicting the clinical outcome in these patients. PMID- 17767120 TI - A randomized trial of peppermint gel, lanolin ointment, and placebo gel to prevent nipple crack in primiparous breastfeeding women. AB - BACKGROUND: Sore nipples are common during lactation and remain the major reason for failing to establish successful breastfeeding. To formulate a peppermint gel and to evaluate its effect on the prevention of nipple crack associated with breast-feeding, a randomized double-blinded clinical trial comparing the above formulation with modified lanolin and a neutral ointment was carried out. MATERIAL/METHODS: Two hundred and sixteen primiparous participants were assigned randomly to three groups. Each group applied only one of the above three preparations on both breasts for 14 days. Each group consisted of 72 primiparous mothers and was seen for a maximum of four follow-up visits within 14 days and a final visit at week 6. The rate of nipple and areola crack and pain was evaluated. RESULTS: The study groups were comparable in mean age and route of delivery. Nipple crack were less in mothers who received peppermint gel than in those who received lanolin ointment or placebo (chi(2)=16.8, df=6, P=0.01). Relative risk of nipple crack in the lanolin group (RR: 2.41, 95%CI: 1.20-3.01) was higher than in the peppermint group (RR: 1.85, 95%CI: 1.64-3.10). CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic peppermint gel in breastfeeding lactating women is associated with fewer nipple cracks and is more effective than lanolin and placebo. It could be recommended for preventing of nipple crack along with teaching better breastfeeding technique at the initiation of breastfeeding. PMID- 17767121 TI - Circadian pattern of spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmias in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. AB - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported a circadian variation of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. However, there is no detailed information of the daily distribution of ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) episodes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the daily distribution of episodes of ventricular tachyarrhythmia in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. MATERIAL/METHODS: We used data stored by last-generation implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) to retrospectively evaluate the circadian distribution of VT and VF in 70 patients with ICD. The distribution of tachyarrhythmias was categorized into four time zones: zone 1 (06:00-11:59), zone 2 (12:00-17:59), zone 3 (18:00-23:59), and zone 4 (00:00-05:59). RESULTS: During a follow-up of a mean of 3.1+/-1.3 years, a total of 791 ventricular arrhythmias were recorded from which 631 events were VT and 160 VF. A circadian variation of episodes of ventricular tachyarrhythmia was evident. The incidence of ventricular arrhythmia sharply increased in zone 1 (8.82+/-2.13, p<0.0001). Episodes of VT had peaks in zones 1 and 2 (7.44+/-2.03 and 2.70+/-0.65, p<0.001) and episodes of VF had peaks in zones 1 and 4 (1.38+/-0.39 and 1.30+/-0.51, p<0.011). No difference was observed between patients who used betablocker and those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: Malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias have a circadian distribution. VT peaks occur in the morning and noon hours and VF peaks occurs at the night and morning hours. Betablocker and/or amiodarone usage do not alter this distribution. PMID- 17767122 TI - Cytomegalovirus meningitis in an immunocompetent patient. AB - CMV meningitis is a well-documented clinical entity in immunocompromised adults. There are only a few reports in the literature regarding CMV meningitis in immunocompetent adults. CASE REPORT: We present the case of an immunocompetent middle-aged woman who presented with fever, nuchal rigidity, confusion, and vomiting. Lumbar puncture revealed meningitis (550 cells/mm(3), 80% lymphocytes). The patient was commenced empirically on acyclovir intravenously. Polymerase chain reaction for the detection of DNA and RNA viruses in the cerebrospinal fluid was performed. Once results were available, CMV DNA was present in the CSF and ganciclovir substituted the previous therapeutic regimen. The patient made an uneventful recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Our report suggests that CMV meningitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of immunocompetent adults with lymphocytic meningitis. Treatment of CMV meningitis in patients that are not immunocompromised is debatable. Prospective trials will be needed to clarify this issue further. We think that weighing the risk of treatment-associated toxicity against the risk of neurological deterioration due to CMV meningitis mandates the administration of ganciclovir. PMID- 17767123 TI - The co-occurrence of Chiari type 1 malformation with syringomyelia and total situs inversus. AB - BACKGROUND: Total situs inversus (TSI) is a rare congenital anomaly that often occurs concomitantly with other disorders. TSI is the complete left-to-right inversion of the thoracic and abdominal organs. It develops due to an abnormal rotation of the cardiac tube during embryogenesis, the mechanism of which is of unknown mechanism. Syringomyelia (SM) is an uncommon disease of the spinal cord and is known as the occurrence of a cystic space in the middle of the spinal cord. SM occurs due to spinal cord injury, a primary tumor of the spinal cord, or an extramedullary lesion at the foramen magnum such as a Chiari type 1 malformation (CM1). In the literature there has been reported association of CM1 and SM (CM1/SM) with known genetic syndromes. CASE REPORT: We report a 33-year old female with CM1/SM coexisting with TSI. Our patient presented with pain in the neck, arm, and upper back. She had no trauma history. There was dysesthesia in the cervical-2 dermatomes. Radiological tools revealed that CM1/SM with TSI accompanied by no other abnormality. CONCLUSIONS: It can be suggested that the existence of this case indicates that genetic factors may influence the pathogenesis of some CM1/SM cases. PMID- 17767124 TI - Use of sclerosing agent in the management of oral and perioral hemangiomas: review and case reports. AB - BACKGROUND: Most cutaneous hemangiomas involute spontaneously. However, the lesion existing on the face poses a cosmetic problem while waiting for involution. CASE REPORTS: Three hemangioma cases were treated by repeated local injection of 5% ethanolamine oleate solution. The lesions flattened and markedly reduced in size as shown by clinical and imaging evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Use of 5% ethanolamine oleate as a sclerosing agent for repeated intralesional injection in the management of facial hemangiomas is a safe treatment with acceptable results. As presented here, this technique offers the patient considerable relief of symptoms with minimal complications. However, the possibility of second-stage surgery to correct residual deformity is still considered. Sclerotherapy with ethanolamine oleate provides a good preparation for further surgery. PMID- 17767125 TI - Comments to: Induced abortion and traumatic stress: a preliminary comparison of American and Russian women. Vincent M. Rue, Priscilla K. Coleman, James J. Rue, David C. Reardon. Med Sci Monit, 2004; 10(10): SR5-16. PMID- 17767126 TI - Clinical tools and their constant evaluation. PMID- 17767127 TI - Comparative experimental medicine: animal models need more attention in developing regions. PMID- 17767128 TI - Calcaneal ultrasound parameters in men and women from central Croatia. AB - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare quantitative ultrasound parameters between women and men of various ages in a population from central Croatia and also to estimate the prevalence of osteoporosis in women. MATERIAL/METHODS: A total of 1006 participants were recruited for this study (550 men, 456 women), aged 20 to 89 years. Calcaneal quantitative ultrasound measurements were performed using a Sahara device (Hologic). Data were analyzed using the t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's post hoc test. RESULTS: Comparison of the ultrasound measures of the men exhibited significant differences across the age groups with the exception of broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA). In the women, significant differences were found for BUA, speed of sound (SOS), and the quantitative ultrasound index (QUI). Gender comparison revealed significant differences between ultrasound parameters in the last three decade groups. Using a T-score threshold of -1.8, the prevalence of osteoporosis in women aged over 50 was 30.7% based on the quantitative ultrasound index. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first report of quantitative ultrasound parameters in Croatian women. The results revealed lower QUI, BUA, and SOS in postmenopausal women than in men of the same age. The prevalence of osteoporosis in women over 50 years of age based on the quantitative ultrasound index was considerably higher than the previously reported prevalence of osteoporosis in men. PMID- 17767129 TI - The Early Detection of Alcohol Consumption (EDAC) test shows better performance than gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) to detect heavy drinking in a large population of males and females. AB - BACKGROUND: This study compared the effectiveness of using the Early Detection of Alcohol Consumption (EDAC) test versus gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) to screen for heavy drinking in the general population. Alcohol use was recorded by personal interview; heavy drinking was defined as males drinking 2.5 ounces of alcohol (5 drinks) per day and females drinking 2 ounces (4 drinks) of alcohol daily. MATERIAL/METHODS: The population analyzed consisted of 1,022 males (618 heavy drinkers and 404 light drinkers) and 583 females (203 heavy drinkers and 380 light drinkers). The EDAC used 27 routine laboratory tests; a P-positive value >50% was indicative of heavy drinking. The GGT test used a cutoff of 85 U/L for males and 65 U/L for females. RESULTS: The results showed that 30% of males reporting heavy drinking tested GGT positive compared to 65% who tested EDAC positive. Specificity was 92% for GGT and 89% for EDAC. Assuming 30% heavy drinking in this population, Positive Predictive Value (PPV) for GGT was 0.62 compared to 0.71 for EDAC. For females, the results showed that 23% of those reporting heavy drinking tested GGT positive compared to 34% who tested EDAC positive. Specificity was 94% for GGT and 98% for the EDAC. PPV for GGT was 0.62 compared to 0.88 for EDAC. CONCLUSIONS: The EDAC test identified twice as many males and 50% more female drinkers than GGT. With higher PPV, the EDAC is a better approach to screen for heavy drinking in both males and females. PMID- 17767130 TI - Febrile seizures in young children: role of fluid intake and conservation. AB - Febrile seizures are a common occurrence in young children with incidence rates varying from 3-14%, depending on the geographic region. Studies have suggested that an elevated temperature is a factor in their development, though other factors may synergistically lower the seizure threshold. While it is recognized that excessive or rapid dilute fluid intake can cause seizures in young children, and in adults during strenuous physical activity, less focus has been paid to its involvement during febrile illnesses. Young children are more vulnerable to the development of febrile seizures due to their small skull size relative to brain volume. In animals, reduced serum sodium levels have been shown to lower the threshold to convulsive stimuli, while hypertonic saline has been shown to rapidly reverse these effects. Similarly vasopressin, frequently elevated during acute infections, enhances fluid retention and may also be a precipitating factor for febrile seizures. Although an elevated temperature may augment seizure risk, antipyretics have not been shown to prevent them. In fact, some may increase seizure risk through a reduction in urine output. It has long been observed that fluid retention occurs during febrile infections, followed by diuresis during convalescence. This characteristic observation led to recommendations for restricted fluid intake during acute infections dating back more than 2,000 years. Only recently has there been a return to restricted fluid intake for patients with potentially reduced free water excretion. Further studies are required to determine the role of the overall fluid balance in the etiology of childhood febrile seizures. PMID- 17767131 TI - Current perspectives of catabolic mediators of cancer cachexia. AB - The development of cancer cachexia is perhaps the most common manifestation of advanced malignant diseases and has been recognized as a poor prognostic sign. The abnormalities associated with the condition include progressive weight loss, anorexia, asthenia, and anemia. The degree of cachexia is inversely correlated with the survival time of the patient and always implies a poor prognosis. Currently there is no established mechanism for cancer cachexia, but the severe metabolic disturbances and marked alterations in carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism in the host finally lead to an increased energy deficiency. Weight loss, the key feature of cachexia, is due to a reduction of food intake, an increase in energy expenditure, or a combination of the two. A variety of changes in nutrient metabolism have been described in patients with cancer cachexia. Patients frequently exhibit a relative glucose intolerance and insulin resistance with increased activity of the Cori cycle. The cancer-bearing state affects protein synthesis and breakdown in different tissues of the body in a different manner. An acute-phase protein response can be presented in a significant proportion of patients with cancer with disease progression. A variety of proinflammatory cytokines appears to play a role in aspects of cachexia and a complex network of cytokines in combination with other factors might be involved. Aside from potential humoral mediators of cachexia, tumor-derived biologically active molecules have been reported recently. PMID- 17767132 TI - Impact of long term socio-political conflict on health: a traumatic Nepalese experience. AB - Twelve years of traumatic experience of thousands of poor Nepalese is still lingering aftermath of the ceasefire between the government and the Maoist rebels and it has devastated all sectors of health care in the country. Almost twenty thousand peoples have lost their lives during this period as a direct result of or consequence of insurgency. About a quarter million people are internally displaced; many homeless and many more skilled people have fled the country. Nearly half of the people are deprived of basic health necessities and eighty percent of them with basic medical supplies. Repeated strikes and agitation organized by different groups and organizations have left the economy in limbo and has added woes and worries of daily living thus making necessary medical checkups a luxury. It has taken a heavy toll on the health of the nearly 85% of those people living in the countryside and one survey done recently shows more than half of them are suffering from anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive illnesses. To improve the ground situation and provide relief, the government has announced truce with Maoists and called different warring factions and ethnic minorities to the table for dialogue. A hard work needs to be done to raise the standards of living, meet aspirations of people and meet the millennium development goals (MDGs) as outlined by government; it also needs urgent humanitarian assistance from the national and international donor agencies. PMID- 17767133 TI - An evaluation of articles in international peer-reviewed publications in Turkish family medicine. AB - BACKGROUND: Scientific publication in Turkish family medicine (FM) has currently increased and a systematic assessment of the quantity and quality of the published research is the aim of this study. MATERIAL/METHODS: The data were obtained from the Institute for Scientific Information Citation Databases (SCI, SCI-Expanded, SSCI, and A&HSCI) and the period between 1975-2005 was searched. Key words such as "family practice", "family medicine", "primary care", "primary medical care", and "Turkey" were used and publications were classified according to the type of research, the number of authors, first authorship, the number of citations, and address. The classification was performed by two investigators and the inter-rater-reliability was found to be Cramer's V=0.79 (p<0.05). RESULTS: One hundred five publications were found. Publications were evident since the year 1991 and showed an increase with the year 2001. The median number of authors of the publications was five (range 1-8), and family physicians were generally the second authors (range: 1-7). The predominant types of publication was research articles (n=72, 69%), and the leading types of research were surveys (n=29, 28%) and case-control studies (n=24, 23%). The median citation number of publications per article was 0.89 (range: 0-13). CONCLUSIONS: A recent increase in publication in international peer-reviewed journals was observed. Mostly research articles were published, but randomized controlled trials were in the minority. More emphasis on developing a research capacity in family medicine might help to optimize research activities in Turkey. PMID- 17767135 TI - Clinical and pathologic features of ductal carcinoma in situ associated with the presence of flat epithelial atypia: an analysis of 543 patients. AB - Flat epithelial atypia is an alteration of mammary terminal duct lobular units that is considered to be a precursor to, or early stage in, the development of some forms of ductal carcinoma in situ. No prior study has systematically evaluated the relationship between various clinico-pathologic features of ductal carcinoma in situ and the presence of coexistent flat epithelial atypia. An understanding of such relationships could provide insight into the connection between flat epithelial atypia and ductal carcinoma in situ. We reviewed slides from 543 ductal carcinoma in situ patients enrolled in a case-control study assessing epidemiologic and pathologic risk factors for local recurrence. We examined the association between the presence of flat epithelial atypia and various clinical factors, pathologic features of the ductal carcinoma in situ, and the presence of coexistent atypical ductal hyperplasia, lobular neoplasia, and non-atypical columnar cell lesions. In univariate analysis, the presence of flat epithelial atypia was significantly related to ductal carcinoma in situ nuclear grade (most common in low grade, least common in high grade; P<0.0001), architectural pattern (most common in micropapillary and cribriform, least common in comedo; P<0.0001), absence of comedo necrosis (P<0.001), absence of stromal desmoplasia (P=0.02) and absence of stromal inflammation (P=0.03). In multivariable analysis, features of ductal carcinoma in situ independently associated with flat epithelial atypia were micropapillary and cribriform patterns and absence of comedo necrosis. Additionally, flat epithelial atypia was significantly associated with the presence of atypical ductal hyperplasia, lobular neoplasia, and columnar cell lesions in both univariate and multivariable analyses. These observations provide support for a precursor-product relationship between flat epithelial atypia and ductal carcinoma in situ lesions that exhibit particular features such as micropapillary and cribriform patterns and absence of comedo necrosis. PMID- 17767136 TI - H-Ras mutation modulates the expression of major cell cycle regulatory proteins and disease prognosis in oral carcinoma. AB - Activating mutations of the Ras is a moderately frequent event in oral carcinogenesis in Indian patients. Ras pathway has essential roles in regulation of various phases of the cell cycle, especially at G1 phase. Despite a large body of in vitro evidence, the multidimensional interaction between mutated Ras pathway and G1 cell cycle regulatory proteins in tumours in vivo is poorly determined. In the present study, DNA samples were screened for mutations in hot spot exons of B-Raf and hot spot codons 12, 13 and 61 of H-, K- and N-Ras by PCR SSCP. Mutations were confirmed by direct sequencing. Expression of G1 cell cycle regulatory proteins-cyclin D1, CDK4, Rb, p53, p16 and p21 and proliferation marker PCNA was analysed immunohistochemically. The results revealed the absence of B-Raf mutations in oral carcinoma in spite of 12.5% of the samples showing H Ras mutation. The H-Ras mutant cases showed significantly low cyclin D1 (P=0.027) and CDK4 (P=0.046) expression and overexpression of Rb (P=0.011) and p16 (P=0.026). H-Ras mutant carriers also had significantly high recurrence-free survival (P=0.033). In summary the present study demonstrated an epistatic interaction between H-Ras mutation and G1 cell cycle regulatory proteins in vivo. H-Ras mutation, thus, defines a molecular subtype of oral carcinoma with favourable outcome and unique biology. PMID- 17767137 TI - Injecting an air bubble at the end of sutureless cataract surgery to prevent inflow of ocular surface fluid. PMID- 17767138 TI - 25-gauge vitrectomy: the hidden costs. PMID- 17767139 TI - Transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy: comment on O'Reilly and Beatty. PMID- 17767140 TI - The relevance of blood pressure measurements in patients attending a diabetic eye clinic: the use of an electronic patient record. PMID- 17767142 TI - Risk factors for endophthalmitis: does non-wearing of face-masks increase relative risk? PMID- 17767143 TI - Cytopathological analysis of vitreous in intraocular lymphoma. AB - OBJECTIVE: To describe the cytopathological method used in the analysis of vitreous samples in the diagnosis of primary intraocular lymphoma (PIOL). PARTICIPANTS: Seven patients with refractory posterior uveitis referred to a regional ocular inflammatory service were diagnosed as having PIOL between 1999 and 2006. METHODS: Clinical features of the uveitis and cytopathological preparation of the samples were described. All patients underwent vitrectomy and samples were placed in formal saline or prepared fresh. Following paraffin embedding generating a cell block, immunostaining, and polymerase chain reactions were performed. RESULTS: Five women (71.4%) and two men (28.6%) (mean age 67.7 years) were included. Five patients had diagnostic vitrectomy performed within 6 months of presentation, but in two patients diagnosis was delayed up to 2 years. Uveitis was bilateral in two patients. Cytologic and immunohistochemical staining prepared from the vitreous specimens showed PIOL in all patients, and PCR displayed single band of immunoglobulin heavy chain rearrangement in five out of six samples tested. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of PIOL is difficult due to small volume of sample with low number of malignant cells and inadequate preparation of samples. Our method of analysis with fresh samples together with immunohistochemistry and PCR analysis demonstrates a high yield of diagnosis reducing diagnostic delay. PMID- 17767144 TI - Surgical outcome after removal of idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane in young patients. AB - PURPOSE: To report the clinical features of the eye of young patients with an idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane (ERM), and the visual outcomes after the surgical removal of the ERM. METHODS: A retrospective review of the medical records of eight young patients (age, 23-39 years; mean, 32.5 years) with an idiopathic macular ERM was performed. The patients underwent vitrectomy and removal of the ERM with peeling of the internal limiting membrane (ILM). The pre- and postoperative visual acuity and intra- and postoperative complications were investigated. RESULTS: Ophthalmoscopically, the ERMs in seven eyes were white, opaque, and dense, while one was grayish-white and less dense. A posterior vitreous detachment was not present and the ERM adhered strongly to the underlying retina in all eight eyes. The mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) preoperatively was 20/140 (Snellen; range: 20/250-20/63), and the BCVA improved significantly to 20/30 (range: 20/40-20/20) postoperatively with an average follow-up of 14.6 months (range: 6-42 months; Wilcoxon sign-rank test, P<0.001). An improvement of >7 lines was observed in seven of eight eyes. A recurrence of an ERM without involving the macula was detected in one eye (12.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical features of the ERMs in young patients are different from those in elderly patients, eg, thicker, more adherent to the retina, and still attached to the vitreous. Vitrectomy and removal of ERM with ILM peeling are effective and safe surgical procedures. Removal of the ILM may minimize the recurrence of an ERM. PMID- 17767146 TI - Meta-analysis of two dopamine D2 receptor gene polymorphisms with tardive dyskinesia in schizophrenia patients. PMID- 17767147 TI - DAOA ARG30LYS and verbal memory function in schizophrenia. PMID- 17767148 TI - HTR2C (cys23ser) polymorphism influences early onset in bipolar patients in a large European multicenter association study. PMID- 17767149 TI - Allelic variation in GAD1 (GAD67) is associated with schizophrenia and influences cortical function and gene expression. AB - Cortical GABAergic dysfunction has been implicated as a key component of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and decreased expression of the gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) synthetic enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (GAD(67)), encoded by GAD1, is found in schizophrenic post-mortem brain. We report evidence of distorted transmission of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) alleles in two independent schizophrenia family-based samples. In both samples, allelic association was dependent on the gender of the affected offspring, and in the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch/National Institute of Mental Health (CBDB/NIMH) sample it was also dependent on catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met genotype. Quantitative transmission disequilibrium test analyses revealed that variation in GAD1 influenced multiple domains of cognition, including declarative memory, attention and working memory. A 5' flanking SNP affecting cognition in the families was also associated in unrelated healthy individuals with inefficient BOLD functional magnetic resonance imaging activation of dorsal prefrontal cortex (PFC) during a working memory task, a physiologic phenotype associated with schizophrenia and altered cortical inhibition. In addition, a SNP in the 5' untranslated (and predicted promoter) region that also influenced cognition was associated with decreased expression of GAD1 mRNA in the PFC of schizophrenic brain. Finally, we observed evidence of statistical epistasis between two SNPs in COMT and SNPs in GAD1, suggesting a potential biological synergism leading to increased risk. These coincident results implicate GAD1 in the etiology of schizophrenia and suggest that the mechanism involves altered cortical GABA inhibitory activity, perhaps modulated by dopaminergic function. PMID- 17767153 TI - The structural basis of yeast prion strain variants. AB - Among the many surprises to arise from studies of prion biology, perhaps the most unexpected is the strain phenomenon whereby a single protein can misfold into structurally distinct, infectious states that cause distinguishable phenotypes. Similarly, proteins can adopt a spectrum of conformations in non-infectious diseases of protein folding; some are toxic and others are well tolerated. However, our understanding of the structural differences underlying prion strains and how these differences alter their physiological impact remains limited. Here we use a combination of solution NMR, amide hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange and mutagenesis to study the structural differences between two strain conformations, termed Sc4 and Sc37 (ref. 5), of the yeast Sup35 prion. We find that these two strains have an overlapping amyloid core spanning most of the Gln/Asn-rich first 40 amino acids that is highly protected from H/D exchange and very sensitive to mutation. These features indicate that the cores are composed of tightly packed beta-sheets possibly resembling 'steric zipper' structures revealed by X-ray crystallography of Sup35-derived peptides. The stable structure is greatly expanded in the Sc37 conformation to encompass the first 70 amino acids, revealing why this strain shows increased fibre stability and decreased ability to undergo chaperone-mediated replication. Our findings establish that prion strains involve large-scale conformational differences and provide a structural basis for understanding a broad range of functional studies, including how conformational changes alter the physiological impact of prion strains. PMID- 17767154 TI - Prospective identification of myogenic endothelial cells in human skeletal muscle. AB - We document anatomic, molecular and developmental relationships between endothelial and myogenic cells within human skeletal muscle. Cells coexpressing myogenic and endothelial cell markers (CD56, CD34, CD144) were identified by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. These myoendothelial cells regenerate myofibers in the injured skeletal muscle of severe combined immunodeficiency mice more effectively than CD56+ myogenic progenitors. They proliferate long term, retain a normal karyotype, are not tumorigenic and survive better under oxidative stress than CD56+ myogenic cells. Clonally derived myoendothelial cells differentiate into myogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic cells in culture. Myoendothelial cells are amenable to biotechnological handling, including purification by flow cytometry and long-term expansion in vitro, and may have potential for the treatment of human muscle disease. PMID- 17767155 TI - Robust immune responses elicited by a fully synthetic three-component vaccine. AB - The overexpression of saccharides such as Globo-H, Lewis(Y) and Tn antigen is a common feature of oncogenic transformed cells. Endeavors to exploit this aberrant glycosylation for cancer vaccine development have been complicated by difficulties in eliciting high titers of IgG antibodies against classical conjugates of tumor-associated carbohydrates to carrier proteins. We have designed, chemically synthesized and immunologically evaluated a number of fully synthetic vaccine candidates to establish strategies to overcome the poor immunogenicity of tumor-associated carbohydrates and glycopeptides. We have found that a three-component vaccine composed of a TLR2 agonist, a promiscuous peptide T-helper epitope and a tumor-associated glycopeptide can elicit in mice exceptionally high titers of IgG antibodies that can recognize cancer cells expressing the tumor-associated carbohydrate. The superior properties of the vaccine candidate are attributed to the local production of cytokines, upregulation of co-stimulatory proteins, enhanced uptake by macrophages and dendritic cells and avoidance of epitope suppression. PMID- 17767156 TI - Variation in complement factor 3 is associated with risk of age-related macular degeneration. AB - The association of variants in complement factors H and B with age-related macular degeneration has led to more intense genetic and functional analysis of the complement pathway. We identify a nonsynonymous coding change in complement factor 3 that is strongly associated with risk of age-related macular degeneration in a large case-control sample. PMID- 17767157 TI - A common variant of HMGA2 is associated with adult and childhood height in the general population. AB - Human height is a classic, highly heritable quantitative trait. To begin to identify genetic variants influencing height, we examined genome-wide association data from 4,921 individuals. Common variants in the HMGA2 oncogene, exemplified by rs1042725, were associated with height (P = 4 x 10(-8)). HMGA2 is also a strong biological candidate for height, as rare, severe mutations in this gene alter body size in mice and humans, so we tested rs1042725 in additional samples. We confirmed the association in 19,064 adults from four further studies (P = 3 x 10(-11), overall P = 4 x 10(-16), including the genome-wide association data). We also observed the association in children (P = 1 x 10(-6), N = 6,827) and a tall/short case-control study (P = 4 x 10(-6), N = 3,207). We estimate that rs1042725 explains approximately 0.3% of population variation in height (approximately 0.4 cm increased adult height per C allele). There are few examples of common genetic variants reproducibly associated with human quantitativetraits; these results represent, to our knowledge, the first consistently replicated association with adult and childhood height. PMID- 17767159 TI - A QTL influencing F cell production maps to a gene encoding a zinc-finger protein on chromosome 2p15. AB - F cells measure the presence of fetal hemoglobin, a heritable quantitative trait in adults that accounts for substantial phenotypic diversity of sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. We applied a genome-wide association mapping strategy to individuals with contrasting extreme trait values and mapped a new F cell quantitative trait locus to BCL11A, which encodes a zinc-finger protein, on chromosome 2p15. The 2p15 BCL11A quantitative trait locus accounts for 15.1% of the trait variance. PMID- 17767158 TI - Modulation of morphogenesis by noncanonical Wnt signaling requires ATF/CREB family-mediated transcriptional activation of TGFbeta2. AB - Transcriptional readout downstream of canonical Wnt signaling is known to be mediated by beta-catenin activation of well-described targets, but potential transcriptional readout in response to noncanonical Wnt signaling remains poorly understood. Here, we define a transcriptional pathway important in noncanonical Wnt signaling. We have found that Wnt11 is a direct target of a canonical beta catenin pathway in developing heart and that Wnt11 mutants show cardiac outflow tract defects. We provide genetic and biochemical evidence thatWnt11 signaling affects extracellular matrix composition, cytoskeletal rearrangements and polarized cell movement required for morphogenesis of the cardiac outflow tract. Notably, transforming growth factor beta2 (TGFbeta2), a key effector of organ morphogenesis, is regulated by Wnt11-mediated noncanonical signaling in developing heart and somites via one or more activating transcription factor (ATF)/cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) family members. Thus, we propose that transcriptional readout mediated at least in part by a Wnt11 --> ATF/CREB --> TGFbeta2 pathway is critical in regulating morphogenesis in response to noncanonical Wnt signaling. PMID- 17767160 TI - T helper type 2 differentiation and intracellular trafficking of the interleukin 4 receptor-alpha subunit controlled by the Rac activator Dock2. AB - The lineage commitment of CD4+ T cells is coordinately regulated by signals through the T cell receptor and cytokine receptors, yet how these signals are integrated remains elusive. Here we find that mice lacking Dock2, a Rac activator in lymphocytes, developed allergic disease through a mechanism dependent on CD4+ T cells and the interleukin 4 receptor (IL-4R). Dock2-deficient CD4+ T cells showed impaired antigen-driven downregulation of IL-4Ralpha surface expression, resulting in sustained IL-4R signaling and excessive T helper type 2 responses. Dock2 was required for T cell receptor-mediated phosphorylation of the microtubule-destabilizing protein stathmin and for lysosomal trafficking and the degradation of IL-4Ralpha. Thus, Dock2 links T cell receptor signals to downregulation of IL-4Ralpha to control the lineage commitment of CD4+ T cells. PMID- 17767161 TI - Minimal activation of memory CD8+ T cell by tissue-derived dendritic cells favors the stimulation of naive CD8+ T cells. AB - Of the many dendritic cell (DC) subsets, DCs expressing the monomorphic coreceptor CD8 alpha-chain (CD8alpha) are localized permanently in lymphoid organs, whereas 'tissue-derived DCs' remain in nonlymphoid tissues until they 'capture' antigen and then move to local lymph nodes. Here we show that after lung infection, both naive and memory CD8+ 'killer' T cells responded to influenza virus antigens presented by lymph node-resident CD8alpha+ DCs, but only naive cells responded to antigens presented by lung-derived DCs. This difference provides a mechanism for priming naive T cell responses in conditions in which robust memory predominates. Our findings have implications for immunity to pathogens that can mutate their T cell epitopes, such as influenza virus and human immunodeficiency virus, and challenge the long-held view that memory T cells have less-stringent requirements for activation than naive T cells have. PMID- 17767162 TI - Mast cell-derived interleukin 10 limits skin pathology in contact dermatitis and chronic irradiation with ultraviolet B. AB - Allergic contact dermatitis, such as in response to poison ivy or poison oak, and chronic low-dose ultraviolet B irradiation can damage the skin. Mast cells produce proinflammatory mediators that are thought to exacerbate these prevalent acquired immune or innate responses. Here we found that, unexpectedly, mast cells substantially limited the pathology associated with these responses, including infiltrates of leukocytes, epidermal hyperplasia and epidermal necrosis. Production of interleukin 10 by mast cells contributed to the anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive effects of mast cells in these conditions. Our findings identify a previously unrecognized function for mast cells and mast cell-derived interleukin 10 in limiting leukocyte infiltration, inflammation and tissue damage associated with immunological or innate responses that can injure the skin. PMID- 17767163 TI - Dynamic control of the Q factor in a photonic crystal nanocavity. AB - High-quality (Q) factor photonic-crystal nanocavities are currently the focus of much interest because they can strongly confine photons in a tiny space. Nanocavities with ultrahigh Q factors of up to 2,000,000 and modal volumes of a cubic wavelength have been realized. If the Q factor could be dynamically controlled within the lifetime of a photon, significant advances would be expected in areas of physics and engineering such as the slowing and/or stopping of light and quantum-information processing. For these applications, the transfer, storage and exchange of photons in nanocavity systems on such a timescale are highly desirable. Here, we present the first demonstration of dynamic control of the Q factor, by constructing a system composed of a nanocavity, a waveguide with nonlinear optical response and a photonic-crystal hetero-interface mirror. The Q factor of the nanocavity was successfully changed from approximately 3,000 to approximately 12,000 within picoseconds. PMID- 17767164 TI - Engineering tumors with 3D scaffolds. AB - Microenvironmental conditions control tumorigenesis and biomimetic culture systems that allow for in vitro and in vivo tumor modeling may greatly aid studies of cancer cells' dependency on these conditions. We engineered three dimensional (3D) human tumor models using carcinoma cells in polymeric scaffolds that recreated microenvironmental characteristics representative of tumors in vivo. Strikingly, the angiogenic characteristics of tumor cells were dramatically altered upon 3D culture within this system, and corresponded much more closely to tumors formed in vivo. Cells in this model were also less sensitive to chemotherapy and yielded tumors with enhanced malignant potential. We assessed the broad relevance of these findings with 3D culture of other tumor cell lines in this same model, comparison with standard 3D Matrigel culture and in vivo experiments. This new biomimetic model may provide a broadly applicable 3D culture system to study the effect of microenvironmental conditions on tumor malignancy in vitro and in vivo. PMID- 17767165 TI - Mrp8 and Mrp14 are endogenous activators of Toll-like receptor 4, promoting lethal, endotoxin-induced shock. AB - To identify new components that regulate the inflammatory cascade during sepsis, we characterized the functions of myeloid-related protein-8 (Mrp8, S100A8) and myeloid-related protein-14 (Mrp14, S100A9), two abundant cytoplasmic proteins of phagocytes. We now demonstrate that mice lacking Mrp8-Mrp14 complexes are protected from endotoxin-induced lethal shock and Escherichia coli-induced abdominal sepsis. Both proteins are released during activation of phagocytes, and Mrp8-Mrp14 complexes amplify the endotoxin-triggered inflammatory responses of phagocytes. Mrp8 is the active component that induces intracellular translocation of myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88 and activation of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-1 and nuclear factor-kappaB, resulting in elevated expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Using phagocytes expressing a nonfunctional Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), HEK293 cells transfected with TLR4, CD14 and MD2, and by surface plasmon resonance studies in vitro, we demonstrate that Mrp8 specifically interacts with the TLR4-MD2 complex, thus representing an endogenous ligand of TLR4. Therefore Mrp8-Mrp14 complexes are new inflammatory components that amplify phagocyte activation during sepsis upstream of TNFalpha-dependent effects. PMID- 17767166 TI - Activation of mGlu2/3 receptors as a new approach to treat schizophrenia: a randomized Phase 2 clinical trial. AB - Schizophrenia is a chronic, complex and heterogeneous mental disorder, with pathological features of disrupted neuronal excitability and plasticity within limbic structures of the brain. These pathological features manifest behaviorally as positive symptoms (including hallucinations, delusions and thought disorder), negative symptoms (such as social withdrawal, apathy and emotional blunting) and other psychopathological symptoms (such as psychomotor retardation, lack of insight, poor attention and impulse control). Altered glutamate neurotransmission has for decades been linked to schizophrenia, but all commonly prescribed antipsychotics act on dopamine receptors. LY404039 is a selective agonist for metabotropic glutamate 2/3 (mGlu2/3) receptors and has shown antipsychotic potential in animal studies. With data from rodents, we provide new evidence that mGlu2/3 receptor agonists work by a distinct mechanism different from that of olanzapine. To clinically test this mechanism, an oral prodrug of LY404039 (LY2140023) was evaluated in schizophrenic patients with olanzapine as an active control in a randomized, three-armed, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Treatment with LY2140023, like treatment with olanzapine, was safe and well tolerated; treated patients showed statistically significant improvements in both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia compared to placebo (P < 0.001 at week 4). Notably, patients treated with LY2140023 did not differ from placebo treated patients with respect to prolactin elevation, extrapyramidal symptoms or weight gain. These data suggest that mGlu2/3 receptor agonists have antipsychotic properties and may provide a new alternative for the treatment of schizophrenia. PMID- 17767167 TI - Death-receptor O-glycosylation controls tumor-cell sensitivity to the proapoptotic ligand Apo2L/TRAIL. AB - Apo2L/TRAIL stimulates cancer cell death through the proapoptotic receptors DR4 and DR5, but the determinants of tumor susceptibility to this ligand are not fully defined. mRNA expression of the peptidyl O-glycosyltransferase GALNT14 correlated with Apo2L/TRAIL sensitivity in pancreatic carcinoma, non-small-cell lung carcinoma and melanoma cell lines, and up to 30% of samples from various human malignancies showed GALNT14 overexpression. RNA interference of GALNT14 reduced cellular Apo2L/TRAIL sensitivity, whereas overexpression increased responsiveness. Biochemical analysis of DR5 identified several ectodomain O-(N acetyl galactosamine-galactose-sialic acid) structures. Sequence comparison predicted conserved extracellular DR4 and DR5 O-glycosylation sites; progressive mutation of the DR5 sites attenuated apoptotic signaling. O-glycosylation promoted ligand-stimulated clustering of DR4 and DR5, which mediated recruitment and activation of the apoptosis-initiating protease caspase-8. These results uncover a new link between death-receptor O-glycosylation and apoptotic signaling, providing potential predictive biomarkers for Apo2L/TRAIL-based cancer therapy. PMID- 17767168 TI - Oxygen-derived free radicals mediate endothelium-dependent contractions in femoral arteries of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The present experiments were designed to study the contribution of oxygen-derived free radicals to endothelium-dependent contractions in femoral arteries of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Rings with and without endothelium were suspended in organ chambers for isometric tension recording. The production of oxygen-derived free radicals in the endothelium was measured with 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate using confocal microscopy. The presence of protein was measured by western blotting. KEY RESULTS: In the presence of L-NAME, the calcium ionophore A23187 induced larger endothelium-dependent contractions in femoral arteries from diabetic rats. Tiron, catalase, deferoxamine and MnTMPyP, but not superoxide dismutase reduced the response, suggesting that oxygen-derived free radicals are involved in the endothelium-dependent contraction. In the presence of L-NAME, A23187 increased the fluorescence signal in femoral arteries from streptozotocin treated, but not in those from control rats, confirming that the production of oxygen-derived free radicals contributes to the enhanced endothelium-dependent contractions in diabetes. Exogenous H2O2 caused contractions in femoral arterial rings without endothelium which were reduced by deferoxamine, indicating that hydroxyl radicals contract vascular smooth muscle and thus could be an endothelium-derived contracting factor in diabetes. The reduced presence of Mn SOD and the decreased activity of catalase in femoral arteries from streptozotocin-treated rats demonstrated the presence of a redox abnormality in arteries from rats with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: These findings suggest that the redox abnormality resulting from diabetes increases oxidative stress which facilitates and/or causes endothelium-dependent contractions. PMID- 17767172 TI - All that matters. PMID- 17767169 TI - Up-regulation of proteinase-activated receptor 1 and increased contractile responses to thrombin after subarachnoid haemorrhage. AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The mechanism for the development of post-haemorrhagic cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) still remains unknown. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We investigated the role of thrombin and its receptor PAR1 in the development of hyper-contractility of the basilar artery in a rabbit double haemorrhage model, which received two injections of autologous blood into the cisterna magna. KEY RESULTS: In the basilar artery isolated from the control rabbits, thrombin, only at 10 units ml(-1), induced a transient endothelium dependent relaxation and a slight smooth muscle contraction. In SAH, the contractile response to thrombin was markedly enhanced, while the endothelium dependent relaxant effect of thrombin remained unchanged. The enhancement of the contractile responses was also observed in the absence of endothelium and thrombin induced an enhanced contraction at concentrations higher than 0.3 units ml(-1). The contractile response to PAR1-activating peptide was also enhanced after SAH. However, the contractile responses to high K+ and endothelin-1, and the myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity remained unchanged after SAH. An immunoblot analysis suggested the up-regulation of PAR1 in the smooth muscle of the basilar artery. The heparinization of blood before injection prevented the enhancement of the contractile responses to thrombin and PAR1-activating peptide. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The present study demonstrated, for the first time, that the contractile response of the basilar artery to thrombin was markedly enhanced after SAH. Mechanistically, our findings suggested that the activation of thrombin following hemorrhage up-regulated the expression of PAR1, thereby inducing the hyper-responsiveness to thrombin. PMID- 17767173 TI - High Tc for the power grid. PMID- 17767174 TI - A fascination with oxides. Interview by Fabio Pulizzi. PMID- 17767170 TI - Endocannabinoids and the gastrointestinal tract: what are the key questions? AB - Cannabinoid (CB1) receptor activation acts neuronally, reducing GI motility, diarrhoea, pain, transient lower oesophageal sphincter relaxations (TLESRs) and emesis, and promoting eating. CB2 receptor activation acts mostly via immune cells to reduce inflammation. What are the key questions which now need answering to further understand endocannabinoid pathophysiology? GPR55. Does this receptor have a GI role? Satiety, Nausea, Vomiting, Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux, Gastric Emptying. Endocannabinoids acting at CB1 receptors can increase food intake and body weight, exert anti-emetic activity, reduce gastric acid secretion and TLESRs; CB2 receptors may have a small role in emesis. Question 1: CB1 receptor activation reduces emesis and gastric emptying but the latter is associated with nausea. How is the paradox explained? Q2: Do non-CB receptor actions of endocannabinoids (for example TRPV1) also modulate emesis? Q3: Is pathology necessary (gastritis, gastro-oesophageal reflux) to observe CB2 receptor function? Intestinal Transit and Secretion. Reduced by endocannabinoids at CB1 receptors, but not by CB2 receptor agonists. Q1: Do the effects of endocannabinoids rapidly diminish with repeat-dosing? Q2: Do CB2 receptors need to be pathologically upregulated before they are active? Inflammation. CB1, CB2 and TRPV1 receptors may mediate an ability of endocannabinoids to reduce GI inflammation or its consequences. Q1: Are CB2 receptors upregulated by inflammatory or other pathology? Pain. Colonic bacterial flora may upregulate CB2 receptor expression and thereby increase intestinal sensitivity to noxious stimuli. Q1: Are CB2 receptors the interface between colonic bacteria and enteric or extrinsic nerve sensitivity? Relevance of endocannabinoids to humans. Perhaps apart from appetite, this is largely unknown. PMID- 17767175 TI - To high Tc and beyond. Interview by Fabio Pulizzi. PMID- 17767177 TI - Nanocrystals: tiny seeds make a big difference. PMID- 17767178 TI - Organic electronics: polymers manipulate cells. PMID- 17767179 TI - Surface wetting: liquids shape up nicely. PMID- 17767180 TI - Material witness: a wardrobe for Mars. PMID- 17767181 TI - Materials science challenges for high-temperature superconducting wire. AB - Twenty years ago in a series of amazing discoveries it was found that a large family of ceramic cuprate materials exhibited superconductivity at temperatures above, and in some cases well above, that of liquid nitrogen. Imaginations were energized by the thought of applications for zero-resistance conductors cooled with an inexpensive and readily available cryogen. Early optimism, however, was soon tempered by the hard realities of these new materials: brittle ceramics are not easily formed into long flexible conductors; high current levels require near perfect crystallinity; and--the downside of high transition temperature- performance drops rapidly in a magnetic field. Despite these formidable obstacles, thousands of kilometres of high-temperature superconducting wire have now been manufactured for demonstrations of transmission cables, motors and other electrical power components. The question is whether the advantages of superconducting wire, such as efficiency and compactness, can outweigh the disadvantage: cost. The remaining task for materials scientists is to return to the fundamentals and squeeze as much performance as possible from these wonderful and difficult materials. PMID- 17767182 TI - Jack-of-all-trades. PMID- 17767183 TI - Comment on the correspondence by Cokol et al. PMID- 17767185 TI - Comment on 'The ethics of animal research' by Festing & Wilkinson. PMID- 17767186 TI - Comment on the Talking Points in EMBO reports, June 2007. PMID- 17767188 TI - Like father like son. A fresh review of the inheritance of acquired characteristics. PMID- 17767189 TI - The future of research universities. Is the model of research-intensive universities still valid at the beginning of the twenty-first century? PMID- 17767190 TI - The nature of flight. The molecules and mechanics of flight in animals. PMID- 17767191 TI - There shall be order. The legacy of Linnaeus in the age of molecular biology. PMID- 17767192 TI - Tag team action at the synapse. AB - Communication between neurons relies on chemical synapses and the release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. Neurotransmitter release is an exquisitely regulated membrane fusion event that requires the linking of an electrical nerve stimulus to Ca(2+) influx, which leads to the fusion of neurotransmitter-filled vesicles with the cell membrane. The timing of neurotransmitter release is controlled through the regulation of the soluble N ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment receptor (SNARE) proteins-the core of the membrane fusion machinery. Assembly of the fusion-competent SNARE complex is regulated by several neuronal proteins, including complexin and the Ca(2+)-sensor synaptotagmin. Both complexin and synaptotagmin bind directly to SNAREs, but their mechanism of action has so far remained unclear. Recent studies revealed that synaptotagmin-Ca(2+) and complexin collaborate to regulate membrane fusion. These compelling new results provide a molecular mechanistic insight into the functions of both proteins: complexin 'clamps' the SNARE complex in a pre-fusion intermediate, which is then released by the action of Ca(2+)-bound synaptotagmin to trigger rapid fusion. PMID- 17767193 TI - IDO and regulatory T cells: a role for reverse signalling and non-canonical NF kappaB activation. AB - The immunoregulatory enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) suppresses T-cell responses and promotes immune tolerance in mammalian pregnancy, tumour resistance, chronic infection, autoimmunity and allergic inflammation. 'Reverse signalling' and 'non-canonical activation' of the transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) characterize the peculiar events that occur in dendritic cells when T-cell-engaged ligands work as signalling receptors and culminate in the induction of IDO expression by dendritic cells in an inhibitor of NF-kappaB (IkappaB) kinase-alpha (IKKalpha)-dependent manner. In this Opinion article, we propose that IDO acts as a bridge between dendritic cells and CD4+ regulatory T cells, and that regulatory T cells use reverse signalling and non canonical NF-kappaB activation for effector function and self-propagation. This mechanism may also underlie the protective function of glucocorticoids in pathological conditions. PMID- 17767194 TI - Unveiling the roles of autophagy in innate and adaptive immunity. AB - Cells digest portions of their interiors in a process known as autophagy to recycle nutrients, remodel and dispose of unwanted cytoplasmic constituents. This ancient pathway, conserved from yeast to humans, is now emerging as a central player in the immunological control of bacterial, parasitic and viral infections. The process of autophagy may degrade intracellular pathogens, deliver endogenous antigens to MHC-class-II-loading compartments, direct viral nucleic acids to Toll like receptors and regulate T-cell homeostasis. This Review describes the mechanisms of autophagy and highlights recent advances relevant to the role of autophagy in innate and adaptive immunity. PMID- 17767195 TI - Role of telomeres and telomerase in genomic instability, senescence and cancer. AB - Telomeres are ribonucleoprotein structures that protect the end of linear chromosomes from recognition as DNA double-stranded breaks and activation of a DNA damage response. Telomere-associated proteins also regulate telomerase, the protein responsible for maintaining telomere length. Loss of telomere function results from either alteration in the capping function at telomeres, or from progressive loss of telomeric repeats necessary to maintain proper telomeric structure. Dysfunctional telomeres activate p53 to initiate cellular senescence or apoptosis to suppress tumorigenesis. However, in the absence of p53, telomere dysfunction is an important mechanism to generate chromosomal instability commonly found in human carcinomas. Telomerase is expressed in the majority of human cancers, making it an attractive therapeutic target. Emerging anti telomerase therapies that are currently in clinical trials might prove useful against some forms of human cancers. PMID- 17767196 TI - For IRES trans-acting factors, it is all about location. AB - The translation of many proteins involved in transcription, cell cycle progression, apoptosis and cell survival is mediated by internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs) present within the 5'-untranslated regions (5'-UTRs) of their messenger RNA molecules (mRNAs). Several recent reports now demonstrate that the proteins controlling IRES-dependent translation initiation are regulated by their subcellular localization. PMID- 17767197 TI - Tamoxifen and TRAIL synergistically induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells. AB - Tamoxifen (TAM), is widely used as a single agent in adjuvant treatment of breast cancer. Here, we investigated the effects of TAM in combination with tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha)-positive and -negative breast cancer cells. We showed that cotreatment with TAM and TRAIL synergistically induced apoptosis regardless of ER alpha status. By contrast, cotreatment did not affect the viability of normal breast epithelial cells. Cotreatment with TAM and TRAIL in breast cancer cells decreased the levels of antiapoptotic proteins including FLIPs and Bcl-2, and enhanced the levels of proapoptotic proteins such as FADD, caspase 8, tBid, Bax and caspase 9. Furthermore, cotreatment-induced apoptosis was efficiently reduced by FADD- or Bid-siRNA, indicating the implication of both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways in synergistic apoptosis induction. Importantly, cotreatment totally arrested tumor growth in an ER-alpha-negative MDA-MB-231 tumor xenograft model. The abrogation of tumor growth correlated with enhanced apoptosis in tumor tissues. Our findings raise the possibility to use TAM in combination with TRAIL for breast cancers, regardless of ER-alpha status. PMID- 17767198 TI - A comparative study of marital status on the academic performance of the female medical undergraduate in a Nigerian university. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of marriage, pregnancy and child bearing on the academic performance of the Nigerian female medical student. METHOD: Self administered cross sectional questionnaires were distributed to female and male medical students of Ebonyi State University, Nigeria. Academic records were examined, and data obtained analysed using the Epi info statistical software package. RESULTS: Sixteen (19.3%) of the female students were married, thirteen after admission into the Faculty. Fourteen of these had children and mean parity was 2. The married female students were older, had more resit examinations than their male and single female counterparts. The difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Marriage and child bearing which play a central and prominent role in the traditional African culture, may serve as an additional burden on the Nigerian female medical student, affecting her academic performance. The specific problems associated with marriage, pregnancy and childbirth need to be recognised, addressed and reflected in a modern medical curriculum. PMID- 17767199 TI - A rapid situation assessment of sexual risk behaviour of alcohol users in Lagos, Nigeria. AB - BACKGROUND: National sentinel surveys of HIV/AIDS among pregnant women in Nigeria have shown steady rise in prevalence from 1991 (1.8%) to 2001 (5.8%), which may reflect the pattern in the adult population in the country. The roles of known potential risk factors of the HIV/AIDS scourge in Nigeria deserve elucidation. This work aims to study the relationship between alcohol use and sexual risk behaviour. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Rapid assessment technique involving qualitative and quantitative methods was employed. A multi-site design which made it possible to compare samples recruited in high and low density settings was used. RESULTS: One hundred and nine of the alcohol users were recruited in the Low Density Area (LDA), while 130 were recruited in the High Density Area (HDA). In the HDA, 49 (53%) of the beer users used alcohol before sex either most or all of the time 21 (22.6%), or occasionally 28 (29.1%). Unlike the beer users less than half, 8 (42.1%), of Palm wine drinkers drank alcohol before sex. Beer users in the HDA used beer after sex with casual partners significantly more than the Palm wine drinkers (P = 0.036). Alcohol users in the LDA were more inclined to casual sex and they (54, 56.8%) believed that it had some or major role in their desire as well as performance of sex compared with users in the HDA (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Irrespective of their socioeconomic class, ethnicity, religion and educational attainment alcohol users in the country indulge in high risk sexual behaviours that predispose them to infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. PMID- 17767200 TI - Comparison of the therapeutic efficacy of phonophoresis and iontophoresis using dexamethasone sodium phosphate in the management of patients with knee osteoarthritis. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Many treatment options, including non-pharmacological and pharmacological measures, have been recommended in the management of osteoarthritis (OA). Among the non-pharmacological approach is physiotherapy, which involves the use of physical modalities like, heat therapy, exercise therapy, electrical stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound, iontophoresis, and phonophoresis. This study was therefore designed to compare the effectiveness of 0.4% Dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DEX-P) phonophoresis (PH) with 0.4% DEX-P iontophoresis (ION) therapy in the management of patients with knee joint OA. METHODS: Fifty patients (19 males and 31 females) with a mean age of 53.6 +/- 8.9 years were randomly assigned to PH or ION groups with 25 patients in each group. Ultrasound waves of 1 MHz frequency was applied for 5 minutes to the target knee, so also was the direct current for 10 minutes for 10 sessions treatment period. Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores, 20 meters ambulatory time, and knee range of motion (ROM) were evaluated before and after therapy as the outcome measures. RESULTS: At the end of two weeks, significant improvement in total WOMAC scores was observed in 15 (60%) and 16 (64%) patients in the PH and ION groups respectively, indicating no significant difference in the improvement rate. Twenty (20) metres ambulatory time and knee range of motion also improved significantly in both groups, yet these variables showed no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Both therapeutic modalities were found to be effective and generally well tolerated after 10 treatment sessions. DEX-P phonophoresis was not superior to DEX-P iontophoresis in the treatment of patients with OA of the knee. PMID- 17767201 TI - Some malignant tumours in HIV -infected individuals in Benin City Nigeria. AB - AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to report the cases of some malignancies seen in Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) - positive patients seen at the UBTH between January 1999 and December 2003. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients that presented to the medical and surgical units of the UBTH within the period of the study and who had histologically confirmed malignant conditions and also tested to HIV were included in the study. RESULTS: The male: female ratio of HIV-seropositivity within the period of study was 1:1.2. The highest incidence of HIV-seropositivity was in 2003 (65.1%). Of the patients that tested positive for HIV, Hodgkin's lymphoma was the commonest form of malignancy while leukaemia was the least common. CONCLUSION: We conclude that Kaposi's sarcoma is not now so common in HIV-positive patients as previously reported by other studies, while Hodgkin's lymphoma has become rather more prevalent. PMID- 17767202 TI - Visual standards in commercial driving. AB - OBJECTIVES: The study was carried out to review the ocular factors involved in road traffic accidents (RTA) in order to reduce associated injuries and possibly suggest a standard for driving. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out in the eye clinic of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo between May and June 2004. A stratified random sample technique was used to select 99 drivers (198 eyes) from 6 motor park units. Information obtained included age, sex, past history of road traffic accident (RTA), visual acuity and field, colour vision and ability to read number plate tests. RESULTS: Six drivers (6.1%) were visually impaired. There were 5 cases of monocular blindness. Twenty (20.20%) drivers had accidents in the past, 24(24.24%) could not read number plate at 20.5meters, 6 (6.1%) were colour blind while 36 had visual field loss within 120 degrees horizontally. All the six drivers that had visual field loss encroaching within 20 degrees of fixation had accidents in the past. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that there is need to improve on the standard of vision testing before licenses are issued or renewed. Where visual acuity alone is used, it must be done properly by testing one eye at a time. However, a comprehensive eye test using a battery of tests comprising visual acuity, colour vision, visual field and number plate test at 20.5 meters before first issue of driving license and at renewals will be better. Drivers with visual impairment or inability to read number plate test at 20.5 meters should be disqualified from driving commercial vehicles. Drivers with monocular blindness or visual field loss encroaching within 20 degrees of fixation must also not be allowed to drive commercial vehicles. However, further large scale studies will be necessary in order to prove all these propositions scientifically. PMID- 17767203 TI - Prospective case-control study of interictal depression and suicidal ideation in Nigerians with epilepsy. AB - BACKGROUND: Co-morbid depression and suicidal ideation in people with epilepsy (PWE) in developing countries are under-recognised, and so may be consequently undertreated. This study was designed to determine the frequency and clinical correlates of interictal depression and suicidal ideation in PWE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using a prospective design, we evaluated 96 PWE and two groups of controls (103 age- and sex-matched population controls and 13 persons with DSM - IV diagnosis of major depression (controls with depression - CWD) without epilepsy. Depression was assessed using Zung Self-rating depression scale (scores =40 indicating depression). RESULTS: Depression was more prevalent in PWE (25/96 i.e. 26.0%) than normal controls (10/103 i.e. 9.7%) (P = 0.004). Suicidal ideation scores were similar for depressed PWE and depressed normal controls (1.7 +/-1.0 v. 1.5 +/- 1.0; P>0.05), but significantly higher in CWD (2.61.3; P=0.04). Among PWE, mean duration of epilepsy (years) was the only variable significantly related to depression (i.e. 12.7 8.8 in depressed PWE v. 8.3 6.6 in non-depressed PWE (P=0.01). CONCLUSION: Depressive symptomatology is a frequent co-morbidity in our tertiary care population of PWE. However, suicidal ideation is less common in contrast to persons with major depression. PMID- 17767204 TI - Informed consent in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria: how involved is the nurse? AB - INTRODUCTION: We reviewed the nurse's involvement and role perception on informed consent in LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria OBJECTIVES: The study aimed at determining the nurses' knowledge, attitude and perception of role in informed consent and the level of participation in the procedure. METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional study of the nurses in the medical and surgical units of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital was carried out using semi structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Sixty five nurses participated in the study. A high proportion - 60 (92.3%) had heard of informed consent but only 26(40%) had correct and adequate knowledge of informed consent. Forty (61.5%) had participated as witnesses to the procedure of seeking informed consent. Participation was only sometimes in 38 (58.5%) of respondents. Forty seven (86.2%) nurses wanted nurses to be involved in obtaining informed consent because it improves quality of patient care while 38(58.5%) nurses believed that involvement of nurses should be because it is the nurses' statutory responsibility. CONCLUSION: It would appear that the knowledge of informed consent among nurses was inadequate and nurses were not adequately carried along in the process. Training of nurses in this important procedure would greatly enhance the quality of patient care. PMID- 17767205 TI - Plasma total and ultrafiltrable calcium in normal pregnancy, hypertension in pregnancy and pre-eclampsia. AB - OBJECTIVE: To measure the ultrafiltrable and total plasma calcium in normal pregnancy and pregnancies complicated with hypertension and pre-eclampsia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Total and ultrafiltrable calcium concentrations were measured in maternal plasma from non-pregnant (35), normal pregnant (35), Pregnancy induced hypertension (35) and pre-eclamptic (20) women. Plasma total calcium level was measured by the o'cresolphthalein method. Ultrafiltrate of plasma was obtained using the Amicon MPS-1 micro-partition device. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the plasma total calcium level between the non- pregnant group and the pregnant group (normal, hypertensive and pre-eclamptic). However there was a significant reduction in the ultrafiltrable (protein free and complexed) calcium level in the pregnant group compared to the non-pregnant group (1.15mmol/L +/- 0.23 Vs 1.25mmol/L +/- 0.13) p<0.05. CONCLUSION: Measurement of the ultrafiltrable calcium in addition to total calcium assay may be more useful in assessing calcium status in normal and complicated pregnancies. PMID- 17767206 TI - Avascular necrosis of the femoral head in sickle cell disease in Nigeria: a retrospective study. AB - BACKGROUND: Avascular necrosis (AVN) especially of the femoral head, has long been recognised as a manifestation of sickle cell disease (SCD). Despite this knowledge the actual prevalence of this complication among sickle cell patients in Nigeria is not known. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and patterns of presentation of avascular necrosis of the femoral head in sickle cell disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study carried out at the Orthopaedic and Haematology clinics of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile Ife, Nigeria. Four hundred and sixteen patients with sickle cell disease seen over a 15-year period. RESULTS: Of the 416 patients with sickle cell disease 340 (81.7%) had haemoglobin SS genotype while 76(18.3%) had SC genotype. Sixty-six (15.9%) patients 35 males (53%) and 31 females (47%) had clinical and radiologic features of avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head. Fifty-three of them (80.3%) had Hb SS while 13 had Hb SC. The peak age incidence in both Hb SS and Hb SC was 21-30 years. Forty patients (60.6%) presented with stage IV disease (Ficat and Arlet Staging) while 21.2% had stage III and 18.2% had stage II. No patient was diagnosed in stage 1 or 0. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of AVN of femoral head in Hb SC and HbSS is similar i.e. the difference is not statistically significant (P=0.48). Most of our patients present late with advanced diseases. Considering the paucity of facilities available for total hip replacement in Nigeria and the young age group affected we recommend regular screening of patients with sickle cell disorder for AVN and regular community educational programmes for early diagnosis. PMID- 17767207 TI - Knowledge and management of malaria among non-medical Nigerian undergraduates. AB - AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: The present work investigated knowledge and management of malaria among non-medical students in two tertiary institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria, and aimed at evaluating the possible roles played by the human host in perpetuating the deadly disease, malaria, especially among those outside the health-sector. METHODS: Two tertiary institutions within Lagos metropolis were selected as study fields and a total population of 400 non-medical students was studied through random distribution of fixed-end and self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The study showed that most of the informants did not know much about malaria, in terms of its transmission, symptoms, prevention, management, morbidity and mortality, which could explain the disappointments that have been suffered in the fight against the parasite and its carrier even in the face of highly efficacious anti-malarias, since such individuals would not be able to manage the disease adequately. Some of the correct responses were found to be significant when compared with the incorrect options. Lastly, drugs other than anti-malarials were employed to treat the disease and conversely, most fevers were thought by the students to be due to malaria. CONCLUSION: The present work shows the massive gap in the knowledge of malaria between the health sector and other members of the society. If there must be any clue to the long-standing problems facing malaria therapy, it will come as a consequence of bridging the gap. PMID- 17767208 TI - Preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma using transrectal ultrasonography (Trus): experience with 30 Nigerians. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer is the second most common malignancy; accounting for approximately 155,000 new diagnosed cases each year in the United States. It is about the commonest Gastrointestinal Malignancy in Nigeria. For cancers specifically located in the rectum, various therapeutic options are available including local excision, total mesorectal excision, preoperative radiotherapy etc. These treatment modalities vary in morbidity and chance for cure. The choice of surgery as well as possible outcome largely depends on the depth of tumour infiltration of the rectal wall as well as extent of perirectal tissue involvement. The aim of this study was to assess local fixity clinically and also to assess the ability of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) to fulfil staging requirements in patients with rectal cancer. The results of these findings were compared with findings at operation and subsequent findings at pathological examination. This is with the aim of evaluating the usefulness of transrectal ultrasound in selecting patients for surgical intervention especially with respect to resectability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients with histologically confirmed rectal carcinoma at UITH, Ilorin from January 1998 to December 2002 who underwent preoperative TRUS were prospectively studied. After clinical examination including digital rectal examination they all had TRUS, proctoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. Result of findings on clinical examination, TRUS, findings at surgery and histological findings were compared and analysed using SPSS 10.0. RESULTS: There were 30 patients reviewed. Twenty per cent of patients who were thought to have fixation of the tumour on clinical examination were not confirmed on TRUS and at surgery. All the patients that TRUS diagnosed as fixed and therefore not resectable were confirmed at surgery and histopathology. Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) identified four patients with peri-rectal lymph nodes but TRUS picked six; though only five were histologically positive. CONCLUSION: TRUS is a useful preoperative imaging technique especially where CT and MRI are not readily available. This can assist the surgeon in preoperative decision taking as to the resectability of the tumour and possible prognosis. PMID- 17767209 TI - An overview of the socio-cultural and psychiatric aspects of women's reproductive health in West Africa. AB - The challenges associated with women reproductive health in West African sub region have over the years become a source of concern to relevant world bodies such as WHO, UNFPA, World Bank etc. Some of these challenges include Infertility, Family Planning and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). However, of greater concern is the scourge of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) most especially HIV/ AIDS and the unacceptably high maternal mortality in the sub region where Nigeria alone accounts for the highest percentage (10%) of the global 60,000 maternal deaths annually. Significant psychiatric complications such as anxiety and depression are associated with menstruation and menopause. However, the postpartum period is the most vulnerable with significant proportion of women developing such psychopathologies as Puerperal (maternity) blues, Postpartum Depression (PPD) and Acute Organic Brain Syndrome. Sociocultural factors, the dearth of psychiatrists in West Africa coupled with the poor or non-recognition of the psychiatric complications by the obstetric staff have not allowed enough clinical attention to be paid to these problems. It is thus advocated that improvement in the maternal and child health care component of the primary health care (PHC) services will go a long way to attenuate the psychiatric complications associated with childbirth. PMID- 17767210 TI - Hypnosis and its place in modern pain management - review article. AB - This is an evidence-based review of the efficacy of hypnosis in pain management. Hypnosis is as old as mankind. It is reported in the Ebers Papyrus in ancient Egyptian cures. It went into decline in the Middle Ages with the rise of Christianity, being erroneously associated with witchcraft. There was resurgence of interest in the 19th century. In the early 1950s, the British Medical Association endorsed the teaching of hypnosis in all medical schools. The literature is replete with anecdotal and controlled studies of the efficacy of hypnotherapy in pain management. Not much is found of the effectiveness in acute pain conditions. Nevertheless, in spite of some methodological flaws in many reports, there seems to be sufficient clinical evidence of sufficient quality, to conclude that hypnosis has demonstrable efficacy in the treatment of chronic pain. PMID- 17767211 TI - Low cost methods for secondary prevention of cervical cancer in developing countries. AB - BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is both a preventable and a curable disease- preventable because the pre-invasive stage can be detected by screening and curable because the very early stage can be cured. It is the commonest genital cancer among females in Nigeria. The incidence and mortality from this disease in developing countries is very high. This is due to the unavailability of organised screening programmes. To address this problem, effective and practical alternatives to cytology are being investigated in many studies. OBJECTIVE: To examine the strengths and limitations of new methods currently undergoing evaluation for secondary prevention of cervical cancer in developing countries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a computerised literature search for published articles. Mesh phrases used for the search were cervical cancer screening, cervical cancer screening in developing countries, cervical cancer screening- new techniques. Hand searches of journals and the proceedings of major conferences were also done. RESULTS: The visual tests for screening for cervical cancer was found to be highly sensitive and can be performed by not only physician but also other trained health care providers. The "single visit approach" to prevention of cervical cancer also referred to as "see and treat" has been tried in some countries in Asia and Africa and found to be effective and acceptable to women and their partners. CONCLUSION: Several studies conducted in many developing countries have shown that low cost methods for cervical cancer prevention do have a place in reducing the incidence of this deadly disease. PMID- 17767212 TI - Dental implant education in Nigeria: a curriculum guide. AB - AIM: Anecdotal evidence suggests that the practice of implant dentistry, "gold standard" for edentulism is presently very low in Nigeria. This article proposes a model for teaching dental implant education and also emphasises the need for inclusion of standardised dental implant education in the dental curriculum in Nigeria. METHODS: A literature search using the MEDLINE was conducted on various models for teaching of dental implant education worldwide. RESULTS: Implant dental education for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes has 3 components namely: didactic educational programme, laboratory hands-on experience, and clinical hands-on experience. In addition, dentists and dental educationists can gain proficiency in basic and advanced implant dentistry through implant dental education organised by recognised universities, private and international implant organisations, manufacturer-sponsored educational programmes as well as training and courses organised by dental associations. CONCLUSIONS: Dental implant education should be given a priority and be included in both the undergraduate and postgraduate dental curriculum in Nigeria. In addition, a standardised implant dentistry programme should be formulated and developed for all dental schools in Nigeria. PMID- 17767213 TI - A review of bilateral tubal ligation at caesarean section in Jos, Nigeria. AB - CONTEXT: The advent of minilaparotomy under local anaesthesia has revolutionalised the performance of bilateral tubal ligation for permanent contraception in Jos. Female sterilisation has however continued to be performed during caesarean section mainly for obstetric or surgical reasons. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of bilateral tubal ligation during caesarean section, and the trend over the years in Jos, Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a retrospective analysis of the register of all bilateral tubal ligations including those performed at caesarean section, between January 1985 and December 2000 (16 years). RESULTS: A total of 3,585 female sterilisations were performed, and 533 (14.9%) were at caesarean section. The rest were through minilaparotomy under local anaesthesia (84.3%) and laparoscopy (0.7). The yearly rate of tubal ligation at caesarean section declined from 33.8% in 1985 to 16.3% in 2000. The commonest indication for the tubal ligation during caesarean section was repeat caesarean section, and accounted for 55.5%. The mean age and parity of the women were 32.1 years and 5.0 respectively. The mean of the number of children of the women at the time of the caesarean section was 4.5. There was a significant difference in age, parity and number of living children of the women compared with those that had bilateral tubal ligation at times other than during caesarean section. There was no complication specific to the tubal ligation at caesarean section. CONCLUSION: About 15% of all female sterilisations were performed at caesarean section. The trend demonstrated a decline, probably influenced by the advent of minilaparotomy under local anaesthesia in Jos, Nigeria. PMID- 17767214 TI - Pathology of maternal deaths in Rivers state (a ten year autopsy review) in a referral hospital. AB - BACKGROUND: Most of the maternal death studies in this environment based their statistics on clinical cause with no reference to autopsy records. This gap of knowledge would be filled with autopsies performed on the victims. OBJECTIVES: To highlight the importance of autopsy in the study of maternal mortality. DESIGN/SETTING: A ten year (1st January 1991 - 31st December 2000) retrospective autopsy study of maternal deaths in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt. METHODOLOGY: The coroner's autopsy report and hospital autopsy records on maternal deaths were retrieved and re-evaluated for this study. Variables considered were the ages of the victims, primary place of antenatal care/management and the cause of death at autopsy. RESULTS: A total of 60 maternal autopsies were performed during the period under review. Forty eight (80%) cases were direct maternal deaths of which haemorrhagic shock from ruptured ectopic pregnancy was the most common 21(35%). The highest frequency of direct maternal death occurred in the age group 20 - 29 years. Indirect (fortuitous) maternal deaths accounted for 20% cases of which cardiovascular disorders was the most common cause of death 4(7.1%) and the age group 40-49 years were most affected 4(6.7%). Majority of the deaths occurred at the traditional birth attendants (TBA) centres 26(43.3%) of which 25(41.7%) were direct or obstetric maternal deaths. The indirect maternal death was highest in the general hospitals 4(6.7%). CONCLUSION: Maternal mortality is a common obstetric problem in this environment. As the death toll was highest in the TBA centers, they should be trained and be integrated to the health care delivery system. There should be an established referral system and improved emergency obstetric services including blood transfusion in our local health centres. These will drastically reduce the mortality rate. PMID- 17767215 TI - Knowledge, attitude and practices of Nigerian anaesthetists in HIV infected surgical patients- a survey. AB - In the light of increasing prevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), anaesthetists are likely to see more patients with this virus in their practice. This study evaluated, using a questionnaire format, the knowledge, attitude and practices of anaesthetists in the management of HIV infected surgical patients. The questionnaire sought demographic information, the knowledge of risks involved as well as attitude and practices. One hundred (66.7%) out of 150 questionnaires distributed amongst members of the Nigerian Society of Anaesthetists were completed and returned. Fifty-five per cent (55%) of the respondents confirmed their willingness to be screened but only 45% had had a personal HIV screening test. Even though 23% of all the respondents will transfuse unscreened blood in an emergency, only 1(8.3%) of the consultants will do so. This trend was also reflected in gloving behaviour as 11(91.6%) of consultants will routinely wear gloves whilst only 12(70.5%) of the senior house officers will routinely glove for venepuncture despite the availability of gloves. Other precautionary facilities such as goggles, sharp disposal bins, routine screening of all surgical patients were more available in private than in government hospitals. Ninety- six per-cent of all respondents will initiate an action after a needle stick injury whilst 4% will ignore. General Anaesthesia was the choice of anaesthetic in an HIV/AIDS infected patient by 43% of respondents whilst 22% of respondents would choose regional technique. However, only 85% of respondents were willing to anaesthetise an infected patient. This study suggested a dearth of knowledge and perception of risks of HIV/AIDs amongst Nigerian Anaesthetists. Appropriate training and greater education is highly recommended. Rigorous infection control policy is imperative and hospital authorities must ensure availability of protective facilities. PMID- 17767216 TI - Marjorlin's ulcer presenting as pathological fracture. AB - The objective of this case report is to sensitise attending medical practitioners of the morbidity and mortality associated with chronic cutaneous ulcers thus emphasising the surgical importance of its management. Chronic ulcers, scars and osteomyelitic sinuses are common but malignant transformation though uncommon poses a threat to function and life. Chronic ulcers exposed to chronic topical applications by trado-medical practitioners may undergo malignant transformation from chronic irritation and pursue an aggressive course with significant morbidity and mortality as illustrated in the patient with pathological fracture and a huge matted ipsilateral inguinal lymphadenopathy. We present this case of posttraumatic Marjolin's ulcer with pathological fracture to illustrate the surgical importance of chronic ulcers and possible role of chronic irritation from topical application by trado-medical practitioner in malignant transformation of ulcer. PMID- 17767217 TI - Aortic aneurysm in a young Nigerian man. AB - A 22year old man with aortic aneurysm is presented. The diagnosis was incidental on abdominal ultrasound, as the pathology was not suspected. This case is presented because of the rarity of this pathology in this age group and race. The significance of ultrasound scan in the diagnosis of aortic aneurysm is emphasised. The various modalities of investigation and diagnostic difficulties in developing countries are highlighted. PMID- 17767219 TI - Plane wave diffraction by a perfectly transparent half-plane. AB - The exact solution is found for plane wave diffraction by an arbitrary phase step. The analysis is performed by using the Huygens-Fresnel principle and the superposition integral, where every secondary wave was identified with the surface element field of the actual electromagnetic wave. The dependence of the total field structure on the height of the phase step is analyzed. The formation algorithm is demonstrated for the primary wave component of the edge diffraction, which has a singular nature and determines nearly all physical properties of this phenomenon. PMID- 17767220 TI - Orientation variance discrimination in amblyopia. AB - Our previous results showed that while amblyopes can efficiently integrate visual signals, they are poor at segregating signals in noise. This could be either because integration detectors have broader bandwidths or because of a selective extrastriate segregation anomaly. One consequence of the former would be poorer variance discrimination. Using a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, observers were asked to judge the orientational variance for arrays of 16 Gabors. All observers, be they normal or amblyopic, could perform the task similarly, although at high spatial frequencies, amblyopic eyes needed slightly more incremental variance than the normal eyes. We conclude that normals and amblyopes integrate signals in a similar way. PMID- 17767221 TI - Metamer sets without spectral calibration. AB - The set of metamers for a given device response can be calculated given the device's spectral sensitivities. Knowledge of the metamer set has been useful in practical applications such as color correction and reflectance recovery. Unfortunately, the device sensitivities of a camera or scanner are not known, and they are difficult to estimate reliably outside the laboratory. We show how metamer sets can be calculated when a device's spectral sensitivities are not known. The result is built on two observations: first, the set of all reflectance spectra consists of convex combinations of certain basic colors that tend to be very bright (or dark) and have high chroma; second, the convex combinations that describe reflectance spectra result in convex combinations of red-green-blue (RGB) values. Thus, given an RGB value, it is possible to find the set of convex combinations of the RGB values of the basic colors that generate the same RGB value. The corresponding set of convex combinations of the basic spectra is the metamer set. PMID- 17767222 TI - Focused optical beams obtained at planar structures by an imaginary shift in position. AB - A theory for focused optical beams at planar structures is described. It is an extension of a previous theory based on summation of plane waves. The focused beam is obtained by an imaginary shift in the position vector of the plane waves. It is well suited for calculations of electromagnetic fields at planar surface plasmon resonance structures excited by a focused optical beam. PMID- 17767223 TI - Stability of phase-contrast tomography. AB - Phase-contrast tomography (PCT) allows three-dimensional imaging of objects that display insufficient contrast for conventional absorption-based tomography. We prove that PCT is stable with respect to high-frequency noise in experimental phase-contrast data, unlike conventional tomography, which is known to be mildly unstable. We use known properties of the three-dimensional x-ray transform and transport-of-intensity equation to construct a matrix representation of the forward PCT operator. We then invert this formula to show that, under natural boundary conditions, the PCT reconstruction operator exists and leads to a unique solution. We show that the singular values s(n) of the reconstruction operator have asymptotic behavior s(n)=O(n(-3/2)), guaranteeing the mathematical stability of the reconstruction process. PMID- 17767224 TI - Nonparaxial vector-field modeling of optical coherence tomography and interferometric synthetic aperture microscopy. AB - A large-aperture, electromagnetic model for coherent microscopy is presented and the inverse scattering problem is solved. Approximations to the model are developed for near-focus and far-from-focus operations. These approximations result in an image-reconstruction algorithm consistent with interferometric synthetic aperture microscopy (ISAM): this validates ISAM processing of optical coherence-tomography and optical-coherence-microscopy data in a vectorial setting. Numerical simulations confirm that diffraction-limited resolution can be achieved outside the focal plane and that depth of focus is limited only by measurement noise and/or detector dynamic range. Furthermore, the model presented is suitable for the quantitative study of polarimetric coherent microscopy systems operating within the first Born approximation. PMID- 17767225 TI - Thin-film-based field penetration engineering for surface plasmon resonance biosensing. AB - Penetration depth defines the measurable range in evanescent-wave-based sensing techniques such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR). We investigate penetration depth variation implemented with dielectric layers in a SPR sensing structure. The results show that the penetration depth can be controlled to increase or decrease depending on a specific configuration. Effective medium theory was introduced to describe the field penetration in dielectric multilayer designs. Comparison was made with the field penetration of a localized SPR structure based on periodic nanowires. The penetration depth variation in response to environmental changes was also explored. PMID- 17767226 TI - Rotation- and scale-invariant texture features based on spectral moment invariants. AB - Moment invariants previously developed for the analysis of two-dimensional patterns and objects regardless of orientation, scale, and position are extended to the Fourier transform domain to quantify signatures of textures in the power spectrum of images. The moment invariants of the power spectrum, which we call spectral moment invariants (SMIs), systematically extract rotation- and scale invariant texture features by complex spectral moments instead of by performing ad hoc measurements of the shape of the two-dimensional power spectrum as do most of the existing Fourier transform domain methods. To our knowledge, the method of using SMIs to quantify texture features is the first to extract invariant texture information directly from the Fourier spectrum. The discriminative capability of SMIs in recognizing rotation- and scale-independent texture features is demonstrated by texture classification experiments. The results indicate that algorithms using SMIs can achieve performances comparable with, or better than, those algorithms using the spatial or wavelet transform domain texture features. PMID- 17767227 TI - Influence of irregular gaps between primary mirror segments on telescope image quality. AB - We study the effect of gaps between the segments on image quality of the extremely large ground-based telescope. We show that if the width of the gap changes arbitrarily from one intersegment boundary to another, the regular diffraction pattern is distorted and speckles appear. Two mechanisms producing irregularity in the gaps' distribution are considered: a random shift of the segment's center and an error in the segment's shape. The analytical approach allows an estimation of ensemble averaged characteristics of the point-spread function, such as a halo and high-order diffraction peaks. We deliver simple formulas for the quantitative estimation of the position and the intensity of the halo as well as the intensity of the diffraction peaks. PMID- 17767228 TI - Geometry and dynamics in the Fresnel transforms of discrete systems. AB - Free propagation in continuous optical and mechanical systems is generated by the momentum-squared operator and results in a shear of the phase space plane along the position coordinate. We examine three discrete versions of the Fresnel transform in periodic systems through their Wigner function on a toroidal phase space. But since it is topologically impossible to continuously and globally shear a torus, we examine a fourth version of the Fresnel transform on a spherical phase space, in a model based on the Lie algebra of angular momentum, where the corresponding Fresnel transform wrings the sphere. PMID- 17767229 TI - Derivatives of scattering profiles: tools for nanoparticle characterization. AB - This paper presents a new approach to characterize nanoparticles using derivatives of scattering profiles of evanescent waves/surface plasmons. We start the procedure using the scattering profiles for an unknown configuration of nanoparticles, either from physical experiments or numerical simulations conducted for different nanoparticles on surfaces. We apply the statistical technique of compound estimation to recover the derivatives of scattering profiles. The L(1) discrepancies with the corresponding curves from known configurations are used to identify the most plausible configuration of particles that could yield the "experimental" profiles. We conduct a simulation study to see how often the new procedure correctly recovers the agglomeration level for gold spherical nanoparticles on a thin gold film. The results suggest that first derivatives are much more effective for characterization than undifferentiated profiles and that M(33) is the most useful element for distinguishing among configurations. The proposed compound estimation technique is more effective than typical inverse analyses based on look-up tables and can be used effectively in nanoparticle characterization platforms. PMID- 17767230 TI - Propagation of partially coherent fields through planar dielectric boundaries using angle-impact Wigner functions I. Two dimensions. AB - We examine the angle-impact Wigner function (AIW) as a computational tool for the propagation of nonparaxial quasi-monochromatic light of any degree of coherence past a planar boundary between two homogeneous media. The AIWs of the reflected and transmitted fields in two dimensions are shown to be given by a simple ray optical transformation of the incident AIW plus a series of corrections in the form of differential operators. The radiometric and leading six correction terms are studied for Gaussian Schell-model fields of varying transverse width, transverse coherence, and angle of incidence. PMID- 17767231 TI - Theory of chromatic noise masking applied to testing linearity of S-cone detection mechanisms. AB - A method for testing the linearity of cone combination of chromatic detection mechanisms is applied to S-cone detection. This approach uses the concept of mechanism noise, the noise as seen by a postreceptoral neural mechanism, to represent the effects of superposing chromatic noise components in elevating thresholds and leads to a parameter-free prediction for a linear mechanism. The method also provides a test for the presence of multiple linear detectors and off axis looking. No evidence for multiple linear mechanisms was found when using either S-cone increment or decrement tests. The results for both S-cone test polarities demonstrate that these mechanisms combine their cone inputs nonlinearly. PMID- 17767232 TI - Enhanced three-dimensional deconvolution microscopy using a measured depth varying point-spread function. AB - We present a technique to systematically measure the change in the blurring function of an optical microscope with distance between the source and the coverglass (the depth) and demonstrate its utility in three-dimensional (3D) deconvolution. By controlling the axial positions of the microscope stage and an optically trapped bead independently, we can record the 3D blurring function at different depths. We find that the peak intensity collected from a single bead decreases with depth and that the width of the axial, but not the lateral, profile increases with depth. We present simple convolution and deconvolution algorithms that use the full depth-varying point-spread functions and use these to demonstrate a reduction of elongation artifacts in a reconstructed image of a 2 microm sphere. PMID- 17767233 TI - Compositional reflectance and transmittance model for multilayer specimens. AB - We propose a compositional model for predicting the reflectance and the transmittance of multilayer specimens composed of layers having possibly distinct refractive indices. The model relies on the laws of geometrical optics and on a description of the multiple reflection-transmission of light between the different layers and interfaces. The highly complex multiple reflection transmission process occurring between several superposed layers is described by Markov chains. An optical element such as a layer or an interface forms a biface. The multiple reflection-transmission process is developed for a superposition of two bifaces. We obtain general composition formulas for the reflectance and the transmittance of a pair of layers and/or interfaces. Thanks to these compositional expressions, we can calculate the reflectance and the transmittance of three or more superposed bifaces. The model is applicable to regular compositions of bifaces, i.e., multifaces having on each face an angular light distribution that remains constant along successive reflection and transmission events. Kubelka's layering model, Saunderson's correction of the Kubelka-Munk model, and the Williams-Clapper model of a color layer superposed on a diffusing substrate are special cases of the proposed compositional model. PMID- 17767234 TI - Fourier transform wavefront control with adaptive prediction of the atmosphere. AB - Predictive Fourier control is a temporal power spectral density-based adaptive method for adaptive optics that predicts the atmosphere under the assumption of frozen flow. The predictive controller is based on Kalman filtering and a Fourier decomposition of atmospheric turbulence using the Fourier transform reconstructor. It provides a stable way to compensate for arbitrary numbers of atmospheric layers. For each Fourier mode, efficient and accurate algorithms estimate the necessary atmospheric parameters from closed-loop telemetry and determine the predictive filter, adjusting as conditions change. This prediction improves atmospheric rejection, leading to significant improvements in system performance. For a 48x48 actuator system operating at 2 kHz, five-layer prediction for all modes is achievable in under 2x10(9) floating-point operations/s. PMID- 17767235 TI - Detection and localization of a slab by a linearlike delta approach. AB - The problem of the detection and localization of a dielectric slab under a multifrequency plane-wave illumination is addressed. A linear inversion scheme, based on delta-functions, whose support represents the positions of the two slab interfaces, and on the truncated singular-value decomposition is exploited. The closed-form derivation of the amplitude of the reconstruction at the slab interface positions when the inversion scheme acts on exact model data allows us to analyze by means of analytical results the role played by the parameters of the slab, the frequency bandwidth, and the noise on the achievable probability of detection. PMID- 17767237 TI - Linear models in color constancy theory. AB - Linear models in color constancy theory face, at least, five major problems different in nature, to be solved as a prerequisite for a satisfactory theory of the phenomenon. Solutions are proposed. PMID- 17767236 TI - Regularized learning framework in the estimation of reflectance spectra from camera responses. AB - For digital cameras, device-dependent pixel values describe the camera's response to the incoming spectrum of light. We convert device-dependent RGB values to device- and illuminant-independent reflectance spectra. Simple regularization methods with widely used polynomial modeling provide an efficient approach for this conversion. We also introduce a more general framework for spectral estimation: regularized least-squares regression in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHS). Obtained results show that the regularization framework provides an efficient approach for enhancing the generalization properties of the models. PMID- 17767238 TI - Computing shape parameter sensitivity of the field of one-dimensional surface relief gratings by using an analytical approach based on RCWA. AB - The rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) is a method to compute diffraction of a field by a given grating structure. Within various applications, such as metrology, it is important to know how the field reacts to small perturbations in the grating. This behavior can be expressed by the field derivatives with respect to a certain parameter. Approximations of these derivatives can be found by using finite differences where the field is computed for a neighboring value of the parameter, and the difference gives the derivative. Unfortunately, RCWA involves solving eigenvalue systems that are computationally expensive. Therefore, a faster alternative is given that computes the derivatives by straightforward differentiation of the relations within RCWA. Solving additional eigensystems is replaced by finding derivatives of eigenvalues and eigenvectors, which is less computationally expensive. PMID- 17767239 TI - Spatiotemporal heterodyne detection. AB - We describe a scheme in which a camera is turned into an efficient tunable frequency filter of a few-Hertz bandwidth in an off-axis, heterodyne optical mixing configuration, enabling one to perform parallel, high-resolution coherent spectral imaging. This approach is made possible through the combination of a spatial and temporal modulation of the signal to reject noise contributions. Experimental data obtained with dynamically scattered light by a suspension of particles in Brownian motion is interpreted. PMID- 17767240 TI - Transverse-electric/transverse-magnetic polarization converter using 1D finite biaxial photonic crystal. AB - We show that by using a one-dimensional anisotropic photonic structure, it is possible to realize optical wave polarization conversion by reflection and transmission processes. Thus a single incident S(P) polarized plane wave can produce a single reflected P(S) polarized wave and a single transmitted P(S) polarized wave. This polarization conversion property can be fulfilled with a simple finite superlattice (SL) constituted of anisotropic dielectric materials. We discuss the appropriate choices of the material and geometrical properties to realize such structures. The transmission and reflection coefficients are calculated in the framework of the Green's function method. The amplitude and the polarization characteristics of reflected and transmitted waves are determined as functions of frequency, wave vector k(parallel) (parallel to the interface), and the orientations of the principal axes of the layers constituting the SL. Specific applications of these results are given for a SL consisting of alternating biaxial anisotropic layers NaNO(2)/SbSI sandwiched between two identical semi-infinite isotropic media. PMID- 17767241 TI - Parametric estimation of the square degree of polarization from two intensity images degraded by fully developed speckle noise. AB - Active polarimetric imagery systems allow one to reveal polarimetric characteristics of the scene. Among them, the degree of polarization allows one to have information about the polarizing nature of an imaged object. Its estimation is standardly done from four images of the scene. Reducing this number of images can be of great interest for industrial applications, allowing in particular reduction of cost in terms of money and acquisition time. We propose a parametric method to estimate the square degree of polarization from only two measurements when coherent illumination is considered and when the images are corrupted with fully developed speckle, and we characterize the performances of the estimation. PMID- 17767242 TI - Angular spectrum representation for propagation of random electromagnetic beams in a turbulent atmosphere. AB - The combination of an angular spectrum representation (in the space-frequency domain) and the second-order Rytov perturbation theory is applied for description of the second-order statistical properties of arbitrary (coherent and partially coherent) stochastic electromagnetic beamlike fields that propagate in a turbulent atmosphere. In particular, we derive the expressions for the elements of the cross-spectral density matrix of the beam, from which its spectral, coherence, and polarization properties can be found. We illustrate the method by applying it to the propagation of several electromagnetic model beams through the atmosphere. PMID- 17767243 TI - Phase unwrapping in three dimensions with application to InSAR time series. AB - The problem of phase unwrapping in two dimensions has been studied extensively in the past two decades, but the three-dimensional (3D) problem has so far received relatively little attention. We develop here a theoretical framework for 3D phase unwrapping and also describe two algorithms for implementation, both of which can be applied to synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) time series. We test the algorithms on simulated data and find both give more accurate results than a two-dimensional algorithm. When applied to actual InSAR time series, we find good agreement both between the algorithms and with ground truth. PMID- 17767244 TI - Irradiance formations of on-axis Lambertian pointlike sources in polygonal total internal-reflection straight light pipes. AB - Different geometric shapes of light pipes cause different irradiance distributions. We analytically explore the irradiance distributions of on-axis Lambertian pointlike sources in polygonal total-internal-reflection (TIR) straight light pipes. It is analytically shown that the irradiance of pentagonal light pipes concentrates on the center of the exit plane. Numerical verifications are also provided, and experimental explorations with different shapes of acrylic light pipes are carried out for comparison. We also analyze the influence of light-pipe length on distribution uniformity and deduce the smallest uniform mixing length/circumradius ratios for polygonal light pipes. PMID- 17767245 TI - Network of sensors: acquisition probability. AB - A network of sensors is considered one of the most attractive remote sensing technologies available at present. In the system under consideration a network of sensors and a remote base station communicate using optical wireless links. This is accomplished by a base station that acquires and identifies sensors using a unique subcarrier frequency. The sensors use an active retroreflector to communicate with the base station, which reduces the complexity, cost, and power consumption of the sensors. The base station employs an imaging receiver (detector matrix), in which signals arriving from different directions are detected by different pixels. The imaging receiver mitigates ambient light noise and interference between simultaneous uplink transmissions from different sensors, provided that the transmissions are imaged onto disjoint sets of pixels. We describe a scheme that allows simultaneous acquisition and identification of a sensor in a network by an imaging receiver. A probability model of erroneous acquisition of this scheme due to noise is derived. The model's results indicate that the matrix size, the signal, and the noise powers have the greatest influence in determining acquisition probability. PMID- 17767246 TI - Stevens's brightness law, contrast gain control, and edge integration in achromatic color perception: a unified model. AB - The brightness of an isolated test patch is related to its luminance by a power law having an exponent of about 1/3, a result known as Stevens's brightness law. The brightness law exponent characterizes the rate at which brightness grows with luminance and can thus be thought of as an "exponential" gain factor. We studied changes in this gain factor for incremental and decremental test squares as a function of the size of a surrounding frame of homogeneous luminance. For incremental targets, the gain decreased as an approximately linear function of the frame width. For decremental targets, the gain increased as an approximately linear function of the frame width. We modeled the brightness of the frame embedded target with a quantitative theory based on the assumption that the target brightness is determined by the sum of achromatic color induction signals originating from the inner and outer edges of the surround, a theory that has previously been used to account for the results of several other brightness matching experiments. To account for the frame-width-dependent gain changes observed in the present study, we elaborate this edge integration theory by proposing the existence of a cortical contrast gain control mechanism by which the gains applied to neural edge detectors are influenced by the responses of other edge detectors responding to the nearby edges. PMID- 17767247 TI - Effect of sampling on real ocular aberration measurements. AB - The minimum number of samples necessary to fully characterize the aberration pattern of the eye is a question under debate in the clinical as well as the scientific community. We performed repeated measurements of ocular aberrations in 12 healthy nonsurgical human eyes and in 3 artificial eyes, using different sampling patterns (hexagonal, circular, and rectangular with 19 to 177 samples, and 3 radial patterns with 49 sample coordinates corresponding to zeros of the Albrecht, Jacobi, and Legendre functions). For each measurement set we computed two different metrics based on the root-mean-square (RMS) of difference maps (RMS_Diff) and the proportional change in the wavefront (W%). These metrics are used to compare wavefront estimates as well as to summarize results across eyes. We used computer simulations to extend our results to "abnormal eyes" (keratoconic, post-LASIK, and post-radial keratotomy eyes). We found that the spatial distribution of the samples can be more important than the number of samples for both our measured as well as our simulated "abnormal" eyes. Experimentally, we did not find large differences across patterns except, as expected, for undersampled patterns. PMID- 17767248 TI - Correlation transfer equation for multiply scattered light modulated by an ultrasonic pulse. AB - We develop a temporal correlation transfer equation (CTE) and a Monte Carlo algorithm (MC) for multiply scattered light modulated by an ultrasonic pulse propagating in an optically scattering medium, where the ultrasound field can be nonuniform and the medium can have spatially heterogeneous distribution of optical parameters. The CTE and MC can be used to obtain the time-varying specific intensity and the spatial distribution of the time-dependent power spectral density, respectively, of ultrasound-modulated light. We expect the CTE and MC to be applicable for estimation of contrast and resolution in a wide spectrum of conditions in ultrasound-modulated optical tomography of soft biological tissues. PMID- 17767249 TI - Model of retinal local adaptation for the tone mapping of color filter array images. AB - We present a tone mapping algorithm that is derived from a model of retinal processing. Our approach has two major improvements over existing methods. First, tone mapping is applied directly on the mosaic image captured by the sensor, analogous to the human visual system that applies a nonlinearity to the chromatic responses captured by the cone mosaic. This reduces the number of necessary operations by a factor 3. Second, we introduce a variation of the center/surround class of local tone mapping algorithms, which are known to increase the local contrast of images but tend to create artifacts. Our method gives a good improvement in contrast while avoiding halos and maintaining good global appearance. Like traditional center/surround algorithms, our method uses a weighted average of surrounding pixel values. Instead of being used directly, the weighted average serves as a variable in the Naka-Rushton equation, which models the photoreceptors' nonlinearity. Our algorithm provides pleasing results on various images with different scene content and dynamic range. PMID- 17767250 TI - Signal-to-noise ratio trade-offs associated with coarsely sampled Fourier transform spectroscopy. AB - We derive the spectral signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) trade-offs associated with coarsely sampled Fourier transform spectroscopy using a step-and-integrate measurement scheme. We show that there is no SNR penalty in the shot noise limit and a slight SNR benefit in the detector noise limit for the case of coarse sampling to achieve the same spectral resolution as a baseline Nyquist sampling scenario, where the total detector integration time is the same for both sampling cases. PMID- 17767251 TI - Calculations of light scattering from isolated and interacting metallic nanowires of arbitrary cross section by means of Green's theorem surface integral equations in parametric form. AB - We study theoretically the light scattering from metal wires of arbitrary cross section, with emphasis on the occurrence of plasmon resonances. We make use of the rigorous formulation of the Green's theorem surface integral equations of the electromagnetic wave scattering, written for an arbitrary number of scatterers described in parametric form. We have investigated the scattering cross sections for nanowires of various shapes (circle, triangles, rectangles, and stars), either isolated or interacting. The relationship between the cross sectional shape and the spectral dependence of the plasmon resonances is studied, including the impact of nanoparticle coupling in the case of interacting scatterers. Near field intensity maps are also shown that shed light on the plasmon resonance features and the occurrence of local field enhancements. PMID- 17767252 TI - Numerical analysis and synthesis of 2D quasi-optical reflectors and beam waveguides based on an integral-equation approach with Nystrom's discretization. AB - Considered is the beam wave guidance and scattering by 2D quasi-optical reflectors modeling the components of beam waveguides. The incident field is taken as the complex-source-point field to simulate a finite-width beam generated by a small-aperture source. A numerical solution is obtained from the coupled singular integral equations (SIEs) for the surface currents on reflectors, discretized by using the recently introduced Nystrom-type quadrature formulas. This analysis is applied to study what effect the edge illumination has on the performance of a chain of confocal elliptic reflectors. We also develop a semianalytical approach for shaped reflector synthesis after a prescribed near field pattern. Here a new point is the use of auxiliary SIEs of the same type as in the scattering analysis problem, however, for the gradient of the objective function. Sample results are presented for the synthesis of a reflector-type beam splitter. PMID- 17767253 TI - Scalar modified Bessel-Gauss beams and waves. AB - For modified Bessel-Gauss beams, the modulating function for the Gaussian, instead of a Bessel function of real argument, is a Bessel function of imaginary argument. The modified Bessel-Gauss beams and their full wave generalizations are treated with particular attention to the spreading properties on propagation for the azimuthal mode numbers m=0 and m=1. The spreading on propagation of the peak and the null in the radiation pattern obtained in the propagation direction for m=0 and m=1, respectively, is substantially less for the modified Bessel-Gauss waves than that for the corresponding Bessel-Gauss waves. The total power transported by the waves is determined and compared with that of the corresponding paraxial beam to assess the quality of the paraxial beam approximation for the wave. The powers in the Bessel-Gauss wave and the modified Bessel-Gauss wave are finite in contrast to that in the Bessel wave. With respect to both the spreading properties and the quality of the paraxial beam approximation, the modified Bessel-Gauss beam is an improvement over the Bessel Gauss beam. PMID- 17767255 TI - Negative propagation of vector Bessel beams. AB - Energy characteristics of the superposition of TE- and TM-polarized electromagnetic Bessel beams are studied. For some phase differences between TE and TM waves the components of the Poynting vector vary in sign. We call this situation "negative propagation," because locally the beam may behave like a wave propagating in the direction opposite to the conventional one. We predict the following phenomena, which should confirm negative beam propagation: reflection of the beam from a circular aperture and unusual movement of microparticles in the beam. PMID- 17767256 TI - Discrete-time model of an adaptive optics systems. AB - The standard adaptive optics system can be viewed as a sampled-data feedback system with a continuous-time disturbance (the incident wavefront from the observed object) and discrete-time measurement noise. A common measure of the performance of adaptive optics systems is the time average of the pupil variance of the residual wavefront. This performance can be related to that of a discrete time system obtained by lifting the incident and residual wavefronts. The corresponding discrete-time model is derived, and the computation of the adaptive optics system residual variance is based on that model. The predicted variance of a single mode of an adaptive optics system is shown to be the same as that obtained via simulation (as expected). The discrete-time prediction is also shown to be superior to a continuous-time approximation of the adaptive optics system. PMID- 17767257 TI - Data interpretation for spectral sensors with correlated bands. AB - New classes of spectral sensors are emerging that have significant overlap in the band spectral response functions. While conventional sensors such as the Multispectral Thermal Images (MTI) or Landsat may have responses with a few percent overlap between adjacent bands, some of the emerging sensors can have more than 50% correlation among all spectral bands. The traditional geometrical models used to describe spectral data fail when such high levels of correlation exist. In this paper we present a generalized geometrical model that relies on functional analysis. We define a sensor space and a scene space that can be used to characterize the suitability of a sensor for a particular spectral sensing task. We demonstrate that classifiers based on first-order distance and angle metrics fail for sensors with highly correlated bands unless appropriate preprocessing is carried out. We further show that second-order statistical classifiers are largely immune to many of the problems introduced by the correlated band responses. PMID- 17767258 TI - Geometry and dynamics of squeezing in finite systems. AB - Squeezing and its inverse magnification form a one-parameter group of linear canonical transformations of continuous signals in paraxial optics. We search for corresponding unitary matrices to apply on signal vectors in N-point finite Hamiltonian systems. The analysis is extended to the phase space representation by means of Wigner quasi-probability distribution functions on the discrete torus and on the sphere. Together with two previous studies of the fractional Fourier and Fresnel transforms, we complete the finite counterparts of the group of linear canonical transformations. PMID- 17767260 TI - Normal vector method for convergence improvement using the RCWA for crossed gratings. AB - The rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) is a widely used method for simulating diffraction from periodic structures. Since its recognized formulation by Moharam [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A12, 1068 and 1077 (1995)], there still has been a discussion about convergence problems. Those problems are more or less solved for the diffraction from line gratings, but there remain different concurrent proposals about the convergence improvement for crossed gratings. We propose to combine Popov and Neviere's formulation of the differential method [Light Propagation in Periodic Media (Dekker, 2003) and J. Opt. Soc. Am. A18, 2886 (2001)] with the classical RCWA. With a suitable choice of a normal vector field we obtain a better convergence than for the formulations that are known from the literature. PMID- 17767261 TI - Complex degree of coherence for partially coherent general beams in atmospheric turbulence. AB - With the use of the general beam formulation, the modulus of the complex degree of coherence for partially coherent cosh-Gaussian, cos-Gaussian, Gaussian, annular and higher-order Gaussian optical beams is evaluated in atmospheric turbulence. For different propagation lengths in horizontal atmospheric links, the moduli of the complex degree of coherence at the source and receiver planes are examined when reference points are taken on the receiver axis and off-axis. In the on-axis case, it is observed that in propagation, the moduli of the complex degree of coherence are symmetrical and look like the intensity profile of the related coherent beam propagating in a turbulent atmosphere. For all the beams considered, the moduli of the complex degree of coherence profiles turn into Gaussian shapes beyond certain propagation lengths. In the off-axis case, the moduli of complex degree of coherence patterns become drifted at the earlier propagation lengths. Among the beams investigated, the cos-Gaussian beam is found to be almost independent of the changes in the source partial coherence parameter, and the annular beam seems to be affected the most against the variations of the source partial coherence parameter. PMID- 17767262 TI - Scaling property of the diffusion equation for light in a turbid medium with varying refractive index. AB - A spatially varying refractive index leads to the bending of photon paths in a medium, which complicates the Monte Carlo modeling of a photon random walk. We show that the process of photon diffusion in a turbid medium with varying refractive index and curved photon paths can be mapped to the diffusion process in a medium with straight photon paths and modified optical properties. Specifically, the diffusion coefficient, the absorption, and the refractive index of the second medium should differ from the corresponding properties of the first medium by the factor of the squared refractive index of the first medium. The specific intensity of light in the second medium will then be equal to the specific intensity in the first medium divided by the same factor, which also means that the photon density distributions in the two media will be identical. In a Monte Carlo simulation the scaling property suggests that two different algorithms can be used to obtain the photon density distribution, namely, the algorithm with curved photon paths and given optical properties and the algorithm with straight photon paths and modified optical properties. PMID- 17767263 TI - Adaptive model of the gradient index of the human lens. II. Optics of the accommodating aging lens. AB - A simple, parametric model of the gradient refractive index distribution (GRIN) of the human lens with conicoid surfaces able to adapt to individual distributions as well as to the changes of the lens shape and structure with age and accommodation is presented. The first part of this work was published in a companion paper [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A24, 2175 (2007)]. It included the development of the mathematical formulation of the adaptive model; the validation of its customization capability by fitting, sample by sample, a set of in vitro refractive index distributions of lenses of different ages, ranging from 7 to 82 years, from the recent literature; and an average model of the (in vitro) aging crystalline lens. Here we extrapolate that in vitro GRIN model by assuming that the same structural parameters are valid for the living lens. Then, recent data of the changes of the shape of the aging lens with accommodation from the literature are used to build an aging and accommodating lens model. This is straightforward since the GRIN model adapts automatically to the chosen external lens geometry. A strong coupling was found between the adaptive GRIN distributions and the conic constants affecting the refractive power. To account for the lens paradox and the reported changes in lens spherical aberration with age and accommodation, age- and accommodation-dependent functions for the anterior and posterior internal conic constants were derived through optimization. PMID- 17767264 TI - Estimating weak ratiometric signals in imaging data. I. Dual-channel data. AB - Ratiometric fluorescent indicators are becoming increasingly prevalent in many areas of biology. They are used for making quantitative measurements of intracellular free calcium both in vitro and in vivo, as well as measuring membrane potentials, pH, and other important physiological variables of interest to researchers in many subfields. Often, functional changes in the fluorescent yield of ratiometric indicators are small, and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is of order unity or less. In particular, variability in the denominator of the ratio can lead to very poor ratio estimates. We present a statistical optimization method for objectively detecting and estimating ratiometric signals in dual-wavelength measurements of fluorescent, ratiometric indicators that improves on standard methods. With the use of an appropriate statistical model for ratiometric signals and by taking the pixel-pixel covariance of an imaging dataset into account, we are able to extract user-independent spatiotemporal information that retains high resolution in both space and time. PMID- 17767265 TI - Some theoretical aspects of the turbulent point-spread function. AB - In a previous work [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A24, 753 (2007)], we developed a theory describing the space-time statistics of the scintillation and displacement fields of the turbulent point-spread function (PSF), which we validated using imaging data. We now expand on that work by deriving the theoretical expression for the spread fields of the PSF. We also show how the displacement and spread fields are derivable from a set of potentials, and we discuss some of the properties of those potentials. PMID- 17767266 TI - Light scattering by a random distribution of particles embedded in absorbing media: diagrammatic expansion of the extinction coefficient. AB - We address the problem of the modeling of the extinction coefficient into an absorbing medium, including a random distribution of identical scatterers of arbitrary size. We show that the extinction coefficient, including losses in the host medium, can be derived from a diagrammatic expansion arising from the rigorous multiple-scattering theory of electromagnetic waves in random media. While in previous approaches the contribution to the extinction coefficient due to the absorption in the host medium and due to the absorption and scattering by the particles were evaluated separately and heuristically, our approach is based on a derivation from first principles. PMID- 17767267 TI - Light scattering by a random distribution of particles embedded in absorbing media: full-wave Monte Carlo solutions of the extinction coefficient. AB - We present a numerical investigation of the light scattering in an absorbing medium with randomly distributed scatterers. The extinction coefficient is derived from an ensemble of numerical solutions of Maxwell's equations for many different realizations of the system. Results are in good agreement with the predictions given by the effective medium theory under the independent-scattering approximation. Beyond the independent-scattering approximation, we explore the domain of validity of an effective medium theory that takes into account correlations between pairs of scatterers. A good agreement is obtained with a filling ratio up to 30% for scatterers with a relative refractive index contrast lower than 20% and size parameters near unity. PMID- 17767268 TI - Measuring ocular aberrations in the peripheral visual field using Hartmann-Shack aberrometry. AB - We have used the Hartmann-Shack technique previously to measure ocular aberrations along the horizontal meridian of the visual field. This requires considerable modifications from the technique for measuring the aberrations corresponding to the fovea. We now further develop the technique so that it can be used for any meridian of the visual field. Allowance is made for any auxiliary optics placed in front of the eye to compensate for the limited range of the Hartmann-Shack technique and for the case where aberrations are estimated at a wavelength other than the measuring wavelength. Zernike wave aberrations are converted to peripheral refractions. Examples are presented showing the developments, and we discuss change in wave aberrations when converting from a circular to an elliptical pupil. PMID- 17767269 TI - Surface waves at a biaxial bicrystalline interface. AB - Localized to the planar interface of two identical dielectric biaxial crystals with optic ray axes parallel to the interface but with a relative twist about an axis perpendicular to the interface, electromagnetic wave propagation along the bisectrix of the two crystallographic orientations is possible with either real valued or complex-valued transverse decay constants as the twist angle varies from 0 degrees to an upper limit (< or =90 degrees) that is dependent on the angle between the two optic ray axes. PMID- 17767270 TI - Shack-Hartmann wavefront estimation with extended sources: anisoplanatism influence. AB - Anisoplanatism limits the correction field of adaptive optics (AO). In the case of Shack-Hartmann measurement performed on extended sources it may also strongly affect wavefront estimation accuracy. An analytical formalism has been previously proposed to quantify anisoplanatism slope measurement error. It is exploited here to derive the most relevant quantity in AO, the wavefront error. Analytical and end-to-end simulation results are compared in three cases: solar observation, weakly perturbed near-to-ground observation, and strongly perturbed near-to ground observation. In every case, anisoplanatism wavefront error takes significant values. The accuracy of the analytical model is investigated in detail. Three contributions to the slope error previously identified are considered: phase anisoplanatism, scintillation anisoplanatism, and coupling between scintillation and phase anisoplanatism. The influence of both scintillation and coupling contributions to the wavefront error is confirmed here. PMID- 17767271 TI - Orthonormal polynomials in wavefront analysis: analytical solution. AB - Zernike circle polynomials are in widespread use for wavefront analysis because of their orthogonality over a circular pupil and their representation of balanced classical aberrations. In recent papers, we derived closed-form polynomials that are orthonormal over a hexagonal pupil, such as the hexagonal segments of a large mirror. We extend our work to elliptical, rectangular, and square pupils. Using the circle polynomials as the basis functions for their orthogonalization over such pupils, we derive closed-form polynomials that are orthonormal over them. These polynomials are unique in that they are not only orthogonal across such pupils, but also represent balanced classical aberrations, just as the Zernike circle polynomials are unique in these respects for circular pupils. The polynomials are given in terms of the circle polynomials as well as in polar and Cartesian coordinates. Relationships between the orthonormal coefficients and the corresponding Zernike coefficients for a given pupil are also obtained. The orthonormal polynomials for a one-dimensional slit pupil are obtained as a limiting case of a rectangular pupil. PMID- 17767272 TI - Wave propagation and resonance in four-layer systems for organic light-emitting diodes. AB - Wave propagation and surface plasmon resonance are examined in four-layer optical systems in slab geometry for an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) with an embedded thin metal film. For this purpose, both leaky and bound modes are examined in all ranges of the propagation constant, which determines how surface and volume waves are allowed. Intensive parametric studies are performed on the thicknesses of the two embedded layers, along with the cathode condition and the metal's material dispersion. As a way of interpreting the results, the direction of the depthwise wave propagation is examined in connection with possible excitations arising from light sources within the organic electroluminescence layer. Consequently, several new features are observed on the multiple-wave branches, including exchange of the phase speeds and depthwise standing waves for dissipationless systems. By the insertion of a thin metal film, the light extraction is found to be enhanced through leaky waves from the source layer out toward the viewer's side. PMID- 17767273 TI - Exciton optoelectronic transistor. AB - We demonstrate experimental proof of principle for an optoelectronic transistor based on the modulation of exciton flux via gate voltage. The exciton optoelectronic transistor (EXOT) implements electronic operation on photons by using excitons as intermediate media; the intensity of light emitted at the optical output is proportional to the intensity of light at the optical input and is controlled electronically by the gate. We demonstrate a contrast ratio of 30 between an on state and an off state of the EXOT and its operation at speeds greater than 1 GHz. Our studies also demonstrate high-speed control of both the flux and the potential energy of excitons on a time scale much shorter than the exciton lifetime. PMID- 17767274 TI - Efficient high-energy femtosecond pulse compression in quadratic media with flattop beams. AB - Using a Gaussian-to-flattop beam reshaper and a frequency-doubling crystal, we demonstrate highly efficient and spatially uniform pulse compression of 1mJ, ~100fs pulses from a regenerative Ti:sapphire amplifier. The technique has general applicability to all-bulk self-defocusing-type cascaded-quadratic compressors, providing a way to increase peak power and intensity for a wide range of amplified femtosecond pulsed lasers. PMID- 17767275 TI - Isotropic compensation of diffraction-driven angular dispersion. AB - We report on an optical arrangement capable of compensating angular dispersion of paraxial wave fields developed by diffractive optical elements (DOEs). Schematically, the system is a beam expander in which two phase-only zone plates have been inserted, remaining afocal the coupled system. The DOE, which induces a continuous set of dispersive tilted plane waves, is placed at a specific position within the proposed setup providing an output spectrum with achromatic angular deviation. A directional matching between phase fronts and pulse fronts of output wave packets is demonstrated. PMID- 17767276 TI - Tunneling-induced large cross-phase modulation in an asymmetric quantum well. AB - We propose an asymmetric double AlGaAs/GaAs quantum well structure with a common continuum to generate a large cross-phase modulation (XPM). It is found, owing to resonant tunneling, that a large XPM can be achieved with vanishing linear and two-photon absorptions. PMID- 17767277 TI - Generation of octave-spanning spectra inside reverse-photon-exchanged periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides. AB - We demonstrate simultaneous octave-level spectral broadening and carrier-envelope offset sensing of mode-locked Er- and Yb-doped femtosecond fiber lasers using constant-period and chirped reverse-proton-exchanged periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides. Chirped quasi-phase-matching gratings greatly improve spectral broadening of Yb-fiber lasers. PMID- 17767278 TI - Generation of 12 fs deep-ultraviolet pulses by four-wave mixing through filamentation in neon gas. AB - Generation of deep-ultraviolet femtosecond pulses by four-wave mixing through filamentation in neon gas was demonstrated. Fundamental (omega) and second harmonic (2omega) pulses of 25 fs Ti:sapphire amplifier output were focused into neon gas, and 20 microJ pulses with the center wavelength of 260 nm were produced by a four-wave mixing process, 2omega+2omega-omega?3omega through an ~15 cm filament. Additionally, pulses with an energy of 2 microJ at 200 nm were generated, probably by a cascaded process, 3omega+2omega-omega?4omega. The 260 nm pulses were compressed by a grating-based compressor and characterized by a dispersion-free transient grating frequency-resolved optical gating. The estimated pulse width was 12 fs. PMID- 17767279 TI - Wavelength-selective coupling of dual-core photonic crystal fiber with a hybrid light-guiding mechanism. AB - A novel class of wavelength-selective coupling photonic crystal fiber (PCF) that operates by a hybrid light-guiding mechanism has been proposed. Different from the traditional PCF coupler operating principle, this fiber coupler shares properties of both the total internal reflection index-guided and the photonic bandgap mechanism. This coupler allows highly accurate control of the filtering wavelength; both bandstop and bandpass filters can be easily implemented. The spectral transmission results demonstrate that the bandpass characteristic of the coupler is very narrow and free of sidelobes. Moreover, the operating wavelength and the coupling length can be continuously tuned by changing the refractive index of the filling material. This research gives a physical insight into the propagation mechanism in the PCF coupler and is crucial for future applications of the proposed device. PMID- 17767280 TI - 1.5 mJ, 6.4 fs parametric chirped-pulse amplification system at 1 kHz. AB - We demonstrate an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) system with the pulse energy of 1.5 mJ at a 1 kHz repetition rate. The newly developed 100 ps Ti:sapphire pump laser system, which was optically synchronized with OPCPA seed pulses, delivered 10 mJ, 400 nm pump pulses. After three-stage parametric amplification, recompression of the amplifier output from 45 ps to 6.4 fs was performed. The pulse width of 6.4 fs is, to our knowledge, the shortest ever obtained by OPCPA, and the average power of 1.5 W (1.5 mJ, 1 kHz) is believed to be the highest among few-cycle OPCPA systems. PMID- 17767281 TI - Nonlocal explanation of stationary and nonstationary regimes in cascaded soliton pulse compression. AB - We study soliton pulse compression in materials with cascaded quadratic nonlinearities and show that the group-velocity mismatch creates two different temporally nonlocal regimes. They correspond to what is known as the stationary and nonstationary regimes. The theory accurately predicts the transition to the stationary regime, where highly efficient pulse compression is possible. PMID- 17767282 TI - High-power GaN diode-pumped continuous wave Pr3+-doped LiYF4 laser. AB - A cw Pr(3+):LiYF(4) laser at 639 nm pumped by a high-power GaN laser diode (444 nm) is demonstrated. The highest laser power of 112 mW is achieved with an optical-optical conversion efficiency of 33.5%. Characteristics of this laser at elevated temperatures are also investigated for practical applications such as a laser projector. PMID- 17767283 TI - Directly diode-pumped holmium fiber lasers. AB - Sensitizer-free holmium-doped silica and fluoride mid-infrared fiber lasers are pumped using a high-power diode laser operating at 1148 nm. A maximum output power of 162 mW at 2.86 microm was produced at a slope efficiency of 24% using Ho(3+), Pr(3+)-doped fluoride fiber. Using Ho(3+)-doped silica fiber, a maximum output power of 55 mW at 2.1 microm was generated at a slope efficiency of 27%, a value limited by the presence of pump excited state absorption. PMID- 17767284 TI - Surface corrugation Bragg gratings on optical fiber tapers created via plasma etch postprocessing. AB - We describe a reflection-based fiber filter fabricated by plasma etching a surface corrugation Bragg grating on a tapered single-mode fiber. The taper waist with the grating forms the functional part of the filter, and the adiabatic taper transition removes unwanted higher-order modes. The spectral response is controlled by varying the taper diameter while maintaining a constant grating period. Reflection spectra have been investigated theoretically and experimentally and found to be in good agreement. PMID- 17767285 TI - Multiple frequency modulation for low-light atom measurements in an optical cavity. AB - We present a frequency modulation scheme to detect atoms dispersively in a high finesse optical cavity at low-light levels with immunity to cavity length fluctuations. We use multiple cavity resonances to provide common mode noise rejection, keeping the high intensity carrier off-resonant from all cavity modes. The method has applications in atomic squeezed state generation and quantum metrology. PMID- 17767286 TI - Very large-core, single-mode, gain-guided, index-antiguided fiber lasers. AB - Lowest-order, single-mode laser oscillation is reported in gain-guided index antiguided fiber lasers having core diameters from 100 to 400 microm. A model is presented explaining how to select resonator mirrors to assure single-mode operation. PMID- 17767287 TI - Dark and antidark diffraction-free beams. AB - We present dark and antidark diffraction-free beams and discuss their properties. We show that all such beams must be partially spatially coherent. The new beams can be used for optical trapping of atoms. PMID- 17767288 TI - Accurate control of a liquid-crystal display to produce a homogenized Fourier transform for holographic memories. AB - We show an accurate procedure to obtain a Fourier transform (FT) with no dc term using a commercial twisted-nematic liquid-crystal display. We focus on the application to holographic storage of binary data pages, where a drastic decrease of the dc term in the FT is highly desirable. Two different codification schemes are considered: binary pi radians phase modulation and hybrid ternary modulation. Any deviation in the values of the amplitude and phase shift generates the appearance of a strong dc term. Experimental results confirm that the calculated configurations provide a FT with no dc term, thus showing the effectiveness of the proposal. PMID- 17767289 TI - Information-theory-based snake adapted to inhomogeneous intensity variations. AB - A new snake-based segmentation technique of a single object (simply connected) in the presence of inhomogeneous Gaussian noise is proposed, in which the mean in each region is modeled as a polynomial function of the coordinates and which is thus adapted to inhomogeneous illumination. It is shown that the minimization of the stochastic complexity of the image, which can be implemented efficiently, allows one to automatically estimate not only the number and the position of the nodes of the polygonal contour used to describe the object but also the degree of the polynomials that model the variations of the mean. PMID- 17767290 TI - Lysosome-damage-induced scattering changes coincide with release of cytochrome c. AB - Light scattering measurements made at visible wavelengths have the ability to quantify subcellular morphology. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is associated with distinct morphological signatures such as mitochondrial swelling and nuclear condensation as well as characteristic biochemical signaling pathways, many of which are initiated by the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol. In this Letter, we examine the time course of mitochondrial morphology changes as reported by light scattering and the subcellular location of cytochrome c measured by immunofluorescence microscopy in response to intracellular cell death signaling induced by photodynamic damage to lysosomes. We report that within this system, release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol occurs approximately simultaneously with mitochondrial-morphology-induced light scattering changes, providing further evidence that light scattering has the potential to play an important role in future studies of cell death biology. PMID- 17767291 TI - Generation of 63 fs 4.1 MW peak power pulses from a parabolic fiber amplifier operated beyond the gain bandwidth limit. AB - We report the generation of 63 fs pulses of 290 nJ energy and 4.1 MW peak power at 1050 nm based on the use of a polarization-maintaining ytterbium-doped fiber parabolic amplification system. We demonstrate that operation of the amplifier beyond the gain bandwidth limit plays a key role on the sufficient recompressibility of the pulses in a standard grating pair compressor. This results from the accumulated asymmetric nonlinear spectral phase and the good overall third-order dispersion compensation in the system. PMID- 17767292 TI - Volatile organic compound sensing using a surface-relief D-shaped fiber Bragg grating and a polydimethylsiloxane layer. AB - The authors use a surface-relief fiber Bragg grating with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer as a volatile organic compound chemical sensor. A PDMS layer is used because it is compatible with the optical properties of the grating and exhibits good chemical selectivity. As the analyte is absorbed the refractive index of the PDMS changes, causing the Bragg wavelength to shift, and this shift is correlated to chemical type and concentration. The direction and amount of the Bragg wavelength shift is dependent on the absorbed chemical. The authors demonstrate chemical differentiation between dichloromethane and acetone in gaseous states. PMID- 17767293 TI - Visible-blind, ultraviolet-sensitive photodetector based on SrTiO3 single crystal. AB - High-sensitivity and visible-blind ultraviolet (UV) photoconductive detectors based on SrTiO(3) single crystal with interdigitated electrodes are reported. The responsivities of photovoltage and photocurrent can reach 2.13x10(5) V/W and 213 mA/W, respectively, at 330 nm at ambient temperature, and the corresponding quantum efficiency eta reaches 80.2%. The dark current is lower than 50 pA at 10 V bias, and the UV/visible contrast ratio is about four orders of magnitude with a sharp cutoff at 390 nm. The experimental results demonstrate that SrTiO(3) single crystal has potentially wide applications in UV detection. PMID- 17767294 TI - Lasing droplets in a microfabricated channel. AB - Lasing from spherical microdroplets ejected into a liquid medium with a lower refractive index is observed in a microchannel. A microfabricated device that combines droplet production and excitation/detection has been utilized. Droplets of 50 microm diameter containing a fluorescent dye were first detected and then excited through multimode fibers after their production at a T-junction. Images show intense lasing emission around the droplet rim. Spectra from the droplets exhibit morphology-dependent resonances that are redshifted relative to the bulk fluorescence emission from the dyes. The dependence of resonant peak intensities on the pump beam power is nonlinear. PMID- 17767295 TI - Transient two-wave mixing in a linear configuration of an adaptive interferometer based on Er-doped fiber with saturable absorption. AB - We report results of transient two-wave mixing (TWM) in Er-doped fibers with saturable absorption in a linear configuration of an adaptive interferometric vibrometer with essentially different powers of recording waves. The TWM signal modulation depth detected in the weak (reflected) wave was shown to be twice as strong as in the symmetric configuration with equal recording powers. In accordance with theoretical predictions, the experimentally observed TWM signal amplitude grew continuously with the fiber optical density in the whole investigated range of alpha(0)L approximately 0.2-4. At the recording wavelength 1492 nm it proved to be quite close to the theoretical limit of approximately alpha(0)L/2 for weakly absorbing fibers, and in 1-m-long fiber of high optical density reached maximal value of approximately 0.8. The TWM response time went down with the recording light power and for P(0) approximately 10 mW was in the submillisecond region. PMID- 17767296 TI - Surface plasmon interference excited by tightly focused laser beams. AB - We show that interfering surface plasmon polaritons can be excited with a focused laser beam at normal incidence to a plane metal film. No protrusions or holes are needed in this excitation scheme. Depending on the axial position of the focus, the intensity distribution on the metal surface is either dominated by interferences between counterpropagating plasmons or by a two-lobe pattern characteristic of localized surface plasmon excitation. Our experiments can be accurately explained by use of the angular spectrum representation and provide a simple means for locally exciting standing surface plasmon polaritons. PMID- 17767297 TI - Method of optical pulse characterization using sinusoidal optical phase modulations. AB - A simple noniterative electric field retrieval method using a sinusoidally driven optical phase modulator is demonstrated. We derive an analytic relation between the two-frequency correlation function of the electric field of the optical signal under test and the derivatives of the optical spectrum of the phase modulated signal with respect to the amplitude of the phase modulation. This relation is used to algebraically reconstruct the electric field of the signal under test. We validate the technique by demonstrating accurate and sensitive characterization of picosecond pulses used in telecommunication. PMID- 17767298 TI - Real-time detection of DNA interactions with long-period fiber-grating-based biosensor. AB - Using an optical biosensor based on a dual-peak long-period fiber grating, we have demonstrated the detection of interactions between biomolecules in real time. Silanization of the grating surface was successfully realized for the covalent immobilization of probe DNA, which was subsequently hybridized with the complementary target DNA sequence. It is interesting to note that the DNA biosensor was reusable after being stripped off the hybridized target DNA from the grating surface, demonstrating a function of multiple usability. PMID- 17767299 TI - Scanning electro-optic microscope based on surface plasmon resonance. AB - An optical scanning probe microscope, based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in the attenuated total reflection geometry, is shown to successfully image the polarization structures in self-assembled monolayers of hemicyanine adsorbed on a gold surface. Application of an ac field to the tip gives rise to the linear electro-optic effect in the monolayer just below the tip and the local change in the refractive index of the monolayer was detected via the ac component of the reflected light intensity, in which SPR-based detection intensifies the ac component. Polarization structures in a monolayer can be clearly imaged by this technique. PMID- 17767300 TI - Layer-by-layer three-dimensional chiral photonic crystals. AB - We fabricate and characterize polymeric three-dimensional layer-by-layer chiral photonic crystals. The obtained circular dichroism from polarization stop bands is comparable with that of recently demonstrated circular-spiral photonic crystals. Moreover, telecommunication wavelengths are easily accessible with the layer-by-layer approach; even visible wavelengths are in reach. PMID- 17767301 TI - Blind image deconvolution subject to bandwidth and total variation constraints. AB - We present a maximum likelihood (ML) deconvolution algorithm with bandwidth and total variation (TV) constraints for degraded image due to atmospheric turbulence. The bandwidth limit function is estimated in view of optical system parameters and Fourier optical theory. With the aid of bandwidth and TV minimization as compelling constraints, the algorithm can not only suppress noise effectively but also restrict the bandwidth of point-spread function (PSF) that may lead to trivial solution. Compared with the conventional ML method, the proposed algorithm is able to restore a noise-free image, and the detailed texture is better than that of ML. PMID- 17767302 TI - Spectrally resolved optical frequency comb from a self-referenced 5 GHz femtosecond laser. AB - We report a mode-locked Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser with 5GHz repetition rate. Spectral broadening of the 24 fs pulses in a microstructured fiber yields an octave-spanning spectrum and permits self-referencing and active stabilization of the emitted femtosecond laser frequency comb (FLFC). The individual modes of the 5 GHz FLFC are resolved with a high-resolution spectrometer based on a virtually imaged phased array spectral disperser. Isolation of single comb elements at a microwatt average power level is demonstrated. The combination of the high-power, frequency-stabilized 5 GHz laser and the straightforward resolution of its many modes will benefit applications in direct frequency comb spectroscopy. Additionally, such a stabilized FLFC should serve as a useful tool for direct mode-by-mode Fourier synthesis of optical waveforms. PMID- 17767303 TI - Tomographic imaging of absolute optical absorption coefficient in turbid media using combined photoacoustic and diffusing light measurements. AB - We present a new method that can provide high resolution images of absolute optical absorption coefficient in heterogeneous turbid media. In this method, acoustic measurements in conventional photoacoustic tomography are combined with diffusing light measurements to separate the product of absorption coefficient and optical fluence or photon density. We validate this method using a series of tissuelike phantom experiments. The experimental results show that targets as small as 0.5 mm in diameter with optical absorption contrasts as low as 1.5 relative to a 50 mm diameter scattering background medium can be clearly detected. PMID- 17767304 TI - Single-step writing of Bragg grating waveguides in fused silica with an externally modulated femtosecond fiber laser. AB - For the first time to our knowledge, high-strength (>30 dB) first-order Bragg grating waveguides were fabricated in bulk fused silica glass in a single scanning step by modulating a high-repetition-rate femtosecond fiber laser with an external acousto-optic modulator. The modulation induced a waveguide segmentation by delivering controlled bursts of laser pulses to define an array of partially overlapped refractive index voxels. With appropriate choice of modulation frequency and sample scanning speed, low loss waveguides could be formed at high writing speeds to yield sharp Bragg spectral resonances tunable over the 1300 to 1550 nm telecom band. Effects of acousto-optic modulation duty cycle on propagation loss and grating strength are characterized. This modulation method offers facile control and integration of multiwavelength Bragg grating devices to enhance overall functionality of optical circuits in three-dimensional geometries. PMID- 17767305 TI - Demonstration of bend-induced nonlinearities in large-mode-area fibers. AB - We present what we believe to be the first direct measurements of enhanced nonlinearities in large-mode-area fibers due to bend induced reductions in effective area. Both Raman scattering and self-phase modulation are observed to increase in tightly coiled fibers. The measured increase in nonlinearity compares well with predictions from simulations of the modal effective area. PMID- 17767306 TI - Tensile strain dependence of the Brillouin gain spectrum in carbon/polyimide coated fibers. AB - The strain dependence of Brillouin gain spectrum in two novel carbon/polyimide coated fibers (CPCFs) is studied, for what we believe to be the first time, by numerical simulation and experiment. The strain dependence of the Brillouin frequency shift for the two CPCFs maintained linear relation with the elongation up to 4.26% and 4.0%, respectively. The effects of strain on the elastic modulus, the core refractive index, and density are determined, which have been used to simulate the strain dependence of the frequency shift, linewidth, and gain coefficient for the two CPCFs. The simulated and measured results are well matched. PMID- 17767307 TI - Three-dimensional chemical concentration maps in a microfluidic device using two photon absorption fluorescence imaging. AB - Two-photon absorption fluorescence is employed within a microfluidic device to create a three-dimensional chemical concentration map for mixing uniformity characterization. This multiphoton technique images fluorescence intensity directly and provides a simple, rapid, and readily employed route to composition characterization within microfluidic systems. PMID- 17767308 TI - Dynamic instabilities of microwaves generated with optoelectronic oscillators. AB - We introduce a time-domain model to study the dynamics of optoelectronic oscillators. We show that, due to the interaction between nonlinearity and time delay, the envelope amplitude of ultrapure microwaves generated by optoelectronic oscillators can turn unstable when the gain is increased beyond a given critical value. Our analytical predictions are confirmed by numerical simulations and experiments. PMID- 17767309 TI - Coherent backscattering in lithium niobate whispering-gallery-mode resonators. AB - Splitting of high-Q whispering gallery modes into a doublet of counterpropagating modes was observed in a resonator fabricated from LiNbO(3). An energy-transfer rate of 10 MHz was calculated by measuring the frequency detuning of the doublet structure. The splitting rate is also used to calculate the maximum variation in the internal index of refraction over one wavelength, which is of the order of 10(-7). This shows that the mechanical process used to fabricate whispering gallery-mode resonators from LiNbO(3) is sufficient to achieve material-limited quality factors. PMID- 17767310 TI - Optimization of optical ring resonator devices for sensing applications. AB - The Q-factor of an optical resonance device determines the width of its transmission resonances. For this reason, in sensing applications of optical resonators, it is commonly assumed that the Q-factor fully determines resonator sensitivity. Practically, the latter is not exactly correct. In this Letter, the parameters responsible for the sensitivity of resonance devices (i.e., the steepness and the sharpness of the transmission resonance) are analyzed. It is shown that, for given intrinsic losses of a single ring resonator sensor, the slope of the resonance is largest if its extinction ratio is 9.5 dB, while the resonance is sharpest if its extinction ratio is 6 dB. For a sensor consisting of several identical ring resonators coupled to a bus waveguide, the largest slope and sharpness parameters correspond to the extinction ratios of ~9 dB and ~4.5 dB, respectively. The determined optimum parameters can be achieved by tuning the coupling between the resonator rings and the waveguide. PMID- 17767311 TI - Improved optical single-sideband generation using the self-modulation birefringence difference in semiconductor optical amplifiers. AB - By employing the self-modulation birefringence difference in a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), an improved method is proposed to generate a complete optical single-sideband (OSSB) signal. Over 30 dB sideband suppression ratios (SSRs) of lower OSSB signals are obtained over a 12 dB input power range and a 36 nm wavelength span, with a maximum of over 35 dB. Upper OSSB signals with an SSR of over 15 dB are observed using a SOA for what is believed to be the first time. This method is effective even for the carrier-suppressed signal. The theory for OSSB generation in an SOA is extended and verified by experiment. PMID- 17767312 TI - Multishrinkage: analytical form for a Bayesian wavelet estimator based on the multivariate Laplacian model. AB - We develop a novel multivariate Bayesian wavelet estimator of a simple analytical form that is computationally effective for the image denoising problem. The estimator is derived from the multivariate Laplacian model by using the maximum a posteriori rule. We find the multivariate estimator produces restoration results of high quality, both visually and in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio. PMID- 17767314 TI - Nonlinear optical waveguides generated in lithium niobate by swift-ion irradiation at ultralow fluences. AB - A novel method to produce optical waveguides is demonstrated for lithium niobate (LiNbO(3)). It is based on electronic excitation damage by swift ions, i.e., with energies at approximately 1 MeV/amu or above. The new technique uses high-energy medium-mass ions, such as Cl, with electronic stopping powers above the threshold value for amorphization (5-6 keV/nm), reaching the maximum value a few micrometers inside the crystal. At the ultralow fluence regime (10(12)-10(13) cm( 2)) an effective nanostructured medium is obtained that behaves as an optical waveguide where light propagates transversally to the amorphous nanotracks created by every single impact. The method implies a reduction of 4 orders of magnitude with respect to He implantation. The optical waveguides present reasonable losses (~10 dB/cm) and significant second-harmonic generation (SHG) and electro-optic (EO) responses (>50% bulk) for the lowest fluences. PMID- 17767315 TI - Impact of third-order dispersion on the generation of wave-breaking free pulses in ultrafast fiber lasers. AB - Wave-breaking free pulses generated in passively mode-locked fiber lasers can tolerate a certain cubic phase delay induced by third-order dispersion without losing pulse quality. We demonstrate that the spectral as well as the temporal profile of the pulses become asymmetric. The generated pulses had a pulse energy up to 3.5nJ and could be externally compressed down to 145fs. The fact that the pulses could always be dechirped within 10% of the Fourier limit points out the linearity of the chirp. The pulse asymmetry was also observed in the output coupling characteristic of the mode-locking mechanism. PMID- 17767316 TI - Elemental sensitivity in soft x-ray imaging with a laser-plasma source and a color center detector. AB - Elemental sensitivity in soft x-ray imaging of thin foils with known thickness is observed using an ultrafast laser-plasma source and a LiF crystal as detector. Measurements are well reproduced by a simple theoretical model. This technique can be exploited for high spatial resolution, wide field of view imaging in the soft x-ray region, and it is suitable for the characterization of thin objects with thicknesses ranging from hundreds down to tens of nanometers. PMID- 17767317 TI - Spectral information retrieval from integrated broadband photodiode Martian ultraviolet measurements. AB - We propose an algorithm to retrieve the global features of the spectral dependence of the ultraviolet (UV) irradiance from integrated, broadband UV measurements performed with a set of photodiodes with different UV filters. This fit, when applied to ground-based measurements and compared with the incident Solar spectral irradiance on the top of the atmosphere, may be used to extract the spectral dependence of the UV opacity and the most relevant parameters characterizing the scattering with atmospheric aerosol (Angstrom exponent, etc.) as well as the biological effective doses. In this way, using a set of photodiodes instead of a spectrophotometer, one may get spectral information within very low mass, package, and weight constraints, which is particularly useful for space missions. We consider its application for the rover-based exploration of the Martian ground, which is subject to daily and seasonal opacity variations. PMID- 17767318 TI - Compact and self-aligned all-optical image correlator based on third-harmonic generation. AB - We demonstrate a compact optical correlator using a diffractive optical element (DOE) beam splitter for 2D optical image processing. Image frequency conversion and correlation are demonstrated using third-harmonic generation (THG) in an organic film with a 1550 nm femtosecond laser. Spatial and temporal alignment of the femtosecond pulses are obtained by imaging the DOE onto the organic film. PMID- 17767319 TI - Effects produced by metal-coated near-field probes on the performance of silicon waveguides and resonators. AB - We study the effects of metal-coated fiber near-field probes on the performance of nanophotonic devices. Employing a heterodyne near-field scanning optical microscope and analyzing transmission characteristics, we find that a metal coated probe can typically introduce a 3 dB intensity loss and a 0.2 rad phase shift during characterization of a straight waveguide made in a silicon-on insulator system. In resonant nanophotonic structures such as a 5 mum radius microring resonator, we demonstrate that the probe induces a 1 nm shift in resonant wavelength and decreases the resonator quality factor, Q, from 1100 to 480. PMID- 17767320 TI - High-power, single-mode, linearly polarized, ytterbium-doped fiber superfluorescent source. AB - High-power operation of a single-mode, linearly polarized, broadband superfluorescent fiber source has been achieved by using a two-stage cladding pumped fiber configuration comprising a low power, single-ended, ytterbium-doped superfluorescent fiber seed source and a high-power cladding-pumped, polarization maintaining, large-mode-area, ytterbium-doped amplifier pumped by a high-power diode source at 976 nm. The source yielded a maximum linearly polarized output of 106 W with a slope efficiency of up to 67% with respect to the launched pump power and with a measured polarization extinction ratio of 13.5 dB. The wavelength spectrum of the superfluorescent source spanned the range continuously from ~1035 to 1100 nm, and the bandwidth (FWHM) of the emission spectrum was 21 nm. The minimum seed power required for an output power over 100 W was only 10 mW, corresponding to an effective power gain in the amplifier stage of 40 dB. Single-spatial-mode operation with a beam propagation factor (M(2))<1.1 was achieved by bending the amplifier fiber to a bend radius of ~8 cm, without a significant reduction in output power. PMID- 17767321 TI - Even fluorescence excitation by multidirectional selective plane illumination microscopy (mSPIM). AB - Multidirectional selective plane illumination microscopy (mSPIM) reduces absorption and scattering artifacts and provides an evenly illuminated focal plane. mSPIM solves two common problems in light-sheet-based imaging techniques: The shadowing in the excitation path due to absorption in the specimen is eliminated by pivoting the light sheet; the spread of the light sheet by scattering in the sample is compensated by illuminating the sample consecutively from opposing directions. The resulting two images are computationally fused yielding a superior image. The effective light sheet is thinner, and the axial resolution is increased by square root 2 over single-directional SPIM. The multidirectional illumination proves essential in biological specimens such as millimeter-sized embryos. The performance of mSPIM is demonstrated by the imaging of live zebrafish embryos. PMID- 17767322 TI - Efficient pumping of Rb vapor by high-power volume Bragg diode laser. AB - A 2W cw laser diode (LD) with an external cavity produced by a reflecting volume Bragg grating (VBG) demonstrated a spectral width of 7GHz (full width at half maximum) at 780nm. The device output power exceeded 90% of the output power of the free-running LD. The emission wavelength was tuned over a 300pm range by thermal control of the VBG. Rb vapor was shown to absorb more than 95% of the laser radiation. PMID- 17767323 TI - Functional optical coherence tomography reveals localized layer-specific activations in cat primary visual cortex in vivo. AB - Surface neural activity has been widely visualized using optical intrinsic signal imaging (OISI) from various cortical sensory areas. OISI of the cortical surface with a CCD camera gives integrated information across a depth of a few hundred micrometers. We visualize depth-resolved activation patterns of cat primary visual cortex by functional optical coherence tomography (fOCT). A comparison of the depth-integrated results of fOCT maps with the optical intrinsic signal profiles shows fairly good agreement. Our results reveal layer-specific activation patterns and indicate that the activation was not homogeneous. PMID- 17767324 TI - High-power pulsed-current-mode operation of an overdriven tapered amplifier. AB - We experimentally investigate the performance of a commercial tapered amplifier diode operating in a pulsed-current mode with a peak current that is significantly higher than the specified maximum continuous current. For a tapered amplifier rated at 500 mW of continuous power, we demonstrate 2.6 W of peak optical output power with 15 mW of injection light for 200 micros, 7 A current pulses. Different failure mechanisms for the tapered amplifier, including thermal and optical damage, are identified under these conditions. PMID- 17767325 TI - Pulse advancement and delay in an integrated-optical two-port ring-resonator circuit: direct experimental observations. AB - We report experimental observations of the negative-group-velocity (v(g)) phenomenon in an integrated-optical two-port ring-resonator circuit. We demonstrate that when the v(g) is negative, the (main) peak of output pulse appears earlier than the peak of a reference pulse, while for a positive v(g), the situation is the other way around. We observed that a pulse splitting phenomenon occurs in the neighborhood of the critical-coupling point. This pulse splitting limits the maximum achievable delay and advancement of a single device as well as facilitating a smooth transition from highly advanced to highly delayed pulse, and vice versa, across the critical-coupling point. PMID- 17767326 TI - 1.59 W, single-frequency, continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator based on MgO:sPPLT. AB - A watt-level, single-frequency, continuous-wave (cw) singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on MgO:sPPLT is described. Pumped in the green by a frequency-doubled cw diode-pumped Nd:YVO(4) laser at 532 nm, the OPO can provide up to 1.59 W of single-frequency idler output with a linewidth of ~7 MHz at pump depletions of as much as 67%. Using a compact ring resonator and optimized focusing in a 30 mm crystal, a singly resonant oscillation threshold of 2.84 W has been obtained under single-pass pumping. With a single grating period of 7.97 microm, continuous signal and idler coverage over 852-1417 nm is obtained by temperature tuning between 61 degrees C and 236 degrees C. The influence of thermal lensing on idler output power across the SRO tuning range is also verified. PMID- 17767327 TI - Spatially variable retardation plate for beam brightness enhancement in a high power laser. AB - We present a simple and robust method for brightness enhancement, efficiently transforming a radially polarized LG (0,1)(*) mode into a nearly Gaussian beam of much higher quality. We use for this a spatially variable retardation plate and a spatial filter. The analysis shows that the transformation yields an increase in brightness by a factor of 3.4. In the experiment, we transformed a high-power Nd:YAG radially polarized (0,1)(*) LG beam with power of 70 W and M(2)=2.6 into a nearly Gaussian beam with M(2)=1.36. This resulted in brightness enhancement by a factor of 2.6. PMID- 17767328 TI - Grating phase matching beyond a continuum edge. AB - We show that fiber Bragg gratings can extend an optical continuum to spectral regions where continuum generation is very weak. Highly nonlinear fibers with Bragg grating resonances at 700, 750, and 800 nm were pumped with 70 fs pulses at 1580 nm and exhibited enhancement peaks up to 25 dB above the extremely weak continuum at these wavelengths, normally more than 40 dB below the average power in the continuum. We show that the grating peaks may be computed by treating the continuum pulse as an undepleted pump and including the grating dispersion as a phase-matching term. PMID- 17767329 TI - Theory of coupled optical PT-symmetric structures. AB - Starting from Lagrangian principles we develop a formalism suitable for describing coupled optical parity-time symmetric systems. PMID- 17767330 TI - An outcomes approach to evaluate professional development programmes for medical educators. PMID- 17767331 TI - Adult living donor liver transplantation in Singapore: the Asian centre for liver diseases and transplantation experience. AB - INTRODUCTION: Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has progressed dramatically in Asia due to the scarcity of cadaver donors and is increasingly performed in Singapore. The authors present their experience with adult LDLT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult LDLTs performed at the Asian Centre for Liver Diseases and Transplantation, Singapore from 20 April 2002 until 20 March 2006 were reviewed. All patients received right lobe grafts and were managed by the same team throughout this period. Data were obtained by chart review. This study presents both recipient and donor outcomes in a single centre. RESULTS: A total of 65 patients underwent LDLT. Forty-three were genetically related while 22 were from emotionally-related donors. The majority were chronic liver failure while 14% were acute. The most common indication for LDLT was end-stage liver disease due to hepatitis B virus. A total of 22 patients with hepatoma were transplanted and overall 1-year disease specific survival was 94.4%. The mean model for end stage liver disease (MELD) score was 17.4 +/- 9.4 (range, 6 to 40). Six patients had preoperative molecular adsorbent recycling system (MARS) dialysis with 83% transplant success rate. The mean follow-up was 479.2 days with a median of 356 days. One-year overall survival was 80.5%. There was 1 donor mortality and morbidity rate was 17%. Our series is in its early stage with good perioperative survival outcome with 1-month and 3-month actuarial survival rates of 95.4% and 87.3% respectively. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that LDLT can be done safely with good results for a variety of liver diseases. However, with dynamically evolving criteria and management strategies, further studies are needed to maximise treatment outcome. PMID- 17767332 TI - Risk factors for conversion to open surgery in patients with acute cholecystitis undergoing interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy. AB - INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis is associated with higher rate of conversion to laparotomy. The value of several factors that might influence the rate of conversion is analysed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective analysis of a prospective database, the medical records of patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy from May 1998 to June 2004 were reviewed. Patients who had acute cholecystitis and had undergone interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included in this study. RESULTS: Out of 1000 laparoscopic cholecystectomies, 201 were operated on for acute cholecystitis. One hundred and forty-five patients (72.3%) underwent successful laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 56 patients (27.7%) needed conversion to open cholecystectomy. Patient's age (P = 0.031), total white cell count (P = 0.014), total bilirubin (P = 0.002), alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.003) and presence of common bile duct stone (P = 0.001) were found to be independently associated with conversion. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be performed safely for acute cholecystitis. Predictors of conversion will be helpful when planning the laparoscopic approach and for counselling patients preoperatively. PMID- 17767333 TI - Seroepidemiology of varicella and the reliability of a self-reported history of varicella infection in Singapore military recruits. AB - INTRODUCTION: Varicella is an acute disease with significant morbidity. However, there is little knowledge on the seroepidemiology of the disease in Singapore. The objective of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of varicella zoster virus (VZV) antibodies in military recruits in Singapore and to ascertain the predictive value of a self-reported history of varicella. The latter is a possible proxy for seroprevalence, and may be used to provide efficient identification of candidates for vaccination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From September 2000 to October 2005, 2189 servicemen were selected during their pre enlistment medical check-up. Blood samples were obtained to determine the varicella IgG levels via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Information about the participant's race, history of varicella and vaccination, and other clinical variables were obtained through a questionnaire. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of VZV seropositivity in military recruits was 76.0% (75.8% in the 16 years to 20 years age group). For the reported history, 73.7% of Chinese participants, 73.0% of Malays, and 63.6% of Indians reported having had varicella infection and/or vaccination. Overall, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of a self-reported history of varicella for serologically confirmed immunity were 87.2%, 83.2%, 94.3% and 67.1% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of VZV antibodies in pre-enlistees to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is high. Incidence of varicella in the SAF is on the wane, indicating an increase in herd immunity against VZV. A recalled history of varicella infection was also a good predictor of serological immunity and may be used for selection for vaccination. PMID- 17767334 TI - Adverse hospital outcomes associated with the choice of empiric antibiotics in Klebsiella pneumoniae pneumonia: a retrospective observational study. AB - INTRODUCTION: In Malaysia, Klebsiella pneumoniae ranks high as a cause of adult pneumonia requiring hospitalisation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: With concern over its rising microbial resistance, we explored the association of empiric antibiotics choices with the hospital outcomes of patients treated for microbial proven K. pneumoniae pneumonia in an urban-based teaching hospital. RESULTS: In 313 eligible cases reviewed retrospectively, hospital mortality and requirement for ventilation were 14.3% and 10.8% respectively. Empiric regimes that had in vitro resistance to at least one empiric antibiotic (n = 90) were associated with higher hospital mortality (23.3% vs. 10.8%, P = 0.004) with risk increased by about two-fold [Odds ratio (OR), 2.5; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.3 to 4.8]. Regimes (n = 84) other than the commonly recommended "standard" regimes (a beta lactam stable antibiotic with or without a acrolide) were associated with higher ventilation rates (16.7% vs. 8.8%, P = 0.047) with similar increased risk [OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.0 to 4.3]. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reiterate the clinical relevance of in vitro microbial resistance in adult K. pneumoniae pneumonia and support empiric regimes that contain beta-lactam stable antibiotics. PMID- 17767335 TI - Application of the McDonald MRI criteria in multiple sclerosis. AB - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity of McDonald's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) criteria for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a group of Asian patients diagnosed with clinically definite MS, based on lesion characterisation on MRI scans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-nine patients from 3 major neurological institutions were classified as having Asian- or Western-type MS based on clinical assessment. Each MRI scan was reviewed by 2 neuroradiologists for the presence and characteristics of brain and spinal lesions. The McDonald's MRI criteria were then applied and its sensitivity evaluated. RESULTS: Nine patients were excluded, leaving 34 females and 6 males who were dominantly Chinese (90%), with a mean age of 36.2 years. The MRI brain and spinal findings were detailed and tabulated. Statistically significant differences (P <0.01) in MRI brain findings and sensitivity of McDonald's MRI criteria were found between our Asian- and Western-type MS patients. The diagnostic yield of McDonald's MRI criteria increased by 20% when we substituted a cord for a brain lesion, and applied the substitution for enhancing cord lesions as well. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis is more likely to be made when using McDonald MRI criteria based on brain findings, in a patient who presents clinically with Western-type MS. The provision for substitution of "one brain for a spinal lesion" is helpful in Asian-type MS, where there is preponderance of spinal lesion load. Our findings suggest that minor modifications in the interpretation of McDonald's MRI criteria have significant impact on the diagnosis in patients clinically presenting as Asian-type MS, with potential bearing on their subsequent management. PMID- 17767336 TI - Public trust in primary care doctors, the medical profession and the healthcare system among Redhill residents in Singapore. AB - INTRODUCTION: There have been few studies on public trust in doctors and healthcare systems and this is the first in Singapore. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Redhill in January 2005. Citizens or Permanent Residents aged > or =18 years were randomly selected, one per household to avoid cluster bias, and 361 participated (response rate 68.7%). An interview administered questionnaire included 3 questionnaires measuring public trust: "Interpersonal Trust in Physicians Scale" for primary care doctors; "Trust in Physicians Generally Scale" for the medical profession; and "Trust in Healthcare System Scale" for the Healthcare System. Questions were answered on a Likert scale: 1. Strongly Disagree, 2. Disagree, 3. Neutral, 4. Agree, 5. Strongly Agree. Individual transformed scores of trust (range, 0 to 100) were equally divided into 5 categories with their average being the transformed mean. RESULTS: Trust in primary care doctors (mean 59.7) had proportions (prevalence rates) of: very low 0.3%, low 2.5%, neutral 40.4%, high 54.0%, and very high 2.8%. Trust in the medical profession (mean 61.8) had proportions of: very low 1.0%, low 7.7%, neutral 33.7%, high 47.0%, and very high 10.5%. Trust in the healthcare system (mean 61.5) had proportions of: very low 0.5%, low 4.1%, neutral 40.0%, high 48.7%, and very high 6.7%. For areas of the healthcare system, proportions of high/very high trust were: "Healthcare Providers' Expertise" (70.8%), "Quality of Care" (61.5%), "Patient Focus of Providers" (58.7%), "Information Supply and Communication by Care Providers" (52.3%), "Quality of Cooperation" (43.3%), and Policies of the Healthcare System" (24.6%). CONCLUSIONS: While low proportions had low/very low trust, the high proportions with neutral trust and the rather low level of trust in "Policies of the Healthcare System" are causes for concern. PMID- 17767337 TI - Clinically compressed digital echocardiography: a patient-safe alternative to videotape review. AB - INTRODUCTION: Digital storage of echocardiographic data offers logistical advantages over videotape archival. However, limited information is available on the accuracy of clinically compressed digitised examinations, an important consideration for patient safety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transthoracic echocardiograms of 520 consecutive patients were prospectively acquired digitally and on videotape. Two echocardiologists, in consensus, reported studies in both formats sequentially. Using the videotape as a reference, the significance of any reported differences was graded from both imaging and clinical standpoints, and the reasons for these differences identified. RESULTS: From an imaging perspective, differences between digital and videotaped studies were absent or minor in 459 cases (88%), fairly significant in 55 (11%) and very significant in 6 (1%). The main reasons for the observed differences were inadequate acquisition of optimal views (59%), an insufficient number of acquired cardiac cycles (25%) and suboptimal image quality (9%). These differences were considered to be of possible or definite clinical importance in 21 (4%) and 8 (2%) cases, respectively. In multinominal logistic regression models, the only independent predictor of significant difference between digitised and videotaped images was study complexity. Regardless of case complexity, most diagnostic errors arising from digital review were attributable to technical failure rather than observer error. CONCLUSIONS: The potential for important errors arising from exclusive reporting of clinically compressed digital echocardiograms is small. Digital echocardiography, as practiced in a routine clinical setting, offers a patient safe alternative to videotape review. PMID- 17767338 TI - Oral hypoglycaemic agents for diabetes in pregnancy - an appraisal of the current evidence for oral anti-diabetic drug use in pregnancy. AB - INTRODUCTION: The use of oral hypoglycaemic drugs in pregnancy is not recommended because of reports of foetal anomalies and other adverse outcomes in animal studies and in some human cases. However, recent studies have suggested that some oral hypoglycaemic drugs may be used in pregnancy. This review will examine these studies critically. METHODS: Literature review of articles obtained from a PubMed search of peer-reviewed journals on oral hypoglycaemic drug use in pregnancy. RESULTS: In two prospective studies, one of which was a randomised controlled trial, glibenclamide was as effective and safe as insulin in gestational diabetes. In several studies, metformin did not increase foetal anomalies or malformations when used during pregnancy in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In one prospective study on infants born to mothers who used metformin in pregnancy, follow-up for 18 months showed no adverse effects. In several prospective and retrospective studies on women with PCOS, metformin was shown to prevent early pregnancy loss, decrease insulin resistance, reduce insulin and testosterone levels, and decrease the incidence of gestational diabetes when these women got pregnant while on metformin and continued to take it throughout their pregnancy. In a single small study, acarbose did not cause any adverse effects during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Recent evidence shows promising findings in the safety and efficacy of some oral hypoglycaemic agents in treating pregnant diabetics. However, larger clinical studies will be needed to ensure the safety and efficacy of these drugs in pregnancy. PMID- 17767339 TI - Avoiding dialysis in tumour lysis syndrome: is urate oxidase effective? - a case report and review of literature. AB - INTRODUCTION: Hyperuricaemia in tumour lysis syndrome (TLS) can cause acute renal failure (ARF), necessitating dialysis. Recombinant urate oxidase (rasburicase) converts uric acid to soluble allantoin, which is excreted easily. CASE REPORT: An 8-year-old boy with stage 3 Burkitt's lymphoma, TLS was successfully treated with hyper-hydration, diuretics and rasburicase, without dialysis. This is the first paediatric case in Kandang Kerbau Women's & Children's Hospital (KKH) in which rasburicase was used. We review the literature on the effectiveness of urate oxidase in avoiding dialysis in TLS. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Our patient developed rapidly rising serum uric acid (SUA) and progressive renal impairment. Hyper-hydration and rasburicase (0.2mg/kg) were administered. SUA rapidly decreased from 1308 to 437 mmol/L within 12 hours. Urate oxidase has shown better results than allopurinol. There was a need for dialysis in 0.4% to 1.7% of patients with haematological malignancies given rasburicase, compared to 20% in patients given allopurinol. CONCLUSIONS: Rasburicase can reverse renal insufficiency. Though expensive, it may be cost-effective by lowering incidence of dialysis, shortening the duration of intensive care and hospitalisation, allowing early chemotherapy. PMID- 17767340 TI - Neurogenic pulmonary oedema misdiagnosed as acute myocardial infarction in a comatose patient. AB - INTRODUCTION: We report a case of neurogenic pulmonary oedema (NPO) following massive left cerebral infarct, which was initially misdiagnosed as acute myocardial infarction (AMI). CLINICAL PICTURE: This 52-year-old man presented with acute loss of consciousness with normal brain computed tomography (CT). He was treated as non-ST-elevation AMI complicated with pulmonary oedema based on findings of chest radiograph (bilateral pulmonary oedema), electrocardiogram (marked ST-T changes in leads V3 to V6), and cardiac enzymes [elevated creatinine kinase (CK) and CK-MB]. However, coronary angiogram and serial cardiac enzymes were inconclusive. Anisocoria developed after admission and a repeat brain CT was evident for large left cerebral infarct. TREATMENT: Decompressive craniectomy was carried out. OUTCOME: Mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of NPO can be challenging when it occurs without abnormal findings on preliminary brain CT. It can be mistaken for cardiogenic pulmonary oedema secondary to AMI. PMID- 17767341 TI - A review of geriatric education in Singapore. AB - The United Nations has identified the training and education of healthcare professionals and care providers involved in the care of older persons as a global priority. Singapore is no exception as it faces a rapidly ageing population. Older people have many medical needs of varying dimensions and their care requires a multidisciplinary healthcare team. The current status of geriatric education of health professionals involved in elderly care in Singapore is discussed in this paper. Important issues raised include the disparity between professions in the stages of development of geriatric education, questions on the adequacy of numbers and training of healthcare professionals providing geriatric care, as well as the need for geriatric education of caregivers. PMID- 17767342 TI - Happenings in histopathology - a post-World War II perspective. AB - There have been several important developments in the practice of histopathology since World War II; those reviewed in this lecture are grouped under 4 headings: new techniques (cytopathology, electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology), organisational issues (recruitment, training and certification, subspecialties, quality control and consultations), ethical and legal issues (service costs, and the ownership and uses of biopsy tissues) and globalisation (international associations, standardised classification and nomenclature, and telepathology). Advances in the fields of molecular pathology and telepathology are expected to have the greatest impact on the practice of pathology in the next decade. PMID- 17767343 TI - Demands and challenges of modern medicine. AB - Modern medicine, characterised by the enormous impact of rapid advances in science and technology, has vastly enhanced the doctor's professional capabilities and has made the practice of medicine more intellectually challenging as well as professionally satisfying. It has also made medicine more complex and demanding. In addition to having to keep pace with rapid medical advances, the doctor has to deal with 1) the issue of sorting the wheat from the chaff out of the deluge of new drugs and equipment presented to him, 2) the issue of rationing and determining priorities within the limits of finite resources, 3) the issue of appropriate response to new ethical challenges presented by the application of new technologies and 4) the issue of maintaining the human face of medicine in the context of growing presence and impact of technology. As doctors, we have the responsibility to ensure that through steadfast commitment to professionalism, through wisdom and insight we can harvest and maximise the vast potential of technology in caring for our patients. This is a challenge we must accept in the cause of our patients' welfare, the paramount concern of our professional creed. PMID- 17767344 TI - Gastric antral vascular ectasia successfully controlled by argon plasma coagulation. PMID- 17767345 TI - Acetaminophen overdose and N-acetylcysteine therapy. PMID- 17767346 TI - Torsion of the gallbladder: a rare entity. PMID- 17767347 TI - Memantine-induced decompensation in a patient with lewy body dementia. PMID- 17767348 TI - Of worms and men. PMID- 17767350 TI - Activation and regulation of cellular eicosanoid biosynthesis. AB - There is a growing appreciation for the wide variety of physiological responses that are regulated by lipid messengers. One particular group of lipid messengers, the eicosanoids, plays a central role in regulating immune and inflammatory responses in a receptor-mediated fashion. These mediators are related in that they are all derived from one polyunsaturated fatty acid, arachidonic acid. However, the various eicosanoids are synthesized by a wide variety of cell types by distinct enzymatic pathways, and have diverse roles in immunity and inflammation. In this review, the major pathways involved in the synthesis of eicosanoids, as well as key points of regulation, are presented. PMID- 17767351 TI - Structural manipulation of eicosanoid receptors and cellular signaling. AB - Eicosanoids are lipid mediators derived from the metabolism of arachidonic acid. These agents are locally released and activate different cell membrane receptors, and the latter are part of the G-protein coupled receptor family. While activation of eicosanoid receptors is associated with a wide variety of actions, there is limited information concerning the structural components of the eicosanoid receptors. To date, our understanding of the eicosanoid ligand receptor binding interaction has been based on the rhodopsin template model. While receptors in the same family do share a common architecture, there are amino acid residues in the membrane binding pocket that play a key role in ligand recognition as well as the diversity observed in the cellular signaling. In order to understand the eicosanoid receptor binding interaction, attention must be focused on both the nature of the endogenous ligands as well as the template G protein model that has been proposed. The data derived from chemical alterations in the endogenous ligands, together with the mutagenesis studies involving the structural modifications of the eicosanoid receptors, have suggested a working model of the eicosanoid receptors. However, the data also document various nuances in the receptor structure associated with ligand binding as well as a number of differences that will require further investigation. PMID- 17767352 TI - Regulation of immune cells by eicosanoid receptors. AB - Eicosanoids are potent, bioactive, lipid mediators that regulate important components of the immune response, including defense against infection, ischemia, and injury, as well as instigating and perpetuating autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Although these lipids have numerous effects on diverse cell types and organs, a greater understanding of their specific effects on key players of the immune system has been gained in recent years through the characterization of individual eicosanoid receptors, the identification and development of specific receptor agonists and inhibitors, and the generation of mice genetically deficient in various eicosanoid receptors. In this review, we will focus on the receptors for prostaglandin D2, DP1 and DP2/CRTH2; the receptors for leukotriene B4, BLT1 and BLT2; and the receptors for the cysteinyl leukotrienes, CysLT1 and CysLT2, by examining their specific effects on leukocyte subpopulations, and how they may act in concert towards the development of immune and inflammatory responses. PMID- 17767353 TI - Prostaglandin receptor signaling in disease. AB - Prostanoids, consisting of the prostaglandins (PGs) and the thromboxanes (TXs), are a group of lipid mediators formed in response to various stimuli. They include PGD2, PGE2, PGF2alpha, PGI2, and TXA2. They are released outside of the cells immediately after synthesis, and exert their actions by binding to a G protein coupled rhodopsin-type receptor on the surface of target cells. There are eight types of the prostanoid receptors conserved in mammals from mouse to human. They are the PGD receptor (DP), four subtypes of the PGE receptor (EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4), the PGF receptor (FP), PGI receptor (IP), and TXA receptor (TP). Recently, mice deficient in each of these prostanoid receptors were generated and subjected to various experimental models of disease. These studies have revealed the roles of PG receptor signaling in various pathological conditions, and suggest that selective manipulation of the prostanoid receptors may be beneficial in treatment of the pathological conditions. Here we review these recent findings of roles of prostanoid receptor signaling and their therapeutic implications. PMID- 17767354 TI - Cytokine-leukotriene receptor interactions. AB - Biochemical and pharmacological studies have identified the structure of leukotrienes, the pathways that lead to their synthesis, and the signaling events they trigger when they interact with their cognate receptors. A privileged interaction exists between these lipid mediators and another group of molecules essential for inflammation and immune modulation, namely, cytokines. Whereas leukotrienes can trigger the synthesis and release of selected cytokines in distinct cell populations, many cytokines can affect cellular responsiveness to leukotrienes by modulating leukotriene receptor expression. As we progressively begin to unravel these complex interactions, new areas of cell-cell communication and eventual therapeutic interventions will emerge. PMID- 17767355 TI - Prostanoid receptors in the human vascular wall. AB - The mechanisms involved in vascular homeostasis and disease are mostly dependent on the interactions between blood, vascular smooth muscle, and endothelial cells. There is an accumulation of evidence for the involvement of prostanoids, the arachidonic acid metabolites derived from the cyclooxygenase enzymatic pathway, in physiological and/or pathophysiological conditions. In humans, the prostanoids activate different receptors. The classical prostanoid receptors (DP, EP1-4, FP, IP, and TP) are localized at the cell plasma or nuclear membrane. In addition, CRTH2 and the nuclear PPAR receptors are two other targets for prostanoids, namely, prostacyclin (PGI2) or the natural derivatives of prostaglandin D2. While there is little information on the role of CRTH2, there are many reports on PPAR activation and the consecutive expression of genes involved in the human vascular system. The role of the classical prostanoid receptors stimulated by PGI2 and thromboxane in the control of the vascular tone has been largely documented, whereas the other receptor subtypes have been overlooked. There is now increasing evidence that suggests a role of PGE2 and the EP receptor subtypes in the control of the human vascular tone and remodeling of the vascular wall. These receptors are also present on leukocytes and platelets, and they are implicated in most of the inflammatory processes within the vascular wall. Consequently, the EP receptor subtypes or isoforms would provide a novel and specific cardiovascular therapeutic approach in the near future. PMID- 17767356 TI - Cysteinyl-leukotriene receptors and cellular signals. AB - Cysteinyl-leukotrienes (cysteinyl-LTs) exert a range of proinflammatory effects, such as constriction of airways and vascular smooth muscle, increase of endothelial cell permeability leading to plasma exudation and edema, and enhanced mucus secretion. They have proved to be important mediators in asthma, allergic rhinitis, and other inflammatory conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, atopic dermatitis, and urticaria. The classification into subtypes of the cysteinyl-LT receptors (CysLTRs) was based initially on binding and functional data, obtained using the natural agonists and a wide range of antagonists. CysLTRs have proved remarkably resistant to cloning. However, in 1999 and 2000, the CysLT1R and CysLT2R were successfully cloned and both shown to be members of the G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) superfamily. Molecular cloning has confirmed most of the previous pharmacological characterization and identified distinct expression patterns only partially overlapping. Recombinant CysLTRs couple to the Gq/11 pathway that modulates inositol phospholipids hydrolysis and calcium mobilization, whereas in native systems, they often activate a pertussis toxin-insensitive Gi/o-protein, or are coupled promiscuously to both G-proteins. Interestingly, recent data provide evidence for the existence of an additional receptor subtype that seems to respond to both cysteinyl-LTs and uracil nucleosides, and of an intracellular pool of CysLTRs that may have roles different from those of plasma membrane receptors. Finally, a cross-talk between the cysteinyl-LT and the purine systems is being delineated. This review will summarize recent data derived from studies on the molecular and cellular pharmacology of CysLTRs. PMID- 17767357 TI - Lipoxin receptors. AB - Lipoxins (LXs) represent a class of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites that carry potent immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, LXA4 and LXB4 being the main components of this series. LXs are generated by cooperation between 5 lipoxygenase (LO) and 12- or 15-LO during cell-cell interactions or by single cell types. LX epimers at carbon 15, the 15-epi-LXs, are formed by aspirin acetylated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in cooperation with 5-LO. 15-epi-LXA4 is also termed aspirin-triggered LX (ATL). In vivo studies with stable LX and ATL analogs have established that these eicosanoids possess potent anti-inflammatory activities. A LXA4 receptor has been cloned. It belongs to the family of chemotactic receptors and clusters with formyl peptide receptors on chromosome 19. Therefore, it was initially denominated formyl peptide receptor like 1 (FPRL1). This receptor binds with high affinity and stereoselectivity LXA4 and ATL. It also recognizes a variety of peptides, synthetic, endogenously generated, or disease associated, but with lower affinity compared to LXA4. For this reason, this receptor has been renamed ALX. This review summarizes the current knowledge on ALX expression, signaling, and potential pathophysiological role. The involvement of additional recognition sites in LX bioactions is also discussed. PMID- 17767358 TI - The role of leukotriene receptor signaling in inflammation and cancer. AB - Leukotrienes (LTs) and prostaglandins (PGs) are metabolites of arachidonic acid that play major roles in various inflammatory conditions. The release of these mediators, by cells recruited to or present at the site of inflammation, modulate/influence the magnitude of the inflammatory response. A better understanding of eicosanoids and how their receptors trigger intracellular signaling during inflammatory conditions is helping to elucidate the well-known connection between chronic inflammatory disease and neoplastic transformation. In the current review, we summarize the role of LTs and PGs in chronic inflammation and, in particular, we focus on recent insights into the role of CysLT1 receptor signaling pathway. In addition, we delineate how continuous CysLT1 receptor activation and signaling can increase cell survival and proliferation as important early steps toward oncogenicity. PMID- 17767359 TI - Leukotriene receptors: crucial components in vascular inflammation. AB - The accumulation of immune cells during vascular inflammation leads to formation of leukotrienes (LTs). While macrophages represent a major source of LT biosynthesis in the proximity of the vascular wall, activated T lymphocytes may, in addition, play a key regulatory role on macrophage expression of LT-forming enzymes. Within the vascular wall, LTs activate cell surface receptors of the BLT and CysLT subtypes expressed on vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells. The LT receptor expression on those cells is highly dependent on transcriptional regulation by pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators. LT receptor activation on vascular smooth muscle cells is associated with both directly and indirectly induced vasoconstriction, as well as intimal hyperplasia through stimulation of migration and proliferation. On the other hand, endothelial LT receptors induce vasorelaxation and leukocyte recruitment and adhesion. Results from in vitro and in vivo studies of LT receptor antagonists indicate potential beneficial effects in atherosclerosis and other inflammatory cardiovascular diseases. PMID- 17767360 TI - Endogenous receptor agonists: resolving inflammation. AB - Controlled resolution or the physiologic resolution of a well-orchestrated inflammatory response at the tissue level is essential to return to homeostasis. A comprehensive understanding of the cellular and molecular events that control the termination of acute inflammation is needed in molecular terms given the widely held view that aberrant inflammation underlies many common diseases. This review focuses on recent advances in the understanding of the role of arachidonic acid and w-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)-derived lipid mediators in regulating the resolution of inflammation. Using a functional lipidomic approach employing LC-MS-MS-based informatics, recent studies, reviewed herein, uncovered new families of local-acting chemical mediators actively biosynthesized during the resolution phase from the essential fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These new families of local chemical mediators are generated endogenously in exudates collected during the resolution phase, and were coined resolvins and protectins because specific members of these novel chemical families control both the duration and magnitude of inflammation in animal models of complex diseases. Recent advances on the biosynthesis, receptors, and actions of these novel anti-inflammatory and proresolving lipid mediators are reviewed with the aim to bring to attention the important role of specific lipid mediators as endogenous agonists in inflammation resolution. PMID- 17767363 TI - Sexual health in adult men with spina bifida. AB - Medical and surgical advances in the treatment of spina bifida (SB) have resulted in increasing numbers of patients reaching adulthood. As such, issues related to sexual maturity are being investigated to offer optimal healthcare to men with spina bifida. This report constitutes a review of the current literature relating to adults with spina bifida and issues of sexuality, erectile dysfunction and fertility. In general, adult males with spina bifida have normal sexual desires and an interest in addressing these issues with healthcare providers. Sexual education and access to intimacy are delayed compared to the general population. 75% of men achieve erections, but maintaining erections is a problem and some may be merely reflexive in nature. The many of these men show marked improvement with sildenafil. In SB erectile dysfunction and infertility are related to the level of neurological lesion with the best performance status in those with sacral lesions and intact reflexes. Men with lesions higher than T10 are at risk for azoospermia. There is an increased risk of neural tube defects in the children of men with spina bifida, but the current incidence with modern folic acid therapy is unknown. As the number of males with spina bifida reaching sexual maturity increases, further investigation into sexuality, sex education, intimacy, and treatments for erectile dysfunction and infertility will be needed. PMID- 17767364 TI - PDZ and LIM domain-encoding genes: molecular interactions and their role in development. AB - PDZ/LIM genes encode a group of proteins that play very important, but diverse, biological roles. They have been implicated in numerous vital processes, e.g., cytoskeleton organization, neuronal signaling, cell lineage specification, organ development, and oncogenesis. In mammals, there are ten genes that encode for both a PDZ domain, and one or several LIM domains: four genes of the ALP subfamily (ALP, Elfin, Mystique, and RIL), three of the Enigma subfamily (Enigma, Enigma Homolog, and ZASP), the two LIM kinases (LIMK1 and LIMK2), and the LIM only protein 7 (LMO7). Functionally, all PDZ and LIM domain proteins share an important trait, i.e., they can associate with and/or influence the actin cytoskeleton. We review here the PDZ and LIM domain-encoding genes and their different gene structures, their binding partners, and their role in development and disease. Emphasis is laid on the important questions: why the combination of a PDZ domain with one or more LIM domains is found in such a diverse group of proteins, and what role the PDZ/LIM module could have in signaling complex assembly and localization. Furthermore, the current knowledge on splice form specific expression and the function of these alternative transcripts during vertebrate development will be discussed, since another source of complexity for the PDZ and LIM domain-encoding proteins is introduced by alternative splicing, which often creates different domain combinations. PMID- 17767365 TI - Impact of prenatal stress on neuroendocrine programming. AB - Since life emerged on the Earth, the development of efficient strategies to cope with sudden and/or permanent changes of the environment has been virtually the unique goal pursued by every organism in order to ensure its survival and thus perpetuate the species. In this view, evolution has selected tightly regulated processes aimed at maintaining stability among internal parameters despite external changes, a process termed homeostasis. Such an internal equilibrium relies quite heavily on three interrelated physiological systems: the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems, which function as a permanently activated watching network, communicating by the mean of specialized molecules: neurotransmitters, cytokines, and hormones or neurohormones. Potential threats to homeostasis might occur as early as during in utero life, potentially leaving a lasting mark on the developing organism. Indeed, environmental factors exert early-life influences on the structural and functional development of individuals, giving rise to changes that can persist throughout life. This organizational phenomenon, encompassing prenatal environmental events, altered fetal growth, and development of long-term pathophysiology, has been named early-life programming. Over the past decade, increased scientific activities have been devoted to deciphering the obvious link between states of maternal stress and the behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and physiological reactivity of the progeny. This growing interest has been driven by the discovery of a tight relationship between prenatal stress and development of short- and long-term health disorders. Among factors susceptible of contributing to such a deleterious programming, nutrients and hormones, especially steroid hormones, are considered as powerful mediators of the fetal organization since they readily cross the placental barrier. In particular, variations in circulating maternal glucocorticoids are known to impact this programming strongly, notably when hormonal surges occur during sensitive periods of development, so-called developmental windows of vulnerability. Stressful events occurring during the perinatal period may impinge on various aspects of the neuroendocrine programming, subsequently amending the offspring's growth, metabolism, sexual maturation, stress responses, and immune system. Such prenatal stress-induced modifications of the phenotypic plasticity of the progeny might ultimately result in the development of long-term diseases, from metabolic syndromes to psychiatric disorders. Yet, we would like to consider the outcome of this neuroendocrine programming from an evolutionary perspective. Early stressful events during gestation might indeed shape internal parameters of the developing organisms in order to adapt the progeny to its everyday environment and thus contribute to an increased reproductive success, or fitness, of the species. Moreover, parental care, adoption, or enriched environments after birth have been shown to reverse negative long-term consequences of a disturbed gestational environment. In this view, considering the higher potential for neonatal plasticity within the brain in human beings as compared to other species, long term consequences of prenatal stress might not be as inexorable as suggested in animal-based studies published to date. PMID- 17767366 TI - Metals contamination in soils and vegetables in metal smelter contaminated sites in Huangshi, China. AB - This study investigated the source and magnitude of metal contamination in soils and vegetables collected in the vicinity of the Daye smelter, China. Results showed that soils and vegetables were heavily contaminated by cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). The average levels of Cd and Pb in vegetables were 0.21 and 3.28 mg/kg fresh weight, respectively. Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) operational speciation analysis indicated that the source of metals in soils probably resulted from sewage irrigation and contaminated sediment. Transfer and correlation coefficients were also calculated to evaluate the bioavailability of metals to vegetables. This investigation highlights the potential risk to local residents via consumption of vegetables. PMID- 17767367 TI - Bulking agent induced early urethral prolapse after distal urethrectomy. AB - Urethral prolapse after injection therapy for incontinence is rare. We report a case of early urethral prolapse in an adult woman with urinary incontinence secondary to distal urethrectomy treated with calcium hydroxylapatite (Coaptite). PMID- 17767368 TI - Impact of maternal veiling during pregnancy and socioeconomic status on offspring's musculoskeletal health. AB - The impact of maternal veiling during pregnancy and of socioeconomic status on offspring's bone mass was investigated in 326 healthy adolescents. Veiling during pregnancy was associated with decreased musculoskeletal parameters in the offspring boys, but not girls. SES was a significant predictor of bone mass in both genders. INTRODUCTION: This study investigates the effects of maternal veiling during pregnancy, a surrogate for low vitamin D level, and socioeconomic status (SES), a surrogate of nutritional status, on their offspring's bone mass at adolescence. METHODS: Three hundred and twenty-six healthy adolescents aged 13.1(2.0) years and their mothers were studied. The impact of maternal veiling on offspring's bone mass was evaluated through regression analyses. Outcome variables were bone mineral density (BMD) and content (BMC) at the spine, hip, and total body of the children. Predictors were maternal veiling during pregnancy and SES. Covariates were height, body composition, Tanner staging, calcium intake, vitamin D and exercise in children. RESULTS: In boys, adjusted analyses revealed that both maternal veiling during pregnancy and SES were significant predictors of bone mass, at multiple skeletal sites. In girls, SES but not maternal veiling during pregnancy was a significant predictor of bone mass at multiple sites. CONCLUSION: Maternal veiling during pregnancy was associated with decreased musculoskeletal parameters of boys, but not girls. SES was a significant predictor of bone mass in both genders. These findings may have profound implications on children's bone health. PMID- 17767369 TI - Hip fractures in users of first- vs. second-generation bisphosphonates. AB - This study compared population hip fracture rates for women with a prior fragility fracture who were treated with first-generation versus second generation bisphosphonate therapies. The observational study found that, relative to women treated with etidronate, a first-generation bisphosphonate, women treated with the second-generation therapies 'alendronate' or 'risedronate' were equally likely to be admitted to hospital for hip fracture. Our findings must be confirmed in large randomized head-to-head controlled trials. INTRODUCTION: Few studies have examined hip fracture outcomes among users of first- versus second generation bisphosphonates. We compared hip fracture rates among elderly women with a history of fracture dispensed first- and second-generation bisphosphonates, hypothesizing that hip fracture rates would be higher among users of first- versus second-generation bisphosphonates after adjusting for confounders. METHODS: Administrative data from Ontario, Canada from 01 April 1998 to 31 March 2002 was used to identify population-based bisphosphonate-naive cohorts of subjects age 66 years and older initiated on first- (etidronate plus calcium; n = 19,127) or second-generation (alendronate or risedronate; n = 1,460) bisphosphonates. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used for analysis. RESULTS: During over 23,000 person-years of follow-up, we observed 293 hospital admissions for first hip fracture. The unadjusted event rates yielded approximately 12.5 hospital admissions for hip fracture per 1,000 person-years of follow-up in each study group. Relative to the etidronate plus calcium group, females in the alendronate or risedronate group were equally likely to be admitted for hip fracture (adjusted rate ratio [aRR] = 1.0; 95% CI 0.6-1.6). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest similar rates of hip fracture between the first- and second-generation bisphosphonates when used continuously among elderly females with a prior history of fracture. PMID- 17767370 TI - Effect of TNF-alpha inhibition on urinary albumin excretion in experimental diabetic rats. AB - The objective is to assess the effect of TNF-alpha inhibition on urinary albumin excretion in experimental diabetic rats. Male Wistar rats, 8-week-old, were categorized into four groups, which were the control (n = 9), diabetes (n = 9), infliximab-treated diabetes (n = 10), and FR167653-treated diabetes (n = 9) groups. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ (40 mg/kg). Thereafter, infliximab was injected intraperitoneally once a month (5.5 mg/kg) and FR167653 was administered orally by mixing with the rat chow (0.08%). The effects of infliximab and FR167653 on urinary albumin excretion were observed for 12 weeks. Body weight, blood sugar, 24-h urinary TNF-alpha, and 24-h urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (Ualb/Ucr) levels were determined at 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the STZ-injection. Treatment of rats with STZ caused a significant loss of body weight, as well as polyuria and hyperglycemia within 1 week, while the urinary excretions of albumin and TNF-alpha were increased. Neither infliximab nor FR167653 affected body weight or blood sugar levels, whereas both decreased urinary albumin excretion, together with a modest decrease in the urinary excretion of TNF-alpha. These results suggest a role of TNF-alpha in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy and show that TNF-alpha inhibition is a potential therapeutic strategy. PMID- 17767371 TI - Comment on: the European Hernia Society Groin Hernia classification: simple and easy to remember (2007) Hernia 11:113-116. PMID- 17767372 TI - Oculocutaneous albinism type 2 (OCA2) with homozygous 2.7-kb deletion of the P gene and sickle cell disease in a Cameroonian family. Identification of a common TAG haplotype in the mutated P gene. AB - In this study, we report on a Cameroonian family from the Ewondo ethnic group, presenting with three oculocutaneous albinism type 2 (OCA2) patients homozygous for the 2.7-kb deletion of the P gene. In one of these patients OCA2 was associated with sickle cell anaemia and in two with the sickle cell trait. We took this opportunity to determine single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotypes within the P gene in this family in comparison with a group of 53 OCA2 patients homozygous for the same mutation and with a matched unrelated full coloured control group of 49 subjects, originating from seven different ethnic groups of Southern Cameroon including Ewondo. A combination of five exonic and intronic SNPs in the OCA2 gene was genotyped by sequencing PCR products. We found 3 different haplotypes (TAGCT, TAGTT and TAGCC with frequencies of 0.66, 0.28 and 0.06, respectively) associated with the mutation in the 53 OCA2 patients, while 11 different haplotypes were observed in the control group. These observations suggest that the mutation appeared on the relatively frequent haplotype TAGCT, and that the two other haplotypes are derived from two independent recombination events. These haplotypic data, associated with a value of 1/15,000 for the prevalence of the 2.7-kb mutation, a present effective population size of 10,000,000 for Cameroon and a recombination rate of 0.0031, allowed us to estimate that this mutation originated 4,100-5,645 years ago. PMID- 17767373 TI - Simulation study of random sequential adsorption of mixtures on a triangular lattice. AB - Random sequential adsorption of binary mixtures of extended objects on a two dimensional triangular lattice is studied numerically by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The depositing objects are formed by self-avoiding random walks on the lattice. We concentrate here on the influence of the symmetry properties of the shapes on the kinetics of the deposition processes in two-component mixtures. Approach to the jamming limit in the case of mixtures is found to be exponential, of the form: theta(t) approximately theta jam - Deltatheta exp(- t/sigma), and the values of the parameter sigma are determined by the order of symmetry of the less symmetric object in the mixture. Depending on the local geometry of the objects making the mixture, jamming coverage of a mixture can be either greater than both single-component jamming coverages or it can be in between these values. Results of the simulations for various fractional concentrations of the objects in the mixture are also presented. PMID- 17767374 TI - Electroconvection in nematics above the splay Freedericksz transition. AB - We present a basic model for an instability leading to a novel type of electroconvection patterns observed above the splay Freedericksz transition in nematics. Such patterns, with wave vector perpendicular to the director easy axis, are found in planar sandwich cells under crossed polarizers, they do not produce shadowgraph images at onset. An adaptation of the classical Carr Helfrich mechanism is introduced. The ground state is a tilted director field uniform in the cell plane. The proposed mechanism destabilizes this director field and leads to a structure with modulated out-of-plane (twist) deformations. Experimental confirmation is provided by polarizing microscopy. All experimental observations are qualitatively explained with the proposed model. PMID- 17767375 TI - Dynamic anisotropy and heterogeneity of polystyrene thin films as studied by inelastic neutron scattering. AB - We studied the dynamic anisotropy and heterogeniety of polystyrene thin films in glassy state with inelastic neutorn scattering. Adjusting the scattering vector to the directions parallel and perpendicular to the film surface, we observed the elastic scattering intensities as a function of temperature. It was found for the 200 A film that the elastic intesity decreased with increasing temperature more rapidly in the perpendicular direction than in the pararell direction, showing the higher mobility in the perpendicular direction. However, such dynamical anisotropy was not observed in the 1000 A film. The decrease in the mobility was observed with the film thickness in both the directions. These results were explained in terms of an interface hard layer. We also evelauated the dynamical heterogeniety from the non-Gaussian parameter A0, which increased with decreasing the film thickness, showing the increase in the dynamical heterogeneity. Assuming a simple bi-layer model consisting of the interface hard layer and the bulk-like layer, we analyzed the thickness dependence of the non-Gaussian parameter A0 and the mean square displacement (u2) to find that the hard layer has a thickness of approximately 130 A and a mean square displacement of approximately 0.018 A2 at 230 K. PMID- 17767376 TI - Quantitative tube model for semiflexible polymer solutions. AB - We develop an analytical and quantitative theory of the tube model concept for entangled networks of semiflexible polymers. The absolute value of the tube diameter L perpendicular is derived as a function of the polymers' persistence length lp and mesh size xi of the network. To leading order, we find L perpendicular = 0.31xi 6/5 lp (-1/5) , which is consistent with known asymptotic scaling laws. Additionally, our theory provides finite-length corrections that can account for effects of polydispersity. We support our analytical studies by extensive computer simulations. These allow to verify assumptions essential to our theoretical description and provide an excellent agreement with the analytically calculated tube diameter. Furthermore, we present simulation data for the distribution function of tube widths in the network. PMID- 17767377 TI - Monomer dynamics in single- and double-stranded DNA coils. AB - In our paper (Tothova et al., Czech. J. Phys. 55, 221 (2005)), the first observation of the kinetics of individual polymer monomers using the fluorescence correlation technique (R. Shusterman et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 048303 (2004)) has been interpreted within the bead-spring theory. Optimizing the joint Rouse Zimm model to the experimental data, the phenomenological parameters for the statistical-mechanical description of the universal behavior of double- and single-stranded DNA and the dominant types of their dynamics have been determined. Recently, these data have been corrected (R. Shusterman et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 029901 (2007)). In the present work, the fits of the theory to the new data are given. The main conclusions of our preceding paper remain unchanged but some of the polymer parameters have changed. The new data allow a significantly better agreement with the theory than the previous ones. Our calculations confirm that dsDNA follows mainly the classical Zimm-type kinetics rather than the Rouse one as it was proposed by Shusterman et al. Single-stranded DNA also behaves predominantly as the Zimm polymer. To support these conclusions, we analyze the draining effects on the monomer dynamics and the applicability of simple "universal" laws, according to which the monomer mean square displacement scales with the time as t 1/2 and t 2/3 for the Rouse and Zimm polymers, respectively. PMID- 17767378 TI - Sevoflurane anesthesia decreases cardiac vagal activity and heart rate variability. AB - We evaluated cardiac vagal activity during sevoflurane anesthesia in neurosurgical patients. Heart rate variability was determined by power spectral analysis and entropy with the patient awake and during sevoflurane anesthesia. High frequency power (0.15-0.50 Hz) and heart rate entropy decreased during sevoflurane and these effects were significantly correlated (r = 0.71 +/- 0.12, P < 0.05). The results confirm that cardiac vagal activity was the primary determinant of heart rate variability, which was attenuated by sevoflurane. PMID- 17767379 TI - Treatment of autonomic neuropathy, postural tachycardia and orthostatic syncope with octreotide LAR. AB - The purpose of this study was to determine whether autonomic neuropathy and the postural tachycardia syndrome can be treated with octreotide LAR (Long Acting Release). This was an open-label pilot project. Protocol 1 Patients with autonomic neuropathy (n = 4) were given increasing doses of octreotide LAR once a month for three months. Blood pressure was measured in the sitting posture every two weeks. Pretreatment mean blood pressure averaged 83.8 +/- 7.1 mm Hg. After four, six and eight weeks of therapy the blood pressures averaged 96.3 +/- 6.4, 98.2 +/- 6.1 (p < .025), and 104.1 +/- 3.1 (p < .025) respectively. Therapy led to a dramatic improvement in symptoms in one patient but another had an unacceptable elevation in supine blood pressure. Protocol 2 Patients with POTS or orthostatic intolerance were given 10, 20, or 30 mg of octreotide LAR over three months. Seven patients entered and five completed the study. After two months treatment, standing time increased from 36.0 +/- 9.2 to 59.2 +/- .8 minutes (p < .01). Heart rate in the standing position was suppressed from 106 +/- .83 to 93.2 +/- .8 beats per minute (p < .05). Orthostatic dizziness and chronic fatigue improved. We conclude that octreotide LAR can be used to treat autonomic neuropathy but there is a risk of an excessive pressor response. Octreotide LAR improved standing time and suppressed tachycardia in patients with orthostatic intolerance. PMID- 17767380 TI - Meal replacements. Safe and effective? PMID- 17767381 TI - Continuous glucose monitors for kids. PMID- 17767382 TI - FDA fights fake meds online. PMID- 17767383 TI - Intensive program improves weight loss and heart disease risk. PMID- 17767384 TI - Test messaging for teens :-). PMID- 17767385 TI - Dangerous combo. Eating disorders and diabetes. PMID- 17767386 TI - Healthy eating. Delectable desserts. A not-so-guilty pleasure. PMID- 17767387 TI - Driving me crazy. Coping with difficult relatives. PMID- 17767388 TI - Rocker's resolve. Rock star Bret Michaels can't resist a challenge. PMID- 17767389 TI - Fun in the sun. Get the most out of the season with these tips from the experts. PMID- 17767390 TI - Grilling go-alongs. Sure, the main course gets all the attention, but when it comes to cookouts, side dishes can shine just as brightly. PMID- 17767391 TI - Research profile. Weight-loss surgery. Good news for diabetes, but why? Blandine Laferrere, MD. PMID- 17767392 TI - Efficacy and tolerability of hyaluronan (ialuset) in the treatment of pressure ulcers: a multicentre, non-randomised, pilot study. AB - BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers are complex chronic wounds and a frequent cause of morbidity in elderly subjects in hospitals and nursing homes. Local treatment is based on the use of dressings that protect the wound and provide a favourable environment for healing to occur. ialuset, a treatment based on hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid), is already available on the market and known to be an effective treatment for venous leg ulcers. However, no clinical trials of hyaluronan as a treatment option for pressure ulcers have been reported as yet. METHODS: The purpose of this review was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of ialuset in the treatment of pressure ulcers. To this end, this article reports data from 21 predominantly elderly patients with National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel grade II, III or IV pressure ulcers treated with ialuset cream or gauze pads over a 3-week period in ten hospitals in France. RESULTS: A significant median decrease of 4cm2 in the surface area of treated wounds was observed after 3 weeks of ialuset use (p < 0.05 vs baseline). A >or=50% reduction in pressure ulcer surface area was seen in 65.0% of patients (95% CI 44.8, 84.3). Nine patients (45%) showed a >or=50% increase in epithelial surface compared with the initial lesion. Patient-reported pain appeared to decrease during the 3-week treatment period, although this decrease did not quite reach statistical significance (p = 0.07). Additionally, a significant decrease in the mean percentage of fibrous tissue in the wound was observed (p = 0.02), as was a non-significant increase in granulation tissue (p = 0.1). General efficacy was considered as good or very good for nearly all patients on review of the data (19/20 patients as assessed by clinicians). Overall tolerability was also considered good or very good in 12/15 assessments by patients at day 21. CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings suggest that ialuset is a promising option in the treatment of pressure ulcers; however, further investigation in the form of large, randomised clinical trials is required before firm conclusions can be drawn regarding the efficacy and tolerability of this treatment in this context. PMID- 17767393 TI - Enhanced retention of celecoxib-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles after intra articular administration. AB - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether the retention of celecoxib in inflamed articular joints of arthritic rats could be enhanced by incorporation of the drug into solid lipid nanoparticles. METHODS: Celecoxib loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) were prepared by emulsification and high pressure homogenisation, then characterised by particle size analysis and scanning electron microscopy. In vitro drug-release studies indicated that the nanoparticles exhibited sustained release of celecoxib and the release pattern followed quasi-Fickian diffusion. The biocompatibility of solid lipid nanoparticles was evaluated by histopathology of the rat joints after intra articular injection in normal rats. Celecoxib and celecoxib-loaded SLN were labelled with (99m)Tc and the labelling parameters were optimised to obtain maximum labelling efficiency. The labelled complexes were administered intra articularly and the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution were determined. RESULTS: The nanoparticles showed no inflammatory infiltrates 3 and 7 days post intra-articular injection, proving their biocompatibility and suitability for intra-articular use. Free celecoxib underwent rapid clearance from the inflamed articular joints into the systemic circulation, while the celecoxib-loaded SLN were associated with significantly lower blood levels compared with free celecoxib. Free celecoxib was found to have been extensively distributed to organs of the reticuloendothelial system such as the liver, lungs and spleen. In contrast, celecoxib-loaded nanoparticles demonstrated significantly lower distribution to the reticuloendothelial organs. The articular concentrations of celecoxib-loaded nanoparticles in the inflamed joints were 16-fold higher at 4 hours post-injection and 15-fold higher at 24 hours post-injection than free celecoxib concentrations, indicating greater and prolonged retention in the inflamed articular joints. CONCLUSION: Celecoxib-loaded SLN with its greater intra-articular retention and sustained-release properties would be a beneficial delivery system for the effective treatment of arthritis and is expected to result in prolonged anti-arthritic activity of celecoxib. PMID- 17767394 TI - Orphan G-protein-coupled receptors : strategies for identifying ligands and potential for use in eating disorders. AB - G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are key regulators of intercellular interactions, participating in almost every physiological response. They exert their effects by being activated by a variety of endogenous ligands. Traditionally, these ligands were identified first, providing tools to characterise the receptors. However, since the late 1980s, homology screening approaches have allowed the GPCRs to be found first, and in turn used as orphan targets to identify their ligands. Over the last decade this method has led to the identification of 12 novel neuropeptide families. Interestingly, four of these deorphanised GPCR systems, melanin-concentrating hormone, ghrelin, orexin and neuropeptide B/neuropeptide W, have been found to play a role in the control of energy balance. This article reviews the role of these GPCR systems in the control of food intake and energy expenditure, and discusses their potential use in therapies directed at eating disorders. As obesity has reached epidemic proportions across the developed world, pharmacotherapy has focused on this condition. However, difficulties in weight control also characterise disorders of binge eating such as bulimia and binge-eating disorder. Consequently, hypophagic treatments may be of potential benefit in normal, overweight or obese individuals displaying aberrant (out of control) eating behaviour. PMID- 17767395 TI - Some pharmacokinetic aspects of the lipophilic terfenadine and zwitterionic fexofenadine in humans. AB - Fexofenadine, an active metabolite of the second-generation histamine H1 receptor antagonist (antihistamine) terfenadine, does not have the disadvantage of QT prolongation. In addition, unlike first-generation antihistamines, it is associated with few CNS adverse effects. Chemically, fexofenadine has a zwitterionic structure that makes it an interesting molecule for use as an oral drug. Fexo-fenadine has negligible hepatic metabolism in humans, and is recovered mainly in the faeces in an unchanged form after oral administration. The absolute oral bioavailability of fexofenadine in humans is not known because of a lack of studies of intravenous administration of this agent. Its apparent elimination half-life (t1/2) ranges from 3 to 17 hours and is highly dependent on study design, i.e. the length of blood sampling. This large discrepancy might be associated with a 'flip-flop' phenomenon caused by slow absorption of the zwitterionic molecule. This review summarises the available literature related to the absorption, elimination and excretion of fexofenadine and terfenadine. Based on these data, the volume of distribution, t1/2 and oral bioavailability of fexofenadine in humans are estimated. Understanding these pharmacokinetic aspects of this drug might be very useful for medicinal chemists utilising fexofenadine/terfenadine as an example for designing zwitterionic compounds to combat cardiotoxicity and other issues related to basic and lipophilic molecules. PMID- 17767396 TI - Gabapentin Extended-Release - Depomed: Gabapentin ER, Gabapentin Gastric Retention, Gabapentin GR. AB - Depomed is developing an extended-release (ER) oral formulation of gabapentin, a GABA receptor agonist commonly used for the treatment of epilepsy and seizures, neuropathic pain and hot flushes. Gabapentin ER is based on the company's proprietary AcuForm drug delivery technology, which is part of the Gastric Retention (GR) family of technologies; this offers improved drug absorption and bioavailability compared with the existing immediate-release formulation of gabapentin (Neurontin), making gabapentin ER suitable for twice-daily dosing. The product is in clinical development for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia and diabetic neuropathies in the US. Additionally, Depomed has commenced a phase II trial of gabapentin ER in postmenopausal patients with hot flushes. Depomed's AcuForm platform is based on polymer technology that provides targeted drug delivery for a variety of compounds. Following ingestion, AcuForm tablets swell and are retained for 6-8 hours in the stomach, enabling controlled and prolonged release of gabapentin to the upper intestinal tract; this extends the time of drug delivery to the small intestine for complete and safe elimination via the lower intestinal track. Gabapentin ER is available for licensing. Depomed acquired exclusive development and commercialisation rights to gabapentin ER in September 2003 via its subsidiary, Depomed Development Ltd (DDL). Depomed is not required to pay upfront license fees, but will make royalty and milestone payments to DDL upon successful commercialisation of gabapentin ER. Gabapentin ER was originally developed by DDL, a joint venture between Depomed and Elan established in January 2000 to design products using the GR family of technologies. However, in efforts to restructure joint venture relationships, Elan withdrew from operational involvement of DDL in September 2003, and Depomed has gained full ownership of DDL. Depomed sublicensed exclusive rights to a US patent (held by the University of Rochester) covering the use of gabapentin in the treatment of hot flushes from PharmaNova in October 2006. Under the agreement, Depomed paid PharmaNova an upfront fee of US dollars 500 000. PharmaNova is also entitled to milestone payments and royalties on sales of gabapentin ER in this indication only. Depomed has reported significant safety and efficacy benefits from gabapentin ER in its phase II trial. This study was initiated in February 2005 following positive results from a phase I trial in which gabapentin ER demonstrated a pharmacokinetic profile suitable for twice daily dosing. In two pharmacokinetic studies, gabapentin ER achieved improved bioavailability at higher doses. This result supports Depomed's development of a once- or twice-daily product with potentially fewer adverse events. The basic US patents relating to gabapentin expired in 2000. Depomed holds exclusive rights to a US patent (No. 6 310 098) held by the University of Rochester covering the use of gabapentin to treat hot flushes.Additionally, Depomed was issued a US patent (No. 6 723 340) in May 2004 that covers proprietary polymer combinations (as used in AcuForm tablets) to create improved formulations of existing drugs. PMID- 17767397 TI - Oblimersen: Augmerosen, BCL-2 antisense oligonucleotide - Genta, G 3139, GC 3139, oblimersen sodium. AB - Oblimersen is an antisense oligonucleotide developed by Genta for systemic use as an injection. It comprises a phosphorothioate backbone linking 18 modified DNA bases. Oblimersen targets the first six codons of Bcl-2 mRNA to form a DNA/RNA complex. The duplex is subsequently recognised as a foreign message and is cleaved enzymatically, thereby destroying the Bcl-2 message. The Bcl-2 protein, which is a potent inhibitor of apoptosis, is overexpressed in many cancers, including follicular lymphomas, breast, colon and prostate cancers, and intermediate-/high-grade lymphomas. By reducing the amount of Bcl-2 protein in cancer cells, oblimersen may enhance the effectiveness of conventional anticancer treatments. Genta has reported results from randomised phase III trials of oblimersen in four different indications: malignant melanoma, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), multiple myeloma and acute myleoid leukaemia (AML). A negative opinion has been issued for the company's MAA for the product in the treatment of malignant melanoma in the EU; the EMEA has indicated an additional confirmatory trial is needed in this indication for approval. An NDA for CLL was deemed non approvable by the US FDA; the company is appealing this decision. The phase III trials in multiple myeloma and AML did not meet their primary endpoints. Phase I and II trials are also underway or have been completed for a range of other cancer types. Genta and sanofi-aventis (formerly Aventis) entered into a collaboration agreement in 2002; however, this agreement was terminated by sanofi aventis in May 2005. Genta became solely responsible for all costs relating to oblimersen at this time. Genta expanded its Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Cancer Institute in November 2001. The expanded collaboration was to investigate the use of oblimersen in combination with standard anticancer therapy in a broad range of cancers. This expansion occurred following the Gensynergy project, which showed that oblimersen was synergistic with other anticancer therapies. Genta signed a 5-year manufacturing agreement with Avecia Ltd in December 2002 to supply it with oblimersen. Genta's NDA was submitted to the FDA in December 2005 and accepted for review in March 2006. The application was based on data from a phase I/II trial (NCT00021749) of oblimersen alone in approximately 40 patients and a phase III study (NCT00024440) of 241 patients who received fludarabine and cyclo-phosphamide with or without oblimersen. Genta received a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) from the FDA in October 2006 for a randomised, pivotal, clinical trial of oblimersen in CLL. The trial will be conducted in patients who have not received prior chemotherapy and who would be randomised to receive fludarabine and rituximab with or without oblimersen. This trial has not yet begun.Fast-track status was given to oblimersen for CLL in June 2003 by the FDA. Oblimersen previously obtained orphan drug status in the US and EU for CLL in September 2001. Genta previously submitted the MAA under the centralised licensing procedure and Spain and France were assigned as rapporteur and co-rapporteur countries, respectively. It was supported by an extended 24-month follow-up of patients from a phase III study (NCT00016263) of oblimersen plus dacarbazine. The EMEA validated the MAA for review in January 2006. Genta received a number of scientific questions from the EMEA in June 2006, which the company responded to. Genta intends to file a formal complaint and a request for correction of information with the FDA under the Federal Data Quality Act. The complaint is related to a key statistical analysis of the company's data for oblimersen in the treatment of melanoma used by the FDA at the Oncology Drug Advisory Committee (ODAC) in May 2004. Genta believes that analysis sought to discredit the finding that treatment with oblimersen significantly increased progression-free survival; ODAC previously agreed this endpoint would support full approval in the absence of a survival improvement in patients with advanced melanoma.A rolling NDA submission was submitted to the FDA in the third quarter of 2003; however, Genta and Aventis withdrew the NDA after the application failed to gain marketing approval from the FDA's Oncology Drug Advisory Committee (ODAC). In May 2004, ODAC voted that phase III trial results did not provide substantial evidence of effectiveness to outweigh toxicity of oblimersen treatment in patients with metastatic melanoma. Genta has the option to resubmit this application. The FDA gave oblimersen orphan drug status for malignant melanoma in August 2000. In October 1999, fast-track status was given to oblimersen by the FDA for malignant melanoma when used in combination with dacarbazine. In addition, oblimersen received orphan drug status for malignant melanoma in Australia in October 2006.A phase III study (NCT00016263) of oblimersen in combination with dacarbazine was conducted in patients with malignant melanoma. The combination treatment did not significantly increase overall survival time, but did significantly increase progression-free survival time, compared with dacarbazine treatment alone. The phase III trial enrolled 771 patients at 140 sites in 12 different countries. Patients were randomly assigned to receive dacarbazine alone or in combination with oblimersen. The primary endpoint of this trial was to compare the overall survival between the two treatment arms. Secondary endpoints included comparative analyses of progression free survival and tumour response. Genta will conduct another phase III study of oblimersen in patients with advanced melanoma. The trial is designed to provide additional safety and efficacy evidence of the drug, in combination with dacarbazine, in patients who have not previously received chemotherapy. Approximately 300 patients are expected to be enrolled in the trial, which is planned to begin during mid-2007, at sites throughout Europe, Australia, and North and South America. Genta is conducting a phase I clinical trial (NCT00409383) to evaluate the combination of oblimersen, ABI 007, and temozolomide in chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced melanoma. This trial was initiated in November 2006 and is the first follow-on study to Genta's phase III trial of oblimersen plus dacarbazine. Oblimersen received orphan drug status in the US and EU for multiple myeloma in September 2001. In addition, fast-track designation was given to oblimersen by the FDA in the same month.A phase I/II clinical study (NCT00062244) of oblimersen was conducted by the NCI in patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia, a disease that is similar to multiple myeloma. The study results indicated that oblimersen may be a useful treatment in this group of patients (all had high levels of Bcl-2 expression). In June 2003, Genta and Aventis announced the presentation of clinical data from a phase II trial of oblimersen in combination with docetaxel injection concentrate for patients with advanced HRPC. Researchers reported that these findings validated progression into phase III trials. Genta has licensed eight US patents relating to oblimersen and its backbone chemistry and these expire between 2008 and 2015. Genta has two pending US patent applications that relate to oblimersen. Corresponding patent applications have been filed in Canada, Europe and Japan. Genta owns three US patents relating to methods of using oblimersen that will expire in 2020, and also has approximately 45 corresponding foreign patent applications. PMID- 17767398 TI - Heme, heme oxygenase, and ferritin: how the vascular endothelium survives (and dies) in an iron-rich environment. AB - Iron-derived reactive oxygen species are involved in the pathogenesis of numerous vascular disorders. One abundant source of redox active iron is heme, which is inherently dangerous when it escapes from its physiologic sites. Here, we present a review of the nature of heme-mediated cytotoxicity and of the strategies by which endothelium manages to protect itself from this clear and present danger. Of all sites in the body, the endothelium may be at greatest risk of exposure to heme. Heme greatly potentiates endothelial cell killing mediated by leukocytes and other sources of reactive oxygen. Heme also promotes the conversion of low density lipoprotein to cytotoxic oxidized products. Hemoglobin in plasma, when oxidized, transfers heme to endothelium and lipoprotein, thereby enhancing susceptibility to oxidant-mediated injury. As a defense against such stress, endothelial cells upregulate heme oxygenase-1 and ferritin. Heme oxygenase opens the porphyrin ring, producing biliverdin, carbon monoxide, and a most dangerous product-redox active iron. The latter can be effectively controlled by ferritin via sequestration and ferroxidase activity. These homeostatic adjustments have been shown to be effective in the protection of endothelium against the damaging effects of heme and oxidants; lack of adaptation in an iron-rich environment led to extensive endothelial damage in humans. PMID- 17767399 TI - Polyethylene glycol modification of adenovirus reduces platelet activation, endothelial cell activation, and thrombocytopenia. AB - Thrombocytopenia is one of the complications for in vivo administration of adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) vectors after intravenous injection. In this paper, we investigated the mechanism of Ad5-induced thrombocytopenia and how these effects are attenuated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) modification of Ad5 (Ad-PEG). After intravenous injection, accelerated platelet loss was observed in Ad injected mice but not in their Ad-PEG-injected counterparts. This platelet loss induced by Ad5 corresponded with increases in coagulation D-dimer levels, splenomegaly, and, later, production of megakaryocytes in the bone marrow. In contrast, these responses were blunted or ablated after injection of Ad-PEG. Ad5 activated both platelets and endothelial cells directly in vitro as evidenced by induction of P-selectin and the formation of von Willebrand factor-platelet strings and in vivo as evidenced by the induction of E-selectin messenger RNA. PEGylation blunted these observed activations. These data suggest that Ad5 may induce thrombocytopenia by direct activation of endothelial cells in addition to its direct effects on platelets. This link provides an important clue for the understanding of the mechanisms of thrombocytopenia associated with Ad5. Given that PEGylation blunted interactions of Ad with platelets and endothelial cells, reduced D-dimer formation, reduced thrombocytopenia, and reduced splenomegaly, these data suggest that this simple vector modification may have utility to improve the safety of Ad vectors for human gene therapy. PMID- 17767400 TI - Comparative analysis of antisense oligonucleotide sequences for targeted skipping of exon 51 during dystrophin pre-mRNA splicing in human muscle. AB - Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene that result in the absence of functional protein. In the majority of cases these are out-of-frame deletions that disrupt the reading frame. Several attempts have been made to restore the dystrophin mRNA reading frame by modulation of pre-mRNA splicing with antisense oligonucleotides (AOs), demonstrating success in cultured cells, muscle explants, and animal models. We are preparing for a phase I/IIa clinical trial aimed at assessing the safety and effect of locally administered AOs designed to inhibit inclusion of exon 51 into the mature mRNA by the splicing machinery, a process known as exon skipping. Here, we describe a series of systematic experiments to validate the sequence and chemistry of the exon 51 AO reagent selected to go forward into the clinical trial planned in the United Kingdom. Eight specific AO sequences targeting exon 51 were tested in two different chemical forms and in three different preclinical models: cultured human muscle cells and explants (wild type and DMD), and local in vivo administration in transgenic mice harboring the entire human DMD locus. Data have been validated independently in the different model systems used, and the studies describe a rational collaborative path for the preclinical selection of AOs for evaluation in future clinical trials. PMID- 17767401 TI - Promoter choice for retroviral vectors: transcriptional strength versus trans activation potential. AB - Gene expression from retroviral vectors can be driven by either the retroviral long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter or by cellular or viral promoters located internally in an LTR-deleted self-inactivating vector design. Adverse events in a gene therapy clinical trial for X-linked severe combined immune deficiency have led to the realization that the enhancer/promoter elements contained within integrated vectors may also act outside the vector genome to trans-activate host genes. Ideally, the gene expression system chosen for a vector should possess a low probability of trans-activation while still being able to support adequate levels of transgene expression. However, the parameters that define these specific characteristics are unknown. To gain insight into the mechanism of trans activation, we compared a panel of commonly used retroviral LTRs and cellular and viral promoters for their ability to drive gene expression and to trans-activate a nearby minimal promoter in three different cell lines. These studies identified two elements, the cytomegalovirus enhancer/chicken beta-actin (CAG) and elongation factor (EF)-1alpha promoters, as being of potential value for use in vectors targeting lymphoid cells, as these elements exhibited both high levels of reporter gene expression and relatively low levels of trans-activation in T cells. PMID- 17767402 TI - Interview with William K. Reisen, Ph.D. Interview by Vicki Glaser. PMID- 17767403 TI - Rickettsia conorii Israeli tick typhus strain isolated from Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks in Portugal. AB - This report describes the first establishment of five isolates of R. conorii Israeli tick typhus (ITT) strain from Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks in different regions of Portugal. Ticks were collected on two separate expeditions that took place in Braganca, Montesinho Natural Park, and Portalegre City. PMID- 17767404 TI - West Nile virus in wild resident birds, Southern France, 2004. AB - An equine West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak occurred in 2004 in the Camargue, a wetland area in the south of France where the virus was first reported in 1962 and re-emerged in 2000. WNV neutralizing antibodies were detected in resident birds and two isolates from a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) and a Common Magpie (Pica pica) were completely sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that these isolates are closely related to strains previously found in horses in southern Europe and North Africa. More extensive investigation is required to determine whether WNV has been re-introduced or has become endemic in the Camargue. PMID- 17767405 TI - Delayed density-dependent prevalence of Sin Nombre virus antibody in Montana deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and implications for human disease risk. AB - American hantaviruses cause a severe respiratory disease known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). In the United States, Sin Nombre virus (SNV), carried by the deer mouse ( Peromyscus maniculatus), is the etiologic agent in the majority of HPS cases. The relationship between deer mouse population density and SNV infection prevalence in deer mice is poorly understood. Our purpose was to clarify this relationship by demonstrating the existence of delayed-density dependent prevalence of SNV infection in populations of wild deer mice. We also explored the relationship between SNV infection in deer mouse populations and the incidence of human HPS. The study population was 3,616 deer mice captured on 10 mark-recapture grids in Montana during May and September, 1994-2004. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, we found a strong association between deer mouse population density in fall (September) and SNV antibody prevalence in deer mice the following spring (May). Other characteristics associated with SNV infection in deer mice in spring were: (1) presence of at least one infected deer mouse in the population the previous fall, (2) male gender, (3) adult age class, (4) presence of scars, (5) grassland and logged habitats, and (6) elevations below 1,300 m. There was a strong association between concurrently measured SNV antibody prevalence in deer mice and probable exposure of human HPS cases during the same time period. Human cases were more likely to occur during seasons when SNV antibody prevalence was at least 10% in deer mouse populations. These findings suggest that fall rodent population parameters could be used to help guide prevention efforts the following spring. PMID- 17767406 TI - Potential vector species of Guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) in Northern Ghana. AB - Guinea worm disease, also known as dracunculiasis (or dracunculosis), is caused by the large female of the nematode Dracunculus medinensis. It normally lives and grows in various places in the human body, before migrating to subcutaneous tissue and eventually emerging slowly from the skin, usually on the lower limbs. If the affected portion of the body comes into contact with water, first-stage juveniles (L(1)) are expelled in large numbers from the ruptured uterus. For further development, the juveniles need to be ingested by suitable predatory species of copepods. In this study, infectivity studies on the relative importance of various copepod species in the transmission of the Guinea worm disease was carried out. The infection potentials of the vectors were evaluated based on their ability to ingest the first stage juveniles (L(1)), and to remain alive for these juveniles to develop to the infective, third-stage juveniles (L(3)). The adults of the relatively larger species recorded very high mortality rates upon infection with the first stage juveniles (L(1)) of the parasite. The highest copepod mortality rate was recorded by M. kieferi (94%). However, the copepodid stages of these species were able to withstand infection for extremely longer periods. The smaller genera did not record any remarkable mortalities on ingesting parasite juveniles. The most important implicated potential vectors of Dracunculus medinensis evaluated in the area are Mesocyclops kieferi --> M. aspericornis --> Thermocyclops incisus --> T. inopinus --> T. oblongatus. PMID- 17767407 TI - Phylogenetic comparison of rabies viruses from disease outbreaks on the Svalbard Islands. AB - Periodic wildlife rabies epizootics occur in Arctic regions. The original sources of these outbreaks are rarely identified. In 1980, a wildlife epizootic of rabies occurred on the previously rabies-free Svalbard Islands, Norway. After this outbreak of rabies in the arctic fox population (Alopex lagopus), only single cases have been reported from the Islands over the following two decades. Phylogenetic characterization of four viruses isolated from infected arctic foxes from Svalbard from three different time periods suggest that the source of these epizootics could have been migration of this species from the Russian mainland. Arctic fox migration has likely contributed to the establishment of another zoonotic disease, Echinococcus multilocularis, on Svalbard in recent years. PMID- 17767408 TI - Didelphis marsupialis (common opossum): a potential reservoir host for zoonotic leishmaniasis in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil). AB - Identification of the zoonotic reservoir is important for leishmaniasis control program. A number of (wild) animal species may serve as reservoir hosts, including the opossum Didelphis marsupialis. A survey carried out in Didelphis specimens (n = 111) from the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, an important focus of human leishmaniasis in Brazil, is reported. All animals were serologically tested with indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and direct agglutination tests (DAT) based on L. (L.) donovani or L. (V.) braziliensis antigen. A sub-population (n = 20) was analyzed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of Leishmania-specific DNA. For species identification, PCR-positive samples were subjected to restriction enzyme fragment polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Depending on the sero-diagnostic test employed, the sero prevalence varied between 8.1% (9/111 animals positive with DAT test based on L. braziliensis antigen) and 21.6% (24/111 animals positive with IFAT). Five out of 20 samples analyzed with PCR tested positive for the presence of Leishmania specific DNA. RFLP analysis revealed that two samples contained L. braziliensis complex DNA, one contained L. donovani complex DNA, and two samples could not be typed with the methodology used. These data suggest a potential role for the opossum as a reservoir host for zoonotic leishmaniasis in the region. PMID- 17767409 TI - Detection and identification of bacterial agents in Ixodes persulcatus Schulze ticks from the north western region of Russia. AB - Ixodes persulcatus Schultze ticks are traditionally associated with transmission of Lyme disease, babesiosis, and tick-borne encephalitis. Here we compared the prevalence of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, and rickettsial and ehrlichial agents in I. persulcatus ticks collected in different locations of the North Western administrative region of Russia. Altogether, 27.7% of ticks were infected with at least one organism, while the DNA of two or more bacteria was found in 11.8% of ticks tested. The highest average prevalence of Anaplasmataceae (20.8%) was detected in ticks from Arkhangel'sk province, while the prevalence in ticks from Novgorod province and St. Petersburg, respectively, was 7.3% and 12.2%. Only Ehrlichia muris DNA was identified by DNA sequencing. In comparison, the prevalence of B. burdorferi DNA was 16.6%, 5.8%, and 24.5% in the respective locations. The 382-bp amplicon of gltA from Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae was detected in 2.75% and 1.6%, respectively, of ticks from Arkhangel'sk and Novgorod provinces, extending further west and north the area where this rickettsia is known to be present. DNA of the rickettsia-like endosymbiont Montezuma was primarily associated with female ticks, 8-28% of which were infected. Since I. persulcatus is so commonly infected with multiple agents that may cause human diseases, exposure to these ticks poses significant risk to human health in this region. PMID- 17767410 TI - West Nile virus outbreak detection using syndromic monitoring in horses. AB - Recent outbreaks of West Nile virus-associated (WNV) diseases, both in the old World and Americas, underline the importance for early warning systems that rapidly identify emerging and re-emerging diseases and thus help in their control. Traditional approaches of disease monitoring become less reliable and increasingly costly when used for rare health-related events, such as WNV outbreaks in southern France. The objective of this work was to discuss methodological issues related to syndromic monitoring of WNV-associated disease in Camargue horses by veterinary practitioners. Tracking cases of equine encephalitis by veterinarians is an example of such syndromic monitoring of an emerging disease. Signs of illness, observed prior diagnostic confirmation, can be of interest because they may provide an early warning for WNV circulation in a given area and allow authorities to take appropriate preventive measures for public health. PMID- 17767411 TI - West Nile virus circulation detected in northern Italy in sentinel chickens. AB - Ninety percent (56/62) of sentinel chickens introduced to two regions within the Italian Alps seroconverted to West Nile virus (WNV) during the summer of 2005, showing a range of antibody titres from 1/20 to 1/320 in a virus neutralization test. Neutralization specificity for WNV antibodies was confirmed on an additional 34 sera that were tested in parallel against WNV (16/34 seropositivity), Usutu virus (3/34 seropositivity) and Koutango virus. The geometric mean neutralizing titre (GMT) calculated for WN-specific antibodies was 33.68 and did not differ significantly amongst sample sites, although the overall results indicate more active circulation of WNV at the higher elevations. Such high levels of seroconversion raise the possibility that many chickens may have been exposed to virus via routes other than mosquito transmission. No chickens or any other local animals were associated with illness due to WNV implying that WNV, and to a much lower extent Usutu virus, circulate harmlessly amongst wildlife species in northern Italy from late May onwards until early autumn. PMID- 17767412 TI - First record of Lyme disease Borrelia in the Arctic. AB - The epidemiology and ecology of Lyme disease is very complex, and its reported geographical distribution is constantly increasing. Furthermore, the involvement of birds in long distance dispersal and their role as reservoir hosts is now well established. In this study, we have shown that sea birds in the Arctic region of Norway carry Ixodes uriae ticks infected with Lyme disease Borrelia garinii spirochetes. Interestingly, DNA sequencing showed that these isolates are closely related to B. garinii previously isolated from birds, as well as from clinical specimens in northern Europe. PMID- 17767413 TI - Host choice and West Nile virus infection rates in blood-fed mosquitoes, including members of the Culex pipiens complex, from Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee, 2002-2003. AB - The source of bloodmeals in 2,082 blood-fed mosquitoes collected from February 2002 through December 2003 in Memphis and surrounding areas of Shelby County, Tennessee were determined. Members of the genus Culex and Anopheles quadrimaculatus predominated in the collections. Members of the Cx. pipiens complex and Cx. restuans were found to feed predominately upon avian hosts, though mammalian hosts made up a substantial proportion of the bloodmeals in these species. No significant difference was seen in the host class of bloodmeals in mosquitoes identified as Cx. pipiens pipiens, Cx. p. quinquefasciatus, or hybrids between these two taxa. Anopheles quadrimaculatus and Cx. erraticus fed primarily upon mammalian hosts. Three avian species (the American Robin, the Common Grackle, and the Northern Cardinal) made up the majority of avian-derived bloodmeals, with the American Robin representing the most frequently fed upon avian host. An analysis of these host feeding data using a modification of a transmission model for Eastern Equine encephalitis virus suggested that the American Robin and Common Grackle represented the most important reservoir hosts for West Nile virus. A temporal analysis of the feeding patterns of the dominant Culex species did not support a shift in feeding behavior away from robins to mammals late in the summer. However, a significant degree of temporal variation was noted in the proportion of robin-derived bloodmeals when the data were analyzed by semi-monthly periods throughout the summers of 2002 and 2003. This pattern was consistent with the hypothesis that the mosquitoes were preferentially feeding upon nesting birds. PMID- 17767414 TI - Mosquito landing rates on nesting American robins (Turdus migratorius). AB - We measured mosquito landing rates on adult and nestling American robins at nests with infrared cameras in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, United States. Mosquitoes landed on nesting robins almost exclusively between dusk and dawn. The mean number of mosquito landings per night was higher for adults (123.3 +/- SE 32.8) than nestlings (37.26 +/- 14.8). The fraction of mosquitoes landing at a nest on nestlings increased with decreases in adult brooding. Oral swabs from nestlings at these and 13 other robin, Gray catbird, and house finch nests were negative for West Nile virus (WNV). These results show that landing rates were higher on adults and that parental brooding reduces the landing rates of mosquitoes on nestlings. PMID- 17767415 TI - An interview with Lars J. Branden, Ph.D. Associate director for Chemical Genetics, Judith P. Sulzberger Genome Center, Columbia University, New York. Interview by Vicki Glaser. PMID- 17767417 TI - Miniaturization and automation of an ubiquitin ligase cascade enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 1,536-well format. AB - Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are a long established and widely used assay format for drug discovery and diagnostics. They offer many advantages over homogeneous assay formats, including high sensitivity and separation (wash) steps that remove detection-interfering compounds. Many high-throughput screening assays are now performed in miniaturized formats (1,536- and 3,456-well plates) for higher throughput and lower reagent consumption. With miniaturization, separation steps in assays such as ELISA can become difficult to implement. Here we report on the implementation of the Kalypsys, Inc. (San Diego, CA) 1,536-well plate washer to enable the successful miniaturization and full automation of an ELISA that monitors ubiquitin ligase activity. The 1,536-well plate ELISA was robust and used for the high-throughput screening of a large screening collection (>1 million compounds). PMID- 17767418 TI - Evaluation of assay technologies for the identification of protein-Peptide interaction antagonists. AB - An increasing number of assay detection technologies are routinely used in small molecule drug discovery and lead optimization. These assays range from solid phase heterogeneous assays such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluorescent immunoassay (DELFIA, PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences, Boston, MA) to solution phase, bead-based assays such as electrochemiluminescence assay (BioVeris [Gaithersburg, MD] technology) and amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay (AlphaScreen, PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences) to completely solution-based homogeneous assays such as time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer and fluorescence polarization. The aim of this study is to compare these assay technologies and assess the advantages and disadvantages of each in the context of our efforts to develop small molecule antagonists to the melanoma inhibitor of apoptosis protein. In this study, seven peptides have been evaluated for their potencies in each assay format. Our results indicate that these assay technologies produce similar relative potencies; however, some methods may be more susceptible to interference than others. Consequently, the choice of the method used frequently depends on a number of factors in addition to assay reproducibility and performance, such as throughput of the assay, cost, compound interference, and ease of use. PMID- 17767419 TI - Simultaneous screening of multiple bacterial tRNA synthetases using an Escherichia coli S30-based transcription and translation assay. AB - The search for novel antibiotics to combat the growing threat of resistance has led researchers to screen libraries with coupled transcription and translation systems. In these systems, a bacterial cell lysate supplies the proteins necessary for transcription and translation, a plasmid encoding a reporter protein is added as a template, and a complex mixture of amino acids and cofactors is added to supply building blocks and energy to the assay. Firefly luciferase is typically used as the reporter protein in high-throughput screens because the luminescent signal is strong and, since bacterial lysates contain no luciferase, the background is negligible. The typical coupled transcription and translation assay is sensitive to inhibitors of RNA polymerase and to compounds that bind tightly to the ribosome. We have found a way to increase the information content of the screen by making the assay more sensitive to inhibitors of tRNA synthetases. Restricting the concentration of amino acids added to the reaction mixture allows the simultaneous screening of multiple tRNA synthetase enzymes along with the classic transcription and translation targets. In addition, this assay can be used as a convenient way to determine if an antibacterial compound of unknown mechanism inhibits translation through inhibition of a tRNA synthetase, and to identify which synthetase is the target. PMID- 17767420 TI - Dual enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system for detection of endogenous kinase activities of mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase-1/2. AB - The kinase signaling cascades related to mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase-1 and -2 (MSK1 and MSK2, respectively) are attractive targets for pharmaceutical intervention, especially for neural injury. Therefore, we have developed a high throughput and cost-effective detection platform for measuring selective activity of MSK1/MSK2 in cells. Through the serial monitoring of both the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (stress-activated protein kinase 2B) MSK1/MSK2- cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB)/activating transcription factor 1 (ATF1) pathway and the p38-mammalian heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) pathway in HeLa cells treated with anisomycin, two selective MSK1 inhibitors showed inhibition of CREB (Ser-133) and ATF1 (Ser-63) phosphorylation and no interference with Hsp-27 phosphorylation (Ser-82). On the other hand, the p38 inhibitor SB-220025 showed equipotent inhibition of CREB/ATF1 and Hsp27 phosphorylation. This study demonstrated that the specific inhibition of a target kinase could be subsequently monitored by a secondary assay that measures the intervention arising from the modulation of off-target kinases. Our established system is applicable to inhibitor screening and drug discovery related to MSK1/MSK2. PMID- 17767421 TI - A 96-well automated radioiodide uptake assay for sodium/iodide symporter inhibitors. AB - A high-throughput screening method based on radioiodide uptake in human embryonic kidney 293 cells expressing the human sodium/iodide symporter was developed. Central to assay development was a homogeneous cell culture in the 96-well microplate coupled with the use of scintillation proximity technology. The assay is fast and highly reproducible with a Z' greater than 0.8. The automated procedure allows the screening of 4,000 compounds per day. Using this methodology, several known substrates of the sodium/iodide symporter were evaluated in a single day. Inhibition of iodide uptake was shown to follow the series PF(6)(-) > ClO(4)(-) > BF(4)(-) > SCN(-) >> NO(3)(-) > IO(4)(-) > N(3)(-) >> Br(-), in accord with the literature. This method represents an initial approach to the search for inhibitors of iodide transport mediated by the sodium/iodide symporter. PMID- 17767422 TI - Functional evaluation of multidrug resistance transporter activity in surgical samples of solid tumors. AB - Determination of multidrug resistance (MDR) activity of tumor cells could provide important information for the personalized therapy of cancer patients. The functional calcein assay (MultiDrug Quant Assay, Solvo Biotechnology, Budaors, Hungary) has been proven to be clinically valuable in hematological malignancies by determining the transporter activity of MDR protein 1 (MDR1, ATP-binding cassette protein [ABC] B1, P-glycoprotein-170) and MDR-related protein 1 (MRP1, ABCC1). In this study, we evaluated if the same functional test was adaptable for the analysis of MDR activity in solid tumors. For this purpose, tissue specimens of human colorectal cancer samples were subjected to limited enzymatic digestion by collagenase to provide a single-cell suspension; dead cells were excluded by 7 aminoactinomycin D staining, and epithelial cancer cells were detected by Cy5 conjugated anti-BerEP4 monoclonal antibody. The transporter functions of MDR1 and MRP1 in viable epithelial cells were assessed by flow cytometry detecting the intracellular accumulation of calcein dye after exposing cells to various MDR inhibitors. Collagenase disintegration preserved the MDR activity and the antigenicity of tumor cells. Thus using the extended calcein assay provided sufficient viable and functionally active tumor cells from surgical biopsies to determine the functional MDR activity. In conclusion, the newly described modified calcein assay may be applicable for evaluating the MDR phenotype in solid tissue specimens from colorectal forceps biopsy to surgical samples. PMID- 17767423 TI - Reagent preparation and storage for amplification of microarray hybridization targets with a fully automated system. AB - The advent of automated systems for gene expression profiling has accentuated the need for the development of convenient and cost-effective methods for reagent preparation. We have developed a method for the preparation and storage of pre aliquoted cocktail plates that contain all reagents required for amplification of nucleic acid by reverse transcription and in vitro transcription reactions. Plates can be stored at -80 degrees C for at least 1 month and kept in a hotel at 4 degrees C for at least 24 h prior to use. Microarray data quality generated from these pre-aliquoted reagent plates is not statistically different between cRNA amplified with stored cocktails and cRNA amplified with freshly prepared cocktails. Deployment of pre-aliquoted, stored cocktail plates in a fully automated system not only increases the throughput of amplifying cRNA targets from thousands of RNA samples, but could also considerably reduce reagent costs and potentially improve process robustness. PMID- 17767424 TI - A microPLC-based approach for determining kinase-substrate specificity. AB - Phosphorylation is central to signal transduction in living organisms. The specificity of phosphorylation ensures signaling fidelity. Understanding substrate specificity is essential for novel assay development in drug discovery. In this study, we have developed an innovative approach to study protein kinase and its substrate specificity. Using 24 micro parallel liquid chromatography, we studied the reaction kinetics for two different peptide substrates commonly associated with protein kinase A (PKA): Kemptide (Leu-Arg-Arg-Ala-Ser-Leu-Glu) and CREBtide (Lys-Arg-Arg-Glu-Ile-Leu-Ser-Arg-Arg-Pro-Ser-Tyr-Arg). The phosphorylation of each substrate was monitored in real time, and the kinetic parameters (V(max), K(m), k(cat), and k(cat) K(m)) were determined for a variety of initial conditions. The results from several kinetic experiments indicated that Kemptide had higher V(max) and k(cat) values compared to CREBtide under the same assay conditions. However, both substrates had a similar k cat)/K(m) value, suggesting that both substrates have similar specificity constants for PKA. We further analyzed the reaction kinetics of ATP for both PKA/substrate complexes. Interestingly, we found that there was a fivefold difference in the specificity constants for ATP affinity to the two complexes, suggesting that even though the sequence differences between the two substrates do not affect their independent interactions with PKA, the differences do have a secondary effect on each enzyme's interaction with ATP and significantly alter the ATP consumption and thus phosphorylation. This novel approach has a broad application for studying enzyme functions and enzyme/substrate specificity. PMID- 17767425 TI - Improving the solubility and pharmacological efficacy of curcumin by heat treatment. AB - Lipid peroxidation has been implicated in a variety of diseases. 4-Hydroxy-2 nonenal (HNE), a major oxidation by-product, is cytotoxic, mutagenic, and genotoxic, being involved in disease pathogenesis. Naturally occurring pharmacologically active small molecules are very attractive as natural nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Interest has greatly increased recently in the pharmacotherapeutic potential of curcumin, the yellow pigment found in the rhizomes of the perennial herb Curcuma longa (turmeric). Curcumin is efficacious against colon cancer, cystic fibrosis, and a variety of other disorders. Curcumin's full pharmacological potential is limited owing to its extremely limited water solubility. We report here that the water solubility of curcumin could be increased from 0.6 microg/ml to 7.4 microg/ml (12-fold increase) by the use of heat. Spectrophotometric (400-700 nm) and mass spectrometric profiling of the heat-extracted curcumin displays no significant heat-mediated disintegration of curcumin. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that employed HNE modification of solid-phase antigen, we found that the heat-solubilized curcumin inhibited HNE-protein modification by 80%. Thus, inhibition of HNE modification may be a mechanism by which curcumin exerts its effect. We also report a simple assay to detect curcumin spectrophotometrically. Curcumin was solubilized in methanol and serially diluted in methanol to obtain a set of standards that were then read for optical density at 405 nm. Curcumin in the heat-solubilized samples was determined from this standard. Heat-solubilized curcumin should be considered in clinical trials involving curcumin, especially in the face of frustrating results obtained regarding curcumin-mediated correction of cystic fibrosis defects. PMID- 17767427 TI - Lung transplantation: does age make a difference? AB - Significant similarities between the challenges of lung transplantation in patients of all ages should lead to better access to this life-saving surgery for children and adolescents. PMID- 17767428 TI - Health technology assessment in Australia: challenges ahead. AB - Australia is well placed to again lead the world in health technology assessment. PMID- 17767429 TI - Beliefs of young people and their parents about the harmfulness of alcohol, cannabis and tobacco for mental disorders. AB - OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the beliefs of young people and their parents about the role of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Between May and August 2006, a national computer-assisted telephone survey was conducted on a representative sample of Australian youths aged 12-25 years. 3746 young people and 2005 of their parents were presented with a case vignette portraying psychosis, depression, depression with alcohol misuse, or social phobia in a young person. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants' beliefs regarding the role of substance use in preventing or dealing with mental disorders in young people. RESULTS: Over 85% of participants agreed that alcohol, tobacco and marijuana were harmful for the young people in the vignettes, and over 80% of youths agreed that not using marijuana or drinking alcohol in excess would reduce the risk of developing a similar problem. CONCLUSION: Young people and their parents are fully aware of the negative impact of substance use on mental disorders. Translating this knowledge into behavioural change will be a major challenge for future public health campaigns. PMID- 17767430 TI - Live birth following day surgery reversal of female sterilisation in women older than 40 years: a realistic option in Australia? AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the live birth rate following surgical reversal of sterilisation in women aged 40 years and older. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of pregnancy outcome following day surgery microsurgical reversal of sterilisation performed by two reproductive microsurgeons in the private sector. SETTING AND PATIENTS: 47 patients (aged 40 years or older) who had reversal of sterilisation performed between 1997 and 2005 in Adelaide, South Australia (n=35), or the Infertility Centre of St Louis, Missouri, USA (n=12). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Independently audited live birth surviving the neonatal period. RESULTS: Of the 47 patients on whom follow-up was obtainable from the two centres, 19 (40%) had a live birth, 7 had had only a first trimester miscarriage at the time of follow-up, and 21 (44%) had failed to conceive. Age at conception ranged between 40 and 47 years. Two women had two live births following surgery. The total direct costs (Australian dollars, adjusted to 2005) in Australia were $4850 per treatment, and $11,317 per live birth. The corresponding direct cost of a single cycle of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in Australia has been estimated at $6940, with a cost per live birth of $97 884 for women aged 40-42 years and $182,794 for older women. CONCLUSION: Previously sterilised women wanting further pregnancy should be offered tubal surgery as an alternative to IVF, as it offers them the opportunity to have an entirely natural pregnancy. In settings where IVF is financially supported by government agencies or insurance, tubal reversal is a highly cost-effective strategy for the previously fertile woman. PMID- 17767431 TI - Outcomes after 10 years of a community-based flexible sigmoidoscopy screening program for colorectal carcinoma. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes 10 years after a flexible sigmoidoscopy colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program in asymptomatic average-risk individuals. DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS: In 1995, a program of flexible sigmoidoscopy-based screening of asymptomatic average-risk individuals aged 55-64 years was established at Fremantle Hospital, Western Australia. Insertion depths, pathological findings and subject-rated pain scores have been prospectively recorded. A follow-up flexible sigmoidoscopy examination was offered to attendees 5 years after the initial screening. Post-screening malignancies were determined by linkage with the Western Australian Cancer Registry in September 2006. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Yield of neoplasia at initial and follow-up sigmoidoscopy, and the incidence of CRC detected after screening. RESULTS: Between 1995 and 2005, 3402 people underwent an initial flexible sigmoidoscopy screening examination (mean age, 60 years; women, 41%) and 1025 had a 5-year recall examination. Mean insertion depth was greater in men than women (60 cm v 52 cm, P<0.001). The insertion depth in women was more likely to be <40 cm (17% v 6%, P<0.001). Mean pain score was 2.9 for men and 4.0 for women (P<0.001). Fourteen per cent of initial screenings detected at least one adenoma. Over a mean follow-up time of 8 years, invasive CRC was detected by flexible sigmoidoscopy screening in 0.4% of participants; 0.7% of those with a normal result of screening later developed CRC, with 75% of these found proximal to the splenic flexure. CONCLUSIONS: Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a viable screening method, with well defined utility and limitations, for CRC screening of asymptomatic people with average risk. PMID- 17767432 TI - Successful lung transplantation for adolescents at a hospital for adults. AB - OBJECTIVE: To describe the results of lung transplantation (LTx) in adolescents at a hospital for adults. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cohort study set in an LTx unit at an adult tertiary referral hospital from 1991 to 2006. PATIENTS: 37 consecutive adolescent lung transplant recipients including 13 males and 24 females (mean age, 16.7+/-2.0 [SD] years; range 12-19 years) who received heart lung (six patients) or bilateral LTx (31 patients) for cystic fibrosis (29), congenital heart disease (four), acute respiratory failure (two), or another disorder (two). Two patients were transplanted after invasive ventilation, five after non-invasive ventilation and two after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall survival compared with an adult cohort; survival free of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS); overall and BOS-free survival in those transplanted before and after January 2000. RESULTS: Mean waiting time was 273 days (range, 5-964 days; median, 163 days), mean donor age was 28 years (range, 9-53 years). Median inpatient stay was 11 days (range, 7-94 days). Mean follow-up was 1540+/-1357 days (range, 35-5163 days). The 5-year survival rate for the 16 patients transplanted before January 2000 was 38%, versus 74% for the 21 transplanted since January 2000 (P=0.05; Mantel-Cox). Overall, 18 of 35 evaluable patients developed BOS. Only BOS was associated with an increased mortality risk (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: LTx may be performed successfully in adolescents at a hospital for adults. PMID- 17767433 TI - Health technology assessment in England: assessment and appraisal. AB - The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme in England is a government funded but independent research program. It is "needs-led", identifying technologies of most importance to the National Health Service and commissioning research to provide answers on these technologies useful to policymakers, clinicians and patients. It is "science-added", refining problems to researchable questions and working with researchers to ensure that the question is addressed, and disseminating the findings to key audiences. There is a clear distinction in England between assessment (a scientific process and the role of the HTA Programme) and appraisal (the role of policymakers, like the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). There are many features common to HTA in Australia and England, but also differences, as HTA in each country has to adapt to its own environment. PMID- 17767434 TI - Health technology assessment in Canada: diversity and evolution. AB - Canada has health technology assessment programs at national, provincial and local levels. The programs have been complementary in providing advice to decision makers in health care. A national strategy for the management of health technologies is expected to strengthen communication with policy areas. PMID- 17767435 TI - An evaluation of methods used in health technology assessments produced for the Medical Services Advisory Committee. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the methods used in health technology assessments (HTAs) produced for the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) reviewing the effectiveness of a technology or procedure. DESIGN AND SETTING: Data were extracted from the effectiveness section of HTA application assessment reports published between 1 January 1998 and 17 July 2006 and available on the MSAC website. Only HTAs of effectiveness interventions were examined, as the methods used to undertake such reviews are well established. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Variables reflecting methods used in the HTAs to evaluate the effectiveness of health technologies or procedures. RESULTS: Of 56 MSAC HTA reports available, 31 met the inclusion criteria. Considerable variability was shown to exist between the various indicators of quality and the methodology used within the HTAs. Reports did not describe potential conflicts of interest of participants. The majority of reports (19/31) did not formally state the research question that the assessment was attempting to answer. Just over half of the reports (18/31) provided details of validity assessment of the included studies. CONCLUSIONS: Minimum and consistent standards of methodology and reporting are required in Australian HTAs, using international recommendations of best practice to increase the transparency and applicability of these reports. PMID- 17767436 TI - Patient delay in responding to symptoms of possible heart attack: can we reduce time to care? AB - In Australia, many deaths and significant cardiac disability result from delayed response to symptoms of heart attack. Although delays due to transport and initiation of reperfusion therapy in hospital may contribute to late treatment, the major component of delay is the time patients take in deciding to seek help. A critical examination of campaigns to shorten patient delay concludes that they were based on a factual, short-term, non-targeted approach that included education and mass media strategies. They achieved equivocal results. One randomised controlled trial has been conducted. Although this showed an improved understanding of heart attack symptoms, it did not shorten pre-hospital delays. The implications of these findings are that future campaigns to shorten patient delay are likely to be more effective if they address the psychosocial and behavioural blocks to action, are ongoing rather than short term, and focus on people at highest risk, including those with known or high risk of coronary heart disease, those in rural locations, and Indigenous Australians. The National Heart Foundation of Australia proposes a comprehensive strategy to incorporate this approach into its future campaigns to reduce patient delay for suspected heart attack. PMID- 17767437 TI - Postural syncope: mechanisms and management. AB - Postural syncope is a transient loss of consciousness secondary to a reduction in cerebral blood flow and is typically precipitated by standing. It is the commonest cause of recurrent transient loss of consciousness. Recurrent unexplained postural syncope is most often due to one of the five disorders of circulatory control: vasovagal syncope, postural tachycardia syndrome, chronic autonomic failure, initial orthostatic hypotension, or persistently low supine systolic blood pressure. Failure to identify the underlying cause of postural syncope can result in ongoing morbidity, impaired quality of life and high health care costs. With a detailed history, examination, blood pressure assessment and electrocardiography, most disorders of circulatory control can be diagnosed. In difficult cases, analysis of sympathetic nervous system and circulatory responses during head-up tilting can aid diagnosis. Treatment is challenging and compounded by a lack of evidence. Most patients can be managed in an outpatient setting, and hospital admission or emergency department assessment is rarely warranted. PMID- 17767438 TI - Von Meyenberg complexes simulating diffuse liver metastasis in rectal carcinoma. PMID- 17767439 TI - Blood group incompatibility in kidney transplantation: definitely time to re examine! AB - We report a successful kidney transplant (A1 donor to an O recipient), with antibody removal pre- and post-transplant, and pre-transplant administration of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab), intravenous immunoglobulin, and conventional transplant immunosuppression. The transplant, which was performed without splenectomy, is the first such transplant in Australia. At 20 months, the patient's creatinine level was 110-130 micromol/L, with no evidence of rejection and no complications. ABO-incompatible transplantation should increase "live donor" kidney transplantation, reduce waiting times, and improve patient outcomes. PMID- 17767440 TI - Lymphogranuloma venereum: an emerging anorectal disease in Australia. PMID- 17767441 TI - Overweight and obesity from childhood to adulthood: a follow-up of participants in the 1985 Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey. Comment. PMID- 17767442 TI - A review of policies on alcohol use during pregnancy in Australia and other English-speaking countries, 2006. Comment. PMID- 17767443 TI - A case of Kawasaki disease mimicking acute appendicitis. PMID- 17767444 TI - Late-term abortion: what can be learned from Royal Women's Hospital v Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria? Comment. PMID- 17767445 TI - Inequitable provision of optimal health services for patients with chronic heart failure: a national geo-mapping study. Comment. PMID- 17767446 TI - Medical professionalism: it is really under threat? Comment. PMID- 17767447 TI - Compulsory helmets for school-age skiers and snowboarders. PMID- 17767448 TI - Probiotic treatment of vancomycin-resistant enterococci: a randomised controlled trial. Comment. PMID- 17767449 TI - Echocardiography training for the intensive care unit in Europe. PMID- 17767450 TI - Is cardiac surgery now a geriatric specialty? AB - Like all medical specialties that deal with degenerative disease, cardiac surgery is increasingly being offered to older patients. This is driven by longer life expectancy, an increase in the prevalence of degenerative cardiac lesions, a substantial improvement in cardiac surgical results and competition from interventional cardiology in younger patient groups. Although there is no agreed definition of "geriatric", decision-making and the conduct of surgery and postoperative care in the elderly all require some modification of strategy to ensure the best results. Excellent outcomes can now be achieved (albeit at greater financial cost) in the older population, and these results hold well in the long term. Current trends suggest that both the provision and range of cardiac surgical services for the elderly may increase further. Despite this, there is still evidence of reluctance in considering older patients for cardiac surgery. PMID- 17767451 TI - Efficacy of the CathRite system to guide bedside placement of peripherally inserted central venous catheters in critically ill patients: a pilot study. AB - OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of the CathRite system as a tool to guide clinicians in placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) into the superior vena cava (SVC) in critically ill patients. DESIGN: Prospective, randomised, parallel controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: three8 critically ill patients (mean APACHE II score, 16.6) in a mixed medical and surgical intensive care unit from 200four to 2006. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomised to receive PICC placement using either the CathRite system or a standard "blind" technique (control). Peripheral vein cannulation was performed for both groups under ultrasound monitoring, and the PICC was placed using the modified Seldinger technique, with position confirmed using standard chest x-ray. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of PICCs guided into the SVC; placement into the lower third of the SVC; and time to complete placement. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between groups in sex distribution or age (CathRite: 12 men, 7 women; mean age +/- SEM, 61.1 +/- 3.4 years; control: 15 men, 4 women; 55.9 +/- 4.7 years). The PICC was successfully guided into the SVC in 19 patients (100%) in the CathRite group, compared with 14 (74%) in the control group (P < 0.05). Placement of catheters into the lower third of the SVC was achieved in 14 patients (74%) in the CathRite group, compared with eight (42%) in the control group (P < 0.05). Time to completion of catheter insertion was 31.4 +/- 16.2 minutes in the CathRite group compared with 24.6 +/- 14.5 minutes in the control group (P = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: The CathRite system enabled placement of PICCs into the SVC from peripheral insertion sites and avoided ectopic placements that occurred with the blind technique. PMID- 17767452 TI - An unusual cause of right upper- and mid-zone infiltrates on chest x-ray. AB - Chest x-ray remains a critical investigation in patients who present with shortness of breath. We report a 60-year-old man who presented with shortness of breath, haemoptysis and respiratory failure, a raised white cell count, and right upper-and mid-zone infiltrates on chest x-ray. He developed progressive multiple organ failure despite aggressive intensive care management with antibiotics, ventilation and inotropes. As his haemodynamic instability continued to worsen, transthoracic, and subsequently transoesophageal, echocardiography revealed posterior mitral valve leaflet prolapse with severe mitral regurgitation. Mitral valve repair and annuloplasty led to eventual complete resolution of symptoms. The changes seen in the right upper and mid zones on initial chest x-ray were due to the mitral regurgitant jet being directed predominantly towards the right superior pulmonary vein. We report this case to highlight a rare but important cause of lobar oedema, and the usefulness of echocardiography in assessment of the patient with complex critical illness. PMID- 17767453 TI - Examinations in intensive care medicine: an international perspective. PMID- 17767454 TI - Modelling the cardiovascular system. AB - Cardiovascular disease claims more lives than any other disease in westernised countries, affecting millions. Pinpointing cardiovascular system dysfunction is often difficult because the clinical signs, or the availability and interpretation of physiological measurements, are unreliable. Often patient specific information is incomplete or confusing, as it comes from a diverse range of sources, such as invasive and non-invasive pressure measurements, flow rates and electrocardiogram signals. Health professionals therefore rely on intuition and experience to make a "clinical" diagnosis and decide treatment. Sometimes this approach results in multiple therapies being applied until a suitable treatment is found. Poor outcomes result from failure to quickly and correctly diagnose and treat the underlying condition. We introduce the concept of using full circulatory and cardiovascular models to aggregate the large number of diverse signals facing clinicians into a clear physiological picture of haemodynamic status. We briefly review the field, still in its infancy, of such models, focusing primarily on the basic approaches taken in the literature. Finally, we present one of the more advanced and best validated models, including initial results of animal validation studies. The overall approach is shown to have significant potential to provide clear, measured insight to replace often misled intuition in the monitoring, diagnosis and treatment of circulatory dysfunction in critical care. In the future, models and modern sensors will increasingly "invade" the critical care environment, and will provide the opportunity for better, more consistent care at the bedside in real time. PMID- 17767455 TI - Congenital heart disease in the 21st century. AB - Paediatric cardiac surgery is now a mature specialty, yielding good results for those born with congenital heart disease (CHD). The current status of this surgery is considered, highlighting progress in genetic studies, improvements in intensive care management, and contemporary management of the low cardiac output syndrome. Emerging issues include the neurodevelopmental status of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, and known issues with the Fontan circulation. A framework for considering adults with CHD is described, including a review of common procedures and expected outcomes. Similarities and differences between routine adult cardiac intensive care and care of adults with CHD are also discussed. Some patients classed as the "successes" of paediatric cardiac programs, as well as those with known persisting problems, need close follow-up in adult facilities. There is every indication that significant numbers of patients with complex disease are now entering a phase of life when late complications may present. Some overlap in experience between paediatric and adult care settings is invaluable in providing optimal care. PMID- 17767456 TI - Is there evidence to support a phase II trial of inhaled corticosteroids in the treatment of incipient and persistent ARDS? AB - Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is common in intensive care, with high mortality and morbidity. Preclinical studies suggest that corticosteroids reduce lung inflammation in ARDS. Early clinical trials using short courses of high-dose corticosteroids in patients at high risk of ARDS and with early ARDS showed increased mortality despite reduced lung inflammation, although more recent experience with lower doses over more prolonged periods is encouraging. After initial promise, corticosteroids now appear to lack mortality benefit in late ARDS. Systemic deleterious effects may outweigh the local benefit of corticosteroids on lung inflammation. Extensive experience has accumulated in the use of inhaled corticosteroids to treat asthma. Inhalation maximises lung effects while minimising systemic absorption. Inhaled corticosteroids have been used successfully in a variety of animal models of lung injury. There is currently sufficient evidence to support a preliminary clinical trial of inhaled corticosteroids in patients at high risk of ARDS as well as with early and/or late ARDS, using markers of inflammation as a surrogate end-point. PMID- 17767457 TI - All intensivists need echocardiography skills in the 21st century. AB - The value of echocardiography to the intensivist has been well recognised in the past two decades. Regular reviews of the subject can be found in all major journals. Most intensivists surveyed feel that echocardiography is the way of the future. Yet, despite the undisputed advantages of echocardiography, uptake of the technique into the intensive care unit has been slow. Reasons for this are multiple, and include conservatism among senior clinicians and limited availability of equipment. Above all, the lack of a consistent and widely available education program has limited the opportunities for intensive care trainees to learn echocardiography. There is a need for a "three-tier" program, where all intensivists learn the basic skills to perform a focused examination on a patient whose condition is unstable, while those with a special interest develop more comprehensive skills or go on to lead a critical care echocardiography program. PMID- 17767458 TI - Is there a place for levosimendan in the intensive care unit? AB - INTRODUCTION: Levosimendan is a novel calcium-sensitising agent that has been proposed as a potentially valuable inotrope for the treatment of acute or decompensated severe heart failure. Early clinical trials described some improvements in surrogate haemodynamic parameters, and suggested a possible survival benefit. However, before concluding that there is a place for routine use of levosimendan in the intensive care unit, a careful appraisal of all available evidence is needed. THE EVIDENCE: Two phase II clinical trials, RUSSLAN and LIDO, have shown reduced mortality when levosimendan was compared with placebo and dobutamine, respectively. The CASINO study, yet to be fully reported, also purports to show a beneficial effect of levosimendan. In contrast, the two largest studies, REVIVE and SURVIVE -- also yet to be fully reported -- show no effect of levosimendan. CONCLUSIONS: The best available evidence comes from the two large clinical trials, REVIVE and SURVIVE. These studies suggest that levosimendan does not improve survival for patients with acute severe heart failure. Until their results can be fully scrutinised, and placed in the context of all available evidence, we should conclude that there is no place for levosimendan in the ICU. PMID- 17767459 TI - Pro/Con debate: cardiac arrest survivors need urgent percutaneous intervention. PMID- 17767460 TI - Pro/Con debate: cardiac arrest survivors need proof of neurological function before percutaneous coronary intervention. PMID- 17767461 TI - Review article: yeast as probiotics -- Saccharomyces boulardii. AB - BACKGROUND: Probiotics are defined as live micro-organisms which confer a health benefit on the host. Although most probiotics are bacteria, one strain of yeast, Saccharomyces boulardii, has been found to be an effective probiotic in double blind clinical studies. AIMS: To compare the main properties that differentiates yeast from bacteria and to review the properties of S. boulardii explaining its potential benefits as a probiotic. METHODS: The PubMed and Medline databases were searched using the keywords 'probiotics', 'yeast', 'antibiotic associated diarrhea', 'Saccharomyces boulardii','bacterial diarrhea' and 'inflammatory bowel disease' in various combinations. RESULTS: Several clinical studies have been conducted with S. boulardii in the treatment and prevention of various forms of diarrhoea. Promising research perspectives have been opened in terms of maintenance treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. The mechanism of S. boulardii's action has been partially elucidated. CONCLUSION: Saccharomyces boulardii is a strain of yeast which has been extensively studied for its probiotic effects. The clinical activity of S. boulardii is especially relevant to antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and recurrent Clostridium difficile intestinal infections. Experimental studies clearly demonstrate that S. boulardii has specific probiotic properties, and recent data has opened the door for new therapeutic uses of this yeast as an 'immunobiotic'. PMID- 17767462 TI - Review article: the management of steroid dependency in ulcerative colitis. AB - BACKGROUND: Approximately 20% of patients with ulcerative colitis have a chronic active disease often requiring several courses of systemic steroids in order to achieve remission, but followed by relapse of symptoms during steroid tapering or soon after their discontinuation. Although short term control of symptoms can be achieved with steroid treatment, this pattern of drug response, known as steroid dependency, leads to important complications of the treatment, while a significant proportion of patients requires colectomy. AIM: To review the studies currently available specifically evaluating the management of steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis. RESULTS: The clinical and biological mechanisms of steroid dependency are not well understood compared with those determining steroid refractoriness. Very few evidence-based data are available concerning the management of patients with steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis. The therapeutic role of aminosalicylates, thiopurines, methotrexate, infliximab, leukocyte apheresis and other drugs in the treatment of steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis are evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes of studies in steroid-refractory patients may not be applicable to steroid-dependency. Trials are needed to define the correct approaches and new strategies to ameliorate the therapy of steroid dependent ulcerative colitis. PMID- 17767463 TI - Meta-analysis: enteral nutrition in active Crohn's disease in children. AB - BACKGROUND: Controversy exists surrounding the optimal treatment for inducing remission in active Crohn's disease. AIM: To review and update evidence on the effectiveness of enteral nutrition (EN) in treating active Crohn's disease in children. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library (up to February 2007) were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) relevant to Crohn's disease and EN in children. RESULTS: We included 11 RCTs (n = 394). Seven RCTs (n = 204) compared EN with corticosteroid therapy. On the basis of pooled results of four RCTs (n = 144), we found no significant difference in the remission rates between groups (relative risk, RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.7-1.4, random effect model). Four RCTs (n = 190) compared two EN regimens. One of the four RCTs (n = 50) revealed a significant increase in the percentage of patients achieving remission in the total EN group compared with the partial EN group (RR 2.7, 95% CI 1-7.4). Because of lack of data, formal pooling of results was not possible for many outcomes (e.g., time until remission, duration of remission, growth data). CONCLUSIONS: Limited data suggest similar efficacy for EN and corticosteroids. As the number of patients needed to provide a definite answer is too large, future studies should focus on detailed outcome measurements including growth and quality of life. PMID- 17767464 TI - Systematic review: racecadotril in the treatment of acute diarrhoea in children. AB - BACKGROUND: Racecadotril (acetorphan) is an antisecretory drug that exerts its antidiarrhoeal effects by inhibiting intestinal enkephalinase. AIM: To summarize studies testing the efficacy and safety of racecadotril for treating children with acute gastroenteritis. METHODS: Reports were gathered by searching electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library (all up to April 2007), relevant journals, and bibliographies of reviewed articles. Only randomized-controlled trials were included. RESULTS: Three randomized-controlled trials (471 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Two trials reported stool output, and data suggested less stool output in the racecadotril group than in the control group. The duration of diarrhoea was significantly reduced in the three trials reporting this outcome. Achievement of a cure by day 5 was similar in both groups. Adverse effects were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The small number of included trials provided some evidence in favour of the use of racecadotril over placebo or no intervention, to reduce the stool output and duration of diarrhoea in children with acute gastroenteritis. However, more data in out-patients are needed. The safety as well as the cost-effectiveness of the therapy should be explored, before routine therapy with racecadotril is recommended. PMID- 17767465 TI - Health-related quality of life in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. AB - BACKGROUND: The relative impact of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on health-related quality of life (HRQL) compared to other chronic liver diseases has not been fully explored. AIM: To compare the domain scores of the 29-item Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) for patients with NAFLD to those with chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C. METHODS: A HRQL questionnaire, CLDQ, was routinely administered to patients attending a liver clinic. Additional clinical and laboratory data were obtained on patients with NAFLD, chronic hepatitis B, and chronic hepatitis C from our quality of life database. Scores for each of the six CLDQ domains were compared using one-way anova and multiple regression. RESULTS: Complete data were available for 237 patients. NAFLD patients scored lowest on multiple CLDQ domains. Based on the bivariate data, NAFLD patients have the poorest HRQL, followed by chronic hepatitis C and chronic hepatitis B patients. Multivariate analysis showed that some specific domain score correlations remained significant for NAFLD diagnosis, cirrhosis, gender, and body mass index. CONCLUSION: NAFLD patients had significantly lower quality of life scores compared with patients with hepatitis B or hepatitis C on multiple CLDQ domains, suggesting that HRQL was severely impaired in patients with NAFLD. PMID- 17767466 TI - Histological progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a critical reassessment based on liver sampling variability. AB - BACKGROUND: In non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, histological lesions display a significant sampling variability that is ignored when interpreting histological progression during natural history or therapeutic interventions. AIM: To provide a method taking into account sampling variability when interpreting crude histological data, and to investigate how this alters the conclusions of available studies. METHODS: Natural history studies detailing histological progression and therapeutic trials were compared with the results of a previously published sampling variability study. RESULTS: Natural history studies showed an improvement in steatosis, which was significantly higher than expected from sampling variability (47% vs. 8%, P < 0.0001). In contrast, no study showed a change in activity grade or ballooning higher than that of sampling variability. There was only a marginal effect on fibrosis with no convincing demonstration of a worsening of fibrosis, a conclusion contrary to what individual studies have claimed. Some insulin sensitizing drugs and anti-obesity surgery significantly improved steatosis, while most did not significantly impact on fibrosis or activity. CONCLUSIONS: Sampling variability of liver biopsy is an overlooked confounding factor that should be considered systematically when interpreting histological progression in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. PMID- 17767467 TI - Antibodies to SS-A/Ro-52kD and centromere in autoimmune liver disease: a clue to diagnosis and prognosis of primary biliary cirrhosis. AB - BACKGROUND: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) may be associated with various rheumatological disorders. AIM: To investigate the frequency and significance of 'rheumatological' antinuclear antibodies in the field of autoimmune chronic liver disease, with special regard to PBC. METHODS: We studied 105 patients with PBC, 162 autoimmune liver disease controls (type 1 and 2 autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis), 30 systemic lupus erythematosus and 50 blood donors. Sera were tested for the presence of antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens (anti-ENA) by counterimmunoelectrophoresis, enzyme-linked and immunoblot (IB) assay, and for the presence of anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) by indirect immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells and IB. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of IB detected anti-ENA in PBC (30%) was higher than in type 1 autoimmune hepatitis (2.5%, P < 0.0001), type 2 autoimmune hepatitis (0%, P < 0.0001) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (11.5%, P = 0.006) and lower than in systemic lupus erythematosus (53%, P = 0.03). The most frequent anti-ENA reactivity in PBC was anti-SSA/Ro-52kD (28%). ACA were detected by IB in 21% PBC patients and never in the other subjects (P < 0.0001). Anti-SS-A/Ro/52kD positive PBC patients had at the time of diagnosis a more advanced histological stage (P = 0.01) and higher serum levels of bilirubin (P = 0.01) and IgM (P = 0.03) compared with negative ones. CONCLUSIONS: In the autoimmune liver disease setting, anti-SS-A/Ro-52kD and ACA have a high specificity for PBC and can thus be of diagnostic relevance in anti-mitochondrial antibodies negative cases. If confirmed in further studies with adequate follow-up, anti-SS-A/Ro-52kD antibodies might identify PBC patients with a more advanced and active disease. PMID- 17767468 TI - Long-term survival of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated with transcatheter arterial chemoinfusion. AB - BACKGROUND: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has become one of the most common treatments for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Published studies of TACE report a 5-16% risk of serious complications. Compared with TACE, transcatheter arterial chemoinfusion (TACI) may have similar efficacy and fewer side effects. AIM: To examine the clinical outcomes of TACI. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 345 consecutive TACI cases in 165 patients performed at a single United States medical center between 1998 and 2002. Primary outcomes were tumour response and survival rates. RESULTS: Only seven patients were hospitalized for more than 24 h after the procedure, and only three patients had worsening of liver function within 30 days of TACI. Survival was significantly poorer for patients with tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) IV compared to those with TNM I-III and also for patients with Child's class B/C vs. A. Following adjustment for age, gender, ethnicity and aetiology of liver diseases, independent predictors of poor survival were Child's class B/C [Hazard Ratio (HR) = 1.69, P = 0.024] and TNM IV staging (HR = 1.63, P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: TACI appears to be safe and effective for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma with TNM stage I-III; randomized controlled trials are needed to compare TACI to TACE. PMID- 17767469 TI - Diagnostic value of serum protein profiling by SELDI-TOF ProteinChip compared with a biochemical marker, FibroTest, for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. AB - BACKGROUND: FibroTest has been validated for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. AIM: To compare FibroTest with a new proteome based model for the prediction of advanced liver fibrosis. METHODS: Sera from 191 consecutive patients with simultaneous liver biopsy and FibroTest on fresh sera were used for retrospective mass spectrometry analysis. A new fibrosis index was constructed combining proteomic peaks, selected on differential expression according to fibrosis stages in logistic regression analyses. The main end point was the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis on liver biopsy. RESULTS: Eight out of 1000 peaks were selected for the construction of the proteomic index. The area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) of the proteomic index was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.82-0.92), significantly greater than the FibroTest AUROC of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.74-0.86; P = 0.04); the AUROC of the proteomic and FibroTest combination was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.83-0.92). Seven of the eight selected peaks were highly associated with the FibroTest score, with different patterns of association with the five components of FibroTest. CONCLUSIONS: A proteomic index combining eight peaks had an excellent accuracy value for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. However, despite a statistical significance, the small improvement delivered by proteomics impairs clinical applications because of its cost and its variability compared with the well validated FibroTest. PMID- 17767470 TI - Development of a clinical hepatic encephalopathy staging scale. AB - AIM: To develop a scale to assess the severity of hepatic encephalopathy using simple dichotomic items. METHODS: A list of 48 items was created by selecting items that are simple to recognize and categorize; it was applied to thirty-six cirrhotic in-patients with episodic encephalopathy, in addition to the adapted West-Haven Criteria and the Glasgow Coma Score. The list underwent an item reduction process and principal component analysis; the metric characteristics were evaluated. RESULTS: Multiple neurological abnormalities were observed and a Clinical Hepatic Encephalopathy Staging Scale of nine items was constructed. The principal component analysis of the Clinical Hepatic Encephalopathy Staging Scale obtained two factors that explained 77% of the variance. The Clinical Hepatic Encephalopathy Staging Scale exhibited adequate internal consistency and reproducibility. The scores of the Clinical Hepatic Encephalopathy Staging Scale correlated to those of adapted-West-Haven Criteria and the Glasgow Coma Score. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that the evaluation of multiple neurological manifestations is not necessary to classify hepatic encephalopathy adequately, which can be simply undertaken by an assessment of the patient's orientation, alertness, ability to respond to commands and to talk. A list of nine items is proposed as a linear scale from normality (Clinical Hepatic Encephalopathy Staging Scale = 0) to deep coma (Clinical Hepatic Encephalopathy Staging Scale = 9). PMID- 17767471 TI - Chromogranin A in patients with acid hypersecretion and/or hypergastrinaemia. AB - BACKGROUND: Chromogranin has been proposed as a marker for gastrin-dependent enterochromaffin-like cell proliferation. AIM: To examine this question in three populations: acid hypersecretors with gastrinoma (Zollinger-Ellison), or without gastrinoma (non-Zollinger-Ellison), and also in pernicious anaemia with achlorhydria-caused hypergastrinaemia. METHODS: We measured serum chromogranin, gastrin, gastric secretion and counted and quantified hyperplasia of enterochromaffin-like cells in gastric biopsies from 38 Zollinger-Ellison and 13 non-Zollinger-Ellison patients being treated with lansoprazole, for 5 years (median) and again 2.5 years later. We also studied 12 patients with pernicious anaemia, half with gastric enterochromaffin-like cell carcinoids. RESULTS: Serum chromogranin was elevated in patients with gastrinoma, even without any enterochromaffin-like cell proliferation, but not in non-Zollinger-Ellison acid hypersecretors with normal gastrin (P < 0.001). In the hypersecretors chromogranin correlated well with serum gastrin (r = 0.82), but not with enterochromaffin-like cell proliferation. Moreover, chromogranin was normal or near normal (<75 ng/mL) despite very high serum gastrin in five of six patients with pernicious anaemia and enterochromaffin-like cell carcinoids. CONCLUSIONS: Chromogranin is not a reliable marker for enterochromaffin-like cell activity or proliferation up to and including carcinoid; chromogranin originates in the gastrinoma and, like gastrin, is a marker for gastrinoma in acid hypersecretors. PMID- 17767472 TI - Epidemiology of chronic atrophic gastritis: population-based study among 9444 older adults from Germany. AB - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological data on chronic atrophic gastritis from general population samples are sparse in Germany. AIM: To assess prevalence of chronic atrophic gastritis according to potential risk factors and clinical outcomes in a large-scale population-based study. METHODS: In the baseline examination of ESTHER, a population-based cohort study conducted in Germany, serological measurements of pepsinogen (PG) I and II and Helicobacter pylori antibodies were taken in 9444 women and men aged 50-74 years. Information on potential risk factors and medical history were obtained by questionnaire. RESULTS: With the definition used in the EUROGAST study (PG I < 25 ng/mL), prevalence of chronic atrophic gastritis increased from 4.8% in age group 50-54 to 8.7% in age group 70 74. An alternative definition of chronic atrophic gastritis (PG I < 70 ng/mL and PG I/PG II < 3), used in multiple studies from Japan, revealed a greater increase with age (from 2.7% to 9.1%) and a strong association with H. pylori infection (adjusted odds ratio: 2.9, 95% confidence interval: 2.4-3.7). With both definitions, a strong inverse association with heartburn was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Overall chronic atrophic gastritis prevalence is low among older adults in Germany, but it strongly increases with age and H. pylori infection. PMID- 17767473 TI - Cost of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease to the employer: a perspective from the United States. AB - BACKGROUND: Employers pay more than just salary for their employees. Previous studies have largely focused on direct medical and prescription drug costs of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and few have reported on total absenteeism costs. AIMS: To examine the annual cost of illness of GERD in an employed US population by benefit category and by place of service for direct medical costs. METHODS: Retrospective data analysis from 2001 to 2004. International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 codes (530.1, 530.10, 530.11, 530.12, 530.19, 530.81, 787.1x, 787.2x or 251.5x) were used to identify employees with and without GERD (the control group). Measures included medical and prescription drug claims, plus indirect costs for sick leave, short- and long term disability, and workers' compensation. For a subset of the population, the direct medical claims were analysed by place of service. RESULTS: Data were available for 267,269 eligible employees of which 11,653 had gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. GERD was associated with a mean incremental cost of US $3,355 per employee of which direct medical costs accounted for 65%, prescription drug costs 17%, and indirect costs 19%. The place of service 'out-patient hospital or clinic' accounted for the largest part (47%) of the difference in medical costs. CONCLUSIONS: GERD is associated with substantial direct and indirect costs, which highlight the importance of managing the disease effectively. PMID- 17767474 TI - Persisting symptoms and decreased health-related quality-of-life in a cross sectional study of treated achalasia patients. AB - BACKGROUND: Little is known about symptom characteristics of treated achalasia patients and their effect on health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL). AIMS: To examine clinical remission, achalasia-associated symptoms and HRQoL in treated achalasia patients. METHODS: The Eckardt clinical symptom score, RAND-36 and a disease-specific HRQoL questionnaire were sent to 171 treated achalasia patients. RESULTS: 76.6% of the patients returned their questionnaire. 44.9% of them were not in symptomatic remission. Prevalence of frequent dysphagia (at least daily) and chest pain (at least weekly) was 46% and 38%, respectively. Achalasia patients had lower general HRQoL scores than control subjects (all RAND-36 subscales, except health change; P < or = 0.002). Patients with frequent symptoms of chest pain and dysphagia showed lower HRQoL than patients with less frequent symptoms on three RAND-36 subscales (pain, social functioning and general health perceptions; P < 0.003). Patients in clinical remission showed higher HRQoL than patients who were not, however HRQoL in the 'remission group' remained significantly impaired as compared to controls (all RAND-36 subscales except emotional role limitations and mental health; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Many achalasia patients remain severely symptomatic after treatment and have decreased HRQoL. Frequent symptoms are associated with lower HRQoL. Patients in clinical remission show substantially improved, but not restored HRQoL. PMID- 17767475 TI - The validity of a symptom diary in ratings of dyspepsia measured against a detailed interview: do patients and clinicians agree in their assessment of symptoms? AB - BACKGROUND: Patients' self-assessment of symptoms is central in drug treatment trials of functional dyspepsia. The validity of such ratings is important. AIM: To validate a diary for monitoring severity and duration of dyspepsia. METHOD: We compared the diary-cards with two clinicians' ratings of the patient's open-ended responses to the same questions administered by interview. Agreements were evaluated by estimation of the overall agreement and weighted kappa values (Kw). RESULTS: Forty-six patients were evaluated. The Kw between the two clinicians rating severity and duration of symptoms were 0.59 and 0.86, respectively. Overall agreement between patients' diary rating and clinicians' consensus rating of severity were 52%, and a moderate agreement with Kw of 0.49 was found. For duration of symptoms the overall agreement and Kw were 67% and 0.59, respectively. Qualitative data revealed useful insight in the possible causes of suboptimal agreement between patients and clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: We found a moderate to good agreement between patient and observer ratings, indicating that patients to a reasonable extent interpret severity and duration of dyspeptic symptoms in the same way as do investigators. A ceiling effect of the duration scale indicates suboptimal response categories, which should be adjusted before further use. PMID- 17767476 TI - Effects of long-term cyclo-oxygenase 2 selective and acid inhibition on Barrett's oesophagus. AB - BACKGROUND: There is an overexpression of cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) in Barrett's oesophagus (BO). AIM: To determine the long-term effect of a COX-2 inhibitor on cellular mechanisms involved in BO. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in BO patients allocated to continue the usual proton pump inhibitor (PPI) alone treatment, or PPI combined with rofecoxib (25 mg/day) for 6 months. Cell proliferation index and COX-2 expression in BO glands was determined in biopsy specimens at baseline and after treatment. Cell apoptosis, cyclin D1, p53 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was also explored in a subset of patients. Student-t test and the U-Mann-Whitney test were used for quantitative and ordinal variables. RESULTS: Of 62 patients, 58 completed the study. A higher proportion of patients on rofecoxib + PPI exhibited a decrease in COX-2 expression compared to those treated with PPI alone, but cell proliferation index was not affected. Unlike PPI alone, rofecoxib + PPI was associated with an increase in the apoptotic cell index, a decrease in p53 cell staining and VEGF expression in mucosal vessels. No effect on low-grade dysplasia or cyclin D1 was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of rofecoxib to PPI therapy does not affect cell proliferation index in BO cells after 6 months of therapy, but does reduce COX-2 and VEGF expression and increases cell apoptosis. PMID- 17767477 TI - Recurrence of peptic ulcer in uraemic and non-uraemic patients after Helicobacter pylori eradication: a 2-year study. AB - BACKGROUND: The role of Helicobacter pylori in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease in patients with uraemia remains unclear. AIM: To evaluate the long-term effect of H. pylori eradication in these patients. METHODS: Uraemic and non uraemic patients with peptic ulcer were enrolled in this study. Patients having history of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use or cardiovascular disease that need aspirin use were excluded. After confirmation of H. pylori infection, they received a triple therapy and were followed up for 2 years. RESULTS: Between September 1999 and December 2005, 34 patients (41%) of the end-stage renal disease [H. pylori (+) group] and 67 (84%) of the non-uraemic patients with peptic ulcer disease (PU group) received anti-H. pylori therapy. After triple therapy, 32 (94%) from the end-stage renal disease group and 64 (96%) from the peptic ulcer group obtained successful eradication. During the 2-year follow-up, three patients in the end-stage renal disease group were excluded because of the presence of cardiovascular disease and aspirin use in two cases and died of heart failure in one case; two patients in peptic ulcer group refused follow-up. Finally, 29 uraemic and 62 non-uraemic patients had achieved the follow-up. Recurrence of peptic ulcer was more in the end-stage renal disease group than in the peptic ulcer group with intention-to-treat analysis (eight of 32, 25% vs. two of 64, 3%, P = 0.001, OR: 10.0, 95% CI: 1.979-50.540) or per-protocol analysis (eight of 29, 28% vs. two of 62, 3%, P < 0.001, OR: 11.4, 95% CI: 2.245-58.168). CONCLUSIONS: Peptic ulcer recurrence after H. pylori eradication is higher in end stage renal disease patients with peptic ulcer than in peptic ulcer patients without renal disease. Factors aside from H. pylori play an important role in peptic ulcer recurrence in end-stage renal disease patients. PMID- 17767478 TI - Long-acting octreotide as rescue therapy in chronic bleeding from gastrointestinal angiodysplasia. AB - BACKGROUND: Octreotide has shown to be effective against rebleeding from gastrointestinal angiodysplasias, but a long-term daily parenteral administration is recommended. Long-acting octreotide (LAR-OCT) could overcome such a limitation, but it has not been studied extensively. AIM: To investigate the usefulness of long-acting octreotide in the control of chronic bleeding from gastrointestinal angiodysplasias. METHODS: Thirteen patients with chronic gastrointestinal bleeding because of angiodysplasias were enrolled. Diagnosis was made by endoscopy and wireless video capsule. Long-acting octreotide was administered intramuscularly at a dosage of 10 mg/monthly for 1 year. Patients were followed up for a minimum period of 1 year, and haemoglobin levels, blood transfusions, iron supplementation and hospitalizations were recorded 1 year before and after starting long-acting octreotide therapy. RESULTS: Follow-up ranged from 12 to 60 months. Nine of 13 patients (69%) did not need blood transfusions and iron supplementation any longer; a partial improvement was observed in one patient; no effect was found in the others. No side effect was recorded in any patient. CONCLUSIONS: Long-acting octreotide for 1 year may be beneficial as a rescue therapy for controlling chronic bleeding from gastrointestinal angiodysplasias in patients not eligible for surgery. Its monthly administration represents an advantage, which makes such a formulation the choice when a long-term treatment is mandatory. PMID- 17767479 TI - Clinical trial: short- and long-term benefit of relaxation training for irritable bowel syndrome. AB - BACKGROUND: Psychotherapy is effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome, but the effect of relaxation training, a brief psychological group intervention, is not known. AIM: To determine the efficacy of relaxation training in a large cohort of irritable bowel syndrome patients. METHODS: Ninety-eight irritable bowel syndrome patients were included in this randomized controlled trial. Forty six patients received standard medical care (CON) and 52 received four 90-min sessions of relaxation training in small groups in addition to standard medical care. Irritable bowel syndrome symptom severity, medical consumption and quality of life were assessed at baseline in patients and in 38 healthy controls and evaluated in patients at 3, 6 and 12 months after intervention. RESULTS: Irritable bowel syndrome symptom severity was significantly reduced in the relaxation training group compared to CON at 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment (time-by-treatment interaction, P = 0.002). The number needed to treat for long term improvement was 5. Quality of life had improved (general health, P = 0.017; health change, P = 0.05). Frequency of doctor visits was reduced (P = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Relaxation training is a brief group intervention that significantly improves symptom severity, general health perception and medical consumption in irritable bowel syndrome patients immediately after, as well as 6 and 12 months after intervention. PMID- 17767480 TI - Subtyping the irritable bowel syndrome by predominant bowel habit: Rome II versus Rome III. AB - BACKGROUND: The agreement between subtyping irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients based on Rome II criteria versus Rome III criteria is unknown. AIM: To compare IBS subtyping based on Rome II versus III criteria. METHODS: The Rome II Modular Questionnaire and the Bristol Stool Form Scale (one-week diary cards) were completed by 249 IBS patients. Based on the Rome II criteria, patients were defined as having diarrhoea- or constipation-predominant IBS, or alternating IBS. Based on the Rome III criteria, patients were divided into IBS with constipation, IBS with diarrhoea, mixed IBS or unsubtyped IBS. Agreement between Rome II and Rome III was assessed with kappa statistics. RESULTS: Based on Rome II there were 92 diarrhoea-predominant IBS, 45 constipation-predominant IBS and 112 alternating IBS, and based on Rome III 97 IBS with diarrhoea, 77 IBS with constipation, 16 mixed IBS and 59 unsubtyped IBS. The agreement between Rome II and Rome III subgroups was 46% (kappa = 0.19). Changes from the constipation to the diarrhoea subgroups and vice versa were uncommon (8% of patients). The majority of changes occurred from/to the alternating IBS, mixed IBS and unsubtyped IBS subgroups. CONCLUSION: There is poor agreement between subtyping of IBS patients based on Rome II versus Rome III criteria. PMID- 17767481 TI - Pre-pouch ileitis. PMID- 17767483 TI - Oral bowel preparation for colonoscopy. PMID- 17767487 TI - Laser capture microdissection and microarray analysis of dividing neural progenitor cells from the adult rat hippocampus. AB - Neural progenitor cells reside in the hippocampus of adult rodents and humans and generate granule neurons throughout life. Knowledge about the molecular processes regulating these neurogenic cells is fragmentary. In order to identify genes with a role in the proliferation of adult neural progenitor cells, a protocol was elaborated to enable the staining and isolation of such cells under RNA preserving conditions with a combination of immunohistochemistry and laser capture microdissection. We increased proliferation of neural progenitor cells by electroconvulsive treatment, one of the most effective antidepressant treatments, and isolated Ki-67-positive cells using this new protocol. RNA amplification via in vitro transcription and subsequent microarray analysis revealed over 100 genes that were differentially expressed in neural progenitor cells due to electroconvulsive treatment compared to untreated control animals. Some of these genes have already been implicated in the functioning of neural progenitor cells or have been induced by electroconvulsive treatment; these include brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), PDZ-binding kinase (Pbk) and abnormal spindle-like microcephaly-associated (Aspm). In addition, genes were identified for which no role in the proliferation of neurogenic progenitors has been described so far, such as enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2). PMID- 17767488 TI - Estrogen modulates neuronal movements within the developing preoptic area anterior hypothalamus. AB - The preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus (POA-AH) is characterized by sexually dimorphic features in a number of vertebrates and is a key region of the forebrain for regulating physiological responses and sexual behaviours. Using live-cell fluorescence video microscopy with organotypic brain slices, the current study examined sex differences in the movement characteristics of neurons expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) driven by the Thy-1 promoter. Cells in slices from embryonic day 14 (E14), but not E13, mice displayed significant sex differences in their basal neuronal movement characteristics. Exposure to 10 nm estradiol-17beta (E2), but not 100 nm dihydrotestosterone, significantly altered cell movement characteristics within minutes of exposure, in a location specific manner. E2 treatment decreased the rate of motion of cells located in the dorsal POA-AH but increased the frequency of movement in cells located more ventrally. These effects were consistent across age and sex. To further determine whether early-developing sex differences in the POA-AH depend upon gonadal steroids, we examined cell positions in mice with a disruption of the steroidogenic factor-1 gene, in which gonads do not form. An early-born cohort of cells were labelled with the mitotic indicator bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) on E11. More cells were found in the POA-AH of females than males on the day of birth (P0) regardless of gonadal status. These results support the hypothesis that estrogen partially contributes to brain sexual dimorphism through its influence on cell movements during development. Estrogen's influence may be superimposed upon a pre-existing genetic bias. PMID- 17767489 TI - Cellular dynamics underlying regeneration of damaged axons differs from initial axon development. AB - While long-distance regeneration may be limited in mammalian species, it is becoming apparent that damaged mature neurons retain some capacity for attempted regeneration and that the adult CNS is not entirely inhibitory to axon growth. Our investigations show that there are critical intrinsic features of postinjury axonal regeneration that differ from initial axon development, and that these distinct differences may account for the limited and inappropriate regenerative response that currently characterizes the mature CNS. We compared the neurochemical and dynamic characteristics of developing axons to relatively mature regenerating axons, utilizing an in vitro model of axonal transection to long-term cultured rat cortical neurons. Immunolabelling studies revealed that regenerating and developing axons have a similar localization of cytoskeletal proteins, but the tips of regenerating axons, although morphologically similar, were smaller with reduced fillopodial extension, relative to developmental growth cones. Live imaging demonstrated that regenerating axons exhibited significantly less outgrowth than developmental neurites. Furthermore, growth cones of regenerating axons had a significant reduction in pausing, considered vital for interstitial branching and pathfinding, than did developmental growth cones. In addition, unlike developing axons, the regenerating axons were unresponsive to the growth factors BDNF and GDNF. Thus, although similar in their cytoskeletal composition, the growth cones of regenerative sprouts differed from their developmental counterparts in their size, their dynamic behaviour and their ability to respond to critical growth factors. These intrinsic differences may account for the inability of post-traumatic locally sprouting axons to make accurate pathway decisions and successfully respond to trauma. PMID- 17767490 TI - Variations in glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor release from biodegradable nerve conduits modify the rate of functional motor recovery after rat primary nerve repairs. AB - Accelerating axonal regeneration to shorten the delay of reinnervation and improve functional recovery after a peripheral nerve lesion is a clinical demand and an experimental challenge. We developed a resorbable nerve conduit (NC) for controlled release of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) with the aim of assessing motor functional recovery according to the release kinetics of this factor in a short gap model. Different types of resorbable NCs were manufactured from a collagen tube and multiple coating layers of poly(lactide coglycolide), varying in poly(lactide-coglycolide) type and coating thickness to afford three distinct release kinetics of the neurotrophic factor. GDNF release was quantified in vitro. End-to-end suture and GDNF-free NC served as controls. Thirty-five Wistar rats underwent surgery. Motor recovery was followed from 1 to 12 weeks after surgery by video gait analysis. Morphometrical data were obtained at mid-tube level and distal to the NC. NCs were completely resorbed within 3 months with minimal inflammation. GDNF induced a threefold overgrowth of fibers at mid-tube level. However, the number of fibers was similar in the distal segment of all groups. The speed of recovery was inversely proportional to the number of fibers at the NC level but the level of recovery was similar for all groups at 3 months. The resorbable conduits proved their ability to modulate axonal regrowth through controlled release of GDNF. In relation to the dose delivered, GDNF strikingly multiplied the number of myelinated fibers within the NC but this increase was not positively correlated with the return of motor function in this model. PMID- 17767491 TI - Recovery from spinal cord injury differs between rat strains in a major histocompatibility complex-independent manner. AB - Inflammation is a common characteristic of spinal cord injury. The nature of this response, whether it is beneficial or detrimental, has been the subject of debate. It has been reported that susceptibility to autoimmunity is correlated with increased functional impairment following spinal cord injury. As the ability to mount an autoimmune response has most consistently been associated with certain haplotypes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), we analysed the possible effects of the MHC haplotype on functional impairment and recovery following spinal cord injury. A contusion injury was induced in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis-susceptible and -resistant rats [Dark Agouti, Lewis and Piebald Viral Glaxo (PVG), respectively]. We found that locomotion recovered significantly better in Dark Agouti rats compared with PVG and Lewis rats but an F2 intercross (PVG x PVG-RT1(av1)) excluded the possibility that this difference was MHC haplotype-dependent. Thus, we conclude that recovery following spinal cord injury is subject to considerable genetic heterogeneity that is not coupled to the MHC haplotype region. Continued research of genetic variants regulating recovery following spinal cord injury is warranted. PMID- 17767492 TI - The involvement of spinal bovine adrenal medulla 22-like peptide, the proenkephalin derivative, in modulation of nociceptive processing. AB - Bovine adrenal medulla 22 (BAM22), one of the cleavage products of proenkephalin A, possesses high affinity for opioid receptors and sensory neuron-specific receptor (SNSR). The present study was designed to examine the expression of BAM22 in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of naive rats as well as in a model of inflammation. BAM22-like immunoreactivity (BAM22-IR) was expressed in fibers in the spinal cord, with high density seen in lamina I in naive rats. The expression of BAM22-IR in the superficial laminae was greatly reduced following dorsal rhizotomy. BAM22-IR was also located in 19% of DRG cells, mainly in the small- and medium-sized subpopulations. Following injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) in the hindpaw, the expression of BAM22-IR in the superficial laminae of the spinal cord and small-sized DRG neurons on the ipsilateral side was markedly increased. Double labeling showed that the Fos positive nucleus was surrounded by BAM22-IR cytoplasm in the spinal dorsal horn neurons or closely associated with BAM22-IR fibers in the superficial laminae. Furthermore, CFA-induced mechanical allodynia in the inflamed paw was potentiated by intrathecal administration of anti-BAM22 antibody. Together, these results demonstrate for the first time that BAM22-like peptide is mainly located in the superficial laminae of the spinal cord and mostly originates from nociceptive DRG neurons. BAM22 could thus act as a ligand for presynaptic opioid receptors and SNSR. Our study also provides evidence suggesting that BAM22 plays a role in the modulation of nociceptive processing at the spinal level under normal and inflammatory conditions. PMID- 17767493 TI - Hydroxy-alpha-sanshool activates TRPV1 and TRPA1 in sensory neurons. AB - Sanshools are major active ingredients of Zanthoxylum piperitum and are used as food additives in East Asia. Sanshools cause irritant, tingling and sometimes paresthetic sensations on the tongue. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the pungent or tingling sensation induced by sanshools is not known. Because many transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are responsible for the sensations induced by various spices and food additives, we expressed 17 TRP channels in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells and investigated their activation by hydroxy alpha-sanshool (HalphaSS) or hydroxy-beta-sanshool (HbetaSS) isolated from Zanthoxylum piperitum. It was found that HalphaSS, but not HbetaSS, depolarized sensory neurons with concomitant firing of action potentials and evoked inward currents. Among 17 TRP channels expressed in HEK cells, HalphaSS caused Ca(2+) influx in cells transfected with TRPV1 or TRPA1, and evoked robust inward currents in cells transfected with TRPV1 or TRPA1. In primary cultured sensory neurons, HalphaSS induced inward currents and Ca(2+) influx in a capsazepine dependent manner. Moreover, HalphaSS-induced currents and Ca(2+) influx were greatly diminished in TRPV1(-/-) mice. HalphaSS evoked licking behavior when injected into a single hind paw of wild-type mice, but this was much reduced in TRPV1-deficient mice. These results indicate that TRPV1 and TRPA1 are molecular targets of HalphaSS in sensory neurons. We conclude that the activations of TRPV1 and TRPA1 by HalphaSS explain its unique pungent, tingling sensation. PMID- 17767494 TI - Divergent co-transmitter actions underlie motor pattern activation by a modulatory projection neuron. AB - Co-transmission is a common means of neuronal communication, but its consequences for neuronal signaling within a defined neuronal circuit remain unknown in most systems. We are addressing this issue in the crab stomatogastric nervous system by characterizing how the identified modulatory commissural neuron (MCN)1 uses its co-transmitters to activate the gastric mill (chewing) rhythm in the stomatogastric ganglion (STG). MCN1 contains gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plus the peptides proctolin and Cancer borealis tachykinin-related peptide Ia (CabTRP Ia), which it co-releases during the retractor phase of the gastric mill rhythm to influence both retractor and protractor neurons. By focally applying each MCN1 co-transmitter and pharmacologically manipulating each co-transmitter action during MCN1 stimulation, we found that MCN1 has divergent co-transmitter actions on the gastric mill central pattern generator (CPG), which includes the neurons lateral gastric (LG) and interneuron 1 (Int1), plus the STG terminals of MCN1 (MCN1(STG)). MCN1 used only CabTRP Ia to influence LG, while it used only GABA to influence Int1 and the contralateral MCN1(STG). These MCN1 actions caused a slow excitation of LG, a fast excitation of Int1 and a fast inhibition of MCN1(STG). MCN1-released proctolin had no direct influence on the gastric mill CPG, although it likely indirectly regulates this CPG via its influence on the pyloric rhythm. MCN1 appeared to have no ionotropic actions on the gastric mill follower motor neurons, but it did use proctolin and/or CabTRP Ia to excite them. Thus, a modulatory projection neuron can elicit rhythmic motor activity by using distinct co-transmitters, with different time courses of action, to simultaneously influence different CPG neurons. PMID- 17767495 TI - Antagonism of group III metabotropic glutamate receptors results in impairment of LTD but not LTP in the hippocampal CA1 region, and prevents long-term spatial memory. AB - Recently it has emerged that hippocampal long-term depression (LTD) may play an important role in the acquisition and storage of spatial memories. This form of synaptic plasticity is tightly regulated by metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) that negatively couple to adenylyl cyclase. Activation of group III mGluRs is necessary for persistent hippocampal LTD, but is not required for depotentiation or long-term potentiation (LTP) in the dentate gyrus in vivo. In the CA1 region antagonism of group III mGluRs prevents LTD in vivo. Effects on LTP in vivo are as yet unknown. We investigated the effects of group III mGluR antagonism on LTP and LTD at Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses, and on spatial learning in the eight-arm radial maze. Daily application of the group III mGluR antagonist (R,S)-alpha-cyclopropyl-4-phosphonophenylglycine (CPPG) resulted in impairment of long-term (reference) memory, with effects becoming apparent 4 days after training and drug treatment began. Short-term (working) memory was unaffected throughout the 10-day study. Application of CPPG prevented LTD, but not LTP, in the CA1 region. These data suggest that activation of group III mGluRs is required for the establishment of spatial long-term memory. Their exclusive role in mediating hippocampal LTD provides correlational evidence for a role for LTD in the type of spatial learning studied. PMID- 17767496 TI - PKC activation sets an upper limit to the functional plasticity of GABAergic transmission induced by endogenous neurosteroids. AB - The activity of GABAergic inhibitory interneurones located in lamina II of the spinal cord is of fundamental importance for the processing of peripheral nociceptive messages. We have recently shown that 3alpha-hydroxy ring A-reduced pregnane neurosteroids [3alpha5alpha-neurosteroids (3alpha5alphaNS)], potent allosteric modulators of GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)Rs), are synthesized in the spinal cord and limit thermal hyperalgesia during inflammatory pain. Because changes in the expression of calcium-dependent protein kinases [protein kinase C (PKC)] are observed during pathological pain in the spinal cord, we examined the possible interactions between PKC and 3alpha5alphaNS at synaptic GABA(A)Rs. Using patch-clamp recordings of lamina II interneurones in the spinal cord of 15-20-day old rats, we showed that synaptic inhibition mediated by GABA(A)Rs and its modulation by 3alpha5alphaNS in lamina II of the spinal cord largely depend on activation of PKC. Our experimental results suggested that activation of PKC locks synaptic GABA(A)Rs in a functional state precluding further positive allosteric modulation by endogenous and exogenous 3alpha5alphaNS. This effect was fully prevented by coadministration of chelerythrin, an inhibitor of PKC. Furthermore, application of chelerythrin alone rendered synaptic GABA(A)Rs hypersensitive to endogenously produced or exogenously applied 3alpha5alphaNS. These findings confirmed that there was a significant production of endogenous 3alpha5alphaNS in lamina II of the spinal cord but also indicated that PKC dependent phosphorylation processes were tonically activated to control GABA(A)R mediated inhibition under resting conditions. We therefore can conclude that PKC activation sets an upper limit to the functional plasticity of GABAergic transmission induced by endogenous neurosteroids. PMID- 17767497 TI - GABAergic pathways in the rat subcortical visual system: a comparative study in vivo and in vitro. AB - Inhibitory pathways project from the pretectal nuclear complex to the ipsilateral superior colliculus (SC) and dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN). Both pathways arise from GABAergic neurones that are located in the dorsal pretectal nuclear complex. In the present experiments, we compared the anatomy and physiology of these two pathways with the objective of determining whether they have similar functions. First, we injected retrograde axonal tracers that fluoresce at different wavelengths in the dLGN and SC of single animals to determine if individual GABAergic neurones in the pretectum project to both structures. The results showed that the dLGN and SC receive input from different cell groups. Next, morphological reconstructions of cells labelled after in-vitro whole-cell patch-clamp recordings demonstrated that the pretectal-recipient cells in the dLGN are GABAergic interneurones, whereas those in the SC are projection cells. Finally, with in-vitro whole-cell patch-clamp recordings we showed that inhibitory currents generated by both pathways are mediated by GABA(A) receptors. Taken together, these results suggest that these inhibitory projections may function to facilitate the relay of information from the dLGN to the visual cortex by suppressing the activity of dLGN interneurones, and to reduce the level of activity leaving the SC by inhibiting the projection neurones. These hypotheses will be discussed in the context of the known functions of the pretectal complex. PMID- 17767498 TI - GABAergic projections from the hippocampus to the retrosplenial cortex in the rat. AB - The retrosplenial cortex (RS) in rats has been implicated in a wide range of behaviors, including spatial navigation and memory. Relevant to this, the RS is closely interconnected with the hippocampus by multiple direct and indirect routes. Here, by injecting the retrograde tracer cholera toxin subunit B conjugated with Alexa488 (CTB-Alexa488) in the granular retrosplenial cortex (GRS), we demonstrate a moderately dense non-pyramidal projection from CA1. Neurons are in several layers, but mainly (about 65%) at the border of the stratum radiatum (SR) and stratum lacunosum moleculare (SLM). In particular, by double-labeling with GAD67 or gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), we establish that these neurons are GABAergic. Further immunocytochemical screening for calcium binding proteins, somatostatin (SS) or cholecystokinin (CCK) failed to identify additional neurochemical subgroups; but a small subset (about 14%) is positive for the m2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M2R). Terminations target layer 1 of the GRS, as shown by biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) injections into CA1 and confirmed by a very superficial injection of CTB-Alexa488 in GRS. The superficial injection shows that there is a sparse GABAergic projection from the subiculum to layer 1 of the GRS, in addition to the dense excitatory connections to layer 3. The role of these dual inhibitory-excitatory pathways - within the subiculum, and in parallel from CA1 and the subiculum - remains to be determined, but may be related to synchronized oscillatory activity in the hippocampal complex and GRS, or to the generation of rhythmic activity within the GRS. PMID- 17767499 TI - Differential modulation by monoamine membrane receptor agonists of reticulospinal input to lamina VIII feline spinal commissural interneurons. AB - Noradrenaline and serotonin have previously been demonstrated to facilitate the transmission between descending reticulospinal tracts fibres and commissural interneurons coordinating left-right hindlimb muscle activity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the contribution of subclasses of monoaminergic membrane receptors to this facilitation. The neurons were located in Rexed lamina VIII in midlumbar segments and identified by their projections to the contralateral gastrocnemius-soleus motor nuclei and by lack of projections rostral to the lumbosacral enlargement. The effects of ionophoretically applied membrane receptor agonists [phenylephrine (noradrenergic alpha(1)), clonidine (noradrenergic alpha(2)), 8-OH-DPAT (5-HT(1A), 5-HT(7)), 2-me-5-HT (5-HT(3)), 5 me-5-HT (5-HT(2)) and alpha-me-5-HT (5-HT(2))] were examined on extracellularly recorded spikes evoked monosynaptically by electric stimulation of descending reticulospinal fibres in the medial longitudinal fascicle. Application of alpha(1) and 5-HT(2) agonists resulted in a facilitation of responses in all investigated neurons while application of alpha(2), 5-HT(1A/7) and 5-HT(3) agonists resulted in a depression. These opposite modulatory effects of different agonists suggest that the facilitatory actions of noradrenaline and serotonin on responses of commissural interneurons reported previously following ionophoretic application are the net outcome of the activation of different subclasses of monoaminergic membrane receptors. As these receptors may be distributed predominantly, or even selectively, at either pre- or postsynaptic sites their differential modulatory actions could be compatible with a presynaptically induced depression and a postsynaptically evoked enhancement of synaptic transmission between reticulospinal neurons and commissural interneurons. PMID- 17767500 TI - Differential expression of members of the RCAN family of calcineurin regulators suggests selective functions for these proteins in the brain. AB - RCANs, also called Down Syndrome Critical Region-1 (DSCR1)-like proteins, Modulatory Calcineurin Interacting Proteins (MCIPs) or calcipressins, are regulators of calcineurin, a Ca(2+)-dependent protein phosphatase involved in several neuronal functions. Despite the potential importance of the RCAN proteins in brain physiology, very little is known about their relative abundance and distribution patterns in the central nervous system. In this study we report the expression and distribution of RCAN mRNA transcripts and proteins in the mouse brain. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that all Rcan mRNAs (Rcan1-1, Rcan1-2, Rcan2-1, Rcan2-3 and Rcan3) and their corresponding protein products (RCAN1-L, RCAN1-S, RCAN2-L, RCAN2-S and RCAN3) are present in every adult mouse brain region examined. All protein isoforms are also expressed in these same brain regions at early postnatal stages. Within regions, RCAN1-L, RCAN1-S, RCAN2 L and RCAN3 are differentially expressed depending on the region and developmental stage, whereas RCAN2-S is distributed homogeneously. Detailed immunohistochemical analysis revealed significant differences in the cellular and subcellular distributions of RCAN proteins. In the adult, RCAN1 was mainly expressed in the neuropil throughout the brain. Although at lower levels, RCAN3 was also detected throughout the neuropil. In contrast, RCAN2 was highly expressed in scattered neurons, in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Interestingly, RCAN2 is the only member of the RCAN family that was detected in glial cells. Finally, the expression patterns of RCANs at early postnatal stages differed from those of the adult, in different brain areas, in both their distributions and relative abundance, suggesting that the expression of these proteins could be regulated during neuronal differentiation. The nonoverlapping expression patterns of the RCAN proteins shown here highlight the existence of different physiological scenarios and therefore suggest different RCAN functional activities in the brain, depending on the cellular context and developmental stage. PMID- 17767501 TI - Acetylcholine-mediated axon-glia signaling in the developing insect olfactory system. AB - In the olfactory system of the sphinx moth Manduca sexta, migration of neuropil glial cells is triggered by olfactory receptor axons and depends on intraglial Ca(2+) signaling. It is not known, however, how receptor axons and glial cells communicate and whether Ca(2+) signaling is a consequence of this communication. We studied Ca(2+) increases in glial cells in vivo and in situ, evoked by electrical stimulation of olfactory receptor axons in pupae and by odor stimulation of receptor neurons in adult moths. Axonal activity leads to Ca(2+) increases in neuropil glial cells that are blocked by nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists and can be mimicked by acetylcholine and carbachol application. In addition, Ca(2+) transients were abolished by removal of external Ca(2+) and blockage of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels. During development, acetylcholine-mediated Ca(2+) signaling could first be elicited at stage 6, the time when neuropil glial cells start to migrate. Glial migration was reduced after injection of nicotinic antagonists into pupae. The results show that Ca(2+) signaling can be induced by acetylcholine release from olfactory receptor axons, which activates nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and leads to voltage-gated Ca(2+) influx. The results further suggest that cholinergic signaling in the olfactory system is required for glial cell migration in Manduca. PMID- 17767502 TI - Brain edema and breakdown of the blood-brain barrier during methamphetamine intoxication: critical role of brain hyperthermia. AB - To clarify the role of brain temperature in permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), rats were injected with methamphetamine (METH 9 mg/kg) at normal (23 degrees C) and warm (29 degrees C) environmental conditions and internal temperatures were monitored both centrally (nucleus accumbens, NAcc) and peripherally (skin and nonlocomotor muscle). Once NAcc temperatures peaked or reached 41.5 degrees C (a level suggesting possible lethality), animals were administered Evans blue dye (protein tracer that does not normally cross the BBB), rapidly anaesthetized, perfused and had their brains removed. All METH treated animals showed brain and body hyperthermia associated with relative skin hypothermia, suggesting metabolic activation coupled with peripheral vasoconstriction. While METH-induced NAcc temperature elevation varied from 37.60 to 42.46 degrees C (or 1.2-5.1 degrees C above baseline), it was stronger at 29 degrees C (+4.13 degrees C) than 23 degrees C (+2.31 degrees C). Relative to control, METH-treated animals had significantly higher brain levels of water, Na(+), K(+) and Cl(-), suggesting brain edema, and intense immunostaining for albumin, indicating breakdown of the BBB. METH-treated animals also showed strong immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), possibly suggesting acute abnormality or damage of astrocytes. METH-induced changes in brain water, albumin and GFAP correlated linearly with NAcc temperature (r = 0.93, 0.98 and 0.98, respectively), suggesting a key role of brain hyperthermia in BBB permeability, development of brain edema and subsequent functional and structural neural abnormalities. Therefore, along with a direct destructive action on neural cells and functions, brain hyperthermia, via breakdown of the BBB, may be crucial for both decompensation of brain functions and cell injury following acute METH intoxication, possibly contributing to neurodegeneration resulting from chronic drug use. PMID- 17767503 TI - Hippocampal lesions halve immediate-early gene protein counts in retrosplenial cortex: distal dysfunctions in a spatial memory system. AB - The present study examined whether hippocampal lesions disrupt retrosplenial cortex function. The immediate-early genesc-fos and zif268 provided markers of cellular activity, and their levels were compared in different cytoarchitectonic subregions (dysgranular, granular a and granular b) and different layers (superficial or deep) within retrosplenial cortex. Experiments 1-3 examined the impact of hippocampal lesions on retrosplenial cortex function, with the variations in protocol (e.g. lesion method, rat strain, behaviour prior to gene activity measurement) testing the generality of the findings. Experiment 1 showed that radio-frequency hippocampus lesions result in very striking losses of Fos and Zif268 activity in both superficial and deep laminae of all retrosplenial subregions. This pattern of results was repeated for Fos in experiments 2 and 3. Despite the loss of Fos and Zif268, there was no evidence of retrosplenial cortex atrophy as measured by Nissl counts (experiments 1-3) or NeuN-positive cell counts (experiment 3). Likewise, there was little evidence of any overt changes in cellular size, shape or appearance. The specificity of these hippocampal lesion effects was confirmed in experiment 4 as entorhinal cortex lesions did not change retrosplenial Fos levels. These results provide strong support for the notion that the retrosplenial cortex is unusually sensitive to deafferentation from some of its inputs, so that hippocampal damage might produce permanent 'covert pathology' in the retrosplenial cortex. Such dysfunctions could contribute to the pattern of cognitive changes associated with hippocampal lesions and also help to explain the functional interdependency of these two structures. PMID- 17767504 TI - Distinct changes in evoked and resting globus pallidus activity in early and late Parkinson's disease experimental models. AB - The main clinical manifestations of Parkinson's disease are caused by alterations of basal ganglia activity that are tied in with the progressive loss of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons. Recent theoretical and modeling studies have suggested that changes in resting neuronal activity occurred later in the course of the disease than those evoked by phasic cortical input. However, there is no empirical support for this proposal. Here we report a marked increase in the responsiveness of globus pallidus neurons to electrical motor cortex stimulation, in the absence of noticeable changes in resting activity, in anesthetized rats that had consistently shown a deficit in forelimb use during behavioral testing before the experiments, and had approximately 45% dopamine neurons spared in the substantia nigra. Pallidal neurons were also over-responsive to motor cortex stimulation and lost spatial selectivity for cortical inputs in rats with extensive nigrostriatal damage. After partial lesions, over-responsiveness was mainly due to an increased proportion of neurons showing excitatory responses, while extensive lesions led to an increased likelihood of inhibitory responding neurons. Changes in resting neuronal activity, comprising pauses disrupting tonic discharge, occurred across different global brain states, including an activated condition which shares similarities with natural patterns of cortical activity seen in awake states and rapid eye-movement sleep, but only after massive nigrostriatal degeneration. These results suggest that a loss of functional segregation and an abnormal temporal encoding of phasic cortical inputs by globus pallidus neurons may contribute to inducing early motor impairment in Parkinson's disease. PMID- 17767505 TI - Impairment of hippocampal gamma-frequency oscillations in vitro in mice overexpressing human amyloid precursor protein (APP). AB - Alzheimer's disease is associated with a dramatic decline in cognitive performance including hippocampal-dependent memory. We have investigated one feature of hippocampal activity related to memory, the gamma (30-80 Hz)-frequency rhythm. Hippocampal slices from mice overexpressing the human amyloid precursor protein (APP)(SWE) mutation (TAS10) were compared at 8 and 16 months of age with wild-type littermates. In slices obtained from TAS10 mice aged 8 months the gamma frequency activity evoked with bath application of 200 nm kainate was significantly (P < 0.05; n = 8 slices, five animals) impaired (area power, 5956 +/- 2487 microV(2)) compared to slices from wild-type animals (area power, 18 256 +/- 7880 microV(2)). At 16 months of age there was no longer a significant difference (P > 0.05; n = 11 slices from five animals) between slices from TAS10 and wild-type control mice as the wild-type mice now exhibited a marked age dependent reduction in gamma-frequency activity (TAS10 area power, 5751 +/- 1573 microV(2); wild-type area power = 5379 +/- 1454 microV(2)). Although no dense core plaques were evident at 8 months there was detectable amyloid labelling in the TAS10 mice which might account for the deficits in gamma activity observed at this age. Dense plaques were clearly evident in the TAS10, but not wild-type, mice at 16 months of age but no further reductions in gamma-frequency activity were seen in the TAS10 mice. These data suggest that deficits in network function in Alzheimer's disease occur early and are not directly correlated to amyloid load. PMID- 17767506 TI - A brief, but repeated, swimming protocol is sufficient to overcome amyloid beta protein inhibition of hippocampal long-term potentiation. AB - Alzheimer's disease starts as an almost imperceptible malady, first observed clinically as a mild memory problem. Accumulating genetic and biochemical data have suggested that amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) plays an important role in this memory loss, and Abeta has been shown to suppress long-term potentiation (LTP), a cellular model for memory and learning. Here we show that a very brief (3 min) swimming, twice daily for 2 weeks, rescues LTP inhibition in the CA1 region of hippocampal slices caused by Abeta(42) or Abeta(40) carrying the Arctic mutation using a theta burst stimulation (TBS) protocol. Whereas the input-output curve was not affected, the paired-pulse ratio was reduced in mice receiving our repeated swimming protocol, suggesting a possible involvement of presynaptic facilitation. Similar to swimming, Abeta's inhibition of LTP could be rescued with the adenylyl cyclase, forskolin. Interestingly, this swimming protocol produced conditions in which a weak-TBS could invoke LTP not observed in naive mice, which again was mimicked by forskolin. In contrast, the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor, H89, blocked both the forskolin and swimming potentiation of LTP; these data implicate cAMP/PKA signaling in the protective effect of swimming and mediating Abeta' detrimental effects. Our data add a new simple behavior paradigm that shows the importance of an environmental factor in reversing the pathophysiological effects of Abeta, and suggest new therapeutic avenues. PMID- 17767507 TI - Facilitation of spinal reflexes assists performing but not learning an obstacle avoidance locomotor task. AB - The aim of this study was to investigate spinal reflex (SR) modulation during the performance and learning of a precision locomotor task. Healthy subjects had to minimize foot clearance when repeatedly stepping on a treadmill over a randomly approaching obstacle. The subjects walked with reduced vision and were informed about the approaching obstacle and task performance by acoustic warning and feedback signals, respectively. SRs were randomly evoked by tibial nerve stimulation (with non-nociceptive and nociceptive stimulus intensity) during the mid-stance phase in both normal and pre-obstacle stepping. Foot clearance and electromyographic activity of the tibialis anterior and biceps femoris muscles of the right leg were analysed. Only if a delay was introduced between warning signal and nerve stimulation, was the SR amplitude in both muscles enhanced prior to obstacle steps compared with normal steps for both stimulus intensities. Thus, the reflex enhancement depended on the subject's awareness of the approaching obstacle. Improved performance was reflected in a decreased foot clearance, but did not correlate with the course of SR amplitude. It is concluded that obstacle stepping is associated with a facilitation of SR pathways, probably by supraspinal drive. This facilitation might provide assistance in safe obstacle stepping, e.g. to compensate quickly if resistance is encountered. PMID- 17767508 TI - How the parallel channels of the retina contribute to depth processing. AB - Reconstructing the third dimension in the visual scene from the two dimensional images that impinge on the retinal surface is one of the major tasks of the visual system. We have devised a visual display that makes it possible to study stereoscopic depth cues and motion parallax cues separately or in concert using rhesus macaques. By varying the spatial frequency of the display and its luminance and chrominance, it is possible to selectively activate channels that originate in the primate retina. Our results show that (i) the parasol system plays a central role in processing motion parallax cues; (ii) the midget system plays a central role in stereoscopic depth perception at high spatial frequencies, and (iii) red/green colour selective neurons can effectively process both cues but blue/yellow neurons cannot do so. PMID- 17767509 TI - Noise-improved signal detection in cat primary visual cortex via a well-balanced stochastic resonance-like procedure. AB - Adding noise to a weak signal can paradoxically improve signal detection, a process called 'stochastic resonance' (SR). In the visual system, noise might be introduced by the image jitter resulting from high-frequency eye movements, like eye microtremor and microsaccades. To test whether this kind of noise might be beneficial or detrimental for cortical signal detection, we performed single-unit recordings from area 17 of anaesthetized cats while jittering the visual stimulus in a frequency and amplitude range resembling the possible range of eye movements. We used weak, sub- and peri-threshold visual stimuli, on top of which we superimposed noise with variable jitter amplitude. In accordance with the typical SR effect, we found that small noise levels actually increased the signal to-noise ratio (SNR) of previously weak cortical visual responses, while originally strong responses were little affected or even reduced. Above a certain noise level, the SNR dropped a little, but not as a result of increased background activity - as would be proposed by SR theory - but because of a lowered response to signal and noise. Therefore, it seems that the ascending visual pathway optimally utilizes signal detection improvement by a SR-like process, while at the same time preventing spurious noise-induced activity and keeping the SNR sufficiently high. PMID- 17767510 TI - Domain-specific retrieval of source information in the medial temporal lobe. AB - Memory for context information (source memory) has been reported to rely on structures in the medial temporal lobe (MTL). Perirhinal cortex (anterior MTL) and parahippocampal cortex (posterior MTL) have distinct connectivity patterns with sensory neocortex, suggesting a possible modality-dependent organization of memory processes. The present study investigated the neural substrates of two different types of source information of newly encoded material using functional magnetic resonance imaging: auditory (speaker voice) and visual (texture and colour). Source judgements during retrieval were reliably above chance level for both modalities and performance did not differ between the auditory and visual condition. During encoding, activity predictive of subsequent source recollection was observed in the anterior hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus, irrespective of source modality. During retrieval, on the other hand, a regional dissociation emerged: bilateral parahippocampal cortex discriminated between correct and incorrect auditory but not visual source judgements, whereas left perirhinal/entorhinal cortex showed the reverse pattern. These findings are consistent with recent lesion evidence of disrupted auditory but intact visual source memory following damage to the parahippocampal cortex. Results are discussed with respect to anatomical models of corticoparahippocampal connectivity and the functional organization of the MTL. PMID- 17767511 TI - Brain imaging of analgesic and antihyperalgesic effects of cyclooxygenase inhibition in an experimental human pain model: a functional MRI study. AB - One of the most distressing symptoms of many neuropathic pain syndromes is the enhanced pain sensation to tactile or thermal stimulation (hyperalgesia). In the present study we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and explored brain activation patterns during acute impact pain and mechanical hyperalgesia in the human ultraviolet (UV)-B model. To investigate pharmacological modulation, we examined potential differential fMRI correlates of analgesic and antihyperalgesic effects of two intravenous cyclooxygenase inhibitors, i.e. parecoxib and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Fourteen healthy volunteers participated in this double-blinded, randomized and placebo-controlled crossover study. Tactile stimuli and mechanical impact hyperalgesia were tested at the site of a UV-B irradiation and acute mechanical pain was tested at a site distant from the irradiated skin. These measurements were conducted before and 30 min after a 5 min intravenous infusion of either saline (placebo), parecoxib 40 mg or ASA 1000 mg. Acute mechanical pain and mechanical hyperalgesia led to widespread activations of brain areas known to comprise the human pain matrix. Analgesic effects were found in primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortices, parietal association cortex (PA), insula, anterior parts of the cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortices. These brain areas were also modulated under antihyperalgesic conditions. However, we observed a greater drug-induced modulation of mainly PA and inferior frontal cortex during mechanical hyperalgesia; during acute mechanical pain there was a greater modulation of mainly bilateral S2. Therefore, the results of the present study suggest that there is a difference in the brain areas modulated by analgesia and antihyperalgesia. PMID- 17767512 TI - Frontal and temporal functional connections of the living human brain. AB - Connections between human temporal and frontal cortices were investigated by intracranial electroencephalographic responses to electrical stimulation with 1 ms single pulses in 51 patients assessed for surgery for treatment of epilepsy. The areas studied were medial temporal, entorhinal, lateral temporal, medial frontal, lateral frontal and orbital frontal cortices. Findings were assumed to be representative of human brain as no differences were found between epileptogenic and non-epileptogenic hemispheres. Connections between intralobar temporal and frontal regions were common (43-95%). Connections from temporal to ipsilateral frontal regions were relatively uncommon (seen in 0-25% of hemispheres). Connections from frontal to ipsilateral temporal cortices were more common, particularly from orbital to ipsilateral medial temporal regions (40%). Contralateral temporal connections were rare (< 9%) whereas contralateral frontal connections were frequent and faster, particularly from medial frontal to contralateral medial frontal (61%) and orbital frontal cortices (57%), and between both orbital cortices (67%). Orbital cortex receives profuse connections from the ipsilateral medial (78%) and lateral (88%) frontal cortices, and from the contralateral medial (57%) and orbital (67%) frontal cortices. The high incidence of intralobar temporal connections supports the presence of temporal reverberating circuits. Frontal cortex projects within the lobe and beyond, to ipsilateral and contralateral structures. PMID- 17767513 TI - Modifications of cognitive and motor tasks affect the occurrence of event-related potentials in the human cortex. AB - This study concerns the question of how task modification affects the frequency occurrence of event-related potentials (ERP) inside the active cortical areas. In 13 candidates for epilepsy surgery, 156 sites in the temporal (74), frontal (73), and parietal (9) cortices were recorded by means of depth and subdural electrodes. Four modifications of the somatosensory evoked P3-like potentials were performed; (i) an oddball paradigm with silent counting of target stimuli (P3c); (ii) an oddball paradigm with a hand movement in response to target stimuli (P3m); (iii) an S1-S2 paradigm, ERP in the P300 time window after the S2 stimulus, with silent counting of target stimuli (S2c), and (iv) an S1-S2 paradigm with a hand movement in response to target stimuli (S2m). In comparing the oddball paradigms with the S1-S2 (contingent negative variation, CNV) paradigms, four regions emerge that are significantly linked with the oddball P3; the prefrontal cortex, the cingulate, the amygdalo-hippocampal complex, and the lateral temporal cortex. A prominent role of the cingulate and the fronto-orbital cortex in the cognitive processing of movement was supported when tasks with identical cognitive loads but different required responses were compared. Even relatively simple cognitive tasks activate many cortical regions. The investigated areas were activated in all tests; however, small regions in each field were active or inactive in relation to the nature of the task. The study indicates a variable and task-dependent internal organization of a highly complex and widely distributed system of active cortical areas. PMID- 17767514 TI - Inhibitory control of the human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the anti saccade paradigm--a transcranial magnetic stimulation study. AB - In the anti-saccade paradigm, subjects are instructed not to make a reflexive saccade to an appearing lateral target but to make an intentional saccade to the opposite side instead. The inhibition of reflexive saccade triggering is under the control of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The critical time interval at which this inhibition takes place during the paradigm, however, is not exactly known. In the present study, we used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to interfere with DLPFC function in 15 healthy subjects. TMS was applied over the right DLPFC either 100 ms before the onset of the visual target (i.e. -100 ms), at target onset (i.e. 0 ms) or 100 ms after target onset (i.e. +100 ms). Stimulation 100 ms before target onset significantly increased the percentage of anti-saccade errors to both sides, while stimulation at, or after, target onset had no significant effect. All three stimulation conditions had no significant influence on saccade latency of correct or erroneous anti-saccades. These findings show that the critical time interval at which the DLPFC controls the suppression of a reflexive saccade in the anti saccade paradigm is before target onset. In addition, the results suggest the view that the triggering of correct anti-saccades is not under direct control of the DLPFC. PMID- 17767526 TI - A nomogram for measurement of mitral valve area by proximal isovelocity surface area method. AB - INTRODUCTION: Although its accuracy has been documented in many studies, the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method is not used widely for mitral valve area (MVA) measurement. In this study, we prepared a new nomogram and tested its use in MVA assessment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 23 patients (age: 27 +/- 5 years) with mitral stenosis, of whom 7 were in atrial fibrillation. The MVA was measured by four methods: planimetry (PL) (reference method), pressure-half time (PHT), conventional PISA (CP), and nomogram (Nomo) methods. The nomogram included two unknowns: (1) r; the radius of the first PISA section; (2) a; the length of the border opposite to the PISA angle in the triangle with both adjacent borders of 1 cm. The nomogram was also tested for its popularity potential by eight echocardiographers, none of whom were included in the author list. RESULTS: Mean MVA(PL) was 1.85 +/- 0.53 cm(2) (range: 0.72 2.99), mean MVA(PHT) was 1.72 +/- 0.56 cm(2) (range: 0.91-3.30), mean MVA(CP) was 1.69 +/- 0.45 cm(2) (range: 0.97-2.54), and MVA(Nomo) was 1.70 +/- 0.44 cm(2) (0.96-2.49). The nomogram correlated with planimetry (r = 0.87; P < 0.001), pressure half-time (r = 0.71; P < 0.001) and conventional PISA (r = 0.99; P = 0.000) methods. The nomogram method also correlated with planimetry in patients with atrial fibrillation (r = 0.81; P = 0.026). The echocardiographers found that the nomogram is superior to the planimetry and conventional PISA methods but inferior to the pressure half-time method in terms of simplicity. CONCLUSION: The new nomogram is potentially helpful in measurement of MVA. It may be used as an additional method in assessing severity of mitral stenosis. PMID- 17767527 TI - Noninvasive assessment of coronary flow reserve in the left anterior descending artery by transthoracic echocardiography before and after stenting. AB - BACKGROUND: Noninvasive assessment of coronary flow reserve in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) has been already validated as a new method for determining the degree of stenosis over the proximal flow. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to determine, by TTDE, the feasibility and the value of the coronary flow reserve (CFR) (defined as the maximal increase in coronary blood flow above its basal pressure for a given perfusion pressure when coronary circulation is maximally dilated) in the mid-to distal LAD before and after percutaneous angioplasty and to demonstrate the early recovery of microvascular tone immediately after stenting. METHODS: The study population consisted of 36 patients with significant isolated LAD stenosis (70 90%) identified by coronary angiography. CFR was recorded in the mid-to-distal LAD at rest and during hyperemia obtained after adenosine intravenous infusion before and after stenting. RESULTS: Adequate visualization of the LAD was obtained in 25 out of 36 patients (70%). At rest the mean CFR was 1.5132 +/- 0.33 (1.1-2.58). However, after stenting the mean CFR was significantly higher: 2.18 +/- 0.55 (1.3-3.8), with P <0.01. CONCLUSIONS: CFR can be easily determined by TTE in approximately 70% of patients. Noninvasive Doppler echocardiography shows impaired CFR in patients with LAD disease. After stenting CFR is restored, demonstrating early recovery of microvascular tone. These results are comparable to those published in the same conditions. Larger series with a long-term follow up may allow identifying patients at high risk for restenosis after stenting. PMID- 17767528 TI - Right ventricular function in patients with beta thalassemia: relation to serum ferritin level. AB - Cardiac dysfunction is a major cause of death in patients with beta thalassemia. Right ventricular (RV) contribution to cardiac morbidity and mortality in these patients has been suggested. We aimed to assess RV function in beta thalassemia (beta-Th) patients and to detect the relation of serum ferritin level to RV dysfunction. Thirty young patients with beta-Th and 15 age-matched normal subjects (NL) were included. We measured RV end diastolic and end systolic diameters (RVEDD and RVESD), RV % fractional shortening (RVFS), RV pressure (RVP), lateral and septal tricuspid annular systolic and diastolic tissue Doppler velocities (Sa, Ea, Aa & Ea/Aa), and RV myocardial systolic and diastolic velocities at the basal RV segment (RVSm, RVEm, RVAm & RVEm/Am). Serum ferritin level was measured in beta-Th patients who were divided accordingly into two groups; G1 with serum ferritin > or =2,000 microg/L and G2 with serum ferritin < 2,000 microg/L. Compared to NL subjects, beta-Th patients had significantly higher RVEDD, RVESD & RVP, lower RVFS, higher Aa, and lower Ea/Aa at lateral and septal tricuspid annular sites, higher RVAm and lower RVEm/Am. Patients with higher serum ferritin level (G1) had higher RVP, higher RVEDD and RVESD, lower Sa at the lateral annular site and lower RVSm than patients in G2. High serum ferritin level was significantly associated with pulmonary hypertension. We concluded that patients with beta-Th have RV diastolic dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension is common, and the presence of RV systolic dysfunction in these patients is related to the higher level of serum ferritin. PMID- 17767529 TI - Effect of obesity on left ventricular structure and myocardial systolic function: assessment by tissue Doppler imaging and strain/strain rate imaging. AB - BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with heart failure, cardiovascular morbidity, and mortality. A direct effect of weight on left ventricle (LV) structure and myocardial function is not well-established. AIM: The aim of our study is to determine the effect of obesity on LV morphology and systolic function by using LV standard Doppler echocardiographic indices, myocardial Doppler imaging and strain/strain rate imaging indices. METHODS: We studied 33 obese and 34 age, sex adjusted control subjects who had no other pathological conditions. Standard transthoracic Doppler echocardiographical measurements, reconstructed spectral pulsed wave tissue Doppler velocities, strain and strain rate imaging of six different myocardial regions were obtained. Peak systolic velocity (SR), peak systolic strain (I), peak systolic strain rate (SR) for each region and as a global systolic longitidunal LV function mean of peak systolic strain of six myocardial regions (glsca) were compared. RESULTS: Age, body surface area, blood pressure, and heart rate were comparable between the two groups. Obese subjects had significantly increased LV end-diastolic volume, septal wall thickness, left atrial diameter, and decreased transmitral early to late diastolic velocity ratio. In obese subjects, reconstructed spectral pulsed-wave tissue Doppler analysis showed significantly decreased basal lateral peak systolic (Sm) velocity (6.68 +/- 1.89 vs. 8.08 +/- 2.50, P < 0.05), mid lateral Sm (5.01 +/- 2.17 vs. 6.78 +/- 3.22, P < 0.05). Differences in regional strain rate (mid septal SR, 1.45 +/- 0.23 vs. 1.63 +/- 0.18, P < 0.05), regional strain (basal septum I, 19.13 +/- 3.83 vs. 22.09 +/- 4.60, P < 0.05; mid-septum I, 18.03 +/- 2.91 vs. 20.25 +/- 4.77, P < 0.05; radial I, 27.50 +/- 7.32 vs. 35.53 +/- 9.48, P < 0.05), and global strain (glsca, 19.38 +/- 1.34 vs. 21.24 +/- 2.82, P < 0.05) were identified between obese and the referent subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is associated with morphologic alterations in left ventricle and left atrium and subclinical changes in left ventricle systolic function which can be detected by strain and strain rate imaging even without overt heart disease. PMID- 17767530 TI - The time interval from the initiation of the P-wave to the start of left atrial appendage ejection flow: does it reflect interatrial conduction time? AB - Recurrence of atrial fibrillation is more common in patients with atrial conduction delay. In the present study, we evaluated whether findings obtained from transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), a semi-invasive method, correlate with those from an invasive method, electrophysiologic study (EPS), in measuring interatrial conduction time. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared two methods of calculating interatrial conduction time in a group of 33 patients. The origin of the P-wave on the surface electrocardiogram (ECG) was taken as the onset of atrial activation. The time interval from this point to the commencement of the left atrial appendage ejection flow (P-LAA) was measured by TEE. Meanwhile, simultaneous recordings of the left atrial appendage were obtained with a catheter positioned in the LAA, and an invasive interatrial conduction time was measured from the origin of the surface's earliest P-wave (I-IACT). The mean I IACT (46.27 +/- 13.25 ms) correlated strongly with the mean P-LAA (49.91 +/- 12.72 ms; r = 0.839, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The interatrial conduction time can be estimated with a relatively noninvasive method using P-LAA measurements. This technique can be applied widely in predicting AF recurrence, and appropriate therapy may be applied. PMID- 17767531 TI - Systolic tissue velocity is a useful echocardiographic parameter in assessment of left atrial appendage function in patients with mitral stenosis. AB - BACKGROUND: The incidence of thromboembolism remains high in patients with mitral stenosis (MS). The left atrial appendage (LAA) is a potential site for development of thrombus and LAA dysfunction is an independent predictor of thromboembolism. The LAA dysfunction is represented by reduced LAA late emptying velocity. But the magnitude of LAA flow velocities is dependent on acute changes in loading conditions. AIM: To investigate the value of the LAA tissue velocities obtained by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in assessment of LAA function in MS patients with and without thromboembolic events. METHODS: The study population consisted of 98 isolated MS patients of 32 age and sex-matched healthy controls. All subjects underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). LAA late peak emptying (LAAEV) and filling (LAAFV) flow velocities were recorded. LAA peak late tissue systolic (LSV) and diastolic (LDV) tissue velocities by TDI were measured. The patients were divided into three groups as Group I (n = 38, sinus rhythm and LAAEV > or = 25 cm/s), Group II (n = 26, sinus rhythm and LAAEV < 25 cm/s), and Group III (n = 34, atrial fibrillation). RESULTS: Twenty-one patients had thromboembolic events. LAAEV, LAAFV, LSV, and LDV were significantly reduced in patients with embolic events. Spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) density was strongly negative correlated with LSV, whereas weakly negative correlated with LAAEV. Multivariate regression analysis showed that LSV and the presence of SEC were independently associated with embolic events. CONCLUSION: LSV seems more reliable and useful parameter in evaluating LAA function. LAA function is more depressed among patients with embolic events. PMID- 17767532 TI - Strain and strain rate imaging in evaluating left atrial appendage function by transesophageal echocardiography. AB - BACKGROUND: This study was planned to assess whether strain rate (Sr) and strain (S) echocardiography is a useful method for functional assessment of the left atrial appendage (LAA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-seven consecutive patients underwent a clinically indicated study. LAA late empty velocity (LAAEV) was calculated as a gold standard for left atrial appendage function. Real-time 2 dimensional color Doppler myocardial imaging data were recorded from the LAA at a high frame rate. Analysis was performed for LAA longitudinal strain rate and strain from midsegment of lateral wall of LAA. LAA strain determines regional lengthening expressed as a positive value or shortening expressed as a negative value. Peak systolic values were calculated from the extracted curve. RESULTS: Spearman correlation test results showed a statistically significant positive correlation was between the S, Sr variables and LAAEV (LAAEV vs S; r = 0.886, P < 0.001; LAAEV vs Sr: r = 0.897, P < 0.001, respectively). Strain and strain rate values were also significantly lower in patients with spontaneous echocardiographic contrast when compared with those without (strain; 2.42 +/- 0.98 vs 13.1 +/- 5.9, P < 0.001 and strain rate: 0.97 +/- 0.54 vs 3.34 +/- 1.15, P < 0.001, respectively). In addition, LAA strain and strain rate values were significantly lower in the patients with LAA thrombus (strain; 2.15 +/- 0.96 vs 8.35 +/- 6.9, P < 0.001, strain rate; 0.79 +/- 0.46 vs 2.30 +/- 1.48, P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: S and Sr imaging can be considered a robust technique for the assessment of the LAA systolic deformation. PMID- 17767533 TI - Elastic properties of the ascending aorta in patients with beta-thalassemia major. AB - BACKGROUND: Beta-thalassemia major (beta-TM) is a congenital hemolytic disorder characterized by impaired left ventricular and endothelial function. However, elastic properties of the aorta have not been sufficiently investigated in patients with beta-TM. We investigated whether beta-TM is related to impaired ascending aortic elastic properties. METHODS: We studied 36 patients with beta-TM (age: 15.8 +/- 2.6 years) and 30 age- and sex-matched control subjects by echocardiography. Aortic elastic indexes, aortic strain (%), distensibility (cm(2) dyn(-1) 10(-3)), and stiffness index were calculated from the echocardiographically derived thoracic aortic diameters (mm/m(2)), and the measurement of pulse pressure obtained by cuff sphygmomanometry. RESULTS: Patients versus control subjects had increased aortic diameters (P < 0.001), lower mean aortic strain (9 +/- 3.6 vs. 14.9 +/- 3.2, P < 0.001) and distensibility (0.6 +/- 0.36 vs. 0.8 +/- 0.2, P < 0.012), and higher mean stiffness index (5.3 +/- 2.4 vs. 2.8 +/- 0.6, P < 0.001). Aortic elastic indexes were significantly associated with ferritin level, while stiffness index was significantly related to platelet count. CONCLUSION: Elastic properties of ascending aorta are impaired in patients with beta-TM. Impaired functions of aorta may lead to deterioration of left ventricular function. PMID- 17767534 TI - Correlation between N-terminal pro B-natriuretic peptide and ultrasonic backscatter: implications for diastolic dysfunction in hypertension. AB - OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine how N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels correlate with cyclic variation of integrated backscatter (CVIBS) as a reflection of abnormal diastolic function in hypertension. PATIENTS: Forty essentially hypertensive patients were studied. CVIBS values were obtained from the septal wall in the parasternal long-axis view. Twelve had normal diastolic function, 18 had impaired relaxation, and 10 had pseudonormal pattern. RESULTS: Patients with normal diastolic function had a mean NT-proBNP concentration of 34 +/- 17 pg/ml and a mean CVIBS value of 7.1 +/- 0.9 dB; those with impaired relaxation had a mean NT-proBNP concentration of 71 +/- 25 pg/ml and a mean CVIBS value of 6.7 +/- 1.1 dB. Patients with pseudonormal pattern had the highest NT proBNP levels (206 +/- 75 pg/ml) and lowest CVIBS values (5.7 +/- 0.9 dB). An NT-proBNP value of 62 pg/ml had a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 91%; a CVIBS value of 7.2 dB had a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 66.7% for detecting diastolic dysfunction. An NT-proBNP value of 120 pg/ml had a sensitivity of 76% and a specificity of 96%; a CVIBS value of 6.1 dB had a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 75% for detecting severe diastolic dysfunction. A close correlation was found between the NT-proBNP and CVIBS values (r: 0.54, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Combinative use of NT-proBNP and CVIBS can detect the presence of diastolic abnormalities on echocardiography. A good correlation was found between the NT-proBNP and CVIBS values in detecting diastolic dysfunction in essentially hypertensive patients. PMID- 17767535 TI - Gender differences in chronotropic and hemodynamic responses during dobutamine atropine stress echocardiography. AB - AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of gender on chronotropic and hemodynamic response during dobutamine stress echocardiography with early injection of atropine (EA-DSE). METHODS: From January 2000 to June 2003, we retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent EA-DSE for known or suspected coronary artery disease. We studied 494 patients, 243 men and 251 women, who were not under beta-blocker or calcium channel-blocker therapy (Group A) and 326 patients, 157 men and 169 women, using these medications (Group B). Differences on chronotropic and hemodynamic responses during EA-DSE were assessed by gender in the two groups. Predictors of need for higher doses of dobutamine were determined by multivariate analysis. RESULTS: In Group A, higher proportion of women achieved test end points at the stage of 20 mcg/kg per minute. Dobutamine and atropine doses were lower in women than in men (29 +/- 5 versus 31 +/- 6 mcg/kg per minute; P = 0.001 and 0.61 +/- 0.32 versus 0.78 +/- 0.43 mg; P = 0.006). Cardiac chronotropism and systolic blood pressure response patterns differed by gender. In Group B, there was no difference in the proportion of patients who achieved test end points at each stage of dobutamine. The independent predictors of the need for higher doses of dobutamine in Group A were gender [Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.99, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.19-3.32; P = 0.008], age (OR = 0.91,CI = 0.89-0.93; P < 0.001), and baseline heart rate (OR = 0.95,CI = 0.93-0.98; P < 0.001). Independent predictors in the total population were age (OR = 0.92,CI = 0.90-0.94; P < 0.001), baseline heart rate (OR = 0.95,CI = 0.93-0.97; P < 0.001), and beta-blocker therapy (OR = 0.42,CI = 0.18-1.51; P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Gender has influence on heart rate and blood pressure response to the EA-DSE in patients without use of drugs with negative chronotropic effects. PMID- 17767536 TI - Risk stratification and prognosis in octogenarians undergoing stress echocardiographic study. AB - BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of stress echocardiography (SE) for the diagnosis and risk stratification of coronary artery disease in octogenarians is not well defined. METHODS: Follow-up of 5 years (mean 2.9 +/- 1.0 years) for confirmed nonfatal myocardial infarction (n = 17) and cardiac death (n = 37) was obtained in 335 patients, age > or =80 years (mean age 84 +/- 3 years, 44% male), undergoing SE (33% treadmill, 67% dobutamine). Left ventricular (LV) regional wall motion was assessed by a consensus of two echocardiographers and scored as per standard five-point scale, 16-segment model of wall motion analysis. Ischemic LV wall segment was defined as deterioration in the thickening and excursion during stress (increase in wall-motion score index (WMSI) > or =1). RESULTS: By univariate analysis, inducible ischemia (chi-square = 38.4, P < 0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction (chi-square = 41.2, P < 0.001), a history of previous myocardial infarction (chi-square = 22.3, P < 0.01), hypertension (chi square = 33, P < 0.01), and age (chi-square = 27.7, P < 0.01) were significant predictors of future cardiac events. WMSI, an index of inducible ischemia, provided incremental prognostic information when forced into a multivariable model where clinical and rest echocardiography variables were entered first. WMSI effectively stratified octogenarians into low- and high-risk groups (annualized event rates of 1.2 versus 5.8%/year, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Stress echocardiography yields incremental prognostic information in octogenarians and effectively stratifies them into low- and high-risk groups. Precise therapeutic decision making in very elderly patients should incorporate combined clinical and stress echocardiography data. PMID- 17767537 TI - Demonstration of left ventricular outflow tract eccentricity by real time 3D echocardiography: implications for the determination of aortic valve area. AB - BACKGROUND: Determination of the left ventricular outflow tract cross-sectional area (ALVOT) is necessary for calculating aortic valve area (AVA) by echocardiography using the continuity equation (CE). In the commonly applied form of CE, pir(2) is used to estimate ALVOT utilizing the assumptions that LVOT is round and the parasternal long axis (PLAX) plane bisects LVOT. Imaging LVOT using real time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) eliminates the need for these assumptions. We tested the hypothesis that LVOT is round based on a formula for eccentricity. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 53 patients, 2D echocardiography (2DE) and RT3DE were acquired. ALVOT was calculated by 2DE using pir(2) (ALVOT-2D). Using RT3DE, ALVOT planimetry was performed immediately beneath the aortic valve (ALVOT-3Dplan). Eccentricity Index (EI) was calculated using the shortest and longest LVOT diameters. The long axis was measured to be larger by 0.53 cm +/- 0.36 (P < 0.005). The median EI was 0.20 (0.00-0.54), indicating that half the subjects had at least a 20% difference between the major and minor diameters. ALVOT-3Dplan was larger than ALVOT-2D (3.73 +/- 0.95 cm(2) vs. 3.18 +/- 0.73 cm(2); P < 0.001) by paired analysis. Using the equation of an ellipse (piab), ALVOT-3Dellip was 3.57 +/- 0.95 resulting in improved agreement with ALVOT-3Dplan. CONCLUSIONS: In our small patient sample with normal aortic valves, we showed the LVOT shape is usually not round and frequently, elliptical. Incorrectly assuming a round LVOT underestimated the ALVOT-3Dplan and consequently the AVA by 15%. Investigating the LVOT in aortic stenosis is warranted to evaluate whether RT3DE may improve measurement of AVA. PMID- 17767538 TI - Paradoxical symptomatic air embolism after saline contrast transesophageal echocardiography. AB - We describe one case of paradoxical air embolism after contrast transesophageal echocardiography realized to detect a patent foramen ovale. At the end of this procedure, the patient presented a left lateral homonymous hemianopsia attributed to air embolism. Total recovery was obtained after one therapeutic recompression. PMID- 17767539 TI - Cardiac herniation and volvulus with acquired dextrocardia: echocardiographic diagnosis. AB - We report an extremely rare cause of elevated jugular venous pulse where two esoteric causes for the same-cardiac volvulus and cardiac herniation have occurred together. Echocardiographic evidence for making the diagnosis of cardiac volvulus--subcostal long axis, subcostal short axis, and suprasternal views--have been presented. Awareness of this complication is necessary as immediate intervention is mandatory for a positive outcome. PMID- 17767540 TI - Superior vena cava, right pulmonary artery or both: real time two- and three dimensional transthoracic contrast echocardiographic identification of the echo free space posterior to the ascending aorta. AB - We describe the usefulness of contrast echocardiography and live/real time three dimensional transthoracic echocardiography in characterizing the normal structures imaged posterior to the proximal ascending aorta as superior vena cava, right pulmonary artery, or both. PMID- 17767541 TI - "Good-old" transthoracic echo: tracking aortic dissection from top to bottom. PMID- 17767542 TI - Persistent left superior vena cava imaged by volume-rendering 3D reconstruction multislice computed tomography. PMID- 17767543 TI - Utility of identification of the falciform ligament in the echocardiography laboratory. PMID- 17767544 TI - A case of primary cardiac lymphoma: analysis of the role of echocardiography in early diagnosis. AB - Primary Cardiac Lymphoma (PCL) is defined as a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma involving only the heart and/or pericardium. Diagnosis of this rare disease is particularly difficult due to its nonspecific clinical manifestations. In this review the role of echocardiography in the early diagnosis of PCL is assessed, moreover we report an improvement in the outcome of PCL related to increased availability and utilization of echocardiography. PMID- 17767545 TI - Variable regional left ventricular dysfunction in takotsubo cardiomyopathy syndrome. PMID- 17767547 TI - The immunoinformatics of cancer immunotherapy. AB - We review here the developments in the field of immunoinformatics and their present and potential applications to the immunotherapeutic treatment of cancer. Antigen presentation plays a central role in the immune response, and as a result in immunotherapeutic methods such as adoptive T-cell transfer and antitumor vaccination. We therefore extensively review the current technologies of antigen presentation prediction, including the next generation predictors, which combine proteasomal processing, transporter associated with antigen processing and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-binding prediction. Minor histocompatibility antigens are also relevant targets for immunotherapy, and we review the current systems available, SNEP and SiPep. Here, antigen presentation plays a key role, but additional types of data are also incorporated, such as single nucleotide polymorphism data and tissue/cell-type expression data. Current systems are not capable of handling the concept of immunodominance, which is critical to immunotherapy, but efforts have been made to model general aspects of the immune system. Although tough challenges lie ahead, when measuring the field of immunoinformatics on its contributions thus far, one can expect fruitful developments in the future. PMID- 17767548 TI - Concordant expression of proto-oncogene promyelocytic leukemia and major histocompatibility antigen HLA class I in human hepatocellular carcinoma. AB - Many malignant cancer cells downregulate human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigen expression to evade T cell recognition. However, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is exceptional to the general findings in cancer cells, and the mechanisms for its upregulation remain unclear. It has been reported that promyelocytic leukemia (PML) proto-oncogene controls the transcription of multiple class I antigen presentation genes in murine cancer cells. To find out the functional role of PML gene on the increased HLA class I antigen expression in HCC cells, we analyzed the expression of proto-oncogene PML and multiple class I antigen presentation genes in HCC specimens obtained in China. The results showed concordant changes of proto-oncogene PML and cell surface HLA-A expression in 44 paraffin-embedded HCC tissues. Furthermore, co-upregulated expression of PML genes and class I antigen presentation genes could be detected in 9 of 15 fresh HCC tissues by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In addition, studies using HCC cell lines showed that increased expression of HLA class I molecules paralleled with PML upregulation were detected in QGY-7701 HCC cell line with RT-PCR, western blot, and flow cytometry, and that the overexpression of exogenous PML in a low-expression class I cell line BEL-7405 could induce the expression of multiple class I antigen-presenting molecule genes and slightly but significantly increase the expression of cell surface HLA class I molecules. In conclusion, the expression of proto-oncogene PML and HLA class I molecules were concordantly upregulated and the expression of PML gene might be one of the mechanisms that leads to the increased expression of class I antigen in HCC. PMID- 17767549 TI - Predisposition to HPV16/18-related cervical cancer because of proline homozygosity at codon 72 of p53 among Indian women is influenced by HLA-B*07 and homozygosity of HLA-DQB1*03. AB - This study was undertaken to examine whether predisposition to human papillomavirus (HPV)16/18-related cervical cancer (CaCx) because of p53 proline homozygosity (Pro72Pro) among Indian women was mediated singly or jointly with immunogenetic risk factors such as HLA-B*07 or homozygosity of HLA-DQB1*03. Molecular detection of all three genetic factors was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism using DNA from (i) 114 CaCx samples (78 HPV16/18 positive) and (ii) 195 cytologically normal cervical scrapes (116 HPV-negative and 79 HPV16/18-positive samples). Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine independent effects of the three factors and to determine age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] and P-values. HLA-B*07 was observed to be significantly associated with HPV16/18 infection in asymptomatic controls (OR(age-adjusted) = 4.73; 95% CI: 1.55-14.45; P = 0.006) and CaCx (OR(age-adjusted) = 6.14; 95% CI: 2.15-17.53; P < 0.001) in this enhanced sample set of CaCx cases. There was a lack of association between HLA-B*07 and HLA-DQB1*03 in our study samples. The association of p53Pro72Pro with CaCx was non-significant in the absence of HLA-B*07 in HPV16/18 positive women. In this group, prevalence of p53Pro72Pro and HLA-B*07 together was significantly higher (7.0%) among CaCx cases (OR(age-adjusted) = 14.05; 95% CI: 1.11-177.30; P = 0.04), compared with controls (1.3%) lacking both factors. HLA-DQB1*03 homozygosity (OR(age-adjusted) = 4.75; 95% CI: 1.17-19.30; P = 0.03) or p53Pro72Pro (OR(age-adjusted) = 5.84; 95% CI: 1.18-28.99; P = 0.03) was found to be significantly associated with CaCx, each in the absence of the other in this group but not when present jointly in contrast to those lacking both factors (P = 0.214). Thus, modulation of p53Pro72Pro-mediated susceptibility to CaCx by immunogenetic factors could possibly be mediated through cross talk between HPV16/18-induced immune evasion and cell transformation. PMID- 17767550 TI - Elevated MCP-1 serum levels are associated with the H63D mutation and not the C282Y mutation in hereditary hemochromatosis. AB - Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a major lymphocyte and inflammatory chemokine associated with persistent inflammatory states. Several abnormalities in the immune status of patients with hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) have been reported, suggesting an imbalance in their immune function. This may include persistent production of, or exposure to, inflammatory cytokines contributing to the pathogenesis of this disorder. The aim of this study was to assess MCP-1 levels in patients with HH and correlate these results with HFE status and iron indexes. One hundred and thirty-nine subjects diagnosed with HH (C282Y homozygotes = 87, C282Y/H63D = 26 heterozygotes, H63D homozygotes = 26), 27 healthy control subjects with no HFE mutation (N/N), and 18 normal subjects heterozygous for the H63D mutation served as age- and sex-matched controls. Ferritin and transferrin saturation and the presence of HFE mutation status were correlated with MCP-1 levels. Full white blood cell count analysis was also performed. We found a strongly significant decrease in MCP-1 protein levels in the C282Y homozygotes compared with the H63D homozygotes (P = 0.0009) and C282Y/H63D heterozygotes (P = 0.002). Similarly, MCP-1 protein levels in the C282Y homozygotes were decreased compared with the healthy controls (P = 0.00076). Furthermore, MCP-1 serum levels were elevated in H63D patients compared with the healthy controls (P = 0.0008). This study suggests for the first time that a differential expression of MCP-1 protein in patients with HH is associated with the specific HFE genetic component for iron overload. Therefore, these findings offer a possible explanation in the variable clinical spectrum of pathogenesis in patients with HH through abnormalities of an imbalance in the immune states of patients with HH. PMID- 17767551 TI - HLA class I and class II frequencies in patients with sarcoidosis from Croatia: role of HLA-B8, -DRB1*0301, and -DQB1*0201 haplotype in clinical variations of the disease. AB - Sarcoidosis is an immune-mediated, multiorgan, granulomatous disease triggered by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Numerous studies have reported about an association of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles with sarcoidosis, with variation of alleles in different ethnic groups. Therefore, we investigated 142 Croatian sarcoidosis patients treated at the University Hospital for Lung Diseases Jordanovac, Zagreb, Croatia. Diagnosis was based on the presence of typical clinical features, chest X-ray findings and biopsy evidence of granuloma. Patients and control subjects (n = 190) were typed for HLA class I antigens by serology, while for HLA class II, they were tested by the polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) method. Results indicated that HLA-B8, -DRB1*0301, and -DQB1*0201 positive patients have a significantly higher risk of acute onset of the disease (AOD), radiological stage I erythema nodosum (EN), Lofgren's syndrome, no-medicament therapy, and pulmonary sarcoidosis. On the other hand, the group of non-treated patients (corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressive) showed a significantly lower presence of HLA-B15 antigen in comparison to controls and treated patients (P = 0.0490 and P = 0.0379, respectively) and for DRB1*04 specificity (P = 0.0078 and P = 0.0065, respectively). In the group of patients with AOD, those who were positive for DRB1*16 specificity have a statistically significant chance to develop EN, as opposed to those who are positive for DRB1*15 specificity. PMID- 17767552 TI - Association of CD94/NKG2A, CD94/NKG2C, and its ligand HLA-E polymorphisms with Behcet's disease. AB - Inhibitory CD94/NKG2A and activating CD94/NKG2C receptors are expressed on natural killer, CD4, and CD8 T cells and recognize human leukocyte antigen (HLA) E, resulting in the modulation of cytotoxic activity and cytokine production. An imbalance in cytotoxic activity and cytokine production has been implicated in Behcet's disease (BD). The results of this study showed that the NKG2A c.-4258*C, c.338-90*G, and CD94 c.-134*T alleles (P= 0.015, OR = 0.8; P < 0.0001, OR = 0.5; and P= 0.034, OR = 0.8, respectively) were associated with decreased risk and that NKG2A c.284-67_-62del, c.1077*C, and the activating receptor, NKG2C c.305*T were not associated with 345 patients with BD. But a significant difference in NKG2C c.305*T was detected among BD patients with ocular lesions and arthritis (P < 0.0001, OR = 2.1 and P= 0.0001, OR = 1.8, respectively). We already showed in our previous research that HLA-E*0101 also appears to contribute to a reduction in risk through the inhibitory CD94/NKG2A-mediated immune response. This result led us to the analyses of the combined risk of the HLA-E and the NKG2A for BD. Individuals harboring HLA-E*0101, NKG2A c.-4258*C, and c.338-90*G evidenced a reduced risk of BD compared with healthy controls (21.1% vs 40.1%, P < 0.0001, OR = 0.4). By way of contrast, individuals without the HLA-E*0101, NKG2A c.-4258*C, and c.338-90*G alleles evidenced a twofold increased risk of BD (P= 0.014, OR = 2.0). Individuals without HLA-E*0101, NKG2A c.-4258*G/*G, and c.338-90*G evidenced a 4.8-fold increase in BD risk (P= 0.0002, OR = 4.8). Although the effects of these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) remain unclear, our results indicate that the SNPs of the inhibitory receptor CD94/NKG2A and its haplotypes, as well as its ligand HLA-E, are associated with BD immune systems. PMID- 17767553 TI - Interleukin-18 promoter polymorphism in patients with atopic asthma. AB - Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease in which interleukin-18 (IL-18) plays an important role. However, there are controversial reports on IL-18 promoter polymorphism as an independent marker of asthma susceptibility. The aim of the present study was to examine the IL-18 promoter polymorphism in patients with allergic asthma. Two hundred and thirty-one patients with allergic asthma from a Polish population diagnosed according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)/WHO guidelines were examined. An allele-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to analyse polymorphisms at positions -137 and -607 in the promoter region of the IL-18 gene. Neither in the -607 C>A nor in the -137 G>C promoter polymorphism were there any differences observed between the total group of asthmatic patients and the controls in the frequencies of genotypes, alleles, diplotypes or haplotypes. In patients with severe asthma, the -607 CC and -137 GG genotypes were observed significantly more frequently (P = 0.03 for both), whereas in patients with mild and moderate asthma, the -137 CC genotype was more prevalent than in the former group. The strongest difference between mild to moderate and severe asthma was observed in -137 allele frequencies (P = 0.006). The results of the present study suggest that the -137 G allele and the C-G/C-G diplotype seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of the severe form of asthma. PMID- 17767554 TI - Characterization of a new HLA-B allele, HLA-B*5312, and re-evaluation of the published sequences of the untranslated regions of HLA-B*35 and HLA-B*53. AB - We report a novel human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B allele, HLA-B*5312. Compared with HLA-B*530101, there is one silent substitution at nucleotide 438 and two non synonymous substitutions at nucleotides 431 and 440, causing a change of the amino acid sequence (Asn-->Ser at codon 77 and Ile-->Thr at codon 80, respectively) within the Bw4 epitope. In contrast to the published sequences (IMGT/HLA Database, version 2.16.0, January 2007), we found that HLA-B*530101 had a C instead of a T at nucleotide -221, whereas HLA-B*350101 had a C instead of an A at nucleotide 2992. According to our sequencing results, HLA-B*5312 resembles HLA-B*350101 regarding its sequence of the untranslated regions. HLA-B*5312 may have been the result of a double crossing over event during which HLA-B*350101 adopted a Bw4 motif. PMID- 17767555 TI - Genetic analyses of celiac disease in a Spanish population confirm association with CELIAC3 but not with CELIAC4. AB - Genetic predisposition to celiac disease (CD) is determined primarily by the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes (CELIAC1 region; 6p21), although many loci are involved in disease susceptibility. First, we have analysed a large series of CD patients from the Spanish Mediterranean region who had previously been characterised for the HLA complex. We have investigated how relevant regions contribute to CD susceptibility: CELIAC3 (CD28/CTLA4/ICOS region on 2q33) and CELIAC4 (19p13) as well as the tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and the linfotoxin loci by case-control and association analyses. We highlight the association with the +49*A allele of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 locus (P = 0.01), and the -308*A of TNF-alpha locus (P = 0.0008) in DQ2 individuals, although an independent role for TNF-alpha as risk factor has not been proven. Moreover, we do not confirm the association with the CELIAC4 region polymorphisms described in other populations. PMID- 17767556 TI - Absence of the HLA-G*0105N allele in Amerindian populations from the Brazilian Amazon Region: a possible role of natural selection. AB - The human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) null allele (G*0105N) is defined by a DeltaC deletion at exon 3. Its high frequency in populations from areas with high pathogen loads and the putative role of HLA-G in placental development suggest that the reduced G1 expression in G*0105N heterozygous placentas may improve the intrauterine defense against infections. The G*0105N allele frequencies were evaluated in 143 Amerindians from six isolated tribes that inhabit the Central Amazon to determine the existence of genotype frequencies that suggest balancing selection in favor of G*0105N heterozygotes. No copy of the null allele was found by exon 3 sequencing. Although this finding may be because of demographic or other selective factors, it also suggests no evidence of G*0105N heterozygous advantage. PMID- 17767557 TI - The nature of diversity of HLA-DRB1 exon 3. AB - Exon 3 of DRB1 is known to be polymorphic, but thought to be conserved within allelic groups. This implies that exon 3 polymorphisms would not need to be considered in evolutionary studies or clinical settings when assessing immunogenicity of allelic mismatches in stem cell transplantation. To further assess this, we determined the sequences of DRB1 exon 3 by hemizygote amplification and direct sequencing on 55 selected DNA samples containing 42 DRB1 alleles for which no exon 3 sequence data were previously available. The data confirmed the high degree of overall sequence conservation. The DRB4- and DRB5 associated alleles were completely conserved within their DRB1 groups. However, it could be shown that exon 3 is more diverse than previously expected. Multiple allelic differences within each group of DRB3-associated DRB1 alleles were found, without identifying unique group-related sequence motifs differentiating between these groups. For DRB1*1402 and DRB1*1406, it could be shown that they originated from DRB1*0302. In several samples previously typed as DRB1*1401, a novel DRB1 allele was identified: DRB1*1454. Thus, from a clinical viewpoint, the availability of exon 3 sequence information may be useful for optimizing typing as well as matching strategies. Additionally, it will allow for more detailed evolutionary studies, further elucidating the origin of alleles and the mechanisms driving sequence diversification. PMID- 17767558 TI - Bioinformatic integration of biomechanics makes HLA sequencing universally applicable. AB - Sequencing provides the most reliable and accurate information of the sequence of a gene and is therefore of particular interest for fully characterizing the genetic complexity and allelic diversity of human leukocyte antigens (HLA) genes. This complexity makes sequencing the method of choice for HLA low- and high resolution typing. However, sequencing is considered a complex process, which requires the management of an overwhelming amount of data. However, only sequencing can be used as a sole typing technique without the need of supplementation by other typing techniques; it offers additional advantages by providing results in electronic formats and by being fully automatable. This makes sequencing the best candidate for bioinformatic and biomechanic integration to maintain the benefits and discard the drawbacks. We have, therefore, developed robotic platforms and a bioinformatic tool allowing complete documentation, interpretation and processing of all amplification and sequencing steps as well as the full integration of all instruments involved. It was shown that this integrative approach allows sequencing to run fully automated for low- and high resolution typing on each throughput level desired. This integration of robotics and software secures the traceability of each specimen at each step of the process and minimizes the risk of contamination and sample mix-up. PMID- 17767559 TI - HLA-A*020115 and HLA-Cw*030203 show new synonymous mutations in exon 4. AB - Two novel human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles, A*020115 and Cw*030203, were completely characterized by sequencing-based typing. Both present synonymous new HLA polymorphisms at exon 4. A*020115 shows a single nucleotide change regarding A*02010101 at codon 245 GCG > GCC). In contrast, Cw*030203 differs from Cw*030202 in a point mutation at codon 271 (ACC > ACT). PMID- 17767560 TI - HLA-B*0749N: the first HLA-B*07 null allele. AB - In the present article, we report the identification of the first HLA-B*07 null allele found in a Polish patient awaiting a kidney allograft. A discrepant result obtained between serological typing (HLA-B "blank") and high-resolution molecular typing using PCR-SSP method (HLA-B*070201 allele) suggested the presence of a null allele. Genomic DNA sequencing of the HLA-B*07 allele revealed a single nucleotide substitution at the 3' end of the exon 4 leading to a premature stop codon. PMID- 17767561 TI - Description of a new HLA-B allele: HLA-B*4077. AB - HLA-B*4077 differs from B*400101, B*4036, and B*401401 in five, four, and three nucleotides, respectively. However, amino acid alignment would indicate a closer relationship with B*4036 allele, showing a single amino acid replacement at codon 131 (R>S). PMID- 17767562 TI - A novel HLA-B*46 allele, B*4609, identified by sequence-based typing in a Chinese donor. AB - A novel human leukocyte antigen-B allele, B*4609, has been identified. The B*4609 allele has one nucleotide change from the closest matching allele B*460101 resulting in an amino acid change from E (GAG) to V (GTG) at codon 176. PMID- 17767563 TI - Identification of two new HLA-B alleles, HLA-B*4069 and B*5409, in the Liaoning province of China. AB - Two new human leukocyte antigen-B alleles, B*4069 and B*5409, were identified in China. PMID- 17767564 TI - A novel HLA-C allele, Cw*0119, isolated from the Han Chinese. AB - A novel HLA-C allele, Cw*0119, which was identified from an individual of the Han Chinese, differs from Cw*010201 at codon 76 (AGC-->TGC) and codon 178 (CTG- >CCG). PMID- 17767565 TI - Identification of a novel HLA-DRB1*14 allele, HLA-DRB1*1458, by sequence-based typing. AB - Identification of a novel HLA-DRB1*1458 allele within a Caucasian individual using sequence-based typing. PMID- 17767566 TI - A novel HLA-G allele, HLA-G*010111, in the Brazilian population. AB - The human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) gene plays an important role in pregnancy and is related to negative signals for natural killer cells and T lymphocytes. Herein a new HLA-G allele (HLA-G*010111) is described in the Brazilian population -one of the most heterogeneous populations in the world. The new allele is associated with the 14-bp deletion at exon 8 and is similar to the HLA-G*01010105 allele, except for a C to G transversion at codon 117 in exon 3. PMID- 17767567 TI - An apparent KIR2DS2-negative KIR2DL2-positive genotype discloses the novel allele KIR2DS2*00104. AB - KIR2DS2*00104 lacks a distinctive synonymous substitution of KIR2DS2 in nucleotide 418 that affects KIR genotyping. PMID- 17767568 TI - Nomenclature for factors of the HLA system, update June 2007. PMID- 17767570 TI - Magnetic resonance imaging in animal models of epilepsy-noninvasive detection of structural alterations. AB - Small animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has opened a window through which brain abnormalities can be observed over time in rodents noninvasively. We review MRI studies done during epileptogenesis triggered by status epilepticus in rat. Most of these studies have used quantitative T2, diffusion, and/or volumetric MRI. The goal has been to identify the distribution and severity of structural lesions during the epileptogenic process, that is, soon after status epilepticus, during epileptogenesis, and after the appearance of spontaneous seizures. Data obtained demonstrate that MRI can be used to associate the development of brain pathology with the evolution of clinical phenotype. MRI can also be used to select animals to preclinical studies based on the severity and/or distribution of brain damage, thus making the study population more homogeneous, for example, for assessment of novel antiepileptogenic or neuroprotective treatments. Importantly, follow-up data collected emphasize interindividual differences in the dynamics of development of abnormalities that could have remained undetected in a typical histologic analysis providing a snapshot to brain pathology. A great future challenge is to take advantage of interanimal variability in MRI in the development of surrogate markers for epilepsy or its comorbidities such as memory impairment. Understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying changes in various MRI techniques will help to better understand complex progressive pathological processes associated with epileptogenesis and epilepsy. PMID- 17767571 TI - Magnetic resonance imaging of functional anatomy: use for small animal epilepsy models. AB - Neuroimaging has greatly assisted the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. Volumetric analysis, diffusion-weighted imaging, and other magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modalities provide a clear picture of altered anatomical structures in both focal and nonfocal disease. More recently, advances in novel imaging methodologies have provided unique insights into this disease. Two examples include manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). MEMRI involves injection of MnCl(2) to evaluate neuronal activity where it is actively transported. Areas of neuronal hyperactivity are expected to have altered uptake and transport. Mapping of activation along preferential uptake pathways can be confirmed by T(1)-weighted imaging. DTI uses the intrinsic preferential mobility of water movement along axonal pathways to map anatomical regions. DTI has been used to investigate white matter disease and is now being applied to clinical and, to a lesser extent, animal investigations of seizure disorders. These two diverse MRI methods can be applied to animal models to provide important information about the functional status of anatomical regions that may be altered by epilepsy. PMID- 17767572 TI - Functional MRI studies of animal models in epilepsy. AB - Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become a widely used imaging modality in the past decade in both human studies and animal models. Epilepsy presents unique challenges for neuroimaging due to subject movement during seizures, and the need to correlate the timing of often unpredictable seizure events with fMRI data acquisition. These challenges can readily be overcome in animal models of epilepsy. Animal models also provide an opportunity to investigate the fundamental relationships between fMRI signals and brain electrical activity through invasive studies not possible in humans. fMRI studies in animal models of epilepsy can enable us to correctly interpret fMRI signal increases and decreases in human studies, ultimately elucidating specific networks that will be targeted for improved treatment of epilepsy. PMID- 17767573 TI - Quantitative approaches to functional MRI: applications in epilepsy. AB - The application of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to elucidation of seizures and epilepsy has been built primarily upon a framework derived from cortical responses to periodic sensory (and cognitive) stimuli. This analytical approach relies upon assumptions that may be less applicable to the problem of seizure origination. Because of the heterogeneous and complex nature of seizures, a number of quantitative methodologies have been derived to understand fMRI changes that are associated with epileptiform neural activity. Separated broadly, these can be divided into those making some set of assumptions about the form of the MRI signal response to neural activation (the general linear model), and those that are data driven. It is likely that a combination of methodologies, where data driven methods are "informed" by knowledge of the underlying neurobiological process will provide the greatest insight into the underlying neurobiological basis of seizure origination. PMID- 17767574 TI - EEG monitoring during functional MRI in animal models. AB - Despite its excellent temporal resolution, electroencephalogram (EEG) has poor spatial resolution to study the participation of different brain areas in epileptic discharges, and the propagation of seizures to subcortical areas is not revealed. Furthermore, EEG provides no information about metabolic changes that occur in the brain before and during the epileptic discharges. Thus, monitoring variations in blood flow and oxygenation in response to epileptic discharges can provide additional complementary information. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology can be used to study the hemodynamic changes associated with interictal epileptiform discharges or epileptic seizures (i.e., before, during or after them) in experimental animal models and may noninvasively monitor these changes over time. Blood oxygenation level-dependent fMRI has superior spatial resolution compared with other functional imaging modalities and utilizes changes in local magnetic field properties to measure the amount of deoxyhemoglobin in each brain areas as an indicator of brain activity. Simultaneous recording of EEG and fMRI is required to achieve this objective. This article describes methods of acquiring and monitoring EEG during fMRI studies in experimental animals. Particular attention will be paid to methods used to eliminate artifacts induced in the acquired magnetic resonance images by EEG equipment and MR-related artifacts in EEG recordings. PMID- 17767575 TI - Magnetic resonance spectroscopy in animal models of epilepsy. AB - The noninvasive localization of the epileptogenic zone continues to be a challenge in many patients that present as candidates for possible epilepsy surgery. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques provide accurate anatomical definition, but despite their high resolution, these techniques fail to visualize the pathological neocortical and hippocampal changes in a sizable number of patients with focal pathologies. Further, visualized lesions on MRI may not all produce seizures. One of the keys to the understanding of the epileptogenic zone lies in the recognition of the metabolic alterations that occur in the setting of epileptic seizures. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a valuable tool that can be used to study the metabolic changes seen in both acute and chronic animal models of epilepsy. Such study allows for the identification of epileptic tissue with high sensitivity and specificity. We present here a review of the use of MRS in animal models of epilepsy. PMID- 17767576 TI - Positron Emission Tomography in basic epilepsy research: a view of the epileptic brain. AB - The neurobiological processes that result in epilepsy, known as epileptogenesis, are incompletely understood. Moreover, there is currently no therapy that effectively halts or impedes the development or progression of the condition. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) provides valuable information about the function of the brain in vivo, and is playing a central role in both clinical practice and research. This technique reliably reveals functional abnormalities in many epilepsy syndromes, particularly temporal lobe epilepsy. Unfortunately, epileptogenesis is extremely difficult to study in human patients who usually present with established epilepsy, rather than at the early stages of the process. Animal models offer the advantage of permitting the assessment of the pre-, developing, and chronic epileptic states. However, traditional techniques (e.g., histology) are only able to examine the brain at one time point during epileptogenesis in any one individual. Recent advances in dedicated small animal PET (saPET) allow researchers for the first time to study in vivo biomolecular changes in the brain during epileptogenesis by means of serial acquisitions in the same animal. Repeated application of in vivo imaging modalities in the same animal also decreases the effect of biological inter-individual variability and the number of animals to be used. The availability of novel PET tracers permits the investigation of a broad range of biochemical and physiological processes in the brain. Besides research on epileptogenesis, saPET can also be applied to investigate in vivo the biological effect of novel treatment strategies. saPET is widely used in many fields of pathophysiological investigation and is likely to significantly enhance epilepsy research. PMID- 17767577 TI - Imaging of intrinsic optical signals in primate cortex during epileptiform activity. AB - Localized increases in neuronal activity are known to alter the distribution and oxygen content of blood within the surrounding brain tissue. In the neocortex, these activity-evoked hemodynamic changes are predominantly mediated through the dilation of the microscopic pial arterioles that lie on the surface of the brain, nearest to the site of activation. Since hemoglobin absorbs light throughout the visible and near-infrared spectrum, optical microscopy combined with computer imaging techniques can be used to map the patterns of hemodynamic changes associated with neuronal activity. Examples of optical imaging data are provided here to demonstrate four points. First, depending on the optical wavelength chosen for illumination of the cortex, different spatial and temporal patterns of optical changes are elicited by similar stimuli yielding distinctly different types of physiological information. Second, by selecting the appropriate wavelengths, it is possible to generate maps from optical-imaging data that represent changes predominately due to either blood volume (at 535 nm) or blood oxygenation (at 660 nm). Third, "negative" optical signals are negative only relative to a given optical wavelength, and appear to be associated with more intense types of neuronal activation. Fourth, optical imaging is a useful technique for studying neocortical seizure activity in animal models, with the caveat that species-specific differences in cortical size and vascularization patterns may be important to consider in the interpretation of optical imaging data. PMID- 17767579 TI - Application of coregistration for imaging of animal models of epilepsy. AB - The past decade has seen a surge in the utilization of small animal imaging for epilepsy research. In vivo imaging studies have the potential to provide important insights into the structural and functional correlates of the development and progression of epilepsy in these models. However, the small size of the rodent brain means that anatomic resolution is often relatively poor for many imaging modalities, particularly those providing functional information such as positron emission tomography. Coregistration of these images with those of higher structural resolution, such as MRI, provides an attractive approach to this problem, and also allows correlations between structural and functional imaging data. Image coregistration is commonly utilized in clinical research and practice. However, its application for small animal images has been, to date, relatively under utilized and largely unvalidated. The current review aims to provide an overview of image coregistration methods, particularly for MRI and PET, and their application to imaging of small animal models of epilepsy. Methodological advantages and potential traps are highlighted. PMID- 17767578 TI - Multimodal, multidimensional models of mouse brain. AB - Naturally occurring mutants and genetically manipulated strains of mice are widely used to model a variety of human diseases. Atlases are an invaluable aid in understanding the impact of such manipulations by providing a standard for comparison and to facilitate the integration of anatomic, genetic, and physiologic observations from multiple subjects and experiments. We have developed digital atlases of the C57BL/6J mouse brain (adult and neonate) as comprehensive frameworks for storing and accessing the myriad types of information about the mouse brain. Along with raw and annotated images, these contain database management systems and a set of tools for comparing information from different techniques and different animals. Each atlas establishes a canonical representation of the mouse brain and provides the tools for the manipulation and analysis of new data. We describe both these atlases and discuss how they may be put to use in organizing and analyzing data from mouse models of epilepsy. PMID- 17767580 TI - Abstracts of the 72nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. PMID- 17767581 TI - The role of natural enemies in the expression and evolution of mixed mating in hermaphroditic plants and animals. AB - Although a large portion of plant and animal species exhibit intermediate levels of outcrossing, the factors that maintain this wealth of variation are not well understood. Natural enemies are one relatively understudied ecological factor that may influence the evolutionary stability of mixed mating. In this paper, we aim for a conceptual unification of the role of enemies in mating system expression and evolution in both hermaphroditic animals and plants. We review current theory and detail the potential effects of enemies on fundamental mating system parameters. In doing so, we identify situations in which consideration of enemies alters expectations about the stability of mixed mating. Generally, we find that inclusion of the enemy dimension may broaden conditions in which mixed mating systems are evolutionarily stable. Finally, we highlight avenues ripe for future theoretical and empirical work that will advance our understanding of enemies in the expression and evolution of mixed mating in their hosts/victims, including examination of feedback cycles between victims and enemies and quantification of mating system-related parameters in victim populations in the presence and absence of enemies. PMID- 17767582 TI - Ecological speciation in Gambusia fishes. AB - Although theory indicates that natural selection can facilitate speciation as a by-product, demonstrating ongoing speciation via this by-product mechanism in nature has proven difficult. We examined morphological, molecular, and behavioral data to investigate ecology's role in incipient speciation for a post-Pleistocene radiation of Bahamas mosquitofish (Gambusia hubbsi) inhabiting blue holes. We show that adaptation to divergent predator regimes is driving ecological speciation as a by-product. Divergence in body shape, coupled with assortative mating for body shape, produces reproductive isolation that is twice as strong between populations inhabiting different predator regimes than between populations that evolved in similar ecological environments. Gathering analogous data on reproductive isolation at the interspecific level in the genus, we find that this mechanism of speciation may have been historically prevalent in Gambusia. These results suggest that speciation in nature can result as a by product of divergence in ecologically important traits, producing interspecific patterns that persist long after speciation events have completed. PMID- 17767583 TI - A phylogenetic hot spot for evolutionary novelty in Middle American treefrogs. AB - Among the various types of evolutionary changes in morphology, the origin of novel structures may be the most rare and intriguing. Here we show statistically that the origins of different novel structures may be correlated and phylogenetically clustered into "hot spots" of evolutionary novelty, in a case study involving skull elements in treefrogs. We reconstruct phylogenetic relationships within a clade of Middle American treefrogs based on data from 10 nuclear and four mitochondrial genes and then analyze morphological evolution across this tree. New cranial elements are rare among anurans and tetrapods in general, but three novel elements have evolved within this clade, with a 40% increase in the number of skull roof elements in some species. Two of these elements also evolved in a related clade of treefrogs, and these two novel elements may have each evolved repeatedly within one or both clades. The molecular phylogeny suggests striking homoplasy in cranial morphology and shows that parsimony and Bayesian analyses of the morphological data have produced misleading results with strong statistical support. The origins of the novel elements are associated with an overall increase in the ossification of dermal skull roof elements (suggesting peramorphosis) and with the evolution of a novel adaptive behavior. Our study may be the first to statistically document significant phylogenetic clustering and correlation in the origins of novel structures, and to demonstrate the strongly misleading effects of peramorphosis on phylogenetic analysis. PMID- 17767584 TI - Geological and climatic forces driving speciation in the continentally distributed trilling chorus frogs (Pseudacris). AB - Tertiary geological events and Quaternary climatic fluctuations have been proposed as important factors of speciation in the North American flora and fauna. Few studies, however, have rigorously tested hypotheses regarding the specific factors driving divergence of taxa. Here, we test explicit speciation hypotheses by correlating geologic events with divergence times among species in the continentally distributed trilling chorus frogs (Pseudacris). In particular, we ask whether marine inundation of the Mississippi Embayment, uplift of the Appalachian Mountains, or modification of the ancient Teays-Mahomet River system contributed to speciation. To examine the plausibility of ancient rivers causing divergence, we tested whether modern river systems inhibit gene flow. Additionally, we compared the effects of Quaternary climatic factors (glaciation and aridification) on levels of genetic variation. Divergence time estimates using penalized likelihood and coalescent approaches indicate that the major lineages of chorus frogs diversified during the Tertiary, and also exclude Quaternary climate change as a factor in speciation of chorus frogs. We show the first evidence that inundation of the Mississippi Embayment contributed to speciation. We reject the hypotheses that Cenozoic uplift of the Appalachians and that diversion of the Teays-Mahomet River contributed to speciation in this clade. We find that by reducing gene flow, rivers have the potential to cause divergence of lineages. Finally, we demonstrate that populations in areas affected by Quaternary glaciation and aridification have reduced levels of genetic variation compared to those from more equable regions, suggesting recent colonization. PMID- 17767585 TI - Toward a better understanding of the "Transverse Range break": lineage diversification in southern California. AB - The Transverse Ranges in southern California have been identified as having a prominent phylogeographic role. Numerous studies have identified distinct north south and/or east-west lineage breaks involving the Transverse Ranges. However, in evaluating their findings, most authors have regarded this complex system somewhat simplistically. In this study we more deeply investigate these breaks using two approaches: first we examine the phylogeographic history of Sepedophilus castaneus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) and then implement a comparative phylogeography approach applying Brooks parsimony analysis to the topologies of nine additional taxa. Phylogenetic analysis, nested clade analysis, and AMOVAs for S. castaneus agree that there is a major lineage break between the eastern and western Transverse Ranges, localized between the Sierra Pelona and the San Gabriel Mountains. The comparative phylogeographic analysis supports a generally strong concordance of area relationships with geographic proximity. It is notable, however, that the Transverse Ranges as a group do not show phylogenetic cohesion, but rather they are split into three main regions: an eastern region (San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto Mountains), a central region (central Transverse Ranges and Sierra Pelona) that is often grouped with the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada populations, and a western region (northwestern Transverse Ranges and Santa Ynez Mountains) that is consistently grouped with coast range areas to the north. The lineage break between east and west Transverse Ranges is attributable to the presence of a marine embayment in what is now the Santa Clara River valley 5-2.5 million years ago. PMID- 17767586 TI - Coevolution between Hispaniolan crossbills and pine: does more time allow for greater phenotypic escalation at lower latitude? AB - Crossbills (Aves: Loxia) and several conifers have coevolved in predator-prey arms races over the last 10,000 years. However, the extent to which coevolutionary arms races have contributed to the adaptive radiation of crossbills or to any other adaptive radiation is largely unknown. Here we extend our previous studies of geographically structured coevolution by considering a crossbill-conifer interaction that has persisted for a much longer time period and involves a conifer with more variable annual seed production. We examined geographic variation in the cone and seed traits of two sister species of pines, Pinus occidentalis and P. cubensis, on the islands of Hispaniola and Cuba, respectively. We also compared the Hispaniolan crossbill (Loxia megaplaga) to its sister taxa the North American white-winged crossbill (Loxia leucoptera leucoptera). The Hispaniolan crossbill is endemic to Hispaniola whereas Cuba lacks crossbills. In addition and in contrast to previous studies, the variation in selection experienced by these pines due to crossbills is not confounded by the occurrence of selection by tree squirrels (Tamiasciurus and Sciurus). As predicted if P. occidentalis has evolved defenses in response to selection exerted by crossbills, cones of P. occidentalis have scales that are 53% thicker than those of P. cubensis. Cones of P. occidentalis, but not P. cubensis, also have well-developed spines, a known defense against vertebrate seed predators. Consistent with patterns of divergence seen in crossbills coevolving locally with other conifers, the Hispaniolan crossbill has evolved a bill that is 25% deeper than the white-winged crossbill. Together with phylogenetic analyses, our results suggest that predator-prey coevolution between Hispaniolan crossbills and P. occidentalis over approximately 600,000 years has caused substantial morphological evolution in both the crossbill and pine. This also indicates that cone crop fluctuations do not prevent crossbills and conifers from coevolving. Furthermore, because the traits at the phenotypic interface of the interaction apparently remain the same over at least several hundred thousand years, divergence as a result of coevolution is greater at lower latitude where crossbill-conifer interactions have been less interrupted by Pleistocene events. PMID- 17767587 TI - Clinal variation in MHC diversity with temperature: evidence for the role of host pathogen interaction on local adaptation in Atlantic salmon. AB - In vertebrates, variability at genes of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) represents an important adaptation for pathogen resistance, whereby high allelic diversity confers resistance to a greater number of pathogens. Pathogens can maintain diversifying selection pressure on their host's immune system that can vary in intensity based on pathogen richness, pathogen virulence, and length of the cohabitation period, which tend to increase with temperature. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that genetic diversity of MHC increases with temperature along a latitudinal gradient in response to pathogen selective pressure in the wild. A total of 1549 Atlantic salmon from 34 rivers were sampled between 46 degrees N and 58 degrees N in Eastern Canada. The results supported our working hypothesis. In contrast to the overall pattern observed at microsatellites, MHC class II allelic diversity increased with temperature, thus creating a latitudinal gradient. The observed temperature gradient was more pronounced for MHC amino acids of the peptide-binding region (PBR), a region that specifically binds to pathogens, than for the non-PBR. For the subset of rivers analyzed for bacterial diversity, MHC amino acid diversity of the PBR also increased significantly with bacterial diversity in each river. A comparison of the relative influence of temperature and bacterial diversity revealed that the latter could have a predominant role on MHC PBR variability. However, temperature was also identified as an important selective agent maintaining MHC diversity in the wild. Based on the bacteria results and given the putative role of temperature in shaping large-scale patterns of pathogen diversity and virulence, bacterial diversity is a plausible selection mechanism explaining the observed association between temperature and MHC variability. Therefore, we propose that genetic diversity at MHC class II represents local adaptation to cope with pathogen diversity in rivers associated with different thermal regimes. This study illuminates the link between selection pressure from the environment, host immune adaptation, and the large-scale genetic population structure for a nonmodel vertebrate in the wild. PMID- 17767588 TI - The importance of initial protection of conspicuous mutants for the coevolution of defense and aposematic signaling of the defense: a modeling study. AB - Most models of the evolution of aposematic signaling assume (1) that the secondary defense being signaled is fixed, and (2) that conspicuous mutants arising in a population of defended individuals of cryptic appearance are initially protected from predation. Previous models of ours relaxed the first assumption, here we relax the second and compare with our earlier work to explore the consequences of initial protection from predation on the coevolution of secondary defense and aposematic signaling. As expected, we find that aposematic signaling evolves more easily if initial protection is available. Less obviously, the coevolved level of secondary defense should also be higher if initial protection is provided. Across species or populations, we predict that when initial protection occurs, then strength of aposematic signal should be correlated with the strength of the underlying secondary defense, whereas no such correlation should occur without initial protection. Finally, we demonstrate that species can invest heavily in a secondary defense and remain maximally cryptic (forgoing the advantages of aposematic signaling) and that within a species we should expect strong variation in appearance between populations but much less variation within populations. Hence, we demonstrate that whether conspicuous morphs receive initial protection from predation has powerful and potentially empirically detectible consequences for the coevolution of secondary defenses and aposematic signaling. PMID- 17767589 TI - Nonuniform processes of chromosome evolution in sedges (Carex: Cyperaceae). AB - Holocentric chromosomes-chromosomes that lack localized centromeres-occur in numerous unrelated clades of insects, flatworms, and angiosperms. Chromosome number changes in such organisms often result from fission and fusion events rather than polyploidy. In this study, I test the hypothesis that chromosome number evolves according to a uniform process in Carex section Ovales (Cyperaceae), the largest New World section of an angiosperm genus renowned for its chromosomal variability and species richness. I evaluate alternative models of chromosome evolution that allow for shifts in both stochastic and deterministic evolutionary processes and that quantify the rate of evolution and heritability/phylogenetic dependence of chromosome number. Estimates of Ornstein Uhlenbeck model parameters and tree-scaling parameters in a generalized least squares framework demonstrate that (1) chromosome numbers evolve rapidly toward clade-specific stationary distributions that cannot be explained by constant variance (Brownian motion) evolutionary models, (2) chromosome evolution in the section is rapid and exhibits little phylogenetic inertia, and (3) explaining the phylogenetic pattern of chromosome numbers in the section entails inferring a shift in evolutionary dynamics at the root of a derived clade. The finding that chromosome evolution is not a uniform process in sedges provides a novel example of karyotypic orthoselection in an organism with holocentric chromosomes. PMID- 17767590 TI - Burning phylogenies: fire, molecular evolutionary rates, and diversification. AB - Mediterranean-type ecosystems are among the most remarkable plant biodiversity "hot spots" on the earth, and fire has traditionally been invoked as one of the evolutionary forces explaining this exceptional diversity. In these ecosystems, adult plants of some species are able to survive after fire (resprouters), whereas in other species fire kills the adults and populations are only maintained by an effective post-fire recruitment (seeders). Seeders tend to have shorter generation times than resprouters, particularly under short fire return intervals, thus potentially increasing their molecular evolutionary rates and, ultimately, their diversification. We explored whether seeder lineages actually have higher rates of molecular evolution and diversification than resprouters. Molecular evolutionary rates in different DNA regions were compared in 45 phylogenetically paired congeneric taxa from fire-prone Mediterranean-type ecosystems with contrasting seeder and resprouter life histories. Differential diversification was analyzed with both topological and chronological approaches in five genera (Banksia, Daviesia, Lachnaea, Leucadendron, and Thamnochortus) from two fire-prone regions (Australia and South Africa). We found that seeders had neither higher molecular rates nor higher diversification than resprouters. Such lack of differences in molecular rates between seeders and resprouters-which did not agree with theoretical predictions-may occur if (1) the timing of the switch from seeding to resprouting (or vice versa) occurs near the branch tip, so that most of the branch length evolves under the opposite life-history form; (2) resprouters suffer more somatic mutations and therefore counterbalancing the replication-induced mutations of seeders; and (3) the rate of mutations is not related to shorter generation times because plants do not undergo determinate germ-line replication. The absence of differential diversification is to be expected if seeders and resprouters do not differ from each other in their molecular evolutionary rate, which is the fuel for speciation. Although other factors such as the formation of isolated populations may trigger diversification, we can conclude that fire acting as a throttle for diversification is by no means the rule in fire-prone ecosystems. PMID- 17767591 TI - The importance of clutch characteristics and learning for antiparasite adaptations in hosts of avian brood parasites. AB - There is considerable variation in rejection rates of parasitic eggs among hosts of avian brood parasites. In this article, we develop a model that can be used to predict host egg rejection behavior in brood parasite-host systems in general, by considering both intra- and interclutch variation in host egg appearance; clutch characteristics that may be important in calculating the fitness of individuals adopting rejecter or acceptor strategies. In addition, we consider the importance of learning the appearance of own eggs during the first breeding attempt and host probability of survival between breeding seasons on evolution of rejection behavior. Based on this model we can predict at which level of parasitism fitness of rejecter individuals is higher than that of acceptor individuals and vice versa. The model analyses show that variation in egg appearance can be a key factor for the evolution of host defense against parasitism. In more detail, analyses show that we should expect to find a prolonged learning period only in hosts that have a high intraclutch variation in egg appearance, because such hosts may potentially experience high costs in terms of recognition errors. Furthermore, learning is in general more adaptive in parasite-host systems in which hosts do have some reproductive success even when parasitized, and when parasitism rates are moderate. By including variables that have not been considered in previous models, our model represents a useful tool in investigations of host rejection behavior in various host-parasite systems. PMID- 17767592 TI - Natural selection in populations subject to a migration load. AB - Migration tends to oppose the effects of divergent natural selection among populations. Numerous theoretical and empirical studies have demonstrated that this migration-selection balance constrains genetic divergence among populations. In contrast, relatively few studies have examined immigration's effects on fitness and natural selection within recipient populations. By constraining local adaptation, migration can lead to reduced fitness, known as a "migration load," which in turn causes persistent natural selection. We develop a simple two-island model of migration-selection balance that, although very general, also reflects the natural history of Timema cristinae walking-stick insects that inhabit two host plant species that favor different cryptic color patterns. We derive theoretical predictions about how migration rates affect the level of maladaptation within populations (measured as the frequency of less-cryptic color pattern morphs), which in turn determines the selection differential (the within generation morph frequency change). Using data on color morph frequencies from 25 natural populations, we confirm previous results showing that maladaptation is higher in populations receiving more immigrants. We then present novel evidence that this increased maladaptation leads to larger selection differentials, consistent with our model. Our results provide comparative evidence that immigration elevates the variance in fitness, which in turn leads to larger selection differentials, consistent with Fisher's Theorem of Natural Selection. However, we also find evidence that recurrent adult migration between parapatric populations may tend to obscure the effects of selection. PMID- 17767593 TI - Spontaneous emergence of a new Wolbachia phenotype. AB - Wolbachia are among the most widespread symbionts on the earth. They spread within populations by various means of manipulating host reproduction, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), male-killing (MK), parthenogenesis, and feminization. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that Wolbachia have the potential to undergo rapid evolutionary change in phenotype, for example, from CI to MK, although such analyses do not reveal the rate at which such transitions occur, nor the nature of the intermediate phenotypes. Here I show that a transition from CI to MK can occur almost instantaneously on an evolutionary time scale. A Wolbachia strain that causes CI in its natural host, Drosophila recens, was introgressed to its sister species D. subquinaria via the natural processes of hybridization and backcrossing. In some strains of D. subquinaria, infection with this Wolbachia strain caused essentially complete MK, resulting in all-female broods, whereas in other strains, there was no effect on offspring sex ratio. Crosses within and between D. subquinaria and D. recens revealed that resistance to MK is dominant, autosomal, multigenic, and dependent on zygotic, not maternal, genotype. MK in D. subquinaria is unusual in that the male offspring of infected females die during the larval stage, not as embryos. These findings suggest that MK and CI may share a similar underlying molecular basis. PMID- 17767594 TI - Assortative mating in poison-dart frogs based on an ecologically important trait. AB - The origin of new species can be influenced by both deterministic and stochastic factors. Mate choice and natural selection may be important deterministic causes of speciation (as opposed to the essentially stochastic factors of geographic isolation and genetic drift). Theoretical models predict that speciation is more likely when mate choice depends on an ecologically important trait that is subject to divergent natural selection, although many authors have considered such mating/ecology pleiotropy, or "magic-traits" to be unlikely. However, phenotypic signals are important in both mate choice and ecological processes such as avoiding predation. In chemically defended species, it may be that the phenotypic characteristics influencing mate choice are the same signals being used to transmit a warning to potential predators, although few studies have demonstrated this in wild populations. We tested for assortative mating between two color morphs of the Strawberry Poison-Dart Frog, Dendrobates pumilio, a group with striking geographic variation in aposematic color patterns. We found that females significantly prefer individuals of their own morph under two different light treatments, indicating strong assortative mating based on multiple coloration cues that are also important ecological signals. This study provides a rare example of one phenotypic trait affecting both ecological viability and nonrandom mating, indicating that mating/ecology pleiotropy is plausible in wild populations, particularly for organisms that are aposematically colored and visually orienting. PMID- 17767595 TI - The significance of multiple mating in the social wasp Vespula maculifrons. AB - The evolution of the complex societies displayed by social insects depended partly on high relatedness among interacting group members. Therefore, behaviors that depress group relatedness, such as multiple mating by reproductive females (polyandry), are unexpected in social insects. Nevertheless, the queens of several social insect species mate multiply, suggesting that polyandry provides some benefits that counteract the costs. However, few studies have obtained evidence for links between rates of polyandry and fitness in naturally occurring social insect populations. We investigated if polyandry was beneficial in the social wasp Vespula maculifrons. We used genetic markers to estimate queen mate number in V. maculifrons colonies and assessed colony fitness by counting the number of cells that colonies produced. Our results indicated that queen mate number was directly, strongly, and significantly correlated with the number of queen cells produced by colonies. Because V. maculifrons queens are necessarily reared in queen cells, our results demonstrate that high levels of polyandry are associated with colonies capable of producing many new queens. These data are consistent with the explanation that polyandry is adaptive in V. maculifrons because it provides a fitness advantage to queens. Our research may provide a rare example of an association between polyandry and fitness in a natural social insect population and help explain why queens in this taxon mate multiply. PMID- 17767596 TI - Viral epizootic reveals inbreeding depression in a habitually inbreeding mammal. AB - Inbreeding is typically detrimental to fitness. However, some animal populations are reported to inbreed without incurring inbreeding depression, ostensibly due to past "purging" of deleterious alleles. Challenging this is the position that purging can, at best, only adapt a population to a particular environment; novel selective regimes will always uncover additional inbreeding load. We consider this in a prominent test case: the eusocial naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), one of the most inbred of all free-living mammals. We investigated factors affecting mortality in a population of naked mole-rats struck by a spontaneous, lethal coronavirus outbreak. In a multivariate model, inbreeding coefficient strongly predicted mortality, with closely inbred mole-rats (F> or = 0.25) over 300% more likely to die than their outbred counterparts. We demonstrate that, contrary to common assertions, strong inbreeding depression is evident in this species. Our results suggest that loss of genetic diversity through inbreeding may render populations vulnerable to local extinction from emerging infectious diseases even when other inbreeding depression symptoms are absent. PMID- 17767597 TI - Rhinosinusitis and associated disorders in children: an introduction. PMID- 17767598 TI - New insights into pediatric rhinosinusitis. AB - Rhinosinusitis is a common children's disease. Most cases are acute, follow an episode of common cold, and are the consequence of a superimposed bacterial infection. If mild, they are characterized by the persistence of signs and symptoms of upper respiratory tract disease for more than 10 days; if severe, they involve fever and a purulent nasal discharge, and can cause a substantial decline in general health. Recurrent acute or chronic cases are usually diagnosed in children with predisposing factors, such as recurrent respiratory tract infections, allergic rhinitis, cystic fibrosis, immunodeficiency, ciliary dyskinesia, anatomic abnormalities or reflux. Therapy is based on antibiotics, administered orally in mild, and intravenously in severe cases. On the basis of recently highlighted antibiotic resistances and the possibility of spontaneous resolution, experts agree in considering amoxicillin the drug of choice for mild cases, and an antibiotic capable of overcoming all possible resistance for severe cases. PMID- 17767599 TI - Inflammation of paranasal sinuses: the clinical pattern is age-dependent. AB - Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) represents a common disorder, associated with consistent morbidity as well as with a large prescription of antibiotics. ARS has a significant impact on clinical practice; it usually presents with respiratory complaints persisting longer than 10 days and showing no signs of improvement. Throughout the evaluation of 256 pediatric patients (152 males and 135 females, aged between 2 and 15 yr), with ARS confirmed by nasal endoscopy, we have been able to provide evidence that age has a significant influence on clinical patterns in children with ARS. PMID- 17767600 TI - The child with recurrent respiratory infections: normal or not? AB - Respiratory infections (RI) are one of the major complaints in children and adolescents, and represent a demanding challenge for the pediatrician. It has been estimated that at least 6% of Italian children younger than 6 yr of age present recurrent respiratory infections (RRI). Children with RRI are not affected by severe alterations of the immune system. RRI represent essentially the consequence of an increased exposure to infectious agents during the first years of life, when immune functions are still largely immature. Several social and environmental factors, such as day-care attendance, family size, air pollution, parental smoking, and home dampness, represent important risk factors for airway diseases and may contribute in various degrees to determine the incidence of RRI. The main problem for the pediatrician is to discriminate normal children with high RI frequency related to an augmented exposure to environmental risk factors from children affected by other underlying pathological conditions (immunological or not), predisposing to infectious diseases. When RRI diagnosis has been formulated, removal of environmental risk factors (i.e. precocious day care attendance, smoking in the household) must first be suggested. PMID- 17767601 TI - Chronic rhinosinusitis and allergy. AB - The role of allergic sensitization in chronic sinusitis in childhood is currently unclear, as contrasting results were reported in the studies thus far available. In fact, some surveys found prevalence of atopy up to 60% in subjects with chronic sinusitis, while other failed to confirm any association between the two conditions. The data we obtained in a cross-sectional study on a large population of children should help in better defining such issue. Among 2200 children referring for evaluation of chronic respiratory symptoms, subjects satisfying at least two of major criteria for the definition of chronic sinusitis were recruited, and underwent to allergen sensitization workup by skin prick test with common inhalant allergens and total IgE measurement. Patients were stratified according to age lower than 3 years (group 1), age between 3 and 6 years (group 2), and age above 6 years (group 3). In all, 351 children (217 boys, 134 girls, mean age 5.23+/-2.11 years, range 1.5-15 years) were available for evaluation and formed three groups (27 in group 1, 261 in group 2 and 63 in group 3). Prevalence of both sensitization to at least one inhalant allergen by skin test and of high total IgE was 29.9%, with significant difference for the former across age groups, with a value of 7.4% in group 1, 31.4% in group 2 and 33.3% in group 3 (p=0.028), but after adjusting for age, sinusitis and aeroallergen sensitization were not significantly correlated. The difference across groups for high total IgE did not reach statistical significance, with respective prevalence of 22.7%, 30.1% and 32.1%. It is possible to conclude that the prevalence of sensitization to aeroallergens in children with chronic sinusitis is comparable with that of the general paediatric population, as assessed in the Italian arm of the ISAAC study and this does not account for routine investigation for allergy in children with chronic sinusitis. PMID- 17767602 TI - Chronic and recurrent cough, sinusitis and asthma. Much ado about nothing. AB - Respiratory infections are the main causes of chronic or recurrent cough in children. Children present 3.8-8 infective episodes per year with cough lasting, on average, 1-3 wk and 10% will still have cough after 4 wk. There is evidence of over-treatment of cough with antibiotics, anti-asthmatic drugs (in Italy) and symptomatic treatments, all with insufficient evidence of efficacy. The relation between sinusitis, asthma and isolated cough is possibly overemphasized. Cough is a symptom of sinusitis, but one can rarely expect isolated persistent or recurrent cough as the only symptom. The issue of chronic cough as the only sign of asthma has been extensively investigated. Recent literature established that the majority of children with isolated cough do not have asthma in terms of both absence of signs of typical asthma inflammation and response to steroid treatment. This unconfirmed hypothesis has unfortunately often resulted in a misunderstood use of inhaled steroids as 'symptomatic' treatment. Our aim should be to avoid unnecessary medicalization and lessen anxiety not by simply prescribing, but by spending time in evaluating patients and explaining to parents what are mostly physiological events, which should resolve spontaneously over time. PMID- 17767603 TI - Difficult asthma: possible association with rhinosinusitis. AB - Difficult asthma is rare in childhood; when child's asthma is difficult to control, review of the diagnosis and evaluation of the different risk factors for exacerbations are recommended. The relationship between rhinosinusitis and bronchial asthma is provided by epidemiologic data. Doubts persist as to whether rhinosinusitis worsens asthma, or whether these are manifestations in different parts of the respiratory tract of the same underlying disease process. However, nasal sinus disease may contribute to less control in asthma, and patients with severe asthma appear to have the most prominent abnormalities on computed tomography scanning of the paranasal sinuses. From a pathogenetic point of view, many inflammatory mediators and the cellular infiltrate are often the same in the two entities, with a relevant role probably played by eosinophils. Antibiotic treatment of chronic sinus disease in asthmatic children may improve subjective asthmatic symptoms, lung function, and decrease bronchial hyperreactivity. Scientific evidence confirms that there may be an association between asthma and sinusitis even in childhood asthma: this could be relevant for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. PMID- 17767604 TI - Exhaled nitric oxide in children with asthma and sinusitis. AB - Exhaled nitric oxide (FE(NO)) is a surrogate marker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. The measurement of this gas can be easily performed in children and the result is immediately available. Because of these characteristics, measurement of FE(NO) is slowly becoming part of the routine clinical evaluation of an asthmatic patient. FE(NO) measurement may have a role both in the diagnosis of asthma and as a guide in therapy algorithms. For example when FE(NO) levels are persistently normal and the asthmatic child is asymptomatic, the steroid therapy may be decreased or even stopped. In patients with acute or chronic rhinosinusitis the levels of nasal nitric oxide (nNO) are significantly decreased, while they rise up after a course of antibiotics. The measurement of nasal NO has been proposed as a functional test to evaluate sinus ventilation. Nasal NO is significantly reduced also in primary ciliary dyskinesia and can be used as a screening tool to identify patients affected by this condition. PMID- 17767605 TI - Paranasal sinuses and middle ear infections: what do they have in common? AB - Otitis media and sinusitis are among the most common pediatric diseases and they share common features. Although the anatomy, physiology and disease processes are not identical, knowledge of the pathophysiology of middle ear disorders often provides to the pediatrician a useful understanding of sinus diseases. The same risk factors identified for otitis media may play a pivotal role in the development of sinusitis. Moreover, as both paranasal sinuses and middle ear acquire respiratory pathogens from nasopharynx, acute sinusitis is usually caused by the same bacterial pathogens that cause acute otitis media, with a major role for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis, while anaerobes may predominate in chronic disease. A responsibility of bacterial biofilms in chronic sinusitis, similarly to otitis media, has been recently suggested. Biofilms, three-dimensional aggregates of bacteria, are refractory to antibiotics and thus might explain why some patients improve while on antibiotics but relapse after completion of therapy. PMID- 17767606 TI - Sinusitis and Eustachian tube dysfunction in children. AB - Because of its anatomic and functional connections, middle ear disorders frequently occur in sinusitis. Its prevalence, however, is likely to be underestimated. We evaluated the prevalence of Eustachian tube dysfunction in children with chronic sinusitis, in a large group of patients with chronic respiratory symptoms and its possible relationship with respiratory allergy. From a population of 1810 children with respiratory symptoms referred to our Pediatric Allergy Center, subjects with chronic sinusitis diagnosed by clinical criteria were selected. The children underwent testing of Eustachian tube function by tympanometry and of allergy by skin tests with common environmental allergens. Patients were divided into three groups according to age: group 1, <3 yr; group 2, between 3 and 6 yr, group 3, older than 6 yr. Overall 402 children (22.2%) had clinical diagnosis of chronic sinusitis according to the established criteria. Thirty-three patients were in group 1, 299 in group 2, and 70 in group 3. Altered middle ear pressure was found in 69.1% of patients, with a significantly higher rate of altered tympanograms in younger children (p=0.001). A positive skin-prick test was found in 29.8% of children, with a significantly higher rate of positivity in older children (p=0.015). The decrease in the rate of Eustachian tube dysfunction with age is likely to be associated with the anatomic development of the upper airways, while the presence of atopy does not seem to play a role in their occurrence. PMID- 17767607 TI - Rhinitis, rhinosinusitis and quality of life in children. AB - Quality of life (QoL) or, rather, health-related QoL, is currently regarded as a crucial aspect of the general well-being of patients and, in consequence, of the effects of a disease and its treatment. This is particularly true for respiratory allergy (asthma and rhinitis), which are chronic diseases and also for sinusitis (rhinosinusitis). A number of questionnaires (instruments), either generic or specific, have been developed and validated to assess the QoL in adults and children, for asthma and rhinitis, whereas there are few specific instruments for chronic rhinosinusitis. The literature provides strong evidence of the effects of allergic rhinitis, asthma and their treatments on QoL in paediatric patients, as well as in adults, whereas the number of experimental data on rhinosinusitis is limited, especially in children. Clinical trials evidenced some controversial points, mainly the weak correlation existing between QoL and traditional objective parameters. It has become clear that the QoL questionnaires measure the aspects of the disease that partially differ from the routinely evaluated parameters and that QoL should integrate, not replace, the objective measurements. PMID- 17767608 TI - Imaging techniques in the diagnosis and management of rhinosinusitis in children. AB - Sinusitis in children is a common problem. The diagnosis of both acute and chronic rhinosinusitis in the pediatric population, should be made first of all clinically, and not on the basis of imaging findings alone. Plain radiography may be used as a screening method for various pathological conditions of sinuses, but computed tomography (CT) remains the study of choice for the imaging evaluation of acute and chronic rhinosinusitis. In acute sinusitis, CT is indicated in patients with symptoms persisting after 10 days of appropriate therapy and in patients with suspected complications (especially in the brain and in the orbit). In addition to CT scanning, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the sinuses, orbits, and brain should be performed whenever extensive or multiple complications of sinusitis are suspected. In chronic sinusitis, CT scanning is the 'gold standard' for the diagnosis and the management, because it also provides an anatomic road map, when surgery is required. Nuclear medicine studies and ultrasound are rarely indicated in acute and chronic rhinosinusitis. PMID- 17767609 TI - Cytology in the diagnosis of rhinosinusitis. AB - Nasal cytology is a diagnostic tool currently used in rhinology, with the aim of assessing cell changes in the nasal epithelium exposed to irritant or inflammatory agents. Its rationale is based on the knowledge that nasal mucosa of healthy individuals is constituted by four cytotypes (ciliata, mucipara, striata, and basalis) and does not show other cells except, rarely, neutrophils and, very rarely, bacteria. In this view, the detection of a given cell type different from these is a sign of possible pathology. The advantage and the diffusion of nasal cytology were increased by a number of factors such as the easiness of performance, the non-invasiveness allowing repetition (which is often needed in the efficacy monitoring of medical or surgical treatment of nasal diseases), and the low cost. This makes nasal cytology particularly feasible for application in children. The cytological feature characterizing infectious inflammation is the presence of abundant bacteria, which may be found in extracellular tissue and also inside neutrophils as a result of phagocytosis. In such clinical condition it is important to monitor the disease with cytological controls to verify the significant decrease, or the disappearance of inflammatory cells, which indicates the resolution of the pathology. PMID- 17767610 TI - From clinical practice to guidelines: how to recognize rhinosinusitis in children. AB - Rhinosinusitis is a common childhood respiratory infection. Children have approximately six to eight viral infections of the upper respiratory tract each year, 5-13% of which may be complicated by a secondary bacterial infection of the paranasal sinuses. The diagnosis of acute bacterial rhinosinusitis in children is established by the persistence of purulent nasal or post-nasal draining lasting at least 10 days, especially if accompanied by supporting symptoms and signs, at which point antibiotic treatment has to be recommended. Appropriate antibacterial therapy should also be recommended if the draining has been present for less time, but is concomitantly associated with significant fever and localized signs of sinus inflammation in a child who appears ill. Imaging studies are not necessary to confirm the diagnosis of clinical rhinosinusitis for the purposes of treatment, but should be reserved for cases in which the diagnosis is in doubt or a complication is suspected, and for patients with recurrent or chronic rhinosinusitis. Under these circumstances, computed tomography is the preferred evaluation. Together with their clinical judgment, these suggestions may be useful for pediatricians in diagnosing this common condition. PMID- 17767611 TI - Systemic treatment of rhinosinusitis in children. AB - Systemic acute rhinosinusitis therapy consists mostly of antibiotic treatment because pathogens play a major role. Amoxicillin is the drug of choice for treatment of acute rhinosinusitis, with second- and third- generation cephalosporins, azythromycin, clarithromycin, and telithromycin as possible options, especially in the case of allergy to amoxicillin. If the clinical course suggests that an anaerobic pathogen is more likely, clindamycin or metronidazole can be considered in combination with a broad-spectrum drug. In antimicrobial treatment of chronic sinusitis there is no consensus on treatment length, organism coverage, or which antibiotics are most effective because the bacteriology is variable with polymicrobial anaerobic and aerobic organisms present. Adjuvant therapies need to be proven by additional studies. Chronic rhinosinusitis is heterogeneous and treatment should vary according to the causative factor involved. Short courses of systemic steroids have been found very useful to decrease mucosal swelling and inflammation in chronic rhinosinusitis. However, no randomized controlled studies have been performed to validate their efficacy in children. A variety of other agents are used in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis including antihistamines, decongestants, and leukotriene modifiers. To date, there is no good evidence from randomized controlled studies to support the use of any of these agents in the treatment of this disease in either children or adults. PMID- 17767612 TI - Topical treatment of rhinosinusitis. AB - We reviewed current clinical evidence for the use of topical treatments in pediatric rhinosinusitis. Repeated Entrez PubMed searches were done using the template algorithm [rhinosinusitis AND (...)] with the settings: [Humans; English; All Child 0-18; Clinical trial; Last 10 yr] for the following comparators: steroid, irrigation, saline, antihistamine, decongestant, antibiotic, antimycotic, fungicide. The authors' clinical experience in the pediatric allergy unit of a university hospital was also drawn upon. Pediatric studies were retrieved but only one satisfied current evidence-based medicine standards for reporting clinical trials. Studies could not be systematized because of methodological, analytical, and interpretation biases. While saline irrigation, nasal decongestants, steroids, antibiotics, antihistamines and fungicides are all in widespread pediatric use, comparing studies from the literature for evidence of efficacy implied subjective appraisal, except in the case of topical steroids. Evidence for the efficacy of topical treatment for pediatric rhinosinusitis is narrative albeit this modality cannot be excluded from individualized patient protocols on the basis of the clinical literature alone. With the exception of topical steroids, no weighable evidence of effectiveness supports the premise that topical treatments actually serve the purpose for which they are widely prescribed in pediatrics. PMID- 17767613 TI - Rhinosinusitis in children: the role of surgery. AB - Indications and nature of surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) have yet to be elucidated in children. After review of the literature and based on their experience, the authors suggest guidelines for the treatment of CRS in children. They suggest grouping children with rhinosinusitis into two groups: those with complicated acute rhinosinusitis and those with CRS. For the first group, the authors suggest an early surgical intervention because of the potential serious consequences and sometimes irreversible damage. For the second group, most agree that maximal medical management should be the first line of treatment with antibiotics, nasal lavage and as a last resort surgery. It is important to realize that surgery should be considered in these cases if medical treatment fails. Once surgery is recommended, the kind of surgery then becomes an issue between adenoidectomy, endoscopic sinus surgery or a combination of the two depending on the age and other conditions. PMID- 17767614 TI - Rhinosinusitis: prevention strategies. AB - Risk factors of recurrent sinusitis involve upper respiratory infections, bacterial load of the adenoids, day care attendance and exposure to tobacco smoke as well as sinonasal abnormalities, including septal deviation, choanal atresia, polyps and hypoplasia of sinuses. Furthermore, several systemic disorders can facilitate the development of chronic sinusitis, such as allergic rhinitis, gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GER), cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia, and immunodeficiency diseases. A clinical practice guideline for the management of sinusitis is available only for the acute disease, but does not include for the management of the chronic form (i.e. chronic/recurrent sinusitis) and even less for the prevention strategies. As several studies indicate that the majority of children respond to sequential medical followed by surgical interventions, when needed, the best prevention of recurrence or chronicity is to properly treat acute sinusitis; in addition, children should be removed from larger and crowded day care whenever possible and should not be exposed to cigarette smoke. If allergic rhinitis co-exists, it can be managed with nasal steroids sprays and anti-histamines, although the long-term results are controversial. In case of chronic sinusitis, the strategy of prevention is to assess and to cure the associated conditions. PMID- 17767619 TI - The global burden of youth diabetes: perspectives and potential. PMID- 17767625 TI - Use of nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs in preterm, term neonates and infants: analgesia by consensus? PMID- 17767626 TI - Evidence based medicine methods (part 1): the basics. AB - Evidence based medicine (EBM) is a potent patient centered clinical learning strategy. EBM facilitates efficient robust decision making on an individual patient basis. It provides the framework and tools to rapidly and effectively find answers to specific clinical questions and educate others. At the core of EBM is clinical judgement. This is the ability to combine clinical experience and expertise with the best available evidence in the literature to answer a specific pediatric anesthesia question. PMID- 17767627 TI - Clonidine disposition in children; a population analysis. AB - BACKGROUND: There are few data describing clonidine population pharmacokinetics in children (0-15 years) despite common use. Current pediatric data, described in terms of elimination half-life or C(max) and T(max), poorly explain variability in drug responses among individuals representative of those in whom the drug will be used clinically. METHODS: Published data from four studies investigating clonidine PK after intravenous (i.v.), rectal and epidural administration (n = 42) were combined with an open-label study undertaken to examine the pharmacokinetics of i.v. clonidine 1-2 microg x kg(-1) bolus in children after cardiac surgery (n = 41). A population pharmacokinetic analysis of clonidine time concentration profiles (380 observations) was undertaken using nonlinear mixed effects modeling. Estimates were standardized to a 70-kg adult using allometric size models. RESULTS: Children had a mean age of 4 (sd 3.6 years, range 1 week-14 years) years and weight 17.8 (sd 12.6, range 2.8-60) kg. A two compartment disposition model with first-order elimination was superior to a one compartment model. Population parameter estimates (between subject variability) were clearance (CL) 14.6 (CV 35.1%) l x h(-1 )70 kg(-1), central volume of distribution (V1) 62.5 (71.1%) l 70 kg(-1), intercompartment clearance (Q) 157 (77.3%) l x h(-1) 70 kg(-1) and peripheral volume of distribution (V2) 119 (22.9%) l 70 kg(-1). Clearance at birth was 3.8 l x h(-1) 70 kg(-1) and matured with a half-time of 25.7 weeks to reach 82% adult rate by 1 year of age. The volumes of distribution, but not clearance, were increased after cardiac surgery (V1 123%, V2 126%). There was a lag time of 2.3 (CV 73.2%) min before absorption began in the rectum. The absorption half-life from the epidural space was slower than that from the rectum (0.98 CV 24.5% h vs 0.26 CV 32.3% h). The relative bioavailability of epidural and rectal clonidine was unity (F = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Clearance in neonates is approximately one-third that described in adults, consistent with immature elimination pathways. Maintenance dosing, which is a function of clearance, should be reduced in neonates and infants when using a target concentration approach. PMID- 17767628 TI - Changes in respiratory and hemodynamic parameters during low-dose propofol sedation in combination with regional anesthesia for herniorrhaphy and genitourinary surgery in children. AB - BACKGROUND: Spontaneous vs mechanical ventilation during propofol sedation has been a subject of debate. We evaluated the safety of low-dose propofol sedation as an adjunct to regional anesthesia during herniorrhaphy and genitourinary surgery in infants and children. METHODS: The study was conducted in a prospective, nonrandomized manner using a consecutive sample of 62 American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class I patients between 5 months to 11 years of age in the surgery unit of an urban University Hospital. Propofol sedation (4-8 mg x kg(-1) x h(-1) continuous infusion) was used with regional anesthesia (caudal, ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve or penile block with 0.2 0.375% ropivacaine). All children were spontaneously breathing without an anesthesia circuit. Respiratory and hemodynamic parameters were continuously recorded on all patients. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measurements was used to analyze changes in respiratory and hemodynamic parameters during the procedure. RESULTS: Spontaneous ventilation was maintained in all patients with minimal changes in hemodynamic parameters. Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and P(E)CO(2) remained stable throughout the study period: 23/62 (37%) patients exhibited signs of developing intrinsic endexpiratory pressure (PEEPi) or the presence of PEEPi because of progressive reduction of expiratory time. CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose propofol sedation in combination with regional anesthesia for elective herniorrhaphy and genitourinary surgery in children maintains spontaneous ventilation and has minimal effects on hemodynamic parameters for sedation lasting <1 h. The presence of PEEPi is a relative contraindication to the use of this regimen in children with asthma or history of upper airway infections. PMID- 17767629 TI - Airway management and anesthesia in neonates, infants and children during endolaryngotracheal surgery. AB - BACKGROUND: Endolaryngotracheal surgery in neonates, infants and children poses a big challenge for both anesthesiologist and surgeon. The narrowness of the airways and the great variability of the pathological lesions necessitate close collaboration between the surgical and the anesthesia team to provide optimal operating conditions and ensure adequate ventilation and oxygenation. METHODS: Sixty-two anesthetic records of endolaryngotracheal surgical procedures in neonates, infants and children with ASA physical status 1-3 were analyzed retrospectively. Anesthesia was administered as total intravenous anesthesia; propofol supplemented with remifentanil. Ventilation was performed as supraglottic, superimposed high-frequency jet ventilation via jet laryngoscope with integrated jet nozzles. RESULTS: Age was 58.93 (SD 35.40) months, range 3 weeks to 14 years; body weight 17.83 (SD 8.79) kg, range 2.4-50 kg. The capillary pCO(2) 5 min after the start of the surgical procedure (n = 62) was 40.01 (SD 7.71) mmHg and after 20 min (n = 24) 41.77 (SD 7.12) mmHg. No hypoxemia (oxygen saturation <90%) developed. All patients were hemodynamically stable during jet ventilation. Barotrauma or gas insufflation in the stomach did not occur. No perioperative tracheostomy was necessary. Laryngospasm occurred in one child during emergence from anesthesia. Four infants received postoperative conventional respirator therapy in the ICU overnight. CONCLUSIONS: Supraglottic superimposed high-/low-frequency jet ventilation via jet laryngoscopes with integrated jet nozzles is a minimally invasive ventilation technique for neonates, infants and children in endolaryngotracheal surgery, which allows an unimpaired operating field for the surgeon especially in LASER surgery. PMID- 17767630 TI - Relationship between age and spontaneous ventilation during intravenous anesthesia in children. AB - BACKGROUND: Maintaining spontaneous ventilation in children, using total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA), is often desirable, particularly for airway endoscopy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on the dose of remifentanil tolerated during spontaneous ventilation under anesthesia maintained with infusions of propofol and remifentanil and to provide guidelines for the administration of remifentanil and propofol to maintain spontaneous ventilation in children. METHODS: Forty-five children scheduled for strabismus surgery were divided by age into three groups (group I: 6 months-3 years, group II: 3 years-6 years, and group III: 6 years-9 years). The propofol infusion was titrated using State Entropy as a pharmacodynamic endpoint and remifentanil infused, using a modified up-and-down method, with respiratory rate depression as a pharmacodynamic endpoint. A respiratory rate of just greater than 10, stable for 10 min, determined the final remifentanil infusion rate. The group mean was estimated from the final remifentanil infusion rate tolerated (RD(50)). RESULTS: The RD(50) of groups I, II, and III were 0.192 (0.08), 0.095 (0.04), and 0.075 (0.03) microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) respectively. Pair-wise comparisons between the groups for the rate of remifentanil tolerated revealed a statistically significant increase in the RD(50) in children less than 3 years of age compared with older children in groups II and III (P < 0.001). The relationship between remifentanil dose and age, weight or height was not linear. CONCLUSIONS: Younger children, especially those aged less than 3 years, tolerate a higher dose of remifentanil while still maintaining spontaneous respiration. TIVA with spontaneous ventilation is readily achieved in younger children and infants. PMID- 17767631 TI - How well do pediatric anesthesiologists agree when assigning ASA physical status classifications to their patients? AB - BACKGROUND: The scope and application of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) classification has been called into question and interobserver consistency even by specialist anesthesiologists has been described as only fair. Our purpose was to evaluate the consistency of the application of the ASA PS amongst a group of pediatric anesthesiologists. METHODS: We randomly selected 400 names from the active list of specialist members of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. Respondents were asked to rate 10 hypothetical pediatric patients and answer four demographic questions. RESULTS: We received 267 surveys, yielding a response rate of 66.8% and the highest number of responses in any study of this nature. The spread of answers was wide across almost all cases. Only one case had a response spread of only two classifications, with the remaining cases having three or more different ASA PS classifications chosen. The most variability was found for a hypothetical patient with severe trauma, who received five different ASA PS classifications. The Modified Kappa Statistic was 0.5, suggesting moderate agreement. No significant difference between the private and academic anesthesiologists was found (P = 0.26). CONCLUSIONS: We present the largest evaluation of interobserver consistency in ASA PS in pediatric patients by pediatric anesthesiologists. We conclude that agreement between anesthesiologists is only moderate and suggest standardizing assessment, so that it reflects the patient status at the time of anesthesia, including any acute medical or surgical conditions. PMID- 17767632 TI - Standard preoxygenation vs two techniques in children. AB - BACKGROUND: Preoxygenation is recommended in pediatric anesthesia but it has been poorly assessed. Fractional expired oxygen concentration (F(ET)O(2)) is a preoxygenation monitor. The aim of this prospective study in children was to compare three techniques of preoxygenation by the measurement of F(ET)O(2). METHODS: Twenty children (6-15 years) were included. F(ET)O(2) was measured with the child in a supine position, holding the face mask. The F(ET)O(2) value was measured after 3 min of calm breathing of room air (baseline) and during the three preoxygenation techniques performed in random order: 3 min of tidal volume breathing using an O(2) flow of 9 l x min(-1) (TV x 3 min)--four deep breaths within 30 s using an O(2) flow of 15 l x min(-1) (4 DB)--eight deep breaths within 1 min using an O(2) flow of 15 l x min(-1) (8 DB). Between each technique, at least 5 min breathing room air was allowed to return to baseline F(ET)O(2). Fisher's exact test was used and P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Twenty children were studied (age: 11.5 +/- 3 years, weight: 42 +/- 21 kg). The F(ET)O(2) > or = 90% was found to be 79% in 74 +/- 40 s with TV x 3 min, 11% with 4 DB, and 68% with 8 DB. CONCLUSIONS: In children, Vt x 3 min is the most efficient preoxygenation technique to reach F(ET)O(2) > or = 90%. PMID- 17767633 TI - The carina is not a landmark for central venous catheter placement in neonates. AB - BACKGROUND: Cardiac tamponade is rare but one of the most serious complications in relation to central venous catheters (CVC). The tip of the CVC should be placed outside the pericardium to avoid tamponade. In adults, the carina is always located above the pericardium; therefore, the carina is a reliable landmark for CVC placement. We examined whether the carina could also be an adequate landmark for CVC placement in neonates. METHODS: The study was conducted using nine fresh neonatal cadavers. The longitudinal distance between the carina and the pericardium as it transverses the superior vena cava (the pericardial reflection: PR) was measured. RESULTS: The median postconceptional age (gestational age in weeks + weeks after delivery) at autopsy was 35 (range: 23 42) weeks. The PR was located at a distance of 4 mm above to 5 mm below the carina. Unlike in adults, the position of the PR varies in relation to the carina in neonates. In seven of the nine subjects, the location of the PR was above the carina. CONCLUSIONS: In neonates, the carina is not always located above the pericardium, as it is in adults; therefore, the carina is not an appropriate landmark for CVC placement. PMID- 17767634 TI - Percutaneous transtracheal emergency ventilation with a self-made device in an animal model. AB - BACKGROUND: Special equipment for emergency percutaneous transtracheal ventilation is often not immediately available. We used a self-made device consisting of a three-way stopcock connected between a G-15 transtracheal airway catheter and an oxygen supply in a simulated 'cannot intubate, cannot ventilate' scenario and tested the hypothesis that the effectiveness of the device depends on the body weight of the experimental animals. METHODS: With approval of the local animal protection committee, two groups of six pigs each with a body weight of 21 +/- 2 and 36 +/- 6 kg, respectively, were tracheally intubated and mechanically ventilated after induction of anesthesia. Hemodynamic monitoring included cardiac output and arterial, central venous and pulmonary artery pressures. An emergency transtracheal airway catheter was inserted into the trachea and a situation of partial expiratory airway obstruction was created. Each animal was ventilated for 15 min via the transtracheal airway catheter with the self-made device (FiO(2) 1.0 at an oxygen flow of 15 l x min(-1); respiratory rate of 60 min(-1); I/E ratio approximately 1:1). RESULTS: Whereas satisfactory oxygenation was achieved in all animals, sufficient ventilation was obtained only in the lightweight animals. CONCLUSIONS: Adequate oxygenation could be provided by jet-like transtracheal ventilation with a simple self-made device using easily available materials. Sufficient ventilation depends on the body weight of the animals. PMID- 17767635 TI - Insertion characteristics, sealing pressure and fiberoptic positioning of CobraPLA in children. AB - BACKGROUND: The CobraPLA(TM) is a new supraglottic airway device designed for the use in spontaneously breathing and mechanically ventilated patients. In adults it has been found as effective as the LMA, but with better sealing qualities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate fit and sealing characteristics of CobraPLA size 1.5 and 2 in mechanically ventilated children. METHODS: Forty children, ASA I/II, aged 1-10 years, weighing 10-35 kg were scheduled for minor surgical procedures. The number of attempts for insertion and fiberoptic positioning of the CobraPLA was assessed. After muscle relaxation had been achieved, airway sealing pressure was measured by gradually increasing maximum inspiratory pressure to a maximum of 30 cm H(2)O. RESULTS: Insertion of CobraPLA was successful at the first attempt in 90% of patients. The vocal cords were visualized in 90% of patients (grade 0: 2.5%, grade 1: 7.5%, grade 2: 30%, grade 3: 15%, grade 4: 45%). Median sealing pressure was 20.0 +/- 6.0 cm H(2)O. In 21% of patients gastric insufflation was observed at a peak inspiratory pressure of 20 cm H(2)O or below. CONCLUSIONS: The CobraPLA was found to have easy insertion characteristics and good anatomical fitting in children between 10 and 35 kg. If positive pressure ventilation with CobraPLA size 1.5 and 2.0 is required, peak inspiratory pressure should be kept below the leak pressure and the abdomen closely monitored for signs of gastric insufflation. PMID- 17767636 TI - Propofol-ketamine vs propofol-fentanyl for sedation during pediatric upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. AB - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of propofol-ketamine with propofol-fentanyl in pediatric patients undergoing diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE). METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, double blinded comparison of propofol-ketamine with propofol-fentanyl for sedation in patients undergoing elective UGIE. Ninety ASA I II, aged 1 to 16-year-old patients were included in the study. Heart rate (HR), systolic arterial pressure, peripheral oxygen saturation, respiratory rate (RR) and Ramsey sedation scores of all patients were recorded perioperatively. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either propofol-ketamine (PK; n = 46) or propofol-fentanyl (PF; n = 44). PK group received 1 mg x kg(-1) ketamine + 1.2 mg x kg(-1) propofol, and PF group received 1 microg x kg(-1) fentanyl + 1.2 mg x kg(-1) propofol for sedation induction. Additional propofol (0.5-1 mg x kg(-1)) was administered when a patient showed discomfort in either group. RESULTS: The number of patients who needed additional propofol in the first minute after sedation induction was eight in Group PK (17%), and 22 in Group PF (50%) (P < 0.01) and those who did not need additional propofol throughout the endoscopy were 14 in Group PK (30%) and three in Group PF (7%) (P < 0.01). HR and RR values after induction in Group PF were significantly lower than Group PK (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Both PK and PF combinations provided effective sedation in pediatric patients undergoing UGIE, but the PK combination resulted in stable hemodynamics and deeper sedation though more side effects. PMID- 17767637 TI - Anesthesia management in a child with PHACE syndrome and agenesis of bilateral internal carotid arteries. AB - This is the first case report of successful anesthesia management in a high-risk neurological procedure in a patient with PHACE syndrome. PHACE syndrome is rare but an important clinical entity. Anesthesiologists should be aware of the neurological, otolaryngogical, and vascular risk associated with this syndrome. PMID- 17767638 TI - Anesthesia for fucosidosis. AB - Fucosidosis is an extremely rare, autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease, characterized by a deficiency of the lysosomal hydrolase alpha fucosidase. We report a case of a 6-year-old child, diagnosed with fucosidosis type 2, who presented for dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia. Anesthesia was uneventful. Features of fucosidosis are discussed. PMID- 17767639 TI - A rather unconventional use of the laryngeal mask airway. AB - Jaw masses are often associated with difficult airway and very often anesthesiologists have to use ingenious but safe techniques to secure the airway. This report is upon awake insertion of the laryngeal mask airway in a patient with a huge jaw tumor. PMID- 17767640 TI - Anesthetic implications of undiagnosed late onset central hypoventilation syndrome in a child: from elective tonsillectomy to tracheostomy. AB - Late onset central hypoventilation syndrome is a neurological disorder that can present with postoperative respiratory complications and delayed emergence in children after anesthesia. We present a child who had unanticipated respiratory complications following an elective tonsillectomy who eventually required a tracheostomy and long-term ventilatory support. PMID- 17767642 TI - Two dimensional ultrasound in clinical practice; a postal survey of consultant pediatric anesthetists in the United Kingdom. PMID- 17767643 TI - Dexmedetomidine as an analgesic for pediatric tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. PMID- 17767644 TI - Sedation of children with ADHD: trazodone or midazolam? PMID- 17767645 TI - Which preparation of paracetamol? An audit of usage and costs. PMID- 17767646 TI - The depth markings on Portex blue-line pediatric tracheal tubes need to be re organized for enhanced safety. PMID- 17767647 TI - Anesthesia and obesity--some big issues... PMID- 17767650 TI - Anesthesia management of a patient with trichothiodystrophy. PMID- 17767651 TI - Balloon catheter dilatation in children with esophageal stricture using a ProSeal LMA. PMID- 17767653 TI - The analysis of tire rubber traces collected after braking incidents using Pyrolysis-GasChromatography/Mass Spectrometry. AB - Automobile tire marks can routinely be found at the scenes of crime, particularly hit-and-run accidents and are left on road surfaces because of sudden braking or the wheels spinning. The tire marks are left due to the friction between the tire rubber and the solid road surface, and do not always demonstrate the tire tread pattern. However, the tire mark will contain traces of the tire. In this study, Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry was used to analyze 12 tires from different manufacturer's and their traces collected after braking incidents. Tire marks were left on a conglomerate road surface with sudden braking. The samples were pyrolysed without removal of contaminant in a micro-furnace type pyrolyser. Quantitative and qualitative analysis were performed on all the samples. All 12 samples were distinguished from each other. Each of the tire traces were identified as coming from there original source. PMID- 17767654 TI - Characterization of the variant allele 9.2 of Penta D locus. AB - DNA profiles of forensic cases of Cordoba Province, Argentina, typed by PowerPlex 16 kit (Promega), have shown in the Penta D locus few samples with a variant allele migrating as an off ladder between alleles 9 and 10. In order to determine the molecular basis of the new variant allele, three samples were subject to polymerase chain reaction amplification of the Penta D locus by monoplex, and were further purified and sequenced. The sequence analysis revealed that the off ladder allele has ten repeats motifs AAAGA as allele 10, with three nucleotides (TAA) deletion in the 3' flanking region, 128 nucleotides after the last repeat. Therefore, the variant allele could be explained by a deletion of allele 10, and was designated 9.2. Mse I digestion assay allows to corroborate allele 9.2 without sequencing. A population study in Cordoba Province indicates that allele 9.2 of Penta D locus has a frequency of 0.0063. PMID- 17767655 TI - Bioterrorism: processing contaminated evidence, the effects of formaldehyde gas on the recovery of latent fingermarks. AB - In the present age of heightened emphasis on counter terrorism, law enforcement and forensic science are constantly evolving and adapting to the motivations and capabilities of terrorist groups and individuals. The use of biological agents on a population, such as anthrax spores, presents unique challenges to the forensic investigator, and the processing of contaminated evidence. In this research, a number of porous and non-porous items were contaminated with viable [corrected] spores and marked with latent fingermarks. The test samples were then subjected to a standard formulation of formaldehyde gas. Latent fingermarks were then recovered post decontamination using a range of methods. Standard fumigation, while effective at destroying viable spores, contributed to the degradation of amino acids leading to loss of ridge detail. A new protocol for formaldehyde gas decontamination was developed which allows for the destruction of viable spores and the successful recovery of latent marks, all within a rapid response time of less than 1 h. PMID- 17767656 TI - Fluorescence spectra and images of latent fingerprints excited with a tunable laser in the ultraviolet region. AB - Fluorescence spectra of sebum-rich latent fingerprints were studied with a tunable laser for non-destructive fingerprint detection without chemical treatment. The tunable laser consists of a nanosecond pulsed Nd-YAG laser and an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) crystal. The fluorescence spectra and images were measured at various excitation wavelengths in the ultraviolet region by the time-resolved fluorescence method. We have previously reported that a typical fluorescence spectrum of fingerprints consists of two peaks located at c. 330 and 440 nm. In order to determine the wavelength of optimal excitation, excitation spectra were measured at wavelengths ranging from 220 to 310 nm. The fluorescence intensity of the 330 nm peak became maximal with excitation at 280 nm. The images of latent fingerprints on white papers were also measured and the clearest image was obtained with excitation at 280 nm. The influence of continuous irradiation on the fluorescence of fingerprints was measured at the optimal excitation wavelengths. The 330 nm peak was strong at first and decreased with continuous irradiation, whereas the 440 nm peak, which was weak at first, increased gradually. PMID- 17767657 TI - Preliminary investigations into tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium III as a chemiluminescent reagent for the detection of 3,6-diacetylmorphine (heroin) on surfaces. AB - The use of tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium (III) as a chemiluminescent spray reagent spot-test for heroin is discussed. Two forms of the reagent are investigated an aqueous and an anhydrous where both were found to give vastly different results. The aqueous reagent giving slow, low intensity chemiluminescence whilst the anhydrous reagent gave a fast, bright response in the presence of 3,6-diacetylmorphine. The anhydrous reagent is less sensitive the slow, intensity response is characteristic of only two opiates tested 3,6 diacetylmorphine and 3-monoacetylmorphine. PMID- 17767658 TI - Sexual homicide: a spatial analysis of 25 years of deaths in Los Angeles. AB - Although it has been frequently studied over the last 100 years, empirical studies of sexual homicide are lacking. The majority of the existing studies have been descriptive in nature. In this study, we consider the spatial geometry of sexual homicide and the impact of time and distance on case solvability. An analysis of sexual homicides (n = 197) from 1980 to 2004 for Los Angeles County was conducted. Offender and victim journey to encounter site, journey to body disposal site, and journey-after-crime trips were examined. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed to examine victim, offender and case characteristics. Using logistic regression models both time factors and offense geometries were found to be significant predictors in case solvability. Simpler geometries are significantly more likely to be solved than cases with complex geometries and the longer a case remains unsolved the less likely it is that it will be closed. The results provide support for some of the findings from earlier descriptive studies and extend our understanding of the spatial geometry of sexual homicide. PMID- 17767659 TI - A comparison of email versus letter threat contacts toward members of the United States Congress. AB - To better understand inappropriate correspondence sent to public officials, 301 letter cases and 99 email cases were randomly selected from the United States Capitol Police investigative case files and compared. Results indicate that letter writers were significantly more likely than emailers to exhibit indicators of serious mental illness (SMI), engage in target dispersion, use multiple methods of contact, and make a problematic approach toward their target. Emailers were significantly more likely than letter writers to focus on government concerns, use obscene language, and display disorganization in their writing. Also, letter writers tended to be significantly older, have more criminal history, and write longer communications. A multivariate model found that disorganization, SMI symptoms, problematic physical approach, and target dispersion significantly differentiated between the correspondence groups. The group differences illuminated by this study reveal that letter writers are engaging in behavior that is higher risk for problematic approach than are emailers. PMID- 17767660 TI - Studies of the chronological course of wisdom tooth eruption in a Black African population. AB - The importance of forensic age estimation in living subjects has grown over the last few years. In dental age estimation, tooth eruption is a parameter of developmental morphology that can be analyzed by either clinical examination or by evaluation of dental X-rays. In the present study, we determined the stage of wisdom tooth eruption in 410 male and 106 female Black South African subjects of known age (12-26 years) based on radiological evidence from 516 conventional orthopantomograms. Four eruption stages were determined (no emergence, alveolar emergence, gingival emergence, complete emergence). Statistical scores were determined for the individual stages separately for both sexes. The data presented here can be utilized for forensic estimation of the minimum and most probable ages of investigated persons. PMID- 17767661 TI - The characteristics of head wounds inflicted by "humane killer" (captive-bolt gun)--a 15-year study. AB - The "humane killer" or captive-bolt gun, is the tool/weapon widely used in meat industry and private farmer households for slaughtering animal stock. Out of 17,250 autopsies performed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Novi Sad during the 15-year period (1991-2005), 29 cases of suicides and two homicides were committed by captive-bolt pistols. Wounds inflicted by captive-bolt guns have specific morphological features, distinctive from wounds made by other kinds of hand firearms. Selected features of the captive-bolt wounds (punched round entrance and a double pattern of smoke soiling) depend on distance and angle of instrument at the time of firing. Autopsy findings were compared with an experimental model consisting of 20 domestic pigs. Obtained results confirmed that the appearance of the entrance hole and soot deposits, along with differences in shape, location, extent, and density of soot blackening, could be useful in identification of weapon, direction of discharge, shooting distance, and angle of the muzzle to the frontal and sagittal planes of the head at the moment of fire. PMID- 17767662 TI - Independence day explosion on lovers key. AB - The display of fireworks is a popular holiday celebration in the United States. Because injuries due to recreational fireworks-related explosions among private consumers are relatively common, the sale of fireworks is regulated by the federal government and is also limited by state and local laws. In contrast, because fireworks display companies are under tight safety regulations, explosions in the professional pyrotechnics industry are uncommon occurrences, and the literature contains rare reports of injuries and fatalities resulting from such explosions. We report the 2003 Fourth of July commercial fireworks explosion on Lovers Key in southwest Florida that resulted in five fatalities. Events occurring during the investigation of the scene of this explosion illustrate the unique considerations and hazards for medicolegal death investigators, law enforcement and other investigative agencies. Additionally, this case demonstrates unusual aspects of the postmortem examinations performed on victims of fireworks-related incidents. PMID- 17767663 TI - The detection of multiply charged dyes using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry for the forensic examination of pen ink dyes directly from paper. AB - Laser desorption mass spectrometry (LDMS) is emerging as a technique for questioned document examination. Its use is limited to detecting ink dyes that are neutral or singly charged. Several inks contain dyes that are multiply charged and LDMS cannot be employed for their identification. We have successfully detected >20 polyionic dyes that can be used in the manufacture of inks using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) MS, directly from paper, with the matrix, 2-(4-hydroxyphenylazo)benzoic acid (HABA), and the additive, diammonium hydrogen citrate (DAHC). For example, Acid Violet 49, a charged dye containing one positively-charged site and two negatively charged sulfonate groups, cannot be detected by LDMS, but forms intact, singly charged ions in the MALDI MS experiment. The method described is also useful for identifying multiply charged dye mixtures that are used in modern pen inks. PMID- 17767664 TI - Examination of writings concealed by black pressure sensitive adhesive tape. AB - Examination of concealed writing is often a challenge for forensic document examiners. Although the published literature describes many techniques, these are often only successful when the writing has been concealed by pencil, pen, or by spreading inks of different tint or by smearing of the writing with colored fluids. When black pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape is used, these procedures are ineffective. The present report describes the use of a straight chain hydrocarbon to remove the PSA tape and allow a comparison of the concealed writing with that of a suspect. The use of the solvent had no observable effect on either the writing or the substrate. The procedure is rapid and easy to use and is also effective with other colored PSA tapes. PMID- 17767665 TI - HPLC-DAD determination of mepivacaine in cerebrospinal fluid from a fatal case. AB - A fatal case involving mepivacaine-induced epidural anesthesia is described. The pathological findings were typical of cardiac shock from ischemic origin. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained several hours after death and mepivacaine was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Its concentration was determined by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Extraction from CSF was performed by deproteinization with acetonitrile. The mepivacaine concentration in the sample was 264 microg/mL. Concentrations of mepivacaine in CSF following epidural anesthesia are not reported in literature to our knowledge. This is the first reported case of death in which the mepivacaine concentration in CSF has been determined. PMID- 17767666 TI - Commentary on: Brain arteriovenous malformation and its implication in forensic pathology. PMID- 17767673 TI - Maintenance treatment for old-age depression preserves health-related quality of life: a randomized, controlled trial of paroxetine and interpersonal psychotherapy. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether maintenance antidepressant pharmacotherapy and interpersonal psychotherapy sustain gains in health-related quality of life (HR QOL) achieved during short-term treatment in older patients with depression. DESIGN: After open combined treatment with paroxetine and interpersonal psychotherapy, responders were randomly assigned to a two (paroxetine vs placebo) by two (monthly interpersonal psychotherapy vs clinical management) double-blind, placebo-controlled maintenance trial. HR-QOL outcomes were assessed over 1 year. SETTING: University-based clinic. PATIENTS: Of the referred sample of 363 persons aged 70 and older with major depression, 210 gave consent, and 195 started acute treatment; 116 met criteria for recovery, entered maintenance treatment, and were included in this analysis. INTERVENTIONS: Paroxetine; monthly manual-based interpersonal psychotherapy. MEASUREMENTS: Overall HR-QOL as measured using the Quality of Well-Being Scale (QWB) and six specific HR-QOL domains derived from the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) subscales. RESULTS: All domains of HR-QOL except physical functioning improved with successful acute and continuation treatment. After controlling for any effects of psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy was superior to placebo in preserving overall well being (P=.04, effect size (r)=0.23), social functioning (P=.02, r=0.27), and role limitations due to emotional problems (P=.007, r=0.30). Interpersonal psychotherapy (controlling for the effects of pharmacotherapy) did not preserve HR-QOL better than supportive clinical management. CONCLUSION: Maintenance antidepressant pharmacotherapy is superior to placebo in preserving improvements in overall well-being achieved with treatment response in late-life depression. No such benefit was seen with interpersonal psychotherapy. PMID- 17767674 TI - Hand function and oral hygiene in older institutionalized Brazilians. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether the oral hygiene of institutionalized older people differs significantly between groups of participants with different degrees of hand function. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Residents of a long-term institution of Porto Alegre, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-nine institutionalized older people. Subjects restricted to bed or with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores less than 15 were excluded. MEASUREMENTS: Dental (Silness and Loe Index) and denture plaque (Modified Ambjornsen Plaque Index) scores were assessed as a measure of oral hygiene. Hand functions were assessed using the Jebsen-Taylor and the Purdue pegboard tests. Participants were grouped according to their levels of hand function (regarded as good if test values were at the median or higher in the case of Purdue pegboard test and below the median in the case of Jebsen-Taylor test). Existence of differences between groups was checked using univariate analysis of variance, adjusting for age, sex and cognitive status according to MMSE. RESULTS: Dentate participants with poor hand function according to the Dominant Hand Purdue test harbored significantly more dental plaque after adjustment for age, sex, and cognitive status. Complete denture wearers with poor hand function according to the Dominant Hand and Sum of Three Steps Purdue tests and the total Jebsen-Taylor test also had significantly more denture plaque after adjustment. CONCLUSION: The results support the notion that hand function plays a central role in oral hygiene, mainly removal of dental and denture plaque, in institutionalized older people. PMID- 17767675 TI - The quality of pharmacotherapy in older veterans discharged from the emergency department or urgent care clinic. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and type of suboptimal pharmacotherapy that older veterans discharged from the emergency department (ED) or urgent care clinic (UCC) receive and to examine factors associated with suboptimal pharmacotherapy in this population. DESIGN: Retrospective, cohort study. SETTING: An academically affiliated Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred twenty-one veterans aged 65 and older who were prescribed a new medication at the time of discharge from the ED or UCC. MEASUREMENTS: The primary dependent variable, suboptimal pharmacotherapy, was a composite measure defined as one or more drug-related problems, based on drugs-to avoid criteria, drug-drug interactions, drug-disease interactions, and failure to satisfy an explicit quality indicator for prescribing or medication monitoring. RESULTS: A total of 757 drugs were prescribed to the 421 patients at the time of discharge from the ED or UCC (mean number+/-standard deviation per patient 1.65+/ 1.1). The most frequently prescribed medications were nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (n=59), opioid analgesics (n=47), and fluoroquinolone antibiotics (n=46). Overall, 134 (31.8%) subjects were found to have suboptimal pharmacotherapy with regard to their discharge medications; 49 (11.6%) were prescribed a drug to avoid, 53 (12.6%) received a drug that introduced a new drug drug interaction, 24 (5.7%) were given a drug that introduced a drug-disease interaction, and 74 (17.6%) did not have a quality indicator satisfied (61% of these evaluated prescribing and 39% evaluated medication monitoring). No consistent associations between patient or visit characteristics and suboptimal pharmacotherapy were identified in multivariable models. CONCLUSION: A substantial number of older adults discharged from the ED or UCC may be at risk for adverse events due to suboptimal prescribing and inadequate medication monitoring. Further study is needed to examine the relationship between suboptimal pharmacotherapy and adverse clinical outcomes. PMID- 17767676 TI - Residential care/assisted living staff may detect undiagnosed dementia using the minimum data set cognition scale. AB - OBJECTIVES: To estimate the sensitivity, specificity, and reliability of the Minimum Data Set Cognition Scale (MDS-COGS) in screening for undetected dementia when completed by direct care staff in residential care/assisted living (RC/AL) facilities and secondarily to determine the prevalence of dementia in the sample. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study in which staff were trained to complete the MDS COGS. Research interviewers and a neuropsychologist obtained information on each participant. Two neurologists reviewed the data and examined the participant, rendering a probable diagnosis of dementia/non-dementia diagnosis. MDS-COGS results were compared with the neurologists' determination. SETTING: Fourteen RC/AL facilities in North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected from 50 staff on 166 residents without a diagnosis of dementia. MEASUREMENTS: In addition to the MDS-COGS, measures included a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Depression and other neuropsychiatric symptoms were also assessed. RESULTS: Neurologists determined that 38% of participants had probable dementia. An MDS COGS cutpoint of 2 was highly specific (0.97) but not very sensitive (0.49) for dementia. Test-retest and interrater agreement for a negative screen were high (88% and 93%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The MDS-COGS is a simple, brief screen that RC/AL staff can complete. It will identify with high specificity a subset of residents with undetected dementia, allowing rapid identification of those likely to need dementia care. Caution needs to be exercised in light of its low sensitivity, because some with milder dementia will not be detected. Further work is needed to determine whether staff can and will use the MDS-COGS as a trigger for more-thorough assessment and to guide care and improve outcomes. PMID- 17767678 TI - Use of diagnostic tests for presumed lower respiratory tract infection in long term care facilities. AB - OBJECTIVES: To describe the current use of diagnostic tests for management of presumed lower respiratory tract infection in selected long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Canada and to correlate test use with facility and resident characteristics. DESIGN: Prospective, 12-month multicenter cohort study. SETTING: A convenience sample of 21 LTCFs in Canada. PARTICIPANTS: LTCF residents prescribed antimicrobial therapy for presumed lower respiratory tract infection. MEASUREMENTS: Data collection included facility characteristics, patient demographics, level of care, comorbidities, clinical presentations, diagnostic testing, and outcomes. Diagnostic test use was correlated with facility access and resident and episode characteristics. RESULTS: Forty-two percent of 1,702 episodes had chest radiography obtained, 28.5% had pulse oximetry, 23.8% had peripheral leukocyte count, and 3.3% had sputum culture. On-site access correlated with obtaining chest radiography (odds ratio (OR)=4.4; 95% confidence interval (CI)=3.2-6.0) and oximetry (OR=30.3; 95% CI=16.4-55.8). Analyses stratified according to facility found that greater test use was associated with greater premorbid functional impairment and more-severe presentations. Advance directives, time to stabilization, and mortality did not correlate with test use. In multivariate analysis, significant variability between facilities for chest radiography and oximetry remained after incorporating differences in access to diagnostic testing and other facility or resident variables. CONCLUSION: The use of diagnostic tests in the management of presumed lower respiratory tract infection in these Canadian LTCFs is highly variable. Access to diagnostic tests and severity of presentations correlate with test use but do not fully explain the variability in use in institutions. PMID- 17767677 TI - Prevalence and correlates of sleep-disordered breathing in older men: osteoporotic fractures in men sleep study. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and distribution of sleep-disordered breathing and associated correlates in a large cohort of older men using several standardized definitions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses. SETTING: Six U.S. communities. PARTICIPANTS: Polysomnography was performed on 2,911 participants of the Outcomes of Sleep Disorders in Older Men Sleep Study (mean age+/-standard deviation 76.38+/-5.53; body mass index 27.17+/-3.8 kg/m(2)). MEASUREMENTS: Three outcomes were assessed: sleep-disordered breathing (respiratory disturbance index > or =15), obstructive apnea (obstructive apnea index > or =5), and central apnea (central apnea index > or =5). RESULTS: The prevalence of moderate-severe sleep disordered breathing was estimated to be 21.4% to 26.4%. Multivariable logistic regression models demonstrated that age (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) per 5-year increase =1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.15-1.34), obesity (AOR=2.54, 95% CI=2.09-3.09), Asian versus Caucasian race (AOR=2.14, 95% CI=1.33-3.45), snoring (AOR=2.01, 95% CI=1.62-2.49), sleepiness (AOR=1.41, 95% CI=1.11-1.79), hypertension (AOR=1.26, 95% CI=1.06-1.50), cardiovascular disease (AOR=1.24, 95% CI=1.19-1.29), and heart failure (AOR=1.81, 1.31-2.51) were independently associated with sleep-disordered breathing; snoring (AOR=2.10, 95% CI=1.67-2.70), age (AOR per 5-year increase=1.27, 95% CI=1.18-1.38), obesity (AOR=1.48, 95% CI=1.21-1.82), and heart failure (AOR=1.60, 95% CI=1.15-2.24) were associated with obstructive apnea; and age (AOR=1.33, 1.17-1.50) and heart failure (AOR=1.88, 95% CI=1.17-3.04) were associated with central apnea. CONCLUSION: Regardless of definition, a high prevalence of sleep disorders is observed in community-dwelling older men. Qualitatively similar associations were observed between sleep disorders and snoring, obesity, and comorbidities, as reported for middle aged populations. Asian race was associated with sleep-disordered breathing. PMID- 17767679 TI - Late-life mortality in older Jews exposed to the Nazi regime. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the mortality risk associated with exposure to the Nazi regime 6 decades after the war. DESIGN: A national representative survey with 7 year follow-up data. SETTING: A national representative survey of Israeli Jews aged 60 and older conducted in 1997 and 1998. PARTICIPANTS: Four thousand one hundred seventy-nine Israeli Jews participated in the study. To evaluate the mortality risk associated with exposure to the Nazi regime, Cox proportional hazards models were used, controlling for age, sex, education, religiousness, mental health, sleep disturbance, and baseline health. MEASUREMENTS: A 7-year follow-up of all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Of the 4,179 Israeli Jews who participated in the study, 1,472 (35%) self-identified as being exposed to the Nazi regime, defined as having lived in a country that was under the Nazi occupation or directly ruled by the Nazi regime. There was no statistically significant difference in mortality rate between those exposed to the Nazi regime (29.8%) and those who were not (27.5%) (adjusted hazard ratio=1.01, 95% confidence interval=0.88-1.15). CONCLUSION: Israeli Jews who survived exposure to the Nazi regime are not at greater risk for death than the general population of Israeli Jews in later life. It is unclear whether these individuals represent a particularly resilient group or whether the risks of psychological trauma on mortality are mitigated over time. PMID- 17767680 TI - Changing trends in human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the population aged 50 and older. AB - OBJECTIVES: To alert persons in the public and private healthcare professions to the increasing trends in higher proportions of persons aged 50 and older who are newly diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and who are living with HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). DESIGN: Data from the period 1992 through 2004 from the HIV/AIDS Reporting System (HARS) were analyzed. SETTING: New Jersey is the eleventh-most-populous state, with the highest density of persons per square mile. It also has the fifth-highest number of AIDS cases. PARTICIPANTS: All persons residing in New Jersey and reported to HARS with HIV infection or who are considered to have AIDS. MEASUREMENTS: Trends in persons aged 50 and older were compared with those in the population younger than 50 during 1992 through 2004 for the numbers of persons living with HIV/AIDS and the number of persons newly diagnosed with HIV infection. RESULTS: The proportion of all persons aged 50 and older living with HIV/AIDS in 2004 was significantly greater than the comparable proportion of persons in 1992. Proportionally, more persons were newly diagnosed with HIV who were aged 50 and older according to sex and for each of the three major race or ethnicity groups (white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic) than were persons younger than 50. Each of these increases was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: HIV/AIDS social marketing campaigns should include images and issues related to older persons in educational and prevention efforts. New methods that reach older populations should be considered. Physicians and other healthcare providers should be made aware of their role in prevention and education about HIV. Testing of older populations with risk factors should be encouraged. PMID- 17767681 TI - Nitric oxide metabolites are associated with survival in older patients. AB - OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of various vascular endocrinological substances, such as plasma nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), as surrogate markers of survival in older patients. DESIGN: Prospective cohort, observational. SETTING: Nagoya University Hospital and related hospitals, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred fifty patients aged 70 and older, recruited consecutively from the outpatient clinics of Nagoya University Hospital and related hospitals. MEASUREMENT: Serum biochemical analyses such as albumin and total cholesterol, various prognostic markers, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, NOx, activities of daily living (ADLs), and instrumental ADLs (IADLs) were evaluated on enrollment. ADLs, IADLs, and comorbidities, especially depression and impaired cognition, were evaluated on enrollment. The main outcome was survival rate over 2.75 years. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients died during the follow-up period. Mann Whitney U-test showed that hemoglobin, total protein, serum albumin, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high sensitive c-reactive protein, NOx, B-type natriuretic peptide, interleukin-6, and TNF-alpha levels; ADLs; cognitive impairment; and depressive status were significantly different for subjects who survived and those who died. Of the dependent variables in the Cox proportional hazards regression analyses, only ADLs, NOx, and albumin were significantly different. In the Kaplan-Meier analyses of mortality, the prognosis of patients in the third and fourth quartiles of NOx was significantly worse than that of patients in the first or second quartile. The prognosis of patients with impaired ADLs was worse than that of other patients for the overall period. CONCLUSION: Lower levels of NOx may be associated with survival in older patients. It may be an effective marker, like ADLs, which is a well-known marker. PMID- 17767682 TI - Barriers to and facilitators of clinical practice guideline use in nursing homes. AB - OBJECTIVES: To identify barriers to and facilitators of the diffusion of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and clinical protocols in nursing homes (NHs). DESIGN: Qualitative analysis. SETTING: Four randomly selected community nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS: NH staff, including physicians, nurse practitioners, administrative staff, nurses, and certified nursing assistants (CNAs). MEASUREMENTS: Interviews (n=35) probed the use of CPGs and clinical protocols. Qualitative analysis using Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation stages-of-change model was conducted to produce a conceptual and thematic description. RESULTS: None of the NHs systematically adopted CPGs, and only three of 35 providers were familiar with CPGs. Confusion with other documents and regulations was common. The most frequently cited barriers were provider concerns that CPGs were "checklists" to replace clinical judgment, perceived conflict with resident and family goals, limited facility resources, lack of communication between providers and across shifts, facility policies that overwhelm or conflict with CPGs, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations interpreted to limit CNA access to clinical information. Facilitators included incorporating CPG recommendations into training materials, standing orders, customizable data collection forms, and regulatory reporting activities. CONCLUSION: Clinicians and researchers wishing to increase CPG use in NHs should consider these barriers and facilitators in their quality improvement and intervention development processes. PMID- 17767683 TI - Dental health and cognitive impairment in an English national survey population. AB - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between dental health and cognitive impairment and to examine the extent to which dental status accounts for the association between cognitive impairment and low body mass index (BMI) in a national survey sample. DESIGN: A secondary analysis of data from the Health Survey for England 2000. SETTING: A nationally representative cross-sectional population survey. PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand four hundred sixty-three adults aged 65 and older living in private households and 1,569 adults aged 65 and older living in care homes. MEASUREMENTS: Data collected by interview (self-reported or by proxy) included age, sex, level of education, disability, BMI, dental status, and cognitive function (Abbreviated Mental Test Score). RESULTS: Less than half of the community sample (40.4%) and 67.9% of the care home sample were edentulous; lack of teeth was significantly associated with cognitive impairment (odds ratio=3.59, 95% confidence interval=2.36-5.47). This association remained strong after adjustment for other covariates only in the community sample. Cognitive impairment was associated with lower BMI in both samples, but dental status did not explain this. CONCLUSION: Poor dentition is associated with cognitive impairment. Nutritional status in people with cognitive impairment is recognized to be at risk. Although dental health did not account for the association between cognitive impairment and low BMI in this sample, other possible nutritional consequences require further evaluation. PMID- 17767684 TI - Predicting caregiver burden from daily functional abilities of patients with mild dementia. AB - OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between performance- and informant-based measures of activities of daily living (ADLs) in patients with early dementia and burden or psychological distress experienced by the patients' caregivers. DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: Ambulatory center. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-four patient caregiver dyads in which the patient had mild dementia (Mini-Mental State Examination score >17). MEASUREMENTS: A performance-based ADL measure (the Direct Assessment of Functional Status (DAFS)) was administered to patients with mild dementia. Caregivers completed an informant-based measure of patient functional status (instrumental activities of daily living). Caregivers also completed the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between the informant-based ADL measure and caregiver burden (CBI) and psychological distress (BSI) (correlation coefficient (r)=-0.34 to -0.71, all P<.05). Alternatively, fewer and weaker relationships were observed between the DAFS (performance-based) ADL measure and caregiver burden or distress ratings (r=-0.32 to -0.43, all P<.05). Of the seven tasks assessed using the DAFS, impairments in orientation, communication, financial, and transportation skills in patients were associated with greater time and developmental burden and greater hostility in caregivers. Impairment in financial skills in patients was the strongest predictor of time-dependence burden and hostility in caregivers, whereas impairment in patient transportation skills was the best predictor of developmental burden. CONCLUSIONS: The ADL abilities of cognitively impaired patients can predict caregiver burden and psychological distress, with informant-based measures having the greatest association with patient impairment. PMID- 17767685 TI - Oxidative stress is associated with greater mortality in older women living in the community. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether oxidative stress, as implied by oxidative damage to proteins, is associated with greater mortality in older women living in the community. DESIGN: Longitudinal. SETTING: Women's Health and Aging Study I, Baltimore, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred forty-six moderately to severely disabled women, aged 65 and older, with baseline measures of serum protein carbonyls. MEASUREMENTS: Serum protein carbonyls, which consist of chemically stable aldehyde and ketone groups produced on protein side chains when they are oxidized, were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust for potential confounders. RESULTS: During 5 years of follow-up, 202 (27.1%) participants died. Geometric mean serum protein carbonyls were 0.091 nmol/mg in women who died and 0.083 nmol/mg in those who survived (P=.02). Log(e) protein carbonyls (nmol/mg) were associated with greater risk of mortality (hazards ratio=1.34, 95% confidence interval=1.01-1.79, P=.04) in a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for age, current smoking, and body mass index. CONCLUSION: Greater oxidative stress, as indicated by elevated serum protein carbonyl concentrations, was associated with greater risk of death in older women living in the community who were moderately to severely disabled. Prevention of oxidative stress may reduce the risk of mortality. PMID- 17767686 TI - Combining the Memory Impairment Screen and the Isaacs Set Test: a practical tool for screening dementias. AB - OBJECTIVES: To assess the accuracy of combining the Memory Impairment Screen (MIS) with the Isaacs Set Test (IST) in distinguishing subjects with dementia from controls without dementia. DESIGN: The weighted sum of MIS and IST scores was calculated, and the logical "or" rule combination was performed using two different patient and control samples. Combination results were compared with each test used alone and with Mini-Mental State Examination to detect all types of dementias. SETTING: Database of the Regional Network for Diagnostic Aid and Management of Patients with Cognitive Impairment in the Franche-Comte, France, geographical area. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 444 patients with Alzheimer's disease, non-Alzheimer's dementia, and reversible dementia and 311 controls. MEASUREMENTS: Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated for the combination of these two tests. RESULTS: The weighted sum had overall sensitivities of 0.92 and 0.84 for mild cases, with a specificity of 0.92. The "or" rule had overall sensitivities of 0.92 and 0.89 for mild cases, with a specificity of 0.90. This pairing requires no more than 5 minutes. Its scoring is simple with the "or" rule combination. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of MIS and IST could be a useful tool for screening dementias. The "or" rule combination seems particularly adapted to medical practice. PMID- 17767687 TI - Pandemic influenza planning in nursing homes: are we prepared? AB - Avian influenza or Influenza A (H5N1) is caused by a viral strain that occurs naturally in wild birds, but to which humans are immunologically naive. If an influenza pandemic occurs, it is expected to have dire consequences, including millions of deaths, social disruption, and enormous economic consequences. The Department of Health and Human Resources plan, released in November 2005, clearly affirms the threat of a pandemic. Anticipating a disruption in many factions of society, every segment of the healthcare industry, including nursing homes, will be affected and will need to be self-sufficient. Disruption of vaccine distribution during the seasonal influenza vaccine shortage during the 2004/05 influenza season is but one example of erratic emergency planning. Nursing homes will have to make vital decisions and provide care to older adults who will not be on the initial priority list for vaccine. At the same time, nursing homes will face an anticipated shortage of antiviral medications and be expected to provide surge capacity for overwhelmed hospitals. This article provides an overview of current recommendations for pandemic preparedness and the potential effect of a pandemic on the nursing home industry. It highlights the need for collaborative planning and dialogue between nursing homes and various stakeholders already heavily invested in pandemic preparedness. PMID- 17767688 TI - Toll-like receptors in older adults. AB - Toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognize a limited number of conserved elements in pathogens and, by activating antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells and monocytes and macrophages, play a crucial role in the immune response to infection and vaccination. Most data on TLR function in the context of human aging focus on responses to lipopolysaccharide, an integral component of gram negative bacteria, which signals through TLR4. However, such studies have not led to a consensus conclusion and are limited by differences in epidemiological and laboratory methods. A recent comprehensive evaluation of TLR function in monocytes from older adults was conducted using a multivariable mixed statistical model to account for covariates. It was found that cytokine production after TLR1/2 engagement, which is essential for the recognition of triacylated lipopeptides found in a variety of bacteria, is substantially lower in monocytes from older adults. The upregulation of costimulatory proteins such as CD80, essential for optimal activation of T cells, on monocytes from older adults was less for all TLR ligands tested than for cells from young individuals, and the extent of CD80 upregulation predicted subsequent antibody response to influenza immunization. These and other consequences of aging on human TLR function may impair activation of the immune response and contribute to poorer vaccine responses and greater morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases in older adults. Such age-associated alterations have particular relevance in view of the interest in TLR agonists as therapeutic agents not only for infections, but also for allergic, autoimmune, and malignant disease. PMID- 17767689 TI - Introduction to the older patient: a "first exposure" to geriatrics for medical students. AB - In 2003, Weill Cornell Medical College developed a 4-hour module to introduce the geriatric patient within the required first-year doctoring course. The educational intervention highlights the importance of communication between older patients and physicians, the utility of an enhanced social history and functional assessment, and the pitfalls of ageism in the medical setting. The module incorporates film, the performing arts, and small-group exposure to a community residing older person. To evaluate the module's effect, four successive classes of first-year medical students (2003-2006) responded to a 14-item questionnaire and three opened-ended questions at the end of the 4-hour curriculum. Quantitative and qualitative analysis reveal consistently strong positive student feedback to this module. Almost all students agreed that the learning objectives were clear (99%) and had been met (99%). Several curricular interventions received high endorsement from the respondents in their questionnaire and narrative comments. Most (94%) were in strong agreement that meeting the older patient in the small group was a worthwhile experience. Also, students appreciated observing an example of a substandard interview (76% in strong agreement) and then a demonstration of effective communication (83% in strong agreement) through dramatic enactments. The majority of students (97%) commented that exposure to these presentations enabled them to see ageist behavior firsthand and to observe how ageist attitudes interfere with appropriate diagnosis and medical care. This approach to introducing the older patient may be of use at other medical schools. Future studies will need to evaluate the long term effect of this educational intervention. PMID- 17767690 TI - Japan's universal long-term care system reform of 2005: containing costs and realizing a vision. AB - Japan implemented a mandatory social long-term care insurance (LTCI) system in 2000, making long-term care services a universal entitlement for every senior. Although this system has grown rapidly, reflecting its popularity among seniors and their families, it faces several challenges, including skyrocketing costs. This article describes the recent reform initiated by the Japanese government to simultaneously contain costs and realize a long-term vision of creating a community-based, prevention-oriented long-term care system. The reform involves introduction of two major elements: "hotel" and meal charges for nursing home residents and new preventive benefits. They were intended to reduce economic incentives for institutionalization, dampen provider-induced demand, and prevent seniors from being dependent by intervening while their need levels are still low. The ongoing LTCI reform should be critically evaluated against the government's policy intentions as well as its effect on seniors, their families, and society. The story of this reform is instructive for other countries striving to develop coherent, politically acceptable long-term care policies. PMID- 17767691 TI - Who is responsible for a nursing home resident's daily oral care? PMID- 17767692 TI - Relationship between cholinesterase inhibitors and Pisa syndrome in a cohort of five French patients with Alzheimer's disease. PMID- 17767693 TI - Advance directives and quality of end-of-life care: pros and cons in older people. PMID- 17767694 TI - Nonconvulsive status epilepticus in older people: a diagnostic challenge and a treatable condition. PMID- 17767695 TI - Polypharmacy as part of comprehensive geriatric assessment: disclosure of false diagnosis of atrial fibrillation by drug revision. PMID- 17767696 TI - Efficacy and safety of radiofrequency thermal ablation in the treatment of thyroid nodules with pressure symptoms in elderly patients. PMID- 17767697 TI - The apolipoprotein E epsilon2 allele and aging-associated health deterioration in older males. PMID- 17767698 TI - Change of diagnoses in probable and possible mild cognitive impairment: the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging. PMID- 17767699 TI - Cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene and coronary heart disease mortality: the Rotterdam study. PMID- 17767700 TI - Association between feeding via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and low level of caregiver burden. PMID- 17767701 TI - Uptake of influenza vaccination in Dutch nursing home personnel following national recommendations. PMID- 17767702 TI - Differential signaling of dopamine-D2S and -D2L receptors to inhibit ERK1/2 phosphorylation. AB - Although they have distinct functions, the signaling of dopamine-D(2) receptor short and long isoforms (D(2)S and D(2)L) is virtually identical. We compared inhibitory regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) in GH4 pituitary cells separately transfected with these isoforms. Activation of rat or human dopamine-D(2)S, muscarinic or somatostatin receptors inhibited thyrotropin releasing hormone-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation, while the D(2)L receptor failed to inhibit this response. In order to address the structural basis for the differential signaling of D(2)S and D(2)L receptors, we examined the D(2)L-SS mutant, in which a protein kinase C (PKC) pseudosubstrate site that is present in the D(2)L but not D(2)S receptor was converted to a consensus PKC site. In transfected GH4 cells, the D(2)L-SS mutant inhibited thyrotropin-releasing hormone-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation almost as strongly as the D(2)S receptor. A D(2)S-triple mutant that eliminates PKC sites involved in D(2)S receptor desensitization also inhibited ERK1/2 activation. Similarly, in striatal cultures, the D(2)-selective agonist quinpirole inhibited potassium-stimulated ERK1/2 phosphorylation, indicating the presence of this pathway in neurons. In conclusion, the D(2)S and D(2)L receptors differ in inhibitory signaling to ERK1/2 due to specific residues in the D(2)L receptor alternatively spliced domain, which may account for differences in their function in vivo. PMID- 17767703 TI - A novel mechanism underlying the susceptibility of neuronal cells to nitric oxide: the occurrence and regulation of protein S-nitrosylation is the checkpoint. AB - The susceptibility of neuronal cells to nitric oxide (NO) is a key issue in NO mediated neurotoxicity. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. As a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-independent NO signaling pathway, S nitrosylation (or S-nitrosation) has been suggested to occur as a post translational modification in parallel with O-phosphorylation. The underlying mechanism of the involvement of protein S-nitrosylation in the susceptibility of neuronal cells to NO has been little investigated. In this study, we focused on the role of S-nitrosothiols (RSNO) in the susceptibility of a cerebellar cell line R2 to NO. Our results showed the following: (i) S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) induced a burst of RSNO in GSH-depleted R2 cells, the majority of which were primarily contributed by the S-nitrosylation of proteins (Pro-SNOs), and was followed by severe neuronal necrosis; (ii) the elevation in the level of Pro-SNOs resulted from a dysfunction of S-nitroglutathione reductase (GSNOR) as a result of its substrate, GSNO, being unavailable in GSH-depleted cells. In the meantime, the suppression of GSNOR increased NO-mediated neurotoxicity in R2 cells, as well as in cerebellar granule neurons; (iii) Our results also demonstrate that the burst of RSNO is the "checkpoint" of cell fate: if RSNO can be reduced to free thiol proteins, cells will survive; if they are further oxidized, cells will die; and (iv) GSH-ethyl ester and Vitamin C protected R2 cells against GSNO neurotoxicity through two distinct mechanisms: by inhibiting the elevation of Pro SNOs and by reducing Pro-SNOs to free thiol proteins, respectively. A novel mechanism underlying the susceptibility of neuronal cells to NO is proposed and some potential strategies to prevent the NO-mediated neurotoxicity are discussed. PMID- 17767704 TI - Apelin, an endogenous neuronal peptide, protects hippocampal neurons against excitotoxic injury. AB - Several G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate neuronal cell migration and survival upon activation by their native peptide ligands but activate death signaling pathways when activated by certain non-native ligands. In cultured neurons, we recently described expression of the unique seven-transmembrane (7TM) -G protein-coupled receptor, APJ, which is also strongly expressed in neurons in the brain and various cell types in other tissues. We now demonstrate that the endogenous APJ peptide ligand apelin activates signaling pathways in rat hippocampal neurons and modulates neuronal survival. We found that (i) both APJ and apelin are expressed in hippocampal neurons; (ii) apelin peptides induce phosphorylation of the cell survival kinases AKT and Raf/ERK-1/2 in hippocampal neurons; and (iii) apelin peptides protect hippocampal neurons against NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity, including that induced by human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Thus, apelin/APJ signaling likely represents an endogenous hippocampal neuronal survival response, and therefore apelin should be further investigated as a potential neuroprotectant against hippocampal injury. PMID- 17767706 TI - Life-saving automated external defibrillation in a teenager: a case report. AB - BACKGROUND: Adolescent sudden death during sport participation is commonly due to cardiac causes. Survival is more likely when an automated external defibrillator (AED) is used soon after collapse. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a case of sudden death in a 14 year old boy with two remarkable points, successful resuscitation at school using an AED and diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was immediately started by a witness and 5 minutes after the event the child was placed on an AED monitor that determined he was in a non shockable rhythm, therefore CPR was continued. Two minutes later, the AED monitor detected a shockable rhythm and recommended a shock, which was then administered. One minute after the shock, a palpable pulse was detected and the child began to breathe by himself. Four days after cardiac arrest, the boy was conversing and self-caring. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of ARVC. CONCLUSION: Ventricular fibrillation secondary to ARVC may be a devastating event and places young patients and athletes at high risk of sudden death. Immediate CPR and AED have been demonstrated to be lifesaving in such events. Therefore, we suggest that schools should have teachers skilled in CPR and accessible AEDs. PMID- 17767707 TI - Association between the BRCA2 N372H variant and male breast cancer risk: a population-based case-control study in Tuscany, Central Italy. AB - BACKGROUND: Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease and little is known about its aetiology. Germ-line mutations of BRCA2 and, at lower frequency, of BRCA1 are implicated in a relatively small proportion of MBC cases. Common polymorphic variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes may represent breast cancer (BC) susceptibility alleles and could be associated with a modestly increased risk of MBC at population level. Considering the relevant role of BRCA2 in MBC, we investigated whether the BRCA2 N372H variant, representing the only common non-synonymous polymorphism in BRCA2, might modulate the risk of BC in male populations. METHODS: A case-control study was performed comparing a population-based series of 99 MBC cases, characterized for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, with 261 male population controls, all residing in Tuscany, Central Italy. All MBC cases and controls were genotyped for the BRCA2 N372H allele by TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. To evaluate the genotype specific risk of the BRCA2 N372H variant, MBC carriers of germ-line BRCA1/2 mutations were excluded from the analyses. RESULTS: No association emerged in univariate and age-adjusted analyses. Age-specific analyses suggested an increased risk for the HH homozygous genotype in subjects younger than 60 years. A statistically significant interaction emerged between this genotype and age (p = 0.032). When analyses were restricted to MBC cases enrolled in the first 4 years following diagnosis, a recessive model showed a significantly increased risk of MBC in HH subjects younger than 60 years (OR = 5.63; 95% CI = 1.70;18.61). CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings, although based on a relatively small series, suggest that the BRCA2 HH homozygous genotype might be positively associated with an increased risk of MBC in men younger than 60 years. PMID- 17767708 TI - Antipsychotics dosage and antiparkinsonian prescriptions. AB - BACKGROUND: To study the link between the dosage of several antipsychotics and the prescription of antiparkinsonians in an observational study. METHODS: In the context of a national naturalistic prospective observational study, a database containing all the prescriptions from 100 French psychiatrists during the year 2002 was analysed. The inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and age over 18. The mean dosage of antipsychotics with and without antiparkinsonians was compared. Since there were multiple prescriptions for a given subject, generalised mixed linear models were also used to study the link between antiparkinsonian prescription and antipsychotic dosage. RESULTS: antiparkinsonians were prescribed to 32,9% of the patients. Two groups of antipsychotics were observed relating to differences in dosage when an antiparkinsonian was co prescribed or not : a first group, where the mean dosage was higher with antiparkinsonians (risperidone, amisulpride and haloperidol) and a second group (clozapine, olanzapine), in which antiparkinsonian co prescription was not related to the dosage of antipsychotics. CONCLUSION: As a conclusion, it can be said that it is important to consider the dosage and the type of antipsychotic in the treatment of patients suffering of schizophrenia, because neurological side effects are frequent and can impair quality of life. Moreover the prescription of antiparkinsonians can lead to different side effects such anticholinergic effects. PMID- 17767709 TI - GeneSrF and varSelRF: a web-based tool and R package for gene selection and classification using random forest. AB - BACKGROUND: Microarray data are often used for patient classification and gene selection. An appropriate tool for end users and biomedical researchers should combine user friendliness with statistical rigor, including carefully avoiding selection biases and allowing analysis of multiple solutions, together with access to additional functional information of selected genes. Methodologically, such a tool would be of greater use if it incorporates state-of-the-art computational approaches and makes source code available. RESULTS: We have developed GeneSrF, a web-based tool, and varSelRF, an R package, that implement, in the context of patient classification, a validated method for selecting very small sets of genes while preserving classification accuracy. Computation is parallelized, allowing to take advantage of multicore CPUs and clusters of workstations. Output includes bootstrapped estimates of prediction error rate, and assessments of the stability of the solutions. Clickable tables link to additional information for each gene (GO terms, PubMed citations, KEGG pathways), and output can be sent to PaLS for examination of PubMed references, GO terms, KEGG and and Reactome pathways characteristic of sets of genes selected for class prediction. The full source code is available, allowing to extend the software. The web-based application is available from http://genesrf2.bioinfo.cnio.es. All source code is available from Bioinformatics.org or The Launchpad. The R package is also available from CRAN. CONCLUSION: varSelRF and GeneSrF implement a validated method for gene selection including bootstrap estimates of classification error rate. They are valuable tools for applied biomedical researchers, specially for exploratory work with microarray data. Because of the underlying technology used (combination of parallelization with web-based application) they are also of methodological interest to bioinformaticians and biostatisticians. PMID- 17767710 TI - Utilisation of postnatal care among rural women in Nepal. AB - BACKGROUND: Postnatal care is uncommon in Nepal, and where it is available the quality is often poor. Adequate utilisation of postnatal care can help reduce mortality and morbidity among mothers and their babies. Therefore, our study assessed the utilisation of postnatal care at a rural community level. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in two neighbouring villages in early 2006. A total of 150 women who had delivered in the previous 24 months were asked to participate in the study using a semi-structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The proportion of women who had received postnatal care after delivery was low (34%). Less than one in five women (19%) received care within 48 hours of giving birth. Women in one village had less access to postnatal care than women in the neighbouring one. Lack of awareness was the main barrier to the utilisation of postnatal care. The woman's own occupation and ethnicity, the number of pregnancies and children and the husband's socio-economic status, occupation and education were significantly associated with the utilisation of postnatal care. Multivariate analysis showed that wealth as reflected in occupation and having attended antenatal are important factors associated with the uptake of postnatal care. In addition, women experiencing health problems appear strongly motivated to seek postnatal care. CONCLUSION: The postnatal care has a low uptake and is often regarded as inadequate in Nepal. This is an important message to both service providers and health-policy makers. Therefore, there is an urgent need to assess the actual quality of postnatal care provided. Also there appears to be a need for awareness-raising programmes highlighting the availability of current postnatal care where this is of sufficient quality. PMID- 17767711 TI - New analysis for consistency among markers in the study of genetic diversity: development and application to the description of bacterial diversity. AB - BACKGROUND: The development of post-genomic methods has dramatically increased the amount of qualitative and quantitative data available to understand how ecological complexity is shaped. Yet, new statistical tools are needed to use these data efficiently. In support of sequence analysis, diversity indices were developed to take into account both the relative frequencies of alleles and their genetic divergence. Furthermore, a method for describing inter-population nucleotide diversity has recently been proposed and named the double principal coordinate analysis (DPCoA), but this procedure can only be used with one locus. In order to tackle the problem of measuring and describing nucleotide diversity with more than one locus, we developed three versions of multiple DPCoA by using three ordination methods: multiple co-inertia analysis, STATIS, and multiple factorial analysis. RESULTS: This combination of methods allows i) testing and describing differences in patterns of inter-population diversity among loci, and ii) defining the best compromise among loci. These methods are illustrated by the analysis of both simulated data sets, which include ten loci evolving under a stepping stone model and a locus evolving under an alternative population structure, and a real data set focusing on the genetic structure of two nitrogen fixing bacteria, which is influenced by geographical isolation and host specialization. All programs needed to perform multiple DPCoA are freely available. CONCLUSION: Multiple DPCoA allows the evaluation of the impact of various loci in the measurement and description of diversity. This method is general enough to handle a large variety of data sets. It complements existing methods such as the analysis of molecular variance or other analyses based on linkage disequilibrium measures, and is very useful to study the impact of various loci on the measurement of diversity. PMID- 17767712 TI - A biologically inspired neural network controller for ballistic arm movements. AB - BACKGROUND: In humans, the implementation of multijoint tasks of the arm implies a highly complex integration of sensory information, sensorimotor transformations and motor planning. Computational models can be profitably used to better understand the mechanisms sub-serving motor control, thus providing useful perspectives and investigating different control hypotheses. To this purpose, the use of Artificial Neural Networks has been proposed to represent and interpret the movement of upper limb. In this paper, a neural network approach to the modelling of the motor control of a human arm during planar ballistic movements is presented. METHODS: The developed system is composed of three main computational blocks: 1) a parallel distributed learning scheme that aims at simulating the internal inverse model in the trajectory formation process; 2) a pulse generator, which is responsible for the creation of muscular synergies; and 3) a limb model based on two joints (two degrees of freedom) and six muscle-like actuators, that can accommodate for the biomechanical parameters of the arm. The learning paradigm of the neural controller is based on a pure exploration of the working space with no feedback signal. Kinematics provided by the system have been compared with those obtained in literature from experimental data of humans. RESULTS: The model reproduces kinematics of arm movements, with bell-shaped wrist velocity profiles and approximately straight trajectories, and gives rise to the generation of synergies for the execution of movements. The model allows achieving amplitude and direction errors of respectively 0.52 cm and 0.2 radians. Curvature values are similar to those encountered in experimental measures with humans. The neural controller also manages environmental modifications such as the insertion of different force fields acting on the end-effector. CONCLUSION: The proposed system has been shown to properly simulate the development of internal models and to control the generation and execution of ballistic planar arm movements. Since the neural controller learns to manage movements on the basis of kinematic information and arm characteristics, it could in perspective command a neuroprosthesis instead of a biomechanical model of a human upper limb, and it could thus give rise to novel rehabilitation techniques. PMID- 17767713 TI - Parasitological impact of 2-year preventive chemotherapy on schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Uganda. AB - BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) are among the neglected tropical diseases in Africa. A national control program for these diseases was initiated in Uganda during March 2003. Annual treatment with praziquantel and albendazole was given to schoolchildren in endemic areas and to adults in selected communities where local prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni in schoolchildren was high. METHODS: The impact of the treatment program was monitored through cohorts of schoolchildren and adults. Their infection status with S. mansoni and STH was determined by parasitological examinations at baseline and at annual follow-ups. The prevalence and intensity of S. mansoni and STH before and after treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: Two rounds of treatment significantly reduced the prevalence of S. mansoni infection in schoolchildren across three regions in the country from 33.4-49.3% to 9.7-29.6%, and intensity of infection from 105.7-386.8 eggs per gram of faeces (epg) to 11.6-84.1 epg. The prevalence of hookworm infection was reduced from 41.2-57.9% to 5.5-16.1%, and intensity of infection from 186.9-416.8 epg to 3.7-36.9 epg. The proportion of children with heavy S. mansoni infection was significantly reduced from 15% (95% CI 13.4-16.8%) to 2.3% (95% CI 1.6-3.0%). In adults, significant reduction in the prevalence and intensity of S. mansoni and hookworm infections was also observed. More importantly, the prevalence and intensity of both S. mansoni and hookworm infections in the cohorts of newly-recruited 6-year-olds who had never previously received treatment decreased significantly over 2 years: 34.9% (95% CI 31.9 37.8%) to 22.6% (95% CI 19.9-25.2%) and 171.1 epg (95% CI 141.5-200.7) to 72.0 epg (95% CI 50.9-93.1) for S. mansoni; and 48.4% (95% CI 45.4-51.5) to 15.9% (95% CI 13.6-18.2) and 232.7 epg (95% CI 188.4-276.9) to 51.4 epg (95% CI 33.4-69.5) for hookworms, suggesting a general decline in environmental transmission levels. CONCLUSION: Annual anthelminthic treatment delivered to schoolchildren and to adults at high risk in Uganda can significantly reduce the prevalence and intensity of infection for schistosomiasis and STH, and potentially also significantly reduce levels of environmental transmission of infection. PMID- 17767714 TI - Chest computed tomography with multiplanar reformatted images for diagnosing traumatic bronchial rupture: a case report. AB - INTRODUCTION: Unnoticed bronchial injury during the early stage of resuscitation of multiple trauma is not rare and increases mortality and morbidity. METHODS: Three-dimensional reconstruction of the airways using a workstation connected to a multidetector chest computed tomography (CT) scanner may change the diagnostic strategy in patients with blunt chest trauma with clinical signs evocative of bronchial rupture. RESULTS: In this case report of a young motor biker, a complete disruption of the intermediary trunk was first misdiagnosed using standard chest helical CT and bronchoscopy. Postprocessing procedures including three-dimensional extraction of the tracheobronchial tree were determinants for establishing the diagnosis, and emergent surgical repair was successfully performed. Follow-up using CT with three-dimensional reconstructions evidenced a bronchial stenosis located at the site of the rupture. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates the potential interest of performing three-dimensional reconstructions by extraction of the tracheal-bronchial tree in patients with severe blunt chest trauma suspected of bronchial rupture. PMID- 17767715 TI - Acculturation does not necessarily lead to increased physical activity during leisure time: a cross-sectional study among Turkish young people in the Netherlands. AB - BACKGROUND: Non-Western migrant populations living in Western countries are more likely to be physically inactive during leisure time than host populations. It is argued that this difference will disappear as they acculturate to the culture of the host country. We explored whether this is also true for migrants who experience contextual barriers such as having children, living in a less attractive neighbourhood, or having occupational physical activity. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were obtained from the LASER-study (2003-2004) on health related behaviours in first and second generation Turkish young people living in the Netherlands. For this study we included 485 Turkish participants aged 15-30 years, who participated in a structured interview during a home visit. Acculturation was indicated by level of 'cultural orientation towards the Dutch culture' and 'social contacts with ethnic Dutch' with persons being low oriented towards the Dutch culture and having few social contacts with ethnic Dutch as reference group. The measured barriers were 'having children', 'occupational physical activity' and 'living in a less attractive neighbourhood'. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the associations between acculturation and physical activity during leisure time, stratified by these contextual barriers. RESULTS: Greater cultural and social integration was associated with increased physical activity during leisure time. Odds ratio's were 1.85 (CI: 1.19 2.85) for 'cultural orientation' and 1.77 (CI: 1.15-2.71) for 'social contacts with ethnic Dutch'. However, these associations were not present or less strong among people who had children, or who were living in a less attractive neighbourhood or who engaged in occupational physical activity. CONCLUSION: Physical activity during leisure time increased with greater acculturation, however, this relationship was found only among participants without children, living in a attractive neighbourhood and having no occupational activity. Interventions aimed at migrant populations should not only focus on the least integrated. Instead, effectiveness might be enhanced when interventions are sensitive to the contextual barriers that might inhibit physical activity behaviours during leisure time. PMID- 17767716 TI - Fluorescence staining of live cyanobacterial cells suggest non-stringent chromosome segregation and absence of a connection between cytoplasmic and thylakoid membranes. AB - BACKGROUND: In spite of their abundance and importance, little is known about cyanobacterial cell biology and their cell cycle. During each cell cycle, chromosomes must be separated into future daughter cells, i.e. into both cell halves, which in many bacteria is achieved by an active machinery that operates during DNA replication. Many cyanobacteria contain multiple identical copies of the chromosome, but it is unknown how chromosomes are segregated into future daughter cells, and if an active or passive mechanism is operative. In addition to an outer and an inner cell membrane, cyanobacteria contain internal thylakoid membranes that carry the active photosynthetic machinery. It is unclear whether thylakoid membranes are invaginations of the inner cell membrane, or an independent membrane system. RESULTS: We have used different fluorescent dyes to study the organization of chromosomes and of cell and thylakoid membranes in live cyanobacterial cells. FM1-43 stained the outer and inner cytoplasmic membranes but did not enter the interior of the cell. In contrast, thylakoid membranes in unicellular Synechocystis cells became visible through a membrane-permeable stain only. Furthermore, continuous supply of the fluorescent dye FM1-43 resulted in the formation of one to four intracellular fluorescent structures in Synechocystis cells, within occurred within 30 to 60 minutes, and may represent membrane vesicles. Using fluorescent DNA stains, we found that Synechocystis genomic DNA is compacted in the cell centre that is devoid of thylakoid membranes. Nucleoids segregated very late in the cell cycle, just before complete closing of the division septum. In striking contrast to Bacillus subtilis, which possesses an active chromosome segregation machinery, fluorescence intensity of stained nucleoids differed considerably between the two Synechocystis daughter cells soon after cell division. CONCLUSION: Our experiments strongly support the idea that the cytoplasmic and thylakoid membranes are not directly connected, but separate entities, in unicellular cyanobacteria. Our findings suggest that a transport system may exist between the cytoplasmic membrane and thylakoids, which could mediate the extension of thylakoid membranes and possibly also protein transport from the cytoplasmic membrane to thylakoid membranes. The cell cycle studies in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 show that the multiple chromosome copies per cell segregate very late in the cell cycle and in a much less stringent manner than in B. subtilis cells, indicating that chromosomes may become segregated randomly and in a passive fashion, possibly through constriction of the division septum. PMID- 17767718 TI - Gene analogue finder: a GRID solution for finding functionally analogous gene products. AB - BACKGROUND: To date more than 2,1 million gene products from more than 100000 different species have been described specifying their function, the processes they are involved in and their cellular localization using a very well defined and structured vocabulary, the gene ontology (GO). Such vast, well defined knowledge opens the possibility of compare gene products at the level of functionality, finding gene products which have a similar function or are involved in similar biological processes without relying on the conventional sequence similarity approach. Comparisons within such a large space of knowledge are highly data and computing intensive. For this reason this project was based upon the use of the computational GRID, a technology offering large computing and storage resources. RESULTS: We have developed a tool, GENe AnaloGue FINdEr (ENGINE) that parallelizes the search process and distributes the calculation and data over the computational GRID, splitting the process into many sub-processes and joining the calculation and the data on the same machine and therefore completing the whole search in about 3 days instead of occupying one single machine for more than 5 CPU years. The results of the functional comparison contain potential functional analogues for more than 79000 gene products from the most important species. 46% of the analyzed gene products are well enough described for such an analysis to individuate functional analogues, such as well known members of the same gene family, or gene products with similar functions which would never have been associated by standard methods. CONCLUSION: ENGINE has produced a list of potential functionally analogous relations between gene products within and between species using, in place of the sequence, the gene description of the GO, thus demonstrating the potential of the GO. However, the current limiting factor is the quality of the associations of many gene products from non-model organisms that often have electronic associations, since experimental information is missing. With future improvements of the GO, this limit will be reduced. ENGINE will manifest its power when it is applied to the whole GODB of more than 2,1 million gene products from more than 100000 organisms. The data produced by this search is planed to be available as a supplement to the GO database as soon as we are able to provide regular updates. PMID- 17767717 TI - The effect of body weight on altered expression of nuclear receptors and cyclooxygenase-2 in human colorectal cancers. AB - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies on risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC) have mainly focused on diet, and being overweight is now recognized to contribute significantly to CRC risk. Overweight and obesity are defined as an excess of adipose tissue mass and are associated with disorders in lipid metabolism. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and retinoid-activated receptors (RARs and RXRs) are important modulators of lipid metabolism and cellular homeostasis. Alterations in expression and activity of these ligand activated transcription factors might be involved in obesity-associated diseases, which include CRC. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) also plays a critical role in lipid metabolism and alterations in COX-2 expression have already been associated with unfavourable clinical outcomes in epithelial tumors. The objective of this study is to examine the hypothesis questioning the relationship between alterations in the expression of nuclear receptors and COX-2 and the weight status among male subjects with CRC. METHOD: The mRNA expression of the different nuclear receptor subtypes and of COX-2 was measured in 20 resected samples of CRC and paired non tumor tissues. The association between expression patterns and weight status defined as a body mass index (BMI) was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: No changes were observed in PPAR gamma mRNA expression while the expression of PPAR delta, retinoid-activated receptors and COX-2 were significantly increased in cancer tissues compared to normal colon mucosa (P or= 25) compared to subjects with healthy BMI (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Our findings show that alterations in the pattern of nuclear receptor expression observed in CRC do not appear to be correlated with patient weight status. However, the analysis of COX-2 expression in normal colon mucosa from subjects with a high BMI suggests that COX-2 deregulation might be driven by excess weight during the colon carcinogenesis process. PMID- 17767719 TI - Use of smokeless tobacco among groups of Pakistani medical students - a cross sectional study. AB - BACKGROUND: Use of smokeless tobacco is common in South Asia. Tobacco is a major preventable cause of morbidity and mortality. Doctors make one of the best avenues to influence patients' tobacco use. However, medical students addicted to tobacco are likely to retain this habit as physicians and are unlikely to counsel patients against using tobacco. With this background, this study was conducted with the objective of determining the prevalence of smokeless tobacco among Pakistani medical students. METHODS: A cross sectional study was carried out in three medical colleges of Pakistan - one from the north and two from the southern region. 1025 students selected by convenient sampling completed a peer reviewed, pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire. Questions were asked regarding lifetime use (at least once or twice in their life), current use (at least once is the last 30 days), and established use (more than 100 times in their life) of smokeless tobacco. Chi square and logistic regression analyses were used. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty (21.5%) students had used tobacco in some form (smoked or smokeless) in their lifetime. Sixty six (6.4%) students were lifetime users of smokeless tobacco. Thirteen (1.3%) were daily users while 18 (1.8%) fulfilled the criterion for established users. Niswar was the most commonly used form of smokeless tobacco followed by paan and nass. Most naswar users belonged to NWFP while most paan users studied in Karachi. On univariate analysis, lifetime use of smokeless tobacco showed significant associations with the use of cigarettes, student gender (M > F), student residence (boarders > day scholars) and location of the College (NWFP > Karachi). Multivariate analysis showed independent association of lifetime use of smokeless tobacco with concomitant cigarette smoking, student gender and location of the medical college. CONCLUSION: The use of smokeless tobacco among medical students cannot be ignored. The governments should add the goal of eliminating smokeless tobacco to existing drives against cigarette smoking. Drives in Karachi should focus more on eliminating paan usage while those in NWFP should focus more on the use of naswar. Medical colleges should provide greater education about the myths and hazards of smokeless tobacco. PMID- 17767720 TI - A qualitative study of primary care clinicians' views of treating childhood obesity. AB - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of childhood obesity is rising and the UK Government have stated a commitment to addressing obesity in general. One method has been to include indicators relating to obesity within the GP pay-for-performance Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) contract. This study aimed to explore general practitioners' and practice nurses' views in relation to their role in treating childhood obesity. METHODS: We interviewed eighteen practitioners (twelve GPs and six nurses) who worked in general practices contracting with Rotherham Primary Care Trust. Interviews were face to face and semi structured. The transcribed data were analysed using framework analysis. RESULTS: GPs and practice nurses felt that their role was to raise the issue of a child's weight, but that ultimately obesity was a social and family problem. Time constraint, lack of training and lack of resources were identified as important barriers to addressing childhood obesity. There was concern that the clinician-patient relationship could be adversely affected by discussing what was often seen as a sensitive topic. GPs and practice nurses felt ill-equipped to tackle childhood obesity given the lack of evidence for effective interventions, and were sceptical that providing diet and exercise advice would have any impact upon a child's weight. CONCLUSION: GPs and practice nurses felt that their role in obesity management was centred upon raising the issue of a child's weight, and providing basic diet and exercise advice. Clinicians may find it difficult to make a significant impact on childhood obesity while the evidence base for effective management remains poor. Until the lack of effective interventions is addressed, implementing additional targets (for example through the QOF) may not be effective. PMID- 17767721 TI - MELOGEN: an EST database for melon functional genomics. AB - BACKGROUND: Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of the most important fleshy fruits for fresh consumption. Despite this, few genomic resources exist for this species. To facilitate the discovery of genes involved in essential traits, such as fruit development, fruit maturation and disease resistance, and to speed up the process of breeding new and better adapted melon varieties, we have produced a large collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from eight normalized cDNA libraries from different tissues in different physiological conditions. RESULTS: We determined over 30,000 ESTs that were clustered into 16,637 non-redundant sequences or unigenes, comprising 6,023 tentative consensus sequences (contigs) and 10,614 unclustered sequences (singletons). Many potential molecular markers were identified in the melon dataset: 1,052 potential simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 356 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found. Sixty-nine percent of the melon unigenes showed a significant similarity with proteins in databases. Functional classification of the unigenes was carried out following the Gene Ontology scheme. In total, 9,402 unigenes were mapped to one or more ontology. Remarkably, the distributions of melon and Arabidopsis unigenes followed similar tendencies, suggesting that the melon dataset is representative of the whole melon transcriptome. Bioinformatic analyses primarily focused on potential precursors of melon micro RNAs (miRNAs) in the melon dataset, but many other genes potentially controlling disease resistance and fruit quality traits were also identified. Patterns of transcript accumulation were characterised by Real-Time-qPCR for 20 of these genes. CONCLUSION: The collection of ESTs characterised here represents a substantial increase on the genetic information available for melon. A database (MELOGEN) which contains all EST sequences, contig images and several tools for analysis and data mining has been created. This set of sequences constitutes also the basis for an oligo-based microarray for melon that is being used in experiments to further analyse the melon transcriptome. PMID- 17767723 TI - The impact of generational change and retirement on psychiatry to 2025. AB - BACKGROUND: Australia is currently experiencing widespread shortages of psychiatrists. The changing nature of the workforce and increasing demand mean that these shortages are unlikely to ease. This study aims to identify demographic change and retirement patterns of the Australian psychiatry workforce from 1995 to 2003, and the implications of those changes for future workforce planning. METHODS: Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Medical Labour Force Survey from 1995 to 2003 is used to examine ageing of the psychiatry workforce and attrition of psychiatrists aged 50 years and over. Future attrition from the workforce is projected to 2025. RESULTS: Sixty two percent of psychiatrists practicing in the year 2000 are predicted to have retired by 2025. Most psychiatrists continue to work until late in life, with only 18 per cent retiring before age 65. The psychiatry workforce aged significantly between 1995 and 2003 (p < 0.001), with men older than women in both years. A reduction in hours worked by psychiatrists reflects both the increasing proportion of females and the older members of the profession reducing their hours in preparation for retirement. CONCLUSION: The impact of ageing of the workforce may be more immediate for psychiatry than for some other health professions. With the growing proportion of females and their typically lower workforce participation, more than one younger psychiatrist will be required to replace each of the mostly male retirees. PMID- 17767722 TI - Real time contrast enhanced ultrasonography in detection of liver metastases from gastrointestinal cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: Contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is an imaging technique which appeared on the market around the year 2000 and proposed for the detection of liver metastases in gastrointestinal cancer patients, a setting in which accurate staging plays a significant role in the choice of treatment. METHODS: A total of 109 patients with colorectal (n = 92) or gastric cancer prospectively underwent computed tomography (CT) scan and conventional US evaluation followed by real time CEUS. A diagnosis of metastases was made by CT or, for lesions not visible at CT, the diagnosis was achieved by histopathology or by a malignant behavior during follow-up. RESULTS: Of 109 patients, 65 were found to have metastases at presentation. CEUS improved sensitivity in metastatic livers from 76.9% of patients (US) to 95.4% (p <0.01), while CT scan reached 90.8% (p = n.s. vs CEUS, p < 0.01 vs US). CEUS and CT were more sensitive than US also for detection of single lesions (87 with US, 122 with CEUS, 113 with CT). In 15 patients (13.8%), CEUS revealed more metastases than CT, while CT revealed more metastases than CEUS in 9 patients (8.2%) (p = n.s.). CONCLUSION: CEUS is more sensitive than conventional US in the detection of liver metastases and could be usefully employed in the staging of patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Findings at CEUS and CT appear to be complementary in achieving maximum sensitivity. PMID- 17767724 TI - Design of the sex hormones and physical exercise (SHAPE) study. AB - BACKGROUND: Physical activity has been associated with a decreased risk for breast cancer. The biological mechanism(s) underlying the association between physical activity and breast cancer is not clear. Most prominent hypothesis is that physical activity may protect against breast cancer through reduced lifetime exposure to endogenous hormones either direct, or indirect by preventing overweight and abdominal adiposity. In order to get more insight in the causal pathway between physical activity and breast cancer risk, we designed the Sex Hormones and Physical Exercise (SHAPE) study. Purpose of SHAPE study is to examine the effects of a 1-year moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise programme on endogenous hormone levels associated with breast cancer among sedentary postmenopausal women and whether the amount of total body fat or abdominal fat mediates the effects. METHODS/DESIGN: In the SHAPE study, 189 sedentary postmenopausal women, aged 50-69 years, are randomly allocated to an intervention or a control group. The intervention consists of an 1-year moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic and strength training exercise programme. Participants allocated to the control group are requested to retain their habitual exercise pattern. Primary study parameters measured at baseline, at four months and at 12 months are: serum concentrations of endogenous estrogens, endogenous androgens, sex hormone binding globuline and insuline. Other study parameters include: amount of total and abdominal fat, weight, BMI, body fat distribution, physical fitness, blood pressure and lifestyle factors. DISCUSSION: This study will contribute to the body of evidence relating physical activity and breast cancer risk and will provide insight into possible mechanisms through which physical activity might be associated with reduced risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. PMID- 17767725 TI - Formamide as the main building block in the origin of nucleic acids. AB - The simplest molecules grouping the four most common elements of the universe H,C,O and N (with the exception of the biologically inert He) are isocyanate HNCO and formamide H2NCOH. Reasons for the availability of formamide on prebiotic Earth are presented. We review evidence showing that formamide in the presence of largely available catalysts and by moderate heating yields the complete set of nucleic bases necessary for the formation of nucleic acids. Formamide also favours the formation of acyclonucleosides and the phosphorylation and trans phosphorylation of nucleosides, thus providing a plausible chemical frame for the passage from a simple one-carbon compound to nucleic polymers. Physico-chemical conditions exist in which formamide favours the stability of the phosphoester bonds in nucleic polymers relative to that of the same bonds in monomers. Starting from a formamide-laden environment subject only to the laws of chemistry, a hypothesis is outlined sketching the passage towards an aqueous world in which Darwinian rules apply. PMID- 17767726 TI - Fitness variation in response to artificial selection for reduced cell area, cell number and wing area in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster. AB - BACKGROUND: Genetically based body size differences are naturally occurring in populations of Drosophila melanogaster, with bigger flies in the cold. Despite the cosmopolitan nature of body size clines in more than one Drosophila species, the actual selective mechanisms controlling the genetic basis of body size variation are not fully understood. In particular, it is not clear what the selective value of cell size and cell area variation exactly is. In the present work we determined variation in viability, developmental time and larval competitive ability in response to crowding at two temperatures after artificial selection for reduced cell area, cell number and wing area in four different natural populations of D. melanogaster. RESULTS: No correlated effect of selection on viability or developmental time was observed among all selected populations. An increase in competitive ability in one thermal environment (18 degrees C) under high larval crowding was observed as a correlated response to artificial selection for cell size. CONCLUSION: Viability and developmental time are not affected by selection for the cellular component of body size, suggesting that these traits only depend on the contingent genetic makeup of a population. The higher larval competitive ability shown by populations selected for reduced cell area seems to confirm the hypothesis that cell area mediated changes have a relationship with fitness, and might be the preferential way to change body size under specific circumstances. PMID- 17767728 TI - Genetic variation in Northern Thailand Hill Tribes: origins and relationships with social structure and linguistic differences. AB - BACKGROUND: Ethnic minorities in Northern Thailand, often referred to as Hill Tribes, are considered an ideal model to study the different genetic impact of sex-specific migration rates expected in matrilocal (women remain in their natal villages after the marriage and men move to their wife's village) and patrilocal societies (the opposite is true). Previous studies identified such differences, but little is known about the possible interaction with another cultural factor that may potentially affect genetic diversity, i.e. linguistic differences. In addition, Hill Tribes started to migrate to Thailand in the last centuries from different Northern areas, but the history of these migrations, the level of genetic legacy with their places of origin, and the possible confounding effects related to this migration history in the patterns of genetic diversity, have not been analysed yet. Using both original and published data on the Hill Tribes and several other Asian populations, we focused on all these aspects. RESULTS: Genetic variation within population at mtDNA is lower in matrilocal, compared to patrilocal, tribes. The opposite is true for Y-chromosome microsatellites within the Sino-Tibetan linguistic family, but Hmong-Mien speaking patrilocal groups have a genetic diversity very similar to the matrilocal samples. Population divergence ranges between 5% and 14% at mtDNA sequences, and between 5% and 36% at Y-chromosomes STRs, and follows the sex-specific differences expected in patrilocal and matrilocal tribes. On the average, about 2 men and 14 women, and 4 men and 4 women, are exchanged in patrilocal and matrilocal tribes every generation, respectively. Most of the Hill Tribes in Thailand seem to preserve a genetic legacy with their likely geographic origin, with children adoption probably affecting this pattern in one tribe. CONCLUSION: Overall, the sex specific genetic signature of different postmarital habits of residence in the Hill Tribes is robust. However, specific perturbations related to linguistic differences, population specific traits, and the complex migratory history of these groups, can be identified. Additional studies in different populations are needed, especially to obtain more precise estimates of the migration parameters. PMID- 17767729 TI - Fantastic animals as an experimental model to teach animal adaptation. AB - BACKGROUND: Science curricula and teachers should emphasize evolution in a manner commensurate with its importance as a unifying concept in science. The concept of adaptation represents a first step to understand the results of natural selection. We settled an experimental project of alternative didactic to improve knowledge of organism adaptation. Students were involved and stimulated in learning processes by creative activities. To set adaptation in a historic frame, fossil records as evidence of past life and evolution were considered. RESULTS: The experimental project is schematized in nine phases: review of previous knowledge; lesson on fossils; lesson on fantastic animals; planning an imaginary world; creation of an imaginary animal; revision of the imaginary animals; adaptations of real animals; adaptations of fossil animals; and public exposition. A rubric to evaluate the student's performances is reported. The project involved professors and students of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and of the "G. Marconi" Secondary School of First Degree (Modena, Italy). CONCLUSION: The educational objectives of the project are in line with the National Indications of the Italian Ministry of Public Instruction: knowledge of the characteristics of living beings, the meanings of the term "adaptation", the meaning of fossils, the definition of ecosystem, and the particularity of the different biomes. At the end of the project, students will be able to grasp particular adaptations of real organisms and to deduce information about the environment in which the organism evolved. This project allows students to review previous knowledge and to form their personalities. PMID- 17767727 TI - Phylogenomics of species from four genera of New World monkeys by flow sorting and reciprocal chromosome painting. AB - BACKGROUND: The taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships of New World monkeys (Platyrrhini) are difficult to distinguish on the basis of morphology and because diagnostic fossils are rare. Recently, molecular data have led to a radical revision of the traditional taxonomy and phylogeny of these primates. Here we examine new hypotheses of platyrrhine evolutionary relationships by reciprocal chromosome painting after chromosome flow sorting of species belonging to four genera of platyrrhines included in the Cebidae family: Callithrix argentata (silvered-marmoset), Cebuella pygmaea (pygmy marmoset), Callimico goeldii (Goeldi's marmoset) and Saimiri sciureus (squirrel monkey). This is the first report of reciprocal painting in marmosets. RESULTS: The paints made from chromosome flow sorting of the four platyrrhine monkeys provided from 42 to 45 hybridization signals on human metaphases. The reciprocal painting of monkey probes on human chromosomes revealed that 21 breakpoints are common to all four studied species. There are only three additional breakpoints. A breakpoint on human chromosome 13 was found in Callithrix argentata, Cebuella pygmaea and Callimico goeldii, but not in Saimiri sciureus. There are two additional breakpoints on human chromosome 5: one is specific to squirrel monkeys, and the other to Goeldi's marmoset. CONCLUSION: The reciprocal painting results support the molecular genomic assemblage of Cebidae. We demonstrated that the five chromosome associations previously hypothesized to phylogenetically link tamarins and marmosets are homologous and represent derived chromosome rearrangements. Four of these derived homologous associations tightly nest Callimico goeldii with marmosets. One derived association 2/15 may place squirrel monkeys within the Cebidae assemblage. An apparently common breakpoint on chromosome 5q33 found in both Saimiri and Aotus nancymae could be evidence of a phylogenetic link between these species. Comparison with previous reports shows that many syntenic associations found in platyrrhines have the same breakpoints and are homologous, derived rearrangements showing that the New World monkeys are a closely related group of species. Our data support the hypothesis that the ancestral karyotype of the Platyrrhini has a diploid number of 2n = 54 and is almost identical to that found today in capuchin monkeys; congruent with a basal position of the Cebidae among platyrrhine families. PMID- 17767730 TI - Montmorillonite protection of an UV-irradiated hairpin ribozyme: evolution of the RNA world in a mineral environment. AB - BACKGROUND: The hypothesis of an RNA-based origin of life, known as the "RNA world", is strongly affected by the hostile environmental conditions probably present in the early Earth. In particular, strong UV and X-ray radiations could have been a major obstacle to the formation and evolution of the first biomolecules. In 1951, J. D. Bernal first proposed that clay minerals could have served as the sites of accumulation and protection from degradation of the first biopolymers, providing the right physical setting for the evolution of more complex systems. Numerous subsequent experimental studies have reinforced this hypothesis. RESULTS: The ability of the possibly widespread prebiotic, clay mineral montmorillonite to protect the catalytic RNA molecule ADHR1 (Adenine Dependent Hairpin Ribozyme 1) from UV-induced damages was experimentally checked. In particular, the self-cleavage reaction of the ribozyme was evaluated after UV irradiation of the molecule in the absence or presence of clay particles. Results obtained showed a three-fold retention of the self-cleavage activity of the montmorillonite-protected molecule, with respect to the same reaction performed by the ribozyme irradiated in the absence of the clay. CONCLUSION: These results provide a suggestion with which RNA, or RNA-like molecules, could have overcame the problem of protection from UV irradiation in the RNA world era, and suggest that a clay-rich environment could have favoured not only the formation of first genetic molecules, but also their evolution towards increasingly complex molecular organization. PMID- 17767731 TI - The primordial metabolism: an ancestral interconnection between leucine, arginine, and lysine biosynthesis. AB - BACKGROUND: It is generally assumed that primordial cells had small genomes with simple genes coding for enzymes able to react with a wide range of chemically related substrates, interconnecting different metabolic routes. New genes coding for enzymes with a narrowed substrate specificity arose by paralogous duplication(s) of ancestral ones and evolutionary divergence. In this way new metabolic pathways were built up by primordial cells. Useful hints to disclose the origin and evolution of ancestral metabolic routes and their interconnections can be obtained by comparing sequences of enzymes involved in the same or different metabolic routes. From this viewpoint, the lysine, arginine, and leucine biosynthetic routes represent very interesting study-models. Some of the lys, arg and leu genes are paralogs; this led to the suggestion that their ancestor genes might interconnect the three pathways. The aim of this work was to trace the evolutionary pathway leading to the appearance of the extant biosynthetic routes and to try to disclose the interrelationships existing between them and other pathways in the early stages of cellular evolution. RESULTS: The comparative analysis of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of lysine, leucine, and arginine, their phylogenetic distribution and analysis revealed that the extant metabolic "grids" and their interrelationships might be the outcome of a cascade of duplication of ancestral genes that, according to the patchwork hypothesis, coded for unspecific enzymes able to react with a wide range of substrates. These genes belonged to a single common pathway in which the three biosynthetic routes were highly interconnected between them and also to methionine, threonine, and cell wall biosynthesis. A possible evolutionary model leading to the extant metabolic scenarios was also depicted. CONCLUSION: The whole body of data obtained in this work suggests that primordial cells synthesized leucine, lysine, and arginine through a single common metabolic pathway, whose genes underwent a set of duplication events, most of which can have predated the appearance of the last common universal ancestor of the three cell domains (Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucaryotes). The model proposes a relative timing for the appearance of the three routes and also suggests a possible evolutionary pathway for the assembly of bacterial cell-wall. PMID- 17767732 TI - The role of gene fusions in the evolution of metabolic pathways: the histidine biosynthesis case. AB - BACKGROUND: Histidine biosynthesis is one of the best characterized anabolic pathways. There is a large body of genetic and biochemical information available, including operon structure, gene expression, and increasingly larger sequence databases. For over forty years this pathway has been the subject of extensive studies, mainly in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, in both of which details of histidine biosynthesis appear to be identical. In these two enterobacteria the pathway is unbranched, includes a number of unusual reactions, and consists of nine intermediates; his genes are arranged in a compact operon (hisGDC [NB]HAF [IE]), with three of them (hisNB, hisD and hisIE) coding for bifunctional enzymes. We performed a detailed analysis of his gene fusions in available genomes to understand the role of gene fusions in shaping this pathway. RESULTS: The analysis of HisA structures revealed that several gene elongation events are at the root of this protein family: internal duplication have been identified by structural superposition of the modules composing the TIM-barrel protein. Several his gene fusions happened in distinct taxonomic lineages; hisNB originated within gamma-proteobacteria and after its appearance it was transferred to Campylobacter species (epsilon-proteobacteria) and to some Bacteria belonging to the CFB group. The transfer involved the entire his operon. The hisIE gene fusion was found in several taxonomic lineages and our results suggest that it probably happened several times in distinct lineages. Gene fusions involving hisIE and hisD genes (HIS4) and hisH and hisF genes (HIS7) took place in the Eukarya domain; the latter has been transferred to some delta proteobacteria. CONCLUSION: Gene duplication is the most widely known mechanism responsible for the origin and evolution of metabolic pathways; however, several other mechanisms might concur in the process of pathway assembly and gene fusion appeared to be one of the most important and common. PMID- 17767733 TI - Modeling HIV quasispecies evolutionary dynamics. AB - BACKGROUND: During the HIV infection several quasispecies of the virus arise, which are able to use different coreceptors, in particular the CCR5 and CXCR4 coreceptors (R5 and X4 phenotypes, respectively). The switch in coreceptor usage has been correlated with a faster progression of the disease to the AIDS phase. As several pharmaceutical companies are starting large phase III trials for R5 and X4 drugs, models are needed to predict the co-evolutionary and competitive dynamics of virus strains. RESULTS: We present a model of HIV early infection which describes the dynamics of R5 quasispecies and a model of HIV late infection which describes the R5 to X4 switch. We report the following findings: after superinfection (multiple infections at different times) or coinfection (simultaneous infection by different strains), quasispecies dynamics has time scales of several months and becomes even slower at low number of CD4+ T cells. Phylogenetic inference of chemokine receptors suggests that viral mutational pathway may generate a large variety of R5 variants able to interact with chemokine receptors different from CXCR4. The decrease of CD4+ T cells, during AIDS late stage, can be described taking into account the X4-related Tumor Necrosis Factor dynamics. CONCLUSION: The results of this study bridge the gap between the within-patient and the inter-patients (i.e. world-wide) evolutionary processes during HIV infection and may represent a framework relevant for modeling vaccination and therapy. PMID- 17767734 TI - Unexpected presence of Fagus orientalis complex in Italy as inferred from 45,000 year-old DNA pollen samples from Venice lagoon. AB - BACKGROUND: Phylogeographic analyses on the Western Euroasiatic Fagus taxa (F. orientalis, F. sylvatica, F. taurica and F. moesiaca) is available, however, the subdivision of Fagus spp. is unresolved and there is no consensus on the phylogeny and on the identification (both with morphological than molecular markers) of Fagus Eurasiatic taxa. For the first time molecular analyses of ancient pollen, dated at least 45,000 years ago, were used in combination with the phylogeny analysis on current species, to identify the Fagus spp. present during the Last Interglacial period in Italy. In this work we aim at testing if the trnL-trnF chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) region, that has been previously proved efficient in discriminating different Quercus taxa, can be employed in distinguishing the Fagus species and in identifying the ancient pollen. RESULTS: 86 populations from 4 Western Euroasistic taxa were sampled, and sequenced for the trnL-trnF region to verify the efficiency of this cpDNA region in identifying the Fagus spp.. Furthermore, Fagus crenata (2 populations), Fagus grandifolia (2 populations), Fagus japonica, Fagus hayatae, Quercus species and Castanea species were analysed to better resolve the phylogenetic inference. Our results show that this cpDNA region harbour some informative sites that allow to infer relationships among the species within the Fagaceae family. In particular, few specific and fixed mutations were able to discriminate and identify all the different Fagus species. Considering a short fragment of 176 base pairs within the trnL intron, 2 transversions were found able in distinguishing the F. orientalis complex taxa (F. orientalis, F. taurica and F. moesiaca) from the remaining Fagus spp. (F. sylvatica, F. japonica, F. hayataea, F. crenata and F. grandifolia). This permits to analyse this fragment also in ancient samples, where DNA is usually highly degraded. The sequences data indicate that the DNA recovered from ancient pollen belongs to the F. orientalis complex since it displays the informative sites characteristic of this complex. CONCLUSION: The ancient DNA sequences demonstrate for the first time that, in contrast to current knowledge based on palynological and macrofossil data, the F. orientalis complex was already present during the Tyrrhenian period in what is now the Venice lagoon (Italy). This is a new and important insight considering that nowadays West Europe is not the natural area of Fagus orientalis complex, and up to now nobody has hypothesized the presence during the Last Interglacial period of F. orientalis complex in Italy. PMID- 17767735 TI - An unusual case of gender-associated mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy: the mytilid Musculista senhousia (Mollusca Bivalvia). AB - BACKGROUND: Doubly Uniparental Inheritance (DUI) represents the most outstanding exception to matrilinear inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), typical of Metazoa. In a few bivalve mollusks, two sex-linked mtDNAs (the so-called M and F) are inherited in a peculiar way: both daughters and sons receive their F from the mother, whereas sons inherit M from the father (males do not transmit F to their progeny). This realizes a double mechanism of transmission, in which M and F mtDNAs are inherited uniparentally. DUI systems represent a unique experimental model for testing the evolutionary mechanisms that apply to mitochondrial genomes and their transmission patterns as well as to mtDNA recombination. RESULTS: A new case of DUI is described in Musculista senhousia (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Mytilidae). Its heteroplasmy pattern is in line with standard DUI. Sequence variability analysis evidenced two main results: F haplotypes sequence variability is higher than that of M haplotypes, and F mitochondrial haplotypes experience a higher mutation rate in males' somatic tissues than in females' ones. Phylogenetic analysis revealed also that M. senhousia M and F haplotypes cluster separately from that of the other mytilids. CONCLUSION: Sequence variability analysis evidenced some unexpected traits. The inverted variability pattern (the F being more variable than M) was new and it challenges most of the rationales proposed to account for sex-linked mtDNA evolution. We tentatively related this to the history of the Northern Adriatic populations analyzed. Moreover, F sequences evidenced a higher mutation level in male's soma, this variability being produced de novo each generation. This suggests that mechanisms evolved to protect mtDNA in females (f.i. antioxidant gene complexes) might be under relaxed selection in males. Phylogenetic analysis of sex-linked haplotypes confirmed that they have switched their roles during the evolutionary history of mytilids, at variance to what has been observed in unionids. Consequently, reciprocal monophyly of M and F lineages got easily lost because of role-reversals and consequent losses of M lineages, as already observed in Mytilus. PMID- 17767736 TI - Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial protein coding genes confirms the reciprocal paraphyly of Hexapoda and Crustacea. AB - BACKGROUND: The phylogeny of Arthropoda is still a matter of harsh debate among systematists, and significant disagreement exists between morphological and molecular studies. In particular, while the taxon joining hexapods and crustaceans (the Pancrustacea) is now widely accepted among zoologists, the relationships among its basal lineages, and particularly the supposed reciprocal paraphyly of Crustacea and Hexapoda, continues to represent a challenge. Several genes, as well as different molecular markers, have been used to tackle this problem in molecular phylogenetic studies, with the mitochondrial DNA being one of the molecules of choice. In this study, we have assembled the largest data set available so far for Pancrustacea, consisting of 100 complete (or almost complete) sequences of mitochondrial genomes. After removal of unalignable sequence regions and highly rearranged genomes, we used nucleotide and inferred amino acid sequences of the 13 protein coding genes to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships among major lineages of Pancrustacea. The analysis was performed with Bayesian inference, and for the amino acid sequences a new, Pancrustacea-specific, matrix of amino acid replacement was developed and used in this study. RESULTS: Two largely congruent trees were obtained from the analysis of nucleotide and amino acid datasets. In particular, the best tree obtained based on the new matrix of amino acid replacement (MtPan) was preferred over those obtained using previously available matrices (MtArt and MtRev) because of its higher likelihood score. The most remarkable result is the reciprocal paraphyly of Hexapoda and Crustacea, with some lineages of crustaceans (namely the Malacostraca, Cephalocarida and, possibly, the Branchiopoda) being more closely related to the Insecta s.s. (Ectognatha) than two orders of basal hexapods, Collembola and Diplura. Our results confirm that the mitochondrial genome, unlike analyses based on morphological data or nuclear genes, consistently supports the non monophyly of Hexapoda. CONCLUSION: The finding of the reciprocal paraphyly of Hexapoda and Crustacea suggests an evolutionary scenario in which the acquisition of the hexapod condition may have occurred several times independently in lineages descending from different crustacean-like ancestors, possibly as a consequence of the process of terrestrialization. If this hypothesis was confirmed, we should therefore re-think our interpretation of the evolution of the Arthropoda, where terrestrialization may have led to the acquisition of similar anatomical features by convergence. At the same time, the disagreement between reconstructions based on morphological, nuclear and mitochondrial data sets seems to remain, despite the use of larger data sets and more powerful analytical methods. PMID- 17767737 TI - Stress and fitness in parthenogens: is dormancy a key feature for bdelloid rotifers? AB - BACKGROUND: Bdelloid rotifers are the most common and abundant group of animals that reproduce by ameiotic parthenogenesis, only. They are common in temporally ephemeral habitats, and it is unclear if they dwell in unstable habitats because are excluded from better conditions by stronger competitors, or because they need unstable conditions for their success. We tested the hypothesis that bdelloids 'require' stressful conditions for their persistence by comparing fitness-related traits of stressed (desiccated, D) and unstressed (hydrated, H) lines of two species, Adineta ricciae and Macrotrachela quadricornifera. RESULTS: For both bdelloid species, fecundity was significantly lower in H than in parallel D line. Fitness components decreased with time progressively in the H line but not in the D line. Recovery rates of D lines were recorded after every desiccation and did not reveal any trend in time, suggesting that no selection was operating. CONCLUSION: Stress in the form of reiterated desiccations seemed to help both bdelloid species to keep fitness stable; in contrast under stable conditions, like permanent hydration, these bdelloid species had poorer performances. Bdelloids, although aquatic animals, are not only efficient in tolerating desiccation, but seem somehow dependent on anhydrobiosis, a circumstance that might represent a key event in their life cycle. If this is true, life in unpredictable habitats should not be seen as the result of competitive exclusion from 'easier' habitats, but a requirement for long-term survival of these parthenogenetic animals. PMID- 17767739 TI - Clinical trials and basic research: defining mechanisms and improving treatment in connective tissue disease. AB - Despite advances in elucidating the pathogenic factors responsible for its development, systemic sclerosis remains complex and poorly understood, and treatment options are limited. Multidisciplinary collaborative efforts are needed to better characterize clinical and prognostic parameters and to design and implement large-scale clinical trials in well defined populations with therapies that target potential disease modulators. PMID- 17767740 TI - How does endothelial cell injury start? The role of endothelin in systemic sclerosis. AB - A considerable amount of research time has been invested in studies aimed at elucidating pathogenic processes in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Despite this, major challenges for biomedical science remain, such as identification of the key factors that determine susceptibility to SSc, and elucidation of the precise nature of the initiating event that causes endothelial cell injury and ultimately brings about the biological cascade(s) that lead to the pathologic vascular changes. Involved factors are likely to include genetic perturbations, environmental cues, tissue injury, infection and hypoxia/oxidative stress. As important as determining the initiating events are the identification and characterization of key factors that are functionally important in driving vascular disease progression, because these factors are potential targets for therapeutic intervention. This article reviews the role of endothelin as an example of a pleiotropic mediator with effects on various aspects of SSc pathogenesis, such as inflammation, vasculopathy and tissue remodelling. PMID- 17767741 TI - Vasculopathy and disordered angiogenesis in selected rheumatic diseases: rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis. AB - Angiogenesis is important in the pathogenesis of systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, a family of related disorders that includes rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis. Rheumatoid arthritis is the rheumatic disease in which the role of angiogenesis has been studied most extensively. However, whereas rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by excessive angiogenesis, the situation is not as clear cut in other rheumatic diseases. For example, systemic sclerosis is characterized by reduced capillary density with insufficient angiogenic responses. Results with angiogenesis inhibitors are controversial, and there is- in parallel--a wide range of upregulated angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor. Dysregulation of angiogenesis in systemic sclerosis is accompanied by other pathogenic processes, including fibrosis, autoimmunity and vasculopathy. Animal models with at least partial features of the vasculopathy observed in systemic sclerosis include wound healing models, graft versus host disease models and, in particular, the University of California at Davis line 200 chicken model of systemic sclerosis. PMID- 17767742 TI - Fibrosis in connective tissue disease: the role of the myofibroblast and fibroblast-epithelial cell interactions. AB - Fibrosis, characterized by excessive extracellular matrix accumulation, is a common feature of many connective tissue diseases, notably scleroderma (systemic sclerosis). Experimental studies suggest that a complex network of intercellular interactions involving endothelial cells, epithelial cells, fibroblasts and immune cells, using an array of molecular mediators, drives the pathogenic events that lead to fibrosis. Transforming growth factor-beta and endothelin-1, which are part of a cytokine hierarchy with connective tissue growth factor, are key mediators of fibrogenesis and are primarily responsible for the differentiation of fibroblasts toward a myofibroblast phenotype. The tight skin mouse (Tsk-1) model of cutaneous fibrosis suggests that numerous other genes may also be important. PMID- 17767743 TI - Genetic factors in systemic sclerosis. AB - A number of genetic loci have been identified that appear to be associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). There is mounting evidence suggesting that these genetic associations may in fact be associated with distinct phenotypes in SSc based on autoantibody pattern rather than with SSc as a single disease entity. This may ultimately have implications for approaches to therapy as well as responses to therapy. The most promising candidate genes are those involved in pathways that lead to the vascular damage and fibrosis that are the hallmarks of this disease. There is uncertainty, however, regarding the nature of the key pathological mechanisms that link these two disease processes. Recent studies have focused on Fli1 (friend leukaemia integration 1), a transcription factor that is found in immune cells, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells that regulates collagen gene function and angiogenesis. Fli1 is dysregulated in SSc skin and dermal blood vessels, and appears to play a pathological role in SSc skin fibrosis and vessel degeneration. Whether this dysregulation is due to genetic polymorphisms in the Fli1 pathway or to epigenetic mechanisms is not clear. PMID- 17767744 TI - Therapeutic targets in systemic sclerosis. AB - The precise aetiology of systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains elusive, but significant advances over the past few years have improved our understanding of the underlying pathogenic processes and identified key pathways and mediators that are potential therapeutic targets. The situation is complicated by the clinical heterogeneity of SSc and the differential pathogenesis that underlies the two commonest subsets, namely diffuse and limited cutaneous disease. However, there are common mediators that could be targeted to provide clinical benefit in both types of disease. To date, clinical success with therapies directed against logical profibrotic mediators, such as connective tissue growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta, is yet to be reported, although studies are ongoing. More promising clinical results have been obtained with the dual endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan, which has been shown to manage two vascular complications of SSc effectively: pulmonary arterial hypertension and digital ulceration. It remains to be determined whether the identification of additional mediators merely furthers our knowledge of the natural history of SSc or presents targets that can be manipulated to manage SSc patients effectively. PMID- 17767745 TI - Clinical trials in systemic sclerosis: lessons learned and outcomes. AB - The pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc) is complex and largely unclear. The clinical heterogeneity of the disease and its progression over a number of years makes the choice of endpoints in the design of clinical trials difficult. The overwhelming need in this disease is to diagnose it early and identify those patients who will benefit most from early, aggressive treatment that potentially can alter the clinical disease course. To achieve this, innumerable challenges must be overcome. This article reviews data from recent clinical trials and the lessons derived from retrospective observational studies, databases, and patient registries. Taken together, these observations will help to improve our understanding of the diverse clinical course of SSc and permit refinement of existing outcome measures for the design of future clinical trials, in which the likelihood of observing a positive treatment effect with the drugs at our disposal will be maximized. PMID- 17767748 TI - Ileal neobladder for women with interstitial cystitis. PMID- 17767746 TI - Pulmonary hypertension associated with sarcoidosis. AB - Pulmonary involvement is common in sarcoidosis, an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder that is characterized by non-caseating granulomas in tissue. Sarcoid patients with advanced pulmonary disease, especially end-stage pulmonary fibrosis, risk developing pulmonary hypertension (World Health Organization group III pulmonary hypertension secondary to hypoxic lung disease). Increased levels of endothelin (ET)-1 in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage of some sarcoid patients suggest that ET-1 may be driving pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis associated pulmonary hypertension. Although a relationship between raised levels of ET-1 and clinical phenotype is yet to be identified, early evidence from studies of ET-1 blockade with drugs such as bosentan is encouraging. Such therapy possibly could be combined with standard anti-inflammatory agents to improve outcome. PMID- 17767747 TI - Vasculitis: mechanisms involved and clinical manifestations. AB - Systemic vasculitis, an inflammatory necrotizing disease of the blood vessel walls, can occur secondary to autoimmune diseases, including connective tissue diseases. Various pathogenic mechanisms have been implicated in the induction of vasculitis, including cell-mediated inflammation, immune complex-mediated inflammation and autoantibody-mediated inflammation. This inflammatory activity is believed to contribute to accelerated atherosclerosis, and also leads to increased risk for cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Endothelial cell activation is a common pathogenic pathway in the systemic vasculitis associated with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, with elevated levels of endothelin-1 potentially inducing vascular dysregulation. PMID- 17767749 TI - Surgical treatment of anterior urethral stricture diseases: brief overview. AB - We performed an up-to-date review of the surgical techniques suggested for the treatment of anterior urethral strictures. References for this review were identified by searching PubMed and MEDLINE using the search terms "urethral stricture" or "urethroplasty" from 1995 to 2006. Descriptive statistics of the articles were provided. Meta-analyses or other multivariate designs were not employed. Out of 327 articles, 50 (15%) were determined to be germane to this review. Eight abstracts were referenced as the authors of this review attended the meetings where the abstract results were presented, thus it was possible to collect additional information on such abstracts. Urethrotomy continues to be the most commonly used technique, but it does have a high failure rate and many patients progress to surgical repair. Buccal mucosa has become the most popular substitute material in urethroplasty; however, the skin appears to have a longer follow-up. Free grafts have been making a comeback, with fewer surgeons using genital flaps. Short bulbar strictures are amenable using primary anastomosis, with a high success rate. Longer strictures are repaired using ventral or dorsal graft urethroplasty, with the same success rate. New tools such as fibrin glue or engineered material will become a standard in future treatment. In reconstructive urethral surgery, the superiority of one approach over another is not yet clearly defined. The surgeon must be competent in the use of various techniques to deal with any condition of the urethra presented at the time of surgery. PMID- 17767750 TI - Can pain during digital rectal examination help us to decide the necessity and the method of anesthesia for transrectal ultrasound guided prostate needle biopsy? AB - OBJECTIVE: Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided prostate biopsy is well tolerated by patients but the lack of an effective marker to predict pain prevents us from determining pre-procedurally which patient group needs local anesthesia for biopsy and probe pain. Thus in this study, we investigated predictor factors for prostate biopsy and probe insertion pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 71 patients who were undergoing prostate biopsy without anesthesia were included in the study retrospectively. Pain had been assessed with visual analogue scale (VAS 0-10). Digital rectal examination (DRE) pain was analyzed for biopsy and probe insertion pain. RESULTS: DRE pain was related to both probe pain and biopsy pain. CONCLUSION: Although level of pain during DRE determines patients in need of local anesthesia, since the number of patients with moderate-severe pain is rather big, it seems efficient in determining the patients in need of additional anesthesia due to probe pain. PMID- 17767751 TI - Preoperative determination of prostate cancer tumor volume: analysis through biopsy fragments. AB - OBJECTIVE: Preoperative determination of prostate cancer (PCa) tumor volume (TV) is still a big challenge. We have assessed variables obtained in prostatic biopsy aiming at determining which is the best method to predict the TV in radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Biopsy findings of 162 men with PCa submitted to radical prostatectomy were revised. Preoperative characteristics, such as PSA, the percentage of positive fragments (PPF), the total percentage of cancer in the biopsy (TPC), the maximum percentage of cancer in a fragment (MPC), the presence of perineural invasion (PNI) and the Gleason score were correlated with postoperative surgical findings through an univariate analysis of a linear regression model. RESULTS: The TV correlated significantly to the PPF, TPC, MPC, PSA and to the presence of PNI (p < 0.001). However, the Pearson correlation analysis test showed an R2 of only 24%, 12%, 17% and 9% for the PPF, TPC, MPC, and PSA respectively. The combination of the PPF with the PSA and the PNI analysis showed to be a better model to predict the TV (R2 of 32.3%). The TV could be determined through the formula: Volume = 1.108 + 0.203 x PSA + 0.066 x PPF + 2.193 x PNI. CONCLUSIONS: The PPF seems to be better than the TPC and the MPC to predict the TV in the surgical specimen. Due to the weak correlation between those variables and the TV, the PSA and the presence of PNI should be used together. PMID- 17767752 TI - Bladder substitution by ileal neobladder for women with interstitial cystitis. AB - OBJECTIVE: To report our experience with cystectomy and ileal neobladder for women with interstitial cystitis (IC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five female patients treated during 2000-2005 with the mean age of 45.9 +/- 4.4 years were included in this study. All of them had experience suprapubic pain with irritative voiding symptoms and were diagnosed as having IC based on NIDDK criteria for at least 2 years. Conservative treatments had failed to relieve their symptoms; and therefore all of them agreed to undergo a bladder removal. For cystectomy, the urethra was cut 0.5 cm below the bladder neck, proximal to the pubourethral ligament, leaving the endopelvic fascia intact. An ileal segment of 65 cm was used to create the neobladder with the Studer's technique. RESULTS: All patients presented good treatment outcome with regard to both diurnal and nocturnal urinary control without any pain. Quality of life using the SF-36 questionnaire showed significant improvement of both physical health and mental health. Spontaneous voiding with minimal residual urine was found in 33 cases (94.3%), and the remaining 2 cases (5.7%) had spontaneous voiding with residual urine and were placed on clean intermittent catheterization (CIC). Twelve out of 30 cases with sexually active ability had a mild degree of dyspareunia but without disturbance to sexual life. CONCLUSION: Bladder substitution by ileal neobladder for women who suffer from IC can be a satisfactory option after failure of conservative treatment. Resection of the urethra distal to the bladder neck can preserve continence and allow spontaneous voiding in almost all patients. PMID- 17767753 TI - Double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study of Bixa orellana in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms associated to benign prostatic hyperplasia. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of Bixa Orellana (BO) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) presenting moderate lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: It is a prospective double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study. One thousand four hundred and seventy eight patients presenting moderate LUTS associated to BPH were interviewed, from whom we selected 136 to fulfill the criteria of inclusion and exclusion. Assignation was performed at random in blocks of four to receive B0 at a dose of 250 mg 3 times a day or placebo (Pbo) for 12 months, 68 patients were assigned to each group. From the patients in the study we obtained data of demographic, epidemiologic, symptom score, uroflowmetry and post void residual urine variables. RESULTS: Basically both groups were compared clinically, demographically and biochemically. Throughout the study variations of symptom score, mean delta symptom score during each visit and the final average delta were similar for both groups (BO - 0.79 +/- 1.87 and Pbo - 1.07 +/- 1.49) (p = 0.33). Similarly variations of Qmax mean, Qmax average delta and final average delta were similar (BO 0.44 +/- 1.07 and Pbo 0.47 +/- 1.32) (p = 0.88). Variations of post void residual urine mean, post void residual urine average delta in each visit and the final average delta were similar for both groups (BO 4.24 +/- 11.69 and Pbo 9.01 +/- 18.66) (p = 0.07). No differences were found in the answers of clinically significant improvement assessed with relative risk and risk differences, even though the proportion of adverse effects was similar for both groups. CONCLUSION: Patients with BPH that present moderate LUTS did not show any benefit receiving BO when compared to placebo. PMID- 17767754 TI - Long-term patient satisfaction after surgical correction of penile curvature via tunical plication. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess patient satisfaction and functional results at long term follow-up after surgical correction for Peyronie's disease (PD) and congenital penile curvature (CPC) with the technique of tunical plication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and two men operated for PD (n = 76) or CPC (n = 26) in four different departments of urology in public hospitals agreed to answer a six question telephone questionnaire about treatment satisfaction. Tunica albuginea plication procedures represented the standard surgical approach. Subjects under investigation were correction of the deformity, feeling of bumps under the skin, pain during erection, penile sensory changes, development of erectile dysfunction (ED) and postoperative ability for complete vaginal intromission. Subjective response rates were compared using the chi square test on the basis of the etiology of the disease (CPC or PD). RESULTS: Significant differences (p < 0.05) between patients with CPC and PD were noticed in the prevalence of postoperative penile deformity, sensory changes, ED and ability to complete vaginal intromission, PD patients always showing a more pessimistic view. No significant differences (p = ns) were detected in terms of unpleasant nodes under the penile skin or pain during erection. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term outcome after surgical correction for PD and CPC with the technique of tunical plication can be poor. Probably patient expectations are above the real performance of surgical techniques. Preoperative information should be more exhaustive. PMID- 17767755 TI - Relation between the area affected by Fournier's gangrene and the type of reconstructive surgery used. A study with 80 patients. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the affected skin area and the reconstructive techniques used in 80 patients affected by Fournier's gangrene. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty patients ranging in age from 19 to 85 years (mean = 51) affected by Fournier's gangrene were studied. When admitted to the emergency room the patients were submitted to clinical and laboratory examinations to analyze the gravity of the case. All patients were submitted to an extensive debridement of the lesion, urinary derivation by cystostomy and colostomy whenever necessary. RESULTS: Only 13 patients (16.25%) died. From the 67 remaining patients, in 44 (65.6%) debridement was restricted to the scrotum, in 10 (14.9%) there has been scrotum and penile lesions and in 13 (19.3%) there has been a debridement of the scrotum and the perineal region. In 11 cases (16.4%) there was no need for reconstructive surgery with wound closing by second intention, in 16 cases (23.8%) reconstructive surgery was performed with mobilization of local skin, in 19 (28.3%) we have used skin grafts, 20 patients (29.8%) needed reconstructive surgery with the use of skin flaps and in 1 case (1.4%) there has been the use of skin flaps and grafts simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS: Fournier's gangrene is a serious pathology and should be treated aggressively with an extensive debridement of the area with necrosis. The use of precocious reconstructive surgery of the genitals present good results and tends to greatly reduce the length of hospital stay and improve the psychological conditions of these patients. PMID- 17767756 TI - Scrotal neoplasia: would truck drivers be at greater risk? AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze how scrotal neoplasias have been managed during the past decade and to question possible factors or professions associated to its presence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated every case reported from 1995 to 2005 at our hospital. We described the clinical scenario, complementary exams, treatments and outcomes. We also tried to verify if there was any risk, predisposing factors or professions that would explain the cancer origin. RESULTS: Six cases were reviewed. Out of these, three patients were truck drivers. Five of them showed restricted lesions without inguinal lymph nodes enlargement. Histologically, six patients presented squamous carcinoma, with two of them having the verrucous type. The median age of patients was 52 years old (31 to 89). The five patients who are still alive had their lesions completely removed with safety margin and primary closure. CONCLUSIONS: We have noticed that the scrotal carcinoma behavior is similar to that of the penis, where removal of the lesion and study of the regional lymph nodes help to increase the patient survival rate. The outstanding fact was that three out of six patients were truck drivers, raising the hypothesis that such profession, maybe due to the contact or attrition with the diesel exhaust expelled by the engine or to sexual promiscuity, would imply in a larger risk of developing this rare neoplasia. PMID- 17767757 TI - Urgent penectomy in a patient presenting with epidermoid carcinoma of the penis associated to myiasis. AB - The objective of this study is to describe the case of a patient presenting advanced epidermoid carcinoma of the penis associated to myiasis. A 41-year-old patient presenting with a necrotic lesion of the distal third of the penis infested with myiasis was attended in the emergency room of our hospital and was submitted to an urgent penectomy. This is the first case of penile cancer associated to myiasis described in the literature. This case reinforces the need for educative campaigns to reduce the incidence of this disease in developing countries. PMID- 17767759 TI - Infantile bladder rupture during voiding cystourethrography. AB - Bladder rupture is rare during infancy and most of reported cases had urethral obstruction or neurogenic bladder. We report two cases of infantile bladder rupture during voiding cystourethrography (VCUG). This report reinforces the criteria for proper VCUG imaging procedure. Consideration of expected bladder volume for body weight, and close monitoring of bladder pressure and injection speed could prevent such complications. PMID- 17767758 TI - The tunica vaginalis dorsal graft urethroplasty: initial experience. AB - INTRODUCTION: Nowadays, buccal mucosa grafts are the most successful method to reconstruct bulbar urethral strictures. Dorsal placement of the graft has been recently proposed, allowing the graft to be spread fixed on the tunica albuginea of the corporal bodies overlying the stricture. The dorsal graft is ingenious and represents a useful addition to the surgical armamentarium, since it offers a better chance for graft take than does the spongiosum when the urethra is diseased and poorly vascularized. We developed an additional reconstructive option using tunica vaginalis grafts, placed dorsally, for the treatment of anterior urethral strictures. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: A total of 11 patients with anterior urethral strictures were treated with a tunica vaginalis graft urethroplasty. The surgical technique was done as described by Barbagli. The urethra was dissected from the corpora cavernosa and rotated 180 degrees. The dorsal urethral surface was exposed and fully opened. Both the distal and proximal lumina were calibrated. The tunica vaginalis graft was sutured, splayed and quilted over the corpora cavernosa using 6-0 PDS running stitches. The left side of the urethral mucosa was sutured to the graft using 6-0 PDS sutures. A 18F silicone Foley catheter was inserted at this point. The urethra was rotated back to its original position and sutured laterally to the right side of the graft. At the end of the procedure, the graft was completely covered by the urethra. With a follow-up ranging from 7 weeks to 5 months, all patients were voiding well (uroflowmetry > 14 mL per second). CONCLUSION: This initial experience in 11 patients indicates that tunica vaginalis dorsal graft urethroplasty may be considered within the reconstructive armamentarium of genitourinary surgeons. PMID- 17767760 TI - Retroperitoneoscopic renal biopsy in children. AB - OBJECTIVE: We present our experience in a series of 17 consecutive pediatric patients submitted to retroperitoneal laparoscopic renal biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retroperitoneal laparoscopic renal biopsy (LRB) was performed in 5 boys and 12 girls. Mean age was 8.1 years and age range from 2 to 12. Two or three trocars were used to expose the inferior pole of the kidney, remove enough cortical parenchymal specimen and fulgurate the biopsy site. Assessment included surgical time, estimated blood loss, hospitalization period, analgesia requirements, complications and number of glomeruli present in the specimen. RESULTS: LRB was successfully performed in all 15 patients (88%). In two cases, LRB was not possible to be performed. One patient was converted to a transperitoneal laparoscopy due to tear in the peritoneum. The other patient had had previous abdominal surgery and, during retroperitoneal balloon dilation, the peritoneum was opened and the open biopsy was performed. A third patient had postoperatively a perirenal hematoma, which was solved spontaneously. Complication rate was 17.6% (3/17 cases). Mean operative time was 65 minutes, while mean estimated blood loss was 52 mL, mean hospital stay was 2.2 days and mean analgesic requirement was 100 mg of tramadol. The mean number of glomeruli present in the specimen was 60. CONCLUSION: Retroperitoneal laparoscopic renal biopsy in children is a simple, safe. Bleeding is still the most common complication. However, direct vision usually allows a safe control of this drawback. In our institution, laparoscopic approach is the chosen procedure in pediatric patients older than one - year - old. PMID- 17767761 TI - Influence of ovarian hormones deprivation on gene expression in the lower urinary tract of rats. AB - OBJECTIVE: Identify the influence of ovarian hormone deprivation in expression genes on the lower urinary tract of rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study deals with gene screening on lower urinary tract of rats. Fifty isogenic rats divided in two groups of twenty-five animals have their lower urinary tract surgically removed: group I, ovariectomized rats 30 days prior to surgery; group II, non ovariectomized rats. Total RNA was isolated from bladder and urethra, and differential expression of genes was analyzed quantitative, qualitative and comparatively by array technology and RT-PCR. RESULTS: A total of 76 candidate genes were identified as differentially expressed between the groups, 26 being lower expressed in group II, and 50 in group I. Among them, differential expression validation was confirmed by RT-PCR for three lower expressed genes in group I: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Beta-2 Microglobulin (B2M) and Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COX I). CONCLUSION: Ovarian hormone deprivation influences the expression genes on lower urinary tract. We demonstrated that a 30-day period of castration down regulate the expression of VEGF, B2M and COX I in adult rats which are involved in activities of angiogenesis, immune responses and cellular metabolism respectively. PMID- 17767762 TI - Free serum testosterone level in male rats treated with Tribulus alatus extracts. AB - OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of Tribulus alatus extracts on free serum testosterone in male rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Free serum testosterone level was measured in male rats treated with alcoholic extracts of the aerial part without fruits, fruits of Tribulus alatus and their fractions. RESULTS: All tested extracts showed significant increase in the level of free serum testosterone when compared to that of corresponding control, p < 0.05. Statistical comparison of all groups revealed that the maximum level was found in groups treated with chloroformic and ethanolic fractions of fruits extract. CONCLUSION: Tribulus alatus extract appears to possess aphrodisiac activity due to its androgen increasing property. PMID- 17767763 TI - Re: Surgical technique using AdVance sling placement in the treatment of post prostatectomy urinary incontinence. PMID- 17767764 TI - Re: Adverse events and readmissions after day-case urological surgery. PMID- 17767765 TI - Re: The role of squamous differentiation in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder treated with radical cystectomy. PMID- 17767766 TI - Re: The role of squamous differentiation in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder treated with radical cystectomy. PMID- 17767767 TI - Re: The use of enoxaparin to prevent venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy: feasibility and utility. PMID- 17767768 TI - Re: Inflammatory atrophy on prostate needle biopsies: is there topographic relationship to cancer? PMID- 17767769 TI - Re: Lower urinary tract dysfunction in children. What do pre-school teachers know about it? PMID- 17767790 TI - Urban-rural contrasts in explanatory models and treatment-seeking behaviours for stroke in Tanzania. AB - Stroke is an emerging problem in sub-Saharan Africa, about which little is known since most research to date has been based on retrospective, hospital-based studies. This anthropological work, designed to complement a large community based project on stroke incidence, focuses on local understandings and treatment seeking behaviours in urban (Dar-es-Salaam) and rural (Hai) areas of Tanzania. Semi-structured interviews (n=80) were conducted with 20 stroke patients, 20 relatives of stroke patients, ten traditional healers, and 30 other local residents. In contrast to common expectations, and literature that finds witchcraft beliefs to be most common in rural areas, stroke in urban Dar was widely believed to emanate from supernatural causes (demons and witchcraft), while in rural Hai, explanations drew mostly on 'natural' causes (hypertension, fatty foods, stress). These different beliefs and explanatory models fed into treatment-seeking behaviours. The first option in Hai was hospital treatment, while in Dar-es-Salaam, where belief in demons led to hospital avoidance, it was traditional healers. In both sites, multiple treatment options (serially or simultaneously) were the norm. Analysis of patient and carer narratives suggested that causation beliefs outweighed other factors, such as cost and distance, in shaping effective treatment. Three policy implications are drawn. First, as other studies have also shown, it is important to engage with, rather than dismiss, local explanations and interpretations of stroke. Stroke awareness messages need to take into account the geographical and belief systems differences. Developing an understanding of explanatory models that recognizes that local beliefs arise from dynamic processes of social interaction will be critical to designing effective interventions. Second, there is a clear role for multiple healing systems with possibility of cross-reference in the case of a chronic, disabling condition like stroke, since biomedical treatment cannot offer a 'quick fix' while traditional healers can help people come to terms with their condition. Third, issues of communication between health services and their patients are particularly critical. PMID- 17767791 TI - Malaria-related health-seeking behaviour and challenges for care providers in rural Ethiopia: implications for control. AB - A range of activities are currently underway to improve access to malaria prevention and control interventions. As disease control strategies change over time, it is crucial to understand the health-seeking behaviour and the local socio-cultural context in which the changes in interventions operate. This paper reflects on how people in an area of seasonal malaria perceive the causes and transmission of the disease, and what prevention and treatment measures they practise to cope with the disease. It also highlights some of the challenges of malaria treatment for health care providers. The study was undertaken in 2003 in Adami Tulu District in south-central Ethiopia, where malaria is a major health problem. Pre-tested structured questionnaires and focus group discussions were conducted among men and women. Malaria, locally known as busa, was perceived as the most important cause of ill health in the area. Respondent's perception and knowledge about the cause and transmission of the disease were relatively high. The newly introduced insecticide-treated nets were not popular in the area, and only 6.4% of households possessed at least one. The results showed that patients use multiple sources of health care for malaria treatment. Public health facilities, private clinics and community health workers were the main providers of malaria treatment. Despite higher treatment costs, people preferred to use private health care providers for malaria treatment due to the higher perceived quality of care they offer. In conclusion, effort in the prevention and control of malaria should be intensified through addressing not only public facilities, but also the private sector and community-based control interventions. Appropriate and relevant information on malaria should be disseminated to the local community. The authors propose the provision of effective antimalarial drugs and malaria prevention tools such as subsidized or free insecticide-treated nets. PMID- 17767793 TI - The impact of climate on Japanese encephalitis. AB - The aim of this study was to assess the change of seasonal pattern of Japanese encephalitis (JE) cases in the post-vaccination period and to elucidate whether the lagged climate variables (precipitation and temperature) were associated with occurrence of JE after adjustment for seasonal pattern, time trend, geographic areas, pig density, vaccination coverage rate for humans, and time dependence of time-series numbers of JE cases. A total of 287 confirmed JE cases between 1991 and 2005 were collected, together with monthly data on socio-ecological archival data including climate, pig density and vaccination. A time-series generalized autoregressive Poisson regression model was used to achieve the objectives. The rate of JE increased from 1998 onwards. The seasonal pattern on occurrence of JE cases clustered between May and August during the period from 1991 to 2005 in Taiwan. In each geographic area, monitoring temperature and precipitation, two possible proxy variables for mosquito density, in conjunction with seasonal factors and pig density is of assistance in forecasting JE epidemics. PMID- 17767792 TI - The rising impact of mathematical modelling in epidemiology: antibiotic resistance research as a case study. AB - Mathematical modelling of infectious diseases has gradually become part of public health decision-making in recent years. However, the developing status of modelling in epidemiology and its relationship with other relevant scientific approaches have never been assessed quantitatively. Herein, using antibiotic resistance as a case study, 60 published models were analysed. Their interactions with other scientific fields are reported and their citation impact evaluated, as well as temporal trends. The yearly number of antibiotic resistance modelling publications increased significantly between 1990 and 2006. This rise cannot be explained by the surge of interest in resistance phenomena alone. Moreover, modelling articles are, on average, among the most frequently cited third of articles from the journal in which they were published. The results of this analysis, which might be applicable to other emerging public health problems, demonstrate the growing interest in mathematical modelling approaches to evaluate antibiotic resistance. PMID- 17767794 TI - Toxoplasma gondii induces changes in intracellular calcium in macrophages. AB - Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that interacts with calcium storage organelles and induces calcium-dependent signalling in macrophages. This study was performed to determine whether Toxoplasma induces changes in intracellular calcium in these cells. Ratiometric imaging of live, Fura-2 loaded macrophages challenged with T. gondii revealed robust elevations in intracellular calcium. These elevations were late in onset, beginning 15-20 min after addition of parasites and occurred in up to 20% of macrophages in an imaging field. Further characterization of these events revealed that they follow from challenge with live T. gondii, but not heat-killed parasites or soluble Toxoplasma antigen (STAg). Parasite-induced calcium elevations derived from extracellular sources, and were independent of host recognition factors MyD88 and CCR5. These findings indicate that Toxoplasma gondii alters calcium homeostasis in macrophages and this activity is independent of known pathways involved in the innate recognition of this organism. PMID- 17767795 TI - Post-surgical follow-up (by ELISA and immunoblotting) of cured versus non-cured cystic echinococcosis in young patients. AB - The study was designed to determine comparatively the prognostic value of immunoblotting and ELISA in the serological follow-up of young cystic echinococcosis (CE) patients exhibiting either a cured or a progredient (non cured) course of disease after treatment. A total of 54 patients (mean age 9 years, range from 3 to 15 years) with surgically, radiologically and/or histologically proven CE were studied for a period up to 60 months after surgery. Additionally, some of the patients underwent chemotherapy. Based on the clinical course and outcome, as well as on imaging findings, patients were clustered into 2 groups of either cured (CCE), or non-cured (NCCE) CE patients. ELISA showed a high rate of seropositivity 4 to 5 years post-surgery for both CCE (57.1%) and NCCE (100%) patients, the difference found between the two groups was statistically not significant. Immunoblotting based upon recognition of AgB subcomponents (8 and 16 kDa bands) showed a decrease of respective antibody reactivities after 4 years post-surgery. Only sera from 14.3% of CCE patients recognized the subcomponents of AgB after 4 years, while none (0%) of these sera was still reactive at 5 years post-surgery. At variance, immunoblotting remained positive for AgB subcomponents in 100% of the NCCE cases as tested between 4 and 5 years after surgical treatment. Immunoblotting therefore proved to be a useful approach for monitoring post-surgical follow-ups of human CCE and NCCE in young patients when based upon the recognition of AgB subcomponents. PMID- 17767796 TI - Praziquantel and the benzodiazepine Ro 11-3128 do not compete for the same binding sites in schistosomes. AB - The benzodiazepine Ro 11-3128 (methyl-clonazepam) presents several similarities with praziquantel with regard to its anti-schistosomal mode of action, since both drugs cause spastic paralysis, calcium influx and tegumental disruption in the parasites. In order to know whether the two compounds share the same binding sites in the schistosomes, we performed in vivo and in vitro competition experiments. We took advantage of the fact that Ro 11-3128 is active against immature Schistosoma mansoni (whereas praziquantel is inactive), and praziquantel is active against S. japonicum (which is insensitive to Ro 11-3128). An excess of praziquantel did not inhibit the activity of Ro 11-3128 against immature S. mansoni and an excess of Ro 11-3128 did not inhibit the activity of praziquantel against S. japonicum, suggesting that the schistosome binding sites of the two drugs are different. On the other hand, cytochalasin D, an agent known to perturb -among other things--calcium channel function, was capable of inhibiting the schistosomicidal activity of both praziquantel and Ro 11-3128, thus adding another element of similarity between the two anti-schistosomal agents. A similar, albeit partial, inhibition of the schistosomicidal activity of the two drugs was exerted by some of the classical calcium channel blockers. Taken together, these results suggest that praziquantel and Ro 11-3128, although binding to different schistosome receptor sites, may use the same basic anti schistosomal effector mechanisms. PMID- 17767797 TI - Molecular evidence of prevalent dual piroplasma infections in North American raccoons (Procyon lotor). AB - Based on 18S rRNA sequence analyses 2 distinct genotypes of piroplasms have been described in raccoons. One genotype resides in the Babesia sensu stricto clade and the other in the Babesia microti-like clade. Since these organisms appear morphologically indistinguishable, it is unclear which strain is responsible for the majority of the infections in raccoons. In order to overcome these limitations we performed a molecular survey of raccoons using polymerase chain reaction assays specific for each genotype. We tested blood samples from 41 wild raccoons trapped in eastern North Carolina using PCR assays and found that 95% (39/41) had detectable piroplasm DNA. Ninety percent (37/41) of the samples contained Babesia sensu stricto DNA and 83% (34/41) samples contained Babesia microti-like DNA. DNA from both genotypes was present in 76% (31/41) samples suggesting a very high rate of co-infections. The presence of dual piroplasma infections in carnivores appears to be an uncommon finding. This study highlights the need for molecular assays for the accurate identification of piroplasma. Further studies are indicated to investigate the ability of these parasites to infect domestic animals as well as their zoonotic potential. PMID- 17767798 TI - Inoculation of Balb/c mice with live attenuated tachyzoites protects against a lethal challenge of Neospora caninum. AB - Neospora caninum tachyzoites attenuated through passage in tissue culture were tested for their ability to induce protective immunity against a lethal challenge dose of parasites. Balb/c mice were each inoculated with either 1x10(6) live virulent tachyzoites (Group 1) or 1x10(6) live attenuated tachyzoites (Group 2), while (Group 3) received a control inoculum. All mice were each challenged 28 days later with 5x10(6) virulent parasites. Histopathological lesions in the brains including necrosis and microgliosis were observed following post-mortem on day 28 post-challenge (p.c.) in 71% of Group 1 and 56% of Group 2. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) of these lesions showed tachyzoites and Neospora antigens to be associated with moderate brain lesions in 17% of Group 1, while in 11% of Group 2 N. caninum tissue cysts were detected, but these were not associated with lesions, Parasite DNA was detected by PCR in the brains of 86% of mice in Group 1 and 56% of mice in Group 2. Following challenge the mice in Group 3 showed high morbidity and 100% mortality within 17 days p.c. Positive IHC for N. caninum was seen in 88% of the Group 3 mice and parasite DNA was detected in all brain samples. This study shows that it is possible to protect against a lethal challenge of N. caninum through inoculation with attenuated or virulent tachyzoites. However, more severe pathology developed in mice initially inoculated with virulent parasites following a secondary challenge, compared to mice initially inoculated with attenuated parasites. PMID- 17767799 TI - Generalised and abdominal obesity and risk of diabetes, hypertension and hypertension-diabetes co-morbidity in England. AB - OBJECTIVES: To look at trends in generalised (body mass index (BMI) >or=30 kg m( 2)) and abdominal (waist circumference (WC) >102 cm in men, >88 cm in women) obesity among adults between 1993 and 2003, and to evaluate their association with diabetes, hypertension and hypertension-diabetes co-morbidity (HDC) in England. DESIGN: Analyses of nationally representative cross-sectional population surveys, the Health Survey for England (HSE). SUBJECTS: Non-institutionalised men and women aged >or=35 years. MEASUREMENTS: Interviewer-administered questionnaire (sociodemographic information, risk factors, doctor-diagnosed diabetes), measurements of height and weight to calculate BMI. WC and blood pressure measurements were taken by trained nurses. RESULTS: Generalised obesity increased among men from 15.8% in 1993 to 26.3% in 2003, and among women from 19.3% to 25.8%. Abdominal obesity also increased in both sexes (men: 26.2% in 1993 to 39.0% in 2003; women: 32.4% to 47.0%). In 1994, 1998 and 2003, generalised and abdominal obesity were independently associated with risk of hypertension, diabetes and HDC. The odds of diabetes associated with generalised obesity in 1994, 1998 and 2003 were 1.62, 2.26 and 2.62, respectively, in women and 1.24, 1.82 and 2.10, respectively, in men. Similar differences were observed for hypertension and HDC. Men and women with abdominal obesity also showed a higher risk for diabetes, hypertension and HDC than those with a normal WC. CONCLUSIONS: If current trends in obesity continue then the risk of related morbidities may also increase. This will impact on cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, with cost implications for the health service. Therefore there is an urgent need to control the epidemic of obesity. PMID- 17767800 TI - The lack of effect of isoflavones on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in adolescent boys: a 6-week randomised trial. AB - BACKGROUND: A substantial fall in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) during puberty in boys, but not girls, has been reported in Western populations. The fall in boys is believed to be due to hormonal changes--androgens have been shown to be associated with lower HDL-C, whereas oestrogens are associated with higher HDL-C. The fall in HDL-C during puberty was not observed, however, in a study of Moslem boys in Israel, nor in a group of Japanese boys. A diet high in phyto-oestrogens may account for the lack of a fall in HDL-C in these populations. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of dietary supplementation with phyto-oestrogens on the HDL-C concentration of adolescent boys from a Western population. We hypothesised that dietary supplementation of 50 mg of the isoflavones daidzein and genistein would produce a 12% higher HDL-C concentration than in controls at the end of a 6-week intervention period. DESIGN: A randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Hellyer College in Burnie (Tasmania, Australia). SUBJECTS: Adolescent boys (aged 16-18 years) were recruited through a letter sent to parents. A total of 132 eligible participants enrolled and five subjects withdrew from the trial. RESULTS: No significant increase in HDL-C was observed in the treatment group (-0.02 mmol l(-1), standard error (SE)=0.03, P = 0.53) or the placebo group (0.05 mmol l(-1), SE = 0.03, P = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Factors other than isolated dietary isoflavones may be responsible for the lack of fall in HDL-C during puberty in Japanese and Moslem boys. PMID- 17767801 TI - Breast-feeding and maternal mental well-being among Bangladeshi and Pakistani women in north-east England. AB - OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationship between infant feeding and maternal mental well-being among women of Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnicity; and to explore the sources of advice, information and support available to women before and after childbirth. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of infant feeding and maternal well-being via structured interviews conducted in the home. SETTING: Home visits within two inner-city wards of Newcastle upon Tyne. SUBJECTS: Eighty six women of South Asian ethnicity. RESULTS: Enjoyment of everyday activities was higher among women who breast-fed only (P = 0.028); whereas feeling sad or crying during pregnancy was lower among breast-feeding women (P = 0.005), as was not sleeping well (P = 0.003) and feeling that everything was too much (P = 0.039), compared with women who used formula or mixed feeding. Women who breast-fed only had better mean mood scores than those who formula-fed or those who both breast fed and formula-fed (P < 0.001). Mean mood responses were also significantly associated with the mother's level of understanding of English and number of years in education (P = 0.005 and P = 0.003, respectively). The association between method of feeding and maternal mood remained strong after controlling for the effects of English language and maternal education. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that breast-feeding may be an important mediator of maternal mental well being after childbirth. Community-based programmes tailored to the needs of Bangladeshi and Pakistani women which support breast-feeding and encourage exclusive breast-feeding may be of benefit. PMID- 17767802 TI - What was good about admission to an aged psychiatry ward? The subjective experiences of patients with depression. AB - BACKGROUND: The treatment of depression in Australian aged psychiatry units has been found to be effective in terms of symptom improvement and readmission rates. There is little information, however, about how such hospitalization is viewed by the patients themselves. While users' views are increasingly seen as important for the evaluation of mental health services and for improving outcomes, the views of older patients are less likely to be sought. In this study, former patients were asked about their experience of admission, which aspects were helpful and which were not. Negative experiences have been described in an earlier paper. This paper focuses on what study participants considered to be the positive aspects of their time in hospital. METHODS: Fifty former patients from three Melbourne hospitals were interviewed in their own homes using a semi structured, open-ended questionnaire. RESULTS: Forty-six percent expressed an overall favorable view of their hospital stay; 34% had some reservations; and 20% had a poor overall view. Favorable views did not necessarily preclude distressing incidents or complaints but were associated with the ward environment, experienced as a safe haven; the re-evaluation of negative experiences; and, in most but not all cases, recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Retrospective accounts are useful for understanding the ways in which hospital experience is processed. Remembering the experience as positive is, in itself, a good therapeutic outcome. In addition, it may influence readiness to seek future treatment, help prevent relapse, and, indirectly, be helpful to others with similar problems. PMID- 17767803 TI - A double blind, placebo-controlled cross over trial of cellulose powder by nasal provocation with Der p1 and Der f1. AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess whether inert cellulose powder would reduce the response to nasal challenge with house dust mite antigens. The study aimed to investigate the efficacy of inert cellulose powder applied to the nose for the control of persistent allergic rhinitis in adults due to house dust mite allergy. The powder has been registered as a medical device since 1994 and is available in many countries as a remedy for hay fever. Anecdotal evidence reported that it reduced symptoms of persistent rhinitis but no scientific evidence exists for this. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A double blind, placebo controlled cross over trial was conducted on 15 adult persistent rhinitis sufferers (diagnosed positive to Der p1 and/or Der f1 by SPT) and who had symptoms over the previous 2 years. The placebo was lactose powder. Challenge was by measured dose of homogenised allergenic dust. The study took place in the spring of 2006 before the main pollen seasons. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measures were observed severity scores for 3 symptom categories and the amount of ECP in nasal secretions. The secondary outcome measures were symptom scores by subject report (nasal blockage, itching of nose, throat and eyes), nasal peak inspiratory (PIFn) and expiratory flow (PEFn). RESULTS: The results show significant differences for sneezing, itchy nose, runny nose and ECPs in nasal secretions. Some results are also significantly different between placebo and active for PIFn and for PEFn (all at p = 0.05). There were no adverse reactions. CONCLUSIONS: The inert cellulose powder can have significant effects in reducing some symptoms of persistent rhinitis due to house dust mite allergy. PMID- 17767804 TI - Prediction of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: relationship to cerebral salt wasting syndrome. AB - OBJECTIVES: Symptomatic cerebral vasospasm is a major complication in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Symptomatic cerebral vasospasm has been reported to be related to the patient's blood volume which is influenced by cerebral salt wasting syndrome (CSWS). We undertook a prospective study to assess whether the onset of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm was predictable or not, by observing the phenomena of CSWS (natriuresis and osmotic diuresis). METHODS: Sixty-seven consecutive aneurysmal SAH patients were analysed. After surgery, all patients underwent hypervolemic therapy in order to keep central venous pressure (CVP) within 8-12 cmH(2)O, serum sodium level above 140 mEq/l and a positive water balance. Patients were classified into two groups: those without symptomatic cerebral vasospasm (n=55) and those with symptomatic cerebral vasospasm (n=12). To estimate natriuresis and osmotic diuresis, sodium in/out, water in/out, CVP and other parameters were measured and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: One day before symptomatic cerebral vasospasm, three factors reached statistical difference in the group that experienced symptomatic cerebral vasospasm: sodium balance, urine volume and water balance. On the day of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm, two factors reached statistical difference: sodium excretion and urine volume. No factor was significantly different 2 days before symptomatic cerebral vasospasm. DISCUSSION: Symptomatic cerebral vasospasm has a strong relationship with CSWS. Negative sodium and water balance and increased urine volume indicate a predictor of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm. To predict symptomatic cerebral vasospasm, strict observations are required, because CSWS and symptomatic cerebral vasospasm which follows, develop rapidly. PMID- 17767805 TI - Effects of WIN55,212-2 on voltage-gated sodium channels in trigeminal ganglion neurons of rats. AB - OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to investigate the effects of WIN55,212-2, a potential cannabinoid receptor agonist, on voltage-gated sodium currents I(Na) in cultured trigeminal ganglion neurons of rats, and to investigate whether the anti-nociceptive effects of cannabinoid receptor subtype 1 (CB1) were produced through its modulation on I(Na). METHODS: Whole cell patch clamp techniques were used to record I(Na) before and after WIN55,212-2 was perfused in cultured trigeminal ganglion neurons of rats. RESULTS: WIN55,212-2 (0.01 micromol/l) could enhance I(Na) slightly by 11.5 +/- 4.7% (n=7, p<0.05), and this effect could not be blocked by AM251, the CB1 receptor antagonist. However, WIN55,212-2 could inhibit I(Na) in concentration dependent manner at concentrations from 0.1 to 100 micromol/l. The inhibitory rates were 17.4 +/- 6.0, 22.5 +/- 7.8, 43.9 +/- 9.4 and 73.9 +/- 6.7% respectively by 0.1, 1, 10, 100 micromol/l WIN55,212-2, and the EC(50) was 17.8 micromol/l (n=7, p<0.05 or p<0.01). This inhibitory effect could be blocked partly by 1 micromol/l AM251 (n=7, p<0.05). WIN55,212-2 (0.01 micromol/l) shifted the active curve of I(Na) leftward slightly (n=7, p<0.05), but had no effect on its stable inactive curve (n=7, p>0.05). WIN55,212-2 (10 micromol/l) did not affect the active and stable inactive curves of I(Na) (n=7, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: WIN55,212-2 had bidirectional (two phases) effects on I(Na) in trigeminal ganglion neurons. It might act on different receptors, and the CB1 receptor participated in its modulation on I(Na). PMID- 17767806 TI - Serum cholesterol levels do not influence outcome or recovery in acute ischemic stroke. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of admission serum cholesterol levels (SCL) on severity of initial neurological deficit, neurological outcome at month 3 and neurological recovery in patients with acute first-ever ischemic stroke. METHODS: Prospectively collected data from 889 consecutive patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke were retrospectively analysed. Patients who suffered a recurrent ischemic stroke (n=22) or died (n=30) during the follow-up period were excluded from this study. Age, gender, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, stroke etiology, SCL and severity of neurological deficit, using the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), at presentation (NIHSS0) and after 3 months (NIHSS1), were assessed. Neurological recovery was defined as difference in NIHSS score (Delta(NIHSS)), according to Delta(NIHSS)=NIHSS0 - NIHSS1. RESULTS: Data from 837 patients (66% men, age: 62 +/- 14 years) were analysed. NIHSS1 was 2.3 +/- 1.8 and Delta(NIHSS) was 3.4 +/- 3. Clinically insignificant correlations between SCL and NIHSS0 (r=-0.13, p=0.0002), NIHSS1 (r=-0.09, p=0.001) and Delta(NIHSS) (r=-0.1, p=0.03) were evident. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis revealed smoking (p=0.008), stroke etiology (p=0.023) and NIHSS0 (p<0.001) but not age, gender, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus or SCL as predictors for Delta(NIHSS). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that SCL in patients with acute ischemic stroke are not associated with neurological deficit on admission, outcome or neurological recovery. PMID- 17767807 TI - Pergolide protects CA1 neurons from apoptosis in a gerbil model of global cerebral ischemia. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of dopamine (DA) receptor agonists and antagonists on neuronal apoptosis in hippocampal CA1 region after forebrain ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in gerbils. METHODS: Gerbil forebrain ischemia was induced by occluding bilateral carotid arteries for 5 minutes. The open field test, hematoxylin-eosin staining and in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) methods were used 1, 3 and 7 days after reperfusion. Western blot was used to examine the phosphorylation of c Jun. RESULTS: Pergolide could significantly reduce the habituation impairments of ischemic gerbils, increase the number of normal neurons and reduce the number of apoptotic neurons in hippocampal CA1 region after reperfusion. SKF38393, SCH23390 and spiperone had no effects on these changes in this transient I/R injury model. Furthermore, pergolide can significantly reduce the phosphorylation of c-Jun induced by transient forebrain ischemia. PMID- 17767808 TI - Growth inhibition and induction of differentiation by panaxydol in rat C6 glioma cells. AB - OBJECTIVES: Panaxydol is a naturally occurring non-peptidyl small molecule isolated from the lipophilic fractions of Panax notoginseng, a well-known Chinese traditional medicine. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of panaxydol on growth inhibition and its mechanisms in C6 rat glioma cells. METHODS: The effects of panaxydol on cell proliferation, morphologic changes, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression and cell cycle regulation in rat C6 cells were evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, immunocytochemistry, flow cytometric analysis and Western blot respectively. RESULTS: Panaxydol markedly inhibited the proliferation of C6 cells in a dose dependent manner with IC50 of 39.5 +/- 2.3 microM. In addition, the cell morphologic changes and increased expression of GFAP in C6 cells in the presence of panaxydol implied a cellular differentiation. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that panaxydol-treated cells accumulated in G0/G1 phase with a marked decrease in the number of C6 cells at S phase. Western blot analysis demonstrated that panaxydol resulted in an increase in the protein expression of p27 in C6 cells as early as 3 hours after treatment consistent with the differentiation response, but protein expression of p53, p21, p16 and pRb remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that panaxydol inhibits the proliferation of C6 cells via G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in association with induction of p27 expression and differentiation. PMID- 17767809 TI - Silver segregation and bacterial growth of intraventricular catheters impregnated with silver nanoparticles in cerebrospinal fluid drainages. AB - OBJECTIVES: Intraventricular catheters impregnated with silver nanoparticles are developed to reduce catheter-associated infections in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainages. Silver released from these new catheters should have an anti microbacterial effect. This study examines the silver ion release and a potential effect of bacterial growth in an in vitro experiment. METHODS: Seven original silver-coated ventricle catheters were rinsed thoroughly with an artificial CSF for 6 days. The collecting containers were replaced every 24 hours. In these samples, ion concentrations of silver were determined via trace analysis through atomic absorption spectroscopy. Furthermore, a bacterial growth was conducted on silver-impregnated and non-impregnated catheters. RESULTS: In none of the samples, a concentration of silver ions could be detected. For Staphylococcus aureus, a slightly decreased bacterial growth could be observed with silver impregnated catheters. DISCUSSION: There is no risk of a toxic effect due to silver release into the CSF. However, the in vivo antibacterial effect has to be further investigated. We recommend clinical trials to prove the oligodynamic and anti-microbacterial effects of silver-impregnated ventricular catheters. PMID- 17767810 TI - A comparison of polysomnographic and actigraphic evaluation of periodic limb movements in sleep. AB - OBJECTIVE: As a standard method, periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) are detected by means of polysomnography (PSG). Actigraphic detection of PLMS is a recently developed method for performing of multiple-night recordings in an outpatient setting. The aim of our study was to assess sensitivity-related parameters of actigraphic detection of PLMS in comparison to the PSG, when mounted at ankles and at the base of the big toe. METHODS: We simultaneously performed PSG and actigraphic recordings at both ankles and at the bases of both big toes (Cambridge Actiwatch AW-64) for 40 nights. The PLM index (PLMI), number of periodic movements per hour of sleep, was the primary output of both methods. RESULTS: We have proven significant correlation of all resulting parameters when comparing actigraphy at either position to the PSG; however, the PLMI values obtained by the actigraphy at toes were significantly higher than by PSG (sign test, p<0.0001). At bases of the big toes, threshold of PLMI=7.6 was used as a cut off for positivity, while PLMI=5 at ankles was used for PSG. Comparing ankle versus toe actigraphic placement, sensitivity was 67% versus 94%, specificity was 95% versus 91% and negative predictive value was 78% versus 95%. The correlation of the results from actigraphy and PSG was not affected by presence of respiratory events. DISCUSSION: Our results suggest good validity of actigraphic PLM evaluation at the base of big toe using AW-64 devices and therefore, actigraphy seems suitable for screening purposes in both clinical and research usage. PMID- 17767811 TI - Vasospasm after SAH due to aneurysm rupture of the anterior circle of Willis: value of TCD monitoring. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to verify the presence of angiographic vasospasm in patients with transcranial Doppler (TCD) of high velocities after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS: Seven hundred and eighty-six cases admitted within 48 hours after SAH due to the rupture of anterior circulation aneurysm, were prospectively studied with TCD. In cases of TCD velocities higher than 120 cm/s (TCD vasospasm), the patient underwent a control angiography. Hunt Hess and Fisher's grade on admission CT and location of the aneurysm were related to occurrence of TCD vasospasm. The increase in TCD velocities within 24 hours was calculated and related to the presence of cerebral ischemia on discharge CT, considering three groups of patients: Group A with an increase in velocities higher than 60%, Group B with an increase in velocities between 30 and 60%, and Group C with an increase in velocities lower than 30%. RESULTS: TCD vasospasm was observed in 216 patients (27%). In 97% of patients with TCD vasospasm on middle cerebral artery (MCA) and in 71% with TCD vasospasm on anterior cerebral artery (ACA), control angiography confirmed the vasospasm, with a significant lower diagnostic TCD predictivity of ACA spasm (chi2=28.204, p=0.000). The overall positive predictive value of TCD was 89%. There was no significant correlation of TCD vasospasm with clinical status on admission and location of the aneurysm, but a significant correlation between occurrence of TCD vasospasm and Fisher's grade (chi2=15.470, p=0.002) and between the increase rate in TCD velocities and cerebral ischemia (chi2=56.564, p=0.000). CONCLUSION: Our study shows a good correlation between TCD and angiography to detect vasospasm on MCA, but the correlation is low for ACA. TCD alone cannot discriminate different hemodynamic pathways after SAH. PMID- 17767812 TI - Omentum transposition surgery for patients with Alzheimer's disease: a case series. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine effect of omentum transposition surgery (OT) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Within-subjects design, also known as repeated-measures design, was used. OT was performed on six biopsy-confirmed AD patients (three to the left and right hemispheres each). Follow-up was conducted over 16-50 months. Outcome measures included the sum of the sub-scores of the clinical dementia rating scale (CDRSS), dementia severity rating scale (DSRS), mini-mental status exam (MMSE) and neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), all normalized to 0-1.0. Outcomes were compared to baseline values and to expected decline with and without cholinesterase inhibitors therapy (ChEI). RESULTS: Compared to baseline and to expected decline with ChEI, CDRSS scores were 22 and 39% less impaired at means of 14 and 25 months post-OT, and DSRS scores were 12 and 22% less impaired at means of 14 and 19 months post-OT (p<0.0001). Compared to baseline and expected course with and without ChEI, the MMSE scores of the left hemisphere OT patients were not significantly different for 11, 17 and 22 months respectively (p>0.49), while those of the right hemisphere OT patients more rapidly declined. The two patients with significant pre-operative behavioral problems markedly improved; NPI severity scores decreased by 23 (16%) and 78 (54%) points and were sustained for 22 and 42 months. DISCUSSION: OT yielded cognitive, functional or behavioral improvement for up to 3.5 years in these AD patients. Compared to randomized ChEI clinical trials, OT was 34 times more likely to produce clinically significant improvement. Basic research to identify the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of omentum is warranted. PMID- 17767813 TI - Effects of deferoxamine on blood-brain barrier disruption and VEGF in focal cerebral ischemia. AB - OBJECTIVE: Deferoxamine, an iron chelator, is reported to induce hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) that leads to transcriptional activation of numerous genes including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that is known to increase blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. This study was performed to test whether deferoxamine would disrupt BBB further in focal cerebral ischemia by altering the level of VEGF. METHODS: Rats were injected intraperitoneally with normal saline (control group), 300 mg/kg deferoxamine mesylate 18 (deferoxamine 18 group) or 48 (deferoxamine 48 group) hours before middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. The transfer coefficient (Ki) of 14C-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (14C AIB) and the volume of 3H-dextran distribution were determined to measure the degree of BBB disruption 1 hour after MCA occlusion. Immunohistochemistry using a monoclonal VEGF antibody was performed to determine the protein level of VEGF. RESULTS: In all groups of animals, the Ki of the ischemic cortex (IC) was higher than that of the corresponding contralateral cortex (CC). In the deferoxamine 18 group, the Ki of the IC was significantly higher than that in the control group (+52%, p<0.05) or deferoxamine 48 group (+72%, p<0.05). The Ki of the CC of all experimental groups were similar. The volume of dextran distribution of the IC was significantly higher than that of the CC only in the deferoxamine 18 group. The number of areas that were stained with VEGF antibody in the deferoxamine 18 group (106 +/- 5/mm2) was significantly higher than that in the control group (54 +/- 2/mm2) or deferoxamine 48 group (58 +/- 1/mm2). DISCUSSION: Our data suggest that deferoxamine induced an increase in VEGF but that its effect depends on the time of administration. The increase in VEGF by deferoxamine could aggravate the disruption of BBB in focal cerebral ischemia. PMID- 17767815 TI - [To master the interrelation between invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation and to raise the levels of clinical application and research in mechanical ventilation in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic occlusive pulmonary disease]. PMID- 17767814 TI - Standardized assessment of walking capacity after spinal cord injury: the European network approach. AB - OBJECTIVES: After a spinal cord injury (SCI), walking function is an important outcome measure for rehabilitation and new treatment interventions. The current status of four walking capacity tests that are applied to SCI subjects is presented: the revised walking index for spinal cord injury (WISCI II), the 6 minute walk test (6MinWT), 10 meter walk test (10MWT) and the timed up and go (TUG) test. Then, we investigated which categories of the WISCI II apply to SCI subjects who participated in the European Multicenter Study of Human Spinal Cord Injury (EM-SCI), and the relationship between the 10MWT and the TUG. METHODS: In the EM-SCI, the walking tests were applied 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after SCI. We identified the WISCI II categories that applied to the EM-SCI subjects at each time point and quantified the relationship between the 10MWT and the TUG using Spearman's correlation coefficients (rho) and linear regression. RESULTS: Five WISCI II categories applied to 71% of the EM-SCI subjects with walking ability, while 11 items applied to 11% of the subjects. The 10MWT correlated excellently with the TUG at each time point (rho>0.80). However, this relationship changed over time. One year after SCI, the time needed to accomplish the TUG was 1.25 times greater than the 10MWT time. DISCUSSION: Some categories of the WISCI II appear to be redundant, while some discriminate to an insufficient degree. In addition, there appear to be ceiling effects, which limit its usefulness. The relationship between the 10MWT and TUG is high, but changes over time. We suggest that, at present, the 10MWT appears to be the best tool to assess walking capacity in SCI subjects. Additional valuable information is provided by assessing the needs for walking aids or personal assistance. To ensure comparability of study results, proposals for standardized instructions are presented. PMID- 17767816 TI - [Guideline for mechanical ventilation in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2007)]. AB - OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the major causes of chronic morbidity and mortality throughout the world, while acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) is one of the important causes for the patient to be hospitalized. As COPD is a disease state characterized by irreversible airflow limitation and dynamic pulmonary hyperinflation, the mechanical ventilation strategy for its AECOPD is different from other diseases. To improve the clinical result of mechanical ventilation for AECOPD, Chinese Society of Critical Care Medicine of Chinese Medical Association held a consensus conference to draft a guideline by categorizing all the information gathered from the literature into five grades from A to E, with A being the highest, according to a modified Delphi criteria. The main recommendations were as follows: 1. Noninvasive positive ventilation (NPPV) should be the routine option for AECOPD patients, particularly in hospitalized patients with mild to moderate exacerbations (7.25 or =6.2 mmol/L, n=42. the hypoglycemia group: FBG 3.1-6.2 mmol/L, n=14], and 20 normal healthy controls [the control group, FBG (5.49+/-1.06) mmol/L)] were also included in the study. All patients had complete data of FBG, C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin (ALB), Leptin, fasting serum insulin (FISN), counting insulin sensitivity index (ISI), and pulmonary function tests [forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1 in percentage of forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), total respiratory impedance (Zrs), airway resistance at 5, 20 Hz (R5, R20), airway resistance of capacitance and inertance at 5, 20 Hz (X5, X20), core resistance (Rc), periphery resistance (Rp), frequency resonant (Fres)]. RESULTS: The FBG, FISN, CRP were significantly higher and body mass index (BMI), ALB, ISI were significantly lower in the hyperglycemia group compared with control group (all P<0.01), but there was no difference in Leptin level (P>0.05). However, BMI, ALB, Leptin, ISI were significantly decreased and CRP, FISN were significantly increased in hypoglycemia group compared with the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). FBG, FISN, Leptin, CRP were significantly higher and ISI was significantly lower in hyperglycemia group compared with the hypoglycemia group (all P<0.01), but there was no significant difference in BMI and ALB (both P>0.05). The serum levels of Leptin was significantly positively correlated with Zrs, R5, R20, Rc, BMI (all P<0.01), and with significantly negative correlations with FEV1, X20 (P<0.01 and P<0.05), but had no correlation with FEV1/FVC, PEF, MMEF, X5, Rp, Fres (all P>0.05). ISI had significant positive correlations with FEV1/FVC, FEV1, PEF, MMEF (P<0.05 or P<0.01), but it had significant negative correlations with Zrs, R5, R20, X5, Rc, Rp, X20, BMI (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and no correlation with Fres. Multiple organ failure (MOF) was found in 6 cases (14%) in hyperglycemia group, one case (7%) was found in the second group, the incidence of MOF in hyperglycemia group was significantly higher compared with the hypoglycemia group (P<0.01). The length of hospital stay was prolonged in hyperglycemia group, compared with hypoglycemia group [(25.00+/-0.13) days vs. (17.93+/-0.22) days, P<0.01]. CONCLUSION: High glucose and Leptin-insulin resistance may aggravate the impairment of pulmonary function, prolong the length of hospital stay in the patient with COPD. PMID- 17767818 TI - [Effect of Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange blocker, Benzamil, on alveolar macrophage function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Benzamil on cytosolic free calcium ions ([Ca(2+)] i) concentration, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in alveolar macrophage (AM) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Alveolar macrophages were collected from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and they were cultured and [Ca(2+)] i were determined by calcium fluorescent with indicator Fura-2/AM. The effects of Benzamil on the increase in cytosolic [Ca(2+)] i and on secretion of TNF-alpha, MDA were investigated in 36 patients with COPD and 36 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: (1) [Ca(2+)] i concentration (68.26+/-7.24) nmol/L, TNF-alpha (5.74+/ 0.42) ng/L and MDA (3.77+/-0.61) microg/L were found in COPD patients, and they were significantly increased, as compared with the control group, in whom the contents were [Ca(2+)] i concentration (60.61+/-6.26) nmol/L, TNF-alpha (2.06+/ 0.20) microg/L, MDA (1.91+/-0.19) ng/L (all P<0.01). (2)The following data namely [Ca(2+)] i concentration (168.34+/-17.58) nmol/L, TNF-alpha (9.67+/-1.01) ng/L and MDA (11.21+/-1.01) microg/L were obtained after anoxia in COPD patients (all P<0.01). (3)After incubation with Benzamil, and then subjected the cells to anoxia, the following data were obtained: [Ca(2+)] i concentration (129.21+/ 14.33) nmol/L, TNF-alpha content (6.78+/-0.52) ng/L and MDA (8.47+/-0.79) microg/L and they were all lower than only anoxia was applied (all P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Benzamil not only downregulates alveolar macrophages activity but also suppresses the generation of the TNF-alpha and MDA. PMID- 17767819 TI - [The influence of different respiratory frequencies on hemodynamics in patients on artificial ventilation]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To discuss the influence of different mechanical respiratory frequencies on hemodynamics in patients on mechanical ventilator. METHODS: Twelve critical patients during weaning from mechanical ventilation with bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) were studied. The ventilatory support was modified by changing the mechanical respiratory frequency only, with inspiratory airway pressure and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) kept constant. Mechanical respiratory frequency was set as follows: 5, 10, 15 and 20 breaths per minute in randomized order. Respiratory mechanics, oxygenation and hemodynamics were determined and recorded 20 minutes after the change in ventilatory parameters. RESULTS: (1)With the increase in mechanical respiratory rate, the mean pressure (Pmean) increased, minute ventilatory volume in control ventilation (V(Espont)) were also significantly increased, but minute ventilatory volume in spontaneous breaths (V(Espont)) were decreased (all P<0.01). There were no change in the total respiratory frequencies, minute ventilatory volume (V(E)), partial pressure of carbon dioxide in artery (PaCO(2)) and oxygenation index (PaO(2)/FiO(2), all P>0.05). (2)With the decrease in mechanical respiratory frequencies, stroke volume index(SI), cardiac output index(CI), global end diastolic volume index(GEDVI) and intrathoracic blood volume index (ITBVI )were also increased (all P<0.01), but heart rate (HR), central venous pressure (CVP), mean artery pressure (MAP), systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) and extravascular lung water index (EVLWI) were relatively stable (all P>0.05). (3)There was significant positive correlation between CI and GEDVI (r=0.569, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: With an increase in the ratio of spontaneous breaths to control ventilation in patients on mechanical ventilator, cardiac preload is increased, so cardiac output is also increased. PMID- 17767820 TI - [Development and application of the software for analysis of arterial blood gases in treatment suggestions and training]. AB - OBJECTIVE: Suggestions and training in developing a computer software for analysis of arterial blood gases in treatment to be used in clinic and teaching. METHODS: The software was edited by means of Delphi 7.0 and closely combined with Windows operating system. The knowledge base was built with Microsoft Access and HTML format files. The treatment suggestions and knowledge base of the software were built according to the correlated diagnosis and treatment guidelines of Chinese Medical Association, Practical Medicine (edition 12) edited by CHEN Hao zhu, Medicine (edition 6) edited by YE Ren-gao, Modern Clinical Blood Gases Analysis edited by QIAN Gui-sheng, Concise Clinical Blood Gas Analysis edited by LUO Yan-jie, and the experience of the experts of our hospital. RESULTS: (1)The model of treatment suggestions consisted of the treatment objective and the treatment suggestions,and its contents included simple acid-base disturbance, mixed acid-base disturbance, respiratory failure,metabolic disturbances of sodium potassium and chloride. The calculation formulae included calculation formulae for the correction of acid-base disturbance and electrolyte disturbance. (2)Arterial blood gas analysis training software contained knowledge database of arterial blood gas analysis, clinical opinions of arterial blood gas analysis, exam database of arterial blood gas analysis, knowledge of arterial blood gas analysis graph, calculation formulas, correlated books and websites,assistance and so on. CONCLUSION: The software could be used as a reference by clinical doctors in clinic, it could also be used for teaching and training. It is scientific, state-of-the art, and valuable in clinical practice. PMID- 17767821 TI - [Influence of pressure on cricoid on insertion ProSeal laryngeal mask airway and ventilation function]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of cricoid pressure (CP) on insertion and ventilation function of ProSeal laryngeal mask airway (PLMA). METHODS: Fifty adult patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status category I, scheduled for elective plastic surgery were studied. After induction of intravenous anesthesia, the PLMA was inserted using an introducer under CP and the intracuff pressure was set to 60 cm H(2)O (1 cm H(2)O=0.098 kPa) with the introducer in place. The content degree of lung ventilation, airway seal pressure and anatomic position of the cuff were assessed. Then CP was temporary terminated, the PLMA was further advanced to the ideal position and the intracuff pressure was readjusted to 60 cm H(2)O. The above-mentioned assessments were re performed, and the expiratory tidal volume and peak inspiratory pressure during positive-pressure ventilation (PPV) with and without CP were recorded. The gastric tube placement through the PLMA was observed, anatomical position of the drain tube was also scored by fiberoptic examination. RESULTS: After the PLMA was further advanced to the ideal position under temporary termination of CP, lung ventilation content degree (good: acceptable=50:14 cases), airway seal pressure [(27+/-7) cm H(2)O vs. (21+/-7) cm H(2)O] and fiberoptic score of anatomical position of cuff were significantly improved compared with those after PLMA insertion under CP (P<0.05). The expiratory tidal volume during PPV was not significantly different between with and without CP, but the peak inspiratory pressure increased from (14+/-2) cm H(2)O without CP to (28+/-5) cm H(2)O with CP, and there was statistically significant difference (P<0.05). In all patients, gastric tube placement through the PLMA was successful with single attempt and correct anatomical position of the drain tube was confirmed by fiberoptic examination. CONCLUSION: The CP can impede the insertion of PLMA into the ideal position. The PLMA is still able to be advanced to the ideal position with a special introducer under temporary termination of CP. After the PLMA is advanced to the ideal position, the CP produces a significant increase in the peak inspiratory pressure during PPV. PMID- 17767822 TI - [Changes in pulmonary function in SARS patients during the three-year convalescent period]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the patterns of pulmonary function in severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients during three-year convalescent period, and to investigate the changes and the medium and long term effects on pulmonary function of SARS patients. METHODS: Pulmonary function tests were conducted for four times in 37 SARS patients during three-year convalescent period. They were discharged from hospital within one month, three months, one year and three years respectively. At the same time, pulmonary function of 15 healthy persons was examined as controls to be used for comparison. RESULTS: Compared with the healthy controls, there were significant decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC), vital capacity (VC), one second forced expiratory volume (FEV1), 25%-75% forced expiratory flow (25%-75%FEF) of SARS patients within three years after their discharge from hospital (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in FEV1/FVC, total lung capacity (TLC), diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) between the two groups (all P>0.05). Abnormality rate of DLCO in the SARS patients within three years after discharge was significantly decreased (32.4% vs. 5.4%,P<0.05), but no significant differences in FVC, VC, 25%-75%FEF among SARS patients discharged one month and three years from the hospital (all P>0.05). Ten SARS patients showed lower FVC (mild degree in 9 cases, severe degree in 1 case) three years later, 2 patients showed mildly lowered DLCO. CONCLUSION: The lung diffusion function of the SARS patients had recovered after they were discharged from hospital within three years, but in 20%-30% patients there is still mild or moderate restrictive ventilation function abnormality and small airway function impairment. The lung functions of most patients have recovered gradually, but in a minority of patients they may be impaired. PMID- 17767823 TI - [The analysis of 252 episodes of recruitment maneuver during mechanical ventilation in surgery intensive care unit]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical effects of recruitment maneuver and the impacts on blood pressure and oxygen saturation in patients with mechanical ventilation. METHODS: To analyze all related data from 252 episodes of recruitment maneuver of 46 patients admitted from July 2005 to February 2007. Recruitment maneuver method: the drive pressure constant was kept at 15 cm H(2)O (1 cm H(2)O=0.098 kPa) and the positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) level was increased gradually. RESULTS: Of the 252 episodes of recruitment maneuver, this procedure was effective in 91% of the patients, with pneumothorax and pneumo mediastinum occurred in a patient with legionnaire pneumonia, and no improvement of oxygen saturation in one patient with patent foramen ovale. The value of effective PEEP used ranged from a minimum of 8 cm H(2)O to a maximum of 30 cm H(2)O and the duration of satisfactory oxygen saturation ranged from a minimum of 0.4 hour to a maximum of 368 hours. On average, each patient received 5.48 episodes of recruitment maneuver with one of the patients received 16 episodes of recruitment maneuver. Twenty-three out of the 46 patients (50%) had experienced an episode of hypoxemia. One hundred and one episodes of hypoxemia occurred in 252 recruitment maneuver (40%) and the minimum PEEP inducing hypoxemia is 8 cm H(2)O, and the maximum PEEP was 22 cm H(2)O, with an average value of 12.7 cm H(2)O. Twenty-five of the 46 patients (54%) had experienced transient hypotension with 93 episodes of hypoxemia in 252 episodes of recruitment maneuver (37%), and the minimum PEEP inducing hypotension was 6 cm H(2)O and the maximum PEEP was 23 cm H(2)O, with an average value of 13.9 cm H(2)O. CONCLUSION: Recruitment maneuver could effectively improve oxygenation while the value of PEEP used should be individualized according to clinical condition. PMID- 17767824 TI - [Efficacy and safety of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in the care of dyspnea after cardiac surgery]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy and safety of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) in the care of dyspnea after cardiac surgery. METHODS: Among patients who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass from December 2004 to December 2006,58 patients developed dyspnea (respiratory rate>25 breaths per minute with "three depressions" sign) and acute respiratory failure after extubation. Among them 30 patients underwent NPPV and 28 patients were treated with face mask oxygen therapy. Intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation were begun when the treatment failed or still hypoxemic [partial pressure of oxygen in artery (PaO(2))<60 mm Hg (1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa)], ventricle arrhythmia, or other indications for endotracheal intubation. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between two groups in age,acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score,duration of cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp, and New York Heart Association class (all P>0.05). Compared with face mask oxygen therapy group, NPPV was associated with a lower incidence of arrhythmia (P<0.05) at 120 minutes after treatment, a lesser necessity for reintubation (P<0.01), a shorter length of stay in intensive care unit (ICU) (P<0.01), a lower mortality (P<0.05). Arterial pH and arterial CO(2) partial pressure (PaCO(2)) of two groups began to rise significant at 480 minutes (P<0.05 or P<0.01), PaCO(2) began to rise at 120 minutes (P<0.05). At 30 minutes, significant differences in PaO(2), HCO(-)(3), respiratory rate, heart rate and arterial systolic blood pressure in NPPV group began to appear (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The time of significant differences in PaO(2), HCO(-)(3), respiratory rate, heart rate and arterial systolic blood pressure in face mask oxygen therapy group were respectively 120, 60, 120, 480 and 480 minutes (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Lactate concentration showed a significant drop at 60 minutes in NPPV (P<0.05), but at 480 minutes in face mask oxygen therapy group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that NPPV is an effective and safe means for improving dyspnea and tissue perfusion, decreasing arrhythmia and necessity for reintubation, shortening the length of stay in ICU and decreasing mortality in dyspneic patients after cardiac surgery. PMID- 17767825 TI - [Perioperative nitric oxide inhalation therapy for open heart surgery patients with pulmonary hypertension]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate effectiveness and safety of perioperative nitric oxide (NO) inhalation therapy for open heart surgery patients with pulmonary hypertension. METHODS: Servo 300A and Pulmonox Aeronox were used for NO delivery and monitoring. NO was used perioperatively in 27 adult and 1 pediatric open heart surgery patients with pulmonary hypertension which were not effectively relieved by conventional treatment. At the beginning of NO inhalation therapy, the dose of NO was (5-10) x 10(-6), and mildly elevated to 20 x 10(-6). Pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), arterial pressure (AP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and oxygenation index (PaO(2)/FiO(2)) of patients were monitored before and after treatment. Criterion for NO responsiveness was: AP/PAP or PaO(2)/FiO(2) improved more than 20% within 1 hour. NO inhalation therapy was discontinued if there was no response within 1.5 hours. RESULTS: Responsive rate in these adult patients was 77.8% (21/27 cases). Duration of NO therapy was 12-96 (32.6+/-10.3) hours. One 4-year-old atrial septal defect child with medium severity of pulmonary artery hypertension showed deterioration of pulmonary hypertension with serious hypoxemia [PaO(2)/FiO(2)=40 mm Hg (1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa), fractional concentration of inspired oxygen (FiO(2)) was 1.00] post operatively. NO inhalation therapy showed a very marked response and effect. The child was weaned from mechanical ventilation in four days. No adverse event was detected in patients and caregivers during and after NO inhalation therapy. CONCLUSION: NO inhalation therapy is effective in cardiac surgery patients with deteriorating pulmonary artery hypertension perioperatively. Further clinical investigation is urgently needed for promoting it to become a clinical routinely available therapy. PMID- 17767826 TI - [Establishment of artificial airway with a thermal-softened nasotracheal tube guided by fiberoptic bronchoscope]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess superiority and safety of nasotracheal intubation with a thermal-softened tube guided by fiberoptic bronchoscope to establish an artificial airway for the institution of mechanical ventilation. METHODS: A total of 209 patients were randomly allocated to two groups: "treated tube" group (52 centigrade treated tube group, n=105), common tube group (the tube was prepared at room temperature 23-26 centigrade, n=104). Nasotracheal intubation was guided by a fiberoptic bronchoscope to establish an artificial airway. RESULTS: (1)The required time of the first successful nasotracheal intubation in the "treated tube" group [(14.48+/-8.31) seconds, 99 cases] was significantly shorter than in the common tube group [(23.85+/-11.97) seconds, 96 cases, P<0.01]. (2)Ratio of successful intubation in the "treated tube" group under conscious condition was higher than that of the common tube group [100% (28/28 cases) vs. 87.5% (21/24 cases), P<0.05]. (3) Ratio of successful intubation in 30 seconds in the "treated tube" group was significantly higher than that of the common tube group [93.9% (93/99 cases) vs. 68.6% (66/96 cases), P<0.01]. (4)The incidence of difficult intubation in the "treated tube" group [5.05% (5/99 cases)] was significantly lower than that of the common tube group [32.29%, (31/96 cases), P<0.01]. (5)The incidence of epistaxis in the first successful nasotracheal intubation in the "treated tube" group [4.0% (4/99 cases)] was significantly lower than that of the common tube group [15.6%,(15/96 cases), P<0.01]. (6)The incidence of epistaxis during nasotracheal intubation in conscious patients was lower in the "treated tube" (3.6%, 1/28 cases) group than that of the common tube group [28.6%, (6/21 cases), P<0.05]. CONCLUSION: The use of a thermal-softened nasotracheal tube to intubate guided by a fiberoptic bronchoscope to establish an artificial airway shortened preparation time before intubation. It is not necessary to use a vasoconstrictor for nasal mucosa before intubation, therefore cardiovascular effects due to the drugs can be avoided. It increases the willingness of conscious patients to accept the procedure and successful rate of the first intubation. PMID- 17767827 TI - [The influence of the different nursing interfering methods on successful weaning of mechanical ventilation]. PMID- 17767828 TI - [Research on acute lung injury induced by positive airway pressure of respirator]. PMID- 17767829 TI - [Introduction of a safe and effective method of changing tracheostomy tube]. PMID- 17767830 TI - [The influence of pleural effusion on respiratory function and hemodynamics in patients under mechanical ventilation]. PMID- 17767831 TI - [The clinical significance of IL-13 and TNF-alpha in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. PMID- 17767832 TI - [Clinical effect of bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation on pulmonary encephalopathy of respiratory failure in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. PMID- 17767833 TI - [A study on plasma adrenomedullin levels and blood pressure in patients with maintenance hemodialysis]. PMID- 17767834 TI - [Changes and clinical significance of cerebrospinal fluid in 69 patients with Angiostrongyliasis cantonensis]. PMID- 17767835 TI - [Experimental study on the source of PLA(2) in acute pancreatitis in rat]. PMID- 17767836 TI - [Fiberoptic bronchoscope guided percutaneous dilatation tracheostomy, a report of 9 cases]. PMID- 17767837 TI - [The surgical indication and improved technique of urgent percutaneous dilatation tracheostomy]. PMID- 17767838 TI - [Evaluation of value of fiberoptic bronchoscope in troublesome airway]. PMID- 17767839 TI - [The treatment of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema with pressure support noninvasive positive pressure ventilation]. PMID- 17767840 TI - [Therapeutic observation of treatment of Xuebijing injection on diabetic ketoacidosis]. PMID- 17767841 TI - [Therapeutic effect of methylprednisolone on acute cervical spinal cord injury and its mechanism]. PMID- 17767842 TI - [Application of emergency imaging examination in chest trauma]. PMID- 17767844 TI - [Application of intermittent air compression in prevention of embolism from venous thrombosis in intensive care unit]. PMID- 17767843 TI - [Clinical significance of acute exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. PMID- 17767845 TI - [Common cause of warning signal during mechanical ventilation and its treatment]. PMID- 17767846 TI - [Development of study on tumour epidemiology in China]. PMID- 17767850 TI - [Family-based association study of XRCC1 gene polymorphisms in nasopharyngeal carcinoma]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To test the association between XRCC1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Cantonese nuclear families through a family-based association study. METHODS: A total of 2134 study subjects from 457 Cantonese nuclear families were recruited in the study. Each family had two parents and at least one offspring with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Genotyping for three single nucleotide polymorphisms in XRCC1 gene, including rs1799782 (C > T), rs25489 (G > A) and rs25487 (G > A), were performed with PCR-RFLP assay. The genotype data were analyzed with family-based association test (FBAT) software to check linkage and association between the three genetic markers and susceptibility of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. RESULTS: FBAT analysis showed XRCC1 gene genotypes and haplotypes were not significantly associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in our study population (rs1799782: chi(2) = 1.006, P = 0.605; rs25489: chi(2) = 0.470, P = 0.790; rs25487: chi(2) = 2.563, P = 0.278; haplotype: chi(2) = 3.004, P = 0.557, global statistic). For rs25487, the G allele (major allele) showed increased transmission under dominant model (Z = 1.985, P = 0.047). Whereas the C allele (minor allele) exhibited reduced transmission under recessive model (Z = -1.985, P = 0.047). However, no increased/reduced transmission was observed under additive model and with global statistic. CONCLUSION: There is no evidence of an association between polymorphisms in XRCC1 gene and susceptibility of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Cantonese nuclear families is observed in this study. PMID- 17767851 TI - [Aberrant methylation of APC and Bikunin CpG islands in sporadic breast carcinomas]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate relationship between methylation status of the APC and Bikunin CpG islands and clinicopathological characteristics of breast carcinomas. METHODS: The methylation status of APC and Bikunin CpG islands in 152 sporadic breast carcinoma samples were analyzed by methylation specific PCR. RESULTS: 40.8% of breast carcinomas examined showed methylated signals for the APC. The methylation frequency of APC was significantly correlated to the tumor size (chi(2) = 4.041; P = 0.044), but not to patients' age, pathologic type of tumor, clinical stage, histological grade, lymph node metastasis and the status of estrogen or progestogen receptor. In addition, 24.6% of carcinoma samples examined revealed strong methylated signals for Bikunin. No significant correlation was found between the aberrant methylation of Bikunin and the clinicopathological characteristics of sporadic breast carcinomas. CONCLUSION: The aberrant methylations of APC and Bikunin are frequent events during breast carcinogenesis. APC methylation might play a role in the progression of breast cancer. PMID- 17767852 TI - [Quantification of methylation of SNCG CpG islands in human tissue samples by the combined COBRA-DHPLC assay]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To setup a quantitative assay for detection of methylation of SNCG CpG island in human tissue samples. METHODS: Methylation status of the 16 tested CpG sites within the CpG island was analyzed by bisulfite-clone-sequencing for 2 gastric carcinoma cell lines, 2 normal gastric mucosa samples, and 2 pairs of primary gastric carcinomas and their corresponding non-neoplastic tissues, respectively. RESULTS: The methylation of -88 and other four CpG sites was well correlated with the methylation of the overall CpG island. Thus, a combined bisulfite-restriction assay (COBRA) was developed based on the enzyme AciI, which digested the only one GCGG sequence in the PCR products of the methylated CpG island, but not the GTGG in the demethylated one. The digested fragments (144 bp and 85 bp) and undigested fragment (229 bp) could be completely separated by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC). According to the peak areas of these fragments, the proportion of the methylated copies of the SNCG CpG island was calculated easily. The result of the COBRA-DHPLC assay was reproducible and consistent with that of clone-sequencing. CONCLUSION: A COBRA DHPLC assay is setup successfully for quantification of methylation of the SNCG CpG island. PMID- 17767853 TI - [Meta-analysis on relationship between FasL and gastric cancer]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between Fas ligand (FasL) and gastric cancer extensively. METHODS: The computerized CNKI database, Wangfang database, Weipu database, Springerlink full-text periodical database and ProQuest full-text periodical database were searched. And, the literatures detecting FasL in gastric cancer with immunohistochemical method which have been published during 1990 to 2006 were also reviewed. The research hypothesis and research method of each literature were the same; the diagnosis of case and control were definite; the size of sample was also definite; the primitive data must offer the number of object whose FasL were expressed positively or offered the positive rate. Each study and its quality were also evaluated. A software Review Manager 4.2.10, was used to analyze the data. and to estimate the overall OR and its 95% CI. RESULTS: A total of 49 literatures have been reviewed. According to the selection and washing out criteria, 13 literatures were used in this Meta-analysis. In the research of gastric cancer group and normal gastric mucosa group, 10 literatures were used. Between the two groups the expression of FasL has statistical significance (OR(overall) = 14.88, 95% CI 5.34 - 41.48; P < 0.00001); In the research of different differentiation level, 8 literatures were used. Between the two groups the expression of FasL had no statistical significance (OR(overall) = 1.90, 95% CI 0.68 - 5.28; P = 0.22); In the research of different TNM staging, 5 literatures were used. Between the two groups the expression of FasL had statistical significance (OR(overall) = 2.58, 95% CI 1.05 - 6.32; P = 0.04); In the research of different Lymph node metastasis, 8 literatures were used. Between the two groups the expression of FasL has no statistical significance (OR(overall) = 1.00, 95% CI 0.45 - 2.21; P = 1.00). CONCLUSION: The high expression of FasL is the high risk of gastric cancer, and TNM staging has some associations with gastric cancer. PMID- 17767854 TI - [The interaction between microsomal epoxide hydrolase polymorphisms and indoor pollution in non small cell lung cancer]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the interaction between indoor air pollution and mEH gene polymorphisms. METHODS: Blood samples from 222 non small cell lung cancer patients and 222 healthy people were characterized by PCR and PCR-RFLP methods. The interaction coefficients were determined through unconditional logistic regression model. RESULTS: Significant differences in the positive rate of mEH exon3 mutant and the heterozygote were found between case and control groups (chi(2) = 7.046, P = 0.030). But no significant difference was found in mEH-exon4 non-wild-type between groups (chi(2) = 2.674, P = 0.263). mEH-exon3 mutant (OR = 1.99; 95% CI = 1.21, 3.25) could significantly increase the risk of lung cancer. After adjusted by confounding variables, significant interactions were found between the use of coal-wall stove and the non-wild type mEH gene. The interaction coefficients were increased with the duration of exposure and quantity of coal consumed. The super multiplication models were established between non-wild type mEH gene and the exposure to soot or oil fume during cooking. The interaction coefficients were 2.75 and 7.34 respectively for exon3 and exon4. No interaction was found between non-wild type mEH gene and irritation of eye or throat during cooking. CONCLUSION: Through the molecular epidemiological techniques, we confirmed indoor air pollution that caused by coal burning was a noticeable lung cancer risk factor. The interaction between the polymorphisms of mEH gene and the indoor air pollution plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of lung. PMID- 17767855 TI - [A dynamic observation on serum cytokine and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To study the changes of serum interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-8 (IL 8) and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer, and to probe the relationship between the levels of IL-2, IL-8, IgG, IgA and IgM and the progress of cancer. METHODS: The serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for 72 case of primary esophageal cancer, 68 advanced esophageal cancer and 120 healthy controls, and the level of immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer was dynamically observed. RESULTS: The IL-2 level in patients with early esophageal cancer [(1.69 +/- 0.53) ng/ml] or late esophageal cancer [(1.11 +/- 0.60) ng/ml] was lower than the control group [(2.78 +/- 0.51) ng/ml] (P < 0.01), the late esophageal cancer group was lower than early esophageal cancer group (P < 0.05). The level of IL-8 in patients with early esophageal cancer [(85.48 +/- 6.14) ng/L] or late esophageal cancer [(121.41 +/- 6.22) ng/L] was much higher than the control group [(54.48 +/- 12.20) ng/L] (P < 0.01), the late esophageal cancer group was much higher than early esophageal cancer group (P < 0.01); There was correlation between the levels of IL-2 and IL-8 and the worsen-extent of the tumour in patients with early esophageal cancer or late esophageal cancer. But the level of IgG [(12.23 +/- 2.50) g/L], IgM [(1.60 +/- 0.80) g/L] in the patients with esophageal cancer compared with the level of IgG [(11.65 +/- 3.70) g/L], IgM [(1.46 +/- 0.71) g/L] in the health control group have no significant difference (P > 0.05), the level of IgA [(3.50 +/- 1.10) g/L] in patients with esophageal cancer Compared with the control group [(1.88 +/- 1.08) g/L] has significant difference (P < 0.01), and along with the worsen-extent of the tumor in patients the level of IgA has the increased tendency. CONCLUSION: The IL-8 might accelerate the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer, and the IL-2 might restrain. The positive correlation between the level of IgA and the patients with esophageal cancer is observed in this study; the immune maladjustment of IL-2, IL 8 and IgA might be correlative to esophageal cancer, and the IL-2, IL-8 and IgA levels might be an available index for the severity of esophageal cancer, Which may be of some help for clinic practitioners to judge the progress, curative effect and prognosis of the cancer. PMID- 17767856 TI - [Meta-analysis on the relationship between IL8-251 gene polymorphism and gastric cancer]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between IL8-251 gene polymorphisms and gastric cancer. METHODS: Literatures were reviewed and selected based on the criteria for inclusion. The Meta-analysis software, REVMAN 4.2, was applied to check the heterogeneity across the studies and calculating the pooled OR. RESULTS: Total of 2114 cases and 2505 controls from 8 studies for IL8-251 were included. The chi(2) value was 21.48 (P = 0.003), and the pooled OR of (AA + AT) vs. TT was 1.12 (95% CI 0.90 - 1.40). Large heterogeneity was found among the studies. After the sensitivity analysis, the pooled OR of (AA + AT) vs. TT 1.21 (95% CI 1.06 - 1.39). CONCLUSION: IL8-251-A allele might be associated with higher risk of developing gastric cancer. PMID- 17767857 TI - [Methylation specific binding activity of zinc finger protein Kaiso]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare binding activity of different zinc finger domain of human Kaiso with methylated CpG. METHODS: pGEX constructs with different human Kaiso domain were generated and then corresponding fusion proteins were induced and purified. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays were applied to evaluate the binding activity of fusion proteins with methylated CpG. RESULTS: The purified GST-KaisoZF fusion protein (without the POZ protein binding domain) could bind with methylated CpG probe specifically, but not for three or two zinc fingers without flanking domains. CONCLUSION: Human zinc finger protein Kaiso could bind with methylated CpG specifically, only in the assistance of the neighboring flank sequence of the zinc finger domain. PMID- 17767858 TI - [The patterns of cancer incidence during 1972-2005 in Qidong, China]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the patterns of cancer incidence from 1972 to 2005 in Qidong, Jiangsu province. METHODS: A population-based cancer registration system was established in Qidong region with 1.1 millions residents to collect data of cancer incident cases. 70,646 cases were registered during the years from 1972 to 2005, and ICD-10 was administrated for classification and coding, and crude rate (CR) and age-standardized rate (ASR), percent change (PC), annual percent change (APC) were calculated using annual data on population size. Changes within age groups for different periods of incidence, and for different years of birth (birth cohort) for the leading sites of cancers were analyzed. RESULTS: The average annual incidence for cancers during the years of 1972-2005 was 184.77 per 100,000 (ASR: 109.32 per 100,000), of which, the incidence for male was 239.22 (ASR: 136.08), and 131.58 (ASR: 79.26) per 100,000 for female. The cumulative risk of cancer occurrence was 16.31% (21.62% in males, and 11.11% in females). The most common leading sites in rank in this area were liver (CR: 60.69 per 100,000), stomach (32.97), lung (27.59), oesophagus (9.34), rectum (8.06), breast (6.48), pancreas (5.97), leukaemia (3.84), bran and CNS (3.43), and colon (2.93). Female breast cancer (12.59) and cervix cancer (4.62) were the forth and the eighth in rank among all sites for women. Liver cancer accounted for almost one third (32.84) of the malignancies. Furthermore, the cancers from digestive organs accounted for 65.85% of all sites. CR rates were rising overall, at 87.19% for PC, and at 1.85% for APC. The ASR, however, reduced by 12.14% for PC, and by 0.51% for APC. The rising trends were also observed for the ASR from cancers in lung, female breast, and colon-rectum, while the decreasing trends were observed for stomach and oesophagus cancer. Birth cohort analysis showed that there was a decline in ages under 35 for the incidence of liver cancer, in ages over 40 for stomach cancer, and in those aged over 45 for bladder cancer and over 50 for oesophagus cancer. Rising trends existed for incidence rates from lung cancer in the aged over 30, pancreas cancer in aged 45-59, and female breast cancer in those aged 40 and above. CONCLUSION: Monitoring of cancer incidence rates through population-based cancer registration in 34 years did help to show the burden and patterns of main cancer sites and time trends, which provides some references to future aetiological study, and policy making on cancer control in Qidong. PMID- 17767859 TI - [The risk factors related to esophageal squamous cell cancer in Feicheng county, China]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors related to the esophageal squamous cell cancer in Feicheng county in Shandong province. METHODS: A case-control study was carried out in Feicheng county. There were two parts consisted in the cases. 253 cases, aged from 40 to 69 years old, were recruited from the screened endoscopic survey program from January 2004 to December 2006. The other part of cases was recruited from the people's Hospital of Feicheng city. 8159 subjects whose had normal endoscope test result were recruited as the control group. Besides cardiograph and ventral ultrasound examination the screening program also included an endoscope test during which mucosal stain with 1.2% iodine solution. The biopsies were taken from the screen and underwent pathologic evaluation by two pathologists; A self-administrative questionnaire survey was conducted in all the subjects to collect information about smoking, alcohol consumption and dietary. The binary Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee and the study was conducted with the informed consents of all the study subjects. RESULTS: There were 235 esophageal cancers cases (70 identified in screening program, 183 were hospitalized patients) and 8159 controls in the case-control study. Three potential confounders were detected after univariate analysis. After adjusted the three confounders, age, sex and education, we found, smoking, alcohol drinking were the top ranked risk factors for esophageal cancer. When combing smoking and alcohol drinking, the or was 2.73 (95% CI: 1.54 - 4.82) for male, and the proportional attribute relative risk was 51.47%. We also observed that more dietary cellulose and vitamin C intake have protective effects. CONCLUSION: Smoking and alcohol drinking could increase the risk of esophageal cancer, and taking more dietary cellulose and vitamin C might decrease the risk. PMID- 17767860 TI - [The trend of cancer mortality from 1988 to 2005 in Kaifeng county, China]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the time trends of cancer mortality among residents in Kaifeng county, Henan province. METHODS: Data on cancer mortality from the vital registration system in Kaifeng county from 1988 to 2005 was analyzed. A total of 9543 death records (5974 males and 3567 females) due to malignant tumors were studied. A two-year-period age-specified standardized mortality rates were directly adjusted by the world standard population, and the annual percentage change (APC) of mortality were estimated by a linear logarithm regression. RESULTS: The crude cancer death rate for male was 95.09/100,000 and its age standardized death rate was 117.41/100,000. While, the crude cancer death rate for female was 59.13/100,000 and the age-standardized death rate was 57.15/100,000. There was a significant growth tread for lung cancer (APC: 6.54%), liver cancer (5.07%) in males and breast cancer (7.04%) in females in the groups aged over 18. On the contrary, the decreasing treads for esophageal cancer in both of sexes (-7.09%, -13.53%) were also observed in this study. Meanwhile, there was no other significant changes in the trend, either in the tumor sites or mortality, was observed. CONCLUSION: In the past two decades, there has been a significant increasing trend for cancer mortality in Kaifeng county, of Henan Province. Hence, it is necessary to enhance epidemiological survey to identify risk factors at the earlier stages. PMID- 17767861 TI - [The trends on the mortality for esophagus and stomach cancers in Linzhou city from 1988 to 2003]. AB - OBJECTIVE: Using the data on death for esophagus and stomach cancers in Linzhou cancer registration system, the mortality was described as well as the changing trend was analyzed. METHODS: 18 240 death recorders for the both cancers during 1988 to 2003 were drawn from Linzhou cancer registration system. Of which, 10138 cases were esophageal cancer and 8102 cases were gastric cancer. Then data were stratified by sex, age, year and then linked to demographic classifications. The mortalities of two topographic site cancers were calculated and the age-adjusted rates were calculated by direct standardization to the world population. The Joinpoint model was used to get the estimated annual percent change (EAPC) of the age-adjusted rates, so to estimate the death rate change trends of both cancers in population of Linzhou city. RESULTS: In 2003, the age-adjusted mortalities of esophageal cancer and gastric cancer were 68.47 per 100,000 and 57.01 per 100,000 respectively of Linzhou city. From 1988 to 2003 the death rates for both of cancers had showed the decline trends. The EAPC of the mortality for esophageal cancer was -3.82 (-4.81 - -2.82, P < 0.001) and that for gastric cancer was -2.95 (-4.16 - -1.73, P < 0.001) respectively. CONCLUSION: The declining trend in was observed the mortality of esophageal and gastric cancer in Linzhou by this study. PMID- 17767862 TI - [An epidemiological study of the neoplasm mortality in Gejiu residents from 1996 to 2005]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assessment the trend of the mortality of the neoplasm among the residents in Gejiu city of Yunnan province and to provide scientific evidences for the neoplasm prevention. METHODS: Data of mortality of the neoplasm from 1996 to 2005 was collected and analyzed through a retrospective survey. RESULTS: The mortality was going up in the recent epidemiological surveys. The increase trend was showed on the mortality from 1996 to 2005. The mortality was 53.25 per 100,000 of 1996 increased to 70.58 per 100,000 in 2005. The mortality in female was 23.76 per 100,000 in 1996 increased to 50.57 per 100,000 of 2005. CONCLUSION: The neoplasm is still a leading disease in Gejiu city. The main cancer was lung cancer in the neoplasms. The mortality of the neoplasma in the town residents was higher than the countryside. It is necessary to enhance neoplasm prevention. PMID- 17767863 TI - [The trend of stomach neoplasms mortality in Zhaoyuan County, from 1970 to 2004]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To understand the trend of gastric cancer mortality based on the exploration of the death data from 1970 to 2004 in Zhaoyuan County. METHODS: The death data of 1970-1974 were collected from the first malignant tumor death survey of China, and the data of 1985-2004 were derived from the cancer registration network of Zhaoyuan. The appreciation indexes were crude mortality rate and standardized mortality rates by the percentages of Chinese population in 1982 and the percentages of world population in 1966. RESULTS: The crude mortality rates in the five periods of 1970-1974, 1985-1989, 1990-994, 1995-1999, and 2000-2004 were 34.94, 44.34, 40.05, 48.73, and 40.18 per 100,000, respectively; the standardized mortality rates by Chinese population were 30.82, 30.35, 27.78, 31.63, and 20.10 per 100,000, respectively. The gastric cancer mortality remained stability from 1970 to 1999, however, the standardized mortality rate of gastric cancer in 2000-2004 declined by 34.8% compared with that in 1970-1974. The study also observed that the highest age-specific gastric cancer mortality, in the past 35 years, has been postponed by 10 years. And, the gastric cancer mortality ranked from top first to top three. CONCLUSION: There is a decreasing trend for the incidence of stomach cancer and this might be associated with the changes of dietary consumption and pattern. PMID- 17767864 TI - [Human papillomaviruses infections among village women in Henan province]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) among village women in Henan and to determine its relevant risk factors. METHODS: A population based cross-sectional study on cervical cancer was conducted among village women in Xinmi, Henan. Women aged 20 - 54 who had sexual intercourse experiences were enrolled in this study. Self-sampling and direct-sampling were used in collecting women's vaginal discharge. 13 high-risk HPVs were tested with HC2 for all of the specimens. Then women with abnormal results did colposcopy and biopsy. The biopsy results were regarded as the golden standard. RESULTS: There were 881 women enrolled in this paper and 881 self-sampling and 880 direct sampling specimens were collected. The HPVs prevalence rates for the self sampling and direct-sampling were 13.05% and 12.27%, respectively. Age-specific prevalence rates were 10.57% (20-), 9.60% (25-), 12.00% (30-), 9.52% (35-), 17.60% (40-), 13.74% (45-) and 12.80% (50 - 54). HPV prevalence rates were increased with progression of cervical disease (chi(2) = 200.69, P = 0.00). And HPV prevalence rates were higher in women with more advanced education background (chi(2) = 11.05, P = 0.01). HPV infection rate in women whose husbands have more than one sexual partner was 18.02% and whose husbands have only one sexual partner was 10.88% (chi(2) = 6.37, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The infection rate of high-risk HPVs in this area is high. The relationship of HPV infection with age has not been observed in this study, but the the sexual activity is the major risk factor for cervical cancer. PMID- 17767865 TI - [Analysis of demethylation-related HPV16 reactivation by DHPLC-primer extension assay]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To establish a sensitive assay to detect methylation status of the critical 7862nt CpG site related to transcription of HPV16 E6 and E7 genes. METHODS: Genomic DNA of two HPV16-infected cell line SiHa and CaSki was extracted and modified by sodium bisulfite to convert the unmethylated Cs to Us (Ts in PCR products). The target sequence of HPV16 including the 7862nt CpG site was pre amplified by PCR. Then, the methylation status of the 7862nt site was differentiated in a primer extension reaction with an HPV16-specific primer, and separated by DHPLC at 80 degrees C. RESULTS: The primers without extension and with extension, whether matched to CpG or TpG, could be separated by DHPLC completely. The peak for ddTTP-extension products corresponding to the demethylated CpG site was observed at retention time 6.7 min in both cell lines. However, the peak for ddCTP-extension products representing the methylated CpG site could be detected at retention time 6.3 min in CaSki cell line only, which integrated with 499 methylated and one demethylated HPV16 copies. CONCLUSION: The established DHPLC-primer extension assay can be used to detect methylated and demethylated HPV16 copies simultaneously with a sensitivity up to 1/500 (0.2%). PMID- 17767866 TI - [The diagnosis and monitoring of transitional cell cancer of the urinary tract through nuclear matrix protein 22]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the urinary nuclear matrix protein (NMP22) as an adjuvant diagnostic index for transitional cell carcinoma of urinary tract and monitoring the state of disease. METHODS: Urinary samples were collected from 262 patients with transitional cell carcinoma, 198 non-transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract and 65 patients with benign diseases. Urinary NMP22 concentration was determined through enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The urinary NMP22 concentration had significant difference among the three groups (Kruskal Wallis, chi(2) = 197.17 P < 0.001). The detection sensitivity and specificity of urinary NMP22 to transitional cell carcinoma were 71.37% and 87.69% respectively. The NMP22 concentration showed significant difference among three groups divided according to the pathological grade (Kruskal-Wallis test, chi(2) = 34.06 P < 0.01). The NMP22 concentration was significant lower in the recovery patients after the operation than the peoples of pre-operation and recurrence (Kruskal-Wallis test, chi(2) = 37.53, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: MP22 is a helpful tumor marker for the diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma and monitoring the state of illness with increased efficacy. PMID- 17767867 TI - [The associations of serum gastrin level with Helicobacter pylori infection]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations of serum gastrin-17 (G-17) concentration with helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection. METHODS: A (13)C-urea breath and ELISA test to determine the Helicobacter pylori status and to detect the serum gastrin concentration was conducted in 242 villagers in Linqu of Shandong Province, a high gastric cancer prevalence area in China. RESULTS: Of 242 subjects, 65 of 111 were found Hp-positive in males (58.56%), compared with 65 of 131 in females (49.62%) (chi(2) = 1.932, P = 0.165). The statistical difference was not observed among different age groups (chi(2) = 4.185, P = 0.123). The average level of G-17 among 242 subjects was (24.43 +/- 25.46) pmol/L and it was statistically higher in females (29.87 +/- 28.18) pmol/L than that in males (18.01 +/- 20.11) pmol/L (Z = -3.618, P < 0.001). However, there was no statistical difference found among age groups (chi(2) = 1.948, P = 0.378). The G 17 level in Hp-negative group (35.50 +/- 30.92) pmol/L was observed significantly higher than in Hp-positive group (14.90 +/- 13.79) pmol/L (Z = 5.368, P = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The G-17 concentration was found higher in Hp-negative subjects than in Hp-positive subjects, and higher in female than in male, but no difference was found among age groups. PMID- 17767868 TI - [The effect of oral candida to development of oral leukoplakia into cancer]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the rate of candidal infection in different condition of oral epithelia, that may imply the possibility of candida in the canceration of oral leukoplakia. METHODS: Saliva culture was used to detect the infection of candida in 100 cases of healthy control group, 110 cases of oral leukoplakia and 11 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma, whose smoking condition were collected carefully. The results were analyzed by Crosstabs, Bivariate Correlations and Binary Logistic Regression analysis. RESULTS: With Crosstabs and Bivariate Correlations analysis, there was significant correlation within malignant level of oral leukoplakias and candidal infection rates (r = 0.148, P = 0.032). With Crosstabs single factor analysis, there was significant correlation within saliva culture results and pathological types (chi(2) = 21.757, P = 0.010). With Binary Logistic Regression analysis, there was significant correlation within saliva culture results and both of subjects, ages (OR = 0.72, P = 0.000) and duration of smoking (OR = 0.37, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Candidal infection may be one of the most important factors inducing dysplasia of epithelia and malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia. So saliva culture should be taken as a rule for patients with oral leukoplakia. The follow-up of oral leukoplakia patients with candidal infection should be enhanced. PMID- 17767869 TI - [Determining the risk factors of uterine myomas by using back propagation neural network]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of a back propagation (BP) network in determining the risk factors of uterine myomas. METHODS: Using stratified randomized sampling method, 1260 women were surveyed by questionnaire. 1:2 matched case-control study was conducted in 113 cases of uterine myomas. Neural network tools box of Software MATLAB 6.5 was used to train and simulate BP artificial network. The mean impact value (MIV) for each input variables was analyzed, and was compared with multiple logistic regression analysis and log linear model for interaction between factors. RESULTS: BP artificial neural analysis showed that the leading risk factors for uterine myomas were delayed menstruation, family history of uterine myomas, cervicitis, menstrual disorder, induced abortion, pelvic inflammatory, oral contraceptive medication, and elytritis, with mean impact value -0.0405, 0.0361, 0.0162, 0.0143, 0.0135, 0.0117, 0.0094, 0.0087, respectively. Both BP artificial neural and logistic regression analysis showed that the sequence of leading risk factors were similar in the whole, but there were some differences observed, induced abortion was proved to be an important cooperation variable through logline model analysis respectively. CONCLUSION: Compared to the conventional statistics method, BP artificial neural network could deal with the interaction between covariables preferably, thus provided a powerful method to risk factor analysis. PMID- 17767871 TI - [Application of capture-recapture method in the malignant tumor death registry]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the number of death from malignant tumor and to assess the completeness of cancer registry data using the capture-recapture method. METHODS: Data about death form malignant tumor were collected during the period of 2004 and 2005 from cancer registry, civil administration and police registries in Linzhou. Cases in every source were matched on the address, name, sex, ID card, date of death, cause of death. A 3-source log-liner poisson model was used to estimate the real number of death from malignant tumor during the period of 2004 and 2005 in Linzhou. RESULTS: The real number of death from malignant tumor that estimated by capture-recapture method was 3140 (95% CI: 3124 - 3161) during 2004 2005 year in Linzhou. Underreported number by source linkage was 71. Log-liner model demonstrated positive dependence between the 3 sources, implying that 2 source model would underestimate missing cases. Using the mortality number estimated by the capture-recapture as the denominator, under-reporting rate of cancer registry was 6.6%. CONCLUSION: It is feasible to estimate the real number of death from malignant tumor and to correct data bias by applying the capture recapture method. PMID- 17767870 TI - [A survival analysis of 1761 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases diagnosed during 1976 2005 in Sihui city in Guangdong province]. AB - OBJECTIVES: To analyze the survival rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and to evaluate the effect of intervention in this high risk population of NPC. METHODS: Based on the cancer and vital registry systems, the follow-up data of 1761 NPC cases were collected. The measures of survival include 5-year, 10-year survival rate and median survival duration. Cox model was used to screen the independent prognosis factors. RESULTS: The 5-year and 10-year survival rates of NPC cases in Sihui were 50.62% and 37.01%, and the median survival duration was 5.05 years. The survival rate of NPC cases diagnosed after 1993 was 58.8%, which was higher than that of cases diagnosed before 1993 (43.3%). Other prognosis factors included gender, age, clinical stage and diagnostic hospital. CONCLUSION: There is a significant improvement of NPC survival in Sihui. That is mainly related to the improvement of NPC treatment. However, it needs to a long time observation to see a mortality reduction of NPC. PMID- 17767872 TI - [Effect of selenium-enriched garlic on chronic gastritis of the glandular stomach of Mongolian gerbils induced by H. pylori]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To detect the therapeutic effect of selenium-enriched garlic (SeG) on chronic gastritis. METHODS: Chronic gastritis was induced of the glandular stomach of male Mongolian Gerbils via gastric instillation of H. pylori TN2 strain once every 4 days for 5 consecutive times followed by random classification into six groups. Fresh SeG suspension was administrated daily at dosages of 4.70, 1.5, 0.47, 0.15 g.kg(-1).d(-1) for four weeks. The gerbils in the positive control group were treated with omeprazole, clarithromycin, and amoxicillin for one week. The gerbils were killed for pathological examination four weeks after SeG-treatment. RESULTS: Chronic gastritis (CAG), low-grade dysplasia or gastric intraepithelial neoplasia (DYS/GIN) were observed among 77% and 38.5% of the 13 H. pylori-treated animals in the negative control group, respectively; whereas 40% and 26.7% in the positive control group (n = 15), respectively. The incidences of CAG and DYS/GIN in the SeG groups (n = 21 - 27) were reduced dose-dependently, 16.7% - 38.7% and 11.1% - 14.3% for CAG and DYS/GIN, respectively. CONCLUSION: SeG administration inhibits the development and progression of CAG induced by H. pylori remarkably. PMID- 17767873 TI - [Optimistic factors affecting nutritional status among children during early childhood in rural areas of western China]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate optimistic factors affecting nutrition status of infants under 3-year-old in rural areas of western China. METHODS: The data used in this study came from a cross-sectional survey on primary health and maternal and child health care in western rural China. The method of stratified multistage cluster random sampling was used to obtain the sample of children. Composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) was used to classify the infants with normal nutrition or malnutrition. Logistic regression model was employed to investigate optimistic factors effecting nutrition of infants from 3 levels as family, mother and children themselves. RESULTS: 14,532 qualified infants were obtained, 57.4% of them were boys. According to CIAF, 72.1% of children were found in normal nutritional status. Prevalence of malnutrition was 27.9% and 10.3% of children were both underweighted and retarded in growth. The result showed the children with better nutrition were from such families with high income, fathers with higher education and fewer children. Higher education for mothers and breastfeeding were optimistic factors effecting nutrition of infants under 6-month after family factors being controlled for. For children over 6 months old, the optimistic factors were heavy mother body weight and more education acquired, exclusive breast feeding within 4-month, introduction of foods containing more protein. CONCLUSION: Family factors strongly influence nutritional status of rural children. Improving mothers'education and adding protein intake for children older than 6 months make their nutrition status better. PMID- 17767874 TI - [A diabetic model for liver oxidant damage in mice]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To observe the liver oxidant damage for diabetic model in mice. METHODS: Male kunming mice were feed with high fat dietary for a week and then were randomly divided into two groups by weight, with 10 mice in each group. One group was induced by small dose streptozotocin (STZ) and obtained STZ-induced diabetic mice, and the other group was regarded as the control. Both of the two groups were feed with high fat dietary. After 6 weeks, the activities of enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH PX) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) were measured. Glutathione (GSH), maleic dialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) levels in the liver and the liver viscera quotient were also measured. Liver histological manifestations were observed. RESULTS: In diabetes group, there was a significant decrease in body weight, and the activities of GSH, CAT, and NOS decreased significantly (t value were 5.370, 10.639, 5.235, 3.089, respectively, P < 0.01). While, the liver viscera quotient, the levels of MDA, GSH-PX and NO increased remarkably (t value were -6.246, 2.728, -2.660, -4.924, respectively, P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). The significant difference was not observed in SOD between the two groups (t value was -0.405, P > 0.05). The liver histological damages were observed in diabetes group, light microscope observation showed hepatocytes swelling, ballooned changing and fatty droplets clustering. CONCLUSION: The oxidant damage might exist in the liver diabetic model in mice. PMID- 17767875 TI - [The relations between dental fluorosis and economic status in Shuicheng, a fluorosis-endemic County in Guizhou province]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To discuss the relations of dental fluorosis and the social economic status in fluorosis-stricken villages where drying the corn by burning coal was prevail. METHODS: A total of 6 fluorosis-endemic villages and one non-endemic village were involved in the study. The general fluorine intake and the concentrations of fluorine in corn, in the pupils' were tested. Dental fluorosis among the pupils was also examen. A individual interview or household questionnaire survey was conducted to probe the economic condition and staple food structure in 600 adults. RESULTS: The fluorosis prevalence was lower in the villages of transportation convenience, higher income, less coal-dried corn intake. There was a declining trend of dental fluorosis in the corresponding age groups (r: 0.912, 0.916; P < 0.05); There was no significant changes in age specified dental fluorosis in the low income villages. The correlation (r) of corn fluorine concentration and student's age-specified dental fluorosis prevalence and disparity was 0.755 - 0.980 (P < 0.05) and 0.302 - 0.811; The urine fluorine concentrations were 0.811 and 0.915 (P < 0.05). It was assumed that there was a negative correlation between family cash income and the dental fluorosis. CONCLUSIONS: The corn fluorine concentration is closely related to age specified dental fluorosis. With the economic improvement, taking less coal burned corn is the one of major factors in reducing the of dental fluorosis in these areas. PMID- 17767876 TI - [A cross-sectional study on liver diseases in the rural residents in southern Guangxi, China]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiological characteristics of liver diseases in a rural population in Southern Guangxi, China. METHODS: The enzyme immunoassays was used to detect of HBsAg and AFP. AFP positive serum samples were further examined for concentration of AFP by using a radio immunoassays. Liver morphological changes were measured with ultrasonography of type B. RESULTS: The positive rates of HBsAg in the studied population was 17.8% (2800/15,701). The prevalence rates of viral hepatitis B, cirrhosis, primary liver cancer, clonorchiasis, fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease were 1.1% (173/15,701), 0.4% (63/15,701), 299.3 per 100,000 (47/15,701), 6.6% (1036/15,701), 4.8% (754/15,701) and 0.3% (47/15,701), respectively. The positive rates of HBsAg and the prevalence rates of viral hepatitis B, cirrhosis, primary liver cancer, clonorchiasis, fatty liver disease in male were significantly higher as compared with those in female (5.98 < or = chi(2) < or = 394.78, P < 0.01). No difference was observed in the prevalence rates of liver cavernous hemangioma and hepatic cysts between male and female. The prevalence rates of intrahepatic bile duct stones was significantly higher in female than in male (chi(2) = 30.80, P < 0.01). The positive rates of HBsAg and the prevalence rates of viral hepatitis B and clonorchiasis were decreased with age. But the prevalence rates of cirrhosis, primary liver cancer, fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, liver cavernous hemangioma, hepatic cysts and intrahepatic bile duct stones were increased with age. CONCLUSION: The rural areas in the southern Guangxi are high prevalence regions of liver illness, and the male resident are even at high risk. PMID- 17767877 TI - [Study of effects of copper deficiency on internal organ through a copper deficiency model in rat]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To establish copper deficiency model in rats, and observe the damnification on internal organ of copper deficiency rats. METHODS: 27 male weanling SD rats with 5-week-old were randomized into 3 groups (n = 9), i.e., control group 1, control group2 and copper deficiency group (CuD). The rats of the control group 1 were fed commercial feed with copper level of 7.0 mg/kg, the rats of the control group 2 and the copper deficiency group were fed half purified diet with copper level of 0.73 mg/kg. In afternoons, rats were orally perfused copper sulphate solution with copper concentration 0 (control group 1), 0.133 (control group 2) and 0 mg/ml (copper deficiency group), respectively, the volume was 1% of body weight, so theory copper level of the feed in the control group2 was 11.37 mg/kg. All of rats had free access to both food and de-ionized water. Rats were sacrificed at the end of test feeding on the 42nd day, blood was sampled for analyzing the plasma ceruloplasmin activity (PCP) and its content (PPD), and erythrocyte Cu-Zn SOD (EC Cu-Zn SOD); liver was sampled for analyzing the content of Metallothionein (MT), and liver copper (LC). The organic tissues of kidney, brain, heart, liver, spleen, lung and testes are sampled for histopathologic examination. RESULTS: The PCP and EC Cu-Zn SOD, PPD, LC and LMT of rats in copper deficiency group was significantly lower than those of rats in control group1 and control group2 (except EC Cu-Zn SOD) (P < 0.01). The cardiac muscle fibers of a part of rats in copper deficiency group were broken and eosinophilic. The endothelial cell of a coronary artery branch was presented proliferation and swelling, subendothelial space was broadened. An arteriole in the lung was showed thickening of the wall, and presented obliteration of the lumen. No obvious pathological changes of other internal organ were found. CONCLUSION: Copper deficiency model in rats is successfully established after rats ingesting diet of low copper for 42 days. Slightly pathologic changes in the cardiovascular tissues of part of rats in copper deficiency groups are observed. PMID- 17767878 TI - [An epidemiological survey on paragonimiasis in Jin Miaopu township in Shanxi province]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiological factors and tendency of paragonimiasis in Jin Miaopu township in Zezhou county of Shanxi Province, and to understand the current status of public awareness for providing references to paragonimiasis education and prevention. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 2172 villagers probing awareness of paragonimiasis and their experiences of eating crabs; Infection screening and antibody test were also performed by means of ELISA. RESULTS: The paragonimiasis knowledge coverage rate was zero, and 67.7% (1471/2172) of the respondents claimed their histories of crab eating and 96.7% (29/30) of crabs were infected with metacercaria of paragonimus. Of all the study subjects, 11% (241/2172) of them were infected with the positive rate of 4.1% (89/270). CONCLUSION: The incidence of paragonimiasis is closely related to dietetic habit in local residents. It is extremely necessary to increase the public awareness of paragonimiasis prevention and control and to improve the living conditions and dietetic habits. PMID- 17767879 TI - [Screening for consecutive patient population with suspected CAD by 64-slice CT coronary angiography]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the screening for consecutive patient population with suspected Coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CAD) by noninvasive 64-slice computed tomographic coronary angiography. METHODS: 2082 consecutive symptomatic subjects (1218 males, 868 female, with, mean age of 58.2 years old) with suspected CAD underwent MSCT studies. And 218 patients underwent coronary angiography within 7 days. Invasive coronary angiography was taken as golden standard for calculations of diagnostic accuracy. RESULTS: Of 2082 subjects, 2063 (99.1%) were assessable, the mean examination duration was 4 minutes. Compared with CAG, the sensitivity of CTA to diagnose significant stenosis was 97.4%, specificity 90.1%, positive predictive value (PPV) 91.8% and negative predictive value (NPV) 96.8%. CONCLUSION: Sixty-four-MSCT is accurate, convenient, noninvasive, safe means to coronary angiography with economic benefit. Thus, it can be considered as a valuable noninvasive screening technique. PMID- 17767880 TI - [Impact of people's social behavior on schistosomiasis transmission in the Three Gorges Reservoir area]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in natural ecology and social environment after the construction of the dam in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, and to understand the social behavior status and education backgrounds of the local residents, and to analyze the potential impact of these factors on schistosomiasis spreading. METHODS: Data of nature and social economy after the construction of the dam in the Three Gorge area were collected, and a cross sectional study with questionnaire survey on information including social demographic characteristics, people's production and life style, knowledge about schistosomiasis was conducted among natives, emigrations. RESULTS: After the construction of the dam, as the stream became slower, the water-level fluctuating zone on the bank of the reservoir was formed. The main source of drinking water and daily life activity are mainly depends on the river supplying (accounting about 68.7% and 75.8%, respectively); due to the needs of farming, washing cloths and vegetables, 45.6% of resident had a close contact with river water. People with away-from-home employment among emigrations were increased from 5.7% to 18.7%. The proportion of using hygienic lavatory was 88.6%. The main source of water for drinking and daily life among emigrations was tap water (85.4% and 87.0%). The residents had no awareness about the health hazard for schistosomiasis, with less health information CONCLUSION: The natural environment of reservoir areas and the life style are risk factors for the spread of schistosomiasis. The improved sanitation condition and the economy construction after the construction of the dam is propitious to keeping away from the introduction of schistosomiasis. However, people with away-from-home employment among emigrations are still at risk of schistosomiasis. PMID- 17767882 TI - [Study on clustering of Yunnan unexplained sudden death in household and village]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To discuss the clustering of Yunnan unexplained sudden death (YUSD) in household and village. METHODS: Fifty-two cases were found by YUSD surveillance system in 2005. Poisson distribution and beta-binomial distribution (BBD) were employed in studying the household distribution of the disease. Poisson distribution and negative binomial distribution (NBD) were employed in studying the village distribution of the disease. RESULTS: BBD were fitted household distribution of YUSD very well (chi(2) = 0.25, P = 0.62), while Poisson distribution was consistent with it (chi(2) = 46.01, P < 0.001). And NBD were fitted village distribution of YUSD very well (chi(2) = 0.05, P = 0.58), however the consistency in Poisson distribution was not observed (chi(2) = 110.57, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Household and village clustering of YUSD does exist. PMID- 17767883 TI - [An epidemiological study on conjoined twins in China, from 1996 to 2004]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To understand the trend of incidence of conjoined twins and its epidemiological characteristics in China during 1996 to 2004. METHODS: A descriptive epidemiology of conjoined twinning in China from 1996 to 2004 was investigated by using data from National Center for Birth Defects Monitoring Program (NCBDMP). Data were collected from more than 400 hospital-based units involved in the program. The monitored subjects were the hospitalized births from 28 weeks gestation to a period within 7 days after delivery. RESULTS: 122 conjoined twins were found in 4,282,536 births with an incidence rate of 0. 28 per 10,000. Incidence of conjoined twins was 0.20 per 10,000 and 0.47 per 10,000 in the rural and urban areas, respectively, and the statistical significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed., Incidence of conjoined twins was for 0.17 per 10,000 and 0.36 per 10,000 in boys and girls, respectively. Conjoined twins were more common among females than males, the live-born rate was 41.32%, and the perinatal mortality was 82.6%. 53.7% conjoined twins can be diagnosed prenatally. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the incidence of conjoined twins in China is higher than that in Western countries. It is necessary to improve the prenatal diagnostic techniques and management. PMID- 17767884 TI - [Incidence of low birth weight of neonates and the influencing factors in China]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the incidence of low birth weight and identify the influencing factors in China in 2006. METHODS: The national survey was performed by stratified random cluster sampling method in 43 cities and counties in 14 provinces. The subjects were all live neonates during May to October in 2006. Their body weight was measured according to the standardization conducted by the national research team, while the information of all infants was investigated by questionnaires. Non-conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors. RESULTS: Among 18 554 infants investigated, the incidence of low birth weight was 4.6% in 2006 in China, being 3.2%, 4.4%, and 6.3% in eastern middle and western areas respectively. The incidence of low birth weight were 3.9% in urban and 4.8% in rural. The results of logistic regression analysis suggested that maternal education (OR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.181 approximately 1.861), body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy (OR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.229 - 1.876), body weight gain in gestation period (OR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.246 - 1.965), gestational weeks (OR = 20.16; 95% CI: 15.456 - 26.297), multiple birth (OR = 12.11; 95% CI: 9.229 - 15.893), gestation syndrome, and nutrition instruction (OR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.550 - 0.798) were associated with low birth weight significantly. CONCLUSION: The main factors resulting in low birth weight in neonates are maternal education, BMI before pregnancy, body weight gain in gestation period, pregnancy age, multiple birth, gestation syndrome, and nutrition instruction. PMID- 17767885 TI - [The application of the prospective space-time statistic in early warning of infectious disease]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application of prospective space-time scan statistic in the early stage of detecting infectious disease outbreaks. METHODS: The prospective space-time scan statistic was tested by mimicking daily prospective analyses of bacillary dysentery data of Chengdu city in 2005 (3212 cases in 102 towns and villages). And the results were compared with that of purely temporal scan statistic. RESULTS: The prospective space-time scan statistic could give specific messages both in spatial and temporal. The results of June indicated that the prospective space-time scan statistic could timely detect the outbreaks that started from the local site, and the early warning message was powerful (P = 0.007). When the merely temporal scan statistic for detecting the outbreak was sent two days later, and the signal was less powerful (P = 0.039). CONCLUSION: The prospective space-time scan statistic could make full use of the spatial and temporal information in infectious disease data and could timely and effectively detect the outbreaks that start from the local sites. The prospective space-time scan statistic could be an important tool for local and national CDC to set up early detection surveillance systems. PMID- 17767886 TI - [An analysis of general programs in preventive medicine submitted and funded in NFSC from 2004 to 2006]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the projects of the general program in preventive medicine submitted to and funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) from 2004 to 2006, and to discuss the disadvantages of these projects and foundation trends. METHODS: 4124 projects submitted and 656 projects supported in 16 fields of preventive medicine between 2004 to 2006 were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: 1082, 1378 and 1664 projects were submitted to NSFC and 199, 210 and 247 projects were financially supported in last three years, respectively, with selecting rate 18.4%, 15.2% and 14.8%, respectively. The number and the selection rate of projects supported in the different study fields from 2004 to 2006 were 15 (7.5%), 24 (11.4%) and 18 (7.3%) in environmental health, 8 (4.0%), 12 (5.7%) and 15 (6.1%) in occupational health, 30 (15.1%), 24 (11.4%) and 31 (12.6%) in nutrition and food hygiene, 3 (1.5%), 4 (1.9%) and 4 (1.6%) in child and adolescent health, 14 (7.0%), 20 (9.5%) and 20 (8.1%) in toxicology, 7 (3.5%), 7 (3.3%) and 2 (0.8%) in social medicine, 17 (8.5%), 22 (10.5%) and 31 (12.6%) in epidemiology, 7 (3.5%), 7 (3.3%) and 10 (4.0%) in endemiology, 2 (1.0%), 5 (2.4%) and 5 (2.0%) in biostatistics, 0 (0%), 2 (1.0%) and 1 (0.4%) in health laboratory technology, 7 (3.5%), 2 (1.0%) and 7 (2.8%) in vector biology, 15 (7.5%), 9 (4.3%) and 16 (6.5%) in parasitology, 0 (0%), 2 (1.0%) and 0 (0%) in disinfection, 58 (29.1%), 51 (24.3%) and 58 (23.5%) in infectious disease, 3 (1.5%), 1 (0.5%) and 5 (2.0%) in sexually transmitted disease, 13 (6.5%), 18 (8.6%) and 24 (9.7%) in dermatology, respectively. The contents of these research subjects reflected that more importance has been attached to the fields of preventive medicine. However, it is necessary that original and innovatory research should be further strengthened, and the field and prospective study should be emphasized in the future. CONCLUSION: Rapid advancement have been made in the fields of toxicology, epidemiology, environmental health, nutrition and food hygiene, and infectious disease, while other areas such as social medicine, health laboratory technology, disinfection and sexually transmitted disease need a rapid advancement. In general, the levels of the projects received and funded have been elevating yearly. PMID- 17767897 TI - The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of inhaled insulin in diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and economic evaluation. AB - OBJECTIVES: To review the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a new technology, the inhaled insulin, Exubera (Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis, in collaboration with Nektar Therapeutics), a short-acting insulin. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases were searched up to November 2005. REVIEW METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted and economic modelling carried out. An industry model was used for modelling. RESULTS: Nine trials of inhaled insulins were found, but only seven used the Exubera form of inhaled insulin. The other two used inhaled insulins that have not yet been licensed. There were five trials in type 1 and two in type 2 diabetes. Inhaled insulin is clinically effective, and is as good as short-acting soluble insulin in controlling blood glucose, plus it works slightly more quickly. None of the published trials compared it with short-acting analogues. Most patients in the trials were on combinations of short acting, and either long- or intermediate-acting insulin, and both were changed, making it more difficult to assess the effects of only the change from soluble to inhaled insulin. Patient preference was the only significant difference between inhaled and soluble insulin in the trials. Most patients preferred inhaled to injected short-acting insulin, and this has some effect on quality of life measures. However, the control groups mostly used syringes and needles, rather than pens. As pens are more convenient, their use might have narrowed the patient satisfaction difference. There were no trials of inhaled insulin against continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII). No serious adverse experiences of inhaled insulin in the lung have been seen to date, but it is too soon yet to judge long-term effects. The manufacturer's model appears to be a high-quality one, although the results depend more on the assumptions fed into the model than on the model itself. The key assumptions are the size of the gain in quality of life utility from inhaling rather than injecting insulin, the effect of having an inhaled option on the willingness to start insulin among people with poor diabetic control on oral drugs, and the effect on glycaemic control. We consider that these assumptions make the cost-effectiveness appear better than it really would be. The manufacturer's submission assumed utility gains of 0.036-0.075 in patients with type 1 diabetes, and 0.027-0.067 in those with type 2, based on an unpublished utility elicitation study sponsored by the manufacturer. We thought that these gains were optimistic and that gains of 0.02 or less were more likely, on average. However, patients with particular problems with injection sites might have more to gain, although they might also be a group with much to gain from CSII. A key factor is the cost of inhaled insulin. Much more insulin has to be given by inhaler than by injection, and so the cost of inhaled insulin is much higher than injected. The extra cost depends on dosage but ranges from around 600 pounds to over 1000 pounds per patient per year. CONCLUSIONS: The inhaled insulin, Exubera, appears to be as effective, but no better than injected short acting insulin. The additional cost is so much more that it is unlikely to be cost-effective. The long-term safety is uncertain. Additional research is recommended into the safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of inhaled insulin. PMID- 17767898 TI - Surveillance of cirrhosis for hepatocellular carcinoma: systematic review and economic analysis. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of surveillance of patients with cirrhosis [alcoholic liver disease (ALD)-, hepatitis B (HBV)- and C virus (HCV)-related], using periodic serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP) testing and/or liver ultrasound examination, to detect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), followed by treatment with liver transplantation or resection, where appropriate. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases were searched up to March 2006. REVIEW METHODS: A systematic review was carried out using standard methodological guidelines. A computerised decision-analytic model was then developed to compare various surveillance strategies. RESULTS: No studies were identified that met the criteria of the systematic review. Based on the assumptions used in the model, the most effective surveillance strategy uses a combination of AFP testing and ultrasound at 6-monthly intervals. Compared with no surveillance, this strategy is estimated to more than triple the number of people with operable HCC tumours at time of diagnosis, and almost halves the number of deaths from HCC. On all effectiveness measures and at both testing frequencies, AFP- and ultrasound-led surveillance strategies are very similar. This may be because test sensitivity was varied according to tumour size, which means that AFP testing is capable of identifying many more small tumours than ultrasound. The best available evidence suggests that AFP tests will detect approximately six times as many small tumours as ultrasound. Increasing the frequency of either test to 6-monthly intervals is more effective than performing combined testing on an annual basis. The undiscounted lifetime cost of the surveillance strategies, including all care and treatment costs, ranges from 40,300 pounds (annual AFP triage) to 42,900 pounds (6-monthly AFP and ultrasound). The equivalent discounted costs are 28,400 pounds and 30,400 pounds. Only a small proportion of these total costs results from the cost of the screening tests. However, screening test costs, and the cost of liver transplants and caring for people post-transplant, accounted for most of the incremental cost differences between alternative surveillance strategies. The results suggest that different surveillance strategies may provide the best value for money in patient groups of different cirrhosis aetiologies. The surveillance of people with HBV related cirrhosis for HCC provides the best value for money, while surveillance in people with ALD-related cirrhosis provides the poorest value for money. In people with HBV-related cirrhosis, at an assumed maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for a quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) of 30,000 pounds, both the deterministic and probabilistic cost-utility analyses suggest the optimal surveillance strategy would be 6-monthly surveillance with the combination of AFP testing and ultrasound. In contrast, for those with ALD-related cirrhosis, annual screening with AFP as a triage test is the only surveillance strategy that is likely to be considered cost-effective at this WTP. The probabilistic analysis implies that the estimated benefits of a 6-monthly AFP triage strategy will only be worth the cost in those with ALD when society's WTP for a QALY exceeds around 40,000 pounds. For people with HCV-related cirrhosis, the model suggests that the most cost-effective surveillance strategy at a WTP threshold of 30,000 pounds/QALY would be surveillance with a 6-monthly AFP triage strategy. CONCLUSIONS: In a mixed-aetiology cohort, the most effective surveillance strategy is to screen each patient with AFP assay and ultrasound imaging on a 6-monthly basis. However, when costs are taken into account it is doubtful whether ultrasound should be routinely offered to those with blood AFP of less than 20 ng/ml, unless policy makers are prepared to pay over 60,000 pounds per QALY for the benefits achieved. Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness of surveillance for HCC varies considerably depending on the aetiology of cirrhosis; it is much more likely to be cost effective in those with HBV-related cirrhosis, and much less likely to be cost effective in those with ALD-related cirrhosis. Further development of the model would help to enable refinement of an optimal screening strategy. Research into the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound technology for HCC detection would also be valuable, as would research into the epidemiology and natural history of ALD related cirrhosis. Studies are also needed to investigate the influence of cirrhosis aetiology on tumour AFP expression. PMID- 17767899 TI - The Birmingham Rehabilitation Uptake Maximisation Study (BRUM). Home-based compared with hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation in a multi-ethnic population: cost-effectiveness and patient adherence. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a home-based programme of cardiac rehabilitation using the Heart Manual, with centre-based programmes. It also sought to explore the reasons for non-adherence to cardiac rehabilitation programmes. DESIGN: An individually randomised trial, with minimisation for age, gender, ethnicity, initial diagnosis and hospital of recruitment. Participants were followed up after 6, 12 and 24 months by questionnaire and clinical assessment. Individual semistructured interviews were undertaken in the homes of a purposive sample of patients who did not adhere to their allocated programme, and focus groups were undertaken with groups of patients who adhered to the programmes. SETTING: Four hospitals in predominantly inner-city, multi-ethnic, socio-economically deprived areas of the West Midlands in England, for 2 years from 1 February 2002. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 525 patients who had experienced a myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary revascularisation within the previous 12 weeks. INTERVENTIONS: All the rehabilitation programmes included exercise, relaxation, education and lifestyle counselling. All patients were seen by a cardiac rehabilitation nurse prior to hospital discharge and provided with information about their condition and counselling about risk factor modification. The four centre-based programmes varied in length from nine sessions at weekly intervals of education, relaxation and circuit training to 24 individualised sessions over 12 weeks of mainly walking, fixed cycling and rowing with group-based education. The home-based programme consisted of an appropriate version of the Heart Manual, home visits and telephone contact. The Heart Manual was introduced to patients on an individual basis, either in hospital or on a home visit. Home visits by a nurse took place at approximately 1, 6 and 12 weeks after recruitment, with a telephone call at 3 weeks. At the final visit, patients were encouraged to maintain their lifestyle changes and to continue with their exercise programme. Where needed, follow-up was made by a rehabilitation nurse who spoke Punjabi. An audiotape of an abridged version of the Heart Manual in Punjabi accompanied the manual for patients with a limited command of English. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were smoking cessation, blood pressure, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, exercise capacity measured by the incremental shuttle walking test and psychological status measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Secondary outcomes included self-reported diet, physical activity, cardiac symptoms and quality of life. Health service resource use and costs of rehabilitation programmes from health service and societal perspectives were also measured. Adherence to the physical activity element of the rehabilitation programmes was measured by questionnaire 6, 9 and 12 weeks. RESULTS: No clinically or statistically significant differences were found in any of the primary or secondary outcome measures between the home- and centre-based groups. Significant improvements in total cholesterol, smoking prevalence, the HADS anxiety score, self-reported physical activity and diet were seen in both arms between baseline and the 6-month follow-up. Five or more contacts with a cardiac rehabilitation nurse were received by 96% of home-based participants, whereas only 56% of centre-based participants attended this many rehabilitation classes. The direct rehabilitation costs to the health service were significantly higher for the home-based programme (mean cost 198 pounds versus 157 pounds for the centre-based programme), but when patient costs were included the mean cost of the centre-based arm rose to 182 pounds. Patients' reasons for not taking up or adhering to cardiac rehabilitation were multifactorial and very individual. Other health problems limited some patients' ability to exercise. Most non adherers found some aspects of their cardiac rehabilitation programme helpful. Many had adapted advice on rehabilitation and were continuing to exercise in other ways and had made lifestyle changes, particularly to their diet. The home based patients' lack of motivation to exercise on their own at home was a major factor in non-adherence. The focus groups revealed little diversity of views among patients from each programme. Patients in the hospital programme enjoyed the camaraderie of group exercise and the home-based patients valued the wealth of information and advice in the Heart Manual. CONCLUSIONS: A home-based cardiac rehabilitation programme for low- to moderate-risk patients does not produce inferior outcomes compared with the traditional centre-based programmes. With the level of home visiting in this trial, the home-based programme was more costly to the health service, but with the difference in costs borne by patients attending centre-based programmes. Different reasons were given by home and hospital cardiac rehabilitation patients for not taking up or adhering to cardiac rehabilitation, with home-based patients often citing a lack of motivation to exercise at home. Social characteristics, individual patient needs and the location of cardiac rehabilitation programmes need to be taken into account in programme design to maximise participation. Research is recommended into cardiac rehabilitation in patients from ethnic minority groups; measurement tools to assess physical activity and dietary change; evaluating the Heart Manual in patients who decline centre-based cardiac rehabilitation; the implementation of home-based programmes in the UK; and strategies that sustain physical activity in the long term. PMID- 17767900 TI - Aging: all in the head? AB - Global reduction in insulin signaling has been linked to extended life span in a range of organisms. New work on mice with brain-specific or whole-body reductions in insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) (Taguchi et al., 2007) points to a role for insulin/IGF-1 signaling in the central control of mammalian aging. PMID- 17767901 TI - Leucing weight with a futile cycle. AB - The essential amino acid leucine serves as a signal that activates protein synthesis. A new study by She et al. (2007) in this issue of Cell Metabolism shows that raising circulating leucine by blocking leucine breakdown drives a futile cycle of protein synthesis and degradation that contributes to higher energy expenditure, resistance to dietary obesity, and improved insulin sensitivity. PMID- 17767902 TI - The osteoclast-not always guilty. AB - Osteopetrosis is usually regarded as the disease of nonfunctioning osteoclasts, with a consequent accumulation of osseocartilaginous material in the bone marrow. A recent report shows that, in some patients with the rare autosomal recessive form of the disease, the osteoclast defect may be non-cell autonomous, in this case due to a mutation in RANKL, the protein that normally controls osteoclast formation and activity. PMID- 17767903 TI - The rapidly expanding family of adipokines. AB - Chemerin is a newly described adipokine with effects on adipocyte differentiation and metabolism in vitro. Its relationship with body mass index and aspects of the metabolic syndrome suggests a larger role for this protein in obesity-associated complications. PMID- 17767904 TI - Genetic and genomic insights into the molecular basis of atherosclerosis. AB - Atherosclerosis is a complex disease involving genetic and environmental risk factors, acting on their own or in synergy. Within the general population, polymorphisms within genes in lipid metabolism, inflammation, and thrombogenesis are probably responsible for the wide range of susceptibility to myocardial infarction, a fatal consequence of atherosclerosis. Genetic linkage studies have been carried out in both humans and mouse models to identify these polymorphisms. Approximately 40 quantitative trait loci for atherosclerotic disease have been found in humans, and approximately 30 in mice. Recently, genome-wide association studies have been used to identify atherosclerosis-susceptibility polymorphisms. Although discovering new atherosclerosis genes through these approaches remains challenging, the pace at which these polymorphisms are being found is accelerating due to rapidly improving bioinformatics resources and biotechnologies. The outcome of these efforts will not only unveil the molecular basis of atherosclerosis but also facilitate the discovery of drug targets and individualized medication against the disease. PMID- 17767905 TI - Disruption of BCATm in mice leads to increased energy expenditure associated with the activation of a futile protein turnover cycle. AB - Leucine is recognized as a nutrient signal; however, the long-term in vivo consequences of leucine signaling and the role of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism in this signaling remain unclear. To investigate these questions, we disrupted the BCATm gene, which encodes the enzyme catalyzing the first step in peripheral BCAA metabolism. BCATm(-/-) mice exhibited elevated plasma BCAAs and decreased adiposity and body weight, despite eating more food, along with increased energy expenditure, remarkable improvements in glucose and insulin tolerance, and protection from diet-induced obesity. The increased energy expenditure did not seem to be due to altered locomotor activity, uncoupling proteins, sympathetic activity, or thyroid hormones but was strongly associated with food consumption and an active futile cycle of increased protein degradation and synthesis. These observations suggest that elevated BCAAs and/or loss of BCAA catabolism in peripheral tissues play an important role in regulating insulin sensitivity and energy expenditure. PMID- 17767906 TI - Adipose is a conserved dosage-sensitive antiobesity gene. AB - Adipose (Adp) is an evolutionarily conserved gene isolated from naturally occurring obese flies homozygous for an adp mutation. Here we show that the anti obesity function of Adp (worm Y73E7A.9, fly adp, and murine Wdtc1) is conserved from worms to mammals. Further, Adp appears to inhibit fat formation in a dosage sensitive manner. Adp heterozygous flies and Adp heterozygous mutant mice are obese and insulin resistant, as are mice that express a dominant negative form of Adp in fat cells. Conversely, fat-restricted Adp transgenic mice are lean and display improved metabolic profiles. A transient transgenic increase in Adp activity in adult fly fat tissues reduces fat accumulation, indicating therapeutic potential. ADP may elicit these anti-adipogenic functions by regulating chromatin dynamics and gene transcription, as it binds both histones and HDAC3 and inhibits PPARgamma activity. Thus Adp appears to be involved in an ancient pathway that regulates fat accumulation. PMID- 17767907 TI - Impaired regulation of hepatic glucose production in mice lacking the forkhead transcription factor Foxo1 in liver. AB - The hallmark of type 2 diabetes is excessive hepatic glucose production. Several transcription factors and coactivators regulate this process in cultured cells. But gene ablation experiments have yielded few clues as to the physiologic mediators of this process in vivo. We show that inactivation of the gene encoding forkhead protein Foxo1 in mouse liver results in 40% reduction of glucose levels at birth and 30% reduction in adult mice after a 48 hr fast. Gene expression and glucose clamp studies demonstrate that Foxo1 ablation impairs fasting- and cAMP induced glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. Pgc1alpha is unable to induce gluconeogenesis in Foxo1-deficient hepatocytes, while the cAMP response is significantly blunted. Conversely, Foxo1 deletion in liver curtails excessive glucose production caused by generalized ablation of insulin receptors and prevents neonatal diabetes and hepatosteatosis in insulin receptor knockout mice. The data provide a unifying mechanism for regulation of hepatic glucose production by cAMP and insulin. PMID- 17767908 TI - Glucose recruits K(ATP) channels via non-insulin-containing dense-core granules. AB - beta cells rely on adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels to initiate and end glucose-stimulated insulin secretion through changes in membrane potential. These channels may also act as a constituent of the exocytotic machinery to mediate insulin release independent of their electrical function. However, the molecular mechanisms whereby the beta cell plasma membrane maintains an appropriate number of K(ATP) channels are not known. We now show that glucose increases K(ATP) current amplitude by increasing the number of K(ATP) channels in the beta cell plasma membrane. The effect was blocked by inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA) as well as by depletion of extracellular or intracellular Ca(2+). Furthermore, glucose promoted recruitment of the potassium inward rectifier 6.2 to the plasma membrane, and intracellular K(ATP) channels localized in chromogranin-positive/insulin-negative dense-core granules. Our data suggest that glucose can recruit K(ATP) channels to the beta cell plasma membrane via non-insulin-containing dense-core granules in a Ca(2+)- and PKA-dependent manner. PMID- 17767909 TI - Kv2.1 ablation alters glucose-induced islet electrical activity, enhancing insulin secretion. AB - Voltage-gated potassium currents (Kv), primarily due to Kv2.1 channels, are activated by glucose-stimulated pancreatic beta cell depolarization, but the exact role (or roles) of this channel in regulating insulin secretion remains uncertain. Here we report that, compared with controls, Kv2.1 null mice have reduced fasting blood glucose levels and elevated serum insulin levels. Glucose tolerance is improved and insulin secretion is enhanced compared to control animals, with similar results in isolated islets in vitro. Isolated Kv2.1(-/-) beta cells have residual Kv currents, which are decreased by 83% at +50 mV compared with control cells. The glucose-induced action potential (AP) duration is increased while the firing frequency is diminished, similar to the effect of specific toxins on control cells but substantially different from the effect of the less specific blocker tetraethylammonium. These results reveal the specific role of Kv2.1 in modulating glucose-stimulated APs of beta cells, exposing additional important currents involved in regulating physiological insulin secretion. PMID- 17767911 TI - Sleeping glands? - The role of endocrine disorders in sleeping sickness (T.b. gambiense Human African Trypanosomiasis). AB - Symptoms consistent with hypothyroidism or adrenal insufficiency, such as lethargy, anorexia, cold intolerance, weakness, hypotension or paraesthesia, are frequently reported in the literature in patients with Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), but an endocrine origin for these symptoms has not yet been demonstrated. Thyroid and adrenocortical function were assessed in 60 patients with late-stage HAT and compared to those in 60 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Clinical assessment and endocrine laboratory examinations were performed on admission, within 2 days after the end of treatment and at follow-up 3 months later. Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as fatigue, cold sensation, constipation, paraesthesia, peripheral oedema and dry skin, were significantly more frequent in HAT patients than in the controls. However, these signs and symptoms could not be attributed to hypothyroidism due to the lack of supporting laboratory data, and thus empirical replacement therapy for the clinically suspected hypothyroidism was not warranted. Signs and symptoms consistent with adrenal insufficiency, such as weakness, anorexia, weight loss or hypotension, were significantly more frequent in HAT patients than in controls, but they could not be associated with an insufficiency of the adrenocortical axis. Higher basal levels of cortisol were found in HAT patients than in controls, which can be viewed as a stress response to the infection. However, a transitory adrenal insufficiency was suspected in 8% of HAT patients at admission and in 9% at discharge. All values were normal at follow-up 3 months later. PMID- 17767910 TI - The transcriptional corepressor RIP140 regulates oxidative metabolism in skeletal muscle. AB - Nuclear receptor signaling plays an important role in energy metabolism. In this study we demonstrate that the nuclear receptor corepressor RIP140 is a key regulator of metabolism in skeletal muscle. RIP140 is expressed in a fiber type specific manner, and manipulation of its levels in null, heterozygous, and transgenic mice demonstrate that low levels promote while increased expression suppresses the formation of oxidative fibers. Expression profiling reveals global changes in the expression of genes implicated in both myofiber phenotype and metabolic functions. Genes involved in fatty-acid oxidation, oxidative phosphorylation, and mitochondrial biogenesis are upregulated in the absence of RIP140. Analysis of cultured myofibers demonstrates that the changes in expression are intrinsic to muscle cells and that nuclear receptor-regulated genes are direct targets for repression by RIP140. Therefore RIP140 is an important signaling factor in the regulation of skeletal muscle function and physiology. PMID- 17767912 TI - Ergonomic effects of load carriage on energy cost of gradient walking. AB - We examined the effects of load on the energy cost of walking (C(w)), being defined as the ratio of the 2-min steady-state oxygen consumption to the speed, and economical speed (ES) during level and gradient walking. Ten men walked on a treadmill at various speeds with and without a load on their back at 0% and +/-5% gradients. Significantly lower C(w) values were observed only when the load was carried on the back during level walking at slower speeds. The ES was significantly decreased by less than 5% when the load was carried on the back. Significant gradient differences were also observed in the ES in the load and no load conditions. These results would be applicable to a wider range of occupational and leisure tasks. PMID- 17767913 TI - Models for binding cooperativities of inhibitors with transthyretin. AB - Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to study the differences of binding channel shapes of TTR with two inhibitors, flufenamic acid (FLU) and one kind of N-phenyl phenoxazine (BPD). The asymmetries of global structure including the central binding channel are found to be intrinsic. Moreover, the conformational changes of the binding channel are responsible for negative cooperativity (NC) or independent cooperativity (IC) of ligands. The results suggested a possible binding mechanism addressing NC of FLU and IC of BPD. For FLU, when the first ligand binds with TTR, it leads to expansion of the second binding site which may weaken the interaction of the second FLU with TTR. But for BPD, the first ligand's binding changes the second site's shape slightly, the second ligand has similar binding ability with TTR in the second site like the first binding event. PMID- 17767914 TI - Chemerin--a new adipokine that modulates adipogenesis via its own receptor. AB - Chemerin, an 18 kDa protein secreted by adipose tissue, was reported to modulate immune system function through its binding to the chemerin receptor (chemerinR). We herein demonstrate that chemerin also influences adipose cell function. Our data showed that chemerin and chemerinR mRNA expressions were highly expressed in adipose tissues, and that their expression levels were up-regulated in mice fed a high-fat diet. Both chemerin and chemerinR mRNA expression dramatically increased during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells and human preadipocytes into adipocytes. Furthermore, recombinant chemerin induced the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK 1/2) and lipolysis in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Thus, the adipokine chemerin likely regulates adipocyte function by autocrine/paracrine mechanisms. PMID- 17767915 TI - Functional analysis of a histone deacetylase-like protein of Thermus caldophilus GK24 in mammalian cell. AB - The function of eukaryotic histone deacetylase (HDAC) has been extensively studied for its critical role in transcriptional regulation and carcinogenesis. However that of the prokaryotic counterpart remains largely unknown. Recently, we cloned HDAC-like protein in Thermus caldophilus GK24 (Tca HDAC) from a genomic library of the microorganism based on homology analysis with human HDAC1. To explore the function of Tca HDAC in mammalian cells, Tca HDAC gene expressing vector was transfected into a human fibrosarcoma cell line, HT1080. Tca HDAC was mainly localized in nuclei of the mammalian cells as a human HDAC1 was, due to an N-terminal HDAC association domain. We further generated histidine-substituted Tca HDAC mutants and investigated their role in biochemical and cellular activity of the enzyme. Tca HDAC mutants exhibited dramatic loss of enzymatic activity and conditioned media (CM) from HT1080 cells transfected with mutant Tca HDAC was unable to stimulate angiogenic phenotypes of endothelial cells in vitro whereas that of wild Tca HDAC did. Collectively, these results demonstrate that a prokaryotic histone deacetylase from T. caldophilus GK24 is functionally active in mammalian cells and its function in gene expression is conserved from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. PMID- 17767916 TI - Influenza A virus non-structural protein 1 (NS1) interacts with cellular multifunctional protein nucleolin during infection. AB - Influenza A virus non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is the most important viral regulatory factor that controls cellular processes to facilitate viral replication. To gain further insight into the role of NS1, we tried to find novel cellular factors that interact with NS1. The complexes of NS1 and target proteins were pulled down from an infected cell lysate using anti-NS1 (A/Udorn/72) single chain Fv and identified by peptide mass fingerprinting analysis. We identified nucleolin, a multifunctional major nucleolar protein, as a novel NS1-binding protein. The RNA-binding domain of NS1 was responsible for this binding, as judged by a GST (glutathione S-transferase) pull-down assay with the GST-fused functional domains of NS1. By laser confocal microscopy, we observed the co localization of NS1 with nucleolin most clearly in the nucleoli, indicating that NS1 is interacting with nucleolin during infection. Our results suggest a novel function of NS1, namely, affecting cellular events via interaction with nucleolin. PMID- 17767917 TI - Biologic effect and immunoisolating behavior of BMP-2 gene-transfected bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in APA microcapsules. AB - We investigated the encapsulation of BMP-2 gene-modified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in alginate-poly-L-lysine (APA) microcapsules for the persistent delivery of bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2) to induce bone formation. An electrostatic droplet generator was employed to produce APA microcapsules containing encapsulated beta-gal or BMP-2 gene-transfected bone marrow-derived MSCs. We found that X-gal staining was still positive 28 days after encapsulation. Encapsulated BMP-2 gene-transfected cells were capable of constitutive delivery of BMP-2 proteins for at least 30 days. The encapsulated BMP-2 gene-transfected MSCs or the encapsulated non-gene transfer MSCs (control group) were cocultured with the undifferentiated MSCs. The gene products from the encapsulated BMP-2 cells could induce the undifferentiated MSCs to become osteoblasts that had higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity than those in the control group (p<0.05). The APA microcapsules could inhibit the permeation of fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjuncted immunoglobulin G. Mixed lymphocyte reaction also indicates that the APA microcapsules could prevent the encapsulated BMP-2 gene transfected MSCs from initiating the cellular immune response. These results demonstrated that the nonautologous BMP-2 gene-transfected stem cells are of potential utility for enhancement of bone repair and bone regeneration in vivo. PMID- 17767918 TI - Barttin binds to the outer lateral surface of the ClC-K2 chloride channel. AB - ClC-K chloride channels belong to the CLC chloride channel family and play an important role in transepithelial chloride transport in the kidney. To be functional, ClC-K channels need to be translocated to the plasma membranes after synthesis; the translocation requires the binding to its beta-subunit, barttin. The binding interaction between barttin and ClC-K channels has not been characterized, although the crystal structure of CLC was resolved. In the present study, we sought to clarify the binding sites of barttin in ClC-K2 by co immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence microscopy using various ClC-K2 mutants. The deletion of the carboxy-terminal portion of ClC-K2 up to leucine 91, a construct which contains the B domain alone, showed the binding ability to barttin. Since the CLC channel forms an internal antiparallel structure, domain J corresponds to domain B in the carboxy-terminal half of ClC-K. Accordingly, we made the carboxy-terminal half of ClC-K2 containing domain J and thereafter and its deletion mutants, and performed a similar co-immunoprecipitation study. As a result, only domain J was enough for binding to barttin. Immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed that the domains B and J as well as the full length ClC-K2 could be localized to the plasma membranes only when co-expressed with barttin. These results showed that barttin was able to bind to the domains that constitute the outer lateral surfaces of ClC-K2. This information regarding the binding sites will be useful for designing a new class of diuretics or anti-hypertensive agents that inhibit the interaction of ClC-K and barttin. PMID- 17767919 TI - Berberine-induced LDLR up-regulation involves JNK pathway. AB - Berberine, an herbal alkaloid, has been reported to have a lipid lowering effect by stabilizing hepatic LDLR mRNA in an ERK-dependent manner rather than promoting transcriptional activity. However, considering the complexity of interconnected signal pathways in biological processes, it is highly possible that there exist signal pathway(s) other than ERK pathway which contribute to the berberine induced up-regulation of LDLR. In the present study, we examined possible involvement of other signal pathways in berberine-induced hepatic LDLR up regulation. As evidenced by RT-PCR, berberine-induced LDLR mRNA expression was inhibited by JNK inhibitor SP600125 pretreatment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that putative c-jun binding site of LDLR promoter is important in berberine induced LDLR transcription using luciferase assay. The result of EMSA also shows that berberine induces c-jun binding to LDLR promoter and this is decreased by SP600125 pretreatment. The present study demonstrates that berberine increases transcriptional activity of LDLR promoter and this involves JNK pathway. PMID- 17767920 TI - Cdc45 degradation during differentiation and apoptosis. AB - Cell division cycle protein 45 (Cdc45) is crucial for the initiation as well as the elongation process of eukaryotic DNA replication. Our findings suggested that the Cdc45 protein is ubiquitylated and degraded by the proteasome pathway in human cells. Firstly, the fate of Cdc45 protein after induction of terminal differentiation of cultured human cells was significantly decelerated by application of proteasomal inhibitors. Secondly, we identified various putative destruction boxes and one KEN-box in the amino acid sequence of vertebrate Cdc45, which indicate that Cdc45 seems to be a novel substrate of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome. Thus, the evidences for ubiquitylation of Cdc45 refer the first posttranslational modification of this essential replication factor. We also found, that the human Cdc45 protein was not cleaved during apoptosis of cultured cells. This is in accordance with reports demonstrating the absence of indiscriminative cleavage of replication proteins during the programmed cell death. PMID- 17767921 TI - Identification of Rad51 regulation by BRCA2 using Caenorhabditis elegans BRCA2 and bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis. AB - BRCA2 is involved in double-stranded DNA break repair by binding and regulating Rad51-mediated homologous recombination. Insights as to how BRCA2 regulates Rad51 mediated DNA repair arose from in vitro biochemical studies on fragments of BRCA2. However, the large 400-kDa BRCA2 protein has hampered our ability to understand the entire process by which full-length BRCA2 regulates Rad51. Here, we show that CeBRC-2, which is only one tenth the size of mammalian BRCA2, complemented BRCA2-deficiency in Rad51 regulation. CeBRC-2 was able to bind to mammalian Rad51 (mRad51) and form distinct nuclear foci when they interacted. In our bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis (BiFC), we show that the strength of the interaction between CeBRC-2 and mRad51 increased markedly after DNA damage. The BRC motif of CeBRC-2 was responsible for binding mRad51, but without the OB fold, the complex was unable to target damaged DNA. When CeBRC-2 was introduced into BRCA2-deficient cells, it restored Rad51 foci after DNA damage. Our study suggests a mode of action for BRCA2 with regard to DNA repair. PMID- 17767922 TI - AMP-activated protein kinase does not associate with glycogen alpha-particles from rat liver. AB - The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is heterotrimer consisting of alpha catalytic subunit and beta/gamma regulatory subunits. It acts as a critical focal point for whole body and cellular mechanisms maintaining energy homeostasis by regulating carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, food intake, gene transcription, and protein synthesis. The AMPK beta subunit contains a glycogen-binding domain that has been shown to associate with glycogen particles in vitro and glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen synthase in cultured cells. To determine whether AMPK associates with glycogen particles in vivo, we developed a procedure to purify glycogen alpha-particles to apparent homogeneity from rat liver. Using immunoreactivity and mass spectrometry we determined that AMPK does not associate with the glycogen particle in livers from random-fed rats. This surprising finding indicates that the glycogen-binding properties of the AMPK beta subunit are likely regulated and responsive to the metabolic status of the hepatocyte. PMID- 17767923 TI - A thermostable cysteine protease precursor from a tropical plant contains an unusual C-terminal propeptide: cDNA cloning, sequence comparison and molecular modeling studies. AB - We report here the cloning and characterization of the entire cDNA of a papain like cysteine protease from a tropical flowering plant. The 1098-bp ORF of the cDNA codify a protease precursor having a signal peptide of 19 amino acids, a cathepsin-L like N-terminal proregion of 114 amino acids, a mature enzyme part of 208 amino acids and a C-terminal proregion of 24 amino acids. The derived amino acid sequence of the mature part tallies with the thermostable cysteine protease Ervatamin-C--as was aimed at. The C-terminal proregion of the protease has altogether a different sequence pattern not observed in other members of the family and it contains a negatively charged helical zone. The three-dimensional model of the precursor, based on the homology modeling and X-ray structure, shows that the extended peptide stretch region of the N-terminal propeptide, covering the interdomain cleft, contains protruding side chains of positively charged residues. This study also indicates that the negatively charged zone of C terminal propeptide may interact with the positively charged zone of the N terminal propeptide in a cooperative manner in the maturation process of this enzyme. PMID- 17767924 TI - Differential effects of selegiline on glucose synthesis in rabbit kidney-cortex tubules and hepatocytes. In vitro and in vivo studies. AB - The action of selegiline, a selective and irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase B, commonly applied in the therapy of Parkinson's disease, on glucose formation was investigated in isolated rabbit hepatocytes and kidney-cortex tubules, maintaining the whole body glucose homeostasis via gluconeogenic pathway activity. An intensive hepatic metabolism of selegiline resulted in formation of selegiline-N-oxide, desmethylselegiline, methamphetamine and amphetamine, whereas during slow degradation of the drug in freshly isolated renal tubules selegiline N-oxide was mainly produced. At 100 microM concentration selegiline markedly diminished glucose synthesis in isolated renal tubules incubated with dihydroxyacetone or alanine+glycerol+octanoate (by about 60 and 30%, respectively), while at 5 microM concentration a similar degree of inhibition was achieved in renal tubules grown in primary culture under the same conditions (about 40 and 60%, respectively). Moreover, desmethylselegiline and selegiline-N oxide considerably diminished glucose production in renal tubules whereas selegiline and its metabolites did not affect gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes. Contrary to control animals, following selegiline administration to alloxan diabetic rabbits for 8 days (10 mg kg(-1) body wt. daily) the blood glucose and serum creatinine levels were significantly diminished, suggesting a decrease in renal gluconeogenesis and improvement of kidney functions. Since in renal tubules selegiline induced a decline in the intracellular levels of gluconeogenic intermediates and ATP content accompanied by a decrease in oxygen consumption in both kidney-cortex and hepatic mitochondria it seems possible that its inhibitory action on renal gluconeogenesis might result from an impairment of mitochondrial function, while an intensive selegiline metabolism in hepatocytes causes decrease of its concentration and in consequence no inhibition of gluconeogenesis. In view of these observations it is likely that an increased risk of selegiline-induced hypoglycemia might be expected particularly in patients exhibiting an impairment of liver function and following transdermal administration of this drug, i.e. under conditions of increased serum selegiline concentrations. PMID- 17767925 TI - Roles of ERK and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases in phorbol ester-induced NF-kappaB activation and COX-2 expression in human breast epithelial cells. AB - Inappropriate up-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been implicated in pathogenesis of various types of human cancer. Thus, COX-2 has been recognized as an important target for the chemoprevention of several human malignancies including breast cancer. COX-2 expression is known to be regulated by the eukaryotic transcription factor NF-kappaB. In an attempt to link the NF-kappaB activation and COX-2 induction during mammary carcinogenesis, we have examined the effects of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a prototype tumor promoter and a mitogen, on NF-kappaB activation and COX-2 expression in the immortalized human breast epithelial cell line (MCF10A). Treatment of MCF10A cells with TPA resulted in transient induction of NF-kappaB DNA binding with maximal activation observed at 30 min. Increased DNA binding of NF-kappaB was accompanied by enhancement of its transcriptional activity as determined by the luciferase reporter gene assay. Under the same experimental conditions, expression of COX-2 mRNA and its protein product peaked at 2h and 4h, respectively. TPA treatment caused an increase in the production of prostaglandin E(2). Treatment of cells with the NF-kappaB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate resulted in significant suppression of TPA-induced COX-2 expression. TPA induced activation of ERK1/2 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) via phosphorylation. PD98059 (ERK inhibitor) and SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor) down regulated the COX-2 expression induced by TPA. Furthermore, TPA-induced COX-2 induction as well as NF-kappaB activation was blocked in MCF10A cells transfected with dominant negative mutant ERK1/2 or p38 MAPK. These results suggest that both p38 and ERK MAPKs activates NF-kappaB signaling, which in turn induces COX-2 expression in TPA-stimulated human mammary epithelial cells. PMID- 17767926 TI - Attention capture by faces. AB - We report three experiments that investigate whether faces are capable of capturing attention when in competition with other non-face objects. In Experiment 1a participants took longer to decide that an array of objects contained a butterfly target when a face appeared as one of the distracting items than when the face did not appear in the array. This irrelevant face effect was eliminated when the items in the arrays were inverted in Experiment 1b ruling out an explanation based on some low-level image-based properties of the faces. Experiment 2 replicated and extended the results of Experiment 1a. Irrelevant faces once again interfered with search for butterflies but, when the roles of faces and butterflies were reversed, irrelevant butterflies no longer interfered with search for faces. This suggests that the irrelevant face effect is unlikely to have been caused by the relative novelty of the faces or arises because butterflies and faces were the only animate items in the arrays. We conclude that these experiments offer evidence of a stimulus-driven capture of attention by faces. PMID- 17767928 TI - Closure of a duodenal stent-induced perforation by endoscopic stent removal and covered self-expandable metal stent placement (with video). PMID- 17767927 TI - Blood and urine mercury levels in adult amalgam patients of a randomized controlled trial: interaction of Hg species in erythrocytes. AB - Parts of the population are permanently exposed to low levels of Hg degrees and Hg(II) from dental amalgam. It was the aim (1) to investigate the internal exposure to amalgam-related mercury from the kinetics of inorganic Hg in plasma and erythrocytes after amalgam removal, and (2) to estimate the amalgam-related absorbed dose. Dietary coexposure was monitored by determination of blood organic Hg. Postremoval steady-state Hg concentrations were measured for 18 months. Eighty-two patients had been randomized into three groups: (A) removal of the fillings; (B) removal and non-specific detoxification, and (C) a health promotion program without removal. After amalgam removal, inorganic Hg dropped rapidly in plasma and red cells, stabilizing at 27% of preremoval levels after 60 days. Concentrations of organic Hg in plasma remained unchanged, indicating no change in dietary uptake of organic Hg. The concentration of organic Hg in red cells of group A was in the early postremoval phase lower and in the late postremoval phase higher than the preremoval control (p<0.01 for low-high difference). A protracted increase in organic Hg was also found in red cells of group B after 60 days. Thus, the effect of removal on organic Hg levels in the combined group A+B was compared with the values of group C in a linear mixed effects (LME) model which showed a significant increase with time in group A+B (p=0.028). In all groups, time profiles of urinary concentration and excretion of total-Hg were very similar to those of inorganic-Hg levels in plasma. From extrapolations of blood and urine data it was estimated that the amalgam-related inhalation and ingestion of Hg species were within the limits proposed by WHO, ATSDR and EPA. The integrated daily Hg dose absorbed from amalgam was estimated up to 3 microg for an average number of fillings and at 7.4 for a high amalgam load. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study on adult amalgam patients which continuously monitored the postremoval decline of inorganic Hg and the coexposure from dietary organic Hg in a randomized-controlled-trial design. The integrated daily dose of 7.4 microg absorbed from a high amalgam load is well below the tolerable dose of 30 microg (WHO, 1990). The unexpected postremoval increase in erythrocyte organic Hg, which is associated with the depletion of cellular inorganic Hg, might result from binding of organic Hg to cellular sites previously occupied by inorganic Hg. PMID- 17767929 TI - Initial evaluation of a novel prototype forward-viewing US endoscope in transmural drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts (with videos). AB - BACKGROUND: Transmural endoscopic drainage has become the treatment of first choice for uncomplicated pseudocysts. Drainage is mostly performed with presently available therapeutic oblique-viewing (45 degrees ) US endoscopes. Puncturing at an angle sometimes hampers successful completion of the procedure, because the force that is applied while introducing instruments through the working channel is not fully exerted at the tip of the accessory but instead drives the endoscope away from the gut wall. A prototype forward-viewing US endoscope was developed to overcome this difficulty. OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of an initial experience with a novel prototype forward-viewing US endoscope in endoscopic drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational study. SETTING: Two tertiary referral centers. PATIENTS: Seven patients were treated. INTERVENTIONS: Endoscopic drainage of pancreatic pseudocyst with a novel forward-viewing US endoscope. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Successful endoscopic drainage. OBSERVATIONS: In all cases drainage was successfully performed without complications. In 2 cases, the procedure was initially started with a conventional side-viewing EUS scope, but it proved impossible to puncture the pseudocyst. However, with the use of the forward-viewing EUS scope, both pseudocysts were successfully punctured. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size. CONCLUSIONS: Initial clinical experience with this novel prototype forward-view US endoscope for transmural drainage of pancreatic pseudocyst is favorable. It provides better control during puncturing of the cyst wall and creates a possibility to drain collections that are inaccessible with a conventional therapeutic side-viewing US endoscope. PMID- 17767930 TI - Comparison of uncovered stent with covered stent for treatment of malignant colorectal obstruction. AB - BACKGROUND: Insertion of self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) can provide rapid relief of malignant colorectal obstruction and can be used as a palliative treatment or as a bridge to surgery. A SEMS can be classified as an uncovered or covered stent. Both types of stents have their own merits and demerits. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to compare success rates, durability, and complication rates of uncovered and covered stent groups of malignant colorectal obstruction. DESIGNS AND SETTING: A nonrandomized prospective, single-center study. METHODS: We studied 80 patients with malignant colorectal obstruction: colon cancer in 70 patients, metastatic lesion of advanced gastric cancer in 8 patients, and cervix cancer in 2 patients. Insertion of uncovered stents was attempted in 39 patients (before surgery in 20, palliative in 19), and covered stents were used in 41 (before surgery in 23, palliative in 18). INTERVENTION: The stent was inserted into the obstructive sites for preoperative or palliative purposes by using the through-the-scope method. After stent insertion, the patients had regular follow-ups, either as clinical checkups or telephone interviews. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Insertion success rate, durability, and complication rate according to stent type. RESULTS: Technical and clinical success rates of uncovered and covered stents were not different (100%; 95.1%, P > .05, 100%; 97.4%, P > .05). The early stent migration rate was not different in both groups. The late stent migration was more common in the covered stent group than the uncovered stent group (0% vs 40%, respectively, P = .005). Loss of stent function during the long-term follow-up period was more frequent in the covered stent group than in the uncovered stent group (18.8% vs 60%, respectively, P = .018). LIMITATION: This was a small-sized, nonrandomized, prospective, single-center study. Confirmation of large-scale, multicenter, randomized, prospective outcome is required. CONCLUSIONS: Insertion of either an uncovered or covered stent is similarly an effective treatment modality of malignant colorectal obstruction for preoperative purposes. However, there are no advantages of covered stents over uncovered stents during the follow up period in the palliative purpose. PMID- 17767931 TI - Benign lymphoid hyperplasia: a rare cause of obscure overt bleeding in an adult. PMID- 17767932 TI - High-resolution miniprobe-based confocal microscopy in combination with video mosaicing (with video). AB - BACKGROUND: A new portable confocal laser microscopy system has recently been developed. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate the feasibility of performing real-time microscopic imaging with a prototype of a new high-resolution miniprobe in conjunction with a video mosaicing algorithm. DESIGN: Feasibility study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center at a large university hospital. PATIENTS: Seven patients referred for endoscopy for various indications. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: High-resolution laser microscopy of the upper and lower GI tract was performed with standard endoscopes. Seven to 10 mL of 1% fluorescein was injected intravenously a few seconds before the procedure. No additional preparation was required. The prototype used has a lateral resolution of 1.2 microm and an axial resolution of 3 mum with a total field of 240 x 200 microm. From all stored video sequences a video mosaicing algorithm was used to combine the successive individual images, cancel motion artifacts, and reconstitute panoramas of the tissues. RESULTS: Cell-to-cell borders, single cell structures, and mucosal inflammation was readily detectable. By the use of the mosaicing algorithm, the image area could be increased 2- to 4-fold, and image definition could be further enhanced to allow finer detail visualization. LIMITATIONS: Low number of patients, early feasibility study. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary data show that high-resolution miniprobe-based confocal fluorescence microscopy in conjunction with video mosaicing has the potential to provide images similar to standard histopathologic studies. Dynamic images with a smaller field of view can be combined to reconstruct still images of high resolution covering a fairly large area. PMID- 17767933 TI - EUS-guided transmural cholecystostomy as rescue management for acute cholecystitis in elderly or high-risk patients: a prospective feasibility study. AB - BACKGROUND: Although EUS-guided drainage procedures have been used to collect peripancreatic fluids, little is known regarding EUS-guided transmural gallbladder drainage for high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate the technical feasibility and outcomes of EUS-guided transmural cholecystostomy as rescue management in elderly and high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis. DESIGN: Single-center prospective study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Nine elderly or high-risk patients diagnosed with acute cholecystitis. INTERVENTIONS: All inflamed gallbladders were drained by EUS-guided transmural cholecystostomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Clinical resolution of acute cholecystitis. RESULTS: After the drainage procedures, there were no immediate complications such as bleeding, bile leak, or peritonitis, except for 1 patient who had pneumoperitoneum. After EUS-guided transmural cholecystostomy, all patients showed rapid clinical improvement within 72 hours. LIMITATIONS: Small number of patients. CONCLUSION: EUS-guided transmural cholecystostomy may be feasible and safe as initial, interim, or even definitive treatment of patients with severe acute cholecystitis who are at high operative risk for immediate cholecystectomy. PMID- 17767934 TI - EUS-guided FNA and diagnosis of a malignant pleural effusion in pancreatic cancer. PMID- 17767935 TI - Cap-fitted endoscopy facilitates injection of botulinum toxin in patients with achalasia. PMID- 17767936 TI - Modeling and control of a flexible rotor system with AMB-based sustentation. AB - In this work the modeling and basic control design process of a rotary flexible spindle hovered by Active Magnetic Bearings (AMB) whose good capabilities for machine-tool industry extensively treated in the literature is presented. The modeling takes into account the three main behavioral characteristics of such magnetically-levitated rotor: the rigid dynamics, the flexible dynamics and the rotating unbalanced motion. Besides, the gyroscopic coupling is also studied proving that in this case, its effects are not significant and can be neglected. Using this model, a stabilizing controller based on symmetry properties is successfully designed for the system and a complete experimental analysis of its performance is carried out. Also, the predictions of the model are compared with the actual measured experimental results on a laboratory set-up based on the MBC500 Rotor Dynamics. Afterwards, a brief study about some nonlinear behavior observed in the system and its effect over the system stability at the critical speed is included. PMID- 17767937 TI - A pleiotropic QTL on 2p influences serum Lp-PLA2 activity and LDL cholesterol concentration in a baboon model for the genetics of atherosclerosis risk factors. AB - Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)), the major portion of which is bound to low-density lipoprotein, is an independent biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk. To search for common genetic determinants of variation in both Lp-PLA(2) activity and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration, we assayed these substances in serum from 679 pedigreed baboons. Using a maximum likelihood-based variance components approach, we detected significant evidence for a QTL affecting Lp-PLA(2) activity (LOD=2.79, genome-wide P=0.039) and suggestive evidence for a QTL affecting LDL-C levels (LOD=2.16) at the same location on the baboon ortholog of human chromosome 2p. Because we also found a significant genetic correlation between the two traits (rho(G)=0.50, P<0.00001), we conducted bivariate linkage analyses of Lp-PLA(2) activity and LDL-C concentration. These bivariate analyses improved the evidence (LOD=3.19, genome wide P=0.015) for a QTL at the same location on 2p, corresponding to the human cytogenetic region 2p24.3-p23.2. The QTL-specific correlation between the traits (rho(Q)=0.62) was significantly different from both zero and 1 (P[rho(Q)=0]=0.047; P[rho(Q)=1]=0.022), rejecting the hypothesis of co-incident linkage and consistent with incomplete pleiotropy at this locus. We conclude that polymorphisms at the QTL described in this study exert some genetic effects that are shared between Lp-PLA(2) activity and LDL-C concentration. PMID- 17767939 TI - Role of latency period in viral infection: a pest control model. AB - The interrelationship of latency period in viral infection and overall infection process in host community are of critical importance in context of pest control programme. Both of them regulate the overall system stability as they are dynamically linked to predation by natural enemies in the system. The present paper deals with the role of latency period in viral infection through mathematical modeling and analysis. We propose a four dimensional mathematical model with delayed infection in pest community. It is shown that there exists a certain value of delay, say T( *) such that for T>T( *) the system exhibits global stability towards disease-free equilibrium. But for Tor=10 IU/mL. Results for IgE Ab to Mus m 1 showed a close quantitative correlation with IgE Ab to mouse allergen (r = 0.93; P < .001). Cohorts in neither Atlanta nor Virginia contained sera in which IgE Ab to mouse was dominant over other allergens or contributed significantly to total IgE. By contrast, among 319 mothers from minority groups in Boston, 11 sera had >or=10 IU/mL. In these sera, specific IgE Ab to mouse made a significant contribution to the total. CONCLUSION: Mouse allergen sensitization may contribute significantly to total IgE and allergy in African American and Hispanic populations from some northern cities. Analysis of the significance of an IgE Ab response should include quantitative comparison with other responses and total IgE. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Significance of rodent infestation and IgE Ab varies dramatically in different populations and areas of the United States. PMID- 17767950 TI - Detection of swine Torque teno virus genogroups 1 and 2 in boar sera and semen. AB - Torque teno virus (TTV) is a non-enveloped, circular, single-stranded DNA virus infecting swine and several other species. TTV is nowadays considered a non pathogenic virus in all species where it has been found. In the present study, the prevalence of two distinct swine TTV genogroups in boar semen and sera was determined by a nested PCR method. Furthermore, association between TTV infection and semen qualitative and quantitative parameters was analyzed. TTV was detected in 74% of boar sera and 72% in semen. The prevalence of genogroup 1 in sera and semen were 64% and 55%, respectively, while lower prevalence of genogroup 2 was observed in both sera (38%) and semen (32%). Some significant associations of TTV infection on semen characteristics in boar genetic lines were observed, but qualitative and quantitative semen parameters obtained in studied boars fall into normal expected ranges. Therefore, TTV semen infection was not evidenced to be harmful for the studied qualitative and quantitative parameters of semen. The high rate of TTV in semen suggests that sexual route might contribute to the transmission of the virus. It is presently unknown if this potential vertical transmission of swine TTV implies any effect on female reproductive tract. This study also represents the first description of swine TTV presence in semen. PMID- 17767951 TI - Class I and Class II restorations of resin composite: an FE analysis of the influence of modulus of elasticity on stresses generated by occlusal loading. AB - OBJECTIVES: It was the aim of the study to analyze by the FE method stresses generated in tooth and restoration by occlusal loading of Class I and Class II restorations of resin composite. On the basis of available information on the influence of the modulus of elasticity, the research hypothesis was that the marginal stresses would decrease with increasing modulus of elasticity of the restoration. METHODS: A cylindrical tooth was modelled in enamel and dentin and fitted with a Class I or a Class II restoration of resin composite. In one scenario the restoration was bonded to the tooth, in another the restoration was left nonbonded. The resin composite was modelled with a modulus of elasticity of 5, 10, 15 or 20 GPa and loaded occlusally with 100 N. By means of the soft-ware program ABAQUS the von Mises stresses in enamel and dentin were calculated. RESULTS: In the bonded scenario, the maximum stresses in the enamel were located at the occlusal margins (range 7-11 MPa), and in the dentin centrally at the pulpal floor (range 3.4-5.5MPa). The stresses decreased with increasing modulus of elasticity of the resin composite. In the nonbonded scenario, the stresses were higher in the dentin and lower in the enamel than in the bonded cases, and the influence of the modulus of elasticity was less pronounced. The marginal stresses in the restoration were below 6 MPa in the bonded scenario and below 3 MPa in the nonbonded scenario. SIGNIFICANCE: Occlusal restorations of resin composite should have a high modulus of elasticity in order to reduce the risk of marginal deterioration. PMID- 17767952 TI - A partially aromatic urethane dimethacrylate as a new substitute for Bis-GMA in restorative composites. AB - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the use of a new, partially aromatic urethane dimethacrylate in visible-light cured resin-based composite restoratives. Selected mechanical properties, such as flexural strength and flexural modulus of elasticity, of model monomer mixtures and composites containing the new urethane dimethacrylate were investigated and compared to the properties of materials that are based on Bis-GMA, at present the most frequently used cross-linker in restorative composites. In addition, the polymerization shrinkage and the water sorption of selected composites were determined. METHODS: The flexural strength, flexural modulus of elasticity, and the water sorption were determined according to ISO 4049:2000. Test specimens (rods: 2 mmx2 mmx25 mm; discs: d=15 mm and h=1 mm) of the investigated composites were prepared in stainless steel molds and light-cured (150 mW/cm2, 2x180 s). The flexural strength and flexural modulus of rods were measured after the samples had been stored under dry conditions or in water for 24 h at 37 degrees C as well as after they had been stored in water for 7 days at 37 degrees C. The water sorption was determined with discs. The polymerization shrinkage was calculated from the densities of the uncured composite pastes and cured composites. RESULTS: Visible light cured mixtures of dimethacrylate diluents with the new urethane dimethacrylate and composites based on these mixtures show a reactivity, flexural strength, flexural modulus of elasticity, polymerization shrinkage and water sorption similar to those of materials that are based on Bis-GMA. The composites did not show any strong deterioration of the mechanical properties after water storage. PMID- 17767953 TI - Critical role of type 2 ryanodine receptor in mediating activity-dependent neurogenesis from embryonic stem cells. AB - Activity-induced neurogenesis via Ca(2+) entry may be important for establishing Hebbian neural network. However, it remains unclear whether intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization is required and which subtypes of Ca(2+) release channels expressed in Ca(2+) store organelles are involved in the activity-dependent neurogenesis. Here, we demonstrated that the activity of intracellular Ca(2+) signaling, expression of neuronal transcription factor NeuroD, and the rate of neurogenesis were significantly inhibited in neuronal cells derived from embryonic stem (ES) cells deficient in the Ca(2+) release channel type 2 ryanodine receptors (RyR2(-/ )). In wild-type (RyR2(+/+)) but not in RyR2(-/-) ES cells, activation of L-type Ca(2+) channels, GABA(A) receptors, or RyRs promoted neuronal differentiation, while inhibition of these channels/receptors had an opposite effect. Moreover, neuronal differentiation promoted by activation of GABA(A) receptors or L-type Ca(2+) channels in RyR2(+/+) cells was prevented by RyR inhibitors. No significant difference was detected in the expression level of GABA(A) receptors and L-type channels between neuronal cells derived from two types of ES cells. Thus, activity-induced Ca(2+) influx through L-type Ca(2+) channels alone is not sufficient in promoting neurogenesis. Instead, an intimate cooperation of L-type Ca(2+) channels with RyR2 is crucial for the activity-dependent neurogenesis induced by paracrine and/or autocrine GABA signaling. PMID- 17767954 TI - The effect of oxidative stress on Ca2+ release and capacitative Ca2+ entry in vascular endothelial cells. AB - Oxidative stress imposed by the accumulation of oxygen free radicals (reactive oxygen species, ROS) has profound effects on Ca2+ homeostasis in the vascular endothelium, leading to endothelial dysfunctions and the development of cardiovascular pathologies. We tested the effect of the oxidant and ROS generator tert-butyl-hydroperoxide (tBuOOH) on Ca2+ signaling in single cultured calf pulmonary artery endothelial (CPAE) cells loaded with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator indo-1. Acute brief (5 min) exposures to tBuOOH had no effect on basal cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+](i)), agonist (ATP)-induced Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and on Ca(2+) store depletion-dependent capacitative Ca2+ entry (CCE). Prolonged (60 min) exposure to tBuOOH did not affect intracellular Ca2+ release, but caused a profound inhibition of CCE. After 120 min of treatment with tBuOOH not only was CCE further reduced, but also ATP induced Ca2+ release due to a slow depletion of the stores that resulted from CCE inhibition. The antioxidant Trolox (synthetic vitamin E analog) prevented the inhibition of CCE by tBuOOH and attenuated the increase of [ROS](i), indicating that inhibition of CCE was due to the oxidant effects of tBuOOH. The data suggest that in vascular endothelial cells oxidative stress primarily affects Ca2+ influx in response to Ca2+ loss from internal stores. [Ca2+](i) is an important signal for the production and release of endothelium-derived factors such as nitric oxide (NO). Since CCE is the preferential Ca2+ source for NO synthase activation, the finding that oxidative stress inhibits CCE may explain how oxidative stress contributes to endothelial dysfunction-related cardiovascular pathologies. PMID- 17767955 TI - Administration of antisense DNA for hepatocyte growth factor causes an depressive and anxiogenic response in rats. AB - Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is induced in neurons during ischemia and is neuroprotective against post-ischemic delayed neuronal death in the hippocampus. HGF might play an important role in the maturation and functioning of these neurons in the hippocampus. Our aim was to determine what effect HGF antisense has on depression and anxiety in rats. HGF antisense was infused at a constant rate into cerebral lateral ventricles and its effect on anxiety in rats was monitored. In forced swimming test, rats that received antisense DNA increased the length of time that they were immobile in the water. In the elevated plus maze test, the black and white box test and conditioned fear test, HGF antisense administration caused all indicators of anxiety to increase. Number of HGF positive cells in C1 of hippocampus was significantly decreased in the HGF antisense-infused group compared to the vehicle- and scrambled oligonucleotide treated group. No significant effect on general locomotor activity was seen. These results indicate that inhibition of HGF induces an increase in depression and anxiety-related behaviors suggesting a depressive and anxiogenic-like effect. PMID- 17767956 TI - CD117 (c-kit) is aberrantly expressed in a subset of MGUS and multiple myeloma with unexpectedly good prognosis. AB - CD117 (c-kit) was evaluated on normal plasma cells (PC) (n=10), PC of individuals with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS, n=12), malignant PC from patients with multiple myeloma (MM) either at diagnosis (n=83) or relapse (n=38) and on 23 human myeloma cell lines (HMCL). Whereas CD117 is never expressed in normal PC, it is expressed in 50% of MGUS (p=0.015). Furthermore, 33% of MM at diagnosis do express CD117, as opposed to 8% of those in relapse (p=0.003). Finally, CD117 was never found in HMCL. CD117 expression was associated with a better prognosis: overall survival was 93% at 4 years in CD117+ MM versus 64% in CD117- MM (p=0.05). Conversely, lack of CD117, but also high beta-2 microglobulin, t(4;14) and CD221 (IGF-1R) expression were associated with a poorer prognosis. Multivariate analysis revealed that CD117- patients were those with CD221 and t(4;14) and had the poorest prognosis. In conclusion, CD117 (c-kit) is aberrantly expressed on a subset of MGUS and MM with a more indolent presentation and is functionally antinomic to CD221 (IGF-1R). CD117 expression could be related to a specific oncogenic pathway in MM. PMID- 17767957 TI - Glutamate kinase as a potential biomarker of heavy metal stress in plants. AB - Changes of glutamate kinase activity (GKA) in plants under cadmium and zinc chronic stress reported here reveal a regulatory role of this enzyme in plant heavy metal stress adaptation and indicate its potential use as a stress biomarker. Results of the first experimental series confirmed the toxic effects of cadmium and zinc at tested levels (30, 60, 90 mg Cd kg(-1) and 250, 500, 750 mg Zn kg(-1) soil) for spinach. A significant decrease of GKA in plants grown on contaminated treatments was found. Changes of GKA of plants grown on the highest contaminated treatments in the second series of experiments showed a similar course as a curve of plant stress response indicating the process of plant adaptation to chronic stresses--the decline of GKA in period of damage of cell activities, increase of its activity in period of maximum resistance and its following decrease in period of the plant metabolism depletion. PMID- 17767958 TI - Detection of spliced and unspliced forms of germline TCR-Vbeta transcripts in extrathymic lymphoid sites. AB - Germline TCR-Vbeta transcription is commonly considered an event coupled with rearrangement of TCR genes in T cells. The extent of germline Vbeta transcription is studied here in a range of cell types and in several mouse strains. A sensitive semi-quantitative RT-PCR method was developed to specifically detect germline and not rearranged transcripts. Germline transcription of a range of different Vbeta genes was detected along with rearranged transcripts in bone marrow, thymus, mesenteric lymph node and spleen. Some transcripts were also detected in low level in non-lymphoid tissues including heart, liver and brain. Expression was also studied in the C57BL/6J-beta2microglobulin-/- (C57BL/6J beta2M-/-) mouse model that lacks NK1.1 T cells and predominantly utilises Vbeta8.2 in the formation of a TCR. beta2M-/- mice, which lack both CD1-dependent NK1.1 T cells and CD8+ T cells, showed germline TCR-Vbeta8 transcription in most tissues indicating that germline transcription is not specifically related to CD1 dependent NK1.1 T cells. In many tissues, multiple transcripts were amplified representing both spliced and unspliced forms of germline Vbeta. For most Vbeta genes, the expression of spliced and unspliced forms was equivalent. Given an abundance of unspliced transcripts, the presence of alternative ORFs encoding a novel protein was investigated within the TCR-Vbeta genes. Sequence analysis of ORFs showed only genes with a high level of similarity to TCR-beta. All data reflect the prevalence of germline transcripts in vivo and raise questions about their functional role. PMID- 17767959 TI - Detection of CTX-M-14 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase in Shigella sonnei isolates from China. AB - Shigellosis is an important cause of acute diarrheal disease and multidrug resistant phenotype has been reported in S. sonnei. In this study, we investigate the resistance and identify extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) gene in 37 S. sonnei isolates by agar dilution procedure and the modified three-dimensional test, respectively. The bla genes of ESBL-producing isolates were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. More than 50% of these strains were resistant to tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, ampicillin, ampicillin-sulbactam, or gentamicin. However, they were still susceptible to third generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and chloramphenicol. A total of 8.1% (3/37) of the isolates with intermediate susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefotaxime were ESBL-producers, which produced CTX-M-14 ESBLs and TEM-1 beta lactamases. This is the first report of CTX-M-14 in S. sonnei isolates from China and it is important to closely monitor such strains. PMID- 17767960 TI - Effect of reactive vaccination on meningitis epidemics in Southern Ethiopia. AB - OBJECTIVES: To describe the duration and seasonality of meningitis epidemics in Southern Ethiopia and estimate the proportion of cases prevented by vaccination in order to assess the efficacy of current control strategies. METHODS: A descriptive study of epidemics occurring from 1999 to 2004. The number of cases reported in 24 districts undergoing vaccination campaigns was compared to 36 districts not receiving vaccines or where vaccines had been deployed in the zone. RESULTS: Sixty epidemics reporting a total of 5806 cases were identified. The duration of the epidemics ranged from 1 to 26 weeks with 45% lasting < or = 6 weeks. Forty-one epidemics reached the WHO epidemic threshold. Seventy-one percent of the cases reported from vaccinated areas occurred in the first 6 weeks compared to 62% in unvaccinated areas and 82% for districts where vaccines had been used in the zone. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of epidemics had a short duration limiting the potential to implement current vaccines effectively. Delivering vaccine to areas adjacent to an epidemic seems to increase their efficacy, however the size of this additional area needs to be better defined. PMID- 17767961 TI - Improved fluorescent (calcium indicator) dye uptake in brain slices by blocking multidrug resistance transporters. AB - ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are a family of transmembrane proteins that, also known as multidrug resistance proteins, transport a wide variety of substrates across biological membranes in an energy-dependent manner. Recently it has been shown that members of this protein family interfere with fluorescent (calcium indicator) dye uptake in taste buds of rat and in cells in the olfactory epithelium of larval Xenopus laevis, including olfactory receptor neurons. It has, however, not been resolved whether this effect only serves to extrude xenobiotics in sensory taste and olfactory cells, or alternatively, whether it is a more general feature of many central nervous system neurons. In the latter case blocking these transporters would improve fluorescent dye uptake in general. Here we show, by means of cell imaging, that also neurons of the olfactory bulb express multidrug resistance transporters, whereby a marked inhomogeneity among cells in the main and accessory olfactory bulb was observed. Blocking these transporters improved the net uptake of fluorescent dyes not only in cell somata of the olfactory bulb, but especially in fine neuronal structures such as individual dendrites or olfactory glomeruli, which consist of a tangle of tiny neuronal processes. We therefore suggest that the expression of multidrug resistance proteins may be common in cells of the central nervous system, and that the application of specific transport inhibitors could generally improve fluorescent dye uptake in brain slices, thereby improving calcium imaging conditions. PMID- 17767962 TI - Variability in RNA interference in neuroendocrine PC12 cell lines stably transfected with an shRNA plasmid. AB - RNA interference (RNAi) has quickly become a very powerful technique for specifically suppressing or knocking down the expression of any desired gene. Many fields of research, including neuroscience, have benefitted from RNAi methods. It has been well documented that different small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) vary greatly in terms of their effectiveness, and much attention has been focused on guidelines and algorithms for the selection of effective siRNAs. However, it has not been widely appreciated that a single shRNA-expressing plasmid can also produce widely varying levels of knockdown in different stably transfected cell lines derived from the same transfection. Here we report that knockdown of three distinct target proteins varies from minimal to almost complete in independent, stably transfected PC12 cell lines. This variability in knockdown among cell lines emphasizes the importance of characterizing a number of cell lines when attempting to establish stable knockdown cell lines, but also offers the possibility of studying the effects of graded levels of protein expression. PMID- 17767963 TI - Interactions between immune cells and their microenvironment. AB - In the past, studies of the immune system have identified molecules and cell types with immunological function and focussed on interactions between these components. However, it is increasingly apparent that the ability of immune cells to interact with elements from their microenvironment such as extracellular matrix components and stromal cells, that are often considered unlinked to the adaptive immune system, is central to the successful and correct functioning of the immune system. As a consequence, a number of sophisticated techniques have been used to analyse these interactions in vitro and in vivo. Here we describe the interactions involved in immune function and some of the methods used to examine them, focussing particularly on those that use imaging techniques. PMID- 17767964 TI - Application of spectrophotometry to evaluate the concentration of purified White Spot Syndrome Virus. AB - White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) is a highly virulent pathogen of shrimp. In previous work, a simple and efficient method has been established in our laboratory to purify intact WSSV virions from infected crayfish tissues. To perform studies of WSSV infection mechanism, pathogenesis and gene function by using this purified virion, quantitative assay for the virus becomes increasingly important. In this study, the optical density of the purified virion samples was measured at 600nm wavelength using spectrophotometer and the corresponding concentration was counted by transmission electron microscopy. The statistical results revealed a high correlation between optical density and concentration of WSSV virions (r=0.993; n=5). Finally, a conversion coefficient "f" (3.34x10(8)virions/microl) was obtained and a formula was established: C (virions/microl)=fOD(600)=3.34x10(8)xOD(600), which can be conveniently used to convert the optical density of purified WSSV preparation into the virion concentration. PMID- 17767965 TI - Reproductive characteristics of male mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) from nitrate-contaminated springs in Florida. AB - Over the past five decades, anthropogenic nitrate contamination has increased significantly in many ground and surface water systems, creating the need to understand how nitrate impacts the physiology of aquatic animals. We collected adult male mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) from eight springs in Florida with varying nitrate concentrations (0.2-5.1 mg/L NO(3)-N). Fish were evaluated for spring-related differences in body, liver, and gonad size, gonopodium length, muscle testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) concentrations, and sperm counts and viability. Increased nitrate concentration (up to 5 mg/L NO(3)-N) was significantly correlated with decreased total sperm counts per spermatozeugmatum, increased adjusted gonopodium length, and increased adjusted testicular weight. Furthermore, we observed that relatively small differences in spring pH (7.0-7.4) were positively associated with muscle 11-KT concentrations. Finally, minor changes in spring water temperature (21.4-22.9 degrees C) was negatively correlated with adjusted testicular and hepatic weights, and positively correlated with total and live sperm counts. We conclude that male mosquitofish reproduction is not the same among the eight springs tested, and that elevated aquatic nitrate concentrations may explain some of the observed variation. PMID- 17767966 TI - Comparisons of tissue-specific transcription of stress response genes with whole animal endpoints of adverse effect in striped bass (Morone saxatilis) following treatment with copper and esfenvalerate. AB - Changes in the gene transcription of stress response genes in resident fish can be powerful biomarkers for the identification of sublethal impacts of environmental stressors on aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we tested the effects of two reference toxicants, copper (Cu) and the pyrethroid insecticide esfenvalerate [(S)-alpha-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl-(S)-2-(4-chlorophenyl)-3 methylbutyrate], on lethal (mortality) and sublethal endpoints (growth, swimming behavior, transcription levels of stress response genes) in juvenile (81-90-day old) striped bass (Morone saxatilis). We established cellular stress response markers for proteotoxicity (HSP70, HSP90), phase I detoxification mechanism (CYP1A1), metal-binding (metallothionein), as well as immune-function and pathogen-defense (TGF-beta, Mx-protein, nRAMP). Quantitative real-time TaqMan PCR was used to examine tissue-specific changes in the transcriptome of liver, spleen, white muscle, anterior kidney and gills after 7-day Cu exposures and 24-h esfenvalerate exposures. On the transcriptome level, exposure to Cu showed strongest effects on the transcription of metallothionein in spleen tissue, causing a 4-fold increase of mRNA at 42ppb total Cu and a 10-fold increase at 160 ppb Cu. Exposure to Cu also caused significant tissue-specific changes in gene transcription for immune-system related genes. Esfenvalerate exposure had tissue specific effects on the transcription of HSP70, HSP90 and CYP1A1. The most significant effects were detected in liver tissue after exposure to 0.64 microg/L esfenvalerate. Our results show that the stress response at the transcriptome level is a more sensitive indicator for Cu and esfenvalerate exposures at low concentrations than swimming behavior, growth or mortality. The accuracy of studies on quantitative changes in the transcriptome can benefit from an initial evaluation or the inclusion of several different tissues and the use of multiple housekeeping genes. PMID- 17767967 TI - Identification of two down-regulated genes in entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora infective juveniles upon contact with insect hemolymph. AB - Entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora infective juveniles (IJs) employ multiple strategies to combat with insect innate immune system after invasion. We employed suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique to study the gene expression in the IJs upon contact with the insect hemolymph in vitro. We identified two clones having higher expression levels in the IJs than IJs treated with insect hemolymph. The differential expression levels were confirmed by Northern blot hybridization with reference to the constitutive expression level of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora actin2 gene. Clone HbGPS11.C1G02 encoded a phosphofructokinase (PFK) with a 2.5 kb transcript and clone HbGPS11.C4C08 corresponded to a 2.1 kb transcript encoding a protein that had weak similarity to trans-sialidase from Trypanosoma cruzi. The differential expression of PFK in H. bacteriophora IJs before and during recovery process represented a switch from active movement in search of insect hosts to a state of combating insect innate immune system. This first report of H. bacteriophora differential gene expression provides a glimpse at the gene expression profile of H. bacteriophora IJ recovery process. PMID- 17767968 TI - Caregiver burden among Japanese informal caregivers of cognitively impaired elderly in community settings. AB - Because dementia is a progressive disease, formal long-term care providers and care managers need information on how the severity of cognitive impairment affects caregiver burden in order to better assist family caregivers. However, research to guide care providers in behavioral symptom-management is not well developed. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between dementia status and burden of family caregivers. The subjects were 1875 community dwelling elderly eligible for public long-term care insurance. The data we used in this analysis included the caregivers' and dependents' characteristics. The main outcome was subjective caregiver burden assessed by the Japanese version of the Zarit Burden Interview (J-ZBI). A total of 1559 pairs of dependents and caregivers were included in the analysis. The pairs were sorted into three mutually exclusive categories: no dementia, mild dementia, and severe dementia. Two hundred sixty-one dependents had severe dementia, and 725 had mild dementia. Although differences were found among the dementia categories in levels of caregiver burden according to the J-ZBI before and after adjusting for these baseline variables, the odds ratios equal nearly 1. The present study shows that severity of dementia is not associated with caregiver burden in Japan. PMID- 17767969 TI - Infection, propagation, distribution and stability of plant virus in hairy root cultures. AB - Nicotiana benthamiana hairy root cultures were infected with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and used for in vitro plant virus propagation. The roots were infected with TMV by addition of virus to the medium at the same time as root inoculation. Viral accumulation in the biomass was 7-11-fold greater when the initial infection was carried out in B5 medium rather than sodium phosphate buffer; virus accumulation also increased with increasing viral inoculum concentration. The amount of TMV accumulated in the biomass was similar when virus was retained in the medium for the duration of the cultures and when the inoculum virus was removed 23h after addition to the roots. In roots with established infections, the concentration of virus remained relatively constant and did not increase with further root growth. The distribution of virus within individual root mats harvested from shake flasks was not uniform; there was also significant variability in viral accumulation between replicate hairy root cultures. The picture that emerges from this work is that in vitro viral accumulation in hairy root cultures depends strongly on the viral inoculum concentration applied and the initial level of primary infection achieved, even though primary infection by external virus occurs mainly within only the first few hours of exposure to the biomass and is followed by substantial secondary infection by viral progeny within the root tissue. PMID- 17767970 TI - Photocleavable linkage between genotype and phenotype for rapid and efficient recovery of nucleic acids encoding affinity-selected proteins. AB - In vitro display technologies, such as mRNA display and DNA display are powerful tools to screen peptides and proteins with desired functions from combinatorial libraries in the fields of directed protein evolution and proteomics. When screening combinatorial libraries of polypeptides (phenotype), each of which is displayed on its gene (genotype), the problem remains, how best to recover the genotype moiety whose phenotype moiety has bound to the desired target. Here, we describe the use of a photocleavable 2-nitrobenzyl linker between genotype (DNA or mRNA) and phenotype (protein) in our DNA and mRNA display systems. This technique allows rapid and efficient recovery of selected nucleic acids by simple UV irradiation at 4 degrees C for 15 min. Further, we confirmed that the photocleavable DNA display and mRNA display systems are useful for in vitro selection of epitope peptides, recombinant antibodies, and drug-receptor interactions. Thus, these improved methods should be useful in therapeutics and diagnostics, e.g., for screening high-affinity binders, such as enzyme inhibitors and recombinant antibodies from random peptide and antibody libraries, as well as for screening drug-protein interactions from cDNA libraries. PMID- 17767971 TI - Secretory expression of active clostripain in Escherichia coli. AB - In this study, the clostripain gene was modified and its signal sequence was replaced with that of penicillin G acylase (PGA). The core clostripain protein fused to the PGA signal peptide was also prepared. With regard to the expression of the clostripain precursors, the majority of clostripain activity was observed in the culture media, thereby indicating that both the clostripain signal peptide and the PGA signal peptide were recognized in the E. coli secretion pathway, and the precursors successfully matured into the active form. Otherwise, the activity was rather low when the core protein was expressed, which indicates that the clostripain pro-peptide is important in the formation of the active enzyme in E. coli. Enzyme activity reached a value of 3200U/L in CGY media for high expression. The recombinant clostripain and porcine carboxypeptidase B were used in the conversion of a proinsulin fusion protein into insulin. The leader peptide (LP) and the proinsulin C-peptide appeared to have been removed simultaneously, and the final cleavage product evidenced an HPLC retention time identical to that of the insulin standard, thereby implying that the clostripain specifically cleaved the arginine residues in the LP and in the C-peptide. We have also demonstrated the possibility that the recombinant clostripain might prove useful in the production of insulin from the proinsulin fusion protein. PMID- 17767972 TI - Gag genetic heterogeneity of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) in naturally infected horses in Canada. AB - Gag genetic heterogeneity of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) variants in naturally infected horses in Canada was studied since very limited information is available on the variability of EIAV Gag sequences in public database. A phylogenetic analysis based on 414nts of Gag gene sequences amplified by a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed the distinct divergence of these variants compared to other published strains in a corresponding region. Significant predicted amino acid sequence variations were also identified in an immunorelevant region within this fragment which corresponded to a previously characterized cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) epitope cluster (EC2, aa 77-119). Furthermore, alignment of the predicted full-length Gag protein gene sequences of some of these variants associated with clinical cases of EIA in Canada with the published sequences of EIAV originating from other countries revealed conserved and variant sequences in regions corresponding to other characterized CTL epitope clusters, EC1, EC3 and EC4. Conserved sequences identified among different variant strains might have an important implication for their screening and selection of putative peptide epitopes to mediate relevant immune response and cross protection against divergent field strains of EIAV. PMID- 17767973 TI - Diabetes screening in Basrah, Iraq: a population-based cross-sectional study. AB - BACKGROUND: Noncommunicable diseases are going to be the major challenge to public health in the Eastern Mediterranean area after the control of infectious diseases and malnutrition. The aim of the present study is to assess the prevalence of abnormal glycemia {diagnosed diabetes mellitus, previously undiagnosed diabetes and impaired fasting plasma glucose (IFG)} in adult non pregnant population 20 years of age and older in Basrah, Southern Iraq using American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria. METHODS: Cross-sectional population based study to screen for diabetes in al-Madina a rural area located 100 km to the north of the Basrah. The study samples were villages residence, intervened at home during vaccination program of their children for the period of April and May 2007. New diabetes diagnosis was based on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) equal or more than 126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l) on two occasions. Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or prediabetes used for people whose FPG ranged from 100mg/dl (6.1 mmol/l) to125 mg/dl (6.9 mmol/l). RESULTS: Total survey sample was 3176 (43.2% males and 56.8% females). Mean age of 43.17+/-16.37. The overall prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes was 2.14%. People with known diabetes constituted 5.29%. Combined prevalence of new and known diabetes was 7.43%. IFG was seen in 2.02%. Those with abnormal glycemia (diabetes and IFG) constitute 9.45%. Previously undiagnosed diabetics constitute 28.81% of all diabetics in this study. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first baseline data on diabetes mellitus and IFG in Basrah, Iraq. The prevalence was within the wide range of diabetes in Middle East. PMID- 17767974 TI - Prevention of HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users in Russia: opportunities and barriers to scaling-up of harm reduction programmes. AB - OBJECTIVES: to examine attitudes of Russian policy-makers and HIV stakeholders towards harm reduction (HR) scale up, focusing on the factors constraining the scale-up process. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with representatives of 58 government and non-governmental organisations involved in HIV policies and programmes in Volgograd Region, Russian Federation. RESULTS: We found a considerable diversity of opinion on HR scale-up and suggest that Russia is experiencing the situation of power parity between HR supporters and opponents with many stakeholders being indecisive or cautious to express their views. We identified six main factors which constrain policy decisions in favour of HR scale-up: insufficient financial resources; lack of information on HR effectiveness; perception of HR as being culturally unacceptable; reluctance of IDUs to use the services; opposition from law enforcement agencies and the Russian Church; and unclear legal regulations. We demonstrate a complex interplay between these factors, policy-makers' attitudes and their choices on HR scale-up. CONCLUSIONS: A number of actions are needed to achieve a successful scale-up of HR programmes in Russia and similar political contexts: (i) a strategic approach to HR advocacy, targeting neutral and indecisive stakeholders; (ii) more systematic evidence on HR effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in the local context; (iii) HR advocacy targeting law enforcement agencies and the Russian Church; and (iv) aligning best international HR practices with the objectives of local policy-makers, practitioners and service-users. PMID- 17767975 TI - Comparing integrated care policy in Europe: does policy matter? AB - This paper addresses the interplay between integrated care policies and integrated care development in various national contexts. It is based on a secondary analysis of six country reports, written by scientists with expert knowledge on integrated care policies and practices in their respective countries. The country reports are structured according to the same descriptive framework, which includes characteristics of the national health systems, integrated care target groups and providers, coordinating mechanisms and promoting and inhibiting factors. The reports are analysed with help of a neo institutionalist conceptual framework. This analysis indicates that a clear proactive policy by national government as well as regional and local authorities matters and that a lack of integrated care policies goes hand in hand with a weak primary care sector. However, although an active integrated care policy is necessary, it is not sufficient. It is also needed that all actors involved adequately manage dividing lines in the system and the fragmentation of services, such as lack of coordination, different professional values and interests. Although fragmentation is persistent in European health and social care systems, the endeavours to combat this problem are persistent either. PMID- 17767976 TI - Falling on stony ground? A qualitative study of implementation of clinical guidelines' prescribing recommendations in primary care. AB - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore key themes for the implementation of guidelines' prescribing recommendations. METHODS: We interviewed a purposeful sample of 25 participants in British primary care in late 2000 and early 2001. Thirteen were academics in primary care and 12 were non-academic GPs. We asked about implementation of guidelines for five conditions (asthma, coronary heart disease prevention, depression, epilepsy, menorrhagia) ensuring variation in complexity, role of prescribing in patient management, GP role in prescribing and GP awareness of guidelines. We used the Theory of Planned Behaviour to design the study and the framework method for the analysis. RESULTS: Seven themes explain implementation of prescribing recommendations in primary care: credibility of content, credibility of source, presentation, influential people, organisational factors, disease characteristics, and dissemination strategy. Change in recommendations may hinder implementation. This is important since the development of evidence-based guidelines requires change in recommendations. Practitioners do not have a universal view or a common understanding of valid 'evidence'. Credibility is improved if national bodies develop primary care guidelines with less input from secondary care and industry, and with simple and systematic presentation. Dissemination should target GPs' perceived needs, improve ownership and get things right in the first implementation attempt. Enforcement strategies should not be used routinely. CONCLUSIONS: GPs were critical of guidelines' development, relevance and implementation. Guidelines should be clear about changes they propose. Future studies should quantify the relationship between evidence base of recommendations and implementation, and between change in recommendations and implementation. Small but important costs and side effects of implementing guidelines should be measured in evaluative studies. PMID- 17767977 TI - A phase II study of biweekly irinotecan and cisplatin for patients with extensive stage disease small cell lung cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: An irinotecan and cisplatin (IP) combination is one of active regimen used in treatment of extensive stage disease (ED) small cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, a 4-week cycle of irinotecan treatment can result in significant myelosuppression and diarrhea. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of biweekly IP in patients with ED SCLC. METHODS: Patients with previously untreated ED SCLC received intravenous irinotecan at a dose of 60mg/m(2) and cisplatin at a dose of 30mg/m(2) on days 1 and 15 every 4 weeks. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were enrolled in this study. Three complete responses and 23 partial responses were confirmed, giving an overall response rate of 74.3%. After a median follow-up of 15.1 months, the median time to progression and overall survival were 7.7 months and 12.2 months, respectively. Grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in seven patients and grade 3 febrile neutropenia was observed in one patient. Grade 3 diarrhea occurred in two patients. CONCLUSIONS: The combination chemotherapy of biweekly IP was found to be well tolerated and effective in patients with ED SCLC. Further evaluation of the combination of IP at the dose and schedule in this study is warranted in ED SCLC patients. PMID- 17767978 TI - Effect of aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) substitutions on the antimicrobial and cytolytic activities of the frog skin peptide, temporin-1DRa. AB - Temporin-1DRa (HFLGTLVNLAKKIL.NH(2)), first isolated from the skin of the California red-legged frog Rana draytonii, shows broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity but its therapeutic potential is limited by its toxicity against mammalian cells. The cytolytic properties of cationic alpha-helical peptides are determined by a complex interaction between cationicity, hydrophobicity, conformation, and amphipathicity. This study has investigated the cytolytic properties of conformationally constrained analogs of temporin-1DRa containing alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) substitutions. Cytolytic activity was determined against the bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, the opportunistic yeast pathogen, Candida albicans, human erythrocytes, HepG2 hepatoma-derived cells, and L929 fibroblasts. Aib substitutions at Gly(4), Asn(8), and Ala(10) increased both % helicity, determined in methanol solution, and hydrophobicity resulting in increases in both antimicrobial potencies and toxicities against the mammalian cells. Substitution at Leu(6) resulted in an appreciable decrease in cytolytic activity against all cells whereas the substitutions at His(1), Phe(2), Leu(3), Thr(5), and Val(7) had only minor effects on activity. Substitutions at Leu(9), Ile(13), Leu(14) produced analogs with decreased helicity and hydrophobicity that retained activity against microorganisms but showed appreciably lower cytolytic activities against mammalian cells. In particular, the fourfold increase in therapeutic index [ratio of LC(50) against erythrocytes to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against microorganisms] of [Aib(13)]temporin-1DRa identifies it as a compound with potential for development as a therapeutically valuable anti-infective agent. PMID- 17767979 TI - Inhibition of striatal dopamine release by CB1 receptor activation requires nonsynaptic communication involving GABA, H2O2, and KATP channels. AB - The main psychoactive component of marijuana, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), acts in the CNS via type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1Rs). The behavioral consequences of THC or synthetic CB1R agonists include suppression of motor activity. One explanation for movement suppression might be inhibition of striatal dopamine (DA) release by CB1Rs, which are densely localized in motor striatum; however, data from previous studies are inconclusive. Here we examined the effect of CB1R activation on locally evoked DA release monitored with carbon fiber microelectrodes and fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in striatal slices. Consistent with previous reports, DA release evoked by a single stimulus pulse was unaffected by WIN55,212-2, a cannabinoid receptor agonist. However, when DA release was evoked by a train of stimuli, WIN55,212-2 caused a significant decrease in evoked extracellular DA concentration ([DA]o), implicating the involvement of local striatal circuitry, with similar suppression seen in guinea pig, rat, and mouse striatum. Pulse-train evoked [DA]o was not altered by either AM251, an inverse CB1R agonist, or VCHSR1, a neutral antagonist, indicating the absence of DA release regulation by endogenous cannabinoids with the stimulation protocol used. However, both CB1R antagonists prevented and reversed suppression of evoked [DA]o by WIN55,212-2. The effect of WIN55,212-2 was also prevented by picrotoxin, a GABAA receptor antagonist, and by catalase, a metabolizing enzyme for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Furthermore, blockade of ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels by tolbutamide or glybenclamide prevented the effect of WIN55,212-2 on DA release. Together, these data indicate that suppression of DA release by CB1R activation within striatum occurs via a novel nonsynaptic mechanism that involves GABA release inhibition, increased generation of the diffusible messenger H2O2, and activation of KATP channels to inhibit DA release. In addition, the findings suggest a possible physiological substrate for the motor effects of cannabinoid agonist administration. PMID- 17767981 TI - Seroprevalence of HBV in immigrant pregnant women and coverage of HBIG vaccine for neonates born to chronically infected immigrant mothers in Hsin-Chu County, Taiwan. AB - This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of HBsAg positivity and coverage rate of antenatal HBV screening among immigrant women. In addition, the extent of administration of HBIG plus HB vaccine #1 to neonates born to chronically infected (HBeAg-positive/HBsAg-positive) mothers was assessed. All pregnant women residing in Hsin-Chu County, Taiwan and giving birth during 2004 2006 were recruited. Among all 16926 cases, the prevalence of HBsAg positivity according to their ethnicities was Mainland Chinese, 11.0% (68/616); Indonesian, 3.5% (15/426); Vietnamese, 7.4% (42/568); aboriginal Taiwanese, 20.6% (109/530); and non-aboriginal Taiwanese 11.5% (1536/13368). Among the HBsAg carriers, the prevalence of HBeAg positivity was Mainland Chinese, 52.9% (36/68); Indonesian, 53.3% (8/15); Vietnamese, 45.2% (19/42); aboriginal Taiwanese, 47.7% (52/109); and non-aboriginal Taiwanese, 26.8% (411/1534). With non-aboriginal Taiwanese as the reference category, results of multiple logistic regression revealed the healthy immigrant phenomenon in the HBsAg carriage state among pregnant women from Indonesia (OR 0.30; CI 95%: 0.18-0.50) and Vietnam (OR 0.68; CI 95%: 0.49 0.93). On the contrary, among chronically infected mothers, Mainland Chinese showed the highest risk for HBeAg positivity (OR 2.79; CI 95%: 1.7-4.58). More efforts should be made to improve HBV infection among aboriginal Taiwanese pregnant women who were more vulnerable to HBsAg positivity (OR 2.15; CI 95%: 1.72-2.68) and HBeAg positivity (OR 1.93; CI 95%: 1.28-2.90). Age was another independent predictor for HBsAg positivity (OR 1.02; CI 95%: 1.01-1.03) and for HBeAg positivity among chronically infected mothers (OR 0.93; CI 95%: 0.91-0.96). The coverage rates of antenatal HBV screening and HBIG plus HB vaccine #1 showed no difference among these multiple ethnic subgroups. In 2006, the overall coverage rate of antenatal HBV screening was 98.7% (5546/5639), with the individual rate being Mainland Chinese, 100% (267/267); Indonesian, 97.2% (106/109); Vietnamese, 99.5% (201/202); aboriginal Taiwanese, 97.0% (196/202); and non-aboriginal Taiwanese, 99.8% (4776/4785). The administration rate of HBIG plus HB vaccine #1 was 100% for all ethnic subgroups. PMID- 17767980 TI - Potential use an Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae double mutant strain DeltaapxIICDeltaapxIVA as live vaccine that allows serological differentiation between vaccinated and infected animals. AB - Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, a highly contagious and often fatal disease. We have previously reported the construction and characterization of a single gene apxIIC deletion mutant HB04C(-) based on A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 7 which produces ApxII toxin and ApxIV. A precisely defined DeltaapxIICDeltaapxIVA double-deletion mutant of A. pleuropneumoniae was constructed based on HB04C(-) by transconjugation and counterselection, and the levels of virulence of the DeltaapxIIC single mutant and DeltaapxIICDeltaapxIVA double mutant were compared in an experimental infection in mice and pigs. The results demonstrated that the DeltaapxIICDeltaapxIVA double mutant strain was less virulent than HB04C(-). Despite attenuation of virulence, the DeltaapxIICDeltaapxIVA double mutant remains immunogenic and conferred a similar level of protective immunity to pigs against challenge with a lethal dose of a heterologous fully virulent standard serovar 1 strain of A. pleuropneumoniae. The results of the virulence study suggest that ApxIV is a critical virulence factor of A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 7 and is able to induce clinical disease, but it not required for efficient vaccination of pigs against A. pleuropneumoniae infection. Two weeks after the booster immunization, animals vaccinated with HB04C(-) were positive in the ApxIVAM-ELISA based on a recombinant GST-fusion protein GST-ApxIVAM as the solid phase antigen while animals vaccinated with the DeltaapxIICDeltaapxIVA double mutant were negative. These data demonstrate that the double mutant DeltaapxIICDeltaapxIVA can be used as an effective live marker vaccine allowing serological differentiation between vaccinated and infected animals. PMID- 17767982 TI - The transfer of different forms of 35S to goat milk. AB - Sulphur-35 is released during the routine operation of UK gas-cooled reactors. An experiment to determine the rates of transfer of different forms of (35)S to goat milk is described. Lactating goats received (35)S orally as single administrations of sulphate, L-methionine, or grass contaminated either through root uptake of (35)S as sulphate or through aerial deposition of (35)S as carbonyl sulphide onto the grass. Transfer was higher for (35)S administered as methionine compared with (35)S administered as sulphate. Changes in activity concentrations in milk for all sources of (35)S demonstrated two components of loss. The first component had a half-life of circa 1 d for all sources, the second was longer in goats administered carbonyl sulphide (44 d) than in all of the other treatments (circa 10 d). The rate of transfer of (35)S to milk of a further group of goats receiving (35)S-sulphate daily appeared to reach equilibrium within 30 d. Extrapolation of transfer parameters derived to other dairy ruminants is discussed. PMID- 17767983 TI - Oral mucosal diseases: erythema multiforme. AB - Erythema multiforme (EM) is a rare acute mucocutaneous condition caused by a hypersensitivity reaction with the appearance of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the epithelium that induce apoptosis in keratinocytes, which leads to satellite cell necrosis. EM can be triggered by a range of factors, but the best documented association is with preceding infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV). Most other cases are initiated by drugs. EM has been classified into a number of variants, mainly minor and major forms, as it may involve the mouth alone, or present as a skin eruption with or without oral or other lesions of the mucous membrane. EM minor typically affects only one mucosa, and may be associated with symmetrical target skin lesions on the extremities. EM major typically involves two or more mucous membranes with more variable skin involvement. A severe variant of EM major is Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which typically extensively involves the skin. Both EM major and Stevens-Johnson syndrome can involve internal organs and produce systemic symptoms. Treatment of EM is controversial, as there is no reliable evidence. Precipitants should be avoided or treated and, in severe cases, corticosteroids may be needed. Toxic epidermal necrolysis may be similar to Stevens-Johnson syndrome, but many experts regard it as a discrete disease, and therefore it is not discussed here. PMID- 17767984 TI - Knowledge of HIV/AIDS among adolescents in Chillan, Chile. AB - OBJECTIVE: to analyse adolescents' knowledge of preventive sexual practices related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) by means of a questionnaire recommended by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). METHOD: non-experimental, cross sectional, descriptive and analytical investigation. SETTING: four schools in Chillan, Chile, 2005. PARTICIPANTS: a total of 480 adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years. Students completed a questionnaire recommended by UNAIDS in order to develop basic indicators. FINDINGS: the indicator of preventive sexual practices related to HIV/AIDS was 32.5%; forms of prevention (62.5%) were better known than erroneous ideas about transmission (46%). Adolescents from the only private school in the study demonstrated greater knowledge (43.3%) than students from the public schools (25%) (p<0.01). No significant differences were found in knowledge according to age, sex or educational level. CONCLUSION: adolescents have poor knowledge of preventive sexual practices related to HIV and AIDS. It is necessary to implement an indicator of knowledge that allows for the creation and monitoring of sexual education programmes. PMID- 17767985 TI - Blood flow and macromolecular transport in complex blood vessels. AB - Numerical simulations of pulsatile flows and macromolecular (such as LDL) transport in complex blood vessels, including the cerebral artery, are carried out using the FLUENT software. The hemodynamic factors such as axial velocity, secondary flow as well as LDL concentration distribution in the complex vessel are obtained. It is found that in the case of pulsatile flow, the LDL concentration is higher in the central region of the flow than on the wall. Under the precondition of impermeability, the numerical results indicate that the blood flow is quite complicated in complex blood vessel. The complex flow can reduce the LDL concentration on the vessel wall, which is helpful to prevent the concentration polarization. PMID- 17767986 TI - Social capital, anticipated ethnic discrimination and self-reported psychological health: a population-based study. AB - This study investigates the association between anticipated ethnic discrimination and self-reported psychological health, taking generalized trust in other people into consideration. The 2004 Public Health Survey in Skane, Sweden, is a cross sectional postal questionnaire study including a total of 27,757 respondents aged 18-80 with a 59% response rate. Multivariate analyses of anticipated discrimination and self-reported psychological health were performed using logistic regressions in order to investigate the importance of possible confounders (age, country of origin, education and horizontal trust). Poor psychological health was reported by 13.0% of men and 18.9% of women, and 44.8% and 44.7%, respectively, reported that 50% or more of employers would discriminate according to race, colour of skin, religion, or cultural background. Respondents in younger age groups, born abroad, with high education, low trust and high levels of self-reported anticipated discrimination, had significantly higher levels of poor self-reported psychological health. There was a significant association between anticipated discrimination and low horizontal trust. After multiple adjustments for age, country of origin and education, the addition of trust in the model reduced the odds ratio of poor self-reported psychological health in the "most employers" category from 1.8 (1.4-2.1) to 1.5 (1.3-1.9) among men and from 2.2 (1.8-2.6) to 1.8 (1.5-2.2) among women. Generalized trust in other people may be a confounder of the association between anticipated discrimination and poor psychological health. Anticipated discrimination may have effects on the mental health of not only the affected minorities, but also on the mental health of the general population. PMID- 17767987 TI - Retaining the sociology in medical sociology. PMID- 17767988 TI - Portraying Islam and Muslims in MEDLINE: a content analysis. AB - The growing number and diversity of Muslims in the United States and Western Europe challenge clinicians and researchers to understand this population's perspectives and experiences regarding health and biomedicine. For information about Muslim patient populations, clinicians and researchers routinely consult medical literature. To examine how this literature portrays Muslims, we conducted an ethnographic content analysis of 2342 OVID MEDLINE-indexed abstracts from 1966 through August 2005, derived from a Boolean search for "islam or muslim or muslims." Manifest (explicitly stated) themes included Muslim religious practices, Islamic law and ethics, history of Islamic medicine, public health, social medicine, and cultural competence. Latent (underlying) themes implied that being an observant Muslim poses health risks; Muslims are negatively affected by tradition, and should adopt modernity; and that "Islam" is a problem for biomedical healthcare delivery. A countervailing latent theme implies that being Muslim may promote good health. We discuss ambiguities in uses of the term "Muslim;" implications of Muslim practices for health management and healthcare delivery; and ways in which MEDLINE-indexed literature intersects with orientalist and colonialist discourse about religious Others. Such intersections highlight connections with potential structural inequalities in healthcare delivery to Muslim patients. PMID- 17767989 TI - Oral absorption and oxidative metabolism of atrazine in rats evaluated by physiological modeling approaches. AB - Atrazine (ATRA) is metabolized by cytochrome P450s to the chlorinated metabolites, 2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-amino-1,3,5-triazine (ETHYL), 2-chloro-4 amino-6-isopropylamino-1, 3, 5-triazine (ISO), and diaminochlorotriazine (DACT). Here, we develop a set of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models that describe the influence of oral absorption and oxidative metabolism on the blood time course curves of individual chlorotriazines (Cl-TRIs) in rat after oral dosing of ATRA. These models first incorporated in vitro metabolic parameters to describe time course plasma concentrations of DACT, ETHYL, and ISO after dosing with each compound. Parameters from each individual model were linked together into a final composite model in order to describe the time course of all 4 Cl-TRIs after ATRA dosing. Oral administration of ISO, ETHYL and ATRA produced double peaks of the compounds in plasma time courses that were described by multiple absorption phases from gut. An adequate description of the uptake and bioavailability of absorbed ATRA also required inclusion of additional oxidative metabolic clearance of ATRA to the mono-dealkylated metabolites occurring in GI a tract compartment. These complex processes regulating tissue dosimetry of atrazine and its chlorinated metabolites likely reflect limited compound solubility in the gut from dosing with an emulsion, and sequential absorption and metabolism along the GI tract at these high oral doses. PMID- 17767990 TI - Magen David Adom--the EMS in Israel. AB - Israel is a small country with a population of around 7 million. The sole EMS provider for Israel is Magen David Adom (MDA) (translated as 'Red Shield of David'). MDA also carries out the functions of a National Society (similar to the Red Cross) and provides all the blood and blood product services for the country. Nationwide, the organisation responds to over 1000 emergency calls a day and uses doctors, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and volunteers. Local geopolitics has meant that MDA has to be prepared for anything from everyday emergency calls to suicide bombings and regional wars. MDA also prides itself in being able to rapidly assemble and dispatch mobile aid teams to scenes of international disasters. Such a broad range of activities is unusual for a single EMS organisation. PMID- 17767991 TI - Identifying approaches to improve the accuracy of shock outcome prediction for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. AB - BACKGROUND: Analysis of the electrocardiogram (ECG) can predict if a cardiac arrest patient in ventricular fibrillation is likely to have a return of spontaneous circulation if defibrillated. The accuracy of such methods determines how useful it is clinically and for retrospective analysis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We wanted to identify if there is a potential of improving prediction accuracy by adding peri-arrest factors to an ECG-based prediction system, or constructing a prediction system that adapts to each patient. Therefore, we analysed shock outcome prediction data with a mixed effects logistic regression model to identify if there are random effects (unexplained variation between patients) influencing the prediction accuracy. We also added information about the patients' age, sex and presenting rhythm, ambulance response time and presence of bystander CPR to the model to try to improve it by reducing the random effects. For all the six predictive features analysed random effects where present, with p values below 10(-3). The random effect size was 73-189% of the feature effect size. Adding the peri-arrest factors to the best ECG-based model gave no significant improvement. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of random effects shows that the shock outcome prediction accuracy can be improved by explaining more of the variation between patients, for example using the approaches outlined above, and that there is within-patient correlation between samples that should be accounted for when evaluating prediction accuracy. The specific peri-arrest factors tested here did not significantly improve prediction accuracy, but other factors should be explored. PMID- 17767992 TI - Characteristics and outcome among patients suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with the emphasis on availability for intervention trials. AB - AIM: To describe all patients treated for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) according to the Utstein criteria and their characteristics and outcome with emphasis on whether they were available for early intervention trials. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of a study where data were collected prospectively. SETTING: The Municipality of Goteborg/Molndal in Sweden. PATIENTS: All patients suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the Municipality of Goteborg/Molndal in whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was attempted between May 2003 and May 2005. INTERVENTIONS: Part of the study cohort, i.e. patients with a witnessed, non-traumatic, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were distributed (cluster) to mechanical (LUCAS) or manual chest compression. RESULTS: The overall survival to discharge from hospital among the 508 patients was 8.5%. The corresponding value for non-cardiac cases was 5.1% and for cardiac cases if crew witnessed 16.1%, bystander witnessed 12.7% and non-witnessed 1.4%. Fifty nine percent of the patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the trial and had no exclusion criteria and 9.7% of these survived to discharge. Ten percent of patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria but were excluded and 20.4% survived to discharge. Thirty-one percent of patients did not fulfil the inclusion criteria and 2.5% survived. Among patients included in the LUCAS group, many of the survivors, 10/13 (77%), experienced a rapid return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) before the application of the device. CONCLUSION: Among patients with OHCA in whom CPR was started 8.5% survived to hospital discharge and 59% were theoretically available for an early intervention trial. These patients have a different outcome compared with patients not available. However, among those available, the majority of survivors had a rapid ROSC before the application of the intervention (LUCAS). This raises concerns about the potential for early intervention trials to improve outcome after OHCA. PMID- 17767993 TI - Age-dependent changes of auditory evoked potentials--effect of task difficulty. AB - The goal of this study was to evaluate the patterns of age-dependent changes of P3 components of auditory event-related potentials exploring the effects of task difficulty. The participants (age span: 19-68 years, n=55, divided into five age groups) took part in an easy and in a difficult two-tone oddball frequency discrimination task with speed or accuracy instructions, and in a novelty oddball task. The latency of the P3 components increased with aging. While in the easy task a linear P3b latency increase could be seen, in the difficult tasks (difficult frequency discrimination or distracting novel stimuli) an accelerated latency increase was observed for the P3b and P3a. In the two-tone oddball paradigm age had no effect on P3b amplitude, but in the novelty oddball task the amplitude of P3 potentials decreased with age. These results indicate that distracting stimuli increase task demands, and in difficult tasks decay can be observed more easily due to the accumulation of various processing mechanisms characterizing aging. PMID- 17767994 TI - Learning-by-catching: uncertain invasive-species populations and the value of information. AB - This paper develops a model of invasive species control when the species' population size is unknown. In the face of an uncertain population size, a resource manager's species-control efforts provide two potential benefits: (1) a direct benefit of possibly reducing the population of invasive species, and (2) an indirect benefit of information acquisition (due to learning about the population size, which reduces uncertainty). We provide a methodology that takes into account both of these benefits, and show how optimal management decisions are altered in the presence of the indirect benefit of learning. We then apply this methodology to the case of controlling the Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on the island of Saipan. We find that the indirect benefit--the value of information to reduce uncertainty--is likely to be quite large. PMID- 17767995 TI - Regional climatic mapping as a tool for sustainable development. AB - In the framework of an EU project on sustainable village development in China (SUCCESS), the natural climate resource was evaluated. Climate is seen as a potential for sustainability, an improvement of social life, agricultural production and reduction of air pollution problems. In this respect, thermal comfort conditions, microclimates and ventilation patterns were studied in seven Chinese villages and climate maps were drawn. Following planning recommendations, they can be transferred to decision-makers for their village development. In this framework, the paper presents a general methodology of urban climate mapping, carried out in China, applicable to all countries and climates. PMID- 17767996 TI - Recreation demand analysis under truncation, overdispersion, and endogenous stratification: an application to Gros Morne National Park. AB - Using on-site survey data from Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, this paper estimates and compares several truncated count data models of recreation demand. The selected model accounts not only for the truncated and overdispersed nature of the data but also for endogenous stratification due to the oversampling of avid users. Moreover, the model that allows for a flexible specification of the overdispersion parameter dominates on the basis of goodness of fit. The results are used to estimate the users' value of access to the park. PMID- 17767997 TI - Towards a planning support system for environmental management and agri environmental measures--the Colorfields study. AB - The authors present the beginnings of a planning support system (PSS) for agri environmental measures exemplified by a virtual implementation of Colorfields and blooming strips on model farms, based on real-world data. This paper starts with an introduction to the Colorfields, a concept for transdisciplinary and sustainable landscape design of set-aside land. Colorfields comprise of blooming strips of flowering annual or biennial plants, which are designed and drilled in pattern on fallow land creating Land Art. The temporary scenic arrangements of the Colorfields combine the advantages of ecological strips, e.g. providing habitats for insects (especially bees), improving soil fertility through the cultivation of intercrops, with improvements of the social recognition of farmers as producers of pleasant landscapes instead of monoculture fields. The prototype of the PSS uses two software tools of different scientific origin, the bio economic modeling system MODAM and the landscape visualization system Lenne3D, which are linked based on geo-data. The resulting system helps to assess the economic effects and visualizes the effects of the specific landuse patterns under different scenarios. The economic assessment of blooming strips on arable land and of one Colorfield on fallow land shows that these measures prove to be profitable from an economic viewpoint assuming the current area payments for the obligatory European Union set-aside program. Furthermore, the visualizations enable the design to be tested virtually by exploring the resultant scenery. They provide artists, planners and stakeholders including farmers with a tool to virtually wander through landscape scenarios supporting a collaborative design and a shared vision for the community. The results of the two model farms and previous case studies for Colorfields demonstrate how current policy conditions could be used for the improvement of environmental and scenic qualities. Furthermore, the ability of the tools, MODAM and Lenne3D, suggests to support and promote these activities. PMID- 17767998 TI - Visual preference and ecological assessments for designed alternative brownfield rehabilitations. AB - This paper describes an integrative method for quantifying, analyzing, and comparing the effects of alternative rehabilitation approaches with visual preference. The method was applied to a portion of a major industrial area located in southern Italy. Four alternative approaches to rehabilitation (alternative designs) were developed and analyzed. The scenarios consisted of the cleanup of the brownfields plus: (1) the addition of ground cover species; (2) the addition of ground cover species and a few trees randomly distributed; (3) the addition of ground cover species and a few trees in small groups; and (4) the addition of ground cover species and several trees in large groups. The approaches were analyzed and compared to the baseline condition through the use of cost-surface modeling (CSM) and visual preference assessment (VPA). Statistical results showed that alternatives that were more ecologically functional for forest bird species dispersal were also more visually preferable. Some differences were identified based on user groups and location of residence. The results of the study are used to identify implications for enhancing both ecological attributes and visual preferences of rehabilitating landscapes through planning and design. PMID- 17767999 TI - Review and challenges of policies of environmental protection and sustainable development in China. AB - China is confronted with the dual task of developing its national economy and protecting its ecological environment. Since the 1980s, China's policies on environmental protection and sustainable development have experienced five changes: (1) progression from the adoption of environmental protection as a basic state policy to the adoption of sustainable development strategy; (2) changing focus from pollution control to ecological conservation equally; (3) shifting from end-of-pipe treatment to source control; (4) moving from point source treatment to regional environmental governance; and (5) a turn away from administrative management-based approaches and towards a legal means and economic instruments-based approach. Since 1992, China has set down sustainable development as a basic national strategy. However, environmental pollution and ecological degradation in China have continued to be serious problems and have inflicted great damage on the economy and quality of life. The beginning of the 21st century is a critical juncture for China's efforts towards sustaining rapid economic development, intensifying environmental protection efforts, and curbing ecological degradation. As the largest developing country, China's policies on environmental protection and sustainable development will be of primary importance not only for China, but also the world. Realizing a completely well off society by the year 2020 is seen as a crucial task by the Chinese government and an important goal for China's economic development in the new century, however, attaining it would require a four-fold increase over China's year 2000 GDP. Therefore, speeding up economic development is a major mission during the next two decades and doing so will bring great challenges in controlling depletion of natural resources and environmental pollution. By taking a critical look at the development of Chinese environmental policy, we try to determine how best to coordinate the relationship between the environment and the economy in order to improve quality of life and the sustainability of China's resources and environment. Examples of important measures include: adjustment of economic structure, reform of energy policy, development of environmental industry, pollution prevention and ecological conservation, capacity building, and international cooperation and public participation. PMID- 17768000 TI - Our shared landscape: design, planning and management of multifunctional landscapes. PMID- 17768001 TI - Synthetic endocrine disruptors in the environment and water remediation by advanced oxidation processes. AB - The present study is an overview of the literature on classes and types of compounds described as "endocrine disruptors" and their treatability in water by advanced oxidation processes, which generate hydroxyl radicals in water. The review is limited to details of the destruction of three classes of endocrine disruptors, namely bisphenols, alkylphenols and phthalates, which are among the most highly suspected endocrine disrupting compounds that interfere with the hormonal system of wildlife. It was found that photocatalysis with titanium dioxide was the most frequently tested advanced oxidation method most likely due its potential to render complete mineralization. There is sufficient research also with direct and indirect photolysis and ozonation, which were less effective for the overall mineralization but more representative of the conditions existing in real water treatment plants. PMID- 17768002 TI - Simulating autonomous anticipation: the importance of Dubois' conjecture. AB - Anticipation allows a system to adapt to conditions that have not yet come to be, either externally to the system or internally. Autonomous systems actively control their own conditions so as to increase their functionality (they self regulate). Living systems self-regulate in order to increase their own viability. These increasingly stronger conditions, anticipation, autonomy and viability, can give an insight into progressively stronger classes of models of autonomy. I will argue that stronger forms are the relevant ones for Artificial Life. This has consequences for the design of and accurate simulation of living systems. PMID- 17768003 TI - Normal-pressure hydrocephalus: white matter lesions correlate negatively with gait improvement after lumbar puncture. AB - OBJECTIVES: To test relations between white matter lesions (WML) load in Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) patients and gait characteristics at baseline, duration of symptoms, gait improvement after lumbar puncture (LP), vascular risk factors. PATIENTS: Fifteen idiopathic NPH patients. METHODS: Patients underwent a timed walking test, before and after LP. Five gait variables were assessed and improvement percentages were calculated. WML load was rated regionally and globally in T2 weighted MRI images, using a simple visual scale. Spearman or Pearson correlation coefficients were used to test relations between variables. RESULTS: Significant negative correlations were found between WML scores and gait improvement after CSF removal but not with duration of symptoms or gait variables before LP. CONCLUSIONS: WML seem to contribute to the irreversibility of symptoms in NPH but not to the pathophysiological mechanisms that lead to them. PMID- 17768004 TI - Low dose Zebularine treatment enhances immunogenicity of tumor cells. AB - STRATEGY: We have investigated how alterations in gene expression induced by the demethylating drug Zebularine affect the immune response tumor cells elicit. The rational has been to treat syngeneic rat colon cancer cells with Zebularine at different concentrations and then use these cells to study gene expression of different genes involved in cancer immunogenicity. Gene expressions were monitored by semi-quantitative PCR and real-time PCR. RESULTS: Intriguingly there was a large increase in the production of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) after treatment with 100 microM Zebularine as compared with untreated tumor cells, whereas treatment with 20 microM Zebularine caused a significant decrease of the IDO production. After immunization with syngeneic tumor cells, spleen cells were isolated and restimulated in vitro with irradiated tumor cells. Immune reactivity was measured by proliferation, and production of interferon gamma and interleukin10. The immunogenicity of tumor cells treated in vitro with a low dose of Zebularine increased, whereas it decreased after high dose exposure. The inhibition of immunogenicity by 100 microM Zebularine was shown to be counteracted by the IDO inhibitor 1-methyl-tryptophan (1 MT), confirming that this effect of Zebularine is mainly caused by IDO induction. Differences using Zebularine-treated or non-treated cells for in vitro restimulation were marginal. CONCLUSION: Low dose treatment with Zebularine (20 microM) decreases the production of the immunosuppressive IDO from rat colon cancer cells and enhances their immunogenicity, whereas high dose Zebularine treatment (100 microM) enhances the IDO production from the cancer cells and suppresses their immunogenicity. This immunosuppression should be considered when cancer is treated with Zebularine or drugs acting in a similar way. PMID- 17768005 TI - Use of an amorphous iron oxide hydrated as catalyst for hydrogen peroxide oxidation of ferulic acid in water. AB - The abatement of ferulic acid (FA), a polyphenolic constituent of olive mill wastewater, is studied in the pH range 5.0-7.0 by using hydrogen peroxide and an amorphous iron oxide as catalyst. The effect of pH, catalyst load, hydrogen peroxide and substrate starting concentrations is assessed during the investigation. A suitable reaction scheme is developed and used to build a mathematical model which satisfactorily describes the system's behavior. Kinetic constants for the proposed scheme as well as the total active site concentration of the catalyst in the studied pH range are estimated. The occurrence of internal mass-transfer limitation for the adopted granulometric fraction of the catalyst is demonstrated. PMID- 17768006 TI - Study of speciation of metals in an industrial sludge and evaluation of metal chelators for their removal. AB - Leachability and mobility of metals were evaluated in sludge obtained from electroplating industry, using toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid test (DTPA). Sequential leaching procedure was used to determine the chemical fractionation of metals. Further, removal of metals from sludge using various chelators (EDTA, citric acid, siderophore) was evaluated. The leaching test indicated that nickel in the sludge sample exceeded 5 ppm concentration. This categorized the sludge, as a toxic waste. The mobility of the metals in the sludge was in the following order: Ni, Fe, Zn, Cr, Pb. Metals were found to be associated with various fractions of sludge. The metal concentration in the sludge was very high as compared to normal abundance and thus not within the range to be used as a fertilizer. The low removal of metals from the sludge by various chelators may be due to overloading of metals and use of aged sludge rather than artificially contaminated one for the study. The results of this study bring forth the prospect of the use of siderophores for bioremediation, because it is biodegradable and ecofriendly. This can be achieved with further optimization of the method, exploration of more potent siderophores and by inclusion of metal bound sludge fraction specific treatments. PMID- 17768007 TI - Removal of trihalomethanes from drinking water by nanofiltration membranes. AB - Chlorine reacts with the natural organic matter (NOM) in waters and forms disinfection by-products (DBP). Major of these by-products are trihalomethanes (THM) and haloacetic acids (HAA). They have been known to cause cancer and other toxic effects to human beings. This study determined the removal efficiencies of THM by nanofiltration (NF) techniques with NF200 and DS5 membrane. The rejection of this chlorination by-products was studied at various feed concentration by changing transmembrane pressure. Experimental results indicated that in general increasing operating pressure produces a higher flux but does not have a significant effect on THM rejection. On the other hand, increasing the feed concentration produces a little change in the overall flux and rejection capacity. NF200 membrane removed more THM than DS5 membrane. The higher removal efficiency of dibromochloromethane (DBCM) was attributed to brominating characteristics (higher molecular weight (MW) and molecular size). As a consequence, the results of this study suggest that the NF membrane process is one of the best available technologies for removing THM compounds. PMID- 17768008 TI - Quality of life and individual treatment choice in trigeminal neuralgia. PMID- 17768010 TI - Effect of longitude and latitude on fecal egg and oocyst counts in cow-calf beef herds from the United States Northern Great Plains. AB - This study evaluated potential relationships between parasite egg/oocyst outputs in cow-calf beef herds located within the United States Northern Great Plains and herd longitude and latitude. Management of study herds was typical of herds from this region. Parasite egg/oocyst counts were measured from 10 cows and 5 calves selected from each herd near the end of the traditional grazing season (October 1993). The types and numbers of eggs and oocysts recovered from both cows and spring-born calves were consistent with those described in other studies. No significant relationship between fecal egg/oocyst counts and latitude was observed in calves or cows. Monezia egg output exhibited no significant correlation with longitude for calves or cows. In cows, a significant negative correlation was detected between coccidian oocyst counts and herd longitude but not between helminth egg counts and longitude. In calves, Nematodirus, trichostrongyle and Trichuris egg output and coccidian oocyst output were all negatively correlated with longitude. This negative correlation suggests that nematode populations within the study area decreased slightly from an east to west direction. PMID- 17768009 TI - The effectiveness of a work style intervention and a lifestyle physical activity intervention on the recovery from neck and upper limb symptoms in computer workers. AB - This study assessed the effectiveness of a single intervention targeting work style and a combined intervention targeting work style and physical activity on the recovery from neck and upper limb symptoms. Computer workers with frequent or long-term neck and upper limb symptoms were randomised into the work style group (WS, n=152), work style and physical activity group (WSPA, n=156), or usual care group (n=158). The WS and WSPA group attended six group meetings. All meetings focused on behavioural change with regard to body posture, workplace adjustment, breaks and coping with high work demands (WS and WSPA group) and physical activity (WSPA group). Pain, disability at work, days with symptoms and months without symptoms were measured at baseline and after 6 (T1) and 12 months (T2). Self-reported recovery was assessed at T1/T2. Both interventions were ineffective in improving recovery. The work style intervention but not the combined intervention was effective in reducing all pain measures. These effects were present in the neck/shoulder, not in the arm/wrist/hand. For the neck/shoulder, the work style intervention group also showed an increased recovery-rate. Total physical activity increased in all study groups but no differences between groups were observed. To conclude, a group-based work style intervention focused on behavioural change was effective in improving recovery from neck/shoulder symptoms and reducing pain on the long-term. The combined intervention was ineffective in increasing total physical activity. Therefore we cannot draw conclusions on the effect of increasing physical activity on the recovery from neck and upper limb symptoms. PMID- 17768011 TI - Hormone therapy effects on social behavior and activity levels of surgically postmenopausal cynomolgus monkeys. AB - The purpose of the experiments reported here was to investigate central nervous system effects of commonly prescribed postmenopausal hormone therapies in a primate model, the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis). The results of two experiments are reported. In the first, ovariectomized adult cynomolgus monkeys were treated for eight weeks each with oral micronized 17beta-estradiol (E2) (n=23), E2+medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) (n=23), E2+progesterone (P4) (n=23), and placebo (n=23) using a crossover design. In the second, ovariectomized adult cynomolgus monkeys were treated for eight weeks with oral micronized E2+oral micronized P4 (n=10), or E2+intravaginal micronized P4 delivered via a Silastic ring (n=8), or oral placebo and intravaginal placebo (n=5), using a parallel arm design. Behavior was recorded during weeks two through four. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood were sampled, and 24h heart rate recorded by telemetry during weeks five through seven. Monoaminergic metabolites were assayed in CSF, and cortisol was assayed in serum. There were no significant effects of treatment on CSF monoaminergic metabolites or heart rate. E2+MPA increased cortisol concentrations. While there were some differences in effects between experiments, both progestogens and both routes of administration increased time spent resting, particularly resting in body contact, resulting in increased passive affiliative interaction. Thus, synthetic progestogens appear to be as sedating as progesterone, and the ring delivery system does not appear to protect the central nervous system from effects of progestogens. Further research is needed to explore social context as an important feature of behavioral response to steroid hormone regimens and to verify and extend knowledge of systemic effects of vaginal ring-delivered progestogens. PMID- 17768012 TI - Inhibition of tumor angiogenesis by cell-permeable dominant negative SOX18 mutants. AB - Angiogenesis play a key roles in tumor growth, invasion and metastasis, and has become an attractive target for anticancer drug development. Though a number of anti-angiogenic agents had entered clinical trials, few of them could reproduce the spectacular results in cancer patients as that had been seen in pre-clinical tumor models. Therefore, exploring novel anti-angiogenic agents is highly deserved. SOX18, a member of the Sry-related HMG box-containing family of transcription factors, is expressed transiently in endothelial cells during the development of blood vessels. And mutations resulting in expression of dominant negative SOX18 have been shown to severely impair the vascular development. Recent research demonstrated that SOX18 is expressed during the initial steps of tumor vascularization and involved in regulation of the expression of the VEGF receptor Flk-1 and the vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Moreover, allograft tumor growth in mice heterozygous for Ra(Op) (RaOp mice) which express a dominant negative mutant form of SOX18 (SOX18RaOp) that does not interact effectively with the endothelial partner protein MEF2C, was dramatically slower than that of wild-type mice. In this article, we postulate that recombinant cell permeable dominant negative SOX18 mutants, prepared by fusion with protein transduction domains, would inhibit tumor angiogenesis with high efficiency by impairing endothelial tube formation. If the hypothesis was proved to be practical, the fusion proteins would show promise as single anti-angiogenic agents in cancer therapy. PMID- 17768013 TI - Recurrent aphthous stomatitis may be initiated by traumatic epithelial implantation and sustained by localized pathergic status. AB - Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is the most common oral mucosal disease. The pathogenesis of RAS has been debated long and various etiological predisposing factors have been suggested. Nonetheless, these proposals do not explain development of aphtous ulcerations and the underlying mechanisms remain to be uncovered through more definitive cellular and molecular approaches. Soft tissues of oral cavity are subject to traumatic injuries owing to various functional activities demanding interactions of soft and hard tissues. These injuries may lead to implantation of epithelial cells at the sites of injury. Following implantation of keratinocytes, a mild sustained immunologic reaction to these cells may be expected which is characteristic of aphthous ulcerations. Subsequently, these localized sites of implantation may remain in a pathergic status. Thereafter, these sites exhibit higher vulnerability to recurrence of aphthous ulcerations when affected by environmental stimuli. PMID- 17768014 TI - Effect of bladder distension on dose distribution of intracavitary brachytherapy for cervical cancer: three-dimensional computed tomography plan evaluation. AB - PURPOSE: To quantify the effect of bladder volume on the dose distribution during intracavitary brachytherapy for cervical cancer. METHODS AND PATIENTS: The study was performed on 10 women with cervical cancer who underwent brachytherapy treatment. After insertion of the brachytherapy applicator, the patients were transferred to the computed tomography unit. Two sets of computed tomography slices were taken, including the pelvis, one with an empty bladder and one after the bladder was filled with saline. The target and critical organs were delineated by the radiation oncologist and checked by the expert radiologist. The radiotherapy plan was run on the Plato planning system, version 14.1, to determine the dose distributions, dose-volume histograms, and maximal dose points. The doses and organ volumes were compared with the Wilcoxon signed ranks test on a personal computer using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 11.0, statistical program. RESULTS: No significant difference regarding the dose distribution and target volumes between an empty or full bladder was observed. Bladder fullness significantly affected the dose to the small intestine, rectum, and bladder. The median of maximal doses to the small intestine was significantly greater with an empty bladder (493 vs. 284 cGy). Although dosimetry revealed lower doses for larger volumes of bladder, the median maximal dose to the bladder was significantly greater with a full bladder (993 vs. 925 cGy). The rectal doses were also affected by bladder distension. The median maximal dose was significantly lower in the distended bladder (481vs. 628 cGy). CONCLUSIONS: Bladder fullness changed the dose distributions to the bladder, rectum, and small intestine. The clinical importance of these changes is not known and an increase in the use of three-dimensional brachytherapy planning will highlight the answer to this question. PMID- 17768015 TI - Predictors of distant brain recurrence for patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases treated with stereotactic radiosurgery alone. AB - PURPOSE: To ascertain predictors of distant brain failure (DBF) in patients treated initially with stereotactic radiosurgery alone for newly diagnosed brain metastases. We hypothesize that these factors may be used to group patients according to risk of DBF. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively analyzed 100 patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases treated from 2003 to 2005 at our Gamma Knife radiosurgery facility. The primary endpoint was DBF. Potential predictors included number of metastases, tumor volume, histologic characteristics, extracranial disease, and use of temozolomide. RESULTS: One-year actuarial risk of DBF was 61% for all patients. Significant predictors of DBF included more than three metastases (hazard ratio, 3.30; p = 0.004), stable or poorly controlled extracranial disease (hazard ratio, 2.16; p = 0.04), and melanoma histologic characteristics (hazard ratio, 2.14; p = 0.02). These were confirmed in multivariate analysis. Those with three or fewer metastases, no extracranial disease, and nonmelanoma histologic characteristics (N = 18) had a median time to DBF of 89 weeks vs. 33 weeks for all others. One-year actuarial freedom from DBF for this group was 83% vs. 26% for all others. CONCLUSIONS: Independent significant predictors of DBF in our series included number of metastases (more than three), present or uncontrolled extracranial disease, and melanoma histologic characteristics. These factors were combined to identify a lower risk subgroup with significantly longer time to DBF. These patients may be candidates for initial localized treatment, reserving whole-brain radiation therapy for salvage. Patients in the higher risk group may be candidates for initial whole-brain radiation therapy or should be considered for clinical trials. PMID- 17768016 TI - Cervical cancer regression measured using weekly magnetic resonance imaging during fractionated radiotherapy: radiobiologic modeling and correlation with tumor hypoxia. AB - PURPOSE: To measure regression of cancer of the uterine cervix during external beam radiotherapy using magnetic resonance imaging, derive radiobiologic parameters from a mathematical model of tumor regression, and compare these parameters with the pretreatment measurements of tumor hypoxia. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 27 eligible patients undergoing external beam radiotherapy for cervical cancer underwent weekly magnetic resonance imaging scans. The tumor volume was assessed on each of these scans and the rate of regression plotted. A radiobiologic model was formulated to simulate the effect on tumor regression of the surviving proportion of cells after 2 Gy (SP(2)), the cell clearance constant (clearance of irreparably damaged cells from the tumor [T(c)]), and accelerated repopulation. Nonlinear regression analysis was used to fit the radiobiologic model to the magnetic resonance imaging-derived tumor volumes and to derive the estimates of SP(2) and T(c) for each patient. These were compared to the pretreatment hypoxia measurements. RESULTS: The initial tumor volume was 8-209 cm(3). The relative reduction in volume during treatment was 0.02-0.79. The simulations using representative values of the independent biologic variables derived from published data showed SP(2) and T(c) to strongly influence the shape of the volume-response curves. Nonlinear regression analysis yielded a median SP(2) of 0.71 and median T(c) of 10 days. Tumors with a high SP(2) >0.71 were significantly more hypoxic at diagnosis (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The results of our study have shown that cervical cancer regresses during external beam radiotherapy, although marked variability is present among patients and is influenced by underlying biologic processes, including cellular sensitivity to radiotherapy and proliferation. Better understanding of the biologic mechanisms might facilitate novel adaptive treatment strategies in future studies. PMID- 17768017 TI - A severe outbreak of contagious ecthyma (orf) in a free-ranging musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) population in Norway. AB - During July-October 2004, 19 (18 calves, 1 yearling) free-ranging musk oxen (Ovibos moschatus) at Dovre, Norway, were observed with contagious echtyma-like lesions, and 16 of them were euthanized. Six musk oxen were subjected to necropsy, histopathological and microbiological examinations. All euthanized animals had lesions consistent with contagious ecthyma presenting as wart-like, scabby lesions on the muzzle, lips, oral mucosa and limbs to a variable extent. The histopathological examination showed pustular dermatitis characterized by epidermal proliferation, reticular degeneration, degenerating keratinocytes with intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies, vesicopustules, microabscesses and multifocal ulcerations in the epidermis which was covered by a serocellular crust. Pathology and bacteriology showed evidence of secondary infections in the skin and draining lymph nodes. Electron microscopy (negative staining) of lesions from four animals detected parapoxvirus with the typical arrangement of the outer protein filaments. Parapoxvirus DNA was detected in tissue samples from two examined animals by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers from the B2L gene. A DNA sequence of 326 nucleotides from the amplicon was compared with similar DNA sequences from parapoxvirus isolated from sheep, reindeer, musk ox and cattle. The outbreak was caused by a virus similar to other circulating orf virus variants in Norway. Antibodies against parapoxvirus were detected with a virus neutralization test in 3 of 35 musk oxen (8.6%) sampled at Dovre between 2004 and 2006. This is the first report of a severe outbreak of contagious ecthyma in free-ranging musk oxen. PMID- 17768018 TI - Gene expression profiling of the uterus with embryos cloned by somatic cell nuclear transfer on day 30 of pregnancy. AB - Cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in pigs has great value for research and biomedical applications. However, cloning pigs is inefficient, and cloning procedures often lead to the birth of abnormal offspring because of the inadequate nuclear remodeling of donor cells as well as inadequate subsequent development. To understand the problems of the cloning process, it is necessary to understand how the uterus interacts with cloned embryo during pregnancy and supports placentation and fetal development. In this study, we compared gene expression profiles of the uterus with SCNT embryos to those of the uterus with normal embryos by natural mating. We obtained the uterine endometrial tissues on day 30 of pregnancy and conducted gene expression profiling using the Platinum Pig 13K oligonucleotide microarrays. Of the 13,610 genes analyzed, expression of 351 genes significantly increased or decreased in the uterine tissues with SCNT embryos compared to those with normal embryos. The differentially regulated genes included enzymes involved in steroidogenesis and extracellular matrix remodeling and uterine secretory proteins. Analyses of real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization of selected genes confirmed the validity of the gene expression patterns observed in the microarray analysis. Results of this study showed that the transcriptional profile of the genes in the uterus with SCNT embryos was regulated differently indicating that the maternal responsiveness to the SCNT embryos was impaired, resulting in the altered gene expression in the uterus and, in turn, abnormal placental and fetal development and increased embryonic loss. PMID- 17768019 TI - Prevalence of metabolic syndrome during menopausal transition Tehranian women: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). AB - OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Tehranian women during menopausal transition. DESIGN: In this cross sectional study 2182 subjects, pre-menopausal (pre-M) n=537, menopausal (M) n=311 and post-menopausal (post-M) n=1334 were selected from 15005 participants of the TLGS and assessed for MetS risk factors. All MetS components were evaluated following age adjustment according to the ATPIII criteria. RESULTS: The mean ages of post-M, M and pre-M women were 61.0+/-4.3, 53.0+/-4.0 and 47.0+/-1.9 years, respectively. The prevalence of MetS in subjects was 63% (53%, 54% and 69%) in pre-M, M and post-M women respectively. HDL-c levels was significantly higher in post-M women in comparison to pre-M women (p<0.001). TG levels, FPG and waist circumference was significantly higher in post-M women in comparison to pre M women (p<0.05). The most frequent markers of MetS were low HDL-c and high diastolic blood pressure in post-M women. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the frequency of MetS is significantly higher in post-M women as compared to pre-M women; low HDL-c and high diastolic blood pressure is the most frequent feature in comparison to other factors. PMID- 17768020 TI - Anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of anacardic acids from Amphipterygium adstringens. AB - Amphipterygium adstringens (Schltdl.) Standl. (Anacardiaceae) is widely used in traditional Mexican medicine for the treatment of gastritis and ulcers. In this work, we studied the anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of its bark, this Gram negative bacterium is considered the major etiological agent of chronic active gastritis and peptic ulcer disease, and it is linked to gastric carcinoma. From a bio-guided assay of the fractions obtained form a continuous Soxhlet extraction of the bark, we identified that petroleum ether fraction had significant antimicrobial activity against Helicobacter pylori. From this fraction, we isolated an anacardic acids mixture and three known triterpenes: masticadienonic acid; 3alpha-hydroxymasticadienonic acid; 3-epi-oleanolic; as well as the sterol beta-sitosterol. Only the anacardic acids mixture exhibits a potent dose dependent antibacterial activity (MIC=10 microg/ml in broth cultures). It is enriched in saturated alkyl phenolic acids (C15:0, C16:0, C17:0 C19:0) which represents a novel source of these compounds with potent anti-Helicobacter pylori activity. The promising use of anacardic acids and Amphipterygium adstringens bark in the development of an integral treatment of Helicobacter pylori diseases is discussed. PMID- 17768021 TI - Motor-sensory neuropathy without minifascicles in a patient with 46XY gonadal dysgenesis. AB - We report a 36-year-old patient with 46XY pure gonadal dysgenesis (GD), who manifested a syndrome of progressive motor-sensory neuropathy. Sural nerve biopsy showed severe axonal neuropathy. Since reported cases of chronic motor-sensory neuropathy and pure gonadal dysgenesis have been characterized by nerve biopsy evidence of minifascicle formation, we suggest that this clinical association may be a new type of hereditary motor-sensory neuropathy, not necessarily associated with minifascicle formation. PMID- 17768022 TI - Value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in rheumatoid arthritis. AB - The purpose of this review is to describe the spectrum of sonographic findings in rheumatic diseases with respect to the diagnostic potential using US contrast media which prove activity or inactivity in synovial tissue where new treatment regimes target. Synovial activity can be found in non-erosive and erosive forms of primary and secondary osteoarthritis, and in inflammatory forms of joint diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and peripheral manifestations of spondyloarthritis including, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis and enteropathic arthritis. It can also be present in metabolic and endocrine forms of arthritis, in connective tissue arthropathies like systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma and in infectious arthritis. Ultrasound should be used as first-line imaging modality in suspected early cases of RA and other forms of arthritis, whereas contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can further enable for sensitive assessment of vascularity which correlates with disease activity. PMID- 17768023 TI - Detection of ingested cocaine-filled packets--diagnostic value of unenhanced CT. AB - PURPOSE: Emergency departments are facing nowadays an increasing number of illegal drug-related health problems, associated with medicolegal and/or social consequences. Body stuffers are street cocaine dealers, who either store wrapped packets of drugs in their rectum or hastily swallow them, prompted by fear of police's arrest. These packets can be life threatening in case of leakage. We evaluate the diagnostic value of unenhanced multidetector CT (MDCT) for detection of cocaine-filled packets (CFP) ingested by body stuffers in a phantom model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our phantom simulated normal bowel contents in which a varying number of true and false CFP were randomly mixed. Both only differ in radiological density. During 18 different reading sessions, four radiologists independently evaluated the presence and number of true and false CFP. Interobserver agreement, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value were calculated. RESULTS: Interobserver agreement for detection of any packets, for visualization of true, and false CFP was good (kappa=0.63, 0.74 and 0.58, respectively). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value for detection of any packets was 95.6%, 100%, 100% and 62.5%, respectively; for visualization of the true CFP 86.5%, 100%, 100% and 77.6%, respectively; and for the false packets 98.1%, 65%, 88.6% and 87.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Unenhanced MDCT without bowel preparation is a fast, reliable and easily reproducible imaging modality for the immediate detection of ingested CFP, thus facilitating medicolegal management of body stuffers. PMID- 17768024 TI - Internally cooled antenna for microwave ablation: results in ex vivo and in vivo porcine livers. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the performance of microwave ablation with an internally cooled antenna in ex vivo and in vivo porcine livers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Microwave ablations were performed in ex vivo and in vivo porcine livers with a 1.9 mm-diameter 2450 MHz microwave needle antenna. Four power settings (50, 60, 70 and 80 W) were used in this study, while application time was fixed at 10 min. Diameters of the coagulation zone were observed on gross specimens. RESULTS: Excessive elongation of coagulation along the needle shaft was not encountered in all ablations. An arrow-shaped charring was observed. As the power increases, the long-axis coagulation diameter for in vivo liver increased significantly (P<.05). The short-axis coagulation diameter for in vivo liver was significantly smaller than that for ex vivo liver (P<.05) but not statistically different among the four power settings. After 10 min of ablation at 80 W, the short-axis and long axis coagulation diameter for in vivo liver was 4.92+/-0.15 cm and 2.37+/-0.10 cm, respectively. CONCLUSION: The internally cooled microwave antenna may be advantageous to minimize collateral damages. PMID- 17768025 TI - Jejunum abnormalities at MR enteroclysis. AB - OBJECTIVE: MR enteroclysis has become an important tool to visualize the complete small bowel wall and extramural structures. In many centers, this technique is rapidly becoming the first-line technique for small bowel visualization. MR enteroclysis yields a diagnosis of thickened jejunal loops in some patients. In this paper, we describe an MR enteroclysis protocol and review the literature on jejunum abnormalities with several sample cases. CONCLUSION: Jejunum abnormalities are not uncommon. These abnormalities can be self-limiting, but some patients suffer from infectious and other pathologic conditions of the small bowel necessitating intervention. PMID- 17768026 TI - Determination of caderofloxacin lactate in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and its application in rat pharmacokinetic studies. AB - A sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (LC ESI-MS) method for the quantification of a newly active quinolone carboxylic acid caderofloxacin lactate in rat plasma was developed and validated after precipitation method with methanol. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a reversed-phase Shimadzu 2.0 microm C18 column (150 mm x 2.00 mm) with the mobile phase of methanol-0.02% formic acid and step gradient elution resulted in a total run time of about 10.0 min. The analytes were detected by using an electrospray positive ionization mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. A good linear relationship was obtained in the concentration range studied (5 2000 ng/mL) (r=0.9998). The lowest limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5 ng/mL and the lowest limit of detection (LLOD) was 2 ng/mL. Average recoveries ranged from 88.80 to 93.05% in plasma at the concentrations of 10, 100 and 1000 ng/mL. Intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations were 4.01-7.30 and 4.15-7.51%, respectively. This method was successfully applied in the pharmacokinetic studies in rats. PMID- 17768027 TI - New surgical approaches for the management of cervical carcinoma. AB - Cervical carcinoma remains an important health problem in both developed and developing countries even though population-based screening programs are widely available. The classical surgical management of early-stage cervical carcinoma, known as radical hysterectomy (RH), was first described by Wertheim more than one hundred years ago and was then modified and re-popularized by Meigs in 1950s. The surgical principles of this operation have undergone only minor modifications and remain the basis for the surgical approach utilized by gynecologic oncologists today. However, some recent studies have questioned the role of RH due to a high rate of postoperative complications involving the pelvic autonomic nerve system and poor oncological outcomes despite postoperative adjuvant chemoradiation. During the last 2 decades, new surgical operations (radical vaginal trachelectomy, nerve-sparing hysterectomy, total mesometrial resection, laterally extended endopelvic resection, laparoscopic assisted radical vaginal hysterectomy, laparoscopic lumbo-aortic lymph node dissection, and laparoscopic pelvic exenteration) have been proposed for the management of both early- and late-stage cervical carcinoma. In this manuscript, some technical details and oncological outcomes of these new surgical approaches are summarized. PMID- 17768028 TI - Hydrophobic but not hydrophilic statins enhance phagocytosis and decrease apoptosis of human peripheral blood cells in vitro. AB - The engulfing ability of phagocyting cells is related to the fluidity of the cell membrane that in turn depends on its chemical composition. Changes in membranal lipid content may increase or decrease membranal fluidity with a subsequent enhanced or impaired phagocytosis, respectively. Statins are recognized as potent inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis and therefore, are successfully administered to patients with hypercholesterolemia. Since it is considered that cholesterol affects cell function via changes in membrane composition, the present study was designed to examine the in vitro effect of three hydrophobic statins- atorvastatin, lovastatin and simvastatin, and a hydrophilic one--pravastatin, on the engulfing capacity, phagocytic index and apoptosis of peripheral blood phagocytes from healthy volunteers. Peripheral white blood cells obtained from 20 healthy normocholesterolemic individuals were incubated for 2h with 10 and 50 microM of the four statins and phagocytosis of fluorescent latex particles was detected by flow cytometry. Apoptosis was examined using annexin V and propidium iodide staining. An increase in the percentage of phagocyting cells was observed after incubation with 50 microM of lovastatin and simvastatin. On the other hand, all three hydrophobic statins induced a dose-dependent increase in the phagocytic index. The hydrophilic pravastatin did not affect phagocytosis, phagocytic index and apoptosis. All three hydrophobic statins at 50 microM exerted a slight, but significant decrease of apoptosis. The results suggest that the effect of hydrophobic statins on the engulfing capacity of human peripheral blood phagocytes and apoptosis is dependent on their dosage and physiochemical properties. This observation is an additional contribution to the statins' pleiotropic effect. PMID- 17768029 TI - Hepatic glucokinase activity is the primary defect in alloxan-induced diabetes of mice. AB - Alloxan is a classical diabetogen which is used to achieve beta-cell destruction and type 1 diabetes due to its selective cytotoxic effect on pancreatic beta cells. Although alloxan-induced diabetes is widely used in the laboratory to mimic diabetic pathology and for screening antidiabetic drugs, there has not been any comprehensive research in vivo on its diabetogenicity. In our study, alloxan induced diabetic mice were generated by a single intravenous injection of alloxan (100 mg/kg). Our data show that these mice possess hyperglycemia, hypoinsulinism and morphological characteristics of impaired pancreas that are consistent with the accepted diabetogenic effects of alloxan. Alloxan is believed to confer its diabetogenic effect by inhibiting pancreatic glucokinase activity, leading to pancreatic beta-cell death. We examined the effects of alloxon on the other major site of glucokinase expression, the liver. Our results show that alloxan treatment led to an 81% reduction in glucokinase immunoreactivity and a greater than 90% reduction in glucokinase enzymatic activity in the liver, suggesting that alloxan's toxicity is not specific to the pancreas. Given the important role of glucokinase as a glucose sensor, and our findings on the effects of alloxon on liver glucokinase activity we propose that the effects on the liver are the primary contributor to pathogenesis in alloxan-induced diabetes. Alloxan-induced diabetes is thus a multifactor-promoted diabetes model which still could be used to examine the antidiabetic effects of compounds prompting insulin secretion and increasing liver-specific glucokinase activity. Despite alloxan-induced diabetes being inconsistent with the natural pathogenesis of human diabetes, further research on the causes of decreased glucokinase activity will help us to unravel the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. PMID- 17768030 TI - Genomics and proteomics analysis of cultured primary rat hepatocytes. AB - The use of animal models in pharmaceutical research is a costly and sometimes misleading method of generating toxicity data and hence predicting human safety. Therefore, in vitro test systems, such as primary rat hepatocytes, and the developing genomics and proteomics technologies, are playing an increasingly important role in toxicological research. Gene and protein expression analysis were investigated in a time series (up to 5 days) of primary rat hepatocytes cultured on collagen coated dishes. Especially after 24h, a significant down regulation of many important Phase I and Phase II enzymes (e.g., cytochrome P450's, glutathione-S-transferases, sulfotransferases) involved in xenobiotic metabolism, and antioxidative enzymes (e.g., catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase) was observed. Acute-phase-response enzymes were frequently up-regulated (e.g., LPS binding protein, alpha-2-macro-globulin, ferritin, serine proteinase inhibitor B, haptoglobin), which is likely to be a result of cellular stress caused by the cell isolation procedure (perfusion) itself. A parallel observation was the increased expression of several structural genes (e.g., beta-actin, alpha-tubulin, vimentin), possibly caused by other proliferating cell types in the culture, such as fibroblasts or alternatively by hepatocyte dedifferentiation. In conclusion, the careful interpretation of data derived from this in vitro system indicates that primary hepatocytes can be successfully used for short-term toxicity studies up to 24h. However, culturing conditions need to be further optimized to reduce the massive changes of gene and protein expression of long-term cultured hepatocytes to allow practical applications as a long-term toxicity test system. PMID- 17768032 TI - Changes in mRNA for CAPON and Dexras1 in adult rat following sciatic nerve transection. AB - Peripheral nerve transection has been implicated to cause a production of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), which may influence a range of post axotomy processes necessary for neuronal survival and nerve regeneration. Carboxy terminal post synaptic density protein/Drosophila disc large tumor suppressor/zonula occuldens-1 protein (PDZ) ligand of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (CAPON), as an adaptor, interacts with nNOS via the PDZ domain helping regulate nNOS activity at postsynaptic sites in neurons. And Dexras1, a small G protein mediating multiple signal transductions, has been reported to form a complex with CAPON and nNOS. A role for the physiologic linkage by CAPON of nNOS to Dexras1 has suggested that NO-mediated activation of Dexras1 is markedly enhanced by CAPON. We investigated the changes in mRNA for CAPON, Dexras1 and nNOS in the sciatic nerve, dorsal root ganglia and lumbar spinal cord of adult rat following sciatic axotomy by TaqMan quantitative real-time PCR and in situ hybridization combined with immunofluorescence. Signals of mRNA for CAPON and Dexras1 were initially expressed in these neural tissues mentioned, transiently increased at certain time periods after sciatic axotomy and finally recovered to the basal level. It was also found that nNOS mRNA underwent a similar change pattern during this process. These results suggest that CAPON as well as Dexras1 may be involved in the different pathological conditions including nerve regeneration, neuron loss or survival and even pain process, possibly via regulating the nNOS activity or through the downstream targets of Dexras1. PMID- 17768031 TI - Chapel Hill bisphenol A expert panel consensus statement: integration of mechanisms, effects in animals and potential to impact human health at current levels of exposure. PMID- 17768033 TI - Novel mutation in a fumalate hydratase gene of a Japanese patient with multiple cutaneous and uterine leiomyomatosis. PMID- 17768034 TI - Activity of moxifloxacin on biofilms produced in vitro by bacterial pathogens involved in acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. AB - The aim of this study was to assess whether moxifloxacin is able to inhibit the synthesis of and to disrupt biofilms produced in vitro by bacterial pathogens involved in acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. Three strains each of Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli recently isolated from clinical respiratory specimens and capable of slime production were used. Biofilm formation on polystyrene plates was quantified spectrophotometrically by established methodologies. Moxifloxacin (0.5 mg/L) inhibited slime synthesis by >70% in S. aureus, H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae, 45-70% in E. coli and 35-70% in M. catarrhalis. Disruption of pre-formed structures was also promoted by moxifloxacin both for initial (5h) and mature (48 h) biofilms. Drug concentrations reached during therapy (0.5-4 mg/L) resulted in a breakdown of initial biofilm of 60-80% in H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae, 48-86% in S. aureus, 37-69% in M. catarrhalis and 51-71% in E. coli. Mature biofilms were less susceptible to degradation. Moxifloxacin at concentrations that can be achieved in the bronchial mucosa during therapy therefore promotes a significant inhibition of biofilm synthesis and induces slime disruption, a feature that may be instrumental in reducing the exacerbations so frequently observed in this condition. PMID- 17768035 TI - Application and properties of butyl acrylate/pentaerythrite triacrylate copolymers and cellulose-based Granocel as carriers for trypsin immobilization. AB - The main point was the search for a proper carrier and the kind of carrier activation for trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4) immobilization. The acrylic and cellulose based carriers were specially prepared in that they possessed the most often used anchor groups: -OH, -NH(2), DEAE and/or -COOH. The immobilization procedures were selected to apply mainly to protein amine groups and appropriate anchor groups on the carrier. As activity tests low (N-benzoyl-dl-arginine-p-nitroanilide, BAPNA) and high (casein) molecular weight substrates were used. It was found, as a rule, that trypsin bound to -COOH groups with the help of carbodiimide was less active and that the amount of bound protein and measured activity (BAPNA) are considerably higher when protein is immobilized via divinyl sulfone. Both rules were observed irrespective of the nature of the polymer matrix. Both types of carriers were found suitable for trypsin immobilization and they were far better than the corresponding Eupergit C-bound enzyme preparations. Taking into account storage stability and activity for both substrates, the divinylsulfone linkage formed between unmodified Granocel and trypsin was the most effective method for the enzyme immobilization. For this preparation, BAPNA and casein conversion, thermal stability at 60 degrees C and estimated kinetic parameters were compared with those obtained for the native enzyme. It was shown that mass transport limitations could be effectively eliminated by suitable conditions and immobilized trypsin was considerably more stable. The values k(cat)/K(m) indicated that the immobilized enzyme was even better as amidase activity was regarded and its potential for protein hydrolysis was only less than twice. PMID- 17768036 TI - Investigation on the interaction between a heterocyclic aminal derivative, SBDC, and human serum albumin. AB - The interaction between a novel promising drug (spiro[(2R,3R,4S)-4-benzyloxy-2,3 isopropylidene-dioxy-1-oxa-cyclopentane-5,5'-(2-benzoylmethylene-1,3-diaza cyclohexane)] (SBDC)) and human serum albumin (HSA) under physiological conditions has been investigated by using fluorescence, absorption, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques in combination with protein-ligand docking study. It was observed that SBDC has a strong ability to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA through a static quenching procedure. The association constants of SBDC with HSA were determined at different temperatures based on fluorescence quenching results. The negative DeltaH and positive DeltaS values in case of SBDC-HSA complex showed that apart from an initial hydrophobic association, both van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding play a vital role in the binding of SBDC to HSA. The quantitative analysis data of CD spectra showed that the binding of SBDC to HSA induced conformational changes in HSA and the alpha-helix of 52.1% in free HSA increased to 55.7% in HSA-SBDC complex. The distance between donor (HSA) and acceptor (SBDC) was obtained according to the Forster's theory of non-radiation energy transfer. Data obtained by spectroscopic techniques and protein-ligand docking study suggested that SBDC binds to residues located in subdomain IIA of HSA. PMID- 17768037 TI - The pleasure in context. AB - BACKGROUND: The pleasures associated with the use of illicit drugs are rarely acknowledged in contemporary drug policy debates. Where they are, these pleasures are almost always attributed to the specific physiological and/or sensory effects of individual substances. METHODS: Drawing on qualitative research recently completed in Melbourne, Australia, this paper argues that the pleasures associated with illicit drug use extend well beyond the purely physiological to include a host of properly contextual elements as well. RESULTS: These "contextual" pleasures include the corporeal experience of space, such as the "feeling" of electronic music in a large night-club space, or the engagement with natural and wilderness environments. Also important are a range of corporeal and performative practices, such as dancing and interacting with strangers, which were reportedly facilitated with the use of different drugs. CONCLUSIONS: This emphasis on the dynamics of space, embodiment and practice as they impact the contextual experience of pleasure, has the potential to open up new ways of thinking about pleasure and its place in the mediation of all drug related behaviours. Greater understanding of these relationships should also facilitate the emergence of new, context specific, drug prevention and harm reduction initiatives. PMID- 17768038 TI - Transshipment site selection using the AHP and TOPSIS approaches under fuzzy environment. AB - Site selection is an important issue in waste management. Selection of the appropriate solid waste site requires consideration of multiple alternative solutions and evaluation criteria because of system complexity. Evaluation procedures involve several objectives, and it is often necessary to compromise among possibly conflicting tangible and intangible factors. For these reasons, multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) has been found to be a useful approach to solve this kind of problem. Different MCDM models have been applied to solve this problem. But most of them are basically mathematical and ignore qualitative and often subjective considerations. It is easier for a decision-maker to describe a value for an alternative by using linguistic terms. In the fuzzy-based method, the rating of each alternative is described using linguistic terms, which can also be expressed as triangular fuzzy numbers. Furthermore, there have not been any studies focused on the site selection in waste management using both fuzzy TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) and AHP (analytical hierarchy process) techniques. In this paper, a fuzzy TOPSIS based methodology is applied to solve the solid waste transshipment site selection problem in Istanbul, Turkey. The criteria weights are calculated by using the AHP. PMID- 17768039 TI - Calcium carbonate nanoparticles: a host matrix for the construction of highly sensitive amperometric phenol biosensor. AB - We reported on the utilization of a novel attractive nanoscaled calcium carbonate (nano-CaCO(3))-polyphenol oxidase (PPO) biocomposite to create a highly responsive phenol biosensor. The phenol sensor could be easily achieved by casting the biocomposite on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via the cross-linking step by glutaraldehyde. The special three-dimensional structure, porous morphology, hydrophilic and biocompatible properties of the nano-CaCO(3) matrix resulted in high enzyme loading, and the enzyme entrapped in this matrix retained its activity to a large extent. The proposed PPO/nano-CaCO(3) exhibited dramatically developed analytical performance such as such as a broad determination range (6 x 10(-9) -2 x 10(-5)M), a short response time (less than 12 s), high sensitivity (474 mA M(-1)), subnanomolar detection limit (0.44 nM at a signal to noise ratio of 3) and good long-term stability (70% remained after 56 days). In addition, effects of pH value, applied potential, temperature and electrode construction were investigated and discussed. PMID- 17768040 TI - Comparative study of thiolated protein G scaffolds and signal antibody conjugates in the development of electrochemical immunosensors. AB - To achieve a high efficiency of analyte capture by a capture antibody attached to an electrochemical immunosensor, we have immobilised an analyte-specific antibody on a self-assembled layer of recombinant Protein G that was thiolated with succinimidyl-6-[3'-(2-pyridyldithio)-propionamido] hexanoate (LC-SPDP). Then two techniques were employed for conjugating a second antigen-specific antibody to alkaline phosphatase (mAb2-AP) using either LC-SPDP or the biotin-streptavidin interaction as the mode of cross-linking the antibody and enzyme. After characterising the two mAb2-AP preparations (mAb2-(LC-SPDP)-AP and mAb2-(Biotin SA)-AP), they were each used as the signal antibody for immunosensors formatted for two-site immunoassays where the capture antibody was attached to a Protein G (LC-SPDP) scaffold on gold electrodes. The antibodies and assays were specific for the clinically important hormone, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). Protein G-(LC-SPDP) provided a stable scaffold, while mAb2-(LC-SPDP)-AP and mAb2 (Biotin-SA)-AP performed well as the signal antibodies. Immunosensors with mAb2 (Biotin-SA)-AP were characterised by a limit of detection of 216 I UL(-1) for hCG and a linear response up to approximately 2000 I UL(-1). Conversely, immunosensors with mAb2-(LC-SPDP)-AP exhibited a limit of detection of 240 I UL( 1) and a linear response up to 4000 I UL(-1). PMID- 17768041 TI - Living cell positioning on the surface of gold film for SPR analysis. AB - Living cell reactions are detected as changes of the angle of resonance (AR) for surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Since SPR reflects the events in the field of evanescence, cells need to be fixed on the sensor chip. In this study, we developed methods to fix living cells on a gold surface and to recover adherent cells from the culture dish, preserving their functions to be analyzed by SPR. Human basophils and B cells were fixed to the sensor chip by a biocompatible anchor for cell membranes (alpha-succinimidyloxysuccinyl omega-oleyloxy polyoxyethylene), aminoalkanethiol (cyteamine, 8-amino octanethiol) or an amino reactive cross-linker (dithiobis [succinimidylpropionate]). They showed an increase of AR in response to various stimuli. RBL-2H3 cells, which firmly adhered to the culture dish, were cultured/recovered with HydroCell/simple pipetting, with RepCell/pipetting at 4 degrees C, or on normal plastic culture dishes with trypsinization or by scraping at 4 degrees C, respectively. The exocytosis of RBL-2H3 cells was largely impaired by scraping, but only slightly by the treatment with pipetting on HydroCell, on RepCell, or with trypsin. The membrane ruffling of the cells prepared by the last three treatments induced by antigens appeared the same. However, the change of AR with cells prepared by trypsin and those by scraping at 4 degrees C were lower than those by HydroCell or RepCell, suggesting that trypsin may harm molecules involved in cellular reactions. Thus, the methods of cell fixation and removal with HydroCell or RepCell should enable us to analyze various reactions in either adherent or non adherent cells by SPR. PMID- 17768042 TI - Loading/release behavior of (chitosan/DNA)n layer-by-layer films toward negatively charged anthraquinone and its application in electrochemical detection of natural DNA damage. AB - In the present work, positively charged chitosan (CS) and negatively charged DNA were alternately adsorbed on the surface of pyrolytic graphite (PG) electrodes, forming (CS/DNA)(n) layer-by-layer films. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results showed that negatively charged electroactive probe, 9,10-anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS), could be loaded into the (CS/DNA)(n) films from its solution (1 mM at pH 7.0, containing 0.1 M NaCl), designated as (CS/DNA)(n)-AQDS, and then released from the films in blank buffers. The loading/release behavior of (CS/DNA)(n) films toward AQDS was found to be obviously different between double-stranded (dsDNA) and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). The release rate of AQDS from (CS/dsDNA)(n) films was much slower than that from the ssDNA counterparts mainly because AQDS could be intercalated into the double helix structure of dsDNA despite the repulsion between likely charged AQDS and DNA. The loading/release behavior of (CS/DNA)(n) films toward AQDS in recognition of dsDNA and ssDNA was then successfully applied to electrochemically detect the damage of natural DNA caused by Fenton reaction. To further understand the essence of the interactions involved in the AQDS loading/release process for (CS/DNA)(n) films, comparison experiments were performed, in which either positively charged intercalator brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) was used to replace AQDS as the redox probe, or poly(diallyldimethylammonium) (PDDA) with relatively high positive charge density was used to replace CS as the constituent of layer-by-layer films with DNA. The loading/release behavior of DNA films toward electroactive intercalator may open new possibilities for dsDNA/ssDNA recognition and of DNA damage detection by electrochemistry. PMID- 17768043 TI - An interference free amperometric biosensor for the detection of biogenic amines in food products. AB - In this work is reported the development and application of an amperometric biosensor for the determination of total biogenic amines content by using the commercial diamino oxidase (DAO from Porcine kidney E.C. 1.4.3.6) as the biocomponent, entrapped by glutaraldehyde onto an electrosynthesized bilayer film. In order to minimize both the fouling and the interference caused by the direct electrochemical oxidation of both the analytes (i.e., biogenic amines) and the common interferents usually present in food products the performances of Pt and Au electrodes and of several electroproduced anti-interferents mono- and bi layer films were tested. In spite of a very low activity of the commercial DAO, the biosensor displayed a high response sensitivity in flow experiments, short response time, a good linear response and low detection limits. The excellent anti-interference characteristics allowed the use of the biosensor in screening analysis of food products. PMID- 17768044 TI - Development of a package-free transparent disposable biosensor chip for simultaneous measurements of blood constituents and investigation of its storage stability. AB - A package-free transparent disposable biosensor chip was developed by a screen printing technique. The biosensor chip was fabricated by stacking a substrate with two carbon electrodes on its surface, a spacer consisting of a resist layer and an adhesive layer, and a cover. The structure of the chip keeps the interior of the reaction-detecting section airtight until use. The chip is equipped with double electrochemical measuring elements for the simultaneous measurement of multiple items, and the reagent layer was developed in sample-feeding path. The sample-inlet port and air-discharge port are simultaneously opened by longitudinally folding in two biosensor units with a notch as a boundary. Then the shape of the chip is changed to a V-shape. The reaction-detecting section of the chip has a 1.0 microl sample volume for one biosensor unit. Excellent results were obtained with the chip in initial simultaneous chronoamperometric measurements of both glucose (r=1.00) and lactate (r=0.998) in the same samples. The stability of the enzyme sensor signals of the chip was estimated at ambient atmosphere on 8 testing days during a 6-month period. The results were compared with those obtained for an unpackaged chip used as a control. The package-free chip proved to be twice as good as the control chip in terms of the reproducibility of slopes from 16 calibration curves (one calibration curve: 0, 100, 300, 500 mg dl(-1) glucose; n=3) and 4.6 times better in terms of the reproducibility of correlation coefficients from the 16 calibration curves. PMID- 17768045 TI - Size control goes global. AB - The size of cells, tissues and organisms is a fundamental yet poorly understood attribute of biological systems. Traditional difficulties in interrogating the basis for size regulation have been surmounted by recent systematic phenotypic analyses. Genome-wide size screens in yeast suggest that ribosome biogenesis rate dictates cell size thresholds, whereas analogous RNAi-based size screens in metazoans cells reveal further connections between cell size and translation, as well as myriad other pathways. Sophisticated genetic screens in flies have delineated the new Hippo-signalling pathway that controls tissue and organ size. While the plethora of genes that alter size phenotypes at present defies a unified model, systems-level analysis suggests many new inroads into the longstanding enigma of size control. PMID- 17768046 TI - Melanocortin subtype 4 receptor agonists: structure-activity relationships about the 4-alkyl piperidine core. AB - SAR about the piperidine core in a series of MC4R agonists is described. A number of alkyl substituents that furnish compounds with good affinity and functional potency are reported. PMID- 17768047 TI - Discovery of novel and orally active NR2B-selective N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, pyridinol derivatives with reduced HERG binding affinity. AB - Novel NR2B antagonists with an amide tether were found by an approach to avoid pharmacophoric similarity to dofetilide. Structure-activity relationship investigation led to N-[cis-4-hydroxy-4-(5-hydroxypyridin-2-yl)cyclohexyl]-3 henylpropanamide as an orally active NR2B-subtype selective N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist with very weak HERG (human ether-a-go-go related gene) binding (IC(50)> 30 microM). This compound exhibited potent in vivo anti allodynic activity in the mouse partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSL) model (minimum effective dose=10 mg/kg, po). PMID- 17768048 TI - Synthesis of 3-O-methylviridicatin analogues with improved anti-TNF-alpha properties. AB - We synthesized 3-O-methylviridicatin and several analogues of this fungal metabolite. We showed that replacement of the methoxy moiety by a thiomethyl enhanced dramatically its ability to inhibit TNF-alpha secretion. These results strongly suggest that 4-phenyl-3-methylthioquinolinone may provide the basis for the development of new anti-inflammatory agents. PMID- 17768049 TI - Synthesis and anti-inflammatory activity of 3-(4'-geranyloxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-2 trans propenoic acid and its ester derivatives. AB - Different esters of 3-(4'-geranyloxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-2-trans propenoic acid (1), an anti-inflammatory principle of Acronychia baueri Schott (Rutaceae), were synthesized. Their topical anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated using the Croton oil ear test in mice as a model of acute inflammation. The activity of the paracetamol, guaiacol and hydroquinone esters of (1) was higher than that of the parent compound, being similar to that exerted by indomethacin, used as reference drug. PMID- 17768050 TI - Design, synthesis, and cytostatic activity of novel cyclic curcumin analogues. AB - A series of novel cyclic analogues of curcumin were synthesized and analyzed for in vitro cytostatic activity. Condensation of 2-acetylcycloalkanones with a variety of aromatic aldehydes resulted in the formation of 2-arylidene-6-(3 arylacryoyl)-cycloalkanone derivatives. A number of these analogues were found to have significant anticancer activity against representative murine and human cancer cell lines during in vitro bioassays. This corroborated with in vitro cytostatic activity against a panel of 60 cell lines studied at the National Cancer Institute (USA). PMID- 17768051 TI - Cyanopyridyl containing 1,4-dihydroindeno[1,2-c]pyrazoles as potent checkpoint kinase 1 inhibitors: improving oral biovailability. AB - A series of 1,4-dihydroindeno[1,2-c]pyrazole compounds with a cyanopyridine moiety at the 3-position of the tricyclic pyrazole core was explored as potent CHK-1 inhibitors. The impact of substitutions at the 6 and/or 7-position of the core on pharmacokinetic properties was studied in detail. Compounds carrying a side chain with an ether linker at the 7-position and a terminal morpholino group, such as 29 and 30, exhibited much-improved oral biovailability in mice as compared to earlier generation inhibitors. These compounds also possessed desirable cellular activity in potentiating doxorubicin and will serve as valuable tool compounds for in vivo evaluation of CHK-1 inhibitors to sensitize DNA-damaging agents. PMID- 17768052 TI - Synthesis of new 7-chloroquinolinyl thioureas and their biological investigation as potential antimalarial and anticancer agents. AB - New 7-chloroquinolinyl thiourea derivatives derived from the corresponding 4,7 dichloroquinoline isothiocyanate were synthesized and evaluated for in vitro antimalarial and anticancer activity. The most active compound from the series displayed an inhibitory IC(50) value of 1.2 microM against the D10 strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Lack of cytotoxicity towards HeLa cells indicates selectivity towards parasites. PMID- 17768053 TI - Computer-assisted image analysis of breast fine needle aspiration in a randomized chemoprevention trial of fenretinide vs. placebo in HRT users. AB - BACKGROUND: Digital nuclear morphometric analysis can capture subtle differences along neoplastic progression. Studies showed different profiles from normal to cancer lesions. Our goal is to utilize this method as biomarker in chemoprevention trials. METHODS: Postmenopausal women were randomized to oral (CEE) or transdermal (E2) estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in association with fenretinide or placebo. Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) was performed at baseline and after 12 months in a subset of subjects. RESULTS: Ten samples were analyzed by karyometry. E2 compared with CEE increased nuclear area (p=0.01). A similar pattern was observed for other DNA content and chromatin texture features. Fenretinide vs. placebo, increased nuclear area and shape while decreased slope, peak and entropy. CONCLUSION: Preliminary results indicate that nuclear morphometry is feasible on FNA samples. ERT and fenretinide induced significant karyometric changes. These results support further investigation of this procedure as surrogate biomarker in chemoprevention trial. PMID- 17768055 TI - Separating the effects of age and walking speed on gait variability. AB - Gait variability has been correlated with fall risk in the elderly. Older adults typically display greater variability than young adults, but the cause of this increase is unclear. Slower walking leads to greater variability in young adults, but slow speeds are also typical in older adults. Increased variability in older adults may result from slower walking speeds, or possibly from other factors related to aging. We tested whether greater variability in healthy older adults could be attributed directly to slower walking speed. Eighteen healthy older adults (age 72+/-6) and 17 gender-, height- and weight-matched young adults (age 23+/-3) walked on a treadmill at speeds of 80-120% of their preferred speed. Variability of spatio-temporal gait measures, lower extremity joint angles, and trunk motions were quantified, along with bilateral isometric leg strengths and passive joint ranges of motion. Preferred walking speeds were not different between our healthy elderly and young subjects. In both groups, variability was speed-dependent for stride time, frontal hip and knee motions, knee internal/external rotations, and all trunk motions (p<0.002). Older adults exhibited greater variability (p=0.0003) for trunk roll, independent of changes in speed. Step length (p=0.005), stride time (p=0.018), and trunk pitch (p=0.022) exhibited similar trends. This greater variability was explained by decreased leg strength and passive ranges of motion. Thus, the greater variability observed in the gait of older adults may result more from loss of strength and flexibility than from their slower speeds. PMID- 17768054 TI - SUMO-specific proteases: a twist in the tail. AB - The small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) is involved in many cellular processes and is required for normal growth and development in all eukaryotes. Whereas lower eukaryotes have a single version of SUMO, higher eukaryotes have three versions: SUMO-1, -2 and -3. Similarly to most other ubiquitin-like proteins, the primary translation products of the SUMO genes need to be proteolytically processed to expose the C-terminal glycine that will be linked to lysine side chains in substrates. Processing of SUMO precursors is mediated by SUMO-specific proteases that also remove SUMO from modified proteins and depolymerise poly-SUMO chains. PMID- 17768056 TI - Determination of [201Tl]Tl(III) in [201Tl]TlCl solutions using HPLC. AB - A high-performance liquid chromatography technique has been presented to measure the [(201)Tl]TlCl(3) impurity in [(201)Tl]TlCl radiopharmaceutical for precise determination of radiochemical purity. Diethylene tetraamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) has been used for complete complexation of [(201)Tl]Tl(III). [(201)Tl]Tl(III)-DTPA was analyzed in the presence of [(201)Tl]Tl(I) using a cation exchange HPLC column. PMID- 17768057 TI - Determination of uranium in aqueous attenuating samples using gamma-ray spectrometry. AB - In the present work, a method for determination of uranium concentration in aqueous solution in standard geometry from attenuating samples has been developed based on modification of the empirical approach of Venkataraman and Croft [2003. Determination of plutonium mass using gamma-ray spectrometry. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 505, 527-530]. The method makes use of the multiple gamma (gamma)-rays emitted by 235U and depends on the empirical relation between apparent mass of the sample and gamma-ray energy. It was possible to determine uranium concentration in the range of 12-400mg/ml rapidly by this method without applying transmission corrections. PMID- 17768058 TI - The impact of preoperative micronutrient supplementation in lung surgery. A prospective randomized trial of oral supplementation of combined alpha ketoglutaric acid and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. AB - OBJECTIVE: Preoperative micronutrient supplementation in fast-track surgery programs have shown to reduce complications, shorten recovery, and thereby lower costs. In a prospective randomized study, the metabolic effects of a combination of alpha-ketoglutaric acid (alpha-KG) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) were evaluated concerning their impact on improvement of exercise capacity and reduction of oxidative stress in lung surgery. METHODS: Thirty-two consecutive patients admitted for lung resection due to NSCLC were randomized to the study protocol. All patients received preoperative nutritional guidelines according to general recommendations. In 16 (study group), a supplementation of 7.2g alpha-KG and 720 mg 5-HMF/day (SANOPAL) was administered from days 1 to 10. Spiroergometric evaluation was carried out at baseline and day 10 after micronutrient supplementation. Blood samples for the determination of oxidative stress, i.e. carbonyl proteins (CPs) and isoprostanes (IPs) were taken on at baseline, in the operating room just before resection treatment, and 25 min after single lung ventilation (SLV). RESULTS: Spiroergometric re-evaluation showed a significant increase of VO2max (p=0.0108) and Watt's (p=0.011) in favor of the study group. Determination of oxidative stress showed a significant reduction of CPs before (p=0.048) and after SLV (p=0.0001) for the study group compared to the control group. The same is true for IPs before (p=0.003) and after SLV (p=0.02). Hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) of the study group showed a significant reduction compared to the control group (p=0.03 and p=0.02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Simple oral supplementation using a combination of alpha-KG and 5-HMF of preoperative micronutrition may therefore be one further step in a multimodality approach of fast-track surgery programs also in lung surgery. PMID- 17768059 TI - Calcified submitral aneurysm. PMID- 17768060 TI - A health economic evaluation of concomitant surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation. AB - OBJECTIVE: Current drug treatment for atrial fibrillation is suboptimal and percutaneous catheter-based ablation techniques may be associated with complications. The aim of this study is to assess the cost-effectiveness of (1) high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)-assisted surgical ablation, (2) the classic 'cut and sew' maze procedure and (3) percutaneous ablation, all concomitant to cardiac surgery (e.g. CABG, valve repair) in comparison with non interventional (drug) treatment. METHODS: A Markov model was developed to predict the cost-effectiveness of the interventional approaches. The model consisted of four disease states (sinus rhythm without complications, atrial fibrillation without complications, stroke and death), allowing for 3-monthly transitions between these states and using direct UK costs from the National Health Service perspective. Clinical input data are obtained from literature and cost input data from National Health Service sources and literature. Five-year total and incremental costs are calculated. Incremental effects are expressed in quality adjusted-life-years-gained (QALYG). RESULTS: All interventional treatments show good incremental cost-effectiveness ratios in all atrial fibrillation types, compared to drug treatment. For classic maze the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio compared to non-interventional atrial fibrillation treatment varies from 1343 to 3471 GBP/QALYG, for HIFU-assisted surgical ablation from 4005 to 7448 GBP/QALYG and for percutaneous ablation from 7041 to 17,372 GBP/QALYG depending on the atrial fibrillation type. Sensitivity analyses showed the robustness of the data. CONCLUSIONS: Performing a classic maze procedure or HIFU-assisted surgical ablation concomitant to a scheduled CABG or valve procedure is highly cost-effective. Performing a percutaneous ablation in a subsequent procedure is also cost-effective, but to a lower extent. Both the maze procedure and the HIFU assisted surgical ablation are cheaper and more effective than percutaneous ablation in a subsequent procedure. PMID- 17768061 TI - Superior vena cava reconstruction using bovine jugular vein conduit. AB - The glutaraldehyde-treated bovine jugular vein conduit (BJVC) is a xenograft conduit initially used for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction and has never been used for reconstruction of superior vena cava (SVC). In September 2003, a patient with SVC obstruction underwent SVC reconstruction using BJVC. He has been alive for 42 months and free from signs and symptoms of SVC obstruction except that metastasis was found in the vertebrae. The radionuclide venography showed the graft tube was patent and only slight stenosis was found in the proximal anastomosis. The initial result supports BJVC as an acceptable alternative for SVC reconstruction. PMID- 17768062 TI - Innominate artery aneurysm. PMID- 17768063 TI - Re-exploration for excessive bleeding after coronary artery bypass surgery: how early is better? PMID- 17768064 TI - Visualization of pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle by magnetic resonance imaging. PMID- 17768065 TI - Long-term Doppler echocardiographic evaluation of the right heart after major lung resections. AB - OBJECTIVE: The effects of major lung resections on cardiac function in the medium and long term have not been thoroughly evaluated. We have studied right heart function with serial Doppler echocardiography in patients undergoing lobectomy and pneumonectomy during 4 years of follow-up after surgery. METHODS: Thirty-six patients undergoing lobectomy and 15 receiving pneumonectomy were evaluated with one- and two-dimensional Doppler standard transthoracic echocardiography before surgery and 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 4 years postoperatively. We have studied the right midventricular diastolic diameter (RVDD), the right ventricle free wall thickness, the tricuspid valve insufficiency (TVI) and regurgitation jet (TRJ), and the pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP). RESULTS: None of the patients died within the first postoperative year. After lobectomy there were no significant modifications of any variable at any time. RVDD progressively increased after pneumonectomy (26.5+/-2.2mm preoperatively vs 34.3+/-7.6 at 4 years; p<0.001). Four years after surgery all patients undergoing pneumonectomy had moderate TVI while only 55% of patients receiving lobectomy showed it (low grade in 50% and moderate in 5%). In this group of patients PASP increased from 26.1+/-2.6 mmHg preoperatively to 34.3+/-7.6 mmHg at 4 years (p<0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: Right ventricle modifications are clearly evident after pneumonectomy and even if they do not show a clear clinical impact they should not be neglected. PMID- 17768067 TI - Immune-refractory cancers and their little helpers--an extended role for immunetolerogenic MHC molecules HLA-G and HLA-E? AB - There is strong evidence to support a role for non-classical MHC class I (class Ib) molecules, most notably HLA-E and HLA-G in tumour immune escape. In this article, we summarize the current knowledge on their expression, regulation and functional relevance in various malignancies, particularly brain tumours. Special emphasis is devoted to the phenomenon that these tolerogenic molecules are expressed by non-transformed cells that are found in close neighborhood to tumour cells representing either parenchymal cells or immune cells attracted to the tumour microenvironment. Here they may act as "natural" or "inducible" suppressors of anti-tumoural immune responses. We thus speculate about the role of HLA-G expressing T cells, a novel population of natural regulatory cells that was identified recently. It is suggested that various cell types within a tumour cooperate in order to inhibit anti-tumour immunity-and that immunetolerogenic HLA G may play a major role in this context. PMID- 17768066 TI - Interlinking interleukin-7. AB - The signaling processes that maintain the homeostatic proliferation of peripheral T-cells and result in their self-renewal largely remain to be elucidated. Much focus has been placed on the anti-apoptotic function of the cytokine, interleukin 7 (IL-7), during T-cell development. But a more critical role has been ascribed to IL-7 as a mediator of peripheral T-cell maintenance. The biological effects responsive to IL-7 signaling are transduced through only a few well-known pathways. In this review we will focus on the signals transduced by IL-7 and similar cytokines, examining how proliferative signals originate from cytokine receptors, are amplified and eventually alter gene expression. In this regard we will highlight the crosstalk between pathways that promote survival, drive cell cycle progression and most importantly provide the needed energy to sustain these critical cellular activities. Though this review showcases much of what has been learned about IL-7 proliferative signaling, it also reveals the significant gaps in our knowledge about cytokine signaling in the very relevant context of peripheral T-cell homeostasis. PMID- 17768068 TI - Molecular cloning and characterization of a catalase gene from Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri. AB - Catalase is one of the central enzymes involved in scavenging the high level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by degradation of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water. The full-length catalase cDNA of Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri (denoted as CfCAT) was identified from hemocytes by expressed sequence tag (EST) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) approaches. The nucleotide sequence of CfCAT cDNA consisted of 3146bp with a 5' UTR of 103bp, an unusually long 3' UTR of 1519bp with a canonical polyadenylation signal sequence AATAAA and a polyA tail, and an open reading frame (ORF) of 1521bp encoding a polypeptide of 507 amino acids with predicted molecular weight of 57.5kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of CfCAT has significant homology to catalases from animals, plants and bacteria. Several highly conserved motifs including the proximal heme-ligand signature sequence RLFSYNDTH, the proximal active site signature FNRERIPERVVHAKGGGA, and the three catalytic amino acid residues of His(72), Asn(145) and Tyr(355) were identified in the deduced amino acid sequence of CfCAT. The CfCAT was demonstrated to be a peroxisomal glycoprotein with two potential glycosylation sites and a peroxisome targeting signal of ANL that was consistent with human, mouse and rat catalases. The time-course expression of CfCAT in hemocytes was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The expression of CfCAT increased gradually and reached the highest point at 12h post-Vibrio infection, then recovered to the original level at 24h. All these results indicate that CfCAT, a constitutive and inducible protein, is a member of the catalase family and is involved in the process against ROS in scallop. PMID- 17768069 TI - Molecular cloning, expression, and functional analysis of caspase-10 from Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. AB - We isolated and sequenced caspase-10 cDNA and gene from Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. The Japanese flounder (JF)-caspase-10 cDNA consisted of 2282 bp and encoded 495 amino acid residues. The characteristic death effector domains (DEDs) of caspases were observed in JF-caspase-10 as well as the three aspartic acid residues (D-186, -382 and -392), which are potential cleavage sites for the large and small subunit structures. The amino acid residue (His-325) and pentapeptide (QACQG), which are involved in catalytic activity, were absolutely conserved in Japanese flounder-caspase-10. JF-caspase-10 gene has a length of 6.6 kb and consists of 11 exons and 10 introns similar to that of human. The strong expression of JF-caspase-10 mRNA was detected in the gills, peripheral blood leukocytes, spleen and posterior kidney, while the weak expression was observed in the head kidney, heart, intestine, skin and stomach. The over-expression analysis of JF-caspase-10 in Japanese flounder cell line HINAE was shown to induce apoptosis 24h post-transfection using TUNEL assay. PMID- 17768071 TI - Proximity and distance between current neuroscientific research and phenomenological investigation on space perception. PMID- 17768070 TI - An integrated approach towards identifying age-related mechanisms of slip initiated falls. AB - The causes of slip and fall accidents, both in terms of extrinsic and intrinsic factors and their associations are not yet fully understood. Successful intervention solutions for reducing slip and fall accidents require a more complete understanding of the mechanisms involved. Before effective fall prevention strategies can be put into practice, it is central to examine the chain of events in an accident, comprising the exposure to hazards, initiation of events and the final outcome leading to injury and disability. These events can be effectively identified and analyzed by applying epidemiological, psychophysical, biomechanical and tribological research principles and methodologies. In this manuscript, various methods available to examine fall accidents and their underlying mechanisms are presented to provide a comprehensive array of information to help pinpoint the needs and requirements of new interventions aimed at reducing the risk of falls among the growing elderly population. PMID- 17768072 TI - Phylogenetic conservatism and antiquity of a tropical specialization: army-ant following in the typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae). AB - One of the most novel foraging strategies in Neotropical birds is army-ant following, in which birds prey upon arthropods and small vertebrates flushed from the forest floor by swarm raids of the army-ant Eciton burchellii. This specialization is most developed in the typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae) which are divisible into three specialization categories: (1) those that forage at swarms opportunistically as army-ants move through their territories (occasional followers), (2) those that follow swarms beyond their territories but also forage independently of swarms (regular followers), and (3) those that appear incapable of foraging independently of swarms (obligate followers). Although army-ant following is one of the great spectacles of tropical forests, basic questions about its evolution remain unaddressed. Using a strongly resolved molecular phylogeny of the typical antbirds, we found that army-ant-following is phylogenetically conserved, with regular following having evolved only three times, and that the most likely evolutionary progression was from least (occasional) to more (regular) to most (obligate) specialized, with no reversals from the obligate state. Despite the dependence of the specialists on a single ant species, molecular dating indicates that army-ant-following has persisted in antbirds since the late Miocene. These results provide the first characterization of army-ant-following as an ancient and phylogenetically conserved specialization. PMID- 17768073 TI - Filling the European gap: biosystematics of the eusocial system Reticulitermes (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) in the Balkanic Peninsula and Aegean area. PMID- 17768075 TI - Acute exposure to a 50 Hz magnetic field impairs consolidation of spatial memory in rats. AB - This study was planned to evaluate the effect of an exposure to magnetic fields on consolidation and retrieval of hippocampus dependent spatial memory using a water maze. In Experiments 1 and 2, rats were trained in a hidden version (spatial) of water maze task with two blocks of four trials. The retention of spatial memory was evaluated 48 h later. Exposure to a 50 Hz 8 mT, but not 2 mT magnetic fields for 20 min immediately after training impaired retention performance. The same time exposure shortly before retention testing had no effect. In Experiment 3, rats were trained in a cued version of water maze with two blocks of four trials. Exposure to magnetic field at 8 mT for 20 min immediately after training did not impair retention performance. These findings indicate that acute exposure to a 50 Hz magnetic field at 8 mT for short time can impair consolidation of spatial memory. PMID- 17768074 TI - Preictal versus ictal injection of radiotracer for SPECT study in partial epilepsy: SISCOM. AB - A 27-year-old man had complex partial seizures and a dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNT) in the left inferior-basal temporal region. The patient's seizures consisted of incomprehensible speech, staring, unresponsiveness, fumbling and then looking around. For the brain SPECT study, radiotracer was injected during the preictal (11s prior to seizure onset), ictal (at 25 s out of 47 s seizure duration) and interictal periods. Interictal SPECT was subtracted from preictal or ictal-injection SPECTs and then the subtracted SPECTs were overlaid on the patient's MRI (SISCOM). SISCOM with preictal injection SPECT showed hyperperfusion at the brain lesion, whereas SISCOM with ictal-injection SPECT showed hyperperfusion at the ipsilateral amygdala hippocampus and hypoperfusion around the tumor lesion. After the DNT and nearby temporal lobe tissues were resected with preservation of amygdala-hippocampus, the patient became seizure free without complaint of subjective postsurgical memory decline. In this patient, SISCOM with preictal injection of radiotracer localized an epileptogenic zone, whereas SISCOM with the ictal injection showed hyperperfusion at the symptomatogenic zone. PMID- 17768076 TI - Idiopathic pododermatitis in the dog: an uncommon but frustrating disease. PMID- 17768077 TI - Pharmacokinetics of ceftazidime after intravenous and intramuscular administration to domestic cats. AB - The pharmacokinetic properties of ceftazidime, a third generation cephalosporin, were investigated in five cats after single intravenous (IV) and intramuscular (IM) administration at a dose rate of 30 mg/kg. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ceftazidime for some Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, n=11) and Gram positive (Staphylococcus spp., n=10) strains isolated from clinical cases were determined. An efficacy predictor, measured as the time over which the active drug exceeds the bacteria minimum inhibitory concentration (T>MIC), was calculated. Serum ceftazidime disposition was best fitted by a bi-compartmental and a mono-compartmental open model with first-order elimination after IV and IM dosing, respectively. After IV administration, distribution was rapid (t(1/2(d)) 0.04+/-0.03 h), with an area under the ceftazidime serum concentration:time curve (AUC((0-infinity))) of 173.14+/-48.69 microg h/mL and a volume of distribution (V((d(ss)))) of 0.18+/-0.04 L/kg. Furthermore, elimination was rapid with a plasma clearance of 0.19+/-0.08 L/hkg and a t(1/2) of 0.77+/-0.06 h. Peak serum concentration (C(max)), T(max), AUC((0-infinity)) and bioavailability for the IM administration were 89.42+/-12.15 microg/mL, 0.48+/-0.49 h, 192.68+/-65.28 microg h/mL and 82.47+/-14.37%, respectively. Ceftazidime MIC for E. coli ranged from 0.0625 to 32 microg/mL and for Staphylococcus spp. from 1 to 64 microg/mL. T>MIC was in the range 35-52% (IV) and 48-72% (IM) of the recommended dosing interval (8-12h) for bacteria with a MIC(90)4 microg/mL. PMID- 17768079 TI - Calponins: adaptable modular regulators of the actin cytoskeleton. AB - Over 20 years ago Katsuhito Takahashi isolated a heat stable, calmodulin and actin binding protein from chicken gizzard smooth muscle. Considered initially as a mainly structural component of the vertebrate smooth muscle contractile machinery, the 34-kDa calcium- and calmodulin-binding troponin T-like protein, calponin quickly appeared to also be involved in a number of regulatory and signal transduction events in the actin cytoskeleton. Calponins regulate actomyosin contraction, and reduce metastatic cell motility and tissue invasion. From these various cellular functions the biological role of calponin is now slowly emerging, namely that of an actin filament-stabilizing molecule that contributes to physiological thin filament turnover rates in different cell types. PMID- 17768080 TI - Human papillomavirus: E6 and E7 oncogenes. AB - The recognition of a causal relationship between human papillomaviruses and cancer almost 30 years ago led to a rapid expansion of knowledge in the field, resulting in the description of the main mediators of HPV-induced carcinogenesis, the viral proteins E6 and E7. These oncoproteins show a remarkable pleiotropism in binding host-cell proteins, with the tumour suppressor genes p53 and pRb as their major targets. These interactions induce proliferation, immortalization and malignant transformation of infected cells. The link between HPV and cervical cancer led to the development of molecular methods, often based on the detection of E6 and E7, for screening and diagnosis. Therapeutic vaccines and gene therapy are primarily directed at E6 and E7. Although prophylactic vaccines are available, further understanding of the viral life cycle and the mechanisms underlying HPV-induced oncogenesis is necessary to face the many challenges in the field of HPV and cancer. PMID- 17768078 TI - Intramuscular administration of morphine reduces mustard-oil-induced craniofacial muscle pain behavior in lightly anesthetized rats. AB - The present study investigated the role of peripheral opioid receptors in mustard oil-induced nociceptive behavior and inflammation in the masseter muscles of lightly anesthetized rats. Experiments were carried out on male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 300 and 400 g. After initial anesthesia with sodium pentobarbital (40 mg/kg, i.p.), one femoral vein was cannulated and connected to an infusion pump for the intravenous infusion of sodium pentobarbital. The rate of infusion was adjusted to provide a constant level of anesthesia. Mustard oil (MO, 30 microl) was injected into the mid-region of the left masseter muscle via a 30-gauge needle. Intramuscularly-administered morphine significantly reduced shaking behavior but not MO-induced inflammation. Intramuscular pretreatment with naloxone, an opioid receptor antagonist, reversed antinociception produced by intramuscularly-administered morphine, while intracisternal administration of naloxone did not affect the antinociception of peripheral morphine. Pretreatment with d-Pen-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2 (CTOP), a mu opioid receptor antagonist, but not naltrindole, a delta opioid receptor antagonist, nor norbinaltorphimine (nor-BNI), a kappa opioid receptor antagonist, reversed intramuscularly-administered morphine-induced antinociception. These results indicate that intramuscularly-administered morphine produces antinociception in craniofacial muscle nociception and that this intramuscularly-administered morphine-induced antinociception is mediated by a peripheral mu opioid receptor. Our observations further support the clinical approach of administering opioids in the periphery for the treatment of craniofacial muscle nociception. PMID- 17768081 TI - The toxicosis and detoxifcation of anionic/cationic surfactants targeted to bovine serum albumin. AB - By using the techniques of resonance light scattering (RLS) and absorption spectra, we studied the toxicosis and detoxifcation mechanism of anionic surfactant SDBS and cationic surfactant CTMAB targeted to bovine serum albumin (BSA). Small quantity of CTMAB combines with SDBS-BSA complex to form SDBS-BSA CTMAB complex and the IRLS of system enhanced greatly. With the cumulation of quantity, CTMAB captures SDBS from SDBS-BSA complex by electrostatic attraction and CTMAB-SDBS complex forms, meanwhile BSA automatically frees, which is corresponding to the toxicosis and detoxifcation process. Absorption experiment validates that SDBS induces the denaturalization of BSA and CTMAB facilitates the refolding of this protein. PMID- 17768082 TI - Structural study of 2-(1-oxo-1 H-inden-3-yl)-2H-indene-1,3-dione by DFT calculations, NMR and IR spectroscopy. AB - Computational studies have been carried out at the DFT-B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory on the structural and spectroscopic properties of 2-(1-oxo-1 H-inden-3-yl) 2H-indene-1,3-dione (OID). Experimental studies were conducted on these parameters, including X-ray, FT-IR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The optimized geometries of OID and its bonding characteristics as well as IR and NMR spectra have been calculated and analyzed. It was observed that the bond lengths and angles in the molecule, obtained by X-ray, IR and NMR at the level of theory, were in a good agreement with those of the experiment. The correlation between the theoretical and the experimental vibrational frequencies and the chemical shifts of the OID molecule were 0.994 and 0.991, respectively. The agreement mutually verified the accuracy of the experimental method and the validity of the applied mathematical model. PMID- 17768083 TI - 2-Isoxazolidineethanols: an NMR study of the effect of intramolecular H-bonding on the population of nitrogen invertomers and inversion process. AB - A series of (betaR,5R)- and (betaR,5S)-2,5-disubstituted isoxazolidines: 5 (substituent)-beta-phenyl-2-isoxazolidineethanols, have been prepared by asymmetric nitrone cycloaddition reactions and their NMR spectra recorded over a wide range of temperatures. The spectra at low temperatures indicate the presence of the (betaR,5S) diasteromer almost exclusively as a single invertomer having trans disposition of the substituents at N(2) and C(5), while the (betaR,5R) diasteromer remained as a mixture of two interconverting invertomers in deuterated chloroform. The effect of H-bonding - intramolecular in CDCl(3) and intermolecular in CD(3)OD - on the population ratio of the invertomers and nitrogen inversion process has been investigated. The nitrogen inversion barriers are determined using complete line-shape analysis, and their dependence on solvent is discussed. Due to steric factor the trans-invertomers are found to be more stable than their cis counterparts. PMID- 17768084 TI - Evaluation of the analytical performance of the new Abbott RealTime RT-PCRs for the quantitative detection of HCV and HIV-1 RNA. AB - BACKGROUND: Despite FDA approval and CE marking of commercial tests, manufacturer independent testing of technical aspects is important. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the analytical performance of the new Abbott RealTime HCV and HIV-1 viral load tests. STUDY DESIGN: Sensitivity, specificity and inter-/intra-assay variation were investigated. The HCV and HIV-1 assays were compared with Siemens bDNA 3.0 and Roche Cobas Monitor 2.0, respectively, on diagnostic samples. RESULTS: Lower isolation volumes on the M1000 gave minor but statistically significant lower quantitative values. Minor differences were observed in the lower limit of detection relative to the specification given by the manufacturer. Inter-/intra assay coefficients of variations ranged from 0.31 to 4.75 between 5.0 x 10(4) and 5.0 x 10(2) copies/mL. Both the HCV and HIV-1 Abbott RealTime tests did not show a geno-/sub-type dependent under-quantification on WHO reference panels, quality control panels or clinical specimens. The Abbott RealTime HIV-1 viral load assay detected subtype O whereas several other systems failed to detect this subtype. CONCLUSION: The technical aspects of the HCV and HIV-1 RealTime viral load assays on the M2000 system make it attractive for use in routine diagnostic settings. PMID- 17768085 TI - Abnormal spinal interactions from hand afferents to forearm muscles in writer's cramp. AB - OBJECTIVE: Spinal reflexes from hand to wrist muscles were investigated in writer's cramp. METHODS: Stimulus-triggered rectified EMG averages after ulnar nerve and cutaneous stimulation, in wrist flexors and extensors during tonic contraction, were compared in 18 controls and 19 patients. RESULTS: On the patient dystonic side, ulnar-induced EMG suppression was decreased in wrist extensors, and facilitation in wrist flexors modified dependent on the dystonic wrist posture during writing. No change was found on the patient non-dystonic side. Cutaneous stimulation increased wrist flexor EMG on both sides of the patients with normal wrist posture during writing, but had no effect in controls and patients with abnormal wrist posture. CONCLUSIONS: Comparison between cutaneous and mixed nerve stimuli suggests that spindle afferents from intrinsic hand muscles may mediate patients' ulnar-induced EMG modulations. Abnormal proprioceptive control was only observed on dystonic side, while bilateral unusual cutaneous control was found in patients. Changes in spinal transmission were partly related to the dystonic wrist posture, suggesting that systems involved in sensory processing can be differentially altered in writer's cramp. SIGNIFICANCE: Changes in spinal transmission, probably related to peripheral and/or cortical inputs, might either take part in primary or adaptive mechanisms underlying writer's cramp. PMID- 17768086 TI - Morphology and chemical characterization of Ti surfaces modified for biomedical applications. AB - The aim of the present work is to characterize in detail the chemical composition and morphology of titanium surfaces subjected to various environments. Modifications consisted of exposure of Ti to acidic, alkaline or polymer solutions. Such modifications result in chemical and/or morphological changes in the Ti surface. Special attention has been given to identifying the factors influencing cell adhesion and growth. SEM examinations provided morphological characterization of the Ti samples. Surface analytical techniques such as AES or XPS combined with Ar(+) ion sputtering allowed examination of the chemical properties of the Ti surface after chemical pretreatments and investigating the chemical composition of the Ti oxide layer. Raman spectroscopy investigations allowed determination of the crystalline phases of the Ti-oxide layers and characterization of the dextran-modified surface. The results show large differences in the morphology of Ti pretreated with different procedures whereas only minor differences in the chemistry of the surfaces were found. High resolution Auger investigations have revealed that all the chemical modifications of Ti surfaces resulted in the formation of a titanium oxide layer. XPS confirmed that TiO(2) is the main component of the chemically modified Ti surface. The Raman spectroscopy investigations showed that the titanium surface with a dextran coating is rich in hydroxyl groups. All the surfaces investigated exhibit a hydrophilic character. The possible influence of various surface features on surface biocompatibility is discussed. PMID- 17768087 TI - Symposium J: Surface functionalization and activation of biomaterials. PMID- 17768088 TI - Morphological controls on cannibalism in a planktonic marine phagotroph. AB - The ingestion preferences of planktonic protozoa influence the structure and succession of microbial communities and thus biogeochemical cycling within aquatic environments. Some predatory ciliates and flagellates are reported to switch to cannibalism when no suitable non-self prey items are available for consumption. However, the importance of cannibalism as a survival strategy, and its ubiquity within the planktonic protozoa is not known. We report the first attempt to quantify cannibalism in a phagotrophic marine dinoflagellate (Oxyrrhis marina). Cannibalistic Oxyrrhis cells seldom comprised >2% of any experimental population, including those in which all non-self prey items had been grazed to extinction. Such 'prey-deplete' cultures became dominated by homogeneous populations of highly motile Oxyrrhis that were morphologically unable (too similar in size) to cannibalise. That cannibalism can only occur when 'victim' and 'cannibal' cell size-classes of sufficient difference collide, suggests that cannibalism may be of limited use as a long-term survival strategy in phagotrophic protozoa. PMID- 17768089 TI - The effect of internal and external foot rotation on the adduction moment and lateral-medial shear force at the knee during gait. AB - It has been hypothesised that those with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis tend to externally rotate their foot during gait in order to unload the diseased compartment. This has been found to decrease the adduction moment at the knee during late stance, although the effects of foot rotation on shear forces at the knee have not yet been determined. Also, the effects of internal foot rotation on the knee during gait are not clear. This study performed a gait analysis on 11 healthy participants (M: 6; mean age 22.9+/-1.8 years) in three conditions: (1) natural foot rotation position; (2) internal foot rotation and (3) external foot rotation. Three-dimensional gait analysis calculated the knee adduction moment and lateral-medial shear force for all three foot rotation conditions. Internal rotation of the foot increased the knee adduction moment and lateral-medial shear force magnitude during late stance, while external rotation of the foot decreased the magnitude of both these measures. This implies that walking with an externally and internally rotated foot may unload the diseased compartment for those with medial and lateral compartment knee OA, respectively. Also, the relationship of foot rotation angle to the adduction moment and lateral-medial shear force was strengthened when data were corrected for the subject's normal walking condition. Knee OA subject data revealed that they were able to reduce the knee adduction moment more than normal subjects during late stance, indicating that other factors besides the rotation of the foot need to be investigated. PMID- 17768090 TI - Saphenous vein grafts display poor endothelium-dependent and endothelium independent dilation--implications for the pathogenesis of vein graft atherosclerosis. AB - OBJECTIVE: As endothelial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of late failure of saphenous vein grafts (SVG), we assessed endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vascular responses of SVG in humans. METHODS: Subjects undergoing angiography after bypass grafting had selective infusions of acetylcholine (ACh, an endothelium-dependent dilator) and sodium-nitroprusside (SNP, an endothelium-independent dilator) into a non-obstructed vein graft. SVG diameters were measured by quantitative coronary angiography. Two matched groups of control subjects, with or without coronary artery disease (CAD), were studied after similar infusions into their femoral arteries. RESULTS: We assessed 10 subjects with SVG, 8 controls with and 8 without CAD. SVG dilatation to high-dose ACh was 5+/-3%, similar to the femoral arteries of subjects with CAD (10+/-5%), but significantly less than the ACh-related arterial dilatation in the non-CAD group (16+/-2%, p=0.02). Similarly, dilatation of SVG after SNP infusion was 9+/ 3%, which was not significantly different from the nitrate responses of femoral arteries in the CAD group (21+/-5%), but significantly poorer than in the non-CAD subjects (27+/-5%, p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Saphenous vein bypass grafts display poor endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vascular responses in vivo, compared with healthy systemic arteries. This may contribute to the pathogenesis of accelerated atherosclerosis seen in SVG. PMID- 17768091 TI - Atrial fibrillation--a new cardiac channelopathy. AB - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common complication of a wide range of cardiac and systemic diseases and is regarded generally as a sporadic, acquired disorder. Familial clustering of AF has been reported but definitive links of genetic factors with AF pathogenesis have been lacking. Genome-wide linkage studies and the discovery of mutations in families with AF have provided compelling evidence that genetic factors can have a role in the development of AF. Although relatively few disease genes have been identified, current data indicate that inherited defects in cardiac ion channel genes can predispose to AF by altering ion channel activation and atrial conduction properties. Mutations in the reported disease genes account for only a minority of all familial AF cases and further gene discovery studies are required. Characterisation of the genetic variants that cause AF in families provides a framework for elucidation of key disease pathways that underlie the more commonly-occurring complex forms of AF. A better understanding of the molecular and electrophysiological defects that promote AF in families and in the general population will facilitate new approaches to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of AF. PMID- 17768092 TI - Burden of bone disease. AB - OBJECTIVES: Malignant bone disease can cause clinically relevant skeletal morbidity that negatively affects quality of life. The prevalence and consequences of skeletal-related events (SREs) resulting from bone metastases, and the effects of bone metastasis therapies will be discussed. METHODS: The burden of bone disease was researched through PubMed and the proceedings of international oncology meetings. RESULTS: Malignant bone disease is a potentially devastating condition that is prevalent in patients with advanced cancers. Most patients with bone metastases experience at least 1 SRE, which may reduce survival and add considerably to healthcare costs. Bone pain, the most common source of severe pain in these patients, can often be managed with analgesics or radiotherapy. However, treatment may be difficult because of associated side effects. Bisphosphonates palliate bone pain and can treat the underlying cause of the symptoms: malignant osteolysis. Preventing or delaying the onset of SREs is crucial because patients with an SRE have an increased risk of additional SREs, thereby reducing quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Metastatic bone disease is a tremendous burden on patients and society. Supportive therapy with zoledronic acid has shown benefits for patients with bone metastases by delaying the onset and reducing the incidence of SREs, thus preserving patients' quality of life and functional independence. PMID- 17768093 TI - Role of the nurse in preserving patients' independence. AB - PURPOSE: Patients with metastatic bone disease may be treated with bisphosphonates to reduce or delay skeletal complications including pathologic fracture, radiotherapy to bone, and hypercalcemia of malignancy. Nurses can provide important education to patients and support or encourage the use of bisphosphonates throughout therapy. METHODS: Literature and congress reports were reviewed for relevant efficacy information on bisphosphonates and adverse events that may occur during bisphosphonate therapy. Bisphosphonates can provide meaningful benefits to patients, and zoledronic acid is now approved for the treatment of bone metastases secondary to any solid tumor. RESULTS: To optimize care, nurses can monitor pain scores, changes in mobility, adverse events, and serum creatinine levels. A useful tool for recording these parameters is a patient diary. The nurse should fill out the diary at each patient visit and compare it with baseline information before treatment is administered. Patients should also be counseled on the importance of adequate hydration, good dental hygiene, the need for calcium and vitamin D supplements, and how to best manage potential side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Bisphosphonates are effective in reducing and delaying skeletal complications, and zoledronic acid has demonstrated significant efficacy in preventing skeletal complications across a wide range of solid tumors and multiple myeloma. Nurses play an important role in enabling patients to optimize bisphosphonate therapy and in supporting patients to continue treatment to preserve their functional independence. PMID- 17768095 TI - Converging concepts: adaptive response, preconditioning, and the Yerkes-Dodson Law are manifestations of hormesis. AB - The adaptive response in toxicology and environmental mutagenesis, preconditioning in biomedicine and the Yerkes-Dodson Law in psychology have dominating research themes with widespread and significant scientific and societal implications. This paper suggests that these apparently independent biological dose-response phenomena are manifestations of the common and more general biphasic dose-response relationship concept called hormesis. These three types of dose-response, as well as the hormesis concept, may represent the same general type of adaptation, which were discovered independently in different biological disciplines, amongst which there has been little communication. This intellectual isolation, due principally to progressively greater disciplinary specialization, resulted in the evolution of different terminologies for dose response phenomena with strikingly similar quantitative features. This lack of recognition of converging dose-response concepts across disciplines has important implications since it limits the recognition of a common and basic biological concept while minimizing collaborations by investigators in related areas. The paper concludes that the broadly recognized biological adaptive responses, as described by the concepts of adaptive response, preconditioning and the Yerkes Dodson Law, are special cases of the more general hormesis dose-response concept. PMID- 17768094 TI - Assessment of molecular typing methods to determine invasiveness and to differentiate clones of Streptococcus pneumoniae. AB - In the United States, Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of community acquired pneumonia and invasive bacterial disease. As antimicrobial resistance increases, it will become critical to determine if strains circulating in a population are likely to cause invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). This is possible by comparison of an isolate's genotype to strains known to be invasive. In this work, we compared pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST), comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and multi invasive-locus sequence typing (MILST) for their ability to distinguish between known IPD causing and carrier strains using phylogenetic analyses. In addition, we assess the ability of these techniques to determine true clones from highly related strains. The resulting trees suggest that despite similar overall topologies, the clearest picture of invasiveness and genetic relatedness can be viewed when typing methods are used collectively. PMID- 17768097 TI - Growth and differentiation of osteoblastic cells on 13-93 bioactive glass fibers and scaffolds. AB - This in vitro study was conducted to evaluate the ability of two types of constructs of bioactive, silica-based 13-93 glass fibers to support the growth and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells. The two types of constructs tested included single-layer 13-93 glass fiber rafts and three-dimensional porous scaffolds formed from sintered 13-93 fibers. Scanning electron micrographs showed a closely adhering, well-spread morphology of MC3T3-E1 cells seeded on both types of constructs. The scanning electron microscopy images also showed a continuous increase in cell densities during a 6 day incubation on 13-93 glass fiber rafts and scaffolds. Quantitative fluorescence measurements of DNA also revealed a linear increase in cell density during a 6 day incubation on both types of 13-93 constructs. Examination of scaffolds incubated in MTT containing medium showed the presence of metabolically active viable cells within the interior of the scaffold. The addition of ascorbic acid to MC3T3-E1 cells cultured on the 13-93 glass fibers triggered a threefold increase in alkaline phosphatase, a key indicator of osteoblast differentiation. The sintered scaffolds were found to have open, interconnected pores favorable for tissue ingrowth with a compressive strength similar to cancellous bone. Collectively, the results indicate that 13 93 glass fiber scaffolds are a favorable substrate for the growth and differentiation of osteoblasts and a promising material for bone tissue engineering and repair of bone defects. PMID- 17768096 TI - Discrimination of lesion removal of N-methylpurine-DNA glycosylase revealed by a potent neutralizing monoclonal antibody. AB - N-Methylpurine-DNA glycosylase (MPG), a ubiquitous DNA repair enzyme, initiates excision repair of several N-alkylpurine adducts, induced by alkylating chemotherapeutics, and deaminated and lipid peroxidation-induced purine adducts. We have generated monoclonal antibodies (moAbs) against human MPG. Twelve independent hybridoma clones were characterized, which, except 520-16A, are identical based on epitope exclusion assay. Four moAbs, including 520-2A, 520-3A, 520-16A, and 520-26A, have high affinity (K(D) approximately 0.3-1.6nM), and their subtypes were IgG(2a), IgG(1), IgG(2a), and IgG(2b), respectively. moAb 520 3A recognizes the sequence (52)AQAPCPRERCLGPP(66)T, an epitope exclusively present in the N-terminal extension of human MPG. We found that moAb 520-3A significantly inhibited MPG's enzymatic activity towards different substrates, such as hypoxanthine, 1,N(6)ethenoadenine and methylated bases, which represent different classes of DNA damage, however, with different efficiencies. Real-time binding experiments using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy showed that the pronounced inhibition of activity was not in the substrate-binding step. Single turnover kinetics (STO) revealed that the inhibition was at the catalytic step. Since we found that this antibody has an epitope in the N-terminal tail, the latter appears to have an important role in substrate discrimination, however, with a differential effect on different substrates. PMID- 17768098 TI - Microtia: ear reconstruction using tissue expander and autogenous costal cartilage. AB - Ear reconstruction is one of the most challenging surgeries faced by the reconstructive surgeon. Currently, the use of autogenous costal cartilage is still best practice for microtia reconstruction. However, the relative deficiency of thin skin for coverage of the cartilage framework remains a limiting factor. Since 1994, we have used tissue expander in the mastoid area and innovated a technique to fabricate cartilage framework. All these innovations may solve the deficiency of the skin and improve cartilaginous framework definition. In conclusion, tissue expander offers a non-hairbearing, thin, well-vascularised skin to envelope an erect, contour-accentuated framework. Most patients with microtia are satisfied with their ear reconstruction. PMID- 17768099 TI - Deciphering complement mechanisms: the contributions of structural biology. AB - Since the resolution of the first three-dimensional structure of a complement component in 1980, considerable efforts have been put into the investigation of this system through structural biology techniques, resulting in about a hundred structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank by the beginning of 2007. By revealing its mechanisms at the atomic level, these approaches significantly improve our understanding of complement, opening the way to the rational design of specific inhibitors. This review is co-authored by some of the researchers currently involved in the structural biology of complement and its purpose is to illustrate, through representative examples, how X-ray crystallography and NMR techniques help us decipher the many sophisticated mechanisms that underlie complement functions. PMID- 17768100 TI - Mechanisms of killing by anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. AB - CD20 is a cell-surface marker expressed on mature B cells and most malignant B cells, but not stem or plasma cells. It is an ideal target for monoclonal antibodies (mAb), such as rituximab and ofatumumab, as it is expressed at high levels on most B-cell malignancies, but does not become internalized or shed from the plasma membrane following mAb treatment. This allows mAb to persist on the cell surface for extended periods and deliver sustained immunological attack from complement and FcR-expressing innate effectors, particularly macrophages. CD20 can also generate transmembrane signals when engaged by certain mAb which, although unproven, might provide an important element of the therapeutic success of anti-CD20 mAb. These favourable characteristics have led to anti-CD20 mAb being developed and exploited for use in immunotherapy, where they have proven remarkably efficacious in both the treatment of malignant disease and autoimmune disorders by deleting malignant or normal B cells, respectively. In this review, we discuss how these mAb have driven research in the immunotherapy field over the last decade, detail their likely modes of action and their limitations in terms of effector exhaustion, and explore ways in which they might be enhanced and further exploited in the future. PMID- 17768101 TI - Complement analysis in the 21st century. AB - Complement analysis in the clinic is usually associated with the quantification of C3 and C4, measurement of C1-inhibitor and screening for complement activity. These analyses have been available in routine diagnostic laboratories for decades. In recent years, however, the field of complement analysis has expanded considerably, with the introduction of novel assays to detect complement activation products, and spreading still further towards genetic analysis to reveal the basis of complement deficiencies and identify mutations and polymorphisms associated with defined diseases such as atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome and age related macular degeneration. Here we review the current status of complement analysis, including assays for the quantification of complement activity and complement activation products, together with genetic methods for the detection of deficiencies, mutations and polymorphisms. This is an area where significant developments have been made recently, paralleling the research advances into the role of complement in human disease. It is clear, however, that there is a need for consensus and standardisation of analytical methods. This will be a major challenge for the complement society in the future. PMID- 17768102 TI - Complement evasion of pathogens: common strategies are shared by diverse organisms. AB - Infectious diseases represent a major health problem. Based on the limited efficacy of existing drugs and vaccines and the increasing antibiotic resistance new strategies are needed to fight infectious diseases. A better understanding of pathogen-host interaction is one important aspect to identify new virulence factors and antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory compounds utilized by pathogens represent an additional source for effective anti-inflammatory compounds. Complement forms a major defense line against invading microbes, and pathogens have learned during evolution to breach this defense line. The characterization of how pathogens evade complement attack is a rapidly developing field of current research. Pathogens mimic host surfaces and bind host complement regulators. Similarly pathogens utilize a number of complement inhibitory molecules which help to evade complement attack and which display anti-inflammatory activity. The molecular identification of these molecules, as well as the functional characterization of their roles at the pathogen-host interface is an important and emerging field of infection biology. In addition, pathogens utilize multiple sets of such regulators as redundancy and multiplicity is important for immune and complement evasion. Here we summarize the current scenarios of this emerging field which identifies multiple virulence factors and complement evasion strategies, but which at the same time reveals common mechanisms for immune and complement defense. PMID- 17768103 TI - Established and new treatments for hereditary angioedema: An update. AB - Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is due to inherited deficiency of C1-inhibitor (C1 INH) and causes localized swelling that may be life-threatening when it affects the larynx. Replacement therapy with plasma derived C1-INH has been the principal life saving treatment for more than 20 years in several European countries. Nevertheless, it is not licensed in U.S. and even in Europe it is mostly supplied on a named patient basis. In the last 5 years, controlled clinical trials with four products (plasma derived C1-INH, the enzyme inhibitor Dx-88, the receptor antagonist Icatibant and a recombinant form of human C1-INH) have been performed or initiated in order to demonstrate their efficacy in reverting symptoms of HAE. Here we review the characteristics of these products and the current situation of the trials. PMID- 17768104 TI - Opinion paper: Stimulation of complement amplification or activation of the alternative pathway of complement? AB - In this opinion paper, we suggest that the scheme of the complement system should be redrawn in order to better illustrate its potencies. This can be achieved by putting the amplification loop of the alternative complement pathway at the center of the complement system. This arrangement emphasizes that C3b molecules, generated by any pathway, can stimulate complement amplification. Furthermore, it allows one to differentiate between this type of stimulation of amplification and that driven by those immune complexes that capture dimeric C3b molecules, which are more potent C3 convertase precursors than C3b. Schemes similar to the one drawn may help to better illustrate the interplay of the pathways and convey a clearer comprehension of the mechanics of the complement system. PMID- 17768105 TI - The relative importance of local and systemic complement production in ischaemia, transplantation and other pathologies. AB - Besides a critical role in innate host defence, complement activation contributes to inflammatory and immunological responses in a number of pathological conditions. Many tissues outside the liver (the primary source of complement) synthesise a variety of complement proteins, either constitutively or response to noxious stimuli. The significance of this local synthesis of complement has become clearer as a result of functional studies. It revealed that local production not only contributes to the systemic pool of complement but also influences local tissue injury and provides a link with the antigen-specific immune response. Extravascular production of complement seems particularly important at locations with poor access to circulating components and at sites of tissue stress responses, notably portals of entry of invasive microbes, such as interstitial spaces and renal tubular epithelial surfaces. Understanding the relative importance of local and systemic complement production at such locations could help to explain the differential involvement of complement in organ specific pathology and inform the design of complement-based therapy. Here, we will describe the lessons we have learned over the last decade about the local synthesis of complement and its association with inflammatory and immunological diseases, placing emphasis on the role of local synthesis of complement in organ transplantation. PMID- 17768106 TI - Complement activating soluble pattern recognition molecules with collagen-like regions, mannan-binding lectin, ficolins and associated proteins. AB - Mannan-binding lectin (MBL), L-ficolin, M-ficolin and H-ficolin are all complement activating soluble pattern recognition molecules with recognition domains linked to collagen-like regions. All four may form complexes with four structurally related proteins, the three MBL-associated serine proteases (MASPs), MASP-1, MASP-2 and MASP-3, and a smaller MBL-associated protein (MAp19). The four recognition molecules recognize patterns of carbohydrate or acetyl-group containing ligands. After binding to the relevant targets all four are able to activate the complement system. We thus have a system where four different and/or overlapping patterns of microbial origin or patterns of altered-self may be recognized, but in all cases the signalling molecules, the MASPs, are shared. MASP-1 and MASP-3 are formed from one gene, MASP1/3, by alternative splicing generating two different mRNAs from a single primary transcript. Similarly MASP-2 and MAp19 are both generated from one gene, MASP-2/MAp19, by alternative splicing. A number of non-synonymous polymorphisms of the four recognition molecules and of the MASPs are known, and the implications of these alterations are being studied. The clinical impact of deficiencies will be discussed. PMID- 17768107 TI - Where next with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome? AB - Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a systemic disease characterized by damage to endothelial cells, erythrocytes and kidney glomeruli. A "typical" form of HUS follows gastrointestinal infection with enterohemorrhagic E. coli (e.g. O157:H7). Atypical HUS (aHUS) is not associated with gastrointestinal infections but is sporadic or familial in nature. Approximately 50% of aHUS cases are associated with a mutation in one or more genes coding for proteins involved in regulation or activation of the alternative pathway of complement. The link between the disease and the mutations shows the important balance of the alternative pathway between activation and regulation on host cell surfaces. It also demonstrates the power of this pathway in destroying cellular targets in general. In this review we discuss the current knowledge on pathogenesis, classification, diagnostics and management of this disease. We indicate a comprehensive diagnostic approach for aHUS based on the latest knowledge on complement dysregulation to gain both immediate and future patient benefit by assisting in choosing more appropriate therapy for each patient. We also indicate directions in which therapy of aHUS might improve and indicate the need to re-think the terminology and categorisation of the HUS-like diseases so that any advantage in the understanding of complement regulatory problems can be applied to patients accurately. PMID- 17768109 TI - Factor XI/ADAMTS13 complexes are quantitatively insignificant in human plasma. AB - Reportedly, complexes between factor XI and ADAMTS13 are detected with a commercial ADAMTS13/FXI ELISA kit in plasma and are decreased in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Using this kit, control and TTP patient plasma contained varying amounts of signal (25-670% of a reference plasma) but no signal was observed for mixtures of recombinant enzymes, suggesting little interaction. ADAMTS13/FXI complexes were undetectable by immunoprecipitation or gel filtration chromatography in control plasma or mixtures of recombinant proteins. These results suggest that ADAMTS13/FXI complexes are insignificant in plasma and unlikely to affect the function of either protein during normal hemostasis or in TTP. PMID- 17768110 TI - Effect of hematologic response on outcome of patients undergoing transplantation for primary amyloidosis: importance of achieving a complete response. AB - Our objective was to determine whether the goal of high-dose therapy should be a partial hematologic response or a complete response. We analyzed 282 consecutive stem cell transplant patients. A partial hematologic response was achieved in 108 patients (38%), and 93 (33%) achieved a complete hematologic response. Survival rates of patients with complete, partial, or no response were significantly different (p<0.001), even after eliminating bias from early death. The degree of response was affected by the intensity of chemotherapy conditioning, septal thickness, and cardiac biomarkers. Hematologic response translates to longer survival. PMID- 17768108 TI - The role of complement system in ocular diseases including uveitis and macular degeneration. AB - In the normal eye, the complement system is continuously activated at low levels and both membrane-bound and soluble intraocular complement regulatory proteins tightly regulate this spontaneous complement activation. This allows protection against pathogens without causing any damage to self-tissue and vision loss. The complement system and complement regulatory proteins control the intraocular inflammation in autoimmune uveitis and play an important role in the development of corneal inflammation, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. The evidence derived from both animal models and patient studies support the concept that complement inhibition is a relevant therapeutic target in the treatment of various ocular diseases. Currently, several clinical trials using complement inhibitors are going on. It is possible that, in the near future, complement inhibitors might be used as therapeutic agents in eye clinics. PMID- 17768111 TI - Reversal of acute renal failure by bortezomib-based chemotherapy in patients with multiple myeloma. AB - Paraprotein induced renal failure is a frequent complication of multiple myeloma and is associated with poor survival. Previously, reversal of renal function has been hampered by the lack of fast acting and highly effective myeloma therapy and most patients remained or became dependent on hemodialysis. Here we show reversal of acute paraprotein-induced renal failure by bortezomib-based therapy in 5 out of 8 patients. Improvement of renal function was preceded by a significant reduction in paraprotein concentration in all patients, with improvement in renal function. PMID- 17768112 TI - Effects of plasma transfusion on hepcidin production in human congenital hypotransferrinemia. AB - Hepcidin is the key regulator of systemic iron homeostasis. We describe the modulation of hepcidin production induced by plasma transfusions in a patient with congenital hypotransferrinemia that offers a unique model in which to study the mechanism of hepcidin regulation by iron and erythropoiesis. Urinary hepcidin increased from zero at baseline, when hemoglobin and serum transferrin was low, to a maximum of 98 ng/mg creatinine on day 60, and subsequently decreased. Time course of urinary hepcidin and serum transferrin concentration suggests that hepcidin production is regulated by the combination of marrow iron requirements and iron supply by transferrin. PMID- 17768113 TI - Therapy-related leukemia and myelodysplasia: susceptibility and incidence. AB - Therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia (t-MDS/AML) is an increasingly recognized treatment complication in patients treated with radiotherapy or chemotherapy for previous hematologic malignancies or solid tumors. Distinct clinical entities have been described according to the primary treatment, corresponding to defined genetic lesions. Chromosome 7 and/or 5 losses or deletions are typical of alkylating agent-induced AML, while development of t AML with balanced translocations involving chromosome bands 11q23 and 21q22 has been related to previous therapy with drugs targeting DNA-topoisomerase II. In addition, antimetabolites, and in particular the immunosuppressant azathioprine, have been shown to induce defective DNA-mismatch repair. This could promote survival of misrepaired cells giving rise to the leukemic clone. Individual predisposing factors, including polymorphisms in detoxification and DNA repair enzymes have been identified. Their combination may significantly increase the risk of t-MDS/AML. Among patients with hematologic malignancies, long-term survivors of Hodgkin's lymphoma are exposed to an increased risk of t-MDS/AML, particularly when receiving MOPP-based, and escalated BEACOPP regimens, and when alkylators are combined with radiotherapy. Patients with Hodgkin's and non Hodgkin's lymphoma are at highest risk when total body irradiation followed by autologous stem cell transplantation is used as rescue or consolidation therapy. The addition of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor and radiotherapy plays a significant role in t-AML following treatment of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In non-hematologic malignancies, treatment for breast cancer and germ-cell tumors has been associated with a 1-5% lifetime risk of both lymphoid as well as myeloid leukemia. In all cases the risk of t-MDS/AML drops sharply by 10 years after treatment. PMID- 17768114 TI - Intense reversal of bone marrow angiogenesis after sequential fludarabine induction and alemtuzumab-consolidation therapy in advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Increased bone marrow (BM) angiogenesis has been demonstrated in several hematologic malignancies. BM angiogenesis is significantly decreased in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treated with fludarabine. The anti-angiogenic potential of alemtuzumab in CLL has not yet been investigated. We, therefore, evaluated BM angiogenesis in CLL patients treated sequentially with fludarabine and low doses of alemtuzumab. DESIGN AND METHODS: BM microvessel area was sequentially evaluated in 20 patients with advanced B-cell CLL who received, after a clinical response obtained with fludarabine-induction therapy, alemtuzumab, three times weekly for 6 weeks at a dose of 10 mg. RESULTS: The complete response rate improved from 45% after fludarabine induction to 90% after alemtuzumab consolidation. The extent of BM angiogenesis decreased continuously after either fludarabine or alemtuzumab (p=0.0002; Kruskal-Wallis test). Thirteen out of 20 (65%) patients changed from having a monoclonal to a polyclonal pattern of IgH sequences after alemtuzumab consolidation. A separate evaluation carried out in patients who achieved molecularly undetectable disease, as defined by polymerase chain reaction negativity, and in patients who remained with minimal residual disease after therapy with alemtuzumab showed a significant reduction of BM microvessel area only in the former (p=0.0002). Finally, molecular responses and a significant reduction of BM angiogenesis were more common in patients who received the cumulative planned dose of alemtuzumab (i.e.,180 mg) than in patients who received reduced doses (p=0.007 and p=0.0001, respectively). INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these data demonstrate a decrease in BM vascularity that characterized CLL patients who received low doses of subcutaneous alemtuzumab consolidation therapy after a clinical response to fludarabine induction therapy. Such a finding reflects, at least in part, the molecular response and cumulative dose of alemtuzumab. PMID- 17768115 TI - A clinicopathological study of B-cell differentiation markers and transcription factors in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma: a potential prognostic role of MUM1/IRF4. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although most patients with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (CHL) are cured, a significant minority are refractory to treatment. The investigation of biological markers could improve the predictive capacity of clinical staging systems. The aim of our study was to detect B-cell differentiation markers and transcription factors in CHL in order to define subgroups with different histogeneses and prognoses. DESIGN AND METHODS: We evaluated 107 cases of CHL for BCL6, CD79a, MUM1/IRF4 and B-cell transcription factors BOB.1, OCT.2 expression by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test, the Mann-Whitney test, the Kaplan-Meier method and the log rank test. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify variables with a significant effect on survival. RESULTS: CD79a was expressed in 5.8%, BCL6 in 14.7%, MUM1/IRF4 in 92.3%, BOB.1 in 53.4% and OCT.2 in 12.6% of cases. There was no significant association between CD79a or BCL6 expression and clinical characteristics. Univariate analysis showed that age of 45 or more, stage III and IV disease and MUM/IRF4 negative status were associated with significantly shorter time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS). On multivariate analysis the lack of MUM/IRF4 expression was associated with significantly shorter TTP while age of 45 or more and the presence of extralymphatic sites of disease were associated with significantly shorter OS. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our study has confirmed that MUM1/IRF4 is expressed in most cases of CHL and shows that lack of this expression in a minority of cases may be a potential adverse prognostic factor. PMID- 17768116 TI - Eosinophils, but not neutrophils, exhibit an efficient DNA repair machinery and high nucleolar activity. AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Traditionally eosinophils have been considered terminally differentiated cells that play a role in host protection against parasites. However, there is some evidence showing that eosinophils are, in fact, multifunctional leukocytes involved in inflammatory responses, as well as in tissue homeostasis. We characterized the transcriptome profile of human eosinophils, and, for the purpose of comparison, the transcriptome profile of neutrophils, monocytes and hematopoietic progenitor cells. Moreover, we studied the activation of selected cellular processes for which a significant differential expression was demonstrated. DESIGN AND METHODS: We profiled gene expression using Affymetrix GeneChips. DNA repair capacity was tested using the comet assay. Nucleoli and their activity were characterized by transmission electron microscopy analysis, silver staining of nucleolus regions (AgNOR) and RNA staining. RESULTS: Gene expression profiling showed that eosinophils appear hierarchically closer to monocytes than to neutrophils. Gene ontology mapping of differentially expressed genes revealed that eosinophils express categories very similar to those expressed by monocytes, related to DNA repair and nucleolar functions. Moreover, our data show that eosinophils and monocytes maintain the ability to repair both double and single strand DNA breaks, whereas neutrophils lack this capacity. Furthermore, eosinophils exhibit nucleolar activity, which is lacking in neutrophils, but resembles that in monocytes. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: The presence of large, active nucleoli in eosinophils, coupled to marked activity of DNA repair systems, suggests that eosinophils are not terminally differentiated cells. Indeed, their transcriptome profile and functional properties are more similar to those of non-terminally differentiated cells such as monocytes, rather than to neutrophils. PMID- 17768117 TI - Diagnostic and therapeutic management of eosinophilia-associated chronic myeloproliferative disorders. PMID- 17768118 TI - Inherited thrombocytopenias. PMID- 17768119 TI - Clinical outcome of 27 imatinib mesylate-resistant chronic myelogenous leukemia patients harboring a T315I BCR-ABL mutation. AB - We analyzed 27 CML patients treated with imatinib (IM) who developed a BCR ABLT315I mutation. These patients had poor prognostic features: High or intermediate Sokal index (82%), and lack of CCyR under IM (59%). At T315I discovery, patients were in advanced phase (59%), with clonal evolution (84%). Median time since diagnosis was 39 months, and progression occurred 13 months after IM initiation, regardless of disease phase. Overall survival since IM initiation was 42.5 months for chronic, and 17.5 months for advanced phases, and all patients progressed. This mutation seems related to or (partially?) responsible for progression and poor survival. PMID- 17768120 TI - Expected number of childhood cancers in Italy from 2001 to 2015. AB - The total number of children with incident cancer in Italy has never been specifically estimated. Specialized population-based Childhood Cancer Registries have only been operating in Piedmont (CCRP) and in the Marche region, while general population cancer registries cover about 20% of the Italian population. The number of expected cases of childhood cancer (0-14 years) in Italy in the period 2001-2015 has been estimated using CCRP incidence rates and annual percentage changes. The expected number of cases of all cancer types were 8,132, 8,672 and 8,944 in the periods 2001-2005, 2006-2010 and 2011-2015 respectively. These figures help evaluate the allocation of resources for the care of child cancer patients in Italy, and to estimate the number of cases expected to enter clinical trials. PMID- 17768121 TI - Phenotypic and functional data confirm causality of the recently identified hemojuvelin p.r176c missense mutation. AB - In the present study, we correlate homozygosity for the very recently identified HJV p.R176C substitution with a juvenile hemochromatosis phenotype. We also show that the p.R176C variant fails to up-regulate the hepcidin promoter activity. Altogether, our results definitively show the R176C amino-acid change to be a novel hemojuvelin loss-of-function mutation. PMID- 17768122 TI - Codon 104(-G), a dominant beta0-thalassemia-like phenotype in a German Caucasian family is associated with mild chronic hemolytic anemia but influenced in severity by co-inherited genetic factors. AB - Codon 104(-G), a heterozygous frameshift mutation in exon 2 of HBB, resulted in a dominantly inherited beta0-phenotype with mild anemia in a German kindred, and thalassemia intermedia in the index patient. A co-inherited a gene triplication, long-term transfusion therapy, and ineffective erythropoiesis were confounding factors. PMID- 17768123 TI - Lactadherin mediates sickle cell adhesion to vascular endothelial cells in flowing blood. AB - Increased exposure of sickle red blood cells to phosphatidylserine promotes its adhesion to the endothelium. A monoclonal antibody to lactadherin, a phosphatidylserine binding protein, inhibits sickle cell adhesion to histamine stimulated endothelial cells in flowing blood. Added lactadherin enhances the adhesion via the integrin alphaVbeta3. These results indicate that lactadherin can mediate phosphatidylserine-expressing sickle cell adhesion to the endothelium. PMID- 17768124 TI - NPM1 mutations are more stable than FLT3 mutations during the course of disease in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. AB - NPM1 mutations have been reported to be the most frequent mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). They are associated with a wide spectrum of morphologic subtypes of AML, normal karyotype and FLT3 mutations. The high frequency of NPM1 mutations might provide a suitable marker for monitoring residual disease of AML. PMID- 17768125 TI - Down-regulation of WT1/+17AA gene expression using RNAi and modulating leukemia cell chemotherapy resistance. AB - We have shown that inhibition of WT1/+17AA protein expression following transfection with a vector-based small interfering RNA expression construct in K562 cell lines, leads to a decrease in MDR1 and P-glycoprotein levels, accumulation of Rh123, and enhancement of the doxorubicin cytotoxicity. Our findings suggest that WT1/+17AA exerts its oncogenic function by modulating multidrug resistance in leukemia cells. PMID- 17768126 TI - Sustained molecular remission after low dose gemtuzumab-ozogamicin in elderly patients with advanced acute promyelocytic leukemia. AB - We report here a preliminary experience with gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) used at low dosage (3 mg/m (2)) in 3 elderly patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) who presented molecular relapse and were unfit for intensive chemotherapy. PMID- 17768127 TI - Extracavitary tumor after primary effusion lymphoma: relapse or second distinct lymphoma? AB - HHV-8-associated solid lymphomas which develop in extracavitary sites during the course of primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) could represent the relapse of original PEL tumors in different anatomical sites, or newly occurring distinct HHV-8 associated lymphomas, such as multicentric Castleman disease-related microlymphomas. HHV-8 episome clonality might help identify which event takes place. PMID- 17768128 TI - Identification of a novel e8/a4 BCR/ABL fusion transcript in a case of a transformed Sezary syndrome. AB - This report deals with a case of Sezary syndrome, a rare peripheral T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, in which cytogenetic analysis performed during the disease transformation revealed the presence of a t(9;22) (q34;q11.2) translocation. Molecular analyses identified a new transcript, an e8a4 BCR-ABL fusion mRNA which could be responsible for the disease transformation. PMID- 17768129 TI - Expression of functional toll-like receptors by B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. AB - This study reports that B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells display the same pattern of toll-like receptors (TLRs) proteins expression as normal B-cells, yet with overexpression of TLR9. Furthermore, TLR7 and TLR9 appear to be functional and liable to respond to specific ligands, respectively imidazoquinolines and CpG-ODN thus potentially opening new therapeutic approaches. PMID- 17768130 TI - Fatal Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disorder following treatment with a novel mTOR inhibitor for relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia leukemia cells. AB - We report on a patient with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treated with the novel mTOR inhibitor RAD001 within a phase II clinical trial. Although the patient initially responded to therapy, RAD001 was discontinued after 32 weeks due to progression and fludarabine-based chemotherapy was started. The patient subsequently developed a rapidly fatal Epstein-Barr-virus-associated lymphoproliferative disorder, clonally unrelated to the CLL. The clinical course suggests caution when using newer immunosuppressive drugs for treatment of CLL, especially in the context of additional purine analog therapy. PMID- 17768131 TI - APRIL but not BLyS serum levels are increased in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: prognostic relevance of APRIL for survival. AB - APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand) and BLyS (B lymphocyte stimulator) expression have been reported in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells. We examined APRIL and BLyS serum levels in CLL patients and evaluated the prognostic significance of APRIL expression on survival. PMID- 17768132 TI - Roscovitine in B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells: high apoptosis-inducing efficacy and synergism with alemtuzumab independent of the patients' pretreatment status. AB - Roscovitine induced apoptosis in isolated B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells of 25 patients of whom nine with relapsed and seven with fludarabine-refractory disease. It was synergistic with alemtuzumab and restored sensitivity to alemtuzumab in initially alemtuzumab-resistant samples. Observed roscovitine induced up-regulation of CD52 surface expression may be one of the underlying mechanisms for this synergism. PMID- 17768133 TI - Role of ozone therapy in the treatment of osteonecrosis of the jaws in multiple myeloma patients. AB - Current treatments for bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in multiple myeloma patients have limited efficacy. The biological effects of ozone indicate it may be therapeutic for ONJ. We, here, report the efficacy of a 15-day course of antibiotics, surgery and ozone therapy in 12 MM patients with ONJ. PMID- 17768134 TI - Vascular endothelial growth factor promoted endothelial progenitor cell mobilization into the peripheral blood of a patient with POEMS syndrome. AB - We assessed the percentage of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in the peripheral blood of a patient with POEMS with elevated VEGF plasma levels. High VEGF plasma levels were associated with increased EPC concentration and treatment with an anti-VEGF antibody induced a consensual decrease of both parameters. In vitro cultures of the patient BM cells suggested that the stromal compartment could be responsible for VEGF overproduction. PMID- 17768135 TI - Metabolic syndrome and hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with deep vein thrombosis: a case-control study. AB - We evaluated the prevalences of metabolic syndrome (MS) and hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with unprovoked deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and in controls. MS and hyperhomocysteinemia were significantly more prevalent in DVT patients than in controls. However, only the presence of MS was independently associated with DVT, and the coexistence of both risk factors did not increase the magnitude of the association. PMID- 17768136 TI - Use of bortezomib in the management of chronic graft-versus-host disease among multiple myeloma patients relapsing after allogeneic transplantation. AB - We report on the use of bortezomib for the management of chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) among 8 multiple myeloma (MM) patients who relapsed after reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic transplantation. Five patients (62%) responded to bortezomib demonstrating anti-myeloma effect. Four patients had active cGVHD, including 3 patients with severe punctate keratopathy, at the time of bortezomib administration. All showed an improvement in their condition. This is the first report showing that bortezomib may be useful in the management of cGVHD and related ocular involvement. PMID- 17768138 TI - Cytarabine-related lung infiltrates on high resolution computerized tomography: a possible complication with benign outcome in leukemic patients. AB - Potentially fatal lung toxicity occurs in 12-20% of leukemic patients treated with cytarabine especially at intermediate to high doses, usually presenting as noncardiogenic pulmonary edema (NCPE). Anecdotally the association between cytarabine and the onset of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) has been reported. We describe here three cases of patients affected by acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with chemotherapeutic regimens including high dose cytarabine, who developed early onset of fever, mild dyspnea, moderate hypoxemia on arterial blood gas analysis and lung infiltrates documented by high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT), with a more indolent behaviour and a benign clinical outcome, compared with similar cases previously reported in the literature. Our cases widen the spectrum of clinical features of cytarabine related toxicity in leukemic patients. PMID- 17768137 TI - Arsenic trioxide entered cerebrospinal fluid with the help of mannitol overwhelm the meningeal relapse of acute promyelocytic leukemia. PMID- 17768139 TI - Infantile CD4+/CD56+ hematodermic neoplasm. PMID- 17768140 TI - Acute pancreatitis preceding thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. PMID- 17768141 TI - Acute myeloid leukemia and follicular lymphoma after very low dose radioiodine therapy for thyroid diseases. PMID- 17768142 TI - Proteomics characterization of mouse kidney peroxisomes by tandem mass spectrometry and protein correlation profiling. AB - The peroxisome represents a ubiquitous single membrane-bound key organelle that executes various metabolic pathways such as fatty acid degradation by alpha- and beta-oxidation, ether-phospholipid biosynthesis, metabolism of reactive oxygen species, and detoxification of glyoxylate in mammals. To fulfil this vast array of metabolic functions, peroxisomes accommodate approximately 50 different enzymes at least as identified until now. Interest in peroxisomes has been fueled by the discovery of a group of genetic diseases in humans, which are caused by either a defect in peroxisome biogenesis or the deficient activity of a distinct peroxisomal enzyme or transporter. Although this research has greatly improved our understanding of peroxisomes and their role in mammalian metabolism, deeper insight into biochemistry and functions of peroxisomes is required to expand our knowledge of this low abundance but vital organelle. In this work, we used classical subcellular fractionation in combination with MS-based proteomics methodologies to characterize the proteome of mouse kidney peroxisomes. We could identify virtually all known components involved in peroxisomal metabolism and biogenesis. Moreover through protein localization studies by using a quantitative MS screen combined with statistical analyses, we identified 15 new peroxisomal candidates. Of these, we further investigated five candidates by immunocytochemistry, which confirmed their localization in peroxisomes. As a result of this joint effort, we believe to have compiled the so far most comprehensive protein catalogue of mammalian peroxisomes. PMID- 17768143 TI - In-migration and diphtheria mortality among children in the Sundsvall region during the epidemics of the 1880s. AB - While many works have examined urban mortality rates in nineteenth-century Europe, much less attention has been placed on disease patterns in the peripheral areas surrounding these population centers. This study demonstrates that during the Swedish diphtheria epidemic of the early 1880s, mortality rates among children living in the industrial parishes on the outskirts of the town of Sundsvall exceeded those found in the town itself. The epidemic was fueled by the mass in-migration of laborers and their families from distant provinces who sought work in the region's sawmills. Thus, in contrast to the common pattern of disease entering through a port city and spreading into the interior, in this case diphtheria followed the paths of migrants through the rural parishes of the Sundsvall region to the sawmills and then finally into the town itself. This spatial pattern was reversed in the late fall when migrants returned home. Conflicts within the medical profession regarding how best to prevent or contain diphtheria, popular suspicion and distrust of local physicians, and the introduction of the disease into a population with no prior contact with it, all helped increase the number of young corpses. PMID- 17768144 TI - Successful interventional closure of a patent foramen ovale in a pediatric patient supported with a biventricular assist device. AB - We report on a 16-year-old boy after an event of cardiac arrest and initial treatment with a veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO). After a short stabilisation period a biventricular assist device (BVAD, Thoratec) was implanted. Although the BVAD was functioning well, the patient showed persisting hypoxemia. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a patent foramen ovale with a high right-to-left shunt due to low aspiration pressures of the BVAD. The patient was successfully treated by interventional closure of the PFO with a 27-mm Amplatzer septal occluder and could easily be weaned from the respirator. Meanwhile the boy has successfully undergone heart transplantation. PFO has to be considered as a cause of arterial hypoxemia in patients supported with ventricular assist devices. The diagnosis of a PFO may be missed under ECMO treatment. Interventional closure of a PFO can successfully be performed even if the patient is supported with a BVAD. PMID- 17768145 TI - Does reducing your salt intake make you live longer? AB - A best evidence topic in cardiothoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether restricting dietary salt intake would provide protection from adverse cardiovascular events or mortality. Using the reported search, 462 papers were identified of which 14 papers represented the best evidence on the subject. The author, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and weaknesses were tabulated. We conclude that restricting sodium intake to levels below 6 g per day as most international guidelines such as those of the AHA, the US Dietary Guideline Committee and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommend, clearly reduces blood pressure and in turn may reduce the need for antihypertensives by as much as 30%. However, the ability of dietary sodium restriction to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events is more controversial due to the lack of adequately powered randomised trials or observational studies conducted with sufficient rigour. Some of the largest studies such as NHANES and TOHP, which do demonstrate a significant benefit, report a 20-30% relative reduction in adverse events which, due to the low rate of these events in the studies equates to an absolute risk reduction over 10-20 years in the region of 2-3% for protection from adverse cardiovascular events from sodium dietary restriction. PMID- 17768147 TI - Positive impact of increased number of emergency consultants. AB - The increased presence of consultant staff should theoretically lead to better outcomes in emergency departments (EDs). A retrospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary paediatric emergency department (PED) over a 10-year period documenting trends in percentage of children admitted, complaints to the department and average waiting times. Consultant numbers increased from 2.6 to 6.2 full time equivalent staff between 2000 and 2004. Other staffing numbers were essentially unchanged. All parameters examined improved coincident with increasing consultant numbers. The percentage of children admitted decreased by 27%, complaints fell by 41% and the average waiting time by 15%. The yearly cost of an additional 3.6 consultants (2005) was $A1,003,490 with net saving to the hospital of over $A9.48 million. The provision of additional consultant medical staff in a PED coincided with a decrease in the percentage of children admitted, complaints to the department and average waiting times, and was cost effective. PMID- 17768146 TI - NMR structure of a kissing complex formed between the TAR RNA element of HIV-1 and a LNA-modified aptamer. AB - The trans-activating responsive (TAR) RNA element located in the 5' untranslated region of the HIV-1 genome is a 57-nt imperfect stem-loop essential for the viral replication. TAR regulates transcription by interacting with both viral and cellular proteins. RNA hairpin aptamers specific for TAR were previously identified by in vitro selection [Duconge,F. and Toulme,J.J. (1999) In vitro selection identifies key determinants for loop-loop interactions: RNA aptamers selective for the TAR RNA element of HIV-1. RNA, 5, 1605-1614]. These aptamers display a 5'-GUCCCAGA-3' consensus apical loop, partially complementary to the TAR one, leading to the formation of a TAR-aptamer kissing complex. The conserved GA combination (underlined in the consensus sequence) has been shown to be crucial for the formation of a highly stable complex. To improve the nuclease resistance of the aptamer and to increase its affinity for TAR, locked nucleic acid (LNA) nucleotides were introduced in the aptamer apical loop. LNA are nucleic acids analogues that contain a 2'-O,4'-C methylene linkage and that raise the thermostablity of duplexes. We solved the NMR solution structure of the TAR LNA-modified aptamer kissing complex. Structural analysis revealed the formation of a non-canonical G*A pair leading to increased stacking at the stem-loop junction. Our data also showed that the introduction of LNA residues provides an enhanced stability while maintaining a normal Watson-Crick base pairing with a loop-loop conformation close to an A-type. PMID- 17768148 TI - High prevalence of asymptomatic vitamin D and iron deficiency in East African immigrant children and adolescents living in a temperate climate. AB - OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is common in immigrant children with increased skin pigmentation living in higher latitudes. We assessed the pattern of and risk factors for VDD in immigrant East African children living in Melbourne (latitude 37 degrees 49' South). STUDY DESIGN: A prospective survey of 232 East African children attending a clinic in Melbourne. Data were collected by questionnaire, medical assessment and laboratory tests. RESULTS: Low 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels (<50 nmol/l) occurred in 87% of children, and VDD (25-OHD <25 nmol/l) in 44%. Risk factors included age <5 years, female gender, increased time in Australia, decreased daylight exposure and winter/spring season. Anaemia (20%), vitamin A deficiency (20%) and iron deficiency (19%) were also identified. CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic VDD is common in East African immigrant children residing at a temperate latitude. Risk factors for VDD limit endogenous vitamin D production. Screening of immigrant children with increased skin pigmentation for VDD, anaemia, iron and vitamin A deficiency is appropriate. VDD in adolescent females identifies an increased risk of future infants with VDD. PMID- 17768149 TI - Monitoring of concordance in growth hormone therapy. AB - Concordance with growth hormone (GH) therapy in 75 children was objectively assessed using data on GP prescriptions over 12 months. 23% missed >2 injections/week. Lower concordance was associated with longer duration on GH therapy (p<0.005), lack of choice of delivery device (p<0.005) and short prescription durations (p<0.005), and predicted lower height velocities (p<0.05). PMID- 17768150 TI - Prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage of pneumococcus in preschool children attending day care in London. AB - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of nasopharyngeal (NP) carriage of pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) and describe the antibiotic resistance patterns and serotypes in young children attending group day care in London. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: Cross-sectional survey of attendees at a sample of registered child day care centres (CDCCs) in a London borough. SETTING: Urban setting with a socially and culturally diverse population. METHODS AND OUTCOMES: 19 CDCCs (13% of total) participated between March and November 2003. A single NP swab was required from each child, and parents completed a questionnaire about their child's health and attendance at day care. WHO methodology for pneumococcal carriage studies was followed. RESULTS: 30% of parents consented. 234 swabs were collected from children aged 6 months to 5 years. 53% were boys and 81% were white. 120 children (51%, 95% CI 45% to 58%) carried pneumococci in their nasopharynx. None of the isolates were resistant to penicillin (upper CL 3%). 21 isolates were resistant to erythromycin (17.5%, 95% CI 11% to 25.5%). 68 isolates (57%) were serotypes included in the 7-valent conjugate vaccine. Non-white children had a lower prevalence of carriage (27% vs 58%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of pneumococcal NP carriage was high. The penicillin resistance rate is lower than in many other countries and may reflect a decrease in community antibiotic prescribing in the UK. Monitoring circulating serotypes is important in the context of recent changes to the vaccination policy. Further study is required to explore the association with ethnicity and risk factors for antibiotic resistance. PMID- 17768152 TI - Venous subtypes of preterm periventricular haemorrhagic infarction. AB - BACKGROUND: Periventricular haemorrhagic infarction (PVHI) is a complication of preterm birth that may lead to impairment and disability. Early diagnosis is possible by cranial ultrasonography (CUS). Extensive PVHI lesions can be graded using a scoring system that relates to outcome, based on CUS characteristics. Data on more subtle unilateral forms of PVHI are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To refine the PVHI classification by relating subtypes to affected veins and to evaluate the effects of these anatomical subtypes on neurological outcome. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of images and neurological outcome of 20 preterm infants with unilateral PVHI. Based on affected veins, PVHI was classified into six subtypes. Sonographic templates of infarct types are provided in the coronal and parasagittal planes. Standardised neurological examinations were done (according to Amiel-Tison and Touwen examinations) and children were classified as: normal, mildly or definitely abnormal. The outcome was based on the most recent neurological examination, at a corrected age of 1 (n = 7), 2 (n = 5), 3 (n = 5) or 5 (n = 3) years. RESULTS: PVHI classification of the 20 patients was as follows: temporal (n = 3), pure caudate (n = 3), anterior terminal (n = 6), complete terminal (n = 3), extensive (n = 4), other (n = 1). With one exception, only PVHI patients showing the latter three subtypes had developed severe spastic contralesional hemiplegia. CONCLUSIONS: The classification was developed for PVHI correlates with neurological outcome. This refined classification can help clinicians in predicting neurological outcome at an early stage, with a subsequent targeted rehabilitation schedule instituted early in life. PMID- 17768151 TI - "Blowing in the wind": a review of teenage smoking. AB - One quarter of all adults in the UK are regular smokers, the vast majority having started smoking in their teens. Teenage smoking, especially in females, continues to increase both as regards the numbers of cigarettes smoked and the numbers of teenagers who regularly smoke. The main factors influencing teenagers to smoke are peer pressure, family members who smoke and experimentation. Nicotine dependence can develop very quickly and in the UK little attention has been directed towards helping teenagers break the habit. In global terms the figures are frightening. Of the 1.25 billion smokers, 800 million live in developing countries. In the UK, government legislation, restrictions on advertising and educational programmes may improve the situation in the near future but there is still little recognition that smoking is responsible for 4 million deaths each year worldwide and insufficient attention has been paid to children and young families to try to prevent children and teenagers from smoking in the first place. PMID- 17768153 TI - Antifungal prophylaxis for very low birthweight infants: UK national survey. AB - In a UK-wide survey, 28% of neonatal units reported using systemic or topical/oral antifungal prophylaxis for very low birthweight infants. Systemic prophylaxis is targeted to extremely preterm infants with additional risk factors for invasive fungal infection. Currently, there seems to be sufficient variation in practice to undertake randomised trials of these interventions. PMID- 17768154 TI - Enteral feeding regimens and necrotising enterocolitis in preterm infants: a multicentre case-control study. AB - BACKGROUND: Most preterm infants who develop necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) have received enteral feeds. Uncertainty exists about which aspects of the feeding regimen affect the risk of NEC. AIM: To examine associations between various enteral feeding practices and the development of NEC in preterm infants. METHODS: Multicentre case-control study. 53 preterm infants with NEC were enrolled together with a gestational age frequency-matched control without NEC from a randomly selected neonatal unit. Clinical and feeding data were extracted and compared between the groups. RESULTS: Significantly fewer cases than controls had received human breast milk (75% vs 91%; OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.98). The day on which enteral feeding was started did not differ significantly (mean (SD) days after birth: cases 2.9 (2.8) and controls 2.8 (1.8)). The mean (SD) duration of trophic feeding (<1 ml/kg/h) was significantly shorter in the cases (3.3 (3.1) days) than controls (6.2 (6.7) days) (mean difference (MD) -2.9, 95% CI -4.9 to 0.9) days. Cases were fully fed significantly earlier than controls (mean (SD) days after birth: cases 9.9 (4.2) and controls 14.3 (9.8); MD -4.4, 95% CI -7.3 to -1.5). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the duration of trophic feeding and rate of advancement of feed volumes may be modifiable risk factors for NEC in preterm infants. Further randomised controlled trials are warranted to assess the effect of different rates of feed advancement on the incidence of NEC, as well as other outcomes. PMID- 17768155 TI - Systemic antifungal prophylaxis for very low birthweight infants: a systematic review. AB - Systematic review and meta-analysis of four randomised controlled trials suggest that prophylactic fluconazole reduces the incidence of invasive fungal infection in very low birthweight infants. Further trials are needed to provide more precise estimates of effect size, and to assess the effect on mortality, neurodevelopment and the emergence of antifungal resistance. PMID- 17768156 TI - Cytokine gene polymorphisms in preterm infants with necrotising enterocolitis: genetic association study. AB - BACKGROUND: The inflammatory cytokine cascade is implicated in the pathogenesis of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). Genetic association studies of cytokine polymorphisms may help to detect molecular mechanisms that are causally related to the disease process. AIM: To examine associations between the common genetic variants in candidate inflammatory cytokine genes and NEC in preterm infants. METHODS: Multi-centre case-control and genetic association study. DNA samples were collected from 50 preterm infants with NEC and 50 controls matched for gestational age and ethnic group recruited to a multi-centre case-control study. Ten candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms in cytokines previously associated with infectious or inflammatory diseases were genotyped. The findings were included in random-effects meta-analyses with data from previous genetic association studies. RESULTS: All allele distributions were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. None of the studied cytokine polymorphisms was significantly associated with NEC. Four previous genetic association studies of cytokine polymorphisms and NEC in preterm infants were found. Meta-analyses were possible for several single-nucleotide polymorphisms. These increased the precision of the estimates of effect size but did not reveal any significant associations. CONCLUSIONS: The available data are not consistent with more than modest associations between these candidate cytokine variant alleles and NEC in preterm infants. Data from future association studies of these polymorphisms may be added to the meta-analyses to obtain more precise estimates of effects sizes. PMID- 17768157 TI - Comparison of ibuprofen and indometacin for early-targeted treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in extremely premature infants: a randomised controlled trial. AB - BACKGROUND: To date there is no firm conclusion as to the efficacy and safety of ibuprofen compared with indometacin for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure in extremely premature infants. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a randomised controlled trial to better address this problem. METHODS: 119 infants (gestational age < or =28 weeks) with respiratory distress syndrome and PDA confirmed by echocardiography were randomly assigned to receive either indometacin (0.2 mg/kg) or ibuprofen (10 mg/kg), starting at <24 hours of life, followed by half these first doses within 48 hours at 24-hour intervals if indicated by echocardiographic PDA flow pattern. RESULTS: The PDA closure rate and the doses of drug (mean (SD)) were similar in both groups: 53/60 (88.3%) and 1.9 (1.5) mg/kg in infants given ibuprofen, and 52/59 (88.1%) and 1.9 (1.7) mg/kg in infants given indometacin. No significant difference was found in the numbers of infants requiring surgical ligation, and the levels of post-treatment serum creatinine and urea nitrogen between the two groups. Although not significantly different, more infants (9/59 (15.3%)) treated with indometacin tended to develop oliguria (<1 ml/kg/h) than those treated with ibuprofen (4/60 (6.7%)). There were no significant differences in side effects or complications between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ibuprofen is as effective as indometacin for the early-targeted PDA treatment in extremely premature infants, without increasing the incidence of complications. When the echocardiographic PDA flow pattern was used as a guide for PDA treatment, fewer doses of drugs were needed to achieve acceptable closing rates. PMID- 17768158 TI - Volume-targeted ventilation in the neonate: time to change? PMID- 17768159 TI - Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in the preterm neonate: reducing endotrauma and the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. PMID- 17768160 TI - Effects of hyperbaric exposures on cardiac pacemakers. AB - Data on tolerance of cardiac pacemakers during diving are very scarce. The aim of this study was to test electronic and mechanical tolerances of pacemakers exposed to experimental reproductions of pressures encountered during diving. Two samples each of 20 different models of cardiac pacemakers were exposed to compression during continuous telemetric monitoring. The first sample of each model was exposed to a pressure of 60 metres of sea water (msw). Each second sample was first exposed to a pressure of 30 msw then to 60 msw hyperbaric testing, with a period of 1 month between the two tests. Electronic function and structural integrity of the cans were evaluated. No electronic dysfunction was noted. We merely observed in some devices a transient increase of the pacing rate during pressurisation. No significant deformation of the can (< or =0.2 mm) was observed after the 30 msw hyperbaric test. However, after the 60 msw test, more than half of the devices tested were significantly and definitively deformed. These results show that tested pacemakers preserved a normal electronic function up to 60 msw but most of the tested devices demonstrated significant deformations of the pacemaker can for the hyperbaric exposure observed deeper than 30 msw. Without prejudging diving aptitude for implanted pacemaker patients, it therefore seems prudent to advise them against diving beyond 30 msw because of the potential for electronic dysfunction beyond that depth. PMID- 17768161 TI - The health effects of emigration on those who remain at home. AB - BACKGROUND: The health effects of emigration on relatives staying behind has received little attention in the recent literature. Our aim was to assess the association of spouse and offspring emigration with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Albania, a country which is undergoing a particularly rapid socio-economic transition accompanied by intensive emigration. METHODS: A population-based case control study, conducted in Tirana, Albania, in 2003-06, included 467 non-fatal consecutive ACS patients (370 men, 97 women; 88% response) and 737 population representative controls (469 men, 268 women; 69% response) aged 35-74 years. Information on emigration of family members and financial support, socio demographic characteristics and conventional coronary risk factors was obtained by a structured questionnaire and examination. Associations of emigrational variables with ACS were assessed by logistic regression. RESULTS: Forty five percent of female and 25% of male patients, and 17 and 15% of controls, respectively, reported emigration of a close family member. These were younger and of lower education, income and social status than controls without emigrants. Forty nine percent of patient emigrants vs 76% of control emigrants remitted funds. Excess risk of ACS was confined to individuals whose emigrant relatives did not remit monies home [multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 10.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.6-44.8 in women, and OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 0.9-4.3 in men; P for sex-interaction = 0.03] and was attributable largely to spouse emigration. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings, which require confirmation, suggest that emigration of close family, but especially of spouses, coupled with non remittance of financial support is associated with marked health effects in the spouse or parent left behind, and that women are more vulnerable than men. PMID- 17768162 TI - Commentary: Searching for media effects. PMID- 17768163 TI - Solid cancer incidence and low-dose-rate radiation exposures in the Techa River cohort: 1956 2002. AB - BACKGROUND: This is the first analysis of solid cancer incidence in the Techa River cohort, a general population of men and women of all ages who received chronic low-dose rate exposures from environmental radiation releases associated with the Soviet nuclear weapons programme. This cohort provides one of the few opportunities to evaluate long-term human health risks from low-dose radiation exposures. METHODS: Cancer incidence rates in this cohort were analysed using excess relative risk (ERR) models. The analyses make use of individualized dose estimates that take into account residence history, age and other factors. Cases are identified on the basis of continuing, active follow-up of mortality and cancer incidence. RESULTS: Based on 1836 solid cancer cases with 446 588 person years accrued over 47 years of follow-up, solid cancer incidence rates were found to increase with dose and about 3% of the cases were attributable to radiation exposure. The ERR was 1.0/Gy (P = 0.004 95% CI (0.3; 1.9) in a linear dose response model. There was no significant non-linearity in the dose response and no indication of effect modification by gender, ethnicity, attained age or age at first exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The Techa River cohort provides strong evidence that low-dose, low-dose rate exposures lead to significant increases in solid cancer risks that appear to be linear in dose. The results do not suggest that risks associated with low-dose rate exposures are less than those seen following acute exposures such as were received by atomic bomb survivors. PMID- 17768164 TI - PepSplice: cache-efficient search algorithms for comprehensive identification of tandem mass spectra. AB - MOTIVATION: Tandem mass spectrometry allows for high-throughput identification of complex protein samples. Searching tandem mass spectra against sequence databases is the main analysis method nowadays. Since many peptide variations are possible, including them in the search space seems only logical. However, the search space usually grows exponentially with the number of independent variations and may therefore overwhelm computational resources. RESULTS: We provide fast, cache efficient search algorithms to screen large peptide search spaces including non tryptic peptides, whole genomes, dozens of posttranslational modifications, unannotated point mutations and even unannotated splice sites. All these search spaces can be screened simultaneously. By optimizing the cache usage, we achieve a calculation speed that closely approaches the limits of the hardware. At the same time, we control the size of the overall search space by limiting the combinations of variations that can co-occur on the same peptide. Using a hypergeometric scoring scheme, we applied these algorithms to a dataset of 1 420 632 spectra. We were able to identify a considerable number of peptide variations within a modest amount of computing time on standard desktop computers. PMID- 17768165 TI - An error model for protein quantification. AB - MOTIVATION: Quantitative experimental data is the critical bottleneck in the modeling of dynamic cellular processes in systems biology. Here, we present statistical approaches improving reproducibility of protein quantification by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. RESULTS: Based on a large data set with more than 3600 data points, we unravel that the main sources of biological variability and experimental noise are multiplicative and log-normally distributed. Therefore, we suggest a log-transformation of the data to obtain additive normally distributed noise. After this transformation, common statistical procedures can be applied to analyze the data. An error model is introduced to account for technical as well as biological variability. Elimination of these systematic errors decrease variability of measurements and allow for a more precise estimation of underlying dynamics of protein concentrations in cellular signaling. The proposed error model is relevant for simulation studies, parameter estimation and model selection, basic tools of systems biology. AVAILABILITY: Matlab and R code is available from the authors on request. The data can be downloaded from our website www.fdm.uni freiburg.de/~ckreutz/data. PMID- 17768166 TI - CT assessment of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. PMID- 17768167 TI - Iosimenol, a new non-ionic dimeric contrast medium, does not induce immunoreactivity in the popliteal lymph node assay. AB - Animal studies in mice were conducted to determine the potential immunoreactivity of the new non-ionic dimeric contrast medium (CM) iosimenol using the PLNA and flow cytometric analyses. Comparative studies were performed with iodixanol. The known immune-reactive substance strepozotocin (STZ) and vehicle injections served as positive and negative controls, respectively. Our experiments did not show any immunological effect of iosimenol, concluding that the new CM iosimenol may be beneficial for use in high-risk patients. PMID- 17768168 TI - Laser-driven proton oncology--a unique new cancer therapy? AB - In 2000, the University of Strathclyde, collaborating with the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, organized the first workshop dealing with the potential of high-power laser technology in medicine. Two areas of potential were identified: firstly the production of positron emission tomography (PET) isotopes; and secondly, the potential for laser-accelerated proton and heavy ion beams for therapy. The attendees, mainly clinicians and radiation physicists, emphasised that the laser community should concentrate on developing laser and target technology for therapy rather than isotope production because of the potential advantages over conventional accelerator technology for that purpose. On the 30 March 2007, the universities of Strathclyde and Paisley organized a follow-up meeting to identify the progress made in laser-driven proton and ion beam technology with applications leading to proton and ion beam therapy for deep seated tumours. The meeting was supported by the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA)--an organization set up in Scotland to bring together all of the physics departments collaborating with life scientists to work on ground-breaking new science which no single university could attempt. This is a summary of the meeting. PMID- 17768169 TI - Embryo donation families: mothers' decisions regarding disclosure of donor conception. AB - BACKGROUND: Previous data suggest that parents who adopt a child tend to support full disclosure while donor conception families prefer to keep the method of conception relatively private. It is not known whether parents in embryo donation families will tend towards the adoption model, therefore, we studied families with a child conceived using donated embryos. METHODS: A total of 21 embryo donation families with a child aged 2-5 years were recruited through UK fertility clinics. Mothers were administered a standardized semi-structured interview, obtaining data on the extent of their disclosure to children and other family members and their reasons for this decision. RESULTS: At the time of interview, 9% of mothers had told their child how they had conceived; 24% of mothers reported that they were planning to tell the child in future; 43% had decided that they would never tell the child, and the remaining 24% were undecided. However, nearly three-quarter of mothers (72%) had disclosed to other family members. Maternal grandparents were more likely to have been told than paternal grandparents (P < 0.025). Reasons cited for non-disclosure to the child included the desire to protect the child, the belief that disclosure is unnecessary, and the concern that family relationships would be damaged. Reasons in favour of disclosure included the desire to avoid accidental disclosure and the belief that the child has the right to know. CONCLUSIONS: Embryo donation mothers were similar to parents of donor insemination and oocyte donation children in their attitudes towards disclosure of donor conception. PMID- 17768170 TI - Psychological distress during early gestation and offspring sex ratio. AB - BACKGROUND: Exposure to severe stress in early pregnancy is associated with a lower male to female ratio (sex ratio), but whether more moderate levels of psychological discomfort have the same kind of effect is unknown. In a population based follow-up study, we aimed to test whether psychological distress was associated with the sex ratio in the offspring. METHODS: From 1989 to 1992, a cohort of 8,719 Danish-speaking pregnant women were followed until delivery. Questionnaires were administered to the women in early pregnancy and 6,629 (76%) completed the 30-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). RESULTS: We found an overall male to female ratio (sex ratio) of 1.03. There was an inverse dose response association (test for trend P < 0.01) between GHQ score and sex ratio. Each 5-point increase in the GHQ score was associated with a decreasing odds of having a boy [Odds ratio (OR) = 0.93, 95% CI 0.89-0.98]. Mothers scoring in the upper quartile of the GHQ had 47% boys as compared with 52% in the undistressed groups (Risk difference =4.8%, 95% CI 1.9-7.7%) resulting in a significantly lower sex ratio of 0.85 compared with 1.07 (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.72-0.94). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that not only severe stress, but also more moderate and common levels of psychological distress, may decrease the sex ratio in the offspring. Stress during pregnancy is a likely candidate involved in the decreasing sex ratio observed in many countries. PMID- 17768171 TI - Replacing diagnostic catheterization with coronary CT angiography: the final frontier. PMID- 17768172 TI - Isolated knee monoarthritis heralding resectable non-small-cell lung cancer. A paraneoplastic syndrome not previously described. AB - OBJECTIVE: To describe isolated knee monoarthritis as a paraneoplastic syndrome heralding non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to discuss its clinical characteristics. METHODS: Clinical records of all consecutive, new outpatients with isolated knee monoarthritis observed from January 2000 to December 2005 were reviewed. A systematic review of Medline and Cochrane Library databases was performed to identify English-language articles related to rheumatological paraneoplastic syndromes associated with NSCLC. RESULTS: Over 6 years, 6654 new outpatients with different rheumatic disorders were observed. Of these, 296 (4.4%) presented with isolated monoarthritis of the knee. In five out of 296 patients (1.7%) this feature represented the initial manifestation of NSCLC. All five patients were middle-aged men, with a long history of heavy cigarette smoking, who had a non-erosive, isolated knee monoarthritis, with mild articular fluid collection of non-inflammatory type. NSCLC was resectable in all patients, and knee monoarthritis remitted with no relapse confirming its paraneoplastic nature. All five patients are in good condition after a median follow up of 41 months. The literature review revealed that paraneoplastic knee monoarthritis has not previously been reported. CONCLUSION: Knee monoarthritis may in some cases represent a paraneoplastic syndrome heralding NSCLC at an early stage. PMID- 17768174 TI - Increased exposure to statins in patients developing chronic muscle diseases: a 2 year retrospective study. AB - OBJECTIVE: Case reports have suggested that lipid-lowering drugs (LLDs), especially statins, could induce or reveal chronic muscle diseases. We conducted a study to evaluate the association between chronic muscle diseases and prior exposure to LLDs. METHOD: This was a retrospective study of chronic primary muscle disease cases newly diagnosed at the Toulouse University Hospitals between January 2003 and December 2004 among patients living in the Midi-Pyrenees area, France. All patients remained symptomatic for more than 1 year after drug withdrawal, or required drugs for inflammatory myopathy. Data on the patient's exposure to LLDs and to other drugs were compared with that of matched controls (5/1) selected through the Midi-Pyrenees Health Insurance System database. RESULTS: A total of 37 patients were included in the study. Of those, 21 (56.8%) suffered from dermatomyositis (DM) or polymyositis (PM), 12 (32.4%) from genetic myopathy, and 4 (10.8%) from an unclassified disease. The prevalence of exposure to statins was 40.5% in patients and 20% in controls (odds ratio (OR) 2.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-6.14; p<0.01). There was a significant positive interaction between statins and proton pump inhibitors exposure (weighted OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.37-7.54; p = 0.02). Statin exposure rate was 47.6% among patients with DM/PM (OR 3.86, 95% CI 1.30-11.57; p<0.01). There was no difference between patients and controls for exposure to fibrates. CONCLUSION: Patients who developed chronic muscle diseases after the age of 50, including DM/PM, had a higher than expected frequency of prior exposure to statins. Further studies are needed to confirm this association and the role of proton pump inhibitors. PMID- 17768173 TI - Factorial randomised controlled trial of glucocorticoids and combination disease modifying drugs in early rheumatoid arthritis. AB - OBJECTIVE: Treating early active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) monotherapy achieves incomplete outcomes and intensive treatment seems preferable. As the relative benefits of combining two DMARDs, one DMARD with glucocorticoids and two DMARDs with glucocorticoids are uncertain we defined them in a factorial trial. METHODS: A 2-year randomised double-blind factorial trial in patients with RA within 2 years of diagnosis treated with methotrexate studied the benefits of added ciclosporin, 9 months intensive prednisolone or both (triple therapy). The primary outcome was the number of patients with new erosions. Secondary outcomes included Larsen's x-ray scores, disability, quality of life and adverse events. FINDINGS: 1391 patients were screened and 467 randomised. Over 2 years 132 (28%) changed therapy and 88 (19%) were lost to follow-up. The number of patients with new erosions was reduced by nearly half by adding ciclosporin or prednisolone (p = 0.01 and 0.03); both treatments reduced increases in Larsen's x-ray scores by over 2 units (p = 0.008 and 0.003). A further reduction in erosive damage was seen with combined use of both treatments. Their effects on erosive damage appeared independent. Triple therapy reduced disability and improved quality of life compared with methotrexate; ciclosporin and prednisolone acted synergistically. More patients withdrew because of adverse events with triple therapy, without an increase in serious adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the existence of a "window of opportunity" in early RA, when intensive combination therapy produces sustained benefits on damage and disability. Although methotrexate-prednisolone combinations reduce erosive damage, the synergistic effect of two DMARDs is needed to improve quality of life. PMID- 17768175 TI - Carbapenemase and efflux pump genes in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus Acinetobacter baumannii complex strains from Singapore. PMID- 17768176 TI - Transfer of an ampicillin resistance gene between two Escherichia coli strains in the bowel microbiota of an infant treated with antibiotics. AB - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the presumed acquisition of ampicillin resistance by an Escherichia coli strain residing in the gut of an infant. METHODS: E. coli strains were quantified in faecal samples obtained at regular intervals from an infant followed from birth to 12 months of age and their resistance profiles were determined. beta-Lactamases were identified by isoelectric focusing and genes by PCR followed by DNA sequencing. Plasmids were characterized by restriction fragment analysis and Southern-blot hybridization, and tested for conjugative transfer. RESULTS: The infant carried two E. coli strains, termed 29A and 29B, simultaneously in the microbiota during the first month of life. All isolates of 29A were resistant to ampicillin, whereas strain 29B, which was initially ampicillin susceptible, acquired resistance following treatment of the infant with ampicillin/amoxicillin because of urinary tract infection. Acquisition of resistance by strain 29B was associated with acquisition of a bla(TEM-1b) encoding plasmid, pNK29, which was also present in strain 29A. Transfer of plasmid pNK29 could be replicated by conjugation from strain 29A to strain 29B in vitro. Strain 29A also adapted to ampicillin treatment by mutation of the bla(TEM 1b) promoter gene to yield a higher level of resistance. CONCLUSIONS: This is an unequivocal demonstration of gene transfer between two strains co-residing in the human gut, as the donor, recipient and transconjugant strains were isolated. The results suggest the dynamic adaptation by commensal bacteria in response to antibiotic treatment may occur readily. PMID- 17768177 TI - Identification and functional characterization of ASK/Dbf4, a novel cell survival gene in cutaneous melanoma with prognostic relevance. AB - Malignant melanoma is one of the most aggressive and invasive metastatic tumors derived from melanocytes that have undergone malignant transformation by acquisition of genetic and epigenetic alterations. Oligonucleotide microarray based screening of distinct stages in the tumor progression model of cutaneous melanoma identified ASK/Dbf4, as a novel determinant for melanoma development. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction-based confirmation of ASK/Dbf4 on a series of benign nevi, dysplastic nevi, primary cutaneous melanomas and cutaneous melanoma metastases; and a number of other controls using normal human melanocytes as calibrator not only revealed a melanoma-specific over-expression but also revealed that higher ASK/Dbf4-expressing melanomas were associated with lower relapse-free survival. Additionally, we also confirmed the observed over expression of ASK/Dbf4 in melanoma using western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. As ASK/Dbf4 is known to be a cyclin-like regulatory subunit of mammalian Cdc7 from the studies in yeast, the present study investigated its role in melanoma cells. In keeping with its expected role, our data suggest that up-regulated ASK/Dbf4 is localized in the nucleus and binds to human Cdc7 to form Cdc7-ASK/Dbf4 complexes in several analyzed melanoma cell lines. Further, we demonstrate that small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of ASK/Dbf4 retarded melanoma cell survival and proliferation. In summary, we report the differential regulation of a novel gene, namely ASK/Dbf4, in melanoma and suggest that up regulation of ASK/Dbf4 is a novel molecular determinant with prognostic relevance that confers a proliferative advantage in cutaneous melanoma. PMID- 17768178 TI - MSR1 variants and the risks of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia: a population-based study in China. AB - Data from epidemiologic and twin studies suggest an important role of genetic susceptibility in prostate cancer. Variants of the macrophage scavenger receptor 1 (MSR1) gene have been linked to both hereditary and sporadic prostate cancer, although the evidence is inconclusive. Most studies have been conducted on Caucasians. The role of MSR1 in prostate cancer development among Asians, for whom rates of prostate cancer are low but rising rapidly, is unclear. To evaluate further the relationship between MSR1 variants and prostate cancer risk, we sequenced all the 11 MSR1 exons, exon-intron junctions, promoter regions, as well as 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) in 86 individuals from Shanghai, China. We identified a total of 21 sequence variants, including three novel variants that have not been reported previously. To balance genotyping cost and the capacity to capture sufficient genetic variation, we genotyped four haplotype tagging variants (P275A, INDEL7, P346P and 3' UTR 70006), which capture 85% of the genetic variation in MSR1 in this population. These four variants, plus two other variants (PRO3 and INDEL1) that have been linked to prostate cancer risk in the previous studies, were typed for all study subjects, which included 130 prostate cancer cases, 130 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 150 controls randomly selected from the population. Three of the six variants were associated with prostate cancer. Men with a P346P (a novel variant) G allele (AG + GG) had a significantly reduced risk of total prostate cancer [odds ratio = 0.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23-0.96], whereas those with a P275A G allele had a 37% reduced risk of prostate cancer (95% CI 0.39-1.02), with more pronounced reduction in risk seen for localized cancer cases (odds ratio = 0.25, 95% CI 0.12-0.52; P = 0.001). In addition, men with the INDEL7 variant had a 67% reduced risk of localized cancer (95% CI 0.16-0.68). Based on the four tagging variants, we inferred four major haplotypes that accounted for >90% of the haplotype variation in this population. The haplotype frequencies were significantly different between localized prostate cancer cases and controls, with a global P value of 0.004, and the haplotype containing the minor alleles of the P275A and INDEL7 variants was associated with a significantly reduced risk of localized prostate cancer (odds ratio = 0.28, 95% CI 0.13-0.59), relative to the most common haplotype. These results, although modest and confined mainly to localized prostate cancer, suggest that MSR1 polymorphisms may play a role in prostate cancer etiology in Chinese men. The role of MSR1 warrants further investigation in larger studies and other populations. PMID- 17768180 TI - An experimental study and a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the antisecretory activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus strain LB against nonrotavirus diarrhea. AB - OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown that selected strains of Lactobacillus have the capacity to antagonize rotavirus-induced diarrhea. However, only a few reports have documented their efficacy against nonrotavirus diarrhea. This study involved an experimental investigation and a clinical trial of the antisecretory activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus strain LB in the context of nonrotavirus diarrhea. METHODS: The activity of a culture of L. acidophilus LB or of the lyophilized, heat-killed L. acidophilus LB bacteria plus their spent culture medium was tested in inhibiting the formation of fluid-formed domes in cultured human intestinal Caco-2/TC7 cell monolayers infected with diarrheagenic, diffusely adhering Afa/Dr Escherichia coli C1845 bacteria. A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of male or female children who were 10 months of age and presented with nonrotavirus, well-established diarrhea was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a pharmaceutical preparation that contains 10 billion heat-killed L. acidophilus LB plus 160 mg of spent culture medium. RESULTS: Infection of the cells with C1845 bacteria that were treated with L. acidophilus LB culture or the lyophilized, heat-killed L. acidophilus LB bacteria plus their culture medium produced a dosage-dependent decrease in the number of fluid-formed domes as compared with cells that were infected with untreated C1845 bacteria. The clinical results show that in selected and controlled homogeneous groups of children with well-established, nonrotavirus diarrhea, adding lyophilized, heat-killed L. acidophilus LB bacteria plus their culture medium to a solution of oral rehydration solution shortened by 1 day the recovery time (ie, the time until the first normal stool was passed) as compared with children who received placebo oral rehydration solution. CONCLUSIONS: Heat-killed L. acidophilus LB plus its culture medium antagonizes the C1845-induced increase in paracellular permeability in intestinal Caco-2/TC7 cells and produces a clinically significant benefit in the management of children with nonrotavirus, well-established diarrhea. PMID- 17768179 TI - The type III TGF-beta receptor signals through both Smad3 and the p38 MAP kinase pathways to contribute to inhibition of cell proliferation. AB - Transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) has an important role as a negative regulator of cellular proliferation. The type III transforming growth factor beta receptor (TbetaRIII) has an emerging role as both a TGFbeta superfamily co receptor and in mediating signaling through its cytoplasmic domain. In L6 myoblasts, TbetaRIII expression enhanced TGFbeta1-mediated growth inhibition, with this effect mediated, in part, by the TbetaRIII cytoplasmic domain. The effects of TbetaRIII were not due to altered ligand presentation or to differences in Smad2 phosphorylation. Instead, TbetaRIII specifically increased Smad3 phosphorylation, both basal and TGFbeta-stimulated Smad3 nuclear localization and Smad3-dependent activation of reporter genes independent of its cytoplasmic domain. Conversely, SB431542, a type I transforming growth factor beta receptor (TbetaRI) inhibitor, as well as dominant-negative Smad3 specifically and significantly abrogated the effects of TbetaRIII on TGFbeta1 mediated inhibition of proliferation. TbetaRIII also specifically increased p38 phosphorylation, and SB203580, a p38 kinase inhibitor, specifically and significantly abrogated the effects of TbetaRIII/TGFbeta1-mediated inhibition of proliferation in L6 myoblasts and in primary human epithelial cells. Importantly, treatment with the TbetaRI and p38 inhibitors together had additive effects on abrogating TbetaRIII/TGFbeta1-mediated inhibition of proliferation. In a reciprocal manner, short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of endogenous TbetaRIII in various human epithelial cells attenuated TGFbeta1-mediated inhibition of proliferation. Taken together, these data demonstrate that TbetaRIII contributes to and enhances TGFbeta-mediated growth inhibition through both TbetaRI/Smad3 dependent and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. PMID- 17768181 TI - Preventing stroke among children with sickle cell anemia: an analysis of strategies that involve transcranial Doppler testing and chronic transfusion. AB - BACKGROUND: Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography can identify children with sickle cell anemia who are at elevated risk of stroke and may benefit from chronic transfusions. Uncertainty about the risk/benefit trade-offs of chronic transfusion has led some clinicians to decide not to offer transcranial Doppler ultrasonography screening. OBJECTIVES: Our goals were to (1) compare the projected benefits and risks of 6 primary stroke-prevention strategies, (2) estimate the optimal frequency of screening, and (3) identify key assumptions that influence the risk/benefit relationship. METHODS: We designed a decision model to compare 6 primary stroke-prevention strategies: (1) annual transcranial Doppler ultrasonography screening until age 16 with children at high risk of stroke receiving monthly transfusion for life; (2) annual transcranial Doppler ultrasonography until age 16 with transfusions until age 18; (3) biannual transcranial Doppler ultrasonography until age 16 with transfusions until age 18; (4) annual transcranial Doppler ultrasonography until age 10 with transfusion until age 18; (5) 1-time screening at age 2 with transfusion until age 18; and (6) no intervention. Assumptions were derived from the published literature. RESULTS: For a hypothetical cohort of 2-year-old children, the optimal strategy was transcranial Doppler ultrasonography screening annually until age 10 with children at high risk receiving monthly transfusions until age 18. The optimal strategy would prevent 32% of strokes predicted to occur without intervention. The optimal strategy led to benefits similar to more intensive screening and transfusion strategies but resulted in fewer adverse events. All the intervention strategies resulted in net losses in life expectancy, because the projected mortality averted by stroke prevention was outweighed by the projected increase in mortality from transfusion. Results were sensitive to adherence rates to iron chelation therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The optimal stroke-prevention strategy was projected to be annual transcranial Doppler ultrasonography screening until age 10 with transfusion for children at high risk until age 18. Better adherence to chelation therapy would improve life expectancy in all intervention strategies. PMID- 17768182 TI - Professionalism and the match: a pediatric residency program's postinterview no call policy and its impact on applicants. AB - OBJECTIVE: The National Residency Matching Program allows match participants to recruit each other and try to influence future ranking decisions in their favor, but it also states that participants "must not make statements implying commitment." The National Residency Matching Program cautions against statements such as, "We plan to rank you very highly on our list," because they can be misinterpreted as an informal commitment. To avoid issues around miscommunication, the University of Washington Pediatric Residency Program instituted a postinterview no-call policy with applicants. The purpose of this study was to determine this policy's impact on applicants. METHODS: A Web-based, anonymous survey was sent after the National Residency Matching Program deadline for submitting rank lists but before match day to applicants who interviewed at our program from 2003 to 2006. Applicants were asked whether our program's position on their rank list would have been influenced more favorably, less favorably, or not at all had they received a telephone call from our program. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 53% (n = 468). A total of 10.3% (n = 48) of the applicants to our program would have been favorably influenced by a telephone call after their interview. Significantly more applicants reported that a recruiting call from our program would have caused them to rank our program more favorably in 2006 (17.2%) than in 2003-2005 combined (8.4%). CONCLUSIONS: We identified a vulnerable applicant population whose rank lists are potentially influenced by questionable postinterview communication from residency programs. To protect the integrity and fairness of the match, we call for more explicit guidelines regarding postinterview communication with applicants. PMID- 17768183 TI - Hallux valgus and first ray mobility. A prospective study. AB - BACKGROUND: There have been few prospective studies that have documented the outcome of surgical treatment of hallux valgus deformities. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of operative treatment of hallux valgus with use of a proximal crescentic osteotomy and distal soft-tissue repair on the first metatarsophalangeal joint. METHODS: All adult patients in whom moderate or severe subluxated hallux valgus deformities had been treated with surgical repair between September 1999 and May 2002 were initially enrolled in the study. Those who had a hallux valgus deformity treated with a proximal crescentic osteotomy and distal soft-tissue reconstruction (and optional Akin phalangeal osteotomy) were then invited to return for a follow-up evaluation at a minimum of two years after surgery. Outcomes were assessed by a comparison of preoperative and postoperative pain and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society scores; objective measurements included ankle range of motion, Harris mat imprints, mobility of the first ray (assessed with use of a validated calibrated device), and radiographic angular measurements. RESULTS: Of the 108 patients (127 feet), five patients (five feet) were unavailable for follow-up, leaving 103 patients (122 feet) with a diagnosis of moderate or severe primary hallux valgus who returned for the final evaluation. The mean duration of follow-up after the surgical repair was twenty-seven months. The mean pain score improved from 6.5 points preoperatively to 1.1 points following surgery. The mean American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score improved from 57 points preoperatively to 91 points postoperatively. One hundred and fourteen feet (93%) were rated as having good or excellent results following surgery. Twenty-three feet demonstrated increased mobility of the first ray prior to surgery, and only two feet did so following the bunion surgery. The mean hallux valgus angle diminished from 30 degrees preoperatively to 10 degrees postoperatively, and the mean first second intermetatarsal angle decreased from 14.5 degrees preoperatively to 5.4 degrees postoperatively. Plantar gapping at the first metatarsocuneiform joint was observed in the preoperative weight-bearing lateral radiographs of twenty eight (23%) of 122 feet, and it had resolved in one-third (nine) of them after hallux valgus correction. Complications included recurrence in six feet. First ray mobility was not associated with plantar gapping. There was a correlation between preoperative mobility of the first ray and the preoperative hallux valgus (r = 0.178) and the first-second intermetatarsal angles (r = 0.181). No correlation was detected between restricted ankle dorsiflexion and the magnitude of the preoperative hallux valgus deformity, the post-operative hallux valgus deformity, or the magnitude of hallux valgus correction. CONCLUSIONS: A proximal crescentic osteotomy of the first metatarsal combined with distal soft-tissue realignment should be considered in the surgical management of moderate and severe subluxated hallux valgus deformities. First ray mobility was routinely reduced to a normal level without the need for an arthrodesis of the metatarsocuneiform joint. Plantar gapping is not a reliable radiographic indication of hypermobility of the first ray in the sagittal plane. PMID- 17768184 TI - Intermediate and long-term outcomes of total ankle arthroplasty and ankle arthrodesis. A systematic review of the literature. AB - BACKGROUND: The efficacy of total ankle replacement compared with that of ankle fusion continues to be one of the most debated topics in foot and ankle surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are sufficient objective cumulative data in the literature to compare the two procedures. A systematic review of the literature addressing the intermediate and long-term outcomes of interest in total ankle arthroplasty and ankle arthrodesis was performed. METHODS: A comprehensive search of MEDLINE for all relevant articles published in English from January 1, 1990, to March 2005 was conducted. Additionally, relevant abstracts from the 2003 and 2004 annual proceedings of major orthopaedic meetings were eligible. Two reviewers evaluated each study to determine whether it was eligible for inclusion and collected the data of interest. Meta-analytic pooling of group results across studies was performed for the two procedures. The analysis of the outcomes focused on second-generation ankle implants. RESULTS: The systematic review identified forty-nine primary studies, ten of which evaluated total ankle arthroplasty in a total of 852 patients and thirty-nine of which evaluated ankle arthrodesis in a total of 1262 patients. The mean AOFAS (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society) Ankle-Hindfoot Scale score was 78.2 points (95% confidence interval, 71.9 to 84.5) for the patients treated with total ankle arthroplasty and 75.6 points (95% confidence interval, 71.6 to 79.6) for those treated with arthrodesis. Meta-analytic mean results showed 38% of the patients treated with total ankle arthroplasty had an excellent result, 30.5% had a good result, 5.5% had a fair result, and 24% had a poor result. In the arthrodesis group, the corresponding values were 31%, 37%, 13%, and 13%. The five year implant survival rate was 78% (95% confidence interval, 69.0% to 87.6%) and the ten-year survival rate was 77% (95% confidence interval, 63.3% to 90.8%). The revision rate following total ankle arthroplasty was 7% (95% confidence interval, 3.5% to 10.9%) with the primary reason for the revisions being loosening and/or subsidence (28%). The revision rate following ankle arthrodesis was 9% (95% confidence interval, 5.5% to 11.6%), with the main reason for the revisions being nonunion (65%). One percent of the patients who had undergone total ankle arthroplasty required a below-the-knee amputation compared with 5% in the ankle arthrodesis group. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these findings, the intermediate outcome of total ankle arthroplasty appears to be similar to that of ankle arthrodesis; however, data were sparse. Comparative studies are needed to strengthen this conclusion. PMID- 17768185 TI - Removal of painful orthopaedic implants after fracture union. AB - BACKGROUND: Persistent pain in the region of implanted hardware following fracture fixation commonly leads to implant removal. This prospective study evaluated patient outcomes and pain reduction following removal of orthopaedic hardware implanted for fracture fixation. METHODS: Sixty patients who had been treated previously for a fracture and complained of pain in the region of the fracture fixation hardware constituted the study cohort. Patients were carefully examined by the treating physician to rule out other causes of pain such as infection and nonunion. Baseline data were recorded preoperatively. Data obtained postoperatively at three, six, and twelve months included a visual analog pain scale score and results on the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment Questionnaire and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36. At the one-year interval, a patient satisfaction questionnaire was completed and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: There were no complications associated with implant removal surgery. Three patients did not have complete follow-up, leaving a total of fifty seven patients with complete follow-up. At one year, all patients indicated that they were satisfied, that they would have the procedure done again, and that their overall function had improved. The scores for pain on the visual analog scale decreased from a mean (and standard deviation) of 5.5 +/- 2.5 before hardware removal to 1.3 +/- 1.8 after hardware removal, with an overall improvement at one year of 76% (p = 0.00001). At one year, thirty (53%) of the fifty-seven patients had complete resolution of pain. In addition, the results on the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment Questionnaire showed a 43% improvement from baseline (p = 0.0001), and the results on the physical component of the Short Form-36 showed a similar improvement of 40% (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Following fracture-healing, removal of hardware is safe with minimal risk. Improvement in pain relief and function can be expected. PMID- 17768186 TI - Patients' preoperative expectations predict the outcome of rotator cuff repair. AB - BACKGROUND: We are not aware of any previous studies of the relationship between patients' expectations regarding rotator cuff repair and the actual outcome. We hypothesized that preoperative expectations are predictive of the outcome of rotator cuff repair. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-five patients who underwent unilateral primary repair of a chronic rotator cuff tear were included in the study. All operations were performed by a single surgeon. Each patient prospectively completed the Simple Shoulder Test (SST); the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire; three visual analogue scales for shoulder pain, shoulder function, and quality of life; and the Short Form-36 (SF 36) preoperatively and at one year (mean and standard deviation, 54.1 +/- 7.6 weeks) postoperatively. Preoperative expectations were quantified with use of six questions from the Musculoskeletal Outcomes Data Evaluation and Management System (MODEMS) questionnaire. RESULTS: Greater preoperative expectations correlated with better postoperative performance on the SST, DASH, each visual analogue scale, and the SF-36 (p values ranging from <0.0001 to 0.03) as well as with greater improvement from the baseline scores on the DASH and SF-36 (p values ranging from <0.0001 to 0.018). A rigorous multivariate analysis controlling for age, gender, smoking, Workers' Compensation status, symptom duration, number of previous operations, number of comorbidities, tear size, and repair technique confirmed that greater expectations were a significant independent predictor of both better performance at one year and greater improvement on the SST, the DASH, each visual analogue scale, and the SF-36 (p values ranging from <0.001 to 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Patients' preoperative expectations regarding rotator cuff repair are associated with their actual self-assessed outcome. Variations in patient expectations may help to explain divergent results in published series as well as among various patient populations. PMID- 17768188 TI - Clinical and structural outcomes of nonoperative management of massive rotator cuff tears. AB - BACKGROUND: The natural history of massive rotator cuff tears is not well known. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical and structural mid-term outcomes in a series of nonoperatively managed massive rotator cuff tears. METHODS: Nineteen consecutive patients (twelve men and seven women; average age, sixty-four years) with a massive rotator cuff tear, documented by magnetic resonance imaging, were identified retrospectively. There were six complete tears of two rotator cuff tendons and thirteen complete tears of three rotator cuff tendons. All patients were managed exclusively with nonoperative means. Nonoperative management was chosen when a patient had low functional demands and relatively few symptoms and/or if he or she refused to have surgery. For the purpose of this study, patients were examined clinically and with standard radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: After a mean duration of follow-up of forty-eight months, the mean relative Constant score was 83% and the mean subjective shoulder value was 68%. The score for pain averaged 11.5 points on a 0 to 15-point visual analogue scale in which 15 points represented no pain. The active range of motion did not change over time. Forward flexion and abduction averaged 136 degrees; external rotation, 39 degrees; and internal rotation, 66 degrees. Glenohumeral osteoarthritis progressed (p = 0.014), the acromiohumeral distance decreased (p = 0.005), the size of the tendon tear increased (p = 0.003), and fatty infiltration increased by approximately one stage in all three muscles (p = 0.001). Patients with a three-tendon tear showed more progression of osteoarthritis (p = 0.01) than did patients with a two-tendon tear. Four of the eight rotator cuff tears that were graded as reparable at the time of the diagnosis became irreparable at the time of final follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a nonoperatively managed, moderately symptomatic massive rotator cuff tear can maintain satisfactory shoulder function for at least four years despite significant progression of degenerative structural joint changes. There is a risk of a reparable tear progressing to an irreparable tear within four years. PMID- 17768187 TI - Minimally invasive hip arthroplasty: what role does patient preconditioning play? AB - BACKGROUND: The benefits of minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty continue to be debated. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of patient education, accelerated rehabilitation, and improved pain control on the outcome of total hip arthroplasty performed through a small incision. METHODS: One hundred patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty at our institution were randomized into one of four groups on the basis of the size of the incision, preoperative counseling, the type of preoperative and postoperative rehabilitation, and the analgesia protocol. The operative parameters, complications, time to discharge to home, functional improvement, and patient satisfaction were assessed. RESULTS: The demographic distribution among the four groups was similar. The extent of functional improvement at the time of discharge to home, patient satisfaction, and walking ability at the time of discharge were better in patients who had received an accelerated preoperative and postoperative rehabilitation regimen regardless of the size of the incision. There was no difference in estimated blood loss, mean operative time, transfusion needs, or complications among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of factors such as family education, patient preconditioning, preemptive analgesia, and accelerated preoperative and postoperative rehabilitation in influencing the outcome of total hip arthroplasty. The aforementioned factors, and not the surgical technique per se, may play a major role in imparting the better outcome after minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty that has been reported by various investigators. PMID- 17768189 TI - Ultraviolet lighting during orthopaedic surgery and the rate of infection. AB - BACKGROUND: Ultraviolet lighting is an alternative to laminar airflow in the operating room that may be as effective for lowering the number of environmental bacteria and possibly lowering infection rates by killing the bacteria rather than simply reducing the number at the operative site. The purpose of the present study was to compare the infection rates following joint replacement procedures performed by one orthopaedic surgeon with and without the use of ultraviolet lighting. METHODS: From July 1986 to July 2005, one surgeon performed 5980 total joint replacements at one facility. In September 1991, ultraviolet lighting was installed in the operating rooms. All procedures that were performed before the installation of the ultraviolet lighting utilized horizontal laminar airflow, whereas all procedures that were performed after that date utilized ultraviolet lighting without laminar airflow. Factors associated with the rate of infection were analyzed. RESULTS: Over a nineteen-year period, forty-seven infections occurred following 5980 joint replacements. The infection rate without ultraviolet lighting (and with laminar airflow) was 1.77%, and the infection rate with ultraviolet lighting was 0.57% (p < 0.0001). The odds of infection were 3.1 times greater for procedures performed without ultraviolet lighting (and with laminar airflow) as compared with those performed with only ultraviolet lighting (p < 0.0001). The infection rate associated with total hip replacement decreased from 1.03% to 0.72% (p = 0.5407), and the infection rate associated with total knee replacement decreased from 2.20% to 0.50% (p < 0.0001). Revision surgery, previous infection, age, total body mass index, use of cement, disease, and diagnosis were not associated with an elevated infection rate. CONCLUSION: When appropriate safety precautions are taken, ultraviolet lighting appears to be an effective way to lower the risk of infection in the operating room during total joint replacement surgery. PMID- 17768190 TI - The effect of kneeling during spine surgery on leg intramuscular pressure. AB - BACKGROUND: Acute compartment syndrome has been an underreported complication during spine surgery with the patient positioned on the so-called 90/90 kneeling frame (with 90 degrees of both hip and knee flexion), presumably because of elevated intramuscular pressures in the dependent leg compartments. The purpose of the present study was to characterize and quantify certain parameters that affect the risk for acute compartment syndrome experimentally and to make objective comparisons with other spine surgery positions. METHODS: Eight healthy volunteers were positioned in three spine surgery positions: the 90/90 kneeling position, the so-called 45/45 suspended position (with the hips and knees both flexed to 45 degrees with the legs suspended on a sling), and the prone position. Intramuscular pressures were measured in all four left leg compartments with slit catheters. Local blood pressure and applied load beneath the leg were also measured. RESULTS: The 90/90 kneeling position was associated with significantly increased intramuscular pressure in the anterior compartment (30.8 +/- 5.7 mm Hg) in comparison with the prone position (13.5 +/- 1.7 mm Hg) and the 45/45 suspended position (13.8 +/- 1.7 mm Hg). In the 90/90 kneeling position, these values correlated with subject weight (r = 0.72, p = 0.045) and the applied body weight load measured beneath the leg (r = 0.74, p = 0.037). The mean differences between intramuscular pressure and ankle blood pressure were more pronounced as the position of the ankle dropped below the level of the heart in the 45/45 suspended and the 90/90 kneeling positions. CONCLUSIONS: The 90/90 kneeling position results in elevated intramuscular pressure in the anterior compartment of the leg. This elevated pressure correlates also with subject weight. The 90/90 kneeling position may predispose patients to the development of an acute compartment syndrome during prolonged spine surgery, with heavier patients being at increased risk. In certain instances, the surgeon may consider using the 45/45 suspended position to minimize this risk. PMID- 17768191 TI - Lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty through a medial approach. Study with an average five-year follow-up. AB - BACKGROUND: Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty of the medial compartment has excellent long-term clinical outcomes. Arthritis isolated to the lateral compartment is much less common; subsequently, the clinical outcomes of the treatment of that condition are less frequently reported. Most commonly, the lateral compartment is approached through a lateral arthrotomy. The purpose of this study was to determine the mid-term results of lateral unicondylar replacement through a medial arthrotomy in patients with primary osteoarthritis or posttraumatic arthritis. METHODS: From 1991 to 2004, forty-nine lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasties were performed in forty-five patients by a single surgeon. One patient was excluded from the study because of a severe underlying neurologic condition. Lateral unicompartmental replacement was performed in thirty-eight knees with primary osteoarthritis and in ten knees with posttraumatic arthritis secondary to a tibial plateau fracture. Retrospective chart reviews and radiographic evaluations were performed, and Knee Society scores were determined. RESULTS: The average Knee Society knee and function scores improved from 39 and 45 points, respectively, preoperatively to 89 and 80 points at an average of 5.2 years postoperatively. Preoperative alignment averaged 10 degrees of valgus, which was corrected to an average of 6.2 degrees of valgus postoperatively. There were no revisions and no notable soft-tissue complications. The mean postoperative knee and function scores were significantly better for patients with primary osteoarthritis (95 and 86 points, respectively) than they were for those with posttraumatic arthritis (74 and 65 points). CONCLUSIONS: Lateral unicompartmental knee replacement through a medial approach provided durable and reliable short to mid-term results. This approach is safe, effective, and extensile, making it a viable alternative to a lateral approach. The outcomes of lateral unicompartmental replacement in patients with posttraumatic arthritis can be expected to be inferior to those in patients with primary osteoarthritis. PMID- 17768192 TI - Anatomic factors related to the cause of tennis elbow. AB - BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of lateral epicondylitis remains unclear. Our purpose was to study the anatomy of the lateral aspect of the elbow under static and dynamic conditions in order to identify bone-to-tendon and tendon-to-tendon contact or rubbing that might cause abrasion of the tissues. METHODS: Eighty-five cadaveric elbows were examined to determine details related to the bone structure and musculotendinous origins. We identified the relative positions of the musculotendinous units and the underlying bone when the elbow was in different degrees of flexion. We also recorded the contact between the extensor carpi radialis brevis and the lateral edge of the capitellum as elbow motion occurred, and we sought to identify the areas of the capitellum and extensor carpi radialis brevis where contact occurs. RESULTS: The average site of origin of the extensor carpi radialis brevis on the humerus lay slightly medial and superior to the outer edge of the capitellum. As the elbow was extended, the undersurface of the extensor carpi radialis brevis rubbed against the lateral edge of the capitellum while the extensor carpi radialis longus compressed the brevis against the underlying bone. CONCLUSIONS: The extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon has a unique anatomic location that makes its undersurface vulnerable to contact and abrasion against the lateral edge of the capitellum during elbow motion. PMID- 17768193 TI - Locking compression plate fixation of Vancouver type-B1 periprosthetic femoral fractures. AB - BACKGROUND: Fractures occurring at or near the distal tip of a hip prosthesis with a stable femoral stem (Vancouver type-B fractures) are associated with many complications because of the inherently unstable fracture pattern. Locking compression plates use screws that lock into the plate allowing multiple points of unicortical fixation. Such unicortical fixation may lower the risk of damage to the cement mantle or a stable femoral stem during the treatment of a periprosthetic femoral fracture. The purpose of this study was to analyze clinically and radiographically a group of patients with a Vancouver type-B1 periprosthetic femoral fracture treated with open reduction and internal fixation with use of a locking compression plate. METHODS: Fourteen consecutive patients (fourteen hips) with a Vancouver type-B1 periprosthetic femoral fracture were treated with a locking compression plate. There were five men and nine women with an average age of sixty-eight years at the time of fracture. All of the fractures occurred after a total hip arthroplasty performed with cement, and eleven of the arthroplasties were revisions. In addition to the plate, cortical strut allografts were used to stabilize five fractures. The patients were assessed clinically and radiographically. RESULTS: The average duration of follow-up was twenty months. Eight fractures healed uneventfully at an average of 5.4 months. Three treatment constructs failed with fracture of the plate within twelve months after surgery. An additional three constructs also failed because of plate pullout. All failures except one occurred in constructs in which a cortical strut allograft had not been utilized. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the high failure rate in this series of patients, locking compression plates do not appear to offer advantages over other types of plates in the treatment of type-B1 periprosthetic femoral fractures. Despite the potential to preserve the cement mantle, the locked screws did not appear to offer good pullout resistance in this fracture type. We believe that supplementation with strut allografts should be used routinely if this type of locking compression plate is selected to treat these fractures. PMID- 17768194 TI - The quality of reporting of orthopaedic randomized trials with use of a checklist for nonpharmacological therapies. AB - BACKGROUND: The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement for the reporting of randomized controlled trials has been limited by its applicability to surgical trials. In response, a Checklist to Evaluate a Report of a Nonpharmacological Trial was recently developed by the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials group to address reporting issues in surgical trials. We aimed (1) to apply the checklist for nonpharmacological therapies to orthopaedic randomized controlled trials across multiple journals from 2004 through 2005, and (2) to survey authors when methodological safeguards itemized in the checklist were not reported to determine whether they actually had been performed. We hypothesized that lack of reporting of a methodological safeguard did not necessarily mean it had not been conducted. METHODS: We searched for relevant orthopaedic randomized controlled trials across eight journals in the period from January 2004 through December 2005. We applied the Checklist to Evaluate a Report of a Nonpharmacological Trial to all eligible studies. We contacted authors to determine what methodological safeguards were actually used, especially when details remained unclear from the publication. RESULTS: We included eighty-seven randomized controlled trials from eighty-five scientific reports. In assessing the randomized controlled trials with the checklist for nonpharmacological therapies, seventy-three studies (84%) had unclear reporting of treatment allocation concealment. Only seventeen studies (20%) mentioned surgeon skill or experience. The blinding of patients, ward staff, rehabilitation staff, clinical outcome assessors, and nonclinical outcome assessors was unclear in forty-eight (55%), sixty-three (72%), sixty-four (74%), forty (46%), and thirty-three studies (38%), respectively. Authors from forty-three randomized controlled trials responded to our survey. The results of the survey showed that 41% (95% confidence interval, 25% to 58%) of the trials had adequate allocation concealment when this had been unclear from the report. Although the surgical experience of the investigators was rarely reported, most authors (70%) acknowledged that they had defined "surgical expertise criteria" such as minimum case criteria, specialized training, and clinical performance. The survey also showed that 28% to 40% of the trials had blinding of relevant groups despite the fact that the reporting of such blinding had been unclear in the publications. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of reporting in the orthopaedic literature was highly variable. Readers should not assume that bias-reducing safeguards that were not reported in a randomized controlled trial did not occur. Our study reinforces the need for the consistent use of a tool like the Checklist to Evaluate a Report of a Nonpharmacological Trial to assess the methodology of surgical trials. PMID- 17768195 TI - Comparison of arthrodesis and metallic hemiarthroplasty of the hallux metatarsophalangeal joint. AB - BACKGROUND: Currently, arthrodesis is the most commonly performed surgical procedure for the treatment of severe arthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. The objective of this study was to compare the long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes of a metallic hemiarthroplasty with those of arthrodesis for the treatment of this condition. METHODS: A series of patients with osteoarthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint were treated with either a metallic hemiarthroplasty or an arthrodesis between 1999 and 2005. Postoperative satisfaction and function were graded with use of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Hallux Metatarsophalangeal Interphalangeal (AOFAS-HMI) scoring system, and pain was scored with use of a visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Twenty one hemiarthroplasties and twenty-seven arthrodeses were performed in forty-six patients. Five (24%) of the hemiarthroplasties failed; one of them was revised, and four were converted to an arthrodesis. Eight of the feet in which the hemiprosthesis had survived had evidence of plantar cutout of the prosthetic stem on the final follow-up radiographs. At the time of final follow-up (at a mean of 79.4 months), the satisfaction ratings in the hemiarthroplasty group were good or excellent for twelve feet, fair for two, and poor or a failure for seven. The mean pain score was 2.4 of 10. All twenty-seven of the arthrodeses achieved fusion, and no revisions were required. At the time of final follow-up (at a mean of thirty months), the satisfaction ratings in this group were good or excellent for twenty-two feet, fair for four, and poor for one. The mean pain score was 0.7 of 10. Two patients required hardware removal, which was performed as an office procedure with the use of local anesthesia. The AOFAS-HMI and visual analogue pain scores and satisfaction were significantly better in the arthrodesis group. CONCLUSIONS: Arthrodesis is more predictable than a metallic hemiarthroplasty for alleviating symptoms and restoring function in patients with severe osteoarthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. PMID- 17768196 TI - Synovectomy of the hip in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. AB - BACKGROUND: There is a lack of data on the functional effect of open hip synovectomy in a large number of patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis evaluated with a validated assessment tool. METHODS: Between 1985 and 1997, sixty seven open hip-joint synovectomies were carried out in fifty-six patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Fifty-five hips (82%) had radiographic changes that were stage III or higher according to the system of Larsen et al. Hip function was evaluated preoperatively and after a mean of fifty months with the Merle d'Aubigne hip score. RESULTS: Sixty-five (97%) of the sixty-seven hips were available for follow-up. The mean total Merle d'Aubigne hip score (and standard error of the mean) was significantly improved from 9.5 +/- 2.5 points at baseline to 16.3 +/- 1.0 points at the time of follow-up (p < 0.001). The individual scores for pain, mobility, and walking ability were significantly increased as well (all p < 0.001). Eighty-five percent of the hips were observed to have a very great or great improvement in function. A concomitant soft-tissue release was performed in seven hips, and nine hips required surgical dislocation. Surgical complications included two superficial wound hematomas that did not require intervention; osteonecrosis of the femoral head was not observed. Five hips required total hip arthroplasty during the follow-up period. Thus, the survival rate for the hips was 94% at a mean of four years following the synovectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Open hip synovectomy in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a safe procedure that can improve hip-joint function for up to five years. PMID- 17768197 TI - Long-term results of surgery for forearm deformities in patients with multiple cartilaginous exostoses. AB - BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of forearm deformities in patients with multiple cartilaginous exostoses remains controversial. The purpose of the present study was to determine the reasonable indications for operative treatment and to evaluate long-term results of forearm surgery in these patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed twenty-three patients (thirty-one forearms) after a mean duration of follow-up of nearly thirteen years. The mean age at the time of the initial procedure was eleven years. The patients underwent a variety of surgical procedures, including excision of exostoses; corrective procedures (lengthening of the radius or ulna and/or corrective osteotomy of the radius and/or ulna) and open reduction or excision of a dislocated radial head. Clinical evaluation involved the assessment of pain, activities of daily living, the cosmetic outcome, and the ranges of motion of the wrist, forearm, and elbow. The radiographic parameters that were assessed were ulnar variance, the radial articular angle, and carpal slip. RESULTS: Four patients had mild pain, and five patients had mild restriction of daily activities at the time of follow-up. Eight patients stated that the appearance of the forearm was unsatisfactory. Radiographic parameters (ulnar variance, radial articular angle, carpal slip) were initially improved; however, at the time of the final follow-up visit, the deformities had again progressed and showed no significant improvement. The only procedure that was associated with complications was ulnar lengthening. Complications included nonunion (three forearms), fracture of callus at the site of lengthening (two forearms), and temporary radial nerve paresis following an ulnar distraction osteotomy (one forearm). Excision of exostoses significantly improved the range of pronation (p = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: In our patients with multiple cartilaginous exostoses, corrective osteotomy and/or lengthening of forearm bones was not beneficial. The most beneficial procedure was excision of exostoses. Reasonable indications for forearm surgery in these patients are (1) to improve forearm rotation and (2) to improve the appearance. PMID- 17768198 TI - The anatomy of the medial part of the knee. AB - BACKGROUND: While the anatomy of the medial part of the knee has been described qualitatively, quantitative descriptions of the attachment sites of the main medial knee structures have not been reported. The purpose of the present study was to verify the qualitative anatomy of medial knee structures and to perform a quantitative evaluation of their anatomic attachment sites as well as their relationships to pertinent osseous landmarks. METHODS: Dissections were performed and measurements were made for eight nonpaired fresh-frozen cadaveric knees with use of an electromagnetic three-dimensional tracking sensor system. RESULTS: In addition to the medial epicondyle and the adductor tubercle, a third osseous prominence, the gastrocnemius tubercle, which corresponded to the attachment site of the medial gastrocnemius tendon, was identified. The average length of the superficial medial (tibial) collateral ligament was 94.8 mm. The superficial medial collateral ligament femoral attachment was 3.2 mm proximal and 4.8 mm posterior to the medial epicondyle. The superficial medial collateral ligament had two separate attachments on the tibia. The distal attachment of the superficial medial collateral ligament on the tibia was 61.2 mm distal to the knee joint. The deep medial collateral ligament consisted of meniscofemoral and meniscotibial portions. The posterior oblique ligament femoral attachment was 7.7 mm distal and 6.4 mm posterior to the adductor tubercle and 1.4 mm distal and 2.9 mm anterior to the gastrocnemius tubercle. The medial patellofemoral ligament attachment on the femur was 1.9 mm anterior and 3.8 mm distal to the adductor tubercle. CONCLUSIONS: The medial knee ligament structures have a consistent attachment pattern. PMID- 17768199 TI - The in vivo isometric point of the lateral ligament of the elbow. AB - BACKGROUND: Many reports have discussed reconstruction of the lateral ulnar collateral ligament for the treatment of posterolateral rotatory instability of the elbow, but information regarding the isometric point of the lateral ligament of the elbow is limited. The purposes of the present study were to investigate the in vivo and three-dimensional length changes of the lateral ulnar collateral ligament and the radial collateral ligament during elbow flexion in order to clarify the role of these ligaments as well as to identify the isometric point for the reconstructed lateral ulnar collateral ligament on the humerus where the grafted tendon should be anchored. METHODS: We studied in vivo and three dimensional kinematics of the normal elbow joint with use of a markerless bone registration technique. Magnetic resonance images of the right elbows of seven healthy volunteers were acquired in six positions between 0 degrees and 135 degrees of flexion. We created three-dimensional models of the elbow bones, the lateral ulnar collateral ligament, and the radial collateral ligament. The ligament models were based on the shortest calculated paths between each origin and insertion in three-dimensional space with the bone as obstacles. We calculated two types of three-dimensional distances for the ligament paths with each flexion position: (1) between the center of the capitellum and the distal insertions of the ligaments (to investigate the physiological change in ligament length) and (2) between eight different humeral origins and the one typical insertion of the lateral ulnar collateral ligament (to identify the isometric point of the reconstructed lateral ulnar collateral ligament). RESULTS: The three dimensional distance for the lateral ulnar collateral ligament was found to increase during elbow flexion, whereas that for the radial collateral ligament changed little. The path of the lateral ulnar collateral ligament gradually developed a detour because of the osseous protrusion of the lateral condyle with flexion. The most isometric point for the reconstructed lateral ulnar collateral ligament was calculated to be at a point 2 mm proximal to the center of the capitellum. CONCLUSIONS: The radial collateral ligament is essentially isometric, but the lateral ulnar collateral ligament is not. The lateral ulnar collateral ligament is loose in elbow extension and becomes tight with elbow flexion. PMID- 17768200 TI - Blood supply to the first metatarsal head and vessels at risk with a chevron osteotomy. AB - BACKGROUND: Chevron osteotomy, a commonly performed procedure for the treatment of hallux valgus, results in osteonecrosis of the first metatarsal head in 0% to 20% of cases. The aim of this study was to map out the arrangement of the vascular supply to the first metatarsal head and its relationship to the limbs of the chevron osteotomy. METHODS: Ten cadaveric lower limbs were injected with an India ink-latex mixture, and the feet were dissected to assess the blood supply to the first metatarsal head. The dissection was carried out by tracing the branches of the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial vessels. A distal chevron osteotomy was mapped, with the limbs of the osteotomy set at an angle of 60 degrees from the geometric center of the first metatarsal head. The relationship of the limbs of the osteotomy to the blood vessels was recorded. RESULTS: The first metatarsal head was found to be supplied by branches from the first dorsal metatarsal, first plantar metatarsal, and medial plantar arteries. The first dorsal metatarsal artery was the dominant vessel among the three arteries in eight specimens. All of the vessels formed a plexus at the plantar-lateral aspect of the metatarsal neck, just proximal to the capsular attachment, with a varying number of branches from the plexus then entering the metatarsal head. The plantar limb of the proposed chevron cuts exited through this plexus of vessels in all specimens. Contrary to the widely held view, only minor vascular branches could be found entering the dorsal aspect of the neck. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of the plantar-lateral corner of the metatarsal neck as the major site of vascular ingress into the first metatarsal head suggests that constructing the chevron osteotomy with a long plantar limb exiting well proximal to the capsular attachment may decrease the postoperative prevalence of osteonecrosis of the first metatarsal head. PMID- 17768201 TI - Evaluation of oxidation and fatigue damage of retrieved crossfire polyethylene acetabular cups. AB - BACKGROUND: Crossfire cross-linked polyethylene is produced differently from other cross-linked polyethylene materials; a below-melt-temperature annealing process is used with the goal of avoiding compromised mechanical properties. The present study was performed to evaluate retrieved Crossfire acetabular cups to determine whether they had oxidized and to what extent oxidation might have influenced their clinical performance. METHODS: Eleven acetabular cups were received at retrieval and a twelfth acetabular cup was received two years post retrieval over a period of four years. None were retrieved because of polyethylene wear or fatigue. The cups had been in vivo from 0.1 to 5.3 years. Each was examined visually, clinical fatigue damage was rated, and oxidation was measured with use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. RESULTS: The cups exhibited oxidation that varied with its location on the cup: the oxidation value was generally low on the articular surface but more than an order of magnitude higher value on the rim. Maximum rim oxidation correlated significantly with the time in vivo (Spearman rho = 0.734, p = 0.010). Oxidation was identified visually by a white band in thin sections on the rim of seven of the cups and on the articular surface of one of these seven cups. Six of the seven cups also exhibited clinical fatigue damage. Eight of the twelve cups exhibited evidence of impingement or dislocation. CONCLUSIONS: Acetabular cups made of Crossfire polyethylene oxidized to a measurable degree. The oxidation-related reduction of polyethylene mechanical properties was sufficient to allow the fatigue damage seen in these retrieved cups. PMID- 17768202 TI - The location in cartilage of infectious retrovirus in cats infected with feline leukemia virus. AB - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that articular cartilage allografts were not likely to transmit infectious retrovirus since viral DNA could not be isolated from chondrocytes of infected individuals. However, the ability of the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage to harbor and transmit a retrovirus has not been examined. We hypothesized that articular cartilage fragments, but not isolated chondrocytes, from cats systemically infected with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) are capable of transmitting infectious retrovirus. METHODS: Fresh cartilage segments and chondrocytes isolated from cats systemically infected with feline leukemia virus were used in this study. Feline embryonic fibroblast cells were cocultured with segments of cartilage, isolated chondrocytes, or fragments of cortical bone from each infected cat. The FeLV p27 antigen was measured in the coculture media by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, FeLV proviral nucleic acids were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction with use of DNA extracted from feline embryonic fibroblast cell cocultures as well as isolated chondrocytes. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess for FeLV p27 antigen in both intact cartilage fragments and isolated chondrocytes. RESULTS: Feline embryonic fibroblast cells cocultured with cartilage fragments from each of the five FeLV-infected cats all demonstrated high levels of proviral DNA, indicating transmission of infective virus. In addition, media from all cocultures of feline embryonic fibroblast cells and chondral fragments became positive for p27 antigen, indicating active viral replication. In contrast, cocultures of feline embryonic fibroblast cells and isolated chondrocytes from all FeLV-infected cats were negative for proviral DNA and p27 antigen. Likewise, no proviral nucleic acids could be detected in isolated chondrocytes from any infected cats. Cocultures of feline embryonic fibroblast cells with cortical bone fragments were positive for proviral DNA and p27 antigen. Immunohistochemical staining of cartilage fragments from FeLV-infected cats demonstrated the presence of p27 antigen throughout the extracellular matrix, but the p27 antigen was not detected in isolated chondrocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Articular cartilage fragments can readily transmit infectious retrovirus, but isolated chondrocytes were likely not the source of the infectious virus because they did not harbor proviral DNA or p27 antigen. PMID- 17768203 TI - Epidural hematoma causing paraplegia after a fluoroscopically guided cervical nerve-root injection. A case report. PMID- 17768204 TI - Surgical treatment of a tear of the pectoralis major muscle at its sternal origin. A case report. PMID- 17768205 TI - Invasive group-A streptococcal infection in an allograft recipient. A case report. PMID- 17768206 TI - Epidural hematoma secondary to removal of an epidural catheter after a total knee replacement. A case report. PMID- 17768207 TI - Management of distal radial fractures. PMID- 17768208 TI - AOA Symposium. Gainsharing in orthopaedics: passing fancy or wave of the future? PMID- 17768209 TI - Follow-up on misrepresentation of research activity by orthopaedic residency applicants: has anything changed? AB - BACKGROUND: In our previous study, published in 1999, we showed that 18% of research citations listed as published by orthopaedic residency applicants were misrepresented. Since our last report, we sought to determine whether there had been any change in the behavior of applicants wishing to pursue the field of orthopaedic surgery. METHODS: We evaluated the research citations that were identified after a review of the Publications section of the Common Application Form from the Electronic Residency Application Service for all applicants to our orthopaedic residency program for 2005 and 2006. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were established for citations listed on candidate applications. Citations were required to be from journals listed in Ulrich's Periodicals Directory. The PubMed MEDLINE database engine was used to search for citations. If searching failed to yield the cited publication, a review of the journal of alleged publication was undertaken and an interlibrary search was conducted with the use of several research databases. When no match was found, the citation was labeled as misrepresented. Misrepresentation was defined as either (1) nonauthorship of an existing article or (2) claimed authorship of a nonexistent article. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-two (35.9%) of 396 applicants during the 2005 and 2006 application periods listed publications. A total of 304 citations were claimed from these 142 applicants. Listings included articles that were in press or in print (thirty-four citations), articles in journals not found in Ulrich's Periodicals Directory (twenty-eight citations), book chapters (twenty-three citations), and articles recorded as having been submitted (eighty-eight citations). These 173 works were excluded from our analysis. One hundred and thirty-one citations were referenced as appearing in journals per our search criteria, and all were verified. Twenty-seven or 20.6% (95% confidence interval, 14.2% to 28.7%) of 131 citations were misrepresented. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of misrepresented research publications from orthopaedic surgery residency applicants increased modestly to 20.6% compared with that found in our original report (18%). As we recommended in our last report, we strongly urge residency programs to require applicants to submit reprints of their publications with their residency applications. Perhaps standardized guidelines should be developed to help to prevent misrepresentation through the Electronic Residency Application Service. PMID- 17768210 TI - Physician advertising: evaluation of a sample advertisement. PMID- 17768211 TI - What's new in orthopaedic research. PMID- 17768212 TI - A functional below-the-knee brace for tibial fractures: a report on its use in one hundred and thirty-five cases. 1970. PMID- 17768213 TI - The surgical technique of autologous chondrocyte transplantation of the talus with use of a periosteal graft. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: Despite its highly specialized nature, articular cartilage has a poor reparative capability. Treatment of symptomatic osteochondral defects of the talus has been especially difficult until now. METHODS: We performed autologous chondrocyte transplantation in twelve patients with a focal deep cartilage lesion of the talus. There were seven female and five male patients with a mean age of 29.7 years. The mean size of the lesion was 2.3 cm(2). All patients were studied prospectively. Evaluation was performed with use of the Hannover ankle rating score, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, a visual analog scale for pain, and magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: All patients were available for follow-up at a mean of sixty-three months. There was a significant improvement in the Hannover score, from 40.4 points preoperatively to 85.5 points at the follow-up examination, with seven excellent results, four good results, and one satisfactory result. The AOFAS mean score was 88.4 points compared with 43.5 points preoperatively. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a nearly congruent joint surface in seven patients, discrete irregularities in four, and an incongruent surface in one. The patients who had been involved in competitive sports were able to return to their full activity level. CONCLUSIONS: The promising clinical results of this study suggest that autologous chondrocyte transplantation is an effective and safe way to treat symptomatic osteochondral defects of the talus in appropriately selected patients. PMID- 17768214 TI - Reconstruction of segmental bone defects due to chronic osteomyelitis with use of an external fixator and an intramedullary nail. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: Callus distraction over an intramedullary nail is a rarely used technique for the reconstruction of intercalary defects of the femur and tibia after radical debridement of chronic osteomyelitic foci. The aim of this study was to summarize our experience with distraction osteogenesis performed with an external fixator combined with an intramedullary nail for the treatment of bone defects and limb-shortening resulting from radical debridement of chronic osteomyelitis. METHODS: Thirteen patients who ranged in age from eighteen to sixty-three years underwent radical debridement to treat a nonunion associated with chronic osteomyelitis of the tibia (seven patients) and femur (six patients). The lesions were classified, according to the Cierny-Mader classification system, as type IVA (nine) and type IVB (four). The resulting segmental defects and any limb-length discrepancy were then reconstructed with use of distraction osteogenesis over an intramedullary nail. Two patients required a local gastrocnemius flap. Free nonvascularized fibular grafts were added to the distraction site for augmentation of a femoral defect at the time of external fixator removal and locking of the nail in two patients. At the time of the latest follow-up, functional and radiographic results were evaluated with use of the criteria of Paley et al. RESULTS: The mean size of the defect was 10 cm (range, 6 to 13 cm) in the femur and 7 cm (range, 5 to 10 cm) in the tibia. The mean external fixator index was 13.5 days/cm, the consolidation index was 31.7 days/cm, and the mean time to union at the docking site was nine months (range, five to sixteen months). At a mean follow-up of 47.3 months, eleven of the thirteen patients had an excellent result in terms of both bone and functional assessment. There were two recurrences of infection necessitating nail removal. These patients underwent revision with an Ilizarov fixator. Subsequently, the infection was controlled and the nonunions healed. CONCLUSIONS: This combined method may prove to be an improvement on the classic techniques for the treatment of a nonunion of a long bone associated with chronic osteomyelitis, in terms of external fixation period and consolidation index. The earlier removal of the external fixator is associated with increased patient comfort, a decreased complication rate, and a convenient and rapid rehabilitation. PMID- 17768215 TI - Revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with doubled semitendinosus and gracilis tendons and lateral extra-articular reconstruction. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: The outcome of revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has only rarely been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of revision anterior cruciate ligament surgery with use of an autogenous doubled semitendinosus and gracilis graft in association with an extra-articular procedure. METHODS: Between 1997 and 2003, thirty patients underwent a repeat reconstruction of a previously reconstructed torn anterior cruciate ligament with use of a doubled semitendinosus and gracilis graft combined with an extra articular reconstruction. Primary reconstruction had been done with an autogenous patellar tendon graft in twenty-six patients and with a prosthetic ligament in four patients; the average time from the primary reconstruction to the revision was five years. Functional outcomes, graft survival, and radiographic outcomes were evaluated at a mean of five years. A graft was considered to have failed when a revision was done or when the side-to-side difference on KT-1000 arthrometer testing was >5 mm and/or the pivot-shift test grade was greater than a trace. RESULTS: One patient underwent another revision reconstruction because of graft failure at three years postoperatively. The mean International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective knee score for the remaining twenty nine patients was 84 +/- 12 points, and the mean Lysholm knee score was 90 +/- 10 points. The side-to-side difference as measured with the KT-1000 arthrometer with maximum manual force was <3 mm in twenty patients (of the twenty-eight who returned for follow-up), between 3 and 5 mm in six patients, and >5 mm in two patients. The result of the pivot shift examination was normal in fifteen patients, slightly positive in eleven patients, and positive in two patients. Twenty-five percent of the patients showed no radiographic signs of degenerative joint disease. CONCLUSIONS: Revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with use of an autogenous doubled semitendinosus and gracilis graft combined with an extra-articular procedure provided satisfactory functional outcomes, with a failure rate of 10%. PMID- 17768216 TI - Custom patellofemoral arthroplasty of the knee. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: The treatment of isolated patellofemoral arthritis is controversial. Several surgical procedures have been used to treat the severely degenerated patellofemoral joint, with varying degrees of success. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical results of a custom patellofemoral arthroplasty for the treatment of isolated patellofemoral degenerative arthritis of the knee. METHODS: From 1995 through 2002, twenty-five patellofemoral replacements, three of which were bilateral, were performed in twenty-two patients for the treatment of isolated patellofemoral arthritis of the knee. According to the Ahlback radiographic evaluation scale, the mean preoperative score for the severity of the arthritis was 4.65 points in the patellofemoral compartment and 0.5 point in both the medial and the lateral compartment. The patients included sixteen women (two of whom had a bilateral replacement) and six men (one of whom had a bilateral replacement) with a mean age of forty-five years at the time of the index arthroplasty. Seventeen patients (nineteen knees) had had a prior procedure on the knee. The mean preoperative Knee Society functional score was 49 points, and the mean preoperative Knee Society objective score was 52 points. RESULTS: At a mean of seventy-three months (range, thirty-two to 119 months) postoperatively, all twenty-five implants were in place and functioning well. There were eighteen excellent and seven good results. The mean Knee Society functional score was 89 points, and the mean Knee Society objective score was 91 points. No patient had required additional surgery or had component loosening. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of our relatively short-term follow-up study, custom patellofemoral arthroplasty appears to be a safe and effective treatment for isolated patellofemoral arthritis of the knee. We believe that the results presented in this paper justify the additional cost associated with the custom device. PMID- 17768217 TI - Subtrochanteric valgus osteotomy for chronically dislocated, painful spastic hips. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: Many treatments have been proposed for a painful chronically dislocated hip in a child with spasticity who is unable to walk. The valgus subtrochanteric femoral osteotomy was originally described as a treatment for a missed congenital hip dislocation in a young adult who was able to walk. The purpose of this study was to investigate the outcomes of a modified Hass subtrochanteric valgus osteotomy for the treatment of symptomatic chronic hip dislocations in patients with spasticity due to neuromuscular disorders. METHODS: Patients were identified by surgical codes. Medical records were reviewed for surgical indications, complications, and results. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs were assessed. Caregivers were contacted and asked to complete a brief survey detailing the pain that the patient experienced with daily activities before and after surgery as well as other information. RESULTS: Thirty one Hass osteotomies in twenty-four consecutive patients were performed by one surgeon between 1995 and 2005. Although fifteen patients (63%) had at least one complication (including urinary tract infection, pneumonia, hardware failure, and heterotopic bone formation), the majority of the patients were doing well at an average of forty-four months postoperatively. The duration for which the patient could sit, ease of transfers, and ease of diaper changes had all improved according to the caregivers. Fourteen of fifteen caregivers who replied to the question stated that they were satisfied with the operative results and would have the procedure done again if they had the decision to make. CONCLUSIONS: The modified Hass osteotomy provides children who have symptomatic hip dislocations due to neuromuscular disorders with reproducible pain relief and improves ease of positioning by their caregivers. The complication rate, although high, was comparable with that of similar surgical procedures in this patient population. Concurrent femoral head resection at the time of the proximal femoral osteotomy was not necessary in this group of patients. PMID- 17768218 TI - Operative treatment of primary synovial osteochondromatosis of the hip. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: Primary synovial osteochondromatosis of the hip, a rare benign condition characterized by multiple intra-articular osteochondral loose bodies and synovial hyperplasia, may result in mechanical symptoms and degenerative arthritis if untreated. The purpose of this study was to report the results of arthrotomy alone or combined with anterior dislocation of the hip to perform synovectomy and removal of loose bodies in patients with this condition. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of twenty-one patients (twenty one hips) with primary synovial osteochondromatosis of the hip treated with open surgical debridement. On the basis of the extent of extra-articular involvement as seen on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, eight of the twenty-one patients underwent synovectomy and removal of loose bodies following anterior dislocation of the hip and thirteen underwent the same procedure with arthrotomy alone. At a mean of 4.4 years postoperatively, the patients were assessed clinically and radiographically with special attention to disease recurrence, osteoarthritis progression, and surgical complications. RESULTS: The mean Harris hip score for the entire series of patients improved from 58 points preoperatively to 91 points at the time of the latest follow-up. Eighteen of the twenty-one patients had a good or excellent clinical result, and seventeen patients were satisfied with the result of the surgery. The clinical scores, patient satisfaction scores, and radiographic grades of osteoarthritis at the time of the latest follow-up did not differ significantly between the group treated with dislocation and the group treated without dislocation. Symptomatic disease recurred in two of the thirteen hips treated with arthrotomy alone and in none of the hips that had undergone dislocation. However, the surgical complication rate was higher in the group treated with dislocation than it was in the group treated without dislocation (p = 0.042). While patients with some signs of mild osteoarthritis at the initial procedure had a higher rate of osteoarthritis progression, severe osteoarthritis requiring arthroplasty had developed in only one patient at the time of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: At a mean of 4.4 years postoperatively, we found that open synovectomy and removal of loose bodies for the treatment of primary synovial osteochondromatosis of the hip is a reliable procedure that can effectively relieve symptoms. Our results also indicated that synovial osteochondromatosis may recur in patients with extensive involvement who are treated with synovectomy alone without dislocation of the hip; however, surgical complications are more likely to occur in patients managed with anterior dislocation of the hip and synovectomy. PMID- 17768219 TI - Rotational acetabular osteotomy for advanced osteoarthritis secondary to dysplasia of the hip. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: Satisfactory intermediate and long-term results of rotational acetabular osteotomy for the treatment of early osteoarthritis secondary to developmental dysplasia of the hip have been reported. The purpose of this study was to examine the results of rotational acetabular osteotomy in patients with advanced osteoarthritis secondary to developmental dysplasia of the hip. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the results of rotational acetabular osteotomy in forty-three patients (forty-three hips). All of the patients had radiographic evidence of advanced-stage osteoarthritis, defined as narrowing of the joint space with cystic radiolucencies and small osteophytes according to the staging system of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Forty-one patients were female, and two were male. The mean age was 43.8 years at the time of surgery, and the mean duration of follow-up was 8.5 years. Clinical follow-up was performed with use of the system of Merle d'Aubigne and Postel. The center-edge angle, acetabular roof angle, head lateralization index, and minimum width of the joint space were measured on radiographs made preoperatively, postoperatively, and at the time of final follow-up. Postoperative joint congruency was classified into four grades. RESULTS: The mean preoperative Merle d'Aubigne clinical score was 13.3 points, which improved to a mean of 15.4 points at the time of the latest follow-up (p < 0.0001). The mean center-edge angle improved from 0.7 degrees preoperatively to 29 degrees at three months postoperatively (p < 0.0001), the mean acetabular roof angle improved from 30 degrees to 11 degrees (p < 0.0001), the mean head lateralization index improved from 0.69 to 0.65 (p < 0.01), and the mean minimum width of the joint space improved from 2.2 to 2.5 mm (p < 0.0003). Ten hips had radiographic evidence of progression of osteoarthritis. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis, with radiographic signs of progression of osteoarthritis as the end point, predicted a ten-year survival rate of 72.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Rotational acetabular osteotomy for advanced osteoarthritis secondary to dysplasia of the hip in properly selected patients can improve clinical scores and is associated with a lack of radiographic signs of progression of osteoarthritis in most patients. PMID- 17768220 TI - Treatment of unstable distal radial fractures with the volar locking plating system. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: The best treatment for an inadequately reduced fracture of the distal part of the radius is not well established. We collected prospective outcomes data for patients undergoing open reduction and internal fixation of an inadequately reduced distal radial fracture with use of the volar locking plating system. METHODS: Over a two-year period, 161 patients underwent open reduction and internal fixation of an inadequately reduced distal radial fracture with use of the volar locking plating system. Patients were enrolled in the present study three months after the fracture on the basis of strict entry criteria and were evaluated three, six, and twelve months after surgery. Outcome measures included radiographic parameters, grip strength, lateral pinch strength, the Jebsen-Taylor test, wrist range of motion, and the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire. RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients with a distal radial fracture were enrolled. The mean age at the time of enrollment was 48.9 years. Forty percent (thirty-five) of the eighty-seven fractures were classified as AO type A, 9% (eight) were classified as type B, and 51% (forty-four) were classified as type C. Radiographic assessment showed that the plating system maintained anatomic reduction at the follow-up periods. At the time of the twelve-month follow-up, the mean grip strength on the injured side was worse than that on the contralateral side (18 compared with 21 kg; p < 0.01), the mean pinch strength on the injured side was not significantly different from that on the contralateral side (8.7 compared with 8.9 kg; p = 0.27), and the mean flexion of the wrist on the injured side was 86% of that on the contralateral side. All Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire domains approached normal scores at six months, with small continued improvement to one year. CONCLUSIONS: The volar locking plating system appears to provide effective fixation when used for the treatment of initially inadequately reduced distal radial fractures. PMID- 17768221 TI - Fracture of the anteromedial facet of the coronoid process. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: Fracture of the anteromedial facet of the coronoid was recently recognized as a distinct type of coronoid fracture resulting from a varus posteromedial rotational injury force. Very few reports are available to help guide the management of these injuries. METHODS: Eighteen patients with a fracture of the anteromedial facet of the coronoid process were treated over a six-year period. Twelve patients were treated for the acute fracture, and six were managed after initial treatment elsewhere. All but three patients (two with concomitant fracture of the olecranon and one with a second fracture at the base of the coronoid) had avulsion of the origin of the lateral collateral ligament complex from the lateral epicondyle. The initial treatment was operative in fifteen patients and nonoperative in three. The coronoid fracture was secured with a plate applied to the medial surface of the coronoid in nine patients, a screw in one patient, and sutures in one patient. It was not repaired in the remaining seven patients. RESULTS: At the final evaluation, an average of twenty six months after the injury, six patients had malalignment of the anteromedial facet of the coronoid with varus subluxation of the elbow, which was due to the fact that the fracture had not been specifically treated in four patients and to loss of fracture fixation in two patients. All six had development of arthrosis and a fair or poor result according to the system of Broberg and Morrey. The remaining twelve patients had good or excellent elbow function. CONCLUSIONS: Anteromedial fractures of the coronoid are associated with either subluxation or complete dislocation of the elbow in most patients. Secure fixation of the coronoid fracture usually restores good elbow function. PMID- 17768222 TI - Surgical technique and anatomic study of latissimus dorsi and teres major transfers. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: Combined latissimus dorsi and teres major musculotendinous transfer has been described for the treatment of massive rotator cuff deficits. The procedure is technically complex because of the proximity of the radial nerve, the axillary nerve and its posterior branches, and the neurovascular bundles to the muscles. The purpose of the present cadaveric study was to examine surgically relevant relationships for latissimus dorsi and teres major tendon transfers. METHODS: Twelve cadaveric shoulder girdles were dissected, and the latissimus dorsi, the teres major, and the posterior cord of the brachial plexus and its branches were identified. The relationships between the tendons and local neurologic structures were measured during various steps of the latissimus dorsi/teres major transfer procedure. The effect of humeral rotation on the exposure of the latissimus dorsi and teres major tendons through the posterior approach was quantified, and relevant surgical landmarks were described. RESULTS: The radial nerve passed directly anterior to the tendons at an average of 2.9 cm medial to the superior aspect and 2.3 cm medial to the inferior aspect of the humeral insertions. From the posterior axillary approach, maximal internal rotation facilitated exposure for tenotomy by delivering the tendon insertions on the humerus into the surgical field. During axial mobilization of the musculotendinous units, the neurovascular pedicles to the latissimus dorsi and teres major were identified at an average of 13.1 and 7.4 cm axial to the humeral insertions, respectively. The posterior branch of the axillary nerve was noted to cross superficially over the transferred tendons as they were tunneled under the posterior deltoid. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple steps of the combined latissimus dorsi and teres major musculotendinous transfer place local neurologic structures at risk. These steps include tendon release, musculotendinous axial mobilization, and tendon tunneling in the plane between the infraspinatus-teres minor and the posterior deltoid. We have quantified and described the relationship of the axillary and radial nerves to the tendons during tenotomy, the distance from the tendons' insertions to their neurovascular bundle that must be identified during axial mobilization, and the course of the posterior branch of the axillary nerve in relation to the tunneled path of the tendons. PMID- 17768223 TI - Temporary internal distraction as an aid to correction of severe scoliosis. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: Halo traction is a well-recognized adjunct for correcting severe, complex, rigid scoliotic curves, but it is associated with complications and is contraindicated in the presence of fixed cervical instability, kyphosis, or stenosis. In addition, halo traction often requires prolonged hospital stays and is not welcomed by all families. These limitations led to consideration of temporary internal distraction as an alternative. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of children in whom severe scoliosis had been treated with temporary internal distraction. Our goals were to (1) assess whether the use of temporary internal distraction can aid in the correction of severe scoliosis and (2) identify complications associated with temporary internal distraction and compare them with those associated with halo traction. The mean preoperative curve was 104 degrees. All patients underwent initial posterior release of the rigid portion of the spine (with six also having anterior release) and placement of spinal instrumentation under distraction during spinal cord monitoring. Of the ten patients, four had one distraction procedure (i.e., the initial surgery [or first distraction]) followed by definitive fusion and the remaining six had two distraction procedures (i.e., the initial surgery [or first distraction] followed by the second distraction) followed by definitive fusion. After distraction, all patients underwent posterior spinal fusion with definitive dual-rod fixation. The amount of correction was determined by measuring the curve on plain radiographs made preoperatively, after each internal distraction procedure, after definitive fusion, and at the time of final follow-up. RESULTS: Curve correction after use of internal distraction, and before definitive fusion, averaged 53% (from 104 degrees to 49 degrees) (range, 39% [from 70 degrees to 43 degrees] to 79% [from 70 degrees to 15 degrees]). This method facilitated safe, gradual deformity correction in all ten patients. The mean time between the initial procedure and the definitive fusion was 2.4 weeks. The mean final curve correction was 80% (from 104 degrees to 20 degrees) (range, 73% [from 131 degrees to 35 degrees] to 91% [from 110 degrees to 10 degrees]). No neurologic deficits or infections resulted. CONCLUSIONS: Temporary internal distraction is a viable alternative approach to maximizing curve correction in patients undergoing spinal fusion for severe scoliosis. PMID- 17768224 TI - Surgical outcomes of posterior lumbar interbody fusion in elderly patients. Surgical technique. AB - BACKGROUND: We are aware of no reports on the surgical results of posterior lumbar interbody fusion in elderly patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical and radiographic results of posterior lumbar interbody fusion with pedicle screws in patients older than seventy years of age and compare them with results in younger patients. We also investigated the association between the clinical and radiographic results. METHODS: The study included 101 patients who had been followed for at least three years after posterior lumbar interbody fusion with pedicle screws for the treatment of L4-L5 degenerative spondylolisthesis. The average follow-up period was fifty months. The patients were divided into two groups according to their age at the time of the operation: Group 1 included thirty-one patients who were seventy years of age or older (average age, seventy-four years) at the time of the operation, and Group 2 included seventy patients who were less than seventy years old (average age, fifty-nine years). Preoperative and postoperative status (according to the Japanese Orthopaedic Association scoring system) and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Postoperative radiographic features, including fusion status and segmental lordosis, were also examined. RESULTS: No significant differences in preoperative and postoperative scores were observed between the two age groups, with the numbers available. General complications were found in Group 1. However, the prevalence of adjacent segment degeneration in Group 1 was lower than that in Group 2. The radiographic results revealed no significant difference in the prevalence of segmental lordosis, with the numbers available. There was no nonunion in either group. Although the prevalence of either collapsed union or delayed union in Group 1 was significantly higher than that in Group 2 (p = 0.034), the fusion results such as union in situ, collapsed union, and delayed union did not appear to affect the postoperative clinical results in this study. CONCLUSIONS: No obvious differences in the clinical results were observed between the age groups with the numbers available. Postoperative adjacent segment degeneration was less frequent and collapsed union and delayed union were more common in the elderly group. The fusion results did not appear to affect the postoperative clinical results in this study. PMID- 17768225 TI - Electrophysiological characterization of responses from gustatory receptor neurons of sensilla chaetica in the moth Heliothis virescens. AB - Discrimination of edible and noxious food is crucial for survival in all organisms. We have studied the physiology of the gustatory receptor neurons (GRNs) in contact chemosensilla (insect gustatory organs) located on the antennae of the moth Heliothis virescens, emphasizing putative phagostimulants and deterrents. Sucrose and the 2 bitter substances quinine and sinigrin elicited responses in a larger proportion of GRNs than inositol, KCl, NaCl, and ethanol, and the firing thresholds were lowest for sucrose and quinine. Variations in GRN composition in individual sensilla occurred without any specific patterns to indicate specific sensillum types. Separate neurons showed excitatory responses to sucrose and the 2 bitter substances quinine and sinigrin, implying that the moth might be able to discriminate bitter substances in addition to separating phagostimulants and deterrents. Besides being detected by separate receptors on the moth antennae, the bitter tastants were shown to have an inhibitory effect on phagostimulatory GRNs. Sucrose was highly appetitive in behavioral studies of proboscis extension, whereas quinine had a nonappetitive effect in the moths. PMID- 17768226 TI - Sialic acid utilization by bacterial pathogens. AB - Sialic acid occupies the terminal position within glycan molecules on the surfaces of many vertebrate cells, where it functions in diverse cellular processes such as intercellular adhesion and cell signalling. Pathogenic bacteria have evolved to use this molecule beneficially in at least two different ways: they can coat themselves in sialic acid, providing resistance to components of the host's innate immune response, or they can use it as a nutrient. Sialic acid itself is either synthesized de novo by these bacteria or scavenged directly from the host. In this mini-review we will summarize recent findings relating to sialic acid transport, modification of sialic acid by O-acetylation, and the mechanisms of sialic acid-mediated complement resistance. PMID- 17768227 TI - Host gastro-intestinal dynamics and the frequency of colicin production by Escherichia coli. AB - The production of antimicrobial compounds known as colicins has been shown to be an important mediator of competitive interactions among Escherichia coli genotypes. There is some understanding of the forces responsible for determining the frequency of colicin production in E. coli populations; however, this understanding cannot explain all of the observed variation. A survey of colicin production in E. coli isolated from native Australian mammals revealed that the frequency of colicin production in strains isolated from carnivores was significantly lower than the frequency of production in strains recovered from herbivores or omnivores. The intestine of Australian carnivores is tube-like and gut turnover rates are rapid compared with the turnover rates of the intestinal tracts of herbivores and omnivores, all of which possess a hindgut fermentation chamber. A mathematical model was developed in order to determine if variation in gut turnover rates could determine if a host was more likely to harbour a colicin producing strain or a non-producer. The model predicted that a colicin producer was more likely to dominate in the gut of a host with lower gut turnover rates, and a non-producer to dominate in hosts with rapid gut turnover rates. PMID- 17768228 TI - Intoxication of epithelial cells by plasmid-encoded toxin requires clathrin mediated endocytosis. AB - It has been shown that the autotransporter plasmid-encoded toxin (Pet) of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) produces cytotoxic and enterotoxic effects. Both effects can be explained by the proteolytic activity of Pet on its intracellular target alpha-fodrin (alphaII spectrin). In addition, Pet cytotoxicity and enterotoxicity depend on Pet serine protease activity, and on its internalization into epithelial cells. However, the mechanisms of Pet uptake by epithelial cells are unknown. Here, we show that Pet interacts with the plasma membrane of epithelial cells, and afterwards is detected inside the cells. Furthermore, Pet was internalized via clathrin-mediated endocytosis, since its internalization was inhibited by monodansylcadaverine and sucrose, but not by filipin or methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, which are drugs that interfere with protein entry via a clathrin-independent pathway. Additionally, Pet was immunoprecipitated by anti-clathrin antibodies, but not by anti-caveolin antibodies. Moreover, small interfering RNA (siRNA), designed to knock out clathrin gene expression in HEp-2 cells, prevented Pet internalization, and thereby the Pet-induced cytotoxic effect. However, the use of siRNA to knock out caveolin expression had no effect on Pet internalization, and the cytotoxic effect was clearly observed. Together, these data indicate that Pet secreted by EAEC binds to the cell surface via an unknown receptor, to be taken up by clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and exert its toxic effect in the cytoplasm. PMID- 17768229 TI - A novel bacterial disease of the European shore crab, Carcinus maenas molecular pathology and epidemiology. AB - Several rickettsia-like diseases have been reported in arthropods (insects and crustaceans), some of which result in significant losses of economically important species such as shrimp and crabs. This study reports on the molecular pathology of a recently emerged disease of the European shore crab, Carcinus maenas, termed milky disease - named as a result of the unusual milky appearance of the haemolymph (blood). This disease was more prevalent (>26 %) during summer months when the water temperature in a pilot crab farm was approximately 19 degrees C. The putative causative agent of the disease was a Gram-negative bacterium that could not be cultured on a range of agar-based growth media. Diseased crabs showed significant reductions in free blood cell numbers and total serum protein. Such animals also displayed raised levels of glucose and ammonium in blood. Ultrastructural and in situ hybridization studies revealed that the causative agent associated with milky disease multiplied in the fixed phagocytes of the hepatopancreas (digestive gland), ultimately to be released into the haemolymph, where the circulating blood cells showed little response to the presence of these agents. Attempts to induce the infection by short-term temperature stress failed, as did transmission experiments where healthy crabs were fed infected tissues from milky disease affected individuals. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene from the milky disease bacteria indicated that they are a previously undescribed species of alpha-proteobacteria with little phylogenetic similarity to members of the order Rickettsiales. PMID- 17768230 TI - Fusarium verticillioides GAP1, a gene encoding a putative glycolipid-anchored surface protein, participates in conidiation and cell wall structure but not virulence. AB - Fusarium verticillioides is an important pathogen of maize that causes ear rot and produces the mycotoxins known as fumonisins. To date, knowledge of pathogenicity and the regulation of fumonisin biosynthesis in F. verticillioides is limited. Here, the molecular characterization of GAP1, a gene encoding a putative 540 aa protein that belongs to a glycolipid-anchored surface (GAS) protein family, is presented. F. verticillioides GAP1 was identified as an expressed sequence tag (EST) upregulated in a culture condition conducive to conidiation and fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) production. GAP1 null mutants GAM126 (Deltagap1 : : HYG) and GAG8 (Deltagap1 : : GEN) exhibited restricted growth, with more aerial hyphae than their wild-type progenitor on solid media. No defect in mycelial mass or filamentous growth was observed when the GAM126 and GAG8 strains were grown in liquid media under shaking conditions. When grown in suspended conditions, GAM126 and GAG8 strains produced significantly fewer conidia and produced comparatively densely branched hyphae. Concanavalin A staining indicated that the GAP1 deletion altered the cell wall carbohydrate composition/deposition process. Deletion of GAP1 did not affect the production level of FB(1) or F. verticillioides virulence on maize seedlings and stalks. Complementation of GAM126 with the wild-type GAP1 gene restored growth, conidiation and cell wall abnormality phenotypes. The results suggest that GAP1 is associated with growth, development and conidiation in F. verticillioides, but not with pathogenicity or regulation of FB(1). PMID- 17768231 TI - Intracellular type III secretion by cytoplasmic Shigella flexneri promotes caspase-1-dependent macrophage cell death. AB - The Gram-negative bacterium Shigella flexneri triggers pro-inflammatory apoptotic cell death in macrophages, which is crucial for the onset of an acute inflammatory diarrhoea termed bacillary dysentery. The Mxi-Spa type III secretion system promotes bacterial uptake and escape into the cytoplasm, where, dependent on the translocator/effector protein IpaB, caspase-1 [interleukin (IL)-1beta converting enzyme] and its substrate IL-1beta are activated. Here, we show that in the course of a macrophage infection, IpaB is secreted intracellularly for more than 1 h post-infection and progressively accumulates in aggregates on the bacterial surface. Concomitantly, the bacterial pool of IpaB is gradually depleted. The protonophore carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) dose dependently inhibited the Mxi-Spa-dependent secretion of IpaB triggered by the dye Congo red in vitro and abolished translocation of IpaB into the host-cell cytoplasm of S. flexneri-infected macrophages. CCCP specifically inhibited S. flexneri-triggered macrophage death in a dose-dependent manner, even if added up to 60 min post-infection. Addition of CCCP 15 min after infection blocked macrophage cell death, the activation of caspase-1 and the maturation of IL 1beta, without affecting uptake or escape of S. flexneri from the phagosome. By contrast, CCCP used at the same concentration had no effect on ATP-induced caspase-1 activation or staurosporine-induced apoptosis. Our results indicate that under the conditions used, CCCP rapidly and specifically blocks bacterial type III secretion, and thus, intracellular type III secretion promotes cytotoxicity of S. flexneri. PMID- 17768232 TI - The morphogenetic regulator Czf1p is a DNA-binding protein that regulates white opaque switching in Candida albicans. AB - Czf1p has been demonstrated to regulate the switch between the yeast-cell morphology and filamentous morphologies of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. The predicted amino acid sequence of Czf1p contains a zinc-cluster motif similar to the DNA-binding domains of proteins such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae Gal4p, suggesting that Czf1p is a DNA-binding protein. Czf1p also demonstrates genetic interaction and a two-hybrid interaction with a second regulator of C. albicans cellular morphology, Efg1p. During growth in contact with an agar matrix, Efg1p has a negative effect on filamentation and Czf1p antagonizes this effect. In addition to regulating cellular morphology, Efg1p plays a role in regulating the cell-type switch between the commonly observed white phase of C. albicans and the opaque, mating-competent phase. While overexpression of EFG1 stimulates the switch from opaque to white, the results reported here demonstrate that overexpression of CZF1 promotes the reverse switch, from white to opaque. We also demonstrate that Czf1p binds CZF1 promoter DNA in vitro. Therefore, for the regulation of both contact-dependent filamentation and white-opaque switching, Czf1p and Efg1p have opposing functions. PMID- 17768233 TI - Genome sequence comparison and superinfection between two related Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages, D3112 and MP22. AB - A temperate transposable bacteriophage (MP22) was isolated from a Korean clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It has a coliphage lambda-like morphology and a double-stranded DNA genome. The complete nucleotide sequence and annotation of the MP22 genome and its characteristics are presented. The MP22 genome is 36 409 bp long with a G+C content of 64.2 mol%. The genome contains 51 proposed ORFs, of which 48 (94 %) display synteny and significant nucleotide and protein sequence similarity to the corresponding ORFs of the closely related phage, D3112. Three of the predicted ORFs are unique proteins, whose functions are yet to be revealed. The phage c repressors exhibit striking dissimilarities and, when present as a single gene, did not show cross-immunity. In contrast, although an MP22 lysogen could be productively infected with D3112, MP22 could not grow on a D3112 lysogen, indicating a role of other D3112 genes in superinfection exclusion. PMID- 17768234 TI - The Helicobacter pylori CagF protein is a type IV secretion chaperone-like molecule that binds close to the C-terminal secretion signal of the CagA effector protein. AB - Type IV secretion systems are common bacterial macromolecule transporters that have been adapted to various functions, such as effector protein translocation to eukaryotic cells, nucleoprotein transfer to bacterial or eukaryotic cells, and DNA transport into and out of bacterial cells. Helicobacter pylori, the causative agent of bacterial gastritis, peptic ulcers, gastric adenocarcinoma and mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, uses the Cag type IV secretion system to inject the CagA protein into host cells, thereby altering gene expression profiles and the host cell cytoskeleton. The molecular mechanism of CagA recognition as a type IV substrate is only poorly understood, but seems to be more complex than that of other type IV secretion systems. Apart from 14 essential components of the secretion apparatus, CagA translocation specifically requires the presence of four additional Cag proteins. Here we show that the CagA binding protein CagF is a secretion chaperone-like protein that interacts with a 100 aa region that is adjacent to the C-terminal secretion signal of CagA. The interaction between CagA and CagF takes place at the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane, and is independent of a functional type IV secretion apparatus and other cag-encoded factors. Our data indicate that CagF binding precedes recognition of the C-terminal CagA translocation signal, and that both steps are required to recruit CagA to the type IV translocation channel. PMID- 17768235 TI - TGF-beta1 induces transendothelial migration of the pathogenic fungus Sporothrix schenckii by a paracellular route involving extracellular matrix proteins. AB - Sporotrichosis, a mycosis caused by Sporothrix schenckii, is characterized by lymphocutaneous lesions. In immunocompromised hosts, this fungus may invade the bloodstream and disseminate to other tissues, such as lung and bone. Our group previously showed that S. schenckii yeasts adhere to endothelial monolayers and that this interaction is modulated by cytokines. Using 3.0 mum-pore culture inserts, the present work shows that transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 led to a 80+/-26 % increase in fungal migration across endothelial monolayers and inhibited fungus internalization by 55+/-23.5 %, when compared to untreated cells. The major surface endothelial molecules recognized by S. schenckii were not modulated by TGF-beta1. These data suggested that a paracellular route is preferentially used by S. schenckii during the transmigration of cultured endothelial cells. It was further observed that TGF-beta1 increased the subendothelial matrix exposure and that anti-fibronectin (anti-FN) and anti laminin (anti-LM) antibodies abolished the increase in S. schenckii association with endothelial monolayers induced by TGF-beta1. These antibodies also inhibited (38.2+/-4.29 % and 50.8+/-17.3 %, respectively) the adhesion of S. schenckii to freshly prepared native endothelial matrices. Furthermore, transendothelial migration of S. schenckii was blocked by anti-FN and anti-LM antibodies. These data indicate that TGF-beta1-induced S. schenckii adhesion to endothelial monolayers results from the increased exposure of the subendothelial extracellular matrix and that this event may contribute to the enhancement of transendothelial migration. PMID- 17768236 TI - Effects of Fis on Escherichia coli gene expression during different growth stages. AB - Fis is a nucleoid-associated protein in Escherichia coli that is abundant during early exponential growth in rich medium but is in short supply during stationary phase. Its role as a transcriptional regulator has been demonstrated for an increasing number of genes. In order to gain insight into the global effects of Fis on E. coli gene expression during different stages of growth in rich medium, DNA microarray analyses were conducted in fis and wild-type strains during early, mid-, late-exponential and stationary growth phases. The results uncovered 231 significantly regulated genes that were distributed over 15 functional categories. Regulatory effects were observed at all growth stages examined. Coordinate upregulation was observed for a number of genes involved in translation, flagellar biosynthesis and motility, nutrient transport, carbon compound metabolism, and energy metabolism at different growth stages. Coordinate down-regulation was also observed for genes involved in stress response, amino acid and nucleotide biosynthesis, energy and intermediary metabolism, and nutrient transport. As cells transitioned from the early to the late-exponential growth phase, different functional categories of genes were regulated, and a gradual shift occurred towards mostly down-regulation. The results demonstrate that the growth phase-dependent Fis expression triggers coordinate regulation of 15 categories of functionally related genes during specific stages of growth of an E. coli culture. PMID- 17768237 TI - Phenotypic characterization of OmpX, an Ail homologue of Yersinia pestis KIM. AB - The goal of this study was to characterize the Yersinia pestis KIM OmpX protein. Yersinia spp. provide a model for studying several virulence processes including attachment to, and internalization by, host cells. For Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Ail, YadA and Inv, have been implicated in these processes. In Y. pestis, YadA and Inv are inactivated. Genomic analysis of two Y. pestis strains revealed four loci with sequence homology to Ail. One of these genes, designated y1324 in the Y. pestis KIM database, encodes a protein designated OmpX. The mature protein has a predicted molecular mass of 17.47 kDa, shares approximately 70 % sequence identity with Y. enterocolitica Ail, and has an identical homologue, designated Ail, in the Y. pestis CO92 database. The present study compared the Y. pestis KIM6(+) parental strain with a mutant derivative having an engineered disruption of the OmpX structural gene. The parental strain (and a merodiploid control strain) expressed OmpX at 28 and 37 degrees C, and the protein was detectable throughout all phases of growth. OmpX was required for efficient adherence to, and internalization by, cultured HEp-2 cell monolayers and conferred resistance to the bactericidal effect of human serum. Deletion of ompX resulted in a significantly reduced autoaggregation phenotype and loss of pellicle formation in vitro. These results suggest that Y. pestis OmpX shares functional homology with Y. enterocolitica Ail in adherence, internalization into epithelial cells and serum resistance. PMID- 17768238 TI - Strain-dependent induction of epithelial cell oncosis by Campylobacter jejuni is correlated with invasion ability and is independent of cytolethal distending toxin. AB - Induction of host cell death is thought to play an important role in bacterial pathogenesis. Campylobacter jejuni is a prevalent cause of bacterial enteritis; however, its effects on enterocytes remain unclear. The present study indicates for the first time that C. jejuni induces oncotic, rather than apoptotic death of T84 enterocytes. C. jejuni-treated enterocytes exhibited extensive cytoplasmic vacuolation, rapid (3-6 h) loss of plasma membrane integrity ('cytotoxicity'), loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and ATP depletion. Enterocytes also exhibited increased oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation, a feature characteristic of apoptosis. However, consistent with a non-apoptotic process, DNA fragmentation and cytotoxicity were not caspase dependent. During apoptosis, caspases mediate cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase; however, cleavage was not observed in C. jejuni-treated monolayers. Cytotoxicity, ATP depletion and DNA fragmentation were not prevented by the deletion of the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) gene, indicating that C. jejuni causes enterocyte oncosis via a mechanism that is CDT independent. The ability to cause oncosis was significantly decreased in a FlaAFlaB mutant (CDT(+)) that was defective in the ability to adhere and invade enterocytes. Analysis of clinical isolates revealed that oncosis was strain dependent and correlated with increased invasive ability. These observations offer new insights into the pathogenesis of C. jejuni infection. PMID- 17768239 TI - The cyclic AMP receptor protein modulates quorum sensing, motility and multiple genes that affect intestinal colonization in Vibrio cholerae. AB - Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, which continues to be a major public health concern in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The bacterium can persist outside the human host and alternates between planktonic and biofilm community lifestyles. Transition between the different lifestyles is mediated by multiple signal transduction pathways including quorum sensing. Expression of the Zn-metalloprotease haemagglutinin (HA)/protease is subject to a dual regulation which involves the quorum-sensing regulator HapR and the cAMP receptor protein. In a previous study, we observed that a mutant defective in the cAMP-receptor protein (CRP) expressed lower levels of HapR. To further investigate the role of CRP in modulating HapR and other signal transduction pathways, we performed global gene expression profiling of a Deltacrp mutant of El Tor biotype V. cholerae. Here we show that CRP is required for the biosynthesis of cholera autoinducer 1 (CAI-1) and affects the expression of multiple HapR-regulated genes. As expected, the Deltacrp mutant produced more cholera toxin and enhanced biofilm. Expression of flagellar genes, reported to be affected in DeltahapR mutants, was diminished in the Deltacrp mutant. However, an epistasis analysis indicated that cAMP-CRP affects motility by a mechanism independent of HapR. Inactivation of crp inhibited the expression of multiple genes reported to be strongly induced in vivo and to affect the ability of V. cholerae to colonize the small intestine and cause disease. These genes included ompU, ompT and ompW encoding outer-membrane proteins, the alternative sigma factor sigma(E) required for intestinal colonization, and genes involved in anaerobic energy metabolism. Our results indicate that CRP plays a crucial role in the V. cholerae life cycle by affecting quorum sensing and multiple genes required for survival of V. cholerae in the human host and the environment. PMID- 17768240 TI - Conjugative DNA transfer in Streptomyces: SpdB2 involved in the intramycelial spreading of plasmid pSVH1 is an oligomeric integral membrane protein that binds to dsDNA. AB - In the current model of conjugal plasmid transfer in mycelium-forming streptomycetes, plasmid transfer by the FtsK-like TraB protein is followed by the subsequent spreading of the newly transferred plasmid within the neighbouring mycelial compartments. Several plasmid-encoded Spd proteins are involved in the plasmid spreading by an unknown mechanism. spdB2 of the conjugative pSVH1 plasmid of Streptomyces venezuelae was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and Streptomyces lividans, with a C-terminal His-tag-encoding sequence. Induction of spdB2-His expression affected viability in both species. The integral membrane protein SpdB2-His was eluted from the membrane fraction of S. lividans with Triton X-100, and purified as a soluble protein by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. Cross-linking experiments with glutaraldehyde showed that SpdB2 His formed oligomers. SpdB2-His had a nonspecific DNA-binding activity: while all types of dsDNA were bound, single-stranded M13-DNA was not recognized. The spd genes of the spdB3-spd79-spdB2 operon of pSVH1 were simultaneously expressed in E. coli with different affinity tags. While expression of StrepII-SpdB3 was not detected, Spd79-flag and SpdB2-His were localized in the membrane fraction of E. coli. In the absence of SpdB2, most of the Spd79-flag protein was found in the cytoplasmic fraction, indicating that SpdB2 affects localization of Spd79. Pulldown assays with StrepII-TraB protein of pSVH1 demonstrated that TraB interacted with SpdB2, suggesting that the septal DNA translocator TraB is also involved in intramycelial plasmid spreading. PMID- 17768241 TI - A generalized transducing phage for the murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. AB - A virulent phage (phiCR1) capable of generalized transduction in Citrobacter rodentium was isolated from the environment and characterized. C. rodentium is a natural pathogen of mice, causing transmissible murine colonic hyperplasia. Sequencing of its genome has recently been completed and will soon be fully annotated and published. C. rodentium is an important model organism for infections caused by the human pathogens enteropathogenic and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EPEC and EHEC). phiCR1 uses a lipopolysaccharide receptor, has a genome size of approximately 300 kb, and is able to transduce a variety of markers. phiCR1 is the first reported transducing phage for C. rodentium and will be a useful tool for functional genomic analysis of this important natural murine pathogen. PMID- 17768242 TI - Dissecting the Salmonella response to copper. AB - Intracellular copper homeostasis in bacteria is maintained as the result of a complex ensemble of cellular processes that in Escherichia coli involve the coordinated action of two systems, cue and cus. In contrast, the pathogenic bacterium Salmonella harbours only the cue regulon, including copA, which is shown here to be transcriptionally controlled by CueR. Mutant strains in the CueR regulated genes were constructed to characterize the response of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to high concentrations of extracellular copper under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Unlike its counterpart in E. coli, inactivation of cuiD displays the most severe phenotype and is also required for copper tolerance under anaerobic conditions. Deletion of copA has a mild effect in aerobiosis, but strongly impairs survival in the absence of oxygen. In a DeltacopA strain, a second Salmonella-specific P-type ATPase, GolT, can substitute the copper transporter, diminishing the effect of its deletion. The overall results highlight the importance of the cue system for controlling intracellular copper stress. The observed differences between Salmonella and E. coli in handling copper excess may contribute to our understanding of the distinct capability of these related pathogenic bacteria to survive outside the host. PMID- 17768243 TI - Analysis of functional domains present in the N-terminus of the SipB protein. AB - SipB (593 aa), one of the Salmonella invasion proteins (Sips), is secreted via the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) type III secretion system (T3SS). Here, we report the delineation of several functional regions present in the SipB protein. Our data show that residues 3-8 of the SipB protein are essential for its secretion from the bacterial cell and that the SicA chaperone, which is important to ensure stability of SipB and SipC in the bacterial cytosol, binds to SipB somewhere between amino acids 80 and100 of the SipB N-terminal region. Interestingly, the N-terminal region (residues 1-160) of SipB (SipB160) cannot be secreted via the SPI-1 T3SS, but fusion of the C-terminal amphipathic region (residues 300-593) to SipB160 can restore secretion via this system. PMID- 17768244 TI - Transcriptional linkage of Haloferax volcanii proteasomal genes with non proteasomal gene neighbours including RNase P, MOSC domain and SAM methyltransferase homologues. AB - Comparative genomics reveals a common theme of 20S proteasome and proteasome activating nucleotidase genes dispersed throughout archaeal genomes yet arranged in conserved linkages with gene homologues of translation and/or transcription machineries. To provide biological evidence for these linkages as well as insight into proteasome operon organization, transcripts of the five proteasomal genes of the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii were analysed by Northern (RNA) blotting, RT-PCR and primer extension. These included psmA, psmB and psmC, encoding the 20S proteasomal subunits alpha1, beta and alpha2, as well as panA and panB, encoding the PanA and PanB proteasome-activating nucleotidase proteins, respectively. All five of these genes are dispersed throughout the H. volcanii genome. For each proteasomal gene, a distinct transcript was detected by Northern blotting that was similar in size to the respective coding region. For both psmA and psmC, an additional transcript was detected that was 1.34 and 0.85 kb greater, respectively, than the coding region. Further analysis by Northern blotting and RT-PCR revealed that psmA was co-transcribed with genes encoding a Pop5 homologue of the RNase P endoRNase as well as an S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) dependent methyltransferase. Likewise, psmC was co-transcribed with a downstream gene encoding a molybdenum cofactor sulfurase C-terminal (MOSC) domain protein. Additional proteasomal and neighbouring gene-specific transcriptional linkages were detected by RT-PCR. These results provide the first evidence that proteasome and tRNA modification genes are co-transcribed, reveal that a number of additional enzymes including those predicted to facilitate metal-sulfur cluster assembly are co-regulated with proteasomes at the transcriptional level, and provide further insight into proteasome gene transcription in archaea. PMID- 17768245 TI - Expression analysis of extracellular proteins from Phanerochaete chrysosporium grown on different liquid and solid substrates. AB - White-rot fungi secret a large number of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes for degradation of lignocellulosic material. The sequencing of the genome of the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has facilitated the characterization of its complete extracellular proteome. P. chrysosporium was grown on liquid medium, containing glucose, cellulose or wood chips as the carbon source, and also in solid substrate fermentation bags. For liquid-grown cultures, the extracellular protein fraction was separated by 2D gel electrophoresis. Protein spots were analysed by in-gel digestion and liquid chromatography (LC)/MS/MS. A total of 18 additional protein spots from the 2D gels yielded hits from blast searches. From solid substrate cultures in which the fungus was grown in bags, the proteins were resolved by SDS-PAGE, subjected to in-gel digestion and then identified by LC/MS/MS. An additional 16 proteins yielded hits on blast searches. Enzymes involved in cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and protein degradation were identified. Expression patterns were very similar between cellulose-grown cultures and wood-grown cultures. In addition to enzymes which act on lignocellulosic material, proteases were also found, indicating the need of fungi to scavenge for nitrogen in wood. PMID- 17768246 TI - Cloning and characterization of two K+ transporters of Debaryomyces hansenii. AB - Two genes from the halotolerant yeast Debaryomyces hansenii were cloned, DhTRK1 and DhHAK1. These genes encode K(+) transporters with sequence similarities to the TRK and HAK transporters from Debaryomyces occidentalis and Candida albicans. The DhHAK1p transporter was only expressed in K(+)-starved cells, as shown by Northern blot analysis. Both DhTRK1p and DhHAK1p were expressed in a trk1Delta trk2Delta mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, unable to grow at low K(+). This expression resulted in partial recovery of growth and ability to retain K(+) at low concentrations. In liquid media, 0.5 M NaCl affected growth of these S. cerevisiae transformants as it does in D. hansenii, resulting in a much less deleterious effect than in wild-type S. cerevisiae. Kinetics of Rb(+) uptake in the transformants suggest that DhTRK1p and DhHAK1p code for moderate-affinity K(+) transporters exhibiting a sigmoid response against Rb(+) concentration and presenting a deviation from classic Michaelis-Menten kinetics at low substrate concentrations. Rb(+) uptake by the DhTRK1p transporter was stimulated by millimolar concentrations of Na(+) at pH 4.5. The good performance of DhTRK1p in the presence of NaCl may be a key feature in the halotolerance of D. hansenii. PMID- 17768247 TI - Ethanol production from xylose by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing protein-engineered NADH-preferring xylose reductase from Pichia stipitis. AB - A recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain transformed with xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) genes from Pichia stipitis (PsXR and PsXDH, respectively) has the ability to convert xylose to ethanol together with the unfavourable excretion of xylitol, which may be due to intercellular redox imbalance caused by the different coenzyme specificity between NADPH-preferring XR and NAD(+)-dependent XDH. In this study, we focused on the effect(s) of mutated NADH-preferring PsXR in fermentation. The R276H and K270R/N272D mutants were improved 52- and 146-fold, respectively, in the ratio of NADH/NADPH in catalytic efficiency [(k(cat)/K(m) with NADH)/(k(cat)/K(m) with NADPH)] compared with the wild-type (WT), which was due to decrease of k(cat) with NADPH in the R276H mutant and increase of K(m) with NADPH in the K270R/N272D mutant. Furthermore, R276H mutation led to significant thermostabilization in PsXR. The most positive effect on xylose fermentation to ethanol was found by using the Y R276H strain, expressing PsXR R276H mutant and PsXDH WT: 20 % increase of ethanol production and 52 % decrease of xylitol excretion, compared with the Y-WT strain expressing PsXR WT and PsXDH WT. Measurement of intracellular coenzyme concentrations suggested that maintenance of the of NADPH/NADP(+) and NADH/NAD(+) ratios is important for efficient ethanol fermentation from xylose by recombinant S. cerevisiae. PMID- 17768248 TI - The DUF81 protein TauE in Cupriavidus necator H16, a sulfite exporter in the metabolism of C2 sulfonates. AB - The degradation of taurine, isethionate and sulfoacetate in Cupriavidus necator (Ralstonia eutropha) H16 was shown by enzyme assays to be inducible, and each pathway involved sulfoacetaldehyde, which was subject to phosphatolysis by a common sulfoacetaldehyde acetyltransferase (Xsc, H16_B1870) to yield acetyl phosphate and sulfite. The neighbouring genes encoded phosphate acetyltransferase (Pta, H16_B1871) and a hypothetical protein [domain of unknown function (DUF)81, H16_B1872], with eight derived transmembrane helices. RT-PCR showed inducible transcription of these three genes, and led to the hypothesis that H16_B1872 and orthologous proteins represent a sulfite exporter, which was named TauE. PMID- 17768249 TI - Involvement of a chromomycin ABC transporter system in secretion of a deacetylated precursor during chromomycin biosynthesis. AB - Chromomycin A(3) is an antitumour antibiotic that acts by inhibiting transcription and replication of DNA. The producer micro-organism Streptomyces griseus subsp. griseus is highly resistant to chromomycin A(3) and to the structurally related compound mithramycin upon induction with chromomycin A(3). The biosynthetic gene cluster of chromomycin contains three genes involved in self-resistance to chromomycin in S. griseus: cmrA and cmrB encode a type I ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter, and cmrX encodes a UvrA-like protein of ABC excision nuclease systems. These genes are linked in the chromosome, together with a gene encoding a transcriptional repressor (cmmRII). Involvement of these genes in chromomycin resistance was determined through gene inactivation, and heterologous expression in Streptomyces albus. Inactivation of cmrX produced a chromomycin-sensitive low-producer strain, while inactivation of cmmRII generated a high-chromomycin-producer strain, which was resistant to chromomycin, and also to mithramycin. Expression of either cmrA and cmrB, or cmrX, in S. albus generated strains with low chromomycin resistance; it was therefore necessary to co-express the three genes to achieve high levels of resistance. However, the CmrAB ABC transporter conferred a high level of resistance to the biosynthesis intermediate 4A,4E-O-dideacetyl-chromomycin A(3). A model is proposed for the biosynthesis of, and self-resistance to, chromomycin A(3) in S. griseus subsp. griseus. PMID- 17768250 TI - Isolation and characterization of putative Pseudobutyrivibrio ruminis promoters. AB - Novel plasmids were constructed for the analysis of DNA fragments from the rumen bacterium Pseudobutyrivibrio ruminis. Five previously unidentified promoters were characterized using a novel primer extension method to identify transcription start sites. The genes downstream of these promoters were not identified, and their activity in expression of genomic traits in wild-type P. ruminis remains putative. Comparison with promoters from this and closely related species revealed a consensus sequence resembling the binding motif for the RNA polymerase sigma(70)-like factor complex. Consensus -35 and -10 sequences within these elements were TTGACA and ATAATATA respectively, interspaced by 15-16 bp. The consensus for the -10 element was extended by one nucleotide upstream and downstream of the standard hexamer (indicated in bold). Promoter strengths were measured by reverse transcription quantitative PCR and beta-glucuronidase assays. No correlation was found between the composition and context of elements within P. ruminis promoters, and promoter strength. However, a mutation within the -35 element of one promoter revealed that transcriptional strength and choice of transcription start site were sensitive to this single nucleotide change. PMID- 17768251 TI - Co-regulation of the nitrogen-assimilatory gene cluster in Clostridium saccharobutylicum. AB - Nitrogen assimilation is important during solvent production by Clostridium saccharobutylicum NCP262, as acetone and butanol yields are significantly affected by the nitrogen source supplied. Growth of this bacterium was dependent on the concentration of organic nitrogen supplied and the expression of the assimilatory enzymes, glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamate synthase (GOGAT), was shown to be induced in nitrogen-limiting conditions. The regions flanking the gene encoding GS, glnA, were isolated from C. saccharobutylicum genomic DNA, and DNA sequencing revealed that the structural genes encoding the GS (glnA) and GOGAT (gltA and gltB) enzymes were clustered together with the nitR gene in the order glnA-nitR-gltAB. RNA analysis showed that the glnA-nitR and the gltAB genes were co-transcribed on 2.3 and 6.2 kb RNA transcripts respectively, and that all four genes were induced under the same nitrogen-limiting conditions. Complementation of an Escherichia coli gltD mutant, lacking a GOGAT small subunit, was achieved only when both the C. saccharobutylicum gltA and gltB genes were expressed together under anaerobic conditions. This is believed to be the first functional analysis of a gene cluster encoding the key enzymes of nitrogen assimilation, GS and GOGAT. A similar gene arrangement is seen in Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052, and based on the common regulatory features of the promoter regions upstream of the glnA operons in both species, we suggest a model for their co-ordinated regulation by an antitermination mechanism as well as antisense RNA. PMID- 17768252 TI - Transcriptional regulation of the sulfate-starvation-induced gene sfnA by a sigma54-dependent activator of Pseudomonas putida. AB - The sigma(54)-dependent transcriptional regulator SfnR is essential for the use of dimethyl sulfone (DMSO(2)) as a sulfur source by Pseudomonas putida DS1. SfnR binds three SfnR-binding sites (sites 1, 2 and 3) within an intergenic region of the divergently transcribed sfnAB and sfnFG gene clusters. The site 1 region, proximal to the sfnF gene, is indispensable for the expression of the sfnFG operon, which encodes components of DMSO(2) monooxygenase. We investigated the transcriptional regulation of the sfnAB operon and possible functions of the sfnA gene. RT-PCR analysis revealed that the sfnAB gene cluster, which is similar to homologues of the acyl-CoA dehydrogenase family, was transcribed as an operon, and its expression was regulated by SfnR under conditions of sulfate starvation. Deletion analyses using lacZ as a reporter demonstrated that the region up to at least -138 bp from the transcription start point of sfnA (containing sites 2 and 3) was necessary for the expression of the sfnAB operon. A growth test of the sfnA-disrupted mutant revealed the possibility that sfnA may be involved in the use of methanethiol as a sulfur source. PMID- 17768253 TI - Deletion of a previously uncharacterized flagellar-hook-length control gene fliK modulates the sigma54-dependent regulon in Campylobacter jejuni. AB - A previously unannotated, putative fliK gene was identified in the Campylobacter jejuni genome based on sequence analysis; deletion mutants in this gene had a 'polyhook' phenotype characteristic of fliK mutants in other genera. The mutants greatly overexpressed the sigma(54)-dependent flagellar hook protein FlgE, to form unusual filamentous structures resembling straight flagella in addition to polyhooks. The genome sequence reveals only one gene predicted to encode an orthologue of the NtrC-family activator required for sigma(54)-dependent transcription. Hence, all sigma(54)-dependent genes in the genome would be overexpressed in the fliK mutant together with flgE. Microarray analysis of genome-wide transcription in the mutant showed increased transcription of a subset of genes, often downstream of sigma(54)-dependent promoters identified by a quality-predictive algorithm applied to the whole genome. Assessment of genome wide transcription in deletion mutants in rpoN, encoding sigma(54), and in the sigma(54)-activator gene flgR, showed reciprocally reduced transcription of genes that were overexpressed in the fliK mutant. The fliA (sigma(28))-dependent regulon was also analysed. Together the data clearly define the roles of the alternative sigma factors RpoN and FliA in flagellar biogenesis in C. jejuni, and identify additional putative members of their respective regulons. PMID- 17768254 TI - Transcriptome analysis of Yersinia pestis in human plasma: an approach for discovering bacterial genes involved in septicaemic plague. AB - Yersinia pestis is the aetiologic agent of plague. Without appropriate treatment, the pathogen rapidly causes septicaemia, the terminal and fatal phase of the disease. In order to identify bacterial genes which are essential during septicaemic plague in humans, we performed a transcriptome analysis on the fully virulent Y. pestis CO92 strain grown in either decomplemented human plasma or Luria-Bertani medium, incubated at either 28 or 37 degrees C and harvested at either the mid-exponential or the stationary growth phase. Y. pestis genes involved in 12 iron-acquisition systems and one iron-storage system (bfr, bfd) were specifically induced in human plasma. Of these, the ybt and tonB genes (encoding the yersiniabactin siderophore virulence factor and the siderophore transporter, respectively) were induced at 37 degrees C, i.e. under conditions mimicking the mammalian environment. Growth in human plasma also upregulated genes involved in the synthesis of five fimbrial-like structures (including the Psa virulence factor), and in purine/pyrimidine metabolism (the nrd genes). Genes known to play a role in the virulence of several bacterial pathogens (such as those encoding the Lpp lipoprotein and non-iron metal-uptake proteins) were induced in human plasma, during either the exponential or the stationary phase. Finally, 120 genes encoding proteins of unknown function were upregulated in human plasma. Eleven of these genes were specifically transcribed at 37 degrees C and may thus represent new virulence factors that are important during the septicaemic phase of human plague. PMID- 17768256 TI - Selection of transposon mutants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with increased macrophage infectivity identifies fadD23 to be involved in sulfolipid production and association with macrophages. AB - Alterations to the composition or architecture of the mycobacterial cell envelope can affect the macrophage infectivity of the bacillus. To further characterize the mycobacterial gene products that modulate the interaction with host cells, we employed transposon mutagenesis and screened for mutants that demonstrated an enhanced binding affinity toward macrophages. After successive rounds of mutant selection and enrichment, a total of five mutants were isolated that harboured gene disruptions within loci involved in lipid synthetic pathways as well as genes coding for putative hypothetical proteins. One mutant in particular, with a disruption in the Rv3826 gene (fadD23), was repeatedly isolated during library screening. Analysis of the cell envelope constituents of the Tn : : fadD23 strain revealed a lack of sulfolipid production which was restored following complementation with the wild-type gene. PMID- 17768255 TI - Nanomechanical properties of glucans and associated cell-surface adhesion of Streptococcus mutans probed by atomic force microscopy under in situ conditions. AB - This study used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe the local cell-surface interactions associated with the glucan polymers of Streptococcus mutans, the macromolecules most commonly attributed to the virulence of this microbe. In situ force spectroscopy was used to quantitatively probe and correlate cell-surface adhesion and dynamics with S. mutans UA140 wild-type and five glucosyltransferase mutants. Adhesion between the tooth surface and S. mutans is largely mediated by glucan production from sucrose via three glucosyltransferases (Gtfs; GtfB, GtfC and GtfD). To monitor the contribution of these particular Gtfs, isogenic mutants of S. mutans were constructed by specific gene inactivation and compared to the wild-type under sucrose and non-sucrose conditions. We report direct measurement of the mechanical properties associated with glucan macromolecules demonstrating that the local adhesion strength increases in a time-dependent process, with a decrease in the average number of rupture events. This finding suggests that S. mutans attaches mainly through glucans to surfaces in the presence of sucrose. In addition, a possible role of the Gtf proteins in sucrose-independent attachment is supported by the decreased adhesion properties of the GtfBCD mutant compared to the wild-type. PMID- 17768258 TI - Sodium regulates Escherichia coli acid resistance, and influences GadX- and GadW dependent activation of gadE. AB - Enteric bacteria must survive the extreme acid of the stomach (pH 2 or less) before entering the intestine where they can colonize and cause disease. Escherichia coli is superior to most other Enterobacteriaceae in surviving pH 2 acid stress because it has four known acid-resistance systems, the most studied of which depends on glutamic acid. Glutamate-dependent acid resistance requires glutamate decarboxylase isozymes GadA and GadB, as well as a glutamate/gamma aminobutyric acid antiporter encoded by gadC. The regulatory protein GadE is the essential activator of the gadA and gadBC genes. The transcription of gadE, however, is controlled by numerous proteins. Two of these proteins, GadX and GadW, are AraC-family regulators whose sensory input signals are not known. Since Na(+) and K(+) play important roles in pH homeostasis, the contribution of these ions toward the regulation of this acid-resistance system was examined. The results indicated that a decrease in Na(+), but not K(+), concentration coincided with diminished acid resistance, and decreased expression of the gadE, gadA and gadBC genes. However, Na(+)-dependent regulation of these genes dissipated in the absence of GadX and GadW. Since Na(+) levels did not regulate gadX or gadW transcription, it is proposed that GadX and GadW sense intracellular Na(+) concentration or some consequence of altered Na(+) levels. PMID- 17768259 TI - Role for dnaK locus in tolerance of multiple stresses in Staphylococcus aureus. AB - Heat-shock proteins are essential for stress tolerance and allowing organisms to survive conditions that cause protein unfolding. The role of the Staphylococcus aureus DnaK system in tolerance of various stresses was studied by disruption of dnaK by partial deletion and insertion of a kanamycin gene cassette. Deletion of dnaK in S. aureus strain COL resulted in poor growth at temperatures of 37 degrees C and above, and reduced carotenoid production. The mutant strain also exhibited increased susceptibility to oxidative and cell-wall-active antibiotic stress conditions. In addition, the mutant strain had slower rates of autolysis, suggesting a correlation between DnaK and functional expression of staphylococcal autolysins. Deletion of dnaK also resulted in a decrease in the ability of the organism to survive in a mouse host during a systemic infection. In summary, the DnaK system in S. aureus plays a significant role in the survival of S. aureus under various stress conditions. PMID- 17768257 TI - Attenuation and protective efficacy of an O-antigen-deficient mutant of Francisella tularensis LVS. AB - Francisella tularensis is a zoonotic, Gram-negative coccobacillus that causes tularemia in humans and animals. F. tularensis subspecies tularensis (type A) and F. tularensis subspecies holarctica (type B) are antigenically similar and more virulent than Francisella novicida in humans. The genetic locus that encodes the LPS O antigen was found to be substantially different between the type B live vaccine strain (LVS) and F. novicida. One LVS-specific gene with homology to a galactosyl transferase was selected for allelic replacement using a sacB chloramphenicol expression suicide plasmid, and recombinants were screened for colony morphology on Congo red agar that matched that of F. novicida. Two mutants (WbtI(S187Y) and WbtI(G191V)) were isolated that contained substitutions in conserved motifs in the sugar transamine/perosamine synthetase (WbtI) of the O antigen locus, and the latter mutant was extensively tested and characterized. WbtI(G191V) grew at the same rate as the parent strain in Chamberlain's defined medium, completely lacked O antigen, was serum-sensitive but could grow in a mouse macrophage cell line, had increased resistance to sodium deoxycholate, and was highly attenuated in mice. Complementation of WbtI(G191V) with the wild-type wbtI gene in trans restored normal LPS synthesis, phenotypic properties similar to the parent, and virulence in mice. Immunization with WbtI(G191V) protected mice against a relatively low-dose intraperitoneal challenge with LVS, but was less protective against a high-dose challenge. These results indicate that complete loss of O antigen alters the surface phenotype and abrogates virulence in F. tularensis, but also compromises the induction of full protective immunity against F. tularensis infection in mice. PMID- 17768260 TI - PimM, a PAS domain positive regulator of pimaricin biosynthesis in Streptomyces natalensis. AB - Sequencing of the DNA region on the left fringe of the pimaricin gene cluster revealed the presence of a 579 bp gene, pimM, whose deduced product (192 aa) was found to have amino acid sequence homology with bacterial regulatory proteins. Database comparisons revealed that PimM combines an N-terminal PAS domain with a C-terminal helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif of the LuxR type. Gene replacement of pimM from the Streptomyces natalensis chromosome with a mutant version lacking the HTH DNA-binding domain resulted in complete loss of pimaricin production, suggesting that PimM is a positive regulator of pimaricin biosynthesis. Complementation of the DeltapimM mutant with a single copy of pimM integrated into the chromosome restored pimaricin production. The insertion of a single copy of pimM, with its own promoter, into the S. natalensis wild-type strain boosted pimaricin production. Gene expression analyses in S. natalensis wild-type and DeltapimM by reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) of the pimaricin gene cluster revealed the targets for the PimM regulatory protein. According to these analyses, the genes responsible for initiation and first elongation cycles of polyketide chain extension are among the major targets for regulation. Other pim genes are differentially affected. Interestingly, our results indicate that PimM plays its regulatory role independently of PimR, the first pathway-specific regulator of pimaricin biosynthesis. PMID- 17768261 TI - Host-specific regulation of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii. AB - Strains of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii (Rlt) able to form effective nodules on Trifolium ambiguum (Caucasian clover, CC) form ineffective nodules on Trifolium repens (white clover, WC), whereas strains that form effective nodules on WC usually do not nodulate CC. Here, we investigate the genetic basis of the host-specific nitrogen-fixation phenotype of CC rhizobia. A cosmid library of the symbiotic plasmid from the WC rhizobium strain Rlt NZP514 was introduced into the CC rhizobium strain Rlt ICC105. An 18 kb Asp718 fragment containing the nifABHDKEN and fixABCX genes of NZP514 that imparted the Fix(+) phenotype was identified. Tn5 mutagenesis of this region revealed that the nifHDKEN, fixABC and nifB genes were required for the Fix(+) phenotype, but that the nifA gene was not. Introduction of several plasmids containing NZP514 nif/fix genes into an ICC105 nifA mutant strain demonstrated that the NifA protein of ICC105 was able to activate expression of the NZP514 nif/fix genes but not the ICC105 nif/fix genes in WC nodules. Reporter gene fusion studies showed that the host-specific regulation of the nif/fix genes depended on the DNA region between the promoters of the divergently transcribed nifH and fixA genes. We hypothesize that a protein acting either in response to a host-specific signal or in the absence of such a signal is able to bind upstream of the NifA-binding sites and interact with NifA to prevent it activating nif/fix gene expression. PMID- 17768262 TI - Role of sdhA and pfkA and catabolism of reduced carbon during colonization of cucumber roots by Enterobacter cloacae. AB - We have been using a mutational approach to determine how plant-beneficial bacteria such as Enterobacter cloacae 501R3 obtain carbon and energy for colonization of subterranean portions of cucumber and other plants. Reduced carbon detected in cucumber root exudate consisted of 73.3 % amino acids, 22.2 % organic acids and 4.4 % carbohydrate. Ent. cloacae M2, a mini-Tn5 Km transposon mutant of strain 501R3, was severely reduced in in vitro growth relative to strain 501R3 on the mixture of amino acids and organic acids detected in cucumber root exudate when these compounds were supplied as the sole source of carbon and energy, but was similar in growth on the mixture of carbohydrates detected in this exudate. Molecular and biochemical characterization of Ent. cloacae M2 indicated that the transposon was inserted in sdhA, which encodes a subunit of succinate dehydrogenase. Ent. cloacae A-11, a mutant of strain 501R3 with a mini Tn5 Km insertion in pfkA, was severely reduced in in vitro growth relative to strain 501R3 on the mixture of carbohydrates detected in cucumber root exudate, but similar in growth on the mixture of amino acids and organic acids. When strains A-11 and M2 were coapplied with strain 501R3 to cucumber seeds above carrying capacity in competitive root colonization assays, populations of strains A-11 and M2 were roughly one order of magnitude lower than those of strain 501R3 in cucumber rhizosphere, while populations of strains A-11 and M2 were similar to one other when coapplied to cucumber seeds. When Ent. cloacae strains were coapplied to cucumber seeds below carrying capacity, populations of A-11 and M2 were roughly two to three orders of magnitude lower than those of 501R3 in cucumber rhizosphere, and populations of A-11 were significantly lower than those of M2 when these two strains were coapplied to cucumber seed. The experiments reported here indicate an important role for pfkA and sdhA and the catabolism of carbohydrates, and of amino acids and organic acids, respectively, in the colonization of cucumber roots by Ent. cloacae. The results reported here also indicate that catabolism of carbohydrates by this bacterium is more important than catabolism of amino acids and organic acids at lower population densities, despite the much higher relative quantities of amino acids and organic acids detected in cucumber root exudate. PMID- 17768263 TI - Emergence of an epidemic clone of community-associated methicillin-resistant panton-valentine leucocidin-negative Staphylococcus aureus in cystic fibrosis patient populations. PMID- 17768265 TI - Selective abnormal modulation of hippocampal activity during memory formation in first-episode psychosis. AB - CONTEXT: Memory is one of the cognitive functions most affected in schizophrenia, with deficits observed from the first episode of psychosis (FEP). Previous studies have indicated that some memory processes may be more affected than others. OBJECTIVE: To examine the neural correlates of 3 specific memory processes in FEP by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses of the Douglas Hospital and Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University. Subjects Twenty-six patients with FEP and 20 healthy controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Behavioral performance and regional brain activity measured during memory encoding by fMRI. Our fMRI design included 3 within-subject contrasts (associative vs item-oriented encoding, encoding of arbitrary vs semantically related image pairs, and successful vs unsuccessful memory encoding) that were then used for group conjunctions and between-group analyses. RESULTS: Patients with FEP showed normal activation of several brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and parahippocampal cortex, during successful memory encoding and associative encoding. In contrast, the hippocampus and surrounding medial temporal areas showed reduced activity during the encoding of arbitrary pairs. This selective dysfunction reflected by abnormal brain activation during encoding was accompanied by a greater deficit for subsequent recognition of arbitrary pairs relative to the semantically related pairs. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that, in the same group of patients with FEP, the hippocampus could show either normal or abnormal modulation of activation depending on the specific cognitive process that was examined. The normal modulation of hippocampal activation observed during successful memory encoding in FEP argues against a general inability to recruit this region. Instead, the dysfunction was specifically linked to semantic relatedness. This selective deficit seems to affect memory performance in FEP and denotes an important representational problem that may confer greater vulnerability to psychotic disorders and would thus be interesting to examine in high-risk populations. PMID- 17768266 TI - Association of functional polymorphisms of the human tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene with risk for bipolar disorder in Han Chinese. AB - CONTEXT: The tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) gene encodes the first (also the rate-limiting) enzyme in the serotonin biosynthetic pathway. Despite reports of possible associations between polymorphisms in human TPH2 and many psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder (BPD), the functional effect and susceptibility loci of such polymorphisms for BPD have not yet been identified. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of TPH2 with BPD and to identify the functional variants that may be involved in the pathophysiological development of BPD. Design, Setting, and Patients We systematically screened all exons and promoters of the TPH2 gene in Han Chinese subjects to identify sequence variants. Association tests were conducted in 105 cases and 106 control subjects using single-locus, linkage disequilibrium, and haplotype analyses. Two promoter and one exon 2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were examined for their functional role using a reporter gene system and enzyme activity assay, respectively. Additional statistical analysis was performed to study the interaction between the 2 TPH genes in 205 study participants with TPH1 and TPH2 genotype data. RESULTS: Significant haplotype association of TPH2 polymorphisms and BPD was identified (P < .001). In addition, allelic alteration of polymorphisms in the promoter region and exon 2 of TPH2 caused noteworthy functional losses in promoter and enzyme activities, respectively, indicating the potential susceptibility loci for BPD. We found that the odds ratio changed from 3.73 of the TAG haplotype to 4.81 or 1.68, depending on the combined effect of both TPH genotypes. These data suggested an interaction between the 2 TPH genes to confer a risk for BPD. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the involvement of TPH2 in the etiology of BPD, and the functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified herein might be the susceptibility loci for BPD. Although the interaction between the 2 TPH genes merits further investigation, our findings suggest that the interactive effect should be considered in future studies of serotonin-related disorders. PMID- 17768267 TI - Heart rate variability in acute coronary syndrome patients with major depression: influence of sertraline and mood improvement. AB - CONTEXT: Major depressive disorder (MDD) associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) increases the risk of mortality. Decreased heart rate variability (HRV), also a predictor of mortality, is reduced in patients with MDD after ACS, and has been suggested to be a mediator of MDD mortality after ACS. Although selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may reduce mortality post-ACS, little is known about their effects on HRV. OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of both sertraline and improvement in mood on HRV. METHODS: The Sertraline Antidepressant Heart Attack Randomized Trial assessed HRV from 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram recordings at baseline in 290 patients and from a second recording in 258 of these patients 16 weeks after randomization to sertraline or placebo. Frequency domain measures of HRV included high-frequency power, low-frequency power, very low-frequency power, ultra low-frequency power, and total power. Depression severity was measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Clinical response was measured with the Clinical Global Impressions Improvement scale. RESULTS: At baseline, prior episodes of MDD were associated with lower HRV. Sertraline significantly increased ultra low-frequency power, while improvement in mood was associated with higher low-frequency power independent of treatment. However, the expected recovery in HRV following ACS was not observed in patients with MDD. Higher ultra low-frequency during sertraline treatment and higher low frequency power in patients whose mood improved resulted primarily from these measures decreasing in their comparison groups. CONCLUSIONS: Heart rate variability recovery is impaired in depressed patients after ACS. Previously reported differences in baseline HRV between patients with and without depression after ACS grew larger in the 16 weeks following a coronary event. Both sertraline treatment and symptomatic recovery from depression were associated with increased HRV compared with placebo-treated and nonrecovered post-ACS control groups, respectively, but this results primarily from decreased HRV in the comparison groups. PMID- 17768268 TI - National trends in the outpatient diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder in youth. AB - CONTEXT: Although bipolar disorder may have its onset during childhood, little is known about national trends in the diagnosis and management of bipolar disorder in young people. OBJECTIVES: To present national trends in outpatient visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and to compare the treatment provided to youth and adults during those visits. DESIGN: We compare rates of growth between 1994 1995 and 2002-2003 in visits with a bipolar disorder diagnosis by individuals aged 0 to 19 years vs those aged 20 years or older. For the period of 1999 to 2003, we also compare demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics of youth and adult bipolar disorder visits. SETTING: Outpatient visits to physicians in office-based practice. PARTICIPANTS: Patient visits from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (1999-2003) with a bipolar disorder diagnosis (n = 962). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder by youth (aged 0-19 years) and by adults (aged > or = 20 years). RESULTS: The estimated annual number of youth office-based visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder increased from 25 (1994-1995) to 1003 (2002-2003) visits per 100,000 population, and adult visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder increased from 905 to 1679 visits per 100,000 population during this period. In 1999 to 2003, most youth bipolar disorder visits were by males (66.5%), whereas most adult bipolar disorder visits were by females (67.6%); youth were more likely than adults to receive a comorbid diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (32.2% vs 3.0%, respectively; P < .001); and most youth (90.6%) and adults (86.4%) received a psychotropic medication during bipolar disorder visits, with comparable rates of mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants prescribed for both age groups. CONCLUSIONS: There has been a recent rapid increase in the diagnosis of youth bipolar disorder in office-based medical settings. This increase highlights a need for clinical epidemiological reliability studies to determine the accuracy of clinical diagnoses of child and adolescent bipolar disorder in community practice. PMID- 17768269 TI - Parental posttraumatic stress disorder as a vulnerability factor for low cortisol trait in offspring of holocaust survivors. AB - CONTEXT: Lower cortisol levels in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may reflect a preexisting vulnerability associated with developing the disorder after trauma exposure. Because offspring of trauma survivors with PTSD have a greater prevalence of PTSD after their own life events than offspring of trauma survivors without PTSD and offspring of nonexposed persons, examination of patterns of basal cortisol secretion in such offspring provides an opportunity to test this hypothesis. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the patterns of basal cortisol secretion in offspring of Holocaust survivors with and without parental PTSD and children of nonexposed parents. DESIGN: Cortisol secretion was measured every 30 minutes for 24 hours. The raw hormonal data were subjected to a chronobiological analysis by applying single-oscillator and multioscillator cosinor analyses, a nonlinear least squares curve-fitting program, to determine circadian and ultradian regulatory dynamics. SETTING: The study was conducted under controlled conditions at the General Clinical Research Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-three Holocaust offspring with parental PTSD and 10 without parental PTSD were compared with 16 children of nonexposed parents. No participant had PTSD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean cortisol levels during the 24 hour cycle and other chronobiological parameters (amplitude, acrophase, circadian quotient, and goodness-of-fit coefficient) derived from single-oscillator and multioscillator models. RESULTS: Offspring with parental PTSD displayed lower mean cortisol levels, reflected by the circadian mesor and reduced cortisol amplitude, compared with offspring without parental PTSD and children of nonexposed parents. This effect seemed to be specifically related to the presence of maternal PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: Low cortisol levels and other chronobiological alterations in offspring are associated with the risk factor of maternal PTSD, raising the possibility that these alterations are acquired via glucocorticoid programming either from in utero exposures or in response to maternal behaviors early in life. PMID- 17768270 TI - A randomized controlled comparison of family-based treatment and supportive psychotherapy for adolescent bulimia nervosa. AB - CONTEXT: Evidenced-based treatment trials for adolescents with bulimia nervosa are largely absent. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relative efficacy of family-based treatment (FBT) and supportive psychotherapy (SPT) for adolescents with bulimia nervosa. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: The University of Chicago from April 1, 2001, through June 30, 2006. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty patients, aged 12 to 19 years, with a DSM-IV diagnosis of bulimia nervosa or a strict definition of partial bulimia nervosa. INTERVENTIONS: Twenty outpatient visits over 6 months of FBT or SPT. Participants were followed up at 6 months posttreatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Abstinence from binge-and-purge episodes as measured by the Eating Disorder Examination. Secondary outcome measures were Eating Disorder Examination binge-and-purge frequency and Eating Disorder Examination subscale scores. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were assigned to FBT and 39 to SPT. Categorical outcomes at posttreatment demonstrated that significantly more patients receiving FBT (16 [39%]) were binge-and-purge abstinent compared with those receiving SPT (7 [18%]) (P = .049). Somewhat fewer patients were abstinent at the 6-month follow-up; however, the difference was statistically in favor of FBT vs SPT (12 patients [29%] vs 4 patients [10%]; P = .05). Secondary outcome assessment, based on random regression analysis, revealed main effects in favor of FBT on all measures of eating pathological features (P = .003 to P = .03 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Family-based treatment showed a clinical and statistical advantage over SPT at posttreatment and at 6-month follow-up. Reduction in core bulimic symptoms was also more immediate for patients receiving FBT vs SPT. PMID- 17768271 TI - Clinical features and physiological response to a test meal in purging disorder and bulimia nervosa. AB - CONTEXT: Recent data suggest that purging disorder, a recently characterized form of eating disorder not otherwise specified, may be worthy of specific delineation in nosological schemes. However, more data are needed to determine how purging disorder differs from bulimia nervosa. OBJECTIVE: To examine clinical features and subjective as well as objective physiological responses to a standardized test meal in purging disorder compared with bulimia nervosa and controls. DESIGN: Study visit 1 included psychological assessments with structured clinical interviews and questionnaires. Study visit 2 included assessment of test-meal responses. SETTING: Participants recruited from the community completed test-meal studies in a General Clinical Research Center. PARTICIPANTS: Women with DSM-IV bulimia nervosa-purging subtype (n = 37) and purging disorder (n = 20) and non eating disorder controls (n = 33) with a body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) between 18.5 and 26.5 who were free of psychotropic medications. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Assessments of eating disorder severity, postprandial cholecystokinin response, and subjective responses to test meals. RESULTS: Eating abnormalities were significantly elevated in participants with purging disorder and bulimia nervosa compared with controls but did not differ between eating disorder groups. Participants with purging disorder demonstrated significantly greater postprandial cholecystokinin release compared with participants with bulimia nervosa (t(76.44) = 2.51; P = .01) and did not differ significantly from controls (t(75.93) = 0.03; P = .98). Participants with purging disorder reported significantly greater postprandial fullness and gastrointestinal distress compared with participants with bulimia nervosa and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Purging disorder is a clinically significant disorder of eating that appears to be distinct from bulimia nervosa on subjective and physiological responses to a test meal. Findings support further consideration of purging disorder for inclusion in the classification of eating disorders. Future studies on the psychobiology of purging disorder are needed to understand the propensity to purge in the absence of binge eating. PMID- 17768272 TI - Effects of naltrexone on alcohol sensitivity and genetic moderators of medication response: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. AB - CONTEXT: Clinical trials have suggested a modest effect of naltrexone as a pharmacotherapy for alcoholism, and a recent study has suggested that the effects may be moderated by variations in the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1). However, the mechanism by which naltrexone may be differentially effective as a function of the OPRM1 genotype is unclear. OBJECTIVES: (1) To replicate and expand on the association between the A118G single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) of the OPRM1 gene and alcohol sensitivity, (2) to examine the effects of naltrexone on alcohol sensitivity, and (3) to test the A118G SNP of the OPRM1 gene as a moderator of the effects of naltrexone on alcohol sensitivity. DESIGN: A within-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled laboratory trial of naltrexone. SETTING: Participants were recruited from the community. PARTICIPANTS: Non-treatment seeking heavy drinkers were enrolled in the study. Prospective genotyping was conducted to oversample for the genetic variant of interest. Intervention After taking naltrexone (50 mg) or placebo, participants completed an intravenous alcohol challenge session in which they were assessed at baseline and at each of the 3 target breath alcohol concentrations: 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06 mg/L. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale, the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire, the Profile of Mood States, and the Alcohol Rating Scale were administered. RESULTS: Individuals with at least 1 copy of the G allele reported lower alcohol craving and higher alcohol-induced "high" across rising breath alcohol concentrations. Naltrexone was found to blunt alcohol's effects on stimulation, positive mood, craving, and enjoyment. The effects of naltrexone on blunting alcohol-induced high were stronger among individuals with the G allele. CONCLUSION: This study advances the knowledge of mechanisms of action of naltrexone and genetic moderators of response to this pharmacotherapy. PMID- 17768273 TI - CHRNA4 and tobacco dependence: from gene regulation to treatment outcome. AB - CONTEXT: Given the probable importance of the alpha4 subunit of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, the gene that codes for this subunit (CHRNA4) represents an excellent starting point for a genetic investigation of smoking behavior. OBJECTIVE: To achieve a better understanding of the role of this gene in the cause and treatment of tobacco dependence, we adopted a transdisciplinary pharmacogenetic approach. DESIGN: Study at the behavioral and clinical levels of analysis. SETTING: Academic research. PARTICIPANTS: Smokers (n = 316) between the ages of 18 and 50 years were recruited from the Denver, Colorado, metropolitan area. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Bioinformatics analyses, cell culture experiments, and analyses of CHRNA4 expression and nicotine binding in postmortem human brain tissue advanced 2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs6122429 and rs2236196). RESULTS: Both single-nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with subjective responses to smoking in the laboratory among 316 smokers. Likewise, among 353 participants in a clinical trial, rs2236196 was associated with smoking cessation outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Results of analyses ranging from basic biological approaches to clinical outcome data provide consistent evidence that 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms in CHRNA4 are functional at a biological level and are associated with nicotine dependence phenotypes. This interdisciplinary approach to the genetics of nicotine dependence provides a model for testing how functional genetic variation is translated from changes in messenger RNA and protein to individual differences in behavior and treatment outcome. PMID- 17768274 TI - Exposure to single parenthood in childhood and later mental health, educational, economic, and criminal behavior outcomes. AB - CONTEXT: There has been a great deal of research and speculation on the impact of growing up in a single-parent household; however, it is unclear whether exposure to single parenthood is a direct cause of adverse life outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between the extent of exposure to single parenthood in childhood and later mental health, educational, economic, and criminal behavior outcomes, before and after controlling for potentially confounding factors. DESIGN: Data were gathered during the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 25-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of New Zealand children (635 males and 630 females). SETTING: General community sample. PARTICIPANTS: The analysis was based on a sample of 971 participants with available data on exposure to single parenthood from birth to the age of 16 years. This sample represented 76.8% of the initial cohort. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The DSM-IV symptom criteria for major depression, anxiety disorders, and substance dependence, for those aged 21 to 25 years; suicidal ideation and attempted suicide, for those aged 21 to 25 years; achieving a university degree or other tertiary education qualification, for those aged 21 to 25 years; welfare dependence and unemployment, for those aged 21 to 25 years; annual income at the age of 25 years; arrest or conviction, for those aged 21 to 25 years; and self-reported violent and property offenses, for those aged 21 to 25 years. RESULTS: There were significant associations between the extent of exposure to single parenthood and anxiety disorder (P = .003), achieving a tertiary qualification or university degree (P < .001 for both), welfare dependence and personal income (P < .001 for both), arrest or conviction (P < .001), and violent and property offenses (P = .001). After adjustment for confounding factors, the associations between exposure to single parenthood and most outcomes were explained. CONCLUSION: The associations between exposure to single parenthood in childhood and outcomes in young adulthood may be explained by the social and contextual factors that are associated with exposure to single parenthood. PMID- 17768275 TI - Affective temperament: a mediating variable between environment and clinical depression? PMID- 17768276 TI - Alternative interpretation of Swedish twin study findings on personality and major depression. PMID- 17768277 TI - Gene brain structure relationships: arbitrary assumptions of heterogeneity generate unfalsifiable claims. PMID- 17768278 TI - Searching for rational anti N-methyl-D-aspartate treatment for depression. PMID- 17768279 TI - Dopamine and depression. PMID- 17768280 TI - I'm only punching in. PMID- 17768281 TI - Quality of health care for children: role of health and chronic illness in inpatient care experiences. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess how parent reports about the inpatient care of their children vary according to the health status of children with and without chronic conditions. DESIGN: We analyzed parent responses to the Picker Institute Pediatric Inpatient Survey. SETTING: Thirty-nine hospitals between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 1999. PARTICIPANTS: Overall, 12 562 parents of children who received inpatient care at participating hospitals. Main Outcome Measure Parent rating of overall quality of care. RESULTS: Fifty-one percent of parents reported that their child had a chronic condition. Quality-of-care ratings varied according to health status and the presence of chronic conditions. Parents of children in the worst (fair or poor) health without chronic conditions reported lower quality of care (P < .001) and more care problems (P < .001) than did those with chronic conditions. Parents of children in the best (excellent, very good, or good) health tended to rate care highly, whether or not their children had chronic conditions. In a multivariable model, the decrement in perceived quality of care associated with poorer health was greater for those without than for those with chronic conditions (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Although children in poor health are at risk for experiencing a lower quality of health care, parents of such children who have chronic conditions report fewer care-related problems. This may be owing to the more frequent health care interactions and better continuity of care for children with chronic conditions. PMID- 17768282 TI - Improving attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatment outcomes through use of a collaborative consultation treatment service by community-based pediatricians: a cluster randomized trial. AB - OBJECTIVE: To test whether adoption of a collaborative consultative service model results in improved patient outcomes. DESIGN: Twelve pediatric practices were randomly assigned to receive access to collaborative consultative services or to a control group. SETTING: Community-based pediatric offices. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty two pediatricians and their 377 patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Intervention A collaborative consultative service promoting the use of titration trials and periodic monitoring during medication maintenance. Main Outcome Measure Physician practice behaviors and child ADHD symptomatology. RESULTS: Using self-report of pediatricians, the collaborative consultative service increased the use of evidence-based practices by pediatricians, but no difference in children's ADHD symptomatology was observed between the groups. However, many pediatricians did not fully use the collaborative consultative services. Those children who actually received collaborative consultative services showed significant behavioral improvement compared with children not receiving these services. CONCLUSIONS: When actually implemented by pediatricians, the collaborative consultative service appears to be an effective method for facilitating evidence-based treatment procedures for ADHD and use of these procedures appear to improve children's outcomes. Barriers to implementation of collaborative consultative service in pediatric practice need to be further understood. PMID- 17768283 TI - The influence of school smoking policies on student tobacco use. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between smoking behavior among secondary school students and school smoking policies. DESIGN: Cross-sectional provincially representative study. SETTING: Quebec secondary schools. PARTICIPANTS: Complete data were available for 763 of 1058 students aged 13 years in 50 schools and for 768 of 1160 students aged 16 years in 57 schools. School principals provided data on school smoking policies. Main Exposure School smoking policies. Outcome Measure Student tobacco use. RESULTS: Of students aged 13 years, 3.8% of boys and 7.1% of girls smoked daily; 21.0% of boys and 25.2% of girls aged 16 years smoked daily. Of schools, 28.0% permitted staff to smoke indoors, 84.1% permitted staff to smoke outdoors on school grounds, and 83.2% permitted students to smoke outdoors on school grounds. Daily smoking was not associated with policies targeting student smoking or those targeting indoor smoking by staff. In multilevel analyses, girls aged 13 years were almost 5 times more likely to be daily smokers if they attended schools at which staff were permitted to smoke outdoors. CONCLUSIONS: Younger girls may be more susceptible to social influences at school related to tobacco use. School policies banning smoking by teachers and other school personnel within and outside the school should be an important component of comprehensive adolescent smoking prevention programs. PMID- 17768284 TI - Exposure to smoking depictions in movies: its association with established adolescent smoking. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between exposure to movie smoking and established adolescent smoking. DESIGN: Longitudinal survey of a representative US adolescent sample. SETTING: Adolescents were surveyed by telephone in their homes. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-five hundred twenty-two US adolescents aged 10 to 14 years at baseline, resurveyed at 8 months (8M) (n = 5503), 16 months (16M) (n = 5019), and 24 months (24M) (n = 4575). Main Exposure Exposure to smoking in 532 box-office hits released in the 5 years prior to the baseline survey. Outcome Measure Established smoking (having smoked more than 100 cigarettes during lifetime). RESULTS: Of 108 incident established smokers with data at the 24M survey, 85% were current (30-day smokers) and 83% endorsed at least 1 addiction symptom. Established smoking incidence was 7.4, 15.8, and 19.7 per 1000 person years of observation for the baseline-to-8M, 8M-to-16M, and 16M-to-24M observation periods, respectively. In a multivariate survival model, risk of established smoking was predicted by baseline exposure to smoking in movies with an adjusted overall hazard ratio of 2.04 (95% confidence interval, 1.01-4.12) for teens in the 95th percentile of movie-smoking exposure compared with the 5th percentile. This effect was independent of age; parent, sibling, or friend smoking; and sensation seeking. Teens low on sensation seeking were more responsive to the movie-smoking effect (hazard ratio, 12.7; 95% confidence interval, 2.0-80.6) compared with teens who were high on sensation seeking (hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 0.4-2.6). CONCLUSION: In this national US adolescent sample, exposure to smoking in movies predicted risk of becoming an established smoker, an outcome linked with adult dependent smoking and its associated morbidity and mortality. PMID- 17768285 TI - Prevalence, recognition, and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a national sample of US children. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the US national prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and whether prevalence, recognition, and treatment vary by socioeconomic group. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Nationally representative sample of the US population from 2001 to 2004. PARTICIPANTS: Eight- to 15-year-old children (N = 3082) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (caregiver module) was used to ascertain the presence of ADHD in the past year based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) (DSM-IV) criteria. Prior diagnosis of ADHD by a health professional and ADHD medication use were assessed by caregiver report. RESULTS: Of the children, 8.7% met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD. The poorest children (lowest quintile) were more likely than the wealthiest (highest quintile) to fulfill criteria for ADHD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-3.9). Among children meeting DSM-IV ADHD criteria, 47.9% had a prior diagnosis of ADHD and 32.0% were treated consistently with ADHD medications during the past year. Girls were less likely than boys to have their disorder identified (AOR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.8), and the wealthiest children were more likely than the poorest to receive regular medication treatment (AOR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.3-9.1). CONCLUSIONS: Of US children aged 8 to 15 years, 8.7%, an estimated 2.4 million, meet DSM-IV criteria for ADHD. Less than half of children meeting DSM-IV criteria report receiving either a diagnosis of ADHD or regular medication treatment. Poor children are most likely to meet criteria for ADHD yet are least likely to receive consistent pharmacotherapy. PMID- 17768287 TI - Easing the strain on a pediatric tertiary care center: use of a redistribution system. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of a regionalized system to safely transfer patients requiring admission from a referral center to either regional or community hospitals. DESIGN: Cohort study of children requiring admission. Following transfer, a questionnaire was administered to eligible caregivers. Subsequent emergency department (ED) use was assessed by comparing children who were transferred with those who were not. SETTING: The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from April 1, 2003, through March 31, 2004. PARTICIPANTS: Caregivers of 371 children who underwent transfer from a tertiary care center ED to either a regional or a community hospital were eligible; 344 were contacted. Two hundred fifty-three children for whom transfer was considered but was not performed served as a comparison group. Intervention Questionnaire administered to caregivers, combined with database review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Failure of the transfer process, caregiver satisfaction, and future tertiary care center ED use. RESULTS: Five children experienced intravenous access problems, and 4 children experienced delayed antibiotic administration. Caregiver satisfaction was 92.3% with the transfer process and 84.4% with the care at the receiving hospital. Forty-seven percent of caregivers indicated that they would agree to a similar transfer in the future. Two years later, fewer transferred children (39.9%) than those who were not transferred (49.6%) had revisited the tertiary care center ED (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.10). The mean number of visits was unchanged (95% confidence interval of the difference, -0.44 to 0.21 visits). CONCLUSIONS: Although we found the redistribution program to be safe, caregivers stated a preference not to be transferred again. The redistribution system did not substantially alter tertiary care center ED use. PMID- 17768286 TI - School-based overweight preventive intervention lowers incidence of disordered weight-control behaviors in early adolescent girls. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of a school-based intervention to promote healthful nutrition and physical activity on disordered weight-control behaviors (self-induced vomiting or use of laxatives or diet pills to control weight) in early adolescent girls and boys. DESIGN: Using a group-randomized, controlled trial design, we randomly assigned middle schools to an intervention or control condition. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the effect of the intervention on the odds of reporting a new case of disordered weight-control behaviors at follow-up, adjusting for sex, school-level prevalence of disordered weight-control behaviors at baseline, and school clusters. Students reporting these behaviors at baseline were excluded from the analyses. SETTING: Thirteen middle schools. PARTICIPANTS: At baseline, 749 girls and 702 boys in grades 6 and 7. Intervention The 5-2-1 Go! intervention (Planet Health obesity prevention curriculum plus School Health Index for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide, Middle/High School Version) was implemented during 2 school years, from November 2002 through May 2004. Main Outcome Measure Self-reported disordered weight-control behaviors in last 30 days at follow-up. RESULTS: At follow-up in girls, 3.6% (15 of 422) in control schools compared with 1.2% (4 of 327) in intervention schools reported engaging in disordered weight-control behaviors (P = .04). Multivariate analyses indicated that the odds of these behaviors in girls in intervention schools were reduced by two thirds compared with girls in control schools (odds ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.97). No intervention effect was observed in boys. CONCLUSIONS: Results add compelling support for the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary, school-based obesity prevention intervention to prevent disordered weight-control behaviors in early adolescent girls. PMID- 17768288 TI - Communitywide outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in rural Missouri associated with attendance at child care centers. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors for infection during a cryptosporidiosis outbreak in a rural Missouri community. DESIGN: Community-based case-control study. SETTING: Madison County, Missouri. PARTICIPANTS: Case patients had laboratory-confirmed Cryptosporidium infection. Controls were randomly selected from the community. INTERVENTIONS: Pool water and municipal tap water were analyzed for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate potential risk factors. OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk factors for cryptosporidiosis infection. RESULTS: In total, 56 case patients (median age, 7.0 years) who developed cryptosporidiosis from July 27 to August 30, 2005, and 76 controls (median age, 8.4 years) participated in this study. The main risk factors for cryptosporidiosis were attending child care center A or B (adjusted odds ratio, 42.11; 95% confidence interval, 4.88-363.57) and using a water park (adjusted odds ratio, 6.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.25 29.01). A pool-based case-control study indicated that the highest risk for infection was associated with eating at the pool (adjusted odds ratio, 7.26; 95% confidence interval, 2.57-20.48). The epidemiologic curve for cases without child care exposure peaked 4 days later than that for the child care-associated cases. Samples of water from the city water plant and the water park tested negative for Cryptosporidium oocysts. CONCLUSIONS: Children attending child care center A or B were the likely sources of this cryptosporidiosis outbreak. Recreational pool water probably served as a vehicle for disease transmission in the community. Early recognition of first cases of cryptosporidiosis by health care providers (ie, pediatricians and family physicians) caring for children could play an important role in limiting community outbreaks. PMID- 17768289 TI - Spectral gradient acoustic reflectometry compared with tympanometry in diagnosing middle ear effusion in children aged 6 to 24 months. AB - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the accuracy of spectral gradient acoustic reflectometry (SGAR) in children aged 6 to 24 months, and to compare SGAR with tympanometry. DESIGN: Comparison of diagnostic tests. SETTING: Inner-city primary care center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 786 healthy children aged 6 to 24 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Test characteristics of SGAR (sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values) and receiver operating characteristic curves from the SGAR and tympanometric data. RESULTS: The SGAR results were available for 3096 otoscopic examinations in 647 children. Tympanometric results were available for 2854 otoscopic examinations in 597 children. Using the recommended SGAR pass or fail cutoff, 53% of the ears in which effusion was present would have been considered effusion free (sensitivity, 47%). Only 10% of the ears without effusion would have been considered to have effusion (specificity, 90%). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.78 for SGAR and 0.83 for tympanometry. CONCLUSION: Spectral gradient acoustic reflectometry is slightly less discerning than tympanometry in predicting the presence or absence of middle ear effusion in children younger than 2 years. PMID- 17768290 TI - Factors associated with hospital length of stay and hospital charges of motor vehicle crash related hospitalizations among children in the United States. AB - OBJECTIVES: To calculate national estimates of motor vehicle crash (MVC)-related hospitalization and associated use of health care resources among patients 20 years and younger and to explore the effects of certain sociodemographic and health care system-related factors and injury severity on use of hospital resources and lengths of stay (LOSs) in the United States. DESIGN: Data from the 2003 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database were used. SETTING: Pediatric inpatient care in 3438 hospitals in 36 US states. Patients Patients 20 years and younger hospitalized with MVC-related injuries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: National estimates of MVC-associated hospitalizations, rates, resource use, Injury Severity Scores, and demographics were calculated. Potentially significant covariate associations were studied using hospital charges and LOS. RESULTS: Sixty-two thousand eight hundred eighty MVC-related hospitalizations occurred among patients 20 years and younger in the United States in 2003, resulting in more than $2.0 billion (SD = $1.2 million) in inpatient charges and 304 196 days (SD = 55,113 days) of hospitalization. Mean (SD) hospital charges and LOS were $33,440 ($55,113) and 4.8 (7.7) days, respectively. The mean (SD) Injury Severity Score was 10.3 (11.4). Adolescents aged 18 through 20 years had the highest hospitalization rates (197 cases per 100,000 children). Older age, being male, urban hospital location, mortality during hospitalization, higher injury severity, and longer LOS were significantly associated with higher total charges. Longer LOS was significantly associated with older age, urban hospital location, higher injury severity, and mortality. CONCLUSION: Motor vehicle crash-related injuries among children burden health care resources, with nationwide charges exceeding $2 billion annually. PMID- 17768291 TI - Inhalational, gastrointestinal, and cutaneous anthrax in children: a systematic review of cases: 1900 to 2005. AB - OBJECTIVE: To systematically review all published case reports of children with anthrax to evaluate the predictors of disease progression and mortality. DATA SOURCES: Fourteen selected journal indexes (1900-1966), MEDLINE (1966-2005), and the bibliographies of all retrieved articles. STUDY SELECTION: Case reports (any language) of anthrax in persons younger than 18 years published between January 1, 1900, and December 31, 2005. Main Exposures Cases with symptoms and culture or Gram stain or autopsy evidence of anthrax infection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Disease progression, treatment responses, and mortality. RESULTS: Of 2499 potentially relevant articles, 73 case reports of pediatric anthrax (5 inhalational cases, 22 gastrointestinal cases, 37 cutaneous cases, 6 cases of primary meningoencephalitis, and 3 atypical cases) met the inclusion criteria. Only 10% of the patients were younger than 2 years, and 24% were girls. Of the few children with inhalational anthrax, none had nonheadache neurologic symptoms, a key finding that distinguishes adult inhalational anthrax from more common illnesses, such as influenza. Overall, observed mortality was 60% (3 of 5) for inhalational anthrax, 65% (13 of 20) for gastrointestinal anthrax, 14% (5 of 37) for cutaneous anthrax, and 100% (6 of 6) for primary meningoencephalitis. Nineteen of the 30 children (63%) who received penicillin-based antibiotics survived, and 9 of the 11 children (82%) who received anthrax antiserum survived. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical presentation of children with anthrax is varied. The mortality rate is high in children with inhalational anthrax, gastrointestinal anthrax, and anthrax meningoencephalitis. Rapid diagnosis and effective treatment of anthrax in children requires recognition of the broad spectrum of clinical presentations of pediatric anthrax. PMID- 17768292 TI - Picture of the month: diagnosis. PMID- 17768293 TI - Bridging the quality chasm for children: need for valid, comprehensive measurement tools. PMID- 17768294 TI - When there is "no room at the inn": potential solution for overcrowding in a tertiary pediatric center. PMID- 17768295 TI - Making progress for how medicines are used in children. PMID- 17768296 TI - Spotlight: David Higginson, MD, FRCP, FESC. Interview by Jennifer Taylor. PMID- 17768297 TI - Omega-3 fatty acids and cardiac arrhythmias: prior studies and recommendations for future research: a report from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and Office Of Dietary Supplements Omega-3 Fatty Acids and their Role in Cardiac Arrhythmogenesis Workshop. PMID- 17768298 TI - Sclerotic aortic valve: flow-sensitive 4-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging reveals 3 distinct flow-pattern changes. PMID- 17768299 TI - Tissue diagnosis with magnetic resonance imaging. PMID- 17768300 TI - Letter regarding article, "Glucose levels predict hospitalization for congestive heart failure in patients at high cardiovascular risk". PMID- 17768301 TI - On-pump and off-pump coronary bypass surgery. PMID- 17768302 TI - Myocardial lipid accumulation in the diabetic heart. PMID- 17768303 TI - Patients with hemodynamically tolerated ventricular tachycardia require implantable cardioverter defibrillators. PMID- 17768304 TI - All patients with hemodynamically tolerated postinfarction ventricular tachycardia do not require an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. PMID- 17768305 TI - The role of mutational dynamics in genome shrinkage. AB - Genome shrinkage occurs after whole genome duplications (WGDs) and in the evolution of parasitic or symbiotic species. The dynamics of this process, whether it occurs by single gene deletions or also by larger deletions are however unknown. In yeast, genome shrinkage has occurred after a WGD. Using a computational model of genome evolution, we show that in a random genome single gene deletions cannot explain the observed pattern of gene loss in yeast. The distribution of genes deleted per event can be very well described by a geometric distribution, with a mean of 1.1 genes per event. In terms of deletions of a stretch of base pairs, we find that a geometric distribution with an average of 500-600 base pairs per event describes the data very well. Moreover, in the model, as in the data, gene pairs that have a small intergenic distance are more likely to be both deleted. This proves that simultaneous deletion of multiple genes causes the observed pattern of gene deletions, rather than deletion of functionally clustered genes by selection. Furthermore, we found that in the bacterium Buchnera aphidicola larger deletions than in yeast are necessary to explain the clustering of deleted genes. We show that the excess clustering of deleted genes in B. aphidicola can be explained by the clustering of genes in operons. Therefore, we show that selection has little effect on the clustering of deleted genes after the WGD in yeast, while it has during genome shrinkage in B. aphidicola. PMID- 17768306 TI - WOX gene phylogeny in Poaceae: a comparative approach addressing leaf and embryo development. AB - The phylogeny based on the homeodomain (HD) amino acid sequence of the WOX (WUSCHEL-related homeobox gene family) was established in the 3 major radiations of the Poaceae family: Pooideae (Brachypodium distachyon), Bambusoideae (Oryza sativa), and Panicoideae (Zea mays). The genomes of all 3 grasses contain an ancient duplication in the WOX3 branch, and the cellular expression patterns in maize and rice indicate subfunctionalization of paralogues during leaf development, which may relate to the architecture of the grass leaf and the encircling of the stem. The use of maize WOX gene family members as molecular markers in maize embryo development for the first time allowed us to visualize cellular decisions in the maize proembryo, including specification of the shoot/root axis at an oblique angle to the apical-basal polarity of the zygote. All molecular marker data are compatible with the conclusion that the embryonic shoot/root axis comprises a discrete domain from early proembryo stages onward. Novel cell fates of the shoot and the root are acquired within this distinct morphogenic axis domain, which elongates and thus separates the shoot apical meristem and root apical meristem (RAM) anlagen in the maize embryo. PMID- 17768307 TI - First aid recommendations for psychosis: using the Delphi method to gain consensus between mental health consumers, carers, and clinicians. AB - BACKGROUND: Members of the general public often lack the knowledge and skills to intervene effectively to help someone who may be developing a psychotic illness before appropriate professional help is received. METHODS: We used the Delphi method to determine recommendations on first aid for psychosis. An international panel of 157 mental health consumers, carers, and clinicians completed a 146-item questionnaire about how a member of the public could help someone who may be experiencing psychosis. The panel members rated each questionnaire item according to whether they believed the statement should be included in the first aid recommendations. The results were analyzed by comparing consensus rates across the 3 groups. Three rounds of ratings were required to consolidate consensus levels. RESULTS: Eighty-nine items were endorsed by >or=80% of panel members from all 3 groups as essential or important for psychosis first aid. These items were grouped under the following 9 headings: how to know if someone is experiencing psychosis; how to approach someone who may be experiencing psychosis; how to be supportive; how to deal with delusions and hallucinations; how to deal with communication difficulties; whether to encourage the person to seek professional help; what to do if the person does not want help; what to do in a crisis situation when the person has become acutely unwell; what to do if the person becomes aggressive. CONCLUSIONS: These recommendations will improve the provision of first aid to individuals who are developing a psychotic disorder by informing the content of training courses. PMID- 17768308 TI - The dimensional structure of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales: factor identification and construct validity. AB - The present study examined the factor structure underlying the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales and the validity of these dimensions. Confirmatory factor analysis with 6137 nonclinical young adults supported a 2-factor model with positive and negative schizotypy dimensions. As predicted, the schizotypy dimensions were differentially related to psychopathology, personality, and social impairment. Both dimensions were related to schizotypal and paranoid symptoms. Positive schizotypy was uniquely related to psychotic-like experiences, substance abuse, mood disorders, and mental health treatment, whereas negative schizotypy was associated with negative and schizoid symptoms. Both dimensions were associated with poorer overall and social functioning, but negative schizotypy was associated with decreased likelihood of intimate relationships. The findings support the construct validity of a multidimensional model of schizotypy and the use of psychometric inventories to assess these dimensions. PMID- 17768309 TI - APOA5 variants and metabolic syndrome in Caucasians. AB - Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene variants were reported to be associated with two components of metabolic syndrome (MetS): higher TG levels and lower HDL levels. Moreover, a recent Japanese case-control study found variant -1131T>C associated with MetS itself. Thus, our study systematically analyzed the APOA5 gene for association with lipid parameters, any other features of MetS, including waist circumference, glucose-related parameters, blood pressure, uric acid, and MetS itself in Caucasians. Ten polymorphisms were analyzed in a large fasting sample of the population-based Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) survey S4 (n = 1,354; southern Germany) and in a second fasting sample, the Salzburg Atherosclerosis Prevention Program in Subjects at High Individual Risk (SAPHIR) study (n = 1,770; Austria). Minor alleles of variants -1131T>C, 3A>G, c.56C>G, 476G>A, and 1259T>C were significantly associated with higher TG levels in single polymorphism (P < 0.001) and haplotype (P G was associated with higher risk for MetS [odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 1.43 (1.04, 1.99), P = 0.03 for KORA and 1.48 (1.10, 1.99), P = 0.009 for SAPHIR). Our study confirms the association of the APOA5 locus with TG and HDL levels in humans. Furthermore, the data suggest a different mechanism of APOA5 impact on MetS in Caucasians, as variant c.56C>G (not analyzed in the Japanese study) and not -1131T>C, as in the Japanese subjects, was associated with MetS. PMID- 17768311 TI - Assessing the environmental risk from hot particles in the vicinity of Dounreay- a case for inaction? AB - This study assesses the impact on species other than humans associated with radioactive particles present in the marine environment close to the UKAEA Dounreay site, through a review of marine survey data, to establish the distribution of species and the likelihood of encountering a particle, and considering retention, dissolution or absorption of the particle. Assumptions are made regarding particle density, distribution, size and bio-availability of the radioactive materials. From this, impacts are assessed against the likelihood of mortality or other significant harm to individuals and interpreted in terms of local populations. Results obtained indicate that no significant impact, at the population level, is likely to be observed. This does not preclude that some individuals will be affected. It does, however, suggest that any decision to remediate, if based predominantly on environmental considerations, should be cognisant of the damage caused by remediation itself and subsequent exploitation of the environment by humans. PMID- 17768312 TI - 'Hot particles' in the cold light of day: principles for a stakeholder and public engagement architecture relating to historic liabilities in the marine environment. AB - This paper discusses issues in stakeholder relations, focusing on the challenges of liabilities management associated with small fragments of irradiated nuclear fuel hereafter termed particles (and sometimes termed 'hot particles' in the public domain, from which this paper gets its title), produced over a number of decades from now ceased operations at Dounreay. It describes key problems confronting the nuclear industry in developing a stakeholder-relations strategy. Drawing upon examples of the stakeholder activity at Dounreay, and using an ecological metaphor, an innovative architecture for stakeholder engagement relating to nuclear issues is outlined. This is based upon the view that the solution of the stakeholder issue must reflect the complexity and connectivity of influences and interests within the stakeholder environment. It is argued that the lay public should be visualised as the stakeholder if an effective stakeholder-relations strategy is to be achieved. The importance of creating trust in a context of scientific uncertainty is highlighted. This will, it is argued, become an increasingly salient issue in the thrust for openness and transparency, two key drivers of nuclear industry public and stakeholder relations, which could make the limits of scientific knowledge and control more widely appreciated, and bring to the fore the role of lay conceptions of perceived risk. PMID- 17768313 TI - Determining a strategy for managing radioactive particles in the environment: establishing the BPEO. AB - The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is in the process of identifying the long-term management strategy for radioactive particles in the environment. Application of the standard best practicable environmental option (BPEO) methodology to this issue is, however, complicated because particles reside in both the on-shore and off-shore environments. Methods for implementation of potential management options may vary due to the differing characteristics of the on- and off-shore environments. A different management option may therefore be required, and furthermore the dynamic interaction between these two environments influences how these options could be combined to provide an overall management strategy. UKAEA has developed the standard BPEO appraisal process so that distinct management options for both environments are initially assessed separately. This allows identification of the key issues that influence how they are combined into an overall management strategy. Over the last two years the public consultation on this issue has progressed substantially and therefore the paper presented at the Nairn conference in 2005 has been revised to take into account the work carried out to date. PMID- 17768314 TI - History of monitoring beaches around Dounreay, and some future work. AB - Since the first finds of radioactive particles on beaches in north Caithness in the early 1980s, a programme of beach monitoring has been and continues to be undertaken by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, UKAEA. This programme has evolved over the years: gradually more intensive monitoring has been required by the site regulator, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), while UKAEA have managed the deployment of increasingly more sophisticated radiation detection technology to meet or exceed regulatory expectations. This paper provides an overview of the beach monitoring programmes, and summarises how many particles have been detected, where they have been found, and how radioactive they are. The large number of in situ measurements typically recorded during surveys and the large areas of beach sands monitored are illustrated by reference to survey data acquired in the first half of 2005. Finally, the implications of the detection of a small particle at a large public beach some 23 km east of the Dounreay site are briefly discussed, as is the nature of some future work related to this environmental legacy. PMID- 17768315 TI - Development and use of radiation detection technology for buried seabed particles. AB - From the initial 1997 diver-based gamma survey of the seabed sediments offshore of Dounreay, there has been continuous development of instrumentation and techniques. The initial contract surveyed randomly chosen areas, to ascertain if any particles were indeed present, since they had been found on the Dounreay foreshore in previous years. In total 34 particles were located and recovered. The period 1998-2002 saw further diver-based surveys using more sensitive and better designed detection systems. A towed system incorporating the same detectors was also deployed, covering extensive areas of the seabed. Throughout this period a more detailed understanding of particle dispersion emerged. The primary source of particles was identified as the old diffuser, with evidence for a dispersion plume heading north-east. In late 2002, Fathoms selected a gamma spectrometry system for trial and evaluation for possible future subsea deployment. The positive results led to a field trial being awarded by UKAEA for deployment of a stationary platform with a 7.8 cm x 7.8 cm NaI detector on the seabed at various offshore locations. This trial identified particles by their 137Cs photopeak and delivered the explanation for the gamma activity banding in the 'anomalous' zone. This successful trial led in 2004 to a joint Fathoms/UKAEA lab trial of the SAM-935 system of the larger 10 cm x 10 cm x 40 cm NaI crystal, inside a marinising unit. These proved to be fit for purpose and UKAEA tasked Fathoms to deliver in 2004 a tracked remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of deploying the larger detectors to allow gamma mapping of seabed sediments, up to a maximum depth of 100 m. Preliminary results of the 2005 ROV work are presented. PMID- 17768316 TI - Dounreay hot particles: the story so far. AB - The first Dounreay hot particle (hereafter 'Particle') to be formally identified was recovered from the Dounreay foreshore in 1983. A further single Particle was recovered from Sandside beach the following year. Particles have been detected and removed from the Dounreay foreshore regularly since 1984 and from the offshore sediments since 1997. Since 1997, an extensive research and development programme has been undertaken to identify the source of Particles, their movement and lifetimes in the marine environment, and their potential effects on human and environmental health. It is now known that Particles were released to the North Atlantic Ocean in the mid to late 1960s and early 1970s. There is no evidence of an on-going source of Particles from the Dounreay site today. The source of Particles recovered from the Dounreay foreshore and from local beaches is the cache currently residing in marine sediments adjacent to Dounreay. Monitoring and sediment modelling studies indicate that the Dounreay Particles are transported approximately parallel to the coast in a north-easterly direction. Studies to define contact frequencies and risks to human health suggest that the health risks associated with Particles are very low There is, however, a significant perception of risk. UKAEA will define a long-term Particle management programme via the development of a best practical environmental option (BPEO) facilitated through consultation with all stakeholders. PMID- 17768317 TI - Techniques employed for detection of hot particles in the marine environment. AB - During the decommissioning of the Maine Yankee nuclear plant, several methods were developed and employed to survey for hot particles in the marine environment surrounding the site. The methods used and the sensitivities achieved in the search for environmentally dispersed particles during the various decommissioning activities performed are described in detail. Surveys were performed on dry soil, exposed marine sediment and submerged marine sediment. Survey techniques ranged from the use of the basic NaI detector coupled to a count rate meter to an intrinsic germanium detector deployed in a submarine housing coupled to a multi channel analyser. The initial surveys consisted of collecting samples of marine sediment, spreading them out over a 1 m2 surface in a thin layer, and scanning the deposited sediment by hand using a 5 cm by 5 cm NaI detector coupled to a standard count rate meter. This technique was later replaced by walkover scans with the 5 cm by 5 cm NaI detector moved in a serpentine pattern over the sediment surface. By coupling the detector to a 'smart meter', an alarm set point could be used to alert the surveyor to the presence of a particle within the instrument's field of view. A similar technique, with the detector mounted in a watertight housing secured to the end of a pole, was also employed to scan underwater locations. The most sensitive method developed for performing underwater surveys was the use of the intrinsic germanium detector placed in a submarine housing. Detailed descriptions of the methods employed and the results obtained are presented. This work demonstrates that there are several approaches to surveying for discrete particles in the marine environment and the relative merits of each are considered. PMID- 17768318 TI - Past radioactive particle contamination in the Columbia river at the Hanford site, USA. AB - One closed-loop and eight single-pass plutonium production reactors originally operated on the Columbia river. During the 26 years of single-pass reactor operations, small amounts of radioactive particles were released in liquid discharges to the Columbia river and were deposited in sediment and cobble along the shoreline and on islands in the river. Islands located adjacent to D island and immediately downstream of D island had the greatest density of particles. In 1979, the small particles contained between 63 and 890 kBq of cobalt-60 activity. Dose rates emanating from those particles ranged from 1 to 14 microGy h(-1). Because of the short half-life of cobalt-60 (5.3 y), the hot-particle problem at Hanford has taken care of itself through radiological decay. Some scientists have proposed that it is economically and environmentally advantageous to manage isolated low-level contaminated sites with institutional controls until the activity decays and the sites can be released rather than to pursue expensive clean-up options. PMID- 17768319 TI - Experience of monitoring beaches for radioactive particles. AB - This paper discusses some of the theoretical and practical problems that are encountered in monitoring beaches for hot particles. The experience is from operating a near-continuous monitoring program, for a period of eight years, on beaches near the Dounreay site. The reliability and failure mechanisms of the monitoring systems used will be discussed, together with remedial actions employed. The viability and performance of several types and configurations of radiation detectors will be described, along with methods by which particles might be detected, given their response to buried particles. When large areas are being monitored at high spatial resolution, which is required for efficient particle detection, the volume of data recorded for audit purposes can be very large. The use and abuse of Geographical Information Systems for this work is described. Other practical aspects of performing surveys are also discussed, including understanding health-and-safety requirements; constraints imposed by weather, tides and tidal speed; the logistics of making vehicles available to perform the work; and how a particle should be recovered once detected. PMID- 17768320 TI - Studies at Dounreay on the repopulation of offshore sediments by hot particles. AB - Since 2000, much of the effort of diving surveys offshore of Dounreay to locate the presence of radioactive particles in the seabed sediments has been directed to a programme of repopulation studies, in which selected areas of the seabed have been surveyed a number of times and cleared of identified particles on each occasion. This work has led to an understanding of the distribution of particles within the seabed off Dounreay. The two-population model originally proposed by Atkinson (2001 UKAEA Document reference 000052) and further refined into three populations by Clayton and Atkinson (2002 UKAEA Document PSG Issue Note (02)33) has been substantially confirmed by the extended data set now available. It is apparent that the upper layers of the seabed sediments, containing a population of particles, are essentially mobile. These sediments migrate over the seabed driven by tidal wave and surge induced seabed currents, recontaminating areas which have been previously cleared of particles. The number of particles present in this layer at any given location has not been effectively reduced by the removal of particles over the years, nor has the distribution of activity within this population varied significantly. The highest concentration of particles, and the most active, reside close to and to the northeast of the effluent diffuser outfall. Particle numbers and their activity decrease with distance from the diffuser, and the rate of decrease is significantly greater to the southwest compared to the northeast. By contrast, there is evidence that the population of particles retained in the deeper sediments has changed significantly as a result of the repopulation surveys. Close to the diffuser, the population of particles identified at depth during initial surveys is high and contains significantly more highly active particles than are found in the surface sediments. It is also evident that once the deeper sediments are cleared of particles, the level of repopulation of these sediments over time is substantially reduced. There is little mixing of the more deeply buried sediments. Following a period of stormy weather over the winter of 2004-05, repopulation surveys were initiated in March 2005 to see if the effect of these storm events could be detected in the distribution of particles in the sediments. Little evidence for this was found, and was limited to the recovery of a single particle of high activity in the surface sediments of Repop 12 located over 2 km to the northeast of the effluent diffuser. The justification for continuation of the programme of repopulation surveys is questioned, particularly on health and safety grounds. The programme of surveys may eventually exhaust the mobile particle population such that repopulation rates decrease significantly although there is no evidence as to when this may occur. It is suggested that little further benefit will be obtained from the continued retrieval of additional and similar information. PMID- 17768321 TI - Particle data management--turning data into accessible information. AB - The UKAEA has assigned significant resources to the monitoring and retrieval of particles from the vicinity of its site at Dounreay in the north of Scotland. The monitoring, retrieval and analytical processes each generate information that is required for interpretative and record purposes. As significant resources are made available for studying and retrieving particles, the information collected must be managed in a logical, stable and accessible manner to protect the investment in information. If suitable data management procedures are not in place there is a high risk of data loss and duplication, and stakeholders may be unable to discover what information is already available or be unable to access the existing information. UKAEA Dounreay operates a geographic information system (GIS) that interfaces with a data management system known as IMAGES. These systems are used to securely store and access a wide range of environmental data including those relating to particles. A case study is presented illustrating the processes and systems involved with the collection, storage, analysis and distribution of particle data. The advantages gained through use of the GIS system are considered in relation to alternative types of record management system such as paper, and electronic non-spatial systems. It is considered that the GIS system offers very significant benefits in terms of standardisation of data capture, security of storage and increased accessibility of data compared with other systems. PMID- 17768322 TI - Management of particles detected on the Dounreay site. AB - Much effort is involved in finding and retrieving historic particles from the environs surrounding the Dounreay nuclear site. Historic particles are also present on the site itself, and these are dealt with as part of the ongoing contaminated land management regime. UKAEA operates systems of routine monitoring on outside surface areas in order to limit exposure to the workforce under the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999. Contaminated material is removed when found, and this material undergoes separation and analysis routinely and where suspected to contain a particle. Information regarding on-site particles has been built up as a result of this. The distribution of on-site particles provides details of the likely dispersion pathways, and it is apparent that some interaction occurs between the on-site and off-site particle transport mechanisms. The strategy for dealing with contaminated land at Dounreay is to manage contamination in situ during the decommissioning phase, where the risk of doing so is acceptable. Particles present a very low risk to Dounreay site workers but it is considered ALARP (as low as reasonably practicable) to detect and remove these particles. The particles are a legacy issue arising from historic practices, which would not meet today's safety standards. A continuing programme to detect, remove and record their presence will be required during the site closure process. This will be necessary to meet current regulations and the likely criteria for releasing the site for future re-use. The final solution for the particles will not be known until the Best Practicable Environmental Options study is completed and further development of the site end-point work has been reported. It is unlikely that there will be a full removal of particles from the total environment, so some form of long term monitoring programme may be required plus a high standard of record keeping. PMID- 17768323 TI - Hot particle dosimetry and radiobiology--past and present. AB - Small high-activity radioactive particles of nominal diameter ranging from approximately 1 mm down to several microm have been a radiological concern over the last 30 years in and around European and American nuclear reactor facilities. These particles have often been referred to as 'hot particles'. The 'hot particle problem' came into prominent concern in the late 1960s. The potential carcinogenic effects in lungs as the result of irradiation by discrete small particles containing alpha-emitting radionuclides, particularly (239)Pu, were claimed by some to be several orders of magnitude greater than those produced by uniform irradiation to the same mean dose. The phrase 'hot particle problem' was subsequently used to refer to the difficulty of predicting health effects for all microscopic radioactive sources. The difficulty arose because of the paucity of comparative human, animal or cell studies using radioactive particles, and the lack of validated measurement or calculational techniques for dose estimation for non-uniform exposures. Experience was largely restricted to uniform, large area/volume exposures. The concern regarding cancer induction was extended to deterministic effects when the ICRP in 1977 failed to give adequate dose limits for dealing with 'hot particle' exposures of the skin. Since 1980, considerable efforts have been made to clarify and solve the dosimetric and radiobiological issues related to the health effects of 'hot particle' exposures. The general recommendations of the ICRP in 1991 used the latest radiobiological data to provide skin dose limits which are applicable to 'hot particle' exposures. More recently the NCRP has extended considerations to other organs. This progress is reviewed and applied to the specific case of the recent evaluation of potential health effects of Dounreay fuel fragments commissioned by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Analyses of possible doses and risks in this case indicate that the principal concern following skin contact, ingestion or inhalation is the possibility of localised ulceration of skin or of the mucosal lining of the colon or extra-thoracic airways. PMID- 17768324 TI - The Windscale reactor accident--50 years on. PMID- 17768325 TI - District surveys following the Windscale incident, October 1957. 1958. AB - During 10-11 October 1957 a fire in the core of a nuclear reactor at Windscale Works, Sellafield (in the current county of Cumbria, England) led to a significant release of radioactive material to atmosphere. The accident at Windscale No. 1 Pile required a large-scale environmental monitoring programme to be conducted and the results of this survey led to a restriction on the distribution of milk from an area adjacent to Windscale Works for a period of several weeks. This monitoring programme was described in detail by H J Dunster and his colleagues from the Industrial Group of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (which operated Windscale Works in 1957) in a paper presented to the Second United Nations International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held in Geneva during 1-13 September 1958. The paper, from the proceedings of this conference, is reproduced here. PMID- 17768326 TI - Radon exposure of the skin: I. Biological effects. AB - Radon progeny can plate out on skin and give rise to exposure of the superficial epidermis from alpha emitters Po-218 (7.7 MeV, range approximately 66 microm) and Po-214 (6 MeV, range approximately 44 microm). Dose rates from beta/gamma emitters Pb-214 and Bi-214 are low and only predominate at depths in excess of the alpha range. This paper reviews the evidence for a causal link between exposure from radon and its progeny, and deterministic and stochastic biological effects in human skin. Radiation induced skin effects such as ulceration and dermal atrophy, which require irradiation of the dermis, are ruled out for alpha irradiation from radon progeny because the target cells are considerably deeper than the range of alpha particles. They have not been observed in man or animals. Effects such as erythema and acute epidermal necrosis have been observed in a few cases of very high dose alpha particle exposures in man and after acute high dose exposure in animals from low energy beta radiations with similar depth doses to radon progeny. The required skin surface absorbed doses are in excess of 100 Gy. Such effects would require extremely high levels of radon progeny. They would involve quite exceptional circumstances, way outside the normal range of radon exposures in man. There is no definitive identification of the target cells for skin cancer induction in animals or man. The stem cells in the basal layer which maintain the epidermis are the most plausible contenders for target cells. The majority of these cells are near the end of the range of radon progeny alpha particles, even on the thinnest body sites. The nominal depth of these cells, as recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), is 70 microm. There is evidence however that some irradiation of the hair follicles and/or the deeper dermis, as well as the inter-follicular epidermis, is also necessary for skin cancer induction. Alpha irradiation of rodent skin that is restricted to the epidermis does not produce skin cancer. Accelerator generated high energy helium and heavy ions can produce skin cancer in rodents at high doses, but only if they penetrate deep into the dermis. The risk figures for radiation induced skin cancer in man recommended by the ICRP in 1990 are based largely on x and beta irradiated cohorts, but few data exist below absorbed doses of about 1 Gy. The only plausible finding of alpha-radiation induced skin cancer in man is restricted to one study in Czech uranium miners. There is no evidence in other uranium miners and the Czech study has a number of shortcomings. This review concludes that the overall balance of evidence is against causality of radon progeny exposure and skin cancer induction. Of particular relevance is the finding in animal studies that radiation exposure of cells which are deeper than the inter-follicular epidermis is necessary to elicit skin cancer. In spite of this conclusion, a follow-on paper evaluates the attributable risk of radon to skin cancer in the UK on the basis that target cells for skin cancer induction are the cells in the basal layer of the inter-follicular epidermis-since this is the conservative assumption made by international bodies such as the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for general radiological protection purposes. PMID- 17768327 TI - Radon exposure of the skin: II. Estimation of the attributable risk for skin cancer incidence. AB - A preceding companion paper has reviewed the various factors which form the chain of assumptions that are necessary to support a suggested link between radon exposure and skin cancer in man. Overall, the balance of evidence was considered to be against a causal link between radon exposure and skin cancer. One factor against causality is evidence, particularly from animal studies, that some exposure of the hair follicles and/or the deeper dermis, as well as the inter follicular epidermis, is required-beyond the range of naturally occurring alpha particles. On this basis any skin cancer risk due to radon progeny would be due only to beta and gamma components of equivalent dose, which are 10-100 times less than the alpha equivalent dose to the basal layer. Notwithstanding this conclusion against causality, calculations have been carried out of attributable risk (ATR, the proportion of cases occurring in the total population which can be explained by radon exposure) on the conservative basis that the target cells are, as is often assumed, in the basal layer of the epidermis. An excess relative risk figure is used which is based on variance weighting of the data sources. This is 2.5 times lower than the value generally used. A latent period of 20 years and an RBE of 10 are considered more justifiable than the often used values of 10 years and 20 respectively. These assumptions lead to an ATR of approximately 0.7% (0.5 5%) at the nominal UK indoor radon level of 20 Bq m(-3). The range reflects uncertainties in plate-out. Previous higher estimates by various authors have made more pessimistic assumptions. There are some indications that radon progeny plate-out may be elevated out of doors, particularly due to rainfall. Although average UK outdoor radon levels ( approximately 4 Bq m(-3)) are much less than average indoor levels, and outdoor residence time is on average about 10%, this might have the effect of increasing the ATR several-fold. This needs considerable further study. Ecological epidemiology data for the South West of England provide no evidence for elevated skin cancer risks at radon levels <100 Bq m(-3). Case control or cohort studies would be necessary to address the issue authoritatively. PMID- 17768328 TI - The Castleisland Radon Survey-follow--up to the discovery of a house with extremely high radon concentrations in County Kerry (SW Ireland). AB - In July 2003, a house with a seasonally adjusted annual average radon concentration of 49 000 Bq m(-3) was identified near Castleisland in County Kerry (SW Ireland). The possibility that other houses with similar extreme radon concentrations could be present in the surrounding area triggered the setting up of a localised radon survey, the so-called 'Castleisland Radon Survey' (CRS). To this end, approximately 2500 householders living in four 10 x 10 km2 grid squares from the Irish grid closest to the town of Castleisland were invited to participate. Four hundred and eighteen householders responded to the invitation (17% response rate) and 383 home results were used for further analysis. In the 400 km2 encompassing the four studied grid squares, 14% of the homes were found to have a seasonally adjusted annual average radon concentration above the national reference level of 200 Bq m(-3) while 2% above 800 Bq m(-3). An average radon concentration of 147 Bq m(-3) was calculated. This can be compared with the average radon concentration of 98 Bq m(-3) calculated for the same four grid squares on the basis of 80 measurements carried out during the Irish National Radon Survey (NRS) which was conducted between 1992 and 1997. The fourth highest radon concentration (6184 Bq m(-3)) and three of the ten highest ever measured in Ireland were all identified during the CRS. This shows that localised and targeted radon surveys are an invaluable tool for the identification of homes at highest risk from high radon concentrations. Two of the four grid squares investigated during the CRS are currently designated as high radon areas (defined as areas where 10% or more of all houses are predicted to exceed 200 Bq m(-3)) as predicted by the NRS. A thorough statistical analysis of the CRS and NRS data was carried out and indicated that both datasets could be merged and used to refine the original NRS predictions. The results indicate that two of the four studied grid squares could potentially be redesignated. The practical feasibility and overall benefit of updating the Irish radon map in light of this analysis is described. PMID- 17768329 TI - Anomalously high radon concentrations in dwellings located on permeable glacial sediments. AB - Indoor radon concentrations were measured in different seasons in 104 dwellings located on a highly permeable ice-marginal moraine in Kinsarvik, Western Norway. The measurements revealed the highest indoor radon levels ever detected in Norway and extreme variations in seasonal and short-term indoor radon levels. Annual average indoor radon concentrations up to 56 000 Bq m(-3) and a mean value of 4340 Bq m(-3) for the whole residential area are reported. By using the ICRP conversion factors to effective dose, these indoor radon values correspond to a total annual effective dose of 930 mSv and 72 mSv, respectively. By using the conversion as recommended by UNSCEAR, the effective doses would be about 50% higher. The indoor radon concentrations are found to be strongly influenced by thermally induced flows of radon-bearing soil air directed towards the upper part of the ice-marginal deposit in winter and towards the area of lowest elevation in summer. The pattern of seasonal variations observed suggests that in areas where thermal convection may occur, annual average indoor radon levels should be derived from measurements performed both in summer and in winter. PMID- 17768330 TI - Mortality among residents of Uravan, Colorado who lived near a uranium mill, 1936 84. AB - A cohort mortality study was conducted of all adult residents who ever lived in Uravan, Colorado, a company town built around a uranium mill. Vital status was determined through 2004 and standardised mortality analyses conducted for 1905 men and women alive after 1978 who lived for at least 6 months between 1936 and 1984 in Uravan. Overall, mortality from all causes (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) 0.90) and all cancers (SMR 1.00) was less than or as expected based on US mortality rates. Among the 459 residents who had worked in underground uranium mines, a significant increase in lung cancer was found (SMR 2.00; 95% CI 1.39 2.78). No significant elevation in lung cancer was seen among the 767 female residents of Uravan or the 622 uranium mill workers. No cause of death of a priori interest was significantly increased in any group, i.e. cancers of the kidney, liver, breast, lymphoma or leukaemia or non-malignant respiratory disease, renal disease or liver disease. This community cohort study revealed a significant excess of lung cancer among males who had been employed as underground miners. We attribute this excess to the historically high levels of radon in uranium mines of the Colorado Plateau, coupled with the heavy use of tobacco products. There was no evidence that environmental radiation exposures above natural background associated with the uranium mill operations increased the risk of cancer. Although the population studied was relatively small, the follow-up was long, extending up to 65 years after first residence in Uravan, and nearly half of the study subjects had died. PMID- 17768331 TI - Environmental, health and safety assessment of decommissioning radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) in northwest Russia. AB - This paper presents findings from public health and environmental assessment work that has been conducted as part of a joint Norwegian-Russian project to decommission radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG) in northwest Russia. RTGs utilise heat energy from radioactive isotopes, in this case 90Sr and its daughter nuclide 90Y, to generate electricity as a power source. Different accident scenarios based on the decommissioning process for RTGs are assessed in terms of possible radiation effects to humans and the environment. Doses to humans and biota under the worst-case scenario were lower than threshold limits given in ICRP and IAEA literature. PMID- 17768332 TI - Measurement of activity concentrations of natural radionuclides in the topsoil of IITA Ibadan by gamma-ray spectrometry. AB - The activity concentrations of the natural radionuclides in the soils at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, (IITA), Idi-Ose, Moniya, Ibadan, Nigeria were investigated using a NaI (Tl) scintillation detector coupled with a Canberra series 10 plus multichannel analyser as the detecting device for gamma scintillation spectroscopy. The whole area was divided into grids and soil samples were collected from the points of intersection of the grids. The average activity concentrations obtained for the three radionuclides (40K, 238U and 232Th) were 180.08 +/- 90.54 Bq kg(-1) for 40K, 8.901 +/- 5.063 Bq kg(-1) for 238U and 11.01 +/- 7.686 Bq kg(-1) for 232Th. The average values of the absorbed dose rate for each radionuclide were found to be 7.33 nGy h(-1) for 232Th, 7.55 nGy h(-1) for 40K and 3.82 nGy h(-1) for 238U. The average (baseline) of the total absorbed dose rate was found to be 18.72 +/- 8.11 nGy h(-1). The baseline average outdoor annual effective dose equivalent at IITA due to the concentrations of the radionuclides was found to be 22.95 +/- 9.94 microSv y(-1). This value is low compared to the world average of 70 microSv y(-1) specified by UNSCEAR for an outdoor effective dose. Hence the probability of occurrence of any of the health effects of radiation is low. PMID- 17768334 TI - The effect of gamma irradiation on grain yield. PMID- 17768333 TI - Feasibility study for a long-term follow-up in a historical cohort of Brazilian coal miners. AB - The first Brazilian historical mortality cohort study on miners was conducted. The cohort consisted of 3224 workers in the underground coal mining industry in southern Brazil. This industry has been operating since 1942 without compliance with any regulatory standards, since there were no relevant national regulations. Over almost 60 years, about 5000 workers were exposed to high levels of radiation. However, later radiation exposure was significantly reduced, particularly that due to radon exposure. Recent radon concentration measurements indicated an average annual exposure to radon progeny of 2.1 WLM, ranging from 0.2 to 7.2 WLM. As radon exposure in the past was unknown, it can be suggested that mine workers have not been working safely as regards the health hazard related to radon and radon progeny exposure. The cohort inclusion criteria are as follows: (a) all male employees who had worked for at least one year at the coal mine; (b) workers with complete workplace information (underground and surface); (c) employment hiring between 1945 and 1997 and (d) the worker must have been alive on 1 January 1979. Through multiple strategies of search it was possible to follow up the members of the cohort with a success rate of 92%. This paper presents the characteristics of the study population and provides information about the feasibility of conducting a retrospective mortality study in Brazil, taking into account the methodological and logistical difficulties of conducting such a study in a developing country. PMID- 17768338 TI - Crystallization and X-ray structure of full-length recombinant human butyrylcholinesterase. AB - Human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) has been shown to function as an endogenous scavenger of diverse poisons. BChE is a 340 kDa tetrameric glycoprotein that is present in human serum at a concentration of 5 mg l(-1). The well documented therapeutic effects of BChE on cocaine toxicity and organophosphorus agent poisoning has increased the need for effective methods of producing recombinant therapeutic BChE. In order to be therapeutically useful, BChE must have a long circulatory residence time or associate as tetramers. Full-length recombinant BChE produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells or human embryonic kidney cells has been shown to associate as monomers, with a shorter circulatory residence time than the naturally occurring tetrameric serum protein. Based on the preceding observation as well as the need to develop novel methodologies to facilitate the mass production of therapeutic recombinant BChE, studies have been initiated to determine the structural basis of tetramer formation. Towards these ends, full-length monomeric recombinant BChE has been crystallized for the first time. A 2.8 A X-ray structure was solved in space group P42(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 156, c = 146 A. PMID- 17768339 TI - A new crystal form of bovine pancreatic RNase A in complex with 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate. AB - The structure of bovine pancreatic RNase A has been determined in complex with 2' deoxyguanosine-5'-monophosphate (dGMP) at 1.33 A resolution at room temperature in a previously unreported unit cell belonging to space group P3(1). There are two molecules of nucleotide per enzyme molecule, one of which lies in the active site cleft in the productive binding mode, whilst the guanine base of the other dGMP occupies the pyrimidine-specific binding site in a nonproductive mode such that it forms hydrogen bonds to the phosphate group of the first dGMP. This is the first RNase A structure containing a guanine base in the B2 binding site. Each dGMP molecule is involved in intermolecular interactions with adjacent RNase A molecules in the lattice and the two nucleotides appear to direct the formation of the crystal lattice. Because GMP may be produced during degradation of RNA, this association could represent an inhibitor complex and thereby affect the observed enzyme kinetics. PMID- 17768340 TI - Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic studies of the metalloglycoprotein esterase A4 using a baculovirus expression system. AB - Esterase A4 (EA4) is a timer protein found in diapause eggs of the silkworm Bombyx mori. The gene for this metalloglycoprotein was cloned from B. mori eggs and expressed using a baculovirus expression system in silkworm pupae. Crystals of the purified protein have been grown that diffract to beyond 2.1 A resolution at 100 K using synchrotron radiation. The protein crystals belong to space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 47.1, b = 73.9, c = 47.4 A, beta = 104.1 degrees. With one dimer per asymmetric unit, the crystal volume per unit protein weight (V(M)) is 2.3 A3 Da(-1) and the solvent content is 47%. PMID- 17768342 TI - Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of water soluble chlorophyll-binding protein from Chenopodium album. AB - A water-soluble chlorophyll-binding protein (WSCP) with photoconvertibility from Chenopodium album was extracted, purified and crystallized in a darkroom. Green crystals suitable for data collection appeared in about 10 d. A native data set was collected to 2.0 A resolution at 100 K. The space group of the crystal was determined to be orthorhombic I222 or I2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 48.13, b = 60.59, c = 107.21 A. Preliminary analysis of the X-ray data indicated that there is one molecule per asymmetric unit. PMID- 17768341 TI - Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of ginkbilobin-2 from Ginkgo biloba seeds: a novel antifungal protein with homology to the extracellular domain of plant cysteine-rich receptor-like kinases. AB - The antifungal protein ginkbilobin-2 (Gnk2) from Ginkgo biloba seeds does not show homology to other pathogenesis-related proteins, but does show homology to the extracellular domain of plant cysteine-rich receptor-like kinases. Native Gnk2 purified from ginkgo nuts and the selenomethionine derivative of recombinant Gnk2 (SeMet-rGnk2) were crystallized by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method using different precipitants. X-ray diffraction data were collected from Gnk2 at 2.38 A resolution and from SeMet-rGnk2 at 2.79 A resolution using a synchrotron radiation source. The crystals of both proteins belonged to the primitive cubic space group P2(1)3, with unit-cell parameters a = b = c = 143.2 A. PMID- 17768343 TI - Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of choline-binding protein F from Streptococcus pneumoniae. AB - Choline-binding protein F (CbpF) is a modular protein that is bound to the pneumococcal cell wall through noncovalent interactions with choline moieties of the bacterial teichoic and lipoteichoic acids. Despite being one of the more abundant proteins on the surface, along with the murein hydrolases LytA, LytB, LytC and Pce, its function is still unknown. CbpF has been crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 291 K. Diffraction-quality orthorhombic crystals belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 49.13, b = 114.94, c = 75.69 A. A SAD data set from a Gd-HPDO3A-derivatized CbpF crystal was collected to 2.1 A resolution at the gadolinium L(III) absorption edge using synchrotron radiation. PMID- 17768344 TI - Crystallization and preliminary X-ray characterization of the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens YwrO enzyme. AB - CB1954 is an anticancer prodrug that is currently in clinical trials coupled with the Escherichia coli flavoenzyme nitroreductase (NTR) for use in directed-enzyme prodrug therapy (DEPT). The NTR enzyme is responsible for the conversion of the prodrug into a cytotoxic agent. The bifunctional alkylating agent produced by this bioactivation process leads to DNA damage and death of cancer cells. Recently, a novel flavoenzyme from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, YwrO (Bam YwrO), was reported to be able to reduce CB1954 from its noncytotoxic form into its active form. The crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of two crystal forms of Bam YwrO are reported. The first crystal form is orthorhombic, with space group P22(1)2(1), and diffracts X-rays to 2.18 A resolution. The second crystal form is tetragonal, with space group P4(1), and diffracts X-rays to 3.4 A. Determination of the Bam YwrO crystal structure will provide an understanding of the molecular recognition between this enzyme and the anticancer prodrug CB1954. PMID- 17768345 TI - Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the galacto-N biose-/lacto-N-biose I-binding protein (GL-BP) of the ABC transporter from Bifidobacterium longum JCM1217. AB - A recombinant galacto-N-biose-/lacto-N-biose I-binding protein (GL-BP) from Bifidobacterium longum JCM1217 has been prepared and crystallized by the hanging drop vapour-diffusion method using 10 mg ml(-1) purified enzyme, 0.01 M zinc sulfate, 0.1 M MES buffer pH 5.9-6.4 and 20-22%(v/v) PEG MME 550 in the presence of 5 mM disaccharide ligands. Suitable crystals grew after 10 d incubation at 293 K. The crystals belong to space group C222(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 106.3, b = 143.6, c = 114.6 A for the lacto-N-biose I complex and a = 106.4, b = 143.4, c = 115.5 A for the galacto-N-biose complex, and diffracted to 1.85 and 1.99 A resolution, respectively. PMID- 17768346 TI - Preliminary X-ray analysis of cellobiohydrolase Cel7B from Melanocarpus albomyces. AB - Cellobiohydrolases are enzymes that cleave off cellobiose units from cellulose chains in a processive manner. Melanocarpus albomyces Cel7B is a thermostable single-module cellobiohydrolase that has relatively low activity on small soluble substrates at room temperature. It belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 7, which includes endo-beta-1,4-glucanases and cellobiohydrolases. Cel7B was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method and streak-seeding. The crystals belonged to space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 50.9, b = 94.5, c = 189.8 A, beta = 90.0 degrees and four monomers in the asymmetric unit. Analysis of the intensity statistics showed that the crystals were pseudo-merohedrally twinned, with a twinning fraction of 0.37. X-ray diffraction data were collected at 1.6 A resolution using synchrotron radiation. PMID- 17768347 TI - Crystallization and preliminary X-ray structural studies of a Melan-A pMHC-TCR complex. AB - Melanocytes are specialized pigmented cells that are found in all healthy skin tissue. In certain individuals, diseased melanocytes can form malignant tumours, melanomas, which cause the majority of skin-cancer-related deaths. The melanoma associated antigenic peptides are presented on cell surfaces via the class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Among the melanoma-associated antigens, the melanoma self-antigen A/melanoma antigen recognized by T cells (Melan-A/MART 1) has attracted attention because of its wide expression in primary and metastatic melanomas. Here, a preliminary X-ray crystal structural study of a soluble cognate T-cell receptor (TCR) in complex with a pMHC presenting the Melan A peptide (ELAGIGILTV) is reported. The TCR and pMHC were refolded, purified and mixed together to form complexes, which were crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. Single TCR-pMHC complex crystals were cryocooled and used for data collection. Diffraction data showed that these crystals belonged to space group P4(1)/P4(3), with unit-cell parameters a = b = 120.4, c = 81.6 A. A complete data set was collected to 3.1 A and the structure is currently being analysed. PMID- 17768348 TI - Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray characterization of a human mitochondrial phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase. AB - Human monomeric mitochondrial phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (mitPheRS) is an enzyme that catalyzes the charging of tRNA with the cognate amino acid phenylalanine. Human mitPheRS is a chimera of the bacterial alpha-subunit of PheRS and the B8 domain of its beta-subunit. Together, the alpha-subunit and the 'RNP-domain' (B8 domain) at the C-terminus form the minimal structural set to construct an enzyme with phenylalanylation activity. The recombinant human mitPheRS was purified to homogeneity and crystallized in complex with phenylalanine and ATP. The crystals diffracted to 2.2 A resolution and belonged to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 55, b = 90, c = 96 A. PMID- 17768349 TI - Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic study of [NiFe] hydrogenase maturation factor HypE from Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1. AB - The hydrogenase maturation protein HypE is involved in the biosynthesis of the CN ligands of the active-site iron of [NiFe] hydrogenases using carbamoylphosphate as a substrate. Here, the crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of HypE from Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1 are reported. Crystals of HypE (338 amino acids, 35.9 kDa) have been obtained by the sitting-drop vapour diffusion method using 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (MPD) as a precipitant. The crystals belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 88.3, b = 45.8, c = 75.1 A. There is one HypE molecule in the asymmetric unit. A complete native X-ray diffraction data set was collected to a maximum resolution of 1.55 A at 100 K. PMID- 17768350 TI - Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the proliferation-associated protein Ebp1. AB - ErbB-3-binding protein 1 (Ebp1) is a member of the family of proliferation associated 2G4 proteins (PA2G4s) and plays a role in cellular growth and differentiation. Ligand-induced activation of the transmembrane receptor ErbB3 leads to dissociation of Ebp1 from the receptor in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The non-associated protein is involved in transcriptional and translational regulation in the cell. Here, the overexpression, purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic studies of Ebp1 from Homo sapiens are reported. Initially observed crystals were improved by serial seeding to single crystals suitable for data collection. The optimized crystals belong to the tetragonal space group P4(1)2(1)2 or P4(3)2(1)2 and diffracted to a resolution of 1.6 A. PMID- 17768351 TI - Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the cytosolic domain of a cation diffusion facilitator family protein. AB - The cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) family proteins are ubiquitously distributed in the three domains of life and transport metals such as zinc and various heavy metals. Prokaryotic CDF proteins consists of an N-terminal putative six-transmembrane domain followed by a C-terminal cytosolic domain. The cytosolic domain of the CDF-family protein from Thermotoga maritima has been overexpressed, purified and crystallized. The selenomethionine-substituted crystals diffracted X rays to 2.5 A resolution using synchrotron radiation, belonged to space group R32, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 97.7, c = 83.4 A, and are expected to contain one molecule in each asymmetric unit. PMID- 17768352 TI - Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Streptococcus mutans dextran glucosidase. AB - Dextran glucosidase from Streptococcus mutans is an exo-hydrolase that acts on the nonreducing terminal alpha-1,6-glucosidic linkage of oligosaccharides and dextran with a high degree of transglucosylation. Based on amino-acid sequence similarity, this enzyme is classified into glycoside hydrolase family 13. Recombinant dextran glucosidase was purified and crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion technique using polyethylene glycol 6000 as a precipitant. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 72.72, b = 86.47, c = 104.30 A. A native data set was collected to 2.2 A resolution from a single crystal. PMID- 17768353 TI - Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of an esterase with a novel domain from the hyperthermophile Thermotoga maritima. AB - A predicted esterase (EstA) with an unusual new domain from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima has been cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified protein was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion technique in the presence of lithium sulfate and polyethylene glycol 8000. Selenomethionine-substituted EstA crystals were obtained under the same conditions and three different-wavelength data sets were collected to 2.6 A resolution. The crystal belongs to space group H32, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 130.2, c = 306.2 A. There are two molecules in the asymmetric unit, with a V(M) of 2.9 A3 Da(-1) and 58% solvent content. PMID- 17768354 TI - Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of royal palm tree (Roystonea regia) peroxidase. AB - Royal palm tree peroxidase (RPTP), which was isolated from Roystonea regia leaves, has an unusually high stability that makes it a promising candidate for diverse applications in industry and analytical chemistry [Caramyshev et al. (2005), Biomacromolecules, 6, 1360-1366]. Here, the purification and crystallization of this plant peroxidase and its X-ray diffraction data collection are described. RPTP crystals were obtained by the hanging-drop vapour diffusion method and diffraction data were collected to a resolution of 2.8 A. The crystals belong to the trigonal space group P3(1)21, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 116.83, c = 92.24 A, and contain one protein molecule per asymmetric unit. The V(M) value and solvent content are 4.07 A3 Da(-1) and 69.8%, respectively. PMID- 17768355 TI - Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a 40 kDa N terminal fragment of the yeast prion-remodeling factor Hsp104. AB - A 40 kDa N-terminal fragment of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hsp104 was crystallized in two different crystal forms. Native 1 diffracted to 2.6 A resolution and belonged to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 66.6, b = 75.8, c = 235.7 A. Native 2 diffracted to 2.9 A resolution and belonged to space group P6(1)22 or P6(5)22, with unit-cell parameters a = 179.1, b = 179.1, c = 69.7 A. This is the first report of the crystallization of a eukaryotic member of the Hsp100 family of molecular chaperones. PMID- 17768357 TI - Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the fumarylacetoacetase family member TTHA0809 from Thermus thermophilus HB8. AB - Fumarylacetoacetase catalyzes the final step of tyrosine and phenylalanine catabolism. A recombinant form of the fumarylacetoacetase family member TTHA0809 from Thermus thermophilus HB8 has been crystallized by the oil-microbatch method using sodium chloride as a precipitating agent. The crystals belong to the monoclinic space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 93.3, b = 73.4, c = 122.6 A, beta = 111.8 degrees. The crystals are most likely to contain two dimers in the asymmetric unit, with a V(M) value of 3.32 A3 Da(-1). Diffraction data were collected at 2.2 A resolution using synchrotron radiation at beamline BL26B1 of SPring-8, Japan. PMID- 17768356 TI - Crystallization and identification of the glycosylated moieties of two isoforms of the main allergen Hev b 2 and preliminary X-ray analysis of two polymorphs of isoform II. AB - Latex from Hevea brasiliensis contains several allergenic proteins that are involved in type I allergy. One of them is Hev b 2, which is a beta-1,3-glucanase enzyme that exists in different isoforms with variable glycosylation content. Two glucanase isoforms were isolated from trees of the GV-42 clone by gel filtration, affinity and ion-exchange chromatography. Isoform I had a carbohydrate content of about 20%, with N-linked N-acetyl-glucosamine, N-acetyl-galactosamine, fucose and galactose residues as the main sugars, while isoform II showed 6% carbohydrate content consisting of N-acetyl-glucosamine, fucose, mannose and xylose. Both isoforms were crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Isoform I crystals were grown using 0.2 M trisodium citrate dihydrate, 0.1 M Na HEPES pH 7.5 and 20%(v/v) 2-propanol, but these crystals were not appropriate for data collection. Isoform II crystals were obtained under two conditions and X-ray diffraction data were collected from both. In the first condition (0.2 M trisodium citrate, 0.1 M sodium cacodylate pH 6.5, 30% 2-propanol), crystals belonging to the tetragonal space group P4(1) with unit-cell parameters a = b = 150.17, c = 77.41 A were obtained. In the second condition [0.2 M ammonium acetate, 0.1 M trisodium citrate dihydrate pH 5.6, 30%(w/v) polyethylene glycol 4000] the isoform II crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 85.08, b = 89.67, c = 101.80 A, beta = 113.6 degrees. Preliminary analysis suggests that there are four molecules of isoform II in both asymmetric units. PMID- 17768358 TI - Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the small subunit of the heterodimeric restriction endonuclease R.BspD6I. AB - The heterodimeric restriction endonuclease R.BspD6I is composed of a small subunit with a cleavage site and a large subunit, containing a recognition domain and a cleavage domain, that may function separately as a monomeric nicking endonuclease. Here, the crystallization of the small subunit and diffraction data collection to 1.5 A resolution are reported. PMID- 17768359 TI - Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of the soluble domain of the oligosaccharyltransferase STT3 subunit from the thermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. AB - Oligosaccharyltransferase catalyzes the transfer of preassembled oligosaccharides onto asparagine residues in nascent polypeptide chains. The STT3 subunit is thought to bear the catalytic site. The C-terminal domain of the STT3 protein of Pyrococcus furiosus was expressed in Escherichia coli cells. STT3 protein prepared from two different sources, the soluble fraction and the inclusion bodies, produced crystals that diffracted to 2.7 A. During crystallization screening, cocrystals of P. furiosus STT3 with an E. coli 50S ribosomal protein, L7/L12, were accidentally obtained. This cross-species interaction is not biologically relevant, but may be used to design a built-in polypeptide substrate for the STT3 crystals. PMID- 17768360 TI - Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of Thermotoga neapolitana beta-glucosidase B. AB - Beta-glucosidases belong to families 1, 3 and 9 of the glycoside hydrolases and act on cello-oligosaccharides. Family 1 and 3 enzymes are retaining and are reported to have transglycosylation activity, which can be used to produce oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. Family 3 enzymes are less well characterized than their family 1 homologues and to date only two crystal structures have been solved. Here, the expression, purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction data of a family 3 beta-glucosidase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga neapolitana are reported. Crystals of selenomethionine-substituted protein have also been grown. The crystals belong to space group C222(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 74.9, b = 127.0, c = 175.2 A. Native data have been collected to 2.4 A resolution and the structure has been solved to 2.7 A using the selenomethionine MAD method. Model building and refinement of the structure are under way. PMID- 17768361 TI - Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of D-alanine-D-alanine ligase from Streptococcus mutans. AB - D-Alanine-D-alanine ligase is encoded by the gene ddl (SMU_599) in Streptococcus mutans. This ligase plays a very important role in cell-wall biosynthesis and may be a potential target for drug design. To study the structure and function of this ligase, the gene ddl was amplified from S. mutans genomic DNA and cloned into the expression vector pET28a. The protein was expressed in soluble form in Escherichia coli strain BL21 (DE3). Homogeneous protein was obtained using a two step procedure consisting of Ni2+-chelating and size-exclusion chromatography. Purified protein was crystallized and the cube-shaped crystal diffracted to 2.4 A. The crystal belongs to space group P3(1)21 or P3(2)21, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 79.50, c = 108.97 A. There is one molecule per asymmetric unit. PMID- 17768362 TI - Protein preparation and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a putative glucosamine 6-phosphate deaminase from Streptococcus mutants. AB - The SMU.636 protein from Streptococcus mutans is a putative glucosamine 6 phosphate deaminase with 233 residues. The smu.636 gene was PCR-amplified from S. mutans genomic DNA and cloned into the expression vector pET-28a(+). The resultant His-tagged fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity in two steps. Crystals of the fusion protein were obtained by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals diffracted to 2.4 A resolution and belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 53.83, b = 82.13, c = 134.70 A. PMID- 17768363 TI - Overexpression, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of Nudix hydrolase Orf141 from Escherichia coli K-1. AB - Nudix hydrolases are a family of proteins that contain the characteristic amino acid sequence GX(5)EX(7)REUXEEXGU (where U is usually I, L or V), the Nudix signature sequence. They catalyze the hydrolysis of a variety of nucleoside diphosphate derivatives such as nucleoside triphosphates, nucleotide sugars, ADP ribose, dinucleotide coenzymes, diadenosine oligophosphates and capped RNAs. Recently, three new Nudix hydrolases have been found from Escherichia coli; one of them is Orf141, which cleaves pyrimidine deoxynucleoside triphosphates. Orf141 was cloned directly from E. coli K1 strain and was overexpressed in E. coli without any extra residues. Orf141 crystals were successfully obtained using polyethylene glycol 1500 as a precipitant at 285 K. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 3.1 A resolution using synchrotron radiation. The crystal is a member of the rhombohedral space group H32, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 182.2, c = 62.3 A, alpha = 90, beta = 90, gamma = 120 degrees (hexagonal setting). Two or three monomers are likely to be present in the asymmetric unit, with corresponding V(M) values of 2.92 and 1.95 A3 Da(-1) and solvent contents of 57.9 and 36.9%, respectively. PMID- 17768364 TI - Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a Nup107-Nup133 heterodimeric nucleoporin complex. AB - The nuclear pore complex (NPC), the sole gateway of traffic between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, is built up from multiple copies of about 30 proteins collectively termed nucleoporins (nups). Nups are organized into distinct subcomplexes. Nup107 and Nup133 are members of the essential Nup107-160 subcomplex, a component of the central NPC architecture. A dimeric complex of the C-terminal domains of human Nup107 and Nup133 was expressed from a bicistronic vector in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized in two different crystal forms. Crystals grown in the presence of 18-22% PEG 3350 belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and diffracted to 2.9 A. Native and seleno-L-methionine-derivative crystals grown in the presence of 1.1 M sodium malonate belong to space group C2 and diffracted to 2.55 and 2.9 A, respectively. Structure determination of this complex will give the first insights into the protein-protein interactions within a core module of the NPC. PMID- 17768365 TI - Research for practice: a new in vitro test for identification of tuberculosis infection. AB - Tuberculosis is one of the biggest global health problems. One-third of the world's population (2 billion) is latently infected with tuberculosis. The tuberculin skin test is commonly used to diagnose tuberculosis infection. This test has poor specificity and sensitivity, cross-reactivity with bacille Calmette Guerin vaccination and many environmental mycobacteria, and poor sensitivity (only 75-90% in active tuberculosis). Mycobacterium tuberculosis activates a strong T cell-mediated immune response. That is why, a better marker for tuberculosis infection could be the presence of mycobacteria specific interferon gamma-secreting T cells. These cells can be identified in blood or any other sample, which contains T cells. The test specificity is 99.9% (in low-risk control groups), and the sensitivity is 97.2% (in subjects with culture-confirmed active disease). New in vitro diagnostic test of tuberculosis, based on tuberculosis-induced immunological mechanisms, seems to be more specific and useful as previous methods. PMID- 17768366 TI - [Clinical forms of infective endocarditis in Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital in 2002-2005]. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and distribution of clinical forms of infective endocarditis and to compare these data with data of 1983-1993. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of clinical data of 116 patients with infective endocarditis treated in Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital in 2002 2005 was performed. The data were compared with analogical data of 1983-1993. RESULTS: During 2002-2005, 55 (47.4%) patients presented with classic symptoms of infective endocarditis. In 61 cases, atypical clinical manifestations were observed: 19 patients presented with heart failure symptoms, 14 patients with embolic symptoms, 9 with pulmonary manifestations, and 5 patients with septic manifestations. There were three cases of nephritic form, three cases of rheumatic form, three cases of meningoencephalitic form, and two cases of ophthalmic form. In three cases, pacemaker endocarditis was seen. During the period of 1983-1993, 15 patients with infective endocarditis were treated annually in Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital; in 2002-2005, this number increased to 29 cases per year. More cases of embolic and pulmonic clinical forms of infective endocarditis were diagnosed as compared to the data of 1983-1993 (P<0.05). There were more cases of primary endocarditis in 2002-2005 than in 1983 1993 (36.2% and 23.8%, respectively, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Typically, infective endocarditis manifests as classical symptoms, but in more than half of cases, atypical forms were observed, the most common of which were heart failure form and embolic form. Primary infective endocarditis was detected more frequently. PMID- 17768367 TI - [Relationship of arterial wall parameters to cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular risk assessed by SCORE system]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of arterial wall parameters (flow mediated dilatation of the brachial artery, augmentation index, pulse wave velocity, stiffness index, carotid intima-media thickness) to conventional cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular risk assessed by SCORE system. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 209 subjects aged 40-65 years without clinically overt cardiovascular disease were examined. Parameters of arterial stiffness were obtained by two methods: augmentation index and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity by applanation tonometry and stiffness index by the means of finger photoplethysmography. Flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery, reflecting endothelial function, and carotid intima-media thickness was determined using a high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography. RESULTS: Age and the presence of diabetes strongly influenced all parameters of the arterial wall (diabetes was not independent predictor when evaluating augmentation index). Mean arterial pressure and gender were independent predictors for arterial stiffness parameters--carotid radial pulse wave velocity and augmentation index. Flow-mediated dilatation was strongly dependent on the diameter of the brachial artery, age, and body mass index. Using logistic regression, it was found that pulse wave velocity (P=0.014), intima-media thickness (P=0.004), and flow-mediated dilatation (P=0.020) were important parameters dividing subjects to the groups of increased (> or =5%) and low (<5%) cardiovascular risk assessed by SCORE system. The cutoff values for intima-media thickness and pulse wave velocity were 0.078 cm and 8.95 m/s, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial wall parameters are closely associated with conventional risk factors; they are influenced by age and the presence of diabetes. Arterial stiffness parameters are also influenced by mean arterial pressure; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol has influence on carotid intima media thickness. Cutoff values for carotid intima-media thickness and carotid radial pulse wave velocity could help to discriminate patients with increased cardiovascular risk. PMID- 17768368 TI - Late radiographic findings after the anterior cervical fusion for the cervical subaxial compressive flexion and vertical compression injuries in young patients. AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of patients' age on the development of radiologic signs of degeneration of adjacent levels after the anterior fusion for the cervical spine injuries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 45 patients who had compressive flexion and vertical compression injuries of the cervical spine (by Ferguson-Allen mechanistic classification) were included in the study. There were 40 male and 5 female patients with a mean age of 31.5 years (range 15-64). These patients were treated with anterior decompression, iliac bone grafting, and anterior plating. Twenty-two patients aged less than 30 years were in the first group; 23 individuals more than 30 years of age were in the second group. A long-term radiologic follow-up involved assessment of the fusion and examination of the changes at levels immediately above and below the fused vertebrae. RESULTS: Hypermobility of the disc space above the fused vertebra was found in 9 (40.9%) patients from the first group vs. 3 (13%) from the second one (P<0.05). Narrowing and osteophytes of the disc space below the fused vertebra was found in 2 (9.1%) patients from the first group vs. 10 (43.5%) from the second one (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Hypermobility of the motion segment above the fused vertebra was found more frequently in patients aged less than 30 years. Narrowing and osteophytes of the disc space below the fused vertebra were found more frequently in older patients. PMID- 17768369 TI - The importance of T-lymphocyte subsets on overall survival of colorectal and gastric cancer patients. AB - The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of cellular immunity parameters on overall survival of colorectal and gastric cancer patients after surgery. The parameters of cellular immunity (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD20+, and CD16+) were determined by immunofluorescence method. Cox regression analysis showed no impact of the estimated preoperative and postoperative parameters of cellular immunity on overall survival of colorectal cancer patients and similarly of gastric cancer patients in stage II. However, the analysis showed that the survival of colorectal and gastric cancer patients in stage III depended on immunological parameters determined before surgery: CD3+ (P=0.007 and P=0.007, respectively), CD4+ (P=0.021 and P=0.011, respectively), and CD8+ (P=0.047 and P=0.007) counts. Only the survival of colorectal cancer patients depended on natural killer cell number (P=0.009). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with stage III colorectal and gastric cancer had better survival rates when absolute number of CD3+ lymphocytes, determined before surgery, was greater than 0.8 x 10(9)/L, CD4+--greater than 0.25 x 10(9)/L, CD8+--greater than 0.3 x 10(9)/L. Colorectal cancer patient survived longer when the number of natural killer cells CD16+ was more than 0.25 x 10(9)/L. This study suggests that higher levels of the absolute number of lymphocyte subsets before surgery have a beneficial effect on overall survival of gastric and colorectal cancer patients in stage III. PMID- 17768370 TI - Short-term and one-year prognosis of diabetic patients with a first-ever myocardial infarction. AB - OBJECTIVES: To clarify the importance of clinical features and changes in the first electrocardiogram in 28-day and 1-year mortality in patients with diabetes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Men and women of Kaunas city aged 25-64 years with the first-ever myocardial infarction during 1983-1992 and with the first electrocardiogram were enrolled in the study. Electrocardiograms were coded using the WHO MONICA Project Protocol criteria and the Minnesota Code. The Kaunas Ischemic Heart Disease Register was the source of data; deaths from ischemic heart disease were identified via death register. RESULTS: Diabetes was diagnosed in 124 patients: 65 (52.4%) men and 59 (47.6%) women. The 28-day (P=0.01) and 1 year mortality rates (P<0.001) were higher in diabetic than in nondiabetic patients with myocardial infarction. Among diabetic patients, who died during 28 days or one year, myocardial infarction was more often complicated by acute heart failure, and changes in ECG were more often detected than among those who were alive. Female gender (RR=30.2, P=0.02) was associated with an increased risk of death from a first-ever myocardial infarction during the first 28 days, while acute heart failure (RR=4.48, P=0.01) and anterior location of Q wave in the first ECG (RR=2.71, P=0.04) increased the risk of death from ischemic heart disease during one year after a first-ever myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Acute heart failure and Q-wave in derivations of the first electrocardiogram reflecting anterior site of myocardial infarction increased the risk of death from ischemic heart disease during the first year, and female gender--during the first 28 days in diabetic patients with myocardial infarction. PMID- 17768371 TI - [Models of intracranial aneurysms for angiographic imaging modalities. A technical note]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To delineate technical aspects of vascular models with intracranial aneurysm in vitro production, suitable for angiographic imaging. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Wax (K2 exact, S-U-CERAMO-CAPS-WAX), Girtl's mass, gelatin, and silicone (Silicone 10015 Den Braven, Elastosil 7683/25, Elite Double 32 Shore-A, Rema-Sil) were used for model production. Construction of models was based on T-shaped plastic tube connections and lost core techniques. Images of rotational angiography, glass tubes with aneurysm, and casts obtained in human specimen were used as samples of cerebral arteries. RESULTS: Technical aspects of vascular models production were delineated in experience of eight silicone models produced. M1 was hand made with basilar tip aneurysm; M2 was obtained according to angiography images with internal carotid artery supraclinoid part bifurcation to anterior and middle cerebral artery aneurysm. BM1 and BM2 casts were made using glass tubes with lateral aneurysm, M3--from T-shaped plastic tubes with lateral aneurysms. M4, M5, and M6 were formed using casts obtained in human specimen with basilar tip aneurysm. CONCLUSIONS: Silicone of two components is practical for casts of cerebral arteries in human specimen production. Gelatinous solution 50 degrees C diluted 1:1 with water can be used for copies of arterial casts production. Wax materials are unsuitable for making casts in a human specimen. PMID- 17768372 TI - [Analysis of anthocyanin content in bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruit crude drugs by high-performance liquid chromatography method]. AB - Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) is rich in flavonoids (major part anthocyanins), tannins, phenolic and organic acids, and other biologically active compounds. Anthocianins possess a broad spectrum of therapeutic properties. Variation in anthocyanin content of bilberry fruit crude drugs is significant in optimizing collection conditions. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) crude drug samples were collected in July-September of 2006 in natural environment in the territory of Lithuania. Ultrasonic extraction was applied using methanol as solvent. Acidic hydrolysis was performed. Qualitative and quantitative composition of five major anthocyanidins (delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, peonidin, and malvidin) was estimated by high-performance liquid chromatography in frozen fruits. Cyanidin predominated in all crude drug samples. Dynamics of variation in qualitative and quantitative composition of anthocyanidins was estimated in bilberry fruits collected during vegetation period. The greatest total amount of all analyzed anthocyanidins was determined at the end of investigated period. Variation in qualitative and quantitative content of anthocyanidins in bilberry fruits collected in different regions of Lithuania was estimated as well. The greatest total amounts of anthocyanidins were found in samples collected in Krikstoniai forest (1.78%) and Prienai pinewood (2.13%) and the lowest amounts--in samples collected in Balkasodis forest (1.14%) and Ryliskes forest (0.99%). Significant variation in anthocyanidin content reaching 28.40% (delphinidin) was determined in bilberry fruits. It is important for the standardization of bilberry fruit crude drugs. PMID- 17768373 TI - Acute and transient psychotic disorders in a rapidly developing country, State of Qatar. AB - BACKGROUND: Little is known about acute and transient psychotic disorders, which is a diagnostic group, introduced with International Classification of Disease, 10th revision. It is an interesting area of research receiving a lot of attention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to find the incidence of acute and transient psychotic disorders in the population and determine its sociodemographic features in the State of Qatar. Design. This is a retrospective descriptive study. Setting. The study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry of the Rumaillah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. METHODS: All Qatari, non-Qatari Arabs, and expatriate patients who were hospitalized with psychotic disorders in the inpatient wards or treated in the outpatient clinics of the Department of Psychiatry over a 7-year period were enrolled in the study. Data were collected from the medical records of patients. The study was conducted from August 1, 1996, to January 1, 2004, amongst the patients with acute and transient psychotic disorders. The diagnostic classification of definite psychotic disorders was made in accordance with criteria based on the International Classification of Disease, 10th revision (ICD 10). RESULTS: A total of 174 patients were treated during a 7-year period. Among them, 69% were males and 31% females. No cases were found in children aged less than 15 years. The highest frequency (43.7%) was found in the early adulthood (16 29 years of age). The incidence of acute and transient psychotic disorders was higher in the expatriates (66.7%). More than half (63.8%) of the patients were employed. Most of the cases (35.6%) had acute schizophrenia-like psychotic disorders (F23.2). There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of acute and transient psychotic disorders between males and females, Qatari and non-Qatari Arabs, and single and married. CONCLUSION: The study found markedly lower incidence rate of acute and transient psychotic disorders in females than males. The highest frequency was found in the early adulthood (16-29 years). No cases were found in children aged less than 15 years. It is important to find ways to promote healthier lifestyles in this population in order to prevent the onset of psychotic disorders. PMID- 17768374 TI - The approach of medical students towards studies of the humanities and social sciences. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the attitudes of the medical students from Kaunas University of Medicine, Krakow Jagiellonian University, and St. Petersburg State University towards the studies of the humanities and social sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey was carried out in three universities (Kaunas University of Medicine, Krakow Jagiellonian University, and St. Petersburg State University) during 2004-2005. The questionnaire for the investigation was developed based on R. D. Stenberg's works on the ways of knowledge-, practice-, and personality oriented thinking. RESULTS: After the analysis of students' attitudes towards the importance of the disciplines of ethics, philosophy, sociology, and psychology at the universities of Kaunas, Krakow, and St. Petersburg, important differences have been found among them. Students gave the highest priority to ethics in their profession. Answering the question, "Are philosophical studies important in medical studies," statistically significant differences appeared among Krakow, Kaunas, and St. Petersburg universities. Students of all the universities agreed that sociology and psychology studies were important for their future profession. CONCLUSIONS: Having estimated the opinions of medical students' attitudes towards the importance of the humanities and social sciences, we may state that the students of Krakow and St. Petersburg universities more often agreed that ethics and philosophy were important for their studies. The importance of psychology science was emphasized by the students of all universities, and the students of Kaunas University of Medicine and St. Petersburg State University agreed more often that the discipline of sociology was important for the future studies. PMID- 17768375 TI - [Beta-adrenergic receptor blocker poisoning]. AB - Beta-adrenergic receptor blocking drugs are used in the treatment of hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction, cardiac dysrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, migraine headache, thyrotoxicosis, and glaucoma. beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agents are competitive antagonist at beta(1), beta(2), or both types of adrenergic receptors. Overdoses of beta-adrenergic receptor blockers are uncommon, but are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This review article discusses the properties of beta-adrenergic receptor blockers, presents the doses of these drugs causing toxicity and doses, after ingestion of which, referral to an emergency department is recommended. Clinical presentation of overdose (the cardiovascular, neurologic manifestations, pulmonary and other complications), diagnosis, and treatment (gastrointestinal decontamination; the usage of atropine, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, glucagon, insulin; indications for cardiac pacing, extracorporeal procedures of drug removal, etc.) are analyzed. In addition, this article focuses on clinical course and prognosis of beta-blocker overdose. PMID- 17768376 TI - FRMD7 mutations in Chinese families with X-linked congenital motor nystagmus. AB - PURPOSE: To identify mutations causing X-linked congenital motor nystagmus (XL CMN) in Chinese families. METHODS: Genomic DNA was prepared from peripheral blood leukocytes. Cycle sequencing was used to detect the sequence variation of the FERM domain containing 7 (FRMD7) gene, where mutations have been identified recently to associate with XL-CMN. RESULTS: Sequencing of the coding and the adjacent intron regions of FRMD7 identified mutations in four families with XL CMN, c.41-43delAGA (p.Lys14del) in exon 1, c.70G>A (p.Gly24Arg) in exon 2, c.436C>T (p.Arg146Trp) in exon 6, and c.685C>T (p.Arg229Cys) in exon 8, respectively, where the last two were novel. These mutations were not detected in 196 normal controls. In the two families with X-linked recessive CMN, females carrying a heterozygous mutation in FRMD7 did not have any sign of nystagmus. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide additional evidence for mutations in FRMD7 as a common cause of XL-CMN and expand its mutation spectrum. CMN in a Chinese family with pure X-linked recessive pattern, previously mapped to Xq23-q27, is associated with the c.41-43delAGA mutation in FRMD7. PMID- 17768377 TI - R124C and R555W TGFBI mutations in Spanish families with autosomal-dominant corneal dystrophies. AB - PURPOSE: Mutations in the transforming growth factor beta I (TGFBI) gene cause several types of autosomal-dominant corneal dystrophies. We investigated the role of this gene in two Spanish families affected by lattice type I or granular type I corneal dystrophies. METHODS: We recruited 13 subjects from two unrelated families diagnosed with autosomal dominant lattice type I or granular type I corneal dystrophies. Corneal phenotypes were assessed by slit lamp examination. Genomic DNA was obtained from blood samples, and exons 4, 11, 12, and 14, which contained mutation hot spots of the TGFBI gene, were screened for mutations by PCR DNA sequencing. RESULTS: We identified two TGFBI mutations: R124C (exon 4), which segregated with lattice type I corneal dystrophy, and R555W (exon 12), which segregated granular type I corneal dystrophy. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms were also found, of which H428H was novel and F540F was previously reported. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of mutations in the TGFBI gene in Spanish families affected by corneal dystrophy. R124C and R555W TGFBI mutations cause lattice and granular type I corneal dystrophies in the studied families. Our results indicate that the genetic defects underlying corneal dystrophies in Spanish patients are similar to those found in other populations. PMID- 17768378 TI - The RNA-binding protein Musashi-1 is produced in the developing and adult mouse eye. AB - PURPOSE: Musashi-1 (Msi1) is an RNA-binding protein produced in various types of stem cells including neural stem/progenitor cells and astroglial progenitor cells in the vertebrate central nervous system. Other RNA-binding proteins such as Pumilio-1, Pumilio-2, Staufen-1, and Staufen-2 have been characterized as potential markers of several types of stem or progenitor cells. We investigated the involvement of Msi1 in mouse eye development and adult mouse eye functions by analyzing the profile of Msi1 production in all ocular structures during development and adulthood. METHODS: We studied Msi1 production by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry of ocular tissue sections and by semi quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analysis from the embryonic stage of 12.5 days post coitum (E12.5 dpc) when the first retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) begin to appear to the adult stage when all retinal cell types are present. RESULTS: Msi1 mRNA was present at all studied stages of eye development. Msi1 protein was detected in the primitive neuroblastic layer (NbL), the ganglion cell layer (GCL), and in all major differentiated neurons of postnatal developing and adult retinae. During postnatal developing stages, faint diffuse Msi1 protein staining is converted to a more specific distribution once mouse retina is fully differentiated. The most striking result of our study concerns the large amounts of Msi1 protein and mRNA in several unexpected sites of adult mouse eyes including the corneal epithelium and endothelium, stromal keratocytes, progenitor cells of the limbus, equatorial lens stem cells, differentiated lens epithelial cells, and differentiating lens fibers. Msi1 was also found in the pigmented and nonpigmented cells of the ciliary processes, the melanocytes of the ciliary body, the retinal pigment epithelium, differentiated retinal neurons, and most probably in the retinal glial cells such as Muller glial cells, astrocytes, and the oligodendocytes surrounding the axons of the optic nerve. Msi1 expression was detected in the outer plexiform layer, the inner plexiform layer, and the nerve fiber layer of fully differentiated adult retina. CONCLUSIONS: We provide here the first demonstration that the RNA-binding protein, Msi1, is produced in mouse eyes from embryonic stages until adulthood. The relationship between the presence of Msi1 in developing ocular compartments and the possible stem/progenitor cell characteristics of these compartments remains unclear. Finally, the expression of Msi1 in several different cell types in the adult eye is extremely intriguing and should lead to further attempts to unravel the role of Msi1 in cellular and subcellular RNA metabolism and in the control of translational processes in adult eye cells particularly in adult neuronal dendrites, axons, and synapses. PMID- 17768380 TI - Pterygium and genetic polymorphism of DNA double strand break repair gene Ku70. AB - PURPOSE: UV irradiation can produce a wide range of DNA damage, which will lead to gene mutation and uncontrolled cell proliferation. Of the many types of DNA damage, DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) are the most serious form, because of the intrinsic difficulty of their repair, inaccurate repair, or a lack of repair of DSBs can lead to mutations and large-scale genomic instability. DSBs are repaired by the DNA double strand break repair system. The DNA double strand break repair system consists of homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ). In humans, NHEJ is the predominant repair system and Ku70 protein plays an initial and important role in the NHEJ system. Genetic polymorphisms in NHEJ genes influence their DNA repair capacity and confer predisposition to UV-induced skin cancer. Because pterygium is an UV-related uncontrolled cell proliferation, it is logical to assume polymorphisms of Ku70 is associated with genetic predisposition to pterygium. METHODS: One hundred and twenty eight pterygium patients and 114 volunteers without pterygium were enrolled in this study. Polymerase chain reaction based analysis was used to resolve the Ku70 promoter G 57C (rs2267437) and T-991C (rs5751129) polymorphisms. RESULTS: There were significant differences between pterygium and control groups in the distribution of genotype (p=0.013) and allelic frequency (p=0.005) in the Ku70 promoter T-991C polymorphism. Individuals who carried at least one C allele (T/C and C/C) had a 2.83 fold increased risk of developing pterygium compared to those who carried the T/T wild type genotype (OR=2.83; 95% CI: 1.38-5.82). Moreover, individuals who carried at least one C allele (T/C and C/C) had a higher tendency to develop both sides of pterygium. In the Ku70 promoter C-57G polymorphism, there was no difference between both groups in the distribution of either genotype or allelic frequency. CONCLUSIONS: The Ku70 promoter T-991C, but not the Ku70 promoter C-57G polymorphism, is correlated with pterygium. The Ku70 promoter T-991C polymorphism might become a potential marker for the prediction of pterygium susceptibility. It also provides a valuable insight into the pathogenesis of pterygium. PMID- 17768379 TI - TNFalpha suppression of corneal epithelium migration. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) in regulation of corneal epithelial cell migration. METHODS: Cell culture of immortalized corneal epithelial cell line was employed to examine the role of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) and TNFalpha on cell migration and cell signaling. Healing of central epithelial defect was also observed in organ culture in the presence or absence of neutralizing antibody against either TNFalpha or TGFbeta1. RESULTS: In cell cultures of corneal epithelial cell line, adding TNFalpha suppresses activation of p38 signal and cell migration, but not Smad2 activation, upon TGFbeta1 exposure. In an organ culture system, healing of an epithelial defect was promoted by the loss of TNFalpha. A neutralizing antibody against TNFalpha also promoted closure of an epithelial defect of organ cultured WT mouse corneas. Anti-TGFbeta neutralizing antibody reversed facilitation of epithelial healing in KO corneas in organ culture. CONCLUSIONS: TNFalpha inhibits migration of corneal epithelial cells. PMID- 17768381 TI - Exclusion of TACSTD2 in an Iranian GDLD pedigree. AB - PURPOSE: To perform a mutation screen of TACSTD2 in an Iranian Gelatinous Drop like Corneal Dystrophy (GDLD) pedigree. METHODS: In addition to the coding region of TACSTD2, for the first time the promoter, the entire 5'-noncoding region, and the entire 3'-untranslated region of the gene were sequenced from an affected member of the pedigree. Phenotypic features of affected individuals were assessed. RESULTS: The proband carried six sequence variations in TACSTD2. One of the variations was homozygous and caused a synonymous codon change. The remaining five were heterozygous variations in the 3'-untranslated region. None of the variations were assessed to be associated with GDLD. Fibroblastic scars were evident in in corneal histology sections of two affected members of the pedigree. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that GDLD in the pedigree is probably not caused by mutations in TACSTD2, supporting evidence for the existence of at least one other locus for GDLD. Phenotypic features of the Iranian patients, including the existence of fibroblastic scars in the corneas, were similar to those of a previously reported GDLD patient without TACSTD2 mutations. This suggests the disease in these individuals may be due to mutations in the same gene. PMID- 17768382 TI - A new locus for inherited nuclear cataract mapped to the long arm of chromosome 1. AB - PURPOSE: To identify the disease-associated locus in a Chinese family with autosomal-dominant inherited nuclear cataract. METHODS: Genomic DNAs were obtained from 17 family members in a four-generation Chinese family, who had eight members affected with cataract. Exclusive linkage analysis of known candidate inherited cataract loci was performed. A genome-wide scanning was carried out using the ABI PRISM Linkage Mapping set MD-10. For fine mapping, additional markers flanking the most promising region on chromosome 1 were also analyzed. Two-point linkage analysis was performed with the MLINK program of the Linkage software package version 5.1. Haplotype was constructed using Cyrillic version 2.1. RESULTS: After genome-wide scanning, we found significant evidence of linkage for disease loci of nuclear cataract on 1q25-q31 with Z(max)=3.21 at marker D1S3470. Haplotype analysis and recombination events defined a critical interval spanning 4 cM between markers D1S222 and D1S2823 at the long arm of chromosome 1. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a new locus for autosomal dominant inherited nuclear cataract on chromosome 1q in a Chinese family. PMID- 17768383 TI - Functional delivery of synthetic naked siRNA to the human trabecular meshwork in perfused organ cultures. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate whether naked short-interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules could be directly delivered to perfused intact human trabecular meshwork (TM) tissue, whether this siRNA could silence a trabecular meshwork preferred gene, and whether it could counteract the downstream effect of a deleterious agent (dexamethasone, DEX) by silencing its receptor. METHODS: Anterior segments from post-mortem normal human donors were perfused at 3.4+/-0.3 microl/min-constant flow or 15 mmHg-constant pressure to stable baseline (outflow facility, C=0.22+/ 0.19 microl/min/mmHg; n=14). Commercial siRNAs were diluted in DMEM (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium) perfusion medium and used without coupling to transfection reagents ("naked"). Perfusion of Cy3-labeled siRNA was performed at 100 nM for 48 h followed by 24 h with DMEM medium (two pairs). Perfusions of Matrix GLA protein (MGP) siRNA (100 nM; right eye [Oculus Dexter]; OD) and scramble-siRNA (control; left eye [Oculus Sinster]; OS) were performed for 48 h (two pairs). Perfusions of glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-siRNA (OD) and scramble control (OS) were performed for 48 h and continued by adding 100 nM DEX to the perfusion media for an additional 24 h (two pairs). Frozen sections of labeled anterior segments were analyzed by confocal fluorescence microscopy. Differential expression of GR, MGP, myocilin (MYOC), cornea-derived transcript 6 (CDT6), and 18S genes was determined by reverse-transcriptase TaqMan polymerase chain reacion (RT-TaqMan PCR) on RNA extracted from dissected trabecular meshwork. Primary human trabecular meshwork cells were generated from single individuals and transfected using the nucleofector electroporator with program T-23. Levels of secreted MYOC in the effluents were analyzed by western blot. RESULTS: Histological evaluation of anterior segments perfused with Cy3 labeled siRNA followed by unlabeled medium showed intense fluorescence in the trabecular meshwork region. MGP gene expression was silenced in the trabecular meshwork perfused with naked MGP siRNA. MGP transcripts were reduced 94.7% +/- 0.62 (individual 3) and 93.6% +/- 0.13 (individual 4) from those present in the contralateral eye perfused with the scramble control. Pretreatment of GR siRNA followed by DEX treatment caused a reduction of the MYOC and CDT6 gene expressions when compared with eyes pretreated with scramble-control (percent silencing: 99.3% +/- 0.005 and 97.3% +/- 0.25, respectively, for individual 5 and 98.2% +/- 0.06 and 85.6% +/- 0.88, respectively, for individual 6). Western blots revealed the decrease of MYOC secreted by GR siRNA-treated cell and organ cultures. CONCLUSIONS: Readily available siRNA can be delivered to the intact human trabecular meshwork by intracameral perfusion. The delivered naked siRNA is functional, inhibiting not only the targeted gene but also their downstream effectors. This functional intracameral delivery might be of use to protect the trabecular meshwork from unwanted insults and could have important therapeutic applications. PMID- 17768384 TI - Conjunctival in vivo confocal scanning laser microscopy in patients with atopic keratoconjunctivitis. AB - PURPOSE: To elucidate the morphological alterations of the conjunctiva in atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC) using the new generation Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II (HRT II)/Rostock Cornea Module confocal microscope in a prospective controlled study. METHODS: Sixteen eyes from AKC patients (eight males, mean age: 20.3+/-5.9 years) were treated with 0.05% topical cyclosporine A (CsA) in addition to topical steroid and anti-allergic eye drops and 12 eyes from patients with AKC were treated using topical steroids and anti-allergic drops (six males, mean age: 22.2+/-10.0 year). These two groups, as well as 14 eyes from normal subjects (six males, one female, average age 30.4+/-6.8 years) were studied. All subjects underwent corneal sensitivity measurements, the Schirmer test, tear film break-up time (BUT), fluorescein, Rose Bengal staining of the ocular surface, and confocal laser scanning microscopy of the tarsal palpebral conjunctiva. The density of conjunctival inflammatory infiltrates was calculated. Morphological characteristics of the papillary lesions were also studied. RESULTS: Corneal sensitivity, tear stability, and vital staining scores were significantly worse in patients with AKC compared to control subjects (p<0.01). Eyes of AKC patients using CsA showed a significantly lower density of inflammatory infiltrates compared to eyes on topical steroid and anti-allergic drops. Conjunctival inflammatory cell density showed a negative correlation with tear stability and corneal sensitivity and a positive correlation with the vital staining scores. Papillary lesions revealed remarkable fibrosis in patients using CsA. CONCLUSIONS: Confocal scanning laser microscopy was an efficient and a noninvasive tool for the quantitative assessment of the conjunctival inflammation and evaluation of pathological alterations in the papillary lesions and their relation to the ocular surface disease in patients with AKC. PMID- 17768385 TI - Cellular osmolytes reduce lens epithelial cell death and alleviate cataract formation in galactosemic rats. AB - PURPOSE: Many cataractogenic stresses also induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in lens epithelial cells (LECs), which appears to be one of the universal inducers of cell death. In galactosemic rats, activation of ER stress results in the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR)-dependent death pathway, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cell death. All are induced and precede cataract formation. Cellular osmolytes such as 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA), trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), and tauroursodeoxychoric acid (TUDCA) are known to suppress the induction of ER stress. We investigated whether these small molecules prevent cataract formation in galactose-fed rat lenses. METHODS: Cultured LECs were treated with galactose and each cellular osmolyte. Sprague Dawley rats were fed a 50% galactose chow for 15 days with or without cellular osmolyte treatment. Similarly, selenite was injected subcutaneously into rats with or without cellular osmolytes. Calcein AM and ethidium homodimer-1 (EthD) were used to detect live and dead cells, respectively. The cellular osmolytes, PBA, TMAO, and TUDCA were tested for their ability to suppress LEC death and cataract formation. RESULTS: Cellular osmolytes rescued cultured human LECs which were treated with the ER stressors. We administered these osmolytes either orally or by injection into galactosemic Sprague-Dawley rats. These rats had significantly reduced LEC death and partially delayed hypermature cataract formation. Since the UPR was not activated in cultured LECs treated with selenite, we used the selenite nuclear cataract as a UPR-independent death pathway control. In selenite-induced nuclear cataract in rats, cellular osmolytes did not prevent LEC death and did not alleviate cataract formation. CONCLUSIONS: These results further establish that ER stress and LEC death play a vital role in certain types of cataract formation. In addition, cellular osmolytes may be potential prophylactic drugs for some types of cataracts. PMID- 17768386 TI - SLC45A2 variations in Indian oculocutaneous albinism patients. AB - PURPOSE: Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is an autosomal recessive disorder of melanin biosynthesis that results in congenital hypopigmentation of ocular and cutaneous tissues. It is also associated with common developmental abnormalities of the eye. Mutations in the solute carrier family 45, member 2 gene (SLC45A2, also called MATP) cause oculocutaneous albinism type 4 (OCA4), which is the second most prevalent type of OCA in Japan. So far, 24 pathological mutations have been reported in SLC45A2, but there is no report from India. Interestingly, in almost 31% of the cases, the second mutation has never been found. The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular basis of OCA among Indians using SLC45A2 as the candidate gene. METHODS: From our patient pool, consisting of 50 unrelated OCA pedigrees covering 17 ethnic groups of eastern and southern India, 20 patients (from 19 affected families) lacking any mutation in the tyrosinase gene (TYR) were screened further for nucleotide variants in SLC45A2. All seven exons and splice-site junctions of SLC45A2 were amplified and sequenced from the OCA patients and from 50 ethnically matched healthy controls. Nucleotide changes were detected by identifying 'double peaks' in the chromatogram due to heterozygosity as well as by pairwise BLAST analysis of the sequence output data with a normal copy of SLC45A2. Haplotype analysis was done among the affected sibs using three newly identified microsatellite markers placed within and in flanking regions of the SLC45A2 locus. RESULTS: Four novel mutations (c.126G>A [Met42Ile], c.190G>A [Gly64Ser], c.904A>T [Thr302Ser], and c.1042C>T [Arg348Cys]) and one reported mutation (c.469G>A [Asp157Asn]) were identified in SLC45A2. All the novel changes cosegregated with the disease and none were present in control samples. Consistent with previous reports, we did not find the second mutant allele in three unrelated patients. Haplotype analysis using microsatellite markers in the family of one such proband suggested that the affected sibs inherited the mutant allele (Arg348Cys) from their father but different SLC45A2 alleles from the mother. In addition, five single nucleotide variants were identified which included E272K and L374F polymorphisms that have been reported to be associated with human ethnicities. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that 10% of the total OCA cases from eastern and southern Indian ethnic groups carry mutations in SLC45A2. Among 10 variants found in the gene, five are pathogenic changes. Our data, based on haplotype analysis on a single family, suggest that the disease is caused in the affected sibs either by a single mutation in SLC45A2 and a defect in another locus, or SLC45A2 is not responsible for the disorder in the family, but the pathogenesis is caused by a mutation in another gene not yet characterized in these patients. PMID- 17768388 TI - Successful engraftment by second cord blood transplantation with reduced intensity conditioning after graft rejection due to hemophagocytic syndrome following initial CBT. PMID- 17768387 TI - Relapse, not regimen-related toxicity, was the major cause of treatment failure in 11 children with Down syndrome undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute leukaemia. AB - We report a retrospective analysis of 11 children with Down syndrome (DS) treated by SCT in eight German/Austrian SCT centres. Indications for transplantation were acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (N=8) and acute myeloid leukaemia (N=3). A reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) containing 2 Gy TBI was given to two patients, another five received a myeloablative regimen with 12 Gy TBI. Treosulphan or busulphan was used in the remaining four children. Four of eleven (36%) patients are alive. All of them were treated with a myeloablative regimen. One of the four surviving children relapsed 9 months after SCT and is currently receiving palliative outpatient treatment. The main cause of death was relapse (5/11). Two children died of regimen-related toxicity (RRT), one from severe exfoliative dermatitis and multiorgan failure after a treosulphan-containing regimen, the other from GvHD-related infections after RIC. Acute GvHD of the skin was observed in 10 of 10 evaluable patients, and chronic GvHD in 4 of 8. Our data show that DS patients can tolerate commonly used, fully myeloablative preparative regimens. The major cause of death is relapse rather than RRT resulting in an event-free survival of 18% and over all survival of 36%. PMID- 17768389 TI - The effect of high-dose thiotepa, alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents, on a murine B-cell leukemia model simulating autologous stem cell transplantation. AB - The use of thiotepa (TH) is increasing, especially in stem cell transplantation, mainly due to its safety and blood-brain barrier penetration. We evaluated the use of TH in a murine model simulating autologous stem cell transplantation, with or without additional agents. Between 1 and 11 days following inoculation of BALB/c mice with 10(5)-10(8) B-cell leukemia (BCL1) cells (simulating pre transplant leukemia loads), each group received an 'induction-like' irradiation and/or cytotoxic regimen. Animals were either followed without treatment, or an adoptive transfer (AT) was performed to untreated BALB/c mice. Administered alone without AT, high-dose TH did not change the time to appearance of leukemia. Nevertheless, in the AT experiments, TH as a single agent showed better antileukemic activity than busulfan (BU). Cyclophosphamide (CY)-containing regimens were the most effective, and the TH-CY combination was as effective as the commonly used BU-CY combination, and more effective than the BU-TH combination. Moreover, a synergistic effect was seen in the TH-CY combination (none of the animals developed leukemia, whereas 4/10 animals in the CY-TBI group developed leukemia (P=0.029)). In conclusion, although TH produced only a moderate effect against BCL1 leukemia when used alone, its combination with CY is promising and should be tested further in allogeneic murine models and clinical studies. PMID- 17768390 TI - Risk factors and mortality predictors of hepatic veno-occlusive disease after pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. AB - A cohort of 138 children with 144 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) performed in 1997-2006 were analyzed to evaluate risk factors and mortality predictors of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD). Nineteen patients (13.2%) developed VOD (nine boys, median age 3.5 years) at 1-21 days after HSCT (median 13 days). Age < or =2 years at transplant (odds ratio (OR)=5.25, P=0.011), BU-CY conditioning (OR=5.16, P=0.001), thalassemia major (OR=3.97, P=0.015), platelet engraftment beyond day +21 (OR=8.67, P=0.025) were univariate risk factors for VOD. The first two remained significant in multivariate regression. Seven patients (36.8%) with VOD died, at a median of 44 days post transplant (range, 30 421 days). The 5-year survival was 62%. All surviving patients had normal liver function on follow-up at 0.5-9 years. Patients with VOD had higher 100-day mortality (16.3 vs 9.6%, P=0.024). Mortality predictors included donors other than autologous or matched sibling (hazard ratio (HR)=23.6, P=0.006), hepatic and cutaneous GVHD (HR=8.15, P=0.038), maximal weight gain >9% (HR=6.81, P=0.023), pleural effusion, intensive care unit admission, peak bilirubin >300 micromol l( 1) (HR=13.6, P=0.016), day +21 bilirubin >200 micromol l(-1) (HR=33.9, P=0.001), and rise of bilirubin >15 micromol l(-1) per day within the first week (HR=19.8, P=0.006). Mortality was substantially higher if >3 predictors were present (HR=33.9, P=0.001). Meticulous monitoring in high-risk patients and early treatment should be considered before VOD progresses beyond salvage. PMID- 17768391 TI - Optimum storage conditions for cord blood-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells prior to isolation. AB - Optimum storage conditions of cord blood-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells before isolation remain unknown. We therefore evaluated CD34+ cells isolated from cord blood units (n=57) within 1 h after collection and following storage for 24, 48 and 72 h at either room temperature (RT) or 4 degrees C. Isolated CD34+ cells were analyzed for their cell count, immunophenotype, apoptosis rate, clonogenicity and transmigration capacity in response to stroma-derived factor 1alpha using direct-paired comparisons (n=27). CD34+, CD133+ and CD45+ positivity after isolation remained the same under all conditions. After 24 h, CD34+ cell counts and numbers of CFU-GM colonies dropped regardless of the storage temperature. After 48 h, the number of CD34+ cells increased compared to 24 h, if the cord blood had been stored at RT resulting in almost three times more CD34+ cells than at 4 degrees C. These cells had a lower early apoptosis rate and formed four times more BFU-E than those stored at 4 degrees C with equivalent plating efficiencies. CD34+ cells kept at RT for 48 h had the highest transmigration capacities, which paralleled an increased CXCR-4 expression. Cord blood should be stored at RT before CD34+ isolation and a storage time for 48 h should be preferred to 24 h. PMID- 17768392 TI - Targeted treatments to improve stem cell outcome: old and new drugs. AB - Thalidomide, lenalidomide and bortezomib have been approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in the recent years. These agents are now being increasingly integrated into therapeutic regimens for newly diagnosed patients. First data are available on the promising activity of these novel agents in induction therapy, as well as maintenance treatment to improve outcome after stem cell transplantation. Whether these early results will lead to prolonged overall survival and thereby ultimately redefine the role of stem cell transplantation in first-line treatment of multiple myeloma will be one of the most important questions to be answered in the coming years. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2007) 40, 1129-1137; doi:10.1038/sj.bmt.1705829; published online 3 September 2007. PMID- 17768393 TI - More likely than not. PMID- 17768394 TI - Hamartomatous polyposis syndromes. AB - The hamartomatous polyposis syndromes are a heterogeneous group of disorders that share an autosomal-dominant pattern of inheritance and are characterized by hamartomatous polyps of the gastrointestinal tract. These syndromes include juvenile polyposis syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and the PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome. The frequency and location of the polyps vary considerably among syndromes, as does the affected patient's predisposition to the development of gastrointestinal and other malignancies. Although the syndromes are uncommon, it is important for the clinician to recognize these disorders because they are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, not only from malignancy but also from nonmalignant manifestations such as bleeding, intussusception, and bowel obstruction. Each hamartomatous polyposis syndrome has its own distinctive organ-specific manifestations and each requires a different surveillance strategy, which makes accurate diagnosis crucial for appropriate patient management. The availability of clinical genetic testing for these disorders means that appropriate recognition allows for timely referral for cancer genetic counseling, and often allows for predicative testing in at-risk family members. Promisingly, an understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of these disorders offers insights into the mechanisms underlying the development of sporadic malignancy, and enables rational selection of targeted therapies that warrant further investigation. PMID- 17768395 TI - Treatment of intestinal failure: intestinal transplantation. AB - Over the past 15 years, intestinal transplantation for the treatment of intestinal failure has changed from a desperate last-ditch effort into a standard therapy for which a good outcome is expected. Patient survival after intestinal transplantation has improved in the past 3-5 years and now approaches that of other solid organ allograft recipients, including liver and kidney, and is similar to survival on permanent therapy with parenteral nutrition. Complications are more common and often more severe during the initial hospitalization period after intestinal transplantation than they are after transplantation of other solid organs. After intestinal transplantation the initial hospitalization period is, therefore, usually 3-8 weeks long. Nearly all patients discharged after intestinal transplantation have good allograft function and have been weaned from total parenteral nutrition. The cost of the initial hospitalization period is one to two times the cost of permanent total parenteral nutrition for 1 year, which means that, in most cases, intestinal transplantation is cost-saving within 2 years of transplantation. In addition, quality of life after intestinal transplantation, as determined by standardized quality of life measures, is good or normal. PMID- 17768396 TI - Technology insight: endoscopic submucosal dissection of gastrointestinal neoplasms. AB - Gastrointestinal neoplasms can be cured by local resection as long as the lesions are in the early stage and have not metastasized. Endoscopic resection is a minimally invasive treatment for early-stage gastrointestinal neoplasms, and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is one type of endoscopic resection that has been developed in the past 10 years. For ESD to be a reliable, curative treatment for gastrointestinal neoplasms, it is necessary for the endoscopist to detect the lesion early, make a precise pretreatment diagnosis, ensure that the patient has the correct indication for endoscopic resection, and have the skill to perform ESD. For early lesion detection, endoscopists should pay attention to subtle changes in the surface structure, the color of the mucosa and the visibility of underlying submucosal vessels. Chromoendoscopy and magnifying endoscopy are useful for determining the margin of the lesions for pretreatment diagnosis, and endoscopic ultrasonography and magnifying endoscopy are useful for determining the depth of invasion. For ESD to be successful, local injection of sodium hyaluronate helps maintain mucosal elevation during dissection. Selecting the appropriate knife, using transparent hoods wisely, employing a good strategy that uses gravity, and having good control of bleeding are all needed to make ESD reliable. PMID- 17768397 TI - A case of persistent anemia and alcohol abuse. AB - BACKGROUND: A 56-year-old male with a history of excess alcohol consumption for over 10 years and type 2 diabetes mellitus (diagnosed 14 years previously) presented to the accident and emergency department with severe anemia and a 1-day history of nausea and 'coffee ground' vomiting. He had been admitted to hospital on several occasions in the previous 18 months, primarily because of anemia, and had received 30 units of transfused blood during this period. Previous extensive investigations included six esophagogastroduodenoscopies and a colonoscopy, a barium follow-through study, and a radionucleotide Meckel's scan. The prior working diagnosis was anemia secondary to blood loss. INVESTIGATIONS: Laboratory investigations (full blood count [including reticulocytes], microscopic blood film examination, hematinics, liver function tests with direct and indirect bilirubin measurement, prothrombin time, and lactate dehydrogenase level), transjugular liver biopsy and bone-marrow biopsy. DIAGNOSIS: Alcohol-related anemia caused by acute hemolysis, sideroblastic anemia and cirrhosis. MANAGEMENT: Correction of anemia by blood transfusion (6 units), and prevention of recurrence by strict abstinence from alcohol. PMID- 17768398 TI - A critical role for the co-repressor N-CoR in erythroid differentiation and heme synthesis. AB - Co-repressor N-CoR (nuclear receptor co-repressor) has important roles in different biological processes, including proliferation, differentiation and development. Mutant mice lacking N-CoR are embryonically lethal and appear to die from anemia owing to defects in definitive erythropoiesis. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of N-CoR-mediated erythroid differentiation are largely unknown. Using the human erythroleukemic K562 cell line, which can be chemically induced to differentiate into either erythroid or megakaryocytic lineages depending on the inducers used, we have investigated the role of N-CoR in erythroid differentiation. We show that knockdown of N-CoR either transiently (siRNA) or permanently (shRNA) impairs the cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C)- but not hemin-induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. RT-PCR analysis reveals that N-CoR is required for induction by Ara-C of 5-aminolevulinate synthase (ALA S2), a key enzyme involved in heme biosynthesis. Furthermore, the amount of N-CoR proteins increases significantly during Ara-C-induced K562 differentiation, apparently through a post-transcriptional mechanism. Consistent with the data from N-CoR-null mice, N-CoR is not required for the differentiation of K562 cells into megakaryocytic lineages, induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Thus, our in vitro study confirms a role for N-CoR in erythroid differentiation and reveals for the first time that N-CoR is required for the induction of a key enzyme involved in heme synthesis. PMID- 17768399 TI - AtCDC5 regulates the G2 to M transition of the cell cycle and is critical for the function of Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem. AB - As a cell cycle regulator, the Myb-related CDC5 protein was reported to be essential for the G2 phase of the cell cycle in yeast and animals, but little is known about its function in plants. Here we report the functional characterization of the CDC5 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana. Arabidopsis CDC5 (AtCDC5) is mainly expressed in tissues with high cell division activity, and is expressed throughout the entire process of embryo formation. The AtCDC5 loss-of function mutant is embryonic lethal. In order to investigate the function of AtCDC5 in vivo, we generated AtCDC5-RNAi plants in which the expression of AtCDC5 was reduced by RNA interference. We found that the G2 to M (G2/M) phase transition was affected in the AtCDC5-RNAi plants, and that endoreduplication was increased. Additionally, the maintenance of shoot apical meristem (SAM) function was disturbed in the AtCDC5-RNAi plants, in which both the WUSCHEL (WUS)-CLAVATA (CLV) and the SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) pathways were impaired. In situ hybridization analysis showed that the expression of STM was greatly reduced in the shoot apical cells of the AtCDC5-RNAi plants. Moreover, cyclinB1 or Histone4 was found to be expressed in some of these cells when the transcript of STM was undetectable. These results suggest that AtCDC5 is essential for the G2/M phase transition and may regulate the function of SAM by controlling the expression of STM and WUS. PMID- 17768400 TI - Activation of paternally expressed imprinted genes in newly derived germline competent mouse parthenogenetic embryonic stem cell lines. AB - Parthenogenetic embryonic stem (pES) cells provide a valuable in vitro model system for studying the molecular mechanisms that underlie genomic imprinting. However, the pluripotency of pES cells and the expression profiles of paternally expressed imprinted genes have not been fully explored. In this study, three mouse pES cell lines were established and the differentiation potential of these cells in extended culture was evaluated. The undifferentiated cells had a normal karyotype and homozygous genome, and expressed ES-cell-specific molecular markers. The cells remained undifferentiated after more than 50 passages and exhibited pluripotent differentiation capacity. All three lines of the established ES cells produced teratomas; two lines of ES cells produced chimeras and germline transmission. Furthermore, activation of the paternally expressed imprinted genes Snrpn, U2af1-rs1, Peg3, Impact, Zfp127, Dlk1 and Mest in these cells was detected. Some paternally expressed imprinted genes were found to be expressed in the blastocyst stage of parthenogenetically activated embryos in vitro and their expression level increased with extended pES cell culture. Furthermore, our data show that the activation of these paternally expressed imprinted genes in pES cells was associated with a change in the methylation of the related differentially methylated regions. These findings provide direct evidence for the pluripotency of pES cells and demonstrate the association between the DNA methylation pattern and the activation of paternally expressed imprinted genes in pES cells. Thus, the established ES cell lines provide a valuable model for studying epigenetic regulation in mammalian development. PMID- 17768401 TI - Regulation of hematopoiesis and the hematopoietic stem cell niche by Wnt signaling pathways. AB - Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are a rare population of cells that are responsible for life-long generation of blood cells of all lineages. In order to maintain their numbers, HSCs must establish a balance between the opposing cell fates of self-renewal (in which the ability to function as HSCs is retained) and initiation of hematopoietic differentiation. Multiple signaling pathways have been implicated in the regulation of HSC cell fate. One such set of pathways are those activated by the Wnt family of ligands. Wnt signaling pathways play a crucial role during embryogenesis and deregulation of these pathways has been implicated in the formation of solid tumors. Wnt signaling also plays a role in the regulation of stem cells from multiple tissues, such as embryonic, epidermal, and intestinal stem cells. However, the function of Wnt signaling in HSC biology is still controversial. In this review, we will discuss the basic characteristics of the adult HSC and its regulatory microenvironment, the "niche", focusing on the regulation of the HSC and its niche by the Wnt signaling pathways. PMID- 17768403 TI - Total erythrocyte membrane cholesterol: a marker of plaque instability? PMID- 17768404 TI - Can tissue Doppler echocardiography detect subclinical myocardial dysfunction in patients with diabetes? PMID- 17768402 TI - Emergence of a DNA-damage response network consisting of Fanconi anaemia and BRCA proteins. AB - Fanconi anaemia (FA) has recently become an attractive model to study breast cancer susceptibility (BRCA) genes, as three FA genes, FANCD1, FANCN and FANCJ, are identical to the BRCA genes BRCA2, PALB2 and BRIP1. Increasing evidence shows that FA proteins function as signal transducers and DNA-processing molecules in a DNA-damage response network. This network consists of many proteins that maintain genome integrity, including ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related protein (ATR), Bloom syndrome protein (BLM), and BRCA1. Now that the gene that is defective in the thirteenth and last assigned FA complementation group (FANCI) has been identified, I discuss what is known about FA proteins and their interactive network, and what remains to be discovered. PMID- 17768405 TI - Modified macronutrient diets and weight loss--are food choice and variety more important than caloric restriction? PMID- 17768406 TI - Is parathyroid hormone (1-84) a safe and effective treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis? PMID- 17768407 TI - When should laparoscopic surgery of the liver be indicated? PMID- 17768408 TI - Vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease: the role of vitamin K. PMID- 17768409 TI - Dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in patients with diabetic nephropathy. PMID- 17768410 TI - Can diffusion-weighted imaging improve the diagnosis of CNS vasculitis? PMID- 17768411 TI - Investigating glatiramer acetate for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis at the double dose--is more better? PMID- 17768412 TI - The CA125 antigen level as a prognostic versus a predictive test in epithelial ovarian cancer. PMID- 17768413 TI - Does tamoxifen prophylaxis for breast cancer provide long-term prevention? PMID- 17768414 TI - Treatment of acute gout-like arthritis in an emergency setting: prednisolone versus indomethacin. PMID- 17768415 TI - Is treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors safe in pregnant patients? PMID- 17768416 TI - Is temsirolimus more safe and effective than interferon alpha for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma? PMID- 17768417 TI - Does intravesical atropine have equivalent efficacy to oral oxybutynin in the treatment of detrusor overactivity? PMID- 17768419 TI - Autoimmunity: IL-21: a new player in Th17-cell differentiation. PMID- 17768418 TI - TGFbeta is responsible for skin tumour infiltration by macrophages enabling the tumours to escape immune destruction. AB - Infiltration of skin tumours by macrophages is an important step in tumour progression, although the mechanisms of macrophage recruitment to the tumour mass and the subsequent effects on tumour growth are poorly understood. Transfecting a murine regressing skin tumour with the gene for transforming growth factor (TGF)beta enabled the tumours to grow progressively in vivo thus allowing us to study the role of this cytokine in tumour growth. Flow cytometry was used to show that TGFbeta-mediated tumour progression was accompanied by an increase in tumour associated macrophages (TAM) and a decrease in tumour-infiltrating dendritic cells (DCs). TAM in TGFbeta-secreting tumours expressed lower levels of major histocompatibility complex II and CD86 compared to DC in control tumours and had a high phagocytic capacity as measured by uptake of latex beads in vivo. Indeed, TGFbeta was directly responsible not only for the enhanced macrophage phagocytosis but also altering the ratio of antigen-presenting cells to favour macrophages over DC. Our results demonstrate that TGFbeta recruitment and retention of macrophages at the tumour site enable effective tumour evasion of the host immune system and reinforces the need to target TGFbeta in human cancer immunotherapy trials. PMID- 17768420 TI - The correlation between proinflammatory cytokines, MAdCAM-1 and cellular infiltration in the inflamed colon from TNF-alpha gene knockout mice. AB - Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is important in the development of inflammatory bowel disease. TNF-alpha-deficient mice show more severe colonic inflammation than wild-type (Wt) mice, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Using immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay and histopathology, we found that there was a higher level of macrophage infiltration in TNF-alpha(-/-) compared to Wt mice. This is consistent with higher levels of monocyte chemotactic protein-1, interleukin (IL)-6 and granulocyte monocyte colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in the inflamed colon from the TNF-alpha(-/-) mice, compared to the Wt mice, following dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) challenge. There was close correlation between clinical observations and histopathological findings in both Wt and TNF-alpha(-/-) mice. The expression of mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 (MAdCAM-1) was upregulated in the colon of Wt and TNF alpha(-/-) mice following DSS challenge. Interestingly, the induction of MAdCAM-1 was relatively lower in the inflamed colon of TNF-alpha(-/-) mice, despite the higher inflammatory cell infiltrate, compared to their Wt counterparts. On the other hand, TNF-alpha(-/-) mice had significantly lower baseline levels of colonic IL-4, IL-6 and GM-CSF. Furthermore, there was a reduction of both immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG in the gut from TNF-alpha(-/-) mice following DSS challenge. These data indicate that TNF-alpha deficiency alters homoeostasis of the colonic chemokine/cytokine environment and humoral immune response, resulting in an exacerbation of acute DSS-induced colitis in TNF-alpha(-/-) mice. These findings support the idea that TNF-alpha plays a role in the acute stage of intestinal inflammation. PMID- 17768421 TI - Proclivity to self-injurious behavior in MRL-lpr mice: implications for autoimmunity-induced damage in the dopaminergic system. AB - Systemic lupus erythematosus is frequently accompanied by psychiatric manifestations of unknown origin. Although damage of central neurons had been documented, little is known about neurotransmitter systems affected by the autoimmune/inflammatory process. Recent studies on lupus-prone MRL-lpr mice point to imbalanced dopamine function and neurodegeneration in dopamine-rich brain regions. We follow up on anecdotal observations of singly housed mice developing chest wounds. Compulsive grooming and/or skin biting accounted for open lesions, lending itself to the operational term 'self-injurious behavior' (SIB). Low incidence of spontaneous SIB increased significantly after repeated injections of dopamine-2/3 receptor (D2/D3R) agonist quinpirole (QNP). To further probe the dopaminergic circuitry and examine whether SIB is associated with development of lupus-like disease, we compared behavioral responses among cohorts that differed in the immune status. Two-week treatment with QNP (intraperitoneal, 0.5 mg kg(-1) body weight per day) induced SIB in 60% of diseased MRL-lpr mice, and exacerbated their splenomegaly. Although increased grooming and stereotypy were observed in less symptomatic MRL+/+ controls, only one mouse (10%) developed SIB. Similarly, SIB was not seen in young, asymptomatic groups despite dissimilar ambulatory responses to QNP. In situ hybridization revealed treatment-independent upregulation of D2R mRNA in substantia nigra of diseased MRL-lpr mice. The above results suggest that development of systemic autoimmunity alters sensitivity of the dopaminergic system and renders MRL-lpr mice prone to SIB. Although pathogenic factors were not examined, we hypothesize that immune and endocrine mechanisms jointly contribute to early neuronal damage, which underlies behavioral deficiency in the adulthood. PMID- 17768422 TI - Transcriptome analyses of benign and malignant prostate epithelial cells in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded whole-mounted radical prostatectomy specimens. AB - Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) prostate specimens are rich sources of molecular pathological information. However, FFPE-based microarray analysis of tissue samples may be hampered by the degradation and chemical alteration of RNA molecules due to the preservation procedure. In this report, we employed a probe analyses of Affymetrix oligonucleotide arrays at individual probe level to compensate for the potential loss of gene identifications associated with compromised mRNA quality in FFPE preparations. Furthermore, to increase the sample quality, we utilized laser capture microdissection of prostate tumor and benign epithelial cells. Remarkably, combination of these approaches recapitulated the common prostate cancer-associated gene expression alteration. Identification of prostate cancer associated-gene expression alterations such as AMACR, Kallikrein gene family and genes associated with androgen signaling such as PDEF and STEAP were consistent with previous findings reported in prostate cancer. These data suggest that combination of laser capture dissection with computational enhancement of microarray data may be useful for the assessment of gene expression changes in FFPE prostate cancer specimens. PMID- 17768423 TI - Brain neuropeptide Y and CCK and peripheral adipokine receptors: temporal response in obesity induced by palatable diet. AB - OBJECTIVE: Palatable food disrupts normal appetite regulation, which may contribute to the etiology of obesity. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and cholecystokinin play critical roles in the regulation of food intake and energy homeostasis, while adiponectin and carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) are important for insulin sensitivity and fatty acid oxidation. This study examined the impact of short- and long-term consumption of palatable high-fat diet (HFD) on these critical metabolic regulators. METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to laboratory chow (12% fat), or cafeteria-style palatable HFD (32% fat) for 2 or 10 weeks. Body weight and food intake were monitored throughout. Plasma leptin, hypothalamic NPY and cholecystokinin, and mRNA expression of leptin, adiponectin, their receptors and CPT-1, in fat and muscles were measured. RESULTS: Caloric intake of the palatable HFD group was 2-3 times greater than control, resulting in a 37% higher body weight. Fat mass was already increased at 2 weeks; plasma leptin concentrations were 2.4 and 9 times higher than control at 2 and 10 weeks, respectively. Plasma adiponectin was increased at 10 weeks. Muscle adiponectin receptor 1 was increased at 2 weeks, while CPT-1 mRNA was markedly upregulated by HFD at both time points. Hypothalamic NPY and cholecystokinin content were significantly decreased at 10 weeks. CONCLUSION: Palatable HFD induced hyperphagia, fat accumulation, increased adiponectin, leptin and muscle fatty acid oxidation, and reduced hypothalamic NPY and cholecystokinin. Our data suggest that the adaptive changes in hypothalamic NPY and muscle fatty acid oxidation are insufficient to reverse the progress of obesity and metabolic consequences induced by a palatable HFD. PMID- 17768424 TI - No existing definition of metabolic syndrome meets criteria as a syndrome. PMID- 17768425 TI - Metabolic syndrome definition in children: a focus on the different stages of growth. PMID- 17768426 TI - Spinal cord injury rehabilitation: the experience of women. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Qualitative study. OBJECTIVES: To develop the knowledge base regarding women's experiences of spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation. SETTING: United Kingdom. METHODS: Qualitative interviews with 10 women from four regional SCI rehabilitation centres were transcribed verbatim and analysed according to grounded theory. RESULTS: The central psychosocial problem identified for women during SCI rehabilitation was vulnerability. Vulnerability was amplified by lack of privacy within the rehabilitation centre, by negative staff interactions (associated with perceived lack of control and lack of respect) and by women's minority status in the rehabilitation setting, which at times left women feeling marginalized and inferior. Vulnerability was contained by: negotiating privacy and space; receiving support and encouragement from staff, other patients and family; and by adopting a positive attitude. CONCLUSION: The SCI rehabilitation environment and interactions within it have the potential to influence significantly, either positively or negatively, women's feelings and behaviours as they begin to negotiate a revised identity as a disabled person. There is a need for further research to be carried out in this area in order that women's needs and concerns can be better understood and clinical practice developed accordingly. PMID- 17768428 TI - An evolutionary path to deeply understanding the joys of normal birth. AB - No matter how much one hears or reads about the desirability of normal birth, it can be difficult to comprehend the feasibility or magnificence of normal birth in a society where it is only rarely seen or experienced. In this column, a nurse describes how a series of "Ah-ha!" experiences shaped her understanding of and appreciation for normal birth. PMID- 17768427 TI - Mutual control of breathing and blood pressure: case report. AB - STUDY DESIGN: Trial outcome. OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate the relationship between circulation and breathing with orthostasis in a tetraplegic man. SETTING: A long term care unit at a Veterans Administration Hospital, USA. METHOD: A tetraplegic patient with a history of orthostatic hypotension was monitored for blood flow at the level of the supraorbital artery, for breathing by nasal air flow, and for pulse oxymetry on a tilt table at 0, 45 and 0 degrees of head elevation. RESULTS: Tilting up caused a coincidental reduction in blood flow and enhanced breathing. These effects were coincidentally reversed by tilting down. Oxyhemoglobin concentration and pulse rates increased with orthostasis and returned to baseline on tilting down. CONCLUSION: A reciprocal relationship between breathing and circulation has been demonstrated in a tetraplegic patient challenged by orthostasis. PMID- 17768429 TI - When and how to push: providing the most current information about second-stage labor to women during childbirth education. AB - Childbirth educators can have a significant impact on safe care for mothers and babies during the second stage of labor. In this guest editorial, educators are encouraged to make sure they are knowledgeable about the latest evidence for best second-stage-care practices so they can adequately prepare women to advocate for themselves during this time. PMID- 17768430 TI - A challenging time in the history of lamaze international: an interview with francine nichols. AB - Dr. Francine Nichols-President of Lamaze International from 1988 to 1991 (when the organization was known as "the American Society for Psychoprophylaxis in Obstetrics" or "ASPO/Lamaze") and the founding editor of The Journal of Perinatal Education in 1990-is a woman with many skills that have contributed to her success throughout her career. Dr. Nichols is a knowledgeable leader in maternal newborn nursing, a respected nurse and childbirth educator, a researcher, and an author. However, these skills were not the abilities she relied upon the most to lead the Lamaze organization through a challenging period in the 1980s; rather, Dr. Nichols's tenacity, business savvy, and willingness to face controversy helped guide Lamaze International back on track so that it was able to grow into the strong organization it remains today. This interview took place by telephone on June 12, 2006, when Dr. Nichols was in Washington, D.C., for the summer to coordinate the National Institute of Nursing Research's Summer Genetics Institute, a doctoral-level course cosponsored by Georgetown University. PMID- 17768431 TI - The concerns and interests of expectant and new parents: assessing learning needs. AB - Antenatal education is an important component of antenatal care in the developed world, but research indicates that it may not be meeting consumer needs. This article provides an overview of a needs assessment that aimed to determine the concerns and interests of expectant and new parents and how they prefer to learn during the periods of pregnancy and the early weeks of parenthood. The findings could be used to develop an innovative approach to antenatal education in order to prepare expectant and new parents for the birth experience and the early weeks of parenthood. The current study's results identified that expectant and new parents' concerns and interests during pregnancy, childbirth, and new parenting fall within five interrelated conceptual areas: 1) perceiving achievement or failure; 2) taking on "risk"; 3) riding an emotional "roller coaster" of joy, anxiety, and uncertainty; 4) needing to "know...what is normal"; and 5) needing help to "perform well." PMID- 17768432 TI - What's a Pregnant Woman to Eat? A Review of Current USDA Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid. AB - The purpose of this article is to clarify the nutritional recommendations for pregnant women in light of the new Food Guide Pyramid, known as "MyPyramid," along with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 and recommendations by the Institute of Medicine. The differences between the Food Guide Pyramid (introduced in 1992) and the more recent, color-coded MyPyramid (introduced in 2005) are discussed. A list of nutritional recommendations for pregnant women is presented, which may serve as a reference for practitioners when counseling pregnant women. PMID- 17768433 TI - Women's Perceptions of Their Doula Support. AB - The pilot qualitative study presented in this article explored women's perceptions of the doula support they received in the perinatal period, with the aim of describing details of their experiences. Study participants were 12 women who had hospital births with the support of a certified doula. In-depth interviews were conducted postpartum with all 12 participants. Interview topics included specific categories and aspects of doula support and whether participants would use and/or recommend doulas in the future. Transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. Emerging themes included support for husbands, tailored approaches, reassurance and encouragement, fulfillment of the women's desire for support from an experienced woman, and praise for the doula. The findings suggest that the doulas were beneficial in multiple areas for their clients. PMID- 17768434 TI - Listening to mothers: take two. AB - LISTENING TO MOTHERS II: Report of the Second National U.S. Survey of Women's Childbearing Experiences (Declercq, Sakala, Corry, & Applebaum, 2006) is essential reading for the childbirth educator. Birth continues to be "intervention intensive" in the United States, and less than 2% of women have births characterized by the six care practices that promote, protect, and support normal birth. Only a little more than half of the women surveyed attended childbirth education classes, and only 4% reported that childbirth classes were their most important source of information. Seventy-eight percent used the Internet as an information resource. As a result of childbirth classes, women report, they are more confident in their ability to give birth but also less fearful of medical intervention. The results of these and other findings have important implications for childbirth education. PMID- 17768435 TI - Dietary supplements during pregnancy. AB - In this column, the author addresses the use of dietary supplements and prenatal vitamins during pregnancy. PMID- 17768436 TI - Research summaries for normal birth. AB - In this column, the author summarizes four research studies that further support the benefits of normal birth. The topics of the studies address the positive influence of vaginal birth and breastfeeding on newborns' immune systems; perineal management techniques that may reduce genital tract trauma at birth; predictive factors of the cesarean-surgery rate among low-risk, nulliparous women; and the important role of breastfeeding in alleviating pain among newborns undergoing painful procedures. PMID- 17768437 TI - Bouncing back! AB - In this column, a childbirth educator takes a humorous look at discovering how to recharge her enthusiasm and motivation. PMID- 17768438 TI - Skull base in 2007. PMID- 17768439 TI - The High Rate CIS Auditory Brainstem Implant for Restoration of Hearing in NF-2 Patients. AB - AIM: Hearing preservation is one of the major goals of acoustic neuroma surgery. In NF-2 patients, bilateral hearing loss is frequently caused by the disease or results from its treatment. Several implant devices for electrical stimulation of the cochlear nucleus have been developed to restore serviceable hearing in these patients. We report our experience and results using a high rate continuous interleaved sampling (CIS) auditory brainstem implant (ABI). METHODS: Between June 1997 and May 2004, 24 NF-2 patients were managed by our group. In 20 patients an ABI was implanted successfully. The cochlear nucleus was located using anatomical landmarks and E-ABR recordings after resection of the neuroma via a retrosigmoid approach in the semi-sitting position. The 12-channel stimulating electrode array was inserted and fixed in the lateral recess. There were no surgical complications related to implantation apart from pseudomeningo that were managed by lumbar drainage. RESULTS: In one patient the electrode array became dislocated and this necessitated revision surgery which was successful. One patient failed to gain benefit from the implant. Overall, 70% of electrodes were found to be serviceable for auditory stimulation, 5.3% of electrodes were primarily nonauditory, and in 7.8% side effects during stimulation were observed. Lip reading was improved by more than 100% as a result of the additional auditory input. For many patients, comprehension of open speech was restored to a useful level. Almost all patients were able to perceive environmental sounds and tinnitus was masked. CONCLUSIONS: Restoration of hearing using ABIs in NF-2 patients is a safe and promising procedure for those who would otherwise be totally deaf. The high rate CIS speech processing strategy has proven to be very useful and effective in direct cochlear nucleus stimulation. PMID- 17768440 TI - Treatment of large and giant residual and recurrent vestibular schwannomas. AB - This report is a retrospective analysis of the surgical outcome of 15 patients (8 females, 7 males; mean age, 37.8 years) with residual or recurrent vestibular schwannomas operated on between 1987 and 2005. These 15 patients were part of a larger series of 252 consecutive vestibular schwannoma excisions. Tumors were classified as large (10) when their diameter exceeded 3.5 cm and giant (5) when their diameter exceeded 4.5 cm. All patients had previously undergone surgery. Hearing was lost in all cases, 8 had complete facial nerve palsy, 6 had trigeminal nerve deficits, 5 had cranial nerve IX and X palsy, and 10 had ataxic gait. Twelve patients had hydrocephalus. The tumors were reoperated through the retrosigmoid-transmeatal approach. The mean postoperative follow-up was 4.9 years. Complete resection was achieved in all patients. The facial nerve was preserved in 6 of the 7 patients with preoperative facial function. Transient worsening of bulbar cranial nerves palsy occurred in 2 cases. Cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred in 3 patients. There were no deaths, and the tumors were histologically benign. Surgical removal is the only treatment for these lesions. Total resection associated with a low morbidity rate is possible. Preservation of the facial nerve is difficult due to severe scar tissue. PMID- 17768441 TI - Quality of Life following Surgery for Malignancies of the Anterior Skull Base. AB - Radical surgery combined with postoperative radiation is recommended to achieve the best outcomes in patients suffering from malignant anterior skull base tumors. However, information on the impact of such treatment on the quality of life of these patients is sparse. This retrospective study evaluated quality of life in patients with anterior skull base malignancies after transdural resection and radiotherapy. At follow-up, 36% of the patients were alive (mean survival time, 39 months). Only 45% of the patients were able to work in their previous occupation a mean of 15 months after surgery. At follow-up, 58% of the patients had a recurrent tumor. The mean quality of life index was 42 points (range, 0 to 100). The lowest values were on the job item, and the highest mean value was on the family item. All patients, dependents, or both would agree to surgery in the future. Based on these findings, quality of life after transdural surgery for the treatment of anterior skull base malignancies seems to be low. PMID- 17768442 TI - Transnasal Transsphenoidal Endoscopic Repair of CSF Leakage Using Multilayer Acellular Dermis. AB - Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks result from a communication between the subarachnoid space and the upper aerodigestive tract. Because of the risk of complications such as meningitis, brain abscess, and pneumocephalus, all persistent CSF leaks should be repaired. Surgical repair may be achieved transcranially or extracranially using a wide variety of autogenous, allogenic, and synthetic patching materials. We report our results with a transnasal transsphenoidal endoscopic approach for the repair of CSF leaks coupled with a multilayer closure using acellular dermis (Allodermtrade mark). We conducted a retrospective review of all patients presenting to our institution over the past 5 years with isolated sphenoid sinus CSF fistulas. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were included in the study. Nineteen patients (90.5%) had their sphenoid sinus CSF fistula repaired during the first attempt; 2 patients (9.5%) needed a second attempt. The multilayer repair of the CSF leak using acellular dermis via a transsphenoidal endoscopic approach is an effective and successful method of surgical repair of the fistula site. Neither the number, size, nor cause of the CSF fistula affected surgical outcomes. However, the presence of hydrocephalus was a significant negative variable, altering the surgical outcomes of our patients. The acellular dermis offers the advantage of not requiring autogenous tissue for the effective repair of CSF leaks in the sphenoid sinus. PMID- 17768443 TI - Utilization of preoperative cerebrospinal fluid drain in skull base surgery. AB - OBJECTIVE: Retrospectively assess the efficacy of lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage placed preoperatively in skull base operations in decreasing the incidence of postoperative CSF fistula. METHODS: A retrospective review of 150 patients undergoing a posterior fossa craniotomy from 1989 to 2000 was conducted. Patients were divided into those receiving preoperative lumbar drains and those that did not. The rates of postoperative CSF leakage were compared between the two groups. Patient data were analyzed to determine if there were other comorbidities affecting the postoperative incidence of CSF leakage such as smoking, diabetes, or hypertension. RESULTS: Between 1989 and 1994, 25/72 (35%) patients with no preoperative lumbar drain had a postoperative CSF leak. From 1995 to 2000, 9/78 (12%) patients with a preoperative lumbar drain had a CSF leak. This was a 23% decreased incidence of postoperative CSF leakage and a significant decrease in the probability (p < 0.001) of CSF leakage in patients treated with a preoperative lumbar drain. The comorbidities of diabetes, smoking, or hypertension did not increase the probability of a CSF leak (p = 0.43). CONCLUSIONS: A preoperatively placed lumbar drain can significantly lower the rate of postoperative CSF leakage after skull base surgery. The drain is a well tolerated adjunct to dural closure and helps increase surgical exposure of the posterior fossa. The comorbidities of diabetes, smoking, or hypertension do not contribute to an increased rate of CSF leakage.dagger Lyal Leibrock M.D., F.A.C.S. is Deceased. PMID- 17768444 TI - External auditory canal hemangioma: case report. AB - A patient with a hemangioma completely within the external auditory canal is reported. PMID- 17768445 TI - Surgical Management of PICA Aneurysm and Incidental Facial Nerve Schwannoma: Case Report. AB - We report a patient with a posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysm and an incidental facial nerve schwannoma at the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). A 46-year-old woman presented with the sudden onset of a severe headache, nausea, and vomiting. She had no other abnormal neurological symptoms and signs. Computed tomography (CT) showed hemorrhage in the fourth ventricle. Cerebral angiography demonstrated an aneurysm arising from the tonsillomedullary segment of the left PICA. A facial nerve schwannoma was incidentally found as the aneurysm was being clipped. The aneurysm was clipped via a left transcondylar approach. Subsequently, the schwannoma (2 x 3 x 2 mm) was resected from the facial nerve fascicles, and the facial nerve was preserved. Postoperatively, the patient developed mild to moderate dysfunction of the facial nerve (House-Brackmann grade III [H-B III]) but her hearing was intact. Both a facial nerve schwannoma involving the CPA and an aneurysm involving the PICA can be managed through the transcondylar approach. An asymptomatic facial nerve schwannoma can be resected safely with minimal facial nerve dysfunction. PMID- 17768446 TI - A case of multiple primary tumors of the anterior skull base. AB - We report a case of synchronous olfactory bulb meningioma and undifferentiated carcinoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses that involved and destroyed the anterior skull base and mimicked intracranial invasion by a carcinoma. The heterogeneity of tissue types in the skull base gives rise to a diverse variety of benign and malignant neoplasms which have totally different prognoses. Synchronous development of benign and malignant primary tumors both originating from and involving the skull base at the same location is very rare and may cause confusion for both the skull base surgeon and neuroradiologist. PMID- 17768453 TI - The Gulf Cooperation Countries genetic services. Understanding individuals, families, and community needs. PMID- 17768454 TI - Updated overview of pediatric headache and migraine. AB - Headache is a common complaint, occurring in >90% of school age children. The frequency increases with increasing age and the etiologies range from tension to life-threatening infections and brain tumors. Migraine is the most frequent cause of acute and recurrent headaches in children. The overall prevalence of non migraine headaches is 10-25%. A thorough history, physical and neurological examination, and appropriate diagnostic testing if indicated will enable the physician to distinguish migraine and tension headaches from those of a secondary etiology. In this review, we present an updated overview of childhood headaches. The recently developed International Classification of Headache Disorders, second edition ICHD-II will be summarized. The Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology AAN and the Practice Committee of Child Neurology Society CNS recommendations for neuroimaging of children with recurrent headaches concluded that routine neuroimaging is not indicated if the neurological examination is normal. Neuroimaging should be considered in children with recent onset of severe headache, change in the headache type, associated focal neurological features, or seizures. Trends in the management guidelines will be highlighted. PMID- 17768455 TI - Current treatment strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma. AB - With the current practice of surveillance programs in high-risk patients, early stage hepatocellular carcinoma HCC is commonly diagnosed. This poses great challenge to clinicians, in terms of prognostic estimation, patient stratification to various treatment modalities and patient management during long term follow-up. This review focuses on the current trends in the management of HCC, with special attention to tumor staging, treatment algorithm, and outcome of various treatment modalities. According to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases AASLD practice guideline, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer BCLC staging system has fulfilled the criteria that HCC patients can be stratified into different prognostic subgroups, to which optimal treatments can be offered. Under this management scheme, curative treatments hepatic resection, liver transplantation, and percutaneous ablation would be reserved to the subgroup of patients with relatively good prognosis. For patients with advanced malignancy localized to the liver, local ablation or transarterial chemoembolization TACE may offer effective symptomatic palliation, and prolongation of patients' survival. For patients with distant metastases, no effective therapy can be offered, and symptomatic palliative care is the best option. Until now, favorable survival outcomes have been reported following hepatic resection, liver transplantation, and local ablation for HCC. Although the therapeutic effect of TACE is less pronounced than curative treatments, randomized controlled studies have proven its survival benefit for HCC patients. A comprehensive treatment algorithm involving these treatment modalities is mandatory to ensure optimal care of patients with HCC. PMID- 17768456 TI - Measurement of the total antioxidant potential in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases with a novel automated method. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the oxidative and antioxidative status of plasma of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to compare these values with healthy smokers and healthy non-smokers control subjects using a more recently developed automated measurement method. METHODS: This study involved 40 COPD patients, 25 healthy smokers, and 25 healthy non-smokers who attended the Chest Diseases Outpatient Clinic in Harran University Research Hospital, Turkey during the period between March 2006 and June 2006. We calculated the total antioxidant potential (TAOP) to determine the antioxidative status of plasma, and we measured the total peroxide levels to determine the oxidative status of plasma. RESULTS: The TAOP of plasma was significantly lower in patients with COPD than in healthy smokers and healthy non-smokers (p<0.001). In contrast, the mean total peroxide level of plasma was significantly higher in COPD patients than in healthy smokers and healthy non-smokers (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: We found a decreased in TAOP COPD patients using a simple, rapid and reliably automated colorimetric assay, which may suitable for use in routine clinical biochemistry laboratory, and considerably facilitates the assessment of this useful clinical parameter. We suggest that this novel method may be used as a routine test to evaluate and follow-up the levels of oxidative stress in COPD. PMID- 17768458 TI - The measurement of serum fibrinogen levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome. AB - OBJECTIVE: Serum fibrinogen level (SFL) is thought to be one of the risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). The purpose of this study was to measure the SFL in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: This study was performed in patients with ACS, admitted in Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Babol, Iran, from February 2005 to June 2006. Two hundred patients with ACS were divided into 4 groups: Group I - ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI); Group II - non-ST elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI); Group III - unstable angina (U/A) with ST-T change; and Group IV - U/A without ST-T change. Each group includes 50 patients. Twenty-four hours after admission, the SFL was measured using chromatography methods. The data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean SFL per mg/dl in each group are: Group I - 377.8 +/- 28, Group II - 417.2 +/- 26.8, Group III - 335.4 +/- 19.8, and Group IV - 305.1 +/- 13.8. The SFL in Group II was significantly higher than the other groups (p=0.002). The SFL in Group II was higher than in Group III (p=0.02), and much higher than in Group IV (p=0.000). The SFL in Group III was more than in Group IV (p=0.018). CONCLUSION: The results show that SFL is an important marker in patients with ACS, with ST-T change. PMID- 17768457 TI - The value of endothelium dependent vasodilatation in diagnosing coronary artery disease and its comparison with the results of routine diagnostic tests. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictive value of flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) compared with angina pectoris, exercise electrocardiography, and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). METHODS: This study was carried out in Shahid Madani Heart Center, Tabriz, Iran from April 2004 to September 2006. A total of 92 patients with chest pain syndrome were enrolled in this study. Using high resolution ultrasound system endothelial function was evaluated, and the result of the flow-mediated dilation (FMD%) was defined as the percent change in the internal diameter of the brachial artery during reactive hyperemia related to baseline. RESULTS: Coronary artery disease (CAD) was documented in 77 (83.7%) patients. The percentage of FMD was lower in patients with CAD compared with those +/- 4.61, p=0.001). In comparison with typical anginal chest pain (sensitivity 46.7%, specificity 80%), exercise stress test (sensitivity 75%, specificity 60%), and MPI (sensitivity 96.5, specificity 55.6%) the receiver operator characteristic curve showed the percentage FMD optimal cut-off value as 0.05). The MD and PSD results of group 1 according to the age groups and gender were not statistically significant (p>0.05). The MD and PSD results of subjects in group 2 were within normal limits, and no special visual field defects were observed. When compared with healthy controls, the MD and PSD values of patients with hypophyseal adenomas were statistically significantly (p<0.05). In group 1, the mean adenoma size was 13.34 mm and no statistically significant correlation was found between the adenoma size and either the MD or PSD values (p>0.05). Sixteen (40%) patients had visual field defects, the specific complete bitemporal hemianopsia was found in 5 (12.5%) patients. Only in 3 patients (7.5%) the primary diagnosis was made by ophthalmologic examination. CONCLUSION: Although ophthalmologists rarely have a role in the primary diagnosis of hypophyseal adenoma, routine ophthalmologic examination is still important. To detect early visual field abnormalities, automated perimetry should be performed as a part of routine examination in patients with suspected hypophyseal adenomas. PMID- 17768465 TI - Risk factors identification for ocular trauma in patients who presented in a suburban tertiary care hospital in Nigeria. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk factors, and the pattern of ocular trauma in Irrua, a sub-urban community in Edo State, Nigeria. METHODS: A prospective study of all cases of ocular trauma seen in the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria from January to December 2005. The age, gender, occupation, activity at time of injury, use of protective eye wear, visual acuity, and findings on ocular examination were recorded. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-two patients were seen during the period of study. There were 130 males (72.2%) and 52 females (28.8%), with a ratio of 2.5:1. Motorcycle-related road traffic accident was the most common cause of ocular injury occurring in 56 patients (30.8%), followed by assault in 40 patients (22%), and farming in 35 patients (19.2%). The conjunctiva, lids, and cornea were the ocular structures mostly affected. Fifty one patients (28%) were blind in the affected eye, at presentation. Only 22 patients (12.1%) presented within 24 hours of injury. CONCLUSION: Motorcycle-related accidents were the most significant cause of ocular injury. The use of protective helmets with plastic covering over the face should be enforced. Measures to reduce physical assault in schools, and in the civil society should also be enforced. Farmers should be encouraged to wear protective goggles. PMID- 17768466 TI - A comparison of the effect of donor-recipient trephine size disparity on refractive error in keratoconus. AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of donor-recipient trephine-size disparity on spherical equivalent, and visual outcomes in penetrating keratoplasty for keratoconus. METHODS: A prospective randomized clinical study conducted between April 2000 and April 2004 in the Ophthalmology Department, Shaheed Sadoughi Hospital, Yazd, Iran. Forty patients with keratoconus were randomly assigned to 2 groups. In group I (n=20) the patients were operated on with under-sized blade (0.25 mm disparity[D]), and in group II (n=20) with over-sized (0.50 mm D) trephine. RESULTS: The spherical equivalent in group I was -2.61 +/- 2.81D, and 3.92 +/- 3.21D in group II. We found a better final visual acuity in group I compared with group II. More myopic shift was observed in group II, with greater disparity. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was better at the final follow-up in group I, compared with group II. Fourteen patients (70%) achieved BCVA 20/40 or better in group I, whereas in group II only 10 patients (5.0%) achieved this vision. Mean keratometry was 44.35D in group I, and 45.05D in group II. CONCLUSION: We conclude that using donor-recipient under-sized trephine (0.25mm D) can be considered a reliable and effective method in reducing postoperative myopia. PMID- 17768467 TI - Rapid sequence induction and intubation with 1 mg/kg rocuronium bromide in cesarean section, comparison with suxamethonium. AB - OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that Rocuronium Bromide can be used for rapid sequence induction in emergency conditions. METHODS: Our study was performed between December 2005 and May 2006 in Jordan University Hospital, Jordan. We studied the efficacy and intubating conditions after administrating of Rocuronium Bromide 1 mg/kg at 60 second in group of 60 pregnant women undergoing elective or emergency cesarean section and compared the results with those obtained after giving Suxamethonium 1 mg/kg at 60 seconds in a group of patients similar to the Rocuronium group. RESULTS: Intubating conditions after 1 mg /kg of Rocuronium Bromide were found to be acceptable (good and excellent) in 95% of patients and were similar to the Suxamethonium group (97%). The endotracheal tube could be passed through the vocal cards of all patients enrolled in the study. CONCLUSION: Rocuronium Bromide 1 mg/kg can be safely used for rapid sequence induction in cesarean section and the intubating conditions are similar to those of Suxamethonium. PMID- 17768468 TI - Effects of silibinin hemisuccinate on the intraocular pressure in normotensive rabbits. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of silibinin hemisuccinate on the normal intraocular pressure (IOP) in rabbits. METHODS: This study took place in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Baghdad during the period from January to June 2005. Twenty-five New Zealand white rabbits weighing 1.5-2.5 kg were used in this study. The effects of corneal instillation of various concentrations of silibinin hemisuccinate (0.5%, 0.75% and 1%) dissolved in arachis oil, on the normal intraocular pressure in rabbits were evaluated using indentation tonometry; in addition to the possible modulation of normal IOP-recovery time after intravenous infusion of 20% sodium chloride solution. RESULTS: The results showed that within 30 minutes of application, silibinin in various concentrations significantly reduces IOP in comparison to baseline values (p<0.05), with greater reduction being achieved with 0.75%. The effect of IOP reduction lasts 2-3 hours and proportionate to the concentration used. Moreover, remarkable delay in IOP recovery was observed after instillation of silibinin compared with the vehicle treated (arachis oil) animals, indicating interference with aqueous humor formation. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this study provide experimental evidences for the effectiveness of silibinin in the reduction of IOP and possible modulation of its regulatory mechanisms. PMID- 17768469 TI - Short-term efficacy and safety of valproate sustained-release formulation in newly diagnosed partial epilepsy VIPe-study. A multicenter observational open label study. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of valproate (VPA) sustained released in monotherapy across all ages in newly-diagnosed epileptic patients with partial seizures (PS) with or without secondary generalization. METHODS: This was a multicenter, prospective, observational, open-label, non-comparative study involving the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries except the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and was performed between November 2004 and May 2006. Adults and children (6 years or older with newly diagnosed partial epilepsy [PE]) with or without secondary generalization were enrolled. The primary efficacy parameter was 6 month-remission rate (proportion of seizure-free patients in relation to total number of retained patients). Secondary efficacy parameters included: 6 month-retention rate, investigator's clinical global impression rating, maximal effective dose and safety profile. RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients were enrolled; 56% adults and 44% children, with average duration of epilepsy of 5 months in the pediatric and 17 months in the adult group. Seizures type distribution: PS with secondary generalization (62%), complex PS (53%) and simple PS (14%). The majority had idiopathic seizures (48%). Sixty-six patients completed the study (treatment retention rate 80.5%). At 6 months, 87% of patients became seizure free with VPA sustained-release monotherapy (average dose 22 mg/kg/day). Adverse drug reactions (hair loss and tremor) were recorded in <20% of patients, mostly affecting adults. CONCLUSION: In this population, short-term treatment with VPA sustained-release in monotherapy provides good seizure control and is well tolerated. PMID- 17768470 TI - Enterocutaneous fistula. Causes and management. AB - OBJECTIVE: To study the main causes of fistula, and to determine the factors related to a successful treatment. METHODS: From November 2002 to October 2005, a total of 70 consecutive patients with enterocutaneous fistula in Gastroenterology and Hepatology Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, were studied prospectively. Fifty-two patients received total parenteral nutrition. Internal gastrointestinal fistula, and pure pancreatic and biliary fistula were excluded from this study. RESULTS: In 68 patients, the fistula developed postoperatively, the most common primary cause was missile injury (42%), and 2 patients have fistula that developed spontaneously. The fistula was healed by conservative treatment in 34 patients, and by surgical intervention in 10. Twenty-five patients died, and in one patient the fistula failed to heal by conservative as well as by surgical treatment. The mean duration of hospital stay for all patients was 25.9 days. CONCLUSION: The most common cause of enterocutaneous fistula found in this study was missile injury. Duodenal fistula and, to a lesser extent, ileal fistula, respond more to conservative treatment. High output and jejunal fistula were associated with poorer outcome. Octreotide administration did not significantly improve the output of the fistula or the outcomes. PMID- 17768471 TI - Assessment of quality of life in Saudi patients with vitiligo in a medical school in Qassim province, Saudi Arabia. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the quality of life in Saudi patients with vitiligo and to detect the variables that could influence it by using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). METHODS: One hundred and nine Saudi vitiligo patients were recruited from Qassim Medical College clinics between November 2004 and September 2006. We included 61 males, 48 females with an age range of 18 to 47 years, and a mean of 26.94 (SD +/- 9.73) years. Quality of life was evaluated using DLQI questionnaire and related to variables as age, gender, marital status, and extent of cutaneous involvement. RESULTS: Family history of vitiligo in first degree relatives was positive in 27.5%. The mean DLQI for all cases was 14.72 (SD +/ 5.173) that showed no statistical difference between males and females. Patients on light therapy and with generalized vitiligo had significantly higher DLQI scores than patients on topical treatments and localized cutaneous involvement. Women are more embarrassed and self-conscious on the disease with more impairment of their social life, personal relationships, sexual activities, and more influenced in their choice of clothing than men. CONCLUSION: Vitiligo is associated with severe impairment of quality of life among Saudi patients. Dermatologists should pay careful attention to the psychosocial impact of vitiligo in the patients' life. Involvement of psychologist and even psychiatrist should be an essential part in the management of these cases. PMID- 17768472 TI - Topical zinc sulphate solution for treatment of viral warts. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of topical zinc sulphate solution in the treatment of plane and common warts. METHODS: This study consisted of a pilot and double blinded clinical trails. This was carried out in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghadad, Iraq during the period from December 2002 to October 2003. Ten patients with plane warts were enrolled in pilot-clinical trial, all patients used 10% w/v zinc sulphate solution topically, 3 times daily for 4 weeks while in the double blind trial, 90 patients were included (50 patients with common warts, 40 patients with plane warts). Patients were randomly used either topical 10% or 5% zinc sulphate solution or distilled water as a control topical therapy 3 times daily for 4 weeks. Full history and close clinical examination were performed to all patients before treatment. RESULTS: In the pilot trial, the full response for plane warts was 80%, while the full response for patients with plane warts in double blinded trial was 85.7%, 42.8% and 10% for those using 10% and 5% zinc sulphate solutions and distilled water subsequently. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.008). The full response for patients with common warts were 11%, 5% and 0% for those who used 10% and 5% zinc sulphate solutions and distilled water respectively, the difference was statistically insignificant. No recurrence of warts occurred during follow up that ranged from 2-6 months after therapy. CONCLUSION: Topical 10% zinc sulphate solution was a new effective and safe modality for treatment of plane warts. PMID- 17768473 TI - Antibacterial activity of Eurycoma longifolia Jack. A Malaysian medicinal plant. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate methanolic, ethanolic, acetone and aqueous extracts from different parts of Eurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia) (leave, stem, and root) for antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and to utilize the leaves and stem parts rather than the root, which is already used for male sexual enhancement in Malaysia. METHODS: The study took place in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Biotechnology Engineering Department, Malaysia between January 2005 and June 2006. Methanolic, ethanolic, acetone and aqueous extracts of leaves, stems and roots of E. longifolia were investigated for their antibacterial properties using Agar-well diffusion method. RESULTS: The alcoholic and acetone extracts of the leaves and stem extracts were active on both Gram positive and Gram-negative bacteria except against 2 strains of Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi). The root extracts had no antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested. Aqueous leaves extract showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Serratia marscesens. CONCLUSION: The alcoholic and acetone extracts from leaves and stems of E. longifolia contain potent antibacterial agent(s). This plant can serve as a potential source of antibacterial compounds. PMID- 17768474 TI - Bone metabolism and mineral density in patients with beta-thalassemia major. AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate bone metabolism in patients with beta-thalassemia major and to determine the factors associated with the development of osteoporosis. METHODS: We studied 25 patients with thalassemia major with a mean age of 18.4 years (range 5-31) and aged and gender matched 24 healthy controls who were attending the outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic of Akdeniz University Hospital between January 2004 and March 2004 in Turkey. Bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine (L1-L4) and proximal femur were determined using dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Venous blood samples were obtained for determination of blood cell count and markers of bone formation and resorption. RESULTS: The BMD values, both at lumbar and femoral neck levels were significantly lower in patients compared to controls. Serum N-telopeptide level was slightly higher, whereas osteocalcin was slightly lower in patients; however, these values were not statistically significant. Plasma levels of insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) and insulin like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP 3) were significantly lower in patients. Also, serum levels of estradiol and progesterone in females, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone in both gender were significantly lower in patients. Serum levels of free testosterone and total testosterone were lower in patients, but not statistically significant. Patients also had significantly higher serum phosphorus levels, and lower serum calcitonin levels compared to controls. CONCLUSION: The BMD is decreased in thalassemic patients. Growth retardation, growth hormone / IGF-I / IGFBP-3 axis dysfunction, gonadal dysfunction and hypothalomo-pituitary-gonadal axis dysfunction may be responsible for the development of osteoporosis in the patients with beta-thalassemia major. PMID- 17768475 TI - The knowledge and attitudes of the primary care physicians on developmental dysplasia of the hip. AB - OBJECTIVE: For the prevention and early diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), a detailed clinical screening of the newborn performed by a primary care (PC) physician is recommended as a standard practice throughout the most western countries. We aimed to determine the knowledge and attitudes of the PC physicians towards DDH, and to develop further educational and training programs, according to the results obtained from the study. METHODS: The study was a pre- and post- test with a cross-sectional design. In winter of 2005, the participants included 102 PC physicians from 20 primary health care centers in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. A structured questionnaire was prepared consisting of 28 statements on medical, practical, and traditional knowledge and attitudes concerning DDH. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the pre-test (71.47 +/- 9.92) and post-test scores (78.85 +/- 12.86) of participants (p=0.000). Of the participants, 83 (81.4%) before, and 93 (91.2%) after the lecture, thought that DDH is a preventable disease. Prior to the lecture, only 27.5% of the physicians were aware of the wrong traditional attitudes that are considered as risk factors for DDH. CONCLUSION: The knowledge and attitudes of PC physicians on DDH needs to be improved by providing continuous education programmes. PMID- 17768476 TI - Pleuropulmonary and soft tissue Nocardia cyriacigeorgici infection in a patient with Behcet's disease. AB - Infections with Nocardia species are generally seen in immunocompromised subjects. In this report, we present a case of pleuropulmonary and skin Nocardia cyriacigeorgici infection in a male patient with Behcet's disease who used corticosteroids and immunosupressives for a long period of time. He died before the diagnosis of Nocardia infection was made. PMID- 17768477 TI - Dracunculiasis. An incidental diagnosis in a Saudi female. AB - Dracunculiasis is a disabling, and economically crippling parasitic infestation transmitted by drinking contaminated water. Although the disease has been eradicated from most parts of the world, it is still endemic in some tropical African countries. Here we report a 65-year-old female from the southern region of Saudi Arabia with radiological evidence of heavy load of guinea worms. This case could represent the local reemergence of the disease. PMID- 17768478 TI - Isolated nail lichen planus with primary sclerosing cholangitis in a child. AB - Lichen planus LP is an uncommon, inflammatory dermatosis with characteristic lesions affecting the skin, the nails, and the mucous membranes. It is rare in childhood. Although nail abnormalities have been reported in 1 - 10% of patients with LP, the prevalence of nail involvement in affected children is unknown. Here we report a 2-year-old child with isolated nail LP, in association with primary sclerosing cholangitis. PMID- 17768479 TI - Pleuropulmonary blastoma. A rare childhood malignancy. AB - Pleuropulmonary blastoma PPB is an extremely rare, intrathoracic neoplasm of early childhood with unfavorable outcome. We present a case of a 4-year-old boy with progressive dyspnea due to tension pneumothorax. After chest tube insertion, the CT scan showed large multilocular cystic lesions containing air and solid areas involving the right lower lobe, and its related pleura. Thoracotomy was carried out, and the cyst was removed with the pleural solid areas. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of PPB type II. Postoperatively, the patient was scheduled to start chemotherapy in a specialized pediatric oncology center to complete the treatment. PMID- 17768480 TI - Fucosidosis and anesthesia. AB - Fucosidosis is a rare, autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by a severe deficiency of a-L-fucosidase. Patients usually have some problems with glycoprotein storage in the brain and other organs, and some structural abnormalities that need special consideration in anesthesia. It has 2 types, the early onset or infantile, and the juvenile. Here we present an 8-year old girl with deformities in the maxillofacial region, with big tongue, small and retracted chin, saddle nose, and short neck that could not be extended, causing difficult intubation, and congenital cardiac problems requiring a special anesthetic strategy. PMID- 17768481 TI - Terminal ileum schistosomiasis with perianal fistula mimicking Crohn's disease. AB - Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease related to water contact in the agricultural fields, affecting millions of people in developing countries in tropical and subtropical parts of Africa, Asia, and South America. We report a case of a 27-year-old male, with intestinal schistosomiasis associated with perianal fistula mimicking Crohn's disease, where the terminal ileum showed a cobblestone appearance, and histopathological biopsy showed schistosoma granuloma. PMID- 17768482 TI - Effects of pharmacological concentration of melatonin on reperfusion injury in rats. PMID- 17768483 TI - A comparison of sensitivities of the conventional and the real-time polymerase chain reaction methods for detection of Treponema denticola in periapical abscesses. PMID- 17768484 TI - Motor vehicle accidents during pregnancy. A review of maternal and fetal outcomes in Saudi Arabian population. PMID- 17768485 TI - Epidemiology of atrial fibrillation among Qatari patients admitted with various cardiovascular disorder. A population-based study. PMID- 17768486 TI - Reducing the medical costs of urinary tract infections investigation in infants. PMID- 17768487 TI - Clinical quiz. An elderly man with shortness of breath and abnormal chest x-ray. PMID- 17768488 TI - Correlation does not always show a causal relationship. PMID- 17768489 TI - Osteoarthritis of knees and obesity. PMID- 17768490 TI - Pre-hospital period in patients with myocardial infarction in Turkey. Methodological and statistical pitfalls. PMID- 17768492 TI - C-reactive protein as an indicator of low intensity inflammation in children and adolescents with and without obesity. AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in children/adolescents with and without obesity and their correlation with body mass index (BMI) and clinical and laboratory variables. METHODS: A cross-sectional study comparing two parallel groups, one a group of overweight or obese children/adolescents (obesity group, n = 131) and the other a control group of children/adolescents without obesity (control group, n = 114). High sensitivity nephelometry was used to determine hsCRP concentrations. RESULTS: The obesity group exhibited greater hsCRP concentrations than the control group (p < 0.0005). There were relationships between hsCRP and BMI (p < 0.0001) and hsCRP and triglycerides (p = 0.05). The relationship between hsCRP and triglycerides was attenuated by adjustment for BMI, losing its statistical significance (p = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: The hsCRP concentrations increased as BMI increased. The majority of individuals who were not overweight exhibited hsCRP concentrations of less than 2 mg/L. PMID- 17768494 TI - How should ethics be incorporated into public health policy and practice? PMID- 17768493 TI - Childhood pneumonia--preventing the worlds biggest killer of children. PMID- 17768495 TI - Changing mens behaviour can improve womens health. PMID- 17768496 TI - The quest to be free of malaria. PMID- 17768498 TI - Applying science to the diseases of poverty. PMID- 17768499 TI - Economic evaluation of delivering Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine in routine immunization services in Kenya. AB - OBJECTIVE: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine was introduced into routine immunization services in Kenya in 2001. We aimed to estimate the cost effectiveness of Hib vaccine delivery. METHODS: A model was developed to follow the Kenyan 2004 birth cohort until death, with and without Hib vaccine. Incidence of invasive Hib disease was estimated at Kilifi District Hospital and in the surrounding demographic surveillance system in coastal Kenya. National Hib disease incidence was estimated by adjusting incidence observed by passive hospital surveillance using assumptions about access to care. Case fatality rates were also assumed dependent on access to care. A price of US$ 3.65 per dose of pentavalent diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-hep B-Hib vaccine was used. Multivariate Monte Carlo simulations were performed in order to assess the impact on the cost effectiveness ratios of uncertainty in parameter values. FINDINGS: The introduction of Hib vaccine reduced the estimated incidence of Hib meningitis per 100,000 children aged < 5 years from 71 to 8; of Hib non-meningitic invasive disease from 61 to 7; and of non-bacteraemic Hib pneumonia from 296 to 34. The costs per discounted disability adjusted life year (DALY) and per discounted death averted were US$ 38 (95% confidence interval, CI: 26-63) and US$ 1197 (95% CI: 814-2021) respectively. Most of the uncertainty in the results was due to uncertain access to care parameters. The break-even pentavalent vaccine price- where incremental Hib vaccination costs equal treatment costs averted from Hib disease--was US$ 1.82 per dose. CONCLUSION: Hib vaccine is a highly cost effective intervention in Kenya. It would be cost-saving if the vaccine price was below half of its present level. PMID- 17768500 TI - Prevalence, intensity and associated morbidity of Schistosoma japonicum infection in the Dongting Lake region, China. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and intensity of Schistosoma japonicum infection and associated morbidity, and to estimate the infected human and buffalo populations in the Dongting Lake region, Hunan province, China. METHODS: We used data from the third national schistosomiasis periodic epidemiological survey (PES) of 2004. These included 47 144 human serological and 7205 stool examinations, 3893 clinical examinations and questionnaire surveys, and 874 buffalo stool examinations, carried out in 47 villages in Hunan province. Serological examinations were performed using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay technique and human stool samples were examined by the Kato-Katz method. Stools from buffaloes and other domestic animals were examined for schistosome infection by the miracidial hatching test. FINDINGS: Sero-prevalence was 11.9% (range: 1.3-34.9% at the village level), and the rate of egg-positive stools was estimated at 1.9% (0-10.9%) for the same population. The prevalence of infection among buffaloes was 9.5% (0-66.7%). Extrapolating to the entire population of the Dongting Lake region, an estimated 73 225 people and 13 973 buffaloes were infected. Most frequently reported symptoms were abdominal pain (6.2%) and bloody stools (2.7%). More than half of the clinically examined people reported having had at least one prior antischistosomal treatment. CONCLUSION: There was a significant reduction in the number of humans infected with S. japonicum since the previous national PES carried out in 1995, partially explained by large-scale chemotherapy campaigns. However, a near-stable number of buffalo infections suggest continuing human re-infection, which may lead to future increases in human prevalence. PMID- 17768501 TI - Population-based evidence of a strong decline in the prevalence of smokers in Brazil (1989-2003). AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the evolution in smoking indicators in the adult Brazilian population between 1989 and 2003. METHODS: We compared age-adjusted prevalence ratios and means for smoking indicators, stratified by age, sex and sociodemographic variables, obtained from two comparable household surveys that used probabilistic sampling of the Brazilian population aged > 18 years (n = 34 808 in 1989 and n = 5000 in 2003). FINDINGS: Between 1989 and 2003, there was a substantial decrease in the prevalence of smoking (from 34.8% to 22.4%; age adjusted prevalence ratio, 0.65; 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.60-0.70) and a modest reduction in the mean number of cigarettes smoked per day (from 13.3 to 11.6; age-adjusted difference, -1.8; 95% CI, -2.6 - -1.0). Reductions in the prevalence and intensity of smoking were greater among males, younger age groups and higher socioeconomic strata. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of smoking in the adult Brazilian population declined by 35% between 1989 and 2003, or an average of 2.5% per year. This exceptional reduction surpasses those seen in other countries that implemented wide-ranging and rigorous policies for controlling smoking during the same period. The more intense decline in smoking in younger age groups was consistent with the concentration of efforts of the Brazilian tobacco control programme to prevent the onset of smoking among youths and the total prohibition of cigarette advertising. We recommend the intensification of programme initiatives targeting women and less economically favoured population strata. PMID- 17768502 TI - Pneumonia case-finding in the RESPIRE Guatemala indoor air pollution trial: standardizing methods for resource-poor settings. AB - OBJECTIVE: Trials of environmental risk factors and acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) face a double challenge: implementing sufficiently sensitive and specific outcome assessments, and blinding. We evaluate methods used in the first randomized exposure study of pollution indoors and respiratory effects (RESPIRE): a controlled trial testing the impact of reduced indoor air pollution on ALRI, conducted among children 90% of children meeting ALRI criteria, of whom about 70% attended a physician. Referrals for cough without respiratory signs and self referrals contributed 19.0% and 17.9% of physician-diagnosed ALRI cases respectively. Intervention group attendance following ALRI referral was 7% higher than controls, a trend also seen in compliance with RSV tests and CXR. There was no evidence of bias by intervention status in fieldworker classification or physician diagnosis. Incidence of fieldworker ALRI (1.12 episodes/child/year) is consistent with high sensitivity and low specificity; incidence of physician diagnosed ALRI (0.44 episodes/child/year) is consistent with comparable studies. CONCLUSION: The combination of case-finding methods achieved good sensitivity and specificity, but intervention cases had greater likelihood of reaching the physician and being investigated. There was no evidence of bias in fieldworkers classifications despite lack of concealment at home visits. Pulse oximetry offers practical, objective severity assessment for field studies of ALRI. PMID- 17768503 TI - Unfulfilled potential: using diethylcarbamazine-fortified salt to eliminate lymphatic filariasis. AB - Fortifying salt with diethylcarbamazine (DEC) is a safe, low-cost and effective strategy to eliminate transmission of lymphatic filariasis. DEC-fortified salt has been used successfully in pilot projects in several countries and has been used operationally by China to eliminate lymphatic filariasis. The successful use of iodized salt to eliminate iodine-deficiency disorders is encouraging; similarly, fortified salt could be used as a vehicle to eliminate lymphatic filariasis. Despite the potential programmatic advantages of fortifying salt with DEC instead of undertaking mass administration of tablets, DEC-fortified salt remains an underutilized intervention. We discuss the reasons for this and suggest settings in which the use of DEC-fortified salt should be considered. PMID- 17768504 TI - True outcomes for patients on antiretroviral therapy who are "lost to follow-up" in Malawi. AB - PROBLEM: In many resource-poor countries that are scaling up antiretroviral therapy (ART), 5-25% of patients are reported as "lost to follow-up". This figure is 9% in Malawi. There is no published information about the true outcome status of these patients. APPROACH: In four facilities in northern Malawi, ART registers and master cards were used to identify patients who had not attended the facility for 3 months or more and were thus registered as "lost to follow-up". Clinic staff attempted to trace these patients and ascertain their true outcome status. LOCAL SETTING: Of 253 patients identified as "lost to follow-up", 127 (50%) were dead, 58% of these having died within 3 months of their last clinic visit. Of the 58 patients (23%) found to be alive, 21 were still receiving ART and 37 had stopped treatment (high transport costs being the main reason for 13 patients). Sixty-eight patients (27%) could not be traced, most commonly because of an incorrect address in the register. Fewer patients were alive and more patients could not be traced from the central hospital compared with the peripheral hospitals. RELEVANT CHANGES: Better documentation of patients addresses and prompt follow-up of patients who are late for their appointments are required. LESSONS LEARNED: ART clinics in resource-poor countries should ensure that patients addresses are correct and comprehensive. Clinics should also undertake contact tracing as soon as possible in the event of non-attendance, consider facilitating access to ART clinics and take loss to follow-up into consideration when assessing death rates. PMID- 17768505 TI - Antiretroviral treatment roll-out in a resource-constrained setting: capitalizing on nursing resources in Botswana. AB - PROBLEM: As programmes to deliver antiretroviral therapy (ART) are implemented in resource-constrained settings, the problem becomes not how these programmes are going to be financed but who will be responsible for delivering and sustaining them. APPROACH: Physician-led models of HIV treatment and care that have evolved in industrialized countries are not replicable in settings with a high prevalence of HIV infection and limited access to medical staff. Therefore, models of care need to make better use of available human resources. LOCAL SETTING: Using Botswana as an example, we discuss how nurses are underutilized in long-term clinical management of patients requiring ART. RELEVANT CHANGES: We argue that for ART-delivery programmes to be sustainable, nurses will need to provide a level of clinical care for patients receiving this therapy, including prescribing ART and managing common adverse effects. LESSONS LEARNED: Practicalities involved in scaling up nurse-led models of ART delivery include overcoming political and professional barriers, identifying educational requirements, agreeing on the limitations of nursing practice, developing clear referral pathways between medical and nursing personnel, and developing mechanisms to monitor and supervise practice. Operational research is required to demonstrate that such models are safe, effective and sustainable. PMID- 17768506 TI - Reducing vector-borne disease by empowering farmers in integrated vector management. AB - PROBLEM: Irrigated agriculture exposes rural people to health risks associated with vector-borne diseases and pesticides used in agriculture and for public health protection. Most developing countries lack collaboration between the agricultural and health sectors to jointly address these problems. APPROACH: We present an evaluation of a project that uses the "farmer field school" method to teach farmers how to manage vector-borne diseases and how to improve rice yields. Teaching farmers about these two concepts together is known as "integrated pest and vector management". LOCAL SETTING: An intersectoral project targeting rice irrigation systems in Sri Lanka. RELEVANT CHANGES: Project partners developed a new curriculum for the field school that included a component on vector-borne diseases. Rice farmers in intervention villages who graduated from the field school took vector-control actions as well as improving environmental sanitation and their personal protection measures against disease transmission. They also reduced their use of agricultural pesticides, especially insecticides. LESSONS LEARNED: The intervention motivated and enabled rural people to take part in vector-management activities and to reduce several environmental health risks. There is scope for expanding the curriculum to include information on the harmful effects of pesticides on human health and to address other public health concerns. Benefits of this approach for community-based health programmes have not yet been optimally assessed. Also, the institutional basis of the integrated management approach needs to be broadened so that people from a wider range of organizations take part. A monitoring and evaluation system needs to be established to measure the performance of integrated management initiatives. PMID- 17768507 TI - Effectiveness of global health partnerships: will the past repeat itself? PMID- 17768508 TI - Setting international standards for verbal autopsy. PMID- 17768509 TI - More medicines for neglected and emerging infectious diseases. PMID- 17768511 TI - Mexican billionaire invests millions in Latin American health. PMID- 17768510 TI - Nuremberg code turns 60. PMID- 17768512 TI - Indian paradise takes novel approach to mental health. PMID- 17768513 TI - Stronger national plans for maternal, newborn and child health. PMID- 17768515 TI - Can Malawi's poor afford free tuberculosis services? Patient and household costs associated with a tuberculosis diagnosis in Lilongwe. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the relative costs of accessing a TB diagnosis for the poor and for women in urban Lilongwe, Malawi, a setting where public health services are accessible within 6 kilometers and provided free of charge. METHODS: Patient and household direct and opportunity costs were assessed from a survey of 179 TB patients, systematically sampled from all public and mission health facilities in Lilongwe. Poverty status was determined from the 1998 Malawi Integrated Household Survey (MIHS). FINDINGS: On average, patients spent US$ 13 (MK 996 or 18 days' income) and lost 22 days from work while accessing a TB diagnosis. For non-poor patients, the total costs amounted to 129% of total monthly income, or 184% after food expenditures. For the poor, this cost rose to 248% of monthly income or 574% after food. When a woman or when the poor are sick, the opportunity costs faced by their households are greater. CONCLUSION: Patient and household costs of TB diagnosis are prohibitively high even where services are provided free of charge. In scaling up TB services to reach the Millennium Development Goals, there is an urgent need to identify strategies for diagnosing TB that are cost-effective for the poor and their households. PMID- 17768516 TI - Evaluating the potential impact of the new Global Plan to Stop TB: Thailand, 2004 2005. AB - OBJECTIVE: WHO's new Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015 advises countries with a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) to expand case-finding in the private sector as well as services for patients with HIV and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). The objective of this study was to evaluate these strategies in Thailand using data from the Thailand TB Active Surveillance Network, a demonstration project begun in 2004. METHODS: In October 2004, we began contacting public and private health care facilities monthly to record data about people diagnosed with TB, assist with patient care, provide HIV counselling and testing, and obtain sputum samples for culture and susceptibility testing. The catchment area included 3.6 million people in four provinces. We compared results from October 2004-September 2005 (referred to as 2005) to baseline data from October 2002-September 2003 (referred to as 2003). FINDINGS: In 2005, we ascertained 5841 TB cases (164/100 000), including 2320 new smear-positive cases (65/100 000). Compared with routine passive surveillance in 2003, active surveillance increased reporting of all TB cases by 19% and of new smear-positive cases by 13%. Private facilities diagnosed 634 (11%) of all TB cases. In 2005, 1392 (24%) cases were known to be HIV positive. The proportion of cases with an unknown HIV status decreased from 66% (3226/4904) in 2003 to 23% (1329/5841) in 2005 (P< 0.01). Of 4656 pulmonary cases, mycobacterial culture was performed in 3024 (65%) and MDR-TB diagnosed in 60 (1%). CONCLUSION: In Thailand, piloting the new WHO strategy increased case finding and collaboration with the private sector, and improved HIV services for TB patients and the diagnosis of MDR-TB. Further analysis of treatment outcomes and costs is needed to assess this programme's impact and cost effectiveness. PMID- 17768518 TI - Catastrophic and poverty impacts of health payments: results from national household surveys in Thailand. AB - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence and describe the profile of catastrophic expenditures and impoverishment due to household out-of-pocket payments, comparing the periods before and after the introduction of universal health care coverage (UC). METHODS: Secondary data analyses of socioeconomic surveys on nationally representative households pre-UC in 2000 (n = 24,747) and post-UC in 2002 (n = 34,785) and 2004 (n = 34,843). FINDINGS: Households using inpatient care experienced catastrophic expenditures most often (31.0% in 2000, compared with 15.1% and 14.6% in 2002 and 2004, respectively). During the two post-UC periods, the incidence of catastrophic expenditures for inpatient services at private hospitals was 32.1% for 2002 and 27.8% for 2004. For those using inpatient care at district hospitals, the corresponding catastrophic expenditures figures were 6.5% and 7.3% in 2002 and 2004, respectively. The catastrophic expenditures incidence for outpatient services from private hospitals moved from 27.9% to 28.5% between 2002 and 2004. In 2000, before universal coverage was introduced, the percentages of Thai households who used private hospitals and faced catastrophic expenditures were 35.8% for inpatient care and 36.0% for outpatient care. Impoverishment increased for poor households because of payments for inpatient services by 84.0% in 2002, by 71.5% in 2004 and by 95.6% in 2000. The relative increase in out-of-pocket impoverishment was found in 98.8% to 100% of those who were poor following payments made to private hospitals, regardless of type of care. CONCLUSION: Households using inpatient services, especially at private hospitals, were more likely to face catastrophic expenditures and impoverishment from out-of-pocket payments. Use of services not covered by the UC benefit package and bypassing the designated providers (prohibited under the capitation contract model without proper referrals) are major causes of catastrophic expenditures and impoverishment. PMID- 17768517 TI - Determining the burden of tuberculosis in Eritrea: a new approach. AB - OBJECTIVE: To obtain an estimate of the prevalence of new cases of smear-positive tuberculosis in Eritrea using a new low-cost approach. METHODS: The study was designed to include a sample of 35,000 people divided between 40 clusters. The clusters were selected by sampling proportional to population size. In each cluster, census data were obtained from eligible individuals. Individuals aged 15 years or more were questioned about cough and its duration and smoking and were asked to provide two samples of sputum (spot and morning) for examination by fluorescence microscopy. FINDINGS: A total of 38,032 individuals were included in the study. Of the 19,197 individuals aged 15 years or more, 18,152 (94.6%) provided at least one sample of sputum. Fifteen individuals fulfilled the case definition, providing a prevalence of new cases of smear-positive tuberculosis of 90 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval, CI, 35-145 per 100,000) individuals aged 15 years or more and 50 per 100,000 (95% CI, 19-80 per 100,000) in the total population. CONCLUSION: The estimated prevalence of new cases of smear-positive tuberculosis obtained from our study is considerably lower than the estimate published by the World Health Organization. The new methodology for surveys to determine the prevalence of tuberculosis that we used is feasible in the field. This methodology should be validated in other countries and compared with other methods for measuring prevalence. PMID- 17768519 TI - Mortality in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1964-2004. AB - OBJECTIVE: Reliable information on the pattern, level and trend of mortality is essential for evidence-based policy to improve health. Various sources of mortality data in the Islamic Republic of Iran have not been critically assessed. This paper aims to document and evaluate the completeness of the different data sources on mortality and to estimate the level and trends of mortality over the past 40 years according to various mortality indices such as child mortality, adult mortality and life expectancy. METHODS: We undertook a systematic review of all available studies on infant mortality from 1964 to 2004 and estimated the most probable trend in child mortality. Death registration data from between 1992 and 2004 were assessed for completeness to estimate the level of adult mortality. Life tables for 2004 were constructed for the Islamic Republic of Iran based on these data, corrected for under-registration of death. FINDINGS: Infant mortality decreased from an estimated 154 deaths per 1000 live births in 1964 to 26 in 2004. The risk of adult mortality in 2004 was estimated to be 0.124 and 0.175 for females and males respectively. According to adjusted death registration data, life expectancy at birth in 2004 was 71.2 for females and 68.7 for males. The average completeness of death registration for ages 5 years and older across all systems was 76% for the period 2001-2004. CONCLUSION: There has been a general decline in child mortality in the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past three decades. Adult mortality levels also have declined, but less substantially. Mortality information systems have improved, yet serious concerns remain regarding the completeness and quality of data. PMID- 17768520 TI - A comprehensive assessment of maternal deaths in Argentina: translating multicentre collaborative research into action. AB - OBJECTIVE: To perform a comprehensive assessment of maternal mortality in Argentina, the ultimate purpose being to strengthen the surveillance system and reorient reproductive health policies to prevent maternal deaths. METHODS: Our multicentre population-based study combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies included a descriptive analysis of under-registration and distribution of causes of death, a case-control study to identify risk factors in health-care delivery and verbal autopsies to analyse social determinants associated with maternal deaths. FINDINGS: A total of 121 maternal deaths occurred during 2002. The most common causes were abortion complications (27.4%), haemorrhage (22.1%), infection/sepsis (9.5%), hypertensive disorders (8.4%) and other causes (32.6%). Under-registration was 9.5% for maternal deaths (n = 95) and 15.4% for late maternal deaths (n = 26). The probability of dying was 10 times greater in the absence of essential obstetric care, active emergency care and qualified staff, and doubled with every 10-year increase in age. Other contributing factors included delays in recognizing "alarm signals"; reluctance in seeking care owing to desire to hide an induced abortion; delays in receiving timely treatment due to misdiagnosis or lack of supplies; and delays in referral/transportation in rural areas. CONCLUSION: A combination of methodologies is required to improve research on and understanding of maternal mortality via the systematic collection of health surveillance data. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive intervention to address public health and human rights issues in maternal mortality, and our results contribute to the consensus building necessary to improve the existing surveillance system and prevention strategies. PMID- 17768521 TI - Estimated global resources needed to attain international malaria control goals. AB - OBJECTIVE: To provide the international community with an estimate of the amount of financial resources needed to scale up malaria control to reach international goals, including allocations by country, year and intervention as well as an indication of the current funding gap. METHODS: A costing model was used to estimate the total costs of scaling up a set of widely recommended interventions, supporting services and programme strengthening activities in each of the 81 most heavily affected malaria-endemic countries. Two scenarios were evaluated, using different assumptions about the effect of interventions on the needs for diagnosis and treatment. Current health expenditures and funding for malaria control were compared to estimated needs. FINDINGS: A total of US$ 38 to 45 billion will be required from 2006 to 2015. The average cost during this period is US$ 3.8 to 4.5 billion per year. The average costs for Africa are US$ 1.7 billion and US$ 2.2 billion per year in the optimistic and pessimistic scenarios, respectively; outside Africa, the corresponding costs are US$ 2.1 billion and US$ 2.4 billion. CONCLUSION: While these estimates should not be used as a template for country-level planning, they provide an indication of the scale and scope of resources required and can help donors to collaborate towards meeting a global benchmark and targeting funding to countries in greatest need. The analysis highlights the need for much greater resources to achieve the goals and targets for malaria control set by the international community. PMID- 17768523 TI - Tuberculosis in complex emergencies. AB - This paper describes the key factors and remaining challenges for tuberculosis (TB) control programmes in complex emergencies. A complex emergency is "a humanitarian crisis in a country, region or society where there is total or considerable breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict and which requires an international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single agency and/or the ongoing United Nations country programme." Some 200 million people are believed to live in countries affected by complex emergencies; almost all of these are developing countries that also bear the main burden of TB. The effects of complex emergencies impact on TB control programmes, interfering with the goals of identifying and curing TB patients and possibly leading to the emergence of MDR-TB. There are many detailed descriptions of aid interventions during complex emergencies; yet TB control programmes are absent from most of these reports. If TB is neglected, it may quickly result in increased morbidity and mortality, as was demonstrated in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Somalia. TB is a major disease in complex emergencies and requires an appropriate public health response. While there is no manual to cover complex emergencies, the interagency manual for TB control in refugee and displaced populations provides valuable guidance. These programmes contribute to the body of evidence needed to compile such a manual, and should ensure that the experiences of TB control in complex emergencies lead to the establishment of evidence-based programmes. PMID- 17768522 TI - Resistance and renewal: health sector reform and Cambodia's national tuberculosis programme. AB - Following the destruction of Cambodia's health infrastructure during the Khmer Rouge period (1975-1979) and the subsequent decade of United Nations sanctions, international development assistance has focused on reconstructing the country's health system. The recognition of Cambodia's heavy burden of tuberculosis (TB) and the lapse of TB control strategies during the transition to democracy prompted the national tuberculosis programme's relaunch in the mid-1990s as WHO backed health sector reforms were introduced. This paper examines the conflicts that arose between health reforms and TB control programmes due to their different operating paradigms. It also discusses how these tensions were resolved during introduction of the DOTS strategy for TB treatment. PMID- 17768524 TI - The case of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. PMID- 17768525 TI - Collaboration between a TB control programme and NGOs during humanitarian crisis: Democratic Republic of the Congo. PMID- 17768526 TI - Scaling up HIV prevention: why routine or mandatory testing is not feasible for sub-Saharan Africa. PMID- 17768527 TI - Reply to 'Addressing smoking cessation in tuberculosis control'. PMID- 17768528 TI - Flavonoids of Lonchocarpus montanus A.M.G. Azevedo and biological activity. AB - The analysis of root extracts from Lonchocarpus montanus A.M.G. Azevedo resulted in the isolation of twenty three compounds chiefly flavonoids of which five (four flavonoids and one benzophenone) are described for the first time. The molecular structures of the new compounds (1-5) were determined through spectral analysis (UV, IR, MS and NMR) as being: 2'-hydroxy-8-(alpha,alpha-dimethylallyl)-2", 2" dimethylpyrano-(5",6":3',4')-dibenzoylmethane (1), 2'-methoxy-8-(alpha,alpha dimethylallyl)-2", 2"-dimethylpyrano-(5",6":3',4')-dibenzoylmethane (2), 4' methoxy-2",2"-dimethylpyrano-(5",6":8,7)-flavone (3), 2"-(1-hydroxy-1 methylethyl)-furano-(4",5":8,7)-flavone (4) and [2'-methoxy-furano-(4",5":3',4') phenyl]-phenylmethanone (5). Additionally, fifteen fatty acids were detected through GC-MS analysis of the corresponding methyl esters [(CH3)2CH(CH2)8COOH and CH3(CH2)nCOOH (n = 6, 12-24)]. Quantitative RP-HPLC showed that the most abundant flavonoids in the petroleum ether and dichloromethane extracts were pongamol (19%) and lanceolatine B (8.0%), respectively. In the bioautography assay, the extracts, pongamol (9), lanceolatine B (10), isolonchocarpin (14), derriobtusone A (17) and medicarpine (18) were active against Staphylococcus aureus whereas 9 also against Bacillus subtilis and Cladosporium cladosporioides. Compound 1, 2",2"-dimethylpyrano-(5",6":8,7)-flavone (11) and furano-(1200,1300:7,8)- 4' methoxy flavone (12) were active against Fusarium oxysporium whereas 11 also against Rhizopus orizae. The extracts, compounds 9, 10, 17 and (E)-7-O methoxypongamol (23) displayed high toxicity in the brine shrimp lethality assay. PMID- 17768529 TI - Marine zooplankton studies in Brazil: a brief evaluation and perspectives. AB - Marine zooplankton research in Brazil has been primarily descriptive, with most studies focusing on community structure analysis and related issues. The composition and spatial distribution of several taxonomic groups are currently well known, although less-abundant and small-sized taxa as well as initial stages of almost all species have received little attention. Some numerically important taxa such as heterotrophic protists, ctenophores, acoel turbellarians and ostracods remain virtually unstudied. Large sectors of the continental shelf have not been sampled in detail, particularly those areas influenced by the North Brazil Current (5 degrees N-15 degrees S). Zooplankton abundance and biomass in offshore waters have seldom been quantified, and information on the distribution and vertical migration of meso- and bathypelagic species are lacking. Additional faunistic assessments must target those less-studied taxa and geographical locations. However, priority in ecological studies should be given to process oriented investigations aimed at understanding the mechanisms controlling zooplankton distribution, trophic interactions within pelagic food webs and production cycles in relation to the physical environment. An effort should be made to incorporate state-of-the-art sampling technology and analytical methods into future research projects. PMID- 17768530 TI - Pollen analysis in honey samples from the two main producing regions in the Brazilian northeast. AB - Knowledge about the botanical source of honey is very important for the beekeeper while it indicates adequate and abundant supply sources of nectar and pollen for the bees, thus contributing toward improved yield. The present study means to identify the pollen types occurring in 58 samples of honey produced in two states of the northeastern region of Brazil, Piaui (38 samples) and Ceara (20 samples), and to verify the potential of the honey plants during the months of February to August. The samples were obtained directly from beekeepers in each state and analyzed at the Apiculture Laboratory of the Entomology Section of Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz", USP, Piracicaba, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The pollen analysis was performed using the acetolysis method. The samples were submitted to both a qualitative and a quantitative analysis. The dominant pollen in the State of Ceara is from Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia, M. verrucosa, Borreria verticillata, Serjania sp., and a Fabaceae pollen type, while in the State of Piaui it is from Piptadenia sp., M. caesalpiniaefolia, M. verrucosa, Croton urucurana and Tibouchina sp. PMID- 17768531 TI - The effects of the subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab (Avastin) on angiogenesis in the rat cornea. AB - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the use of the subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab (Avastin) on angiogenesis in the rat cornea. Corneas of 20 Wistar male rats were cauterized with silver nitrate crystal. Animals were divided in four groups: control group (GC) that received subconjunctivally 0.02 ml of 0.9% saline solution on the day of the lesion; group GO that received subconjunctivally 0.02 ml of bevacizumab just after the lesion; group G3 that received bevacizumab on day 3 and group G5 that received bevacizumab on day 5 after lesion. Animals were euthanized on day 7. The newly formed vessels were quantified after China Ink perfusion and photographs were obtained and analyzed in a computerized system (Image Pro-Plus(R)). In the control group, neovascularization covered 53.56% +/- 15.11 (mean +/- SD) of the corneal surface, compared with 35.57% +/- 18.80 (mean +/- SD) in the G0 group, 30.60%+/-11.82 (mean+/-SD) in the G3 and 35.86%+/-0.07 (mean+/-SD) in the G5. The results showed an inhibition of angiogenesis when the control group was compared with all treated groups. These results suggest that subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab is able to inhibit corneal angiogenesis independently of the day of treatment. PMID- 17768539 TI - A new Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem from Gondwana with the description of a new sauropod dinosaur. AB - A unique site at the northern area of Patagonia (Neuquen, Argentina) reveals a terrestrial ecosystem preserved in a detail never reported before in a Late Cretaceous deposit. An extraordinary diversity and abundance of fossils was found concentrated in a 0.5 m horizon in the same quarry, including a new titanosaur sauropod, Futalognkosaurus dukei n.gen., n.sp, which is the most complete giant dinosaur known so far. Several plant leaves, showing a predominance of angiosperms over gymnosperms that likely constituted the diet of F. dukei were found too. Other dinosaurs (sauropods, theropods, ornithopods), crocodylomorphs, pterosaurs, and fishes were also discovered, allowing a partial reconstruction of this Gondwanan continental ecosystem. PMID- 17768541 TI - [Scientific research, innovation and development]. PMID- 17768540 TI - Assessment of scientific programs: a necessary procedure for Brazilian scientific policy--the Young Investigator Program of the State of Sao Paulo Research Foundation. AB - Programs of Science and Technology research have grown significantly in Brazil over the last decades. Until the 1980s the so-called undirected programs, without specific goals and requiring only scientific merit, prevailed. The few programs with defined goals in this period were never objectively assessed. The same situation occurred in developed countries. In the early 1990s, the assessment of programs supported by public funding became mandatory in US and some European countries. In Brazil, program assessment has so far not been implemented yet. The Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa no Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) (Brazilian funding agency) Young Investigator (YI) Program is in its eleventh year, with approximately eight hundred projects awarded. Although it is free-demand based as concerns areas of knowledge, it has specific goals : (1) conceding grants to YI in view of the balance between funding, merit and real needs so as to enable satisfactory working conditions in the short term, (2) providing priority for institutions with a less extensive background in research, (3) granting a special fellowship to YI with no employment connection and (4) introduction of new research fronts in centers with a sound research background. This assessment provided evidence for the achievement of first three goals. The fourth one is still pending on additional data requiring survey assessment. Actions in this direction are recommended. PMID- 17768542 TI - [Preliminary results of Artisan phakic intraocular lens implantation to correct myopia]. AB - PURPOSE: To observe the preliminary results based on the efficacy, stability and safety of Artisan anterior chamber intra-ocular lens for the correction of myopia in the first 6 months. METHODS: A retrospective study of 18 patients (34 eyes) that received the implantation of Artisan anterior chamber intraocular lens for the correction of myopia was conducted. Best visual preoperative acuity, best visual postoperative acuity, dynamic preoperative and postoperative refraction, loss and improvement of lines of vision and complications were evaluated. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (34 eyes) were included in this study. Fourteen patients were females (77.8%) and 4 were males. The mean age was 30 years (SD +/- 7.3), range from 21 to 46 years. They were followed up for an average of 8.5 months (SD +/- 3.6). The mean endothelial cell loss was 4.75% at 6 months follow up. The average preoperative uncorrected visual acuity was 0.02 (20/800) range from 0.01 to 0.13. The average preoperative spherical equivalent was -13.25 D, range from -5.75 D to -19,75 D. On the last follow-up, uncorrected visual acuity was 0.64 (20/32), range from 0.33 to 1.00; the average spherical equivalent was 1.18 D (DP +/- 0.92) range from +0.25 to -3.0. Complications were observed in 1 case (3.4%) of our study, in one patient who had a dislocation of the lens after an ocular trauma. CONCLUSION: The use of Artisan anterior chamber intraocular lens in phakic eyes for the correction of myopia was safe, effective and predictable. However, a larger prospective study with a higher number of cases and longer follow-up is necessary to determine long-term safety of the lens. PMID- 17768543 TI - [Analyzing endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy: difficulties and solutions]. AB - PURPOSE: To assess the incidence of operative difficulties in endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomies, as well as to suggest solutions. METHODS: This retrospective study searched for reports of complications and intraoperative difficulties in our records of 268 endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomies, in 241 patients, performed from October 1999 to August 2005. The patients' age ranged from 2 to 92 years (mean: 49.1 years). Uncinectomy (partial excision of the uncinate process) was employed as the entry to the lacrimal fossa, no drills being needed for the osteotomy. RESULTS: There were operative difficulties in 37 (13.8%) procedures. The most frequent sources of difficulty were hemorrhage (n = 12) and nasal anatomy abnormalities (n = 14). Less common sources were lacrimal sac mucocele, anterior ethmoid cells and resistant uncinate process. Of the nasal alterations disturbing surgery, the most common was septal deviation, followed by polyps, hypertrophied middle turbinate and fracture of the lateral wall. Complications were observed in 5 (1.9%) cases, including postoperative epistaxis (n = 3), subcutaneous emphysema and displacement of the silicone tube. CONCLUSION: Endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy was shown to be a safe procedure, with a minimal incidence of postoperative complications. Its indication, however, is limited. Not all patients can undergo this technique without correction of nasal anatomy alterations. Though most surgeries with this technique present no difficulties, this procedure may be technically difficult, especially in the presence of hemorrhage or reduced nasal space. PMID- 17768544 TI - [Corneal transplantation in keratoconus: evaluation of results and complications obtained by skillful and surgeons in training]. AB - PURPOSE: Refractive and visual analysis in corneal transplantations performed for keratoconus by two groups of surgeons. METHODS: Seventy eyes of seventy patients, which had been submitted to penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for keratoconus, were examined and their charts were reviewed retrospectively for long-term results after all sutures had been removed. The patients were divided into two groups, Group I had surgery performed by skillful surgeons and Group II by surgeons in training. The results of best correct visual acuity, refractive error, postoperative complications and computerized videokeratoscopy were compared. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 7.9 years with a range of 1.6 - 20 years. Each group consisted of 35 eyes. There were 35 females and 35 males. The donor age was different between the two groups. The surgical technique was the same in both groups, but the number of sutures was different. Preoperative mean logMAR visual acuity was low in the two groups, but statistically different and no relationship was found between the results. All the refractive, topographic and visual acuity results were similar between both groups. Endothelial rejection was more frequent in Group II. Only three grafts lost graft clarity. These patients belonged to Group II. CONCLUSION: In a corneal referral practice, the visual results after PK were similar to those related to the PK performed by either expert surgeons or in training. PMID- 17768545 TI - [Morphological assessment of different amniotic membrane epithelial denuding techniques]. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the morphological features of the amniotic membrane denuded by different techniques. METHODS: Human amniotic membrane was collected at the time of delivery, fixed in increasing concentrations of glycerol (0-50% in DMEM) and preserved at -80 degrees C until the time of use. The study consisted of 4 groups: intact epithelium (control) and denuded by trypsin (2 mg/mL at 1:250), dispase (1.2 U/mL in Mg2+ and Ca2+ free Hank's balanced salt solution) or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), 0.02%. Specimens were submitted to electron (scanning and transmission) microscopy analysis. RESULTS: Scanning electron microscopy disclosed intact epithelium in the control group and its absence in the amniotic membranes denuded by trypsin and dispase. In those denuded by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid there were areas with and without epithelium. When assessed by transmission electron microscopy, the epithelium was intact and firmly adhered to the basement membrane by hemidesmossomes in controls and in parts of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid group. There were only collagen fibers in the dispase- and trypsin-treated groups. CONCLUSIONS: Trypsin and dispase treatment of the amniotic membrane may cause complete denuding of the epithelium and basement membrane whereas ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid may leave some intact epithelium-areas and partially destroy the basement membrane in others. PMID- 17768546 TI - [Fractal analysis of retinal vascular tree: segmentation and estimation methods]. AB - PURPOSE: Although it has been proposed that retinal vasculature is fractal, no method of standardization has been performed for vascular segmentation or for dimension calculation, thus resulting in great variability among values of fractal dimensions. The present study was designed to determine if estimation of retinal vessel fractal dimensions is dependent on vascular segmentation and dimensional calculation methods. METHODS: Ten eye fundus images were segmented to extract their vascular trees by four computational methods ("multi-threshold", "scale-space", "pixel classification" and "ridge based detection"). Their information, mass-radius and box counting fractal dimensions were calculated and compared with those of the same vascular trees manually segmented (gold standard). RESULTS: The mean vascular tree dimension varied among the groups of different segmentation methods, from 1.39 to 1.47 for box counting, from 1.47 to 1.52 for information and from 1.48 to 1.57 for mass-radius dimensions. The utilization of different vascular segmentation methods and different dimension calculation methods introduced significant difference among fractal dimension of vessels. CONCLUSION: Estimation of retinal vessel fractal dimensions was dependent on both vascular segmentation and dimension calculation methods. PMID- 17768547 TI - [Congenital epiphora in patients with Down syndrome]. AB - PURPOSE: To describe the causes of congenital epiphora in patients with Down syndrome. METHODS: Retrospective study of 695 patients with congenital epiphora, of the Lacrimal Sector of the Department of Ophthalmology, Sao Paulo "Santa Casa", Brazil, between October 1998 and July 2005. This study analyzed: the main symptom of continuous epiphora or mucous discharge, which affected one or both eyes, since birth. Subjects were separated in to two groups: group A, with 30 patients with Down syndrome and group B, with 665 control patients. The lacrimal evaluation was performed by the throw irrigation test after general anesthesia. RESULTS: Both groups were statistically similar regarding age (p=0.07), sex (p=0.63) and race (p=0.68). Bilateral symptoms were more frequent in group A (p=0.0008). Anatomic obstruction of the lacrimal canal was present in 32.73% of group A and in 85.51% of group B (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent cause of congenital epiphora in Down syndrome is due to functional block of the lacrimal pump. Eyelid muscle hypotony and eyelid changes, common in Down syndrome, is the main hypothesis of lacrimal dysfunction, but further studies will be necessary for confirmation. PMID- 17768548 TI - Intermittent exotropia: comparative surgical results of lateral recti-recession and monocular recess-resect. AB - PURPOSE: To compare the results between recession of the lateral recti and monocular recess-resect procedure for the correction of the basic type of intermittent exotropia. METHODS: 115 patients with intermittent exotropia were submitted to surgery. The patients were divided into 4 groups, according to the magnitude of preoperative deviation and the surgical procedure was subsequently performed. Well compensated orthophoria or exo-or esophoria were considered surgical success, with minimum of 1 year follow-up after the operation. RESULTS: Success was obtained in 69% of the patients submitted to recession of the lateral recti, and in 77% submitted to monocular recess-resect. In the groups with deviations between 12 PD and 25 PD, surgical success was observed in 74% of the patients submitted to recession of the lateral recti and in 78% of the patients submitted to monocular recess-resect. (p=0.564). In the group with deviations between 26 PD and 35 PD, surgical success was observed in 65% out of the patients submitted to recession of the lateral recti and in 75% of the patients submitted to monocular recess-resect. (p=0.266). CONCLUSION: Recession of lateral recti and monocular recess-resect were equally effective in correcting basic type intermittent exotropia according to its preoperative deviation in primary position. PMID- 17768549 TI - [Choroidal vessels alterations in treated and untreated diabetic rats]. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the diabetic alterations and the impact of short and long term medical treatment on them. METHODS: Thirty Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: control (GC), diabetic (DG), and treated diabetic (TG) and the observations were made 1 month (M1) and 12 months (M2) after diabetes induction. Diabetes was induced by intravenous alloxan (42 mg/kg). The treated group received acarbose orally and insulin by subcutaneous injection. Eyes were prepared for transmission electron microscopy, specifically for ultrastructure of the Bruch membrane and choroidal vessels. RESULTS: Ultrastructural examination of the diabetic rat choroid showed deposits in the Bruch membrane and accumulation of vesicles, glycogen and dense bodies in endothelial cell cytoplasm. The most affected group was that of the diabetics on month 12 (GDM2). The treated diabetics showed the least alterations on month 12 (GTM2). CONCLUSION: Diabetic rats develop degenerative alterations in the Bruch membrane and choroidal vessels. These alterations are more evident in animals submitted to chronic disease, but they are also present in acute disease. Degenerative processes were not avoided with short-term treatment. Long-term treatment inhibited the progress of these processes. PMID- 17768550 TI - [Adenovirus conjunctivitis diagnosis using RPS Adenodetector]. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the RPS Adenodetector, a rapid immunochromatographic test, in the diagnosis of patients with clinical overt adenoviral conjunctivitis. METHODS: Consecutive case series. Patients underwent conjunctiva scraping for RPS Adenodetector test and culture to identify adenovirus. RESULTS: A total of 11 patients were studied, and 10 had unilateral disease. Five (45.5%) had symptoms for 2 days, 5 for three days, and 1 for 7 days. Adenovirus culture was positive in 8 patients (73%) and RPS Adenodetector was positive in 9 (82%) patients. Eight patients had adenovirus identification by both methods. In one patient the RPS Adenodetector was positive in contrast to a negative culture. The two patients revealing negative RPS Adenodetector results also had negative cultures. The sensitivity was 100% and the specificity was 67%. CONCLUSION: The RPS Adenodetector is a useful tool in the rapid diagnosis of adenovirus conjunctivitis and may contribute to the spread control of this highly contagious disease. PMID- 17768551 TI - [Fungic microbiota of normal conjunctiva, sugar-cane and anemophilous fungi of the region of Monte Belo - Minas Gerais]. AB - AIM: To evaluate the incidence of fungi in the ocular conjunctiva of sugar-cane cutting workers as well in a sugar-cane plantation environment. PLACE: Monte Belo - MG, Eye Clinic, Laboratory of Physiology and Biology of Microorganisms of Unifenas, Alfenas - MG. METHODS: Swabs were made from the ocular conjunctiva of one hundred workers of both sexes and material was collected from leaves, stalk, and the environmental air from the sugar-cane plantation. These were inoculated in specific mold media. After incubation at 25 degrees C for a period of fifteen days, the plates were analyzed and colony forming units (ufc) were identified using conventional mycological techniques. RESULTS: Of one hundred workers involved in this research, 64 presented one or more genera of fungi, 54 (84.38%) being identified in males and 10 (15.62%) identified in females. The separation of the workers by age range showed that the prevalence of observed fungi by age was not uniform. The highest incidences were found in advanced age ranges, the increase of positivity by age being considered statistically significant (p<0.05). The lowest prevalence (50%) was found in the 11-20-year-old interval, which presents the lowest number of examined persons. The highest positivity was verified in the 61-79 year interval. In 60 workers (93.75%) only one genus was isolated; in 3 (4.69%) two genera, and in only one worker (1.56%) three genera were isolated. The most prevalent isolated fungi were Fusarium sp (43.76%) and Geotrichum sp (23.44%), followed by Cladosporium sp (9.38%), Penicillium sp (7.81%), Mucor sp (9.38%) and Oidium sp (7.81%). The most common genus founded in leaves, stalk and air were Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Cladosporium and Rhizopus. CONCLUSION: The environmental conditions, the socioeconomic status and the general and personal poor hygienic conditions, together with lack of information about prophylactic standards, surely led to the high incidence of ocular conjunctiva fungus isolation (67%). The incidence was much higher in males (84.38%) as (15.62%) in females. The anemophilious fungi and those isolated from stalk and leaves were similar to those already described in the literature. The isolated filamentous fungi were much more numerous than yeast, there being some correlation between these and the conjunctiva isolates. PMID- 17768552 TI - Further considerations about the ophthalmic features of the Mobius sequence, with data of 28 cases. AB - PURPOSE: There is no uniformity in the literature about the core features required to make the diagnosis of Mobius sequence. Originally, the minimum requirements were the bilateral paralysis of the VI and the VII cranial nerves. The bilateral facial nerve paralysis or paresis, often asymmetric, is common to all patients but some facts show that the isolated VI nerve palsy in the Mobius sequence is not the rule. 1) When there is an esotropia in Mobius sequence, it is often too small to be caused by a bilateral isolated VI nerve palsy. There are many cases in which there is no esotropia in the primary position and even some cases, though rare, with exotropia. 2) In most cases of Mobius sequence, the esotropia can be eliminated with a mere recession of the medial rectus muscles. 3) In most patients with Mobius sequence there is, besides the lateral rectus palsy, a variable degree of adduction limitation, which defines a horizontal gaze palsy. The authors present some arguments to show that the isolated lateral rectus muscle palsy cannot be considered as a sine qua non factor for the diagnosis of Mobius sequence. METHODS: The binocular alignment in primary position and the incidence of abduction and adduction limitations among 28 of the authors' consecutive patients with Mobius sequence and in patients of 5 other randomly selected publications are presented for comments. RESULTS: The eyes' position in primary position among 135 of those 6 authors' patients (28 belonging to the authors of this study and 107 to the other 5) were recorded; 55 of them (40.74%) had orthotropia and 9 (6.66%) had exotropia. Among 80 patients of 4 authors (22 belonging to the authors of this study and 52 to the other 3), in whom the horizontal versions were analyzed, 79 (98.75%) had limitation of abduction and 53 (66.25%) had limitation of adduction. COMMENTS: The authors emphasize that the recent studies have shown that inside the VI nerve nucleus there are two types of cells: those which axons form the ipsolateral abducens nerve and those (interneurons) whose axons reach the medial longitudinal fasciculus and ascend for innervating the subnucleus of the contralateral III nerve subserving the contralateral medial rectus. Because of this arrangement, a lesion at the region of the VI nerve nucleus generally causes a paralysis of the ipsolateral lateral rectus and the contralateral medial rectus muscles, which characterizes the ipsolateral horizontal gaze palsy. CONCLUSION: The definition of the Mobius sequence is the paralysis of the facial nerve and the horizontal gaze palsy, instead of a VI nerve palsy, as seen in most published papers. PMID- 17768553 TI - [The ocular components in anisometropia]. AB - PURPOSE: To asses the correlation between ocular components (axial length, anterior segment length, corneal power, vitreous length and equivalent power of the eye) and refractive error in eyes with higher and lower ametropia of subjects with anisometropia. METHODS: An analytical survey was carried out in 68 patients with anisometropia of two or more diopters, assisted at the Ophthalmological Clinic from "Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina" of Sao Paulo University. All participants were submitted to ophthalmologic examination which included objective and subjective cycloplegic refratometry, keratometry and ultrasonic biometry. RESULTS: No significant difference between measures of ocular components of the eyes with higher and lower ametropias was observed. The eyes with lower ametropia presented the same significant correlations observed in emmetropic eyes: of refraction with anterior segment length and axial length, and of the axial length with corneal power and vitreous length. The eyes with higher ametropia presented significant correlation of refraction with the axial length and of the axial length with vitreous length. Furthermore, we observed in both eyes, significant correlation of the power of the crystalline lens with the anterior chamber depth. CONCLUSION: The eyes with lower ametropia presented correlations more frequently observed in emmetropia. The eyes with higher ametropia did not present the same correlations observed in emmetropic eyes. PMID- 17768554 TI - [Total testosterone level in postmenopausal women with dry eye]. AB - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare total testosterone blood level among three groups of postmenopausal women: control, mild to moderate dry eye and severe dry eye. METHODS: Twenty-nine postmenopausal women were selected. The exclusion criteria were: hormone replacement therapy in the last 8 weeks, mechanical palpebral abnormalities, pterygium, lacrimal obstructions, intraocular inflammation or contact lens use. A blood sample was collected for total testosterone level determination, and the patients were submitted to an ophthalmologic examination (emphasizing on dry eye detection) and answered the OSDI (Ocular Surface Disease Index) questionnaire. Five patients were excluded. Postmenopausal women were divided into three groups according to OSDI score and the ophthalmic examination. RESULTS: Five patients were classified in the no dry eye group (control), fifteen in the mild to moderate dry eye group and four in the severe dry eye group. There were no statistically significant differences regarding mean age (p=0.3915); instruction level (p=0.9333); number of comorbidities (p=0.2551); medication taken (p=0.2844) and total testosterone level among those groups (p=0.1275). CONCLUSION: Further research with a greater bigger sample is necessary to establish the relation of androgen levels in dry eye patients. PMID- 17768555 TI - [Comparative study between diurnal intraocular pressure curve and the association of ambulatory intraocular pressure curve with the water-drinking test in open angle glaucoma, normal tension glaucoma and normal eyes]. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate and correlate the peaks and the fluctuation of intraocular pressure seen in the association of the ambulatory intraocular pressure curve with the water-drinking test versus the peaks and the fluctuation seen in the daily intraocular pressure curve. METHODS: The sample was as follows: 77 eyes belonging to 77 patients who were divided into three groups composed of 31 eyes belonging to 31 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, 26 eyes belonging to 26 patients with normal tension glaucoma and 20 normal eyes belonging to 20 individuals. RESULTS: A significant correlation could be observed between the pressure peaks collected from the daily intraocular pressure curve and the pressure peaks seen in the ambulatory intraocular pressure curve, on the water drinking test, as well as in the association of the ambulatory intraocular pressure curve with the water-drinking test. The procedure which showed the highest rate of correlation between the pressure peaks and the peaks of the daily intraocular pressure curve was the ambulatory intraocular pressure curve (r2= 0.81). However, no statistically significant difference was found between the pressure peaks and the correlation coefficients observed in the other methods. The correlation between the fluctuation of intraocular pressure obtained in the association of the ambulatory intraocular pressure curve with the water-drinking test and the fluctuation of the pressure seen in the daily intraocular pressure curve showed a slight association (r2= 0.21). CONCLUSIONS: The association between ambulatory intraocular pressure curve and water-drinking test was not efficient to estimate peaks and the fluctuation of daily intraocular pressure curve. The ambulatory intraocular pressure curve and the water-drinking test must be analyzed separately. When predicting the peak and the fluctuation of the daily intraocular pressure curve, the ambulatory intraocular pressure curve was the most efficient procedure. PMID- 17768556 TI - [Comparative evaluation of healthy preschool children blink]. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate spontaneous blink activity in the primary eye position in normal preschool children. METHODS: Two hundred normal children aged 4 to 6 years were prospectively evaluated. They were digitally videotaped in a standard setting, taking the images on frontal and lateral plans, during the vigil state, in the primary eye position. The object of observation was located at the same level of the pupil. A Sony Lithium camera was used. The images were recorded on 8 mm tapes and transferred to a personal computer (MacIntosh G4) and processed with the iMovie software. Opening, closure and total blink times were measured using frame scale. The eyelid movement rhythm per minute was also evaluated, during three minutes. The data were submitted to statistical analysis. RESULTS: The complete eye blink was more frequently observed than the incomplete eye blink. The blink rate increased with age. The incomplete blink rate was the same for all the evaluated ages. The eyelid opening and closing times and the complete blink time were similar for both sexes, during all evaluation moments. There were no differences between genders regarding eye blink. The closing eyelid time was slower than the opening eyelid time. CONCLUSIONS: The complete blink rate increases with age. The closing and the opening eyelid times and the complete blink were similar for both sexes in all evaluated ages and the opening time is faster than the closing time. PMID- 17768557 TI - [Ocular biometry, refractive error and correlation with height, age, gender and years of formal education]. AB - PURPOSE: To assess ocular biometric parameters and refractive error in Brazilian adults and their relationship with height, age, gender and years of formal education. METHODS: Cross-sectional study that assessed 173 subjects by keratometry, echobiometry, refraction and measurement of body height. The statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's coefficient and a regression model was constructed. RESULTS: The correlations found were: each 10 cm - increase in height was related to a 0.32 mm longer axial length, 0.07 mm deeper anterior chamber, 0.26 mm deeper vitreous chamber and 0.50 D flatter keratometry. Each 10-year increase in age, related to a 0.15 mm smaller axial length, 0.25 mm thicker lens, 0.21 mm shallower vitreous chamber and 0.23 D more positive spherical equivalent. Each 10-year increase in education related to a 0.74 D more negative spherical equivalent. Gender did not influence the analyzed biometric parameters. Equations referring to biometric parameters and spherical equivalent were formulated. CONCLUSIONS: Positive correlations were found between: axial length and height; anterior chamber and vitreous cavity depth with height; lens thickness with age; keratometry with height; and spherical equivalent with age. Negative correlations were found between: anterior chamber and vitreous cavity depth with age; spherical equivalent and years of formal education. PMID- 17768558 TI - [Perfluoroctane liquid as a short-term vitreous-retinal tamponade in the postoperative period in patients with retinal detachment due to giant tears]. AB - PURPOSE: To report pars plana vitrectomy results of intravitreous use of liquid perfluorocarbon as a short-term postoperative tamponade in retinal detachment due to giant tears in a series of patients. METHODS: Ten of those patients, all of them complicated by proliferative vitreoretinopathy grade B or worse, with tear extension varying from 90 masculine to 210 masculine were studied. Perfluorocarbon liquid was injected via pars plana until the posterior tear limit, remaining in the postoperative period during five days, with the patients in supine position. After this period, the patients underwent a second surgical procedure to exchange the liquid perfluorocarbon for gas or silicone oil. RESULTS: The retinas of eight patients were attached (80%) after a mean follow-up of 16.2 +/- 12.4 months (from 2 to 43 months). It was necessary to repeat this technique in one (10%) case, and there was no attachment of the retina in two (20%) cases due to advanced proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Visual acuity improved in five (50%) cases. CONCLUSION: Good results (80%) and improvement of the visual acuity (50%) were observed with the use of intravitreous liquid perfluorocarbon as short-term tamponade in the postoperative period in patients with retinal detachments due to giant tears. PMID- 17768559 TI - [Clinicopathologic study of eyelid pilomatrixoma: the experience of the "Hospital Universitario Prof. Edgard Santos"]. AB - PURPOSE: To report the experience with eyelid pilomatrixoma during 30 years in a university hospital. METHODS: A review of the Ophthalmic Pathology Laboratory at the "Hospital Universitario Prof. Edgard Santos", was conducted to identify eyelid tumor cases from 1974 to 2004. After identification of pilomatrixoma cases, a chart review retrieved data regarding gender, age, duration of symptoms, gross aspect, anatomic localization and clinical diagnosis. The hematoxilin and eosin stained sections were reviewed. RESULTS: Of a total of 621 eyelid tumors, four (0.64%) were pilomatrixomas. Three patients were male. The mean age at diagnosis was 25 years (from 8 to 54). Mean duration of symptoms was 5 months (from 2 to 12). In three cases the lesion was located in the inferior lid. Only one patient had a correct clinical diagnosis. Two cases exhibited a pseudo capsule on histology. The case with 12 months of history was composed mainly of shadow cells. Foreign body reaction was seen in all cases, calcification in only one. CONCLUSION: This is a very rare benign tumor of young patients. Due to its rarity and variable clinical presentation, clinical misdiagnosis is common. PMID- 17768560 TI - [Penetrating keratoplasty indications in "Hospital das Clinicas-UNICAMP"]. AB - PURPOSE: To determine the main causes of penetrating keratoplasty indications at "Hospital das Clinicas-UNICAMP" (January, 1999 to December, 2003). METHODS: A non comparative, retrospective series of case studies. The authors reviewed the files of 857 patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty at "Hospital das Clinicas UNICAMP" between 1999-2003 and classified them into different categories according to diagnostic indication for surgery. RESULTS: The age range was between 0-88 years (average 44 years +/-1.2). The main causes of penetrating keratoplasty were: keratoconus in 427 cases (49.82%); 152 cases (17.74%) of corneal ulceration (perforated or not); corneal graft failure in 87 cases (10.15%); bullous keratopathy, 72 cases (8.40%); Fuchs dystrophy in 59 cases (6.88%); trachoma complications in 28 cases (3.27%); other causes, 32 (3.74%). In children under 10 years of age, the main cause of penetrating keratoplasty indications was infectious ulcer (77.78%) and between 11-50 years of age, keratoconus was the main cause (71.65%). CONCLUSION: This study was composed of a young population, and the main causes of penetrating keratoplasty were keratoconus and therapeutic keratoplasty. PMID- 17768561 TI - [Agreement and correlation between the frequency doubling perimetry and the blue yellow perimetry in glaucoma: no support for selective damage]. AB - PURPOSE: To test the agreement and correlation between the frequency doubling technology and the short wavelength perimetry in glaucoma. METHODS: Glaucoma patients were selected from the Glaucoma Sector of CEROF - Universidade Federal de Goias, and then underwent frequency doubling technology and short wavelength perimetry examinations in both eyes (if eligible) on the same day in a random sequence. Pearson's correlation between the global indices (mean deviation - MD e pattern standard deviation - PSD) and the agreement between the examinations (Kappa) were obtained. RESULTS: Forty-three eyes from 26 patients were included in the study. Comparing the MD (-4.5 +/- 4.5 dB for the frequency doubling technology and -8.0 +/-6.8 dB for the short wavelength perimetry, p<0.001) and PSD (6.4 +/- 2.8 dB for the FDT and 5.8 +/- 2.4 dB for SWAP, p=0.1), only MD was statistically different between the groups. The global indices MD e PSD were highly correlated between the frequency doubling technology and short wavelength perimetry (r=0.644, p<0.001 and r=0.586, p<0.001, respectively). There was a high agreement between the examinations (Kappa=0.319, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: In the present study, a high correlation between the global indices (MD and PSD) by the frequency doubling technology and short wavelength perimetry was found, as well as a high agreement between the examinations. These observations indicate either that both cell populations are similarly affected by glaucomatous damage or that both methods measure activity in the same cell populations. PMID- 17768562 TI - Bilateral acute acquired toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis after steroid therapy for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome: case report. AB - Description of a case of acute acquired ocular toxoplasmosis following hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. A 41-year-old man presenting hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, confirmed in the laboratory by detection of IgM antibodies to the virus, was submitted to high doses of intravenous corticosteroids for two months. After clinical improvement of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome the patient presented visual loss in both eyes that was secondary to a toxoplasmosis retinitis. The retinitis resolved with anti-toxoplasma therapy. Acquired toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis can occur following steroid therapy for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. PMID- 17768563 TI - [Bilateral angle-closure glaucoma induced by trimetoprim and sulfamethoxazole combination: case report]. AB - Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (cotrimoxazole) is an antibiotic combination widely used for infections treatment and prophylaxis. These and others sulfonamides have been implicated in a rare syndrome of choroidal effusion with transient myopia and angle-closure glaucoma. Previous cases reported in literature evolved to complete resolution after drug withdrawal. In contrast, we describe a rare case in which a patient developed the syndrome while taking cotrimoxazole, but did not recover visual acuity. A 49-year-old man started Pneumocystis carini prophylaxis with cotrimoxazole; four days later, the patient presented severe ocular pain, hyperemia and chemosis. Intraocular pressure reached more than 50 mmHg in both eyes a 360 degrees choroidal effusion occurred. Medication was removed soon after the diagnosis was suspected and intraocular pressure decreased in four days. Even so total cataract and phthisis bulbi occurred in both eyes two months later. This would be the first case in the literature in which the outcome was unfavorable despite early diagnosis and withdrawal of the drug. PMID- 17768564 TI - Ocular masquerade syndrome due to intraocular lymphoma--two forms of retinal pigment epithelium involvement: case reports. AB - Ocular masquerade syndrome was diagnosted in two patients with chronic uveitis. The patients presented non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as the final diagnosis two forms of intraocular retinal pigment epithelium involvement was seen. One case was flecks of the retinal pigment epithelium and another case was a solid retinal pigment epithelium detachment. These unusual presentations of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is an alert to all involved in lymphoma care. PMID- 17768565 TI - [Vasoproliferative tumor associated with presumed ocular tuberculosis: case report]. AB - PURPOSE: To describe a case of vasoproliferative tumor associated with presumed ocular tuberculosis treated with cryotherapy and intravitreal triamcinolone injection. STUDY DESIGN/PATIENT AND METHODS: Interventional case report. A 42 year-old female patient reported inflammation of the right eye 1 year ago, treated with oral prednisone for 30 days. She referred blurred vision in the right eye since childhood. Ophthalmologic examination showed 20/400 visual acuity in the right eye. Biomicroscopy and intraocular pressure were normal. Fundus examination showed vascularized elevated lesion, associated with serous retinal detachment and hard exudates at the inferior periphery. The lesion was surrounded by extensive area of hyperplastic retinal pigment epithelium. The macula showed attenuation of the foveal reflex. Ocular ultrasound showed a 2.25 mm height vascularized lesion. Serologic examination, hemogram and thorax RX were normal. PPD was considered strong reactor and tuberculosis was diagnosed after positive BK research. Considering the clinical aspects, the ocular diagnosis was vasoproliferative tumor associated with presumed ocular tuberculosis. Treatment with rifampicin, isoniazide and pyridoxine was started. We decided to treat the ocular tumor with cryotherapy and intravitreal triamcinolone injection (4 mg/ml). After 30 days, serous detachment was smaller and the tumor showed atrophic areas. Fluorescein angiography showed areas of vascular hyperfluorescence with slight extravasation and areas of blocked fluorescence due to RPE hyperplasia. Secondary vasoproliferative tumors are retinal glial proliferations and are associated with many ocular conditions that affect retina and choroid. Because of the great number of associated complications, with important visual loss, vasoproliferative tumors should be treated at the moment of diagnosis. Treatment of choice is cryotherapy. Intravitreal triamcinolone can be used as adjuvant treatment because of its angiogenic properties. Until the present moment, no ocular tuberculosis and vasoproliferative tumor association were reported in the literature. Treatment of secondary vasoproliferative tumors with cryoterapy and intravitreal triamcinolone appears as a new therapeutic choice. Further studies are necessary to prove the efficacy of this association. PMID- 17768566 TI - [Choroidal hemangioma with extensive retinal detachment treated with posterior vitrectomy: case report]. AB - To describe a case of circumscribed choroidal hemangioma with extensive retinal detachment treated with vitrectomy and endolaser photocoagulation. Interventional case report. A 41-year-old female patient was examined with a 7-day history of blurred vision and progression of visual loss in the right eye in the last 2 days. Ophthalmologic examination showed 20/400 visual acuity in the right eye and an extensive retinal detachment with an elevated red lesion on the posterior pole. Ocular ultrasound showed high a reflective membranes in the vitreous cavity (retinal detachment) and an homogeneous hiperecogenic solid lesion suggestive of choroidal hemangioma. Systemic investigation showed no abnormalities. Posterior pars plana vitrectomy with endophotocoagulation and injection of C3F8 gas was performed. After 15 days, an inferior retinal detachment was observed and the patient was submitted to a second vitrectomy with endophotocoagulation and silicon oil implant. After six months, the retina remains attached and the hemangioma shows no signs of exudation. Visual acuity remains 20/400. Posterior vitrectomy appears as an option for the treatment of circumscribed choroidal hemangiomas with extensive retinal detachment. PMID- 17768567 TI - Extraocular muscle cysticercosis mimicking idiopathic orbital inflammation: case report. AB - Presentation of one case of extraocular muscle enlargement caused by cysticercosis, its clinical, diagnostic and treatment aspects, and review of the literature on this theme. A female 38-year-old patient with extraocular muscle enlargement and a small cystic lesion at the superior rectus muscle insertion was treated with oral prednisone for almost one year, with a non-specific inflammation of right orbit diagnosis. There were important ocular motility restriction and pain. Computerized tomography disclosed a superior rectus muscle thickening with a small cystic and apparently empty lesion at the muscle's insertion. Excisional biopsy and histopathological study confirmed the clinical suspicion of cysticercosis. There was partial resolution of the restricted motility. Extraocular muscle cysticercosis is the most common site of this disease when involving the orbit. Oral albendazole and prednisone are efficient, but a long history of disease can lead to important residual ocular motility restriction. PMID- 17768568 TI - [Idiopathic orbital inflammation with extraorbital extension: case report]. AB - The authors report a case of a patient with idiopathic orbital inflammation with extension beyond the orbit. Biopsy was performed to confirm the diagnosis of idiopathic orbital inflammation and computed tomography demonstrated the extraorbital extension. Treatment with methotrexate and radiotherapy was used. PMID- 17768569 TI - Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after uneventful phacoemulsification: case report. AB - To report a case of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) after uneventful cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation. Prospective, observational case report and literature review. We report the case history of a 74-year-old woman who underwent phacoemulsification and developed sudden loss of vision on the 13th postoperative day. After complete ocular and systemic evaluation the diagnosis of NAION was made. NAION can be associated with cataract extraction, and surgeons should be aware of this potentially blinding complication. PMID- 17768570 TI - [Angiogenesis and retinal diseases]. AB - Angiogenesis is the process involving the growth of new blood vessels from preexisting vessels which occurs in both physiologic and pathological settings. It is a complex process controlled by a large number of modulating factors, the pro-and antiangiogenic factors. The underlying cause of vision loss in proliferative retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and proliferative diabetic retinopathy, are increased vascular permeability and choroidal neovascularization, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a central role in this process. VEGF is produced in the eye by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and is upregulated by hypoxia. There are four major biologically active human isoforms, of which VEGF165 is the predominant in the human eye and appears to be the responsible for pathological ocular neovascularization. Besides being a potent and specific mitogen for endothelial cells, VEGF increases vascular permeability, inhibits endothelial cells apoptosis, and is a chemoattractant for endothelial cell precursors. VEGF is not the only growth factor involved in ocular neovascularization. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), angiopoietins, pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), and adhesion molecules also play a role in the pro- and antiangiogenic balance. Advances in the understanding of the bases of pathological ocular angiogenesis and identification of angiogenesis regulators have enabled the development of novel therapeutic agents. Anti-VEGF antibodies have been developed for intravitreal use, and other approaches are currently under investigation. These new drugs may be powerful tools for the treatment of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in people over age 65. PMID- 17768571 TI - The white dot syndromes. AB - Several entities must be considered when a patient presents with a white dot syndrome. In most cases these can be distinguished from one another based on the appearance or distribution of the lesions, the clinical course, or patient variables such as age, sex, laterality, and functional and image examinations. In this paper we review the distinctive and shared features of the white dot syndromes, highlighting the clinical findings, diagnostic test results, proposed etiologies, treatment, and prognosis. PMID- 17768573 TI - Pseudoaneurysm of left ventricle. AB - Left ventricular free wall rupture is a dramatic but not always fatal complication from myocardial acute infarction. However, if proper diagnosis is delayed, surgical treatment may be compromised. The authors report a case of large pseudoaneurysm in left ventricular inferior wall diagnosed on angiography study. PMID- 17768572 TI - [Pseudo-glaucoma in type VI mucopolysaccharidosis: case report]. PMID- 17768574 TI - Surgical wound infection following heart surgery. PMID- 17768575 TI - Comparative study of a portable system for prothrombin monitoring using capillary blood against venous blood measurements in patients using oral anticoagulants: correlation and concordance. AB - BACKGROUND: Oral anticoagulants (OAC) are widely used in cardiology and are mainly indicated in cases of atrial fibrillation and prosthetic heart valves. Regular prothrombin time (PT) control is required for patients using OAC. New portable monitoring systems for measuring prothrombin time, eliminate the need to collect blood by venous puncture and facilitate daily life for these patients. OBJECTIVE: To compare PT measurements using the Coaguchek S system with capillary blood and the standard method in venous blood. METHODS: One hundred and twenty seven patients from the Cardiology Institute's anticoagulation clinic underwent conventional blood collection and capillary blood collection via a finger prick for measurements using the Coaguchek S system. RESULTS: The mean age was 58 +/- 14 years and 90% of the patients were white. OAC indications were atrial fibrillation (49.6%) and prosthetic heart valves (37.0%). The correlation coefficient, r s , was 0.90 (p<0.0001; CI:95% 0.87-0.93) between the Coaguchek S system and the control method. The Kappa measure of agreement among the patients with INR <2, INR between 2 and 3.5 and INR > 3.5 was 73.5%. The Coaguchek S system overestimated INR by 0.15 +/- 0.85 units. A great deal of discrepancy was found between the two techniques for INR values higher than 3.5 units. CONCLUSION: The Coaguchek S system when compared to the control method revealed good correlation and a high degree of agreement for results lower than 4 units. However, confirmation is required for INR values above 3.5 using the standard method. PMID- 17768576 TI - Congenital heart diseases in the newborn: from the pediatrician's request to the cardiologist's evaluation. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the importance of symptoms as a reason for referral to pediatric cardiologists in the diagnosis of congenital heart diseases (CHD) in the newborn (NB). METHODS: Prospective study on live NB referred for cardiac evaluation, with performance of electrocardiogram, chest radiography and echocardiography. Cardiology consultation was requested by means of a multiple choice form including signs and symptoms suggestive of CHD. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) without clinical and/or hemodynamic consequences was not considered a heart disease. RESULTS: From 1999 to 2002, 358 out of 3716 NB were studied, and 49 cases of CHD and 128 of PDA were found. The prevalence of CHD was 13.2:1000 NB. The main reason for referral to the cardiologist was heart murmur in 256 (72%) NB, of which 39 (15%) had CHD, and in 91% of the 128 cases of PDA. In 14 (4%) NB, the reason for referral was cyanosis, and eight of these patients (57%) had a CHD. Heart failure was the reason for referral in 37 (10%) NB, of whom 17 (46%) had CHD. Arrhythmia, associated congenital malformations, or chromosome disorders were the reasons for referral in 14% of the cases. CONCLUSION: The main reason for referral was detection of a heart murmur on cardiac auscultation. Although cyanosis and heart failure were uncommon reasons for referral, their presence indicated a high probability of the diagnosis of heart disease. Pediatric screening plays a key role in this diagnosis. PMID- 17768577 TI - Off-pump total myocardial revascularization in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess off-pump myocardial revascularization in patients with significant left ventricular dysfunction. METHODS: Four hundred and five patients with an ejection fraction less than 35% underwent myocardial revascularization without extracorporeal circulation. The procedure was performed with the aid of a suction stabilizer and the LIMA stitch. The distal anastomoses were performed first. RESULTS: A total of 405 patients were evaluated whose mean age was 63.4 +/ 9.78 years. Two hundred and seventy-nine patients were men (68.8%). With regard to risk factors, 347 patients were hypertensive, 194 were smokers, 202 were dyslipidemic, and 134 had diabetes. Two hundred and sixty patients were classified as NYHA functional class III and IV. Twenty patients suffered from chronic renal disease and were under dialysis. Fifty-one underwent emergency surgery, and 33 had been previously operated on. The mean ejection fraction was 27.2 +/- 3.54%. The mean EuroSCORE was 8.46 +/- 4.41. The mean number of anastomoses performed was 3.03 +/- 1.54 per patient. Forty-nine patients (12%) needed an intra-aortic balloon inserted after induction of anesthesia, whereas 73 (18%) needed inotropic support during the perioperative period. As to complications, 2 patients (0.49%) had renal failure, 2 had mediastinitis (0.49%), 7 (1.7%) needed to be reoperated because of bleeding, 5 patients (1.2%) suffered acute myocardial infarction, and 70 patients (17.3%) experienced atrial fibrillation. Eighteen (4.4%) patients died. CONCLUSION: Based on the data above, we concluded that myocardial revascularization without extracorporeal circulation in patients with left ventricular dysfunction is a safe and effective technique, and an alternative for high-risk patients. Results obtained were better than those predicted by EuroSCORE. PMID- 17768578 TI - Postoperative atrial fibrillation following coronary artery bypass graft: clinical factors associated with in-hospital death. AB - OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with a higher likelihood of in-hospital death in patients submitted to coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) who developed atrial fibrillation (AF) postoperatively. METHODS: The authors analyzed data from 397 consecutive patients submitted to CABG that developed AF postoperatively between 2000 and 2003. The patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1 (G1) comprised patients who survived (n=369); and group 2 (G2) comprised patients who died during hospital stay (n=28). Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t test and chi-square test, and p values < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: A comparative analysis between G1 and G2 showed that there was no difference between the groups as regards age (67.3 +/- 8.4 versus 69.3 +/- 9.6; p = 0.4), male gender (75.9% versus 64.3%; p = 0.1), systemic arterial hypertension (75.3% versus 85.7%; p = 0.2) and congestive heart failure (17% versus 17%; p = 1). Group 2 presented higher rates for previous acute myocardial infarction (14.6% versus 28.6%; p = 0.05), left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% (12.2% versus 32.1%; p = 0.003), previous cerebrovascular accident (0.8% versus 17.9%; p = 0.03), previous percutaneous coronary intervention (19.5% versus 39.3%; p = 0.01) and previous CABG (19.3% versus 35.7%; p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Clinical history of acute myocardial infarction, CABG, percutaneous coronary intervention, cerebrovascular accident and severe ventricular dysfunction were significantly more frequent in the group that died during hospital stay, which suggests a possible association of these factors with a higher likelihood of death following CABG. PMID- 17768579 TI - Prevention of atrial fibrillation with moderate doses of amiodarone in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery is safe and effective in patients with high risk for developing this arrhythmia. AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess if prophylaxis with moderate doses of amiodarone in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valve surgery), reduces the incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients with high risk for developing this arrhythmia. METHODS: A randomized and prospective clinical study involving 68 patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery. Mean age was 64 years and 59% of participants were males. Patients with three or more risk factors for atrial fibrillation, according to the literature, were randomized into two groups to receive or not prophylaxis with amiodarone in the first postoperative day. The dose administered ranged from 600 mg/day to 900 mg/day, intravenously, on the first postoperative day, followed by 400 mg/day orally until hospital discharge or until completing seven days. The other patients, who presented two or fewer risk factors, were followed up until hospital discharge. All patients were evaluated by means of cardiac and/or electrocardiographic monitoring. RESULTS: In the group treated with amiodarone, 7% of patients presented atrial fibrillation, whereas in the control group 70% of patients developed arrhythmia. Among the non-randomized individuals (with two or fewer risk factors), only 24% presented atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSION: The prophylactic use of amiodarone was effective in the prevention of atrial fibrillation in patients with three or more risk factors for this arrhythmia. This treatment can be useful to reduce stay at the Intensive Care Unit and, consequently, the complications originating from longer hospitalization. PMID- 17768580 TI - Prevalence of white coat hypertension in primary health care. AB - OBJECTIVE: Assess the prevalence of white coat hypertension in the municipality of Dumont, in Sao Paulo State, and map study participants' demographics, and physiologic and metabolic changes. METHODS: One hundred and nine (109) users of the Municipal Health Service were selected and then divided into three groups: normotension, essential hypertension, and white coat hypertension after blood pressure was measured through oscilometry and blood pressure monitoring exam at outpatient unit. Variables found between the groups were compared based on interview, data measurements, and laboratory exams. ANOVA and Tukey tests were used for statistical data. Results were expressed as means +/- standard error of means. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of white coat hypertension was 34.1%. Females were predominant: mean age 45.3 years, increased body mass index, waist/hip ratio, plasma glucose level and creatinine when compared to hypertensives and/or normotensives. No correlation was found between white coat hypertension and demographic variables. CONCLUSION: The differences found between the groups and clinical and biochemical variations lead to the conclusion that white coat hypertension is a condition that should be investigated in normotensive and hypertensive individuals distinctively. PMID- 17768581 TI - Evaluation of respiratory muscle strength and pulmonary function in heart failure patients. AB - BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to supply the necessities of the body. Pulmonary function and respiratory muscles can be affected and typical symptoms presented by the patients include discomfort at a minimal exertion. OBJECTIVE: To verify pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength in patients with class II and III HF as defined by the New York Heart Association (NYHA). METHODS: The study was descriptive and observational, and comprised 12 class II and III HF patients in follow-up at the out-patient. Pulmonary function assessments [Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1) and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)] were performed using microspirometry and respiratory muscle strength [Maximal Expiratory Pressure (MEPmax) and Maximal Inspiratory Pressure (MIPmax)] were evaluated using a pressure transducer (Globalmed). RESULTS: Differences were found between the functional classes II and III in relation to pulmonary function: FEV1 (II: 91.17 +/- 19.87; III: 68.17 +/- 21.78); FVC (II: 68.17 +/- 21.78; III: 73.67 +/- 22.94); and respiratory muscle strength: MIPmax (II: 71.67 +/- 40.70; III: 53.33 +/- 29.27) and MEPmax (II: 98.83 +/- 34.56; III: 58.33 +/- 15.06). The class II were higher for all study parameters, only MEPmax revealed a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: The pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength are impaired in heart failure patients class III patients, particularly in relation to MEPmax. PMID- 17768582 TI - The association between metabolic syndrome and its components and heart failure in patients referred to a primary care facility. AB - BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is characterized by a collection of risk factors that are associated with elevated rates of cardiovascular events and the risk of developing heart failure (HF). In our field, the association of MS in stable chronic HF patients has not been established. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of MS in relation to gender and HF type in patients treated at a Primary Care Facility. METHODS: Between January 2005 and August 2006, 144 patients were included in a cross sectional study. An echocardiogram, using the modified criteria of the EPICA study, was performed to determine whether or not the patient had HF, and of which type. Statistical analysis was conducted using the software SAS System, version 6.04, and statistical significance was established as 5%. RESULTS: MS was observed in 111 patients (77%), of which 73 (66%) were females: odds ratio (OR) 0.195--(confidence interval--CI = 0.08 - 0.46) and p< 0.0001. HF was identified in 102 patients (71%) with a great correlation between females and the presence of MS: 51 patients (65%); OR 0.116 (CI = 0.36- 0.37) and p < 0.0001. Among the HF patients, 61 (42%) presented HF with preserved systolic function and 41 (29%) with systolic dysfunction; p = ns. HF with preserved systolic function was associated with the presence of MS in 53 (87%) of the 61 patients, p = 0.022. CONCLUSION: In our community, MS is closely related to HF with preserved systolic function and to the female gender. PMID- 17768584 TI - Topical betablocker use can result in inconclusive dobutamine stress echocardiography in patients with glaucoma. AB - Dobutamine stress echocardiography is a well-established method to assess coronary artery disease, of which sensitivity has been enhanced by adding atropine at the end of the protocol. Individuals with glaucoma, a disease with a high prevalence in patients with cardiac diseases older than 40 years, cannot benefit from the use of atropine as it is contraindicated for this group of patients. Additionally, these individuals are often treated with topical betablockers (eye drops), which can have systemic effects by decreasing cardiac frequency, blood pressure and pulmonary capacity. The aim of our study was to verify whether a possible systemic effect caused by the use of these eye drops, yielding a low chronotropic response, could result in inconclusive dobutamine stress echocardiography in patients with glaucoma. PMID- 17768585 TI - Case 4/2007--a 21 year-old woman with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who presented hemorrhagic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation following oophorectomy due to ovarian cyst rupture. PMID- 17768583 TI - Comparison of the inoue and single balloon techniques during long term percutaneous balloon mitral valvoplasty follow-up. Analysis of risk factors for death and major events. AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the long term evolution of patients undergoing percutaneous balloon mitral valvoplasty comparing the Inoue and Balt single balloon methods, and to identify predictors of death and major events (death, repeat balloon mitral valvoplasty or mitral valve surgery). METHODS: The follow-up for the single and Inoue balloon groups were 54 +/- 31 (1 to 126) months and 34 +/- 26 (2 to 105) months, respectively (p < 0.0001). The Balt single balloon was used in 254 (84.1%) patients and the Inoue balloon in 48 (15.9%). RESULTS: The following data were found for the Inoue and single balloon groups, respectively: age, 36.9 +/- 10.4 (19 to 63) years and 38.0 +/- 12.6 (13 to 83) years (p = 0.5769); echocardiographic score, 7.5 +/- 1.3 points and 7.2 +/- 1.5 points (p = 0.1307); female gender, 72.9% and 87.4% (p = 0.0097); atrial fibrillation, 10.4% and 16.1% (p = 0.4275); mortality during follow-up, 2.1% and 4.3% (0.6984); and major events, 8.3% and 17.7% (p = 0.1642). Univariate and Kaplan-Meier curve analyses revealed no differences between the Inoue and Balt single balloon techniques in relation to survival and major event free survival. In the multivariate analysis, age > 50 years and an echocardiographic score > 8 were independent predictors of death; and an echocardiographic score > 8 and post operative mitral valve area < 1.50 cm(2) were predictors for major events. CONCLUSION: No differences were found in the long term evolution of patients undergoing the Inoue versus the single balloon technique. Predictors of death and/or major events were: age > 50 years, echocardiographic score > 8 and mitral valve area < 1.50 cm(2) after the procedure. PMID- 17768586 TI - Estradiol rapidly inhibits osteoclastogenesis and RANKL expression in bone marrow cultures in postmenopausal women: a pilot study. AB - We examined RANKL expression and OCL formation in cultured bone marrow cells from eight postmenopausal women in response to E(2). E(2) treatment inhibited the ability of hematopoietic cells to form OCLs in response to RANKL, and decreased RANKL production. These changes are likely involved in the ability of E(2) to influence the development of osteoporosis. INTRODUCTION: Estrogen (E(2)) deficiency at menopause increases osteoclast (OCL) formation and bone resorption, predisposing women to osteoporosis. We examined receptor activator of NF-kappa B ligand (RANKL) expression and in vitro OCL formation in cultured bone marrow cells from eight postmenopausal women before and after 3 weeks of E(2) therapy and three untreated premenopausal women. METHODS: TRAP staining and resorption pit assay determined OCL number and function. Flow cytometry measured the distribution of marrow cell types and expression of RANKL in the macrophage enriched fraction (R1) and a lymphocyte-enriched fraction (R2). RESULTS: RANKL (3 100 ng/ml) produced a dose-dependent increase in in vitro OC formation and E(2) therapy significantly (p < 0.01) inhibited OCL formation by 33 to 50%. A small proportion of marrow cells bound anti- RANKL Ab (0.2-4.3%). There was no effect of E(2) on the percentage of cells binding the anti-RANKL Ab in the R1 fraction. In the R2 fraction E(2) treatment decreased the percentage of cells binding anti RANKL Ab by 68 +/- 9% (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Three weeks of E(2) treatment had a dual action. It inhibited the ability of hematopoietic cells to form OCLs in response to RANKL, and decreased the production of RANKL in cells of the bone marrow. The observed changes in the osteoclastic potential of bone marrow cells are likely involved in the ability of E(2) to regulate bone mass and influence the development of osteoporosis. PMID- 17768587 TI - Physical training preserves bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with forearm fractures and low bone mineral density. AB - One hundred and twelve postmenopausal women with low bone mineral density (BMD) and forearm fractures were randomized to physical training or control group. After one year the total hip BMD was significantly higher in the women in the physical training group. The results indicate a positive effect of physical training on BMD in postmenopausal women with low BMD. INTRODUCTION: The fivefold increase in hip fracture incidence since 1950 in Sweden may partially be due to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Our hypothesis was that physical training can prevent bone loss in postmenopausal women. METHODS: One hundred and twelve postmenopausal women 45 to 65 years with forearm fractures and T-scores from -1.0 to -3.0 were randomized to either a physical training or control group. Training included three fast 30-minute walks and two sessions of one-hour training per week. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in the hip and the lumbar spine at baseline and after one year. RESULTS: A per protocol analysis was performed, including 48 subjects in the training group and 44 subjects in the control group. The total hip BMD increased in the training group +0.005 g/cm2 (+/-0.018), +0.58%, while it decreased -0.003 g/cm2 (+/-0.019), -0.36%, (p = 0.041) in the control group. No significant effects of physical training were seen in the lumbar spine. A sensitivity intention to treat analysis, including all randomized subjects, showed no significant effect of physical training on BMD at any site. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate a small but positive effect of physical exercise on hip BMD in postmenopausal women with low BMD. PMID- 17768590 TI - Assessment of metals in fish from Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia. AB - The concentrations of the metals cadmium, copper, mercury, lead, silver, selenium and zinc were measured in the muscle and gonad tissues of five species of fish, yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis), silverbiddy (Gerres subfasciatus) and trumpeter whiting (Sillago maculata), southern log finned goby (Favonigobious lateralis), and the halfbridled goby (Arenigobius frenatus) from the contaminated Lake Macquarie NSW and three relatively uncontaminated reference estuaries, Wallis Lake, Port Stephens, and St. Georges Basin NSW. Fish from Lake Macquarie were found to have elevated concentrations of selenium, lead, cadmium, and zinc in one or both of these tissues in these species. Increased concentrations relative to background concentrations were most often observed at Cockle Bay, the site with the highest concentrations of these metals in sediments. The degree to which fish accumulated metals appeared to be related to life history characteristics of the species, with sediment-dwelling fish showing the greatest propensity to accumulate metals. PMID- 17768589 TI - Age-related decline in trabecular and cortical density: a 5-year peripheral quantitative computed tomography follow-up study of pre- and postmenopausal women. AB - This 5-year prospective study assessed changes in trabecular and cortical volumetric bone density at the non-weight-bearing radius and weight-bearing tibia among clinically healthy pre- and postmenopausal women. Altogether 79 premenopausal (mean age +/- SD at baseline 33 +/- 2 years) and 108 postmenopausal (68 +/- 2 years) women participated in the baseline and follow-up measurements. Trabecular density (TrD) of the distal radius and tibia and cortical density (CoD) of the radial and tibial shafts were assessed by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze differences of means and mean changes between the age groups. As expected, TrD and CoD values were greater among premenopausal than postmenopausal women. Changes in radial TrD were similar in both age groups: mean (95% confidence interval) TrD of the distal radius declined by 3.0 mg/cm(3) (-0.9 to 7.0) and 5.1 mg/cm(3) (1.8-8.5) in the younger and older age groups, respectively. The respective declines in TrD of the distal tibia were 4.1 mg/cm(3) (2.1-6.0) and 2.8 mg/cm(3) (1.2-4.3). Decline in CoD was greater in the older than younger age group at both the radial and tibial shafts (P < 0.001). The mean absolute declines in radial CoD were 33.3 mg/cm(3) (27.9-38.7) and 49.4 mg/cm(3) (44.9-53.9) in younger and older women, and the declines in tibial CoD were 16.5 mg/cm(3) (12.6-20.2) and 28.1 mg/cm(3) (25.0-31.2), respectively. In conclusion, volumetric TrD in the weight-bearing tibia and non-weight-bearing radius showed similar age-related declines among pre- and postmenopausal women, while the decline in CoD was greater among postmenopausal women. PMID- 17768588 TI - Improvement of Ca balance by Fructus Ligustri Lucidi extract in aged female rats. AB - This study aimed to demonstrate and delineate the mechanism of action of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) involved in improving Ca balance in aged female rats. FLL could enhance the apparent Ca absorption rate and reduce Ca excretion, via its actions on modulating the levels of calciotropic hormones and CaBPs expression. INTRODUCTION: Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) is a herb classically used for the treatment of age-related symptoms in China. The present study aimed to determine if FLL could improve calcium balance in aged female rats and delineate its mechanism of action in vivo. METHODS: Aged Sprague-Dawley rats (11 months of age) were orally administered with ethanol extract of FLL or its vehicle and fed with diets containing different levels of Ca (low Ca diet, LCD, 0.1% Ca; medium Ca diet, MCD, 0.6% Ca; high Ca diet, HCD, 1.2% Ca) for 12 weeks. Serum, urine and feces were collected for biochemical markers and Ca balance determination. mRNA expressions of calcium binding proteins (CaBPs) were determined by real time RT PCR. The effects of diets and herb were analyzed by both one-way and two-way ANOVA. RESULTS: FLL significantly reduced fecal Ca excretion and induced apparent Ca absorption rate in rats fed with MCD and HCD. FLL increased serum 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) level and duodenal CaBP-9k mRNA expressions in all rats. Renal CaBP-28k mRNA expressions were induced in rats fed with MCD and HCD upon FLL treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that FLL improved Ca balance in aged female rats by increasing serum 1,25 (OH)(2)D(3) level and vitamin D dependent CaBPs expression. PMID- 17768591 TI - Toxicity of cadmium for silver catfish Rhamdia quelen (Heptapteridae) embryos and larvae at different alkalinities. AB - The present study evaluated the effect of waterborne Cd in eggs and larvae of silver catfish, Rhamdia quelen, at two alkalinity levels (63 and 92 mg . L(-1) CaCO(3)): 0.5 (control), 4.5, 8, and 18 microg . L(-1) Cd. The fertilization rate was similar in all treatments, but the number of eggs with irregular surface was significantly higher in those exposed to 18 microg . L(-1) Cd and 63 mg . L(-1) CaCO(3). Three days after hatching survival of larvae exposed to 4.5 and 8 microg . L(-1) Cd and 63 mg . L(-1) CaCO(3) was significantly lower than that of control larvae, and 21 days after hatching survival decreased with the increase in waterborne Cd levels and total cadmium accumulation in the larvae. These significant differences and relationships were not observed in larvae maintained at 92 mg . L(-1) CaCO(3). Furthermore, in the lower alkalinity, a higher incidence of barbels and spinal column deformities was observed in the highest waterborne Cd concentration. At the end of the experimental period, 21 days after hatching, larval survival rate, length, weight, head height, membranous layer thickness, and biomass decreased with the increase in waterborne Cd levels in the lower alkalinity. However, these relationships were not observed in larvae maintained at 92 mg . L(-1) CaCO(3). The percentage specific growth rate was lower in larvae exposed to the highest waterborne Cd concentration at 63 mg . L( 1) CaCO(3). These results suggest that alkalinity of 92 mg . L(-1) CaCO(3) reduces waterborne Cd toxicity in silver catfish larvae. PMID- 17768592 TI - Effect of pioglitazone on heart function and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels of patients with type 2 diabetes. AB - We assessed the effect of the addition of pioglitazone on metabolic control and heart function of patients with type 2 diabetes already receiving sulfonylurea plus metformin. Forty-four patients were given 30 mg of pioglitazone for 3 months. Physical examination, laboratory tests including N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and echocardiography, were performed at baseline and at study completion. Target HbA(1c) levels were achieved by 44.2% of the patients. Pioglitazone ameliorated lipid profile and lowered liver enzymes and C reactive protein. Significant increases in NT-proBNP by 39% (P < 0.005) were noticed, but echocardiographic parameters were not altered, even in high-risk subgroups (patients older than 60 years, with diabetes for more than 10 years, with hypertension, with elevated baseline NT-proBNP levels, with left ventricular hypertrophy). In patients with a greater than 60% increase in NT-proBNP levels, a significant increase in left ventricular ejection fraction (P < 0.05) and in fractional shortening (P < 0.05) was found. None of the patients developed edema or signs or symptoms of heart failure. Triple oral combination antidiabetic treatment is an effective therapeutic strategy and weight gain does not abrogate its beneficial actions. Pioglitazone does not affect heart function and even though it increases NT-proBNP, this appears to represent a reaction to volume overload. PMID- 17768593 TI - Psychiatric disorders in adults diagnosed as children with atypical autism. A case control study. AB - The prevalence and types of psychiatric disorders were studied in a clinical sample of 89 individuals with atypical autism (AA) first seen as children, and 258 matched controls from the general population using data from the nationwide Danish Psychiatric Central Register. The average observation time was 36.9 years, and mean age at follow-up 45.3 years. A total of 61 persons with AA (68.5%) had been in contact with psychiatric hospitals during the follow-up period, compared with 10.9% in the comparison group. A whole range of significantly elevated psychiatric disorders was found, so AA is not seen to be associated with any specific mental disorder. Schizophrenia spectrum disorders were the most commonly associated psychiatric disorders, diagnosed at least one time in 34.8% of the AA cases. Our findings underscore that it is important for clinicians working in adult psychiatric services to be aware that AA and a wide range of psychiatric disorders often co-exist. PMID- 17768594 TI - Role of genetic polymorphisms in ACE and TNF-alpha gene in sarcoidosis: a meta analysis. AB - A great number of association studies have been performed to identify the genes involved in the etiology and prognosis of sarcoidosis. We performed a systematic review of case-control studies through the PubMed database and evaluated them for a possible inclusion into a meta-analysis in order to assess whether the reported genetic polymorphisms are the risk factors of sarcoidosis. Case-control studies with clear diagnostic criteria and interventions were included. Only investigations of a single polymorphism/gene involvement in sarcoidosis reported more than five times were selected. Aggregating data from 12 studies on ID/ACE polymorphisms, the odds ratio (OR) for sarcoidosis, if the polymorphism was considered under the dominant genetic model, was not significantly increased: 1.19 (95% CI 0.98-1.43); OR under the recessive model was 1.20 (95% CI 0.98 1.46). In seven case-control studies on -308/TNF-alpha polymorphism, the OR for sarcoidosis if the polymorphism considered under the dominant genetic model was significantly increased at 1.47 (95% CI 1.03-2.08); the OR under the recessive model was 1.39 (95% CI 0.67-2.90). In conclusion, the results showed that the TNF alpha genotype could be a significant risk factor for sarcoidosis, whereas the risk of sarcoidosis due to the ACE genotype was not substantially elevated. PMID- 17768595 TI - Genetic analysis of female mating recognition between Drosophila ananassae and Drosophila pallidosa: application of interspecific mosaic genome lines. AB - Drosophila ananassae and Drosophila pallidosa are closely related species that can produce viable and fertile hybrids of both sexes, although strong sexual isolation exists between the two species. Females are thought to discriminate conspecific from heterospecific males based on their courtship songs. The genetic basis of female discrimination behavior was analyzed using isogenic females from interspecific mosaic genome lines that carry homozygous recombinant chromosomes. Multiple regression analysis indicated a highly significant effect of the left arm of chromosome 2 (2L) on the willingness of females to mate with D. ananassae males. Not only 2L but also the left arm of chromosome X (XL) and the right arm of chromosome 3 (3R) had significant effects on the females' willingness to mate with D. pallidosa males. All regions with strong effects on mate choice have chromosome arrangements characterized by species-specific inversions. Heterospecific combinations of 2L and 3R have previously been suggested to cause postzygotic reproductive isolation. Thus, genes involved in premating as well as postmating isolation are located in or near chromosomal inversions. This conclusion is consistent with the recently proposed hypothesis that "speciation genes" accumulate at a higher rate in non-recombining genome regions when species divergence occurs in the presence of gene flow. PMID- 17768596 TI - Occurrence of ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes in Thoracocharax stellatus fish (Characiformes, Gasteropelecidae) from the Araguaia River, South America. AB - The karyotypic and chromosomal characteristics of the hatchetfish Thoracocharax stellatus from the Araguaia River, Brazil (Araguaia-Tocantins basin) were analyzed using Giemsa, AgNO(3), and CMA(3) fluorescent staining, and C-banding. The diploid chromosome number was 54 and the karyotypes of females and males were composed of six metacentrics, six submetacentrics, six subtelocentrics and 36 acrocentrics. Two unpaired acrocentric chromosomes were detected in the female karyotype. C-banding showed heterochromatic blocks at several chromosomes and an entirely heterochromatic acrocentric chromosome in females that was lacking in the male karyotype. This discovery indicated a heteromorphic sex chromosome system of the ZZ/ZW type. Ag-staining and CMA(3) fluorescence revealed one major chromosome pair bearing the NORs with the presence of additional signals in some metaphases. Both heterochromatic segments associated with Ag-NORs and the W chromosome were positively stained by CMA(3). Considering the present data and previous findings it is hypothesized that the occurrence of ZW sex chromosome system is widespread in the genus Thoracocharax. PMID- 17768597 TI - Detection of a novel spotted fever group rickettsia in Amblyomma parvum ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) from Argentina. AB - The present study evaluated the rickettsial infection in Amblyomma parvum ticks collected in Northwestern Cordoba Province, Argentina. Each tick was subjected to DNA extraction and tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting fragments of the rickettsial genes gltA and ompB. Nine (69.2%) out of 13 adult ticks yielded expected PCR products for the two rickettsial genes. Products from the ompB PCR were sequenced, generating DNA sequences 100% identical for the nine PCR positive ticks. Three of these ticks were tested in another battery of PCR targeting fragments of the rickettsial genes gltA, htrA, and ompA. Products from the gltA, htrA, and ompA PCRs were sequenced generating DNA sequences 100% identical for the three PCR-positive ticks. The rickettsia detected in the A. parvum ticks was designated as Rickettsia sp. strain Argentina. Phylogenetic analyses performed with partial sequences of the rickettsial genes gltA, htrA, ompB, and ompA showed that Rickettsia sp. strain Argentina belonged to the spotted fever group, being distinct from all known Rickettsia species and genotypes available in GenBank, representing possibly a new Rickettsia species. This was the first evidence of rickettsial infection in the tick A. parvum, and the third report of rickettsial infection among the Argentinean tick fauna. The role of Rickettsia sp. strain Argentina as a human pathogen is unknown. Further studies are needed to obtain tissue-cultured isolates of Rickettsia sp. strain Argentina, in order to better characterize it and to determine its taxonomic status as a new species. PMID- 17768598 TI - Targeting endothelial and tumor cells with semaphorins. AB - Neuropilins (NRP) are receptors for the class 3 semaphorin (SEMA3) family of axon guidance molecules and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family of angiogenesis factors. Although the seminal studies on SEMA3s and NRPs first showed them to be mediators of axon guidance, it has become very apparent that these proteins play an important role in vascular and tumor biology as well. Neuronal guidance and angiogenesis are regulated similarly at the molecular level. For example, SEMA3s not only repel neurons and collapse axon growth cones, but have similar effects on endothelial cells and tumor cells. Preclinical studies indicate that SEMA3F is a potent inhibitor of tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. In addition, neutralizing antibodies to NRP1 enhance the effects of anti-VEGF antibodies in suppressing tumor growth in xenograft models. This article reviews NRP and SEMA3 structural interactions and their role in developmental angiogenesis, tumor angiogenesis and metastasis based on cell culture, zebrafish and murine studies. PMID- 17768600 TI - Metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue. AB - Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (SCCOT) is one of the most prevalent tumors of the head and neck region. Despite advances in treatment, the survival of patients with SCCOT has not significantly improved over the past several decades. Most frequently, treatment failure takes the form of local and regional recurrences, but as disease control in these areas improves, SCCOT treatment failures are occurring more often as distant metastasis. The presence of cervical lymph node metastasis is the most reliable adverse prognostic factor in patients with SCCOT, and extracapsular spread (ECS) of cervical lymph nodes metastasis is a particularly reliable predictor of regional and distant recurrence and death from disease. Decisions regarding the elective and therapeutic management of cervical lymph node metastases are made mainly on clinical grounds as we cannot always predict cervical lymph node metastasis from the size and extent of invasion of the primary tumors. Therefore, the treatment of these metastases in the management of SCCOT remains controversial. The promise of basing treatment decisions on biomarkers has yet to be fully realized because of our poor understanding of the mechanisms of regional and distant metastases of SCCOT. Here we summarize the current status of investigations of SCCOT metastases and the potential of these studies to have a positive impact on the clinical management of SCCOT in the future. PMID- 17768599 TI - Renal cell carcinoma bone metastasis--elucidating the molecular targets. AB - The development of bone metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) signals a transition to a terminal state for the patient with previously isolated disease. These patients may suffer the morbidity of severe, persistent pain, pathologic fractures, and spinal compression from vertebral metastasis before they succumb to their cancer. Although recent advancements have been made in the understanding of breast and prostate bone metastasis, there has been less knowledge in the area of metastatic RCC to the skeleton. This particular cancer in bone remains relatively resistant to standard forms of treatment such as radiation and chemotherapy. A better understanding of the biology of RCC bone metastasis is critically needed in order to improve treatment. Bone-derived cell lines and an experimental animal model have been developed in order to explore the relevant mechanisms of how RCC cells survive within and destroy the bone. This review will focus on the growth factor signaling pathways most important for the RCC stimulated osteoclast-mediated bone destruction, namely the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) and transforming growth factor-beta receptor (TGF-betaR) pathways. By inhibiting these receptors, growth of RCC within the bone is decreased which, directly or indirectly, decreases bone destruction. PMID- 17768601 TI - [Prophylaxis and treatment of side effects due to iodinated contrast media relevant to radiological practice]. AB - Increased utilization of iodinated contrast media may be associated with increased incidence of adverse events. The most important side effects include contrast-induced nephropathy, anaphylactoid reaction, thyrotoxicosis, and extravasation. In patients with moderate renal dysfunction, saline hydration and reduction of contrast media volume are recommended. No regime to prevent anaphylactoid reactions has yet proven to be efficient. If subclinical hyperthyroidism has been determined, prophylaxis with sodium perchlorate is advised. Contrast-induced nephropathy is commonly transient and needs to be followed over time. Mild general anaphylactoid reactions may be treated with antihistaminic drugs and corticosteroids. Furthermore the choice of the X-ray contrast media might influence the risk of any adverse effects. PMID- 17768602 TI - [Cavernous malformations]. AB - Cavernomas of the CNS may involve brain parenchyma as well as the spinal cord and belong to those cerebrovascular malformations that have no arteriovenous shunt and thus are generally angiographically occult. Contrary to computed tomography (CT), which is generally suited to reveal calcifications or acute bleeding, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables detection of even small cavernomas. A frequently associated venous anomaly is helpful for correct diagnosis. PMID- 17768603 TI - Global adaptation patterns of Australian and CIMMYT spring bread wheat. AB - The International Adaptation Trial (IAT) is a special purpose nursery designed to investigate the genotype-by-environment interactions and worldwide adaptation for grain yield of Australian and CIMMYT spring bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and durum wheat (T. turgidum L. var. durum). The IAT contains lines representing Australian and CIMMYT wheat breeding programs and was distributed to 91 countries between 2000 and 2004. Yield data of 41 reference lines from 106 trials were analysed. A multiplicative mixed model accounted for trial variance heterogeneity and inter-trial correlations characteristic of multi-environment trials. A factor analytic model explained 48% of the genetic variance for the reference lines. Pedigree information was then incorporated to partition the genetic line effects into additive and non-additive components. This model explained 67 and 56% of the additive by environment and non-additive by environment genetic variances, respectively. Australian and CIMMYT germplasm showed good adaptation to their respective target production environments. In general, Australian lines performed well in south and west Australia, South America, southern Africa, Iran and high latitude European and Canadian locations. CIMMYT lines performed well at CIMMYT's key yield testing location in Mexico (CIANO), north-eastern Australia, the Indo Gangetic plains, West Asia North Africa and locations in Europe and Canada. Maturity explained some of the global adaptation patterns. In general, southern Australian germplasm were later maturing than CIMMYT material. While CIANO continues to provide adapted lines to northern Australia, selecting for yield among later maturing CIMMYT material in CIANO may identify lines adapted to southern and western Australian environments. PMID- 17768604 TI - Influence of gestational diabetes on the long-term control of glucose tolerance. AB - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Gestational diabetes (GDM) carries a high risk of subsequent diabetes. We asked what impact prior GDM has on beta cell function and insulin action in women who maintain normal glucose tolerance (NGT) for a long time. METHODS: Ninety-one women with NGT (aged 41 +/- 8 years, mean+/-SD) were studied (by mathematical modelling of the C-peptide response to an OGTT) 7 [6] years (median [interquartile range]) after the index pregnancy, during which 52 had GDM (pGDM) and 39 had NGT (pNGT). In all women an OGTT had also been performed at 29 +/- 3 weeks of the index pregnancy. RESULTS: Women with pGDM were matched with women with pNGT for age, familial diabetes, time and weight gain since index pregnancy, parity, BMI (25.4 +/- 3.9 vs 26.8 +/- 6.4 kg/m(2)), and fasting (4.64 +/- 0.56 vs 4.97 +/- 0.46 mmol/l) and 2 h plasma glucose levels (5.91 +/- 1.14 vs 5.91 +/- 1.21 mmol/l). Nonetheless, fasting (49 [29] vs 70 [45] pmol min(-1) m( 2), p < 0.001) and total insulin secretion (32 [17] vs 48 [21] nmol m(-2), p < 0.0001) and beta cell glucose sensitivity (slope of the insulin secretion/plasma glucose concentration-response function) (95 [71] vs 115 [79] pmol min(-1) m(-2) (mmol/l)(-1), p = 0.025) were reduced in the pGDM group compared with the pNGT group, while insulin sensitivity was preserved (424 [98] vs 398 [77] ml min(-1) m(-2)). At index pregnancy, women with pGDM and those with pNGT had similar age and BMI. However, both insulin sensitivity (359 [93] vs 417 [92] ml min(-1) m( 2), p = 0.0012) and the insulin/glucose incremental area ratio (an empirical index of beta cell function; 98 [74] vs 138 [122] pmol/mmol, p = 0.028) were reduced in women with pGDM. CONCLUSIONS: Even in women who maintain normal insulin sensitivity, impaired beta cell function is carried over into the NGT status several years after a GDM pregnancy. PMID- 17768605 TI - Prediction of type 1 diabetes among siblings of affected children and in the general population. AB - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: To compare the predictive characteristics of autoantibodies to GAD (GADA) and islet antigen 2 (IA-2A) for type 1 diabetes between siblings of affected children and children from the general population. METHODS: Seven hundred and fifty-five siblings and 3,475 population-derived children were screened for GADA and IA-2A and observed for type 1 diabetes for 15 years. Sensitivity and cumulative disease risks from GADA, IA-2A and double positivity were compared between the cohorts. RESULTS: Fifty-six siblings (7.4%) tested positive for GADA, 39 (5.2%) for IA-2A and 29 (3.8%) for both autoantibodies. Thirty-four population derived participants (1.0%) had GADA, 22 (0.6%) had IA-2A and 7 (0.2%) had double positivity. Fifty-one siblings (6.8%) and 15 participants in the population cohort (0.4%) progressed to type 1 diabetes. The predictive sensitivity of GADA was 68% (95% CI 53-81%) among siblings and 50% (95% CI 23 77%) in the general population, while the corresponding values were 58 (95% CI 43 72%) and 43% (95% CI 18-71%) for IA-2A. Double-autoantibody positivity had a sensitivity of 48% (95% CI 34-63%) among siblings and 36% (95% CI 13-65%) in the population cohort. Cumulative disease risks from GADA, IA-2A and double positivity were, respectively, 61% (95% CI 48-74%), 74% (95% CI 61-88%) and 83% (95% CI 69-97%) among siblings compared with those of 24% (95% CI 9-38%), 32% (95% CI 12-51%) and 86% (95% CI 60-100%) in the general population. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: There were no significant differences in the disease predictive sensitivity of GADA and IA-2A positivity or their combination between siblings and the population cohort, whereas, for each antibody, positivity was associated with a higher cumulative disease risk among siblings. Double-antibody positivity conferred similar cumulative disease risk both among siblings and in the general population. PMID- 17768606 TI - Changes in glycaemic control and risk of coronary artery disease in type 1 diabetes mellitus: findings from the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study (EDC). AB - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: To complete a comparative analysis of studies that have examined the relationship between glycaemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD)/coronary artery disease (CAD) and perform a prospective analysis of the effect of change in glycosylated Hb level on CAD risk in the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study (EDC) of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (n = 469) over 16 years of two yearly follow-up. METHODS: Measured values for HbA(1) and HbA(1c) from the EDC were converted to the DCCT-standard HbA(1c) for change analyses and the change in HbA(1c) was calculated (final HbA(1c) minus baseline HbA(1c)). CAD was defined as EDC-diagnosed angina, myocardial infarction, ischaemia, revascularisation or fatal CAD after medical record review. RESULTS: The comparative analysis suggested that glycaemia may have a stronger effect on CAD in patients without, than in those with, albuminuria. In EDC, the change in HbA(1c) differed significantly between CAD cases (+0.62 +/- 1.8%) and non-cases ( 0.09 +/- 1.9%) and was an independent predictor of CAD. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Discrepant study results regarding the relationship of glycaemia with CVD/CAD may, in part, be related to the prevalence of renal disease. Measures of HbA(1c) change over time show a stronger association with CAD than baseline values. PMID- 17768609 TI - Effect of the order and disorder of BaMoO4 powders in photoluminescent properties. AB - The study of the photoluminescent properties affected by order and disorder of the BaMoO(4) powders is the principal objective in this work. BaMoO(4) compounds were prepared using soft chemical process called Complex Polymerization Method. In this work, different deagglomeration types and different heating rates were used to promote different disorder degrees. Scheelite type phase (BaMoO(4)) was determined by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformed Infra-Red (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy after heat treating the sample at 400 degrees C. The room temperature luminescence spectra revealed an intense single-emission band in the visible region. Based on XRD and Raman data it was observed that the transition between the completely disordered structure to completely ordered structure is a good condition for photoluminescence (PL) emission. The best PL emission is obtained when the material possesses short range disorder, i.e., is periodically ordered (XRD), but some disorder as measured by Raman spectroscopy. The excellent optical properties observed for disordered BaMoO(4) suggested that this material is a highly promising candidate for optical applications. PMID- 17768607 TI - Role of calcium-independent phospholipase A2 in cortex striatum thalamus cortex circuitry-enzyme inhibition causes vacuous chewing movements in rats. AB - RATIONALE: High levels of calcium independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) are present in certain regions of the brain, including the cerebral cortex, striatum, and cerebellum (Ong et al. 2005). OBJECTIVES: The present study was carried out to elucidate a possible role of the enzyme in the motor system. METHODS: The selective iPLA2 inhibitor bromoenol lactone (BEL), the nonselective PLA2 inhibitor methyl arachidonyl fluorophosphonate (MAFP), and an antisense oligonucleotide were used to interfere with iPLA2 activity in various components of the motor system. Control animals received injections of carrier (phosphate buffered saline, PBS) at the same locations. The number of vacuous chewing movements (VCM) was counted from 1 to 14 days after injection. RESULTS: Rats that received BEL and high-dose MAFP injections in the striatum, thalamus, and motor cortex, but not the cerebellum, showed significant increase in VCM, compared to those injected with PBS at these locations. BEL-induced VCM were blocked by intramuscular injections of the anticholinergic drug, benztropine. Increased VCM was also observed after intrastriatal injection of antisense oligonucleotide to iPLA2. The latter caused a decrease in striatal iPLA2 levels, confirming a role of decreased enzyme activity in the appearance of VCM. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest an important role for iPLA2 in the cortex-striatum-thalamus-cortex circuitry. It is postulated that VCM induced by iPLA2 inhibition may be a model of human parkinsonian tremor. PMID- 17768608 TI - In vitro and in vivo metabolisms of K-48. AB - Metabolic pathways of the oxime K-48 have been elucidated by means of in vitro and in vivo experiments. K-48 exposure to rat liver microsomal fraction resulted in the formation of a hydroxylated derivative, in addition to a small molecular fragment. The in vivo metabolism in rats was investigated after intramuscular administration of 50 mumol oxime. K-48 was present in the rat serum in unchanged form. Similarly, the analysis of rat cerebrospinal fluid indicated the sole occurrence of unchanged K-48. In contrast, unchanged K-48 was not found in the rat urine, where only the metabolite generated by epoxidation on the alkyl chain connecting the two pyridinium rings was present. The presence of unchanged K-48 in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid facilitates quantitative determination using HPLC separation and ultraviolet absorbance detection. PMID- 17768610 TI - Wavelength dependant quenching of 2,5-diphenyloxazole fluorescence by nucleotides. AB - The quenching of 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) fluorescence by nucleotides has been investigated by electronic absorption and steady state fluorescence spectra. Five purine nucleotides AMP, ADP, ATP, GMP and dGMP, one pyrimidine nucleotide UMP and one dinucleotide NAD have been employed in the present study. Electronic absorption studies indicate that there is no ground state complexation between the nucleotides and PPO. The quenching of PPO fluorescence was investigated at two different wavelengths. When excited at 304 nm, the lambda(max) of PPO, the fluorescence spectra of PPO is quenched following Stern-Volmer kinetics. The quenching ability of nucleotides are in the order NAD>AMP>ADP>GMP>dGMP>UMP. The K(SV) and k(q) values obtained indicate that AMP is a better quencher of PPO fluorescence than GMP, which is contrary to commonly observed pattern. The quenching is found to be dynamic in nature. However, when excited at 260 nm, the absorption maximum of the nucleotides, the fluorescence intensity of PPO is reduced with increase in the concentration of the nucleotide. This is attributed to the primary inner filter effect arising due to the absorption of the incident radiation by the nucleotides. Thus the inner filter effect phenomenon can be employed to assay the non-fluorescent molecules by fluorimetry. PMID- 17768611 TI - The value of single-shot turbo spin-echo diffusion-weighted MR imaging in the detection of middle ear cholesteatoma. AB - INTRODUCTION: Single-shot (SS) turbo spin-echo (TSE) diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non echo-planar imaging (EPI) technique recently reported for the evaluation of middle ear cholesteatoma. We prospectively evaluated a SS TSE DW sequence in detecting congenital or acquired middle ear cholesteatoma and evaluated the size of middle ear cholesteatoma detectable with this sequence. The aim of this study was not to differentiate between inflammatory tissue and cholesteatoma using SS TSE DW imaging. METHODS: A group of 21 patients strongly suspected clinically and/or otoscopically of having a middle ear cholesteatoma without any history of prior surgery were evaluated with late post-gadolinium MRI including this SS TSE DW sequence. RESULTS: A total of 21 middle ear cholesteatomas (5 congenital and 16 acquired) were found at surgery with a size varying between 2 and 19 mm. Hyperintense signal on SS TSE DW imaging compatible with cholesteatoma was found in 19 patients. One patient showed no hyperintensity due to autoevacuation of the cholesteatoma sac into the external auditory canal. Another patient showed no hyperintensity because of motion artifacts. CONCLUSION: This study shows the high sensitivity of this SS TSE DW sequence in detecting small middle ear cholesteatomas, with a size limit as small as 2 mm. PMID- 17768612 TI - US findings of adnexal torsion in children and adolescents: size really does matter. AB - BACKGROUND: Adnexal torsion is rare, and symptoms are nonspecific. Clinicians often rely on US examinations to evaluate girls with abdominal or pelvic pain. OBJECTIVE: To determine which sonographic findings can predict adnexal torsion by comparing pediatric and adolescent patients with surgically confirmed torsion (cases) to those without torsion (controls). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cases and controls were identified retrospectively by searching 7 years of medical record and radiology databases. An adnexal ratio was calculated as the volume of the affected adnexa divided by the volume of the unaffected adnexa. RESULTS: We identified 61 menarchal subjects: 33 cases and 28 controls. Adnexal volume was larger in cases than in controls (185 vs. 37.8 ml, P < 0.001). A volume of >75 ml was more common in cases than in controls (64 vs. 15%, P < 0.001). No cases had an adnexal volume of <20 ml (P < 0.001). The adnexal ratio was larger in cases than in controls (16.1 vs. 6.7, P < 0.001). An adnexal ratio of >15 was seen in 40% of cases and in no controls (P = 0.08). Doppler US results were not predictive of torsion. CONCLUSION: An adnexal volume of <20 ml is strong evidence against adnexal torsion in menarchal females. In this age group, the diagnosis of torsion cannot be established by US examination alone. PMID- 17768613 TI - Endobronchial carcinoid tumor in a child. PMID- 17768614 TI - MR imaging of osteonecrosis of the knee in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia. AB - This essay illustrates various patterns of progression of osteonecrosis of the knee and the relationship between early MR imaging findings and radiologic outcome in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia. It also includes a review of nonosteonecrosis signal abnormalities, which are common in the knee region and are often transient. Such abnormalities must be distinguished from osteonecrosis, which can lead to joint collapse and predispose to secondary arthritis. PMID- 17768615 TI - Vertebral and carotid artery anomalies in patients with aberrant right subclavian arteries. AB - BACKGROUND: There is little published evidence regarding the patterns and prevalence of vertebral artery (VA) and common carotid artery (CCA) anomalies in patients with an aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSCA). OBJECTIVE: To study the patterns and prevalence of VA and CCA anomalies in patients with ARSCA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a 2-year period we reviewed the children referred with suspected vascular ring who had undergone multidetector-row CT. Patients with ARSCA were reviewed for VA and CCA patterns and their prevalence and relevance were calculated. RESULTS: In total, 102 patients with ARSCA were identified. VA anomalies were present in 16 patients (15.7%), and CCA anomalies (common carotid trunk) in 21 patients (20.6%). In some patients with VA anomalies, the right VA arose from the right CCA and in some the left VA arose from the aortic arch. When the left VA arose from the aortic arch it was situated between the left CCA and the left SCA or between the left SCA and the ARSCA. CONCLUSION: If neurointerventionalists understand these potential anomalies and their prevalence, time and contrast medium could be saved when catheterizing the VA and CCA in patients with ARSCA. PMID- 17768616 TI - Visualization of coronary arteries in patients after childhood Kawasaki syndrome: value of multidetector CT and MR imaging in comparison to conventional coronary catheterization. AB - BACKGROUND: After childhood Kawasaki syndrome (KS) the coronary arteries undergo a lifelong dynamic pathological change, and follow-up coronary artery imaging is essential. At present, conventional coronary catheterization (CCC) and angiography is still regarded as the gold standard. Less-invasive methods such as multidetector CT angiography (MDCT-A) and MRI have been used sporadically. OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic quality of MDCT-A and MRI with that of CCC for coronary imaging in a group of patients with coronary artery pathology after childhood KS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 16 patients (aged 5-27 years) underwent CCC and 16-row MDCT-A and 14 patients MRI (1.5 T). RESULTS: There was 100% agreement between MDCT-A and CCC in the detection of coronary aneurysms and stenoses. MDCT-A was superior for the visualization of calcified lesions. MRI and CCC showed 93% agreement for the detection of aneurysms. Visualization of coronary artery stenoses was difficult using MRI-one stenosis was missed. CONCLUSION: MDCT-A has excellent correlation with CCC regarding all changes affecting the coronary arteries in the follow-up of childhood KS. In comparison to MDCT-A and CCC, MRI is less precise in the detection of stenotic lesions. Due to its high image quality and ease of performance MDCT-A should be the primary diagnostic modality in patients following childhood KS. PMID- 17768617 TI - A novel, cheap and effective fusion expression system for the production of recombinant proteins. AB - To develop faster, less expensive methods for expression and purification of proteins, the annexin B1-intein fusion expression system was constructed. The interest proteins fused to the annexin B1-intein tag were purified in a single step method based on the Ca(2+)-binding activity of annexin B1, and the annexin B1-intein fusion tag was removed based on the self-cleaving activity of the intein. Moreover, we found that in some cases, fusion to annexin B1 can promote the solubility of heterologous proteins. The production of soluble and highly active of interleukin-2 and low-molecular single-chain urokinase in our results proved that the system was a novel, cheap and effective fusion expression system for the production of valuable soluble recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. PMID- 17768618 TI - Benzoate-driven dehalogenation of chlorinated ethenes in microbial cultures from a contaminated aquifer. AB - Microbial dehalogenation of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and cis-dichloroethene (cis DCE) was studied in cultures from a continuous stirred tank reactor initially inoculated with aquifer material from a PCE-contaminated site. Cultures amended with hydrogen and acetate readily dechlorinated PCE and cis-DCE; however, this transformation was incomplete and resulted in the accumulation of chlorinated intermediates and only small amounts of ethene within 60 days of incubation. Conversely, microbial PCE and cis-DCE dechlorination in cultures with benzoate and acetate resulted in the complete transformation to ethene within 30 days. Community fingerprinting by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) revealed the predominance of phylotypes closely affiliated with Desulfitobacterium, Dehalococcoides, and Syntrophus species. The Dehalococcoides culture VZ, obtained from small whitish colonies in cis-DCE dechlorinating agarose cultures, revealed an irregular cell diameter between 200 and 500 nm, and a spherical or biconcave disk-shaped morphology. These organisms were identified as responsible for the dechlorination of cis-DCE to ethene in the PCE dechlorinating consortia, operating together with the Desulfitobacterium as PCE to-cis-DCE dehalogenating bacterium and with a Syntrophus species as potential hydrogen-producing partner in cultures with benzoate. PMID- 17768619 TI - Bipartite hallucal sesamoid bones: relationship with hallux valgus and metatarsal index. AB - OBJECTIVE: The objective was to relate the incidence of the partition of the hallucal sesamoid bones to the size of the first metatarsal and the hallux valgus deformity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a sample of 474 radiographs, the frequency of appearance of bipartite sesamoids was studied. The length and relative protrusion of the first metatarsal, and the hallux abductus angle, were measured and compared between the feet with and without sesamoid partition. RESULTS: The results showed that 14.6% of the feet studied had at least one partite sesamoid, that the sesamoid most frequently divided was the medial, and that unilateral partition was the most common. No difference was found in the incidence of partite sesamoids between men and women, or between left and right feet. CONCLUSION: Protrusion and length of the first metatarsal are greater in feet with partite sesamoids than in feet without this condition. A significantly higher incidence of bipartite medial sesamoid was obtained in feet with hallux valgus compared with normal feet. PMID- 17768620 TI - Cardiac 82Rubidium PET/CT: initial European experience. AB - PURPOSE: Myocardial perfusion with PET/CT has advantages over conventional SPECT. We describe our initial European experience using (82)Rubidium-PET/CT, as part of a clinical myocardial perfusion service. METHODS: We studied the first 100 patients (64 male; 36 female, mean age = 60: SD +/-12.5y, mean body mass index = 30: SD +/-6.9kg/m( 2 )) who underwent (82)Rubidium cardiac PET/CT in our institution. Thirty patients had recently undergone coronary angiography. Patients underwent imaging during adenosine infusion and at rest. Images were acquired over 5 minutes using a GE-PET/CT instrument. Image quality was described as good, adequate or inadequate. Images were reported patient-by-patient by a minimum of five nuclear medicine physicians. A segment-by-segment analysis (17 segment model) was also performed. RESULTS: Image quality was good in 77%, adequate 23% and inadequate 0%. There was no statistical difference in image quality between obese and non-obese patients (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.2864). 59% had normal perfusion studies, 29% had inducible ischaemia, 12% had myocardial infarction (11% with super added ischaemia). There was reduced (82)Rubidium uptake in 132/1700 segments during stress. There was reduced (82)Rubidium uptake at rest in 42/1700 segments. The (82)Rubidium PET/CT findings were consistent with the angiographic findings in 28/30 cases. CONCLUSION: We show that, even from initial use of (82)Rubidium, it is possible to perform myocardial perfusion studies quickly with good image quality, even in the obese. The PET findings correlated well in the third of the cases where angiography was available. As such, (82)Rubidium cardiac PET/CT is likely to be an exciting addition to the European nuclear physician/ cardiologist's radionuclide imaging arsenal. PMID- 17768621 TI - Cerebral blood flow in temporal lobe epilepsy: a partial volume correction study. AB - PURPOSE: Previous studies in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) have shown that, owing to brain atrophy, positron emission tomography (PET) can overestimate deficits in measures of cerebral function such as glucose metabolism (CMR(glu)) and neuroreceptor binding. The magnitude of this effect on cerebral blood flow (CBF) is unexplored. The aim of this study was to assess CBF deficits in TLE before and after magnetic resonance imaging-based partial volume correction (PVC). METHODS: Absolute values of CBF for 21 TLE patients and nine controls were computed before and after PVC. In TLE patients, quantitative CMR(glu) measurements also were obtained. RESULTS: Before PVC, regional values of CBF were significantly (p<0.05) lower in TLE patients than in controls in all regions, except the fusiform gyrus contralateral to the epileptic focus. After PVC, statistical significance was maintained in only four regions: ipsilateral inferior temporal cortex, bilateral insula and contralateral amygdala. There was no significant difference between patients and controls in CBF asymmetry indices (AIs) in any region before or after PVC. In TLE patients, AIs for CBF were significantly smaller than for CMR(glu) in middle and inferior temporal cortex, fusiform gyrus and hippocampus both before and after PVC. A significant positive relationship between disease duration and AIs for CMR(glu), but not CBF, was detected in hippocampus and amygdala, before but not after PVC. CONCLUSION: PVC should be used for PET CBF measurements in patients with TLE. Reduced blood flow, in contrast to glucose metabolism, is mainly due to structural changes. PMID- 17768622 TI - Introduction of functional chimeric E/L-selectin by RNA electroporation to target dendritic cells from blood to lymph nodes. AB - BACKGROUND: Inefficient migration of dendritic cells (DC) to regional lymph nodes (LN) upon intracutaneous injection is a major obstacle for effective DC vaccination. Intravenous vaccination is unfavorable, because DC cannot migrate directly from the blood into LN. METHODS: To enable human monocyte-derived (mo)DC to enter LN directly from the blood, we manipulated them by RNA electroporation to express a human chimeric E/L-selectin (CD62E/CD62L) protein, which binds to peripheral node addressin expressed on high endothelial venules. RESULTS: Transfection efficiency exceeded 95%, and high E/L-selectin surface expression was detected for >48 h. E/L-selectin RNA-transfected DC displayed an identical mature DC phenotype as mock-transfected DC. Furthermore, E/L-selectin-transfected DC maintained their normal CCR7-mediated migration capacity, and their ability to prime and expand functional cytotoxic T cells recognizing MelanA. Most importantly, E/L-selectin-RNA-transfected DC gained the capability to attach to and roll on sialyl-Lewis(X) in vitro. OUTLOOK: The presented strategy can be readily translated into the clinic, as it involves no stable genetic manipulation or viral transformation, and allows targeting of a large number of LN. PMID- 17768623 TI - Clinico-radiological assessment and their correlation in clubfeet treated with postero-medial soft-tissue release. AB - The controversy regarding the radiographic parameter which best represents the various deformities of clubfoot continues. The aim of our study was to clear up this controversy. Fifty surgically treated (soft-tissue release) congenital clubfeet were studied clinically using Laaveg and Ponseti score and radiologically using twelve different radiographic parameters in weight-bearing AP and lateral views. The talo-calcaneal angle (TCA) in AP and lateral view showed statistically significant correlation with the functional rating, but significant variation in the dimension of the angles among the different functional groups was found with AP angle only. The talo-first metatarsal angle in AP and lateral view averaged 10 degrees and 19 degrees respectively, and showed significant correlation with the functional rating. The talo-navicular subluxation in AP, the calcaneo-fifth metatarsal angle and the first-fifth metatarsal angle in lateral view did not show any significant correlation with function. Talo-calcaneal index averaged 44 degrees in the clubfeet and showed significant correlation. The wide range of parameters representing each of the deformities gives a better radiological assessment of the clubfoot than any single parameter. PMID- 17768624 TI - Comparative study of balloon kyphoplasty with unilateral versus bilateral approach in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. AB - This study analyses the radiological and clinical results according to the two techniques of unilateral and bilateral balloon kyphoplasty in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Fifty-two patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures occurring at the thoracolumbar junction were enrolled in this study. All patients were classified into two groups; group I was treated with a unilateral approach and group II with a bilateral approach. The Cobb angle was measured each time to evaluate the kyphotic angle during the pre- and post operative periods and at last follow-up, and a 10-point visual analog scale for pain was recorded at the same time. We found that the bilateral approach had a greater advantage in the reduction of kyphosis and the loss of reduction was less than the unilateral approach for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. PMID- 17768625 TI - Phase 2B trial of aminopterin in multiagent therapy for children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. AB - PURPOSE: Aminopterin offers advantages over the related antifolate, methotrexate, including greater potency, complete bioavailability, and more consistent accumulation and metabolism by patients' blasts. This current trial was done to document the toxicity of the aminopterin within a multiagent therapeutic regimen for children with newly diagnosed ALL. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients at high risk of relapse were non-randomly assigned to therapy including oral aminopterin 4 mg/m(2), in two doses 12 h apart, in place of methotrexate 100 mg/m(2) in four divided doses. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients, 22 with pre-B ALL and ten with T lineage ALL, have been treated with aminopterin, with median follow up of 40 months. Hematologic, mucosal and hepatic toxicity has been tolerable and reversible. There have been no toxic deaths among patients in remission. During weekly AMT therapy, higher mean neutrophil counts were observed among patients who were wild type for polymorphisms in methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase and methionine synthase reductase. CONCLUSIONS: Aminopterin can be safely incorporated in multiagent therapy for patients with ALL, in place of systemic methotrexate, without causing excessive toxicity. These results support a larger trial comparing the efficacy and toxicity of aminopterin and methotrexate in therapy for patients with ALL. PMID- 17768626 TI - Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid pharmacokinetics of the novel tetrahydroisoquinoline EDL-155 in rats. AB - PURPOSE: Tetrahydroisoquinolines (THIs) have demonstrated anti-cancer activity in rodent models of glioma, a form of brain cancer refractory to therapeutic intervention. In this study, peripheral and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pharmacokinetics in rats were determined to assess the drug developability of the novel THI EDL-155 for the treatment of glioma. METHODS: Serial blood and CSF samples were collected from rats following intravenous bolus administration of EDL-155 (10-20 mg/kg). Samples were analyzed by LC/MS/MS. Pharmacokinetic analyses using compartmental and noncompartmental methods were performed using the computer program WinNonlin. Plasma protein binding was measured using the charcoal adsorption method. The in vivo efficacy of EDL-155 (i.p. 20 mg/kg twice daily for 7 days) was assessed in rats with stereotactically implanted C6 glioma cells into the caudate. RESULTS: EDL-155 plasma concentration data were described by a one-compartment model. EDL-155 demonstrated rapid clearance (342.5+/-49.9 ml/min/kg), high volume of distribution (13.0+/-1.2 l/kg) and a terminal half life of 23.7+/-1.5 min. Dose-normalized CSF area under the curve (AUC(CSF)) as a percentage of peripheral exposure (AUC(Plasma)) was 1.4%. EDL-155 was highly bound to plasma proteins (>93%). Intracranial tumor volume at 7 days post implantation was approximately 30% smaller in animals treated with EDL-155 when compared to vehicle control animals (13.2+/-5.3 mm(3) vs. 18.7+/-6.3 mm(3); P=0.04). CONCLUSION: High clearance and extensive protein binding limit the brain availability of EDL-155 following systemic administration. EDL-155 treatment resulted in reduced tumor size despite limited blood brain barrier penetrability, which suggests that analogs with increased metabolic stability and brain penetrability may provide a therapeutic option for primary central nervous system tumors such as glioma. On-going studies are focused on the design, synthesis, and testing of novel analogs based upon these findings. PMID- 17768628 TI - Sample topography and position within plant body influence the detection of the intensity of green fluorescent protein fluorescence in the leaves of transgenic tobacco plants. AB - The effect of the type of leaf tissue selected for the study of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence intensity was investigated here using the T(1) generation of transgenic tobacco expressing the m-gfp5-ER gene. The fluorescence of GFP was detected by fluorescence binocular microscope coupled with the CCD camera and quantified by means of image analyses using the Lucia((R)) software. Mean brightness values from various leaf tissues were compared. First, an original data revealing the significant differences in the fluorescence intensity between the abaxial and adaxial surfaces are given. Stronger signal was detected on the abaxial side. Subsequently, the effect of the tissue location within the leaf surface was investigated and higher fluorescence was detected on the samples detached from leaf tips. Finally, the effect of the physiological age of leaves was studied using the in vitro clonally propagated plants. Leaves from the analogous positions within the plant body of three clones were investigated. The decrease in the fluorescence towards the plant top (youngest leaves) was observed in all studied plants. Surprisingly, the variability of the fluorescence within the clones of studied genotype was high enough to conclude, that the fluorescence of each individual is unique and affected by particular genotype and environment. Our study showed that the origin of leaf tissue selected for the GFP quantification is crucial and that the fluctuations in the fluorescence intensity should be taken into account when comparing the GFP fluorescence patterns of different plants. Moreover, the degree of fluorescence variability seems to be individually affected. PMID- 17768627 TI - Using the putative asexual fungus Cenococcum geophilum as a model to test how species concepts influence recombination analyses using sequence data from multiple loci. AB - Recent studies have found that three divergent lineages of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Cenococcum geophilum may co-occur within a single soil sample. To test how inference of population structure is affected by species concept, potential recombination in this putative asexual fungus was analyzed by sequencing 10 loci from 44 isolates from within one main lineage that is potentially sub-divisible into two phylogenetic species (A and B). Phylogenetic incongruence between these loci and recombination analyses using six different methods was consistent with recombination. However, most of the incongruence was caused by an apparently reciprocal recombination event between the actin locus and the other loci studied. Extreme divergence between the two types of actin loci suggests either an ancient recombination event or a more recent horizontal inheritance. We also found that random mating could not be rejected when A and B isolates were treated as members of a single species based on multilocus disequilibrium analyses, whereas random mating was rejected when all isolates were pooled. These results are significant and demonstrate that inferences of population structure can be confounded when isolates are pooled together based entirely on a morphological species concept. PMID- 17768629 TI - Localization of aquaporin-2, renal morphology and urine composition in the bottlenose dolphin and the Baird's beaked whale. AB - This study examined the distribution pattern of aquaporin-2 (AQP2), relative medullary thickness (RMT) and urine properties in the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus and Baird's beaked whale Berardius bairdii. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that AQP2 was localized in the collecting tubules/ducts of both species' renicules, as in terrestrial mammals. The collecting ducts with AQP2 were thinner and arranged more densely in the dolphin than in the whale. RMT values in the renicule were moderate in both species, but were significantly higher in the dolphin (6.0 +/- 0.9) than the whale (4.9 +/- 0.7). Urine of the bottlenose dolphin is comparatively concentrated (osmolality: 1715.7 +/- 279.4 mOsm kg(-1), Na(+): 490.1 +/- 87.9 mmol l(-1), Cl(-): 402.7 +/- 79.6 mmol l(-1), K(+): 80.7 +/ 25.8 mmol l(-1), urea nitrogen: 703.5 +/- 253.9 mmol l(-1)), while urine of the dead Baird's beaked whale is less concentrated (osmolality: 837.5 +/- 293.8 mOsm kg(-1), Na(+): 192.9 +/- 81.5 mmol l(-1), Cl(-): 159.9 +/- 71.4 mmol l(-1), K(+): 44.3 +/- 29.5 mmol l(-1), urea nitrogen: 270.7 +/- 120.3 mmol l(-1)). These data suggest it is possible that the differences in these renal morphological features may be related in some way to the difference in urine composition between the species, although further studies are necessary. PMID- 17768631 TI - Acute abdomen caused by endometrial stromal sarcoma arising in extragonadal foci of endometriosis of the terminal ileum. PMID- 17768630 TI - Evaluation of selective defunctioning stoma after low anterior resection for rectal cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leakage is a major concern after resection for low rectal cancer. Therefore, the use of a defunctioning stoma (DS) has been suggested, but limited data exist to clearly determine the necessity of a routine diversion. In our department, the indication of DS was evaluated subjectively by the operating surgeon. The aim of this study was to evaluate the selective use of fecal diversion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients who underwent low anterior resection for carcinoma was performed. The incidence and consequences of clinical leaks were determined in these patients who were considered in two groups: defunctioning stoma and no defunctioning stoma. RESULTS: From 1995 to 2005, 132 consecutive patients underwent low anterior resection; a DS was performed in 42 patients (31.8%). Median level of anastomosis was 4 cm in both groups. Overall clinical leakage rate was 9.8%: 7.1% (n = 3) with a DS and 11% (n = 10) without a stoma. Mortality rate was 1.5% (n = 2), both in the unprotected group. No patient in the diversion group required a permanent stoma, contrasting with four unprotected patients in which continuity could not be restored after break down of the anastomosis. CONCLUSION: Finding lower clinical leakage rate in a probable higher risk group and better outcome when a leak occurs in our study constituted strong evidence of the effectiveness of a DS. Selective use of a DS based on subjective assessment at the time of surgery could not allow experienced surgeons to perform single-stage procedure safely. Construction of a DS seems useful for patients with distal rectal cancer. PMID- 17768633 TI - Ankle arthroscopy with patient in prone position. AB - Anterior ankle arthroscopy is the most commonly performed foot and ankle arthroscopy. By means of the anterolateral and anteromedial portals, the anterior compartment of the ankle joint can be approached easily. Different posterior portals had been described to reach the posterior ankle compartment. With the patient in prone position and the combination of anterior and posterior portals, the medial and lateral gutters of the ankle joint can be reached together with the anterior and posterior compartment. This is useful for complete synovectomy of the ankle joint. PMID- 17768634 TI - Clinical evaluation of vertebroplasty for multiple-level osteoporotic spinal compression fracture in the elderly. AB - INTRODUCTION: Outstanding results have been achieved using vertebroplasty for the treatment of osteoporotic spinal compression fractures. However, few reports are available in the management of multiple-level compression fractures due to severe osteoporosis. This study prospectively evaluated the clinical and surgical outcomes of patients receiving vertebroplasty due to multiple-level osteoporotic spinal compression fractures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighteen patients underwent more than four levels of vertebroplasty due to multiple-level osteoporotic spinal compression fracture. All patients received a preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) check-up to determine which level needed vertebroplasty. Detailed evaluations were made in accordance with the patients' clinical tracking, pre- and postoperative daily activities, Denis pain scale, and Roland-Morris score. RESULTS: After an average follow-up period of 36 months, the group receiving multiple-level vertebroplasty showed significant improvement, as registered on the Denis pain scale, Roland-Morris score, and in the activity of daily living. No major complications occurred during operation or postoperation, except one patient who expired due to suffocation at the rehabilitation center 3 weeks after vertebroplasty. CONCLUSIONS: The use of vertebroplasty with cement to treat multiple-level osteoporotic spinal compression fractures in the elderly does have value, and brings good results to patients which were previously unimaginable. Preoperative MRI to evaluate the non-union levels and determine which levels needed vertebroplasty is very important. PMID- 17768632 TI - Identification of predictive factors for perioperative blood transfusion in colorectal resection patients. AB - BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion is associated with higher postoperative complication. With the availability of autologous blood and erythropoietin, it would be advantageous to identify patients who are at higher risk for requiring blood transfusion. Our aim is to identify possible predictive factors for perioperative blood transfusion in patients undergoing colorectal resection. We examined 206 patients who underwent colorectal resections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed factors including preoperative hematocrit, age, history of radiation, type of resection, operative blood loss, additional surgical procedure, surgery duration, and comorbidity. RESULTS: Forty-one patients (19.9%) received perioperative blood transfusion. Twenty patients (55.6%) with preoperative hematocrit less than 30 received transfusion (p<0.0001). Twenty-one patients (12.4%) with preoperative hematocrit greater than 30 received perioperative blood transfusion. Thirty-three patients (17.9%) under 65 years received transfusion. Eight patients (36.4%) more than the age of 65 received transfusion (p=0.05). Ten patients (16.1%) without any comorbidity received transfusion, whereas ten patients (15.1%) with one comorbidity, ten patients (22.2%) with two comorbidities, and 11 patients (33.3%) with greater than three comorbidities received blood transfusion (p=0.07). In the multivariate analysis, relative risk of perioperative blood transfusion was 3.63 for patients with preoperative hematocrit less than 30 (p<0.0001), 1.26 for patients more than the age of 65 (p=0.49), and 1.07 for each comorbidity (p=0.62). Patients with higher number of comorbidities and age greater than 65 tend to have lower preoperative hematocrit than other patients. CONCLUSION: Hematocrit less than 30 is an independent risk factor for requiring perioperative blood transfusion, and patients with hematocrit less than 30 should be considered for autologous blood transfusion and erythropoietin. PMID- 17768635 TI - Cycling performance and mechanical variables using a new prototype chainring. AB - The primary aim of our study was to examine supra-maximal cycling performance and related mechanical variables in trained cyclists using a new prototype chainring (PC) designed to produce a higher mean net torque (T (N mean)) than a standard chainring (SC). The main feature of the PC is that crank-arm alignment and lever arm length change as a function of the crank angle during the pedaling cycle. The PC presents two features theorized to effect cycling performance: (1) out of line of pedal cranks resulting in an decrease in the dead points, and (2) a change in crank arm length inducing a torque different from that of SC during the down- and up-stroke of the pedaling cycle. To investigate this theory, we examined eight male cyclists who performed a 1-km "all-out" cycling test in the following order: SC, PC, and SC. Performance was measured as the time (s) to complete the 1-km test. Mechanical variables included torque (N m(-1)), crank velocity (rad s(-1)), and power output (W). We performed our statistical analysis using a two-way ANOVA for repeated measurements and Newman-Keuls post hoc assessment. Our results showed that performance was similar for SC (69.41 +/- 6.69 s) and PC (73.33 +/- 4.58 s). Torque, crank velocity, and power output were also similar throughout (P > 0.05). We conclude that despite the theoretically benefits proposed by the inventors the new PC investigated in our study failed to improve cycling performance or mechanical variables during a supramaximal test when compared with SC. PMID- 17768637 TI - A novel tegumental protein 31.8 kDa of Clonorchis sinensis: sequence analysis, expression, and immunolocalization. AB - The complementary DNA (cDNA) plasmid libraries of adult worm, metacercariae and egg of Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) were constructed for researches on genomics and proteomics of C. sinensis. The full-length cDNA sequence encoding tegumental protein 31.8 kDa (CsTP31.8) was identified from the adult cDNA library. The cDNA sequence has been submitted to the GeneBank Database with accession number ABK60086. This novel cDNA sequence contains 828 bp with a putative open reading frame of 275 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence shows identity to membrane-associate antigens or tegumental antigens of other species. There were conserved calcium-binding EF hand and dynein light chain type 1 in the sequence. CsTP31.8 transcripts were detected in cDNA libraries of adult worm and metacercariae but not in that of egg. Recombinant CsTP31.8 was expressed and purified from Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). CsTP31.8 was immunolocalized at the tegument of adult C. sinensis by using antirecombinant CsTP31.8 sera. PMID- 17768638 TI - Histopathologic changes and larval recovery of Toxocara cati in experimentally infected chickens. AB - This study was made to determine the distribution pattern of Toxocara cati larvae in chickens as a paratenic host and its potential zoonotic risk by consuming infected chickens. Two groups of chickens were fed with 1,000 and 3,000 embryonated eggs of T. cati. The chickens were necropsied 3, 7, 14, and 21 days postinfection. The liver, lungs, kidneys, spleen, small intestine, and half of all the striated muscles were digested for larval recovery. Squash method was used for brain. Larvae were recovered from the liver and brain of infected chickens with 1,000 embryonated eggs. Samples of these tissues were prepared for histopathologic studies. Experimental chickens exhibited hemorrhages in the liver, lungs, and kidneys on all days postinfections (dpi). White spots on the liver surfaces that showed necrotic foci, infiltration of eosinophils, and a few lymphocytes around necrotic areas were seen on 14 and 21 dpi. Remains of larvae were present in the liver on 14 dpi. Pathologic findings showed that larvae migrated in different organs of chickens. We suggest that chickens could be paratenic hosts, and human infection with T. cati might occur after consumption of raw or undercooked meat of infected chicken with T. cati. PMID- 17768636 TI - Assessment of febrile seizures in children. AB - Febrile seizures are the most common form of childhood seizures, affecting 2-5% of all children and usually appearing between 3 months and 5 years of age. Despite its predominantly benign nature, a febrile seizure (FS) is a terrifying experience for most parents. The condition is perhaps one of the most prevalent causes of admittance to pediatric emergency wards worldwide. FS, defined as either simple or complex, may be provoked by any febrile bacterial or (more usually) viral illness. No specific level of fever is required to diagnose FS. It is essential to exclude underlying meningitis in all children with FS, either clinically or, if any doubt remains, by lumbar puncture. There is no evidence, however, to support routine lumbar puncture in all children admitted with simple FS, especially when typical clinical signs of meningitis are lacking. The risk of epilepsy following FS is 1-6%. The association, however small, between FS and epilepsy may demonstrate a genetic link between FS and epilepsy rather than a cause and effect relationship. The effectiveness of prophylactic treatment with medication remains controversial. There is no evidence of the effectiveness of antipyretics in preventing future FS. Prophylactic use of paracetamol, ibuprofen or a combination of both in FS, is thus a questionable practice. There is reason to believe that children who have experienced a simple FS are over-investigated and over-treated. This review aims to provide physicians with adequate knowledge to make rational assessments of children with febrile seizures. PMID- 17768639 TI - Paramphistomum spp: improved artificial excystment and in vitro culture of immature and adult stages. AB - The aims of the present study were to establish an adequate excystment method for metacercariae of Paramphistomum spp. and to compare the in vitro survival of paramphistomids in three different culture media. In a preliminary study, 31 different assays were performed solely with the purpose of obtaining the best percentage of metacercariae excystment. Once the best excystment method was selected, 21 further assays using 100 metacercariae/assay were carried out to determine the average percentage of excystment. For the in vitro culture of paramphistomids, the Hedon-Fleig, Rohrbacher, and RPMI-1640 culture media were compared by using 24-well immunoplates containing newly excysted flukes or 50-ml capacity tissue-culture flasks for adult paramphistomids. Results indicated an average of 69.0% excystment, the best culture medium to support the survival of immature and adult stages of the trematode being Hedon-Fleig and Rohrbacher, respectively. The best percentage of survival obtained was on day 4 (80%), with some immature and adult trematodes remaining alive until days 10 and 11, respectively. PMID- 17768640 TI - First description of natural Echinococcus multilocularis infections in chinchilla (Chinchilla laniger) and Prevost's squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii borneoensis). AB - This report describes for the first time the occurrence of alveolar echinococcosis in two exotic rodent species in Europe. A pet chinchilla (Chinchilla laniger) was euthanized due to a painful enlargement of the abdominal cavity, and a Prevost's squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii borneoensis) was found dead in the enclosure of a zoo. At necropsy, extended liver lesions consisting of small vesicles and cysts were observed in the livers of both animals. Histological examination revealed that these cysts were composed of an outer, homogenous, eosinophilic layer and an inner, cellular germinal layer. The cysts from both animals contained numerous protoscolices. The morphological diagnosis of Echinococcus multilocularis metacestode infections was confirmed by molecular means. PMID- 17768641 TI - Allelic polymorphism of MSP2 gene in severe P. falciparum malaria in an area of low and seasonal transmission. AB - The severe malaria (SM) and uncomplicated malaria (UM) infections are expected to have different genetic makeup. In this study, blood samples were obtained from 325 donors with SM and UM and malaria-free donors (including asymptomatic submicroscopic malaria--ASUM), from Eastern Sudan. The SM group included patients with cerebral malaria (CM), severe malarial anemia (SMA), and other complications. The MSP2 locus was exploited for parasite genotyping. We found that the genetic diversity of the parasite population was marked (51 genotypes). The overall multiplicity of infection (MOI) was 1.5, and it was comparable between SM and UM. However, the MOI in ASUM (1.0) and fatal CM (1.14) was comparable and significantly lower than in UM (1.53), SMA (1.52), and nonfatal CM (1.7). The ratio of the IC1 to FC27 allele families was comparable between SM and UM, and the distribution of the allele sizes was correlated (correlation coefficient = 0.59 and 0.718; P < 0.001). It is interesting to note that the FC27 genotype was overrepresented in ASUM (68.2%) and was not recognized in fatal CM, while in mixed-clone infections, the clearance of IC1 after quinine treatment was faster than FC27 clearance. Finally, the composition of the multiclone infections (IC1 and FC27) was suggesting a stronger cross-immunity within rather than between MSP2 gene families. PMID- 17768643 TI - Effects of hyperosmotic stress on cultured airway epithelial cells. AB - Inhalation of hyperosmotic solutions (salt, mannitol) has been used in the treatment of patients with cystic fibrosis or asthma, but the mechanism behind the effect of hyperosmotic solutions is unclear. The relation between osmolarity and permeability changes was examined in an airway cell line by the addition of NaCl, NaBr, LiCl, mannitol, or xylitol (295-700 mOsm). Transepithelial resistance was measured as an indicator of the tightness of the cultures. Cell-cell contacts and morphology were investigated by immunofluorescence and by transmission electron microscopy, with lanthanum nitrate added to the luminal side of the epithelium to investigate tight junction permeability. The electrolyte solutions caused a significant decrease in transepithelial resistance from 450 mOsm upwards, when the hyperosmolar exposure was gradually increased from 295 to 700 mOsm; whereas the nonelectrolyte solutions caused a decrease in transepithelial resistance from 700 mOsm upwards. Old cultures reacted in a more rigid way compared to young cultures. Immuno-fluorescence pictures showed weaker staining for the proteins ZO-1, claudin-4, and plakoglobin in treated samples compared to the control. The ultrastructure revealed an increased number of open tight junctions as well as a disturbed morphology with increasing osmolarity, and electrolyte solutions opened a larger proportion of tight junctions than nonelectrolyte solutions. This study shows that hyperosmotic solutions cause the opening of tight junctions, which may increase the permeability of the paracellular pathway and result in increased transepithelial water transport. PMID- 17768644 TI - [Genetics of anxiety disorders. Current clinical and molecular research]. AB - The authors give an overview of the present state of knowledge on the genetics of anxiety disorders. According to ICD-10 or DSM III/IV classification, anxiety disorders comprise panic disorder, generalized anxiety, phobias, and post traumatic stress disorder. In the context of the conceptual change from psychodynamic anxiety neuroses to complex, multifactorial anxiety disorders, a summary of biological hypotheses of the pathogenesis of anxiety derived from pharmacotherapy, challenge tests, and animal model disorders is provided. The relevant findings from clinical genetic studies (twin and family) and molecular genetic studies (linkage and association) are presented in detail. The most data now available are on panic disorder, though with regard to molecular genetics these are still preliminary. In addition, genetic findings on anxiety as a personality dimension are reviewed, taking into account the present phenotype discussion (category vs dimension). Finally, ethical and therapeutic implications of genetic research on complex, polygenic disorders are discussed. PMID- 17768647 TI - Extended aortic dissection following aortic cannulation in an infant. PMID- 17768642 TI - mRNA trafficking in fungi. AB - Fungal growth depends on active transport of macromolecules along the actin and/or microtubule cytoskeleton. Thereby, molecular cargo such as proteins, lipids, and mRNAs is targeted to defined subcellular regions. Active transport and localisation of mRNAs mediate localised translation so that protein synthesis occurs where protein function is required. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, actomyosin-dependent mRNA trafficking participates in polar growth, asymmetric cell division, targeting of membrane proteins and import of mitochondrial proteins. The best-understood example is transport of ASH1 mRNA to the distal pole of the incipient daughter cell. cis-acting RNA sequences are recognised by the RNA-binding protein She2p that is connected via the adaptor She3p to the molecular motor Myo4p. Local translation at the poles of daughter cells causes Ash1p to accumulate predominantly in nuclei of daughter cells, where this transcription factor inhibits mating-type switching. Recently, it was also shown that actomyosin-dependent ASH1 mRNA transport directs tip cell-specific gene expression in filaments of the human pathogen Candida albicans. Furthermore, in the plant pathogen Ustilago maydis microtubule-dependent shuttling of the RNA binding protein Rrm4 is essential to determine the axis of polarity in infectious filaments. Thus, mRNA trafficking appears to be universally required for polar growth of fungi. PMID- 17768648 TI - Outcome of cardiac thrombi in infants. AB - Use of central lines in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has led to the formation of intracardiac thrombi. A paucity of data exists on the management of neonatal cardiac thrombi, with the few reported cases focusing on outcomes following thrombolytic therapy. This study was undertaken to evaluate the outcome of cardiac thrombi in neonates who do not receive thrombolytic therapy. Nineteen patients younger than 3 months of age diagnosed with cardiac thrombi were included. All 19 patients had a central line. Management consisted of a combination of antibiotics and low-molecular-weight heparin (n = 16) or surgical removal (n = 2). In one case, no treatment was instituted. One patient was lost to follow-up after partial resolution of the thrombus. Complete thrombus resolution occurred in 18 patients, 9 with negative blood cultures and 9 with positive blood cultures. It took longer for resolution of thrombi associated with positive blood cultures than for sterile thrombi. No patient had evidence of thrombus embolization. From these data we concluded that the natural history of cardiac thrombi is resolution. Infected thrombi require more prolonged therapy. Surgery is seldom required and thrombolytics are not usually necessary for clot resolution. PMID- 17768649 TI - Late onset of heart block after open heart surgery for congenital heart disease. AB - Late onset of complete heart block is a potentially dangerous complication after open heart surgery for congenital heart disease. The characteristics of patients with late-onset heart block have not been well described. A retrospective review of a pacemaker database was done to identify patients who presented with new onset heart block between 1988 and 2006, after they had been discharged from the hospital after open heart surgery with normal AV conduction. Fifteen patients were identified. The age at the time of the last surgery before the onset of heart block was 2.0 +/- 3.2 years (range: 3 days to 10 years). Nine had a ventricular septal defect repair, four had an atrioventricular canal, and two other patients had other types of heart defect. The last EKG available for analysis before the onset of heart block had been obtained 5.1 +/- 6.5 years (range: 7 days to 16 years) after surgery. The symptoms at the time of presentation were variable. Four patients presented with fatigue or exercise intolerance, two with syncope, two with congestive heart failure, and one with irritability, and the remaining six patients were diagnosed during routine follow up. The time between open heart surgery and placement of a permanent pacemaker was 6.8 +/- 7.3 years (range: 2 months to 19 years). There were seven patients in whom the onset of heart block was more than 6 years after surgery. Late onset of complete heart block after open heart surgery could be dangerous when presenting without warning. These data would support the notion that patients should be followed for life after repair of congenital heart defects, with special attention to the conduction system, particularly after repair of septal defects. PMID- 17768650 TI - Long-term results of the Fontan operation. AB - Modifications of the Fontan operation can afford excellent palliation for many patients with a variety of forms of single ventricle. In properly selected patients who are good candidates, early and late survival can be as high as 95 97%. However, mortality is considerably higher for patients with risk factors for poor outcome. For high-risk patients, inclusion of a fenestration may reduce morbidity and mortality. Important long-term undesirable events include the ongoing risk of death, arrhythmias, protein-losing enteropathy, and cardiac failure. The key to excellent long-term outcome is proper selection of patients for the operation. PMID- 17768651 TI - A prelude to Fontan. AB - In the decades preceding the Fontan operation, there was an intensive experimental and clinical quest to bypass the right heart. Whereas right heart bypass was successfully achieved in animal experiments, clinically only partial bypass (superior cava-right pulmonary artery anastomosis) was applied successfully. This intensive experimental and clinical activity provided the background for the Fontan operation. PMID- 17768652 TI - Long-term effect of municipal solid waste amendment on microbial abundance and humus-associated enzyme activities under semiarid conditions. AB - Microbial ecology is the key to understanding the function of soil biota for organic matter cycling after a single amendment of organic waste in semiarid soils. Therefore, in this paper, the long-term effect (17 years) of adding different doses of a solid municipal waste to an arid soil on humus-enzyme complexes, a very stable and long-lasting fraction of soil enzymes, as well as on microbial and plant abundance, was studied. Humic substances were extracted by 0.1 M pH 7 sodium pyrophosphate from soil samples collected in experimental plots amended with different doses of a solid municipal waste (0, 65, 130, 195, and 260 t/ha) 17 years before. The activity of different hydrolases related with the C (beta-glucosidase), N (urease), and P (alkaline phosphatase) cycles and with the formation of humic substances (o-diphenol oxidase) were determined in this extract. The density and diversity of plant cover in the plots, as well as the fungal and bacterial biomass (by analyzing phopholipid fatty acids) were also determined. In general, the amended plots showed greater humic substance-related enzymatic activity than the unamended plots. This activity increased with the dose but only up to a certain level, above which it leveled off or even diminished. Plant diversity and cover density followed the same trend. Fungal and bacterial biomass also benefited in a dose-dependent manner. Different signature molecules representing gram+ and gram- bacteria, and those corresponding to monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids showed a similar behavior. The results demonstrate that organic amendment had a noticeable long-term effect on the vegetal development, humic substances-related enzyme activity and on the development of bacteria and fungi in semiarid conditions. PMID- 17768654 TI - Water hyacinth in China: a sustainability science-based management framework. AB - The invasion of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has resulted in enormous ecological and economic consequences worldwide. Although the spread of this weed in Africa, Australia, and North America has been well documented, its invasion in China is yet to be fully documented. Here we report that since its introduction about seven decades ago, water hyacinth has infested many water bodies across almost half of China's territory, causing a decline of native biodiversity, alteration of ecosystem services, deterioration of aquatic environments, and spread of diseases affecting human health. Water hyacinth infestations have also led to enormous economic losses in China by impeding water flows, paralyzing navigation, and damaging irrigation and hydroelectricity facilities. To effectively control the rampage of water hyacinth in China, we propose a sustainability science-based management framework that explicitly incorporates principles from landscape ecology and Integrated Pest Management. This framework emphasizes multiple-scale long-term monitoring and research, integration among different control techniques, combination of control with utilization, and landscape-level adaptive management. Sustainability science represents a new, transdisciplinary paradigm that integrates scientific research, technological innovation, and socioeconomic development of particular regions. Our proposed management framework is aimed to broaden the currently dominant biological control-centered view in China and to illustrate how sustainability science can be used to guide the research and management of water hyacinth. PMID- 17768653 TI - ICCLP: an inexact chance-constrained linear programming model for land-use management of lake areas in urban fringes. AB - Lake areas in urban fringes are under increasing urbanization pressure. Consequently, the conflict between rapid urban development and the maintenance of water bodies in such areas urgently needs to be addressed. An inexact chance constrained linear programming (ICCLP) model for optimal land-use management of lake areas in urban fringes was developed. The ICCLP model was based on land-use suitability assessment and land evaluation. The maximum net economic benefit (NEB) was selected as the objective of land-use allocation. The total environmental capacity (TEC) of water systems and the public financial investment (PFI) at different probability levels were considered key constraints. Other constraints included in the model were land-use suitability, governmental requirements on the ratios of various land-use types, and technical constraints. A case study implementing the system was performed for the lake area of Hanyang at the urban fringe of Wuhan, central China, based on our previous study on land use suitability assessment. The Hanyang lake area is under significant urbanization pressure. A 15-year optimal model for land-use allocation is proposed during 2006 to 2020 to better protect the water system and to gain the maximum benefits of development. Sixteen constraints were set for the optimal model. The model results indicated that NEB was between $1.48 x 10(9) and $8.76 x 10(9) or between $3.98 x 10(9) and $16.7 x 10(9), depending on the different urban-expansion patterns and land demands. The changes in total developed area and the land-use structure were analyzed under different probabilities (q ( i )) of TEC. Changes in q ( i ) resulted in different urban expansion patterns and demands on land, which were the direct result of the constraints imposed by TEC and PFI. The ICCLP model might help local authorities better understand and address complex land-use systems and develop optimal land-use management strategies that better balance urban expansion and grassland conservation. PMID- 17768656 TI - 1112 consecutive bilateral neck explorations for primary hyperparathyroidism. AB - BACKGROUND: Bilateral neck exploration has been the standard approach for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. Improved localization studies and the availability of intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring have challenged the necessity of four-gland exploration. In this series we report a single surgeon's experience with bilateral neck exploration for primary hyperparathyroidism in an effort to establish benchmark outcomes from which to evaluate minimally invasive protocols. METHODS: The charts of 1112 consecutive patients who underwent neck exploration for primary hyperparathyroidism by a single surgeon over a 17-year period were reviewed. All patients underwent bilateral neck exploration under either general (n = 264) or local (n = 848) anesthesia. RESULTS: The overall cure rate was 97.4% with a complication rate of 3.4%. Morbidity included recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (0.2%), postoperative bleeding (0.8%), and transient hypocalcemia (1.8%). There was no mortality. Overall mean operating time was 52.5 +/- 30.2 minutes. A single gland was removed in 78.4% of patients, and 22.3% of patients underwent concomitant thyroidectomy. The cure rate was lower for patients undergoing reexploration (89.2% vs. 97.9%, p < 0.05). Choice of anesthetic approach did not affect the cure or complication rate. The overall conversion rate from local to general anesthesia was 1.5%. Patients undergoing general anesthesia were operated on earlier in the series and were less likely to be managed on an ambulatory basis (local 87.5% vs. general 38.4%, p < 0.05). During the last 5 years of the series, more than 90% of patients underwent exploration under local anesthesia. CONCLUSION: This large modern series of neck explorations for primary hyperparathyroidism confirms the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of the bilateral approach. It further demonstrates that individual surgeons can achieve outcomes equivalent to those with four-gland explorations under local anesthesia. PMID- 17768657 TI - Characterization of group a streptococcal M23 protein and comparison of the M3 and M23 protein's ligand-binding domains. AB - The present study concerns the properties for binding of human plasma and extracellular matrix proteins and the relationship between M3 and M23 molecules. Here, it is demonstrated that M23 protein shows a multiple binding to fibrinogen (FG), fibronectin (FN), human serum albumin (HSA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), kininogen, and collagen type I (CI) in Western blot analysis. Some sets of truncated-recombinant M3 or M23 protein fragments were assayed for their capacity to bind FN, FG, IgG, HSA, and CI. The HSA binding activity resided in the C repeat region of M3 protein, whereas fibrinogen-binding activity resided in the A repeat region. The FG, FN, and IgG binding sites were mapped to the N-terminal portion of M23 protein, whereas HSA binding was localized in the B-repeat domain, which has homology with C-repeat domain in M3 molecule. Therefore, it is concluded that the FN, FG, and IgG binding regions in the M3 and M23 proteins are quite dissimilar at the amino acid sequence level, whereas HSA binding is localized to the conserved C-repeat domain in the M3 and M23 proteins. PMID- 17768658 TI - Laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer: early experience among the elderly. AB - BACKGROUND: The data are scarce on the outcome for elderly patients presenting with resectable gastric cancer in the West who have been treated with minimally invasive surgery. This report presents the authors' early experience with totally laparoscopic gastric resections for cancer in elderly patients. METHODS: A total of 20 patients underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy procedures: 14 distal, 5 subtotal, and 1 total gastrectomy. The male-to-female ratio was 15 to 5. The ages ranged from 75 to 88 years (mean, 80 years). RESULTS: All cases were managed laparoscopically with R0 resection. Four patients needed high-dependency unit care postoperatively. There were no perioperative deaths. The median time required for the procedure was 212 min, and time to diet was 4 days. The hospital stay was 8 days. Four patients experienced significant complications, with two patients requiring reoperation. The pathology was adenocarcinoma for 17 patients and high-grade dysplasia for 3 patients. CONCLUSION: Among elderly patients for whom conventional gastric surgery carries a high morbidity and mortality risk, minimal access surgery may offer equivalent oncologic integrity but with superior safety and economy. The primary aim is to remove the tumor with at least a D1 lymphadenectomy. PMID- 17768659 TI - Adding malabsorption for weight loss failure after gastric bypass. AB - OBJECTIVE: To present a technique of revisional RY gastric bypass in patients with unsatisfactory weight loss after primary gastric bariatric operations. METHODS: The Roux limb was lengthened by creating a 75-100 cm common channel below the enteroenterostomy with concomitant revision of the gastrojejunostomy. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients had this distal modification of RYGB including 47 patients who had primary gastric bypass and 7 patients who failed pure restrictive operations. Mean excess weight loss was 47.9% in patients followed for > or = 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: This distal modification of RYGB resulted in satisfactory weight loss for nearly half of the 54 patients in this series. PMID- 17768660 TI - Laparoscopic conversion of vertical banded gastroplasty to a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. AB - The vertical banded gastroplasty was the mainstay of bariatric surgery for over a decade. Though this procedure is now rarely performed many of these patients will present with failure or maladaptive eating and its sequelae. Some of these patients who demonstrate the motivation for lifestyle modification as well as many of these with complications will be candidates for revisional surgery. This article reviews the technical challenges in performing these revisions using minimally invasive techniques. In addition it reviews outcomes of laparoscopic conversion and tips for patient selection and success. PMID- 17768661 TI - Amino acid concentrations in the nectars of Southern African bird-pollinated flowers, especially aloe and erythrina. AB - Amino acids in nectar have received less attention than the more abundant sugars. The dilute nectars of 32 species of southern African plants that are pollinated by passerine birds were analyzed by HPLC, and the effect of pollen contamination and the variation among inflorescences and plants were also examined. Aloe marlothii and some Erythrina species were found to have high total amino acid concentrations, sometimes exceeding 100 mM. Other Aloe species, as well as Greyia, Strelitzia, Schotia, Cotyledon, and Melianthus, had low nectar amino acid concentrations. Total amino acid concentrations varied much more than the sugar concentrations of these nectars as measured with a refractometer. Pollen contamination, previously claimed to be a major source of error in the measurement of nectar amino acids, had no effect on amino acids in the nectar of A. marlothii. Variation among inflorescences of Erythrina lysistemon was greater than that among trees, and most of the variation was because of relatively abundant nonessential amino acids such as asparagine and glutamine. High amino acid concentrations, especially in 'dilute' nectars, represent a substantial contribution of nonsugar solutes to 'sugar' concentrations measured with a refractometer. Amino acids in nectar may contribute to the nitrogen requirements of bird pollinators. PMID- 17768662 TI - Overexpression of axin downregulates TCF-4 and inhibits the development of lung cancer. AB - BACKGROUND: T cell factor 4 (TCF-4) mediates a nuclear response to wingless/int (Wnt) signals by interacting with beta-catenin. Axis inhibition protein (axin) is an important negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway. Our aims were to examine the relationship between axin and TCF-4 and to explore the effects of axin on the development of lung cancer. METHODS: Expression levels of axin and TCF-4 were examined in 107 lung cancer specimens by immunohistochemistry. The axin gene was transfected into lung cancer BE1 cells. The expression levels of axin, beta-catenin, and TCF-4 were detected with immunofluorescence and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiments. Apoptosis, proliferation, and the invasive ability of lung cancer cells were examined using flow cytometry, 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT), and Matrigel invasive assays. RESULTS: Preserved axin expression correlated negatively with TCF-4 expression (P = .031). Axin expression differed with respect to degree of differentiation (P = .025) and histological tumor type (P = .031). TCF-4 expression differed relative to tumor, node metastasis (TNM) stage (P = .024). BE1 cells transfected with axin (BE1-axin cells) exhibited a significant decrease in TCF-4 expression. The level of apoptosis in BE1-axin cells was significantly increased, while the proliferative and invasive abilities of BE1-axin cells were decreased. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that reduced expression of axin or augmented expression of TCF-4 is associated with the malignant behavior of lung cancers. Overexpression of axin can downregulate expression of TCF-4 and can inhibit the ability of lung cancer cells to proliferate and invade. PMID- 17768663 TI - Coagulopathy due to celiac disease presenting as intramuscular hemorrhage. AB - INTRODUCTION: Celiac sprue most commonly presents with steatorrhea, abdominal pain, and weight loss. Celiac disease is now becoming more recognized for its atypical presentations. Anemia, osteoporosis, and childhood failure to thrive have been widely discussed. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we present a case of nontraumatic intramuscular hemorrhage associated with prolongation of both prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time. MAIN RESULTS: Coagulopathy, unmasked by the use of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was found to be attributable to vitamin K deficiency associated with malabsorption of multiple fat soluble vitamins. Celiac sprue was confirmed by small bowel biopsy. A review of the literature finds that, whereas asymptomatic prolongation of coagulation is relatively common in celiac sprue, clinical bleeding is a rare but described presentation. CONCLUSION: This case emphasizes the importance of recognizing hemorrhage as an atypical manifestation of celiac disease and offers the opportunity to review the clinical and laboratory evaluation of a patient who presents with unexplained hemorrhage. PMID- 17768664 TI - A patient with synovial cell sarcoma primary to the gallbladder and common bile duct. PMID- 17768665 TI - The evaluation of esophageal adenocarcinoma using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. AB - Although neoadjuvant chemoradiation eradicates esophageal adenocarcinoma in a substantial proportion of patients, conventional imaging techniques cannot accurately detect this response. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is an emerging approach that may be well suited to fill this role. This pilot study evaluates the ability of this method to discriminate adenocarcinoma from normal esophageal tissue. Patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma and control subjects underwent scanning. Patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy underwent pre- and postchemoradiation scans. Parameters were extracted for each pixel were Ktrans (equilibrium rate for transfer of contrast reagent across the vascular wall), ve (volume fraction of interstitial space), and taui (mean intracellular water lifetime). Five esophageal adenocarcinoma patients and two tumor-free control subjects underwent scanning. The mean Ktrans value was 5.7 times greater in esophageal adenocarcinoma, and taui is 2.0 times smaller, than in the control subjects. Ktrans decreased by 11.4-fold after chemoradiation. Parametric maps qualitatively demonstrate a difference in Ktrans. DCE MRI of the esophagus is feasible. Ktrans, a parameter that has demonstrated discriminative ability in other malignancies, also shows promise in differentiating esophageal adenocarcinoma from benign tissue. The determination of Ktrans represents an in vivo assay for endothelial permeability and thus may serve as a quantitative measure of response to induction chemoradiation. PMID- 17768667 TI - Antioxidative role of melatonin in organophosphate toxicity in rats. AB - Previous studies revealed that oxidative stress could be an important component of the mechanism of organophosphate (OP) compound toxicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate both prophylactic and therapeutic effects of melatonin against fenthion-induced oxidative stress in rats. Therefore, we determined the changes in the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the whole blood, brain, pectoral muscle, liver, lung, heart, kidney, pancreas, and jejunum. Also, the changes in the levels of serum nitrite and nitrate, ascorbic acid, retinal, b-carotene, and ceruloplasmin were measured. In addition, activities of enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) in erythrocyte of normal and experimental animals were measured. It was found that fenthion administration increased the levels of MDA in all tissues and decreased or increased the levels of GSH in some tissues. In comparison to nitrate, nitrite and ascorbic acid levels in the serum of experimental groups, there was no significant difference between groups. However, fenthion toxicity led to decrease in retinol and beta carotene levels; melatonin administration significantly prevented this decrease. Serum ceruloplasmin level was increased due to fenthion administration, but prophylactic and therapeutic melatonin administration inhibited the increase in ceruloplasmin level of serum. There was no significant change in SOD levels in melatonin-administered groups. Melatonin modulates the fenthion-induced changes in the activities of GPx and CAT. In conclusion, the results of the current study revealed that OP toxicity, induced by fenthion, activated oxidant systems in all antioxidant systems in some tissues. Melatonin administration led to a marked increase in antioxidant activity and inhibited lipid peroxidation in most of tissues. PMID- 17768666 TI - The CXCR4-SDF1alpha axis is a critical mediator of rhabdomyosarcoma metastatic signaling induced by bone marrow stroma. AB - Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common malignant soft-tissue tumor of childhood. Nearly 15% of children present with metastatic disease, frequently involving the lungs and bone marrow. The prognosis for patients with metastatic RMS is dismal, with an estimated 3-year overall survival of 30%. Stromal-cell derived factor 1-alpha (SDF1alpha, CXCL12) is a chemokine that plays a crucial role in the metastatic attraction of tumor cells expressing its receptor, CXCR4. We investigated the role of the bone marrow microenvironment on RMS signaling through the CXCR4/SDF1alpha pathway in cell lines and primary tumors. Conditioned media (CM) isolated from cultured patient-derived bone marrow stromal cells (BMS) induced migration and proliferation in multiple RMS cell lines. CXCR4 was expressed in RMS cell lines and primary tumors, with higher expression in alveolar subtype RMS. Further, SDF1alpha was secreted by all BMS cultures and potently induced the migration and proliferation of RMS cells. Small molecule or blocking antibody-mediated inhibition of CXCR4 or SDF1alpha suppressed RMS cell migration towards BMS-CM, confirming the activity of this axis. Our study provides strong evidence for the involvement of the bone marrow microenvironment and CXCR4/SDF1alpha signaling in metastasis of RMS. These results form the basis for future studies to delineate the mechanisms of bone marrow metastasis in RMS. PMID- 17768668 TI - Successful treatment of severe heart failure in an infant with Hurler syndrome. AB - Hurler syndrome (MPS IH) is the most severe form of mucopolysaccharidosis type I. It is caused by deficiency or absence of the enzyme alpha-L-iduronidase. Cardiac involvement includes cardiomyopathy and valve and coronary pathology. Cardiomyopathy causing symptoms in an infant with MPS IH carries a very poor prognosis. We describe a previously healthy 10-week-old boy who was admitted to hospital critically ill with severe heart failure. Echocardiography on admission showed severe dilatation of the left ventricle and moderate insufficiency of the left-sided cardiac valves. Accumulation of heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate substrates in the urine and leukocyte analysis confirmed the diagnosis of MPS IH. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with intravenous laronidase at a standard dosage of 100 U/kg weekly was started soon after. This improved the child's general clinical wellbeing dramatically. His cardiac function improved steadily over a period of months. Stem cell transplantation from cord blood is not available in Norway and he underwent successful transplantation from an unrelated bone marrow donor at the age of 11 months. ERT was stopped four months later. At the age of 26 months his heart function is close to normal and he is currently on no medication. This report highlights three important clinical issues: (1) MPS IH must be considered in infants with cardiomyopathy; (2) early ERT may have a significant impact on short-term outcome in children less than 18 months old with severe cardiomyopathy; (3) our report confirms that patients in poor condition benefit from ERT before stem cell transplantation. PMID- 17768669 TI - Marfanoid features in a child with combined methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria (CblC type). AB - Cobalamin is an essential cofactor for two mammalian enzymes: methionine synthase and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase. Patients with the cobalamin C (CblC) defect have combined methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria. Recently, the gene responsible for the CblC type, MMACHC, was identified, which enables molecular diagnostics. In this study, we describe two siblings, a 16-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother, of a consanguineous family who presented with a very distinct clinical manifestation. The girl presented at the age of 13 years with macrocytic anaemia, cognitive regression and Marfanoid features such as increased arm-span, arachnodactyly, joint hyperlaxity and scoliosis. Her brother presented at the age of 10 months with developmental delay and behavioural abnormalities. Biochemical analysis showed severely increased homocysteine and methylmalonic acid levels in plasma of both siblings. In addition, plasma cysteine levels were decreased in the girl but not in her brother. The diagnosis of CblC defect was confirmed by genomic sequencing of the coding exons of the MMACHC gene. Two heterozygous mutations were identified in both siblings; the common c.271dupA p.Arg91LysfsX14 and a novel mutation, c.1A > G p.Met1?. Therapy consisting of folic acid, vitamin B6, l-carnitine and intramuscular vitamin B12 resulted in a clear improvement of biochemical parameters and, importantly, resulted in amelioration of the Marfanoid features in the girl. These data might suggest that low cysteine levels account for the Marfanoid features observed in the girl and indicate that the CblC type of combined methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with Marfanoid features. PMID- 17768670 TI - Incorporation of dengue virus replicon into virus-like particles by a cell line stably expressing precursor membrane and envelope proteins of dengue virus type 2. AB - While virus-like particles (VLPs) containing subgenomic replicons, which can transduce replicons into target cells efficiently for studying viral replication and vectors of gene therapy and vaccine, have been established for several flaviviruses, none has been reported for the four serotypes of dengue virus, the causal agent of the most important arboviral diseases in this century. In this study, we successfully established a cell line stably expressing the precursor membrane/envelope (PrM/E) proteins of dengue virus type 2 (DENV2), which can package a DENV2 replicon with deletion of PrM/E genes and produce single-round infectious VLPs. Moreover, it can package a similar replicon of different serotype, dengue virus type 4, and produce infectious chimeric VLPs. To our knowledge, this study reports for the first time replicon-containing VLPs of dengue virus. Moreover, this convenient system has potential as a valuable tool to study encapsidation of dengue virus and to develop novel chimeric VLPs containing dengue virus replicon as vaccine in the future. PMID- 17768671 TI - Kinetic studies of water uptake and loss in glass-ionomer cements. AB - The water sorption and desorption behaviour of three commercial glass-ionomer cements used in clinical dentistry have been studied in detail. Cured specimens of each material were found to show slight but variable water uptake in high humidity conditions, but steady loss in desiccating ones. This water loss was found to follow Fick's law for the first 4-5 h. Diffusion coefficients at 22 degrees C were: Chemflex 1.34 x 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1), Fuji IX 5.87 x 10(-7) cm(2) s(-1), Aquacem 3.08 x 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1). At 7 degrees C they were: Chemflex 8.90 x 10(-7) cm(2) s(-1), Fuji IX 5.04 x 10(-7) cm(2) s(-1), Aquacem 2.88 x 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1). Activation energies for water loss were determined from the Arrhenius equation and were found to be Chemflex 161.8 J mol(-1), Fuji IX 101.3 J mol(-1), Aquacem 47.1 J mol(-1). Such low values show that water transport requires less energy in these cements than in resin-modified glass-ionomers. Fick's law plots were found not to pass through the origin. This implies that, in each case, there is a small water loss that does not involve diffusion. This was concluded to be water at the surface of the specimens, and was termed "superficial water". As such, it represents a fraction of the previously identified unbound (loose) water. Superficial water levels were: Chemflex 0.56%, Fuji IX 0.23%, Aquacem 0.87%. Equilibrium mass loss values were shown to be unaffected by temperature, and allowed ratios of bound:unbound water to be determined for all three cements. These showed wide variation, ranging from 1:5.26 for Chemflex to 1:1.25 for Fuji IX. PMID- 17768672 TI - Systems level circuit model of C. elegans undulatory locomotion: mathematical modeling and molecular genetics. AB - To establish the relationship between locomotory behavior and dynamics of neural circuits in the nematode C. elegans we combined molecular and theoretical approaches. In particular, we quantitatively analyzed the motion of C. elegans with defective synaptic GABA and acetylcholine transmission, defective muscle calcium signaling, and defective muscles and cuticle structures, and compared the data with our systems level circuit model. The major experimental findings are: (1) anterior-to-posterior gradients of body bending flex for almost all strains both for forward and backward motion, and for neuronal mutants, also analogous weak gradients of undulatory frequency, (2) existence of some form of neuromuscular (stretch receptor) feedback, (3) invariance of neuromuscular wavelength, (4) biphasic dependence of frequency on synaptic signaling, and (5) decrease of frequency with increase of the muscle time constant. Based on (1) we hypothesize that the Central Pattern Generator (CPG) is located in the head both for forward and backward motion. Points (1) and (2) are the starting assumptions for our theoretical model, whose dynamical patterns are qualitatively insensitive to the details of the CPG design if stretch receptor feedback is sufficiently strong and slow. The model reveals that stretch receptor coupling in the body wall is critical for generation of the neuromuscular wave. Our model agrees with our behavioral data (3), (4), and (5), and with other pertinent published data, e.g., that frequency is an increasing function of muscle gap-junction coupling. PMID- 17768673 TI - Mutation pressure shapes codon usage in the GC-Rich genome of foot-and-mouth disease virus. AB - Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is economically the most important viral-induced livestock disease worldwide. In this study, we report the results of a survey of codon usage bias of FMD virus (FMDV) representing all seven serotypes (A, O, C, Asia 1, SAT 1, SAT 2, and SAT 3). Correspondence analysis, a commonly used multivariate statistical approach, was carried out to analyze synonymous codon usage bias. The analysis showed that the overall extent of codon usage bias in FMDV is low. Furthermore, the good correlation between the frequency of G + C at the synonymous third position of sense codons (GC3S) content at silent sites of each sequence and codon usage bias suggested that mutation pressure rather than natural (translational) selection is the most important determinant of the codon bias observed. In addition, other factors, such as the lengths of open reading frame (ORF) and the hydrophobicity of genes also influence the codon usage variation among the genomes of FMDV in a minor way. The result of phylogenetic analyses based on the relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) values indicated a few obvious phylogenetic incongruities, which suggest that more FMDV genome diversity may exist in nature than is currently indicated. Our work might give some clues to the features of FMDV genome and some evolutionary information of this virus. PMID- 17768674 TI - Housing need, housing assistance, and connection to HIV medical care. AB - HIV infection has become a chronic condition that for most persons can be effectively managed with regular monitoring and appropriate medical care. However, many HIV positive persons remain unconnected to medical care or have less optimal patterns of health care utilization than recommended by good clinical practice standards. This paper investigates housing status as a contextual factor affecting access and maintenance in appropriate HIV medical care. Data provided from 5,881 interviews conducted from 1994 to 2006 with a representative sample of 1,661 persons living with HIV/AIDS in New York City demonstrated a strong and consistent relationship between housing need and remaining outside of or marginal to HIV medical care. In contrast, housing assistance increased access and retention in medical care and appropriate treatment. The relationship between housing and medical care outcomes remain controlling for client demographics, health status, insurance coverage, co occurring mental illness, and problem drug use and the receipt of supportive services to address co-occurring conditions. Findings provide strong evidence that housing needs are a significant barrier to consistent, appropriate HIV medical care, and that receipt of housing assistance has an independent, direct impact on improved medical care outcomes. PMID- 17768675 TI - The effects of age on DNA fragmentation, chromatin packaging and conventional semen parameters in spermatozoa of oligoasthenoteratozoospermic patients. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of male ageing on DNA fragmentation and chromatin packaging in the spermatozoa of oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT) patients. METHODS: Sixty-one OAT patients and 49 men with proven fertility (controls) were included in the present study. DNA fragmentation was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay, while chromatin packaging was assessed by chromomycin A3 (CMA3) staining. RESULTS: In the patient group, semen volume, percentage of normally shaped spermatozoa and sperm motility decreased significantly (P<0.05) with age, while sperm concentration and the percentage of TUNEL and CMA3 positive spermatozoa showed a statistically significant increase with age (P<0.05). In the control group, conventional semen parameters as well as DNA fragmentation and chromatin packaging did not show a statistically significant change with age (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased age in OAT patients is associated with an increase in sperm concentration, DNA fragmentation and poor chromatin packaging, as well as a decline in semen volume, sperm morphology and motility. PMID- 17768676 TI - Role of lipoamide dehydrogenase and metallothionein on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6- tetrahydropyridine-induced neurotoxicity. AB - In the present study, we investigated the effects of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) on lipoamide dehydrogenase activity and metallothionein content. Lipoamide dehydrogenase is a flavoprotein enzyme, which reduces lipoamide and low molecular weight thiols. This enzyme has also been involved in the conversion of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q-10, oxidized form) to ubiquinol (reduced form). Lipoamide dehydrogenase activity was measured spectrophotometrically following its incubation with different doses of MPTP, MPP+, and divalent metals. MPTP at higher concentrations inhibited the lipoamide dehydrogenase activity, whereas it's potent toxic metabolite 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) had a similar effect at lower concentration. Calcium and copper did not affect the enzyme activity at any of the doses tested, whereas, zinc dose dependently enhanced the lipoamide dehydrogenase activity. Additionally, levels of metallothionein in the mouse nigrostriatal system were measured by cadmium affinity method following administration of MPTP. Metallothionein content was significantly reduced in the substantia nigra (SN), and not in the nucleus caudatus putamen (NCP) following a single administration of MPTP (30 mg/kg, i.p.). Our results suggests that both lipoamide dehydrogenase activity and metallothionein levels may be critical for dopaminergic neuronal survival in Parkinson's disease and provides further insights into the neurotoxic mechanisms involved in MPTP-induced neurotoxicity. PMID- 17768677 TI - Tau is endogenously nitrated in mouse brain: identification of a tyrosine residue modified in vivo by NO. AB - Nitration of tau protein is normally linked to neurodegeneration but, until now, no comprehensive information is available regarding tau nitration in healthy subjects. It has been previously reported that in differentiated PC12 cells, tau co-immunoprecipitated with alpha-tubulin is nitrated at tyrosine residues and that this post-translation modification doesn't impair the association of tau with the cytoskeleton. The present paper is focused on the identification of tyrosine residues endogenously modified in tau from PC12 cells and reports for the first time that tau is also nitrated in vivo in normal mouse brain and that one tyrosine is endogenously modified. PMID- 17768680 TI - A profile of Norman Breslow. PMID- 17768678 TI - Phenelzine causes an increase in brain ornithine that is prevented by prior monoamine oxidase inhibition. AB - Phenelzine (PLZ), a nonselective irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase (MAO), also inhibits GABA-transaminase (GABA-T), markedly increasing brain GABA levels. PLZ is also a substrate for MAO, and studies suggest that a metabolite formed by the action of this enzyme on PLZ may be responsible for the increase in GABA observed. We have recently found that PLZ also elevates brain ornithine (ORN), an amino acid precursor to both glutamate (and GABA) and the polyamines, and have conducted dose- and time-response studies on this effect. Rats were treated with vehicle or PLZ doses (7.5, 15 or 30 mg/kg i.p.), and brains were collected 3 h later. In the time-response study, animals were treated with vehicle or PLZ (15 mg/kg i.p.) and brains were collected 1-24 h later. To determine whether a metabolite formed by the action of MAO on PLZ may be responsible for the elevation in brain ORN observed, animals were pretreated with vehicle or the MAO inhibitor tranylcypromine (TCP) before vehicle or PLZ (15 mg/kg), and brains collected 3 h later. ORN levels (measured by an HPLC procedure) were dose- and time-dependently increased in PLZ-treated animals, with levels reaching approximately 650% of control at 6 and 12 h. Pretreatment with TCP completely abolished the PLZ-induced increase in brain ORN, suggesting, as with GABA, that a metabolite of PLZ formed by the action of MAO is responsible for the elevation of brain ORN observed. The possible contribution of increased ORN to therapeutic and/or neuroprotective properties of PLZ is discussed. PMID- 17768679 TI - Possible GABAergic modulation in the protective effect of zolpidem in acute hypoxic stress-induced behavior alterations and oxidative damage. AB - Hypoxia is an environmental stressor that is known to elicit alterations in both the autonomic nervous system and endocrine functions. The free radical or oxidative stress theory holds that oxidative reactions are mainly underlying neurodegenerative disorders. In fact among complex metabolic reactions occurring during hypoxia, many could be related to the formation of oxygen derived free radicals, causing a wide spectrum of cell damage. In present study, we investigated possible involvement of GABAergic mechanism in the protective effect of zolpidem against acute hypoxia-induced behavioral modification and biochemical alterations in mice. Mice were subjected to acute hypoxic stress for a period of 2 h. Acute hypoxic stress for 2 h caused significant impairment in locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, and antinocioceptive effect in mice. Biochemical analysis revealed a significant increased malondialdehyde, nitrite concentrations and depleted reduced glutathione and catalase levels. Pretreatment with zolpidem (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly improved locomotor activity, anti-anxiety effect, reduced tail flick latency and attenuated oxidative damage (reduced malondialdehyde, nitrite concentration, and restoration of reduced glutathione and catalase levels) as compared to stressed control (hypoxia) (P < 0.05). Besides, protective effect of zolpidem (5 mg/kg) was blocked significantly by picrotoxin (1.0 mg/kg) or flumazenil (2 mg/kg) and potentiated by muscimol (0.05 mg/kg) in hypoxic animals (P < 0.05). These effects were significant as compared to zolpidem (5 mg/kg) per se (P < 0.05). Present study suggest that the possible involvement of GABAergic modulation in the protective effect of zolpidem against hypoxic stress. PMID- 17768681 TI - On the Breslow estimator. AB - In his discussion of Cox's (1972) paper on proportional hazards regression, Breslow (1972) provided the maximum likelihood estimator for the cumulative baseline hazard function. This estimator is commonly used in practice. The estimator has also been highly valuable in the further development of Cox regression and semiparametric inference with censored data. The present paper describes the Breslow estimator and its tremendous impact on the theory and practice of survival analysis. PMID- 17768682 TI - Electroacupuncture at acupoint ST-36 promotes contractility of distal colon via a cholinergic pathway in conscious rats. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate the effects and possible mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) at acupoint ST-36 (Zusanli) on the contractility of the distal colon in conscious rats. METHODS: Rats were randomized into four groups, including the ST 36 group, the sham group, the saline-plus-ST-36 and the atropine-plus-ST-36 group. Needles were inserted into the acupoints for EA. The distal colonic contractility was measured with a manometric catheter inserted into the distal colon. The colonic contractility was recorded for 1 h before EA, 20 min during EA, and 3 h after EA. Saline or atropine was administrated in the saline-plus-ST 36 or atropine-plus-ST-36 group. RESULTS: (1) EA at ST-36 significantly increased the contractility of the distal colon. The mean AUC during and after EA were significantly higher than that before EA in the ST-36 group, a 27% increase during EA and 26% after EA. (2) Atropine abolished the accelerating effect of EA at ST-36. The mean AUC remained unchanged during or after EA compared with that before EA in the atropine-plus-ST-36 group. CONCLUSIONS: EA at ST-36 has a stimulatory effect on the contractility of the distal colon in conscious rats, and the stimulatory effect may be mediated via the cholinergic pathway. PMID- 17768683 TI - The influence of expansion rates on mandibular distraction osteogenesis: a computational analysis. AB - Mandibular distraction osteogenesis is a clinical procedure used for modifying the mandibular geometry when problems of dental overcrowding and arch shrinkage occur. The objective of this study is to use a computational model of tissue differentiation to examine the influence of the rate of distraction on bone re growth within the fracture callus of a human mandible submitted to symphyseal distraction osteogenesis. A 3D model of the mandible is reconstructed from CT scan data and meshed into finite elements. Two different mastication loadings have been investigated: a 'full' mastication load and a 'reduced' mastication load where the action of each muscle was reduced by 70%. Four different distraction rates were analyzed: 0.6, 1.2, 2, and 3 mm/day, allowing a total displacement of 6 mm. In the early stages of the distraction process it is predicted that there is a decrease in the amount of bone tissue forming within the center of the fracture gap for all distraction rates. After the initial phases of expansion, the bone tissue within the callus increases for the slower rate of distraction or continues to decrease at the faster rates of distraction. At the end of the simulated maturation period, 47% of the distracted callus was predicted to consist of bone tissue for a distraction rate of 0.6 mm/day, decreasing to 22% for a distraction rate of 3 mm/day. Significantly higher amounts of bone formation were predicted for all distraction rates for the case of reduced mastication loading. Disparities between the model predictions and what is observed in vivo were found. For instance, during the latency period, the distraction period and beyond, the model is predicting larger than expected amounts of cartilage tissue formation within the callus. This and other limitations of the proposed model are discussed and possible specific explanations for these disparities are provided in the paper. The model predicts a distraction rate of around 1.2 mm/day to be optimal as higher rates produce less bone tissue while the risk of a premature bone union is greater at slower rates of distraction because in the latter stages of the distraction process bone tissue is predicted to form between the left and right side of the bone callus. PMID- 17768684 TI - Content of nutrient and antinutrient in edible flowers of wild plants in Mexico. AB - Nutrient and antinutritional/toxic factors present in some edible flowers consumed in Mexico were determined. The edible flowers were: Agave salmiana, Aloe vera, Arbutus xalapensis, Cucurbita pepo (cultivated), Erythrina americana, Erythrina caribaea, Euphorbia radians benth and Yucca filifera. The nutrient content in the flowers studied is similar to that of the edible leaves and flowers studied mainly in Africa. The moisture content of the flowers varied from 860 to 932 g kg(-1). Crude protein (CP) was between 113 to 275 g kg(-1) DM, crude fiber, 104 to 177 g kg(-1) DM and the nitrogen free extract, between 425 to 667 g kg(-1) DM. The highest chemical score (CS) was found in E. americana and A. salmiana; in five samples the limiting amino acid was lysine, and in three of them it was tryptophan. Trypsin inhibitors and hemaglutinnins had a very low concentration. Alkaloids were present in both the Erythrina species and the saponins in A. salmiana and Y. filifera. Cyanogenic glucosides were not found in the studied flowers. The traditional process of preparing these specific flowers before consumption is by cooking them and discarding the broth; in this way the toxic substances are diminished or eliminated. These edible flowers from wild plants consumed in local areas of the country play an important role in the diet of the people at least during the short time of the season where they are blooming. PMID- 17768686 TI - [A short questionnaire for assessing the social climate on forensic psychiatric wards]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine statistical properties and the validity of a ward climate questionnaire for forensic psychiatric institutions. The 15 item instrument comprises three climate dimensions: Patients' Cohesion and Social Support, Safety (vs. threat by aggression and violence) and Therapeutic Hold. METHOD: On 46 wards in 17 forensic hospitals in Germany, patients and staff filled in the climate questionnaire and further scales, among them the "Ward Atmosphere Scale" and a "Good Milieu Index". Problem events (e. g. wilful damage of property, drug relapse) were listed on each ward over a period of three weeks. RESULTS: 333 staff and 327 patients participated in the study. For both groups, factor analysis of item-intercorrelation generates clear 3-factor-solutions. Item-total correlation and the scales' internal consistencies (Cronbach's alpha = 0.73 - 0.87) are respectable. Correlation analysis evinces many substantial interrelations with other variables. Staff's climate assessments correlate much stronger with patients' climate assessments than with staff's job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The climate questionnaire is an economic and valid instrument for assessing three meaningful aspects of the ward atmosphere in forensic psychiatry. An English version of the questionnaire--termed Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES)--can be downloaded from the internet homepage of the Institute of Forensic Psychiatry Essen ( www.forensik-essen.de ). PMID- 17768687 TI - [Longer-term effects of inpatient vocational and ergotherapeutic measures on the vocational integration of patients with schizophrenia]. AB - OBJECTIVE: Unemployment rates are high in people with schizophrenia, so that considerable importance is attached to measures to improve their ability to work and their vocational integration. METHODS: In a study of the German Research Network on Schizophrenia the long-term effects of four-week vocational and ergotherapeutic measures on in-patients were investigated. The target criteria were the vocational integration, level of general functioning (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale) and psychopathology (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale). 227 patients were randomized and assigned either to a work-oriented vocational therapy group, or to a creativity-oriented ergotherapy group; 163 patients completed the study. Data was available for 89 patients at the last catamnesis point after two years. RESULTS: No differences were seen between the effects of the two forms of therapy on the development of vocational integration or on general functioning level and psychopathology after two years. The number of patients in regular work declined over this period. CONCLUSIONS: It is assumed from this that short-lasting vocational and ergotherapeutic measures do not have any long-term influence on the vocational integration of patients with schizophrenia. PMID- 17768685 TI - Matrix metalloproteinase-9, a potential biological marker in invasive pituitary adenomas. AB - OBJECT: We analyzed MMP-9 expression using mRNA and protein level determinations and explored the possibility that matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is a potential biological marker of pituitary adenoma invasiveness and whether MMP-9 could be used to discriminate the extent of invasiveness among different hormonal subtypes, tumor sizes, growth characteristics, and primary versus recurrent tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 73 pituitary tumor specimens were snap frozen in liquid nitrogen immediately after surgical resection. RNA and protein were extracted. MMP-9 mRNA transcripts were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. MMP-9 protein activity was analyzed by gelatin zymography and validated by western blot analysis. Immunohistochemistry was performed to identify the presence and localization of MMP-9 in pituitary adenomas. Statistical differences between results were determined using Student's t-test or one way ANOVA. RESULTS: Comparing different hormonal subtypes of noninvasive and invasive pituitary tumors, MMP-9 mRNA expression was significantly increased in the majority of invasive adenomas. Considering the protein levels, our data also showed a significant increase in MMP-9 activity in the majority of invasive adenomas and these differences were confirmed by western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. In addition, consistent differences in MMP-9 expression levels were found according to tumor subtype, tumor size, tumor extension and primary versus redo-surgery. CONCLUSIONS: MMP-9 expression can consistently distinguish invasive pituitary tumors from noninvasive pituitary tumors and would reflect the extent of invasiveness in pituitary tumors according to tumor subtype, size, tumor extension, primary and redo surgery, even at early stages of invasiveness. MMP-9 may be considered a potential biomarker to determine and predict the invasive nature of pituitary tumors. PMID- 17768688 TI - Thrombophilia: an update. PMID- 17768689 TI - Thrombophilia and venous thromboembolism: implications for testing. AB - In the last decades, the knowledge on the etiology of venous thromboembolism (VTE) has increased tremendously. In approximately half of patients presenting with VTE, one or more thrombophilic defects can be identified. This has led to widespread testing for thrombophilia, despite the fact that, at present, it is unclear whether this should have therapeutic consequences. Here we review the currently established hereditary and acquired thrombophilic defects, and focus on the pros and cons of testing in the setting of VTE. Thrombophilia is defined as a disorder associated with an increased tendency to venous thromboembolism (VTE). Thrombophilia can be acquired, such as in patients with cancer, or congenital, in which case a defect in the coagulation system is hereditary. Egeberg was the first to use the term thrombophilia in 1965, when he described a Norwegian family that had a remarkable tendency to VTE, based on a deficiency of antithrombin. Since then, various laboratory abnormalities, both hereditary and acquired, have been discovered that increase the risk of VTE. This article reviews the currently established thrombophilic abnormalities and discusses the potential usefulness and implications of testing for thrombophilia. PMID- 17768690 TI - Venous thrombosis at unusual sites and the role of thrombophilia. AB - Thrombophilia includes multiple inherited and acquired risk factors that determine a shift in the balance of procoagulant and anticoagulant factors promoting hypercoagulability, which is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). VTE is characterized by more common clinical manifestations, such as deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs or pulmonary embolism, and less common clinical manifestations affecting cerebral, splanchnic, upper limbs, and retinal veins. The role of inherited thrombophilia in the pathogenesis of VTE at unusual sites is better established in cerebral vein thrombosis, but its role is less clear in splanchnic, upper limbs, and retinal vein thrombosis, in which acquired risk factors such as malignancy, central venous catheters, or systemic diseases also are frequently involved. The complex interactions between different inherited and acquired thrombophilic risk factors and their relationship with endothelium may be considered the pathophysiologic key of underlying phenotypic manifestations of thrombosis. The understanding of these mechanisms might facilitate diagnosis with appropriate investigations and improve therapeutic decision making. PMID- 17768691 TI - Arterial thrombosis and the role of thrombophilia. AB - Thrombophilia is a prominent risk factor for venous thromboembolism. The role of thrombophilia in determining the risk of arterial thrombotic events is less well defined. In this review, we summarize the existing literature on the relationship between thrombophilic defects and the risk of arterial thrombosis, in particular myocardial infarction and stroke. The six defects reviewed are the factor V Leiden mutation, the prothrombin G20210A mutation, protein C deficiency, protein S deficiency, antithrombin deficiency, and the antiphospholipid syndrome. We observed that substantial evidence supports an association between the presence of the antiphospholipid syndrome and the risk of myocardial infarction, particularly among people in whom the atherosclerotic burden is low. The literature contains no solid evidence to support an important relationship between the other thrombophilic defects reviewed and the risk of arterial thrombosis. We conclude that thrombophilia screening in unselected patient populations with myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke is not justified. PMID- 17768692 TI - Do thrombophilias cause placenta-mediated pregnancy complications? AB - There has been an sudden increase of knowledge about thrombophilias in the last decade as new thrombophilias are discovered and new associations are explored. It is now evident that thrombophilias are common and that the clinical consequences of having a thrombophilia do not appear to be limited to venous thromboembolism. The placenta-mediated pregnancy complications are also common (more than one in six pregnancies are affected) and include pregnancy loss, preeclampsia, placental abruption, and intrauterine growth restriction. These complications as a whole are the leading causes of maternal and neonatal morbidity in the developed world. Evidence has emerged to suggest that thrombophilic women may be at higher risk of developing these placenta-mediated pregnancy complications. However, is this evidence mature enough to claim that a causal association is proven? Is the evidence strong enough to recommend anticoagulant prophylaxis? We suggest that causality is not yet proven and that the data to support management with anticoagulant prophylaxis in thrombophilic pregnancies is too immature to consider this an established intervention. PMID- 17768693 TI - Thrombophilia and outcome in severe infection and sepsis. AB - Thrombophilia is associated with a prohemostatic state and consequently with an increased tendency to develop thrombosis. In severe infection and sepsis, activation of coagulation frequently occurs, which contributes to the development of multiple organ dysfunction. Hypothetically, patients with thrombophilia may suffer from more severe coagulopathy in the presence of severe infection or sepsis, which may result in a more serious clinical course and an unfavorable outcome. This article reviews experimental and clinical evidence regarding such a relationship, with a particular focus on deficiencies of natural anticoagulant proteins (protein C and antithrombin), the factor V Leiden mutation, and genetic variation in the fibrinolytic system. PMID- 17768694 TI - Transgenic mouse models of venous thrombosis: fulfilling the expectations? AB - During the last 15 years, transgenic mice have been generated that carry defective and/or mutant alleles of the natural anticoagulant pathways and display a spontaneous thrombotic phenotype. With the generation of these mouse lines, better opportunities became available for investigating both existing and novel risk factors for venous thrombosis. In addition, these models could serve as a tool for evaluating novel antithrombotic strategies. This review summarizes these mouse models and evaluates whether they have fulfilled the expectations. PMID- 17768696 TI - Selective conversion of plasma glucose into CO2 by Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the measurement of 13C abundance by isotope ratio mass spectrometry: proof of principle. AB - To study carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption, time-dependent (13)C enrichment in plasma glucose is measured after oral administration of naturally occurring (13)C-enriched carbohydrates. The isotope enrichment of the administered carbohydrate is low (APE <0.1%) and plasma (13)C glucose measurements are routinely determined with gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) or liquid chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC/C/IRMS). In this study, plasma glucose was converted into CO(2) by an in-tube reaction with yeast permitting direct measurement of (13)CO(2) in the headspace. Saccharomyces cerevisiae incubated under anaerobic conditions was able to convert sufficient glucose into CO(2) to produce a consistent CO(2) peak in IRMS with little variation in peak area and precise delta(13)C(PDB) values for corn glucose: -11.40 +/- 0.16 per thousand, potato glucose: -25.17 +/- 0.13 per thousand, and plasma glucose: -26.29 +/- 0.05 per thousand. The measurement showed high linearity (R(2) = 0.999) and selectivity and was not affected by the glucose concentration in the tested range of 5-15 mM. Comparison with GC/C/IRMS showed a good correlation of enrichment data: R(2) > 0.98 for both sources of glucose and plasma samples. Commercially available, instant dried baker's yeast was qualitatively and quantitatively comparable with freshly prepared yeast: R(2) > 0.96, slope 1.03 and 1.08 for glucose solutions and plasma, respectively. Thus, yeast conversion of plasma glucose into CO(2) and (13)C measurement applying a breath (13)CO(2) analyzer is an inexpensive, simple and equally accurate alternative to the more expensive and laborious GC/C/IRMS and LC/C/IRMS measurements. PMID- 17768697 TI - A new approach to overcome natural cholesterol interference during simultaneous determination of two stable isotope-enriched cholesterol tracers in human plasma. AB - We have developed a validated gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method with two labelled cholesterol tracers, i.e. (2)H(4) ([2H4]-Chol) and (2)H(7) ([2H7]-Chol) enriched moieties, with a new way of calculating the abundance of labelled cholesterol in plasma without natural cholesterol interference. The isotopomers of the analytes could interfere during analysis. Elimination of these interferences can be performed by the blank or mathematical subtraction method. Validation was performed with the two interference elimination methods. For both methods, linearity was obtained in the range 5 x 10(-4) to 10(-2) mM for both labelled cholesterol moieties. In the same range, repeatability and reproducibility were less than 6.5% and 7.5% for [2H4]-Chol and [2H7]-Chol, respectively. Accuracy was about 100% and recoveries always included 100% for the two labelled cholesterols. We demonstrate that measurement of blank plasma is not necessary when using the validated abundance isotope calculation method. This saves time, reagent and samples. This calculation strategy can be extrapolated to comparable tracer approaches. PMID- 17768698 TI - Electrospray ionization ion trap multiple-stage mass spectrometric fragmentation pathways of leucine and isoleucine: an ab initio computational study. AB - We recently demonstrated the possibility to distinguish between leucine and isoleucine in several tryptic peptides by means of consecutive tandem mass steps (Armirotti et al. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2007; 18: 57), exploiting a gas phase rearrangement of the immonium ion of Ile. In the present paper we explore the tandem mass spectrometric behaviour of the two amino acids. We propose a plausible structure for the diagnostic m/z 69 ion of Ile, that was reported for the first time in 1996 (Hulst and Kientz J. Mass. Spectrom. 1996; 31: 1188), and we explain why its formation is favoured with respect to Leu. Our conclusions are supported by ab initio quantum chemistry calcultations and isotope-labelled standards experiments. PMID- 17768699 TI - Fixed vs random effects meta-analysis in rare event studies: the rosiglitazone link with myocardial infarction and cardiac death. AB - Meta-analyses can be powerful tools to combine the results of randomized clinical trials and observational studies to make consensus inferences about a medical issue. It will be demonstrated that a common practice of testing for homogeneity of effect size, and acting upon the inference to decide between fixed vs random effects, can lead to potentially misleading results. A by-product of this paper is a new ratio estimator approach to random effects meta-analysis of a large set of studies with low event rates. As a case study, we shall use the recent Rosiglitazone example, where diagnostic testing failed to reject homogeneity, leading the investigators to use fixed effects. The results for the fixed and random effects analyses are discordant. In the fixed (random) effects analysis, the p-values for myocardial infarction were 0.03 (0.11) while those for cardiac death were 0.06 (0.0017). Had the fixed effects analysis controlled the study error for multiple testing via a Bonferonni correction, the joint 95+ per cent confidence rectangle for the two outcomes would have included odds ratios of (1.0, 1.0). For the Rosiglitazone example, random effects analysis, where all studies receive the same weight, is the superior choice over fixed effects, where two large studies dominate. PMID- 17768700 TI - Informal and formal care among single-living elderly in Europe. AB - The aims of this study were to analyse (1) whether informal care, provided by children or grandchildren to their elderly parents, and formal care are substitutes or complements, and (2) whether this relationship differs across Europe. The analyses were based on cross-sectional data from the newly developed SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe) database. We found (1) that informal and formal home care are substitutes, while informal care is a complement to doctor and hospital visits, and (2) that these relationships in some cases differ according to a European north-south gradient. Instrumental variable methods were used and the results highlight the importance of accounting for the endogeneity of informal care. PMID- 17768701 TI - c-KIT is frequently mutated in bilateral germ cell tumours and down-regulated during progression from intratubular germ cell neoplasia to seminoma. AB - Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) are the most frequent cancer type in young men; 5% of these patients develop a second TGCT in the contralateral testis. The pathogenesis of TGCT is closely linked to primordial germ cells (PGCs) or gonocytes. The receptor tyrosine kinase (c-KIT) is necessary for migration and survival of PGCs and is expressed in intratubular neoplastic germ cells (IGCNUs) and seminomas. We studied the frequency of c-KIT exon 11 and 17 mutations in 155 unilateral (108 seminomas and 47 non-seminomas) and 22 bilateral (18 seminomas, two embryonal carcinomas, two IGCNU) cases. While no mutations were detected in exon 11, the mutation frequency in exon 17 was significantly higher in bilateral (14/22, 63.6%) compared to unilateral TGCT (10/155, 6.4%) (p < 0.001). Different activating mutations (Y823D, D816V, D816H and N822K) were detected in bilateral TGCT. Y823D mutation was identical in both testes in three cases and quantitative pyrosequencing showed that up to 76% of the cells analysed in tumour samples carried this mutation. One bilateral synchronous seminoma revealed a S821F mutation in one testis and a Y823D mutation contralaterally. To study the role of c-KIT in TGCT progression, we compared its expression in 41 seminomas and adjacent IGCNUs. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that c-KIT expression was significantly reduced in seminomas compared to IGCNUs (p < 0.006) and that there were no significant changes in c-KIT mRNA copy numbers in progressed compared to low-stage seminomas. In summary, our study shows that patients with c-KIT mutations are more prone to develop a bilateral TGCT and suggests that in a portion of bilateral TGCTs, c-KIT mutations occur early during embryonal development, prior to the arrival of PGCs at the genital ridge. Furthermore, our findings show that c-KIT down-regulation occurs during the progression of IGCNU to seminoma. PMID- 17768702 TI - Glomerular barrier dysfunction in glomerulosclerosis- resistant Milan rats with experimental diabetes: the role of renal haemodynamics. AB - Rats of the Milan hypertensive strain (MHS) are resistant to both hypertensive and diabetic renal disease. Genetically determined hypertrophy of intrarenal arteries has been suggested as the putative mechanism preventing transmission of systemic hypertension to the glomerular microcirculation or diabetes-induced loss of autoregulation, which lead to glomerular hypertension and consequent podocyte injury and proteinuria. This study aimed to investigate glomerular barrier function and structure in ageing and diabetic MHS rats under basal conditions and after injection of 2.5 g of bovine serum albumin (BSA) causing increased workload and possibly removing haemodynamic protection by inducing renal cortical vasodilatation. Genetically related rats of the Milan normotensive strain (MNS) served as a proteinuric counterpart. No change in renal function or structure was detected in diabetic MHS rats, whereas MNS rats developed diabetic nephropathy superimposed on that occurring spontaneously in this strain. Diabetic, but not non-diabetic, MHS rats showed significantly reduced synaptopodin and nephrin expression, though to a lesser extent than non-diabetic and diabetic MNS rats, together with unchanged podocyte number, density and structure and no proteinuria. Agrin expression was significantly altered in diabetic versus non diabetic MHS animals, whereas collagen I was expressed only in diabetic MHS rats and collagen IV content did not change significantly between the two groups. Upon BSA injection, proteinuria increased markedly and abundant BSA was detected only in kidneys from diabetic MHS rats. BSA injection was associated with changes in intrarenal arteries suggesting vasodilatation, without any influx of inflammatory cells. These data indicate that while MNS rats show marked changes in the glomerular filtration barrier with either age or diabetes, glomerulosclerosis resistant MHS rats develop only minor diabetes-induced podocyte (and extracellular matrix) alterations, which are not associated with proteinuria unless they are unmasked by an increased workload or removal of the haemodynamic protection. PMID- 17768703 TI - Non-competitive immunoassay for luteinizing hormone in human serum using capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection. AB - A non-competitive immunoassay based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) with chemiluminescence (CL) detection has been developed for the determination of luteinizing hormone (LH) in human serum. The work involved the development of separation and CL conditions, allowing for routine analysis of serum samples. In this study, horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labelled monoclonal anti-LH can catalyse the luminol-hydrogen peroxide reaction. The determined LH can react with excessive amount of HRP-labelled anti-LH. Within 14 min, free enzyme conjugate and immune complex could be separated in alkaline borate buffer by means of a high voltage (15 kV). To improve sensitivity, a series of measures were adopted, including the choice of para-iodophenol as a CL enhancer, unique design in detect window. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration curve for LH was established in the concentration range 1-200 mIU/mL and the detection limit was 0.08 mIU/mL. Compared with ELISA, this method decreased the detection limit by about 12 times, and it has been successfully employed in the determination of LH in human serum. PMID- 17768704 TI - Identification of sulfoglycolipids from the alga Porphyridium purpureum by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry. AB - Sulfoglycolipids, isolated from different phototrophic organisms, particularly plants and algae, have already been identified as bioactive compounds. In addition to their antiviral activity their influence on the immune response in mammalian cells is the focus of many studies. For the first time it has been possible to investigate purified sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerols (SQDGs) from the microalga Porphyridium purpureum by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) in the negative ion reflectron mode. Thereby, different solid and ionic liquid matrices have been tested to improve signal intensity during the laser ionisation. By using the MALDI Trap time-of-flight (ToF) multiple-stage (MS(n)) hybrid mass spectrometer the fatty acid compositions of the SQDGs were analysed by MS, and confirmed by MS(2) and MS(3) experiments. Thereby, hexadecanoic acid (C16:0), octadecadienoic acid (C18:2), eicosatetraenoic acid (C20:4), and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5) were detected in the purified fraction of SQDGs. The localisation of hexadecanoic acid (C16:0) at the sn-2 position, and unsaturated fatty acids at the sn-1 position of the SQDGs, determined by specific enzymatic hydrolysis, marks a procaryotic biosynthesis of SQDGs in the eucaryotic alga cells. PMID- 17768705 TI - Analyses of macrolide antibiotic residues in eggs, raw milk, and honey using both ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. AB - Two liquid chromatography mass spectrometric techniques, i.e. ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-Tof MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), were used for quantification, confirmation or identification of six macrolide antibiotic residues and/or their degradation products in eggs, raw milk, and/or honey. Macrolides were extracted from food samples by acetonitrile or phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 8.0), and sample extracts were further cleaned up using solid phase extraction cartridges. UPLC/Q-Tof data were acquired in Tof MS full scan mode that allowed both quantification and confirmation of macrolides, and identification of their degradation products. LC/MS/MS data acquisition was achieved using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), i.e. two transitions, to provide a high degree of sensitivity and repeatability. Matrix-matched standard calibration curves with the use of roxithromycin as an internal standard were utilized to achieve the best accuracy of the method. Both techniques demonstrated good quantitative performance in terms of accuracy and repeatability. LC/MS/MS had advantages over UPLC/Q-Tof MS in that its limits of detection were lower and repeatability was somewhat better. UPLC/Q-Tof provided ultimate and unequivocal confirmation of positive findings, and allowed degradation product identification based on accurate mass. The combination of the two techniques can be very beneficial or complementary in routine analysis of macrolide antibiotic residues and their degradation products in food matrices to ensure the safety of food supply. PMID- 17768706 TI - The heat-shock protein 90 inhibitor, geldanamycin, induces apoptotic cell death in Epstein-Barr virus-positive NK/T-cell lymphoma by Akt down-regulation. AB - NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) is strongly associated with latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Recently, latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), an EBV oncoprotein, was reported to activate the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway for cell survival. Because geldanamycin (GA) and its derivative, 17-allylamino-17 demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), exhibit anti-tumour activity by degrading HSP90 client proteins, including Akt, we investigated the effect of GA and 17-AAG on the survival of NKTL cell lines. EBV-positive NKTL cell lines, Hank-1 and NK-YS, and an EBV-negative NK leukaemia cell line, NK-L, were treated with PI3K and Akt inhibitors, GA, and 17-AAG, and were subjected to apoptosis and cell viability assays, and immunoblot analysis. EBV-positive B-lymphoblastoid cell lines IM9 and LMP1-transfected IM9 (IM9-LMP1) were also included. Hank-1 and NK-YS cell viability was compromised and apoptosis was induced by LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor) or Akt inhibitor II. GA or 17-AAG administration resulted in the apoptosis of NKTL cells, accompanied by Akt and pAkt down-regulation, caspase 3 activation, and mitochondrial membrane potential disruption. The intrinsic level of pAkt was higher in EBV-positive NKTL cells than in EBV-negative NK-L, and GA or 17-AAG decreased the viability of NKTL cells more efficiently than NK-L. Moreover, IM9 LMP1 was more sensitive to Akt inhibitor II or HSP90 inhibitors than IM9. Importantly, GA showed little effect on the viability of normal peripheral NK cells as non-neoplastic counterparts for comparison. In conclusion, this study suggests that the PI3K/Akt pathway is frequently activated in EBV-positive NKTL and that therapeutic modalities based on targeting the PI3K/Akt pathway with HSP90 inhibitors could be useful for achieving NKTL control. PMID- 17768708 TI - Fluorescence quenching of serum albumin by rifamycin antibiotics and their analytical application. AB - In neutral medium, rifamycin antibiotics such as rifapentin (RFPT), rifampicin (RFP), rifandin (RFD) and rifamycin SV (RFSV) can bind with human serum albumin (HSA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) to form complexes, resulting in the quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence (lambda(ex)/lambda(em) = 285/355 nm) of the BSA and HSA. The quenching intensity (DeltaF) is directly proportional to the concentration of the rifamycin antibiotics. Therefore, a new analytical method was established to determine trace rifamycin antibiotics. The method had fairly high sensitivity and the detecting limits (3sigma) for RFPT, RFP, RFD and RFSV were 0.85, 0.98, 1.83, 1.89 ng/mL, respectively, for the HSA system and 0.76, 0.89, 1.55, 1.77 ng/mL, respectively, for the BSA system. All relative standard deviations (RSDs) were <3.8%. In this work, the characteristics of the fluorescence spectra were studied and the optimum reaction conditions and influencing factors were investigated. The influence of coexisting substances was tested and the results showed that the method had good selectivity and could be applied to determine trace rifamycin antibiotics in medicine capsules and urine samples. Taking the RFSV-serum albumin system as an example, the reaction mechanisms, such as binding constants, binding sites, binding distance and the type of fluorescence quenching, were investigated. PMID- 17768707 TI - Ultrasensitive assay of clindamycin in medicine and bio-fluids with chemiluminescence detection. AB - A simple chemiluminescence (CL) method using flow injection has been developed for the determination of clindamycin, based on the inhibitory effect of clindamycin on the CL generated from the luminol-K(3)Fe(CN)(6) system in alkaline medium. It was found that the decrement of CL intensity was linear with the logarithm of clindamycin concentration over the range 0.7-1000 ng/mL. The detection limit was 0.2 ng/mL with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of <5.0% (n = 7). At a flow rate of 3.0 mL/min, a complete analytical process could be performed within 0.5 min, including sampling and washing. The proposed procedure was applied successfully to the determination of clindamycin in pharmaceutical preparations and human urine without pretreatment. PMID- 17768709 TI - High photoluminescence quantum yield of TiO2 nanocrystals prepared using an alcohothermal method. AB - Highly dispersible TiO2 nanocrystals (approximately 6 nm) were prepared by an alcohothermal method. A strong and stable photoluminescence emission with a maximum at 450 nm was observed in the original TiO2 nanocrystals colloid. Compared with the emission from quinine sulphate in 0.05 mol/L sulphuric acid, the emission quantum yield of TiO2 nanocrystals was determined to be about 0.20, which was much higher than the values (0.002 and 0.001) reported in previous studies. The fluorescence micrograph of TiO2 nanocrystals encapsulated in lipsomes shows that TiO2 nanocrystals prepared in such a way have potential application as a fluorescence probe in biological imaging. Research on the luminescence mechanism indicates that the surface state and extent of crystallization of the TiO2 nanocrystals are crucial factors in the high photoluminescence quantum yield obtained in this study. PMID- 17768710 TI - Performance characteristics according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC in the fluorimetric determination of tetracycline in the absence and in the presence of magnesium. AB - The fluorimetric determination of tetracycline is usually carried out in the presence of some metals that, through the formation of a complex with this antibiotic, enhance its fluorescence emission, giving more sensitive determination methods. It is well established that magnesium is one of these metals. However, it is possible that higher signals do not mean a real improvement in the quality of the analytical method. In this work, the univariate and multivariate fluorescence determination of tetracycline is performed in the presence and absence of Mg(2+), comparing the quality of the analyses through some performance characteristics that, according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC define the functional qualities of analytical methods. The methods with the best performance characteristics were multivariate determinations carried out in the absence of Mg(2+), both when emission or excitation spectra were taken, the decision limits (CCalpha) being 13.1 and 20.1 microg/L and the detection capabilities (CCbeta) 25.3 and 38.5 microg/L, respectively. This study points out through a case study that higher analytical signals do not necessarily mean better performance characteristics of a method of analysis. PMID- 17768711 TI - Determination of atenolol by the micelle-stabilized room-temperature phosphorescence methodology. AB - A micellar-stabilized room-temperature phosphorescence (MS-RTP) method for the determination of atenolol has been developed in micellar solutions of sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) in the presence of thallium(I) as a heavy atom and sodium sulphite as an oxygen scavenger. The effects of thallium(I) nitrate, SDS and sodium sulphite concentrations on atenolol MS-RTP intensity were studied. Optimized conditions to obtain maximum sensitivity were 0.015 mol/L thallium(I) nitrate, 0.1 mol/L SDS and 0.0075 mol/L sodium sulphite. The maximum phosphorescence signal was completely developed in 10 min and the intensity was measured at lambda(ex) = 272 nm and lambda(em) = 412 nm. The linear range of application obtained was 2.01-16.00 microg/mL. The detection limit estimated from the least-squares regression analysis was 0.86 microg/mL and the relative standard deviation of 10 replicates was 1.7%. The proposed method was applied to the determination of atenolol in a pharmaceutical formulation. The quantitation was carried out by means of standard calibration, standard-additions calibration and Youden calibration. These three experiments were necessary to evaluate the presence of constant and proportional errors due to the matrix. PMID- 17768712 TI - Combustion synthesis and luminescence properties of SrAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+, Tb3+ phosphor. AB - Eu(2+), Dy(3+) and Tb(3+) co-doped strontium aluminate phosphor with high brightness and long afterglow was synthesized by a combustion method, using urea as a reducer. The properties of SrAl(2)O(4):Eu(2+),Dy(3+),Tb(3+) phosphor with a series of initiating combustion temperatures, urea concentrations and boric acid molar fractions were investigated. The sample at initiating combustion temperature of 600 degrees C exhibited an intense emission peak at 513 nm, in which the phosphor existed as a single-phase monoclinic structure. The experimental results showed that the optimum ratio of urea is 2.0 times higher than theoretical quantities and that the suitable molar fraction of H(3)BO(3) is 0.08. The average particle size of the phosphor was 50-80 nm and its luminescence properties were studied systematically. Compared with SrAl(2)O(4):Eu(2+),Dy(3+) phosphor, the initial luminescence brightness improved from 2.50 candela (cd)/m(2) to 3.55 cd/m(2) and the long afterglow time was prolonged from 1290 s to 2743 s. PMID- 17768713 TI - Oxidation and chemiluminescence of catechol by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of Co(II) ions and CTAB micelles. AB - The oxidation of catechol in neutral and slightly alkaline aqueous solutions (pH 7-9.6) by excess hydrogen peroxide (0.002-0.09 mol/L) in the presence of Co(II) (2.10(-7)-2.10(-5) mol/L) is accompanied by abrupt formation of red purple colouration, which is subsequently decolourized within 1 h. The electron spectra of the reaction mixture are characterized by a broad band covering the whole visible range (400-700 nm), with maximum at 485 nm. The reaction is initiated by catechol oxidation to its semiquinone radical and further to 1,2-benzoquinone. By nucleophilic addition of hydrogen peroxide into the p-position of benzoquinone C=O groups, hydroperoxide intermediates are formed, which decompose to hydroxylated 1,4-benzoquinones. It was confirmed by MS spectroscopy that monohydroxy-, dihydroxy- and tetrahydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone are formed as intermediate products. As final products of catechol decomposition, muconic acid, its hydroxy- and dihydroxy-derivatives and crotonic acid were identified. In the micellar environment of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide the decomposition rate of catechol is three times faster, due to micellar catalysis, and is accompanied by chemiluminescence (CL) emission, with maxima at 500 and 640 nm and a quantum yield of 1 x 10(-4). The CL of catechol can be further sensitized by a factor of 8 (maximum) with the aid of intramicellar energy transfer to fluorescein. PMID- 17768714 TI - Determination of aromatic compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography with on-line photoreactor and peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence detection. AB - This paper describes a novel high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the determination of aromatic compounds with peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (PO-CL ) detection following on-line UV irradiation. Aromatic compounds were UV irradiated (254 nm, 15 W) to generate hydrogen peroxide, which was determined via PO-CL detection using a mixture of bis(2,4,6 trichlorophenyl)oxalate (aryloxalate) and 2,4,6,8-tetrathiomorpholinopyrimido[5,4 d]pyrimidine (fluorophore) as a post-column CL reagent. Generation of hydrogen peroxide from aromatic compounds was confirmed using a flow injection analysis (FIA) system incorporating an enzyme column reactor immobilized with catalase. The conditions for UV irradiation were optimized using benzene and monosubstituted benzenes (phenol, benzaldehyde, nitrobenzene and N,N dimethylaniline) by an HPLC system to evaluate the analytical performance of the proposed system. The detection limits for benzene and monosubstituted benzenes were in the range 2.1-124 pmol/injection at signal:noise (S:N) ratio = 3. Monocyclic and polycyclic hydrocarbons were also employed to investigate their CL properties. The possibility of PO-CL detection for a wide variety of aromatic compounds was shown for the first time. PMID- 17768715 TI - Study on the generation mechanism of reactive oxygen species on calcium peroxide by chemiluminescence and UV-visible spectra. AB - In the present work, the generation mechanism of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on calcium peroxide (CaO(2)) was studied. A very intense chemiluminescence (CL) signal was observed when adding an aqueous solution of luminol or 2-methyl-6-(4 methoxyphenyl)-3,7-dihydroimidazo[1,2alpha]-pyrazin-3-one hydrochloride (MCLA) to a suspension of CaO(2). The ROS released on CaO(2) were thought to be oxidizing agents leading to CL, and were characterized by CL, UV-visible (UV-vis) spectra and the effective scavengers of the special ROS. From experimental results, the hydroxyl (.OH) and superoxide (.O(2) (-)) radicals were suggested to exist on the surface of CaO(2). A reaction scheme for the formation of the ROS on CaO(2) was also proposed and discussed. Of more interest was the finding that the CaO(2) which released the .OH and .O(2) (-) on the surface exhibited good transition properties compared with alkaline-earth metal peroxides of the same group (MgO(2), BaO(2)). PMID- 17768716 TI - Discrimination of petroleum fluorescence spectra. AB - This paper presents studies of the total spectra (fluorescence-excitation matrix) of petroleum with regard to the utilization of fluorescence for determining petroleum pollutants. Thorough testing of one group, comprising almost forty lubricating oils in the form of their hexane solutions, points out their discrimination. PMID- 17768717 TI - Determination of trimethylamine in fish by capillary electrophoresis with electrogenerated tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chemiluminescence detection. AB - A capillary electrophoresis with electrogenerated chemiluminescence (CE-ECL) method for the determination of trimethylamine (TMA) in fish was studied. In the presence of TMA, ECL from the reaction of analyte and in situ generated tris(2,2' bipyridyl)ruthenium(III) [Ru(bpy)(3) (3+)] at electrode surface could be produced. The ECL detection was performed using a Pt working electrode biased at 1.23 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) potential in a 10 mmol/L sodium borate buffer solution, pH 9.2, containing 3 mmol/L Ru(bpy)(3) (2+). A linear calibration curve (correlation coefficient = 0.9996) was obtained in the range 8 x 10(-5)-4 x 10(-8) mol/L for TMA concentration. Recoveries obtained were in the range 98.78-101.46%. The method was successfully applied for the assay of TMA in fish, in combination with solid phase extraction (SPE) disks for sample clean-up and enrichment. PMID- 17768718 TI - Sensitivity analysis of progression-free survival with dependent withdrawal. AB - We develop a sensitivity analysis method for comparing treatment-specific distributions where the endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS). The censoring process may be informative due to selective patient withdrawal, which occurs whenever disease evaluation has been discontinued without progression being documented. The sensitivity analysis explores the effects of the dependence between patient withdrawal and progression time using a conditional probability model which incorporates a set of sensitivity parameters. We propose an EM algorithm for estimation of PFS under the model for dependence and construct log rank-type score statistics from the estimated distributions. Bootstrap procedures are used to estimate the variance of the score statistic. We also extend the methodology to incorporate additional survival information, which may be available on the cases who were withdrawn. An Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) advanced lung cancer clinical trial (E1594) is used to illustrate the methodology. PMID- 17768719 TI - Chameleon reactivity of the allene bond of 4-vinylidene-2-oxazolidinone: novel through-space conjugative nucleophilic addition of electron-rich alkenes and hetero-nucleophiles. AB - The Calpha==Cbeta double bond of allene carbamates 1 serves as an electron acceptor similar to the double bond of conjugated enones by means of a through space interaction with the N--SO2 bond; the carbamate double bond is thus subject to nucleophilic addition for a wide variety of nucleophiles, which proceeds under mild conditions by heating at 70-100 degrees C. Depending on the kind of nucleophiles, 1 displays three different reaction modes: 1) Typically enol ethers and allylsilanes promote 1,3-sulfonyl migration of 1 and undergo the inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction with the 1-aza-1,3-butadiene intermediates II thus formed to furnish bicyclic 2-alkoxy-5-sulfonyltetrahydropyridines 2 and 2 silylmethyl-5-sulfonyltetrahydropyridines 3, respectively, with high regio- and stereoselectivity and retention of configuration of the double bonds of these electron-rich alkenes; 2) silanes (RnSiH4-n, n=1-3) and thiols deliver the hydride and the thiolate at the Cbeta carbon and promote the 1,3-sulfonyl migration, followed by protonation of the thus-formed carbamate anion (Z)-III to provide, for example, (Z)-4 a and (Z)-4 j, respectively; 3) alcohols simply add to the Calpha==Cbeta double bond and provide (E)-6. Usually, the reaction with alcohols is accompanied by the second pathway, giving rise to, for example, (Z)-4 b in addition to (E)-6 b. Phenol engages in the third pathway and provides (E)-6 g exclusively. Heteroaromatics, such as furans and benzofurans follow the first pathway, however, in a different regioselectivity from enol ethers and allylsilanes, delivering the oxygen atom at the 3-position of 5 sulfonyltetrahydropyridines (2 g and 2 h). Indoles, on the other hand, show a dichotomy, equally enjoying the first and the third pathways and provide mixtures of (E)-7 and (E)-8, respectively. PMID- 17768720 TI - Total synthesis of myxovirescin A1. AB - A convergent total synthesis of the antibiotic macrolide myxovirescin A1 (1) is described that is largely based on reagent- and catalyst-controlled transformations. This includes a highly regioselective Negishi reaction of dibromo-alkene 48 with an alkynylzinc reagent, and a palladium catalyzed alkyl Suzuki coupling of the resulting enyne derivative 12 with the 9-BBN-adduct derived from alkene 61. The latter was obtained via an asymmetric hydrogenation of the chlorinated beta-ketoester 49 and an anti-selective oxyallylation of the functionalized aldehyde 53 as the key steps. The preparation of the bis-borylated allyl-donor 57 used in the oxyallylation step, however, required careful optimization and led to important insights into the nature of the classical hydroborating agent "di(isopinocampheyl)borane (Ipc2BH)". It was unambiguously shown by X-ray crystallography that in the solid state this compound is dimeric, but it is prone to undergo an essentially quantitative mono-deborylation when dissolved in CH2Cl2 or benzene; its composition in ethereal solvents is even more complex as evident from 11B NMR data. Product 71 derived from 12 and 61 was elaborated into the enyne-yne derivative 75, which served as the substrate for an exquisitely selective ring closing alkyne metathesis reaction (RCAM) catalyzed by the molybdenum tris-amido complex 20 activated in situ with CH2Cl2. The resulting cyclic enyne 76 was subjected to a ruthenium catalyzed trans hydrosilylation/proto-desilylation tandem. Although [Cp*Ru(MeCN)3]PF6 had previously been recommended as catalyst of choice for trans-hydrosilylation reactions of internal alkynes, this complex failed to afford the desired product, whereas its sterically less hindered congener [CpRu(MeCN)3]PF6 permitted the reaction to be performed in appreciable yield, but at the expense of a lower stereoselectivity. AgF-mediated proto-desilylation of the isomeric silanes 79 and 80 followed by cleavage of the remaining acetal protecting groups afforded myxovirescin A1 and its hitherto unknown 14Z-isomer 81, respectively. PMID- 17768721 TI - CE of phytosiderophores and related metal species in plants. AB - Phytosiderophores (PS) and the closely related substance nicotianamine (NA) are key substances in metal uptake into graminaceous plants. Here, the CE separation of these substances and related metal species is demonstrated. In particular, the three PS 2'-deoxymugineic acid (DMA), mugineic acid (MA), and 3-epi hydroxymugineic acid (epi-HMA), and NA, are separated using MES/Tris buffer at pH 7.3. Moreover, three Fe(III) species of the different PS are separated without any stability problems, which are often present in chromatographic analyses. Also divalent metal species of Cu, Ni, and Zn with the ligands DMA and NA are separated with the same method. By using a special, zwitterionic CE capillary, even the separation of two isomeric Fe(III) chelates with the ligand ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(o-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid (EDDHA) is possible (i.e., meso-Fe(III)-EDDHA and rac-Fe(III)-EDDHA), and for fast separations of NA and respective divalent and trivalent metal species, a polymer CE microchip with suppressed EOF is described. The proposed CE method is applicable to real plant samples, and enables to detect changes of metal species (Cu-DMA, Ni-NA), which are directly correlated to biological processes. PMID- 17768722 TI - Determination of phosphate in seawater by CZE with on-line transient ITP. AB - We developed CZE with indirect UV detection for the determination of phosphate in seawater using transient ITP as an on-line concentration procedure. The following optimum conditions were established: BGE, 5 mM 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PDC) containing 0.01% hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) adjusted to pH 3.5; detection wavelength, 200 nm; vacuum injection period of sample, 3 s (45 nL); terminating ion solution, 500 mM MES adjusted to pH 4.0; vacuum injection period of the terminating ion solution, 30 s (450 nL); applied voltage, 30 kV with the sample inlet side as the cathode. The LOD for phosphate was 16 microg/L (PO(3 )(4) -P) at S/N of 3. The respective values of the RSD of the peak area, peak height, and migration time for phosphate were 2.6, 2.3, and 0.34%. The proposed method was applied to the determination of phosphate in a seawater certified reference material for nutrients, MOOS-1, distributed by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). The results were very similar to certified values. The method was also applied to the determination of phosphate in coastal seawaters. The results agreed with those obtained using a conventional spectrophotometric method. PMID- 17768723 TI - Recent trends in CE of inorganic ions: from individual to multiple elemental species analysis. AB - The major methodological developments in CE related to inorganic analysis are overviewed. This is an update to a previous review article by the author (Timerbaev, A. R., Electrophoresis 2004, 25, 4008-4031) and it covers the review work and innovative research papers published between January 2004 and the first part of 2006. As was underlined in that review, a growing interest of analytical community in providing elemental speciation information found a sound response of the CE method developers. Presently, almost every second research paper in the field of interest deals with element species analysis, the use of inductively coupled plasma MS detection and biochemical applications being the topics of utmost research efforts. On the other hand, advances in general methodology traditionally centered on a CE system modernization for improvements in sensitivity and separation selectivity have attracted less attention over the review period. While there is no indication that inorganic ion applications would surpass by the developmental rate the more matured analysis of organic analytes, CE can now be seen as an analytical technique to be before long customary in a number of inorganic analysis arenas. PMID- 17768724 TI - Contactless conductivity detection of sodium monofluoroacetate in fruit juices on a CE microchip. AB - Rapid and quantitative determination of sodium monofluoroacetate in diluted fruit juices (dilution 1:9 v/v in deionized water) and tap water was performed by microchip CE, using contactless conductivity detection. A separation buffer consisting of 20 mM citric acid and histidine at pH 3.5 enabled the detection of the monofluoroacetate (MFA) anion in diluted apple juice, cranberry juice, and orange juice without lengthy sample pretreatments. The analyte was very well separated from interfering anionic species present in juices and tap water. LODs in diluted juices and tap water were determined to be 125, 167, 138, and 173 microg/L for tap water, apple juice, cranberry juice, and orange juice, respectively, based upon an S/N of 3:1. Taking into account the dilution factor, the LODs for juice samples range from 1 to 2 mg/L, which is adequate for monitoring the toxicity of MFA in these juice beverages and tap water. The calibration curves for MFA in diluted fruit juices were linear over the range of 500 microg/L to 80 mg/L. The total analysis time for detecting the MFA anion in fruit juices was less than 5 min, which represents a considerable reduction in analysis time compared to other analytical methods currently used in food analysis. PMID- 17768725 TI - Study of the determination of inorganic arsenic species by CE with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection. AB - The determination of arsenic(III) and arsenic(V), as inorganic arsenite and arsenate, was investigated by CE with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C(4)D). It was found necessary to determine the two inorganic arsenic species separately employing two different electrolyte systems. Electrolyte solutions consisting of 50 mM CAPS/2 mM L-arginine (Arg) (pH 9.0) and of 45 mM acetic acid (pH 3.2) were used for arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) determinations, respectively. Detection limits of 0.29 and 0.15 microM were achieved for As(III) and As(V), respectively by using large-volume injection to maximize the sensitivity. The analysis of contaminated well water samples from Vietnam is demonstrated. PMID- 17768726 TI - Silicon analogues of the retinoid agonists TTNPB and 3-methyl-TTNPB, disila-TTNPB and disila-3-methyl-TTNPB: chemistry and biology. AB - Twofold sila-substitution (C/Si exchange) in the saturated ring of the tetrahydronaphthalene skeleton of the retinoid agonists TTNPB (1 a) and 3-methyl TTNPB (2 a) leads to disila-TTNPB (1 b) and disila-3-methyl-TTNPB (2 b), respectively. The silicon compounds 1 b and 2 b were synthesized in multiple steps, and their identities were established by elemental analyses, multinuclear NMR experiments, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Like TTNPB (1 a) and 3-methyl-TTNPB (2 a), the analogous silicon-based arotinoids 1 b and 2 b are strong pan-RAR agonists and display the same strong differentiation and apoptosis inducing activity in NB4 promyelocytic leukemia cells as the parent carbon compounds. These results are in keeping with the nearly isomorphous structures of 1 a and 1 b bound to the complex of the RARbeta ligand-binding domain with the nuclear receptor (NR) box 2 peptide of the SRC-1 coactivator. The contacts within the ligand-binding pocket are identical except for helix H11, for which two turns are shifted in the disila-TTNPB (1 b) complex. This study represents the first comprehensive structure-function analysis of a carbon/silicon switch in a signaling molecule and demonstrates that silicon analogues can have the same biological functionalities and conserved structures as their parent carbon compounds, and it illustrates at the same time that silicon analogues of biologically active compounds have the potential to induce alternative allosteric effects, as in the case of helix H11, which might allow for novel options in drug design. PMID- 17768727 TI - Silver(I) double and multiple salts containing the 1,3-butadiynediide dianion: coordination diversity and assembly with the supramolecular synthon Ag4[cap]C[triple bond]C-C[triple bond]C[cap]Ag4. AB - A series of 13 silver(I) double and multiple salts containing 1,3-butadiynediide, C4(2-), were synthesized by dissolving the silver carbide Ag2C4 in a concentrated aqueous solution of one or more of the silver salts AgNO3, AgCF3CO2, AgC2F5CO2, AgF, AgBF4, and AgPF6. The 1,3-butadiynediide anion invariably adopts a mu4,mu4 coordination mode in these compounds, which indicates that the Ag4[cap]C[triple bond]C-C[triple bond]C[cap]Ag4 moiety can be used as a new type of metalloligand supramolecular synthon for the construction of coordination networks. Fine-tuning with various ancillary anionic ligands caused the Ag4 aggregate at each ethynide terminus to adopt a butterfly-shaped, planar, or barblike configuration, within which the silver-ethynide interactions can be classified into three types: sigma, pi, and mixed (sigma,pi). The effect of coexisting nitrile ligands and quaternary ammonium salts on supramolecular assembly with the above synthon was also explored. The hydrolysis of PF6(-) and BF4(-) led to the formation of the quadruple salt Ag2C4 x 4 AgNO3 x AgPF2O2 x Ag3PO4 and a novel (F)2(H2O)18 hydrogen-bonded tape in the triple salt Ag2C4 x 2 AgF x 10 AgC2F5CO2 x CH3CN x 12 H2O, respectively. The largest silver-ethynide cluster aggregate described to date, (C4)3@Ag18, occurs in 3 Ag2C4 x 12 AgC2F5CO2 x 5 [(BnMe3N)C2F5CO2] x 4 H2O (Bn = benzyl). PMID- 17768729 TI - Chemoselective labeling of engineered fucosylated glycoproteins. PMID- 17768728 TI - The ATP-binding site of protein kinase CK2 holds a positive electrostatic area and conserved water molecules. AB - CK2 is a highly pleiotropic Ser/Thr protein kinase that is able to promote cell survival and enhance the tumour phenotype under specific circumstances. We have determined the crystal structure of three new complexes with tetrabromobenzimidazole derivatives that display K(i) values between 0.15 and 0.30 microM. A comparative analysis of these data with those of four other inhibitors of the same family revealed the presence of some highly conserved water molecules in the ATP-binding site. These waters reside near Lys68, in an area with a positive electrostatic potential that is able to attract and orient negatively charged ligands. The presence of this positive region and two unique bulky residues that are typical of CK2, Ile66 and Ile174, play a critical role in determining the ligand orientation and binding selectivity. PMID- 17768730 TI - Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Scattering Microscopy. AB - Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is presented as a new nonlinear optical technique. The combination of vibrational spectroscopy and microscopy allows highly sensitive investigations of unlabelled samples. CARS is an ideal tool for studying a broad variety of samples. The main drawback of the technique is its non-zero-background nature, which implies that the signal has to be detected against a nonresonant background. The need to solve this problem is reflected in the rapid technological developments that have been observed during the last decade. Recent results show that CARS microscopy has the potential to become an important complementary technique that can be used with other well established microscopic methods. Although it has some limitations, it offers unique access to many problems that cannot be tackled with conventional techniques. For this reason, it can be expected that the impressive growth of the field will continue. PMID- 17768731 TI - Preparation of N-sulfonyl- and N-carbonyl-11-azaartemisinins with greatly enhanced thermal stabilities: in vitro antimalarial activities. AB - As the clinically used artemisinins do not withstand the thermal stress testing required to evaluate shelf life for storage in tropical countries where malaria is prevalent, there is a need to develop thermally more robust artemisinin derivatives. Herein we describe the attachment of electron-withdrawing arene- and alkanesulfonyl and -carbonyl groups to the nitrogen atom of the readily accessible Ziffer 11-azaartemisinin to provide the corresponding N-sulfonyl- and carbonylazaartemisinins. Two acylurea analogues were also prepared by treatment of the 11-azaartemisinin with arylisocyanates. Several of the N sulfonylazaartemisinins have melting points above 200 degrees C and possess substantially greater thermal stabilities than the artemisinins in current clinical use, with the antimalarial activities of several of the arylsulfonyl derivatives being similar to that of artesunate against the drug-sensitive 3D7 clone of the NF54 isolate and the multidrug-resistant K1 strain of P. falciparum. The compounds possess relatively low cytotoxicities. The carbonyl derivatives are less crystalline than the N-sulfonyl derivatives, but are generally more active as antimalarials. The N-nitroarylcarbonyl and arylurea derivatives possess sub-ng ml(-1) activities. Although several of the azaartemisinins possess log P values below 3.5, the compounds have poor aqueous solubility (<1 mg L(-1) at pH 7). The greatly enhanced thermal stability of our artemisinins suggests that strategic incorporation of electron-withdrawing polar groups into both new artemisinin derivatives and totally synthetic trioxanes or trioxolanes may assist in the generation of practical new antimalarial drugs which will be stable to storage conditions in the field, while retaining favorable physicochemical properties. PMID- 17768732 TI - The Fe2+-mediated decomposition, PfATP6 binding, and antimalarial activities of artemisone and other artemisinins: the unlikelihood of C-centered radicals as bioactive intermediates. AB - The results of Fe(2+)-induced decomposition of the clinically used artemisinins, artemisone, other aminoartemisinins, 10-deoxoartemisinin, and the 4-fluorophenyl derivative have been compared with their antimalarial activities and their ability to inhibit the parasite SERCA PfATP6. The clinical artemisinins and artemisone decompose under aqueous conditions to give mixtures of C radical marker products, carbonyl compounds, and reduction products. The 4-fluorophenyl derivative and aminoartemisinins tend to be inert to aqueous iron(II) sulfate and anhydrous iron(II) acetate. Anhydrous iron(II) bromide enhances formation of the carbonyl compounds and provides a deoxyglycal from DHA and enamines from the aminoartemisinins. Ascorbic acid (AA) accelerates the aqueous Fe(2+)-mediated decompositions, but does not alter product distribution. 4-Oxo-TEMPO intercepts C radicals from a mixture of an antimalaria-active trioxolane, 10-deoxoartemisinin, and anhydrous iron(II) acetate to give trapped products in 73 % yield from the trioxolane, and 3 % from the artemisinin. Artemisone provides a trapped product in 10 % yield. Thus, in line with its structural rigidity, only the trioxolane provides a C radical eminently suited for intermolecular trapping. In contrast, the structural flexibility of the C radicals from the artemisinins allows facile extrusion of Fe(2+) and collapse to benign isomerization products. The propensity towards the formation of radical marker products and intermolecular radical trapping have no relationship with the in vitro antimalarial activities of the artemisinins and trioxolane. Desferrioxamine (DFO) attenuates inhibition of PfATP6 by, and antagonizes antimalarial activity of, the aqueous Fe(2+) susceptible artemisinins, but has no overt effect on the aqueous Fe(2+)-inert artemisinins. It is concluded that the C radicals cannot be responsible for antimalarial activity and that the Fe(2+)-susceptible artemisinins may be competitively decomposed in aqueous extra- and intracellular compartments by labile Fe(2+), resulting in some attenuation of their antimalarial activities. Interpretations of the roles of DFO and AA in modulating antimalarial activities of the artemisinins, and a comparison with antimalarial properties of simple hydroperoxides and their behavior towards thapsigargin-sensitive SERCA ATPases are presented. The general basis for the exceptional antimalarial activities of artemisinins in relation to the intrinsic activity of the peroxide within the uniquely stressed environment of the malaria parasite is thereby adumbrated. PMID- 17768733 TI - Amelioration of hyperglycemia and metabolic syndromes in type 2 diabetic KKA(y) mice by poly(gamma-glutamic acid)oxovanadium(IV) complex. AB - Recently, we found that poly(gamma-glutamic acid)oxovanadium(IV) complex (VO(gamma-pga)) exhibits a potent antidiabetic activity in streptozotocin (STZ) induced type 1 diabetic mice. This result prompted us to examine its ability to treat the type 2 diabetic model KKA(y) mice with insulin resistance. We studied the in vivo antidiabetic activity of VO(gamma-pga), compared with that of vanadium(IV) oxide sulfate (VS) as control. Both compounds were orally administered at doses of 5-10 mg (0.1-0.2 mmol) V kg(-1) body mass to the KKA(y) mice for 30 days. VO(gamma-pga) normalized the hyperglycemia within 21 days, whereas VS lowered the blood glucose concentration only by a small degree. In addition, the glucose intolerance, HbA(1c) level, hyperinsulinemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hyperleptinemia were significantly improved in VO(gamma pga)-treated KKA(y) mice compared with those treated with VS. Based on these observations, VO(gamma-pga) is proposed to be the first orally active oxovanadium(IV)-polymer complex for the efficacious treatment of not only type 2 diabetes but also metabolic syndrome in animals. PMID- 17768734 TI - Germanates of 1D chains, 2D layers, and 3D frameworks built from Ge-O clusters by using metal-complex templates: host-guest symmetry and chirality transfer. AB - The self-assembly of Ge-O polyhedra by metal-complex templates leads to initial examples of open germanate structures under mild solvothermal conditions. These materials are constructed from Ge-O cluster building blocks (Ge7X19 (X = O, OH, or F) or Ni@Ge14O24(OH)3) and span the full range of dimensionalities from 1D chains of Ge7O13(OH)2F3 x Cl x 2 [Ni(dien)2] (FJ-6) to 2D layers of Ge7O14F3 x 0.5 [In(dien)2] x 0.5 H3dien x 2 H2O (1) and 3D frameworks of Ni@ Ge14O24(OH)3 x 2 [Ni(L)3] (FJ-1 a/FJ-1 b) (dien = diethylenetriamine, L = ethylenediamine (en) or 1,2-diaminopropane (enMe)). The Ge7X19 cluster in FJ-6 and 1 is formed by condensation of four GeX4 tetrahedra, two GeX5 trigonal bipyramids, and one GeX6 octahedron with a mu3-O atom at the center of the cluster, whereas the Ni@ Ge14O24(OH)3 cluster in FJ-1 a/FJ-1 b is formed by condensation of nine peripheral GeO4 tetrahedra and five interior GeO3Ni units with one mu5-Ni atom at the center of the cluster. FJ-6 is characterized by a pair of racemic Ge7O14(OH)2F3 cluster chains and represents only one example of 1D germanates; 1 exhibits unique germanate layers with uniform 10-membered-ring apertures encapsulating an unknown indium complex, and the framework structure of FJ-1 a/FJ 1 b with large 24-membered-ring channels is the first example of porous materials that contain metal-metal bonds (Ge2+-Ni+). These initial examples of germanates from metal-complex templates provide a useful model system for understanding the mechanisms of host-guest interactions, which may further facilitate the design and development of new porous materials "on demand". It is shown that the symmetry and configuration of the guest metal complex can be imprinted onto the host inorganic framework through hydrogen bonding between host and guest. PMID- 17768735 TI - Spectrum-structure relationship in carbohydrate vibrational circular dichroism and its application to glycoconjugates. AB - Preliminary reports of the nature of the vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) peak at around 1145 cm(-1), which is characteristic of axial glycosidic sugars and is called the glycoside band (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 9496), have been thoroughly examined. Through systematic carbohydrate measurements, it was found that the sign of the glycoside band reflects not only the anomeric configuration but also the pyranose conformation. Isotope and theoretical studies characterized its vibrational mode as C1-H1 deformation coupled with C1-O1 stretching, which indicates its applicability to more-complicated glycoconjugates. In this study, for the first time, carbohydrate VCD spectra were reliably predicted by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The VCD technique was applied to glycopeptides, and simultaneous analysis of both the carbohydrate and aglycan parts was carried out. PMID- 17768738 TI - Chemistry, journals, and sustainability. PMID- 17768736 TI - Determination of caffeine in coffee products by dynamic complexation with 3,4 dimethoxycinnamate and separation by CZE. AB - A method based on the formation of pi-complexes with chlorogenate-like species was proposed for the determination of caffeine in regular (nondecaffeinated) and decaffeinated coffee. Both caffeate and 3,4-dimethoxycinnamate were able to transform caffeine--a neutral species in aqueous solutions--into an anionic species. The usage of 3,4-dimethoxycinnamate in the running electrolyte is advantageous, because of its greater chemical stability and the improved resolution of the peaks of caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline. Negative peaks were registered with a capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector when solutions of these alkylxanthines were analyzed with a BGE composed of 20 mmol/L 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid and pH adjusted to 8.5 with Tris. This behavior was expected, because the complex is larger and thus should move slower than the free anion. Caffeine was determined in ground and instant coffee with precision and accuracy that meet Brazilian norms about such products. The LOD was estimated as 33 mg/L, which corresponds to 0.8 and 0.3 mg of caffeine per gram of dry instant coffee and ground coffee, respectively. For the case of decaffeinated coffee, ten times preconcentration with dichloromethane was carried out to allow the quantitation of caffeine, which should not exceed the concentration of 1 mg/g in dry matter. PMID- 17768742 TI - Aluminum siting in silicon-rich zeolite frameworks: a combined high-resolution (27)Al NMR spectroscopy and quantum mechanics / molecular mechanics study of ZSM 5. PMID- 17768743 TI - On the structure of carbon-supported selenium-modified ruthenium nanoparticles as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction in fuel cells. PMID- 17768744 TI - Complex liquid-crystalline superstructure of a pi-conjugated oligothiophene. PMID- 17768745 TI - Continuous fluorometric assays for acetylcholinesterase activity and inhibition with conjugated polyelectrolytes. PMID- 17768746 TI - Cascade reactions involving formal [2+2] thermal cycloadditions: total synthesis of artochamins F, H, I, and J. PMID- 17768747 TI - Mechanisms of cyaphide (C[triple bond]P(-)) formation. PMID- 17768748 TI - A selective chemical probe for coenzyme A-requiring enzymes. PMID- 17768749 TI - Catalytic asymmetric Michael reactions with enamides as nucleophiles. PMID- 17768750 TI - Formation and structure of the [(1,2-C(6)H(4)P(2)Sb)(2)](4-) ion: implications for an extended family of isoelectronic main-group radicals. PMID- 17768751 TI - Enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of cyclic enones catalyzed by multifunctional primary amines: beneficial effects of hydrogen bonding. PMID- 17768752 TI - Asymmetric activation of tropos 2,2'-biphenol with cinchonine generates an effective catalyst for the asymmetric strecker reaction of N-tosyl-protected aldimines and ketoimines. PMID- 17768753 TI - Thermally stable gold(I) ethylene adducts: [(HB{3,5 (CF(3))(2)Pz}(3))Au(CH(2)=CH(2))] and [(HB{3-(CF(3)),5 (Ph)Pz}(3))Au(CH(2)=CH(2))]. PMID- 17768754 TI - Quantifying synergism/antagonism using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling: a simulation study. AB - Cancer drugs are commonly administered in the clinic in the form of mixtures, also called cocktails or combinations. Assessment of synergistic and antagonistic interactions between drugs is therefore an important aspect of cancer research. Numerous methods have been proposed to assess drug interactions, each one based on a null (or additive) model. In this paper, the Loewe additivity index is used as a basis. Parameters of concentration-response curves, used as input to the Loewe equation, are estimated with a nonlinear mixed-effects model. The use of a nonlinear mixed-effects model, in combination with the Loewe index and a procedure to calculate confidence intervals of the index, is referred to as the 'MixLow' method. Simulations of a sham mixture of a drug with itself show that the MixLow method provides parameter estimators that are more precise than those produced by the Median-Effect method, a popular approach that uses log linearization of the concentration-response curves. Coverage of confidence intervals for the interaction index is acceptable for the MixLow method but poor for the Median-Effect method. This is the first comparison report of coverage of confidence intervals for the Loewe interaction index. A mixture of vincristine and topotecan is also analyzed by the MixLow method and the results are compared with those previously published. The MixLow method can be used to quantify drug interactions in any fixed-ratio drug combination study that includes within-group and between-group replicates, and where responses follow a sigmoidal pattern. PMID- 17768757 TI - Tuning the reactivity of oxide surfaces by charge-accepting adsorbates. PMID- 17768756 TI - Spectroscopic visualization of vortex flows using dye-containing nanofibers. PMID- 17768759 TI - Steric modulation of coordination number and reactivity in the synthesis of lanthanoid(III) formamidinates. AB - Reactions of a range of the readily prepared and sterically tunable N,N' bis(aryl)formamidines with lanthanoid metals and bis(pentafluorophenyl)mercury (Hg(C6F5)2) in THF have given an extensive series of tris(formamidinato)lanthanoid(III) complexes, [Ln(Form)3(thf)n], namely [La(o TolForm)3(thf)2], [Er(o-TolForm)3(thf)], [La(XylForm)3(thf)], [Sm(XylForm)3], [Ln(MesForm)3] (Ln=La, Nd, Sm and Yb), [Ln(EtForm)3] (Ln=La, Nd, Sm, Ho and Yb), and [Ln(o-PhPhForm)3] (Ln=La, Nd, Sm and Er). [For an explanation of the N,N' bis(aryl)formamidinate abbreviations used see Scheme 1.] Analogous attempts to prepare [Yb(o-TolForm)3] by this method invariably yielded [{Yb(o-TolForm)2(mu OH)(thf)}2], but [Yb(o-TolForm)3] was isolated from a metathesis synthesis. X-ray crystal structures show exclusively N,N'-chelation of the Form ligands and a gradation in coordination number with Ln3+ size and with Form ligand bulk. The largest ligands, MesForm, EtForm and o-PhPhForm give solely homoleptic complexes, the first two being six-coordinate, the last having an eta1-pi-Ar--Ln interaction. Reaction of lanthanoid elements and Hg(C6F5)2 with the still bulkier DippFormH in THF resulted in C--F activation and formation of [Ln(DippForm)2F(thf)] (Ln=La, Ce, Nd, Sm and Tm) complexes, and o HC6F4O(CH2)4DippForm in which the formamidine is functionalised by a ring-opened THF that has trapped tetrafluorobenzyne. Analogous reactions between Ln metals, Hg(o-HC6F4)2 and DippFormH yielded [Ln(DippForm)2F(thf)] (Ln=La, Sm and Nd) and 3,4,5-F3C6H2O(CH2)4DippForm. X-ray crystal structures of the heteroleptic fluorides show six-coordinate monomers with two chelating DippForm ligands and cisoid fluoride and THF ligands in a trigonal prismatic array. The organometallic species [Ln(DippForm)2(C[triple chemical bond]CPh)(thf)] (Ln=Nd or Sm) are obtained from reaction of Nd metal, bis(phenylethynyl)mercury (Hg(C[triple chemical bond]CPh)2) and DippFormH, and the oxidation of [Sm(DippForm)2(thf)2] with Hg(C[triple chemical bond]CPh)2, respectively. The monomeric, six coordinate, cisoid [Ln(DippForm)2(C[triple chemical bond]CPh)(thf)] complexes have trigonal prismatic geometries and rare (for Ln) terminal C[triple chemical bond]CPh groups with contrasting Ln--C[triple chemical bond]C angles (Ln=Nd, 170.9(4) degrees; Ln=Sm, 142.9(7) degrees). Their formation lends support to the view that [Ln(DippForm)2F(thf)] complexes arise from oxidative formation and C--F activation of [Ln(DippForm)2(C6F5)] intermediates. PMID- 17768760 TI - Evidence for significant through-space and through-bond electronic coupling in the 1,4-diphenylcyclohexane-1,4-diyl radical cation gained by absorption spectroscopy and DFT calculations. AB - Photoinduced single-electron-transfer promoted oxidation of 2,5-diphenyl-1,5 hexadiene by using N-methylquinolinium tetrafluoroborate/biphenyl co sensitization takes place with the formation of an intense electronic absorption band at 476 nm, which is attributed to the 1,4-diphenylcyclohexane-1,4-diyl radical cation. The absorption maximum (lambda(ob)) of this transient occurs at a longer wavelength than is expected for either the cumyl radical or the cumyl cation components. Substitution at the para positions of the phenyl groups in this radical cation by CH(3)O, CH(3), F, Cl, and Br leads to an increasingly larger redshift of lambda(ob). A comparison of the rho value, which was obtained from a Hammett plot of the electronic transition energies of the radical cations versus sigma(+), with that for the cumyl cation shows that the substituent effects on the transition energies for the 1,4-diarylcyclohexane-1,4-diyl radical cations are approximately one half of the substituent effects on the transition energies of the cumyl cation. The observed substituent-induced redshifts of lambda(ob) and the reduced sensitivity of lambda(ob) to substituent changes are in accordance with the proposal that significant through-space and -bond electronic interactions exist between the cumyl radical and the cumyl cation moieties of the 1,4-diphenylcyclohexane-1,4-diyl radical cation. This proposal gains strong support from the results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Moreover, the results of time-dependent DFT calculations indicate that the absorption band at 476 nm for the 1,4-diphenylcyclohexane-1,4-diyl radical cation corresponds to a SOMO-3 --> SOMO transition. PMID- 17768765 TI - Talking with the public--challenging the public scare. PMID- 17768767 TI - Perspective: Why communication in biotechnology is important. PMID- 17768770 TI - Communication of gene technology--a difficult enterprise: a journalist's view on biotech communication. PMID- 17768771 TI - Effects of substance P on memory and mood in healthy male subjects. AB - There is evidence from human and animal studies that substance P (SP) is involved in the etiopathology of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, animal studies have shown effects of SP on memory. In a double-blind, randomized cross-over study, 13 healthy young men received SP (1.5 pmol/kg/min) or placebo (NaCl) intravenously over 90 min at two different days. Before and during the infusion, symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed by different self-rating questionnaires and cognitive functioning by the Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) as well as by two subtests of the Test for Attentional Performance (TAP). Infusion of SP caused an increase of symptoms of inner tension and of anxiety as assessed by the Acute Panic Inventory (API) and a disturbance of short-term memory in the AVLT. The results may be interpreted as evidence for an anxiogenic and memory-disturbing effect of SP. Further studies will focus on the effects of SP in patients with depression, anxiety and cognitive disorders. PMID- 17768772 TI - Differentiation of semantic dementia and Alzheimer's disease using the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE). AB - BACKGROUND: The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) is a simple diagnostic tool bridging the gap between the very brief Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) and much longer test batteries used by neuropsychologists which has proven extremely popular internationally. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the ability of the ACE to differentiate semantic dementia (SD) from Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: The ACE was administered to three groups: SD patients (n = 40) and two separate groups of AD patients (n = 40 in each), matched for overall ACE or MMSE score. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between SD and both AD groups for the ACE sub-scores of naming, reading and orientation in time. Discriminant analysis (SD versus AD) led to the formulation of a 'semantic index' (naming plus reading minus scores for serial-7s, orientation in time and drawing). Application of the semantic index to the patient data found values of less than zero to be predictive of SD rather than AD with 88% sensitivity and 90% specificity. Validation analysis in an independent sample of 24 SD and AD patients proved even more favourable. CONCLUSIONS: The overall ACE score is known to be a sensitive, and specific, indicator of early neurodegenerative dementia; this study shows that the ACE can also be used to detect SD through application of the semantic index. PMID- 17768776 TI - Polymer-mediated synthesis of ferritin-encapsulated inorganic nanoparticles. PMID- 17768777 TI - FDA notifications. FDA approves NAT for HIV screening. PMID- 17768778 TI - FDA notifications. FDA approves new formulation of Lexiva. PMID- 17768779 TI - Ask the doctors. I have atrial fibrillation and have read about a procedure to treat it using radio frequency energy to get rid of the cause of the irregular beats. I have a pacemaker, given to me after several unsuccessful cardioversions. If I underwent the new procedure, would I keep the pacemaker? PMID- 17768780 TI - Ask the doctors. You often write about "good" and "bad" cholesterol, but most people I know believe that all cholesterol--or a high total cholesterol number- is bad. Is it? PMID- 17768781 TI - Mycotic aneurysm of the thoracic aorta detected by FDG-PET. PMID- 17768782 TI - Medullary pacemaker neurons are essential for both eupnea and gasping in mammals vs. medullary pacemaker neurons are essential for gasping, but not eupnea, in mammals. PMID- 17768783 TI - Medullary pacemaker neurons are essential for both eupnea and gasping in mammals vs. medullary pacemaker neurons are essential for gasping, but not eupnea, in mammals. PMID- 17768784 TI - Medullary pacemaker neurons are essential for both eupnea and gasping in mammals vs. medullary pacemaker neurons are essential for gasping, but not eupnea, in mammals. PMID- 17768785 TI - Medullary pacemaker neurons are essential for both eupnea and gasping in mammals vs. medullary pacemaker neurons are essential for gasping, but not eupnea, in mammals. PMID- 17768786 TI - Medullary pacemaker neurons are essential for both eupnea and gasping in mammals vs. medullary pacemaker neurons are essential for gasping, but not eupnea, in mammals. PMID- 17768787 TI - Relapsing-remitting central nervous system disease in a young child. PMID- 17768788 TI - [Medical records]. PMID- 17768789 TI - The Hormone Foundation's patient guide to the management of maternal hypothyroidism before, during and after pregnancy. PMID- 17768790 TI - The risks and advantages of framing science. PMID- 17768791 TI - The risks and advantages of framing science. PMID- 17768792 TI - The risks and advantages of framing science. PMID- 17768793 TI - Copycat trap. PMID- 17768794 TI - [Cholera in Rio Grande do Norte State--Brazil: sorology and sensitivity of Vibrio cholerae to different antimicrobials]. AB - PURPOSE: The emergence of multiple resistance to antimicrobials in Vibrio cholerae isolated in the state of Ceara, Brazil, alerted researchers in this area to the sensitivity to antimicrobials of strains isolated in Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil. METHODS: One hundred and four strains of V. cholerae of human origin, isolated by Laboratorio Central de Saude Publica Dr. Almino Fernandes, were serologically typified and evaluated for in vitro sensitivity to eight antibiotics belonging to different groups (polymyxine, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, nitrofurantoin, sulphazotrin, pefloxacine, erythromycine, ampicillin). The strains were collected from patients suspected of contracting choleric diarrhea in the year 1999, in Natal/RN/Brazil. RESULTS: From the sample total, 100 were identified as V. cholerae, serogroup O:1, biotype El Tor, with 99 (95.3%) belonging to serovar Ogawa and only 1 (0.9%) to serovar Inaba. The 4 remaining were characterized as non O:1 V. cholerae, with 3 (2.9%) biochemically identified as Heiberg type I and 1 (0.9%) as type II. All the V. cholerae serogroup O:1 strains were sensitive to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, sulphazotrin, pefloxacine, erythromycine and resistant to polymyxine. In relation to nitrofurantoin, only 1 was sensitive. Only 1 was resistant to ampicillin. The non O:1 V. cholerae strains were resistant to polymyxine. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed sensitivity in 100% of the V. cholerae serogroup O:1 strains to tetracycline, an elective drug in the treatment of cholera, and an absence of multiple resistant strains in our environment. An interesting finding was the frequency of serovar Ogawa in 1999, considering the greater incidence of serovar Inaba in other years of cholera outbreaks in RN. PMID- 17768795 TI - [Quali-quantitative analysis of influence of sports activities in the health of children and young people in a Program of Sports Education in Natal-Brasil]. AB - PURPOSE: Verify in a specific social totality of lower socioeconomical level, what would be the main interest for parents to place their children in an Educational Program Through Sport. To evaluate and classify children and young people as to physical aptitude related to health through scientifically validated indicators and to relate them to socioeconomical condition. To verify compatibility between qualitative and quantitative researches. METHODS: The sample of the qualitative study is composed of 22 subjects, characterizing itself as a non probabilistic sample of the causal type. Semi structured interview techniques in an individual situation and free evocation of words were used, based on the presuppositions of the Theory of Social Representations. A mixed sample, of the quantitative study, is composed of 67 children, where the possibility of relationship of the family income variable was confirmed with the variables: Body Composition and Flexibility, that compose the physical aptitude indicator related to health and the social representation of the parents. RESULTS: The qualitative results refer to biological aspects of health that constitute the central nucleus of the social representation of sport. In the quantitative aspect, it is verified that there was no correlation statistically, significant between the indexes of physical aptitude and the family income. CONCLUSION: The reason attributed to the physical-sport activities by the parents or relatives of the children, is based on the benefits to biological health and is shown by the children's good performance in the applied aptitude tests. There is not significant correlation between the index of physical aptitude applied to health, which reinforces the possibility of the parents social representation and the children's behavior. PMID- 17768796 TI - [The Brazilian volleyball juvenile female team and its dermatoglyphic characteristics]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To identify the dermatoglypical caracteristics by the digital impressions. METHODS: The study was descriptive and 19 female athletics were included. They were 15.9 +/- 0.36 years old, there weight was 67.4 +/- 8.73kg, and thad 181.6 +/- 6.11cm, from the juvenile 2004 Brazilian voleybol juvenile selection team. The Cummins & Midlo (1942), method was used to identify the dermatoglyphical caracteristics by the digital impressions from 10 hand digits of athletes. RESULTS: The study showed the following model of digital impressions: A = 0.42 +/- 0.69; L = 6.89 +/- 2.89; W = 2.74 +/- 3.14; D10 = 12.32 +/- 3.51 e SQTL = 119.37 +/- 28.99. CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirmed that the dermatoglyphical characteristics of the female voleybol athletes of the juvenile Brazilian team are similar to that of the adult male team. Its necessary to compare these data with the adult female voley team, in order to stablish parameters to evaluate the potencial of future athletes. PMID- 17768797 TI - [Assessment of risk to neuro-psychomotor development: screening using the Test Denver II and identification of maternal risks]. AB - PURPOSE: To identify a positive screening test for developmental delay in children by the Denver Test II and their risk factors. METHODS: A sample of 398 children was studied at 0 the 12 months of age regarding their neurodevelopment. The Denver II Test was used. The children who failed in two or more items of the test were suspected of having neurodevelopment delay. A set of independent variables was: socioeconomic, reproductive and environmental, birth conditions children's care. Analyses were performed using chi-square test and multivariate techinique logistic regression. RESULTS: At of 0 - 12 months of age, 45,73% (182) of the total of 398 children failed in the screening test. After adjusting for possible confounding variables, failure was associated with family lower income children, gestacional age less than 38 weeks, socioeconomic status family, schooling of the mother, mother's age, use of drug. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates: 1--The Denver Test permited screening the delays development; 2- Maternal risk factors may interfere in the child's neurodevelopmental. PMID- 17768798 TI - [Neuropsicologic evaluation of children with congenital and acquired hemyparesis- early results]. AB - PURPOSE: To present the preliminary results of neuropsychological assessment for children with congenital and acquired hemiparesis with or not seizures. METHODS: Nine children at a age of 5 and 14 years old, were studied individually by one battery of test to neuropsychological assessment of cognitive function, language, gnosia, praxia visuo-motor and memory processing and emotional aspect. RESULTS: Children with hemiparesis demonstrated minimal or severe cognitive dysfuctions, impaired language abilities, poor visuo-motor and memory processing and alteration in emotional aspect. Acquired hemiparesis with seizures in childhood had a severe cognitive deficits, but congenital hemiparesis with or not seizures the neuropsychological assessment demonstrate minimal or moderate cortical deficits. CONCLUSIONS: Theses preliminary results demonstrated that congenital or acquired hemiparesis associated or not with seizures present cortical dysfuctions. The worst results was observed in acquired hemiparesis with epileptic seizures. PMID- 17768799 TI - [Nutritional evaluation of children with enteroparasitosis]. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the nutritious state in children of low social-economic class in order to look over a possible corelationship among this status and the infections caused by enteroparasites. METHODS: 103 children were submitted to a nutritions evolution and to accomplish a exam of serial samples. The method employed searched protozoan cystos, helmints eggs and larvae and it counted helmint eggs when presented through 4 different methods of diagnosis. RESULTS: The results obtained show that the poor environmental and social-economic conditions helped create a high infectious frequency caused by enteroparasites, mainly by Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides, among the helminthes, and Endolimax nana and Giardia lamblia, among the protozoans. light malnutrition without protein deficit was found in 93.55% and moderate malnutrition in 6.45% of the children malnutrition (30.7%). CONCLUSION: Then, it is possible to suggest that children besides bearing many parasitosis were not weth their nutritional state deeply compromised. PMID- 17768800 TI - [Comparation of maximal oxygen consumption equations in young people]. AB - PURPOSE: To compare the results of equations for estimate of the indirect maximal oxygen consumption with obtained them in test ergoespirometric in young individuals. METHODS: Fifty-two individuals of the masculine sex were submitted to the test of effort with it analyzes direct of gases in treadmill for the determination of the maximum consumption of oxygen (VO2max). The progressive protocol was used with load increment to each one minute. The obtained results were compared ace equations of Jackson et al and the one of Mathews et al. For the statistical analysis of the results the test of multiple comparisons corrected by the test of Bonferrone was applied. The significance level was of p < 0.05. RESULTS: The average of age was of (21.06 +/- 2.75) years; body mass (70.85 +/- 9.15); thin mass (62.69 +/- 6.86); fat mass (8.30 +/- 4.77); percentile of fat (11.34 +/- 5.45) and maximun heartrate of (191.73 +/- 7.84). The equations of Jackson et al (VO2max = 49.29 +/- 2.95) for a standard mistake of (EPE = 0.41) and Mathews et al (VO2max = 37.43 +/-. 2.14) with a (EPE = 0,31) presenting tendency in underestimating the consumption of oxygen for the sample that was of (VO2max = 55.34 +/- 8.34) for a (EPE = 1.16), being observed significant difference in relation to measure of the VO2max obtained in test of effort (p < 0.05), for the value of Wilks'E = 0.044; F (2.500) = 539.27; p = 0.001. CONCLUSION: The equations didn't present a power of reliable estimate for the studied population. PMID- 17768801 TI - [Contributions of hospital psicology to the care of the surgical patient]. AB - PURPOSE: The present article show some contributions to the Health Psychology at the chirurgical patient attention, with the interdisciplinary intervention propose, under the biopsychosocial paradigm. METHODS/RESULTS: Show some points about the relationships above the chirurgeon, health team and patient and presents some psychological and psychopathologic answers to the patient under the trinomial illness-hospitalization-care in the period a long the diagnosis and chirurgical indication at the rehabilitation proceedings. CONCLUSION: Psicologist must conquist, by knowledge and dedication, his space in surgical teams. PMID- 17768802 TI - [Correlation of dyslipidemia in patients with critical ischemia in Hospital Barao de Lucena - Recife/PE]. AB - PURPOSE: There are studies that confirm the association between dyslipidaemia and the genesis of atherosclerosis process in world literature. The goal of this study is to evaluate the incidence of the dyslipidaemia in patients with critical limb ischemia. METHODS: The analysis was made in fifty in-patients from Vascular Surgery Service from Barao de Lucena Hospital from September 2003 to August 2004. We analyzed the laboratorial tests and seen the frequency the lipids abnormalities in fifty patients. RESULTS: Among the patients evaluated 62.2% was women and 37.8% was men. The incidence of abnormalities in the lipids levels was 39.2% in women and 31.5% in the men. It was not possible to determinate the relationship between the lipids levels and the intensity of atherosclerotic lesions. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant incidence of dyslipidaemia in the patients evaluated. All data are similar to the ones observed in the in the literature. PMID- 17768803 TI - [Psicological aspects in infertile women]. AB - PURPOSE: To assess the frequency of stress and anxiety levels in infertile women, and to correlate these aspects with risk factors, in order to obtain data for specific psychological guidance. METHODS: The case-control study included a total of 302 women, 152 being infertile (case group: 30.3 +/- 5.4 years), and 150 non fertile (control group: 25.7 +/- 7.9 years). The quantitative approach involved the application of Lipp's Stress Symptoms Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Response variables considered were: stress frequency and anxiety scores (State and Trait). Statistical analysis was performed by using the Chi squared and Mann-Whitney tests, and logistical regression to test associations between response variables and considered risk factors. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. RESULTS: The stress was more frequent in the case group than the control group (61.8 and 36.0%, respectively), however, no significant differences were observed between groups in relation to stress phases and predominant symptoms. With respect to anxiety, there were no significant differences between case and control groups as to median state scores (39.5 and 41.0; respectively) and anxiety trait scores (44.0 and 42.0; respectively). Factors significantly associated with greater risk for high anxiety scores in the case group were: primary infertility, unawareness of the causal factor, diagnostic phase investigation, religion, lack of children from other marriages. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that infertile women are more vulnerable to stress; however, they are capable of adapting to stressful events without serious physical or psychological compromising. PMID- 17768804 TI - [Palmar force in Down syndrome people. Analysis of involved muscles]. AB - PURPOSE: To associate hipotony with grip strength in palmar prehension seeking to indicate parameters and a scale of force for bearers of the Down's Syndrome, once there is a growing increase of the longevity in that population and a lack of works, as well as to identify through literature revision and an anatomic and kinesiologic analysis of the muscles involved in this movement. METHODS: Transversal analytic study that had the participation of 138 individuals, distributed in two groups: group of study (GE) = 28 (Down Syndrome's bearers) and the group control (GC) = 110 (normal individuals). The instrument used was the JAMAR dynamometer. RESULTS: It was verified grip strength significantly smaller for the group GE in relation to the group GC. CONCLUSIONS: men has a prevalence palmar prehension grip strength in relation to women; it was verified a significant deficit of the palmar prehension grip strength in the group GE when compared with the group GC; the obtained results should be considered an indicative of force to rehabilitate the hand function in individuals with Down's Syndrome; it should be taken in consideration the hand's characteristics of the Down's Syndrome bearer, because perhaps they present better results for grip strength with the dynamometer in the position 1; the principal muscles involved in the movement are: long flexor of the thumb; tenars muscles (opponent of the thumb, adductor of the thumb and short flexor of the thumb); hypotenars muscles (short flexor of the minimum finger); superficial flexor of the fingers; deep flexor of the fingers and the 4 lumbrical. PMID- 17768805 TI - [Congenital and acquired hemiplegia in children: epileptic crisis and eletrencephalografic signs]. AB - PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to compare the presence or absence of seizures and their relationship with the electroencephalographic findings in children with congenital and acquired hemiplegia. METHODS: 35 children with congenital and acquired hemiplegia were studied by clinical and electroencephalographic features. We analyzed the frequency and seizures severity and their relationship between the background activity and epileptogenic discharges in the electroencephalogram (EEG). RESULTS: From the 35 children, 26 (74.6%) presented congenital hemiplegia and 9 (25.6%) acquired one. Seventeen (48.5%) had right hemiplegia and 18 (51.4%) left one. It was find 25 cases (71.4%) with seizures and 10 cases without seizures. All the patients with seizures presented abnormal EEG activity that was bilateral in 44% of the cases. The patient without seizures presented abnormal background activity in 90% of cases and only 10% were bilateral. Concerning epileptogenic activity, it was find 78% of patients with seizures and 68% of patients without seizures. There was statistical significance related to abnormal background activity and uncontrolled epileptic seizures. CONCLUSION: The bilateral disorganization of the background activity in the EEG is related with uncontrolled seizures. The background activity well organized in the opposite side of lesion has a good prognosis to control seizures. The epileptogenic focal activity isn't always related with the presence of seizures. PMID- 17768806 TI - [Total and specific IgA in colostrum and milk of mothers of Natal-Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil]. AB - PURPOSE: To determine the concentration of total secretory IgA and evaluate the repertoire of IgA antibodies to enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri antigens in colostrums and milk from mothers in Natal, RN. METHODS: The sample was constituted by 22 healthy clinically women whose babies were born at public hospital in Natal, RN. To determine total secretory IgA a radial immunedifusion tecnique (Mancini et al, 1965), was employed and to detect specific antibodies, immuneenzimatic assays, ELISA was used. RESULTS: The median values of total secretory IgA concentration presented individual variations with high levels in colostrums samples, decreasing during lactation, it was observed a p < 0.001 among the samples from the first day of lactation, to the thirtieth for total IgA concentration. All the donators present in colostrum and milk specific antibodies to Escherichia coli enteropathogenic (EPEC) and Shigella flexneri with titles higer in colostrum. There was parallel and directional pattern between total IgA and IgA anti-EPEC and Shegella flexneri, during period. CONCLUSION: The concentrations of total SIgA and specific antibodies to enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri in colostrums and milk in our study do not differ from others accomplished among populations with the same social and econimic features, stressing the importance of human milk as a protector agent against pathogens. PMID- 17768807 TI - [Correlation of hybrid II capture cytologic exam in diagnosis of cervical lesions related to HPV]. AB - PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was confront the results of the cytological examination with hybrid capture II in the diagnosis of induced cervical intraepithelial lesion-HPV, correlating the cytological findings with biomoleculares. METHODS: The research was carried through in a group of 160 sexually active women who had espontaneamente looked its gynecologists for consultation of routine, having been submitted to the collection of cervicovaginal material for cytology and for examination of hybrid capture II in the Centro de Patologia Clinica and the Hospital e Maternidade Promater, in the city of the Natal-RN. RESULTS: The results had shown to relatively high numbers of positive cases for HPV using hybrid capture II (41.87%) and the cytology (23.75%). The agreement between the two studied methods relatively was raised (59.38%). It was evident also that the viruses with high oncogenico potential had presented found in the compatible cytology with Lesion of low risk (11.88%), followed of Lesion of high risk (NIC II and III); already the viruses with low oncogenico potential were more associates the Lesion of low risk (6.25%), followed of Lesion of high risk. CONCLUSION: The cytology, exactly with its limitations, is an important method in the detention of attributable patologias to the HPV, emphasizing that the molecular method comes to complement it and to consolidate the cytological findings. PMID- 17768808 TI - [Generalized congenital lipodystrophy: correlation with leptin and other biochemical parameters]. AB - PURPOSE: To correlate serum leptin and insulin levels, and the glucosic profile of 21 patients shared in diabetics and non diabetics with Congenital Generalized Lipodystrophy (CGL). METHODS: In a prospective study, were dosed serum leptin level with radioimmunoassay technique, fasting plasma glucose through of the glucoseoxidase-peroxidase reaction, the hemoglobin glycate using the technique microchromatography for ionic exchange resin and insulin through immunoassay system. The fructosamine concentration serum was determinated for reduction nitroblue tetrazolium method. The Student's test was used to compare results between the groups and the correlation "r" coefficient to analise the relation among the several variants studied, with significant level of 5% (p < 0.05). All the statistical procedures were performed using the Excel by Microsoft and the Statistic program for Windows by StatSoft, Inc. version 5.1 edition 97. RESULTS: Leptin decreased on the most patients, showing no statistically significant difference between the groups. Also there wasn't difference statistically significant (p = 0.9542) of the insulin's value between diabetics and non diabetics. CONCLUSION: The hyperinsulinism and the hypoleptinemia occurred independently of diabetes in the CGL's patients and this can be due to the natural history of disease, in which the raise insulin levels precede the initial diabetes mellitus and the low leptin levels were related to the lipoatrophy. PMID- 17768809 TI - [Effect of caffeine in the performance of cyclists under high thermal risk]. AB - PURPOSE: To verify the effect of caffeine on yield time, the tympanic temperature and body weight with the administration of 5 and 9 mg/kg doses of caffeine and placebo, in cycling races under high thermal risk conditions. METHODS: Eight highly-trained cyclists were studied in 3 races of 45 km using the experimental model and double-blind with intra-subjects randomized. RESULTS: Air temperature ranged from 28.,5 and 32 degrees C and humidity between 71 e 78% with an index of WBGT varying between 24.5 degrees and 27 degrees C, figures that indicate high thermal risk. No significant differences were observed between variables assessed, yet yield time was lower with doses of 5 and 9 mg/kg caffeine than with placebo. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that heat and humidity conditions may be sufficient to mask the ergogenic benefit of caffeine in cycling races of prolonged duration. Therefore, isn't justifiable it's utilization in high thermal risk conditions. PMID- 17768810 TI - [Perception of ischemic and pressing pain in young women during menstrual cycle. Association with humor and cortisol levels]. AB - PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the modulation of pain perception, estimate by both threshold and tolerance to ischemic and pressure stimuli, by cortisol and humor states across the menstrual cycle. METHODS: Threshold and tolerance pain to ischemic and pressure stimuli were determined in eighteen healthy young women. The menstrual cycle phases were determined using oral temperature, documentation of the first and last day of menstruation and plasma levels of progesterone and estradiol. Statistical analysis using linear regression model (R2) indicate which hormonal variables (estradiol, progesterone and cortisol) and/or variables obtained from the questionnaire Profile of Mood States (POMS) (fatigue, tension, anger, vigor, confusion and depression) explain, isolated or together, each one of the pain parameters during the five phases of the menstrual cycle. RESULTS: In the follicular, periovulatory, early-to-middle luteal and menstrual phases hormones and subjective variables from POMS explained the responses for pain threshold and tolerance to ischemic and pressure stimulus. Estradiol (during follicular, peri-ovulatory and menstrual phases) and cortisol (during follicular, early-to-mid luteal and mestrual phases) explain only the pain perception to pressure. The differential participation of the hormones in the two types of pain suggests that estradiol, and probably cortisol, modulate the pathways related to pressure but not those related to ischemic pain. On the other hand only the mood states variables explained pain perception during late luteal phase. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of hormonal and subjective variables (POMS) together, associated to detailed characterization of the menstrual cycle suggest that participation of estradiol and cortisol modulate pain perception to pressure stimulus but not to ischemic one. Indeed, suggest that in healthy women with regular menstrual cycles, only subjective variables explained pain perception during late luteal phase of menstrual cycle. PMID- 17768812 TI - [Prevalence and associated factors with pain in professional dancers]. AB - PURPOSE: To investigate factors associated to pain in ballet dancers as well its prevalence. METHODS: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study among 141 professional ballet dancers from the main capitals of Northeastern Brazil. In order to evaluate the symptoms of pain we used Portuguese official versions of the McGill Protocol and the Pain Inventory of Wisconsin. For statistical analysis of the results we performed a descriptive assessment, followed by T-Student and Pearson's Correlation tests (taking a value of p < 0.05). RESULTS: We observed high levels of pain tolerance in 70.2% of the subjects, in which the intensity varied from moderate to severe. The lumbar region was the most affected (85.8%). We observed positive correlations concerning the intensity degree of pain with activities such as dancing (60.3%), sleeping (28.4%), marching (20.6%), general activities (32.6%), mood (27.7%), and personal relations (16.3%). CONCLUSION: We observed a high prevalence of pain in professional ballet dancers from the main Northeastern capitals, attacking mostly the lumbar region, followed by knees, neck, hip and feet, with substantial interference of pain symptoms in several activities of the personal and professional lives of these people. PMID- 17768811 TI - [Prediction of etiology based on the clinical type of convulsion in the neonatal period]. AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the seizure clinical type is predictive of etiology. METHODS: This is a prospective study from 9 neonatal and pediatric intensive care units. Neonatal seizures were defined clinically as described by Volpe. The seizures etiology was defined by positive clinical date, cranial sonogram and laboratory investigation routinely obtained in all neonates with seizures. Correlation between seizures type and etiologies was determined by Odds ration (OR). RESULTS: During one year 89 neonates develop neonatal seizures and the etiologies were determined. The mains seizures types were: subtle (n = 59; 66.3%), tonic (n = 27; 30.4%), clonic (n = 20; 22.4%), myoclonic (n = 4; 4.5%). The most frequent etiologies determined were: asphyxia (n = 60; 67.4%), hypocalcemia (n = 19; 21.3%), hypoglicemia (n = 14; 15.7%), peri-intraventricular hemorrhage (n = 13; 14%). The OR estimate that clonic seizures (OR 5.65 - 1.34 < OR < 23.61%) is predictive to peri-intraventricular hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: The OR estimate high risk to periventricular hemorrhage when the seizure is the clonic type. When the seizure is subtle type the risk is low to this etiology. PMID- 17768813 TI - [Relation of adult mortality and socioeconomical data on metropolitan regions of Brazil]. AB - PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between the adult mortality, in the age range between 10 and 64 years old in 2000, and socioeconomic indicators for 16 metropolitan regions of Brazil. METHODS: From the datas of the Mortality System from the Ministry of Heath, were calculated the crude mortality rates (CMR) to all the causes of dead and sex, for the 16 metropolitan regions in Brazil. As a form of guarantee the spacial camparability, the CMR were standardized by age and sex, achieving the total mortality-standardized rates and for sex by the direct method of standardization. The correlation of Pearson was obtained for the 9 indicators and the analysis of cluster was used for the agroupment of the metropolitan regions. RESULTS: The matrix of correlation of Pearson showed significant correlation only between the TMSR, the urbanization degree and residence with rubbish collection. Three groups of metropolitan regions were identified. CONCLUSION: The analysis of agroupment identified three groups: 1- Porto Alegre, Sao Paulo, Vitoria, Curitiba, Maceio, Rio de Janeiro e recife; 2- Florianopolis, Natal, Fortaleza, Brasilia e Sao Luis e 3--Goiania, Belo Horizonte, Salvador e Belem, that showed be significantly different by analysis of variance (P = 0.000). PMID- 17768814 TI - [Relation between diet protein and calciuria in children and adolescents with nephrolitiasis]. AB - PURPOSE: The objective was to evaluate the quality of diet and the relationship between protein diet and calciuria in children and adolescents with nephrolithiasis. METHODS: Forty-nine children and adolescents (28 male and 21 female; 10.1 +/- 3.16 years old) with nephrolithiasis were included in study. Diet evaluation was performed over a 3 day period in order to determine nutrient consumption. The analysis of diets were carried out by DietWin Clinico 3.0 software. One 24-hour urine sample was collected for the measurement of calcium. Nutritional status was also assessed by Body Mass Index (BMI). RESULTS: The diet of patients containe insufficient energy and calcium. High levels of protein (69.64 +/- 16.42 gm), mainly animal source (65.81 +/- 11.45%) and low levels of calcium (500.95 +/- 284.64 mg) was observed (95%). Analysis of 24 hour urine samples revealed that 25.0% of the patients presented hypercalciuria. A positive correlation (r = 0.26680) between animal protein intake and calciuria was found, in opposite of vegetable protein and calciuria correlation (r = -0.2675). CONCLUSIONS: Animal protein of the diet has a significant effect in urinary excretion of calcium in patients with nephrolithiasis. PMID- 17768815 TI - [Social representation and hospital occupational risk]. AB - PURPOSE: To apprehend the central and periphery elements on the occupational risk and the level of satisfaction with the work, emitted by workers of an academic public hospital. METHODS: The sample was constituted by 84 different graduate health professionals who work for the hospital. The data collection was based on the following instruments: the free evocation from the "occupational" risk, an interview semi-structured aiming to capture socio-demographic data and the level of satisfaction of the work developed within the hospital environment, as well as the participant observation. For the analysis of the socio-demographic, it was used the descriptive statistical treatment based on the software Evoc 2000, as well as the Analysis of Content, according to Bardin (1977). These analysis aimed to capture the registrations obtained from the interviews as well as daily notes to verify the possible contradictions and consensus on the professional postures during their work shift. In addition, the analysis were also based on the Theory of the Social Representations and the Theory of the Central Nucleus. RESULTS: The results have demonstrated that the average age of the group is around 38,4 years old; (72.6%) of the work force with a graduate degree is female; 51% of the professionals interviewed work in other places besides the hospital; 83% are considered to be satisfied and only 17% are considered to be unsatisfied with the work accomplished in the hospital. Regarding to the occupational risk, some specific aspects were mentioned as the following categorization: risks of physical nature, chemistry, organic, mechanic, physiologic and psychic. Regarding to the content analysis, the following categories emerged: love to the profession; convenience and professional growth; reflection and critic. Based on the direct observation it was verified that it is common the noncompliance of the relative universal norms regarding to the use of protection equipments during the work. CONCLUSION: The organic occupational risks constituted the central nucleus of the representation of the workers in the hospital. It was observed that physiologic, mechanics and chemical risks are considered as periphery elements of that representation. In that perspective, it was suggested that some subjective aspects related to the organizational culture, in terms of control and elimination of the environmental risks, administration, process, organization and difficulties of the work should be taken into consideration when in the implementation of the intervention measures related to the workers' health. PMID- 17768816 TI - [Resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals from Escherichia coli isolated from sea water and pluvial galeries]. AB - OBJECTIVE: Test the resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals of E. coli strains isolated from storm sewer water and adjacent seawater samples from three beaches (Meio, Area Preta and Ponta Negra) in the city of Natal/RN/Brazil, and determine the association among those characteristics. METHODS: A total of 98 strains of E. coli, 50 from storm sewers and 48 from the seawater were analyzed resistance to several antimicrobials by disk diffusion and agar dilution and to heavy metals by dilution in plates with aqueous solutions of CuSO4 incorporated to Mueller Hinton agar in concentrations of 100, 150, 200 and 250 ig/mL and HgCl2 in concentrations of 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50 ig/mL. Standard strains were used as control. RESULTS: Among the twelve antimicrobials tested, 28 (28.5%) of E. coli strains showed resistance to different antimicrobials drugs to seven. The greatest resistance rate was to tetracycline (46.4%), ampicillin (39.3%) and cephalothin (32.1%), with the remainder (nitrophurantoine, nalidixic acid, sulfatomexazol-trimethoprin and chloramphenicol) at lower percentages. Among the heavy metals, all the strains (100%) were resistant to zinc and to copper in the largest concentration (250 ig/mL), and 18.4% were resistant to HgCl the 50 ig/mL. Ten (55.5%) of the E. coli strains resistant to Hg were associated to resistance to antibiotics. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the existence of extra chromosomal genes in E. coli strains isolated from storm sewer water and adjacent seawater, which encoders of the resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals. PMID- 17768817 TI - [Transmission of enteropasitosis through currency notes]. AB - PURPOSE: There are several ways to propagation of parasitary diseases and how there aren't many bibliographic work about this theme, it was realized a study near to the Natal-RN population, to verify the enteroparasites transmission through the paper money. METHODS: In the Laboratorio Parasitologia Clinica was analysed 500 bills of several worths gotten in shops and, concomitantly it was examined samples of a water got from the washed hands of the people who held the money. The methods to realize the parasitologic exams were: Ritchie and Faust et al. RESULTS: It was observed the following parasites prevalent in 48 (9.6%) examined bills: Endolimax nana 31 (6.2%), Entamoeba coli 06 (1.2%), Entamoeba histolytica 01 (0.2%), Ascaris lumbricoides 10 (2.0%). In the water, it vas observed that 40 (40.0%) of them had the same kinds of parasites in their hands. CONCLUSIONS: Finally, it is postulated that the paper money is important to the enteroparasites transmission and it is suggested that new researches must be done in this area. PMID- 17768818 TI - [Vulvovaginitis: vaginal pH changes and associated microflora]. AB - PURPOSE: To establish a correlation between pH vaginal and the microflora associated in carriers of vulvovaginites. METHODS: In the present study, the cytopathological examination and the vaginal flow in a group of 65 sexually active women had been carried through, 20 and 72 years, taken care of in the Laboratorio de Citologia Clinica do Departamento de Analises Clinicas e Toxicologicas da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, for determination of microorganisms in cervicovaginal sample and of pH in the vaginal flow. RESULTS: Associating pH vaginal with the presence of vulvovaginitis, it was evidenced that the Candida sp. occurred more frequently in pH 4.0, Trichomonas vaginalis in pH 6.0, Gardnerella vaginalis in pH 5.0, coconuts in pH 5.0, bacilli in pH 4.0 and cocos/bacilos in pH 6.0. It was observed that all the patients had presented at least one type of ethiological agent of vulvovaginiti and an associated microflora. CONCLUSION: The joint accomplishment of the cytological examinations and the determination of pH revealed important for directing the microflora associated with the vulvovaginiti, suggesting, of this form, that pH vaginal plays preponderant role how much to the presence of the infectious agents in the vaginal ecosystem. PMID- 17768819 TI - [Introduction: clinical relevance of graft-induced immunological injury after renal transplantation]. PMID- 17768820 TI - [Hearing loss in the elderly (presbycusis): update]. PMID- 17768821 TI - [Conservative therapy of involutionary alterations of nasal mucosa]. PMID- 17768822 TI - [Ebastine (kestine 20) in therapy of allergic rhinitis]. PMID- 17768823 TI - [Reflex mechanisms of nasoparanasal secretion in administration of sinuforte]. PMID- 17768824 TI - [Bioparox effects on microbiocenosis of the pharyx in patients with exacerbated pharyngitis]. PMID- 17768825 TI - [A case of fibromyxosarcoma of the left part of the nasal cavity, left part of the upper jaw, nasopharynx, cells of the ethmoidal labyrinth and left part of the sphenoidal sinus]. PMID- 17768826 TI - [Treatment of spontaneous perforation of nasal septum in anterior atrophic rhinitis of nonspecific etiology]. PMID- 17768827 TI - [Destructive fibro-inflammatory polypous rhinosinusitis which needed treatment with anterior craniofacial resection]. PMID- 17768828 TI - [A large foreign body of the airways in an adult female (denture)]. PMID- 17768829 TI - [Analytical review of the materials of the V All-Russia conference of otorhinolaryngologists]. PMID- 17768830 TI - [Indications for immunoglobulins. Recommendations of CEDIT of AP-HP in 2006]. AB - To analyze and coordinate the prescription of IVIg in the university hospitals of the AP-HP, the CEDIT, an administrative office created to study new technologies and innovative drugs prescribed in Paris hospitals, nominated a group of experts in 1992. METHODS: The experts were assigned the following tasks: 1) to analyze prescriptions and establish a list of indications of IVIg according to the authorization already accorded by the French Ministry of Health; 2) to stimulate prospective trials and evaluation protocols for promising indications of IVIg; 3) to prepare guidelines to optimize the IVIg regimens for authorized indications; 4) to establish a list of potential indications, based on the scientific literature and clinical experience, which extended beyond those authorized by the French Drug Agency and anticipated new uses. A registry was created in which the data on indications, brands, doses, and numbers of perfusions/patient were recorded. Pharmacists and treating physicians had to fill out forms for each patient and biannually reported the results to the group of experts; problems concerning surveillance of IVIg prescriptions were discussed with them. RESULTS: Indications were divided into three groups: 1) established (authorized in France and Europe, and widely accepted); 2) not authorized but scientifically accepted or being tested in prospective trials; 3) not recommended. In France, IVIg prescriptions have steadily increased every year since 1991, but oversight by the group of experts has lowered IVIg use in Paris hospitals due to better defined indications. CONCLUSION: The coordination of IVIg prescriptions in Paris hospitals resulted in optimization of indications, better adapted guidelines and their improved observance, and more prospective trials for potential indications. PMID- 17768831 TI - [Intravenous immunoglobulins and acute renal failure: mechanism and prevention]. AB - Acute renal failure (ARF) is a rare complication of the use of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) with an estimated incidence lower than 1 %. It is related to acute tubulo-interstitial nephropathy due to to the occurrence of osmotic nephrosis mainly in the proximal tubule. The recovery of renal function usually occurs within ten days. The risk factors for the occurrence of ARF during the use of IVIg are: age > 65 years, preexisting renal failure (creatinine clearance < 60 ml/min), diabetes, dose, hypovolemia, the concomitant use of other nephro-toxic agents (contrast media agents, etc.). IVIg related ARF has been reported mainly with saccharose-containing IVIg but also with maltose and glucose-containing IVIg. However, no definite conclusion can be drawn concerning the role of the stabilising agent in the genesis of ARF due to the larger use of saccharose containing IVIG compared to other IVIG and the absence of controlled trials comparing various types of IVIg. Clinicians must be aware that ARF may occur with all types of IVIg. In patients with at least one risk factor for ARF, diuretics should be discontinued, an hydration using saline solutions should be started and the concomitant administration of other nephrotoxic drugs be avoided. Clinicians should use the minimal required dose of IVIg and slow the flow of perfusion (1-2 ml/kg/h). PMID- 17768832 TI - [IgIV at home:experience of a center--economic aspects]. AB - BACKGROUND: Intravenous Human immunoglobulin (IVIg) administration is a safe and efficacious treatment in IgG deficiency and auto-immune diseases. The most of the patients treated in hospital ask for home treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: [corrected] Two cost studies were performed: on study comparing the cost of IVIg in hospital and at home in auto-immune diseases and another evaluating the cost of SCIg and IVIg in hospital and at home in immune deficiency. RESULTS: The Home treatment by the IVIg is possible with a care society and safe. Any serious adverse events is occurred, because of a good selection of the patients. The total cost of IVIg seems to be cheaper at home than the hospital treatment with IVIg and home treatment with SCIg. CONCLUSION: The home IVIg substitution is possible. This alternative can be proposed at the patient with a stable clinical status, according to his hope and the wish of his family. This alternative is interesting for the life quality and the cost. PMID- 17768834 TI - [Clinical practices appraisal]. AB - Beyond a social and professional requirement, assessing physician practices has become a legal obligation. The success of this assessment, i.e., its utility for the quality of the healthcare provided to patients requires that it be integrated into routine medical procedure. PMID- 17768833 TI - [Immunoglobulins and physiopathology: actual indications]. AB - Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg) are therapeutic preparations of normal human IgG that are obtained from pools of plasma from healthy blood donors. IVIg can be used at high dose as an immunomodulatory agent in a large number of autoimmune and/or systemic inflammatory diseases, particularly in hematologic or neurologic diseases. Mechanisms of action of IVIg are multiple and intricate. The development of new therapeutic trials in association with analyses of mechanisms of action should help to define new indications of IVIg therapy. PMID- 17768836 TI - THE SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY OF CARL VON KUPFFER.--HIS LIFE AND WORKS. PMID- 17768835 TI - PROFESSOR THOMAS EGLESTON. PMID- 17768837 TI - RECENT PROGRESS IN GEODESY. PMID- 17768838 TI - THE PLANKTON OF FRESH WATER LAKES. PMID- 17768839 TI - NOTES ON PHYSICS. PMID- 17768840 TI - MARGINAL TABS FOR LOGARITHM TABLES. PMID- 17768841 TI - THE ASSAY COMMISSION. PMID- 17768842 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17768843 TI - About Books. PMID- 17768844 TI - Literature, Science, and the Manpower Crisis. PMID- 17768845 TI - Science, Censorship, and the Public Interest. PMID- 17768847 TI - Scientific Approach to Ethics. PMID- 17768846 TI - Abbreviations: Uptake of Laboratory Shorthand in Science (ULSS; Qabbr.). PMID- 17768848 TI - Classifying and Indexing for the Special Library. PMID- 17768849 TI - Science, Imagination, and Art. PMID- 17768851 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17768850 TI - Natural and Cultural Aspects of Floods. PMID- 17768852 TI - Tools for Communication. PMID- 17768853 TI - Reference Citations. PMID- 17768854 TI - Insect Control by Radiation. PMID- 17768855 TI - Insect Control by Radiation. PMID- 17768856 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17768857 TI - Wiener's Word. PMID- 17768858 TI - Osteopathy. PMID- 17768859 TI - Messages from an Elder Scientist. PMID- 17768861 TI - President-Elect. PMID- 17768862 TI - Gravitational Collapse and the Death of a Star. PMID- 17768863 TI - Health, Education, and Welfare. PMID- 17768864 TI - Don K. Price, Jr., President-Elect. PMID- 17768866 TI - Anti-Missile Defense: Should Nike X Be Deployed? PMID- 17768865 TI - The Rockefeller University: Science in a Different Key. PMID- 17768867 TI - France in Space: Collaboration with Both U.S. and U.S.S.R.? PMID- 17768868 TI - Jacques Monod: Further Comments on French Universities. PMID- 17768869 TI - Clathrate Structure of Silicon Na8Si46 and NaxSi136 (x < 11). AB - The crystal structure of two new cubic phases in the silicon-sodium system have been solved from their x-ray diffraction patterns. Both structures are of the clathrate type found for gas hydrates, consisting of tetrahedral networks which are combinations of pentagonal dodecahedra with 14-face polyhedra in one case and with 16-face polyhedra in the other case. There is strict correspondence between the silicon positions and the oxygen positions of the hydrate structures. For one compound, Na(8)Si(46), the centers of all polyhedra are occupied by sodium atoms. For the other compound, there occurs only partial occupancy of the polyhedral cages. PMID- 17768870 TI - Mars: Radar Observations. AB - Radar studies of Mars indicate that certain areas are quite smooth. Rough, strongly reflecting regions have also been found, as well as poorly reflecting ones. Mars as a whole is significantly smoother to radiation of 12.5-centimeter wavelength than Venus. PMID- 17768872 TI - Acheulian Occupation Sites at Torralba and Ambrona, Spain: Their Geology. AB - The Acheulian occupation sites of Torralba and Ambrona, central Spain, lie within the Torralba Formation, a complex of alluvial and slope deposits dating from a long period of glacial climate before the Holstein (Mindel-Riss) interglacial. PMID- 17768871 TI - Theory of Rotation for the Planet Mercury. AB - The theory of the rotation of the planet Mercury is developed in terms of the motion of a rigid system in an inverse-square field. It is possible for Mercury to rotate with a period exactly two-thirds of the period of revolution; there is a libration with a period of 25 years. PMID- 17768873 TI - Artifact from Deposits of Mid-Wisconsin Age in Illinois. AB - Discovery of an artifact of human manufacture imbedded in Roxana loess, classed as Altonian substage of the Wisconsin stage of the Pleistocene, of an age of 35,000 to 40,000 years, contributes to the determination of the age of man in the New World. PMID- 17768874 TI - Transhydrogenation in Root Tissue: Mediation by Carbon Dioxide. AB - The C(14)O(2) incorporated into organic acids by excised corn roots is released with an estimated halftime of 3 hours. Homogenates of root tissue can mediate these reactions by coupling, in series, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, diphosphopyridine nucleotide malic dehydrogenase, phosphopyridine nucleotide malic dehydrogenase. An important consequence is the transfer of hydrogen from reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide to triphosphopyridine nucleotide which is then reduced. PMID- 17768875 TI - Defensive Secretion of a Caterpillar (Papilio). AB - The eversible cervical gland (osmeterium) of the caterpillar of the swallowtail butterfly, Papilio machaon, produces a secretion containing isobutyric and 2 methylbutyric acid. The gland is effective in defense against ants. Even when caterpillars were fed on one of three unbelliferous plants (fennel, carrot, parsnip) the secretion contained the same two acids. PMID- 17768877 TI - Radiation and Terrestrial Ecosystems. PMID- 17768876 TI - Wool Research. PMID- 17768878 TI - The Education of Professional Physicists. PMID- 17768879 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17768880 TI - Buchanan at St. John's College. PMID- 17768881 TI - Fireflies of Thailand. PMID- 17768882 TI - Who stages military coups? PMID- 17768883 TI - The Rover Nuclear Rocket Program: Thirteen years of work have produced a reliable reactor ready for development into a flyable engine. PMID- 17768884 TI - Friction of Rubber on Wet Surfaces: Knowledge of the mechanism of friction is important for progress in traffic safety. PMID- 17768887 TI - Financial Plight at McGill: Quebec Favors Its French Universities. PMID- 17768885 TI - French student revolt: an account of the origins and objectives. PMID- 17768888 TI - Harvard Faculty: How Can You Keep'em after They've Seen California? PMID- 17768889 TI - The case for the radar radius of venus. AB - The Venus radius of 6085 +/- 10 kilometers, deduced from combining observations made with the Venera 4 and Mariner V space probes is incompatible with the value of 6050 +/- kilometers determined from Earth-based radar mesurements. PMID- 17768890 TI - Radar determination of the radius of venus. AB - The radius of Venus has been determined from radar-range data taken at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Goldstone facility. A simultaneous intergration of the equations of motion of the solar-system fit to this time-delay data gave a value of 6053.7 +/- 2.2 kilometers. A discussion of other Venusian radius determinations is made. PMID- 17768891 TI - Old faithful: a physical model. AB - The recent confirmation of a prediction that relates the duration of eruption to time between eruptions suggests a physical model of the internal cavity of Old Faithful. PMID- 17768892 TI - Detection of Lyman-beta and Helium Resonance Radiation in the Night Sky. AB - A rocket-borne photometer has detected far ultraviolet night glow radiations that are identified as Lyman-beta (HI 1026 angstroms), and the helium lines at 304 or 584 angstroms, or at both. At an altitude of 227 kilometers the measured intensity for Lyman-beta was about 10 rayleighs. The discrimination characteristics of the broad-band helium radiation filter give helium line intensities, at 227 kilometers, of 4.8 and 12 rayleighs, respectively, pending identification of the wavelength of the radiation as 304 or 584 angstroms. These ultraviolet radiations appear sufficient to maintain the night E and F(1) regions of the ionosphere. PMID- 17768893 TI - Superconducting phosphorus. AB - Phosphorus, the element itself, becomes superconducting near 4.7 degrees K and at pressures exceeding 100 kilobars. This constitutes one of the four last missing links in the proof that superconductivity is normal behavior for every truly metallic sp element. The three remaining ones are arsenic, sulfur, and iodine. PMID- 17768894 TI - Concentration-gradient-driven convection: experiments. AB - Concentration-gradient-driven convection was studied by measurement of the rate of dissolution of the lower face of a KCl single crystal in contact with various solvents. The rate of mass transfer due to convective stirring appeared to follow the Rayleigh number to the one-third power law. A regular pattern of etch pits due to the convective stirring action was observed in the crystal face after exposure to water for 5 minutes. Schlieren photographs of the early stages of dissolution showed a regular pattern of spikes having approximately the same dimensions as the etch pits in the crystals. PMID- 17768895 TI - Archaeological excavations in the calico mountains, california: preliminary report. PMID- 17768897 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17768896 TI - Submarine trenches and deformation. PMID- 17768898 TI - Chance favors the mind prepared. PMID- 17768899 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17768900 TI - Society of ciphers. PMID- 17768901 TI - Strategic postures. PMID- 17768902 TI - The changing job market. PMID- 17768903 TI - Optical spectra of molecules at low temperature. PMID- 17768904 TI - Carnegie institution names abelson. PMID- 17768907 TI - Blue-ribbon panel tells how to avoid "charitable crisis". PMID- 17768906 TI - House bill hits campus unrest. PMID- 17768908 TI - Element 105 synthesized and named hahnium by berkeley researchers. PMID- 17768909 TI - Astrophysics: model proposed for galactic magnetic field. PMID- 17768910 TI - Layered basic complex in oceanic crust, romanche fracture, equatorial atlantic ocean. AB - A layered, basic igneous intrusion, analogous in mineralogy and texture to certain large, continental layered complexes, is exposed in the Romanche Fracture, equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Crustal intrusion of large masses of basic magmas with their subsequent gravity differentiation is probably one of a number of major processes involved in the formation of new oceanic crust during sea floor spreading. PMID- 17768912 TI - Pleistocene paleotemperatures. AB - The generalized isotopic paleotemperature curve reproduces absolute temperatures to within 1 degrees C; it closely reflects faunal changes; and its time scale is correct to within a very few percent back to at least 175,000 years. The average oxygen isotopic composition of the North American and European ice caps was about -9 per mil. PMID- 17768911 TI - Filamentary crystal growth associated with impact craters from hypervelocity microparticles. AB - A filamentary crystal growth is associated with impacts of hypervelocity microparticles upon copper foil. They are copper whiskers formed by the condensation of the target material vaporzied by the impact. PMID- 17768913 TI - Chemical Composition of the Lunar Surface in a Terra Region near the Crater Tycho. AB - More precise and comprehensive analytical results for lunar surface material in a terra region have been derived from the data of the alpha-scattering experiment on Surveyor 7. The silicon content and the low sodium abundance are close to that of mare material. The abundances of titanium and iron are at least a factor of 2 lower, whereas the abundances of aluminum and calcium are significantly higher. The analytical results provide direct evidence for chemical differentiation in the moon and indicate a lunar crust of appreciably lower density than the whole moon and with lower density and higher albedo than lunar mare material. PMID- 17768914 TI - Phobos: preliminary results from mariner 7. AB - Analysis of an image of Phobos on Mariner 7 frame 7F91 indicates that the martian satellite is larger and has a darker surface than had previously been thought. The limb profile measures 18 by 22 kilometers and is elongated along the orbital plane. Phobos has an average visual geometric albedo of 0.065 lower than that known for any other body in the solar system. It seems probable that Phobos did not form by accretion around primordial Mars, but was captured at some later time. PMID- 17768915 TI - Paleomagnetism and gondwanaland. AB - Lower Paleozoic data now available for all the southern continents enable a unique reconstruction of Gondwanaland to be determined from paleomagnetic measurements alone. This reconstruction is corroborated by the computerized fit of the continental shelves and the matching of geological age provinces. PMID- 17768916 TI - Pyroxene-garnet transformation in coorara meteorite. AB - Majorite is a new garnet in a veinlet of the Coorara meteorite. Its chemical composition is compatible with derivation mostly from original pyroxene, not from olivine as originally reported. Silicon is partly in sixfold coordination. Ringwoodite, a spinel of olivine composition, occurs as purple grains set in a matrix of fine-grained garnet. The similar mineralogy and texture of the Coorara and Tenham meteorites suggest a common parent body. PMID- 17768917 TI - Orientation order of dipole molecules in the surface of embryonic droplets. AB - During the growth of embryonic droplets in an imperfect vapor the surface polar molecules pass from a disordered orientation state to an ordered orientation state, the transition size being on the order of 100 molecules. This transition poses an interesting model problem in the study of order-disorder transitions in the thermodynamics of small systems. PMID- 17768918 TI - Palmoxylon simperi and Palmoxylon pristina: Two Pre-Cretaceous Angiosperms from Utah. AB - Petrified palm stems (Palmoxylon simperi and Palmoxylon pristina) from the Middle Jurassic Arapien Shale Formation near Redmond, Sevier Country, Utah, are the first unequivocal angiosperms reported from pre-Cretaceous strata. PMID- 17768919 TI - Alkaloid from fire ant venom: identification and synthesis. AB - An alkaloid, trans-2-methyl-6-n-undecylpiperidine (solenopsin A), has been isolated from the venom of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima. The structure has been confirmed by an unambiguous synthesis. PMID- 17768920 TI - L-dopa: effect on concentrations of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in brains of mice. AB - Large doses of L-dopa given to mice produced marked increases in brain dopamine, no change in norepinephrine, and a remarkable decrease in brain serotonin. This reduction apparently results from a release or displacement, or both, of serotonin from its storage sites. PMID- 17768921 TI - Somatic cell mating and segregation in chimeric frogs. AB - Both pentaploid and haploid cells were observed in a short-term culture of bone marrow of a diploid-triploid frog chimera. Apparently, diploid and triploid marrow cells fused to form "hybrid" pentaploid cells, which subsequently gave rise by somatic reduction to haploid daughter cells. The hybrid marrow cells and their haploid segregants are presumably at a selective disadvantage, as neither type of cell has been detected in the circulating blood of chimeric frogs. PMID- 17768922 TI - Human cystinosis: intracellular deposition of cystine. AB - Membrane-limited inclusions were found in the cytoplasm of cells of the rectal mucosa, leukocytes, and cultured fibroblasts from two humans with cystinosis. Most of the inclusions contained amorphous material, presumably cystine. In cells of the rectal mucosa the material appeared frequently crystallized. This was rarely seen in leukocytes, and never in cultured fibroblasts. The fact that acid phosphatase could be demonstrated consistently in the organelles responsible for sequestration of cystine indicates that they are lysosomes. PMID- 17768924 TI - Courses. PMID- 17768923 TI - South pole reaches the sahara. PMID- 17768925 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17768926 TI - $$Word$$ natural snowballs. PMID- 17768927 TI - Influence of winds on tree-growth. PMID- 17768928 TI - Earthquake waves at San Francisco. PMID- 17768929 TI - Explorations in Guatemala. PMID- 17768930 TI - Halos round the moon. PMID- 17768931 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17768932 TI - A PECULIAR SELACHIAN. PMID- 17768933 TI - Barn-owls in Missouri. PMID- 17768934 TI - THE RUSSIAN METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE. PMID- 17768935 TI - RED SKIES IN CHINA FIVE YEARS AGO. PMID- 17768936 TI - THE EVOLUTION OF THE CEPHALOPODA.--I. PMID- 17768937 TI - SCALES OF COLEOPTERA. PMID- 17768938 TI - MICROBES. PMID- 17768940 TI - THE BORDERLAND OF SCIENCE AND FAITH. PMID- 17768939 TI - THE WATER-PORES OF THE LAMELLI-BRANCH FOOT. PMID- 17768941 TI - BACTERIA, AND THE GERM-THEORY OF DISEASE. PMID- 17768942 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17768943 TI - THE APE-MAN FROM THE TERTIARY OF JAVA. PMID- 17768944 TI - THE METRIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17768945 TI - TWO EROSION EPOCHS--ANOTHER SUGGESTION. PMID- 17768946 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17768948 TI - A REVIEW OF BIGELOW'S PAPERS ON METEOROLOGY AND SOLAR PHYSICS. PMID- 17768947 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17768949 TI - DR. BRINTON ON KEANE'S 'ETHNOLOGY.'. PMID- 17768951 TI - TO PREVENT THE GROWTH OF BEARD. PMID- 17768950 TI - THE CHILD AND CHILDHOOD IN FOLK-THOUGHT. PMID- 17768952 TI - 'THAT GREAT LAW OF LOGIC.'. PMID- 17768953 TI - SIR JOSEPH HOOKER. PMID- 17768954 TI - A SUGGESTION FROM PLATO, WITH OTHERS. PMID- 17768955 TI - THE ROOSEVELT WILD-LIFE FOREST EXPERIMENT STATION. PMID- 17768957 TI - THE CUMBERLAND FALLS METEORITE. PMID- 17768956 TI - GABRIEL MARCUS GREEN. PMID- 17768958 TI - MEETING OF PLANT PATHOLOGISTS ON LONG ISLAND TO DISCUSS POTATO DISEASES. PMID- 17768959 TI - ON THE AURORAL DISPLAY OF MAY 2, 1919. PMID- 17768960 TI - PRESOAKING AS A MEANS OF PREVENTING SEED INJURY DUE TO DISINFECTANTS AND OF INCREASING GERMICIDAL EFFICIENCY. PMID- 17768961 TI - THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17768963 TI - Letters. PMID- 17768962 TI - Letters. PMID- 17768964 TI - How many smokes per flight? PMID- 17768965 TI - 1,2- and 1,4-Cycloaddition to Conjugated Dienes: Dependence of products and rates on reactant structure tells something about competing reaction mechanisms. PMID- 17768966 TI - Bristlecone Pine: Science and Esthetics: A 7100-year tree-ring chronology aids scientists; old trees draw visitors to California mountains. AB - A 7100-year tree-ring chronology has been developed for bristlecone pine, Pinus aristata Engelm., in the White Mountains of east-central California by the addition of data from long-dead specimens to the 4600-year record from living trees. These dendrochronological studies have major applications to climatic interpretations, radiocarbon analysis, and the dating of past events. The great age of these trees and the esthetic appeal of both the trees and their environment are drawing increasing numbers of visitors to the bristlecone pine areas. Concern is expressed for the preservation of this ancient wood. PMID- 17768967 TI - The draft: administration orders end to graduate deferments. PMID- 17768968 TI - Detrick to mark 25th anniversary. PMID- 17768969 TI - Defoliation: AAAS Study Delayed by Resignations from Committee. PMID- 17768970 TI - The McNamara Legacy: A Revealing Case History--Death of the B-70. PMID- 17768971 TI - Chicago Group Seeks To Sever IDA Tie. PMID- 17768973 TI - DNA memoir stirs furor at harvard. PMID- 17768974 TI - Vietnam: rise found in plague and cholera. PMID- 17768975 TI - Spreading of the ocean floor: undeformed sediments in the peru-chile trench. AB - None of the expected stratigraphic and structural effects of a spreading sea floor have been imposed on the sedimentary fill of the Peru-Chile Trench. During at least the last several million years, and perhaps during much of the Cenozoic, the trench has not been affected by an oceanic crust thrusting under the continent. PMID- 17768976 TI - Microseisms: mode structure and sources. AB - Frequency-wave number spectra of microseisms were obtained by use of a set of short-period and long-period seismometers at LASA (Large Aperture Seismic Array, Montana). At times of relatively high microseismic activity short-period (shorter than 5 seconds) microseisms consist of both body waves and higher-mode surface waves. From the phase velocity and direction of body waves, source areas were determined, coinciding with low-pressure regions on the weather map. At longer periods, microseisms consist of fundamental- mode Rayleigh and Love waves, the former being dominant. Most microseismic energy arrives at LASA from the northeast and the west. PMID- 17768977 TI - Palinspastic restoration suggesting late paleozoic north atlantic rifting. AB - Palinspastic restoration of sinistral wrench faults in Britain and of dextral wrenches in Canada, starting with the palinspastic pre-continental-drift map, implies the possibility of as much as 424 kilometers of rifting between Newfoundland and Ireland. The wrench-faulting and postulated resultant rifting are of Devonian and Carboniferous age. PMID- 17768978 TI - Hydration rind dates rhyolite flows. AB - Hydration of obsidian has been used to date rhyolite flows, containing obsidian or porphyritic glass, at Glass Mountain (Medicine Lake Highlands) and Mono Lake, California. The method is simple and rapid and can be used to date flows that erupted between 200 and approximately 200,000 years ago. PMID- 17768979 TI - Nutrient loss accelerated by clear-cutting of a forest ecosystem. AB - The forest of a small watershed-ecosystem was cut in order to determine the effects of removal of vegetation on nutrient cycles. Relative to undisturbed ecosystems, the cut ecosystem exhibited accelerated loss of nutrients: nitrogen lost during the first year after cutting was equivalent to the amount annually turned over in an undisturbed system, and losses of cations were 3 to 20 times greater than from comparable undisturbed systems. Possible causes of the pattern of nutrient loss from the cut ecosystem are discussed. PMID- 17768980 TI - Transamination of aminoalkylphosphonic acids with alpha ketoglutarate. AB - Dialyzed homogenates prepared from Escherichia coli, Tetrahymena pyriformis, sea anemone (Anthopleura elegantissima), and mouse liver were tested for ability to transaminate 17 aminoalkylphosphonic acids with alpha-ketoglutarate. 2 Aminoethylphosphonic acid (2-AEP), which occurs naturally in Tetrahymena and anemone, was transaminated by these latter organisms more than any of the substances tested, but not by preparations from liver or E. coli. 3 Aminopropylphosphonic acid was transaminated by all preparations, but much less by Tetrahymena or anemone than was 2-AEP. 2-Amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid was transaminated by all preparations. 2-Amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid was transaminated by three of the preparations, but not by liver. Of the other 13 substances tested, the following gave positive results: DL-1,2 diaminoethylphosphonic acid with E. coli, DL-1,2-diaminoethylphosphonic and aminomethylphosphonic acids with Tetrahymena, DL-1-aminopropylphosphonic acid with anemone, and DL-1-aminoethylphosphonic and DL-1-aminobutylphosphonic acids with liver. The significance of these transaminations is discussed. PMID- 17768981 TI - Implications of the surveyor v chemical analysis. PMID- 17768982 TI - Are the Sciences Too Far Ahead of Advertisers? AB - The following editorial by C. B. Larrabee in the periodical Printers' Ink for 22 October brings questions that have long troubled scientists to the attention of the general publishing and advertising fraternities. The use of scientific sounding but scientifically meaningless or misleading language, distortions of scientific thought and experimental results, false analogies both direct and implied-in short, the misuse of science and scientific evidence-can be found in many fields. It is good to see concrete evidence that others are also concerned with the problem. Incidentally, advertising designed to appear in periodicals serving scientists is generally accurate-more informational than promotional. The readers-the potential buyers-help to control the quality of the advertising. PMID- 17768983 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17768985 TI - Sophia H. Eckerson, Plant Microchemist. PMID- 17768984 TI - Erosion Phenomena. PMID- 17768986 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17768987 TI - Errors in the "Isopiestic" Method for Measuring Masses of Salt Particles. PMID- 17768988 TI - Activity in Electrogenic Organs of Knifefishes. PMID- 17768989 TI - Availability of Crystalline DL-agr-Lipoic Acid. PMID- 17768991 TI - THE WORK AND OPPORTUNITIES OF A DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH MEDICINE IN THE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17768990 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE THE HISTORY OF THE FERTILIZATION PROBLEM. PMID- 17768992 TI - THE DETERMINATION OF NITRATES IN SOILS. PMID- 17768993 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD FOR THE ELIMINATION OF PROTOZOA FROM MIXED CULTURES OF BACTERIA. PMID- 17768994 TI - PERIDERMIUM HARKNESSII AND CRONARTIUM QUERCUUM. PMID- 17768995 TI - A SIMPLE DEMONSTRATION OF THE REDUCED VAPOR PRESSURE OVER A SOLUTION. PMID- 17768996 TI - THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17768997 TI - THE RELATION OF EDUCATED MEN TO THE STATE. PMID- 17768998 TI - ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STAlES AT THE END OF THE CENTURY. PMID- 17768999 TI - PROGRESS IN IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS. PMID- 17769000 TI - REMEASUREMENT OF THE PERUVIAN ARC. PMID- 17769001 TI - SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17769002 TI - Rapports presente au Congres International de Mecanique appliquee; Exposition Universelle de 1900. Tome I. CH. DUNOD, Editeur. Paris. 1900. 8vo. Pp. 546. PMID- 17769003 TI - The Antarctic Regions. PMID- 17769004 TI - Physiology,illustrated by Experiment. PMID- 17769005 TI - NEWSPAPER SCIENCE. PMID- 17769006 TI - THE DATE OF PUBLICATION OF BREWSTER'S AMERICAN EDITION OF THE EDINBURGH ENCYCLOPAeDIA. PMID- 17769008 TI - AMERICAN ELECTRICIANS IN LONDON. PMID- 17769007 TI - THE SPENCER-TOLLES FUND OF THE AMERICAN MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17769009 TI - WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. PMID- 17769010 TI - SPECIES OF MIOSQUITOES COLLECTED FOR THE BRITISH MUSEUM. PMID- 17769011 TI - YELLOW FEVER AND MOSQUITOES. PMID- 17769012 TI - THE CONCEPT OF NATURAL LAW IN GEOLOGY. PMID- 17769013 TI - THE STRUCTURE OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC ANTIGENS. PMID- 17769014 TI - LENS-LIKE ACTION OF A STAR BY THE DEVIATION OF LIGHT IN THE GRAVITATIONAL FIELD. PMID- 17769016 TI - FOSSIL LEAVES OF DICOTYLEDONOUS FLOWERING PLANTS. PMID- 17769015 TI - PLEISTOCENE MAN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17769017 TI - THE WORK OF THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. PMID- 17769018 TI - A RELATION BETWEEN SEED ATTACHMENT AND CARPEL SYMMETRY AND DEVELOPMENT IN PRUNUS. PMID- 17769019 TI - THE ULTRACENTRIFUGAL CRYSTALLIZATION OF TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS PROTEIN. PMID- 17769020 TI - A SIMPLIFIED AUTOMATIC RECORDER FOR IONOSPHERIC HEIGHT MEASUREMENT. PMID- 17769021 TI - THE WARNER PRIZES. PMID- 17769022 TI - ON THE DISCOVERIES OF THE PAST HALF-CENTURY RELATING TO ANIMAL MOTION. PMID- 17769023 TI - JURASSIC BIRDS AND THEIR ALLIES. PMID- 17769025 TI - THE TERRA DEL FUEGIANS AT THE GARDEN OF ACCLIMATION. PMID- 17769024 TI - THE LIMITED BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF SYNTHETIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17769026 TI - ON A NEW SYSTEM OF BLOWPIPE ANALYSIS. PMID- 17769027 TI - ASTRONOMY: To the Editor of "Science". PMID- 17769028 TI - DR. H. RAYMOND ROGERS AND HIS CRITICS: To the Editor of "Science.". PMID- 17769029 TI - TO the Editor of Science. PMID- 17769031 TI - THE SOCIAL OBLIGATIONS OF THE BOTANIST. PMID- 17769030 TI - EXCHANGES AND WANTS. PMID- 17769032 TI - PREMEDICAL EDUCATION. PMID- 17769033 TI - PROFESSOR THEOBALD SMITH AND A NEW OUTLOOK IN ANIMAL PATHOLOGY. PMID- 17769034 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17769035 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17769036 TI - TWO UNDESCRIBED SPECIMENS OF CASTOROIDES OHIOENSIS FOSTER FROM MICHIGAN. PMID- 17769037 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17769039 TI - THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN BACTERIOLOGISTS. PMID- 17769038 TI - THE SYSTEMATIC POSITION OF THE MYLODONT SLOTHS FROM RANCHO LA BREA. PMID- 17769040 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17769041 TI - SCIENTIFIC IDEALS. PMID- 17769042 TI - RELATIONSHIP OF VETERINARY SCIENCE TO ANIMAL BREEDING AND PUBLIC HEALTH-LEGAL PROTECTION OF THE PRACTISE OF VETERINARY SCIENCE. II. PMID- 17769043 TI - THE STRUCTURE OF THE CHROMOSOMES IN THE SALIVARY GLANDS OF DROSOPHILA. PMID- 17769044 TI - THE EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF CASTE DIFFERENTIATION IN TERMITES. PMID- 17769045 TI - PLANT SPACING, A MAJOR FACTOR IN THE LOCAL ADAPTATION OF STRAWBERRY VARIETIES. PMID- 17769046 TI - UNSATURATED PETROLEUM OILS AS INSECTICIDES. PMID- 17769047 TI - PHYSIOLOGICAL MEDIA FOR FRESH-WATER AND MARINE PROTOZOA. PMID- 17769048 TI - THE ROLE OF FUNGI IN THE DIET OF TERMITES. PMID- 17769049 TI - MICRO-METHODS FOR THE DETECTION OF PROTEASES AND AMYLASES. PMID- 17769050 TI - OBSERVATIONS ON FUNCTIONAL INTER-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ADRENAL AND PARATHYROID GLANDS. PMID- 17769051 TI - INSECTICIDALLY INDUCED IMMUNITY IN PLANTS TO SUCKING INSECTS. PMID- 17769052 TI - HISTOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE BONE MARROW OF THE DOG FOLLOWING AMIDOPYRINE ADMINISTRATION. PMID- 17769053 TI - PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MARSH AREAS AND LAKE LEVELS. PMID- 17769054 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17769055 TI - HARVEY (WILLIAMS) CUSHING. PMID- 17769056 TI - THE PRESENT STATE OF SOLAR ACTIVITY AND ASSOCIATED PHENOMENA. PMID- 17769057 TI - A NOTEWORTHY AURORA. PMID- 17769058 TI - THE FOUNDING OF A DEPARTMENT OF FISHES IN THE MUSEO POEY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAVANA. PMID- 17769059 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17769060 TI - OZONE IN THE '38 HURRICANE. PMID- 17769061 TI - THE SEMI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE MEDICAL SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. PMID- 17769062 TI - TOXIC EFFECTS OF DESOXYCORTICOSTERONE ESTERS IN DOGS. PMID- 17769063 TI - THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SUCKLEYA SUCKLEYANA. PMID- 17769064 TI - THE ENCEPHALITOGENIC PROPERTY OF HERPES VIRUS. PMID- 17769065 TI - EXPERIMENTAL CHRONIC CADMIUM POISONING. PMID- 17769066 TI - Versatile Genius: Frederick II. PMID- 17769067 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769068 TI - Quality Education: Hanged without a Trial. PMID- 17769069 TI - Australia: Too Many Ph.D.'s. PMID- 17769070 TI - Power from the sun: its future. PMID- 17769072 TI - Columbia university: still at the crossroads. PMID- 17769071 TI - Teotihuacan, Mexico, and its impact on regional demography. PMID- 17769073 TI - Mathematics: More Funds Urged for Science's "Leading Wedge". PMID- 17769074 TI - X-ray line and continuum spectra of solar flares from 0.5 to 8.5 angstroms. AB - Two crystal spectrometers aboard the orbiting solar observatory OSO-4 cover the wavelength ranges 0.5 to 3.9 angstroms and 1.0 to 8.5 angstroms. Within this range, there appear emission lines from hydrogen-like and helium-like states of calcium, sulfur, silicon, magnesium, and aluminum. The Mg XII Lyman-alpha is present strongly in all x-ray flares. The most intense flares (such as class 3) produce strong Si XIV Lyman-alpha and often S XVI Lyman-alpha. Emission, in the form of Ka lines of highly ionized states of calcium, iron, aluminum, and silicon is usually present. The continuum from 1 to 10 angstroms always dominates the line emission by more than an order of magnitude. Electron temperatures derived from the slope of the continuum spectrum are in the range of 10(7) to 10(8) degrees K, considerably higher than theoretical ionization equilibrium temperatures. PMID- 17769075 TI - Composition of Aqueous Solutions in Equilibrium with Sulfides and Oxides of Iron at 350{degrees}C. AB - Solutions of potassium chloride (pH-buffered and 1-molal) equilibrated at 350 degrees C with pyrrhotite, pyrite, and magnetite contained approximately 1 millimole of reduced sulfur and less than 0.1 millimole of oxidized sulfur per kilogram. Similar solutions equilibrated with pyrite, magnetite, and hematite contained approximately 1 millimole of reduced sulfur, but 3 to 6 millimoles of oxidized sulfur per kilogram. Both types of solutions contained less than 0.1 millimole of iron per kilogram at pH >/= 6 and approximately 100 millimoles per kilogram at pH 2. PMID- 17769076 TI - Search for an Effect of Mass on Frequency during a Close Approach of Pulsar CP 0950 to the Sun. AB - Observations of the pulse arrival times from the pulsar CP 0950 were made during August when the line of sight to the pulsar approached within 5 degrees of the sun in order to test a suggested mass-on-frequency effect. The observations do not show evidence for the predicted effect. PMID- 17769077 TI - Earth's Bow Shock: Elapsed-Time Observations by Two Closely Spaced Satellites. AB - Coordinated observations of the earth's bow shock were made as Vela 3A and Explorer 33 passed within 6 earth radii of each other. Elapsed time measurements of shock motion give directly determined velocities in the range 1 to 10 kilometers per second and establish the existence of two regions, one of large amplitude magnetic "shock" oscillations and another of smaller, sunward, upstream oscillations. Each region is as thick as 1 earth radius, or more. PMID- 17769079 TI - Radar observations of icarus. AB - Radar observations of Icarus were made in mid-June 1968, at the time of closest approach. From the data, it is estimated that the radius is between 0.3 and 0.6 kilometer and the rotation period between 1.5 and 3.3 hours. A set of round-trip Doppler shift measurements is given. PMID- 17769078 TI - Stress gradient in solid methane at high pressures. AB - The magnitude of the axial pressure gradient at 77 degrees K (11 percent per centimeter) in solid methane compressed along one axis for applied pressures up to 10 kilobars was determined by comparing the electrical resistance of a pair of doped tellurium pressure gages with that of a set of single-crystal gages made of high-purity bismuth. The existence of the pressure gradient revealed the causes of deformation in metal tensile specimens embedded in solid methane and cycled to high pressure. PMID- 17769080 TI - Boll weevil found in pre-columbian cotton from Mexico. AB - A well-preserved, teneral adult female boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Bohemnan (broad sense), was discovered in fragments of a cultivated cotton boll found in Guila Nacquitz Cave, Level A, dated about A.D. 900, near Mitla, Oaxaca, Mexico. This find antedates any previously known association of the boll weevil with cultivated cotton by about 900 years and negates the contention that this association began in the 18th century. The specimen is intermediate in form between Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman and the thurberia weevil, Anthonomus grandis thurberiae Pierce. PMID- 17769081 TI - Aaas annual meeting, dallas, Texas. PMID- 17769082 TI - Space applications: Earth-oriented applications of unmanned satellites. PMID- 17769083 TI - Gordon research conferences: winter program, 1969. PMID- 17769084 TI - THE RELATIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCE TO OTHER SCIENCES. PMID- 17769085 TI - THE METRIC ERROR. PMID- 17769086 TI - SPECIAL ARTICLES. PMID- 17769087 TI - WILL THE METRIC SYSTEM SAVE TIME IN EDUCATION? PMID- 17769088 TI - RECENT VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY. PMID- 17769089 TI - MUSEUM PUBLICATIONS. PMID- 17769090 TI - NOTES ON THE HABITS OF SOME COMMON ENGLISH SPIDERS. PMID- 17769091 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF IMMUNITY FROM DISEASE. PMID- 17769092 TI - SPECIAL PLANTING FOR HONEY. PMID- 17769093 TI - THE RELATION OF GROUND WATER TO DISEASE. PMID- 17769094 TI - Antiseptics among the Ancient Greeks. PMID- 17769095 TI - Summer Drinks. PMID- 17769096 TI - Deafness for High Notes. PMID- 17769097 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17769099 TI - The Education of the Deaf. PMID- 17769098 TI - REVIEW OF THE WORK OF THE "PILOT CHART.". PMID- 17769100 TI - On the Geology of Quebec City. PMID- 17769101 TI - The Orientation of an Undergraduate Medical Curriculum. PMID- 17769102 TI - International Conference on Magnetism Strasbourg, 21-24 May 1939. PMID- 17769103 TI - DDT as a Marine Antifouling Agent. PMID- 17769104 TI - The Therapeutic Effect of Folic Acid in Tropical Sprue. PMID- 17769106 TI - Period of Effective Weed Control by the Use of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid. PMID- 17769105 TI - Food of Nymphs and Adults of Neoschongastia indica (Hirst 1915). PMID- 17769107 TI - Determination of Penicillin K by Partition Chromatography. PMID- 17769108 TI - Sulfa Drugs and the Treatment of Furunculosis in Trout. PMID- 17769109 TI - Request for Reprints on Virus Diseases. PMID- 17769110 TI - Inactivation of Hypertensin. PMID- 17769111 TI - Sir Oliver Lodge, Lord Kelvin, and Hertzian Waves. PMID- 17769112 TI - A Note on the Meaning of Normal. PMID- 17769113 TI - On the Use of "Fission". PMID- 17769114 TI - THE NEW PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17769115 TI - THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HUDSON BAY EXPEDITION. PMID- 17769116 TI - SUNLIGHT AND THE MAGNETIC NEEDLE. PMID- 17769117 TI - GUMBOTIL, A NEW TERM IN PLEISTOCENE GEOLOGY. PMID- 17769118 TI - HORSE FLESH AND THE DIET OF EARLY MAN. PMID- 17769119 TI - THE EVOLUTION OF HERBS. PMID- 17769120 TI - ANOTHER TYPICAL CASE. PMID- 17769121 TI - SCIENCE IN THE SERVICE OF THE NATION. PMID- 17769122 TI - NOTES ON CANADIAN STRATIGRAPHY AND PALEONTOLOGY. PMID- 17769123 TI - METHODS OF CRITICISM OF "SOIL BACTERIA AND PHOSPHATES". PMID- 17769124 TI - THE LIGHT-PRODUCING SUBSTANCES, PHOTOGENIN AND PHOTOPHELEIN, OF LUMINOUS ANIMALS. PMID- 17769125 TI - Mechanical Translation: Two Views. PMID- 17769126 TI - Superfluous Textbooks. PMID- 17769128 TI - Civil Defense Testimony Misread. PMID- 17769127 TI - Krebiozen and Retine. PMID- 17769130 TI - Logical Conclusion? PMID- 17769129 TI - Two Camps in Science. PMID- 17769131 TI - All in the Same Boat. PMID- 17769132 TI - Timing of Research on Social Change. PMID- 17769133 TI - The Birthdays of Science. PMID- 17769134 TI - Geological Aspects of High-Pressure Research: High-pressure experimentation is providing a new look at problems in geophysics and petrology. AB - The low-density minerals that make up the bulk of rocks in the earth's crust, such as quartz and the feldspars, are transformed by high pressure into much denser phases. In some cases the products of these transitions are new phases that were first discovered in the laboratory; in other cases they are minerals such as kyanite, jadeite, and pyrope, which have long been known as constituents of metamorphic rocks. Determinations of the stability fields of these high pressure minerals show that either metamorphism of sedimentary rocks takes place at much greater depth than has hitherto been supposed or pressures generated by orogenic forces may have significantly augmented the hydrostatic pressure. The second alternative seems unlikely, but lack of information on the strength of rocks during metamorphism makes the matter uncertain. Geophysical and petrological observations indicate that the dominant rock type in the upper mantle is garnet peridotite. However, there is reason to believe that the mantle is inhomogeneous and that a variety of rocks ranging in bulk composition from eclogite to peridotite are present. Hydrous phases, such as amphiboles, are possible constituents in the upper 100 kilometers. The hypothesis that the Mohorovicic discontinuity is a dynamic equilibrium between basalt and eclogite seems improbable. The transition zone between the upper and lower mantle can be explained as a series of reactions in which silicates with the silicon ion in fourfold coordination are transformed into phases in which silicon is in six-fold coordination. This interpretation is supported by synthesis of stishovite, a polymorph of SiO(2) with rutile structure, and by syntheses of germanate pyroxenes with ilmenite structure. Data on the melting of silicates at pressures up to 50 kilobars show that the initial dT/dP slopes of silicate melting curves are much steeper than those of metals but that they show considerable curvature. The increase of melting temperature with pressure should be much more pronounced near the top of the mantle than at greater depth. PMID- 17769135 TI - Metallic Emissions from the Upper Atmosphere: Photometry of twilight emissions from alkali metals gives information on upper-atmospheric processes. PMID- 17769136 TI - N.S. Savannah: Nine Years after Inception It Is Uncertain if Ship Is a Boon or a Boondoggle. PMID- 17769137 TI - Infrared Study of Selective Deuteration of Kaolinite and Halloysite at Room Temperature. AB - Deuteration of expanded hydrazine-kaolinite complex at room temperature shifts the infrared stretching frequencies of the inner-surface hydroxyls from 3695, 3670, and 3650 cm(-1) to 2725, 2710, and 2698 cm(-1), respectively, and the inner hydroxyls absorbing at 3620 cm(-1) to 2675 cm(-1). The OH-OD exchange for the inner-surface hydroxyls varies from 60 to 67 percent, whereas it is only 22 percent for the inner hydroxyls. PMID- 17769138 TI - Viscosity and Self-Diffusion of Liquid Metals. AB - It is demonstrated that the empirical relationship between activation energy of viscosity and the melting point of a metal is also true for the energy of self diffusion, in view of the Stokes-Einstein relation. The provision is that viscosity and self-diffusion be expressed in a self-consistent manner, as provided, for example, by the J. Frenkel's theory of liquids. Thus, one can now estimate either the viscosity or the self-diffusion of any metal over a substantial temperature range from its known melting point. PMID- 17769139 TI - Direct Readout of Sediment Analyses by Settling Tube for Computer Processing. AB - Sediment fall-velocities measured by the Woods Hole Rapid Sediment Analyzer can now be obtained directly on punched paper tape in a form suitable for processing by a computer. This technique saves much time because it eliminates manual card punching, a step in which an operator transfers values from sediment analyses to punch cards in order to make the data acceptable tocomputers. PMID- 17769140 TI - Fluctuating Brightness of Quasi-Stellar Radio Sources. PMID- 17769142 TI - Artificial Internal Organs. PMID- 17769141 TI - Alaska Earthquake, 27 March 1964. PMID- 17769143 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17769144 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769145 TI - Vigorous vitamins. PMID- 17769146 TI - NIH Management. PMID- 17769147 TI - Organic cations. PMID- 17769148 TI - Particle physics race. PMID- 17769149 TI - Photocopying and purchasing practices of libraries. PMID- 17769150 TI - Students, careers, and the recession. PMID- 17769152 TI - Ford's First Budget: DOD, Energy R & D Up, Health Is Ailing. PMID- 17769153 TI - Biomedical research budget drops again. PMID- 17769151 TI - Global increase in quaternary explosive volcanism. AB - The worldwide distribution of volcanic ash has been determinmined from 320 deep sea sections drilled during the Deep Sea Drilling Project. The ash distribution in the deep-sea sections, which span the last 20 million years, indicates that there has been a much higher rate of explosive volcanism from both island arc and hot spot volcanoes during the last 2 million years. This episode, and perhaps another in the Middle Miocene cprrelates with previously reported widespread synchronism in increased volcanicity in certain oceanic islands. Increased Quaternary volcanism coincides approximately with that episode of the Cenozoic marked by major and rapidly fluctuating climatic change. PMID- 17769155 TI - Quiet AAAS Meeting Dominated by Science Policy Talk. PMID- 17769154 TI - Phage in live virus vaccines: are they harmful to people? PMID- 17769156 TI - Battelle Memorial Institute Settles Up with IRS and State on Tax Status and Founder's Will, Now Hopes to Settle Down. PMID- 17769158 TI - Coronary project: negative results. PMID- 17769157 TI - The CIA: Transportation Study Stirs New Charge of Impropriety. PMID- 17769159 TI - Crystal-growing in space: significance still up in the air. PMID- 17769160 TI - Mass spectroscopy: adaptation for nonvolatile samples. PMID- 17769161 TI - Freon consumption: implications for atmospheric ozone. AB - Freons are a potential source of stratospheric chlorine and may indirectly cause serious reductions in the concentration of ozone. The reduction could be as large as 3 percent by 1980, or 16 percent by 2000, if Freon consumption were to grow at 10 percent per year. Even if Freon use were terminated as early as 1990, it could leave a significant effect which might endure for several hundred years. PMID- 17769162 TI - Earthquake prediction: modeling the anomalous vp/vs source region. AB - Soviet observations of anomalously low values of the ratio of the compressional wave velocity to the shear wave velocity (V(p)/ V(s)) in a restricted volume around the locus of a future earthquake are duplicated by models based on the dilatancy hypothesis. In nature the cracks that cause the dilation may be oriented, leading to anisotropic seismic wave propagation in the anomalous region. The models show that vertical cracks are most effective in producing the observed effects, but that a slightly higher density of randomly oriented cracks will yield similar effects. The premonitory observations at Blue Mountain Lake, New York, are also duplicated by the models. These models demonstrate that V(p)/V(s) measured at the surface is not that of the anomalous zone, but is related to it by a transfer function, involving the shape and velocity gradient of the zone boundary. PMID- 17769163 TI - Nitrogen fixation in marine shipworms. AB - Nitrogen fixation is associated with four shipworl species. A bacterium capable of fixing nitrogen under anaerobic conditions and of liquefying cellulose in culture has been isolated from the gut of one species. High fixation rates (up to 1.5 micrograms of nitrogen per milligram dry weight per hour), which resulted in a doubling of cellular nitrogen in as little as 1.4 days, was associated with Teredora malleolus from the Sargasso Sea. Three species from coastal waters were assayed, and of these juveniles showed the highest fixation rates. Nitrogen fixation activity appeared to be inversely related to the ability of shipworms to obtain combined-nitrogen compounds in their diet. It could be a significant source of nitrogen for shipwornms and perhaps other oceanic organisms that ingest terrestrial plant material. PMID- 17769164 TI - Student evaluation. PMID- 17769165 TI - Food production and the energy crisis: a comment. PMID- 17769166 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17769168 TI - THE BIOCHEMIST ON THE HOSPITAL STAFF. PMID- 17769167 TI - BOTANICAL ACHIEVEMENT. PMID- 17769169 TI - CHARLES BUCKMAN GORING. PMID- 17769170 TI - UNRELIABLE EXPERIMENTAL METHODS OF DETERMINING THE TOXICITY OF ALKALI SALTS. PMID- 17769171 TI - ON HIGH-ALTITUDE RESEARCH. PMID- 17769172 TI - GRAVITY AND AEROSTATIC PRESSURE ON FAST SHIPS AND AIRPLANES. PMID- 17769173 TI - STATE REWARDS FOR MEDICAL DISCOVERIES. PMID- 17769174 TI - A POCONO BRACHIOPOD FAUNA. PMID- 17769175 TI - SECTION F--ZOOLOGY. PMID- 17769176 TI - THE PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17769177 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17769178 TI - THE OUTLOOK IN THE SCIENCE OF NUTRITION. PMID- 17769179 TI - THE SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE PACIFIC DIVISION. PMID- 17769180 TI - PRONUNCIATION OF BOTANICAL TERMS. PMID- 17769182 TI - THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL. PMID- 17769181 TI - THE CHEMICAL NATURE OF ENZYMES. PMID- 17769183 TI - FOSSIL RESIN. PMID- 17769184 TI - ASSORTATIVE MARRIAGE AND INFERTILITY. PMID- 17769185 TI - THE ULTRACENTRIFUGE. PMID- 17769186 TI - EXPERIMENTAL MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTION IN MICE. PMID- 17769188 TI - SOLID AND HOLLOW STEMMED GRASSES OF THE JORNADA EXPERIMENTAL RANGE. PMID- 17769187 TI - THE FEEDING REACTION OF SEVERED PROBOSCIDES OF DILEPTUS ANSER. PMID- 17769189 TI - Ownership of computer program. PMID- 17769191 TI - Accelerator site. PMID- 17769190 TI - Accelerator site. PMID- 17769192 TI - Correction. AB - In Jean L. Marx's briefing "Bar Harbor investigation reveals no fraud" (News and Comment, 17 June, p. 1254), the report of the investigating committee was incorrectly quoted to have said that Hoppe "cannot rule out the possibility that the embryos were switched before implantation." What the report actually says is, "Nevertheless, he [Hoppe] could not rule out the possibility that deliberate switching of young mice in experimental litters took place." PMID- 17769193 TI - Acronyms and abbreviations. PMID- 17769195 TI - Chemistry and the law. PMID- 17769194 TI - Radon in the home. PMID- 17769196 TI - Action on fraud. PMID- 17769197 TI - Acid rain. PMID- 17769198 TI - Microfabrication as a scientific tool. AB - Research in microfabrication not only serves the microelectronics industry but also can provide research tools for studying the behavior of matter at submicrometer dimensions. A variety of techniques including optical, x-ray, and electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching can be used to make structures, devices, and arrays only hundreds of atoms across. Microfabrication techniques have been applied to experiments on surface-enhanced Raman scattering, transport in one-dimensional conductors, and macroscopic quantum tunneling. Recent progress is extending these techniques to scales of less than 100 angstroms. PMID- 17769199 TI - The fate of amoco cadiz oil. AB - The Amoco Cadiz oil spill (223,000 metric tons) of March 1978 is the largest and best studied tanker spill in history. Of the total oil lost, 30,000 tons (13.5 percent) rapidly became incorporated into the water column, 18,000 tons (8 percent) were deposited in subtidal sediments, 62,000 tons (28 percent) washed into the intertidal zone, and 67,000 tons (30 percent) evaporated. While still at sea, approximately 10,000 tons of oil were degraded microbiologically. After 3 years, the most obvious effects of the spill have passed, although hydrocarbon concentrations remain elevated in those estuaries and marshes that were initially most heavily oiled. PMID- 17769200 TI - The "Lost" Mercury at Oak Ridge: A year after a scientist is disciplined for checking privately on mercury pollution, vast spills from a bomb plant are confirmed. PMID- 17769201 TI - Keyworth calls for bold push in space. PMID- 17769202 TI - The Search for a Nuclear Sanctuary (II): In a little noticed effort, Pentagon scientists work to create an invulnerable offense as well as an impregnable defense. PMID- 17769203 TI - Ruckelshaus courts scientists. PMID- 17769204 TI - Health plan for salvador draws mixed reaction. PMID- 17769205 TI - The Kyshtym Mystery (contd.). PMID- 17769207 TI - An Early Glacial Two-Step?: The most recent ice age seems to have exited in two steps, the earlier one perhaps coming sooner than had been thought possible. PMID- 17769206 TI - How Does Fluid Flow Become Turbulent?: Myriad instabilities that precede turbulence in a simple model (Tylor-Couette flow) defy understanding 60 years after the first one was found. PMID- 17769208 TI - Biochemistry as a political institution: from medical chemistry to biochemistry. PMID- 17769210 TI - Molecular evolution: macromolecular sequences in systematics and evolutionary biology. PMID- 17769209 TI - Vitalism reexamined: the strategy of life. PMID- 17769211 TI - The effectiveness of threat: deterring the drinking driver. PMID- 17769212 TI - Multiple microtektite horizons in upper eocene marine sediments: no evidence for mass extinctions. AB - Microtektites have been recovered from three horizons in eight middle Eocene to middle Oligocene marine sediment sequences. Five of these occurrences are coeval and of latest Eocene age (37.5 to 38.0 million years ago); three are coeval and of early late Eocene age (38.5 to 39.5 million years ago); and three are of middle Oligocene age (31 to 32 million years ago). In addition, rare probable microtektites have been found in sediments with ages of about 36.0 to 36.5 million years. The microtektite horizon at 37.5 to 38.0 million years can be correlated with the North American tektite-strewn field, which has a fission track age (minimum) of 34 to 35 million years and a paleomagnetic age of 37.5 to 38.0 million years. There is no evidence for mass faunal extinctions at any of the microtektite horizons. Many of the distinct faunal changes that occurred in the middle Eocene to middle Oligocene can be related to the formation of the Antarctic ice sheet and the associated cooling phenomena and intensification of bottom currents that led to large-scale dissolution of calcium carbonate and erosion, which created areally extensive hiatuses in the deep-sea sediment records. The occurrence of microtektite horizons of several ages and the lack of evidence for faunal extinctions suggest that the effects of extraterrestrial bolide impacts may be unimportant in the biologic realm during middle Eocene to middle Oligocene time. PMID- 17769213 TI - Nitrogen fixation by floating diatom mats: a source of new nitrogen to oligotrophic ocean waters. AB - Nitrogen fixation, apparently by bacterial endosymbionts, is associated with intertwining chains of two species of the diatom Rhizosolenia. In situ fixation rates were enhanced by incubation in the dark, whereas concurrent shipboard experiments either underestimated or did not detect nitrogen fixation. This is the first example of nitrogen fixation associated with a bacteria-diatom symbiosis in the pelagic zone, and it indicates that these systems may contribute a significant amount of "new" nitrogen to oligotrophic waters. PMID- 17769214 TI - Chitin in sea anemone shells. AB - Chitin, which is widely distributed among life forms, is well documented in the coelenterate class Hydrozoa and is contained in one member of class Scyphozoa. In class Anthozoa, hard corals synthesize it but soft corals do not. Chitin was identified by infrared spectrophotometry in the trochoid shell of the actinian Stylobates. It constitutes 1.7 percent of the shell by weight, the rest probably being protein. The ability of sea anemones to synthesize chitin is there by confirmed. PMID- 17769215 TI - agr-Amanitin Tolerance in Mycophagous Drosophila. AB - Six species of Drosophila were tested for tolerance to the mushroom toxin alpha amanitin, a potent inhibitor of RNA polymerase II. Three nonmycophagous species D. melanogaster, D. immigrans, and D. pseudoobscura-showed very low survival and long development times in the presence of amanitin. Three mycophagous species-D. putrida, D. recens, and D. tripunctata-showed little or no sensitivity. Analysis in vitro indicated that this tolerance is not based on alteration of the molecular structure of RNA polymerase II. PMID- 17769216 TI - Environmental component of morphological differentiation in birds. AB - Geographic character variation in birds is usually attributed to natural selection for phenotypes that reflect locally adapted genetic differences. However, experimental transplants of red-winged blackbird eggs between nests in northern and southern Florida, and from Colorado to Minnesota, show that in this species a significant proportion of the regional differences in nestling development is nongenetic. If natural selection is maintaining the clines of character variation that are observed in adult phenotypes, the genetic and nongenetic components of phenotypic variation must covary. PMID- 17769217 TI - Leaf color used by cabbage root flies to distinguish among host plants. AB - In experiments in which spectrophotometric reflectance patterns of real leaves were mimicked with mixtures of artists' pigments, leaf color was shown to be a character used by cabbage root flies, before landing on leaves, to discriminate among the host plant cultivars radish, green cabbage, and red cabbage. It may be possible to take advantage of factors that affect leaf color, such as epicuticular bloom, pubescence, and masking of chlorophyll by other pigments, to decrease the attraction of certain pest insects to plants. PMID- 17769218 TI - A continuum of sleep and shallow torpor in fasting doves. AB - Fasting doves entered shallow torpor during nocturnal sleep. Body temperature dropped lower each successive night by 1 degrees to 3 degrees in parallel with diminished rapid-eye-movement sleep until torpor was composed almost entirely of slow-wave sleep at a body temperature of 30 degrees to 32 degrees C. Shallow torpor in doves, as in mammals, thus appears to lie on a metabolic continuum with sleep. PMID- 17769219 TI - Circumglobal transport of the el chichon volcanic dust cloud. AB - The stratospheric dust cloud from the 4 April 1982 eruption of El Chichon volcano in southern Mexico was observed to travel completely around the world in a 3-week period. Images from satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were used to prepare daily maps of the location of the volcanic dust cloud, which is the largest and longest-lasting one so far observed with satellite imagery. PMID- 17769221 TI - THE FUTURE OF THE CRELLIN LABORATORY. PMID- 17769220 TI - THE CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THIAMIN. PMID- 17769222 TI - THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHEMISTRY AT THE CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. PMID- 17769223 TI - AMERICANS AND THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17769224 TI - THE FIRST KNOWN LONG MATHEMATICAL DECLINE. PMID- 17769225 TI - OVEREXERTION AS CAUSE OF DEATH OF CAPTURED FISH. PMID- 17769226 TI - CROSS REFERENCES IN SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. PMID- 17769227 TI - THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. PMID- 17769228 TI - THE VIRGINIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17769229 TI - ANAPHYLAXIS IN THE LIVERLESS DOG AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE ANTICOAGULANT OF ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK. PMID- 17769231 TI - A RELATION BETWEEN THE ELECTRONIC RADIUS AND THE COMPTON WAVELENGTH OF THE PROTON. PMID- 17769230 TI - THE TENNESSEE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17769232 TI - SOLUBLE SOLIDS IN CITRUS FRUITS. PMID- 17769233 TI - A GROWING YEAST MEDIUM FOR THE CULTIVATION OF AN HEMOPHILIC BACILLI AND OF AN ORGANISM CAUSING A BRONCHITIS IN CHICKENS. PMID- 17769234 TI - CELLOPHANE USED FOR PROJECTION DRAWINGS. PMID- 17769235 TI - PRESERVATION OF ANATOMICAL SPECIMENS. PMID- 17769236 TI - WORK OF THE U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 1899-1900. PMID- 17769237 TI - SECOND REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE GERMAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY ON ATOMIC WEIGHTS. PMID- 17769238 TI - THE FOSSIL SHELLS OF THE LOS ANGELES TUNNEL CLAYS. PMID- 17769239 TI - THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS. PMID- 17769240 TI - THE DEVELOPMENT OF SURGERY. PMID- 17769241 TI - CHEMISTRY AT THE NEW YORK MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17769242 TI - ANTHROPOLOGY AT THE NEW YORK MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17769243 TI - INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. PMID- 17769244 TI - THE BUFFALO EXPOSITION. PMID- 17769245 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17769246 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ACADEMIES. PMID- 17769247 TI - DEFECTIVE VISION OF BOARD SCHOOL CHILDREN. PMID- 17769248 TI - PROTECTION OF WILD ANIMALS IN AFRICA. PMID- 17769249 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17769251 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17769250 TI - Science and peace. PMID- 17769252 TI - New FDA head: profile of an overachiever. PMID- 17769253 TI - The biotech pipeline is all clogged up. PMID- 17769254 TI - Greenhouse policy: a bargain? PMID- 17769255 TI - Ozone destruction worsens. PMID- 17769256 TI - Microbes and "the trabi problem". PMID- 17769257 TI - Largest-ever dinosaur skull. PMID- 17769258 TI - Submariner to captain science service. PMID- 17769260 TI - Appropriate agriculture. PMID- 17769259 TI - Sleeping with scuds. PMID- 17769261 TI - Piping x-rays through a glass brightly. PMID- 17769262 TI - Why farmers are switching. PMID- 17769263 TI - Magellan: no venusian plate tectonics seen. PMID- 17769264 TI - A new star is born. PMID- 17769265 TI - Single electron transistor explained. PMID- 17769266 TI - Mantle phase changes and deep-earthquake faulting in subducting lithosphere. AB - Inclined zones of earthquakes are the primary expression of lithosphere subduction. A distinct deep population of subduction-zone earthquakes occurs at depths of 350 to 690 kilometers. At those depths ordinary brittle fracture and frictional sliding, the faulting processes of shallow earthquakes, are not expected. A fresh understanding of these deep earthquakes comes from developments in several areas of experimental and theoretical geophysics, including the discovery and characterization of transformational faulting, a shear instability connected with localized phase transformations under nonhydrostatic stress. These developments support the hypothesis that deep earthquakes represent transformational faulting in a wedge of olivine-rich peridotite that is likely to persist metastably in coldest plate interiors to depths as great as 690 km. Predictions based on this deep structure of mantle phase changes are consistent with the global depth distribution of deep earthquakes, the maximum depths of earthquakes in individual subductions zones, and key source characteristics of deep events. PMID- 17769267 TI - Models for material failure and deformation. AB - Simple computer models have been used to investigate a variety of pattern formation processes associated with material failure and deformation. These models reproduce surprisingly well the characteristic morphologies observed in a wide range of real systems. They provide a sound basis for the development of more realistic models that can be used to develop a better understanding of the mechanical properties of real materials. The present algorithms are adequate for some purposes, but substantial improvements are needed if simulation results are to make a major contribution to our theoretical understanding of the asymptotic fractal scaling and universality properties of patterns generated by failure and deformation phenomena. PMID- 17769268 TI - Satellite-image-derived velocity field of an antarctic ice stream. AB - The surface velocity of a rapidly moving ice stream has been determined to high accuracy and spatial density with the use of sequential satellite imagery. Variations of ice velocity are spatially related to surface undulations, and transverse velocity variations of up to 30 percent occur. Such large variations negate the concept of plug flow and call into question earlier mass-balance calculations for this and other ice streams where sparse velocity data were used. The coregistration of images with the use of the topographic undulations of the ice stream and the measurement of feature displacement with cross-correlation of image windows provide significant improvements in the use of satellite imagery for ice-flow determination. PMID- 17769269 TI - Magellan: mission summary. AB - The Magellan radar mapping mission is in the process of producing a global, high resolution image and altimetry data set of Venus. Despite initial communications problems, few data gaps have occurred. Analysis of Magellan data is in the initial stages. The radar system data are of high quality, and the planned performance is being achieved in terms of spatial resolution and geometric and radiometric accuracy. Image performance exceeds expectations, and the image quality and mosaickability are extremely good. Future plans for the mission include obtaining gravity data, filling gaps in the initial map, and conducting special studies with the radar. PMID- 17769270 TI - An overview of venus geology. AB - The Magellan spacecraft is producing comprehensive image and altimetry data for the planet Venus. Initial geologic mapping of the planet reveals a surface dominated by volcanic plains and characterized by extensive volcanism and tectonic deformation. Geologic and geomorphologic units include plains terrains, tectonic terrains, and surficial material units. Understanding the origin of these units and the relation between them is an ongoing task of the Magellan team. PMID- 17769271 TI - Fundamental issues in the geology and geophysics of venus. AB - A number of important and currently unresolved issues in the global geology and geophysics of Venus will be addressable with the radar imaging, altimetry, and gravity measurements now forthcoming from the Magellan mission. Among these are the global volcanic flux and the rate of formation of new crust; the global heat flux and its regional variations; the relative importance of localized hot spots and linear centers of crustal spreading to crustal formation and tectonics; and the planform of mantle convection on Venus and the nature of the interactions among interior convective flow, near-surface deformation and magmatism. PMID- 17769272 TI - Magellan: radar performance and data products. AB - The Magellan Venus orbiter carries only one scientific instrument: a 12.6 centimeter wavelength radar system shared among three data-taking modes. The synthetic-aperture mode images radar echoes from the Venus surface at a resolution of between 120 and 300 meters, depending on spacecraft altitude. In the altimetric mode, relative height measurement accuracies may approach 5 meters, depending on the terrain's roughness, although orbital uncertainties place a floor of about 50 meters on the absolute uncertainty. In areas of extremely rough topography, accuracy is limited by the inherent line-of-sight radar resolution of about 88 meters. The maximum elevation observed to date, corresponding to a planetary radius of 6062 kilometers, lies within Maxwell Mons. When used as a thermal emission radiometer, the system can determine surface emissivities to an absolute accuracy of about 0.02. Mosaicked and archival digital data products will be released in compact disk (CDROM) format. PMID- 17769273 TI - Magellan: electrical and physical properties of venus' surface. AB - Magellan probes Venus' surface by 12.6-cm-wavelength vertical and oblique radar scattering and measures microwave thermal emission. Emissivity and root meansquare slope maps between 330 degrees and 30 degrees E and 90 degrees N and 80 degrees S are dissimilar, although some local features are exceptions. Inferred surface emissivities typically are approximately 0.85, but vary from approximately 0.35 at Maxwell to approximately 0.95 northeast of Gula Mons and other locations. Lowest emissivities appear in topographically high areas; this relation suggests that a phase change or differences in chemical weathering occur at about 6055-kilometer radius. Initial results indicate that there are significant variations in the surface scattering function. PMID- 17769274 TI - Magellan: initial analysis of venus surface modification. AB - Initial Magellan observations reveal a planet with high dielectric constant materials exposed preferentially in elevated regions with high slopes, ejecta deposits extending up to 1000 kilometers to the west of several impact craters, windblown deposits and features in areas where there are both obstacles and a source of particulate material, and evidence for slow, steady degradation by atmosphere-surface interactions and mass movements. PMID- 17769275 TI - Venus volcanism: initial analysis from magellan data. AB - Magellan images confirm that volcanism is widespread and has been fimdamentally important in the formation and evolution of the crust of Venus. High-resolution imaging data reveal evidence for intrusion (dike formation and cryptodomes) and extrusion (a wide range of lava flows). Also observed are thousands of small shield volcanoes, larger edifices up to several hundred kilometers in diameter, massive outpourings of lavas, and local pyroclastic deposits. Although most features are consistent with basaltic compositions, a number of large pancake like domes are morphologically similar to rhyolite-dacite domes on Earth. Flows and sinuous channels with lengths of many hundreds of kilometers suggest that extremely high effusion rates or very fluid magmas (perhaps komatiites) may be present. Volcanism is evident in various tectonic settings (coronae, linear extensional and compressional zones, mountain belts, upland rises, highland plateaus, and tesserae). Volcanic resurfacing rates appear to be low (less than 2 Km(3)/yr) but the significance of dike formation and intrusions, and the mode of crustal formation and loss remain to be established. PMID- 17769276 TI - Impact craters on venus: initial analysis from magellan. AB - Magellan radar images of 15 percent of the planet show 135 craters of probable impact origin. Craters more than 15 km across tend to contain central peaks, multiple central peaks, and peak rings. Many craters smaller than 15 km exhibit multiple floors or appear in clusters; these phenomena are attributed to atmospheric breakup of incoming meteoroids. Additionally, the atmosphere appears to have prevented the formation of primary impact craters smaller than about 3 km and produced a deficiency in the number of craters smaller than about 25 km across. Ejecta is found at greater distances than that predicted by simple ballistic emplacement, and the distal ends of some ejecta deposits are lobate. These characteristics may represent surface flows of material initially entrained in the atmosphere. Many craters are surrounded by zones of low radar albedo whose origin may have been deformation of the surface by the shock or pressure wave associated with the incoming meteoroid. Craters are absent from several large areas such as a 5 million square kilometer region around Sappho Patera, where the most likely explanation for the dearth of craters is volcanic resurfacing. There is apparently a spectrum of surface ages on Venus ranging approximately from 0 to 800 million years, and therefore Venus must be a geologically active planet. PMID- 17769277 TI - Venus tectonics: initial analysis from magellan. AB - Radar imaging and altimetry data from the Magellan mission have revealed a diversity of deformational features at a variety of spatial scales on the Venus surface. The plains record a superposition of different episodes of deformation and volcanism; strain is both areally distributed and concentrated into zones of extension and shortening. The common coherence of strain patterns over hundreds of kilometers implies that many features in the plains reflect a crustal response to mantle dynamic processes. Ridge belts and mountain belts represent successive degrees of lithospheric shortening and crustal thickening; the mountain belts also show widespread evidence for extension and collapse both during and following crustal compression. Venus displays two geometrical patterns of concentrated lithospheric extension: quasi-circular coronae and broad rises with linear rift zones; both are sites of significant volcanism. No long, large-offset strike-slip faults have been observed, although limited local horizontal shear is accommodated across many zones of crustal shortening. In general, tectonic features on Venus are unlike those in Earth's oceanic regions in that strain typically is distributed across broad zones that are one to a few hundred kilometers wide, and separated by stronger and less deformed blocks hundreds of kilometers in width, as in actively deforming continental regions on Earth. PMID- 17769278 TI - Crystal structure of osmylated c60: confirmation of the soccer ball framework. AB - An x-ray crystal structure that confirms the soccer ball-shaped carbon framework of C(60) (buckminsterfullerene) is reported. An osmyl unit was added to C(60) in order to break its pseudospherical symmetry and give an ordered crystal. The crystal structure of this derivative, C(60)(OsO(4))(4-tert-butylpyridine)(2), reveals atomic positions within the carbon cluster. PMID- 17769279 TI - Segregations. PMID- 17769280 TI - The fern gametophyte. PMID- 17769281 TI - The perception of odor. PMID- 17769282 TI - Some other books of interest. PMID- 17769284 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17769283 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17769285 TI - Materials research. PMID- 17769287 TI - Recombinant DNA: International Guidelines. PMID- 17769286 TI - Applied research: key to innovation. PMID- 17769288 TI - Growth hormone use. PMID- 17769290 TI - SDI Research Funds. PMID- 17769289 TI - Growth hormone use. PMID- 17769291 TI - Net primary production: the tomato example. PMID- 17769292 TI - Forest restoration in costa rica. PMID- 17769293 TI - Rejection and revolution. PMID- 17769294 TI - Response: rejection and revolution. PMID- 17769295 TI - Erratum. AB - In the Research News article by Gina Kolata "Maleness pinpointed on Y chromosome" (28 Nov., p. 1076), it is said that gametes always induce steroids. In fact, steroids can be produced without gametes. What is constant is that gametes can never be produced without steroids. PMID- 17769296 TI - Erratum. AB - In the caption for the figure on page 939 with the article "Debate about epilepsy: What initiates seizures?" by Deborah M. Barnes (Research News, 21 Nov., p. 938), the second sentence should have read "Middle trace shows electrical activity recorded from the space outside a neuron and bottom trace shows activity inside a single neuron." PMID- 17769297 TI - End Game for the N Reactor?: The Department of Energy plans a $50-million rush repair job on the nation's oldest weapons reactor to bring it closer to modern safety standards. PMID- 17769299 TI - Romeo and juliet and youth suicide. PMID- 17769298 TI - Textbook Controversy Intensifies Nationwide: Court cases and censorship attempts reflect broader conflict over values, as well as problems with the quality of teaching materials. PMID- 17769300 TI - Creationism Case Argued Before Supreme Court: In a case that will have a major influence on the future impact of creationism in public schools, the U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments for and against the scientific and secular nature of creation-science. PMID- 17769301 TI - Use of berkeley reactor questioned on military-related research. PMID- 17769302 TI - Student Protests Block University Changes: Government-supported plans to allow French universities to charge varied fees and admit students on a selective basis have been shelved because of strong opposition. PMID- 17769303 TI - Feerst in close call. PMID- 17769305 TI - Human values in medical schools. PMID- 17769304 TI - Stanford branches out. PMID- 17769306 TI - Peace institute grants. PMID- 17769307 TI - A $300-Million LINK. PMID- 17769308 TI - Free Electron Laser Success Explained: A Livermore-Berkeley group finally publishes an account of the tapered-undulator experiment that has focused so much interest on high-power free electron lasers for missile defense. PMID- 17769309 TI - Planetary scientists are seeing the unseeable. PMID- 17769310 TI - Rice Plants Regenerated From Protoplasts: The ability to regenerate rice protoplasts means that for the first time a major cereal will become subject to modern biotechnological methods. PMID- 17769311 TI - The volatility of stock market prices. AB - If the volatility of stock market prices is to be understood in terms of the efficient markets hypothesis, then there should be evidence that true investment value changes through time sufficiently to justify the price changes. Three indicators of change in true investment value of the aggregate stock market in the United States from 1871 to 1986 are considered: changes in dividends, in real interest rates, and in a direct measure of intertemporal marginal rates of substitution. Although there are some ambiguities in interpreting the evidence, dividend changes appear to contribute very little toward justifying the observed historical volatility of stock prices. The other indicators contribute some, but still most of the volatility of stock market prices appears unexplained. PMID- 17769312 TI - Laser remote sensing of the atmosphere. AB - Laser beams can be used as long-range spectroscopic probes of the chemical composition and physical state of the atmosphere. The spectroscopic, optical, and laser requirements for atmospheric laser remote sensing are reviewed, and the sensitivity and limitations of the technique are described. A sampling of recent measurements includes the detection of urban air pollution and toxic chemicals in the atmosphere, the measurement of global circulation of volcanic ash in the upper atmosphere, and the observation of wind shear near airports. PMID- 17769313 TI - A revisit to the guest star of a.d. 185. AB - The guest star of A.D. 185 is possibly the earliest recorded supernova, and the radio source RCW 86 is believed to be its remnant. However, a restudy of ancient Chinese literature suggests that RCW 86 is unrelated to the guest star, which probably had a visible duration of only 7 months and appeared between beta and delta Centauri, instead of the previously proposed 20-mtonth duration and a location between alpha and ,beta Centauri. PMID- 17769314 TI - Trace fossil evidence for late ordovician animals on land. AB - Fossil burrows within newly recognized buried soils in the Late Ordovician Juniata Formation, near Potters Mills in central Pennsylvania, represent the oldest reported nonmarine trace fossils. They are thought to have been an original part of the soil because their greater density toward the top of the paleosols corresponds with mineralogical, microstructural, and chemical changes attributed to ancient weathering and because about half the burrows are encrusted with nodular carbonate, interpreted as caliche. Associated fossil caliche, the size distribution of the burrows, and their W-shaped backfills are evidence that the burrows may have been excavated by bilaterally symmetrical organisms that grew in well-defined growth increments and were able to withstand desiccation. Among well-known soil organisms, millipedes are burrowing animals that satisfy these requirements, but have a fossil record not quite this old. This trace fossil evidence for animals on land, together with recent palynological evidence for land plants of a bryophytic grade of evolution during Late Ordovician time, are indications of terrestrial ecosystems of slightly greater antiquity and complexity than hitherto suspected. PMID- 17769315 TI - Bacteria: link or sink? PMID- 17769316 TI - Response: bacteria: link or sink? PMID- 17769317 TI - 1986 election results. PMID- 17769318 TI - Transcripts of discussion focusing on the use of animals in research offered. PMID- 17769320 TI - SWARM to Meet in Austin. PMID- 17769319 TI - Nomination of AAAS Fellows Invited. PMID- 17769323 TI - Important fossils: the burgess shale. PMID- 17769322 TI - Professional problems: scientists and journalists. PMID- 17769324 TI - Californians at risk: waiting for disaster. PMID- 17769325 TI - Progenitor cells: megakaryocyte development and function. PMID- 17769326 TI - Some other books of interest: embryogenesis in angiosperms. PMID- 17769327 TI - Some other books of interest: NMR of proteins and nucleic acids. PMID- 17769328 TI - Some other books of interest: Drosophila. PMID- 17769329 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17769330 TI - A Strategy for Developing Talent. PMID- 17769333 TI - The New Administration: A Report on Education; Taming the Rules Committee; Disarmament Activity. PMID- 17769331 TI - Movement of Organic Substances in Trees: Photosynthates are translocated in a layer of bark only a fraction of a millimeter thick. PMID- 17769332 TI - To Honor Fechner and Repeal His Law: A power function, not a log function, describes the operating characteristic of a sensory system. PMID- 17769334 TI - Transport of Calcareous Fragments by Reef Fishes. AB - The weight of sand, coral scrapings, algal fragments, and other calcareous materials which pass through the intestines of reef fishes was calculated on a hectare-per-year basis. It was found that browsing omnivorous reef fishes which rely, in part, on a plant diet ingested and redeposited at least 2300 kg of such material on a 1-hectare study reef near Bermuda. Reasons are presented why this estimate, certainly in order of magnitude, should be applicable to coral reefs in general. PMID- 17769335 TI - Effect of Deuterium Substitution in Sympathomimetic Amines on Adrenergic Responses. AB - It was discovered that replacement of the alpha-hydrogens of tyramine and tryptamine by deuterium produces a marked intensification of the blood pressure effects and nictitating membrane contraction normally produced by these amines. The results are interpreted on the basis of kinetic isotope effects at the level of monoamine oxidase and clearly establish the importance of this enzyme in the limitation of responses when tyramine and tryptamine are involved. The observed deuterium isotope effects with alpha,alpha-bisdeuterotyramine (alpha,alpha-D(2) tyramine) have been reproduced with only one of the optical isomers of monodeuterotyramine. This establishes that the enzyme displays a high degree of optical specificity. The use of l-bisdeuteronorepinephrine revealed that norepinephrine cannot be attacked by the enzyme at the effector cell level. PMID- 17769336 TI - Serum Glutamic Oxalacetic Transaminase Content in Hypothermia. AB - When the body temperature of pentobarbitalized dogs was lowered, by surface immersion technique, to 27 degrees -26 degrees C, elevations in serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase were found only after a period of prolonged hypothermia (12 hours). When the animals were rewarmed, serum levels returned to normal. Histologic study of organs rich in glutamic oxalacetic transaminase revealed no necrosis. The cause for the elevations is not known, although increased membrane permeability secondary to prolonged cold may be a factor. PMID- 17769337 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17769338 TI - Letters. PMID- 17769339 TI - The New Chemical Laboratory of the case School of Applied Science. PMID- 17769340 TI - THE STATUS OF EXPERIMENTAL AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17769341 TI - THE POSSIBILITY OF A REALIZATION OF FOURFOLD SPACE. PMID- 17769342 TI - THE TUSKALOOSA FORMATION. PMID- 17769343 TI - IS IT DANGEROUS TO SPRAY FRulT-TREES WITH SOLUTIONS OF POISONOUS SUBSTANCES IN ORDER TO PREVENT DEPREDATIONS FROM DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS? PMID- 17769344 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17769345 TI - Detection of Artificial Gems. PMID- 17769347 TI - The " Hongote" Language. PMID- 17769346 TI - The Ancestry of Chalicotheium. PMID- 17769348 TI - Artificial Production of Variation in Types. PMID- 17769349 TI - Game ranching. PMID- 17769350 TI - Evaluating clinch river. PMID- 17769351 TI - Science and science education are in. PMID- 17769352 TI - The new milky way. AB - Our understanding of the large-scale structure of the Milky Way has undergone considerable revision during the past few years. The Galaxy is larger and much more massive than was previously supposed; the newly discovered mass consists of nonluminous matter which is likely to be the dominant form of matter in the universe. New analyses of the atomic hydrogen gas show that the disk of the Galaxy is about twice as extended as was previously thought. Beyond the sun, the gas is concentrated in large-scale, coherent spiral arms indicative of a regular four-armed spiral pattern. The outer edge of the disk has a remarkable scalloping. PMID- 17769353 TI - The quantized Hall effect. AB - Quantization of the Hall effect is one of the most surprising discoveries in recent experimental solid-state research. At low temperatures and high magnetic fields the ratio of the Hall voltage to the electric current in a two-dimensional system is quantized in units of h/e(2), where h is Planck's constant and e is the electronic charge. Concomitantly, the electrical resistance of the specimen drops to values far below the resistances of the best normal metals. PMID- 17769354 TI - Gametophytic self-incompatibility reexamined. AB - The conventional hypothesis of gametophytic self-incompatibility in the angiosperms involves one to four multiallelic incompatibility loci and the positive inhibition of incompatible pollen tubes. However, this concept does not accommodate recent experimental data indicating that there may be many loci. An alternative hypothesis which incorporates many loci and complementary pollen style interactions suggests that there may be no S gene, as previously thought, and that gametophytic self-incompatibility is perhaps merely one aspect of extensive pollen-style interactions. PMID- 17769356 TI - MCC Moves Out of the Idea Stage. PMID- 17769355 TI - Scientific cooperation endorsed at summit. PMID- 17769357 TI - Science and secrecy. PMID- 17769358 TI - Laser light in the extreme ultraviolet. PMID- 17769359 TI - Activating unreactive C--h bonds. PMID- 17769360 TI - New ways to accelerate? PMID- 17769361 TI - Energy systems and social change. PMID- 17769362 TI - Beringia as a habitat. PMID- 17769363 TI - Iron in biological systems. PMID- 17769364 TI - Strong interactions. PMID- 17769365 TI - Ocean science. PMID- 17769366 TI - Prehistoric blood residues: detection on tool surfaces and identification of species of origin. AB - Blood residues from several animal species have been discovered on the surfaces of chert, basalt, and obsidian prehistoric tools (1000 to 6000 years old) from open-air sites along the western coast and in the northern boreal forest of Canada. A screening test has been developed to detect residual blood. Hemoglobin has been crystallized from the residues, and the species of origin determined. PMID- 17769367 TI - Middle holocene age of the sunnyvale human skeleton. AB - A morphologically modern human skeleton from Sunnyvale, California, previously dated by aspartic acid racemization to be approximately 70,000 years old and by uranium series isotopic ratios to be 8300 and 9000 years old, appears to be younger when dated by the carbon-14 method. Four carbon-14 determinations made by both decay and direct counting on three organic fractions of postcranial bone support a middle Holocene age assignment for the skeleton, probably in the range of 3500 to 5000 carbon-14 years before the present. This dating evidence is consistent with the geologic, archeological, and anthropometric relationships of the burial as well as previously determined carbon-14 determinations on associated materials. PMID- 17769368 TI - Winteraceous pollen in the lower cretaceous of Israel: early evidence of a magnolialean angiosperm family. AB - Pollen of the primitive angiosperm family Winteraceae has been discovered in the Aptian-Albian of Israel, extending the fossil record of this phylogenetically important family of flowering plants from the uppermost Upper Cretaceous back some 40 million years to the upper Lower Cretaceous. This appears to represent the earliest known record of a magnolialean angiosperm family and is convincing evidence for the existence in the Early Cretaceous of an extant family of angiosperms. PMID- 17769369 TI - When is an island community in equilibrium? AB - To determine whether the number of species in a biota is in equilibrium requires a colonization model. In a simple Markov model, each species' extinction and immigration probabilities are estimated independently from available data. For one inland and two island avifaunas, a simulation with these probabilities shows that the trajectories of species richness through time do not manifest the regulatory tendencies expected if species interactions cause species richness to be continuously redressed toward an equilibrium. PMID- 17769370 TI - Localization of wheat germ agglutinin--like lectins in various species of the gramineae. AB - Antigenically similar chitin-binding lectins are present in the embryos of wheat, barley, and rye, members of the Triticeae tribe of the grass family (Gramineae). However, the lectins display different localization patterns in these embryos. Lectin is absent from the coleoptile of barley but is present in the outer surface cells of this organ in wheat and in both inner and outer surface cells of rye coleoptiles. All three cereals contain lectin at the periphery of embryonic roots. Similar lectins were not detected in oats and pearl millet, members of other tribes of the Gramineae. Rice, a species only distantty related to wheat, contains a lectin that is antigenically similar to the other cereal lectins and located at the periphery of embryonic roots and throughut the coleoptile. PMID- 17769371 TI - Basal localization of the presumptive auxin transport carrier in pea stem cells. AB - By means of an indirect immunofluorescence technique with the use of monoclonal antibodies, the location of the presumptive auxin transport carrier of pea stem tissue was identified in the plasma membranes at the basal ends of parenchyma cells sheathing the vascular bundles. The results represent what is believed to be the first direct evidence for the hypothesized basal efflux carrier conferring polarity to auxin transport in plant stems. PMID- 17769372 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17769373 TI - THE PLANETESIMAL HYPOTHESIS. PMID- 17769375 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17769374 TI - OF HUMAN INTEREST. PMID- 17769376 TI - SAVING THE COCONUTS. PMID- 17769377 TI - "AN UNEXPLAINED VISUAL PHENOMENON". PMID- 17769378 TI - INHALATION THE CHIEF FACTOR IN ONION OR GARLIC CONTAMINATION OF MILK. PMID- 17769379 TI - SALMONELLA COLUMBENSIS. PMID- 17769380 TI - NOTE UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF OTOMESOSTOMA AUDITIVUM (PLESS.) IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17769381 TI - PROTOCHLOROPHYLL. PMID- 17769382 TI - INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE OPINIONS 98 TO 104. PMID- 17769383 TI - THE SUBCUTANEOUS LYMPH SAC OF THE FROG AS A CULTURE CHAMBER. PMID- 17769384 TI - ON THE STRUCTURE OF THYMONUCLEIC ACID. PMID- 17769385 TI - A MICRO-TECHNIQUE FOR OBSERVING OIL PENETRATION IN CITRUS LEAVES AFTER SPRAYING. PMID- 17769386 TI - THYROID-FED RATS AND HIGH ROOM TEMPERATURES. PMID- 17769387 TI - THE SPECTRUM OF IONIZED XENON (XeII). PMID- 17769388 TI - Clean Air? Don't Hold Your Breath: Over the next few months, Congress will try to rewrite the Clean Air Act. Economists argue that existing smog standards are already too costly, while researchers raise new health concerns. PMID- 17769389 TI - The political battle over clean air. PMID- 17769390 TI - Utah Looks to Congress for Cold Fusion Cash: But even help from a Washington lobbying firm may not be enough to overcome negative results from other labs. PMID- 17769391 TI - Cold water from caltech. PMID- 17769392 TI - Space Science on the Rebound?: NASA is planning the most vigorous series of space science missions since the 1960s; but will it be able to carry them out? PMID- 17769393 TI - The unveiling of venus. PMID- 17769394 TI - Biologists Disagree Over Bold Signature of Nature: Adaptation to the different annual climatic fluctuations at low and high latitudes is suggested as an explanation for a famous, unexplained pattern of nature. PMID- 17769395 TI - The circle can be squared! PMID- 17769396 TI - Another Movement in the Dance of the Plates: A history of North America's first billion years supports repeated episodes of tectonic plate aggregation and dispersal. PMID- 17769397 TI - Rewarding performance that is hard to measure: the private nonprofit sector. AB - The private nonprofit form of institutions is large and growing. Its role in a mixed economy is the subject of this article. Nonprofits differ from private enterprises primarily in the constraints on them. The key element is that nonprofits may not distribute profits to anyone associated with the organization, a restriction that is in sharp contrast to the freedom that private firms have to reward owners and managers for generating profit. The theoretical case that such a constraint can be useful when consumers are poorly informed is examined. Also, the available empirical evidence on differences in behavior between nonprofit and for-profit organizations is presented. PMID- 17769398 TI - Microearthquake imaging of the parkfield asperity. AB - Microearthquake data from a downhole seismometer network on the San Andreas fault appear to outline two aseismic asperities that may correspond to the locations of the foreshocks and main shocks of the Parkfield characteristic earthquakes. The source parameters of the microearthquakes show that a few of the earthquakes have significantly higher stress drops than most. Furthermore, the magnitude-frequency statistics suggest that at local magnitude 0.6, the cumulative number of small events begins to fall off the usual Gutenberg-Richter (b = -1) relation, in which the number of events increases exponentially with decreasing magnitude. The downhole seismometer data establish a baseline from which the evolution of the earthquake process at Parkfield can be monitored and suggest that different mechanical conditions than those that lead to the typical Gutenberg-Richter relation may be operating for the smallest of Parkfield microearthquakes. PMID- 17769399 TI - Long-range electronic perturbations caused by defects using scanning tunneling microscopy. AB - Real-space observations of long-range electronic perturbations caused by defects have been made with scanning tunneling microscopy. The defects are isolated adsorbed molecules on the surface of graphite. These defects perturb the charge density, giving periodic oscillations similar to Friedel oscillations. The oscillations have a wavelength radical3 times that of the graphite lattice, and the symmetry of the oscillations reflects the nature of the defect. PMID- 17769400 TI - Detection of C5 in the Circumstellar Shell of IRC+10216. AB - The C(5) molecule has been identified in the infrared spectrum of the prototypical obscured carbon star, IRC+10216. In addition to their astrophysical importance, pure carbon chain molecules such as C(5) are of interest in the chemistry of flames and propellants. PMID- 17769401 TI - Diffusible Factors Essential for Epidermal Cell Redifferentiaion in Catharanthus roseus. AB - During postgenital tissue fusions, some plant epidermal cells redifferentiate into parenchyma, a different cell type. Diffusible factors cause this response in the fusing gynoecium of the Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus). Surgical manipulations of the gynoecium showed that epidermal cells from normally nonfusing surfaces could trasmit and respond to the diffusible factors. Furthermore, the diffusible fators could be trapped in agar-impregnated barriers, as shown by the redifferentiation of carpel epidermal cells from nonfusing regions when the factor-loaded barriers were appressed to them. PMID- 17769402 TI - Seafloor discoveries: seabed pockmarks and seepages. PMID- 17769403 TI - Finding quasars: proceedings of a workshop on optical surveys for quasars. PMID- 17769404 TI - Metalloenzymes: the bioinorganic chemistry of nickel. PMID- 17769405 TI - Some other books of interest: algae as experimental systems. PMID- 17769406 TI - Some other books of interest: sex determination in mouse and man. PMID- 17769408 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17769407 TI - Some other books of interest: human polymorphic genes. PMID- 17769409 TI - SECTION K--PHYSIOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE. PMID- 17769410 TI - PUBLICATION IN GERMAN JOURNALS OF THE RESULTS OP AMERICAN CHEMICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17769411 TI - WILD JAMAICA COTTON. PMID- 17769412 TI - THE DISCOVERY OF THE SATELLITES OF MARS. PMID- 17769413 TI - THE CORROSION OF IRON. PMID- 17769415 TI - A PLAN FOR INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF MARINE EXPEDITIONS. PMID- 17769414 TI - PRE-CAMBRIAN SEDIMENTS AND FAULTS IN THE GRAND CANYON OF THE COLORADO. PMID- 17769417 TI - THE MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17769416 TI - AN EARLY FIGURE OF THE KING-CRAB (LIMULUS POLYPHEMUS). PMID- 17769418 TI - CORRESPONDENCE IN REGARD TO THE PENSIONING OF WIDOWS OF PROFESSORS BY THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING. PMID- 17769419 TI - INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF ADULTERATION. PMID- 17769420 TI - PREDATORY POLITICS IN OKLAHOMA. PMID- 17769421 TI - ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN AUSTRIA. PMID- 17769422 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17769423 TI - REVIEW OF SOME OF THE MORE RECENT ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BLOOD DISEASES. PMID- 17769424 TI - WHAT IS A PROOF? PMID- 17769425 TI - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FOOD HABITS RESEARCH IN WILD LIFE MANAGEMENT. PMID- 17769426 TI - MASTODON AND OTHER REMAINS AT AURORA, ILLINOIS. PMID- 17769427 TI - LONGEVITY IN THE BOX TURTLE. PMID- 17769429 TI - RESULTS OF GOITER PROPHYLAXIS WITH IODIZED SALT. PMID- 17769428 TI - THE NEW ORLEANS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17769430 TI - A COMMUTATOR FOR THE HARVARD KYMOGRAPH. PMID- 17769431 TI - THE SOUTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17769432 TI - THE OKLAHOMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17769433 TI - MENINGOCOCCUS PRECIPITATING ANTIGEN FOR ROUTINE TESTING OF THERAPEUTIC SERUMS. PMID- 17769434 TI - INVESTIGATION OF OVERTHRUST FAULTS BY SEISMIC METHODS. PMID- 17769435 TI - DIRECT ISOLATION OF PASTEURELLA-LIKE MICROORGANISMS FROM BRAINS OF HORSES SUFFERING FROM SO-CALLED CORNSTALK DISEASE. PMID- 17769436 TI - DISTRIBUTION OF MITOCHONDRIA IN THE FORAMINIFERAN, IRIDIA DIAPHANA. PMID- 17769438 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17769437 TI - ERGOTOCIN. PMID- 17769439 TI - PALEONTOLOGY VERSUS GENETICS. PMID- 17769440 TI - DUAL NATURE OF PHYSIOGRAPHY. AB - Physiography may be viewed from two distinct angles, the one dynamic, the other passive. The processes hold the fascination inherent in energy and force; the products exhibit all the beauty and diversity of form in the composition of landscapes. The tacit adoption of a particular view-point not only will avoid confusion but will also simplify to a great extent both oral and written presentation of physiographic subjects, especially to beginners. We ought, perhaps, to discriminate clearly between process and product. In a restricted fashion geodynamics studies the process, force or activity, simply acknowledging the form as a passive result. Geomorphology considers that form to be a detailed expression of the influence of rock and structure and acknowledges the process as a cause chiefly in relation to the gross lineaments of the ensemble. In a large fashion geodynamics is intimately associated with certain branches of geology, as sedimentation, while geomorphology connects physiography with geography. The dynamic interlude representing the active phase of physiography weaves the basic threads of geologic history. PMID- 17769441 TI - INCREASED ACCURACY IN THE DETERMINATION OF CARBONATES IN SOIL. PMID- 17769442 TI - ON THE ALLEGED EFFECT OF POLARIZED LIGHT ON FILMS OF STARCH. PMID- 17769443 TI - ANTHOCYANIN AS AN INDICATOR. PMID- 17769444 TI - THE BEHAVIOR OF SUDAN III WHEN FED WITH CARBOHYDRATE. PMID- 17769445 TI - ELECTRODYNAMIC RECORDER. PMID- 17769446 TI - A SIMPLE AQUEOUS ELECTRODE. PMID- 17769448 TI - THE MYOCARDIUM IN YELLOW FEVER. PMID- 17769447 TI - THE MYOGRAM OF THE ISOLATED SKELETAL MUSCLE CELL. PMID- 17769449 TI - Types of Articles for Science. PMID- 17769450 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17769451 TI - Radiocarbon Dates of Pre-Mankato Events in Eastern and Central North America. AB - 1) A group of samples from horizons previously correlated with the upper part of the Cary substage confirms the correlation as reasonable and is consistently related in time to the dates of the peat layer at Two Creeks and subsequent Mankato events. 2) A major glaciation affected the Great Lakes region beginning 25,000 or more yr ago and reaching its maximum extent about 18,000 yr ago. It is represented by drift correlated in Ohio with the Cary substage and, at least in part, with the Tazewell substage; in Illinois and adjacent states it is correlated with most of the Tazewell substage and with the Farmdale loess. 3) The ecology and other associations implied by the dated samples are more consistent with glacial than with nonglacial conditions. 4) The lower till at Sidney, Ohio (W-188), on which is developed a soil considered a correlative of the Fox series soil on gravels and also buried by till of the major glaciation of 25,000 to 18,000 yr ago, indicates an earlier glaciation extensively exposed in Ohio and believed to be an early Wisconsin event. Table 2. List of samples and dates arranged by age groups. See PDF for Table 5) An earlier glaciation, or glaciations, is implied at several localities by peat, gyttja, or wood more than 30,000 yr old, overlain by till. 6) The time interval between the middle group and the old group of samples, which has been determined within conservative radiocarbon limits to be greater than 3000 yr, is possibly of the order of 16,000 yr, as suggested by the depth of leaching at Sidney, Ohio. (The ages of all the samples discussed are listed in Table 2.) 7) An attempt should now be made to fix more closely the dates of the old samples and to reexamine in the field the stratigraphic sequence in the light of the radiocarbon dates discussed. PMID- 17769452 TI - Calvin Perry Stone, Investigator and Teacher. PMID- 17769455 TI - Method for Counting Tritium in Tritiated Water. PMID- 17769454 TI - Protein of the Grain Membrane of Cattle Hide. PMID- 17769456 TI - Ability of the Bobwhite to Grow and Reproduce without a Dietary Source of Vitamin B12. PMID- 17769457 TI - PRESENTATION OF THE AGASSIZ MEDAL TO FRANK RATTRAY LILLIE. PMID- 17769458 TI - RESPONSE BY THE MEDALIST. PMID- 17769459 TI - RESPONSE BY THE MEDALIST. PMID- 17769460 TI - PRESENTATION OF THE PUBLIC WELFARE MEDAL TO JOHN EDGAR HOOVER. PMID- 17769461 TI - PRESENTATION OF THE CHARLES DOOLITTLE WALCOTT MEDAL AND HONORATIUM TO A. H. WESTERGAARD. PMID- 17769462 TI - DAVID M. MOTTIER. PMID- 17769463 TI - FELLOWS OF THE LALOR FOUNDATION. PMID- 17769464 TI - THE COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN OBSERVATORY OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17769465 TI - SYMPOSIUM IN THEORETICAL PHYSICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. PMID- 17769466 TI - THE WILLIAM LOWELL PUTNAM MATHEMATICAL COMPETITION AWARDS. PMID- 17769467 TI - ELECTIONS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17769468 TI - THE SECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICINE OF THE AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS. PMID- 17769469 TI - THE ATTEMPTED CHARACTERIZATION OF MALIGNANT TISSUE PROTEIN WITH D-AMINO ACID OXIDASE. PMID- 17769470 TI - VITAMIN L AND FILTRATE FACTOR. PMID- 17769471 TI - THE PEACE RESOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCIENTIFIC WORKERS. PMID- 17769472 TI - SPECIAL RESEARCH CONFERENCES ON CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17769473 TI - SYNTHESES OF MODEL UNSATURATED LACTONES RELATED TO THE CARDIAC AGLYCONES. PMID- 17769474 TI - PROLIFICACY OF RATS TREATED WITH MARE GONADOTROPIC HORMONE. PMID- 17769476 TI - AN ADAPTABLE ROTATING UNIT FOR ROLLER TUBE TISSUE CULTURES. PMID- 17769475 TI - NATURE OF THE PASTEUR ENZYME. PMID- 17769477 TI - A PERSONAL FILE OF GEOLOGIC PHOTOGRAPHS. PMID- 17769478 TI - The Chemical Production of Mutations. PMID- 17769480 TI - COMMENTS by Readers. PMID- 17769479 TI - Henry Helm Clayton 1861-1946. PMID- 17769481 TI - Comparison of the Provisions of S. 525 and S. 526. PMID- 17769482 TI - Effect of Urethane on Mouse Myelogeno us Leukemia. PMID- 17769484 TI - The Role of Arsenic in the Production of Alcoholic Polyneuritis. PMID- 17769483 TI - Mass Mortality of Marine Animals on the Lower West Coast of Florida, November 1946-January 1947. PMID- 17769485 TI - The Glyceride Structure of Natural Fats. PMID- 17769486 TI - Effect of Vitamin B Complex on Inactivation of Estrone in Vivo and in Vitro. PMID- 17769487 TI - Feeding of Oysters in Relation to Density of Microorganisms. PMID- 17769488 TI - Antagonistic Effect of Corynebacterium diphtheriae gravis. PMID- 17769489 TI - Mechanism of Sex Determination. PMID- 17769490 TI - Effects of X-Radiation on Thymus Nucleic Acid. PMID- 17769491 TI - An Improved Oxygen Absorption Bulb for the Carpenter-Haldane Gas Analysis Apparatus. PMID- 17769493 TI - A Mercury Switch for Thermocouples. PMID- 17769492 TI - Carbon 14 Production From Ammonium Nitrate Solution in the Chain-reacting Pile. PMID- 17769495 TI - ON THE UNIFICATION OF GEOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17769496 TI - HISTORIC NOTES OF COSMIC PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17769494 TI - A New Method of Recording Arterial Blood Pressure. PMID- 17769497 TI - PHONETICS OF THE KAYOWE LANGUAGE. PMID- 17769498 TI - A NEW MATERIAL FOR STOP-COCKS AND STOPPERS FOR REAGENT BOTTLES. PMID- 17769499 TI - A REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF RETENTION OF HEAT BY THE EARTH. PMID- 17769501 TI - TYPICAL THIN SECTIONS OF THE ROCKS OF THE CUPRIFEROUS SERIES IN MIINNESOTA. PMID- 17769500 TI - WORKED SHELLS IN NEW ENGLAND SHELL-HEAPS. PMID- 17769502 TI - PILOCARPIN :--ITS ACTION IN CHANGING THE COLOR OF THE HUMAN HAIR. PMID- 17769504 TI - THE CONSTITUTION OF THE "ATOM" OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17769503 TI - BACTERIA AND THEIR RELATIONS TO PLANT CULTURE. PMID- 17769505 TI - ANCIENT JAPANESE BRONZE BELLS. PMID- 17769506 TI - CHANGES IN MYA AND LUNATIA SINCE THE DEPOSITION OF THE NEW ENGLAND SHELL HEAPS. PMID- 17769507 TI - TIME SERVICE OF CARLETON COLLEGE OBSERVATORY. AT NORTHFIELD, MINNESOTA. PMID- 17769509 TI - AMERICAN COAL FIELDS. PMID- 17769508 TI - ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17769510 TI - To the Editor of "Science.". PMID- 17769511 TI - Elements. PMID- 17769512 TI - CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17769513 TI - SEXUALITY IN MUCORS. PMID- 17769515 TI - PHYSICAL METHODS AND MEASUREMENTS, AND THE OBLIGATION OF PHYSICS TO THE OTHER SCIENCES. PMID- 17769514 TI - AN ANALYSIS OF AIM AND INCENTIVE IN A COURSE IN GENERAL ZOOLOGY. PMID- 17769516 TI - A SUGGESTION AS TO THE FLAGELLATION OF THE ORGANISMS CAUSING LEGUME NODULES. PMID- 17769517 TI - THE RECENT AURORAS. PMID- 17769518 TI - PENSIONS FOR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES. PMID- 17769519 TI - THE ECOLOGICAL RELATIONS OF ROOTS. PMID- 17769521 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. IX. PMID- 17769520 TI - THE TERTIARY FORMATIONS OF PORTO RICO. PMID- 17769522 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769523 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769524 TI - Birth order and achievement. PMID- 17769525 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769526 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769527 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769528 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769529 TI - Elementary science: "content" or "process"? PMID- 17769530 TI - Engineering manpower. PMID- 17769531 TI - Academic quality. PMID- 17769532 TI - Paleohunters in america: origins and diffusion. PMID- 17769533 TI - Current problems in particle physics. PMID- 17769534 TI - The Berkeley Scene, 1966 (II): Educational Reform. PMID- 17769535 TI - LBJ at Princeton: Some Words about Intellectuals and Government. PMID- 17769536 TI - Graduate Education: ACE Study Rates Departments Qualitatively. PMID- 17769537 TI - Radioactivity of the lunar surface. AB - Diffusion of radon and thoron from the Ilunar surface provides a mechanism for production of a radioactive surface layer on the moon. If the radon and thoron flux from the lunar surface is equal to that measured at the earth's surface, the equilibrium activity of this surface layet is estimated as approximately 1 microcurie per square meter, due to radon and its decay products. This activity consists of alpha particles and gamnmna rays at well-defined energies and of beta rays. PMID- 17769538 TI - Comet tempel-tuttle: recovery of the long-lost comet of the november meteors. PMID- 17769539 TI - Rotation technique in radially symmetric electron micrographs: mathematical analysis. AB - The rotation operation of order m operating on a signal removes all spatial frequencies not multiple to m. Anomalous reinforcements, causing misinterpretation, can be discounted without following previously suggested restrictions. The improvement in signal-to- noise ratio is less than m, in contrast to signal averaging of electrophysiology. A dove prism and stroboscope can implement the technique. PMID- 17769540 TI - Potassium-argon geochronology of deep-sea sediments. AB - A potassitlim-argon dating method applicable to small quantities of volcanic minerals anid glass has been developed and used to determine the ages of North Pacific sediments. Tertiary sedimentation rates range from less than 1.0 millimeter per 10(3) years for deep-sea "red clay" to 1 centimeter per 10: years for calcareotus-siliceous ooze necrer the continent. The potassium-argon ages obtained from different minerals are concordaat, and in samples withl associated fossils, these ages are compatible with the paleontologic evidence. PMID- 17769541 TI - Polymorphism in some nearctic halictine bees. AB - Average difference in size between queens and workers of four social Halictinae common to southern Ontario ranges from 6 percent in Augochlorella striata (Prov.) to 15 percent in Evylaeus cinctipes (Prov.). Spring larvae receive. provisions averaging 33.9 milligrams and become small workers; summer larvae consume on average 61.7 milligrams and develop into large queens and males. PMID- 17769542 TI - Insect aerodynamics: vertical sustaining force in near-hovering flight. AB - The source of vertical sustaining force for large insects capable of near hovering flight is unclear. Induced velocities of a simulation of the insect Melolontha vulgaris in forward flight were measured with a hot-wire anemometer. The results were negative with respect to the drag concept of vertical force, but provided certain support for the circulation concept. Unsteady effects (the effects of variant air velocity) proved significant. PMID- 17769543 TI - Root pressure and leaf water potential. AB - Measurements with thermocouple psychrometers were made of the water potentials of leaves from sunflower and pepper plants which had stood overnight in the dark in nutrient solutions containing carbowax. Similar measurements on the solutions showed that they had lower water potentials than the leaves, although the plants were measurably transpiring. Evidence that root pressure plays a part in this inversion of water potential gradient is presented. PMID- 17769544 TI - Hypotensive peptides. PMID- 17769545 TI - Information and control processes in living systems. PMID- 17769546 TI - Ultrasonics. PMID- 17769548 TI - International esperanto congress. PMID- 17769547 TI - Yeast genetics. PMID- 17769550 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17769549 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17769552 TI - Are breeder reactors still necessary? PMID- 17769553 TI - Erratum. AB - The caption for the photograph accompanying the review of Neurobiology of Arachnids (28 Mar., p. 1610) should have read, "Peocilotheria regalis, an Indian bird-spider. Beneath it is a spike train recorded from a sensory neuron responding to mechanical stimuli in the spider Cupiennius salei." PMID- 17769551 TI - Physics Through the 1990's. PMID- 17769554 TI - Cells, patients' rights, and researchers' responsibilities. PMID- 17769555 TI - Sly statistics. PMID- 17769556 TI - Library Cutbacks: An Information Deficit: After a severe budget cut this year, the Library of Congress fired staff, reduced cataloging, closed at night, and cast an envious eye at the Pentagon. PMID- 17769557 TI - Titan Accident Disrupts Military Space Program: The Pentagon faces only tough choices after the second consecutive malfunction of its largest launch vehicle, and the destruction of a unique West Coast launch pad. PMID- 17769558 TI - University presidents predict harm from uncoordinated deficit reduction policies . . PMID- 17769559 TI - Days may be numbered for polygraphs in the private sector. PMID- 17769560 TI - ... But they endorse the supercollider. PMID- 17769561 TI - White house group recommends a new shuttle orbiter. PMID- 17769562 TI - Fletcher promises rebirth of shuttle program. PMID- 17769563 TI - Johnston Drops Opposition to CEBAF. PMID- 17769564 TI - France cuts research to fund new jobs. PMID- 17769565 TI - Venus is looking more like Earth than Mars. PMID- 17769566 TI - Resolving the Star Wars Software Dilemma: A panel of computer scientists has concluded that computers will be able to manage a strategic defense system--but only if battle management is designed in from the beginning. PMID- 17769567 TI - Charge density waves seen in potassium. PMID- 17769568 TI - Laboratory experiments in economics: the implications of posted-price institutions. AB - In recent years a methodology for performing laboratory experiments in economics has been developed. The object of the methodology is to integrate clearly motivated but largely subjectively determined human decisions with the organizational features of markets. The nature of the incentive system and the use of market organization as an independent variable are described. Initial results of basic research that involved assessment of the effects of the "posted price" institution demonstrated that the effect of the institution is to raise prices and lower market efficiency. The existence of such effects and the close proximity of the laboratory posted-price institution to the rate-posting institution required by the government in several industries has led to a series of policy-related experiments. The results have also led to more basic research efforts on seemingly unrelated topics. PMID- 17769569 TI - Enhanced ethylene and ethane production with free-radical cracking catalysts. AB - A series of free-radical catalysts have been discovered that increase the yield of highly valuable olefins from the cracking of low molecular weight paraffins. For example, catalytic cracking of n-butane, isobutane, and propane over manganese or iron supported on magnesium oxide (MgO) gave product distributions different from those given by thermal (free-radical) cracking or cracking over traditional acid catalysts. With n-butane and propane feeds, the products from catalytic cracking included large amounts of ethylene and ethane; with isobutane feed, propylene was the major product. Physical characterization of the MgO supported catalyst showed the manganese to be in a 2+ oxidation state in the reduced catalyst and a 4+ oxidation state in the fully oxidized catalyst. Manganese was also shown to be uniformly distributed in the support material with very little enrichment at the surface. Matrix isolation of the gasphase radicals from n-butane feed showed that ethyl and methyl radicals were produced over the active catalysts. In the thermal process, only methyl radicals were produced. The mechanism of the catalytic reaction appears to be selective formation of primary carbanions at the catalyst surface followed by electron transfer and release of primary hydrocarbon radicals to the gas phase. PMID- 17769570 TI - Inorganic and organic sulfur cycling in salt-marsh pore waters. AB - Sulfur species in pore waters of the Great Marsh, Delaware, were analyzed seasonally by polarographic methods. The species determined (and their concentrations in micromoles per liter) included inorganic sulfides ( 1 billion years) regions. However, a study by Malin and Edgett indicates that the youngest geologic features on Mars show signs of fluid discharge and runoff. If the results hold up, then some very unusual event must have occurred in the recent past on Mars. PMID- 17769841 TI - ASTRONOMY: A New Source of Gamma Rays. AB - Relativistic outflows or "jets" are collimated streams of high-energy electrons that emit synchrotron radiation at radio wavelengths and have bulk velocities that are a substantial fraction of the speed of light. They trace the outflow of enormous amounts of energy and matter from a central supermassive black hole in distant radio galaxies. As Fender explains in this Perspective, much smaller, more local sources may also produce such jets. Data presented by Paredes et al. point toward association of one such source, a relatively faint x-ray binary, with a gamma-ray source. This and similar pairs may contribute substantially to the production of high-energy particles and photons within our galaxy. PMID- 17769842 TI - Fractional quantum Hall effect in organic molecular semiconductors. AB - High-quality crystals of the organic molecular semiconductors tetracene and pentacene were used to prepare metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures exhibiting hole and electron mobilities exceeding 10(4) square centimeters per volt per second. The carrier concentration in the channel region of these ambipolar field-effect devices was controlled by the applied gate voltage. Well defined Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and quantized Hall plateaus were observed for two-dimensional carrier densities in the range of 10(11) per square centimeter. Fractional quantum Hall states were observed in tetracene crystals at temperatures as high as approximately 2 kelvin. PMID- 17769843 TI - PHYSICAL HISTORY OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION IN CANADA. PMID- 17769845 TI - A FURTHER STUDY OF THE UNIT SYSTEM OF LABORATORY CONSTRUCTION. PMID- 17769844 TI - STEREOSCOPIC STUDY OF THE MOON. PMID- 17769846 TI - THE NEW YORK STATE SCIENCE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17769848 TI - A FIELD FOR MOSQUITO THEORISTS. PMID- 17769847 TI - ARE THE AUSTRALIAN MARSUPIALIA OF OPOSSUM DERIVATION. PMID- 17769849 TI - WORK AT THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY OF WOOD'S HOLL, 1900. PMID- 17769850 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17769851 TI - NOVA PERSEI. PMID- 17769852 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17769853 TI - THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17769855 TI - THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATURAL SCIENCES IN CHINA. PMID- 17769854 TI - THE NAVAL OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17769856 TI - THE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ENGINEER. PMID- 17769857 TI - STYLISTIC INFELICITIES AND THE EXCESS WORD. PMID- 17769858 TI - HAS UTAH LOST CLAIM TO THE LOWER SONORAN ZONE? PMID- 17769859 TI - ABUNDANCE OF THE EUROPEAN STARLING IN ILLINOIS. PMID- 17769861 TI - THE SOUTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17769860 TI - REGENERATION OF ULTRACENTRIFUGED ADRENAL TISSUE IN THE ALBINO RAT. PMID- 17769862 TI - THE TENNESSEE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17769864 TI - ON THE STRUCTURE OF INSULIN. PMID- 17769863 TI - THE IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17769865 TI - THE DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT AND MOLECULAR SIZE OF VISUAL PURPLE. PMID- 17769866 TI - RATE OF MATURATION OF YOUNG RED CELLS IN CANARIES. PMID- 17769867 TI - EMBRYONIC SERIES IN SNAKES. PMID- 17769868 TI - PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE BIOLOGY CLASSROOM. PMID- 17769870 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769869 TI - Reply to a critical dog. PMID- 17769871 TI - The pacer plan. PMID- 17769872 TI - Ultraviolet viewer. PMID- 17769873 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769874 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17769875 TI - Of quantities and qualities. PMID- 17769876 TI - NSF at Age 25. PMID- 17769878 TI - Sex differentials in the academic reward system. PMID- 17769877 TI - Magma Beneath Yellowstone National park. AB - The Yellowstone plateau volcanic field is less than 2 million years old, lies in a region of intense tectonic and hydrothermal activity, and probably has the potential for further volcanic activity. The youngest of three volcanic cycles in the field climaxed 600,000 years ago with a voluminous ashflow eruption and the collapse of two contiguous cauldron blocks. Doming 150,000 years ago, followed by voluminous rhyolitic extrusions as recently as 70,000 years ago, and high convective heat flow at present indicate that the latest phase of volcanism may represent a new magmatic insurgence. These observations, coupled with (i) localized postglacial arcuate faulting beyond the northeast margin of the Yellowstone caldera, (ii) a major gravity low with steep bounding gradients and an amplitude regionally atypical for the elevation of the plateau, (iii) an aeromagnetic low reflecting extensive hydrothermal alteration and possibly indicating the presence of shallow material above its Curie temperature, (iv) only minor shallow seismicity within the caldera (in contrast to a high level of activity in some areas immediately outside), (v) attenuation and change of character of seismic waves crossing the caldera area, and (vi) a strong azimuthal pattern of teleseismic P-wave delays, strongly suggest that a body composed at least partly of magma underlies the region of the rhyolite plateau, including the Tertiary volcanics immediately to its northeast. The Yellowstone field represents the active end of a system of similar volcanic foci that has migrated progressively northeastward for 15 million years along the trace of the eastern Snake River Plain (8). Regional aeromagnetic patterns suggest that this course was guided by the structure of the Precambrian basement. If, as suggested by several investigators (24), the Yellowstone magma body marks a contemporary deep mantle plume, this plume, in its motion relative to the North American plate, would appear to be "navigating" along a fundamental structure in the relatively shallow and brittle lithosphere overhead. The concept that a northeastwardpropagating major crustal fracture controls the migration path of the major foci of volcanisim is at least equally favored by existing data, as Smith et al. (19) noted. PMID- 17769879 TI - "Freedom of information%" can work. PMID- 17769880 TI - Strip mining legislation: the tug of war continues. PMID- 17769881 TI - Soviets said to gain more from science exchanges. PMID- 17769882 TI - NSF Controversies Remain Unresolved. PMID- 17769883 TI - Prisons: faith in "rehabilitation%" is suffering a collapse. PMID- 17769884 TI - Recycling Plutonium: The NRC Proposes a Second Look. PMID- 17769885 TI - Microvilli: a major difference between normal and cancer cells? PMID- 17769886 TI - Energy Conservation: Better Living through Thermodynamics. PMID- 17769887 TI - Lasers in biomedicine: analyzing and sorting cells. PMID- 17769888 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17769889 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17769890 TI - LIFE IN OTHER WORLDS. PMID- 17769891 TI - GEORGE TRUMBULL LADD. PMID- 17769892 TI - SECULAR PERTURBATIONS OF THE INNER PLANETS. PMID- 17769893 TI - SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE AND APPARATUS FOR ROUMANIA. PMID- 17769894 TI - SPOROZOAN INFECTION. PMID- 17769895 TI - THE TRUTH ABOUT VIVISECTION. PMID- 17769896 TI - AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE FOR FOREIGN COUNTRIES. PMID- 17769897 TI - TRIPLOID INTERSEXES IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. PMID- 17769898 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17769899 TI - Recording Lissajous Figures. PMID- 17769900 TI - Bundy and the Professors. PMID- 17769901 TI - A Pseudo Experience in Parapsychology. PMID- 17769902 TI - "America" Defined. PMID- 17769903 TI - Conference Literature: Rebuttal. PMID- 17769904 TI - Information Exchange Group No. 1. PMID- 17769905 TI - Silicone Producer. PMID- 17769906 TI - Fast-Reactor Programs Here and Abroad. PMID- 17769907 TI - What Are Professors For? PMID- 17769908 TI - Molecular Transitions and Chemical Reaction Rates: The stochastic model relates the rate of a chemical reaction to the underlying transition probabilities. PMID- 17769909 TI - Megaloscience: Because of massive organization and large budgets, scientists are heavily involved with governments. PMID- 17769910 TI - The New Accelerator: Wide Open Race Under Way across the Nation To Provide Site for Vast Machine. PMID- 17769911 TI - Congress and Science: New Probe by Senate Unit Reviews Evidence on Spread of Government Funds. PMID- 17769912 TI - World Health Organization Shelves Research Center Plan. PMID- 17769913 TI - Io-Related Radio Emission from Jupiter. AB - As evidenced by spectra of Jupiter's decametric radio emissions from 1960 through 1964, Jupiter's satellite Io acts to induce much of the emission and influences the spectral character of the emission. The emission pattern of Io-related emission is derived, and possible interaction mechanisms to explain the Io effect are discussed. PMID- 17769914 TI - Phase Relations in the System Na2Si2O5-SiO2. AB - A new compound, Na(6)Si(8)O(19), is shown to be a thermodynamically stable phase in the Na(2)O-SiO(2) system at 1 atmosphere. The new compound melts incongruently to SiO(2) (quartz) and liquid at 808 degrees +/- 2 degrees C, and it disproportionates to betaNa(2)Si(2)O(5) and quartz at 700 degrees +/- 10 degrees C. PMID- 17769916 TI - Explosion of Burning Zirconium Droplets Caused by Nitrogen. AB - Single droplets of zirconium were photographed as they burned luminously in free fall. When the oxidizer was oxygen containing small amounts of nitrogen (less than 5 percent), the burning droplets exploded only when a threshold concentration of nitrogen was exceeded. Explosions also occurred when the zirconium was partially nitrided before being burned in pure oxygen. These experiments prove that the presence of nitrogen can cause the explosion of zirconium droplets burning in oxygen-rich atmospheres. PMID- 17769915 TI - Sector Structure of the Quiet Interplanetary Magnetic Field. AB - Observations of the interplanetary magnetic field by the Imp-1 satellite have revealed a regular longitudinal sector structure in this field. The sectors co rotate with the sun; as an average sector sweeps past the earth the magnitude of the interplanetary field decreases from greater than 6 gammas (1 gamma = 10(-5) gauss) to less than 4 gammas, and the daily sum of the geomagnetic activity index, Kp, decreases from 25 to less than 10. PMID- 17769917 TI - Activation Energy of Direct-Current Electrical Conductivity of Ice with HF and NH3 Added. AB - The activation energies of ice with varying amounts of impurities added were investigated with sintered platinum electrodes. For both types of impurities the activation energy was minimum at a concentration of 10(-4)M. The experimental arrangement and possible reasons for the existence of a minimum in activation energy are discussed. PMID- 17769918 TI - Ocean-Bottom Topography: The Divide between the Sohm and Hatteras Abyssal Plains. AB - A compilation of precision echo soundings has delineated the complex topography between the Sohm and Hatteras abyssal plains off the Atlantic coast of the United States. At present the divide between the two plains is a broad, flat area about 4950 meters deep; however, the configuration of channels and depressions suggests spillage of turbidity currents from the Sohm Plain into the Hatteras Plain and a shifting of the divide toward the northeast. Hudson Canyon terminates in the divide area and has probably fed sediment into both plains. PMID- 17769919 TI - Air Pollution Affects Pattern of Photosynthesis in Parmelia sulcata, a Corticolous Lichen. AB - Lichen disks kept in flasks contaminated with sulfur dioxide showed morphologic and photosynthetic abnormalities similar to those of lichens from an industrial center in Sweden, but lichens dried out for 4(1/2) to 6 months in the laboratory showed neither. Thus some kinds of lichens may be absent from city environments because of atmospheric pollutants which destroy chlorophyll. PMID- 17769920 TI - Transport of Sodium in Plant Tissue. AB - Two mechanisms are implicated in the absorption of alkali cations by barley roots. Mechanism 1 has a high affinity for potassium, but its affinity for sodium is so low that, in the presence of even a low concentration of potassium (1 mM), sodium absorption by this mechanism is all but abolished. Mechanism 2 has a much lower affinity for alkali cations and is not highly selective; it transports sodium as well as potassium. PMID- 17769921 TI - Chilocorus similis Rossi: Disinterment and Case History. AB - Cytological proof is presented that the Asiatic predator Chilocorus similis (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae), liberated in California sometime between the years 1923 and 1947, has since been masquerading there under the name C. orbus. PMID- 17769922 TI - Particle Sorting and Stone Migration by Freezing and Thawing. PMID- 17769923 TI - Respiratory Cilia. PMID- 17769924 TI - SCIENTIFIC TRUTH AND THE SCIENTIFIC SPIRIT. PMID- 17769925 TI - EUGENE WOLDEMAR HILGARD, A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. PMID- 17769926 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC WORK OF EUGENE WOLDEMAR HILGARD. PMID- 17769927 TI - THE INDUSTRIAL FELLOWSHIPS OF THE MELLON INSTITUTE. PMID- 17769928 TI - THE NEW JERSEY MOSQUITO ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17769930 TI - DID SPENCER ANTICIPATE DARWIN? PMID- 17769929 TI - REPORT OF THE PACIFIC COAST SUBCOMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE OF ONE HUNDRED ON RESEARCH. PMID- 17769931 TI - THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF RADIUM EMANATION (NITON). PMID- 17769932 TI - THE BRUCE MEDAL. PMID- 17769933 TI - THE SMITHSONIAN PHYSICAL TABLES. PMID- 17769934 TI - A CHEAP ROCK POLISHING MACHINE. PMID- 17769936 TI - GRAVITATION AND ELECTRICAL ACTION. PMID- 17769935 TI - ON THE PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF EMULSIONS AND ITS BEARING UPON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS. PMID- 17769937 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17769938 TI - GEORGE SUMNER HUNTINGTON, ANATOMIST. PMID- 17769939 TI - IDEALS OF THE ENGINEER. PMID- 17769940 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17769941 TI - OXIDATION-REDUCTION REACTIONS. PMID- 17769942 TI - PSEUDO-ARTIFACTS FROM THE PLIOCENE OF NEBRASKA. PMID- 17769943 TI - THE LIFE HISTORY OF VARANUS NILOTICUS. PMID- 17769944 TI - THE BEHAVIOR OF MALLARD DUCKS. PMID- 17769945 TI - TRINITASIA--A NEW MOLLUSCAN GENUS FROM SOUTH AMERICA. PMID- 17769947 TI - WANTED--A WORD TO REPLACE "BELIEVE". PMID- 17769946 TI - THE PRONUNCIATION OF RESEARCH. PMID- 17769948 TI - A CONSTANT RATE ASPIRATOR. PMID- 17769950 TI - A SIMPLIFIED PLANKTON BUCKET. PMID- 17769949 TI - OBSERVATIONS ON HEATING HAY IN THE FLOODED REGIONS OF NORTHERN VERMONT. AB - The waters of the recent floods in Vermont and Massachusetts reached the haymows of hundreds of barns. Excessive heating set in almost immediately after the flood waters receded, endangering the farm buildings. Observations were made at 13 different farms in the valleys of the Winooski, Lamoille and Mississquoi Rivers. These observations are summarized in the following statements: 1. From half a foot to seventeen feet of the piles were under water. 2. In every pile of wet hay observed some "heating" had taken place, frequently to the point of being considered dangerous. 3. Heat was generated in the bottom layers of the piles and, escaping up through the hay, led to the production of draughts of hot gases or "flues" rising to the surface. 4. The large quantity of moisture carried with the hot gases from the lower layers was condensed on the upper, cooler hay, or in the air above. Many hay piles had been soaked throughout by the falling condensed moisture. 5. While the hot hay was being removed from the barns only one farmer had observed any charred materials. 6. The maximum temperature found (besides one case of fire) was 74 degrees C., though temperatures above 70 degrees were recorded in other places. 7. The most marked evidence of excessive heating was observed (by the farmers) on the second and third days after the recession of the flood waters. 8. One authentic case of "spontaneous" combustion of hay caused by the flood was reported. The outstanding features were: a. The lower two feet of the pile consisted of old hay from the preceding season (1926). b. Covering this lower 2-foot section of old hay was a 6-inch layer of first cutting alfalfa. c. Two feet beneath the top surface of the 42-foot pile was another 6-inch layer of alfalfa (second cutting). d. This hay pile which fired "spontaneously" was the only one containing even a small quantity of alfalfa. The urgent need for extensive research upon the problem of the "spontaneous" heating of farm products was emphasized by the lack of scientific knowledge with which to meet the situation. PMID- 17769951 TI - THE RELATION OF BORON TO THE GROWTH OF THE TOMATO PLANT. PMID- 17769953 TI - THE BASIN OF THE KONGO. PMID- 17769952 TI - TRIASSIC VERTEBRATE FOSSILS FROM WYOMING. PMID- 17769954 TI - THE EDISON ELECTRIC LIGHT STATION IN BROOKLYN. PMID- 17769955 TI - THE WENSTROM DYNAMO. PMID- 17769956 TI - THE WAITOMO CAVES, NEW ZEALAND. PMID- 17769958 TI - A NEW USE FOR THE PHONOGRAPH. PMID- 17769957 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17769959 TI - A New Telephone Invention. PMID- 17769960 TI - Soils and Alkali. PMID- 17769961 TI - A Peculiar Pipe from the Susquehanna. PMID- 17769963 TI - Queries. PMID- 17769962 TI - INDUSTRIAL NOTES. PMID- 17769964 TI - A MEMORIAL APPRECIATION OF CHARLES VALENTINE RILEY. PMID- 17769966 TI - ON A NEW KIND OF RAYS. PMID- 17769965 TI - SCIENTIFIC MATERIALISM. PMID- 17769967 TI - RONTGEN RAYS. PMID- 17769968 TI - EXPERIMENTS ON THE X-RAYS. PMID- 17769969 TI - EXPERIMENTS ON THE RONTGEN X-RAYS. PMID- 17769970 TI - THE DECLINATION SYSTEMS OF BOSS AND AUWERS. PMID- 17769971 TI - THE AGE OF THE PHILADELPHIA BRICK CLAY. PMID- 17769972 TI - ANCIENT MEXICAN FEATHER WORK AT THE COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID, 1892. PMID- 17769973 TI - REPORT OF THE FOURTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS, PHILADELPHIA, DECEMBER 26-27, 1895. PMID- 17769975 TI - THE ORIGIN AND RELATIONS OF THE FLORAS AND FAUNAS OF THE ANTARCTIC AND ADJACENT REGIONS. PMID- 17769974 TI - THE FORMULATION OF THE NATURAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17769976 TI - EXTINCTION OF THE BUFFALO. PMID- 17769977 TI - ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17769978 TI - 'SCIENTIFIC MATERIALISM.'. PMID- 17769979 TI - KEW'S DISPERSAL OF SHELLS. PMID- 17769980 TI - CYCLONES AND ANTI-CYCLONES. PMID- 17769981 TI - THE RONTGEN RAYS. PMID- 17769982 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17769983 TI - Balance in science. PMID- 17769984 TI - Tropical ecological and biocultural restoration. PMID- 17769986 TI - Texas wins r&d center. PMID- 17769985 TI - SDI: Testing the Limits: The dispute over SDI testing will soon move out of the theoretical realm; the Soviet Union could hold an arms reduction treaty hostage to its own interpretation of the ABM treaty. PMID- 17769987 TI - Famine Early Warning System Wins Its Spurs: Monitoring program that spotted new crisis in Ethiopia sheds temporary status, but more is being asked of it. PMID- 17769989 TI - Corals remain baffling. PMID- 17769988 TI - French Mathematicians Push the Panic Button: A lack of university teaching posts is fueling a new brain drain to the United States which, some claim, threatens to erode one of the country's most prized intellectual achievements. PMID- 17769990 TI - Linking Earth, Ocean, and Air at the AGU. AB - December's annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union presented another opportunity for specialists in everything from air pollution to the origin of Earth to immerse themselves in their narrow disciplines as well as cross into related areas. Overlap between disciplines can be peripheral but interesting, as in the examples below. The amount of salt in surface water can influence ocean circulation and thus climate, and water passing from the crust through sediments into the ocean can help control the concentration and composition of seawater salts. PMID- 17769991 TI - Supercomputer analysis of sedimentary basins. AB - Geological processes of fluid transport and chemical reaction in sedimentary basins have formed many of the earth's energy and mineral resources. These processes can be analyzed on natural time and distance scales with the use of supercomputers. Numerical experiments are presented that give insights to the factors controlling subsurface pressures, temperatures, and reactions; the origin of ores; and the distribution and quality of hydrocarbon reservoirs. The results show that numerical analysis combined with stratigraphic, sea level, and plate tectonic histories provides a powerful tool for studying the evolution of sedimentary basins over geologic time. PMID- 17769993 TI - Organizational possibilities: new technology at work. PMID- 17769992 TI - A mechanism for surface attachment in spores of a plant pathogenic fungus. AB - Rice blast disease is caused by a fungus that attacks all above-ground parts of the rice plant. In a study of the means by which the fungus attaches to the hydrophobic rice leaf surface, it was found that spores(conidia) of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea have a mechanism for immediate and persistent attachment to various surfaces, including Teflon. This attachment occurs at the spore apex and is blocked by the addition of the lectin concanavalin A. Microscopy of hydrated conidia shows that a spore tip mucilage that binds concanavalin A is expelled specifically from the conidial apex before germ tube emergence. Ultrastructural analysis of dry conidia shows a large periplasmic deposit, presumably spore tip mucilage, at the apex. The results indicate a novel mechanism for the attachment of phytopathogenic fungal spores to a plant surface. PMID- 17769994 TI - Crosscurrents in cytogenetics: beyond the gene. PMID- 17769995 TI - Ontogeny and phylogeny: animal evolution in changing environments. PMID- 17769996 TI - Organisms for study: observing marine invertebrates. PMID- 17769997 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17769998 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17769999 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770000 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770001 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770002 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770003 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770004 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770005 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770006 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770007 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770008 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770009 TI - Women in science '93: a "female style"? PMID- 17770011 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17770010 TI - Editor's Note. PMID- 17770013 TI - Rice University Physicist Nominated to Lead NSF. PMID- 17770012 TI - Can researchers help to lower costs? PMID- 17770014 TI - Physicists band together to support a new megaproject. PMID- 17770016 TI - Crimson alchemy. PMID- 17770015 TI - FAO Sounds Soil-Loss Siren. PMID- 17770017 TI - WHOI Report Deep Sixes Ocean Dumping. PMID- 17770018 TI - A Source Found for Earth's Commonest Meteorites. PMID- 17770019 TI - Coming in loud and clear-via chaos. PMID- 17770020 TI - A ;shotgun wedding' finally produces test-tube plants. PMID- 17770021 TI - The chemistry of magnets. PMID- 17770022 TI - The cape mendocino, california, earthquakes of april 1992: subduction at the triple junction. AB - The 25 April 1992 magnitude 7.1 Cape Mendocino thrust earthquake demonstrated that the North America-Gorda plate boundary is seismogenic and illustrated hazards that could result from much larger earthquakes forecast for the Cascadia region. The shock occurred just north of the Mendocino Triple Junction and caused strong ground motion and moderate damage in the immediate area. Rupture initiated onshore at a depth of 10.5 kilometers and propagated up-dip and seaward. Slip on steep faults in the Gorda plate generated two magnitude 6.6 aftershocks on 26 April. The main shock did not produce surface rupture on land but caused coastal uplift and a tsunami. The emerging picture of seismicity and faulting at the triple junction suggests that the region is likely to continue experiencing significant seismicity. PMID- 17770023 TI - A molecular-based magnet with a fully interlocked three-dimensional structure. AB - A compound has been synthesized with the formula (rad)(2)Mn(2)[Cu(opba)](3)(DMSO)(2).2H(2)O, where rad(+) is 2-(4-N methylpyridinium)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide, opba is orthophenylenebis(oxamato), and DMSO is dimethyl sulfoxide. It consists of two nearly perpendicular graphite-like networks with edge-sharing Mn(II)(6)Cu(II)(6) hexagons. The two networks are fully interlocked with the same topological relationship as that between adjacent rings of a necklace. The compound has three kinds of spin carriers: Mn(II) and Cu(II) ions, antiferromagnetically coupled through oxamato bridges, and rad(+) radical cations, bridging the Cu(II) ions through the nitronyl nitroxide groups and forming Cu-rad chains. The temperature dependence of the magnetization reveals that below 22.5 K, the compound behaves as a magnet. PMID- 17770024 TI - Tough times at la brea: tooth breakage in large carnivores of the late pleistocene. AB - One million to two million years ago, most of today's large, predatory mammals coexisted with larger extinct species, such as saber-toothed cats and giant running bears. Comparisons of tooth fracture frequencies from modern and Pleistocene carnivores imply that predator-prey dynamics and interspecific interactions must have been substantially different 36,000 to 10,000 years ago. Tooth fracture frequencies of four Rancho La Brea species-dire wolf, coyote, saber-toothed cat, and American lion-were about three times that of extant carnivores. Consequently, these findings suggest that these species utilized carcasses more fully and likely competed more intensely for food than presentday large carnivores. PMID- 17770025 TI - Small-scale convective instability and upper mantle viscosity under california. AB - Thermal calculations and convection analysis, constrained by seismic tomography results, suggest that a small-scale convective instability developed in the upper 200 kilometers of the mantle under California after the upwelling and cooling of asthenosphere into the slab window associated with the formation of the San Andreas transform boundary. The upper bound for the upper mantle viscosity in the slab window, 5 x 10(19) pascal seconds, is similar to independent estimates for the asthenosphere beneath young oceanic and tectonically active continental regions. These model calculations suggest that many tectonically active continental regions characterized by low upper mantle seismic velocities may be affected by time-dependent small-scale convection that can generate localized areas of uplift and subsidence. PMID- 17770026 TI - Response. PMID- 17770027 TI - A tale of two brothers. PMID- 17770028 TI - Getting funded. PMID- 17770029 TI - Vignettes: nomenclature. PMID- 17770030 TI - New ideas in the old world. PMID- 17770031 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17770033 TI - THE ASTRONOMICAL AND ASTROPHYSICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17770032 TI - THE STORY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS. PMID- 17770034 TI - THE RELATION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS TO OTHER SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17770035 TI - ALPHEUS HYATT. PMID- 17770036 TI - A GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA. PMID- 17770037 TI - THE RISE OF ALKALI SALTS TO THE SOIL SURFACE. PMID- 17770039 TI - REPRINTS OF SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. PMID- 17770038 TI - THE SACRAMENTO FORESTS OF NEW MEXICO. PMID- 17770040 TI - WILLIAM LE ROY BROUN. PMID- 17770042 TI - "Funginert"--A Designation for Inherently Fungus-resistant Material. PMID- 17770041 TI - NOTE ON THE EMBRYO OF NYMPHAeA. PMID- 17770044 TI - Quantum Theory and Phytoplankton Photosynthesis. PMID- 17770045 TI - SECTION I, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCE. I. PMID- 17770043 TI - Our Decelerating Planet. PMID- 17770046 TI - THE EDENTATA OF THE SANTA CRUZ BEDS. PMID- 17770047 TI - THE PROPOSED BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY AT THE TORTUGAS. PMID- 17770048 TI - MOUNT PELEE. PMID- 17770049 TI - THE FIRST EDITION OF HOLBROOK'S NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY. PMID- 17770050 TI - CONCERNING THE ANCESTRY OF THE DOGS. PMID- 17770051 TI - 'FESTSCHRIFT' IN HONOR OF PROFESSOR VAUGHAN. PMID- 17770052 TI - IRON AND STEEL TRADE IN 1902. PMID- 17770053 TI - Acid rain and soil chemistry. PMID- 17770054 TI - Acid rain and soil chemistry. PMID- 17770055 TI - Acid rain and soil chemistry. PMID- 17770056 TI - Acid rain and soil chemistry. PMID- 17770057 TI - Boiling drinking water. PMID- 17770058 TI - New horizons for the university. PMID- 17770059 TI - Divalent carbon intermediates: laser photolysis and spectroscopy. AB - A brief review is given of the structures of an important class of reactive intermediates, divalent carbon species (carbenes). The electronic properties of carbenes force an unusual electronic character upon these species that, in turn, leads to intriguing physical and chemical properties. Because of the fleeting nature of carbenes, which are extraordinarily reactive, direct investigation of their structural and chemical behavior has presented a challenge to the experimentalist. The application of spectroscopic and ultrafast laser techniques has met this challenge. With the use of laser methods, along with conventional techniques, quantitative evaluation of the energetics, dynamics, and reactivities of a variety of carbenes has been possible. PMID- 17770060 TI - New crops for arid lands. AB - Five plants are described that could be grown commercially under arid conditions. Once the most valuable component has been obtained from each plant (rubber from guayule; seed oil from jojoba, buffalo gourd, and bladderpod; and resin from gumweed), the remaining material holds potential for useful products as well as fuel. It is difficult to realize the full potential of arid land plants, however, because of the complexities of developing the necessary agricultural and industrial infrastructure simultaneously. To do so, multicompany efforts or cooperative efforts between government and the private sector will be required. PMID- 17770061 TI - Biology contravenes taxonomy in the myxozoa: new discoveries show alternation of invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. AB - For 80 years the infectivity of salmonid whirling disease has eluded discovery. New findings now show that this myxosporean disease of fish is initiated by what is regarded as an actinosporean produced in a tubificid oligochaete. Experimental results provide evidence that, instead of being considered as representatives of separate classes in the phylum Myxozoa, the myxosporean and actinosporean are alternating life forms of a single organism. PMID- 17770063 TI - Northwestern seeks a federal lab. PMID- 17770062 TI - Science Education Law Poses Problems for NSF: With less than faint praise from President Reagan, science and math teaching initiative goes on the books. PMID- 17770064 TI - A European academy of science? PMID- 17770065 TI - Companies Move to Rescue School Science: Corporate partnerships with high schools as well, as donations of equipment and training, have been spreading rapidly. PMID- 17770067 TI - U.s.s.R. Faces tough decisions on energy. PMID- 17770066 TI - DuPont Stakes Out Turf for Life Sciences Research. PMID- 17770068 TI - First look at the deepest hole. PMID- 17770069 TI - Timing Subpicosecond Electronic Processes: Using the same ultrashort light pulse from a laser to generate and then detect an electrical signal is the key to high speed measurement. PMID- 17770070 TI - A career in british science: cockcroft and the atom. PMID- 17770071 TI - Climate: the global climate. PMID- 17770072 TI - Physics 1905-1939: otto hahn and the rise of nuclear physics. PMID- 17770073 TI - Visual cortical function: neuronal operations in the visual cortex. PMID- 17770074 TI - Molecular neurobiology: molecular neurobiology. PMID- 17770075 TI - Sieve cells in Phloem of a middle devonian progymnosperm. AB - Phloem tissue from a Middle Devonian member of the Aneurophytales (Progymnospermopsida) is described. This may be the oldest firm evidence of conducting elements of the phloem, extending our knowledge of this tissue back some 35 million years. The discovery indicates a close phylogenetic relation between progymnosperms and gymnosperms and provides a basis for investigating patterns of specialization in the phloem of these groups of plants. PMID- 17770076 TI - Rayleigh-benard convection in an electrochemical redox cell. AB - Damped voltage oscillations occur when current steps are applied to a cell consisting of a thin layer of Fe(111)/Fe(11) electrolyte sandwiched between horizontal, parallel, platinized platinum electrodes. The upper electrode must be the anode, and the magnitude of the current must be larger than a threshold value. The oscillations signal the onset of convection in the fluid. The experiment provides a new method for investigating transient convection processes. PMID- 17770077 TI - Tactics of acclimation: morphological changes of sponges in an unpredictable environment. AB - Reciprocal transplants of genetically identical fragments of intertidal sponges between environments of high and low wave action exhibit great variability in the timing of their responses to environmental change. Sponges quickly begin production of stiffer and stronger tissues in high wave energy environments but delay formation of new, weak tissues in calm habitats. This may be due to the risks of forming wave-intolerant tissue in a temporally variable, unpredictable environment. These results suggest that the evolution of acclimatory control is linked to environmental predictability and concomitantly to risks of acclimatory errors. PMID- 17770079 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17770078 TI - Flotation of the Bivalve Corbicula fluminea as a Means of Dispersal. AB - Small specimens of the Asiatic bivalve Corbicula c.f. fluminea (Muller) secrete long mucous threads through their exhalent siphons that act as draglines to buoy the animal into a water column. These mucous strands, secreted in response to water current stimuli, are produced by dense accumulations of ctenidial mucocytes and may help in the downstream or interstream dispersal of this rapidly spreading exotic clam. PMID- 17770080 TI - Glasses and amorphous materials. PMID- 17770081 TI - Three presidents. PMID- 17770082 TI - Response. PMID- 17770083 TI - Three presidents. PMID- 17770084 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - In This Week in Science, 10 March, page 1401, under the title "Knowing when to go," the name of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was misspelled. PMID- 17770085 TI - Agency merger plan faces high hurdles. PMID- 17770086 TI - Political spat threatens funding for basic research. PMID- 17770087 TI - Asian network seeks data sharing. PMID- 17770088 TI - Science teachers weigh in. PMID- 17770089 TI - Jobs in the bureaucracy. PMID- 17770090 TI - Thoroughly modern mummy. PMID- 17770091 TI - Encouraging words for EPA. PMID- 17770092 TI - Switching on a brilliant light. PMID- 17770093 TI - Teaming up to catch some rays. PMID- 17770094 TI - The Earliest Art Becomes Older--and More Common. PMID- 17770095 TI - Earth's Solid Iron Core May Skew Its Magnetic Field. PMID- 17770096 TI - Pacific warming unsettles ecosystems. PMID- 17770097 TI - Hubble glimpses a hazy day on Mars. PMID- 17770098 TI - Nonlinear competition heats up. PMID- 17770099 TI - Blue-light special. PMID- 17770100 TI - Paving the information superhighway with plastic. PMID- 17770101 TI - Formation of glasses from liquids and biopolymers. AB - Glasses can be formed by many routes. In some cases, distinct polyamorphic forms are found. The normal mode of glass formation is cooling of a viscous liquid. Liquid behavior during cooling is classified between "strong" and "fragile," and the three canonical characteristics of relaxing liquids are correlated through the fragility. Strong liquids become fragile liquids on compression. In some cases, such conversions occur during cooling by a weak first-order transition. This behavior can be related to the polymorphism in a glass state through a recent simple modification of the van der Waals model for tetrahedrally bonded liquids. The sudden loss of some liquid degrees of freedom through such first order transitions is suggestive of the polyamorphic transition between native and denatured hydrated proteins, which can be interpreted as single-chain glass forming polymers plasticized by water and cross-linked by hydrogen bonds. The onset of a sharp change in ddT( is the Debye-Waller factor and T is temperature) in proteins, which is controversially indentified with the glass transition in liquids, is shown to be general for glass formers and observable in computer simulations of strong and fragile ionic liquids, where it proves to be close to the experimental glass transition temperature. The latter may originate in strong anharmonicity in modes ("bosons"), which permits the system to access multiple minima of its configuration space. These modes, the Kauzmann temperature T(K), and the fragility of the liquid, may thus be connected. PMID- 17770102 TI - A topographic view of supercooled liquids and glass formation. AB - Various static and dynamic phenomena displayed by glass-forming liquids, particularly those near the so-called "fragile" limit, emerge as manifestations of the multidimensional complex topography of the collective potential energy function. These include non-Arrhenius viscosity and relaxation times, bifurcation between the alpha- and beta-relaxation processes, and a breakdown of the Stokes Einstein relation for self-diffusion. This multidimensional viewpoint also produces an extension of the venerable Lindemann melting criterion and provides a critical evaluation of the popular "ideal glass state" concept. PMID- 17770103 TI - The microscopic basis of the glass transition in polymers from neutron scattering studies. AB - Recent neutron scattering experiments on the microscopic dynamics of polymers below and above the glass transition temperature T(g) are reviewed. The results presented cover different dynamic processes appearing in glasses: local motions, vibrations, and different relaxation processes such as alpha- and beta relaxation. For the alpha-relaxation, which occurs above T(g), it is possible to extend the time-temperature superposition principle, which is valid for polymers on a macroscopic scale, to the microscopic time scale. However, this principle is not applicable for temperatures approaching T(g). Below T(g), an inelastic excitation at a frequency of some hundred gigahertz (on the order of several wave numbers), the "boson peak," survives from a quasi-elastic overdamped scattering law at high temperatures. The connection between this boson peak and the fast dynamic process appearing near T(g) is discussed. PMID- 17770104 TI - Physical aging in polymer glasses. AB - Physical aging refers to structural relaxation of the glassy state toward the metastable equilibrium amorphous state, and it is accompanied by changes in almost all physical properties. These changes, which must be taken into account in the design, manufacture, and use of glassy polymer materials and devices, present a daunting challenge to theorists. PMID- 17770105 TI - Metallic glasses. AB - Amorphous metallic alloys, relative newcomers to the world of glasses, have properties that are unusual for solid metals. The metallic glasses, which exist in a very wide variety of compositions, combine fundamental interest with practical applications. They also serve as precursors for exciting new nanocrystalline materials. Their magnetic (soft and hard) and mechanical properties are of particular interest. PMID- 17770106 TI - Science: opening the next chapter of conservation history. PMID- 17770107 TI - Hostile landscapes and the decline of migratory songbirds. PMID- 17770108 TI - Spatially resolved visible luminescence of self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots. AB - Ensembles of defect-free InAIAs islands of ultrasmall dimensions embedded in AIGaAs have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Cathodoluminescence was used to directly image the spatial distribution of the quantum dots by mapping their luminescence and to spectrally resolve very sharp peaks from small groups of dots, thus providing experimental verification for the discrete density of states in a zero-dimensional quantum structure. Visible luminescence is produced by different nominal compositions of InxAI(1-x)As-AIyGa(1-y)As. PMID- 17770109 TI - Design and application of electron-transporting organic materials. AB - Operating lifetime is the main problem that complicates the use of polymeric light-emitting diodes (LEDs). A class of electron transport (ET) polymers [poly(aryl acrylate) and poly(aryl ether)s] is reported in which moieties with high electron affinities are covalently attached to stable polymer backbones. Devices based on poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) prepared with these materials exhibited a 30-fold improvement in stability and, in one case, dramatically lower (10 volts versus about 30 volts) operating voltage relative to those having conventional ET layers. The current-carrying capacity of indium tin oxide-PPV polymeric ET layer-aluminum LEDs was also increased by a factor of 30. These improvements lead to an enhancement in power efficiency of nearly an order of magnitude. Choosing polymers with high glass transition temperatures increases device lifetime. PMID- 17770110 TI - High-Pressure Elasticity of Iron and Anisotropy of Earth's Inner Core. AB - A first principles theoretical approach shows that, at the density of the inner core, both hexagonal [hexagonal close-packed (hcp)] and cubic [face-centered cubic (fcc)] phases of iron are substantially elastically anisotropic. A forward model of the inner core based on the predicted elastic constants and the assumption that the inner core consists of a nearly perfectly aligned aggregate of hcp crystals shows good agreement with seismic travel time anomalies that have been attributed to inner core anisotropy. A cylindrically averaged aggregate of fcc crystals disagrees with the seismic observations. PMID- 17770111 TI - Biogeological mineralization in deep-sea hydrothermal deposits. AB - Oriented drill cores retrieved from active massive sulfide edifices at the Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge contain an abundance of fossilized tube structures associated with vestimentiferan and annelid worms. The petrological evolution of these biogeological structures and their presence deep inside the edifice walls demonstrate that an initial, worm-mediated texture directly affects the subsequent steps of inorganic precipitation, wall infilling, and outward growth of these black smoker deposits. The presence of fossilized structures in hydrothermal discharge sites that are 2 kilometers apart and their similarity to structures observed in other modern and ancient deposits suggest that these biogeological processes are general phenomena. PMID- 17770112 TI - Atmospheric Methyl Bromide (CH3Br) from Agricultural Soil Fumigations. AB - The treatment of agricultural soils with CH(3)Br (MeBr) has been suggested to be a significant source of atmospheric MeBr which is involved in stratospheric ozone loss. A field fumigation experiment showed that, after 7 days, 34 percent of the applied MeBr had escaped into the atmosphere. The remaining 66 percent should have caused an increase in bromide in the soil; soil bromide increased by an amount equal to 70 percent of the applied MeBr, consistent with the flux measurements to within 4 percent. Comparison with an earlier experiment in which the escape of MeBr to the atmosphere was greater showed that higher soil pH, organic content and soil moisture, and deeper, more uniform injection of MeBr may in combination reduce the escape of MeBr. PMID- 17770113 TI - Regional forest fragmentation and the nesting success of migratory birds. AB - Forest fragmentation, the disruption in the continuity of forest habitat, is hypothesized to be a major cause of population decline for some species of forest birds because fragmentation reduces nesting (reproductive) success. Nest predation and parasitism by cowbirds increased with forest fragmentation in nine midwestern (United States) landscapes that varied from 6 to 95 percent forest cover within a 10-kilometer radius of the study areas. Observed reproductive rates were low enough for some species in the most fragmented landscapes to suggest that their populations are sinks that depend for perpetuation on immigration from reproductive source populations in landscapes with more extensive forest cover. Conservation strategies should consider preservation and restoration of large, unfragmented "core" areas in each region. PMID- 17770114 TI - A displaced cosmology. PMID- 17770115 TI - Oil damage. PMID- 17770116 TI - Vignettes: psychometric needs. PMID- 17770117 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17770118 TI - National Science Policy. PMID- 17770119 TI - Otto Meyerhof: 1884-1951. PMID- 17770120 TI - Gastric Mast Cell Diapedesis in the Albino Rat. PMID- 17770122 TI - Production of a Solid Rhenide. PMID- 17770121 TI - A New Brain Slicing Technique for Tissue Respiration Studies. PMID- 17770123 TI - Comparative Biological Activity of agr-Lipoic Acid and Protogen in the Growth of Tetrahymena. PMID- 17770124 TI - The Effects of Cortisone and Heparin on Eosinophils in Defibrinated Human Blood. PMID- 17770125 TI - An Implantor for Forming and Accurate Placing of Small Pellets. PMID- 17770126 TI - Bactericidal Effects of Propylene and Triethylene Glycol Vapors on Airborne Escherichia coli. PMID- 17770127 TI - On Leukotaxine. PMID- 17770129 TI - VOLCANIC ASH IN SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA. PMID- 17770128 TI - THE JURASSIC FORMATION ON THE ATLANTIC COAST. PMID- 17770130 TI - THE MODERN VERSION OF THE LAW OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND. PMID- 17770132 TI - THE BOTANICAL SEMINAR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA. PMID- 17770131 TI - IN MEMORIAM: JOHN GREGORY BOURKE. PMID- 17770133 TI - FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON INDEXING CHEMICAL LITERATURE. PMID- 17770134 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17770135 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17770136 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17770137 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17770138 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17770139 TI - THE BRAIN WEIGHT OF MAMMALS. PMID- 17770141 TI - THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. PMID- 17770140 TI - GEOLOGICAL FIELD WORK OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING. PMID- 17770142 TI - VITALITY OF THE SPERMATOZOON. PMID- 17770143 TI - THE APPEARANCE OF THE MOON. PMID- 17770144 TI - Correction. AB - The full-color map reproduced on page 987 of the 3 December 1982 issue is a preliminary rendition of the Composite Magnetic Anomaly Map of the United States, not the final version. Only the color schemes differ; the magnetic contours are identical. PMID- 17770145 TI - Hydrogen bomb history. PMID- 17770146 TI - Hydrogen bomb history. PMID- 17770147 TI - Corporate giving and the public university. PMID- 17770148 TI - A new greenland deep ice core. AB - The polar ice sheets are rich sources of information on past atmospheric conditions, including paleoclimates. A new deep ice core has been drilled in south Greenland. Comparison of the oxygen isotopic profile with that from camp Century and with a deep-sea foraminifera record indicates that the new core reaches back to about 90,000 years before present in a continuous sequence. The details in the Wisconsin part of the ice core records seem to be climatically, significant, and the general trends reveal all of the relevant Emiliani stages recorded in deep-sea cores. The redated Camp Century record suggests a dramatic termination of the Eem/Sangamon interglacial. PMID- 17770149 TI - The university, industry, and cooperative research. AB - Yale University intends to issue a statement of policy governing the nature and extent of university and faculty involvement in the commercial application of scientific research. This policy will be based on the university's principles of openness and free dissemination of ideas, and will recognize the need of profit oriented companies to treat knowledge as private property. The university will continue to allow relationships between faculty members and commercial companies, even in arrangements involving university-based results, but a faculty member who goes beyond any reasonable definition of "consulting" may be asked to take an unpaid leave of absence or to sever his or her ties with the university. While a university should not ignore the potential availability of funds from commercial sponsors, neither should it be driven to arrangements that are not compatible with the norms and mission of the university. PMID- 17770150 TI - German energy technology prospects. AB - After more than 25 years of development of nuclear power and almost 10 years of research and development in numerous areas of nonnuclear energy, there is now a good basis for judging the future prospects of energy technologies in the Federal Republic of Germany. The development of nuclear power has provided an important and economically advantageous new source of energy. Further efforts are needed to establish the nuclear fuel cycle in all stages and to exploit the potential of advanced reactors. In all other areas of energy technology, including energy conservation, new energy sources, and coal, economics has turned out to be the key problem, even at today's energy prices. Opportunities to overcome these economic problems through additional R & D are limited. There is some potential for special applications, and there are many technologies that could contribute to the energy supply of developing countries. In general, however, progress in energy conservation and the use of renewable energy sources will depend on the degree to which energy policy measures can improve their economic basis. For some technologies, such as solar thermal power stations and coal liquefaction, large scale economic deployment cannot be foreseen today. Instead of establishing costly demonstration projects, emphasis will be put on improving key components of these technologies with the aim of having the most advanced technology available when the economic parameters are more favorable. PMID- 17770152 TI - German firms move into biotechnology. PMID- 17770151 TI - New Broom Sweeps Clean at NSF. PMID- 17770153 TI - . . . With help from the german government. PMID- 17770154 TI - FTC Seeks, a Little Less Honesty. PMID- 17770155 TI - Brittle Reactors: NRC Has a Plan. PMID- 17770156 TI - Academy group to study u.s. Toxin defenses. PMID- 17770157 TI - NSA Knew of Flaw in "Knapsack" Code. PMID- 17770158 TI - Environmental Destruction Hurts India's Development. PMID- 17770159 TI - Don'T give us the facts. PMID- 17770161 TI - Inference in practice. PMID- 17770160 TI - Obstructed careers. PMID- 17770162 TI - Plate tectonics. PMID- 17770163 TI - A marine invertebrate. PMID- 17770164 TI - Cloud droplet deposition in subalpine balsam fir forests: hydrological and chemical inputs. AB - Subalpine forests of the northern Appalachians are subject to significant deposition of water and chemicals via cloud droplet impaction. This deposition has been estimated by a method linking micrometeorological measures of turbulent transfer, a detailed representation of canopy structure, and experimentally derived capture efficiencies. Water inputs from clouds are about 46 percent, and chemical inputs range from 150 to 430 percent of the bulk precipitation. PMID- 17770165 TI - Pollen and lignin records of late quaternary vegetation, lake washington. AB - Analyses of lignin oxidation products and pollen for an 11-meter core from Lake Washington provide independent but similar reconstructions of the late Quaternary vegetation in the Puget Lowland. An exception is in sediments of the late Pleistocene where pollen percentages and influx values suggest conifer forest whereas lignin compositions suggest a treeless source region. This dissimilarity appears to result from different major provenances: eolian transport of pollen to the lake from adjacent or downstream drainage basins as opposed to fluvial transport of lignified plant debris only from the Lake Washington drainage basin. PMID- 17770166 TI - Eruption of el chichon volcano, chiapas, Mexico, 28 march to 7 april 1982. AB - El Chichon volcano erupted at 2322 hours on 28 March 1982 after being dormant during historic times. Three major eruptions of tephra occurred between that date and 7 April, discharging approximately 0.3 cubic kilometer of andesitic pyroclastic material. The initial eruption produced crystal-rich tephra of higher silica and alkali content than the lithic pyroclastic materials of the second and third eruptions. The initial tephra consists of primarily juvenile materials, whereas the later eruptions produced both lithic and juvenile fractions. PMID- 17770168 TI - THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION AND ITS SERVICE PENSIONS. PMID- 17770167 TI - THE FUNCTIONS OF A UNIVERSITY LABORATORY. PMID- 17770170 TI - THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. PMID- 17770169 TI - AN AMERICAN RESEARCH INSTITUTION IN PALESTINE. THE JEWISH AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION AT HAIFA. PMID- 17770171 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17770172 TI - THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION. PMID- 17770173 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17770175 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17770174 TI - THE LENGTH OF SERVICE PENSIONS OF THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION. PMID- 17770176 TI - RECENT PROGRESS IN METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17770177 TI - THE INTERFERENCE OF THE REFLECTED DIFFRACTED AND THE DIFFRACTED REFLECTED RAYS OF A PLANE TRANSPARENT GRATING, AND ON AN INTERFEROMETER. PMID- 17770179 TI - THE EFFECT OF ASPHYXIA ON THE PUPIL. PMID- 17770178 TI - CONCERNING THE DATE OF THE LAMARCK MANUSCRIPT AT HARVARD. PMID- 17770180 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE SECTION D. PMID- 17770181 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17770182 TI - Engineering Science. PMID- 17770183 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17770185 TI - Pain--Controlled and Uncontrolled. PMID- 17770184 TI - Radioactive Dust from Nuclear Detonations. PMID- 17770186 TI - Un-American Activity. PMID- 17770187 TI - The History of Science. PMID- 17770188 TI - Technical Information Activities of the Department of Defense: Prepared by the Special Committee on Technical Information Research and Development Board, Department of Defense. PMID- 17770189 TI - Does the Mangrove Really Plant Its Seedlings? PMID- 17770190 TI - A Multirange Recording and Control System for Electrical Measurements. PMID- 17770191 TI - An Interpretation of Bond Lengths and a Classification of Bonds. PMID- 17770192 TI - Zoological Nomenclature: Notice of Proposed Suspension of the Rules in Certain Cases for the Avoidance of Confusion and the Validation of Current Nomenclatorial Practice (A. (n.s.) 10). PMID- 17770194 TI - A Proposed New Name for the Cohesion Theory of Water Ascent in Plants. PMID- 17770193 TI - Hybrid. PMID- 17770195 TI - A CHALLENGE TO CIVILIZATION. PMID- 17770197 TI - FRANK W. COLLIER. PMID- 17770196 TI - THE ROLE OF BACTERIA IN THE FORMATION AND TRANSFORMATION OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS. PMID- 17770198 TI - EDMUND BURKE DELABARRE. PMID- 17770200 TI - ERMON DWIGHT EASTMAN. PMID- 17770199 TI - THE SPRING MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17770201 TI - NEWS FROM ABROAD. PMID- 17770202 TI - PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17770203 TI - EXPEDITION TO NYASALAND OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17770204 TI - BACITRACIN: A NEW ANTIBIOTIC PRODUCED BY A MEMBER OF THE B. SUBTILIS GROUP. AB - A new antibiotic "bacitracin" has been recovered from a strain of the B. subtilis group of organisms. It is neutral, water-soluble, non-toxic and relatively heat stable. In vitro it is active chiefly against Grampositive organisms, but the gonococcus and meningococcus are susceptible to its action. It is also active in vivo against experimentally produced hemolytic streptococcal infections in mice and gas gangrene infections in guinea pigs. Clinical use in hemolytic streptococcal and staphylococcal infections in man have given encouraging results. PMID- 17770205 TI - SEROLOGIC EVIDENCE OF CYTOPLASMIC INTERCHANGE DURING CONJUGATION IN PARAMECIUM BURSARIA. PMID- 17770206 TI - THE COAGULATION OF LATEX. PMID- 17770207 TI - SEDIMENTATION OF POLIOMYELITIS VIRUS BY CENTRIFUGATION. AB - A technic is described whereby poliomyelitis virus may be sedimented by centrifugation for four hours at 18,000 r.p.m. Virus has been recovered quantitatively in the sediment from a 20 per cent., but not a 1 per cent., saline suspension. The addition of 10 per cent. normal serum results in quantitative recovery from a 1 per cent. suspension. Virus has been recovered by intracerebral inoculation from two of four human stools tested by the method described. PMID- 17770208 TI - THE BUSH REPORT AND SENATE BILLS. PMID- 17770209 TI - NEW PROTECTION FOR FIELD DATA. PMID- 17770210 TI - MYCOFLORA OF BUDS. PMID- 17770211 TI - PROPOSED UNIT FOR HIGH VACUUM. PMID- 17770213 TI - THE WORK OF THE YEAR 1903 IN ECOLOGY. PMID- 17770212 TI - HERBERT SPENCER'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17770214 TI - THE COMPLEX NATURE OF THORIUM. PMID- 17770216 TI - A REDDISH-BROWN SNOWFALL. PMID- 17770215 TI - MENTAL EFFICIENCY AND HEALTH. PMID- 17770217 TI - THE ELECTRON THEORY. PMID- 17770218 TI - PROFESSOR RUTHERFORD ON RADIUM. PMID- 17770219 TI - A HEAVY JAPANESE BRAIN. PMID- 17770220 TI - THE IMPORT DUTY ON SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. PMID- 17770221 TI - THE MICROSCOPIC EVIDENCE OF A LOST CONTINENT. PMID- 17770222 TI - THE PASCAL HEXAGRAM. PMID- 17770223 TI - THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF MAY 6. PMID- 17770225 TI - REGISTERING APPARATUS FOR EARTH-CURRENTS. PMID- 17770224 TI - OCCURRENCE OF AMBER NEAR TRENTON, N.J. PMID- 17770227 TI - THE RIGHT WHALE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC. PMID- 17770226 TI - A NEW CONDENSING-HYGROMETER. PMID- 17770228 TI - FIG-INSECTS. PMID- 17770229 TI - GEOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17770230 TI - OPTICAL RESEARCHES ON GARNET. PMID- 17770231 TI - Connecticut minerals. PMID- 17770233 TI - The sun's radiation and geological climate. PMID- 17770232 TI - A powerful direct vision spectroscope. PMID- 17770234 TI - A zoo-philological problem. PMID- 17770235 TI - Solar constant. PMID- 17770236 TI - HEITZMANN'S MICROSCOPICAL MORPHOLOGY. PMID- 17770238 TI - MACHINERY AT PARIS, 1878. PMID- 17770237 TI - Flight of the flying-fish. PMID- 17770239 TI - EUROPEAN ORTHOPTERA. PMID- 17770241 TI - Goals of science education. PMID- 17770240 TI - Academic economics. PMID- 17770242 TI - Electron spectroscopy for atoms, molecules, and condensed matter. PMID- 17770243 TI - R & d in the United States: its strengths and challenges. AB - The promise of technology for improving the quality of life has never been greater, and American science and technology has led the way toward fulfillment of that promise. Now this preeminence is threatened by forces that may affect technological progress throughout the world. It is up to those of us in science, industry, and government to strengthen the institutions that have made us the leaders and to restore our initiative. PMID- 17770244 TI - Small firms to get guaranteed R & d support. PMID- 17770245 TI - Academy boosts social sciences. PMID- 17770246 TI - Hopes are flying high for u.N. Space conference. PMID- 17770247 TI - Supreme court to review california nuclear ban. PMID- 17770248 TI - R & d colloquium spotlights budget "crisis". PMID- 17770249 TI - Tolerance of zero not a zero tolerance. PMID- 17770250 TI - Stellar hurricanes. PMID- 17770251 TI - Superclouds. PMID- 17770253 TI - Papers from erice. PMID- 17770252 TI - Neptune: a ring at last? PMID- 17770254 TI - Contributions of a mathematical physicist. PMID- 17770256 TI - Carbon dioxide fixation. PMID- 17770255 TI - Far eastern archeology. PMID- 17770257 TI - Oak leaf quality declines in response to defoliation by gypsy moth larvae. AB - Leaves of red oak trees that had been defoliated by gypsy moth larvae during the previous year and again during the period of the study had higher values of tanning coefficients, total phenolics, hydrolyzable and condensed tannins, dry matter contents, and toughness than did leaves of undamaged trees. These changes may influence larval growth and alter the course of further outbreaks. PMID- 17770258 TI - Localization of a circadian pacemaker in the eye of a mollusc, bulla. AB - The eye of the marine mollusc Bulla contains a circadian pacemaker which, along with critical entrainment pathways, is located among a small group of neurons at the base of the retina. Long-term intracellular recording from cells of the organized photoreceptor layer, which constitutes most of the retinal volume, indicates that these cells are not involved in generating the rhythm since rhythmic changes in membrane potential were not observed. In addition, surgical removal of the entire photoreceptor layer does not alter the period of the circadian rhythm and does not prevent phase shifts by light pulses. PMID- 17770259 TI - Flight interneurons in the locust and the origin of insect wings. AB - Interneurons involved in the generation of motor activity for flight in the locust were found in the first three abdominal ganglia as well as in thoracic ganglia. The evidence that sets of homologous flight interneurons occur in abdominal and thoracic ganglia supports theories that insect wings originated from movable appendages which were serially distributed along the thorax and abdomen and which were under central nervous control. PMID- 17770260 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE GEOLOGICAL SECTION. PMID- 17770261 TI - ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17770262 TI - SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE REPRESSION OF ADULTERATION AND FRAUDS IN FOOD AND DRUGS. PMID- 17770264 TI - THE NORTH POLE. PMID- 17770263 TI - THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF CLARK UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17770265 TI - "MARS AS THE ABODE OF LIFE". PMID- 17770267 TI - SALIENT EVENTS IN THE GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17770266 TI - THE NOMENCLATURE QUESTION. PMID- 17770268 TI - THE WINNIPEG MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17770270 TI - RUBBER PRODUCTION FROM CASTILLA AND HEVEA. PMID- 17770269 TI - BOTANIC GARDENS IN SCIENCE AND EDUCATION. PMID- 17770271 TI - THE OLDEST AMERICAN FOSSIL ECHINOID. PMID- 17770272 TI - ROOF FALLS IN MINES. PMID- 17770273 TI - THE BANTING RESEARCH FOUNDATION. PMID- 17770274 TI - NEW RECORDS IN HUMAN POWER. PMID- 17770275 TI - THE DIFFERENTIATION OF PANCREATIC TRYPSINS ON THE BASIS OF THEIR SPECIFICITIES. PMID- 17770276 TI - IGNEOUS ROCK TEXTURE DEMONSTRATION FOR STUDENTS OF ELEMENTARY GEOLOGY. PMID- 17770277 TI - A PORTABLE HOOD FOR SMOKING KYMOGRAPH DRUMS. PMID- 17770278 TI - USE OF NILE BLUE SULFATE IN MARKING STARFISH. PMID- 17770279 TI - THE EARLY TRAINING OF SCIENTISTS. PMID- 17770280 TI - ARE IODIDES FOODS? PMID- 17770281 TI - GEOGRAPHY AS A PROFESSION. PMID- 17770282 TI - VIENNA. PMID- 17770283 TI - EXTRACTS FROM MISS CLARK'S LETTER. PMID- 17770284 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17770285 TI - A SUGGESTION TO MR. BRYAN. PMID- 17770286 TI - GENETICAL ANALYSIS AND THE THEORY OF NATURAL SELECTION. PMID- 17770287 TI - THE WRITING OF POPULAR SCIENCE. PMID- 17770288 TI - THE EARNING POWER OF RESEARCH. PMID- 17770290 TI - THE FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY. PMID- 17770289 TI - A NEW VARIETY OF BARLEY WITH STRIKING CHARACTERISTICS. PMID- 17770291 TI - Clearer views for astronomy: another view. PMID- 17770292 TI - Lake tahoe and soil pollution. PMID- 17770293 TI - Why not a draft for applied research? PMID- 17770294 TI - Choosing graduate fellows. PMID- 17770295 TI - Quasi-stellar objects: possible local origin. AB - Many difficulties face the conventional interpretation of the red shift of quasars as a Hubble shift, with associated immense distances. These objects are not of galactic size or nature, and are not associated with galaxies or clusters of galaxies. The continuing energy source for such enormous powers for a period of 10(6) to 10(7) years has not been clearly revealed. The absence of the expected absorption for the Lyman-alpha spectral line of hydrogen is a new difficulty. Because of the relativistic limit on the diameter which can produce rapid fluctuations of light output, there may not be enough surface to radiate the required light.A similar and perhaps more serious difficulty exists for the fluctuating radio output. Calculations given here for synchrotron radiation self absorption lead to a reasonably accurate formula for the angular diameter of a radio source. For the quasar 3C 273B these relations indicate a conflict with the usually assumed distance. However, the discrepancy may be explained in terms of strong variation of radio diameter with frequency. For CTA 102 the conflict is more serious, and could be explained -for cosmological distance-only by rejecting the data of Sholomitskii. These difficulties are removed by the hypothesis that the observed quasars were ejected from a gravitational collapse at the center of our own galaxy, which may have occurred roughly 5 million years ago. The resultant distances, of the order of a million lightyears, reduce the energy problem by a factor of 10(6) or 10(7). On this basis the optical diameter would be less than a light-hour, about the size of the earth's orbit. A rotating mass of a few thousand solar masses with this diameter would account for the unusual line width, could easily produce the required radiated energy, and could readily account for observed short fluctuation periods and variations in spectrum. It is suggested that the radio output may be produced by high-speed passage of the quasar through intergalactic gas. This would probably correspond to a radio size of a few light-years or less, in agreement with the fluctuations. Since the radio power would be considerably less than that of radio galaxies, it is suggested that radio galaxies may have ejected groups of quasars. This would explain the peculiarly distant locations of the radio sources for many such galaxies. The objections to this model that have been raised are apparently not fatal. In particular, the receding hydrogen cloud discovered by Koehler to be in the line of sight to 3C 273 is more plausibly interpreted as having been ejected from our own galaxy, in the manner observed for other galaxies, than as being associated with the Virgo cluster of galaxies. The latter interpretation, which would place 3C 273 further away, is in conflict with Lyman-alpha absorption data for 3C 9 and other quasars. Thus the local model seems to give a reasonable explanation not only of quasars but also of radio galaxies, bothv of which seem largely to defy explanation on other grounds. Whether or not this model is valid, it is clear that an understanding of quasars will radically change our understanding of the universe. PMID- 17770296 TI - National document-handling systems in science and technology. AB - As a result of the studies described here and the COSATI recommendations, as well as briefings and discussions at many levels of government and with professional and industrial organizations, the Office of Science and Technology has a blueprint for action and support for forward movement in the handling of scientific and technical documents. PMID- 17770298 TI - Hornig committee: beginning of a technological marshall plan? PMID- 17770297 TI - Berkeley: new crisis breaks out on california campus. PMID- 17770300 TI - Educational TV: NSF and Arts Foundation Speak Out. PMID- 17770301 TI - Stimulated Brillouin and Raman Scattering in Quartz at 2.1{degrees} to 293{degrees} Kelvin. AB - Stimulated Brillouin shifts observed at 2.1 degrees K in quartz are the same as those observed at 293 degrees K. No extreme nonlinear behavior is observed. Recent anomalous results reported by Russian workers are shown to be due to the very strong stimulated Raman scattering that sets in at low temperatures. PMID- 17770302 TI - Possibility of maser action in cosmic radio sources. AB - A mechanism is described for maser action in synchrotron sources. The process may contribute to the lowfrequency radiation from 3C273B. PMID- 17770303 TI - Kodiak seamount not flat-topped. AB - Earlier surveys in the Aleutian Trench southeast of Kodiak Island, Alaska, indicated that Kodiak Seamount had a flat top and was a tablemount or guyot. This seamount is of special significance because it has been supposed that its surface was eroded at the same time as those of a line of guyots to the southeast. If so, its present position in the axis of the Aleutian Trench indicates that the line of guyots was formed before the trench. A two-part survey in 1965 showed that Kodiak Seamount is not flat-topped, and should be eliminated from the category of guyots. Reflection profiling records indicate that the seamount was formed before the adjacent sediments were deposited, and that the small trough, or moat, on the south side is a depositional feature probably formed by a scouring effect or by the acceleration of turbidity currents around the base of the mount. PMID- 17770304 TI - Air-sea waves from the explosion of krakatoa. AB - The distant sea disturbances which followed the explosion of Krakatoa are correlated with recently discovered atmospheric acoustic and gravity modes having the same phase velocity as long waves on the ocean. The atmospheric waves jumped over the land barriers and reexcited the sea waves with amplitudes exceeding the hydrostatic values. An explosion of 100 to 150 megatons would be required to duplicate the Krakatoa atmosphericpressure pulse. PMID- 17770305 TI - Reversible inactivation of aged solutions of indolyl-3-acetic Acid. AB - Aqueous solutions of indole-3-acetic acid are inactivated by standing for a variable period of time. Inactivation results from conversion by oxidation of the plant hormone to polymerized deuterauxin, which is depolymerized by boiling of the solution, which restores activity. PMID- 17770306 TI - Surface recrystallization of polyethylene extended-chain crystals. AB - Rough fracture surfaces of extended-chain polyethylene crystals become unstable at temperatures below the bulk melting point. There is no way for the extended chains, which are up to 20,000 methylene units long, to change position without collapse. As a result, the rough surfaces smooth out on heating by covering themselves with oriented folded-chain lamellae. PMID- 17770307 TI - Early eocene bat from wyoming. AB - A fossil skeleton of an early Eocene bat, the oldest known flying mammal, was found in southwest Wyoming. The bat is assigned to the new species Icaronycteris index of the suborder Microchiroptera. It was apparently of a young male whose body was buried in varved marls of the Green River Formation, on the bottom of Fossil Lake, about 50 million years ago. The bones, some as slender as a human hair, show a few "primitive" characteristics such as a clawed index finger and a complete phalangeal formula, but the bat was fully developed -an anatomically precocious contemporary of the dog-sized polydactylous horse. PMID- 17770308 TI - Terpenoid precursors of hydrocarbons from the gasoline range of petroleum. AB - 2,6-Dimethyloctane and 2-methyl-3-ethylheptane were isolated from petroleum. These hydrocarbons which are present in relatively large amounts appear to be derived from the monoterpenoids. PMID- 17770310 TI - Holography: 133rd AAAS Meeting--Washington, D.C. 26-31 December 1966. PMID- 17770309 TI - Photoperiodism in Lemna: Reversal of NightInterruption Depends on Color of the Main Photoperiod. AB - With main photoperiods of red or white light, the inhibition of flowering in Lemna perpusilla 6746 caused by interruptions of the night with red light cannot be reversed by far-red light, since far-red light itself is highly inhibitory. However, with a main photoperiod of blue light, far-red light is much less inhibitory and partially reverses the effect of red night-interruptions. If the main blue photoperiod is terminated by a brief red exposure, reversibility is abolished, as the far-red light is again fully inhibitory. This latter effect can be reversed by far-red light. These results add light quality to the already known characteristics of the main light period which affect reversibility in the dark period, and are consistent with the idea that the effects of blue light on photoperiodism in L. perpusilla are mediated exclusively by phytochrome. PMID- 17770311 TI - Pacific science congress. PMID- 17770313 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17770312 TI - Gastrointestinal circulation. PMID- 17770314 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17770316 TI - Biotechnology and the environment. PMID- 17770315 TI - Tanker "dumping" regulations. PMID- 17770317 TI - Erratum. AB - In Constance Holden's article "Adjusting to an aging population" (News & Comment, 15 May, p. 772), Secretary of Labor William E. Brock III is incorrectly described as "Commerce Secretary." PMID- 17770319 TI - Man's Role in Space. PMID- 17770318 TI - Neutrino shield? PMID- 17770320 TI - Are our universities rotten at the "core"? PMID- 17770321 TI - Science and the Space Station: Although the space station recently won some important political endorsements, it continues to draw fire from scientists, for whom it is supposedly being built. PMID- 17770322 TI - Glasnost and the soviet environment. PMID- 17770323 TI - Another plea for agricultural r&d. PMID- 17770324 TI - Vandals hit lindow plot. PMID- 17770325 TI - Issues to continue. PMID- 17770326 TI - Halocarbons Liked to Ozone Hole: The claimed detection of chlorine monoxide in the Antarctic ozone hole links man-made chlorofluorocarbons to the hole's creation and implies that things could get worse. PMID- 17770328 TI - IBM Superconductor Leaps Current Hurdle: Passage of more than 1 million amperes per square centimeter through oriented, crystalline films erases any doubts about low critical currents in the 90 K ceramic superconductors. PMID- 17770327 TI - Anthropologists Turn Advocates for the Brazilian Indians: An international movement of anthropologists is attempting to help Brazilian Indians, but some question whether advocacy is appropriate for researchers. PMID- 17770329 TI - Gene transfer in cereals. AB - Until recently, gene transfer in plants was achieved only by sexual hybridization. Now, in addition, plant genetic manipulation, with the use of both recombinant DNA and protoplast fusion technology, is being applied to an increasing range of plants. The soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, with its associated plasmid, is used as a vector for introducing DNA into the genomes of dicotyledonous plants, but it has not proved suitable for cereals. Instead, the direct uptake of plasmid DNA into cereal protoplasts is being used for the transformation of cells in rice, wheat, and maize. Transformation efficiencies, in some cases, are becoming comparable to those obtained in dicotyledons with Agrobacterium. In rice it is now possible to regenerate efficiently whole plants from protoplasts, and this capability may soon be extended to the other cereals. By means of direct interaction of cereal protoplasts with plasmids, coupled with improved procedures for the regeneration of plants from their protoplasts, gene transfer in the cereals is becoming established at the frontiers of recombinant DNA technology. PMID- 17770330 TI - Magnetic properties of hydrothermally recrystallized magnetite crystals. AB - The discrepancy between the magnetic hysteresis properties of magnetite crystals that are precipitated from solution (<0.3 micrometer) and of crushed sifted grains (>0.3 micrometer) is not an inherent property of magnetite but is caused by the highly stressed state of crushed material and by adhering finer fragments. The size trends of magnetic properties exhibited by submicrometer-size precipitated grains continue in the size range from 1 micrometer to 1 millimeter in a set of hydrothermally recrystallized magnetite crystals. Coercive forces of these narrowly sized crystals follow a power law over a wide size range (0.1 micrometer to 1 millimeter) as predicted by theory. Dislocation etch pits show similar dislocation densities for hydrothermally grown (3 x 10(10) meter (-2)) and natural (1 x 10(10) meter(-2)) magnetite crystals. Hysteresis parameters of hydrothermally grown crystals are similar to those of natural crystals but are about one-fifth of those for crushed grains. PMID- 17770331 TI - Duplication of CaMV 35S Promoter Sequences Creates a Strong Enhancer for Plant Genes. AB - A variant of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter with transcriptional activity approximately tenfold higher than that of the natural promoter was constructed by tandem duplication of 250 base pairs of upstream sequences. The duplicated region also acted as a strong enhancer of heterologous promoters, increasing the activity of an adjacent and divergently transcribed transferred DNA gene several hundredfold, and to a lesser extent, that of another transferred DNA gene from a remote downstream position. This optimized enhancer element should be very useful for obtaining high levels of expression of foreign genes in transgenic plants. PMID- 17770332 TI - Propagation in cell culture of the dinoflagellate amyloodinium, an ectoparasite of marine fishes. AB - Amyloodinium ocellatum, a common dinoflagellate ectoparasite of marine fishes, was successfully propagated on a fish gill cell line. In vitro infections were similar in cytopathology and development to those reported on natural hosts, and large numbers of parasites could be produced. Exposure of parasites in cell culture to an antiprotozoal drug produced a dose-dependent inhibition of infectivity that was much more sensitive than a motility assay previously used to assess the toxic effects of a drug on protozoan ectoparasites. This propagation system may be a useful model for studying the biology and control of protozoan skin parasites of fishes and for quantitatively studying hostparasite interaction at cellular interfaces. PMID- 17770333 TI - CSFR Documents Scientists Still in Soviet Prisons. PMID- 17770334 TI - AAAS Receives Distinguished Service Award from National Council on Communicative Disorders. PMID- 17770335 TI - Women in science and engineering: changing vision to reality. PMID- 17770336 TI - Scientific freedom and responsibility award--call for nominations. PMID- 17770337 TI - Inductionist exercises: scientific discovery. PMID- 17770338 TI - An Effort at R&D: RCA and the VideoDisc. PMID- 17770340 TI - Pioneer Ecologist: Fraser Darling's Islands. PMID- 17770339 TI - Evaluating nuclear strategy: managing nuclear operations. PMID- 17770341 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17770342 TI - The Meaning and Limits of Exact Science. PMID- 17770343 TI - Preparation of Radioautographs of Tissues without Loss of Water-Soluble P32. PMID- 17770344 TI - On the Relationship of Blood Group A to Rh Immunization and the Occurrence of Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn. PMID- 17770345 TI - Strontianite and Witherite Associated with Southern Illinois Fluorite. PMID- 17770346 TI - Determination of the Fate of Calcium in the Laying Hen by Means of Radiocalcium (Ca45). PMID- 17770348 TI - Grignard Coupling at High Temperatures. PMID- 17770347 TI - The Preparation of Formaldehyde-C14. PMID- 17770349 TI - Serologic Relationships of Mumps and Newcastle Disease. PMID- 17770351 TI - Statement on Visa Action. PMID- 17770350 TI - Method for Isolation of Actinomyces israeli from Dento-Bacterial Plaque. PMID- 17770352 TI - THE STRUCTURE OF ATOMS, AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE ELEMENTS AS RELATED TO THE COMPOSITION OF THE NUCLEI OF ATOMS. PMID- 17770353 TI - ALGONKIAN BACTERIA AND POPULAR SCIENCE. PMID- 17770354 TI - THE TEACHING OF OPTICS. PMID- 17770355 TI - TRANS-PACIFIC AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17770356 TI - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE. PMID- 17770357 TI - CILIA IN THE ARTHROPODA. PMID- 17770358 TI - COMPARISON OF THE CATALASE CONTENT OF THE BREAST MUSCLE OF WILD PIGEONS AND OF BANTAM CHICKENS. PMID- 17770359 TI - RHYTHMIC BANDING. PMID- 17770360 TI - AGRICULTURAL BOTANY IN SECONDARY EDUCATION. PMID- 17770361 TI - GRANTS FOR RESEARCH OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17770362 TI - NOTE ON THE FLAGELLATION OF THE NODULE ORGANISMS OF THE LEGUMINOSAe. PMID- 17770363 TI - AGED BEAN SEED, A CONTROL FOR BACTERIAL BLIGHT OF BEANS. PMID- 17770364 TI - CHARCOAL ACTIVATION. PMID- 17770366 TI - THE SUPPOSED SCALES OF THE COTTID FISH JORDANIA. PMID- 17770365 TI - REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY ON THE PREPARATION OF A LIST RECOMMENDING CHEMICAL TEXTS FOR LIBRARIES. PMID- 17770367 TI - AN UNEXCELLED MEDIUM FOR THE PRESERVATION OF CADAVERS. PMID- 17770369 TI - SEX IN MICE CANCERS. PMID- 17770368 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. VI. PMID- 17770371 TI - THE NEW CALENDAR IN CONGRESS. PMID- 17770370 TI - MODERN BIRDS IN ANCIENT FLORIDA. PMID- 17770372 TI - EXPERIMENTS ON SPACE PERCEPTION. PMID- 17770373 TI - THE PRESERVATION OF INDIAN MOUNDS RECORDS. PMID- 17770374 TI - MICHELSON'S ECONOMIC VALUE. PMID- 17770375 TI - METEOR CRATER EXPLORATION. PMID- 17770376 TI - ON THE PHYLOGENY OF HORSES, DOGS AND CATS. PMID- 17770377 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17770379 TI - THE STONING OF A MINOR PROPHET. PMID- 17770378 TI - THE PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF INCREASING THE DAILY LIGHT PERIOD OF WINTER FOR STRAWBERRY BREEDING. PMID- 17770380 TI - THE PRECISE EXPRESSION OF "DRYNESS". PMID- 17770382 TI - THE DISSECTION OF THE SPIRAL VALVE OF SQUALUS ACANTHIAS. PMID- 17770381 TI - X-RAYS AND MUTATIONS. PMID- 17770383 TI - THE OCCURRENCE OF PODSOL SOILS IN QUEBEC PROVINCE. PMID- 17770385 TI - TESTING AS A PART OF MILITARY CLASSIFICATION: BY THE STAFF, PERSONNEL RESEARCH SECTION, CLASSIFICATION AND REPLACEMENT BRANCH, THE ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE. PMID- 17770384 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17770386 TI - WAR ROLE OF A GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17770388 TI - EXPLORATIONS AND FIELD WORK OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. PMID- 17770387 TI - ISAAC MCKINNEY LEWIS 1878-1943. PMID- 17770389 TI - THE MOBILIZATION OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17770390 TI - RARE CHEMICALS. PMID- 17770391 TI - THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. PMID- 17770392 TI - THE PATENT INDEX FOR CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS. PMID- 17770393 TI - PRESENTATION OF THE CHARLES FREDERICK CHANDLER MEDAL. PMID- 17770394 TI - IS WAR THE PROGENY OF SCIENCE, OR SCIENCE THE PROGENY OF WAR, OR ARE BOTH OF THESE SUPPOSITIONS FUNDAMENTALLY FALSE? PMID- 17770395 TI - THE "SCIENCE MOBILIZATION BILL". PMID- 17770396 TI - AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN A DEMOCRACY. PMID- 17770397 TI - STARS IN "AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE". PMID- 17770398 TI - MOBILIZING SCIENCE. PMID- 17770399 TI - CITRIC ACID CYCLE; SUGAR AND FATBREAKDOWN IN TISSUE METABOLISM. PMID- 17770401 TI - QUIETING PARAMECIUM FOR CLASS STUDY. PMID- 17770400 TI - A MAP OF THE NATURAL AMINO ACIDS. PMID- 17770402 TI - IMPROVEMENT OF DEW-POINT DETERMINATION. PMID- 17770404 TI - THE SPEED OF THE DEER FLY. PMID- 17770403 TI - THE APPLICATION OF ISOTOPES TO THE STUDY OF INTERMEDIARY METABOLISM. PMID- 17770405 TI - THE SYNTHESIS OF FICHTELITE. PMID- 17770406 TI - THE BAXTER METEORITE. PMID- 17770407 TI - ANNUAL TABLES OF CONSTANTS AND NUMERICAL DATA. PMID- 17770408 TI - THE PRONUNCIATION OF BACTERIOPHAGE. PMID- 17770410 TI - GENERAL MUSCULAR HYPERTROPHY INDUCED BY ANDROGENIC HORMONE. PMID- 17770409 TI - ON THE ORDER OF RELATIVE GROWTH INTENSITIES. PMID- 17770411 TI - PHOTOSENSITIVE PIGMENTS FROM THE RETINA OF THE FROG. PMID- 17770413 TI - LONGEVITY OF PLANT CELLS IN TISSUE CULTURES. PMID- 17770412 TI - EXPOSURE METER FOR CINEPHOTOMICROGRAPHY AND STILL PHOTOMICROGRAPHY. PMID- 17770414 TI - Amazonian wildlife and forests. PMID- 17770415 TI - Distribution of the NSF Dollar. PMID- 17770416 TI - Forecasting future developments. PMID- 17770417 TI - Chlorination of Unsaturated Compounds in Nonpolar Media: Recognition of competition between polar and radical pathways clarifies the olefin-chlorine reaction. AB - Our work has shown that the apparently simple chlorination of unsaturated materials in nonpolar media is actually rather complex because of the occurrence of competitive reaction pathways, one polar and one radical. Means of recognizing, predicting, and separating the pathways have been developed, and general characteristics of each with respect to relative rates and product distributions have been elucidated. A most intriguing discovery is that of the spontaneous generation of radicals by interaction of certain unsaturates and chlorine; much more work is needed for clarifying the nature of this unexpected reaction. PMID- 17770418 TI - Civilian Technology: NASA Study Finds Little "Spin-off". PMID- 17770420 TI - North Cascades National Park: Copper Mining vs. Conservation. PMID- 17770421 TI - Whales: decline continues despite limitations on catch. PMID- 17770422 TI - Paleozoic sedimentary rocks in oaxaca, Mexico. AB - Fossiliferous Cambrian, Ordovician, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian rocks, never before found in southern Mexico, have been discovered in the Nochixtlan region. Superjacent unfossiliferous sedimentary rocks may be Permian in age. Early Paleozoic and late Paleozoic intervals of marine sedimentation were bounded by intervals of positive tectonism and erosion. PMID- 17770424 TI - The first mesozoic ants. AB - Two worker ants preserved in amber of Upper Cretaceous age have been found in New Jersey. They are the first undisputed remains of social insects of Mesozoic age, extending the existence of social life in insects back to approximately 100 million years. They are also the earliest known fossils that can be assigned with certainty to aculeate Hymenoptera. The species, Sphecomyrma freyi, is considered to represent a new subfamily (Sphecomyrminae), more primitive than any previously known ant group. It forms a near-perfect link between certain nonsocial tiphiid wasps and the most primitive myrmecioid ants. PMID- 17770423 TI - Fossiliferous Bauxite in Glacial Drift, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. AB - Pebbles of pisolitic bauxite occur in Pleistocene drift on Martha's Vineyard. The bauxite contains plant remains and relict quartz and was derived from plant bearing sediments, probably from the preglacial coastal plain of New England. The preservation of plant tissue suggests that bauxitization took place beneath, rather than above, the water table, as generally believed. This occurrence of bauxite is the northernmost known in eastern North America and suggests the possible existence of undiscovered deposits in the northern coastal plain. PMID- 17770425 TI - Perhydro-beta-Carotene in the Green River Shale. AB - Several triterpenes and the tetraterpene perhydro-beta-carotene have been identified in the branched-cyclic hydrocarbon fraction of this Eocene shale. The analytical procedure included thiourea adduction followed by combined gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. PMID- 17770426 TI - Algal stromatolites: use in stratigraphic correlation and paleocurrent determination. AB - Algal stromatolites are used for detailed rock-stratigraphic correlation for a distance of 160 kilometers in the Pethei Formation, of Aphebian (Precambrian) age, in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Laterally linked stromatolites are initiated by the draping of successive laminations over intraclasts or other irregularities in the bedding surface. Stromatolite shapes and orientations are related to paleocurrent direction determined from associated sedimentary structures. Thus stromatolite geometry is at least in part environmentally controlled. PMID- 17770427 TI - Sinkhole formation by groundwater withdrawal: far west rand, South Africa. AB - Sinkholes up to 125 meters wide and 50 meters deep have developed catastrophically in thick unconsolidated debris above pinnacle-weathered dolomite after lowering of the groundwater surface by at least 160 meters. They are caused by shrinkage of desiccated debris, downward migration of debris into bedrock openings, and upward growth of multiple debris "caverns" by roof spalling. PMID- 17770428 TI - Induction of drug-metabolizing enzymes in liver microsomes of mice and rats by softwood bedding. AB - Induction of three drug-metabolizing enzymes occurred in liver microsomes of mice and rats kept on softwood bedding of either red cedar, white pine, or ponderosa pine. This induction was reversed when animals were placed on hardwood bedding composed of a mixture of beech, birch, and maple. Differences in the capacity of various beddings to induce may partially explain divergent results of studies on drug-metabolizing enzymes. The presence of such inducing substances in the environment may influence the pharmacologic responsiveness of animals to a wide variety of drugs. PMID- 17770429 TI - Enclosed bark as a pollen trap. AB - Counts were made of pollen in traps formed by enclosed bark in two remnants of bristlecone pine, Pinus aristata Engelm., from the White Mountains of east central California. The traps, dated by tree-rings at A.D. 350 and 1300 B.C., contained a major complex of pine-sagebrush pollen and traces of other species, representing the equivalent of the present vegetation. PMID- 17770430 TI - Thermal addition to the marine environment. PMID- 17770431 TI - Intermag. PMID- 17770432 TI - Abolishing poverty. PMID- 17770433 TI - State research budget. PMID- 17770434 TI - Highway construction. PMID- 17770435 TI - A humane approach to population problems. PMID- 17770436 TI - Of time and the moon. AB - Considerable information concerning lunar chronology has been obtained by the study of rocks and soil returned by the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions. It has been shown that at the time the moon, earth, and solar system were formed, approximately 4.6 approximately 10(9) years ago, a severe chemical fractionation took place, resulting in depletion of relatively volatile elements such as Rb and Pb from the sources of the lunar rocks studied. It is very likely that much of this material was lost to interplanetary space, although some of the loss may be associated with internal chemical differentiation of the moon. It has also been shown that igneous processes have enriched some regions of the moon in lithophile elements such as Rb, U, and Ba, very early in lunar history, within 100 million years of its formation. Subsequent igneous and metamorphic activity occurred over a long period of time; mare volcanism of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 sites occurred at distinctly different times, 3.6 approximately 10(9) and 3.3 approximately 10(9) years ago, respectively. Consequently, lunar magmatism and remanent magnetism cannot be explained in terms of a unique event, such as a close approach to the earth at a time of lunar capture. It is likely that these phenomena will require explanation in terms of internal lunar processes, operative to a considerable depth in the moon, over a long period of time. These data, together with the low present internal temperatures of the moon, inferred from measurements of lunar electrical conductivity, impose severe constraints on acceptable thermal histories of the moon. Progress is being made toward understanding lunar surface properties by use of the effects of particle bombardment of the lunar surface (solar wind, solar flare particles, galactic cosmic rays). It has been shown that the rate of micrometeorite erosion is very low (angstroms per year) and that lunar rocks and soil have been within approximately a meter of the lunar surface for hundreds of millions of years. Future work will require sampling distinctly different regions of the moon in order to provide data concerning other important lunar events, such as the time of formation of the highland regions and of the mare basins, and of the extent to which lunar volcanism has persisted subsequent to the first third of lunar history. This work will require a sufficient number of Apollo landings, and any further cancellation of Apollo missions will jeopardize this unique opportunity to study the development of a planetary body from its beginning. Such a study is fundamental to our understanding of the earth and other planets. PMID- 17770438 TI - Supply of scientific and engineering manpower: surplus or shortage? PMID- 17770437 TI - Reaction of reindeer to obstructions and disturbances. AB - In Scandinavia, highways and railroads have not generally created obstructions to the movement of domesticated reindeer, although thousands of animals are killed each year in accidents. Some disruption in the movements of wild reindeer in Norway has been associated with the construction of a railroad and highway through an alpine plateau south of Trondheim. Hydroelectric projects have had the greatest detrimental effects on reindeer by flooding rangelands and obstructing migration routes. Special problems are created by the fluctuating water levels in reservoirs and rivers; efforts to mitigate the effects of these fluctuations have been only partially successful. Reindeer have strong traditions for migrating along specific routes, and realignment of these routes is extremely difficult. Conflicts of interest exist between reindeer herders and foresters. During their winter feeding, the deer damage young trees. The cutting of forests usually results in a deterioration of the area as a rangeland for reindeer. Herbicides used in forestry have been implicated in the death of some reindeer in Sweden, and research is now under way to determine the effects of herbicides on reindeer. The increased use of fences in reindeer husbandry in Scandinavia has emphasized the fact that reindeer behavior and characteristics of the terrain must be considered if fences are to be successful in directing or controlling the movements of reindeer. Herders now use snowmobiles instead of reindeer for transportation and herding, but the machines disturb the reindeer and must be used with discretion. Recent evidence indicates that large amounts of industrial waste in the atmosphere are carried from the British Isles and central Europe to Scandinavia, where they fall out in rain and snow. This has raised concern about the influence of the wastes on lichens, the main winter food supply of reindeer. Studies are now under way in Finland, Sweden, and Norway, through the International Biological Program, to determine the growth rates of the several lichen species that are important to reindeer. PMID- 17770439 TI - Seaborg Will Leave AEC. PMID- 17770440 TI - Mike McCormack: A Potential "Mr. Science" Comes to Congress. PMID- 17770441 TI - New security rules for rand. PMID- 17770442 TI - Long-wavelength ultraviolet photoproduction of amino acids on the primitive Earth. AB - Amino acids are produced under possible primitive Earth conditions by irradiation of gas mixtures with long-wavelength ultraviolet light, representing the most abundant useful energy source for prebiological organic synthesis. Hydrogen sulfide is the initial photon acceptor in this work; superthermal atomic hydrogen photodissociation products appear to initiate reactions leading to amino acid synthesis with an overall quantum yield on the order of 5X10(-5). PMID- 17770443 TI - Eutrophication, silica depletion, and predicted changes in algal quality in lake michigan. AB - Accelerated eutrophication stimulated by pollution inputs is causing silica depletion in the surface waters of Lake Michigan during summer stagnation. Limitation of the reproduction of the presently dominant phytoplankton organisms, which require silica, may lead to drastic and, on the whole, undesirable changes in the ecosystem. PMID- 17770444 TI - Sea level as affected by river runoff, eastern United States. AB - Variations in annual river inflow account for 7 to 21 percent of the total variation in average annual sea level along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States. This compares with 29 to 68 percent of the total variation that can be attributed to the secular rise of sea level, and with 10 to 50 percent of the variation that cannot be attributed to either the river inflow or the secular rise. PMID- 17770445 TI - Southward Flow under the Florida Current. AB - High-resolution current profiles were obtained in the Florida Straits by means of a new technique. Large temporal variations in the current profiles were observed. At times extensive southward flow, with speeds up to 30 centimeters per second, was recorded in the lower half of the water column. PMID- 17770446 TI - Petroleum: tar quantities floating in the northwestern atlantic taken with a new quantitative neuston net. AB - The neuston net has been modified to obtain quantitative samples of surface zooplankton. Petroleum lumps are commonly taken with these nets, and quantities of tar up to almost 0.1 gram (wet weight) per cubic meter of filtered surface water have been taken in the northwestern Atlantic. This information is used to estimate the quantity of tar lumps present in the North Atlantic and to indicate the probable limits of the degree of existing oil pollution in this region. It is suggested that previous estimates of ocean oil pollution may be too low. PMID- 17770447 TI - Evidence for compounds hydrolyzable to amino acids in aqueous extracts of apollo 11 and apollo 12 lunar fines. AB - Hydrolyzates of aqueous extracts of Apollo 11 fines, an Apollo 12 trench sample, and an Apollo 12 surface sample have been analyzed on an ultrasensitive amino acid analyzer. The total content of amino acids recovered ranged from 20 to 70 parts per billion of lunar soil. Amino acids are not recovered by the direct hydrolysis of lunar fines, presumably because of decomposition in the presence of the large excess of lunar mineral. As judged by retention time, glycine is the dominant amino acid found; alanine is secondarily present in each case in the profile. Only a few amino acids have been recorded in each analysis. The pattern is relatively consistent in the samples from the three locations; the pattern from either hydrolyzed or unhydrolyzed extracts differs markedly from that of hydrolyzed or unhydrolyzed handprints. The evidence is not consistent with contamination of the kind expected by many investigators. PMID- 17770448 TI - Sea Snakes: An Unusual Salt Gland under the Tongue. AB - The posterior sublingual gland of sea snakes is a salt gland. It secretes a fluid surpassing seawater in sodium chloride concentration. The gland lies on the ventrolateral surfaces of the tongue sheath and empties through multiple ducts into the sheath. Fluid is expelled from the sheath when the tongue is extended. For freshly captured Pelamis, the plasma concentrations of sodium, chloride, and potassium were 210, 167, and 8 millimoles per liter, respectively. Injections of sodium chloride led to a rise in its concentration in the plasma and to an increase in the rate and concentration of fluid secreted by the sublingual gland. The ultrastructure of this gland is similar to that of other reptilian salt glands. However, the gland is not homologous with any other salt gland. The sublingual gland in Pelamis is larger than that in Laticauda, and the rate of electrolyte excretion from the larger gland is greater. PMID- 17770449 TI - Possible prebiotic condensation of mononucleotides by cyanamide. AB - The condensation of mononucleotides has been carried out in aqueous solution at neutral pH in the presence of cyanamide. Oligodeoxyribonucleotides up to five units have been formed when montmorillonite was present. PMID- 17770451 TI - Celestial rotation and stellar orientation in migratory warblers. PMID- 17770450 TI - Eye-head coordination in monkeys: evidence for centrally patterned organization. AB - Eye-head coordination was investigated by recording from the neck and eye muscles in monkeys. The results show that (i) during eye-head turning, neural activity reaches the neck muscles before the eye muscles, and (ii) all agonist neck muscles are activated simultaneously regardless of the initial head position. Since overt movement of the eyes precedes that of the head, it was concluded that the central neural command initiates the eye-head sequence but does not specify its serial order. Furthermore, it was determined that the compensatory eye movement is not initiated centrally but instead is dependent upon reflex activation arising from movement of the head. PMID- 17770452 TI - Man-made climatic changes: seeding by contrails. PMID- 17770453 TI - Role of animals in suppression of herbs by shrubs. PMID- 17770454 TI - Petrologic implications of plate tectonics. AB - Petrologists can make significant contributions to the plate tectonic concept. Fixing the stability fields of the principal rock types involved will provide the limits of pressure and temperature of the various environments. Experimental determination of the partition coefficients of the trace elements will be helpful. Studies of the partial melting behavior of possible parental materials in the absence and presence of water, especially the undersaturated region, will contribute to the understanding of magma production. Experimental observations on the rheological properties of the peridotites below and just above the solidus will lead to a better evaluation of the convective mechanism. Measurement of the fundamental properties of rocks, such as the density of solids and liquids at high pressures and temperatures, would contribute to understanding the concepts of diapiric rise, magma segregation, and the low-velocity zone. Broader rock sampling of the oceanic areas of all environments will do much to define the petrologic provinces. The field petrologist specializing in the Paleozoic regions and Precambrian shields can contribute by examining those regions for old plate boundaries and devising new criteria for their recognition. PMID- 17770455 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17770456 TI - T. MITCHELL PRUDDEN, 1849-1924. PMID- 17770457 TI - VASECTOMY AND REJUVENESCENCE. PMID- 17770459 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17770458 TI - THE HARVARD SUMMER SCHOOL OF GEOLOGY. PMID- 17770460 TI - NOTE REGARDING THE TREATMENT OF EAR CANKER IN RABBITS. PMID- 17770461 TI - TRENDS OF MODERN GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17770462 TI - THE TEMPERATURE OF MARS. PMID- 17770463 TI - A METHOD FOR FACILITATING SCIENTIFIC READING. PMID- 17770464 TI - CAN THE HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION OF LIVING PROTOPLASM BE DETERMINED? PMID- 17770465 TI - A PROPOSED BIOGRAPHICAL ENTOMOLOGICAL DICTIO NARY. PMID- 17770466 TI - THE TOTAL IONIZATION PRODUCED IN AIR BY ELECTRONS OF VARIOUS ENERGIES. PMID- 17770467 TI - THE REACTIVITY OF LIQUID PHOSGENE. PMID- 17770468 TI - DIVISION OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17770469 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17770470 TI - EROSION: A REAL MENACE IN THE SOUTHWEST. PMID- 17770471 TI - CUTANEOUS SENSATION. PMID- 17770472 TI - GEOLOGICAL MISCONCEPTIONS CONCERNING THE OCEANS. PMID- 17770473 TI - FALSE REMEDIES FOR CARBON MONOXIDE ASPHYXIA. PMID- 17770474 TI - DANTE'S BONES. PMID- 17770476 TI - ACTIVITIES OF THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION. PMID- 17770475 TI - CHROMOSOME NUMBERS IN FLAX (LINUM). PMID- 17770477 TI - THE PURIFICATION OF MERCURY BY AN ELECTROLYTIC METHOD. PMID- 17770478 TI - STROBOSCOPY BY MEANS OF IMPRESSED EYE MOVEMENTS OR MIRROR VIBRATION. PMID- 17770479 TI - REPRESENTATION OF IPSILATERAL-EXTREMITIES IN THE CEREBRAL CORTEX. PMID- 17770480 TI - "Watchdog" of the government? PMID- 17770481 TI - Medical schools' problems. PMID- 17770482 TI - Diesel emissions. PMID- 17770483 TI - Cancer congress in Argentina. PMID- 17770484 TI - Concerning y. Orlov and a. Sharansky. PMID- 17770485 TI - Soil and coal: a cost-benefit inquiry. PMID- 17770486 TI - Pollen influx and volcanic ash. AB - Pollen influx can be used to estimate the duration of short-term depositional events. When applied to volcanic ashes, it may also provide information on the season and ecological effects of ashfall. In our initial application of the method to volcanic ashes from Lost Trail Pass, Bitterroot Mountains, Montana, we have illustrated that (i) two falls of Glacier Peak ash, which occurred about 11,250 (14)C years ago, were separated by 10 to 25 years; and (ii) volcanic ash from a major eruption of Mount Mazama (about 6700 (14)C years ago) first fell in the autumn and 4.6 centimeters of ash was deposited before the following spring. We also believe there is a reasonable probability that (i) about 1 centimeter of ash fell during the following year and about 1.7 centimeters fell the year after; (ii) in all, the sporadic primary Mazama ashfall lasted for nearly 3 years; (iii) Mazama ash resulted in low lake productivity, as measured by the occurrence of Botryococcus and Pediastrum; (iv) Mazama ash, perhaps through a mulching effect, may have produced increased vigor and pollen production in some sagebrush steppe genera; and (v) as measured by the records of fossil pollen and acid-resistant algae, effects on the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems were short-lived. With refinement of the methods and broader geographic application, pollen influx studies may prove valuable for separating the regional and chronological details of tephra attributed to Mazama, Glacier Peak, and other Cascade Range volcanoes. PMID- 17770487 TI - FDA reform: an idea whose time has come. PMID- 17770489 TI - McGill Warns vs. Adversary Method. PMID- 17770488 TI - Experts ponder icebergs as relief for world water dilemma. PMID- 17770490 TI - Coal: Invoking "the Rule of Reason" in an Energy-Environment Conflict. PMID- 17770491 TI - A day in the life of the science adviser. PMID- 17770492 TI - Antitrust suit against bell winds onward. PMID- 17770493 TI - Fill-in-the-Blanks Standards for Carcinogens Proposed. PMID- 17770494 TI - Sulfuric Acid from cars: a problem that never materialized. PMID- 17770495 TI - How the tests are conducted. PMID- 17770496 TI - Mathematics and magic: illumination and illusion. PMID- 17770497 TI - Issues of zonation. PMID- 17770498 TI - Primate evolution. PMID- 17770499 TI - Lunar research. PMID- 17770500 TI - Vital processes. PMID- 17770501 TI - Real-time, very-long-baseline interferometry based on the use of a communications satellite. AB - The Hermes satellite, a joint Canadian-American program, has been used to provide a communication channel between radio telescopes in West Virginia and Ontario, for very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI). This system makes possible instantaneous correlation of the data as well as a sensitivity substantially better than that of earlier VLBI systems, by virtue of a broader observational bandwidth. With the use of a geostationary communications satellite it is possible to eliminate the tape recorders and the most troublesome part of the postobservational data processing. A further possibility is the development of a phase-coherent interferometer. PMID- 17770502 TI - Paleodemography of the libben site, Ottawa county, ohio. AB - The Libben site, a Late Woodland ossuary and occupation site from the Great Black Swamp of northern Ohio has yielded a well-preserved skeletal sample of 1327 articulated individuals. The outstanding preservation and completeness of the site and the utilization of an exhaustive aging methodology make this the largest and most comprehensively censused North American prehistoric cemetery. Survivorship data indicate a robust, successful population. Life expectancy at birth was 20 years. Among adults, male mortality was consistently higher than female, a condition possibly related to high interpersonal and intergroup aggression. Infant mortality was generally low, and a general hypothesis concerning the elevation of infant mortality and the simultaneous depression of adult mortality among aboriginal peoples after European contact is suggested. PMID- 17770503 TI - Gravitational compression of crystallized suspensions of polystyrene spheres. AB - In a crystallized suspension of polystyrene spheres, the earth's gravitational field, acting on a vertical column of material several centimeters high, produces an elastic deformation that can be readily observed through its effect on the crystal lattice constant. This effect has been used to determine that Young's modulus for the crystalline material ranges from 1 to 3 dynes per square centimeter, depending on the concentration of spheres. PMID- 17770504 TI - Telecommunication with neutrino beams. AB - Collimated neutrino beams in the energy range 1 to 100 gigaelectron volts, now available from high-energy proton accelerators, are proposed as a potential means for telecommunication over global distances. Quantitative estimates of the feasibility of this proposal based on a particular detector configuration are presented. PMID- 17770505 TI - Gemmae: a role in sexual reproduction in the fern genus vittaria. AB - Gemmae are generally defined as vegetative propagules. In the shoestring ferns, Vittaria, gemmae grown in the presence of mature gametophyte plants or on medium containing gibberellic acid produce antheridia in lieu of vegetative growth. This suggests that antheridial differentiation in Vittaria is controlled by a chemical antheridogen system similar to those described in other fern genera. In natural populations of Vittaria gametophytes composed primarily of long-lived individuals, gemmae may provide the only source of tissue susceptible to antheridogen action and may have evolved in response to that condition. PMID- 17770506 TI - Paternity and Genetic Heterogeneity in the Polygynous Bat, Phyllostomus hastatus. AB - Wild colonies of greater spearnose bats were marked, censused regularly, and genotyped at three polymorphic allozyme loci. While adult composition of social units is very stable and strong polygyny results in marked changes in gene frequencies between generations, dispersal of offspring is sufficient to prevent significant genetic heterogeneities between social units. Kin selection cannot explain social cohesiveness in these highly social mammals. PMID- 17770507 TI - Regeneration of douglas fir plantlets through tissue culture. AB - Douglas fir plantlets were produced in tissue culture under defined conditions from cotyledon explants obtained from 2- to 4-week-old seedlings. Tissue pieces were cultured on the surface of a fabric tissue support (100 percent polyester) saturated with liquid nutrient medium; this facilitated periodic changes of the medium to meet the requirements at successive developmental stages without transfer of cultured tissues. Plant growth regulators were needed to stimulate adventitious bud formation. Plantlets were regenerated by rooting excised shoots at 19 degrees C on agarsolidified medium containing sucrose and the auxin naphthalene-2-acetic acid. After root initiation, plant growth regulators were removed; this resulted in stimulation of root elongation and the subsequent development of plantlets, which were then established in soil. PMID- 17770508 TI - Wolf-pack buffer zones as prey reservoirs. AB - In a declining herd, surviving deer inhabited overlapping edges of wolf-pack territories. There, wolves hunted little until desperate, in order to avoid fatal encounters with neighbors. Such encounters reduce wolf numbers and predation pressure and apparently allow surviving deer along territory edges to repopulate the area through dispersal of their prime, less vulnerable offspring into territory cores. PMID- 17770509 TI - Gordon research conferences: winter program, 1978. PMID- 17770510 TI - Facts and Values. PMID- 17770511 TI - F. Soddy, Interpreter of Atomic Structure. PMID- 17770512 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17770514 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17770513 TI - Solubility and Color Characteristics of Leaf Proteins Prepared in Air or Nitrogen. PMID- 17770515 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17770517 TI - WIND-WORN STONES IN GLACIAL DEPOSITS OF THE MIDDLE WEST. PMID- 17770516 TI - EDMUND BEECHER WILSON. PMID- 17770518 TI - WILLIAM SCHAUS 1858-1942. PMID- 17770519 TI - THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON AND THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AT SOUTH KENSINGTON. PMID- 17770520 TI - THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH IN THE WAR EMERGENCY. PMID- 17770522 TI - IN HONOR OF HENRY GRANGER KNIGHT. PMID- 17770521 TI - REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17770523 TI - MATHEMATICIANS AND THE WAR. PMID- 17770525 TI - THEORIES AS TO THE ORIGIN AND NATURE OF LIFE. PMID- 17770524 TI - ANOMALIES OF COLOR VISION. PMID- 17770526 TI - THE USE OF GENERIC NAMES AS COMMON NOUNS. PMID- 17770527 TI - THE WOODS HOLE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17770528 TI - THE INORGANIC CONSTITUTION OF BONE. PMID- 17770529 TI - HEREDITARY TRANSMISSION OF INDUCED TETRAPLOIDY AND COMPATIBILITY IN FERTILIZATION. PMID- 17770530 TI - OCCURRENCE OF AVIDIN IN THE OVIDUCT AND SECRETIONS OF THE GENITAL TRACT OF SEVERAL SPECIES. PMID- 17770531 TI - THE STUDENTS' ASTROLABE. PMID- 17770532 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17770533 TI - SCIENCE IN MEDICAL EDUCATION. PMID- 17770534 TI - THE LICK OBSERVATORY-CROCKER ECLIPSE EXPEDITION TO FRYEBURG, MAINE. PMID- 17770535 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17770536 TI - FUTURE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17770537 TI - BACTERIA IN PENNSYLVANIA ANTHRACITE. PMID- 17770538 TI - AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS CALL FOR STABILITY OF RULES OF ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17770539 TI - THE JURASSIC IN OKLAHOMA. PMID- 17770540 TI - A CORRECTION. PMID- 17770541 TI - PEACH MOSAIC--A NEW VIRUS DISEASE. PMID- 17770542 TI - HISTOLOGICAL BASIS OF SEX CHANGES IN THE AMERICAN OYSTER (OSTREA VIRGINICA). PMID- 17770543 TI - CELLOPHANE AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR MICA. PMID- 17770544 TI - CONTROL OF ULTRA-VIOLET RAY LAMPS. PMID- 17770545 TI - A NEW METHOD FOR THE DEMONSTRATION OF ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY COMBINATION. PMID- 17770546 TI - AUTOLYZED LIVER THERAPY IN PERNICIOUS ANEMIA. PMID- 17770548 TI - THE FINANCIAL STATUS OF COLLEGE TEACHERS. PMID- 17770547 TI - SYRINGOPHILUS BI-PECTINATUS A QUILL MITE OF POULTRY. PMID- 17770549 TI - SOIL EROSION AND ITS REMEDY BY TERRACING AND TREE PLANTING. PMID- 17770550 TI - THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND THE STATE. PMID- 17770551 TI - PRESERVATION OF THE NATIONAL MONUMENTS OF CHINA. PMID- 17770552 TI - THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION IN AUSTRALIA. PMID- 17770553 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17770554 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17770556 TI - THE NEW FUR SEAL INVESTIGATION. PMID- 17770555 TI - THE ORGANIZATION OF A UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT. PMID- 17770557 TI - THE PRESERVATION OF ANTHROPOID APES. PMID- 17770558 TI - A NEW MARKING SYSTEM AND MEANS OF MEASURING MATHEMATICAL ABILITIES. PMID- 17770559 TI - AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17770560 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17770561 TI - REPRODUCTION AND INHERITANCE IN ASCOMYCETES. PMID- 17770562 TI - A GREAT PUPIL AND A GREAT DISCOVERY--BOTH SUPPORTED BY A GREAT TEACHER. PMID- 17770563 TI - MAGNITUDE AND ENERGY OF EARTHQUAKES. PMID- 17770564 TI - THE DEATH OF HUNDREDS OF CEDAR-WAXWINGS. PMID- 17770565 TI - FRESH-WATER MEDUSAE IN IOWA. PMID- 17770566 TI - A NEW LOCALITY FOR THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER. PMID- 17770567 TI - THE AGGREGATION OF ORTHIC TETRAKAIDECAHEDRA. PMID- 17770568 TI - SUCCESSION OF COLI-AEROGENES ORGANISMS IN THE HEALTHY ADULT FECAL FLORA. PMID- 17770569 TI - MODE OF COMBINATION OF AN ENZYME WITH AN ADSORBENT AND WITH A SUBSTRATE. PMID- 17770570 TI - PIPETTING DEVICE FOR DISINFECTANT TESTING. PMID- 17770571 TI - AN INEXPENSIVE MAGNIFIER FOR READING FILM COPIES OF SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES. PMID- 17770572 TI - THE SOFTENING OF HARD WATERS FOR DOMESTIC USE. PMID- 17770573 TI - AN ELECTRIC TRANSFER-TABLE. PMID- 17770574 TI - A NOVEL ELECTRIC BATTERY. PMID- 17770575 TI - THE BRUSH ELECTRIC HOIST. PMID- 17770576 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17770577 TI - OLIVE CULTIVATION. PMID- 17770578 TI - Tuberculous Meat. PMID- 17770579 TI - THE AIR IN EDINBURGH THEATRES. PMID- 17770581 TI - AN UNKNOWN ORGAN OF SENSE. PMID- 17770580 TI - EDWARD ATKINSON'S PLANS FOR THE WORLD'S FAIR OF 1892. PMID- 17770582 TI - HARVARD OF TO-DAY. PMID- 17770583 TI - INDUSTRIAL NOTES. PMID- 17770584 TI - The Law of Population in the United States. PMID- 17770585 TI - Education in the shadow of contempt. PMID- 17770586 TI - Food irradiation study. PMID- 17770587 TI - Nuclear power--rosy optimism and harsh reality. PMID- 17770588 TI - Bonding and structures of transition metals. PMID- 17770589 TI - The iron age north of the alps. PMID- 17770590 TI - How technology will shape the future. PMID- 17770591 TI - Budget cuts: government agencies preparing to reduce spending. PMID- 17770592 TI - Scientists in Politics: Humphrey Trails McCarthy in Support. PMID- 17770593 TI - Middle pennsylvanian plant fossils: problematic occurrence in the bronx. AB - A possible glacial boulder of undeformed and unmetamorphosed siltstone containing Middle Pennsylvanian plant fossils was recovered from the Bronx. The rock cannot be explained by known geologic relations and suggests the possibility of undetected outliers of Pennsylvanian rocks in the Hudson valley. PMID- 17770594 TI - Gels composed of sodium-aluminium silicate, lake magadi, kenya. AB - Sodium-aluminum silicate gels are found in surficial deposits as thick as 5 centimeters in the Magadi area of Kenya. Chemical data indicate they are formed by the interaction of hot alkaline springwaters (67 degrees to 82 degrees C; pH, about 9) with alkali trachyte flows and their detritus, rather than by direct precipitation. In the process, Na(2)O is added from and silica is released to the saline waters of the springs. Algal mats protect the gels from erosion and act as thermal insulators. The gels are probably yearly accumulates that are washed into the lakes during floods. Crystallization of these gels in the laboratory yields analcite; this fact suggests that some analcite beds in lacustrine deposits may have formed from gels. Textural evidence indicates that cherts of rocks of the Pleistocene chert series in the Magadi area may have formed from soft sodium silicate gels. Similar gels may have acted as substrates for the accumulation and preservation of prebiological organic matter during the Precambrian. PMID- 17770595 TI - Silicification of Betula Woody Tissue in vitro. AB - Pieces of Betula twigs were placed in solutions of sodium metasilicate (5,000 to 10,000 parts per million) and allowed to remain for 12 to 24 hours, after which they were washed and wet-ashed with chromic acid. Opaline silica was deposited on inner surfaces of cell walls so that silica replicas of the various types of cell lumens were produced. Entire twigs were not replicated intact, but macroscopic replicas of cell aggregates were common. Carbon replicas of the silica replicas provide an unusual view of cellular spaces in woody tissue. The pits were viewed as projections from cells rather than holes in cell walls. This technique offers a new way of examining woody tissue and a method for deliberate petrification in a relatively short period of time under laboratory conditions. PMID- 17770596 TI - Potassium hydrogen malonate: remarkable crystal and molecular structure. AB - X-ray crystallographic investigations of potassium hydrogen malonate crystals reveal a very unusual structure in which malonic acid molecules and doubly ionized malonate ions exist in equal numbers. These two species a nected by strong hydrogen bonds in one direction and by potassium ions in the other directions. This seems to be the first observation of the simultaneous ence in a crystal of the two species dicarboxylic acid molecules and their charged ions. PMID- 17770597 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17770599 TI - I. GENERAL ORGANIZATION AND ACTIVITIES. PMID- 17770598 TI - FOREWORD. PMID- 17770600 TI - II. DIVISION OF PHYSICAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17770601 TI - THEORIES OF CORTICO-ADRENAL FUNCTION. PMID- 17770602 TI - A CIVILIZATION WITHOUT NATIVE MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17770603 TI - FREQUENCY OF VERTEBRATE FOSSILS IN RIVER DEPOSITS. PMID- 17770604 TI - STRATIGRAPHIC NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17770605 TI - THE "SPREAD" OR "SCATTER" OF THE INFLUENCE FROM A REWARD, IN RELATION TO GESTALT DOCTRINES. PMID- 17770606 TI - APPARATUS FOR SLIDE TECHNIQUE. PMID- 17770607 TI - A SIMPLE DEVICE FOR THE PERFUSION OF THE MAMMALIAN HEART. PMID- 17770608 TI - THE PERIHELION OF MERCURY. PMID- 17770609 TI - SOME FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF ALBINO RATS TO INJECTIONS OF SODIUM AMYTAL. PMID- 17770610 TI - SIBLING RESEMBLANCE AND ITS RELATION TO AGE INTERVAL. PMID- 17770611 TI - ANTON DOHBN. PMID- 17770612 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC WORK OF MISS N. M. STEVENS. PMID- 17770614 TI - BRITISH ASSOCIATION GRANTS FOR RESEARCH. PMID- 17770613 TI - THE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17770615 TI - ONE PHASE OF WASHINGTON SCIENCE. PMID- 17770616 TI - PREPARATION OF WHOLE POLLEN MOTHER CELLS. PMID- 17770617 TI - PERSONAL REGISTRATION OF FAMILY MEMORANDA: A PLEA FOR THE MAKING AND PRESERVING OF HOMELY ANNALS. PMID- 17770618 TI - HERMAPHRODITE FEMALES IN LYCHNIS DIOICA. PMID- 17770620 TI - UROPHLYCTIS ALFALFAe, A FUNGUS DISEASE OF ALFALFA OCCURRING IN OREGON. PMID- 17770619 TI - Introduction to General Thermodynamics. PMID- 17770621 TI - A COMPARISON OF THE "MAMMOTH" AND SPANISH PEANUTS AS GROWN IN CENTRAL IOWA. PMID- 17770622 TI - CONTACT ACTION OF GABBRO ON GRANITE IN WARREN COUNTY, NEW YORK. PMID- 17770623 TI - SAPORTA AND WILLIAMSON AND THEIR WORK IN PALEOBOTANY. PMID- 17770624 TI - JAMES C. PILLING. PMID- 17770625 TI - AGROSTOLOGY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17770626 TI - PHOTOTOPOGRAPHY. PMID- 17770627 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. PMID- 17770628 TI - NOTES FROM LONDON. PMID- 17770629 TI - FOSSIL MAMMALS OF PATAGONIA. PMID- 17770630 TI - THE AMERICAN MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17770631 TI - COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY. PMID- 17770632 TI - THE HELMHOLTZ MEMORIAL. PMID- 17770633 TI - AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17770634 TI - WHAT IS 'HIGH WORK?'. PMID- 17770635 TI - RECENT PROGRESS IN OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNIVERSE. PMID- 17770636 TI - CHARLES PROTEUS STEINMETZ. PMID- 17770637 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17770638 TI - FILING REPRINTS. PMID- 17770639 TI - WATER GLASS AS A MOUNTING MEDIUM. PMID- 17770640 TI - GERMAN SCIENTIFIC MEN AND RESEARCH. PMID- 17770641 TI - A NEW PHOTO-ELECTRIC EFFECT REFLECTION OF ELECTRONCS INDUCED BY LIGHT. PMID- 17770642 TI - THE ABNORMAL REFLECTION OF X-RAYS BY CRYSTALS. PMID- 17770643 TI - MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. PMID- 17770645 TI - THE LOS ANGELES MEETING III. PMID- 17770644 TI - SEISMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17770646 TI - MEMBERSHIP IN THE ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17770647 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF SIR WILLIAM HENRY PERIKIN'S DISCOVERY UPON OUR SCIENCE. PMID- 17770648 TI - ADDRESS OF SIR WILLIAM HENRY PERKIN. PMID- 17770649 TI - REFORM IN MATHEMATICAL INSTRUCTION. PMID- 17770650 TI - CATS AS PLANT INVESTIGATORS. PMID- 17770651 TI - EVIDENCES OF SEVERAL GLACIAL AND INTERGLACIAL STAGES IN NORTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND. PMID- 17770653 TI - YALE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17770652 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17770654 TI - A MEMORIAL TO HERBERT SPENCER. PMID- 17770655 TI - SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PMID- 17770656 TI - AREAS OF THE UNITED STATES, THE STATES AND THE TERRITORIES. PMID- 17770658 TI - LINES OF PROGRESS IN ENGINEERING. PMID- 17770657 TI - EXECUTIVE PROCEEDINGS: REPORT OF THE GENERAL SECRETARY. PMID- 17770659 TI - PROBLEMS IN HUMAN ANATOMY. PMID- 17770661 TI - L'ANNEE BIOLOGIQUE. PMID- 17770660 TI - STYLE IN SCIENTIFIC COMPOSITION. PMID- 17770662 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF CAVERNS ON TOPOGRAPHY. PMID- 17770663 TI - THE EPIDIASCOPE. PMID- 17770664 TI - A NOTABLE ADVANCE IN THE THEORY OF CORRELATION. PMID- 17770665 TI - 'GLUCINUM' OR 'BERYLLIUM.'. PMID- 17770666 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17770667 TI - THE NOBEL PRIZES. PMID- 17770669 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENGLISH SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17770668 TI - EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY IN LEIPZIG. PMID- 17770670 TI - RECENT WORKS ON TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEYING. PMID- 17770671 TI - THE MISSION OF SCIENCE IN EDUCATION. PMID- 17770672 TI - THE ZEEMAN EFFECT. PMID- 17770673 TI - EUROPEAN APPLE TREE CANKER IN AMERICA. PMID- 17770674 TI - ZOOLOGY AT THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17770675 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17770676 TI - THREE FORGOTTEN NAMES FOR BIRDS. PMID- 17770677 TI - THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM. PMID- 17770678 TI - BRITISH CONGRESS ON TUBERCULOSIS. PMID- 17770679 TI - THE PREVENTION OF HAIL STORMS. PMID- 17770680 TI - Governmental Indemnity. PMID- 17770681 TI - Professional Collaboration. PMID- 17770683 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17770682 TI - J. W. Scott, Zoologist. PMID- 17770684 TI - Radiocarbon Age Estimates Obtained by an Improved Liquid Scintillation Technique. PMID- 17770686 TI - THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17770685 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17770687 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY AND SECTION C OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17770688 TI - CLADODUS COMPRESSUS, A CORRECTION. PMID- 17770689 TI - IS ALABAMORNIS A BIRD? PMID- 17770690 TI - NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCE OF THE RECENTLY DESCRIBED GEM MINERAL, BENITOITE. PMID- 17770691 TI - THE TERM "THERM". PMID- 17770692 TI - CARL VON VOIT. PMID- 17770693 TI - THE BALLONS-SONDES AT ST. LOUIS. PMID- 17770694 TI - Science Librarianship. PMID- 17770695 TI - International Cooperation in Scientific Documentation. PMID- 17770696 TI - Scientific Publication as Affected by War and Politics. PMID- 17770698 TI - Better Titles, More Effective Publication. PMID- 17770697 TI - A New Classification System for Chemical Compounds. PMID- 17770699 TI - On the Preparation of Extensive Bibliographies. PMID- 17770700 TI - A Simple System for Reprint Filing. PMID- 17770701 TI - Punch Cards for Indexing Scientific Data. PMID- 17770702 TI - Louis A. Slotin 1912-1946. PMID- 17770703 TI - Inactive by Internal Compensation. PMID- 17770704 TI - A Comment on Discoveries in the Vitamin A Field. PMID- 17770705 TI - Relation Between the Diamagnetic Susceptibilities of Ions in Solution and in the Crystalline State. PMID- 17770706 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17770707 TI - THE FUNCTIONS OF A WOMAN'S CLINIC. PMID- 17770708 TI - TERTIARY MAN IN ASIA--THE CHOU KOU TIEN DISCOVERY. PMID- 17770709 TI - THE PAN-PACIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTION. PMID- 17770710 TI - SAND FLOTATION IN NATURE. PMID- 17770711 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17770712 TI - FIELD TRIPS IN GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17770713 TI - THE NEIGHBORS. PMID- 17770715 TI - THE OPAH OR MOONFISH, LAMPRIS LUNA, ON THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA. PMID- 17770714 TI - BREVITY AT BOTANICAL BANQUETS. PMID- 17770716 TI - THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF THIASINE. PMID- 17770717 TI - FURTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR THE APPLICATION OF THE LIPMAN-GORDON METHOD OF TREE INJECTION. PMID- 17770719 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE SOME PHASES OF PREHISTORIC ARCHEOLOGY. PMID- 17770718 TI - ON SOME POINTS OF IMPORTANCE TO ANATOMISTS. PMID- 17770720 TI - AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTS. PMID- 17770721 TI - THE 'FIRST SPECIES RULE' VS. THE 'LAW OF PRIORITY' IN DETERMINING TYPES OF GENERA. PMID- 17770722 TI - THE FIRST SPECIES RULE VERSUS ELIMINATION. PMID- 17770723 TI - ON A CASE OF REVERSION INDUCED BY CROSSBREEDING AND ITS FIXATION. PMID- 17770725 TI - FELLOWS ELECTED AT THE NEW YORK MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17770724 TI - THE RUSTS OF AUSTRALIA. PMID- 17770726 TI - THE SHEFFIELD LECTURE COURSE. PMID- 17770727 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17770728 TI - THE EXPLORATION OF THE ANTARCTIC REGIONS. PMID- 17770729 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17770730 TI - THE HUMAN FACULTIES. PMID- 17770731 TI - EXPLORATION AND TRAVEL. PMID- 17770732 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17770733 TI - Osteological notes. PMID- 17770735 TI - Death of Prof. William Ashburner. PMID- 17770734 TI - The maxillo-palatines of Tachycineta. PMID- 17770736 TI - The Daniel Scholl observatory. PMID- 17770737 TI - Some trees. PMID- 17770738 TI - SECTION A, MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17770740 TI - GEOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES. II. PMID- 17770739 TI - SECTION G, BOTANY. PMID- 17770741 TI - KARL ALFRED VON ZITTEL. PMID- 17770742 TI - CONVOCATION WEEK. PMID- 17770743 TI - THE SCINTILLATIONS OF RADIUM. PMID- 17770744 TI - THE OCCURRENCE OF ZINC IN CERTAIN INVERTEBRATES. PMID- 17770745 TI - MISSOURI LEAD AND ZINC REGIONS VISITED BY THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17770746 TI - ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN FOR FERTILIZING PURPOSES. PMID- 17770747 TI - SOME PROBLEMS OF NUTRITION IN THE ARMY. PMID- 17770748 TI - ICELAND SPAR IN MONTANA. PMID- 17770749 TI - WALNUT POLLEN AS A CAUSE OF HAY FEVER. PMID- 17770750 TI - ALBINO TURKEY BUZZARDS. PMID- 17770752 TI - A SLOW-SPEED KYMOGRAPH. PMID- 17770751 TI - THE CANONS OF COMPARATIVE ANATOMY. PMID- 17770753 TI - THE FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ATTITUDE OF THE HEAD IN ANIMALS WITH INJURY TO ONE OTIC LABYRINTH. PMID- 17770755 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17770754 TI - THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17770756 TI - The primitive Conocoryphean. PMID- 17770757 TI - Classification of Mollusca. PMID- 17770758 TI - Iroquois pronouns. PMID- 17770759 TI - The Hall effect. PMID- 17770760 TI - GEORGE BENTHAM. PMID- 17770761 TI - Abnormal form of Trillium grandiflorum. PMID- 17770762 TI - Systematic earthquake observation. PMID- 17770763 TI - EDUCATION AT THE INTERNATIONAL HEALTH EXHIBITION, LONDON. PMID- 17770764 TI - RAILWAY-SIGNALS AT THE ELECTRICAL EXHIBITION. PMID- 17770766 TI - THE BOTANICAL CLUB OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17770765 TI - THE COMMITTEE REPORTS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17770767 TI - PSYCHICAL RESEARCH IN AMERICA. PMID- 17770769 TI - THE HOTEL DES NEUCHATELOIS, AND WHAT BECAME OF IT. PMID- 17770768 TI - THE INHABITANTS OF THE PUNJAB. PMID- 17770770 TI - GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL-HISTORY SURVEY OF CANADA. PMID- 17770771 TI - Encouragement of Science. PMID- 17770772 TI - Sudorific Action of Adrenalin on the Human Sweat Glands and Determination of Their Excitability. PMID- 17770773 TI - Two Crossover-Selector Systems: New Tools in Genetics. PMID- 17770774 TI - The Mass of Gastric Mucosa Cells Measured by X-Ray Absorption. PMID- 17770775 TI - The Control of Survival Time of Mice Bearing Methylcholanthrene-induced Fibrosarcomas. PMID- 17770776 TI - A Synthetic Diet for the Biological Assay of Thiamine. PMID- 17770777 TI - Some Properties of 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium Chloride and Several Iodo Derivatives. PMID- 17770778 TI - Use of Dyestuffs for Determining the Activity of Proteolytic Enzymes. PMID- 17770779 TI - Extension of Political Domination beyond Soviet Genetics. PMID- 17770781 TI - Seeing Is Believing and Vice Versa. PMID- 17770780 TI - Atomic Energy and the New Dictionaries. PMID- 17770782 TI - Solar Spectroscopy: A new vacuum spectrograph at McMath-Hulbert Observatory makes possible greater accuracy in solar spectroscopy. PMID- 17770783 TI - Arda Alden Green, Protein Chemist. PMID- 17770784 TI - News of Science: Final Form of Congressional Action on Federal Aid to Education. PMID- 17770785 TI - Daily Rhythms in Male Harvester and Argentine Ants. PMID- 17770786 TI - Machines and the Brain. PMID- 17770787 TI - Machines and the Brain. PMID- 17770788 TI - Equipment. PMID- 17770789 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17770790 TI - Detecting colon cancer. PMID- 17770791 TI - Detecting colon cancer. PMID- 17770792 TI - Detecting colon cancer. PMID- 17770793 TI - Evaluations. PMID- 17770794 TI - Evaluations. PMID- 17770795 TI - Modern paleontology. PMID- 17770796 TI - Predator and prey behavior. PMID- 17770797 TI - Predator and prey behavior. PMID- 17770798 TI - Excursions in biotechnology. PMID- 17770799 TI - Arabidopsis thaliana and Plant Molecular Genetics. AB - Arabidopsis thaliana is a small flowering plant with various properties that make it an excellent organism for experiments in molecular genetics. These properties include having a small nuclear genome, a near absence of dispersed repetitive DNA, and a generation time of 4 to 5 weeks. In addition, mutations that affect hormone synthesis and response, many different enzyme activities, and numerous developmental processes have been identified and characterized. PMID- 17770800 TI - Biotechnology in food production and processing. AB - The food processing industry is the oldest and largest industry using biotechnological processes. Further development of food products and processes based on biotechnology depends upon the improvement of existing processes, such as fermentation, immobilized biocatalyst technology, and production of additives and processing aids, as well as the development of new opportunities for food biotechnology. Improvements are needed in the characterization, safety, and quality control of food materials, in processing methods, in waste conversion and utilization processes, and in currently used food microorganism and tissue culture systems. Also needed are fundamental studies of the structure-function relationship of food materials and of the cell physiology and biochemistry of raw materials. PMID- 17770801 TI - A European Defense Initiative: The idea that European nations band together for a strictly European version of SDI is gaining support. PMID- 17770802 TI - A Grim Portrait of the Postwar World: "Nuclear winter" may be the least of our worries, according to an international study; starvation seems more likely. PMID- 17770803 TI - No trace of soviet researcher. PMID- 17770804 TI - Paying for research instrumentation. PMID- 17770805 TI - Navy personnel told to attend fewer conferences. PMID- 17770807 TI - APA Issues Warning on Antipsychotic Drugs. PMID- 17770806 TI - Generic valium approved by FDA. PMID- 17770808 TI - Condor agreement reached. PMID- 17770809 TI - Slow growth in seabirds. PMID- 17770810 TI - String as a Theory of Everything: If particles consist of string, then grand unification and quantum gravity come for free--and maybe all the rest of physics, too. PMID- 17770811 TI - Impulses in sociological thought: american sociology. PMID- 17770812 TI - Developmental neurobiology: molecular bases of neural development. PMID- 17770813 TI - Mechanisms of migration: the control of fish migration. PMID- 17770814 TI - Polar motion measurements: subdecimeter accuracy verified by intercomparison. AB - An important bound on the accuracy of modern techniques for monitoring polar motion is established by intercomparison of measurement series from two different observing techniques, very long baseline interferometry and satellite laser ranging. The root-mean-square differences between the estimates of the pole position from both techniques are shown to be only 2 milliseconds of arc (about 6 centimeters at one Earth radius). In the absence of common systematic errors, these differences bound the total errors in both sets of estimates. An initial investigation did not reveal any clear signature in the pole position that seems to be associated with major earthquakes. Continued measurements at this level of accuracy hold promise for resolving long-standing arguments over such questions as the nature of the excitation mechanism required to maintain the motion of the pole. PMID- 17770816 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17770815 TI - Geochemical indicator of tectonic stress resulting in an earthquake in central Japan, 1984. AB - Conspicuous changes in gas composition were observed at a fumarole and a mineral spring just before the occurrence of an inland earthquake (magnitude, 6.8) in central Japan in September 1984; the fumarole and spring were 9 and 50 kilometers, respectively, from the earthquake's epicenter. Deep-seated fluids emitted as a result of the compressional stress of the earth tide had been observed previously at this mineral spring and at a lava lake in Hawaii. By analogy, the gas anomaly observed before the earthquake in Japan probably resulted from deepseated fluids being squeezed to the surface by the tectonic stress that caused the earthquake. PMID- 17770817 TI - The path to research prioritization. PMID- 17770818 TI - Astronomy: of fundamental value. PMID- 17770819 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - The map accompanying the Perspective "The deadly Latur earthquake" by H. K. Gupta (10 Dec., p. 1666) incorrectly designated a protion of eastern India as "Myanmar." PMID- 17770820 TI - The Message From CERN: Help Wanted. PMID- 17770821 TI - Physicists struggle for consensus about the future. PMID- 17770822 TI - Methane increase put on pause. PMID- 17770824 TI - Do whales speak in many tongues? PMID- 17770823 TI - Tiff over Texas test tubes. PMID- 17770825 TI - Resurrection in Italy. PMID- 17770826 TI - Early american gene clock gains time. PMID- 17770827 TI - Solar physicists peer into a mysterious furnace. PMID- 17770828 TI - Another way to light a fire. PMID- 17770829 TI - A new portrait of venus: thick-skinned and decrepit. PMID- 17770830 TI - Why so dry, venus? PMID- 17770831 TI - Destruction rate of h3+ by low-energy electrons measured in a storage-ring experiment. AB - Knowledge of the abundance of H(3)(+) is needed in interstellar and planetary atmospheric chemistry. An important destruction mechanism of H(3)(+) is low energy electron impact followed by dissociation, but estimates of the reaction rate span several orders of magnitude. As an attempt to resolve this uncertainty, the cross section for dissociative recombination of vibrationally cold H(3)(+) has been measured with an ion storage ring down to collision energies below 1 millielectron volt. A rate coefficient of 1.15 x 10(-7) cubic centimeters per second at 300 kelvin was deduced. The cross section scaled with collision energy according to E(-1.15), giving thee rate a temperature dependence of T(-0.65). PMID- 17770832 TI - Hubble space telescope observations of comet p/shoemaker-levy 9 (1993e). AB - The Hubble Space Telescope observed the fragmented comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 (1993e) (P indicates that it is a periodic comet) on 1 July 1993. Approximately 20 individual nuclei and their comae were observed in images taken with the Planetary Camera. After subtraction of the comae light, the 11 brightest nuclei have magnitudes between approximately 23.7 and 24.8. Assuming that the geometric albedo is 0.04, these magnitudes imply that the nuclear diameters are in the range approximately 2.5 to 4.3 kilometers. If the density of each nucleus is 1 gram per cubic centimeter, the total energy deposited by the impact of these 11 nuclei into Jupiter's atmosphere next July will be approximately 4 x 10(30) ergs ( approximately 10(8) megatons of TNT). This latter number should be regarded as an upper limit because the nuclear magnitudes probably contain a small residual coma contribution. The Faint Object Spectrograph was used to search for fluorescence from OH, which is usually an excellent indicator of cometary activity. No OH emission was detected, and this can be translated into an upper limit on the water production rate of approximately 2 x 10(27) molecules per second. PMID- 17770833 TI - Theoretical evidence for a c60 "window" mechanism. AB - On the basis of semiempirical and high-level ab initio calculations, theoretical evidence is presented of a "window" mechanism operable on the surface of C(60) and other fullerenes. Through this mechanism, large holes may be formed in fullerenes excited to their triplet state, openings through which atoms and small molecules can pass. This work provides a theoretical foundation for experiments that have prepared endohedral noble gas compounds of C(60) under thermal excitation. A method is proposed that could increase the efficiency of the process of noble gas insertion into C(60) and provide a more general means to create endohedral fullerene compounds. PMID- 17770834 TI - Suppression of rupture in thin, nonwetting liquid films. AB - Stabilization against the rupture and breakup of thin, nonwetting liquid films spread on surfaces is generally sought by modification of equilibrium interfacial properties. A mechanism for suppressing rupture in such films that uses surface attached polymers togetherwithfree chains in the bulk of the film is reported. Films of an oligostyrene liquid, which rupture within several minutes when spread on a silicon wafer, may be stabilized for many months by a polystyrene brush attached to the substrate, together with some free polystyrene in the liquid. The effect may arise from entanglements of the free chains with the immobilized brush. PMID- 17770835 TI - The timing of high sea levels over the past 200,000 years. AB - The (230)Th ages and (234)U/(238)U ratios were determined for Barbados corals that grew during periods of high sea level within the last 200,000 years. The similarity of the initial (234)U/(238)U ratios of some of the corals to the modern marine value suggests that these samples are pristine and that the marine (234)U/(238)U ratio 83,000 and 200,000 years ago was within 2 per mil of the modern value. The accuracies of the (230)Th ages are evaluated on the basis of the (234)U/(238)U values and a model of the behavior of uranium and thorium isotopes during diagenesis. For the last three interglacial and two intervening interstadial periods, sea level peaked at or after peaks in summer insolation in the Northern Hemisphere. This overall pattern supports the idea that glacial interglacial cycles are caused by changes in Earth's orbital geometry. The sea level drop at the end of the penultimate interglacial, the last interglacial, and a subsequent interstadial period lagged behind the decrease in insolation by 5,000 to 10,000 years. PMID- 17770836 TI - Nanowire array composites. AB - Long, nanometer-size metallic wires can be synthesized by injection of the conducting melt into nanochannel insulating plates. Large-area arrays of parallel wires 200 nanometers in diameter and 50 micrometers long with a packing density of 5 x 10(8) per square centimeter have been fabricated in this way. When charged, the ends of the wires generate strong, short-range electric fields. The nanowire electric fields have been imaged at high spatial resolution with a scanning force microscope. PMID- 17770838 TI - Science by worst cases. PMID- 17770837 TI - In vivo Ca2+ dynamics in a cricket auditory neuron: an example of chemical computation. AB - Fura-2 calcium imaging in the cricket omega neuron revealed increased intracellular free calcium ion concentration in response to simulated cricket calling songs and other sound stimuli. The time course of the increase and decrease in intracellular calcium coincided with the time course of forward masking, a time-dependent modulation of auditory sensitivity. The buffering of calcium transients with high concentrations of a kinetically fast calcium buffer eliminated the post-stimulus hyperpolarization associated with forward masking, whereas the uncaging of calcium inside the neuron produced a hyperpolarization. The results suggest that sound-stimulated intracellular calcium accumulation acts by means of a calcium-activated hyperpolarizing current to produce forward masking. These findings underscore the importance of chemical dynamics in neural computation by demonstrating a behaviorally relevant role of calcium dynamics in vivo. PMID- 17770839 TI - American plants. PMID- 17770841 TI - The dyslexic brain. PMID- 17770840 TI - Plasmid transfer. PMID- 17770842 TI - Vignettes: research choices. PMID- 17770843 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17770844 TI - Pleas of temporary insanity. PMID- 17770845 TI - Malnutrition research. PMID- 17770846 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17770847 TI - March of " progress ". PMID- 17770848 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17770849 TI - Public policy: analyses and criticism. PMID- 17770850 TI - Science policy studies. PMID- 17770851 TI - Choosing a signal processor. PMID- 17770852 TI - Paleozoic tectonic history of the arctic basin north of alaska. PMID- 17770853 TI - Forest fires: suppression policy has its ecological drawbacks. PMID- 17770854 TI - Anti-smoking forces gain ground. PMID- 17770856 TI - Report says social sciences can help avoid policy goofs. PMID- 17770857 TI - Tertiary climatic change in the marginal northeastern pacific ocean. AB - Analysis of distributional patterns of shallow-water molluscan faunas of the middle latitudes of the marginal northeastern Pacific Ocean discloses a sharp reversal during the Miocene of the progressive climatic deterioration. A low point in the Tertiary cooling trend during the Oligocene was followed by climatic warming that culminated during the middle Miocene, as illustrated by a series of zoogeographic profiles. PMID- 17770858 TI - Modified spinel, Beta-manganous orthogermanate: stability and crystal structure. AB - A new high-pressure polymorph with a modified spinel structure, beta-Mn(2)GeO(4), is stable in a pressure range intermediate between the field of the polymorph with the olivine structure and that of another high-pressure polymorph. Oxygen atoms are located approximately in cubic close packing with manganese and germanium atoms in octahedral and tetrahedral interstices, respectively, as in the spinel structure; however, germanium atoms form Ge(2)O(7) groups instead of isolated GeO(4) groups. PMID- 17770859 TI - Carbon: observations on the new allotropic form. AB - The recently characterized " white " allotropic form of carbon has been produced at high temperature and low pressure during graphite sublimation. Under free vaporization conditions above approximately 2550 degrees K, the white carbon forms as small transparent crystals on the edges of the basal planes of graphite. The interplanar spacings of this material are identical to those of a carbon form noted in graphitic gneiss from the Ries Crater. PMID- 17770860 TI - Enstatite: disorder produced by a megabar shock event. AB - Shocked Bamle enstatite partly transforms to disordered enstatite. Debye-Scherrer patterns of some shocked material are almost identical to those of disordered enstatite from portions of various enstatite achondrites. No disorcdered single crystals have been found. PMID- 17770861 TI - Alkali bees: response of adults to pathogenic fungi in brood cells. AB - Female alkali bees (Nomia melanderi) opened sealed cells containing brood infested with Aspergillus flavus, A. tamarii, Fusarium solani, Rhizopus sp., or Mucor sp. and filled them with compact soil, thus reducing fungus sporulation. Such awareness of the condition of sealed brood is hitherto unknown among solitary bees. PMID- 17770862 TI - Magnetic observations in studies of sea-floor spreading. PMID- 17770864 TI - Science and the future: american and british associations meet. PMID- 17770863 TI - Whitetop experiment. PMID- 17770865 TI - Courses. PMID- 17770866 TI - Response: immunological tolerance. PMID- 17770867 TI - Response: immunological tolerance. PMID- 17770868 TI - Immunological tolerance. PMID- 17770869 TI - Abelson on nuclear power. PMID- 17770870 TI - Abelson on nuclear power. PMID- 17770871 TI - Abelson on nuclear power. PMID- 17770872 TI - "Obscure" journal? PMID- 17770873 TI - Weighing the Universe: Astronomers are making inventories of the unseen mass in the universe to learn its composition and fate. They also want to test an elegant theory of its origin. PMID- 17770874 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17770876 TI - Meeting the competition. PMID- 17770875 TI - The time traveler. PMID- 17770877 TI - Meeting the competition. PMID- 17770878 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17770879 TI - Science standards near finish line. PMID- 17770880 TI - DOE Urged to Go Slow in Building Free Electron Lasers. PMID- 17770882 TI - CNRS Head Orders a Brief Freeze. PMID- 17770881 TI - Scientists' lobbying wins a review of research funding. PMID- 17770883 TI - Interferon with infertility. PMID- 17770884 TI - New head for kinsey? PMID- 17770885 TI - Tracking a silicone leak. PMID- 17770886 TI - Weighing the atom. PMID- 17770887 TI - Making up the Ancients. PMID- 17770889 TI - Alcoholic brain waves. PMID- 17770888 TI - Site visits to "chilly climates". PMID- 17770890 TI - How comets stay frisky in the cold. PMID- 17770891 TI - Long-waited Probe Gets New View of the Sun. PMID- 17770892 TI - A constant star suddenly flares up. PMID- 17770893 TI - Probing solid catalysts under operating conditions. PMID- 17770894 TI - Kinematics of the asal rift (djibouti) determined from the deformation of fieale volcano. AB - Because of its subaerial exposure the Asal rift segment provides an exceptional opportunity to quantify the deformation field of an active rift and assess the contribution of tectonics and volcanism to rifting processes. The present topography of the Asal rift results from the tectonic dismemberment during the last 100,000 years of a large central volcanic edifice that formed astride the rift zone 300,000 to 100,000 years ago. Three-dimensional deformation of this volcano has been quantified from the combined analysis of the topography and geology. The analysis indicates that spreading at 17 to 29 millimeters per year in a N40 degrees +/- 5 degrees E direction accounts for most of the separation between Arabia and Somalia. The small topographic subsidence relative to extension suggests that tectonic thinning of the crust has been balanced by injection and underplating of magmatic material of near crustal density. The methodology developed in this study could also be applied to quantify deformation in relatively inaccessible areas where the main available information is topography or bathymetry. PMID- 17770895 TI - Magnetism from the atom to the bulk in iron, cobalt, and nickel clusters. AB - Molecular beam deflection measurements of small iron, cobalt, and nickel clusters show how magnetism develops as the cluster size is increased from several tens to several hundreds of atoms for temperatures between 80 and 1000 K. Ferromagnetism occurs even for the smallest sizes: for clusters with fewer than about 30 atoms the magnetic moments are atomlike; as the size is increased up to 700 atoms, the magnetic moments approach the bulk limit, with oscillations probably caused by surface-induced spin-density waves. The trends are explained in a magnetic shell model. A crystallographic phase transition from high moment to low moment in iron clusters has also been identified. PMID- 17770896 TI - All-polymer field-effect transistor realized by printing techniques. AB - A field-effect transistor has been fabricated from polymer materials by printing techniques. The device characteristics, which show high current output, are insensitive to mechanical treatments such as bending or twisting. This all organic flexible device, realized with mild techniques, opens the way for large area, low-cost plastic electronics. PMID- 17770897 TI - X-ray Variability in the Hot Supergiant zgr Orionis. AB - Hot massive stars represent only a small fraction of the stellar population of the galaxy, but their enormous luminosities make them visible over large distances. Therefore, they are ideal standard candles, used to determine distances of near galaxies. Their mass loss due to supersonic winds driven by radiation pressure contributes significantly to the interstellar medium and thus to the chemical evolution of galaxies. All hot stars are soft x-ray sources; in contrast to the sun with its highly variable x-ray flux, long time scale x-ray variability is not common among hot stars. An analysis is presented here of an unusual increase in x-ray flux observed with the roentgen observatory satellite during a period of 2 days for the hot supergiant zeta Orionis, the only episode of x-ray variability that has been found in a hot star. These observations provide the most direct evidence so far for the scenario of shock-heated gas in the winds of hot stars. PMID- 17770898 TI - Stabilization of atomic hydrogen in both solution and crystal at room temperature. AB - Atomic hydrogen has been stably encapsulated in both solution and crystal at room temperature. Upon gamma-ray irradiation of [(CH(3))(3)Si](8)Si(8)O(20), which is the trimethylsilylated derivative of the silicate anion with a double four-ring (D4R) cage, electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra revealed that a single hydrogen atom is encapsulated in the center of the D4R cage and is stable for periods of many months. Attack by chemically reactive species such as oxygen was prevented by the D4R cage, but the ESR signal of the hydrogen atom was sensitive to the magnetic interaction caused by the presence of the O(2) molecule near the cage. PMID- 17770899 TI - Operational flaws. PMID- 17770900 TI - Ant invaders. PMID- 17770901 TI - Vignettes: eye-opening. PMID- 17770902 TI - Next values. PMID- 17770903 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17770904 TI - THE PACIFIC COAST MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17770905 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE MEETING. PMID- 17770906 TI - FARMING AND FOOD SUPPLIES IN TIME OF WAR. PMID- 17770907 TI - THE MANCHESTER MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17770908 TI - CONVENIENCE VERSUS FITNESS. PMID- 17770909 TI - THE INHERITANCE OF CANCER. PMID- 17770910 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17770911 TI - THE HEREDITY OF STATURE. PMID- 17770912 TI - GREENE VARDIMAN BLACK. PMID- 17770913 TI - A PROPOSED ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17770914 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17770915 TI - SOME CORRELATIONS BETWEEN VEGETATION AND SOILS, INDICATED BY CENSUS STATISTICS. PMID- 17770916 TI - STANDARD DAIRY SCORE CARDS. PMID- 17770917 TI - "SOIL ACIDITY AND METHODS FOR ITS DETECTION". PMID- 17770918 TI - A NEW METHOD OF MEASURING THE CONCENTRATION OF THE SOIL SOLUTION AROUND THE SOIL PARTICLES. PMID- 17770919 TI - ON THE PRESENT ASPECT OF CLASSICAL STUDY. PMID- 17770920 TI - MR. JAMES SULLY ON THE PRECOCITY OF GENIUS. PMID- 17770922 TI - MINCHIN'S STATICS. PMID- 17770921 TI - EVERY-DAY LIFE OF THE WOMEN OF INDIA. PMID- 17770924 TI - Centennial of Engineering Convocation. PMID- 17770923 TI - ROYCE'S CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17770926 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17770925 TI - Publications Received. PMID- 17770927 TI - Internal Observation of Rabbit Uterus. PMID- 17770928 TI - Paul Felix Nemenyi: 1895-1952. PMID- 17770929 TI - Scatter-Sounding: A New Technique in Ionospheric Research. PMID- 17770930 TI - Unusual Protective Action of a New Emulsifier for the Handling of Organic Phosphates. PMID- 17770931 TI - Resistance of Solanum Ballsii and Solanum sucrense to the Golden Nematode, Heterodera rostochiensis, Wollenweber. PMID- 17770933 TI - Polymerization in Liquid Ammonia Fred Leonard and Paul Fram. PMID- 17770932 TI - Biosynthesis and Isolation of Radioactive Colchicine. PMID- 17770934 TI - Dental Caries in Rats Fed a Diet Containing Processed Cereal Foods and a Low Content of Refined Sugar. PMID- 17770935 TI - Weight and Body Temperature in Mammals. PMID- 17770936 TI - Maintenance of Contraction of Embryonic Chick Hearts in Vitro. PMID- 17770937 TI - Aerosol for Controlling Herbarium Pests. PMID- 17770938 TI - Sponsored Research. PMID- 17770939 TI - Passport Procedures. PMID- 17770940 TI - Oxidation of Ascorbic Acid to Dehydroascorbic Acid at Low Temperatures. PMID- 17770941 TI - Cationic Detergents in the Babcock Test. PMID- 17770942 TI - 1895--. PMID- 17770943 TI - Rhodium-102 High-Altitude Tracer Experiment: The tracer gives clues to the transport and distribution of materials in the stratosphere. PMID- 17770944 TI - Patterns and Populations: Basic problems of population biology transcend artificial disciplinary boundaries. AB - In summary, then, we would like to suggest that in broad investigations of the patterns of interaction and relationship among organisms the artificial and stultifying fragmentation of population biology into divisions such as taxonomy, population genetics, and ecology should be ignored. Care also should be taken to scrutinize current concepts such as "species," "niche," and "community." If some emergent patterns seem to correspond to a great degree with these concepts, then the concepts may be given operational definitions and the labels should be retained. If there is no such correspondence, then the concepts will have outlived their usefulness and should be discarded. The basic units of population biology are not communities, species, or even populations, but individual organisms (32). In populations, variation, growth, genetic equilibria, selection, behavior, and so on are not "things" but relationships. Therefore, what is of interes in population biology is the pattern in which organisms are related in space and time (33). PMID- 17770945 TI - Civil Defense: Kennedy's Failure To Fight for Program Raises Question of Whether He Has Changed His Mind. PMID- 17770946 TI - Intercellular Connection between Smooth Muscle Cells: the Nexus. AB - High-resolution electron microscopy has revealed that the regions of contact between smooth muscle cells from dog intestine are areas of fusion of adjacent cell membranes. For morphological and functional reasons this type of contact between excitable cells has been termed a nexus. PMID- 17770947 TI - Pogonophora in the Western Atlantic Ocean. AB - The occurrence of pogonophoran worms of the genus Siboglinum off the east coast of Florida is reported. Their presence in association with pennatulids is noted, and compared with a similar instance in the Bering Sea. This association is probably due to similar ecological requirements. PMID- 17770948 TI - Patent Office Search Files: A Tool for Historical Research and Technological Development. AB - The classified search files of the U. S. Patent Office are useful for locating a desired patent record. The method of constructing these files, and the tools needed to enter the classification scheme at the proper locus, are described. PMID- 17770949 TI - Reappearance of Eulimnadia agassizii with Notes on Its Biology and Life History. AB - After being unreported for 83 years, Eulimnadia agassizii Packard was collected from a temporary pool in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1956 and again in 1961. This conchostracan attains maturity in 5 days and may reappear several times during the summer months in the same location. PMID- 17770950 TI - Nature of the Sound Produced by Drosophila melanogaster during Courtship. AB - The wing vibrations of courting male Drosophila melanogaster Meigen produced pulsations of sound, with each pulse apparently caused by 1 to 2 cycles of wing movement. The average repetition rate at 25 degrees C was 29.8 pulses per second. The rate was dependent on temperature, increasing at 1.4 pulses per additional degree Celsius. PMID- 17770951 TI - Oxygen-Motivated Behavior in the Goldfish, Carassius auratus. AB - Goldfish placed in deoxygenated water learned to interrupt a light beam in order to obtain brief exposure to aerated water. The training procedure brought this behavior under the control of arbitrary visual stimuli. PMID- 17770952 TI - Biological and Oceanographic Observations under an Antarctic Ice Shelf. AB - Animal life has been shown to exist under the Ross Ice Shelf, from samples obtained with bottom-sampling equipment through naturally occurring cracks in the permanent shelf ice. An abundant fauna, comprising at least nine phyla, was found on a mud and rock bottom. This fauna differs somewhat from that found under nearby seas periodically covered with sea ice 2 to 3 meters thick. PMID- 17770953 TI - Catalytic Dehydrogenation of Coal. AB - Coals were refluxed with palladium, ruthenium, and rhodium catalysts in high boiling aromatic and heteroaromaticsolvents. As much as 53 percent of the hydrogen in one coal was evolved as hydrogen gas. The yield of hydrogen varied with the rank of the coal and the nature of the solvent but was little influenced by the metal or catalyst support. PMID- 17770954 TI - Physiology of Acclimation to Low Temperature in Poikilotherms. AB - Potassium, sodium, and calcium increase and chloride, magnesium, and free amino acids decrease in cold acclimated fresh-water mussels and earthworms. Increased protein synthesis occurs.Neurosecretory cells of cold earthworms exhibit increased activity. Addition of cold worm body fluid stimulates increased O(2) consumption by normal tissues, indicating that a hormonal agent triggers the sequence of changes. PMID- 17770955 TI - Formation of Carbon Monoxide during Seed Germination and Seedling Growth. AB - Carbon monoxide was formed during the growth of cucumber seedlings in the dark in atmospheres containing 5 percent oxygen or less, but not by aerobic seedlings. The highest level recorded was 6000 ppm. Carbon monoxide was also formed by Euphorbia. Germinating seeds of rye, cucumber, and other species also produced carbon monoxide at levels of 10 to 25 ppm. PMID- 17770956 TI - Possible Continental Continuation of the Mendocino Fracture Zone. AB - The Mendocino fracture zone may continue through or below North America near 40 degrees N latitude. This is suggested by instances of left-lateral movement, location of basin deeps, sedimentation patterns, interruption of a major magnetic anomaly, and inflection of major structural trends. A major segmentation of middle North America results. PMID- 17770957 TI - Pigment Effector Cells in a Cnidarian. AB - Chromatophore complexes are described in the siphonophore Nanomia cara. The dispersion and concentration of pigment are related to variation in light intensity and do not appear to be endogenously influenced. The pigment, possibly an ommochrome, has an absorption maximum at 465 to 470 mmicro. PMID- 17770958 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17770959 TI - The Mutation Theory of Organic Evolution, from the Standpoint of Animal Breeding. PMID- 17770960 TI - The Mutation Theory From the Standpoint of Cytology. PMID- 17770962 TI - Systematic Work and Evolution. PMID- 17770961 TI - Mutations. PMID- 17770963 TI - Ethology and the Mutation Theory. PMID- 17770965 TI - THE NATURALIST'S UNIVERSAL DIRECTORY. PMID- 17770964 TI - Discontinuous Variation and the Origin of Species. PMID- 17770966 TI - AN OVERLOOKED FORM OF STEREOSCOPE. PMID- 17770967 TI - THE PRAIRIE MOUNDS OF LOUISIANA. PMID- 17770968 TI - KILAUEA AGAIN ACTIVE. PMID- 17770969 TI - PROGRESS IN THE STUDY OF THE KELEP. PMID- 17770970 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17770971 TI - In reply: values, research questions, and the news media. PMID- 17770972 TI - Values, research questions, and the news media. PMID- 17770973 TI - In reply: academic freedom. PMID- 17770974 TI - Academic freedom. PMID- 17770975 TI - Academic freedom. PMID- 17770977 TI - The 1984 nobel prize in chemistry. PMID- 17770976 TI - Science in perspective. PMID- 17770978 TI - Turbulent Times for NOAA: A struggle over who will head the agency in the Reagan Administration's second term reflects the buffeting NOAA has taken in the past 4 years. PMID- 17770980 TI - Comings and goings. PMID- 17770979 TI - NRC Urges Destruction of Chemical Weapons. PMID- 17770981 TI - France proposes shuttle competitor. PMID- 17770982 TI - Biogen cuts 13 percent including scientists. PMID- 17770983 TI - Some avian puzzles solved. PMID- 17770984 TI - The dethroned ape. PMID- 17770985 TI - Ambiguities in the scientific revolution: occult and scientific mentalities in the renaissance. PMID- 17770986 TI - The Erosion of Shorelines: CRC Handbook of Coastal Processes and Erosion. PMID- 17770987 TI - Fluvial sedimentology: modern and ancient fluvial systems. PMID- 17770989 TI - The East coast magnetic anomaly. AB - A model is proposed for the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly that, for the first time, incorporates an observed basement feature-a normal fault that consistently lies below the landward flank of the anomaly. The East Coast Magnetic Anomaly is similar to slope anomalies found over passive continental margins in many parts of the world. Thus the proposed model can be used to interpret slope anomalies in general. PMID- 17770988 TI - Anatomy and behavior: adaptations for foraging in nonhuman primates. PMID- 17770990 TI - The variability of holocene climate change: evidence from varved lake sediments. AB - Varved sediments from a lake near the present forest-prairie border in northwestern Minnesota provide an annual record of climate change for the last 10,400 years. Climate-sensitive mineral, chemical, and biological components show that the mid-Holocene dry interval between 8500 and 4000 years ago is asymmetrical and actually consists of two distinct drier pulses separated by a moister interval that lasted about 600 years. Cyclic fluctuations with periods of several hundred years were abrupt and persistent throughout the Holocene and are most clearly recorded within the two drier pulses. PMID- 17770992 TI - Royal Society Scientific Information Conference. PMID- 17770991 TI - Science in the Universities. PMID- 17770993 TI - The Centennial Celebration - Washington, D.C. September 13-17, 1948. PMID- 17770994 TI - Correction. AB - It has been called to our attention that our announcement of the granting of the Third Intermediate Sugar Research Foundation Award to Leslie F. Wiggins (Science, May 14, p. 502) was incorrect in several respects. The Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, mentioned in the item as being located in Kingston, Jamaica, and as having been "recently created," is actually located in Trinidad, B.W.I., and has been in existence for 27 years. We learn that it was founded as the West Indian Agricultural College in 1921 and that its name was changed to its present one in 1924. It was also stated in the announcement that Dr. Wiggins had been appointed research director at the College. His appointment was as director of sugar research under a new Sugar Research Scheme launched in 1947. We regret that these misstatements occurred. PMID- 17770995 TI - Important Advances in Zoological Nomenclature Achieved at 13th International Congress of Zoology. PMID- 17770996 TI - Water at - 72{degrees} C. PMID- 17770997 TI - On the Purification of Rabies Vaccine. PMID- 17770999 TI - Water at - 72{degrees} C. PMID- 17770998 TI - Low-Temperature Spectroscopy of Biological Compounds. PMID- 17771000 TI - Water at - 72{degrees} C. PMID- 17771001 TI - Color Adaptation to Stimuli of Different Spectral Composition But Equal Tristimulus Values. PMID- 17771002 TI - Chloromycetin in the Treatment of Scrub Typhus. PMID- 17771003 TI - Effect of Cations Upon Recovery of the Guinea Pig Gut From Inhibition by Antihistaminics. PMID- 17771004 TI - Stubble Mulch Studies: Effect of Sweetclover Extract on Corn Germination. PMID- 17771005 TI - Dialysis of Protein Solutions for Electrophoresis. PMID- 17771006 TI - A Simple Aid for the Cannulation of Small Blood Vessels. PMID- 17771007 TI - VIEW OF THE ICE AGE AS TWO EPOCHS, THE GLACIAL AND CHAMPLAIN. PMID- 17771008 TI - HELIUM AND ARGON. PMID- 17771010 TI - MARINE LABORATORY OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION AT WOOD'S HOLE STATION, SUMMER SEASON OF 1895. PMID- 17771009 TI - ECONOMICS OF ENGINEERING PUBLIC WORKS. PMID- 17771011 TI - GEOGRAPHY AT THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17771012 TI - THE SMITHSONIAN EXHIBIT AT ATLANTA. PMID- 17771013 TI - A FEW MORE WORDS IN REGARD TO THE NEW BIBLIOGRAPHICAL BUREAU. PMID- 17771014 TI - THE DOGMATISM OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17771015 TI - THE INVERTED IMAGE ON THE RETINA AGAIN. PMID- 17771016 TI - INACCURATE ZOOLOGY. PMID- 17771017 TI - 'CRYING WITH TWO EARS.'. PMID- 17771018 TI - International science. PMID- 17771019 TI - Role of frontier orbitals in chemical reactions. PMID- 17771020 TI - The 1982 nobel prize in physics. PMID- 17771021 TI - Rewriting the history of the h-bomb. PMID- 17771022 TI - Making cells while the sun shines. PMID- 17771023 TI - Knapp Nominated to Be NSF Director. PMID- 17771024 TI - Cornell cancels accelerator plan. PMID- 17771025 TI - Smith Receives NASW Prize. PMID- 17771027 TI - Nuclear freeze candidates claim mandate. PMID- 17771026 TI - Bomb-building plan runs into trouble. PMID- 17771028 TI - Does Godel's Theorem Matter to Mathematics? PMID- 17771030 TI - Historical biology. PMID- 17771029 TI - Famous large numbers. PMID- 17771031 TI - Biological oceanography. PMID- 17771032 TI - The self. PMID- 17771033 TI - Bacteria. PMID- 17771034 TI - Deep Circulation of the North Atlantic over the Last 200,000 Years: Geochemical Evidence. AB - Variations in the cadmium/calcium ratio of North Atlantic Deep Water are recorded in the fossil shells of benthic foraminifera. The oceanic distribution of cadmium is similar to that of the nutrients, hence the cadmium/calcium ratio in shells records temporal variations in nutrient distributions. Data from a North Atlantic sediment core show that over the past 200,000 years there has been a continuous supply of nutrient-depleted waters into the deep North Atlantic. The intensity of this source relative to nutrient-enriched southern waters diminished by about a factor of 2 during severe glaciations. This evidence combined with carbon isotope data indicates that the continental carbon inventory may have been less variable than previously suggested. PMID- 17771036 TI - Discovery of a large-magnitude, late pleistocene volcanic eruption in alaska. AB - An extensive blanket of dacitic tephra was deposited across Alaska and the western Yukon Territory by a plinian eruption about 80,000 years ago. The volume of tephra erupted probably exceeded 50 cubic kilometers and the source was probably in the Wrangell Mountains. This widespread layer of tephra serves as an excellent late Pleistocene stratigraphic marker. PMID- 17771035 TI - Beryllium-10 in australasian tektites: evidence for a sedimentary precursor. AB - Each of seven Australasian tektites contains about 1 x l0(8) atoms of beryllium 10 (half-life, 1.53 x 10(6) years) per gram. Cosmic-ray bombardment of the australites cannot have produced the measured amounts of beryllium-10 either at the earth's surface or in space. The beryllium-10 contents of these australites are consistent with a sedimentary precursor that adsorbed from precipitation beryllium-10 produced in the atmosphere. The sediments must have spent several thousand years at the earth's surface within a few million years of the tektite producing event. PMID- 17771037 TI - Complex venation patterns in the leaves of selaginella: megaphyll-like leaves in lycophytes. AB - Venation patterns of the leaves of two lycophytes, Selagiella adunca and Selaginella schaffneri, do not fit the definition of microphylls as having a single, unbranched vein. Although S. adunca has a simple pattern, S. schaffneri has a complexity matching that of many megaphylls, with numerous branching veins. The veins of S. schaffneri undergo an average of 13 branchings (range, 8 to 21), and reticulation between veins is frequent. The discovery of this radical departure from the familiar microphylls of lycophytes indicates that complex venation patterns in leaves do not necessarily arise from fusion of whole branches. The microphyll may not be as structurally stable as formerly believed. PMID- 17771038 TI - Heterotrophic bacteria and bacterivorous protozoa in oceanic macroaggregates. AB - Oceanic macroaggregates (marine snow and Rhizosolenia mats) sampled from the Sargasso Sea are associated with bacterial and protozoan populations up to four orders of magnitude greater than those present in samples from the surrounding water. Filamentous, curved, and spiral bacteria constituted a higher proportion of the bacteria associated with the particles than were found among bacteria in the surrounding water. Protozoan populations were dominated numerically by heterotrophic microflagellates, but ciliates and amoebas were also observed. Macroaggregates are highly enriched heterotrophic microenvironments in the oceans and may be significant for the cycling of particulate organic matter in planktonic food chains. PMID- 17771039 TI - Chemical Mimicry in the Myrmecophilous Beetle Myrmecaphodius excavaticollis. AB - The myrmecophilus beetle Myrmecaphodius excavaticollis (Blanchard) was found to have species-specific cuticular hydrocarbons acquired-from one of its hosts, the ant Solenopsis richteri Forel. Removal from its ant host resulted in loss of the host hydrocarbons, leaving a cuticular pattern innate to the beetle. When beetles were transferred to colonies of three other Solenopsis species, they acquired the specific hydrocarbons associated with each of the new hosts. This passive integration mechanism is coupled with the beetle's armored exterior to enable it to cope with multiple aggressive hosts. PMID- 17771040 TI - Lesion-induced sprouting in the rat dentate gyrus is inhibited by repeated ethanol administration. AB - The effect of ethanol on hippocampal axonal sprouiting was studied with a histochemical technique for identifying acetylcholinesterase. Unilateral lesion of the entorhinal cortex in adult rats produced an increase in the density of acetylcho-linesterase staining in the outer molecular layer and a concomitant increase in the width of the pale-staining commissural-associational zone of the dentate gyrus. Other rats were given ethanol (11.3 +/- 0.45 grams per kilogram) for 2 weeks before and 9 days after receiving the lesion. Ethanol abolished the expansion of the commissural-associational zone. The effect of ethanol on sprouting axons suggests that it may inhibit recovery of function after brain injury. PMID- 17771041 TI - Limiting diameters of pores and the surface structure of plant cell walls. PMID- 17771043 TI - Science education--process or content? PMID- 17771042 TI - Barrier islands revisited. PMID- 17771044 TI - Latin America's Employment Problem. PMID- 17771045 TI - Science Policy: An Insider's View of LBJ, DuBridge, and the Budget. PMID- 17771046 TI - Losing our nerve to experiment? PMID- 17771047 TI - Science junk: funding cuts make used equipment pile up. PMID- 17771049 TI - Open university is born. PMID- 17771050 TI - Possible fossil lunar magnetism inferred from satellite data. AB - Magnetization of selected nonmare areas, principally on the moon's far side, is inferred from positive disturbances in the magnitude of the magnetic field exterior to the magnetic signature of the lunar cavity observed in magnetometer data from the lunar orbiter Explorer 35. A less favored model for the field perturbations involves variations in the thickness of the low-conductivity crustal layer of the moon. PMID- 17771051 TI - Time scales for lithium depletion and rotational braking in solar-type main sequence stars. AB - The new age determination of 9 x 10(8) years for the Hyades yields an e-folding time for lithium depletion in G dwarfs of 1.1 x 10(9) years and an e-folding time for rotational braking of around 2.2 x 10(9) years. A proposal is made that the change in solar rotation over the past 250 million years be determined by analyzing petrified trees. PMID- 17771052 TI - Kaolinite: synthesis at room temperature. AB - To obtain kaolinite at low temperature and pressure from the system Si(OH)(4) Al(3+)-H(2)O, the sixfold coordination of aluminum is a necessary prerequisite. Kaolinite was synthesized at pH values from 2 to 9 and with a ratio of SiO(2) to Al(2)O(3) in solution from 1 to 10 by means of the complexation of Al(3+) and fulvic acid. PMID- 17771053 TI - Maize from an adena mound in athens county, ohio. AB - The discovery of a carbonized ear of maize in an Adena burial mound at Athens, Athens County, Ohio, is the first indisputable evidence of Adena maize horticulture. The mound contained typical middle Adena features, including a bark prepared burial, and has yielded charcoal radiocarbon dated at 280 B.C. +/- 140 years. PMID- 17771054 TI - Catching the empiricists. PMID- 17771055 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17771056 TI - Breast or bottle? PMID- 17771057 TI - Shanidar cave. PMID- 17771058 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17771059 TI - Power, fresh water, and food from the sea. PMID- 17771060 TI - Post-project research grants. PMID- 17771061 TI - Media coverage of substantive issues. PMID- 17771062 TI - Computer Use under a Free-Access Policy. PMID- 17771063 TI - European community: pragmatic is the word for the new "europeans". PMID- 17771064 TI - Pentagon admits to weather war. PMID- 17771065 TI - Academy says energy self-sufficiency unlikely. PMID- 17771066 TI - What NIH Needs Is a Party. PMID- 17771067 TI - Department of flexible statistics. PMID- 17771068 TI - Scientific Manpower: Demand for Ph. D.'s Up, for Rest Uncertain. PMID- 17771069 TI - NAS Membership Refused. PMID- 17771070 TI - Cancer chemotherapy: now a promising weapon. PMID- 17771071 TI - Screening for drugs: a massive undertaking. PMID- 17771072 TI - How do antitumor agents act? PMID- 17771073 TI - Two new accelerators proposed: competition for 1976 funds. PMID- 17771074 TI - Atmosphere of venus: implications of venera 8 sunlight measurements. AB - Venera 8 measurements of solar illumination within the atmnosphere of Venus are quantitatively analyzed by using a multilayer model atmosphere. The analysis shows that there are at least three different scattering layers it the atmosphere of Venus and the total cloud optical thickness is [unknown] 10. However, because of the nature of the observations it is not possible to determine the vertical distributiont of absorbed solar energy, which would reveal the drive for the atmospheric dynamics and the strength of the greenhouse effect. Future spacecraft observations should be designed to (i) measure both upward and downward solar fluxes, (ii) include measurements of the highest clold lavers. and (iii) employ narrow-band and broad-banzd sensors. PMID- 17771075 TI - Carbonate compensation depth: relation to carbonate solubility in ocean waters. AB - In situ calcium carbonate saturometry measurements suggest that the intermediate water masses of the central Pacific Ocean are close to saturation with resppect to both calcite and local carbonate sediment. The carbonate compensation depth, located at about 3700 meters in this area, appears to represent a depth above which waters are essentially saturated with respect to calcite and below which waters deviate toward undersaturation with respect to calcite. PMID- 17771076 TI - Hot hydrogen atoms: initiators of reactions of interest in interstellar chemistry and evolution. AB - Photochemically generated hot hydrogen atoms initiate reactions with simple molecular substrates including methane to produce organic alcohols, amines, acids, amino acids, and other compounds. The typical quantum yields for the formation of amino acids are 2 x 10(-5) to 4 x 10(-5). Hot hydrogen atoms may be important initiators of reactions in interstellar space and in planetary atmospheres. PMID- 17771077 TI - Global trends in total atmospheric ozone. AB - Analyses of the mean monthly global distributions of total ozone for the 13-year period from 1957 through 1970 reveal an upward trend of about 7.5 percent per decade in the Northern Hemisphere and about 2.5 percent per decade in the Southern Hemisphere. The increase seems to have started about March 1961 in the Northern Hemisphere and about September 1961 in the Southern Hemisphere. The cause of these trends is at present unknown. PMID- 17771079 TI - Radioactivity in the urals. PMID- 17771078 TI - Learning by following a food source. AB - Hungry pigeons first learned to eat grain from the experimenter's hand. When the hand approached and "pecked" a small disk to produce grain in a food hopper, the pigeons followed the hand rapidly learned to peck the disk. Birds given operant conditioning training took significantly longer to learn the same response. Under natural conditions, young animals may learn to behave like their parents simply by following parental sources of food. PMID- 17771080 TI - Radioactivity in the urals. PMID- 17771082 TI - Radioactivity in the urals. PMID- 17771081 TI - Radioactivity in the urals. PMID- 17771083 TI - Significant sevens. PMID- 17771084 TI - Science, technology, and the court. PMID- 17771085 TI - Nuclear processing and isotopes in the galaxy. AB - The galactic distributions of the stable isotopic species of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and silicon have been derived from the study of interstellar molecules which contain them. The resulting observational framework appears consistent with our general understanding of stellar evolution and nuclear processing in the galaxy. The greater amount of star formation that has taken place near the center of our galaxy is reflected in an enhanced abundance of processed material, notably carbon-13, in this region. Significant differences between abundances of isotopes in the solar system and corresponding values in interstellar space are also evident. Although some of these differences merely reflect the results of additional stellar processing since the condensation of the presolar nebula some 5 billion years ago, others suggest that a significant amount of atypical nuclear material is associated with the solar system. PMID- 17771086 TI - Global crop forecasting. AB - Many foreign countries are as dependent on imports of food as the United States is on imports of oil. As the world's largest exporter of food, the United States needs reliable information on fluctuating foreign crop production. But available information is often inadequate and at best untimely. It is gathered by the foreign governments' often outmoded systems and its release may be delayed out of economic self-interest. Recently three U.S. government agencies put together a crop inventory system using satellite remote sensing and worldwide weather reporting and tested it in the Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE). A 1977 real-time forecast of U.S.S.R. wheat production indicates that the approach works and may be expandable to other areas and other crops. PMID- 17771087 TI - A federalist strategy for nuclear waste management. AB - The federal government plans to rely on a policy of "consultation and concurrence" with state governments in developing nuclear waste repositories. The weaknesses of the concurrence approach are analyzed, and an alternative institutional framework for locating a waste repository is proposed: a siting jury that provides representation for state and local interests, while maintaining a high level of technical review. The proposal could be tested in the siting of away-from-reactor storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel. PMID- 17771089 TI - Vance, in last act, turned to iran scholars. PMID- 17771088 TI - No go for satellite sanctions against iran. PMID- 17771090 TI - Three new entrants in gene splicing derby. PMID- 17771091 TI - Inventor of hybridoma technology failed to file for patent. PMID- 17771092 TI - New codes coming into use. PMID- 17771093 TI - Quake prediction by animals gaining respect. PMID- 17771094 TI - Nuclear evidence that neutrinos have mass. PMID- 17771095 TI - The private oppenheimer. PMID- 17771097 TI - The life of malthus. PMID- 17771096 TI - Assessing the energy situation. PMID- 17771098 TI - Science on capitol hill. PMID- 17771099 TI - A varied and colorful career. PMID- 17771100 TI - Formative efforts in american science. PMID- 17771101 TI - An institution for rational amusement. PMID- 17771103 TI - Handedness and mental function. PMID- 17771102 TI - Correlates of achievement. PMID- 17771104 TI - Thirst and drinking. PMID- 17771106 TI - Limitations of judgment. PMID- 17771105 TI - Psychology and the law. PMID- 17771107 TI - The fortunes of a psychologist. PMID- 17771108 TI - Wundt and after. PMID- 17771109 TI - Evolution: the paleobiological view. PMID- 17771110 TI - Invertebrate phylogeny. PMID- 17771111 TI - Mammals in the age of dinosaurs. PMID- 17771112 TI - A fortuitous experiment. PMID- 17771113 TI - The order primates. PMID- 17771115 TI - A segment of biochemical research. PMID- 17771114 TI - Taxonomic exploration. PMID- 17771116 TI - DNA studies brought up to date. PMID- 17771117 TI - Letters between physicists. PMID- 17771118 TI - Of accelerators and theories. PMID- 17771119 TI - Exemplars of engineering. PMID- 17771120 TI - Collisions. PMID- 17771121 TI - Female roles: ethnography reread. PMID- 17771122 TI - Anglo-americans observed. PMID- 17771123 TI - Archeology of the arctic. PMID- 17771124 TI - Agricultural adaptations. PMID- 17771125 TI - Volcanism in human history. PMID- 17771126 TI - Drought. PMID- 17771127 TI - A legendary wetland. PMID- 17771128 TI - Preservation efforts. PMID- 17771129 TI - Oil shales and carbon dioxide. AB - During retorting of oil shales in the western United States, carbonate minerals are calcined, releasing significant amounts of carbon dioxide. Residual organic matter in the shales may also be burned, adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The amount of carbon dioxide produced depends on the retort process and the grade and mineralogy of the shale. Preliminary calculations suggest that retorting of oil shales from the Green River Formation and burning of the product oil could release one and one-half to five times more carbon dioxide than burning of conventional oil to obtain the same amount of usable energy. The largest carbon dioxide releases are associated with retorting processes that operate at temperatures greater than about 600 degrees C. PMID- 17771130 TI - Soot in urban atmospheres: determination by an optical absorption technique. AB - We have used the high optical absorptivity of urban and source particulates to trace their "graphitic" component. The optical absorptivity and the particulate carbon loading show a strong correlation. Analyses of the data indicate that primary soot emissions compose a major fraction of the carbonaceous aerosol and put a low limit on secondary organic material produced in correlation with the ozone concentration. PMID- 17771131 TI - Clarkforkian land-mammal age: revised definition, zonation, and tentative intercontinental correlations. AB - New faunal and stratigraphic evidence documents the validity of the North American Clarkforkian Land-Mammal Age. Its limits are defined by the initial appearances of immigrant taxa. In the type area (northwestern Wyoming), the Clarkforkian is subdivided into three zones. Clarkforkian faunas are approximately correlative with latest Paleocene-earliest Eocene faunas of the Paris Basin of Europe and in part with the Gashato-Naran Bulak faunas of Mongolia. PMID- 17771132 TI - Saturn's Luminosity and Magnetism. AB - The Pioneer 11 results for Saturn's large heat output, small magnetic field, and near-axisymmetry of the field may all be explained by an interior model in which the helium is undergoing phase separation and is nonuniformly distributed. Substantial depletion of helium from the atmosphere is predicted. PMID- 17771133 TI - Nitrous oxide from soil denitrification: factors controlling its biological production. AB - Increasing concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, and molecular oxygen enhanced production of nitrous oxide relative to molecular nitrogen during denitrification in soils. Soil acidity interacted with nitrate to increase the ratio of nitrous oxide to molecular nitrogen. In response to anoxic conditions, nitrous oxide production initially increased but nitrous oxide was then consumed, a pattern which resulted from the sequential synthesis of nitrogenous oxide reductases. PMID- 17771134 TI - THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17771135 TI - SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION. PMID- 17771137 TI - SECTION A. MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17771136 TI - THE SECOND SUMMER MEETING OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17771138 TI - SECTION E. GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17771140 TI - SECTION I. ECONOMICS. PMID- 17771139 TI - SECTION G. BOTANY. PMID- 17771141 TI - ALLEGED SUPPRESSION OF DISCUSSION. PMID- 17771142 TI - BLOOD EXAMINATION IN DISEASE. PMID- 17771143 TI - INAUDIBLE SOUND WAVES. PMID- 17771145 TI - STEAM WELLS. PMID- 17771144 TI - A NEW VALUE OF THE GRAVITY CONSTANT. PMID- 17771146 TI - FOSSIL-BEARING ROCKS OF THE GRAND CANYON. PMID- 17771147 TI - RADIO MEASUREMENTS. PMID- 17771148 TI - VANADIUM. PMID- 17771149 TI - ARCHETYPES AND SYMBOLISM. PMID- 17771150 TI - HOW THE TAXONOMISTS MAY UTILIZE THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17771152 TI - PRESSURE DECOMPOSITION AS A SOURCE OF SOLAR ENERGY. PMID- 17771151 TI - WILLIAM S. VALIANT. PMID- 17771153 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17771154 TI - PRESERVATION OF NATURAL AREAS. PMID- 17771155 TI - "COMMENSALISM" OF A SEA ANEMONE AND A SEA URCHIN. PMID- 17771156 TI - THE NEWTON BICENTENARY. PMID- 17771157 TI - WHEN IS MID-WINTER? PMID- 17771158 TI - PROPERTIES OF SUBSTANCES IN THE CONDENSED STATE AT THE ABSOLUTE ZERO OF TEMPERATURE. PMID- 17771159 TI - PROFITS DERIVED FROM SEGREGATING COLLEGE STUDENTS ON THE BASIS OF ABILITY. AB - (1) Under the above scheme of segregation about twenty per cent. of freshman engineering students were classed as "high" and another twenty per cent. as "low." PMID- 17771160 TI - ON VALONIA AND HALICYSTIS IN EASTERN AMERICA. PMID- 17771161 TI - AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. SECTION B--PHYSICS. PMID- 17771162 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF THE PSYCHICAL FACULTIES OR PROCESSES IN THE HIGHER ANIMALS. PMID- 17771163 TI - SOME POINTS IN TEACHING CRYSTALLOGRAPHY. PMID- 17771164 TI - IS THERE DETERMINATE VARIATION? PMID- 17771165 TI - DISCOVERY OF AN EARLY TYPE OF MAN IN NEBRASKA. PMID- 17771167 TI - PHYSIOLOGICAL ECONOMY IN NUTRITION. PMID- 17771166 TI - THE SECOND DECENNIAL OF THE BOTANICAL SEMINAR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA. PMID- 17771169 TI - INTERCOLLEGIATE GEOLOGICAL EXCURSION. PMID- 17771168 TI - FIELD WORK OF THE SCIENCE DIVISION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. PMID- 17771170 TI - LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE NEW YORK MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND THE AFFILIATED SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771172 TI - ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE GEOLOGICAL SECTION OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17771171 TI - THE DOVER MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17771173 TI - RESEARCHES IN PRACTICE AND HABIT. PMID- 17771175 TI - THE PROPOSED CARD CENTRALBLATT OF PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17771174 TI - NATHAN RUSSELL HARRINGTON. PMID- 17771176 TI - SCIENCE AND SCHOLASTICISM. PMID- 17771177 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17771178 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17771179 TI - RECENT ZOOPALEONTOLOGY. 2. PMID- 17771180 TI - SOUTH AMERICAN LANGUAGES. PMID- 17771181 TI - IMITATION BUTTER. PMID- 17771183 TI - ENGLAND'S COLONIES. PMID- 17771182 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17771184 TI - LONDON LETTER. PMID- 17771185 TI - A new museum pest. PMID- 17771186 TI - Evolution and the faith. PMID- 17771187 TI - Barometer exposure. PMID- 17771189 TI - Errata. PMID- 17771188 TI - Popular astronomy. PMID- 17771191 TI - NEUROHUMORS: NOVEL AGENTS IN THE ACTION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. PMID- 17771190 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17771192 TI - THE UNSOLVED PROBLEMS OF LEPROSY. PMID- 17771194 TI - MORE EVIDENCE ON THE STRUCTURE OF CHROMATOPHORES. PMID- 17771193 TI - BALANCED DIETS, NET ENERGY VALUES AND SPECIFIC DYNAMIC EFFECTS. PMID- 17771195 TI - THE BLUE LIGHT IN THE SEA. PMID- 17771197 TI - UNUSUAL SKY APPEARANCE. PMID- 17771196 TI - IS THERE A DIGESTIVE CANAL IN CILIATES? PMID- 17771198 TI - THE NICOTINE VAPORIZER, A DEVICE, FOR UTILIZING NICOTINE IN THE CONTROL OF INSECT PESTS. PMID- 17771199 TI - THE INDIANA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17771201 TI - A FILTERABLE VIRUS RECOVERED FROM WHITE MICE. PMID- 17771200 TI - PRODUCING BRAIN LESIONS IN RATS WITHOUT OPENING THE SKULL. PMID- 17771202 TI - THE RELATION OF STREAM DOUBLE REFRACTION TO TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS. PMID- 17771203 TI - THE EARLY PRESIDENTS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. III. PMID- 17771204 TI - THE CLASSIFICATION OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS. PMID- 17771205 TI - ON THE CAUSE OF DARK LIGHTNING AND THE CLAYDEN EFFECT. PMID- 17771206 TI - ARCHITECTURAL PLANS FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17771207 TI - THE FOSSIL FIELD'S EXPEDITION TO WYOMING. PMID- 17771208 TI - THE WAGNER FREE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND PROFESSOR DALL. PMID- 17771209 TI - DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17771210 TI - ALCOHOL AS FOOD. PMID- 17771212 TI - THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES OF JAPAN. PMID- 17771211 TI - THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTE. PMID- 17771213 TI - THE HEATING-POWER OF GAS. PMID- 17771214 TI - A BOOK-MANUFACTORY IN ANCIENT ROME. PMID- 17771215 TI - REMSEN'S INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17771216 TI - COMPAYRE'S HISTORY OF PEDAGOGY. PMID- 17771217 TI - THE STAR-GUIDE. PMID- 17771218 TI - MATERIALS SCIENCE: Armenia Wants Second Mideast Synchrotron. AB - Middle Eastern scientists who for years have been yearning for a synchrotron may wind up with two. Last spring, SESAME (Synchrotron Radiation for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East), an 11-nation consortium formed to install and operate a first-generation synchrotron now mothballed in Germany, selected Jordan as the site of the 0.8 giga-electron-volt BESSY-I synchrotron, disappointing Armenian officials who had hoped to snare the prize. But this month Armenia moved to the head of the line for a second, brand-new synchrotron after securing a $15 million down payment from the U.S. Congress as part of a foreign aid spending bill that would funnel $90 million to the country. PMID- 17771219 TI - PHILANTHROPY: Moore Foundation Targets Science. AB - Last week, computer industry titan Gordon Moore and his wife, Betty, announced that they are creating a $5-billion-plus foundation to support scientific research, conservation, and higher education. Once fully funded within a few years, the foundation is expected to rank among the dozen largest charities based in the United States. PMID- 17771220 TI - IRANIAN SCIENCE: Iran's Scientists Cautiously Reach Out to the World. AB - Two decades after Iran's Islamic revolution, science in this politically isolated but oil-rich nation may be on the verge of resurgence. The nation's reform-minded president, Mohammad Khatami, and his allies are promising more money for R&D, reorganizing universities to beef up graduate education and research, and cracking open the door to closer cooperation with scientists abroad, including those in the United States. But Iran's government is walking a tightrope between hard-liners on the right who oppose reforms and liberal university students eager for change. PMID- 17771221 TI - IRANIAN SCIENCE: Iranian Women Hear the Call of Science. AB - Despite institutions such as separate reading rooms for each sex, women are a growing presence at Iran's universities, making up nearly 60% of incoming classes, almost double their share in 1978. But as in many other countries, some female academics in Iran point to a glass ceiling that keeps their representation among university professors low. PMID- 17771222 TI - IRANIAN SCIENCE: Earthquake Researchers Prepare for the Next Big One. AB - When a devastating earthquake rocked the Manjil region in Iran on 20 June 1990, the tremors also shook seismology research in that country. That night, Mohsen Ghafory-Ashtiany rolled out of his bed in Tehran and headed to the danger zone in northwestern Iran, where 13,000 persons perished and 60,000 were injured. He and his then-tiny staff surveyed the damage and mapped out a plan for bolstering earthquake research and preparedness. PMID- 17771223 TI - KIP THORNE: The Shaman of Space and Time. AB - A generation of physicists probing the extremes of gravity can trace its scientific heritage to one man: Kip Thorne of the California Institute of Technology. A recent symposium to mark Thorne's 60th birthday brought together nearly 200 experts on gravity at its strongest and strangest: the domains of black holes, colliding neutron stars, and other exotic deep-space objects. Participants came to honor their mentor, who has led the way in converting Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity from a purely theoretical science into an astrophysical and observational one. PMID- 17771224 TI - ASTRONOMY: Enhanced: Water's Role in Making Stars. AB - Water has long been believed to play an important role in star-forming regions as an oxygen reservoir and by cooling the circumstellar gas cloud, but observational evidence has been hard to come by. In her Perspective, Nisini explains how recent satellite missions have provided the first observational evidence that allows chemical models of star formation to be tested. Water is found to be initially low in abundance but to increase in abundance once a protostar has formed. The observations include protostars that are the precursors of sunlike stars, thus shedding light on water production in solar-type systems. PMID- 17771225 TI - GEOPHYSICS: Earth Under Strain. AB - Large strains can build up in the slowly convecting mantle when it encounters less mobile regions, for example, at the bottom of rigid plates. In their Perspective, Mackwell and Rubie discuss new insights into the effect of this deformation on mantle rocks gained by Bystricky et al. Olivine, the major upper mantle material, is shown to decrease in strength without a change in deformation mechanism. Such a change was previously proposed to explain mantle processes. PMID- 17771226 TI - SURFACE SCIENCE: How to Power a Nanomotor. AB - A successful nanotechnology will require nanomotors that can perform functions from switches to pumps and actuators. In their Perspective, Besenbacher and Norskov discuss the study by Schmid et al., who show that tin islands on a copper surfaces propel themselves forward on the surface, drawing energy from alloy formation with the surface below. The system has about the same power-to-weight ratio as a car and may provide a paradigm for future nanomotors. PMID- 17771227 TI - Cantilever tales. AB - Building even the simplest nanomachines is a daunting challenge, but working models serve as springboards to grander designs. A classic example is the cantilever, an indispensable cog in the nanoworld that ushered in the scanning probe microscopy revolution. Today cantilevers, which resemble tiny diving boards, are the operating principle behind a host of experimental devices that could debut in the next decade. PMID- 17771228 TI - NanoManipulator Lets Chemists Go Mano a Mano With Molecules. AB - Because objects only a few molecules across are too small to be seen or touched directly, scientists approach them essentially blind and numb. Now a team of physicists, chemists, biologists, and computer scientists at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has developed a tool that restores their eyes and fingers. It's called the nanoManipulator. PMID- 17771229 TI - Strange behavior at one dimension. AB - Physicist Kunio Takayanagi of the Tokyo Institute of Technology has calculated that electrons should pass through the 1-nanometer gold wires he has crafted at speeds several orders of magnitude faster than those at which they pass through larger wires. If such wires could be fashioned into circuits, they could set the stage for even faster supercomputers. PMID- 17771230 TI - ADDRESS OF WELCOME BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. PMID- 17771231 TI - REMARKS AT THE DINNER BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE ACADEMY. PMID- 17771232 TI - HENRY McELDERRY KNOWER. PMID- 17771234 TI - THE CANAL ZONE BIOLOGICAL AREA. PMID- 17771233 TI - THE LALOR FOUNDATION. PMID- 17771235 TI - THE U. S. WEATHER UNIT AT HARVARD. PMID- 17771237 TI - THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE E. R. SQUIBB AND SONS AWARD. PMID- 17771236 TI - THE PERMANENT SCIENCE FUND OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. PMID- 17771238 TI - THE CHEMICAL EXPOSITION. PMID- 17771239 TI - ON THE THEORY OF THE SEPARATION OF ISOTOPES BY THERMAL OR CENTRIFUGAL METHODS. PMID- 17771240 TI - THE STANDARDIZATION OF OSMOTIC PRESSURE AS A TERM. PMID- 17771241 TI - REFERENCE CITATIONS AND MICROFILM. PMID- 17771242 TI - EQUINOXES AND SOLSTICES. PMID- 17771243 TI - A CANCEROGENIC TISSUE EXTRACT FROM HUMAN SOURCES. PMID- 17771244 TI - RADIOACTIVE CARBON AS A TRACER IN THE SYNTHESIS OF PROPIONIC ACID FROM CO2 BY THE PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA. PMID- 17771245 TI - MASSIVE "ACUTE" PRECIPITATION OF FREE SULFATHIAZOLE IN THE URINARY TRACT. PMID- 17771247 TI - CELLOPHANE COVER SLIPS AND A METHOD FOR MOUNTING. PMID- 17771248 TI - Articles on Radiocarbon Dating. PMID- 17771246 TI - A MODIFICATION OF RIDDLE'S METHOD OF PROLACTIN ASSAY. PMID- 17771250 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17771249 TI - Fundamental Limit to Certainty in Scientific Generalizations. PMID- 17771252 TI - Small business R & d. PMID- 17771251 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17771253 TI - Small business R & d. PMID- 17771254 TI - Small business R & d. PMID- 17771255 TI - Radiation effects. PMID- 17771256 TI - Radiation effects. PMID- 17771258 TI - The end of the beginning. PMID- 17771257 TI - Radiation effects. PMID- 17771259 TI - Biological control of chestnut blight. AB - After 77 years of being attacked by the chestnut blight fungus, American chestnut trees continue to sprout from gradually declining root systems. The blight fungus in Italy is now associated with virus-like agents that limit its pathogenicity, and attempts have been made to introduce these controlling agents into the blight fungus in the United States. If a way can be found to help the spread here of strains of the fungus with controlling agents, it may be possible to save the American chestnut trees in our eastern forests. PMID- 17771260 TI - Science, elitism, and economic readjustment in china. PMID- 17771262 TI - Nonprofit journals share mail rate boost. PMID- 17771261 TI - Fear as a form of pollution. PMID- 17771263 TI - Another look at agricultural research. PMID- 17771264 TI - France toughens position on reactor for iraq. PMID- 17771265 TI - A tale with many connections. PMID- 17771266 TI - X-ray Holography Experiment Planned. PMID- 17771268 TI - Animal bones and archeological inference. PMID- 17771267 TI - Just how hazardous are dumps? PMID- 17771269 TI - Endosymbiosis vs. Autogeny. PMID- 17771270 TI - Epithelial transport. PMID- 17771271 TI - The chromosomes of insects. PMID- 17771272 TI - Voyager 2 encounter with the saturnian system. AB - An overview of the Voyager 2 encounter with Saturn is presented, including a brief discussion of the trajectory, the planned observations, and highlights of the results described in the subsequent reports. PMID- 17771273 TI - A new look at the saturn system: the voyager 2 images. AB - Voyager 2 photography has complemented that of Voyager I in revealing many additional characteristics of Saturn and its satellites and rings. Saturn's atmosphere contains persistent oval cloud features reminiscent of features on Jupiter. Smaller irregular features track out a pattern of zonal winds that is symmetric about Saturn's equator and appears to extend to great depth. Winds are predominantly eastward and reach 500 meters per second at the equator. Titan has several haze layers with significantly varying optical properties and a northern polar "collar" that is dark at short wavelengths. Several satellites have been photographed at substantially improved resolution. Enceladus' surface ranges from old, densely cratered terrain to relatively young, uncratered plains crossed by grooves and faults. Tethys has a crater 400 kilometers in diameter whose floor has domed to match Tethys' surface curvature and a deep trench that extends at least 270 degrees around Tethys' circumference. Hyperion is cratered and irregular in shape. Iapetus' bright, trailing hemisphere includes several dark floored craters, and Phoebe has a very low albedo and rotates in the direction opposite to that of its orbital revolution with a period of 9 hours. Within Saturn's rings, the "birth" of a spoke has been observed, and surprising azimuthal and time variability is found in the ringlet structure of the outer B ring. These observations lead to speculations about Saturn's internal structure and about the collisional and thermal history of the rings and satellites. PMID- 17771274 TI - Photopolarimetry from voyager 2; preliminary results on saturn, titan, and the rings. AB - The Voyager 2 photopolarimeter was reprogrammed prior to the August 1981 Saturn encounter to perform orthogonal-polarization, two-color measurements on Saturn, Titan, and the rings. Saturn's atmosphere has ultraviolet limb brightening in the mid-latitudes and pronounced polar darkening north of 65 degrees N. Titan's opaque atmosphere shows strong positive polarization at all phase angles (2.7 degrees to 154 degrees ), and no single-size spherical particle model appears to fit the data. A single radial stellar occultation of the darkened, shadowed rings indicated a ring thickness of less than 200 meters at several locations and clear evidence for density waves caused by satellite resonances. Multiple, very narrow strands of material were found in the Encke division and within the brightest single strand of the F ring. PMID- 17771275 TI - Infrared observations of the saturnian system from voyager 2. AB - During the passage of Voyager 2 through the Saturn system, infrared spectral and radiometric data were obtained for Saturn, Titan, Enceladus, Tethys, Iapetus, and the rings. Combined Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 observations of temperatures in the upper troposphere of Saturn indicate a seasonal asymmetry between the northern and southern hemispheres, with superposed small-scale meridional gradients. Comparison of high spatial resolution data from the two hemispheres poleward of 60 degrees latitude suggests an approximate symmetry in the small-scale structure, consistent with the extension of a symmetric system of zonal jets into the polar regions. Longitudinal variations of 1 to 2 K are observed. Disk- averaged infrared spectra of Titan show little change over the 9-month interval between Voyager encounters. By combining Voyager 2 temperature measurements with ground-based geometric albedo determinations, phase integrals of 0.91 +/- 0.13 and 0.89 +/- 0.09 were derived for Tethys and Enceladus, respectively. The subsolar point temperature of dark material on Iapetus must exceed 110 K. Temperatures (and infrared optical depths) for the A and C rings and for the Cassini division are 69 +/- 1 K (0.40 +/- 0.05), 85 +/- 1 K (0.10 +/- 0.03), and 85 +/- 2 K (0.07 +/- 0.04), respectively. PMID- 17771276 TI - Extreme ultraviolet observations from the voyager 2 encounter with saturn. AB - Combined analysis of helium (584 angstroms) airglow and the atmospheric occultations of the star delta Scorpii imply a vertical mixing parameter in Saturn's upper atmosphere of K (eddy diffusion coefficient) approximately 8 x 10(7) square centimeters per second, an order of magnitude more vigorous than mixing in Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Atmospheric H(2) band absorption of starlight yields a preliminary temperature of 400 K in the exosphere and a temperature near the homopause of approximately 200 K. The energy source for the mid-latitude H(2) band emission still remains a puzzle. Certain auroral emissions can be fully explained in terms of electron impact on H(2), and auroral morphology suggests a link between the aurora and the Saturn kilometric radiation. Absolute optical depths have been determined for the entire C ring andparts of the A and B rings. A new eccentric ringlet has been detected in the C ring. The extreme ultraviolet reflectance of the rings is fairly uniform at 3.5 to 5 percent. Collisions may control the distribution of H in Titan's H torus, which has a total vertical extent of approximately 14 Saturn radii normal to the orbit plane. PMID- 17771277 TI - Radio science with voyager 2 at saturn: atmosphere and ionosphere and the masses of mimas, tethys, and iapetus. AB - Voyager 2 radio occultation measurements of Saturn's atmosphere probed to the 1.2 bar pressure level, where the temperature was 143 +/- 6 K and the lapse rate apparently equaled the dry adiabatic value of 0.85 K per kilometer. The tropopause at both mid-latitude occultation locations (36.5 degrees N and 31 degrees S) was at a pressure level of about 70 millibars and a temperature of approximately 82 K. The stratospheric structures were very similar with the temperature rising to about 140 K at the 1-millibar pressure level. The peak electron concentrations sensed were 1.7 x 10(4) and 0.64 x 10(4) per cubic centimeter in the predawn (31 degrees S) and late afternoon (36.5 degrees N) locations. The topside plasma scale heights were about 1000 kilometers for the late afternoon profile, and 260 kilometers for the lower portions and 1100 kilometers for the upper portions of the topside predawn ionosphere. Radio measurements of the masses of Tethys and Iapetus yield (7.55 +/- 0.90) x 10(20) and (18.8 +/- 1.2) x 10(20) kilograms respectively; the Tethys-Mimas resonance theory then provides a derived mass for Afimas of (0.455 +/- 0.054) x 10(20) kilograms. These values for Tethys and Mimas represent major increases from previously accepted ground-based values, and appear to reverse a suggested trend of increasing satellite density with orbital radius in the Saturnian system. Current results suggest the opposite trend, in which the intermediate-sized satellites of Saturn may represent several classes of objects that differ with respect to the relative amounts of water, ammonia, and methane ices incorporated at different temperatures during formation. The anomalously low density of lapetus might then be explained as resulting from a large hydrocarbon content, and its unusually dark surface markings as another manifestation of this same material. PMID- 17771278 TI - Magnetic field studies by voyager 2: preliminary results at saturn. AB - Further studies of the Saturnian magnetosphere and planetary magnetic field by Voyager 2 have substantiated the earlier results derived from Voyager 1 observations in 1980. The magnetic field is primarily that of a centered dipole (moment = 0.21 gauss-RS(3); where one Saturn radius, RS, is 60,330 kilometers) tilted approximately 0.8 degrees from the rotation axis. Near closest approach to Saturn, Voyager 2 traversed a kronographic longitude and latitude range that was complementary to that of Voyager 1. Somewhat surprisingly, no evidence was found in the data or the analysis for any large-scale magnetic anomaly in the northern hemisphere which could be associated with the periodic modulation of Saturnian kilometric radiation radio emissions. Voyager 2 crossed the magnetopause of a relatively compressed Saturnian magnetosphere at 18.5 RS while inbound near the noon meridian. Outbound, near the dawn meridian, the magnetosphere had expanded considerably and the magnetopause boundary was not observed until the spacecraft reached 48.4 to 50.9 RS and possibly beyond. Throughout the outbound magnetosphere passage, a period of 46 hours (4.5 Saturn rotations), the field was relatively steady and smooth showing no evidence for any azimuthal asymmetry or magnetic anomaly in the planetary field. We are thus left with a rather enigmatic situation to understand the basic source of Saturnian kilometric radiation modulation, other than the small dipole tilt. PMID- 17771279 TI - Plasma observations near saturn: initial results from voyager 2. AB - Results of measurements of plasma electrons and poitive ions made during the Voyager 2 encounter with Saturn have been combined with measurements from Voyager 1 and Pioneer 11 to define more clearly the configuration of plasma in the Saturnian magnetosphere. The general morphology is well represented by four regions: (i) the shocked solar wind plasma in the magnetosheath, observed between about 30 and 22 Saturn radii (RS) near the noon meridian; (ii) a variable density region between approximately 17 RS and the magnetopause; (iii) an extended thick plasma sheet between approximately 17 and approximately 7 RS symmetrical with respect to Saturn's equatorial plane and rotation axis; and (iv) an inner plasma torus that probably originates from local sources and extends inward from L approximately 7 to less than L approximately 2.7 (L is the magnetic shell parameter). In general, the heavy ions, probably O(+), are more closely confined to the equatorial plane than H(+), so that the ratio of heavy to light ions varies along the trajectory according to the distance of the spacecraft from the equatorial plane. The general configuration of the plasma sheet at Saturn found by Voyager 1 is confirmed, with some notable differences and additions. The "extended plasma sheet," observed between L approximately 7 and L approximately 15 by Voyager 1 is considerably thicker as observed by Voyager 2. Inward of L approximately 4, the plasma sheet collapses to a thin region about the equatorial plane. At the ring plane crossing, L approximately 2.7, the observations are consistent with a density of O(+) of approximately 100 per cubic centimeter, with a temperature of approximately 10 electron volts. The location of the bow shock and magnetopause crossings were consistent with those previously observed. The entire magnetosphere was larger during the outbound passage of Voyager 2 than had been previously observed; however, a magnetosphere of this size or larger is expected approximately 3 percent of the time. PMID- 17771280 TI - Low-Energy Hot Plasma and Particles in Saturn's Magnetosphere. AB - The low-energy charged particle instrument on Voyager 2 measured low-energy electrons and ions (energies greater, similar 22 and greater, similar 28 kiloelectron volts, respectively) in Saturn's magnetosphere. The magnetosphere structure and particle population were modified from those observed during the Voyager 1 encounter in November 1980 but in a manner consistent with the same global morphology. Major results include the following. (i) A region containing an extremely hot ( approximately 30 to 50 kiloelectron volts) plasma was identified and extends from the orbit of Tethys outward past the orbit of Rhea. (ii) The low-energy ion mantle found by Voyager 1 to extend approximately 7 Saturn radii inside the dayside magnetosphere was again observed on Voyager 2, but it was considerably hotter ( approximately 30 kiloelectron volts), and there was an indication of a cooler ( < 20 kiloelectron volts) ion mantle on the nightside. (iii) At energies greater, similar 200 kiloelectron volts per nucleon, H(1), H(2), and H(3) (molecular hydrogen), helium, carbon, and oxygen are important constituents in the Saturnian magnetosphere. The presence of both H(2) and H(3) suggests that the Saturnian ionosphere feeds plasma into the magnetosphere, but relative abundances of the energetic helium, carbon, and oxygen ions are consistent with a solar wind origin. (iv) Low-energy ( approximately 22 to approximately 60 kiloelectron volts) electron flux enhancements observed between the L shells of Rhea and Tethys by Voyager 2 on the dayside were absent during the Voyager 1 encounter. (v) Persistent asymmetric pitch-angle distributions of electrons of 60 to 200 kiloelectron volts occur in the outer magnetosphere in conjunction with the hot ion plasma torus. (vi) The spacecraft passed within approximately 1.1 degrees in longitude of the Tethys flux tube outbound and observed it to be empty of energetic ions and electrons; the microsignature of Enceladus inbound was also observed. (vii) There are large fluxes of electrons of approximately 1.5 million electron volts and smaller fluxes of electrons of approximately 10 million electron volts and of protons greater, similar 54 million electron volts inside the orbits of Enceladus and Mimas; all were sharply peaked perpendicular to the local magnetic field. (viii) In general, observed satellite absorption signatures were not located at positions predicted on the basis of dipole magnetic field models. PMID- 17771281 TI - Energetic Charged Particles in Saturn's Magnetosphere: Voyager 2 Results. AB - Results from the cosmic-ray system on Voyager 2 in Saturn's magnetosphere are presented. During the inbound pass through the outer magnetosphere, the >/= 0.43 million-electron-volt proton flux was more intense, and both the proton and electron fluxes were more variable, than previously observed. These changes are attributed to the influence on the magnetosphere of variations in the solar wind conditions. Outbound, beyond 18 Saturn radii, impulsive bursts of 0.14- to > 1.0- million-electron-volt electrons were observed. In the inner magnetosphere, the charged particle absorption signatures of Mimas, Enceladus, and Tethys are used to constrain the possible tilt and offset of Saturn's internal magnetic dipole. At approximately 3 Saturn radii, a transient decrease was observed in the electron flux which was not due to Mimas. Characteristics of this decrease suggest the existence of additional material, perhaps another satellite, in the orbit of Mimas. PMID- 17771282 TI - Planetary radio astronomy observations from voyager 2 near saturn. AB - Planetary radio astronomy measurements obtained by Voyager 2 near Saturn have added further evidence that Saturnian kilometric radiation is emitted by a strong dayside source at auroral latitudes in the northern hemisphere and by a weaker source at complementary latitudes in the southern hemisphere. These emissions are variable because of Saturn's rotation and, on longer time scales, probably because of influences of the solar wind and Dione. The electrostatic discharge bursts first discovered by Voyager 1 and attributed to emissions from the B ring were again observed with the same broadband spectral properties and an episodic recurrence period of about 10 hours, but their occurrence frequency was only about 30 percent of that detected by Voyager 1. While crossing the ring plane at a distance of 2.88 Saturn radii, the spacecraft detected an intense noise event extending to above 1 megahertz and lasting about 150 seconds. The event is interpreted to be a consequence of the impact, vaporization, and ionization of charged, micrometer-size G ring particles distributed over a vertical thickness of about 1500 kilometers. PMID- 17771283 TI - Voyager 2 plasma wave observations at saturn. AB - The first inbound Voyager 2 crossing of Saturn's bow shock [at 31.7 Saturn radii (RS), near local noon] and the last outbound crossing (at 87.4 RS, near local dawn) had similar plasma wave signatures. However, many other aspects of the plasma wave measurements differed considerably during the inbound and outbound passes, suggesting the presence of effects associated with significant north south or noon-dawn asymmetries, or temporal variations. Within Saturn's magnetosphere, the plasma wave instrument detected electron plasma oscillations, upper hybrid resonance emissions, half-gyrofrequency harmonics, hiss and chorus, narrowband electromagnetic emissions and broadband Saturn radio noise, and noise bursts with characteristics of static. At the ring plane crossing, the plasma wave instrument also detected a large number of intense impulses that we interpret in terms of ring particle impacts on Voyager 2. PMID- 17771284 TI - Progress report on engineering education. PMID- 17771285 TI - Cavitands: organic hosts with enforced cavities. AB - Organic hosts are now being designed and synthesized which contain enforced cavities large enough to complex and even surround simple inorganic or organic guest compounds. PMID- 17771286 TI - The electric power research institute. AB - The Electric Power Research Institute, now 10 years old, was formed by the electric utility industry in response to the threat of federal legislation to create a government agency, funded by a 1 percent tax on utility gross revenue, to undertake research and development. Legislation was proposed in the early 1970's by the Senate Commerce Committee as a result of the massive 1965 Northeast blackout and subsequent public criticism. In March 1972, the Senate was persuaded to give the electric utility industry 1 year to establish an industry-managed and supported substitute to the proposal. This article describes the subsequent history and the program today. PMID- 17771288 TI - Vietnam's Herbicide Legacy. PMID- 17771287 TI - Engine troubles delay the space shuttle. PMID- 17771289 TI - Science education redivivus? PMID- 17771290 TI - Landsat, space telescope suffer setbacks. PMID- 17771291 TI - House Reviews EPA's Record on Pesticides. PMID- 17771292 TI - Canada releases papers on Acid rain talks. PMID- 17771293 TI - Ariane Loses One to NASA. PMID- 17771294 TI - Computers track the path of plant evolution. PMID- 17771295 TI - Does california bulge or does it jiggle? PMID- 17771296 TI - Theory Center Awaits NSF Word on Renewal. PMID- 17771297 TI - Medical mission to el salvador investigates cases of "disappeared". PMID- 17771298 TI - 50-year members acknowledged. PMID- 17771299 TI - Plea for soviet scientists lodged. PMID- 17771300 TI - Guide to research activities available. PMID- 17771302 TI - Bacillus subtilis. PMID- 17771301 TI - Explaining our fears. PMID- 17771303 TI - Ultramafic magma. PMID- 17771304 TI - Neurobiology. PMID- 17771305 TI - Planetology. PMID- 17771306 TI - Correlation of changes in gravity, elevation, and strain in southern california. AB - Measurements made once or twice a year from 1977 through 1982 show large correlated changes in gravity, elevation, and strain in several southern California networks. Precise gravity surveys indicate changes of as much as 25 microgals between surveys 6 months apart. Repeated surveys show that annual elevation changes as large as 100 millimeters occur along baselines 40 to 100 kilometers long. Laser-ranging surveys reveal coherent changes in areal strain of 1 to 2 parts per million occurred over much of southern California during 1978 and 1979. Although the precision of these measuring systems has been questioned, the rather good agreement among them suggests that the observed changes reflect true crustal deformation. PMID- 17771307 TI - Syneresis of vitreous by carbon dioxide laser radiation. AB - In carbon dioxide laser surgery of the vitreous a process of vaporization has been advocated. In this report syneresis, a thermal liquefaction of gel, is shown to be over ten times more efficient on an energy basis than vaporization. Syneresis of vitreous is experimentally shown to be a first-order kinetic process with an activation energy of 41 +/- 0.5 kilocalories per mole. A theory of laser surgery in which this figure is used agrees closely with results from laser experiments on human eye-bank vitreous. The syneresis of vitreous by carbon dioxide laser radiation could lead to a more delicate form of ocular microsurgery, and application to other biological systems may be possible. PMID- 17771308 TI - Growth enhancement of plants by femtomole doses of colloidally dispersed triacontanol. AB - Colloidal dispersions of crystalline 1-triacontanol in water, upon foliar application to corn (Zea mays L.) seedlings, resulted in growth increases at femtomole dosages (spray concentrations as low as 1 nanogram per cubic decimeter). The maximum growth increase occurred at 100 nanograms per cubic decimeter; at both higher and lower concentrations lessened growth increase was observed. The dispersions were prepared by sonication, with control of temperature and composition. Selected surfactants, which facilitate the dispersion process, are effective at 1 percent of the 1-triacontanol composition and are nontoxic. PMID- 17771309 TI - Dorid nudibranch elaborates its own chemical defense. AB - A biosynthetic experiment with mevalonic acid labeled with carbon-14 showed that the nudibranch Dendrodoris limbata elaborates polygodial, a sesquiterpenoid dialdehyde stored in the mantle, which constitutes its chemical defense against predators. Previously described nudibranchs drew defensive chemicals from their preys. PMID- 17771310 TI - Mass extinctions in the fossil record. PMID- 17771311 TI - Mass extinctions in the fossil record. PMID- 17771312 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17771313 TI - INDIAN CRADLES AND HEAD-FLATTENING. PMID- 17771314 TI - ASYMMETRY. PMID- 17771315 TI - DR. BAIN ON ULTIMATE QUESTIONS OF PHILOSOPHY. PMID- 17771316 TI - EDUCATION IN URUGUAY. PMID- 17771317 TI - Instinct in the cockroach. PMID- 17771319 TI - MILLER'S ESSENTIALS OF PERSPECTIVE. PMID- 17771318 TI - LA TERRE DES MERVEILLES. PMID- 17771321 TI - Well drilled for gas at Oxford, O. PMID- 17771320 TI - Another muscle in birds of taxonomic value. PMID- 17771322 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17771324 TI - Basic energy research. PMID- 17771323 TI - The epidemiology issue. PMID- 17771325 TI - Symbiosis. PMID- 17771327 TI - Changing of the senate guard. PMID- 17771326 TI - United States Floats Proposal to Help Prevent Global Ozone Depletion: International negotiations leading to a freeze on emissions of chlorofluorcarbons could force the West to turn to substitutes to maintain living standards and economic productivity. PMID- 17771328 TI - Qualified Approval for Binary Chemical Weapons: Congress has come close to approving production; critics focus on technical problems, lack of military justification. PMID- 17771329 TI - Office of Naval Research Marks 40th Anniversary: Set up at end of World War II to keep link with scientists, ONR pioneered postwar government-university partnership. PMID- 17771330 TI - Elections bring some financial relief for british scientists. PMID- 17771331 TI - France to keep new research degree. PMID- 17771332 TI - Congress to Investigate Charges That OMB Is Obstructing Data Collection. PMID- 17771333 TI - Soviet nuclear plans. PMID- 17771334 TI - NASA Looks to Ariane. PMID- 17771335 TI - California ballot. PMID- 17771336 TI - Division, confusion found on campus. PMID- 17771337 TI - Myths and Methods in Ice Age Art: The painted caves of Ice Age Europe have always entranced those who study them, but new directions in archeology are showing how some popular interpretations might have gone awry. PMID- 17771338 TI - Self-Interest in Politics Earns a Nobel Prize: A George Mason University economist applies marketplace analysis to government decision-making and brings more reality to political science. PMID- 17771339 TI - Hydrothermal plume measurements: a regional perspective. AB - An extensive deep-tow survey around an active submarine vent field was conducted to map the three-dimensional distribution of hydrothermal emissions and calculate the hydrothermal discharge of heat and manganese. Emissions from the 10-kilometer long vent field formed a nearly isopycnal plume about 250 meters thick and elongated in the direction of the local net current. Net export of hydrothermal discharge from both point and diffuse sources was estimated from the advective transport of the plume; the heat flux was 5.8 +/- 2.9 x 10(8) watts and the dissolved manganese flux was 0.2 +/- 0.1 moles per second. Flux measurements of this type could be expanded to encompass entire ridge segments, allowing comparison with theoretical thermal and chemical process models on a common spatial scale. PMID- 17771340 TI - From stimulation to undulation: a neuronal pathway for the control of swimming in the leech. AB - Initiation and performance of the swimming movement in the leech (Hirudo medicinalis) are controlled by neurons organized at at least four functional levels-sensory neurons, gating neurons, oscillator neurons, and motor neurons. A paired neuron, designated as Trl, in the subesophageal ganglion of the leech has now been shown to define a fifth level, interposed between sensory and gating neurons. Cell Trl is activated by pressure and nociceptive mechanosensory neurons, which mediate bodywall stimulus-evoked swimming activity in intact leeches. In the isolated leech nervous system, brief stimulation of cell Trl elicits sustained activation of the gating neurons and triggers the onset of swimmning activity. The synaptic interactions between all five levels of control are direct. Discovery of the Trl cells thus completes the identification of a synaptic pathway by which mechanosensory stimulation leads to the swimming movements of the leech. PMID- 17771341 TI - Response: brain "identifier sequence". PMID- 17771342 TI - Women's Place in Agriculture: Farm Women. PMID- 17771343 TI - Lunar origin: origin of the moon. PMID- 17771344 TI - Electrophysiological methods: ion channel reconstitution. PMID- 17771345 TI - Strings: workshop on unified string theories. PMID- 17771346 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17771347 TI - MATHEMATICS AND THE SCIENCES. PMID- 17771349 TI - THE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17771348 TI - FORTIFICATION OF FOODSTUFFS. PMID- 17771350 TI - THE SCHOOL OF NUTRITION OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17771351 TI - THE ASSOCIATED HOSPITAL SERVICE OF NEW YORK. PMID- 17771352 TI - THE AFFILIATION OF RUSH MEDICAL COLLEGE WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. PMID- 17771353 TI - THE MCDONALD OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17771354 TI - THE CHICAGO MEETINGS OF MATHEMATICIANS. PMID- 17771355 TI - EVIDENCE OF UNDERTOW FROM ENGINEERING PRACTICE. PMID- 17771356 TI - A BACTERIAL PATHOGEN OF THE CITRUS RED SCALE. PMID- 17771357 TI - CARL FRIEDRICH GAUSS'S DESCENDANTS IN AMERICA. PMID- 17771359 TI - THE KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17771358 TI - PRO AND CON EVOLUTION IN CONTEMPORARY GERMANY. PMID- 17771360 TI - ADDITIONAL COOPERATIVE STUDIES OF THE RELATION BETWEEN MOSQUITO CONTROL AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION. PMID- 17771361 TI - THE CHICAGO MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. PMID- 17771362 TI - ASSOCIATION OF THE WASSERMANN ANTIGEN WITH HEAVY MATERIALS PRESENT IN TISSUES. PMID- 17771363 TI - QUANTITATIVE CHANGES IN THE SUB-STRATE-DEHYDROGENASE SYSTEM OF DROSOPHILA PUPAE DURING METAMORPHOSIS. PMID- 17771364 TI - PRESERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS WITH ISOBUTYL METHACRYLATE POLYMER. PMID- 17771365 TI - OZONIZATION OF o-XYLENE AND 1,2,4-TRIMETHYLBENZENE. PMID- 17771366 TI - A SIMPLE IMPROVEMENT IN THE FROG WEB CIRCULATION DEMONSTRATION. PMID- 17771367 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17771368 TI - Response: the largest galaxy. PMID- 17771369 TI - The largest galaxy. PMID- 17771370 TI - Anthropology and advocacy. PMID- 17771371 TI - Reference manager. PMID- 17771372 TI - Census a public burden? PMID- 17771373 TI - Promoting international studies. PMID- 17771374 TI - Pressure to Construct SSC Builds in House. PMID- 17771375 TI - Searching Land and Sea for the Dinosaur Killer: The impact that triggered a mass extinction and possibly the death of the dinosaurs left clues to its location. PMID- 17771376 TI - Borehole measurement of the newtonian gravitational constant. AB - It has been reported that the geophysically determined Newtonian gravitational constant is consistently larger than the laboratory value by 1 to 2% on the basis of gravity measurements in Australian mines. This discrepancy may have strong implications for the physics of gravitation. To test whether similar results can be observed in a different geological environment, gravity measurements in a Michigan borehole have been examined. Although these results cannot be taken as conclusive, owing to the large uncertainties involved in mass determination on a geophysical scale, these measurements are generally consistent with those of the Australian experiment. PMID- 17771377 TI - Possible tornado-like tracks on Mars. AB - Distinct atmospheric conditions suggest that dark, ephemeral, filamentary lineations on the martian surface may be formed during the passage of intense atmospheric vortices. PMID- 17771378 TI - Short interval time measurement by a parasitoid wasp. AB - The number of eggs laid by the parasitoid wasp Trichogramma varies with host volume. The duration of the wasp's initial transit across the host surface during host examination is used to determine the number of eggs laid. A 2.5-second reduction in initial transit resulted in a 30% reduction in eggs oviposited, demonstrating that these wasps measure short time intervals. This measure is used for progeny allocation independent of host body size. PMID- 17771379 TI - A chronicle of medicine: the changing humors of portsmouth. PMID- 17771380 TI - The AEC: Notes from Inside: Forging the Atomic Shield. PMID- 17771382 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17771381 TI - Melts in the Earth: magmatic processes. PMID- 17771383 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17771384 TI - CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE CHEMIST TO OUR KNOWLEDGE OF BIOLOGICAL OXIDATIONS. PMID- 17771385 TI - CONTRIBUTIONS OF ANTHROPOLOGY TO MEDICINE. PMID- 17771386 TI - EDWARD SANDFORD BURGESS. PMID- 17771387 TI - THE AURORA OF MARCH 28, 1928. PMID- 17771388 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17771389 TI - "WASHBOARD" OR "CORDUROY" EFFECT DUE TO THE TRAVEL OF AUTOMOBILES OVER DIRT AND GRAVELED ROADS. PMID- 17771390 TI - A NOTE ON OVARIAN SECRETION AND CANCER. PMID- 17771391 TI - THE SHARP RATTLING IN STEAM-PIPES. PMID- 17771392 TI - ON A RELATION OF THE SUN'S ACTIVITY TO SOME BIOLOGICAL FACTORS. PMID- 17771394 TI - THE COLLODION METHOD AND SERIAL SECTIONS. PMID- 17771393 TI - SCIENTIFIC OBSCURITY. PMID- 17771395 TI - DIRECT EVIDENCE OF ATOM BUILDING. PMID- 17771397 TI - THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17771396 TI - FORMS AND PROPERTIES OF WATER SOLUBLE PHOSPHORUS IN SOILS. PMID- 17771398 TI - A SUCCESSFUL TRIAL OF THE AERODROME. PMID- 17771399 TI - THE DEVELOPMENT OF EXOGENOUS STRUCTURE IN THE PALEOZOIC LYCOPODS--A SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCHES OF WILLIAMSON AND RENAULT. PMID- 17771400 TI - THE EMBANKMENTS OF THE RIVER PO. PMID- 17771402 TI - LIFE HABITS OF PHRYNOSOMA. PMID- 17771401 TI - MEASURING HALLUCINATIONS. PMID- 17771403 TI - LORD KELVIN ON THE METRIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17771404 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17771405 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17771406 TI - FISH CULTURE. PMID- 17771407 TI - ANNUAL REPORT OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17771408 TI - THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. PMID- 17771410 TI - RECENT CHEMICAL PROGRESS. PMID- 17771409 TI - THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17771411 TI - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ANOMALIES. PMID- 17771412 TI - 'PROGRESS IN AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 1886-95.'. PMID- 17771413 TI - THREE SUBCUTANEOUS GLANDULAR AREAS OF BLARINA BREVICAUDA. PMID- 17771415 TI - INSTINCT. PMID- 17771414 TI - 'WHAT IS TRUTH?'. PMID- 17771416 TI - NOTES ON PERCEPTION OF DISTANCE. PMID- 17771417 TI - THE MAMMOTH BED AT MOREA, PA. PMID- 17771418 TI - THE ROTATING CATHODE. PMID- 17771419 TI - A METEOR. PMID- 17771420 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17771421 TI - THE AMERICAN NEUROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17771422 TI - COREA BY NATIVE ARTISTS. PMID- 17771423 TI - BIRD-DESTRUCTION. PMID- 17771424 TI - GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. PMID- 17771425 TI - LONDON LETTER. PMID- 17771426 TI - Feline telepathy. PMID- 17771427 TI - A brilliant aurora. PMID- 17771428 TI - The swindling naturalist caught. PMID- 17771429 TI - Barometer exposure. PMID- 17771430 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17771431 TI - Response. PMID- 17771432 TI - "Real-world experience" in chemistry. PMID- 17771433 TI - Constant caesar, not cassius. PMID- 17771434 TI - Assigning research projects. PMID- 17771435 TI - Laser chemistry: the light choice. PMID- 17771436 TI - Antarctic ozone hole fails to recover. PMID- 17771437 TI - New african dinosaurs give an old world a novel look. PMID- 17771438 TI - Researching romance. PMID- 17771439 TI - Getting a place at the periodic table. PMID- 17771440 TI - Sowing the seeds of the new botany. PMID- 17771441 TI - Sonoluminescence. PMID- 17771442 TI - Crustal architecture of the cascadia forearc. AB - Seismic profiling data indicate that the thickness of an accreted oceanic terrane of Paleocene and early Eocene age, which forms the basement of much of the forearc beneath western Oregon and Washington, varies by approximately a factor of 4 along the strike of the Cascadia subduction zone. Beneath the Oregon Coast Range, the accreted terrane is 25 to 35 kilometers thick, whereas offshore Vancouver Island it is about 6 kilometers thick. These variations are correlated with variations in arc magmatism, forearc seismicity, and long-term forearc deformation. It is suggested that the strength of the forearc crust increases as the thickness of the accreted terrane increases and that the geometry of the seaward edge of this terrane influences deformation within the subduction complex and controls the amount of sediment that is deeply subducted. PMID- 17771443 TI - Effect of noble gas doping in single-bubble sonoluminescence. AB - The trillionfold concentration of sound energy by a trapped gas bubble, so as to emit picosecond flashes of ultraviolet light, is found to be extremely sensitive to doping with a noble gas. Increasing the noble gas content of a nitrogen bubble to about 1% dramatically stabilizes the bubble motion and increases the light emission by over an order of magnitude to a value that exceeds the sonoluminescence of either gas alone. The spectrum also strongly depends on the nature of the gas inside the bubble: Xenon yields a spectral peak at about 300 nanometers, whereas the helium spectrum is so strongly ultraviolet that its peak is obscured by the cutoff of water. PMID- 17771444 TI - Electronic coherence and nonlinear susceptibilities of conjugated polyenes. AB - A dynamic theory that connects electronic motions and the nonlinear optical response of conjugated polyenes is developed by introducing the concept of electronic normal modes. A useful picture for the mechanism of optical nonlinearities is obtained by identifying the few dominant modes. This quasi particle electron-hole representation establishes a close analogy with small semiconductor particles (quantum dots) and is very different from the traditional approach based on electronic eigenstates. The effective conjugation length (coherence size), which controls the scaling and saturation of the static third order susceptibility X((3)) with the number of double bonds, is related to the coherence of the relative motion of electron-hole pairs created upon optical excitation. PMID- 17771445 TI - Simulating the self-assembly of gemini (dimeric) surfactants. AB - The morphologies and dynamics of aggregates formed by surfactant molecules are known to influence strongly performance properties spanning biology, household cleaning, and soil cleanup. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the morphology and dynamics of a class of surfactants, the gemini or dimeric surfactants, that are of potential importance in several industrial applications. Simulation results show that these surfactants form structures and have dynamic properties that are drastically different from those of single-chain surfactants. At the same weight fraction, single-chain surfactants form spherical micelles whereas gemini surfactants, whose two head groups are coupled by a short hydrophobic spacer, form thread-like micelles. Simulations at different surfactant concentrations indicate the formation of various structures, suggesting an alternative explanation for the unexpected viscosity behavior of gemini surfactants. PMID- 17771446 TI - Partial control of an ion-molecule reaction by selection of the internal motion of the polyatomic reagent ion. AB - The ion-molecule reaction NH(3)(+) + ND(3) has been studied at various collision energies (1 to 5 electron volts in the center of mass) with preparation of the NH(3)(+) reagent in two nearly isoenergetic vibrational states. One state corresponds to pure out-of-plane bending of the planar NH(3)(+) ion (0.60 electron volts), whereas the other state is a combination of in-plane and out-of plane motion (0.63 electron volts). The product branching ratios differ markedly for these two vibrational-state preparations. The differences in reactivity suggest that the in-plane totally symmetric stretching mode is essentially inactive in controlling the branching ratio of this reaction. PMID- 17771447 TI - Spring phytoplankton production in the Western ross sea. AB - Coastal zone color scanner (CZCS) imagery of the western Ross Sea revealed the Presence of an intense phytoplankton bloom covering >106,000 square kilometers in early December 1978. This bloom developed inside the Ross Sea polynya, within 2 weeks of initial polynya formation in late November. Primary productivity calculated from December imagery (3.9 grams of carbon per square meter per day) was up to four times the values measured during in situ studies in mid-January to February 1979. Inclusion of this early season production yields a spring-to summer estimate of 141 to 171 grams of carbon per square meter, three to four times the values previously reported for the western Ross Sea. PMID- 17771448 TI - Coupled land-ocean-atmosphere processes and South asian monsoon variability. AB - Results from a global coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model and a model with specified tropical convective heating anomalies show that the South Asian monsoon was an active part of the tropical biennial oscillation (TBO). Convective heating anomalies over Africa and the western Pacific Ocean associated with the TBO altered the simulated pattern of atmospheric circulation for the Northern Hemisphere winter mid-latitude over Asia. This alteration in the mid-latitude circulation maintained temperature anomalies over South Asia through winter and helped set up the land-sea temperature contrast for subsequent monsoon development. South Asian snow cover contributed to monsoon strength but was symptomatic of the larger scale alteration in the mid-latitude atmospheric circulation pattern. PMID- 17771450 TI - Response. PMID- 17771449 TI - Early cretaceous dinosaurs from the sahara. AB - A major question in Mesozoic biogeography is how the land-based dinosaurian radiation responded to fragmentation of Pangaea. A rich fossil record has been uncovered on northern continents that spans the Cretaceous, when continental isolation reached its peak. In contrast, dinosaur remains on southern continents are scarce. The discovery of dinosaurian skeletons from Lower Cretaceous beds in the southern Sahara shows that several lineages of tetanuran theropods and broad toothed sauropods had a cosmopolitan distribution across Pangaea before the onset of continental fragmentation. The distinct dinosaurian faunas of Africa, South America, and Asiamerica arose during the Cretaceous by differential survival of once widespread lineages on land masses that were becoming increasingly isolated from one another. PMID- 17771451 TI - Gordon research conferences. PMID- 17771453 TI - A mission to Japan. PMID- 17771452 TI - Young men of today. PMID- 17771454 TI - Vignettes: military manoeuvres. PMID- 17771455 TI - Plains rangers. PMID- 17771456 TI - Eukaryotic origins. PMID- 17771457 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17771458 TI - The Doctors Digree. PMID- 17771459 TI - Structure of West Antarctica. PMID- 17771460 TI - Royal Society Celebrates Tercentenary. PMID- 17771461 TI - U.S. Scientists Participate in International Space Symposium. PMID- 17771462 TI - Application of the Network Model to Gas Diffusion in Moist Porous Media. AB - Millington's description of pore structure in porous media is compared with conclusions based on the network theory. Experimental gas-diffusion data for moist sand indicate that this porous material has a network structure in which each pore is connected to about 15 other pores. PMID- 17771463 TI - Growth Pattern in the Green Hydra, Chlorohydra viridissima. AB - A method was employed whereby it was possible to determine the growth pattern of hydra without using the traditional techniques of grafting and vital staining. It has been shown that hydra possess a growth region just below the hypostome where constant cell proliferation renews the tissues of the animal completely every few weeks. PMID- 17771464 TI - Hollow Crystals from Buffer Solutions of Sodium Diethyl Barbiturate. AB - Buffer Solutions of sodium 5,5'-diethyl barbiturate, after standing at 4 degrees to 8 degrees C for 7 weeks, were observed to contain large tubular crystals. The crystals appear to have the composition of 5.5'-diethyl bairbituric acid. They clan be grown readily from fresh seeded solutions. PMID- 17771465 TI - Calorimetry. PMID- 17771466 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17771467 TI - THE NEW YORK STATE SURVEY. PMID- 17771468 TI - GLACIAL PHENOMENA IN OHIO. PMID- 17771469 TI - THE WEATHER IN FEBRUARY, 1883. PMID- 17771470 TI - THE LAW OF NUCLEAR DISPLACEMENT, AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN EMBRYOLOGY. PMID- 17771471 TI - RAINFALL OF UBERABA, PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES, BRAZIL. PMID- 17771472 TI - BALTIMORE SURFACE-GEOLOGY. PMID- 17771473 TI - THE NATURAL HISTORY OF OHIO. PMID- 17771474 TI - Flight of the flying-fish. PMID- 17771475 TI - Thermal belts of North Carolina. PMID- 17771476 TI - Pairing of the first-born. PMID- 17771477 TI - GEIKIE'S GEOLOGICAL SKETCHES. PMID- 17771479 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17771478 TI - VERTEBRATE ANATOMY. PMID- 17771480 TI - Journal Publication in Microform. PMID- 17771481 TI - Nikola Tesla: Electricity today is generated, transmitted, and converted to mechanical power by means of his inventions. PMID- 17771482 TI - A Theory of Ice Ages II: The theory that certain local terrestrial conditions caused Pleistocene glaciation is discussed further. PMID- 17771483 TI - K. P. Schmidt--Herpetologist, Ecologist, Zoogeographer. PMID- 17771485 TI - Basis of a Genetic Change Which Invariably Ocus in Certain Maize Heterozygotes. PMID- 17771484 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17771486 TI - Current Scientific Journals. PMID- 17771488 TI - Fluorescence of Ethylenediamine Derivatives of Epinephrine and Norepinephrine. PMID- 17771487 TI - Communicative Accuracy. PMID- 17771491 TI - THE SOCIETY OF TELEGRAPH ENGINEERS. PMID- 17771490 TI - PROFESSOR WATSON'S SUCCESSOR. PMID- 17771492 TI - NEW YORK MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17771493 TI - AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17771494 TI - FURTHER NOTES ON THE BRAIN OF THE IGUANA AND OTHER SAUROPSIDAe. PMID- 17771495 TI - RECENT PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17771496 TI - CAUSE OF THE BLUE COLOR OF CERTAIN WATERS. PMID- 17771497 TI - CLOUD COLORS. PMID- 17771498 TI - ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ENTOMOLOGICAL STUDIES. PMID- 17771499 TI - NOTE ON DR. HENRY DRAPER'S PHOTOGRAPH OF THE NEBULA IN ORION. PMID- 17771500 TI - ASTRONOMY: MAGNITUDE OF JUPITER'S THIRD SATELLITE. PMID- 17771501 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17771502 TI - THE ETRUSCAN-PELASGIAN PROBLEM. PMID- 17771503 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17771505 TI - REPORT OF PROGRESS IN SPECTRUM WORK. PMID- 17771504 TI - THE SOUTH AFRICAN DOCTRINE OF SOULS. PMID- 17771506 TI - DEAF-MUTE INSTRUCTION. PMID- 17771507 TI - EDUCATION IN GERMANY. PMID- 17771508 TI - DUTCH BORNEO. PMID- 17771509 TI - Was Lake Iroquois an Arm of the Sea? PMID- 17771510 TI - Discovery of Fish-Remains in Lower Silurian Rocks. PMID- 17771511 TI - Rain-Formation. PMID- 17771512 TI - JOSEPH LE CONTE. PMID- 17771513 TI - AN AMERICAN SENATE OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17771514 TI - SOME STRANGE PRACTICES IN PLANT NAMING. PMID- 17771515 TI - THE USE OF HYDROCYANIC ACID GAS FOR EXTERMINATING HOUSEHOLD INSECTS. PMID- 17771516 TI - ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN LONDON. PMID- 17771517 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17771518 TI - A NEW ARCHEOLOGICAL PUBLICATION. PMID- 17771519 TI - GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS IN EUROPE. PMID- 17771521 TI - ELECTRICAL NEWS. PMID- 17771520 TI - THE WHITE ELEVATED ELECTRIC RAILROAD. PMID- 17771522 TI - ELECTRIC LIGHT IN THE PATENT OFFICE. PMID- 17771523 TI - IS A VACUUM AN ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR? PMID- 17771525 TI - THE OBSERVATORY HILL RAILWAY OF ALLEGHENY CITY, PENN. PMID- 17771524 TI - NEW SECONDARY BATTERIES. PMID- 17771526 TI - Science and Psychos. PMID- 17771527 TI - Our Future Empire. PMID- 17771528 TI - CENSUS OF THE DEFECTIVE CLASSES. PMID- 17771529 TI - SCIENTIFIC NEWS IN WASHINGTON. PMID- 17771530 TI - COLOR-BLINDNESS. PMID- 17771531 TI - ACROPHOBIA. PMID- 17771532 TI - SENSE OF TASTE. PMID- 17771533 TI - FATIGUE OF SIGHT. PMID- 17771534 TI - MENTAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17771535 TI - AFRICA, ITS PAST AND FUTURE. PMID- 17771536 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17771537 TI - THE BERTHELOT CENTENARY AND THE RESULTING INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO ADVANCE CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17771538 TI - RAINFALL AND RUN-OFF. PMID- 17771540 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17771539 TI - EDWARD SANDFORD BURGESS. PMID- 17771541 TI - THE REAPPORTIONMENT BILL IN CONGRESS. PMID- 17771542 TI - A POSSIBLE CORRELATION OF EYE SORENESS WITH VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY AMONG THE NEZ PERCES INDIANS. PMID- 17771543 TI - THE LITER AND THE CUBIC DECIMETER. PMID- 17771544 TI - MACROSCOPICAL DETECTION OF THE MEDULLATED WOOL FIBER. PMID- 17771547 TI - A PERFUSION FLUID FOR ELASMOBRANCHS. PMID- 17771545 TI - THE ABNORMAL SPECIFIC HEAT OF A RAREFIED GAS AT A LOW TEMPERATURE, AND THE COSMIC RADIATION. PMID- 17771546 TI - THE PASSING OF THE CIRCUIT SYSTEM OF COLLECTING WEATHER REPORTS. PMID- 17771549 TI - THE AMIDE NITROGEN OF BLOOD. PMID- 17771548 TI - THE SEXUAL STAGE OF FUNGI INDUCED BY ULTRA-VIOLET RAYS. PMID- 17771550 TI - THE SPRING MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. PMID- 17771551 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17771552 TI - THE BERKELEY MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17771553 TI - THE PACIFIC DIVISION. PMID- 17771554 TI - BUSINESS SESSIONS. PMID- 17771555 TI - GENERAL SESSIONS. PMID- 17771556 TI - General Resolutions. PMID- 17771557 TI - A Tribute to William Morris Davis. PMID- 17771558 TI - ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL FEATURES. PMID- 17771559 TI - SCIENTIFIC EXHIBITS AND DEMONSTRATIONS. PMID- 17771560 TI - SECTION ON PHYSICS (B) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771561 TI - SECTION ON MATHEMATICS (A). PMID- 17771562 TI - LOCAL COMMITTEE. PMID- 17771563 TI - EXCURSIONS. PMID- 17771564 TI - SECTION ON CHEMISTRY (C). PMID- 17771565 TI - SECTION ON ASTRONOMY (D) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771566 TI - SECTION ON ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCES (F) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771568 TI - SECTIONS ON ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCES (F) AND BOTANICAL SCIENCES (G). PMID- 17771567 TI - SECTION ON BOTANICAL SCIENCES (G) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771569 TI - SECTION ON ANTHROPOLOGY (H) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771570 TI - SECTION ON SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES (K) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771571 TI - SECTION ON PSYCHOLOGY (I) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771573 TI - SECTION ON HISTORICAL AND PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES (L) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771572 TI - SECTION ON ENGINEERING (M) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771574 TI - SECTION ON MEDICAL SCIENCES (N) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771575 TI - SECTION ON AGRICULTURE (O) AND ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771576 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17771577 TI - SECTION ON EDUCATION (Q). PMID- 17771578 TI - REFORMS IN CHEMICAL PUBLICATION (DOCUMENTATION). PMID- 17771579 TI - THE CONTROVERSY CONCERNING THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECT OF TRIHYDROL IN LIQUID WATER. PMID- 17771580 TI - ADDITIONAL TRIASSIC DINOSAUR TRACKS FROM PENNSYLVANIA. PMID- 17771581 TI - LINES OF NEUTRAL SULFUR IN PROCYON. PMID- 17771582 TI - A SOURCE OF BOTANICAL MISINFORMATION. PMID- 17771583 TI - AN APPARATUS FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF RESPIRATORY RATE. PMID- 17771584 TI - THE USE OF AN ABSORBENT PULPIT IN THE CULTIVATION OF AEROBIC ORGANISMS. PMID- 17771585 TI - PENETRATION OF GASEOUS PYRIDINE, PIPERIDINE AND NICOTINE INTO THE BODIES OF CERTAIN INSECTS. PMID- 17771586 TI - A MODIFICATION OF THE MUDD ELECTROENOSMOSIS APPARATUS. PMID- 17771587 TI - MOTOR INHIBITION IN AMBLYSTOMA PRODUCED BY TRITURUS TRANSPLANTS. PMID- 17771588 TI - ENZYMES, VITAMINS AND THE ZONE OF MAXIMUM COLLOIDALITY. PMID- 17771589 TI - EMERGENCY CROPS FOR FLOODED FARM LANDS. PMID- 17771590 TI - INERT SAND IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA. PMID- 17771591 TI - GLASS TRANSMITS ULTRA-VIOLET RAYS. PMID- 17771592 TI - THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF X-RAYS. PMID- 17771593 TI - AZTEC "JADE". PMID- 17771595 TI - A TEACHER OF SCIENCE FOR CHILDREN. PMID- 17771594 TI - VACATIONISTS AND TYPHOID. PMID- 17771596 TI - WHAT IS STATISTICS? PMID- 17771597 TI - WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH A HARVEY OR A LAENNEC? PMID- 17771598 TI - CHARLES WESLEY HARGITT. PMID- 17771599 TI - SELECTIVE REFLECTION IN THE FAR ULTRA-VIOLET. PMID- 17771601 TI - THE QUANTITATIVE THEORY OF SEX. PMID- 17771600 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17771602 TI - INFORMATION CONCERNING SUMMER PLANS OF AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17771603 TI - THE ORIGIN AND ANTIQUITY OF MAN; A CORRECTION. PMID- 17771604 TI - A STARCH TEST IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS EXPERIMENTS. PMID- 17771605 TI - A CLEAR-VIEW SPECIMEN DISH. PMID- 17771607 TI - THE VIRGINIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17771606 TI - THE ROLE OF KINOPLASM IN THE GENESIS OF VACUOLES. PMID- 17771608 TI - OPTICAL GLASS. PMID- 17771609 TI - LUMINESCENCE FROM CATHODE RAYS. PMID- 17771610 TI - SYNTHETIC SUGAR. PMID- 17771611 TI - THE SUMMER OF 1927. PMID- 17771612 TI - CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. PMID- 17771614 TI - RELATIONS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY. PMID- 17771613 TI - THE MIGRATION OF STORKS. PMID- 17771615 TI - THE ACTIVITY OF NERVE. PMID- 17771617 TI - CONFUSING NAMES FOR A METEOR. PMID- 17771616 TI - HAWAII'S TRIBUTE TO DR. NEWCOMBE. PMID- 17771618 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17771619 TI - FIREBALLS AND NEW ENGLAND SCIENTISTS. PMID- 17771620 TI - COD-LIVER OIL FOR "SNUFFLES" IN RABBITS AND PNEUMONIA IN GUINEA-PIGS. PMID- 17771621 TI - ON THE LOSS OF THE FIFTH TOE IN CERTAIN SALAMANDERS. PMID- 17771622 TI - A SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE SECOND NASHVILLE MEETING: SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE. PMID- 17771623 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC PAPERS OF WILLARD GIBBS. PMID- 17771624 TI - AN AGAR MEDIUM FOR PLATING L. ACIDOPHILUS AND L. BULGARICUS. PMID- 17771625 TI - THE ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF SCIENTIFIC MEN. PMID- 17771626 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17771627 TI - SPACE STRUCTURE AND MOTION. PMID- 17771628 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17771629 TI - EMANUEL SWEDENBORG ON THE THEBESIAN SYSTEM OF THE HEART. PMID- 17771630 TI - RUPTURED YOLK IN HENS AND PULLETS. PMID- 17771631 TI - SUGGESTIONS IN STRATIGRAPHIC NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17771632 TI - THE ROLE OF BACTERIA AS FOOD FOR BOTTOM ANIMALS. PMID- 17771634 TI - MEDICAL SCIENCES AT ATLANTIC CITY. PMID- 17771633 TI - THE ASSOCIATION TO AID SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH BY WOMEN. PMID- 17771635 TI - A RELIABLE METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NUTRITIONAL ANEMIA IN WHITE RATS. PMID- 17771636 TI - MODIFIED HANGING DROP TECHNIQUE. PMID- 17771637 TI - A PRACTICAL TYPE OF MOUSE CAGE. PMID- 17771638 TI - THE ORIGIN OF THE CELLULAR DEBRIS IN VAGINAL SMEARS OF THE GUINEA-PIG. PMID- 17771639 TI - AVAILABILITY OF VITAMINS IN PLANT TISSUES. PMID- 17771640 TI - ON THE RELATIONS OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17771641 TI - THE FUNCTIONS AND IDEALS OF A NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. II. PMID- 17771642 TI - DAVID S. PRATT. PMID- 17771643 TI - A PROPOSED METHOD FOR CARRYING TRIANGULATION ACROSS WIDE GAPS. PMID- 17771644 TI - TWO NEW BASE MAPS OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17771645 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGISTS. PMID- 17771646 TI - SUBSTITUTES FOR PHENOLPHTHALEIN AND METHYL ORANGE IN THE TITRATION OF FIXED AND HALF-BOUND CO2. PMID- 17771647 TI - THE MINERALOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17771649 TI - PHYSICS AND DAILY LIFE. PMID- 17771648 TI - SECTION A-MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17771650 TI - ON THE APPEARANCE OF HELIUM AND NEON IN VACUUM TUBES. PMID- 17771652 TI - THE INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17771651 TI - THE SMITHSONIAN AFRICAN EXPEDITION. PMID- 17771654 TI - EQUINE PIROPLASMOSIS IN THE CANAL ZONE. PMID- 17771653 TI - CYTOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17771655 TI - A SUGGESTED CLASSIFICATION OF WRITINGS ON EUGENICS. PMID- 17771656 TI - IS THE "ACADEMIC COSTUME" WORTH WHILE. PMID- 17771657 TI - THE FACTS ABOUT THE ACCOUNTS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17771658 TI - A REQUEST FROM THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17771660 TI - THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17771661 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17771659 TI - THE TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT OF THE COAGULATION CAUSED BY ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT. PMID- 17771662 TI - Arrow-points at Evanston, Ill. PMID- 17771663 TI - A novel magnetic engine. PMID- 17771664 TI - Ripple-marks in limestone. PMID- 17771665 TI - Illusive memory. PMID- 17771666 TI - A carboniferous genus of sharks still living. PMID- 17771667 TI - Deflective effect of the earth's rotation. PMID- 17771668 TI - A singular optical phenomenon. PMID- 17771669 TI - Congenital deafness in animals. PMID- 17771670 TI - GOUVERNEUR KEMBLE WARREN. PMID- 17771671 TI - Annual growth of the 'Tree of heaven.'. PMID- 17771672 TI - Artificial production of rain. PMID- 17771674 TI - THE NEW BOGOSLOFF VOLCANO IN BERING SEA. PMID- 17771673 TI - APPENDAGES OF THE TRILOBITE. PMID- 17771675 TI - THE DANISH EXPEDITION TO EAST GREENLAND. PMID- 17771676 TI - THE WORK OF THE CAMBRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM. PMID- 17771677 TI - THE GREAT COMET OF 1882. PMID- 17771678 TI - HUMIDITY AND CHRONOMETER RATES. PMID- 17771679 TI - VORTEX RINGS. PMID- 17771680 TI - THE SILK INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17771681 TI - SCRIBNER'S WHERE DID LIFE BEGIN? PMID- 17771682 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17771683 TI - TUBERCULOUS MILK. PMID- 17771684 TI - THE STANLEY NEDAL. PMID- 17771685 TI - THE TORNADO APPEARANCES; LIEUT. FINLEY'S VIEWS. PMID- 17771686 TI - To Discuss Meteorological Topics. PMID- 17771687 TI - Psychiatric diagnosis. PMID- 17771688 TI - Inexhaustible energy. PMID- 17771689 TI - Communication among Scientists. PMID- 17771690 TI - Hydrogen and power. PMID- 17771691 TI - Rising Food Prices: Who's Responsible? PMID- 17771692 TI - Role of commercial aircraft in global monitoring systems. AB - The role of commercial aircraft in monitoring meteorological parameters and atmospheric constituents has been limited in the former case and virtually nonexistent in the latter. I have tried to point out that this situation can and should be changed now. The new family of wide-bodied jets such as the 747, DC-10, and L-1011 aircraft can be used to supply important global atmospheric and tropical meteorological data for which there is a pressing need. While scientists are not in total agreement on the magnitude of the effect of particulates and gases on the atmosphere, there is almost unanimous concurrence that we are severely limited in information, and that global baseline concentrations must be established for particulates and gases in the troposphere and lower stratosphere as soon as possible. Also, more synoptic meteorological information from the tropical troposphere is highly desirable. In the final analysis, commercial aircraft may offer the most inexpensive way to monitor our atmosphere in the near future. Much of the instrumentation technology is here and the rest is certainly within our grasp. The fact of the matter is that there are now over 220 Boeing 747's and Douglas DC-10's in service, flying an average of 10 hours a day. Long range flights, such as those from Tokyo to Anchorage to London in the Northern Hemisphere and from Hawaii to Pago Pago to Sydney in the Southern Hemisphere, are commonplace. These aircraft are equipped with inertial navigation systems and central air data computers coupled to advanced data storage systems which can readily be interrogated by satellite. This means that there is now a large amount of snyoptic weather information which can be obtained with a minimum of effort and cost. Likewise, a start at obtaining measurements of atmospheric constituents on a global basis can be made now. All we need to do is make the effort. PMID- 17771693 TI - Agriculture: critics find basic research stunted and wilting. PMID- 17771694 TI - Pauling, wald support shell strike. PMID- 17771695 TI - Congress picks up technology gauntlet. PMID- 17771696 TI - John Burns a Candidate for Marston's Job at NIH. PMID- 17771698 TI - Space shuttle: despite doubters, project will probably fly. PMID- 17771697 TI - Training Grants (II): Remedy Sought by Persuasion and by Legislation. PMID- 17771699 TI - Impoundment of university funds: seeking relief in the courts. PMID- 17771701 TI - Hurricane seeding. PMID- 17771700 TI - Metallic hydrogen: simulating jupiter in the laboratory. PMID- 17771702 TI - The thermodynamics of gases dissolved at great depths. PMID- 17771704 TI - Anthropology applied to health programs. PMID- 17771703 TI - Earth sciences for development. PMID- 17771705 TI - Aerobiology of diseases, pests, and allergens in the Western hemisphere. PMID- 17771706 TI - Registration and travel information-Mexico city. PMID- 17771707 TI - Meat or vegetables? PMID- 17771708 TI - Air quality and plants. PMID- 17771709 TI - UNIDO and Appropriate Industrial Technology. PMID- 17771710 TI - Science futures: the industrial connection. PMID- 17771711 TI - Energy choices for the next 15 years: a view from europe. AB - A European perception of the world energy situation and its likely evolution during the next two decades is presented. French energy policy is then discussed as a possible set of consistent choices that can be made to deal with the energy situation in a regional context for the next 15 years. PMID- 17771712 TI - Experts debate authenticity of "shah" tape. PMID- 17771713 TI - Voice Analysis: It's Not So Easy. PMID- 17771714 TI - BATF Decides Against Liquor Warning Label. PMID- 17771715 TI - What Evil Lurks at DOE? The Shadow Knows. PMID- 17771716 TI - Earthquake prediction: mexican quake shows one way to look for the big ones. PMID- 17771717 TI - International ultraviolet explorer probes the universe. PMID- 17771718 TI - Frederick mosteller, president-elect. PMID- 17771719 TI - 1978 report of the executive officer. PMID- 17771720 TI - Bryozoology. PMID- 17771721 TI - Marmosets and tamarins. PMID- 17771722 TI - Photochemistry. PMID- 17771723 TI - Magma generation. PMID- 17771724 TI - Melting of io by tidal dissipation. AB - The dissipation of tidal energy in Jupiter's satellite Io is likely to have melted a major fraction of the mass. Consequences of a largely molten interior may be evident in pictures of Io's surface returned by Voyager I. PMID- 17771725 TI - Anomalous bottom water South of the grand banks suggests turbidity current activity. AB - Highly turbid bottom water at the margin of the Sohm Abyssal Plain was identified by its temperature, salinity, and oxygen content as originating upslope on the continental rise. The fact that the particulate concentrations were one to two orders of magnitude higher than are normally found in deep ocean waters suggests a turbidity current as the agent bringing this water downslope. PMID- 17771726 TI - Generation of oil-like pyrolyzates from organic-rich shales. AB - Pyrolyzates similar to natural crude oils were generated from organic-rich shales by hydrous pyrolysis. With this type of pyrolysis it is possible to make more sophisticated correlations between crude oils and their source rocks, evaluate the hydrocarbon potential of a source rock, and elucidate the variables involved in the natural oil-generating process. PMID- 17771727 TI - Atmospheric halocarbons, hydrocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride: global distributions, sources, and sinks. AB - The global distribution of fluorocarbon-12 and fluorocarbon-11 is used to establish a relatively fast interhemispheric exchange rate of 1 to 1.2 years. Atmospheric residence times of 65 to 70 years for fluorocarbon-12 and 40 to 45 years for fluorocarbon-l1 best fit the observational data. These residence times rule out the possibility of any significant missing sinks that may prevent these fluorocarbons from entering the stratosphere. Atmospheric measurements of methyl chloroform support an 8-to 10-year residence time and suggest global average hydroxyl radical (HO) concentrations of 3 x 10(5) to 4 x 10(5) molecules per cubic centimeter. These are a factor of 5 lower than predicted by models. Additionally, methyl chloroform global distribution supports Southern Hemispheric HO levels that are a factor of 1.5 or more larger than the Northern Hemispheric values. The long residence time and the rapid growth of methyl chloroform cause it to be a potentially significant depleter of stratospheric ozone. The oceanic sink for atmospheric carbon tetrachloride is about half as important as the stratospheric sink. A major source of methyl chloride (3 x 10(12)grams per year), sufficient to account for nearly all the atmospheric methyl chloride, has been identified in the ocean. PMID- 17771728 TI - Minor planets: the discovery of minor satellites. AB - The recent confirmation of the discovery of a satellite of the minor planet 532 Herculina indicates that other similar anomalous sightings are probably also due to satellites, which must therefore be numerous and commonplace. There are now 23 candidate satellites for eight minor planets, and no one of these minor planets occulting a star has failed to show evidence of at least one secondary event. Such companions are gravitationally stable but apparently have rapid tidal evolution rates. PMID- 17771729 TI - Binary asteroids: evidence for their existence from lightcurves. AB - The lightcurves of the asteroids 49 Pales and 171 Ophelia bear a striking resemblance to those of eclipsing binary stars. This evidence suggests that these asteroids are binary objects. Asteroids belonging to the Themis dynamical family have unusual lightcurves, possibly due to satellite events; these unusual lightcurves suggest that multiple objects may be formed during the disruption of asteroids in collisional events. PMID- 17771730 TI - Strain-softening instability model for the san fernando earthquake. AB - Changes in the ground elevation observed before and immediately after the 1971 San Fernando, California, earthquake are consistent with a theoretical model in which fault zone rocks are strain-softening after peak stress. The model implies that the slip rate of the fault increased to aboul 0.1 meter per year near the focus before the earthquake. PMID- 17771732 TI - The gynoecium winteraceous plants. PMID- 17771731 TI - Dual function of the damselfly penis: sperm removal and transfer. AB - The male of Calopteryx maculata (Beauvois) (Odonata) uses its penis not only to transfer sperm to the female but also to remove sperm deposited in the female's sperm storage organs from previous matings. Apparently, no such sperm removal function has previously been attributed to the intromittent organ of any animal. PMID- 17771733 TI - Difference between postpartum and nutritional amenorrhea. PMID- 17771734 TI - Hayflick's Tragedy. PMID- 17771735 TI - Health care: service or business? PMID- 17771736 TI - New guanylic for old. PMID- 17771738 TI - Adjusting to change. PMID- 17771737 TI - Project seafarer. PMID- 17771739 TI - The maunder minimum. PMID- 17771740 TI - Settlement and cultural development at chalcatzingo. PMID- 17771741 TI - Nuclear navy: rickover thwarted research on light weight reactors. PMID- 17771742 TI - Project Seafarer: Critics Attack National Academy's Review Group. PMID- 17771743 TI - Chemical carcinogens: industry adopts controversial "quick" tests. PMID- 17771744 TI - Medical devices law is on the books at last. PMID- 17771745 TI - Nuclear testing: u.s.-Soviet treaties viewed with doubts and misgivings. PMID- 17771746 TI - Another new particle: charmed quarks look better than ever. PMID- 17771747 TI - Water structure and ion binding: a role in cell physiology? PMID- 17771748 TI - Structured water advocates air complaints. PMID- 17771749 TI - Instructions for contributors. PMID- 17771751 TI - Institutions under Stress. PMID- 17771750 TI - Annual meeting, denver: call for contributed papers. PMID- 17771752 TI - Interferon. PMID- 17771753 TI - Plant phylogenesis. PMID- 17771754 TI - Effects of light-dark cycles. PMID- 17771755 TI - Operation kohoutek. PMID- 17771756 TI - Denitrification Studies with 13N-Labeled Nitrate. AB - Nitrate labeled with (13)N ((13)NO(3)(-)) was produced in a cyclotron by the (16)O(p, alpha)(13)N reaction with protons having energies of 14.5 million electron volts. The (13)NO(3)(-) was used as a tracer for direct quantitative measurements of denitrification rates in soils from flooded rice fields. The (13)N technique provides a new tracer method for the measurement of denitrification rates in natural systems over short time intervals, without changing the concentration of NO(3)(-)in the system. PMID- 17771757 TI - Atmospheric carbon tetrachloride: another man-made pollutant. AB - On the basis of an analysis of historic worldwide emissions and removal mechanisms for carbon tetrachloride, a possible precursor for stratospheric ozone destruction, it has been demonstrated that the present atmospheric loading and distribution of carbon tetrachloride is primarily attributable to man-made emissions and no natural sources need be invoked to explain its presence in the atmosphere. PMID- 17771758 TI - Carbon-nitrogen cycling through microbial formamide metabolism. AB - A microbially mediated carbon-nitrogen cycle involving a newly isolated facultatively methylotrophic pseudomonad is described. The new isolate utilizes formamide as its sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. Other organisms involved in the proposed cycle are cyanogenic plants; phytopathogenic fungi, which convert cyanogenic glycosides to formamide; and nitrifying microorganisms. This cycle may be quantitatively important in view of the large variety of cyanogenic plants known to exist. PMID- 17771759 TI - Xenon-133: ambient activity from nuclear power stations. AB - The average activity of xenon-133 within and at approximately 100 kilometers from Albany, New York, from April to July 1975 was 2.6 picocuries per cubic meter of air. The source was gaseous effluents from boiling water reactors located in the northeastern United States. Its 5.29-day half-life makes xenon-133 an appropriate isotope to observe for the study of regional and hemispheric dispersion of pollutants. PMID- 17771760 TI - Lekking behavior in kafue lechwe. AB - The Kafue lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis) exhibits lekking behavior in which a number of males occupy small territories clustered together in discrete areas where females go for mating. Similar behavior in antelope is known only in the Uganda kob (Kobus kob thomasi). Lechwe lekking occurs only during a main rutting season although some breeding occurs throughout the year. PMID- 17771761 TI - Retardation of autoshaping: control by contextual stimuli. AB - Training pigeons with random presentations of a tone and food proactively interferes with the acquisition of autoshaped keypecking to a lighted key. The interference effect is context-specific (observed only when testing for autoshaping occurs in the initial training environment). An interpretation based on blocking by background cues is suggested by the data. PMID- 17771762 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17771763 TI - NOTES ON THE FERTILITY OF PHYSA HETEROSTROPHA SAY. PMID- 17771765 TI - SECONDARY BATTERIES. PMID- 17771764 TI - DIRECT REFECTING POLARISCOPES. PMID- 17771766 TI - NEBRASKA SUGAR SCHOOL. PMID- 17771767 TI - A BRIEF STUDY OF THE PALENQUE TABLET. PMID- 17771768 TI - THE NEW ELEMENT, MASRIUM. PMID- 17771769 TI - SOME NOTES ON THE VICTORIA NYANZA. PMID- 17771770 TI - The Notion of Four-Fold Space. PMID- 17771771 TI - The Relative Hardness of Cut Diamonds. PMID- 17771772 TI - Eskimo Throwing-Sticks. PMID- 17771773 TI - The Possibility of a Realization of Four-Fold Space. PMID- 17771775 TI - THE FIFTH ESTATE. PMID- 17771774 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17771776 TI - JOHN MACLEAN--CHEMIST. PMID- 17771778 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17771777 TI - GEOLOGICAL FEATURES OF CITY PARKS. PMID- 17771779 TI - THE PRESSURE CAUSED BY A FLAME. PMID- 17771781 TI - THE PAN-PACIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE. PMID- 17771780 TI - TO TEACHERS OF LABORATORY GENETICS. PMID- 17771782 TI - GERMAN BIOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS. PMID- 17771784 TI - A TENTATIVE $$Word$$ OF THE RADIOMETRIC DATA ON VENUS. PMID- 17771783 TI - THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE METRIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17771785 TI - A NOTE ON THE RING METHOD OF MEASURING SURFACE TENSION. PMID- 17771787 TI - In defense of mrs. Benson. PMID- 17771786 TI - HEAT OF WETTING AS A NEW MEANS OF ESTIMATING THE COLLOIDAL MATERIAL IN SOILS. PMID- 17771788 TI - Disenchanted students. PMID- 17771789 TI - Scientific writing. PMID- 17771790 TI - The public aspect of science. PMID- 17771792 TI - Women in academia. PMID- 17771793 TI - Microsonics. PMID- 17771794 TI - A comprehensive ban on nuclear testing. AB - Our foregoing analysis of the role of a comprehensive test ban leads us to the following conclusions. 1) A CTB by itself will have little direct effect on the arms race between the superpowers. It would not hinder their nuclear arms production and deployment nor would it necessarily present a significant obstacle to the development of new nuclear weapons systems, despite limiting the development of new nuclear warhead designs. It can hardly make a dent in the destructive capability of the superpowers or in their ability to step up the pace of the arms race. 2) The chief merits of a CTB reside in the political sphere. It would help promote detente and could help to escalate interest in arms control agreements of broader scope. But in neither of these effects would it be as significant as a successful SALT (strategic arms limitation talks) agreement. The CTB also lingers as a piece of unfinished business since the signing of the LTB in 1963. The question can be and has been raised, "If the superpowers are serious about arms control, why have they not accepted the CTB, which is simple in concept and in form and is also free of serious military risks?" Such doubts about the sincerity of the superpowers' willingness to limit their own arms development will persist as long as there is no CTB. Substantial agreement at SALT would lessen some of this effect too, but would not eliminate it completely. 3) Recent progress in seismic identification has been impressive, and other means of obtaining technical intelligence about nuclear testing have probably also improved greatly. In addition, research on the technical means of on-site inspection has demonstrated its limited effectiveness. Therefore, the role of on site inspections as an added deterrent to cheating on a CTB has diminished substantially. This is not to say that detection and identification of all nuclear tests is possible now, or ever, but only that on-site inspection would add very little to the other technical means now available for verification. 4) It will become increasingly difficult in the United States to oppose the CTB on the basis of risks that accompany possible Soviet evasion of a treaty that does not include the right of onsite inspection. The opposition to a CTB is now likely to shift to the more direct argument that nuclear testing is important to keep pace with continuing worldwide technical and military developments. The justification for U.S. testing is only in part because of advances in Soviet nuclear technology per se. Those opposing a CTB may argue that it makes little sense, and may even be courting danger, to freeze nuclear technology alone and that banning nuclear tests should await an agreement that copes with all military research and development and all qualitative improvements in weapons systems. This directly confronts the argument that the unique virtue of a CTB is that it provides a simple and feasible first step in the very complicated problems of controlling military technology. 5) The mutual deterrence of the superpowers will not be compromised if a CTB agreement is reached and one side or the other clandestinely violates such an agreement. The state of nuclear technology in both countries is mature, and the destructive capability of their nuclear arsenals can be easily maintained. Whatever small improvements can come as a consequence of clandestine testing would hardly affect the strategic balance. 6) It seems unlikely that China and France will agree to stop testing in the near future. These countries refused to join the nonproliferation treaty, which did not affect their nuclear programs, and it is doubtful that, proceeding from military considerations alone, they would join a CTB. Their nuclear programs are still not mature, and a CTB would freeze their positions of inferiority with respect to the superpowers. There may, however, be wider political and security arrangements to induce them to participate. Cessation of tests by the other nuclear powers might serve as an inducement to China and France to refrain from testing. 7) The key near-nuclear powers, such as Japan, India, and Israel, are much more concerned with the military activities of their neighbors than they are with those of the superpowers. The modest nuclear restraints that a CTB imposes on the superpowers are hardly likely to have a direct impact on the approach of these countries to their own security. However, for these critical near-nuclear countries a CTB may be much more acceptable than the nonproliferation treaty. A CTB would not prohibit the production of fissionable material, the development of nuclear weapons technology short of testing, nor the stockpiling of untested nuclear weapons, and is therefore less restrictive. Consequently, these powers may be willing to ratify a CTB, but not the nonproliferation treaty. On the other hand, the CTB may provide them with a ready excuse for not succumbing to the pressure to ratify the nonproliferation treaty, if indeed they need excuses or would bow to such pressure. 8) A CTB is of very little added, direct significance to other nonnuclear powers who have already ratified or are about to ratify the nonproliferation treaty. It may only lessen their pique about the treaty's being highly discriminatory-the treaty imposes no restraints on the nuclear weapons programs of the nuclear powers, while the CTB restricts all parties to the agreement. 9) Peaceful nuclear explosions do not now show great promise and significance for economic development. What can be done with peaceful explosions can often be done by other means, although possibly at a slightly higher cost. On the other hand, making allowance for peaceful explosions greatly complicates a CTB. A useful approach to the problem of banning military tests but not foregoing indefinitely the use of peaceful explosions might, therefore, be to ban all nuclear explosions for a period of several years and to stipulate in the agreement that in that time there would be negotiations on how peaceful explosions may be controlled in a way that would not jeopardize the CTB. PMID- 17771795 TI - Schlesinger and the AEC: New Sources of Energy. PMID- 17771796 TI - FDA's "Prudence" on Hexachlorophene. PMID- 17771797 TI - Divorce, environmental style? PMID- 17771798 TI - University Women's Rights: Whose Feet Are Dragging? PMID- 17771799 TI - Chemical pollution: polychlorinated biphenyls. PMID- 17771800 TI - Lunar Gravity via Apollo 14 Doppler Radio Tracking. AB - Gravity measurements at high resolution were obtained over a 100-kilometer band from + 70 degrees to -70 degrees of longitude during the orbits of low periapsis altitude (approximately 16 kilometers). The line-of-sight accelerations are plotted on Aeronautical Chart and Information Center mercator charts (scale 1 : 1,000,000) as contours at 10-milligal intervals. Direct correlations between gravity variations and surface features are easily determined. Theophilus, Hipparchus, and Ptolemaeus are negative features, whereas Mare Nectaris is a large positive region. The acceleration profiles over Mare Nectaris are suggestive of a broad disk near the surface rather than a deeply buried spherical body. These data are in good agreement with the short arc of Apollo 12 lunar module descent data. PMID- 17771801 TI - Magma supply rate at kilauea volcano, 1952-1971. AB - The three longest Kilauea eruptions since 1952 produced lava at an overall constant rate of about 9 x 10(6) cubic meters per month (vesicle-free). This is considered to represent the rate of magma supply from a deep source, probably the mantle, because little or no summit deformation indicating high-level storage accompanied any of the three eruptions. PMID- 17771802 TI - Chemical composition of sawdust from lunar rock 12013 and comparison of a java tektite with the rock. AB - Abundances of 11 major and minor elements and 11 trace elements have been determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis of two Apollo 12013 rock fragments, a sample of rock 12013,17 sawdust, and a Java tektite (J2). Although the abundances of major elements in tektite J2 are similar to those of rock 12013, comparison of the minor and trace elements shows that no fragment or sawdust of rock 12013 that has been analyzed to date is chemically similar to tektite glass. Rock sawdust is representative of "whole rock" composition only if the amount of contamination from the sawing process is known. After appropriate correction for saw wire contamination, analyses of sawdust yield fairly accurate averaged elemental compositions of complex clastic lunar and other rocks. PMID- 17771803 TI - Temperature Regulation in the Bumblebee Bombus vagans: A Field Study. AB - Bombus vagans forages for nectar at 5 degrees C in shade and at 31 degrees C in sunshine. The production of heat while the bumblebee is on flowers, at ambient temperatures below 24 degrees C, helps to maintain a thoracic temperature that is near the minimum for flight between flowers. However, at ambient temperatures above 24 degrees C the thoracic temperature is no longer regulated at 32 degrees to 33 degrees C and rises. PMID- 17771804 TI - Interfacial Organisms: Passive Ventilation in the Velocity Gradients near Surfaces. AB - A variety of animals, including certain sponges, tube-dwellinlg worms, tropical termites, and prairie dogs, either are themselves arranged or construct domiciles arranged to permit flow of fluid inside the system driven by a velocity gradient in an external stream of fluid. PMID- 17771805 TI - Pacific science congress. PMID- 17771806 TI - Long-baseline interferometry. PMID- 17771807 TI - Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis treatment. PMID- 17771809 TI - ON SOME RECENT ADVANCES IN THE FIRE-PROOFING TREATMENT OF WOOD. PMID- 17771808 TI - SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: THE ART OF REVELATION AND OF PROPHECY. PMID- 17771810 TI - REFERENCE BOOKS IN NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17771812 TI - THE PHYSIOLOGY OF SEA WATER. PMID- 17771811 TI - 'EFFECTIVE FORCES.'. PMID- 17771813 TI - NOTES ON CANKER AND BLACK-ROT. PMID- 17771815 TI - PALEONTOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17771814 TI - BERTIELLA, NEW NAME FOR THE CESTODE GENUS BERTIA BLANCHARD, 1891. PMID- 17771816 TI - FORESTRY IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. PMID- 17771817 TI - ANTHROPOLOGY IN AMERICA. PMID- 17771818 TI - Erratum. AB - In the cover legend for the issue of 5 February, the second sentence should have read, "Fire is used periodically in the life of pine stands to manipulate understory vegetation and to reduce the risk of wildfire by controlling litter buildup." PMID- 17771819 TI - Fostering national prestige. PMID- 17771820 TI - The other frontiers of science. AB - Frontiers of science are usually considered as those areas where the boundares of human knowledge are being pushed most vigorousl into the unknown. These are the intemal frontiers. But no less important are the external frontiers. Those bordering on the federal govermment, on education, on private industry and on intemational affairs and the developing world are among the most critical and demanding. Some of the outstanding problems facing science, and scientists in these extemal interactions, are discussed within the context of our changing national and international priorities. PMID- 17771822 TI - Reflections on current issues in science and technology. PMID- 17771821 TI - Endolithic microorganisms in the antarctic cold desert. AB - In the frigid desert of the Antarctic dry valleys there are no visible life forms on the surface of the soil or rocks. Yet in certain rock types a narrow subsurface zone has a favorable microclimate and is colonized by microorganisms. Dominant are lichens of unusual organization. They survive not by physiological adaptation to lower temperatures, but by changing their mode of growth, being able to grow between the crystals of porous rocks. Their activity results in mobilization of iron compounds and in rock weatherning with a characteristic pattern of exfoliation. This simple ecosystem lacks both higher consumers and predators. PMID- 17771823 TI - 1981 annual report of the executive officer. PMID- 17771824 TI - The Pope's Science Advisers. PMID- 17771825 TI - Budget tailors education to reagan pattern. PMID- 17771826 TI - Blueprint for new foundation. PMID- 17771827 TI - DOD and University Presidents to Meet. PMID- 17771828 TI - Final draft of classification order. PMID- 17771829 TI - Primate center alive and well. PMID- 17771831 TI - Swinger's Guide to Science. PMID- 17771830 TI - NAS Elects Councilors, New Foreign Secretary. PMID- 17771832 TI - Stanford, NAS Agree on Soviet Scholar. PMID- 17771833 TI - Bubbles upon the River of Time. PMID- 17771834 TI - The main line of defense slips a little. PMID- 17771835 TI - The development of an industry. PMID- 17771836 TI - Science publishing indicators. PMID- 17771837 TI - Thermophysiology. PMID- 17771838 TI - Females as strategists. PMID- 17771839 TI - Neutron stars. PMID- 17771840 TI - Microcolonial fungi: common inhabitants on desert rocks? AB - Microcolonial structures have been harvested from desert rock samples for cultivation and ultrastructural examination. The results indicate that these microcolonial structures are fungi previously unrecognized as inhabitants of desert rocks. PMID- 17771841 TI - Nitrogen oxide reactions in the urban plume of Boston. AB - The rate of removal or conversion of nitrogen oxides has been determined from airborne measurements in the urban plume of Boston. The average pseudo-first order rate constant for removal was 0.18 per hour, with a range of 0.14 to 0.24 per hour under daylight conditions for four study days. The removal process is dominated by chemical conversion to nitric acid and organic nitrates. The removal rate suggests an atmospheric lifetime for nitrogen oxides of about 5 to 6 hours in urban air. PMID- 17771842 TI - Observations of a comet on collision course with the sun. AB - A brilliant new comet (1979 XI: Howard-Koomen-Michels) was discovered in data from the Naval Research Laboratory's orbiting SOLWIND coronagraph. An extensive sequence of pictures, telemetered from the P78-1 satellite, shows the coma, accompanied by a bright and well-developed tail, passing through the coronagraph's field of view at afew million kilometers from the sun. Preliminary orbital calculations based on the observed motion of the comet's head and morphology of the tail indicate that this previously unreported object is a sungrazing comet and may be one of the group of Kreutz sungrazers. It appears from the data that the perihelion distance was less than 1 solar radius, so that the cometary nucleus encountered dense regions of the sun's atmosphere, was completely vaporized, and did not reappear after the time of closest approach to the sun. After this time, however, cometary debris, scattered into the ambient solar wind, caused a brightening of the corona over one solar hemisphere and to heliocentric distances of 5 to 10 solar radii. PMID- 17771843 TI - Delayed light imaging for the early detection of plant stress. AB - Image-intensified photographs of delayed light emission (DLE) from soybean leaves exposed to sulfur dioxide showed evidence of the stress that developed during the exposure period. A comparison of DLE images taken during the fumigation with a conventional photograph taken 5 days later showed a clear correspondence between leaf areas that had the most diminished DLE intensity and those that showed the greatest visible injury. These results suggest that DLE imagery will be a useful tool in the investigation of the spatial distribution and temporal development of plant stress. PMID- 17771844 TI - Phytoplankton division rates in light-limited environments: two adaptations. AB - Red tide-forming dinoflagellates maximize cell numbers during periods of low light intensities in two ways. For short-term exposures to suboptimal light intensities such as might occur during recirculation in frontal convergences, cell division rates can be maintained at the expense of stored carbon for up to two generation times. During longer periods, corresponding to subsurface transport below a pycnocline, cell division rates eventually decrease as a portion of the fixed carbon is diverted to replenishing stored carbon. As a result, maximum rates of cell division can be resumed rapidly upon advection into surface waters where light intensities are optimal for growth. PMID- 17771845 TI - Computer-detected patterns of electroencephalographic delta activity during and after extended sleep. AB - Delta (0.5 to 3 hertz) waves are the electroencephalographic hallmark of human sleep. We measured their rate of production during and following an extended night of sleep. On the extended night, we confirmed previous observations of a linear decline in delta wave production across the first four periods of non rapid-eye-movement (non-REM) sleep. An asymptote was reached in the fifth non-REM period, perhaps signifying that sleep processes reached completion. On the day after the extended night, subjects were allowed to remain awake 3.6 hours less than normal. During the next sleep session, amplitude and number of delta waves in non-REM periods 1 and 3 were significantly reduced. These findings illustrate the value of computer analysis of electroencephalographic waveforms in sleep. Systematic measurement of the amount and distribution of these waveforms as a function of preceding waking duration should provide clues to the kinetics of the metabolic processes underlying sleep. PMID- 17771846 TI - Maternally Inherited Sex Ratio in the Parasitoid Wasp Nasonia vitripennis. AB - Facultative control of the sex ratio has been reported in the wasp Nasonia vitripennis. In a newly wild-eaught strain, females produced few or no male offspring and did not show the usual alterations of sex ratio in response to external conditions. The aberrant trait is inherited through females. PMID- 17771848 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17771847 TI - Estrogen receptors at implantation sites of rat endometrium. PMID- 17771849 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17771850 TI - TECHNOLOGY AND MATERIAL PROGRESS. PMID- 17771851 TI - VITAMIN D IN WHOLE CORN. PMID- 17771852 TI - CRYSTALLINE PEPSIN OF NORTHROP. PMID- 17771853 TI - FORMALIN POISONING. PMID- 17771854 TI - VIABILITY AND RETENTION OF VIRULENCE OF A CULTURE OF CORYNEBACTERIUM DIPHTHERIAE. PMID- 17771855 TI - COLOR. PMID- 17771856 TI - BASKING SHARKS ON THE PACIFIC COAST. PMID- 17771857 TI - THE ORIGIN OF COSMIC RAYS. PMID- 17771858 TI - A HIGH TEMPERATURE ELECTRIC FURNACE AND A MICRO-ADAPTATION. PMID- 17771860 TI - NORTH AMERICAN FRESH-WATER SPONGES. PMID- 17771859 TI - THE STRUCTURE OF GLUCOSE. PMID- 17771861 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17771862 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17771863 TI - New materials: chemistry and physics. PMID- 17771865 TI - Three steps forward, two steps back. PMID- 17771864 TI - In Reply: BEIR V: Implications for the Nuclear Workforce. PMID- 17771866 TI - Stretching the Point: New materials that get fatter--rather than thinner--when they're stretched may have some revolutionary implications. PMID- 17771867 TI - Fish, Money, and Science in Puget Sound: Environmentalists and state officials are going head to head over the potential effects of salmon farming near Seattle. PMID- 17771868 TI - Going where nukies fear to tread. PMID- 17771869 TI - Protecting progress. PMID- 17771870 TI - Layoffs hit draper laboratory. PMID- 17771871 TI - What's in the Bowl? PMID- 17771873 TI - Room at the top. PMID- 17771872 TI - New lease on life for dahlem meetings. PMID- 17771874 TI - Patent court gets first scientist. PMID- 17771875 TI - U.s.-Soviet diabetes project. PMID- 17771876 TI - European weather forecasters get one right. PMID- 17771878 TI - Asking for the Moon: The moon-Mars initiative may or may not fly on Capitol Hill, but NASA wants the scientists on its side. PMID- 17771877 TI - The Children of the STM: The Nobel Prize-winning scanning tunneling microscope has inspired a whole generation of imaging devices that use everything from magnetic forces to sound waves to examine samples. PMID- 17771879 TI - The return of cold dark matter. PMID- 17771880 TI - Solid-state chemistry: a a rediscovered chemical frontier. AB - Chemical bonding in solids is not completely understood, mainly because of the wide variation in the chemical properties of the elements. Many difficult challenges remain in predicting the composition, structure, and the properties of new materials. Consequently, the synthesis of novel solids is as much an art as a science. Discoveries of new compounds and structure types highlight the versatility that nature has allowed with the relatively small number of elements. This article explores the long-term challenges in solid-state chemistry and then focuses on efforts at Cornell to prepare new solids. PMID- 17771881 TI - Structural chemistry and the local charge picture of copper oxide superconductors. AB - The crystal structures of the known copper oxide superconductors are described, with particular emphasis on the manner in which they fall into structural families. The local charge picture, a framework for understanding the influence of chemical composition, stoichiometry, and doping on the electrical properties of complex structures, is also described. PMID- 17771882 TI - Electrides: ionic salts with electrons as the anions. AB - Electrides are ionic compounds that have alkali metal cations complexed by a crown ether or cryptand, with trapped electrons as counterions. The crystal structures and properties of two electrides illustrate the diversity that is encountered. One Cs(+) (18-crown-6)(z)e(-), has relatively isolated, trapped electrons apparently centered at each anionic site. It has a low conductivity consistent with electron localization, with an activation energy for conductivity of at least 0.45 electron volt. The other, K(+) (cryptand[2.2.2])e(-), has electron pairs trapped in an elongated cavity in a singlet ground state, but there is also a thermally accessible paramagnetic state available. This electride is much more conducting, with an activation energy of only 0.02 electron volt. PMID- 17771883 TI - Quantum confinement and host/guest chemistry: probing a new dimension. AB - Nanoparticulate metals and semiconductors that have atomic arrangements at the interface of molecular clusters and "infinite" solid-state arrays of atoms have distinctive properties determined by the extent of confinement of highly delocalized valence electrons. At this interface, the total number of atoms and the geometrical disposition of each atom can be used to significantly modify the electronic and photonic response of the medium. In addition to teh novel inherent physical properties of the quantum-confined moieties, their "packaging" into nanocomposite bulk materials can be used to define the confinement surface states and environment, intercluster interactions, the quantum-confinement geometry, and the effective charge-carrier density of the bulk. Current approaches for generating nanostructures of conducting materials are briefly reviewed, especially the use of three-dimensional crystalline superlattices as hosts for quantum-confined semiconductor atom arrays (such as quantum wires and dots) with controlled inter-quantum-structure tunneling. PMID- 17771884 TI - All-optical nonlinearities in organics. AB - Recognition that organic solids possess some of the largest all-optical nonlinearities of all known materials has resulted in an interdisciplinary effort directed at both the basic understanding and exploitation of these effects. Parallel efforts on ionrganic semiconductors have already reached a mature stage whereby the origin of the effects, together with the prospects for device applications, are well known and appreciated. In this article, a unified picture of nonlinear optical phenomena in both classes of materials is presented. The specific implications for organic-based optical devices are discussed. PMID- 17771885 TI - Current issues and problems in the chemical vapor deposition of diamond. AB - Current issues and problems in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of diamond are those which relate to its characterization, its nucleation on foreign surfaces, the question of its formation in preference to the other phases of solid carbon (for example, graphite, chaoite, or lonsdaleite), why different morphologies and crystallographic orientations (textures) are seen in different experiments or with different parameters in the same experiment, and finally whether well crystallized metastable phases can be obtained by CVD in other material systems or are only a peculiarity of carbon chemistry. Whether a given carbon coating is justly described as diamond has been such an issue, and coatings should clearly show evidence for diamond by x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy before the claim of diamond is made. Experimental results have not been consistent in many cases, and much work remains to be done before an accurate assessment can be made of the technological impact of the development. PMID- 17771886 TI - Precision Lattice-Parameter Determination of (Mg,Fe)SiO3 Tetragonal Garnets. AB - The tetragonal garnet (Mg,Fe)SiO(3) is a high-pressure phase of pyroxene that is thought to be a major constituent of the earth's upper mantle. Its crystal structure is similar to that of cubic garnet, but it is slightly distorted to tetragonal symmetry so that its x-ray powder diffraction pattern shows a very small line splitting. A suite of tetragonal garnets with different compositions in the MgSiO(3)-rich portion of the MgSiO(3)-FeSiO(3) system was synthesized at about 20 gigapascals and 2000 degrees C. The lattice parameters a and c of quenched samples were determined by whole-powder-pattern decomposition analysis of Fe Kalpha x-ray powder diffraction data, which has the capacity to resolve to a high degree heavily overlapping reflections. It was found that the lattice parameters can be obtained from the following equations; a (in angstroms) = 11.516 + 0.088x and c (in angstroms) = 11.428 + 0.157x, where x, teh mole fraction of FeSiO(3), is 0.0 3.5 A diameter) through controlled redoping of the polymer. The permanent morphological changes induced in this conjugated polymer system and others indicate the potential for development of universal membranes for gas separations. PMID- 17772914 TI - A room-temperature molecular/organic-based magnet. AB - The reaction of bis(benzene)vanadium with tetracyanoethylene, TCNE, affords an insoluble amorphous black solid that exhibits field-dependent magnetization and hysteresis at room temperature. The critical temperature could not be estimated as it exceeds 350 kelvin, the thermal decomposition temperature of the sample. The empirical composition of the reported material is V(TCNE)x.Y(CH(2)Cl(2)) with x approximately 2 and Y approximately 1/2. On the basis of the available magnetic and infrared data, threedimensional antiferromagnetic exchange of the donor and acceptor spins resulting in ferrimagnetic behavior appears to be the mode of magnetic coupling. PMID- 17772915 TI - Electronic States of KxC60: Insulating, Metallic, and Superconducting Character. AB - The recent report of electrical conductivity in the alkali metal fullerides and the discovery of superconductivity at 18 K for KxC(60) has raised fundamental questions about the electronic states on either side of the Fermi level, their occupancy with K intercalation, and the mechanism of superconductivity. Direct photoemission evidence is presented of filling of bands derived from the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital as a function of K incorporation for the metallic and insulating phases. This filling is not rigid band-like, and it reflects disorder in the K sites. Theoretical analysis indicates that KxC(60) is a strong coupling superconductor, and we suggest that the enhanced electron-phonon interaction is related to the unique hybridization of the C sp-derived states. PMID- 17772916 TI - Photoemission Spectra and Electronic Properties of KxC60. AB - Photoemission spectra of vacuum deposited layers of C(60), before and after exposure to K vapor, show that the K donates its conduction electron into the band derived from the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. A compound with composition of K(3)C(60), corresponding to the maximum conductivity, has been prepared. In it the potassium atoms presumably occupy both the octahedral and the two tetrahedral interstitial sites of the face-centered-cubic (fcc) C(60) structure. PMID- 17772917 TI - Molecular beam scattering from liquid surfaces. AB - By means of controlled collisions of atoms and molecules with liquid surfaces, molecular beam experiments can be used to probe how gases stick to, rebound from, and exchange energy with molecules in the liquid phase. This report describes measurements of energy exchange in collisions between gases (neon, xenon, and sulfur hexafluoride) and polyatomic liquids (squalane and perfluoropolyether). Energy transfer depends critically on liquid composition and is more efficient for the hydrocarbon than for the perfluorinated ether. PMID- 17772919 TI - An exuberance of life. PMID- 17772918 TI - New immigrants. PMID- 17772920 TI - Structure of chromosomes. PMID- 17772921 TI - The taxa of dinosaurs. PMID- 17772922 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17772924 TI - THE WORK OF THE BUREAU OF GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES, OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. PMID- 17772923 TI - DOES A TECHNICAL COURSE EDUCATE? PMID- 17772925 TI - A CASE OF PLAGIARISM. PMID- 17772926 TI - THE ASCENT OF WATER IN TREES. PMID- 17772927 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17772928 TI - FIELD WORK FOR 1904 OF THE DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17772929 TI - BARON TOLL. PMID- 17772930 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17772931 TI - SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND SOCIAL RELATIONS. PMID- 17772932 TI - THE AGE OF METEOR CRATER. PMID- 17772933 TI - ST. CROIX'S RAINIEST YEAR CAUSES AN EPIDEMIC OF MALARIA. PMID- 17772935 TI - EFFECT OF AN IODIDE FERTILIZER ON IODINE CONTENT OF A FOOD PLANT. PMID- 17772934 TI - THE THOMAS SAY FOUNDATION GETS UNDER WAY. PMID- 17772936 TI - LIMESTONE CAVERNS. PMID- 17772937 TI - BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AT ATLANTIC CITY. PMID- 17772938 TI - PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE ANN ARBOR MEETING. III. PMID- 17772939 TI - A DELTA METHOD FOR STUDYING MICROSCOPIC SEDIMENTS. PMID- 17772941 TI - A NEW USE FOR CELLOPHANE. PMID- 17772940 TI - A NEW MEDIUM FOR BAS-RELIEF MOLDS. PMID- 17772942 TI - THE OCCURRENCE OF THE PARALYTIC SHELL-FISH POISON IN THE COMMON SAND CRAB. PMID- 17772944 TI - GALILEO, THE PHYSICIST. PMID- 17772943 TI - THE OCCURRENCE OF MOTTLED TEETH IN IOWA. PMID- 17772945 TI - FACTS AND FICTION ABOUT CROPS. PMID- 17772946 TI - THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AND PRESIDENT WILSON. PMID- 17772947 TI - A SIMPLE FORMULA FOR COMPUTING GYROSCOPIC FORCES IN AN AEROPLANE. PMID- 17772948 TI - FUR-BEARING MAMMALS: AN UNAPPRECIATED NATURAL RESOURCE. PMID- 17772949 TI - THE WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. SUMNER. PMID- 17772950 TI - TO WHOM IS THE ACADEMIC COSTUME WORTH WHILE? PMID- 17772951 TI - LEST WE FORGET. PMID- 17772952 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17772953 TI - SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF VARIETY TESTS. PMID- 17772954 TI - ON THE METAMORPHOSIS OF AN AMOEligBA, VAHLKAMPFIA SP., INTO FLAGELLATES AND VICE VERSA. PMID- 17772956 TI - The Venus Mission. PMID- 17772955 TI - THE ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17772957 TI - The Dollar and the International Monetary System: Greater liquidity of free-world resources in times of pressure would help solve the dollar problem. PMID- 17772958 TI - The Chemical Bond Approach Course in the Classroom: A 3-year evaluation shows that the course is within the capabilities of high school students. PMID- 17772959 TI - What Is To Be the Function of the Section on Statistics?: In formulating its plans and purposes a new scholarly group must consider activities of existing societies. PMID- 17772960 TI - Supersonic Transport: Next Step in Civil Aviation Is a Difficult One. PMID- 17772962 TI - Fermi Award: AEC Honors Teller for Contributions to Nuclear Science. PMID- 17772961 TI - Education: New U.S. Commissioner Gets a Stronger Hand. PMID- 17772963 TI - Solar Plasma Experiment. AB - A preliminary summary of the data received from the Mariner II solar plasma experiment for the period 29 August through 31 October 1962 is presented. During this period there was always a measurable flow of plasma from the direction of the sun. The velocity of this ion motion was generally in the range 400 to 700 km/sec. Time variations, plasma density, and ion temperatures are also discussed. PMID- 17772964 TI - The Mission of Mariner II: Preliminary Observations Profile of Events. PMID- 17772965 TI - The Iowa Radiation Experiment. PMID- 17772966 TI - Cosmic Dust. PMID- 17772967 TI - Interplanetary Magnetic Fields. AB - Preliminary analysis of Mariner II magnetometer data indicates a persistent interplanetary field varying between a least 2 and 10 gamma (1gamma = 10(-5) gauss). The interplanetary field appears to lie mainly in the ecliptic plane, although there is a substantial, fluctuating, transverse component. The Mariner II data agree reasonably well with the prior Pioneer V observations. Typically, variations as large as 5 to 10 gamma in the field component radial from the sun are measured. Correlations with the Mariner II plasma measurements have been observed. PMID- 17772968 TI - Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: Its Effects on a Male Asiatic Elephant. PMID- 17772969 TI - Antarctica: The Microbiology of an Unfrozen Saline Pond. AB - A saline pond in a region in Antarctia where other lakes and ponds are frozen remains unfrozen at the prevailing low temperatures. The ecology of the pond is unique. A distinctive aerobic microbial population, though restricted to this natural habitat, adapts to growth in artificial culture. The growth habit of these organisms, as seen in nature and in laboratory culture, indicates a possible relationship between growth at high salt concentration, at low temperatures, and in media of low organic content. PMID- 17772970 TI - 129th Annual Meeting Philadelphia 26-30 December. PMID- 17772971 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17772972 TI - Instrumentation. PMID- 17772974 TI - Flow through a Permeable Membrane. PMID- 17772973 TI - Time Dilatation. PMID- 17772975 TI - "Grantitis". PMID- 17772976 TI - Tenate and Dialysate. PMID- 17772978 TI - Iodine-131 Levels in Milk. PMID- 17772977 TI - Delayed Hypersensitivity. PMID- 17772979 TI - Life on Mars. PMID- 17772981 TI - THE MECHANICS OF MACHINERY. PMID- 17772980 TI - ABSTRACT OF THE RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION OF THE CHARLESTON EARTHQUAKE. PMID- 17772982 TI - WAGNER'S ANNUAL REPORT ON THE PROGRESS OF GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17772983 TI - A MODEL FOR AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS. PMID- 17772984 TI - GENOMICS: Building a Case for Sequencing the Chimp. AB - First came humans, then mice and, most recently, rats (see next story). Now, in a letter to Science on page 1295, a group of geneticists, anthropologists, and molecular evolutionists says top priority should be given to sequencing the genome of a nonhuman primate, the chimp. PMID- 17772985 TI - GENOMICS: Rat Genome Off to an Early Start. AB - The National Human Genome Research Institute has jump-started efforts to determine the order of the roughly 3 billion bases in the rat genome. The original plan had been to wait for funding, expected in fiscal year 2001. Instead, two of the 10 centers involved in sequencing the mouse genome are shifting to the rat now. PMID- 17772986 TI - NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY: Element 107 Leaves the Table Unturned. AB - This week, an international team of chemists reported on the first successful analysis of the chemical properties of bohrium, element 107. The results matched predictions, postponing scientists' hopes of seeing interesting deviations from theory among ultraheavy elements. PMID- 17772987 TI - PALEONTOLOGY: Team Rejects Claim of Early Indian Fossils. AB - A team of Indian paleontologists has failed to find evidence to support a 1998 paper that cast doubt on the earliest claimed dates for the origin of animals. The discovery, if true, would also have made the Vindhyan Mountains, where the fossils were found, much younger than previously thought. PMID- 17772988 TI - NEUROSCIENCE: Synapses Shout to Overcome Distance. AB - How do you make yourself heard if you are standing far from the fray? If you are a synapse, like a human, you shout. So says new research published in the September issue of Nature Neuroscience, answering a question that has perplexed neuroscientists for decades: namely, how a message delivered at a synapse far from the cell body--which must fade as it travels through the cell--can make itself heard above the din of messages picked up by close-in synapses. PMID- 17772989 TI - ECONOMICS: 'To Your Health' Is More Than a Toast to Economists. AB - Whereas growth accountants use standard monetary measures of return on investment to estimate information technology's impact on productivity, those who study the country's $45 billion annual investment in biomedicine tend to talk instead about "the social rate of return." In health, they argue, the coin of the realm is having a longer, more comfortable life. Two reports released last May conclude that this return is huge-in some cases, more than $20 for every dollar invested. PMID- 17772990 TI - ECOLOGY: When Do Many Species Matter? AB - Ecologists agree that experimental plots of grasses are sometimes more productive when they harbor more species. But some disagree passionately about whether it matters--in other words, whether this proves that biodiversity is critical to ecosystem health (see main text). PMID- 17772991 TI - NASA's Living with a Star Initiative. PMID- 17772992 TI - URBAN ECOLOGY: Saving Venice. AB - This commentary considers how science and public policy relate to one another at a critical juncture in the effort to save Venice. Records for the last century show that flooding due to exceptionally high tides is a worsening phenomenon. As a solution, there are plans to build a system of mobile flood gates at the inlets to the Venetian lagoon. The authors consider previous impact studies to be flawed in light of new knowledge about the trend in relative sea level and the prospect of global warming. They conclude that the gate project will not pass the test of time. PMID- 17772993 TI - THE ELECTRICAL STRUCTURE OF MATTER. PMID- 17772994 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17772995 TI - PHOSPHATE BEHAVIOR IN SOILS. PMID- 17772996 TI - CONCERNING TUNNIES AND ALBACORES. PMID- 17772998 TI - COMMITTEE ON LUMINESCENCE. PMID- 17772997 TI - ULTRAMICROSCOPICALLY OBSERVABLE FLOURESCENCE. PMID- 17773000 TI - WIRE-ROPE TRAMWAYS. PMID- 17772999 TI - NEW HAMPSHIRE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773001 TI - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS. PMID- 17773002 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17773003 TI - FLOODS AND THEIR RESULTS FROM A SANITARY STANDPOINT. PMID- 17773005 TI - THE ELECTRICAL PHENOAIENA OF THE HUMAN HEART. PMID- 17773004 TI - THE HEALTH OF LONDON IN 1889. PMID- 17773006 TI - DOES SALTING MEAT DESTROY BACTERIA? PMID- 17773007 TI - ACTION OF THE LIVER ON POISONS. PMID- 17773008 TI - BURIAL REFORM IN ENGLAND. PMID- 17773009 TI - The Grippe and Cholera. PMID- 17773010 TI - A CURIOUS MENTAL TRAIT. PMID- 17773012 TI - MENTAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17773011 TI - CHOLERA AND EUROPE. PMID- 17773013 TI - THE PALEONTOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF ACQUIRED CHARACTERS. PMID- 17773015 TI - Supposed Aboriginal Fish-Weirs in Naaman's Creek, near Claymont, Del. PMID- 17773014 TI - AMERICAN ARCHIVES IN SEVILLE. PMID- 17773016 TI - Oscillations of Lakes (Seiches). PMID- 17773017 TI - Multinational corporations. PMID- 17773018 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17773019 TI - Copernican observations. PMID- 17773020 TI - Aid to indochina. PMID- 17773021 TI - Tar sand technology. PMID- 17773022 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17773023 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17773024 TI - Cancer and adventists. PMID- 17773025 TI - Homogenized milk and atherosclerosis. PMID- 17773026 TI - The "relevance" of basic science. PMID- 17773027 TI - No easy way out of energy crisis. PMID- 17773028 TI - Coal and the Present Energy Situation: Abundant coal reserves can be used to alleviate the oil and gas shortage. AB - To summarize, we must make greater use of coal, an energy resource that the nation has in great abundance, if we are to approach our former position of self sufficiency in energy production. The first step is to move immediately to replace the oil and gas used in electric generating plants with coal and to require that coal be used in fossil fuel electric plants planned or under construction in the next few years. The technology to remove sulfur and particulates from the stack gases is at hand, and therefore environmental regulations can be met. Producing and transporting the required increased tonnages of coal are problems that can be met with appropriate incentives to the coal and transportation industries. Improved mining technology would be helpful but is not a requiremlent. Oil and gas from coal should be in significant commercial production in about a decade. Underground, or in situ, gasification of coal, now in field tests, looks promising as a practical process for recovering the energy from coal, especially in deep or thick beds that cannot be mined efficiently. Recoverable methane occurs in coal beds in the United States in an amount approximately equal to the total reserves of natural gas-about 260 trillion cubic feet. This large reserve of natural gas should be exploited as quickly as possible. Only minor investments in exploration and modest advances in technology are required. Finally, as coal production is expanded. adequate planning and the most modern technology should be used to ensure that coal is extracted with maximum recovery and with minimum damage to the environment. PMID- 17773029 TI - How Big Is a Chunk?: By combining data from several experiments, a basic human memory unit can be identified and measured. AB - I have explored some of the interactions between research on higher mental processes over the past decade or two and laboratory experiments on simpler cognitive processes. I have shown that, by viewing experimentation in a parameter estimating paradigm instead of a hypothesis-testing paradigm, one can obtain much more information from experiments-information that, combined with contemporary theoretical models of the cognitive processes, has implications for human performance on tasks quite different from those of the original experiments. The work of identifying and measuring the basic parameters of the human information processing system has just begun, but already important information has been gained. The psychological reality of the chunk has been fairly well demonstrated, and the chunk capacity of short-term memory has been shown to be in the range of five to seven. Fixation of information in longterm memory has been shown to take about 5 or 10 seconds per chunk. Some other "magical numbers" have been estimated for example, visual scanning speeds and times required for simple grammatical transformations-and no doubt others remain to be discovered. But even the two basic constants discussed in this article-short-term memory capacity and rate of fixation in long-term memory-organize, systematize, and explain a wide range of findings, about both simple tasks and more complex cognitive performances that have been reported in the psychological literature over the past 50 years or more. PMID- 17773031 TI - An invitation for suggestions on candidates. PMID- 17773030 TI - Eradicating the boll weevil: would it be a no-win war? PMID- 17773032 TI - Vice president ford hears scientists' concerns. PMID- 17773033 TI - A new look at federal science. PMID- 17773034 TI - Proxmire Hits NSF Research Priorities, Funding Flexibility. PMID- 17773035 TI - Computer sales to u.s.s.R.: critics look for quid pro quos. PMID- 17773036 TI - Manganese nodules (I): mineral resources on the deep seabed. PMID- 17773037 TI - Slaty cleavage: incipient occurrences in the deep sea. AB - Highly deformed Pleistocene mudstones from the inner wall of the Aleutian Trench and from the continental rise of the Gulf of Mexico show incipient slaty cleavage defined by the orientation of platy and elongate detrital minerals parallel to the axial surfaces of folds. PMID- 17773038 TI - The brunhes epoch: isotopic paleotemperatures and geochronology. AB - Oxygent isotopic analysis of a long piston core from the western equatorial Pacific has produced a record for the entire Brunhes epoch. This record can be correlated point by point with the isotopic records of previously analyzed Atlantic and Caribbean cores, leading to the construction of a generalized temperature curve for the entire Brunhes epoch. PMID- 17773039 TI - Transvaal Stromatolite: First Evidence for the Diversification of Cells about 2.2 x 109 Years Ago. AB - The well-preserved fossil remnants of filamentous blue-green algae have been found in petrographic thin sections of a dolomitic limestone stromatolite in the Transvaal Sequence of South Africa. Some of these filaments contain enlarged cells which are interpreted as akinetes. A new species and genus, Petraphera vivescenticula, is proposed for this microfossil, which is morphologically similar to the living cyanophyte genus Raphidiopsis. This would constitute the first known occurrence of cell diversification in the Precambrian with an age of about 2.2 x 10(9) years. PMID- 17773040 TI - Protodolomite Synthesis at 100{degrees}C and Atmospheric Pressure. AB - Ordered protodolomite, CaMg(CO(3))(2), has been synthesized at 100 degrees C by reaction of metastable precipitated carbonates with aqueous magnesium-bearing solutions. Initial reaction products have expanded crystallographic cells, attributed to the presence of structural water. Longer reaction time produces a protodolomite approaching ideal composition and exhibiting order reflections in x ray powder. PMID- 17773041 TI - Phosphate Absorption Capacity and Acclimation Potential in Plants along a Latitudinal Gradient. AB - The capacity for phosphate absorption by marsh plants is negatively correlated with the soil temperature of the habitat of origin. Species and races from thermally fluctuating environments achieve greater compensatory changes in the phosphate absorption rate through temperature acclimation than their counterparts from more stable environments. PMID- 17773042 TI - Biosynthesis of agr-Ecdysone by Prothoracic Glands in vitro. AB - An in vitro study in which isolated prothoracic glands of the Bombyx silkworm were cultured has provided definite evidence that the prothoracic gland is the site where molting hormone is synthesized. The hormone behaved very similarly to free ecdysone on thin-layer chromatography. Analysis by liquid chromatography and mass fragmentography revealed that the hormone is identical with alpha-ecdysone. PMID- 17773043 TI - Torpor in an andean hummingbird: its ecological significance. AB - Field studies on an Andean hummingbird showed that nocturnal torpor occurs more frequently and lasts longer in the winter. Energy depletion does not seem to cause this yearly torpor cycle, and a photoperiodically controlled rhythm that enables the birds to automatically conserve energy in early evening for possible metabolic expenditures required later in the winter night is suggested. PMID- 17773044 TI - Bumblebee ocelli and navigation at dusk. AB - Western bumblebees fly straight while homing by polarized light, but zigzag when they use landmarks. That flight difference was used to determine the roles of the dorsal ocelli and parts of the compound eyes in homing. Polarized light and ocelli can prolong foraging at twilight, when landmarks are no longer visible. PMID- 17773046 TI - Literature. PMID- 17773045 TI - Lead in seawater. PMID- 17773047 TI - Electron microscopy tissue processor. PMID- 17773048 TI - Photomicrographic camera. PMID- 17773049 TI - Salt water aquaria. PMID- 17773051 TI - Column packing material. PMID- 17773050 TI - Thin-layer chromatography. PMID- 17773052 TI - Quantum sensors. PMID- 17773053 TI - Annular stills. PMID- 17773054 TI - BIOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY. PMID- 17773055 TI - THE BRITISH COMMISSION ON THE DEPRESSION OF TRADE. PMID- 17773056 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17773057 TI - THE SPONTANEOUS HEATING AND IGNITION OF HAY AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. PMID- 17773058 TI - BREAD QUALITY OF WHEAT PRODUCED IN AQUEOUS CULTURE MEDIA. PMID- 17773059 TI - IS IT "FAIR TO SAY THAT HOOKWORM DISEASE HAS ALMOST DISAPPEARED FROM THE UNITED STATES?". PMID- 17773060 TI - THE AGE OF METEOR CRATER. PMID- 17773061 TI - CAN A PUBLICATION BE CAMOUFLAGED? PMID- 17773062 TI - THE EARLIEST DATED DWELLING IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17773063 TI - THORNDIKE'S PROOF OF THE LAW OF EFFECT. PMID- 17773064 TI - A HOME-MADE ELECTRICALLY-DRIVEN PSYCHROMETER. PMID- 17773065 TI - THE CURRENT ROTOR. PMID- 17773067 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17773066 TI - CHEMISTRY IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17773068 TI - ELECTRIFICATION OF AIR BY RONTGEN RAYS. PMID- 17773070 TI - MODERN ARMY RIFLES. PMID- 17773069 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17773071 TI - A NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773073 TI - THE METEOROLOGICAL CONFERENCE AT PARIS. PMID- 17773072 TI - THE JURASSIC WEALDEN (TITHONIAN) OF ENGLAND. PMID- 17773074 TI - COMPLIMENT OR PLAGIARISM. PMID- 17773075 TI - GLOSSOPHAGA TRUEI. PMID- 17773076 TI - THE STUDY OF FEAR. PMID- 17773077 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17773078 TI - Hybrid corn. PMID- 17773079 TI - Education and human resources at the national science foundation. PMID- 17773081 TI - Electricity use. PMID- 17773080 TI - "Life" in an abstract world. PMID- 17773082 TI - The old puritanism? PMID- 17773083 TI - "Purposeful" evolution. PMID- 17773084 TI - Affordability of science. PMID- 17773085 TI - Bloch Leaves NSF in Mainstream: Departing National Science Foundation Director Erich Bloch propelled the agency out of the ivory tower and into the national political fray--but at what cost? PMID- 17773086 TI - Leadership with an industrial flavor. PMID- 17773087 TI - Magnet lab: science to the highest bidder? PMID- 17773088 TI - Greens make physicists see red. PMID- 17773090 TI - DOE Delays Reporting the Cost of the SSC. PMID- 17773089 TI - Harvard trades debt for scholars. PMID- 17773091 TI - Good times for santa fe think tank. PMID- 17773092 TI - Sellers' market looms for professors. PMID- 17773093 TI - Cold unit takes a powder. PMID- 17773094 TI - Economist to Head IIASA. PMID- 17773095 TI - Lizzie, queen of scots. PMID- 17773096 TI - Ocean video. PMID- 17773097 TI - A New Wave in Applied Mathematics: A technique called wavelets may upstage Fourier analysis in a multitude of applications--from CAT scanning to locating subs. PMID- 17773098 TI - Worse news for the bay area. PMID- 17773099 TI - After Loma Prieta, Uncertainty Remains: The forecasting of last fall's Loma Prieta earthquake has reemphasized the vagaries of quake prediction. PMID- 17773100 TI - Hot young stars. PMID- 17773101 TI - Putting SQUIDs to Work: Researchers are learning how to tailor the intransigent high-temperature superconductors into useful structures. PMID- 17773102 TI - Quaternary deepwater paleoceanography. AB - During the past decade, geochemical paleoceanographers have begun to explore the changes in the circulation of the deep ocean that occurred during the glacial interglacial cycles of the earth's recent history. The deep ocean was significantly colder during the glacial maximum. The distributions of biologically utilized elements (such as carbon and phosphorus) were significantly different as well; higher concentrations of these elements occurred in the deep (>2500 meters depth) North Atlantic, and lower concentrations occurred in the upper (<2500 meters depth) waters of the North Atlantic and possibly in all of the major ocean basins. In contrast, relatively subtle changes have been observed in the radiocarbon ages of deep waters. Slow deepwater changes are statistically linked to variations in the earth's orbit, but rapid changes in deepwater circulation also have occurred. Deepwater chemistry and circulation changes may control the variability in atmospheric CO(2) levels that have been documented from studies of air bubbles in polar ice cores. PMID- 17773103 TI - Seeing phenomena in flatland: studies of monolayers by fluorescence microscopy. AB - Monolayers formed at the interface between air and water can be seen with fluorescence microscopy. This allows the phase behavior of these monolayers to be determined by direct observation and opens up the possibility of following the kinetics of phase transformations in two-dimensional systems. Some unexpected morphologies have been discovered that provide information about the nature of monolayer phases and have connections to pattern formation in other systems. PMID- 17773104 TI - Ungrouped iron meteorites in antarctica: origin of anomalously high abundance. AB - Eighty-five percent of the iron meteorites collected outside Antarctica are assigned to 13 compositionaily and structurally defined groups; the remaining 15 percent are ungrouped. Of the 31 iron meteorites recovered from Antarctica, 39 percent are ungrouped. This major difference in the two sets is almost certainly not a stochastic variation, a latitudinal effect, or an effect associated with differences in terrestrial ages. It seems to be related to the median mass of Antarctic irons, which is about 1/100 that of non-Antarctic irons. During impacts on asteroids, smaller fragments tend to be ejected into space at higher velocities than larger fragments, and, on average, small meteoroids have undergone more changes in orbital velocity than large ones. As a result, the set of asteroids that contributes small meteoroids to Earth-crossing orbits is larger than the set that contributes large meteoroids. Most small iron meteorites may escape from the asteroid belt as a result of impact-induced changes in velocity that reduce their perihelia to values less than the aphelion of Mars. PMID- 17773105 TI - Endogenous reproductive rhythms in a tropical bird. AB - Like other tropical birds, African stonechats breeding at the equator reproduce once a year during the main rainy season and subsequently carry out a complete molt. These two activities are controlled by endogenous circannual mechanisms: in stonechats held in constant conditions of photoperiod and temperature, a rhythm of gonadal size and molt persisted for up to 7.5 years, which would be a lifetime for free-living conspecifics. The fact that the period of these rhythms deviated from 12 months demonstrates their true endogenous nature. The results represent the longest circannual reproductive rhythm yet documented and suggest that circannual mechanisms may be of particular importance for reproductive timing in tropical organisms. PMID- 17773106 TI - Monte Verde. A Late Pleistocene Settlement in Chile. Vol. 1, Palaeoenvironment and Site Context. Tom D. Dillehay. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 1989. xxiv, 306 pp., illus. $49.95. Smithsonian Series in Archaeological Inquiry. PMID- 17773107 TI - Dirac. A Scientific Biography. Helge Kragh. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1990. x, 389 pp., illus. $44.50. PMID- 17773108 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17773109 TI - THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS AT KEW. PMID- 17773110 TI - ABSORPTION IN VERTEBRATE INTESTINAL CELLS. PMID- 17773112 TI - A REPLY TO MR. MARLATT'S ARTICLE ON SOURCES OF ERROR IN RECENT WORK ON COCCIDae. PMID- 17773111 TI - BODY BLIGHT OF PEAR TREES. PMID- 17773113 TI - FORMATION OF CUMULUS CLOUDS OVER A FIRE. PMID- 17773114 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17773115 TI - POT-HOLE VS. REMOLINO. PMID- 17773116 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17773117 TI - SIR WILLIAM FLOWER. PMID- 17773118 TI - TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEY OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17773119 TI - AMERICAN NEUROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17773120 TI - EXPLORATION AND TRAVEL. PMID- 17773121 TI - Mean Heights and Body Temperatures of the Eskimo in Hudson Strait. PMID- 17773122 TI - The Dermo-Tensor Patagii Muscle. PMID- 17773123 TI - Chrome considered as a Poison. PMID- 17773124 TI - Distillery-Swill as a Food for Milch-Cows. PMID- 17773125 TI - ROBIN'S NEST. PMID- 17773126 TI - Tornado Force. PMID- 17773127 TI - State Interference. PMID- 17773129 TI - BIOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17773128 TI - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. PMID- 17773130 TI - THE ADMISSION OF STUDENTS TO COLLEGE BY CERTIFICATE. PMID- 17773131 TI - THE NEEDS OF SCIENTIFIC MEN. PMID- 17773132 TI - THE EDITORSHIP OF THE ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL. PMID- 17773133 TI - A FOOTNOTE TO THE ANCESTRAL HISTORY OF THE VERTEBRATE BRAIN. PMID- 17773135 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17773134 TI - THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTIGATIONS OF SEEDLING STAGES. PMID- 17773136 TI - RECENT VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY. PMID- 17773137 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17773138 TI - PASTEUR AND HYDROPHOBIA. PMID- 17773140 TI - AESTIVATION OF MAMMALS, WHAT IS IT? PMID- 17773139 TI - THE BURMAN DISPUTE. PMID- 17773141 TI - DOOLITTLE'S PRACTICAL ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17773142 TI - THE LIFE OF GEN. EMORY UPTON. PMID- 17773143 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17773144 TI - MEXICAN ETHNOLOGY. PMID- 17773145 TI - The care of pamphlets. PMID- 17773146 TI - The swindling geologist. PMID- 17773147 TI - Calendar reform. PMID- 17773148 TI - Star catalogues. PMID- 17773149 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED IN THE SCIENCES BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES IN 1921. PMID- 17773150 TI - THE ORGANIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE. PMID- 17773151 TI - AMERICAN BIOLOGICAL STAINS COMPARED WITH THOSE OF GRUBLER. PMID- 17773153 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17773152 TI - HAVE THE STREAMS OF LONG ISLAND BEEN DEFLECTED BY THE EARTH'S ROTATION? PMID- 17773154 TI - NEW DISCUSSION OF TEMPERATURES IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17773155 TI - ATOMIC NUCLEI. PMID- 17773156 TI - ECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION ALONG THE RED RIVER. PMID- 17773157 TI - LEGISLATION TO SUPPRESS TRUTH. PMID- 17773158 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF NON-DISJUNCTION BY X-RAYS. PMID- 17773159 TI - REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-TREASURER OF THE PACIFIC DIVISION FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR ENDING. PMID- 17773160 TI - THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17773162 TI - FISH NAMES, ANCIENT AND MODERN, AND EARLY ILLUSTRATIONS OF FISHES. PMID- 17773161 TI - PLANT ECOLOGY AND ITS RELATION TO AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17773163 TI - THE PUBLICATION OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PMID- 17773165 TI - MAN AND THE ANTHROPOID. PMID- 17773164 TI - POPULAR SCIENCE. PMID- 17773166 TI - WHAT SUBSTANCE IS THE SOURCE OF THE LIGHT IN THE FIREFLY? PMID- 17773168 TI - THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. II. PMID- 17773167 TI - INOCULATIONS ON RIBES WITH CRONARTIUM RIBICOLA FISCHER. PMID- 17773169 TI - United Nations Research Laboratories. PMID- 17773170 TI - The Chaotic University. PMID- 17773171 TI - The Question of Plasmagenes. PMID- 17773172 TI - The Committee on Foreign Compendia. PMID- 17773173 TI - On the Application of Harmonic Analysis to Ocean Wave Research. PMID- 17773174 TI - Incidence of Rh. Negative Reactors among Chinese. PMID- 17773175 TI - On the Application of Harmonic Analysis to Ocean Wave Research. PMID- 17773176 TI - Understanding Man's Behavior. PMID- 17773177 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17773178 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17773180 TI - Spectacular jaw. PMID- 17773179 TI - Research Grant Evaluation at NIH. PMID- 17773181 TI - New initiatives in technology. PMID- 17773183 TI - After the pentagon papers: talk with kistiakowsky, wiesner. PMID- 17773182 TI - Current physics information. AB - A new concept in science communication will be given its first test in calendar year 1972. Primary and secondary contents of a selected subset of the world's journal literature in physics will be provided in a variety of output formats. Among them are a monthly microfilm containing the full texts of all articles in the set of journals (Current Physics Microform); an advance abstracts journal describing the articles (Current Physics Advance Abstracts); a printed, classified index of the titles of the articles (Current Physics Titles); and a computer tape index to the articles (Searchable Physics Information Notices). PMID- 17773184 TI - Institute of medicine: broad-spectrum prescription. PMID- 17773185 TI - Joint irresolution. PMID- 17773186 TI - AEC Transmutation. PMID- 17773187 TI - Second NAS Member Resigns. PMID- 17773188 TI - Nuclear physics: does competition breed a monstrous game? PMID- 17773189 TI - Molecular biology: gene insertion into Mammalian cells. PMID- 17773190 TI - Jupiter: an unidentified feature in the 5-micron spectrum of the north equatorial belt. AB - Grating spectra of the North Equatorial Belt of Jupiter 4.5 and 5.1 microns, obtained with a nominal resolving power of 180, are presented. An absorption feature centered at 4.73 microns and not due to a known constituent has been found. Its possible identification is discussed. PMID- 17773191 TI - Particle Formation during Water-Vapor Photolysis. AB - Micrometer-sized particles have been produced by the photolysis of water vapor at wavelengths between 1500 and 1700 angstroms. Although the composition of the particles was not determined, the rate of particle production is consistent with the efficient conversion of water photolysis products to particulate matter. Such a process may be of importance in planetary atmospheres. PMID- 17773192 TI - Mars: has nitrogen escaped? AB - If eddy mixing is about as effective on Mars as it is on Earth, then there seems to be less nitrogen present on Mars than we would expect if terrestrial-type outgassing were the source. However, in this event a nonthermal escape mechanism involving the predissociation of exospheric nitrogen can be invoked to explain the low nitrogen concentration. PMID- 17773193 TI - Ice nucleation by coprecipitated silver iodide and silver bromide. AB - The ability of silver iodide to cause freezing of supercooled water is improved if up to 30 percent of the iodine atoms in the crystal are replaced with bromine atoms. PMID- 17773194 TI - Arctic paleo-oceanography in late cenozoic time. PMID- 17773195 TI - 28-29 december ocean symposium. PMID- 17773196 TI - 30 december a search for the recognizable goals and constraints of the steady state Earth. PMID- 17773197 TI - 30 december technology and growth in a resource limited world. PMID- 17773198 TI - Scientific Research Society of America. PMID- 17773199 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17773200 TI - Determination of Isotopic Masses and Abundances by Mass Spectrometry. PMID- 17773201 TI - Nuclear Binding Energies. PMID- 17773203 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17773204 TI - Prepottery, Lithic Complex from Sonora, Mexico. PMID- 17773205 TI - Radiochemical Separations by Isotopic Exchange: a Rapid, High-Decontamination Method for Silver. PMID- 17773206 TI - Selective Service Policy and Scientific Manpower. PMID- 17773207 TI - Rearrangement in the Reaction of 3-Bromopyridine with Sodium Amide and Sodioacetophenone. PMID- 17773208 TI - ULTRA-VIOLET WINDOWS. PMID- 17773210 TI - ADRENALIN DEPOTS UNDER THE SKIN. PMID- 17773209 TI - ANTI-VITAMIN IN CEREALS. PMID- 17773211 TI - THE PAN-AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY. PMID- 17773212 TI - THE HAWAIIAN VOLCANOES. PMID- 17773213 TI - THE EUROPEAN PINE-SHOOT MOTH IN FLORIDA. PMID- 17773215 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17773214 TI - PSYCHOLOGY IN AMERICA. PMID- 17773216 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17773217 TI - THE RATE OF ABSORPTION OF EPINEPHRINE FROM THE SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE. PMID- 17773218 TI - THE DISCOVERY OF INSECT TRANSMISSION OF PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS. PMID- 17773219 TI - THE CHEMICAL NATURE OF ENZYMES. PMID- 17773220 TI - DECEREBRATION OF THE DOMESTIC FOWL. PMID- 17773221 TI - HERMAPHRODITISM IN DENDRASTER. PMID- 17773223 TI - THE SECRETION OF ADRENALIN. PMID- 17773222 TI - SIMON'S "LES ARACHNIDES DE FRANCE". PMID- 17773224 TI - ON THE NATURE OF GENE ACTION. PMID- 17773225 TI - MARKING GEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS. PMID- 17773226 TI - THE FUNCTION OF THE FERTILIZATION MEMBRANE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LARVA OF THE SEA URCHIN. PMID- 17773227 TI - Instructions for contributors. PMID- 17773228 TI - Visible Light from Semiconductors: Luminescence from p-n junctions and potential uses of solid state light sources are discussed. AB - Electroluminescence from semiconductor diode light sources can occur as a result of the application of a direct current at a low voltage to a suitably doped crystal containing a p-n junction. In recent years, it has become apparent that in some materials the efficiency of conversion of electric energy to visible light can be appreciably high. Since light-emitting diodes are compatible with the present electronic circuitry, they have many potential applications. PMID- 17773229 TI - California: Reagan, Draft Put Gloom on University's 100th Year. PMID- 17773230 TI - Wilson, of NSF, Named to University of Chicago Post. PMID- 17773231 TI - Revolution: senate seeks analysis from scholars in recent hearings. PMID- 17773232 TI - Department of transportation fills research post. PMID- 17773234 TI - Lunar and martian surfaces: petrologic significance of absorption bands in the near-infrared. AB - A reflection minimum at 1 micron, reported for Moon and for Mars, indicates olivine or iron- and calcium-bearing clinopyroxene, or both-major constituents of many basaltic rocks. If the 1-micron absorption features are real, both chondritic and acidic rocks are ruled out as primary constituents of the surfaces of the bodies. The reflectance spectrum of Mars matches closely that of an oxidized basalt. PMID- 17773235 TI - Pleistocene-recent boundary and wisconsin glacial biostratigraphy in the northern Indian ocean. AB - Two faunal criteria define the Pleistocene-Recent boundary in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal: there is a marked decrease in the relative abundance of the Globigerina rubescens complex and a significant increase in the radiolarian number in sediments of the Recent epoch. The stratigraphic significance of the faunal criteria is supported by a carbon-14 date (8775 years before the present) obtained from foraminiferal tests in sediment at the faunal boundary, and previous publications on the stratigraphic significance of the radiolarian number in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Globigerina rubescens complex, with greater relative abundances indicative of glacial substages, is an accurate indicator of cold and warm climatic intervals of the Wisconsin glacial stage. PMID- 17773236 TI - Sphene: uranium-lead ages. AB - Uranium-lead ages were measured on 14 samples of sphene from rocks aged from 1000 to 2750 x 10(6) years. All samples gave concordant or nearly concordant ages, the maximum difference between the Pb(206)-U(238) and Pb(207)-Pb(206) ages being 10 percent. Sphene has more concordant ages than has the coexisting zircon in each of seven rocks in which they were compared. Sphene sometimes has greater ages than does coexisting biotite, although in two metamorphic rocks, in which metamorphism was sufficiently intense to cause redistribution of radiogenic strontium-87 between various mineral phases, sphene dates the time of metamorphism rather than of original crystallization of the rocks. PMID- 17773237 TI - Globorotalia truncatulinoides as a Paleo-oceanographic Index. AB - In Recent surface sediments of the ocean floor Globorotalia truncatulinoides (d'Orbigny) grades from highly conical forms in tropical areas to rather compressed forms in cold-water areas. An interdependence exists between temperature of the surface water and form ratios as defined by mean ratio of width to height and mean ratio of width to the height from keel to ventral extremity. Values of these ratios serve to identify various water masses and thus constitute a potentially useful method in determining paleo-temperatures in Quaternary marine sediments. Subpolar populations, as end members of the cline, are found only in the Southern Hemisphere. PMID- 17773238 TI - Increases in the Levels of Cytokinins in Bleeding Sap of Vitis vinifera L. after CCC Treatment. AB - Paper-chromatogramed extracts of bleeding sap from grapevines treated with (2 chloroethyl)trimethylammonium chloride (CCC) contained higher levels of substances with cytokinin activity than did untreated plants. With the chromatographic solvent used, CCC was unlikely to interfere with the expression of the cytokinin response. PMID- 17773241 TI - Low-temperature physics. PMID- 17773242 TI - A PRECISE CRITERION OF SPECIES. PMID- 17773244 TI - THE BREEDING OF ANIMALS AT WOODS HOLL DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL, 1898. PMID- 17773243 TI - JULIUS SACHS (II). PMID- 17773245 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17773247 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17773246 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17773249 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17773248 TI - MUSEUMS OF THE SCIENCE AND ART DEPARTMENT, LONDON. PMID- 17773250 TI - OBSERVATORIES ON THE AZORES. PMID- 17773251 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17773252 TI - DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17773254 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. PMID- 17773253 TI - THE CAUSES OF NATURAL ARCHES. PMID- 17773255 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY--NO. XXXV. PMID- 17773257 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON CHEMISTRY.--IV. PMID- 17773256 TI - BIRDS WHICH SING ON THE NEST. PMID- 17773258 TI - RETICULATION OF SPINDLE-CELLED SARCOMA. PMID- 17773259 TI - THE BACTERIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF WATER. PMID- 17773260 TI - BRITISH STONE CIRCLES--V. OXFORDSHIRE, SHROPSHIRE, AND WELCH CIRCLES*. PMID- 17773261 TI - PELE'S FERNERY. PMID- 17773262 TI - THE MECHANICS OF FLIGHT. PMID- 17773264 TI - ORIGIN OF THE CARVINGS AND DESIGNS OF THE ALASKANS AND VANCOUVRE INDIANS. PMID- 17773263 TI - MY NEW PRINCIPLES OF THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE HUMAN RACE. PMID- 17773266 TI - SONGS OF BIRDS. PMID- 17773265 TI - DICTIONARY OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES. PMID- 17773267 TI - PORTRAITS OF HELMHOLTZ. PMID- 17773268 TI - ON THE SYSTEMATIC POSITION OF THE DIPTERA. PMID- 17773269 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17773270 TI - SOME CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE RESEARCH. PMID- 17773271 TI - A SUGGESTION FOR ABSTRACTS OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL LITERATURE. PMID- 17773272 TI - THE TORONTO MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17773274 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17773273 TI - A WIDESPREAD ERROR RELATING TO COPERNICUS. PMID- 17773275 TI - CORRECTION OF NAME OF SNAIL. PMID- 17773276 TI - A NOTE ON MIGRATION OF MYRIAPODA. PMID- 17773277 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17773278 TI - INTERNATIONAL SEED EXCHANGE. PMID- 17773280 TI - SECTION OF HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17773279 TI - THE RELATION OF PLURISEGMENTAL INNERVATION TO RECOVERY IN INFANTILE PARALYSIS. PMID- 17773281 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17773282 TI - Pork barrel "science". PMID- 17773283 TI - Erratum. AB - The radar image of Venus reproduced on page 803 of the 8 November issue was improperly oriented. The page should be rotated one-quarter turn clockwise for the proper orientation. PMID- 17773284 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17773285 TI - Biological immigrants under fire. PMID- 17773286 TI - "Superbug" attacks california crops. PMID- 17773287 TI - Senators clash over military "pork". PMID- 17773288 TI - The case of the unlikely molecular twins. PMID- 17773289 TI - Planet x: going, going... But not quite gone. PMID- 17773291 TI - Disappearing mushrooms: another mass extinction? PMID- 17773290 TI - Coming up Short in a Crustal Quest. PMID- 17773292 TI - Japan fellowships going begging. PMID- 17773293 TI - SSC Magnets Upgraded. PMID- 17773294 TI - Paint that reveals. PMID- 17773295 TI - Super network authorized. PMID- 17773296 TI - Subterranean waterworks of biblical jerusalem: adaptation of a karst system. AB - Ancient Jerusalem has long been known to possess a system of subterranean waterworks by which the spring of Gihon, which issues outside the walls, could be approached from within the city, and its waters diverted to an intramural pool. Most scholars regarded these waterworks as man-made, but the techniques of underground orientation and ventilation employed by the builders, as well as the numerous anomalies and ostensible mistakes in design, mystified investigators. Geological investigation has revealed the waterworks to be part of a well developed karst system, a network of natural dissolution channels and shafts, in the limestone and dolomite underlying the city. Thus, it was not through primary planning but by means of skillful adaptation of these pre-existing natural features that the city was ensured of a dependable water supply during both war and peace. Likewise, knowledge of the subterranean access may have played a role in David's capture of the Jebusite city. PMID- 17773297 TI - Polar orientation of dyes in robust multilayers by zirconium phosphate phosphonate interlayers. AB - Polar orientation of molecules in solids leads to materials with potentially useful properties such as nonlinear optical and electrooptical activity, electrochromism, and pyroelectricity. A simple self-assembly procedure for preparing such materials is introduced that yields multiple polar dye monolayers on solid surfaces joined by zirconium phosphate-phosphonate interlayers. Second harmonic generation (SHG) shows that the multilayers have polar order that does not decrease with increasing numbers (up to a large number) of monolayers in the film. The inorganic interlayers, as determined by SHG, impart excellent orientational stability to the dye molecules, with the onset of orientational randomization above 150 degrees C. PMID- 17773298 TI - Tuning High-Tc Superconductors via Multistage Intercalation. AB - Multistage intercalation has been used to tune the interaction between adjacent blocks of CuO(2) sheets in the bigh-T(c) (high superconducting transition temperature) superconductor Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)Ox. As revealed by atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy images, foreign iodine atoms are intercalated into every nth BiO bilayer of the host crystal, resulting in structures of stoichiometry IBi2nSr2nCanCu2nOx with stage index n up to 4. An expansion of 3.6 angstroms for each intercalated BiO bilayer decouples the CuO(2) sheets in adjacent blocks. A comparison of the superconducting transition temperatures of the pristine host material and intercalated compounds of different stages suggests that the coupling between each pair of adjacent blocks contributes approximately 5 K to T(c) in Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)Ox. PMID- 17773299 TI - Phase transformations in carbon fullerenes at high shock pressures. AB - C(60) powders were shock-compressed quasi-isentropically and quenched from pressures in the range 10 to 110 GPa (0.1 to 1.1 Mbar). Recovered specimens were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy and optical microscopy. C(60) fullerenes are stable into the 13- to 17-GPa pressure range. The onset of a fast ( approximately 0.5 micros) reconstructive transformation to graphite occurs near 17 GPa. The graphite recovered from 27 GPa and about 600 degrees C is relatively well ordered with crystal planar domain size of about 100 A. Above 50 GPa a continuous transformation to an amorphous state is observed in recovered specimens. The fast transformation to graphite is proposed to occur by pi-electron rehybridization which initiates breakup of the ball structure and formation of the graphite structure at high density. PMID- 17773300 TI - The rage for antiquity. PMID- 17773301 TI - Precision teaching. PMID- 17773302 TI - Some other books of interest. PMID- 17773303 TI - Superfluid vortices. PMID- 17773304 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17773305 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17773306 TI - THE RESEARCH SPIRIT IN MODERN LIFE. PMID- 17773307 TI - WHAT IS THE LARGER MEANING OF THE VITAMINE TYPE OF ACTION? PMID- 17773308 TI - NOTE ON THE RELATIVITY MOTION OF MERCURY. PMID- 17773309 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17773310 TI - WAXY ENDOSPERM IN NEW ENGLAND MAIZE. PMID- 17773311 TI - PERMANENT PHOTOGRAPHS. PMID- 17773312 TI - THE METRIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17773313 TI - THE INDUCTION OF GROWTH PROMOTING AND CALCIFYING PROPERTIES IN A RATION BY EXPOSURE TO LIGHT. PMID- 17773314 TI - ON THE EFFECTS OF VARIATION IN FREQUENCY OF STIMULATION ON STRIATED, CARDIAC AND SMOOTH MUSCLE. PMID- 17773315 TI - A HIGH RESISTANCE FOR USE WITH ELECTROMETERS. PMID- 17773316 TI - A long-lived family. PMID- 17773317 TI - A long-lived family. PMID- 17773318 TI - Growth of scientific journals. PMID- 17773319 TI - A run worth making. PMID- 17773320 TI - Nuclear winter: global consequences of multple nuclear explosions. AB - The potential global atmospheric and climatic consequences of nuclear war are investigated using models previously developed to study the effects of volcanic eruptions. Although the results are necessarily imprecise due to wide range of possible scenaros and uncertainty in physical parameters, the most probable first order effects are serious. Significant hemispherical attenuation of the solar radiation flux and subfreezing land temperatures may be caused by fine dust raised in high-yield nuclear surface bursts and by smoke from city and forest fires ignited by airbursts of all yields. For many simulated exchanges of several thousand megatons, in which dust and smoke are generated and encircle the earth within 1 to 2 weeks, average light levels can be reduced to a few percent of ambient and land temperatures can reach -15 degrees to -25 degrees C. The yield threshold for major optical and climatic consequences may be very low: only about 100 megatons detonated over major urban centers can create average hemispheric smoke optical depths greater than 2 for weeks and, even in summer, subfreezing land temperatures for months. In a 5000-megaton war, at northern mid-latitude sites remote from targets, radioactive fallout on time scales of days to weeks can lead to chronic mean doses of up to 50 rads from external whole-body gamma ray exposure, with a likely equal or greater internal dose from biologically active radionuclides. Large horizontal and vertical temperature gradients caused by absorption of sunlight in smoke and dust clouds may greatly accelerate transport of particles and radioactivity from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere. When combined with the prompt destruction from nuclear blast, fires, and fallout and the later enhancement of solar ultraviolet radiation due to ozone depletion, long-term exposure to cold, dark, and radioactivity could pose a serious threat to human survivors and to other species. PMID- 17773321 TI - Theodore von karman and applied mathematics in america. AB - The emergence of applied mathematics as a discipline in the United States is traditionally associated with World War II. Hungarian-born Theodore von Karman was among those who had waged a long and vigorous campaign well before the war to make applied mathematics respectable to engineers and mathematicians. While advocating the use of mathematics and physics to solve applied problems, he challenged the prevailing philosophy of engineering programs, locked horns with recalcitrant journal editors, and generally encountered the obstacles to building a discipline that cuts across conventional boundaries. PMID- 17773322 TI - Trouble at the Synfuels Bank: The $15-billion plan to finance a new fuels industry has bogged down in office politics and an adverse oil market; critics aim to cut back its funds. PMID- 17773323 TI - U.s. Synthetic fuel projects. PMID- 17773324 TI - Agricultural study sees big changes after 2000. PMID- 17773325 TI - Will there be life on the farm after the bomb? PMID- 17773326 TI - Broad public support found for R & d. PMID- 17773328 TI - New Test of Variable Gravitational Constant: Two groups using same data put new limits on how much G can vary with time, making Dirac's Large Numbers Hypothesis less likely. PMID- 17773327 TI - The first recombinant RNA molecule. PMID- 17773329 TI - aaas Annual Meeting New York 24-29 May 1984. PMID- 17773330 TI - Hominoid phylogeny: new interpretations of ape and human ancestry. PMID- 17773331 TI - An approach to epidemiology: the population dynamics of infectious diseases. PMID- 17773332 TI - Reproductive tactics: mate choice in plants. PMID- 17773333 TI - Plutonium speciation in water from mono lake, california. AB - The solubility of plutonium in Mono Lake water is enhanced by the presence of large concentrations of indigenous carbonate ions and moderate concentrations of fluoride ions. In spite of the complex chemical composition of this water, only a few ions govern the behavior of plutonium, as demonstrated by the fact that it was possible to duplicate plutonium speciation in a synthetic water containing only the principal components of Mono Lake water. PMID- 17773334 TI - Van der waals surfaces in molecular modeling: implementation with real-time computer graphics. AB - A method is described for generating van der Waals molecular surfaces with a real time interactive calligraphic color display system. These surfaces maintain their proper representation during bond rotation and global transformations, and an interior atom removal method yields a comprehensible picture of the molecular surface for large molecules. Both algorithms are faster than previous methods. This combination provides a powerful tool for real-time interactive molecular modeling. PMID- 17773335 TI - Epsilon carbide: a low-temperature component of interplanetary dust particles. AB - Transmission electron microscope study of a chondritic interplanetary dust particle has revealed the presence of epsilon iron-nickel carbide, a low- temperature carbide previously encountered only in metallurgical studies. In these studies in-carbide was synthesized by carburization of iron or nickel grains in a stream of carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide plus hydrogen. Similar carburization of an iron-nickel metal in situ may have produced in-carbide during particle heating on atmospheric entry or in solar orbit. Alternatively, the epsilon-carbide may be a by-product of Fischer-Tropsch reactions in the solar nebula. Such reactions have been proposed as the mechanism of hydrocarbon formation in the early solar system. PMID- 17773336 TI - Membrane lipid from deep-sea hydrothermal vent methanogen: a new macrocyclic glycerol diether. AB - The membrane lipid of a new deep-sea hydrothermal vent methanogen, Methanococcus jannaschii, has been structurally characterized. The hydrolyzed polar lipid of this archaebacterium is primarily (95 percent) a macrocyclic glycerol diether, which has not been described previously. The structure was elucidated by a combination of chemical and spectroscopic techniques. An initial survey of selected methanogens failed to indicate the presence of this membrane lipid in any microorganism other than Methanococcus jannaschii. PMID- 17773337 TI - The Exclusion of D2O from the Hydration Sphere of FeSO4{middle dot} 7H2O Oxidized by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. AB - Infrared spectra demonstrate that neither FeSO(4) . 7H(2)O nor its bacterial or abiotic hydrated oxidation products incorporate deuterium in acid D(2)O solutions. Deuterium exchange occurred as bridging OD when bacterially oxidized iron was precipitated from D(2)O solutions as ferric hydroxysulfates. The exclusion of deuterium depended upon the stabilization of aquated Fe(II) and Fe(III) complexes by sulfate ions in outer-sphere coordination and is consistent with the requirement and postulated role of sulfate in iron oxidation by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. PMID- 17773338 TI - Molecular Basis of Herbicide Resistance in Amaranthus hybridus. AB - Resistance of different species of weeds to s-triazines, a commonly used class of herbicides, has been shown to involve a change in the binding affinity of the herbicide to a chloroplast polypeptide of 32,000 daltons. A single amino acid difference in this 32,000-dalton protein appears to be responsible for resistance to the herbicide in Amaranthus hybridus. PMID- 17773339 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17773340 TI - Solar power and priorities. PMID- 17773341 TI - Erratum. AB - The article by Marjorie Sun "Virginia OKs rabies vaccine test" (News & Comment, 14 July, p. 126) states that the first outdoor experiment with a genetically engineered virus is expected to be conducted by the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research at Cornell University. The first outdoor test of a genetically modified virus actually took place in 1984, when Saul Kit of Baylor College tested an altered pseudorabies virus on pigs. PMID- 17773342 TI - The 1957 soviet nuclear accident. PMID- 17773343 TI - AAUP on Congressional Investigations. PMID- 17773344 TI - U.S., Soviets Share Seismic Posts: With Pentagon monitors already in place at four Soviet cities, a joint network designed by geologists to collect earthquake and bomb test data wins public approval. PMID- 17773345 TI - Hipparcos: in the low-orbit blues. PMID- 17773346 TI - Lab Report Puts SSC Magnets in Limbo: Rather than "fine-tuning," the particle collider magnets may require extensive redesign in a major R&D effort through 1992. PMID- 17773347 TI - Shiseido grant: more than skin deep. PMID- 17773348 TI - Is it prime? PMID- 17773349 TI - Math team vaults over prime record. PMID- 17773350 TI - European Deep Drilling Leaves Americans Behind: Ambitious American plans to compete in the race to inner Earth have fallen prey to budget cuts and shifting motivations. PMID- 17773351 TI - Chinese pig to boots u.s. Litters. PMID- 17773352 TI - New global climate study centers. PMID- 17773353 TI - Grant Lockout Looms for ARCO Solar. PMID- 17773354 TI - Irvine center to assess toxicity. PMID- 17773355 TI - Will cajun cuisine include super pork? PMID- 17773356 TI - Management accounting for advanced technological environments. AB - Management accounting systems designed decades ago no longer provide timely, relevant information for companies in today's highly competitive environment. New operational control and performance measurement systems are recognizing the importance of direct measurement of quality, manufacturing lead times, flexibility, and customer responsiveness, as well as more accurate measures of the actual costs of consumed resources. Activity-based cost systems can assign the costs of indirect and support resources to the specific products and activities that benefit from these resources. Both operational control and activity-based systems represent new opportunities for improved managerial information in complex, technologically advanced environments. PMID- 17773357 TI - Gravitational lens optics. AB - Several instances of multiple imaging of cosmologically distant sources by intervening galaxies and galaxy clusters have been discovered over the past decade. These "gravitational lenses" have distinctive optical properties. Pointlike sources such as quasars generally produce two or four images when lensed, whereas extended sources such as galaxies produce spectacular arcs and rings. The salient features of most of the observations can be reproduced with the use of simple elliptical lens models that approximate the lenses made by ellipsoidal mass distributions such as are common in the universe. In addition to illustrating simple optics in operation on a cosmological scale, multiple images and arcs provide useful probes of the lensing galaxies and clusters. Also, gravitational lenses can make magnified images of cosmologically distant sources and may eventually furnish important cosmographic data such as the Hubble constant. PMID- 17773358 TI - Spatially Resolved Observation of Supercurrents Across Grain Boundaries in YBaCuO Films. AB - Spatially resolved resistivity measurements of current transport across individual grain boundaries have been made on superconducting YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7). These experiments were done by low-temperature scanning electron microscopy with a resolution of 1 to 2 micrometers, and they show directly the limitation of the critical current density caused by grain boundaries in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7). Furthermore, complex spatial patterns of the current transport across grain boundaries were observed. These patterns reflect self-excited resonances of the grain boundaries and are closely correlated to the unexplained "sub-gap structure" in the current-voltage characteristics of polycrystalline YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7). PMID- 17773359 TI - Prediction of new low compressibility solids. AB - An empirical model and an ab initio calculation of the bulk moduli for covalent solids are used to suggest possible new hard materials. The empirical model indicates that hypothetical covalent solids formed between carbon and nitrogen are good candidates for extreme hardness. A prototype system is chosen and a first principles pseudopotential total energy calculation on the system is performed. The results are consistent with the empirical model and show that materials like the prototype can have bulk moduli comparable to or greater than diamond. It may be possible to synthesize such materials in the laboratory. PMID- 17773360 TI - Three-dimensional optical storage memory. AB - A novel three-dimensional (3-D) optical memory device is presented that allows fast random access of the information and extremely high bit densities. This device is based on two-photon writing, reading, and erasing of the information in a photochromic material embedded in a polymer matrix. Absorption and emission data show that two-photon writing and reading of information is feasible. The advantages and properties of such a 3-D optical memory are discussed. PMID- 17773361 TI - Orthogonal self-assembled monolayers: alkanethiols on gold and alkane carboxylic acids on alumina. AB - This work demonstrates the practicality of forming two self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), independently but simultaneously, by adsorption of two different adsorbates from a common solution onto a substrate exposing two different materials at its surface. The experimental procedure and the degree of independence achieved in the resulting SAMs are illustrated by examination of monolayers obtained by adsorption of alkanethiols on gold and alkane carboxylic acids on alumina. This procedure provides a method for modifying the surface characteristics of microlithographically generated patterns and offers a versatile technique for controlling solid-vapor and solid-liquid interfacial properties in systems having patterns with dimensions of the order of 1 micrometer. PMID- 17773362 TI - Evidence from Sediments of Long-Term Acanthaster planci Predation on Corals of the Great Barrier Reef. AB - Since 1962 the crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci, has caused the devastation of living coral in large tracts of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Some authorities view this as a modern phenomenon, resulting from ecological disturbance caused by man. Evidence from skeletal remains in sediment suggests that large A. planci populations have been part of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem for at least 8000 years. Coral predation by A. planci is likely to have influenced the morphological fabric of the Great Barrier Reef in its post-glacial development and may also have influenced species richness of the reef biota. PMID- 17773363 TI - Response: Angiotensin II: Does It Have a Direct Obligate Role in Ovulation? PMID- 17773364 TI - Evolution: the pattern or the process: speciation and its consequences. PMID- 17773365 TI - Hot halos: cooling flows in clusters and galaxies. PMID- 17773366 TI - The hard science of fractals: fractal growth phenomena. PMID- 17773368 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17773367 TI - Conduction electrons: magnetoresistance in metals. PMID- 17773369 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17773370 TI - COSMIC-RAY LIGHT ON NUCLEAR PHYSICS. PMID- 17773371 TI - VIII. DIVISION OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17773373 TI - POST-BOLSON FAULTING IN NEW MEXICO. PMID- 17773372 TI - THE NATURAL OCCURRENCE OF CROWN GALL ON THE GIANT CACTUS, CARNEGIEA GIGANTEA. PMID- 17773374 TI - THE SPECIFICITY OF FROG FLUKES. PMID- 17773375 TI - SELECTIVE ABSORPTION OF IONS NOT CONFINED TO YOUNG ROOTLETS. PMID- 17773376 TI - FENSTREAMS. PMID- 17773377 TI - A MICRO VESSEL FOR GLASS ELECTRODE DETERMINATIONS OF HYDROGEN-ION ACTIVITY OF BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS. PMID- 17773378 TI - SUMMER MEETING OF THE MINNESOTA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773379 TI - THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773380 TI - THE ROLE OF PEROXIDASE IN THE DETERIORATION FROZEN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. PMID- 17773382 TI - REORGANIZATION OF THE WORK OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. PMID- 17773381 TI - DEVELOPMENT OF CERCARIA MACROSTOMA FAUST INTO PROTEROMETRA (NOV. GEN.) MACROSTOMA. PMID- 17773383 TI - THE AMERICAN ENGINEERING COUNCIL. PMID- 17773384 TI - PLAGIARISMS. PMID- 17773386 TI - ON THE USE OF THE TERMS "DENUDATION," "EROSION," "CORROSION" AND "CORRASION". PMID- 17773385 TI - CONSERVATION CONFERENCE ON RESOURCES OF INTERIOR WATERS. PMID- 17773387 TI - EUCLID OF ALEXANDRIA AND THE BUST OF EUCLID OF MEGARA. PMID- 17773388 TI - RAINBOW BY MOONLIGHT. PMID- 17773389 TI - SUBEPITHELIAL GLYCOGEN CELLS IN EMBRYO AND RECENTLY HATCHED FISH. PMID- 17773390 TI - THE OVARIAN CYCLE OF SWINE. PMID- 17773391 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17773392 TI - Far from the Madding Crowd. PMID- 17773393 TI - Domestication of Food Plants in the Old World: Joint efforts by botanists and archeologists illuminate the obscure history of plant domestication. PMID- 17773394 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17773395 TI - Erratum. AB - In the news article, "More seismic research asked to improve atomic test detection" [Science 130, 26 (3 July 1959)], the second figure in column 2 of Table 1 should have been 1500, not 20-100. PMID- 17773397 TI - Nuclear Research. PMID- 17773398 TI - Peking Man. PMID- 17773399 TI - THE AIM AND FUTURE OF NATURAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17773400 TI - THE SECOR SYSTEM OF MARINE PROPULSION. PMID- 17773401 TI - Fluctuations of Air-Pressure. PMID- 17773402 TI - Origin of Right or Left Handedness. PMID- 17773403 TI - Deaf-Mutes. PMID- 17773404 TI - Chalk from the Niobrara Cretaceous of Kansas. PMID- 17773405 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL SANITARY CONFERENCE AT ROME. PMID- 17773407 TI - The ginkgo tree. PMID- 17773406 TI - The swimming-habits of the sunfish. PMID- 17773409 TI - THE FRENCH ACADEMY IN ITS ORIGIN. PMID- 17773408 TI - An abnormal Rudbeckia. PMID- 17773410 TI - EXPLORATION IN INDO-CHINA. PMID- 17773411 TI - THE TELEPHONE IN PARIS. PMID- 17773412 TI - REFORM IN GEOGRAPHICAL ORTHOGRAPHY. PMID- 17773413 TI - THE LAST CRUISE OF THE ALBATROSS. PMID- 17773414 TI - PROFESSOR SUMNER'S ECONOMIC ESSAYS. PMID- 17773415 TI - AROUND AFRICA. PMID- 17773416 TI - SCIENTIFIC CULTURE. PMID- 17773417 TI - RECENT ADVANCES IN CHEMOTHERAPY. PMID- 17773418 TI - LO, THE POOR WHALE! PMID- 17773419 TI - FRIEDRICH EMICH 1860-1940. PMID- 17773420 TI - AWARD OF GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIPS. PMID- 17773421 TI - PUBLICATION OF A NEW PHYSIOLOGICAL JOURNAL IN SCANDINAVIA. PMID- 17773422 TI - THE BICENTENNIAL WEEK CELEBRATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. PMID- 17773424 TI - THE FINNEY-HOWELL RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC. PMID- 17773423 TI - THE INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE. PMID- 17773425 TI - A CHYTRID IN RELATION TO CHLOROTIC STREAK DISEASE OF SUGAR-CANE. PMID- 17773426 TI - SCIENTIFIC CONSCIENCE. PMID- 17773427 TI - THE GENUS LISTERELLA PIRIE. PMID- 17773428 TI - "ROGER BACON WAS MISTAKEN". PMID- 17773429 TI - "ROGER BACON WAS MISTAKEN". PMID- 17773430 TI - "ROGER BACON WAS MISTAKEN". PMID- 17773431 TI - THE ENGINEERING FOUNDATION. PMID- 17773432 TI - ANTHELMINTIC ACTIVITY OF CRYSTALLINE PAPAIN. PMID- 17773433 TI - TOMATO POMACE IN THE DIET. PMID- 17773434 TI - CONVERSION OF ESTRADIOL TO ESTRONE IN VIVO. PMID- 17773436 TI - A LABOR-SAVING TECHNIQUE FOR LEAF SAMPLES IN HISTOLOGICAL WORK. PMID- 17773435 TI - THE PREPARATION OF PURIFIED HOUSE-DUST EXTRACTS. PMID- 17773437 TI - EQUILIBRIUM THERMODYNAMICS AND BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17773439 TI - ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17773438 TI - THE TRAINING OF BIOLOGISTS. PMID- 17773440 TI - FREDERICK HUTTON GETMAN. PMID- 17773441 TI - DEVELOPMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN GREAT BRITAIN. PMID- 17773442 TI - THE AMERICAN FERN SOCIETY. PMID- 17773443 TI - THE COOPERATIVE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE TEACHING. PMID- 17773444 TI - COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC TRENDS OF THE INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE. PMID- 17773445 TI - OFFICERS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773446 TI - THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17773447 TI - THE CURRENT LIST OF MEDICAL LITERATURE--AN EXPLANATION. PMID- 17773448 TI - THE DUPLE: A LOGARITHMIC UNIT. PMID- 17773449 TI - ORIGIN OF THE JAPANESE WALTZING MOUSE. PMID- 17773450 TI - GROWTH OF PRIMATE LITERATURE SINCE 1800. PMID- 17773451 TI - A NEW PROTEASE FROM BROMELLA PINGUIN L. PMID- 17773452 TI - THE TENNESSEE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773453 TI - AN UNIDENTIFIED VIRUS WHICH PRODUCES PNEUMONIA AND SYSTEMIC INFECTION IN MICE. PMID- 17773454 TI - PARTICULATE GLYCOGEN. PMID- 17773455 TI - COMPUTING SCALES FOR CALCULATING PERCENTAGE DEVIATION FROM AVERAGE WEIGHT. PMID- 17773456 TI - RAPID TRANSMISSION TECHNIQUES FOR STONE-FRUIT VIRUSES. PMID- 17773457 TI - THE ENDOWMENT OF ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17773458 TI - THE NATURE OF NERVE IRRITABILITY, AND OF CHEMICAL AND ELECTRICAL STIMULATION. PART II. PMID- 17773459 TI - STREMMATOGRAPH TESTS. PRINCIPLES AND FACTS RELATING TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE STRAINS IN THE BASE OF RAILS UNDER MOVING TRAINS. PMID- 17773460 TI - WALBAUM AND BINOMIALISM. PMID- 17773461 TI - THE NEW MEXICO NORMAL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17773463 TI - THERMOMETRIC READINGS. PMID- 17773462 TI - THE USE OF PNEUMATIC TOOLS IN THE PREPARAATION OF FOSSILS. PMID- 17773464 TI - THE BITTER-ROT FUNGUS. PMID- 17773465 TI - DISCOVERY OF DENTAL GROOVES AND TEETH IN THE TYPE OF BAPTANODON (SAURANODON) MARSH. PMID- 17773466 TI - GENERAL CIRCULATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE. PMID- 17773468 TI - THE LIGHT OF NOVA GEMMORUM. PMID- 17773469 TI - THE ST. LOUIS CONGRESS OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. PMID- 17773467 TI - BRAIN-WEIGHT, CRANIAL CAPACITY AND THE FORM OF THE HEAD, AND THEIR RELATIONS TO THE MEENTAL POWERS OF MAN. PMID- 17773471 TI - THE CONFIRMATION OF THE EINSTEIN PREDICTION. PMID- 17773470 TI - PROBLEMS IN THE FIELD OF ANIMAL NUTRITION. PMID- 17773472 TI - SPRING MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL. PMID- 17773473 TI - AS TO THE CAUSES OF EVOLUTION. PMID- 17773474 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17773475 TI - MARINE PLEISTOCENE FOSSILS FROM NEW YORK CITY. PMID- 17773476 TI - THE REPORTED ERUPTION OF LASSEN PEAK. PMID- 17773477 TI - EVOLUTION IN WEST VIRGINIA. PMID- 17773479 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17773478 TI - PHYSICO-CHEMICAL BASIS OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA. PMID- 17773480 TI - THE METHODS OF IMMUNOLOGY. PMID- 17773481 TI - SOME MODERN PROBLEMS IN LEATHER CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17773482 TI - ON THE SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PROTECTIVE COLORATION. PMID- 17773483 TI - LONGEVITY IN THE SOUTHERN STATES. PMID- 17773485 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17773484 TI - MARINE ZOOLOGICAL STATIONS. PMID- 17773486 TI - A PROGRAM OF OCEANIC INVESTIGATIONS. PMID- 17773488 TI - MEDICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17773487 TI - THE MINIMUM CONCENTRATION OF LUCIFERIN TO GIVE A VISIBLE LUMINESCENCE. PMID- 17773489 TI - X-RAYS AND THE SEX CHROMOSOMES. PMID- 17773490 TI - OKLAHOMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773491 TI - THE NEW HAVEN MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17773492 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17773493 TI - Materials science and engineering. PMID- 17773494 TI - Response: European space telescope. PMID- 17773495 TI - Inquiry Faults Shuttle Management: Rogers Commission calls for sweeping reforms in NASA's operations, as well as substantial changes in the design of the solid rocket seals. PMID- 17773496 TI - Science adviser named. PMID- 17773497 TI - GAO Blasts Bigeye Chemical Weapon: A new study says that technical problems and inconsistencies in test results indicate that the bomb should not be produced. PMID- 17773498 TI - U.S. Electronics Needs New Strategy: The traditional strategy that combines the short-term focus of industrial laboratories with the long-range perspective of universities apparently is not up to the Japanese challenge. PMID- 17773499 TI - Overview of the shuttle imaging radar-B preliminary scientific results. AB - The Shuttle Imaging Radar-B experiment consisted of a large number of scientific investigations in the earth sciences. Nine oceanographic experiments were conducted to study the generation and propagation of surface waves, the dynamics of internal waves, oil slick detection, and the properties of southern polar ice. Stereo imaging from space allowed three-dimensional viewing of surface features. Geologic experiments were conducted to study subsurface penetration, structural mapping, and lithologic classification. Imaging radar angular scatterometry was used in the vegetation cover, forest type, and urban areas classification experiments. This article provides an overview of the scientific results, some of which are also presented in this issue. PMID- 17773500 TI - Anisotropy of the cosmic blackbody radiation. AB - The universe is filled with thermal radiation having a current temperature of 2.75 K. Originating in the very early universe, this radiation furnishes strong evidence that the Big Bang cosmology best describes our expanding universe from an incredibly hot, compacted early stage until now. The model can be used to extrapolate our physics backward in time to predict events whose effects might be observable in the 2.75 K radiation today. The spectrum and isotropy are being studied with sophisticated microwave radiometers on the ground, in balloons, and in satellites. The results are as predicted by the simple theory: the spectrum is that of a blackbody (to a few percent) and the radiation is isotropic (to 0.01 percent) except for a local effect due to our motion through the radiation. However, a problem is emerging. Primordial fluctuations in the mass density, which later became the great clusters of galaxies that we see today, should have left an imprint on the 2.75 K radiation-bumpiness on the sky at angular scales of about 10 arc minutes. They have not yet been seen. PMID- 17773501 TI - Detection of Water Vapor in Halley's Comet. AB - Gaseous, neutral H(2)O was detected in the coma of comet Halley on 22.1 and 24.1 December 1985 Universal Time. Nine spectral lines of thev(3) band (2.65 micrometers) were found by means of a Fourier transform spectrometer (lambda/triangle uplambda approximately 10(5)) on the NASA-Kuiper Airborne Observatory. The water production rate was approximately 6 x 10(28) molecules per second on 22.1 December and 1.7 x 10(29) molecules per second on 24.1 December UT. The numbers of spectral lines and their intensities are in accord with nonthermal-equilibrium cometary models. Rotational populations are derived from the observed spectral line intensities and excitation conditions are discussed. The ortho-para ratio was found to be 2.66+/-0.13, corresponding to a nuclear-spin temperature of 32 K (+5 K, -2 K), possibly indicating that the observed water vapor originated from a low-temperature ice. PMID- 17773502 TI - A Comparison of SIR-B Synthetic Aperture Radar Data with Ocean Internal Wave Measurements. AB - An image from the Shuttle Imaging Radar-B (SIR-B) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) shows internal wave features in an area south of Long Island, New York Coincident oceanographic measurements are used in conjunction with hydrodynamic interaction and electromagnetic scattering models to estimate the expected SAR image intensity modulations associated with the internal waves. There is reasonable agreement between the predicted and observed internal wave signatures. PMID- 17773503 TI - A Comparison of SIR-B Directional Ocean Wave Spectra with Aircraft Scanning Radar Spectra. AB - Directional ocean wave spectra derived from Shuttle Imaging Radar-B (SIR-B) L band imagery collected off the coast of southern Chile on 11 and 12 October 1984 were compared with independent spectral estimates from two airborne scanning radars. In sea states with significant wave heights ranging from 3 to 5 meters, the SIR-B-derived spectra at 18 degrees and 25 degrees off nadir yielded reasonable estimates of wavelengths, directions, and spectral shapes for all wave systems encountered, including a purely azimuth-traveling system. A SIR-B image intensity variance spectrum containing predominantly range-traveling waves closely resembles an independent aircraft estimate of the slope variance spectrum. The prediction of a U.S. Navy global spectral ocean wave model on 11 October 1984 exhibited no significant bias in dominant wave number but contained a directional bias of about 30 degrees espect to the mean of the aircraft and spacecraft estimates. PMID- 17773504 TI - pH-Induced Metabolic Transitions in Artemia Embryos Mediated by a Novel Hysteretic Trehalase. AB - Gastrula-stage embryos of the brine shrimp Artemia undergo reversible transitions between metabolically active and dormant states that are promoted by changes in intracellular pH. A macromolecular mechanism for this suppression of energy metabolism that involves regulation of the enzyme trehalase is reported here. Isolated trehalase from these embryos existed in two active forms that interconverted when exposed to physiological transitions in pH. This hysteretic interconversion was reversible, required minutes for completion, and involved a change in enzyme polymerization. The two states differed twofold in molecular size and were distinguishable electrophoretically. Compared to the smaller species, the polymerized form was strongly inhibited by acidic pH, adenosine 5' triphosphate, and the substrate trehalose. Thus, the shift in assembly equilibrium toward the aggregated enzyme caused by pH values less than or equal to 7.4 may mediate the arrest of trehalose-fueled metabolism and respiration during dormancy in this cryptobiotic organism. PMID- 17773505 TI - Sexual dimorphism in catasetum orchids: forcible pollen emplacement and male flower competition. AB - Orchids of the Neotropical genus Catasetum have sexually dimorphic flowers; that is, male and female flowers are distinctly different in shape and color. Male flowers forcibly attach a large pollinarium onto euglossine bees. Euglossa bees leave the male flower in response to pollinarium emplacement by Catasetum ochraceum and subsequently avoid male but not female flowers. This evidence suggests that sexual dimorphism promotes pollination. The aversion of the bee to pollinarium attachment and its avoidance of male flowers thereafter apparently reflect competition among male flowers that probably evolved concurrently with sexual dimorphism. Among Catasetum species, the extent of dimorphism is correlated with the degree of apparent aversion caused by the male flower (weight of the pollinarium). Thus, aversive pollinarium emplacement can account for widespread sexual dimorphism in Catasetum and for interspecific variations in its expression. PMID- 17773506 TI - The jury system reexamined: judging the jury. PMID- 17773507 TI - Electronic structure methods: comparison of ab initio quantum chemistry with experiment for small molecules. PMID- 17773508 TI - Life of a physicist: kapitza. PMID- 17773510 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17773509 TI - Interstellar matter: molecular astrophysics. PMID- 17773511 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17773513 TI - IMPORTANT NOTICES FOR THOSE PLANNING TO ATTEND THE FOURTH CLEVELAND MEETING. PMID- 17773512 TI - PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FOURTH CLEVELAND MEETING. PMID- 17773514 TI - GENERAL OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION AND COMMITTEES FOR 1930. PMID- 17773515 TI - LOCAL COMMITTEES AND SECTION REPRESENTATIVES. PMID- 17773516 TI - ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE TO HOLD SESSIONS AT CLEVELAND, WITH DATES OF THEIR SESSIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION. PMID- 17773518 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION PRIZE. PMID- 17773517 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION PRESS SERVICE AT THE CLEVELAND MEETING. PMID- 17773519 TI - TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM CLEVELAND. PMID- 17773520 TI - REGISTRATION AT THE CLEVELAND MEETING. PMID- 17773522 TI - TRANSPORTATION IN CLEVELAND. PMID- 17773521 TI - HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS. PMID- 17773523 TI - BUSINESS SESSIONS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION AT CLEVELAND. PMID- 17773524 TI - INFORMATION SERVICE, MAIL, EXPRESS, TELEGRAMS, ETC. PMID- 17773525 TI - FOREIGN ASSOCIATES. PMID- 17773526 TI - MEMBERSHIP AND ASSOCIATESHIP IN THE ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17773527 TI - SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS OF SECTIONS AND SOCIETIES AT CLEVELAND. PMID- 17773528 TI - THE SECRETARIES' CONFERENCE AND THE ACADEMY CONFERENCE. PMID- 17773529 TI - THE SORTING POWER OF WIND AND WAVE. PMID- 17773530 TI - "MAD ITCH" OF CATTLE. PMID- 17773531 TI - A NATIONAL SYSTEM OF EXPERIMENTAL FORESTS AND RANGES. PMID- 17773533 TI - A TERRESTRIAL AMPHIPOD IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17773532 TI - PLANT LICE PUMPING IN UNISON. PMID- 17773534 TI - CULTURE MEDIA FOR OPALINIDAE. PMID- 17773535 TI - RAPID STAINING OF PLANT TISSUES IN THE BUTYL ALCOHOL PROCEDURE. PMID- 17773536 TI - THE GEOLOGY OF ORE DEPOSITS. II. PMID- 17773538 TI - MEMBERSHIP OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17773537 TI - SECTION E, GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17773539 TI - THE AMERICAN MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17773540 TI - TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. PMID- 17773541 TI - SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. PMID- 17773542 TI - PRACTICAL AMELIORATIONS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR. PMID- 17773543 TI - PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF DIMINISHED AIR PRESSURE. PMID- 17773544 TI - CATALASE, A NEW ENZYM OF GENERAL OCCURRENCE. PMID- 17773545 TI - TOADS KILLED BY SQUASH-BUGS. PMID- 17773547 TI - PROPOSED AMERICAN ELECTRO-CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17773546 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17773548 TI - THE UNITED STATES NAVAL OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17773549 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17773550 TI - Edison's three-wire system of distribution. PMID- 17773551 TI - Hornblende andesite from the new Bogosloff volcano. PMID- 17773552 TI - The oldest living type of vertebrates. PMID- 17773553 TI - CAN GHOSTS BE INVESTIGATED? PMID- 17773555 TI - THE SUDAN. PMID- 17773554 TI - SOME IMPLEMENTS OF THE MINNESOTA OJIBWAS. PMID- 17773556 TI - NAVIGATION OF THE AIR. PMID- 17773557 TI - A NEW LAW OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION. PMID- 17773558 TI - CONTEMPORARY SOCIALISM. PMID- 17773559 TI - THE FACE OF THE EARTH. PMID- 17773560 TI - A POPULAR WORK ON AMERICAN NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17773562 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17773561 TI - CHEMISTRY AND CANADIAN AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17773563 TI - THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17773564 TI - COLOR VARIETIES OF THE RABBIT AND OF OTHER RODENTS; THEIR ORIGIN AND INHERITANCE. PMID- 17773565 TI - TYPE OF THE GENUS ASTACUS. PMID- 17773566 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17773567 TI - THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL CONGRESS. PMID- 17773568 TI - Preparation of Graphs for Science. PMID- 17773569 TI - Improving Science Teaching. PMID- 17773570 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17773571 TI - One tomato, two tomato .. PMID- 17773573 TI - Ynes Mexia's Legacy. PMID- 17773572 TI - Room at the bottom. PMID- 17773574 TI - Jellyfish aloft. PMID- 17773576 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17773575 TI - Reply. PMID- 17773577 TI - Jason: can a cold warrior find work? PMID- 17773578 TI - Vietnam: an awkward time to be a jason. PMID- 17773579 TI - Correction. AB - Because of a production error, the photographs of pierre Chambon and Harald zur Hausen, which appeared on pages 1116 and 1117 of last week's issue (22 November), were transposed. Here's what you should have seen: Chambon is on the left, zur Hausen on the right. PMID- 17773581 TI - Beating those vibration blues. PMID- 17773580 TI - Seeing big things in miniaturization. PMID- 17773582 TI - Polio vaccine ruling. PMID- 17773583 TI - Keeping tabs on a big berg. PMID- 17773584 TI - Anti-panic campaign. PMID- 17773585 TI - Engineering first. PMID- 17773586 TI - Online journals. PMID- 17773588 TI - Genes at the zoo. PMID- 17773587 TI - Machines who think. PMID- 17773589 TI - A scramble for patent rights. PMID- 17773590 TI - A galaxy is born. PMID- 17773591 TI - Superlight (in Theory, Anyway). PMID- 17773592 TI - The foggy crystal ball of mineral physics. PMID- 17773594 TI - Cosmologists: "the neutrino from hell". PMID- 17773593 TI - Physicists close in on a weighty quarry. PMID- 17773595 TI - The man who dared to think small. PMID- 17773597 TI - A u.s. Lab opens doors to the nanoworid. PMID- 17773596 TI - Step by step to a nanodevice. PMID- 17773598 TI - Japan starts a big push toward the small scale. PMID- 17773600 TI - The apostle of nanotechnology. PMID- 17773599 TI - Materials scientists put the squeeze on electrons. PMID- 17773601 TI - Atomic and molecular manipulation with the scanning tunneling microscope. AB - The prospect of manipulating matter on the atomic scale has fascinated scientists for decades. This fascination may be motivated by scientific and technological opportunities, or from a curiosity about the consequences of being able to place atoms in a particular location. Advances in scanning tunneling microscopy have made this prospect a reality; single atoms can be placed at selected positions and structures can be built to a particular design atom-by-atom. Atoms and molecules may be manipulated in a variety of ways by using the interactions present in the tunnel junction of a scanning tunneling microscope. Some of these recent developments and some of the possible uses of atomic and molecular manipulation as a tool for science are discussed. PMID- 17773602 TI - New quantum structures. AB - Structures in which electrons are confined to move in two dimensions (quantum wells) have led to new physical discoveries and technological applications. Modification of these structures to confine the electrons to one dimension (quantum wires) or release them in the third dimension, are predicted to lead to new electrical and optical properties. This article discusses techniques to make quantum wires, and quantum wells of controlled size and shape, from compound semiconductor materials, and describes some of the properties of these structures. PMID- 17773603 TI - Age of Canada basin deep waters: a way to estimate primary production for the arctic ocean. AB - An empirical model of carbon flux and (14)C-derived ages of the water in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean as a function of depth was used to estimate the long-term rate of primary production within this region. An estimate can be made because the deep waters of the Canadian Basin are isolated from the world oceans by the Lomonosov Ridge (sill depth about 1500 meters). Below the sill, the age of the water correlates with increased nutrients and oxygen utilization and thus provides a way to model the average flux of organic material into the deep basin over a long time period. The (14)C ages of the deep water in the Canada Basin were about 1000 years, the carbon flux across the 1500-meter isobath was 0.3 gram of carbon per square meter per year, and the total production was 9 to 14 grams of carbon per square meter per year. Such estimates provide a baseline for understanding the role of the Arctic Ocean in global carbon cycling. PMID- 17773604 TI - Orientational disorder in solvent-free solid c70. AB - The high-temperature structure of solvent-free C(70) has been determined with high-resolution x-ray powder difraction and electron microscopy. Samples crystallized from solution form hexagonal close-packed crystals that retain an appreciable amount of residual toluene, even after prolonged heating. Samples prepared by sublimation, which contain no detectable solvent, are primarily face centered cubic with some admixture of a hexagonal phase. The relative volume of the hexagonal phase can be further reduced by annealing. The structures of both phases are described by a model of complete orientational disorder. The cubic phase contains an appreciable density of stacking faults along the [111] direction. PMID- 17773605 TI - Major role of the cyanobacterium trichodesmium in nutrient cycling in the north atlantic ocean. AB - The diazotrophic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium is a large (about 0.5 by 3 millimeters) phytoplankter that is common in tropical open-ocean waters. Measurements of abundance, plus a review of earlier observations, indicate that it, rather than the picophytoplankton, is the most important primary producer (about 165 milligrams of carbon per square meter per day) in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, nitrogen fixation by Trichodesmium introduces the largest fraction of new nitrogen to the euphotic zone, approximately 30 milligrams of nitrogen per square meter per day, a value exceeding the estimated flux of nitrate across the thermocline. Inclusion of this organism, plus the abundant diazotrophic endosymbiont Richelia intracellularis that is present in some large diatoms, in biogeochemical studies of carbon and nitrogen may help explain the disparity between various methods of measuring productivity in the oligotrophic ocean. Carbon and nitrogen fixation by these large phytoplankters also introduces a new paradigm in the biogeochemistry of these elements in the sea. PMID- 17773606 TI - Viviparous leaves produced by somatic activation of an inactive cytokinin synthesizing gene. AB - Tobacco plants that are somatic mosaics for expression of a cytokinin synthesizing gene have viviparous leaves. Such a formation of shoots in an abnormal position represents a significant deviation from the usual organization of the plant body where a central axis produces shoots only in the axils of lateral leaf appendages and according to a precise phyllotactic pattern. This report links vivipary to the expression of a gene whose product is involved in the synthesis of the phytohormone cytokinin. PMID- 17773608 TI - Fusion: the evidence reviewed. PMID- 17773607 TI - Gordon research conferences--"frontiers of science". PMID- 17773610 TI - Vignettes: enterprises of technology. PMID- 17773609 TI - A pathbreaking. PMID- 17773611 TI - Some other books of interest. PMID- 17773612 TI - ELECTRIC MOTORS IN PRINTING-OFFICES. PMID- 17773613 TI - THREE MILES A MINUTE. PMID- 17773615 TI - MASTER AND WORKMEN. PMID- 17773614 TI - WHO ARE THE AMERICAN INDIANS? PMID- 17773616 TI - THE TRANSMISSION OF ENERGY BY COMPRESSED AIR. PMID- 17773617 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17773618 TI - PROFESSORSHIPS OF HYGIENE. PMID- 17773620 TI - PREVENTING TUBERCULOSIS BY MILITARY ORDERS. PMID- 17773619 TI - PASTEUR'S METHOD. PMID- 17773622 TI - ELECTRICAL NEWS. PMID- 17773621 TI - Contagious Consumption. PMID- 17773623 TI - Queries. PMID- 17773624 TI - INDUSTRIAL NOTES. PMID- 17773625 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS CHANCE OR PURPOSE IN THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF ADAPTATION. PMID- 17773626 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17773627 TI - THE MAGNETIC SURVEY OF CHINA. PMID- 17773628 TI - THE SOUTHERNMOST GLACIATION IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17773629 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17773630 TI - THE TEACHING OF ELEMENTARY DYNAMICS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL. PMID- 17773631 TI - NOTE ON FREE PUBLIC MUSEUMS. PMID- 17773633 TI - SOME LONG-PERIOD DEVIATIONS OF THE HORIZONTAL PENDULUMS AT THE HARVARD SEISMO GRAPHIC STATION. PMID- 17773632 TI - SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF COMETS. PMID- 17773634 TI - A SIMPLE AND EFFICIENT LECTURE GALVANOMETER ARRANGEMENT. PMID- 17773636 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17773635 TI - THE AMPHIBIA OF THE MAZON CREEK SHALES. PMID- 17773637 TI - A FIXING FLUID FOR PLANT TISSUES. PMID- 17773638 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS. PMID- 17773639 TI - THE MAGNETIC AND TIDAL WORK OF THE GREELY ARCTIC EXPEDITION. PMID- 17773640 TI - COMPARATIVE TAXATION. PMID- 17773641 TI - A DISCUSSION ON ARSENIC POISONING. PMID- 17773642 TI - THE MEDICO-LEGAL ASPECTS OF HYPNOTISM. PMID- 17773644 TI - RIDGWAY'S NOMENCLATURE OF COLORS AND COMPENDIUM. PMID- 17773643 TI - PALEOLITHIC MAN IN LONDON AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD. PMID- 17773645 TI - A SURVEY OF AMERICAN BIOLOGICAL CHEMICAL LITERATURE. PMID- 17773647 TI - THE RELATIVE AGE OF ENDEMIC SPECIES. PMID- 17773646 TI - THE AGE AND AREA HYPOTHESIS. PMID- 17773648 TI - SOLUTION TENSION AND INDUCTIVITY. PMID- 17773649 TI - THE TRUE SOIL SOLUTION. PMID- 17773650 TI - DRAWINGS ON LANTERN SLIDES. PMID- 17773651 TI - ALLIGATORS AS FOOD. PMID- 17773653 TI - A NEW GRAPHICAL METHOD FOR COMPARING PERFORMANCE WITH PROGRAM OR EXPECTATION. PMID- 17773652 TI - CELLOIDIN-PARAFFIN METHODS. PMID- 17773654 TI - THE SPECIFIC CONDUCTIVITY OF WATER EXTRACTS OF WHEAT FLOUR. PMID- 17773656 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17773655 TI - THE NORTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773658 TI - BARRO COLORADO ISLAND BIOLOGICAL STATION. PMID- 17773657 TI - THE HISTORY OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION. PMID- 17773659 TI - DOUGLAS STEWART. PMID- 17773661 TI - INSTALLATION OF A CHAPTER OF SIGMA XI AT CINCINNATI. PMID- 17773660 TI - THE FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SOIL SCIENCE. PMID- 17773662 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17773663 TI - SPERMATOGENESIS IN ICERYA PURCHASI--A CORRECTION. PMID- 17773664 TI - THE ALBATROSS II. PMID- 17773665 TI - THE PROPOSED RANSOM MEMORIAL. PMID- 17773666 TI - DOMESTIC CATS FOR DISSECTION. PMID- 17773667 TI - THE NOMENCLATURE OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. PMID- 17773668 TI - The Surface History of the Earth. PMID- 17773669 TI - THE DIFFERENTIATION OF HERPETOMONADS AND LEISHMANIAS BY BIOLOGICAL TESTS. PMID- 17773670 TI - GYROMAGNETIC ELECTRONS AND A CLASSICAL THEORY OF ATOMIC STRUCTURE AND RADIATION. PMID- 17773671 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17773672 TI - RELATIONS OF SALARY TO TITLE IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17773673 TI - MEETING OF SECTION G (BOTANY). PMID- 17773674 TI - GENETIC LOGIC. PMID- 17773675 TI - SYMMETRY IN BIG CLAWS OF THE LOBSTER. PMID- 17773676 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17773678 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE RECENT PROGRESS IN SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS. PMID- 17773677 TI - MR. ROCKEFELLER'S GIFT TO THE GENERAL EDUCATION BOARD. PMID- 17773679 TI - AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS HEREDITY AND PERSONALITY. PMID- 17773680 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17773681 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17773682 TI - THE MOTH OF THE COTTON WORM. PMID- 17773683 TI - BLANDING'S TURTLE. PMID- 17773684 TI - A NEW RECORD OF A CHESTNUT-TREE DISEASE IN MISSISSIPPI. PMID- 17773686 TI - MOULTING AND CHANGE OF COLOR OF COAT IN MICE. PMID- 17773685 TI - THE POSITIVE ION IN ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE THROUGH GASES. PMID- 17773687 TI - TRANSPLANTATION OF OVARIES. PMID- 17773689 TI - CARBON DIOXIDE AT HIGH PRESSURE AND THE ARTIFICIAL RIPENING OF PERSIMMONS. PMID- 17773688 TI - THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17773691 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17773690 TI - FUNDULUS AND FRESH WATER. PMID- 17773693 TI - WILLIAM MADDOCK BAYLISS--PHYSIOLOGIST. PMID- 17773692 TI - THE CHEMISTRY OF VITAMINS. AB - There has been a notable revival of interest in the chemistry of vitamins within the past few years. The recent work has led to the isolation of more or less completely crystalline compounds having the properties ascribed to vitamins A, B and D. The evidence now available appears to definitely establish the conclusion that vitamins are not to be classed with enzymes. The physiologically active crystalline products which now for the first time have been isolated make possible intensive studies of the constitution and chemical properties of the several vitamins. Although many years have been required to obtain these elusive compounds in the state of purity now reported, it is probable that their identification will be accomplished in a much shorter time. With the completion of this latter phase of the problem we may confidently look forward to the eventual synthesis of the vitamins and their extensive application to the nutritive needs of man. PMID- 17773694 TI - THERMOMETER SCALES. PMID- 17773695 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17773696 TI - ARIZONA RUINS. PMID- 17773698 TI - NOTE ON CELLOBIOS AS A DIFFERENTIATING SUGAR FOR CERTAIN BACTERIA. PMID- 17773697 TI - COLOR INDICATORS FOR BLIGHT DISINFECTANTS. PMID- 17773699 TI - THERMAL EXPANSION OF WOOD. PMID- 17773700 TI - THE FALL MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. PMID- 17773701 TI - THE EFFECT OF MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS ON GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION. PMID- 17773702 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17773703 TI - PHYSIOLOGY OF THE AMINO ACIDS. AB - We have followed the amino acids from their entrance into the alimentary tract in the form of food proteins through the successive steps of digestion, absorption into the blood stream and passage from the blood stream into the tissues, where they are concentrated by some unknown mechanism to many times their concentration in the blood plasma. We have seen something of the way in which certain of the amino acids can be transformed into one another in the body or synthesized from ammonia and keto acids. However, we have had to admit that our bodies can form in such ways only about half of the different amino acids that are required, and that the other half must be made for us by plants, bacteria or other organisms which have greater synthetic powers than we. And finally we have seen something of the manifold fates of the amino acids after they have entered our tissues; how they may be destroyed and their nitrogenous parts turned into urea in the liver before it is possible to put them to their more specialized uses, how their carbon fractions can be used to form glucose, how they may sacrifice themselves to protect us from toxic products, how they can serve as source material for certain vitamins, hormones and other compounds with physiological functions still to be identified, and how finally those amino acids which are not deflected to these various fates may enter into the proteins of the tissues and become for a time parts of our living structures. PMID- 17773704 TI - SIBERIAN RESOURCES FOR SOVIET WARFARE. PMID- 17773706 TI - THE PROFESSIONAL STATUS OF CHEMISTS. PMID- 17773705 TI - GLOVER MORRILL ALLEN. PMID- 17773707 TI - GRANTS-IN-AID OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF DENTISTS. PMID- 17773708 TI - APPOINTMENTS OF THE OFFICE OF CIVILIAN DEFENSE. PMID- 17773709 TI - THE MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION CORPS OF THE ARMY. PMID- 17773710 TI - THE REMOVAL OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE FROM WASHINGTON. PMID- 17773711 TI - APPOINTMENT OF CAPTAIN N. H. HECK. PMID- 17773712 TI - ON THE READING OF SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. AUDIENCE ENEMIES NUMBERS I TO VI. PMID- 17773713 TI - ON A SYSTEM OF FILING REPRINTS. PMID- 17773714 TI - CEMENT AS A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. PMID- 17773715 TI - A NOTE ON "STOMATES". PMID- 17773716 TI - THE STATUS OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI. PMID- 17773717 TI - BOTANY AS A NATIONAL ASSET. PMID- 17773719 TI - EQUILIBRIA IN AN ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY REACTION. PMID- 17773718 TI - THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. PMID- 17773720 TI - EFFECT OF INSULIN ON PYRUVIC ACID FORMATION IN DEPANCREATIZED DOGS. PMID- 17773721 TI - A SENSITIVE HUMIDISTAT. PMID- 17773723 TI - Money Still Isn't Everything. PMID- 17773722 TI - SECTIONING AND STAINING REFRACTORY MATERIALS IN PARAFFIN. PMID- 17773724 TI - Redistribution of Wealth through Inflation: Contrary to the generally accepted view, business firms do not necessarily gain through inflation. PMID- 17773725 TI - Stratospheric Carbon-14, Carbon Dioxide, and Tritium: The program of high altitude balloon sampling reveals new information about the stratosphere. PMID- 17773726 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17773728 TI - THE ORIGIN OF MAN. PMID- 17773729 TI - PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MEDICINE. PMID- 17773730 TI - WHOOPING-COUGH. PMID- 17773732 TI - THE LARGEST METEORS. PMID- 17773731 TI - SYNTHETIC FOOD FOR PLANTS. PMID- 17773733 TI - RADIUM TO REDUCE FIRE RISK. PMID- 17773734 TI - FINDING AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF COMPETENT MEN. PMID- 17773735 TI - ENCOURAGING COMPETENT MEN TO CONTINUE IN RESEARCH. PMID- 17773736 TI - RESEARCH IN THE ENGINEERING COLLEGES. PMID- 17773737 TI - IS RESEARCH A GAMBLE? PMID- 17773738 TI - THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY AND HIS BUSINESS. PMID- 17773739 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17773740 TI - WHAT IS THE TYPE OF A GENUS? PMID- 17773741 TI - BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF THE PRICKLY PEAR. PMID- 17773742 TI - THE SMALLEST LIVING VERTEBRATE. PMID- 17773743 TI - ISOGRAM VS. ISONTIC. PMID- 17773744 TI - THE HYDROGEN-ION CONCENTRATION OF THE BLOOD IN CANCER. PMID- 17773745 TI - THE PUGET SOUND BIOLOGICAL STATION. PMID- 17773746 TI - AN IMPROVED CHRONOGRAPH. PMID- 17773747 TI - THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF VIENNA. PMID- 17773748 TI - METHODS OF COLLECTING CARCASSES. PMID- 17773749 TI - THE FUNCTION OF THE AIR SACS IN HOLOPNEUSTIC INSECTS. PMID- 17773750 TI - COMPOSITION OF BONE, VII. EQUILIBRATION OF SERUM SOLUTIONS WITH CaHPO4. PMID- 17773751 TI - ACTION OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE ON THE PROTOPLASM OF AMOEBA PROTEUS. PMID- 17773752 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17773753 TI - PHYSICS AND THE FUTURE. PMID- 17773754 TI - TREATMENT OF BLACKTONGUE WITH COZYMASE. PMID- 17773756 TI - THE LAND-SNAIL AN INTERMEDIATE HOST OF THE CECAE FLUKE OF POULTRY. PMID- 17773755 TI - ONE-MAN CITATION OF AUTHORITIES FOR BOTANICAL NAMES. PMID- 17773757 TI - THE NATURE OF THE MUCO-POLYSACCHARIDE OF SYNOVIAL FLUID. PMID- 17773758 TI - EXPERIMENTAL INTERSEXUALITY: THE PRODUCTION OF FEMINIZED MALE RATS BY ANTENATAL TREATMENT WITH ESTROGENS. PMID- 17773759 TI - XANTHINE OXIDASE: AN ALLOXAZINE PROTEID. PMID- 17773760 TI - COLLETOTRICHUM CIRCINANS AS A SEMIQUANTITATIVE TEST UNIT FOR THE GROWTH SUBSTANCE PRODUCED BY RHIZOPUS SUINUS. PMID- 17773761 TI - Vector Analysis of Geologic Data. PMID- 17773762 TI - Women in Science: Why the Shortage? PMID- 17773763 TI - Saving Library Space. PMID- 17773765 TI - Congress and Science. PMID- 17773764 TI - Title VI. PMID- 17773766 TI - The Continental Shelf. PMID- 17773767 TI - Significance of the Gunflint (Precambrian) Microflora: Photosynthetic oxygen may have had important local effects before becoming a major atmospheric gas. AB - Several categories of biological microstructures 1.9+/- billion years old are here described, illustrated, and referred to a group of early thallophytes that includes the thread bacteria and the blue-green algae. These microstructures were almost surely autotrophic and in the line of evolution toward green-plant photosynthesis, if not themselves oxygen producers. Geochemical evidence has been interpreted by some to imply that the contemporaneous atmosphere was essentially anoxygenic (reducing), and by others to indicate an atmosphere rich in oxygen. These conflicting interpretations may be reconciled by a hypothesis, based on demonstrable fossil organisms, that calls for local centers of biologic oxygen generation. PMID- 17773768 TI - Evaporation of Water: Its Retardation by Monolayers: Spreading a monomolecular film on the surface is a tested and economical means of reducing water loss. PMID- 17773769 TI - The Scientist in the Federal Service: The federal government has become the nation's leading employer of scientists and engineers. AB - The plus factors of the federal personnel system for scientists may be summarized briefly as follows. 1) We have a modern, progressive personnel system which compares very favorably in most respects with that of a good private laboratory. 2) Although our pay scale may still be a little below that of private employment, great progress has been made in the past 3 years, and we are now catching up rather than falling further behind. 3) We do about as well as private employment with respect to benefits such as group life insurance, health insurance, and retirement, although some companies pay a larger share of the costs. 4) We have a generous and flexible leave system. 5) We are especially strong on promotion programs, incentive awards, and career development opportunities on the basis of merit and demonstrated competence. PMID- 17773771 TI - Elliott Postscript: Reuss To Head New House Subcommittee Recommended by Research Study. PMID- 17773770 TI - Patents and Copyrights: Congress Moves toward Comprehensive Policy on Federally Financed Research. PMID- 17773772 TI - West German Research Spending: Plans for 1966 to 1968. PMID- 17773773 TI - Silica: Role in the Buffering of Natural Waters. AB - In the oceans, dissolved silica and degraded silicates appear to participate in a reaction which fixes silica and alkali metal cations and releases hydrogen ions, resulting in maintenance of the pH. PMID- 17773774 TI - Evaporation Retardants: Application by Means of a Water-Soluble Matrix. AB - Evaporation retardants interspersed in a solid or semisolid matrix of water soluble material allow discrete particles of retardant to be released at a controlled rate as the matrix dissolves. This system permits the continuous application of evaporation retardants to a water surface without the use of mechanical devices. PMID- 17773775 TI - Fission-Track Dating of Bed I, Olduvai Gorge. AB - The discoveries of a series of hominid remains in the Olduvai Gorge, Tanganyika, has focused attention upon the age of the deposits of Bed 1, in which both Zinjanthropus and Homo habilis were found. Because the age of 1.75 million years, as determined by the radioactive decay of potassium and argon, has been questioned several times, a fission-track age was measured for the pumice from Bed 1. The result is 2.03 +/- 0.28 million years, in good agreement with the result obtained by the potassium-argon decay method. PMID- 17773776 TI - Lewis Acidity of Polar Organic Solvents from Thermodynamic Measurements. AB - A quantitative measure of the Lewis acidity of common organic solvents is given by the equilibrium constant for complex formation between the solvent and a pi donor such as an aromatic hydrocarbon. Lewis acidities are reported for 12 solvents from new distribution and vapor-pressure measurements. PMID- 17773777 TI - Precambrian Graphitic Compressions of Possible Biologic Origin from Canada. AB - Further occurrences of elliptical graphitic bodies of possible biologic origin have been recovered from Proterozoic black shales of the Labrador Trough, Quebec. The bodies are plausibly organic because of constancy of form, manner of fossilization, and similarities to Michigan forms associated with extractable organic compounds. PMID- 17773778 TI - Hydrocarbons of Biological Origin in Sediments about Two Billion Years Old. AB - Normal paraffins in the C(16) to C(32) range and the saturated isoprenoid hydrocarbons, pristane and phytane, have been found in chert from the Gunflint iron formation (1.9 x 10(9) years old) of the north shore of Lake Superior. The distribution of n-alkanes shows two maxima, one at about C(18) to C(19) and the other at about C(22) with a minimum occurring at C(20) to C(21). No predominance of odd- to even-carbon-number alkanes is observed within the C(16) to C(32) range. The results agree with micropaleontological observations made on the Gunflint chert and provide a chemical characterization of Precambrian life existing about two eons ago. PMID- 17773779 TI - Theoretical Physics Conference. PMID- 17773780 TI - Micrometeorology. PMID- 17773781 TI - Relativistic Astrophysics. PMID- 17773782 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773783 TI - THE TYPICAL COLLEGE COURSES DEALING WITH THE PROFESSIONAL AND THEORETICAL PHASES OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING. PMID- 17773784 TI - BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE--SECTION OF ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17773785 TI - RESULTS OF THE RESURVEY OF LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK. PMID- 17773786 TI - CORTICIUM VAGUM B. AND C. VAR. SOLANI BURT. A FRUITING STAGE OF RHIZOCTONIA SOLANI. PMID- 17773787 TI - A VISUAL PHENOMENON. PMID- 17773789 TI - RESOLUTIONS OF THE FACULTY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY ON THE DEATH OF PROFESSOR ROBERT H. THURSTON. PMID- 17773788 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17773790 TI - SANITATION AND THE PANAMA CANAL. PMID- 17773792 TI - JOHN SAHLBERG. PMID- 17773791 TI - OCEANOGRAPHY AND THE SEAFISHERIES. PMID- 17773793 TI - THE OBLIGATION OF THE INVESTIGATOR TO THE LIBRARY. PMID- 17773794 TI - A PRELIMINARY NOTE ON THE GERMINATION OF UROPHLYCTIS ALFALFae. PMID- 17773795 TI - THE FUR SEALS. PMID- 17773796 TI - THE ARRANGEMENT OF ATOMS IN SOME COMMON METALS. PMID- 17773797 TI - EFFECTS PRODUCED BY X-RAY ENERGY ACTING UPON FROGS' OVA IN EARLY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES. PMID- 17773798 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. V. PMID- 17773799 TI - ENDOCRINE CONTROL OF PROSTATIC CANCER. PMID- 17773800 TI - COLORBLINDNESS AND THE DETECTION OF CAMOUFLAGE. PMID- 17773801 TI - WALTER BEAL ELLETT. PMID- 17773802 TI - THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR TROPICAL MEDICINE. PMID- 17773803 TI - FIELD TRAINING IN HEALTH EDUCATION AT CLEVELAND HEALTH MUSEUM. PMID- 17773804 TI - TRAINING FOR WOMEN IN AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI. PMID- 17773805 TI - RATIONING AND EXPERIMENTAL LABORATORIES. PMID- 17773806 TI - COPERNICUS CELEBRATION AT THE POLISH INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES IN AMERICA. PMID- 17773807 TI - CONVENTION OF PSYCHOLOGISTS. PMID- 17773808 TI - IN HONOR OF DR. TREAT B. JOHNSON. PMID- 17773809 TI - THE SCIENCE MOBILIZATION BILL. PMID- 17773810 TI - RADIONICS. PMID- 17773811 TI - DR. A. W. GRABAU IN CHINA. PMID- 17773812 TI - MAKING MOSQUITO SURVEYS WITH A JEEP AND THE PBY-5. PMID- 17773813 TI - THE KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773814 TI - THE CULTIVATION FROM GRANULOMA INGUINALE OF A MICROORGANISM HAVING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DONOVAN BODIES IN THE YOLK SAC OF CHICK EMBRYOS. PMID- 17773815 TI - PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773817 TI - VITAMINS IN DEHYDRATED SEEDS AND SPROUTS. PMID- 17773816 TI - EFFECTIVENESS OF VITAMIN A IN THE TREATMENT OF DEFECTIVE COLOR VISION. PMID- 17773818 TI - THE CONSTRUCTION OF TISELIU ELECTROPHORESIS CELLS. PMID- 17773820 TI - THE JESUP NORTH PACIFIC EXPEDITION. PMID- 17773819 TI - A MAGNETIC SURVEY OF THE UNITED STATES BY THE COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY. PMID- 17773821 TI - ON THE BRIGHTNESS OF PIGMENTS BY OBLIQUE VISION. PMID- 17773823 TI - NOTE ON THE SPAWNING SEASON OF THE FEL. PMID- 17773822 TI - AN EXTENSION OF HELMHOLTZ'S THEORY OF THE HEAT OF THE SUN. PMID- 17773824 TI - ON THE NEW GENUS OF LAMPREY, MACROPHTHALMIA CHILENSIS. PMID- 17773825 TI - EVOLUTION OF THE EMBOUCHURE IN NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN FLAGEOLETS. PMID- 17773826 TI - TELEPATHY ONCE MORE. PMID- 17773827 TI - THERMODYNAMIC ACTION OF 'STEAM-GAS.'. PMID- 17773829 TI - THE REMOVAL OF DR. WORTMAN TO THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM. PMID- 17773828 TI - ON THE WEHNELT CURRENT BREAKER. PMID- 17773830 TI - UNIVTERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17773831 TI - RESUME OF OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING THE SOLAR ECLIPSE OF MAY 29, 1919, AND THE EINSTEIN EFFECT. PMID- 17773832 TI - UNITY AND BALANCE IN THE ZOOLOGY COURSE. PMID- 17773834 TI - MODERN INTERPRETATION OF DIFFERENTIALS. PMID- 17773833 TI - BICENTENARY OF CHARLES DE BONNET, NATURALIST AND PHILOSOPHER. PMID- 17773835 TI - WEIGHT AND CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION. PMID- 17773836 TI - RUSSIAN AND AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC MEN. PMID- 17773837 TI - THE SITUATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEN IN RUSSIA. PMID- 17773838 TI - INTERSEXES IN DROSOPHILA SIMULANS. PMID- 17773839 TI - THE ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773840 TI - ORGANIZER OF AMERICAN SCIENCE. PMID- 17773841 TI - CONTRIBUTIONS TO PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION. PMID- 17773842 TI - AS I KNEW HIM IN THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17773843 TI - HIS SERVICE TO SCIENCE. PMID- 17773844 TI - RESOLUTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. PMID- 17773845 TI - SOME PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS. PMID- 17773846 TI - THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CORPORATION. PMID- 17773847 TI - SCIENCE SERVICE. PMID- 17773848 TI - LEADER IN SCIENCE. PMID- 17773850 TI - COURAGEOUS LEADER. PMID- 17773849 TI - IN MEMORIAM. PMID- 17773851 TI - HUMANITARIAN--A REMINISCENCE. PMID- 17773852 TI - THE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND PLANT INDUSTRY AT THE SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17773853 TI - THE GREENWICH ROYAL OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17773854 TI - AWARD OF THE WILLARD GIBBS MEDAL. PMID- 17773856 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BACTERIOLOGISTS. PMID- 17773855 TI - THE ARGENTINE CITIZENS DECLARATION. PMID- 17773857 TI - WORK AND EXPENDITURES OF THE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1900. PMID- 17773859 TI - BUFO AGUA IN THE BERMUDAS. PMID- 17773858 TI - THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EXACT NATURAL SCIENCES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. PMID- 17773860 TI - THE SUPPOSED TERTIARY SEA OF SOUTHERN BRAZIL. PMID- 17773861 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17773862 TI - GEOLOGICAL MAP OF EUROPE. PMID- 17773863 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17773865 TI - THE MAGNETIC SURVEY OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17773864 TI - A NOTABLE STUDY OF ECLIPSE METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17773866 TI - ADVANCE IN FORESTRY LEGISLATION. PMID- 17773867 TI - AN EARLY PHYSICAL CHEMIST--M. W. LOMONOSSOFF. PMID- 17773868 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE THE CAUSE OF HIGH PRICES. PMID- 17773870 TI - FUNDULUS AND FRESH WATER. PMID- 17773869 TI - THE CENTENARY OF THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. PMID- 17773871 TI - NUMBER OF STUDENTS PER TEACHER. PMID- 17773872 TI - NOTES UPON CRONARTIUM RIBICOLA. PMID- 17773873 TI - TREMATODE GENERIC NAMES PROPOSED FO THE "OFFICIAL LIST OF ZOOLOGICAL NAMES". PMID- 17773874 TI - THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17773875 TI - ON THE ENRICHMENT OF THE SOIL BY THE CULTIVATION OF 'ENRICHING CROPS.'. PMID- 17773876 TI - NATURAL GAS. PMID- 17773877 TI - PURITY OF ICE. PMID- 17773878 TI - COMMISSIONER HADLEY'S SECOND ANNUAL REPORT. PMID- 17773879 TI - COLOR-BLINDNESS AMONG RAILWAY EMPLOYEES. PMID- 17773880 TI - SEDGWICK AND WILSON'S BIOLOGY. PMID- 17773881 TI - ABBOTT'S UPLAND AND MEADOW. PMID- 17773883 TI - A SUPERIOR ARC-LAMP. PMID- 17773882 TI - ON THE USE OF THE PHONOGRAPH IN THE STUDY OF THE LANGUAGES OF AMERICAN INDIANS. PMID- 17773884 TI - FACTS ABOUT TORNADOES. PMID- 17773885 TI - THE USE OF OIL. PMID- 17773886 TI - THE OIL-FIELDS IN NEW ZEALAND. PMID- 17773888 TI - Recognition by Young Children. PMID- 17773887 TI - THE MANUFACTURE OF OZONE. PMID- 17773889 TI - Gorse or Furze. PMID- 17773890 TI - Effigy-Mound in the Valley of the Big Sioux River, Iowa. PMID- 17773891 TI - Whirlwinds. PMID- 17773892 TI - Sunspots and Tornadoes. PMID- 17773894 TI - INDUSTRIAL NOTES. PMID- 17773893 TI - Lightning-Discharge. PMID- 17773895 TI - Some Recent Developments in the Field of Electron Microscopy. PMID- 17773896 TI - Radiochemical Changes in Some Fatty Acids. PMID- 17773897 TI - Surface Phagocytosis--Its Relation to the Mechanism of Recovery in Pneumococcal Pneumonia. PMID- 17773898 TI - Transplantation of Adult Filarial Worms, Litomosoides carinii, in Cotton Rats. PMID- 17773899 TI - The Effect of Thiouracil Upon Pigmentation in the Tadpole. PMID- 17773900 TI - Modifications of Specimens in Electron Microscopy. PMID- 17773901 TI - Frozen-dried Preparations for the Electron Microscope. PMID- 17773902 TI - On the Mechanism of Action of Folic Acid and Liver Extract in the Treatment of Anemia. PMID- 17773904 TI - Some Thoughts on "Gene Action". PMID- 17773903 TI - Meteor Crater, Arizona. PMID- 17773905 TI - Some Effects of Electronic Transitions Upon Precision Thermometry. PMID- 17773906 TI - THE TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17773907 TI - SUN-HEAT AND ORBITAL ECCENTRICITY. PMID- 17773908 TI - ON A PHYSIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE OPHIDIA --WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE CONSTRICTIVE HABIT. PMID- 17773909 TI - ONE OF THE GYPSUM CRYSTALS FROM THE CAVE AT SOUTH WASH, WAYNE CO., UTAH. PMID- 17773910 TI - OBSERVATIONS ON GOPHERS AND MOLES IN OREGON. PMID- 17773911 TI - DISTANCE AND COLOR PERCEPTION BY INFANTS. PMID- 17773913 TI - The Aurora. PMID- 17773912 TI - The Convex Profile of Bad-Land Divides. PMID- 17773914 TI - Note on the Crystalline Lens of the Eye. PMID- 17773915 TI - The Moon's Atmosphere. PMID- 17773916 TI - Sham Biology in America. PMID- 17773917 TI - Where is the Litre ? PMID- 17773918 TI - An Appeal to Naturalists. PMID- 17773919 TI - Cedar Waxwings. PMID- 17773921 TI - Dons or Crooners? PMID- 17773920 TI - Rebutitting the Preposterous. PMID- 17773922 TI - The Uintatheres and the Cope-Marsh War. PMID- 17773923 TI - An Archeological Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. PMID- 17773924 TI - Notes on the Reviewing of Learned Books. PMID- 17773925 TI - Modern Science and the Intellectual Tradition. PMID- 17773927 TI - Cut in Funds for Stanford Accelerator More Apparent than Real. PMID- 17773926 TI - Science Reportilg-Today and Tomorrow. PMID- 17773928 TI - Leading Scientists Active in New Committee on Economics of Peace. PMID- 17773929 TI - United States Launches Two More Satellites. PMID- 17773930 TI - House Votes Increased Funds for Mental Health; Senate To Act Soon. PMID- 17773931 TI - Index of Books Reviewed in Science. PMID- 17773932 TI - History of Technology. PMID- 17773933 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17773934 TI - New Procducts. PMID- 17773936 TI - Evapotranspiration. PMID- 17773935 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17773938 TI - Intragalactic Communication. PMID- 17773939 TI - Olfactory Discrimination. PMID- 17773937 TI - Trajectory of Lunik III. PMID- 17773940 TI - Hello Out There (Project Ozma). PMID- 17773941 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17773942 TI - Airglow Cells. PMID- 17773943 TI - THE VIVISECTION QUESTION. PMID- 17773944 TI - A HEARING OF BIRDS' EARS.--II. PMID- 17773945 TI - THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISM OF DIRECTION. PMID- 17773946 TI - THE ARAGO LABORATORY AT BANYULS. PMID- 17773947 TI - AUGUST REPORTS OF STATE WEATHER-SERVICES. PMID- 17773948 TI - THE GEOGRAPHIC CONTROL OF MARINE SEDIMENTS. PMID- 17773949 TI - THE DEVONSHIRE CAVERNS, AND THEIR CONTENTS. PMID- 17773950 TI - Tree-growth. PMID- 17773951 TI - Standard railroad time. PMID- 17773952 TI - PACKARD'S PHYLLOPOD CRUSTACEA. PMID- 17773953 TI - SIR WILLIAM LOGAN. PMID- 17773954 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17773955 TI - TEACHING AND PRACTISE. PMID- 17773956 TI - THE WORK OF THE JEFFERSON PHYSICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17773957 TI - NITER SPOTS. PMID- 17773958 TI - AGE OF THE TUXPAM BEDS. PMID- 17773959 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17773960 TI - Dyestuffs and Coal Tar Products. Their Chemistry, Manufacture and Application. PMID- 17773962 TI - THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17773961 TI - THE KATA THERMOMETER AS A MEASURE OF THE EFFECT OF ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS UPON BODILY COMFORT. PMID- 17773963 TI - SCIENCE AND NATIONAL DEFENSE. PMID- 17773964 TI - ATMOSPHERIC-ELECTRIC DISTURBANCES ACCOMPANYING THE BRIGHT AURORAS OF MARCH 25, 1940, AND SEPTEMBER 18, 1941. PMID- 17773965 TI - WALTER MATHEW DUNAGAN May 23, 1894-November 24, 1941. PMID- 17773966 TI - THE FOURTH CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF THE CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS. PMID- 17773968 TI - AWARD OF THE CHARLES P. DALY GOLD MEDAL OF THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17773967 TI - CHILD ENDOWMENT IN AUSTRALIA. PMID- 17773970 TI - FELLOWSHIPS IN THE MEDICAL SCIENCES OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. PMID- 17773969 TI - UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS. PMID- 17773971 TI - ON THE PRECISION OF ESTIMATES FROM SYSTEMATIC VERSUS RANDOM SAMPLES. PMID- 17773973 TI - A METONIC SPAN IN THE WORK OF THE CARNEGIE CORPORATION. PMID- 17773972 TI - EXTRA STRONG HELIOTROPIC EFFECT OF NEON LIGHTS. PMID- 17773974 TI - REPRINTS FOR EUROPEAN LABORATORIES. PMID- 17773976 TI - PROGRESS AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. PMID- 17773975 TI - COLOR SYSTEMS. PMID- 17773977 TI - THE EXTRACTION OF BIOTIN FROM TISSUES. PMID- 17773979 TI - THE USE OF MERCURY IN CONTACT WITH AMMONIA. PMID- 17773978 TI - FLIES AS CARRIERS OF POLIOMYELITIS VIRUS IN URBAN EPIDEMICS. PMID- 17773980 TI - A TECHNIQUE FOR THE ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF ENCAPSULATED BACTERIA. PMID- 17773981 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17773982 TI - Let us meander. PMID- 17773983 TI - Imported Chips: A Security Risk?: Egged on by U.S. chip makers and by fears of import dependence, the Pentagon is reconsidering how it should buy the brains for smart weapons. PMID- 17773984 TI - President awards science and technology medals. PMID- 17773985 TI - OMB Offers to Delay Indirect Cost Cuts. PMID- 17773986 TI - NSF to Establish Computer Directorate. PMID- 17773987 TI - House science committee chairman leaving congress. PMID- 17773988 TI - NSF Designates Five New Engineering Centers. PMID- 17773989 TI - Comings and goings. PMID- 17773990 TI - New French government scraps research ministry. PMID- 17773991 TI - British telescope dogged by british weather. PMID- 17773992 TI - Can Synchrotron Light Save the Chip Industry?: With U.S. integrated circuit companies reeling under Japanese competition, a new x-ray patterning technology may help, but to make it happen a cooperative plan is needed. PMID- 17773993 TI - Why Dynamiting Vampire Bats Is Wrong: A new report argues that it is not the lack of ecological information that leads to poor environmental planning, but simply the lack of its proper application. PMID- 17773994 TI - Case studies in ecology. PMID- 17773995 TI - The currents of space. PMID- 17773996 TI - High-resolution climatic analysis and southwest biogeography. AB - Meteorologists and climatologists have produced significant new data on the fluid dynamics of the atmosphere, thus allowing biologists to examine more closely the cause-effect relation between the large-scale structure of the atmosphere and the dominant patterns of global biogeography. The inability to characterize the high frequency variability of the weather has constrained such efforts. A method that allows year-to-year patterns of weather variability to be characterized in the contexts of global warming and cooling trends is applied in a combined analysis of long-term monthly weather records and data from an ecological monitoring project in southern New Mexico. The analysis suggests a cause-effect hypothesis of recent desertification in the North American Southwest. The links between the atmosphere and the biosphere are based on the fundamentally different responses to specific weather regimes of semidesert grasses with a C(4) photosynthetic pathway and desert shrubs with a C(3) photosynthetic pathway. The hypothesis appears to be of sufficient generality to explain the complex, but well documented, floristic changes that have occurred in the same region since the last glacial maximum. PMID- 17773997 TI - The tunneling microscope: a new look at the atomic world. AB - A new instrument called the tunneling microscope has recently been developed that is capable of generating real-space images of surfaces showing atomic structure. These images offer a new view of matter on an atomic scale. The current capabilities and limitations and the physics involved in the technique are discussed along with specific results from a study of silicon crystal surfaces. PMID- 17773998 TI - The geochemical behavior of aluminum in acidified surface waters. AB - Speciation calculations for aluminum, in water samples taken from a drainage basin containing acid mine waters, demonstrate a distinct transition from conservative behavior for pH below 4.6 to nonconservative behavior for pH above 4.9. This transition corresponds to the pK for the first hydrolysis constant of the aqueous aluminum ion and appears to be a consistent phenomenon independent of field location, ionic strength, and sulfate concentration. Nonconservative behavior is closely correlated with the equilibrium solubility of a microcrystalline gibbsite or amorphous aluminum hydroxide. PMID- 17773999 TI - Interannual variability of atmospheric methane: possible effects of the el nino- southern oscillation. AB - Nearly continuous measurements at Cape Meares, Oregon, revealed that methane was increasing in the earth's atmosphere and that its concentration varied cyclically with the seasons. After 6 years of measurements, results show that the rate of increase in methane undergoes interannual variations; the most prominent of these coincided with the last major El Nino-Southern Oscillation, when methane concentrations fell far below expected levels. One of the consequences of the interannual variability is that the long-term rate of increase at Cape Meares is now about 16 parts per billion by volume per year, or about 1 percent annually, which is significantly less than that indicated by the earliest calculations. PMID- 17774000 TI - Living nautilus embryos: preliminary observations. AB - Nautilus, long recognized as the most primitive living cephalopod, provides insight into molluscan evolution. Despite many attempts, embryos have not been observed until now. This report details the surface morphology and extraembryonic circulatory pattern. It was found that development, as in other extant cephalopods, is direct, without larval stages. There appears to be no embryonic protoconch associated with shell ontogeny. PMID- 17774001 TI - Development of visual pattern discrimination in the fly depends on light experience. AB - Pattern discrimination by dewinged walking flies (Boettcherisca peregrina) was tested in behavioral experiments. After emergence, the flies were deprived of light or visual patterns. Deprivation impaired the normal development of visual pattern discrimination without impairing phototaxis. Flies kept in a lighted, white, unpatterned environment could not discriminate visual patterns, nor could flies kept in continuous darkness. These results indicate that there is considerable plasticity in the structure of the visual system of these flies. PMID- 17774002 TI - Extended Oxygen Delivery from the Nerve Hemoglobin of Tellina alternata (Bivalvia). AB - An oxygen-binding hemoglobin localized in the nerves of Tellina alternata (Bivalvia) required 30 minutes to unload oxygen when excised nerves were exposed to pure nitrogen. Neural excitability under these conditions could be sustained only until deoxygenation of the hemoglobin was complete. When the oxygen combining function of the hemoglobin was abolished with carbon monoxide, the neural excitability ceased within a few minutes of oxygen removal, a response identical to that of hemoglobinless homologous nerves of other bivalves. These results demonstrate that aerobic activity can be supported by the oxygen stored on hemoglobin in microscopic tissues for a considerable time under anoxic conditions. PMID- 17774003 TI - Nitrogen Fixation by Azotobacter vinelandii Strains Having Deletions in Structural Genes for Nitrogenase. AB - Phenotypic reversal of Nif(-) mutant strains to Nif(+) under molybdenum-deficient conditions has been cited as evidence that Azotobacter vinelandii possesses two nitrogen fixation systems: the conventional molybdenum-enzyme system and an alternative nitrogen-fixation system. Since explanations other than the existence of an alternative system were possible, deletion strains of A. vinelandii lacking the structural genes for conventional nitrogenase (nifHDK) were constructed. These strains were found to grow in molybdenum-deficient nitrogen-free media, reduce acetylene (at low rates), and incorporate molecular nitrogen labeled with nitrogen-15. Thus it can be concluded that the phenotypic reversal phenomenon cannot be due to altered phenotypic expression of nif mutations under molybdenum deficient conditions, but is due to the existence of an alternative nitrogen fixation system in A. vinelandii as originally proposed. PMID- 17774005 TI - Causality in heredity and aging. PMID- 17774004 TI - Thallphytic alleopathy: isolation and identification of laetisaric Acid. AB - Laetisaria arvalis, a soil-dwelling basidiomycete fungus, secretes an allelopathic agent that induces rapid hyphal lysis in several phytopathogenic fungi. The active compound was isolated from chloroform:methanol extracts of L. arvalis mycelia and characterized as a previously unknown hydroxy fatty acid, (Z,Z-9,12-8-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid. PMID- 17774007 TI - Reminder for members. PMID- 17774006 TI - Grants to Self-Sponsored Foreign Graduate Students to Attend AAAS Annual Meeting. PMID- 17774008 TI - Report from Indian science congress association. PMID- 17774009 TI - Economic interdependencies: andean ecology and civilization. PMID- 17774010 TI - Marsupials: evolutionary ecology of marsupials. PMID- 17774011 TI - A nexus of transformations: sweetness and power. PMID- 17774013 TI - Host-parasite coevolution: ecology and genetics of host-parasite interactions. PMID- 17774012 TI - Active galactic nuclei: astrophysics of active galaxies and quasi-stellar objects. PMID- 17774014 TI - Some other books of interest: meteorites. PMID- 17774015 TI - Some other books of interest: the quaternary history of ireland. PMID- 17774016 TI - Some other books of interest: animal cell biotechnology. PMID- 17774017 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17774019 TI - IS THIS SUCCESS? PMID- 17774018 TI - ASPECTS OF MODERN PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17774021 TI - GIFTS TO SCIENCE AND EDUCATION. PMID- 17774020 TI - THE STANDARDS COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAN STANDARDS ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17774022 TI - AWARDS OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL. PMID- 17774023 TI - THE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, NEW YORK CITY. PMID- 17774024 TI - ENGINEERING AWARDS IN GREAT BRITAIN. PMID- 17774025 TI - INDUCED BIOTIN DEFICIENCY AS A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION OF OBSERVED SPONTANEOUS RECESSIONS IN MALIGNANCY. PMID- 17774026 TI - PRE-EUCLIDEAN GREEK MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17774027 TI - PHOSPHORESCENCE OF HUMAN TEETH. PMID- 17774028 TI - CROSS-FERTILIZATION OF ECHINODERMS. PMID- 17774030 TI - ON THE HORMONAL ACTIVITY OF A STEROID COMPOUND. PMID- 17774029 TI - THE SEVENTH ANNUAL WASHINGTON CONFERENCE OF THEORETICAL PHYSICS, MAY 22-24, 1941. PMID- 17774031 TI - THE HUMAN EXCRETION OF CAROTENOIDS AND VITAMIN A. PMID- 17774033 TI - MEASUREMENT OF RESPIRATION AND GYCOLYSIS OF A SINGLE SAMPLE OF TISSUE IN SERUM. PMID- 17774032 TI - CORRELATION OF ACTIVITY PER UNIT WEIGHT OF TOBACCO-MOSAIC VIRUS WITH AGE OF LESION. PMID- 17774034 TI - THE PRESERVATION OF OXIDIZABLE SUBSTANCES IN SOLUTION. PMID- 17774035 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17774036 TI - Patriotic emigrants. PMID- 17774037 TI - In defense of rachel carson. PMID- 17774038 TI - Anthropologists debate ethics. PMID- 17774039 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17774040 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17774041 TI - Who fights in little wars? PMID- 17774042 TI - Oil pollution. PMID- 17774043 TI - Neutron capture and stellar synthesis of heavy elements. AB - The neutron buildup processes of heavy-element synthesis in stars have left us a number of tantalizing nuclear clues to the early history of solarsystem material. Considerable illumination of our past history has been achieved through studying the correlations between abundance and neutroncapture cross section. Measurement of these cross sections required the development of new techniques for measuring time of flight of pulsed neutron beams. A clear conclusion is that many of our heavy elements were produced inside stars, which can be thought of as giant fast reactors. Extensions of these capture studies have given a clearer picture of additional. violent processes which produced some heavy elements, particularly thorium and uranium. In addition, the correlations have been used for obtaining an independent measure of the time that has elapsed since the solar-system material was synthesized. Finally, data on capture cross section relative to abundance will enable us to determine rather accurately the solar-system abundances of gaseous, volatile, and highly segregated elements. PMID- 17774044 TI - Scaling data on inter-nation action. AB - We conclude (i) that the marker-card method is as reliable a measure as the ordinary Q-sort method; (ii) that Q and the marker-card score are measuring very nearly the same thing-in this case, presumably conflict; and (iii) that the use of marker cards permits comparison of judgments about a given quantity in the context of different situations and may even permit comparison of results obtained by different research teams if the different teams use the same marker decks. A fundamental issue involved in scoring the entries on the cards in this study by either Q-sort or marker cards is the "judgability" of the items as indicators of conflict. We noted above that items with the highest variances in scoring, from judge to judge, were concentrated at the low-conflict end of the scale. A possible explanation is that judges are able to make finer distinctions concerning an attribute when it is present than when it is absent. Differences in scoring could also arise from a lack of unidimensionality in the attribute being scaled. If juidges find that conflict has several distinct aspects, the task of placing items in a single order becomes more difficult. Difficulties in making judgments also arose from the fact that the actions were being judged out of context, or in contexts that varied from judge to judge, since no standard context was supplied. But these difficulties lie outside our problem, which was to find an alternative to Q-sorting which would permit intersituational comparisons. Our sLIccess in finding an alternative is apparent in our results, but problems of judgability remain with both techniques. Beyond providing a standard for intersitLiational comparisons, the markercard technique has other advantages. It is possible that the use of marker decks will be of help in training judges to score such a variable as conflict. In our study it permitted identification of a judge inadequately trained to do so. Possibly the marker cards will be useful in assigning scale values to hatches of data too small for Q sort, or even to individual items. It further appears that the marker cards should be useful in discriminating among highconflict items which heretofore would all have tended to appear in the top Q-sort category. The marker-card technique has given us a reliable alternative to Q-sort for scaling conflict. The method should be capable of extension to dimensions other than conflict. PMID- 17774045 TI - A New Ocean of NASA Publications. PMID- 17774046 TI - Particle physics: new talk of East-west ties. PMID- 17774049 TI - Recent death. PMID- 17774048 TI - Hollomon leaving science post for presidency at oklahoma. PMID- 17774050 TI - Zodiacal dust and deep-sea sediments. AB - The recent detection of radioactive Al(26) in marine sediments has led to the conclusion that it is brought into the earth's atmosphere by micrometeorites which have been exposed, in interplanetary space, to solar high-energy protons. The Al(26) method is not precise enough to yield directly a reliable value for the mass accretion rate to the earth to better than about 3 orders of magnitude, but is sufficiently accurate to allow a crucial decision between two widely differing of interplanetary dust which have been proposed to explain observations of the zodiacal light. The two models lead to Al(26) concentrations which would differ by about 5 orders of magnitude. Thus, the presence of Al(26) is consistent with the zodiacal dust model with particles of some tens of microns rather then with submicron particles. From this model a mass accretion to the earth then be calculated which is set at 1250 (upper limit, 2500; lower limit, 250) tons per day, or 2.8 x 10(-15) g/cm(2) sec, or 4.5 x 10(11) g over the earth per This value does not depend on the flux of the solar high-energy particles, which may be uncertain by an order of magnitude or more. The presence of Al(26) supports the idea that an important fraction of the dust is stony in composition material density, and thus eliminates some more exotic dust models, as such one consisting entirely of carbon grains. We may also conclude that the accreted dust particles have been in the solar system and exposed to protons from solar high-energy particles for a time interval which is greater than a significant of the Al(26) half-life (0.74 x 10(6) years). PMID- 17774051 TI - Geomagnetic polarity change and faunal extinction in the southern ocean. AB - Paleomnlagnietic polarity changes have been detected in nine deep-sea sedimentary cores (from the Pacific-Antarctic Basin) in which an extinction horizon of a radiolarian assemblage was previously independently determined. The depths of the polarity change 0.7 million years ago and the faunal boundary are closely correlated, confirming that the faunal extinction was locally virtually synchronous. Although the reason for the faunal extinction is unknown. the possibility of causal relationships between faunal extinction and factors directly involved with sedimentation rate, sedimentation rate variation, and sediment type appears to be excluded. PMID- 17774052 TI - Observations of the andromeda galaxy at 11-centimeter wavelength. AB - Observations of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) at 2695 megahertz reveal more detail than do earlier measurements at lower frequency. The region is highly confused but there is apparently a more dense clustering of sources within the optical outline of the galaxy than without. One source (OA33) near M31 has an interesting. flat spectrum. PMID- 17774053 TI - Drilling on midway atoll, hawaii. AB - Two holes drilled through reef sediments into basalt have established a geologic section through the Miocene. Midway was built above the sea by flows that were weathered and partially truncated in pre-Miocene time. After submergence, volcanic clays were reworked and covered by limestones. Overall ubmergence was interrupted at least twice by emergence. The limestones have been leached, recrystallized, and partially dolomitized. PMID- 17774054 TI - Sudbury structure, ontario: some petrographic evidence for origin by meteorite impact. AB - Unusual deformation structures, similar to those observed in rocks from known and suspected meteorite impact craters, are observed in inclusions of basement rock in the Onaping formation at Sudbury, Ontario. These features, which include planar sets in quartz parallel to the (0001) and (10i3) planes, suggest that the Onaping formation consists of shocked and melted material deposited immediately after a meteorite impact which formed the Sudbury basin. PMID- 17774055 TI - Excitation of surface waves by events in southern algeria. AB - Surface-wave magnitudes (M(8)) of 4.1 and 3.2 are determined for two events in southern Algeria. The corresponding body-wave magnitudes (m(b)) are 5.8 and 4.9, respectively. The surface waves from these events are much smaller than would be expected from most earthquakes of comparable body-wave magnitudes, which fact suggests that these waves were generated by underground explosions. PMID- 17774056 TI - Isotropy of cosmic background radiation at 4080 megahertz. AB - We have examined an 18 hour-long record made as part of our program of measturements of the fluxes of a number of discrete radio sources. Since our radiometer employed an absolute reference, it was possible to obtain absolute background data from the reference region observed around each of the 29 sources investigated that day. From the study of a plot mode from this data, we conclude that there is no large-scale deviation from isotropy of more than 0.1 degrees K at 4080 megahertz. PMID- 17774057 TI - Rotation of the sun. AB - Dicke has interpreted his recent measurement of the sun's oblateness as implying a fast (1.8-day period) rotation of the solar radiative interior. We find that differentially rotating solar models, such as the one proposed by Dicke, are unstable. The rate of turbulent diffusion in the unstable regions of these models is so rapid that it appears to preclude a fast spinning solar interior. As a corollary of the stability analysis, we conclude that the loss of a significant fraction of a star's angular momentum must be accomnpanied by the mixing of material below its convective zone. Such mixing inevitably leads to the depletion of lithium in the star's photosphere. PMID- 17774058 TI - Paramagnetic resonance spectra of methyl radicals on porous glass surfaces. AB - Methyl radicals stabilized on surfaces of porous Vycor glass at 77 degrees show three types of paramagnetic resonance spectra. One of them represents physically trapped radicals, whereas the other two types indicate interactions with surface sites. PMID- 17774059 TI - Platyzoma: a new look at an old link in ferns. AB - Record of a chromosome number of 2n = 76, unusual for pteridophytes, in Platyzoma microphyllum R. Br. emphasizes other unique features of this monotypic Queensland fern and provides new evidence of its possible relationships. Other characteristics of this plant, which are not known among terrestrial ferns, are incipient heterospory-having two sizes of spores and a dioecious condition of the gametophytes. These and other morphological features show relationships of Platyzoma to members of the Schizaeaceae and Marsileaceae and relationships of these families to the Polypodiaceae, in which it is treated under the subfamily Platyzomatoideae. PMID- 17774060 TI - Anemia phyllitidis: Inducibility of Physiological State Antagonistic to Antheridium Formation. AB - It has been reported that a preparation obtained from prothlalli of the fern species Anemia phyllitidis controls antheridium formation in this species. If this same preparation is applied at the spore stage it induces a physiological state antagonistic to antheridium formation. The inhibitory state is inducible only at a very early stage of development, but, once induced, it remains manifest at much later stages. Quite possibly, the inhibitory state arises in response to the factor that induces formation of anitlheridia. The inhibitory state may have an important function in fern development. PMID- 17774062 TI - Alpha-hematite: stable remanence and memory. PMID- 17774061 TI - Gaseous hydrocarbons in sea water: determination. AB - Low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons in the C(l) to C(4) range have been detected and measured in sea water. Methane shows by far the highest concentration, followed in order by the C(2), C(3), and C(4) fractions. In general, the concentration tends to decrease with depth, but there is a strong indication that a maximum may exist about 30 to 50 meters below the surface. PMID- 17774063 TI - Properties of lunar surface rocks. PMID- 17774064 TI - Positions of quasi-stellar objects with large red-shifts. PMID- 17774065 TI - Slopes on the moon. PMID- 17774066 TI - Stereology. PMID- 17774067 TI - Thermoluminescence of geological materials. PMID- 17774068 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17774069 TI - Increasing productivity and efficiency in agriculture. PMID- 17774071 TI - Superfund is running out of money. PMID- 17774070 TI - R&D Lobby Anxiously Awaits Budget Action: The science and academic communities ponder austerity as Congress struggles to rein in rising interest payments. PMID- 17774072 TI - Science board study indicates u.s. Science healthy. PMID- 17774073 TI - Voyager Finds Uranian Shepherds and a Well-Behaved Flock of Rings: Voyager 2 discovered the moonlets predicted to shape the Uranian rings, two new rings, a predominance of boulders in the rings, and much more. PMID- 17774074 TI - Infrared Astronomy After IRAS. AB - The 250,000 sources in the recently issued Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) all-sky infrared catalog are a challenge to astronomy. Many of these sources will be studied with existing and planned ground-based and airborne telescopes, but many others can no longer even be detected now that IRAS has ceased to operate. As anticipated by advisory panels of the National Academy of Sciences for a decade, study of the IRAS sources will require the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), a cooled, pointed telescope in space. This instrument may be the key to our understanding of cosmic birth-the formation of planets, stars, galaxies, active galactic nuclei, and quasars. Compared with IRAS and existing telescopes, SIRTF's power derives from a thousandfold gain in sensitivity over five octaves of the spectrum. PMID- 17774075 TI - Dynamics of fractal networks. AB - Random structures often exhibit fractal geometry, defined in terms of the mass scaling exponent, D, the fractal dimension. The vibrational dynamics of fractal networks are expressed in terms of the exponent d, the fracton dimensionality. The eigenstates on a fractal network are spatially localized for d less than or equal to 2. The implications of fractal geometry are discussed for thermal transport on fractal networks. The electron-fracton interaction is developed, with a brief outline given for the time dependence of the electronic relaxation on fractal networks. It is suggested that amorphous or glassy materials may exhibit fractal properties at short length scales or, equivalently, at high energies. The calculations of physical properties can be used to test the fractal character of the vibrational excitations in these materials. PMID- 17774076 TI - The 1985 nobel prize in physics. PMID- 17774077 TI - Cation-ratio and accelerator radiocarbon dating of rock varnish on mojave artifacts and landforms. AB - The first accelerator radiocarbon dates of rock varnishes are reported along with potassium/argon ages of lava flows and conventional radiocarbon dates of pluvial lake shorelines, in an empirical calibration of rock varnish K(+) + Ca(2+)/Ti(4+) ratios with age in the Mojave Desert, eastern California. This calibration was used to determine the cation-ratio dates of 167 artifacts. Although cation-ratio dating is an experimental method, some dates suggest human occupation of the Mojave Desert in the late Pleistocene. PMID- 17774078 TI - Thermal spectrum of uranus: implications for large helium abundance. AB - An analysis of the infrared spectrum of Uranus' disk between 7 micrometers and 3 millimeters suggests a volume mixing ratio for helium in the atmosphere of 40 +/- 20 percent, more than for the sun, Jupiter, or Saturn. Alternative explanations require even more extreme assumptions regarding gas abundances or aerosol vertical distribution and spectral properties. The most serious difficulty with a model containing large amounts of helium is devising a credible evolutionary or chemical model explaining the absence or segregation of so much hydrogen. PMID- 17774079 TI - Carbon dioxide enhancement of tree growth at high elevations. PMID- 17774080 TI - Carbon dioxide enhancement of tree growth at high elevations. PMID- 17774082 TI - The reform of the medical schools: learning to heal. PMID- 17774081 TI - Carbon dioxide enhancement of tree growth at high elevations. PMID- 17774083 TI - The chinese quaternary: quaternary geology and environment of china. PMID- 17774085 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17774084 TI - Chloroplast development: chloroplast biogenesis. PMID- 17774086 TI - The academic labor market. PMID- 17774088 TI - Medical school admissions. PMID- 17774087 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17774089 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17774091 TI - Construction of large accelerators: scientific and political aspects. PMID- 17774090 TI - Casualties of governmental reorganization. PMID- 17774092 TI - Reaction Wood: Its Structure and Function: Lignification may generate the force active in restoring the trunks of leaning trees to the vertical. AB - The mechanism by which the stems of trees recover after being bent or tilted out of the vertical is considered. The mechanical consequences of the tendency for the main stem apex to reerect itself and grow vertically or to be replaced by a vertically growing lateral branch, and of the asymmetrical radial growth of displaced stems, are pointed out. The asymmetry usually develops on the upper side of a bent or tilted hardwood stem and on the under side of a softwood stem. Since such asymmetry can usually be accounted for on the basis of accentuated development of wood rather than bark, the question of the possible functional significance of the wood arises. Experiments are cited to demonstrate that the wood (reaction wood) is effective as a means for assisting displaced stems to recover, contracting longitudinally on the upper side of a hardwood stem and expanding on the under side of a softwood stem. Consideration is then given to the structure, differentiation, and chemical composition of the reaction wood formed by hardwoods and softwoods with a view to locating the force active in aiding recovery and determining its origin. The consequences of associating the support of a still-growing stem displaced from the vertical with the idiosyncracies of secondary wall formation of reaction wood cells, and the reerection of such a stem with lignification of these walls, are explored. On this basis, the hypothesis is advanced that the recovery force is located in the region of differentiating reaction wood cells undergoing lignification, the active force arising from the swelling of cell walls as a result of deposition in them of lignin. Objections to the hypothesis are mentioned. PMID- 17774093 TI - Alternative National Goals and Women's Employment: Career opportunities in the 1970's are contingent upon growth objectives. AB - I have stressed the importance of economic growth and employment policies for the furtherance of women's career objectives. Legal action to remove discrimination, as well as transformation of attitudes and expectations, will prove but hollow successes if adequate career opportunities do not become available. For this reason, the employment outlook for professional women in the 1970's has been examined on the basis of three alternative views of the future. All three involve elements of uncertainty and would require adjustments in the labor market. In the first alternative, although the BLS projected an overall balance in the labor market, supply and demand were expected to be ill-matched in several professional sectors, entailing burdensome retraining for those finding themselves in the areas of excess supply. The more pessimistic variant, based either on failure to reach growth and employment goals or on deliberate pursuit of reduced growth goals-combined with population stabilization and increased productivity-would require such fundamental adjustments in the labor market as work-sharing and early retirement or deemphasis of career objectives. The optimistic variant posits economic and social needs great enough to warrant high growth rates and views an expanded labor supply as a factor enabling the economy to attain such growth rates and to extend the utilization of professional personnel in new as well as in established areas (31). The major burden posed by the optimistic variant involves the need to achieve social consensus on the goals of society and to maintain the commitment to those goals with energy and intelligence. PMID- 17774094 TI - Secrecy in Congress: Tiptoeing toward Reform. PMID- 17774095 TI - Sickle cell screening of recruits urged. PMID- 17774096 TI - Chemical corps to be diluted. PMID- 17774097 TI - Budget Cuts Scupper NSF's Eltanin. PMID- 17774099 TI - Stever's Limousine Turns to Pumpkin. PMID- 17774098 TI - Delaney Clause: Defended against an Uncertain Threat of Change. PMID- 17774100 TI - Citing Female Bar, Brown Won't Dine at Cosmos. PMID- 17774101 TI - Ray To Be AEC Chairperson. PMID- 17774102 TI - Arms control: white house whittles down peace agency. PMID- 17774103 TI - Perfluorochemical emulsions: promising blood substitutes. PMID- 17774104 TI - Physics and Astronomy in 1972: Progress with Fusion and Lasers, and New Discoveries with an X-ray Satellite. PMID- 17774105 TI - Phosphorus dynamics in lake water. AB - An exchange mechanism exists in lake water between phosphate and plankton, but the excretion of an organic phosphorus compound by the plankton is also a significant process. It results in the extracellular formation of a colloidal substance, and most of the nonparticulate phosphorus in lake water is in this form. PMID- 17774106 TI - Reaction of hydrated electrons with ferricytochrome C. AB - The reaction of ferricytochrome c with hydrated electrons produced at pH 6.8 by radiolysis with electron pulses lasting 50 to 1000 nanoseconds has a specific rate constant of 5.5 x 10(10) liter mole(-1) sec(-1) for the formation of the primary adduct. By using appropriate wavelengths, another fast, consecutive process was demonstrated, with the pure first order rate constant 1.0 x 10(5) sec(-1). Its characteristics agree with it being an intramolecular process within the enzyme. Approximately 50 percent of all electrons which add to ferricytochrome c end in forming ferrocytochrome c. PMID- 17774108 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17774107 TI - DNA Complementary to Ribosomal RNA: Relation between Genomic Proportion and Ploidy. AB - Ten Nicotiana species were assayed for the proportion of DNA that is complementary to ribosomal RNA. This proportion varies from 0.27 to 0.9 percent, with tetraploid species having lower values than the diploid species. The tetraploid species have about twice as much DNA per cell as do diploid species. Thus, the absolute number of genes for ribosomal RNA varies less than the proportion of complementary DNA. Further, the number of genes for the RNA in 80S ribosomes varies less among species than does that for the RNA in 70S ribosomes. The data indicate that loss of DNA complementary to ribosomal RNA is associated with tetraploidy in the genus Nicotiana. PMID- 17774109 TI - DIELECTRIC CONSTANT AND MOLECULAR STRUCTURE. PMID- 17774110 TI - ANOTHER OUTLOOK ON THE CHEMICAL REGULATION OF RESPIRATION. PMID- 17774111 TI - SIMPLIFIED LITERATURE CITATIONS. PMID- 17774112 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774113 TI - IS THE AUTOMOBILE EXTERMINATING THE WOODPECKER? PMID- 17774114 TI - DATE OF CHANNEL TRENCHING IN THE SOUTHWEST. PMID- 17774115 TI - EVOLUTION AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA. PMID- 17774117 TI - IRON BACTERIA. PMID- 17774116 TI - ON THE agr- AND beta-FORMS OF SUGARS AND OF SUGAR DERIVATIVES. PMID- 17774118 TI - Air Conservation. PMID- 17774119 TI - The Upper Limit of Crop Yield: This classical problem may be analyzed as one of the photosynthetic efficiency of plants in arrays. PMID- 17774120 TI - Stratospheric Residence Time of Strontium-90: An overall average residence time of 0.7 {+/-} 0.1 year was observed during the period 1958 through 1960. PMID- 17774121 TI - The General Limits of Space Travel: We may never visit our neighbors in space, but we should start listening and talking to them. PMID- 17774122 TI - Military in Space: Air Force Seems To Have Won Argument For Expanded Program. PMID- 17774123 TI - Observations on the Solubility of Skeletal Carbonates in Aqueous Solutions. AB - Carbonate skeletal materials of marine organisms exhibit a wide range of solubilities in aqueous solutions. In most cases, the dissolution of the carbonate mineral is irreversible and therefore the material can have no true equilibrium solubility. Relative solubilities have been measured in distilled water and in sea water. The least soluble mineral appears to be calcite with low magnesium content; the most soluble is calcite containing 20 to 30 percent MgCO(3) in solid solution. Aragonite has an intermediate solubility. PMID- 17774124 TI - Enhanced Afterglow in Neon by Removal of Electrical Excitation. AB - An unusual increase in light output results when a neon strobe tube is suddenly short-circuited during the transient. Experimental measurements have been made of the emitted light from the discharge when the capacitor is short-circuited at different times after the initiation of the discharge. PMID- 17774125 TI - Preliminary Results of Recent Deep Drilling on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. AB - In 1961 a 1000-foot drill hole near Harwich on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, penetrated 435 feet of Pleistocene deposits above 50 to 60 feet of crystalline limestone and phyllitic schist, and more than 500 feet of phyllitic schist with abundant quartz veins. Similar rock is known in the Pennsylvanian and Precambrian (?) sections of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Material of Eocene age was found in earlier drilling near Provincetown, but none was identified from this hole. PMID- 17774127 TI - Clams as Indicators of Strontium-90. AB - Fresh-water clams concentrate strontium-90 in their shells and may be used as indicators of the Sr(90) contamination of their environment. Analysis of data derived from the specific activity of Sr(90) in shells showed that Sr(90) released to the Tennessee River system remained in solution and that concentrations to a distance of 500 miles from the release site can be predicted on the basis of the dilution of contaminated White Oak Creek water by uncontaminated Clinch-Tennessee River water. PMID- 17774126 TI - Transportation of Oyster Drills by Horseshoe "Crabs". AB - Horseshoe "crabs" (Limulus polyphemus) collected in New Haven Harbor, Long Island Sound, had large numbers of oyster drills attached to them. Since these animals migrate long distances, they may be important distributors of oyster drills. PMID- 17774128 TI - Radiotelemetry of the Respiration of a Flying Duck. AB - Respirations of a flying wild mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos, appear to be synchronized with wing beat in a ratio of 1 to 2. Wing beats come during exhalation and between respirations. The average number of respirations was 14 per minute for a resting duck and 96 per minute for a flying duck. PMID- 17774129 TI - Meetings: Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17774130 TI - Monbusho and CREST Grants. PMID- 17774131 TI - Response: Monbusho and CREST Grants. PMID- 17774132 TI - What is holography? PMID- 17774133 TI - HIV-2 and Natural Protection Against HIV-1 Infection. PMID- 17774134 TI - Response: HIV-2 and Natural Protection Against HIV-1 Infection. PMID- 17774135 TI - Response: HIV-2 and Natural Protection Against HIV-1 Infection. PMID- 17774136 TI - ON THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774138 TI - THE ROYAL INSTITUTION. PMID- 17774137 TI - SOME COMMON SOURCES OF ERROR IN RECENT WORK ON COCCIDAe. PMID- 17774139 TI - CEREBRAL LIGHT: FURTHER OBSERVATIONS. PMID- 17774140 TI - PROFESSOR SIMON NEWCOMB. PMID- 17774141 TI - INFANTS'' MOVEMENTS. PMID- 17774142 TI - A FEW CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AVIAN BRAIN. PMID- 17774143 TI - A NEW SABRE-TOOTHED TIGER FROM THE LOUP FORK TERTIARY OF KANSAS. PMID- 17774145 TI - IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17774144 TI - THE KLAMATH NATION: II.--Linguistics. PMID- 17774146 TI - Traumatic Hypnotism. PMID- 17774147 TI - Cold Waves. PMID- 17774148 TI - THE MOBILIZATION OF SCIENCE IN NATIONAL DEFENSE. PMID- 17774149 TI - HARRY WARD FOOTE. PMID- 17774150 TI - PAUL STILWELL McKIBBEN 1886-1941. PMID- 17774152 TI - PHI LAMBDA UPSILON. PMID- 17774151 TI - NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES IN GREAT BRITAIN. PMID- 17774154 TI - CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS. PMID- 17774153 TI - THE FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY. PMID- 17774155 TI - THE CHARLES FREDERICK CHANDLER MEDAL OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17774156 TI - EXTENDED THEOREMS IN DYNAMICS. PMID- 17774157 TI - CONSIDERATION OF THE ADEQUACY OF BIOMICROSCOPY AS A METHOD OF DETECTING MILD CASES OF VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY. PMID- 17774158 TI - A STUDY OF LAMPBRUSH CHROMOSOMES BY THE ELECTRON MICROSCOPE. PMID- 17774159 TI - SOME FACTORS IN THE NUTRITIONAL DETERMINATION OF HISTORY. PMID- 17774160 TI - FALSE BLOSSOM IN PERIWINKLES AND ITS CURE BY HEAT. PMID- 17774161 TI - THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN. PMID- 17774162 TI - NARCOTIC POTENCY OF BIURETS CONTAINING PIPERIDINE. PMID- 17774163 TI - FURTHER NOTES ON THE INCUBATION PERIOD OF THE PEACH MOSAIC VIRUS. PMID- 17774164 TI - FLUORINE ACQUIRED BY MATURE DOG'S TEETH. PMID- 17774165 TI - A SIMPLE MECHANICAL SHAKER. PMID- 17774166 TI - AUTOLOGOUS PLASMA CLOT SUTURE OF NERVES. PMID- 17774167 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17774168 TI - THE RELATION OF BOTANY TO AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17774170 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774169 TI - ON THE AVIFAUNA OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. PMID- 17774172 TI - AN OSMOSIS EXPERIMENT IN BIOLOGY. PMID- 17774171 TI - LETTERS OF RAFINESQUE. PMID- 17774173 TI - DETERMINATION OF "e" FROM MEASUREMENTS OF THE SCHROTT-EFFECT. PMID- 17774174 TI - GLACIAL PEBBLES IN EASTERN KENTUCKY. PMID- 17774175 TI - TEMPERATURE AND MUSCULAR EXCITABILITY. PMID- 17774176 TI - THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY MEETING OF THE PACIFIC DIVISION. PMID- 17774178 TI - SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES IN WASHINGTON. PMID- 17774177 TI - THE ULTRA-GASEOUS OR RADIANT STATE OF MATTER. PMID- 17774179 TI - GREAT ASTRONOMICAL TELESCOPE. PMID- 17774180 TI - THE POLARIZATION OF SOUND: AN EXAMINATION INTO THE NATURE OF VIBRATIONS IN EXTENDED MEDIA. PMID- 17774181 TI - ASTRONOMY: COMET (a) 1831--SWIFT. PMID- 17774182 TI - EDINBURGII ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774183 TI - ON A METHOD OF ISOLATING THE MAMMALIAN HEART. PMID- 17774184 TI - THE ERUPTION OF KRAKATOA. PMID- 17774185 TI - THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION'S WORK DURING THE PAST SEASON. PMID- 17774186 TI - MENTAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17774187 TI - ELECTRICAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17774188 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17774189 TI - On the Alleged Mongolian Affinities of the American Race: A Reply to Dr. Daniel G. Brinton. PMID- 17774191 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17774190 TI - Queries. PMID- 17774192 TI - LOCAL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES AND THE COMMUNITY. PMID- 17774193 TI - WHERE DO METEORITES COME FROM? PMID- 17774194 TI - NUTRITIONAL PHYSIOLOGY OF THE ADULT RUMINANT. PMID- 17774195 TI - THE BLACK DYE OF THE NAVAJOS. PMID- 17774197 TI - THE VULCANIZATION OF RUBBER. PMID- 17774196 TI - HEPARIN AND BLOOD CLOTTING. PMID- 17774198 TI - APPEARANCE OF A NEW POTATO DISEASE IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO. PMID- 17774199 TI - EASE OF BODY HEAT LOSS AND RESISTANCE TO INFECTION. PMID- 17774200 TI - ANDROGENS AND TUMOR GROWTH. PMID- 17774201 TI - THE MUSCLE HEMOGLOBIN OF SEALS AS AN OXYGEN STORE IN DIVING. PMID- 17774202 TI - THE ABSORPTION OF RADIO WAVES IN WATER. PMID- 17774203 TI - A SPECTROCOLORIMETER FOR COMPARING THE SPECTRA OF SOLUTIONS OF DIFFERENT DEPTH. PMID- 17774204 TI - PERIODIC DISCHARGING OF LIQUIDS AND INTERMITTENT WASHING OF SOLIDS. PMID- 17774206 TI - Renewable liquid fuels. PMID- 17774205 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17774207 TI - "Future shock". PMID- 17774209 TI - "Future shock". PMID- 17774208 TI - "Future shock". PMID- 17774210 TI - "Future shock". PMID- 17774213 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - In the news article "FDA puts the brakes on xenotransplants" by Rachel Nowak (5 May, p. 630) the description of the response of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City to one of its investigators' proposal to test baboon-to human heart transplants was incorrect. In fact, Columbia convened one panel of outside experts to advise its internal committees on the risks of xenotransplantation, and has since retained two outside experts as consultants to Robert Michler, the principle investigator for the xenotransplant trials. The institution also recommended that a group of experts on emerging infections be convened to examine the risk of viral transmission associated with xenotransplantation (Letters, 21 Apr., p. 349). PMID- 17774212 TI - Response. PMID- 17774211 TI - "Future shock". PMID- 17774214 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17774215 TI - GOP Plans Would Reshuffle Science. PMID- 17774216 TI - ... As o'leary struggles to preserve energy department. PMID- 17774217 TI - Japan Agrees to Help Build the LHC. PMID- 17774218 TI - Wetlands reform bill is all wet, say scientists. PMID- 17774219 TI - COBE Seeks Universe's First Blush. PMID- 17774220 TI - Ancient mollusk fossil sparks debate. PMID- 17774221 TI - Massachusetts labs on red alert. PMID- 17774222 TI - Pollution-eating cars. PMID- 17774223 TI - U.s., Russia to provide crucial aid to scientists. PMID- 17774224 TI - On-road vehicle emissions: regulations, costs, and benefits. PMID- 17774225 TI - Environmentail iplications of electric cars. PMID- 17774226 TI - The heliospheric magnetic field over the South polar region of the sun. AB - Magnetic field measurements from the Ulysses space mission overthe south polar regions of the sun showed that the structure and properties of the three dimensional heliosphere were determined by the fast solar wind flow and magnetic fields from the large coronal holes in the polar regions of the sun. This conclusion applies at the current, minimum phase of the 11-year solar activity cycle. Unexpectedly, the radial component of the magnetic field was independent of latitude. The high-latitude magnetic field deviated significantly from the expected Parker geometry, probably because of large amplitude transverse fluctuations. Low-frequency fluctuations had a high level of variance. The rate of occurrence of discontinuities also increased significantly at high latitudes. PMID- 17774227 TI - Dust measurements at high ecliptic latitudes. AB - Along Ulysses' path from Jupiter to the south ecliptic pole, the onboard dust detector measured a dust impact rate that varied slowly from 0.2 to 0.5 impacts per day. The dominant component of the dust flux arrived from an ecliptic latitude and longitude of 100 + 10 degrees and 280 degrees +/- 30 degrees which indicates an interstellar origin. An additional flux of small particles, which do not come from the interstellar direction and are unlikely to be zodiacal dust grains, appeared south of -45 degrees latitude. One explanation is that these particles are beta-meteoroids accelerated away from the sun by radiation pressure and electromagnetic forces. PMID- 17774228 TI - Cosmic ray and solar particle investigations over the South polar regions of the sun. AB - Observations of galactic cosmic radiation and anomalous component nuclei with charged particle sensors on the Ulysses spacecraft showed that heliospheric magnetic field structure over the south solar pole does not permit substantially more direct access to the local interstellar cosmic ray spectrum than is possible in the equatorial zone. Fluxes of galactic cosmic rays and the anomalous component increased as a result of latitude gradients by less than 50% from the equator to -80 degrees . Thus, the modulated cosmic ray nucleon, electron, and anomalous component fluxes are nearly spherically symmetric in the inner solar system. The cosmic rays and the anomalous nuclear component underwent a continuous, -26 day recurrent modulation to -80.2 degrees , whereas all recurring magnetic field compressions and recurring streams in the solar wind disappeared above approximately 55 degrees S latitude. PMID- 17774229 TI - Corotating variations of cosmic rays near the South heliospheric pole. AB - Three-dimensional simulations of the heliospheric modulation of galactic cosmic ray protons show that corotating variations in the intensity can persist to quite high heliographic latitudes. Variations are seen at latitudes considerably higher than the maximum latitude extension of the heliographic current sheet, in regions where the solar wind velocity and magnetic field show no significant variation. Similar conclusions may apply also to lower energy particles, which may be accelerated at lower latitudes. Cosmic ray variations caused by corotating interaction regions present at low heliographic latitudes can propagate to significantly higher latitudes. PMID- 17774231 TI - Ulysses solar wind plasma observations at high southerly latitudes. AB - Solar wind plasma observations made by the Ulysses spacecraft through -80.2 degrees solar latitude and continuing equatorward to -40.1 degrees are summarized. Recurrent high-speed streams and corotating interaction regions dominated at middle latitudes. The speed of the solar wind was typically 700 to 800 kilometers per second poleward of -35 degrees . Corotating reverse shocks persisted farther south than did forward shocks because of the tilt of the heliomagnetic streamer belt. Sporadic coronal mass ejections were seen as far south as -60.5 degrees . Proton temperature was higher and the electron strahl was broader at higher latitudes. The high-latitude wind contained compressional, pressure-balanced, and Alfvenic structures. PMID- 17774230 TI - Ulysses radio and plasma wave observations at high southern heliographic latitudes. AB - Ulysses spacecraft radio and plasma wave observations indicate that some variations in the intensity and occurrence rate of electric and magnetic wave events are functions of heliographic latitude, distance from the sun, and phase of the solar cycle. At high heliographic latitudes, solartype Ill radio emissions did not descend to the local plasma frequency, in contrast to the emission frequencies of some bursts observed in the ecliptic. Short-duration bursts of electrostatic and electromagnetic waves were often found in association with depressions in magnetic field amplitude, known as magnetic holes. Extensive wave activity observed in magnetic clouds may exist because of unusually large electron-ion temperature ratios. The lower number of intense in situ wave events at high latitudes was likely due to the decreased variability of the high- latitude solar wind. PMID- 17774232 TI - Criteria for testing character displacement. PMID- 17774233 TI - Criteria for testing character displacement. PMID- 17774234 TI - Response. PMID- 17774235 TI - Vignettes: the demand for books. PMID- 17774236 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17774237 TI - THE FUNGUS OF THE CHESTNUT-TREE BLIGHT. PMID- 17774238 TI - MORE TROUBLE FOR THE SYSTEMATIST. PMID- 17774239 TI - HENRY JAMES CLARK: TEACHER AND INVESTIGATOR. PMID- 17774240 TI - NON-EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY IN THE ENCYCLOPAeDIA BRITANNICA. PMID- 17774241 TI - PEARL AND JENNINGS ON ASSORTATIVE CONJUGATION IN THE PROTOZOA. PMID- 17774242 TI - "THE PASSING OF THE SLIME-MOULDS". PMID- 17774243 TI - THE TALKING DOG. PMID- 17774244 TI - FOURTH LIST OF GENERIC NAMES FOR THE "OFFICIAL LIST OF ZOOLOGICAL NAMES," PROVIDED FOR BY THE GRAZ CONGRESS. PMID- 17774245 TI - OEligNOTHERA NANELLA, HEALTHY AND DISEASED. PMID- 17774246 TI - BEHAVIOR OF SPERMATOZOA IN PLASMA. PMID- 17774247 TI - Instruments and Man. PMID- 17774249 TI - Cryogenic Instrumentation. PMID- 17774248 TI - Data Processing for Scientists. AB - This brief survey of integrated and electronic data processing has touched on such matters as the origin of the concepts, their use in business, machines that are available, indexing problems, and, finally, some scientific uses that surely foreshadow further development. The purpose of this has been to present for the consideration of scientists a point of view and some techniques which have had a phenomenal growth in the business world and to suggest that these are worth consideration in scientific data-handling problems (30). To close, let me quote from William Bamert on the experience of the C. and O. Railroad once more (8, p. 121): "Frankly, we have been asked whether we weren't planning for Utopia-the implication being that everyone except starry-eyed visionaries knows that Utopia is unattainable. Our answer is that of course we are! Has anyone yet discovered a better way to begin program planning of this nature? Our feeling is that compromise comes early enough in the normal order of things." PMID- 17774250 TI - Fixed-Field Alternating-Gradient Accelerators. PMID- 17774251 TI - Sonic Techniques for Industry. PMID- 17774252 TI - Solar Furnace in High-Temperature Research. PMID- 17774253 TI - Design Study of a Megacurie Source. PMID- 17774254 TI - Bendix Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer. PMID- 17774255 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17774256 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17774258 TI - THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ASTRONOMY TO CIVILIZATION. PMID- 17774257 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17774260 TI - HERMANN M. BIGGS. PMID- 17774259 TI - ROBERT WIEDERSHEIM. PMID- 17774261 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774262 TI - CLIMATIC CHANGES. PMID- 17774263 TI - COLOR HEARING. PMID- 17774264 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17774266 TI - ON ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY IN THE PROTOZOAN FAUNA OF A SEWAGE "FILTER". PMID- 17774265 TI - A HISTORICAL NOTE ON SEX DETERMINATION IN PIGEONS. PMID- 17774267 TI - LONGEVITY IN SPORES OF ASPERGILLUS ORYZAE AND RHIZOPUS NIGRICANS. PMID- 17774269 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17774268 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774270 TI - Section of the History of Chemistry. PMID- 17774271 TI - Fuel cells. PMID- 17774272 TI - Handling carcinogens. PMID- 17774273 TI - Psychological response to tornadoes. PMID- 17774274 TI - A doctorate earned. PMID- 17774275 TI - Computer assisted instruction. PMID- 17774276 TI - The status of intellectuals. PMID- 17774278 TI - Evaluation of instruction. PMID- 17774277 TI - Trapped free radicals and electrons in organic glasses. AB - Free radicals, hydrogen atoms, and electrons produced in rigid organic glasses at sufficiently low temperatures have lifetimes of minutes to years. They can be studied by their electron spin resonance spectra and, in the case of electrons, by their optical spectra, recombination luminescence, and electrical conductivity. The decay kinetics of these reaction intermediates serve to distinguish those trapped as geminate pairs or in spurs of high concentration from those formed with random distributions. Electron spin resonance studies of relaxation times and of the spectra of radical pairs provide further evidence on geometrical distributions. The decay rates of radicals combining with reactive geminate partners are dependent on the size and shape of the radical, the temperature, and the nature of the matrix. Decay is much slower in deuterated matrices than in protiated matrices. The factors that control the physical trapping of electrons in organic glasses are under intensive investigation. There is evidence that many electrons trapped relatively weakly during irradiations at 4 degrees K deepen their traps by orientation of dipoles when the matrix is warmed; that most electrons are trapped in the field of the geminate positive ion; that in some matrices the traps have a bound excited state to which the electron can be promoted without detrapping; and that trapped electrons can tunnel to solute molecules with a higher electron affinity than the trap depth. PMID- 17774279 TI - Arms control agency: fred ikle, new captain of a disabled ship. PMID- 17774281 TI - Two patent studies pending. PMID- 17774280 TI - Cancer virus: link to disease in man reported again. PMID- 17774282 TI - NAS and APS Meetings: Changes in Moods and in Modes. AB - The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the American Physical Society (APS) both met in Washington in the week after Easter. Beyond the coincidence of time and place it is fair to say that the meetings shared a common mood. The truce in Vietnam is generally regarded as the principal cause of a muting of the voices of protest that have been heard at so many scientific meetings in recent years and finally had disturbed the even tenor of the academy's ways. Particularly at APS there seems to be new interest and energy directed to exploring ways to work within the system. PMID- 17774283 TI - Navy R & d: will congress have the nerve to spear trident? AB - In "Navy R & D: Will Congress have the nerve to spear Trident?" (20 April, p. 284), the Manchester Union Leader is incorrectly refrred to as the Times-Union. PMID- 17774285 TI - DDT: An Unrecognized Source of Polychlorinated Biphenyls. PMID- 17774284 TI - Hogness to Quit NAS Post in 1974. PMID- 17774286 TI - Earthquake Prediction: Variation of Seismic Velocities before the San Francisco Earthquake. AB - A large precursory change in seismic body-wave velocities occurred before the earthquake in San Fernando, California. The discovery that this change is mainly in the P-wave velocity clearly relates the effect to the phenomenon of dilatancy in fluid-filled rocks. This interpretation is supported by the time-volume relation obtained by combining the present data with the data from previous studies. The duration of the precursor period is proportional to the square of an effective fault dimension, which indicates that a diffusive or fluid-flow phenomenon controls the time interval between the initiation of dilatancy and the return to a fully saturated condition which is required for rupture. PMID- 17774287 TI - A new theory of lunar magnetism. AB - In the hypothesis advanced here it is supposed that the field, in which rocks at the lunar surface acquired the remanent magnetization found through the Apollo project, arose from permanent magnetization of the deep interior of the moon. This theory involves the assumption that the moon, apart from a surface shell, accreted cold and remained below the Curie point of iron until sometime later than 3 x 10(9) years ago. The magnetization was acquired as the moon formed in a gas sphere in the strong magnetic field of the early sun. PMID- 17774288 TI - Periodic insolation variations on Mars. AB - Previously unrecognized insolation variations on Mars are a consequence of periodic variations in eccentricity, first established by the theory of Brouwer and Van Woerkom (1950). Such annual insolation variations, characterized by both 95,000-year and 2,000,000-year periodicities, may actually be recorded in newly discovered layered deposits in the polar regions of Mars. An additional north south variation in seasonal insolation, but not average annual insolation, exists with 51,000-year and 2,000,000-year periodicities. PMID- 17774289 TI - Deep-Sea Microorganisms: In situ Response to Nutrient Enrichment. AB - After inoculation of sterile organic materials on the deep-sea floor and in situ incubation for 1 year, relatively minute rates of microbial transformation were recorded. This extremely slow conversion rate, as well as the type and quantity of organic matter normally reaching the ocean floor, appear to characterize microbial life in the deep sea. PMID- 17774290 TI - Registration and travel information-Mexico city. PMID- 17774291 TI - Modular microscope system. PMID- 17774292 TI - Critical point drying system. PMID- 17774294 TI - Literature. PMID- 17774293 TI - Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. PMID- 17774295 TI - Vertical illuminator. PMID- 17774296 TI - Scanner-programmer. PMID- 17774297 TI - Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. PMID- 17774298 TI - New journals received. PMID- 17774299 TI - Changing norms: before and after kuhn. PMID- 17774300 TI - Changing norms: before and after kuhn. PMID- 17774301 TI - The bakke case and the fourteenth amendment. PMID- 17774302 TI - Control of automobile emissions. PMID- 17774303 TI - Nuclear waste disposal: can the geologist guarantee isolation? PMID- 17774304 TI - The chinese wolf, ancestor of new world dogs. PMID- 17774305 TI - Death of the B-1: The Events Behind Carter's Decision. PMID- 17774306 TI - Science finally admitted to congressional press gallery. PMID- 17774307 TI - Press meets the press. PMID- 17774308 TI - Peter bourne: psychiatrist in the white house. PMID- 17774309 TI - Erratum. AB - In the review of Structure and Evolution of Close Binary Systems, Peter Eggleton, Simon Mitton, and John Whelan, Eds. (29 July 1977), the pagination and price of the book were omitted. They are: xii, 414 pp., illus. Cloth, $39.50; paper, $32.50. PMID- 17774310 TI - Biochemical markers: early warning signs of cancer. PMID- 17774311 TI - CEA: Puzzling New Information About a Useful Marker. PMID- 17774312 TI - Erratum. AB - The cost of semiconductor grade silicon was incorrectly stated as $65 per ton (29 July, p. 446). The correct figure is $65 per kilogram. PMID- 17774313 TI - Mathematical games: are they bona fide research? PMID- 17774314 TI - Sociobiology Symposium Highlights AAAS Pacific Division Annual Meeting. PMID- 17774315 TI - Science associates to convene desertification seminar. PMID- 17774316 TI - AAAS Activities in Hawali. PMID- 17774317 TI - Multistate speaking tour set for deaf scientist. PMID- 17774318 TI - AAAS People. PMID- 17774319 TI - Winner of amateur scientist contest. PMID- 17774320 TI - 1977-78 AAAS Congressional Science Fellows Selected. PMID- 17774321 TI - Colloquium on research and development in the federal budget. PMID- 17774322 TI - Project on the handicapped holds barrier-free workshop. PMID- 17774323 TI - For the library. PMID- 17774324 TI - Culture as a meaningful order. PMID- 17774326 TI - Planetary geology. PMID- 17774325 TI - Magma formation. PMID- 17774327 TI - Calcium carbonate production of the mare incognitum, the upper windward reef slope, at enewetak atoll. AB - Corals and algal pavement produce calcium carbonate more slowly on the windward reef slope of Enewetak Atoll than on the reef flat despite the high standing crop of reef-building organisms on the slope. The capacity of reefs to remain at or near sea level is therefore not determined primarily by growth on the seaward slope. PMID- 17774328 TI - Deadline for Nominations: 15 September 1977 AAAS-Newcomb Cleveland Prize: Contest Year Is Nearly Over. PMID- 17774329 TI - Cubanite: A New Sulfide Phase in CI Meteorites. AB - Cubanite (CuFe(2)S(3)), previously unobserved in meteorites, has been discovered in two carbonaceous chondrites, Orgueil and Alais. The association of this mineral with low-copper pyrrhotite suggests that it formed in a low-temperature environment on the meteorite parent body. PMID- 17774330 TI - Glacial-holocene transition in deep-sea carbonates: selective dissolution and the stable isotope signal. AB - The oxygen and carbon isotopic signals of planktonic Foraminifera from closely spaced samples from two box cores taken in the western equatorial Pacific change through the glacial-to-Holocene transition as a result of several factors, one of which is the Holocene dissolution pulse starting about 12,000 years ago and reaching full force shortly after. The onset of dissolution comes shortly after the maximum rate of deglaciation but well before the maximum drop in fertility in upper waters. The effect of dissolution is 20 to 30 percent of the amplitude of isotopic change in Globigerinoides sacculifer, at the depth of the present lysocline. PMID- 17774331 TI - Mechanically induced wall appositions of plant cells can prevent penetration by a parasitic fungus. AB - Localized, paramural wall appositions resembling appositions commonly induced by fungal attack, were induced in kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea L. gongyloides) by mechanical wounding (bending) of the root hairs before the hairs were inoculated with zoospores of a compatible parasitic fungus. The appositions were effective in preventing fungal penetration at the wound sites, which shows that wall appositions can prevent fungal ingress into plant cells. PMID- 17774332 TI - Two genes control seasonal isolation in sibling species. AB - Interspecific hybridization tests between Chrysopa carnea and Chrysopa downesi show that single allele differences at two unlinked autosomal loci cause large differences in photoperiodic responses. These differences produce asynchronous seasonal reproductive cycles, thus forming an effective temporal reproductive barrier between the two sympatric species. The results subserve the development of a genetic model for allochronic speciation. PMID- 17774334 TI - Electrochemical concentration cells. PMID- 17774333 TI - Coevolution of foraging in bombus and nectar dispensing in chilopsis: a last dreg theory. AB - Flowers of Chilopsis linearis dispense nectar into pools and grooves. The bumblebee, Bombus sonorus, extracts pool nectar at a rate seven times faster than groove nectar. The result is the coevolution of a plant-pollinator system in which bees, while foraging efficiently, increase the number of flowers visited per calorie of nectar reward provided by the plant. PMID- 17774335 TI - Hexagonal (wurtzite) silicon. PMID- 17774337 TI - METHODS OF METEOROLOGICAL INVESTIGATION. PMID- 17774336 TI - THE ISODYNAMIC REPLACEMENT OF NUTRIENTS. PMID- 17774338 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURANALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17774339 TI - INVESTIGATIONS IN PROGRESS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. PMID- 17774340 TI - THE FIFTH SATELLITE OF JUPITER. PMID- 17774341 TI - NEW HORTICULTURAL AND AGRICULTURAL TERMS. PMID- 17774342 TI - GONIONEMUS VERSUS 'GONIONEMA'. PMID- 17774343 TI - ARCTIC NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17774344 TI - A NEW SPHEROIDAL GRANITE. PMID- 17774346 TI - THE MOSELEY EDUCATIONAL COMMISSION. PMID- 17774345 TI - PRESENT KNOWLEDGE OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF DAIMONELIX. PMID- 17774347 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17774348 TI - THE ST. LOUIS MEETINGS. PMID- 17774349 TI - CONSERVATION OF THE WATERS OF THE COLORADO RIVER FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE RECLAMATION SERVICE. PMID- 17774350 TI - THE ELECTOR PLAN FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF RESEARCH FUNDS. PMID- 17774351 TI - ALFRED GOLDSBOROUGH MAYOR. PMID- 17774352 TI - WHICH IS THE HIGHEST WATER FALL IN THE WORLD? PMID- 17774353 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774354 TI - A CABINET FOR COLORED PAPERS. PMID- 17774355 TI - THE HUMAN YOLK SAC. PMID- 17774356 TI - THE MEASUREMENT OF EXTREMELY SMALL CAPACITIES AND INDUCTANCES. PMID- 17774357 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774358 TI - THE KENTUCKY ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17774360 TI - THE RISE OF MAN. PMID- 17774359 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17774362 TI - CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF OTHNIEL CHARLES MARSH. PMID- 17774361 TI - AWARD OF GOLD MEDALS TO DR. ANNIE J. CANNON AND PROFESSOR HENRY B. BIGELOW. PMID- 17774363 TI - GAMBUSIA IN FOREIGN LANDS. PMID- 17774365 TI - THE COMMON EARTHWORM AS A SERIOUS ECONOMIC PROBLEM. PMID- 17774364 TI - CONICAL HAILSTONES. PMID- 17774366 TI - THE WORK OF DR. BASKERVILLE. PMID- 17774368 TI - TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL NEW ENGLAND INTERCOLLEGIATE GEOLOGICAL EXCURSION. PMID- 17774367 TI - THE SCHOOL DAYS OF LORENTZ. PMID- 17774369 TI - THE TERM PROTEIN. PMID- 17774370 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED IN THE SCIENCES BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES, 1930-31. PMID- 17774371 TI - RAPIDLY RIPENED HAEMATOXYLIN AND ITS USES. PMID- 17774372 TI - THE USE OF MICRO-MANIPULATORS. PMID- 17774373 TI - A PRELIMINARY NOTE ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PHOSPHORUS INTAKE IN THE DIET AND BLOOD PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATION, IN THE EXPERIMENTAL PRODUCTION OF CARIES-IMMUNITY AND CARIES-SUSCEPTIBILITY IN THE RAT. AB - (1) Estimations of the phosphorus content of diets reported to produce caries in rats indicate that rations containing 0.4802 grams of phosphorus per 100 grams of diet, or less than 0.4802 grams of phosphorus per 100 grams of diet, tend to induce dental caries in rats if Ca intake is 0.3424 per cent. (2) Estimations of the phosphorus content of diets reported to produce rats immune to dental caries indicate that such diets contain 0.5282 or more grams of phosphorus per 100 grams of diet and 0.4012 or less grams of calcium per 100 grams of diet. (3) Experimental evidence is presented which indicates that the level of phosphorus in the diet is an important factor in producing caries-susceptibility and caries immunity in rats. (4) We have also found that a relation exists between blood composition (phosphorus) and the incidence of dental caries in rats. Caries arises in rats whose blood phosphorus falls below a critical level (about 10.5 +/ .5 mg(6) of phosphorus per 100 grams of serum), while those rats whose blood phosphorus concentration is 10.5 +/- .5 or above are immune from dental caries. (5) It is indicated that this blood figure is dependent upon the level of phosphorus, calcium and vitamin ingested in the diet. In a forthcoming paper we shall present the results of an extensive review of the recorded observations of our own and other laboratories on the relation between diet and susceptibility to dental caries in the rat and our conclusions from examining these data in the light of the working hypothesis (blood phosphorus critical level) here presented. PMID- 17774374 TI - HEAVY GLASSWARE IN THE LABORATORY. PMID- 17774375 TI - ON THE ULTRA-VIOLET PHOTOMICROGRAPHY OF LIVING CELLS. PMID- 17774376 TI - ELEMENT 87. PMID- 17774378 TI - PROFESSORSHIPS IN CHINA. PMID- 17774377 TI - NEW PHRENOLOGY. PMID- 17774379 TI - THE PRIBILOF FUR SEAL HERD. PMID- 17774380 TI - ANOTHER VIEW OF THE PRINCIPLES OF WATERPOWER DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17774381 TI - FIRST USE OF WORD "GENOTYPE". PMID- 17774382 TI - NOTES ON METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17774383 TI - ON THE ORIGIN OF AN ALBINO RACE OF DEERMOUSE. PMID- 17774384 TI - ORIGIN OF THE SEDIMENTS AND COLORING MATTER OF THE RED BEDS OF OKLAHOMA. PMID- 17774385 TI - THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17774386 TI - Alluvial-flat redwoods: impact of flood control. PMID- 17774387 TI - On Manly's Less Stately Jargon. PMID- 17774388 TI - West Germany's Science Funds. PMID- 17774389 TI - Letters. PMID- 17774390 TI - Academe's Window. PMID- 17774391 TI - Dissent or disrupt. PMID- 17774392 TI - A High-Resolution Orbiting Telescope: New techniques would lead to orbiting an optical telescope 25 times the diameter of Palomar's. PMID- 17774393 TI - China at 1000 B.C.: A Cultural Mosaic: Study of early Chinese civilization requires the delicate details of local culture histories. PMID- 17774394 TI - Military Funds: Senate Whets the Ax for ABM, Research, "Think Tanks". PMID- 17774395 TI - New national science board members. PMID- 17774396 TI - Micro-Revolt of the Microbiologists over Detrick Tie. PMID- 17774398 TI - Israel: science-based industry figures large in economic plans. PMID- 17774399 TI - Did they find "cro-magnuson" man? PMID- 17774400 TI - McCarthy Takes Lead in Lining Up Support of Scientists. PMID- 17774401 TI - Gravitational inconsistency in the lunar theory: numerical determination. AB - Preliminary numerical integrations of the lunar motion indicate that defects in the lunar ephemeris, due to omissions in the revised Brown lunar theory, produce errors of the order of several hundred meters in the coordinates at certain times. Such errors are large enough to affect adversely analyses of data from spacecraft, as well as determination of ephemeris time. Distinct planetary periodicities seem to appear in the residuals. PMID- 17774402 TI - Gravitational inconsistency in the lunar theory: confirmation by radio tracking. AB - When range and Doppler observations of space probes near or on Moon are reduced by use of a lunar ephemeris calculated from the Brown lunar theory, residuals as large as 440 meters in position and 1.5 millimeters per second in velocity are observed. When the calculations are repeated with use of LE 5, the integrated lunar ephemeris described (1), the residuals are greatly reduced. PMID- 17774403 TI - Discrepancies between Radar Data and the Lunar Ephemeris. AB - Precise measurements of the Doppler shift of radar waves reflected from Moon disclose unexpectedly large discrepancies-averaging about 0.6 centimeter per second-between the radial velocities and the predictions based on the Eckert Brown lunar ephemeris. These residuals have a rapidly changing component corresponding to a relatively large, variable, and unexplained discrepancy in radial acceleration of about 10(-4) centimeter per second, per second, in magnitude and about 1 day in period. PMID- 17774404 TI - Denver meteorite: a new fall. AB - A meteorite, a single stone weighing 230 grams, was discovered in the roof of a warehouse on 17 July 1967; evidently it fell during the preceding week. The warehouse is on the northeast edge of Denver, Colorado; coordinates, 39 degrees 46'57''N, 104 degrees 55'50''W. This is the first recovered fresh fall in the United States since the Bells (Texas) meteorite of 9 September 1961. The composition and structure are those of an olivine-hypersthene chondrite. PMID- 17774405 TI - Inorganic nitrogen compounds in ocean stagnation and nutrient resupply. AB - The interrelations and time-dependence of nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia in a deep basin of the Baltic Sea yield a measurement of stagnation history and may provide a means of prediction of resupply of nutrients to the upper productive layers. PMID- 17774406 TI - Surveyor v: chemical observations. PMID- 17774407 TI - Deformation lamellae in quartz. PMID- 17774408 TI - Crescentic coastal landforms. PMID- 17774409 TI - World Population Problem. PMID- 17774410 TI - Studies on the Metric System Proposal. PMID- 17774412 TI - Stability and Change. PMID- 17774411 TI - Early Comments on the Moon Illusion. PMID- 17774413 TI - Soil Classification in the United States: Classification of soils at any point in history largely reflects current understanding of soil genesis. PMID- 17774414 TI - Sexual Sterilization of Insects by Chemicals: Eradication of harmful insects may be achieved with analogs of cancer chemotherapeutic agents. PMID- 17774415 TI - Birth Control: Swedish Government Has Ambitious Program to Offer Help to Underdeveloped Nations. PMID- 17774416 TI - Chromatographic Validation of Two Morphologically Similar Hybrids of Different Origins. AB - The origin of natural hybrids of the plant Baptisia was determined by chromatographic analyses of leaf extracts of both hybrid and parent plants. This method demonstrated a pattern of inheritance in the hybrid of certain species specific components of both parents. PMID- 17774417 TI - Metabolic Requirements for the Swimming Activity of Three Antarctic Fishes. AB - The logarithm of the amount of oxygen consumed per unit swimming velocity in meters per minute for steadily swimming antarctic fishes at freezing temperatures is of the same order as the rate for temperate species at their lower temperature ranges. In contrast to temperate fishes, the antarctic fishes have their greatest swimming activity around -1.8 degrees C and a level of no excess activity at about +2 degrees C. PMID- 17774418 TI - Melting Point of Graphite at High Pressure: Heat of Fusion. PMID- 17774419 TI - Direct Conversion of Graphite to Diamond in Static Pressure Apparatus. PMID- 17774420 TI - Isolation of the Sex Attractant of the American Cockroach. AB - The sex attractant of the female American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (L.), has been collected and isolated by a combination of extraction, distillation, and chromatographic procedures. Progress through these procedures has been followed by bioassay and by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The attractant has been isolated by gas chromatography, and characterization by mass spectrometry is proceeding. PMID- 17774421 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17774422 TI - THE DISTRIBUTION OF VACATIONS AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17774424 TI - THIRD ANNUAL MEETING OF THE BOTANISTS OF THE CENTRAL STATES. PMID- 17774423 TI - THE INTELLECTUAL CONDITIONS FOR THE SCIENCE OF EMBRYOLOGY. PMID- 17774425 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17774426 TI - THE ENDOWMENT OF RESEARCH. PMID- 17774427 TI - ENGINEERING NOTES. PMID- 17774428 TI - ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONCILIUM BIBLIOGRAPHICUM. PMID- 17774430 TI - THE GALTON CHAIR OF EUGENICS. PMID- 17774429 TI - THE BEGINNINGS OF INTELLIGENCE. PMID- 17774431 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17774432 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17774433 TI - THE AIR WE BREATHE. PMID- 17774434 TI - UNIVERSITY FELLOWSHIPS. PMID- 17774435 TI - UNIVERSITY FELLOWSHIPS. PMID- 17774436 TI - THE ORIGIN OF NINE WING MUTATIONS IN DROSOPHILA. PMID- 17774437 TI - THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF COLLEGES AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. PMID- 17774438 TI - ANTHROPOLOGY AT THE PROVIDENCE MEETING. PMID- 17774439 TI - FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17774440 TI - OUR SOCIETY. PMID- 17774441 TI - FISHES OF THE SOUTH SHORE OF LONG ISLAND. PMID- 17774442 TI - SUPPRESSION OF SMOKE. PMID- 17774443 TI - AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774444 TI - GENERAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774445 TI - THE SENSATION OF MOTION AND ITS REVERSAL. PMID- 17774446 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17774447 TI - OCCURRENCE OF THE VIRGINIA OPOSSUM IN SOUTHERN CENTRAL NEW YORK. PMID- 17774449 TI - THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK. PMID- 17774448 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17774450 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17774451 TI - THE STATISTICAL METHOD IN ZOOLOGY. PMID- 17774453 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17774452 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17774455 TI - PAUL CASPAR FREER. PMID- 17774454 TI - THE CELEBRATION OF THE TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774456 TI - UNIVEBSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17774457 TI - "TERMS USED TO DENOTE THE ABUNDANCE OR RARITY OF BIRDS". PMID- 17774458 TI - SEX-LIMITED INHERITANCE IN CATS. PMID- 17774459 TI - "FLORIDA WEATHER". PMID- 17774460 TI - THE INHERITANCE OF SKIN COLOR. PMID- 17774461 TI - THE PREPARATION OF UNBROKEN POLLEN MOTHERCELLS AND OTHER CELLS FOR STUDIES IN MITOSIS. PMID- 17774462 TI - A REVERSAL OF THE ROWLAND EFFECT. PMID- 17774464 TI - THE NORTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17774463 TI - RESULTS OF PURE CULTURE STUDIES ON PHYLLOSTICTA PIRINA SACC. PMID- 17774465 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17774467 TI - SIDNEY IRVING SMITH. PMID- 17774466 TI - EMPIRICISM AND RATIONALISM. PMID- 17774469 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774468 TI - THE STRUCTURE AND FORMATION OF BAST FIBERS IN FLAX. PMID- 17774470 TI - SHOULD NEW FOSSIL SPECIES BE DESCRIBED FROM WELLS? PMID- 17774471 TI - THE PRICE OF HONOR. PMID- 17774473 TI - ANALYSIS OF THE COLOR OF THE SKIN AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE. PMID- 17774472 TI - METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF REPLACEABLE BASES IN SOILS. PMID- 17774474 TI - CILIARY ACTIVITY OF THE OYSTER. PMID- 17774475 TI - To and Fro. PMID- 17774476 TI - The "Clock Paradox" and Space Travel. PMID- 17774477 TI - Image of the Scientist among High-School Students: A Pilot Study. PMID- 17774478 TI - A. S. King, Spectroscopist. PMID- 17774479 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17774480 TI - End Groups of Oxidized Rubber. PMID- 17774481 TI - Respiratory Competence in the Diagnosis of Gene-Controlled Phenotypes in Saccharomyces. PMID- 17774482 TI - Depths of Leaching in Glacial Deposits. PMID- 17774483 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17774484 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17774485 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY AND SECTION C OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17774486 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY CHICAGO MEETING. PMID- 17774487 TI - THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17774488 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. NEW YORK SECTION. PMID- 17774489 TI - ADJUSTABLE BURDEN BASKETS. PMID- 17774490 TI - THE TEACHING OF MECHANICS. PMID- 17774491 TI - THE PENETRATING RADIATION. PMID- 17774493 TI - MELTING-POINT CURVES OF BINARY MIXTURES OF THE THREE NITRANILINES. PMID- 17774492 TI - NOTE ON THE "LAFAYETTE BEDS" OF LOUISIANA. PMID- 17774494 TI - NOTES ON ENTOMOLOGY. PMID- 17774495 TI - SCIENCE IN NEW ZEALAND. PMID- 17774496 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17774497 TI - Nuclear energy. PMID- 17774498 TI - More parts per million. PMID- 17774499 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17774500 TI - Nature's Highways. PMID- 17774501 TI - Reliability of consumer goods. PMID- 17774502 TI - Lunar Topography: Global Determination by Radar: Delay-Doppler stereoscopy and radar interferometry yield high-resolution three-dimensional views of the moon. PMID- 17774503 TI - University-Industry Interaction Patterns: Past models are analyzed, some recent experiments described, and recommendations for the future given. AB - The nation is entering a period when the R & D output must be increased, probably without major increases in resource allocation. Obviously, in this situation, either efficiency or productivity must be increased. Perhaps one of the most wasteful aspects of the national R & D system (and one that received little attention during the golden era of the 15 percent per year expansion) has been the very weak coupling between the university, on the one hand, and industry (or government), on the other. It is a serious error to allege about such coupling that "it has never worked," that the objectives and reward structures of the institutions are such that it cannot work, and so on. The fact is that coupling has never been tried seriously. History shows that the total dollar effort in research that required coupling or that had coupling as its main objective was on the order of $10 million per year (that is, much less than 0.1 percent of the research money spent on U.S. campuses). At the same time, there is little doubt that the experiments which must and will be tried in the immediate future call for innovations in management and changes in the attitude and structure of many universities. In conversations with administrators who have had experience with such programs, I have found strong suggestions of very mixed responses from the universities. In light of these responses, and if effectiveness is a goal, it would be better for those universities that are more wedded to disciplinary research, to single principal-investigator work, not to participate in these new efforts. We need much greater diversity in the styles of university life, and it would be healthy for the academic enterprise if some universities retained a greater degree of detachment from society, while others consciously decided to interact more with it, through the private sector, and made the changes necessary to do so. If initial funding is restricted to those universities that consider university-industry or university-government research a worthy objective and that have a proven track record and a favorable administrative and reward structure, the new programs may well establish a major new pattern of national R & D. PMID- 17774504 TI - Theodore roszak: visionary critic of science. PMID- 17774506 TI - Icelandic fishing: science awash in great codfish war. PMID- 17774505 TI - Women in michigan: parlaying rights into power. PMID- 17774507 TI - Radiation standards: the last word or at least a definitive one. PMID- 17774508 TI - New means of transmitting electricity: a three-way race. PMID- 17774509 TI - Lunar topography: first radar-interferometer measurements of the alphonsus ptolemaeus-arzachel region. AB - Radar interferometry is a new technique for accurately measuring the topography of the lunar surface from the earth. Measurements have been made with this technique of an area including the craters Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus, and Arzachel and a portion of Mare Nubium. There is evidence for a late episode of volcanism that partially filled two of the craters through a crustal fault of Imbrian origin. Several other features of the topography, particularly those coinciding with local gravitational anomalies, can be correlated with flow events. PMID- 17774510 TI - Uptake and binding of uranyl ions by barley roots. AB - After undergoing the processing for electron microscopy, bound uranyl ions are revealed as characteristic electron-opaque crystals. Meristematic walls and associated vesicles become heavily labeled, while pinocytotic accumulation into vacuoles seems probable in cap cells and those just behind the meristem. The endodermal Casparian strip and suberinized lamella are effective barriers to the passage of uranyl ions. PMID- 17774511 TI - Beggiatoa: occurrence in the rice rhizosphere. AB - A catalase-like activity surrounding the root tips of rice plants favors the presence of Beggiatoa, an organism capable of oxidizing the hydrogen sulfide which is toxic to rice and is found in paddy soil conditions. Beggiatoa has now been isolated from rice field soil. A mutually favorable interaction between rice and this bacterium is suggested. PMID- 17774512 TI - Acquisition of Key-Pecking via Autoshaping as a Function of Prior Experience: "Learned Laziness"? AB - A group of pigeons that had previously received noncontingent food delivery acquired the key-peck response (in autoshape training) more slowly than did a naive control group; key-peck acquisition was most rapid for a group given operant treadle-press training in the initial phase. PMID- 17774513 TI - Science in the cultural setting. PMID- 17774515 TI - Aaas invited lectures and illustrated presentations. PMID- 17774514 TI - Women and ethnic minorities in science. PMID- 17774516 TI - Modern physics. PMID- 17774517 TI - Space science and astronomy. PMID- 17774518 TI - Science and the Open Channel. PMID- 17774519 TI - Molecular Engineering. PMID- 17774520 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17774521 TI - Errata for Volume 123. AB - In the article "Pronuclear fusion as affected by x-rays and by postirradiation anaerobiosis," by C. S. Bachofer, in the issue of 27 Jan., page 139, the last sentence in column 1 should begin "The term (1/4)-fused is used to designate ...," not "The sum (1/4)-fused . . ." as printed. In the article "Magnetic techniques for in vitro isolation of leucocytes," by Sumner Levine, in the issue of 3 Feb., page 186, the equation should read micro radicaln(n+2)=4.90 Bohr magnetons, instead of as printed with the square root sign covering the last part of the equation. PMID- 17774522 TI - Early Man and Fossil Bison. PMID- 17774523 TI - Directional Differences in Pigeon Homing. PMID- 17774524 TI - Formation Constants for Cu(II)-Peat Complexes. PMID- 17774525 TI - Color Autoradiography. PMID- 17774526 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17774527 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17774528 TI - The Cultural Understanding and Appreciation of the Scientific Approach. PMID- 17774530 TI - An Iron-binding Component in Human Blood Plasma. PMID- 17774529 TI - Boris Aleksandrovich Keller 1874-1945. PMID- 17774531 TI - Origin of Nitrogen in Natural Gases. PMID- 17774532 TI - The Intestinal Absorption of Penicillin G. PMID- 17774533 TI - Toxicity of DDT Isomers to Some Insects Affecting Man. PMID- 17774534 TI - Blood Sugar Level Following Intravenous Glucose in Rheumatoid Arthritis. AB - Since the majority of patients with rheumatoid arthritis show a slower fall in the blood sugar level after the intravenous injection of glucose than do the normal controls, the alteration cannot be explained on the basis of gastrointestinal dysfunction. Differences in the renal threshold of glucose do not explain the altered glucose tolerance, since approximately the same amount of glucose is lost in the urine in both groups. Blood samples taken at 3 and 5 minutes following the injection of the glucose showed the height of the blood sugar level to be approximately the same in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis and in normals. The slower fall in the blood sugar level of the former is therefore not a simple function of a greater rise following the intravenous administration of the glucose. Although the patients with severe poliomyelitis had as much or more atrophy than the rheumatoid arthritic patients, there was no delay in rate of fall of the blood sugar level after the intravenous administration of glucose. In view of the fact that the hepatic homeostatic control regulates the blood sugar level, faulty utilization of glucose by extrahepatic tissues cannot be considered the primary factor responsible for the alteration of the glucose tolerance. The altered glucose tolerance in rheumatoid arthritis is explainable on the basis of an altered threshold of the hepatic homeostatic control of the blood sugar. Additional studies must be done to determine whether this derangement emanates directly from extrahepatic influences. PMID- 17774535 TI - Safety and the Direction of Rotation of the Automobile Engine. PMID- 17774536 TI - Use of Perchloric Acid as an Oxidizing Agent. PMID- 17774537 TI - "Container-Dent Sensitivity" of Explosives. PMID- 17774539 TI - The Etymology of "Fission". PMID- 17774538 TI - Pleistocene Fossils in Eocene Rock From New Jersey. PMID- 17774540 TI - Bureau of the budget cost sharing and effort reports. PMID- 17774541 TI - The genesis of creativity. PMID- 17774542 TI - Reprints unlimited. PMID- 17774543 TI - History's Grant Swingers. PMID- 17774544 TI - Benefactor for science in the liberal arts colleges. PMID- 17774545 TI - Progress in academic freedoms. PMID- 17774546 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17774547 TI - Wanted: seasonal naturalists. PMID- 17774548 TI - The original "krow". PMID- 17774549 TI - Summer research subsidies. PMID- 17774551 TI - Stellar evolution: comparison of theory with observation. PMID- 17774550 TI - European discontent with the "technology gap". PMID- 17774552 TI - Coordinated planning for science in communist europe. AB - The Council is not engaged in the supranational formulation of policy and planning on scientific research and technology, but has made considerable progress in coordinating research policies and plans on a limited number of scientific and technical problems of priority interest and of common concern to all members. The establishment of national science-planning institutions in CEMA countries and the adoption of a uniform approach to the formulation of national science policies and plans must be considered basic procedures for achieving international coordination of their efforts. The creation of organizational units within CEMA to deal specifically with the coordination of science policies and plans represents a strengthening of the institutional framework that is necessary for coordination of an internationally cooperative effort in research and technology. Moreover, CEMA's 1-year plan for science and technology has probably been of considerable value as a pilot project for the formulation of the research plan for 1966-70. The delineation of a limited number of important scientific and technical problems of common interest to the members, and the allocation of research projects to a country having the highest capability to conduct them, hold considerable promise for financial savings and for improved utilization of the limited scientific manpower and research facilities of the CEMA countries. While all these measures are significant in CEMA's attempt to improve coordination of science policy and planning, only time will enable true assessment of their effectiveness. The Council's scheme for the specialization of labor in research and technology has met and will undoubtedly continue to meet, considerable opposition by various segments of the scientific communities because of deep-rooted and long-standing national prejudices, and reluctance of vested interests to give up research activities in which they are interested and to which their professional futures are tied. Moreover, opposition to CEMA-sponsored programs for specialization in research will continue to stem from the desire of some member countries further to reduce Russian influence in their domestic affairs. While recognizing the financial savings that can accrue to them from division of labor in research within CEMA, the smaller countries cannot be unaware that there is probably a limit to which the Soviet Union, with its vast scientific and technological base, is willing to participate in the division of labor scheme. As a world power, the Soviet Union can hardly become dependent upon other members of CEMA in any field. Nevertheless, by promoting the coordination of research plans and a division of labor among CEMA members, the Soviet Union stands to gain by having its scientific-research effort augmented in several fields by the efforts of other members. PMID- 17774553 TI - Science libraries: prospects and problems. PMID- 17774554 TI - Rep. Joe Evins: NSF and NASA Get a New Master of Finance. PMID- 17774555 TI - LBJ's Message on Youth: Pointing a New Path for Medical Practice. PMID- 17774556 TI - Social sciences: harris bill evokes limited support. PMID- 17774560 TI - Public information service. PMID- 17774559 TI - A report of the eighth washington meeting. PMID- 17774561 TI - Reports of sections and societies. PMID- 17774563 TI - The science vote in iowa. PMID- 17774562 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17774564 TI - Response: mitochondria in sperm. PMID- 17774565 TI - Mitochondria in sperm. PMID- 17774566 TI - The national aerospace plane. PMID- 17774568 TI - Richard C. Atkinson: President-Elect of AAAS. PMID- 17774567 TI - Chemical lab wastes. PMID- 17774569 TI - East European Scientific Cooperation Seen Lagging: An ambitious program launched in 1985 has failed to live up to expectations and is being "renewed". PMID- 17774570 TI - DOE Pushes Case for New Defense Reactors: It says they are needed to ensure adequate tritium production. Critics challenge the assumptions, while engineering companies push to build two new facilities. PMID- 17774571 TI - Sagdeev to step down. PMID- 17774572 TI - Conservationists in Panda-monium: U.S zoos and conservationists tangle over the propriety of borrowing pandas--an endangered species--and exploiting them in highly lucrative exhibits. PMID- 17774573 TI - When the bamboo blooms. PMID- 17774574 TI - New ways to chill Earth. PMID- 17774575 TI - Comets were a clerical error. PMID- 17774576 TI - The discovery of crown ethers. AB - The discovery of the crown ethers stemmed from efforts to control the catalytic activity of vanadium and copper by complexation with multidentate ligands. The first crown ether, 2,3,11,12-dibenzo-1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclo-octadeca-2,11 diene, was obtained in 0.4% yield during an attempt to prepare a phenolic ligand from catechol and bis(2-chloroethyl)ether. This compound, which complexed with the sodium cation, was the first compound known to display such activity and became known as dibenzo-18-crown-6, an 18-atom heterocycle containing 6 oxygen atoms. Some 60 related compounds were made involving heterocyclic rings containing 12 to 60 atoms including 4 and 10 oxygen atoms. There are optimum polyether ring sizes for the different alkali metal cations: 15 to 18 for sodium, 18 for potassium, and 18 to 21 for cesium. Complexes having polyether to cation ratios of 1:1, 3:2, and 2:1 were prepared. Solubilization of inorganic salts in aprotic solvents, especially by saturated crown ethers, was demonstrated. PMID- 17774577 TI - High temperatures in the early solar nebula. AB - One fundamental controversy about terrestrial planet and asteroid formation is the discrepancy between meteoritical evidence for high temperatures (1500 K to 2000 K) in the inner solar nebula, and much lower theoretical temperature predictions on the basis of models of viscous accretion disks that neglect compressional heating of infalling gas. It is shown here that rigorous numerical calculations of the collapse of a rotating, three-dimensional presolar nebula are capable of producing temperatures on the order of 1500 K in the asteroid region (2.5 astronomical units), in either nearly axisymmetric or strongly nonaxisymmetric nebula models. The latter models may permit significant thermal cycling of solid components in the early inner solar nebula. PMID- 17774578 TI - A tsunami deposit at the cretaceous-tertiary boundary in Texas. AB - At sites near the Brazos River, Texas, an iridium anomaly and the paleontologic Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary directly overlie a sandstone bed in which coarse grained sandstone with large clasts of mudstone and reworked carbonate nodules grades upward to wave ripple-laminated, very fine grained sandstone. This bed is the only sandstone bed in a sequence of uppermost Cretaceous to lowermost Paleocene mudstone that records about 1 million years of quiet water deposition in midshelf to outer shelf depths. Conditions for depositing such a sandstone layer at these depths are most consistent with the occurrence of a tsunami about 50 to 100 meters high. The most likely source for such a tsunami at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary is a bolidewater impact. PMID- 17774579 TI - Response: sea level history. PMID- 17774580 TI - Sea level history. PMID- 17774581 TI - Sea level history. PMID- 17774582 TI - Sea level history. PMID- 17774583 TI - Response: sea level history. PMID- 17774584 TI - Response: sea level history. PMID- 17774585 TI - A sociolegal problem: social control of the drinking driver. PMID- 17774586 TI - The construction of voids: innovation and the rise of the tunnelling industry. PMID- 17774588 TI - Some other books of interest: a history of neurophysiology in the 19th century. PMID- 17774587 TI - Some other books of interest: evolution and coadaptation in biotic communities. PMID- 17774589 TI - Primate sociobiology: primate social systems. PMID- 17774590 TI - Some other books of interest: lattice defects in ice crystals. PMID- 17774591 TI - LABORATORY ANIMALS: Congress OKs Plan for Retired Chimps. AB - On 6 December, the Senate put the final stamp of approval on the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance, and Protection Act. It authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to spend $30 million to set up and administer a system of retirement sanctuaries for chimpanzees no longer needed for research. But the National Institutes of Health's opposition to such a network casts doubt on where the money will come from. PMID- 17774592 TI - NEUROSCIENCE: Neural Net Contest Draws Online Crowd. AB - When two computational neuroscientists announced an online contest last September to reverse-engineer a simulated set of neurons, neither thought the event would attract much attention beyond a small group of their colleagues. But The New York Times ran an article on the competition, and 25,000 people visited the site. Now, the researchers think they may have found a new method for stimulating scientific communication. PMID- 17774593 TI - GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA MEETING: Geologists Pursue Solar System's Oldest Relics. AB - Last month, the Geological Society of America held their annual meeting here. Offerings included claims for the oldest known examples in a class: the oldest scrap of ocean crust, the oldest sample of Earth, and the oldest trace of life- which happens to come from Mars. PMID- 17774594 TI - Penny wise, pound foolish-a retrospective. PMID- 17774595 TI - Missing persons identification: genetics at work for society. PMID- 17774596 TI - Eurasian air pollution reaches eastern north america. PMID- 17774597 TI - MICROELECTRONICS: Flip the Chip. AB - As integrated circuit fabrication advances rapidly and the market for faster, lighter, smaller, yet less expensive electronic products accelerates, electronic packaging faces its own challenges. In this Perspective, Wong, Luo, and Zhang describe recent advances in flip chip packaging. This technology has many advantages over the conventional wire bonding technology and offers the possibility of low-cost electronic assembly for modern electronic products. PMID- 17774598 TI - QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY: Single Photons. AB - Quantum cryptography offers the potential of totally secure transfer of information, but as Benjamin discusses in this Perspective, its practical implementation hinges on being able to generate single photons (rather than two or more) at a time. Michler et al. show how this condition can be met in a quantum dot microdisk structure. Single molecules were also recently shown to allow controlled single-photon emission. PMID- 17774600 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY-NO. XXXVI. PMID- 17774599 TI - PALEOCLIMATE: The Amazon Reveals Its Secrets--Partly. AB - The role of the tropics in global climate change during glacial cycles is hotly debated in paleoclimate cycles today. Records from South America have not provided a clear picture of tropical climate change. In his Perspective, Betancourt highlights the study by Maslin and Burns, who have deduced the outflow of the Amazon over the past 14,000 years. This may serve as a proxy that integrates hydrology over the entire South American tropics, although the record must be interpreted cautiously because factors other than rainfall may contribute to the variability in outflow. PMID- 17774601 TI - ALABAMA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17774602 TI - FALL MEETING OF THE ALABAMA INDUSTRIAL AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. PMID- 17774603 TI - THE CENTIMETRE GRAMME SECOND AND THE CENTIMETRE DYNE SECOND SYSTEMS OF UNITS AND A NEW GRAVITATIONAL EXPERIMENI. PMID- 17774604 TI - THE "GLACIAL PERIOD" PROVED AS A NECESSARY CONSEQUENCE OF THE EARTH'S MOVEMENTS. PMID- 17774605 TI - BIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION IN BOTANY. PMID- 17774606 TI - A SEGREGATION OF FRESH-WATER FISHES. PMID- 17774607 TI - THE IMAGINARY RACE OF CANSTADT OR NEANDERTHAL. PMID- 17774608 TI - PROTECTION OF BIRDS FROM THE BOYS. PMID- 17774609 TI - MOLOTHRUS ATER AND HIS HOSTESSES. PMID- 17774610 TI - POSTAGE ON NATURAL HISTORY SPECIMENS. PMID- 17774611 TI - BIRD NOTES. PMID- 17774612 TI - A DICTIONARY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS. PMID- 17774613 TI - MAN'S MOST CREATIVE YEARS: THEN AND NOW. PMID- 17774614 TI - WILLIAM FOGG OSGOOD. PMID- 17774615 TI - THE FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FLIGHT OF A HEAVIER-THAN-AIR MACHINE. PMID- 17774616 TI - A SURVEY OF MEDICAL COLLEGES. PMID- 17774617 TI - PREFERENCE RATINGS FOR LABORATORY EQUIPMENT. PMID- 17774618 TI - TERCENTENARY COMMEMORATION OF THE INVENTION OF THE BAROMETER, 1643-1943. PMID- 17774619 TI - PERSONNEL PROBLEMS IN GEOLOGY. PMID- 17774620 TI - THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PLANETARIUM AND MUSEUM OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE. PMID- 17774621 TI - AMERICAN-SOVIET CONFERENCE. PMID- 17774622 TI - THE BOTANICAL NAME OF THE GIANT SEQUOIA. PMID- 17774623 TI - THE APPARENT TIME ACCELERATION WITH AGE. PMID- 17774624 TI - THE APPARENT TIME ACCELERATION WITH AGE. PMID- 17774625 TI - THE APPARENT TIME ACCELERATION WITH AGE. PMID- 17774626 TI - PERFUSION OF RAT LIVERS WITH ESTROGEN IN VITRO. PMID- 17774628 TI - STERILITY TEST FOR PENICILLIN. PMID- 17774627 TI - INABILITY TO PASS PRIMARY ATYPICAL PNEUMONIA TO HUMAN VOLUNTEERS. PMID- 17774629 TI - QUIETING PARAMECIUM FOR THE ELEMENTARY STUDENT. PMID- 17774630 TI - THE BASIS OF INDIVIDUALITY IN ORGANISMS. PMID- 17774631 TI - THE NECESSITY FOR BIOLOGICAL BASES FOR LEGISLATION AND PRACTISE IN THE FISHERIES INDUSTRIES. PMID- 17774632 TI - GRANTS FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PMID- 17774634 TI - REPORT ON INFANTILE PARALYSIS. PMID- 17774633 TI - KARL SCHWARZSCHILD. PMID- 17774635 TI - SEVERE RESTRICTIONS TO NORMAL GEOGRAPHIC CYCLE. PMID- 17774637 TI - UGO SCHIFF. PMID- 17774636 TI - CULTURE MEDIA FOR PARAMECIA AND EUGLENA. PMID- 17774638 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17774639 TI - SOIL BACTERIA AND PHOSPHATES. PMID- 17774640 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774641 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND CONVOCATION WEEK. PMID- 17774642 TI - AN ANALYSIS OF THE PHENOMENA OF ORGANIC 'POLARITY.'. PMID- 17774643 TI - MOSAIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE ANNELID EGG. PMID- 17774644 TI - CORALS. PMID- 17774645 TI - DAVENPORT'S 'STATISTICAL METHODS.'. PMID- 17774646 TI - SOME FURTHER COMMENTS ON THE GUATEMALAN BOLL WEEVIL ANT. PMID- 17774648 TI - ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY AT THE WORLD'S FAIR. PMID- 17774647 TI - ARE THEY SYMPATHETIC DRUMS? PMID- 17774649 TI - MEDALS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774651 TI - THE WESTERN ELECTRIC INCANDESCENT LIGHTING SYSTEM. PMID- 17774650 TI - PHILADELPHIA MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17774653 TI - THE AMERICAN DIALECT SOCIETY. PMID- 17774652 TI - THE WESTINGHOUSE COMPOUND ENGINE. PMID- 17774654 TI - THE BOWER-BARFF RUSTLESS IRON PROCESSES. PMID- 17774655 TI - ETHNOLOGY. PMID- 17774656 TI - ELECTRICAL NEWS. PMID- 17774657 TI - QUARTZ AS AN INSULATOR. PMID- 17774658 TI - A NEW ARC-LAMP. PMID- 17774659 TI - RELATION BETWEEN DENSITY OF ACID AND CAPACITY IN SECONDARY BATTERIES. PMID- 17774660 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17774661 TI - ACTION OF ELECTRIC LIGHT ON THE EYES. PMID- 17774662 TI - TOBACCO-SMOKING. PMID- 17774663 TI - INSOMNIA. PMID- 17774664 TI - YELLOW-FEVER IN FLORIDA. PMID- 17774665 TI - CHOLERA TREATMENT. PMID- 17774666 TI - Physiological Notes on Primary Education and the Study of Language. By MARY PUTNAM JACOBI, M.D. New York and London, Putnam. 12Dagger. $1. PMID- 17774667 TI - A New Mountain of the Bell. PMID- 17774668 TI - Ayrton and Perry's Secohmmeter. PMID- 17774670 TI - Rainfall and Latent Heat. PMID- 17774669 TI - "Alphabetic Law" and "World-English.". PMID- 17774671 TI - INDUSTRIAL NOTES. PMID- 17774672 TI - Clintonite, or Seybertite? PMID- 17774673 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17774674 TI - Minimizing wastes. PMID- 17774675 TI - Science in the former soviet union. PMID- 17774676 TI - Science in the former soviet union. PMID- 17774677 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - D. G. Rainnie et al., in their report "Adenosine inhibition of mesopontine cholinergic neurons: Implications for EEG arousal" (4 Feb., p. 689), suggested that adenosine may mediate sleep-debt related potentiation of EEG slow-wave activity in non-REM sleep. This is similar to a hypothesis proposed by J. H. Benington et al. [Sleep Res. 22, 4 (1993)]. Rainnie et al. suggested that adenosine exerts this effect by means of inhibition of mesopontine cholinergic neurons rather than by direct inhibition of neurons in the cerebral cortex. PMID- 17774678 TI - Defense bill targets universities. PMID- 17774679 TI - CERN Puts LHC Approval on Hold. PMID- 17774680 TI - New proof makes light work of partial latin squares. PMID- 17774682 TI - Bets range from boom to bust for jovian impacts. PMID- 17774681 TI - UV-B Effects: Bad for Insect Larvae Means Good for Algae. PMID- 17774684 TI - New chief named for canadian federal labs. PMID- 17774683 TI - Kyoto prizes in math and medical imaging. PMID- 17774685 TI - Tracking ph.d. Trends. PMID- 17774686 TI - Viral Clues Add to The ALS Puzzle. PMID- 17774687 TI - The Structure of Nature's Solvent: Water. PMID- 17774688 TI - Examining nanoenvironments in solids on the scale of a single, isolated impurity molecule. AB - Optical spectroscopy of single impurity molecules in solids can be used as an exquisitely sensitive probe of the structure and dynamics of the specific local environment around the single molecule (the "nanoenvironment"). Recently observed effects such as spectral diffusion, perturbations by external fields, changes in molecular photophysics, shifts in vibrational modes, optical modification of the absorption spectrum, dynamics due to amorphous system physics, and magnetic resonance of a single molecular spin attest to the vitality of and growing interest in this new field, which may lead to optical storage on the single molecule level. PMID- 17774689 TI - Chemical signature of the superconducting phase in the nd-ce-cu-o system. AB - The electron-doped material Nd2-xCexCuO(4) becomes superconducting with a Ce(4+) composition around 0.16, but only after removal of a minuscule amount of extraneous oxygen. This enigmatic behavior was addressed here. A small fraction of copper in the CuO(2) planes of Nd2-xCexCuO(4) was substituted by cobalt-57, which serves as a microprobe of the chemical environment. Deoxygenation brought about little change in the Mossbauer spectra both above and below the optimal superconducting concentration; however, for x = 0.16 a change was observed. In the latter, a major fraction of the magnetically split, five-coordinate species showed itself as a paramagnetically relaxed doublet upon deoxygenation. The abundance of the paramagnetically relaxed species corresponds closely to the diamagnetic volume fraction and thus provides a microscopic signature of the superconducting phase. PMID- 17774690 TI - Size-Specific Infrared Spectra of Benzene-(H2O)n Clusters (n = 1 through 7): Evidence for Noncyclic (H2O)n Structures. AB - Resonant ion-dip infrared spectroscopy has been used to record size-specific infrared spectra of C(6)H(6)-(H(2)O)n clusters with n = 1 through 7 in the O-H stretch region. The O-H stretch spectra show a dramatic dependence on cluster size. For the n = 3 to 5 clusters, the transitions can be divided into three types-attributable to free, pi hydrogen-bonded, and single donor water-water O-H stretches-consistent with a C(6)H(6)-(H(2)O)n structure in which benzene is on the surface of a cyclic (H(2)O)n cluster. In n = 6 and 7 clusters, the spectra show distinct new transitions in the 3500 to 3600 wave number region. After comparison of these results with the predictions of ab initio calculations on (H(2)O)n clusters, these new transitions have been assigned to double donor O-H stretches associated with the formation of a more compact, noncyclic structure beginning with (H(2)O)(6). This is the same size cluster for which ab initio calculations predict that a changeover to noncyclic (H(2)O)n structures will occur. PMID- 17774691 TI - Deep seismic expression of an ancient plate boundary in europe. AB - Seismological results on the structure of the upper mantle below Europe reveal a marked contrast in seismic properties between Precambrian and younger parts of Europe. The Precambrian craton in eastern Europe is characterized by high shear wave velocities, which can be explained by low temperatures. The transition to low seismic velocities below Phanerozoic Europe coincides with the crustal boundary zone of the craton and exists to depths of at least 140 kilometers. Despite the long and complex tectonic history of the plate boundary zone, the transition is remarkably sharp, which rules out any significant lateral transport of asthenospheric material across the suture zone. PMID- 17774692 TI - Pseudotachylytes generated during seismic faulting and eclogitization of the deep crust. AB - Pseudotachylytes are typically interpreted to have formed by frictional melting during coseismic faulting within the upper to middle crust. Pseudotachylytes in the Bergen arcs of western Norway contain microlites including omphacite, garnet, plagioclase, and quartz. This eclogite facies assemblage is stable at temperatures of about 800 degrees C and pressures of 18 to 19 kilobars, corresponding to depths of 60 kilometers or more. The pseudotachylytes are exposed in Grenvillian granulites that locally underwent fluid-induced eclogitization and corresponding volume reduction of approximately 10 percent during the Caledonian continental collision. The pseudotachylytes may have formed as a result of the rapid relaxation of stresses caused by the eclogitization process. PMID- 17774693 TI - Magnetic susceptibility of molecular carbon: nanotubes and fullerite. AB - Elemental carbon can be synthesized in a variety of geometrical forms, from three dimensional extended structures (diamond) to finite molecules (C(60) fullerite). Results are presented here on the magnetic susceptibility of the least well understood members of this family, nanotubes and C(60) fullerite. (i) Nanotubes represent the cylindrical form of carbon, intermediate between graphite and fullerite. They are found to have significantly larger orientation-averaged susceptibility, on a per carbon basis, than any other form of elemental carbon. This susceptibility implies an average band structure among nanotubes similar to that of graphite. (ii) High-resolution magnetic susceptibility data on C(60) fullerite near the molecular orientational-ordering transition at 259 K show a sharp jump corresponding to 2.5 centimeter-gram-second parts per million per mole of C(60). This jump directly demonstrates the effect of an intermolecular cooperative transition on an intramolecular electronic property, where the susceptibility jump may be ascribed to a change in the shape of the molecule due to lattice forces. PMID- 17774694 TI - Water on Mars: Clues from Deuterium/Hydrogen and Water Contents of Hydrous Phases in SNC Meteorites. AB - Ion microprobe studies of hydrous amphibole, biotite, and apatite in shergottite nakhlite-chassignite (SNC) meteorites, probable igneous rocks from Mars, indicate high deuterium/hydrogen (D/H) ratios relative to terrestrial values. The amphiboles contain roughly one-tentn as much water as expected, suggesting that SNC magmas were less hydrous than previously proposed. The high but variable D/H values of these minerals are best explained by postcrystallization D enrichment of initially D-poor phases by martian crustal fluids with near atmospheric D/H (about five times the terrestrial value). These igneous phases do not directly reflect the D/H ratios of martian "magmatic" water but provide evidence for a D enriched martian crustal water reservoir. PMID- 17774695 TI - Magnetoreception in honeybees. AB - Magnetoreception by honeybees (Apis mellifera) is demonstrated by such activities as comb building and homing orientation, which are affected by the geomagnetic field. In other magnetoreceptive species, iron oxide crystals in the form of magnetite have been shown to be necessary for primary detection of magnetic fields. Here it is shown that trophocytes, which are apparently the only iron granule-containing cells in honeybees, contain super-paramagnetic magnetite. These cells are innervated by the nervous system, which suggests that trophocytes might be primarily responsible for magnetoreception. Electron microscopy also shows cytoskeletal attachments to the iron granule membrane. PMID- 17774696 TI - Ecosystem response to solar ultraviolet-B radiation: influence of trophic-level interactions. AB - Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) can reduce the photosynthesis and growth of benthic diatom communities in shallow freshwater. Nevertheless, greater amounts of algae accumulate in UVR-exposed habitats than in UVR-protected environments. Near-ultraviolet (UVA wavelengths of 320 to 400 nanometers) and mid-ultraviolet (UVB, wavelengths of 280 to 320 nanometers) radiation also inhibit algal consumers (Diptera: Chironomidae). Larval chironomids are more sensitive to UVB than sympatric algae. Differential sensitivity to UVB between algae and herbivores contributes to counterintuitive increases in algae in habitats exposed to UVB. These mesocosm experiments illustrate that predictions of the response of entire ecosystems to elevated UVB cannot be made on single trophic-level assessments. PMID- 17774697 TI - Temperature and water viscosity: physiological versus mechanical effects on suspension feeding. AB - Water viscosity is inversely related to temperature. This simple physical relation couples two potential influences on organism performance. Seawater viscosity was manipulated, with and without temperature, to distinguish the physiological and mechanical effects of temperature on suspension feeding by ciliated echinoderm larvae. Change in viscosity alone accounted for half of the decline in the feeding rate at lower temperature. High viscosity shifted ingestion toward larger particles, which suggests that viscosity affects particle capture as well as rates of water processing. Temperature-induced change in viscosity, therefore, impacts suspension feeding independently of physiology and has implications for many small-scale biological processes. PMID- 17774698 TI - Response. PMID- 17774699 TI - Hybrid zones and sexual selection. PMID- 17774701 TI - Vignettes: medical solace. PMID- 17774700 TI - Research in the third reich. PMID- 17774703 TI - Phanerozoic geology. PMID- 17774702 TI - Structural materials. PMID- 17774704 TI - Other books of interest. PMID- 17774705 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17774706 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17774707 TI - THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17774708 TI - THE GROWTH OF LEGEND ABOUT SIR ISAAC NEWTON. PMID- 17774709 TI - LEIDY AND MARSH. PMID- 17774710 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774711 TI - IN SOUTH CAROLINA. PMID- 17774712 TI - THE AUDIBILITY OF SOUNDS. PMID- 17774714 TI - THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774713 TI - ON THE DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN THE EVOLUTION OF AIR-BREATHING VERTEBRATES. PMID- 17774715 TI - A NEW FORMULA FOR THE ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE OF CERTAIN INHOMOGENEOUS SYSTEMS. PMID- 17774717 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17774716 TI - Advice on Loyalty Requirements. PMID- 17774718 TI - Theodore Lyman, a Pioneer in Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopy. PMID- 17774719 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17774721 TI - Partial Charges on Atoms in Organic Compounds. PMID- 17774722 TI - Carbon Dioxide Fixation by Roots. PMID- 17774723 TI - Rapid Method for Determining Mean Values and Areas Graphically. PMID- 17774724 TI - Wastes and Nutrients. PMID- 17774725 TI - Antibiotic Effect on Ceratostomella fimbriata of Ipomeamarone, an Abnormal Metabolite in Black Rot of Sweetpotato. PMID- 17774726 TI - LIGHTNING-ROD PROTECTION. PMID- 17774727 TI - ARISTOTLE AS A NATURALIST. PMID- 17774728 TI - A Water-Beetle. PMID- 17774729 TI - The Threatened Abandonment of the National Zoological Garden. PMID- 17774730 TI - The Piney Branch Indian Workshop. PMID- 17774731 TI - Cold and Warm Waves. PMID- 17774732 TI - Anthropoid Heads in Stone from Oregon. PMID- 17774733 TI - THEORIES OF MANURE AND FERTILIZER ACTION. PMID- 17774734 TI - THE DUBLIN MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION--II. PMID- 17774735 TI - THE OFFICIAL INSPECTION OF COMMODITIES. PMID- 17774736 TI - THE "UNIVERSITY TABLE" AT THE NAPLES ZOOLOGICAL STATION. PMID- 17774737 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774738 TI - THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. PMID- 17774739 TI - DR. O. P. HAY ON THE SKULL OF DIPLODOCUS. PMID- 17774741 TI - ELECTRIC DISTURBANCES AND PERILS ON MOUNTAIN TOPS. PMID- 17774740 TI - ON THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF MR. CHARLES D. SNYDER. PMID- 17774742 TI - THE BLOWING OF SOILS. PMID- 17774743 TI - A FAULT IN AN ESKER. PMID- 17774744 TI - BUFO FOWLERI (PUTNAM) IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. PMID- 17774745 TI - A PRELIMINARY NOTE ON A GROUP OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA NOT PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED IN AMERICA. PMID- 17774747 TI - A NEW MOSQUITO POISON. PMID- 17774746 TI - BURR-KNOTS IN APPLE TREES. PMID- 17774748 TI - MAN AN EARLY FOSSIL. PMID- 17774749 TI - EVOLUTION OF WHALES. PMID- 17774750 TI - THE SHALE OIL INDUSTRY. PMID- 17774752 TI - THE CONTROL OF SUGAR-CANE PEST. PMID- 17774751 TI - GERANIUM-SCENTED BOILER ROOMS. PMID- 17774753 TI - PREDICTION OF LESS MEASLES. PMID- 17774754 TI - DIVERSE DOCTRINES OF EVOLUTION, THEIR RELATION TO THE PRACTICE OF SCIENCE AND OF LIFE. PMID- 17774755 TI - THE NATION AND SCIENCE. PMID- 17774756 TI - ARNOLD EDWARD ORTMANN. PMID- 17774757 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774758 TI - EARLY DAYS OF ANTI-VIVISECTION. PMID- 17774759 TI - HELIUM IN DEEP DIVING. PMID- 17774760 TI - ABOUT THE ACCUSATION OF PLAGIARISM OF THE LATE DIRECTOR OF THE PULKOVO OBSERVATORY, OTTO STRUVE. PMID- 17774761 TI - THE DISSOLUTION OF INSULIN INTO TWO NEW ACTIVE SUBSTANCES. PMID- 17774762 TI - "A F S," A NEW RESIN OF HIGH REFRACTIVE INDEX FOR MOUNTING MICROSCOPIC OBJECTS. PMID- 17774763 TI - THE CULTURE MEDIUM FOR DROSOPHILA. PMID- 17774764 TI - ON THE ORIGIN OF SUN-SPOT VORTICES. PMID- 17774766 TI - OFFICIAL FIELD CROP INSPECTION. PMID- 17774765 TI - EXPERIMENTS WITH BACTERIAL FILTERS AND FILTERABLE VIRUSES. PMID- 17774767 TI - A PLEA FOR COURSES IN PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS FOR STUDENTS OF CHEMISTRY AND RELATED SCIENCES. PMID- 17774769 TI - THE VALENCE OF NITROGEN IN NITROUS OXIDE. PMID- 17774768 TI - PATENT REFORM PROSPECTS. PMID- 17774770 TI - A SNOW EFFECT. PMID- 17774771 TI - ON MEASURING THE DENSITY OF THE "17-YEAR LOCUST" POPULATION. PMID- 17774772 TI - NEW ACTIVITIES IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17774773 TI - THE MOTION OF A GRAVITATING NEEDLE. PMID- 17774774 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17774775 TI - Response. PMID- 17774777 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17774776 TI - Erratum. AB - Figure 2, part B (p. 100) in the report "Regulation of transendothelial neutrophil migration by endogenous interleukin-8" by A. R. Huber et al. (4 Oct., p. 99) was printed incorrectly. The correct figure (parts A, B, and C) appears below. [See figure in the pdf file]. PMID- 17774778 TI - Pork: Washington's Growth Industry. PMID- 17774779 TI - Yesterday's Pork Projects: Where Are They Now? PMID- 17774780 TI - How much uranium? PMID- 17774781 TI - Iraq's Bomb Program: A Smoking Gun Emerges. PMID- 17774782 TI - Ozone loss hits us where we live. PMID- 17774784 TI - Looking 40 years ahead on energy. PMID- 17774783 TI - Errata. AB - Could it be the thinning of the ozone layer (see p. 645) that has indirectly caused our baffling faux pas in recent issues? In reporting the formation by the National Academy of Sciences of a Committee on Environmental Research to be headed by Cornell President Emeritus Dale Corson (11 October, p. 192), we inexplicably fused the distinguished careers of physicist Corson and former Dartmouth president John Kemeny. It was the latter who headed the President's Commission that investigated the accident at Three Mile Island, whereas Corson's distinctions include heading the NAS's "Corson Panel" on scientific communications and national security and founding the Government-University Industry Research Roundtable. Three weeks earlier (in "Mycomummy," 20 September, p. 1353), we misspelled Coccidioides, a fungus whose petrified spores were found in the ancient skeleton of a Sinaguan indian. PMID- 17774785 TI - "All the [Science] That's Fit to Print". PMID- 17774786 TI - Chatting with ETs. PMID- 17774787 TI - Could the sun be warming the climate? PMID- 17774789 TI - How plants cope with stress. PMID- 17774788 TI - GE Achieves Dial-an-Isotope Diamonds. PMID- 17774790 TI - Supercomputer voyages to the southern seas. PMID- 17774791 TI - Gas-phase inorganic chemistry: monovalent derivatives of calcium and strontium. AB - The chemistry and spectroscopy of monovalent derivatives of calcium and strontium are described. Laser-driven chemical reactions of calcium and strontium vapors with a variety of small molecules have provided many new free radicals. In general, these species are analogous to the stable molecules obtained in traditional inorganic or organometallic chemistry, but some new families of molecules have been discovered. PMID- 17774792 TI - Stress fields of the overriding plate at convergent margins and beneath active volcanic arcs. AB - Tectonic stress fields in the overriding plate at convergent plate margins are complex and vary on local to regional scales. Volcanic arcs are a common element of overriding plates. Stress fields in the volcanic arc region are related to deformation generated by subduction and to magma generation and ascent processes. Analysis of moment tensors of shallow and intermediate depth earthquakes in volcanic arcs indicates that the seismic strain field in the arc region of many convergent margins is subhorizontal extension oriented nearly perpendicular to the arc. A process capable of generating such a globally consistent strain field is induced asthenospheric corner flow below the arc region. PMID- 17774793 TI - Latitudinal and longitudinal oscillations of cloud features on neptune. AB - Voyager observations suggest that three of Neptune's major cloud features oscillate in latitude by 2 degrees to 4 degrees and that two of them simultaneously oscillate in longitude by 7.8 degrees and 98 degrees about their mean drift longitudes. The observations define most convincingly the two orthogonal oscillations of the second dark spot (near 53 degrees south). These oscillations have similar periods near 800 hours and approximately satisfy a simple advective model in which a latitudinal oscillation produces a phase shifted longitudinal oscillation proportional to the local wind shear. The latitudinal motion of the Great Dark Spot can be fit with an oscillation period of about 2550 hours, whereas its dominant longitudinal motion, if oscillatory at all, has such a long period that it is not well constrained by the Voyager data. PMID- 17774794 TI - In situ scanning tunneling microscopy of corrosion of silver-gold alloys. AB - An in situ scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was used to observe the morphological changes accompanying the selective dissolution of Ag from low-Ag content Ag-Au alloys in dilute perchloric acid. This study was undertaken to explore the role of surface diffusion in alloy corrosion processes. These results are interpreted within the framework of the kink-ledge-terrace model of a crystal surface and a recent model of alloy corrosion based on a variant of percolation theory. The corrosion process leads to roughening of the surface by dissolution of Ag atoms from terrace sites. Annealing or smoothening of the surface occurs by vacancy migration through clusters and the subsequent annihilation of clusters at terrace ledges. PMID- 17774795 TI - Early cambrian foraminifera from west Africa. AB - Agglutinated foraminifera have been recovered from siltstones in the Walidiala Valley, Taoudeni Basin, West Africa. Associated faunas suggest an Early Cambrian age for these strata. These now earliest known unequivocal foraminifera help constrain hypotheses concerning the origin of skeletalization at the beginning of the Phanerozoic. PMID- 17774796 TI - Potential magnitude of future vegetation change in eastern north america: comparisons with the past. AB - Increases in atmospheric trace gas concentrations could warm the global average temperature 1.5 degrees to 4.5 degrees C by the end of the next century. Application of climate-pollen response surfaces to three climate model simulations of doubled preindustrial atmospheric CO(2) levels shows that the change in the equilibrium distribution of natural vegetation over eastern North America over the next 200 to 500 years could be larger than the overall change during the past 7,000 to 10,000 years and equivalent to the change that took place over the 1,000- to 3,000-year period of most rapid deglaciation. Some plant ranges and abundance maxima could shift as much as 500 to 1000 km during the next 200 to 500 years; such changes would have dramatic impacts on silvicultural and natural ecosystems. Although unprecedented vegetation change is likely if climate changes as predicted, forecasting the exact timing and patterns of change will be difficult. PMID- 17774798 TI - Length of the solar cycle: an indicator of solar activity closely associated with climate. AB - It has recently been suggested that the solar irradiance has varied in phase with the 80- to 90-year period represented by the envelope of the 11-year sunspot cycle and that this variation is causing a significant part of the changes in the global temperature. This interpretation has been criticized for statistical reasons and because there are no observations that indicate significant changes in the solar irradiance. A set of data that supports the suggestion of a direct influence of solar activity on global climate is the variation of the solar cycle length. This record closely matches the long-term variations of the Northern Hemisphere land air temperature during the past 130 years. PMID- 17774797 TI - Synorogenic collapse: a perspective from the middle crust, the proterozoic grenville orogen. AB - Structural, petrological, and geochronological studies of the middle to late Proterozoic Grenville orogen in Ontario, Canada, indicate that a major extensional fault developed synchronously with late thrusting. This fault zone was initiated during peak metamorphism and extended into the crust to depths of at least 25 kilometers. The temporal and spatial relations among faulting, metamorphism, and regional compression indicate that synorogenic collapse initiated because the crust exceeded the maximum physiographic height and thickness that could be supported by its rheology. Comparison of Grenville with recent Himalayan orogenic activity suggests that during Proterozoic times physiographic height, crustal thickness, and crustal strength were similar to modern conditions in orogenic belts. PMID- 17774799 TI - First fossil hagfish (myxinoidea): a record from the pennsylvanian of illinois. AB - A fossil hagfish (Myxinoidea), a new genus from the Pennsylvanian, shows tentacles, structures of the head skeleton and internal organs. No other fossils of this group have been reported. Although this new hagfish differs from living forms in position of the gills, feeding apparatus, and relatively well developed eyes, it is quite similar to its recent relatives. Thus, hagfishes have a long, conservative geological history. Cladograms showing myxinoids as a sister group to the vertebrates are supported. PMID- 17774800 TI - Options for wasps. PMID- 17774801 TI - Children's Theories. PMID- 17774802 TI - Engineer in the making. PMID- 17774803 TI - Some other books of interest. PMID- 17774804 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17774805 TI - ANNUAL DISCUSSION BEFORE THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17774807 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774806 TI - THE ALBANY MEETING OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17774808 TI - AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774809 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774810 TI - SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. PMID- 17774812 TI - REPRODUCTION OF DIFFRACTION GRATINGS. PMID- 17774811 TI - THE U. S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17774813 TI - THE FRICTIONAL EFFECT OF RAILWAY TRAINS ON THE AIR. PMID- 17774814 TI - COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17774815 TI - TRIVALENT CARBON. PMID- 17774816 TI - REPORT ON A WESTERN BRANCH OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17774817 TI - WIRE STORIES ON THE MEETING OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17774818 TI - WIRE STORIES ON THE MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774819 TI - THE WISTAR INSTITUTE OF ANATOMY AND BIOLOGY AND ITS ADVISORY BOARD. PMID- 17774820 TI - RESEARCH AT THE WISTAR INSTITUTE, 1905-1925. PMID- 17774821 TI - BAUXITE AND SIDERITE. PMID- 17774822 TI - DECAY AND REGENERATION OF RADIO-LUMINESCENCE. PMID- 17774823 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774824 TI - CHANCE AND EVOLUTION. PMID- 17774825 TI - SEROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE BLOODS OF MAN AND THE ANTHROPOID APES. PMID- 17774826 TI - ORGANIC DIVISION. PMID- 17774827 TI - THE REVIVAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17774828 TI - ON THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF MAY 28, 1900. PMID- 17774829 TI - RECEPTION AND EXHIBITION OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17774830 TI - ON THE ACTION OF THE COHERER. PMID- 17774831 TI - DUPLICATION OF GEOLOGIC FORMATION NAMES. PMID- 17774832 TI - TWO-HEADED SNAKES. PMID- 17774833 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17774835 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17774834 TI - FROST PREDICTION AND PROTECTION. PMID- 17774836 TI - ASSISTANTS IN PHYSIOLOGY IN HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL. PMID- 17774838 TI - MINING INDUSTRIES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17774837 TI - EFFECTS OF EXPLOSIONS ON THE EAR. PMID- 17774839 TI - SOME AGRICULTURAL REPORTS. PMID- 17774840 TI - CHALLENGER REPORTS. PMID- 17774841 TI - CARBON DIOXIDE UTILIZATION IN ANIMAL TISSUES. PMID- 17774843 TI - RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. PMID- 17774842 TI - THE RECENT EXPANSION OF THE ALUMINUM INDUSTRY. PMID- 17774844 TI - GIFTS AND BEQUESTS TO MUSEUMS. PMID- 17774845 TI - HANDBOOK FOR PHYSICIANS ON INDUSTRIAL HEALTH AND MEDICINE IN WAR INDUSTRIES. PMID- 17774846 TI - AWARD TO DR. HOWE OF THE MEDAL OF THE SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY. PMID- 17774848 TI - SCIENTIFIC POSITIONS UNDER THE GOVERNMENT. PMID- 17774847 TI - APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS AT THE ROCKEFELLER INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17774849 TI - SCIENCE AND SOCIAL ACTION. PMID- 17774850 TI - INDIVIDUAL SPECIFICITY OF DOG SERUM AND PLASMA. PMID- 17774851 TI - STEM GALLS OF SUGAR-CANE INDUCED WITH INSECT EXTRACTS. PMID- 17774853 TI - METALLURGICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17774852 TI - A NATURALIST CHARACTERIZES SCIENTISTS. PMID- 17774854 TI - ABSORPTION OF VARIOUS ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. PMID- 17774855 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF A PRESSOR SUBSTANCE FROM SERUM GLOBULIN BY ACTION OF PEPSIN. PMID- 17774857 TI - THE EFFECT OF SYNTHETIC VITAMIN K ON THE RATE OF ACID FORMATION IN THE MOUTH. PMID- 17774856 TI - A MODIFIED WARBURG REACTION VESSEL. PMID- 17774858 TI - SOME NEW USES FOR THE 2 x 2 PROJECTOR. PMID- 17774859 TI - DUST FROM THE KRAKATOA ERUPTION OF 1883. PMID- 17774860 TI - FAMILIARITY OF CERTAIN WOOD BIRDS. PMID- 17774861 TI - THE RELATION OF THE SOUNDS OF FOG SIGNALS TO OTHER SOUNDS. PMID- 17774862 TI - AN OBSERVATION ON THE TERMINAL VERB IN INFANT SPEECH. PMID- 17774863 TI - THE ENEMIES OF LEPIDOPTEROUS PUPAe ENCLOSED IN BARK-FORMED COCOONS. PMID- 17774864 TI - THE COLUMBIAN AND THE CENTENIAL EXPOSITIONS. PMID- 17774865 TI - OWL NOTES. PMID- 17774866 TI - Raining Worms and Frogs. PMID- 17774868 TI - "Do Earth Worms Rain Down?". PMID- 17774867 TI - Native Calendar of Central America and Mexico. PMID- 17774869 TI - Petrified Eyes. PMID- 17774870 TI - An Explanation of the Rope of Maggots. PMID- 17774871 TI - Earthquakes in the San Juan Mountains. PMID- 17774872 TI - Coral Reef Formation. PMID- 17774874 TI - The Mystery of Worms in Rain. PMID- 17774875 TI - Oak Ridge National Laboratory. PMID- 17774873 TI - Frost Plants. PMID- 17774876 TI - On the Calculation of Planet Temperatures From the Composition of Meteoritic Matter. PMID- 17774877 TI - The Composition of Meteoritic Matter and the Origin of Meteorites. PMID- 17774878 TI - Discontinuities in Properties of Water as a Function of Temperature. PMID- 17774879 TI - An Alternative Method for the Culture of Sciara Larvae. PMID- 17774880 TI - A Study of Gastric HCl Formation. PMID- 17774881 TI - Deposition and Simultaneous Concentration of Dilute Solutions in Paper Partition Chromatography. PMID- 17774882 TI - Infrared Spectrometry in Metabolic Studies With Deuterium-labeled Steroids. PMID- 17774883 TI - A Simple Device For Exposure of Groups of Mice to Uniform X-Ray Doses. PMID- 17774884 TI - The Use of Change in Capacity to Record Cardiac Volume in Human Subjects. PMID- 17774885 TI - The Structure-Action Relationships to the Choline Group. PMID- 17774887 TI - In Praise of Chisholm's "Social Responsibility". PMID- 17774886 TI - Concerning the Nutritive Value of Breads. PMID- 17774888 TI - THE HALL AIR-COMPRESSOR. PMID- 17774889 TI - A NEW PROCESS OF PROTECTING IRON EFFECTUALLY AGAINST CORROSION. PMID- 17774890 TI - GARBAGE CREMATION. PMID- 17774892 TI - THE PULSION TELEPHONE. PMID- 17774891 TI - SUPPOSED SHOWERS OF METEORITES IN THE DESERT OF ATACAMA. PMID- 17774894 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17774893 TI - ANTIPYRINE HABIT. PMID- 17774895 TI - ITALIAN SAUSAGES. PMID- 17774896 TI - Hygiene and Sunday. PMID- 17774897 TI - On Physical Fields. PMID- 17774899 TI - The Waters of the Great Salt Lake. PMID- 17774898 TI - Is Man Left-Legged? PMID- 17774900 TI - POST-GRADUATE STUDY IN APPLIED CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17774902 TI - LIEUTENANT SHACKLETON'S ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. PMID- 17774901 TI - THE PROGRAM OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE TEACHING OF MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17774903 TI - THE RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENT ANGELL. PMID- 17774904 TI - WILLIAM KEITH BROOKS. PMID- 17774905 TI - A NEW GENUS OF CARNIVORES FROM THE MIOCENE OF WESTERN NEBRASKA. PMID- 17774906 TI - TANKS FOR SOIL INVESTIGATION AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17774907 TI - NOTES ON MUSHROOM SPORES. PMID- 17774908 TI - THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17774909 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17774910 TI - THE ART AND SCIENCE OF MEDICINE. PMID- 17774911 TI - QUANTITATIVE VS. QUALITATIVE STUDIES IN GEOLOGY. PMID- 17774912 TI - GENTLE SOUTHWEST WINDS. PMID- 17774913 TI - HELODERMA SUSPECTUM, AUTOMOBILE TOURISTS AND ANIMAL DISTRIBUTION. PMID- 17774914 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774916 TI - A MAGNETIC STORM. PMID- 17774915 TI - THE HALL EFFECT IN SINGLE METAL CRYSTALS. PMID- 17774917 TI - AN EXPLANATION. PMID- 17774919 TI - AUTOMATIC, ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED, TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY FRAMES FOR PLANT PROPAGATION. PMID- 17774918 TI - A NOTE ON REPUTED ANCIENT ARTIFACTS FROM FREDERICK, OKLAHOMA. PMID- 17774920 TI - A RAPID METHOD FOR DETERMINING COLORIMETRICALLY THE PH OF SMALL AMOUNTS OF SOLUTIONS. PMID- 17774921 TI - MUTATIONS IN BARLEY INDUCED BY X-RAYS AND RADIUM. PMID- 17774922 TI - THE NUCLEAR CONDITIONS IN THE SPERMATOCYTES OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. PMID- 17774923 TI - Materials science and engineering. PMID- 17774924 TI - Tailored surface modification by ion implantation and laser treatment. AB - An important trend in materials science is the use of increasingly sophisticated methods to control composition and microstructure during processing. Near-surface modification by ion implantation and laser treatment is one of these new methods for tailoring material properties. Novel materials have been formed which are far from thermodynamic equilibrium and which exhibit unexpected and useful properties. The most extensively studied property changes include modified electrical properties of semiconductors and improved wear, hardness, and corrosion resistance of metals. The high degree of control available with energetic beams allows relations between microstructure and properties to be systematically investigated at the atomic level. This article illustrates how ion and laser beam modification is being applied to advance both the technology and the exploratory science of materials. PMID- 17774925 TI - Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition of III-V Semiconductors. AB - Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is a process in which two or more metalorganic chemicals (for instance, trimethylgallium) or one or more metalorganic sources and one or more hydride sources (for instance, arsine, AsH(3)) are used to form the corresponding intermetallic crystalline solid solution. MOCVD materials technology is a vapor-phase growth process that is becoming widely used to study the basic physics of novel materials and to grow complex semiconductor device structures for new optoelectronic and photonic systems. The MOCVD process is described and some of the device applications and results that have been realized with it are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the III-V compound semiconductors. PMID- 17774926 TI - Ductile ordered intermetallic alloys. AB - Many ordered intermetallic alloys have attractive high-temperature properties; however, low ductility and brittle fracture limit their use for structural applications. The embrittlement in these alloys is mainly caused by an insufficient number of slip systems (bulk brittleness) and poor grain-boundary cohesion. Recent studies have shown that the ductility and fabricability of ordered intermetallics can be substantially improved by alloying processes and control of microstructural features through rapid solidification and thermomechanical treatments. These results demonstrate that the brittleness problem associated with ordered intermetallics can be overcome by using physical metallurgical principles. Application of these principles will be illustrated by results on Ni(3)Al and Ni(3)V-Co(3)V-Fe(3)V. The potential for developing these alloys as a new class of high-temperature structural materials is discussed. PMID- 17774927 TI - Multicomponent polymeric engineering materials. AB - The great advances made in polymeric structural materials over the past decade have led to their replacement of conventional materials in a wide range of uses including high-performance aerospace applications. This shift in choice of materials is based on economic advantages, simplified fabrication, freedom from corrosion, and lower weight. The trend toward use of polymeric materials will grow as the materials science of this new technology is developed. Better insight into such fundamental problems as the mechanisms by which forces are transferred to the polymer molecule, the surface interactions between polymer phases or polymer and fiber, and the molecular processes by which energy is absorbed during fracture will greatly stimulate the development of this field. PMID- 17774928 TI - Dynamics of conformational transitions in polymers. AB - Conformational transitions in polymers involve large angle rotations about bonds. The process must proceed in a way that does not require gross movements of the macromolecules. The dynamics have been investigated by computer simulation and kinetic theory. The rate-determining step in the transition is found to occur in a mode which is kept local by distortion of nearby parts of the molecule. One especially important type of cooperativity, crank-like counterrotation of second neighbor bonds, is identified. Experiments which provide evidence about the dynamics of conformational transitions are discussed. PMID- 17774929 TI - Conducting organic materials. AB - Some of the current directions of scientific research on electrically conducting organic solids are reviewed. Both molecular charge transfer salts and polymers are included, with emphasis on the present level of understanding of the novel solid-state properties of these materials in terms of their chemistry and structure. For the charge transfer salts the various types of metal-to-insulator phase transitions which dominate the properties of most of these materials are discussed. Also described are the superconducting and magnetic states which have been found recently. In the case of the polymers the chemistry and physics of the conduction mechanism is examined and contrasted with that of their classical inorganic counterparts. PMID- 17774930 TI - Materials for optical information processing. AB - The goal for optical information processing is to use the unique characteristics of light which are not readily achieved with electronic devices, namely, ultrahigh speed (picoseconds), a high degree of parallelism (image processing), and conductor-free interconnection. The requirements of the nonlinear materials to perform such functions, using all-optical interactions, are discussed and the limitations of the nonlinear mechanisms are outlined. PMID- 17774931 TI - The search for very low loss fiber-optic materials. AB - Today's fiber-optic communications systems are fused-silica-based fibers for which signals require reamplification every 30 kilometers. Repeaterless long-haul (transcontinental and transoceanic) links can only be envisaged if a new fiber material with intrinsic power losses significantly lower than those of silica can be identified and developed. This article reviews the development of silica-based systems, details the physical mechanisms which produce signal attenuation in fiber materials in general, and identifies that class of materials from which ultralow loss glasses are most likely to be developed in the future. PMID- 17774932 TI - The Washington-Moscow Seismic Hot Line: An international experiment involving exchanges of seismic data is the latest evidence of scientific progress on nuclear test ban verification. PMID- 17774933 TI - The allure of nuclear testing. PMID- 17774934 TI - Schlesinger attacks star wars plan. PMID- 17774935 TI - NASA Suggests a New Shuttle Price. PMID- 17774936 TI - Landsat stalled again. PMID- 17774937 TI - Coalition recognizes ten friends of science. PMID- 17774938 TI - No panacea for the firewood crisis. PMID- 17774939 TI - Vail's Sea-Level Curves Aren't Going Away: Academic researchers are beginning to gather support for Exxon's new stratigraphic organizing scheme as its interpretation becomes more sophisticated. PMID- 17774940 TI - Coordinating the effort. PMID- 17774941 TI - Cultural minorities: the prospects for plural societies. PMID- 17774942 TI - Relativity and other issues: understanding relativity. PMID- 17774943 TI - Climate: theory of climate. PMID- 17774944 TI - High-energy physics: quarks, gluons and lattices. PMID- 17774945 TI - Solar p-Mode Eigenfrequencies Are Decreased by Turbulent Convection. AB - Average solar p-mode eigenfrequencies are decreased by large fluctuating velocity fields in the upper convection zone. This effect is greatest for modes with large horizontal wave numbers and frequencies. It is large enough to affect estimates of the depth of the convection zone and may carry useful information about the structure of solar convective turbulence. PMID- 17774946 TI - Periodicity of extinctions in the geologic past: deterministic versus stochastic explanations. AB - The temporal spacing and the magnitude of major extinctions over the past 250 and 570 million years, based on the use of different metrics of extinction probability, are analyzed by comparing deterministic and stochastic explanations. The best-fitting time series model is a stochastic autoregressive model that displays a pseudoperiodic behavior with a cycle length of 31 million years for the past 250 million years, regardless of the metric of extinction probability. The periodicity lengthens and weakens when the analysis is extended to the entire Phanerozoic. The history of the probability of extinction for the entire Phanerozoic, based on time series analysis, does not support the reported bipartite distribution of Van Valen. Rather, the probability of extinction has decreased uniformly over Phanerozoic time whereas the inertia or stability of the biotic system after the Late Permian crisis has increased. PMID- 17774947 TI - Covariance Patterns of Foraminiferal dgr18O: An Evaluation of Pliocene Ice Volume Changes Near 3.2 Million Years Ago. AB - Oxygen isotope data for a Pliocene interval from 3.6 to 2.8 million years ago show a mean increase (0.5 per mil) of benthic delta(18)O at about 3.2 million years ago, whereas planktic delta(18)O does not increase. This lack of covariance indicates that the event at 3.2 million years did not result in a permanent increase in the ice budget of either the Northern or the Southern Hemisphere. PMID- 17774948 TI - Pavoninins: shark-repelling ichthyotoxins from the defense secretion of the pacific sole. AB - A series of ichthyotoxic and hemolytic steroid aminoglycosides, pavoninins-1, to 6, has been isolated from the defense secretion of the sole Pardachirus pavoninus, and their respective chemical structures have been established by spectroscopic studies and chemical conversions. The pavoninins exert repellent activity against sharks and are considered to be the factors responsible for the predator-repelling property of the sole. PMID- 17774950 TI - GOVERNMENT and MEDICINE. PMID- 17774949 TI - A view of health research and care. PMID- 17774951 TI - Economics. PMID- 17774952 TI - PREVENTIVE MEDICINIE and PUBLIC HEALTH. PMID- 17774953 TI - DIAGNOSIS and THERAPEUTICS. PMID- 17774954 TI - The Composition and Mechanism of Formation of Gastric Acid Secretion. PMID- 17774955 TI - The Inheritance of Sickle Cell Anemia. PMID- 17774956 TI - New Sectioning Techniques for Light and Electron Microscopy. PMID- 17774957 TI - Protection of Lupulon and Humulon by Ascorbic Acid. PMID- 17774958 TI - Thermostable Inhibition of Bacterial Hyaluronidases by the Serum of Normal Human Beings. PMID- 17774959 TI - An Unusual Lacustrine Delta. PMID- 17774960 TI - Vitamin B12 and Cobalt Deficiency in Sheep. PMID- 17774961 TI - Synthesis of Tris(monofluorophenyl) methane and Tris (parafluorophenyl) methane. PMID- 17774962 TI - Measuring the Thickness of Very Thin Microtome Sections. PMID- 17774963 TI - Ground Substance of the Mesenchyme and Hyaluronidase: A Symposium. PMID- 17774964 TI - Correction. AB - My communication "Note on the Chemistry of Dramamine" (Science, 1949, 109, 574) should have made it clear that the name "Dramamine" applies to the salt of beta dimethylaminoethyl benzohydryl ether with 8-clorotheophyllin. As it stands, the first sentence in the second paragraph of my note makes it appear that Dramamine is the ether alone, and that is incorrect. PMID- 17774965 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17774966 TI - METHODS OF RACIAL ANALYSIS. PMID- 17774967 TI - POPULAR ASTRONOMIC EDUCATION IN EUROPE. PMID- 17774968 TI - EDWARD FULLER HOLDEN. PMID- 17774969 TI - A NOTE ON THE HUMBOLDT CURRENT AND THE SARGASSO SEA. PMID- 17774970 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774971 TI - AN INVESTIGATION OF THE PERIODIC FLUCTUATIONS IN THE NUMBERS OF THE RUFFED GROUSE. PMID- 17774972 TI - THE VALUE OF SOCIOLOGY. PMID- 17774974 TI - THE DEEPEST HOLE. PMID- 17774973 TI - GONIONEMUS. PMID- 17774975 TI - REMARKS ON SURFACE DISTRIBUTION OF MARINE PLANKTON DIATOMS IN THE EAST PACIFIC. PMID- 17774976 TI - RICKETS, ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT AND MILK. PMID- 17774978 TI - WILLIAM STEWART HALSTED 1852-1922. PMID- 17774979 TI - EARTH CURRENTS AND MAGNETIC VARIATIONS. PMID- 17774977 TI - THE FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY. PMID- 17774981 TI - THE MOUNT EVEREST EXPEDITION. PMID- 17774980 TI - RESEARCH AT THE TORTUGAS LABORATORY. PMID- 17774982 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17774983 TI - SOME SEISMOLOGICAL EVIDENCE THAT IS NOT EVIDENT. PMID- 17774984 TI - THE BEGINNING OF AMERICAN GEOLOGY. PMID- 17774985 TI - AN OPPORTUNITY. PMID- 17774986 TI - A NEW AEROLOGICAL SUMMARY. PMID- 17774987 TI - DEFICIENCY OF ATMOSPHERIC DUST IN COAL. PMID- 17774989 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17774988 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17774990 TI - Accuracy and truth. PMID- 17774991 TI - Response: accuracy and truth. PMID- 17774992 TI - Universe creation. PMID- 17774993 TI - Basic research funding. PMID- 17774995 TI - Response: Vietnam report. PMID- 17774994 TI - Vietnam report. PMID- 17774996 TI - Erratum. AB - In the report "Site-specific nick in the T-DNA border sequence as a result of Agrobacterium vir gene expression" by K. Wang et al. (30 Jan., p. 587), figure 2A on page 588 should have shown a 3.2-kilobase band in lane b that was not visible. Also, 1.9-kilobase bands in lane c and g were not visible. A Print that shows the bands in figure 2, A and B, appears below. In addition, reference 24 should have been to J. L. Slightom, L. Jouanin, F. Leach, R. F. Drong, D. Tepfer, EMBO J. 4, 3069 (1985). [See Table A and B in Source PDF]. PMID- 17774997 TI - A new agricultural frontier. PMID- 17774998 TI - Chemical Weapons Pact Edging Closer: Recent concessions by the Soviet Union on key points have left verification of clandestine production as the principal area of outstanding disagreement between the two superpowers. PMID- 17774999 TI - Soviet Union Accused Of Treaty Violations: The Administration has repeated earlier charges but declined to accuse the Soviets of preparing a national ABM defense. PMID- 17775000 TI - Denmark OK's Radar. PMID- 17775002 TI - NSF Goes to Congress With Plans for Growth: First reactions to request to double agency budget in 5 years are friendly, but legislators raise doubts on funding prospects. PMID- 17775001 TI - When nunn speaks.. PMID- 17775003 TI - California's Debate on Carcinogens. PMID- 17775004 TI - Textbook ruling sparks concern. PMID- 17775005 TI - Man and Machine Forecast Big Snow: This winter's East Coast snowstorms tested weather forecasting's delicate interplay between human knowledge and intuition and computer model forecasting; the snow won a few. PMID- 17775006 TI - Supernova Neutrinos at IMB. PMID- 17775007 TI - Life Thrives Under Breaking Ocean Waves: Biological productivity in intertidal communities that are constantly battered by waves greatly exceeds what is achieved by even the most fruitful tropical rain forests. PMID- 17775008 TI - Impending United States energy crisis. AB - The U.S. oil and gas industry has been dramatically weakened by the recent oil price collapse. Domestic drilling activity reached a new post-World War II low during the summer of 1986. Given a weak, unstable oil price outlook, U.S. capability will continue to deteriorate. In the last year U.S. imports of foreign oil have risen significantly, and if market forces alone dominate, U.S. dependence is expected to rise from 32% in 1983 to the 50 to 70% level in the not too-distant future. The 1973 oil embargo and the subsequent attempts to improve U.S. energy security vividly demonstrated the huge costs and long periods of time required to change our energy system. These facts, coupled with the nation's generally short-term orientation, suggest a strong likelihood of a new U.S. energy crisis in the early to middle 1990s. PMID- 17775009 TI - Chemical reactions on clays. AB - Layer aluminosilicates catalyze reactions in numerous ways. They stabilize high energy intermediates. They can store energy in their lattice structures and can release it in the form of chemical energy. They can catalyze redox reactions and can serve as photocatalytic devices. They often exhibit high surface acidity. Organic reactions that are catalyzed by the agency of days are reviewed. The role of clays in prebiotic chemistry is also examined. PMID- 17775010 TI - Two gamma-ray sources and ancient guest stars. AB - On the basis of the fact that the youngest neutron stars such as the Crab pulsar and the Vela pulsar emit strong gamma-ray radiation, it is suggested that a few gamma-ray sources may be identified with young compact sources formed in the events of guest stars. Two such sources, 2CG 353+16 and 2CG 054+01, are identified with guest stars observed in the 14th century B.C. and A.D. 1230, respectively. PMID- 17775011 TI - Progress and tradition in medicine: the therapeutic perspective. PMID- 17775012 TI - Records of the maya: the murals of bonampak. PMID- 17775013 TI - Fluid mechanics: wave interactions and fluid flows. PMID- 17775014 TI - Productivity in plants: on the economy of plant form and function. PMID- 17775015 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17775016 TI - SCIENCE IN COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS. PMID- 17775017 TI - THE AIM OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17775018 TI - TAPIRS PAST AND PRESENT. PMID- 17775019 TI - ON THE OCCURRENCE OF TROCHOSPHAeRA SOLSTITIALIS IN THE ILLINOIS RIVER. PMID- 17775020 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17775022 TI - PSYCHOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17775021 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17775023 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17775024 TI - THE JURA IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17775025 TI - SOME NEURAL AND DESCRIPTIVE TERMS. PMID- 17775026 TI - SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES IN WASHINGTON: The Anthropoligical Society. PMID- 17775027 TI - THE UNITY OF NATURE: Duke of Argyll. PMID- 17775028 TI - CHEMICAL SOCIETIES. PMID- 17775029 TI - PROGRESS OF BOTANICAL SCIENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17775030 TI - THE DETECTION OF STARCH AND DEXTRIN. PMID- 17775031 TI - ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17775032 TI - MICROSCOPY. PMID- 17775033 TI - HYPNOTISM. PMID- 17775035 TI - CHEMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17775034 TI - Relief to the Jeannette. PMID- 17775036 TI - To the Editor of "Science :". PMID- 17775037 TI - Frederick Gardner Cottrell: 1877-1948. PMID- 17775038 TI - Student unrest. PMID- 17775039 TI - Phosphine. PMID- 17775040 TI - Hydrogen Embrittlement of Metals: Atomic hydrogen from a variety of sources reduces the ductility of many metals. AB - Hydrogen interacts with many metals to reduce their ductility (2) and frequently their strength also. It enters metals in the atomic form, diffusing very rapidly even at normal temperatures. During melting and fabrication, as well as during use, there are various ways in which metals come in contact with hydrogen and absorb it. The absorbed hydrogen may react irreversibly with oxides or carbides in some metals to produce a permanently degraded structure. It may also recombine at internal surfaces of defects of various types to form gaseous molecular hydrogen under pressures sufficiently high to form metal blisters when the recombination occurs near the outer surface. In other metals, brittle hydrides that lower the mechanical properties of the metal are formed. Another type of embrittlement is reversible, depending on the presence of hydrogen in the metal lattice during deformation for its occurrence. Under some conditions the failure may be delayed for long periods. A number of different mechanisms have been postulated to explain reversible embrittlement. According to some theories hydrogen interferes with the processes of plastic deformation in metals, while according to others it enhances the tendency for cracking. PMID- 17775042 TI - Shortage of mathematics teachers: seeking status for the non-ph.d. PMID- 17775044 TI - Louvain: the university incubates belgian political crisis. PMID- 17775043 TI - Sproull to head defense science board. PMID- 17775045 TI - Technology gap: French best seller urges europe to copy u.s. Methods. PMID- 17775046 TI - Ice caps on venus? AB - The data on Venus obtained by Mariner V and Venera 4 are interpreted as evidence of giant polar ice caps holding the water that must have come out of the volcanoes with the observed carbon dioxide, on the assumption that Earth and Venus are of similar composition and volcanic history. The measurements by Venera 4 of the equatorial surface temperature indicate that the microwave readings were high, so that the polar ice caps may be allowed to exist in the face of the 10 centimeter readings of polar temperature. Life seems to be distinctly possible at the edges of the ice sheets. PMID- 17775047 TI - Exsolution in clinoamphiboles. AB - Ten amphibole specimens from a variety of metamorphic rocks such as talc schists, eclogites, and metamorphosed iron formations contain lamellae of a second amphibole oriented parallel to ([unknown]101) or (100), or both, of the host. Tremolites, actinolites, and hornblendes commonly have lamellae of a calcium-poor clinoamphibole with P2(1)/m space-group symmetry, or lamellae of cummingtonite with C2/m space-group symmetry. Likewise cummingtonites and P2(1)/m clinoamphiboles commonly contain lamellae of calcium-rich C2/m amphiboles such as tremolite. Results of x-ray diffraction, electron-probe, and microscope studies indicate that most lamellae result from unmixing of a homogeneous amphibole. The P2(1)/m clinoamphibole is analogous to the clinopyroxene pigeonite in agreement with the results of M. G. Bown. PMID- 17775048 TI - Discrepancies between Viscosity Data for Simple Gases. AB - It has been known for some time that Kestin and his co-workers have reported dilute gas viscosity coefficients which differ from the usually accepted values. Recent work from the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory supplements Kestin's results. We show that there is no evidence for not accepting this different data. We feel that the whole subject of dilute gas viscosity measurements above room temperature should be reexamined both from the experimenter's and correlater's viewpoints. There is evidence that published tables may be incorrect by as much as 10 percent above 600 degrees K. PMID- 17775049 TI - Gordon research conferences: program for 1968. PMID- 17775050 TI - A New Development in Ocean Wave Research. PMID- 17775051 TI - Comparative Electron and Light Microscopic Investigations of Tactoid Structures in V2O5-sols. PMID- 17775052 TI - Alleviation of Experimental Diabetes in Man by Administration of Reduced Glutathione (GSH): Metabolic Implications. PMID- 17775053 TI - Production of Acute Gouty Arthritis by Adrenocorticotropin. PMID- 17775054 TI - A Simple Method for Welding Thermocouples. PMID- 17775055 TI - Secretion of Radioactive Calcium in the Hen's Egg. PMID- 17775056 TI - Statistical Data on Glacial Boulders. PMID- 17775057 TI - Characteristics of the Desoxycholatetreated Cytochrome Oxidase. PMID- 17775058 TI - Flow in a Thin Glass Capillary as Affected by Wetting the Exterior of the Capillary. PMID- 17775059 TI - The Analgesic Action of Teropterin. PMID- 17775060 TI - Paper Chromatography of Flavonoid Pigments. PMID- 17775061 TI - The Inhibitory Role of "Motor" Nerves. PMID- 17775062 TI - Scientific Method and Social Problems. PMID- 17775063 TI - Terminology for Sedimentation Force in Centrifugation. PMID- 17775064 TI - Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace. PMID- 17775065 TI - Colloidal Electrolytes as a Class Inclusive of Polyelectrolytes, Chain Electrolytes, Long Chain Salts, Dyes, and Detergents. PMID- 17775066 TI - Erratum. AB - May I point out a confusing error that occurs in the last line of Table 1 in our recent short paper (H. H. Plough and Madelon R. Grimm, "Reversal to Penicillin Sensitivity in a Cysteine-requiring Mutant of Salmonella," Science, February 18, 1949, pp. 173-4). This should read: "S. D. alone- - - - - - -," that is, seven minus signs instead of one minus and six plus signs. I had to correct in galley an error of the original manuscript under a similar heading five lines above, and I assume that somehow the last line got shifted too. PMID- 17775067 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17775069 TI - INAUGURAL ADDRESS. PMID- 17775068 TI - INSTALLATION ADDRESS. PMID- 17775070 TI - RACE MIXTURE AND PHYSICAL DISHARMONIES. PMID- 17775071 TI - THE PLANT QUARANTINES ONCE MORE. PMID- 17775072 TI - SYMBIOTIC MITES USED TO SEPARATE SPECIES OF A GENUS OF BEES. PMID- 17775074 TI - PROFESSOR EINSTEIN'S ADDRESS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM. PMID- 17775073 TI - HAIR GROWTH AND PREGNANCY. PMID- 17775075 TI - THE IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17775076 TI - AN APPARATUS FOR THE PREPARATION OF SMALL ORGANISMS. PMID- 17775077 TI - THE EXPERIMENTAL TRANSMISSION OF YELLOW FEVER BY MOSQUITOES. PMID- 17775078 TI - ON THE CHEMICAL ECOLOGY OF LAKE TANGANIKA. PMID- 17775079 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17775080 TI - Future of the u.s. Space program. PMID- 17775081 TI - Response. PMID- 17775082 TI - Erratum. AB - Figure 1 in the report "Ice nucleation by, alcohols arranged in monolayers at the surface of water drops" by M. Gavish et al. (16 Nov., p. 973) should have been credited to B. Kamb [in Structural Chemistry and Molecular Biology, A. Rich, Ed. (Freeman, New York, 1968), pp. 507-542, figure 3a]. PMID- 17775083 TI - "Citizen friendly" science. PMID- 17775085 TI - High noon in utah. PMID- 17775084 TI - Is vincent sarich part of a national trend? PMID- 17775087 TI - "Nuclear winter" from gulf war discounted. PMID- 17775086 TI - U.s. Backing for fusion project seen. PMID- 17775088 TI - Superconductivity stars react to the market. PMID- 17775089 TI - Hard times for san diego museum. PMID- 17775090 TI - Science initiatives in the 1992 budget. PMID- 17775091 TI - Sandage wins crafoord prize. PMID- 17775092 TI - NASA's House Is Falling Down. PMID- 17775093 TI - Deja Vu in NASA Reorganization. PMID- 17775094 TI - New tc record fails to materialize. PMID- 17775095 TI - Funding unsexy science. PMID- 17775096 TI - Brown picks old faces for a new team. PMID- 17775097 TI - Was adam very, very short? PMID- 17775098 TI - The cosmic eye of rosat. PMID- 17775099 TI - Looking for the hard background. PMID- 17775100 TI - A low-iron recipe for deep-mantle rock. PMID- 17775101 TI - Stiffening up the lower mantle. PMID- 17775102 TI - Recent trends in fertility and nuptiality in china. AB - The State Family Planning Commission of China has conducted two large-scale fertility surveys, in 1982 and 1988, covering sample households containing 1 million and 2 million persons, respectively. These surveys obtained lifetime histories, including age at first marriage and at each birth for female members of the households from ages 15 to 67 in the first survey and from 15 to 57 in the second. The data provide detailed information on the extraordinary decline in the rate of childbearing in China (by 60% from 1970 to 1980). Because rising age at marriage played a significant role in this decline, the effect of changes in the pattern of entry into marriage on childbearing since 1980 was examined. There was a sharp increase in overall fertility (the total fertility rate) from 1980 to 1982; after falling to slightly below the 1980 level in 1985, the rate rose in 1985 and 1986 to well above that of 1980. A major factor in this arrested and partially reversed decline was a boom in marriage that followed a relaxation in 1980 of locally administered restrictions on marriage before the officially designated desirable age. In fact, the total fertility rate of married women (summed over duration of marriage rather than age) averaged much lower in the mid 1980s than in 1980. The summary rate of bearing second children increased markedly in the 1980s when calculated by age of women, but declined when calculated by duration of marriage, given the inflated number of recently married women. PMID- 17775103 TI - Thermodynamics of surface morphology. AB - Classical thermodynamic descriptions of surfaces treat surface orientation as a thermodynamic degree of freedom and thus allow for the possibility of reversible changes in surface morphology as a function of temperature or impurity concentration. The existence of these transitions has been confirmed experimentally. Advances in surface diffraction and imaging techniques now make it possible to characterize such transitions quantitatively in terms of the atomic structure, and particularly in terms of the behavior of steps on surfaces. Statistical mechanical models can be used to analyze the observations to determine the fundamental energetic parameters governing the observed thermodynamic behavior. PMID- 17775104 TI - The spectrum of comet austin from 910 to 1180 a. AB - A spectrum of comet Austin (1988 c(1)) has been obtained from 910 to 1180 A. Three bright emission lines were detected, including a forbidden oxygen line (1128 A), which are attributable to radiative pumping of neutral oxygen by solar Lyman beta. The relative strengths of the observed features should prove to be a useful diagnostic of the physical conditions and radiation fields in cometary comae. In addition, the absence of strong spectral features from highly volatile species such as He, Ar, or N(2) can be used to place constraints on the thermal environment under which the comet was formed and has been processed. PMID- 17775105 TI - Phase Transition and Thermal Expansion of MgSiO3 Perovskite. AB - Results from in situ x-ray diffraction experiments with a DIA-type cubic anvil apparatus (SAM 85) reveal that MgSiO(3) perovskite transforms from the orthorhombic Pbnm symmetry to another perovskite-type structure above 600 kelvin (K) at pressures of 7.3 gigapascals; the apparent volume increase across the transition is 0.7%. Unit-cell volume increased linearly with temperature, both below (1.44 x 10(-5) K(-1)) and above (1.55 x 10(-5) K(-1)) the transition. These results indicate that the physical properties measured on the Pbnm phase should be used with great caution because they may not be applicable to the earth's lower mantle. A density analysis based on the new data yields an iron content of 10.4 weight percent for a pyrolite composition under conditions corresponding to the lower mantle. All current equation-of-state data are compatible with constant chemical composition in the upper and lower mantle; thus, these data imply that a chemically layered mantle is unnecessary, and whole-mantle convection is possible. PMID- 17775106 TI - Field-based evidence for devolatilization in subduction zones: implications for arc magmatism. AB - Metamorphic rocks on Santa Catalina Island, California, afford examination of fluid-related processes at depths of 15 to 45 kilometers in an Early Cretaceous subduction zone. A combination of field, stable isotope, and volatile content data for the Catalina Schist indicates kilometer-scale transport of large amounts of water-rich fluid with uniform oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions. The fluids were liberated in devolatilizing, relatively low-temperature (400 degrees to 600 degrees C) parts of the subduction zone, primarily by chlorite-breakdown reactions. An evaluation of pertinent phase equilibria indicates that chlorite in mafic and sedimentary rocks and melange may stabilize a large volatile component to great depths (perhaps >100 kilometers), depending on the thermal structure of the subduction zone. This evidence for deep volatile subduction and large-scale flow of slab-derived, water-rich fluids lends credence to models that invoke fluid addition to sites of arc magma genesis. PMID- 17775108 TI - The minister who loved science--a success story. PMID- 17775107 TI - Hydrodynamic facilitation of gregarious settlement of a reef-building tube worm. AB - Experiments testing the effects of hydrodynamic processes and chemical cues on substrate selection were conducted with larvae of the marine tube worm Phragmatopoma lapidosa californica. In flume experiments, larvae were presented an array of sand treatments, including two substrates previously shown to induce metamorphosis in this species, under fast and slow flow regimes. Larvae preferentially metamorphosed on the inductive substrates in both flows. Delivery to the array was higher in fast flow because larvae tumbled along the bottom, whereas in slow flow, larvae were observed swimming in the water column. Thus, in addition to chemical cues, behavioral responses to flow conditions may play an important role in larval recruitment to the benthos. PMID- 17775109 TI - From Hymns to Hypotheses: AAAS Black Church Project Brings Science to Youth. PMID- 17775111 TI - "Garbage Man" Wins AAAS Public Understanding Award. PMID- 17775110 TI - Numa to speak at AAAS Meeting. PMID- 17775113 TI - Achievements in retrospect. PMID- 17775114 TI - Cosmologists queried. PMID- 17775115 TI - West orange works. PMID- 17775116 TI - Dividing cells. PMID- 17775118 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17775117 TI - Biophysics of radiation. PMID- 17775119 TI - Water importation. PMID- 17775120 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17775121 TI - Radiation therapy. PMID- 17775122 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17775123 TI - Mercury compounds. PMID- 17775124 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17775125 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17775126 TI - Changes in latin america. PMID- 17775127 TI - BOMEX: An Appraisal of Results. PMID- 17775128 TI - Politics of academic natural scientists and engineers. PMID- 17775129 TI - Technology in ulster: rubber bullets hit home, brainwashing backfires. PMID- 17775130 TI - Katchalsky killed in tel aviv. PMID- 17775131 TI - Soviet-u.s. Summit: science accords open the way to joint projects. PMID- 17775132 TI - Smart bombs: air warfare undergoes a reluctant revolution. PMID- 17775133 TI - Computer-assisted instruction: two major demonstrations. PMID- 17775134 TI - Chilean glacial chronology 20,000 to 11,000 carbon-14 years ago: some global comparisons. AB - Chilean glaciers at a latitude of 41 degrees S reached a maximum extent about 19,400 carbon-14 years before the present (B. P.), shrank 50 percent by 16,000 years B. P., and readvanced to a smaller maximum after 14,800 years B. P. These fluctuations were closely in step with those of the Laurentide ice sheet east of the Mississippi River but differ somewhat from the accepted sequence in New Zealand. A corresponding pattern is not apparent in the Antarctic paleotemperature curve deduced from changes in oxygen isotope ratios. PMID- 17775135 TI - Oil pollution: persistence and degradation of spilled fuel oil. AB - In September 1969, approximately 600 metric tons of number 2 fueloil were spilled in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Two years later, fuel oil hydrocarbons still persisted in the marsh and in offshore sediments. Hydrocarbon degradation is slow, especially below the immediate sediment surface and appears to proceed principally through microbial utilization of alkanes and through partial dissolution of the lower-boiling aromatic hydrocarbons. The boiling range of the spilled oil and the relative abundances of homologous hydrocarbons (for example, phytane and pristane) have been well preserved. The findings are in agreement with the known geochemical stability of hydrocarbons. Fuel oil is an appreciable fraction of whole crude oil. This fact suggests that oil products and crude oils have a considerable environmental persistence. PMID- 17775136 TI - Ascent of sap in trees. AB - Experimental results concerning the ascent of sap in the xylem are usually interpreted in terms of gradients of hydrostatic pressure in the xylem conduits. In this report an alternative model is proposed that is equally consistent with the experimental results: under static conditions the water column is supported by a gradient in the chemical activity of the water, and the hydrostatic pressure is constant throughout. Observations that support the new model are cited, and experiments are suggested that would permit a choice between the two models. PMID- 17775137 TI - yote Alkaloids: Identification in the Mexican ictus Pelecyphora aselliformis Ehrenberg. AB - Hordenine, anhalidine, pellotine, 3-demethyltrichocereine, mescaline, dimethoxy beta-phenethylamine, and the N-monomethyl derivatives of mescaline d 3,4 dimethoxy-beta-phenethylamine have been isolated or identified, or both, in caloid extracts of a Mexican "peyote" cactus, Pelecyphora aselliformis tenberg. This is the first report of the occurrence of some of these alkaloids, including mescaline, in a North American cactus other than Lophophora. PMID- 17775138 TI - Computer experiments. PMID- 17775139 TI - Disease transmission by arthropods. PMID- 17775140 TI - Spontaneously hypertensive rat. PMID- 17775141 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17775142 TI - Copyright bill: taxonomic works. PMID- 17775144 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17775143 TI - Crop destruction in Vietnam. PMID- 17775146 TI - Evolution of hairlessness in man. PMID- 17775145 TI - NSF: Initiative in National Policy. PMID- 17775147 TI - Waste management and control. PMID- 17775148 TI - Dispersed and not-so-rare earths. PMID- 17775149 TI - Spread of agriculture in the north European periphery. PMID- 17775150 TI - Information theory after 18 years. PMID- 17775151 TI - 200-bev: the academy committee knew where it was going. PMID- 17775153 TI - FDA's Edict: Patients, Not Profits, Come First. PMID- 17775152 TI - Pollution: NAS Report Examines Dual Aspect of the Problem. PMID- 17775154 TI - Cabinet Reshuffle Changes Italy's Science Minister. PMID- 17775155 TI - Pleistocene glaciation on st. George, pribilof islands. AB - A small ice cap (covering about 12 square kilometers) and at least two-probably four-cirque glaciers (each covering less than 1 square kilometer) occurred on St. George Island, Pribilof Islands, probably during the Illinoian; Glaciation. Snowbanks persisted during a later cold cycle, probably during the Wisconsin Glaciation, with no glaciers existing. We found no evidence of glaciation on other Pribilof islands. PMID- 17775157 TI - Crystal Structure of Umangite, Cu3Se2. PMID- 17775156 TI - Infrared spectra from fine particulate surfaces. AB - Characteristic spectral information can be obtained from a surface composed of fine particles either if the spectrum is observed at sufficiently high signal-to noise ratio or if the particles are well compacted. PMID- 17775158 TI - Tracers determine movement of soil moisture and evapotranspiration. AB - The downward movement of water in soil is a layered one. Marking a certain layer with hydrogen-isotope tracer, and watching its displacement, makes possible a water balance and gives information on evaporation and groundwater recharge. PMID- 17775159 TI - Pottery dating from thermoluminescence. AB - For pottery sherds from an arid region, the ratio of natural thermoluminescence to thermoluminescence induced by a standard dose of radiation corresponds closely to the independently assessed archeologic age. Difficulties in age determination, because of variations among sherds, are reduced by averaging results for samples from the same time period. PMID- 17775160 TI - Intermuscular Bones in Pholidophorus bechei from the Lower Lias of England. AB - Intermuscular bones, considered the one neomorph which decisively separates the pholidophoroids from the teleosts, have been found in a specimen of Pholidophorus bechei Agassiz, from the Lower Lias of England. It is suggested that intermuscular bones were prevalent among the pholidophoroids. PMID- 17775161 TI - Chimeric mice with donor-type liver cells. AB - C(3)H mice, made chimeric by lethal x-irradiation followed by injection of (C(3)H x T(6))F(1) spleen cells, were later stimulated by CCl(4) to produce a vigorous burst of hepatic parenchymal cell mitoses. Cytogenetic studies of the regenerating livers of 11 chimeras identified 89 percent of the cells as donor type by the presence of the distinctive T(6) marker. PMID- 17775163 TI - Density-current plumes. AB - Diurnal solar heating produces an unstable warm zone just off the bottom of the inshore regions of a salt lake. The warm water rises in plumes in which brine shrimp become entrapped through apparently negative photokinetic behavior. The plumes of concentrated shrimp resemble those composed of insects in air. PMID- 17775164 TI - Progesterone retards postpartum involution of the rabbit myometrium. AB - Postpartum involution of the uterus was significantly reduced in rabbits by immediate and repeated injections of progesterone. Progesterone had no effect if the injections commenced 24 hours after delivery. The decrease in concentration of progesterone that accompanies birth results in release of proteolytic and other degradative enzymes from subcellular particles; these enzymes cause the involution, and, once the enzymes are released into the cellular milieu, progesterone has no effect. PMID- 17775162 TI - Glucose-6-phosphatase in tubular endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes. AB - The histochemical localization of glucose-6-phosphatase activity in neonatal mouse liver was studied under electron microscopy. The activity was demonstrated in the tubular endoplasmic reticulum, which pervades the glycogen areas of the cell during glycogenolysis. Activity was also demonstrated in the nuclear envelope and ergastoplasm. PMID- 17775165 TI - Ornithine-Urea Cycle Enzymes in the African Lungfish, Protopterus aethiopicus. AB - The presence of all five enzymes of the ornithine-urea cycle has been demonstrated in the liver of the African lungfish Protopterus aethiopicus. Levels of activity of the rate-limiting enzymes, carbamoyl phosphate synthetase and argininosuccinate synthetase, are similar to those in the premetamorphic tadpole of Rana catesbeiana and considerably lower than the levels reported for other ureotelic animals. They are thus consistent with the predominantly ammonotelic metabolism of the lungfish in an aquatic environment. PMID- 17775166 TI - Sedimentation of an initially skewed boundary. AB - An asymmetric initial boundary is often formed when a synthetic boundary cell is used in the analytical ultracentrifuge. Model calculations show that, when such a boundary diffuses, the peak of the corresponding gradient pattern moves. The movement of the peak resulting from diffusion, when superimposed on the sedimentation of the boundary, may produce errors in the measurement of the sedimentation coefficient. PMID- 17775167 TI - Drosophila melanogaster: Inheritance of a Deficiency of Alkaline Phosphatase in Larvae. AB - A deficiency of the normally prominent alkaline phosphatase zone (by starch-gel electrophoresis) has been discovered in a newly investigated laboratory strain of Drosophila melonogaster. Mating experiments indicate that genetic control is by an allele of a previously described electrophoretic variation. Heterozygotes resulting from crosses of the deficient type and the fast electrophoretic variant show only the fast phenotype. In deficient x slow heterozygotes, however, there is a new band that does not correspond in electrophoretic mobility with any of the bands of other heterozygous or homozygous types. It is suggested that the allele responsible for the deficiency leads to the manufacture of an inactive subunit that is able to hybridize with the subunits of the slow electrophoretic form. PMID- 17775168 TI - Dehydration and rehydration in a prebiological system. AB - A proteinoid microsphere suspension system was subjected to cyclic dehydration and rehydration. Particles having somewhat coacervate properties were observed, suggesting a relation between the coacervate and proteinoid origin of cells. PMID- 17775169 TI - Evolution of the structure of ferredoxin based on living relics of primitive amino Acid sequences. AB - The structure of present-day ferredoxin, with its simple, inorganic active site and its functions basic to photon-energy utilization, suggests the incorporation of its prototype into metabolism very early during biochemical evolution, even before complex proteins and the complete modern genetic code existed. The information in the amino acid sequence of ferredoxin enables us to propose a detailed reconstruction of its evolutionary history. Ferredoxin has evolved by doubling a shorter protein, which may have contained only eight of the simplest amino acids. This shorter ancestor in turn developed from a repeating sequence of the amino acids alanine, aspartic acid or proline, serine, and glycine. We explain the persistence of living relics of this primordial structure by invoking a conservative principle in evolutionary biochemistry: The processes of natural selection severely inhibit any change a well-adapted system on which several other essential components depend. PMID- 17775170 TI - Erythropoietin: hypothesis of action tested by analog computer. AB - The action of erythropoietin on the pool of undifferentiated bone marrow cells has been examined with the aid of a model tested with an analog computer. The model is consistent with reported experimental results. The essential aspects of the action are (i) the effect is exerted during the S phase of the cell's cycle; (ii) " effective " erythropoietin is present in the cell only during G(1) and part of S; and, (iii) hormone molecules survive in the cell for only a limited time in effective form and require a certain time to assume this form. PMID- 17775171 TI - Phloem differentiation: induced stimulation by gibberellic Acid. AB - Gibberellic acid solutions supplied through micropipettes to explants from dormant branches of white pine (Pinus strobus L.) stimulate changes in the cambial zone. Immature sieve cells expand radially and exhibit cytological changes usually associated with spring maturation. Diflerentiation of sieve cells continues in response to treatment and is recognized by the birefringence of secondary walls when examined with the polarizing microscope. PMID- 17775172 TI - Replication of the RNA of Bacteriophage f2. AB - Events occurring after infection of bacteria with wild-type and a temperature sensitive mutant phage indicate that there are two enzymatic activities necessary to replicate phage RNA. One converts single strands into double strands, while the other uses double strands to svnthesize viral RNA. The mutant is deficient in the first activity, probably because the mutation is in the gene specifying the requisite enzyme. On the basis of these and other results, a model is presented for the replication of phage RNA. PMID- 17775173 TI - Zonal ultracentrifuge for the separation of ribosomal subunits. AB - Ribosomal subunits were prepared by means of the Anderson zonal ultracentrifuge. With this technique it is possible to separate more than 300 milligrams of subunits with complete resolution in a single run, as compared with about 2 milligrams with conventional rotors. Superior resolution is achieved in the zonal ultracentrifuge, affording possibilities for the detection and preparation of minor ribosomal components. PMID- 17775174 TI - Adrenocorticotrophin-Releasing Hormone in Peripheral Blood: Increase during Stress. AB - Significant amounts of adrenocorticotrophin-releasing hormone appear in the peripheral blood under conditions of physiological stress. Associated with the appearance of this neurohormone is an increased antidiuretic activity. The neurohormone presumably enters the general circulation by way of the portal vessels of the anterior pituitary gland. PMID- 17775175 TI - Sympathetic outflows from cervical spinal cord in the dog. AB - In some dogs there are preganglionic fibers leaving the cervical spinal cord through the ventral roots of the lower cervical nerves. When these fibers are stimulated electrically in the anesthetized dog with skeletal muscle paralysis (induced by decamethonium), the effects are vasoconstriction in the front footpad, cardiac acceleration and augmentation, and a rise in arterial blood pressure. PMID- 17775176 TI - Optomotor response in human infants to apparent motion: evidence of innateness. AB - Human infants were placed inside a stationary cylinder containing a columnar pattern like that used to elicit the optokinetic reflex. By sequential illumnination of the columns, the pattern was made to appear to rotate. Optokinetic nystagmus was clearly evoked in 64.7 percent of the subjects, with a weak-positive response in an additional 11.8 percent. PMID- 17775178 TI - Lake lundy time. PMID- 17775177 TI - Blood pressure responses of wild giraffes studied by radio telemetry. AB - Blood pressure was telemetered from transducers chronically implanted in the carotid arteries of two adult, wild, male giraffes captured and released near Kiboko, Kenya. Cerebral perfusion pressure ranged from 280/180 mm-Hg while the animal was lying with its head on the ground to 125/75 mm-Hg when it was standing erect; it varied between these levels during spontaneous activity such as walking, grazing, and running. PMID- 17775179 TI - Communication between Dolphins in Separate Tanks. PMID- 17775181 TI - Clinical pharmacology: present status and future development. PMID- 17775180 TI - Convection plumes and insects. PMID- 17775182 TI - Aging. PMID- 17775183 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17775184 TI - Solvay conference. PMID- 17775186 TI - ENCKE'S COMET. PMID- 17775185 TI - THE WARNER-ASTRONOMICAL PRIZES. PMID- 17775187 TI - HYPERMNESIA OR EXALTATIONS OF MEMORY. PMID- 17775189 TI - MIXED SUGARS. PMID- 17775188 TI - THE EXCAVATION OF THE GRAND CANON OF THE COLORADO RIVER. PMID- 17775191 TI - HISTORY OF ALHAZEN'S PROBLEM. PMID- 17775190 TI - COAL DUST AS AN ELEMENT OF DANGER IN MINING; SHOWN BY THE LATE EXPLOSION IN THE ALBION MINES IN NOVA SCOTIA. PMID- 17775192 TI - ROTATION OF REDUCING POWER, AS MEASURED BY FEHLING'S SOLUTION TO THE ROTATORY POWER OF COMMERCIAL AMYLOSE (GLUCOSE AND GRAPE SUGAR): Second Paper. PMID- 17775194 TI - ON THE INTERIOR CONDITION OF THE TERRESTRIAL GLOBE. PMID- 17775193 TI - To the Editor of "Sciece.". PMID- 17775195 TI - MEDICAL CONGRESS NOTES. PMID- 17775197 TI - TESTS FOR COLOR-BLINDNESS. PMID- 17775196 TI - To the Editor of "Sciece.". PMID- 17775198 TI - Complementarity. PMID- 17775199 TI - Pet cats and pollutants. PMID- 17775200 TI - An Unexpected Nuclear Spin-off. PMID- 17775201 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17775202 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17775203 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17775204 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17775205 TI - Reciprocity. PMID- 17775206 TI - Artichokes. PMID- 17775207 TI - Open admissions: the real issue. PMID- 17775209 TI - Administration talent search: alternatives to the buddy system. PMID- 17775208 TI - The scientific advisory system: some observations. AB - The scientific advisory system is effective on limited technical questions, and such questions provide much of its work. On broad technical questions, however, the scientific advisory system is not effective. Unfortunately this category includes most of the crucial environmental questions. Finally, the advisory system, as presently constituted, combined with the multiple functions of the scientific establishment, is detrimental in important ways to the process of technical decision-making in this country. This is because the combined effect of the advisory system and the establishment is to impede the development of a more effective and comprehensice role for the scientific community in the technical decision-making process. PMID- 17775210 TI - ACS: Disgruntled Chemists Seek New Activism from an Old Society. PMID- 17775211 TI - Race for Human Cancer Virus: Odds against Houston Team Lengthen. PMID- 17775212 TI - Partons: new fundamental particles in the nucleons? PMID- 17775213 TI - Interstitial Silica and pH in Marine Sediments: Some Effects of Sampling Procedures. AB - The temperature at which the interstitial water was squeezed from a marine sediment had a profound effect on the measured interstitial silica concentrations which showed an average increase of 51 percent after the sediment was exposed to a temperature 20 degrees C higher than the in situ temperature. Similar effects were not found for interstitial phosphate or alkalinity, but the pH was slightly higher in the water squeezed at the higher temperature. These tempreature-induced changes were completed in a few hours. The use of filter paper can significantly lower the pH of expressed pore waters. Until some important questions about temperature effects are answered, all future data on the pH and silica concentration of pore waters of marine sediments should be obtained from samples extracted at in situ temperatures. PMID- 17775214 TI - Infrared rainbow. AB - Radition in the near-infrared spectral region should produce a rainbow that is not visible to the human eye. An infrared photograph is shown which displays the primary bow, the secondary bow, and two supernumerary bows in side the primary bow. PMID- 17775215 TI - Explosion effects and earthquakes in the amchitka island region. AB - Microearthquakes were monitored by a network of seismographs located on Amchitka and nearby islands; the nature of earthquake activity in this region was found to be consistent with the hypothesis of underthrusting of the Aleutian arc by a rigid lithospheric plate. Seismic effects of the nuclear explosion Milrow were small, of short duration, confined to the region immediate to the explosion, and were apparently independent of this geotectonic mechanism. PMID- 17775216 TI - Ages of crystalline rocks from fra mauro. AB - Crystallization ages for six rocks from Fra Mauro have been measured by the argon 40-argon-39 method. All six rocks give an age of 3.77 +/- 0.15 x 10(9) years, which is the same as for fragmental rocks from this site. It is concluded that the Imbrium event and the crystallization of a significant portion of the pre Imbrian basalts were essentially contemporaneous. PMID- 17775217 TI - Xenon as a nucleophile in gas-phase displacement reactions: formation of the methyl xenonium ion. AB - Xenon undergoes reaction with protonated methyl fluoride in the gas phase to form abundant quantities of the stable methyl xenonium ion, CH(3)Xe(+). Estimated values for the xenon-carbon and krypton-carbon bond strengths in the rare gas methyl molecular ions are 43 +/- 8 and 21 +/- 15 kilocalories per mole, respectively. PMID- 17775219 TI - Metachronal Limb Movements by Artemia salina: Synchrony of Male and Female during Coupling. AB - Studies of the metachronal rhythms of Artemia salina reveal that limb movements of the male and female are synchronous during precopulatory coupling. Synchrony is an adaptation which maintains efficiency in locomotion, respiration, and feeding. The male acts as the pacemaker for the pair and drives the female at a higher rate than she exhibits when alone. PMID- 17775218 TI - Antiprismatic Coordination about Xenon: The Structure of Nitrosonium Octafluoroxenate(VI). AB - The structure of nitrosonium octafluoroxenate(VI), 2NOF . XeF(6), has been determined by means of single-crystal x-ray counter methods (R-index = 0.046, weighted R-index = 0.042). The space group is Pnma, with a = 8.914(10) angstroms, b = 5.945(10) angstroms, and c = 12.83(2) angstroms (the numbers in parentheses are the standard deviations to the least significant digit or digits); the calculated density (rho) is 3.354 grams per cubic centimeter, and there are four formula units per unit cell. The material consists of well-separated NO(+) and (XeF(8))(2-) ions; the structural formula is thus (NO)(2) (XeF(8)). The anion configuration is that of a slightly distorted Archimedean antiprism. The observed distortion appears incompatible with a lone-pair repulsion model. Xenon-fluorine bond lengths of 1.971(7), 1.946(5), 1.958(7), 2.052(5), and 2.099(5) angstroms were found. PMID- 17775220 TI - Polywater. PMID- 17775221 TI - 30 december can we develop an index for quality of life? PMID- 17775222 TI - 29 december man-machine interactions and their implications for society. PMID- 17775223 TI - 28 december engineering--for the survival of man. PMID- 17775225 TI - SCIENCE IN AMERICA. PMID- 17775224 TI - Brain, genetics, and behavior. PMID- 17775226 TI - ZOOLOGY AS A FACTOR IN MENTAL CULTURE. PMID- 17775227 TI - INSTINCT AND EDUCATION IN BIRDS. PMID- 17775228 TI - A NORTHERN MICHIGAN BASELEVEL. PMID- 17775229 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17775231 TI - THE HULL BIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES. PMID- 17775230 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17775232 TI - SCIENCE AT OXFORD. PMID- 17775233 TI - GIFTS TO THE LICK OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17775234 TI - THE 'KANSAN' GLACIAL BORDER. PMID- 17775235 TI - ON LIFTING MONOLITHS. PMID- 17775236 TI - A LARGE LOBSTER. PMID- 17775237 TI - THE STATIC ATOM. PMID- 17775239 TI - THE COLORS OF LETTERS. PMID- 17775238 TI - ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCH. PMID- 17775240 TI - A SIMPLE DEMONSTRATION FOR EULER'S DYNAMICAL EQUATIONS. PMID- 17775242 TI - UREDINIA OF CRONARTIUM RIBICOLA ON RIBES STEMS. PMID- 17775241 TI - A UNIQUE HORNET'S NEST. PMID- 17775243 TI - SYNCHRONISM IN THE FLASHING OF FIREFLIES. PMID- 17775244 TI - FIELD CONFERENCE OF CEREAL PATHOLOGISTS. PMID- 17775246 TI - University Research: DOD's Role. PMID- 17775245 TI - THE POSSIBLE ORIGIN OF THE TOXICITY OF ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT. PMID- 17775248 TI - EMP and a Limited Nuclear War. PMID- 17775247 TI - Residual oil conversion process. PMID- 17775249 TI - OSHA standards. PMID- 17775250 TI - Circular a-21: an alternative reporting method. PMID- 17775251 TI - Erratum. AB - In the news story "A firing over formaldehyde" (News and Comment, 7 August 1981, p. 630), the subheadline attributed to Peter F. Infante (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) the position that formaldehyde is a human carcinogen whereas, in fact, his belief is that it is an animal carcinogen. The story also incorrectly reported that mobile home residents are exposed to levels of formaldehyde as high as 10 parts per million (column one, line 28, p. 631). According to a National Academy of Sciences report, the correct level is 4.2 parts per million. PMID- 17775252 TI - Technology and the u.s. Economy. PMID- 17775253 TI - Size and age of the universe. AB - The age of the universe based on abundances of isotopes is in the range 10 billion to 15 billion years. This is consistent with the age range 12 billion to 20 billion years calculated from the evolution of the oldest galactic stars. A third estimate of the age of the universe is based on the Hubble relation between the velocities of galaxies and their distances from us, where the inverse of the Hubble parameter H is a measure of the age of a uniformly expanding universe. Evidence that has been accumulating over the past few years indicates that the expansion of the universe may exhibit a rather large local perturbation due to the gravitational attraction of the Virgo supercluster. Different types of observations still produce conflicting evidence about the velocity with which the Local Group of galaxies (of which our Milky Way system is a member) is falling into the Virgo cluster. The results to date indicate that this velocity lies somewhere in the range 0 to 500 kilometers per second. The resulting ambiguity in the flow pattern for relatively nearby galaxies makes values of H derived from galaxies with radial velocities less than 2000 kilometers per second particularly uncertain, and this restricts determinations of H to distant galaxies, for which distances are particularly uncertain. The best that can be said at present is that H(-1) yields a maximum time scale in the range 10 billion to 20 billion years. PMID- 17775254 TI - Is reaganomics good for technology? PMID- 17775255 TI - FAA Plans to Automate Air Traffic Control. PMID- 17775257 TI - Medfly redivivus. PMID- 17775256 TI - Limping accelerator may fall to budget ax. PMID- 17775258 TI - Reagan endorses two more synfuel loans. PMID- 17775259 TI - Antibiotics misused, 150 scientists say. PMID- 17775260 TI - OSHA reverses itself on infante case. PMID- 17775261 TI - Caribbean med schools: paradise may soon be lost. PMID- 17775262 TI - Battle renewed over coyote poison. PMID- 17775263 TI - Explorer's Ocean Drilling Role Expanded. PMID- 17775264 TI - Experiments Begin at Daresbury's SRS. PMID- 17775266 TI - Domesday Book of the World's Volcanoes. PMID- 17775265 TI - DESY Opens New Synchrotron Light Lab. PMID- 17775267 TI - The dynamics of social learning. PMID- 17775268 TI - Primate history. PMID- 17775269 TI - Fisheries: collapses assessed. PMID- 17775270 TI - The inner solar system. PMID- 17775271 TI - Auditory mechanisms. PMID- 17775272 TI - Excepftonally strong near-bottom flows on the continental rise of nova scotia. AB - Recent current velocity measurements across the lower continental rise of Nova Scotia show a deep equatorwardflow with speeds (maximum, 73 centimeters per second) among the highest recorded for the deep sea. Silicate measurements indicate that this flow usually consists of southern-source (Antarctic) bottom water. These measurements confirm the existence of a second and deeper western boundary flow that was earlier inferredfrom geological observations. PMID- 17775273 TI - Phytochemical deterrence of snowshoe hare browsing by adventitious shoots of four alaskan trees. AB - After snowshoe hares have severely browsed deciduous trees and shrubs, these woody plants produce adventitious shoots that are extremely unpalatable to them. The adventitious shoots of four common boreal forest trees contain significantly higher concentrations of terpene and phenolic resins than the mature-growth-form twigs of the same species. These resins are experimentally shown to be repellent to snowshoe hares and appear to explain the avoidance of adventitious shoots by hares. The production of adventitious shoots after intense hare browsing and the avoidance of these shoots by hares may play an important role in the 10-year hare cycle. PMID- 17775274 TI - Origin of corn: pollen evidence. AB - The origin of Indian corn remains controversial. Its closest wild relative is teosinte, with which it hybridizes freely to produce fertile progeny. Teosinte ears are smaller and simpler than those of corn. Searches for a more likely living ancestor have failed, but nine of its assumed pollen grains have been recovered in deep drillcore samples obtained from a stratum of soil under Mexico City, which is believed to antedate man in the Western Hemisphere. These nine largest grains are indistinguishable from pollen of modern corn. It has been assumed to be that of a postulated wild corn other than that of teosinte, but this does not account for the possibility that the pollen grains are those of a tetraploid teosinte-producing pollen with two sets of chromosomes. This likelihood has been examined by treating modern teosinte plants with colchicine, which induces tetraploidy. The result has been many teosinte pollen grains indistinguishable in size from modern corn. In interpreting thrs outcome it is important also to know that heat treatment of corn and other plants induces polyploidy, and that the deep drill-core pollen was recovered in a stratum of volcanic clay indicating the high temperature known to favor doubling of corn pollen volumes. PMID- 17775275 TI - Stromatoporoid growth rhythms and rates. AB - Stromatoporoids are major contributors to framework construction in Paleozoic reefs. The Devonian species Parallellostroma densilaminata (Fagerstrom), P. winchelli (Galloway and Ehlers), and Stictostroma sp. form large rhythmically structured colonies that competitively overgrow corals. Their competitive interactions and important role as reef builders place considerable value on growth rate information. Identification of common growth periods in these interacting species provides a methodfor quantifying vertical and lateral stromatoporoid growth and a means for identifying an annual periodicity of calcification. PMID- 17775276 TI - Pesticides: insecticides and fungicides are chitin synthesis inhibitors. AB - Several important groups of fungicides and insecticides are specific inhibitors of chitin synthesis in a Phycomyces enzyme system and in insect organ cultures. The recently discovered benzoylphenylurea insecticides, which prevent chitin synthesis in insect tissues, are apparently not direct-acting chitin synthetase inhibitors. These insecticides may prevent insect chitin synthesis by interfering with the proteolytic activation of the chitin synthetase zymogen. PMID- 17775277 TI - Disease resistance: incorporation into sexually incompatible somatic hybrids of the genus Nicotiana. AB - Somatic hybrid plants of Nicotiana nesophila and N. stocktonii with N. tabacum (cultivated tobacco) were produced by protoplast fusion. These combinations cannot be achieved with conventional sexual hybridization, yet are important in that the wild Nicotiana species are resistant to numerous diseases. Hybridity was verified by chromosome number, isoenzyme analysis, morphological characteristics, and genetic behavior. Local lesion-type resistance to tobacco mosaic virus has been observed in leaves of these somatic hybrid plants. PMID- 17775278 TI - A test for responsiveness to song structure and programming in female sparrows. AB - Female song sparrows, primed with implants of estradiol, gave the solicitation display for copulation in response to acoustic stimulation with song. This technique demonstrated that female song sparrows respond more strongly to conspecific song than to alien songs, that they discriminate on the basis of both overall temporal pattern and syllabic structure, that they respond more to several song types than to repetitions of one song, and that they are most responsive to several song types if the songs are organized in bouts of a single type, as they are normally delivered by a male song sparrow. These results demonstrate a substantial correspondence between the structure and programming of the singing behavior of male birds and female responsiveness to song. PMID- 17775279 TI - Identifying experimental units and calculatng expnrimental error. PMID- 17775281 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17775280 TI - Identifying experimental units and calculatng expnrimental error. PMID- 17775282 TI - AN EASY METHOD OF MEASURING THE TIME OF MENTAL PROCESSES. PMID- 17775283 TI - THE HYGIENE OF THE VOCAL ORGANS. PMID- 17775284 TI - RECENT EARTHQUAKE LITERATURE. PMID- 17775285 TI - AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGISTS. I. PMID- 17775286 TI - SOME FUNDAMENTAL DISCOVERIES IN MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17775287 TI - THE PUBLICATION OF REJECTED NAMES. PMID- 17775288 TI - SOUTHERLY DEVIATION OF FALLING BODIES. PMID- 17775289 TI - EXPLORATION OF OKEFINOKEE SWAMP. PMID- 17775290 TI - THOSE MANUSCRIPT NAMES. PMID- 17775291 TI - PYCRAFT'S CLASSIFICATION OF THE FALCONI-FORMES. PMID- 17775292 TI - ELEPHAS COLUMBI AND OTHER MAMMALS IN THE SWAMPS OF WHITMAN COUNTY, WASHINGTON. PMID- 17775293 TI - HERBARIA FORMATIONUM COLORADENSIUM; F. E. ET E. S. CLEMENTS. PMID- 17775294 TI - MUSEUM NOTES. PMID- 17775295 TI - NOTE ON NEGATIVE DIGITS. PMID- 17775296 TI - BEDELL COMPOSITE TRANSMISSIONS. PMID- 17775297 TI - HARVARD METHOD OF TEACHING PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17775298 TI - BRAIN-WEIGHTS OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS. PMID- 17775299 TI - JAMES AS A PHILOSOPHER. PMID- 17775300 TI - HOWELL'S RELIEF MAPS AND THE NATURALISTIC LAND MODEL. PMID- 17775301 TI - HONORARY MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17775302 TI - A FUND FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL BETTERMENT IN PITTSBURGH. PMID- 17775303 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17775304 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17775305 TI - CONCERNING THE "NEMATOCYSTS OF MICROSTOMA'. PMID- 17775306 TI - EXPLODED THEORIES AND THEOLOGICAL PREJUDICE. PMID- 17775307 TI - DOUBLE MUTANTS IN SILKWORMS. PMID- 17775308 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17775309 TI - THE PRESIDENT AND THE FOOD AND DRUGS ACT. PMID- 17775311 TI - WHAT CAUSED THE DRUMLINS? PMID- 17775310 TI - A NEW SPECIFIC GRAVITY BALANCE. PMID- 17775312 TI - THE RELATION BETWEEN PHOTOSYNTHESIS OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND NITRATE REDUCTION. PMID- 17775313 TI - THE 'UMBRIA'S' WAVE. PMID- 17775314 TI - THE SHORTHAND CONGRESS. PMID- 17775316 TI - ENGLISH COIN-SALES OF 1886 AND 1887. PMID- 17775315 TI - AFGHAN LIFE IN AFGHAN SONGS. PMID- 17775317 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17775318 TI - Savagery in Boyhood. PMID- 17775319 TI - The Scientific Swindler Again. PMID- 17775320 TI - IS THE TRUMPET-CREEPER POISONOUS? PMID- 17775322 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17775321 TI - The Purslane-Worm (Copidryas Gloveri Grote). PMID- 17775323 TI - Response. PMID- 17775324 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17775325 TI - Britain's Crop Circles: Reaping by Whirlwing? PMID- 17775326 TI - Aerosol gene therapy. PMID- 17775327 TI - Touring the brain. PMID- 17775329 TI - Animal rights vet wins a round. PMID- 17775328 TI - EMF and Male Breast Cancer? PMID- 17775330 TI - Indigo for computer graphics blues. PMID- 17775331 TI - Serendipitous fix. PMID- 17775332 TI - APA Boycotts DOD. PMID- 17775333 TI - Passion-pop? PMID- 17775334 TI - No easy lessons in nature. PMID- 17775335 TI - Cognitive sciences explored in chicago: computer learning gets mixed grades. PMID- 17775337 TI - Atoms do the two-step on crystal dance floors. PMID- 17775336 TI - Cognitive sciences explored in chicago: computer vision moving closer to reality. PMID- 17775338 TI - Rainy forecast for gulf area? PMID- 17775339 TI - Taking Stock of Saddam's Fiery Legacy in Kuwait. PMID- 17775340 TI - Developments in automatic text retrieval. AB - Recent developments in the storage, retrieval, and manipulation of large text files are described. The text analysis problem is examined, and modern approaches leading to the identification and retrieval of selected text items in response to search requests are discussed. PMID- 17775341 TI - Mid-ocean ridges: discontinuities, segments and giant cracks. AB - Geological observations reveal that mid-ocean ridges are segmented by numerous rigid and nonrigid discontinuities. A hierarchy of segmentation, ranging from large, long-lived segments to others that are small, migratory, and transient, determines the pattern and timing of creation of new ocean floor. To the extent that spreading segments behave like giant cracks in a plate, the crack propagation force at segment tips increases with segment length, which may explain why long segments tend to lengthen and prevail over shorter neighboring segments. Partial melting caused by decompression of the upper mantle due to plate separation and changes in the direction of spreading result in the spawning of new short segments so that a balance of long and short segments is maintained. PMID- 17775342 TI - An Explanation for Neptune's Ring Arcs. AB - The Voyager mission revealed a complex system of rings and ring arcs around Neptune and uncovered six new satellites, four of which occupy orbits well inside the ring region. Analysis of Voyager data shows that a radial distortion with an amplitude of approximately 30 kilometers is traveling through the ring arcs, a perturbation attributable to the nearby satellite Galatea. Moreover, the arcs appear to be azimuthally confined by a resonant interaction with the same satellite, yielding a maximum spread in ring particle semimajor axes of 0.6 kilometer and a spread in forced eccentricities large enough to explain the arcs' 15-kilometer radial widths. Additional ring arcs discovered in the course of this study give further support to this model. PMID- 17775343 TI - Analysis of the Pioneer-Venus Lyman-agr Image of the Hydrogen Coma of Comet P/Halley. AB - Comet Halley passed within 0.27 astronomical unit of Venus on 4 February 1986, 5 days before perihelion. This provided a unique opportunity to observe the comet's coma with the ultraviolet spectrometer orbiting the planet aboard the Pioneer Venus Orbiter spacecraft when the coma was otherwise obscured from Earth's view by the sun's glare. More than 9000 data points acquired systematically over the 5 day period from 2 to 6 February were combined to construct an excellent Lyman alpha image of the hydrogen coma. The Lyman-alpha image was successfully reproduced with a comprehensive physical model, thereby verifying and documenting the underlying chemical kinetics and dynamics of the hydrogen coma. PMID- 17775344 TI - Allerod--younger dryas lake temperatures from midge fossils in atlantic Canada. AB - Remains of freshwater midges are abundant in lake sediments, and their species distributions are closely related to the surface-water temperature of lakes; their distributions thus provide a powerful tool for paleoclimatology. The distribution of species in a core from Splan Pond in Atlantic Canada indicates that there were abrupt transitions in late-glacial temperatures between warm and cold states. The transitions are correlative with the well-known warm Allerod and cold Younger Dryas events in Europe. These data thus confirm the inference from palynological data that these events affected regions on both sides of the Atlantic. PMID- 17775345 TI - Global text matching for information retrieval. AB - An approach is outlined for the retrieval of natural language texts in response to available search requests and for the recognition of content similarities between text excerpts. The proposed retrieval process is based on flexible text matching procedures carried out in a number of different text environments and is applicable to large text collections covering unrestricted subject matter. For unrestricted text environments this system appears to outperform other currently available methods. PMID- 17775346 TI - Forensic DNA tests and hardy-weinberg equilibrium. PMID- 17775347 TI - Response. PMID- 17775349 TI - Expanding Views: The AAAS Minority Scholars Workshop on Ethics in Science. PMID- 17775351 TI - Gold rush revisited. PMID- 17775348 TI - Statement adopted by the workshop participants. PMID- 17775352 TI - In memory of roger revelle. PMID- 17775353 TI - Inner vision. PMID- 17775354 TI - Our star: modern views. PMID- 17775355 TI - Crustacean mating behavior. PMID- 17775356 TI - A modern science in china. PMID- 17775358 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17775357 TI - Is the Clinical Practice of Psychology a Science? PMID- 17775359 TI - Science and Modern Cosmology. PMID- 17775360 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17775361 TI - Some Observations on the Electrolyses of Solutions of Rare-Earth Metal Salts in Basic Solvents. PMID- 17775362 TI - Energy Transfer in Irradiated Solutions of Mixed Phosphors. PMID- 17775363 TI - Retention of Chromium by Glass Following Treatment with Cleaning Solution. PMID- 17775364 TI - Scarcity of Instrument Makers. PMID- 17775365 TI - Education or Training? PMID- 17775366 TI - Rabies in Nonsanguivorous Bats of Texas. PMID- 17775367 TI - SCIENCE VERSUS LIFE. PMID- 17775368 TI - CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE BY THE RESEARCH LABORATORY OF THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY. PMID- 17775369 TI - THE RESEARCH LABORATORY OF THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY. PMID- 17775371 TI - WORK OF THE COMMONWEALTH FUND. PMID- 17775370 TI - DAVID HILT TENNENT. PMID- 17775373 TI - MEETING OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. PMID- 17775372 TI - THE HIGHLAND PARK ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN AT PITTSBURGH. PMID- 17775374 TI - THE SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17775375 TI - THE INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA. PMID- 17775376 TI - THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. PMID- 17775377 TI - A FURTHER COMMENT ON STABILITY IN NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17775378 TI - THE RATE OF SEASONAL DEPOSITION OF PEARL ARAGONITE. PMID- 17775379 TI - OCCURRENCE OF THE ORIENTAL RAT FLEA IN COLUMBUS, OHIO. PMID- 17775380 TI - THE "SMUT" DISEASE OF GLADIOLUS. PMID- 17775381 TI - INDIANA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17775382 TI - APPLICATION OF N15 TO THE STUDY OF BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN FIXATION. PMID- 17775383 TI - SEASONAL FLUCTUATION IN ESTROGEN EXCRETION. PMID- 17775384 TI - THE EFFECT OF TYROSINASE ON ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. PMID- 17775385 TI - A METHOD OF FREEING SEA WATER OF PHOSPHATE. PMID- 17775387 TI - PAPERS READ BEFORE THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17775386 TI - AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE PRESENCE OF THE VIRUS OF ANTERIOR POLIOMYELITIS IN STOOL SPECIMENS. PMID- 17775388 TI - VIEWS OF HIGHER SEED PLANT DESCENT SINCE 1879. PMID- 17775390 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17775389 TI - CEREMONY ATTENDING THE OPENING OF DOWN HOUSE, THE HOME OF CHARLES DARWIN. PMID- 17775391 TI - QUALITY VERSUS QUANTITY IN UNIVERSITY FACULTIES. PMID- 17775392 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17775393 TI - THE USE OF PARADICHLOROBENZENE IN THE CONSERVATION OF HERBARIA. PMID- 17775394 TI - ROUNDSTONE, A NEW GEOLOGIC TERM. PMID- 17775395 TI - SOLUBILITY OF URIC ACID IN THE BLOOD. AB - Direct evidence is given which shows that the uric acid occurring in fowl's blood is in a specially soluble form. PMID- 17775397 TI - THE DISTANCES OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES. PMID- 17775396 TI - A SMALL ANIMAL CAGE WITH SANITARY FEATURES. PMID- 17775398 TI - METHODS OF TEACHING ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING. PMID- 17775399 TI - CONVOCATION WEEK MEETING AND THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17775401 TI - FIRST MEETING OF THE PACIFIC DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17775400 TI - THE JOSEPH A. HOLMES SAFETY ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17775402 TI - SEMINARY COURSES IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17775404 TI - THE VITAL EQUILIBRIUM. PMID- 17775403 TI - DEMOCRATIC ORGANIZATION IN A COLLEGE DEPARTMENT. PMID- 17775405 TI - NATURAL CROSS-POLLINATION IN THE TOMATO. PMID- 17775406 TI - Attitudes and Careers. PMID- 17775407 TI - Fine Structure of the Hydrogen Atom. PMID- 17775408 TI - U. S. Geological Survey Radiocarbon Dates III. PMID- 17775409 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17775410 TI - Dissociation of Cultures from Picea glauca into Small Tissue Fragments and Single Cells. PMID- 17775411 TI - Paleotemperatures of Pacific Bottom Waters and Multiple Hypotheses. PMID- 17775412 TI - Copper Fluorides. PMID- 17775413 TI - On Paleotemperatures of Pacific Bottom Waters. PMID- 17775414 TI - Yale Natural Radiocarbon Measurements II. AB - One of the series of "Yale natural radiocarbon measurements, II" [Science 122, 954 (1955)], by Richard S. Preston, Elaine Person, and E. S. Deevey, was incorrectly reported through a technical error. The date for sample Y-293A (South Haven, Mich.: peat) was 10,790 +/- 200 yr, not 9500 + 250 yr as reported on page 958. PMID- 17775415 TI - Artemia salina as a Test Organism for Bioassay. PMID- 17775417 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17775418 TI - Equipment News. PMID- 17775419 TI - AN INVESTIGATION OF DREAMS. PMID- 17775420 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17775422 TI - MENTAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17775421 TI - ETHNOLOGY. PMID- 17775423 TI - EXPLORATION AND TRAVEL. PMID- 17775424 TI - The American Physique. PMID- 17775425 TI - Cheyenne. PMID- 17775426 TI - IS THE TRUMPET-CREEPER POISONOUS? PMID- 17775427 TI - IS THE TRUMPET-CREEPER POISONOUS? PMID- 17775428 TI - The Sense of Smell. PMID- 17775429 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17775430 TI - The saving of yosemite. PMID- 17775431 TI - Erratum. AB - In the title of the report "ACh receptor-rich membrane domains organized in fibroblasts by recombinant 43-kilodalton protein" by W. J. Phillips et al. (1 Feb., p. 568), the word "kilodalton" was misspelled. PMID- 17775432 TI - Ubiquitous neuroscientists. PMID- 17775433 TI - Radon risk and EPA. PMID- 17775434 TI - Radon risk and EPA. PMID- 17775436 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17775435 TI - Radon risk and EPA. PMID- 17775437 TI - Indirect costs: how does stanford compare with its peers? PMID- 17775439 TI - Has ONR "Cleared" Stanford? PMID- 17775438 TI - John dingell takes on stanford. PMID- 17775440 TI - It Ain't Broke, But Why Not FCCSET? PMID- 17775442 TI - NIH Budget. PMID- 17775441 TI - Creationist school lives on. PMID- 17775443 TI - British science under the ax--again. PMID- 17775444 TI - The SSC Gets Its (Official) Price Tag: $8.3 Billion. PMID- 17775445 TI - New genome centers. PMID- 17775446 TI - Smooth ride for nominee. PMID- 17775447 TI - Social Scientists Get a Man at OSTP ...and an NSF Directorate? PMID- 17775448 TI - Juggling robot. PMID- 17775449 TI - Right handers live longer. PMID- 17775450 TI - Biotech directory. PMID- 17775451 TI - Log on, ye clinicians. PMID- 17775452 TI - Did a burst of volcanism overheat ancient Earth? PMID- 17775453 TI - Beyond a volcanic spasm. PMID- 17775454 TI - Exact solution of large asymmetric traveling salesman problems. AB - The traveling salesman problem is one of a class of difficult problems in combinatorial optimization that is representative of a large number of important scientific and engineering problems. A survey is given of recent applications and methods for solving large problems. In addition, an algorithm for the exact solution of the asymmetric traveling salesman problem is presented along with computational results for several classes of problems. The results show that the algorithm performs remarkably well for some classes of problems, determining an optimal solution even for problems with large numbers of cities, yet for other classes, even small problems thwart determination of a provably optimal solution. PMID- 17775455 TI - Detection of CN Emission from (2060) Chiron. AB - In the past decade there has been a gradual, but substantial change in our understanding of the physical nature of (2060) Chiron. Once thought to be the first known member of a population of asteroids orbiting between Saturn and Uranus, Chiron is now generally regarded as the largest known comet. The detection of CN emission in the spectrum of Chiron is reported. Not only do these observations underscore the cometary nature of Chiron, but, at a heliocentric distance exceeding 11 astronomical units, represent the most distant detection yet of a neutral gas species common in comets. These results are consistent with the outgassing from Chiron being primarily driven by isolated outbursts of CO(2) from a very small fraction of Chiron's surface. These may be indicative of primordial inhomogeneities. PMID- 17775456 TI - Constraints on the diameter and albedo of 2060 chiron. AB - Asteroid 2060 Chiron is the largest known object exhibiting cometary activity. Radiometric observations made in 1983 from a ground-based telescope and the Infrared Astronomical Satellite are used to examine the limits on Chiron's diameter and albedo. It is argued that Chiron's surface temperature distribution at that time is best described by an "isothermal latitude" or "rapid-rotator" model. Consequently, Chiron has a maximum diameter of 372 kilometers and a minimum geometric albedo of 2.7%. This is much bigger and darker than previous estimates, and suggests that gravity may play a significant role in the evolution of gas and dust emissions. It is also found that for large obliquities, surface temperatures can vary dramatically on time scales of a decade, and that such geometry may play a critical role in explaining Chiron's observed photometric behavior since its discovery in 1977. PMID- 17775457 TI - A-Axis--Oriented YBa2Cu3O7/PrBa2Cu3O7 Superlattices. AB - A modulated structure has been fabricated from high transition temperature superconductors where the individual CuO(2) planes are composed of alternating superconducting and insulating strips. This structure is made by growing a-axis oriented YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7)/PrBa(2)Cu(3)O(7) superlattices by 90 degrees off-axis sputtering on (100)SrTiO(3) and (100)LaAlO(3) substrates. Superlattice modulation is observed to a modulation wavelength of 24 angstroms (12 angstroms YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7)/12 angstroms-PrBa(2)Cu(3)O(7)), both by x-ray diffraction and by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy indicates a high degree of crystalline perfection with a channeling minimum yield of 3 percent. Quasi-one-dimensional conductivity should be obtainable in these structures. PMID- 17775458 TI - Baddeleyite-Type High-Pressure Phase of TiO2. AB - A high-pressure phase of TiO(2), which had been observed by shock-wave experiments and remained unresolved, has been studied by in situ x-ray diffraction. The single phase was formed at 20 gigapascals and 770 degrees C with the use of sintered-diamond multianvils; it has the same structure as baddeleyite, the stable phase of ZrO(2) at ambient conditions. The coordination number of Ti increases from six to seven across the rutile to baddeleyite transition, and the volume is reduced by approximately 9 percent. PMID- 17775459 TI - The assimilation of elements ingested by marine copepods. AB - The efficiency with which a variety of ingested elements (Ag, Am, C, Cd, P, S, Se, and Zn) were assimilated in marine calanoid copepods fed uniformly radiolabeled diatoms ranged from 0.9% for Am to 97.1% for Se. Assimilation efficiencies were directly related to the cytoplasmic content of the diatoms. This relation indicates that the animals obtained nearly all their nutrition from this source. The results suggest that these zooplankton, which have short gut residence times, have developed a gut lining and digestive strategy that provides for assimilation of only soluble material. Because the fraction of total cellular protein in the cytoplasm of the diatoms increased markedly with culture age, copepods feeding on senescent cells should obtain more protein than those feeding on rapidly dividing cells. Elements that are appreciably incorporated into algal cytoplasm and assimilated in zooplankton should be recycled in surface waters and have longer oceanic residence times than elements bound to cell surfaces. PMID- 17775460 TI - The continuing question of animal awareness. PMID- 17775461 TI - The Dinosaurs of' 47. PMID- 17775462 TI - Medical assessment. PMID- 17775463 TI - A puritan of science. PMID- 17775464 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17775465 TI - THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AQUEOUS SALT SOLUTIONS IN RELATION TO THE IONIC THEORY. PMID- 17775466 TI - THE FIELD OF LOGIC. PMID- 17775467 TI - CLARENCE L. HERRICK. PMID- 17775468 TI - SOIL MANAGEMENT. PMID- 17775470 TI - PROFESSOR WILLIAM MORTON WHEELER ON THE KELEP. PMID- 17775469 TI - 'THE METRIC FALLACY,' ONCE MORE. PMID- 17775471 TI - THE BRAIN OF A SWEDISH STATESMAN. PMID- 17775472 TI - GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE MARINE ALGAe. PMID- 17775473 TI - THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PMID- 17775474 TI - PHOSPHATE EXPERIMENTS. PMID- 17775475 TI - THE ORGANIZATION MANIA. PMID- 17775476 TI - TRIMMED MAGAZINES AND EFFICIENCY EXPERTS. PMID- 17775477 TI - SCIENCE AS CONTRABAND. PMID- 17775479 TI - GOLDFISH AS EMBRYOLOGICAL MATERIAL. PMID- 17775478 TI - BOILING BUFFALO CLOVER SEED. PMID- 17775480 TI - SECTION M--AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17775481 TI - Additional Confirmatory Evidence of the Rediscovery of the Old Italian Varnish. PMID- 17775482 TI - THE NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS. PMID- 17775484 TI - Arithmetic of Electrical Measurements. PMID- 17775483 TI - TEN YEARS OF AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGY: 1892-1902. PMID- 17775485 TI - ADDITIONAL FACTS CONCERNING THE BATH FURNACE METEORIC FALL OF NOVEMBER 15, 1902. PMID- 17775487 TI - THE PROTECTIVE FUNCTION OF RAPHIDES. PMID- 17775486 TI - CARBONIFEROUS FOSSILS IN OCOEE SLATES IN ALABAMA. PMID- 17775488 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17775489 TI - GRAPHICS OF THERMODYNAMICS. PMID- 17775490 TI - EXHIBIT OF THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM AT ST. LOUIS. PMID- 17775491 TI - MEMORIAL TO SIR WILLIAM FLOWER. PMID- 17775492 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF ARCHEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY. PMID- 17775493 TI - THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES AND EXPERIMENT STATIONS. PMID- 17775494 TI - THERMAL EFFICIENCY OF STEAM-ENGINES. PMID- 17775496 TI - ON SOME ANALOGIES BETWEEN THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF LACK OF OXYGEN, HIGH TEMPERATURE AND CERTAIN POISONS. PMID- 17775495 TI - THE KINETIC THEORY OF GASES AND SOME OF ITS CONSEQUENCES. PMID- 17775497 TI - LEIDY'S GENUS OURAMOEligBA. PMID- 17775498 TI - A NEW NAME FOR MICROTUS INSULARIS BAILEY. PMID- 17775499 TI - NEW NAMES FOR SPERMOPHILUS BREVICAUDUS, CANIS PALLIDUS AND SOREX CAUDATUS MERRIAM. PMID- 17775500 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17775501 TI - PROFESSOR JAMES INGRAHAM PECK. PMID- 17775502 TI - CHANGE OF NAME FOR SCIURUS ALBIPES QUERCINUS NELSON. PMID- 17775503 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17775504 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17775505 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17775506 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17775507 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17775508 TI - DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17775509 TI - POST-GLACIAL CONNECTICUT. PMID- 17775510 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. PMID- 17775512 TI - SCIENCE AND HISTORY: A SHORT CONTRIBUTION TO PHILOSOPHY. PMID- 17775511 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17775513 TI - SOME SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MAKERS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. PMID- 17775514 TI - PRIORITY IN FAMILY, ORDER AND HIGHER GROUP NAMES. PMID- 17775515 TI - CURIOSITIES OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES. PMID- 17775516 TI - ARE PLANETS RARE? PMID- 17775518 TI - THE ORIGIN OF SYMPHORICARPUS. PMID- 17775517 TI - ENTROPY AND ORGANIZATION. PMID- 17775519 TI - RESEARCH WORK OF THE MICHIGAN COLLEGE OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY. PMID- 17775520 TI - AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PUMP. PMID- 17775521 TI - ANALYSIS OF VOWELS. PMID- 17775522 TI - ON THE CRITICAL TEMPERATURE OF SERUM: DEPOLARIZATION FACTOR AND HYDRATION OF SERUM MOLECULES. PMID- 17775524 TI - INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CURVE OF NORMAL GROWTH. PMID- 17775523 TI - ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION AND THE PROPERTIES OF THE ELECTRON. PMID- 17775525 TI - The Earthworm Theory. PMID- 17775526 TI - Taxonomy of Research. PMID- 17775527 TI - Science in the News. PMID- 17775528 TI - Acid Mucopolysaccharide of the Crustacean Cuticle. AB - The acid mucopolysaccharide found in the crab Hemigrapsus nudus and containing glucose, galactose, and fucose residues is found both in the cuticle and in the digestive gland of the crab. The concentration of mucopolysaccharide is somewhat higher in the cuticle, where it it the only soluble polysaccharide, than in the digestive gland, where it makes up 10 to 25 percent of the total polysaccharide content. PMID- 17775529 TI - Spectrum of Venus in the Violet and Near-Ultraviolet. AB - Recent observations of the spectrum of the planet Venus, with spectrographs of low and high dispersion at the Georgetown College Observatory, show that a wide, continuous absorption band is present in the violet and near-ultraviolet. The band begins near wavelength 4500 A and extends to the short-wavelength limit of our spectrograms near 3800 A. It is similar in structure to the strong absorption, reported by others, for gaseous nitrogen tetroxide. PMID- 17775530 TI - Kennetic Inquiry. PMID- 17775531 TI - LORD KELVIN'S ADDRESS ON THE AGE OF THE EARTH AS AN ABODE FITTED FOR LIFE. PMID- 17775532 TI - PERSPECTIVE ILLUSIONS FROM THE USE OF MYOPIC GLASSES. PMID- 17775533 TI - BIRDS AS WEED DESTROYERS. PMID- 17775534 TI - THE BIOLOGY OF THE GREAT LAKES. PMID- 17775535 TI - GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17775537 TI - PROFESSOR DEWAR OA LIQUID HYDROGEN. PMID- 17775536 TI - PHYSIOLOGY. PMID- 17775538 TI - AUTOMATIC SHIP-PROPULSION. PMID- 17775539 TI - LELAND STANFORD JR. UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17775540 TI - REMEASUREMENT OF THE ARC OF PERU. PMID- 17775541 TI - Towards More Reliance on Social Science. PMID- 17775543 TI - Soviet Offers New Version of its Quota Plan for Checking on Atom Blasts. PMID- 17775542 TI - Liquid Helium-3. PMID- 17775545 TI - Foundation To Support Summer Conferences for College Teachers. PMID- 17775544 TI - State Department Names Science Officers To Serve Abroad. PMID- 17775546 TI - $25,000 Vetlesen Prize Established; Ewing First Recipient. PMID- 17775547 TI - Determination of the Earth's Gravitational Field. AB - Brenner et al. have pointed out that spurious variations may be introduced into computation of satellite orbits by a combination of the use of osculating elements and a maldistribution of the observations. They suggest that this circumstance is the source of the eccentricity variations in the Vanguard I orbit which have been attributed to the third zonal harmonic. This criticism is based on a misunderstanding of the Vanguard orbit and tracking programs. The source materials for our study of the third zonal harmonic were not osculating elements, and the observations were in fact uniformly distributed around the Vanguard I orbit. PMID- 17775548 TI - Effect of Acclimation on the Preferred Body Temperature of the Lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis. AB - The preferred body temperature was determined for several groups of Sceloporus occidentalis previously acclimated to several constant temperature levels. Acclimation to a high temperature (35 degrees C) resulted in the selection of a lowered mean preferred body temperature, whereas acclimation to lower temperatures (12 degrees C and 25 degrees C) produced no change in the preferred body temperature. PMID- 17775550 TI - Smoking, Masculinity, and Age. PMID- 17775549 TI - Commercialization of Scientific Findings. PMID- 17775551 TI - Forthcominig Evenits. PMID- 17775552 TI - Esperantist Congress. PMID- 17775553 TI - More heat than light. PMID- 17775554 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17775555 TI - Are we becoming hereditary weaklings? PMID- 17775556 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17775558 TI - Why Europe's Grass is Greener. PMID- 17775557 TI - Ecology crossfire. PMID- 17775559 TI - Support of Science on the University's Own Terms. PMID- 17775561 TI - The tragedy of the commons revisite. PMID- 17775560 TI - Mettler fits economy plus performance into your balance budget. PMID- 17775562 TI - Prehistoric cultural contacts in southwestern alaska. PMID- 17775563 TI - What we must do. PMID- 17775564 TI - European science: financially, politically, it has trouble too. PMID- 17775566 TI - New SIPRI Yearbook of Armaments, Disarmament. PMID- 17775568 TI - How medicare and medicaid work. PMID- 17775567 TI - Documents the direction, pace of the arms race. PMID- 17775569 TI - Postdoctoral education: report emphasizes recognition problem. PMID- 17775570 TI - Lherzolite, anorthosite, gabbro, and basalt dredged from the mid-Indian ocean ridge. AB - The Central Indian Ridge is mantled with flows of low-potassium basalt of uniform composition. Gabbro, anorthosite, and garnet-bearing lherzolite are exposed in cross fractures, and lherzolite is the bedrock at the center of the ridge. The Iherzolites are upper-mantle rock exposed by faulting. PMID- 17775571 TI - Mars: is the surface colored by carbon suboxide? AB - The reflection spectrum of Mars can be well matched from 0.2 through 1.6 microns (and farther) by polymers of carbon suboxide, reflection spectra for which have now been measured. We propose that the reddish color of Mars might be attributed to carbon suboxide, not the commonly considered limonite or other iron-bearing minerals. PMID- 17775572 TI - Carbon-14 trends in subfossil pine stubs. AB - Subfossil pine stubs from a peat bog in the Netherlands were linked together dendrochronologically and sampled at intervals of 30 or 50 years for carbon-14 analysis. The results suggest that the carbon-14 content of the atmosphere was not changing between about 5400 and 5100 B.C., but that it was increasing slightly about 800 years earlier. PMID- 17775573 TI - Nonexistence of large mascons at mare marginis and mare orientale. AB - The analysis of line-of-sight residual accelerations from Lunar Orbiters 3 and 5 does not show any evidence for large mascons near the lunar limbs. Although unfavorable geometry reduces the acceleration effect due to any mascon near the limb, simulations show that large masses at Mare Orientale and Mare Marginis would produce substantial accelerations, in complete disagreement with the actual Doppler tracking data obtained from a Lunar Orbiter experiment. PMID- 17775574 TI - X-ray Diffraction Studies of Echinoderm Plates. AB - X-ray diffraction studies confirm that, with few exceptions, each skeletal element of echtinoderms is a single crystal of magnesium-rich calcite and that a relation exists between the shape of the element and the crystallographic a- and c-axes. The exceptions incluide the teeth of echinoids, and the calcareous ring as well as the anal teeth of holothurians. The tubercles of an echinoid plate begin their growth as parts of the single crystal of the plate; under the mechanical action of the spines that are attached to them, they become partly polycrystalline, as shown by scanning electron microscopy and by x-ray powder diffraction. The interface between inorganic crystalline and organic amorphous matter in the skeletal element appears to be the first example reported in nature of a periodic mninimal suirface. PMID- 17775575 TI - Crystal orientation and plate structure in echinoid skeletal units. AB - The submicroscopic morphology of magnesian calcite skeletal units of echinoids, revealed by scanning electron microscopy, was compared with crystal orientation data obtained by x-ray methods and with macroscopic morphology. The Perischoechinoidea and the Euechinoidea differ with regard to the shapes of their trabeculae. Nearly all plates and spines are single crystals. A variety of diJfferent directional relations of c- and a-axes to the main morphological directions are found for different species; adjacent plates with identical c-axis orientation differ strongly in orientation of their a-axes. Fracture surfaces of single trabeculae show cleavage planes and zonal layers attributed to changes in secretion conditions. PMID- 17775576 TI - Central neuron initiation of periodic gill movements. AB - In Aplysia periodic spontaneous gill movements are controlled by activity endogenous to the abdominal ganglion. These movements were still observed when only the ctenidio-genital nerve was left intact between the ganglion and the gill. One kind of spontaneous gill movement (one per 5 minutes at 15 degrees C) was correlated with the expression of activity of interneuron II; others were not. With reference to this kind of spontaneous gill movement, four types of central neurons in the ganglion send processes to the gill via the nerve. Two cell types (ii, iii) are inhibited and the other two (i, iv) are excited. Two types (i, ii) elicited gill movement-one type activating large gill areas elicited spontaneous gill movements, and the other activating specific gill regions did not participate in the spontaneous gill movements. The value of this preparation in studying the role of central neurons eliciting specific patterned movements and the temporal organization of their activity is shown. PMID- 17775577 TI - Ultraviolet video-viewing: the television camera as an insect eve. AB - A television camtiera, like the eyes of some insects, is sensitive to ultraviolet light. When equipped with an appropriate ultraviolet-transmitting lens, such a camera can be used for the direct examtiination of ultraviolet reflectiont patterns (for example, on flowers, butterflies) that are invisible to us, but visible to inisects. PMID- 17775578 TI - Ponzo perspective illusion as a manifestation of space perception. AB - The Ponzo perspective illusion, a special case of space perception, is influenced by contextual factors, texture, stereopsis, and familiarity in addition to perspective cues. The importance of familiarity is demonstrated by cultural differences obtained with photographs of natural settings which emphasize depth cues. PMID- 17775579 TI - Rhesus monkeys: mating season mobility of adult males. AB - Groups of rhesus monkeys, heretofore described as closed social units, experience a seasonal exchange of a portion of the adult males. Male shifting corresponds with the season of mating, and results in copulation with females of newly joined groups. This pattern is socially disruptive, but provides opportunity for exchange of genetic material between groups of a region. PMID- 17775580 TI - Hearing, single-unit analysis, and vocalizations in songbirds. AB - Auditory neurons in the avian cochlear nucleus are systematically arranged according to their best frequencies. The thresholds of single auditory neurons at their best frequencies match the thresholds of hearing obtained by behavioral methods for the same frequencies. The upper range of single-unit best frequencies shows distinct interspecific variation which is correlated with the differences in the range of vocal frequencies. Most songbirds do not seem to produce frequencies below I kilohertz but can hear them. PMID- 17775581 TI - Fissure basalts and ocean-floor spreading on the East pacific rise. PMID- 17775582 TI - Whither Lunar and Planetary Exploration in the 1970's. PMID- 17775583 TI - Human settlements and environmental design. PMID- 17775584 TI - The city as a social system. PMID- 17775585 TI - Courses. PMID- 17775586 TI - Water balance in north america. PMID- 17775587 TI - Page charges and tight budgets. PMID- 17775588 TI - University governments: elected and accountable. PMID- 17775589 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17775590 TI - Surrender to the SST. PMID- 17775591 TI - The university in many mirrors. PMID- 17775593 TI - Identifying and Moving toward National Goals. PMID- 17775592 TI - PULSE in the City of the Future. PMID- 17775594 TI - Antimatter, Quasi-stellar Objects, and the Evolution of Galaxies. PMID- 17775595 TI - Britain: scientists form new group to promote social responsibility. PMID- 17775597 TI - Anorthosite belts, continental drift, and the anorthosite event. AB - Most anorthosites lie in two principal belts when plotted on a predrift continental reconstruction. Anorthosite ages in the belts cluster around 1300 +/- 200 million years and range from 1100 to 1700 million years. This suggests that anorthosites are the product of a unique cataclysmic event or a thermal event that was normal only during the earth's early history. PMID- 17775596 TI - Stanford research institute: campus turmoil spurs transition. PMID- 17775598 TI - Generation and maintenance of gradients in taxonomic diversity. AB - Latitudinal gradients in diversity of organisms represent an equilibrium distribution for at least the last 270 x 10(6) years. Faunas endemic to tropical regions evolved significantly faster than extra-tropical faunas. The latitude dependent difference in rates of evolution also represents an equilibrium condition for at least the last 270 x 10(6) years and has consequences for paleontological correlation of rocks because the attainable resolution depends on rate of evolution and will thus be greater in tropic regions than in extra tropical ones. PMID- 17775599 TI - Microwave spectrum and structure of sulfur difluoride. AB - Sulfur difluioride has been identified and characterized from its microwave spectrum. The analysis of rotational transitions for both sulfur difluoride-32 and sulfur difluoride-34 shows that this molecular species has C(2v) symmetry with a bond length of 1.589 angstroms, a bond angle of 98 degrees 16', and a dipole moment of 1.05 Debye. PMID- 17775600 TI - Luminescence dosimetry. PMID- 17775601 TI - THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION. PMID- 17775602 TI - THE WRECK OF MT. MAZAMA. PMID- 17775603 TI - THE TEACHING OF ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17775605 TI - THE DAILY BAROMETRIC WAVE. PMID- 17775604 TI - ON THE MEASUREMENT OF TIME. PMID- 17775606 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17775607 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17775608 TI - RETIREMENT OF MONSIEUR HATON. PMID- 17775609 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17775610 TI - International industrial competition. PMID- 17775611 TI - Federal funding obligations in astronomy. PMID- 17775612 TI - Federal funding obligations in astronomy. PMID- 17775613 TI - Chernobyl thesis. PMID- 17775615 TI - Dahlem conferences' future in doubt. PMID- 17775614 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - In the News article "Astronomy's optical illusion" by John Travis (21 Oct., p. 356), the name of Paul Schechter of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was given incorrectly on page 357 as Paul "Schectman." PMID- 17775616 TI - Technology assessment faces ax. PMID- 17775617 TI - Physicists find windows of opportunity in plasmas. AB - The 1500 physicists from Europe, the United States, the Pacific Rim, and the former Soviet Union who gathered in Minneapolis from 7 to 11 November had many messages but one medium: plasmas. As the presentations at the meeting of the American Physical Society's division of plasma physics showed, the windows that laboratory plasmas can provide into space, turbulent liquids, and matter antimatter interactions are opening wider than ever. PMID- 17775618 TI - Taking soundings from a distant star. PMID- 17775620 TI - Safety at sellafield? PMID- 17775619 TI - Getting comfortable in four dimensions. PMID- 17775621 TI - Hubble riding high. PMID- 17775623 TI - Getting science dollars to Russia. PMID- 17775622 TI - Mayan eco-park. PMID- 17775624 TI - What Is in the Earth's Core Besides Iron? PMID- 17775625 TI - Symmetries of hydrogen bonds in solution. AB - The nuclear magnetic resonance method of isotopic perturbation can distinguish between single- and double-well potentials in intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded monoanions of dicarboxylic acids. These are classic cases of a "strong," symmetric hydrogen bond in the crystal. The observed carbon-13 isotope shifts induced by the substitution of oxygen-18 demonstrate that these monoanions exist as a single symmetric structure in a nonpolar solvent but as two equilibrating tautomers in aqueous solution. The change is attributed to the disorder of the aqueous environment. These are simple counterexamples to the hope that the crystal structure reveals the actual molecular structure in aqueous solution. PMID- 17775626 TI - A remarkable auroral event on jupiter observed in the ultraviolet with the hubble space telescope. AB - Two sets of ultraviolet images of the Jovian north aurora were obtained with the Faint Object Camera on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The first series shows an intense discrete arc in near corotation with the planet. The maximum apparent molecular hydrogen emission rate corresponds to an electron precipitation of approximately 1 watt per square meter, which is about 30,000 times larger than the solar heating by extreme ultraviolet radiation. Such a particle heating rate of the auroral upper atmosphere of Jupiter should cause a large transient temperature increase and generate strong thermospheric winds. Twenty hours after initial observation, the discrete arc had decreased in brightness by more than one order of magnitude. The time scale and magnitude of the change in the ultraviolet aurora leads us to suggest that the discrete Jovian auroral precipitation is related to large-scale variations in the current system, as is the case for Earth's discrete aurorae. PMID- 17775627 TI - In Situ Determination of the NiAs Phase of FeO at High Pressure and Temperature. AB - In situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements of FeO at high pressures and high temperatures revealed that the high-pressure phase of FeO has the NiAs structure (B8). The lattice parameters of this NiAs phase at 96 gigapascals and 800 kelvin are a = 2.574(2) angstroms and c = 5.172(4) angstroms (the number in parentheses is the error in the last digit). Metallic behavior of the high pressure phase is consistent with a covalently and metallically bonded NiAs structure of FeO. Transition to the NiAs structure of FeO would enhance oxygen solubility in molten iron. This transition thus provides a physiochemical basis for the incorporation of oxygen into the Earth's core. PMID- 17775628 TI - The Accumulation Record from the GISP2 Core as an Indicator of Climate Change Throughout the Holocene. AB - A depth-age scale and an accumulation history for the Holocene have been established on the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) deep core, providing the most continuously dated record of annual layer accumulation currently available. The depth-age scale was obtained with the use of various independent techniques to count annual layers in the core. An annual record of surface accumulation during the Holocene was obtained by correcting the observed layer thicknesses for flow-thinning. Fluctuations in accumulation provide a continuous and detailed record of climate variability over central Greenland during the Holocene. Climate events, including "Little Ice Age" type events, are examined. PMID- 17775629 TI - Doping graphitic and carbon nanotube structures with boron and nitrogen. AB - Composite sheets and nanotubes of different morphologies containing carbon, boron, and nitrogen were grown in the electric arc discharge between graphite cathodes and amorphous boron-filled graphite anodes in a nitrogen atmosphere. Concentration profiles derived from electron energy-loss line spectra show that boron and nitrogen are correlated in a one-to-one ratio; core energy-loss fine structures reveal small differences compared to pure hexagonal boron nitride. Boron and carbon are anticorrelated, suggesting the substitution of boron and nitrogen into the carbon network. Results indicate that singlephaase CyBxNx as well as separated domains (nanosize) of boron nitride in carbon networks may exist. PMID- 17775631 TI - Response. PMID- 17775630 TI - Evolutionary history of the symbiosis between fungus-growing ants and their fungi. AB - The evolutionary history of the symbiosis between fungus-growing ants (Attini) and their fungi was elucidated by comparing phylogenies of both symbionts. The fungal phylogeny based on cladistic analyses of nuclear 28S ribosomal DNA indicates that, in contrast with the monophyly of the ants, the attine fungi are polyphyletic. Most cultivated fungi belong to the basidiomycete family Lepiotaceae; however, one ant genus, Apterostigma, has acquired a distantly related basidiomycete lineage. Phylogenetic patterns suggest that some primitive attines may have repeatedly acquired lepiotaceous symbionts. In contrast, the most derived attines have clonally propagated the same fungal lineage for at least 23 million years. PMID- 17775633 TI - Vignettes: innovation management. PMID- 17775632 TI - A call for a new physics. PMID- 17775634 TI - Cats in groups. PMID- 17775636 TI - Prducts & materials. PMID- 17775635 TI - A Scientist's Journeys. PMID- 17775637 TI - In reply: regulation of biotechnology. PMID- 17775638 TI - Is taking sides a good idea for universities? PMID- 17775639 TI - Computers in science and technology: early indications. AB - Over the past 20 years computer technology has advanced rapidly, especially in the areas of logic and memory. Continued growth at a similar pace can be expected through and probably beyond the 1980's. The technology has already had such major effects on scientific research and engineering that it is of practical importance to try to predict its evolution and uses. It is likely that the trend toward smaller, faster, and cheaper circuits made possible by improved lithographic techniques will continue, resulting in a factor of 10 increase in speed of central processing units and an even greater increase in speed of single-chip microprocessors by the end of the decade. Similar progress is expected in the areas of memory, magnetic storage, printers, and displays. Overall, approximately 20 percent growth annually in the capability of computing systems can be projected. How this continually increasing computing power will affect scientific and engineering activity is more difficult to predict, but some patterns are emerging. Observations of technical personnel at the IBM research laboratory at Yorktown, New York, where the average user has access to a large amount of computing capability and to a worldwide computer network, indicate that workers in different areas have reacted to computer technology in different ways. Whereas engineers have used computing power, displays, and the ability to communicate or share information more or less equally, management has used communication most and scientists have put the greatest value on computing power and displays. PMID- 17775640 TI - Protection of plant varieties and parts as intellectual property. AB - In view of the Supreme Court decision in Chakrabarty v. Diamond, Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, it is possible that plant varieties can be protected under three different U.S. statutes: the Plant Variety Protection Act, the Plant Patent Law, and the General Patent Law. The Plant Variety Protection Act protects varieties that are reproduced by seed, whereas the Plant Patent Law protects varieties reproduced asexually. Varieties, irrespective of how they are reproduced, could be patentable under the General Patent Statute. It is not clear whether parts of plants can be protected by grants under the Plant Patent Law or Plant Variety Protection Act and it is possible that they will be best protected under the General Patent Statute and by maintaining them as trade secrets. Only time will show whether the existing statutes are sufficient to provide both guidance and adequate protection or whether changes in the law will be required. PMID- 17775641 TI - A deep 6-centimeter radio source survey. AB - The Very Large Array has been used to survey a small region of sky at a wavelength of 6 centimeters down to a completeness level of 60 microjanskys-about 100 times weaker than the faintest radio sources that have been detected with other instruments. The observed source count at flux densities below 100 millijanskys converges in a manner similar to the lower frequency counts, although there is some evidence for an excess of sources weaker than 100 microjanskys. The sources in the survey are preferentially identified with faint galaxies. PMID- 17775642 TI - China--U.S. Nuclear Deal Still a Puzzle: Administration delay in forwarding cooperative agreement leaves Congress in suspense, Chinese piqued, companies stalled. PMID- 17775643 TI - Nuclear Winter Attracts Additional Scrutiny: Prodded by Congress, the Pentagon begins to examine the impact of soot on nuclear strategy. PMID- 17775644 TI - Soviets offer little help. PMID- 17775645 TI - Hot Spots on Honolulu High-rises. PMID- 17775646 TI - Computer Models Gaining on El Nino: Simulations of the ocean and of the atmosphere during an El Nino give hope for models coupling the two and hint at why mid-latitude effects are so variable. PMID- 17775648 TI - Interferometry in space. PMID- 17775647 TI - Iras. PMID- 17775649 TI - The canterbury swarm. PMID- 17775650 TI - New tool for amino Acid analysis. PMID- 17775651 TI - Association awards presented at annual meeting in new york city. PMID- 17775653 TI - Botanical essays available. PMID- 17775652 TI - Theme of arctic science conference is "science and public policy". PMID- 17775654 TI - Robert v. Ormes 1921-1984. PMID- 17775655 TI - Cosmology: formation and evolution of galaxies and large structures in the universe. PMID- 17775656 TI - The proterozoic eon: early proterozoic geology of the great lakes region. PMID- 17775657 TI - Pioneering space research: origins of magnetospheric physics. PMID- 17775658 TI - Self-revelations: a slot machine, a broken test tube. PMID- 17775659 TI - Botanical and geological significance of potassium-argon dates from the juan fernandez islands. AB - Potassium-argon dating of five basalts from the three main islands of the Juan Fernandez (or Robinson Crusoe) Islands of Chile in the southeastern Pacific gives ages of 1.01 +/- 0.12 and 2.44 +/- 0.14 million years for Masafuera, 3.79 +/- 0.20 and 4.23 +/- 0.16 for Masatierra, and 5.8 +/- 2.1 for Santa Clara. These ages are much younger than that of the underlying oceanic plate and are consistent with the origin of the island-seamount chain from a mantle hot spot beneath the eastward moving Nazca plate. The young age for the archipelago suggests that speciation within endemic genera has occurred within the past 4 to 5 million years. Endemic genera of apparently more ancient origins, such as Lactoris and Thyrsopteris, have apparently dispersed to the islands and survive refugially. PMID- 17775660 TI - Mechanisms of nitrogen retention in forest ecosystems: a field experiment. AB - Intensive forest management led to elevated losses of nitrogen from a recently harvested loblolly pine plantation in North Carolina. Measurements of nitrogen-15 retention in the field demonstrated that microbial uptake of nitrogen during the decomposition of residual organic material was the most important process retaining nitrogen. Management practices that remove this material cause increased losses of nitrogen to aquatic ecosystems and the atmosphere. PMID- 17775662 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17775661 TI - Induced resistance of cotton seedlings to mites. AB - Mite populations grew more rapidly on new growth of cotton seedlings that had never been exposed to mites than on new growth of plants whose cotyledons had been previously exposed to them. Experiments in which a second mite introduction on the exposed plants involved a different mite species produced this same result. The substance or substances responsible for the response are transported systemically among leaves of cotton seedlings. PMID- 17775663 TI - Macrospores in the rocks about Chicago. PMID- 17775664 TI - The red skies in the Pacific. PMID- 17775665 TI - Rare Vermont birds. PMID- 17775666 TI - Behavior of Dolomedes tenebrosus. PMID- 17775667 TI - Cassiterite from King's Mountain, North Carolina. PMID- 17775668 TI - The Philadelphia biological institute. PMID- 17775670 TI - THE ALASKA MILITARY RECONNOISSANCE OF 1883. PMID- 17775669 TI - ARNOLD GUYOT. PMID- 17775671 TI - FLOODS IN THE OHIO. PMID- 17775672 TI - A WOMAN'S JOURNEY TO THE KARAKORUM VALLEY. PMID- 17775673 TI - THE ARTIFICIAL PRODUCTION OF RAIN. PMID- 17775674 TI - ROTATION OF JUPITER. PMID- 17775675 TI - BROWNE AND BEHNKE'S VOICE, SONG AND SPEECH. PMID- 17775677 TI - M'ALPINE'S BOTANICAL ATLAS. PMID- 17775676 TI - RED SKIES A CENTURY AGO. PMID- 17775678 TI - ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. PMID- 17775679 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17775680 TI - GEORGE H. HORN. PMID- 17775681 TI - PRESENTATION OF PROFESSOR MARSH'S COLLECTIONS TO YALE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17775682 TI - GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA II. PMID- 17775683 TI - IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17775684 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17775685 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17775686 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17775687 TI - THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE 'UNIVERSITY TABLE' AT NAPLES. PMID- 17775688 TI - DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17775689 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17775691 TI - THE CRUSTACEAN GENUS SCYLLARIDES. PMID- 17775690 TI - HARVARD'S METEOROLOGICAL WORK ON THE WEST COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA. PMID- 17775692 TI - LAMARCK AND 'A PERFECTING TENDENCY.'. PMID- 17775693 TI - SOME PROBLEMS IN FUNDAMENTAL ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17775694 TI - THE EARTH'S CORE. PMID- 17775696 TI - CELL INCLUSIONS AND THE LIFE CYCLE OF AZOTOBACTER CHROOCOCCUM. PMID- 17775695 TI - THE NEW AMERICAN DICTIONARY. PMID- 17775697 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SECTION OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17775699 TI - THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE. PMID- 17775698 TI - INLAND BIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES. PMID- 17775700 TI - THE EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS AT PARIS. PMID- 17775702 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17775701 TI - MR. TESLA AND THE UNIVERSE---HUMAN ENERGY AND HOW TO INCREASE IT--HIS PHILOSOPHIZING QUESTIONED. PMID- 17775703 TI - THE COAL FIELDS OF CHINA. PMID- 17775705 TI - Erratum. AB - The title of the report by K. Robie-Suh et al. (30 May, p. 1031) was incorrectly printed. It should have been "Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase from humans is inhibited by antibody to rat liver cytochrome P-450." PMID- 17775704 TI - Contribution to the ellipsoid algorithm. PMID- 17775706 TI - Automotive research. PMID- 17775707 TI - Energy from biomass. PMID- 17775708 TI - Sensors, controls, and man-machine interface for advanced teleoperation. AB - Some advances have been made in teleoperator technology through the introduction of various sensors, computers, automation, and new man-machine interface devices and techniques for remote manipulator control. The development of dexterous articulated mechanisms, smart sensors, flexible computer controls, intelligent man-machine interfaces, and innovative system designs for advanced teleoperation is, however, far from complete, and poses many interdisciplinary challenges. This article summarizes the state of the art, gives a brief outline of the basic problems, and presents the results of teleoperator research and development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. PMID- 17775709 TI - Expert and novice performance in solving physics problems. AB - Although a sizable body of knowledge is prerequisite to expert skill, that knowledge must be indexed by large numbers of patterns that, on recognition, guide the expert in a fraction of a second to relevant parts of the knowledge store. The knowledge forms complex schemata that can guide a problem's interpretation and solution and that constitute a large part of what we call physical intuition. PMID- 17775710 TI - Technology assessment, soviet style. AB - The Soviet Union is actively considering two plans to divert large northern lakes and rivers to the south of the country. If adopted, these would rank among the most expensive and complicated engineering projects ever undertaken, with unforeseeable but possibly far-reaching environmental effects. The plans, now at an advanced stage, have aroused a spirited public controversy, providing an unusual glimpse of Soviet policy-making and technology assessment. Major decisions are due by 1985. The question is, what will happen to the quality and openness of this debate as the political stakes rise and the time of decision draws near? PMID- 17775711 TI - U. S. Urged to reprocess nuclear fuel. PMID- 17775712 TI - Energy forecasts: sinking to new lows. PMID- 17775714 TI - SS 433, What Are You? PMID- 17775713 TI - DeVita to Head NCI. PMID- 17775715 TI - Carbon Budget Not So out of Whack. PMID- 17775716 TI - Memory as cognition. PMID- 17775717 TI - Plant science: report from china. PMID- 17775718 TI - Differentiation in prokaryotes. PMID- 17775719 TI - Assemblies in solution. PMID- 17775720 TI - Rare gas isotopes in hawaiian ultramafic nodules and volcanic rocks: constraint on genetic relationships. AB - Differences in the rare gas isotopic ratios, especially the ratios of helium-3 to helium-4 and of argon-40 to argon-36, in Hawaiian ultramafic nodules and phenocrysts in volcanic rocks indicate that the nodules and phenocrysts were derived from different sources. The isotopic ratios in ultramafic nodules are similar to those in oceanic tholeiites. The phenocrysts seem to have formed in equilibrium with source materials richer in primordial components than those of the oceanic tholeiites. Mixing between the sources is quite likely. PMID- 17775721 TI - Stratospheric sulfuric Acid layer: evidence for an anthropogenic component. AB - Recent measurements of small aerosol particles in the stratosphere over Laramie, Wyoming, indicate low-concentration background conditions. A comparison of measurements made some 20 years ago with the present background concentration reveals the possibility of an increase of 9 percent per year. Since the aerosol particles are predominantly sulfuric acid droplets which form in the stratosphere from tropospheric sulfur-containing gases, such an increase may be related to man made sulfur emissions. PMID- 17775722 TI - Anionic constitution of 1-atmosphere silicate melts: implications for the structure of igneous melts. AB - A structural model is proposed for the polymeric units in silicate melts quenched at 1 atmosphere. The anionic units that have been identified by the use of Raman spectroscopy are SiO(4)(4-) monomers, Si(2)O(7)(6-) dimers, SiO(3)(2-) chains or rings, Si(2)O(5)(2-) sheets, and SiO(2) three-dimensional units. The coexisting anionic species are related to specific ranges of the ratio of nonbridging oxygens to tetrahedrally coordinated cations (NBO/Si). In melts with 2.0 < NBO/Si < approximately 4.0, the equilibrium is of the type [See equation in the PDF file]. In melts with NBO/Si approximately 1.0 to 2.0, the equilibrium anionic species are given by [See equation in the PDF file]. In alkali-silicate melts with NBO/Si <~ 1.3 and in aluminosilicate melts with NBO/T < 1.0, where T is (Si + Al), the anionic species in equilibrium are given by [See equation in the PDF file]. In multicomponent melts with compositions corresponding to those of the major igneous rocks, the anionic species are TO(2), T(2)O(5), T(2)O(6), and TO(4), and the coexisting polymeric units are determined by the second and third of these disproportionation reactions. PMID- 17775723 TI - Spaceborne imaging radar: monitoring of ocean waves. AB - A well-organized, very low energy ocean swell system off the East Coast of the United States was tracked with the Seasat synthetic aperture radar from deep water, across the continental shelf, and into shallow, water. The results indicate that spaceborne imaging radar may be used to accurately measure ocean wavelength and direction, even in coastal areas and in the presence of a mixed ocean. PMID- 17775724 TI - Arctic steppe-tundra: a yukon perspective. AB - The first reliable, securely dated full- and late-glacial pollen stratigraphy from Eastern Beringia forces the rejection of the widely held hypothesis of a steppetundra or grassland associated with extinct vertebrates and early humans. The arctic-alpine fossil flora and low pollen influx suggest a sparse tundra similar to modern herb fell-field vegetation. PMID- 17775725 TI - Hormone-induced sexual differentiation of brain and behavior in zebra finches. AB - The male zebra finch sings, whereas the female does not. This behavioral dimorphism is correlated with the presence of morphological sex differences within the neural substrate that mediates this behavior, the song system. When a female chick is exposed to 17beta-estradiol her song system is subsequently masculinized. Either testosterone or 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone may then induce such a female to sing when an adult. PMID- 17775727 TI - THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. A RETROSPECT. PMID- 17775726 TI - THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION. PMID- 17775728 TI - SOME MATTERS OF FACT OVERLOOKED BY PROFESSOR WILSON. PMID- 17775730 TI - THE BITTER ROT DISEASE OF APPLES. PMID- 17775729 TI - THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY AND THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION. PMID- 17775731 TI - ORANGE COUNTY MASTODONS. PMID- 17775732 TI - THE TERTIARY OF THE SABINE RIVER. PMID- 17775733 TI - A NOTE ON METHODS OF ISOLATING COLON BACILLI. PMID- 17775734 TI - THE EGGS OF MOSQUITOES OF THE GENUS CULEX. PMID- 17775735 TI - RECENT ZOOPALEONTOLOGY. PMID- 17775736 TI - THE BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. PMID- 17775737 TI - INSTRUCTION OFFERED IN THE FISHERY COMMISSION LABORATORY AT BERGEN. PMID- 17775739 TI - EPIDEMICS OF CHOLERA FROM 1830 TO 1890. PMID- 17775738 TI - PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS OF SIR FREDERICK ABEL OF THE IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE. PMID- 17775740 TI - IMMORTALITY IN THE LIGHT OF MODERN DYNAMICS. PMID- 17775741 TI - DISCOVERY OF A FRESH-WATER LAKE NEAR THE SEA OF ARAL. PMID- 17775742 TI - HIGH WINDS AND BAROMETRIC PRESSURE. PMID- 17775743 TI - A JOURNEY IN COSTA RICA. PMID- 17775744 TI - HOUSEHOLD REFUSE. PMID- 17775745 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17775746 TI - Electric Storms and Tornadoes in France on Aug. 18 and 19, 1890. PMID- 17775747 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17775748 TI - Native Peoples of South America. PMID- 17775749 TI - Abbreviated Reference Citations. PMID- 17775750 TI - Shades of the Sacred Grove. PMID- 17775751 TI - Trends in Polarography. PMID- 17775752 TI - "Health for Peace" Bill: It Encourages But Cannot Require the Administration To Take Action. PMID- 17775754 TI - AAAS-Westinghouse Science Writing Competition Announced. PMID- 17775753 TI - Grant for Astrograph in Southern Hemisphere. PMID- 17775755 TI - AAAS Theobald Smith Award in the Medical Sciences. PMID- 17775756 TI - Atmospheric Research Group. PMID- 17775757 TI - Marine Planation of Tropical Limestone Islands. AB - Geological studies in the western Atlantic indicate that sea level is now near its highest position since the Pleistocene, and that intertidal erosion at this level has been negligible. The evidence conflicts with the idea that many coral reefs were recently planed down from a higher stand of the sea. PMID- 17775758 TI - Late Tertiary Microflora from the Basin and Range Province, Arizona. AB - Sediments of probable Clarendonian age from central Arizona have furnished the only late Tertiary pollen assemblage known from the Southwest. The associated trees, shrubs, and herbs resemble the chaparral and conifer-oak woodland communities of the semiarid foothills and mountains of central and southeastern Arizona, and suggest a late Tertiary landscape and climate for central Arizona similar to that of today. PMID- 17775759 TI - Antiozonants To Protect Plants from Ozone Damage. AB - Manganous 1,2-naphthoquinone-2-oxime protected tomato foliage in the field from damage apparently caused by excessive atmospheric ozone. The compound proved to be a very effective antiozonant. The similar cobaltous and manganous chelates of 8-quinolinol were also effective antiozonants. The materials were applied to cloth of the type used to make field tents for shade-grown tobacco. Tomato plants covered with cloth treated with cobaltous 8-quinolinolate were protected against otherwise damaging concentrations of ozone. These materials and methods may afford a useful way to reduce weather fleck of tobacco and other plant injuries caused by excessive atmospheric ozone. PMID- 17775760 TI - Serial Lactic Dehydrogenase Activity in Plasma of Mice with Growing or Regressing Tumors. AB - Close correlation has been observed between the serially tested plasma level of a glycolytic enzyme, lactic dehydrogenase, and the growth of several transplanted mouse tumors. The character of the lactic dehydrogenase curve determined by serial blood sampling of the animals during the development of such tumors is found to consist of five separate phases. The first three appear before any visible evidence of tumor growth. Inhibition or regression of tested tumors, induced by therapeutic compounds, was accurately reflected in a corresponding reduction of lactic dehydrogenase activity in the peripheral plasma of the host. PMID- 17775761 TI - Communicative Mandible-Snapping in Acrididae (Orthoptera). AB - Paratylotropidia brunneri Scudder is the first insect known to possess a long range mandibular sound signal. This signal probably evolved through a stage in which feeding noises were significant; it is believed to be a functional analog of other insect calling sounds. PMID- 17775762 TI - Food Additives. PMID- 17775764 TI - Preserving Our Science Archives. PMID- 17775763 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17775766 TI - Recent Theories About the Origin of the Solar System. PMID- 17775765 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17775767 TI - The Neurological and Behavioristic Psychological Basis of the Ordering of Society by Means of Ideas. PMID- 17775768 TI - Effect of Anoxia and Cytochrome C on Readily Hydrolyzable Phosphate of Rat Tissues. PMID- 17775769 TI - Sympathin E and Nor-Adrenaline. PMID- 17775770 TI - Essentiality of Calcium in the Nutrition of Fungi. PMID- 17775771 TI - Prevention of Trichobezoar in the Cotton Rat, Sigmodon hispidus hispidus. PMID- 17775772 TI - An Experimental Syndrome of Fatty Liver, Uric Acid Kidney Stones, and Acute Pancreatic Necrosis Produced in Dogs by Exclusive Feeding of Bacon. PMID- 17775773 TI - Photochemical Oxidation of Nicotine in the Presence of Methylene Blue. PMID- 17775774 TI - Transformation Products of Nicotine in Fermented Tobacco. PMID- 17775775 TI - A New Series of Reagents for the Colorimetric Determination of Steroids. PMID- 17775776 TI - Intravenous Methylene Blue for Studying Fiber Degeneration in the Central Nervous System. PMID- 17775778 TI - THE RELATION OF CHEMICAL LABORATORIES TO THE NATIONAL WELFARE. PMID- 17775777 TI - A Radio Frequency Coupled Tissue Stimulator. PMID- 17775779 TI - MILITARY GEOLOGY. PMID- 17775780 TI - AN INSTITUTE FOR THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND CIVILIZATION. PMID- 17775781 TI - POPULAR NAMES OF PLANTS. PMID- 17775782 TI - THE THEORY OF SEX AS STATED IN TERMS OF RESULTS OF STUDIES ON PIGEONS. PMID- 17775783 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17775784 TI - Status of the department of energy. PMID- 17775785 TI - African dinosaur discoveries. PMID- 17775786 TI - African dinosaur discoveries. PMID- 17775788 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - In figure ID (p. 680) of the report "Genetic decreases in atrial natriuretic peptide and salt-sensitive hypertension" by Simon W. M. John et al. (3 Feb., p. 679), the size bars to the right and left of the Southern blot were not correctly aligned in relation to the dark bands. PMID- 17775787 TI - Response. PMID- 17775789 TI - Crankcase art? PMID- 17775790 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17775791 TI - Earthly politics boosts space probe. PMID- 17775793 TI - Dinosaur embryos spark excitement, concern. PMID- 17775792 TI - NRC Urges Sea Change in Marine Studies. PMID- 17775794 TI - Uganda enlists locals in the battle to save the gorillas. PMID- 17775795 TI - Brain trust. PMID- 17775796 TI - Help for e.T. Search. PMID- 17775797 TI - Notes from the valley of kings. PMID- 17775798 TI - Etheric archives. PMID- 17775799 TI - Mme. Curie arrives. PMID- 17775801 TI - Bass poachers hooked by bug. PMID- 17775800 TI - Money Isn't Everything. PMID- 17775802 TI - Searching for the spin of the proton. PMID- 17775803 TI - A Close Look at an Active Galaxy's Engine. PMID- 17775804 TI - Tuning up an electromagnetic accordion. PMID- 17775805 TI - Unification of synchrotron radiation and inverse compton scattering. PMID- 17775806 TI - Properties of metallic nanowires: from conductance quantization to localization. AB - Material structures of reduced dimensions exhibit electrical and mechanical properties different from those in the bulk. Measurements of room-temperature electronic transport in pulled metallic nanowires are presented, demonstrating that the conductance characteristics depend on the length, lateral dimensions, state and degree of disorder, and elongation mechanism of the wire. Conductance during the elongation of short wires (length l approximately 50 angstroms) exhibits periodic quantization steps with characteristic dips, correlating with the order-disorder states of layers of atoms in the wire predicted by molecular dynamics simulations. The resistance R of wires as long as l approximately 400 angstroms exhibits localization characteristics with In R(l) approximately l(2). PMID- 17775807 TI - Spontaneous Magnetic Ordering in the Fullerene Charge-Transfer Salt (TDAE)C60. AB - The zero-field muon spin relaxation technique has been used in the direct observation of spontaneous magnetic order below a Curie temperature (T(c)) of approximately 16.1 kelvin in the fullerene charge-transfer salt (tetrakisdimethylaminoethylene)C(60) [(TDAE)C(60)]. Coherent ordering of the electronic magnetic moments leads to a local field of 68(1) gauss at the muon site at 3.2 kelvin (parentheses indicate the error in the last digit). Substantial spatially inhomogeneous effects are manifested in the distribution of the local fields, whose width amounts to 48(2) gauss at the same temperature. The temperature evolution of the internal magnetic field below the freezing temperature mirrors that of the saturation magnetization, closely following the behavior expected for collective spin wave (magnon) excitations. The transition to a ferromagnetic state with a T(c) higher than that of any other organic material is now authenticated. PMID- 17775808 TI - Kinetics of conversion of air bubbles to air hydrate crystals in antarctic ice. AB - The depth dependence of bubble concentration at pressures above the transition to the air hydrate phase and the optical scattering length due to bubbles in deep ice at the South Pole are modeled with diffusion-growth data from the laboratory, taking into account the dependence of age and temperature on depth in the ice. The model fits the available data on bubbles in cores from Vostok and Byrd and on scattering length in deep ice at the South Pole. It explains why bubbles and air hydrate crystals coexist in deep ice over a range of depths as great as 800 meters and predicts that at depths below approximately 1400 meters the AMANDA neutrino observatory at the South Pole will operate unimpaired by light scattering from bubbles. PMID- 17775809 TI - Dike injection and the formation of megaplumes at ocean ridges. AB - A simple hydrologic model of seawater circulation at ocean ridge axes implies that the transient occurrence of large volumes of buoyant, heated water in the oceanic water column (megaplumes) can be attributed to the emplacement of dikes in oceanic crust. For dikes to generate megaplume flow, the permeability of both the recharge areas and the upflow zone must be greater than that required for ordinary black smokers. An increase in permeability in the upflow zone by several orders of magnitude results from dike emplacement, and megaplume discharge ceases as the dike cools. Vigorous black smoker venting may not persist very long at a megaplume site after the event occurs. PMID- 17775810 TI - Effect of predators and area on invasion: an experiment with island spiders. AB - To assay the effect of area and predators on invasion success, spiders were introduced onto islands that were large, with lizard predators; large, without lizard predators; or small, without lizard predators. Short-term survival was greater on islands without than with predators; area had no effect. Spiders initially increased substantially on both groups of islands without lizards, but after 5 years they nearly died off on small islands while persisting on most large islands; populations in the presence of predators never increased above initial sizes. Results show how predators as well as area are important in determining invasion success. PMID- 17775811 TI - Vignettes: a low-key profession. PMID- 17775812 TI - Neanderthal carnivory. PMID- 17775813 TI - Other books of interest. PMID- 17775814 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17775815 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17775816 TI - The prime meridian. PMID- 17775817 TI - Systematic earthquake observation. PMID- 17775818 TI - A wider use for scientific libraries. PMID- 17775819 TI - American pearls. PMID- 17775820 TI - The Delaware estuary. PMID- 17775821 TI - Minerals near Philadelphia. PMID- 17775822 TI - PSYCHICAL RESEARCH IN AMERICA. PMID- 17775823 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR STATIONS. PMID- 17775824 TI - PSYCHIC FORCE. PMID- 17775825 TI - THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION. PMID- 17775826 TI - RADIANT MATTER IN AN EDISON LAMP. PMID- 17775827 TI - THE MERIDIAN CONFERENCE. PMID- 17775828 TI - TURNER'S SAMOA. PMID- 17775829 TI - SEMITIC NOTES. PMID- 17775831 TI - THE HOME RAMBLES OF AN AMERICAN NATURALIST. PMID- 17775830 TI - THE LIFE OF ELLEN WATSON. PMID- 17775832 TI - THE DISCUSSION ON STORAGE-BATTERIES BEFORE THE ELECTRICAL CONFERENCE IN PHILADELPHIA. PMID- 17775833 TI - SHALL WE LOSE OR KEEP OUR PLANT AND ANIMAL STOCKS. PMID- 17775834 TI - DISEASE OF THE HEART. II. PMID- 17775835 TI - REHABILITATION OF THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED. PMID- 17775836 TI - THE ARGENTINE DECLARATION. PMID- 17775838 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17775837 TI - THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. PMID- 17775839 TI - COMPARATIVE SCIENTIFIC STRENGTH OF UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17775840 TI - THE EFFECT OF MOTION PICTURES ON BODY TEMPERATURE. PMID- 17775841 TI - GROWING RUBBER IN COSTA RICA. PMID- 17775842 TI - WAR RESEARCH AT MELLON INSTITUTE, 1944-5. PMID- 17775843 TI - CRYSTALLIZATION OF SOUTHERN BEAN MOSAIC VIRUS. PMID- 17775845 TI - URINE SEDIMENT SMEARS AS A DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE IN CANCERS OF THE URINARY TRACT. PMID- 17775844 TI - INACTIVATION OF THE IRRITANT TOXICANTS OF POISON IVY AND RELATED COMPOUNDS BY TYROSINASE. AB - The action of mushroom tyrosinase on the oxidation of the irritant principles of poison ivy and on related toxic compounds has been demonstrated by measuring oxygen consumption, color change, decrease in phenolic groups and reduction in dermatitis-producing properties of these compounds on human and guinea-pig skin. The action of tyrosinase on poison ivy toxicants occurs both in vitro and on the human skin. PMID- 17775846 TI - NOTE ON THE ADSORPTION OF THROMBIN ON FIBRIN. PMID- 17775847 TI - MICROVISCOMETER. PMID- 17775848 TI - AN EASILY ASSEMBLED MACHINE FOR MAKING COTTON PLUGS FOR CULTURE TUBES. PMID- 17775849 TI - THE USE OF DOUBLE-CYCLE A AND B SCALES ON STRAIGHT SLIDE RULES. PMID- 17775850 TI - THE MUTUAL RELATIONS OF MEDICAL PROGRESS AND THE PHYSICIAN. PMID- 17775851 TI - A NATIONAL UNIVERSITY BASED ON NATIONAL IDEALS. PMID- 17775852 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF THE COLLEGE STUDENT. PMID- 17775854 TI - THE AMERICAN MINE SAFETY ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17775853 TI - THE CROCKER LAND EXPEDITION. PMID- 17775855 TI - A NEW METHOD FOR LABELING MICROSCOPIC SLIDES. PMID- 17775857 TI - THE YELLOWSTONE PARK. PMID- 17775856 TI - COLOR CORRELATION IN GARDEN BEANS. PMID- 17775858 TI - THE METRIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17775859 TI - THE NEGATIVE PHOTOTROPISM OF DIAPTOMUS THROUGH THE AGENCY OF CAFFEIN, STRYCHNIN AND ATROPIN. PMID- 17775860 TI - A NEW SECTION SOUTH FROM DES MOINES, IOWA. PMID- 17775861 TI - THE POWDERY SCAB OF POTATO (SPONGOSPORA SOLANI) IN MAINE. PMID- 17775863 TI - THE PRESENT SITUATION IN FORESTRY, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO STATE FORESTRY. PMID- 17775862 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS. PMID- 17775864 TI - OCCURRENCE OF PLEISTOCENE VERTEBRATES IN AN ASPHALT DEPOSIT NEAR MCKITTRICK, CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17775866 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS COMMITTEE. PMID- 17775865 TI - SPECIAL OIL-IMMERSION OBJECTIVES FOR DARK-FIELD MICROSCOPY. PMID- 17775867 TI - AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF HELMHOLTZ'S "OPTIK". PMID- 17775868 TI - THE PROGRAM OF THE SECTION OF BOTANY FOR THE TORONTO MEETING. PMID- 17775869 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17775870 TI - FOSSIL MAN FROM RHODESIA. PMID- 17775871 TI - THE TWENTIETH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICANISTS. PMID- 17775872 TI - INHIBITORY EFFECT OF DERMAL SECRETION OF THE SEA-URCHIN UPON THE FERTILIZABILITY OF THE EGG. PMID- 17775873 TI - SIMPLE METHOD OF BLEEDING RABBITS. PMID- 17775875 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17775874 TI - ADSORPTION BY SOIL COLLOIDS. PMID- 17775876 TI - AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17775877 TI - Agriculture and Urban Life in Early Southwestern Iran: Archeological survey provides a basis for observing broad changes during 7000 years of sedentary life. PMID- 17775878 TI - Drug Screening and Evaluative Procedures: Current approaches do not provide the information needed for properly predicting drug effects in man. PMID- 17775880 TI - First Strike: Some Notes on Nuclear Semantics. PMID- 17775879 TI - "Productivity" of Undergraduate Institutions: New analyses show that a college's output of doctors of philosophy depends largely on its input of students. AB - A new method for evaluating the "Ph.D. productivity" of undergraduate institutions was applied to a sample of 265 institutions. It was found that a college's actual Ph.D. output can be predicted relatively accurately from an "expected" output based on the sex, major fields, and intelligence level of its students. Public institutions were found to be significantly overproductive, and eastern men's colleges and universities were found to be significantly underproductive. Previous findings indicating that the faculty had a causative effect on productivity were not confirmed. These results suggest that Ph.D. productivity may not be a sensitive measure of the effectiveness of undergraduate institutions. PMID- 17775881 TI - Space Accord: NASA's Enthusiasm for East-West Cooperation Is Not Shared by Pentagon. PMID- 17775882 TI - Federal Aid to Education: How Much and Where It Is Going Now under Study by House Committee. PMID- 17775884 TI - Direct Tabular Method for Obtaining the Order of a Reaction of a Restricted Class. AB - When the rate law of a process can be written in the form X' = dx/dt = -kX(m), the order m = XX''/(X')(2) may be calculated directly, in lieu of the usual trial and-error methods. An analytical method is used to calculate the derivatives X' and X'' from the collected data, X, and t. PMID- 17775883 TI - Oxidation of Carbon-14 Labeled Galactose by Subjects with Congenital Galactosemia. AB - Galactose-1-C(14) oxidation was studied in eight individuals with congenital galactosemia. Although two of these subjects fulfilled the usual diagnostic criteria for this disorder, they oxidized the intravenously administered sugar to C(14)O(2) in a nearly normal fashion. PMID- 17775885 TI - Application of Automation to Urinary Steroid Assays. PMID- 17775886 TI - "Projections" versus "Forecasts" in Human Population Studies. PMID- 17775888 TI - Girdles and Griddles. PMID- 17775887 TI - Scientists and the CIA. PMID- 17775889 TI - Electroplax and Nerve Activity. PMID- 17775891 TI - Science Curriculum in Argentina. PMID- 17775890 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17775892 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17775893 TI - A Two-Way Affair. PMID- 17775894 TI - Sparing Action of Folic Acid by Thymidine. PMID- 17775895 TI - Statue of Claude Bernard. PMID- 17775897 TI - Electronics and the Life Sciences. PMID- 17775896 TI - Messages from Other Worlds. PMID- 17775898 TI - Studies of Starvation. PMID- 17775900 TI - A Concerted Attempt To Improve Relations with the Communists. PMID- 17775899 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17775901 TI - Science, Linguistics, Lexicography. PMID- 17775903 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17775902 TI - Simulation of Cognitive Processes. PMID- 17775904 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17775905 TI - Recording Animal Activity. PMID- 17775906 TI - An Unfortunate Event. PMID- 17775908 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17775907 TI - Letter to the Editor. PMID- 17775909 TI - THE ATOMIC THEORY FROM THE STANDPOINT OF MAGNETISM. PMID- 17775911 TI - TWO UNPUBLISHED MONUMENTS TO AMERICAN SCHOLARSHIP. PMID- 17775910 TI - EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AND THE WORK OF THE MOSCOW INSTITUTE. PMID- 17775912 TI - ALEXANDER DYER MacGILLIVRAY. PMID- 17775914 TI - THE RECENT DISCOVERY OF PLATINUM IN SOUTH AFRICA. PMID- 17775913 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17775915 TI - PALAEONTOLOGISCHE GESELLSCHAFT. PMID- 17775916 TI - CORRECTION OF NET ENERGY VALUES. PMID- 17775917 TI - A NEW FORM OF THE EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE IN OPTICAL SPECTRA. PMID- 17775918 TI - ABSORPTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE THE FIRST STEP IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS. PMID- 17775919 TI - THE ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17775920 TI - THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17775921 TI - THE VIRGINIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17775922 TI - Biotechnology: A New Fundamental in the Training of Engineers. PMID- 17775923 TI - Technological Gains and Their Uses: A Review of Some Recent Economic Changes. PMID- 17775924 TI - James Hopwood Jeans 1877-1946. PMID- 17775925 TI - Boston Meeting Statistics. PMID- 17775926 TI - COMMENTS by Readers. PMID- 17775927 TI - Comparative Toxicity of DDT Isomers and Related Compounds to Mosquito Larvae and Fish. AB - The p, p'-DDT isomer is several times as toxic as the o,p'-DDT isomer to both goldfish and mosquito larvae. The methoxy analogue equals DDT in toxicity to fish, but is less toxic to mosquito larvae. On the other hand, the DDD analogue ranks about as high as DDT in toxicity to mosquito larvae, but appears to be less toxic to goldfish. PMID- 17775928 TI - The Functions of the Intercortical Neurones in Sensorimotor Coordination and Thinking in Man. PMID- 17775929 TI - Penicillin Site of Action. PMID- 17775930 TI - Leptospiral Infection Among Rodents in Micronesia. PMID- 17775931 TI - Chemical Sterilization of Bacteriological Media by Means of Mercuric Oxycyanide and Subsequent Inactivation of the Mercurial by Thioglycolate. PMID- 17775933 TI - A Spray Mixture Useful for Thinning Apples After Bloom. PMID- 17775932 TI - Cross-Sections of Undistorted Human Hair. PMID- 17775934 TI - An Operative Approach to the Treatment of Schistosomiasis mansoni Infections. PMID- 17775935 TI - Stability of Crystalline Sodium Penicillin G. PMID- 17775937 TI - THE NATIONAL ROSTER OF SCIENTIFIC AND SPECIALIZED PERSONNEL: A PROGRESS REPORT. PMID- 17775936 TI - Radiographs With C14. PMID- 17775938 TI - REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT TO COUNCIL OF AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17775940 TI - SIR JOSEPH JOHN THOMSON. PMID- 17775939 TI - MEMBERSHIP OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17775941 TI - THE DIVISIONAL PROGRAMS FOR THE ST. LOUIS MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17775942 TI - SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENTS IN THE U.S.S.R. PMID- 17775943 TI - SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS. PMID- 17775945 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS. PMID- 17775944 TI - PRESENTATION OF A PORTRAIT OF PROFESSOR COHEN. PMID- 17775946 TI - GENERAL OR SPECIAL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17775947 TI - CATALOGUE OF NORTH AMERICAN EARLY TERTIARY FOSSILS OF THE GULF AND ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN. PMID- 17775948 TI - ILLUSIONS IN PRINTED MATTER. PMID- 17775949 TI - PRODUCTION FROM SUCROSE OF A-SERO-LOGICALLY REACTIVE POLYSACCHARIDE BY A STERILE BACTERIAL EXTRACT. PMID- 17775950 TI - ON VITAMINS IN WHEAT GERM. PMID- 17775951 TI - A METHOD FOR MAKING SNOWFLAKE REPLICAS. PMID- 17775953 TI - VOLAPUK. PMID- 17775952 TI - THE USE OF INFRA-RED FILM FOR ELECTROPHORETIC AND ULTRACENTRIFUGAL ANALYSES. PMID- 17775954 TI - THE PEOPLES OF SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE. PMID- 17775955 TI - VALUES IN CLASSIFICATION OF THE STAGES OF GROWTH AND DECLINE, AND PROPOSITIONS FOR A NEW NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17775956 TI - MENTAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17775957 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17775958 TI - The 'Act of God' Once More. PMID- 17775959 TI - The Snow-Snake. PMID- 17775960 TI - The Pronunciation of 'Arkansas'. PMID- 17775961 TI - Weather-Predictions. PMID- 17775962 TI - The Iroquois Beach.--A Chapter in the History of Lake Ontario. PMID- 17775964 TI - Queries. PMID- 17775963 TI - Answers. PMID- 17775965 TI - Is there a Venomous Lizard? PMID- 17775967 TI - Sections of Fossils. PMID- 17775966 TI - The Influence of Forests upon Rainfall and Climate. PMID- 17775968 TI - Children's Development. PMID- 17775969 TI - Intelligence in Modern Life. PMID- 17775970 TI - Disastrous Definition. PMID- 17775971 TI - A Social Program. PMID- 17775973 TI - Methodological Note. PMID- 17775972 TI - Review of the Evidence. PMID- 17775974 TI - Ingle Replies. PMID- 17775975 TI - The Province of Science. PMID- 17775976 TI - A Question of Relevance. PMID- 17775977 TI - Unjustified Fears. PMID- 17775978 TI - Desalination of Water. PMID- 17775979 TI - Geology of the Crust and Mantle, Western United States: Geophysical data reveal a thin crust and anomalous upper mantle characteristic of active regions. AB - Seismic refraction, gravity, phase velocity, and magnetic data, coupled with the geologic record, are all approximately satisfied by the structure shown in Fig. 9. A 20-kilometer crust under the Coast Ranges and Great Valley thickens to more than 30 kilometers under the Sierra Nevada and parts of the Basin and Range province; this whole area is underlain by an anomalous upper mantle with a velocity and density about 3 percent less than normal. It is not likely that the anomalous mantle extends much deeper than 50 kilometers, and the lower boundary may be gradational. The thicker crust or "root" under the Sierran highland region (Sierra Nevada and western Basin Ranges) is not limited to the Sierra Nevada proper. The root and the voluminous plustonic rocks originated in the Mesozoic era, and they constitute the now consolidated core of the Cordilleran eugeosyncline. But it must not be supposed that the root has persisted unchanged. The great mountain-building uplifts in the Cenozoic era must have been accompanied by large changes in the root and adjacent mantle. A zone of positive gravity and magnetic anomalies extending the length of the Great Valley is associated with mafic rocks of the western Sierra greenstone belt, an element of the Cordilleran eugeosyncline. Belts of maficto-intermediate lavas, accompanied by mafic and ultramafic intrusions, are marked by similar anomalies in other ancient geosynclines. An anomalous upper mantle of plagioclase peridotite, an expanded phase of the normal mantle, could explain about 1 kilometer of the uplift that took place over much of the region in Cenozoic time. To explain all of the Cenozoic uplift in the Sierra Nevada and Basin Ranges by this means would require the hypothesis of a separation of the anomalous mantle into crust and normal mantle fractions, followed by a renewal of the anomalous mantle through the action of regional convection currents or local overturning in the upper mantle. The low-velocity zones for compressional and transverse waves in the upper mantle may be related to this problem. Whatever its origin and composition, an anomalous upper mantle characterizes many regions of present or recent tectonic activity, such as Japan and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (39). The anomalous mantle of western North America might form a continuous belt to the south, with anomalous mantle beneath the crest of the East Pacific Rise (40). The anomalous upper mantle may thus be an essential part of the heat engine driving the tectonic activity of these regions. The Basin and Range region was broken into blocks and laterally extended during the Cenozoic uplift, so that some blocks lagged behind, or sank. Some of the intricate disruption of the upper crust may be related to shallow Cenozoic volcanism. The relatively large and rigid Sierra Nevada block may have been tilted westward during Basin-Range deformation because of the high density of greenstones on the west side and the lower density of granitic rocks to the east. Man's environment, in the longer view of geologic time, is strongly influenced by mountain-building processes originating in the earth's crust and mantle. In the scale of a few lifetimes, climate, sea level, and the shape of the land are appreciably altered. How this comes about, and whether man can hope to influence the processes, are challenging, unsolved problems. But enough has now been learned about the crust and mantle to suggest precisely what questions must be answered and what critical experiments performed. Note added in proof: Osborne (42) has directed our attention to the possibility that the granitic rocks and also the andesites and dacites were formed by fractional crystallization of basaltic magma under conditions of high oxygen pressure. This possibility in no way conflicts with the geophysical data. In fact, such direct additions to the silicic upper crust from the mantle or lower crust would simplify the perplexing problem of how the crust is replenished in areas of great erosion. PMID- 17775980 TI - Venture into Politics: Scientists and Engineers in the Election Campaign (II). PMID- 17775981 TI - Centers of Excellence: New NSF Science Development Program Aims at "Second 20" Universities. PMID- 17775982 TI - Modern Graywacke-Type Sands. AB - A preliminary study of more than 100 deep-sea cores from abyssal plains has revealed two examples of recent muddy sands of the graywacke type which, together with the microcrystalline matrix, form a bimodal-size distribution sands have a well-sorted framework of quartz, feldspar, and rock fragments which, together with the microcrystalline matrix, form a bimodal-size distribution that is also typical of ancient graywackes. The matrix is considered to be primary. PMID- 17775983 TI - Variations of Nitrogen-15 Abundance in Soils. AB - A survey of the isotopic composition of soil nitrogen has shown that there is variation in the abundance of nitrogen-15 in soils and in different forms of soil nitrogen. The variation detected is small, but it cannot be attributed to analytical errors and should be considered in studies of nitrogen transformation in soils when nitrogen-15 is used as a tracer. PMID- 17775984 TI - Marshes Prograding in Oregon: Aerial Photographs. AB - When nearly circular clumps of vegetation abound in aerial photographs of mud flats in estuaries in regions of temperate climate the indication is that the marsh is expanding rapidly. PMID- 17775985 TI - Ancient Copper and Copper-Arsenic Alloy Artifacts: Composition and Metallurgical Implications. AB - Various copper and copper-arsenic alloy artifacts from the Dead Sea area lack the tin and zinc that are normal trace elements. The trace elements found in the artifacts suggest that a copper sulf-arsenate ore was used in making some of them. The metallurgical use of such ore around 3000 B.C. has not been previously reported. PMID- 17775986 TI - Agricultural Meteorology. PMID- 17775987 TI - Orbits in the Solar and Stellar Systems. PMID- 17775988 TI - Virus Infections in Cold-Blooded Vertebrates. PMID- 17775990 TI - Radio Astronomy. PMID- 17775989 TI - Thin Films: Nucleation, Growth, and Structure. PMID- 17775991 TI - Learning, Remembering, and Forgetting. PMID- 17775993 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17775992 TI - Optics--An Action Program. PMID- 17775994 TI - Capital Gain. PMID- 17775996 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17775995 TI - Economic Implications of Urban Growth: This country lacks a public policy to meet the growing problems of dispersed urban settlement. PMID- 17775997 TI - Space Charge in Exhaust of Motor Vehicles. AB - Exhaust gases are electrically charged, usually positively but sometimes negatively. This charge does not depend on the electric potential of the vehicle. Whether the charge is positive or negative seems to depend on whether water droplets or carbon particles predominate in the exhaust. PMID- 17775998 TI - Dissolution of Interlayers from Intergradient Soil Clays after Preheating at 400{degrees}C. AB - Dehydroxylated interlayers have been removed from chlorite-vermiculite montmorillonite intergrades by boiling the preheated sample in 0.5N NaOH for 2.5 minutes. Elements extracted can be conveniently analyzed spectrophotometrically. A convenient method of estimating the amount of elements present in interlayer positions and preparing the sample for analysis for expanding and nonexpanding mineral components is thus provided. PMID- 17776000 TI - THE UNITED STATES NAVAL OBSERVATORY, WASHINGTON. PMID- 17776001 TI - A BIT OF SUMMER WORK. PMID- 17776002 TI - ELECTRICITY AS POWER. PMID- 17776003 TI - SCIENCE AND INVESTMENT. PMID- 17776004 TI - A PLEA FOR TERRESTRIAL AND COSMICAL PHYSICS. PMID- 17776005 TI - REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY APPOINTED TO COOPERATE WITH THE NATIONAL CONSERVATION COMMISSION. PMID- 17776007 TI - SIR WILLIAM RAMSAY ON TRANSFORMATION OF THE ELEMENTS. PMID- 17776006 TI - CITY BOYS VERSUS COUNTRY BOYS. PMID- 17776008 TI - POISONOUS EMANATIONS FROM FERRO-SILICON. PMID- 17776009 TI - THE PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CREATIN AND CREATININ. PMID- 17776010 TI - SECTION D-MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. PMID- 17776011 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17776013 TI - Graduate students in math. PMID- 17776012 TI - A serious parlor game. PMID- 17776014 TI - The Global Flight Over Plant Genes: Developing and developed countries face off at a recent FAO meeting over access to germplasm. PMID- 17776016 TI - Polynesians' Litter Gives Clues to Islands' History: The natural history of many of the Pacific Islands, once thought to be virtually pristine, turns out to have been significantly distorted by recent human activity. PMID- 17776015 TI - New Test Finds "Certified" Primes in Record Time: A new way to test for primes numbers is the first to use modern mathematics for this old problem and can quickly prove that a number is or is not a prime. PMID- 17776017 TI - The meteorological satellite: overview of 25 years of operation. AB - The first weather satellite was launched on 1 April 1960. In the 25 years since, weather satellites have contributed to improved weather analyses and forecasts worldwide. As a maturing component of a global observing system, the meteorological satellite promises even greater financial benefits and a higher quality of life to mankind. PMID- 17776018 TI - Terrestrial Observations from NOAA Operational Satellites. AB - Important applications to oceanography, hydrology, and agriculture have been developed from operational satellites of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and are currently expanding rapidly. Areas of interest involving the oceans include sea surface temperature, ocean currents, and ocean color. Satellites can monitor various hydrological phenomena, including regional and global snow cover, river and sea ice extent, and areas of global inundation. Agriculturally important quantities derived from operational satellite observations include precipitation, daily temperature extremes, canopy temperatures, insolation, and snow cover. This overview describes the current status of each area. PMID- 17776019 TI - What Perturbs the ggrdgr Rings of Uranus? AB - The gamma and delta rings have by far the largest radial perturbations of any of the nine known Uranian rings. These two rings deviate from Keplerian orbits, having typical root-mean-square residuals of about 3 kilometers (compared to a few hundred meters for the other seven known rings). Possible causes for the perturbations include nearby shepherd satellites and Lindblad resonances. If shepherd satellites are responsible, they could be as large as several tens of kilometers in diameter. The perturbation patterns of the gamma and delta rings have been examined for evidence of Lindblad resonances of azimuthal wave number m = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. The beta ring radial residuals are well matched by a 2:1 Lindblad resonance. If this represents a real physical phenomenon and is not an artifact of undersampling, then the most plausible interpretation is that there is an undiscovered satellite orbiting 76,522 +/- 8 kilometers from Uranus, with an orbital period of 15.3595 +/- 0.0001 hours and a radius of 75 to 100 kilometers. Such a satellite would be easily detected by the Voyager spacecraft when it encounters Uranus. The 2:1 resonance location is 41 +/- 9 kilometers inside the delta ring, which makes it unlikely that the resonance is due to a viscous instability within the ring. In contrast, no low-order Lindblad resonance matches the gamma ring perturbations, which are probably caused by one or more shepherd satellites large enough to be clearly visible in Voyager images. PMID- 17776020 TI - Model for the intrusion of batholiths associated with the eruption of large volume ash-flow tuffs. AB - Pyroclastic eruption and the intrusion of batholiths associated with large-volume ash-flow tuffs may be driven by a decrease in reservoir pressure caused by the low density of the magma column due to vesiculation. Batholithic intrusion would then be accomplished by the subsidence and settling of kilometer-sized crustal blocks through the magma chamber, resulting in eventual collapse to form large caldera structures at the surface. Such a model does not require the formation of a large, laterally extensive, shallow magma chamber before the onset of large volume ash-flow eruptions. Eruption could commence directly from a deeper reservoir, with only a small channelway being opened to the surface before the onset of catastrophic ash-flow eruptions of the scale of Yellowstone or Long Valley. Such a model has wide-ranging implications, and explains many of the problems inherent in the simple collapse model involving shallow magna chambers as well as the process and timing of batholith intrusion in such cases. PMID- 17776021 TI - Lasing droplets: highlighting the liquid-air interface by laser emission. AB - When dye-doped ethanol droplets are irradiated with an intense pulsed laser beam, the resulting laser emission from individual droplets highlights the liquid-air interface. Photographs of the lasing droplets in the micrometer size range taken in a single 10-nanosecond laser pulse clearly show the dynamic changes in droplet size, shape, and orientation. PMID- 17776022 TI - Bacterial grazing by planktonic lake algae. AB - Six common species of lake algae were found to ingest bacteria. The ingestion rates measured were of the same magnitude as those recorded for marine microflagellates totally dependent on external sources of carbon. A large biomass of Dinobryon species removed more bacteria from the water column of a lake than crustaceans, rotifers, and ciliates combined. PMID- 17776023 TI - Diet-induced head allometry among foliage-chewing insects and its importance for graminivores. AB - Individuals of the grass-feeding caterpillar of Pseudaletia unipuncta, reared from hatching on hard grass, had head masses twice as great as those of caterpillars fed soft artificial diet, even though the larvae reached the same body mass. Larvae reared on soft wheat seedlings had intermediate head masses. Thus muscular effort increases muscular development in an insect, which in turn has a dramatic morphogenetic effect on head size. Size differences in the head capsules, with the correlated differences in mandibular power, have a direct effect on the ability of the insects to ingest hard foods rapidly: larger heads are adaptive for dealing with hard grasses. PMID- 17776024 TI - The sympathochromaffin system and the pituitary-adrenocortical response to hypoglycemia. PMID- 17776025 TI - The sympathochromaffin system and the pituitary-adrenocortical response to hypoglycemia. PMID- 17776026 TI - Philadelphia: where it all began. PMID- 17776027 TI - The world of strategic planning: counsels of war. PMID- 17776028 TI - Blacks in science: black scientists, white society, and colorless science. PMID- 17776029 TI - A Division in Chemistry: Science versus Practice. PMID- 17776031 TI - Medical school funding. PMID- 17776030 TI - Northern habitations: prehistory of the eastern arctic. PMID- 17776032 TI - International cooperation in Earth sciences. PMID- 17776033 TI - Submarine thermal sprirngs on the galapagos rift. AB - The submarine hydrothermal activity on and near the Galapagos Rift has been explored with the aid of the deep submersible Alvin. Analyses of water samples from hydrothermal vents reveal that hydrothermal activity provides significant or dominant sources and sinks for several components of seawater; studies of conductive and convective heat transfer suggest that two-thirds of the heat lost from new oceanic lithosphere at the Galapagos Rift in the first million years may be vented from thermal springs, predominantly along the axial ridge within the rift valley. The vent areas are populated by animal communities. They appear to utilize chemosynthesis by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria to derive their entire energy supply from reactions between the seawater and the rocks at high temperatures, rather than photosynthesis. PMID- 17776035 TI - Another successful quake forecast. PMID- 17776034 TI - Mobilizing technology for developing countries. AB - A new problem in technology policy-a discipline hitherto largely concerned with the modern industrial sector-is posed by the need for technology suited to creating productive jobs and providing minimum public services at a cost and level of sophistication within the reach of poor people in developing countries. Careful consideration must be given to overall and sectoral development objectives, economic and manpower resources, and the local institutional and sociocultural context. This may indicate the need for both hardware innovation, such as low-cost alternatives to waterborne sewerage, and social ("software") innovation, such as training large numbers of supervisors to implement improved technologies for labor-intensive civil works. PMID- 17776036 TI - Scholarly exchanges with china. PMID- 17776037 TI - Soviet jailings hit by 2400. PMID- 17776038 TI - Yankee know-how and the oil of ole. PMID- 17776039 TI - Lab at memphis state hit by xylene killer. PMID- 17776041 TI - A transformation in physics. PMID- 17776040 TI - Save the bureaucracy or the sea turtle? PMID- 17776042 TI - Historical genetics. PMID- 17776043 TI - Social behavior. PMID- 17776044 TI - Auditory systems. PMID- 17776045 TI - Molybdenum disulfide in the poorly crystalline "rag" structure. AB - Molybdenum disulfide has been prepared in an unusual poorly crystalline form, termed the "rag" structure, consisting of several stacked but highly folded and disordered S-Mo-S layers. This previously unknown structure demonstrates the flexible and macromolecular nature of the layered transition metal dichalcogenides. The determination of this structure provides a basis for understanding its highly broadened x-ray diffraction pattern and relatively low surface area, and is a starting point for optimizing the catalytic and surface properties of molybdenum disulfide. PMID- 17776046 TI - Cryptic bioluminescence in a midwater shrimp. AB - The mesopelagic shrimp Sergestes similis emits ventrally directed bioluminescence that closely matches the intensity of downward-directed illumination and is able to rapidly modify its light output to match changes in background intensity. Masking experiments show that the photoreceptors involved are the compound eyes or adjacent tissues. Light emission originates from modified portions of the hepatopancreas and is similar to oceanic light in angular distribution and spectral characteristics. Normally oriented animals respond minimally to upward directed light. PMID- 17776047 TI - Chemical characterization of a hormone that promotes cell arrest in g2 in complex tissues. AB - A G(2|)factor in the cotyledons of Pisum sativum, which arrests the growth of cells in both roots and shoots in the G(2) stage of the cell cycle, has been isolated and identified as trigonelline (N-methylnicotinic acid). To our knowledge, trigonelline is the first hormone that effects cell arrest in complex tissues of plants and animals to be chemically identified. PMID- 17776048 TI - Red-absorbing visual pigment of butterflies. AB - Noninvasive photochemical and physiological experiments with intact butterflies of 17 species showed that nine species have a rhodopsin absorbing maximally at 610 nanometers, contained in retinular cells that are maximally sensitive at 610 nanometers. This is the longest-wavelength visual pigment known for an invertebrate. Eight species of butterflies lack the 610-nanometers rhodopsin. All species possess a rhodopsin absorbing maximally in the green region of the spectrum. PMID- 17776049 TI - HCN Did Not Condense to Give Heteropolypeptides on the Primitive Earth. PMID- 17776050 TI - Infant perception of visually presented objects. PMID- 17776052 TI - Gordon research conferences. PMID- 17776051 TI - Primate olfactory behavior. PMID- 17776053 TI - WARFARE AND NATURAL RESOURCES. PMID- 17776054 TI - THE NORTH AMERICAN RAGWEEDS AND THEIR OCCURRENCE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. PMID- 17776055 TI - JAMES MCGIFFERT 1868-1943. PMID- 17776056 TI - VISIT TO THE U.S.S.R. OF BRITISH SURGEONS. PMID- 17776057 TI - THE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS. PMID- 17776058 TI - RARE CHEMICALS. PMID- 17776060 TI - APPARENT TIME ACCELERATION WITH AGE. PMID- 17776059 TI - RESTORATION OF THE MUSEUM OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS. PMID- 17776061 TI - GEOLOGISTS IN WAR SERVICE. PMID- 17776063 TI - APPARENT TIME ACCELERATION WITH AGE. PMID- 17776062 TI - APPARENT TIME ACCELERATION WITH AGE. PMID- 17776064 TI - THE DIET OF CHINESE SOLDIERS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS IN WARTIME. PMID- 17776065 TI - FURTHER NOTE ON RUSSIAN NAMES. PMID- 17776066 TI - SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. PMID- 17776067 TI - THE VIRGINIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17776069 TI - THE ETHER SOLUBLE FRACTION OF NAVY BEANS AND THE DIGESTION OF STARCH. PMID- 17776068 TI - ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF INFLUENZA VIRUS B (LEE STRAIN). PMID- 17776070 TI - THE PROTECTIVE ACTION OF GLUCOSE IN BOVINE PLASMA AGAINST HEAT COAGULATION. PMID- 17776071 TI - THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. PMID- 17776073 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17776072 TI - THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. PMID- 17776074 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17776075 TI - HONEY ANTS IN UTAH. PMID- 17776076 TI - THE LUMINOSITY OF TERMITES. PMID- 17776077 TI - THE GOVERNMENT OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17776079 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17776078 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF EXTERNAL CONDITIONS UPON THE LIFE CYCLE OF HYDATINA SENTA. PMID- 17776080 TI - A REPORT ON THE FRESH-WATER PROTOZOA OF TAHITI. PMID- 17776081 TI - THE FOOD REQUIREMENTS OF GROWING CHILDREN. PMID- 17776082 TI - THE CONCURRENCE AND INTERRELATION OF VOLCANIC AND SEISMIC PHENOMENA. PMID- 17776083 TI - THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AND RESEARCH. PMID- 17776084 TI - THE MUTATION THEORY IN ANIMAL EVOLUTION. PMID- 17776085 TI - THE RIGIDITY OF THE EARTH. PMID- 17776086 TI - ANATOMIC NOMENCLATURE: AN OPEN LETTER TO PROFESSOR LLEWELLYS F. BARKER. PMID- 17776088 TI - LEFT-HANDEDNESS. PMID- 17776087 TI - THE RELATIVE MERITS OF THE 'ELIMINATION' AND 'FIRST SPECIES' METHOD IN FIXING THE TYPES OF GENERA--WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ORNITHOLOGY. PMID- 17776090 TI - THE HUXLEY LECTURE. PMID- 17776089 TI - GENERIC NAMES OF MERYCOIDODONTS. PMID- 17776091 TI - ORIGIN OF THE DEPRESSION KNOWN AS MONTEZUMA'S WELL, ARIZONA. PMID- 17776093 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17776092 TI - THE POTSDAM PHOTOMETRIC DURCHMUSTERUNG. PMID- 17776094 TI - CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS. PMID- 17776095 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17776096 TI - SOME PROBLEMS IN THE GENETICS OF THE FUNGI. PMID- 17776097 TI - CHEWING AS A TECHNIQUE OF RELAXATION. PMID- 17776098 TI - PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. PMID- 17776099 TI - FORMATION OF A LARGE ALCOHOL BEAD. PMID- 17776100 TI - THE USE OF PRONTOSIL AS A VITAL DYE FOR INSECTS AND PLANTS. PMID- 17776101 TI - NOTE ON WATER IN NON-AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS. PMID- 17776102 TI - CEREBRAL METABOLISM DURING FEVER. PMID- 17776103 TI - DETERMINATION OF THE VELOCITY OF SOUND IN A GAS; APPLICATION TO ANALYSIS OF MIXTURES OF HELIUM, OXYGEN AND NITROGEN. PMID- 17776104 TI - CRYSTALLINE SALMON PEPSIN. PMID- 17776105 TI - Irony Compounded. PMID- 17776106 TI - A Few Headaches: Priorities for Science; Preparing for the Test Ban Talks; the Rules Committee. PMID- 17776107 TI - Selective Viral and Rickettsial Serum Antibody Absorption by a Chromatographic Column. AB - Serum antibodies behave as cations at neutral pH and thus have low affinity for cellulose anion-exchange columns. Antigens of small size derived from adenovirus, influenza virus, and typhus rickettsiae, however, readily adsorbed to such columns. These adsorbed antigens specifically removed antibodies from antisera. This simple method permits antibody absorption by antigens ordinarily sedimented with difficulty. PMID- 17776108 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17776109 TI - ENGINEERING'S PART IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVILIZATION. PMID- 17776110 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17776111 TI - AN UNCOMMON METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF "g". PMID- 17776112 TI - SAFEGUARDING TYPE SPECIMENS. PMID- 17776113 TI - THE MANIFESTO BY A PHYSICIST. PMID- 17776114 TI - FOREIGN JOURNALS IN THE U.S.S.R. PMID- 17776115 TI - CHARACTERIZATION OF GONADOTROPIC HORMONES OF THE HYPOPHYSIS BY THEIR SUGAR AND GLUCOSAMINE CONTENT. PMID- 17776116 TI - A SELECTIVE ACTION OF URINE AND SERUM FROM PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT TUMORS ON EMBRYONAL AND NEWLY GROWING TISSUES. PMID- 17776118 TI - SPLITTING PROTEINS BY ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT. PMID- 17776117 TI - VITAMIN B1 IN CEREBROSPINAL FLUID. PMID- 17776119 TI - A METHOD FOR OBTAINING A CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENT OF SOIL MOISTURE UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS. PMID- 17776121 TI - A NEW DISSECTING APPLIANCE. PMID- 17776120 TI - SATISFACTORY SUBSTITUTE FOR SODA LIME IN RESPIRATION CALORIMETRY. PMID- 17776122 TI - SOME NEW ASPECTS OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF CHEMICAL STRUCTURE TO BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY. PMID- 17776123 TI - WILLIAM WILLIAMS HENDERSON 1879-1944. PMID- 17776124 TI - THE NUTRITION FOUNDATION. PMID- 17776126 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF TROPICAL MEDICINE. PMID- 17776125 TI - GRANTS OF THE NUFFIELD FOUNDATION. PMID- 17776127 TI - AWARDS OF THE TELEVISION BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17776129 TI - ECHOLOCATION BY BLIND MEN, BATS AND RADAR. PMID- 17776128 TI - THE OKLAHOMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17776130 TI - REVISTA SUDAMERICANA DE MORFOLOGIA. PMID- 17776132 TI - FURTHER REMARKS CONCERNING THE U.S.S.R. ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17776131 TI - MORTALITY AMONG GEOLOGISTS. PMID- 17776133 TI - THE ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION. PMID- 17776134 TI - THE Rh SERIES OF ALLELIC GENES. PMID- 17776135 TI - ANTIBACTERIAL SUBSTANCES IN ORGANS OF HIGHER PLANTS. PMID- 17776136 TI - A NEW PROCEDURE FOR THE BIOASSAY OF VITAMIN C. PMID- 17776137 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17776138 TI - Automotive fuel efficiency. PMID- 17776139 TI - Material girls. PMID- 17776140 TI - Material girls. PMID- 17776141 TI - Patents and indigenous rights. PMID- 17776142 TI - Pleistocene paleotemperatures. PMID- 17776144 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17776143 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - A 17 July News & Comment article by David P. Hamilton (p. 318) incorrectly placed a 20 July talk by Bernard Davis. That talk was held at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, not the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. PMID- 17776145 TI - Big physics provokes a backlash. PMID- 17776146 TI - Brookhaven: a physics enterprise zone? PMID- 17776147 TI - Space Experts Convene in The Nation's Capital. PMID- 17776148 TI - Russian scientists take to the waves. PMID- 17776149 TI - Barbara McClintock Dies at 90. PMID- 17776150 TI - ;Perfume' Controls Bee-havior. PMID- 17776151 TI - Mathematicians in the doldrums. PMID- 17776152 TI - Red Menace in the World's Oceans. PMID- 17776153 TI - New killers unmasked. PMID- 17776154 TI - Leaving Jupiter, Ulysses Heads For the Sun's South Pole. PMID- 17776155 TI - Ulysses spacecraft rendezvous with jupiter. PMID- 17776156 TI - Ulysses at jupiter: an overview of the encounter. AB - In February 1992, the Ulysses spacecraft flew through the giant magnetosphere of Jupiter. The primary objective of the encounter was to use the gravity field of Jupiter to redirect the spacecraft to the sun's polar regions, which will now be traversed in 1994 and 1995. However, the Ulysses scientific investigations were well suited to observations of the Jovian magnetosphere, and the encounter has resulted in a major contribution to our understanding of this complex and dynamic plasma environment. Among the more exciting results are (i) possible entry into the polar cap, (ii) the identification of magnetospheric ions originating from Jupiter's ionosphere, lo, and the solar wind, (iii) observation of longitudinal asymmetries in density and discrete wave-emitting regions of the lo plasma torus, (iv) the presence of counter-streaming ions and electrons, field-aligned currents, and energetic electron and radio bursts in the dusk sector on high latitude magnetic field lines, and (v) the identification of the direction of the magnetic field in the dusk sector, which is indicative of tailward convection. This overview serves as an introduction to the accompanying reports that present the preliminary scientific findings. Aspects of the encounter that are common to all of the investigations, such as spacecraft capabilities, the flight path past Jupiter, and unique aspects of the encounter, are presented herein. PMID- 17776157 TI - Volcanic Activity on lo at the Time of the Ulysses Encounter. AB - The population of heavy ions in lo's torus is ultimately derived from lo volcanism. Groundbased infrared observations of lo between October 1991 and March 1992, contemporaneous with the 8 February 1992 Ulysses observations of the lo torus, show that volcanic thermal emission was at the low end of the normal range at all lo longitudes during this period. In particular, the dominant hot spot Loki was quiescent. Resolved images show that there were at least four hot spots on lo's Jupiter-facing hemisphere, including Loki and a long-lived spot on the leading hemisphere (Kanehekili), of comparable 3.5-micrometer brightness but higher temperature. PMID- 17776158 TI - Imaging Obsearvations of Jupiter's Sodium Magneto-Nebula During the Ulysses Encounter. AB - Jupiter's great sodium nebula represents the largest visible structure traversed by the Ulysses spacecraft during its encounter with the planet in February 1992. Ground-based imaging conducted on Mount Haleakala, Hawaii, revealed a nebula that extended to at least +/-300 Jovian radii (spanning approximately 50 million kilometers); it was somewhat smaller in scale and less bright than previously observed. Analysis of observations and results of modeling studies suggest reduced volcanic activity on the moon lo, higher ion temperatures in the plasma torus, lower total plasma content in the torus, and fast neutral atomic clouds along the Ulysses inbound trajectory through the magnetosphere. Far fewer neutrals were encountered by the spacecraft along its postencounter, out-of ecliptic trajectory. PMID- 17776159 TI - Hubble space telescope imaging of the north polar aurora on jupiter. AB - The first direct images of the Jovian aurora at ultraviolet wavelengths were obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope Faint Object Camera near the time of the Ulysses spacecraft encounter with Jupiter on 8 February 1992. The auroral oval is not uniformly luminous. It exhibits a brightness minimum in the vicinity of longitude 180 degrees . In the few images available, the brightest part of the oval occurs in late afternoon Jovian time. The observed oval is not concentric with calculated ovals in the O(6) model of Connerney. The size of the oval is consistent with auroral particles on field lines with magnetic L parameter >8, indicating significant migration from lo, its torus, or both, if these are their origins. PMID- 17776160 TI - Magnetic field observations during the ulysses flyby of jupiter. AB - The Jovian flyby of the Ulysses spacecraft presented the opportunity to confirm and complement the findings of the four previous missions that investigated the structure and dynamics of the Jovian magnetosphere and magnetic field, as well as to explore for the first time the high-latitude dusk side of the magnetosphere and its boundary regions. In addition to confirming the general structure of the dayside magnetosphere, the Ulysses magnetic field measurements also showed that the importance of the current sheet dynamics extends well into the middle and outer magnetosphere. On the dusk side, the magnetic field is swept back significantly toward the magnetotail. The importance of current systems, both azimuthal and field-aligned, in determining the configuration of the field has been strongly highlighted by the Ulysses data. No significant changes have been found in the internal planetary field; however, the need to modify the external current densities with respect to previous observations on the inbound pass shows that Jovian magnetic and magnetospheric models are highly sensitive to both the intensity and the structure assumed for the current sheet and to any time dependence that may be assigned to these. The observations show that all boundaries and boundary layers in the magnetosphere have a very complex microstructure. Waves and wave-like structures were observed throughout the magnetosphere; these included the longest lasting mirror-mode wave trains observed in space. PMID- 17776161 TI - The hot plasma environment at jupiter: ulysses results. AB - Measurements of the hot plasma environment during the Ulysses flyby of Jupiter have revealed several new discoveries related to this large rotating astrophysical system. The Jovian magnetosphere was found by Ulysses to be very extended, with the day-side magnetopause located at approximately 105 Jupiter radii. The heavy ion (sulfur, oxygen, and sodium) population in the day-side magnetosphere increased sharply at approximately 86 Jupiter radii. This is somewhat more extended than the "inner" magnetosphere boundary region identified by the Voyager hot plasma measurements. In the day-side magnetosphere, the ion fluxes have the anisotropy direction expected for corotation with the planet, with the magnitude of the anisotropy increasing when the spacecraft becomes more immersed in the hot plasma sheet. The relative abundances of sulfur, oxygen, and sodium to helium decreased somewhat with decreasing radial distance from the planet on the day-side, which suggests that the abundances of the Jupiter-derived species are dependent on latitude. In the dusk-side, high-latitude region, intense fluxes of counter-streaming ions and electrons were discovered from the edge of the plasma sheet to the dusk-side magnetopause. These beams of electrons and ions were found to be very tightly aligned with the magnetic field and to be superimposed on a time- and space-variable isotropic hot plasma background. The currents carried by the measured hot plasma particles are typically approximately 1.6 x 10(-4) microamperes per square meter or approximately 8 x 10(5) amperes per squared Jupiter radius throughout the high-latitude magnetosphere volume. It is likely that the intense particle beams discovered at high Jovian latitudes produce auroras in the polar caps of the planet. PMID- 17776162 TI - Ulysses radio and plasma wave observations in the jupiter environment. AB - The Unified Radio and Plasma Wave (URAP) experiment has produced new observations of the Jupiter environment, owing to the unique capabilities of the instrument and the traversal of high Jovian latitudes. Broad-band continuum radio emission from Jupiter and in situ plasma waves have proved valuable in delineating the magnetospheric boundaries. Simultaneous measurements of electric and magnetic wave fields have yielded new evidence of whistler-mode radiation within the magnetosphere. Observations of aurorallike hiss provided evidence of a Jovian cusp. The source direction and polarization capabilities of URAP have demonstrated that the outer region of the lo plasma torus supported at least five separate radio sources that reoccurred during successive rotations with a measurable corotation lag. Thermal noise measurements of the lo torus densities yielded values in the densest portion that are similar to models suggested on the basis of Voyager observations of 13 years ago. The URAP measurements also suggest complex beaming and polarization characteristics of Jovian radio components. In addition, a new class of kilometer-wavelength striated Jovian bursts has been observed. PMID- 17776163 TI - Ulysses Radio Occultation Observations of the lo Plasma Torus During the Jupiter Encounter. AB - Radio signals from Ulysses were used to probe the lo plasma torus (IPT) shortly after the spacecraft's closest approach to Jupiter. The frequencies of the two downlinks at S-band (2.3 gigahertz) and X-band (8.4 gigahertz) were recorded, differenced, and integrated in order to derive the columnar electron density of the IPT. The measurements agree qualitatively with contemporary models of the IPT based on Voyager data, but significant differences are apparent as well. The overall level of the IPT electron density is approximately the same as the prediction, implying that the amount of gas (or plasma) injected from lo is similar to that observed during the Voyager era. On the other hand, the IPT seems to be less extended out of the centrifugal equator, implying a smaller plasma temperature than predicted. PMID- 17776164 TI - Plasma Composition in Jupiter's Magnetosphere: Initial Results from the Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer. AB - The ion composition in the Jovian environment was investigated with the Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer on board Ulysses. A hot tenuous plasma was observed throughout the outer and middle magnetosphere. In some regions two thermally different components were identified. Oxygen and sulfur ions with several different charge states, from the volcanic satellite lo, make the largest contribution to the mass density of the hot plasma, even at high latitude. Solar wind particles were observed in all regions investigated. Ions from Jupiter's ionosphere were abundant in the middle magnetosphere, particularly in the highlatitude region on the dusk side, which was traversed for the first time. PMID- 17776165 TI - Jupiter's Magnetosphere: Plasma Description from the Ulysses Flyby. AB - Plasma observations at Jupiter show that the outer regions of the Jovian magnetosphere are remarkably similar to those of Earth. Bow-shock precursor electrons and ions were detected in the upstream solar wind, as at Earth. Plasma changes across the bow shock and properties of the magnetosheath electrons were much like those at Earth, indicating that similar processes are operating. A boundary layer populated by a varying mixture of solar wind and magnetospheric plasmas was found inside the magnetopause, again as at Earth. In the middle magnetosphere, large electron density excursions were detected with a 10-hour periodicity as planetary rotation carried the tilted plasma sheet past Ulysses. Deep in the magnetosphere, Ulysses crossed a region, tentatively described as magnetically connected to the Jovian polar cap on one end and to the interplanetary magnetic field on the other. In the inner magnetosphere and lo torus, where corotation plays a dominant role, measurements could not be made because of extreme background rates from penetrating radiation belt particles. PMID- 17776166 TI - Energetic Charged-Particle Phenomena in the Jovian Magnetosphere: First Results from the Ulysses COSPIN Collaboration. AB - The Ulysses spacecraft made the first exploration of the region of Jupiter's magnetosphere at high Jovigraphic latitudes ( approximately 37 degrees south) on the dusk side and reached higher magnetic latitudes ( approximately 49 degrees north) on the day side than any previous mission to Jupiter. The cosmic and solar particle investigations (COSPIN) instrumentation achieved a remarkably well integrated set of observations of energetic charged particles in the energy ranges of approximately 1 to 170 megaelectron volts for electrons and 0.3 to 20 megaelectron volts for protons and heavier nuclei. The new findings include (i) an apparent polar cap region in the northern hemisphere in which energetic charged particles following Jovian magnetic field lines may have direct access to the interplanetary medium, (ii) high-energy electron bursts (rise times approximately 17 megaelectron volts) on the dusk side that are apparently associated with field-aligned currents and radio burst emissions, (iii) persistence of the global 10-hour relativistic electron "clock" phenomenon throughout Jupiter's magnetosphere, (iv) on the basis of charged-particle measurements, apparent dragging of magnetic field lines at large radii in the dusk sector toward the tail, and (v) consistent outflow of megaelectron volt electrons and large-scale departures from corotation for nucleons. PMID- 17776168 TI - Images from the past. PMID- 17776167 TI - An Overview of Energetic Particle Measurements in the Jovian Magnetosphere with the EPAC Sensor on Ulysses. AB - Observations of ions and electrons of probable Jovian origin upstream of Jupiter were observed after a corotating interplanetary particle event. During the passage of Ulysses through the Jovian bow shock, magnetopause, and outer magnetosphere, the fluxes of energetic particles were surprisingly low. During the passage through the "middle magnetosphere," corotating fluxes were observed within the current sheet near the jovimagnetic equato. During the outbound pass, fluxes were variably directed; in the later part of the flyby, they were probably related to high-latitude phenomena. PMID- 17776169 TI - Processes in development. PMID- 17776170 TI - Maize models. PMID- 17776171 TI - Other books of interest. PMID- 17776172 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17776174 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY (VII.). PMID- 17776173 TI - VARIATION OF LATITUDE. PMID- 17776176 TI - THE ASTRONOMICAL AND PHYSICAL SOCIETY OF TORONTO. PMID- 17776175 TI - GRAVITY MEASUREMENTS. PMID- 17776177 TI - THE RIVERS OF EDEN. PMID- 17776178 TI - UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. PMID- 17776179 TI - COLOR-ASSOCIATIONS WITH NUMERALS, ETC. (THIRD NOTE). PMID- 17776180 TI - Response: HIV Quasispecies and Resampling. PMID- 17776182 TI - Death in athens. PMID- 17776181 TI - Gene therapy chronology. PMID- 17776183 TI - What We Know and Don't Know. PMID- 17776184 TI - Ultrasonic Absorption in Solids. PMID- 17776185 TI - The Atomic Airplane: "This Program Has Had a Very Irregular History". PMID- 17776186 TI - Molotov Named Representative to Atomic Agency as General Conference Opens. PMID- 17776187 TI - AEC-NASA Nuclear Propulsion Office Established. PMID- 17776188 TI - Carbon-14 Dating with the Liquid Scintillation Counter: Total Synthesis of the Benzene Solvent. AB - Samples are analyzed for natural radiocarbon content by a total synthesis of benzene from their organic constituents. The benzene is employed as the solvent in a liquid scintillation counter. The instrument used permits 15grams of carbon to be counted with an efficiency of 40 percent and a background of 13 counts per minute. PMID- 17776189 TI - Regeneration of Hydra from the Endoderm. AB - The endoderm of hydra, when cultured independently, can differentiate sothat the total animal is reconstituted. Reconstitution or regeneration, or both, occurs without the demonstrable aid of the interstitial cells. PMID- 17776191 TI - Education and Research. PMID- 17776190 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17776192 TI - On Un-American Science Reporting. PMID- 17776194 TI - Shatter Cones and Their Origin. PMID- 17776193 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17776195 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17776196 TI - EARTHQUAKE RISK AND ITS ABATEMENT IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17776197 TI - THE ROLE OF AEROBIC PHOSPHORYLATION IN THE PASTEUR EFFECT. PMID- 17776198 TI - GEORGE ELLETT COGHILL. PMID- 17776199 TI - FIELD WORK IN GEOLOGY IN CANADA. PMID- 17776200 TI - HARRY MILTON WEGEFORTH. PMID- 17776201 TI - REPORT OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION FOR SERVICE OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY AND THE MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA. PMID- 17776202 TI - THE AMERICAN COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON CORROSION. PMID- 17776203 TI - THE CHICAGO MEETING OF THE ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY AND OTOLARYNGOLOGY. PMID- 17776204 TI - REPRESENTATION BY INSTITUTIONS AT THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17776205 TI - ELECTION TO BEIT MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIPS. PMID- 17776206 TI - THE INTERPRETATION OF EXPERIMENTAL FOUR-FOLD TABLES. PMID- 17776207 TI - ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY OF ACETYLCHOLINE. PMID- 17776208 TI - CONTROL OF RED SPIDER (TETRANYCHUS TELARIUS) BY PHTHALIC GLYCERYL ALKYD RESIN. PMID- 17776209 TI - THE DETERMINATION OF THIAMIN BY THE YEAST FERMENTATION METHOD. PMID- 17776211 TI - THE ELLA SACHS PLOTZ FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION. PMID- 17776210 TI - A BIRD LIST. PMID- 17776212 TI - THE PREVENTION BY ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL OF "COD LIVER OIL MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY" IN THE RABBIT. PMID- 17776213 TI - THE APPARENT EFFECT OF TYROTHRYCIN ON STREPTOCOCCUS HEMOLYTICUS IN THE RHINOPHARYNX OF CARRIERS. PMID- 17776214 TI - DEVELOPMENT OF HOMEOTHERMY IN BIRDS. PMID- 17776215 TI - AN A. C. OPERATED ELECTRONIC INDUCTORIUM. PMID- 17776216 TI - Frontiers of research in neurobiology. PMID- 17776217 TI - Studying scientific discovery by computer simulation. AB - BACON is a computer program that simulates some of the important processes of scientific discovery. When provided with data about temperatures before and after two substances are brought into contact, the program infers the concept of specific heat and arrives at Black's law of temperature equilibrium. Comparison of BACON's discovery methods with historical records of Black's work casts light on the relation between data-driven and theory-driven discovery. PMID- 17776219 TI - The 1983 nobel prize in economics. PMID- 17776218 TI - The 1983 nobel prize in chemistry. PMID- 17776220 TI - Lukewarm Yes for LBL Light Source. PMID- 17776222 TI - French bishops defend nuclear deterrence. PMID- 17776223 TI - Reinforcements Reach OSTP. PMID- 17776221 TI - Congress kills weather satellite sale. PMID- 17776225 TI - Parapsychology update. PMID- 17776224 TI - Pork barrel funds decried. PMID- 17776226 TI - Anthropologist-official arrested in Mexico. PMID- 17776227 TI - Factoring Gets Easier: Mathematicians are exploiting computer designs to factor large numbers in times that, as recently as 1 year ago, seemed inconceivable. PMID- 17776228 TI - What does it mean to factor? PMID- 17776229 TI - A landmark in fusion. PMID- 17776231 TI - New group term life insurance offered. PMID- 17776230 TI - NGC 4151: The Monster in the Middle: The core of this Seyfert galaxy is extremely luminous: new satellite data suggest that it may contain a gargantuan black hole. PMID- 17776233 TI - Grants to self-sponsored foreign graduate students for r&d colloquium. PMID- 17776232 TI - Science 83 celebrates fourth anniversary. PMID- 17776234 TI - Arctic division meets. PMID- 17776236 TI - Economic conditions hit scientists and engineers. PMID- 17776235 TI - 1983 general election results. PMID- 17776237 TI - The biology of the cell surface: how does life reveal itself? PMID- 17776238 TI - Struggles of a biologist: black apollo of science. PMID- 17776239 TI - The philosophy of space-time: foundations of space-time theories. PMID- 17776240 TI - Mathematics and reform: neohumanism and the persistence of pure mathematics in wilhelmian Germany. PMID- 17776241 TI - Hominids from iraq: the shanidar neandertals. PMID- 17776242 TI - Photosynthesis: c3, c4. Mechanisms, and cellular and environmental regulation, of photosynthesis. PMID- 17776243 TI - Volcanic aerosols and lunar eclipses. AB - The moon is visible during total lunar eclipses due to sunlight refracted into the earth's shadow by the atmosphere. Stratospheric aerosols can profoundly affect the brightness of the eclipsed moon. Observed brightnesses of 21 lunar eclipses during 1960-1982 are compared with theoretical calculations based on refraction by an aerosol-free atmosphere to yield globally averaged aerosol optical depths. Results indicate the global aerosol loading from the 1982 eruption of El Chichon is similar in magnitude to that from the 1963 Agung eruption. PMID- 17776244 TI - Barium isotopes in allende meteorite: evidence against an extinct superheavy element. AB - Carbon and chromite fractions from the Allende meteorite that contain isotopically anomalous xenon-131 to xenon-136 (carbonaceous chondrite fission or CCF xenon) at up to 5 x 10(11) atoms per gram show no detectable isotopic anomalies in barium-130 to barium-138. This rules out the possibility that the CCF xenon was formed by in situ fission of an extinct superheavy element. Apparently the CCF xenon and its carbonaceous carrier are relics from stellar nucleosynthesis. PMID- 17776245 TI - Samarium-146 in the early solar system: evidence from neodymium in the allende meteorite. AB - A carbon-chromite fraction from the Allende C3V chondrite shows strikingly large isotopic enrichments of neodymium-142 (0.47 percent) and neodymium- 143 (36 percent). Both apparently formed by alpha decay of samarium-146 and samarium-147 (half-lives 1.03 x 10(8) and 1.06 x 10(11) years), but the isotopic enrichment was greatly magnified by recoil of residual nuclei into a carbon film surrounding the samarium-bearing grains. These data provide an improved estimate of the original abundance of extinct samarium-146 in the early solar system [(146)Sm/(144)Sm = (4.5 +/- 0.5) x 10(-3)], higher than predicted by some models of pprocess nucleosynthesis. It may be possible to use this isotopic pair as a chronometer of the early solar system. PMID- 17776246 TI - El chichon: composition of plume gases and particles. AB - Aircraft measurements were made of trace gases, atmospheric particles, and condensed acid volatiles in the plume of El Chichon volcano, Chiapas, Mexico, in November 1982. Hydrogen sulfide was the primary gaseous sulfur species in the plume at the time of collection. Concentrations of 28 elements were determined by neutron activation analysis of particulate material from the plume. Rates of trace element emission to the atmosphere for each species were estimated by normlization to the simultaneously determined total sulfur emission rate. The volatile elements sulfur, chlorine, arsenic, selenium, bromine, antimony, iodine, tungsten, and mercury were enriched relative to bulk pyroclastic material by factors of 60 to 20,000. Arsenic, antimony, and selenium were associated predominantly with small (>/= 3 micrometer) particles. Calcium and sodium were present almost exclusively on larger particles and aluminum and manganese were bimodally distributed. Ashladen particulate material injected into the stratosphere during the early violent eruptions was enriched by factors of 10 to 30 relative to ash in some of the same elements observed in the quiescent plume. PMID- 17776247 TI - Pinosylvin methyl ether deters snowshoe hare feeding on green alder. AB - Pinosylvin methyl ether (PME), a toxic phenol, is a potent deterrent to showshoe hare feeding on green alder. Concentrations of PME found in green alder parts can account for the low palatability of winter-dormant foliar buds and staminate catkins but cannot affect internode palatability. The lack of a PME-related defense system in internodes suggests that green alder has at least a two-level defense system: defense of growth stages and defense of parts within growth stages. PMID- 17776248 TI - Nestmate and kin recognition in interspecific mixed colonies of ants. AB - Recognition of nestmates and discrimination against aliens is the rule in the social insects. The principal mechanism of nestmate recognition in carpenter ants (Camponotus) appears to be odor labels or "discriminators" that originate from the queen and are distributed among, and learned by, all adult colony members. The acquired odor labels are sufficiently powerful to produce indiscriminate acceptance among workers of different species raised together in artificially mixed colonies and rejection of genetic sisters reared by different heterospecific queens. PMID- 17776250 TI - "Lovins' fever"? PMID- 17776249 TI - Archeoastronomy at pueblo bonito. PMID- 17776251 TI - Cogeneration in west Germany. PMID- 17776253 TI - Taxonomists wanted. PMID- 17776252 TI - Archeoastronomy at pueblo bonito. PMID- 17776254 TI - An international partnership for solar power. PMID- 17776255 TI - Soil deterioration and the growing world demand for food. AB - A recent survey of five watersheds in south-central Wisconsin, where corn is now the dominant annual crop, illustrates the soil erosion damage that is occurring on sloping land under modern agricultural technology and prevailing market forces. In 70 percent of the 93 quarter-sections sampled, estimated soil losses, on the average, were more than twice the amounts considered compatible with permanent agriculture. Scattered studies by others indicate that the findings are meaningful for a large area in the United States when row cropping is prevalent on sloping soils. Pressures on cultivated land, in general, are mounting rapidly because of the rising demand for meat in industrialized nations and the soaring numbers of marginally fed people in Third World countries. The world population food problem makes increasing stress on U.S. soils inevitable in the foreseeable future. Adequate protection against excessive loss of productive topsoil requires that the level of publicly supported soil conservation activities be promptly adjusted to this circumstance. PMID- 17776256 TI - Increasing crop production through more controlled photosynthesis. PMID- 17776257 TI - Earthquake injuries related to housing in a guatemalan village. PMID- 17776258 TI - Auburn dam: earthquake hazards imperil $1-billion project. PMID- 17776259 TI - Ocean scientists may wash hands of sea law treaty. PMID- 17776260 TI - Common censorship. PMID- 17776262 TI - Cold shower for climatologists. PMID- 17776261 TI - A pyrrhonian sledgehammer. PMID- 17776263 TI - Research Status in DOE Looking Good. PMID- 17776265 TI - Solar thermal energy: bringing the pieces together. PMID- 17776264 TI - Game theorist morgenstern dies. PMID- 17776266 TI - Accounting for population growth. PMID- 17776267 TI - Fossil arthropods. PMID- 17776268 TI - Volcanic activity and great earthquakes at convergent plate margins. AB - Volcanoes are unusually quiet for periods of a few years to a few decades prior to great shallow-thrust earthquakes. This is the most obvious part of an apparent pattern of volcanic activity related to the occurrence of great earthquakes at some convergent plate margins. PMID- 17776269 TI - Desulfurization of coal by use of chemical comminution. AB - Chemical fracturing (comminution) of coal provides selective breakage, which may be used to liberate inorganic sulfur from it without resorting to excessive mechanical size reduction. The technique can be used for economic precombustion desulfurization and may have many other applications in coal utilization. PMID- 17776270 TI - Polymorphism and Geographic Variation in the Feeding Behavior of the Garter Snake Thamnophis elegans. AB - Geographic variation in behaviors that influence resource utilization is a key component in current ecological theory, but the phenomenon has been poorly documented. Propensity to attack slugs varies geographically in a western garter snake, Thamnophis elegans. Many naive, newborn snakes from inland localities in California refuse to eat slugs. In contrast, virtually all naive young from coastal localities eat slugs. There is, however, no demonstrable polymorphism or geographic variation for propensity to eat anurans. Both coastal and inland snakes consistently eat anurans. PMID- 17776271 TI - Resource partitioning in bumble bees: the role of behavioral factors. AB - Small Bombus ternarius workers for age most frequently on the distal parts of goldenrod flower clusters when large B. terricola workers are present. This shift results from B. ternarius avoiding B. terricola. In this way B. ternarius can exploit, without conflict, resources whose availability changes constantly because of fluctuating numbers of larger consumers. PMID- 17776272 TI - Developmental neuroethology: changes in escape and defensive behavior during growth of the lobster. AB - The changes in relative efficacy of two incompatible behaviors was investigated during growth of the lobster, Homarus americanus. In larval and early juvenile stages, physiological and morphological factors favor use of the escape response over defensive behavior. In large animals, defensive behavior is preferred almost exclusively to escape behavior unless the claws are lost. The interaction of escape and defensive behavior is modified by neural and morphological factors, which are dependent on the stage in the life cycle of the organism. PMID- 17776273 TI - The spinning rotation of ash and tulip tree samaras. AB - Ash and tulip tree samaras rotate on their long axes as they fall, as well as spin around like maple samaras. They descend faster than would maple samaras of the same size and weight and much faster than would zanonia samaras, but they are very stable, which may explain their evolutionary success. PMID- 17776274 TI - Disruption of sex pheromone communication in a nematode. AB - Males of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, an intestinal parasite of rodents, were maintained in an environment permeated with pheromone produced by females of the species. After the males were removed from that environment, their subsequent ability to orient to a gradient of the pheromone emanating from living females was greatly reduced for periods up to 2 hours. This phenomenon might serve as the basis for a new, selective antihelminthic technique in which the premating communication between males and females is disrupted. PMID- 17776275 TI - JAMES EDWARD KEELER. PMID- 17776276 TI - ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT BEFORE THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17776277 TI - EXPERIMENTS OF J. J. THOMSON ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM. PMID- 17776279 TI - THE FRENCH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17776278 TI - INVESTIGATIONS AT COLD SPRING HARBOR. PMID- 17776280 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL PSYCHICAL INSTITUTE. PMID- 17776281 TI - THE COPYRIGHT OF UNIVERSITY LECTURES. PMID- 17776282 TI - THE ELECTRICAL EFFECTS OF LIGHT UPON GREEN LEAVES. PMID- 17776283 TI - SCIENCE RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS. PMID- 17776284 TI - MINING IN CANADA. PMID- 17776285 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC RESOURCES OF FRANCE. PMID- 17776287 TI - A PROPOSAL FOR WILD PLANT CONSERVATION. PMID- 17776286 TI - RECENT WORK IN PALEOBOTANY. PMID- 17776288 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17776290 TI - A SCIENTIFIC CLEARING HOUSE. PMID- 17776289 TI - THAT CHEMICAL SPELLING MATCH AGAIN. PMID- 17776291 TI - DEVELOPED AND POTENTIAL WATER POWER OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17776293 TI - THE OXIDATION OF SELENIUM BY A NEW GROUP OF AUTOTROPHIC MICROORGANISMS. PMID- 17776292 TI - THERMIONIC EFFECTS CAUSED BY ALKALI VAPORS IN VACUUM TUBES. PMID- 17776294 TI - COMPOSITE PORTRAITURE. PMID- 17776296 TI - NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17776295 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17776297 TI - THE HEALTH OF NEW YORK DURING JUNE. PMID- 17776298 TI - PARIS LETTER. PMID- 17776299 TI - Sea-level and ocean-currents. PMID- 17776300 TI - Neff's gas-wells. PMID- 17776301 TI - A bright meteor. PMID- 17776302 TI - Germ of hydrophobia. PMID- 17776303 TI - Another carnivorous rodent. PMID- 17776304 TI - A remarkable swarm of Sciara. PMID- 17776305 TI - In reply: alcohol and pregnancy. PMID- 17776306 TI - Alcohol and pregnancy. PMID- 17776307 TI - Dietary carcinogens. PMID- 17776308 TI - Facing quantum mechanical reality. AB - Two recent precision experiments provide conclusive evidence against any local hidden variables theory and in favor of standard quantum mechanics. Therefore the epistemology and the ontology of quantum mechanics must now be taken more seriously than ever before. The consequences of the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics are summarized in nontechnical language. The implications of the finiteness of Planck's constant (h > 0) for the quantum world are as strange as the implications of the finiteness of the speed of light (c < infinity for space and time in relativity theory. Both lead to realities beyond our common experience that cannot be rejected. PMID- 17776309 TI - Bell Labs on the Brink: Changes in funding and mission caused by divestiture raise concern about the future of fundamental research. PMID- 17776311 TI - China Faces Environmental Challenge: A new book and recent Chinese publications cite massive deforestation, expanding deserts and heavy pollution of land, water, and air. PMID- 17776310 TI - Antitrust and technolgy thrust. PMID- 17776312 TI - Technology export law reform facing difficulties. PMID- 17776314 TI - FDA speeds approval of cyclosporin. PMID- 17776313 TI - NSB Education Commission Produces Grand Design. PMID- 17776315 TI - Britain joins European nations on fast breeder. PMID- 17776316 TI - X-ray Diffraction in Two Dimensions: Glancing x-rays at very low angles isolates a surface-specific signal and allows structural studies of two-dimensional physical systems. PMID- 17776317 TI - Scheme to foil software pirates. PMID- 17776318 TI - Issues for soviet technology: politics and technology in the soviet union. PMID- 17776320 TI - Differences of scale: powers of ten. PMID- 17776319 TI - Cosmology: astrophysical cosmology. PMID- 17776321 TI - Fossil mammals: Mammalian paleofaunas of the world. PMID- 17776322 TI - THE PROBLEM OF RADIOACTIVE LEAD. PMID- 17776323 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE BALTIMORE MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17776324 TI - BIOLOGICAL LITERATURE IN ENGLISH. PMID- 17776326 TI - A FLOWING ARTESIAN WELL AT WINSLOW, MAINE. PMID- 17776325 TI - LANTERN SLIDES OF NORTHERN FRANCE. PMID- 17776327 TI - THE OVIPOSITION HABIT OF GASTROPHILUS NASALIS L. PMID- 17776328 TI - Geologists prefer Earth studies. PMID- 17776329 TI - Cleaner air--fewer cars. PMID- 17776330 TI - Drift theory: antarctica and central Asia. PMID- 17776332 TI - Optical Communications Research Progress: Laser wavelength techniques differing in timing and complexity improve electrical communications. PMID- 17776331 TI - Young Scientists and the AAAS. PMID- 17776333 TI - New congress: election produces changes in key committee posts. PMID- 17776334 TI - Tax-Exempt Litigation: IRS Curbs Draw Widespread Opposition. PMID- 17776335 TI - Nader colonizing campuses. PMID- 17776336 TI - Land Use: Congress Taking Up Conflict over Power Plants. PMID- 17776337 TI - Economics: nobel prize for 1970 awarded to samuelson of m.I.T. PMID- 17776338 TI - Central North Atlantic Plate Motions over the Last 40 Million Years. AB - The relative motion vector for the North American and African plates has been determined from detailed charting of the trend of the Atlantis fracture zone for over 1000 kilometers in the central North Atlantic near 30 degrees N and from identification of marine magnetic anomalies and deep-sea drilling results. The vector (pole) is located at 52.5 degrees N, 34 degrees W and has a magnitude (opening rate) of 5.7 x 10(-7) degree per year. Major changes in either the pole location or the opening rate are not evident for the last 40 million years. PMID- 17776339 TI - Stratospheric ozone with added water vapor: influence of high-altitude aircraft. AB - Simple, steady-state models for ozone photochemistry, radiative heat balance, and eddy-diffusive mass transport can be combined to estimate water-induced changes in the stratospheric ozone concentrations and temperatures, the integrated ozone column, the solar power transmitted to the earth's surface, and the surface temperature. These changes have been computed parametrically for mixing fractions of water vapor between 3 x 10(-6) and 6.5 x 10(-6). With added water from the exhausts of projected fleets of stratospheric aircraft, the ozone column may diminish by 3.8 percent, the transmitted solar power increase by 0.07 percent, and the surface temperature rise by 0.04 degrees K in the Northern Hemisphere. Due to a cancellation of terms, temperatures in the lower stratosphere remain essentially unchanged. These results are sensitive to the form of the water profile and emphasize the potential role of convective transients near 30 kilometers. PMID- 17776340 TI - Pheromone transport and reception in an amphipod. AB - Sexual dimorphism in the second antennae of the amphipod Gammarus duebeni Lilljeborg is connected with the reception in the male of a female sex pheromone transported through the water. Investigations on tritium-labeled specimens were carried out with scintillator and autoradiographic techniques. PMID- 17776341 TI - Climatic Anomaly over the United States during the 1960's. AB - The past cool decade over the eastern United States is attributed to increased deployment of polar air masses set in motion by responses of the upper-air wind circulation of the Northern Hemisphere to large-scale air-sea coupling over the North Pacific. PMID- 17776342 TI - The developmental sciences: state and fate of research funding. PMID- 17776343 TI - Biocybernetics of the dynamic communication of emotions and qualities. PMID- 17776345 TI - PROBLEMS OF THE ENGINEER. PMID- 17776344 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17776346 TI - ON POSTULATES OF PROOF IN PROBLEMS OF THE BACTERIAL LIFE CYCLE. PMID- 17776348 TI - THE GLACIAL CONTROL THEORY APPLIED TO BERMUDA. PMID- 17776347 TI - COBALT IN PLANT ASH. PMID- 17776349 TI - THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE GRANITES TO THE RHYOLITES IN SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI. PMID- 17776351 TI - THE ROLE OF CANNIBALISM IN THE SPREAD OF FUNGOUS DISEASES OF GRASSHOPPERS. PMID- 17776350 TI - THE IRON-DEFICIENCY HYPOTHESIS IN PELLAGRA. PMID- 17776352 TI - THE CENTRIFUGE-MICROSCOPE FOR SUPER-CENTRIFUGAL FORCES. PMID- 17776354 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD FOR SEPARATING CERTAIN INSECTS FROM FOOD PRODUCTS. PMID- 17776355 TI - PATERNAL AND MATERNAL INHERITANCE IN FRAGARIA. PMID- 17776353 TI - KREEZER AND DARGE ON AUDITORY ACTION CURRENTS. PMID- 17776357 TI - THE AIR OF LARGE TOWNS. PMID- 17776356 TI - PASSIVE IMMUNITY TO INFECTION WITH A LARVAL TAPEWORM OF THE ALBINO RAT. PMID- 17776358 TI - THE UTICA SHALE IN STEPHENSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS. PMID- 17776360 TI - LIQUID AND SOLID AIR. PMID- 17776359 TI - ON THE SYSTEMATIC POSITION OF THE DIPTERA. PMID- 17776361 TI - FUNGI PARASITIC INDICATE KINSHIP. PMID- 17776363 TI - NOTES OF SOME EXPERIMENTS ON THE HOUSE-FLY. PMID- 17776362 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY.--XXXIII. PMID- 17776364 TI - ORIGIN OF GOLD. PMID- 17776365 TI - MINNESOTA MOUNDS. PMID- 17776366 TI - HERBARIUM SPECIMENS. PMID- 17776367 TI - A PHONETIC ORTHOGRAPHY. PMID- 17776368 TI - Feigned Death in Snakes. PMID- 17776369 TI - ELECTRICAL COOKING. PMID- 17776370 TI - PROBLEMS OF BIOLOGY. PMID- 17776371 TI - LANGUAGE STUDY. PMID- 17776372 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17776373 TI - THE WORK AT THE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY OF THE U. S. FISH COMMISSION AT WOODS HOLL. PMID- 17776374 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17776375 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17776377 TI - THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION. PMID- 17776376 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17776378 TI - THE SPECTRUM OF METARGON. PMID- 17776379 TI - PROFESSOR KOCH ON THE PLAGUE. PMID- 17776380 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17776382 TI - DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17776381 TI - THE EXHIBITION OF CETACEANS BY PAPIER MACHE CASTS. PMID- 17776384 TI - STATISTICS OF CROPS. PMID- 17776383 TI - MODERN VIEWS ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ATOM. PMID- 17776385 TI - STANFORD UNIVERSITY MEDICAL SCHOOL. PMID- 17776387 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17776386 TI - NEWTON HORACE WINCHELL. PMID- 17776388 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17776390 TI - "HYDRAULICS" IN THE ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA. PMID- 17776389 TI - NOTES ON THE FOSSIL VERTEBRATES COLLECTED ON THE COPE EXPEDITION TO THE JUDITH RIVER AND COW ISLAND BEDS, MONTANA, IN 1876. PMID- 17776391 TI - AMMONIFYING POWER OF SOIL-INHABITING FUNGI. PMID- 17776393 TI - THE IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17776392 TI - PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL MAGNETIC AND ALLIED OBSERVATIONS DURING THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF AUGUST 21, 1914 (CIVIL DATE). PMID- 17776394 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17776396 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17776395 TI - Hood lab investigation. PMID- 17776397 TI - Weapons labs: after the cold war. PMID- 17776399 TI - Have talent, will contract. PMID- 17776398 TI - Researchers complain of loss of academic freedom. PMID- 17776400 TI - In search of a new cosmic blueprint. PMID- 17776402 TI - Neuroscience meets in the big easy: retinoids may help you see in more ways than one. PMID- 17776401 TI - Neuroscience meets in the big easy: galileo hits its target. PMID- 17776403 TI - Did a rain of comets nurture life?: a cometary source for cockeyed molecules? PMID- 17776404 TI - Did a rain of comets nurture life?: bringing a comet in for landing. PMID- 17776405 TI - Three europeans find their own road to fame: the virtues of patience. PMID- 17776406 TI - Cooperative solution of constraint satisfaction problems. AB - It is widely believed that a group of cooperating agents engaged in problem solving can solve a task faster than either a single agent or the same group of agents working in isolation from each other. Nevertheless, little is known about the quantitative improvements that result from cooperation. A number of experimental results are presented on constraint satisfaction that both test the predictions of a theory of cooperative problem solving and assess the value of cooperation for this class of problems. These experiments suggest an alternative methodology to existing techniques for solving constraint satisfaction problems in computer science and distributed artificial intelligence. PMID- 17776407 TI - Radical reactions of c60. AB - Photochemically generated benzyl radicals react with C(60) producing radical and nonradical adducts Rn C(60) (R = C(6)H(5)CH(2)) with n = 1 to at least 15. The radical adducts with n = 3 and 5 are stable above 50 degrees C and have been identified by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy as the allylic R(3)C(60)(.) (3) and cyclopentadienyl R(5)C(60)(.) (5) radicals. The unpaired electrons are highly localized on the C(60) surface. The extraordinary stability of these radicals can be attributed to the steric protection of the surface radical sites by the surrounding benzyl substituents. Photochemically generated methyl radicals also add readily to C(60). Mass spectrometric analyses show the formation of (CH(3))nC(60) with n = 1 to at least 34. PMID- 17776408 TI - Systematic inflation of buckminsterfillerene c60: synthesis of diphenyl fulleroids c61 to c66. AB - The synthesis of a new family of spheroidal carbon molecules derived from the fullerenes is described. The fulleroids are produced by incremental addition of a divalent carbon equivalent that has two phenyl (Ph) rings to fullerene C(60). The fulleroids Ph(2)C(61), Ph(4)C(62), Ph(6)C(63), Ph(8)C(64), Ph(10)C(65), and Ph(12)C(66) have been prepared and characterized. PMID- 17776409 TI - Evidence for multiple sources of diamond from primitive chondrites. AB - Fine-grained diamonds, the most abundant form of circumstellar dust isolated from primitive meteorites, have elemental and isotopic characteristics that are dependent on the host meteorite type. Carbon isotopic compositions vary from -32 to -38 per mil, and nitrogen associated with the diamond changes in overall abundance by over a factor of four from 0.2 to 0.9 weight percent, between ordinary and CM2-type chondrites. Although the ratio of carbon to nitrogen evolves in a distinctive way during combustion of diamond separates, metamorphic degassing of nitrogen is not the main cause of the differences in nitrogen content. The data suggest that intrinsic differences must have been inherited by the diamonds at the time of their formation and that the diamonds were distributed heterogeneously in the solar nebula during condensation. However, the hypothesis that a distinct nitrogen carrier remains hidden within the diamond cannot be ruled out. PMID- 17776410 TI - Reduced antarctic ozone depletions in a model with hydrocarbon injections. AB - Motivated by increased losses of Antarctic stratospheric ozone and by improved understanding of the mechanism, a concept is suggested for action to arrest this ozone loss: injecting the alkanes ethane or propane (E or P) into the Antarctic stratosphere. A numerical model of chemical processes was used to explore the concept. The model results suggest that annual injections of about 50,000 tons of E or P could suppress ozone loss, but there are some scenarios where smaller E or P injections could increase ozone depletion. Further, key uncertainties must be resolved, induding initial concentrations of nitrogen-oxide species in austral spring, and several poorly defined physical and chemical processes must be quantifed. There would also be major difficulties in delivering and distributing the needed alkanes. PMID- 17776411 TI - Transgenic Plants with Enhanced Resistance to the Fungal Pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. AB - The production of enzymes capable of degrading the cell walls of invading phytopathogenic fungi is an important component of the defense response of plants. The timing of this natural host defense mechanism was modified to produce fungal-resistant plants. Transgenic tobacco seedlings constitutively expressing a bean chitinase gene under control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter showed an increased ability to survive in soil infested with the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani and delayed development of disease symptoms. PMID- 17776413 TI - Be It Resolved: Ups and Downs in the Making of AAAS Resolutions. PMID- 17776412 TI - Genetic mosaics in strangler fig trees: implications for tropical conservation. AB - Single trees of six species of strangler figs (Ficus spp., Moraceae) in Panama were found to be made up of multiple genotypes, presumably formed by the fusion of different individuals. The phenomenon is frequent enough that strangler fig populations will contain considerably more genetic variation than would be expected from the number of trees. How this cryptic variation affects populations depends on the flowering phonology of composite trees. If the genetically different portions of trees flower asynchronously, populations of pollinating wasps may be more resistant to low host population sizes than previously thought. If different portions flower synchronously, attempts to infer mating-system parameters from the parentage of fruit crops will be misleading. The fruiting of figs, which are considered a keystone species in tropical forests, is important for maintaining biodiversity but is also particularly susceptible to failure at small population sizes. It is therefore important to know both the number of trees and the number of genotypes in a population. PMID- 17776414 TI - Science and security. PMID- 17776417 TI - Boons to science. PMID- 17776415 TI - 1992-93 AAAS Fellowships. PMID- 17776419 TI - Vignettes: e. U. Condon and the bureau of standards. PMID- 17776418 TI - A center for science. PMID- 17776420 TI - Condensed matter theories. PMID- 17776421 TI - Some other books of interest. PMID- 17776422 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17776423 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17776424 TI - A national engineering and technology agency. PMID- 17776425 TI - In reply: molecule of the year. PMID- 17776426 TI - In reply: molecule of the year. PMID- 17776427 TI - Molecule of the year. PMID- 17776428 TI - In reply: space shuttle advanced solid rocket motor testing. PMID- 17776429 TI - Space shuttle advanced solid rocket motor testing. PMID- 17776430 TI - In reply: shockley: a scholar. PMID- 17776431 TI - Shockley: a scholar. PMID- 17776432 TI - Poverty among u.s. Children. PMID- 17776434 TI - The Puzzling Pulsar That Wasn't There: A one-shot observation of supernova 1987A last year revealed a pulsar that seemed too bizarre to be real--and it wasn't. PMID- 17776433 TI - In reply: molecule of the year. PMID- 17776435 TI - Scientists Battle Over Grand Canyon Pollution: Test results implicating a power plant as the prime cause of wintertime haze have sparked a dispute over the data. PMID- 17776436 TI - Mit picks biologist as president. PMID- 17776437 TI - All wound up in DNA. PMID- 17776438 TI - Impact-Geomagnetic Reversal Link Rejected: The idea that asteroids hitting Earth may have driven its magnetic field into switching its poles has taken a hit itself. PMID- 17776439 TI - New telescope opens for business. PMID- 17776440 TI - Hurricane forecasting shows promise. PMID- 17776441 TI - Yeast lib. PMID- 17776443 TI - NRC Weighs in on Precollege Math. PMID- 17776442 TI - The prince and the forests. PMID- 17776445 TI - Lords approve embryo research. PMID- 17776444 TI - The next "nobel"? PMID- 17776446 TI - Tritium production. PMID- 17776447 TI - Who gets a new liver? PMID- 17776448 TI - Legal drugs: a view from neuroscience. PMID- 17776449 TI - Global warming. PMID- 17776450 TI - Planetary portrait gallery. PMID- 17776451 TI - Learning curves in manufacturing. AB - Large increases in productivity are typically realized as organizations gain experience in production. These "learning curves" have been found in many organizations. Organizations vary considerably in the rates at which they learn. Some organizations show remarkable productivity gains, whereas others show little or no learning. Reasons for the variation observed in organizational learning curves include organizational "forgetting," employee turnover, transfer of knowledge from other products and other organizations, and economies of scale. PMID- 17776452 TI - Predator-induced life-history shifts in a freshwater snail. AB - The snail Physella virgata virgata, a widely distributed freshwater pulmonate, was observed to change its life-history characteristics in the presence of the crayfish Orconectes virilis in spring-fed Oklahoma streams. These changes were apparently initiated by a water-borne cue released when crayfish fed on conspecific snails. In the presence of the cue, snails exhibited rapid growth rates and little reproduction until they reached a size of about 10 mm after 8 months. In the absence of the cue, snails typically grew to about 4 mm (3.5 months) and then began reproduction. The chemically inducible shift indicates that the life histories of these snails are phenotypically plastic. By increasing the variance associated with size and age of maturity, prey may increase the likelihood of coexisting with seasonal predators. PMID- 17776453 TI - Double fertilization in ephedra, a nonflowering seed plant: its bearing on the origin of angiosperms. AB - Double fertilization and the associated formation of endosperm have long been considered unique and defining characters (autapomorphies) of the angiosperms. During normal fertilization in Ephedra nevadensis, a nonflowering seed plant, fusion of a second sperm nucleus with the ventral canal nucleus occurs regularly within the egg cytoplasm. The occurrence of double fertilization in Ephedra assumes added significance in light of its critical phylogenetic position as a basal member of the most closely related extant group of seed plants (Gnetales) to angiosperms. Thus, double fertilization in angiosperms and Ephedra may represent an evolutionary homology. PMID- 17776455 TI - Science & Technology and The Changing World Order: 15th Annual AAAS Colloquium on Science & Technology Policy. PMID- 17776454 TI - Regularization algorithms for learning that are equivalent to multilayer networks. AB - Learning an input-output mapping from a set of examples, of the type that many neural networks have been constructed to perform, can be regarded as synthesizing an approximation of a multidimensional function (that is, solving the problem of hypersurface reconstruction). From this point of view, this form of learning is closely related to classical approximation techniques, such as generalized splines and regularization theory. A theory is reported that shows the equivalence between regularization and a class of three-layer networks called regularization networks or hyper basis functions. These networks are not only equivalent to generalized splines but are also closely related to the classical radial basis functions used for interpolation tasks and to several pattern recognition and neural network algorithms. They also have an interesting interpretation in terms of prototypes that are synthesized and optimally combined during the learning stage. PMID- 17776456 TI - Schrodinger. Life and Thought. Walter Moore. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1989. xii, 513 pp., illus. $39.50. PMID- 17776457 TI - The Michelson Era in American Science, 1870-1930. Stanley Goldberg and Roger H. Stuewer, Eds. American Institute of Physics, New York, 1988. x, 300 pp., illus. $54. AIP Conference Proceedings, vol. 179. Based on a conference, Cleveland, OH, Oct. 1987. PMID- 17776458 TI - Shore Ecology of the Gulf of Mexico. Joseph C. Britton and Brian Morton. University of Texas Press, Austin, 1989. viii, 387 pp., illus. $49.95; paper, $22.50. PMID- 17776459 TI - My Life With the Printed Circuit. Paul Eisler. Lehigh University Press, Bethlehem, PA, 1989 (distributor, Associated University Presses, Cranbury, NJ). 170 pp., illus. $29.50. PMID- 17776461 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17776460 TI - Nearshore Sediment Transport. Richard J. Seymour, Ed. Plenum, New York, 1989. x, 418 pp., illus. $85. PMID- 17776462 TI - Laboratory Equipment and Tariff Policy. PMID- 17776464 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17776463 TI - Pioneer in International Plant Quarantine Work. PMID- 17776465 TI - Scientific Meetings. AB - In the issue of 16 Sept., page 526, the American Mathematical Society which will hold its 62nd annual meeting in Houston, Tex., on 27-29 Dec. was incorrectly listed as the American Meteorological Society. PMID- 17776466 TI - Natural Redistributon of a Quahog Population. PMID- 17776467 TI - University Chemistry Teachers. PMID- 17776468 TI - Hazards of Biological-Social Analogy. PMID- 17776469 TI - Seasoning for the Calendar. PMID- 17776471 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17776472 TI - Arctic Research in North America. PMID- 17776474 TI - Cycles in Economics and Nature. PMID- 17776473 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17776475 TI - Emergency Projects and University Personnel. PMID- 17776476 TI - THE STARS IN THE SPRING. PMID- 17776477 TI - PLANS FOR A GIANT WINDMILL. PMID- 17776478 TI - IMPROVED INCUBATORS. PMID- 17776479 TI - "INVISIBLE LIGHT". PMID- 17776481 TI - WILT RESISTING FLAX. PMID- 17776480 TI - THE CAUSE OF PELLAGRA. PMID- 17776482 TI - THE STUDY OF EARTH MOVEMENTS IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17776483 TI - THE SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL UNION. PMID- 17776484 TI - IN MEMORIAM: SIR THOMAS CLIFFORD ALLBUTT (1836-1925). PMID- 17776485 TI - MARKET CHARTS AND THE LAW OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND. PMID- 17776487 TI - TWO FATAL CASES OF POTATO POISONING. PMID- 17776486 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17776488 TI - SO-CALLED SALMON POISONING OF DOGS. PMID- 17776489 TI - MERCURY AND IONIZED HELIUM. PMID- 17776490 TI - A NEW METHOD OF DETECTING AND ESTIMATING SMALL AMOUNTS OF ACETONE. PMID- 17776491 TI - THE NATIVE HOST OF THE CHIGGER. PMID- 17776492 TI - SOCIETIES RELATED TO SECTION O (AGRICULTURE) AT WASHINGTON. PMID- 17776493 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17776495 TI - Shamans and patent lawyers. PMID- 17776494 TI - Women in science. PMID- 17776496 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17776497 TI - LIGO Director Out in Shakeup. PMID- 17776498 TI - A bold new program at berkeley runs into trouble. PMID- 17776499 TI - Biosphere 2 makes a new bid for scientific credibility. PMID- 17776501 TI - Keeping Russian science afloat. PMID- 17776500 TI - No eden in biosphere. PMID- 17776503 TI - Neuroscientists band to study dyslexia. PMID- 17776502 TI - Hopping to extinction. PMID- 17776504 TI - Miraculous astronomy. PMID- 17776506 TI - Searching for the tracks of impact in mexican sand. PMID- 17776505 TI - Testing an Ancient Impact's Punch. PMID- 17776507 TI - Heisenberg's Heirs Exploit Loopholes in His Law. PMID- 17776508 TI - Status and prospects of women in science in europe. PMID- 17776509 TI - Interventions to increase the participation of women in physics. PMID- 17776510 TI - The quantum optical repeater. PMID- 17776511 TI - Chain pullout and mobility effects in friction and lubrication. AB - The interfacial shear stress that occurs when a network of a polymer that is highly mobile at the segment level (an elastomer) is slid over a smooth surface of an immobile (glassy) polymer has been measured. The glassy material is covered by a thin layer of end-attached chains of the mobile material. The experiment was designed so that there were no free chains at the interface; the slip occurred between network chains on the one side and rigid material plus end-attached mobile chains on the other side. Two main results were obtained. (i) The interfacial shear stress is strongly affected by the segment mobility of the materials on both sides of the slip plane, and considerably lower stress is observed when the materials on both sides of the interface are highly mobile. (ii) Very thin layers of tethered chains can increase the interfacial friction. Both results are relevant to the understanding of a number of practical situations that range from the operation of thin layers of lubricants, such as those found in magnetic storage devices, to the problem of wall slip and melt fracture in polymer processing. PMID- 17776512 TI - Direct Observation of Microscopic Inhomogeneities with Energy-Dispersive Diffraction of Synchrotron-Produced X-rays. AB - Evidence of structural inhomogeneities in two high-transition-temperature superconductors, YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) and Nd2-xCexCuO4-y, is presented. When samples were illuminated by highly collimated x-rays produced on a synchrotron wiggler, small changes in the lattice were detected over a spatial scale of 10 micrometers. These changes are interpreted as evidence of variations in the oxygen content in one case and in the cerium content in the other; both affect the superconducting properties. The existence of such structural inhomogeneities brings into question whether exotic experimental results obtained from superconducting materials with high transition temperatures actually reflect intrinsic properties. PMID- 17776513 TI - Cytosolic pH Gradients Associated with Tip Growth. AB - The presence of a cytosolic pH gradient and its relation to polar tip growth was investigated in rhizoid cells of Pelvetia embryos with the use of pH-sensitive microelectrodes and by ratio imaging. Growing rhizoid cells generated a longitudinal pH gradient in which the apical cytosol was 0.3 to 0.5 units more acidic than the cytosol at the base of the cell. Treatment with a membrane permeant weak acid, propionic acid, dissipated the cytosolic pH gradient and inhibited growth. The magnitude of the pH gradient correlated well with the rate of tip elongation. The pH gradient spatially superimposed on the cytosolic calcium gradient, and inhibition of calcium fluxes by treatment with lanthanum abolished the pH gradient and inhibited growth. PMID- 17776514 TI - Cell fate determination by the cell wall in early fucus development. AB - In multicellular plants, development starts with an asymmetric division of the zygote into two differentiated cells. The nature and distribution of fate determining factors operating during embryogenesis remain largely obscure. Laser microsurgery was used here to dissect two-celled embryos of the alga Fucus spiralis. Removal of protoplasts from the cell wall induced dedifferentiation. However, isolated cells within the walls followed their restricted fate. Moreover, contact of one cell type with the isolated cell wall of the other cell type caused its fate to be switched. The cell wall thus appears to maintain the differentiated state and to direct cell fate in plant development. PMID- 17776516 TI - Anatomy of addiction. PMID- 17776515 TI - Cosmological qluest. PMID- 17776518 TI - Women in science: some books of the year. PMID- 17776517 TI - Vignettes: advances in sci-fi. PMID- 17776519 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17776521 TI - The backbreaking work of scientist-homemakers. PMID- 17776520 TI - Fighting for Day are at the Lab. PMID- 17776522 TI - Post-unification blues. PMID- 17776524 TI - A prominent role on a stage set by history. PMID- 17776523 TI - Warm climate for women on the mediterranean. PMID- 17776525 TI - Fighting the patriarchy in growing numbers. PMID- 17776526 TI - Is overcoming ;diffidence' the route to success? PMID- 17776527 TI - SOME NEEDS OF ENGINEERING. PMID- 17776528 TI - FOOD-BORNE INFECTIONS. PMID- 17776529 TI - A SUGGESTION TO MORPHOLOGISTS AND OTHERS. PMID- 17776530 TI - ON THE SERIES IN THE ULTRA-VIOLET FLUORESCENCE OF SODIUM VAPOR. PMID- 17776531 TI - SECTION G-BOTANY. PMID- 17776532 TI - AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17776533 TI - Meeting the Challenge. PMID- 17776534 TI - The Maser: A Molecular Amplifier for Microwave Radiation. PMID- 17776536 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17776535 TI - Finding Chemical Records by Digital Computers. PMID- 17776538 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17776537 TI - Growth Chamber with Light of Solar Intensity. PMID- 17776539 TI - Science and Literature. PMID- 17776540 TI - Science and Literature. PMID- 17776541 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17776542 TI - The "Abominable Snowman". PMID- 17776543 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17776544 TI - THE NEED OF INSULAR EXPLORATION AS ILLUSTRATED BY BIRDS. PMID- 17776545 TI - PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND THE LIVING STATE. PMID- 17776546 TI - A SULFOXIDE OF METHIONINE. PMID- 17776547 TI - COMMENTS ON THE SHAPE, GROWTH AND QUALITY OF THE AMERICAN OYSTER. PMID- 17776548 TI - APPEAL FOR AID FROM CZECHO-SLOVAKIA. PMID- 17776549 TI - THE FERMENTATION TEST FOR VITAMIN B1. PMID- 17776550 TI - A FATAL DISEASE OF PIGEONS CAUSED BY THE VIRUS OF THE EASTERN VARIETY OF EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS. PMID- 17776551 TI - THE DEMONSTRATION OF PHAGE PRECURSOR IN THE BACTERIAL CELL. PMID- 17776552 TI - THE HYDROLYSIS OF STEROL GLYCOSIDES SIDES BY EMULSION. PMID- 17776553 TI - PLANT VIRUS INHIBITORS PRODUCED BY MICROORGANISMS. PMID- 17776554 TI - AN EFFECT OF LIPID FEEDING UPON VITAMIN C EXCRETION BY THE RAT. PMID- 17776555 TI - THE USE OF PLASTIC MATERIALS FOR OPERATIONS ON AMPHIBIAN EMBRYOS. PMID- 17776556 TI - A CULTURE SLIDE FOR DARK-FIELD MICROSCOPY. PMID- 17776557 TI - PRINCETON FOR THE NATION'S SERVICE. PMID- 17776558 TI - THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION. PMID- 17776559 TI - A POINT IN NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17776560 TI - GUESSES ON THE RELATIVE WEIGHTS OF BILLS AND COINS. PMID- 17776561 TI - A BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF THE MEN OF SCIENCE OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17776562 TI - COMPARATIVE STRENGTH OF ANIMALS. PMID- 17776564 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17776563 TI - THE PARASITISM OF CEPHALOTHECIUM ROSEUM. PMID- 17776565 TI - RECENT ZOOPALEONTOLOGY. PMID- 17776567 TI - FIELD WORK IN VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY AT THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM FOR 1902. PMID- 17776566 TI - INAUGURATION OF CHANCELLOR FRANK STRONG AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS. PMID- 17776568 TI - THE AUSTRALASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17776570 TI - THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17776569 TI - THE PRACTICAL CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS. PMID- 17776571 TI - PENSIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. PMID- 17776572 TI - THE NAME AND BRAIN OF THE GAR. PMID- 17776573 TI - NOTE ON "SOME EARLY PHYSIOGRAPHIC INFERENCES". PMID- 17776575 TI - HEATING OF LOCAL AREAS OF GROUND IN CULEBRA CUT, CANAL ZONE. PMID- 17776574 TI - A FISTULA IN THE DOGFISH. PMID- 17776576 TI - THE ASTRONOMICAL AND ASTROPHYSICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA WASHINGTON MEETING, DECEMBER, 1911. PMID- 17776578 TI - BIOPHYSICS AND HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING. PMID- 17776577 TI - THE DEDICATION OF THE McDONALD OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17776579 TI - NATIONAL SCIENTIFICK ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17776580 TI - BIRTH PAINS OF THE ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17776581 TI - A PARASITE OF THE PUERTO RICAN MOLE-CRICKET. PMID- 17776582 TI - PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE GOOSE LAKE, CALIFORNIA, METEORITE. PMID- 17776583 TI - SIGMA PI SIGMA CONVENTION. PMID- 17776584 TI - LECTURERS IN GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17776585 TI - OVUM CULTURE. PMID- 17776586 TI - THE KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17776587 TI - A COMPARISON OF WATER CULTURE AND SOIL AS MEDIA FOR CROP PRODUCTION. PMID- 17776588 TI - THE CHORIO-ALLANTOIC MEMBRANE OF THE DEVELOPING CHICK AS A MEDIUM FOR THE CULTIVATION AND HISTOPATHOLOGIC STUDY OF PATHOGENIC FUNGI. PMID- 17776590 TI - INCREASED GLYCURONATE EXCRETION FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATION OF SULFAPYRIDINE. PMID- 17776589 TI - THE TRANSMISSION OF LYMPHOCYTIC CHORIOMENINGITIS BY MOSQUITOES. PMID- 17776591 TI - THE CHEROKEES IN PRE-COLUMBIAN TIMES. PMID- 17776592 TI - THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. PMID- 17776593 TI - Coffee Inebriety. PMID- 17776595 TI - HEALTH MATTERS. PMID- 17776594 TI - Dr. Hann's Studies on Cyclones and Anticyclones. PMID- 17776596 TI - On the Determination of Parallax by the Spectroscope. PMID- 17776598 TI - Dividend at 100 percent a Year. PMID- 17776597 TI - Temperature in Storms. PMID- 17776599 TI - Recent Geology of Cane Wash, Monument Valley, Arizona. PMID- 17776600 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17776601 TI - Light-dependence of fluorescence of solutions of cigarette smoke. AB - In the issue of 2 September, page 421, the address of Hermann Druckrey, coauthor of the paper "Light-dependence of fluorescence of solutions of cigarette smoke," was incorrectly given as Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, New York. Dr. Druckrey's address is Chirurgische Universitats-Klinik, Hugstetterstrasse 55, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. PMID- 17776602 TI - Atomic Charges in Monosubstituted Benzenes. PMID- 17776603 TI - Polygonization of a Plastically Bent Sapphire Crystal. PMID- 17776604 TI - Proliferation of Mature Fruit Pericarp Tissue Slices in vitro. PMID- 17776605 TI - On "An Application of Statistics". PMID- 17776606 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17776608 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17776609 TI - Japanese Zoologists Abroad. PMID- 17776611 TI - Antibiotics: The Duplication Problem. PMID- 17776610 TI - NIH Career Awards. PMID- 17776612 TI - Eyesight of Astronauts. PMID- 17776614 TI - Long-Abandoned Views. PMID- 17776613 TI - Oceanography at Inland Universities. PMID- 17776615 TI - An Adequate Rate of Growth. PMID- 17776616 TI - Tikal, Guatemala, and Emergent Maya Civilization: Excavations reveal evidence of early complex-living at a prime Maya Indian site. AB - It would be extravagant to claim that these pages have outlined meaningfully the early evolution of Tikal. Data have been provided largely for one excavation locus at a site which, for all its importance, merely has symptomatic value. We cannot claim to have, at present, sufficient material to document satisfyingly the conditions and products of community-wide living at any point in these early times. Present knowledge of Eb and Tzec ceramics and of all the usual archeological correlates (architecture and so on) is disturbingly incomplete. While we do have a good many data on residence throughout much of Preclassic time, considerably more information is needed before a solid evaluation of Preclassic Tikal society can be achieved. One can only hope that pending excavation programs will provide it. Yet, experience shows that probably only a tiny percentage of early cultural remains, regardless of their grandeur and importance at the time, would have survived the constant quest for construction fills to satisfy a seemingly interminable need to build and revamp. PMID- 17776617 TI - The History of the Theory of Structure of the Atomic Nucleus. PMID- 17776619 TI - Soviet-American Exchange. AB - At hearings earlier this month on high-energy physics, held before the joint Committee on Atomic Energy, Norman F. Ramsey, professor of physics at Harvard, was testifying when Representative Melvin Price (D-III.) told of a 1959 congressional tour of the Soviet high-energy laboratory at Dubna, and asked Ramsey for comment. the exchange went as follows: PMID- 17776618 TI - High-Energy Politics: Forces Now Jockeying for Position as Plans Proceed for Giant New Accelerator. PMID- 17776620 TI - Veterans' Medicine: Imbroglio over Closing of VA Facilities Is Partly Clash of Old and New. PMID- 17776621 TI - Britain Wields a Modernizing Ax. PMID- 17776622 TI - Viscosities of Liquid Sodium and Potassium, from Their Melting Points to Their Critical Points. AB - The viscosities of liquid sodium and potassium were estimated up to the critical temperatures according to the method recently described for mercury. The critical absolute viscosity of sodium is 0.072 centipoise and that of potassium 0.055 centipoise, the estimated precision being plus or minus 0.01 centipoise. The critical absolute viscosities of metals are higher than those of covalent or homopolar substances of van der Waals type. PMID- 17776623 TI - Superconducting Gallium Antimonide. AB - A metallic phase of gallium antimonide, obtained by quenching at approximately 120 kilobars to 77 degrees K and then releasing pressure, is a superconductor. The transition temperature depends on the annealing conditions; for samples annealed at 250 degrees C under pressure before quenching, it is 4.24 degrees +/- 0.10 degrees K, and H(c2) (the critical field) equals 2640 gauss at 3.50 degrees K. This temperature is higher than the 2.1 degrees K reported for metallic indium antimonide. PMID- 17776624 TI - Polymorphic Spermatozoa in the Hymenopterous Wasp Dahlbominus. AB - Studies with the light and electron microscope reveal that at least five different types of spermatozoa are produced during spermatogenesis in the arrhenotokous hymenopteran. Dahlbominus fusciupennis (Zett. Eulophidae). Two of the types differ from the others in length, one type lacks a continuous spiral helix in the head piece, and two differ from the others in the direction of the helical coil. Few of the first three types reach the female sperm-storage organ. All the spermatozoa of the last two types that do reach the storage organ have heads with either dextral or sinistral helices extending from the apex of the head to the beginning of the tail piece. The mitochondrial filaments of the tail are also spirally coiled around the central axial filament, but only in a dextral direction. It is suggested that the coiling dimorphism may be related to fertilization of the egg and may thus affect the sex ratio. PMID- 17776625 TI - Relative Radiosensitivities of Woody and Herbaceous Spermatophytes. AB - The sensitivities of several woody and herbaceous species to single acute exposures to cobalt-60 gamma rays have been determined. Within each group the sensitivity of each species is largely determined by its average interphase chromosome volume (interphase nuclear volume divided by chromosome number) of shoot apical meristem cells. On the basis of the calculated amounts of energy absorbed (in kiloelectron volts) per interphase chromosome at an exposure necessary to produce a given biological effect, woody species were approximately twice as sensitive as herbaceous species. PMID- 17776626 TI - Growth and Tissue Formation from Single, Isolated Tobacco Cells in Microculture. AB - Single, isolated cells of tobacco divided and grew to form small colonies of over 50 cells in microcultures with a medium containing fresh liquid coconut milk, but in the absence of neighboring cells or nurse tissue. Subsequently, the mass of cells obtained from the single cell, when transferred to agar coconut milk medium, established itself as a clone of callus tissue. Some of these single-cell clones showed differentiation of many tracheid-like cells and shoots with small leaves. PMID- 17776627 TI - Blue-Green Algae: Fine Structure of the Gas Vacuoles. AB - The gas vacuoles seen in several species of blue-green algae under the light microscope are shown by electron microscopy to correspond to packed arrays of cylindrical, electron-transparent vesicles. Single vesicles average 75 millimicrons in diameter, range from 0.2 micron to 1.0 micron in length, have conical ends, and are bounded by a single membrane 2 millimicrons wide. The reversible disappearance of gas vacuoles induced by sudden application of pressure is accompanied by a reversible collapse of the individual gas vesicles. PMID- 17776628 TI - Kinin-Induced Parthenocarpy in the Fig, Ficus carica L. AB - Parthenocarpic Calimyrna fig fruits induced with a kinin were identical morphologically to those previously produced parthenocarpically with auxin or gibberellin. Thus, the three types of endogenous hormones thought to originate in the seeds and to stimulate directly fruit growth can be supplied by plant parts other than seeds. PMID- 17776629 TI - Long-Lived Solid-State Circuits: Earth-bound research instruments are benefiting from electronic components designed for space travel. PMID- 17776630 TI - Asteroid extinction hypothesis. PMID- 17776631 TI - Asteroid extinction hypothesis. PMID- 17776633 TI - Asteroid extinction hypothesis. PMID- 17776632 TI - Asteroid extinction hypothesis. PMID- 17776634 TI - Erratum. AB - In the report "Mutagenicity of fly ash particles in Paramecium" by J. Smith Sonneborn et al. (9 Jan., p. 180), Tables 1 and 2 are printed incorrectly. Significance lines are missing from both tables and "uninduced" should read "induced" in the sixth, eighth, and ninth entries of the first column in Table 1. The tables are reprinted below as they should have appeared. Table 1. Mutagenic effect of fly ash and heat-treated fly ash in Paramecium. Values not connected by the same line are significantly different from each other (Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test, alpha = .05). The data from six experiments were pooled since the control values for autogamous progeny were not significantly different. Cerophyl is the ryegrass extract used for cultivation of Paramecium. Induced S-9 is the Ames liver microsome fraction from rats receiving Arochlor 1254 (polychlorinated biphenyl) to activate the enzymes for conversion of promutagens to mutagenic form; uninduced S-9 is from rats receiving corn oil only (the vehicle for the Arochlor). Glass beads (1 to 3 ,microm) suspended in either induced or uninduced S-9 were used as a negative control for nonnutritive particles. Kaolinite was also used in one experiment, and the results were the same as those for the glass beads. Benzo[a]pyrene was the positive control for mutagenicity requiring induced S-9. The initial concentration of suspended fly ash was 535 ,microg/ml. The average number of affected progeny from treated parent cells was 20 percent higher than the average number of affected control progeny. Since one mutation would theoretically yield only 4 affected progeny in 16 autogamous progeny from a treated parent cell (6), the percentages, though low, reflect significant damage. [See table in the PDF file] Table 2. Mutagenicity of heat-treated fly ash extracted with HCl or DMSO. Values not connected by the same line are significantly different from each other (pairwise comparisons of proportions, P < .05). The concentration of fly ash particles suspended in uninduced S-9 was 1068 ,ug/ml. The higher than usual value for mutagenicity in the controls can be attributed to the considerable age of the clone used here [micronuclear damage increases with age (12)]. [See table in the PDF file]. PMID- 17776635 TI - Usefulness of the social sciences. PMID- 17776636 TI - William perry and the weapons gamble. PMID- 17776637 TI - Energy, security, and war. PMID- 17776639 TI - Is R & d the key to the productivity problem? PMID- 17776638 TI - Hatch takes over senate labor committee. PMID- 17776640 TI - Space telescope institute at hopkins. PMID- 17776642 TI - Youth and Loyalty at OMB. PMID- 17776641 TI - Governor brown boosts microelectronics. PMID- 17776643 TI - Geological survey chief lost in transition. PMID- 17776644 TI - There is more to "acid rain" than rain. PMID- 17776645 TI - The demography of well-being. PMID- 17776646 TI - Controlling oil pollution. PMID- 17776647 TI - Annelids. PMID- 17776648 TI - Lemurs. PMID- 17776649 TI - Insects in neurobiology. PMID- 17776650 TI - Observations of solar irradiance variability. AB - High-precision measurements of total solar irradiance, made by the active cavity radiometer irradiance monitor on the Solar Maximum Mission satellite, show the irradiance to have been variable throughout the first 153 days of observations. The corrected data resolve orbit-to-orbit variations with uncertainties as small as 0.001 percent. Irradiance fluctuations are typical of a band-limited noise spectrum with high-frequency cutoff near 0.15 day(-1) their amplitudes about the mean value of 1368.31 watts per square meter approach +/- 0.05 percent. Two large decreases in irrradiance of up to 0.2 percent lasting about 1 week are highly correlated with the development of sunspot groups. The magnitude and time scale of the irradiance variability suggest that considerable energy storage occurs within the convection zone in solar active regions. PMID- 17776651 TI - On the sources of summertime haze in the eastern United States. AB - The summertime haze transported from the Gulf Coast northward in maritime tropical air masses is partially formed from emissions in the midwestern and northeastern United States. Several cases are documented in which sulfate particulates, formed from emissions in the Midwest and Northeast, traveled to the Gulf of Mexico and, in some cases, returned to their source regions. PMID- 17776652 TI - Hormesis: a response to low environmental concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons. AB - Crab zoeae (Rhithropanopeus harrisii) were exposed to water-soluble fractions of jet fuel (JP5) for the first 5 days or for the duration of zoeal development (11 to 14 days). Short-term exposure or continuous exposure to low concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons caused no increase in mortality or changes in development rate, and increased megalopal weight was characteristic of such groups. This phenomenon, termed "hormesis," is probably a generalized aspect of environmental stress etiology but has seldom been reported as such. PMID- 17776653 TI - Methane production from acetate and associated methane fluxes from anoxic coastal sediments. AB - The apparent microbial conversion of acetate to methane ranges seasonally from 0.7 to 88 micromoles per liter of whole wet sediment per hour in the top 5 centimeters of methane-producing sediments underlying sulfate-reducing sediments in Cape Lookout Bight, North Carolina. The associated methane flux across the sediment-water interface into overlying waters exhibits the same seasonal pattern. Significant methane production from acetate is observed only in sulfate depleted sediments. PMID- 17776654 TI - Sex ratio manipulation and selection for attractiveness. AB - Laboratory experiments performed on a monogamous estrildid, the zebra finch (Poephila guttata), indicate that sex ratio of offspring is affected by non genetic markers (colored plastic leg bands) that vary in attractiveness to birds. Results suggest that natural selection favors individuals that produce offspring of the sex of the more attractive parent within a breeding pair. PMID- 17776655 TI - Solar wind data and ionospheric potential. PMID- 17776656 TI - Solar wind data and ionospheric potential. PMID- 17776657 TI - Calcitonin: aversive effects in rats? PMID- 17776658 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17776660 TI - THE SYNTHESIS OF VITAMIN K1. PMID- 17776659 TI - PATHWAYS OF MEDICAL PROGRESS. AB - During the three decades that have passed, medical science has ascended to a high plateau of achievement. The climb has involved several pathways; among them: (1) the physiological approach toward disease as experiments which nature performs on organisms, (2) the more intelligent interpretation of the functional reactions of the body in disease in accordance with latest discoveries in physiology, (3) the supplementation of observable phenomena through use of laboratory instruments, (4) the assumption of active investigation both on patients and experimental animals by clinicians themselves, (5) the shuttling of problems between clinical and experimental laboratories and (6) correlated research in clinical and physiological departments. As we look down from the heights we have reached, we have reason to be pleased with our progress; but when we look ahead we become aware that there are still high mountain ranges to be climbed. We realize that their ascent can not be accomplished by employing merely the methods, equipment and strategy that have proved successful so far; we must improve the application of principles that are old and well established, and evolve others that are new. Above all, we from laboratories and clinics must join hands to help each other climb; and through correlated team-work overcome the great obstacles that jealous nature places in our way. I have ventured to suggest a few directions which such mutual help may take. They include (1) means by which new fundamental discoveries can be utilized more quickly by clinicians and practitioners of medicine; (2) plans by which younger clinical investigators can be given approximately the same opportunity for training in research technique as their colleagues entering experimental sciences; (3) pleas that the shuttling of problems between hospitals and laboratories of fundamental science may continue in order that the ultimate significance of clinical results may be better understood and that the applicability of fundamental discoveries to nature's experiments may be tested; (4) judicious combination of talents of laboratory and clinical workers, whenever this leads to greater economy of effort and does not infringe upon the primary duties of each participant to his calling. The spirit of correlation which is involved in all these plans of advance is a silent force which grows not only through mutual interest in each other's problems but also through frank respectful criticism of each other's trends. With such a spirit of correlated effort science marches on. PMID- 17776661 TI - JONAS BERNARD NATHANSON. PMID- 17776663 TI - IN HONOR OF GEORGE FREDERICK ARPS. PMID- 17776662 TI - THE NEW FEDERAL NUTRITIONS LABORATORY AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17776665 TI - OFFICERS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17776664 TI - THE AMERICAN STANDARDS ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17776666 TI - CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS. PMID- 17776668 TI - TWO PARADOXES. PMID- 17776667 TI - OXYGEN RELATIONS IN HYDROPHYTES. PMID- 17776669 TI - THE GALTON LABORATORY. PMID- 17776670 TI - HARDINESS OF THE PAPER-MULBERRY TREE. PMID- 17776671 TI - CHEMISTRY IN THE SERVICE OF THE STATE. PMID- 17776672 TI - STUDIES ON THE FATE OF PLASMA PROTHROMBIN. AB - The level of the plasma prothrombin in the circulating blood is decreased during its passage through the pulmonary capillaries. In 85 per cent. of samples, plasma prothrombin has been found to be less in the blood of the left ventricle than in that from the right ventricle. This difference averaged 10.6 per cent. and ranged from 4 to 19 per cent. In no instance was the level in the right ventricle lower than that in the left. In samples of blood taken from the arterial and venous supply of the head, liver, spleen, intestine, kidney and hind limbs, no significant difference in plasma prothrombin levels was found. A possible explanation of this role of the lung in the loss of plasma prothrombin is thought to be the production of blood platelets in this organ, as demonstrated by Howell and Donahue. Platelets, as they undergo disintegration, initiate the first stage of the clotting process by releasing thromboplastin, which, in the presence of calcium, changes prothrombin to thrombin. PMID- 17776673 TI - IMPEDANCE OF BIMOLECULAR FILMS. PMID- 17776674 TI - MASS PRODUCTION OF VACCINE AGAINST TYPHUS FEVER OF THE EUROPEAN TYPE. PMID- 17776676 TI - RECENT WORK ON MOLLUSKS. PMID- 17776675 TI - THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES AND EXPERIMENT STATIONS. PMID- 17776677 TI - RICHTER AND THE PERIODIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17776679 TI - THE LOWER AUSTRAL ELEMENT IN THE FLORA OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION. A PRELIMINARY NOTE. PMID- 17776678 TI - VERTEBRAL FORMULA OF DIPLODOCUS (MARSH). PMID- 17776681 TI - A DISCLAIMER. PMID- 17776680 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17776682 TI - BOTANCANL NOTES. PMID- 17776684 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17776683 TI - National Association of Boards of Pharmacy A New Associate Society of the AAAS. PMID- 17776685 TI - Enrico Fermi. PMID- 17776688 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17776686 TI - Beryllium-7 Produced by Cosmic Rays. PMID- 17776689 TI - Effect of N-1-Naphthyl Phthalamic Acid on Fruit Set of Peaches. PMID- 17776690 TI - Crystal Structure of Rutherfordine, UO2CO3. PMID- 17776691 TI - Influence of Humic Acids on Plant Growth. PMID- 17776692 TI - Big Business and Research. PMID- 17776693 TI - Erratum. AB - In the book review by T.J. M. Schopf (30 July, p. 438), the statement that "titles of the articlese not included in the references" of Genome Evolution (G. A. Dover and R. B. Flavell, Eds., Academic Press, New York, 1982) is incorrect; titles are lacking in only one of the reference lists in the book. PMID- 17776694 TI - The LEP Expeniment. PMID- 17776695 TI - Oil consumption. PMID- 17776696 TI - Constraints on surface science research. PMID- 17776697 TI - Banded corals: changes in oceanic carbon-14 during the little ice age. AB - Radiocarbon analyses and stable isotope measurements are presented foro recent cores of banded corals from the Florida Straits. These values provide a record of variations in the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in the dissolved inorganic carbon in the surface waters of the Gulf Stream from A.D. 1642 to 1800. An increase in the carbon-14/carbon-12 ratio of 7 per mil for coral growth during the early 1700's was most likely induced by an increase in the carbon-14/carbon 12 ratio of 20 per mil in the atmospheric carbon dioxide that occurred at about 1700. The ratios of oxygen 18 to oxygen-16 in these coral bands show a small decrease of a water temperature ( approximately 1 degrees C) during the latter part of the Little Ice Age (1700 to 1725). These results support the hypothesis that the increase in atmospheric carbon-14 at about 1700, and possibly the temperature change as well, was caused by a decrease in solar activity (Maunder sunspot minimum). PMID- 17776699 TI - The academy under frank press. PMID- 17776698 TI - Can the administration sell reprocessing! PMID- 17776700 TI - Centaur wars (continued). PMID- 17776701 TI - Science council previews report on federal labs. PMID- 17776702 TI - Atomic beams probe surface vibrations. PMID- 17776703 TI - The disposal of public land. PMID- 17776704 TI - Geomorphologic theory. PMID- 17776705 TI - A Scottish mathematician. PMID- 17776706 TI - Arachnids. PMID- 17776707 TI - Piaeodicton: the traces of infaunal xenophyophores? AB - A xenophyophore found just below the surface of a box core of modern deep-sea sediment from the Japan Trench has a threadlike plasma body that extends through horizontal, anastomosing networks of organically bound sediment tubes (the organism's test). The tubes resemble somne of the polygonal networks of the trace fossil Paleodictyon. Such xenophyophores may be the makers of Paleodictyon, and the complex, regular geometry of Paleodictyon may be determined by the xenophyophore's anastomosing body shape. PMID- 17776708 TI - Crystal site location of iron and trace elements in a magnesium-iron olivine by a new crystallographic technique. AB - A new crysallographic technique has been developed, which has been applied to the problem of locating the cations in a natural olivine crystal with the composition (Mg(0.90)Fe(0.10)Ni(0.004)Mn(0.002))(2)SiO(4). The method uses the variation of characteristic x-ray emission with the direction of an exciting electron beam in an analytical transmission electron microscope. It may be applied to nanometer sized areas and to concentrations as low as 0.1 atomic percent, is capable of distinguishing neighbors in the periodic table, and does not require external standards. The iron atoms in this crystal are evenly distributed between the two available crystal sites M1 and M2 (49.6 +/- 1 percent on M1), whereas the trace elements nickel and manganese occupy the M1 and M2 positions, respectively (97 +/ 5 percent nickel on M1 and 1 +/- 5 percent manganese on M1). PMID- 17776709 TI - Hydration aging of nuclear waste glass. AB - The aging of simulated nuclear waste glass by contact with a controlled temperature, humid atmosphere results in the formation of a double hydration layer penetrating into the glass and in the formation of minerals on the glass surface. The hydration process described here provides insight into the aging kinetics of naturally occurring glasses and also suggests that simulated aging reactions are necessary for demonstrating that nuclear waste forms can meet projected Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements. PMID- 17776710 TI - Relation of Soil Water Movement and Sulfide Concentration to Spartina alterniflora Production in a Georgia Salt Marsh. AB - It is proposed that differences in plant height and productivity of the salt marsh cordgrass Spartina alterniflora are the result of a dynamic interaction among tidal water movement, dissolved iron and sulfide concentrations in marsh soils, and bacterial sulfate reduction. Tidal water movement regulates the input of iron into marsh soils and the drainage of sulfide-containing interstitial water, and thereby controls the concentration of dissolved sulfide formed as a result of bacterial sulfate reduction. Near tidal creeks, where water movement and plant height and production are greatest, sulfide concentrations are lowest; in more elevated regions of marsh, where water movement andplant production are least, sulfide concentrations are highest. Plant height and productivity may be limited by the effects of sulfide on nutrient uptake. PMID- 17776711 TI - Decay of female sexual behavior under parthenogenesis. AB - A laboratory strain of Drosophila mercatorum has existed for 20 years without males and therefore without natural selection operating to maintain the genetic basis of female mating behavior. The females of this strain have recently experienced a genetic impairment of mating capacity. This observation exemplifies the mode of evolution of vestigial characters and supports Muller's theory that random mutation will tend to destroy the genetic basis of a character from which selection has been removed. PMID- 17776712 TI - Interoceanic differences in the reproduction of coral-reef fishes. AB - Eggs of demersal spawning coral-reef fishes of the tropical western Atlantic are smaller than those of related species in the western Pacific. Decreased egg volume may result in increased fecundity per unit body weight of Atlantic species, a factor that may underlie apparent differences in the stability of the respective coral-reef fish communities. PMID- 17776713 TI - Colony defense by africanized and European honey bees. AB - Africanized and European honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations showed quantitative differences in colony defensive behavior. Africanized bees responded faster and in much larger numbers than European honey bees and produced 8.2 and 5.9 times as many stings during two different experiments. Times to react to alarming stimuli were negatively correlated with the number of bees responding and to the total number of stings. The number of bees responding was significantly correlated to the total number of stings only for the Africanized population. PMID- 17776714 TI - Associative learning in egglaying site selection by apple maggot flies. AB - Evidence is presented demonstrating that associative learning during oviposition in Crataegus or apple hosts can significantly influence the propensity of apple maggot flies to accept or reject these hosts in future encounters. The data suggest that within resource patches of a given host type there may be an enhancement of foraging efficiency. PMID- 17776715 TI - PROFITABLE AND FRUITLESS LINES OF ENDEAVOR IN PUBLIC HEALTH WORK. PMID- 17776716 TI - THE ENGINEERING SCHOOL GRADUATE: HIS STRENGTH AND HIS WEAKNESS. PMID- 17776717 TI - CHRISTIAN ARCHIBALD HERTER. PMID- 17776718 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17776719 TI - THE TEST OF VITALISM. PMID- 17776720 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17776721 TI - A PLEA FOR THE USE OF REFERENCES, AND ACCURACY THEREIN. PMID- 17776722 TI - A TREMATODE EPIDEMIC AMONG ENGLISH SPARROWS. PMID- 17776723 TI - THE SCIENCE MUSEUM AND THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. PMID- 17776724 TI - REFORMED CALENDAR. PMID- 17776725 TI - THREE FORMICID NAMES WHICH HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED. PMID- 17776726 TI - ON MUSCOID AND ESPECIALLY TACHINID SYNONYMY. PMID- 17776727 TI - METAMORPHOSIS WITHOUT PARASITISM IN THE UNIONIDAe. PMID- 17776728 TI - THE SCALES OF THE ALBULID FISHES. PMID- 17776729 TI - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LEAD ARSENATE COMPOSITION. PMID- 17776730 TI - Mathematics: catalyst to science. PMID- 17776731 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17776732 TI - Fulsome? PMID- 17776733 TI - State science projects. PMID- 17776734 TI - UFO Project: Trouble on the Ground. PMID- 17776735 TI - British civil service: how to end an era. PMID- 17776736 TI - Congress: redwoods, scenic rivers bills suffer setback. PMID- 17776737 TI - Sorted patterned ground: new appalachian localities South of the glacial border. AB - Sorted stripes, nets, and polygons in the Appalachians of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia display patterns and stone orientations visibly similar to those of ground patterned under current cold climates. Larger forms appear inactive or fossil and may provide data on the paleoclimate and slope stability. PMID- 17776738 TI - A new allotropic form of carbon from the ries crater. AB - A new allotropic form of carbon occurs in shock-fused graphite gneisses in the Ries Crater, Bavaria. The assemblage in which it occurs consists of hexagonal graphite, rutile, pseudobrookite, magnetite, nickeliferous pyrrhotite, and baddeleyite. Electron-probe analyses indicate that the new phase is pure carbon. It is opaque and much more strongly reflecting than hexagonal graphite. Measurement of x-ray diffraction powder patterns leads to cell dimensions a = 8.948 +/- 0.009, c = 14.078 +/- 0.017 angstroms, with a primitive hexagonal lattice. PMID- 17776739 TI - Martian surface materials: effect of particle size on spectral behavior. AB - The presence of abundant limonite on Mars has long been the subject of controversy. Some advocates of abundant limonite also suggest that the albedo differences between Martian light and dark areas are caused by different sizes of particles in those areas. We show that the relative albedo is reversed from the blue to the red for samples of limonite with particles of different sizes. Observations of Mars reveal no blue-red albedo reversal between the light and dark areas. Consequently, the hypothesis of particle size control of albedo is incompatible with the presence of abundant limonite on Mars. PMID- 17776741 TI - Shell use: an adaptation for emigration from the sea by the coconut crab. AB - The coconut crab. Birgus latro (L.) emigrates from the sea during the postlarval glaucothoe stage. Glaucothoes show ancestral hermit crab behavior of living in empty gastropod shells which protect them during this vulnerable time. PMID- 17776740 TI - Obsidian sources characterized by neutron-activation analysis. AB - Concentrations of elements such as manganese, scandium, lanthanum, rubidium, samarium, barium, and zirconium in obsidian samples from different flows show ranges of 1000 percent or more, whereas the variation in element content in obsidian samples from a single flow appears to be less than 40 percent. Neutron activation analysis of these elements, as well as of sodium and iron, provides a means of identifying the geologic source of an archeological artifact of obsidian. PMID- 17776742 TI - Technology assessment and human possibilities. PMID- 17776743 TI - Pattern perception. PMID- 17776744 TI - Youth: ego ideals and the impact of culture. PMID- 17776745 TI - Courses. PMID- 17776747 TI - Moon, Mars, and money. PMID- 17776746 TI - Amchitka: waves of opinion. PMID- 17776749 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17776748 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17776750 TI - Dyons versus quarks. PMID- 17776751 TI - Electrodes. PMID- 17776753 TI - The earliest americans. PMID- 17776752 TI - Aquatic weeds. PMID- 17776754 TI - Nobel laureates in economics, chemistry, and physics. PMID- 17776756 TI - Yesterday Cyclamates, Today 2,4,5-T, Tomorrow DDT? PMID- 17776755 TI - Technological abstinence advocated. PMID- 17776758 TI - Basic research: britain tries to measure payoff. PMID- 17776759 TI - Apollo lunar module engine exhaust products. AB - Organic combustion products generated by the lunar module descent engine, which burns a 1:1 mixture of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine fuel and nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer, have been analyzed. The major gaseous combustion products found were ammonia, water, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitric oxide. The minor products were acetylene, hydrogen cyanide, ethylene, formaldehyde, propadiene, ketene, cyanous acid, hydrazoic acid, various methylamines, acetaldehyde, methyl nitrite, formic acid, nitrous acid, butadiyne, nitrilohydrazines, nitromethane, and nitrosohydrazines with other oxidized derivatives of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and hydrazine. The ion intensities of the various species in all mass spectra were estimated as the following concentrations: the gases (NH(3), H(2)O, CO, NO, O(2), CO(2), and NO(2)), 87.7 percent; compounds of C, H, and O, 6.0 percent; and compounds of C, H, and N (with traces of O), 5.8 percent. PMID- 17776760 TI - Superpressure balloon flights in the tropical stratosphere. AB - Seven balloons were launched successfully from Ascension Island in January 1969. The balloons, flown at altitudes of 20 and 24 kilometers, will make possible a detailed analysis of the stratospheric circulation near the equator and will hopefully lead to an understanding of the quasi-biennial stratospheric oscillation in the tropics. PMID- 17776761 TI - Carbonate sediments: oriented lithified samples from the north atlantic. AB - Indurated carbonate samples, obtained from the North Atlantic sea floor with a deep-sea drill coring apparatus, suggest that the phenomenon of deep-sea carbonate lithification is more complex than had been thought previously. Lithified-nonlithified couplets can now be related in age and orientation. Age determinations based on the method of carbon-14 dating show that adjacent nonlithified-lithified layers may differ in age by more than 30,000 years. PMID- 17776762 TI - Zircon ages of felsic volcanic rocks in the upper precambrian of the blue ridge, appalachian mountains. AB - Five Zirconi samples from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina yield discordant uranium-lead ages which suggest an original age of 820 million years and an episodic lead loss at 240 million years. The indicated age of lead loss is interpreted as the age of movement of the Blue Ridge thrust sheet. PMID- 17776763 TI - Sedimentary phosphate method for estimating paleosalinities: a paleontological assumption. AB - Paleosalinity values in certain rocks determined by the sedimentary phosphate method differ from salinity estimates based upon contained fossil assemblages, geochemical methods, and existing stratigraphic controls. Some anomalous values are related to the abundance of fossil organisms known to be concentrators of calcium phosphate. Because of the abundance and diversity of organisms which might introduce significant errors into paleosalinity estimates, the sedimentary phosphate method seemingly is of limited applicability. PMID- 17776764 TI - Chloroplast replication and growth in tobacco. AB - Tobacco etioplasts replicate at least twice during light-induced development. Their size is doubled over the same period. The two processes do not show the same kinetics. 5-Fluorodeoxyuridine inhibits chlorophyll synthesis during the normal course of "greening" by inhibiting chloroplast growth. This compound also inhibits cytokinin-induced chloroplast replication. PMID- 17776765 TI - Host Finding by Odor in the Myrmecophilic Beetle Atemeles pubicollis Bris. (Staphylinidae). AB - The beetle Atemeles publicollis orients to the odor of its host ants by positive anemotaxis and osmoclinotaxis. The chemical response changes with age of the beetles. After hatching they are attracted by Myrmica odors, and, after hibernating, by Formica odors. PMID- 17776766 TI - Space astronomy. PMID- 17776767 TI - Science policy and state government. PMID- 17776768 TI - The nature and dignity of man. PMID- 17776769 TI - Materials. PMID- 17776770 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17776771 TI - THE SPIRIT OF THE LABORATORY. PMID- 17776773 TI - MIMICRY, AS VIEWED BY PROFESSOR SHULL. PMID- 17776772 TI - AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN CHINA. II. AB - The rapid expansion of agricultural research in China in recent years is one indication of the wide-spread interest among Chinese leaders in improving the living conditions of the people. The present tendency is to work primarily on problems of an immediate practical importance. With the basic farm crops the immediate end in view is to make China self-sufficient. There is, however, in China a growing appreciation of the value of agricultural research as one means of helping to develop efficiency in agriculture. PMID- 17776774 TI - A SYSTEM FOR FILING MONOGRAPHS, PAMPHLETS AND REPRINTS. PMID- 17776776 TI - STARS IN THE BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY OF AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17776775 TI - THE PERCENTAGE OF IRON IN HEMOGLOBIN. PMID- 17776777 TI - RESEARCH IN THE FIELDS OF GEOLOGY, CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. PMID- 17776779 TI - SEX DIFFERENCES IN ANEMIC RATS. PMID- 17776778 TI - MAGNETIC ANOMALIES NEAR WILMINGTON, N. C. PMID- 17776780 TI - EFFECT OF CERTAIN ENZYMES AND AMINO-ACIDS ON CROWN GALL TISSUES. PMID- 17776782 TI - THE USE OF SYNTHETIC RESINS IN THE PREPARATION OF PERMANENT BACTERIAL MOUNTS. PMID- 17776781 TI - CRYSTALLINE CATALASE. PMID- 17776783 TI - A PRACTICAL DEVICE FOR THE RAPID QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF PLANT PIGMENTS. PMID- 17776784 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17776785 TI - Hydrocarbon energy revisited. PMID- 17776786 TI - The Sports Stars of UCSF. PMID- 17776788 TI - Brookhaven Chemists Find New Fusion Method: Firing clusters of heavy water molecules into a deuterium target produces fusion at a surprisingly high rate, but the practical applications are unclear. PMID- 17776787 TI - Lasker award goes to four signa1 scientists. PMID- 17776789 TI - Materials research for the 1990s. PMID- 17776790 TI - The Neptune System in Voyager's Afterglow. AB - Any time the view of a planet leaps from a fuzzy dot accompanied by two pinpoints of light to the riveting details of swirling clouds, rings, cratered moonlets, and even individual dust particles, planetary science is going to be in for some upheaval. Voyager 2's encounter with Neptune was no exception. Something as seemingly innocuous as an hour or two shift in the new length of a Neptunian day is giving meteorologists and physicists fits. And Neptune's canted, complex magnetic field found by Voyager knocks into a cocked hat most ideas about why a similar field at Uranus was unique. But there were more reassuring discoveries as well. Here are samplings of both sorts of findings. PMID- 17776791 TI - New Graphics Program Debuts in Concert Hall: By simulating sound in visual form two Cornell computer scientists are helping design acoustically perfect concert halls. PMID- 17776792 TI - BU Takes Over School District. PMID- 17776793 TI - Goskompriroda and glasnost. PMID- 17776794 TI - Psychiatrists oppose soviets. PMID- 17776795 TI - Japan acts on elephants, dolphins. PMID- 17776796 TI - Pre-mesozoic palinspastic reconstruction of the eastern great basin (Western United States). AB - The Great Basin of the western United States has proven important for studies of Proterozoic and Paleozoic geology [2500 to 245 million years ago (Ma)] and has been central to the development of ideas about the mechanics of crustal shortening and extension. An understanding of the deformational history of this region during Mesozoic and Cenozoic time (245 Ma to the present) is required for palinspastic reconstruction of now isolated exposures of older geology in order to place these in an appropriate regional geographic context. Considerable advances in unraveling both the crustal shortening that took place during Mesozoic to early Cenozoic time (especially from about 150 to 50 Ma) and the extension of the past 37 million years have shown that earlier reconstructions need to be revised significantly. A new reconstruction is developed for rocks of middle Proterozoic to Early Cambrian age based on evidence that total shortening by generally east-vergent thrusts and folds was at least 104 to 135 kilometers and that the Great Basin as a whole accommodated approximately 250 kilometers of extension in the direction 287 degrees +/- 12 degrees between the Colorado Plateau and the Sierra Nevada. Extension is assumed to be equivalent at all latitudes because available paleomagnetic evidence suggests that the Sierra Nevada experienced little or no rotation with respect to the extension direction since the late Mesozoic. An estimate of the uncertainty in the amount of extension obtained from geological and paleomagnetic uncertainties increases northward from +/-56 kilometers at 36 degrees 30N to (-87)(+108) kilometers at 40 degrees N. On the basis of the reconstruction, the original width of the preserved part of the late Proterozoic and Early Cambrian basin was about 150 to 300 kilometers, about 60 percent of the present width, and the basin was oriented slightly more north-south with respect to present-day coordinates. PMID- 17776797 TI - The Photosynthetic Reaction Center from the Purple Bacterium Rhodopseudomonas viridis. AB - The history and methods of membrane protein crystallization are described. The solution of the structure of the photosynthetic reaction center from the bacterium Rhodopseudomonas viridis is described, and the structure of this membrane protein complex is correlated with its function as a light-driven electron pump across the photosynthetic membrane. Conclusions about the structure of the photosystem II reaction center from plants are drawn, and aspects of membrane protein structure are discussed. PMID- 17776798 TI - An empirical model for predicting diffusion coefficients in silicate minerals. AB - An empirical model describing the diffusion kinetics of oxygen in silicate minerals under hydrothermal conditions has been established for temperatures between 773 and 1073 Kelvin at 100 megapascals of water pressure. The equation, log D = alpha + (beta/T) + [(gamma + (delta/T))Z], where D is the diffusion coefficient, alpha, beta, gamma, and delta are constants, T is the Kelvin temperature, and Z is the total ionic porosity, may be used to predict diffusion coefficients, in most cases to within the reported experimental reproducibility of a factor of 2. For oxygen diffusion, alpha = -2, beta = -3.4 x 10(4)K, gamma = -0.13, and delta = 6.4 x 10(2)K, for D in square centimeters per second. Limited data for the diffusion of argon in silicates suggest that the model describes this system as well. PMID- 17776799 TI - Interdecadal variation in an antarctic sponge and its predators from oceanographic climate shifts. AB - During the 1960s there was extensive formation of anchor ice to depths of 30 meters at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. During this period the sponge Homaxinella balfourensis was rare, as were its predators in that depth zone. Most of the existing sponges were killed by anchor ice. During the 1970s, anchor ice formation was reduced, and there was a massive recruitment of Homaxinella, which covered as much as 80 percent of the substrata in that zone. Many predators appeared but did not control the sponge population, and it continued to grow through that decade. The early 1980s were characterized by ice formation and almost all of the Homaxinella were eliminated, leaving an order of magnitude more predators in that zone. The interdecadal increases in anchor ice probably result from local upwelling of extremely cold deep water, possibly in response to shifts in the strengths of regional currents. PMID- 17776800 TI - Species of near-humans: evolutionary history of the "robust" australopithecines. PMID- 17776801 TI - Work with fractals: fractals. PMID- 17776803 TI - Contemporary mechanics: hamiltonian systems. PMID- 17776802 TI - The carnivora: carnivore behavior, ecology, and evolution. PMID- 17776804 TI - THE HISTORY OF A DOCTRINE. PMID- 17776805 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICANISTS. PMID- 17776806 TI - A PLEA FOR LIGHT-WAVES. PMID- 17776807 TI - The Physical Aspect of the Planet Mars. PMID- 17776808 TI - Re-appearance of Song-Birds. PMID- 17776809 TI - The Philippine Islands. PMID- 17776810 TI - A SYSTEM OF COOPERATION BETWEEN THE COLLEGE AND INDUSTRY. PMID- 17776811 TI - THE DIGESTIBILITY OF THE BRANNY COATS OF WHEAT. PMID- 17776812 TI - THE INTRODUCTORY COURSE IN ZOOLOGY. PMID- 17776813 TI - NATURAL FIELD SANITATION IN CHINA. PMID- 17776814 TI - SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH IN ENGLAND. PMID- 17776816 TI - ELECTROLYTES AND COLLOIDSA. PMID- 17776815 TI - A METHOD OF IMBEDDING IN PARAFFINE. PMID- 17776817 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. II. PMID- 17776819 TI - Unusual Fracture Traverse in Fluorite. PMID- 17776818 TI - Laboratory Infections. PMID- 17776820 TI - Illiteracy Triumphant. PMID- 17776821 TI - ROMALEA MICROPTERA. PMID- 17776822 TI - THE CHIEF SIGNAL-OFFICER'S REPORT. PMID- 17776823 TI - RESOLUTIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL GEODETIC COMMISSION IN RELATION TO THE UNIFICATION OF LONGITUDES AND OF TIME. PMID- 17776825 TI - ACOUSTIC ROTATION APPARATUS. PMID- 17776824 TI - ORIGIN OF THE MESODERM. PMID- 17776826 TI - AURORAL EXPERIMENTS IN LAPLAND. PMID- 17776827 TI - Secular increase of the earth's mass. PMID- 17776828 TI - Regulation of electromotive force. PMID- 17776829 TI - A dog plans and executes with reference to the future. PMID- 17776830 TI - Osteology of the cormorant. PMID- 17776831 TI - GEIKIE'S GEOLOGY. PMID- 17776833 TI - HAECKEL'S CEYLON. PMID- 17776832 TI - Method for making electrical signals. PMID- 17776834 TI - REMSEN'S THEORETICAL CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17776835 TI - THE CORNELL MATHEMATICAL LIBRARY. PMID- 17776836 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17776837 TI - Erratum. AB - In the article "The business of science" (News and Comment, 1 Feb., p. 507), on line 19, the turnover of Schering-Plough stock on 17 January was cited as having been "better than 128 million" shares. The correct figure is 1.29 million shares. PMID- 17776838 TI - Metallogenesis in latin america. PMID- 17776839 TI - Einstein session of the pontifical academy. PMID- 17776840 TI - Address of p. A. M. Dirac. PMID- 17776841 TI - Address of victor f. Weisskopf. PMID- 17776843 TI - Accountability: restoring the quality of the partnership. PMID- 17776842 TI - Address of Pope John Paul II. PMID- 17776844 TI - Computers and the u.s. Military don't mix. PMID- 17776845 TI - White house brushes off report of israeli a-blast. PMID- 17776846 TI - DOD Says "Weteyes" Will Stay in Denver. PMID- 17776847 TI - Sakharov protests mount. PMID- 17776848 TI - Carter and the environment. PMID- 17776849 TI - Work on u.s. Oil sands heating up. PMID- 17776850 TI - The battle of the sexes. PMID- 17776851 TI - Oceanic peoples. PMID- 17776852 TI - Disordered materials. PMID- 17776853 TI - Inhibitory neurotransmitter. PMID- 17776854 TI - Swimming ability of carnivorous dinosaurs. AB - Dinosaur tracks from Lower Jurassic rocks at Rocky Hill, Connecticut, were apparently made by a floating or half-submerged animal that was pushing along the bottom with the tips of its toes. These tracks were probably made by large carnivorous dinosaurs (Theropoda) and are apparently the first evidence of swimming by such animals. PMID- 17776855 TI - Oxygen Ion--Conducting Ceramics: A New Application in High-Temperature--High Pressure pH Sensors. AB - Membrane electrodes fabricated from yttria-stabilized zirconia, a representative oxygen ion-conducting ceramic, show a linear voltage response to pH over the range 3 to 8 at 285 degrees C and a pressure of 1200 pounds per square inch (82 atmospheres). Test units have been operated continuously at 285 degrees C without failure for periods as long as 9 days. Unlike sensors which are based on electron transfer couples, such membrane electrodes are insensitive to changes in the oxidation-reduction environment and, in turn, exert no influence upon the environment. Such ceramic membranes can therefore be used for the direct measurement of the pH of geothermal brines, of water in nuclear reactors, and in high-temperature thermodynamic studies on aqueous systems. PMID- 17776856 TI - Phenolic ethers in the organic polymer of the murchison meteorite. AB - Seven phenolic acids and many nonphenolic organic acids, including large amounts of meta-hydroxy (3-hydroxy) benzoic acid and 3-hydroxy-1,5-benzene-dicarboxylic acid, were obtained from the organic polymer of the Murchison C2 chondrite upon oxidation with alkaline cupric oxide. The phenolic acids apparently were derived from phenolic ethers in the polymer, which in turn probably were formed from carbon monoxide and hydrogen by catalytic Fischer-Tropsch type reactions in the solar nebula. In contrast, terrestrial polymers such as lignin, humic acid, and coal yield mainly para-hydroxy (4-hydroxy) benzene derivatives by the same oxidation procedure. PMID- 17776857 TI - Dissolution of pyroxenes and amphiboles during weathering. AB - Augite, hypersthene, diopside, and hornblende all undergo dissolution during weathering by means of the formation, growth, and coalescence of distinctive, parallel, lens-shaped etch pits. Similar etch features can be produced if these minerals are treated in the laboratory with concentrated hydrofluoric acid plus hydrochloric acid. These pits most likely form at dislocation outcrops, and their shape and orientation are controlled primarily by the crystallography of the underlying mineral. The results are similar to those found for soil feldspars and suggest that silicate weathering, in general, takes place by selective etching and not by general attack of the surface with consequent rounding as necessiated by bulk diffusion-type weathering theories. PMID- 17776858 TI - Laminated diatomaceous sediments from the guaymas basin slope (central gulf of california): 250,000-year climate record. AB - During Deep Sea Drilling Project-International Program of Ocean Drilling leg 64, December 1978 to January 1979, the initial test of the Deep Sea Drilling Project's hydraulic piston corer obtained an almost undisturbed section from a 152-meter hole into the sediments of the oxygen minimum zone at a depth of 655 meters along the Guaymas slope in the central Gulf of California. The section records variations in climate, productivity, and circulation for more than 250,000 years of Late Pleistocene to Holocene history with recordings of seasonal variations in these parameters in the laminated sections. PMID- 17776859 TI - The oaxaca, Mexico, earthquake of 29 november 1978: a preliminary report on aftershocks. AB - Aftershocks of the 29 November 1978 Oaxaca, Mexico, earthquake (surface-wave magnitude Ms = 7.8) define a rupture area of about 6000 square kilometers along the boundary of the Cocos sea-plate subduction. This area had not ruptured in a large (Ms >/= 7), shallow earthquake since the years 1928 and 1931 and had been designated a seismic "gap." The region has also been seismically quiet for small to moderate (M >/= 4), shallow (depth H(2) + H with accuracies greater than previously attained. The method is exact in that, except for the easily estimated Monte Carlo statistical or sampling error, it requires no mathematical approximations or physical approximations beyond those of the Schrodinger equation. The minimum in the barrier, occurring for the collinear nuclear configuration with the protons separated by 1.757 bohrs, was found to be 9.61 +/- 0.01 kilocalories per mole above H + H(2). PMID- 17777032 TI - Infrared Reflection-Absorption Spectroscopy and STM Studies of Model Silica Supported Copper Catalysts. AB - The structure of model silica-supported copper catalysts has been investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRAS). The IRAS studies of CO on the model silica-supported copper catalysts indicate that there are several types of copper clusters with surface structures similar to (111), (110), and other high-index planes of single-crystal copper. The STM studies show several types of copper clusters on silica and reveal images of metal clusters on an amorphous oxide support with atomic resolution. PMID- 17777033 TI - Strange floral attractors: pollinator attraction and the evolution of plant sexual systems. AB - Individual plants of hummingbird-pollinated Besleria triflora display two flower morphs: staminate flowers, which have shortened styles and do not produce fruit, and hermaphrodite flowers. Experiments with B. triflora indicate that pollinator attraction can drive the evolution of a dimorphic plant sexual system. In field manipulated plants, visitation increased at large floral displays; however, pollen receipt increased only when staminate flowers were used to enlarge the display. Laboratory experiments showed that staminate flowers do not remove pollen from visiting pollinators, effectively concentrating outcross pollen onto stigmas of fertile flowers. A dimorphic sexual system is favored because the morphology of staminate flowers enhances their role in pollinator attraction. PMID- 17777034 TI - Middle tertiary volcanism during ridge-trench interactions in Western california. AB - Bimodal volcanism in the Santa Maria Province of west-central California occurred when segments of the East Pacific Rise interacted with a subduction zone along the California margin during the Early Miocene (about 17 million years ago). Isotopic compositions of neodymium and strontium as well as trace-element data indicate that these volcanic rocks were derived from a depleted-mantle (mid-ocean ridge basalt) source. After ridge-trench interactions, the depleted-mantle reservoir was juxtaposed beneath the continental margin and was erupted to form basalts. It also assimilated and partially melted local Jurassic-Cretaceous sedimentary and metasedimentary basement rocks to form rhyolites and dacites. PMID- 17777035 TI - Contribution of oceanic gabbros to sea-floor spreading magnetic anomalies. AB - The contribution of oceanic gabbros, representative rocks for layer 3 of the oceanic crust, to sea-floor spreading magnetic anomalies has been controversial because of the large variation in magnetic properties. Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 118 contains a continuous 500.7-meter section of oceanic gabbro that allows the relations between magnetization and petrologic characteristics, such as the degree of metamorphism and the magmatic evolution, to be clarified. The data suggest that oceanic gabbros, together with the effects of metamorphism and of magmatic evolution, account for a significant part of the marine magnetic anomalies. PMID- 17777036 TI - Response. PMID- 17777037 TI - Mantle plumes and mantle sources. PMID- 17777039 TI - Vignette: flights of fancy. PMID- 17777038 TI - Remanent monasticism. PMID- 17777040 TI - Mentalist imputations. PMID- 17777042 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17777041 TI - Devices and incentives. PMID- 17777043 TI - World Trade in Technology. PMID- 17777045 TI - Prestige in the Two Cultures. PMID- 17777044 TI - Ethics, Law, and the Universities. PMID- 17777046 TI - College Boards for Biology. PMID- 17777047 TI - Basic Research Journals. PMID- 17777048 TI - Dendrites: Understanding of this familiar phenomenon has led to the development of useful man-made materials. AB - I have touched upon the great variety of crystal forms and dendritic forms in nature, have discussed the essential physics involved in the generation of these forms during either constrained or unconstrained crystal growth, and have shown how this knowledge helps in the classification of this seemingly infinite variety of forms. Man has built upon this understanding to control the form and dimensions of certain materials to his technological advantage. We may hope that, in the future, we will have greater understanding of these phenomena of natural crystal growth and the ability to use this knowledge for technological ends. PMID- 17777049 TI - Growth, Maturation, and Senescence in Fruits: Recent knowledge on growth regulation and on biological oxidations has been applied to studies with fruits. PMID- 17777050 TI - Underwater Sound: Deep-Ocean Propagation: Variations of temperature and pressure have great influence on the propagation of sound in the ocean. AB - The absorption of sound in sea water varies markedly with frequency, being much greater at high than at low frequencies. It is sufficiently small at frequencies below several kilocycles per second, however, to permit propagation to thousands of miles. Oceanographic factors produce variations in sound velocity with depth, and these variations have a strong influence on long-range propagation. The deep ocean is characterized by a strong channel, generally at a depth of 500 to 1500 meters. In addition to guided propagation in this channel, the velocity structure gives rise to strongly peaked propagation from surface sources to surface receivers 48 to 56 kilometers away, with strong shadow zones of weak intensity in between. The near-surface shadow zone, in the latter case, may be filled in by bottom reflections or near-surface guided propagation due to a surface isothermal layer. The near-surface shadow zones can be avoided with certainty only through locating sources and receivers deep in the ocean. PMID- 17777051 TI - "Science 100," 1963--64: Original papers are used as textbooks in a university course for nonscience students. PMID- 17777052 TI - Research on Maser-Laser Principle Wins Nobel Prize in Physics. PMID- 17777053 TI - Astronomy: Academy Study Urges 10-Year, $224 Million Program Of New Telescope Construction. PMID- 17777054 TI - Sartre: French Philosopher Is Model of Literary Intellectual by "Two Cultures" Definition. PMID- 17777055 TI - Genetics at Cologne. PMID- 17777056 TI - Lunar Occultation of X-ray Emission from the Crab Nebula. AB - The x-ray flux from the Crab Nebula was observed during a lunar occultation on 7 July 1964. As the moon covered the central region of the nebula, the x-ray flux decreased gradually. The source appears to extend over a volume about 1 light year in diameter. PMID- 17777057 TI - Graphitization of Organic Material in a Progressively Metamorphosed Precambrian Iron Formation. AB - Organic matter in the sedimentary Biwabik iron formation in northern Minnesota shows a progressive increase in crystallinity where the formation is metamorphosed by the intrusive Duluth gabbro complex. X-ray diffraction of acid insoluble residues shows that there is a complete range in crystallinity, from amorphous material in the unmetamorphosed sediments to completely crystalline graphite adjacent to the gabbro. PMID- 17777059 TI - Phosphorus Excretion and Body Size in Marine Animals: Microzooplankton and Nutrient Regeneration. AB - In marine animals the rate of excretion of dissolved phosphorus per unit weight increases as body weight decreases. As a consequence microzooplankton may play a major role in planktonic nutrient regeneration. PMID- 17777058 TI - Meteoritic Zircon. AB - Zircon (ZrSiO(5)) has been identified as an accessory mineral in the Vaca Muerta mesosiderite and in the troilite nodules of the Toluca iron meteorite. The occurrence in Vaca Muerta is a new discovery confirmned by electron-probe nmicroanalysis of a grain in a polished section of the meteorite. Our identification of zircon in Toluca substantiates an occurrence in this meteorite reported in 1895 by Laspeyres and Kaiser. PMID- 17777060 TI - Sporangium Discharge in Pilobolus: A Photographic Study. AB - Stages in the discharge of sporangia by the fungus, Pilobolus kleinii, were photographed by means of a high-speed electronic flash triggered by a photocell. The photographs confirm that the sporangium is propelled by a jet of cell sap. The jet is deflected from the sporangium and attains a considerable length before it breaks into droplets. PMID- 17777061 TI - Crustacea: A Primitive Mediterranean Group also Occurs in North America. AB - A new species of the genus Monodella (class Crustacea, order Thermosbaenacea) has been found in a cave pool in Texas. Previously the order was believed to be restricted to the Mediterranean area. The new evidence indicates that the order is older than was believed, or that invasion of fresh or brackish water has occurred more than once within the order. PMID- 17777062 TI - California Sparrows Return from Displacement to Maryland. AB - Twenty-two migratory sparrows (Zonotrichia) which had returned to their winter home at San Jose, California (1962-63), after being displaced 2900 kilometers to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the winter of 1961-62, were then displaced the 3860 kilometers to Laurel, Maryland, during the winter of 1962-63. Six of the 22 birds returned across the continent to San Jose to be recaptured during the winter of 1963-64. PMID- 17777063 TI - Environmental Variables in Disease. PMID- 17777064 TI - Interferon. PMID- 17777065 TI - History of Microbiology. PMID- 17777067 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17777066 TI - Mitochondrial Structure and Function--A "Compostium". PMID- 17777068 TI - The Role of Microorganisms in Acid Mine Drainage: A Preliminary Report. PMID- 17777069 TI - Reconnaissance Soil Survey Work in Japan. PMID- 17777070 TI - COMMENTS by Readers. PMID- 17777071 TI - Relative Sensitivity of Dormant and Germinating Seeds to 2,4-D. PMID- 17777072 TI - Inactivation of Certain Neurotropic Viruses in Vitro by Serum Lipids. PMID- 17777073 TI - Reaction of Certain Plant Growth Regulators With Ion Exchangers. PMID- 17777074 TI - The Abundance of Thallium in the Earth's Crust. PMID- 17777075 TI - Differential Phytotoxicity of Metabolic By-Products of Helminthosporium victoriae. PMID- 17777076 TI - Granulosa Cell Tumors in Intrapancreatic Ovarian Grafts in Castrated Mice. PMID- 17777077 TI - Application of "Metabolite Antagonism" to Cancer Research. PMID- 17777078 TI - A Slide Rule for Determining Chicken Red Cell Agglutination Titer. PMID- 17777079 TI - Olive Oil as a Solvent for Certain Organic Vapors. PMID- 17777080 TI - Comparison of Hematocrit Methods. PMID- 17777081 TI - New Rectal Culture Tube. PMID- 17777082 TI - Analytical Determination of Basic Groups in Amino Acids and Proteins. PMID- 17777083 TI - The Halogen-Metal Interconversion Reaction and Its Application to the Synthesis of Nicotinic Acid Labeled With Isotopic Carbon. PMID- 17777084 TI - "Neither snow nor rain nor . . .". PMID- 17777085 TI - Tektites as Natural Earth Satellites: Observations indicate that orbiting tektites, on entering the atmosphere, fall in a few revolutions. PMID- 17777086 TI - Kennedy's Program for Education: Teachers' Salaries; Construction; Scholarships. PMID- 17777087 TI - Syphacia muris, the Rat Pinworm. AB - A migration of gravid Syphacia muris pinworms down the large intestine of the rat host is shown to occur from the seventh day on in the worm's life cycle. Eggs obtained from migrating worms have proved to be infective to helminth-free rats after incubation in saline for 30 minutes at room temperature and 4 hours at 37 degrees C. PMID- 17777088 TI - An Interpolated Molecular Formula. AB - The necessity of counting hydrogen atoms in molecular formulas may be obviated by substituting a "hydrogen reciprocal," which can be obtained more easily. PMID- 17777089 TI - Low Temperature Induced Male Sterility in Male-Fertile Pennisetum clandestinum. AB - Controlled environment studies of Pennisetum clandestinum showed that at 10 degrees C stamens of the male-fertile strain were not exserted from the floret although stigmas emerged normally. At higher temperatures both stamens and stigmas were exserted. Pollen abortion was high at 10 degrees C and was increased by lengthening photoperiod. Flowering of the male-sterile strain was not changed by any temperature or photoperiod. These responses to temperature may explain the natural sterility during the cool season. PMID- 17777090 TI - Chromosomal Control of Preferential Pairing in Nicotiana. AB - A stock of tobacco with 23 pairs of tobacco chromosomes and one substituted pair from Nicotiana glutinosa was available. An amphiploid of this tobacco with N. tomentosiformis was synthesized in order to test whether preferential pairing is determined by the homologies of the chromosomes or whether it is under genic control. Characteristically, segregates for duplex loci in N. tabacum x N. tomentosiformis amphiploids give a gametic output of about 3:1, but for a factor on the substituted chromosome that output was found to be 59:1. The result suggests that preferential pairing in this material is not genically determined. PMID- 17777091 TI - Loss of Mass in Echo Satellite. PMID- 17777092 TI - On Antimatter and Cosmology. AB - A cosmological model based on a gravitational plasma of matter and antimatter is discussed. The antigravitational interaction of matter and antimatter leads to segregation and an expansion of the plasma universe. The expansion time scale is controlled by the aggregation time scale. PMID- 17777093 TI - Observations on the Sexual Stage of Colletotrichum orbiculare. AB - An isolate of the fungus Colletotrichum orbiculare (syn. C. lagenarium) race 1 that forms perithecia in culture was isolated from edible gourd in North Carolina. This isolate has been identified as a species of Glomerella. The isolate produces very few ascopores when selfed; however, ascospores are produced in abundance when mated with certain other isolates of C. orbiculare. PMID- 17777094 TI - Gamma Globulin (Gm group) Heterogeneity in Chimpanzees. AB - The serum gamma globulin (Gm) serological system was examined in 24 chimpanzees. Five Gm a, Gm b, and Gm x phenotypes, including Gm (a-b-x-), were observed. Phenotype did not appear to be related to serum gamma globulin concentration. The presence of the Gm system in apes suggests that this polymorphism in man is balanced and ancient. PMID- 17777095 TI - Fossil and Living Conchostracan Distribution in Kansas-Oklahoma across a 2OO Millon-Year Time Gap. AB - Fifty-nine of 493 ponds sampled in the Wellington fossil conchostracan belt contained Cyzicus mexicanus (Claus). Persistent habitat preference and faunal association were also found for four orders of insects (Odonata, Ephemeroptera, Neuroptera, and Homoptera). Comparative limnology is detailed. Greater geographic fractionation of Permian conchostracan gene-pools is attributed to a more arid climate indicated by evaporites. PMID- 17777097 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17777096 TI - Bionics. PMID- 17777098 TI - DNA's and RNA's. PMID- 17777100 TI - Stimulus Generalization Gradients. PMID- 17777099 TI - Drug Industry and Government. PMID- 17777101 TI - Forty First-Rate Universities. PMID- 17777103 TI - Earth Science Today. PMID- 17777102 TI - Atmospheric Tides. PMID- 17777104 TI - High-Energy Physics: Budget Cuts by House Committees Contrast with Easing of Funds for Other Fields. PMID- 17777105 TI - "Science Year": 1965 Designated by Johnson for Stressing Efforts Directed toward Human Welfare. PMID- 17777106 TI - International Space Science Symposium. PMID- 17777107 TI - Coal Mine Disasters: Frequency by Month. AB - Major coal mine disasters (five or more fatalities per accident) in the United States over the past 150 years have tended to occur primarily in the winter months from November through April. Minor accidents (zero to four fatalities per accident) occur at a fairly uniform rate throughout the year. This peak for major disasters is ascribed to effect of barometric minima on the methane content of mine air, to the effect of dry polar air masses in reducing the moisture content of coal dust, and, possibly, to cyclic fatigue of rock structures from cycling barometric pressure. Obvious safety practices are suggested. PMID- 17777108 TI - Geometry of Bermuda Calcareous Dune Cross-Bedding. AB - Bermuda wind-blown limesands are lobate-shaped bodies composed internally of leeward foreset strata which dip at 30 to 35 degrees and windward strata which dip at 10 to 15 degrees in an opposite direction. The foreset beds are convex upward. This convex upward cross-stratification is preserved because of the early stabilization of the eolian calcareous sand due to surface cementation by percolating rain water. PMID- 17777109 TI - Contraction Hypothesis Consistent with the Kennedy-Thorndike Experiment. AB - A Lorentz-Fitzgerald contraction augmented by an equal isotropic contraction gives a null result for all interferometric ether-drift experiments. PMID- 17777110 TI - Petroleum Hydrocarbons: Generation from Fatty Acid. AB - In the presence or absence of water, behenic acid generates hydrocarbons during heating at 200 degrees C with bentonite. Without water the ratio of isobutane or isopentane to normal butane or normal pentane is much higher than with water. Besides C(21). and lower n-alkanes, n-alkanes with 22 to 34 carbon atoms are also formed. PMID- 17777111 TI - Garnet Ratios and Provenance in The Glacial Drift of Western New York. AB - The ratio of purple to red garnet identifies drift provenance. Low ratios indicate glacier flow from the central Adirondacks. Ratios of 1.4 or greater indicate flow from Canada, by way of the St. Lawrence lowland. The heavy mineral assemblages were evidently undiluted by local sources in western New York. PMID- 17777112 TI - Chinoptilolite: A New Occurrence in North Carolina Phosphorite. AB - The zeolite, clinoptilolite, has been identified in a Miocene phosphorite deposit in North Carolina. It occurs in great abundance in the clay fraction of the phosphorite both as well formed, separate crystals and as clusters of crystals attached to granular particles. PMID- 17777113 TI - Osmotic Stress: Effects of Its Application to a Portion of Wheat Root Systems. AB - Application of a slight osmotic stress to only a portion of young wheat roots significantly affected certain metabolic fractions throughout the entire plant. These components change rapidly with time and therefore time studies must be used in experiments of this type concerned with an evaluation of changes in metabolic fractions in plants that are induced by environmental factors. PMID- 17777114 TI - Lichens On Galapagos Giant Tortoises. AB - The association of Physcia picta with the giant Galdpagos tortoise is believed to be the first reported occurrence of lichens on land animals. The habitat is restricted to specific sites on the carapace of male tortoises. PMID- 17777115 TI - Chromic Oxide Indicator Method for Measuring Food Utilization in a Plant-Feeding Insect. AB - The chromic oxide indicator method was used to determine percentage utilization of three diets prepared from lyophilized plant tissues for fifthtnstar larvae of the pale western cutworm. Because of the simplicity of the method and uniformity of results within each of the diets, the procedure can be used routinely in feeding trials with this insect, and perhaps others with biting and chewing mouth parts. PMID- 17777116 TI - System for Reporting Symposium Discussions. AB - The system described was effective in obtaining a complete record of the discussions which arose during a week-long symposium with over 300 participants. Each individual wrote a publishable summary of his question or comment on a special numbered card immediately after speaking. This not only provided an accurate report but greatly facilitated preparation for publication. PMID- 17777117 TI - Cosmic Dust. PMID- 17777118 TI - Neurobiology: Interdisciplinary Discussions of the Nervous System. PMID- 17777120 TI - THE HUMAN WORTH OF RIGOROUS THINKING. PMID- 17777119 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17777121 TI - CHEMISTRY AS AFFECTING THE PROFIT-ABLENESS OF INDUSTRY. PMID- 17777122 TI - INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE STRUCTURE OF MATTER. PMID- 17777123 TI - THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17777124 TI - THE ATLANTA MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777125 TI - THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN BACTERIOLOGISTS. PMID- 17777126 TI - A PROPOSED RE-ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS FOR THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777127 TI - SOME EFFECTS OF THE DROUGHT UPON VEGETATION. PMID- 17777128 TI - AN ANCESTRAL LIZARD FROM THE PERMIAN OF TEXAS. PMID- 17777129 TI - THE CONVENTION OF GEOLOGISTS AND MINING ENGINEERS. PMID- 17777131 TI - Uranium Deposits in the USSR. PMID- 17777130 TI - Solar Energy. PMID- 17777132 TI - Note on the Genetics of Hypercholesterolemia. PMID- 17777133 TI - Pentavalent Manganese. PMID- 17777134 TI - The Flowering and Seed-Setting of Sweet Potatoes in Puerto Rico. PMID- 17777135 TI - Influence of Texture of Food on Its Acceptance by Rats. PMID- 17777136 TI - The Influence of Brief Periods of Strenuous Exercise on the Blood Platelet Count. PMID- 17777137 TI - The Zone of Localization of Anti-Mouse-Kidney Serum as Determined by Radioautographs. PMID- 17777138 TI - Growth of Potato Sprouts Retarded by 2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid. PMID- 17777140 TI - On the Site of Discovery of the "Male Sterile" John Baer Tomato Mutant. PMID- 17777139 TI - A New Dietary Factor Related to Xanthine Oxidase. PMID- 17777141 TI - Is There Laterite in Rocks of the Dakota Group? PMID- 17777142 TI - The Miticidal Properties of Di(p-Chlorophenyl) Methyl Carbinol in Laboratory Insect Rearings. PMID- 17777143 TI - THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION AND THE PUBLIC. PMID- 17777145 TI - THE TALKING MACHINE AND THE PHONOGRAPH. PMID- 17777144 TI - SOCIEDAD CIENTIFICA ANTONIO ALZATE. PMID- 17777146 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF GASEOUS IONS AND THEIR RECOMBINATION. PMID- 17777147 TI - BOSTON MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. III. PMID- 17777148 TI - THE CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. PMID- 17777149 TI - THE COURSE IN GENERAL ZOOLOGY: METHODS OF TEACHING. PMID- 17777150 TI - LOUIS ALBERT FISCHER. PMID- 17777151 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17777152 TI - "DENUDATION," "EROSION," "CORROSION" AND "CORRASION". PMID- 17777153 TI - THE SOCIAL ASPECTS OF COUNTRY PLANNING. PMID- 17777154 TI - A POSSIBLE FACTOR IN THE INCREASING INCIDENCE OF GOITER. PMID- 17777155 TI - THE PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE REVOLUTION OF THE EMBRYO IN APHID EGGS. PMID- 17777156 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17777157 TI - Plutonium and christian ethics. PMID- 17777159 TI - Nuclear power decisions. PMID- 17777158 TI - Plutonium and christian ethics. PMID- 17777160 TI - Nuclear power decisions. PMID- 17777161 TI - Plutonium and christian ethics. PMID- 17777162 TI - Basic research and congress. PMID- 17777163 TI - Solar structure and terrestrial weather. AB - If there is indeed an effect of the variable sun on the weather, the physical cause for it remains quite elusive (12). We should keep in mind the possibility that there may be several causes and several effects. The situation may change through the 11-year sunspot cycle and the 22-year solar magnetic cycle, as well as on longer time scales. Work is proceeding at a lively pace at the institutions mentioned in this article and at many others around the world. The Soviet Union has long had considerably more workers interested in this field than has any other country. A bilateral agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States has considerably increased the interactions between workers interested in this subject, including an exchange of extended visits between the two countries. A detailed knowledge of solar causes of geomagnetic activity is only now beginning to emerge after many years of scientific efforts. This suggests that a possible successful solution to the sun-weather problem will require a similar magnitude of effort. We look forward with interest and optimism to the results of the next few years. PMID- 17777164 TI - Early man at holly oak, delaware. PMID- 17777166 TI - Biomedical panel: report says the enterprise is basically sound. PMID- 17777165 TI - Biomedical panel recommendations. PMID- 17777167 TI - Agricultural research: committee approves big boost. PMID- 17777168 TI - House Appropriations Subcommittee Cuts $50 Million Plus from Basic Research Section of NSF Funding Bill. PMID- 17777169 TI - Toxic pollutants: industry worried at abatement agreement. PMID- 17777170 TI - An affirmation of freedom of inquiry and expression. PMID- 17777171 TI - Scientists' rights: academy adopts "affirmation of freedom". PMID- 17777172 TI - NAS Elects 75 New Members. PMID- 17777173 TI - "Fleece" winner sues proxmire. PMID- 17777174 TI - Presolar grains: isotopic clues to solar system origin. PMID- 17777175 TI - Chemotherapy: renewed interest in platinum compounds. PMID- 17777176 TI - General knowledge in the populace. PMID- 17777177 TI - Lectures in statistics. PMID- 17777178 TI - Mammals in ecosystems. PMID- 17777179 TI - R factors. PMID- 17777180 TI - Pattern in evolution. PMID- 17777181 TI - Ancient tides. PMID- 17777182 TI - Paleogene terrestrial vertebrates: northernmost occurrence, ellesmere island, Canada. AB - Recently discovered Paleogene land vertebrates from the Eureka Sound Formation at about latitude 78 degrees north in Arctic Canada include fish, turtles, an alligatorid, and several taxa of mammals. The assemblage, which is probably early or middle Eocene in age, adds to previously known paleobotanical evidence in suggesting temperate to warm-temperate climatic conditions. PMID- 17777183 TI - Deep-sea carbonates: dissolution and mass wasting on ontong-java plateau. AB - Seismic reflection profiles and the structure of sediments in box cores from Ontong-Java Plateau indicate large-scale land sliding and sediment flow processes, respectively. The topographic morphology of sliding and slumping is depth- dependent, suggesting control by dissolution processes. PMID- 17777184 TI - Fossil peccary from the pliocene of South Africa. AB - Pecarichoerus africanus, new species, from Langebaanweg, Cape Province, is the first fossil peccary to be described from Africa and represents the youngest record of the peccary family in the Old World. PMID- 17777185 TI - Supershrimp: deep bioturbation in the strait of canso, nova scotia. AB - Axius serratus, a crustacean thought to be extremely rare, was discovered in large numbers in polluted regions of the Strait of Canso. The shrimp may live deeper than 3 meters in the sediment; burrows are kept open to at least 2.5 meters. Sediment contained in old filled burrows is anomalous in its distribution of particle size and its content of water, organic carbon, and trace elements. These anomalous qualitites affect the geotechnical properties of sediments on the sea floor. PMID- 17777187 TI - THE ECONOMIC TREND OF BOTANY. PMID- 17777186 TI - Hydrogen Cyanide Formation over Automotive Catalytic Converters. PMID- 17777188 TI - CONSERVE THE COLLECTOR. PMID- 17777189 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC TREND IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS. PMID- 17777190 TI - PATRONIZING THE SOUTH AMERICAN REPUBLICS. PMID- 17777192 TI - THE SUMMER MEETING OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17777191 TI - A NEW FIELD SCHOOL OF GEOLOGY FOR HARVARD UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17777193 TI - THE RATE OF CONTINENTAL DENUDATION. PMID- 17777195 TI - PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENTS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. PMID- 17777194 TI - ALBINISM IN THE ENGLISH SPARROW. PMID- 17777196 TI - A STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF VOLCANIC DUST VEILS ON CLIMATIC VARIATIONS. PMID- 17777197 TI - ON THE NATURE OF ANTAGONISM. PMID- 17777198 TI - ISOLATION OF BACILLUS RADICICOLA FROM SOIL. PMID- 17777199 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17777200 TI - EMBRYOLOGY AND ITS RELATIONS. PMID- 17777201 TI - COBALT--AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT. PMID- 17777202 TI - THERMODYNAMICS AND THE RATES OF COUPLED OR REVERSED REACTIONS. PMID- 17777203 TI - MAGNIFICATION OF TIME AS A RESEARCH TECHNIQUE IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR. PMID- 17777204 TI - CELL INCLUSIONS IN AZOTOBACTER CHROOCOCCUM BEJ. PMID- 17777205 TI - THE TORONTO MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ANATOMISTS. PMID- 17777206 TI - CORTICAL REPRESENTATION OF TACTILE SENSIBILITY AS INDICATED BY CORTICAL POTENTIALS. PMID- 17777207 TI - QUANTITY ULTRACENTRIFUGATION WITH INTENSE FIELDS. PMID- 17777208 TI - BREAKING THE REST PERIOD OF THE STRAWBERRY BY LONG DAYS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES. PMID- 17777209 TI - THE SUN'S MOTION IN SPACE. PMID- 17777210 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17777211 TI - AN INGENIOUS FORGING PRESS. PMID- 17777212 TI - EXPERIMENTAL DIPHTHERIA. PMID- 17777213 TI - The International Geological Congress in Washington. PMID- 17777214 TI - The Man of the Future. PMID- 17777215 TI - Words of Algonkian Origin. PMID- 17777216 TI - Government Science. PMID- 17777218 TI - Auroral Phenomena. PMID- 17777217 TI - Chautauqua and other Iroquois Names. PMID- 17777219 TI - Battles and Rain. PMID- 17777221 TI - FUNCTIONS OF THE PRECLINICAL SCIENCES IN MEDICAL EDUCATION. PMID- 17777220 TI - EPISODES AND PERSONALITIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGY AT BROWN. PMID- 17777222 TI - THE DETROIT CENTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. PMID- 17777224 TI - THE INSTITUTE OF FOOD TECHNOLOGISTS. PMID- 17777223 TI - NEW FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. PMID- 17777226 TI - FRESH-WATER JELLYFISH IN HAWAII. PMID- 17777225 TI - PALEONTOLOGICAL EXPEDITION OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY AND THE SOUTH DAKOTA STATE SCHOOL OF MINES. PMID- 17777227 TI - VARIETIES OF TRITICUM VULGARE PRACTICALLY IMMUNE IN ALL STAGES OF GROWTH TO STEM RUST. PMID- 17777228 TI - REAPPEARANCE OF AN ANCIENT ABSURDITY REGARDING MAGNETS. PMID- 17777229 TI - REAPPEARANCE OF AN ANCIENT ABSURDITY REGARDING MAGNETS. PMID- 17777230 TI - ROGER BACON WAS MISTAKEN. PMID- 17777231 TI - THE NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF SNOW AND GLACIERS. PMID- 17777232 TI - MOBILIZATION OF VITAMIN A FROM ITS STORES IN THE TISSUES BY ETHYL ALCOHOL. PMID- 17777233 TI - THE ISOLATION OF PHYTIN FROM SOIL. PMID- 17777234 TI - ON THE NATURE OF THE LEUKOCYTOSIS-PROMOTING FACTOR OF INFLAMMATORY EXUDATES. PMID- 17777235 TI - A NEW TECHNIC FOR STAINING VAGINAL SMEARS. PMID- 17777236 TI - A RUBBER CAST OF THE DOGFISH SPIRAL VALVE. PMID- 17777237 TI - SPECIALIZATION AND RESEARCH IN THE MEDICAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17777238 TI - RESEARCH IN INDUSTRIAL LABORATORIES. PMID- 17777239 TI - TRIMMED MAGAZINES AND EFFICIENCY EXPERTS. PMID- 17777240 TI - THE SUPPOSED SYNCHRONAL FLASHING OF FIREFLIES. PMID- 17777241 TI - A CASE OF SYNCHRONIC BEHAVIOR IN PHALANGIDAe. PMID- 17777242 TI - PEANUT MOSAIC. PMID- 17777243 TI - SECTION C--CHEMISTRY--AT THE NEW YORK MEETING. PMID- 17777244 TI - HORTICULTURE AS A PROFESSION. PMID- 17777245 TI - LETTER ON THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. PMID- 17777246 TI - GERMAN TERMS IN ANATOMY. PMID- 17777247 TI - CURIOUS DIFFERENTIATION IN FROST EFFECTS. PMID- 17777249 TI - HOW TO AVOID INFLUENZA. PMID- 17777248 TI - A SIMPLE COVERING DEVICE FOR THE OCULAR OF THE MICROSCOPE. PMID- 17777250 TI - A CHART OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, ALIPHATIC SERIES. PMID- 17777251 TI - "Back-to-the-Wall" Effect Continues. PMID- 17777252 TI - Computer systems. PMID- 17777254 TI - Overmanagement of medicine. PMID- 17777253 TI - Heart Panel's Report. PMID- 17777255 TI - The Osmotic Pump: In principle, but probably not in practice, fresh water can be extracted from our oceans for no expenditure of energy. PMID- 17777256 TI - Norway: Small Country Plans Civil Science and Technology: Experience suggests how cooperative applied science programs can be linked to national goals and needs. AB - Smaller countries-and even more advanced large countries-need to carefully plan and allocate their limited resources in civil science and technology for maximum impact in terms of national goals. Norway's recently completed 2(1/2)-year attempt at more formal planning in the civil-industrial sector may suggest some useful approaches to this complex problem. It should also offer helpful insights to those interested in broad-scale, government-private planning in science and technology elsewhere. PMID- 17777257 TI - Office of management and budget: the view from the executive office. AB - The federal budget will make its annual appearance at the end of the month under the seal of the Office of Management and Budget, a highly influential but reticent agency cloistered in the Executive Office of the President. This first of three articles on OMB discusses the development of the budget agency since World War II and looks at the evolution of the science budget from the OMB perspective. PMID- 17777258 TI - Mead Elected AAAS President. PMID- 17777259 TI - Oil shortage: demand down supply up. PMID- 17777260 TI - Fredrickson May Head IOM. PMID- 17777261 TI - Raw materials: u.s. Grows more vulnerable to third world cartels. PMID- 17777262 TI - Update on Mars: Clues about the Early Solar System. PMID- 17777263 TI - "Internal Waves" Advancing along Submarine Canyons. AB - Patterns of alternating up- and downcanyon currents have been traced along the axes of submarine canyons off California. The patterns arrive later at stations nearer the heads of coastal canyons. Where a canyon heads between two islands, the patterns advance down the axis. The propagation speeds of these patterns were estimated as 25 to 88 centimeters per second. Internal waves are the probable explanation. PMID- 17777264 TI - Atmospheric concentrations and sources of trace metals at the South pole. AB - The chemical composition of atmospheric particulate material collected at the geographic South Pole indicates that Al, Sc, Th, Sm, V, Mn, Eu, Fe, La, Ce, Co, Cr, Na, K, Mg, and Ca are derived from either crustal weathering or the ocean. The relatively volatile elements Zn, Cu, Sb, Se, Pb, and Br are apparently derived from other sources. Because of their volatility, vapor-phase condensation or a high-temperature dispersion source is suspected for these elements or their compounds. PMID- 17777265 TI - Postseismic viscoelastic rebound. AB - The sudden appearance of a dislocation, representing an earthquake, in an elastic layer (the lithosphere) overriding a viscoelastic half space (the asthenosphere) is followed by time-dependent surface deformation, which is very similar to in situ postseismic deformation. The spectacular postseismic deformation following the large Nankaido earthquake of 1946 yields for the asthenosphere a viscosity of 5 x 10(19) poise and a 50 percent relaxation of the shear modulus. Large thrust type earthquakes may provide, in the future, a new method for exploring the rheology of the earth's upper mantle. PMID- 17777266 TI - Ordered lattice defects in colored fluorite: direct observations. AB - Ordered arrays of defect aggregates in the (111) planes of natural fluorite have been observed by transmission electron microscopy. The intense blue coloration observed in corresponding sample areas after 200-kilovolt electron microscopy confirms the conclusion that these are color-center aggregates and, conversely, that color centers are primarily responsible for fluorite coloration. PMID- 17777267 TI - Industry in the san francisco bay area. PMID- 17777268 TI - The wine industry of california. PMID- 17777269 TI - The sea and its resources. PMID- 17777270 TI - Microcalorimetry techniques: applications to cellular systems. PMID- 17777271 TI - AMERICAN STANDARDS IN EDUCATION AND THE WORLD-STANDARD. PMID- 17777272 TI - THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE STUDENT BODY AT A NUMBER OF UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. PMID- 17777273 TI - THE UNIFICATION OF THE METHODS OF ANALYSIS OF FATS AND OILS. PMID- 17777274 TI - THE HARVARD CLASSICS AND HARVARD. PMID- 17777275 TI - STATISTICS OF TELEGONY. PMID- 17777277 TI - THE PERFECT STAGE OF LEAF-SPOT OF PEAR AND QUINCE. PMID- 17777276 TI - HISTORICAL GRAPHICS. PMID- 17777278 TI - NOTES ON TWO COMMON TURTLES OF EASTERN UNITED STATES. PMID- 17777279 TI - ON ARTIFICIAL PARTHENOGENESIS OF THE SEA-URCHIN EGG. PMID- 17777280 TI - REMARKS ON THE PROGRESS OF CELESTIAL MECHANICS SINCE THE MIDDLE OF THE CENTURY. PMID- 17777281 TI - ADMISSION OF AMERCAN STUDENTS TO THE FRENCH UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17777282 TI - APPLICATION OF THE X-RAYS TO SURGERY. PMID- 17777283 TI - ON SOME CHARACTERS OF FLORAL GALLS. PMID- 17777284 TI - THE WALL PAINTINGS OF MITLA. PMID- 17777285 TI - RONTGEN RAYS AND THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17777286 TI - A DIRECTOR IN CHIEF OF SCIENTIFIC BUREAUS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. PMID- 17777287 TI - ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17777289 TI - PROF. C. LLOYD MORGAN ON INSTINCT. PMID- 17777288 TI - CERTITUDES AND ILLUSIONS. PMID- 17777290 TI - THE CHANCE OF OBSERVING THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE IN NORWAY. PMID- 17777291 TI - RONTGEN RAYS PRESENT IN SUNLIGHT. PMID- 17777292 TI - THE RONTGEN RAYS. PMID- 17777293 TI - RONTGEN RAYS FROM THE ELECTRIC ARC. PMID- 17777294 TI - Linguistics. PMID- 17777295 TI - Publications Received. PMID- 17777296 TI - NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: Abstracts of Papers Presented at the Autumn Meeting, November 5-7, 1951 Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. PMID- 17777297 TI - The Viscosity of the System Methanol-Toluene. PMID- 17777298 TI - Science Education as an Ambassador of Good Will. PMID- 17777300 TI - Far Vision Observations. PMID- 17777299 TI - The Glomerular Ram and Renal Water Absorption. PMID- 17777301 TI - Science and the Bible. PMID- 17777303 TI - RETIREMENT OF HERBERT P. WHITLOCK OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17777302 TI - THE STUDY OF MAN. PMID- 17777304 TI - CHARLES LLOYD CONNOR. PMID- 17777305 TI - THE HIGH SCHOOL OF SCIENCE IN NEW YORK CITY. PMID- 17777306 TI - THE BOTANICAL EXPEDITION TO GUATEMALA OF THE FIELD MUSEUM. PMID- 17777307 TI - THE PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK CITY. PMID- 17777308 TI - THE OLIN HALL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17777309 TI - MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS IN MEXICO CITY. PMID- 17777310 TI - ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATURAL AREA ON THE HUNTINGTON WILDLIFE FOREST. PMID- 17777311 TI - THE RELATION BETWEEN MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17777312 TI - AN ANALYSIS OF THE SPREAD OF EPIDEMICS. PMID- 17777313 TI - THE SOLAR RADIATION CONSTANT AND THE ACTIVE REGION ON THE SUN. PMID- 17777314 TI - THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO'S FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY SYMPOSIA. PMID- 17777315 TI - THE AGGLUTINATION OF RED CELLS BY ALLANTOIC FLUID OF CHICK EMBRYOS INFECTED WITH INFLUENZA VIRUS. PMID- 17777316 TI - ON THE SPECIFIC ADSORPTION OF ALCOHOLS AT THE SALICYLALDEHYDE/WATER INTERFACE. PMID- 17777317 TI - PREPARING NITRATE-FREE SEA WATER. PMID- 17777318 TI - EXPERIMENTAL VITAMIN P DEFICIENCY. PMID- 17777319 TI - SMOOTHING COLORS APPLIED BY COLORED PENCILS. PMID- 17777320 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17777321 TI - Engineers' role. PMID- 17777322 TI - The space shuttle. PMID- 17777323 TI - Treatment of laboratory animals. PMID- 17777325 TI - Gardens on swamps. PMID- 17777324 TI - Training scientists for new jobs. PMID- 17777326 TI - Obsidian trade at san lorenzo tenochtitlan, Mexico. PMID- 17777328 TI - Nobel prize for physics: gabor and holography. PMID- 17777327 TI - Nobel prize for chemistry: herzberg and molecular spectroscopy. PMID- 17777329 TI - The open university: breakthrough for britain? PMID- 17777330 TI - Scientists and the Press: Cancer Scare Story That Wasn't. PMID- 17777331 TI - Pro-NIH Cancer Bill Wins. PMID- 17777332 TI - Britain: nuclear power industry faces critical choice on reactor. PMID- 17777334 TI - 29-30 december regulation of organ and tissue growth. PMID- 17777333 TI - Moonquakes. AB - Although the average rate of seismic energy release within the moon appears to be far below that of the earth, over 100 events believed to be moonquakes have been recorded by the two seismic stations installed on the lunar surface during Apollo missions 12 and 14. With few exceptions, the moonquakes occur at monthly intervals near times of perigee and apogee and show correlations with the longer term (7-month) lunar gravity variations. The repeating moonquakes are believed to occur at not less than 10 different locations. However, a single focal zone accounts for 80 percent of the total seismic energy detected. This active zone appears to be 600 kilometers south-southwest of the Apollo 12 and 14 sites and deep within the moon. Each focal zone must be small (less than 10 kilometers in linear dimension) and fixed in location over a 14-month period. Cumulative strain at each location is inferred. Thus, the moonquakes appear to be releasing internal strain of unknown origin, the release being triggered by tidal stresses. PMID- 17777335 TI - 29-30 december sentics, brain function, and sources of human values. PMID- 17777336 TI - 29 december looting the past: an international scandal. PMID- 17777337 TI - AAAS Annual Meeting: Philadelphia 26-31 December 1971. PMID- 17777338 TI - Gordon research conferences: winter program, 1972. PMID- 17777340 TI - THE DEPLETION OF SOILS BY CHEMICAL DENUDATION. PMID- 17777339 TI - THE RECORD OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777341 TI - THE FOOD HABITS OF SWORDFISH. PMID- 17777343 TI - AN ALBINO MUTATION OF THE DEMATIACEOUS FUNGUS BRACHYSPORIUM TRIFOLII. PMID- 17777342 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17777344 TI - EXPERIMENTAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE SMOOTH-BLADDER OF THE DOG. PMID- 17777346 TI - SCIENCE AND THE TROPICS. PMID- 17777345 TI - A DAMP CHAMBER FOR MICROSCOPES. PMID- 17777347 TI - THE COST OF GERMAN PUBLICATIONS. PMID- 17777348 TI - THE "WINTER CYCLE" IN THE FOWL. PMID- 17777349 TI - THE EFFECT OF X RAYS ON CHEMICAL REACTIONS. PMID- 17777350 TI - THE FIFTEENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. PMID- 17777351 TI - ROLE OF TROPICAL MEDICINE IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. PMID- 17777352 TI - THE MASTODON AND EARLY MAN IN AMERICA. PMID- 17777353 TI - JOSEPH CHRISTIE WHITNEY FRAZER. PMID- 17777354 TI - ORDNANCE RESEARCH LABORATORIES AT THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE COLLEGE. PMID- 17777355 TI - THE ELI LILLY AWARD. PMID- 17777356 TI - THE NATIONAL ADVISORY HEALTH COUNCIL. PMID- 17777357 TI - THE INTER-AMERICAN TYPHUS CONFERENCE IN MEXICO. PMID- 17777358 TI - THE HEMOAGGLUTINATIVE PROPERTIES OF AMNIOTIC FLUID FROM EMBRYONATED EGGS INFECTED WITH MUMPS VIRUS. PMID- 17777360 TI - SYNERGISTIC ACTION BETWEEN SULPHONAMIDES AND CERTAIN DYES AGAINST GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA. PMID- 17777359 TI - DISTRIBUTION OF RADIOACTIVE ARSENIC FOLLOWING INTRAPERITONEAL INJECTION OF SODIUM ARSENITE INTO COTTON RATS INFECTED WITH LITOMOSOIDES CARINII. PMID- 17777361 TI - ACID PHOSPHATASE IN GROWING AXONS AND DEGENERATED NERVE TISSUE. PMID- 17777362 TI - PRECOCIOUS GONAD DEVELOPMENT IN OYSTERS INDUCED IN MIDWINTER BY HIGH TEMPERATURE. PMID- 17777363 TI - AN APPLICATION OF THE LYOPHILE PROCESS TO THE MAINTENANCE OF CULTURES FOR MICROBIOLOGICAL ASSAY. PMID- 17777364 TI - ISOLATION OF TRICHOMONAS VAGINALIS WITH PENICILLIN. AB - Exposure of Trichomonas vaginalis in vaginal discharge for 60 hours to 5,000 10,000 units of penicillin in 10.0 ml of a medium containing cysteine (0.15 per cent.), peptone, liver infusion, maltose and human serum was adequate to destroy the associated bacteria. Seven strains were isolated from seven women without a failure. This technic widens the field of investigation by offering a means of obtaining additional strains of bacteria-free Trichomonas vaginalis for comparative study. Efforts to isolate Trichomonas vaginalis by such laborious methods as washing, micropipetting and migration have all failed to yield bacteria-free cultures at this and other laboratories. The adherence of bacteria to the trichomonads, which appear to have sticky surfaces, and the relatively slow speed with which these protozoa swim are probably in large measure responsible for failure. Further trials by these methods now seem unnecessary. In the cases reported above the success of the penicillin method may be attributed to several factors. Resistance of Trichomonas vaginalis to penicillin in the concentrations reported above, the absence from the specimens of vaginal discharge of bacteria resistant to penicillin in these same concentrations, and the destruction of bacteria adherent to the sticky surfaces of the trichomonads perhaps played a large part in assuring successful isolation of the protozoa. PMID- 17777365 TI - "GALL-FLOWER" OF THE FIG, A MISNOMER. PMID- 17777366 TI - ADDITION OF CARBON TETRACHLORIDE AND CHLOROFORM TO OLEFINS. PMID- 17777367 TI - WHY THE RAINBOW AND THE CORONA NEVER ARE SEEN IN THE SAME CLOUD. PMID- 17777369 TI - GOVERNMENT AID TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. PMID- 17777368 TI - A GUMMOSIS OF CITRUS ASSOCIATED WITH WOOD NECROSIS. PMID- 17777370 TI - THE NAMING OF METHODS, PROCESSES AND TECHNIQUES FOR AUTHORS. PMID- 17777371 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17777372 TI - Blood-Group Determinations of Ancient Tissue. PMID- 17777373 TI - Institute for Retired Scientists. PMID- 17777374 TI - To the Detriment of None. PMID- 17777375 TI - British Achievements in X-ray Crystallography. PMID- 17777376 TI - Senate Group Recommends Big Increase in HEW Funds. PMID- 17777378 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17777377 TI - How Safe Is Safe? AEC Ready To Fight Challenge to Its Reactor Licensing Procedures. PMID- 17777379 TI - Union of International Engineering Organizations. PMID- 17777380 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17777381 TI - The Makara in Ceylon. PMID- 17777382 TI - The Attractivcness of Dessert. PMID- 17777384 TI - New Children's Science Book List Issued by AAAS Library Program. PMID- 17777383 TI - Regulating the Drug Industry:Reports Ask for Reforms While the Industry Leaders Ask for Trademark Protection. PMID- 17777385 TI - Sustained Swimming Speeds of Dolphins. AB - Observations of fout large groups of dolphins suggest that they are able to swim at a sustained speed of 14 to 18 knots. The blackfish are able to maintain speeds of about 22 knots, and one killer whale seemed able to swim somewhat faster. This implies that the apparent coefficient of surface friction remains approximately constant for dolphins from 6 to 22 ft long, as is the case for rigid bodies. PMID- 17777386 TI - Possible Explanation of Fluoride-Induced Respiration in Chlorella pyrenoidosa. AB - Low concentrations of sodium fluoride significantly increase oxygen consumption and total phosphorylated nucleotides in respiring Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Measurements of gas exchange at several pH values indicate that the stimulation is probably related to the undissociated hydrogen fluoride concentration in the suspending media. PMID- 17777387 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17777388 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17777389 TI - Placebos for Relief of Pain. PMID- 17777390 TI - Sterilization of Interplanetary Vehicles. PMID- 17777391 TI - SOME MISCALLED CASES OF THOUGHT-TRANSFERRENCE. PMID- 17777392 TI - IS BOTANY A SUITABLE STUDY FOR YOUNG MEN? PMID- 17777393 TI - THE TENDENCY OF CONTEMPORARY GERMAN THOUGHT. PMID- 17777394 TI - ALLGEMEINE NATURKUNDE. PMID- 17777395 TI - CONSANGUINITY AND MENTAL UNSOUNDNESS. PMID- 17777396 TI - METHODS OF ARROW-RELEASE. PMID- 17777397 TI - THE BUTTERFLIES OF NORTH AMERICA. PMID- 17777398 TI - FORECASTS OF ENGLISH WEATHER. PMID- 17777399 TI - THE EARTH AS A POWER HOUSE. PMID- 17777400 TI - AIRPLANE SERVICE ACROSS THE GRAND CANYON. PMID- 17777401 TI - CANCER CULTURE CARRIED BY THE GRAF ZEPPELIN. PMID- 17777402 TI - COOPERATION OF THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO IN FIGHTING INSECT PESTS. PMID- 17777403 TI - THE ROLE OF PHYSICS IN MODERN INDUSTRY. PMID- 17777404 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17777406 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17777405 TI - A NOTE ON THE ASSOCIATION OF DISEASES. PMID- 17777407 TI - PARTHENOGENESIS AND POLYEMBRYONY IN ALNUS RUGOSA (DUROI) SPRENG. PMID- 17777408 TI - A BOMBARDING DICAELUS BEETLE. PMID- 17777409 TI - A METHOD OF DETERMINING THE AXIAL RATIO OF A CRYSTAL FROM X-RAY DIFFRACTION DATA: THE AXIAL RATIO AND LATTICE CONSTANTS OF ZINC OXIDE. PMID- 17777410 TI - ANOTHER PETROGRAPHIC METHOD. PMID- 17777412 TI - THE NORTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777411 TI - A SAFETY RAZOR BLADE WHICH CUTS AS WELL AS THE BEST MICROTOME KNIVES. PMID- 17777413 TI - More Talent for the Asking. PMID- 17777414 TI - Russian-English Transliteration: An exchange of views on this problem shows that a universally accepted solution is not yet at hand. PMID- 17777415 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17777417 TI - Titration Curves. PMID- 17777418 TI - Titration Curves. PMID- 17777419 TI - Soviet Scientific Publications. PMID- 17777420 TI - Genetic Effects of the Atomic Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Genetics Conference, Committee on Atomic Casualties, National Research Council. PMID- 17777421 TI - An Auditory Afterimage? PMID- 17777422 TI - COMMENTS by Readers. PMID- 17777423 TI - Wright's Hypothesis: Its Relation to Volume Growth of Tissue Cells and Mitotic Index. PMID- 17777424 TI - Citric Acid in Saliva. PMID- 17777425 TI - Germination and Free Fatty Acid in Individual Cotton Seeds. PMID- 17777426 TI - Oral Efficacy of BAL in Protecting Rats Against Alloxan Diabetes. PMID- 17777427 TI - Ultraspectrophotometric Studies in Extracts of Normal and Tumor Tissue of Human Origin. PMID- 17777428 TI - The Origin of Monocytes in the Spleen. PMID- 17777429 TI - Linkage Between the Genes for Sickle Cells and the M-N Blood Types. PMID- 17777430 TI - Inactivation of Staphylocoagulase by Trypsin and Pepsin. PMID- 17777431 TI - Spleen Extract and Tumor Growth. PMID- 17777432 TI - Stereotaxic Apparatus for Operations on the Human Brain. PMID- 17777433 TI - Yeast Autolysate: A Culture Medium for Hemophilus influenzae. PMID- 17777434 TI - A Solution for Plasticizing Kymograph Records. PMID- 17777435 TI - A Simple Method for Changing Units. PMID- 17777436 TI - A Hot-Air Apparatus Dryer for General Laboratory Use. PMID- 17777437 TI - Society for Experimental Stress Analysis New Affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. PMID- 17777438 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17777440 TI - National Academy of Sciences: Abstracts of Papers Presented at the Annual Meeting April 26-28, 1954, Washington, D.C. PMID- 17777439 TI - International Scientific Action: The International Geophysical Year 1957-58. PMID- 17777441 TI - Biochemical Limnology. PMID- 17777443 TI - Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Delaware River Water from Trenton, N. J., to Marcus Hook, Pa., 1949-52. PMID- 17777442 TI - Occurrence of Structurally Preserved Plants in Pre-Cambrian Rocks of the Canadian Shield. PMID- 17777444 TI - Modification of the Glacial Chronology of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado. PMID- 17777446 TI - On the Growth of Root Hairs. PMID- 17777445 TI - The Chemical Quality of Surface Waters in Devils Lake Basin, North Dakota. PMID- 17777447 TI - Special-Purpose Terrain Evaluations. PMID- 17777448 TI - Geology of the Iron Deposits of the Congonhas District, Minas Gerais, Brazil. PMID- 17777449 TI - Geological Survey Investigations of the Scurry Reef and "Horseshoe Atoll" in Western Texas. PMID- 17777450 TI - Serpentine Pipes at Garnet Ridge, Arizona. PMID- 17777451 TI - A LECTURE UPON ACETYLENE. PMID- 17777452 TI - NOTES ON THE CERRILLOS COAL FIELD. PMID- 17777453 TI - THE RONTGEN PHENOMENA. PMID- 17777454 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON PHYSIOGRAPHY. PMID- 17777455 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17777456 TI - CHUAR, HEGEL AND SPENCER. PMID- 17777457 TI - THE INSTINCT OF PECKING. PMID- 17777458 TI - THE X-RAYS. PMID- 17777459 TI - THE TEMPERATURE OF THE EARTH'S CRUST. PMID- 17777460 TI - AIR-BORNE INFECTION. PMID- 17777461 TI - HARRY L. DEMBER. PMID- 17777462 TI - LUDWIG KALLIR. PMID- 17777463 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY AND THE WAR MANPOWER COMMISSION. PMID- 17777464 TI - MINNIE TAYLOR YORK. PMID- 17777465 TI - PRESENTATION OF THE FIRST CHARLES L. MAYER AWARD. PMID- 17777466 TI - THE COPERNICAN QUADRICENTENNIAL. PMID- 17777467 TI - THE MOBILIZATION OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777468 TI - THE OPPOSITION TO THE KILGORE BILL. PMID- 17777469 TI - IS CORRECT LABELLING UNDEMOCRATIC? PMID- 17777470 TI - CLASS DISTINCTION AMONG AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777471 TI - KENTUCKY ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777472 TI - NORTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777473 TI - THE "VITAMIN M" FACTOR. PMID- 17777475 TI - INOSITOL A TUMOR GROWTH INHIBITOR. PMID- 17777474 TI - NEW OBJECTIVE METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE CIRCULATION TIME. PMID- 17777476 TI - CONTRACTION OF DENERVATED MUSCLE PRODUCED BY d-TUBOCURARINE. PMID- 17777477 TI - Properdin. PMID- 17777478 TI - Properdin. PMID- 17777479 TI - Comfort and Environment. PMID- 17777480 TI - New Garb. PMID- 17777481 TI - High-Altitude Observation Techniques: A variety of tools besides satellites are available for the study of upper atmosphere physics. PMID- 17777482 TI - Science in the News. PMID- 17777483 TI - Nitrogen Fixation in Lakes. AB - Incorporation of N(15) into the fixed nitrogen fraction of natural lake waters has been studied for the purpose of estimating rates of primary nitrogen fixation. Experiments in Pymatuning Reservoir, Pennsylvania, in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, and in two lakes in Alaska indicate that fixation occurs at measurable, sometimes high, rates. PMID- 17777484 TI - Sensory Deprivation and Visual Speed: An Analysis. AB - Speeds of moving objects were markedly underestimated by human observers after prolonged patternless visual stimulation. Even greater underestimation followed exposure to a "noisy" visual field; on the other hand, exposure to a hyperstable field caused overestimation. The effects of external visual noise simulate those of deprivation; this finding suggests that similarly disordered but spontaneous neural discharge dominates the visual nervous system in deprivation. PMID- 17777485 TI - Production of Large Amounts of Plant Tissue by Submerged Culture. AB - The growth rate of plant tissue cultures is substantially increased through the use of a large-volume carboy system. Aeration is considered to be the most important factor. With this system, yields of a pound or more of tissue can be obtained within 2 weeks. PMID- 17777486 TI - Pipecolic Acid in Leaves of Strawberry Plant as Influenced by Treatments Affecting Growth. AB - Growth inhibition due to maleic hydrazide spray or to an unsatisfied chilling requirement caused young fully expanded leaves of the strawberry to accumulate pipeate pipecolic acid to a very striking degree. It is postulated that the accumulation resulted from blockage in normal metabolic conversion to other intermediary nitrogenous compounds. PMID- 17777488 TI - ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE CLINICAL SCIENCES OF DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY. PMID- 17777489 TI - THE MEANING OF GRADUATE STUDY. PMID- 17777490 TI - THE TENTH INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL CONGRESS. PMID- 17777491 TI - EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS AT AN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. PMID- 17777492 TI - UNIVERSITY LIFE IN IDAHO. PMID- 17777493 TI - A CALL FOR AMPLE AND TRUSTWORTHY VITAL STATISTICS. PMID- 17777494 TI - HIGH SCHOOL BOTANY. PMID- 17777495 TI - TO TRACE THE LINES OF FORCE IN AN ELECTROSTATIC FIELD. PMID- 17777497 TI - THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CONDITIONS OF ANESTHETIC ACTION. CORRELATION BETWEEN THE ANTI-STIMULATING AND THE ANTI-CYTOLYTIC ACTION OF ANESTHETICS. PMID- 17777496 TI - INDOOR HUMIDITY. PMID- 17777498 TI - THE ZOOLOGICAL SECTION OF THE MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777499 TI - THE SOUTHERN SOCIETY FOB PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17777500 TI - THE AGRONOMIST'S PART IN THE WORLD'S FOOD SUPPLY. PMID- 17777501 TI - SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH IN FRANCE, ITALY, BELGIUM AND JAPAN. PMID- 17777502 TI - PROFESSOR FIELD'S USE OF THE TERM FOSSIL. PMID- 17777503 TI - JONATHAN EDWARDS ON MULTIDIMENSIONAL SPACE AND THE MECHANISTIC CONCEPTION OF LIFE. PMID- 17777504 TI - GALILEO'S EXPERIMENTS FROM THE TOWER OF PISA. PMID- 17777505 TI - NOTE ON EINSTEIN'S THEORY OF GRAVITATION AND LIGHT. PMID- 17777506 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17777507 TI - Scientist and Politician as Partners: The British Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. PMID- 17777508 TI - Rollin Thomas Chamberlin 1881-1948. PMID- 17777509 TI - The U. S. Naval Observatory. PMID- 17777510 TI - Creation of Mesons by High-Energy Particles. PMID- 17777511 TI - The Robert H. Goddard Rocket Project. PMID- 17777512 TI - The Use of Chemicals to Prevent Molding of Herbarium Specimens. PMID- 17777513 TI - An Unidentified, Filtrable Agent Isolated From the Feces of Children With Paralysis. PMID- 17777514 TI - Human Saliva as a Germination Inhibitor. PMID- 17777515 TI - The Visibility of Moving Objects. PMID- 17777516 TI - Use of Thin Kidney Slices and Isolated Renal Tubules for Direct Study of Cellular Transport Kinetics. PMID- 17777517 TI - Methods of Automatic Watering of Plants. PMID- 17777519 TI - MEETING OF SECTION E OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17777518 TI - Magnetic-Flea Agitating Device for Microtitration. PMID- 17777520 TI - THE METRIC SYSTEM. PMID- 17777522 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNATLS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17777521 TI - THE AUSTRALASIAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17777523 TI - CONVOCATION WEEK. PMID- 17777525 TI - NATURE STUDY. PMID- 17777524 TI - NATURAL SELECTION IN KINETIC EVOLUTION. PMID- 17777526 TI - AN ACCOUNT OF SOME EXPERIMENTS IN REARING WILD FINCHES BY FOSTER-PARENT BIRDS. PMID- 17777527 TI - NOTES ON POLYODON, I. PMID- 17777528 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17777530 TI - PRESIDENT ELIOT. PMID- 17777529 TI - THE PELEE CLUB. PMID- 17777531 TI - HUMAN VISION AND THE SPECTRUM. PMID- 17777533 TI - THE GREAT LAKES RESEARCH INSTITUTE. PMID- 17777532 TI - LEWIS RALPH JONES 1864-1945. PMID- 17777534 TI - THE VIRGINIA SECTION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17777535 TI - THE LABORATORY OF INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17777536 TI - NEWS OF FRENCH SCIENTIFIC MEN. PMID- 17777537 TI - GRANTS OF THE NATIONAL ADVISORY CANCER COUNCIL. PMID- 17777538 TI - A SEARCH FOR VIRUS-INACTIVATING SUBSTANCES AMONG MICROORGANISMS. AB - One hundred and fifty organisms, comprising bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes, were isolated from straw-compost, manure, soil, drainage material and soil enriched with virus concentrates, and were tested for antiviral activity in vitro. Three of these organisms gave indications of possible inactivation of some of the fowl pox virus, and, in one case, of the laryngotracheitis virus. The active principle of one of these organisms was actinomycin A, an antibacterial substance known to be highly toxic to animals. The other two organisms were less extensively studied, and no claims regarding their antiviral potentialities can be made at present. PMID- 17777539 TI - CRYSTALLIZATION OF A TRYPSIN INHIBITOR FROM SOYBEAN. PMID- 17777540 TI - ELECTROPHORETIC STUDIES IN RHEUMATIC FEVER. PMID- 17777541 TI - URONIC ACIDS IN ANIMAL BODIES. PMID- 17777542 TI - PRODUCTION OF GLYCOSURIA IN NORMAL RATS BY MEANS OF ADRENOCORTICOTROPHIC HORMONE. PMID- 17777543 TI - STRAIN ENERGIES OF CYCLIC HYDROCARBONS. PMID- 17777544 TI - INCREASING AND PROLONGING BLOOD PENICILLIN CONCENTRATIONS FOLLOWING INTRAMUSCULAR ADMINISTRATION. AB - (1) Restriction of fluid intake to 1,500 cc and the salt intake to 3 gm a day doubles the penicillin blood level following interrupted intramuscular [See Figure in the PDF file] injections of penicillin. (2) The administration of benzoic acid to a patient on an unrestricted diet Ilay double the penicillin blood level during similar treatment. (3) The combination of these two procedures results in a four- to eight-fold increase in penicillin blood level with a prolonged effective blood concentration. PMID- 17777545 TI - THE MICROBIOLOGICAL DETERMINATION OF CHOLINE. PMID- 17777547 TI - ROTATING ACTION ON MATTER IN A BEAM OF LIGHT. PMID- 17777546 TI - A QUICK TEST FOR FLOUR ENRICHMENT. PMID- 17777548 TI - COLCHICINE AS A GROWTH STIMULATOR. PMID- 17777549 TI - THE "U. S. BOTANICAL GARDEN" AGAIN. PMID- 17777550 TI - BOTANISTS SOMETIMES IMPORTANT MILITARY TACTICIANS. PMID- 17777551 TI - TOADS IN THE MARIANAS. PMID- 17777553 TI - THE OUTLOOK FOR APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY. PMID- 17777552 TI - FULL EMPLOYMENT AFTER THE WAR. PMID- 17777554 TI - THE CORK-INDUSTRY IN SPAIN. PMID- 17777555 TI - THE AMERICAN HISTORLICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17777556 TI - EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS IN JAPAN. PMID- 17777558 TI - Copper Implements. PMID- 17777557 TI - THE AMERICAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17777559 TI - DANGER FROM HEAVY SEAS. PMID- 17777560 TI - Harmotome from a Canadian Locality. PMID- 17777561 TI - Sulfur dioxide pollution. PMID- 17777562 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17777563 TI - Particle discovery at brookhaven. PMID- 17777564 TI - Women and minority scientists. PMID- 17777565 TI - Lodestone Compass: Chinese or Olmec Primacy?: Multidisciplinary analysis of an Olmec hematite artifact from San Lorenzo, Veracruz, Mexico. AB - Considering the unique morphology (purposefully shaped polished bar with a groove) and composition (magnetic mineral with magnetic moment vector in the floating plane) of M-160, and acknowledging that the Olmec were a sophisticated people who possessed advanced knowledge and skill in working iron ore minerals, I would suggest for consideration that the Early Formative artifact M-160 was probably manufactured and used as what I have called a zeroth-order compass, if not a first-order compass. The data I have presented in this article support this hypothesis, although they are not sufficient to prove it. That M-160 could be used today as a geomagnetically directed pointer is undeniable. The original whole bar may indeed have pointed close to magnetic north-south. The groove functions well as a sighting mark, and the slight angle it makes with the axis of the bar appears to be the result of calibration rather than accident. A negative supporting argument is that M-160 looks utilitarian rather than decorative, and no function for the object other than that of a compass pointer has been suggested by anyone who has examined it critically. Whether such a pointer would have been used to point to something astronomical (zeroth-order compass) or to geomagnetic north-south (first-order compass) is entirely open to speculation. The observation of the family of Olmec site alignments 8 degrees west of north is a curiosity in its own right, and the possibility that these alignments have an astronomical or geomagnetic origin should be explored. I also believe that it is constructive to compare the first millennium Chinese, who used the lodestone compass for geomancy, with the Gulf Coast Olmec since both were agrarian terrestrial societies. The Olmec's apparent concern with orientation and skillful use of magnetic minerals also stimulates one to draw cross-cultural parallels. The evidence and analysis offered in this article provide a basis for hypotheses of parallel cultural developments in China and the Olmec New World. If the Olmec did discover the geomagnetic orienting properties of lodestone, as did the Han Chinese, it is most reasonable to speculate that they would have used their compass for comparable geomantic purposes. It should, however, be recognized that the Olmec claim, if documented, predates the Chinese discovery of the geomagnetic lodestone compass by more than a millennium. At present, M-160 is a unique artifact and San Lorenzo a unique site: "The first civilized center of Mesoamerica and probably of the New World" (19, p. 89). Further documentation of the Olmec claim must await the discovery of similar artifacts in museums, private collections, or as yet undiscovered Olmec sites. I would welcome communications from anyone possessing information relating to such artifacts. Regardless of shape, purposefully grooved and highly polished specimens of magnetic minerals are of particular interest. It would also be useful for the archeologist excavating Olmec burials and offerings to carefully note their alignments and consider them in a geomantic context. In addition to the discovery of supporting artifacts, establishment of Olmec primacy of the lodestone compass depends on the acquisition of the archeomagnetic data for the Early Formative period. I appeal to archeologists who find good archeomagnetic samples (burned hearths and post holes) from the Formative periods to convey this information to R. DuBois of the University of Oklahoma. In a few years, the archeomagnetic data should be available for the last three millennia and the possibilities are very exciting. PMID- 17777566 TI - The Deterioration of Mountain Environments: Ecological stress in the highlands of Asia, Latin America, and Africa takes a mounting social toll. PMID- 17777567 TI - Third world: science and technology contribute feebly to development. PMID- 17777568 TI - ... Biological warfare: unexpectedly good .. PMID- 17777569 TI - Arms control report card-nuclear treaty: fatal flaw .. PMID- 17777570 TI - Kissinger speaks on law of sea. PMID- 17777572 TI - U.s. Scientists and development. PMID- 17777571 TI - ... Environmental warfare: needs more work. PMID- 17777573 TI - Court ruling supports academy view on information issue. PMID- 17777574 TI - Boost for credit rating of organic farmers. PMID- 17777575 TI - Particle physics: evidence for magnetic monopole obtained. PMID- 17777576 TI - Minerals and plate tectonics: a conceptual revolution. PMID- 17777577 TI - Resolutions invited for 1976 council meeting. PMID- 17777578 TI - William carey gives testimony on peer review system. PMID- 17777580 TI - Scientific freedoms and responsibilities. PMID- 17777579 TI - International conference on women in health. PMID- 17777581 TI - AAAS Annual Meeting Boston 18 to 24 February 1976. PMID- 17777582 TI - Notes from other offices. PMID- 17777583 TI - NOVA Discussion Series Set for Fall. PMID- 17777584 TI - Congressional science fellows picked for third year. PMID- 17777585 TI - Mechanistic interpretation of rift valley formation. AB - The stress distribution on the lithospheric plate due to excess magma pressure is obtained from an exact solution of the three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The analysis indicates that rift valley formation and associated structural and geophysical characteristics can be suitably explained by dike-like intrusions of magma or igneous mush into the lithospheric plate. PMID- 17777586 TI - Flash hydrogenation of a bituminous coal. AB - Flash heating of Illinois coal (to 700 degrees C in 1 second) in flowing hydrogen at 100 atmospheres, limiting the vapor residence time at 700 degrees C to 3 seconds, converts 14 percent of the coal's carbon to methane, 7 percent to ethane, and 10 percent to benzene, toluene, and xylenes. The remainder is coke; the carbon balance shows that heavy tar, if any exists, is less than 3 percent. PMID- 17777587 TI - Scanning Proton-Induced X-ray Microspectrometry in an Atmospheric Environment. AB - Collimated million-electron-volt proton beams, brought out into air, can be used as a scanning microprobe to examine specimens with a spatial resolution of the order of 1 micrometer. Trace elements at concentrations as low as 1 part per million can be detected. Some preliminary results based on the use of this simple method are presented. PMID- 17777588 TI - Hydroxyl radical concentrations measured in ambient air. AB - Diurnal variations in the hydroxyl radical concentration of ambient air were measured for the first time by the technique of laser-induced fluorescence. PMID- 17777589 TI - Simplex optimization of reaction yields. AB - The sequential simplex algorithm, an efficient optimization strategy, rapidly improved reaction yield as a function of time and temperature in the synthesis of pi-C(5)H(5)Mo(CO)(2)CSN(CH(3))(2). The work demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of the simplex design and suggests its application and usefulness in other syntheses. PMID- 17777591 TI - Island sanctuary. PMID- 17777590 TI - Reproductive Strategies and the Co-occurrence of Climax Tree Species. AB - In a central New Hampshire forest, three co-occurring tree species were found to occupy different positions on a reproductive strategy gradient. These reproductive strategy differences, in part, described separate niches for the species. The three-species complex is hypothesized to form a dynamic climax overstory characterized by cyclical replacement of one dominant species by another. PMID- 17777592 TI - Anointed but not appointed. PMID- 17777593 TI - The editing of science. PMID- 17777594 TI - Composition and evolution of the mantle and core. PMID- 17777595 TI - The southern corn leaf blight epidemic. AB - A dramatic shift in the genetics of host-parasite interaction and balance occurred in the U.S. corn crop in the 1970 growing season. Southern corn leaf blight incited by Helminthosporium maydis Nisikado & Miyake evolved from a minor disease that causes an average annual loss of less than 1 percent, to one that caused more than the 12 percent average expected from all diseases of corn in the United States. In 1970 the losses to corn leaf blight approaches 710 million bushels. Reserves of corn and other grains ease the impact on the economy and food supplies but there are important domestic and foreign effects of the loss. The epidemic illustrates the vulnerability of our food crops to pests. Sources of genetic resistance to the new race of Helminthosporium maydis are available. The seed industry estimates that for 1971 enough resistant and partially resistant seed to plant about one-half of the crop may be available. Adequate supplies are expected in 1972. Sustained research programs are essential in protecting our food supplies from potential losses of catastrophe magnitude. Several professional groups, including the American Phytopathological Society and the Entomological Society of America, have urged that a program and facilities be established for the study of exotic pests that threaten our agriculture so that controls may be found before the pests are here. Such a program would be desirable but covers only one aspect of the problem. What is really needed is an overall strengthening of research on crop pests. PMID- 17777596 TI - Rapid transit: a real alternative to the auto for the bay area? PMID- 17777597 TI - Fellowship panel protests cutbacks. PMID- 17777598 TI - Higher education:new report takes an unconventional approach. PMID- 17777599 TI - Trans-alaska pipeline: impact study receives bad reviews. PMID- 17777600 TI - Sex attractant in a brown alga: chemical structure. AB - In the report "Sex attractant in a brown alga: Chemical structure" by D. G. Muller et al. [171, 815 (1971)], allo-cis-l-(cyclo-heptadien-2',5'-yl)-butene-1 in line 2 of the abstract and in line 4 of column 3, page 815 should read all-cis l-(cycloheptadien-2',5'-yl)-butene-1. PMID- 17777601 TI - Research topics. PMID- 17777602 TI - Late pleistocene paleotemperatures at tongue of the ocean, bahamas. AB - Estimates of paleotemperatures, based upon paleoecological analysis of planktonic foraminiferal thanatocoenoses of three piston cores from Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas, indicate a maximum mean variation between Late Pleistocene glacial and nonglacial stages of 3.6 degrees C. The data also indicate that the Early Wisconsin glacial stage was 0.7 degrees C warmer than the Late Wisconsin glacial stage. PMID- 17777603 TI - Fossil penguin from the late cenozoic of South Africa. AB - Spheniscus predemersus, new species, from the late Pliocene of Langebaanweg, Cape Province, is the first fossil penguin to be described from Africa. It is closely related and possibly ancestral to the living species, Spheniscus demnersus, of southern and southwestern Africa. PMID- 17777605 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17777604 TI - A Correlation between Gametophytic and Sporophytic Characteristics in Zea mays L. AB - If a mixture of types of corn pollen, identified by genetic markers, is applied to the silks of other inbred lines, the rate of pollen tube growth often varies with type of pollen. This gametophytic differential is correlated with a sporophytic differential-relatively heavier seeds in seed mixtures result from fertilization by gametes from faster growing tubes. The increased seed weight is due to greater competitive ability of the zygotes thus formed. PMID- 17777606 TI - Classification of the Mollusca. PMID- 17777608 TI - A fasting pig. PMID- 17777607 TI - A WIDER USE FOR THE LIBRARIES OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17777610 TI - THE EIGHTH AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS. PMID- 17777609 TI - THE COLOR-SENSE IN FISHES. PMID- 17777611 TI - NUCLEAR FISSION. PMID- 17777613 TI - THE DELAMAR INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17777612 TI - EXHIBITS IN THE GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES AT THE CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. PMID- 17777614 TI - THE NEW BUILDING OF THE COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES. PMID- 17777615 TI - THE ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK. PMID- 17777616 TI - THE CLEVELAND MEETING OF THE AMERICAN HOME ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17777617 TI - DEDICATION OF THE McGREGOR BUILDING AND TELESCOPE OF THE McMATH-HULBERT OBSERVATORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. PMID- 17777618 TI - THE OCCURRENCE OF ANOPHELES DARLINGI ROOT IN BRITISH HONDURAS AND GUATEMALA. PMID- 17777619 TI - SOILS AND PERIGLACIAL PHENOMENA IN THE CAROLINAS. PMID- 17777621 TI - DIRECTION FINDING AT 1.67-METER WAVES. PMID- 17777620 TI - COLOR FLICKER IN FLUORESCENT LAMPS. PMID- 17777622 TI - THE PEACE RESOLUTION OF SCIENTIFIC WORKERS. PMID- 17777623 TI - THE PEACE RESOLUTION OF SCIENTIFIC WORKERS. PMID- 17777624 TI - THE LENGTH OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE GREATER WAX MOTH. PMID- 17777625 TI - THE NEW YORK SESSION OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17777626 TI - THE CENTRIOLE IN RADIATED TUMOR TISSUE. PMID- 17777627 TI - THE OXYHYDROGEN REACTION IN GREEN ALGAE AND THE REDUCTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE DARK. PMID- 17777628 TI - INACTIVATION OF PITUITARY LACTOGENIC HORMONE BY IODINE. PMID- 17777629 TI - MESOSTOMA EHRENBERGII WARDII FOR THE STUDY OF THE TURBELLARIAN TYPE. PMID- 17777630 TI - A STABLE THROMBOPLASTIN FOR USE IN QUICK'S PROTHROMBIN TEST. PMID- 17777631 TI - THE BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF TO-DAY. PMID- 17777632 TI - Botany. PMID- 17777633 TI - Anatomy: What is the Morphologic Status of the Olfactory Portion of the Brain? PMID- 17777634 TI - Psychology. PMID- 17777636 TI - Developmental Mechanics. PMID- 17777635 TI - Physiology. PMID- 17777637 TI - Morphogenesis. PMID- 17777639 TI - PALEONTOLOGICAL NOTES. PMID- 17777638 TI - CURRENT PROBLEMS IN PLANT MORPHOLOGY. PMID- 17777640 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17777642 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17777641 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17777644 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17777643 TI - DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17777645 TI - Reading the Fine Print. PMID- 17777646 TI - Frozen Mammoths and Modern Geology: The death of the giants can be explained as a hazard of tundra life, without evoking catastrophic events. PMID- 17777647 TI - Debris from Tests of Nuclear Weapons: Activities roughly proportional to volume are found in particles examined by autoradiography and microscopy. PMID- 17777648 TI - Educating the Public: To Win Broad Support for His Program Kennedy Assumes the Role of Mass Educator. PMID- 17777649 TI - Preparation of a Floral Initiating Extract from Xanthium. AB - An extract from lyophilized tissue of flowering Xanthium (cocklebur) plants initiates floral development when applied to Xanthium test plants maintained on long-day photoperiodic conditions. Details of the preparation of the extract are described. PMID- 17777650 TI - Group and Phase Velocities for Rayleigh Waves of Period Greater than 380 Seconds. AB - Recent theoretical and experimental investigations of the periods of free spheroidal oscillation of the earth have shown good agreement. These data are used to determine group and phase velocities for Rayleigh waves of period greater than 380 seconds. The velocities so obtained are compared with those determined from analysis of progressive waves. It is concluded that group and phase velocities determined by either of the two methods are in agreement. PMID- 17777651 TI - Pressure Sensitivity of an Amphipod. AB - The responses of an intertidal amphipod indicate an ability to perceive rapid pressure changes of less than 0.01 atm. The interaction of rate of change of pressure and total difference in pressure implies a rapid accommodation as well as a threshold. Evidence suggests that the sensory mechanism may not involve compressibility of a gas. PMID- 17777652 TI - Facultative Heterotrophy in Some Chlorococcacean Algae. AB - All known species of the genera Bracteacoccus, Spongiochloris, and Dictyochloris, and some of the species of Neochloris and Spongiococcum are capable of growing heterotrophically in darkness in a glucose-salts medium. In contrast, all known species of Chlorococcum are obligate photoautotrophs. Possible relationships between these results and certain morphological characteristics are discussed. PMID- 17777654 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17777653 TI - Faunal Remains on an Antarctic Ice Shelf. AB - Fishes and benthic invertebrates discovered frozen in situ and exposed at the ablation surface of the McMurdo ice shelf provide evidence both for the occurrence of a fauna, including large fishes, under the permanent ice shelf and for Debenham's hypothesis of the nourishment of an ice shelf by the freezing of sea water on its bottom. PMID- 17777655 TI - ANCIENT JAPANESE CLOCKS. PMID- 17777657 TI - SOME BIOLOGICAL NOTES ON AMBLYSTOMA TIGRINUMI. PMID- 17777656 TI - VANDALISM AMONG THE ANTIQUITIES OF YUCATAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA. PMID- 17777658 TI - A LABORATORY OF PLANT DISEASES. PMID- 17777659 TI - REFLEX ACTION IN TURTLES. PMID- 17777660 TI - AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF MOLLUSCA. PMID- 17777661 TI - NON-EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY. PMID- 17777662 TI - ALTAKAPAS COUNTRY. PMID- 17777663 TI - Observations on the Cretaceous at Gay Head. PMID- 17777664 TI - Nervous Diseases and Civilization. PMID- 17777665 TI - Auroral Displays. PMID- 17777666 TI - The Reticulated Structure of Protoplasm. PMID- 17777667 TI - Alleged Extinction of Mulatto. PMID- 17777668 TI - RIVER COURSES IN THE JURA MOUNTAINS. PMID- 17777669 TI - INDIANA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777670 TI - THE CRUISE OF THE CLOVER-FURTHER REMARKS ON THE ABERRATIONS OF AUDIBILITY OF FOG SIGNALS--THE METHODS USED. PMID- 17777671 TI - SASSAFRAS TREES. PMID- 17777672 TI - THE McMILLAN CHEMICAL LABORATORY. PMID- 17777674 TI - MEETING OF THE IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17777673 TI - THE GRADUAL DISAPPEARANCE OF THE RANGE GRASSES OF THE WEST. PMID- 17777675 TI - LATE-BLOOMING TREES. PMID- 17777676 TI - DO EARTH WORMS RAIN DOWN? PMID- 17777677 TI - BALTIMORE MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17777678 TI - THE LEAST BITTERN. PMID- 17777679 TI - AS TO FEIGNED DEATH IN SNAKES. PMID- 17777680 TI - LATE-BLOOMING TREES. PMID- 17777681 TI - A CORRECTION. PMID- 17777682 TI - The Little Researcher. PMID- 17777683 TI - Distemperoid Virus Interference in Canine Distemper. AB - A distemper virus modified by ferret passage so as to become a harmless vaccine for foxes and dogs exhibits the interference or cell-blockade phenomenon with respect to a virulent distemper infection in foxes. Ten control foxes receiving virulent distemper virus died, while 30 foxes receiving distemperoid virus in addition lived. PMID- 17777684 TI - Availability of Carotene From Kale. PMID- 17777685 TI - The Growth and Distribution of Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus in the Developing Chick Embryo. PMID- 17777686 TI - Seed Pitting of the Lima Bean by Lygus Bugs in California. PMID- 17777688 TI - The Beckmann Rearrangement of Aliphatic Ketoximes. PMID- 17777687 TI - Oral Penicillin X. PMID- 17777689 TI - Penicillin Production by a Superior Strain of Mold. PMID- 17777690 TI - The Evolution of Oxygen From Illuminated Suspensions of Frozen, Dried, and Homogenized Chloroplasts. PMID- 17777691 TI - The One Hundred Twelfth Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. PMID- 17777692 TI - Meeting of the Council of the AAAS: Hotel Jefferson, St. Louis, Missouri, 27 March 1946, 2:00 P.M. PMID- 17777693 TI - Sections and Societies. PMID- 17777694 TI - Production of Penicillin X in "Submerged" Surface Cultures. PMID- 17777695 TI - A Low-resistance Valve and Indicating Flowmeter for Respiratory Measurements. PMID- 17777696 TI - Scientific Research and National Welfare. PMID- 17777697 TI - Degradation of Streptomycin and the Structure of Streptidine and Streptamine. PMID- 17777698 TI - Consultant Articles. PMID- 17777699 TI - Temperatures in Deep Wells and the Ice Age. PMID- 17777700 TI - Research Service Laboratories. PMID- 17777701 TI - Support of Scientific Research. PMID- 17777702 TI - On Introductory Biology Courses. PMID- 17777703 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17777704 TI - Archeological looting and site destruction. PMID- 17777705 TI - Technical information. PMID- 17777706 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17777708 TI - Proximate cause. PMID- 17777707 TI - Crystal Structure of UpA. PMID- 17777709 TI - Smoking at scientific meetings. PMID- 17777710 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17777711 TI - The President's Message on Science and Technology. PMID- 17777712 TI - Archeology in the turkana district, kenya. PMID- 17777714 TI - Applied research for the public good--a suggestion. PMID- 17777713 TI - A national focus of science and research. PMID- 17777715 TI - National cancer act: deciding on people, policies, and plans. PMID- 17777717 TI - Cancer research: youth and superstars. PMID- 17777716 TI - NSF Official Resigns as Job Sinks. PMID- 17777719 TI - The fast breeder reactor: signs of a critical reaction. PMID- 17777718 TI - Great lakes water treaty signed. PMID- 17777720 TI - Job market rallies a bit for june graduates. PMID- 17777721 TI - Beam-foil techniques: new approach to atomic lifetimes. PMID- 17777722 TI - Greek marbles: determination of provenance by isotopic analysis. AB - A study has been made of carbon-13 and oxygen-18 variations in Greek marbles from the ancient quarry localities of Naxos, Paros, Mount Hymettus, and Mount Pentelikon. Parian, Hymettian, and Pentelic marbles can be clearly distinguished by the isotopic relationships; Naxian marbles fall into two groups characterized by different oxygen-18/oxygen-16 ratios. Ten archeological samples were also analyzed; the isotopic data indicate that the "Theseion" is made of Pentelic marble and a block in the Treasury of Siphnos at Delphi is probably Parian marble. PMID- 17777723 TI - Electrical conductivity and the red shift of absorption in olivine and spinel at high pressure. AB - Above 100 kilobars the apparent absorption edges (approximately 3 electron volts) of single-crystal and polycrystalline samples of the metastable olivine and stable spinel forms of Fe(2)SiO(4) shift rapidly with pressure from the near ultraviolet into the lower-energy infrared region. Simultaneously, an exponential increase in electrical conductivity occurs. These effects are reversible as pressure is reduced or reapplied and are not accompanied by a first-order phase change in olivine or spinel. These observations relate to fundamental concepts of electrical conductivity and photon absorption in complex transition-metal silicates in that they cannot be readily interpreted in terms of an intrinsic band-gap model. The intensity and energy changes are too great and the effect occurs at too low a pressure to be explained by processes such as spin-pairing and other crystal-field effects. The results suggest that a new mechanism of conduction, perhaps symbiotic and employing an efficient charge-transfer process, is induced at high pressure. PMID- 17777724 TI - Steelhead migration: potential temperature effects as indicated by gill adenosine triphosphatase activities. AB - Yearling steelhead trout held in fresh water at cold temperatures (6.5 degrees or 10 degrees C) showed an increase in gill microsomal Na(+), K(+)-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase activity during parr-smolt transformation, whereas trout held in warm water (15 degrees or 20 degrees C) did not. Adenosine triphosphatase activity increased and other indications of transformation were observed in fish transferred from warm to cold water, whereas the reverse occurred on transfer from cold to warm water. PMID- 17777725 TI - Tidal Growth Increments in the Cockle Clinocardium nuttalli. AB - Sets of growth lines in the shell of Clinocardium nuttalli are extinguished every 13 or 14 increments only to be replaced by other sets, half an increment out of phase with the first. This can be explained only by assuming that the lines are deposited during periods of exposure at low tide. The average duration of an increment is 24 hours and 50 minutes. PMID- 17777726 TI - THE CHEROKEES IN PRE-COLUMBIAN TIMES. PMID- 17777727 TI - DR. FREIRE'S PROTECTIVE INOCULATION--FACTS VERSUS FIGURES. PMID- 17777728 TI - Dr. Hann's Studies on Cyclones and Anticyclones. PMID- 17777730 TI - The Winnebago County (Iowa) Meteorites. PMID- 17777731 TI - An Hypothesis for the So-called Encroachments of the Sea upon the Land. PMID- 17777729 TI - Tornadoes. PMID- 17777732 TI - Chimpanzees: preserving the species. PMID- 17777733 TI - Federal R & d and local needs. PMID- 17777734 TI - Federal R & d and local needs. PMID- 17777736 TI - Domestic exploration for materials. PMID- 17777735 TI - Crustal drilling: future plans. PMID- 17777737 TI - An unusual lightning flash at kennedy space center. AB - A lightning flash that struck the 150-meter weather tower at Kennedy Space Center was studied by several research groups using varioul techniques. The flash had unusually large peak currents and a stepped leader of relatively short duration. The charged regions neutralized by the three return strokes were located within a horizontal layer between heights of about 6 and 8 kilometers, where environmental temperatures were about -10 degrees to -20 degrees C. The charge source for the first return stroke coincided with a vertical shaft of precipitation inferred to have been graupel or hail. Charge sources for subsequent strokes were near the edge of the detectable precipitation echo. The overall channel length was about 10 kilometers. A Vertically oriented intracloud discharge occurred after the three return strokes. PMID- 17777738 TI - Resources for the future, will it merge with brookings? PMID- 17777739 TI - House's Mr. Health Seeks New Career. PMID- 17777740 TI - Speculative thought gets definite blessing. PMID- 17777741 TI - Flexible thought gets tentative blessing. PMID- 17777742 TI - Assumptions About R & D's Link to Economic Growth Questioned. PMID- 17777743 TI - Science in Europe/British May Use Telephones, TV's, to Tap Data Bank. PMID- 17777745 TI - Capturing sunlight: a revolution in collector design. PMID- 17777744 TI - Animal rights advocate urges new deal. PMID- 17777746 TI - Hans Nussbaum, AAAS Business Manager, Retiring After 32 Years. PMID- 17777747 TI - Kirtley f. Mather, 1888-1978. PMID- 17777748 TI - Fourth candidate for board of directors election. PMID- 17777749 TI - Twenty media interns in 1978 program. PMID- 17777750 TI - NSF Chautauqua-Type Short Courses. PMID- 17777751 TI - Work, rhetoric, and social change. PMID- 17777752 TI - Audition and behavior. PMID- 17777753 TI - Small bodies. PMID- 17777754 TI - Copper porphyrins in deep-sea sediments: a possible indicator of oxidized terrestrial organic matter. AB - Copper porphyrins have been isolated from deep-sea sediments collected during six legs of the Deep Sea Drilling Project-International Program of Ocean Drilling. These pigments are present in depositional areas receiving high inputs of terrestrially derived oxidized organic matter. Such areas include the Black Sea, the Bay of Biscay, the Blake-Bahama Basin, and slumped Miocene deposits off Cape Bojador on the west coast of Africa. PMID- 17777755 TI - Noble Gases in the Murchison Meteorite: Possible Relics of s-Process Nucleosynthesis. AB - The Murchison carbonaceous chondrite contains a new type of xenon component, enriched by up to 50 percent in five of the nine stable xenon isotopes, mass numbers 128 to 132. This component, comprising 5 x 10(-5) of the total xenon in the meteorite, is released at 1200 degrees to 1600 degrees C from a severely etched mineral fraction, and probably resides in some refractory mineral. Krypton shows a similar but smaller enrichment in the isotopes 80 and 82. Neon and helium released in the same interval also are quite anomalous, being highly enriched in the isotopes 22 and 3. These patterns are strongly suggestive of three nuclear processes believed to take place in red giants: the s process (neutron capture on a slow time scale), helium burning, and hydrogen shell burning. If this interpretation is correct, then primitive meteorites contain yet another kind of alien, presolar material: dust grains ejected from red giants. PMID- 17777756 TI - Seismic amplitude measurements suggest foreshocks have different focal mechanisms than aftershocks. AB - The ratio of the amplitudes of P and S waves from the foreshocks and aftershocks to three recent California earthquakes show a characteristic change at the time of the main events. As this ratio is extremely sensitive to small changes in the orientation of the fault plane, a small systematic change in stress or fault configuration in the source region may be inferred. These results suggest an approach to the recognition of foreshocks based on simple measurements of the amplitudes of seismic waves. PMID- 17777757 TI - Daylight time-resolved photographs of lightning. AB - Lightning dart leaders and return strokes have been recorded in daylight with both good spatial resolution and good time resolution as part of the Thunder storm Research International Program. The resulting time-resolved photographs are apparently equivalent to the best data obtained earlier only at night. Average two-dimensional return stroke velocities in four subsequent strokes between the ground and a height of 1400 meters were approximately 1.3 x 10(8) meters per second. The estimated systematic error is 10 to 15 percent. PMID- 17777759 TI - In reply: tracing aerosol pollution. PMID- 17777758 TI - Tracing aerosol pollution. PMID- 17777760 TI - Erratum. AB - In the listing of recipients of the National Medal of Science (News and Comment, 8 Mar., p. 1183), the affiliation of Helmut E. Landsberg was incorrect. He is emeritus professor at the University of Maryland. PMID- 17777761 TI - Smoking and longevity. PMID- 17777762 TI - Health, wealth, and unhappiness. PMID- 17777763 TI - Ore metals through geologic history. AB - The ores of chromite, nickel, copper, and zinc show a wide distribution over geologic time, but those of iron, titanium, lead, uranium, gold, silver, molybdenum, tungsten, and tin are more restricted. Many of the limitations to specific time intervals are probably imposed by the evolving tectonic history of Earth interacting with the effects of the biomass on the evolution of the earth's s surface chemistry. Photosynthetic generation of free oxygen and "carbon" contributes significantlly to the diversity of redox potentials in both sedimentary and igneous-related processes of ore formation, influencing the selection of metals at the source, during transport, and at the site of ore deposition. PMID- 17777764 TI - U.S. Experts Condemn Soviet Radar: Most experts agree that the Abalakova radar violates SALT I, but they differ on its strategic significance. PMID- 17777765 TI - NAE Elects New Members. PMID- 17777767 TI - USDA's Basic Research Needs Beefing Up. PMID- 17777766 TI - Air Force, NASA Settle Launch Dispute: A compromise has been found: the Air Force gets its Titans, NASA protects the shuttle, and both will study new launch technology. PMID- 17777768 TI - Shultz chides scientists but also asks for advice. PMID- 17777769 TI - Superfund Needs Superfunding (and More). PMID- 17777770 TI - U.s. Sanctions required to enforce whaling ban. PMID- 17777771 TI - EPA accelerates ban on leaded gas. PMID- 17777772 TI - Periodic Extinctions and Impacts Challenged: Critics are attacking the evidence that comet showers have caused periodic extinctions; proposed triggers for the showers seem unlikely as well. PMID- 17777773 TI - Fifteen Years of African Drought: The well-publicized 1972 sub-Saharan drought never went away, but, despite its magnitude and persistence, it is neither a human creation nor unique. PMID- 17777774 TI - AAAS Annual Meeting Los Angeles, 26-31 May 1985. PMID- 17777775 TI - Readings of galileo: galileo and his sources. PMID- 17777776 TI - Avian ecology: shorebirds. PMID- 17777777 TI - Atom-atom collisions: theory of slow atomic collisions. PMID- 17777778 TI - Modes of reproduction: fish reproduction. PMID- 17777779 TI - Remote sensing of the magnetic moment of uranus: predictions for voyager. AB - Power is supplied to a planet's magnetosphere from the kinetic energy of planetary spin and the energy flux of the impinging solar wind. A fraction of this power is available to drive numerous observable phenomena, such as polar auroras and planetary radio emissions. In this report our present understanding of these power transfer mechanisms is applied to Uranus to make specific predictions of the detectability of radio and auroral emissions by the planetary radio astronomy (PRA) and ultraviolet spectrometer (UVS) instruments aboard the Voyager spacecraft before its encounter with Uranus at the end of January 1986. The power available for these two phenomena is (among other factors) a function of the magnetic moment of Uranus. The date of earliest detectability also depends on whether the predominant power source for the magnetosphere is planetary spin or solar wind. The magnetic moment of Uranus is derived for each power source as a function of the date of first detection of radio emissions by the PRA instrument or auroral emissions by the UVS instrument. If we accept the interpretation of ultraviolet observations now available from the Earth-orbiting International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite, Uranus has a surface magnetic field of at least 0.6 gauss, and more probably several gauss, making it the largest or second-largest planetary magnetic field in the solar system. PMID- 17777780 TI - Margin to craton expansion of late ordovician benthic marine invertebrates. AB - A biostratigraphic survey of 57 Late Ordovician marine shelly invertebrates from the Climacograptus manitoulinensis zone of eastern Canada supports suggestions that throughout the Early Phanerozoic benthic marine speciations occurred preferentially in marginal marine environments. The species subsequently spread onto the craton. There is no obvious positive correlation between the times of first appearance of new associations or novel communities along the continental margin and the first appearance on the craton of the species making up these communities. Taxonomic similarities between marine communities that occupied both marginal and cratonic regimes may reflect a more static local ecology than the evolutionary dynamics of a piecemeal species-by-species reassembly. PMID- 17777781 TI - Stable carbon isotope ratios of rock varnish organic matter: a new paleoenvironmental indicator. AB - Stable carbon isotope ratios of organic matter in rock varnishes of Holocene age from western North America and the Middle East show a strong association with the environment. This isotopic variability reflects the abundance of plants with different photosynthetic pathways in adjacent vegetation. Analyses of different layers of varnish on late Pleistocene desert landforms indicate that the carbon isotopic composition of varnish organic matter is a paleoenvironmental indicator. PMID- 17777782 TI - Xylem-tapping mistletoes: water or nutrient parasites? AB - Most mistletoes parasitize higher plants by tapping the xylem (a conduction tissue) of their hosts. Field observations of diurnal gas exchange parameters and carbon isotope ratios in xylem-tapping mistletoes from three continents support the hypotheses that water use efficiency and carbon isotope composition are related and that mistletoes which are parasitic for water are also nutrient parasites, differing in their water use efficiency relative to that of their hosts on the basis of host nitrogen supply in the transpiration stream. PMID- 17777783 TI - How bees remember flower shapes. AB - Bees are able to learn to distinguish between flowers with different shapes or patterns. Some studies have suggested that bees remember only isolated features such as spatial frequency and line angles, rather than the photographic search images that are characteristic of vertebrates. New data indicate that this presumptive vertebrate-invertebrate dichotomy is false; bees can store flower patterns as a low-resolution eidetic image or photograph. PMID- 17777784 TI - Products and materials. PMID- 17777785 TI - The frog revisited. PMID- 17777786 TI - Technology assessment and the university. PMID- 17777787 TI - Purified antigen vaccines. PMID- 17777788 TI - Survey of academic job applicants. PMID- 17777789 TI - Women job applicants. PMID- 17777790 TI - Agricultural research. PMID- 17777791 TI - Homogeneous catalysis. PMID- 17777792 TI - Welfare reform 1973: the social services dimension. AB - The model outlined above is an advance over other proposals in the following respects. 1) The objectives of the public social services are related to the realities of at-risk target populations, but in a moderate and attainable fashion, borrowing from the approach already advanced by HEW. 2) It has proposed a composite target population, which permits the dimensions of the public social service program to be outlined and then reorganized by central function, rather than by coordination among conceptually unrelated units. 3) The laundry listing of service programs has been regrouped into a limited number of service functions, each of which has a relatively well-defined function and permits measurement. 4) The aims, service typologies, and populations at risk have all been developed in some coherent and consistent relationship with each other so that progress in the development of a service and the achievement of the aims in relation to manageable populations can be achieved over time. 5) These steps are consistent with preliminary actions already taken by HEW and by some state superagencies. This interrelationship among aims, service conception, and populations at risk seems to be an essential characteristic of any welfare reform if the public social services are to have a capacity for synergism-that is, a capacity to use experience, to develop greater overall power for the achievement of desired ends than is now attainable by individual, unconnected segments. This pattern of interrelationships permits a testing of various service components in relation to populations and in relation to objectives, with an ultimate substitution of more successful approaches over time, and with the consequent emergence of a science of human services. PMID- 17777793 TI - Fundamental and applied research in agriculture. PMID- 17777794 TI - Strip-mining: house, senate gird for renewed debate. PMID- 17777796 TI - Schmidt takes on FDA. PMID- 17777795 TI - NAS: Water Scarcity May Limit Use of Western Coal. PMID- 17777797 TI - Train moves happily to EPA. PMID- 17777798 TI - A conversation with eugene wigner. PMID- 17777799 TI - Coffee and heart disease: is there a link? PMID- 17777800 TI - New journals received. PMID- 17777801 TI - Radio noise from towns: measured from an airplane. AB - Measurements of broadband radio noise in the range 73 to 440 megahertz were made over several small Illinois cities during August, September, and December 1972. Results for cities with a population larger than 25,000 are presented as brightness temperatures between 2400 and 9600 degrees Kelvin. Even the smallest villages produce significant noise pollution. There is considerable diurnal variation and some evidence for seasonal variation. PMID- 17777802 TI - Aftershocks and intensity of the managua earthquake of 23 december 1972. AB - Two portable seismic stations and a fixed array of five seismometers were used to record aftershocks in the vicinity of Managua, Nicaragua, after the earthquake of 23 December 1972. Approximately 3000 aftershocks were recorded during a 20-day period in January 1973. Left lateral motion along at least two faults, both trending N40 degrees E, is inferred from the seismic data. This is in good agreement with dislocations mapped at the surface in Managua. The data suggest that the shallow earthquakes of the Managua region are a consequence of north south compressional stresses and east-west tensional stresses. This is consistent with regional plate movements deduced in other investigations. PMID- 17777803 TI - Platinum-like behavior of tungsten carbide in surface catalysis. AB - Tungsten carbide catalyzes the formation of water from hydrogen and oxygen at room temperature, the reduction of tungsten trioxide by hydrogen in the presence of water, and the isomerization of 2,2-dimethylpropane to 2-methylbutane. This catalytic behavior, which is typical of platinum, is not exhibited at all by tungsten. The surface electronic properties of the latter are therefore modified by carbon in such a way that they resemble those of platinum. PMID- 17777804 TI - Ice nucleation by solid solutions of silver-copper iodide. AB - The lattice misfit between ice and silver iodide can be reduced by partial substitution of copper atoms for silver atoms in the silver iodide lattice. The best crystal match is obtained with a composition of CuI-3AgI, which corresponds to the most active silver-copper iodide nucleation catalyst. PMID- 17777805 TI - Earthquake waves and the geomagnetic dynamo. AB - It is proposed that earthquake waves energize the geomagnetic dynamo. Fluid motions generated by earthquakes may have enough energy to be in equipartition with fields as large as 100 gauss. Seismic waves from meteoritic impacts with energies sufficient to reverse the field occur every 170,000 years. PMID- 17777806 TI - Sperm penetration of housefly eggs: evidence for involvement of a female accessory secretion. AB - Removal of the paired sex accessory glands associated with the posterior reproductive tract of female houseflies inhibited penetration of the eggs by sperm, but the insemination of females without these glands appeared to be unaffected. The results indicate that either the sperm are "activated" or the permeability of the egg membrane is altered by the secretion of the accessory glands before fertilization occurs. PMID- 17777807 TI - Predator-prey interactions in continuous culture. AB - The exploitation of a bacterial food supply by a protozoan predator does not necessarily lead to the extinction of either species. Even a "homogeneous" experimental system contains sufficient heterogeneity (the boundaries) for avoidance strategies to evolve, which allow the populations to presist. PMID- 17777808 TI - Speed-accuracy trade-off in recognition memory. AB - In a recognition memory experiment, the time allowed for retrieval was controlled by using the offset of the probe as a signal to terminate retrieval and respond. The response latencies measured in the experiment indicate that this procedure effectively eliminated fast-guess strategies. The recognition signal-to-noise ratio, d', grows at a negatively accelerated rate as the allowed retrieval time is increased from 0.5 second to 1 and 2 seconds. PMID- 17777809 TI - Brainstem temperature affects gill ventilation in the california scorpionfish. AB - California scorpionfish, Scorpaena guttata, were implanted with a pair of thermodes which straddled the anterior brainstem. When the fish were in water of about 20 degrees C, warming the thermodes to temperatures above 20 degrees C caused a proportional increase in the ventilatory minute volume. Cooling the thermodes below 20 degrees C caused a proportional decrease in the ventilatory minute volume. It is concluded that the anterior brainstem temperature provides an important input to the respiratory control center in teleost fish. PMID- 17777810 TI - Precipitation of phosphates in a primeval sea. PMID- 17777811 TI - Mechanism of energy transduction in biological systems: new york academy of sciences conference. PMID- 17777813 TI - Scanning densitometer. PMID- 17777812 TI - Literature. PMID- 17777814 TI - Splash, impact, and radiation shield. PMID- 17777815 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17777816 TI - Manned space exploration: case for apollo. PMID- 17777817 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17777818 TI - Educational obsolescence. PMID- 17777820 TI - Greenberg resigns from science to produce new publication. PMID- 17777819 TI - Policy Framework for Educational Research: A seven-part structure is described for analyzing research policy initiatives. AB - A policy framework for analyzing educational research and development has been proposed. The framework consists of five primary elements focusing on the contexts in which educational R & D operates, its goals, its characteristics, its manpower, and its decision structures. These five primary elements interact to produce two secondary elements concerned with priorities and objectives, and strategies and tactics. The framework was applied to three current policy proposals in educational R & D including directed R & D programming in the U.S. Office of Education, the request for funds for experimental schools, and the proposed National Institute of Education. Rigorous application of the framework to major policy questions such as these three can help us examine issues before they arise. It can help prevent errors. Its application can provide greater assurance that primary, secondary, and tertiary consequences-those that arise from the interaction of the consequences we most directly perceive-will receive examination. This kind of consideration can help produce the desirable and intended effects and avoid the detrimental consequences of unanticipated impacts in unintended areas. PMID- 17777821 TI - 1. Arts and humanities: culture agency is emerging from infancy. PMID- 17777822 TI - Where the arts money goes. PMID- 17777823 TI - Department of interior: hickel leaves a diminished agency. PMID- 17777824 TI - Commerce department: myron tribus, top science official, resigns. PMID- 17777825 TI - Teotihuacan: completion of map of giant ancient city in the valley of Mexico. AB - The detailed archeological map of Teotihuacan, near Mexico City, demonstrates what the prehistoric city was like from its densely crowded center to its more sparsely settled peripheries. The city's population lived in crowded one-story apartment compounds, grouped into neighborhoods based at least partly on occupation. At its height the city had a minimum population of 75,000, a probable population of 125,000, and a possible population of more than 200,000. Those involved in craft production and associated activities may have numbered in the tens of thousands. The scope and intensity of urbanization at Teotihuacan is not paralleled in other contemporary New World centers. The growth potential of the obsidian and other industries, the rise of Teotihuacan as a market and trade center, and its attraction as a religious center may have combined in a self generating process that led to the creation of Teotihuacan's unique urban society. PMID- 17777826 TI - Sulfur isotope distribution in solfataras, yellowstone national park. AB - Sulfur isotope data on hydrogen sulfide, native sulfur, and sulfates from acid hot-spring areas at Yellowstone National Park suggest that hydrogen sulfide oxidizes to sulfur abiologically, whereas sulfur undergoes biological oxidation to sulfuric acid. An exception occurs at Mammoth Hot Springs where hydrogen sulfide apparently undergoes biochemical oxidation to sulfur. PMID- 17777827 TI - Antarctic Glaciation during the Tertiary Recorded in Sub-Antarctic Deep-Sea Cores. AB - Study of 18 Cenozoic South Pacific deep-sea cores indicates an association of glacially derived ice-rafted sands and relatively low planktonic foraminiferal diversity with cooling of the Southern Ocean during the Lower Eocene, upper Middle Eocene, and Oligocene. Increased species diversity and reduction or absence of ice-rafted sands in Lower and Middle Miocene cores indicate a warming trend that ended in the Upper Miocene. Antarctic continental glaciation appears to have prevailed throughout much of the Cenozoic. PMID- 17777828 TI - Mechanisms controlling world water chemistry. AB - On the basis of analytical chemical data for numerous rain, river, lake, and ocean samples, the three major mechanisms controlling world surface water chemistry can be defined as atmospheric precipitation, rock dominance, and the evaporation-crystallization process. PMID- 17777829 TI - Radar interferometric observations of venus at 70-centimeter wavelength. AB - A radar interferometer was used to map unambiguously the surface reflectivity of Venus in the polarized mode at a wavelength of 70 centimeters. The observed region extended from 260 degrees to 30 degrees in longitude and from -60 degrees to 50 degrees in latitude with a surface resolution of approximately 3 degrees by 3 degrees . The result agrees well in most respects with earlier maps made elsewhere at shorter wavelengths and, in addition, discloses a number of new "features." PMID- 17777830 TI - Lunar surface: changes in 31 months and micrometeoroid flux. AB - Comparison of pictures of the lunar surface taken 31 months apart by Surveyor 3 and Apollo 12 show only one change in the areas disturbed by Surveyor: a 2 millimeter particle, in a footpad imprint, that may have fallen in from the rim or been kicked in by an approaching astronaut. Vertical walls 6 centimeters high did not collapse and dark ejecta remained dark. No meteorite craters as large as 1.5 millimeters in diameter were seen on a smooth soil surface 20 centimeters in diameter; this indicates a micrometeoroid flux lower than 4 x 10(-7) micrometeoroids per square meter-second at an energy equivalent to about 3 x 10( 8) gram at 20 kilometers per second. This flux is near the lower limit of previous determinations. PMID- 17777831 TI - Distal lobe of the pilifer: an ultrasonic receptor in choerocampine hawkmoths. AB - Evidence is presented for a novel mechanism mediating the auditory sense in the Choerocampinae (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Vibrations in the scale-free medial wall of the enlarged labial palp segment are transmitted by contact to the distal lobe of the pilifer, a derivative of the labrum, and are there transduced into afferent impulses in the labral nerve. PMID- 17777832 TI - Analysis of data in a study of nest parasitism, productivity, and clutch size in purple martins. PMID- 17777833 TI - Interstellar molecules and chemistry. PMID- 17777834 TI - Solutions to environmental problems. PMID- 17777835 TI - Crime, violence, and social disorder. PMID- 17777837 TI - Oral-facial sensory and motor mechanisms. PMID- 17777836 TI - Electromagnetics of the sea. PMID- 17777839 TI - Ice minus and jobs minus. PMID- 17777838 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17777840 TI - Response: impending energy crisis? PMID- 17777842 TI - Impending energy crisis? PMID- 17777841 TI - Impending energy crisis? PMID- 17777843 TI - Impending energy crisis? PMID- 17777844 TI - Erratum. AB - In Jean L. Marx's Research News article "Oxygen free radicals linked to many diseases" (30 Jan., p. 529), Benedict Lucchesi (whose name was misspelled) was incorrectly described as expecting to initiate clinical trials of superoxide dismutase and catalase in human heart attack patients who undergo reperfusion therapy. PMID- 17777845 TI - Private Launch Prospects Improve: Paying customers are finally beginning to sign up for private rocket launches; enthusiasts think the new industry could transform the space program as a whole. PMID- 17777846 TI - World Bank Launches New Environment Policy: Bringing the environment to the center of policy concerns will take some doing, given the powerful influence of conventional economic thinking. PMID- 17777847 TI - Hungary Seeks Ways to Live Off Its Wits: The government is giving special priority to basic research in its economic planning, including the exploration of new techniques for turning scientific talent into hard currency. PMID- 17777848 TI - Antiferromagnetism Observed in La2CuO4: Magnetism and superconductivity are usually mutually exclusive, but they seem to be intimately related in the new high-temperature superconducting compounds. PMID- 17777849 TI - Molecular beam studies of elementary chemical processes. AB - The experimental investigation of elementary chemical reactions is presently in a very exciting period. The advance in modern microscopic experimental methods, especially crossed molecular beams and laser technology, has made it possible to explore the dynamics and mechanisms of important elementary chemical reactions in great detail. Through the continued accumulation of detailed and reliable knowledge about elementary reactions, we will be in a better position to understand, predict, and control many time-dependent macroscopic chemical processes that are important in nature or to human society. In addition, because of recent improvements in the accuracy of theoretical predictions based on large scale ab initio quantum mechanical calculations, meaningful comparisons between theoretical and experimental findings have become possible. In the remaining years of the 20th century, there is no doubt that the experimental investigation of the dynamics and mechanisms of elementary chemical reactions will play a very important role in bridging the gap between the basic laws of mechanics and the real world of chemistry. PMID- 17777850 TI - Isolation of extremely thermophilic sulfate reducers: evidence for a novel branch of archaebacteria. AB - Extremely thermophilic archaebacteria are known to be metabolizers of elemental sulfur and the methanogens. A novel group of extremely thermophilic archaebacteria is described, which consists of sulfate-respiring organisms that contain pure factor 420 and that have been isolated from marine hydrothermal systems in Italy. They possess a third type of archaebacterial RNA polymerase structure previously unknown, indicating an exceptional phylogenetic position. Most likely, this group represents a third major branch within the archaebacteria. The existence of sulfate reducers at extremely high temperatures could explain hydrogen sulfide formation in hot sulfate-containing environments, such as submarine hydrothermal systems and deep oil wells. PMID- 17777851 TI - Deep-crustal evolution: the nature of the lower continental crust. J. PMID- 17777853 TI - Fossil Synapsids: The Ecology and Biology of Mammal-like Reptiles. PMID- 17777852 TI - Science in the u.s.s.R: the communist party and soviet science. PMID- 17777854 TI - Cellular neurobiology: neuromodulation. PMID- 17777855 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17777856 TI - THE PERMANENT SECRETARY'S REPORT ON THE BOSTON MEETING. PMID- 17777857 TI - THE COUNCIL ROLL AT BOSTON. PMID- 17777858 TI - PROCEEDINGS OF THE COUNCIL AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AT BOSTON. PMID- 17777859 TI - FELLOWSHIP ELECTIONS. PMID- 17777860 TI - FINANCIAL REPORTS. PMID- 17777861 TI - RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL. PMID- 17777862 TI - THE BOSTON SESSIONS OF SECTIONS AND SOCIETIES. PMID- 17777863 TI - SECTION A--MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17777864 TI - SECTION B--PHYSICS. PMID- 17777865 TI - SECTION C--CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17777866 TI - SECTION D--ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17777867 TI - SECTION E--GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17777868 TI - SECTION F--ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCES. PMID- 17777870 TI - SECTION I--PSYCHOLOGY. PMID- 17777869 TI - SECTION H--ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17777871 TI - CHARLES D. WALCOTT. PMID- 17777872 TI - THE ORGANIZATION, WORK AND PURPOSES OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777873 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17777874 TI - Quality of statistics. PMID- 17777875 TI - Long-distance runners. PMID- 17777876 TI - NIH Grants and Contracts. PMID- 17777877 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17777878 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17777879 TI - Heritability of intelligence. PMID- 17777880 TI - Fractionation services. PMID- 17777881 TI - Historical footnote. PMID- 17777882 TI - A new international program. PMID- 17777883 TI - Power, fresh water, and food from cold, deep sea water. AB - Many times more solar heat energy accumulates in the vast volume of warm tropic seas than that produced by all of our power plants. The looming energy crisis causes a renewal of interest in utilizing this stored solar heat to give, in addition to electric power, vast quantities of fresh water. Warm surface water, when evaporated, generates steam, to power a turbine, then fresh water when the steam is condensed by the cold water. A great increase in revenues over that from power and fresh water is shown by a substantial mariculture pilot plant. Deep sea water contains large quantities of nutrients. These feed algae which feed shellfish, ultimately shrimps and lobsters, in shallow ponds. Wastes grow seaweed of value; and combined revenues from desalination, power generation, and mariculture will give substantial profit. PMID- 17777884 TI - Computing in China: A Travel Report: Computer technology advances rapidly in China with no external aid. PMID- 17777886 TI - Coleman a blue-chip adviser. PMID- 17777885 TI - PSAC: Last Hurrah from Panel on Youth. PMID- 17777887 TI - Timber study reinforces nixon policy. PMID- 17777888 TI - Sweden: naderism blooms in the north country. PMID- 17777889 TI - Blood bankers pressured to unite. PMID- 17777890 TI - Sorghum: "miracle" grain for the world protein shortage? PMID- 17777892 TI - Congress views detente with a fishy eye. PMID- 17777891 TI - Dominick leaves EPA; successor not yet named. PMID- 17777893 TI - Cyclic GMP: Cellular Regulatory Agent? PMID- 17777894 TI - Optical communications: specialized applications appear first. PMID- 17777895 TI - The 25-km Discontinuity: Implications for Lunar History. AB - The lunar velocity profile and laboratory data on terrestrial and lunar rocks are constraints on models of lunar history. They show that shock-induced microcracks are absent from the rocks present in the moon today at depths of 25 to 60 kilometers. All possible causes of this observation are examined, and the most likely explanations are that either the rocks at depths of 25 to 60 kilometers formed after the major impacts ceased or the microcracks have annealed at temperatures of about 600 degrees C over geologically long times. PMID- 17777896 TI - Earthquake-induced structures in sediments of van Norman lake, san fernando, california. AB - The 9 February 1971 earthquake in the San Fernando Valley damaged the Lower Van Norman Dam severely enough to warrant draining the reservoir. In March 1972 the sediment deposited on the reservoir floor was examined to determine whether the 1971 earthquake had induced sediment deformation and, if so, what types. A zone of deformational structures characterized by small-scale loads and slightly recumbent folds associated with the 1971 earthquake was discovered, in addition to two older zones of load structures. Each of the zones has been tentatively correlated with an historic earthquake. PMID- 17777898 TI - Literature. PMID- 17777897 TI - Sphaeroma terebrans: A Threat to the Mangroves of Southwestern Florida. AB - Sphaeroma terebrans, a wood-boring isopod, is destroying the prop roots of red mangroves along the southwestern coast of Florida to such an extent that the Ten Thousand Islands and mangrove fringes of the mainland are steadily shrinking. Mangroves of the Florida Keys apparently are free of this wood borer. PMID- 17777899 TI - Radiographic imaging system. PMID- 17777900 TI - Linear fraction collector. PMID- 17777901 TI - Portable pH Meter. PMID- 17777902 TI - Scanning electron microscope. PMID- 17777903 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17777905 TI - Hydroelectricity from Canada. PMID- 17777904 TI - High energy physics. PMID- 17777906 TI - In reply: high energy physics. PMID- 17777907 TI - In reply: high energy physics. PMID- 17777908 TI - Iowa, not ohio. PMID- 17777909 TI - The fajada butte solar marker. PMID- 17777910 TI - How much for research? PMID- 17777911 TI - Technologies for clean use of coal. PMID- 17777912 TI - Geochemical exploration for petroleum. AB - Geochemical methods used in exploring for oil and natural gas are based on the premise that hydrocarbons migrate upward from subsurface petroleum accumulations and produce anomalous patterns near the surface. Geochemical exploration techniques are both direct or indirect. Direct techniques require analysis of microquantities of hydrocarbons that occur in the free state in the soil interstices or that are adsorbed on the fine-grained portions of the soil. Indirect geochemical methods are based on the detection, in near-surface soils or in vegetation, of inorganic alteration products that result from upward migration of hydrocarbons. PMID- 17777913 TI - Graphical perception and graphical methods for analyzing scientific data. AB - Graphical perception is the visual decoding of the quantitative and qualitative information encoded on graphs. Recent investigations have uncovered basic principles of human graphical perception that have important implications for the display of data. The computer graphics revolution has stimulated the invention of many graphical methods for analyzing and presenting scientific data, such as box plots, two-tiered error bars, scatterplot smoothing, dot charts, and graphing on a log base 2 scale. PMID- 17777914 TI - Unesco: A Glimmer at the End of the Tunnel?: Reforms and budget proposals hammered out over the past few weeks may be sufficient to prevent the organization's collapse. PMID- 17777915 TI - U.S. Promise Falls Through COLIN NORMAN. PMID- 17777916 TI - New Group Targets Political Bias on Campus: Student volunteers to monitor courses and expose anti-American teaching; university groups say the tactics threaten academic freedom. PMID- 17777917 TI - Plan to bar funding to pennsylvania laboratory. PMID- 17777918 TI - Memo sets policy for "star wars" publications. PMID- 17777919 TI - The Last Days of the Wild Condor?: A debate is raging over whether to capture the few remaining wild California condors for breeding in captivity. PMID- 17777920 TI - Tracking a Stormy Beast in the Night: Weather satellites have revealed thunderstorms organized into unexpectedly large nighttime rainstorms over the central United States. PMID- 17777922 TI - The work of medicine: social organization of medical work. PMID- 17777921 TI - Novel protein/membrane attachment. PMID- 17777923 TI - The stuff of heredity: discoveries recounted: the transforming principle. PMID- 17777924 TI - Oscillating chemical reactions: oscillations and traveling waves in chemical systems. PMID- 17777925 TI - Climate response times: dependence on climate sensitivity and ocean mixing. AB - The factors that determine climate response times were investigated with simple models and scaling statements. The response times are particularly sensitive to (i) the amount that the climate response is amplified by feedbacks and (ii) the representation of ocean mixing. If equilibrium climate sensitivity is 3 degrees C or greater for a doubling of the carbon dioxide concentration, then most of the expected warming attributable to trace gases added to the atmosphere by man probably has not yet occurred. This yet to be realized warming calls into question a policy of "wait and see" regarding the issue of how to deal with increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and other trace gases. PMID- 17777926 TI - Acid deposition, smelter emissions, and the linearity issue in the Western United States. AB - The variation in sulfur dioxide emissions from nonferrous metal smelters in the western United States over a 4-year period is compared with the variation in sulfate concentrations in precipitation in the Rocky Mountain states. The data support a linear relation between emissions and sulfate concentration. The geographic separation of emissions sources and precipitation monitors indicates a sulfur transport scale exceeding 1000 kilometers. PMID- 17777927 TI - Chronology of guitarrero cave, peru. AB - Dating by accelerator mass spectrometry of wooden artifacts, cord, and charcoal samples from Guitarrero Cave, Peru, supports the antiquity of South America's earliest textiles and other perishable remains. The new dates are consistent with those obtained from disintegration counters and leave little doubt about the integrity of the lower Preceramic layers and their early cultivars. Re-evaluation of the mode of deposition suggests that most of the remains resulted from short term use of the cave in the eighth millennium B.C., with a possible brief human visit as early as 12,560 years ago. PMID- 17777928 TI - AAAS announces the National Forum for School Science 10-11 October 1985. PMID- 17777929 TI - THE NEW BOTANY. PMID- 17777930 TI - THE STRUCTURE OF INSECT TRACHEAe, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THOSE OF ZAITHA FLUMINEA. PMID- 17777931 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY.-XXI. PMID- 17777932 TI - NOTES FROM THE CORNELL INSECTARY. PMID- 17777933 TI - THE EXTREME HEAT AND COLD ENDURED BY MAN. PMID- 17777934 TI - BEZOARS. PMID- 17777935 TI - THE STUDY OF MOULTING IN BIRDS. PMID- 17777936 TI - Comparative Longevity. PMID- 17777937 TI - The Effectiveness of NEPA. PMID- 17777938 TI - Nitrosamines in animal feed. PMID- 17777939 TI - Handicaps and careers. PMID- 17777940 TI - The Effectiveness of NEPA. PMID- 17777941 TI - The Effectiveness of NEPA. PMID- 17777942 TI - Margaret mead. PMID- 17777943 TI - Radiological impact of airborne effluents of coal and nuclear plants. AB - Radiation doses from airborne effluents of model coal-fired and nuclear power plants (1000 megawatts electric) are compared. Assuming a 1 percent ash release to the atmosphere (Environmental Protection Agency regulation) and 1 part per million of uranium and 2 parts per million of thorium in the coal (approximately the U.S. average), population doses from the coal plant are typically higher than those from pressurized-water or boiling-water reactors that meet government regulations. Higher radionuclide contents and ash releases are common and would result in increased doses from the coal plant. The study does not assess the impact of non-radiological pollutants or the total radiological impacts of a coal versus a nuclear economy. PMID- 17777944 TI - A proposal to modernize the american antiquities act. AB - The Antiquities Act of 1906, which has provided the legal basis for protecting the U.S.'s prehistoric and historic heritage, is no longer adequate. Artifact hunters and collectors have descended on national forests and U.S. parks in ever increasing numbers. The drafters of the 1906 act could not have anticipated the lucrative market in prehistoric artifacts in the 1970's. The act has come under attack in the courts as being unconstitutionally vague. In light of the recent criminal prosecutions under the Antiquities Act and the constitutional challenges, reviewed in this article, the authors propose a new Antiquities Act which expands the scope of the act to include those who would deal in artifacts taken unlawfully from federal lands and increases the criminal penalties for a violation of the act. PMID- 17777945 TI - A general as arms control chief: opera buffa or brilliant stroke? PMID- 17777946 TI - Voice from the dead names new suspect for piltdown hoax. PMID- 17777947 TI - Harvard, science, and the company of educated men and women. PMID- 17777948 TI - Follow-up on the Budget. PMID- 17777949 TI - One u.s. Group cancels a soviet exchange .. PMID- 17777950 TI - Victorian follies. PMID- 17777952 TI - Annual meeting houston. PMID- 17777951 TI - ... And another starts one with Vietnam. PMID- 17777953 TI - Class and its meanings. PMID- 17777954 TI - Niche overlaps. PMID- 17777955 TI - Quantum theory. PMID- 17777956 TI - Insect adaptations. PMID- 17777957 TI - Solar Rotation Determined from Thomas Harriot's Sunspot Observations of 1611 to 1613. AB - In 1612 the sun's mean sidereal rotation rate was only 13.3 degrees per day based on a series of 199 unpublished drawings by Harriot. By comparison with the rates in 1625 to 1626 and 1642 to 1644 it appears that the solar rotation was accelerating significantly in the cycles leading up to the Maunder minimum. PMID- 17777958 TI - Sieve areas in fossil Phloem. AB - Phloem tissue of the Pennsylvanian fern Etapteris is described from permineralized specimens. Sieve elements possess regularly aligned sieve areas containing pores on the radial walls. The presence of these structures provides a basis for comparison with the phloem of living ferns. PMID- 17777959 TI - Mediterranean Water: An Intense Mesoscale Eddy off the Bahamas. AB - An anticyclonic lens of water in the permanent thermocline off the Bahamas has water mass characteristics representing Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic central waters. This eddy's ability to translate across the Atlantic without losing its identity points to baroclinic eddies as a specific mechanism for large scale mixing. PMID- 17777961 TI - Models for carcinogenic risk assessment. PMID- 17777960 TI - Halohydrocarbon synthesis by bromoperoxidase. AB - An enzyme extracted from marine red algae, Bonnemaisonia hamifera, is capable of incorporating bromine into a number of organic substrates in the pH range 5 to 8. At pH 7.3, incubation of partially purified preparations of bromoperoxidase with hydrogen peroxide, bromide ion, and 3-oxooctanoic acid leads to the formation of three volatile brominated hydrocarbons: dibromomethane, bromoform, and 1-pentyl bromide. The presence of significant quantities of halometabolites including volatile halohydrocarbons in marine organisms, ocean waters, and the upper atmosphere may result from peroxidase-catalyzed halogenation reactions. PMID- 17777962 TI - Models for carcinogenic risk assessment. PMID- 17777963 TI - Models for carcinogenic risk assessment. PMID- 17777964 TI - Models for carcinogenic risk assessment. PMID- 17777965 TI - Models for carcinogenic risk assessment. PMID- 17777967 TI - Atmospheric carbon dioxide in the 19th century. PMID- 17777966 TI - Atmospheric carbon dioxide in the 19th century. PMID- 17777968 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17777969 TI - SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PMID- 17777970 TI - THE IMPORTANCE OF A LABORATORY COURSE OF PHYSICS IN THE STUDY OF MEDICINE. PMID- 17777971 TI - SOME PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTS ON THE MOTION OF IONS IN A VARYING MAGNETIC FIELD. PMID- 17777973 TI - HENRY MORTON. PMID- 17777972 TI - THE TROPICAL LABORATORY AT MIAMI, FLORIDA. PMID- 17777974 TI - THE COMING MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17777976 TI - ON PYRITE AND MARCASITE. PMID- 17777975 TI - AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, SECTION C OF THE A. A. A. S. PMID- 17777977 TI - THE MUD SHOWER. PMID- 17777978 TI - COILED BASKETRY. PMID- 17777979 TI - THE GUATEMALA EARTHQUAKE WAVES OBSERVED IN CANADA BY R. F. STUPART. PMID- 17777980 TI - MAGNETIC DISTURBANCE AT TIME OF ERUPTION OF MONT PELEE. PMID- 17777982 TI - METEOROLOGY IN ARGENTINA. PMID- 17777981 TI - INTRACELLULAR CANALICULI OF THE LIVER. PMID- 17777983 TI - THE NICHOLS RESEARCH MEDAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17777984 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17777985 TI - Energy future. PMID- 17777986 TI - Cretaceous-tertiary dinosaur extinction. PMID- 17777987 TI - Cretaceous-tertiary dinosaur extinction. PMID- 17777988 TI - Cretaceous-tertiary dinosaur extinction. PMID- 17777989 TI - Response: cretaceous-tertiary dinosaur extinction. PMID- 17777991 TI - Alachlor removal from drinking water. PMID- 17777990 TI - Erratum. AB - In the summary of the article "What has happened to productivity growth?" by Martin Neil Baily (24 Oct., p. 443), the second sentence should have read, "Unless there is an increase in growth, American living standards will remain stagnant and problems such as the budget deficit will plague policy-makers." PMID- 17777992 TI - Fuqua Leaves 62 Parting Thoughts: The chairman of the science committee is leaving Congress after 24 years; he is leaving behind a mammoth science policy study and 62 of his own recommendations. PMID- 17777994 TI - Crop Research Network Makes Some Changes: International agricultural research system adopts measures to improve its performance in Africa. PMID- 17777993 TI - The Chairman's Wish List. PMID- 17777995 TI - Astronomer fasts for arms control. PMID- 17777996 TI - Academy Membership Fight Goes Public: A Yale mathematician, saying he wants to make an issue of alleged abuse of math in social science, is campaigning to keep a Harvard political scientist out of the Academy. PMID- 17777997 TI - Chemical weapons: a plan for europe. PMID- 17777998 TI - Eiffel centenary to put art in space. PMID- 17777999 TI - Accelerator labs face austere year. PMID- 17778001 TI - The Universe in Depth: Very long time exposures provide some intriguing hints about the evolution of galaxies, the curvature of the universe, and why the night sky is dark. PMID- 17778000 TI - Halley's Confounding Fireworks: Observations of unprecedented frequency have revealed sudden outbursts and mysterious pulsations in brightness, prompting peripatetic analyses across Europe. PMID- 17778002 TI - Optical experiments and weak interactions. AB - Recent optical experiments have demonstrated cases in which mirror symmetry in stable atoms is broken during absorption of light. These results, which are in contradiction with quantum electrodynamics, support the theory of unification of the electromagnetic and weak forces. The interpretation of these experimental results is based on exchanges of weak neutral Z(0) bosons between the electrons and the nucleus of the atom. The information obtained from low-energy experiments is different from, but complementary to, the results of high-energy experiments. Sensitive measurements in a simple, reliably computable atom are in quantitative agreement with the standard electroweak theory and put stringent constraints on alternative models. Attaining sufficient accuracy in the experiments and the computations for the electroweak radiative corrections to manifest themselves is now the challenge for experimenters and theorists. PMID- 17778003 TI - Deregulation: causes and consequences. AB - As a consequence of deregulation, there have been fundamental changes in the way transportation and communications firms are conducting business. Companies are finding that they must be driven by market opportunities and financial needs, not by regulatory considerations. Prices must be based on cost, operations must become more efficient, and consumer-oriented product niches must be found. Moreover, deregulation has added a new element in industrial dynamics, by fostering more relations between the various modes of transportation and by cross fertilization in computer and telecommunication technology. All in all, a more competitive and innovative spirit emerges from deregulation. PMID- 17778004 TI - Uplifted marine terraces along the alpine fault, new zealand. AB - Three types of evidence indicate that marine terraces are widespread in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. (i) Remnants of shore platforms occur as distinct levels of notched ridge crests and flat summits; degraded sea cliffs are common. (ii) Scattered quartz beach pebbles occur on 16 of 18 levels of exhumed shore platforms in the Fox- Franz Josef type area to altitudes as high as 1700 meters. (iii) Altitudinal spacings of New Zealand terrace flights allow correlation with 18 dated global marine terraces at New Guinea, which were formed during glacio eustatic highstands of sea level within the last 336 x 10(3) years. Inferred uplift rates at Fox-Franz Josef increased from 3.2 to 7.8 meters per 10(3) years since about 135 x 10(3) to 140 x 10(3) years ago, presumably because of increased convergence between the Pacific and Australian plates. PMID- 17778005 TI - Petroleum associated with polymetallic sulfide in sediment from gorda ridge. AB - A sediment sample, impregnated with asphaltic petroleum and polymetallic sulfide, was dredged from the southern end of Gorda Ridge (the Escanaba Trough) off northern California, within the offshore Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States. The molecular distributions of hydrocarbons in this petroleum show that it was probably derived from terrestrial organic matter in turbidite sediment filling the Escanaba Trough. Hydrothermal activity at the Gorda Ridge spreading center provided the heat for petroleum formation and was the source of fluids for sulfide mineralization. PMID- 17778006 TI - Age of the earliest african anthropoids. AB - The earliest fossil record of African anthropoid primates (monkeys and apes) comes from the Jebel Qatrani Formation in the Fayum depression of Egypt. Reevaluation of both geologic and faunal evidence indicates that this formation was deposited in the early part of the Oligocene Epoch, more than 31 million years ago, earlier than previous estimates. The great antiquity of the fossil higher primates from Egypt accords well with their primitive morphology compared with later Old World higher primates. Thus, the anthropoid primates and hystricomorph rodents from Fayum are also considerably older than the earliest higher primates and rodents from South America. PMID- 17778007 TI - Energy sources for detritivorous fishes in the Amazon. AB - Detritivorous fishes form an important part of the ichthyomass in the Amazon basin. Most of these fishes are contained in the orders Characiformes and Siluriformes (catfishes). The Characiformes constitute more than 30% of the total fish yield in the Amazon basin, whereas the catfishes are of minor importance. Stable isotope data indicate that Characiformes species receive most of their carbon through food chains originating with phytoplankton, while the Siluriformes receive a significant part of their energy from other plant sources. PMID- 17778008 TI - Proposed Amendment to AAAS Constitution. PMID- 17778010 TI - For the library. . PMID- 17778009 TI - AAAS Group Hosts Discussion of Ethics and NASA. PMID- 17778011 TI - Media and shuttle transcripts offered. PMID- 17778012 TI - 1986 general election results. PMID- 17778013 TI - New issue dates for science. PMID- 17778014 TI - Science Books & Films Editor Kathleen Johnston Receives ALA Award. PMID- 17778015 TI - Grants Available to Foreign Graduate Students to Attend AAAS Annual Meeting. PMID- 17778016 TI - Genetic engineering: policy making in britain: the politics of uncertainty. PMID- 17778017 TI - Science and entrepreneurialism: biotechnology. PMID- 17778018 TI - Solar wind phenomena: collisionless shocks in the hellosphere: a tutorial review and collislonless shocks in the heliosphere: reviews of current research. PMID- 17778019 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17778020 TI - WHAT INDUSTRY, IF ANY, CAN PROFITABLY BE INTRODUCED INTO COUNTRY SCHOOLS? PMID- 17778021 TI - THE RESPECTIVE FUNCTIONS IN EDUCATION OF PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND UNIVERSITY SCHOOLS. -- I. PMID- 17778022 TI - POLITICAL EDUCATION. PMID- 17778023 TI - THE PRUSSIAN MINISTER OF INSTRUCTION ON FEMALE EDUCATION. PMID- 17778024 TI - MANUAL TRAINING AND PUBLIC EDUCATION. PMID- 17778025 TI - THE REAL-GYMNASIUM. PMID- 17778026 TI - MODERN METHODS FOR BEGINNERS IN LATIN. PMID- 17778028 TI - TWO WORKS ON PEDAGOGY. PMID- 17778027 TI - SOME RECENT CLASSICAL PUBLICATIONS. PMID- 17778029 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17778030 TI - ELECTRICITY RELEASED FROM MATTER. PMID- 17778031 TI - THE ELECTRON THEORY OF METALLIC CONDUCTION. PMID- 17778032 TI - AN ELECTRIC ANALOGUE OF VOWEL PRODUCTION. PMID- 17778033 TI - NOMENCLATURE OF THE VEGETABLE WEEVIL. PMID- 17778034 TI - INCOMPLETE NUCLEAR DIVISIONS AND NOT AMITOSIS IN THE TAPETUM OF THE EUSPORANGIATE FERNS. PMID- 17778035 TI - MALVACEOUS PLANTS AS A CAUSE OF "PINK WHITE" IN STORED EGGS. PMID- 17778036 TI - NOMENCLATORIAL NOTE ON GASTROTRICHA. PMID- 17778037 TI - THE FOURTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION. PMID- 17778038 TI - A MOUTH PIPETTE AND CONTAINERS FOR SMALLER ORGANISMS. PMID- 17778039 TI - MICROSCOPE LAMP FOR BIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES. PMID- 17778040 TI - INFECTION IN MICE FOLLOWING INSTILLATION OF VESICULAR STOMATITIS VIRUS. PMID- 17778041 TI - ACTIVE IMMUNIZATION TO ANTHRAX BY MEANS OF HETEROPHILE ANTIGEN. PMID- 17778043 TI - Letter to the editer. PMID- 17778042 TI - Limitations of technology. PMID- 17778044 TI - Fixed combination drugs. PMID- 17778045 TI - Letter to the editer. PMID- 17778046 TI - Letter to the editer. PMID- 17778047 TI - Crises and knowledge. PMID- 17778048 TI - A unified procedure for the detection of life on Mars. PMID- 17778049 TI - Electronic optical astronomy: philosophy and practice. AB - The changes resulting from this electronic revolution have an impact as great as or greater than those from any of the major instrumental developments of the past. In previous times astronomers could only hope for the observational power that can now be realized by modern electronic instrumentation. PMID- 17778051 TI - WWNSS: Seismology's Global Network of Observing Stations. PMID- 17778050 TI - Modifying the ionosphere with intense radio waves. AB - The ionospheric modification experiments provide an opportunity to better understand the aeronomy of the natural ionosphere and also afford the control of a naturally occurring plasma, which will make possible further progress in plasma physics. The ionospheric modification by powerful radio waves is analogous to studies of laser and microwave heating of laboratory plasmas (20). " Anomalous" reflectivity effects similar to the observed ionospheric attenuation have already been noted in plasmas modulated by microwaves, and anomalous heating may have been observed in plasmas irradiated by lasers. Contacts have now been established between the workers in these diverse areas, which span a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Perhaps ionospheric modification will also be a valuable technique in radio communications. PMID- 17778052 TI - Deep-water archeology. AB - There is reason to believe that some old wooden ships on the deep-sea floor have survived for thousands of years without much change. They will not be covered with much sediment, and it will be possible to find them using new searching techniques. These are embodied in the system of the Alcoa Seaprobe, which is also equipped to identify and raise old ships. PMID- 17778053 TI - Inside HEW: Women Protest Sex Discrimination. PMID- 17778054 TI - HEW Advisory Jobs to Go to Women. PMID- 17778055 TI - Science censored. PMID- 17778056 TI - Molecular biology: corporate citizenship and potential profit. PMID- 17778057 TI - ABM Debate: Learned Society Split by Old Grievance. PMID- 17778058 TI - Global meteorology (I): experiments in the tropics. PMID- 17778059 TI - New journals received. PMID- 17778060 TI - Evaporation retardation by monolayers: another mechanism. AB - The effects on evaporation rates of the suppression of small waves by monolayers, which heretofore have been neglected, are considered to be a major mechanism for retarding evaporation under wind. PMID- 17778061 TI - Methyl mercury and inorganic mercury collection by a selective chelating resin. AB - A commercially available chelating resin selectively and quantitatively collects methyl mercuric and inorganic mercuric forms of mercury to the exclusion of all other metals studied, except the noble metals. Both forms of mercury can be collected from pH 1 to 9. Collected mercury is readily eluted with a slightly acid, 5 percent solution of thiourea, and the resin can be reused for many cycles. Selectivity, pH effects, capacity, and elution characteristics of the resin are described. A resin-loaded paper composed of 50 percent resin and 50 percent cellulose shows properties similar to those of the loose resin. PMID- 17778062 TI - Olivines: revelation of tracks of charged particles. AB - A one-step, three-component aqueous etchant was developed for revealing the tracks of charged particles in olivine. The etchant reveals tracks of small cone angle, which are equally well developed in all the crystallographic directions. The scope of fossil cosmic-ray track studies in extraterrestrial samples has thus been increased, because olivine is often an abundant constituent and because it has a higher threshold ionization for track registration and has lower uranium, thorium, and trace element concentrations as compared with pyroxenes and feldspars. The etchant does not attack any of the principal rock-forming minerals in normal etching time, which allows a nondestructive study of fossil tracks in thin-section mounts. The study of fossil cosmic-ray tracks in olivine is particularly valuable for investigations of very, very heavy cosmic-ray nuclei and for highly irradiated samples such as those found in the lunar regolith. PMID- 17778063 TI - Duricrusts and deep-weathering profiles in southwestern wisconsin. AB - Numerous exposures in southwestern Wisconsin display the profiles of relict deep weathering. Crusts are mainly siliceous, but many are ferruginized to some extent. The occurrence of blocky silcrete, thought to be reported for the first time, recalls the profiles in the Australian belt of transition from silcrust to ferricrust. The humid-tropical kind of pedogenesis necessary to effect this transition may have operated as late as the mid-Miocene. In some localities, the action of grotndwater has caused crusting, mottling, and reduction beneath the dolomite low surface moisture. PMID- 17778064 TI - Sex attractant of the codling moth: characterization with electroantennogram technique. AB - trans-8, trans-10-Dodecadien-1-ol is a sex attractant of the codling moth, Laspeyresia pomonella. Antennal responses (electroantennograms) to a series of monounsaturated compounds were used in determining the location and configuration of the two double bonds. The synthetic compound is very attractive to male codling moths in the field. PMID- 17778066 TI - Preliminary program. PMID- 17778065 TI - Carbon and atmospheric oxygen. PMID- 17778067 TI - 27-28 december astronomy from a space platform. PMID- 17778068 TI - 27 december energy production from nuclear fusion. PMID- 17778069 TI - 27 December 400th Anniversary of Johannes Kepler's Birth. PMID- 17778070 TI - Annual meeting: Philadelphia. PMID- 17778071 TI - COLLECTIVE FARMING IN RUSSIA AND THE UKRAINE. PMID- 17778072 TI - INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS. PMID- 17778074 TI - WORK ON INFANTILE PARALYSIS AT THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17778073 TI - COUNCIL FOR SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA. PMID- 17778075 TI - HONORARY DEGREES CONFERRED BY HARVARD UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17778076 TI - RADIO PROGRAMS ON THE WAR WORK OF ENGINEERS. PMID- 17778077 TI - COMMONWEALTH FUND FELLOWSHIPS IN MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH. PMID- 17778079 TI - BREEDING DISEASE-RESISTANT CROPS. PMID- 17778078 TI - FURTHER DATA ON THE CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO AMONG THE PUEBLO INDIANS. PMID- 17778080 TI - HEALTH AS A NATIONAL ASSET. PMID- 17778082 TI - WEATHER FORECASTS. PMID- 17778081 TI - PER CENT. PMID- 17778083 TI - CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE OF THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17778085 TI - THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN. PMID- 17778084 TI - CEMENTING SINO-AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP. PMID- 17778086 TI - THE ALABAMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17778088 TI - SKIN SENSITIVITY TO HUMAN PLASMA. PMID- 17778087 TI - SULFHEMOGLOBIN FORMATION AND LABILE IRON IN VITRO AND IN VIVO. PMID- 17778089 TI - ELIMINATION OF CONTAMINANTS WITH ULTRA-VIOLET RADIATION. PMID- 17778091 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17778090 TI - SOLUBILITY OF ANTERIOR PITUITARY GONADOTROPIN IN ALKALI HALIDE SOLUTIONS. PMID- 17778092 TI - Introduction. PMID- 17778093 TI - Railroad Rates. PMID- 17778094 TI - Hotel Headquarters. PMID- 17778096 TI - General Sessions. PMID- 17778095 TI - Vice-Presidential Addresses. PMID- 17778097 TI - Registration. PMID- 17778098 TI - Science Exhibition. PMID- 17778099 TI - Press Service. PMID- 17778100 TI - Some Important Events. PMID- 17778101 TI - Sectional and Society Programs. PMID- 17778102 TI - Social Affairs. PMID- 17778103 TI - THE NEW OBSERVATORY AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17778104 TI - OCEANOGRAPHICAL WORK AT BERMUDA OF THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17778105 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17778106 TI - THE SEQUENCE OF INFECTION, ALLERGY AND RESISTANCE AS REPRESENTED BY X-RAYS IN HUMAN PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS. PMID- 17778107 TI - WANTED: HALOS IN MICA. PMID- 17778108 TI - THE ROLE OF DAMPING-OFF DISEASES IN RELATION TO FAILURES OF ALFALFA STANDS ON SOME ACID SOILS. PMID- 17778109 TI - THE ISOLATION OF CRYSTALLINE TRYPSINOGEN AND ITS CONVERSION INTO CRYSTALLINE TRYPSIN. PMID- 17778110 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17778112 TI - Fusion confusion. PMID- 17778111 TI - A milk-free zone. PMID- 17778114 TI - Future energy supplies. PMID- 17778113 TI - Plutonium's Existence. PMID- 17778115 TI - Future energy supplies. PMID- 17778116 TI - Beef quality. PMID- 17778117 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - Figure 4 of the report "Selective and ATP-dependent translocation of peptides by the MHC-encoded peptide transporter" by J. J. Neefjes, F. Momburg, and G. J. Hammerling (6 Aug., p. 769) stated incorrectly that a peptide with T as the COOH terminal residue was not efficiently translocated. Resynthesis revealed that the peptide RYWANATRST is transported by rat TAP. This does not change the general conclusion that the transporters are selective, because several other peptides are not well translocated [F. Momburg et al., Nature 367, 648 (1994)]. PMID- 17778118 TI - Consciousness: in whose hands? PMID- 17778120 TI - An anthropological culture shift. PMID- 17778119 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17778121 TI - Young physicists hear wall street calling. PMID- 17778122 TI - Richard leakey quits post, charges ;smear campaign'. PMID- 17778123 TI - NASA Told Belt-Tightening Won't Work. PMID- 17778124 TI - Science on tap. PMID- 17778126 TI - Science education: another global study. PMID- 17778125 TI - Killer lakes threaten to strike again. PMID- 17778127 TI - The wait goes on.. PMID- 17778128 TI - Reviving old mouse DNA. PMID- 17778129 TI - Girding for next earthquake. PMID- 17778130 TI - A dusty road for space physics. PMID- 17778131 TI - An asteroidal family adds a little one. PMID- 17778132 TI - Giant hawaiian underwater landslides. PMID- 17778133 TI - Ceramic thin-film formation on functionalized interfaces through biomimetic processing. AB - Processing routes have been developed for the production of thin ceramic films through precipitation from aqueous solutions. The techniques are based on crystal nucleation and growth onto functionalized interfaces. Surface functionalization routes have been developed by the mimicking of schemes used by organisms to produce complex ceramic composites such as teeth, bones, and shells. High quality, dense polycrystalline films of oxides, hydroxides, and sulfides have now been prepared from "biomimetic" synthesis techniques. Ceramic films can be synthesized on plastics and other materials at temperatures below 100 degrees C. As a low-temperature process in which water rather than organic solvents is used, this synthesis is environmentally benign. Nanocrystalline ceramics can be produced, sometimes with preferred crystallite orientation. The direct deposition of high-resolution patterned films has also been demonstrated. The process is well suited to the production of organic-inorganic composites. PMID- 17778134 TI - The 1990 to 1991 Sudan earthquake sequence and the extent of the East african rift system. AB - One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in Africa (surface wave magnitude M(s) = 7.2) occurred about 50 kilometers east of the Upper River Nile on 20 May 1990. Four days later, two more large earthquakes (M(s) = 6.4 and 7.0) occurred about 50 kilometers to the northwest in the Nile Valley. In the following months, a further 60 events were recorded by seismic stations worldwide. The earthquakes are associated with two fault systems: one east of the Nile with azimuth southeast and one along the Nile Valley with azimuth north-northeast. The activity alternated between the two fault systems and indicates that the northern extremity of the western branch of the East African Rift System extends at least 350 kilometers north of Lake Albert. PMID- 17778135 TI - El Nino on the Devil's Staircase: Annual Subharmonic Steps to Chaos. AB - The source of irregularity in El Nino, the large interannual climate variation of the Pacific ocean-atmosphere system, has remained elusive. Results from an El Nino model exhibit transition to chaos through a series of frequency-locked steps created by nonlinear resonance with the Earth's annual cycle. The overlapping of these resonances leads to the chaotic behavior. This transition scenario explains a number of climate model results and produces spectral characteristics consistent with currently available data. PMID- 17778136 TI - El nino chaos: overlapping of resonances between the seasonal cycle and the pacific ocean-atmosphere oscillator. AB - The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle is modeled as a low-order chaotic process driven by the seasonal cycle. A simple model suggests that the equatorial Pacific ocean-atmosphere oscillator can go into nonlinear resonance with the seasonal cycle and that with strong enough coupling between the ocean and the atmosphere, the system may become chaotic as a result of irregular jumping of the ocean-atmosphere system among different nonlinear resonances. An analysis of a time series from an ENSO prediction model is consistent with the low-order chaos mechanism. PMID- 17778137 TI - Growth of continental-scale metro-agro-plexes, regional ozone pollution, and world food production. AB - Three regions of the northern mid-latitudes, the continental-scale metro-agro plexes, presently dominate global industrial and agricultural productivity. Although these regions cover only 23 percent of the Earth's continents, they account for most of the world's commercial energy consumption, fertilizer use, food-crop production, and food exports. They also account for more than half of the world's atmospheric nitrogen oxide (NOx,) emissions and, as a result, are prone to ground-level ozone (O(3)) pollution during the summer months. On the basis of a global simulation of atmospheric reactive nitrogen compounds, it is estimated that about 10 to 35 percent of the world's grain production may occur in parts of these regions where ozone pollution may reduce crop yields. Exposure to yield-reducing ozone pollution may triple by 2025 if rising anthropogenic NOx emissions are not abated. PMID- 17778138 TI - Unexpected square symmetry seen by atomic force microscopy in bilayer films of disk-like molecules. AB - Thin films of disk-shaped molecules are expected to display anisotropic optical and transport properties, leading to applications in optical display or sensor technologies. Bilayer Langmuir-Blodgett films of monomeric triphenylene mesogens have been studied by atomic force microscopy. The triphenylene cores of the constituent molecules tend to promote the formation of columnar structures in the plane of the substrate and along the direction of deposition of the film. Atomic force microscopy images of bilayer Langmuir-Blodgett films revealed two types of structure, one corresponding to an aligned columnar structure and the other to an unusual square lattice, which may result from the superposition of columnar structures in adjacent layers that intersect at near right angles. Annealing such bilayers near the melting point of the bulk compound improved the structural ordering by reducing the angular spread of orientations associated with the well developed columnar structure in some areas and by producing a more distinct square lattice in other areas of the sample. PMID- 17778139 TI - Effects of Boundaries on Pattern Formation: Catalytic Oxidation of CO on Platinum. AB - The effect of boundaries on pattern formation was studied for the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide on platinum surfaces. Photolithography was used to create microscopic reacting domains on polycrystalline foils and single-crystal platinum (110) surfaces with inert titanium overlayers. Certain domain geometries give rise to patterns that have not been observed on the untreated catalyst and bring to light surface mechanisms that have no analog in homogeneous reaction diffusion systems. PMID- 17778140 TI - Solid friction and polymer relaxation in gel electrophoresis. PMID- 17778141 TI - Response. PMID- 17778142 TI - Atmospheric interplay. PMID- 17778144 TI - The acquisition of sex. PMID- 17778143 TI - Biological patterns. PMID- 17778145 TI - The next nets. PMID- 17778146 TI - Vignettes: genobiography. PMID- 17778147 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17778148 TI - Aquatic ecosystems. PMID- 17778149 TI - Air quality standards. PMID- 17778150 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17778152 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17778151 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17778153 TI - Cans. PMID- 17778154 TI - President's Science Message. PMID- 17778155 TI - Career education--a new priority. PMID- 17778156 TI - Time reversal. PMID- 17778158 TI - Electromyography comes of age. PMID- 17778157 TI - Energetics and pollination ecology. PMID- 17778159 TI - On the impact of the computer on society. PMID- 17778160 TI - Nonlethal Weapons: Kennedy Prods NSF into Law and Order Territory. PMID- 17778161 TI - Biologics Division To Be Transferred from NIH to FDA. PMID- 17778162 TI - DOD Research Stony Brook Issue. PMID- 17778163 TI - Unionization: Scientists, Engineers Mull over One Alternative. PMID- 17778164 TI - Kisty quits muskie cAMP. PMID- 17778165 TI - Rauscher Named NCI Chief. PMID- 17778167 TI - Lunar glass: interferometric evidence for low-temperature shock. AB - Glass objects in the fines from the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions are shown, by two-beam reflection interferometry, to have been subject to shock at temperatures below the melting or softening point of the glass. Possible causes for the glass fragmentation are discussed. PMID- 17778166 TI - French university reorganization: voila, thirteen universities of paris. PMID- 17778168 TI - Genetic polymorphism of basic proteins from parotid saliva. AB - In a study of 90 randomly chosen parotid salivas from Blacks three phenotypes were observed during acid-urea starch-gel electrophoresis. Inheritance was controlled by two codominant alleles at an autosomal locus. Of 101 Caucasians, one had a heterozygous phenotype indistinguishable electrophoretically from that in Blacks. Gene frequencies were: for Blacks, parotid basic protein (Pb(l)) = 0.84, (Pb(2)) = 0.16; for Caucasians, (Pb(l)) ~ 0.995, (Pb(2)) ~ 0.005. PMID- 17778169 TI - Diphasic postsynaptic potential: a chemical synapse capable of mediating conjoint excitation and inhibition. AB - Two identified interneurons in each buccal ganglion of Aplysia can mediate conjoined excitation and inhibition to a single follower cell. A single presynaptic action potential in one of these interneurons produces a diphasic, depolarizing-hyperpolarizing synaptic potential apparently as a result of a single transmitter acting on two types of postsynaptic receptors in the follower cell. These receptors produce synaptic potentials with differing reversal potentials, ionic conductances, time courses, rates of decrement with repetition, pharmacological properties, and functional consequences. The excitatory receptor controls a sodium conductance, the inhibitory receptor controls a chloride conductance. Both components of the synaptic potentials can be produced by iontophoretic application of acetylcholine on the cell body of the follower cell, and each component is differentially sensitive to different cholinergic blocking agents. PMID- 17778170 TI - Cholesteric Liquid Crystal-Like Structure of the Cuticle of Plusiotis gloriosa. AB - The toroidal but parallel array of planes of unidirectionally oriented molecules believed to characterize cholesteric liquid crystals also gives rise to certain geometrical patterns. The reality of this structure is demonstrated by micrographic evidence. PMID- 17778171 TI - Decremental Conduction over "Giant" Afferent Processes in an Arthropod. AB - Four "giant" mechanoreceptive cells form part of a stretch receptor organ at the base of the uropod in the sand crab, Emerita (Crustacea, Anomura). Injection of the fluorescent dye Procion Yellow revealed that these sensory cells are monopolar with somata located in the central nervous system. No such cells have previously been described in arthropods. These neurons are also unusual in that they do not generate propagated action potentials; rather, they mediate stretch reflexes by transmission of graded, decremental potentials. PMID- 17778172 TI - Galactonic Acid in galactosemia: identification in the urine. AB - Galactose is converted to galactonic acid in vivo in man. Galactonate was isolated from the urine of galactosemia patients who had been given galactose orally. The identity of the galactonate was established by gas-liquid chromatography and by the preparation of derivatives. PMID- 17778173 TI - Tongue Cooling during Drinking: A Regulator of Water Intake in Rats. AB - Rats that had been deprived of water for 23(1/2) hours were presented with water for 30 minutes per day. As the temperature of the water was increased from 12 degrees to 36 degrees C (body temperature), the total water intake for 30 minutes increased 71 percent. Tongue cooling during drinking appears to suppress drinking in anticipation of extracellular hydration. PMID- 17778174 TI - Pregnancy suppression by an antiserum to the sperm specific lactate dehydrogenase. AB - An antiserum induced against the isozyme of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH-X) that is unique to spermatozoa reduced significantly the number of pregnancies in mice treated at varying times after they had mated. This effect of the antiserum occurred both prior to and following implantation. The fecundity of treated animals appeared to be normal in subsequent matings. PMID- 17778175 TI - Nucleotide sequence of a lysine transfer ribonucleic Acid from bakers' yeast. AB - The nucleotide sequence of one of the two major lysine transfer RNA's from bakers' yeast has been determined. Its structure is compared to that of a lysine tRNA from a haploid yeast. A total of 21 nucleotides differ in the two molecules. Only the T-psi-C-G (thymidine-pseudouridine-cytidine-guanosine) loop and its supporting stem are identical. PMID- 17778176 TI - Unilateral Increase of Auditory Sensitivity following Early Auditory Exposure. AB - A 30-second exposure (priming) to a loud noise induced a long-lasting susceptibility to audiogenic seizures and a 15-decibel decrease in threshold to the Preyer acoustic startle reflex in C57BL/6J mice. Both effects were absent when the subjects were primed in one ear and subsequently tested in the contralateral ear. It was postulated that the primary effect of priming is an increase in auditory sensitivity due to changes in the ear itself or in those parts of the auditory system which receive their input exclusively from one ear. PMID- 17778177 TI - Decay of information in short-term memory. AB - Self-paced recall in Broadbent's simultaneous listening task shows particular temporal patterns associated with report strategies. Accuracy is a decreasing function of the interval between presentation and report of an item, irrespective of report strategy. Results are related to an interaction between strategies of response selection and decay of information from memory. PMID- 17778178 TI - Wavelength effect on visual latency. AB - Chromatic stimuli were matched in luminance to a homogeneous white background field. The relative visual latency, as measured by subjective simultaneity, of 621-nanometer (red) light was 20 to 25 milliseconds less than that for 549 nanometer (green) light. When the chromatic stimuli were different in luminance fronm the background field, no differences in visual latency related to the wavelength of light were observed. The procedure of matching the luminance of test fields to that of a background field appears to be crucial for observing a visual latency difference related to wavelength. PMID- 17778179 TI - Dual mechanisms of ion absorption. PMID- 17778181 TI - America's Legacies to Europe. PMID- 17778180 TI - Nucleation and lattice disregistry. PMID- 17778182 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17778183 TI - Youthful Activism: Who Is to be Faulted? PMID- 17778184 TI - Sequoias' dependence on fire. PMID- 17778185 TI - Lead poison in putty. PMID- 17778187 TI - Energy for man and environmental protection. PMID- 17778186 TI - Comparative pathology. PMID- 17778188 TI - AAAS Symposium Volumes. PMID- 17778189 TI - Settlement, farming technology,and environment in the nochixtlan valley. PMID- 17778190 TI - A surplus of scientists? The job market is tightening. PMID- 17778191 TI - Behavioral and Social Sciences: NAS Report Stresses Applications. PMID- 17778193 TI - Italy: OECD report finally emerges. PMID- 17778192 TI - Denmark: a late but hurrying entry in science policy planning. PMID- 17778194 TI - Criminal Justice R&D: New Agency Stresses Police over Corrections. PMID- 17778195 TI - Simmons named chief scientist. PMID- 17778196 TI - Pioneer 6: Measurement of Transient Faraday Rotation Phenomena Observed during Solar Occultation. AB - Pioneer 6, which was launched into orbit around the sun on 16 December 1965, was occulted by the sun in the last half of November 1968. During the period in which the spacecraft was occulted by the solar corona, the S-band telemetry carrier underwent Faraday rotation as a result of this anisotropic plasma. The NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory 210-foot (64-meter) antenna of the Deep Space Network at Barstow, California, which was equipped with an automatic polarization tracking system, was used to measure this effect. Three large-scale transient phenomena were observed. The measurement of these phenomena indicated that Faraday rotation on the order of 40 degrees occurred. The duration of each phenomenon was approximately 2 hours. These phenomena appear to be correlated with observations of solar radio bursts with wavelengths in the dekametric region. PMID- 17778197 TI - Superior conjunction of pioneer 6. AB - Spectrograms of the radio signals from Pioneer 6 were taken as the spacecraft was occulted by the sun. The spectral bandwidths increased slowly at first, then very rapidly at 1 degree from the sun. In addition, six solar "events" produced marked increases of bandwidth lasting for several hours. The received signal power seemed unaffected by the solar corona. PMID- 17778198 TI - Seismic activity and faulting associated with a large underground nuclear explosion. AB - The 1.1-megaton nuclear test Benham caused movement on previously mapped faults and was followed by a sequence of small earthquakes. These effects were confined to a zone extending not more than 13 kilometers from ground zero; they are apparently related to the release of natural tectonic strain. PMID- 17778199 TI - Freshwater ferromanganese concretions: chemistry and internal structure. AB - Studies by optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and electron probe techniques of ferromanganese concretions from three Canadian lakes reveal chemical banding of amorphous hydrated iron and manganese oxides. The average ratio of iron to manganese in concretions from these lakes varies from 0.43 to 2.56. The concentrations of cobalt, nickel, copper, and lead are one to two orders of magnitude below those reported for oceanic ferromanganese concretions. PMID- 17778200 TI - Particle track enhancement in cellulose nitrate by application of an electric field. AB - The number and length of etchable tracks, created by alpha particles in a cellulose nitrate sheet, are significantly enhanced by the application of an electric field across the cellulose nitrate. PMID- 17778201 TI - Alaskan Upper Miocene Marine Glacial Deposits and the Turborotalia pachyderma Datum Plane. AB - ln southeastern Alaska the first marine evidence of widespread glaciation occurs in Miocene sections near the base of the Yakataga Formation. An associated temperature decrease of about 10 degrees C is indicated by the influx of an upper Miocene cold-water planktontic foraminifer, Turborotalia pachyderma, an event that occurred about 13 million years ago. PMID- 17778202 TI - Topological inconsistency of continental drift on the present-sized Earth. AB - Certain continents have in the past moved with respect to each other in a manner clearly implied by sea-floor spreading and other data. However, the resulting collective motion of all the continents was apparently not topologically possible on the present-sized earth. An expanding earth might resolve this difficulty. PMID- 17778203 TI - Shallow scattering layer in the subarctic pacific ocean: detection by high frequency echo sounder. AB - Shallow scattering layers consisting mainly of Calanus cristatus were detected on a trans-Pacific crossing to depths of 60 meters with a high-frequency echo sounder. Biomass estimates of these layers indicate concentrations of zoo plankton that are greater and more extensive than previously reported in the open ocean. PMID- 17778204 TI - A molecular basis for heterosis. AB - Alcohol dehydrogenase allodimers composed of an unstable active subunit and a stable but inactive subunit are both active and stable. The implication of this finding for the problem of heterosis is discussed. PMID- 17778205 TI - Bivalve mollusk burrowing aided by discordant shell ornamentation. AB - Oblique and chevron-like ridges on the shell surfaces of certain burrowing bivalve mollusks grip the sediment during shell-rocking movements to aid in sediment penetration. These ridges (characterized by steep dorsal slopes and gentle ventral slopes) have evolved through convergence in several families in association with particular behavioral and ecological traits. PMID- 17778206 TI - Aaas annual meeting. PMID- 17778207 TI - Special exhibits. PMID- 17778208 TI - Educational exhibits, science film theater, special events. PMID- 17778209 TI - PROBLEMS OF GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCE. PMID- 17778211 TI - THE BONAPARTE FUND OF THE PARIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17778210 TI - LEWIS LINDSEY DYCHE. PMID- 17778212 TI - A SPHENOIDAL SINUS IN THE DINOSAURS. PMID- 17778213 TI - A TYPICAL CASE. PMID- 17778214 TI - MICRODISSECTION STUDIES ON THE GERM CELL. PMID- 17778215 TI - SOME NEW CASES OF APOGAMY IN FERNS. PRELIMINARY NOTE. PMID- 17778216 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS. PMID- 17778217 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17778218 TI - ADDRESS AT THE EDWARD HART CELEBRATION. PMID- 17778220 TI - MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE PER MILLION OF POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17778219 TI - FIFTY YEARS OF CHEMISTRY IN AMERICA. PMID- 17778222 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17778221 TI - THE QUANTUM NUMBERS OF THE BOHR ORBITS IN THE ALKALI ATOMS. PMID- 17778223 TI - WHITE INDIANS OF DARIEN. PMID- 17778225 TI - AGE OF SHAD ESTIMATED FROM EXAMINATION OF SCALES. PMID- 17778224 TI - THE FRESH-WATER JELLYFISH (CRASPEDACUSTA SOWERBYI) IN KENTUCKY AGAIN. PMID- 17778226 TI - THE PEANUT PLANT. PMID- 17778227 TI - ENZYMES OF THERMAL ALGAE. PMID- 17778228 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE BY YEAST. PMID- 17778229 TI - NINTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. PMID- 17778230 TI - AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17778231 TI - A MEMENTO OF PROFESSOR EDWARD D. COPE. PMID- 17778232 TI - RECENT EXPERIMENTS ON CERTAIN OF THE CHEMICAL ELEMENTS IN RELATION TO HEAT. PMID- 17778233 TI - PRELIMINARY NOTE ON THE GROWTH OF PLANTS IN GYPSUM. PMID- 17778234 TI - THE CROSS-RATIO GROUP OF 120 QUADRATIC CREMONA TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE PLANE. PMID- 17778235 TI - THE CONFERENCE OF SCIENCE TEACHERS IN THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI EDUCATIONAL CONVENTION. PMID- 17778236 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17778237 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17778238 TI - AN EXHIBIT OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE. PMID- 17778239 TI - DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE. PMID- 17778240 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17778242 TI - Science Education in Korea. PMID- 17778241 TI - On the Nomenclature of the Anti-Rh Typing Serums: Report of the Advisory Review Board. PMID- 17778243 TI - Frank Rattray Lillie 1870-1947. PMID- 17778244 TI - Levo-Arterenol. PMID- 17778245 TI - Nitrogen Mustards in Fowl Leucosis. PMID- 17778246 TI - In Vitro Studies of Caries oof the Enamel in the Syrian Hamster. PMID- 17778247 TI - A Paradoxical Zone Phenomenon in the Bactericidal Action of Penicillin in Vitro. PMID- 17778248 TI - Time-saving Apparatus for Respiratory Exchange Measurements. PMID- 17778249 TI - Comparison of the Determination of the Disintegration Rate of Radiophosphorus by Absolute Beta Counting and Calorimetric Measurement. PMID- 17778250 TI - The Infrared Emission Spectra of CO2 and H2O Molecules. PMID- 17778251 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17778253 TI - THE FUNCTIONS OF SECTION--ENGINEERING. PMID- 17778252 TI - STATURE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. AB - Tropic jungle life has an influence that decreases stature, and so has Arctic cold and waste. In each there is difficulty in procuring proper food, and discomfort in the extreme. The active life of the temperate zone with its comforts and abundant food supply produces the tallest statures. The greatest extremes of small stature are found among the Negrillos of Central Africa and the Aymaras of Central South America, in the jungles of excessive heat and poor food supply. Next to these come the Eskimos, Lapps and Siberians, with ice and excessive cold and poor food supply. On the other hand, the littoral and southern Baltic regions in Europe, the western part of Asia, eastern Africa, and the plains and pampas of the Americas with their active life, abundant food supply and temperate climate produce the tallest statures. Certain stocks may move into areas for which they are not fitted and remain for a time, and such conditions exist throughout the world to-day where recent movements of peoples have taken place, but ultimately there is a survival of the stock best fitted for the environment, and the unfitted stocks disappear by amalgamation, eradication or dispersal. Sea areas and probably sea food have an influence in reducing stature. The present Mediterranean peoples and the primordial British have small statures and so does Japan, yet they came from taller continental stocks. The Central Americans and Fuegians are smaller than the continental peoples near-by. The Malays and southern Asiaties are smaller than the peoples of the interior of the continent. Other instances might be cited. There is some evidence that the seaboard statures of the United States are less than those of the interior, but other factors enter here. Looked at in its broadest sense, environment molds the individual, selection retains the fittest under different environments, and heredity carries on the results. PMID- 17778255 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17778254 TI - EUGENE ALLEN SMITH. PMID- 17778256 TI - THE FLOODS OF 1927 IN THE MISSISSIPPI BASIN. PMID- 17778258 TI - INTERFERENCE? PMID- 17778257 TI - THE PERIOD OF GESTATION IN THE MONKEY, MACACUS RHESUS. PMID- 17778259 TI - A DAYLIGHT METEOR. PMID- 17778260 TI - DIVISIONS OF THE DECORAH FORMATION. PMID- 17778261 TI - AMENDMENTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL RULES OF ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17778262 TI - GENETIC EVIDENCE THAT THE CLADOCERA MALE IS DIPLOID. PMID- 17778263 TI - A NOTE ON THE CHROMOSOMES OF MOINA MACROCOPA. PMID- 17778264 TI - PENTATHIONIC ACID, THE FUNGICIDAL FACTOR OF SULPHUR. PMID- 17778265 TI - THE TREND OF AVIAN POPULATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. PMID- 17778266 TI - ARE PERMANENT DISTURBANCES OF EQUILIBRATION INHERITED? PMID- 17778267 TI - THE USEFULNESS OF ANALYTIC ABSTRACTS. PMID- 17778268 TI - GLACIATION IN THE CORDILLERAN REGION. PMID- 17778269 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NOTES. PMID- 17778270 TI - TANGENT LINES. PMID- 17778271 TI - EFFECTS OF COPPER WIRE ON TREES. PMID- 17778272 TI - AMERICAN EOSINS. PMID- 17778273 TI - ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17778274 TI - THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NERVOUS MECHANISM OF RESPIRATION. PMID- 17778275 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17778276 TI - THE CONTINUING PROGRESS OF CANCER RESEARCH. PMID- 17778277 TI - CARTESIANISM IS BECOMING LESS A DOGMA. PMID- 17778278 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17778279 TI - OBITUARY. PMID- 17778280 TI - A MICROORGANISM CARRIED BY THE DUST-STORM. PMID- 17778281 TI - THE MECHANISM OF METHYLENE BLUE ACTION ON BLOOD. PMID- 17778282 TI - CAMBRIAN GRAPTOLITES. PMID- 17778283 TI - A FORGOTTEN TREE RING RECORD. PMID- 17778284 TI - THE TIME CONSTANT. PMID- 17778285 TI - A HEAD CLAMP FOR OPERATIONS ON CATS. PMID- 17778286 TI - THE PROBLEM OF STIMULATION DEAFNESS AS STUDIED BY AUDITORY NERVE TECHNIQUE. PMID- 17778287 TI - A SIMPLE METHOD FOR INCREASING THE AMPLIFICATION OF THE MAREY TAMBOUR. PMID- 17778288 TI - IS THE HIGH BASAL METABOLIC RATE IN "HYPERTHYROIDISM" DUE TO THYROXINE? PMID- 17778289 TI - DISSOCIATION IN ERWINIA AMYLOVORA (BURRILL) COMM. S.A.B. PMID- 17778290 TI - Erratum. AB - The sentence beginning on line 6 of the cover legend for the issue of 2 July should have read, "The stomach can be seen filled with ingested algae, and to the right of the stomach. . . ." PMID- 17778291 TI - Related incidents? PMID- 17778292 TI - Correct attributions. PMID- 17778293 TI - The high-technology fix. PMID- 17778294 TI - The ediacarian period and syste: metazoa inherit the Earth. AB - The Ediacarian, here defined as the initial period and system of the Phanerozoic Eon, is characterized by the oldest known multicellular animal life. The distinctive biotal assemblage comprises naked Metazoa, represented in the type region by 26 species in 18 genera and 4 or more phyla, plus simple metazoan surface tracks. Elements of this unique biota appeared worldwide at low paleolatitudes, following terminal Proterozoic glaciation. Ediacarian history lasted from about 670 million to 550 million years ago. This interval, plus Early Cambrian, was the time during which metazoan life diversified into nearly all of the major phyla and most of the invertebrate classes and orders subsequently known. PMID- 17778295 TI - Silicon-mediated organic synthesis. AB - Organic chemists have used the chemical properties of tetracovalent silicon in a remarkable variety of new synthetic transformations. In carbon-functional silanes, exceptional stabilization is provided to a carbocation center in the beta position when the carbon-silicon bond lies in plane. This phenomenon directs electrophilic attack to the silicon-substituted carbon in aryl-, vinyl-, and alkynylsilanes and to carbon-3 in allylsilanes. For different reasons, silicon also stabilizes a carbon-metal bond in the alpha position. Consequently, access to many silicon-containing organometallics is readily available. The exceptional strength of silicon-oxygen and silicon-fluorine bonds is yet another factor that controls the chemical reactivity of silicon reagents. In recent developments, preparative chemists have taken advantage of these properties in imaginative and useful ways. PMID- 17778296 TI - White house steps into lead fight. PMID- 17778297 TI - How safe is niagara falls? PMID- 17778298 TI - A surprise on pesticides. PMID- 17778299 TI - A-21 rules take effect. PMID- 17778300 TI - Laser Wars in Court: Gould v. Bell Telephone. PMID- 17778301 TI - British universities in turmoil. PMID- 17778302 TI - U.K. in Dilemma over Biotechnology. PMID- 17778303 TI - Fermilab installing superconducting magnets. PMID- 17778304 TI - Brookhaven magnet progress. PMID- 17778305 TI - Feeding as optimization. PMID- 17778306 TI - The Shift from DDT. PMID- 17778307 TI - Photosynthesis. PMID- 17778308 TI - Theories of chemical bonding. PMID- 17778309 TI - Igneous petrology. PMID- 17778310 TI - The moon. PMID- 17778311 TI - Trace fossils from the athabasca oil sands, alberta, Canada. AB - A diverse and well-preserved ichnofossil suite has been identified from surface exposures of the middle and upper parts of the Lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation. The suite, consisting of representatives of at least ten ichnogenera, is one of the few clues to the original biotic component of the deposit. The distribution and abundance of these biogenic structures present strong evidence that the deep channel complex in which the sediments were deposited was closely associated with a nearby marine shoreline. PMID- 17778312 TI - Magnetostratigraphy of sediments in mammoth cave, kentucky. AB - Clastic sediment deposits found within the caves of Mammoth Cave National Park have yielded a magnetostratigraphic pattern of magnetic polarity reversals which indicates-that they were deposited over a range of at least 1 million and most likely 2 million years. PMID- 17778313 TI - Selenium in reducing waters. AB - The analysis of selenium species in reducing waters provides important insight into the element's biogeochemical cycle. The absence of selenate and selenite in reducing waters suggests that some removal mechanism could be operative, but the presence in these waters of about 1 nanomole per liter of dissolved organic selenide indicates that the regeneration of selenium in the form of organic species may be the dominant process. The data demonstrate that the regenerative and biogeochemical cycles of selenium are quite complex. PMID- 17778314 TI - Organic matter in a coal ball: peat or coal? AB - Chemical analyses of morphologically preserved organic matter in a Carboniferous coal ball reveal that the material is coalified to a rank approximately equal to that of the surrounding coal. Hence, the plant tissues in the coal ball were chemically altered by coalification processes and were not preserved as peat. PMID- 17778315 TI - Remote acoustic detection of a turbidity current surge. AB - A turbidity current surge has been detected in a leveed submarine channel in Rupert Inlet, British Columbia, with the use of acoustic sounders operating at 42.5, 107, and 200 kilohertz. PMID- 17778316 TI - THE NEWER DEMANDS ON PHYSICS AND PHYSICS TEACHERS DUE TO THE WAR. PMID- 17778317 TI - THE IRWIN EXPEDITION OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY TO PERU AND BOLIVIA. PMID- 17778319 TI - WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD. PMID- 17778318 TI - THE FUNDAMENTALS OF DYNAMICS. PMID- 17778320 TI - THE CANONS OF COMPARATIVE ANATOMY. PMID- 17778322 TI - RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. PMID- 17778321 TI - SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY AND THE WAR. PMID- 17778323 TI - THE RELATION OF THE RATE OF BLOOD FLOW THROUGH THE MEDULLA OBLONGATA TO THE AMPLITUDE AND FREQUENCY OF RESPIRATORY MOVEMENTS. PMID- 17778324 TI - ON THE HYDROLYSIS OF PROTEINS IN THE PRESENCE OF EXTRANEOUS MATERIALS AND ON THE ORIGIN AND NATURE OF THE "HUMIN" OF A PROTEIN HYDROLYSATE. PMID- 17778325 TI - THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE OF ST. LOUIS. PMID- 17778326 TI - CLOSER RELATIONS BETWEEN TRUSTEES AND FACULTY. PMID- 17778327 TI - THE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES AT WOODS HOLE, MASS.: REPORT OF WORK FOR THE SUMMER OF 1905. PMID- 17778328 TI - CONVENTION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES AND EXPERIMENT STATIONS. PMID- 17778329 TI - ONTOGENETIC SPECIES AND OTHER SPECIES. PMID- 17778331 TI - ON THE GRANTING OF THE M.D. DEGREE. PMID- 17778330 TI - ORTHOGENETIC VARIATION? PMID- 17778332 TI - THE ASSUMED PURITY OF THE GERM CELLS IN MENDELIAN RESULTS. PMID- 17778334 TI - RECENT CHANGE OF LEVEL IN ALASKA. PMID- 17778333 TI - THE PROPOSED BIOLOGICAL STATION IN GREENLAND. PMID- 17778335 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17778336 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17778337 TI - SOME STATE CENSUS FIGURES FOR 1905. PMID- 17778338 TI - THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA. PMID- 17778339 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17778340 TI - Jobs, technology, and change. PMID- 17778342 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - The article about the viral hybrid SHIV by Joseph Sidroski and his colleagues that was reported in Jon Cohen's News & Comment article "Monkey-human viral hybrid is new weapon in AIDS fight" (24 July, p. 478), appeared in the July issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, not the June issue, as stated. PMID- 17778341 TI - Response. PMID- 17778343 TI - A career in industry. PMID- 17778344 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17778345 TI - Space scientists get the jitters. PMID- 17778346 TI - Europeans agree not to go it alone. PMID- 17778348 TI - AAUP Goes to Bat for Faculty Underclass. PMID- 17778347 TI - Reading, writing, arithmetic ...And microbes? PMID- 17778349 TI - Vindication for galileo. PMID- 17778350 TI - A bad break for dante. PMID- 17778351 TI - Making materials that are good to the last drop. PMID- 17778353 TI - Putting the pedal to the metal in a controlled chaotic laser. PMID- 17778352 TI - Crash and burn: propagating new massive stars. PMID- 17778354 TI - An optimal transition path for controlling greenhouse gases. AB - Designing efficient policies to slow global warming requires an approach that combines economic tools with relations from the natural sciences. The dynamic integrated climate-economy (DICE) model presented here, an intertemporal general equilibrium model of economic growth and climate change, can be used to investigate alternative approaches to slowing climate change. Evaluation of five policies suggests that a modest carbon tax would be an efficient approach to slow global warming, whereas rigid emissions- or climate-stabilization approaches would impose significant net economic costs. PMID- 17778355 TI - Changes in state of stress on the southern san andreas fault resulting from the california earthquake sequence of april to june 1992. AB - The April to June 1992 Landers earthquake sequence in southern California modified the state of stress along nearby segments of the San Andreas fault, causing a 50-kilometer segment of the fault to move significantly closer to failure where it passes through a compressional bend near San Gorgonio Pass. The decrease in compressive normal stress may also have reduced fluid pressures along that fault segment. As pressures are reequilibrated by diffusion, that fault segment should move closer to failure with time. That fault segment and another to the southeast probably have not ruptured in a great earthquake in about 300 years. PMID- 17778356 TI - Change in failure stress on the southern san andreas fault system caused by the 1992 magnitude = 7.4 landers earthquake. AB - The 28 June Landers earthquake brought the San Andreas fault significantly closer to failure near San Bernardino, a site that has not sustained a large shock since 1812. Stress also increased on the San Jacinto fault near San Bernardino and on the San Andreas fault southeast of Palm Springs. Unless creep or moderate earthquakes relieve these stress changes, the next great earthquake on the southern San Andreas fault is likely to be advanced by one to two decades. In contrast, stress on the San Andreas north of Los Angeles dropped, potentially delaying the next great earthquake there by 2 to 10 years. PMID- 17778357 TI - Accumulation of suspended barite at mesopelagic depths and export production in the southern ocean. AB - The relation between the accumulation of barite (BaSO(4)) microcrystals in suspended matter from the mesopelagic depth region (100 to 600 meters) and the type of production in the euphotic layer (new versus recycled) was studied for different Southern Ocean environments. Considerable subsurface barite accumulated in waters characterized by maintained new production and limited grazing pressure during the growth season. On the other hand, little if any barite accumulated in areas where relatively large amounts of photosynthetically fixed carbon were transferred to the microheterotrophic community and where recycled production became predominant. PMID- 17778358 TI - X-ray Detection of the Period-Four Cycling of the Manganese Cluster in Photosynthetic Water Oxidizing Enzyme. AB - X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra of the manganese (Mn) cluster in physiologically native intermediate states of photosynthetic water oxidation induced by short laser flash were measured with a compact heat-insulated chamber equipped with an x-ray detector near the sample surface. The half-height energy of the Mn Kedge showed a period-four oscillation dependent on cycling of the Joliot-Kok's oxygen clock. The flash number-dependent shift in the Mn K-edge suggests that the Mn cluster is oxidized by one electron upon the S(0)-to-S(1), S(1)-to-S(2), and S(2)-to-S(3) transitions and then reduced upon the S(3)-to-S(0) transition that releases molecular oxygen. PMID- 17778359 TI - Linear metal nanostructures and size effects of supported metal catalysts. AB - Nickel metal catalysts composed of nanometer by micrometer strips have been produced with solid-state microfabrication techniques. The strips are actually the edges of nickelcatalyst thin films, which are sandwiched between separating support layers, which are also nanometers thick. These linear nanostructures constitute well-defined and well-controlled catalytic entities that reproduce the size of traditional supported metal clusters in one dimension, thus separating size from total number of atoms in the catalyst. Examination of their catalytic activity showed that they duplicate the behavior of conventional supported clusters. A specific rate maximum was observed for the hydrogenolysis of ethane at a nanoscale dimension similar to the cluster size at which the rate is maximum in the case of the supported cluster studies, whereas the hydrogenation of ethylene shows no such size dependency. The results suggest that the surface-to volume ratio or the number of atoms in the catalytic entity cannot be the source of these size effects and that either support effects or nonequilibrium surface structures are the determining factors. PMID- 17778360 TI - Viscoelastic dynamics of confined polymer melts. AB - The frequency-dependent shear response of an ultrathin polymer melt (polyphenylmethylsiloxane) confined between adsorbing surfaces (parallel plates of mica) is described. The sinusoidal deformations were sufficiently small to give linear response, implying that measurement did not perturb the film structure. A remarkable transition was observed with decreasing thickness. When the film thickness was less than five to six times the unperturbed radius of gyration, there emerged a strong rubber-like elasticity that was not characteristic of the bulk samples. This result indicates enhanced entanglement interactions in thin polymer films and offers a mechanism to explain the slow mobility of polymers at surfaces. PMID- 17778361 TI - Direct Observation of CIO from Chlorine Nitrate Photolysis. AB - Chlorine nitrate photolysis has been investigated with the use of a molecular beam technique. Excitation at both 248 and 193 nanometers led to photodissociation by two pathways, CIONO(2) --> CIO + NO()2 and CIONO(2) --> Cl + NO3, with comparable yields. This experiment provides a direct measurement of the CIO product channel and consequently raises the possibility of an analogous channel in CIO dimer photolysis. Photodissociation of the CIO dimer is a critical step in the catalytic cycle that is presumed to dominate polar stratospheric ozone destruction. A substantial yield of CIO would reduce the efficiency of this cycle. PMID- 17778363 TI - Gordon research conferences - "frontiers of science". PMID- 17778362 TI - Predator-induced phenotypical change in body morphology in crucian carp. AB - In a field experiment where the presence or absence of piscivorous pike (Esox lucius) in ponds was manipulated, the morphology of crucian carp (Carassius carassius) diverged, such that individuals became deeper bodied in pond sections with pike. A laboratory experiment confirmed that the presence of this predator induced a change in body morphology in the carp. Estimation of prey vulnerability to predation by pike, a gape-limited predator, revealed that this increase in body depth resulted in crucian carp reaching a size that provided refuge from predation. However, this change in morphology incurs a cost through an increase in drag when the carp are swimming. Because crucian carp are limited by resources in the absence of piscivores and by the substantial cost of the defensive morph in their presence, phenotypic plasticity should be the optimal strategy for this species. PMID- 17778364 TI - The phenomenon of the journal. PMID- 17778365 TI - Vignettes: publicity. PMID- 17778366 TI - Engaging the past. PMID- 17778367 TI - Et and company. PMID- 17778368 TI - Grains in space. PMID- 17778369 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17778370 TI - The Small Foundation. PMID- 17778371 TI - Science and People. PMID- 17778372 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17778373 TI - Synthesis of Rubber by Fungi. PMID- 17778375 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17778376 TI - Equipment News. PMID- 17778377 TI - HOW TO TEACH GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17778378 TI - THE OCCUPATIONS OF THE BRITISH PEOPLE. PMID- 17778380 TI - THE EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE. PMID- 17778379 TI - MRS. SIDGWICK AND THE MEDIUMS. PMID- 17778381 TI - A NEW ENGLISH DICTIONARY. PMID- 17778383 TI - THE BASIS OF A GRADED SYSTEM OF SCHOOLS. PMID- 17778382 TI - DISTRIBUTION OF COLORS IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. PMID- 17778385 TI - THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF PRUSSIA. PMID- 17778384 TI - MR. MATTHEW ARNOLD'S REPORT ON ELEMENTARY EDUCATION ON THE CONTINENT. PMID- 17778386 TI - THE SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI. PMID- 17778387 TI - THE REPORT. PMID- 17778388 TI - THE 'NATURAL METHOD' OF LANGUAGE-TEACHING. PMID- 17778389 TI - THE BRITISH SCHOOL AT ATHENS. PMID- 17778390 TI - OUR GOVERNMENT. PMID- 17778391 TI - ECONOMICS FOR THE PEOPLE. PMID- 17778392 TI - CREMONA'S PROJECTIVE GEOMETRY. PMID- 17778393 TI - ARROWSMITH'S EDITION OF KAEGI'S RIGVEDA. PMID- 17778394 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17778396 TI - BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS. PMID- 17778395 TI - THE WASHINGTON CONFERENCE OF MARCH 7, 1931. PMID- 17778397 TI - THE UNION AND BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS. PMID- 17778398 TI - PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PASADENA MEETING. PMID- 17778400 TI - NEW MASTODON FINDS IN EUROPEAN TURKEY. PMID- 17778399 TI - UNDERTOW AND RIP TIDES. PMID- 17778401 TI - MEIOSIS IN HYPERICUM PUNCTATUM LAM. PMID- 17778402 TI - VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION IN THE MISSOURI GOURD. PMID- 17778403 TI - USE OF AN IMPROVED NULL INSTRUMENT FOR GLASS ELECTRODE OR OTHER HIGH RESISTANCE CIRCUITS. PMID- 17778404 TI - SOFTENING TISSUES. PMID- 17778405 TI - A MOTTLED-EYED DROSOPHILA. PMID- 17778406 TI - A TILTING STOPCOCK. PMID- 17778408 TI - RESPIRATION STUDIES ON AZOTOBACTER UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS. PMID- 17778407 TI - THE EFFECTS OF X-RAYS ON THE GROWTH OF WHEAT SEEDLINGS. PMID- 17778409 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. II. PMID- 17778410 TI - Science education. PMID- 17778411 TI - Dionysians and apollonians. PMID- 17778412 TI - Another crusade! PMID- 17778413 TI - Implications of a systems approach to oceanography. PMID- 17778414 TI - Third lunar science conference. PMID- 17778416 TI - The welfare of science in an era of change. PMID- 17778415 TI - The nature of the darwinian revolution. PMID- 17778417 TI - Institute of medicine: taking on study of cost of medical education. PMID- 17778418 TI - Higher education bill in house. PMID- 17778419 TI - Astronomy at cambridge: reshuffle not according to hoyle. PMID- 17778420 TI - Amateurs bring money, muscle to scientific field trips. PMID- 17778422 TI - Computer-assisted instruction: many efforts, mixed results. PMID- 17778421 TI - Netherlands: dutch continue to reclaim land from the sea. PMID- 17778423 TI - Partial pressure of gases dissolved at great depth. AB - Thermodynamic considerations have been applied to data showing that the solubilities of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and helium in water decrease with increasing pressure and depth. When water is saturated with a given gas at 1 atmosphere absolute, the equilibrium partial pressure of the gas at any depth is equal to the partial pressure of that gas if it were contained in a gas column extending from the surface to that particular depth. PMID- 17778424 TI - Lunar crust: structure and composition. AB - Lunar seismic data from artificial impacts recorded at three Apollo seismometers are interpreted to determine the structure of the moon's interior to a depth of about 100 kilomneters. In the Fra Mauro region of Oceanus Procellarum, the moon has a layered crust 65 kilometers thick. The seismic velocities in the upper 25 kilometers are consistent with those in lunar basalts. Between 25 and 65 kilometers, the nearly constant velocity (6.8 kilometers per second) corresponds to velocities in gabbroic and anorthositic rocks. The apparent velocity is high (about 9 kilometers per second) in the lunar mantle immediately below the crust. PMID- 17778425 TI - Crystal Structure of the Solid Electrolyte(C5H5NH) Ag5I6 at -30{degrees}C. AB - The crystal structure of pyridinium hexaiodopentaargentate, (C(5)H(5)NH) Ag(5)l(6), is unique among those of the halide and chalcogenide solid electrolytes in that face-sharing iodide octahedra as well as face-sharing tetrahedra and face-sharing between octahedra and tetrahedra provide the paths for silver ion transport. There are two formula units in a hexagonal cell, space group P6/mcc (D6h(2)). At -30 degrees C, the lattice constants are a = 11.97 +/- 0.02, c = 7.41 +/- 0.01 A. The structure has three sets of sites for the silver ions. At -30 degrees C two of these sets are apparently filled with the ten silver ions per unit cell, while the third set of tetrahedrally coordinated general positions is empty. Therefore, the conductivity at this temperature is limited by the thermal excitation of the silver ions into the empty tetrahedra. PMID- 17778426 TI - Environmental applications of the weibull distribution function: oil pollution. AB - The Weibull distribution function appears to be a powerful tool for the statistical analysis and interpretation of environmental pollution data. To illustrate its potential, the method is applied to a variety of oil pollution topics. Other application are suggested. PMID- 17778427 TI - Statistical thermodynamic model for the distribution of crustal heat sources. AB - The observed linear correlation of surface heat flux in continental regions with the radioactive heat release in the surface rocks is consistent with an exponential depth dependence of the concentration of the heat sources. We suggest that this depth dependence can be explained as an equilibrium distribution of the heat-producing elements in a gravitational field. The eflective mean mass range of the elemental assemblies being differentiated is predicted, and it appears that potassium, uranium, and thorium diffuse upward in ionic complexes with other elements. Similar considerations should apply to the distribution of other elements in the crust and mantle. PMID- 17778428 TI - Drift of continental rafts with asymmetric heating. AB - A laboratory model of a lithospheric raft is propelled through a viscous asthenospheric layer with constant velocity of scaled magnitude appropriate to continental drift. The propulsion is due to differential heat concentration in the model oceanic and continental crusts. PMID- 17778429 TI - Sex differences in electric signaling in an electric fish. AB - The electric discharge of Sternopygus macrurus is distinctly different from the discharges of ten sympatric species of electric fish in Guyana, South America. Sternopygus is the first known example of a fish with sexually different electric discharges. Males and females differ in the steady-state frequency of their discharges, and males produce variations in their discharge during courtship. Playback experiments demonstrate that species and sex differences in electric discharges have communicative significance. PMID- 17778430 TI - Photoreversible pigment: occurrence in a blue-green alga. AB - A new photoreversible pigment has been isolated from the blue-green alga Tolypothrix tenuis. This pigment bears certain resemblances to phytochrome, except that absorption maxima for the two forms are in the green and red portions of the spectrum instead of the red and far-red. The pigment may control diverse differentiative processes in blue-green algae. PMID- 17778431 TI - Polymers: synthesis and characterization of extremely high-molecular-weight polystyrene. AB - Polystyrenes with molecular weights up to 44 x 10(6) grams per mole have been characterized by light-scattering and equilibrium ultracentrifugation methods. The Mark-Houwink equation, which relates the molecular weight and the intrinsic viscosity of flexible polymers, can be used only if the measurements are made in a theta solvent at the theta temperature. PMID- 17778432 TI - THE RELATIONS OF COLLEGES TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RESPECT TO PHYSICS. PMID- 17778433 TI - THE INTERNATIOVAL CONGRESS OF RADIOLOGY AND ELECTRICITY. PMID- 17778435 TI - THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF COLLEGES AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. PMID- 17778434 TI - WINTER MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17778437 TI - WISCONSIN GEOLOGlCAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY. PMID- 17778436 TI - THE NEW ENGLAND GEOLOGICAL EXCURSION. PMID- 17778438 TI - RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE TREATMENT OF GENERA WITHOUT SPECIES, ETC. PMID- 17778439 TI - STABLE NOMENCLATURE PRACTICALLY UNATTAINABLE. PMID- 17778440 TI - THE MAGNETIC STORM OF SEPTEMBER 25, 1909. PMID- 17778441 TI - CARBON DIOXIDE AS A FACTOR IN HEART BEAT. PMID- 17778442 TI - SUMMARIES OF FOUR OPINIONS ( 6, 7, 8, 12) BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMISSION ON ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. PMID- 17778443 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF CHEMICALS IN STIMULATING THE RIPENING OF FRUITS. PMID- 17778444 TI - NOTES ON THE PARASITISM OF CYTODITES NUDUS AND HAeMAPHYSALIS CHORDEILIS. PMID- 17778445 TI - SECTION H--ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17778447 TI - AAAS Meeting in Indianapolis. PMID- 17778446 TI - New Things in Three Dimensions. PMID- 17778448 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17778449 TI - Selective Gametocide Opens Way to Hybrid Cotton. PMID- 17778450 TI - Effect of Gibberellic Acid on Breaking of Rest Period in Elberta Peach. PMID- 17778451 TI - Role of Polyphenolase in Streptomycin-Induced Resistance to Phytophthora in Potato. PMID- 17778453 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17778452 TI - Inhibition of Plant Growth by Root-Drench Applications of Kinetin. PMID- 17778454 TI - Ehrlich's Slogan. PMID- 17778455 TI - Ehrlich's Slogan. PMID- 17778456 TI - Science and the High-School Student. PMID- 17778457 TI - Science and the High-School Student. PMID- 17778459 TI - Invisible Words--Invisible Evidence. PMID- 17778458 TI - Grants Without Grind. PMID- 17778460 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17778461 TI - THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE ELECTRICAL UNITS. PMID- 17778462 TI - ON THE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH COAL WAS FORMED. PMID- 17778464 TI - NOTE ON THE OBSERVATIONS OF THE TRANSIT OF VENUS, 1882, AT THE LICK OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17778463 TI - THE YALE OBSERVATORY HELIOMETER. PMID- 17778465 TI - A GIGANTIC WALKING-STICK FROM THE COAL. PMID- 17778466 TI - ANATOMY AND HISTOLOGY OF POLYOPHTHALMUS. PMID- 17778467 TI - THE GLACIAL THEORY BEFORE THE PHILADELPHIA ACADEMY. PMID- 17778468 TI - 'Mother of petre' and 'mother of vinegar.'. PMID- 17778470 TI - AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING ENGINEERS. PMID- 17778469 TI - AN EARLY STATEMENT OF THE DEFLECTIVE EFFECT OF THE EARTH'S ROTATION. PMID- 17778471 TI - Archeological frauds. PMID- 17778472 TI - SIR CHARLES LYELL. PMID- 17778473 TI - ASTRONOMICAL LITERATURE. PMID- 17778474 TI - THE FORMATION OF COAL. PMID- 17778475 TI - INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. PMID- 17778476 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE SECTION D--MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. PMID- 17778477 TI - PRESENT CONDITION OF MATHEMATICAL INSTRUCTION FOR ENGINEERS IN AMERICAN COLLEGES. PMID- 17778478 TI - INTERNATIONAL FISHERY CONGRESS, 1908. PMID- 17778479 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17778480 TI - THE MENDELIAN INHERITANCE OF MUTATIONS. PMID- 17778481 TI - BIOTYPES OF CORN. PMID- 17778483 TI - THE EFFECT OF AN ANGLE IN A CONDUCTOR ON SPARK DISCHARGE. PMID- 17778482 TI - A UNIQUE COLLECTIONS OF PERIDOTITE. PMID- 17778484 TI - DINICHTHYS INTERMEDIUS NEWBERRY FROM THE HURON SHALE. PMID- 17778485 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17778486 TI - THE NEURO-EMBRYOLOGIC STUDY OF BEHAVIOR: PRINCIPLES, PERSPECTIVE AND AIM. PMID- 17778487 TI - THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BOTANICAL GARDEN EXPEDITION TO WESTERN CHINA AND TIBET. PMID- 17778489 TI - SODIUM TETRATHIONATE AND METHYLENE BLUE IN CYANIDE AND CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. PMID- 17778488 TI - THE OCCURRENCE OF IXODES AURITULUS NEUM. IN NORTH AMERICA ( OREGON). PMID- 17778490 TI - THE RACES OF MANKIND. PMID- 17778491 TI - PROTECTIVE AMPUTATION OF LIMBS BY STAGOMANTIS CAROLINA. PMID- 17778493 TI - WHAT HAPPENED GEOLOGICALLY. PMID- 17778492 TI - THE LONG BEACH EARTHQUAKE. PMID- 17778494 TI - A METHOD OF MOUNTING MAPS. PMID- 17778495 TI - ENGINEERING LESSONS OF THE QUAKE. PMID- 17778496 TI - A CONVENIENT COLOR CHART FOR GENETICISTS. PMID- 17778497 TI - A GROUP OF CHEMICALS ACTIVE IN INCREASING TISSUE PERMEABILITY AND ENHANCING CERTAIN INFECTIOUS PROCESSES. PMID- 17778498 TI - A PHYTOPHTHORA DISEASE OF SNAPDRAGONS. PMID- 17778499 TI - TERMINAL PROGRAMS IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOLS. PMID- 17778501 TI - ROSCOE GILKEY DICKINSON 1894-1945. PMID- 17778500 TI - ALBERT EDWARD EDGECOMBE 1897-1945. PMID- 17778503 TI - RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS FOR INDIA. PMID- 17778502 TI - PLANT BREEDING AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17778505 TI - GEOGRAPHY AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17778504 TI - SCIENTIFIC MEN ABROAD. PMID- 17778506 TI - QUANTITATIVE ACTION OF PENICILLIN INHIBITOR FROM PENICILLIN-RESISTANT STRAINS OF STAPHYLOCOCCI. PMID- 17778507 TI - INHIBITING FACTORS IN THE DETERMINATION OF PENICILLIN IN HUMAN SERA. PMID- 17778508 TI - CALCIUM CARBONATE AS AN ANTACID FOR ORAL PENICILLIN. PMID- 17778509 TI - SYNTHESIS OF A COMPOUND IDENTICAL WITH THE L. CASEI FACTOR ISOLATED FROM LIVER. PMID- 17778510 TI - ISOLATION OF AN ANTIANEMIA FACTOR (VITAMIN Bc CONJUGATE) IN CRYSTALLINE FORM FROM YEAST. PMID- 17778511 TI - THE EFFECT OF SPECIFIC AMINO ACIDS ON THE YIELD OF PENICILLIN IN SUBMERGED CULTURE. PMID- 17778513 TI - "TEN-EIGHTY," A WAR-PRODUCED RODENTICIDE. PMID- 17778512 TI - AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SWITCH FOR CONSTANT AIR PRESSURE. PMID- 17778514 TI - PECTIN INTRAVENOUSLY. PMID- 17778515 TI - THE GULF HAMMOCK FORMATION IN FLORIDA. PMID- 17778516 TI - "ISOSENSITIVITY" INSTEAD OF "ISOIMMUNITY". PMID- 17778517 TI - Soil conservation. PMID- 17778519 TI - "Kerfuffie". PMID- 17778518 TI - Holography and Image Display in X-ray Crystallography. PMID- 17778520 TI - Btu borrowing? PMID- 17778522 TI - The boranes and their relatives. PMID- 17778521 TI - The blind side of science policy. PMID- 17778523 TI - Soviet-U.S. Science Agreements: Press Presides over Reappraisal. PMID- 17778524 TI - Carter places environment high on agenda. PMID- 17778526 TI - Science in europe/carter nuclear policy finds few friends. PMID- 17778525 TI - Daddario Resigns Abruptly from OTA. PMID- 17778527 TI - Alaskan Gas: NEPA Brings Out a Strong New Pipeline Applicant. PMID- 17778528 TI - Contract archeology: new source of support brings new problems. PMID- 17778529 TI - Blood clotting: the role of the prostaglandins. PMID- 17778531 TI - The AMIS Trial: Can Aspirin Prevent Heart Attacks? PMID- 17778530 TI - Drinkers rejoice: a little wine may kill your virus. PMID- 17778532 TI - Scientific Manpower Commission Surveys AAAS Affiliates. PMID- 17778533 TI - NSF Chautauqua-Type Short Courses. PMID- 17778534 TI - Second R & d colloquim to be held 15-16 june. PMID- 17778535 TI - For the library. PMID- 17778536 TI - Science film festival expanded for 1978 annual meeting. PMID- 17778537 TI - Spanish AAS Meets in Leon. PMID- 17778538 TI - Resource management. PMID- 17778539 TI - The process of innovation. PMID- 17778541 TI - Improving plant yield. PMID- 17778540 TI - Scattering phenomena. PMID- 17778542 TI - Retention of plutonium and americium by rock. AB - The relative migration ratio of plutonium in various rocks is approximately 100 micrometers per meter of waterflow; the corresponding migration ratio for americium is about 500 micrometers per meter of water flow. Under these conditions radioactive decay will have taken place to such an extent that little plutonium and americium can reach the external environment from a well-designed and isolated geological repository site. PMID- 17778543 TI - New Rules for AAAS-Newcomb Cleveland Prize. PMID- 17778544 TI - Mars: microwave detection of carbon monoxide. AB - The 115-gigahertz microwave line of carbon monoxide has been detected in the spectrum of Mars. The measurement is sensitive to carbon monoxide between the surface and an altitude of approximately 50 kilometers in the martian atmosphere. This extends the altitude region to well above that previously sensed. PMID- 17778545 TI - Petrolacosaurus, the oldest known diapsid reptile. AB - Petrolacosaurus, an Upper Pennsylvanian reptile, presents a combination of features that place it within a distinct family of the Eosuchia while also evidencing strong relationships to the ancestral reptiles. It is therefore the earliest and most primitive representative of the largest assemblage of fossil and living reptiles, collectively called diapsids. PMID- 17778546 TI - Intermetallic Compounds of the Type MNi5 as Methanation Catalysts. AB - Catalytic reactions of carbon monoxide with hydrogen have been studied in which intermetallic compounds of the formula MNi(5) (where M is thorium, uranium, or zirconium) have been used as the catalysts. The materials perform effectively as methanation catalysts; ThNi(5) has a specific activity exceeding that of a typical commercial oxide-supported methanation catalyst by a factor of about 5. This material also shows superior resistance to hydrogen sulfide poisoning. Nickel, formed as a decomposition product of the MNi(5) intermetallic compound, is probably the active species, but its properties are influenced by the nature of M in the precursor MNi(5) system. PMID- 17778547 TI - Stable Semiconductor Liquid Junction Cell with 9 Percent Solar-to-Electrical Conversion Efficiency. AB - The semiconductor liquid junction cell n-GaAs/0.8M K(2)Se-0.1M K(2)Se(2)-1M KOH/C has been shown to attain 9 percent photovoltaic power conversion efficiency in sunlight. Accelerated tests under 3100 degrees K light sources of several solar intensities indicate very low photocorrosion currents and high output stability. PMID- 17778548 TI - Clear air turbulence: detection by infrared observations of water vapor. AB - "Forward-looking" infrared measurements of water vapor from the C-141A Kuiper Airborne Observatory of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ames Research Center show large, distinctly identifiable, signal anomalies from 4 to 10 minutes in advance of subsequent encounters with clear air turbulence (CAT). These anomalies are characteristically different from the signals not followed by CAT encounters. Results of airborne field trials in which the infrared radiometer was used indicate that, out of 51 situations, 80 percent were CAT alerts followed by CAT encounters, 12 percent were "false alarms" (CAT alerts not followed by CAT encounters), and 8 percent were CAT encounters not preceded by an infrared signal anomaly or CAT alert. PMID- 17778549 TI - The Earth as a seismic absorption band. AB - Attenuation of seismic waves indicates that the earth is not perfectly elastic. Dispersion accompanying absorption gives frequency-dependent "elastic" moduli, a fact that must be taken into account when inverting seismic data. Normal mode data are reinverted after correcting for absorption. The correction removes the discrepancy between body wave and free oscillation interpretations of earth structure. PMID- 17778550 TI - Apical dichotomy demonstrated in the angiosperm flagellaria. AB - An equal dichotomy of an angiosperm vegetative apex, previously suspected on morphological grounds, is demonstrated both externally in whole apices and in histological preparations. Dichotomy is a normal developmental feature with complete continuity in growth from the simple to the bifurcated state. The accessibility of this rare phenomenon in this plant makes further, possibly experimental, approaches feasible. PMID- 17778551 TI - Cleptoparasitism and odor mimetism in bees: do nomada males imitate the odor of andrena females? AB - Identical chemical compounds are present in the Dufour gland secretion of female Andrena bees and in the cephalic secretion of many male Nomada bees. Females of Nomada parasitize the nests of Andrena. Many Nomada species confine their attacks to a single host species. In two such host-parasite pairs, Andrena haemorrhoa Nomada bifida and Andrena carantonica-Nomada marshamella, all-trans farnesyl hexanoate was found to be the totally dominant component in respective secretions. In two other pairs, Andrena helvola-Nomada panzeri and Andrena clarkella-Nomada leucophthalma, geranyl octanoate is the major component. This pairwise odor correspondence is discussed in relation to critical points of contact in the life cycles of host and parasite, male and female. PMID- 17778552 TI - Loaded Dice. PMID- 17778553 TI - Saldanha Man and His Culture. PMID- 17778554 TI - Mathematics in the Soviet Union. PMID- 17778555 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17778557 TI - Potentially Simple Technique for Rearing "Germ-Free" Fish. PMID- 17778556 TI - Suspension Counting of Carbon-14 in Scintillating Gels. PMID- 17778558 TI - Concerning the "Cellularity" or Acellularity of the Protozoa. PMID- 17778559 TI - Concerning the "Cellularity" or Acellularity of the Protozoa. PMID- 17778560 TI - Citrus Fruit Grafting. PMID- 17778561 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17778563 TI - THEODORE CALDWELL JANEWAY. PMID- 17778562 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17778564 TI - THE NEED FOR ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN BOTANISTS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE PROSECUTION OF WAR WORK. PMID- 17778566 TI - REPORTING MOISTURE RESULTS. PMID- 17778565 TI - THE AURORA BOREALIS. PMID- 17778567 TI - THE FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY. PMID- 17778568 TI - THE THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17778569 TI - DECIDUOUS FOREST MAN AND THE GRASSLAND FAUNA. PMID- 17778571 TI - SCIENTIFIC CONDITIONS IN CHINA. PMID- 17778572 TI - WILLIAM HARMON NORTON 1856-1944. PMID- 17778570 TI - IN MEMORY OF CHARLES E. SANBORN. PMID- 17778573 TI - THE BIOLOGICAL PHOTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17778574 TI - THE GANS FUND FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. PMID- 17778575 TI - THE HORMONE CONFERENCE IN QUEBEC. PMID- 17778576 TI - CONSULTANTS TO THE SURGEON GENERAL OF THE U. S. ARMY. PMID- 17778577 TI - FURTHER COMMENTS ON COMPARATIVE STUDIES IN HUMAN BIOLOGY. PMID- 17778578 TI - PRUNE DWARF AND THE CHERRY VIRUS COMPLEX. PMID- 17778580 TI - STARS IN AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17778579 TI - INGESTED THIAMIN CHLORIDE AS A MOSQUITO REPELLENT. PMID- 17778581 TI - ENZYMES IN DEHYDRATED VEGETABLES. PMID- 17778582 TI - DENSITY AND SIZE OF INFLUENZA VIRUS A (PR8 STRAIN) IN SOLUTION. PMID- 17778584 TI - THE HERBICIDAL ACTION OF 2,4 DICHLOROPHENOXYACETIC AND 2,4,5 TRICHLOROPHENOXYACETIC ACID ON BINDWEED. PMID- 17778583 TI - THE POSSIBLE EXISTENCE OF A MICROBIOLOGICALLY INACTIVE "FOLIC ACID"-LIKE MATERIAL POSSESSING VITAMIN ACTIVITY IN THE RAT. PMID- 17778587 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17778585 TI - A MODIFIED TECHNIC OF CUTTING THE EGG SHELL FOR VIRUS CULTURE. PMID- 17778586 TI - THE PREPARATION OF APOZYMASE FROM BAKER'S YEAST. PMID- 17778588 TI - New Year's Resolutions and Future Shock. PMID- 17778590 TI - Erratum. AB - In the report "Broadly neutralizing antibodies elicited by the hypervariable neutralizing determinant of HIV-1" by K. Javaherian et al. (14 Dec., p. 1590), the headings for tables 4 and 5 on page 1592 were incorrectly interchanged. PMID- 17778589 TI - Response. PMID- 17778591 TI - Cold spring harbor. PMID- 17778593 TI - New alliances, new technology. PMID- 17778594 TI - In search of "dark matter". PMID- 17778592 TI - A QUEST for Novel Electronics. PMID- 17778595 TI - SSC Detectors: Yes, No, Maybe. PMID- 17778596 TI - Will Canada Build on Earlier TRIUMF? PMID- 17778597 TI - NASA'S Wish List. PMID- 17778598 TI - Science money woes in the u.s.s.R. PMID- 17778599 TI - Rehabilitation for burt? PMID- 17778600 TI - Cosmologists begin to fill in the blanks. PMID- 17778601 TI - Free Radicals Within the Antarctic Vortex: The Role of CFCs in Antarctic Ozone Loss. AB - How strong is the case linking global release of chlorofluorocarbons to episodic disappearance of ozone from the Antarctic stratosphere each austral spring? Three lines of evidence defining a link are (i) observed containment in the vortex of ClO concentrations two orders of magnitude greater than normal levels; (ii) in situ observations obtained during ten high-altitude aircraft flights into the vortex as the ozone hole was forming that show a decrease in ozone concentrations as ClO concentrations increased; and (iii) a comparison between observed ozone loss rates and those predicted with the use of absolute concentrations of ClO and BrO, the rate-limiting radicals in an array of proposed catalytic cycles. Recent advances in our understanding of the kinetics, photochemistry, and structural details of key intermediates in these catalytic cycles as well as an improved absolute calibration for ClO and BrO concentrations at the temperatures and pressures encountered in the lower antarctic stratosphere have been essential for defining the link. PMID- 17778602 TI - The dynamics of the stratospheric polar vortex and its relation to springtime ozone depletions. AB - Dramatic springtime depletions of ozone in polar regions require that polar stratospheric air has a high degree of dynamical isolation and extremely cold temperatures necessary for the formation of polar stratospheric clouds. Both of these conditions are produced within the stratospheric winter polar vortex. Recent aircraft missions have provided new information about the structure of polar vortices during winter and their relation to polar ozone depletions. The aircraft data show that gradients of potential vorticity and the concentration of conservative trace species are large at the transition from mid-latitude to polar air. The presence of such sharp gradients at the boundary of polar air implies that the inward mixing of heat and constituents is strongly inhibited and that the perturbed polar stratospheric chemistry associated with the ozone hole is isolated from the rest of the stratosphere until the vortex breaks up in late spring. The overall size of the polar vortex thus limits the maximum areal coverage of the annual polar ozone depletions. Because it appears that this limit has not been reached for the Antarctic depletions, the possibility of future increases in the size of the Antarctic ozone hole is left open. In the Northern Hemisphere, the smaller vortex and the more restricted region of cold temperatures suggest that this region has a smaller theoretical maximum for column ozone depletion, about 40 percent of the currently observed change in the Antarctic ozone column in spring. PMID- 17778603 TI - Observational evidence for a possible new diffusion path. AB - Transmission electron microscopy of experimentally deformed amphibolite suggests that submicroscopic intracrystalline tubes formed around linear defects may be a previously unrecognized kind of diffusion pathway. Deformed and compositionally altered plagioclase and amphibole crystals include moderate densities of linear defects that morphologically resemble unit dislocations but display unusual contrast. During prolonged electron irradiation, the core regions of the defects expand to well-defined tubes that are approximately 20 nanometers in diameter. Both observations suggest that the regions about the defect cores are glassy and were filled with silicate-water fluid during the experiments. Intracrystalline transport along these tubes would likely be several orders of magnitude faster than traditionally conceived processes of solid-state volume diffusion, grain boundary solvent transfer, and ordinary pipe diffusion along dislocation cores. PMID- 17778604 TI - Response. PMID- 17778605 TI - Model simulation of mid-cretaceous ocean circulation. PMID- 17778607 TI - Condensed matter. PMID- 17778606 TI - A case for listening. PMID- 17778608 TI - Calamar. PMID- 17778609 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17778610 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17778611 TI - Misuse of the freedom of information act. PMID- 17778612 TI - Rudenberg's Patents. PMID- 17778613 TI - Quality of biomedical literature. PMID- 17778615 TI - Response: moonlight and circadian rhythms. PMID- 17778614 TI - Quantitative risk aspects of the "woburn case". PMID- 17778616 TI - Research practices. PMID- 17778617 TI - Erratum. AB - In the report "The color of the surface of Venus" by C. M. Pieters et al. (12 Dec., p. 1379), figure 2 on page 1382 was incorrectly printed upside down. The correct figure and caption appear below. Reference 11 in the caption is to A. S. Selivanov et al., Kosm. Issled. 21, 176 (1983) and A. S. Selivanov et al., ibid., p. 183. [SEE FIGURE 2 IN SOURCE PDF]. PMID- 17778618 TI - R&D and the deficit. PMID- 17778620 TI - Landsat commercialization stumbles again. PMID- 17778619 TI - Peer Review--' oops--Merit Review in for Some Changes at NSF. PMID- 17778622 TI - EEC Research Program in Jeopardy: Efforts to develop collaborative research programs among 12 European nations are running into trouble because some countries say the costs are too high. PMID- 17778623 TI - Court rejects rifkin in biotech cases. PMID- 17778621 TI - Hazardous Waste: Where to Put It?: Lines at incinerators and federal actions affecting the handling of hazardous wastes point to disposal problems. PMID- 17778624 TI - Math papers called inaccessible. PMID- 17778625 TI - Comings and goings. PMID- 17778626 TI - Materials Scientists Seek a Unified Voice: The rise of materials science as a recognizable discipline paralleled the growth of the Materials Research Laboratories now run by NSF, but funding and identity problems remain. PMID- 17778627 TI - High-carb diets questioned. PMID- 17778628 TI - Delving into faults and earthquake behavior. AB - Seismologists attending last month's meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco heard much about how the irregularities on faults control their behavior and thus the generation of earthquakes. The identification of small crucial areas of a fault, such as the strong spot where a rupture can begin or the fault jog where it can end, is proving a challenge, but it also offers one of the best hopes of understanding and predicting fault behavior. PMID- 17778629 TI - Community diversity: relative roles of local and regional processes. AB - The species richness (diversity) of local plant and animal assemblages-biological communities-balances regional processes of species formation and geographic dispersal, which add species to communities, against processes of predation, competitive exclusion, adaptation, and stochastic variation, which may promote local extinction. During the past three decades, ecologists have sought to explain differences in local diversity by the influence of the physical environment on local interactions among species, interactions that are generally believed to limit the number of coexisting species. But diversity of the biological community often fails to converge under similar physical conditions, and local diversity bears a demonstrable dependence upon regional diversity. These observations suggest that regional and historical processes, as well as unique events and circumstances, profoundly influence local community structure. Ecologists must broaden their concepts of community processes and incorporate data from systematics, biogeography, and paleontology into analyses of ecological patterns and tests of community theory. PMID- 17778630 TI - Band-gap engineering: from physics and materials to new semiconductor devices. AB - Band-gap engineering is a powerful technique for the design of new semiconductor materials and devices. Heterojunctions and modern growth techniques, such as molecular beam epitaxy, allow band diagrams with nearly arbitrary and continuous band-gap variations to be made. The transport properties of electrons and holes can be independently and continuously tuned for a given application. A new generation of devices with unique capabilities, ranging from solid-state photomultipliers to resonant tunneling transistors, is emerging from this approach. PMID- 17778631 TI - Outward-dipping ring-fault structure at rabaul caldera as shown by earthquake locations. AB - The locations of a large number of earthquakes recorded at Rabaul caldera in Papua New Guinea from late 1983 to mid-1985 have produced a picture of this active caldera's structural boundary. The earthquake epicenters form an elliptical annulus about 10 kilometers long by 4 kilometers wide, centered in the southern part of the Rabaul volcanic complex. A set of events with well constrained depth determinations shows a ring-fault structure that extends from the surface to a depth of about 4 kilometers and slopes steeply outward from the center of the caldera. This is the first geophysical data set that clearly outlines the orientation of an active caldera's bounding faults. This orientation, however, conflicts with the configuration of many other calderas and is not in keeping with currently preferred models of caldera formation. PMID- 17778632 TI - Sensory tuning of lateral line receptors in antarctic fish to the movements of planktonic prey. AB - The suitability of the lateral line system of fish and aquatic amphibia for the detection of planktonic prey was examined in the antarctic fish Pagothenia borcgrevinki (family Nototheniidae). The best responses of primary afferent lateral line neurons to waterborne vibrations were recorded at frequencies within the range of those produced by swimming crustacea. Simultaneous recordings from a swimming zooplankter held close to the fish and from primary afferent neurons provided direct confirmation that swimming movements of crustaceans are a potent natural stimulus of the lateral line system. PMID- 17778633 TI - Disruption of the mauna loa magma system by the 1868 hawaiian earthquake: geochemical evidence. AB - To test whether a catastrophic earthquake could affect an active magma system, mean abundances (adjusted for "olivine control") of titanium, potassium, phosphorus, strontium, zirconium, and niobium of historic lavas erupted from Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaii, after 1868 were analyzed and were found to decrease sharply relative to lavas erupted before 1868. This abrupt change in lava chemistry, accompanied by a halved lava-production rate for Mauna Loa after 1877, is interpreted to reflect the disruptive effects of a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in 1868. This interpretation represents a documentable case of changes in magmatic chemical variations initiated or accelerated by a major tectonic event. PMID- 17778634 TI - Oxygen supersaturation in the ocean: biological versus physical contributions. AB - A method based on measurements of dissolved molecular nitrogen, molecular oxygen, and argon can distingish biological from physical contributions to oxygen supersaturation in the ocean. The derived values of biological O(2) production can be used as a check on estimates of total organic productivity measured by instantaneous rates of carbon-14 assimilation. Application to the shallow summer O(2) maxima in the North Pacific gyres shows that about 72% of the O(2) supersaturation maximum at 28 degrees N and about 86% of the maximum at 40 degrees N are due to net photosynthetic production. PMID- 17778635 TI - Identification of a juvenile hormone-like compound in a crustacean. AB - Juvenile hormone (JH) has central roles in the regulation of insect development and reproduction but has not previously been identified in other arthropod classes. The hemolymph of a crustacean, Libinia emarginata (Leach), has now been analyzed for JH-like compounds. Samples contained 0.003 to 0.030 nanogram of JH III per milliliter and 10 to 50 nanograms of methyl farnesoate per milliliter; methyl farnesoate is a compound structurally related to JH III that has JH bioactivity. Several tissues were examined for synthesis and secretion of JH-like compounds. Of these tissues, only the mandibular organs produced and secreted JH III and methyl farnesoate. However, microchemical analysis revealed that this JH III was racemic, and thus likely an artifactual oxidation product of methyl farnesoate. Secretion of methyl farnesoate was related to reproduction in females, with the highest rates observed in Libinia near the end of the ovarian cycle when oocyte growth and vitellogenesis are greatest. These results indicate that JH-like compounds such as methyl farnesoate have regulatory roles in crustaceans. PMID- 17778636 TI - Evolution of male pheromones in moths: reproductive isolation through sexual selection? AB - Central to our understanding of the species concept is knowledge of the nature and evolution of reproductive isolating mechanisms. The once widely accepted model of Dobzhansky, which holds that isolation evolves through selection against hybrids of differentially adapted populations, is now largely rejected. This rejection is due to both theoretical difficulties and a paucity of examples of the predicted pattern of reproductive character displacement. From a survey of five families of Lepidoptera, entailing more than 800 species, evidence is given that male courtship pheromones have evolved within the context of sexual isolation as an adaptive response to mating mistakes between differentially adapted populations; however, distinct from the natural selection model of Dobzhansky, this report suggests the mechanism for change to be sexual selection. PMID- 17778638 TI - A debate in solar physics: confronting nature. PMID- 17778637 TI - Darwin scholars at work: the darwinian heritage. PMID- 17778639 TI - Ecological comparisons: are Australian ecosystems different? PMID- 17778640 TI - Fallout from yucca flat: under the cloud. PMID- 17778641 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17778642 TI - Liposomes: European research. PMID- 17778643 TI - International cancer congress: the view from Argentina. PMID- 17778644 TI - The golden age of the geoscientist. PMID- 17778645 TI - Volatile metal complexes. AB - Fundamental investigations of the chemical and physical properties of metal beta diketonate complexes have revealed unusual volatility, as well as solvolytic and thermal stability and solubility in organic solvents. Certain general rules describing the volatility of metal beta-diketonates on the basis of ligand shell character and metal ion size have arisen from extensive gas chromatographic and vapor pressure studies. Several practical applications of volatile beta diketonates teke advantage of their special properties. In ultratrace metal analysis by gas chromatography, use of these chelates has allowed the detection of smaller amounts of certain metals than can be detected by any other analytic method. Certain rare earth beta-diketonates have been found useful as antiknock additives in gasoline and as catalysts for the removal of carbonaceous deposits from the combustion chambers of internal combustion engines. PMID- 17778646 TI - Water resources and the land-water interface. AB - Development and implementation of local and regional plans to control nonpoint sources of pollution from agricultural land are major mandates of section 208 of Public Law 92-500. Many planners tend to equate erosion control as measured by the universal soil loss equation with improvements in water quality. Others implement channel management practices which degrade rather than improve water quality and thereby decrease the effectiveness of other efforts to control nonpoint sources. Planners rarely recognize the importance of the land-water interface in regulating water quality in agricultural watersheds. More effective planning can result from the development of "best management systems" which incorporate theory from all relevant disciplines. PMID- 17778647 TI - The mystery of the shroud of turin challenges 20th-century science. AB - On the face of it, the very idea that the linen cloth in which Jesus Christ was wrapped in the tomb should have survived to this day would seem incredible. It demands even more of human credulity that the cloth bears a photographic likeness which would seem to be that of Jesus as he lay in the tomb. [From The Shroud of Turin by IAN WILSON]. PMID- 17778648 TI - The anatomy of crucifixion. PMID- 17778649 TI - Pardes to Head NIMH. PMID- 17778650 TI - Carter Cancels Two Trips by Scientists over Human Rights. PMID- 17778651 TI - Particle theory: stanford electron experiment closes options. PMID- 17778652 TI - Grassland ecology. PMID- 17778653 TI - The History of the Earth's Environment. PMID- 17778654 TI - Cancer biology. PMID- 17778655 TI - Mantle uplifted block in the Western Indian ocean. AB - An anomalous topographic high located close to the intersection of the Owen Fracture Zone with the Mid-Indian Ridge exposes exclusively ultramafic rocks for a thickness of more than 2 kilometers. The rocks, consisting of partly serpentinized spinel lherzolites, with minor harzburgites and dunites, display protogranular to porphyroclastic fabrics, but no cumulate textures. The chemistry of olivine, ortho-and clinopyroxene, and spinel crystals suggests that the rocks originated at a depth of at least 25 kilometers in the oceanic lithosphere and were partially reequilibrated and recrystallized during subsequent upwelling. Thus, field, textural, and mineral chemistry data indicate the presence of an uplifted block of upper mantle. The considerable vertical uplift can be explained by a two-stage process: mantle upwelling in the axial zone of plate accretion, followed by vertical tectonic uplift along the fracture zone. The rate of uplift in the fracture zone was of the order of 1 millimeter per year. PMID- 17778656 TI - Periodic freshwater flooding and stagnation of the eastern mediterranean sea during the late quaternary. AB - Major negative oxygen isotopic anomalies in planktonic foraminifera are associated with deep-sea anoxic mud layers (sapropels) deposited 9000 and 80,000 years ago in the eastern Mediterranean. The isotopic depletion in surface dwelling foraminifera is significantly greater than in mesopelagic foraminifera. This difference in isotopic response suggests that surface-water salinities were drastically reduced during times of sapropel formation, possibly as the result of meltwater runoff from the Fennoscandian ice sheet into the eastern Mediterranean by way of the Black and Aegean seas. PMID- 17778658 TI - Meteorite impact crater in central alaska. PMID- 17778657 TI - LIII-Edge Anomalous X-ray Scattering by Cesium Measured with Synchrotron Radiation. AB - Diffraction of monochromatized synchrotron radiation by crystals of cesium hydrogen tartrate has been used to measure the magnitude and phase of x-ray scattering for cesium near the LIII absorption edge. In this wavelength region the scattering amplitude of cesium is reduced by as much as 25 electrons per atom, compared to scattering of copper Kalpha x-rays. This change, which varies as a function of wavelength, affects the diffraction intensities in a manner similar to isomorphous substitution, and it is large enough to have promise for phase determination in the study of macromolecular structures. This experiment also demonstrates that accurate diffractometer measurements are possible with synchrotron radiation produced by an electron storage ring. PMID- 17778659 TI - Meteorite impact crater in central alaska. PMID- 17778660 TI - Rape among mallards. PMID- 17778661 TI - Rape among mallards. PMID- 17778662 TI - Rape among mallards. PMID- 17778663 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17778664 TI - Adding charisma to science. PMID- 17778665 TI - Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles. PMID- 17778666 TI - Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles. PMID- 17778667 TI - Response. PMID- 17778668 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17778669 TI - Where There's Heat There's Yen. PMID- 17778670 TI - Researchers quell quark rumor: the top is still at large. PMID- 17778671 TI - Canine compulsions. PMID- 17778672 TI - Save a tree with chalk. PMID- 17778673 TI - New Director for MBL. PMID- 17778674 TI - Cell damage seen from chernobyl. PMID- 17778675 TI - Circle hoax contest. PMID- 17778676 TI - Enzymes of the night. PMID- 17778677 TI - Improving plant disease resistance. PMID- 17778678 TI - GRO Shows Particles in a Magnetic Trap. PMID- 17778679 TI - Plates and Plumes: Dynamos of the Earth's Mantle. PMID- 17778680 TI - Current issues and problems in welding science. AB - Losses of life and property due to catastrophic failure of structures are often traced to defective welds. However, major advances have taken place in welding science and technology in the last few decades. With the development of new methodologies at the crossroad of basic and applied sciences, the promise of science-based tailoring of composition, structure, and properties of the weldments may be fulfilled. This will require resolution of several contemporary issues and problems concerning the structure and properties of the weldments as well as intelligent control and automation of the welding processes. PMID- 17778681 TI - Surface order and stability of langmuir-blodgett films. AB - Angstrom-resolution atomic force microscope images of Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers and multilayers of cadmium arachidate in air and under water show a dramatic change from a disordered arrangement to a crystalline lattice by the addition or removal of a single layer of molecules. The disordered surface is less stable than the ordered one to mechanical stresses such as atomic force microscopy tip forces or at the air-water contact line during contact angle measurements. The difference in the degree of order in the alkyl chains is attributed to the strong attractive interaction between headgroups in the presence of the divalent cation. PMID- 17778682 TI - Existence of an orientational electric dipolar response in c60 single crystals. AB - The dielectric constant in and conductivity sigma of undoped C(60) single crystals have been measured as a function of temperature, 10 K < T < 330 K, and frequency, 0.2 kilohertz < f < 100 kilohertz. On cooling below the first-order structural phase transition at 260 K, a Debye-like relaxational contribution to the dielectric response is observed, which requires the presence of permanent electric dipoles. The relaxation rate is thermally activated with a broad distribution of energies centered at 270 millielectron volts. The existence of a dipole moment in C(60) is unexpected, because it is precluded by symmetry for the pure ordered cubic phase. These data suggest that the high degree of frozen-in orientational disorder of the C(60) molecules is responsible for the existence of electric dipolar activity. PMID- 17778683 TI - High-Pressure Brillouin Studies and Elastic Properties of Single-Crystal H2S Grown in a Diamond Cell. AB - High-pressure Brillouin spectra of crystalline hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) have been measured at up to 7 gigapascals at room temperature. The best fit of the angular dependence of Brillouin acoustic velocities between experimental values and calculations based on Every's expression for elastic waves of an arbitrary direction yielded the orientation of an H(2)S cubic crystal grown in the diamond anvil high-pressure cell. In situ determinations of sound velocities, as a function of pressure, could be made for any direction, the refractive index, the density, and the elastic constants. This method provides a means for the systematic study of elastic properties and phase transitions of condensed gases under ultrahigh pressures. PMID- 17778684 TI - Evidence for liquid-phase cirrus cloud formation from volcanic aerosols: climatic implications. AB - Supercooled droplets in cirrus uncinus cell heads between -40 degrees and -50 degrees C are identified from Project FIRE [First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment] polarization lidar measurements. Although short-lived, complexes of these small liquid cells seem to have contributed importantly to the formation of the cirrus. Freezing-point depression effects in solution droplets, apparently resulting from relatively large cloud condensation nuclei of volcanic origin, can be used to explain this rare phenomenon. An unrecognized volcano-cirrus cloud climate feedback mechanism is implied by these findings. PMID- 17778685 TI - State-to-State Rates for the D + H2(v = 1, j = 1) rarr HD(v', j') + H Reaction: Predictions and Measurements. AB - A fully quantal wavepacket approach to reactive scattering in which the best available H(3) potential energy surface was used enabled a comparison with experimentally determined rates for the D + H(2)(v = 1, j = 1) --> HD(v' = 0, 1, 2; j') + H reaction at significantly higher total energies (1.4 to 2.25 electron volts) than previously possible. The theoretical results are obtained over a sufficient range of conditions that a detailed simulation of the experiment was possible, thus making this a definitive comparison of experiment and theory. Good to excellent agreement is found for the vibrational branching ratios and for the rotational distributions within each product vibrational level. However, the calculated rotational distributions are slightly hotter than the experimentally measured ones. This small discrepancy is more marked for products for which a larger fraction of the total energy appears in translation. The most likely explanation for this behavior is that refinements are needed in the potential energy surface. PMID- 17778686 TI - Diverse and contrasting effects of habitat fragmentation. AB - Different components of an ecosystem can respond in very different ways to habitat fragmentation. An archipelago of patches, representing different levels of fragmentation, was arrayed within a successional field and studied over a period of 6 years. Ecosystem processes (soil mineralization and plant succession) did not vary with the degree of subdivision, nor did most measures of plant and animal community diversity. However, fragmentation affected vertebrate population dynamics and distributional patterns as well as the population persistence of clonal plant species. The results highlight the dangers of relying on broad community measures in lieu of detailed population analyses in studies of fragmented habitats. PMID- 17778687 TI - Measuring the age of the lathrop wells volcanic center at yucca mountain. PMID- 17778688 TI - Response. PMID- 17778689 TI - A saga of social science. PMID- 17778690 TI - A vanishingly small case. PMID- 17778692 TI - Vignettes: lines of credit. PMID- 17778691 TI - Biotechnological progress. PMID- 17778693 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17778694 TI - World hunger. PMID- 17778695 TI - Paul erdos: addenda. PMID- 17778696 TI - Social cost. PMID- 17778697 TI - Intergovernmental science and technology. PMID- 17778698 TI - Charged Debate Erupts over Russian Beam Weapon. PMID- 17778699 TI - "Soft technology" energy debate: limits to growth revisited? PMID- 17778700 TI - Public interest lawyers: carter brings them into the establishment. PMID- 17778701 TI - Public interest law appointees. PMID- 17778702 TI - Ocean mining: former negotiator now lobbies for kennecott. PMID- 17778703 TI - Erratum. AB - According to the latest information the publisher has provided to Science the current price of The Nervous System (Donald B. Tower, Ed.; Raven Press), reviewed by John G. Hildebrand, 22 April 1977, p. 419, is $15 a volume, rather than $25 a volume and $65 for the three-volume set, the prices listed at the head of the review. PMID- 17778704 TI - Ternary compounds: a promising way to make superconductors. PMID- 17778706 TI - Flood plain archeology. PMID- 17778705 TI - An upper paleolithic site in france. PMID- 17778707 TI - Archeological inference. PMID- 17778708 TI - Analytic techniques. PMID- 17778709 TI - Glass hydration: a method of dating glass objects. AB - A new nondestructive method for dating or authenticating man-made glass is proposed, and the initial results of an exploration of the potential of this method are presented. The method is based on a relation between the age of a glass object and the thickness of the layer of hydrated glass on its surface, with the thickness of this hydrated surface layer being measured by means of the (15)N nuclear resonance depth profiling technique. A qualitative age scale is established for some common 19th- and 20th-century American glass. PMID- 17778710 TI - A compound ovary with open carpels in winteraceae (magnoliales): evolutionary implications. AB - "Bubbia" perrieri, a primitive angiosperm collected once in 1909 in northwestern Madagascar, differs from all other members of its genus and family (Winteraceae) in its bicarpellate, unilocular ovary. Moreover, its inflorescences are terminal, and its development is partially sympodial. It therefore represents the survivor of a previously undetected evolutionary line that should be accorded at least subfamilial status. If so, Winteraceae might, more likely than previously, be considered as allied to Canellaceae, a group of primitive angiosperms that has an ovary of "Bubbia" perrieri type and is specialized in some other respects. PMID- 17778711 TI - Evidence for late tertiary volcanic activity in the northern black hills, South dakota. AB - Rhyolitic volcanic rock in the northern Black Hills has a potassium-argon isotopic age of 10.5 +/- 1.5 million years. This is considerably younger than any previously reported igneous activity in this or adjacent areas and indicates that the renewed uplift of the Black Hills, which occurred after the Oligocene epoch, was also accompanied by some volcanism. PMID- 17778712 TI - Moonquakes: mechanisms and relation to tidal stresses. AB - Observed features of moonquakes are combined with theoretical calculations of the tidal stresses to interpret the moonquake mechanisms. Tidal stresses, together with a postulated ambient tectonic stress, are sufficient to explain the depth, periodicity, and polarity reversal of moonquakes. Both of these stresses are small (on the order of 1 bar) and consistent with the small magnitudes of moonquakes. PMID- 17778713 TI - Nitrogen budget for an aggrading northern hardwood forest ecosystem. AB - Long-term analyses of the structure and function of a northern hardwood ecosystem have resulted in measurement of the salient features of the nitrogen cycle. These data allow an evaluation of the importance of the various components and provide a framework for more efficient forest management. PMID- 17778715 TI - Pyroelectricity and Induced Pyroelectric Polarization in Leaves of the Palmlike Plant Encephalartos villosus. AB - Quantitative pyroelectric measurements were made on the leaves of the palmlike plant Encephalartos. A pyroelectric response almost 50 times higher than the normal one could be induced by a small bias electric field, offering a means for highly increasing the efficiency of conversion of thermal to electrical energy. No evidence of ferroelectricity was found. PMID- 17778714 TI - Chainlike formation of particle deposits in fluid-particle separation. AB - A theory is proposed for the formation and growth of particle dendrites on a collector placed in an aerosol or hydrosol stream. It is based on the interplay of two intrinsic properties of suspended particles: (i) their finite size and (ii) the randomness of the location of individual particles in the fluid stream. The results of simulations based on this theory resemble those obtained from experiments. PMID- 17778716 TI - Surface of venus: evidence of diverse landforms from radar observations. AB - Recent radar images of the surface of Venus reveal a complex and varied terrain. By applying a set of simplifying assumptions about the nature of the surfaces returning the radar signal, it is possible to make a number of plausible interpretations. In one region on Venus, several circular features have the gross morphology of degraded impact craters. If they are indeed of impact origin, these features suggest that there exist on Venus areas which are ancient and where erosion or resurfacing has not been as intense or as pervasive as on the earth. In other regions there are intriguing features that may evidence active internal processes. One is a large trough-like depression (0 degrees , 76 degrees W; measuring 1400 by 150 by 2 kilometers) planimetrically suggestive of both the Valles Marineris on Mars and the East African Rift on the earth. Another feature, about 250 kilometers in diameter and of positive relief, includes an 80-kilometer diameter circular depression at its summit, suggestive of a large volcanic construct. A third region, near 0 degrees , 10 degrees E, contains roughly parallel ranges of mountains separated by valley-like features, with relief varying from small isolated hills several hundred meters high to low ranges on the order of 1000 meters to large mountains approaching 2 kilometers in height. If Venus has a mobile crust similar to the earth's, these mountains may have been produced by compressional tectonics. These interpretations of the radar data indicate that Venus has been a geologically active planet which has developed diverse landforms and therefore is an exciting candidate for future exploration. PMID- 17778717 TI - Photoassisted Electrolysis of Water by Visible Irradiation of a p-Type Gallium Phosphide Electrode. AB - Photoelectrolytic decomposition of water with visible irradiation is demonstrated in a cell made of p-type gallium phosphide as the cathode and platinum as the anode. A maximum energy conversion efficiency of 0.1 percent is achieved with an external bias of 1.3 volts. The stability of the electrode is demonstrated, and the results are discussed in terms of a composite energy diagram. PMID- 17778718 TI - Elk in the shrub-steppe region of washington: an authentic record. AB - For the first time in recorded history, the American elk is established in the treeless interior region of Washington. The protective isolation provided by the large buffer zone around the Hanford facilities of the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration is the important factor in maintenance of suitable habitat for elk. PMID- 17778719 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17778720 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17778722 TI - Electric cars and lead. PMID- 17778721 TI - Electric cars and lead. PMID- 17778723 TI - Electric cars and lead. PMID- 17778724 TI - Electric cars and lead. PMID- 17778726 TI - Electric cars and lead. PMID- 17778725 TI - Electric cars and lead. PMID- 17778727 TI - Response. PMID- 17778728 TI - Electric cars and lead. PMID- 17778729 TI - Electric cars and lead. PMID- 17778730 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - In the Research News article "Controversy: Is KS really caused by new herpesvirus?" by Jon Cohen (30 June, p. 1847), the quote from Susan Krown of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center was incorrect. The quote should have read, "I think we all need to be treatment activists to move the field forward." PMID- 17778731 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17778732 TI - Robert Walker: The Speaker's Right Hand on Science. PMID- 17778733 TI - Who owns results of Russian science? PMID- 17778734 TI - To Learn the Universe's Fate, Observers Clock its Slowdown. PMID- 17778735 TI - Oceanographers' green thumb. PMID- 17778736 TI - Booster shot for fast peer review. PMID- 17778737 TI - Gene gives old mice better immunity. PMID- 17778738 TI - Taking the long view at yucca mountain. PMID- 17778739 TI - Controlled acceleration and inhibition of bergman cyclization by metal chlorides. AB - The Bergman cyclization has been the subject of renewed interest with the discovery of naturally occurring enediyne-based antitumor agents that cleave DNA by means of an aromatic diradical. These natural substrates have a means to trigger this cycloaromatization process. Control of this reaction by substrate modification would allow aromatic diradicals to be generated selectively. In the studies presented here it is disclosed that the Bergman cyclization of 1,2 bis(diphenyl phosphinoethynyl) benzene was accelerated by a factor of >30,000 by the addition of palladium(II) chloride or platinum(II) chloride and was inhibited by the addition of mercury(II) chloride. PMID- 17778740 TI - Confinement-induced phase transitions in simple liquids. AB - The liquid-to-solid transition of a simple model liquid confined between two surfaces was studied as a function of surface separation. From large surface separations (more than 1000 angstroms) down to a separation corresponding to seven molecular layers, the confined films displayed a liquid-like shear viscosity. When the surface separation was further decreased by a single molecular spacing, the films underwent an abrupt, reversible transition to a solid. At the transition, the rigidity of the confined films (quantified in terms of an "effective viscosity") increased reversibly by at least seven orders of magnitude. PMID- 17778741 TI - Osmium-187 enrichment in some plumes: evidence for core-mantle interaction? AB - Calculations with data for asteroidal cores indicate that Earth's outer core may have a rhenium/osmium ratio at least 20 percent greater than that of the chondritic upper mantle, potentially leading to an outer core with an osmium 187/osmium-188 ratio at least 8 percent greater than that of chondrites. Because of the much greater abundance of osmium in the outer core relative to the mantle, even a small addition of metal to a plume ascending from the D" layer would transfer the enriched isotopic signature to the mixture. Sources of certain plume derived systems seem to have osmium-187/osmium-l88 ratios 5 to 20 percent greater than that for chondrites, consistent with the ascent of a plume from the core mantle boundary. PMID- 17778742 TI - High-3He Plume Origin and Temporal-Spatial Evolution of the Siberian Flood Basalts. AB - An olivine nephelinite from the lower part of a thick alkalic ultrabasic and mafic sequence of volcanic rocks of the northeastern part of the Siberian flood basalt province (SFBP) yielded a (40)Ar/(39)Ar plateau age of 253.3 +/- 2.6 million years, distinctly older than the main tholeiitic pulse of the SFBP at 250.0 million years. Olivine phenocrysts of this rock showed (3)He/(4)He ratios up to 12.7 times the atmospheric ratio; these values suggest a lower mantle plume origin. The neodymium and strontium isotopes, rare earth element concentration patterns, and cerium/lead ratios of the associated rocks were also consistent with their derivation from a near-chondritic, primitive plume. Geochemical data from the 250-million-year-old volcanic rocks higher up in the sequence indicate interaction of this high-(3)He SFBP plume with a suboceanic-type upper mantle beneath Siberia. PMID- 17778743 TI - Growth of tobacco protoplasts stimulated by synthetic lipo-chitooligosaccharides. AB - fat Nodulation (Nod) factors are lipo-chitooligosaccharides (LCOs) secreted by rhizobia to trigger the early steps of nodule organogenesis in leguminous plants. A method to synthesize LCOs in vitro was developed. Synthetic LCOs alleviated the requirement for auxin and cytokinin to sustain growth of cultured tobacco protoplasts. LCOs containing C(18:1) trans-fatty acyl substituents were more effective than those containing cis-fatty acids in promoting cell division as well as in activating an auxin-responsive promoter and the expression of a gene implicated in auxin action. These data indicate that LCOs redirect plant growth also in nonlegumes by activating developmental pathways also targeted by phytohormones. PMID- 17778745 TI - Cell death and immunity. PMID- 17778744 TI - Vignettes: the hierarchy of sciences. PMID- 17778746 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17778748 TI - THE REPUTED CONFLICT BETWEEN THE LABORATORIES AND CLINICAL MEDICINE. PMID- 17778747 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17778749 TI - THE NATIONAL FOREST RESERVATION COMMISSION AND FOREST RESEARCH RESERVES. PMID- 17778750 TI - "SOUR SAP" IN TREES OF THE GENUS PRUNUS. PMID- 17778751 TI - SAND-STORM ELECTRICITY. PMID- 17778752 TI - THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17778754 TI - HIGH FREQUENCY EQUIPMENT FOR BIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTATION. PMID- 17778753 TI - SILVER OR GOLD. PMID- 17778755 TI - REDUCING MOISTURE EVAPORATION FROM PETRI DISH CULTURES. PMID- 17778756 TI - THE DISPLACEMENT OF TOXIN FROM NEUTRALIZED TOXIN-ANTITOXIN MIXTURES BY "TOXOID" OR ANATOXIN. PMID- 17778757 TI - A NEW LAW OF SATELLITE DISTANCES. PMID- 17778758 TI - THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17778759 TI - Alaska: a climate for cabbages. PMID- 17778760 TI - Under the "liberal" umbrella. PMID- 17778761 TI - Crafty, ambitious authors. PMID- 17778763 TI - Ethical standards: in search of a protector. PMID- 17778762 TI - New sites for cities and airports. PMID- 17778764 TI - Letter to Argentina. PMID- 17778766 TI - Preliminary examination of lunar samples from apollo 12. PMID- 17778765 TI - Russian roulette? PMID- 17778768 TI - Korean science institute: a model for developing nations? PMID- 17778767 TI - Doppler shift measurements of nuclear lifetimes. PMID- 17778770 TI - Swords into ploughshares: hanford makes the switch. PMID- 17778771 TI - Defense: laird warns of "soviet technological threat". PMID- 17778772 TI - Endogenous carbon in carbonaceous meteorites. AB - Seven carbonaceous chondrites have been analyzed for soluble organic compounds, carbonate, and residual carbon. Carbon-13/carbon-12 isotopic mneasurements on these fractions gave the following values relative to a marine carbonate standard: carbonate, +40 to +70 per mil; residual carbon, -15 to -17 per mil; soluble organic material, -17 to -27 per mil, with one value of -5.5 per mil. These values are interpreted to indicate that carbonate, residual carbon, and part of the extractable organic material are endogenous to these meteorites. PMID- 17778773 TI - Saturn's Rings: Identification of Water Frost. AB - A recently published infrared spectrum of Saturn's rings resembles our laboratory spectra of water frosts. Furthermore, there are discrepancies between the ring spectrum and ammonia frost spectra in the 2- to 2.5-micro region. These discrepancies render unlikely a reported ideti tification of ammonia frost in the ring spectrum. PMID- 17778774 TI - Fiber composite alloys: preparation by controlled dissociation of metallic solid solutions. AB - Fiber-reinforced alloys have been prepared by the controlled dissociation of gold nickel and aluminum-zinc solid solutions. To cause the dissociation, the alloys were taken from a one-phase field to a two-phase field by lowering the temperature. The new two-phase structure was in each case formed by diffusion controlled processes, and under certain conditions one of the new equilibrium phases appeared in the form of fibers, a few tenths of a micron in diameter, embedded in a matrix of the other. The precipitated phase first appeared in the form of spherical particles, but these aligned and then coalesced to form the fibers. PMID- 17778775 TI - Calcium and salt tolerance of plants. PMID- 17778776 TI - Gordon research conferences. PMID- 17778777 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION MEETING IN PHILADELPHIA. PMID- 17778778 TI - J. PETER LESLEY. PMID- 17778779 TI - BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17778781 TI - THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, 1905. PMID- 17778780 TI - UNIVERSITY REGISTRATION STATISTICS. PMID- 17778782 TI - THE ARRANGEMENT OF MEETING ROOMS. PMID- 17778783 TI - NOTE ON THE FALLING-TO-PIECES OF THE IONS. PMID- 17778784 TI - A LACUSTRINE APHID. PMID- 17778785 TI - THE NEW ORLEANS MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17778786 TI - THE AMERICAN COLLEGE AND LIFE. PMID- 17778787 TI - AMERICAN COLLEGE EDUCATION AND LIFE. PMID- 17778788 TI - THE PROPOSED HAWAIIAN MEETING IN 1910. PMID- 17778789 TI - THE MISSISSIPPI CHANNEL BOTTOM AND GULF LEVEL. PMID- 17778790 TI - THE NAMING OF NEW SPECIES. PMID- 17778791 TI - THE 6-INCH TRANSIT CIRCLE OF THE U. S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17778792 TI - A POSSIBLE ERROR IN THE ESTIMATES OF THE RATE OF GEOLOGIC DENUDATION. PMID- 17778793 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGISTS. PMID- 17778794 TI - What To Do about ESP. PMID- 17778795 TI - Graduate training in astronomy. PMID- 17778796 TI - Detroit fluoride conference. PMID- 17778797 TI - Science critics. PMID- 17778798 TI - Ancient oriental records of novae and supernovae. PMID- 17778799 TI - Oases for the future. PMID- 17778800 TI - Biomedical Policy: LBJ's Query Leads to an Illuminating Conference. PMID- 17778801 TI - LBJ's "Great Congress": Rubber Stamp or Creativity? PMID- 17778802 TI - ONR London: Two Decades of Scientific Quid pro Quo. PMID- 17778804 TI - Research and the munitions list: scientific exchange not always easy. PMID- 17778805 TI - Deep-sea iron deposit from the South pacific. AB - Along with specimens of manganese oxides and basalt, rocks containing more than 30 percent iron by weight and consisting mainly of poorly crystallized goethite have been dredged from the flanks of a seamount located on the East Pacific Rise. The Fe-Mn ratio varies widely among the various oxide rocks deposited at this locality and at another seamount in the same area. The deposit was probably formed by fractional precipitation of iron and manganese which had been introduced locally into the bottom water by hydrothermal solutions of volcanic origin, and by leaching from deep-sea basaltic lavas. PMID- 17778806 TI - Maya blue: a clay-organic pigment? AB - Maya Blue, a pigment used by the Mayas in Yucatan, is remarkably stable: the color is not destroyed by hot concentrated mineral acids or by heating to about 250 degrees C. The principal constituent is the colorless mineral attapulgite. It is proposed that the pigment is an adsorption complex of attapulgite and natural indigo; a synthetic equivalent may be prepared from attapulgite and either indoxylester or indigo, or by applying the vat-dyeing technique, with reduced indigo.The low dye content of the pigment (less than 0.5 percent) indicates that the dye is absorbed only on the external surfaces of the attapulgite particles and not throughout the channels in their structures. The complex as such is not stable to acids, but the stability displayed by Maya Blue is achieved simply by heating the complex to from 75 degrees to 150 degrees C for several days. An analogous stable pigment can be prepared from sepiolite and indigo. No stable pigments could be prepared from clays with platelike structures or from zeolites. PMID- 17778807 TI - Manganese nodules: thorium-230: protactinium-231 ratios. AB - The Th(230): Pa(231) activity ratio in 7 of 11 manganese nodules is less than 10.8, the theoretical production ratio of activities in the ocean. This finding indicates difierential accumulation of these nuclides in authigenic deposits of manganese-iron oxide. PMID- 17778809 TI - World weather watch. PMID- 17778808 TI - Deep layer of sediments in alpine lake in the tropical mid-pacific. AB - Sediments from a unique high-altitude lake on Hawaii indicate ash falls and other airborne and waterborne materials for a period estimated to extend into the Pleistocene. PMID- 17778810 TI - Latin american symposium on catecholamines. PMID- 17778812 TI - THE MISUSE OF PHYSICS BY BIOLOGISTS AND ENGINEERS. PMID- 17778811 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17778813 TI - METEOROLOGY AT THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17778814 TI - RECENT ZOOPALEONTOLOGY. PMID- 17778815 TI - THE ST. LOUIS CONGRESS OF ARTS AND SCIENCE. PMID- 17778816 TI - THE ENDOWMENT OF APPLIED SCIENCE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17778818 TI - Meetings & Conferences. PMID- 17778817 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. PMID- 17778819 TI - Two Barrier Phenomena. PMID- 17778820 TI - Observations on the Daily Movements of Fishes. PMID- 17778821 TI - Methods of Obtaining Quinones from Flour Beetles. PMID- 17778822 TI - The Iron(III)-Phenol Complex in Aqueous Solution. PMID- 17778823 TI - Fashions in Science. PMID- 17778824 TI - Frozen Mushrooms for Class Study. PMID- 17778825 TI - Marine advisory programs. PMID- 17778827 TI - "Miracle" sorghum. PMID- 17778826 TI - Automotive emission standards and fuel economy. PMID- 17778828 TI - Deepwater illumination. PMID- 17778829 TI - Managers of science. PMID- 17778830 TI - Structure of the proton. PMID- 17778831 TI - Innovation in industry and the diffusion of technology. AB - The varied definitions used in the sources that have been discussed make any aggregate analysis difficult. A simple three-stage analysis of flows to, from, and within the firm was used to facilitate comparisons. Even so, each of the generalizations is drawn from relatively small and unrepresentative samples. Case studies may continue to be a source of ideas and hypotheses for further research, but do not appear to offer a means for deeper understanding of the innovation process. The retrospective nature of nearly all of the sources discussed probably means that the process has been viewed as much more rational and well-ordered than it is in fact. This failing is partially overcome in firsthand accounts such as those of Suites and Bueche (63) and Frey and Goldman (64). Each of these accounts involves a successful innovation according to technical or commercial criteria, or both. However, many of the characteristics of innovations that have failed commercially (10) appear to be similar to those of successful cases. The few longitudinal studies, and studies comparing more and less successful cases, do support the main conclusions drawn above (10, 32, 38). More serious problems are raised by the distinctly nonrepresentative nature of the samples used. There are few cases (17, 33, 65) in which the contributions of more than one organization, or details of interactions over a significant period of time, are discussed. There is a wide variation in the importance of the innovations included, ranging from those affecting the economy as a whole to cases involving production in a single firm, albeit with significant commercial results (66). In addition to questions of comparability and sampling, a central problem for further research on innovation will be to devise an operational model to account for interfirm and interindustry differences. Polar definitions used in past studies, "high technology" and "mature industry," for example, are insufficient. One possibility is to use the strategy for growth or competition evident in a firm or an industry, such as sales maximization (automotive), cost minimization (transportation, communications), performance maximization (aircraft, chemicals), or control of materials resources (mining, petroleum), as a basis for drawing distinctions (67). For example, in an industry that seeks to maximize sales, one would expect innovations that would be highly visible to consumers to be developed rapidly (68). In a cost-minimizing situation, production, as opposed to product technology, would be a major source of uncertainty, while the reverse might be the case in a performance-maximizing situation. Greater uncertainty arising from technical sources would imply greater sophistication in effective firms' product planning approaches, while a more stable technology would imply greater sophistication in market research and market-oriented strategies for innovation, and so forth. Much more work is needed along these lines if outcomes of interventions in the innovative process are to be predicted with any accuracy. Some implications for providing incentives and reducing barriers do seem clear from the work to date. Effective directions for federal action lie in strategies such as creating new markets through purchases or procurement policies; aggregating or focusing markets through regulation and other means; providing for market entry by contracts to smaller firms, venture capital, stronger patent protection, and so on; and providing for mobility and informal contacts within the technical community. Technology "push" strategies (such as tax incentives) to increase most research spending, prizes for new technology, and documentation and information retrieval systems would probably be less important in stimulating innovation. Definitive answers will require the most difficult kind of research experiments in the field. Since the interventions required are difficult and expensive in most cases, they will not be under the researcher's control. Nor will the effect of policy changes be visible over a short period. Thus it seems imperative to take advantage of interventions that occur fortuitously to construct "quasi-experiments" (69) with as great a degree of control over other factors as possible. For example, have recent changes in policy regarding federally held patents increased the commercial use of these patents? Have changes in the capital gains laws retarded the development and growth of "spin off" enterprises? Has the identification of technology gaps (3) and competitive opportunities stimulated innovation? The effects of such actions on technical innovation could be carefully observed with a modest but sustained research effort, which promises to yield valuable information beyond that available from largely historical sources. PMID- 17778832 TI - R & d budget: the total is up 10 percent, but. . PMID- 17778833 TI - Energy. PMID- 17778834 TI - Health. PMID- 17778836 TI - Science foundation. PMID- 17778835 TI - Military. PMID- 17778837 TI - Synthetic fuels: will government lend the oil industry a hand? PMID- 17778838 TI - Manganese Nodules (II): Prospects for Deep Sea Mining. PMID- 17778839 TI - Age determination of burned flint by a thermoluminescent method. AB - Interference by tribothermoluminescence and by regeneration thermoluminescence can be eliminated for burned flint if thin polished slices are used instead of the powders conventionally used in thermoluminescent measurements. Measurement of the internal and external radiation dose rates then makes possible the absolute determination of the date of pyrolization of small fragments of chert or chalcedony to an accuracy of about 10 to 15 percent. The method may be usable to ages in the range from 200,000 to 300,000 years before the present (B.P.). For samples from the archeological site at Cariguela in southern Spain dates from 12,000 to 50,000 years B.P. have been determined, covering deposits ranging from Late Paleolithic-Epipaleolithic to Mousterian. One Bronze Age specimen gave an age of 4,300 years B.P., in excellent agreement with the age determined by other methods. PMID- 17778840 TI - Carbon dioxide hydrate and floods on Mars. AB - Ground ice on Mars probably consists largely of carbon dioxide hydrate, CO(2) . 6H(2)O. This hydrate dissociates upon release of pressure at temperatures between 0 degrees and 10 degrees C. The heat capacity of the ground would be sufficient to produce up to 4 percent (by volume) of water at a rate equal to that at which it can be drained away. Catastrophic dissociation of carbon dioxide hydrate during some past epoch when the near surface temperature was in this range would have produced chaotic terrain and flood channels. PMID- 17778841 TI - Tip growth in micrasterias. AB - Methylation of polysaccharides in the growing primary wall of Micrasterias is localized at specific points on the wall which, by analogy with hyphal growth in fungi, are sites of maximum wall extension. Rather than being a direct cause of extension at these points, methylation may indicate an incorporation of hemicellulosic matrix substance that accompanies extension. PMID- 17778842 TI - The casparian strip as a barrier to the movement of lanthanum in corn roots. AB - The effectiveness of the Casparian strip as a barrier to apoplastic movement of solutes from cortex to stele of corn roots was investigated by using lanthanum in combination with electron microscopy. Lanthanum deposits were found only in cell walls and on the outside of the plasma membrane of epidermal, cortical, and endodermal cells up to the Casparian strip. Lanthanum was completely absent from the stele, indicating that the Casparian strip provides an effective barrier to apoplastic movement of solutes. Inhibitory effects of trivalent lanthanum ions on the absorption of potassium ions are discussed in relation to the nature of the lanthanum ion binding site on membranes. PMID- 17778843 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17778844 TI - United States trade. PMID- 17778845 TI - SDI Survey. PMID- 17778846 TI - Nuclear winter debate. PMID- 17778847 TI - Nuclear winter debate. PMID- 17778848 TI - Nuclear winter debate. PMID- 17778849 TI - Nuclear winter debate. PMID- 17778850 TI - Nuclear winter debate. PMID- 17778851 TI - Response: nuclear winter debate. PMID- 17778853 TI - The SSC's Price Tag Troubles Congress: The particle accelerator proposal is the talk of Capitol Hill; legislators worry about the machine's cost. PMID- 17778852 TI - Erratum. AB - In the News & Comment article "Court rejects Rifkin in biotech cases" by Mark Crawford (9 Jan., p. 159), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was incorrectly portrayed as having abandoned biotechnology guidelines issued by the Biotechnology Science Coordinating Committee. The agency continues to endorse the guidelines, but notes they "do not have specific regulatory significance for FDA." PMID- 17778854 TI - Teacher Certification Program Under Way: In an effort to improve standards, status, and pay of science teachers, a novel certification program is being launched. PMID- 17778855 TI - Treaty compliance rated good. PMID- 17778856 TI - Alvin Trivelpiece of DOE Is Named New Executive Officer of AAAS. PMID- 17778857 TI - BioTechnica Tests EPA Review Process. PMID- 17778858 TI - EPA okays field test. PMID- 17778859 TI - Bright Synchrotron Sources Evolve: While funding is not yet assured for all the third-generation synchrotron sources, accelerator scientists are struggling to design a machine that can provide ultrahigh-brightness light. PMID- 17778860 TI - Do-It-Yourself Universes: An analysis of localized inflation suggests that empty space may be spawning universes by the billions, without us ever knowing; was our own universe created this way? PMID- 17778861 TI - Seabed materials. AB - A large catalog of materials has been proposed as potential seabed resources, and some seabed materials such as hydrocarbons and tin already contribute to the world's economy. Scientific advances have increased our knowledge of other seabed prospects, but realization of their potential will be determined by their relative economic accessibility compared to rival resources on land. Examination of existing stocks of conventional resources, and of the economic process by which new resources are added, suggests that most potential sources of seabed materials will not be exploited in the near future. Strategic behavior in seabed materials development, however, implies that investment in exploration and R&D could proceed on a larger scale and at a more rapid pace than might be expected solely on the basis of apparent commercial potential. PMID- 17778862 TI - Covalent Group IV Atomic Clusters. AB - Atomic clusters containing from two to several hundred atoms offer the possibility of studying the transition from molecules to crystalline solids. The covalent group IV elements carbon, silicon, and germanium are now being examined with this long-range objective. These elements are particularly interesting because of the very different character of their crystalline solids and because they are intermediate between metals and insulators in the nature of their bonding. Small mass-selected atom cluster ions are formed by pulsed laser techniques and identified by time-of-flight methods. Laser photoexcitation is used to study the relative stability of these clusters and their modes of fragmentation. These modes for C(n)(+) clusters, which tend to fragment with a characteristic loss of a neutral C(3), are found to be different from the modes for Si(n)(+) and Ge(n)(+) clusters, which tend to fragment to "magic" clusters such as Si(4)(+), Si(6)(+) and Si(10)(+). These experimental results can be accounted for by recent theoretical calculations of the ground-state structure and stability of small silicon and carbon clusters. Several theoretical approaches give consistent results, showing that small silicon clusters are compact and different from small fragments of the bulk crystal. Calculations show that carbon clusters change from linear structures toward cyclic structures as the cluster size increases, but with significant odd-even differences. PMID- 17778863 TI - Dianion Stabilization by (M(C5(CH3)5)2)+: Theoretical Evidence for a Localized Ring in (DDQ)2-. AB - Organic dianions have been stabilized by (M(C(5)(CH(3))(5))(2))(+), where M is iron or cobalt. This has allowed the structural and spectroscopic characterization of these dianions. The structure of (M(C(5)(CH(3))(5))(2))(2)(+) (DDQ)(2-), where DDQ is 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone, has been determined by x-ray crystallography. The structure of (DDQ)(2-)is consistent with ab initio molecular orbital calculations that suggest a localizd as opposed to a delocalized (aromatic) ring structure. PMID- 17778864 TI - Environmentalism and equity: distributional conflicts in environmental resource policy. PMID- 17778865 TI - Life of an astrophysicist: my daughter beatrice. PMID- 17778866 TI - Genetic abnormalities: the consequences of chromosome imbalance. PMID- 17778867 TI - Japanese prehistory: prehistoric hunter-gatherers in Japan. PMID- 17778868 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17778869 TI - ON THE FUNDAMENTAL HYPOTHESES OF ABSTRACT DYNAMICS. PMID- 17778870 TI - THE GREAT LAKE BASINS. PMID- 17778871 TI - THE HOPKINS SEASIDE LABORATORY. PMID- 17778872 TI - THE ANTENNAe AND STING OF YIKILCAB AS COMPONENTS IN THE MAYA DAY-SIGNS. PMID- 17778873 TI - The English Sparrow and Other Birds. PMID- 17778874 TI - The Palenque Tablet. PMID- 17778876 TI - Venus. PMID- 17778875 TI - On Maya Chronology. PMID- 17778877 TI - Remote sensing of surface ocean circulation with satellite altimetry. AB - The Geodynamics Experimental Ocean Satellite (GEOS-3) radar altimeter has provided some information on the dynamic sea-surface topography of the global oceans. Regional studies of the densely surveyed Sargasso Sea indicate that the average nontidal variability of the oceans is +/- 28 centimeters. Sea-surface highs and lows determined from GEOS-3 altimetry correlate favorably with eddy structures inferred from Nimbus-6 infrared imagery. PMID- 17778878 TI - Carter hails solar age in presolstice rite. PMID- 17778879 TI - Postscripts. PMID- 17778880 TI - Philippine president halts reactor construction. PMID- 17778881 TI - AAAS IV Is Curtain Raiser on Innovation. PMID- 17778882 TI - Development institute derailed. PMID- 17778883 TI - Will New Training Grants Lure M.D.'s? PMID- 17778884 TI - New testing methods could boost air safety. PMID- 17778885 TI - Einstein Pictures the X-ray Sky. PMID- 17778886 TI - Chinese scientists visit United States. PMID- 17778887 TI - Report on the 40th ANZAAS Congress. PMID- 17778888 TI - Congressional forum set. PMID- 17778890 TI - CSFR to Study Professional Ethics. PMID- 17778889 TI - Help! PMID- 17778891 TI - 1979-80 chautauqua-type short courses. PMID- 17778892 TI - Individuals and aggregates. PMID- 17778893 TI - Astronomy and other subjects. PMID- 17778894 TI - Mesoamerican settlements. PMID- 17778895 TI - Pioneer venus results: an overview. AB - A summary is presented of the scientific results obtained during the first 120 days of the Pioneer Venus orbiter mission and produced by analysis of multiprobe data as of about 1 April 1979. The summary is essentially a guide to the material presented in the reports devoted to Pioneer Venus results in this issue of Science. PMID- 17778896 TI - Encounter with venus: an update. AB - This report is an introduction to the accompanying collection of early results from the Pioneer Venus orbiter and multiprobe missions, which encountered Venus on 4 December and 9 December 1978, respectively. Initial results for the multiprobe mission and for the first 30 days of the orbiter mission were reported in the 23 February issue of Science. Additional mission features and updated mission parameters based on refined tracking data and trajectory computations are presented here. New scientific results for both missions are given in the subsequent reports which cover the first 130 days (or orbits) of the nominal 243 day orbiter mission. PMID- 17778897 TI - Thermal contrast in the atmosphere of venus: initial appraisal from pioneer venus probe data. AB - The altitude profiles of temperature and pressure measured during the descent of the four Pioneer Venus probes show small contrast below the clouds but significant differences within the clouds at altitudes from 45 to 61 kilometers. At 60 kilometers, the probe which entered at 59.3 degrees north latitude sensed temperatures 25 K below those of the lower latitude probes, and a sizable difference persisted down to and slightly below the cloud base. It also sensed pressure below those of the other probes by as much as 49 millibars at a mean pressure of 200 millibars. The measured pressure differences are consistent with cyclostrophic balance of zonal winds ranging from 130 +/- 20 meters per second at 60 kilometers to 60 +/- 17 meters per second at 40 kilometers, with evidence in addition of a nonaxisymmetric component of the winds. The clouds were found to be 10 to 20 K warmer than the extended profiles of the lower atmosphere, and the middle cloud is convectively unstable. Both phenomena are attributed to the absorption of thermal radiation from below. Above the clouds, in the lower stratosphere, the lapse rate decreases abruptly to 3.5 K per kilometer, and a superimposed wave is evident. At 100 kilometers, the temperature is minimum, with a mean value of about 170 K. PMID- 17778898 TI - Composition and structure of the venus atmosphere: results from pioneer venus. AB - Results from the Pioneer Venus sounder probe neutral mass spectrometer indicate that there is no difference in the isotopic ratios of carbon and oxygen between Venus and Earth to within +/- 5 percent. The mixing ratio of nitrogen is 3.5(+3)( 2) percent with an isotopic ratio within 20 percent of that of Earth. The ratio of argon-36 to argon-40 is 85 percent, and the ratio of argon-38 to argon-36 is 20 percent. The mixing ratios of argon-36 and argon-40 are approximately 40 and 50 parts per million, respectively, with an error of about a factor of 2 (mainly toward a lesser amount) resulting from uncertainty in the response of the ion pump to rare gases. Hydrogen chloride cannot account for more than a few percent of the 36 mass peak, and therefore the large excess of primordial argon is a reasonable conclusion. The ratio of neon-20 to argon-36 of 0.5 +/- 0.3 is definitely terrestrial in character rather than solar. These results indicate that there is a large excess of all primordial noble gases on Venus relative to Earth. There appears to be a considerably higher abundance of sulfur compounds below 20 kilometers than in or above the main cloud layer. The 32 and 60 mass peaks show a sharp increase below 22 kilometers, indicating the possible production of sulfur and carbon oxysulfide (COS) at the expense of sulfur dioxide. PMID- 17778899 TI - Laboratory corroboration of the pioneer venus gas chromatograph analyses. AB - Laboratory simulation and tests of the inlet sampling system and columns of the Pioneer Venus gas chromatograph show that the sensitivity to argon is not diminished after the column regeneration step, argon isotopes are not separated, oxygen and sulfur dioxide are not produced in the inlet sampling system from sulfur trioxide, and sulfur trioxide is not formed from sulfur dioxide and oxygen. Comparisons of the volatile inventory of Venus and Earth imply similar efficiencies of early outgassing but a lower efficiency for later outgassing in the case of Venus. The high oxidation state of the Venus atmosphere in the region of cloud formation may prohibit the generation of elemental sulfur particles. PMID- 17778900 TI - Venus upper atmosphere neutral gas composition: first observations of the diurnal variations. AB - Measurements of the composition, temperature, and diurnal variations of the major neutral constituents in the thermosphere of Venus are being made with a quadrupole mass spectrometer on the Pioneer Venus orbiter. Concentrations of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, molecular nitrogen, atomic oxygen, and helium are presented, in addition to an empirical model of the data. The concentrations of the heavy gases, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and molecular nitrogen, rapidly decrease from the evening terminator toward the nightside; the concentration of atomic oxygen remains nearly constant and the helium concentration increases, an indication of a nightside bulge. The kinetic temperature inferred from scale heights drops rapidly from 230 K at the terminator to 130 K at a solar zenith angle of 120 degrees , and to 112 K at the antisolar point. PMID- 17778901 TI - Implications of the gas compositional measurements of pioneer venus for the origin of planetary atmospheres. AB - Comparisons are made between the volatile inventories of the terrestrial planets, including Pioneer Venus data, and the predictions of three classes of theories for the origin of planetary atmospheres. Serious difficulties arise for the primary atmosphere and external source hypotheses. The grain accretion hypothesis can account for the trends in the volatile inventory from Venus to Earth to Mars, if volatiles were incorporated into planet-forming grains at nearly the same temperature for all of these planets, but at systematically lower pressures in the regions of planet formation farther from the center of the solar nebula. PMID- 17778902 TI - Ultraviolet night airglow of venus. AB - The night airglow spectrum of Venus in the ultraviolet is dominated by the v' = 0 progressions of the gamma and delta bands of nitric oxide. The bands are produced by two-body radiative recombination of nitrogen and oxygen atoms. Since the source of these atoms is in the dayside thermosphere, the night airglow is a tracer of the day-to-night thermospheric circulation. The airglow is brightest at equatorial latitudes, and at longitudes on the morning side of the antisolar meridian. PMID- 17778903 TI - Short-term cyclic variations and diurnal variations of the venus upper atmosphere. AB - Measurements of satellite drag obtained from the orbital decay of the Pioneer Venus orbiter on the nightside of Venus indicate an atomic oxygen atmosphere near 155 kilometers (an order of magnitude less dense than expected) with nighttime inferred exospheric temperatures averaging as low as 110 K. Densities at these altitudes decrease sharply from day to night, contrary to the predicted nighttime oxygen bulge. This decrease may be indicative of an unexpectedly weak transport across the evening terminator or a very strong heat sink at night that is possibly related to vertical eddy heat transport. Large periodic oscillations in density and inferred exospheric temperature are detected with a period of 5 to 6 days. We have subsequently discovered temperature variations of the same period in the stratosphere, which are tentatively interpreted as planetary-scale waves that may propagate upward producing the periodic variations in the thermosphere and exosphere. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the temperature oscillations associated with these waves apparently increases with altitude approximately as follows: 1 K (70 kilometers), 3 K (90 kilometers), 40 K (155 kilometers). Inferred nighttime exospheric temperatures are found to be asymmetric relative to midnight, minimizing on the morning side. The possibility of superrotation of the thermosphere, and exosphere is discussed. PMID- 17778904 TI - Temperature, cloud structure, and dynamics of venus middle atmosphere by infrared remote sensing from pioneer orbiter. AB - Further results from the Venus orbiter radiometric temperature experiment (VORTEX) on the Pioneer orbiter are presented. These are used to characterize the three-dimensional temperature field, the cloud structure, and the dynamics of the 60-to 130-kilometer altitude region of the Venus atmosphere. One of the new discoveries is a "dipole" structure at high latitudes, with two hot spots rotating around the pole, surrounded by banks of cold cloud. PMID- 17778905 TI - Further results of the pioneer venus nephelometer experiment. AB - Backscattering data for the nephelometer experiments conducted aboard the Pioneer Venus mission probes, including data up to the highest altitudes measured by the probes, are presented. A few small signals were detected below the main cloud deck. Ambient radiation was measured at near-ultraviolet and visible wavelengths; the variation of extinction of near-ultraviolet with altitude is inferred. Ambient radiance decreased more rapidly at 530 than at 745 nanometers in the lower atmosphere. PMID- 17778906 TI - Clouds of venus: a preliminary assessment of microstructure. AB - The multimodal microstructure of the Venus cloud system has been examined. In addition to confirmed H(2)SO(4) droplets and suspected elemental sulfur, a highly concentrated aerosol population has been observed extending above, within, and below the cloud system. These aerosols appear to cycle through the cloud droplets, but can never be removed by the weak precipitation mechanisms present. All cloud particles are likely laced with aerosol contaminants. Sedimentation and decomposition of H(2)SO(4) in the droplets of the lower cloud region contribute more than 7 watts per square meter of heat flux equaling one-fourth of the solar net flux at 50 kilometers. PMID- 17778907 TI - Cloud images from the pioneer venus orbiter. AB - Ultraviolet images of Venus over a 3-month period show marked evolution of the planetary scale features in the cloud patterns. The dark horizontal Y feature recurs quasi-periodically, at intervals of about 4 days, but it has also been absent for periods of several weeks. Bow-shaped features observed in Pioneer Venus images are farther upstream from the subsolar point than those in Mariner 10 images. PMID- 17778908 TI - Nature of the ultraviolet absorber in the venus clouds: inferences based on pioneer venus data. AB - Several photometric measurements of Venus made from the Pioneer Venus orbiter and probes indicate that solar near-ultraviolet radiation is being absorbed throughout much of the main cloud region, but little above the clouds or within the first one or two optical depths. Radiative transfer calculations were carried out to simulate both Pioneer Venus and ground-based data for a number of proposed cloud compositions. This comparison rules out models invoking nitrogen dioxide, meteoritic material, and volatile metals as the source of the ultraviolet absorption. Models involving either small ( approximately 1 micrometer) or large ( approximately 10 micrometers) sulfur particles have some serious difficulties, while ones invoking sulfur dioxide gas appear to be promising. PMID- 17778909 TI - Absorption of sunlight in the atmosphere of venus. AB - In this report the fluxes measured by the solar flux radiometer (LSFR) of the Pioneer Venus large probe are compared with calculations for model atmospheres. If the large particles of the middle and lower clouds are assumed to be sulfur, strong, short-wavelength absorption results in a net flux profile significantly different from the LSFR net flux measurements. Models in which the smallest particles are assumed to be sulfur gave flux profiles consistent with the measurements if an additional source of absorption is included in the upper cloud. The narrowband data from 0.590 to 0.665 micrometer indicate an absorption optical depth of about 0.05 below the cloud bottom. The broadband data imply that either this absorption extends over a considerable wavelength interval (as might be the case for dust) or that a very strong absorption band lies on one side of the narrowband filter (as suggested by early Venera 11 and Venera 12 reports). Thermal balance calculations based on the measured visible fluxes indicate high surface temperature for reasonable assumptions of cloud opacity and water vapor abundance. The lapse rate becomes convective within the middle cloud. For water mixing ratios of 2.0 x 10(-4) below the clouds we find a subadiabatic region extending from the cloud bottom to altitudes near 35 kilometers. PMID- 17778910 TI - Preliminary results of the pioneer venus small probe net flux radiometer experiment. AB - Net radiation measurements in the atmosphere of Venus indicate that the bulk of the atmosphere is radiatively cooling at high latitudes and heating at low latitudes. Similarity of features observed by all three probes indicate planetwide stratification. Flux variations within the clouds provide evidence of significant differences in cloud structure. A feature of unusually large opacity found near 60 kilometers at the north probe site is probably related to the unique circulation regime revealed by ultraviolet and infrared imagery. A stable layer between the cloud bottoms and about 35 kilometers contains several features in the flux profiles probably resulting from large-scale compositional stratifications rather than clouds. In the layer below 35 kilometers unexpectedly large fluxes were observed. PMID- 17778911 TI - Venus winds are zonal and retrograde below the clouds. AB - Winds in the lower atmosphere of Venus, inferred from three-dimensional radio interferometric tracking of the descents of the Pioneer day and north probes, are predominantly easterly with speeds of about 1 meter per second near the surface, 50 meters per second at the bottom of the clouds, and more than 200 meters per second within the densest, middle cloud layer. Between about 25 and 55 kilometers altitude the average flow was slanted equatorward, with superimposed wavelike motions and alternating layers of high and low shear. PMID- 17778912 TI - Measurements of turbulence in the venus atmosphere deduced from pioneer venus multiprobe radio scintillations. AB - The 2.3-gigahertz log-amplitude fluctuations observed in the radio links of the Pioneer Venus entry probes during Venus encounter have been used to study turbulence in the Venus atmosphere. The deduced estimates of the upper bound of structure constant c(n) of the refractive index fluctuations (c(n) less, similar 4 x 10(-8) cm(-(1/3))) are inconsistent with similar entry probe measurements by Veneras 4 to 8 but are consistent with the radio occultation measurements by flyby (Mariners 5 and 10) and orbiting (Venerat 9) spacecraft. The Pioneer Venus measurements therefore provide a resolution of the long-standing order of magnitude discrepancy between these earlier measurements of c(n). PMID- 17778913 TI - Venus: preliminary topographic and surface imaging results from the pioneer orbiter. AB - Three large Venus surface features, identified previously in images obtained from Earth-based radar observations, are shown by the Pioneer Venus radar mapper to be elevated 5 to 10 kilometers above the surrounding terrain. Two of these features, one bright and the other dark, lie adjacent to each other astride the 65 degrees N parallel between longitudes 310 degrees E and 10 degrees E. The combined region forms a huge tectonically uplifted plateau, surmounted by radar-bright ridges that may have either a volcanic or tectonic origin. The third feature, located at 30 degrees N, 283 degrees E, is radar-bright and may consist of volcanic material extruded along a fault zone. A first radar-scattering image, compiled from data obtained by the mapper in its imaging mode, shows a region north of the equator; several circular depressions seen in this area may result from meteoritic impact. PMID- 17778914 TI - Gravity field of venus: a preliminary analysis. AB - The line-of-sight gravity field for Venus has been mapped by tracking the Pioneer Venus spacecraft in the vicinity of periapsis for a 45 degrees swath of longitude eastward of 294 degrees . There are consistent and systematic variations in the gravity signature from orbit to orbit, attesting to the reality of observed anomalies. Orbit 93 passes over a large positive topographic feature, the "northern plateau," for which there is no corresponding gravity signature. If this region has no isostatic compensation, the gravity signal would exceed the noise level by a factor of 7. The results of simulation modeling indicate that the northern plateau must be compensated at depths of about 100 kilometers or less. The long-wavelength anomalies seen in the Venus gravity data have been Fourier-decomposed along the orbital tracks and compared to analogous spectra for Earth. The gross power in the two mean spectra is approximately, the same, but systematic variations among the harmonics suggest differences in dynamic processes or lithospheric behavior, or both, for the two planets. PMID- 17778915 TI - Ionosphere of venus: first observations of day-night variations of the ion composition. AB - The Bennett radio-frequency ion mass spectrometer on the Pioneer Venus orbiter is returning the first direct composition evidence of the processes responsible for the formation and maintenance of the nightside ionosphere. Early results from predusk through the nightside in the solar zenith angle range 63 degrees (dusk) to 120 degrees (dawn) reveal that, as on the dayside, the lower nightside ionosphere consists of F(1)and F(2) layers dominated by O(2)(+) and O(+), respectively. Also like the dayside, the nightside composition includes distributions of NO(+), C(+), N(+), H(+), He(+), CO(2)(+), and 28(+) (a combination of CO(+) and N(2)(+)). The surprising abundance of the nightside ionosphere appears to be maintained by the transport of O(+) from the dayside, leading also to the formation of O(2)(+) through charge exchange with CO(2). Above the exobase, the upper nightside ionosphere exhibits dramatic variability in apparent response to variations in the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field, with the ionopause extending to several thousand kilometers on one orbit, followed by the complete rertnoval of thermal ions to altitudes below 200 kilometers on the succeeding orbit, 24 hours later. In the upper ionosphere, considerable structure is evident in many of the nightside ion profiles. Also evident are horizontal ion drifts with velocities up to the order of 1 kilometer per second. Whereas the duskside ionopause is dominated by O(+) H(+) dominates the topside on the dawnside of the antisolar point, indicating two separate regions for ion depletion in the magnetic tail regions. PMID- 17778916 TI - Initial observations of the nightside ionosphere of venus from pioneer venus orbiter radio occultations. AB - Pioneer Venus orbiter dual-frequency radio occultation measurements have produced many electron density profiles of the nightside ionosphere of Venus. Thirty-six of these profiles, measured at solar zenith angles (chi) from 90.60 degrees to 163.5 degrees , are discussed here. In the "deep" nightside ionosphere (chi > 110 degrees ), the structure and magnitude of the ionization peak are highly variable; the mean peak electron density is 16,700 +/- 7,200 (standard deviation) per cubic centimeter. In contrast, the altitude of the peak remains fairly constant with a mean of 142.2 +/- 4.1 kilometers, virtually identical to the altitude of the main peak of the dayside terminator ionosphere. The variations in the peak ionization are not directly related to contemporal variations in the solar wind speed. It is shown that electron density distributions similar to those observed in both magnitude and structure can be produced by the precipitation on the nightside of Venus of electron fluxes of about 108 per square centimeter per second with energies less than 100 electron volts. This mechanism could very likely be responsible for the maintenance of the persistent nightside ionosphere of Venus, although transport processes may also be important. PMID- 17778917 TI - Empirical models of the electron temperature and density in the nightside venus ionosphere. AB - Empirical models of the electron temperature and electron density of the late afternoon and nightside Venus ionosphere have been derived from Pioneer Venus measurements acquired between 10 December 1978 and 23 March 1979. The models describe the average ionosphere conditions near 18 degrees N latitude between 150 and 700 kilometers altitude for solar zenith angles of 80 degrees to 180 degrees . The average index of solar flux was 200. A major feature of the density model is the factor of 10 decrease beyond 90 degrees followed by a very gradual decrease between 120 degrees and 180 degrees . The density at 150 degrees is about five times greater than observed by Venera 9 and 10 at solar minimum (solar flux approximately 80), a difference that is probably related to the effects of increased solar activity on the processes that maintain the nightside ionosphere. The nightside electron density profile from the model (above 150 kilometers) can be reproduced theoretically either by transport of 0(+) ions from the dayside or by precipitation of low-energy electrons. The ion transport process would require a horizontal flow velocity of about 300 meters per second, a value that is consistent with other Pioneer Venus observations. Although currently available energetic electron data do not yet permit the role of precipitation to be evaluated quantitatively, this process is clearly involved to some extent in the formation of the nightside ionosphere. Perhaps the most surprising feature of the temperature model is that the electron temperature remains high throughout the nightside ionosphere. These high nocturnal temperatures and the existence of a well-defined nightside ionopause suggest that energetic processes occur across the top of the entire nightside ionosphere, maintaining elevated temperatures. A heat flux of 2 x 10(10) electron volts per square centimeter per second, introduced at the ionopause, is consistent with the average electron temperature profile on the nightside at a solar zenith angle of 140 degrees . PMID- 17778918 TI - Thermal Structure and Energy Influx to the Day-and Nightside Venus Ionosphere. AB - Pioneer Venus in situ measurements made with the retarding potential analyzer reveal strong variations in the nightside ionospheric plasma density from location to location in some orbits and from orbit to orbit. The ionopause is evident at night as a relatively abrupt decrease in the thermal plasma concentration from a few hundred to ten or fewer ions per cubic centimeter. The nightside ion and electron temperatures above an altitude of 250 kilometers, within the ionosphere and away from the terminator, are comparable in magnitude and have a value at the ionopause of approximately 8000 K. The electron temperature increases from a few tens of thousands of degrees Kelvin just outside the ionopause to several hundreds of thoussands of degrees Kelvin further into the shocked solar wind. The coldest ion temperatures measured at an altitude of about 145 kilometers are 140 to 150 K and are still evidently above the neutral temperature. Preliminary day-and nightside model ion and electron temperature height profiles are compared with measured profiles. To raise the model ion temperature to the measured ion temperature on both day-and nightsides, it was necessary to include an ion energy source of the order of 4 x 10(-3) erg per square centimeter per second, presumably Joule heating. The heat flux through the electron gas from the solar wind into the neutral atmosphere averaged over day and night may be as large as 0.05 erg per square centimeter per second. Integrated over the planet surface, this heat flux represents one-tenth of the solar wind energy expended in drag on the sunward ionopause hemisphere. PMID- 17778919 TI - Comparison of calculated and measured ion densities on the dayside of venus. AB - Datafrom the Pioneer Venus ion mass spectrometers are compared with model calculations of the ion density distributions appropriate for daytime conditions. The model assumes diffusive equilibrium upper boundary conditions for the major ions (O(2)(+), O(+), CO(2)(+), He(+), and H(+)); the agreement between the calculated and measured gross behavior of these ions is reasonably good except for H(+), which may be influenced strongly by convective transport processes. The distributions of five minor ions (C(+), N(+), NO(+), CO(+), and N(2)(+)) are also calculated for the chemically controlled region ( less, similar 200 kilometers); the agreements are, in general, poor, an indication that our present understanding of the Venus minor ion chemistry is still incomplete. PMID- 17778920 TI - Venus ionosphere: photochemical and thermal diffusion control of ion composition. AB - The major photochemical sources and sinks for ten of the ions measured by the ion mass spectrometer on the Pioneer Venus bus and orbiter spacecraft that are consistent with the neutral gas composition measured on the same spacecraft have been identified. The neutral gas temperature (Tn) as a function of solar zenith angle (chi) derived from measured ion distributions in photochemical equilibrium is given by Tn (K) = 323 cos(1/5)chi. Above 200 kilometers, the altitude behavior of ions is generally controlled by plasma diffusion, with important modifications for minor ions due to thermal diffusion resulting from the observed gradients of plasma temperatures. The dayside equilibrium distributions of ions are sometimes perturbed by plasma convection, while lateral transport of ions from the dayside seems to be a major source of the nightside ionosphere. PMID- 17778921 TI - Absorption of whistler mode waves in the ionosphere of venus. AB - It is shown that whistler mode waves from the ionosheath of Venus are absorbed by Landau damping at the dayside ionosphere boundary. This process heats the ionospheric electrons and it may provide an important energy input into the dayside ionosphere. Cyclotron damping of the waves does not occur in the same region. However, Landau damping of ionosheath waves is apparently not an important energy source in the nightside ionosphere. Impulsive events in the nightside ionosphere seem to fall into two classes: (i) lightning signals (near periapsis) and (ii) noise, which may be caused by gradient or current instabilities. PMID- 17778922 TI - Initial pioneer venus magnetic field results: nightside observations. AB - Initial observations by the Pioneer Venus magnetometer on the nightside of Venus frequently reveal moderately strong fields from 20 to 30 nanoteslas. However, there is little evidence that thesefields arise from an internal dynamo since they are mainly horizontal and vary from orbit to orbit. Determining a precise upper limit to the intrinsic moment awaits further processing. This limit is expected to be much less than 10(22) gauss-cubic centimeters. PMID- 17778923 TI - Electron observations and ion flows from the pioneer venus orbiter plasma analyzer experiment. AB - Additional plasma measurements in the vicinity of Venus are presented which show that (i) there are three distinct plasma electron populations-solar wind electrons, ionosheath electrons, and nightside ionosphere electrons; (ii) the plasma ion flow pattern in the ionosheath is consistent with deflected flow around a blunt obstacle; (iii) the plasma ion flow velocities near the downstream wake may, at times, be consistent with the deflection of plasma into the tail, closing the solar wind cavity downstream from Venus at a relatively close distance (within 5 Venus radii) to the planet; (iv) there is a separation between the inner boundary of the downstream ionosheath and the upper boundary of the nightside ionosphere; and (v) during the first 4.5 months in orbit the measured solar wind plasma speed continued to vary, showing a number of high-speed, but generally nonrecurrent, streams. PMID- 17778924 TI - Gamma-ray burst observations by pioneer venus orbiter. AB - The Pioneer Venus orbiter gamma burst detector is an astrophysics experiment for monitoring cosmic gamma-ray bursts. It is included in this planetary mission to provide a long baseline for accurately locating the sources ofthese bursts in order to identify them with specific astronomical objects. Responses to 14 gammaray burst events were examined; these events were verified from data acquired by other systems. Preliminary locations are proposed for three events, based on data from the Pioneer Venus orbiter, ISEE C, and Vela spacecraft. These locations will be improved, and additional locations will be determined by including in the analyses data from Helios B and the Russian Venera 11, Venera 12, and Prognoz 7 spacecraft. PMID- 17778925 TI - Continuation methods. PMID- 17778926 TI - Continuation methods. PMID- 17778927 TI - Nuclear risk. PMID- 17778929 TI - The software review section. PMID- 17778928 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17778930 TI - Ballistic missile defense: cost of space-based laser. PMID- 17778932 TI - Erratum. AB - In the News & Comment article "The Chesapeake Bay's difficult comeback" by Marjorie Sun (15 Aug., p. 715), the size of the Bay was reported incorrectly to be 64,000 square miles. It is the Bay's watershed that spans 64,000 square miles. The Bay itself covers more than 2,500 square miles of surface area, according to Environmnental Protection Agency figures. PMID- 17778931 TI - Response: ballistic missile defense: cost of space-based laser. PMID- 17778933 TI - Spanking and rationality. PMID- 17778934 TI - ICSU General Assembly. PMID- 17778935 TI - Arms Control: Modest But Neutral Record: Agreements reached in the 1960's and 1970's have had limited impact but have not harmed U.S. interests. PMID- 17778936 TI - Xerox launches learning institute. PMID- 17778937 TI - Russians querying u.s. Sovietologists. PMID- 17778938 TI - Overseas field tests under fire. PMID- 17778939 TI - Preliminary agreement reached on u.s.-Soviet space cooperation. PMID- 17778940 TI - Glittering prize. PMID- 17778941 TI - Industrial r&d slowing. PMID- 17778942 TI - Grant aftershocks. PMID- 17778943 TI - Visions of sugarplums. PMID- 17778944 TI - France to produce binary weapons? PMID- 17778945 TI - In Ecology, Change Brings Stability: Managers of reserves are faced with the challenge of preserving species diversity; counterintuitively, the best policy to prevent long-term change is to allow short-term change. PMID- 17778946 TI - Zoos and botanical gardens. PMID- 17778948 TI - Aaas annual meeting. PMID- 17778947 TI - Is Diamond the New Wonder Material?: American researchers growing diamond films are scrambling to catch up with their Soviet and Japanese counterparts with the help of money from the Star Wars office. PMID- 17778949 TI - Venus: dead or alive? AB - In situ nightside electric field observations from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter have been interpreted as evidence of extensive lightning in the lower atmosphere of Venus. The scenario, including proposed evidence of clustering of lightning over surface highland regions, has encouraged the acceptance of currently active volcanic output as part of several investigations of the dynamics and chemistry of the atmosphere and the geology of the planet. However, the correlation between the 100-hertz electric field events attributed to lightning and nightside ionization troughs resulting from the interaction of the solar wind with the ionosphere indicates that the noise results from locally generated plasma instabilities and not from any behavior of the lower atmosphere. Furthermore, analysis of the spatial distribution of the noise shows that it is not clustered over highland topography, but rather occurs at random throughout the latitude and longitude regions sampled by the orbiter during the first 5 years of operation, from 1978 to 1984. Thus the electric field observations do not identify lightning and do not provide a basis for inferring the presence of currently active volcanic output. In the absence of known evidence to the contrary, it appears that Venus is no longer active. PMID- 17778950 TI - Assessing the accuracy of polls and surveys. AB - Direct measurements of public opinion about national affairs appear with increasing frequency in all of the mass media. While such survey results are often with statements as to expected error margins, discrepancies between multiple surveys in the news at the same time on what seem to be the same topics may convince casual consumers that such error margins must be considerably understated. A brief review of the several sources of variability and fixed bias in such surveys provides a clearer frame of reference for the evaluation of such data. PMID- 17778951 TI - Antarctica: measuring glacier velocity from satellite images. AB - Many Landsat images of Antarctica show distinctive flow and crevasse features in the floating part of ice streams and outlet glaciers immediately below their grounding zones. Some of the features, which move with the glacier or ice stream, remain visible over many years and thus allow time-lapse measurements of ice velocities. Measurements taken from Landsat images of features on Byrd Glacier agree well with detailed ground and aerial observations. The satellite-image technique thus offers a rapid and cost-effective method of obtaining average velocities, to a first order of accuracy, of many ice streams and outlet glaciers near their termini. PMID- 17778952 TI - Long-term downward trend in total solar irradiance. AB - The first 5 years (from 1980 to 1985) of total solar irradiance observations by the first Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM I) experiment on board the Solar Maximum Mission spacecraft show a clearly defined downward trend of -0.019% per year. The existence of this trend has been confirmed by the internal self-calibrations of ACRIM I, by independent measurements from sounding rockets and balloons, and by observations from the Nimbus-7 spacecraft. The trend appears to be due to unpredicted variations of solar luminosity on time scales of years, and it may be related to solar cycle magnetic activity. PMID- 17778954 TI - Metal-rich layers in pelagic sediments. PMID- 17778953 TI - Response: metal-rich layers in pelagic sediments. PMID- 17778955 TI - Assumptions underlying health policy: health policies, health politics. PMID- 17778956 TI - Migrationism exemplified: migrations in prehistory. PMID- 17778957 TI - A military technology: the poisonous cloud. PMID- 17778958 TI - African populations: the peoples of southern Africa and their affinities. PMID- 17778959 TI - Microcomputers and phylogenetic analysis. AB - The programs discussed above show how microcomputers have added to the arsenal of systematic biologists. This is a rapidly developing field, and there are no doubt major changes on the horizon. Swofford is working on a new version of PAUP that will have some of the interactive features of MacClade (and will not require a math coprocessor) and there are efforts under way to make PAUP available on Macintosh. PHYLIP has undergone a steady evolution since its release, and Felsenstein has plans to continue that policy. A microcomputer descendant of the large mainframe program PHYSYS, authored by James S. Farris, is supposed to be forthcoming before the end of the year. Just as this review was being completed, J. Rohlf and R. Sokal of the State University of New York at Stony Brook unveiled a beta-test microcomputer version of their phenetic program package, NT-SYS. Inasmuch as it was not in release form and does not include algorithms specifically designed to do phylogenetic analysis, it has not been included here (although some phenetic techniques, such as UPGMA, produce results similar to parsimony trees under certain assumptions). PMID- 17778961 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17778960 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17778962 TI - Investing in the future. PMID- 17778963 TI - Radioactive waste storage. PMID- 17778964 TI - National biological service. PMID- 17778965 TI - Songbird ecosystem function and conservation. PMID- 17778966 TI - Corrections and clarifications. AB - Figure 1 (p. 1061) of the report "Revival and identification of bacterial spores in 25- to 40-million-year-old Dominican amber" by R. J. Cano and M. K. Borucki (19 May, p. 1060) was incorrect. The correct figure appears below. [See figure in the pdf file]. PMID- 17778967 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17778968 TI - Bellcore looks for a connection. PMID- 17778969 TI - Republicans Take Ax to NOAA Research. PMID- 17778970 TI - At the heart of earthquakes, seismologists look for pulse. PMID- 17778971 TI - Grown-up physicists play serious games in the sandbox. PMID- 17778972 TI - Siberia: surprising home for early modern humans. PMID- 17778973 TI - Elite science in a poor country. PMID- 17778974 TI - Universities struggle with the legacy of apartheid. PMID- 17778975 TI - Mineral resources, environmental issues, and land use. AB - Contrary to predictions from the 1950s through the mid-1980s, persistent shortages of nonfuel minerals have not occurred, despite prodigious consumption, and world reserves have increased. Global availability of raw materials is relevant to policy decisions regarding mineral development and land use. Justification for environmental protection may exceed that for mining a specific ore body. Demand for environmental accountability is rising worldwide, and new technologies are enabling internalization of costs. Mineral-rich developing nations plagued by inefficient state-owned mining enterprises, high population growth rates, and environmental degradation could realize substantial benefit by reforming government policies to encourage foreign investment in resources and by appropriate allocation of mineral rents. PMID- 17778976 TI - Pressure-Tuned Fermi Resonance in Ice VII. AB - Fermi resonance was observed between the OH stretch and the overtone of the OH bending modes of HDO molecules contaminated in phase VII of D(2)O ice over the pressure range from 17 to 30 gigapascals. An anharmonic coupling constant, which is related to the potential energy surface on which hydrogen-bonded protons oscillate, was found to range around 50 wave numbers through the resonant pressure range. Its experimentally obtained magnitude and pressure-insensitive behavior will be useful for theoretical studies of the potential energy surface and hence of the nature of hydrogen bonding in ice. PMID- 17778977 TI - Mesostructure design with gemini surfactants: supercage formation in a three dimensional hexagonal array. AB - At low temperatures, liquid crystal-like arrays made up of inorganic-cluster and organic molecular units readily undergo reversible lyotropic transformations. Gemini surfactants, with two quaternary ammonium head groups separated by a methylene chain of variable length and with each head group attached to a hydrophobic tail, can be used to control organic charge sitting relative to the bivariable hydrophobic tail configurations. This approach has led to the synthesis of a mesophase (SBA-2) that has three-dimensional hexagonal (P6(3)/mmc) symmetry, regular supercages that can be dimensionally tailored, and a large inner surface area. This mesostructure analog of a zeolite cage structure does not appear to have a lyotropic surfactant or lipid liquid crystal mesophase counterpart. Through the modification of gemini charge separation and each of the two organic tails, these syntheses can be used to optimize templating effects, including the synthesis of MCM-48 at room temperature. PMID- 17778978 TI - Solar-Like M-Class X-ray Flares on Proxima Centauri Observed by the ASCA Satellite. AB - Because of instrumental sensitivity limits and stellar distances, the types of x ray flares observable on stars have been intrinsically much more energetic than those on the sun. Such enormous events are a useful extrapolation of the solar phenomenon if the underlying assumption is correct that they form a continuous sequence involving similar physical processes as on the sun. The Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA), with its greater sensitivity and high-energy response, is now able to test this hypothesis. Direct comparison with solar flares measured by the x-ray-monitoring Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) is possible. The detection of flares on Proxima Centauri that correspond to GOES M-class events on the sun are reported. PMID- 17778979 TI - Beryllium-10 dating of the duration and retreat of the last pinedale glacial sequence. AB - Accurate terrestrial glacial chronologies are needed for comparison with the marine record to establish the dynamics of global climate change during transitions from glacial to interglacial regimes. Cosmogenic beryllium-10 measurements in the Wind River Range indicate that the last glacial maximum (marine oxygen isotope stage 2) was achieved there by 21,700 +/- 700 beryllium-10 years and lasted 5900 years. Ages of a sequence of recessional moraines and striated bedrock surfaces show that the initial deglaciation was rapid and that the entire glacial system retreated 33 kilometers to the cirque basin by 12,100 +/- 500 beryllium-10 years. PMID- 17778980 TI - Surface Displacement of the 17 May 1993 Eureka Valley, California, Earthquake Observed by SAR Interferometry. AB - Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry shows that the magnitude 6.1 Eureka Valley earthquake of 17 May 1993 produced an elongated subsidence basin oriented north-northwest, parallel to the trend defined by the aftershock distribution, whereas the source mechanism of the earthquake implies a north northeast-striking normal fault. The +/-3-millimeter accuracy of the radar observed displacement map over short spatial scales allowed identification of the main surface rupture associated with the event. These observations suggest that the rupture began at depth and propagated diagonally upward and southward on a west-dipping, north-northeast fault plane, reactivating the largest escarpment in the Saline Range. PMID- 17778981 TI - Head segmentation in early cambrian fuxianhuia: implications for arthropod evolution. AB - The arthropod Fuxianhuia from the Chengjiang fauna displays primitive aspects of cephalic segmentation and trunk limb morphology that indicate a basal position within Euarthropoda. The cephalon consists of an eye-bearing sclerite that articulates with a head shield bearing antennules and subchelate appendages. Eye stalks, antennules, and subchelate appendages are proto-, deuto-, and tritocerebral limbs and organs, respectovely. The anterior position of the eye bearing sclerite parallels the embryonic origin of arthropod eye lobes. The head of Fuxianhuia includes the acron and one somite and is regarded as a protocephalon. The definitive head of arthropods may have fused separate eye bearing and appendage-bearing sclerites. PMID- 17778982 TI - Vignettes: titular judgment. PMID- 17778984 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17778983 TI - Other books of interest. PMID- 17778986 TI - ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CENTRAL BOTTANISTS HELD AT ANN ARBOR, DECEMBER 28 AND 29, 1905. PMID- 17778985 TI - REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION. PMID- 17778987 TI - HEREDITY AND SUBSPECIES. PMID- 17778988 TI - THE EVOLUTION OF SPECIES THROUGH CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. PMID- 17778989 TI - ONTOGENETIC SPECIES AND CONVERGENT GENERA. PMID- 17778990 TI - ETHNIC TYPES AND ISOLATION. PMID- 17778992 TI - A PRELIMINARY NOTE ON ASCUS AND SPORE FORMATION IN THE LABOULBENIACEAe. PMID- 17778991 TI - PHYSIOLOGICAL REGENERATION IN INSECTS. PMID- 17778993 TI - AUSTRALIAN DAILY WEATHER MAPS. PMID- 17778994 TI - INBREEDING, CROSS-BREEDING AND STERILITY IN DROSOPHILA. PMID- 17778995 TI - THE NEW ENGLAND INTERCOLLEGIATE GEOLOGICAL EXCURSION, 1905. GEOLOGY OF THE NANTASKET AREA. PMID- 17778996 TI - THE SIXTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17778997 TI - THE CARTWRIGHT LECTURES AND BARON TAKAKI. PMID- 17778998 TI - THE UNIVERSE AS AN ORGANISM. PMID- 17778999 TI - PLANS OF THE NEW BUILDINGS FOR THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS. PMID- 17779001 TI - A SECOND BISHOP'S RING AROUND THE SUN AND THE RECENT UNUSUAL TWILIGHT GLOWS. PMID- 17779000 TI - AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17779002 TI - FIRST RECORD OF THE POLLACK WHALE (BALAeNOPTERA BOREALIS) IN THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. PMID- 17779003 TI - SOME CORROSIONS FOUND ON ANCIENT BRONZES. PMID- 17779004 TI - NOTE ON THE CIRCULAR SWIMMING OF SANDDOLLAR SPERMATOZOA. PMID- 17779005 TI - NOTES ON ENTOMOLOGY. PMID- 17779006 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17779007 TI - RECENT ZOOPALEONTOLOGY. PMID- 17779008 TI - United States--soviet scientific exchanges. PMID- 17779009 TI - Solar Wind Control of the Earth's Electric Field. AB - The sun-weather problem is placed within an electrical framework subject to experimental investigation. An explanation is suggested for how solar variability modulates the earth's electric field. The solar wind velocity is inversely correlated with the electrical potential of the ionosphere, a measure of the overall intensity of the earth's fair-weather atmospheric electric field. In seeking a physical cause of this relationship, galactic cosmic radiation was studied and it was also found to be inversely correlated with solar wind velocity. Thus, the earth's electric field intensity which is maintained by worldwide thunderstorm currents-a meteorological phenomenon-varies in phase with cosmic radiation. Since cosmic radiation is the primary source of atmospheric ionization, these findings support a proposed mechanism in which solar control of ionizing radiation modulates atmospheric electrification and thus possibly cloud physical processes. If the latter occurred, atmospheric energetics would be affected. Sun-weather research need no longer only consist of statistical correlations; an experimental approach is described. Establishment of a proposed geoelectric index would add a new dimension to solar-terrestrial studies. PMID- 17779010 TI - Biopolyester membranes of plants: cutin and suberin. AB - Cutin, a biopolyester composed of hydroxy and epoxy fatty acids, is the barrier between the aerial parts of higher plants and their environment. Suberin a polymer containing aromatics and polyesters, functions as a barrier in underground parts, wound surfaces, and a variety of internal organs. The composition and probable structure of these polymers are discussed. The biosynthesis of the hydroxy, epoxy, and dicarboxylic acids of the polyesters from the common cellular fatty acids is elucidated. An extracellular enzyme transfers the hydroxy and epoxyacyl moieties from their coenzyme A derivatives to the growing polyester. The enzymes acting in the biodegradation of the polyesters have been isolated from fungi, pollen, and mammals and characterized. The function and possible practical implications of these polyester barriers are briefly discussed. PMID- 17779011 TI - Contribution of the ocean sector to the United States economy. AB - The national income accounts have been reorganized to estimate the contribution to the gross national product of the ocean sector and its various subsectors for the year 1972. The new account is the first within the national income accounts to be organized along geographic, rather than productive, sectors. If properly updated and disseminated, this new account will give government and business interests a solid and consistent data base to measure, and choose among, the alternative uses of the oceans. PMID- 17779012 TI - Congress Challenges MX Basing Plan. PMID- 17779014 TI - Gus speth, planning the "conserver society". PMID- 17779013 TI - Roll with coal. PMID- 17779015 TI - NRC Skirts Safety Issues in Export Approval. PMID- 17779017 TI - CIA Charter Proposals Die in Congress. PMID- 17779016 TI - Proposals to study veterans criticized. PMID- 17779018 TI - Nerve gas in afghanistan? PMID- 17779019 TI - Experts endorse biomass energy. PMID- 17779020 TI - New ways to make microcircuits smaller. PMID- 17779021 TI - Organizational forms in big business. PMID- 17779022 TI - Evolutionism in america. PMID- 17779023 TI - High energy physics. PMID- 17779024 TI - Disordered systems. PMID- 17779025 TI - Acid precipitation and sulfate deposition in Florida. AB - The acidity of rainfall in Florida has increased markedly in the past 25 years, and the average sulfate and nitrate concentrations have increased by factors of 1.6 and 4.5, respectively, over the period. Annual average pH values below 4.7 now occur over the northern three quarters of the state. Summer rainfall has average pH values 0.2 to 0.3 unit lower than winter rainfall, and sulfate concentrations at most sites are higher in summer. The annual deposition of H(+) (about 300 to 500 equivalents per hectare) in northern Florida is a third to a half of the deposition in the heavily impacted northeastern United States; comparable figures for excess sulfate (derived from sulfur dioxide) are 7 to 11 kilograms of sulfur per hectare or 50 to 90 percent of the sulfate deposition rates at Hubbard Brook, New Hampshire. PMID- 17779026 TI - Nickel carbonyl: decomposition in air and related kinetic studies. AB - Nickel carbonyl [Ni(CO)(4)] is a toxic gas used in the manufacture of metallic nickel which has been shown to be carcinogenic and teratogenic in laboratory studies. Its decomposition in air proceeds at a rate that is strongly dependent on the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO). In the absence of CO, the lifetime in air at 296 degrees K and at atmospheric pressure is 60 +/- 5 seconds. A mechanism consisting of equilibrium unimolecular decomposition to Ni(CO)(3) and CO, followed by reaction of the Ni(CO)(3) with molecular oxygen, is consistent with the observations. PMID- 17779027 TI - Red cochineal dye (carminic Acid): its role in nature. AB - Carminic acid, the well-known red dyestuff from cochineal insects (Dactylopius spp.), is a potent feeding deterrent to ants. This deterrency may be indicative of the natural function of the compound, which may have evolved in cochineals as a chemical weapon against predation. The behavior of an unusual predator is described-the carnivorous caterpillar of a pyralid moth (Laetilia coccidivora) which is undeterred by carminic acid and feeds on cochineals. The animal has the remarkable habit of utilizing the ingested carminic acid for defensive purposes of its own. PMID- 17779028 TI - Interaction between posture, color, and the radiative heat load in birds. AB - The effect of the angle of incidence on the radiative heat load was determined for light and dark plumage. As the angle of incidence to the solar radiation source increases the difference in heat transfer between light and dark plumage disappears. Thus, by postural adjustment, a dark bird may become thermally white with regard to the radiative heat load. PMID- 17779029 TI - M--statistics and morphometric divergence. PMID- 17779030 TI - M--statistics and morphometric divergence. PMID- 17779031 TI - Anomalous water in the deep ocean suggests lateral advection-stirring. PMID- 17779032 TI - Large doses of ecdysterone may inhibit mosquito behavior nonspecifically. PMID- 17779033 TI - Anomalous water in the deep ocean suggests lateral advection-stirring. PMID- 17779034 TI - Large doses of ecdysterone may inhibit mosquito behavior nonspecifically. PMID- 17779035 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17779036 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17779037 TI - THE MEETING IN GENERAL. PMID- 17779038 TI - BUSINESS PROCEEDINGS AT ATLANTIC CITY. PMID- 17779040 TI - GENERAL OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17779039 TI - MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIAL REPORTS. PMID- 17779042 TI - THE SECRETARIES' CONFERENCE. PMID- 17779041 TI - THE ACADEMY CONFERENCE. PMID- 17779043 TI - SCHEDULE OF PROPOSED MEETING PLACES. PMID- 17779044 TI - THE ANNUAL SCIENCE EXHIBITION. PMID- 17779045 TI - THE PRESS SERVICE. PMID- 17779047 TI - HENRY NORRIS RUSSELL, PRESIDENT ELECT OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17779046 TI - THE NINTH AWARD OF THE ASSOCIATION PRIZE. PMID- 17779048 TI - THE NEWLY ELECTED PERMANENT SECRETARY. PMID- 17779049 TI - GENERAL SESSIONS OF THE ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17779050 TI - SECTION A ( MATHEMATICS). PMID- 17779051 TI - SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS. PMID- 17779052 TI - SECTION B (PHYSICS). PMID- 17779054 TI - SECTION C (CHEMISTRY). PMID- 17779053 TI - SECTION D (ASTRONOMY). PMID- 17779055 TI - SECTION F (ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCES). PMID- 17779056 TI - SECTION E (GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY). PMID- 17779057 TI - SECTION G (BOTANICAL SCIENCES). PMID- 17779058 TI - PROGRAMS RELATED TO BOTH SECTION F AND SECTION G. PMID- 17779059 TI - SECTION I (PSYCHOLOGY). PMID- 17779060 TI - SECTION H (ANTHROPOLOGY). PMID- 17779061 TI - SECTION K (SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES). PMID- 17779062 TI - SECTION N (MEDICAL SCIENCES). PMID- 17779063 TI - SECTION M (ENGINEERING). PMID- 17779064 TI - SECTION O (AGRICULTURE). PMID- 17779065 TI - SECTION Q (EDUCATION). PMID- 17779066 TI - ORGANIZATIONS RELATED TO THE ASSOCIATION AS A WHOLE. PMID- 17779067 TI - Means and Ends. PMID- 17779068 TI - Senescence in Plant Development: The death of plants or plant parts may be of positive ecological or physiological value. PMID- 17779069 TI - Cryogenics and Nuclear Physics: Solid-state and nuclear physics advance together through research at ultralow temperatures. PMID- 17779070 TI - The International Geophysical Month: Short periods of cooperative study can consolidate the gains of the International Geophysical Year. AB - For convenience, we summarize below some of the main advantages of the IGM concept. 1) Most organizations can mount and support intensive field operations for short periods. 2) High-quality data would be obtained, and the data could be processed more promptly than in long-term projects. 3) Laboratory equipment could in many instances be mnade available for field operations. 4) Top-caliber researchers would be available for field operations. 5) The participation of small research groups and of research workers from government and industry would be fostered. 6) Student participation would improve educational programs in, and attract needed talent to, the geophysical sciences. 7) Ship, satellite, and rocket observations could be scheduled for IGM's. 8) International scientific conferences scheduled to follow IGM's would attract working scientists. It is not suggested that these short-term exercises should replace the long synoptic programs characteristic of the IGY. Rather it is proposed that they supplement and guide any such future long-term program. If adopted, they would produce many data of value for the planning and timing of the International Year of the Quiet Sun. To bring emphasis on special observations during the IQSY, International Geophysical Months might well be scheduled to coincide with the June and December solstices, to be followed by an IGM at an equinoctial period. This would provide periods for concentrated sampling-periods in somewhat the same category as the Regular World Intervals adopted during the IGY. The more elaborate experiments could be confined to the International Geophysical Months, so that only those studies for which continuous observations are essential would be scheduled for the entire period. The duration of an International Geophysical Month would be sufficient for carrying out experiments requiring moving platforms such as ships, rockets, or satellites. It is recommended that every effort be made to schedule the first IGM during the June solstice in 1962. This initial effort could well be followed by the scheduling of IGM's during the December solstice in 1962 and the March equinox in 1963. These exercises would provide information important to the planning and scheduling of the IQSY (1). PMID- 17779071 TI - Scientific Advisers: The Current System of Getting Advice Seems Awkward but Unavoidable. PMID- 17779072 TI - House Leadership: Changes Portend Increased Difficulties for the President's Program. PMID- 17779073 TI - Taylor and Pfeiffer Win AAAS-Westinghouse Awards. PMID- 17779074 TI - Oviparous Hermaphroditic Fish with Internal Self-Fertilization. AB - Adults of Rivulus marmoratus (Cyprinodontidae) contained eggs when dissected or laid eggs when kept alive. They invariably oviposited solo, emitting eggs in various developmental stages. Both juvenescent and senescent fish have functional ovotestes. Progeny (F3) were obtained via a selfed great grandparent, grandparent, and parent, the last two in isolation ab ovo. PMID- 17779075 TI - Influence of Dead-End Pores on Relative Permeability of Porous Media. AB - The network model is used to show that wetting phase relative permeability of porous media is only slightly influenced by the fraction of that phase trapped in dead-end pores. On the other hand, the trapping of nonwetting phase in dead-end pores is a major influence on the shape of the nonwetting phase relative permeability curve. Laboratory experiments on porous media are suggested to test these network model predictions. PMID- 17779076 TI - Ancient Agriculture in the Negev. PMID- 17779077 TI - Formation of the Periostracum in Mercenaria mercenaria. AB - A series of histochemical tests performed on the mantle of the northern quahog Mercenaria mercenaria L. suggest that the epithelium of the inner surface of the first fold and the underlying secretory cells function together in the formation of the periostracum in this mollusk. The secretory cells supply a phenolic substrate which, when oxidized, provides quinones capable of tanning the periostracum. PMID- 17779078 TI - Luminescence Potency of the Cypridina System. AB - Visible light is emitted on oxidation of 0.00001 , microg/ml (2 x 10-11M) of Cypridina luciferin with 0.01 mg/ml of luciferase protein, or with 1 microg/ml of luciferin with 0.0000001 microg/ml (2 x 10-15M) of luciferase. Data on yields indicate the average content of luciferin and luciferase to be, at best, about 1 microg of each in a single living organism. PMID- 17779079 TI - Choline Sulfate in Higher Plants. AB - Choline sulfate, the sulfate ester of choline, is widely distributed in plant species and tissues. It constitutes up to one-third of the labeled metabolic products of radiosulfate uptake by roots of sulfur-deficient corn, barley, and sunflower plants. This neutral, nonabsorbed zwitterion appears to be a useful reservoir for sulfur in plants. PMID- 17779080 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17779081 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGISTS. PMID- 17779082 TI - EXTRACTS FROM A REPORT PRESENTED TO THE CORPORATION OF THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BY ARTHUR A. NOYES, ACTING-PRESIDENT. PMID- 17779083 TI - A HANDY SUBSTITUTE FOR THE BLAST BLOWPIPE IN BLOWPIPE ANALYSIS. PMID- 17779084 TI - LAFAYETTE DEPOSITS IN LOUISIANA. PMID- 17779085 TI - A DROUGHT-RESISTANT HICKORY. PMID- 17779086 TI - TRANSPLANTATION OF FORMALDEHYDE-FIXED BLOOD VESSELS. PMID- 17779087 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. PMID- 17779088 TI - THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE REPRESSION OF ADULTERATION OF ALIMENTARY AND PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS. PMID- 17779089 TI - RECENT REFERENCES TO LAMARCK. PMID- 17779090 TI - THE OPPORTUNITY OF THE ENDOWED UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17779092 TI - CANCER RESEARCH. PMID- 17779091 TI - RESEARCH ON THE SMOKE PROBLEM AT THE DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH. PMID- 17779093 TI - HONORARY DEGREES IN SCIENCE. PMID- 17779095 TI - THE NATIONAL ARGENTINE OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17779094 TI - AN INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17779096 TI - OBLIQUE ORIENTATION OF MAPS AND HALF-TONES. PMID- 17779098 TI - BOTANY BY THE EXPERIMENTAL METHOD. PMID- 17779097 TI - ANOTHER SEX-LIMITED CHARACTER. PMID- 17779099 TI - NITRATES IN SOILS. PMID- 17779101 TI - THE RECENTLY DISCOVERED GASES AND THEIR RELATION TO THE PERIODIC LAW. PMID- 17779100 TI - REACTIONS OF YOUNG LOBSTERS DETERMINED BY FOOD STIMULI. PMID- 17779102 TI - A CASE OF CONVERGENCE. PMID- 17779103 TI - REPRODUCTIVE OR GENETIC SELECTION. PMID- 17779104 TI - THE NEW YORK MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17779105 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURATALS AND ARTICLES. PMID- 17779106 TI - NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISIRY. PMID- 17779107 TI - DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONADENCE ETHERION. PMID- 17779108 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY. PMID- 17779109 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17779110 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17779111 TI - Sustainable future for planet Earth. PMID- 17779112 TI - Munk's Experiment. PMID- 17779113 TI - British popular science: ;;prizeworthy''. PMID- 17779114 TI - Erratum. AB - In the heading of the review of A. T. Sumner's Chromosome Banding (7 June, p. 1437), the name given for the publisher was incomplete. The correct name is Unwin Hyman Inc., to be addressed at 955 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 3107. PMID- 17779115 TI - Munk's Experiment. PMID- 17779116 TI - Sciencescope. PMID- 17779117 TI - A culture clash over big science. PMID- 17779118 TI - $2 Billion for the SSC? Sayonara, but Thanks for Asking. PMID- 17779119 TI - Military labs hit by funding retreat. PMID- 17779120 TI - A tangle of superconductor patent disputes. PMID- 17779121 TI - Will GOES-NEXT Go Next. PMID- 17779123 TI - The back burner of geothermal energy. PMID- 17779122 TI - Geothermal tragedy of the commons. PMID- 17779124 TI - A long, hard look at the virgo cluster. PMID- 17779125 TI - Looking toward the edge. PMID- 17779126 TI - A fortunate few get pews. PMID- 17779127 TI - Dawn of a micromachine age? PMID- 17779128 TI - Skylab rides again. PMID- 17779129 TI - Risque relics. PMID- 17779130 TI - Resource constraints in petroleum production potential. AB - Geologic reasons indicate that the dominant position of the Middle East as a source of conventional petroleum will not be changed by new discoveries elsewhere. The share of world crude oil production coming from the Middle East could increase, within 10 to 20 years, to exceed 50 percent, under even modest increases in world consumption. Nonconventional resources of oil exist in large quantities, but because of their low production rates they can at best only mitigate extant trends. Increased production of natural gas outside the United States, however, offers an opportunity for geographically diversified energy supplies in the near future. PMID- 17779131 TI - Advances in helioseismology. AB - Globally coherent oscillation modes were discovered in the sun about a decade ago, providing a unique seismological probe of the solar interior. Current observations detect modes that are phase-coherent for up to 1 year, with surface velocity amplitudes as low as 2 millimeters per second, and thousands of mode frequencies have been measured to accuracies as high as 1 part in 10(5). This article discusses the properties of these oscillation modes and the ways in which they are adding to our understanding of the structure and dynamics of the sun. PMID- 17779132 TI - Atomic Force Microscope Studies of Fullerene Films: Highly Stable C60 fcc (311) Free Surfaces. AB - Atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffractometry were used to study 1500 A-thick films of pure C(60) grown by sublimation in ultrahigh vacuum onto a CaF(2) (111) substrate. Topographs of the films did not reveal the expected close-packed structures, but they showed instead large regions that correspond to a face centered cubic (311) surface and distortions of this surface. The open (311) structure may have a relatively low free energy because the low packing density contributes to a high entropy of the exposed surface. PMID- 17779133 TI - Field-Induced Nanometer- to Atomic-Scale Manipulation of Silicon Surfaces with the STM. AB - The controlled manipulation of silicon at the nanometer scale will facilitate the fabrication of new types of electronic devices. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) can be used to manipulate strongly bound silicon atoms or clusters at room temperature. Specifically, by using a combination of electrostatic and chemical forces, surface atoms can be removed and deposited on the STM tip. The tip can then move to a predetermined surface site, and the atom or cluster can be redeposited. The magnitude of such forces and the amount of material removed can be controlled by applying voltage pulses at different tip-surface separations. PMID- 17779134 TI - Rapid eruption of the siberian traps flood basalts at the permo-triassic boundary. AB - The Siberian Traps represent one of the most voluminous flood basalt provinces on Earth. Laser-heating (40)Ar/(39)Ar data indicate that the bulk of these basalts was erupted over an extremely short time interval (900,000 +/- 800,000 years) beginning at about 248 million years ago at mean eruption rates of greater than 1.3 cubic kilometers per year. Such rates are consistent with a mantle plume origin. Magmatism was not associated with significant lithospheric rifting; thus, mantle decompression resulting from rifting was probably not the primary cause of widespread melting. Inception of Siberian Traps volcanism coincided (within uncertainty) with a profound faunal mass extinction at the Permo-Triassic boundary 249 +/- 4 million years ago; these data thus leave open the question of a genetic relation between the two events. PMID- 17779136 TI - Collaboration in Japan. PMID- 17779135 TI - Response. PMID- 17779137 TI - An approach to invention. PMID- 17779138 TI - Interpreting fossils. PMID- 17779139 TI - Nitrogen-fixing systems. PMID- 17779140 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17779141 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17779142 TI - An attempt to photograph the corona. PMID- 17779144 TI - The Indians are the mound-builders. PMID- 17779143 TI - The sun-thermometer during the recent eclipse. PMID- 17779145 TI - The voice of serpents. PMID- 17779147 TI - THE RELATIONS OF MICROBES TO LIFE. PMID- 17779146 TI - THE CLIMATE OF THE EGYPTIAN SUDAN. PMID- 17779148 TI - THE CAROLINE ISLAND ECLIPSE EXPEDITION. PMID- 17779149 TI - THE PHYSICAL FEATURES OF BRAZIL. PMID- 17779150 TI - THE LAST CRUISE OF THE ALBATROSS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. PMID- 17779151 TI - TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION IN AMERICA. PMID- 17779152 TI - GREAT ANTIQUITY OF THE AMERICAN RACES. PMID- 17779154 TI - A KINDERGARTEN SYSTEM OF CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17779153 TI - CHINESE IRON-FOUNDRIES AND RICEPAN CASTING. PMID- 17779155 TI - FONTAINE'S OLDER MESOZOIC FLORA OF VIRGINIA. PMID- 17779156 TI - ANNALS OF THE NAVAL OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17779157 TI - BRAIN-EXHAUSTION. PMID- 17779158 TI - PLANT PATHOLOGY IN ITS RELATIONS TO OTHER SCIENCES. PMID- 17779159 TI - SECTION F--ZOOLOGY THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGISTS II. PMID- 17779160 TI - THE CHAIR OF PHILOSOPHY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI. PMID- 17779161 TI - A METHOD OF SENDING PURE CULTURES OF FUNGI. PMID- 17779162 TI - BOTANICAL NOTES. PMID- 17779164 TI - THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17779163 TI - THE HANOVER MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17779165 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17779166 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17779167 TI - The Wooldridge Report. PMID- 17779168 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17779170 TI - Thoreau and "Ecology": Correction. PMID- 17779169 TI - Women-in Science or Out. PMID- 17779171 TI - Recording the Data. PMID- 17779172 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17779173 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17779174 TI - VA Hospitals: Length of Stay. PMID- 17779175 TI - The Critic Criticized. PMID- 17779176 TI - The Governance of Higher Education. PMID- 17779177 TI - The Gyroscope: Theory and Application. PMID- 17779179 TI - FDA: Scientific, Medical Groups Support Agency in Dispute with Fountain over Access to Drug Data. PMID- 17779178 TI - The Big Accelerator: Competition for AEC Facility Is Stirring Up Communities throughout Country. PMID- 17779180 TI - Pliocene-Pleistocene Boundary, Northern Gulf of Mexico. AB - Changes in planktonic microfossil assemblages in Atlantic and Pacific sediment cores of Late Cenozoic age correspond in a general way with a horizon recognized in neritic sediments of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Geological evidence from the Gulf Coast indicates that the changes occurred near theend of the Aftonian interglaciation of the early Pleistocene rather than atthe end of the Pliocene, as proposed by other investilgators. PMID- 17779181 TI - Ureyite, NaCrSi2O6: A New Meteoritic Pyroxene. AB - The new mineral NaCrSi(2)0(6) (ureyite) has been found as rareemeraldgreen grains in the iron meteorites Coahuila, Toluca, and Hex River Mountains. X-ray studies of the natural and synthetic material have established that the mineral is isostructural with jadeite, NaAlSi(2)0(6). Indexed data for powder patterns obtained by x-ray diffraction and precise cell dimensions are given for the Cr, Fe, and Al members of the jadeite group. Unlike jadeite, a high-pressure phase, ureyite can be synthesized from melts at 1-atmosphere pressure. PMID- 17779182 TI - Subbottom Profile of Abyssal Sediments in the Central Equatorial Pacific. AB - A north-south subbottom acoustic profile made in the central Pacific Ocean shows that the first layer (unconsolidated and semiconsolidated sediments) increases in thickness from less than 200 meters at about 14 degrees N to more than 600 meters near the equator. Two major faults, one of which lies on the extension of the Clipperton fracture zone, have produced vertical separations of about 400 meters in the base of the first layer. PMID- 17779183 TI - Room Temperature Slip in Titanium Diboride Produced by High Pressure. AB - Prismatic slip occurs in polycrystalline titanium diboride after applying 5 to 15 kilobars of hydrostatic pressure. Specimens were subjected to these pressures inside silver chloride matrices by means of a simple cylindrical piston device. The slip was of the type {1010} <1120>. Microhardness indentations produced similar results. PMID- 17779184 TI - Lactate Dehydrogenases in Trout. PMID- 17779186 TI - Eatometer. PMID- 17779185 TI - Convection Plumes from Trees. PMID- 17779187 TI - Thermal Analysis. PMID- 17779188 TI - Air-Sea Interface. PMID- 17779189 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17779191 TI - THE BALTIMORE MEETING OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17779190 TI - NATIONAL ACADEMIES AND THE PROGRESS OF RESEARCH. PMID- 17779192 TI - ABSORPTION OF THE SUN'S ENERGY BY LAKES. PMID- 17779194 TI - ON THE ACOUSTIC EFFICIENCY OF A SOUNDING BOARD. PMID- 17779193 TI - COOPERATIVE INVESTIGATION OF THE MISSISSIPPIAN FORMATIONS. PMID- 17779195 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17779196 TI - The Current Transition in the Conception of Science. PMID- 17779197 TI - Burton Edward Livingston 1875-1948. PMID- 17779198 TI - The Centeral Celebration-Washington D. C. September 13-17, 1948. PMID- 17779199 TI - On the Properties of Gelatin-Dye Phosphors and the Continuum Theory of Szent Gyorgyi. PMID- 17779200 TI - International Depot of Microscopic Preparations of Cytology. PMID- 17779201 TI - Surface Tension and Conductivity of Penicillin Salts. PMID- 17779202 TI - Water at -72 degrees. PMID- 17779203 TI - Pulmonary Edema in Leucemic Mice Following Treatment With Urethane. PMID- 17779204 TI - Use of Radioactive Diiodofluorescein in the Diagnosis and Localization of Brain Tumors. PMID- 17779205 TI - Similarity to Heparin of the Clotting Inhibitor in Acute Leucemia and the Significance of Hyperheparinemia in Estrapenic Cholinergic States. PMID- 17779206 TI - Use of a Plastic Material to Increase the Action of the Sodium Salt of 2,4-D. PMID- 17779207 TI - Application of Chromatography to Segregation Studies of the Agent of Chicken Tumor I (Rous Sarcoma Virus). PMID- 17779208 TI - An Automatic Proportioning Apparatus for Experimental Study of the Effects of Chemical Solutions on Aquatic Animals. PMID- 17779209 TI - The Induction of Cytogenetic Variations by Ultrasonic Waves. PMID- 17779210 TI - A Rapid Method of Single Cell Isolation. PMID- 17779211 TI - History of calculus. PMID- 17779212 TI - Neutron research in europe. PMID- 17779213 TI - Brown's Committees. PMID- 17779214 TI - Pruning the federal science budget. PMID- 17779215 TI - Which gonadal hormones are involved? PMID- 17779216 TI - Court broadens rules on patenting software. PMID- 17779217 TI - GSA Seeks Competitors for AT&T Lines. PMID- 17779218 TI - Export law affects scientific meetings. PMID- 17779219 TI - Republicans Ax NIOSH Head. PMID- 17779220 TI - DeLauer Named Chief of Defense Research. PMID- 17779221 TI - Cetus raises record sum in stock offering. PMID- 17779222 TI - U.s. Scientists protest Argentina arrests. PMID- 17779223 TI - The fight over clean air begins. PMID- 17779224 TI - Clean Air at OMB . . PMID- 17779225 TI - Science education axed. PMID- 17779226 TI - Satellites of asteroids coming into vogue. PMID- 17779227 TI - Extending the known universe. PMID- 17779228 TI - Determinants of human history. PMID- 17779230 TI - Stellar oscillations. PMID- 17779229 TI - Thermodynamics and society. PMID- 17779231 TI - Behavioral ecology. PMID- 17779232 TI - PRODUCTS and MATERIALS. PMID- 17779233 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS SYMPOSIUM ON THE SCOPE OF BIOLOGICAL TEACHING IN RELATION TO NEW FIELDS OF DISCOVERY FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A ZOOLOGIST. PMID- 17779234 TI - FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A BOTANIST. PMID- 17779235 TI - EXPERIMENTALISM IN ZOOLOGY. PMID- 17779236 TI - THE PRODUCTION OF RADIUM, URANIUM AND VANADIUM ORES IN 1913. PMID- 17779237 TI - THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17779238 TI - THE PREMEDICAL CONFERENCE. PMID- 17779239 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17779241 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17779240 TI - STANDARD UNITS IN AEROLOGY. PMID- 17779242 TI - ACADEMIC ELECTIONS. PMID- 17779243 TI - A NEW CYTOLOGICAL STAINING METHOD. PMID- 17779244 TI - THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17779246 TI - AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17779245 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17779247 TI - ATLANTA MEETING OF SECTION G. PMID- 17779248 TI - Which Yardstick? PMID- 17779249 TI - Arthur Russell Moore, General Physiologist. PMID- 17779250 TI - Office of Education: Weak on Inside, Abused on Outside, It Is a Long Way from Achieving an Important Role. PMID- 17779251 TI - Possible Quick-Clay Motion in Turbidity Currents. AB - Sensitive clay masses that lie dormant for years but, as the result of a sudden shock, become turbulent, flowing mud, have been called quick clays. Such masses may move in quantity over almost flat terrain, and they exhibit the power to transport buildings and other heavy objects considerable distances. On theoretical grounds it is proposed that one of the elements in the flowage of turbidity currents on the ocean floor may be comparable to quick-clay flowage on land. Both types of flowage cover considerable areas, may move on a comparatively flat base, exhibit fairly rapid motion, involve masses of colloidal-size clay and detritus, exhibit powerful transporting power, involve porous material of high water content, and are initiated by some form of trigger action. While experimental data are inadequate for proof, the parallelism in these two forms of erosional movement warrants the suggestion that the mobile mechanisms responsible for mass transport may be similar in the two cases. PMID- 17779252 TI - Occurrence of Whitlockite in Chondritic Meteorites. AB - The first reported occurrence of the tricalcium phosphate mineral, whitlockite, in several chondrites is described. The identification of this mineral and previously reported chlorapatite were made by x-ray diffraction; the results do not confirm the postulated existence of meteoritic merrillite. Some other remarks pertaining to the existence of merrillite are presented. PMID- 17779253 TI - Electron-Microscope Studies of Braarudosphaera bigelowi and Some Related Coccolithophorids. PMID- 17779254 TI - Daily Rhythm in the Reaction of Fish to Light. AB - Bluegills in a 24-hour light-dark cycle were exposed briefly to light at a random time in the daily dark period. The duration of the accompanying "light-shock reaction" daily became longer at times early in the dark period and shorter at times in the later hours of darkness. PMID- 17779255 TI - Gravity Factor for Auxin Transport. AB - The elongating internodes of the axis of a vigorous dicotyledonous plant develop strong curvatures if the tropistic effect of gravity is eliminated on a clinostat. Similar curvatures are produced by unbalancing either the supply of auxin or its transport paths, but only in the absence of unidirectional gravity as a distributive force. PMID- 17779256 TI - Frozen Mammoths. PMID- 17779257 TI - On Planarian Behavior. PMID- 17779258 TI - Science and Democracy. PMID- 17779259 TI - Proving Grounds in the Behavioral Sciences. PMID- 17779260 TI - Genesis of Cancer. PMID- 17779262 TI - An Atypical Occurrence. PMID- 17779261 TI - Comprehension and Understanding. PMID- 17779263 TI - Environmental Factors and Correlation Coefficients. PMID- 17779264 TI - Research Costs. PMID- 17779265 TI - Ethical Issues. PMID- 17779267 TI - Plant Tissue and Organ Culture. PMID- 17779266 TI - Sulfur Isotopes. PMID- 17779268 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17779269 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17779270 TI - Medical school recommendations. PMID- 17779271 TI - Unfettered mother. PMID- 17779273 TI - Letters to the editor. PMID- 17779272 TI - Breeder reactor debate. PMID- 17779274 TI - Cancer detection. PMID- 17779275 TI - Should we ban nuclear testing now? PMID- 17779276 TI - Mineral resources, economic growth, and world populatic. AB - World population and world income can grow at any likely rate for the next 50 to 75 years, probably for longer, and mineral supplies will continue to keep pace with demand. Not, however, without environmental costs, without affecting Third World development, and, perhaps most important, without ignoring critical questions of power. In what might be termed the revisionist form of the limits to growth thesis, Aurelio Peccei and Alexander King, cofounders of the Club of Rome, seem to be saying that the forecasts of doom themselves are unimportant but they symbolize critical problems of the nature and uses of power in the modern world (30): . . . the Club of Rome is questioning the quality of growth and its distribution around the world. . . . We know that the present structure of the world is obsolete. . . . Both private and state capitalism are stale . . . we have to develop something else. Surely, continually increasing rates of mineral production are symptoms of this obsolete power structure, a result of the fact that, ultimately, population growth and monetary income growth lead to demands for natural resources that necessitate their being found and produced regardless of the implications. Since such higher rates of production are geologically and economically sustainable, we should choose among alternative paths of growth, and hence among alternative rates of mineral resource development, according to what we like or dislike about these implications. The key information will not be found in tables comparing reserves and consumption but in preferences and ethics. PMID- 17779277 TI - Resource partitioning in ecological communities. AB - To understand resource partitioning, essentially a community phenomenon, we require a holistic theory that draws upon models at the individual and population level. Yet some investigators are still content mainly to document differences between species, a procedure of only limited interest. Therefore, it may be useful to conclude with a list of questions appropriate for studies of resource partitioning, questions this article has related to the theory in a preliminary way. 1) What is the mechanism of competition? What is the relative importance of predation? Are differences likely to be caused by pressures toward reproductive isolation? 2) Are niches (utilizations) regularly spaced along a single dimension? 3) How many dimensions are important, and is there a tendency for more dimensions to be added as species number increases? 4) Is dimensional separation complementary? 5) Which dimensions are utilized, how do they rank in importance, and why? How do particular dimensions change in rank as species nuimber increases? 6) What is the relation of dimensional separation to difference in phenotypic indicators? To what extent does the functional relation of phenotype to resource characteristics constrain partitioning? 7) What is the distance between mean position of niches, what is the niche standard deviation, and what is the ratio of the two? What is the niche shape? PMID- 17779278 TI - Killian committee: report urges advisory council in white house. PMID- 17779279 TI - Science Policy Hearings: Phase II. PMID- 17779280 TI - Malcolm R. Currie: World's Largest R & D Manager. PMID- 17779281 TI - Middle East studies: funding wilts as arab--u.s. Friendship flowers. PMID- 17779283 TI - Point of view. PMID- 17779282 TI - The energy bureaucracy: the pieces fall into place. PMID- 17779284 TI - Methadone: court ruling threatens FDA regulations. PMID- 17779285 TI - Soviet seminar visas denied: moscow organizers arrested. PMID- 17779286 TI - Federation of scientists plans "great leap forward". PMID- 17779287 TI - What is leukemia? PMID- 17779288 TI - Choice in free-ranging wild pigeons. AB - A flock of free-ranging wild pigeons were trained to peck at buttons which, when operated, allowed brief access to grain. Although only one bird at a time could have access to the buttons, the pecks of the group were treated as an aggregate. When they chose between two buttons, each of which could occasionally produce grain, the ratios of pecks at the buttons approximately equaled the ratios of the grain presentations obtained from them. This accords with a relation well substantiated in the laboratory, the matching law. It suggests that the matching law may apply to the behavior of higher organisms in natural environments. PMID- 17779289 TI - PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ITS AIMS. PMID- 17779290 TI - THE HANOVER MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17779291 TI - MENDELIAN PROPORTIONS IN A MIXED POPULATION. PMID- 17779293 TI - A STUDY OF THE REMARKABLE ILLUMINATION OF THE SKY ON MARCH 27, 1908. PMID- 17779292 TI - PURE CULTURES FOR LEGUME INOCULATION. PMID- 17779294 TI - THE COCO BUD-ROT IN CUBA. PMID- 17779296 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17779295 TI - REGARDING THE FUTURE OF THE GUANO INDUSTRY AND THE GUANO-PRODUCING BIRDS OF PERU. PMID- 17779297 TI - THE SCIENTIFIC VERSUS THE PHILOSOPHIC APPROACH TO THE NOVEL PROBLEM. PMID- 17779298 TI - CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY OR THE APPLICATIONS OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY TO MEDICAL PROBLEMS. PMID- 17779299 TI - THE ECLIPSE OF APRIL 28. PMID- 17779301 TI - WAS MAGENDIE THE FIRST STUDENT OF VITAMINS? PMID- 17779300 TI - DROSOPHILA ONCE MORE. PMID- 17779302 TI - SCIENTIFIC NAMES IN ZOOLOGY. PMID- 17779304 TI - SEA-LEVEL CHANGE NEAR NEW YORK. PMID- 17779303 TI - ASTRONOMY IN SOUTH AFRICA. PMID- 17779305 TI - AN APPLICATION OF STREAK AND HARDNESS USED IN CLAY GRADING. PMID- 17779306 TI - SHAKING MACHINE FOR ANALYTICAL WORK. PMID- 17779307 TI - AN AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF THE SUPRARENAL CORTEX WHICH MAINTAINS THE LIFE OF BILATERALLY ADRENALECTOMIZED CATS. PMID- 17779308 TI - THE PRE-OLIGOCENE STRATIGRAPHY OF PORTO RICO. PMID- 17779309 TI - THE PROPER TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION OF CERTAIN PYTHIACIOUS ORGANISMS. PMID- 17779311 TI - Ecology, Paleontology, and Stratigraphy: Understanding of the habits of living organisms aids interpretations of fossiliferous sediments. PMID- 17779310 TI - Putting Heads Together. PMID- 17779312 TI - IGY Conference in Moscow: Reports on the organizational setup and on the Soviet presentation of their rocket and satellite work. PMID- 17779314 TI - Erratum. AB - In the 26 December issue [Science 128, 1614 (1958)], the solutions to the problem "A door opening was 3 feet 9 inches higher than it was wide. Which one of the following best expresses the area of the door opening, in square inches, after the opening has been heightened 2 inches and narrowed 3 inches?" were erroneously given as A) lc + (x/w) B) l + (w/cx) C) l + (cw/x) D) (l + cw)/x E) (l + cx)/w The possible solutions should have been A) x(2) + 44x - 141 B) x(2) + 47x + 141 C) x(x + 45 ) + 66 D) x(2) + 45 + 72 E) (x + 45) (x - 3). PMID- 17779313 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17779315 TI - Possible Relation between Marine Fungi and Limnoria Attack on Submerged Wood. AB - Wood submerged in the sea at Friday Harbor and at Naples contained only occasional hyphae, which showed no relationship to Limnoria burrows. Cultures of Limnoria established in "unconditioned" wood and in autoclaved wood were maintained in the absence of fungi. These results indicate that marine fungi have no significance for the activities of Limnoria. PMID- 17779316 TI - Direct Observation of Evaporation from Quiescent Water. AB - The color change of a filter paper impregnated with cobaltous chloride and held just above the surface of water gives a good indication of the rate at which evaporation proceeds from individual regions of the surface. The marked effect of some monolayers on thermal convection currents within the liquid can be thus shown. PMID- 17779317 TI - Cotton-Flower Visitation and Pollen Distribution by Honey Bees. AB - A rapid method of estimating the pollinating efficiency of honey bees in cotton is described. A prevailing average of 10 honey bees in each 100 flowers was found to be sufficient to cause practically all the stigmas to become coated with pollen. PMID- 17779320 TI - Excessive Education Department Requirements. PMID- 17779319 TI - Equipment. PMID- 17779321 TI - Leukemia and Radiation. PMID- 17779323 TI - Scientific Communication. PMID- 17779322 TI - Leukemia and Radiation. PMID- 17779324 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17779325 TI - RECENT PROGRESS IN ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17779326 TI - AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. SECTION I, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17779327 TI - 'SO-CALLED SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES.'. PMID- 17779328 TI - PRESIDENT MINOT ON 'THE PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN ITS BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS.'. PMID- 17779329 TI - THE SALT MARSH MOSQUITO, CULEX SOLLICITANS WLK. PMID- 17779330 TI - 'LATENT HEAT' AND THE VAPOR-ENGINE CYCLE. PMID- 17779331 TI - ON BACUBIRITO, THE GREAT METEORITE OF SINALOA, MEXICO. PMID- 17779332 TI - ELIHU THOMSON. PMID- 17779333 TI - GROUP ORGANIZATION AMONG VERTEBRATES. PMID- 17779334 TI - JOHN ALEXANDER McGEOCH. PMID- 17779335 TI - THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. PMID- 17779337 TI - FOREST FIRE PROTECTION. PMID- 17779336 TI - COMMITTEE OF EXAMINATIONS AND TESTS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17779338 TI - NEW KODACHROME SLIDE SERIES OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PMID- 17779339 TI - WAR WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY OF YALE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17779341 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS. PMID- 17779340 TI - AMERICAN STANDARDS FOR 1942. PMID- 17779342 TI - INSECTS AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF POLIOMYELITIS. PMID- 17779343 TI - A SIMPLE AIR-RAID ALARM. PMID- 17779344 TI - PLAGIOTROPIC HABIT OF GROWTH IN NORWAY SPRUCE. PMID- 17779345 TI - IMPACTS OF THE WAR ON AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AS INDICATED BY THE DECEMBER SOCIETY MEETINGS. PMID- 17779346 TI - ENTOMOLOGY AND WARFARE. PMID- 17779347 TI - GROWTH STIMULATION BY SULFANILAMIDE IN LOW CONCENTRATION. PMID- 17779348 TI - INCREASED LIVER ARGINASE ON ADMINISTRATION OF ADRENOCORTICAL AND CORTICOTROPIC HORMONES. PMID- 17779349 TI - THE EFFECT OF A PREPARATION OF AMINE OXIDASE ON EXPERIMENTAL HYPERTENSION. PMID- 17779351 TI - A NEW MEDIUM FOR MELTING-POINT BATHS. PMID- 17779350 TI - THE USE OF BROMOFORM IN THE SEPARATION OF NONCALCAREOUS MICROFOSSILS. PMID- 17779352 TI - Radiation Carcinogenesis. PMID- 17779353 TI - Space Exploration as Propaganda. PMID- 17779354 TI - Some Prehlistoric Connections between Siberia and America. PMID- 17779355 TI - United States Satellite Launched into Orbit around Sun. PMID- 17779356 TI - Hearings on Atomic Energy Research Scheduled by Joint Committee. PMID- 17779357 TI - Gold-198 Wires Used To Study Movements of Small Mammals. AB - Eastern harvest mice, Reithrodontomys humulis humulis (Audubon and Bachman), were tagged with subcutaneously inserted 20 gauge gold-198 wires 10 mm long and varying in activity from 0.7 to 4.5 mc. None of the tags inserted by this method were lost or had any apparent effect on the animals. The movements of the tagged mice were successfully traced with a portable Geiger counter. PMID- 17779358 TI - Gibberellin-Induced Inhibition of Bud Development in Some Species of Prunus. AB - Development of both floral and vegetative buds was inhibited by application of gibberellin to branches of Prunus species. The development of the lateral meristem was blocked, in general, through inhibition of mitosis, while, concurrently, the growth of certain other plant organs was stimulated in some cases. That higher dosages were required to block vegetattive than floral bud growth suggests that gibberellin also exerts the more specific effect of inhibiting floral initiation. PMID- 17779359 TI - Program of the Gordon Research Conferences. PMID- 17779360 TI - Forthcoming Events. PMID- 17779361 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17779362 TI - "Next Question" and K. E. Tsiolkovsky. PMID- 17779363 TI - Strontium-90 from Fallout. PMID- 17779364 TI - Scientific Nomenclature. PMID- 17779365 TI - Tax Exemption and Research. PMID- 17779366 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17779367 TI - Population Control by Release of Irradiated Males. PMID- 17779368 TI - Letters to the Editor. PMID- 17779369 TI - Reducing hail: the u.s. Plan. PMID- 17779370 TI - Inventions beg application. PMID- 17779371 TI - L'Universite est morte, vive i'universite. PMID- 17779372 TI - Scientists in Politics: Humphrey Group Outshines Nixon's. PMID- 17779373 TI - The Soviet Union's Zond 5: Is It Also a Planetary Spacecraft? PMID- 17779374 TI - Lunar eclipse: infrared images and an anomaly of possible internal origin. AB - Infrared images of the lunar eclipse of 13 April 1968 were obtained and compared with infrared images of the 19 December 1964 eclipse. A similarity of apparent strength and distribution of most thermal anomalies on the maria is evident from inspection of these images, indicating that these features are not ephemeral. One new linear thermal anomaly was discovered, which is thermally enhanced during the lunar afternoon. Its close relation to a lunar crustal fracture line and other features of probable internal origin suggests that this anomaly may be of internal origin. PMID- 17779375 TI - Earliest known marsupials. AB - The infraclass Metatheria has not been reported from deposits predating the mid Cretaceous. Fossil material just recovered from Albian deposits in northcentral Texas has definite characteristics of the family Didelphidae and is submitted as being from the oldest known marsupials. The same locality has also produced remains referable to Eutheria, demonstrating a somewhat earlier divergence of these two important groups than was known before. PMID- 17779376 TI - Monodomain theory: experimental verification. AB - The Neel thermal-activation theory of remanence in monodomain grains has been verified quantitatively in experiments on four ferrite micropowders and two natural rocks. Magnetization and demagnetization curves of thermal, isothermal, viscous, and anhysteretic remanences can all be predicted with reasonable accuracy when the Neel theory is generalized to include effects of grain interaction. Results with the natural materials indicate that interacting, single domain grains or regions are the carriers of the magnetically hard natural remanence of some paleomagnetic rocks. PMID- 17779377 TI - Structural pattern in central uplifts of cryptoexplosion structures as typified by sierra madera. AB - The pattern of deformation in central uplifts of Sierra Madera and other well known cryptoexplosion structures indicates that inward as well as upward movement of strata formed the uplifts. This kind of movement is incompatible with structures not of impact origin with which they have been compared. The structural style of cryptoexplosion structures, together with features that suggest shock deformation, supports the belief that they are the eroded roots of impact craters. PMID- 17779378 TI - Shatter cones at sierra madera, Texas. AB - Shatter cones abound in the central uplift of Sierra Madera and they occur as far as 6.5 kilometers from the center. Apical angles average near 90 degrees. Whole cones and full cones represented by diversely oriented cone segments in any structural block show relatively uniform orientations of axes and a dominant direction of point. The cones predate faulting and folding in the central uplift, and, when beds are restored to horizontal, most cones point inward and upward, a pattern that supports the hypothesis of an impact origin. PMID- 17779379 TI - Deep-ocean basalts: inert gas content and uncertainties in age dating. AB - The radiogenic argon and helium contents of three basalts erupted into the deep ocean from an active volcano (Kilauea) have been measured. Ages calculated from these measurements increase with sample depth up to 22 million years for lavas deduced to be recent. Caution is urged in applying dates from deep-ocean basalts in studies on ocean-floor spreading. PMID- 17779380 TI - Lepidocrocite iron mineralization in keratose sponge granules. AB - Reddish-brown granules embedded in the spongin fibers of some keratose sponges consist of very fine crystallites of poorly organized lepidocrocite, gamma FeOOH. This is the first occurrence of crystalline iron mineralization in the phylum Porifera and the first indication of hard tissue formation among the Keratosa. PMID- 17779382 TI - Continuing education for engineers. PMID- 17779381 TI - Clear-air turbulence and sporadic e activity. AB - Pilots' reports of clear-air turbulence correlate inferentially with sporadic E activity observed by backscatter radar. A cursory survey was made of 19 reports of turbulence between 1 and 20 August 1964 over the western United States; all but three correlate with sporadic E patches. PMID- 17779383 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17779384 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17779386 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17779385 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17779387 TI - Trustees of civilization. PMID- 17779388 TI - Letter to the editor. PMID- 17779389 TI - Two kinds of perpetual motion. PMID- 17779391 TI - The role of scientific instrumentation. PMID- 17779390 TI - Research on narcotic antagonists. PMID- 17779392 TI - Interstellar molecules and dense clouds. PMID- 17779393 TI - DDT: In Field and Courtroom a Persistent Pesticide Lives On. PMID- 17779394 TI - David on Neutrality of NAS, PSAC. AB - The two most significant conduits through which scientific advice is channeled to government are the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)and the President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC). The neutrality of these two bodies has on occasion been called into question by their critics, but seldom from within. In a philosophic but candid interview published in a recent issue of Mosaic, house organ of the National Science Foundation, Edward E. David, the President's science adviser and chairman of PSAC, suggests that the Academy and PSAC may behindered by their government links from offering scientific advice in an unbiased and credible way. PMID- 17779395 TI - Community mental health centers: growing movement seeks identity. PMID- 17779396 TI - The great race: virus find awakens hope for sufferers. AB - A nationally celebrated team of scientists this week announced a discovery that may change the face of the 1973 budget now in preparation, and may even advance the frontiers of knowledge as well. Because of the dilatory schedule of academic journals (none of which could guarantee publication before the week after next), the scientists were obliged to publish their results in the form of a press release, together with high quality micrographs which were distributed to those attending the press conference. Following is a transcript of the press conference held this week at the Center for Duplicative Results. PMID- 17779397 TI - Mobile TB X-ray Units: An Obsolete Technology Lingers. PMID- 17779398 TI - Acceleration of nitrogen ions to 7.4 gev in the princeton particle accelerator. AB - Nitrogen ions in charge states N(5+) and N(6+) have been accelerated in the Princeton Particle Accelerator to 4 and 7.4 billion electron volts (Gev), respectively. An external N(5+) beam of 1 x 10(6) particles per second has been obtained and focused to a 6-millimeter-diameter spot. The N(6+) beam was about 2 x 10(5) particles per second. The total charge-changing collision cross section of N(5+) in water vapor was determined as a function of ion energy. The improvement in vacuum necessary to increase the N(5+) beam at least tenfold was calculated. The N(6+) total cross section is probably smaller than that of N(5+) at the higher energies. PMID- 17779399 TI - Interaction of 3.9-gev nitrogen ions with matter. AB - The interaction with matter of nitrogen ions in the 3.9-billion-electron-volt (Gev) beam of the Princeton Particle Accelerator has been studied. In polyethylene, the range of ions is 12.6 +/- 0.2 grams per square centimeter and the mean free path for nuclear collisions is 15.4 +/- 3.8 centimeters; the loss of energy by the ions passing through polyethylene agrees with that predicted by stopping-power theory. The production of secondary particles has been investigated. These data are useful for experiments and for evaluating the merits of nitrogen ions in biomedical application. PMID- 17779400 TI - Acceleration of heavy ions at the bevatron. AB - Substantial beams of deuterons, alpha-particles, and nitrogen ions have been accelerated to high energies (nitrogen to 36 billion electron volts) in the bevatron. Beams of various energies were successfully extracted for experimental use. Modifications of the ion source, the injector, and the main acceleration system made the production of highenergy heavy ions possible. Our computer control system played an important part. PMID- 17779401 TI - Fragmentation of nitrogen-14 nuclei at 2.1 gev per nucleon. AB - An experiment has been carried out at the bevatron on the nuclear fragmentation of nitrogen-14 ions at an energy of 2.1 billion electron volts (Gev) per nucleon. Because of the near equality of the velocities of the nitrogen-14 beam and the fragmentation products at an angle of 0 degrees , we find it possible to identify the nuclear fragments isotopically. PMID- 17779402 TI - Leech-Repellent Property of Eastern Red-Spotted Newts, Notophthalmus viridescens. AB - Eastern red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens, Salamandridae) are rarely attacked by leeches. This protection is not shared by related salamandrids or by Ambystoma (Ambystomatidae). Tetrodotoxin is not the repelent. The immunity of Notophthalmus to leech parasitism is probably most significant in its aquatic stages, although the terrestrial efts are also protected. PMID- 17779404 TI - Regulation of Mammalian reproduction. PMID- 17779403 TI - The 21st pugwash conference on science and world affairs. PMID- 17779405 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17779406 TI - National energy strategy. PMID- 17779407 TI - Science, citation, and funding. PMID- 17779408 TI - Science, citation, and funding. PMID- 17779409 TI - Science, citation, and funding. PMID- 17779410 TI - Science, citation, and funding. PMID- 17779411 TI - Science, citation, and funding. PMID- 17779413 TI - Science, citation, and funding. PMID- 17779412 TI - Science, citation, and funding. PMID- 17779414 TI - Response. PMID- 17779415 TI - System safety. PMID- 17779416 TI - Prioritizing scientific initiatives. PMID- 17779417 TI - B factories have physicists buzzing. PMID- 17779418 TI - Morale Plummets as SLAC Fails to Get Its Z0s. PMID- 17779419 TI - Will fermilab get its upgrade? PMID- 17779420 TI - Stanford in the hot seat. PMID- 17779421 TI - More pain for british physicists. PMID- 17779422 TI - Two thumbs down for space station. PMID- 17779423 TI - Know they reviewers. PMID- 17779424 TI - Stinging the "killer" bees. PMID- 17779425 TI - Seeing the future of pharmaceuticals. PMID- 17779426 TI - Uncle sam, the energy spendthrift. PMID- 17779427 TI - A cross-section of the science manpower "pipeline". PMID- 17779428 TI - Correction. AB - Solomon Buchsbaum has graciously informed Science that he is still a senior vice President at Bell Laboratories-not a "former executive," as we incorrectly described him several issues ago (25 January, p. 377). PMID- 17779429 TI - Deforestation slows. PMID- 17779430 TI - The World's Greatest Invention Goes Micro. PMID- 17779431 TI - Is there a massive neutrino? PMID- 17779432 TI - Dreaming up new flavors. PMID- 17779433 TI - First hominid finds from ethiopia in a decade. PMID- 17779434 TI - Astronomers forge a consensus for the 1990s. PMID- 17779435 TI - Evolving an electronic schnozz. PMID- 17779436 TI - Getting a Whiff of PittCon: Using gold and silver to understand metal gone bad. PMID- 17779437 TI - Earth's Core-Mantle Boundary: Results of Experiments at High Pressures and Temperatures. AB - Laboratory experiments document that liquid iron reacts chemically with silicates at high pressures (>/=2.4 x 10(10) Pascals) and temperatures. In particular, (Mg,Fe)SiO(3) perovskite, the most abundant mineral of Earth's lower mantle, is expected to react with liquid iron to produce metallic alloys (FeO and FeSi) and nonmetallic silicates (SiO(2) stishovite and MgSiO(3) perovskite) at the pressures of the core-mantle boundary, 14 x 10(10) Pascals. The experimental observations, in conjunction with seismological data, suggest that the lowermost 200 to 300 kilometers of Earth's mantle, the D" layer, may be an extremely heterogeneous region as a result of chemical reactions between the silicate mantle and the liquid iron alloy of Earth's core. The combined thermal-chemical electrical boundary layer resulting from such reactions offers a plausible explanation for the complex behavior of seismic waves near the core-mantle boundary and could influence Earth's magnetic field observed at the surface. PMID- 17779438 TI - Cluster assembly of interfaces: nanoscale engineering. AB - Overlayer structures can be formed on surfaces by the deposition of clusters containing hundreds or thousands of atoms. Cluster assembly alters the reaction pathway at the surface so that novel structures with unique chemical and physical properties can be stabilized. This article discusses the process of cluster assembly. Cluster-assembled interfaces are compared to those obtained by conventional techniques, and examples are given for metal-semiconductor and semiconductor-high temperature superconductor systems. PMID- 17779439 TI - Triton's Global Heat Budget. AB - Internal heat flow from radioactive decay in Triton's interior along with absorbed thermal energy from Neptune total 5 to 20 percent of the insolation absorbed by Triton, thus comprising a significant fraction of Triton's surface energy balance. These additional energy inputs can raise Triton's surface temperature between approximately 0.5 and 1.5 K above that possible with absorbed sunlight alone, resulting in an increase of about a factor of approximately 1.5 to 2.5 in Triton's basal atmospheric pressure. If Triton's internal heat flow is concentrated in some areas, as is likely, local effects such as enhanced sublimation with subsequent modification of albedo could be quite large. Furthermore, indications of recent global albedo change on Triton suggest that Triton's surface temperature and pressure may not now be in steady state, further suggesting that atmospheric pressure on Triton was as much as ten times higher in the recent past. PMID- 17779440 TI - Breaking the diffraction barrier: optical microscopy on a nanometric scale. AB - In near-field scanning optical microscopy, a light source or detector with dimensions less than the wavelength (lambda) is placed in close proximity (lambda/50) to a sample to generate images with resolution better than the diffraction limit. A near-field probe has been developed that yields a resolution of approximately 12 nm ( approximately lambda/43) and signals approximately 10(4) to 10(6)-fold larger than those reported previously. In addition, image contrast is demonstrated to be highly polarization dependent. With these probes, near field microscopy appears poised to fulfill its promise by combining the power of optical characterization methods with nanometric spatial resolution. PMID- 17779441 TI - Variations in terrigenous input into the deep equatorial atlantic during the past 24,000 years. AB - Estimates of terrigenous fluxes at three different water depths at two sites in the equatorial Atlantic by normalization against excess (230)Th flux indicate that the flux of terrigenous material to the seafloor was significantly higher during the last glacial period than it is today. Fluxes started to decrease during deglaciation and reached minimal values in the middle of the Holocene. From 15,000 to 5,000 years ago, there was a substantial increase in flux with increasing water depth below 2,800 meters; this increase may reflect resuspension and lateral transport of slope and rise sediment, possibly because of intensification of deepwater circulation during that period. PMID- 17779442 TI - New network of southwestern fellows. PMID- 17779443 TI - AAAS Report on R&D in Federal Budget Steps Into Post-War Spending Battle. PMID- 17779444 TI - New tradition blooms. PMID- 17779445 TI - A medical investigation. PMID- 17779446 TI - The auditory scene. PMID- 17779448 TI - Ferroelectrics for optics. PMID- 17779447 TI - Molecular gerontology. PMID- 17779449 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17779451 TI - Reginald A. Daly, Geologist. PMID- 17779450 TI - The Inexorable Problem of Space. PMID- 17779452 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17779453 TI - Apparent Shifts of Absorption Bands of Cell Suspensions and Selective Light Scattering. PMID- 17779454 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17779455 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17779456 TI - GEOLOGY IN EDUCATION. PMID- 17779457 TI - THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE TO VISIT THE HARVARD COLLEGE OBSERVATORY. PMID- 17779458 TI - SCOTT ON THE CANONS OF COMPARATIVE ANATOMY. PMID- 17779459 TI - POISONING TREE PARASITES WITH CYANIDE OF POTASSIUM. PMID- 17779460 TI - THE JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE AS A WAR PLANT. PMID- 17779461 TI - SYSTEMATISTS AND GENERAL BIOLOGISTS. PMID- 17779463 TI - TEACHING OF CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17779462 TI - THE ROLE OF CATALASE IN ACIDOSIS. PMID- 17779464 TI - ON THE SOURCES OF ENERGY IN NATURE AVAILABLE TO MAN FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MECHANICAL EFFECT. PMID- 17779466 TI - ON THE ARRESTATION OF INFUSORIAL LIFE. PMID- 17779467 TI - ON A PROCESS FOR UTILIZING WASTE PRODUCTS AND ECONOMIZING FUEL IN THE EXTRACTION OF COPPER. PMID- 17779465 TI - PLANTE'S RHEOSTATIC MACHINE. PMID- 17779468 TI - A NEW DEMONSTRATION OF THE CARBONIC ACID OF THE BREATH. PMID- 17779469 TI - ON THE CHEMICAL ACTION BETWEEN SOLIDS. PMID- 17779470 TI - MICROSCOPY. PMID- 17779471 TI - ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17779472 TI - ON THE ALLEGED DECOMPOSITION OF THE ELEMENTS. PMID- 17779473 TI - THE BEST METHOD OF MOUNTING WHOLE CHICK EMBRYO. PMID- 17779474 TI - SPHAGNUM AS A SURGICAL DRESSING. PMID- 17779475 TI - A NEW SEASONAL PRECIPITATION FACTOR OF INTEREST TO GEOGRAPHERS AND AGRICULTURISTS. PMID- 17779476 TI - PLANS FOR THE PHYSICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF DISABLED SOLDIERS. PMID- 17779477 TI - GEORGE ARCHIBALD CLARK. PMID- 17779478 TI - HAND-MADE LANTERN SLIDES. PMID- 17779479 TI - THE BALANCERS OF THE HOUSE FLY. PMID- 17779480 TI - THE HOUSE FLY. PMID- 17779481 TI - THE PROPOSED BRITISH MINISTRY OF HEALTH. PMID- 17779482 TI - A COMPARISON OF THE RESPONSES OF ANIMALS IN GRADIENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE METHOD OF REACTION OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE VARIOUS GROUPS FROM PROTOZOA TO MAMMALS. PMID- 17779483 TI - University computer centers. PMID- 17779484 TI - Scientists' right of protest. PMID- 17779485 TI - Psychic energy quantified. PMID- 17779486 TI - The draft: why not ph.d. Candidates? PMID- 17779487 TI - Samuel Johnson on Dermo-optical Perception. PMID- 17779488 TI - Lesson of pittsburgh. PMID- 17779489 TI - Krebiozen and faith. PMID- 17779490 TI - Environmental sciences. PMID- 17779491 TI - Physics just before einstein. PMID- 17779492 TI - Ontogenetic development of the human sleep-dream cycle. PMID- 17779493 TI - Adaptations of amphibia to arid environments. PMID- 17779495 TI - Education: facilities grants forbidden to baptist colleges. PMID- 17779494 TI - Research administration: study urges universities to improve methods. PMID- 17779496 TI - Ph.D.'s: Study Traces Their Path from Sheepskin to 25 Years Later. PMID- 17779497 TI - National academy: annual meeting includes elections and awards. PMID- 17779498 TI - Stratigraphy of the wisconsin range, horlick mountains, antarctica. AB - The Wisconsin Range consists of a basement complex of granitic and metamorphic rocks unconformably overlain by about 550 meters of Upper Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. The base of the Upper Paleozoic succession is composed of the Buckeye formation, a tillite, which varies in thickness from 80 to more than 140 meters. Overlying the Buckeye formation are the Weaver and Queen Maud formations, with a combined thickness of about 455 meters, characterized by a prolific Glossopteris flora, indicative of a Permian age. PMID- 17779499 TI - Strontium-90 Fallout: Comparison of Rates over Ocean and Land. AB - Measurements of strontium-90 in waters residing on the Bahama Banks for periods between 12 and 180 days suggest that fallout rates onto these waters are substantially the same as the average rates at all fallout collection stations between 20 degrees and 30 degrees north latitude. If the amount of preciptation on the Bahama Banks is reasonably representative of the oceanic areas in this latitude band, our results support the conclusion that the amount of strontium-90 deposited per unit area of ocean surface is within a factor of 2 of that on land. PMID- 17779500 TI - Magnesium ions: activity in seawater. AB - The activity of magnesium ions in seawater was determined from solubility data and found to be between the values determined by Platford and by Garrels and Thompson. Our value may result from extensive formation of magnesium sulfate ion pairs. PMID- 17779501 TI - Recent emerged beach in eastern Mexico. AB - A bluff on the eastern coast of Mexico reveals a cross section through an ancient beach deposit now lying 4 meters above sea level. Radio-carbon dates on the shells within the deposit reveal an age of 1940 years. The deposit appears to be valid evidence for submergence greater than that of the present, but whether that submergence was due to a higher eustatic stand of the sea or whether there has been an uplift of the land since that time cannot yet be determined. PMID- 17779502 TI - Pressure-induced phases of sulfur. AB - At least three phases of sulfur may be induced at pressures between 16 and 65 kilobars. A fibrous form obtained at pressures of 27 kilobars and higher appears to be closely related to the form obtained when plastic sulfur is chilled and stretched. Crystals of the fibrous form are orthorhombic with a = 13.8, b = 32.4, and c = 9.25 A. Thus far the results are in accord with deductions made by Prins and co-workers that the sulfur atoms are arranged in helices with ten atoms and three turns per 13.8-A period, and that these helices are essentially close packed. The unit cell contains 16 ten-atom chain lengths. The probable space groups to which the crystal may belong are C c m m, C c 2 m, or C c m 2(1). These imply that the structure must contain both right- and left-handed helices and that at least half the helices have some disorder about their axes. The other two phases appear to have structures related to that of the fibrous form, but analyses of them has not progressed as far. One of these phases appears to be uomegasulfur. PMID- 17779503 TI - Separation of living and dead cells by dielectrophoresis. AB - High-frequency non-uniform electric fields were used to cause selective dielectrophoresis of yeast cells in an aqueous medium. Living cells separated from admixed dead ones remained viable after the separation process. PMID- 17779504 TI - Dechlorination of DDT by Aerobacter aerogenes. AB - Dechlorination of DDT to DDD in higher animals requires the presence of molecular oxygen, but in microorganisms the presence of oxygen hinders dechlorination. In cell-free preparations of Aerobacter aerogenes, the use of selected metabolic inhibitors indicated that reduced Fe(II) cytochrome oxidase was responsible for DDT dechlorination. This finding may possibly explain. the persistence of DDT residues in soils and sediments. PMID- 17779505 TI - Branched-chain Fatty acids in sediments. AB - Branched-chain (iso and anteiso) fatty acids were isolated from marine sediments from several environments. The relatively high ratio of branched-chain to straight-chain fatty acids for the even-numbered carbon molecules suggests a bacterial origin for the branched-chain isomers. The branched-chain fatty acids are present in the Green River shale. Possible geochemical implications are suggested. PMID- 17779506 TI - Prolonged immunosuppression and tumor induction by a chemical carcinogen injected at birth. AB - The injection of 60 micrograms of 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene into newborn mice gave rise to a very high incidence of malignant thymomas. The tumor incidence was directly related to the dose of the carcinogen. The neonatal injection of the carcinogen also resulted in a depression in the immune response when the animals were challenged with an antigert as early as 4 weeks or as late as 11 weeks after administration of the carcinogen. PMID- 17779507 TI - Enzyme amplifier kinetics. AB - Enzyme amplifier systems have been implicated in such diverse physiological phenomena as vision and blood coagulation. Such systems are considered from a general point of view and the concept of steady state gain of the enzyme amplifier is introduced. Expressions for the latter are obtained, and several of the main factors influencing gain are discussed. The effect of the duration of the activation on the characteristics of the response is discussed, and the influence of small changes in the rate constants on the steady state gain is considered. PMID- 17779508 TI - Erythropoietin: production by a particulate fraction of rat kidney. AB - An erythropoietic factor was extracted with hypotonic phosphate buffer from the kidneys of hypoxic rats. Normal rat serum enhanced the activity of this factor, which is associated with the light mitochondrial fraction. The data suggest that the renal factor is not physiologically active unless it interacts with a serum carrier or activator, or that the factor may be an enzyme which produces erythropoietin from some serum substrate. PMID- 17779509 TI - Strontium uptake in rats on alginate-supplemented diet. AB - Rats were fed a basic diet supplemented with sodium alginate and with tracer amounts of strontium-85 and calcium-45. Absorption of strontium was always inhibited by the alginate to a greater extent than absorption of calcium. Discrimination against strontium was greatest in alginate containing a high proportion of guluronic acid. PMID- 17779510 TI - Intestinal alkaline phosphatase: regulation by a strain-specific factor in mouse milk. AB - Two inbred strains of mice show a threefold difference in duodenal phosphatase activity at 11 days of age. When half-litters of the two strains are interchanged between the two mothers on the day of birth, enzyme activity in young of the low activity strain is unaffected at 11 days by the source of milk, but is significantly reduced in high-activity young nursed by a low-activity mother. PMID- 17779511 TI - Metabolism of alveolar cells: histochemical evidence and relation to pulmonary surfactant. AB - Large alveolar cells of normal dog lung are rich in enzymes concerned with oxidative and synthetic pathways. In three experimental situations where ability of the lung to produce surfactant was impaired, the enzyme-rich cells were lacking or absent. Findings support the concept that these cells are sites of active metabolism, possibly including production of surfactant. PMID- 17779512 TI - Systemic fungicidal activity of 1,4-oxathiin derivatives. AB - Treatment of pinto bean and barley seed with 1,4-oxathiin derivatives gave disease control by systemic fungicidal action of such pathogenic fungi as Uromyces phaseoli and Ustilago nuda. The two chemicals, D735 and F461, were highly specific and selective against the pathogens without injury of the hosts. PMID- 17779513 TI - A permian productoid brachiopod: life history. AB - Spine arrangements on silicified specimens of Waagenoconcha abichi (Waagen) from the Khisor Range of West Pakistan suggest that the juvenile shell attached itself to a foreign object, and that the adult shell lay on its ventral valve in the substrate, anchored and stabilized by a dense corona of long slender spines around the ventral visceral disc. PMID- 17779514 TI - Circadian rhythms in rats: effects of random lighting. AB - Increase in body weight, spontaneous running activity, and adrenal cortical function have been studied in rats exposed to a random lighting schedule. In two separate experiments, grouped control animals were given 12 or 14 hours of light alternating with 12 or 10 hours of darkness, respectively, while coresponding grouped experimental animals were given the same total amounts of light and darkness per 24 hour period in a randomized pattern. Random light for periods of 17 to 40 days exerted no influence on growth rate, on weights of endocrine organs, or on adrenal response to adrenocorticotrophic hormone. However, the physiological fluctuation of group running activity and adrenal steroid secretion was abolished. Group desynchronization and the development of circadian rhythms having periods both shorter and longer than 24 hours appear to have replaced the synchronized group rhythmicity. PMID- 17779515 TI - Effects of Electroshock on Memory: Amnesia without Convulsions. AB - Mice received a single training trial on an inhibitory avoidance task and a retention trial 24 hours later. Electroshock stimulation, administered 25 seconds after the training trial, produced amnesia even if the convulsion was prevented by ether anesthesia. The amnesia produced by such shock is apparently due to the electric current and not to the convulsion. PMID- 17779516 TI - Response during Sleep with Intervening Waking Amnesia. AB - During stage 1 sleep, subjects responded to suggestions on two or more nights, up to 5 months apart. While they were awake they did not recall the material to which they successfully responded while asleep on a subsequent night. PMID- 17779517 TI - Classical conditioning of pain-elicited aggression. AB - Unconditioned aggression between paired animals in response to electric shock has been previously demonstrated. In this study, with the use of classical Pavlovian conditioning procedures, aggression was produced between paired rats as a response to a tone stimulus. PMID- 17779519 TI - Neutron-activation analysis. PMID- 17779518 TI - Inhibitory centers in sexual behavior in the male rat. AB - Small lesions placed near the diencephalic, mesencephalic junction, in either the lateral or medial mammillary region, resulted in an increase of copulatory behavior. This increase was expressed both by increased numbers of copulation plugs formed per 14-day interval and by increased percentage of days on which copulation occurred. Inhibitory structures thus form an essential part of the circuitry involved in mediation of sex behavior in the male. PMID- 17779520 TI - Quasar red shifts: can they be due to implosion? PMID- 17779522 TI - Control of the "transitional confonnation" of ferrimyoglobin crystals. PMID- 17779521 TI - Statistical analysis in toxicity experiments. PMID- 17779523 TI - Discrete Cosmic X-ray Sources, Galactic and Extragalactic. PMID- 17779524 TI - On the greatest characteristic root of a non-negative matrix. PMID- 17779525 TI - Role of tetroxides and trioxides in the oxidation of tertiary butyl and cumyl hydroperoxides. PMID- 17779526 TI - Observations on antibrain antibodies. PMID- 17779528 TI - The Phloem at the Source of Photosynthates-in Minor Veins of Leaves. PMID- 17779527 TI - New cyclic process for carbon assimilation by a photosynthetic bacterium. PMID- 17779530 TI - New psychological conceptions of memory. PMID- 17779529 TI - Review of recent work in the determination of the fundamental physical constants. PMID- 17779532 TI - Studies of elemental abundances in old stars. PMID- 17779531 TI - Hydrolytic weakening of quartz crystals. PMID- 17779534 TI - Superconductivity of the 5f elements. PMID- 17779533 TI - The olfactory sense and infrared radiation in the large american cockroach. PMID- 17779535 TI - Protein-solute interactions by density measurements. PMID- 17779537 TI - On regulators of cell division. PMID- 17779536 TI - Cross-reactions of streptococcal group-specific substances in antipneumococcal serums. PMID- 17779538 TI - Three Levels of DNA Repair in E. coli. PMID- 17779539 TI - Radiomimetic beverages and drugs. PMID- 17779540 TI - Long-term use of oral contraceptives. PMID- 17779541 TI - Extending the domain of learning. PMID- 17779542 TI - Deactivation by collision in the photolysis of azoethane. PMID- 17779544 TI - Selective control of insects by juvenile hormone analogues. PMID- 17779543 TI - Visual orientation in homing bats. PMID- 17779545 TI - Nucleosynthesis in the early stages of an expanding universe. PMID- 17779546 TI - Crystaline cytochrome C peroxidase and its enzyme-substrate complex. PMID- 17779547 TI - Reading machines for the blind. PMID- 17779548 TI - Forthcoming events. PMID- 17779549 TI - This Week in SCIENCE. PMID- 17779551 TI - Indirect costs at universities. PMID- 17779550 TI - The attractiveness of gloom. PMID- 17779552 TI - Nanotechnology: the past and the future. PMID- 17779553 TI - Nanotechnology: the past and the future. PMID- 17779554 TI - Indirect costs at universities. PMID- 17779555 TI - Erratum. AB - The hypothetical wheel of carbon atoms shown in the illustration on page 1311 accompanying the News Report "The apostle of nanotechnology" by Ivan Amato is a chemically dubious structure generated by computer program. It was inadvertently published instead of a different, correct structure. PMID- 17779556 TI - Gene mappers at cold spring harbor. PMID- 17779557 TI - Nanotechnology: the past and the future. PMID- 17779558 TI - Science scope. PMID- 17779559 TI - Poles apart, science thrives on thin ice. PMID- 17779560 TI - Hot research in a cold climate. PMID- 17779561 TI - Sitting on top of the world. PMID- 17779563 TI - French agency exonerates zagury. PMID- 17779562 TI - NSF Under the Magnifying Glass. PMID- 17779565 TI - Building a better Beta cell. PMID- 17779564 TI - 1991: warmth, chill may follow. PMID- 17779566 TI - Raking the Gulf War's Muck. PMID- 17779567 TI - Could creationism be evolving? PMID- 17779568 TI - Failure interrupts venus mapping. PMID- 17779570 TI - UC to Standardize DOE Contracts. PMID- 17779569 TI - The World's Most Prolific Scientists. PMID- 17779572 TI - Cold confusion. PMID- 17779571 TI - MacArthur Fellows Director Resigns. PMID- 17779573 TI - Animating the material world. PMID- 17779574 TI - What it takes to smarten a material. PMID- 17779575 TI - Chimps: more diverse than a barrel of monkeys. PMID- 17779576 TI - Have astronomers bagged a pair of pulsar planets? PMID- 17779577 TI - Putting the moves on plant viruses. PMID- 17779578 TI - U.s.-Japanese space relations at a crossroads. AB - The relations between Japan and the United States in space form a microcosm of the complex, multidimensional interactions between these two powerful societies. Cooperation and competition exist side by side, and the future balance between them is uncertain. The United States needs to develop a strategy with respect to future U.S.-Japanese space relations that balances national security, political, scientific, and economic interests. Crafting such a strategy is particularly difficult while both the United States and Japan debate the goals and content of their future space programs and while the two nations try to assess their broader interests and roles in the rapidly changing geopolitical environment. Essential to a productive approach to U.S.-Japanese space relations is an accurate understanding of the character and content of the Japanese space effort. PMID- 17779579 TI - Toward the realization of a josephson computer. AB - High-quality Josephson junctions, with both electrodes made from niobium and with an aluminum-oxide insulating barrier, were introduced in 1983. This niobium junction is very stable, reliable, controllable, and reproducible. Because of these excellent characteristics, these junctions can be applied to large-scale integrated (LSI) circuits, such as microprocessors having a few thousand gates and a few kilobits of memory. These circuits operate much faster and consume less power than any semiconductor circuit now available. Integrated Josephson circuits are now being tested in a closed-cycle refrigerator. The next step is to design a special-purpose, small-scale Josephson computer and to demonstrate its high performance. PMID- 17779580 TI - Observation of single-electron charging in double-barrier heterostructures. AB - Incremental single-electron charging of size-quantized states has been observed in the well in submicrometer double-barrier resonant tunneling devices. In order to distinguish between the effects of size quantization and the single-electron charging, the heterostructure material was grown asymmetrical so that one barrier is substantially less transparent than the other. In the voltage polarity such that the emitter barrier is more transparent than the collector barrier, electrons accumulate in the well; incremental electron occupation of the well is accompanied by Coulomb blockade, which leads to sharp steps of the tunneling current. In the opposite voltage polarity the emitter barrier is less transparent than the collector barrier and the tunneling current reflects resonant tunneling through size-quantized well states. PMID- 17779581 TI - Gas-Phase Rates of Alkane C-H Oxidative Addition to a Transient CpRh(CO) Complex. AB - The gas-phase irradiation of CpRh(CO)(2) (Cp = eta(5)-C(5)H(5)) was examined in order to study the rates of reaction of the 16-electron intermediates presumed to be involved in the C-H oxidative addition of alkanes. "Naked" (unsolvated) CpRh(CO) was detected, and direct measurements of the rates of reaction of this very short-lived complex with alkane C-H bonds were made. Activation of C-H bonds occurs on almost every collision for alkanes of moderate size, and intermediates in which the alkanes are bound to the metal centers, without their C-H bonds being fully broken, are implicated as intermediates in the overall reaction. PMID- 17779582 TI - The Earth's Angular Momentum Budget on Subseasonal Time Scales. AB - Irregular length of day (LOD) fluctuations on time scales of less than a few years are largely produced by atmospheric torques on the underlying planet. Significant coherence is found between the respective time series of LOD and atmospheric angular momentum (AAM) determinations at periods down to 8 days, with lack of coherence at shorter periods caused by the declining signal-to measurement noise ratios of both data types. Refinements to the currently accepted model of tidal Earth rotation variations are required, incorporating in particular the nonequilibrium effect of the oceans. The remaining discrepancies between LOD and AAM in the 100- to 10-day period range may be due to either a common error in the AAM data sets from different meteorological centers, or another component of the angular momentum budget. PMID- 17779583 TI - Sibling Species in Montastraea annularis, Coral Bleaching, and the Coral Climate Record. AB - Measures of growth and skeletal isotopic ratios in the Caribbean coral Montastraea annularis are fundamental to many studies of paleoceanography, environmental degradation, and global climate change. This taxon is shown to consist of at least three sibling species in shallow waters. The two most commonly studied of these show highly significant differences in growth rate and oxygen isotopic ratios, parameters routinely used to estimate past climatic conditions; unusual coloration in the third may have confused research on coral bleaching. Interpretation or comparison of past and current studies can be jeopardized by ignoring these species boundaries. PMID- 17779584 TI - Evidence of a pre-angiosperm origin of endosperm: implications for the evolution of flowering plants. AB - The formation of a polyploid endosperm tissue has long been considered a unique and defining feature (autapomorphy) of angiosperms. Contemporaneous with the fertilization of an egg nucleus by a sperm nucleus in Ephedra trifurca (a nonflowering seed plant closely related to angiosperms), a second fertilization event has previously been shown to occur between a second sperm nucleus and the sister nucleus of the egg nucleus. Development of the second fertilization product is now shown to be fundamentally similar to that of endosperm in primitive flowering plants: both are characterized by an initial period of free nuclear proliferation followed by a process of cellularization. In Ephedra, however, the second fertilization product ultimately yields additional embryos. If double fertilization in Ephedra and angiosperms is evolutionarily homologous, it is likely that endosperm evolved from a supernumerary fertilization event that originally produced embryos into one that produced a specialized nonembryo tissue dedicated to the nourishment of the zygotic embryo. PMID- 17779585 TI - Quantum conversion and image detection by a bacteriorhodopsin-based artificial photoreceptor. AB - A thin film (50 to 500 angstroms thick) comprising fragments of bacteriorhodopsin (bR)-containing purple membrane was formed on an SnO(2) conductive electrode by the Langmuir-Blodgett method. The film was put into contact with a thin, aqueous electrolyte gel to construct an electrochemical sandwich-type photocell with a junction structure SnO(2)/bR/electrolyte/Au electrode. Under visible light irradiation, the bR-based photocell produced an efficient rectified photocurrent that proved to have unique differential responsivity to light intensity, which is characteristic of in vivo biological photoreceptors. An artificial photoreceptor comprising a pixel network of the bR photocell was fabricated in an attempt to study image-detecting and processing abilities of bR. PMID- 17779587 TI - Vignettes: installment in a debate. PMID- 17779586 TI - What dis bohr do? PMID- 17779588 TI - An advocate from the past. PMID- 17779589 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17779590 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17779591 TI - POLAR EXPLORATION. PMID- 17779592 TI - THE PRESENT STATUS OF LACTENIN. PMID- 17779593 TI - GIBBS'S PHENOMENON. PMID- 17779594 TI - AN ACCESSIBLE TROPICAL VEGETATION. PMID- 17779595 TI - WORK IN PARASITOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BIOLOGICAL STATION. PMID- 17779596 TI - DISCOVERER OF THE CALCULUS. PMID- 17779597 TI - THE PRONUNCIATION OF "CENTIMETER". PMID- 17779598 TI - AN IMPROVED SOIL SAMPLER. PMID- 17779599 TI - BOTANICAL LEGACIES OF WALTER DEANE. PMID- 17779600 TI - ADRENAL CORTEX EXTRACT AND CANCER. PMID- 17779601 TI - THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE PARASITE OF EAST COAST FEVER IN TICKS TRANSMITTING THE DISEASE. (PRELIMINARY NOTE). PMID- 17779602 TI - East pacific rise: hot springs and geophysical experiments. AB - Hydrothermal vents jetting out water at 380 degrees +/- 30 degrees C have been discovered on the axis of the East Pacific Rise. The hottest waters issue from mineralized chimneys and are blackened by sulfide precipitates. These hydrothermal springs are the sites of actively forming massive sulfide mineral deposits. Cooler springs are clear to milky and support exotic benthic communities of giant tube worms, clams, and crabs similar to those found at the Galapagos spreading center. Four prototype geophysical experiments were successfully conducted in and near the vent area: seismic refraction measurements with both source (thumper) and receivers on the sea floor, on-bottom gravity measurements, in situ magnetic gradiometer measurements from the submersible Alvin over a sea-floor magnetic reversal boundary, and an active electrical sounding experiment. These high-resolution determinations of crustal properties along the spreading center were made to gain knowledge of the source of new oceanic crust and marine magnetic anomalies, the nature of the axial magma chamber, and the depth of hydrothermal circulation. PMID- 17779603 TI - Sulfide Deposits from the East Pacific Rise Near 21{degrees}N. AB - Massive sulfide deposits were discovered from the diving saucer Cyana on the accreting plate boundary region of the East Pacific Rise near 21 degrees N. The deposits form conical and tubular structures lying on a basaltic basement. Mineralogical and geochemical analyses showed two main types of intimately associated products: a polymetallic sulfide-rich material composed of pyrite and marcasite in association, zinc-rich phases, and copper-rich compounds, and an iron-rich oxide and hydroxide material (also called gossan) composed largely of goethite and limonite. Silicate phases such as opaline, silica, iron-silicon clay, and trace amounts of mica and zeolite are encountered in both types of material. Possible mechanisms for the formation of the sulfide deposits on the East Pacific Rise are discussed. PMID- 17779604 TI - Materials science. PMID- 17779605 TI - NRC Takes a Second Look at Reactor Design. PMID- 17779606 TI - INFCE: Little Progress in Controlling Nuclear Proliferation. PMID- 17779607 TI - Navy to close arctic research lab. PMID- 17779608 TI - Gasohol: a choice that may buy grief. PMID- 17779609 TI - Geopressured energy fighting uphill battle. PMID- 17779611 TI - Environmental issues: the soviet view. PMID- 17779610 TI - Malthusian themes. PMID- 17779612 TI - Insect strategies. PMID- 17779613 TI - Developmental differences. PMID- 17779614 TI - Reproductive biology. PMID- 17779615 TI - The Climatological Significance of a Doubling of Earth's Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Concentration. AB - The mean global increase in thermal radiation received at the surface of the earth as a consequence of a doubling of the atmospheric carbon dioxide content is calculated to be 2.28 watts per square meter. Multiplying this forcing function by the atmosphere's surface air temperature response function, which has recently been determined by three independent experimental analyses to have a mean global value of 0.113 K per watt per square meter, yields a value of 11) water issues from some fresh ultramafic bodies. The properties of the ultrabasic solutions are believed to be due to current reactions yielding serpentine from primary olivines and pyroxenes. The low concentrations of divalent airon. divalent magnesium, and dissolved silica from the serpentinization require an increase in rock volume. PMID- 17780304 TI - Transplutonium elements. PMID- 17780303 TI - Tektites are Terrestrial? PMID- 17780305 TI - COMMENT AND CRITICISM. PMID- 17780307 TI - Light in the deep sea. PMID- 17780306 TI - The long-continued 'bad seeing.'. PMID- 17780309 TI - THUNDER-STORMS. PMID- 17780308 TI - AN IDEAL UNIVERSITY FROM AN ENGLISH POINT OF VIEW. PMID- 17780310 TI - THE FORMATION OF CANONS AND PRECIPICES. PMID- 17780312 TI - THE ECHINODERMS DREDGED BY THE TALISMAN. PMID- 17780311 TI - THE EQUATORIAL COUDE. PMID- 17780313 TI - FULL EMPLOYMENT AFTER THE WAR: HOW TO ACHIEVE IT AND MAINTAIN IT. PMID- 17780315 TI - AFFILIATION OF THE SHELL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CLUB WITH THE SOCIETY OF THE SIGMA XI. PMID- 17780314 TI - THE ROYAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17780317 TI - THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR INFANTILE PARALYSIS. PMID- 17780316 TI - THE PASSANO FOUNDATION AWARD. PMID- 17780318 TI - TRYPSIN AND CHYMOTRYPSIN VERSUS HEPARIN. PMID- 17780320 TI - REACTION OF VITAMIN A WITH SUPER-FILTROL. PMID- 17780319 TI - BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION. PMID- 17780321 TI - PLASMODIUM VIVAX CHESSON STRAIN. PMID- 17780322 TI - SPONSORS OF WORLD EXPLORATION. PMID- 17780323 TI - RECOVERY OF EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS VIRUS (WESTERN TYPE) FROM CHICKEN MITES. AB - The Western type of equine encephalomyelitis virus has been isolated from chicken mites (Dermanyssus gallinae) in nature during an outbreak of the equine disease in the Southwest. PMID- 17780324 TI - THE MECHANISM OF GROWTH INHIBITION BY HEXENOLACTONE. PMID- 17780325 TI - THE ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF DICUMAROL. PMID- 17780326 TI - HYDROLYSIS OF CHOLINE ESTERS BY LIVER. PMID- 17780327 TI - A CATALYTIC EFFECT OF THIAMINE AT THE DROPPING MERCURY ELECTRODE. PMID- 17780328 TI - THE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF FUSARIA. AB - It has been shown that Fusarium lini B. grown on an artificial stock culture medium when supplemented with thiamin provides adequate amounts of the B-complex vitamins for normal growth, reproduction and lactation in mice, and that it compares very favorably with brewer's yeast in its food value. PMID- 17780329 TI - PODOPTERA, A HOMOEOTIC MUTANT OF DROSOPHILA AND THE ORIGIN OF THE INSECT WING. PMID- 17780330 TI - A SUGGESTED STERILITY TEST FOR PENICILLIN. AB - The proposed sterility test for penicillin, which employs cysteine (in the form of its hydrochloride) rather than Clarase, has proven to be satisfactory in our laboratories. The use of cysteine is advantageous because it is a compound of known structure and is readily available at relatively small cost. Suitable samples of Clarase or bacterial penicillinases are not as reproducible and the latter require much time and effort in their preparation. Furthermore, cysteine solutions do not require filtration but may be sterilized by heat in the autoclave. PMID- 17780331 TI - RAPID STAINING METHOD FOR RELAPSING FEVER SPIROCHETES. PMID- 17780332 TI - A SIMPLE DEVICE FOR THE ADDITION OR REMOVAL OF SOLUTIONS OR GASES TO A CLOSED SYSTEM. PMID- 17780333 TI - APPLIED CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17780334 TI - DOCTORATES CONFERRED BY AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. PMID- 17780335 TI - THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM. PMID- 17780337 TI - PARASITES OF THE MUSKRAT. PMID- 17780336 TI - THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF BORNITE. PMID- 17780338 TI - WIND GAPS. PMID- 17780339 TI - ON THE COEFFICIENT OF CORRELATION AS A MEASURE OF RELATIONSHIP. PMID- 17780340 TI - AN ABERRANT ECOLOGICAL FORM OF UNIO COMPLANATUS DILLWYN. PMID- 17780341 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17780342 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, SECTION B, PHYSICS. PMID- 17780343 TI - Fission in the AEC. PMID- 17780344 TI - Superconductivity: A Solved Problem?: Modern theoretical physics has come close to explaining this hitherto baffling phenomenon. PMID- 17780346 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17780345 TI - Potential Productivity of the Sea: Organic production by marine plankton algae is comparable to agricultural yields on land. PMID- 17780347 TI - Errata. AB - In Wilder Penfield's article, "The interpretive cortex," [Science 129, 1719 (26 June 1959)], the word psychical should be substituted for physical on page 1719, column 3, line 15. On page 1723, column 3, last line, reference should be made to Fig. 6, not Fig. 3. PMID- 17780348 TI - Individuality of the Meromyosins. AB - Subtilisin, as well as trypsin and chymotrypsin, splits myosin into meromyosin like components. Examination of the N- and C-terminal residues of the L meromyosin-like products suggests that all three proteases produce identical L meromyosins. It is proposed that the role of the enzymes is to break secondary bonds. PMID- 17780349 TI - Dispersal of Fresh-Water Algae by Migratory Water Birds. AB - Many migratory water birds killed in Texas and Oklahoma contained viable fresh water algae in the lower digestive tracts. Such birds are thought to play a significant role in the long-range dispersal of certain algae, particularly those species easily killed by desiccation. PMID- 17780350 TI - Sublimation Freeze-Drying without Vacuum. AB - Analysis of the freeze-drying procedure shows that the passage of water vapor from the drying boundary through the dried shell is facilitated primarily by the vapor pressure gradient rather than by the absolute pressure of the system. This is experimentally confirmed, and a device for freeze-drying at atmospheric pressure is described. PMID- 17780352 TI - VIVISECTION. PMID- 17780351 TI - Procedure for Studying Olfactory Discrimination in Pigeons. AB - A discrimination, based on olfactory stimuli, was established in two pigeons by an operant conditioning procedure. Results from control sessions demonstrate that the discrimination can be attributed only to the presence or absence of olfactory stimuli. PMID- 17780353 TI - CERTITUDES AND ILLUSIONS: AN ILLUSION CONCERNING REST. PMID- 17780354 TI - ASTRONOMY. PMID- 17780355 TI - MARINE ORGANISMS. PMID- 17780356 TI - HEREDITY AND INSTINCT. PMID- 17780357 TI - INSTINCT. PMID- 17780358 TI - PECULIAR ABRASION OF TREE TRUNKS. PMID- 17780359 TI - LOGIC AND THE RETINAL IMAGE. PMID- 17780360 TI - THE PUMA, OR MOUNTAIN LION. PMID- 17780362 TI - Psychology. PMID- 17780361 TI - CERTITUDES AND ILLUSIONS. PMID- 17780363 TI - A NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, ITS CHARACTER AND PURPOSE. PMID- 17780364 TI - THE SCIENCE AND ART OF GOVERNMENT. PMID- 17780365 TI - PRINCIPLES AND METHODS OF GEOLOGIC CORRELATION BY MEANS OF FOSSIL PLANTS. PMID- 17780366 TI - MADSTONES AND THEIR MAGIC. PMID- 17780367 TI - THE PLANT-BEARING DEPOSITS OF THE AMERICAN TRIAS. PMID- 17780368 TI - ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. PMID- 17780370 TI - The Man of the Future. PMID- 17780369 TI - BIRDS IN HIGH GALES. PMID- 17780371 TI - The International Geological Congress. PMID- 17780372 TI - Fifth International Congress of Geologists. PMID- 17780373 TI - Lifting the Lid. PMID- 17780375 TI - Minerals for the Future. PMID- 17780374 TI - Food for the Future. AB - There is ample justification for concern about adequate food supplies for future generations of mankind, but this concern should be broadened to include the immediate problem of an adequate standard of living for the world's present population. The successful solution of the immediate problems would furnish the best background of experience for meeting those that will arise in the future. First steps include the acceptance by society of responsibilities for the extension of the benefits of education throughout the world and provision for the type of scientific, economic, social, political, and religious leadership necessary to assure food for all on a continuing basis. Striking improvements in the food supply can be readily made through the application of present knowledge, if the foregoing conditions are met. The rapid pace of modern science, both pure and applied, gives promise that future benefits may be much greater than those thus far experienced. Current advances do not signal the end of a technical road but rather that the great scientific developments still lie ahead. If we have the intelligence and wisdom to recognize human responsibilities and to make constructive use of our natural and human resources, we can look forward to a better world in the future and improved standards of living for all. PMID- 17780376 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17780378 TI - Tests of a Soil Sterilant for Forestry Use. PMID- 17780377 TI - Sound of Boiling. PMID- 17780380 TI - Miscellaneous Publications. PMID- 17780379 TI - Reference Samples of Isotopic Abundance. PMID- 17780382 TI - Scientific Meetings. PMID- 17780384 TI - UNIVERSITY EXTENSION AND THE STATE UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17780383 TI - PRINCIPLES OF WATER-POWER DEVELOPMENT. PMID- 17780385 TI - AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE SPIRIT OF RESEARCH IN LABORATORY INSTRUCTION IN PHYSICS. PMID- 17780387 TI - THE FUTURE OF THE LONDON ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. PMID- 17780386 TI - A NEW GAS VOLCANO IN TRINIDAD. PMID- 17780388 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17780389 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17780390 TI - "GENOTYPE" AND "PURE LINE". PMID- 17780391 TI - MOSQUITO ROMANCE. PMID- 17780393 TI - HOW A FALLING CAT TURNS OVER IN THE AIR. PMID- 17780392 TI - HOW TO THROW A CURVED BALL. PMID- 17780394 TI - SIPHON SPRINGS AND SINK HOLES. PMID- 17780395 TI - MODELS OF VORTICELLA AND CYCLOPS. PMID- 17780396 TI - SEED DISTRIBUTION BY SURFACE TENSION. PMID- 17780398 TI - THE CONVOCATION WEEK MEETINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17780397 TI - THE ROLE OF SALTS IN THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE. PMID- 17780399 TI - THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17780400 TI - THE BREEDING OF ANIMALS AT WOODS HOLL DURING THE MONTH OF MAY, 1898. PMID- 17780401 TI - NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS (II.). PMID- 17780402 TI - GEORGE BAUR. PMID- 17780403 TI - CURRENT NOTES ON ANTHROPOLOGY. PMID- 17780404 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17780405 TI - DIETARY STUDIES. PMID- 17780406 TI - THE CORAL-BORING EXPEDITION TO FUNAFUTI. PMID- 17780407 TI - SCIENCE AND INDUSTRIAL SUPREMACY. PMID- 17780408 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17780410 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17780409 TI - SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. PMID- 17780411 TI - 1989 New Year's Resolution: Go to Heaven. PMID- 17780412 TI - Erratum. AB - The fourth sentence of the abstract of the report "The elav gene product of Drosophila, required in neurons, has three RNP consensus motifs" by S. Robinow et al. (16 Dec., p. 1570), should have read, "DNA sequence data presented in this report suggest that the elav gene product is an RNA binding protein, based on the presence of RNP (ribonucleoprotein) consensus sequences." PMID- 17780413 TI - Response: FDA Approval of HTLV-I Tests. PMID- 17780414 TI - Energy options. PMID- 17780415 TI - The onset of chaos. PMID- 17780416 TI - How to Fix the Clouds in Greenhouse Models: Climate models are moving toward the realistic simulation of clouds needed to calculate the size of the greenhouse warming. PMID- 17780417 TI - Getting a Grip on Elliptic Curves: A combination of research by mathematicians in the United States, Canada, and the Soviet Union has made important progress with a class of equations known as elliptic curves. PMID- 17780418 TI - The fire (ants) this time. PMID- 17780419 TI - Bagging the albatross. PMID- 17780420 TI - We have met the enemy and it is us. PMID- 17780421 TI - Ecological effects of a major oil spill on panamanian coastal marine communities. AB - In 1986 more than 8 million liters of crude oil spilled into a complex region of mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs just east of the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal. This was the largest recorded spill into coastal habitats in the tropical Americas. Many population of plants and animals in both oiled and unoiled sites had been studied previously, thereby providing an unprecedented measure of ecological variation before the spill. Documenation of the spread of oil and its biological begun immediately. Intertidal mangroves, algae, and associated invertebrates were covered by oil and died soon after. More surprisingly, there was also extensive mortality of shallow subtidal reef corals and infauna of seagrass beds. After 1.5 years only some organisms in areas exposed to the open sea have recovered. PMID- 17780423 TI - Atom counting at surfaces. AB - Multiphoton resonance ionization has been combined with energetic ion bombardment to examine dopant concentrations ofindium on the surface of silicon. The results yield a linear relation between the indium concentration and the known bulk values and a detection limit of 9 parts per trillion, at a mass resolution exceeding 160. This measurement, which surpasses the limits of any previous surface analysis by a factor of 100, has been made possible with an experimental configuration that optimizes sampling and detection efficiency while reducing background noise to virtually zero. During the analysis, submonolayer quantities of the surface are removed, so that as few as 180 surface atoms may be counted. PMID- 17780422 TI - Cloud-radiative forcing and climate: results from the Earth radiation budget experiment. AB - The study of climate and climate change is hindered by a lack of information on the effect of clouds on the radiation balance of the earth, referred to as the cloud-radiative forcing. Quantitative estimates of the global distributions of cloud-radiative forcing have been obtained from the spaceborne Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) launched in 1984. For the April 1985 period, the global shortwave cloud forcing [-44.5 watts per square meter (W/m(2))] due to the enhancement of planetary albedo, exceeded in magnitude the longwave cloud forcing (31.3 W/m(2)) resulting from the greenhouse effect of clouds. Thus, clouds had a net cooling effect on the earth. This cooling effect is large over the mid-and high-latitude oceans, with values reaching -100 W/m(2). The monthly averaged longwave cloud forcing reached maximum values of 50 to 100 W/m(2) over the convectively disturbed regions of the tropics. However, this heating effect is nearly canceled by a correspondingly large negative shortwave cloud forcing, which indicates the delicately balanced state of the tropics. The size of the observed net cloud forcing is about four times as large as the expected value of radiative forcing from a doubling of CO(2). The shortwave and longwave components of cloud forcing are about ten times as large as those for a CO(2) doubling. Hence, small changes in the cloud-radiative forcing fields can play a significant role as a climate feedback mechanism. For example, during past glaciations a migration toward the equator of the field of strong, negative cloud-radiative forcing, in response to a similar migration of cooler waters, could have significantly amplified oceanic cooling and continental glaciation. PMID- 17780424 TI - Submicrometer Superconducting YBa2Cu3O6+x Particles Made by a Low-Temperature Synthetic Route. AB - Evidence suggests that superconducting, orthorhombic YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6+x)+ (x greater, similar 0.5) is always produced by oxidation of the oxygen-deficient, tetragonal form (x less, similar 0.5) of this phase (commonly referred to as 123). A synthetic route whereby solution-derived, carbon-free precursors are decomposed at 650 degrees to 700 degrees C in inert atmosphere to yield tetragonal 123 is now available. Appropriate precursors include hydrated oxides derived from the hydrolysis of organometallic solutions and aqueous solution derived hyponitrites. Subsequent oxidation of the tetragonal phase at 400 degrees C results in submicrometer particles of orthorhombic 123. Superconductivity (T(c) onset approximately 87 K) has been confirmed in these materials by both Meissner effect and specific-heat measurements. PMID- 17780425 TI - Working Mothers: Assessing the Effects: Maternal Employment and Children's Development. PMID- 17780426 TI - Weapons and hopes: war stars. PMID- 17780427 TI - Contributions of chemistry: biotechnology and materials science. PMID- 17780428 TI - An Interagency Struggle: U.S. Coast Survey vs. Naval Hydrologic Office. PMID- 17780429 TI - Evolutionary trends: the evolution of complexity by means of natural selection. PMID- 17780430 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17780431 TI - WILLIAM KEITH BROOKS. PMID- 17780432 TI - THE CONVOCATION WEEK MEETINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17780433 TI - THE AMERICAN MINING CONGRESS. PMID- 17780434 TI - THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS. PMID- 17780435 TI - VOCATIONS OF YALE ALUMNI. PMID- 17780436 TI - THE DARWIN CELEBRATION OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17780437 TI - THE CHARLES WILLIAM ELIOT FUND. PMID- 17780438 TI - A REPLY TO THE COMMUNICATION OF MESSRS. LOEB, MAXWELL, BURNETT AND ROBERTSON. PMID- 17780439 TI - LIGHTS ATTRACTING INSECTS. PMID- 17780441 TI - ACTION OF THE RADIUM EMANATION ON SOLUTIONS OF COPPER SALTS. PMID- 17780440 TI - AN ECONOMICAL INSECT BOX. PMID- 17780443 TI - SPINAL SHOCK: A PRELIMINARY NOTE. PMID- 17780442 TI - MOMENTUM EFFECTS IN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE. PMID- 17780444 TI - A NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS MOROPUS. PMID- 17780446 TI - SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. PMID- 17780445 TI - AN ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE METHOD FOR THE RAPID DETERMINATION OF THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF GRAIN. PMID- 17780447 TI - THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. PMID- 17780448 TI - THE DEPLORABLE CONTRAST BETWEEN INTRANATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ETHICS AND THE MISSION OF MEDICAL SCIENCE AND MEDICAL MEN. PMID- 17780450 TI - GEOGRAPHICAL MEETING IN NEW YORK. PMID- 17780449 TI - CYRUS FOGG BRACKETT. PMID- 17780452 TI - ON THE PROPOSED REORGANIZATION OF DEPARTMENTS OF CLINICAL MEDICINE IN THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17780451 TI - PACIFIC ASSOCIATION OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. PMID- 17780453 TI - LETTER FROM PROFESSOR ED. CLAPAREDE. PMID- 17780454 TI - THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF FIORDS. PMID- 17780455 TI - THE IMPORTANCE OF A CONSIDERATION OF THE FIBER PROTEINS IN THE PROCESS OF BLEACHING COTTON. PMID- 17780456 TI - THE AMERICAN PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PMID- 17780458 TI - THE ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17780457 TI - THE PHILADELPHIA MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. PMID- 17780459 TI - Erratum. AB - Because of a printer's error, a line was dropped from the letter by Robert W. Berliner (16 Mar., p. 1066). The third sentence in the third paragraph should have read, "Schools of medicine have large fixed costs that do not vary with the number of students...." PMID- 17780460 TI - Cancer incidence. PMID- 17780461 TI - Szent-Gyorgyi's Research. PMID- 17780462 TI - Dependence on imports of oil. PMID- 17780463 TI - Tree dispersion, abundance, and diversity in a tropical dry forest. AB - Patterns of tree abundance and dispersion in a tropical deciduous (dry) forest are summarized. The generalization that tropical trees have spaced adults did not hold. All species were either clumped or randomly dispersed, with rare species more clumped than common species. Breeding system was unrelated to species abundance or dispersion, but clumping was related to mode of seed dispersal. Juvenile densities decreased approximately exponentially away from adults. Rare species gave evidence of poor reproductive performance compared with their performance when common in nearby forests. Patterns of relative species abundance in the dry forest are compared with patterns in other forests, and are explained by a simple stochastic model based on random-walk immigration and extinction set in motion by periodic community disturbance. PMID- 17780464 TI - The mutual embrace of electricity and magnetism. PMID- 17780465 TI - Interagency group cautious on nuclear waste disposal. PMID- 17780466 TI - Nuclear reactors and eastern earthquakes. PMID- 17780467 TI - Possible postponement for troublesome ethics law. PMID- 17780468 TI - H-bomb issue hits where it hurts. PMID- 17780469 TI - EPA risk assessment policy. PMID- 17780471 TI - Toxicology: new laws mean new instruments. PMID- 17780470 TI - The 1979 pittsburgh conference: a special instrument report. PMID- 17780472 TI - HPLC: The New King of Analytical Chemistry? PMID- 17780473 TI - Three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy. PMID- 17780474 TI - New tool for mass spectrometry. PMID- 17780475 TI - Neurochemistry. PMID- 17780476 TI - Evolutionary gradients. PMID- 17780477 TI - Paleocurrent indicators in deep-sea sediment. AB - The fabric and texture of deep-sea sediments have been used to detect periods of high-velocity bottom-water flow through the Vema Channel in the south-west Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the alignment of the long axis of magnetic grains has been used to indicate the direction of bottom-water flow. PMID- 17780478 TI - Geologic migration potentials of technetium-99 and neptunium-237. AB - Relatively mobile TcO(+)(-) and NpO(2)(+) can be chemically reduced to less soluble oxidation states in the presence of igneous rocks, as predicted by oxidation-reduction measurements. Current risk assessments, which consider technetium and neptunium as potentially capable of migrating from high-level radioactive waste repositories, may be overestimating their potential hazard to the public since the Fe(II) content of many subsurface waters may maintain these elements in less soluble oxidation states. PMID- 17780479 TI - Variable porosity in siliceous skeletons: determination and importance. AB - Gas adsorption data were used to obtain the specific surface area and specific pore volume for a variety of biogenically precipitated silica semples. The results suggest that this material is finely divided and porous. This interpretation was corroborated by the use of transmission electron microscopy at magnifications up to 180,000. PMID- 17780480 TI - Magnetite in freshwater magnetotactic bacteria. AB - A previously undescribed magnetotactic spirillum isolated from a freshwater swamp was mass cultured in the magnetic as well as the nonmagnetic state in chemically defined culture media. Results of Mossbauer spectroscopic analysis applied to whole cells identifies magnetite as a constituent of these magnetic bacteria. PMID- 17780481 TI - The dodo and the tambalacoque tree. PMID- 17780482 TI - Developmental dyslexia: research methods and inferences. PMID- 17780483 TI - TUBERCULOSIS, LEPROSY AND ALLIED MYCOBACTERIAL DISEASES. PMID- 17780484 TI - OUR NATIONAL MONUMENTS. PMID- 17780485 TI - THE LOWER SONORAN IN UTAH. PMID- 17780486 TI - EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE SURVIVAL VALUE OF ACRIDIAN PROTECTIVE COLORATION. PMID- 17780487 TI - THE TENNESSEE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17780488 TI - COLUMNAR STRUCTURE IN EXTRUSIVE BASALTS. PMID- 17780489 TI - THE OKLAHOMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. PMID- 17780490 TI - THE FLORIDA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. PMID- 17780491 TI - SULPHANILAMIDE AND VIRUS DISEASES. PMID- 17780492 TI - THE SKIN INFECTIVITY OF POLIOMYELITIS VIRUS. PMID- 17780493 TI - THE EFFECT OF COPPER IN THE PRODUCTION OF NUTRITIONAL ANEMIA IN RATS. PMID- 17780494 TI - THE ABSORPTION OF SELENIUM BY CITRUS AND BY GRAPES. PMID- 17780495 TI - A BODY PLETHYSMOGRAPH FOR MEASURING RESPIRATORY VOLUMES WITH HIGH RESPIRATORY RATES. PMID- 17780496 TI - GROWTH SUBSTANCE DETERMINATIONS. PMID- 17780497 TI - Recent Patterns of Employment and Unemployment. PMID- 17780498 TI - 2001 BUDGET: NSF and NASA Score Last-Minute Victories. AB - Congress last week gave both NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) significant hikes for 2001: NSF got $4.42 billion, a $522 million boost over this year that nearly matched NSF's 17% request, and NASA received $14.3 billion, nearly twice the White House's request for a 3% boost-but with hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks added on. PMID- 17780499 TI - ACADEMIC COMMUNITY: Institute Goes to Court to Remove Researcher. AB - The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, New Jersey, is embroiled in an uncharacteristically tense--and public--fight to remove one of its tenured professors, Piet Hut. This summer the institute asked a court to rule on a 1996 agreement in which Hut promised to leave by 2001. This month Hut countersued, saying that he was coerced into signing the document and that the institute is trampling on his academic freedom. PMID- 17780500 TI - RESEARCH COSTS: Canada to Begin Funding Overhead on Projects. AB - Last week federal Finance Minister Paul Martin announced a $268 million outlay for future equipment awards provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), a $1.3 billion entity created in 1997 to rejuvenate labs in universities and research hospitals. The money is the first direct federal outlay for overhead costs, which up to now have been met by a combination of provincial operating grants to universities and federal transfer payments for postsecondary education. School administrators say it meets a desperate need. PMID- 17780501 TI - PLANETARY SCIENCE: Saturn Wins Satellite Title With New Moons. AB - This week an international team of astronomers announced the discovery of four new moons of Saturn, restoring the ringed planet to its status as commander of the largest retinue of satellites in the solar system. Their appearance should help researchers understand not just how the new moons were formed but also how the giant planets themselves came to be. PMID- 17780502 TI - PLANETARY SCIENCE: Solar System Scientists Look to Find an Edge. AB - For several years, ever-improving telescope technology has allowed astronomers to peer farther and farther beyond Neptune to discover a rapidly increasing number of bodies littering the outer reaches of the solar system. Now many researchers agree that an end is in sight, although some remain skeptical. PMID- 17780503 TI - EASTERN EUROPE: Help Needed to Rebuild Science in Yugoslavia. AB - The Yugoslavian scientific community has withered in the past decade, crippled by a massive brain drain and starved for resources. Now the promise of democratic rule in Yugoslavia has rekindled scientists' hopes that their careers will eventually get back on track and that scientific cooperation between the former Yugoslav republics can be reestablished. But the losses have been so great that the comeback of Yugoslavian science depends largely on how much assistance Western countries and expatriate scientists provide. PMID- 17780504 TI - EASTERN EUROPE: Serbian University Law Causes Turmoil. AB - Whether the University of Belgrade was ruined or saved in May 1998 depends on one's political views. That was when the regime of Slobodan Milosevic pushed through the Serb parliament the University Act, a law that gave the minister of higher education the right to appoint deans at Serbian universities. PMID- 17780505 TI - EASTERN EUROPE: Science Survives in Breakaway States. AB - Slovenia, which escaped unscathed from its 1-week war of independence in 1991, has emerged from the chaos of the Yugoslav breakup with the biggest head start in science. Croatia also has a proud scientific tradition, but it paid a much higher price than Slovenia paid for its freedom: a bloody war for independence that took nearly 4 years to settle. The problems of Croatian researchers pale in comparison to those in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, however. PMID- 17780506 TI - CLIMATOLOGY: Does a Climate Clock Get a Noisy Boost? AB - Three researchers pondering what could be behind a roughly 1500-year cycle of warming and cooling are suggesting that it is a combination of two climate drivers, each too weak to have a large effect on its own. When a strictly periodic cycle teams up with just the right amount of thoroughly irregular noise, the combination could achieve "stochastic resonance" and set off the dramatic climate shifts of the last ice age--or the next, possibly human-triggered, Little Ice Age. No one is claiming the case is proven, but if true it will complicate predictions of future climate. PMID- 17780507 TI - NEUROSCIENCE: Tips for Neuroscience Neophytes. AB - It takes half a year to process the more than 12,000 abstract submissions for the Society for Neuroscience meeting. So researchers have to write abstracts precise enough to land them in the appropriate session and attract people to their presentation, yet open-ended enough to cover fresh data come conference time. PMID- 17780508 TI - Poll shows researchers favor lab animal protection. PMID- 17780510 TI - Outrageous events: don't count them out. PMID- 17780509 TI - Ideas about the surface runoff features on Mars. PMID- 17780511 TI - QUANTUM MECHANICS: Enhanced: Schrodinger's Cat Is Out of the Hat. AB - In 1935, Erwin Schrodinger suggested his famous gedanken experiment of the cat that is simultaneously "dead" and "alive" inside its box until the box is opened. But as Tesche explains in her Perspective, such a macroscopic manifestation of quantum mechanics has remained elusive until recently. The experiments by van der Wal et al. are an important step toward demonstrating that quantum mechanics can describe macroscopic phenomena. The approach may be exploited in quantum computing and quantum cryptography. PMID- 17780512 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17780513 TI - WILLIAM THOMAS COUNCILMAN. PMID- 17780514 TI - V. DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. PMID- 17780515 TI - A GRAND MASTER KEY TO BIOLOGICAL LITERATURE. PMID- 17780516 TI - GOITER PREVENTION WITH FOOD PLANTS GROWN ON IODIZED SOIL. PMID- 17780517 TI - SWARMING AND MATING OF ANTS. PMID- 17780518 TI - A BACTERIAL GALL DISEASE OF THE DOUGLAS FIR. PMID- 17780519 TI - FIELD CONFERENCE OF PENNSYLVANIA GEOLOGISTS. PMID- 17780520 TI - A SIMPLE STRING ELECTROSCOPE. PMID- 17780521 TI - EFFECT OF INHIBITING FACTOR FROM NORMAL TISSUES ON SPONTANEOUS TUMORS OF MICE. PMID- 17780523 TI - This week in science. PMID- 17780522 TI - FUNDAMENTAL LIMITS TO THE SIZES OF CLASTIC GRAINS. PMID- 17780524 TI - FAA's Bomb Scanner: An Awkward Goliath?: The U.S. response to the Lockerbie bombing is an impressive bag checker, but one that will not "see" little bombs. PMID- 17780525 TI - Triton Steals Voyager's Last Show: Even after 7 billion miles of exploration, Voyager 2 observations of Neptune, its rings, and its moons can still stir controversy about the giant outer planets. PMID- 17780526 TI - Another weather report from the outer planets. PMID- 17780527 TI - Why neptunian ring sausages? PMID- 17780529 TI - A costly lesson in patent law. PMID- 17780528 TI - Superconductor Patents: Four Groups Duke It Out: With millions of dollars at stake, the question of who discovered high-temperature superconductors becomes more than just a matter of assigning scientific credit. PMID- 17780530 TI - A surprise near virgo. PMID- 17780531 TI - Psychiatrists get treatment manual. PMID- 17780532 TI - Chinese science students wooed. PMID- 17780533 TI - One giant crash for mankind. PMID- 17780534 TI - How to stop tearing your hair out. PMID- 17780535 TI - LEP Comes from Behind. PMID- 17780536 TI - Geological and geochemical record of 3400-million-year-old terrestrial meteorite impacts. AB - Beds of sand-sized spherules in the 3400-million-year-old Fig Tree Group, Barberton Greenstone belt, South Africa, formed by the fall of quenched liquid silicate droplets into a range of shallow-to deep-water depositional environments. The regional extent of the layers, their compositional complexity, and lack of included volcanic debris suggest that they are not products of volcanic activity. The layers are greatly enriched in iridium and other platinum group elements in roughly chondritic proportions. Geochemical modeling based on immobile element abundances suggests that the original average spherule composition can be approximated by a mixture of fractionated tholeiitic basalt, komatiite, and CI carbonaceous chondrite. The spherules are thought to be the products of large meteorite impacts on the Archean earth. PMID- 17780538 TI - 1990 AAAS Annual Meeting New Orleans, 15-20 February. PMID- 17780537 TI - Silicon coordination and speciation changes in a silicate liquid at high pressures. AB - Coordination and local geometry around Si cations in silicate liquids are of primary importance in controlling the chemical and physical properties of magmas. Pressure-induced changes from fourfold to sixfold coordination of Si in silicate glass samples quenched from liquids has been detected with (29)Si magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. Samples of Na(2)Si(2)O(5) glass quenched from 8 gigapascals and 1500 degrees C contained about 1.5 percent octahedral Si, which was demonstrably part of a homogeneous, amorphous phase. The dominant tetrahedral Si speciation in these glasses became disproportionated to a more random distribution of bridging and nonbridging oxygens with increasing pressure. PMID- 17780539 TI - Coevolution: cautious views: chemical mediation of coevolution. PMID- 17780541 TI - Working with fossils: digging into the past. PMID- 17780540 TI - Technological change: the evolution of technology. PMID- 17780542 TI - Immunogenetics: immunoglobulin genes. PMID- 17780543 TI - Many-body theory: the fractional quantum Hall effect. PMID- 17780544 TI - Products & materials. PMID- 17780545 TI - SCIENCE NEWS. PMID- 17780546 TI - GRADUATE STUDY AND RESEARCH. PMID- 17780547 TI - HOW TO VIEW THE SCIENCE MUSEUM. PMID- 17780548 TI - COMPUTING PROGRESS IN CHEMISTRY. PMID- 17780549 TI - "PETRIFIED WALNUTS" VS. CONCRETIONS. PMID- 17780550 TI - POLYGONBODEN ON MT. DESERT ISLAND, MAINE. PMID- 17780551 TI - MILK AS A SOURCE OF VITAMIN C. PMID- 17780552 TI - FLUCTUATIONS IN NUMBERS OF VARYING HARES. PMID- 17780553 TI - UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITIONS TO MEXICO. PMID- 17780554 TI - THE BIOLOGIC EFFECTS OF PINEAL EXTRACT (HANSON). PMID- 17780555 TI - ARTIFICIAL CONTROL OF NUCELLAR EMBRYONY IN CITRUS. PMID- 17780556 TI - THE ERGOT ALKALOIDS. THE ULTRAVIOLET ABSORPTION SPECTRA OF LYSERGIC ACID AND RELATED SUBSTANCES. PMID- 17780557 TI - A NEW APPARATUS FOR THE DAYLIGHT PROJECTION OF MICROSCOPIC AND LANTERN SLIDES. PMID- 17780558 TI - A NOTE ON LEVEL CONTROL IN FUNNELS. PMID- 17780559 TI - FORCEPS DESIGNED FOR SKIN SUTURING. PMID- 17780560 TI - When Scientists Disagree. PMID- 17780561 TI - Stockholm Natural Radiocarbon Measurements I. PMID- 17780562 TI - H. R. Morgan, Astronomer. PMID- 17780563 TI - News of Science. PMID- 17780565 TI - Absence of Chitin in Epicuticle of Some Indian Scorpions. PMID- 17780564 TI - Occurrence of 1-Quinic Acid in Tobacco Leaves. PMID- 17780566 TI - Meetings and Societies. PMID- 17780567 TI - EQUIPMENT NEWS. PMID- 17780568 TI - ADDRESS OF HON. GARDINER G. HUBBARD, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, AT ITS FIRST MEETING, MARCH, 1888. PMID- 17780570 TI - SCIENTIFIC NEWS IN WASHINGTON. PMID- 17780569 TI - WATER-SPOUTS OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST OF THE UNITED STATES. PMID- 17780571 TI - ELECTRICAL SCIENCE. PMID- 17780573 TI - The Snow-Snake and the r-Sound. PMID- 17780572 TI - Needed-An Improved Means of attaching Microscopical Objectives. PMID- 17780574 TI - Bacteriology in our Medical Schools. PMID- 17780575 TI - Is the Rainfall increasing on the Plains? PMID- 17780576 TI - Cancer and diet. PMID- 17780577 TI - In reply: cancer and diet. PMID- 17780578 TI - Groundwater contamination. PMID- 17780580 TI - Aerospace Experts Challenge ASAT Decision: Reagan claims that an antisatellite treaty is infeasible, but many satellite designers and intelligence analysts disagree. PMID- 17780579 TI - Windows on a new cosmology. AB - The standard Big Bang cosmology requires very special initial conditions: (i) an excess of matter over antimatter, (ii) delicate tuning of the expansion rate at an early time to produce the long-lived Universe we see today, and (iii) a conspiracy among parts of the Universe out of causal contact to produce the currently observed degree of homogeneity. New theories that unify the strong and electroweak interactions may remove the necessity of specifying these conditions as initial data by introducing an inherent matter-antimatter asymmetry in physical laws and changing the early dynamic history of the Universe. PMID- 17780581 TI - Pentagon neglects statellite defenses. PMID- 17780582 TI - NAS to Explore Expansion of Programs with Soviets. PMID- 17780583 TI - NASA Asks for Review of Space Science. PMID- 17780584 TI - Academy roundtable seeks better research links. PMID- 17780586 TI - The Gas Reactor Makes a Comeback: A boomlet in Congress backs the HTGR as the "inherently safe" answer to the nuclear industry's troubles. PMID- 17780585 TI - France invites u.s. Participation on breeders. PMID- 17780587 TI - Venusian Geology Coming into Focus: New radar images of the surface of Venus from Soviet spacecraft reveal a relatively active planet that may resemble the early Earth. PMID- 17780588 TI - Managing the Inland Sea: The last large tract of tallgrass prairie is in Kansas where ecologists are attempting to maintain it as it was in presettlement days. PMID- 17780589 TI - CMOS Future for Microelectronic Circuits: Low power consumption of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor integrated circuits drives next stage of ultraminiaturization. PMID- 17780590 TI - Thoughts on science policy: priorities in research. PMID- 17780592 TI - A force in american medicine: the sick citadel. PMID- 17780591 TI - U.s. Agricultural science: science, agriculture, and the politics of research. PMID- 17780593 TI - Underdevelopment: test of a theory: the pharmaceutical industry and dependency in the third world. PMID- 17780594 TI - The Agricultural Sector in China: Agriculture in China's Modern Economic Development. PMID- 17780595 TI - Secondary Education in Japan: Japan's High Schools. PMID- 17780596 TI - Designs and ideals: campus. PMID- 17780598 TI - The Air-minded Era: The Winged Gospel. PMID- 17780597 TI - Early aerial ventures: the eagle aloft. PMID- 17780599 TI - Psychologist's Memoirs: In Search of Mind. PMID- 17780601 TI - A stage in female development: girls at puberty. PMID- 17780600 TI - Correlates of fame: genius, creativity, and leadership. PMID- 17780602 TI - A program for the gifted: academic precocity. PMID- 17780603 TI - Psychological change in adulthood: longitudinal studies of adult psychological development. PMID- 17780604 TI - Newton on optics: the optical papers of isaac newton. PMID- 17780605 TI - Earlier explorations: certain philosophical questions. PMID- 17780606 TI - A 19th-century mathematician: a convergence of lives. PMID- 17780607 TI - A life in astronomy: cecilia payne-gaposchkin. PMID- 17780608 TI - Scientific educations: four lives in science. PMID- 17780609 TI - The fundamentals of physics: the discovery of subatomic particles. PMID- 17780610 TI - Swirling flows: vortex flow in nature and technology. PMID- 17780611 TI - Apparatus of the past: nineteenth-century scientific instruments. PMID- 17780612 TI - The status of the neutral theory: the neutral theory of molecular evolution. PMID- 17780613 TI - Sex determination: evolution of sex determining mechanisms. PMID- 17780614 TI - Ecology around the world: the ecological century. PMID- 17780615 TI - Primate adaptations: five new world primates. PMID- 17780616 TI - A biota and models: island biogeography in the sea of cortez. PMID- 17780617 TI - Biological structures and processes: a Mammalian appendage. PMID- 17780619 TI - Neural circuitry: chemical neuroanatomy. PMID- 17780618 TI - Microbial growth: growth of the bacterial cell. PMID- 17780620 TI - France in the stone age: ancient france. PMID- 17780621 TI - Raised-field farming in mesoamerica: pulltrouser swamp. PMID- 17780622 TI - Saturn ring particles as dynamic ephemeral bodies. AB - Although Saturn's rings are within the Roche zone, the accretion of centimeter sized particles into large aggregates many meters in diameter occurs readily, on a time scale of weeks. These aggregates are disrupted when tidal stresses exceed their very low strengths; thus most of the mass of the ring system is continually processed through a population of large "dynamic ephemeral bodies," which are continually forming and disintegrating. These large aggregates are not at all like the idealized ice spheres often used in modeling Saturn's ring dynamics. Their coefficient of restitution is low, hence they form a monolayer in the ring plane. The optically observable characteristics of the rings are dominated by the swarm of centimeter-sized particles. PMID- 17780623 TI - Holocene eruptive activity of el chichon volcano, chiapas, Mexico. AB - Geologic and radiometric-age data indicate that El Chichon was frequently and violently active during the Holocene, including eruptive episodes about 600, 1250, and 1700 years ago and several undated, older eruptions. These episodes, involving explosive eruptions of sulfur-rich magma and associated dome-growth processes, were apparently separated by intervals of approximately 350 to 650 years. Some of El Chichon's eruptions may correlate with unusual atmospheric phenomena around A.D. 1300 and possibly A.D. 623. PMID- 17780624 TI - Single-crystal elastic properties of the modified spinel (Beta) phase of magnesium orthosilicate. AB - The single-crystal elastic moduli of the modified spinel structure (beta phase) of magnesium orthosilicate (Mg(2)SiO(4)) have been measured by Brillouin spectroscopy under ambient conditions. Single crystals with dimensions up to 500 micrometers were grown at 22 gigapascals and 2000 degrees C over a period of 1 hour. Growth of crystals larger than 100 micrometers was achieved only when the pressure was within 5 percent of the pressure of the phase boundary separating the beta- and gamma-phase stability fields. A comparison of the elastic properties of the modified spinel phase with those of the olivine phase suggests that the 400-kilometer seismic discontinuity in the earth's mantle can be described by a mantle with 40 percent olivine. These results confirm that the 400 kilometer discontinuity can be due to the transition from olivine to modified spinel. The amount of olivine that must be present is less than that in a pyrolite model, although the results do not exclude pyrolite as a possible mantle model. PMID- 17780625 TI - A Candidate Magnetic Sense Organ in the Yellowfin Tuna, Thunnus albacares. AB - Single-domain magnetite crystals have been isolated and characterized from tissue located in a sinus within the dermethmoid bone of the skull of the yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares. Their chemical composition, narrow size distribution, and distinctive crystal morphology indicate that these crystals are biochemical precipitates. Experiments on the interaction between particles reveal the organization of the particles in situ and suggest a possible form for candidate magnetoreceptor organelles. The consistent localization of such particles with similar arrangement within the dermethmoids of this and other pelagic fishes suggests that the ethmoid region is a possible location for a vertebrate magnetic sense organ. PMID- 17780626 TI - In Reply: Is agr1-Protease Inhibitor Inactivated by Smoking? PMID- 17780627 TI - Who judges the teachers? PMID- 17780628 TI - HUAC: Academic Challenge. PMID- 17780629 TI - The first computers. PMID- 17780630 TI - New channels for grants. PMID- 17780631 TI - Industry does retrieve information. PMID- 17780632 TI - On using inferential statistics. PMID- 17780633 TI - Political realities and educational needs. PMID- 17780634 TI - Ancient heavy transport, methods and achievements. AB - That more and larger stones were transported over a much longer time span in the Old than in the New World is obvious. The earlier arrival of the peoples of the Old World at the level of cultural development generally termed "civilization," accompanied as it was by a superior technology (95), goes far to account for this fact. Similarities, even identities, in techniques employed in transporting heavy stones (for example, sledge, ramps) or beliefs about stones (for example, that stones can will themelves to move or remain fixed) are taken to be fortuitous and independent convergences of the same genre as those cultural parallels recently pointed out by Caso (96) and Rowe (97). PMID- 17780635 TI - Interpretation of some organic photochemistry. AB - A general introduction to current organic photochemical research is presented. A limited survey of typical organic photochemical reactions, with an emphasis on recent studies, is given. Reactions of the n-pi* and pi-pi* type are included. Some new thoughts are included; among these is the relation of Mobius strip geometry to organic photochemistry. PMID- 17780636 TI - Educational Deductions: IRS Wants to Tighten Up. PMID- 17780639 TI - "Bootlegging": it holds a firm place in conduct of research. PMID- 17780637 TI - Dogs and cats: humane treatment legislation nears passage. PMID- 17780640 TI - Scientific exchange: case of a French visitor. PMID- 17780642 TI - Artifacts in polarimetry and optical activity in meteorites. AB - Scattered light produces spurious optical rotations of up to 80 milli degrees in commercial polarimeters. Even larger "rotations," up to 180 milli-degrees, are observed when the sample simultaneously absorbs and scatters light.These effects may account for the optical activity reported in the Orgueil meteorite. PMID- 17780641 TI - United States looks at Swedish shipbuilding technology. PMID- 17780643 TI - Antarctic pack ice: boundaries established from nimbus I pictures. AB - Television and photofacsimile constructed infrared pictures taken by the Nimbus I meteorological satellite between 28 August and 22 September 1964 were analyzed for indications of the pack-ice boundary around Antarctica. Mean ice boundaries were established around the entire continent from both TV and infrared pictures, from which were estimated pack-ice areas of 19.81 by 10(6) and16.78 by 10(6) square kilometers, respectively; the difference is attributed to difference in subjective discernment of a boundary. PMID- 17780644 TI - Radiocarbon content of marine shells from the california and mexican west coast. AB - The radiocarbon content of contemporary pre-bomb marine shells from the upwelling environment of the California and the West Mexican coast has been determined. In addition, factors leading to the apparent ages of different magnitude for various marine environments are discussed. PMID- 17780645 TI - Magnesium in sea water: an electrode measurement. AB - Magnesium ion in standard I.A.P.O. sea water was measured with a magnesium sensitive electrode. The results, presented either as magnesiumion activity (0.017) or as the amount of ionized magnesium (0.048M or about 90 percent of the total magnesium), agree well with the data from the chemical model for sea water proprosed by Garrels and Thompson. PMID- 17780646 TI - Rare earths in hawaiian basalts. AB - Rare-earth elements have been determined by neutron activation analysis in 20 basalts from the Hawaiian Islands. The abundance patterns of these elements form groups coinciding closely with groupings based on other evidence, and a fractional crystallization mechanism for change in rare earth abundance is implied. PMID- 17780647 TI - Thermal recrystallization of precipitated zinc sulfide. AB - Changes in morphology during thermal recrystallization of zinc sulfide precipitate were observed under an electron microscope. Intra-aggregate coalescence of precipitate grains proceeds with unexpected rapidity until the limiting idenitity of aggregate and grain is attained. PMID- 17780648 TI - A chemically stratified lake in alaska. AB - A meromictic (chemically stratified) lake occupies a thawed depression in a pingo in interior Alaska, near Circle City. Increased salt concentration and anaerobic conditions characterize the zone extending from a maximum depth of 3 to 8.8 meters. The concentration of strontium and lithium is unusually high for lake water. PMID- 17780649 TI - Electrolytic dissolution of iron meteorites. AB - When iron meteorites are dissolved anodically in neutral solution, nonmetallic inclusions are not attached and collect at the bottom of the anode compartment. When the meteorites contain both kamacite and taenite, the kamacite dissolves preferentially, revealing a three-dimensional Widmanstatten pattern. PMID- 17780650 TI - Cylindrical inclusions in the cytoplasm of leaf cells infected with tobacco etch virus. AB - Combined tracings from electron micrographs of serial sections of leaf tissue infected with tobacco etch virus show that one type of cytoplasmic inclusion, when sectioned in different planes, can produce configurations which have been interpreted as being two distinct types of inclusion bodies. PMID- 17780651 TI - Terminology of cell-water relations. AB - Use of the term "water potential" in place of "diffusion pressure deficit" would improve communication between botanists and scientists in other fields because the concept of potential is familiar to most scientists. Water potential, expressed as PsiW, is the difference in free energy or chemical potential per unit molal volume between pure water and water in cells at the same temperature. The potential of pure water is set at zero; hence the potential of water in cells and solutions is less than zero, or negative. The water potential of a cell is numerically equal to its diffusion pressure deficit, but has a negative sign. PMID- 17780652 TI - Infrared study of the hydroxyl bands in clinoamphiboles. AB - Sharp single peaks in the fundamental and first-overtone bands of the O-H stretching vibration in pure Mg(2)+ and Fe(2)+ amphiboles split into a maximum of four sharp peaks, corresponding to hydroxyl groups linked to 3 Fe, 2 Fe + Mg, 2 Mg + Fe, and 3 Mg, in mixed Fe(2)+-Mg(2)+ amphiboles. Within any one solid solution series, the frequencies of these peaks can be correlated with the electronegativity of ions in the M(l) and M(3) positions, and differences between series can be correlated with the size of ions in the M(4) position. The O-H vector lies approximately normal to z in the (010) plane. The distribution of Fe(2)+ and Mg(2)+ ions between the (M(1),M(3)) and (M(2)M(4)) positions in the cummingtonite-grunerite series, and between the (M(1),M(3)) and M(2) positions in the tremolite-ferroactinolite series, has also been estimated. PMID- 17780654 TI - Shock metamorphism of natural materials. PMID- 17780653 TI - Effect of temperature on the life of soap bubbles, and their solidification at low temperature. AB - Soap bubbles (also films on wire frames) have been solidified at low temperatures. At~-30 degrees C the bubbles still behave normally, that is, they can be expanded by blowing air into them and contract when the air is let out. At ~ -80 degrees C they become glassy, have very little surface tension, and cannot be blown up any more. At ~-120 degrees C they become completely solid. No further change is observed by cooling them to 90 degrees or 77 degrees K. PMID- 17780655 TI - Allergies: ecological approach. PMID- 17780656 TI - Diseases of laboratory animals. PMID- 17780657 TI - THE INFLUENCE OF FOURIER'S SERIES UPON THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATHEMATICS. PMID- 17780658 TI - UNIVERSITY REGISTRATION STATISTICS. PMID- 17780660 TI - SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. PMID- 17780661 TI - UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. PMID- 17780659 TI - THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY. PMID- 17780662 TI - COLUMBIUM VERSUS NIOBIUM. PMID- 17780663 TI - THE CYTOLOGICAL TIME OF MUTATION IN TOBACCO. PMID- 17780664 TI - SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS REGARDING PLUMAGE PATTERNS. PMID- 17780665 TI - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS. PMID- 17780666 TI - About Science. PMID- 17780667 TI - Sir Francis Simon. PMID- 17780668 TI - Atomic Radiation Hazards: Congressional Hearings on Radiation Standards. PMID- 17780669 TI - Aid to Education: Bill Passes House, But Outcome Still in Doubt. PMID- 17780670 TI - Federal Regulation of Animal Studies Proposed by 11 Senators. PMID- 17780671 TI - AAAS Group Studies Use of Special Teachers. PMID- 17780672 TI - U.S. Launches 5000-Pound Missile-Warning Satellite. PMID- 17780673 TI - Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation. AB - If extraterrestrial intelligent beings exist and have reached a high level of technical development, one by-product of their energy metabolism is likely to be the large-scale conversion of starlight into far-infrared radiation. It is proposed that a search for sources of infrared radiation should accompany the recently initiated search for interstellar radio communications. PMID- 17780674 TI - Density of the Lunar Atmosphere. PMID- 17780675 TI - Induction of Staminate Flowers on Gynoecious Cucumbers with Gibberellin A3. AB - Staminate flowers induced on gynoecious plants permitted the establishment and increase of inbred lines bearing only pistillate flowers. This method of altering sex expression has practical applications in developing F(1) hybrids, and is useful in studying the physiology and genetics of sex expression. PMID- 17780676 TI - Movement of Radiosodium in a Chemically Stratified Lake. AB - The rapid horizontal dispersal of sodium-24 at an average rate of about 18 m/day has been observed near the bottom of a small thermally and chemically stratified lake. However, no appreciable vertical movement of the radioactivity was observed during a period of 6 days. PMID- 17780677 TI - Continuity of Mid-Oceanic Ridge and Rift Valley in the Southwestern Indian Ocean Confirmed. AB - The existence of a continuous, rifted, mid-oceanic ridge in the southwestern Indian Ocean, previously predicted by us, has been confirmed by soundings taken by the research vessel Vema during the expedition now in progress. PMID- 17780678 TI - Deuterium Analysis-- a Simple and Precise Method. AB - By means of reaction with calcium hydride in a generator of simple design, the water samples are converted into H(2) and HD. With hydrogen as carrier gas, the greater thermal conductivity of HD produces a peak whose size is linearly related to the deuterium content of the original water. PMID- 17780680 TI - Linear and Higher-Order Curves. PMID- 17780679 TI - Letters to the Editor.